Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet believes his club can enter the offseason with their heads high despite their playoff run ending with a Game 7 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on home ice Monday night.

"They put respect back in this city and this jersey, let's face it," Tocchet said after the loss, per Sportsnet. "The fans got something to be proud about, and it's all because of the players."

Vancouver fans gave the players a standing ovation after Monday's loss, a 3-2 final in which the Canucks made a push for overtime.

"There was no quit. I'm really proud of the guys," Tocchet said, according to team reporter Kate Pettersen. "They made a good push there. I'm really proud."

The Canucks won the Pacific Division with 109 points this season after missing the playoffs three years in a row. Vancouver has posted a 70-35-15 record since Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau behind the bench in January 2023 - good for the seventh-most points in the NHL.

Tocchet's hand in leading the Canucks to the postseason earned him a Jack Adams Award nomination.

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The Edmonton Oilers staved off a furious third-period comeback attempt by the Vancouver Canucks on Monday to win Game 7 of their second-round series 3-2 and set up a clash with the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

More to come.

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The Edmonton Oilers staved off a third-period comeback attempt by the Vancouver Canucks to win 3-2 in Monday's Game 7 of their second-round series and set up a clash with the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

The Oilers appeared to be in cruise control after three consecutive second-period goals, but the Canucks struck twice in four minutes midway through the final frame to set up a frenetic finish.

"We know how to make it stressful," Oilers captain Connor McDavid told Sportsnet postgame.

McDavid, who was held off the scoresheet Monday but had nine points in the previous six games, credited his teammates' perseverance after trailing 3-2 in the series.

"I thought we defended well," McDavid said. "We played two really good games. Backs were against the wall, and we responded. Really proud of the group."

Edmonton shined in its own zone in Game 7 before Vancouver broke through with Conor Garland's goal, limiting the Canucks to 12 shots through 40 minutes. The Oilers blocked 22 shots in the contest and started generating momentum after a four-minute penalty kill in the first period in which Vancouver failed to register an attempt on goal.

Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner had to make only 15 saves but expressed his gratitude toward being between the pipes again after sitting out Games 4 and 5 following poor performances.

"It's everything, being able to have the support of your teammates," Skinner said. "You're with them for potentially years on end, and you're with them every single day throughout the season. They're your best friends, they're your brothers, right? So, being able to hear that from them and have that support from them means the world."

The Canucks have now lost three consecutive Game 7s dating back to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Vancouver took a huge leap forward this season, winning the Pacific Division with 109 points after missing the playoffs three straight years.

Rick Tocchet's crew ran into major injury trouble as the playoffs progressed, with first- and second-string netminders Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith getting hurt in the first round. Vancouver ruled leading goal-scorer Brock Boeser out of Game 7 on Sunday night due to a blood clotting issue.

The Oilers are in the conference final for the second time in three years. The Colorado Avalanche swept them in the third round in 2022.

Edmonton and Dallas met three times in the regular season, with the Stars winning twice.

The series begins Thursday night in Texas.

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Blake Wheeler is available to play in the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers should the New York Rangers find a spot for him in the lineup.

Wheeler was placed on injured reserve in February with a season-ending leg injury but recently shed his no-contact jersey in practice and hopes to return to game action.

"I think once you get rid of the red jersey, and the fact they take me off of the injured reserve, I think that's been my goal the whole time since I got hurt: to be an option and be available again. And that's where we're at," Wheeler said, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "It's going to be in the coach's hands from there, but I'm ready in any capacity I can to help out."

New York signed Wheeler last summer after he was bought out by the Winnipeg Jets. The 37-year-old registered 21 points in 54 games as a Ranger before his injury.

It's unclear who the red-hot Rangers will pull out of the lineup if Wheeler slots in. New York is 8-2 so far in the playoffs while averaging 3.50 goals per game.

Wheeler began the season in a top-six role but will take any ice time he can get as he chases the first Stanley Cup of his 16-year career.

"You sit on the couch watching these guys play ... I just want to be back with the guys, with the group on the ice with them, in any capacity I can," Wheeler said. "They're a heck of a group in here. I've had just a blast playing with these guys all year. And then certainly the run they've been on, just like I said, that's the motivation right there."

The Eastern Conference Final is scheduled to begin Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers last reached the third round in 2022 and haven't been to the Stanley Cup Final since 2014.

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The Edmonton Oilers turned back to goaltender Stuart Skinner with their season on the line Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

"I'm excited to get back in the net. I'm excited to get to do my job again," Skinner said pregame, per NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

Calvin Pickard started the previous two tilts for Edmonton after Skinner managed a .793 save percentage over the first three games of the series.

Pickard shined in a Game 4 victory but allowed three goals on 35 shots in a Game 5 loss that gave the Canucks a 3-2 series lead.

Skinner had a strong showing in the opening round against the Los Angeles Kings, going 4-1 with one shutout and a .910 save percentage. The 25-year-old was 36-16-5 over 59 regular-season appearances.

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Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery pointed to a lack of offense as the primary reason the Florida Panthers eliminated his club Friday night.

"I didn't sense frustration, but a lack of our ability to score in the playoffs in general. You can't win every game 2-1," Montgomery said after the Game 6 loss, per NBC Sports Boston.

"We didn't finish. Outside of Game 1, did we score more than two goals?"

Boston opened the second-round series with a 5-1 victory but failed to score more than two goals in each of the next five games - four of those losses. The Bruins were also limited to two goals or less in the final three contests of their first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs but advanced to face Florida with a 2-1 overtime victory in Game 7.

The Bruins finished the regular season ranked 14th in the NHL with 3.21 goals per contest, a mark that fell to 2.38 in 13 playoff games this spring.

However, Montgomery conceded other reasons than a lack of goals for why the Panthers got the best of his squad.

"It's not the only thing, there's several other elements of the series," Montgomery said. "The territorial zone time they had over us, it has compounding effects."

The Panthers have eliminated the Bruins in back-to-back playoffs. In 2023, Florida ended Boston's historically successful season by erasing a 3-1 series deficit in the first round.

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will run the United States' bench at next year's 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics in Italy, USA Hockey announced Saturday.

The 4 Nations Face-Off takes place next February and will include Canada, USA, Sweden, and Finland. It's the start of a revamped international event calendar that's scheduled to stage a best-on-best tournament every two years.

The NHL confirmed it will return to the 2026 Olympics in February after missing the previous two tournaments. The league hasn't participated in a best-on-best event since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Sullivan has coached USA in some capacity four separate times. He was tabbed to lead the Stars and Stripes at the 2022 winter games in Beijing before the NHL pulled out due to COVID-19 complications.

The 56-year-old led the Penguins to championships in 2016 and 2017, becoming the first American-born head coach to win the Stanley Cup twice. Sullivan's 375 regular-season wins since taking over in Pittsburgh are the fourth-most in the NHL.

The United States is expected to compete for gold; Auston Matthews, Jack and Quinn Hughes, and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are among the many star players at USA's disposal.

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Matt Duchene became an instant hero in Dallas early Saturday morning, as his double overtime goal in Game 6 eliminated the Colorado Avalanche and sent the Stars to the Western Conference Final.

Duchene let out an emotional celebration after depositing a loose puck with eight minutes left in the game's fifth period but had difficulty putting the moment into words.

"I don't even know what (I did)," Duchene said, per NHL.com's Ryan Boulding. "I know I ended up on my knees like last time I got one in overtime, but I have no idea, to be honest with you. It's just elation, right?"

"It just popped out to me, shot it in, and then blacked out, pretty much," he told the NHL on TNT crew after the win.

Duchene's tally is the third playoff overtime winner of his career, but he described this one as extra special.

"This is only the second time I've been past the first round in my career," he said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "Now we're going to the conference finals. At 33, I think there's a certain level of appreciation that you have that you wouldn't have had as a young player."

Duchene last reached the second round in 2019 as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He joined the Stars last summer on a one-year, $3-million deal after the Nashville Predators bought him out with three years remaining on his contract.

"(Duchene) came in, and he really changed our team," general manager Jim Nill said. "Just a different dimension. Another element of offense for us. And he's bought into how we've got to play, too. He had to change his game. So, it's been a good fit."

Duchene registered 65 points in the 2023-24 regular season and has added six points in the playoffs.

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The Boston Bruins got captain Brad Marchand back in the lineup for Friday's Game 6 against the Florida Panthers after he missed the previous two contests with an upper-body injury.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery inserted Marchand into the starting lineup alongside Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic.

Marchand was injured by a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 3. The collision sparked plenty of controversy, as Bennett appeared to sneakily punch Marchand in the head as he braced for contact. But the Bruins veteran said he would have done the same thing if roles were reversed.

The Bruins need a win Friday to force a Game 7 as they attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit in the series.

Marchand came into Friday's tilt tied for Boston's scoring lead this postseason and boasts 10 points in 10 games.

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The New Jersey Devils signed pending unrestricted free agent Kurtis MacDermid to a three-year, $3.45-million contract Friday.

The Devils acquired MacDermid, who has lined up at wing and defense in recent seasons, from the Colorado Avalanche before the March trade deadline.

He appeared in 16 contests for New Jersey, logging one assist and 50 penalty minutes, which include four fighting majors.

MacDermid's notched 31 points in 265 games since breaking into the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017-18 campaign.

He was one of six pending UFAs on New Jersey's books before his new deal.

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