Friday's hockey: Canucks advance to face Oilers; Griffins' Berggren scores OT goal again

Nashville, Tenn. — Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet told ex-Red Wing Pius Suter to keep shooting. Suter did just that, and it paid off.

Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.

“If you keep going to those spots, it’ll happen, and it happened for Suits and big game- winning goal for us,” Tocchet said about the forward who had three of his five shots in the third.

Nashville had a final chance to force overtime with a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was called for cross-checking former Red Wing Gustav Nyquist. Even with goalie Juuse Saros pulled for an extra attacker, the Predators couldn't beat rookie goalie Arturs Silovs before time expired.

The final four games in this series were decided by one goal. First-year Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said this might've been the tightest series he can remember being in. Replaying the final 33 seconds, the Jack Adams finalist said he could see opportunities his Predators missed.

“You’re going to get in one of these games, and hockey’s cruel sometimes,” Brunette said.

Silovs made 28 saves to become the 14th rookie goalie in NHL history to finish off a series with a shutout and just the fifth in 30 years. He joined Akira Schmid (2023), Matt Murray (2017 against Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final winner), Carey Price (2008) and Ilya Bryzgalov (2006) in that select group.

“He stepped in and what a crazy scenario he’s been thrown into,” Canucks forward J.T. Miller said about Silovs. “He made the saves when he needed to in such a big and crazy environment. We’re happy for him."

Vancouver will play Edmonton. The Oilers finished second behind the Canucks in the Pacific Division and beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.

“I have thought about it for more than two seconds to be honest with you,” Miller said about facing the Oilers.

(At) Vegas 2, Dallas 0: Beginning with Tyler Seguin on a breakaway, the shots came in waves at Vegas goalie Adin Hill.

He stopped Seguin at point blank, saved Joe Pavelski's rebound and then stopped Seguin again.

This was the Hill of last year's Stanley Cup championship run, and because of him the Golden Knights kept alive their hopes of repeating by beating the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Friday night to force a Game 7.

“You need to make big saves at big times in big games,” Hill said. “That's how you win playoff games. I think our team learned that last year, and any team that's won, their goalies had to catch fire at times.”

The deciding game in the first-round series is Sunday in Dallas.

Hill stopped 23 shots for first shutout since having two in three games in early November. Noah Hanifin broke a scoreless tie at 9:54 of the third period and Mark Stone scored an empty-netter from 176 feet away with 18.9 seconds left to seal the victory.

This was the second winning goal this series for Hanifin, who was a trade-deadline acquisition from Calgary.

“Ever since I got traded here, I was super excited about the opportunity coming to a team with guys that have won,” Hanifin said. “It's a great culture here and I'm fortunate to be a part of it. I feel good about my game and I'm trying to contribute whichever way I can.”

This was a classic goalie duel, with Hill looking like the player who went 11-4 with a .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals goals allowed per game in last year's playoffs. But Hill had been up and down late in this season, and Logan Thompson got the starting job in the series' first four games.

The Knights turned to Hill for Game 5 in their 3-2 loss and then again for this one.

“At the end of the year, Adin was feeling pretty good about this game,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You could see it in practice. It was just pucks were finding their way in. … He should have confidence. He just pitched a shutout and made some really high-end saves.”

On the other side, Jake Oettinger made 28 saves and entered the game without giving up a goal in this series in the third period or overtime. Hanifin's goal ended Oettinger's streak at 60 saves.

“I would've like to have shut it down tonight, but now that we're in this position, that's why we played so well during the regular season to get Game 7 at home if it comes to that,” Oettinger said. “The ball's in our court. We're on home ice, and now it's on us to take care of business.”

Grand Rapids 4, Rockford 3 (OT)

Jonatan Berggren's second overtime goal in less than a week lifted the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 4-3 victory over the Rockford IceHogs in Game 3 of the American Hockey League's Central Division semifinal on Friday at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Marco Kasper, Austin Czarnik and Elmer Soderblom scored goals, Simon Edvinsson had an assist and Sebastian Cossa stopped 27-of-30 shots for the Griffins.

Grand Rapids leads the best-of-five series, 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Rockford at 5 p.m.

Saginaw 4, London 2

The Saginaw Spirit stayed alive in the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference final with a 4-2 victory against the London Knights in Game 5 on Friday at the Budweiser Gardens in London.

Hunter Haight had a hat trick, Rodwin Dionicio collected four assists and goalie Nolan Lalonde stopped 26-of-28 shots for the Spirit, who trail in 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Game 6 is Sunday at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw at 2 p.m.

The value of Nichushkin on display

Valeri Nichushkin is lifting the Colorado Avalanche after taking the time to help himself.

The hard-charging, fast-moving Russian forward was gone for nearly two months of the regular season as he received care from the NHLPA/NHL Player Assistance Program for issues that were not disclosed. This was on the heels of missing the final five games of a playoff loss last season for what the team explained as personal reasons.

When he is on the ice, Nichushkin is a goal-scoring force. Especially come playoff time, where he just had seven over five games in a first-round series win against the Winnipeg Jets. In Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup title run, he was third on the team with nine goals.

“Val is a beast,” said new Colorado addition Casey Mittelstadt, whose team will face either Dallas or Vegas in the second round. “An absolute beast.”

This version in particular, the one that’s “doing really well,” from a mental health standpoint, coach Jared Bednar said.

Nichushkin was unavailable to the team from Jan. 13 to Mar. 7. The 29-year-old became the second Avalanche player to enter the program this season, following defenseman Samuel Girard, who said in November that anxiety and depression led to alcohol abuse. Girard returned in mid-December.

Since his return, Nichushkin has been hard to stop, no matter what line he’s on. Lately, he's been paired with Nathan MacKinnon, who's in the running for the Hart Trophy, and Mikko Rantanen.

Nichushkin's seven goals in the first round were tied for the most in a playoff series in franchise history. He joins the company of Rantanen (2023 first round), Hall of Famer Joe Sakic (1996 conference quarterfinals) and Réal Cloutier (1982 division finals).

“He’s doing great. He really is,” Bednar said of Nichushkin. “You want guys to be in good mental health and taking care of themselves, and he’s doing that.

“To be fair, he was playing really well when he wasn’t in great mental health. But I just think for long-term sustainability, you want your guys feeling great and at ease away from the rink. You want them to be having fun when they’re coming to the rink and they’ll be more productive. He’s certainly doing that.”

One thing Nichushkin doesn’t do much of is talk. He avoids interviews as much as he can, preferring to let his play do his speaking.

“He’s playing great. It’s huge for everybody – for himself and for us,” forward Andrew Cogliano said. “It’s good to see someone that obviously had some struggles and was able to get through it and come out on the other side and play amazing.”

Penguins fire assistant coach Reirden

The Pittsburgh Penguins fired assistant coach Todd Reirden on Friday, just over two weeks after the organization missed out on the playoffs for a second straight season.

Reirden was in charge of Pittsburgh's power play. The Penguins struggled while on the man advantage all season despite having a star-studded unit that included Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh converted on just 15% of its power play opportunities, 30th in the 32-team NHL.

“Mike Sullivan and I have spent time over the past two weeks evaluating the coaching staff, and although these decisions are never easy, we agree that this change was in the best interest of the team moving forward," general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement.

The firing ends Reirden's second stint with the organization. He served as an assistant in Pittsburgh from 2010-14 before moving on to Washington. He spent two years as head coach of the Capitals from 2018-20 before returning to the Penguins.

Hurricanes missed Svechnikov last year

The memory of being unable to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs last year still stings for Andrei Svechnikov. He has opened this postseason like a man savoring every moment of his return.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who missed last year's postseason with a knee injury had a strong first-round series against the New York Islanders, a physical presence with size and speed in the Hurricanes' aggressive-forechecking style. Now, with the Hurricanes preparing to face the New York Rangers in the second round, the player known around the locker room as “Svech” is eager to keep things rolling.

“I just want to go there and enjoy it,” Svechnikov said. “Obviously I had a tough time missing playoffs. I’m sure I would’ve helped a little bit. I’m just going there and enjoying my game and trying to give it my best shot there.”

Svechnikov, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, developed into a talented contributor during the Hurricanes' climb from a nine-year postseason drought to making six straight playoff trips. But roughly a month after playing in his first NHL All-Star Game, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in March 2023 and missed Carolina's push for the Stanley Cup.

Ultimately, he could only help by cranking the “storm warning” siren announcing the Hurricanes' charge onto the ice in front of a roaring home crowd for the playoff opener. The Hurricanes missed him badly when they ran up against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, losing four in a row by a one-goal margin.

That highlighted a longtime desire of Carolina to have more high-end finishers and scoring depth, but the impact was just as much about missing the 24-year-old's physical, hard-skating style on a roster featuring speed and skill on the top lines. Beyond his scoring was his ability to win puck battles for a team that thrives on sustaining possession in the offensive zone.

“If you look at our team, he’s by far our best power forward,” president and general manager Don Waddell said. "He finishes his checks. He’s not afraid of anybody. He gives us some of that muscle up front that we missed last year.”

Eastern Conference playoff matchups

Rangers vs. Capitals

(Rangers win 4-0)

▶ Game 1: Rangers 4-1

▶ Game 2: Rangers 4-3

▶ Game 3: Rangers 3-1

▶ Game 4: Rangers 4-2

Bruins vs. Maple Leafs

(Series tied 3-3)

▶ Game 1: Bruins 5-1

▶ Game 2: Leafs 3-2

▶ Game 3: Bruins 4-2

▶ Game 4: Bruins 3-1

▶ Game 5: Leafs 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 6: Leafs 2-0

▶ Game 7: Saturday @ Boston, 8

Panthers vs. Lightning

(Panthers win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Panthers 3-2

▶ Game 2: Panthers 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 3: Panthers 5-3

▶ Game 4: Lightning 6-3

▶ Game 5: Lightning 6-1

Hurricanes vs. Islanders

(Hurricanes win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Hurricanes 3-1

▶ Game 2: Hurricanes 5-3

▶ Game 3: Hurricanes 3-2

▶ Game 4: Islanders 3-2 (2OT)

▶ Game 5: Hurricanes 6-3

Western Conference playoff matchups

Dallas vs. Vegas

(Series tied 3-3)

▶ Game 1: Vegas 4-3

▶ Game 2: Vegas 3-1

▶ Game 3: Dallas 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 4: Dallas 4-2

▶ Game 5: Dallas 3-2

▶ Game 6: Vegas 2-0

▶ Game 7: Sunday @ Dallas, 7:30

Winnipeg vs. Colorado

(Avalanche win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Jets 7-6

▶ Game 2: Avalanche 5-2

▶ Game 3: Avalanche 6-2

▶ Game 4: Avalanche 5-1

▶ Game 5: Avalanche 6-3

Vancouver vs. Nashville

(Canucks win 4-2)

▶ Game 1: Canucks 4-2

▶ Game 2: Predators 4-1

▶ Game 3: Canucks 2-1

▶ Game 4: Canucks 4-3 (OT)

▶ Game 5: Predators 2-1

▶ Game 6: Canucks 1-0

Edmonton vs. Los Angeles

(Oilers win 4-1)

▶ Game 1: Oilers 7-4

▶ Game 2: Kings 5-4 (OT)

▶ Game 3: Oilers 6-1

▶ Game 4: Oilers 1-0

▶ Game 5: Oilers 4-3

Second round

Eastern Conference

Carolina vs. N.Y. Rangers

▶ Game 1: Sunday @ New York, 4

Michigan-area hockey

Monday

▶ Saginaw 6, London 2

Tuesday

▶ NTDP U18s 9, Finland 4

Wednesday

▶ Rockford 5, Grand Rapids 1

▶ London 7, Saginaw 3

Thursday

▶ NTDP U18s 4, Switzerland 0

Friday

▶ Grand Rapids 4, Rockford 3 (OT)

▶ Saginaw 4, London 2

Saturday

▶ NTDP U18s vs. Slovakia, 7 a.m.

Sunday

▶ Grand Rapids at Rockford, 5 (AHL/96.1)

▶ London at Saginaw, 2

American Hockey League playoffs

Central Division semifinal

(Griffins lead 2-1)

▶ Game 1: Grand Rapids 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 2: Rockford 5-1

▶ Game 3: Grand Rapids 4-3 (OT)

▶ Game 4: Sunday, May 5 @ Rockford, 4

▶ Game 5: Friday, May 10 @ Grand Rapids, 7

ECHL

Central Division Semifinal

(Best-of-seven series)

▶ Game 1: Toledo 3-2 (OT)

▶ Game 2: Toledo 5-2

▶ Game 3: Toledo 6-2

▶ Game 4: Toledo 4-2

Road to the Memorial Cup in Saginaw

(Saginaw hosts May 24-June 2)

▶ Friday, May 24: WHL vs. Saginaw, 7:30

▶ Saturday, May 25: OHL vs. QMJHL, 4

▶ Sunday, May 26: Saginaw vs. QMJHL, 7:30

▶ Monday, May 27: OHL vs. WHL, 7:30

▶ Tuesday, May 28: QMJHL vs. WHL, 7:30 

▶ Wednesday, May 29: Saginaw vs. OHL, 7:30 

▶ Thursday, May 30: Tie breaker (if necessary)

▶ Friday, May 31: Semifinal, 7:30

▶ Sunday, June 2: Final, 7:30

CHL playoffs in WHL, OHL, QMJHL

Western Hockey League

▶ Saskatoon Blades vs. Moose Jaw Warriors

▶ Prince George Cougars vs. Portland Winterhawks

Ontario Hockey League

▶ Oshawa Generals vs. North Bay Battalion

▶ London Knights vs. Saginaw

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

▶ Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. Cape Breton Eagles

▶ Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. Victoriaville Tigres