Hockey

The NHL has set Oct. 11 as the opening night of the 2022-23 season, commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday.

The date falls in line with the 2021-22 campaign, which opened Oct. 12, and seems to be setting a trend of the NHL opening its season during the second week of October. The league has regularly moved back and forth between the first and second weeks of the month.

If the calendar from this season holds, the NHL will announce its full schedule for the 2022-23 campaign next month. The league announced its schedule on July 22 of last year.

Next season is expected to be the first to fall under a normal schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. This season had a brief pause in late December/early January amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, which caused a push back in the overall schedule.

Every team was able to play its full 82-game regular season despite the delay. It was the first time the league reached the 82-game mark since 2018-19.

John Tortorella, who owns 20 years of NHL head coaching experience, has reportedly been offered the opportunity to lead the Philadelphia Flyers staff.

ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported Tuesday the sides are in "late-stage negotiations" about a contract for Tortorella to take over as the team's head coach for the 2022-23 season. TSN's Pierre LeBrun added further talks are set for Thursday.

Philadelphia narrowed its search to Tortorella and Barry Trotz, another high-profile coaching veteran, over the weekend, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

The Flyers failed to reach the playoffs each of the past two seasons and haven't advanced beyond the Eastern Conference Semifinals since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

They fired head coach Alain Vigneault in December after three seasons, and interim replacement Mike Yeo was dismissed at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, when Philly posted a 25-46-11 record, the NHL's fourth-worst mark.

Hiring a head coach will be the start of a busy offseason for Philadelphia, which must also name a new captain after trading Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers.

In May, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher noted handing out the "C" isn't a high priority.

"That's about No. 20 on our list right now. We'll get into that," Fletcher told reporters. "My assumption is we'll get through this summer, get closer to training camp, sit down and make that assessment."

More important for the franchise, which won its most recent championship in 1975, is finding a way to reinvigorate the roster.

"It is being aggressive in all phases. Certainly, part of it is we need to get younger, we have to get more talented," said Fletcher, who was hired as GM in 2018. "We have to get faster. We have to aggressively look at trades, free agency, and can we add a couple players to supplement what we have here and make this team better."

Hiring the fiery Tortorella would be an effort to change the culture in Philly's locker room.

The 63-year-old has compiled a 673-541-37-132 career record (.548 winning percentage) across 1,383 games as a head coach with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks.

Tortorella is a two-time winner of the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach, taking home the honor in 2003-04 with the Lightning—who won their first Cup title—and 2016-17 with Blue Jackets.

The Boston native mutually parted ways with Columbus following the 2020-21 season and spent the past year as a hockey analyst for ESPN.

Trotz owns a 914-670-60-168 record (.567) from stints with the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders. He guided the Caps to the 2018 Stanley Cup title.

The 59-year-old Canadian was let go by the Isles at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning could receive a boost for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche.

Brayden Point is progressing toward playing at the start of the NHL championship series after being out for a month with a lower-body injury he suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The center's presence on the ice would help Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Co. counter what the Avalanche throw at them throughout the series.

Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Avs should have the overall edge in Game 1 because of their rest and home ice. They swept the Edmonton Oilers to earn a week off between the final two rounds of the postseason.

Tampa Bay carries the edge in experience from its back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, and it could steal Game 1 in Denver if its defense slows down the impact of Colorado's stars.

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Game 1 Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Money Line: Colorado -160 (bet $160 to win $100); Tampa Bay (+140; bet $100 to win $140)

Over/Under: 6

Puck Line: Colorado -1.5 (+170), Tampa Bay +1.5 (-200)

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Top Storylines

Point Could Return For Game 1

Point is getting closer to being on the ice for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper provided an update on the injured forward on Tuesday night, per ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski.

"If it's not tomorrow, then we really anticipate Game 2. But we'll see how he is tomorrow," he said.

Point has been a vital part to Tampa Bay's success over the last two Stanley Cup runs. The team has learned to play with injuries in the last two years, and it didn't have Stamkos at full strength for one of its titles.

Getting Point back for Game 1 would provide a major boost inside the Lightning locker room as they prepare to take on an Avalanche team that has lost just two games this postseason.

The return of the 26-year-old could provide an edge in scoring depth against a Colorado squad that is without Nazem Kadri, who was injured in the Western Conference Final.

Tampa Bay needs all the offensive depth it can get if some of the series contests are high-scoring affairs.

Colorado proved it could handle those types of games while sweeping the Oilers, and the Lightning played a more defensive-minded series against the New York Rangers.

Defense could be the key for Tampa Bay to not only steal Game 1 but also to put it ahead for the rest of the series.

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Tampa Bay's Defense Could Change Series

No team has been able to stop the Avalanche this postseason.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are, arguably, the most talented duo in the NHL right now, and there is plenty of depth around them to hurt opponents if either player can't get going.

Tampa Bay has the defensive capabilities to slow down the entire Avalanche offense for 60 minutes.

The Lightning have the edge in goal, with 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy in net.

Tampa Bay held the Rangers to three goals in the final three games of the Eastern Conference Final. That series flipped when the Lightning recovered from a two-goal deficit in Game 3.

Colorado has much more dynamic offensive talent than the Rangers, but the Lightning could use the same defensive principles to slow down the Avalanche in stretches.

Tampa Bay may try to win with defense in Game 1 to counter the fresh legs on Colorado's side of the ice.

Stamkos, Kucherov and Co. have seen all types of playoff hockey games during their title run, but they are better suited to win low-scoring games in the series.

If MacKinnon, Makar and others net multiple goals in a single period, Tampa Bay could get run off the ice in Denver and face a two-game deficit going back home.

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced the hiring of Bruce Cassidy to be their head coach on Tuesday.

ESPN's Kevin Weekes first reported the hire:

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told @GoldenKnights to hire HC Bruce Cassidy. @NHL @StanleyCup #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/CJq8kqB1Vt

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 14, 2022

The Golden Knights fired Peter DeBoer in May after the team failed to reach the postseason, while the Boston Bruins gave Cassidy the ax in June, a surprising move seeing as how he took the team to six straight playoffs.

Cassidy, 57, went 245-108-46 in his six years as the Bruins' head coach and led the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.

Boston was eliminated in the opening round of this year's playoffs, however, and general manager Don Sweeney decided to go in a new direction.

"After taking some time to fully digest everything, I felt that the direction of our team for both this season and beyond would benefit from a new voice," he said in a statement.

Took Cassidy less than a week to go another job. Think he’s a good coach? https://t.co/eZb4W3ae2b

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) June 14, 2022

Bruce Cassidy was without a job for six days and 22 hours.

— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) June 14, 2022

I think Cassidy is a great fit for VGK. Mature team. Plenty of talent. His Bruins teams were always able to defend. And they could score when Cassidy had the offensive players to make it happen. He's got something to prove after being the fall guy in Boston. That's powerful. https://t.co/CV3iccuMQN

— Mike McKenna (@MikeMcKenna56) June 14, 2022

The Golden Knights have had tremendous success in their five-year existence, making the playoffs four times, the conference final twice and the Stanley Cup Final in the 2017-18 season, the organization's maiden voyage.

But missing the postseason this past year led to the team changing course.

"The decision was made based on next year; the decision was not based on last year," general manager Kelly McCrimmon told reporters after firing DeBoer. "I'm not going to be critical of Pete or point out specifics as to why this decision was made. I've got a lot of respect for Pete as a man. I've got a lot of respect for him as a coach. These decisions are made for the future."

In three seasons, DeBoer was 98-50-12 as the head coach.

Cassidy was one of the top names on the coaching market, alongside more experienced options like Barry Trotz and John Tortorella, so his hiring was a solid move for a Vegas franchise looking to have a quick turnaround after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will attempt to win their third Stanley Cup in a row against their toughest championship series opponent in the three-year swing.

The Colorado Avalanche seem poised to win the Stanley Cup with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar leading the team.

Colorado lost twice in three playoff rounds. Both of those defeats came against the St. Louis Blues in the second round.

The Avalanche possess the better young talent in MacKinnon and Makar, and they are well rested after their sweep of the Edmonton Oilers.

Tampa Bay can't be counted out of the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning flexed their championship-winning experience by coming back from an 0-2 deficit and a two-goal disadvantage in Game 3 against the New York Rangers.

Tampa Bay has more games on its legs from a seven-game first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the recently concluded six-game set in the Eastern Conference Final against New York.

The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion could receive a boost to deal with the Avalanche's talent. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said that Brayden Point is "extremely probable" to participate in the series, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Point has not played since Game 7 of the first-round series against Toronto. He can be the difference-maker that puts Tampa Bay ahead of Colorado throughout the series.

The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton outlined the impact Point has made in postseason games, (h/t TSN):

"Point, 26, recorded 28 goals and 58 points in 66 regular-season games. In seven playoff games, he had two goals and four points. With 30 career playoff goals, no player has scored more goals over the past three NHL post-seasons."

Tampa Bay could be favored in the series with Point on the ice and Andrei Vasilevskiy in net.

The Athletic's Joe Smith noted that Vasilevskiy is the toughest netminder that the Avalanche have faced this postseason:

"The fact that Brayden Point is 'extremely probable' to play in the series helps Tampa Bay, as does the fact that Vasilevskiy will be the most formidable goalie the Avs have faced in the playoffs (after beating the Oilers’ Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen in the conference final, the Blues’ Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso in the second round and the Predators’ Connor Ingram for the final three games of the first round after Juuse Saros was injured)."

While the Lightning are getting Point back, the Avalanche are unsure about Nazem Kadri's status after the injury he suffered against Edmonton.

ESPN's Kristen Shilton wrote that J.T. Compher could play a larger role for the Avalanche while Kadri is out:

"All that points toward is a larger role for Compher. The postseason started slowly for Compher, as he logged zero goals and just two assists in Colorado's first nine games. Compher didn't turn a corner until the Avalanche's second-round series against St. Louis. There, he lit the lamp twice in Colorado's series-clinching Game 6 victory. He has tallied five goals in Colorado's past six games (including the game-winner against Edmonton in Game 3)."

The Stanley Cup Final could have an unexpected star shine over the length of the series, but the championship round can also belong to the stars on each roster.

MacKinnon is tied for second with Edmonton's Zach Hyman with 11 postseason goals. He needs three to eclipse Evander Kane and become this postseason's top scorer.

Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov is fourth in points with 23. He needs 10 points in the Stanley Cup Final to tie Connor McDavid's leading mark.

Kucherov led the Lightning in goals, and Point had the most assists on the roster in last year's Stanley Cup triumph over the Montreal Canadiens.

Add in a healthy Steven Stamkos, who seemed to score all of the vital goals against the Rangers, and you have a tough team for Colorado to dethrone.

Colorado does have the best overall forward and defenseman left in the series in MacKinnon and Makar, and it owns home-ice advantage throughout the series.

The Avalanche need to overcome the drop-off in talent from Vasilevskiy to their goalies, but if they get to Tampa Bay early, they could set the tone for the series and beat Tampa Bay in the postseason, which is something no team has done in the last three seasons.

The New York Rangers' third line had been one of its most impactful throughout its run to the Eastern Conference Final. So when Kaapo Kakko, the winger who had typically played on the right of Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil was a healthy scratch for Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, many were understandably confused.

New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant was asked by ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan during the broadcast if he would take the viewers through the decision to scratch the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2019.

"Nope," Gallant said.

He doubled down following the 2-1 loss and subsequent elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I'm not going to talk about it," he said. "Now is not the time."

Gerard Gallant was asked about the decision to scratch Kaapo Kakko for tonight's game:

"I'm not gonna talk about it. Tonight's not the time." pic.twitter.com/hGAmWDYanJ

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) June 12, 2022

You could make the argument that he doesn't really owe the fans an explanation, though it wouldn't be a good one, because the people buying the tickets and tuning into games do deserve some reasoning. You could make the argument that Kakko's addition to the lineup would not have tilted the ice enough to make up for the embarrassing lack of offensive production.

Gallant may have informed his team of his decision and why he was making it before the game, but once Ryan Strome left the game with an injury that has been plaguing the forward since Game 5, it became an indefensible decision.

The loss ended what had previously been an exceptionally fun postseason run for a team built on a lot of young talent like Kakko. The Rangers looked destined for a Stanley Cup Final after taking a 2-0 lead in the series with two very convincing wins. But it all came to a screeching halt in Game 3 when the Lightning made adjustments and figured out how to expose New York's weaknesses. The Rangers never recovered.

"It's just denial," a tearful Mika Zibanejad said. "I'm empty right now. I don't know what to say."

The biggest problem was the Rangers' five-on-five play. Their exceptional power play helped propel them to the brink of the Stanley Cup Final, but when the calls didn't go their way, they were hamstrung by their inability to generate even-strength offense. The Blueshirts had no problem scoring at five-on-five in Games 1 and 2, but they scored only once in the last four games.

The issues were magnified in Game 6.

The Rangers were flat and lifeless from the start. Tampa Bay controlled 65.9 percent of the shot share and 73.7 percent of the expected goals throughout the game. It was scoreless through the first period, but the Bolts took a lead in the second. Frank Vatrano, a key trade-deadline acquisition for New York, tied the game in the third with a power-play goal, but Lightning captain Steven Stamkos scored his second goal of the game just 21 seconds later.

Igor Shesterkin was masterful once again, but he could only do so much when the skaters in front of him were bleeding chances. The Vezina and Hart Trophy finalist saved 60.4 goals above expected in 73 games this season (including the regular season and the postseason), and because of him, the Rangers had as good of a chance as any.

But the Lightning made the adjustments necessary to shut down the top line. The lines were shuffled in Game 6, but Gallant still couldn't get Zibanejad's line away from the Tampa Bay checking line of Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.

"As the series progressed, we got better and better, and I think tonight may have been our best game overall," Killorn said. "That's important in a Stanley Cup run. It's typically the team that improves the most throughout a run that typically ends up winning."

Gallant was outmaneuvered and outcoached by future Hall of Fame Jon Cooper. Gallant, who is typically regarded as a well-liked players' coach who tends to make a lot of decisions by feel, didn't appear to have that feel as the series went on.

The club is in a good spot moving forward, but there are some clear Xs and Os issues that they will need to right next season and Gallant isn't exactly known as a great X's and O's coach. The Rangers' struggles at five-on-five throughout the season must be resolved.

Now the Rangers have a summer of uncertainty, as some of those young players are due for new contracts, and the club is about to feel the salary-cap squeeze. Kakko himself is a restricted free agent. Maybe it's time they trade him and let him figure out his development with another organization.

There are also questions about the veteran group as the team hits the offseason. Strome might have played his final game in a Rangers jersey. The club can't afford to retain all of its deadline acquisitions, like Vatrano, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun. Jacob Trouba's $8 million contract, which runs through 2026, isn't looking quite as palatable right now.

The rebuild is not over. If this was a measuring stick series, then it's clear the Blueshirts are not stacking up with the last two Stanley Cup champions.

But if you want to take something positive from this series—and you should—it's that this long playoff run will be beneficial for the young core.

"You look back and we could've been done in five games in that first round. But we battled. It took everyone," defenseman Adam Fox said. "It's a nice young mix of guys in this room but also a good mix of older guys who help and lead the way for us. It was a great locker room. I think our battle when we were down in the series really showed that.

"Wish for a better ending, but definitely promising for our team."

The New York Rangers' best season since 2014-15 came to an end Saturday night with a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Trailing 1-0 with less than seven minutes to play, Frank Vatrano scored a power-play goal to tie the game. Steven Stamkos immediately responded with the game-winning goal for the Lightning 21 seconds later.

So the @NYRangers tied it... and then the @TBLightning took the lead back 21 seconds later... 😳 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/Q6pgX3WR7C
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/5TI9QXKueT pic.twitter.com/Qr4SZtNcKv

— NHL (@NHL) June 12, 2022

Despite not being able to see their team end this season the way they were hoping, Rangers fans have no reason to be disappointed with this showing. The team won a playoff series for the first time since 2016-17 and came within two wins of reaching their first Stanley Cup Final since 2013-14.

https://twitter.com/JPercacciolo/status/1535816714578866176

I'm really, really proud of this Rangers team. We can win championships in the coming years.

— Guilherme Vecchi (@GuiVecchi_) June 12, 2022

Stand proud, Rangers. Hell of a run. You’ll be back.

RESPECT!!

— Brandon Tierney (@BrandonTierney) June 12, 2022

The Rangers lost to the B2B champs. A lot to be proud of considering the comebacks multiple times

— BigFlamesGuy🇨🇦🔥. Go Avs Go (@AbouKhami1) June 12, 2022

https://twitter.com/StacheEsq/status/1535817040350560257

Amazing season, @NYRangers, it stinks now but zero to be ashamed of.

— Anthony Donahue (@AnthonyMSG) June 12, 2022

The Rangers put together this playoff run despite not having Sammy Blais for most of the season. He tore his ACL in a Nov. 15 game against the New Jersey Devils. They also played without Barclay Goodrow, who had 33 points in the regular season, for three weeks because of a lower-body injury suffered in their first playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Goodrow did return midway through the Eastern Conference semfinals, but he only averaged 14.3 minutes in the past eight games.

To say the @NYRangers overachieved is an understatement this postseason. The effort was always there. They just ran out of gas. #NYR

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) June 12, 2022

They simply ran out of gas. Proud of them though. The Rangers too. pic.twitter.com/otKmPywDTJ

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) June 12, 2022

Very proud of my New York Rangers our season is over but there is no quit in New York pic.twitter.com/cueADshm3m

— eric van hoppe (@hoppe_van) June 12, 2022

The bulk of New York's roster should return next season. Ryan Strome, whose 54 points ranked fifth on the team, is the biggest unrestricted free agent. Blais' status will be a question mark because of his injury, but his status as a restricted free agent could leave a simple path to bring him back.

The Rangers had a terrific postseason run. They overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. They had another seven-game series against the Carolina Hurricanes in which they won the decisive game 6-2 at PNC Arena.

The reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Lightning proved to be too much for New York to overcome.

With an offseason left to make some tweaks to their roster, the Rangers look to be set up for a potential playoff run in 2022-23.