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Stanley Cup playoffs takeaways: Maple Leafs in control; Hagel should be suspended
The Stanley Cup playoffs continued on Thursday night with four more games. Here are some key takeaways from the action.
Not even the Toronto Maple Leafs can let this series slip away
Finding success in the Stanley Cup playoffs has been an issue for the Toronto Maple Leafs, having lost in the first round in seven of the past eight years. Every year it seems inevitable that they will invent a new way to lose a series.
But letting this series against the Ottawa Senators slip away would be unthinkable, even for them.
Thanks to their 3-2 overtime win in Ottawa, the Maple Leafs now have a commanding 3-0 series lead with a chance to complete a sweep later this week. Only four teams in NHL history have come back from a 3-0 series deficit, and Ottawa just does not seem to have the juice to make this a series.
Toronto is outplaying the Senators, getting better goaltending and its stars are shining brighter.
Thursday's game had an unlikely hero with defenseman Simon Benoit scoring the winning goal.
LEAFS WIN!!! ⚪
— NHL (@NHL) April 25, 2025
They score again in @Energizer overtime and have taken a 3-0 series lead! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/4qlE7oH3Sc
Tampa Bay's Brandon Hagel should be suspended
The Tampa Bay Lightning could be in some trouble in their first-round series against the Florida Panthers.
Not only did Thursday's 2-0 loss put them into a 2-0 series deficit, but they could also be facing the possibility of being without one of their top forwards in Brandon Hagel.
At least, they should be if the NHL's Department of Player Safety does its job.
Hagel was assessed a five-minute major for interference for a brutal, late hit to Panthers star Aleksander Barkov.
Brandon Hagel has been given a 5-minute major for this hit on Aleksander Barkov pic.twitter.com/xn6RQcTqS2
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 25, 2025
That is simply not a good hit, and Hagel is very fortunate he was not ejected from the game.
Barkov did not have possession of the puck, it was not close to him and it was a high hit toward his head. It is the type of hit that should be textbook for a suspension. But with the DoPS, there is always some uncertainty as to what they are going to do, especially when it comes to the playoffs.
Hits like that should not be tolerated.
Barkov, who is one of Florida's best players, exited and did not return, and there was no update on his status after the game.
Kirill Kaprizov making early Conn Smythe case
The Minnesota Wild did not get much attention coming into the playoffs given the way they stumbled down the stretch run of the regular season. But injuries played a big role in those struggles, and now that they are healthy, they are starting to show what they can do.
The biggest return has been star forward Kirill Kaprizov who missed half of the season due to injury. He was having an MVP-caliber season when healthy, and he has picked that right back up so far in the playoffs.
He scored two more goals on Thursday to help the Wild roll to a 5-2 win and take a 2-1 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights.
It might be early in the playoffs, but he is definitely in the Conn Smythe Trophy discussion so far.
He has now scored two goals in consecutive games, and in the first three games of the series, he has four goals, three assists and seven total points.
Connor Hellebuyck still has something to prove
Connor Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the NHL during the regular season and is one of the biggest reasons the Winnipeg Jets finished with the best record in the league. He has won two Vezina Trophies already, has a real chance to win a third this season and should probably get more MVP love.
For all of that success, he still has to answer critics for the way his past two playoff runs have gone and how poorly he played in them. After a strong start to their first-round series against the St. Louis Blues, those postseason struggles resurfaced on Thursday in a blowout loss that saw him allow six goals on 25 shots before getting benched.
More must-reads:
- Maple Leafs take 3-0 series lead vs. Senators on latest OT win
- Nate Schmidt, Sergei Bobrovsky stake Panthers to 2-0 series lead over Lightning
- The 'Three or more MLB batting titles' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
New Jersey Devils Reportedly Desperate to Move $30M Forward
The New Jersey Devils are reportedly desperate to move a $30M forward on the trade market this summer. Despite many injuries to key players, the New Jersey Devils were able to build on their strong start to the season to clinch a playoff spot. However, as most expected, the Carolina Hurricanes beat them, putting an end to their playoff run after only five games. The Devils' goal is simple: the organization wants to create a winning environment that will sustain through the years. GM Tom Fitzgeralrd opened up on that topic in his end-of-season media availabiliy: 'We wanna create an environment where the standard of play, which he's talked about, is sustainable, whoever's not in your lineup or whoever's in your lineup. And I think when you look back, the style of play just didn't change the mindset in where we had to go as a group, whoever was in the lineup or who wasn't in the lineup. So I give the players a lot of credit. I do think there's been a lot of growth. I am excited about the expectations that Sheldon and the standard he has set for this group that were probably a little sticker-shocked at the start or throughout the year, that they're used to, and they're gonna be, 'This is what is expected,' and I'm excited about that. You can't control injuries, so it doesn't matter who's in the lineup, who's not in the lineup. We create an identity. We play one way, the right way, a certain way.' He added that while he liked the current group of players, he will make some changes this summer, as the team wasn't good enough to win: 'I like our group. My job is to continue to better the group. You know, we've got a lot of decisions to make on certain players, whether we bring guys back, trade players. We won't be coming back with the same group, I could tell you that, 'cause it wasn't good enough. So at the deadline, you know, you weigh everything out, where we're at healthwise, where people-who is available-what are the acquisition costs. My mindset, and I think I said it after the deadline, was I felt it was no secret what I was looking for at the deadline, what I felt this team needed positionally, and went hard at it. Made some real quality offers. However, we didn't get the people that we tried to get.' According to a new report, it was revealed that The Devils could be parting ways with Ondrej Palat following a few underwhelming seasons. While he earned his five-year, $6 million AAV contract by playing an important role for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, Palat hasn't been able to score more than 31 points in a season since joining the Devils, finishing the last season with 15 goals and 28 points. Fitzgerald and the Devils could be tempted to part ways with him if they plan on making significant acquisitions this summer, with rumors notably suggesting the Devils could go after Quinn Hughes.
Patriots' Kendrick Bourne sends warning to NFL about Drake Maye
One of the biggest storylines hovering over the New England Patriots this spring involves the fact that outsiders expect second-year quarterback Drake Maye will make a big leap while learning under first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels following McDaniels' return to the organization. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne offered somewhat of a warning to the rest of the NFL regarding what Maye is today compared to what the 22-year-old was as a rookie last spring. "The confidence is there, maybe even more confidence," Bourne said about Maye, as shared by Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. "Obviously, he’s gonna be in a new system. So I think he’s in that process. He’s learning. But the confidence is there. Drake is a competitor. When we do certain things, like, his competitive spirit is starting to show more, in my opinion, which I love. Coming out of that shell, you know he’s gonna become a vet. So I think that’s what he’s embracing. He understands. He’s familiar with what to expect, what to feel, and that just creates a better, confident quarterback going into Year 2." The Patriots clearly entered this offseason with the goal in mind of building around Maye after he impressed throughout his debut pro campaign. New England signed wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69M contract, and the club later spent worthwhile draft picks on "high-character players" such as offensive tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Kyle Williams. Following the 2025 draft, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf noted that he expected Maye to grow as a leader during his first NFL offseason as a full-time QB1. Bourne indicated Maye's competitive nature is all part of that process. "It creates us to be better," Bourne added about how Maye's personality is impacting the locker room during springtime workouts. "We want to beat each other in a race, or whatever it is, conditioning and things like that. When you do things and he just competes, and you love to see that from the quarterback." Maye went just 3-9 as a starter last season while playing under one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo. The franchise is still in the early stages of its second reset in two years, but it sounds like Maye has already done well to respond to Wolf's challenge as it pertains to behind-the-scenes work.
NASCAR star jokes about becoming biggest 'villain' in sport
There was a time where Kyle Busch was undeniably the biggest villain in NASCAR. However, that’s no longer the case. Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, embraced the villain role at every level of NASCAR. He didn’t mind being arrogant after a victory or pointing the finger at others after a disappointing result. For better or worse, he was must-see TV every time he stepped on the track. So, who is the top villain in NASCAR as of this year? Believe it or not, that title belongs to Busch’s former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Denny Hamlin, who is currently third in the Cup Series standings, has become one of the most polarizing drivers in NASCAR. He received plenty of boos when he won back-to-back races at Darlington and Martinsville this season. On the latest episode of Hamlin’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast, he talked about being NASCAR’s villain in an interview with Busch. Busch sarcastically congratulated Hamlin on being NASCAR’s villain. He said, “Way to go, buddy. Way to go.” Hamlin then praised Busch for making the transition from villain to fan favorite. “I think fans are seeing you, especially as a dad, for how you truly are,” Hamlin said, via On3. “Sometimes, I thought when you were younger, your fiercest rival was yourself because you were so intense, that people would read that into that’s not really how Kyle is as a person, that’s who he is as a racer. That’s in the ring. You can do that when you do the things he does behind the wheel.” It wouldn’t surprise us if Hamlin has a similar career path as Busch. For now though, he’s enjoying every second as public enemy No. 1. The Cup Series will resume this Sunday with the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Broncos' Payton Suggests Former Raiders QB Mulling Retirement
Former Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder was set to attend last weekend's Denver Broncos rookie minicamp on a tryout basis — until he wasn't. A "scheduling conflict" evidently forced Ridder to cancel those plans, but the real reason may extend beyond his itinerary. Broncos head coach Sean Payton said in a post-camp press conference that Ridder is "possibly thinking about what he wants to do with his career," suggesting the 25-year-old is mulling retirement from the NFL. A 2022 third-round pick, Ridder spent his first two seasons with the Falcons. He started 17 games over that stretch, compiling an 8-9 record while completing 64% of his passes for 3,544 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, adding another five scores on the ground. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound signal-caller was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 and, last October, signed off their practice squad by the Las Vegas Raiders. Ridder made six relief appearances for the Raiders, including in a Week 12 loss to Denver. Ridder was among three QBs invited to Denver's three-day minicamp, along with former Princeton starter Blake Stenstrom and ex-Saints backup Ian Book, whom Payton knew from his time as New Orleans' coach. “The last time we had a tough experience… It was during the COVID season, and it was a Monday night game against Miami," Payton said, reminiscing over his history with Book. "We had 22 players down. There was a point where there was going to be like, ‘These games won’t be played,’ and then pretty soon they said, ‘We’re playing them all.’ So he was a rookie. It was a tough… I can’t even tell you who was blocking for him, but it’s good to have him back. Obviously [QB] Desmond [Ridder] had decided… I think he’s possibly thinking about what he wants to do with his career. Nonetheless, it will always help to have a veteran in these types of camps because they get you in and out of the huddle quicker. So it’s been a while since I’ve seen him.” Neither Stenstrom nor Book were offered a contract by the Broncos, who appear to be content heading into the 2025 season with Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Sam Ehlinger comprising their quarterback depth chart.
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