William Karlsson scored two goals and added an assist, Adin Hill stopped all 23 shots he faced and the Vegas Golden Knights rolled to a 6-0 Game 6 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday to clinch the Western Conference title and advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
Michael Amadio, William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar each added a goal and an assist as Vegas bounced back from losses in Games 4 and 5 to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in the franchise's six-year history. The Golden Knights previously did so in their expansion season of 2017-18.
Vegas, the West's No. 1 seed will face the surprising Florida Panthers in a finals series pitting two teams that have never won the Stanley Cup.
The Golden Knights will host the Panthers, who won the Eastern Conference tournament as the eighth and lowest seed, in Game 1 on Saturday.
After failing in two previous chances to wrap up the series, Vegas set the tone with a dominant first period in which it outshot the Stars by a 16-7 margin. Carrier opened the scoring 3:41 in, Karlsson converted on a power play nearly seven minutes later and Kolesar beat Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger with six minutes left in the period to send the Knights into the first intermission with a commanding 3-0 lead.
Jonathan Marchessault's goal midway through the second period increased Vegas' advantage to 4-0 before Karlsson and Amadio scored in the third to hand the Stars their most lopsided postseason defeat since the franchise relocated from Minnesota to Dallas in 1993.
Maple Leafs and superstar forward Auston Matthews agree to four-year, $53 million contract extension
The Toronto Maple Leafs and superstar center Auston Matthews agreed on a four-year, $53 million contract extension on Wednesday, making him the NHL’s highest-paid player.
Matthews has one year remaining on the five-year, $58.2 million pact he signed in February 2019, and he could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
With an average annual value of $13.25 million, Matthews will become the NHL’s highest-paid player beginning in 2024-25, surpassing Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million annual average value.
The 25-year-old Matthews has been one of the game’s elite players since he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft.
He led the league in goals twice (2020-21 and 2021-22) and has totaled 299 goals and 542 points in 481 regular season games.
Matthews’ best season came in 2021-22, when he set career highs with 60 goals and 106 points in 73 games, earning him the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.
He dipped to 40 goals last season but still tallied 85 points in 74 games.
The native of Scottsdale, Arizona leads all players in goals since the start of the 2016-17 season and ranks 11th in points during that span.
The Maple Leafs have reached the playoffs in every full season since Matthews entered the league but have advanced past the first round only once – defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in a six-game series last spring.
Longtime Boston Bruins center David Krejci announces retirement
Longtime Boston Bruins center David Krejci announced his retirement on Monday in a statement released by the team.
“After 15 full NHL seasons I have decided to retire from the best league in the world,” the 37-year-old Czech Republic native said.
“When I was drafted in 2004, I had no idea that I would be working with such incredible and driven people who would lead us to 3 Stanley Cup Finals, and winning the ultimate goal in 2011.”
Krejci made his NHL debut in January 2007 and spent his entire NHL career with the Bruins.
He returned to Boston last season after playing for Czech club HC Olomouc in 2021-22.
In the history of the Bruins franchise, Krejci ranks fifth in games played (1,032), 13th in goals (231), fifth in assists (555) and ninth in points (786).
“David, for 16 seasons you displayed an unmatched combination of creativity, poise, and wit – with an uncanny knack for coming up clutch – while remaining humble and determined through all your success,” the Bruins said in a statement.
“You are a special player, person, and teammate who has made a lasting impact on our organization and our city.
“For all you’ve done for the Boston Bruins, THANK YOU.”
Boston will head into the 2023-24 campaign without its top two centers from a season ago after captain Patrice Bergeron also retired last month.
Pittsburgh Penguins acquire seven-time All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson in three-team trade
The Pittsburgh Penguins bolstered their blue line on Sunday by acquiring three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks in a trade that also involved the Montreal Canadiens.
The 33-year-old Karlsson heads to Pittsburgh along with forward Rem Pitlick, forward Dillon Hamaliuk and San Jose's 2026 third-round draft pick.
The Sharks acquired forward Mikael Granlund, defenseman Jan Rutta, forward Mike Hoffman and Pittsburgh's 2024 first-round draft pick (top-10 protected).
Montreal landed defenseman Jeff Petry, goaltender Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare and Pittsburgh's 2025 second-round draft pick.
Karlsson was the 15th overall pick in 2008 by Ottawa and spent his first nine seasons with the Senators after making his NHL debut in 2009-10.
He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2011-12 and 2014-15.
The Senators traded Karlsson to San Jose prior to the 2018-19 campaign, and the seven-time All-Star had a career season in 2022-23.
Karlsson set personal bests with 25 goals and 76 assists to become the first NHL defenseman to record 100 points since Brian Leetch accomplished the feat for the New York Rangers in 1991-92.
In 920 career games, Karlsson has recorded 178 goals and 583 assists. His 761 points rank 21st in the history of the NHL among defensemen.
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