Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 2

For a time this season, it seemed as though Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets were destined to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020 in the NHL’s “bubble” format in Toronto amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jackets defeated the Detroit Red Wings in consecutive […]

The season for the Dallas Stars ended in disappointing and familiar fashion, as the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Stars in the Western Conference Final for the second straight campaign. But one major controversy in the early goings of the deciding Game 5, a 6-3 victory by the Oilers to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, […]

One of the key decisions that will be made by Minnesota Wild general manager this offseason is whether to continue trying to re-sign pending restricted free agent forward Marco Rossi. Multiple reports indicated that Rossi recently rejected a pair of contract offers from the Wild, including a reported five-year, $25 million deal during the regular […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ disappointing run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued, as they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semis. It was especially frustrating loss given their early 2-0 series lead after their first-round victory over the Ottawa Senators. There could potentially be major changes in store […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have seen their season come to a close at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in the last three seasons, adding to their overall miserable record in the postseason’s third round since 2009. The Hurricanes have advanced to the ECF four times since […]

The Florida Panthers will soon be competing in the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive season thanks to their victory in the Eastern Conference Final over the Carolina Hurricanes. They’ll face the Edmonton Oilers for the second consecutive season in the Cup Final, hoping to become the fourth NHL team since 1997-98 to win […]

The season for the Dallas Stars, which produced an impressive 50-26-6 record during the regular season and thrilling series wins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets, is now over. Dallas was done in for the second consecutive campaign by the Edmonton Oilers, dropping Thursday night’s Game 5 by a […]

The Ottawa Senators, thanks to an influx of young talent and established veterans like Claude Giroux, finally returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since their unexpected run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017. While it was ultimately a short-lived stay in the postseason, […]

The season is over for the Dallas Stars in unfortunate and familiar fashion, a loss in the Western Conference Final to the Edmonton Oilers. Once again, the Oilers are Stanley Cup Final bound, while the Stars are heading for the offseason with a feeling of emptiness and missed opportunity. Despite taking a 1-0 series lead […]

The Nashville Predators loaded up in the 2024 offseason, signing established veteran leadership talent like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault along with Brady Skjei; they also re-signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a long-term contract. It looked as though the Predators had all the makings to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, […]

It’s becoming a regular occurrence at this point, but the Florida Panthers have once again secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday evening. Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell, and Evan Rodrigues all scored for the Panthers in […]

The Carolina Hurricanes’ season came to an end on Wednesday night, as they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers, who won by a 5-3 final score in Game 5. For the third consecutive season, the Panthers are the last team standing in the Eastern Conference and now hope to make […]

The Edmonton Oilers have the chance to take a three games to one stranglehold on the Dallas Stars when they meet in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night at Rogers Place. The Oilers won in convincing fashion in Game 3, a 6-1 final score that put them on top in the […]

Another season, another heartbreaking Game 7 loss for the Toronto Maple Leafs. You’d think that by now, their fans would be used to the pain and frustration of constantly falling short in the postseason, but this latest loss in a winner-take-all game hurts a little more. The Maple Leafs roster that left the ice in […]

The Edmonton Oilers knotted their Western Conference Final series against the Dallas Stars at one game apiece thanks to their 3-0 shutout victory in Game 2 in Dallas; the series now shifts to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4. Ahead of Game 3 on Sunday afternoon, Oilers veteran forward Corey Perry, playing in his second […]

It’s still a strange sight for fans of the Boston Bruins to see former team captain Brad Marchand wearing the colors of another franchise, but team management decided to send him to the Florida Panthers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline after being unable to come to terms on a new contract. While Marchand can […]

The season for Nikolaj Ehlers and the Winnipeg Jets ended in heartbreaking fashion in more ways than one. The Jets were defeated by the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference semifinal while at the same time dealing with a tragic situation with teammate Mark Scheifele, who had lost his father the night […]

There will be a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, thanks to the Maple Leafs’ 2-0 shutout victory in Game 6 on Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, hired by the franchise exactly one year ago, is no […]

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders decided not to renew the contract of 82-year-old Lou Lamoriello after seven seasons. Has he already begun zeroing in on his next job? Lamoreillo was seen strolling through Buffalo Niagara International Airport earlier this week, sparking speculation that he could potentially be in line to […]

The Florida Panthers pounced on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4, knotting the Eastern Conference Semi Final at two games apiece thanks to their pair of victories at Amerant Bank Arena. Sunday night’s 2-0 shutout victory put the finishing touches on Florida’s second consecutive victory, meaning that it is now a best-of-three. The series […]

The broken record that fans of the Los Angeles Kings everywhere thought would finally stop playing continues to drone on and on, much to their chagrin. For the fourth consecutive season, the Kings were eliminated in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers. Despite enjoying home ice advantage for what […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to claim a two-game series lead over the Florida Panthers when the two rivals reconvene for Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series on Wednesday evening. Toronto will not have goaltender Anthony Stolarz between the pipes after he was hurt in Game 1 following a collision with Panthers forward […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a one-game lead over the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final, but now they’re without goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who emerged as their starter thanks to his strong play in the 2024-25 regular season. Stolarz was forced from Game 1 after his former Panthers teammate Sam Bennett collided with him; […]

Not only has the 2024-25 NHL season come to an end in extremely disappointing fashion for the St. Louis Blues, but it also appears as though the career of Blues defenseman Torey Krug may be over. Krug missed the entire 2024-25 NHL season after undergoing ankle surgery in September, and now general manager Bill Armstrong […]

The Vegas Golden Knights have themselves a date with the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Semi Final, marking just the second ever matchup between the two clubs beyond the 82nd game of the regular season in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers arrived at this point thanks to having won four consecutive games against […]

The Winnipeg Jets completed one of the most exciting comeback victories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in recent memory, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck, who was pulled three times during the series and gave up a pair of early goals in Sunday night’s Game 7 against the […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminating the New Jersey Devils in a relatively quick five-game series. Carolina suffered an injury scare during their series against the Devils, losing goaltender Frederik Andersen in Sunday’s Game 4. He was hurt in a collision with New Jersey’s Timo Meier. […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning may have drawn first blood in the inaugural “Battle of Florida” in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs (followed by another series victory in 2022), but since then, the Panthers have had their number. On Wednesday, the Panthers eliminated the Lightning from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season. They […]

The Dallas Stars have the advantage that they hoped for over the Colorado Avalanche, having defeated their rival by a 6-2 final score in convincing fashion in Game 5 of their opening round postseason series. Ahead of Thursday night’s Game 6, the Stars revealed promising news on the injury front. Forward Jason Robertson, who hasn’t […]

The Dallas Stars are in the midst of a quest for what would be their first Stanley Cup championship since the franchise’s only title to date, which was won in 1999. The image of Brett Hull’s controversial Cup-winning goal not only lives in Dallas sports lore, but continues to haunt the dreams of Buffalo Sabres […]

The New York Islanders were not among the NHL clubs that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, finishing with a record of 35-35-12 in what was head coach Patrick Roy’s first full year behind the bench. Despite having qualified in five of the last six years and for the last three consecutive seasons, […]

The New Jersey Devils have officially returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after having failed to qualify in 2023-24. Among the main reasons why they failed to achieve a postseason berth last season was injuries to players like Dougie Hamilton along with inconsistent goaltending. The good news for the Devils is that they went out […]

The Anaheim Ducks have officially been eliminated from contention in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, meaning that they will have missed participating in the annual dance for the seventh consecutive season. Their last time in the playoffs was 2018, and they were swept in a quick four-game series by their in-state rival San Jose Sharks. While […]

There’s no denying that the Nashville Predators are one of the biggest disappointments in the National Hockey League for the 2024-25 NHL season. They were expected by most to stake their claim for one of the top spots in the Western Conference, not only after winning 47 games in 2023-24 but also after adding multiple […]

The Chicago Blackhawks stumbled out of the gate in the 2024-25 NHL season in which they were expected to improve from their abysmal results in each of the two previous campaigns. However, after a particularly brutal stretch that saw them go 3-9-1 in 13 games and stuck in 431st place in the NHL, the Blackhawks […]

In a season that has already been wrought with multiple challenges and another losing record, the Chicago Blackhawks were dealt the latest blow not long after being officially eliminated from playoff contention. Veteran forward Jason Dickinson will miss the remainder of the season with a wrist injury. He was hurt during Saturday’s game against the […]

The Detroit Tigers have themselves a new veteran outfielder in the fold, as they came to terms on a contract with Manuel Margot. But shortly after the signing was announced, discouraging injury news was also revealed. The Tigers, who are already dealing with injuries to the likes of Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling, and Akil Baddoo, […]

Hockey fans were almost treated to one of the most rare and exciting occurrences that the game features – a fight between the two goaltenders. But unfortunately, the on-ice officials decided to pour cold water on what would have otherwise been a thrilling experience for the fans in attendance at Crypto.com Arena. During Sunday night’s […]

The Winnipeg Jets have been among the NHL’s best teams this season and are considered one of the favorites to end the 35-year drought of a Canadian-based franchise winning the Stanley Cup. But with the Stanley Cup Playoffs right around the corner, the Jets received some discouraging injury news. Forward Gabriel Vilardi has been designated […]