Nate Duffett Articles - Page 7

The Florida Panthers are in firm control of their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning after winning Game 2. It put them ahead 2-0 in the series after their blowout win in Game 1 over the Lightning, but they now must worry about the status of their captain, Aleksander Barkov. Brandon Hagel was given […]

The Montreal Canadiens hold a special place in the hearts of the city’s residents, as hockey is the only sport in town. The Canadiens were always the hottest ticket in the city, but they’ve also been the only show since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington. It doesn’t mean Montreal only produces hockey players, as […]

John Tortorella saw the writing on the wall for his tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers. The team had underachieved with him at the helm, which unfortunately, cost his assistants their jobs as well. The Flyers announced today that the club will not retain the services of Assistant Coaches Rocky Thompson and Darryl Williams and the […]

There were some nervous moments at Scotiabank Arena when the Ottawa Senators rallied to tie Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It has been a different feeling leading up to the playoffs, and in past years, the Maple Leafs would’ve found a way to lose this game. However, Max Domi capitalized on poor execution […]

The St. Louis Blues controlled Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets until they rallied for a third-period comeback. The Blues owned a 3-2 lead with over ten minutes remaining in the first period when Alex Iafallo scored the tying goal. Overtime was on the horizon until Kyle Connor scored the go-ahead goal with a little […]

The Winnipeg Jets could’ve easily panicked when they found themselves behind early against the St. Louis Blues. The Blues stayed ahead until the nine-minute mark in the third period, when Alex Iafallo evened the game at three. It looked like the game was destined for overtime until Kyle Connor put the Jets ahead for good […]

Kyle Connor hopes to be part of the solution for a Winnipeg Jets team that many label as chokers. It has been a couple of successful regular seasons for the Jets since relocating from Atlanta, but they can’t seem to get over the hump in the playoffs. This year, the Jets got a good start […]

Gabriel Landeskog’s injury journey with the Colorado Avalanche since the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals is hard to believe. The captain was on top of the world when he lifted the trophy above his head at the end of that series, but he hasn’t been able to suit up since that fateful Game 6. Many believed […]

It was a special season for the Calgary Flames, and the Rasmus Andersson injury update from their year-end wrap-up shows how important it was for the players. Andersson was one of the team’s key players this season, and he revealed in the press conference that he left everything on the line. Andersson told the media […]

The Dallas Stars have been missing a key piece on their blueline since Miro Heiskanen suffered an injury. Heiskanen has been out of the lineup since January 28 when he went down against the Vegas Golden Knights. The knee surgery robbed him of the chance to represent Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off and left […]

The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are in a constant battle in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The wild card playoff format doesn’t offer much variability in playoff matchups, but having to play the same team in the first round in four consecutive years is a whole new level. It doesn’t matter if it’s the […]

The Dallas Stars have enough to worry about, considering they will start their playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche without Miro Heiskanen. However, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reported that Jason Robertson will also be out week-to-week during the playoffs. A week-to-week designation puts him out for at least the first four games, but the injury […]

A hockey fan’s dream came true when the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche locked themselves into a Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup. The Stars threatened to pass the Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division, but eventually fell off as the season closed. It’s not that the Avalanche and Jets wouldn’t have made a great series, but […]

The Montreal Canadiens said all the right things before the season started, but it’s worth wondering if they believed they’d claim a playoff spot. It’s hard to go from the league’s basement to the playoffs in one season, but Montreal found a way. There is usually a season in the middle of that path where […]

Brady Tkachuk’s health for the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a concern after being out of the Ottawa Senators’ lineup since March 30. An upper-body injury caused the Sens’ captain to miss the last ten games, but they didn’t miss a beat with their fearless leader out of the lineup. Ottawa held on to the first […]

The New York Rangers knew they needed to get over the hump after a couple of disappointing playoff exits. Peter Laviolette had led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final last season, and the core of this team had been there in two of the past three years. However, they were never able to win […]

The Vegas Golden Knights have controlled the Pacific Division for most of the season. Call it bad injury luck for the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings, but all Vegas cares about is their home-ice advantage through the playoffs’ first two rounds. The Kings made the race interesting towards the end, but the Golden […]

The Battle of Florida is starting to become a staple in the NHL’s postseason. For the fourth time in the past five years, the Florida Panthers will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It has been an up-and-down rivalry, as the Lightning won the first two series when the Panthers were […]

The dream scenario for Ottawa Senators fans has already happened before the Stanley Cup Playoffs have even commenced. The fanbase has been waiting for the rebuild to finally break through, and the Senators have proven to everyone that they are back in contention. They’ve even surpassed the Montreal Canadiens, whose fans seemed to be battling […]

Eric Tulsky hasn’t had an easy first season as the Carolina Hurricanes’ general manager. The analytically minded front office guru might not be the typical “hockey guy” we see in some front offices. However, his eye for statistics and aggressive team-building mindset perfectly blend for owner Tom Dundon. The aggressive style got him into trouble […]

Will it be enough for Washington Capitals fans if they fall short in the playoffs, but they were able to experience Alex Ovechkin’s historic chase of the goalscoring record? It’s starting to look like the Capitals’ season ended when Ovechkin got close to that record, and that has to be a concerning thought for Capitals […]

Erik Karlsson and Patrik Laine must be sick of being in trade rumors. The two players seem to always be in the middle of it, which they can take in two ways. On one hand, it could mean opposing fan bases want them on their team. However, on the other hand, it could mean they […]

What happens when you have a backup goalie who should be a starter and a starting goalie who people think would be better as a backup or tandem option? You get a one-for-one goaltending trade between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson lost his starting job to Lukas Dostal, and the Ducks have […]

For years, John Gibson has been a name on trade deadline mock-ups for the Anaheim Ducks. No trade has ever come to fruition due to a lack of interest or return for the Ducks. However, we’re rapidly approaching the point where paying $6.4 million for a backup goalie is out of the cards for general […]

The Nashville Predators made a big splash in last year’s free agency when they acquired Steven Stamkos. It wasn’t the only money they spent, as they also signed Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. They looked ready for plenty of success, but now they sit in 30th place in the league and only have the draft […]

The Boston Bruins’ fall from grace is a case study for sports fans. The lesson is to never take success for granted, as you never know how quickly it can end. The Bruins were on top of the world when they set regular season records in 2022-23. However, they’ve been on a downward trajectory after […]

The Boston Bruins knew that their run of regular-season excellence wouldn’t last forever, but they had no way of knowing that it would end so soon. The proud franchise has been experiencing a rapid fall from grace, punctuated by trading their captain, Brad Marchand, to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline. It hasn’t been […]

The Edmonton Oilers enter this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs with plenty of internal optimism. Why wouldn’t they? Edmonton returns mostly the same roster as last season, when they advanced to Game 7 of the Finals. Sure, it took a legendary performance from Connor McDavid to get them there. However, in the playoffs, your best players […]

The Seattle Kraken were expected to be contending this season when they signed Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson last offseason. However, the Kraken are nowhere near the playoff picture; instead, they are looking at where they might land in the draft lottery. It’ll be an interesting offseason for the Kraken, as they feel they are […]

The San Jose Sharks are spending another season in the NHL’s basement, but there is optimism entering the offseason. San Jose has an exciting crop of young players who are breaking out this season, and there are still more on the way. It’s a good time to be a Sharks fan, but some trades this […]

It’s hard to fathom that the discussion around the Nashville Predators is their path forward after not making the playoffs. The Predators had one of the most successful offseasons in franchise history, and their hopes were high. General manager Barry Trotz had no reason to believe this season would be a bust, but sometimes money […]

The Washington Capitals’ on-the-fly rebuild has them dreaming of big things heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It has been an exciting season in the nation’s capital, as the Capitals are battling for the President’s Trophy. At the same time, Alex Ovechkin attempts to become the all-time leading goalscorer in NHL history. With good vibes, […]

The Dallas Stars are among the favorites to dominate the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. Thanks to their savvy acquisition of Mikko Rantanen, the Stars have been rolling since the trade deadline. He fits in much better with Dallas than with the Carolina Hurricanes, and the team’s results show that. They are just four […]

The Vegas Golden Knights have held onto first place in the Pacific Division for most of the 2024-25 regular season. Vegas doesn’t have many reasons for concern, but injuries have taken a toll on the Knights. They’ve lost Shea Theodore and William Karlsson at times this season, but the consensus was always to wait and […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have had no shortage of drama this season, but the Stanley Cup chase is still on. The Hurricanes have been on a roll since the trade deadline, and are 8-2-0 over their past 10 games. If the Washington Capitals hadn’t built such a big cushion, the Hurricanes could’ve been challenging for the […]

The Colorado Avalanche’s only hope is that their moves earlier in the season don’t return to haunt them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. General manager Chris MacFarland was in a tough spot in the middle of this season. Longtime star Mikko Rantanen’s contract expires at the end of this season, and MacFarland feared they’d lose […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty to prove in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. Over the past ten years, it has primarily been a disaster for this team’s core, and a Stanley Cup will be the only thing to impress their fans. Toronto believed the first move was to bring in a stricter coach, which […]

LeBron James made waves this week when he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and made shocking comments. It was the first time we’ve really seen LeBron appear on a media platform other than his own and be completely candid. It was unprecedented in the sports media space, and that is why McAfee is so […]

Jakob Chychrun has proven to be one of the best pickups of the 2024 offseason, which earned him an eight-year contract extension from the Washington Capitals. The Capitals opened up the pocketbook for the former Ottawa Senator and Arizona Coyote, as they’ll pay him $72 million throughout the deal. The expectation wasn’t for it to […]