Randy Sportak
Site Editor and Reporter at The Hockey News
Covering the Calgary Flames and the NHL for The Hockey News and Field Level Media, continuing a dream career for more than two decades.
Articles
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1 week ago |
deadspin.com | Randy Sportak
The NHL’s conference semifinals are just around the corner, and the favorites based on the regular season will be skating on thin ice in all four series. Just another reason the Stanley Cup playoffs rule. We won’t fully know who will be part of the Central Division series until the end of the weekend, but the trio of matchups certainly are intriguing. And don’t be shocked if all of the division champions are done and dusted when the league is down to the final four teams.
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2 weeks ago |
deadspin.com | Randy Sportak
Overriding it all, the catchphrase of this year’s playoffs has been “comeback.”There have already been 11 overtime games, including Tuesday’s double-overtime 5-4 win by the Carolina Hurricanes to eliminate the Devils—the only series completed so far. That victory featured one of the craziest comebacks yet in this year’s playoffs, with the Hurricanes erasing a 3-0 deficit, falling behind again, then finding another tying goal to force overtime. The stats reflect just how wild it has been.
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3 weeks ago |
deadspin.com | Randy Sportak
Mar 9, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen (96) skates against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images The NHL playoffs are in full swing, and there have been no surprises after the first couple of days. Only time will tell whether there are any upsets in the first round, but there are plenty of players whose legacy will be built over the Stanley Cup chase.
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3 weeks ago |
deadspin.com | Randy Sportak
Mar 27, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene (95) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images Welcome to the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs — two of the best weeks on the annual sporting calendar. Welcome to intense clashes, thrilling goals, scintillating saves and maybe even a few upsets, with the extra specter of sudden-death overtime.
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1 month ago |
deadspin.com | Randy Sportak
Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens is the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year — and would be a deserving victor. Hutson, a huge reason why the Canadiens are on the verge of punching a ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs, has three more games to put himself in the record book. Hutson’s 58 assists are the second most by a freshman defenseman in league history, two behind the 60 recorded by Larry Murphy of the Los Angeles Kings in the 1980-81 season.
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To take it further, the top three teams in the regular season, and three of the four division champs are down 3-1.
The top seeds in the each conference, Washington and Winnipeg, each trail 3-1 in their second-round series after losing two straight on the road.
Don't you just love how the NHL tries to cover its ass with an made-on-the-fly explanation when a goal is allowed that its own rule book says should not count?
That is a kick, but does the fact the puck bounced off a half-dozen other things before going into the net make it a good goal?
