NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Guenther scores twice to give Utah 2-1 win; Caps Lindgren stops 24 shots for 3-1 win over Wild; plus more NHL news

The Utah Hockey Club’s Dylan Guenther is congratulated from the Utah bench after scoring a goal in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis on Fri Dec 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Utah Hockey Club’s Dylan Guenther scored twice and got a go ahead goal at 10:01 in the third period. Guenther extended his point streak to seven games in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at the Excel Energy Center in Minneapolis.

#2 The Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren stopped 24 shots and the Caps got a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Capital One Center on Friday. The Capitals Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, and Jakob Vranda all scored a goal and an assist.

#3 The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray stopped 25 shots in his first NHL game back since Apr 2, 2023 getting the win over the Buffalo Sabres at Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Friday 6-3. it was also Murray’s first NHL win since March 23, 2023. Sabres have lost 12 straight games and have 0-9-3 during the losing streak and are 11-18-4 overall.

#4 The Montreal Canadiens Patrik Laine scored the go ahead goal at 7:58 to lead the Habs to a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Pizza Arena in Detroit on Friday. Emil Heineman and Jake Evans each scored and got an assist for Montreal. Habs goaltender Cam Talbot save 24 shots.

#5 Aleksander Barkov scored with 17 seconds remaining in overtime that gave the Florida Panthers a 2-1 win over the the St Louis Blues at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Friday. Barkov got a wrist shot from the right circle during a power play right after he was sent to the penalty box for tripping the Blues Brayden Schenn at 4:17.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Pacioretty’s two goals lifts Leafs over Ducks 3-2; Pens bowl over Habs in Montreal 9-2; plus more NHL news

Toronto Maple Leaf left winger Max Pacioretty gets some congratulations from teammates after scoring a first period goal against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thu Dec 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Max Pacioretty scored two goals and had three points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks Thursday in Toronto. The Leafs William Nylander scored and John Taveras had two assists as the Maple Leafs improved their record to 18-9-2.

#2 It wasn’t even a contest as the Pittsburgh Penguins rolled over the Montreal Canadiens 9-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The Penguins got a hat trick and one assist out of Bryan Rust. Rust and Richard Rakell each had four points. It was a landslide for the Habs over the Pens.

#3 The New Jersey Devils Jack Hughes scored a goal and got two assists to help pace New Jersey over the the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 at Newark New Jersey. The win gives New Jersey their second win on the five game homestand. The Devils Jordan Spence scored and goaltender David Rittch stopped 23 shots. The Kings had a six game win streak snapped by New Jersey.

#4 Aliaksei Protas of the Washington Capitals scored a game winning overtime goal to help defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus 2-1. The goal by Protas came at 2:23 and it gave the Capitals their tenth straight win on the road for the season.

#5 The Philadelphia Flyers Scott Laughton did all the heavy lifting for the Flyers scoring all four goals in the Flyers 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. It’s the first time a Flyer had scored all four goals in a game since John LeClair did it on Oct 15, 2002.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Len Shapiro: Maple Leafs live another day with win over Bruins; Hurricanes move to next round with win over Islanders; plus more news

The Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Matthew Knies (23) celebrates scoring an overtime goal on Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) in game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden in Boston (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Toronto Maple Leafs survived being eliminated defeating the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime. The Leafs trail the Bruins in this first playoff round 3-2. The Leafs Matthew Knies scored at 2:26 in the overtime stanza for the game winning goal.

#2 No time like the present with the New York Islanders playing for their lives down 3-1 they were in a 3-3 tie until the third period and couldn’t hold on as the Carolina Hurricanes rallied with three goals in the third period with goals from Jack Drury, Stefan Noesen, and Evgeny Kuznetsov for the come back 6-3 as the Hurricanes advance to the next round.

#3 The Colorado Avalanche had a 3-2 lead going into the third period in game five and the series lead as well at 3-1 against the Winnipeg Jets. The Avalanche added three more goals in the third period to put away the Jets and came away with a three goal 6-3 win in Winnipeg.

#4 The Nashville Predators came into game 5 down 1-3 against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver and were facing elimination and defeated the Vancouver Canucks in razor close game 2-1. All the scoring took place in the third period with the Canucks Nikita Zadorov scoring to start the period at 3:11 on a wrist shot, then the Predators came back with two unanswered goals by Roman Josi at 7:15 to tie it 1-1 and Alexander Carrier at 12:46 for the winning goal for a 2-1 final.

#5 Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said on Tuesday that signing Steven Stamkos is a priority. BriseBois told the media two days after the Florida Panthers eliminated the Lightning at locker cleanout day in Tampa Bay that Stamkos “needs a contract and we want him part of that group.”Stamkos signed an eight year $68 million contract back in 2016 with the Lightning

Len does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcasts each Wednesday or Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Len Shapiro: Taking a look at the playoff match ups for this weekend

The New York Islanders Matt Barzal (13) led with 80 points during the regular season for the Isles as New York faces the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs this Sat Apr 20, 2024 in game 1 (AP file photo)

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len lets take each of the NHL Playoffs games that are coming up this Saturday and Sunday. The first game New York Islanders (39-27-16) and the Carolina Hurricanes (52-23-7). The Islanders Matt Barzal led with 80 points, Brock Nelson 34 goals, Noah Dobson 60 assists. The Hurricanes Sebastian Aho leads in 89 points, 36 goals, and 53 assists.

#2 Next match up are the Boston Bruins with David Pastrnak leading in all three categories with 110 points, 47 goals, and 63 assists. The Toronto Maple Leafs have Auston Matthews leading in points at 107, 69 goals, and Mitch Marner with 59 assists.

#3 The next pairing are the Tampa Bay Lightning with Nikita Kucherov leading with 144 points and 100 assists and Brayden Point leading in goals with 46. The Florida Panthers Sam Rienhart leads in points with 94 and 57 goals and Matthew Tkachuk has 62 assists.

#4 The Washington Capitals Dylan Stronme leads with 67 points, Alex Ovechkin 31 goals, and 42 assists for John Carlson. For the New York Rangers Artemi Panarin leads in all three categories in points 120, goals 49 and assists 71.

#5 The most active players without a Stanley Cups.

Len Shapiro does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Demolish Raptors 123-89; Sabonis chalks up his 24th triple-double

On defense the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (10) and forward Keegan Murray (13) puts the squeeze on the Toronto Raptors forward Bruce Brown (11) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wed Mar 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (40-28) lost to the Toronto Raptors (23-46) back in January but they were not having any of that in their game Wednesday night. They came in with a purpose and they played the Raptors off the court. This game was finished after the third quarter with the Kings finishing off Toronto in the fourth the final 123-89.

Game recap: The first quarter was a close one with the Kings leading after the first 12 minutes 32-27. Sacramento busted this game wide open in the second quarter leading at the half 68-45. They won the second quarter by a landslide 36-18. De’Aaron Fox already had 15 points and the incomparable Domantas Sabonis already had 12 rebounds.

Sacramento took their first half energy into the third quarter winning the quarter 31-20 and the Kings had a 99-65 lead going into the fourth quarter. Sabonis had his 24th triple double and another double double his 63rd this season.

The Raptors had their best quarter of the game but it was over after the third quarter. Toronto tied the Kings in the fourth quarter 24-24 and a lot of credit to the Raptors for continuing to fight.

The Kings did let their foot off the pedal mid-way through the quarter but pulled it back together to finish off the Raptors. Sacramento had tied up their series at one apiece. Whether it was the memory of the game back in January or where the season is right now, the Kings came into this game with a real agenda and they never backed down.

This was a monster game for the Kings. Fox had the team high of 20 points. Sabonis had 17 rebounds, 10 assists and 13 points for another triple double. Malik Monk and Chris Duarte had a terrific game off the bench. Monk with 17 and Duarte with 14. This was their second win in a row and it was an important win as this season approaches the finish line. Every game is critical right now.

Post game notes: Wednesday night the Kings took on the Raptors on the road at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Kings came into this game after beating the Memphis Grizzlies in Sacramento on Monday night. They sit in sixth place tied with the Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns are a half a game behind both of them. The Raptors beat the Kings back in January in their only meeting this season. Toronto is really struggling this season and couldn’t break their seven game losing streak extending to eight games with the loss to the Kings.

The Kings continue on the road taking on the Washington Wizards Thursday night. This team right now is committed to winning and that is what the Kings are seeing right now. Hopefully they will take this energy into their next game in Washington. The good news for the Kings is that they were able to rest their starters in the fourth quarter of this game. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM at the Capital One Center.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Canucks Demko out with lower body injury; Sharks eliminated from playoffs for 5th straight year; plus more news

Vancouver Canucks Goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) is out with a lower body injury and is listed as day to day. (Canadian Press via AP file photo)

On the NHL podcasst with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko the number one goaltender for the Canucks is listed week to week with lower body injury. Demko left with the injury on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in a 5-0 win. Demko had 12 saves when he had to leave in the second period at 6:40. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet says he’s not worried.

#2 NHL analyst and NHL six time Stanley Cup Champion legend Mark Messier said the Vancouver Canucks are in a great position to win the Stanley Cup this season. Vancouver is 42-17-7 and are first in the Western Conference.

#3 The San Jose Sharks loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night 3-2 eliminated the Sharks from post season play. Causes for the elimination were the injuries to Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks have the worst record in the NHL at 16-41-7 this the fifth straight season that the Sharks have not made post season.

#4 NHL analyst and NHL six time Stanley Cup Champion legend Mark Messier said the Vancouver Canucks are in a great position to win the Stanley Cup this season. Vancouver is 42-17-7 and are first in the Western Conference.

#5 If the NHL Playoffs were to start today there are four teams from Canada that would qualify, the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The last time a team from Canada won the Stanley Cup Finals was 31 years ago.

#5 Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard demonstrated why he’s all the hype against the Anaheim Ducks getting a career high of five points as the Blackhawks lit up the Ducks with seven goals in their 7-2 win in Chicago.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Matthews gets Leafs by Jets 1-0 with late goal; Panthers clobber Coyotes 6-2; plus more news

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward Austin Matthews (34) scores on the Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit (39) in overtime at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wed Jan 24, 2024 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Toronto Maple Leafs put a win together on Wednesday night with Austin Matthews who scored with just 47 seconds left in the overtime stanza. The Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov saved 32 shots in the 1-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

#2 The Florida Panthers Sam Reinhart scored a goal and an assist and is now on an 11 game point streak. That effort helped the Panthers defeat the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night 6-2.

#3 The Boston Bruins dropped their nine game point streak Wednesday night when the Carolina Hurricanes Jordan Martinook scored a third period goal to help the Hurricanes to a 3-2 win at TD Garden in Boston.

#4 The Colorado Avalanche crushed the struggling Washington Capitals with a 6-2 win as the Ave’s Nathan MacKinnon scored four goals and had an assist to increase his point steak to 24 games and 82 points.

#5 The Seattle Kraken crushed the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena 6-2. The Kraken scored twice in each period of the game. In the third period the Kraken’s Tomas Tatar scored twice.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Thursday night’s at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks aim to end 10 game skid tonight against Maple Leafs at SAP

The San Jose Sharks defenseman Mike Ferraro (38) brings the puck up from behind the net as the Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo (2) and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) anticipate Ferraro’s arrival in front of the net at SAP Center on Thu Jan 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Winnipeg Jets Gabriel Vilardi broke a 1-1 tie on power play goal in the third period as the Jets came away with a one goal 2-1 win at SAP on Thursday night.

#2 The Jets also got some good goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck with 27 saves. The Jets delivered on defense to keep the Sharks out of the net making it close in a game that the Sharks went all out but just couldn’t seal the deal.

#3 “It’s fun,” Vilardi said. “It’s fun to play hockey. It’s fun when you win. Obviously, anyone can say that, but we have belief in each other and play for each other. We’ve got to keep going.”

#4 The Sharks extended their loss streak to ten straight games and this game was the closest they came to snapping their loss steak which is a franchise record.

#5 The Sharks go after it again tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have won four of their last ten games. It seems everybody is out for the Leafs every time they come. The Leafs won their last game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 2-1 in overtime. Mary Lisa how do you see these two teams matching up tonight?

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Sabres Skinner and Peterka score to help edge Wild 3-2; Panthers get three goal win defeat Canes 5-2; plus more NHL news

The Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Greenway (12) takes a high stick to the face from the Minnesota Wild’s defenseman Zach Bogosian (24) in front of the Minnesota net at the XCel Energy Arena in Minneapolis on Fri Nov 10, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt taking a look at Friday night’s NHL action the Buffalo Sabres got scoring help from Jeff Skinner and JJ Peterka who both scored goals and got an assist to help defeat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 at KeyBank Center in Minneapolis. Sabers defenseman Henri Jokiharju scored the other Sabres goal with goaltender Devin Levi stopping 33 for Buffalo.

#2 The Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe each scored a goal and an assist helping the Panthers to extend their win streak to three with a 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Panthers Alexander Barkov scored a goal and an assist and Uvis Balinskis scored his first goal as a Panther at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

#3 The Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov scored two goals to help beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 at the Prudential Center in Newark on Friday night. In his season debut for the Capitals right winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel picked up a goal and an assist, Tom Wilson had two assists and goaltender Charlie Lindgren stopped 24 shots in the win for Washington.

#4 The Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander scored two times and got an assist and picked up his 14th consecutive game point in the Leafs shootout win over the Calgary Flames 5-4 at Scottiabank Arena in Calgary. Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots in the one goal win.

#5 Matt what could you say about the Vegas Golden Knights who picked up a huge win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday night at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Knights scored twice in the first period and picked up another three goals in the third period in the 5-0 final. Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen was just overmatched as the Knights attacked the zone and the net for multiple red lights behind Kahkonen in the San Jose loss.

Join Matt Harrington is an NHL analyst for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Sens Stutzle opens up on offense against Leafs; Wild get Bogosian from Lightning; plus more news

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek goes after Ottawa Senators left wing Tim Stutzle who puts the puck on net against the Detroit Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Tue Feb 28, 2023 (AP file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len talk about the Ottawa Senators Tim Stutzle scored a goal and picked up three assists. The Senators scored three unanswered goals in 3:11 defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 at Scotiabank in Toronto.

#2 In a trade on Wednesday the Minnesota Wild got Zach Bogosian from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seven round draft pick in 2025, and Calen Addison to the San Jose Sharks for Adam Raska and a 2026 fifth round draft pick.

#3 The Colorado Avalanche Ross Colton forward was fined $5000 which is the maximum under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for cross checking New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier on Tuesday night. The penalty came at 10:44 in the second period and Colton was hit with a major penalty and a game misconduct.

#4 The Chicago Blackhawks Connor Bedard is finding his way around goal creases, Bedard has three goals and five assists and has been a force with Nick Foligno and Philipp Kurashev on the same line. How crucial is Bedard for the Blackhawks.

#5 The San Jose Sharks picked up their first win of the season after losing 11 straight games. The Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 39 Flyers shots to save the night. The Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 after getting blasted by the Vancouver Canucks 10-1 and Pittsburgh Penguins 10-2. The Sharks defense looked far more improved against the Flyers can you talk about the improvements?

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com