The Minnesota Wild’s final loss of the season was their most painful.

The Wild blew an early three-goal lead over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round series on Wednesday night at Ball Arena. They were still ahead by two before allowing a pair of goals in the final 3:33 of regulation that forced overtime.

Minnesota failed to convert on two excellent scoring opportunities early in overtime before Avs defenseman Brett Kulak scored at 3:52 of OT to secure a 4–3 win. Colorado advanced to the conference finals against the Anaheim-Vegas series winner. Minnesota is going home with one of the most painful defeats in its history.

Kulak broke through an excellent scoring chance in the defensive zone before running down the ice, taking a pass from Martin Necas and one-timeing it past Jesper Wallstad for the series-winning goal. It was his first goal since January 19, when he was playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Before Colorado’s late rally, it looked like the Wild had the game in hand; They led 3-1 with less than four minutes remaining.

But the Avs came within one when Jack Drury deflected Devon Toews’ long wrist pass to Jesper Walstad with 3:33 to play. They tied it with 1:23 remaining when Nathan MacKinnon took a short lead with an accurate shot from the bottom left circle.

By that time, the night had become wild.

Wild season with 4-3 OT loss to Avalanche in Game 5

Marcus Johansson scored 34 seconds into the game to put Minnesota up 1–0. Nick Foligno then scored twice in less than five minutes, giving the Wild a 3–0 lead in less than 16 minutes.

Parker Kelly got a goal back for Colorado midway through the second period, but the Wild remained in command until final goals by Drury and MacKinnon forced overtime.

The crowd of 18,159 came prepared to see the Presidents Trophy winners advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since winning the Cup in 2022. But Wilde showed from the initial face-off that he had other plans.

Johansson put Minnesota on the board in the first inning. Matt Boldy circled Colorado’s Brock Nelson behind the net and made his way into the left corner. He delivered a perfect pass to Johansson, who beat Mackenzie Blackwood to make it 1–0.

Foligno made it 2–0 at 11:03 with his first goal of the postseason. He went to the net, got his stick on Nico Sturm’s pass and deflected it to Blackwood.

The Wild thought they had made it 3–0 at 12:26 when Michael McCarron caromed a carom off the post into the net during a delayed penalty. But a video review showed that the Wild center had used his gloved hand to dodge Blackwood, and the goal went off the board.

Minnesota took a three-goal lead at 15:56 of the second minute of the period on Foligno. Blackwood missed Sturm’s long wrist and Sturm beat Avs defenseman Jack Ahkan to the puck. His backhand cross-crease pass found Foligno, who fired it into the open left corner for a 3–0 lead.

The Avs changed goaltenders after Blackwood allowed three goals on 13 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Scott Wedgwood relieved him — and Colorado came out with the kind of energy it lacked in the first period.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Avalanche had nine of 10 scoring chances in the middle period, along with a 33-8 edge in shot attempts. But the “Wall of St Paul” kept them off the board until the end of the 11th minute, when Kelly lofted Brent Burns’ right-point slapper past Wallstead to make the score 3–1.

Colorado continued to push and earned its first power play when Danila Yurov high-sticked Cale Makar at 16:52. Wallstedt made three saves and MacKinnon hit the post, giving the Wild two goals in 20 minutes of play.

The Wild appeared to be content with playing defense in the third period, rarely entering the offensive zone. The strategy worked well until 16:27, when Drury got its second chance of the postseason in the same game as Kelly’s goal. Toews took a long straight wrister, and Drury deflected it past Volstead to make the score 3–2.

Now with the crowd roaring in full swing, the Avs pulled Wedgwood with two minutes remaining and tied it on MacKinnon’s rip from the bottom left circle, creating a small opening on the short side.

Key takeaways after Wild season ends with loss to Avs in Game 5

paid a heavy price to sit in the back

Minnesota defeated Colorado 13–12 and took a 3–0 lead after a dominant first period. Unfortunately for the Wild, the game was not over.

Colorado controlled the remainder of the game to show why it finished first in the regular season standings. The Avs defeated Minnesota 22–7 after the opening period, including 4–0 in overtime. According to Natural Stat Trick, Colorado had a 22-3 edge in scoring chances at 5-on-5 after the first period and a 9-2 advantage in high-danger opportunities during that time.

Minnesota appeared content to consistently sit back, dump the puck and get the Avs up 200 feet instead of trying to get another goal. It’s a difficult strategy to implement over long periods of time against the NHL’s highest-scoring team. In the end, Wild had to pay the price.

Foligno’s big night is getting ruined

The Wild added Nick Foligno on March 6 with Columbus to play a lower-level role, often alongside younger brother Marcus. The 38-year-old had scored only one goal in 17 regular season games following the trade and did not score in Minnesota’s first 10 playoff games.

That all changed in the first period, when he connected twice in less than five minutes to put the Wild up by three.

It was the second multi-goal playoff game of his career – and the first since Game 6 of the first round with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

What’s next for the Wild?

The way their season ended will sting for some time, but the Wild look like a team on the rise.

The best news was that they won a playoff series for the first time since 2015, ending a streak of eight consecutive opening round/preliminary round losses. They have great players on the left wing (Kirill Kaprizov) and defense (Quinn Hughes), a rising star in forward Matt Boldy and an excellent No. 2 defenseman in Brett Faber.

The absence of center Joel Eriksson and defenseman Jonas Brodin due to injury against Colorado hurt.

Coach John Hynes will have the offseason to decide whether he wants to give Walstead the No. 1 job. He spent most of the season in the 1B role behind goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson. But Gustavsson’s five-year, $34 million contract begins next season – a big deal for a backup/1B goaltender.

But the biggest question is the future of Hughes, who has one year remaining before becoming an unrestricted free agent. GM Bill Guerin gave up a lot for the Vancouver Canucks to get the 26-year-old player in December. He can sign an extension starting on July 1 and will undoubtedly make every effort to make that happen.

stat shots

The Avs won the series at home for the first time in their last 10 tries in 2008. That also came against Wild.

Colorado’s comeback from three goals down was the first by any team in this year’s playoffs. Five teams won after trailing by two goals.

Kulak clinched the series and became the 16th Avalanche player to score a goal during the second round, breaking the NHL record for most goals in a series.

Colorado became the 13th team in NHL history, and the second team joining the Carolina Hurricanes in 2026, to need nine or fewer games through the first two best-of-7 series to make the first round of the Finals.

Jon Krieger covered his first New York Rangers game (against the California Golden Seals) in November 1975 and it… More about Jon Krieger

In a game that had more ups and downs than a Vegas Cirque du Soleil show, the Vegas Golden Knights (3-2) defeated the Anaheim Ducks (2-3) in overtime to win Game 5 and take a 3-2 series lead. This game had everything, power play goals, big hits, an ejection, big saves, and a great performance from Pavel Dorofeyev, returning to the ice to score the OT winner, his second of the game, after leaving with a serious injury.

Both teams only lost a player in the nine-minute battle for the remainder of the game, but for very different reasons. Golden Knights defenseman Braden McNabb blocked Ryan Poehling well away from the puck and fouled him, fouling him from the game. After officials conducted a video review of the game, McNabb was assessed a five-minute penalty for interference and a game misconduct. Poehling, meanwhile, was clearly dazed and needed help leaving the ice. Anaheim, then went to work on a five-minute power play.

While the Golden Knights did an admirable job of eliminating the first three-plus minutes of the major, Anaheim ultimately capitalized on the extended man-advantage. Cutter Gauthier made a good play to stop the puck on the right wall by flipping his stick and keeping the toe of his stick perpendicular to the ice. He then collected the puck and flipped it over Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart. The shot hit Hart’s right pad and went into the crease. Unfortunately for Hart, Beckett Seneca (5), stood unopposed near the left post and pounced on the rebound, shoveling it through the five-hole of the Golden Knights netminder. The goal came at 12:36 of the first and was Seneca’s fourth consecutive game with a goal in the series.

A few minutes later, Mitch Marner drove in on a breakaway, but Anaheim netminder Lucas Dostal was able to poke-check the puck. However, on a breakaway, Marner was intercepted by Pavel Mintyukov and the Golden Knights went on what would be their only power play of the game. When Pavel Dorofeyev hit the ice, he was like a one-man demolition team, picking up Chris Kreider’s stick and stealing the puck, weaving out and down the crease, then firing a laser shot over Dostal’s blocker. It was Dorofeyev’s sixth goal of the postseason and second power-play goal in as many games.

With exactly 11 minutes left in the second, Dorofeyev would again be the center of attention, but for a different reason. As Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe wound up taking a slap shot from the left point, Dorofeyev, who was no more than six feet away, stood right in front of the missile from LaCombe’s stick and took it off the inside of his right knee. He remained lying on the ice for several minutes, had to be helped off the ice and immediately went to the locker room. He would miss the rest of the second period, but returned for the third period, thanks to the Golden Knights.

While there was no scoring in the second period, it was not due to a lack of opportunities, especially for Anaheim. The Ducks outshot the Golden Knights 17–6 in the second period, including 10 consecutive shots, but Hart was sharp and missed all 17 attempts. Neither team got a power play in the second or third period, as the game tightened up and fights subsided after the whistle.

To start the third period, the Golden Knights came out with a shooter’s mentality and overcame a 26-17 shot deficit. This was evidenced by the Golden Knights taking three shots in the first 4:48 of the period, the third of which went in. It was good old-fashioned hard work that got the Golden Knights the go-ahead goal. Rasmus Andersson hit a puck on net from the right wall that bounced off Dostal and just outside the crease. Upon seeing the bounding puck, Tomas Hertl (2) dropped to his knees, pounced in desperation to bat at the rebound, and managed to beat Dostal at 4:48 of the third minute to give the Golden Knights a 2–1 lead. For Hertl, it was his second consecutive game with a goal after going 29 consecutive games without a point.

With time running out in regulation, the Ducks came out with their most effective innings of the game. The Ducks kept the Golden Knights in their own zone for long periods of time and were shooting the puck around. Finally, the Ducks completed a tic-tac-toe passing play that passed from Gauthier to Mason McTavish in the bottom of the right circle and to Olen Zellweger (1), who initially flubbed the McTavish pass, but after double clutching, hit a heavy shot off the crossbar and tied the game at two, allowing the score to remain tied at the end of regulation and making the game the 16th game of these playoffs beyond that. Will increase. regulation

Although there have been many games that have gone into overtime in these playoffs, this will not be one of them. Less than five minutes into the extra frame, and after two unsuccessful clearing attempts by Anaheim, the puck ended up on Jack Eichel’s stick in the bottom of the right circle. His centering pass attempt hit Dostal’s pads and deflected onto Dorofeyev’s stick in the bottom of the left circle. Dorofeyev (7) wasted no time trying to settle the bouncing puck, instead pouncing on it and sending it bar-and-down over Dostal’s right shoulder for the game-winner. The goal came at 4:10 of overtime and was his second goal of the night and seventh of the postseason.

The Golden Knights are hoping history repeats itself this season. The Golden Knights found themselves in a similar situation against the Utah Mammoth in the first round. Heading home for Game 5 with the series tied at 2-2. The Golden Knights won that game 5–4 in double overtime before ending the series with a 5–1 win at Utah in Game 6. Game 6 of this series takes place on Thursday in Anaheim and the Golden Knights will look to finish the second round like they did the first round.

notes

• Both the Golden Knights and Ducks were once again without their captains. Ducks captain Radko Gudas missed his eighth consecutive game with a lower body injury and Mark Stone also missed his second consecutive game with a lower body injury.
• When the best-of-seven series is tied 2–2, the winner of Game 5 wins it 79.6 percent of the time (242–62). If the home team wins Game 5, it advances 80.7 percent of the time (151–36).

figures

• Shots on goal gave Anaheim a 36–32 win.
• Vegas had the edge in the faceoff circle, 53.1% to 46.9%.
• Vegas was 1-1 on the power play, while Anaheim was 1-2.
• Vegas had a slight edge in hits, 29-26.
• Vegas stopped 18 shots, while Anaheim stopped eight.
• Vegas had four more giveaways than Anaheim, 17–13, while takeaways favored Anaheim, 8–5.

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories and content you may have missed Tuesday.

montreal canadiens news

The Canadiens did not produce a terrible effort against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game two, however, as some costly mistakes cost the Bolts a 3–2 overtime victory, including a terrible pass attempt by Juraj Slafkowski. That being said, Slafkowski was far from the only player who made a mistake on Tuesday night. [Canadiens Highlights: Exciting Overtime Loss]

The Habs players were quite composed after the disappointing loss. As Mike Matheson explained, they always knew they were going to face a talented team in the Lightning.

Listen to the media availability after tonight’s Game 2 vs. Tampa Bay

Tune in now for live postgame media ops after tonight’s Game 2 against the Lightning#GoHabsGo https://t.co/lWZWqmkEMP

– X – Canadiens Montreal (@CanadiensMTL) 22 April 2026

It remains to be seen if head coach Martin Saint-Louis will make any lineup changes before Game Three on Friday, but there are some good options if he decides to change things up.

I think we might see Joe Velano or Brendan Gallagher #hubs Lineup for Game 3, replacing Kirby Dach.

– Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) 22 April 2026

While the Canadiens generated more high-danger opportunities than the Lightning at 5v5, the momentum shifted strongly to Tampa Bay’s corner about midway through the game. [NST]

With all due respect to Arbor Zekaj, I was expecting him to write “I want it this way” in the first few notes.

Playoff Arbor Zekaj pic.twitter.com/RKvuVRcCGS

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 21 April 2026

Sportsknot Network

Sunny Mehta is living his dream as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils. He himself had said this in his opening statement. With this in mind, there are several important issues that they will need to address quickly. [New Jersey Devils]

Bridging the NHL and KHL worlds, former Devils and Canadiens superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk has been named president of the Shanghai Dragons. The Chinese KHL club made the announcement Tuesday morning, creating a new president role and selecting the 43-year-old Russian veteran to fill it. [KHL]

It’s not every night you watch double overtime, and see the game winning goal put away… and fill with joy when you hear Nickelback play, but for the Carolina Hurricanes and their fans, Monday was the night they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a heated contest. [Carolina Hurricanes]

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Montreal Canadiens faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, looking to establish a commanding 2-0 lead in the first round series.

The Habs were never able to take the lead, with the Lightning ultimately emerging with a 3–2 overtime victory.

Let’s look at the highlights!

always so smooth

It’s legitimately impressive how sticky the power is at every shift. Not only do they initiate most of the ugly things, but they also behave as if punishing them for their obvious stupidity was some kind of cardinal sin.

Corey Perry epitomizes this lizard-like approach to logic. He constantly seeks out younger opponents, and when they inform him that they have no interest in sharing his oysters, which are almost certainly a mixture of old chili and Mister Beast-branded snacks, he becomes very, very upset.

Perry was in the box as the Canadiens tied the game in the first period, a good reminder that the best way to make the Lightning pay is to score whenever the shenanigans unfold.

It was a player named Len Hutson, whom Perry had attempted to tackle in a recent game, who scored the game-tying goal.

This is what you want to see, especially since power starts making ugly messes at every single change. Make them pay for their stupidity.

#GoHabsGo Tie the game via a Len Hutson powerplay goal. pic.twitter.com/dXTZC5FOKA

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 21 April 2026

adapt and overcome

If you watched the first half of the game on ESPN, you may have got the impression that the Lightning were the dominant team, but that’s far from the truth when it comes to the aspects of the game that really matter.

While the Lightning focused on the ugly, the Canadiens controlled the shots and high-danger scoring opportunities at 5v5.

It’s not a great way to play hockey for Tampa Bay, but it’s a clear path to success for the Canadians as long as they continue to focus on hockey rather than extracurricular activities.

For example, when Juraj Slafkowski fought Brandon Hagel he inspired the Lightning and delivered a powerful punch to his opponent midway through the second period. This was far from an ideal situation and the Hubs should avoid moving forward.

SportLogic had the Canadiens winning 88 per cent of puck battles in the first period.

– Eric Engels (@EricEngels) 22 April 2026

missed opportunity

With the game heating up in the physical department, the Canadiens had a perfect chance to establish their first lead, but veteran center Philippe Danault failed to take advantage of a wide-open net. It should also be noted that Jake Evans has been quietly having a solid series considering his limited usage.

Philippe Danault missed the wide open net. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/2sWHrr9AlE

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 22 April 2026

trailer park lube

At the risk of being labeled a complainer, which wouldn’t be a bad name given the tone of this article, the Lightning’s sleekness was impossible to ignore.

It’s not just that they constantly take dirty shots after the whistle, but also that they behave like surprised Pikachu when the referee gives a clear penalty.

Then there is diving.

Kucherov flies out, Guhle leaves for hooking. pic.twitter.com/uyqw2aLrQK

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 22 April 2026

And if that doesn’t lead to a goal on the power play, someone like Taylor Raddish will obviously dive in, and the officials will be upset if they don’t catch it. This is ugly, cowardly and confusing hockey at its best.

On the other side of the coin, you could argue that this has led to plenty of success in the past, but you’d be hard-pressed to suggest that there was any legitimate reason to add an extra dose of showboating to the mix on Tuesday.

laugh out loud

Raddish looks at the referee as he falls after feeling contact.

And then he got upset that no call came. pic.twitter.com/kvNfVSSAWz

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 22 April 2026

Most importantly, while the Lightning focused on roughhousing after the whistle, the Canadiens focused on creating quality scoring chances.

They had an 11–4 advantage in high-danger scoring chances during 40 minutes of play, including Josh Anderson’s second goal of the series, which gave the Canadiens a very fragile one-goal lead.

josh anderson gives #GoHabsGo 2-1 lead! pic.twitter.com/1CJ7VvARC8

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 22 April 2026

The weakness was confirmed in the third period, when Kucherov scored his first playoff goal in three years to tie the game.

Slafkowski’s no-look pass through the middle of the ice was the catalyst for the scoring play.

JJ Moser is a hero in Tampa pic.twitter.com/LxCIv9NkWo

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 22 April 2026

target setting

As was the case in Game One, the score was tied after the end of regulation, much to everyone’s delight, necessitating another chance at playoff overtime hockey.

The Lightning were several times better than the Habs to start the extra frame.

Yes, the Canadiens were pretty erratic, but we’d be taking a lot of deserved credit away from Tampa Bay by simply suggesting that it was Montreal that struggled to find its rhythm.

Luckily for the Canadians, Jacob Dobbs had big leads on a few occasions, but it was not enough to stop the momentum, as the Bolts ultimately emerged with a 3–2 overtime victory.

Big Savings!

Jacob Dobbs saved the day in overtime. pic.twitter.com/BOgpVG0b8M

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 22 April 2026

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Friday as they face the Lightning at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Vegas Golden Knights have punched their ticket to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Vegas secured their postseason berth with a 3–2 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche, moving into first place in the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights are now one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and two points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks.

Colorado opened the scoring on the power play when defenseman Devon Toews scored his third goal of the season. With Cal Maker sidelined by injury, Toews stepped into an increased role and quickly performed well. Gabriel Landeskog provided a screen in front of goaltender Carter Hart.

Vegas responded immediately. Mark Stone turned the puck in before backhanding it to Mackenzie Blackwood to tie the score at 1-1.

Late in the period, Pavel Dorofeyev finished a setup from Ivan Barbashev to give Vegas the lead. With traffic in front of Brett Howden, Blackwood never got a shot off. The goal was Dorofeyev’s 36th goal of the season, giving him consecutive 35-goal campaigns.

The Avalanche responded to tie the game at 2-2. Nick Blankenburg scored his first goal with Colorado after being acquired at the trade deadline, and scored his seventh goal of the season on an assist from former Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy.

The third period featured end-to-end action, with both teams creating quality chances but unable to convert. The Golden Knights played hard defensively late, limiting high-danger looks and getting key stops from Hart to force overtime.

In the extra frames, Jack Eichel scored the winner, his 26th goal of the season, moving the Golden Knights past the top team in the NHL. Eichel’s goal capped a strong night for the Golden Knights’ top line, which generated consistent pressure in the offensive zone.

With the win, the Golden Knights moved back into first place in the Pacific Division. If the playoffs started today, the Golden Knights would face the first wild-card team, the Utah Mammoth.

The Golden Knights will return home to close out the regular season with two games at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights will host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, April 13, before concluding the regular season against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, April 15.

A strong finish could secure the division title and home-ice advantage as the Golden Knights look to carry momentum into the postseason.

Cooper Krigbaum is a beat reporter covering the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNut. He also told about Cooper Krigbaum

Detroit Pistons fans are excited about their team’s potential playoff success after Friday night’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Detroit is enjoying a strong campaign as one of the best teams in the entire league. They picked up an overtime win over Cleveland, which continues to hold its place in the East standings with back-to-back games.

Fans came in large numbers to react to the game and were positive towards a win, expecting a better performance. Here are some of their reactions.

One fan said, “Great win! Both teams advanced. The Cavs were missing Donovan Mitchell and a few others while our Pistons are still missing Isaiah Stewart.”

“I didn’t enjoy going to OT against a shorthanded Cavs team. But… at the same time we enjoyed the win even though we were shorthanded. Boys fight when it counts. And those who play hard get the wins. #DetroitBasketball,” another commented.

One commented, “Celebrate the wins, but hang on. Every dub is proof that opportunity came with preparation. Stack ’em up, stay humble and keep building the scoreboard, it only tells part of the story. The work continues.”

“What a comeback victory,” one replied.

One fan said, “The win came and JB benched LeVert for Sasser, I prayed for times like this.”

How did the Pistons play against the Cavaliers?

Pistons fans can expect more from their team after defeating the Cavaliers. Nonetheless, the playoff bar remains high for them.

Five players scored in double figures for Detroit in the win. Jalen Duren dominated with a performance of 33 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He shot 11 of 19 from the field and 11 of 15 from the free-throw line. Cade Cunningham finished second with 25 points and 10 rebounds, Ausner Thompson had 18 points and eight rebounds, Ronald Holland II put up 12 points and three rebounds, while Tobias Harris provided 11 points and six steals.

Detroit improved to a 44–14 record on the season and topped the Eastern Conference standings. They are 5.5 games up on the Boston Celtics and seven games up on the New York Knicks.

The Pistons look forward to their next matchup while on the road. They will face the Orlando Magic as tip-off takes place on March 1 at 6 PM ET.

When Mitch Marner left Toronto last summer, he did so with that reputation hanging over his head like a cartoon storm cloud.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a historic, Original Six franchise. Marner left his mark on his record by wearing his hometown team’s sweater during his 657 games. At the conclusion of his Leafs tenure, Marner was fifth in scoring with 751 points. He was and still is fourth in career assists with 520.

But when fans talk about Marner, they don’t even mention his offensive talent, or his perennial candidacy for the Selke Trophy. Instead, they refer to him as someone who disappears when the lights are brightest.

in an article for athleticJonas Siegel called Marner a ‘two-way powerhouse’ who helped the Maple Leafs win a lot of games in the regular season.

He wrote, “But this was not the player who got them in the postseason, at least not often, and certainly not in the biggest games.”

“In [2025] In the playoffs, the Leafs swept their way around the Ottawa Senators in the first round and took a 2–0 series lead against the Panthers, but squandered it in disastrous fashion. Siegel wrote in a separate article, Marner again failed to produce when the Leafs needed him most.

Mark Stone, his teammate on the Vegas Golden Knights, disagreed with the sentiment that Marner was not a ‘clutch’ player.

“As a teammate, I haven’t experienced this,” he said after Marner led Canada to a 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday. “[At] 4 Nations, he gets a big overtime goal for us [against Sweden]Makes for an incredible game for the winner [in the gold medal game]. Then tonight, when we need him most, he makes a play.

“So… I guess it’s a Toronto thing,” Stone finished.

Marner is in the midst of his first season with the Golden Knights. Thus, he has not yet had the opportunity to fully shed his playoff demons. But Stone brought up three different ‘big moments’ where Marner came through for his team.

The first ‘big moment’ was Canada’s first game in the 4 Nations tournament. Canada led 3–1 after 40 minutes, but lost the third period. But in overtime, Marner answered the call and saved Canada from disaster with a heroic solo-try goal.

The second ‘big moment’ came just eight days later in the gold medal game at the 4 Nations tournament. Canada trailed 2–1 in the third period, but Marner forced a Sam Bennett goal to force overtime. And in overtime, Marner again had a big play, finding Connor McDavid alone for the game-winner.

The final – and arguably the biggest – ‘big moment’ was the quarter-final match between Czechia and Canada. Trailing 3–2, Canada scored late in the third period and forced overtime. And in overtime, as he had done against Sweden a year earlier in the 4 Nations, Marner did it himself and scored a goal to send Canada to the semi-finals.

Calling Marner a player who can’t perform in big moments is simply not accurate.

Maybe Mark Stone is right. maybe this Is A ‘Toronto thing.’

Hannah Kirkel is a beat writer who covers the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNote. She studied more about Hannah Kirkel