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Watch: Unlikely hero sends Oilers to Western Conference Final
The Edmonton Oilers are on their way to the Western Conference Final for the second year in a row after beating the Vegas Golden Knights, 1-0, on Wednesday night. It was an unlikely hero who sent them through in overtime.
Forward Kasperi Kapanen scored the game's only goal, knocking in a loose puck right on the doorstep during a mad scramble around the Vegas net.
THERE IT IS!!!
— NHL (@NHL) May 15, 2025
KASPERI KAPANEN IS YOUR @ENERGIZER OT HERO IN GAME 5 AND THIS SERIES IS OVER! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Ao34byyu3m
When you think of the Oilers and offense, your mind probably immediately goes to superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But sometimes to win in the playoffs, you need an unlikely source to step up in big situations.
That is what happened here.
Kapanen joined the Oilers early in the season after starting it with the St. Louis Blues, and he scored just five goals in 57 regular -season games with the Oilers.
Entering play on Wednesday, he had only appeared in one of the Oilers' playoff games.
Now here he is scoring one of their biggest goals of the season.
Goalie Stuart Skinner also emerged over the past couple of games as an unlikely hero, posting back-to-back shutouts. Skinner opened the playoffs as Edmonton's starter, but he was quickly benched after a miserable start to its first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. But when Calvin Pickard exited the playoffs with an injury, it opened the door for Skinner to again prove himself.
While it has been rocky at times, he has definitely come through when the Oilers needed him. Edmonton will now await the winner of the Winnipeg Jets-Dallas Stars series.
More must-reads:
- Group effort leads Panthers to easy 6-1 win over Leafs in Game 5
- Maple Leafs get humiliated in dreadful Game 5 performance
- The 'American League WAR leaders' quiz
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Arbitrator rules in favour of Flyers in grievance filed on termination of Ryan Johansen’s contract
An arbitrator has ruled in favour of the Philadelphia Flyers in the grievance filed by the NHL Player’s Association in regards to the termination of Ryan Johansen, according to TSN insider Darren Dreger. This is set to end a process that began a year ago when the Flyers had terminated the final year of Johansen’s eight-year contract with an $8 million cap hit. Philadelphia was only on the hook for $4 million of that contract, as the Nashville Predators had retained the other half of it when they dealt him to the Colorado Avalanche during the 2023 offseason, but after a “material breach”, the Flyers opted to terminate it. Then in September 2024, the NHLPA filed a grievance on behalf of Johansen over the decision to terminate the contract. Johansen didn’t play a game for the Flyers after he was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline due to a hip injury. Philadelphia wanted to waive him after acquiring him, but couldn’t because of the injury. Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, released the following statement at the time of the termination of the contract, stating his displeasure about the Flyers’ decision. “Ryan Johansen has a severe hockey injury that requires extensive surgery which has been scheduled,” said Overhardt. “Since being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan has worked in good faith with the club, its medical staff and authorized third-party physicians. The Flyers’ intent to terminate Ryan’s contract is disappointing.” At this point in time, both the Flyers and Predators still have the cap space free to take on Johansen’s cap hit if needed. Nashville has about $9.3 million in cap space, while Philadelphia will have around $6.5 million between the roughly $370,000 in cap space now and Ryan Ellis’ contract that will go on LTIR at the start of the season. According to Dreger, Johansen is currently rehabbing the hip injury post-surgery. He’s been a free agent since the termination, having not signed with a team in 2024-25. Johansen had 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 63 games in the 2023-24 season, all coming with the Avalanche.
Vikings WR gets brutal injury news for second straight season
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Thinks It Is Clear Preseason Hero Will Be Playing Elsewhere In 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday, and the organization was able to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 31-25. The offense looked surprisingly good in the game, although it was mostly backups playing in the contest outside of the offensive line. The passing game was efficient, and both Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson looked good in the game. Logan Woodside came in at the end, but he didn't attempt a pass. The offensive player of the night was certainly Thompson, who was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart before Will Howard got hurt. Thompson is certainly on the outside looking in when it comes to the final roster, but his impressive performance during the first week of the preseason likely caught the eyes of some other teams around the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the game on the most recent episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, and he shared that he thinks the quarterback could end up elsewhere. "I don't think the Steelers are going to keep four quarterbacks," Roethlisberger said. "Let's be honest. I think he is playing himself into like a really legit chance for a backup job somewhere on a team. Which is what you want." Thompson is going to need to continue to stack good performances in the preseason, and if he does, the Steelers may have the chance to trade him before cutting down to the final roster at the end of August. It is known that the top two quarterbacks on the roster are Aaron Rodgers and Rudolph, with Howard being right behind them. Thompson will likely end up elsewhere, it just depends on how that comes about. Other teams across the league probably know that the Steelers do not have the intention to keep Thompson around for the regular season, and that could make navigating a potential trade difficult. However, if there are multiple teams that are going to be interested in Thompson's services, one might be willing to trade a Day 3 draft pick in order to get him. The Steelers would not get much in any deal surrounding Thompson, but an additional sixth or seventh round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft would not hurt. No organization would trade for Thompson based off just one good preseason performance, especially with how the rest of the quarterback's career has gone when he was with the Miami Dolphins. He has struggled when he has been asked to start in games, but maybe he has turned over a new leaf that might make him valuable as the top backup for another organization. Another strong performance or two should definitely put him on the radar of quarterback-needy teams. Steelers' Skylar Thompson Could Have A Few Potential Destinations When looking around the league and trying to figure out what teams might be interested in bringing in Thompson, it is hard to ignore a team like the New Orleans Saints. The entire quarterback room in New Orleans has limited experience with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener barely ever seeing the field. Rookie Tyler Shough is an interesting prospect, but there is no telling how he will play. The Saints may want to consider Thompson, at the very least to bring in someone who has legitimate playing experience. Another team to consider would be Thompson's former team, the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa has struggled with injuries, and neither Zach Wilson or Quinn Ewers looked great in the team's first preseason game. A reunion could be in play as Thompson has a handle on the offensive system and has a decent amount of game experience playing in Miami. Another option is the New York Jets, as Tyrod Taylor is going through an injury and the rest of the room has a lot of question marks.
Pete Carroll and Las Vegas Raiders' eyes were opened up to a move that needed to be made after first preseason game
After an impressive second half against the Seattle Seahawks in their first preseason game, the Las Vegas Raiders noticed a change that needed to be made. We've been saying it for a while now -- maybe two or three weeks, since training camp has started, really. This roster in training camp will not be the same exact roster that started the season in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. There will be changes made throughout the roster between now and then, because the new regime wants to find the best 53 players possible to help their team be the best it can be. 2025 is an important season, one that will see some pretty major improvements compared to the previous iteration of the Raiders. If this team is somehow worse than the last two versions of this team that we have seen, then they may need to just blow the whole thing up, trade and cut everyone, and start over, because there has to be some type of curse somewhere. Luckily, everything is pointing towards this team being a pretty decent team in 2025, if not a good team. So, as we have said -- they're going to make some roster moves. And they've made another one after the first preseason game. Raiders sign WR Marquez Callaway The Las Vegas Raiders had a few good showings from some of their depth wide receivers who are all fighting to make the initial 53-man roster. Alex Bachman, who was Aidan O'Connell's primary target before Bachman left the game with an injury last Thursday, played very well. After him, Shedrick Jackson, better known as Bo Jackson's nephew, as mentioned a million times by the broadcast on Thursday, had an amazing game. But the Raiders still feel like they can get better there in that position room. So, they signed a guy with some experience. On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders signed WR Marquez Callaway and let go of wide receiver Kawaan Bake. Marquez Callaway is a 27-year-old who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2020, with his best season in 2021, leading the Saints with 698 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The 6'2", 204-pound player has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has experience as a punt and kickoff returner, and has appeared in only five games over the past two seasons. The Raiders will likely let Callaway get some run in this next preseason game to see if he would be worth keeping on the roster.
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