AHL Shuffle: 04/17/23
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning in under 12 hours, teams will begin to add some extra help to their rosters from the minors to have players on hand in case of injury. While some teams won’t make mass recalls of depth players (or “black aces”) until their affiliates are eliminated from the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs, the disappearance of the salary cap in the playoffs still offers teams the option to make smaller moves. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled forward Zac Dalpe from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and netminder Evan Fitzpatrick from the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. Richards notes that Dalpe will return to Charlotte tomorrow for the Checkers’ playoff series, so he’s up momentarily to serve as an extra forward in case something goes awry for Florida pre-game. Fitzpatrick, who had strong numbers in limited ECHL action this season, will essentially serve as the team’s emergency goalie while on the active roster.
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that the Minnesota Wild are expected to recall Hunter Jones to serve as their third goalie, leaving both Jesper Wallstedt and Zane McIntyre stored in the minors for their AHL affiliate’s playoff run. Jones, a 2019 second-round pick of the Wild, posted a .905 save percentage and one shutout in 38 games with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders this season.
- The Nashville Predators sent major reinforcements to the Milwaukee Admirals today, re-assigning seven players, per a team release. After seeing NHL opportunities near the end of the season, the team has returned forwards Luke Evangelista, Michael McCarron, Mark Jankowski, Zach Sanford, Kiefer Sherwood, Philip Tomasino, and defenseman Spencer Stastney to the minors. Milwaukee, who finished second in the AHL’s Central Division, increases their status as a serious contender for the Calder Cup with these additions.
- Netminder Brandon Bussi is back up with the Boston Bruins, also to serve as the team’s emergency netminder for tonight’s Game 1 against the Florida Panthers. Bussi, 24, has seen multiple recalls in recent days but has yet to play a minute of NHL action. He’ll head back to AHL Providence eventually as the presumptive starter for their playoff games.
- In a similar fashion to many others, the Carolina Hurricanes brought up goalie Pyotr Kochetkov from the now-eliminated Chicago Wolves today. For the time being, he’ll serve as the third-string netminder behind Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta, although Kochetkov has put up the best numbers of any Hurricanes goalie this season in limited action.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Oskari Salminen as their extra goaltender, while assigning Dmitri Kuzmin from the Flint Firebirds to the Manitoba Moose. Kuzmin’s OHL season ended last week with a seven-game loss to the Saginaw Spirits, and given he turns 20 in a few days, his junior career is over. The 2021 third-round defenseman scored 14 goals and 59 points in 65 games this season and will be an interesting prospect to watch as he transitions to the professional level.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Ottawa Senators Will Not Re-Sign Cam Talbot
The Ottawa Senators will not re-sign pending unrestricted free agent goalie Cam Talbot, general manager Pierre Dorion told reporters today.
Ottawa acquired Talbot in an off-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, parting with breakout star Filip Gustavsson in return. He played in 36 games during a tough, injury-plagued season in Ottawa, posting a 17-14-2 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. With his play dipping and his age climbing, the team has opted not to keep him on board for another season.
Dorion said that contract negotiations with Talbot were never close, telling reporters the team was only prepared to offer a one-year extension. Talbot had requested a two-year contract, which Dorion didn’t offer.
With Talbot out of the picture, the Senators will be looking to add a new goaltender to their roster to supplement a hopefully healthy Anton Forsberg and the promising Mads Sogaard. Dorion also said Ottawa will likely explore another goaltender trade in the offseason.
Ottawa’s team save percentage of .895 last season was 20th in the league in 2022-23, a number lessened by injuries at times to both Forsberg and Talbot. To make a playoff appearance next season, goaltending consistency will need to be an area of improvement.
PHR Playoff Primer: Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild
With the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs just a few days away, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We continue our look with the Central Division matchup between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
For the second time in their history, these two franchises linked at the hip will face each other in a first-round matchup. After losing in six games to the Stars in 2016, the shorthanded Wild are once again tasked with attempting to knock out the team that preceded them in the hockey capital of the United States.
Dallas has enjoyed their first 100-point season since defeating the Wild in 2016, while the Wild maintained their grip on a divisional playoff spot despite the absence of Kirill Kaprizov for much of the season’s last few weeks. Now likely without another important piece in Joel Eriksson Ek to start the series, though, Minnesota will need to continue their next-player-up mentality to avoid their seventh straight first-round loss.
Regular Season Performance
Dallas: 47-21-14, 108 points, +67 goal differential
Minnesota: 46-25-11, 103 points, +21 goal differential
Head-To-Head
December 4, 2022: Minnesota 6, Dallas 5 (SO)
December 29, 2022: Dallas 4, Minnesota 1
February 8, 2023: Minnesota 1, Dallas 4
February 17, 2023: Dallas 1, Minnesota 2 (SO)
Season series tied 2-2
Team Storylines
These two teams present an interesting matchup for an unusual reason: each team’s two biggest strengths may just cancel each other out.
Jason Robertson‘s season needs no introduction. Not only did his 109 points finish tied for sixth in the NHL, but they also blew past Mike Modano‘s Dallas single-season record of 93, set back in 1993-94, the team’s first year in Texas.
Unfortunately, he’s matched up against Kaprizov, who nabbed the Calder Trophy away from Robertson in 2021. Despite missing 15 games, Kaprizov potted 40 goals for a second straight season and played over 21 minutes per game.
Where Dallas pulls away in this matchup, at least on offense, is their center depth, especially with Eriksson Ek’s injury concerns. While the Wild cornerstone center is progressing faster than anticipated in his return from a lower-body injury, Dallas’ lineup down the middle of Roope Hintz, Max Domi (or Tyler Seguin), rookie Wyatt Johnston, and potential Selke contender Radek Faksa could prove tough matchups for Minnesota’s lacking center core.
The x-factor in Eriksson Ek’s absence will undoubtedly be Ryan Hartman, who’s still a top-six player but not the 34-goal scorer we saw last season. After putting up five assists in six playoff games against St. Louis last season, they’ll need similar playoff production from him between Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello to round out their depth.
Both teams also boast some of the best young goalies in the league, but they carry different degrees of certainty. Dallas knows what they’re getting in the postseason with 24-year-old Jake Oettinger, who nearly had one of the most incredible series steals in NHL history against Calgary last year with a .954 save percentage in a seven-game loss.
For the Wild, Filip Gustavsson, also 24, finished near the top of NHL leaderboards with a .931 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average, albeit with only 37 starts compared to Oettinger’s 61. That’s because the battle-tested Marc-Andre Fleury remains an option for Minnesota after recording a .906 save percentage and a 2-3 record in five games against St. Louis last season.
Both teams boast stingy defenses, although Dallas’ actual results this season overpower that of Minnesota’s reputation. That’s not to discredit how well the Wild limited chances against this season — however, Dallas finished second in the NHL in expected goals against, per MoneyPuck, behind only the Carolina Hurricanes. If Dallas can impose their system against an already somewhat goal-starved Wild team, it could be another early exit for Minnesota.
Prediction
The Minnesota Wild are a good hockey team with distinct strengths. However, the Stars don’t provide an advantageous stylistic matchup for Minnesota’s first series win in eight years.
Dallas has had a better season at both ends of the puck and boasts the goalie with stronger recent playoff experience and more stamina as a starter. None of this includes the track record of first-year head coach Peter DeBoer, notorious for making deep playoff runs in his first seasons with a team.
Both teams play structured games, though, and it shouldn’t be a quick out for the Wild by any means. Dallas has the necessary advantages to pull out a series win, though, as they look to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in four years.
The prediction: Dallas wins in six games.
New Jersey Devils Sign Tyler Brennan
The New Jersey Devils have announced the signing of goaltender Tyler Brennan to a three-year, entry-level contract starting from the 2023-24 NHL season.
The team’s third selection and fourth-round choice, 102nd overall, at the 2022 NHL Draft, Brennan played in WHL for the Prince George Cougars in the last four-plus seasons. Brennan’s career-high 21 wins in the 2022-23 season with the Cougars helped them clinch consecutive postseason berths.
He was one of the 15 WHL netminders to earn more than 20 wins in the same campaign, posting victories in 21 of his 37 games, with a 21-10-3 record at the end of the season. The season before, despite being swept in the first round, Brennan’s fantastic performance with a 1.86 GAA and .954 SV% in the 2021-22 post-season didn’t go unnoticed. Brennan was viewed by some as the best goalie available in a weak 2022 crop of netminders.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Brennan was the only goaltender selected by New Jersey in the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal and the third goaltender overall taken in the draft after Topias Leinonen and Niklas Kokko. He has represented Canada on the international stage, earning a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship as the team’s third goalie.
Brennan is eligible to play with the AHL’s Utica Comets next season or be returned to Prince George for a fifth full WHL season. He joins a solid complement of Devils goalie prospects that includes Akira Schmid and Nico Daws.
Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Cam Dineen
The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed defenseman Cam Dineen to a one-year deal worth $775,000 in the NHL and $210,000 in the minors, with $250,000 guaranteed, PuckPedia reports.
Dineen, a 24-year-old left-handed defenseman, was acquired by the Oilers in a March trade with the Arizona Coyotes that sent center Nick Bjugstad to Arizona. He was a third-round pick of the Coyotes in the 2016 NHL Draft.
He split last season between Arizona’s and Edmonton’s AHL affiliates, the Tucson Roadrunners and Bakersfield Condors. In 69 games with the Roadrunners and Condors last season, Dineen tallied 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points. He also recorded seven assists in 34 NHL games with Arizona in 2021-22.
Dineen was eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this offseason. Group VI unrestricted free agents are players who are 25 years old or older and have played in three or more professional seasons but have played fewer than 80 NHL games. Dineen is 24 but will have his 25th birthday before June 30, the deadline for Group VI free agency.
The Oilers’ decision to re-sign Dineen is a low-risk move, as they have secured a young defenseman with some remaining upside on an affordable contract. Dineen will likely begin the season in the AHL but has shown himself to be a decent call-up option after back-to-back strong offensive performances in the minors if injuries affect the Oilers’ defense corps next season.
Dineen’s offensive output in the AHL is promising, but he will need to round out his defensive game if he hopes to become a regular in the NHL. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Dineen is not the biggest defenseman, but he has good mobility and is an effective puck-mover.
East Injury Notes: Bergeron, Lafferty, Samuelsson
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney inferred on Sunday that team captain Patrice Bergeron will be a game-time decision for Game 1 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers tomorrow. Sweeney confirmed that Bergeron, 37, had been dealing with both an illness and an injury. He also stated that the veteran center “doesn’t need extra days of practice” to prepare for the upcoming matchup. Bergeron recorded 27 goals and 31 assists in 78 games during the Bruins’ record-breaking regular season.
The team will likely leave the decision up to their captain, with Sweeney telling reporters, “if [Bergeron’s] feeling well enough, he’ll play.” If Bergeron cannot play, Pavel Zacha has taken line rushes between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk on the Bruins’ top line during practice this weekend.
Other injury notes from the Eastern Conference on Sunday:
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Sam Lafferty has returned to the team after missing the last three games of the regular season due to an undisclosed injury. He was seen back on the ice at practice today, as reported by TSN’s Mark Masters, indicating his potential readiness for Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Lafferty’s return provides a boost to the Leafs’ depth heading into the playoffs, recording six points in 19 games down the stretch after arriving via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson played through a broken hand and a sprained MCL towards the end of the season, according to a tweet from The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. Despite the injuries, Samuelsson appeared in all but three of the Sabres’ final 10 games. The 23-year-old defenseman averaged over 22 minutes per game this season and led Sabres defensemen with a +14 rating.
PHR Playoff Primer: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders
With the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs just a few days away, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We continue our look with the Metropolitan Division matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.
The opening game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature two teams on very different paths heading into the postseason. In this rematch of a 2019 Eastern Conference Second Round series, the Hurricanes and Islanders both have something to prove.
And, like that 2019 matchup which had just four total goals through its first two games, most would expect this series to be the most defensively inclined of the first round. With the Hurricanes struggling to put pucks in the net without their two best goal-scorers, though, will they be able to break through Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders’ ace in the hole, and avoid what could be one of the biggest upsets of the postseason?
Regular Season Performance
Carolina: 52-21-9, 113 points, +53 goal differential
NY Islanders: 42-31-9, 93 points, +21 goal differential
Head-To-Head
October 28, 2022: NY Islanders 6, Carolina 2
December 10, 2022: Carolina 3, NY Islanders 0
January 21, 2023: Carolina 5, NY Islanders 2
April 2, 2023: NY Islanders 1, Carolina 2
Carolina takes the season series 3-1
Team Storylines
The question surrounding the Hurricanes is clear-cut: they’ll likely dominate the possession game in this series, but can they finish enough chances to win four out of seven games?
Goal-scoring has been the disease that’s plagued Carolina in playoffs past. In last year’s second-round elimination at the hands of the New York Rangers, Carolina only scored more than two goals in a game once, a 3-1 win in Game 5.
General manager Don Waddell made a pointed acquisition last summer to address the recurring concern by plucking Max Pacioretty away from the Vegas Golden Knights in a cap-dump move. Needless to say, it didn’t work out as planned, with back-to-back Achilles tears ending Pacioretty’s season and limiting him to just five games in a Carolina uniform.
With Andrei Svechnikov now out of the lineup, Carolina’s finishing touch has evaporated. Sebastian Aho‘s pulled his weight with 36 goals this year, and Martin Necas‘ career year has been a life-saving measure for the division champs. More will be needed out of support players like Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis, though, if Carolina wants to avoid an upset.
It’s an upset that more and more are surmising about publically, and for good reason. Sorokin has a legitimate claim to this year’s Vezina Trophy, and since the date of Svechnikov’s injury (March 11), Carolina is the only playoff team with a negative goal differential.
Despite Carolina’s weaknesses, the Islanders still have to execute well enough to win the series. Their 243 goals ranked just 23rd in the league and are the least among all playoff teams.
One key difference? The Islanders are getting healthy. Mathew Barzal is making his return to the lineup tomorrow night, settling on the wing alongside Anders Lee and Bo Horvat. The team’s top playmaking talent had been sidelined for almost two months with a lower-body injury.
With he and leading scorer Brock Nelson on two different lines, a fully healthy top six could be enough to crack an inconsistent Frederik Andersen in the crease for Carolina.
Prediction
With injuries playing a major factor in this series, this isn’t the David vs. Goliath matchup these two teams’ regular-season records suggest. The series will rely on opportunistic scoring to beat a stingy Hurricanes defense or an elite Islanders goalie, and could very easily see multiple momentum swings.
But despite Carolina’s suffocating pressure, the Islanders have a pointed history of eking things out in the postseason. With the momentum (and goaltending) on their side, expect some more playoff magic from a team that’s dealt with pressure all season long.
The prediction: Islanders win in seven games.
Nigel Dawes Announces Retirement From Hockey
NHL veteran Nigel Dawes has announced his retirement after an 18-year professional career spanning the NHL, AHL, KHL, and DEL.
Drafted 149th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers, Dawes showed offensive promise in some NHL stints. In 2009-10 with the Calgary Flames, Dawes had a career-high 32 points in 66 games but spent most of the following season in the minors, with his smaller stature discouraging teams from giving him a full-time role.
In 2011, Dawes made the jump overseas for more playing opportunities, a move that revitalized his career. Dawes spent seven seasons with Barys Astana of the KHL, cementing himself as a franchise icon with multiple point-per-game seasons. He even earned citizenship via naturalization in Kazakhstan, making multiple World Championships and Olympic appearances for the country after suiting up for Canada internationally during his junior days.
Dawes, now 38, potted 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 36 games with the DEL’s Adler Mannheim this season, although his last game of the year came in early January. Injuries sidelined him for the remainder of his final season.
Dawes ranks fifth in KHL scoring since its inception in 2008-09, and he’s the highest-scoring import player in league history after amassing 505 points in 543 games between 2011 and 2021.
He finishes his NHL career with 39 goals, 45 assists, and 84 points in 212 games split between the Rangers, Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers, and Montreal Canadiens.
Sabres Notes: Thompson, Tuch, Okposo, Free Agents
Forward Tage Thompson will be taking plenty of time over the offseason to recuperate from a physically taxing end of the season, the 25-year-old sniper told reporters today. Thompson will be taking at least a month off from training during the offseason to recover from multiple injuries, including a hip pointer suffered in late March against the New Jersey Devils and some pre-existing back problems. He’s also dealing with a minor shoulder injury sustained during the team’s second-to-last game of the season against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Despite those injuries, Thompson performed admirably down the stretch for Buffalo when he was healthy enough to dress. The team’s leader in goals and points notched four goals in eight games down the stretch, leading Buffalo to its first 90-point season since 2011. While the team narrowly missed the postseason this year, Thompson and his teammates have their eyes set on the playoffs in 2024 as they exit their rebuild.
Some other Sabres notes after their season drew to a close:
- While a number of NHL players on non-playoff teams have already publically declined participation in the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships, Sabres winger Alex Tuch is not one of them. He told reporters today that he and his brother, Montreal Canadiens prospect Luke Tuch, will both suit up for the United States at the only major international tournament currently involving NHL players. Tuch, 26, is coming off the first point-per-game campaign in his NHL career, notching 79 points in 74 games for Buffalo in 2022-23.
- Captain Kyle Okposo is a free agent this offseason after wrapping up a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Sabres, but isn’t certain about his playing future. The 34-year-old mentioned today that he’ll need some time to decide what’s next for him, although if he does return to NHL ice in 2023-24, it will be in Buffalo. Okposo registered 11 goals and 17 assists in 75 games this season and is less than 20 games away from the 1,000-game plateau.
- Another pair of free agents this offseason, Zemgus Girgensons and Tyson Jost, both expressed their interest today in returning to Buffalo next season. Both players had solid seasons in bottom-six roles, and it does seem unlikely that Buffalo would opt to move on from either. Jost is still under team control as a restricted free agent, while Girgensons is the longest-tenured player on the team, amassing 625 games in a Sabres uniform. With the team on the cusp of their first playoff appearance in over a decade, it would seem odd not to have a leader such as Girgensons in the fold.
PHR Playoff Primer: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
With the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs just a few days away, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We begin our look with the Atlantic Division matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
In what may be the most hotly anticipated series of the First Round, two teams with lofty expectations will clash for the second straight year. Both teams have seen significant roster turnover since last year’s battle, with many new depth pieces looking to make impacts for Toronto, while Tampa returns without some members of the ancillary core that has gotten them to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.
The series presents a major test for both teams. They both enter the playoffs on wildly different trajectories based on the last few weeks of their regular season play — and those trajectories both contrast with the auras surrounding their recent playoff performance.
The potential reward for winning this war of attrition? The record-slaying Boston Bruins.
Regular Season Performance
Toronto: 50-21-11, 111 points, +57 goal differential
Tampa: 46-30-6, 98 points, +29 goal differential
Head-To-Head
December 3, 2022: Toronto 3, Tampa Bay 4 (OT)
December 20, 2022: Tampa Bay 1, Toronto 4
April 11, 2023: Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 3
Toronto takes the season series 2-0-1
Team Storylines
Anything else said about the immense pressure the Maple Leafs face to win a series would be a retread. How they avoid the mistakes of years past, though, combined with how they’ve addressed perceived weaknesses this season, is worth a deeper look.
In last season’s loss to the Lightning, Tampa held Toronto to four goals in Games 6 and 7. In 2021, Montreal held the Maple Leafs to three goals in the final two games. In the 2020 Qualifying Round against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they were shut out in the deciding Game 5. Offense evaporating at crucial times has kept the Maple Leafs from deep playoff runs.
The bulk of the pressure will again rest on the core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander to keep up their production as the series progresses. But Toronto’s acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly before the trade deadline should not be overlooked as a potential antidote to their offensive woes. He’s seemingly recaptured some offensive confidence despite decreased ice time, registering 11 points in 13 games since the trade and six points in five games since returning from a hand injury that kept him out for most of March. Combined with his winning pedigree and playoff experience, he’s one of two main x-factors for Toronto in this matchup.
The other is goaltending — and the potential for a surprise Game 1 starter. While Ilya Samsonov is still expected to start after his breakout campaign, he missed the last two games with minor injuries and, in his place, rookie Joseph Woll has posted spectacular numbers in limited action (6-1-0, .932 SV%, 2.16 GAA). The chances of the 24-year-old seeing playoff action are greater than zero, especially given Samsonov’s brief and shaky playoff history with the Washington Capitals. If Matt Murray clears concussion protocol and can provide an experienced relief option, that’s a bonus.
For Tampa Bay, this series represents the start of what the team hopes will be another deep playoff run, one that results in the franchise’s third Stanley Cup championship in four years. The main factor Tampa has going for them? They were in this exact position one year ago, and found a way to fend off Toronto in a grueling series. They created a blueprint for themselves to follow, just as they’ve done for the numerous teams they’ve eliminated over the past three seasons. That year-to-year playoff consistency is what makes them such a daunting first-round opponent despite their relatively inconsistent regular season.
Just like it is for Toronto, a major storyline for the Lightning is goaltending, only for different reasons. For Toronto, the question is whether Samsonov’s regular season success will translate to the playoffs, where he has been shaky in the past. For Tampa, the main question will be if the team will be able to once again count on playoff brilliance from Andrei Vasilevskiy after a regular season that was, while strong, not the dominant year many might have expected from him. The Maple Leafs have a lethal set of forwards and impressive depth.
If Vasilevskiy can make scoring goals feel impossible in the most important moments — just as Carey Price did for the Canadiens in 2021 — then Tampa will once again triumph. But if he can’t, and he proves to be more the mortal, beatable goalie he was at times this regular season than the impenetrable brick wall he was in the Lightning’s two Stanley Cup runs, then the Maple Leafs could finally get the playoff series win they’ve been waiting for.
Prediction
As most playoff series typically do, this battle is likely to come down to goaltending. On paper, Vasilevskiy is easily the more accomplished and reliable goalie. And if he shuts down Toronto’s scorers and Tampa once again proves victorious, that wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
But Toronto came close last year. They drew blood and nearly knocked out the eventual Prince of Wales winners, pushing them to the brink in a way no other Eastern Conference team could. Now, they’ve added a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, revamped their defense, added experienced depth forwards, and have gotten some of the best goaltending they’ve seen since Frederik Andersen‘s departure.
This series could truly go either way, but at least at this moment, this year feels different. The prediction: Maple Leafs win in six games.