Faksa has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury since the third period of Game 2 of the best-of-seven series. He will replace Ty Dellandrea, who scored the game-winning goal for Dallas in its 4-2 victory over Vegas in Game 4 on Monday.

Faksa, 30, recorded 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 74 games during the regular season. He has totaled 200 points (89 goals, 111 assists) in 638 career games since being selected by the Stars with the 13th overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft.

Sunday's winner will face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the playoffs.

The award is given annually to the top defensive forward in the league and voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The winner will be named at a later date.

Barkov, of the Florida Panthers, is a finalist for the third time in four seasons. He earned the honor in 2020-21 and finished third the following season.

He won 57.3 percent of faceoffs (630 of 1,100) in the 2023-24 season. The 28-year-old native of Finland led Florida in takeaways (61) and blocked 50 shots, fourth among Panthers forwards. He tallied 80 points (23 goals, 57 assists) in 73 games.

Barkov's Panthers (52-24-6) will host the Boston Bruins in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs beginning Monday.

Staal, 35, is seeking to become the first member of the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Selke award since the team's current coach, Rod Brind'Amour, won following the 2006-07 season. Staal is a two-time finalist, first being named in the 2009-10 season as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished third in the voting.

This season, Staal played in 80 games and posted 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists). He took the 14th-most faceoffs in the NHL (1,375) and had a 58.1 percent face-off percentage (58.1) among players to take at least 500 face-offs. He had 25 takeaways and tied for the lead in hits (142) among Carolina forwards.

The Hurricanes (52-23-7) open second-round play on Sunday against the Rangers in New York.

Matthews, a first-time Selke finalist, also is a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy, given for both skill and gentlemanly play on the ice. The Toronto Maple Leafs center led the NHL with 69 goals in 81 games and tallied a career-high 107 points. He won 53.5 percent of faceoffs (705 of 1,319), and he was second among NHL forwards with 93 blocked shots and 85 takeaways.

The Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs (46-26-10) from the playoffs with their Game 7 first-round win on Saturday.

Should Matthews, 26, win the Selke Trophy, he'd be the first Toronto player to win the award since Doug Gilmour in 1992-93.

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron won the Selke Trophy last season. He retired in the offseason.

Pastrnak raced up the right wing and scored off the carom of defenseman Hampus Lindholm's lob off the corner boards, tucking a backhander between the left post and the skate of Toronto goaltender Ilya Samsonov (29 saves).

Lindholm finished with a goal and an assist, tallying Boston's only marker in regulation just 1:21 after Toronto's William Nylander opened the scoring at 9:01 of the third period.

Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves for Boston, which has now won seven consecutive playoff series against Toronto dating back to 1969 and will meet the Florida Panthers in the second round.

Game 1 of the Bruins' next series is set for Monday night in Sunrise, Fla.

Samsonov got the start since Joseph Woll did not dress due to an undisclosed injury sustained in Game 6.

Nearly midway through the third, Toronto scored the go-ahead goal off an in-zone sequence. After Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo slipped and lost the puck in the corner, Auston Matthews -- who returned from a two-game absence (illness) -- picked it up and dished it to an open Nylander for him to deposit into the back of the net.

The hosts wasted little time responding. Justin Brazeau's backhand from the bottom of the right circle deflected over the net, but Lindholm got the puck on the opposite wing and flicked it in off the right post.

Boston combined for just three first-period shots in Games 5 and 6, but it got off to a much better start on Saturday, outshooting the Maple Leafs 11-9 through the first 20 minutes of action.

However, Toronto picked up the pace in the second, recording 12 shots to the Bruins' seven.

Following a scoreless Boston power play, Toronto's first and only man advantage -- stemming from a Charlie Coyle cross-check at 4:36 of the second -- resulted in strong pressure. The Bruins completed the kill, with Tyler Bertuzzi putting a shot on goal just as the power play was coming to an end.

Another key Swayman save came on Connor Dewar's short-handed breakaway with 8:35 left in the period.

"There is nothing better than Game 7," he said. "That's what you grew up dreaming about playing in. The second best thing is coaching in them. Just excited. I'm excited for our group. I'm excited for the fans in Dallas. Let's get home and drop the puck."

The Stars secured home ice for the deciding game in this first-round series by earning the top seed in the Western Conference with 113 points, proving that the regular season does actually mean something when it comes to the playoffs.

"This is what it's all about, right?" DeBoer said. "This is exactly the spot you want to be in, playing to advance, one game at home, and let it fly."

DeBoer knows a thing or two about Game 7s. He is a perfect 7-0 in that situation, including a win against the Golden Knights when he was coach at San Jose in 2019. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy is 2-2 in Game 7 action.

The Golden Knights won the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Dallas by 4-3 and 3-1 scores. But Dallas rebounded to win the next three in a row before falling 2-0 on Friday in Las Vegas.

Noah Hanifin scored the game-winner on a wrist shot that deflected off the stick of Stars defenseman Ryan Suter midway through the third period and Adin Hill, who finished with 23 saves, made it stand up. Mark Stone added an empty-netter to seal it with 18.9 seconds remaining.

"I feel like coming into this series, you probably would have expected this," Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. "If you had asked us down 2-0 if we would take Game 7 at home, we'd say yeah. So it should be exciting."

Vegas is 2-1 in Game 7 in its young history and won its last one in 2021, 6-2, against the Minnesota Wild.

"Got to stick to the same plan that got us here," Stone said. "We've played in big games before. Everyone in this room has been in big games. You've just got to put your best foot forward. It's a one-game elimination."

"Need to do more of what we did tonight," Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo added. "Tonight was essentially like you have to treat a Game 7. It's do or die. If you look at our group, we rise to the occasion. We did that last year."

DeBoer said his team had nothing to be dejected about after Friday's loss. Jake Oettinger stopped 28 of 29 shots and continued his standout play in the series.

"It was a great hockey game," DeBoer said. "Fans got their money's worth. Entertaining. Great goaltending.

"What a great game for goaltenders," Cassidy added. "It's 0-0 in the third and sometimes those are snooze-fests, but it wasn't tonight. I think it was one of those games where the goalies were the two dominant players in the game and something had to give."

Sunday's winner will face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round.

The game is set for Saturday night in Boston.

The Athletic reported Saturday that Matthews participated in his team's morning skate but only spent about 15 minutes on the ice and "still looked limited physically."

Matthews played through an undisclosed illness in Game 3 and attempted to do the same in Game 4 but did not take the ice in the third period of Toronto's 3-1 loss. He reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury in that game.

While coach Sheldon Keefe said Matthews was "progressing," he sounded doubtful that his star would be available for Toronto's third straight elimination game.

"As of right now, we're proceeding as we've been," Keefe said.

The Maple Leafs stayed in the series Thursday when William Nylander scored both goals in Toronto's 2-1 victory in Game 6 on home ice.

Matthews had a goal and two assists in Toronto's 3-2 win in Game 2, accounting for all three of his points in the series.

Matthews, 26, led the NHL with a career-high 69 goals and tallied 107 points in the 2023-24 season. The 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner has 649 points (368 goals, 281 assists) in 562 games since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Maple Leafs in 2016.

Both teams are coming off quick series victories in the opening round, giving them plenty of rest for a series many anticipate could go the distance as the second round gets underway in the Eastern Conference on Sunday afternoon in New York.

"They've been the standard of the division for the last couple years," Rangers captain Jacob Trouba told reporters at practice on Wednesday about Carolina. "Coming into this year, that's the team you want to overtake. You want to be ahead of them in the standings. It's no different in playoffs. They've been a consistently good team for years now. I think we've gotten better over the years, and it's going be a great series."

The Hurricanes held home-ice advantage two seasons ago, and the home team won the first six games until New York finished the series with a dominant 6-2 win under then-coach Gerard Gallant.

Back then, the Hurricanes were coming off a seven-game first-round series with the Boston Bruins while the Rangers had won three straight elimination games to oust the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This year, the Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy in their first season under coach Peter Laviolette, who presided over Carolina's Stanley Cup championship team in 2006.

New York has had a week off since eliminating the Washington Capitals in its first postseason sweep since 2007. The Rangers scored 15 goals in the series and 10 players scored at least once, including Vincent Trocheck, who was a member of the Hurricanes two seasons ago.

Trocheck scored two of his three goals in the series on the power play and the Rangers scored six times with the man advantage. They scored two power-play goals in last Sunday's 4-2 clincher at Washington to cap a series where they only trailed for a little over three minutes.

New York took two of three regular-season meetings from Carolina, sandwiching one-goal victories around a 6-1 home defeat on Jan. 2.

"They're hard to play against," Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said. "It's obviously a challenge, but at the same time, I think we have to just work for each other and try to win when you're one-on-one, not just on the puck but off the puck as well."

Although Carolina ousted the New York Islanders in five games in their first-round series, they needed three goals in the final 2:15 of the third period of Game 2 and netted the tie-breaking goal in the third to win Game 1.

Carolina ended the series on home ice Tuesday with a dominant showing in Game 5, scoring three times in the first period of a 6-3 win.

"I think we can play a little better," Carolina's Jake Guentzel told reporters this week. "We still got the wins, but for us, it's about imposing our will and getting on the forecheck to create some more offensive zone time. That's when we're at our best."

Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov scored in the opening 3:13 before Evgeny Kuznetsov scored on a penalty shot.

Guentzel contributed one goal and three assists as one of seven Hurricanes to finish with at least four points in the series.

Frederik Andersen posted a 2.25 goals-against average in the first round after being limited to 16 games in the regular season with a blood clotting issue. He missed the 2022 series against the Rangers due to injury.

It marks the third time that Matthews has been a finalist for the award, which is presented annually to the player voted best to combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin also were named finalists on Saturday.

Matthews, who was a runner-up for the award in 2019-20 and finished third in 2020-21, led the NHL with 69 goals this season. The 26-year-old also recorded a career-high 107 points and had 20 penalty minutes in 81 games.

Pettersson, 25, is bidding to become the first player to win the award in the Canucks' franchise history. He totaled 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) and 12 penalty minutes in 82 games this season.

Slavin, 30, had 37 points (six goals, 31 assists), a plus-21 rating and eight penalty minutes in 81 games this season. He won the award in 2020-21 and was runner-up in 2021-22.

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar won the Lady Byng Trophy last season.

It was the third postseason shutout of Hill's career, each of which has come against the Stars. Mark Stone added an empty-netter with 18.9 seconds left for Vegas.

Game 7 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday in Dallas with the winner to face the Colorado Avalanche.

Jake Oettinger stopped 28 of 29 shots for the Stars, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Hanifin, obtained from the Calgary Flames on March 6 as part of a three-way deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, scored his second-career playoff goal at the 9:54 mark of the third period to break a scoreless tie.

Hanifin picked up a loose puck near the top of the right circle and then skated in and fired a wrist shot that hit the stick of Stars defenseman Ryan Suter and caromed inside the far right post.

Each team had 18 shots on goal after the first two periods, which were scoreless but featured several excellent scoring chances.

The Golden Knights held the Stars without a shot on goal in the first 7 1/2 minutes but couldn't solve Oettinger. Keegan Kolesar hit the crossbar with a one-timer from the left circle and Mark Stone had two grade-A chances in front of the crease, the first was deflected over the net by the stick of Dallas defenseman Chris Tanev and the second was stopped by a pad save by Oettinger. Meanwhile, Evgenii Dadonov had a breakaway try for the Stars but his wrist shot went over the crossbar.

Dallas missed another chance to take the lead early in the second period. Tyler Seguin had a breakaway after stealing the puck from Zack Whitecloud but Hill made a save on his wrist shot and also on an ensuing rebound. The best chance for Vegas came near the end of the period on the power play when Jonathan Marchessault's shot through traffic caromed off the far right post.

Goaltender Arturs Silovs, Vancouver's third-string netminder making only his third career playoff start and 10th career outing, made 27 saves for his first shutout as the Canucks won the best-of-seven series in six games.

Prior to standing strong during a frantic finish, Silovs also came up with especially notable dandy saves on Jason Zucker and Ryan O'Reilly.

The Canucks, who won the Pacific Division title in the regular season, will have home-ice advantage when they face the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference semifinals.

Predators goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots in arguably his best performance of the series, but it wasn't enough.

Suter, who was denied on a couple of golden opportunities earlier in the game, and was visibly frustrated, finally cracked the goose eggs with overtime looming.

From the end boards, Brock Boeser fired a no-look pass to the front of the net and Suter converted the one-timer for his second goal of the series.

Nashville was awarded a power play with 33.9 seconds remaining but could not find the equalizer. A couple of chances just missed the net or were blocked.

It was the second consecutive game of the series with no scoring in the first two periods, in big part due to the close-checking style both clubs used as well as the netminders.

For his part, Saros was especially strong starting about midway through the second period. He denied J.T. Miller on a second-period rush as well as Suter on the rebound. Saros made a couple of other clutch stops, notably Boeser's opportunity during an odd-man rush

The Predators had their chances. Nashville, which failed to score even one power-play goal on home ice during the series, wasted a second-period four-minute advantage.

For the second consecutive year, the Boston Bruins have let a 3-1 series lead slip away and will now face the pressure of an Eastern Conference first-round Game 7 on Saturday against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.

Only one other team in NHL history -- the original Winnipeg Jets -- has been pushed to Game 7 after surrendering a 3-1 lead in two consecutive series. The Bruins, though, are the first to have those series occur in consecutive years after their Presidents' Trophy run ended abruptly against the Florida Panthers a season ago.

"We're not living in the past. We're not living in the future, either. We're living in the present," Boston coach Jim Montgomery said after Toronto's 2-1 win on Thursday. "Right now, we're not happy with our game. We're going to get ready for Game 7."

Boston managed a single shot in the first period -- its second straight "unacceptable" start -- and drew just one power play on Thursday.

William Nylander scored both Toronto goals and Morgan Rielly assisted on both, while Joseph Woll (22 saves) had a shutout until Boston's Morgan Geekie tallied with 0.1 seconds left.

The result? The sixth Game 7 between the Original Six rivals and third in the last six years.

"These are the moments you dream about as a kid. Game 7. That's where heroes are built and made," Boston captain Brad Marchand said. "We got to be excited about the position we're in and make the most of it. ... It doesn't matter how you get there."

The Bruins look forward to the opportunity, but they will need more out of key players like David Pastrnak, who has gone consecutive games without a goal despite taking a team-high four shots on Thursday.

"Your best players need ... to come through with some big-time plays and big-time moments," Montgomery said. "I think Marchand has done that in the series. Pasta needs to step up."

Without star winger Auston Matthews (illness) for a second straight game, the Leafs got a star-caliber performance from Nylander to send the series to an ultimate game.

No determination has been made regarding Matthews' Game 7 availability, though coach Sheldon Keefe acknowledged that "there's been progress."

Nylander, who had been on a 13-game goal drought dating back to the regular season, is the first Maple Leaf to score multiple goals in an elimination game victory since Joe Nieuwendyk in 2004.

"He's a heck of a game-breaker," Leafs captain John Tavares said of Nylander. "He gets the puck on his stick, he can make things happen any time. Two elite finishes. Came at a great time."

It was hardly a one-man show, though. Twice over, the Leafs have found a way to win with a true team effort backed by Woll, a former Boston College standout.

With one more complete effort, the journey will continue.

The winner's next best-of-seven will begin Monday at Florida.

"I think it's a reflection of the character of the group," Keefe said. "I challenged the group and talked to the group about it. When your back is against the wall and you're facing elimination, you're going to be remembered one way or the other. So, how do you want that to be and to look?"

However, the power play -- just 1-for-20 in the series -- is the one major area with room for improvement.

Should Toronto win, this would mark the fourth straight postseason in which a team overcame a 3-1 series deficit to advance.

The coach knows that this upcoming do-or-die scenario is familiar.

"In my mind, we just played two Game 7s," Keefe said.

"We are grateful to Todd for his dedication and commitment to the Penguins over two separate stints with the organization," general manger Kyle Dubas said. "Mike Sullivan and I have spent time over the past two weeks evaluating the coaching staff, and although these decisions are never easy, we agree that this change was in the best interest of the team moving forward."

Reirden, 52, was in his second stint on the Pittsburgh staff (2010-14 and 2021-24).

He was head coach of the Washington Capitals for two seasons from 2018-20, compiling a record of 89-46-16.

Reirden's duties with the Penguins included presiding over the power play. Pittsburgh finished 30th in the NHL with a 15.3 percent conversion rate this season and tied with the Montreal Canadians to allow a league-high 12 short-handed goals.

The Penguins (38-32-12, 88 points) finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight season.

The trophy honors the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success," voted on by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

None of the three finalists is a previous winner. Brunette finished second while with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22; Bowness and Tocchet are first-time finalists.

Bowness, 69, guided the Jets (52-24-6, 110 points) to the second-most points in franchise history. Winnipeg allowed the fewest goals in the league (199) and posted a franchise-record 14-game point streak (12-0-2) from Dec. 13-Jan. 11. He is the first Jack Adams finalist for the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise.

Brunette, 50, led the Predators (47-30-5, 99 points) to a franchise-record 18-game point streak from Feb. 17-March 26 (16-0-2) during his first season with the team. He is Nashville's third finalist for the award, joining Barry Trotz (two times) and Peter Laviolette (third in 2014-15).

Tocchet, 60, steered the Canucks (50-23-9, 109 points) to one of the best years in team history in his first full season behind their bench. They were 42-1-4 when leading after two periods, up from 21-1-4 in 2022-23. Pat Quinn (1991-92) and Alain Vigneault (2006-07) previously won the award with Vancouver.

Coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Friday that Matthews skated earlier in the day and that he was exhibiting "some progress" but his status had yet to be determined.

Matthews played through an undisclosed illness in Game 3 and attempted to do the same in Game 4 but did not take the ice in the third period of Toronto's 3-1 loss.

He skated briefly on Tuesday and Thursday mornings but was ruled out for Games 5 and 6, both won by Toronto as they rebounded from a 3-1 series deficit.

"All we've done is dig ourself out of a hole that we created for ourself. Now, the real test comes in Game 7 and real opportunity," Keefe said.

William Nylander scored both goals for the Maple Leafs in their 2-1 victory in Game 6 on Thursday.

Matthews had a goal and two assists in Toronto's 3-2 win in Game 2, accounting for all three of his points in the series.

Matthews, 26, led the NHL with a career-high 69 goals and tallied 107 points in the 2023-24 season. The 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner has 649 points (368 goals, 281 assists) in 562 games since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Maple Leafs in 2016.

Game 7 is set for Saturday night in Boston.

Nylander broke the game's long scoreless deadlock with 54.8 seconds left in the second before doubling Toronto's lead on a breakaway with 2:13 to go in regulation.

Morgan Rielly assisted on both goals.

Before netting his first goal, Nylander had been on a 13-game scoring drought dating back to the regular season.

Joseph Woll stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced in his second straight start for the Maple Leafs, coming within 0.1 seconds of a shutout. He recorded 12 saves in the second period alone.

Morgan Geekie scored just before the final buzzer and Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves for the Bruins, who will play a first-round Game 7 after surrendering a 3-1 series lead for the second straight season.

Last year, the Bruins, who posted the NHL's best record in the regular season, were ousted by the Florida Panthers in the opening round of the postseason.

Toronto played a tight game in the first period of a second straight game, holding a 12-1 shot advantage. Boston's lone shot came on a Jake DeBrusk short-handed try at the 11:38 mark.

The Bruins' penalty kill remained strong in the early going, especially when it was tasked with combating David Pastrnak's double-minor penalty for high-sticking just 1:10 into the second. The hosts managed only two shots during the four-minute sequence.

Nylander's go-ahead goal gave Toronto its first second-intermission lead of the series.

After Nylander was not called for a hit from behind on Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei that was followed by an immediate icing, Nylander curled at the right point, moved back into the circle and fired a wrist shot that deflected off a body in front and past a screened Swayman.

With a 1-0 lead, Woll thwarted one of Boston's most dangerous stretches just before the 7:00 mark of the third. After Brad Marchand could not handle Geekie's pass through to the crease, the Toronto netminder withstood a flurry and covered up two Charlie Coyle chances from tight range.

Just over a minute after Swayman stopped a Max Domi breakaway, a chip-out and Matthew Knies feed led to Nylander jumping ahead for a backhand finish that doubled the Toronto lead with 2:13 left in regulation.

Geekie knocked home the Bruins' goal in the crease in the final tenth of a second.

Vegas never found itself in an elimination contest en route to series wins over Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas and Florida while capturing the first Stanley Cup in franchise history last season.

It's the first time since June 24, 2021, when they lost at Montreal, 3-2 in overtime in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup semifinals, that the Golden Knights have played in an elimination game. Their coach? Peter DeBoer.

DeBoer, fired by the Golden Knights after Vegas failed to make the playoffs during an injury-riddled 2021-22 season, will try to guide the Stars into a second-round matchup against Colorado.

Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday night in Dallas.

"It's always the toughest game to win is the elimination game," DeBoer said. "It's always the toughest to win to put a team away and send them home for the summer. So, we know that going in, especially in that building."

The Golden Knights fell 3-2 in Dallas in Game 5 on Wednesday.

"We'll hang our hats on the fact we're the defending Stanley Cup champions, so there's a lot of resolve in that room," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "A lot of pride in that room. We've got to go home and win one game in the playoffs.

"That's something we're certainly capable of. Will it happen? Dallas is going to have a say in that, but it's not this obstacle that we can't overcome."

The Stars, the top seed in the Western Conference after finishing with 113 points, rebounded from back-to-back home losses to start the series to win three in a row.

Dallas has thrived on the road after finishing with an NHL best 26-10-5 mark away from home during the regular season.

"We've got a great group for going on the road and winning," DeBoer said. "A real mature group. Great leadership. They understand how we have to play on the road. No one is overwhelmed in these moments."

That includes goaltender Jake Oettinger who stuck out his right pad to deny Chandler Stephenson's breakaway try with 2:40 to go in Game 5. Oettinger also turned away a pair of shots after Vegas pulled goalie Adin Hill for an extra attacker and has stopped 89 of 95 shots over the past three games.

"He's rising to the occasion at the most important time of the year," DeBoer said. "That (Stephenson's breakaway) was a critical moment. Those are the kinds of moments that you look back at hopefully at the end of a really long playoff run and a championship and go that was a defining moment in our playoff run."

Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez, who has won three Stanley Cups including two with the Los Angeles Kings, says his team still has what it takes to rebound and win the series. After all, the Golden Knights had defeated Dallas five consecutive times before entering their current losing skid.

"You rely on experience," Martinez said. "It's not the first adversity that this team has faced. To expect to get to a Stanley Cup Final or win a Stanley Cup and not have your back against the wall is fairly unrealistic. This is what the playoffs are all about."

The Canucks lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round set. The past four games have been won by the road squad. Vancouver captured both clashes in Nashville so far.

"We've been a pretty good road team all year, so I think we're comfortable playing outside of our building," Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. "Sometimes we play actually better on the road. This is a tough building. We know there was a couple of games there maybe we didn't deserve, just like we thought Game 5 (Tuesday's 2-1 home loss) we deserved. It's one of those series that it doesn't really matter. It's who wins the game."

Regardless of the location, however, the Canucks know they must do a better job of generating an attack. They have managed only 92 shots on goal through the first five games of the series. Vancouver's potent power play has also struggled, with goals in only one game so far.

Even so, armed with the belief they were the better team last outing, the Canucks think they are on track to close out the Predators.

"I think there's a lot to build on," forward Sam Lafferty said. "The intensity is there, the effort is there. Overall, for the most part, the execution is there. It's just, obviously, we know it's going to be tough to close these guys out. They're a good team, and they're fighting for their lives. We know it's going to be really hard."

The Predators have their own reason to feel confident as they prepare to play in front of their frenzied fans. Nashville drummed up a third-period comeback en route to Tuesday's 2-1 win in Vancouver that staved off elimination.

Winning a series when down 3-1 is a tall order, but the Predators made the playoffs because of a strong home record. They know full well the Canucks do not want to return home to play a winner-take-all Game 7.

"We all talked about it, the whole group, we were down 3-1 and we actually felt like we played two pretty good games (at home)," captain Roman Josi said. "But it doesn't really matter, right? We didn't get the wins. We knew nothing's going to be given to us, so we've got to step up and play better and give even more and I thought we did that (last game)."

Last game, it was the Predators who used the rope-a-dope strategy and made the most of their late scoring opportunities. Just like the Canucks, Nashville believes it has another gear to hit.

"I know we had stretches that we were really good," coach Andrew Brunette said. "And we did some things that were uncharacteristic at different times that led to some odd-man rushes against, which we have to be really mindful of, especially with their skill level that they have. ... I think the message is we've got to play much better than we played in Game 5.

"Home ice means nothing. We figured that out. It's more of our game has to be a little bit better."

Matthews, dealing with an illness, skated briefly on Tuesday and Thursday morning but was ruled out for those games. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed Matthews' status for Game 6 on Thursday morning.

Without Matthews, the Maple Leafs staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime victory versus the Bruins in Game 5. Boston holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Matthews did not play in the third period of Toronto's 3-1 loss in Game 4 on Saturday and Keefe said he was "removed by doctors." He played just 14:16 and recorded a shot on goal and two hits before exiting for the Maple Leafs.

Matthews had a goal and two assists in Toronto's 3-2 win in Game 2, accounting for all three of his points in the series.

He managed just four shots on goal over the next two games, both losses.

Matthews, 26, led the NHL with a career-high 69 goals and tallied 107 points in the 2023-24 season.

A 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner, Matthews has 649 points (368 goals, 281 assists) in 562 career games since being selected by the Maple Leafs with the top overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft.

Evander Kane and Zach Hyman also scored and goalie Stuart Skinner made 18 saves for the Oilers, who dispatched the Kings in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Edmonton's Evan Bouchard collected three assists while Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins both netted two helpers.

The Oilers will face either the Vancouver Canucks or Nashville Predators in the Western Conference semifinals. Vancouver leads that best-of-seven series 3-2.

Alex Laferriere, Blake Lizotte and Adrian Kempe replied for the Kings. Goalie David Rittich stopped 22 shots and Matt Roy notched two assists.

With his team trailing 2-1, Draisaitl netted a power-play goal -- Edmonton's ninth of the series -- to tie the score 2-2 at 7:44 of the second period. Rittich appeared to make a diving glove save, but a review showed his glove ended up going behind the line when he caught the puck.

Draisaitl produced his second of the night and fifth of the series at 12:21 of the middle period. His quick shot from the bottom of the right circle seconds after a power play expired gave Edmonton the lead for good.

Hyman made it 4-2 with another goal right after an expired Kings penalty, his seventh of the playoffs. Bouchard's point shot deflected off a couple of players, the last one being Hyman before going into the net with 52.9 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Kempe's deflection goal halved the deficit with 2:18 remaining in the third period, but the Kings could not find the equalizer after blowing an early lead.

Despite Los Angeles holding the early momentum, Kane opened the scoring just past the midway point of the first period, converting a soft shot from the slot that Rittich misplayed.

Laferriere's first career playoff goal tied the clash with 28 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Skinner left his net to play Vladislav Gavrikov's dump-in, but the puck ricocheted off a stanchion to the front of the net for Laferriere to bury.

Lizotte put the Kings ahead 3:08 into the second period with his first career playoff tally, finding the mark with a quick shot from his off-wing. However, the visitors could not build on the lead before penalty troubles sealed their fate.

Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov also scored goals and Wyatt Johnston added two assists for Dallas, which took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with its third straight win. Game 6 is Friday night in Las Vegas.

Mark Stone, playing in his 100th career playoff game, and William Carrier scored goals for Vegas. Adin Hill, making his 2024 playoff debut, finished with 22 saves.

Dallas went on top for good at 16:32 of the second period, taking advantage of an Alex Pietrangelo roughing penalty. Robertson, whose first shot from the high slot was blocked by Brayden McNabb, scooped up the rebound and then whipped a wrist shot into the top left corner of the net.

It was Robertson's third goal of this year's playoffs and his eighth goal in 11 career postseason games against the Golden Knights.

Vegas had a chance to tie it with 2:44 to go when Chandler Stephenson broke in alone, but Oettinger made a right pad save on his wrist shot from the left side of the crease.

The Golden Knights then pulled Hill for an extra attacker, but Oettinger turned away shots by both Jack Eichel and Stephenson to preserve the win.

Vegas took a 1-0 lead four minutes into the first period on a power-play goal by Stone, who deflected Noah Hanifin's point shot past Oettinger's glove side for his second goal of the series and 36th of his postseason career.

Dallas tied it 1-1 just 62 seconds later when Dadonov knocked Logan Stankoven's crossing pass on an odd-man rush into an wide-open right side of the net for his second goal of the playoffs.

Duchene gave the Stars a 2-1 lead at 8:04 of the first with a power-play goal. In the slot, he backhanded a rebound of a Johnston shot five-hole on Hill.

The Golden Knights tied it at 12:31 of the opening period when Carrier took the puck behind the net and then jammed a shot between the left post and Oettinger's left pad.

Matthew Knies scored early in overtime and Joseph Woll made 27 saves in a 2-1 win for the Maple Leafs, who now look to turn the tables and push visiting Boston to the brink of elimination when the teams meet for Game 6 on Thursday.

"That's what you want to do, right? You want to build positive momentum your own way. You want to make them be uncomfortable," Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. "You want to make them pack up and head up to Toronto."

Boston still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. The road team has won each of the past four games, including the Bruins' sweep of Games 3 and 4.

The rookies' heroics on Tuesday were even more important considering Auston Matthews was out of Toronto's lineup due to an illness. Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals during the regular season.

"Our urgency, I think our depth (showed) as well," Knies said. "Woll played a great game, and the same with (Max Domi), who stepped into Auston's role. ... I think everyone just kind of raised their level and had urgency, which helped us."

Knies has continually elevated his game throughout the series, while Woll earned his first start of the postseason after previously relieving Ilya Samsonov in Game 4. Woll became the third goaltender in the past 10 years and only the second Maple Leafs goalie to record his first two career playoff wins in potential clinching games.

"He's been really building this series," Keefe said of Knies. "Game by game, he's been getting better and better."

Tuesday marked a missed opportunity from Boston's perspective, as the Bruins were unable to close out a series in five games on home ice for the second straight season.

The past is the past, but the Florida Panthers came back from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Bruins in a seven-game, first-round series last year.

Boston was outshot 33-28 in Tuesday's game, but Toronto's 11-2 advantage in shots in the first period presented a clearer picture of how the contest transpired.

"It's hard to say anyone was close to a breakthrough offensively," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "Our team game (on Tuesday) wasn't up to snuff, wasn't up to our standard."

In Boston captain Brad Marchand's eyes, the slow start was the difference. But now, it's on to the next game.

"We needed to be better than we were," Marchand said. "It's that simple. They were prepared to play and start the game, and we weren't. Unfortunately, we never really kind of got it together throughout the game."

Montgomery is hoping the Bruins' previous success in Toronto carries over to Thursday's meeting. Boston also beat the Maple Leafs on their home ice twice during the regular season.

"We played two really good games there," Montgomery said. "There's a little bit of the mentality of we have to bring our own juice, we have to rely on each other."