Is it beginning to look a lot like 2023?
The Golden Knights rolled all four lines that year, overwhelming opponents with their depth in winning the Stanley Cup.
Vegas opened this year's playoffs Sunday night by doing much the same in its 4-2 victory over the Wild.
All four lines played more than 10 minutes at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, and none more than Jack Eichel's top three going for 12:49. Minnesota relied heavily on its top line, which saw 17:22 of action at 5-on-5, while the other lines each played fewer than nine minutes.
The Golden Knights hope that will be the theme as well for Game 2 on Tuesday (11 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Las Vegas.
“Last night talking about the minutes, if (Eichel) doesn’t have to play 22 minutes every night for us to win, that’s going to keep him fresher as we go along here and give us a good opportunity to have better matchup situations,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Eichel, who led the Golden Knights with a career-high 94 points this season, played 17:12.
The Wild's top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy each were on the ice for more than 20 minutes, though they were effective. Boldy scored both Minnesota goals and Kaprizov assisted on each.
Wild coach John Hynes pushed back on the notion he needed to more evenly distribute the minutes, noting that a lot of teams give that kind of time to the top line. But he acknowledged the Wild need more productivity from their bottom six forwards.
“As we move along going into Game 2, the 12 guys up front, I think we can be better in that area,” Hynes said.
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 6 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Series: Hurricanes lead 1-0
Carolina dominated Sunday’s series opener 4-1. To listen to New Jersey’s players and coach Sheldon Keefe, a better response in Game 2 doesn’t come through any complicated changes.
“We’re going to have to above all dig in more and be more competitive when the situation calls for it on these puck battles,” Keefe said Monday.
The Hurricanes scored the game’s first three goals and at one point late in the second period had a 4-to-1 shot advantage, with only Nico Hischier’s 4-on-4 score avoiding the shutout. The shot edge going to Carolina wasn’t a surprise for Keefe, though he pointed to the fact the Devils have to do a better job of getting the puck out of their end to start transition chances and negate the Hurricanes’ aggressive forecheck.
That was immediately evident after the Game 1 loss, with Keefe saying his team was “just overwhelmed” in the second period.
“We knew it was going to be hard to play against them,” forward Ondrej Palat said. “But that was on us, too. We didn’t execute well, we didn’t win enough battles.”
Making matters worse, the Devils had multiple players head to the tunnel early with injuries in defensemen Brenden Dillion and Luke Hughes and forward Cody Glass. Keefe didn’t update any of their statuses Monday for a team already down top center Jack Hughes to a season-ending injury and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler not expected back this series from a lower-body injury in February.
Luke Hughes exited with an apparent shoulder injury in the third period, but returned late, while Dillion didn’t return after his second-period exit after going down in a tangle with William Carrier.
Then there was Glass, who was hurt on the same play as Hughes. But he was injured when goaltender Jacob Markstrom took a whack at Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov at the top of the crease only to inadvertently pop Glass with his stick and send the forward crashing to the ice.
“It’s a heat-of-the- moment play unfortunately and I feel bad for Glasser," Markstrom said. "You don’t want to see or be the reason anyone goes down.”
As for Carolina, coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t specify who would start in goal for Game 2. Frederik Andersen had 23 saves in the opener. The other option is 25-year-old Pyotr Kotchetkov.
When/Where to Watch: Game 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN2)
Series: Maple Leafs lead 1-0
The series between Ontario rivals was always going to be intense, and the Maple Leafs made sure to take advantage of that heat.
They scored three power-play goals in their 6-2 victory in the opener, and coach Craig Berube said it was crucial to remain disciplined.
“We've got to play hard between the whistles," Berube said. "We've got to keep being physical. We've got to make it difficult for them as best we can. Just stay composed.”
It's a similar message with the Senators, who found themselves facing six power plays while going on the man advantage just twice.
“I like to think we have a physical team,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “There's a fine line between crossing the line and taking penalties.”
AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, and freelance writer W.G. Ramirez in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Toronto Maple Leafs‚ Matthew Knies (23) takes a hit from Ottawa Senators‚ Thomas Chabot (72) during third period NHL playoff action in Toronto on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven, left hugs Logan Stankoven (22) following his goal with New Jersey Devils Jacob Markstrom (25) nearby during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) celebrates with defenseman Shea Theodore (27) and center Tomas Hertl (48) after Dorofeyev's goal during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope accelerated Friday with the installation of the chimney out of the Sistine Chapel that will signal the election of a successor to Pope Francis.
Vatican firefighters were seen on the roof of the Sistine Chapel installing the chimney, a key moment in the preparation for the May 7 conclave.
After every two rounds of voting in the Sistine Chapel, the ballots of the cardinals are burned in a special furnace to indicate the outcome to the outside world.
If no pope is chosen, the ballots are mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar) and sulfur to produce black smoke. But if there is a winner, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke.
The white smoke came out of the chimney on the fifth ballot on March 13, 2013, and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was introduced to the world as Pope Francis a short time later from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. Francis, history's first Latin American pope, died April 21 at age 88.
The chimney installation took place as cardinals arrived in the Vatican for another day of pre-conclave discussions about the needs of the Catholic Church going forward and the type of pope needed to run it.
These consultations include all cardinals, including those over age 80 who are ineligible to vote in the conclave itself.
In recent days, they have heard reports about the Vatican’s dire financial situation, and have had the chance to speak individually about priorities going forward and problems they identified in Francis' pontificate.
Francis was a somewhat divisive pope, beloved by some for his focus on the poor and marginalized, but criticized by others who accused him of sowing confusion among the faithful on issues of morality and church law. These conservatives and traditionalists, who are not believed to have a majority among the 135 cardinal electors, are hoping a new pope will reassert core church teachings and act as a stabilizing figure in the Vatican bureaucracy.
Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who headed the Vatican office for clergy under Francis until his retirement in 2021, has been among the older, non-voting cardinals who has spoken during the pre-conclave sessions. According to America, the magazine of the U.S. Jesuits, Stella this week strongly criticized Francis’ reform of the Vatican bureaucracy that allowed women and lay people to head Holy See offices rather than clergy.
That reform, contained in a 2022 constitution, overhauled the Vatican bureaucracy and fulfilled a key mandate Francis received from cardinals going into the 2013 conclave that elected him pope. But some have criticized the reform, which was nine years in the works and sought to make the Holy See more service-oriented and efficient.
Francis named two laymen to head the Vatican communications operation and the economy ministry. More significantly, he named two nuns to head two of the most important Vatican offices: Sister Simona Brambilla as head of the Vatican office responsible for all the world’s Catholic religious orders, and Sister Raffaella Petrini as head of the Vatican City State administration. In that position, Petrini runs the city state and is responsible for everything from the Vatican Museums that provide the Holy See with most of its revenue, to the firefighters who installed the chimney on the Sistine Chapel Friday.
Their appointments were tangible evidence of Francis’ belief that women should have a greater decision-making role in church governance. But Stella, according to unnamed cardinals cited by America, objected to Francis’ decision to separate the power of governance in the church from the priesthood.
It is unclear what influence older cardinals such as Stella, who at age 83 will not actually cast a vote, will have on the younger cardinal electors. In general, cardinals of the more conservative old guard have stresesed the need for unity over pursuing Francis' more radical legacy.
“The pope has to ensure the unity of all of the church," said Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the retired head of the Vatican's evangelization office. "This is first and foremost. Everything else comes after,” the 79-year-old cardinal said as he arrived Friday for the pre-conclave discussions.
Cardinal Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib, the 68-year-old archbishop of Santiago, Chile, said the variety of points of view was useful in the pre-conclave meetings. Francis made Chomali a cardinal in December after appointing him to head the Chilean church through the continued fallout of the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
“For me, that I come from Chile, a far away country, hearing such different experiences is an enrichment, not only for me but for all of the church,” he said as he entered Friday.
A woman begs for money outside St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Firefighters place the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
FILE - Visitors admire the Sistine Chapel inside the Vatican Museums on the occasion of the museum's reopening, in Rome, May 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
