The Ray & Dregs Hockey Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The Oilers fell to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year, with Florida delivering near-perfect performances in Games 5 and 6 and showing superior depth, structure, and goaltending throughout the series. Injuries mounted on both sides, but Florida’s culture and cohesion carried them through, while Edmonton struggled without Zach Hyman and leaned too heavily on McDavid and Draisaitl, who couldn’t singlehandedly turn the tide. Sam Bennett earned the Conn Smythe with a historic playoff performance, and GM Bill Zito now faces the challenge of re-signing Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad. Meanwhile, the Oilers enter a pivotal offseason with key extension talks looming for McDavid and Bouchard, major cap questions, and ongoing uncertainty in goal.

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The Oilers dropped Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final after a flat start and near-flawless performance from the Panthers, whose depth continues to shine, as each of their top 9 forwards now have 15 or more playoff points. Florida's relentless structure and experience, led by Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, overwhelmed Edmonton, who sorely missed injured Zach Hyman. Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins struggled, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still haven’t found their top gear in this series. The Oilers’ defensive pairings look fatigued, and goaltending remains a question heading into an elimination Game 6. The pressure is squarely on Edmonton's stars to respond or face another long offseason without a championship.

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In an update to today's earlier episode, Ray and Dregs update the official announcements of Adam Foote to the Canucks and Rick Tocchet to the Flyers.

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The Stars look like a complete team, with deadline pickups Granlund, Ceci (and Rantanen, of course) making big impacts as they took a 3-1 series lead over Winnipeg, who have now lost 9 straight road playoff games. Edmonton will try to close out Vegas on Wednesday. They have a 3 games to 1 advantage after a dominant shutout win on Monday, with Stu Skinner stepping up and the Oilers continuing their trend of peaking in games 4-7 of playoff series. Florida vs. Toronto might look like a coin flip on paper, but Game 5 feels like a must-win for the Leafs. Marner and Matthews need to step up offensively, and Craig Berube might consider a Morgan Rielly return to the PP unit. Ken Holland is set to become GM of the LA Kings, opting to stay involved and in the West. Rick Tocchet is a hot coaching name, Seattle and Boston have interest, but Philly seems the most likely fit. Meanwhile, Vancouver is zeroing in on their next coach, with Manny Malhotra, Adam Foote, and Washington assistant Mitch Love in the mix.

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Dallas takes a 2-1 series lead over Winnipeg after a controversial and confounding winning goal that has the Jets fuming. Mason Marchment’s tap of an official sparks debate over discipline standards, while Mikko Rantanen continues his playoff dominance. The Leafs and Panthers got nasty in Game 3, with questions swirling around OEL’s hit, Domi’s late-game penalty, and whether Matthews is in his own head. Sergei Bobrovsky has locked in after a rough start, and Berube may consider shuffling Toronto’s lines. Stu Skinner gets the start again for the Oilers, who coughed up Game 3 with defensive misplays, while Vegas looks to seize momentum, possibly without Mark Stone. Plus, Game 4 between the Canes and Caps feels like a must-win for Washington, who must solve Carolina’s tight defensive structure and home-ice dominance in order to keep the series alive.

Plus, in Ask Ray and Dregs Anything... McDavid and Draisaitl - together or apart? The Berube effect on the Leafs and is one series simply lacking excitement?

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The Oilers earned a 2-0 series lead after winning a wild Game 2 OT thriller over Vegas, with McDavid and Draisaitl quiet until the game-winner, while depth continues to carry Edmonton. In Washington, Logan Thompson shut the door in the third to even the series with Carolina, who now head home to a rink where they’ve dominated all year. Toronto looks to take control of their series in Game 3 vs. Florida, with Nylander continuing his stellar play. Winnipeg hopes for a bounce-back in Game 2 against Dallas after a flat opener, while Mikko Rantanen stays red-hot for the Stars. Elsewhere, Joel Quenneville takes over as head coach in Anaheim, publicly owning his past failures in the 2010 Blackhawks scandal, and in New Jersey, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald made it clear major roster changes are coming after a disappointing season.

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The Oilers continued their playoff surge with a 4-2 comeback win over Vegas in Game 1, led by Corey Perry’s momentum-shifting goal and dominant second-period play. The Leafs also took Game 1 against Florida, though controversy surrounds the unpenalized hit by Sam Bennett that concussed goalie Anthony Stolarz. Huge weekend Game 7s saw Winnipeg stun St. Louis with a buzzer-beater and double OT winner, while Dallas mounted a third-period comeback to eliminate Colorado, giving coach Pete DeBoer a record ninth straight Game 7 win. The LA Kings parted ways with GM Rob Blake after repeated playoff exits. Meanwhile, Crosby, MacKinnon, and Fleury are all set to join Team Canada at the World Championships in Sweden.

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The New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan as head coach in what’s expected to be one of the richest deals in NHL history. Tampa Bay’s elimination by Florida raises questions about Jon Cooper’s future with the team and speculation about other markets he might consider coaching in if a split were to happen. Edmonton bounced back from a tough start to their series to eliminate the Kings in six, but Ray isn’t convinced their current levle of play will be enough to get past Vegas. The Leafs closed out the Sens in 6 games thanks to Nylander’s clutch play and a bold move to elevate Pacioretty, who delivered the series-winner. Winnipeg faces St. Louis in Game 6 without Scheifele or Ehlers, and controversy still swirls around the hit that caused Scheifele’s injury. Meanwhile, Dallas and Colorado are headed for a can’t-miss Game 7, with Ray making a case for how the Avs could steal it on the road.

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The first round of the NHL playoffs is delivering big storylines on and off the ice. Rick Tocchet has reportedly turned down a 5-year contract offer from the Canucks, with the Flyers and Penguins believed to be circling, while Mike Sullivan looks as though he might land with the Rangers — and could command a massive $30M deal. Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad was hit with a 2-game suspension for his forearm on Hagel, did the refs have other options to address it in-game?. On the ice, the Hurricanes rolled past the injury-riddled Devils and extended Taylor Hall, while the Oilers have flipped the script against the Kings with three straight wins. Ottawa blanked the Leafs 4-0 to force Game 6, as pressure mounts on Toronto’s stars. In Washington, the Caps are pushing to eliminate Montreal after a game-changing hit by Tom Wilson, and in Winnipeg, concern is growing over Connor Hellebuyck’s form as the Jets prepare for a pivotal Game 5 against a fast, loose Blues squad.

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The Canadiens showed great resilience in a Game 3 home win, though injuries to both starting goalies could hurt Montreal more than Washington. Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson sparked chaos with a fight on the Caps bench, while the Oilers edged the Kings in a wild game with Cal Pickard in net. Evander Kane’s strong playoff return helped Edmonton capitalize on a costly Kings challenge, could it be series-altering? Meanwhile, Brandon Hagel received a one-game suspension, Tkachuk and Gallagher lead Ray’s chirp rankings, Ottawa faces fines and elimination after some pregame shenanigans, and Winnipeg must regroup fast after a tough Game 3 loss.

Ask R&D Anything looks at dealing with selfish players and stories of friendly fire injuries.

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