Hockey roundup: Grand Rapids cruises to 8-0 win; Crosby back in the playoffs

This Flyers team surprised some by reaching the postseason, but they earned their spot thanks to their strong play down the stretch. Coach Rick Tocchet's club went 18-7-1 after the Olympics, going from sixth in the Metropolitan – eight points back of the then-third-place New York Islanders – to leapfrogging the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Islanders for the division's final playoff spot.

The Flyers may be the third-youngest team by average age in the postseason, according to EliteProspects.com, but Tocchet said the past few weeks have been a playoff-like atmosphere. Now, the question becomes how much slack the coach gives his younger players when the pressure increases, especially when playing a veteran-laden group like the Penguins.

"I don't want these guys to be nervous if they make a mistake," Tocchet said. "Then I'm not doing my job if I'm making these guys nervous."

One young player who has stood out is former Spartan Porter Martone, who joined the club in late March. He scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the Flyers' last eight games, with points in each of the last six.

Tocchet has already made his choice in goal in Dan Vladar, who played six straight games earlier this month and went 5-1 with a .921 save percentage. He allowed a total of six goals in the five wins and will making his first career playoff start.

The Czech goalie has played the Penguins six times in his career. He is 2-3-1 with an .899 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average.

Pittsburgh does have a question of who will be its netminder. Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner shared that role during the regular season. Skinner, acquired during the season from Edmonton for Tristan Jarry, has made back-to- back Stanley Cup Final appearances, but Silovs also has postseason experience from his time in Vancouver.

While Skinner has more experience, both have fared well against the Flyers. Skinner is 5-1-2 in eight games with a .913 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, while Silovs is 1-0-1 with a .944 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA.

While the Flyers have youth, the Penguins have a core of 30-somethings looking to make one last run to the Cup. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have three titles in their nearly two decades together in the Steel City. Despite being 38 and 39, respectively, they continue to lead; Crosby put up a team-hgh 74 points in 68 games, while Malkin had 61 in 56.

First-year coach Dan Muse said that leadership has its advantages.

"I don't have to say anything," Muse said Friday. "I know for sure that the guys that have the significant playoff experience … are going to be playing a big role there in just terms of helping along the guys that this is their first time."

Canucks fire Allvin after last-place finish

The Vancouver Canucks fired general manager Patrik Allvin on Friday after the club's last-place finish in the Western Conference.

Allvin was hired on Jan. 26, 2022. Since then, the Canucks have one playoff appearance. They won the Pacific Division in the 2023-24 season (50-23-9, 109 points) but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

Vancouver finished the 2025-26 season with a 25-49-8 record (58 points).

"I would like to thank Patrik for all his hard work over the past four seasons," president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said in a news release. "Under his guidance we have accumulated a lot of good young talent, and he has helped us lay the foundation of our rebuild. This season was disappointing for everyone in the organization, and we understand how frustrating it was for those who care about the team. Moving forward our goal will be to continue to bring in younger players who can grow together with our current group and form our next competitive core."

Before arriving in Vancouver, Allvin, 51, filled a variety of roles with the Pittsburgh Penguins over a 16-year span, rising to assistant general manager. The club won three Stanley Cup titles in that span.

He has worked in front offices since 2002, when he joined the Montreal Canadiens as a European scout after retiring as a player, largely in his native Sweden.

Report: Sundin discussing role with Leafs

Mats Sundin, the all-time leading scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is interviewing with the club for a job in the front office, The Athletic reported Friday.

Per the report, Sundin was in Toronto on Friday to talk with team owners "about a potential role in the new setup," with no specific job being mentioned as of now.

The Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving on March 30, and they haven't had a president of hockey operations since Brendan Shanahan was fired in May 2025.

Sundin, 55, was the No. 1 overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 and was traded to Toronto on June 28, 1994, in a multi-player, multi-draft pick deal.

He remained with the Maple Leafs through the 2007-08 season, then appeared in 41 games with the Vancouver Canucks the following season. He announced his retirement on Sept. 30, 2009.

In the ensuing years, he moved with his family to his native Sweden but has started to become more involved with the Maple Leafs. He was part of the Toronto contingent at the NHL's Global Series Games in Stockholm in November 2023.

"Toronto's management and coaches have taken me in, and it has been incredibly nice," Sundin said during that event, per The Athletic. "Toronto has meant so incredibly much to my career; I was there for 13 years and the captain. Toronto is my second home; we live in Stockholm, but when I come there, it's like coming home."

He is the franchise's leader in points (987), power-play goals (124) and game- winning goals (79). Auston Matthews overtook Sundin for the team leadership in goals this season with 428, eight more than Sundin.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Sundin finished with 1,349 points (564 goals, 785 assists) in 1,346 games.

Should Sundin rise to a position of power within the Maple Leafs, he would not be the first franchise legend to assume a decision-making role with a former team.

Steve Yzerman has done it with the Detroit Red Wings, and Matt Ryan (NFL), Buster Posey (MLB), and Joe Dumars, Danny Ainge and the late Jerry West (NBA) are among the players who have run their ex-teams, either now or in the past.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Red Wings' AHL team in Grand Rapids blanked Milwaukee, 8-0