Nash Daily: Panthers Reach Cup Final, IIHF Worlds Continue

The IIHF World Championship continues on Thursday for Nashville Predators forward Cody Glass as Canada takes on Finland in the quarterfinal round. Through six games, Glass has put up two assists with a +4 rating.

Here is the slate for Thursday’s games as a few former Predators are in action across the quarterfinal round of play. USA will take on Czechia after claiming first place overall in the tournament.

Rocco Grimaldi had one assist in his last game while Nick Bonino, the American captain, scored his third goal in six games.

Kevin Fiala and Switzerland will play Germany after posting a 6-0-1 record in the preliminary round. The Germans went 4-3-0, however, they boast the best scoring efficiency in the tournament, per the IIHF.

Nino Niederreiter, who had a brief 56-game stint in Nashville this year, is captaining the Swiss team alongside NHLers Jonas Siegenthaler and Nico Hischier.

Nashville Hockey Now

The Milwaukee Admirals are set to kick off the American Hockey League’s Western Conference Final against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Thursday night. Head coach Karl Taylor along with skaters Marc Del Gaizo and Luke Evangelista spoke to reporters ahead of Game 1.

playoff beards ✔️ pic.twitter.com/1ArMu9WM71

— x – Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) May 24, 2023

Around the NHL and National Hockey Now

Flordia Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers scored with four seconds in regulation to seal a 4-3 win and close out the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers move onto their second-ever Cup Final and their first since 1996. Florida has only made the playoffs nine times since joining the NHL in 1994.

According to the NHL, the Panthers were in a playoff spot for only 28% of the regular season (54 of 190 days). They are the only team in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to reach the Cup Final after spending less than 30% of the season in a playoff spot.

Matthew Tkachuk called series for the @FlaPanthers!

His game winner with five seconds left in regulation was tied for the latest series-clinching goal in #StanleyCup Playoffs history. 🤯 #NHLStats: https://t.co/cZQsiwM0Qx pic.twitter.com/WqnaNstT0D

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 25, 2023

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The general manager search continues for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some pieces to the puzzle have yet to be put together but the picture is starting to become clearer. Dan Kingerski offers up a few candidates who stand out, which include former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and Marc Bergevin, who most recently led the Montreal Canadiens.

Vegas Hockey Now: Game 4 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars is Thursday. Adin Hill picked up his first career shutout on Tuesday night en route to a 4-0 win in Dallas. Stars captain Jamie Benn was suspended for two games on Wednesday, and if the Stars are swept, he will miss the 2023-24 season opener in October. The Golden Knights have been banged up quite a bit but they are just one win away from their second-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was awarded the Sports Business Journal Lifetime Achievement award on Wednesday evening in New York City. The NHL also won the SBJ’s award for Sports Breakthrough of the Year: Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards.

Follow Nick on Twitter: @KieserNick