The Grand Rapids Griffins lost, 2-1, in Game 1 of the Central Division final against the Chicago Wolves on Thursday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids goaltender Michal Postava was named the second star after stopping 30-of-32 shots and Eduards Tralmaks scored the only goal for the Griffins.
Chicago captain Josiah Slavin, the younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, scored at the 6:48 mark of the third period to break a 1-1 tie.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Saturday in Grand Rapids at 7 p.m.
The series shifts to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., for Game 3 on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Canucks promote Ryan Johnson to GM
The Vancouver Canucks promoted Ryan Johnson to general manager and team legends Daniel and Henrik Sedin to co-presidents of hockey operations on Thursday.
Johnson, 49, has been with the organization since 2013 and the assistant general manager for two seasons. He replaces Patrick Allvin, who was fired on April 17.
The Sedins, twin brothers from Sweden who were inducted together into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022, have been working in the Canucks’ player development department. The 45-year-olds will share duties as president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford is moving to an advisory role after the NHL draft on June 26-27.
“Daniel, Henrik, and Ryan are culture setters, driven by an unrelenting work ethic and strong desire to succeed,” Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini said at a news conference on Thursday. “Their passion and commitment, both as players and in management, shine daily, and they set the standard through their professionalism and character. Forward thinking, intelligent, and strengthened by adversity, these leaders have a clear vision of what it means to be a proud member of the Vancouver Canucks.”
Vancouver finished the 2025-26 season with a 25-49-8 record (58 points) for last in the league. The Canucks have the third overall pick.
Johnson, who will report to the Sedins, has previous GM experience with the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks, winning the Calder Cup in 2025. He has served as a player development consultant and director of player development with the Vancouver organization before his elevation to assistant GM in March 2024.
“He built a championship team in Abbotsford when people weren’t expecting it, and he’s been a great guy to work with,” Rutherford said.
Johnson played center for five NHL teams – including the Canucks for two seasons from 2008-10 – in a career spanning 13 seasons from 1997 to 2011. He totaled 38 goals and 122 points in 701 regular-season games.
Henrik Sedin played his entire NHL career with the Canucks (2000-18), recording 240 goals and 1,070 points (most in franchise history) in 1,330 regular-season games and 23 goals and 78 points in 105 playoff games.
The three-time All-Star won the Art Ross (league’s top point scorer) and Hart Memorial (most valuable player) trophies in the 2009-10 season and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contribution in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
Playing his entire NHL career over the same span with his brother, Daniel Sedin totaled 393 goals and 1,041 points (second-most in franchise history) in 1,306 regular-season games. He had 25 goals and 71 points in 102 postseason games.
Also a three-time All-Star, Daniel Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) in 2010-11 and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2017-18.
Vancouver selected Daniel Sedin with the second overall pick and Henrik Sedin with the third overall pick in the 1999 NHL Draft.
Oilers fire coach Knoblauch
The Edmonton Oilers relieved Kris Knoblauch of his head coaching duties after three seasons, the team announced Thursday.
Also fired was assistant coach Mark Stuart.
“Following a thorough review of this past season, we believe these changes are needed,” general manager Stan Bowman said. “We are grateful for the contributions both Kris and Mark have made to our organization and we wish them the best moving forward.”
No replacement was named. Whoever takes over stands to inherit a team that has more postseason appearances (81 games) than any team since 2022.
With superstar captain Connor McDavid and fellow former Hart Trophy recipient Leon Draisaitl in the lineup, the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final in Knoblauch’s first two seasons behind the bench. They fell to the Florida Panthers in six games in 2024 and in seven games in 2025.
This season, Edmonton lost in six games to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs.
The firing comes before Knoblauch’s three-year contract extension through the 2028-29 season was set to begin. He signed that deal on Oct. 3, 2025.
Knoblauch, 47, posted a 135-77-21 record in the regular season and 31-22 mark in the playoffs. He took after the Oilers fired Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, 2023.
According to the league, he was the first NHL coach in more than 55 years to take a team to the Stanley Cup Final in his first two seasons on the job.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Hockey roundup: Grand Rapids drops opener against Chicago in Central final
Reporting by Detroit News staff and wires / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
