Two of the most wonderful words in the vernacular of a hockey fan. The Nashville Predators will host the Winnipeg Jets in the final game of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night. The winner will take on the expansion Vegas Golden Knights for the right to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Nashville and Winnipeg were the top two teams in the regular season, as Nashville won the Presidents Trophy for the most points with 117, and Winnipeg was a close second with 114.
Down 3-2 to the Jets in the series, Nashville saved its season Monday in Game 6 with a 4-0 win in Winnipeg as Predators center Filip Forsberg lit the lamp twice. The series is now tied 3-3 with Game 7 tonight at Bridgestone Arena at 8 p.m. ET.
“You can never have more fun than playing these elimination games and [in the] Stanley Cup playoffs,” said Forsberg to NHL.com. “I just try to enjoy it as much as possible.”
One player who didn’t finish the game and may not be available for Game 7 for Nashville is Mike Fisher, who left the game early in the first period.
“I don’t have any update,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said to NHL.com. “We’re just getting back here right now, so we’ll sift through everything where our guys are at. If we need to come out with something we will.”
Depending on the result, Thursday’s game could be the last one in Fisher’s career. Last season, he announced his retirement after losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals.
“The excitement of being able to be with my family more and being able to do things with my son and other things that I know God has for me,” Fisher told Sports Spectrum. “I knew it was the right decision and through the whole thing someone reminded me of a verse: ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (Colossians 3:15).’ And to me, once I knew I had that, then I knew it was the right decision.”
But the itch to win the Cup drove the 17-year veteran back to the rink. Now with the deciding game at home, Fisher, 37, hopes his team and the Nashville faithful can push the Predators to the back to the conference finals.
“It’s a whole new game,” Nashville captain Roman Josi said. “We’re happy about the win [in Game 6], but that game is over with. I know we have to be even better on Thursday because [the Jets are] going to play great. It’s going to be a really tough game, and I think we’ve got to even step up our game. But we’re excited for it.”
Left to right: Mark and Angela Rumschik, James and April Reimer, and Victoria and Owen Power after an outreach event in Buffalo. (Photo courtesy of Mark Rumschik)
As the NHL playoffs rage on and the intensity grows with each passing game, hockey fans watch intently, eagerly anticipating which team will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup skyward in triumph. But while the incredible saves and mesmerizing goals get all of the attention, the true Lord of all is orchestrating something much more powerful.
Each Monday during the season, far away from the public eye, dozens of pro hockey players gather together for mutual growth in Christ and encouragement in faith. These discipleship gatherings occur on Zoom as pro players — competitors all vying for a shot at the Cup — come together as one under the lordship of Christ.
The man behind this NHL discipleship group is Mark Rumschik, an Athletes in Action staff member based in Michigan who has been working with hockey players for more than a decade now. Over the years, he’s been discouraged as he’s seen players, once seemingly enthusiastic in their walk with Christ, drift away in pro hockey.
“There’s a culture out there that pulls guys away,” Rumschik told Sports Spectrum. “Over the past couple years, my heart has just been broken for players that I know want to walk with Jesus but just don’t have other people doing it with them.”
Last summer, as Rumschik contemplated the issue, God sparked in his mind a vision of multiplying discipleship within the hockey world. A couple conversations with former NHL defenseman Nate Prosser later, and the plan was in motion. In partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Pro Athletes Outreach, Rumschik launched the pro hockey discipleship.
The first meeting was held on Oct. 6. Fifty players participated.
“[The discipleship] is designed in a way that we’re gonna help guys with walking with God daily,” Rumschik said. “There are some former players and myself that are investing in the leaders of our group, and the leaders are just mirroring what we’re doing with them to their players that are in their group.”
The leaders of the group are pro hockey players themselves, and they’ve each been called to lead a small group of peers within the larger discipleship meeting. Leaders connect with their groups during the week, do life with them, keep them accountable, provide them with Christian community and always point them toward Christ.
The discipleship movement is more than a Monday morning Zoom call; it’s a community in which players throughout professional hockey can navigate the spiritual challenges of their profession while remaining faithful to Him. They are asked about their personal devotion, their prayer life, their Bible reading, and their spiritual conversations with teammates. Multiplication of disciples has been the result.
“I view my role as I just want to equip these [pro hockey discipleship leaders] and give them the tools to go do the things that God has called them to do,” Rumschik said. “… We’re just a bunch of guys who are coming together, unified under the name of Jesus, trying to reach hockey players and empower and equip them to do the same.
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson celebrates one of his goals, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
It had been 15 long years since the Buffalo Sabres last made an appearance in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is, until Sunday.
The Sabres took down the Boston Bruins, 4-3, in their much-anticipated playoff return, and it took a spurt of four goals in less than seven minutes to do so during a wild third period.
The Sabres, champions of the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, looked listless as they fell behind by two goals early in the third period. The energy inside Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, once celebratory, became marked with anxiety. It appeared as though Sabres fans would have to wait at least one more game for the team’s first playoff win in a decade and a half.
But then, the team’s best offensive weapon came alive.
Playing in his first career playoff game, longtime Sabre Tage Thompson scored two goals in quick succession to even the score. He wrapped his first around the Bruins’ goalie from behind the net.
TAGE THOMPSON SCORES BUFFALO'S FIRST GOAL OF THE #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS! 🦬
His second came less than four minutes later, when he stole the puck behind Boston’s goal, skated open in front of the net, and buried a shot just inside the far post.
TAGE THOMPSON'S GOT TWO GOALS AND TIED IT FOR THE SABRES! GET LOUD BUFFALO! 😆
Buffalo netted two more goals just minutes later to seize control of the game. Despite a successful Boston power play to trim the lead to one, the Sabres held on for the victory and a 1-0 series lead. Buffalo’s rally was just the second time in NHL history a team overcame a multi-goal deficit in the final eight minutes of a playoff game to win in regulation.
“Eight years of adversity is enough experience to get you ready for something like this,” Thompson said in his postgame press conference about his time with the organization. “I think any time you go eight years and not making playoffs, and then it’s finally here, the last thing you want is regret. There was just a heightened feeling of hunger. We just don’t want to let this opportunity slip. I thought tonight was really important to make a statement and set our standard.”
The 28-year-old has been a stalwart on the offensive end for the upstart Sabres all year. He played the most games (81) and recorded the second-most points of his career (a team-leading 81) this season. He scored 40 goals, the most on the team, and handed out 41 assists.
Thompson’s heroics for the Sabres in Game 1 only added to what has already been a very memorable 2026. In February, he scored three goals for Team USA during the Americans’ trek to capture their first Olympic gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980.
And he’s proclaimed his faith in Christ throughout.
“Jesus is everything to me,” the 2023 NHL All-Star said days after winning gold. “Obviously, we’re made imperfect. We’re all sinners, and we need Him. And I fall short every single day, and He’s the One I rely on. I think when you have that sense of hope, the grace and the mercy that I receive every day from Him is something that gives me peace and joy in life, no matter what I do.
“And He’s blessed me with this game and this opportunity to play the game I love at a high level.”
Thompson spoke at length about his faith in Christ as a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in July 2023, when he said he grew up hearing about God but only later came to an understanding of his need for a relationship with Him.
“I think when you take a step back,” he said, “and realize that God’s in control and He has a plan for you, and His plan is far better than anything we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20), you just kind of give it over to Him and sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Now with one postseason game — and one postseason victory — under his belt, Thompson knows the publicity of a deep playoff run would present him with an even better opportunity to point others to Jesus.
“Hockey influences my faith,” he told His Huddle in December 2020, “because I’m able to use the platform I’ve been given to try and be a light to others to show what it means to be a follower of Christ. And hopefully lead others to come to know Him.”
Thompson and the Sabres will face off against the Bruins in Game 2, set for Tuesday in Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. ET. They will seek to retain the home-ice advantage and take a commanding series lead.
Josiah (left) and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes, April 11, 2026. (Photo via X/@Canes)
Not a bad week for star Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.
On Tuesday, he put home an overtime game-winner for Carolina’s 50th win of the season, just the fifth 50-win season in franchise history. It marked his first goal of the season. As a defenseman, he doesn’t typically add a ton of offense for the Hurricanes, but injuries have limited him to only 39 games this season, the fewest of his 11-year career.
On Thursday, the 31-year-old was given a night off to rest as the Canes played in Chicago, but a Slavin was still on the ice. Jaccob’s 27-year-old younger brother, Josiah, made his debut for Carolina. It was his first NHL action since 2022, when he played for Chicago.
Then on Friday, the Hurricanes announced that Jaccob had been named the team’s nominee for the 2025-26 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which honors the player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Jaccob has long been active in supporting organizations such as International Justice Mission, Compassion International, the Raleigh Dream Center, the Raleigh Rescue Mission, and the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation.
But Saturday was the ultimate highlight. Jaccob was back in action, as was Josiah, and for the first time in the NHL, the brothers took the ice for the same team.
“Just pure joy,” Jaccob said during a first-intermission interview. “I mean, obviously, growing up together, played a lot of mini sticks together, played a lot of backyard hockey together. But, to finally be able to be here in the NHL with him — that’s just joy. It’s awesome — thankful for this opportunity.”
“It’s been nothing but awesome,” Josiah said. “I mean, he’s been five years older than me, so I’ve been catching up pretty much my whole life. Just to get this opportunity is nothing but special.”
"Close-knit family, we all love Jesus, and we're just happy to be here together" Both Jaccob and Josiah Slavin joined to discuss things in a very special first intermission interview#CarolinaCulture#TusksUp#NHLpic.twitter.com/wGHzuOMRxg
Jaccob tallied an assist in 26 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time, while Josiah, a left wing, logged 14:04 as Carolina defeated the Mammoth in Utah, 4-1, for its 52nd win of the year. Heading into Monday’s matchups, the Hurricanes own the best record in the Eastern Conference (52-22-6).
Their parents, Robert and Wendi, and older sister, Jordan, also traveled to Utah to take in the special moment in person, though brothers Justin and Jeremiah were unable to make the trip.
“We have a close-knit family,” Jaccob said. “We all love Jesus, and we’re just happy to be here together.”
Robert echoed those thoughts when he and his wife were interviewed for the Canes’ broadcast as well.
“Five kids that love the Lord and they’re always there for each other, no matter what happens,” Robert said.
Josiah’s time with Carolina was short-lived, however, as he was sent on Sunday back to the Chicago Wolves, the minor league affiliate of the Hurricanes. In 66 games this season with the Wolves, he has registered 25 points (six goals, 19 assists).
No matter where he’s playing, though, Josiah will continue pointing teammates to the Lord. He said in December that he’s leading a discipleship group amongst the Wolves, and they have up to 13 guys attending the team chapels, with five or six also going to church together when their schedule allows.
Undoubtedly, he’s taken a cue from his older brother, who’s long been one of the most outspoken Christ-followers in the NHL. With the platform Jaccob’s been given through hockey, even his time with the recent U.S. Olympic hockey team, he’s given glory to God.
He suffered a lower-body injury in preseason training that forced him to miss 29 regular-season games. He came back for two games before an upper-body injury knocked him out for another 10 games. For a time, it was questionable whether he’d be able to play in the Olympics.
“I just look at it with gratitude,” he said in February, after Team USA won gold. “… Just thankful for God, and protecting me while I was over there, but also through this season with the injuries that I had at the beginning of the year. Just trusting His timing with it all, and getting to a spot where I was healthy enough to go and play. So, again, I look at it with gratitude.”
In March, Jaccob returned to the Sports Spectrum Podcast and touched on the mantra many athletes say about praising God in the good and the bad. He was asked about why we should do that.
“I think the biggest reason why, as a Christian athlete, is we look at what Jesus did on the cross,” Jaccob said. “Going into a game, we know that we are sinners saved by grace. So we’re playing from the identity of, ‘All right, I’m out here as a chosen vessel of God to glorify God.’ And whether you’re in the office working, whether it’s a sport you’re playing, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, that is where God has you, so you’re going to do your work for God’s glory. So the reason why is because He’s worthy of it.
“One thing I’ve always prayed before games is: Christ died for me so I’m going to play for Him. If He was willing to give His life for me, I feel like the least I can do is play for Him with the platform He’s given me, the abilities He’s given me, and really just glorify and honor Him through the sport of hockey, or through loving my wife, parenting my kids, whatever it is.”
With two games remaining in the regular season, Slavin and the Hurricanes are looking to match the franchise-best win total of 54.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power, Feb. 25, 2026 (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II).
For much of this season, the numbers haven’t told the full story for Owen Power.
One of the top defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres and a former No. 1 overall pick, the 23-year-old endured a 24-game goal drought earlier this year — an unusual outlier even for a blueliner, who typically isn’t counted on to produce like a forward. Statistically, with only 19 points through 60 games, it hasn’t been a banner season for Power.
But it’s shaping up to be a strong year for the Sabres. After a 5-8-4 start through Nov. 13, Buffalo caught fire, winning 10 straight to close out 2025. The surge vaulted it into second place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, and the squad has now won 10 of its past 13 games and four in a row since the Olympic break as it pushes toward what would be the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2011.
And Power insists he’s playing the best hockey of his career.
“You look at the numbers, it probably doesn’t say that,” he told the Olean (N.Y.) Times Herald following a February practice. “But being out there, the feel I have, I feel like I’m playing better than I have in years prior. And when you’re winning, everyone looks a lot better.”
For Power, the difference has been confidence — and details.
“I think I’m using my feet a lot better (than) what I have, and with that, I think my defending comes a lot easier when I’m able to use my feet defending rather than just kind of using my stick,” he told the Times Herald. “So I think that’s kind of been a big thing. I’ve been able to close guys quicker and have tighter gaps. When you do that, the game’s a lot easier.”
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 4, 2026
His steadiness has mirrored Buffalo’s turnaround. Following a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday — in which Power scored on a deflection, his fifth goal of the season — he credited the group’s resilience after the long break for the Olympics.
“The rest was big,” he told reporters. “But I think we did a good job of coming back and just continuing to roll and play confident, so it’s definitely nice to come out and win four straight. Hopefully we keep it rolling.”
While his on-ice growth has been evident, Power says the most important transformation in his life has been his relationship with God. Raised in a Catholic family, he was around church growing up, but his faith was more routine than relationship.
He attended on “the big holidays,” he said, mostly to “check it off the box.” It wasn’t until before college that he began attending a Bible study. When he arrived at Michigan, that habit continued. There, he also met his future wife, whom he credits with helping lead him into a deeper walk with Christ.
That foundation became especially important once hockey success — and the contract that followed — arrived, especially when it can be easy for athletes to let their identity get wrapped up in the money and fame of pro sports.
“One thing I realized pretty quickly is I signed that contract, and you realize right away that this doesn’t change how happy you are at all,” he said on the podcast. “If anything, it comes with more temptations and ability to live with more selfish desires.”
He believes God has given him those things for a reason, and he’s ready to embrace that. But using his platform to talk about his faith is not something that comes naturally.
“I’m not the most comfortable doing it,” he told Sports Spectrum, “but I think especially in the last couple of years, I’ve kind of had the opportunity to do different things that have allowed me to come out of my shell and be able to spread the Gospel to different people around the community. It’s something I know I need to do better at, and I know God has given me a platform to use.”
Like the saying goes: Giving to others often has a way of returning the favor.
“When you’re able to go and spread the Gospel, even if it’s just getting to one person, it’s some of the most fulfilling work you can do,” he said. “I think it brings a ton of joy to my life.”
The Sabres get back on the ice Thursday in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins at 7 p.m. ET.
