Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz has been ruled out of Friday's Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal series versus the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

Hintz will miss his second consecutive contest after sustaining an upper-body injury late in the first period of Game 4 on Monday. Dallas went on to record a 5-1 win in that game. He left after blocking a shot in the first period. Earlier in the game, he went down hard when he was cross-checked by Nathan MacKinnon.

Colorado took a 5-3 victory on Wednesday to trim the Stars' lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said he is hopeful Hintz can return for either Game 7 of this series, if necessary, or the first game of the conference finals.

Hintz, who is considered day-to-day with the injury, has collected six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 games during the postseason. The 27-year-old had 65 points (30 goals, 35 assists) in 80 games during the regular season.

Colorado will be without center Yakov Trenin, who plays a big role on the penalty kill, because of an upper-body injury he suffered Wednesday.

Trenin's classified as day-to-day, coach Jared Bednar said Friday after morning practice.

Information from Field Level Media and The Associated Press was used in this report.

PRAGUE -- JJ Peterka had a goal and three assists, Wojciech Stachowiak set up four goals, and Germany clinched a playoff berth with an 8-2 rout of Kazakhstan at the men's hockey world championship on Friday.

Philipp Grubauer, who plays for the NHL's Seattle Kraken, stopped 18 shots in helping Germany (3-2) move into second place in the eight-team Group B standings. Peterka, a member of the Buffalo Sabres, scored the eventual game-winning goal in putting the Germans ahead 3-1 at the 1:11 mark of the second period.

Roman Starchenko and Artyom Korolyov scored for Kazakhstan, which is in jeopardy of facing relegation after dropping to 1-4. Andrey Shutov allowed three goals on 10 shots before being replaced by Nikita Boyarkin, who stopped 20 of 25 shots.

In Group A preliminary round play, Christian Wejse scored the decisive goal with 7:59 left in regulation of Denmark's 4-3 win over winless Britain.

Mikkel Aagaard scored twice and Phillip Bruggisser had a goal and assist for the Danes, who snapped a three-game skid to improve to 2-3. Frederik Dichow made 28 saves in the victory.

Liam Kirk, Cade Neilson and Nathanael Halbert scored for Britain, which dropped to 0-4. Jackson Whistle finished with 24 saves for a team that's been competitive despite its record, and opened the worlds with a 4-2 loss to Canada.

Later in the day, the United States (2-1-1) faces Poland (0-3-1) in Group B, while the Czech Republic (3-0-1) plays Austria (1-2-1) in Group A.

The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers entered their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series with history.

But their present story might be even more compelling.

Let's recap:

• The Panthers were routed by the Bruins in Game 1, blew Boston out in Game 2 and then cruised to wins in Games 3 and 4 to put their opponent on the ropes.

• The Bruins responded with a gutsy effort in Game 5 to stay alive. That sent the series back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday.

If that all sounds like déjà vu, well, it's close. Last season, when Boston and Florida met in the first round, it was the Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins who jumped to a 3-1 series lead, let it slip away and then lost in overtime in Game 7. Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

Is Boston about to flip the script on Florida with a comeback of its own? Or, are the Panthers ready to pounce again and send the Bruins packing?

Game 6 could be a series-defining moment. Before it goes down, we look back at storylines Boston and Florida generated after the lopsided showing in Game 1 -- when it was already clear to expect the unexpected from these Atlantic Division foes.

Panthers pepper Swayman

There's no arguing that Jeremy Swayman has been Boston's MVP in the postseason. He bamboozled the Toronto Maple Leafs throughout their first-round series, and Swayman was razor sharp in Boston's dominant Game 1 victory against Florida.

Since then, though, Swayman's been brought slightly back to earth by the Panthers' offensive onslaught. He's 1-3 in Games 2 through 5, with an .896 save percentage and 3.59 goals-against average, a stark contrast to the 5-2 record, .955 SV% and 1.42 GAA Swayman held through the playoffs through Game 1 of this series.

At issue: Swayman has been under siege in the second round. Boston is allowing 34 shots per game and the Bruins forwards are providing little help in the goal support department (averaging 1.75 per game in Games 2 through 5) while averaging just 19.5 shots in that span toward Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Frankly, Swayman's numbers could be worse given what's happening in front of him. And Boston is letting Bobrovsky off easy.

The Panthers netminder is admittedly underworked, but solid when called upon with a 3-1 record, .910 SV% and 1.77 GAA since Game 1.

Instead of Swayman exuding swagger, it's been Bobrovsky looking unbothered. Boston will need to change that in Game 6, where the order of the day should be adapting Florida's strategy of firing pucks at will in an effort to ratchet up the pressure.

The Bruins' struggling special teams

The shoe -- or skate -- is on the other foot now for Boston when it comes to sputtering special teams. The Bruins shut down Toronto's power play in the first round, and it was a decisive factor in their eventual victory.

Well, Boston's power play has been underachieving against Florida. The Bruins are 1-for-14 with the extra man (7.1%), while Florida is 6-for-25 (24.0%) on its power play. Boston's penalty kill has taken an obvious dip (to 76.0%, compared to 95.2% against the Leafs).

However, the silver lining is the Bruins were 4-for-4 on the kill in Game 5 while holding Florida's special teams off the scoresheet for the first time since Game 1. Now, considering Boston won both those games, it's safe to say special teams projects to be a significant element in the Bruins outcome for Game 6.

And consider this: Boston and Florida have scored an equal number of 5-on-5 goals in the series (nine). There's no mistaking what a well-timed power-play marker could do for either side in Friday's contest.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said he suffered cold sweats before Tuesday's 2-0 defeat by Manchester City for fear of having his integrity questioned.

The build-up to the game was dominated by talk of Tottenham fans wanting their team to lose in order to put a huge dent in arch-rivals Arsenal's Premier League title hopes.

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Had Tottenham avoided defeat, Arsenal would have needed just a win on Sunday against Everton to win the title but now City will clinch it if they beat West Ham United.

Postecoglou was emotional after the game and caused a stir when he appeared to criticise the home fans and suggested he was "out of step" with their feelings about Arsenal.

He also spoke of the club's fragile foundations.

After a few days to let the dust settle, Postecoglou was asked again about Tuesday's match ahead of Tottenham's final game of the season at relegated Sheffield United when a draw will ensure they end the campaign in fifth place.

"I will try to explain it this way, that is probably the worst experience I've had as a football manager in a game because once I realised that I got it wrong in terms of what the atmosphere was going to be like and what people felt," the Australian told reporters.

"I got a real anxiety within me of what happens if Man City, who are the best team in the world and who were disposing teams quite easily in the lead up and scored 15/16 goals in the last four games, what if we play as well as we can but they beat us 5-0?

"I got in cold sweats thinking about people questioning my integrity and the people I work with."

Postecoglou said he watched the game back in the days after the defeat, Tottenham's fifth in six games.

"Even watching the game back, there was a comment somebody mentioned to me in commentary saying 'Tottenham are having a real go here.' You are laughing about it, but that is 26 years of my life," he said. "If nothing else people should know about me, I love this game. I'm very principled.

"I would hate to think, as Manchester City could have done to us, we are on the end of a heavy defeat and people would be questioning whether I prepared the team. We know on social media that would have happened. 100%.

"And I would be up here trying to defend myself. That's why I was animated on the night. I don't think anyone will say that we didn't make Man City earn that win the other night."

The Portland Thorns are two victories away from tying the NWSL record for consecutive wins, and it appears all is right again with the franchise that set the standard on and off the field in the league's first decade.

This, however, has been quite an abrupt change of fortune for the Thorns, who started this season in a cloud of uncertainty as the club emerged from off-field problems and on-field questions.

A few weeks ago, the team reached the nadir of its two-year identity crisis. The Thorns had already spent an offseason going through an ownership change -- a year-long process that came as the result of a forced sale following investigations into systemic abuse across the league.

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On the field, the 2024 season started as an unmitigated disaster. Portland got shellacked by the Kansas City Current on the opening day and managed only one point on from its first four games, a 2-2 draw at home against Racing Louisville that required a two-goal comeback and a stoppage-time equalizer.

"We don't play to tie -- we don't play for a point," midfielder Sam Coffey said after that March 30 match, adding: "This by no means is an acceptable result for us."

Portland was off to its worst start in franchise history after four games. The Thorns' problems didn't look like one-off issues, but an extension of insecurities portended by last year's inconsistent results.

After just four games, the Thorns made a coaching change. Mike Norris, who had been head coach since the start of 2023, was reassigned to the role of technical director in mid-April. Rob Gale was elevated to interim coach, and since then, it's as if the Thorns' problems are in the rearview: Portland has won five straight games for the first time in history.

"This was kind of a reset button for us," Thorns forward Sophia Smith said after the 4-1 victory over Houston that sparked the current run.

The on-field reset was desperately needed, and it is part of wider-scale turnover in Portland, a franchise that endured a tumultuous two years off the field.

New ownership in Portland brings a sigh of relief

The Bhathal family, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and brother Alex Bhathal, purchased the Thorns in early January for a then-NWSL record $63 million. Portland had spent the entire previous year-plus in leadership limbo following multiple investigations into leaguewide abuse.

Former Thorns owner Merritt Paulson failed to address former players' reports of abuse by then head coach Paul Riley, according to the investigations, and the team's efforts to protect Riley allowed him to continue coaching elsewhere in the league for years. Riley was fired by the North Carolina Courage when the revelations went public in fall 2021 and he was eventually barred for life from the NWSL.

Thorns fans regularly called for Paulson's removal from the team in the aftermath, and some vowed to stay away from Providence Park until Paulson was removed. Paulson initially laid low, including staying away from the team's 2022 NWSL championship triumph and celebration, seemingly waiting for the storm to pass.

It didn't. The NWSL eventually applied its own pressure after the investigations, and Paulson agreed to put the team up for sale in the weeks after the Thorns won the title. The process was complicated because of the resources shared between the Thorns and MLS' Portland Timbers (also owned by Paulson's Peregrine Sports) and it took more than a year to complete.

Uncertainty carried onto the field for the Thorns during that time. Rhian Wilkinson led Portland to its third league title in her first year as coach in 2022, but she resigned weeks after the final following a league investigation into her conduct with a player. The investigation cleared Wilkinson of wrongdoing, but she believed she had lost the trust of her players.

Norris, who was previously Wilkinson's assistant, was elevated to the head-coaching role -- a decision players supported, sources said at the time. Portland struggled through the early part of the 2023 season in uncharacteristic ways, including back-to-back 3-3 draws that preceded a 2-1 loss to a less talented Dash side in Houston.

"I don't think we played Thorns soccer tonight," Coffey said after that match last May.

The theme of the Thorns lacking an identity -- "this isn't us," Coffey also said that day -- persisted throughout the low points of the 2023 season without tangible solutions. The problems were punctuated by an embarrassing 5-1 loss to Angel City FC on Decision Day, a result that cost the Thorns the NWSL Shield on the final day of the season for a second straight year. They lost the NWSL semifinal at home to NJ/NY Gotham FC three weeks later.

The 2023-24 offseason was clouded by major questions on the field and off. Uncertainty around ownership threatened the foundation of one of the most talented teams on the field, one that managed to finish second in the league last year despite its inconsistent performances.

Portland's greatest risk was the possibility of losing U.S. international forward Sophia Smith in free agency at the end of the 2024 season. The Bhathals took over in early January and Smith signed a league-record deal soon after.

"New owners changes everything," Smith told ESPN in March. "Since I've been here, there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more."

Bhathal Merage told ESPN in an interview earlier this month that she is spending most of this year on a listening tour. "We didn't really want to go in and rock the boat," she said. "This is the most successful franchise in NWSL history."

A coaching change four weeks into the season was not part of the plans, but the team's identity crisis remained. The opening-day loss to Kansas City would have been even worse without Smith making something from nothing and scoring a brace to get the Thorns back in the game for a 4-3 finish. The game plans still looked like a heavy dose of relying on Smith's individual brilliance.

Norris was removed as head coach April 16, and the Thorns have been flying ever since. The usual question looms after a coaching change: Is it the interim coaching bump, or have things changed more permanently for the better?

A jolt of energy and tactical tweaks for the Thorns

Portland's recent lineups don't look drastically different from the group that started out the season in disastrous form, but Gale's positive energy was immediately felt by players.

"Rob kind of just helped me re-find my love of the game, and it's been an absolute blast and privilege to play these last few games," said longtime Thorns forward Christine Sinclair, who turns 41 next month. "He just has told me to go out and play, be free, just read the game. I've always been able to put the ball in the back of the net if you give me a chance, so it's been a lot of fun, I'm not going to lie."

Gale made nuanced tactical changes to accentuate the strengths of each player, including Sinclair. She has two goals and an assist in the four games she has played under Gale, including the opening goal six minutes into the rout of the Dash that sparked the team's current run.

Under Gale, Sinclair is back to her old center forward role, where the Canadian played for over two decades to become the world's leading international goal scorer. Sinclair played more as an attacking midfielder for the Thorns in recent years, but she began this season awkwardly jammed into wide forward roles where the Thorns needed more mobility and defensive commitment on the wing. Sinclair's positional shift -- and the success of it -- did not come in isolation.

Smith is back to being the world-beating forward who earned the 2022 NWSL MVP and 2023 Golden Boot awards, only this time she is playing more in a free role that pushes her out onto the wing. She has eight goals this season, three more than any other player in the NWSL one-third of the way through the year.

Smith can still run at and behind defenders on the wing, and her removal from the center of the park has made it more difficult for teams to simply shadow her and hack her down when they can't keep up. Gotham, for example, fouled Smith six times in a 1-0 victory in March, often preventing counterattacks through tactical fouls.

Smith was scoring despite Portland's struggles earlier this year. Now, she is again the driver of a harmonized Thorns attack. The front line of Smith and Sinclair (and Morgan Weaver before her injury) interchange seamlessly.

The Thorns' 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on April 27 exemplifies these changes. Smith started the game as a right winger and scored a brilliant individual goal from the left wing 10 minutes into the match. Sixteen minutes later, she scored from the right side after floating back there in transition.

Gale has implemented a system that gets the best out of everyone on a roster loaded with talent. Coffey is the team's connective glue as its defensive midfielder. She leads the NWSL in ball recoveries, per TruMedia, and often sparks the attack with simple, patient passes from deep areas.

Time has been on the Thorns' side, too, as it has allowed newer defensive partnerships to blossom.

Isabella Obaze, Nicole Payne, and Marie Müller are all new to Portland's back line this season. Their lack of familiarity with each other and the rest of the squad was evident early in the season as the Thorns made defensive mistakes and got stretched out of their shape. In Saturday's 4-0 win over rival Seattle Reign FC, the Thorns stayed compact and purposefully conceded possession to the Reign, challenging them to find a way through; the Reign could not.

The Bhathals and general manager Karina LeBlanc still have plenty to figure out. The Thorns job is one of the most attractive in the NWSL and should garner interest from top coaches. Gale, whose head-coaching experience prior to Portland was largely in Canada's youth national team ranks and the men's Canadian Premier League, also has the team bought in right now.

"Our intention is to build the top global women's soccer team in the world," Alex Bhathal told ESPN in a recent interview. "And this is an opportunity for us to evaluate the talent that's available on a global basis to help us achieve that goal. Rob Gale will certainly be considered as part of that search.

"We're not going to leave stones unturned because we do have a long-term vision for what we're going to accomplish. And we're thrilled with the success that Coach Gale was having with the team and the positive culture and winning and fun that we're seeing. From the team, from the players, and everybody affiliated with the club is just really exciting. We want to keep that going."

Another date with the Dash awaits Friday, followed by the Thorns' biggest test since opening day: Their longest road trip of the year, to Orlando to face a Pride team that is unbeaten through nine games. If the Thorns win each of those, they will tie a league mark held by multiple teams, including Portland's 2017 squad, which won the championship that year.

Expectations remain high for the Thorns. As Coffey said after a more recent win against expansion side Bay FC, "This is the standard now." It always has been. Add in the rising standards of the NWSL and the Bhathals injection of investment and energy, and that bar will continue to be raised.