Frozen Four or NHL playoffs, stage not too big for Wild 19-year-old Zeev Buium

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Zeev Buium was trying to help lead Denver to the NCAA's Frozen Four championship less than two weeks ago.

On Sunday night, he made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild.

As a 19-year-old. In a playoff game. At one of the NHL's loudest arenas.

Buium, the No. 12 overall pick in last year's NHL draft, more than acquitted himself with his new teammates after the Vegas Golden Knights claimed Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. He played 13:37 with a shot on goal in the 4-2 loss, playing on the third defensive pair with Zach Bogosian.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

“I was not ready when I came into professional hockey, that's for sure,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. "I took my time in the American (Hockey) League, and thank God for it. I do not know what he's going through and what he's thinking about, but he's a way better person than I was at that age. It's kind of crazy he's 19, but there's a reason why he was drafted so high and the buzz around him.

“He doesn't carry himself like that, though. He's got a lot of confidence and great kid. The skill set that he has is amazing, so I think he's going to be just fine. I think you're going to see the next couple of games him really blossom here.”

Buium, who also was in Las Vegas last June for the draft, said he didn't feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

“After my first shift, the nerves completely went away,” Buium said. “It was less nerves than I thought there was going to be.”

Coach John Hynes said showed his confidence in the youngster by putting him in at 6-on-5 in the final two minutes when the Wild were trying to force overtime.

“You're trying to make the best decisions as coaches and management to try to give your team the best chance to win,” Hynes said. “It was good to see him get in there and play well.”

His teammates were sold.

“When I was his age, I wasn't even running a power play in juniors,” defenseman Jake Middleton said. “So I can't really relate to what he's feeling right now, but he's going to be an exceptional player. You can see it already.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) and Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium (8) get tangled up during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin on Tuesday, two days after the team lost 16-3 to the New England Patriots in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Roman spent two seasons as the Chargers' OC after previously holding the position with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. Los Angeles posted back-to-back 11-6 seasons but lost its playoff opener each time, scoring a total of 15 points in the two games.

After Sunday night's game, coach Jim Harbaugh was asked if Roman was the right person to be calling plays and declined to give Roman a vote of confidence.

“Right now I don’t have the answers,” he said. “We’re going to look at that, at everything. It really falls on me that we weren't at our best tonight. I don’t have the answers. I wish I did.”

Devlin followed a seven-year career as an offensive lineman for Buffalo and Arizona as an offensive line coach for the Cardinals, Jets, Texans and Ravens before spending the last two seasons with the Cardinals.

Los Angeles lost both of its starting offensive tackles to season-ending injuries, and Chargers quarterbacks were sacked 60 times — second-worst in the NFL — in 2025. Justin Herbert was brought down six times on Sunday night.

The Chargers haven't won a postseason game since 2018. Herbert is 0-3 in the playoffs for his career.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is pictured before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh leaves a news conference after an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines in the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)