Top Hurricanes prospect Alexander Nikishin makes his NHL debut in Game 5 at the Capitals

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Nikishin took the ice helmetless for warmups prior to Game 5 of the Carolina Hurricanes' second-round series at Washington and skated the customary solo lap for a player making his NHL debut.

While it meant bad news of injured defenseman Jalen Chatfield not being available, Nikishin got to go from playing in Russia all season to jumping into the middle of the playoffs. The organization's top prospect skated 10 1/2 minutes as Chatfield's replacement on the blue line and drew strong reviews from teammates and coach Rod Brind'Amour for how he handled the situation.

“I don’t know that there’s a tougher spot to throw a kid in, especially when there’s such a language barrier,” Brind'Amour said. “I thought he did all right. We got a little fortunate on the one that was offside because he turned that one over and had it on his tape, but he hung in there. And you can see he’s going to be a good player for us, and he’s got a bright future.”

Nikishin was spared of being on the wrong end of a Capitals goal because it was taken off the board on a coach's challenge for offside. He was steady in most of his 16 shifts Thursday night.

“I thought he was great,” veteran defenseman Sean Walker said. "He’s a big body, he skates well, he shoots the puck well. He really ended some plays in the D zone and in the O zone you see he can get a pretty good shot off. It was great to see.”

Brind'Amour and Walker credited Dmitry Orlov and the Hurricanes' other Russians for helping the 23-year-old new to North America adjust as well as possible. Nikishin left the KHL earlier this spring and signed his first NHL contract last month.

“I was so nervous whenever a Russian guy comes and starts playing, but I tried to give him a couple advices and I think he did a great job,” said Svechnikov, who scored the go-ahead goal in a series-ending 3-1 victory. "I couldn’t imagine just coming from Russia and playing a playoff game. It must be so hard. But he did a great job. I’m very proud of him.”

Chatfield appeared to tweak something late in Game 4. The team announced early in warmups that Chatfield would not play in Game 5 because of an undisclosed injury.

“That was just a huge guy to have out,” Brind'Amour said. “Hopefully he can recover in however many days that we have here.”

Carolina will face either Florida or Toronto in the Eastern Conference final. Walker, Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Brent Burns played some extra minutes in Chatfield's absence Thursday night but would love to have him in the lineup for the opening game of the third round.

“We really miss Chatty,” Walker said. "He’s a big part of our D corps back there, so we’ll be excited to have him back.”

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) in the first period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) warms up before Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

PARIS (AP) — A top-level U.N. conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians scheduled for next week has been postponed amid surging tensions in the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.

France and Saudi Arabia were due to co-chair the conference hosted by the U.N. General Assembly in New York on June 17-20, and Macron had been among leaders scheduled to attend. The Palestinian Authority hoped the conference would revive the long-defunct peace process.

Macron expressed his “determination to recognize the state of Palestine” at some point, despite the postponement. France has pushed for a broader movement toward recognizing a Palestinian state in parallel with recognition of Israel and its right to defend itself.

After Israel's strikes on Iran on Friday, Macron said that France’s military forces around the Middle East are ready to help protect partners in the region, including Israel, but wouldn't take part in any attacks on Iran.

Macron told reporters that the two-state conference was postponed for logistical and security reasons, and because some Palestinian representatives couldn’t come to the event. He insisted that it would be held “as soon as possible” and that he was in discussion with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about a new date.

The U.N. ambassadors from France and Saudi Arabia said in a letter to the 193 U.N. member nations that the delay is “due to the current circumstances in the Middle East that prevent regional leaders from attending the conference in New York.”

France’s Jerome Bonnafont and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Alwasil said the conference will open on June 17 in the General Assembly hall, but only to propose and agree to its suspension. They invited all countries to attend the opening.

“We are determined to resume the conference at the earliest possible date,” the two ambassadors said.

Macron said the aim of the conference "is a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizing the existence and the security of Israel.” Any such state would exclude any Hamas leaders, he said.

Macron said that the Israel-Iran conflict, the war in Gaza and the situation for Palestinians around the region are all “interlinked.”

Macron spoke on Friday with 10 world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, about the Israeli strikes on Iran and consequences.

One of the aims at the U.N. conference was to increase the number of countries recognizing Palestinian territories as an independent state. So far, more than 145 of the 193 U.N. member nations have done so. The Palestinians view their state as encompassing Gaza and the West Bank with east Jerusalem as the capital.

Netanyahu has rejected the creation of a Palestinian state, and Israel refused to participate in the conference.

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a news conference at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a news conference at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives to hold a press conference at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, June 13, 2025.. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)