Monday’s “First Call” looks at a potential comeback for ex-Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

Team Finland won the IIHF World Championship with some help from a few former Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins need to rebound in a hurry during their Calder Cup conference final with Toronto.

And we preview the Stanley Cup Final between Las Vegas and Carolina.

Comebacks and setbacks

It looks like Diontae Johnson may be trying to make a comeback. The former Steeler reposted some training video from “The Route God,” James Everett.

Current Steeler Roman Wilson and ex-Steeler George Pickens have also worked with him.

Johnson didn’t play football last year after tumultuous seasons in 2024 and 2025. The former Pro Bowler was traded to Carolina by the Steelers after the 2023 campaign. The Panthers then traded him to Baltimore after seven games. While with the Ravens, Johnson refused to enter a Week 13 game against Philadelphia. The Ravens waived him after that.

Houston signed Johnson three days later but waived him in January. The Ravens picked him up again, but didn’t play him the rest of the year. Then, prior to the 2025 season, Johnson signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns, only to be released in August.

Meanwhile, another ex-Steeler receiver will need to make a comeback of a different type. Gunner Olszewski is feared to have torn an Achilles tendon, according to ESPN.com.

If that’s the case, he is the third New York Giant to suffer that type of injury this offseason. Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris and undrafted rookie Thaddeus Dixon did the same thing at various points in training for 2026.

Hurricane warning

The Stanley Cup Final between Las Vegas and Carolina begins Tuesday. BetRivers.com has gambling odds in advance of Game 1 in Raleigh.

The Hurricanes are minus-152 to win the game and minus-150 to win the best-of-seven series. Vegas is plus-120 to win the whole series and plus-125 to pull off the upset Tuesday night.

The teams met twice during the regular season. Both games occurred back in October. The Golden Knights won both contests, including a 4-1 result in Vegas on Oct. 20. Eight days later, the Knights took the return game 6-3 at Carolina too.

The Hurricanes have won 12 of the 13 playoff games they have played so far this postseason. Their only defeat was a Game 1 loss to Montreal in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Vegas is red hot as well, having won six games in a row. The Golden Knights swept Colorado in the Western Conference final after grabbing the last two games in their second round series against Anaheim.

Fine Fins

Finland won the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland on Sunday. The Fins did so via an overtime game-winner from Buffalo Sabres forward Konsta Helenius.

That’s the fifth title at the Worlds for Finland overall and the country’s second gold medal since 2022.

There were multiple former Penguins on the Team Finland roster, including Olli Määttä, Mikael Granlund and Jesse Puljujärvi.

The bronze medal game also went to overtime. Norway beat Canada, 3-2, on a game-winner by Noah Steen.

That was the first World Championship medal for Norway.

Toronto turnaround?

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are in need of a win in their AHL Eastern Conference final against the Toronto Marlies. They lost the first two games of that best-of-seven at home. Now the Pens head up to Toronto for the middle three games in need of at least two victories to get the series back to Mohegan Arena.

Toronto took Game 2 on Friday, 2-1 in overtime on a fluke goal that bounced off of both ex-Penguin Marc Johnstone and goaltender Sergei Murashov as they reached up for a floating puck that ended up going into the net.

Initially, the goal was waved off. Upon further review, it counted.

Game 3 in Canada is Monday night. Game 4 is on Wednesday. If necessary, Game 5 will take place Friday.

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