Bruins look like a team that could do real damage in 2026 playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

What a difference a year makes.

At this time in 2025, the Bruins were on their way to finishing with the NHL’s fifth-worst record and missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nine years. Fast forward to April 1, 2026, and the B’s have a 98.2 percent chance of reaching the postseason, per MoneyPuck.

And not only are the Bruins almost guaranteed a playoff spot at this point, they look like a team that could actually do real damage in the postseason.

The latest example came Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.

The score was tied 2-2 entering the third period, then the B’s dominated with an aggressive attacking mentality and outscored the Stars 4-1 in the frame to earn a 6-3 victory and extend their win streak to four games. Viktor Arvidsson tallied a hat trick, David Pastrnak had three assists, and Elias Lindholm had another multi-point performance (one goal, one assist).

During this win streak, the Bruins have beaten the team with the second-best record overall (Stars), the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference (Buffalo Sabres), a top contender in the Western Conference (Minnesota Wild) and the team in the East’s second wild card spot (Columbus Blue Jackets).

​”Everyone was talking about the schedule. ‘The Bruins have the toughest schedule,'” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told reporters after Tuesday’s win. “Yeah, I believe that, too. But what I liked about it is it always seems like we play better when we’re playing against better teams.”​

The Bruins came out of the Olympic break on Feb. 23 barely holding on to a playoff spot. Since then, only one team (Sabres) has collected more points in the standings than the Bruins’ 25 (11-4-3).

Based on their recent play, could the Bruins win a round (or more) if they qualify for the postseason?

Yes, and there are several reasons why.

They have a deep lineup of players who can provide offense. Last year, if David Pastrnak or Morgan Geekie didn’t score, the B’s were in trouble. This year’s roster has much more scoring depth.

Pastrnak is on pace for a fifth consecutive 100-point season, and his 66 assists are a career high. Morgan Geekie has a career-high 34 goals. Pavel Zacha has a career-high 28 goals and needs one more point to hit 60 for the first time. Arvidsson has 50 points in 63 games after tallying 27 points in 67 games for the Oilers last season.

Marat Khusnutdinov’s 15 goals are a career high. Fraser Minten’s 33 points are a career high as well. Casey Mittlestadt and Mark Kastelic have provided valuable scoring production, too. And if that wasn’t enough, top defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s 58 points are also a career-high.

The Bruins are not reliant on one or two lines. They are a four-line team on a lot of nights, with the blue line also creating scoring chances, and that’s why they’ve improved from 28th in goals scored last season to eighth in 2025-26. The Bruins also have the second-best 5-on-5 goal differential since Jan. 1, along with a much-improved power play that ranks eighth in success rate.

The mental makeup of the Bruins is strong, too. They don’t fold in pressure situations. This team doesn’t quit and keeps fighting. We saw that in the comeback wins over the Sabres and Blue Jackets during this win streak. Overall, the Bruins have scored the third-most goals in the third period this season. When the pressure increases late in games, these guys typically respond in a positive manner.

Goaltending is another strength of this team and a reason why it could win a round or two.

Jeremy Swayman ranks third among all goalies in wins above replacement and goals saved above expected. He has been a top-five goalie this season and the No. 1 reason why the Bruins are in the playoff mix. Swayman was excellent in the 2024 playoffs, and based on his play this season, we could see a repeat of that in 2026.

The Bruins are also battle-tested. They have played one of the toughest schedules since the Olympic break and have taken points from 14 of 18 games in that span. The playoff race in the East has been super competitive all season, so the B’s have been in playoff mode for a while now.

They won’t need to make any adjustments in that regard once the playoffs actually begin.

“For us, the playoffs already started a long time ago,” Sturm said postgame Tuesday. “I think that’s a good thing about our team right now. We want to get challenged right now against really good hockey teams.”

The Bruins’ first-round matchup will be tough whoever they play. The Sabres, Lightning and Hurricanes — their three most likely opponents — are all really talented teams. But the Bruins are becoming the one team nobody in the East wants to see early in the playoffs.

This Bruins squad is peaking at the perfect time. And as a result, expectations have risen. Not only should the Bruins qualify for the playoffs, they should also be a pretty tough out for whoever stands in their way.

The Vegas Golden Knights made the decision over the weekend to fire head coach Bruce Cassidy and replace him with John Tortorella with eight games remaining in the regular season.

On the surface, it might be surprising to some. After all, Cassidy is one of the best head coaches in the entire league. Cassidy won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights back in 2023. He has a long track record of success dating back to his days in Boston, as do the Golden Knights since they came into the league. The Golden Knights currently sit in third place in the Pacific division and should comfortably be a playoff team with just under ten games remaining.

For most organizations, that would be good enough as we head into the final few weeks of the regular season.

The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t most organizations.

Since the day they entered the league, they have operated with a ‘win at all costs’ mentality. It doesn’t matter who their coach is or what he has done there. The coach is as disposable as a tissue if they’re not winning. It doesn’t matter who their players are. It doesn’t matter if Marc-Andre Fleury is a fan favorite Vezina trophy winner. If Vegas can upgrade in net, they will try to do so. If they can swing a trade for Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Noah Hanifin, or Rasmus Andersson, they’ll do it. If they can sign a Mitch Marner or Alex Pietrangelo, they won’t hesitate. Perhaps just as importantly, they don’t let sentimentality get in the way when it comes to holding onto longtime original Misfits like Reilly Smith (who has since returned to Vegas at a discount) and Jonathan Marchessault, among others. Vegas is as ruthless and cold-hearted when it comes to personnel decisions as it gets.

Some might ask what’s the point of firing the coach with eight games left in the regular season. But if you’ve already decided as an organization that you’re going to move on once the season ends anyways, why would you wait to lose to the Oilers in six games in the first round of the playoffs to do so? Wouldn’t you make a change now just to see if you can light a fire under the team just in time for the most important games of the season?

How’s this for a novel concept…..wouldn’t you try to save your season?

It might not be the most people-friendly way of treating your own to just discard them when they’re deemed to be no longer useful when it comes to achieving your goals. But the Vegas Golden Knights have shown time and time again that they don’t care about your feelings. This isn’t summer camp where we all get a participation ribbon. It’s an environment that might rub some the wrong way and might not always work, and in this instance with Tortorella replacing Cassidy, it very well might not work. Heck, this approach has only worked once in eight seasons for the Golden Knights where they’ve won a championship.

But like it or not, that’s the high standard that Vegas has set for themselves and the culture they’ve built in their short time in the league. The standard is to win, and if you’re not helping to achieve that goal, you won’t be around for very long. If they can find someone who is better equipped to help them win, they won’t hesitate to pull the trigger and make that change. And if it does work out and they do win? Flags fly forever. See you at the parade at the Las Vegas Strip. The end justified the means.

Part of what makes the Golden Knights the Golden Knights is knowing that good enough isn’t actually good enough. Hoping things just magically get better and doing nothing isn’t a strategy, and they’re not going to just settle. It’s not good enough that they lost three in a row and six of seven before making the coaching change. It’s not good enough that at this point of the season that they barely have more points than the Devils do. It’s not good enough that Edmonton, their most likely playoff opponent in the first round, has had their number. Vegas has lost 9 of their last 10 to the Oilers, including playoffs, dating back to last season. Going from Cassidy to Tortorella might not work out, but at least they’re trying to do something to flip the script. They know they only have a limited number of kicks at the can with their core. Punting seasons for no good reason isn’t acceptable.

There will come a day where Vegas continuing to trade futures won’t work. Where signing a big free agent won’t extend their window. Where making a coaching change won’t bail them out because the roster is what it is. There will be a day where the entire house of cards that the Golden Knights are built upon collapses. They will have to do a much dreaded rebuild, and the rest of the league will show no sympathy towards them when it comes to paying them back on the ice after Vegas was on or near the top of the league for so long. Heck, its possible they’re already at that point and they’re in denial.

But the Golden Knights clearly don’t think they’re at that point yet.

They’re operating with a sense of urgency that we don’t see most teams operate with by channeling their inner Lou Lamoriello and replacing a head coach with a handful of games remaining in the regular season. They hold their own accountable, at every level. That ‘win at all costs’ approach is who Vegas is as an organization.

By the way, I’m using the words I’m using to describe Vegas for a reason. Words like ‘culture’, ‘identity’, ‘standard’, ‘accountable’ and ‘urgency’. Because when people think of the Golden Knights, what do they associate with them? Winning, first and foremost, but also, doing whatever it takes to win.

Must be nice.

So why am I waxing poetic about the Golden Knights on a Devils-centric blog?

For starters, I do admire their conviction in their beliefs and their willingness to not just accept their fate and blame injuries or bad luck. I respect that they operate in the manner they do, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I wish the Devils were more cutthroat chasing what should be the ultimate goal, which is winning a championship.

I’m not entirely sure I even agree with the decision to fire Cassidy for Tortorella. Yes, both of them are Stanley Cup championship winning coaches. I don’t know that I consider Cassidy to be the problem though when most of their issues are goaltending, shooting, and PDO related. In fact, I consider Cassidy to be one of the three or four best coaches in the league, to the point where there should be a bunch of teams holding meetings this week discussing whether or not they should fire their current coach immediately to hire Cassidy. I do think Vegas as an organization could use a kick in the pants though, and there’s probably not a better coach to do that in the short-term and get the attention of the room than John Tortorella, so from that standpoint, I get why they made this particular change.

More importantly, I respect how aggressive they are to try to achieve their goals. I respect the sense of urgency with which they operate. Why sit around and wait until the trade deadline to go get Rasmus Andersson when you can get him in January? Why go into the playoffs as flat as any team in the league when there’s a chance you get the coaching bump from Tortorella screaming at everyone and go on a run?

Some might argue that this is a panic move or an act of desperation on the part of the Golden Knights. And perhaps it is to some extent. But it also says something about who you are when you can look in the mirror and admit that what you’re doing isn’t working. If you know what you’re doing isn’t going to work, why are you continuing to do it?

That’s not desperation. That’s reading the room, seeing things aren’t going as you expected, being honest with yourself in your self-assessment, reacting with new information that has since been presented to you, and doing something to try to fix it before its too late and you threw a season away for no good reason.

Again, must be nice.

How many times have we, as Devils fans, sat around on these forums over the years and complained about the Devils not doing enough? How many times have we complained about Tom Fitzgerald sitting on his hands and not doing anything? How many times have we been told to be patient? That there’s no coaching change coming. No trades. How many times have excuses been made for why the Devils aren’t doing more, whether it’s because the team is capped out, injured, or both. How many times have the Devils refused to even so much as go and call someone up from Utica just to see if they can create a spark. How many times have we begged for scraps from top Devils brass over the years only to be given nothing?

If the roles were reversed and the Devils operated with the same standard and same urgency that Vegas does, does anyone think Tom Fitzgerald survives this season when someone above him looks at the mess he created? Would an organization like Vegas tolerate some of the terrible contracts handed out and massive draft misses that have happened under Fitzgerald’s watch?

Does anyone think Sheldon Keefe survives the season when the Devils are going through their prolonged stretch where they can’t score? Or do the Devils make a change sometime in December or January when the season was still salvageable….not unlike what Buffalo or Columbus did when those organizations fired their GM and head coach, respectively. Not unlike what Vegas is trying to do now with Tortorella.

Do you think the Golden Knights would tolerate keeping Dave Rogalski continually employed for six plus years despite no actual positive results from any of the goaltenders?

Do you think the Golden Knights, a team that has manipulated the salary cap and found loopholes more than any other team to find a way to squeeze every last dollar under the cap, would’ve unnecessarily paid Evgenii Dadonov a $250K bonus that gets charged to next year’s cap when Dadonov has done nothing and every penny matters? Or would they have said tough luck and played some rando from their AHL affiliate instead?

I think we all know the answer to those questions.

Instead, we have what we have with the Devils. A country club atmosphere where people remain in their positions for years and years despite the lack of on-ice success. That’s the culture the Devils have fostered in the post-Lou Lamoriello era. One where the Devils ‘identity’ is a jumbled mess in part because the GM had steered the roster away from what they were building. One where there is zero sense of urgency from the top down when things are going poorly. One where the Devils are content to sit on their hands while playing poorly for months on end. One where the Devils still have no answers for the Carolina problem that has plagued them for years.

One where winning, while it would be nice, isn’t the highest priority.

That’s the difference between a team that is serious about winning and one that isn’t.

At the end of the day, we’re asking for the bare minimum here from ownership and management. We want to watch a competitive hockey team that has a realistic chance of winning. And when we’re not getting that, we want to know that the people in charge are at least aware of the problem. That they give a damn about this team as much as we do as fans. That they’re not just content to see how things go or see if they can work their way out of this. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I also know doing nothing and expecting the problem to fix itself isn’t a plan.

The Calgary Flames will look to snap a three-game road skid when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in Paradise, Nevada, with puck drop scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

Vegas enters the matchup with a 33–26–16 overall record and a solid 11–5–5 mark within the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights have been especially dangerous when their offense clicks, boasting a dominant 32–6–10 record in games where they score at least three goals. Their ability to generate offense consistently has been a key factor in keeping them competitive in a tightly contested division.

Calgary, meanwhile, comes in at 31–35–8 overall. The Flames have shown resilience within the division, holding a 12–7–3 record against Pacific opponents. Like Vegas, Calgary’s success is closely tied to its offensive output, posting a strong 22–7–3 record when scoring three or more goals. However, defensive inconsistencies have contributed to their sub-.500 overall record.

Recent Form And Key Trends

This will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two clubs. Calgary claimed the most recent matchup, a 6–3 victory highlighted by a two-goal performance from veteran forward Mikael Backlund. That win remains a notable reference point as the Flames look to replicate that success on the road.

From an individual standpoint, Vegas continues to lean on the production of forward Tomas Hertl, who leads the team with 24 goals and 31 assists. His consistent scoring presence has been vital to the Golden Knights’ offensive structure. Forward Pavel Dorofeyev has also provided a spark recently, contributing four goals and five assists over his last 10 games.

For Calgary, Backlund remains a steady contributor with 16 goals and 24 assists on the season, continuing to play a two-way role for the club. Forward Morgan Frost has added momentum in recent games, tallying four goals and two assists over his last 10 outings, offering secondary scoring support that Calgary has needed.

Looking at recent form, Vegas has gone 4–4–2 over its last 10 games, averaging 2.6 goals per game while allowing 2.5. The Golden Knights have also been disciplined in limiting penalties compared to Calgary, averaging 11.4 penalty minutes per game during that span.

Calgary enters with a slightly stronger 6–3–1 record over its last 10 contests, producing 3.1 goals per game. However, defensive issues remain a concern, as the Flames have allowed an average of 3.3 goals during that stretch. Special teams and defensive zone execution will likely play a decisive role in determining whether Calgary can maintain its recent scoring uptick while tightening up at the back.

In terms of availability, both teams are dealing with notable absences. Vegas will be without William Karlsson (lower body), as well as depth players Carter Hart (leg) and Jonas Rondbjerg (lower body). Calgary’s injury list is longer, with Jonathan Huberdeau out for the season (hip), along with Samuel Honzek (upper body), Jake Bean (undisclosed), Joel Hanley (upper body), and Yan Kuznetsov (day-to-day, upper body). Connor Zary is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

With both teams still jockeying for positioning in the Pacific Division, Thursday’s matchup carries added importance. Vegas will aim to defend home ice and capitalize on its offensive strengths, while Calgary looks to build on recent scoring trends and reverse its road struggles.

The Montreal Canadiens were in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night to take on the leaders of the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jakub Dobes was back in the net, fresh off being named the first star of the week in the NHL. In three games last week, the Czech netminder saved 100 of the 104 shots he faced and finished the week with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. The rookie goaltender had 25 wins before Tuesday night’s game, besting both Patrick Roy and Carey Price's win totals in their rookie years. He won’t beat the record established by Ken Dryden, which stands at 39, but it’s still an impressive feat. Still, he had never beaten the Bolts and was hoping to do it on Tuesday.

For once, the Habs were ready to go when the puck dropped in Tampa, and they even led shots on goals-wise by the end of the first 20 minutes with nine shots to the Lightning’s eight, but the score was still tied at 1-1.

More on Canadiens’ Fowler' New Bucket
Montreal Canadiens Hit With Bad Injury News
Canadiens’ Suzuki Proves Clutch In Crunch Time

Slafkovsky Shone Bright

Juraj Slafkovsky celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday, and he decided to keep the celebration going on Tuesday. The big Slovak played an impressive game, displaying everything he’s improved in his game this season. His puck possession, his ability to shield it with his body, and his ability to battle while keeping his balance have been key to the Canadiens’ strong possession game.

From a rookie who fell more often than not back in 2022, he has become a real power forward who gives headaches to his opponents. His reads have also gotten much better, and he’s able to identify when it’s time to switch things up. In the first frame, Ivan Demidov’s shots were off on the power play, and Slafkovsky initiated a permutation which led to him scoring the first goal of the game.

Then, in the second frame, he came into the Lightning’s territory in possession of the puck with plenty of speed and knowing full well where Cole Caufield was, he hung on to the puck until the very last second before delivering a perfect feed with a cross-zone pass right in front of the crease, allowing the sniper to notch his 47th game of the season. In the process, he cut Nathan MacKinnon’s lead in the race to the Rocket Richard trophy to just two goals.

Notre premier choix au repêchage qui fait des choix de premier plan

That's our first-overall pick making first-overall pick plays#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/B6Af5p98BG

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 1, 2026

A Combination To Avoid

With Alexandre Carrier out for two to four weeks, Arber Xhekaj was back on the blueline, forming a pair with Kaiden Guhle. However, the pairings can vary during a game, and at one stage, Xhekaj found himself on the ice at the same time as Jayden Struble. They ended up being stuck on the ice for 1:51 and 1:48, respectively, trapped in the zone and unable to exit.

While they are both capable of playing as a sixth defenseman, when they both must be in the lineup, it can become a bit of an adventure. It wouldn’t be surprising if freshly recalled Adam Engstrom had a turn sooner rather than later. The youngster is NHL-ready, and he has played most of his career on the right side, which isn’t the case for Struble or Xhekaj.

Furthermore, with the stakes as high as they are right now, it will be a great opportunity to see how he can handle pressure.

Another Huge Game From Dobes

While the Canadiens led in shots in the first frame, they did not lead in shots in any other period. Over the last 40 minutes, Tampa had 29 shots while Montreal only had 14, but that mattered very little since Dobes stopped them all.

His performance on Tuesday was rendered even more impressive because it wasn’t a struggling goalie at the other end of the ice; it was likely Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy. It didn’t impress the Canadiens’ netminder, though; he was simply Dobes (to the tune of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best) on the night.

In the end, the only goal he gave up came with a couple of players making it hard for him to follow Jake Guentzel around the net. For the rest of the night, he was incredibly solid. Could he have had better rebound control? Perhaps, but at that stage, it matters very little since he stopped every shot coming from the rebounds he gave.

On Caufield’s goal, the sniper and Mike Matheson both got their 300th point, and the blueliner even added an empty netter to put the icing on the cake, just like Suzuki, who also got one, his 92nd point on the season. As for Caufield, he now has 81 points on the year. Final score: Montreal 4, Tampa Bay 1. With that win, the Habs remain in third place in the Atlantic Division, but only two points behind Tampa and four points behind the Buffalo Sabres, who are now first thanks to a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders.

Un plateau, ça se vit encore mieux à deux

Milestones are better together#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/6SFYhJ79F7

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 1, 2026

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Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

“It will be interesting to see if the Devils do look to hire someone solely for the president of hockey operations title this summer, and whether that would allow Fitzgerald to stick around for at least one more season as GM and assess him from there. The feeling in New Jersey is that Fitzgerald is preparing for the worst, knowing he’s on the hot seat.” [Sportsnet]

The Rangers avoided a season series sweep with a 4-1 win over the Devils on Tuesday. [Devils NHL]

We had a goalie fight:

A franchise record:

Injury updates:

It’s time to move:

Hockey Links

Maple Leafs part ways with Brad Treliving:

More history for Ovi:

“MLB’s automated strike zone system is leading to more accurate officiating. Should the NHL also use tracking technologies for offside and goal-line calls?” [The Hockey News]

A look around the league at each team’s best prospect: [ESPN]

“Macklin Celebrini is in the midst of one of the best NHL seasons ever produced by a teenager. On Monday night, the 19-year-old notched the 100th point of his sophomore campaign, posting two goals and an assist in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. Reaching the milestone puts him in some very elite company.” [Sportsnet]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have positioned themselves nicely for a potential playoff spot with their back-to-back big wins against the New York Islanders and the Detroit Red Wings.

On consecutive nights, the Penguins blew past their opponents to give themselves a much better chance of making the playoffs now than they had just 48 hours prior.

As of Wednesday morning, the Penguins have a 95% chance of making the playoffs.

Going into Monday’s game against the Islanders, the Penguins were sitting with a 79% chance of making the playoffs, according to HockeyViz.

With their big 8-3 win on the road in New York, Pittsburgh’s chances jumped to around 90% with another pivotal game against the Red Wings at home the following day.

With the win against Detroit, it was another day, another win, and another boost in the playoff chances.

As the Penguins took care of their own business, their playoff chances jumped to 95%, according to HockeyViz and then scoreboard watching did them some favors, as well.

Other teams in the playoff hunt like the Senators, islanders, Blue Jackets, and Flyers all came up on the losing end on Tuesday night.

MoneyPuck currently also lists the Penguins as a 95% chance of making the postseason for the first time since 2022.

According to HockeyStats.com, the Penguins’ most likely playoff opponent will be the Blue Jackets or the Islanders.

BUFFALO, NY -- The New York Islanders were bailed out by the out-of-town scoreboard on Tuesday night after their 4-3 regulation loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Close Is No Longer Good Enough For Fading #Isleshttps://t.co/uZGg07w0Yq

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) April 1, 2026

The Columbus Blue Jackets remain a point back of the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division after a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Ottawa Senators,Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers all remain two points behind the Islanders after losing 6-3, 5-1, and 6-4, respectively. 

However, those results, while helpful to the Islanders, are a bit misleading. 

The Blue Jackets have a game in hand, while Ottawa, Detroit, and Philadelphia each have two games in hand. 

Now, games in hand only matter if you win them, but the Islanders certainly aren't safe in a playoff spot with six games to go.

They'll need the scoreboard to keep breaking in their favor, but a win over the Flyers at home on Friday before heading to Raleigh for their final road game on Saturday night against the Hurricanes would do a world of good. 

Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning…

I dubbed Monday’s Pens Points headline as “A season-defining back-to-back.” Forty-eight hours after that was published, the Penguins came out the other side of that B2B with two dominant regulation wins, beating the Islanders on Monday and the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday by a combined score of 13-4. [Recap]

Anthony Mantha delivered one of the Penguins’ most dominant individual performances of the season in Monday’s comeback win over the Islanders, highlighting his breakout, career-best year. His continued production has not only made him a key driver of Pittsburgh’s playoff push but also one of the league’s best value signings. [PensBurgh]

Minor transactional news: The Penguins reassigned rookie forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty to the AHL Penguins before both were promptly recalled again to the NHL roster on Tuesday. The moves were likely made for roster management purposes. Both players were healthy scratches for Tuesday’s game against Detroit. [Trib Live]

News and updates from around the NHL…

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley said Tuesday the Toronto Maple Leafs are seeking a more data-driven leader to head hockey operations after moving on from now-former general manager Brad Treliving. I think I know a guy… [TSN]

Pelley added that Craig Berube’s future as Maple Leafs head coach will not be finalized until a new leader of hockey operations is hired. [TSN]

Former NHL forward Mikhail Grabovski has been charged with assault following an incident at a minor hockey game in Markham, Ontario. [Sportsnet]

The AHL’s board of governors unanimously approved the relocation of the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton, Ontario, beginning with the 2026-27 season. [Sportsnet]

With back-to-back games against the New York Islanders and the Detroit Red Wings - two teams around them in the playoff race - the Pittsburgh Penguins had, perhaps, their biggest test of the season when facing them head-to-head.

And they passed that test with flying colors.

After routing the Islanders, 8-3, on Monday, the Penguins stormed right back on Tuesday and ousted the Red Wings, 5-1, in dominant fashion yet again. Goaltender Stuart Skinner was outstanding - stopping 22 of 23 Detroit shots on goal - and Pittsburgh got contributions from up and down their lineup.

“That’s the good thing right now,” said Noel Acciari, who registered his 11th goal of the season. “When we can go up and down the lineup, take the pressure off the top lines, it’s big. Especially this time of year and especially with what the (Eastern Conference) looks like, every goal counts. So, the fact that we have four lines that can do that is huge for our group. We’ll keep that rolling.”

The Penguins opened the scoring pretty early in this one, picking up right where they left off on Long Island Monday night. A little more than four minutes into the first period, Rickard Rakell took a feed from Sidney Crosby into the high-slot area, where he ripped home his 20th of the season top-shelf to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead - and securing his seventh career 20-goal season. 

And just as the Penguins have done all season long, they just kept piling on after that. 

A little more than four minutes later, the Penguins were cycling in the offensive zone with a split change. Both Connor Dewar and Evgeni Malkin had the puck around the net front, and Anthony Mantha found the loose change from just outside the crease, earning his first career 30-goal season and handing the Penguins an early 2-0 lead.

They continued to drive play for the remainder of the first, outshooting Detroit, 14-5. And before the end of the opening frame, they tacked on another one when an Egor Chinakhov wrister hit Detroit blueliner Moritz Seider's stick upon release, fooling goaltender John Gibson enough for it to sneak behind him and give the Penguins a three-goal advantage heading into the second. 

After some four-on-four play - and a failed four-on-three power play attempt by the Penguins - Detroit earned a power play of their own early in the second when Mantha went to the box for tripping. In five seconds' time, Dylan Larkin found the back of the net, which was another notch against a struggling Penguins' penalty kill unit.

But that turned out to be the only offense Detroit could muster throughout the game. 

Even though Detroit pushed a bit in the second period, Pittsburgh pushed back defensively, playing, perhaps, their best defensive game in a few weeks. The Penguins got back on the offensive attack, too, and were rewarded when Connor Clifton shot a puck toward the net from the right point, and it was tipped by Justin Brazeau in front to give him his first goal in 11 games and the Penguins the 4-1 advantage.

Acciari tacked on his goal in the second half of the third period, where the Penguins never really wavered.

Of course, it was a good thing to earn four out of four points in the two most consequential games of the season so far for the Penguins. But even more impressive was how they were able to earn the wins, controlling play pretty much from start to finish in both games. 

“It tells you that we come out big in big moments,” Skinner said. “We’re a resilient group. If things don’t go our way [or] things do go our way, we just kind of stick to our game plan. That’s what’s so incredible about this group. The maturity obviously starts with the leadership [and] goes down to every single guy in how we play a simple, strong game. 

“It’s very fun to play in, and it’s very fun to watch.”

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- The lineup for Tuesday’s game - with Evgeni Malkin back in the fold after missing the previous four - was supposed to be a pretty interesting one.

That is, until Bryan Rust was a last-minute scratch.

Rust did take warm-ups, and it was deemed that he couldn’t go afterward. Head coach Dan Muse confirmed that Rust wasn’t injured during warm-ups and that the lower-body injury was something else. No further update has been provided yet.

Another day, another case of “a soul for a soul,” I guess. 

Rust Late Scratch For Key Matchup Against DetroitPittsburgh Penguins' forward Bryan Rust was a late scratch ahead of an important Tuesday game against the Detroit Red Wings - and on the same night the team was finally getting some good news on the injury front.

In any case, when Rust is healthy, it will be interesting to see if Muse elects to go with the lineup that was originally slated. It included a top line of Chinakhov, Crosby, and Rust; a second line of Tommy Novak, Ben Kindel, and Malkin; a third line of Mantha, Rakell, and Brazeau, and; the same fourth line of Elmer Soderblom, Connor Dewar, and Acciari.

The look of that lineup is intriguing, especially the second and third lines. The Mantha, Rakell, and Brazeau line saw a lot of success against the Islanders, and Kindel was supposed to get a crack at centering Malkin. We’ll see what Rust’s status is for Thursday and if the Penguins elect to give the original lineup another shot.

- That said, I really liked the look of the top line the Penguins got on Tuesday, which consisted of Chinakhov, Crosby, and Rakell.

That’s a combination I’ve been curious about for a while. Combine Chinakhov’s speed, smarts, two-way game, and ridiculous shot with Rakell’s ability to find and create space, forecheck, crash the net, play defense, and rip the puck, and you’ve got a pretty lethal combination of players for one of the greatest players and playmakers of all time down the middle. And we saw a lot of that on display throughout Tuesday’s game, as they were dangerous on the forecheck.

I’ve long-believed that Rust’s skillset is better for moving up and down a lineup than Rakell’s is, even if I doubt that Crosby and Rust would separate if Rust is healthy. I think a second line of Rust, Kindel, and Malkin would be quite intriguing, and Novak has had success with Mantha and Brazeau this season. 

- Short note here, but it was nice to see Brazeau finally get off the schneid. He has four points in the last two games, and he's looking much more like the version the Penguins got in the first half of the season. 

 If he and Mantha can reunite when the Penguins are healthy, that would be ideal. They're money together on the same line.

- Kris Letang and Sam Girard have really stepped up their games in these last two, and they have, by far, been their best performances together this season. 

According to data from Natural Stat Trick, the Girard-Letang pair has contributed a 64.06 expected goals share in the past two games. That’s a massive improvement over the rest of their games together, when they had a 50.09 share.

The Penguins have a very strong forward group. Arguably, the NHL’s deepest. If they do make the playoffs, they are going to need more consistency from their defense and goaltending. If Girard and Letang continue to improve - especially with the way the Parker Wotherspoon-Erik Karlsson and Ryan Shea-Connor Clifton pairings have fared this season - that would be a huge development for this team.

- Speaking of the goaltending, what a performance this was from Skinner.

He was outstanding whenever he needed to be, even if it wasn’t much. He made some huge saves in situations that could have swung momentum the other way, including a flurry of saves in the waning seconds of the middle frame and a sprawling one on Alex DeBrincat. If Detroit scores there, it’s a 4-2 game going into the third, and the Red Wings would have had the momentum. He also made some nice saves just beyond the midway point of the third period and before Acciari scored his goal to, essentially, put the game away. 

There are seven games left. The Penguins need to finish this thing off and secure their spot in the playoffs. There are two more back-to-backs. 

It should be Skinner’s net on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and if he performs well, his again on Saturday against the injury-depleted and tanking Florida Panthers. This team is at a point where they need to pick a lane with their goaltenders heading into the playoffs, and the lane should be whoever the hot hand is.

And they also need to frontload wins as much as possible in the final stretch.

- And why is that? Well, perhaps because the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues are two of hockey’s hottest teams since the Olympic break, and those are the final three games of the Penguins’ regular season.

Right now, the Penguins are six points clear of the playoff cutoff line. If they win in Tampa on Thursday? That number could be higher. And if they win again on Saturday, or - better yet - sweep the weekend back-to-back against Florida? Depending on what happens with the rest of the teams in the East playoff picture, they could clinch by the end of the weekend. 

And if not by the end of the weekend, how about next Thursday on Apr. 9 against a lowly New Jersey Devils team?

The worst possible scenario for the Penguins is them needing at least two of the three final games of the regular season in order to clinch a playoff spot. That’s a situation they do not want to find themselves in. 

So, they need to beat the teams they should beat, and it would be great if they could earn another hard-fought and well-played win against another formidable opponent on Thursday. Anything can happen in the final two weeks of the regular season, and nothing is a guarantee. 

But a playoff “guarantee” would be a whole lot more assured if they can take at least two of the next three and three of the next four.

“We play with everyone,” Chinakhov said. “And when we play the right way, and when we play our game, we can win.”

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The Chicago Blackhawks welcomed Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets into the United Center on Tuesday night. This was the second time that Toews has returned to the United Center as a visiting player, and the fourth matchup between the two clubs this season. 

Winnipeg won both meetings in Manitoba, while the Blackhawks took a 2-0 victory to the bank when the two met in Chicago back on January 19th. 

In the first period, Toews received a standing ovation when he came out onto the ice for the first time, but he didn't acknowledge it. It was clear from the jump that Winnipeg, which came in just three points below the playoff line, was on a business trip. Their playoff chances seemed bleak on their first trip to Chicago, but not as much these days. 

The Blackhawks were the first team to find the back of the net, as Anton Frondell scored his first career NHL goal at 4:42 of the opening frame. Louis Crevier threw one towards the net, Ilya Mikheyev found the rebound, and sent it to Frondell for the goal. 

Blackhawks Third-Overall Pick Anton Frondell Scored His First Career NHL GoalAnton Frondell of the Chicago Blackhawks has scored his first career NHL goal.

Scoring the first goal of the game has not been the problem for the Blackhawks. They have actually been solid in first periods overall. It's playing well for 60 minutes and sustaining leads that have been the problem. 

That problem continued in the second period. Just 1:06 into the middle frame, the Jets tied the game on a goal scored by Josh Morrissey. This was Winnipeg's three best skaters stepping up as Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele assisted on the goal. 

About 10 minutes of game-clock later, the Jets scored two goals in under a minute. Cole Perfetti and Isak Rosen combined to make it 3-1. 

Before the period ended, Tyler Bertuzzi saved the Blackhawks from going into the second intermission down by two. His incredible spin-o-rama fooled Connor Hellebuyck and found twine. The 3-2 score held through the second intermission. 

In the third period, the Blackhawks continued to even the playing surface. That included Bertuzzi's second of the game to tie it up at three. His 30th and 31st goals of the season not only helped his team even the score, but they also set a new career high.

In the third period, the Blackhawks ended up outshooting the Jets 10-2, but no more goals were scored. Overtime was required. 

Just 33 seconds into the extra period, Kyle Connor scored to give the Winnipeg Jets a 4-3 victory. The Blackhawks didn't have much time to even try to possess the puck, as Winnipeg ended it before Chicago was able to even make a line change. 

This loss was a complete flip from their four games on the East Coast, including the one in which they earned a win. Chicago's defense was better, their compete was better, and they found a way to score a couple of goals when they needed them in regulation. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

FIRST GOAL AS A HAWK 🥹❤️‼️ pic.twitter.com/zzZBgb7hKu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 1, 2026

Bert WHAT⁉️

Tyler Bertuzzi scores his 30th goal of the season, tying a career-high❤️ pic.twitter.com/EjJNCoY6op

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 1, 2026

𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝟯𝟭 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 for Tyler Bertuzzi‼️👏 pic.twitter.com/X397AGWx3W

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 1, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action again on Tuesday night when they will be back on the road for a handful of games, starting with a visit to Alberta to take on the Edmonton Oilers. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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It will surely go down as one of the most disappointing losses of the Ottawa Senators’ season.

In a nearly must-win game, the Senators fell behind 5-0 in the first period and lost 6-3 to the Florida Panthers, an injury-ravaged team with absolutely nothing to play for. Matthew Tkachuk led the way with four points in the game, earning bragging rights for the next podcast.

Linus Ullmark carved out an extra day of rest for himself on Saturday in Tampa, but you wouldn't know it from his performance. He was chased from this game after allowing five goals on 16 shots. They certainly weren’t all his fault, but he helped put the Senators on their heels straight away.

Despite all the rest, he was part of a clumsy miscommunication just eight seconds into the game. After the Panthers dumped the puck in, it bounced to the front of the Sens net and Ullmark motioned like he was going to play it, then changed his mind.

By that point, Jordan Spence had peeled off, so the puck was left sitting there for ex-Senator Noah Gregor to score an easy goal.

It was a nightmare start for Ullmark, who’d been a target of criticism after needing rest and making himself unavailable to start on Saturday.

The Panthers then made it 3-0 on a pair of power-play goals, both set up by Ottawa high sticks. The first was a tip-in goal by Mackie Samoskevich to make it 2-0 just over a minute into the game.

Eight minutes later, Carter Verhaeghe scored his 22nd of the year, beating Ullmark from below the goal line, banking it in off his knee and back through his legs. Five minutes after that, AJ Greer tucked home his 14th goal, and 34 seconds later, Verhaeghe got another one to make it 5-0.

It was around that moment when the Blue Jays TV ratings suddenly spiked.

The Senators did battle back to make it semi-respectable on goals by Drake Batherson, Jordan Spence, and Michael Amadio. Batherson’s goal marked the first time in his career he’s hit the 30-goal mark. But despite having a 6 on 3 for over a minute in the third period, the Sens couldn't get any closer.

To add to their woes, the Senators’ already banged-up blue line endured yet another loss. Carter Yakemchuk left the ice woozy, dealing with what looked like a probable concussion. Noah Gregor caught him with a shoulder or elbow on a fly-by near the boards.

“Disappointing,” head coach Travis Green told the media after the game. “We talked about the importance of a good start in this building, and that was the opposite. We take three penalties in the first five or six minutes, give up two power-play goals, it’s 3-0 nine minutes into the game.”

The good news is that the much-maligned out-of-town scoreboard finally came through in every way for the Senators on a night they deserved it the least.

The Blue Jackets lost in regulation to Carolina.

The Islanders lost in regulation to the Sabres.

The Red Wings lost in regulation to Pittsburgh.

The Flyers lost in regulation to Washington.

The Capitals are suddenly a factor again, just one point back of the Flyers, Red Wings, and Senators, who are all two points behind Columbus for the final wild-card spot.

So it's no harm, no foul. But moving forward, out of town results really won’t matter if the Sens can’t get some healthy bodies back on the blue line. They'll also need to come up with a hell of a lot more than they did against a banged-up Panthers team that's been out of it for weeks, and slowly saying goodbye to their time as champions.

Ottawa came into March like a lion, going 9-2-1. They went out like a lamb at 0-2-1.

The Senators will be back at it on Thursday night, hosting the Buffalo Sabres, a team that's 25 points better than the team that throttled them on Tuesday.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

BUFFALO — In a season that, regardless of how far the Islanders go, will always be remembered as the debut campaign of Matthew Schaefer, their rookie phenom made some more history Tuesday night. But, in the context of a 4-3 loss to the Sabres, he didn’t want to focus on it.

Schaefer’s assist on Anders Lee’s third-period goal gave him 57 points for the season, moving him past Stefan Persson (1977-78) and into first place all time for most points by an Islanders rookie defenseman. He’ll enter Friday’s game one point behind Phil Housley for most points by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history, and Schaefer has collected 20 points — including seven goals — across the past 20 games.

“Obviously you hear things and people say stuff,” Schaefer said when asked if he was aware of breaking the record, “but, I mean, I don’t really care. I mean, obviously, it’s something pretty cool, and there’s so many great players that have gone through this organization and things like that. I’ve put up so many points, but at the end of the day, we’re in a playoff push right now and this was a big game.”

At that moment, Schaefer was more concerned about being on the ice for the Sabres’ game-winning goal, when Alex Tuch pulled possession around the net and fed Peyton Krebs in front. “I mean, if that doesn’t go in it’s still a tie game,” he said. Schaefer was in front of the crease when the puck snuck past him and went right to Krebs’ stick.

And that moment was enough to take away from his historic night.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

The Islanders were forced to operate without a piece of their power play and a consistent offensive producer Tuesday, as Simon Holmstrom didn’t play due to an upper-body injury and was listed as day to day by head coach Patrick Roy.

That meant Anthony Duclair, who hadn’t appeared in a game since March 21 amid another roller coaster of a season, slotted back into the lineup, skating alongside Mathew Barzal and Brayden Schenn on the second line. He finished with 11:29 of ice time and didn’t attempt a shot. Holmstrom, who has collected 19 goals and 30 points this season, had finished the Islanders’ game Monday.

When asked what he wanted to see from Duclair during his return to the lineup, Roy, during his answer pregame, cited his connection with Barzal earlier in the season. Duclair strung together 13 points in 13 January games — including a hat trick against the Devils on Jan. 6.

He only managed one point across the eight games he has appeared in since, though, but Roy wanted to see if that Barzal chemistry could work again.

Roy didn’t think the fight between Lee and Sam Carrick — which Carrick initiated to stand up for a hit by Lee on the Sabres’ Josh Norris in the second period — was warranted. Carrick remained down on the ice with an apparent left shoulder injury and exited with a trainer.

“I thought that was — it was a very good non-call,” Roy said. “I don’t think we needed that fight personally, but, I mean, [Lee] looked good.”

The AHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the relocation of Bridgeport — the Islanders minor league affiliate — to Hamilton, Ontario, the league announced. The move will happen for the 2026-27 season.

After yesterday’s 8-3 loss, the Islanders really needed this game to go well. And it almost did, as they came back twice, with Cal Ritchie and Anders Lee finding the back of the net for game tying goals. But then the Sabres reclaimed the lead late, taking advantage of bad defensive play by the Islanders, and I think we all knew they weren’t going to come back again.

Brayden Schenn did pick up a true garbage time goal with almost no time left at all, but by then the Sabres had locked down the 4-3 win and two points that the Islanders really could have used. For now, the Islanders sit in third in the Metropolitan Division, now three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

There was no Simon Holmström for the Islanders tonight as he was out with an upper body injury. Anthony Duclair got back into the lineup in his place. Ilya Sorokin also, unsurprisingly, started tonight, playing both games of the back to back for the second time, I believe, this season.

Carson Soucy took an early high sticking penalty against Zach Benson, but the Sabres’ power play would be canceled out when Josh Norris was called for interfering with Matthew Schaefer. Neither team could convert on the 4 on 4, and the Islanders couldn’t make anything work on the power play.

Adam Pelech was hit awkwardly against the boards and was holding his arm while he skated over to the bench in pain, but he ended up okay, fortunately, and played the rest of the game.

He later took a high sticking penalty, and Jack Quinn gave Buffalo the lead with a power play goal.

Second Period

Kyle MacLean took a high sticking penalty that the Islanders killed.

Anders Lee was given a penalty shot but Ukko Pekka Luukkonen made the save.

Ilya Sorokin and Scott Mayfield helped stop the Sabres from going up 2-0, and then Mattias Samuelsson took a delay of game penalty. On that power play, Brayden Schenn set up Cal Ritchie backdoor to tie the game.

Lee hit Josh Norris into the boards at an awkward angle, and he was down for a while bleeding, but no penalty was called on the play.

Third Period

Not unexpectedly, Sam Carrick challenged Lee to a fight at the start of the period. Lee won the fight, and Carrick was hurt after, needing the trainers to come out after he landed awkwardly on his arm.

Soucy took a hooking penalty, and Tage Thompson made it 2-1 on the power play.

Sorokin saved some chances by Zach Benson, and then Norris and Mayfield got into it, sending both of them to the box. Norris crosschecked Mayfield, and Mayfield tried to go at him and drew a crowd. Norris picked up an extra two penalty minutes, giving the Isles a power play that the Sabres killed.

But a few minutes later, Lee tied it at 2, banking the puck in off Owen Power.

Unfortunately, though, Peyton Krebs made it 3-2 shortly after, after Alex Tuch got around Soucy and set him up from behind the net.

Then, the Islanders pulled Sorokin, and Bo Horvat couldn’t intercept a clear heading towards the empty net, and so Bowen Byram got credit for the 4-2 goal.

Schenn made it 4-3 with barely a second left in the game, but it was too late for any chance at even salvaging a point.

Up Next

Next, the Islanders have a couple of days off before they head back to UBS Arena to take on the suddenly back in the playoff race Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night.

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The Detroit Red Wings used all the right kind of words and phrases following their 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Alex DeBrincat called their slow start "unacceptable". Lucas Raymond said they needed to play "with more desperation". 

Those words rang hollow on Tuesday evening against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who raced out to a 3-0 lead and a 14-5 shots advantage in the opening 20 minutes of play en route to a 5-1 win at PPG Paints Arena. 

pic.twitter.com/g3CsQsRwWj

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 1, 2026

Once again, the Red Wings were plagued by a slow start against an opponent that, like the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, had played the previous night. 

The Penguins scored barely four minutes into the game on their first shot of the night, courtesy of Rickard Rakell.

Former Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha haunted his old team minutes later by increasing the lead to 2-0, giving him 30 goals in a season for the first time in his career. Egor Chinakhov then gave Pittsburgh a 3-0 advantage late in the frame. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

For the second straight game, goaltender John Gibson was pulled in favor of Cam Talbot, who played the final 40 minutes.  

While team captain Dylan Larkin scored on a rebound at 3:17 of the second period, Pittsburgh kept them off the scoresheet the rest of the way and later went up 4-1 thanks to Justin Brazeau. 

A tally from Noel Acciari would cap the scoring for the Penguins in the third period. 

The Red Wings entered March well aware of their struggles during the month in past seasons and said all the right things about delivering a different result this time around.

Just like their words after the loss to Philadelphia on Saturday, their actions didn't match what they ultimately delivered on the ice. 

The Red Wings have eight games remaining on their schedule. While there is still a path to the playoffs, their margin of error continues to shrink. 

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Bowen Byram flipped a long shot into an empty net with 1:43 remaining to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

The Sabres became the NHL’s 11th franchise to reach 2,000 wins — and the first team not added in the league’s first expansion in 1967 when the NHL went from six teams to 12. Buffalo joined in the second wave of expansion, joining the NHL with Vancouver in 1970.

Jack Quinn and Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist, and Peyton Krebs also scored for the Sabres, who reached 100 points for the 10th time in franchise history and first since finishing with 100 in 2009-10. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves for the Sabres.

Brayden Schenn, Calum Ritchie and Anders Lee scored, and Bo Horvat added three assists for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves.

Some three minutes after Lee tied the game at 2, Krebs scored with 3:01 left.

Alex Tuch set it up by circling the Islanders net and feeding Krebs in front for a one-timer.

And Bowen Byram sealed it by flipping a long shot into an empty net with 1:43 remaining.

Schenn scored with 1 second left, bringing the Islanders within 1.

Up next

Islanders: Host Philadelphia on Friday.

Sabres: Visit Ottawa on Thursday.