A three-goal third period and a monster performance from Jeremy Swayman powered the B’s to their most important win of the season (for now), as they beat the Red Wings 4-2 in Detroit.

When the B’s went down 2-1 just four minutes into the third via an Alex DeBrincat goal, you could be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t going to be their night.

However, Elias Lindholm tied the game just two minutes later, Nikita Zadorov scored three minutes after that, and a Marat Khusnutdinov empty-netter sealed the deal.

Sandwiched around those goals were 21 third period saves from Swayman, including a couple of the highlight reel variety.

David Pastrnak scored the other Bruins goal, a PPG early in the second period.

After a scoreless first period, Lucas Raymond got the Red Wings on the board with a power play goal. I’m not sure it’s possible for a guy to be more open than he was. 1-0 Red Wings.

Pastrnak answered with a PPG of his own 90 seconds later, beating John Gibson with one of the purest one-timers you’ll see this season. 1-1 game.

DeBrincat gave Detroit the lead 4:06 into the third period, beating Swayman with a wrist shot through traffic to make it 2-1 Red Wings.

Just over two minutes later, Lindholm beat Gibson five-hole with a curling-style shot that never left the ice, making it a 2-2 game.

The surprise goal of the night came three minutes later, when Zadorov beat Gibson with a wrist shot on the rush to make it 3-2 Bruins.

Khusnutdinov added the empty netter at 18:08 of the third period, putting this one out of reach for Detroit.

Bruins win, 4-2.

Game notes

• While scoring four goals certainly helps matters, Swayman was the reason the Bruins won this game. He was immense in the third period, making one, two, and even more highlight-reel stops in the final period alone.
• I’m not sure you can find a better snapshot of the importance of good goaltending than in last night’s third period, as Swayman stood on his head and Gibson allowed that Zadorov goal. You can cut him a little slack by saying that he was screened by his own defenseman, but you need a save from your goalie on that shot.
• Playing in his second straight game for the B’s, Lukas Reichel earned a penalty shot midway through the third period when he used his speed to draw a hook from Patrick Kane on a breakaway. The penalty shot attempt left a little to be desired, as he elected to try to beat Gibson with a shot from inside the hashmarks, but…good effort.
• Mason Lohrei made a great play to keep the puck in the offensive zone immediately before Lindholm’s goal. He was credited with an assist on the play.
• Speaking of the Lindholm goal, Morgan Geekie earned the primary assist on that goal, one of his three assists on the night.
• Pastrnak’s PPG came via a comically earned 5-on-3 power play, as the Red Wings managed to take two minor penalties in a span of just eight seconds.
• Along with the goal, Pastrnak earned an assist on the empty-netter, giving him 500 career assists.
• The regulation win allowed the B’s to swap spots in the standings with Detroit, as the Bruins moved into the first wild card spot. They’re two points ahead of Detroit and tied in points with Montreal.
• This was the Bruins’ first regulation win on the road since mid-January.

The Bruins will be off (game-wise, at least) Sunday and Monday before an Atlantic Division back-to-back: they’ll host Toronto on Tuesday before playing in Buffalo on Wednesday.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz didn't make his scheduled start in net against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night after taking a puck to the throat during warmups.

Stolarz was taken to a hospital for precautionary imaging and released as the Leafs, with Joseph Woll in goal, fell to the Senators 5-2 on March 21.

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after the game that Stolarz planned to meet the team for the flight home to Toronto. He did not have an update on the goalie's condition.

Anthony Stolarz will not start tonight for the Maple Leafs after taking a shot up high in warmups pic.twitter.com/2fsusNGRuQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2026

"Obviously it's, you know, really tough to see that happen," said forward William Nylander, whose warmup shot struck Stolarz.

"I always come in and shoot the puck in the glove, and this one just came off a little bit to the left, and I hit him in the neck. So, I mean, I was obviously worried for him, but, I mean, I've been texting with him, so he seems to be OK."

In his second season with the Leafs, Stolarz is 8-9-3 with a 3.34 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 22 games. The 32-year-old, who won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024 as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup, missed 33 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Stolarz injury: Maple Leafs goalie hit in throat by puck

The Colorado Avalanche are bound for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season!

Today, their final road swing through the Eastern Conference sees them in a brunchtime visit to Washington, D.C. to face the Washington Capitals in a bid to sustain their Central Division lead.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche got their four game road trip off to a good start on Friday evening, as they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4-1 at United Center. All of Colorado’s big guns factored into the victory, as Martin Nečas, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Valeri Nichushkin all tallied goals in the contest. Nathan MacKinnon’s three assist night helped power Colorado’s big guns in the victory as he continues his chase for the Art Ross scoring title; coming into today’s contest, MacKinnon’s 114 points sees him two points behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (116) and four points behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (118). The win snapped Colorado’s three game losing streak, and helped them maintain their position as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and entire League standings.

With the win over Chicago, the Avalanche clinched their ninth consecutive postseason berth, and became the first team in the NHL this season to reach the 100 point mark in the standings. Although they’ve enjoyed being ahead of the rest of the League by a healthy margin throughout the season, that lead has diminished as the regular season marches towards its conclusion. The annoyingly persistent Dallas Stars have narrowed the lead the Avalanche have over their Central Division rivals in recent weeks, but Colorado did get some help from the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Dallas by a 2-1 overtime decision at Grand Casino Arena. The Avalanche currently hold a three point lead over Dallas, but today’s contest in Washington serves as Colorado’s game in hand in the standings. A win today will increase their lead to five points, with both teams having thirteen games remaining on their regular season schedules.

Head Coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the accomplishment after the win in Chicago on Friday. “We like what we’re doing right now. Obviously, there’s ebbs and flows to the season, but I think, to this point in the season, if you look at it as a whole, that we’ve put ourselves in a good spot here. We feel good about the way we’re playing. Making the playoffs is the first step to getting to where you want to go, so we’re pretty happy about that.”

Bednar may opt to return to Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 19 of 20 shots on Friday against Chicago, for today’s contest. Scott Wedgewood, who continues leading the League for the lowest goals against average (2.19), and now leads the League in save percentage (.916), could get the start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh should Bednar decide on starting Blackwood today.

Prior to leaving for Chicago, Bednar indicated that Ross Colton, Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Logan O’Connor would accompany the Avs on the road trip, and that all four were projected to return to the lineup at some point as the trip progresses. None of them were in the lineup on Friday evening in Chicago, and at the time of this writing, there are no updates on whether any of them would make an appearance against Washington today. However, Ivan Ivan, who was in action on Friday in Chicago, was reassigned to Loveland after the contest, which may indicate that at least one player may return to action today.

Both Colorado and Washington previously met on January 19 at Ball Arena. MacKinnon scored twice, Nečas had a goal and an assist, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 of 24 shots in that contest as the Avalanche skated to a 5-2 victory. Today’s game wraps up the season series against Washington.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Valeri Nichushkin – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Nazem Kadri – Brock Nelson – Nicolas Roy
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov

Defense:
Cale Makar – Sam Girard
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Washington Capitals

Since their previous meeting against Colorado in January, Washington has hovered around the .500 mark, having won five of their final nine games prior to the Olympic break and six of their previous eleven games upon returning to action after the pause. As a result, Washington currently sits in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, and are six points back of the final wild card spot, currently occupied by the Detroit Red Wings, in the Eastern Conference.

With three teams ahead of them as the season winds down, Washington’s chances of making the playoffs are slim. The trade deadline on March 6 saw the departures of Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights and cornerstone defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks, and the acquisition of forward David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the San Jose Sharks. Since the deadline, Washington has gone 4-2-1, but comes into today’s contest against Colorado having won three of their four previous games. Their most recent victory came this past Friday against the New Jersey Devils by a score of 2-1.

The debut of Cole Hutson this past Wednesday saw the rookie defenseman score his first career goal with Washington. While his older brother Lane may have more name recognition across the League due to his play for the Montréal Canadiens, Capitals fans certainly may feel optimistic about what he can bring to the Washington blue line, especially after scoring in his debut. The loss of Carlson may certainly sting, but the future lynchpin on defense may already be right there in Hutson if his development follows a similar trajectory to Lane’s.

As noted in this space during the first preview article featuring Washington and Colorado, if you were asked who was leading Washington in goals, you’d probably say it was Alex Ovechkin. As it was back then, it is still Tom Wilson, but Ovechkin now shares the goal scoring lead with Wilson (25), and the lead in team points (52). Wilson, who was out with injury for the previous outing against Colorado, earned a silver medal with Team Canada along with goaltender Logan Thompson. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun is third among Washington skaters in points (51), second in goal scoring among all skaters (23, tied with Aliaksei Protas), and third in assists (28).

Thompson has won his three of his past five starts, and will likely start today against Colorado. He ranks third in goals against average among goaltenders (2.36), and fourth in save percentage (.915).

Today’s game against Colorado wraps up a four game home stand at Capital One Arena. Washington will begin a three game road trip out west on Tuesday.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier
Aliaksei Protas – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael – Justin Sourdif – Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime – Hendrix Lapierre – Ethen Frank

Defense:
Martin Fehérváry – Rasmus Sandin
Jakob Chychrun – Trevor van Reimsdyk
Cole Hutson – Matt Roy

Between the Pipes:
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

The Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators are at the United Center on Sunday afternoon for a day game within the Central Division. The Blackhawks are trying to finish the season strong, while the Predators are trying to make a late-season push for the playoffs. 

Chicago is coming off a horrendous loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. Nashville is coming into the second leg of a back-to-back, as they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. 

Scouting Nashville 

The Nashville Predators are on a three-game winning streak, and that has pushed them above the playoff line entering Sunday. Nobody saw that coming, even a month ago, let alone multiple months ago. 

Stamkos - O'Reilly - Evangelista 

Forsberg - Wood  - Marchessault

Jost - Haula - L'Heureux

Schafer - Svechkov - Wiesblatt 

Skjei - Josi

Hague - Perbix

Barron - Ufko

Annunen

Murray

Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault, and Filip Forsberg lead things up front for Nashville. They were sellers at the deadline, but they kept these guys, and they are being rewarded for it late in the season. 

On defense, the bottom two pairs follow the lead of the top pair, comprised of Brady Skjei and Roman Josi. Nashville has been one of the best NHL teams at pumping out impactful defensemen, and this year is no different with their newfound depth.

Juuse Saros is injured, so their options in goal against the Blackhawks are Justus Annunen and Matt Murray. Annunen defeated the Golden Knights on Saturday, but they could go right back to him on Sunday. Andrew Brunette has a decision to make, but it won’t be revealed until closer to game time. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are not expected to have Sacha Boisvert or Anton Frondell available for Sunday’s game. They are both expected to make their NHL debut on the East Coast later next week. 

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky  

Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen  

Slaggert-Donato-Mikheyev  

Lardis-Toninato-Lafferty  

Vlasic-Levshunov

Kaiser-Rinzel

Del Mastro-Grzelcyk

Knight

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to be without Andrew Mangiapane and Louis Crevier again on Sunday. They are expected to return to the lineup on the upcoming road trip. 

Going with a traditional lineup was forced on Jeff Blashill in the loss to Colorado, as he used the 11/7 strategy in St. Paul on Thursday. Having Dominic Toninato, Sam Lafferty, and Ethan Del Mastro in the lineup on Sunday will be necessary again. 

Arvid Soderblom played for Spencer Knight on Sunday, the second half of a back-to-back. Against the Predators, expect Knight to get the nod once again. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 2:00 PM CT. 

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

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With an incredibly tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference this season, the Montreal Canadiens had a must-win game against the New York Islanders on Saturday at the Bell Centre. Before the game, the organization paid tribute to Rodger Brulotte, a monument of the journalistic scene in Quebec, who passed away on Friday after a battle with cancer. Brulotte will be most remembered for his role as the Montreal Expos play-by-play man on RDS, but he also had a hand in the creation of the Expos’ mascot (at the time), Youppi! After the video tribute, the mascot came out on the ice, wearing his Expos jersey from back in the day, and holding a picture of himself with Brulotte, a nice touch by the organization.

The tribute to Rodger #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/mBERtlqELj

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) March 21, 2026

The Canadiens came out strong out of the gate and took a whopping 17 shots on Ilya Sorokin’s net in the first frame, but they still ended up trailing 2-1 after the first 20 minutes of action. While the Habs did well to test the star netminder often, they failed to create any traffic in front of him, and he’s one of those goalies who will stop the puck if he sees it.

Jacob Fowler, who was in the net for the first time since his loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Sunday, only saw six shots in the first stanza, but still surrendered two goals. The first of which was a sharp top-corner shot from former Habs Emil Heineman on the power play, and the second was scored on a breakaway. He could have given up a third after mishandling the puck out of his net and losing it, but Brendan Gallagher cut off the Islanders’ pass.

A Tale Of Two Teams

After dominating in the first frame, the Canadiens came out worryingly flat to start the second frame and stayed flat for much of it. Martin St-Louis’ men didn’t have a single shot on goal until 14 minutes had been played in the frame. Whatever Montreal was trying, it wasn’t working. Asked about that period, the coach explained:

The first tenish minutes of the second, we couldn’t execute. We had so many moments where we could have spent time in their zone, but we missed a pass, we tried to go low to high, and it bounced over our sticks. We could never get going. Eventually, we got it back. You know, I thought our power play was really good, which helped us regain momentum. I just felt tonight, in that third period, the guys understood how we played a lot of good hockey, and, unfortunately, the game is tied right now. Let’s get this game. It was a group decision at that point; we just kept going, and we were hard to handle.

- St-Louis on a tough game to coach

The Canadiens bounced back after a good scare; the Islanders had a goal denied when the puck was touched too high, and it seemed to wake Montreal up. Not long after, Jean-Gabriel Pageau absolutely obliterated Lane Hutson with a bone-crushing hit, and from that point on, the right version of the Canadiens was back. Seconds after that hit, Alex Newhook, who had missed numerous chances up to that point, tied up the game with a one-timer from the side. The goal came at the right time, especially since he had just missed a golden scoring opportunity from the high slot.

Less than a minute and 20 seconds later, Cole Caufield scored his 41st of the season, walking in with the puck on the near post and lodging it above Sorokin’s shoulder. A power play goal made possible by the fact that Juraj Slafkovsky made a good read on the other side to stop a zone exit from the Isles.

Qu’est-ce qui vient après 40? 41!!

What's after 40? 41!! #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/nV4xHp9i9K

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 22, 2026

After 40 minutes, the Canadiens had a 3-2 lead, somehow. Still, Brendan Gallagher had put them in hot water again by taking an incredibly silly penalty, a tripping call in the offensive zone with six seconds left in the frame.

Gallagher Bounced Back

While the penalty ended up being costly, with New York tying up the game on that power play, the veteran wasn’t made to skip a shift. Some might have liked the coach to have held him accountable, but on his very next shift, the Habs got the lead back as the veteran was creating traffic in front of the Isles’ netminder. Gallagher had an assist on the play and redeemed himself in the best possible way. Perhaps the coach felt his veteran knew what he had done was wrong, so there was no need to hammer the point home.

An Offensive Feast For The Top Line

In this 7-3 win, the top line combined for 13 points. Caufield got a hat-trick and a pair of helpers for five points, while Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky both recorded four points. They were a thorn in the Islanders’ side all night, and they frustrated their first line so much that Matthew Barzal ended up dropping his gloves and trying to fight the captain in the third. Suzuki was wise enough to decline the invite, and Kaiden Guhle soon came to his rescue.

Montreal now has 13 games left to play, and Caufield has 43 goals, making a 50-goal season a real possibility; he is on pace for 51 as things stand. As for Slafkovsky, he now has 61 points in 69 games, and each new point sets a new career high. As for Suzuki, with 85 points, he only needs four to tie his record-breaking 89 output from last season. The question is, though, will they remain together or will they have to be split up to kick-start the second line?

The Canadiens will have a day off on Sunday and be back to work in Brossard on Monday morning.

Massive ovation for Rodger Brulotte after the video tribute. Youppi! Is on the ice wearing his Expos jersey #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Yd2hv5zbCB

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) March 21, 2026

---

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MONTREAL -- At the 11:20 mark of the third period after allowing his sixth goal of the night, New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin left the ice. 

The No. 1 netminder had made 26 saves, but in a game that was not going to end in the Islanders' favor, head coach Patrick Roy made the move to give Sorokin a breather as he'll be back in between the pipes for the second leg of the club's back-to-back, a pivotal Sunday night showdown against the third-place Columbus Blue Jackets. 

"[I pulled him] because he's playing tomorrow," Roy said postgame. "It's as simple as that. We have to regroup for tomorrow, and Ilya will be in front of the net. These are two big games for us, and tomorrow is a big one as well. They're all big games, actually, but that's the main reason why we did that, to rest [Sorokin].

Sorokin has yet to play both legs of a back-to-back this season. 

Puck drop between the Islanders and the Blue Jackets comes your way at 7 PM ET live from UBS Arena and can be watched on MSGSN. 

The Islanders are one point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 games to go. 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists to take the NHL scoring lead from Edmonton star Connor McDavid in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 5-2 victory over the Oilers on Saturday night.

Kucherov scored his 39th and 40th goals and had his 77th and 78th assists to push his season points total to 118. McDavid had his 38th goal to get to 116. Kucherov has 12 points in his last three games and 22 in his last eight.

Anthony Cirelli also scored twice, Jake Guentzel added a goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for Tampa Bay. Second in the Atlantic Division, the Lightning have won three in a row and four of five.

Josh Samanski also scored for Edmonton, and Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots. Second in the Pacific, the Oilers have lost two in a row.

The Lightning took a 3-1 lead with three minutes left in the second period. Kucherov emerged from the penalty box at the end of the first half of an Edmonton five-on-three advantage. and J.J. Moser sprung him on a breakaway for his first career short-handed goal.

McDavid is just shy of three milestones. He's a goal away from 400, an assist from 800 and two points short of 1,200.

Up next

Lightning: At Calgary on Sunday night.

Oilers: At Utah on Tuesday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Saturday evening provided the Detroit Red Wings with one of their biggest tests of the season against the Boston Bruins, a divisional opponent with whom they are neck-and-neck in the chase for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Unfortunately, the game slipped away from them in the final 20 minutes of play. 

The Bruins, who entered the contest tied with Detroit in the standings, erased a 2–1 deficit in the third period with two quick goals on their way to a 4–2 victory at Little Caesars Arena. 

Final.

Next up: Ottawa on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/DrTEMKUClP

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 22, 2026

Elias Lindholm beat goaltender John Gibson with a quick wrist shot through his five-hole at 6:22 to tie the score, followed by a short-side goal from defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the face-off circle just 3:20 later. It ultimately stood up as the game-winner. 

Despite the loss, the Red Wings remain in the second overall Wild Card position in the tightly-packed Atlantic Division with 84 points. Unfortunately, they once again got zero help from the outside, thanks to victories from the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators. 

The Montreal Canadiens rebounded from their 3-1 loss to Detroit on Thursday by beating the New York Islanders 7-3, moving two points ahead of Detroit and into the third overall spot in the division. 

As it happens, Ottawa is Detroit's next opponent on Tuesday night. At 81 points, they're dangerously close in Detroit's rear-view mirror. 

Team captain Dylan Larkin missed his seventh consecutive contest with a lower-body injury he sustained on March 6. While he's resumed practicing, he's yet to be given the green light to return to game action. 

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

The opening 20 minutes of play were scoreless, despite J.T. Compher appearing to have beaten the buzzer with a goal in the waning seconds of the period. However, replays confirmed that the puck entered the net literally 0.2 seconds too late. 

However, Detroit was quick to find the back of the net in the second period thanks to a power-play tally from Lucas Raymond, his 22nd of the season. 

But Detroit soon got into penalty trouble. David Perron was whistled for interference, and just seven seconds later, Moritz Seider was called for delay-of-game after flipping the puck over the glass.

It directly led to a goal from sniper David Pastrnak, who scored his 28th goal off a wicked one-timed shot just seconds into the 5-on-3 chance. 

The Red Wings re-took the lead 4:06 into the third period, as Alex DeBrincat scored for the second time in as many games, beating Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman through traffic from the top of the face-off circle; it was his 35th of the season. 

Unfortunately, from that point on, Swayman was impenetrable. He made an acrobatic-like glove save on DeBrincat just minutes later, robbed rookie Emmitt Finnie on the doorstep, and made several other key saves to hold down the fort for his team.

Gibson, who also made a third-period save on Lukas Reichel's penalty shot opportunity, finished with 22 saves on the 25 shots he faced; Swayman countered with 41 stops in one of his best performances of the season. 

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After a day off on Thursday following a 2-1 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames the previous night, St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery put his team through the gamut on Friday.

The coach had to stop several drills multiple times to get points across. 

It resonated on Saturday when the Blues finished off a long but short on games played through Canada with a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday.

Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist to reach 500 points in the NHL, Logan Mailloux (two assists) had his first multipoint game in the NHL, Pius Suter and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues (28-30-11), who finished their trip 1-1-1 and are 7-1-2 in the month of March. They are six points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card in the Western Conference. Jordan Binnington made 14 saves for the win.

The Blues did have two goals called back (Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway) in the game, one for goalie interference and one for playing the puck with a high stick, a change from Wednesday when they tied an NHL record for most challenges successfully won (three) in one game.

Let's look at Saturday's game observations:

* A more direct approach -- Unlike their 2-1 shootout loss to the Flames on Wednesday, the Blues had a more direct approach and played with a purpose, especially in the offensive zone.

They limited their giveaways in areas that weren't in dangerous areas, and when pucks were in Vancouver's zone, particularly the first and second periods, forwards were on the hunt with effective forechecks, keeping plays alive that enabled them to create opportunities and driving middle lanes to the net.

In the first period, although they didn't score, Cam Fowler and Holloway had opportunities coming down the slot due to effective pressure.

There wasn't a whole lot more to that first period, other than a very quick one due to at one point, the play running for 8:52 without a whistle and a 5-4 edge in shots on goal for the Blues, but they elevated their play in the second period when they took control of the game, and it all started with Suter scoring against his former team at 10:17 to make it 1-0.

It started when Snuggerud's forecheck got a piece of Filip Hronek's backhand clearance in the Vancouver zone, and the Blues were able to keep the puck alive, eventually with Holloway finding Robert Thomas in alone on Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, who made the save on Thomas, but Suter, who came on when Snuggerud came off on a line change, made an immediate beeline to the net and was able to steer it in with his body after making stick contact down on a knee:

Suter comes back to Vancouver and gives the Blues a 1-0 lead! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/vvEcIL8lPR

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 22, 2026

The Blues, who outshot the Canucks 11-6 in the middle period, went right back to work and Buchnevich's one-timer from just inside the right circle made it 2-0 at 11:36 when another cycle play wound up at the point, with Mailloux finding Philip Broberg, who had space to skate in along the left side into the left circle, pump fake a shot before going back cross seam to just inside the top of the right circle for a one-timer by Buchnevich:

Poetry in motion. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/yHaAjSCrYy

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 22, 2026

They say a two-goal lead is the worst in sports, especially hockey, but this one had the feel of being pretty safe despite the Blues laying off the gas in the third period and seeing the Canucks pull within one on Hronek's power-play goal at 8:32 to cut the deficit in half at 2-1 on a wrist shot that deflected off Mailloux's stick.

* The Big 5-0-0 -- Buchnevich completed the Blues' win when he could have deposited a puck into the goal himself but chose instead to give Kyrou the power-play, empty-netter at 19:12 for a 3-1 lead, giving him 198 goals and 302 assists:

With two points tonight against Vancouver, Pavel Buchnevich has reached 500 in his @NHL career. Congrats Buchy! 👏 #stlbluespic.twitter.com/1YTZqAHUxs

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 22, 2026

The line with Jake Neighbours and Kyrou produced a 14-1 edge in Corsi-for, according to naturalstattrick.com and a Fenwick-for of 9-1. 

* Mailloux keeps playing 20-plus -- Getting to play with Broberg means the rookie will get big minutes, and for the 11th straight game, Mailloux played 20-plus minutes, To go with his first multipoint game in the NHL after getting the secondary assist on Kyrou's goal, Mailloux played 21:59 and was a plus-1.

In his past 11 games, including Saturday's 21:59, Mailloux has played 26:56, 24:58, 21:16, 21:41, 23:39, 20:16, 25:03, 22:52, 20:32, 20:35. 

Mailloux's last game when he played fewer than 20 minutes was Feb. 26, the first game out of the Olympic break; he has two goals and two assists and is a plus-3 in the past 11 games.

* Top line keeps driving offense -- With Snuggerud helping set up the first goal with his forecheck and Thomas and Holloway each picking up an assist on the Suter goal, it was another game in which this trio drive the Blues' offense with the ability to skate and check and make plays.

Thomas now has at least a point in 12 of his past 13 games (six goals, 10 assists) with a plus-16 going back to Jan. 9; Holloway has a point in eight of nine games (four goals, seven assists) with a plus-12, and Snuggerud has a point in seven of 10 games (five goals, seven assists) with a plus-10.

The line produced 12 of the Blues' 21 scoring chances for.

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After the crushing loss to the Ottawa Senators where they got dominated after an early goal in the third period, the New York Islanders followed that up with a crushing loss to the Montreal Canadiens where they got dominated after an early goal in the third period.

For a team that’s thrived all year on a narrative of gritty comebacks and everyone stepping up, that clearly isn’t the case when the pressure is at its highest. And maybe we’re talking about a different game entirely if Mat Barzal and Matthew Schaefer don’t both hit iron in the second period, the one period the Islanders dominated but ended up down 3-2.

But the what ifs don’t matter, because in the biggest games of the season so far, the Islanders couldn’t find ways to win, while all the teams around them are picking up points and jumping ahead of them for a playoff spot they’ve held since the beginning of December.

Anders Lee had 1 point this entire road trip (an admittedly good power play assist tonight), which is not exactly “setting the tone” like he said after the first period of the Ottawa game where he fought Senators captain Brady Tkachuk (who notably did a lot more to set the tone, like, you know, scoring the game winning goal!)

JG Pageau, who signed a three year contract with the team just about two weeks ago, has put up a whopping 2 points in the 7 games since.

Bo Horvat hasn’t scored since the game against St. Louis on March 10th.

It’s just not enough from veteran leadership, and it’s not helped by the completely optional defense this team plays, relying solely on whether an 18 year old playing in his first NHL season can magically take over a game. It’s an indictment of Patrick Roy and management that this hasn’t been addressed all season.

Maybe the team will prove me wrong and go on a tear with 10 of their next 12 games at home. But right now, the team’s on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

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

First Period

It was somewhat controversial when Patrick Roy said Ilya Sorokin would be starting tonight’s game, given how direct an impact on the Metro Division standings the game tomorrow against the Columbus Blue Jackets has. But Sorokin made some huge saves early in the game as the Canadiens pressured him with shots.

Casey Cizikas took a slashing penalty, and Sorokin made a big save on Ivan Demidov, but Juraj Slafkovsky ripped it past Sorokin to make it 1-0 Montreal.

Kaiden Guhle was called for a roughing penalty and Matthew Schaefer had a good chance that Jacob Fowler saved on the delayed penalty.

The power play struggled a bit, but then Anders Lee, under pressure, passed the puck off to Emil Heineman, who scored his 20th of the season against his former team from a sharp angle.

Sorokin made some big saves on Alexandre Texier and Mike Matheson, and then on a breakaway, Simon Holmström deked the puck around Fowler to make it 2-1 Islanders.

Later, Tony DeAngelo took a slashing penalty that the Islanders killed.

Second Period

The Islanders had some good chances early, and then Noah Dobson took a penalty for hooking. On that power play, Mat Barzal hit the post after beating Fowler.

Matthew Schaefer comically high sticked a puck into the goal behind the net, which was obviously no goal but it was funny in a game where the Montreal crowd booed him just about every shift.

Sorokin saved a good shot from Slafkovsky, and Ryan Pulock and Cole Caulfield got into a scrum and everyone else skated over, too, but no penalties were given out.

Schaefer put a shot off the post, and Sorokin made another huge save on Slafkovsky redirect of a Lane Hutson shot.

But then, Alex Newhook tied the game after he was left all alone and Sorokin couldn’t get across the crease to stop it.

DeAngelo then took an interference penalty, and Caufield made it 3-2, despite the Islanders mostly being dominant this period.

Then, Brendan Gallagher was called for tripping Heineman with 6.3 seconds left in the period.

Third Period

Schaefer tied the game on that power play, one-timing it past Fowler and earning the record for most power play goals by a rookie defenseman for the Islanders with his 22nd of the season.

Sorokin made a save on a dangerous Hutson chance, but a Guhle shot deflected off Marc Gatcomb’s stick when he was trying to block it, then off the post, and in, to make it 4-3 Montreal.

Fowler saved a Cizikas shot on a 2 on 1, and the Canadiens made it 5-3 when Slafkovsky scored again. Schaefer lost the puck battle behind the net, and then Ryan Pulock was caught frozen watching the play rather than defending Slafkovsky in front.

A few minutes later, Caufield made it 6-3 with his second of the night, and then David Rittich was put in for Sorokin, who is presumably playing tomorrow against Columbus.

Then, Roy pulled Rittich with 6 minutes left, but the Isles wouldn’t have a 6 on 5 for long, as a big scrum broke out with Mat Barzal trying to fight Nick Suzuki. Barzal picked up 4 minutes for roughing and a 10 minute misconduct, while Suzuki got 10 minutes to match, while Kaiden Guhle who came in late on Barzal got two minutes for roughing and a 10 minute misconduct, and Brayden Schenn, who also joined in, got a 10 minute misconduct.

On the ensuing Montreal power play, Caufield got his hat trick to make it 7-3.

Then, Zachary Bolduc made it 8-3, but Roy challenged the play for being offside, and won, taking that goal off the board. I’m sure that’s a consolation prize to someone, as the Canadiens closed out their 7-3 win, keeping the Islanders on the outside of the playoffs with 83 points in 70 games.

Up Next

Next, the Islanders head home to UBS Arena to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have surged up the standings and are now two points ahead of the Islanders with a game in hand, occupying third in the Metro Division. A win tomorrow would keep the playoff hopes alive, while a loss would be pretty catastrophic as all the teams around the Islanders in the Eastern Conference just keep winning.

Jordan Spence and Tyler Kleven each helped set up two goals on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators rolled to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, outshooting them 43-14 in the process.

The Senators looked to have the game well in hand, building a 3-0 second-period lead before Toronto pushed back. The Leafs clawed their way to within one, but Michael Amadio’s third-period goal poured cold water on the embers of a comeback, before Ridly Greig’s late marker ultimately sealed the win.

Ottawa also got goals from Tim Stützle, Claude Giroux, and Warren Foegele, who now has four goals in eight games since joining the club.

Easton Cowan led the way for Toronto with a goal and an assist, while John Tavares added the other Leafs goal.

This was a game the Senators absolutely had to have, and not just because they're right in the thick of the playoff chase. The circumstances were clearly tilted in their favour.

Toronto has gone from first to worst in the Atlantic this season and is now playing out the string. They were already without Auston Matthews due to a knee injury, and had also lost Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton to trades at the deadline two weeks ago. Just before puck drop, the Leafs were dealt another blow when Morgan Rielly was ruled out.

But the headaches didn't end there. After preparing all day to be the backup, Joseph Woll was forced into action after William Nylander’s shot struck starter Anthony Stolarz in the throat area during warmups. Stolarz was taken to the hospital to be examined, forcing the Leafs into an EBUG situation.

The Senators had an injury scare of their own when Oliver Ekman-Larsson skated almost the length of the ice and drove Dennis Gilbert hard into the end boards. Gilbert stayed down for roughly a minute before leaving the game, appearing to favour his shoulder.

If Gilbert is sidelined, and Travis Green says it could be a while, Ottawa could turn to Lassi Thomson, who's already with the team as the seventh defenceman. But that doesn't mean Thomson is necessarily the next man up. That may be Carter Yakemchuk, who may still be in Belleville because he needs to play, not sit in an NHL press box as the seventh man.

Late in the game, Fabian Zetterlund nearly added a highlight-reel finish, attempting a Michigan-style goal behind the Toronto net. He couldn’t quite pull it off, but Sens fans would have described it as a fitting exclamation point against their hated rivals, reminiscent of Greig’s infamous empty-net clapper that riled the Leafs up a few years ago.

The victory moves the Senators to within one point of the New York Islanders, who were hammered 7-3 in Montreal on Saturday night, and three points behind Detroit for the final Wild Card spot. 

The Senators are back in action Monday night in New York against the Rangers. If they win that one, they may have a chance to pass the idle Red Wings and into a playoff spot when they face the Wings in a massive head-to-head showdown on Tuesday in Detroit.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.

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MONTREAL -- After a devastating defeat to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, the New York Islanders were punished by the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday in a 6-3 loss. 

Goaltender Ilya Sorokin's brilliancy was not enough. He allowed six goals on 32 shots in what was an onslaught. David Rittich came in for relief, with Roy giving Sorokin some rest as he'll start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. 

Looking around the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins won in a shootout. The Blue Jackets won in regulation, while the Philadelphia Flyers also got a win to keep themselves in the playoff picture. 

The Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings are still playing. 

Here's how the game unfolded. 

Despite Juraj Slafkovskiy opening the scoring, an Emil Heineman snipe and a Simon Holmstrom breakaway tuck hand the Islanders on top. 

Palat get an assist since that’s whose stick Pelech used on the pass?

pic.twitter.com/veBd2gCyVq

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 21, 2026

However, a 2-1 lead quickly became a 3-2 deficit after the Canadiens scored twice in 1:19 in the middle frame. That was after the Islanders came out of the gates strong, going up 8-0. 

Rookie Matthew Schaefer did what he's done all season, scoring a big-time goal on the power play at the 45-second mark of the third period to move within one goal of the rookie record for a defenseman:

Big Game Schaef. #Isles

pic.twitter.com/UrznQJrVJq

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 22, 2026

But, less than three minutes later, Kaidan Guhle's point shot deflected off Marc Gatcomb and past Sorokin, putting Montreal back on top 4-3 at 3:17 of the third. 

Slafkovsky scored his second of the game at 8:07, giving Montreal a 5-3 lead. before Caufield's second of the game made it 6-3 at the 11:20 mark of the final frame. 

Caufield recorded the hat-trick on the power play at 14:59 of the third for a 7-3 final.

"I think it slipped away in the second period, when we hit those two posts," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said postgame. "I thought that was the difference in the game, and we could have made it 3-1, and they scored that late goal in that second period on their power play. We tied the game. Unfortunately, it was a bad bounce on that fourth one, and from there, they just took over the game." 

The Islanders end their final road trip of the season with a 1-2-0 record. 

The Vancouver Canucks hit to 40 loss mark on the season after a 3-1 defeat against the St. Louis Blues. Filip Hronek scored the only goal, which came on a third-period power play. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced in the loss. 

Saturday's game was the definition of a slow start. Vancouver registered just four shots in the first and were at 10 by the end of the second period. As for the 15 total shots, it was not the lowest of the season, but ranks tied for second with three other occasions. 

"They were quick up on us," said Adam Foote post-game. "And we weren't gapping up. Like it happened in the first early. We didn't do enough to start on time. And so when you're not gapping up, when you're not pushing up ice, you get caught in between. When our forwards weren't pushing with all three, then the D weren't gapping up either, and they were just hit in the middle and going back down into our end. And the second period. We have struggled in second periods, because we get caught when we're not skating. We get caught in our end easily, and then we have a hard time stopping cycles. So then once you get out of it, you got to change, and then you are right back down. So we've got to manage the puck better. Stop the cycles as a few to five in the second. And you know, it's hard to generate offense when you're in your end. Then you're having these changes. And the changes were really weak, like they weren't even proper. We didn't thump it out deep enough and push them back in their end to at least get our forecheck going there. Do another quick up. So something we've been working on and addressing, and, you know, once we started pushing in the third, we saw it changed. And, you know, we took over the third. But we have to learn to start on time in these afternoon games too."

Again, second periods proved to be the Canucks' Kryptonite. Vancouver allowed two in the middle frame, which brought their total to 95 allowed in 69 games. At this stage of the campaign, it is hard to imagine this problem being fixed as it has plagued the team since the start of the season. 

In the end, the Canucks can not afford to have performances like this down the stretch. While wins and losses no longer matter, effort levs and process are still being judged as the organization tries to sort out who to keep for the rebuild. Ultimately, Saturday was another disappointing performance in front of a Rogers Arena crowd who have seen just eights win in 36 games. 

Stats and Facts:

- Elias Pettersson ties Mattias Öhlund for the 11th most power play assists in franchise history at 103

- Elias Pettersson tied J.T. Miller for the ninth most power play points in franchise history at 165

- Marco Rossi goes eight for nine in the faceoff dot

- Canucks set a franchise record for regulation loss in a season at 23

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

No Scoring

2nd Period:

10:17- STL: Pius Suter (11) from Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway
11:36- STL: Pavel Buchnevich (16) from Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux

3rd Period:

8:32- VAN: Filip Hronek (8) from Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi (PPG)
19:12- STL: Jordan Kyrou (16) from Pavel Buchnevich and Logan Mailloux (PPG) (ENG)

Up Next:

The Canucks continue their homestand on Tuesday when they battle the Anaheim Ducks. Vancouver and Anaheim will play twice more this season, with the final game coming in April. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored three goals to push his season total to 43 and added two assists to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 7-3 on Saturday night.

Caufield is second in the NHL in goals, two behind Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon.

The Canadiens entered the day third in the Atlantic Division, while the Islanders were the first team outside the playoffs in the tight Eastern Conference.

Juraj Slafkovsky had two goals and two assists, and Nick Suzuki had four assists to bring his season total to 61. Kaiden Guhle added a goal and two assists, Alex Newhook also scored and Jacob Fowler made 19 saves.

Emil Heineman, Simon Holmstrom and Matthew Schaefer scored for New York.

Ilya Sorokin allowed six goals on 32 shots before he was pulled midway through the third period. David Rittich stopped three of four shots in relief as the Islanders dropped their second second straight game. After Schaefer beat Fowler with a one-timer from the point to tie it 45 seconds into the third period, the Canadiens responded with four goals in a row,

Guhle restored the lead when his shot from distance deflected off forward Marc Gatcomb and into the net at 3:17.

Slafkovsky made it 5-3 at 8:08, and Caufield chased Sorokin with a shot between the goalie’s pads with 8:40 to go. Hats rained down on the ice when the American winger buried his 43rd with 5:01 left.

Up next

Islanders: Host Columbus on Sunday night.

Canadiens: Host Carolina on Tuesday night.

MONTREAL — This loss to the Canadiens came by entirely different means than two nights ago in Ottawa, when the Islanders just didn’t seem to have it in them. Saturday, though, might be an even worse punch to the mouth.

The Islanders were in this one, leading 2-1 and later tied 3-3. These were two teams in the thick of the playoff race tossing haymakers in prime time in front of a sold-out Bell Centre, the intensity every bit as high as it’ll be in the postseason.

And then Mike Tyson, whaling on some poor sap who couldn’t get knocked out quick enough.

Two nights after playing a disastrous third period in Ottawa, the Islanders were even worse over the final 20 minutes in Montreal.

Montreal’s top line overpowered the Islanders’ trio of Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, breaking the game open as the Habs scored four consecutive goals on the back of Cole Caufield’s hat trick to hand the visitors a disastrous 7-3 defeat that marks a major setback in the playoff race.

“Sometimes there’s no explanation,” coach Patrick Roy said. “The other teams just have talent and they have skills. If you try to open up the game — I can’t blame our guys to try to open up the game as well because you’re trying to come back in the game.”

After the Penguins had won in the afternoon and the Blue Jackets sealed up their victory over the Kraken, it became all the more critical for the Islanders to leave Bell Centre with two points just to keep pace.

They did not, and as a result cannot regain third place in the Metropolitan Division merely by beating Columbus in an equally critical Sunday match on Long Island.

Paradoxically, the Islanders played a terrific second period, and yet it was when, according to Roy, the night started to slip away from them. After the Islanders held Montreal without a shot for the period’s first 14:26, the Habs erased a 2-1 deficit over the ensuing 5:34, grabbing a 3-2 lead on goals from Alex Newhook and Caufield.

For good measure, the Islanders had hit two posts in the period, and had a Matthew Schaefer goal disallowed for a (very) high stick.

Even after Schaefer scored his 22nd goal of the year to tie it 3-3 on the power play just 45 seconds into the third, the Isles couldn’t retain their composure.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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“We gave up a couple,” Ryan Pulock said. “And then we got carried away trying to chase it really hard.”

Kaiden Guhle gave the home side a 4-3 lead minutes later when his shot from the top of the zone deflected off Marc Gatcomb’s stick and in.

Making matters even worse, the Canadiens extended their lead 8:08 into the third on a Caufield-to-Juraj Slafkovsky goal that saw Pulock simply lose track of the Montreal superstar low in the slot.

Slafkovsky slammed in Caufield’s pass from behind the net, and a home crowd that had been tense all night was singing celebratory olés.

The singing renewed three minutes later when Caufield got on the end of Slafkovsky’s feed to make it 6-3. That prompted Roy to pull Ilya Sorokin in a bid to leave him fresh for Sunday, essentially raising the white flag on the evening.

Caufield added his third on a power play after Barzal’s frustrations boiled over and he unsuccessfully attempted to fight Nick Suzuki, taking a penalty amid the fracas that followed.

“Tonight was more they made plays through us,” Lee said. “We had a couple missed assignments. I wouldn’t say it was an effort problem. We thought we were a little short on [that] the other night.”

The Islanders had acquitted themselves well through 40 minutes, matching the Habs blow for blow and playing with far more physicality than they showed Thursday. Sorokin stood on his head in the first; the second was perhaps the best 20 minutes the Isles played on this three-game trip.

None of it mattered.

Not after the Isles wilted away in the third, their best players disappearing in the heat of the Bell Centre cauldron.

Roy tried his best to give some positive spin afterward, noting that the Islanders have 10 of their next 12 at home, where they’ve won seven of their past 10, and just need to regroup and refocus. It’s true enough that if they win Sunday, this won’t be remembered for long.

Here’s what’s also true: Their season took a hard turn in the wrong direction over the past few days. It needs to get fixed. Fast.