Flyers roll through California, improve to 9-2-1 over last 12 games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers sure enjoyed their time in California.

They capped off a perfect road trip with a 4-1 win Saturday over the Sharks at SAP Center.

Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, Travis Sanheim and Noah Cates found the back of the net for the Flyers.

Dvorak’s marker was the game-winner in the third period and it stemmed the tide for the team’s beleaguered power play. Sanheim and Cates iced things with empty-netters.

The Flyers (34-23-12) swept their California trip with three wins in four days. They took the first two games after regulation — a 3-2 decision over the Ducks in overtime and a 4-3 shootout finish over the Kings.

Rick Tocchet’s club is on a six-game point streak (5-0-1) and has gone 9-2-1 over its last 12 games. The Flyers have 80 points with 13 games to go after finishing with 76 last season (33-39-10).

The Flyers won both meetings with the Sharks (32-30-6) this season. They beat San Jose in December, 4-1, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

• With 24 saves on 25 shots, Dan Vladar gave up two or fewer goals for the 28th time in 42 starts this season.

The 28-year-old converted 12 of his stops in the third period. In the second period, he made a sharp pad save on young star Macklin Celebrini to maintain the Flyers’ 1-0 lead.

But a little over three minutes later, the Sharks struck on the power play after Emil Andrae hit the puck over the glass. Dmitry Orlov’s goal, though, was Vladar’s only blemish.

San Jose netminder Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots.

Tippett gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead early in the second period with his 24th of the season. He has looked awfully dynamic of late and is pushing for his first 30-goal season.

• The Flyers have not gone away in a deep Eastern Conference playoff race.

They’re four points back of the Red Wings, who are in the second wild-card position. The Flyers still have three head-to-head matchups with Detroit.

When it comes to the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers are five points back of the third-place Blue Jackets.

• Garnet Hathaway delivered a clean, difference-making check on Celebrini in the third period, a big hit that ended up putting the Flyers on the power play for Dvorak’s goal.

Hathaway drew the penalty because Mario Ferraro was whistled for roughing as he jumped on the Flyers’ winger in defense of Celebrini.

The Flyers’ league-worst power play hadn’t produced a goal in the last five games, so this was a timely breakthrough. Matvei Michkov extended his point streak to three games with an assist on the goal.

For Dvorak, every point now is adding to a new career high. He has 41 points on 14 goals and 27 assists.

• With Sean Couturier (upper body), Denver Barkey (upper body) and Luke Glendening (lower body) all missing a second straight game, the Flyers deployed 11 forwards and seven defensemen again.

Andrae was utilized mostly as a forward. Garrett Wilson, playing just his second NHL game in almost seven years, dropped the gloves with longtime heavyweight Ryan Reaves during the first period.

In the second period, Cates added to the bout total. He fought Barclay Goodrow, who put a good hit on Trevor Zegras.

• The Flyers return home for a matchup Tuesday with the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu).

It's no secret at this point that sniping forward Egor Chinakhov has found a home with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

And he just hit one of the first major points milestones of what is, hopefully, a long NHL career.

During Saturday's matinee matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, Chinakhov registered his 14th goal of the season and 11th with the Penguins just a minute and six seconds into the game. The goal marked his 100th career NHL point, which comes in his 235th NHL game. 

The goal also marked his 11th tally in 31 games played with the Penguins, and he has 22 points in that same time span.

Chinakhov, 24, was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29 for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 thirrd-round pick. He had requested a trade from the Jackets over the summer, and prior to the trade, he had just three goals and six points in 29 games and was a healthy scratch on a few occasions.

He is second only to Anthony Mantha (12) in team goals since making his debut with the Penguins on Jan. 1 against the Detroit Red Wings. 

Inside The Penguins' Goalie Tandem: Skinner, Šilovs Talk Relationship Outside Rink, Splitting Goaltending DutiesPittsburgh Penguins' goaltenders Artūrs Šilovs and Stuart Skinner have both been helping the Penguins win hockey games and continue to earn crucial points down the stretch - and the success of their split tandem extends off the rink as well.

---

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The Kings are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings earned 1 point in that game, which moved them into the final Western wildcard spot, and today's matchup won't be easy: the Kings host the Buffalo Sabres, who have been one of the NHL's best teams this season. The Sabres are coming off a 5-0 win over the San Jose Sharks and have not lost since March 12, when they faced the Washington Capitals.

Projected Kings Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

Alex Turcotte - Scott Laughton - Joel Armia

Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward

Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Darcy Kuemper

Anton Forsberg

Projected Sabres Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Sabres tonight: 

Zach Benson - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch

Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn

Noah Ostlund - Josh Norris - Josh Doan

Peyton Krebs - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn

Rasmus Dahlin - Mattias Samuelsson

Bowen Byram - Owen Power

Logan Stanley - Zach Metsa

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Alex Lyon

Line Changes and Injuries

The Kings get Joel Armia back after he missed the last 10 games, and they will also have Adrian Kempe in the lineup. The Kings have scratched Mathieu Joseph, Jacob Moverare, and Jared Wright in tonight's matchup. The Sabres have scratched Luke Schenn, Michael Kesselring, and Josh Dunne. 

Key Factors 

The Kings are facing a very strong team in the Buffalo Sabres, so the big names of Kempe and Panarin will be looked to for a spark tonight. Panarin continues his impressive play with the Kings this season, as in his last 3 games, he has 6 points. For the Sabres, they have talent everywhere, but Rasmus Dahlin is the one to watch for the Kings because he is not only a very strong defenseman, but has 5 points in his last 5 games. 

The Kings are likely to start Darcy Kuemper in tonight's matchup, and it looks like he will be going up against Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who last played against the Vegas Golden Knights, where he recorded a shutout.

Overall, this is a very tough matchup for the Kings, but if they stick to their game and stay strong defensively, they can battle for a win. My prediction in tonight's matchup is a 3-2 Kings win. 

The Vegas Golden Knights continued their recent slide Saturday, falling 4–1 to the Nashville Predators in a game that unraveled early and never fully stabilized.

Vegas has now dropped three straight and six of its last eight, struggling to generate timely offense while repeatedly putting itself behind the eight ball. Shea Theodore provided the lone goal for the Golden Knights, while Akira Schmid made 16 saves in the loss.

Steven Stamkos led the way for Nashville with two goals and an assist, striking just 40 seconds into the game to immediately tilt momentum. He added a power-play goal early in the second period as the Predators surged ahead. Tyson Jost and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for Nashville, which has now won three straight and four of its last six. Justus Annunen turned aside 39 shots to earn the win.

With his second goal, Stamkos moved past Brendan Shanahan into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history with 238 career power-play goals. Phil Esposito sits sixth with 246. Stamkos now has 33 goals and 55 points on the season.

First Period

Vegas couldn’t have asked for a worse start.

Just 40 seconds in, O’Reilly won an offensive-zone draw cleanly back to Stamkos, who wired a one-timer past Schmid to give Nashville an immediate 1–0 lead. It was a familiar script for the Predators, who improved their already strong record when scoring first.

To their credit, the Golden Knights responded with sustained pressure. By the midway point of the period, they had built a commanding edge in shots and puck possession, eventually finishing the frame with a 21–4 advantage. Despite that territorial dominance, they had nothing to show for it.

A late power-play opportunity—drawn when Stamkos was called for hooking Jack Eichel—offered a chance to reset the game, but Vegas’ recent struggles with the man advantage continued. Mitch Marner generated a quality look that Annunen snared cleanly, and another chance rang iron, but the Golden Knights came up empty yet again.

After 20 minutes, Vegas found itself trailing 1–0 despite thoroughly outplaying Nashville on the stat sheet.

Second Period

The game swung decisively early in the second—and it started with a costly penalty.

Less than a minute in, Theodore was assessed a double minor for high-sticking O’Reilly, drawing blood. Nashville wasted little time capitalizing, with Stamkos burying his second of the night on the extended power play to double the lead.

Moments later, Brayden McNabb took a puck up high and briefly exited down the tunnel, creating a tense moment before returning to the bench to a collective sigh of relief.

Vegas had its chances to respond. A power play at 4:31, following an interference call on Erik Haula, yielded some pressure but no finish. Pavel Dorofeyev came closest, battling for a loose puck at the top of the crease, but was tied up before he could get a clean shot off.

Another opportunity came midway through the period when O’Reilly was sent off for high-sticking McNabb. Instead of closing the gap, however, Vegas suffered a critical breakdown. A miscue at the blue line sprung Nashville on a 3-on-1 rush, and Jost buried the shorthanded chance to make it 3–0.

The Golden Knights finally broke through with 6:50 remaining. With O’Reilly back in the box—this time for slashing—Theodore stepped into a long-range wrister that beat Annunen cleanly to get Vegas on the board.

Any momentum was short-lived.

Moments after the goal, Nic Dowd was whistled for a blatant slashing penalty after snapping Fedor Svechkov’s stick in half. Nashville capitalized once again, as O’Reilly, still showing signs of the earlier high-stick, redirected a sharp pass at the top of the crease past Schmid to restore the three-goal cushion at 4–1.

Third Period

The Golden Knights had one final window to mount a push early in the third when Matthew Wood was called for slashing, but the power play once again failed to deliver. Vegas finished the night 1-for-4 with the man advantage—while also surrendering a backbreaking shorthanded goal.

From there, the game settled into a controlled defensive effort by Nashville. Despite continuing to generate shots, Vegas struggled to create second chances or sustained chaos around the net.

Schmid was pulled for the extra attacker with under five minutes remaining, but the Golden Knights couldn’t find a late spark. They did manage to keep Nashville off the empty net, but any hopes of a comeback had long since faded.

In the end, Vegas doubled Nashville in shots, 40–20, but the early deficit, special teams struggles, and costly mistakes proved too much to overcome as the Golden Knights dropped their third straight.

One of the players expected to play a role in the current rebuild for the Vancouver Canucks is defenceman Victor Mancini. The 23-year-old was acquired from the New York Rangers last season and recently signed a two-year extension. Listed at 6'3", 229 lbs, Mancini has a golden opportunity over the final few weeks of the campaign to show why he deserves a permanent spot on the blue line next year. 

Mancini has spent the year split between the NHL and AHL. The right-shot defender has played 18 games for Vancouver compared to 33 for the Abbotsford Canucks. When asked about some of the messaging he received from the coaching staff before being sent down to the AHL earlier this year, Mancini explained that the organization wanted him to keep his game consistent at both levels. 

"I don't have to do anything special at the American Hockey League level," said Mancini. "I don't have to do everything myself. Play the way I would at the NHL level. Little things like my skating, my transitions, my reads in the D zone, breakouts, little things like that are going to make a big difference."

At this stage of Mancini's career, improved development is key. He has played fewer than 200 professional games and is still learning how the NHL works. That being said, Mancini is ready to embrace any challenges that come his way as he works on taking his game to the next level. 

"Just knowing that in Abby, I wanted to play the same way there that I would at the NHL level. So then, with being called up, just not trying to force anything. Let the game come to me, and just be confident in myself. Be confident in my skating, my puck handling, and making plays, keeping my head up. I feel like the past few games, I've felt a lot more comfortable on the ice, and that confidence has finally shown through."

As an organization, the Canucks have gone through significant changes this year. While he hasn't been at the NHL level all season, Mancini has received a few call-ups, which means he has seen the locker room transform over the past few months. He has also noticed a change in vibe around the group, which has been a significant topic of conversation in the market since the trade deadline passed.

"A little bit. Yeah. I feel like, going through what we're going through, and then the trade deadline, like there's a lot of unease in the locker room with certain guys. You know, you never know what's gonna happen. But I think after the trade deadline and seeing, like, okay, this is the group that we got now. You can kind of put that stuff out of your mind and just focus on the next game."

With the 2025-26 season coming to a close, the next month will be key for Mancini. He won't have the opportunity to play in the playoffs, as both Vancouver and Abbotsford are projected to miss the post-season, meaning that these final games will be it for the campaign. For Mancini, he remains focused on impressing the coaching staff and proving that he belongs full-time in the NHL. 

"I think just prove that I belong and prove that I can play at this level and keep up with the speed. I feel like these past few games and the next, like, 15 or so, it's a bit of a tryout period for me. I'm not trying to read into things too much. I don't want to psych myself out. But, you know, when it comes down to it, the bottom line is just go out and play."

How the Canucks manage Mancini over the next month will be worth keeping an eye on. He has played over 16 minutes in each of his last three games and is looking more comfortable the longer he stays in the lineup. If Mancini can continue to develop his game, he has the potential to become a key part of the blue line next season. 

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.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Canucks Sign Defenceman Victor Mancini To Two-Year Contract Extension

Six-Game March Home Stand Filled With Positives And Negatives For The Abbotsford Canucks

Every Canucks Player Of The Game Axe Recipient Through 2025–26 So Far

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Anton Frondell's season with Djurgården is finished. They won their first game thanks to his overtime winner, but lost the next two, losing the series in three games. 

Frondell already had his entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks signed last summer, so that portion of his process is already done. Now, it's just about getting him to North America and in the lineup for his NHL debut. 

Frondell's season in Djurgarden ends with 20 goals and 8 assists for 28 points. For being a teenager in the SHL, a low-scoring league, he had an impressive goal total. His shot is otherworldly, and it will translate to the NHL eventually.

Chicago's top prospect also emphasizes his two-way game, comparing himself to Sasha Barkov of the Florida Panthers. It's a lofty expectation of himself, but confidence is never a negative. 

At the World Junior Championships, Frondell was a catalyst in Team Sweden's Gold Medal win. He got his team into the Gold Medal Game with his shootout winner over Finland, and finished the tournament with five goals and three assists for eight points in seven games. He was named to the All-Star team of the tournament and given best forward honors.

The Blackhawks are expected to add Frondell to their lineup in the coming days. They face the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon, and then leave for the East Coast for four games after. His first chance to play at the United Center will likely be on March 31st, when they face the Winnipeg Jets.

The Blackhawks selected Frondell with the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. With some of the other young players they have in the room, he will fit right in. His game is projected to mesh well with the budding core that Chicago has. 

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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Sharks' Ryan Reaves injures finger during fight vs. Flyers' Garrett Wilson originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Hockey’s reputation for toughness was on full display Saturday.

Just over two minutes into the game between the Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves with Flyers forward Garrett Wilson in an early heavyweight fight.

Both players exchanged a flurry of punches, but the moment took a turn when Reaves appeared to injure a finger during the scrap.

Reaves always brings the smoke 😤 pic.twitter.com/7uraadgHuB

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 21, 2026

Instead of heading to the locker room, Reaves skated to the bench to have the finger reset. He then served his penalty in the box — and returned to the ice shortly after.

Reaves was added to the Sharks’ roster in June 2025 in a trade that sent defenseman Henry Thrun to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Before joining San Jose, he was familiar to Sharks fans for his rivalry with former forward Evander Kane during his time with the Las Vegas Golden Knights — a feud that included a heated fight in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.

That physical edge has long been a defining part of his game.

Playing through injuries is nothing new in hockey, but Reaves’ quick return showed just how far players are willing to go to stay on the ice.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

MONTREAL -- Ilya Sorokin will start for the New York Islanders against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, the first leg of a back-to-back situation.

The Islanders host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 PM ET. 

#Isles morning skate lines vs. #GoHabsGo brought to you by Bull Smith’s Tavern:

Lee-Horvat-Barzal
Duclair-Schenn-Heineman
Palat-Pageau-Holmstrom
Ritchie-Cizikas-Gatcomb
E: MacLean, Shabanov

Schaefer-Pulock
Pelech-DeAngelo
Soucy-Mayfield
E: Boqvist

Sorokin
Rittich

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) March 21, 2026

We'll see if Sorokin gets both games of the back-to-back. 

In eight career starts against Montreal, Sorokin is 6-0-2, with a 1.83 GAA and a .939 SV%, with one shutout. He stopped 22 of 25 in the Islanders' 4-3 overtime win against them on Feb. 26. 

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The Montreal Canadiens will try to avenge a recent overtime loss to the New York Islanders when the two teams clash tonight.

Each side has leaned into low-scoring, defense-first hockey down the stretch as they prepare for the postseason, and I’m expecting a similar script to play out in my Islanders vs. Canadiens predictions.

Read more in my NHL picks for Saturday, March 21. 

Islanders vs Canadiens prediction

Islanders vs Canadiens best bet: Under 5.5 (+110)

The Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders are both battling for playoff positioning, and it shows.

Montreal has allowed just 2.71 goals per game over the past two weeks, while New York has been even stingier at 2.17 — the third-best mark in the league over that span.

The Under is 5-1 in each team’s last six games, with the Islanders hitting Under 5.5 in four straight and the Canadiens in two straight.

New York has also cashed the Under in 53.6% of its games this season, the seventh-highest rate in the NHL.

Islanders vs Canadiens same-game parlay

Goals will be hard to come by tonight, but if there’s anyone who can break through, it’s Cole Caufield.

The Habs winger has goals in three of his last four games and six of his last 10, including a tally vs. the Islanders in their last meeting on February 26.

Islanders vs Canadiens SGP

• Under 5.5
• Cole Caufield anytime goalscorer

Islanders vs Canadiens odds

• Moneyline: Islanders +105 | Canadiens -125
• Puck Line: Islanders +1.5 (-230) | Canadiens -1.5 (+190)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+115) | Under 6.5 (-135)

Islanders vs Canadiens trend

The Under is 9-4 in New York’s last 13 road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Islanders vs. Canadiens.

How to watch Islanders vs Canadiens

Islanders vs Canadiens latest injuries

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The Chicago Blackhawks have had the number one penalty kill in the NHL for quite some time. They aren’t a winning team, but that aspect of their overall game has been impressive for most of the 2025-26 season. 

Part of the PK success was the play of Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, and Jason Dickinson. All three of them were traded away ahead of the deadline, and the penalty kill units miss them. 

On Friday night against the Colorado Avalanche, the Blackhawks gave up two power-play goals. Despite having so much firepower, the Avalanche came in with the 29th-ranked power play, but they found a way against the Blackhawks. 

That makes it 7 power play goals against over the 8 games since the trade deadline. Chicago enters an idle Saturday with the second-ranked PK at 84.1 percent. To still be in second after giving up 7 power play goals in 8 games tells you how good the kill was ahead of the deadline. 

Now, the Blackhawks must move forward with younger players taking over the kill. Special teams is an important aspect of the game, and they have a PK system that has worked well, but new faces need reps. 

"I think it's something that you continue to gain experience with," Wyatt Kaiser said of the PK. "There are going to be some stumbles and falls, but we have to learn from those and continue to move forward and get better."

Kaiser mentioned that there are certain plays that you only see in the NHL, and that seeing them and learning from them is how to get better. With stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Marty Necas on the other side, it can take time for young players to process. 

"Some new guys are on there, but our structure hasn't changed," Ryan Greene said. "We're still trying to accomplish the same thing within the same structure. Giving up two [against Colorado] wasn't good enough; it's on us to execute better."

Ryan Greene, as a rookie, has a deep understanding of the game. He isn't a flashy player who will have all of these incredible stats, but he knows how to play well in all situations. His words echo what Kaiser said: they just need to keep learning from their triumphs and mistakes. Blashill had a similar response. 

"You need reps," Blashill said on the PK postgame. "Penalty kill is one of those things where there are so many different nuances that happen. We certainly have our structure, but I don't know any way to learn it without going through it. They're getting those reps."

Blashill also made a point that they have had multiple instances of killing off most of the penalty and then allowing one late after some great work. That will certainly impact the numbers, but he also understands that you need to kill the full two minutes to win more than you lose. 

The head coach also pointed out that they have committed to trial by fire, so the young players are going to continue getting big PK minutes as the season winds down. In that sense, moving out the veterans to make room for them was a wise choice. It's better to develop the PK now than when they are trying to win down the line. 

The commitment to being a winning player is there up and down the lineup, and they are not afraid to work on getting better.

The dip in penalty kill since the deadline is never easy to deal with, but it will be more valuable for the future of the team to see the youth take over, rather than guys succeeding who won't be there in the long term.

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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We’ve got 11 games on the NHL betting slate tonight, including a cross-conference clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Evan Bouchard’s offensive instincts are off the charts, and it’s resulted in a heavy shot volume lately. My Lightning vs. Oilers predictions expect that trend to continue tonight against Tampa.

Find out more with my free NHL picks for Saturday, March 21.

Lightning vs Oilers prediction

Lightning vs Oilers best bet: Evan Bouchard Over 2.5 shots on goal (-125)

The Edmonton Oilers are struggling to score, but are averaging 31.6 shots on goal per game over their last five games.

Evan Bouchard is the team leader in shots during this stretch, with 17 in his last five games, averaging 3.5 shots per game.

Bouchard's posted total tonight is set at 2.5, a number he’s eclipsed in five of his last six games.

Additionally, the Oilers blueliner has averaged 3.4 shots on net in his five career meetings against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Bolts are a plus matchup for defensemen, allowing 7.79 shots per game to the position.

Lightning vs Oilers same-game parlay

Bouchard leads all NHL defensemen with 78 points, 59 of them counting as assists. He’s also registered 1+ assists in 10 of his last 13 games.

Nikita Kucherov has 12 multi-point performances in his last 20 games, averaging 2.2 points per game in that stretch.

Lightning vs Oilers SGP

• Evan Bouchard Over 2.5 shots on goal
• Evan Bouchard Over 0.5 assists
• Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 points

Lightning vs Oilers odds

• Moneyline: Lightning -140 | Oilers +120
• Puck Line: Lightning -1.5 | Oilers +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 | Under 6.5

Lightning vs Oilers trend

The Oilers have hit the 1P Over in 14 of their last 20 games (+7.35 Units / 24% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Lightning vs. Oilers.

How to watch Lightning vs Oilers

Lightning vs Oilers latest injuries

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The Vegas Golden Knights enter Saturday’s matchup against the Nashville Predators with a pressing need to reverse recent setbacks. A disappointing performance against the Utah Mammoth highlighted multiple areas of concern, leaving the team’s coaching staff and players with little margin for error as the regular season approaches its critical final stretch.

Vegas has now experienced consecutive shutouts, and the past seven periods have yielded no goals. The lack of offensive execution has drawn pointed attention from head coach Bruce Cassidy, who has emphasized the importance of structural adjustments, crisp passing, and sustained pressure in the offensive zone. With time limited to implement significant changes, the Golden Knights must address both systemic and individual performance issues to regain competitiveness.

Pavel Dorofeyev Vs Pittsburgh 🐧

—15:32 TOI
—2 Goals
—1 Assist
—3 Points
—+/- +3

New career high in points (54)
pic.twitter.com/Odp2aZGv2i

— KnightsMuse (@KnightsMuse_) March 13, 2026

Goaltending, Momentum, and the Road Ahead

The recent struggles in net have compounded the team’s challenges. Adin Hill, who showed promise in earlier appearances, saw his performance undermined in Utah, recording no saves in a brief span that erased prior goodwill. Akira Schmid, meanwhile, maintained momentum with strong work in relief. Both goalies now face critical opportunities to reestablish confidence in the back-to-back games against Nashville and the Dallas Stars, with each performance likely to influence goaltending decisions moving forward.

Despite these difficulties, the Golden Knights retain a path to the postseason. The Pacific Division remains highly competitive yet underperforming, with the Anaheim Ducks leading with a point total that would place them outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

For Vegas, strategic victories and timely offensive execution could shift the team from a position of preservation to a meaningful playoff contender. A focused road effort against Nashville represents a pivotal opportunity to stabilize performance and set a foundation for the final weeks of the season.

How To Watch

Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Date: Saturday, March 21

Time: 11:00 am PST

How To Watch: SCRIPPS, ESPN+

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Brandon Carlo is one of the best shot blockers in the NHL, ranking 29th among all defensemen in shot blocks per 60 minutes.

My Maple Leafs vs. Senators predictions expect Carlo to put his body on the line early and often against a team sitting 6th in attempts over their past 10.

Let’s take a closer look at my NHL picks for Saturday, March 21.

Maple Leafs vs Senators prediction

Maple Leafs vs Senators best bet: Brandon Carlo Over 1.5 blocked shots (-130)

Brandon Carlo has generated blocked shots very efficiently on the road. He’s blocked at least two pucks in 14 of his last 19 away games (74%), averaging 2.3 blocks during that span.

The Unders came against Philadelphia, Vancouver, Seattle, Florida, and Utah – mostly slower pace, lower volume offenses.

The Ottawa Senators rank just outside the Top-10 in shot attempts generated this season and 6th over their last 10 games. There will be plenty of block opportunities for a minute-muncher like Carlo.

Maple Leafs vs Senators same-game parlay

Tim Stutzle has been very productive against Bottom-10 shot suppression teams, averaging 3.6 shots on goal and clearing 2.5 shots in 76% of his games following a day of rest. With every point crucial, the Senators will rely heavily on their star center.

Toronto Maple Leafs games have featured an average of 5.51 goals without Auston Matthews in the lineup. Meanwhile, we’ve seen an average of 5.2 goals over the past 10 Senators games. There isn’t much recipe for fireworks here.

Maple Leafs vs Senators SGP

• Brandon Carlo Over 1.5 blocked shots
• Tim Stutzle Over 2.5 shots
• Under 6.5

Maple Leafs vs Senators odds

• Moneyline: Maple Leafs +210 | Senators -260
• Puck Line: Maple Leafs +1.5 (-115) | Senators -1.5 (-105)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+120) | Under 6.5 (-140)

Maple Leafs vs Senators trend

The Ottawa Senators have hit the Game Total Under in 10 of their last 15 games. Find more NHL betting trends for Maple Leafs vs. Senators.

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Maple Leafs vs Senators latest injuries

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a move, as they have signed goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle to a three-year entry-level contract. 

D'Aigle was selected by the Penguins with the 84th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. This was after the 6-foot-4 goaltender had a 16-33-2 record and a .883 save percentage in 55 games with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL in 2024-25.

In 39 games this season with Victoriaville, D'Aigle has a 14-21-3 record, a .908 save percentage, and a 3.58 goals-against average. 

D'Aigle is an interesting prospect in the Penguins' system. The potential for him to become a solid goaltender at the NHL level later down the road is there, and it will be intriguing to see how the 19-year-old performs from here.