The Los Angeles Kings (28-25-18) lost another tough game Tuesday night, this time coming up short in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames (30-34-7).
Despite coming out with a point, the Kings still lose, fail to hold on to their lead, and are now three games back in the race for the final playoff spot.
A game that Los Angeles needed desperately because the teams they're competing with keep winning, the Kings struggle to hold a third-period lead.
The Kings' loss on the road against the Flames today continues their losing streak, now seven consecutive road games. Los Angeles is now 0-7 in the last seven matchups on the road against Calgary,
Los Angeles was aggressive on defense from the get-go, holding the Flames to six shots in the first and second periods. But both teams were very sluggish offensively, struggling to get shots up.
However, Los Angeles scored the first goal in the opening period, two minutes into the opening frame. Quinton Byfield capitalized on the nice breakaway, showcasing his speed to bury the goal and give Los Angeles the early lead.
LAK Goal - Q!
Byfield picks up right where he left off in Utah, opens the scoring with a nice breakaway goal. 1-0 Kings.
The rest of the period would end slowly, with neither team being able to get a shot up. Even though the Flames had six shots, they had a lot of chances to tie the game, but Darcy Kuemper did a good job saving the puck in tight situations.
That would change for Calgary, though, in the second period, where they finally got a shot up through the net, tying the game 1-1.
Defenseman Olli Maatta converted on the quick wrist shot, scoring his first goal since being acquired by the Flames, giving life to Calgary.
Los Angeles was unable to capitalize on the quick goal they got in the first period, coming up short on the power play and leaving the door open for a goal that would put the Flames right back in it.
The Kings once again outshot the Flames 9-6 in the second period, but went scoreless in the period.
Off the gate, Quinton Byfield once again scored a brekaway goal 17 seconds in the final frame to give Los Angeles back the lead.
LAK Goal - QuinTWOn Byfield!
Great speed to get in alone, buries his shot inside the far post 17 seconds into the third period. 2-1 Kings.
It was an excellent way for Byfield to use his speed and outrun the Flames to get a clean look at the net, giving the momentum back to Los Angeles.
The lead didn't last, though, for the Kings, once again leaving the door open for the home team to tie it up.
The Flames scored on their first power play of the night to once again tie the game 2-2. The Kings didn't play a good third period; despite scoring a goal, they were held to seven shots and got outshot 10-7.
The game went to extra periods, and it was certainly a very sloppy one for both teams. Los Angeles had several key turnovers, but the Flames couldn't capitalize on them to score. Calgary had a very good look at a 2-on-1 fastbreak possession, but couldn't hit the puck inside the net, forcing the game to go to a shootout.
Both teams would convert one goal in three rounds of the shootout, with Artemi Panarin scoring an incredible lob shot to force a fourth round. In the fourth round, Los Angeles would miss, and the Flames would get it to go to come away with the comeback victory at home.
Very heartbreaking loss for the Kings, especially at this point in time, where they could've pulled themselves closer to a playoff spot; they're now three games back of the Nashville Predators for the final spot.
The four-game skid for the Kings is making it much tougher every day to keep up with the teams in the Western Conference, and soon it will be very difficult to move closer to the playoff picture.
Quinton Byfield scored the only two goals on the night to keep Los Angeles in it, but still couldn't find a way to win the game. Darcy Kuemper looked much better tonight, coming up clutch in overtime and the shootout rounds, but couldn't get the timely stop in the fourth round.
Los Angeles will end its three-game road trip on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.
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Unfortunately, a week later - after some goaltending and defensive meltdowns as well as another goaltender interference ruling gone wrong - the result was reversed.
The Avalanche ousted the Penguins, 6-2, taking advantage of some defensive miscues by the Penguins as well as subpar goaltending. Arturs Silovs stopped just 24 of 29 shots for the Penguins, and the Penguins were credited with 15 giveaways.
The most prominent one came courtesy of defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, who coughed up the puck at the offensive blue line to Nathan MacKinnon early in the first period, and MacKinnon brought it down on a breakaway opportunity and capitalized to put the Avs up, 1-0.
Not even four minutes later, Egor Chinakhov - who now has four goals and 12 points in his last 10 games - one-timed a puck from the right point and behind Scott Wedgewood to even the score at 1-1. However, Colorado got three unanswered first-period goals from Sam Malinski, Martin Necas, and Parker Kelly to cushion themselves with a 4-1 lead heading into first intermission.
The Penguins came out flying in the second period, and they appeared to cut the deficit to two with 12 and a half to go in the middle frame when Justin Brazeau picked up the loose change in front on a diving play. However - as things have gone for the Penguins all season long - the Avs challenged for goalie interference and won, reversing the call on the ice and keeping the score 4-1.
The Penguins failed to convert on a double-minor by Nazem Kadri for high-sticking after that, and Necas registered his second of the game in the final minutes of the period to make it 5-1. Just past the midway point of the third, Rickard Rakell cut into the deficit and gave the Penguins some life, but Ross Colton’s empty-net goal a little less than five minutes later sealed the 6-2 win for the Colorado.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:
- I don't know how many more times this needs screamed from the rooftops, but it's malpractice not to have Chinakhov on the first power play unit.
This unit is struggling right now. It started out well in the first three games out of the Olympic break, going 4-for-10. Since then? It has goals in just seven of the last 46 opportunities, and three of those have been five-on-three goals. That’s good for just a 15.2 percent conversion rate, which, stretched over the whole season, would be the second-worst conversion rate in the league.
Chinkahov is a shoot-first player and has one of the best shots in the National Hockey League. He also has excellent vision and can use his skating to his advantage to maintain movement on the unit. He's a "trigger man", if there ever was one.
He should absolutely be with elite playmakers Crosby and Karlsson on that unit, whoever else they’d have to take off. My choice would be Rust (assuming Malkin is healthy and in for Anthony Mantha), but with Malkin out, he should definitely be on it in Mantha’s place.
- It’s not a secret that the Penguins are bleeding goals-against right now.
I wrote a piece on the defensive corps beyond the first pairing being an issue right now, which definitely holds true. But goaltending hasn’t been much help, either.
Silovs has a sub-.860 save percentage in five of his last six starts after a hot run prior to the Olympic break. Stuart Skinner has a sub-.900 save percentage in four out of his last five starts.
That isn’t good enough.
I know a ton of people are clamoring for prospect Sergei Murashov to get some starts down the stretch run of the season here. I’m not sure I agree. I’m still of the belief that it’s never a good idea to thrust your best goaltending prospect into a must-win, high-pressure, high-stakes situation during the stretch run of an NHL season where your team is trying to make the playoffs.
If, on the off-chance, it works out spectacularly, then great. But, if it doesn’t, you risk it permanently stunting the growth of your most prized prospect - and that’s a risk that isn’t worth taking, in my opinion. Especially since Murashov’s last five games in the AHL have not been overly confidence-inducing, either.
- Yes, the members of the Penguins’ top line are producing just fine. Crosby has a goal and five points in his four games since returning from injury. Rakell has four goals and 11 points in his last 10 games. Rust has seven goals and 14 points in his last 10.
That said, I’m not sure I wouldn’t try switching things around.
This has less to do with the top line and more to do with the rest of the lineup. Yes, Chinakhov is producing, as he has four goals and 12 points in his last 10. Yes, Evgeni Malkin is producing when he’s in the lineup with two goals and five points in the four games since his suspension. Yes, Anthony Mantha has mostly been producing despite a goose egg in the last three games.
But it doesn’t look as awesome for others. Brazeau has one goal three points in his last 12 games and none in his last five. Ben Kindel has two points in his last 10. Tommy Novak has one point in his last eight. Connor Dewar has one goal and four points in his last 18 games.
The depth scoring on this roster with Crosby in the lineup needs revived. Give Kindel some 2C minutes instead of Novak. Have Novak center Elmer Soderblom or Ville Koivunen and Brazeau and Kindel center Chinakhov and Rakell. Maybe plug Mantha up with Crosby and Rust. Or, keep Mantha on the second line with Kindel and plug Rakell there, switching him with Chinakhov.
Not having Malkin and Blake Lizotte in the lineup is hurting this team’s bottom-six, but I think they can better-construct these lines in the meantime. If I’m the Penguins, I give this a shot:
- Speaking of switching things around, I’m not really sure how to address these defensive pairings.
You can’t split up Parker Wotherspoon and Erik Karlsson. Messing up the one thing that has worked with consistency is certainly a risk this late in the season, and it’s probably not worth the small chance that the second pairing will improve drastically enough to offset the first pairing being messed with.
I’m not sure Sam Girard and Letang can stay together much longer. You can stick Ryan Shea with Letang, but in all honesty, the results haven’t been much different.
- This goaltender interference thing is truly something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Not only are the Penguins 0-for-8 in their own goaltender interference challenges this season, the opposition is also 4-for-5 against them. So, that’s a combined 1-for-13 for the Penguins on goaltender interference this season.
This is absurd. I will say that Tuesday’s had a bit more gray area than others, as Brazeau’s skate did touch Wedgewood’s in the blue paint, even if barely. I don’t think Brazeau’s contact with Wedgewood had much of anything to do with his ability to make the save or not, as I think Devon Toews’s stick was the bigger culprit. But, technically, Brazeau did contact him in the blue paint, so I could see why they might overturn.
However, given the much more blatant goaltender interference on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets that didn’t go the Penguins’ way? The one in the Blue Jackets-Islanders game on Sunday? The one in the Toronto-Boston game Tuesday?
This is becoming a pattern, and it’s a questionable one, at best. These kinds of numbers stacked against one team simply do not happen. And the goal reversal very well may have affected the outcome of the game because, if that goal stands, the score is 4-2 with 12 and a half minutes still to play in the second period, and the Penguins had all of the momentum on their side.
The league needs to figure out this problem. No, a 35 percent success rate on coach’s challenges this season overall does not mean this is entirely a “Penguins problem.” But it is disproportionately affecting the Penguins, and if things continue the way they’ve been going, it could affect the outcome of their season.
That simply cannot happen.
- The Penguins got lucky on the out-of-town scoreboard on Tuesday. Even though the Blue Jackets leapfrogged them for second place with a regulation win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Islanders, Red Wings, and Bruins all lost in regulation.
Pittsburgh has the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, a team they've won just two of their last 10 games against. Even though this is the Penguins' hardest week of the regular season schedule-wise - and the Blue Jackets and Islanders have harder remaining schedules than the Penguins, who close out the season with six straight games against current non-playoff teams - it's certainly in their best interest to get two clean points on Thursday. Especially since the Sens currently occupy the second wild card spot just one point behind the Pens.
If the Penguins can survive the rest of this week, a very important contest on Mar. 30 looms with the Islanders. That feels like the one to circle on your calendar, folks.
The Islanders were unhappy with the goaltender interference call that went against them Sunday, but could at least add afterward that it didn’t end up mattering in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets.
As for the missed icing call Tuesday night that led to the Blackhawks’ fourth goal in an eventual 4-3 win, well, there was no such solace.
After Wyatt Kaiser sent the puck up the ice, with Tyler Bertuzzi diving and missing in an attempt to get a stick on it before it crossed over the blue line, the Islanders were so sure that it would be whistled down that Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield both temporarily seemed to slow up.
Instead, there was no call and Nick Lardis stripped the puck from Mayfield behind the net, setting up a streaking Frank Nazar, who made it 4-1 Chicago at 6:02 of the second.
“The referee said he made a mistake to us,” coach Patrick Roy said. “It was over. That’s all it was. That’s all. It was bad timing for us. It’s unfortunate, but that’s part of the game, I guess.”
Part of the game, maybe, and the Islanders bear some blame for not playing to the whistle, but this was a brutal time for such a missed call with the Islanders fighting for their playoff lives every night. The explanation on the ice, apparently, was that the puck hit Cal Ritchie.
“I don’t even know what that was about,” Ritchie said. “They said I touched the puck or something on that play. I wasn’t even near the play. Yeah, it’s a little frustrating.”
Ilya Sorokin reacts dejectedly after giving up the team’s fourth goal to Frank Nazar after a referee’s “mistake” call during the Islanders’ 4-3 loss to the Blackhawks on March 24, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Indeed, the video confirms Ritchie’s description to be correct.
For the rest of the night, the UBS Arena crowd mock-cheered on every icing call.
At the time of the goal, it did at least appear that the missed call would be inconsequential, with the Islanders down 4-1 and looking sluggish at best.
After they recovered their game in the third period to get within 4-3 at the final buzzer, though, it looms large. Even a point from getting as far as overtime could make a big difference in a race that appears ready to go down to the wire.
Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar (91) scores a goal during the second period when the New York Islanders played the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“We had an icing,” captain Anders Lee said. “We had an icing. They said that it hit Cal Ritchie. So I don’t have the time, really, to go back and look. We had a game to play, so I’ll let you guys take care of that, but Cal said it didn’t hit him.”
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists — and a rare fighting major in the second period — to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg, which snapped a five-game home skid against Vegas.
Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves to snap his six-game winless streak against the Golden Knights.
Colton Sissons scored the lone goal on the power play for Vegas. Adin Hill stopped 17 shots.
Scheifele dropped the gloves with Brett Howden late in the second period in just his 10th career fight in his 15th NHL season. Scheifele capped the scoring for the Jets with his 32nd goal, an empty-netter with 1:18 left.
Early in the second period, Iafallo and Perfetti scored just 118 seconds apart, giving the Jets a commanding 3-0 lead.
Sissons made it 3-1 in the second when he scored on the power play, the third straight game in which Vegas converted with the man-advantage.
Connor’s first-period goal gave him a point in 30 home games, extending his NHL-leading mark for the most home games with at least one point this season.
Up next
Golden Knights: Start a four-game homestand against Edmonton on Thursday.
DALLAS (AP) — Jack Hughes scored twice in New Jersey’s four-goal first period, and the Devils handed Dallas consecutive losses in regulation for the first time in two months, beating the Stars 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Jesper Bratt and Connor Brown also had goals as the Devils put four of their first five shots past Jake Oettinger to end the Dallas goalie’s career-best point streak at 14 games. Oettinger was pulled after the first period.
Wyatt Johnston had two goals to reach 40 for the first time in his career, and Jason Robertson scored his 39th for Dallas, which hadn’t lost two in a row in regulation since dropping three straight from Jan. 13-18.
Johnston’s second goal was his NHL-leading 24th on the power play, extending his franchise record set two nights earlier in a 3-2 loss to Vegas.
Playing for the first time since clinching a Western Conference playoff spot, the Stars lost to an East also-ran and fell seven points behind NHL-leading Colorado, their Central Division rival.
Hughes beat Oettinger one-on-one for both his goals, the latter when Luke Hughes connected with him on a two-line pass for a breakaway and a 4-1 lead 17:19 into the first. Hughes has eight goals in eight games after going without one in his first five games following the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA against Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Johnston tied his career high with his 38th assist when Robertson got Dallas within a goal midway through the second period.
New Jersey’s Timo Meier and Mavrik Bourque of Dallas traded third-period goals before an empty-netter from Dougie Hamilton.
Casey DeSmith replaced Oettinger and gave the Stars a chance late by stopping the first 12 shots he faced. Jake Allen had 23 saves for the Devils.
Up next
Devils: At Nashville on Thursday on the fourth game of a five-game trip.
Stars: At the Islanders on Thursday to start a four-game trip.
MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 24: Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates an empty-net goal by teammate Jake Evans #71 (not pictured) during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on March 24, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the game but they were unable to hold the lead or light the lamp again as the Montreal Canadiens defeated them, 5-2 on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
The Hurricanes played well enough, they outshot the home team 42-19, but they could not finish nor could they solve goalie Jakub Dobes, who picked up the win.
Nikolaj Ehlers got the scoring started just two minutes and change into the game when he rocketed a shot on goal that deflected in off a Montreal player to make it 1-0. It was a powerplay goal, giving Carolina four powerplay goals in the last two games.
Jordan Staal found himself all alone in front of the opposing net and made no mistake to make the score 2-0 and the Canes were cooking. It was Staal’s 18th of the season.
The Hurricanes did an outstanding job limiting Montreal’s shots though the home team scored on a deflected goal as they were outshot, 16-4 in that opening period.
The Habs picked up their play in the second as they scored twice to make it 3-2 at the second intermission.
While the Canes had some chances, including a couple of breakaways, they could not score again.
Montreal put the game away later in the third when the puck got past K’Andre Miller and Ivan Demidov scored on his breakaway attempt to make it 4-2.
The Canadiens later scored an empty-netter to close out the scoring.
Alexander Nikishin played over 20 minutes in this affair for the first time in awhile, (20:49). He led the team with four blocked shots.
The game did not help Fred Andersen’s save percentage as he allowed four goals on the 18 shots he faced.
It was reported that Charles Alexis Legault was recalled for the game in case a defenseman could not go. (Someone was not feeling well). He was returned to Chicago when he was not needed.
The Canes returned home and will take a day or two off as they prepare to face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Erik Cernak scored a tiebreaking goal with 2:53 left in the third period when Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson misplayed a carom off the end boards and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Wild 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Cernak scored his second of the season after Charle-EdouardD’Astous' pass traveled the length of the ice and bounced off the end boards toward Gustavsson, who failed to control the puck with his glove. The puck went between Gustavsson's legs into the crease and Cernak pounced, sending it into the open net.
Tampa Bay rallied from a two-goal deficit, scoring three goals in the second period and five unanswered overall over the second and the third to win for the fourth time in five games and fifth time in seven.
Darren Raddysh had a goal and two assists, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel also scored, while Brandon Hagel and Pontus Holmberg added an empty-netter goals in the final minutes. Andrei Vasilevskiy had an assist and made 20 saves to win his fourth straight start. Guentzel's goal was his 32nd of the season and the 300th for his career.
Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello and Brock Faber also scored for the Wild, who have lost five of their last seven games. Gustavsson stopped 19 of the 23 shots that he faced.
Minnesota jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first and a 3-1 lead in the second before Tampa Bay bounced back. Raddysh and Guentzel scored in approximately a three-minute span of the second to tie the game at 3. Cernak, Hagel and Holmberg completed the scoring in the third for Tampa Bay.
The Wild had a potential go-ahead goal disallowed with 1:18 left in the second period after Tampa Bay challenged. After a review, it was decided that Raddysh was knocked to the ice and into the crease, prohibiting Vasilevskiy from a possible save.
For Minnesota, Joel Eriksson Ek was back in the lineup after missing three games with lower-body injury and Kirill Kaprizov returned after missing two games, also with a lower-body injury.
There's no bait to be taken by the Nashville Predators from the Sharks as they picked up their 14th straight win over San Jose, 6-3, on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.
Wild Card Standings Update
WC1: Utah - 80 PTS (vs. Edmonton)
WC2: Nashville - 77 PTS (vs. San Jose, W 6-3)
1. Los Angeles - 74 PTS (at Calgary, L/SO 3-2)
2. Seattle - 72 PTS (at Florida, L/SO 5-4)
3. Winnipeg - 72 PTS (vs. Vegas, W 4-1)
4. San Jose - 70 PTS (at Nashville, L 6-3)
Red hot start
One of the most criticized aspects of the Predators' season has been their starts, as they've either been outshot or given up the first goal in the majority of their matchups.
That was not the case against the Sharks as the Predators netted five goals in the first 20 minutes of the game, tying a franchise record for most goals scored in the first period.
The record was originally set in an 8-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 28, 2009.
"I really liked our mindset in the 1st period," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "We got off on the right foot. We've had so many of these conversations in this room about not starting right. We started on time, and we got to our game pretty quickly."
Filip Forsberg was a massive part of that effort, recording a goal and an assist in that first period. He'd add a primary assist on a Steven Stamkos power play goal in the second period for three points on the night.
Forsberg now has 12 points (5 goals and seven assists) in five games and was named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week on Monday. With 11 games left, he's eyeing a third straight 70-plus point season, recording 62 so far.
"Everyone came ready to play," Forsberg said. "Obviously, we're getting rewarded, which is nice. We did a lot of the right things, got on their defensemen and got pucks back. It set the tone for the rest of the time."
Matthew Wood, Roman Josi, Luke Evangelista and Brady Skjei all got involved in the scoring as well in the first frame. Skjei scored just his second goal of the season and first since Dec. 9.
"I've had some looks and just haven't gone in this year," Skjei said on his scoring. "We're just talking about hopefully, the floodgates will open a little bit here at the end of the season."
A push from Marchy
Jonathan Marchessault's production has risen as of late, after inconsistent play throughout the season.
The 35-year-old forward has 25 points in 51 games, but eight of them have come in just March alone. Against the Sharks, he had three assists and now has seven points in the last five games.
"I'm playing better hockey and part of a team that's trying to make a push for a playoff spot," Marchessault said. "Everybody has a great mentality and is in a great spot in the lineup. We're playing good hockey right now."
A lot of credit for Marchessault's production spike goes to a new line centered by Wood and Forsberg, opposite Marchessault on the wing. The trio has generated five goals over the last five games.
"It makes a big difference," Marchessault said. Fil (Forsberg) is an amazing world-class player, but Woody is the one who facilitates a little bit of everything for Fil and me. He's low and slow in the middle, always available, and we have a lot more possession in the pocket."
Staying in the race
Mar 24, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Nashville jumps to 77 points after winning its fourth straight game, now eyeing a first Wild Card spot, within three points of the Utah Mammoth.
While the Predators are in a very different place than they were at the beginning of the year, Brunette still references last season and how the team's mindset has not changed since then.
Nearing the playoffs, the Predators are not so much viewing themselves as underdogs as a squad out to prove they are finally living up to the potential promised last season.
"Our mindset from the end of last year to today has been the same," Brunette said. "You can always get the results, but we were out to prove that last year was a little bit of an apparition, that we're better than what we showed. Full credit to the group when the waters got a little rough there early. We dug in even deeper, and we stayed with it, and we didn't abandon ship."
In a game with major postseason stakes against a shorthanded opponent, the Detroit Red Wings fell short of rising to the occasion on home ice.
The Ottawa Senators, who entered the contest trailing Detroit by a single point in the standings, leapfrogged them with a 3-2 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
The Senators, who are 8-2 in their last 10 games, now have 85 points on the season compared to Detroit's 84.
The Red Wings entered the contest on the outside looking in at the postseason, with a 51 percent chance of advancing at puck drop. A regulation win would have raised those odds to 66 percent, but the loss dropped them to 37 percent.
Making the setback even more difficult to stomach for the Red Wings, who welcomed back team captain Dylan Larkin after a seven-game absence, the Senators had played the night before in Manhattan, and were also missing top defensemen Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot.
Instead, it was a rookie by the name of Carter Yakemchuk who made his NHL debut a memorable one.
Yakemchuk picked up his first NHL point by assisting on Brady Tkachuk's power-play goal, giving the Senators a 1-0 lead in the first period just minutes after the Red Wings had a would-be power-play goal of their own disallowed after replays showed they were offside.
Yakemchuk then tallied his first NHL goal early in the second period, beating goaltender John Gibson through a screen after the Red Wings failed to clear the puck.
Not long after that, veteran Lars Eller increased Ottawa's lead to 3-0, beating Gibson glove side from in close. At that point, boos began to rain down from the increasingly restless sellout crowd of Red Wings fans.
They soon had a reason to cheer, as Dominik Shine redirected a pass from Simon Edvinsson past Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, giving them a spark of hope.
Larkin buried a power-play goal early in the third period, bringing Detroit back to within a goal and bringing the energy back into the venue.
Unfortunately, it's as close as they would get. Not only did Detroit fail to convert on a critical power-play opportunity late in regulation, but they also had three prime scoring chances denied by Ullmark in the waning moments.
Detroit struggled to gain the zone on the ensuing power play, which came after Ridley Greig leveled rookie Emmitt Finnie along the half-wall. Finnie remained down on the ice for several moments and needed assistance from trainer Piet VanZant to get off; he was subsequently placed in concussion protocol.
There are still 11 games remaining in the regular season for the Red Wings, who now head on the road for a fourth straight divisional matchup, this time against the first-place Buffalo Sabres, the NHL's hottest team and biggest surprise story since mid-December.
While there is still a path for the Red Wings to break their playoff drought, their margin of error continues to shrink by the day.
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The Winnipeg Jets have found another win. Thanks to goals from Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo, Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele, the Jets took care of the visiting Vegas Golden Knights thanks in large part to a strong performance from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
“We always say as a team, bend, don't break," Perfetti said post-game.
"So other teams are going to get chances. They're going to get sustained o-zone time. But as long as we don't break and stay within our system and everyone's still pulling in the same direction, we're going to get out of it and we'll be fine. And I think tonight was a good example of that.”
The Jets needed a full 10 minutes to find their first shot on goal of the game, falling behind Vegas 9-0 in the early stages.
Photo by Danny Truong
But somehow it took until the 17-minute mark for either team to actually find the twine. And believe it or not, despite being heavily outshot in the frame, it was Winnipeg that got on the board first.
Connor blasted home his 32nd of the season following a strong offensive play on the blueline from defenceman Josh Morrissey. After shaking his defender, Morrissey found Connor all alone, cross-ice, who one-timed the puck past Adin Hill for the 1-0 marker.
The Jets did trail the visitors on the shot chart after 20 minutes, but hung onto the late goal to remain ahead where it mattered most.
The middle stanza saw an offensive explosion from Winnipeg, which got two more goals in the frame.
The first came off the stick of Iafallo, who capitalized on a brutal Shea Theodore turnover, putting the puck past Hill, top corner 2:08 in.
Then, just 1:58 later, it was Perfetti who tapped home a perfect saucer pass from linemate Gabe Vilardi on a two-on-one. This time it was Vilardi who flicked the puck over the sprawling Theodore, making it 3-0 Winnipeg just 4:06 into the second period.
With Iafallo in the box for removing the helmet of Jeremy Lauzon, the Vegas power play finally got on the board. Colton Sissons was the last Golden Knight to touch the puck before it trickled past Hellebuyck, cutting Winnipeg's lead to two goals.
Late in the period, Scheifele took exception to a hit by Oakbank's Brett Howden on linemate Kyle Connor. He dropped the gloves in defence of his teammate for just the 10th time of his career.
“Obviously, you don't want a guy like Scheif fighting very often," Perfetti said of his teammate.
"But when the opportunity presents itself like that, Howden takes a pretty good run at KC and Scheif’s right there. I mean, he's obviously not afraid to jump in and that shows a lot about him and our team and our culture. And we're all in this together. We're sticking with it. We're a team. We're a family in here. No matter the score, the outcome, where we are in the standings, whatever it is, we're going to be in this fight together. And I think when one of your best players does that, it really shows that.”
The Golden Knights remained ahead 21-16 in shots entering the third period.
Brad Lambert had the best chance of the first half of the third period, to which his strong net drive resulted in a heavy collision with Hill and the puck rattling off the crossbar and out of harm's way, keeping the teams stuck at the two-goal differential.
With Dylan Samberg in the box for high sticking, the Golden Knights pulled Hill for the extra attacker, but the Jets managed to hold off the six-on-four disadvantage, with Connor finding Scheifele for the empty-net marker as time ticked down on the clock, sealing the deal for Winnipeg.
Hellebuyck turned aside 26 of the 27 pucks sent his way by Vegas, while Adin Hill made 17 stops on 20 Winnipeg shots on goal.
Next up for Winnipeg is the first of two-straight games against the league leading Colorado Avalanche in the Thursday night home test.
Mar 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) reacts after scoring. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
As the road trip continues, the Colorado Avalanche made a stop in Pittsburgh to get revenge on the Penguins for the ugly 7-2 loss from a week ago. This game was neatly the exact opposite of that game as the Avalanche scored early and often to take a 6-2 win in Pittsburgh.
Prior to the contest it was a day of roster movement as both Ross Colton and Logan O’Connor entered the lineup in return from injury, with the latter making his 2025-26 season debut. Because the infirmary is always a revolving door, Nicolas Roy was a surprise late scratch with an upper-body injury.
A fast start is what the Avalanche needed and received as Nathan MacKinnon completely undressed Parker Wortherspoon on the blueline and deposited a breakaway goal over Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Samuel Girard setup Egor Chinakhov for Pittsburgh on a long shot that Brent Burns tipped snuck by Scott Wedgewood.
Any thought that this game would be hotly contested soon evaporated as the Avalanche scored three goals in the last five minutes of the first period. First, Sam Malinski broke his 38-game scoreless drought to give Colorado the lead. Then Martin Nečas co to Jed his power play prowess with a one-timer goal from his new spot at the left circle. Finally, with Nazem Kadri centering the third line and in a hard-working shift Parker Kelly scored the fourth and final Avalanche goal of the period 35 second later. A 4-1 lead at the first intermission made quite the statement.
In the second period it appeared there was a sign of life for Pittsburgh when Justin Brazeau scored but Devon Toews collided with a Penguin right into the crease and disturbed Wedgewood. Jared Bednar challenged for goaltender interference and actually won, taking the goal off the board.
The second period was actually very low-event with only 11 shots generated between the two teams. One of Colorado’s six shots, though, was Martin Nečas continuing his tear and netting his second goal of the night just before the second intermission to put Colorado up 5-1.
Someone said the third period still had to be played, which it did. Colorado killed a 5-on-3 for over a minute. Pittsburgh did get their second goal late in the period from Rickard Rakell when the puck took a big bounce behind the net and then Cale Makar helped sent it out to the net front and Rakell pounced on the loose puck. That momentum was short-lived as Ross Colton found the empty net to make it a 6-2 final for Colorado.
Takeaways
Surprisingly Logan O’Connor didn’t get eased back into action as he played just over 15 minutes in this contest. It was nice having him available for the penalty kill and he picked up an assist on Parker Kelly’s goal but it will be worth monitoring how O’Connor holds up over the next several games.
Upcoming
One final game on the road, back to visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday March 26th at 6 p.m. MT.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a lot of hype and excitement surrounding their Tuesday night matchup against the New York Islanders. The reason for that was the pending NHL debut of their top prospect, Anton Frondell.
Due to the morning skate, we knew that Frondell would start on the first line and top power play unit. His play in the SHL (and World Junior Championships) earned him a reputation that warrants that type of respect.
Head coach Jeff Blashill started that top line against the Islanders, and Connor Bedard let Anton Frondell take the opening face-off. His NHL career was officially underway from that moment on.
The first shift of the game didn't go as anyone wanted, however, as the Islanders scored right away. Matthew Schaefer, who went first overall two picks before Frondell in the 2025 NHL Draft, took a shot that was deflected in by Anders Lee.
New York's lead lasted for just over half a period, however, and that was it. Nick Lardis tied it at 12:46 of the first. After Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi failed to convert a 2-0 breakaway, the former found Lardis in the slot for the goal.
At 18:06, a special hockey moment took place, as Anton Frondell earned his first career NHL point with an assist on an Ilya Mikheyev goal. Frondell made a solid defensive play, used Connor Bedard as a decoy, and sprung Mikheyev, who didn't miss his chance.
Bedard grabbed that puck and kept it for Frondell to keep as a memory forever. It's a moment that he'll never forget, but it also put his incredible skills that he has on display.
Before the period ended, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 29th of the season to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead. He did what he does best and made good work of his net-front presence to jam the puck home.
That score held through the first period, and the Blackhawks scored the only goal of the second period. Nick Lardis, who was already working on a two-point night, won a puck battle on a strong forecheck, fed Frank Nazar, and watched the puck go in the net.
This play probably should have been icing on the Blackhawks, but Lardis's hustle forced the linesman to make a bad non-call. He made his own luck on the play with his effort, and Nazar was the beneficiary. Putting them together on the second line appears to be a Jeff Blashill masterclass.
With a 4-1 lead for the Blackhawks entering the final frame, things got a little scary for them. The Islanders scored twice to make it 4-3, and they had a power play with under two minutes left and the goalie on the bench.
Arvid Soderblom stood tall in the final moments of the match, and he was incredible again all game. After facing 49 shots in the loss on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, he faced 47 on this night against the Islanders. He made 44 saves on those 47 shots to preserve the win.
Hanging onto late leads has been a sore spot for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, but they prevailed in this one. This young group will have opportunities to play spoiler as the season winds down, and they did that to the Islanders, who are trying to lock down a postseason berth.
More On Anton Frondell
In addition to his first career NHL point, Frondell had two blocks, two shots, one hit, and 0 giveaways in 15:43 of ice time. He broke up plays, generated offense, and improved the overall makeup of the forward group right away. It won't be long before he is one of the most impactful forwards on the entire team.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action again on Thursday night when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in game two of their four-game road trip. Anton Frondell made his NHL debut in Tuesday night's game, and Sacha Boisvert will make his in Thursday night's game.
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MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored his 44th goal of the season and Jakub Dobes made 41 saves as the Montreal Canadiens held off the Carolina Hurricanes for a 5-2 win on Tuesday night.
Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov had a goal and an assist each, and Oliver Kapanen also scored as Montreal erased a two-goal deficit for its second consecutive win.
Jake Evans buried an empty-net goal with 1 minute left in regulation and Caufield added an assist for a two-point night.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Staal scored for Eastern Conference-leading Carolina, which lost for the first time in four games.
Frederik Andersen stopped 14 shots.
The Canadiens sit third in the Atlantic Division with 88 points. The New York Islanders, who lost on Tuesday and are the top team outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture, trailed by three points.
Ehlers opened the scoring on the power play 2:36 into the first period when Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson deflected his pass intended for Seth Jarvis into the Canadiens’ net. Staal doubled the lead at 7:09, beating Dobes glove side.
Kapanen tipped in Struble’s point shot at 12:11 to give the Canadiens some life before Montreal struck twice in the second period.
Simon was dialed in, at least. | NHLI via Getty Images
With multiple teams pushing for a playoff spot they are letting slip away, the Islanders wasted a golden opportunity to keep pace against a bottom-five team that has nothing to play for but the pretense that next season will be better.
The Isles got out to a decent start and 1-0 lead in the first minute on Anders Lee’s 16th of the season, but the Chicago Blackhawks stormed back with three goals in a seven-minute span of the first, capitalizing on a Mat Barzal turnover to get on the board and then a contagious series of more turnovers and sloppy play.
A 3-1 deficit after 20 minutes is completely reversible against a “fragile” team — and Ilya Sorokin took over for David Rittich after that first period but the Isles were the ones to crumble after an obvious icing was not called. Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield acted like they’d never played together as they coughed up the puck behind the Isles net, Mayfield getting bodied off and then flailing away. The Blackhawks pounced, Frank Nazar converted and the lead was 4-1 just six minutes into the second period.
The Isles squandered a full power play late in the second period to bring that three-goal deficit into the third. They eventually got going and made it close, but they couldn’t dig out of the hole, causing Thomas Hickey to lament at the post-horn cut to break, simply: “It’s a shame.” A shame that basically 10 minutes of brain farts wasted the opportunity, made worse and harder-to-overcome with an equally shameful brainfart following the blown icing non-call.
Adding to the fun: Tony DeAngelo was lost after the first period, status undeclared, but it looks like it’s not just a game. This comes after Ryan Pulock was out again, with enough concern there for the Isles to call up Isaiah George as an extra before the game.
Figure George to be needed next game, as will Adam Boqvist, who handled himself pretty well in 17:57.
Overall, there weren’t a lot of individual goats throughout the game; once the hole was dug, they did the right things to try to get themselves back in the game (including, of course, running Matthew Schaefer out there again and again, for a total of 31:59 of TOI and 14 attempted shots, 7 of which reached goal).
But the hole was too big, there wasn’t enough home karma and fortune to bail them out, and damn not only what a shame, but what a waste.
Up Next
This was the one they needed to bank. They’ve got a game every other night the rest of the week with the Stars, Panthers and Penguins, who are the first opponent in a back-to-back that concludes in Buffalo.
The Penguins (86 points) and Bruins (86) each lost tonight in regulation, and at least Ottawa (85) knocked off Detroit (85) in regulation, so that’s a few potential extra points taken out of the system. And Montreal climbed to 88 with a regulation win over Carolina. If the Isles fall short, we’re going to look back at tonight as one of the critical unforced errors that did them in.
A dejected Adam Pelech looks on after the Islanders allowed a goal to Frank Nazar during the second period of their 4-3 loss to the Blackhawks on March 24, 2026 at UBS Arena.
What, you thought this would be easy? Well, it seems the Islanders did too.
Is there another reason for their inexcusable mess of a performance on home ice Tuesday night? For why, in the late stages of a playoff race in which every game is a must-win, Mathew Barzal — benched earlier this season over a failure to back-check — stopped skating to watch as Tyler Bertuzzi and Frank Nazar went up the ice on a two-on-none? For the way the Islanders came undone from there?
Surely not.
The game ended 4-3 to the Blackhawks, whose urgency and intensity outstripped that of the Islanders until the last period, when a frantic attempt at a comeback came up a hair short. If the Isles’ loss in Ottawa was a bad night, and their loss in Montreal felt like a shock to the system, then this was something far worse.
This one should make them angry, and it should make their fans angry. If the Islanders go on to miss the playoffs — and they are below the cut-line again after the results rolled in Tuesday — this one will stick out like a sore thumb.
“We had some turnovers that ended up in our net and then you get a shot that goes off a body behind the goalie and it’s 3-1. Other than mistakes, it has nothing to do with our intensity or will to win,” captain Anders Lee said, understandably shielding his teammates. “We just messed up. That’s gonna happen. You saw that will the rest of the way tonight.”
Indeed, it was there over the last 20 minutes. Before that, though, the Islanders defended casually, and let momentum spiral against them.
After taking a lead inside a minute and dominating the first 10, Barzal turned the puck over and then failed to back-check, allowing Nick Lardis to follow a two-on-none rush and tie the game after Bertuzzi’s initial shot missed the net.
A dejected Adam Pelech looks on after the Islanders allowed a goal to Frank Nazar during the second period of their 4-3 loss to the Blackhawks on March 24, 2026 at UBS Arena. AP
“I feel like we play as a team, we win as a team,” coach Patrick Roy said, later adding he didn’t consider benching Barzal. “There’s mistakes in the game. It’s part of the game. The back-checking, for us, is important.”
Making matters even worse, Tony DeAngelo was hurt while back-checking on the same play, leaving the Islanders with five defenseman and without their top two right-handed defensemen, as Ryan Pulock missed a second straight game with a lower-body injury.
DeAngelo did not return, with the club citing a lower-body injury and Roy saying he would be evaluated Wednesday.
It took the Islanders until the third period, when goals from Simon Holmstrom and Cal Ritchie, along with an urgency level that finally looked appropriate, brought them within one and made for a close ending.
Indeed, the Islanders so nearly got away with it, getting a six-on-four power play with 27 seconds to go and coming within a starring, 44-save Arvid Soderblom performance of tying the game.
Not one bit, however, does that excuse everything that came before.
Simon Holmstrom celebrates after scoring a third period goal in the Islanders’ loss to the Blackhawks at UBS Arena. NHLI via Getty Images
The Blackhawks had scored two more times before the end of the first, chasing David Rittich, then added a fourth goal against Ilya Sorokin 6:02 into the second.
The missed icing call that preceded the eventual game-winning-goal from Nazar was as bad as it gets — so bad that Roy said the officials admitted to him they’d made a mistake — but the Islanders also needed to play to the whistle that never came.
With the noted exception of Matthew Schaefer, who recorded his 30th assist on Lee’s goal 49 seconds into the match and had a ridiculous 31:59 of ice, the defense corps served up a dog’s breakfast during the consequential stretch that spanned from 10 minutes into the first through the end of the second.
\Carson Soucy was on the ice for three goals against, Scott Mayfield for two while Adam Pelech committed a pair of penalties.
Adam Boqvist, for good measure, allowed Bertuzzi to beat him to a loose puck in the crease to make it 3-1 after Rittich — who stopped nine of 12 shots before being pulled after just one period — could not secure Alex Vlasic’s point shot.
“It’s fine that we were making mistakes, but I feel like we should have recovered from it,” Roy said. “We should have back-checked and tried to protect the netfront on that first goal. … I thought we were playing a really solid game, controlling the game, playing really well. A couple turnovers made the difference.”
Matthew Schaefer takes a hit and so did the Islanders’ playoff hopes after their loss to the Blackhawks at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post
This is a playoff race in which no one seems to be beating themselves. If the Islanders end up being first to do so, they will be at the bottom of the pile, and they will deserve it.
