Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith talk often.

They happened to be talking when Smith found out he was returning to Vegas in a trade with the New York Rangers.

"I was so happy for him, because I know how it is to leave there, and he left in a worse way," Marchessault said. "We just won, and 10 days later, he's in a different organization. So that was, honestly, awful. He's had a rocky year and a half, and now he's back where he had the most fun. So I was so happy for him and Karly (William Karlsson) to get back together."

They were also talking Friday, when the two discussed the highly anticipated tribute video in Vegas' regular-season finale, when the Nashville Predators visit Vegas for the Golden Knights' home finale Saturday night.

"He said he's probably gonna have tears just dripping down his face," Smith said after Saturday's morning skate."

It'll be an emotional night for not only Marchessault, but Smith and William Karlsson, the "Original Misfit" trio, who will skate on the same ice for the first time since they all shared one of the most joyous occasions in the history of sports in Las Vegas, the 2023 Stanley Cup championship.

"A little reunion," Karlsson said. "Unfortunately, he's not in our colors."

🎥 Karlsson on the fans: It's been a fun eight years, and every time you get to play at home, it's always a lot of energy. You get spoiled... I feel very fortunate. pic.twitter.com/fn3RMwAvNH

— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 12, 2025

The three had been linemates the first six years of the organization's existence, but were broken up when Smith was dealt to Pittsburgh less than two weeks after hoisting the Cup. Following last season, Marchessault signed with Nashville as a free agent.

"He was part of this team for seven years, and he had great success," Karlsson said. "He was a very loved member of the team. And the town's gotten to love him, so there's gonna be a lot of emotion coming into tonight, and it'll be fun to see the tribute."

Eliminated from the postseason, the emotions are sure to spill into the stands as the tribute video plays overhead in front of what's sure to be an exuberant, sold-out crowd on Fan Appreciation Night. The Knights have been known to produce their fair share of heart-clutching "welcome back" videos, but this one might top them all.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the tribute, he's earned it," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He's probably one of the most popular guys that ever played here. So good for him, give him his due."

Over his seven years with the organization, Marchessault has been witness to many of the heartfelt video tributes, including the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Reaves, Gerard Gallant and even Smith, when he came back with the Penguins.

Now it's Marchessault's turn, and after speaking with former Knight Will Carrier, who is now with the Carolina Hurricanes, it's a moment he said he's ready to embrace.

"He told me it just builds you up inside," said Marchessault, the 2023 Conn Smythe winner. "I'm definitely really excited to go back, to just to see the Fortress, the arena, the roads that you take to go to the rink, and all that kind of stuff. It was home for me. It's still a part of me, is part of home a little bit. It'll be definitely weird, but I'm definitely excited to just go back and see the fans, the arena, the city, the lights. Just a great atmosphere and the great juju that's over there. Definitely just super excited to go back."

'LIKE I NEVER LEFT'

The first two times the Knights visited Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, "it was like I never left, the guys are awesome," Marchessault said.

Moments after Vegas' 3-1 on March 29, a quick 10-minute reunion full of laughter took place in an enclosed area that separated the locker rooms, as many of the Knights made sure to say hello before catching their flight.

"You get to see those guys seven years in a row, you feel so much like brotherhood," Marchessault said. "So it was really good to spend time with them and see them. Just love seeing the guys ... all the trainers, going to see the coaches and stuff. It was just great to see everybody."

And as the Predators get ready for the offseason, and the Knights prepare for another quest through the postseason, Marchessault said he's being patient with himself in his new surroundings and looking forward to spending time with his wife and kids, but also preparing for the 2025-26 campaign after "the toughest mental health year" he's ever endured.

"I mean, all the change; you got to readjust to new teammates, new team, new organization," he said. "You got to readjust (to a new) system, you got to readjust a lot. Yeah, it's been more challenging mentally this year. But I've had slumps in the past with Vegas, too, and I'm just a guy that's hard on myself, so at the end of the day, I'm never satisfied, and I want to get over my slump as fast as possible.

"That's what I built my career off, is taking it one game at a time and helping my team win a hockey game and staying humble and all that. Right now, I'm definitely getting a humbling process. Maybe it's just a sit-back year to get healthy mentally and physically, get ready to go again, and there's no doubt in my mind I'll be back on top of my game again."

The St. Louis Blues enter their penultimate game of the 2024-25 season still unclear yet whether their season will extend beyond Tuesday or not.

Things became quite clear on Saturday after the Calgary Flames once again decided they aren't going any where in this Western Conference wild card race after a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

So the scenario is that the Blues (43-30-7), who face the Seattle Kraken (34-40-6) in their final road game of the season, the place where they opened the season Oct. 8 and won 3-2, are tied with the Wild with identical records and identical points (93). Each has played 80 games and each plays on Saturday.

The Wild currently hold the tiebreaker edge on the Blues with regulation wins (33-31) and if the season were to end on Saturday, would hold the first wild card while the Blues hold the second.

Meanwhile, the Flames (38-27-14) have three games remaining, a game in hand on each the Blues and Wild, could play spoiler in this if they continue to win their games.

While the Blues are playing the Kraken, the Wild will be facing the Vancouver Canucks at the same time; the Flames host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday and finish their season Thursday, two days after the Blues and Wild conclude theirs.

If the Blues win out, and the Wild slip up anywhere, they could get the first wild card and face the Vegas Golden Knights. Whoever finishes in the second wild card will get the Winnipeg Jets, who ended the Blues' franchise-record 12-game winning streak on Monday.

The Blues have followed up that 12-game winning streak with two straight losses, including Wednesday's 4-3 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers when Edmonton scored with 20.7 seconds remaining in regulation to steal what could be at least one precious point for St. Louis, which has to regroup and forge on trying to secure that first playoff spot since 2021-22.

- - -

One bit of good news on the injury front for the Blues is defenseman Colton Parayko, who has been out since March 5 after injuring his left knee and needing a scope.

Hearing that Tuesday's season finale, at home against Utah Hockey Club, if all goes well and there aren't any sudden setbacks, is when Parayko will get back into the lineup.

However, the Blues announced that defenseman Philip Broberg returned to St. Louis due to a personal matter and will be unavailable for this game, and Matthew Kessel will jump into the lineup.

Aan updated lineup will be available in pregame warmups.

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Jimmy Snuggerud

Mathieu Joseph-Oskar Sundqvist-Zack Bolduc

Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker

Cam Fowler-Nick Leddy

Ryan Suter-Justin Faulk

Tyler Tucker-Matthew Kessel

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Philip Broberg (personal) and Dalibor Dvorsky. Colton Parayko (knee), Dylan Holloway (lower body) and Alexandre Texier (upper body) are out. Torey Krug (ankle) is out for the season.

- - -

Kraken Projected Lineup:

Jaden Schwartz-Chandler Stephenson-Jordan Eberle

Jared McCann-Shane Wright-Andre Burakovsky

Eeli Tolvanen-Matty Beniers-Kaapo Kakko

Michael Eyssimont-John Hayden-Ryan Winterton

Vince Dunn-Adam Larsson

Ryker Evans-Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura-Jamie Oleksiak

Philipp Grubauer will start in goal; Joey Daccord will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Cale Fleury and Tye Kartye. The Kraken report no injuries.

With the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs just around the corner and five Canadian teams currently holding postseason positions, the Leafs could be in line to match up against another team north of the border.

But for Steven Lorentz and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the bigger picture doesn’t matter. Their focus remains strictly in-house on winning the Atlantic Division and setting themselves up for success.

"I know people want to see another Canadian team in the playoffs, but we don't care about another Canadian team in the playoffs,” Lorentz said following Saturday’s optional skate at Scotiabank Arena. “We care about our team, and that's it... It's our job to not let that happen."

Steven Lorentz, beauty: "I know people want to see another Canadian team in the playoffs, but we don't care about another Canadian team in the playoffs. We care about our team, and that's it.... It's our job to not let that happen."

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) April 12, 2025

The Leafs are set to host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, with both teams looking to earn points in a tight race in the Eastern Conference. As it stands, the Ottawa Senators, who defeated the Canadiens on Friday night, 5-2, are slotted into the first wild-card spot as the Canadiens trail by five points sitting in WC2. The Canadiens, however, can clinch a playoff spot with a regulation win on Saturday in Toronto.

As Lorentz, a native of Waterloo, Ont., native mentioned, it’s the Leafs’ job to not let that happen. Ahead of the game, Lorentz, who grew up a Maple Leafs fan, said there is an added “flair” to these types of games.

“Well, I mean, I've lived it my whole life, but now that I've been able to partake in it a little bit, it's special,” he said. “I think it's a privilege every time we get to play against these guys. There's always that extra flair. There's a little bit more to those games. You can obviously tell. There's just a little bit more intensity and a little bit more of that – you take things a little bit more personally against guys or teams like this. Ottawa, the same thing when it's nice and close to home like this. There's always a little bit more at stake.”

As of Saturday morning, five Canadian teams – the Leafs, Canadiens, Senators, Jets, and Oilers – sit in playoff spots with a maximum of four games left in the regular season. It’s a Canadian storyline at the moment, particularly given that no team from the country has hoisted the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens did it in 1993. But for a Leafs team chasing the Atlantic Division title and in search of a deep postseason run of their own, they are paying attention – yet keeping everything internal – as Lorentz attested to Wednesday.

“Yeah, we're paying attention,” Lorentz admitted. “I didn't really watch a whole lot of it. I saw the start that Ottawa got off to. I think I watched a bit in the first period. But after that, I don't even know what happened or how it really finished,” he added, referring to Ottawa vs. Montreal on Friday. 

“Again, I've said it once, I've said it before, we're focused on what's going on in this locker room. It's definitely huge being able to clinch a top spot. But wherever we finish, we need to be able to be at the top of our game for a round of playoffs.”

‘I Want To Keep Everything Internal’: Why Maple Leafs' Steven Lorentz Didn’t Visit His Former Panthers Teammates In Return To FloridaToronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz is drawing the line in the sand ahead of the club’s clash with the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. 

Toronto, already locked into the postseason for a ninth consecutive year, is aiming to finish strong and secure the best possible matchup. 

The only team they're concerned about is their own.

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

The Chicago Blackhawks have their final home game of the season on Saturday night. They will take on the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets to close things out for the year. The Jets, who have the inside track on the NHL's Presidents' Trophy, are always a tough challenge. 

This is more than just the last home game for the Blackhawks. It will be the final game in the wonderful career of Patrick Maroon. 

Maroon will skate in his 848th career game and 68th with the Blackhawks. He also spent time with the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and Boston Bruins. 

The man known as "The Big Rig" made an impact on all of those teams in different ways. For Chicago, it was about being a great leader for a group of young kids. 

During the 2024-25 season, Maroon was wonderful for everyone. There are countless ways he helped the less experienced players, but one memory will always stick out.

That is when he took Lukas Reichel with him to St. Louis to be with his family for the holidays, when Reichel had nowhere else to go. Gestures like that are what made Maroon as special a person off the ice as he was on the ice. 

Maroon was named as the Blackhawks' nominee for the Masterton Trophy for his work this year. This award is presented annually to the player who most demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. 

Throughout his NHL career, Maroon was a scrappy fighter who made the bottom-six forward group of his team better. He also scored over 100 goals and had over 300 points. This included a 27-goal season when he was a member of the Oilers in 2016-17. 

When Maroon was with his hometown St. Louis Blues, he scored an overtime winning goal in game seven of the second round against the Dallas Stars. Eventually, they won the Stanley Cup. 

Maroon followed that up by winning the Stanley Cup in each of the next two years to make it three in a row. These came as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning as they went back-to-back. 

Maroon won't travel with the Blackhawks as they close out the year in Montreal and Ottawa. He is going to end his career right where he made his NHL debut, the United Center. Where it started as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, it will end as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Chicago is sure to send Maroon out feeling good about himself. He's been a good warrior at every stop, which made him a fan favorite in just about every city he's played. 

From being drafted in the 2007 NHL Draft to not being a full-time NHL player until the 2013-14 season, tons of AHL time in between, and eventually becoming a three-time Stanley Cup champion, there is no doubting Maroon's love for the game. He is proof that a little bit of dedication and hard work can get you to where you want to go.

This won't be the last we see of Maroon in the coming years. Whether it is in media or as a part of an organization in hockey ops, he will be around. For now, he will be celebrated in his final game of a memorable career. 

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

After arriving in Toronto on Thursday night, Ivan Demidov was given a day to rest on Friday. He waited for his Montreal Canadiens teammates to join him after their game against the Ottawa Senators. While the Habs were in Ottawa, Demidov and his girlfriend did what every hockey-obsessed person does in their first time in Maple Leafs’ land: they visited the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Canadiens: Demidov Has Landed And May Be Perfect For St-Louis
Canadiens Have Another Opportunity To Punch Their Playoff Ticket
Three Takeaways From A Missed Opportunity

On Saturday morning, though, it was time to get to work for the Russian wonder. The Canadiens didn’t have a proper morning skate, which made sense since they will be playing the second part of a back-to-back tonight, but there was an optional skate, which is when Demidov skated for the first time in full Canadiens gear.

He got on the ice with Joshua Roy, Arber Xhekaj, and Emil Heineman, which likely means that none of them will be inserted in the lineup for the duel with the Maple Leafs, despite the 5-2 loss in Ottawa.

Demidov as he enters the ice as a member of the Montreal Canadiens for the first time, welcomed by Arber Xhekaj #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/eyQ2Q8M26g

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) April 12, 2025

As for Demidov, Martin St-Louis already confirmed on Friday that he wouldn’t be making his debut in Toronto. This means that he’ll likely get to play on Monday night as the Canadiens welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to the Bell Centre.

Giving him a bit of action before the playoffs start, which the Canadiens now have a 98% chance of making, according to Moneypuck. I win in regulation against the Toronto Maple Leafs would make that a certainty and would be a welcome development, which could allow the coach to rest some of his older or injured players before entering the Spring dance.

Demidov in his first practice with the Canadiens, it was only an optional so there weren’t many players there #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/mxhtRqrjPM

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) April 12, 2025

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Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. 

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has not decided if he will use a forward on defense as the club dresses an undermanned lineup against the Montreal Canadiens and Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. However, he did say it was a possibility.

"I don't have a lot of guys with experience that have played back there other than Mitch (Marner)," Berube said following the club's optional morning skate.

The Maple Leafs will be forced to dress only five defensemen due to a combination of injuries and a lack of salary cap space. With a long-term injured reserve exception not possible due to how late injuries to Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson occurred and with no salary cap space, Toronto has to play one game short before they are allowed a call-up exception under article 50.10 of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement.

Why The Maple Leafs Will Dress 5 Defensemen Against The Canadiens On SaturdayThe Toronto Maple Leafs will likely dress one player short when they host the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

Marner is the obviously choice to play some minutes on defense given, that the player occupies the role on the club's top power-play unit.

 "I heard he's played it a couple of times throughout and looked pretty good. So, yeah, I think he would be the pick," Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton said.

During the club's pre-game meeting there appears to be no shortage of volunteers that would move up to play on the back end.

"It seems like they want to play D," Steven Lorentz revealed. " I've played some D in my career too over the years, just trying to, again, fill in at times. And I think I've been exposed a few times, so hopefully I'm not back there for too long. But, no, if that were to come up, then I'd feel comfortable doing that. But there are a few guys that are more incapable of filling in for a few shifts, I think."

Marner is the only player who played in NHL games on defense via a true experiment.

Following the training camp discussions ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season, then-head coach Sheldon Keefe he had indeed used Marner on defense late in games when the team was chasing a lead.

While Marner did help on the offensive end of things, there was one instance when Marner lost a one-on-one battle with New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier, resulting in a quality scoring chance against.

He stated that Marner "delivered as good of a scoring chance and puck delivery to the net as we had all period" and that his puck touches were crucial in breaking out of the defensive zone. Keefe explicitly noted, "He's not out there to defend; he's out there to spark our offense". While acknowledging a defensive breakdown occurred on Marner's shift (a one-on-one against Nico Hischier). Keefe attributed it mistake more to a lack of backchecking support from the other forwards rather than Marner's individual defending. 

On Feb. 29, 2024, veteran defenseman Mark Giordano suffered an injury, leaving the Maple Leafs with only five defensemen. To manage the workload, Marner was called upon to take shifts on the blueline. Keefe revealed post-game that the possibility of using Marner on defense had been discussed before Giordano's injury. The Leafs had dressed a lineup with six left-shot defensemen due to Timothy Liljegren being out, creating an imbalance. The pre-game consideration involved using Marner, a right shot, to provide a different look on the back end even before the injury forced their hand.

The Leafs quickly rectified this by acquiring right-handed defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin ahead of the trade deadline.

Report: Maple Leafs to Re-Acquire Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin From Ducks For Draft PicksAccording to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs are acquiring the Russian defenseman with 75 percent of his salary cap hit retained in exchange for third and sixth-round draft picks.

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With the New York Rangers on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs entirely, the already deafening noise around head coach Peter Laviolette is beginning to reach a fever pitch.

Laviolette’s Rangers had led the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 and 4-3 on Wednesday night before eventually falling 8-5, virtually eliminating them from playoff contention.

One individual, a name that the Rangers are already intimately familiar with, appears to be gaining traction as a potential Laviolette replacement.

When on the topic of Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw, with just over a minute left in the first period of Wednesday night’s Rangers game, broadcaster John Davidson subtly dropped a key piece of information regarding former Flyers head coach John Tortorella, who was relieved of his duties on March 27.

“By the way, John Tortorella said he wants to coach again because he’s got energy, he loves teaching,” Davidson said. “So, good luck, Torts! We had him in Columbus, and he did a great job for us.”

When Tortorella first took the Flyers’ head coaching job in 2022, he claimed that Philadelphia would be his last stop as an NHL head coach.

But, the 66-year-old likely did not have getting axed with less than a dozen games remaining in his third season on his bingo card. That was sure to leave a sour taste in Tortorella’s mouth, especially knowing the amount of pride he has in his work.

Taking Davidson’s comments one step further, one NHL insider already believes that a Rangers reunion makes the most sense for both Tortorella and the team.

Making a guest appearance on the FlamesNation podcast, TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger says he feels the Rangers are the only logical option for the stoic American coach.

"For me, the New York Rangers are the only team that, right now, makes sense. And the reason I feel like that, and no disrespect to Peter Laviolette, it's because I know that James Dolan, the owner of the New York Rangers, loves John Tortorella,” Dreger postulated.

"That owner has a ton of clout. Let's see what happens. If they miss the playoffs in New York, all bets are off. Maybe Chris Drury has some vote of confidence that he's coming back as general manager, but I can't be sure of that. I don't know that to be certain.

"What I do know is you've got a very hands-on, volatile owner who is not going to sit back and say 'Yeah, okay, status quo, that works. I'm comfortable with the way things are.' He does like John Tortorella, so that would be a scenario that does make some sense."

Tortorella, of course, began his NHL head coaching career with a four-game stint as an interim head coach with the Rangers in 2000, and previously coached parts of five seasons in New York as a full-time head coach, guiding the Rangers to a 171-118-1-29 regular-season record and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance during his time.

If the two-time Jack Adams Award winner is looking for a veteran team with established stars and a full-circle moment to close out his career, there’s no better place to do it than in New York with the Rangers.

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The Winnipeg Jets will play their final road game of the regular season against the 31st-ranked Chicago Blackhawks.

The Jets have defeated the Blackhawks in their two previous meetings this season, winning the first matchup 2-1 in overtime and the second 4-2. The Central Division foes haven't played one another since Dec. 7, 2024.

The Jets enter tonight's game after dominantly beating the Dallas Stars and are now just a point away from clinching the Central Division and first place in the Western Conference. A win or an overtime loss will confirm their spot. 

If the Jets can clinch their spot at the top, they likely won't know their opponent until the final game of the regular season. The St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild are tied with 93 points, each with two games remaining. The Wild currently hold the tiebreaker with two more regulation wins, meaning if the standings do not change, the Jets will face the Blues in the opening round of the playoffs. 

The Blackhawks are once again one of the worst teams in hockey. They have the second-worst goal differential (-71) and the second-fewest wins. Tonight's opportunity is one that needs to be taken by the Jets. 

Puck drop is at 6:00 PM CST at the United Center.

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Foerster buries a few more goals as Flyers beat Islanders in shootout originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tyson Foerster stayed hot with two goals and the Flyers picked up a 4-3 shootout win Saturday afternoon over the Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.

Bobby Brink won it in the skills competition after four Flyers came up empty.

The Flyers lost a 3-2 lead when Bo Horvat scored with 1:01 minutes left in regulation.

Jakob Pelletier also found the back of the net for the Flyers. His goal tied the game at 2-2 in the third period. The 24-year-old has recorded a point in six of the last seven games.

Foerster then delivered the go-ahead 3-2 goal. He has five goals through the last two games after scoring a hat trick Wednesday night in the Flyers’ 8-5 win at Madison Square Garden.

Owen Tippett collected assists on the two third-period goals Saturday.

“I thought we had a good team effort there in the third,” Foerster said.

The Flyers (33-37-9) improved to 5-1-0 under interim head coach Brad Shaw, a stretch in which they’ve scored 28 goals. They have three games to go.

The Flyers went to overtime for the 21st time this season. They’re 12-9 after regulation.

They split their four-game regular-season series with the Islanders (34-33-12).

• Foerster’s first goal was on the power play and it opened the game’s scoring in the second period.

The 23-year-old winger has eight markers in the last six games and 24 on the season after putting up 20 as a rookie last year.

“I like how he earns his success, I like how he doesn’t cheat to get his success,” Shaw said. “That’s not an easy thing to do on a regular basis. A real good sign from a young guy that’s showing he’s going to be a good pro and a good player for a long time.”

Matvei Michkov registered an assist on Foerster’s power play tally, giving him a 60-point rookie season.

More: How Michkov embraced a ‘boring process’ to become an even greater scorer

• Samuel Ersson saw his first start since last Saturday and converted 37 saves on 40 shots.

The 25-year-old denied Horvat, Maxim Tsyplakov, Simon Holmstrom, Tony DeAngelo and Kyle Palmieri in the shootout.

“I thought he was good all game,” Shaw said. “I loved him in the shootout, he had a little bit of swagger. I like that, when we see that from Sam, it usually bodes well for how many pucks he’s going to stop.”

New York erased a 1-0 deficit with second-period goals from Anders Lee and Noah Dobson. Lee’s marker came on the power play as Cam York was hit with a high-sticking penalty. Dobson’s tally was after the Flyers turned the puck over entering the offensive zone.

Islanders netminder Marcus Hogberg stopped 19 of the Flyers’ 22 shots.

• With the win, the Flyers moved a point ahead of the Kraken and into No. 6 for the 2025 NHL draft lottery odds. Seattle has two games left, with one late tonight at home against the Blues.

The Flyers are one point back of the Sabres, who visit the Panthers tonight.

• The Flyers are right back at it Sunday when they visit the Senators (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).

They’ve had a nightmarish time in the second game of back-to-back sets, going 1-10-1 while being outscored 52-29. 

Foerster buries a few more goals as Flyers beat Islanders in shootout originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tyson Foerster stayed hot with two goals and the Flyers picked up a 4-3 shootout win Saturday afternoon over the Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.

Bobby Brink won it in the skills competition after four Flyers came up empty.

The Flyers lost a 3-2 lead when Bo Horvat scored with 1:01 minutes left in regulation.

Jakob Pelletier also found the back of the net for the Flyers. His goal tied the game at 2-2 in the third period. The 24-year-old has recorded a point in six of the last seven games.

Foerster then delivered the go-ahead 3-2 goal. He has five markers through the last two games after scoring a hat trick Wednesday night in the Flyers’ 8-5 win at Madison Square Garden.

“You can tell he’s a goal scorer,” Samuel Ersson said. “You see that he’s one of the toughest guys to stop in practice.”

Owen Tippett collected assists on the two third-period goals.

“I thought we had a good team effort there in the third,” Foerster said.

The Flyers (33-37-9) improved to 5-1-0 under interim head coach Brad Shaw, a stretch in which they’ve scored 28 goals. They have three games to go.

“I think for everybody, we’re still trying to work on our own games, trying to get better, I think that’s a huge part of it,” Ersson said. “As a team, having some pride, playing for the Flyers’ logo and knowing that we’re trying to do something good here with the games we have left.”

The Flyers went to overtime for the 21st time this season. They’re 12-9 after regulation.

They split their four-game regular-season series with the Islanders (34-33-12).

• Foerster’s first goal was on the power play and it opened the game’s scoring in the second period.

The 23-year-old winger has eight markers in the last six games and 24 on the season after putting up 20 as a rookie last year.

“I like how he earns his success, I like how he doesn’t cheat to get his success,” Shaw said. “That’s not an easy thing to do on a regular basis. A real good sign from a young guy that’s showing he’s going to be a good pro and a good player for a long time.”

Matvei Michkov registered an assist on Foerster’s power play tally, giving him a 60-point rookie season.

More: How Michkov embraced a ‘boring process’ to become an even greater scorer

• Ersson saw his first start since last Saturday and converted 37 saves on 40 shots.

The 25-year-old denied Horvat, Maxim Tsyplakov, Simon Holmstrom, Tony DeAngelo and Kyle Palmieri in the shootout.

“I thought he was good all game,” Shaw said. “I loved him in the shootout, he had a little bit of swagger. I like that, when we see that from Sam, it usually bodes well for how many pucks he’s going to stop.”

New York erased a 1-0 deficit with second-period goals from Anders Lee and Noah Dobson. Lee’s marker came on the power play as Cam York was hit with a high-sticking penalty. Dobson’s tally was after the Flyers turned the puck over entering the offensive zone.

Islanders netminder Marcus Hogberg stopped 19 of the Flyers’ 22 shots.

• With the win, the Flyers moved a point ahead of the Kraken and into No. 6 for the 2025 NHL draft lottery odds. Seattle has two games left, with one late tonight at home against the Blues.

The Flyers are one point back of the Sabres, who visit the Panthers tonight.

• The Flyers are right back at it Sunday when they visit the Senators (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).

They’ve had a nightmarish time in the second game of back-to-back sets, going 1-10-1 while being outscored 52-29. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been getting a lot of help from the hockey gods lately.

The first time they faced elimination, they pulled out a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres to stay alive. Then last night, they got the help they needed—thanks to the Ottawa Senators beating the Montreal Canadiens, they're still in it.

But staying alive another day also means facing elimination again.

Here’s the scenario for today:

The Canadiens will clinch a playoff spot and eliminate the Blue Jackets if any of the following happen:

(a) They beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in regulation (b) They win in overtime or a shootout and the Blue Jackets lose to the Washington Capitals (c) They collect a point and the Blue Jackets lose (d) They win in overtime or a shootout and the Blue Jackets lose in overtime or a shootout

There’s a lot of moving parts here, but the simplest path is this: the Blue Jackets need to beat the Capitals, and hope the Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens.

If everything goes their way, they'll live to fight another day—and get a rematch with the Capitals tomorrow with their season still alive.

Columbus Blue Jackets (81 pts) vs. Washington Capitals (109 pts) Game PreviewThe Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals play the first of back-to-back games this weekend, today at 12:30 PM. Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Washington Capitals The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals play the first of back-to-back games this weekend, today at 12:30 PM. Columbus Blue Jackets Injury UpdateJust when the Columbus Blue Jackets thought they had turned the corner in terms of injuries, the injury bug has bitten again. 

After taking on the Ottawa Senators on Friday, the Montreal Canadiens will jump back into the action on Saturday night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The hosts should be well rested, as they played their last game on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, they will need all their energy since they may be forced to play with only five defensemen.

Three Takeaways From A Missed Opportunity
Canadiens: Demidov Has Landed And May Be Perfect For St-Louis
Canadiens: Where Does Demidov Slot In?

With Jake McCabe already injured, Craig Berube confirmed after practice on Friday that Oliver Ekman-Larsson would miss Saturday night’s game against the Habs. The Toronto outfit will be forced to play a defenseman down, thanks to roster limitations and cap rules.

Saturday night’s duel will be the fourth and final matchup between the two teams; the Canadiens won the first game 1-0 in October, while Toronto won 4-1 in November and 7-3 in January. The Leafs have also won seven of the last ten meetings and three of their previous four games, while the Canadiens are still reeling from their first loss in seven games.

Samuel Montembeault was in the net last night, and Martin St-Louis has already confirmed that Jakub Dobes will be facing the Leafs for the first time in his young career. In 15 games this season, the youngster has a 7-4-2 record with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.

As for the Leafs, Anthony Stolarz is 3-2-0 in 5 games with a GAA of 2.78 and a .910 SP versus the Canadiens, while Joseph Woll has never lost against the visitors; he’s 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and a .942 SP.

If you were still hoping to see Ivan Demidov take his first strides as a Canadiens against the Leafs, forget it. The coach has already said it’s not happening. It will be interesting to see if St-Louis does make some changes to his lineup, given Friday night’s 5-2 loss and the fact that this is the tail end of a back-to-back. He should, however, put on the Canadiens’ jersey for Saturday morning’s optional skate.

Canadiens with 34+ points in a 22-game span since 1960:

— Nick Suzuki (active)
— Stéphane Richer (1990)
— Steve Shutt (1976)
— Guy Lafleur (1975, 1976)
— Bernie Geoffrion (1961)

Elite company. pic.twitter.com/EPUcwlmCAV

— Canadiens Muse (@Canadiens_Muse) April 11, 2025

It will be interesting to see if St-Louis tinkers with his lineup. Michael Pezzetta had a tough fight on Friday night and looked worse for wear. Perhaps an opportunity to bring Emil Heineman back in the lineup if he’s ready to go after the injury that made him day-to-day. It could be a good idea for Arber Xhekaj to reintegrate the defense corps. The Leafs aren’t overly physical, and some of their forwards can think twice before engaging in brutal board battles.

The Canadiens will have another opportunity to book their playoffs spot on Saturday night, but if they hope to, they’ll need a better contribution from their top line. In 27 games against the Leafs, captain Nick Suzuki has 22 points to his name, second only to Brendan Gallagher, who has 23 in 46 duels. Josh Anderson takes the third spot with 17 points in 36 tilts, while Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine have 13 points in 15 and 14 games, respectively. Suzuki currently has a seven-game point streak; he’s put up 13 points in that span.

As for the Leafs, John Tavares leads in points production against Montreal with 51 points in 58 games, followed by captain Auston Matthews, who has 46 points in 36 games, Mitch Marner with 38 points in 39 games, and William Nylander, who has 31 in 35 duels. Needless to say, the Canadiens need to stop the big four to win.

Montreal will need to have a good start if they want to prevail. Toronto is quite stingy in the first period, allowing only 68 games this season. Their worst defensively is the third, in which they’ve given up 84 goals on the year, which is good news for Martin St-Louis’ men who usually have a strong third.

The Habs have played 384 games in Toronto and have a 139-194-45-6 record away from home against the old enemy. With an assist tonight, Suzuki could join Chris Chelios as the 36th most prolific passer in franchise history with 237. Speaking of the former blueliner, Lane Hutson remains on the verge of breaking his record for most points by a Canadiens rookie defenseman. Meanwhile, with three games left to play, sniper Cole Caufield is on 37 goals, while the team’s main objective remains to qualify for the playoffs, getting the right winger to 40 lamplighters would be quite the milestone, something Montreal hasn’t seen since Vincent Damphousse did it in 1993-94.

The Canadiens will head back home after the game. They have a date with the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night for what should be Demidov’s NHL debut. Something tells me the Bell Centre crowd will be deafening for that rookie lap.

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Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. 

As the Toronto Maple Leafs inch closer to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s cautious optimism surrounding the status of the return of defenseman Jani Hakanpaa — but no guarantees.

The 6-foot-7 blueliner, who hasn’t played an NHL game since November 16 against the Edmonton Oilers, continues to skate with the team and move forward in his recovery from a lingering knee injury. On Friday, Hakanpaa took reps with the third defensive pair at practice, replacing the absent Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe.

“Pretty good spot right now, been making some good improvements. Getting back out there with the guys has been good,” said Hakanpaa after practice. “Slowly working our way towards playing again here.”

#Leafs lines during practice Apr. 11/25

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Nylander
McMann-Domi-Robertson
Holmberg-Laughton-Lorentz
Pacioretty

Rielly-Carlo
Benoit-Tanev
Hakanpaa (LTIR)-Myers
Absent: OEL, McCabe (injuired)

Stolarz, Woll@BodogCA

— David Alter (@dalter) April 11, 2025

Hakanpaa was filling the void at Friday’s practice, but the Leafs are forced to go with five defensemen on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs do not have any salary cap room ($195,333) to call up an additional player with Jake McCabe (undisclosed) injured and forward David Kampf still out with an upper-body injury – as well as the new undisclosed injury to Ekman-Larsson.

The 33-year-old underwent minor knee surgery earlier this season in hopes of returning for the second half. He was officially placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on December 2, and despite steady progress over the past month – skating before or with the Leafs at practice – he remains ineligible to return.

Why The Maple Leafs Will Dress 5 Defensemen Against The Canadiens On SaturdayThe Toronto Maple Leafs will likely dress one player short when they host the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

Asked if he could suit up come playoff time, Hakanpaa remained hopeful but noncommittal.

“That’s a tough one to kind of say anything really,” Hakanpaa explained. “It’s been trending really good in the gym and on the ice, off the ice, everything. Hopefully, we'll get there; we’ll see.”

Head coach Craig Berube offered little clarity when asked about the status of both Hakanpaa and forward Max Pacioretty, who is also recovering from an injury, for the postseason.

“That I don’t know. I don’t have that answer for you. They’re still working away through things, so that’s all I know on that,” said Berube.

Back on April 1, Berube was slightly more optimistic about the outlook, noting that both players were actively working toward being healthy.

“It’s good that they’re out there,” Berube said at the time. “They’ve been working with our development crew and people back here skating and trying to get healthy. Hopefully, they can get healthy and be part of the team at some point.”

‘It’s Good That They’re Out There’: Max Pacioretty, Jani Hakanpaa, Return To Maple Leafs Practice Amid Long-Term Injury Absence The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to practice at Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday following their three-game California road trip, preparing for a divisional matchup against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.

Hakanpaa has had an up-and-down year, only suiting up for two games with the Maple Leafs this season and logging two conditioning stints with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies — going pointless in all four outings. He was initially named to Team Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off but was forced to withdraw due to his recovery progress.

“It’s been up and down, highs and lows. It has the good parts to it, too,” said Hakanpaa of the season. “You just have to enjoy the little victories every day. Something feels really good; you can improve on something and really take a lot of joy in that.”

“Obviously, it’s been trying, but just trying to keep that positive mindset and cheer the boys on as much as I can when they’ve been here,” he added.

'I Don't Have A Timeline': Jani Hakanpaa Will Not Play For Finland At 4 Nations Sparking More Questions About His NHL FutureHakanpaa hasn't played since Nov. 16 and had a second knee procedure in early December.

As for how he’s feeling now, the Finnish defender says it’s a mix of good days and ongoing issues still preventing him from returning to full speed.

“It’s a little bit of both,” Hakanpaa admitted. There are a few things still there that I’d like to be a little better feeling on the ice, and other than that, just stringing good days together. Adding a little more load every day, adding a little more here and there, and then trying to string those good days, and make them good weeks into good months.”

Whether Hakanpaa gets a shot at playoff action remains to be seen. For now, he remains on the outside looking in, but seems to be trending in the right direction. However, a clear timeline has yet to come to the surface.

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals play the first of back-to-back games this weekend, today at 12:30 PM.

The Blue Jackets survived another day after the Montréal Canadiens were beaten by the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. 

Today, the CBJ and Caps will play the first game of a home-and-home back-to-back, and the Jackets need to win the games. The Canadiens play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, so if the Jackets can get past the Caps, and the Leafs can beat the Habs, the CBJ will survive until Sunday. 

Just win, baby! 

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.7% - 22nd in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 25th in NHL
• Goals For - 247 - 11th - 3.17 GPG - 11th
• Goals Against - 265 - 26th - 3.40 GPG - 27th

Capitals Stats

• Power Play – 23.7% - 12th in NHL
• Penalty Kill – 81.6% - 6th in NHL
• Goals For - 280 – 1st – 3.59 GPG – 1st
• Goals Against – 212 – 8th – 2.72 GPG – 9th

Series History vs. The Capitals

• Columbus is 10-12-6 at home and 19-26-11 in 56 all-time meetings vs. the Capitals.
• The Jackets are 8-9-4 in the last 21 games at Capital One Arena. 

Who To Watch For The Capitals

• Dylan Strome leads the team with 51 assists and 77 points.
• Alex Ovechkin leads the Caps with 42 goals. 
• Charlie Lindgren is 19-13-3 with a SV% of .893. 

CBJ Player Notes vs. Capitals

• Boone Jenner has 12 points in 33 career games against Washington.  
• Zach Werenski has 9 points in 23 games.  
• Sean Monahan has 15 points in 22 games against the Capitals. 

Injuries

• Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and is out for the season (21 Games) 
• Elvis Merzlikins (upper body) has missed 1 game. 

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 312

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on ABC, ESPN+. Sean McDonough will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on  93.3 The Bus, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

Let us know what you think below.

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After a couple of days off, the Montreal Canadiens were taking on the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. They had an opportunity to officially punch their ticket for the Spring dance and sweep their Ontarian rivals. Unfortunately for Martin St-Louis, it became apparent that neither would happen early on.

Canadiens: Demidov Has Landed And May Be Perfect For St-Louis
Canadiens: Where Does Demidov Slot In?
Jacob Fowler Wins Richter Award

Learning To Win Is One Thing, But Learning To Be Ready Is Just As Important

The Canadiens had six wins in a row before Friday night’s game, but there’s one part of their game that they can never seem to get right: being ready for puck drop. St-Louis won’t complain that his team has developed a knack for third-period comebacks, but he must be fuming about those late starts as evidenced by his use of the word "unacceptable" when asked about yet another late start.

So far this season, the Canadiens have scored 64 goals in the first period and given up 82. They've given up 81 in the second and 83 in the third, so the issue is not how many they give up but how many they score. They put up 78 in the second and 84 in the third. Whatever the problem is, it must be addressed, and the sooner, the better. Since their previous game in Ottawa in February, the Canadiens have been outscored 17-7 in the first frame and only once they managed to keep their opponent from scoring in the first 20 minutes. 

The fact that they were unable to pull off the third-period comeback against the Sens is not a bad thing. It is much better to get this stern warning in the regular season than in the playoffs, which they will likely make, even though they could not seal the deal in this game. The coach often tells us that a considerable part of his job is selling his game plan to the players; this 5-2 loss will be a good selling point.

The Captain Since The Break

Since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Nick Suzuki has scored 35 points in 23 matches, four game-winning goals, at least two points in 11 of the 23 games, and has contributed to 47% of the Canadiens’ goals.

In Friday’s game, he scored his 29th goal of the season, leaving him one short of hitting 30 for a second season in a row. His career high is 33, which he hit last year. While he did end the game with a minus-three rating, and his line was dominated by Shane Pinto's unit, it's hard to criticize Suzuki, given how he has carried this team on his back for the last couple of months.

Séquence de 7 matchs avec au moins un point pour Nick 🔥

7-game point streak#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/O8uV9qDWKq

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 12, 2025

The fact that he went to his GM to plead the team’s case as the trade deadline was approaching shows great leadership. He will have earned even more respect from his teammates by not only doing this but also rising to the challenge given by Kent Hughes.

Time For A Change?

With this loss, perhaps it’s time for St-Louis to reintegrate Arber Xhekaj into the lineup. Sometimes, a big hit can bring a team to its senses. We’ll never know if it could have made a difference tonight, but we know that the gritty defenseman is eager to return.

Jayden Struble was the blueliner with the least ice time in the game and was guilty of two giveaways. If St-Louis does decide to make a change, he’ll be the most likely candidate for a night off. David Savard could probably use the rest, but his role on the penalty kill is crucial, and until the playoff spot is official, I wouldn’t be surprised if the coach felt he had to keep him.

While Michael Pezzetta has some limitations as a hockey player, he has none in the heart and dedication department. For a second time this week, he dropped the gloves to wake his team up. He struggled at the start of the fight but came out on top, doing what he could to pump up his teammates.

If Emil Heineman is ready for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he should be inserted into the lineup. He applies excellent forecheck and can also contribute offensively.

The Habs will need to turn the page quickly and, as the coach often says himself, focus on what’s next.

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Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

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Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.