Author: NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

ST. LOUIS – There are currently five St. Louis Blues players who were part of the longest winning streak in franchise history in 2019.

Jordan Binnington, Brayden Schenn, Oskar Sundqvist, Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko (injured) can now stake claim to a second historical streak.

The Blues set a new benchmark with their 12th straight win when they held off the Colorado Avalanche, 5-4 at Enterprise on Saturday.

For all the talk about this current Blues team not being able to put together a three-game winning streak as late as January, right now, they can’t seem to lose a game no matter how what the score is.

“It’s very cool,” Binnington said after making 35 saves. “It’s good to enjoy these moments, especially at home. It’s really fun to play here right now and you can tell there’s good energy all around. At the same time, we’ve got to focus and keep looking forward while we’re here.”

Robert Thomas continues to tear a blazing trail of points; he had a goal and four assists to give him 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in an eight-game point streak; Cam Fowler had three assists and Zack Bolduc scored two power-play goals to lead the Blues (43-28-7), who are now four points clear of the Minnesota Wild for the first wild card from the Western Conference.

And they’re doing this without Parayko, who’s been out with a left knee injury since March 5, and now Dylan Holloway, who’s week to week with a lower-body injury.

“We've lost some really good, important players to our lineup,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “It means we're good. We're a good hockey team.

“I am proud of that group in there to be able to overcome all of the adversity that we've had this year, whether that was self-inflicted by us. It doesn't matter. We've overcome it. I'm proud of that group for what they've achieved.”

The Blues built a 4-0 lead before getting a bit complacent and then having to fend off the Avalanche (47-27-4), who the Blues also beat 2-1 in Denver a week ago Saturday, giving Colorado (6-2-1) its only two regulation losses in the past nine games.

“We’re playing the right way,” said Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich, who scored his 100th goal with the Blues. “We’re playing for each other. Sacrifice for the team and it’s working right now. We should keep going.”

Let’s look at Saturday’s Three Takeaways:

* Winning the special teams – The Blues didn’t do themselves any favors, especially early, by taking three minor penalties in the first period, and despite being outshot 13-4 on special teams by the Avalanche, the Blues won the game with special teams’ play.

The Avalanche had 12 shots on their three power plays; the Blues had three shots on their three power plays. But they made two of theirs count and won the special teams’ battle 2-0, thanks to a pair of power-play goals by Bolduc, each in the bumper position and receiving passes from Thomas.

The first came at the 49-second mark of the opening period, or 18 seconds after Joel Kiviranta was whistled for cross checking Jordan Kyrou, to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Power play goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Zack Bolduc with 19:11 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Robert Thomas and Cam Fowler.

St. Louis: 1
Colorado: 0#COLvsSTL#stlblues#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/xOnQJqxpFB

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

And the second came at 8:53 of the second period, similar play, but this time, Bolduc had some time to whip a shot top shelf on Mackenzie Blackwood for a 4-0 lead.

Power play goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Zack Bolduc with 11:07 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Robert Thomas and Cam Fowler.

St. Louis: 4
Colorado: 0#COLvsSTL#stlblues#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/MfddxN3SLJ

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 6, 2025

“You’ve got to be ready,” Bolduc said. “I’ve been trying to find the open space. You never know when the puck’s going to come your way. I just try to set myself up and be ready to shoot. I want to hit the net for sure.

“I don’t know but teams will adjust. It’ll be on us to get better and find other options that will be open.”

* Good sticks, forecheck – Despite getting a bit complacent and allowing Colorado back into the game with a couple late second-period goals, the Blues had good sticks in this game.

They broke up a lot of plays, and it was everyone on the ice doing the job. Whether it was the Radek Faksa line with Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko grinding pucks down low after winning them, or Jimmy Snuggerud, in his third NHL game breaking plays up playing with Buchnevich and Thomas, knocking pucks down and then instead of being overwhelmed, putting pucks into good areas to go and forecheck them back, which the Blues did. Or Thomas defending the Nathan MacKinnon line all night and until MacKinnon scored with an extra attacker, shutting one of the NHL’s best players down.

It was a collective effort to break up any rush plays the Avalanche was trying to create.

“I thought our sticks and our angling above them,” Montgomery said. “Third period, they scored two pulled goalies situations, but outside of that, I didn’t think we gave them much and I thought we had great chances (off good defensive plays). Bolduc had a good chance to get his hat trick and Snuggerud had two in a row there among others.”

Speaking of Snuggerud, he and Thomas had good stick plays that helped set up Buchnevich’s goal at 1:01 of the third period for a 3-0 lead.

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Pavel Buchnevich with 18:59 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Jimmy Snuggerud and Robert Thomas.

St. Louis: 3
Colorado: 0#COLvsSTL#stlblues#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/LZpJKDnvpL

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 6, 2025

It came after Jake Neighbours also using his stick off the bench to create O-zone time, and Neighbours eventually finding a Thomas pass in the low slot and conversion for a 2-0 lead at 7:41 of the first period.

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Jake Neighbours with 12:19 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn.

St. Louis: 2
Colorado: 0#COLvsSTL#stlblues#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/oSp9WoG1I4

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

“(We) put some pucks deep, play below the goal line,” Buchnevich said. ‘We got first eight minutes, we kind of dominate, and got the early power-play goal. ‘Boldy’ have a good shot, and it's easier when you play with the lead.”

* Binnington’s key saves – Forget that he allowed four goals, and none of his own doing. Jordan Binnington was rock solid, and his saves, especially during Colorado’s barrage of shots on the man advantage were crucial.

Sometimes your goalie has to be your best penalty killer and Binnington was.

“We found a way to get it done,” Binnington said. “Obviously they’ve got some high-end talent. We found a way to get it done and that’s just a testament to all our guys and our penalty killers. You got a guy like Walker, I don’t know how many blocked shots he had. Just point blank and ‘Torps’ too. We’re just sacrificing and playing the right way and finding a way to win.”

Jordan HIMington pic.twitter.com/c1WKYqot2Q

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 6, 2025

Binnington also made a breakaway on Artturi Lehkonen after a Bolduc mishap in the neutral zone, and there was also a reflex save off a rebound by Valeri Nichushkin in the second.

Jordan "Big Save" Binnington pic.twitter.com/gYVE8OFsiB

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 5, 2025

“He was really good,” Montgomery said. “They had a lot of shot attempts. It was a hard-working night for him. It was clear that they wanted a shot-volume night tonight. We ate a lot of pucks blocking them, but he was there and he was really seeing the puck well through traffic.”

It all led to Binnington winning his 10th straight home start to tie a franchise record, tying John Davidson and Jaroslav Halak.

A record-setting night!

12 consecutive wins (most in Blues history)… Jordan Binnington’s 10th straight home win (matches franchise record) and 100th home win as a Blue (most among Blues goalies)… plus Pavel Buchnevich’s 100th goal as a Blue. pic.twitter.com/fQdU033Dh5

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 6, 2025

The Avalanche did get two sixth-attacker goals, including one with 8.1 seconds remaining by Sam Malinski that made the score academic after Thomas hit the empty net off the goal post and in at 19:30.

Empty net goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Robert Thomas with 00:31 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Cam Fowler.

St. Louis: 5
Colorado: 3#COLvsSTL#stlblues#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/0t6ib1zwMP

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 6, 2025

There is a certain NHL winger about to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record who is - rightfully - garnering a ton of attention across the league.

And there's another guy who showed on Saturday why folks, once again, shouldn't forget about what he's doing this season, either.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby recorded a hat trick, and his four points powered the Penguins past one of the NHL's best teams in the Dallas Stars, 5-3. Pittsburgh's win snapped Dallas's seven-game winning streak, which was the second-longest active winning streak in the NHL.

Crosby also extended his league-best active point streak to 12 games, and he has a whopping 11 goals and 20 points in that time.

"Obviously, he's done some awesome things in this league," said Bryan Rust, who scored his 200th career goal against Dallas. "And there were a couple times earlier this year where he had two, and I kept trying to get him the puck, and I couldn't get them over there for the hat trick. So, it was definitely good to see him get it."

The Penguins opened the scoring early in the first period on the power play, as Evgeni Malkin fed a pass from below the goal line to Crosby in the slot, who one-timed it top-shelf past Stars goaltender and ex-Penguin Casey DeSmith to give Pittsburgh the 1-0 lead. Stars forward Evgenii Dadonov responded a few minutes later to tie the game at 1-1 heading into first intermission, but the Penguins carried play for the most of the first.

And the same was the case in the second, despite Dadonov registering his second goal of the game on the power play off a beautiful feed from Matt Duchene. Pittsburgh, again, was controlling offensive zone possession and taking it to the Stars every chance they got. But DeSmith was up to the task, making several ten-bell saves.

Then, just 20 seconds into the third period, Rust came in hard on the forecheck below the goal line and got the puck to Rutger McGroarty, who knew Crosby approaching the back door. He quickly and instinctively fired a perfect backhand pass to a breaking Crosby, who put it home to - once again - tie the game.

However, Dadonov continued his dominance in this game, scoring less than three minutes later to cap off a hat trick and put the Stars back ahead, 3-2. Then, a few minutes later, Crosby fed the puck to Rust, who did one of his signature power moves across the goal crease to slide the puck past DeSmith on the backhand for his 200th career goal. 

The game remained in a 3-3 tie until late in the third period when an unfortunate mishap by Dallas cost them the game. Stars defensemen Cody Ceci and Thomas Harley collided in the defensive zone, and the puck was coughed up to the Penguins for a two-on-one.

Danton Heinen, along the left wall, fed a perfect pass to Blake Lizotte in the slot, who one-timed it past DeSmith with just 1:43 remaining in regulation to give the Penguins the 4-3 lead.

McGroarty Scores First NHL Goal In Penguins 5-4 Overtime Loss To BluesThe Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday - which gave the Blues their whopping 11th straight win - obviously wasn't the desired result.

And then, with the empty net, Crosby picked up a loose rebound right in front of Tristan Jarry, firing the puck the length of the ice and right into the middle of the net for his third goal of the game.

The Penguins outshot the Stars 40-24, and they attempted 76 shots. They were the better team throughout, and head coach Mike Sullivan was pleased with the team's effort.

"I was really happy for the team," Sullivan said. "I thought we played really hard all night. I thought we were down in the game most of the game, but I thought we were playing extremely well. We just tried to encourage them to stay with it and just keep competing, keep playing the game the right way, and we'll climb back into it. But, I thought, to a man, it was one of the more complete efforts we've had all year long."

Sullivan was also asked if there's been a better player in the league than Crosby since the 4 Nations Face-off break. 

"I'd be hard-pressed to think of one," Sullivan said. "I just think he's bringing a certain effort every night. He's the heartbeat of this group, and he drives the pulse. When he's playing on top of his game the way he is, he gives us a chance to win every game.

"He's competing on both sides of the puck. His line has been really good, he's been great with the kids... he's doing a great job with Rutger [McGroarty] on his line and with Ville [Koivunen] on the power play. I think those guys are having a lot of fun being around him, and I think he's having a lot of fun working with them. So, I think he's just playing terrific hockey right now."

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Here are a few other thoughts and observations from this one:

- Bryan Rust is officially a 200-goal scorer in the NHL.

He also recorded his 28th goal of the season, which ties the career-high he set in only 62 games last season. And after beginning his career as a third and fourth-line grinder, he worked his way into a top-six role and now has six consecutive 20-goal seasons.

What a story Rust has been. And even Rust never thought he'd get to this point.

"I'm really proud," Rust said. "I didn't think I'd ever get to say that I'd score 200 goals in the NHL. I think when the first time I came into this league, I was like, 'I hope I can just stick around for a couple years'... and now, here I am, 200 goals later. I think back, and I'm obviously really blessed, and there's obviously more to do."

Sullivan has said time and time again that Rust's journey embodies what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. And he said it again Saturday. What a player he is.

- I don't know what else to say about McGroarty right now. He's been very, very good through three games with the Penguins and is scoring at a point-per-game pace since his recall (one goal, three points in three games). 

Koivunen has certainly had his moments, too, and I really liked how he looked alongside Rickard Rakell and Evgeni Malkin - playing in his first game since Mar. 23 - against Dallas. This actually resembled a formidable top-six for the Penguins.

But McGroarty has been the standout. He was driving play down low throughout the game - as he's known to do - and he is such a smart player. He's always in the right spot, he's got eyes on the back of his head, and he sees a lot of plays before they happen. His hockey sense has been unreal, and it feels and looks like he's on the same wavelength as Crosby. 

Just really impressive stuff from a kid who has only played six NHL games. He looks advanced beyond his age, and that pass to Crosby was pure instinct.

If he continues to play like this down the stretch, he absolutely has to be on this team full-time next season. It's early, but there are just so many things he does that you simply cannot teach. There's no reason to think those things won't translate in full-time NHL top-six minutes. 

- Jumping back to that second line, it was clear to see that there is some degree of chemistry already building between Koivunen and Malkin. I think Koivunen's creativity and hockey sense marries well with Malkin's playmaking ability and east-west style of play, and his forechecking ability opens up some opportunity for Malkin and Rakell, too.

I like having Rakell on that line in theory, as he is the finisher on it. However, it seems pretty clear to me that Rakell is most comfortable - and at his best - playing with Crosby, as he has developed some real chemistry with 87.

It's hard to argue with the results of the first line, but heading into next season - assuming everyone is still around - I'd think about switching Rakell and Rust. But it feels like, in the earlygoing, that McGroarty fits with Crosby and Koivunen fits with Malkin.

- I've mentioned a few times in the past month or so how much better Matt Grzelcyk has looked in the second half of the season. 

Well, I think Saturday's performance was, arguably, his best of the season.

Which UFAs Should The Penguins Bring Back?Although the Pittsburgh Penguins shipped out most of their unrestricted free agents before the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 7, there are still a few remaining on the roster.

It seemed like he was making something happen in the offensive zone every time he touched the puck. He made a few nice defensive reads and recovery plays. His skating along the offensive blue line is smooth, and he's decisive. His puck-moving ability in the transition game was on display.

For as poorly as he started the season, he has really rounded into form over the last two months. His glaring defensive mistakes are fewer and farther between, and - as usual - his work on the power play from the blue line has been unmatched on this team this season.

Again, don't be surprised to see the Penguins extend him for another year or two while they wait for some of their younger defensive prospects to develop. It wouldn't be the worst thing, as he's certainly revitalized his career in Pittsburgh.

- This was one of the best 60-minute efforts of the season from the Penguins against one of the top-three teams in the NHL.

They dominated offensive zone possession. They rolled four lines. They were manufacturing high-danger scoring chances in all three periods and didn't take their foot off the gas. They didn't fold when Dallas responded.

Even if they're not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, their season is all but over. However, this game really goes to show how much character is in that locker room. This is the exact kind of character environment that guys like McGroarty, Koivunen, Owen Pickering, and other Penguins' prospects need for their development and their transition to the NHL level. 

And it starts and ends with 87. You can't say enough about the guy who has been the heartbeat of this team for two decades. He's still playing like he's 26 - and he doesn't seem to be slowing down.

'When He Speaks, Everyone Listens': How Sidney Crosby's Mentorship Has Passed On To Multiple Generations Of TeammatesFollowing the team's regular practice on Dec. 16, Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby took some extra time out of his day to do something pretty much everyone around him is accustomed to witnessing on a day-to-day basis.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!     

Two games into his NHL career and Carolina Hurricanes rookie forward Justin Robidas is already A) officially an NHL goal scorer and B) a point-per-game player too. 

Despite the team suffering back-to-back losses in Detroit and Boston over the weekend, Robidas made the most of his opportunity, registering a primary assist on Friday and scoring the team's lone goal on Saturday.

"It's pretty cool," Robidas said on getting his first. "Obviously a goal that I'll remember forever. It's hard to get that at the end of a loss like that, but still it's pretty memorable for me.

"It's for sure something that I'll remember. It was a pretty big weekend for myself, my family and everyone that's supported me. Definitely very special."

First NHL goal alert‼️

Congrats, Justin Robidas! pic.twitter.com/xC2d3jDYM8

— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025

The 22-year-old forward has risen to the occasion for Carolina and made the most of his ice time.

He's the third rookie to make his NHL debut for Carolina this season (Juha Jaaska, Ryan Suzuki) and also the third to register a goal (Jackson Blake, Scott Morrow).

"It's tough that his first goal, you're happy for him and he did a nice job, but I hated that it's in a game like that where it's not all that impactful," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "But certainly he did a great job when he came up. Happy for him."

"It's awesome," said Sebastian Aho. "He played great. Kind of sucks to see the rest of the team to play like that when he's playing his first two games. Obviously a well deserved goal there. It's awesome to see."

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I am giving fans the other side of his game. What the Flyers were looking for and what happened. 

The Canadiens played the Flyers pretty even for two periods. The Flyers came in with a new coach and a three-game winning streak but the Canadiens were the faster team with more shot disruption and that eventually tired the Flyers out.

In the third period, with the score tied, you could see the Flyers tiring but their goalie, Sam Ersson was holding them in the game. That’s what happens sometimes and the Flyers have been getting more offensive zone time since Brad Shaw became the interim head coach. That’s been a big change over the John Tortorella brand of hockey.

The Flyers power play has been a smidge better lately but still it’s been mostly awful all season long. With the late goal, 1-4 is almost acceptable for them. Not quite, but almost. Making this a 3-2 was a short rallying point for them. At this point of the season they are looking for positives.

The Flyers tried to contain Lane Hutson. They didn’t. In the Hutson vs. Michkov Calder conversation game. Hutson won and even the Flyers broadcast said they would give the nod to Hutson if Michkov doesn’t win the award. There is little doubt that Hutson is the leader.

I think the Flyers were hoping their goalie would match Sam Montembeault and that didn’t happen. That stick miscue that gave Nick Suzuki the puck and the Canadiens the short-handed goal was the dagger. 

The Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Thanks to losses by the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Florida’s magic number shrunk to zero.

This marks the sixth straight year Florida has qualified for the postseason, a franchise record that just keeps growing.

The playoffs are set to begin in two weeks, but we’re still far from finding out what the matchups are going to be.

As it stands, Florida is in third place in the Atlantic Division.

If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Panthers would face their cross-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, for the fourth time in five postseasons.

There are still paths to Florida going up against Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal in the first round, so we’ll see how things shake out over the next six games.

Florida also has several players who are currently out of the lineup, but expected back either before or during the playoffs.

Forward Matthew Tkachuk has been out since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February but he’s been seen on the ice recently and barring any setbacks, the team is hopeful his recovery will land him back in the lineup during the first round.

Sasha Barkov, Dmitry Kulikov and Nico Sturm are all currently injured but both should be back before the postseason arrives, and suspended defenseman Aaron Ekbald will be eligible to return for Game 3 of the opening round.

There is still much to learn over the next couple weeks, but take a breath, Panthers fans.

The days of sitting at home and watching other teams fight for the Stanley Cup are long gone.

See you in the playoffs.

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Los Angeles, CA — The Los Angeles Kings (44-23-9) defeat the Edmonton Oilers (44-27-5) in a clean 3-0 fashion at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, March 5.

With this victory, as the Stanley Cup playoffs draw nearer, this victory keeps the Kings in their second place standing in the Western Conference of the NHL. That being said, this win also serves as the last litmus test against some of the top teams in the NHL, with Los Angeles notably being beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-0 loss on the road, and losing 3-1 at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

One of the star players in this match against Edmonton was Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper who reliably kept the box score clean for Los Angeles, saving eleven Oiler shots from entering the net during the match. 

Just Darcy being Darcy 🧱 pic.twitter.com/1GzhvAq0de

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 6, 2025

That being said, the first period saw both the Oilers and the Kings battle for the hockey puck, with LA center Anze Kopitar winning the faceoff to start for his team. Indeed, despite one penalty by the Oilers — tripping committed against Kings right wing Adrian Kempe — both teams were mostly going back and forth between their respective hockey goal nets throughout, playing cut and dry ice hockey with missed opportunities left on the rink. 

As the second period got rolling, though, the momentum began to shift. Despite a slashing penalty committed by Kings center Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles began their aggression onto the Edmonton net. LA King right wing Kevin Fiala swooped by the Oiler net, and with an assisted shot from Kopitar completed the offense drive and hit a backhand shot for his 30th shot of the season to give the Kings the lead, 1-0. 

30 FOR KEV! pic.twitter.com/XzYsM8WmLS

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 5, 2025

Los Angeles newcomer and left wing Andrei Kuzmenko added to the offensive pile on, when Kings defenseman Drew Doughty drew the assist shooting the puck to the left side of Edmonton’s net, when Kuzmenko saw his opportunity and landed an impressive snap shot into the hockey net, adding another tally to the box score, 2-0. 

KUZ IS INEVITABLE pic.twitter.com/SiMI3tzWps

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 5, 2025

Afterward, while the Oilers drew another penalty — slashing against Byfield — enabling the Kings with a power play, that window for more goals slowly shut as the second period drew to a close. 

The third period came around, and at this point the Oilers needed to get numbers onto the box score, so they made the decision to add another player to the offensive push against the Kings net. At the same time, since they had to leave their hockey net empty in order to compromise and make more room on the other side, this left a window open for Kings center Trevor Lewis to score an empty net goal, extending the Kings lead to 3-0. 

The Kings only gave up one penalty in the game, and ultimately went on to beat the Oilers 3-0 in this match. The Oilers had no offensive rebuttal during the match. 

The Los Angeles Kings have six remaining games in the 2024-2025 season, with their next game hosting the Seattle Kraken (32-38-6). These last games in the season are perhaps the calm before the storm that is the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Michkov has point streak snapped as Flyers lose to Hutson, Canadiens originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Interim head coach Brad Shaw was hoping the Flyers would play the role of spoiler Saturday night at a lively Bell Centre.

For two periods, it looked like they might. But the Flyers were unable to build on a 1-0 lead and fell to the Canadiens, 3-2.

Ryan Poehling scored his career-high 12th goal and eighth in the last 11 games with a first-period marker.

Montreal finally responded 1:24 minutes into the third period and then took the lead just 1:16 minutes later. It added a shorthanded goal a little over midway through the frame to pretty much put the Flyers away.

Tyson Foerster scored with 40 seconds left to make it interesting. The goal came with the Flyers’ net emptied for the two-man advantage on a power play.

The Flyers (31-37-9) saw a three-game winning streak come to an end, dropping to 3-1-0 under Shaw. They haven’t won more than three straight since Feb. 6-12 of last season, when they won four in a row.

Saturday night’s loss officially eliminated the Flyers from postseason contention. They’ve gone five straight seasons without a playoff berth, matching the franchise’s longest drought.

The Flyers went 1-2-0 against the Canadiens (37-30-9). The win came nine days ago, a 6-4 decision at the Wells Fargo Center after John Tortorella was fired in the morning.

Montreal holds the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot by four points.

“If we can go in and spoil somebody’s party, there are a few things in hockey that feel really good, that’s one of them,” Shaw said Friday after practice. “It’s fun to go in and be the spoiler. It’s fun to go in and take the life out of a building. That’s a hard thing to do this time of year.”

• In a showdown of Calder Trophy candidates, Lane Hutson scored the Canadiens’ go-ahead 2-1 goal with a ridiculous shot and Matvei Michkov had a six-game point streak halted. He put up four goals and seven assists over that run.

On Saturday night, Michkov had three shots and a minus-2 mark in 23:04 minutes.

Hutson, a 21-year-old defenseman, is the likely front-runner for the Calder Trophy. He leads all rookies with 63 points (six goals, 57 assists) and is playing big minutes for a team that could be headed to the postseason.

The 20-year-old Michkov leads all NHL rookies with 24 goals to go along with 58 points.

• Samuel Ersson was very good over the first two periods before allowing three goals in the final stanza.

The 25-year-old didn’t play the puck well on the sequence that led to Nick Suzuki’s shorthanded marker.

Ersson made 23 saves on 26 shots. In his last 12 appearances, Ersson has gone 3-6-2 and allowed 46 goals.

Montreal netminder Sam Montembeault stopped 21 of the Flyers’ 23 shots.

• The Flyers have five games left and could finish fourth to last in the NHL standings. But they’re also just three points back of the Ducks and Penguins, who are tied for the league’s eighth-fewest points.

So there’s still potential for a lot of movement when it comes to the 2025 NHL draft lottery odds.

• Karsen Dorwart, who the Flyers signed a week ago, made his NHL debut. The 22-year-old center played on the Flyers’ fourth line with Nicolas Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway.

The Michigan State product had two shots and two hits in 10:32 minutes.

Dorwart’s parents Gregg and Janelle and sister Kalli were in attendance to see his debut. He became the ninth player from Oregon to ever make the NHL.

“I was blessed to have so many influential people that helped me during my time there and just growing up,” the Sherwood native said Wednesday. “They deserve all the credit in the world to help me get to the next point.”

• The Flyers are back in action Wednesday when they visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET/TNT).

St. Louis Blues top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud had a big moment in the club's April 3 contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 6-foot-1 forward recorded his first NHL point by picking up the primary assist on Jake Neighbours' goal. 

Blues' Jimmy Snuggerud Is Already Impressing Big TimeOn March 28, the St. Louis Blues signed top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud to a three-year entry-level contract. This was after the 20-year-old forward posted 24 goals, 27 assists, and 51 points in 40 games this season with the University of Minnesota. 

Now, after his strong night against the Penguins, Snuggerud is being rewarded. At the club's morning skate, Snuggerud was moved up to the Blues' top line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, with Dylan Holloway out due to injury. 

Assuming they stick to their morning skate lines for their April 5 contest against the Colorado Avalanche, Snuggerud will have a golden opportunity to show the Blues what he can do playing in a more prominent role. In addition, he now has the chance to play on a line with two of the Blues' top forwards.

Snuggerud showed at the collegiate level with the University of Minnesota that he is a highly skilled offensive player. In 40 games this season with the school, he dominated, posting 24 goals and 51 points. Over his entire three-year stint with the school, he had 66 goals, 69 assists, and 135 points in 119 contests. 

It will now be fascinating to see what Snuggerud can do playing on a line with two stars like Thomas and Buchnevich from here. 

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A troublesome week continued for the Florida Panthers on Saturday in the Canadian capital city.

Florida lost for the fourth time this week, dropping a 3-0 affair to the playoff-hopeful Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.

The Panthers got off to a strong start, doubling up Ottawa on shots during the opening period, but that didn’t keep the Cats from falling behind yet again.

Two goals by the Sens on their first five shots – one by Jake Sanderson and another by Drake Batherson on the power play – sent the home team into the intermission with a commanding 2-0 lead.

Florida kept the pressure on Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg throughout the middle period, outshooting the Senators 12-5, but the score remained the same heading into the final 20 minutes.

Forsberg turned aside another 15 shots during the third period, earning his first shutout since all the way back on November 2 against Seattle.

This time, he stopped a season-high 40 shots on goal en route to his third shutout of the season and sending Florida to their fourth straight defeat.

On to Detroit.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Florida killed off four of Ottawa’s five power plays in the loss.

The Cats’ power play went 0-for-3.

Ottawa is now just four points behind the Panthers for third place in the Atlantic Division. Each team has six games remaining on their schedule.

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Best betting opportunities for the NHL’s final stretch, with expert picks to add for parlays or future bets

The NHL season is wrapping up with every team playing their final eight or so games. With so little time remaining, it's tough to find great values at this stage of the season. However, what we can focus on is identifying bets with a high probability of hitting, as they are less likely to go wrong with so few games remaining.

Whether you're looking to place a larger bet for a solid return or need an additional leg for a future bet in another sport, here are some of our safest picks to close out the NHL season—perfect for adding to your parlays.

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

2025 NHL Draft 1st Overall Pick - The Field vs James Hagens (-550)

The debate around the first overall pick this season has seen it's ups and downs with Boston College forward James Hagens seemingly being the unanimous pick but since other names have past him on several notable draft boards.

Schaefer goes coast-to-coast in the Prospect Challenge! 🇨🇦🆚🇺🇸Erie Otters 1st overall pick and Canadian prospect Matthew Schaefer goes coast-to-coast to put Team Canada up 4-0 against Team USA in the 2024 CHL vs. USA Pr...

Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino, TSN's Craig Button, The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy and legendary Junior Hockey journalist Bob McKenzie are some of the many established insiders that have Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer as the top pick in the draft class. The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari also doesn't have Hagens as the top pick but instead has Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa as the top pick.

Hagens on most draft boards has fallen outside of the top three with Mississauga Steelheads forward Porter Martone rounding out the top with Schaefer and Misa. It would be surprising for Hagens to reinsert himself into the conversation for the first pick after being widely-considered the fourth-best player on almost every expert's draft board. It would be a big leap, which certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility, but for jump in draft stock of that size needed, I'm willing to bet against Hagens. 

More NHL: The GR8 Chase: Predicting When Alex Ovechkin Breaks Wayne Gretzky's All-Time Goal Record

Winnipeg Jets Win Central Division (-290)

The Jets are in the driver seat to win the President's trophy with a one point lead over the Capitals with 108 points and a four-point lead over the Dallas Stars for the Division lead. Winnipeg should be able to lock things up with their sizeable lead that they should be able to add to and put out of reach with upcoming matchups versus the Blackhawks, Ducks and Utah. 

More NHL: Expect Canadiens To Clinch Final Eastern Wild Card Spot

Calgary Flames to Miss Playoffs (-530)

The playoff picture is all but set with the Blues getting hot at the right time with 11 straight wins and overtaking the Wild for the first wild card spot. This bumped Minnesota down to the second wild card spot and a five-point lead over the next-closest team in the Calgary Flames.

The mountain seems virtually impossible for the Flames to climb as they do have the advantage of two games in hand over Minnesota but their remaining schedule is very challenging with matchups versus the Wild, Kings as well as a pair of games against the Golden Knights. With seven games left, the Flames will have a shot as they play the last place San Jose Sharks twice but if they manage to fumble one of the games plus a loss to the Wild in their matchup would seal their fate. 

More NHL: Blues Enter Stanley Cup Playoffs As Dark Horse Contender

On Apr. 3, Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Historically, McGroarty became the 214th player to score their first goal in a Penguins sweater. 

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old becomes the 68th player to achieve the feat in the salary cap era, which began with Sidney Crosby's first goal on Oct. 8, 2005. 

McGroarty is on a list with three Hall of Famers: Colin Campbell (1975), Mario Lemieux (1984), and Mark Reechi (1989).

Other iconic names in franchise history are also on the list, such as Jaromir Jagr, Jean Pronovost, Bob Errey, Phil Bourque, Kevin Stevens, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust.

McGroarty is the fourth player to record their first goal this season, following Owen Pickering (Dec. 3), Joona Koppanen (Mar. 18), and netminder Alex Nedeljkovic (Jan. 17).

Interestingly, Greg Malone scored his first NHL goal with the Penguins on Nov. 5, 1976, and 27 years later, his son Ryan would tally his first goal with Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, 2003.

According to StatHead, Staal is the youngest player in franchise history to score their first NHL goal, achieving the feat at 18-032, just 30 days younger than Crosby was when he scored at 18-062. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and on pace to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks of the regular season. 

On the other hand, the oldest Penguins player to score their first NHL goal was Noel Price, who was 31-348 when he scored on Nov. 22, 1967. Price was one of six players to score their first goal in the inaugural season, starting with Gene Ubriaco's first goal on October 21, 1967.

Moreover, McGroarty is now the 39th active player to register their first NHL goal with the Penguins, including Tristan Jarry, who had the team's first-ever goalie goal on November 30, 2023. 

Considering the elite talent in the pipeline in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, this exclusive list of 214 players will surely expand before the end of the decade. 

Defenseman Elias Pettersson finally has his first NHL goal. The Vancouver Canucks defender beat Lukáš Dostál 9:40 into Saturday's matinee against the Anaheim Ducks. On the play, Linus Karlsson recorded his first career NHL assist while Derek Forbort was credited with the secondary assist. 

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This season has featured many first goals by Canucks players. Pettersson joins Karlsson, Max Sasson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Arshdeep Bains, who have all potted their first in the NHL. Pettersson is also the second Elias Pettersson to score for Vancouver, joining center Elias Pettersson, who scored his first goal on October 3, 2018, versus the Calgary Flames. 

FIRST OF MANY FOR JUNIOR! 👏 pic.twitter.com/NsHQWjQxKC

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 5, 2025

Initially drafted 80th overall in 2022, Pettersson is the 31st player from his draft to score a goal. He is one of 11 players to record a goal that was drafted outside the first round, which also includes teammate Victor Mancini. Pettersson is also the 120th player in franchise history to score against the Ducks while also being the 27th defender to pick up a goal against the Canucks division rival.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

Fans across the NHL patiently wait for Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record, tying The Great One with two goals on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Lost in the shuffle of the news of goal No. 894 and the pursuit of No. 895 is the fact that Ovechkin tallied the game's winning goal, the 136th of his career. This established a new NHL record for the most game-winning goals, surpassing former Pittsburgh Penguins icon Jaromir Jagr.

A fitting stat for the evening. 📊

Alex Ovechkin takes sole-possession of first place on the NHL's All-Time Game-Winning Goals Leaders, passing Jaromir Jagr. pic.twitter.com/pfWqDVdpwV

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 5, 2025

Jagr played with the Penguins from 1990 to 2001, and the former captain scored a franchise record of 78 game-winners. Until the salary cap era, only two players scored more than 50, the other being Mario Lemieux, who had 74 in his career. 

Meanwhile, in other cities, Jagr continued his quest for the NHL record, which Gordie Howe held with 121 when he retired after the 1979-1980 season. The ageless wonder scored 13 with the Washington Capitals and 21 with the New York Rangers. 

When Jagr departed the NHL to play in the KHL, he was behind only Phil Esposito and Howe on the all-time list. Upon a return in 2011, he picked up two game-winners with the Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, and Boston Bruins while adding to his totals with eight with the Florida Panthers and nine with the New Jersey Devils.

Surprisingly, the only team Jagr didn't record a game-winner with was the Calgary Flames, with whom he played 22 games in 2017-18 and scored one goal.

Now, one goal away from becoming the game's greatest scorer, it is only fitting that Ovechkin establishes another record, tallying the most game-winners while owning the highest power-play goal total in league history. 

Over 19 seasons with the Capitals, Ovechkin has scored the deciding goal against every franchise except the Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Seattle Kraken, and Vegas Golden Knights. 

BREAKING: Sidney Crosby Breaks Wayne Gretzky's Point-Per-Game Seasons RecordAfter 20 years in the making, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has made NHL history.

Despite scoring more than ten goals against all but three franchises, Utah Hockey Club, Golden Knights, and Kraken, Ovechkin has only scored more than ten game-winners against one franchise, the New York Islanders, with a career-high 11 winners.

The NHL's game-winning goal milestone isn't the only record Ovechkin has overtaken Jagr for during the 2024-25 season. In January, The Great 8 scored against his 179th goalie, surpassing Jagr's career total of 178. 

Ovechkin's quest for goal No. 895 continues on Sunday against the Islanders and Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.