The Chicago Blackhawks came into Wednesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche 1-9-0 in their last 10 games. Since the trade deadline, they have been much more worried about developing young players than winning hockey games. 

Most of their roster is 25 years old or younger. They have been playing an exciting brand of hockey lately that revolves around speed and skill, but it hasn't led to winning. That is expected in the early stages of these guys playing together. 

Chicago had a two-goal lead over the Avalanche thanks to goals scored by Ilya Mikheyev and Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks held that lead through the second period. At that point, they had their sights on winning the season series over this elite Avalanche team. 

Cale Makar planted the seed of doubt by scoring his 29th of the season at 9:17 of the third period. No defenseman in the NHL has scored 30 goals since Mike Green did it in 2008-09 with the Washington Capitals, so Makar is closing in on history. 

 It wasn't until 19:49 of the final frame that the Avalanche tied things up. Martin Necas deflected a shot taken by Cale Makar past Spencer Knight. Brock Nelson also tipped it along the way. There was nothing Knight could do other than watch the Avalanche celebrate with 11 seconds left in regulation. 

Despite some great chances at both ends of the ice, overtime didn't do anything for either team as a shootout was required. In the first round, neither Ryan Donato nor Brock Nelson scored. In the second round, Nathan MacKinnon scored but Connor Bedard did not. 

Both Teuvo Teravainen and Arturri Lehkonen scored in the third round, which gave the Avalanche the comeback victory over the Blackhawks. Chicago played hard, but they were unable to close it out despite being 11 seconds away from a series win. Instead, they will settle for 2-1-1 against Colorado in 2024-25.

Spencer Knight played very well for the Blackhawks as he made 29 saves on 31 shots. It took a double deflection for Colorado to get it tied late. After some up-and-down games since being acquired by Chicago, Knight was brilliant in this one. 

Mikheyev's goal was scored shorthanded for Chicago, but they went a lousy 0/3 on the power play. None of their attempts looked particularly good either. Luckily, Colorado's lethal man-advantage went 0/4, or this game could have been ugly. 

The speed at which this Blackhawks team plays keeps them in games against good teams, but it is going to take some time for the group to gel enough to win consistently at this level.  

Next up for the Hawks is a road tilt in the DC against the Washington Capitals. That game against Alexander Ovechkin's team will surely have tons of eyeballs on it as he is closing in on Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal mark.

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

Knies has seven more games to score four goals, bringing him to the 30-goal mark for the first time in his NHL career.

When Matthew Knies saw Mitch Marner with the puck in the Toronto Maple Leafs' zone, he raised his stick, gesturing that he wanted the pass. Sure enough, Marner floated the puck through two Florida Panthers players to spring Knies for a breakaway.

The 22-year-old drove left, then right, before putting the puck off the post, off of Sergei Bobrovsky, and into the back of the net. Knies's 26th goal of the season put the Maple Leafs up 3-1 over the Panthers, who would get a second but not a third and fall to Toronto 3-2.

MATTHEW KNIES 🚨

What a pass from Marner! pic.twitter.com/Y8aOP6Eqhy

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 3, 2025

"I saw some space behind their D. I was screaming for it from Mitch, and he made an incredible pass," Knies said after Wednesday's win.

"It was honestly lucky it landed right on my stick. I was trying to kind of bat it out of the air but it perfectly landed on there, and I saw he was going for a poke check and I tried to go five-hole to be honest, but fortunately it went in."

Knies has now scored five game-winning goals this season, tying him with Bobby McMann for fourth spot on the Maple Leafs. The forward is also close to doubling his goal total from last season, which was 15.

He scored his 15th goal this year on Jan. 5 against the Philadelphia Flyers — game 40 of the season. However, Wednesday's goal showcased how much Knies' game has grown over this year.

the top line working magic pic.twitter.com/XGGR3GT3f7

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 3, 2025

The 6-foot-3, 227-pound forward used his strong hockey IQ to put himself in a good spot before utilizing his strength and footspeed to break away from 6-foot-6 defenseman Niko Mikkola.

"Just saw Kniesy breaking to the middle. I kind of just gave it a second or two to develop to try to really get behind that D man, and just tried to make a pass towards him that would go through the one stick and land on his," Marner said, describing his pass to Knies.

"And, luckily enough it worked out and a great move by him."

Willy keeping count ✌️ https://t.co/dBtDxLBRDapic.twitter.com/svcksA03UL

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 3, 2025

The goal was big in more ways than one. Of course, it was the game-winner, but the tally also positioned Toronto even further ahead. Ultimately, the Panthers couldn't claw their way back, and the Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot with a win.

And Knies, who's played just 154 NHL games, was a massive part of it.

---

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It was a rollercoaster affair, but the New York Rangers defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night. 

To start the night, Will Cuylle received the 2024-25 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, given annually to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, "goes above and beyond the call of duty."

The award ceremony provided a spark of energy at Madison Square Garden and was a special moment for Cuylle. 

“It’s a huge honor,” Cuylle said. “Such a long-standing tradition and to see the other names that have won the award, it’s pretty cool to be listed with some of those names… I’m proud of myself. I’m happy that the fans appreciate it. Happy they appreciate my hard work and something I can be proud of and share with my family.”

The Rangers started off the game well, possessing the puck and dominating in terms of shots. 

However, despite a strong 20 minutes and a goal from Braden Schneider, the Rangers still trailed 2-1 after the first period due to a couple of costly mistakes. 

New York continued pushing the pace in the second period, which translated with goals from K’Andre Miller, Chris Kreider, and Artemi Panarin. 

With the score tied 4-4 in the third period, the Rangers had some golden opportunities to run away with a victory as they had multiple power plays. 

The power play has been the Rangers’ Achilles Heel recently and that trend continued against the Wild. The Blueshirts went 0-4 on the man advantage and gave up a shorthanded goal even with all of the changes Peter Laviolette attempted to make with his first unit. 

“It’s moved around quite a bit,” Laviolette said of the power play. “It’s not like we are sitting stuck on one thing, we are moving things around. Trying different options that we work on in practice. We can look at it and look at the personnel that we have. 

“What we can do to make it effective inside the game like tonight, so there is no question that special teams can factor into a game. It’s been a real positive for us for a long time, but we are in a little bit of a funk right now with it and we’ll have to get out of it.”

The game ultimately went into overtime where Vincent Trocheck scored 24 seconds into the extra period to secure the Rangers a much-needed two points. 

Maybe the Rangers committed one too many turnovers and their play wasn’t always the prettiest, but aside from that, they were quick, explosive, and displayed a hard-fought effort that earned them a victory. 

“I liked the way we played,” Laviolette said. “I’d like to clean up a couple of things, but overall, we came out on the attack. We needed a win and guys found a way to do that. It was good to get a W in a game that went up and down, kind of went back and forth. Through the course of the 60 minutes, 61 minutes, I thought we pressured most of the night and pushed most of the night.”

The Rangers are now tied with the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 79 points, but they’ve played one more game than their Canadian rival. 

Tuesday night also marked Gabe Perreault’s NHL debut. The Rangers signed the 19-year-old forward to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday and he’s already making an impact. 

Perreault recorded 13:38 minutes playing on a line with J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafrenière while also serving a role on the second power-play unit. 

“It was super surreal,” Perreault said about his NHL debut. “Thankful for everyone who helped me get to this point. Obviously having some friends and family in the building was also unreal.”

Laviolette seemed to have a lot of trust in Perreault from the start of the game and he was impressed with the young forward. 

“I thought he was really good,” Laviolette said of Perreault. “You can see his game and the way he thinks the game out there. I thought he jumped in and looked good. I thought all four lines were really good. It was balanced, and we were able to roll them out there. 

“They all contributed. I thought he played a solid game, jumping into a big situation like that. I'm sure the next one and the one after that, they'll be a little bit more natural for him, as opposed to the first one. But I thought he played really well.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against the New Jersey Devils.

It’s been a tough week for the Florida Panthers.

For the first time since late November, the Panthers have lost three straight games, capped off by Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The big news that came down before the game was that Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov would be out due to an upper-body injury.

During the first period, the Cats and Leafs combined to put 18 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz, but the former teammates stopped each and every one of them, keeping the game scoreless after 20 minutes.

It didn’t stay that way very long.

Deep in Toronto’s zone, Seth Jones carried the puck toward the blue line before starting a quick passing play that led to the game’s first goal.

The puck went from Jones to San Bennett to Sam Reinhart to Gus Forsling, who snapped a one-timer that beat Stolarz over the glove to give Florida a 1-0 lead.

Toronto tied the game about 10 minutes later after capitalizing on a broken rush play.

After getting into Florida’s end, William Nylander found the puck in the left circle and fired a shot toward the net that was deflected by John Tavares on the doorstep to knot the score at one.

A Mitch Marner one-timer gave Toronto a 2-1 lead with 9:10 to go in the third period on a sequence that saw Bobrovsky made several great saves moments before the goal was scored.

Marner then made an excellent pass to send Matthew Knies on a breakaway less than five minutes later to extend Toronto’s lead to 3-1.

Reinhart cut the Leafs’ lead in half with 2:38 to go, sniping a power play goal over a screened Stolarz’s blocker.

That’s as close as the Cats would get.

On to Ottawa.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Bobrovsky played in his 750th career game.

Forsling’s goal was his first in 16 games.

Bennett’s assist on Forsling’s goal gave him five points over his past six outings.

Reinhart has now logged six goals and 14 points over his past 13 games.

Jones has his first three-game point streak since joining the Panthers and picking up an assist on Reinhart’s goal.

He also has points in five of his past seven games.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the cusp of standing alone with the longest active NHL playoff streak.

Toronto can clinch a playoff spot for the ninth straight season on Wednesday night, while it’s a matter of time before the Eastern Conference’s last place team, the Boston Bruins, are eliminated from contention. Both clubs are currently tied for the longest streak at eight seasons.

In the most important sense, the Leafs’ streak of playoff appearances doesn’t mean much besides the fact that the pressure to win at least a couple of rounds is higher than ever. They’ve only won one playoff round in eight seasons. 

Not only that, but since 2016-17, the Leafs have the 15th-most playoff wins and the 15th-most playoff games played. This is a stark reminder of how many chances the Buds have blown.

Toronto’s active playoff streak is an emotional double-edged sword for Leafs fans. Most of them remember the lean years, when the Buds didn’t make the playoffs in 10 of 11 seasons beginning in 2005-06. So, having playoff games for what will be nine straight years now is far preferable to the alternative of no playoff games.

Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews Logs More PK Minutes, But At What Cost?Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews hasn’t scored as many goals this year, but he has a significant career high elsewhere.

However, if the Maple Leafs do get eliminated in the first or second round of this year’s post-season – or even if they win two playoff series and then get unceremoniously swept in the Eastern final – there will be no moral victories.

There won’t be any more excuses that will satisfy Leafs fans if they don’t excel in the playoffs under all that pressure. There will be no more press conferences where Leafs brass talks about patience and the learning process. Those days are long over. 

The only thing Leafs fans will want is turnover. If that means saying goodbye to pending Leafs UFAs Mitch Marner and John Tavares, Leafs fans may say, “so be it.” This should be the team's last chance at running it back with the same core in hopes that things eventually improve because they already changed the coach, and they changed the GM two years ago.

It’s no wonder that the stakes are sky-high for the Buds this spring. They may win the highly competitive Atlantic Division, but imagine the fallout if they follow up with a first-round loss to the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens. Or imagine the blowback if the Leafs get out of Round 1, only to be demolished by the defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 2. The mushroom cloud of anger and frustration that could envelop the franchise will return bigger than usual.

So, while it will be a slight moral victory if the Leafs extend the longest active playoff streak and win the division for the first 82-game season since the 1999-2000 campaign, it won’t matter one iota if Toronto doesn’t reward its customers with a serious playoff run. 

They’ve shown encouraging signs of grinding out wins and playing playoff-style hockey this season, so it’s about time they take advantage of it in the post-season. Otherwise, all these years of getting into the playoffs will amount to a Blue-And-White hill of beans.

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As it stands now, the Los Angeles Kings are still battling with the Edmonton Oilers to hold onto that second seed in the Pacific division. They will face them in two critical games this month, which will be key to ending up with the second seed and having a home-ice advantage against them in their likely first-round matchup.  

But for now, the Los Angeles Kings aren't favorites entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they're becoming one of the West's most feared underdogs. LA can pull off a deep playoff upset with their rich defensive corps, elite goaltending, and a system designed for playoff hockey.

A Tale of Two Teams: Struggles vs. the East, Dominance in the West

While the Kings have struggled against the league's top of the Eastern Conference (19-9-4), despite their impressive record, they've split a lot of their games against the top teams in the conference, including the Tampa Bay Lightnings, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and—most recently losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs —they've flipped the script in their last two games. Their response? Scoring a combined 12 goals against the San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets in back-to-back dominating performances.

But what's most important is that they're  3-0 vs. the Central Division-leading Jets this year. Winnipeg, one of the best Stanley Cup hopefuls, hasn't been able to penetrate LA's solid defensive system and grinding play. This means the Kings can compete with the best in the West—even if their record against Eastern Conference opponents is a little suspect.

Again, it'll be about matchups come playoff time, which could favor the Kings depending on who they play in the first round. The good thing for the Kings is that they won't have to play both the Stars or Avalanche in the postseason because those two will play it out in the first round, leaving either one of those teams, the Jets or maybe the Golden Knights. 

Defensive Structure and Goal Tending: The Kings' Greatest Strengths

LA's defense-oriented strategy is built for playoff play. They grind the tempo, tire opponents on the boards, and limit high-danger chances. 

Drew Doughty captains a defense that neutralizes visiting stars, especially when facing offense-first teams such as Edmonton or Dallas. Doughty is a future hall-of-famer playing extremely high in his career, including this season, when he became the first Kings' defenceman in history to hit 1,200 games. 

The 1st defenceman in @lakings franchise history to hit 1,200 NHL games played – congrats to Drew Doughty pic.twitter.com/UYIhVnN08K

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) March 28, 2025

The Kings possess one of the league's top penalty-killing units, a weapon system against foes who employ the power play as a means of scoring (aka Jets, Stars, and Golden Knights).

Balanced Scoring: Beyond Kopitar & Kempe

While Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe remain chief offense drivers, LA depth scoring has been the biggest X-factor down the stretch. 

Kevin Fiala, Trevor Moore, and Quinton Byfield have delivered, offering the Kings numerous lines of threat to score from.

Adding Andrei Kuzmenko and Warren Foegele in the second half of the season threw even more gasoline on the fire of the scoring lineup. We see a lot of teams who make deals in the second half of the season, leading them to make deep playoff runs and even win the Stanley Cup because of the chemistry and depth they bring right away to the franchise. 

Kuzmenko had no points in his first 7 games as a King

He’s got 9 points in his last 7 games as a King.#GoKingsGo

— Jesse Cohen | All The Kings Men (@KingsMenPodcast) April 2, 2025

The Kings have had three or more goals in four of their last six games, so they are clicking and peaking at the right time, getting their offense hot at the perfect time.

With a pair of goals tonight, Warren Foegele has set a new career-high in goals (22) and points (22-20=42). pic.twitter.com/Ac6NssFmHz

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) March 31, 2025

Matchup Nightmare for the West's Top Teams

The Kings possess the right prescription to fight against some of the West's most significant dangers. 

Edmonton Oilers: LA has faced the Oilers in back-to-back-to-back playoffs and possesses the defense system that can slow up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If they get them again, the Kings' ability to play a grinding, physical style of hockey might enrage Edmonton's speed.

Dallas Stars: Dallas is one of the best Western Conference teams, but the Kings' structured play and hard forecheck can shut down their transition. LA also won the season series against Dallas 2-1, including their recent win in February when they went to overtime tied 4-4 and scored the game-winning goal. 

Winnipeg Jets: We saw the defensive clinic the Kings put on the Jets a few days ago, sweeping the season series 3-0. In all games, the King's defense has held the number 3 ranked offensive Jets team to one goal in all three meetings, showcasing the level to which the Kings can amp up their defense. 

Kings game morning hangover recap

- Season sweep over the NHL’s top team.

- Hiller is turning Kuzmenko into a complete player.

- PK up to 8th in the league (81.7%).

- Kuemper besting the Vezina favorite.

- Can’t overlook Utah tomorrow before Saturday’s big game.#GoKingsGo

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) April 2, 2025

Final Take: LA's Playoff Formula is Coming Together

With their recent success against Western Conference teams, top-notch penalty killing, and a physical, disciplined brand of hockey, the Kings have everything it takes to make life miserable for the top contenders. While they've struggled against the East, the fact that they're 3-0 against Winnipeg, one of the top teams in the West, is all it takes to prove that they're more than capable of upsetting a favorite.

In an open-ice hockey conference where grinding is the word, LA's ability to grind down teams makes them the biggest wild card of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl practiced today in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering his injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 23.

The initial reaction and news that broke was disheartening, with some reports saying that Hertl's chances of returning before the playoffs were slim. Twice Hertl was announced out for the remainder of the week but todays news was the first bit of positive news.

Returning in non-contact is the first step in the return process, the next step will be practicing with contact at least once. The Golden Knights are back in action on Thursday when they host the league-leading Winnipeg Jets. 

The timeline following the injury has been unclear to both the fans and the organization.

"I’m sure he wants to be around his teammates," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He’s been putting the work in. We weren’t sure how it was going to come along, but good to see him back out there."

Cassidy has ruled out Hertl for the next three games, but they'll be taking it day-by-day following those games. Allowing Hertl to get some game action before the beginning of the playoffs will bode well for the 31-year-old. 

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

The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Jackson Hallum to a two-year, entry-level contract.

The 22-year-old played three seasons at the University of Michigan, scoring 17 goals and 42 points in 84 games. His junior season saw him set a career-high in goals, scoring eight goals and 17 points in 36 games. 

The Golden Knights selected Hallum in the third round (91st overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. Prior to joining the Wolverines, Hallum recorded 29 goals and 70 points in 62 games in his final season in the USHL. 

Listed at 6'0, 170 lbs, Hallum is known for his speed and was considered one of the fastest skaters in his draft class. He's aggressive on the forecheck, willing to throw a big hit to earn the puck back.

The left-handed winger will join the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL for their final eight games of the season. Hallum is the second NCAA prospect the Golden Knights have signed, the first being Trevor Connelly. The Silver Knights have struggled for quite some time and the Golden Knights organization looks to be beefing the roster up with prospects. Mathieu Cataford is another forward who is likely to join following the conclusion of his season. 

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

Golden Knights Sign Trevor Connelly To Entry-Level ContractThe Vegas Golden Knights have signed top prospect Trevor Connelly to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Erik Brännström has played in North America since 2018 but multiple Swedish media sources are reporting that he will return to Europe next season.

HockeyNews.se is reporting that the 25-year-old Swedish defenseman is most likely headed to Switzerland, where he would sign a long-term deal – a scoop attributed to an Expressen.se article behind a paywall.

The website further notes that Genève-Servette and HC Lugano are two teams in Switzerland’s National League who have room to add imports to their rosters. Both teams that have generally not been afraid to pay well for talent, particularly Genève, although both teams also struggled and missed the playoffs this past season.

Lugano Dismisses Coach Krupp And Several Noteworthy Players Just days after the team saved its position in Switzerland’s National League by defeating HC Ajoie in a playout series, HC Lugano parted ways with head coach Uwe Krupp and several notable players, including goaltender Adam Húska, defenseman Valtteri Pulli, and forwards Mark Arcobello, Daniel Carr, Radim Zohorna and Aleksi Peltonen.

Originally from Eksjö, Sweden, Brännström played junior hockey and turned pro with HV71 in nearby Jönköping.

Brännström was a first-round pick, 17th overall, by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and was moved to the Ottawa Senators in a 2019 multi-player deal that saw Vegas acquire Mark Stone.

From 2019 to 2024, Brännström’s career was fairly stable – mostly playing in the NHL for Ottawa with occasional assignments to the Belleville Senators, the team’s nearby AHL farm team.

However, this season has been quite chaotic for the diminutive, puck-moving defenseman. He signed as a free-agent with the Colorado Avalanche in the summer but was traded to the Vancouver Canucks before the season began. After playing 28 games in Vancouver, he was dealt to the New York Rangers as part of the J.T. Miller trade in late January and then traded again to the Buffalo Sabres just prior to the trade deadline. He has not played an NHL game for either of the latter two teams.

Overall, Brännström has 77 points and 162 penalty minutes in 294 NHL regular-season games.

If he signs in Switzerland, it will be Brännström’s second tour of duty there, although the first one only lasted 10 games with the SCL Tigers in the autumn of 2020 while the start of the NHL season was delayed by pandemic-related restrictions.

Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top Defenseman Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.

Gabe Perreault is expected to wear the number 94 for the New York Rangers as he makes his NHL debut on Wednesday night and there’s some deep history behind that decision.

His father, Yanic Perreault repped the number 94 when he played in the NHL. 

Gabe revealed that it was actually Yanic who suggested and inspired him to use that very same number. 

“Growing up, I’ve always had a number with a 4 in it,” Gabe said. “When I talked to my Dad, I think he suggested it a little bit, so definitely because of him a little bit.”

Through Yanic’s 14 seasons in the NHL, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Phoenix Coyotes. 

After two seasons at Boston College, Gabe signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on Monday and now he’s ready to carry on his father’s legacy in the NHL. 

It’s people like Yanic who helped Gabe get to this point, so it’s only right he pays homage to him. 

“I’ll be excited,” Gabe said about his NHL debut. “Obviously, a little bit nervous. But I know that's part of it. That's expected, but I'd be super grateful and really thankful for everyone that's helped me get to this point.”

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the postseason, a place they've become all too familiar with since arriving in the NHL eight years ago.

Despite Tuesday's 3-2 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Knights clinched a playoff berth for the seventh time in eight seasons when the Utah Hockey Club beat the Calgary Flames, 3-1, earlier in the night.

Now comes the biggest question: Who will the Golden Knights face in the first round?

If the Golden Knights win their fifth Pacific Division crown, they'll face whatever team is sitting atop the Western Conference Wild Card standings. But if a late-season collapse drops them into second or third place, behind either the Oilers or Los Angeles Kings, the Knights will face one of those two teams.

Here's a glance at Vegas' first-round possibilities, with its 2025 season series and overall (regular season and postseason) records in parentheses:

LOS ANGELES (1-3, 22-15-3): The Kings are the last team the Knights want to face in the opening round, a highly unlikely scenario considering it would take a late-season surge by the Oilers to win the Pacific Division. Though Los Angeles was the original team everyone thought Vegas would have a built-in rivalry with, considering the proximity, the Knights' postseason drama with San Jose overshadowed things. Since then, there have been other postseason clashes that have stolen Vegas' attention, including epic series against Minnesota, Colorado and Dallas. If these two eventually meet this postseason, the rivalry everyone hoped for will undoubtedly come to light.

EDMONTON (2-2, 15-14-3): The Oilers are the defending Western Conference champions, and will have the same rage the Florida Panthers had last season, one year after losing to the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. Whomever gets Edmonton in the postseason, regardless of the round, will have to deal with a charged-up Connor McDavid, who finally got to the Final, and now with a whiff of the Cup, will be eager to get back there. Vegas beat the Oilers in six games two years ago, en route to winning its Stanley Cup. That series could still fuel things two summers later.

ST. LOUIS (2-0-1, 18-9-3): As of Wednesday, the Blues hold the top spot in the Wild Card race, and would be the Golden Knights' first-round opponent. It's one of the teams Vegas has had the most success against of the possibilities. That doesn't make the Blues any less dangerous, though. Since a rather disappointing 25-26-6 start to the season, the Blues are on a 16-2-1 run since Feb. 23. During that stretch, the Blues rank No. 1 with 16 wins and 33 points. They also lead the NHL in that span with a 3.84 goals-for average and rank No. 2 in allowing just 2.00 goals per game.

MINNESOTA (3-0, 19-15-1): The Wild looked as if they might challenge for the Central Division after opening the season on winning runs of 18-4-4 through Dec. 6, and 27-12-4 through Jan. 11. Since then, however, the Wild have lost 18 of 32 games (14-18-2) while being outscored 96-73. With seven games left on their docket, four of them are on the road, including back-to-back games in New York against the Rangers and Islanders on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. With as hot as the Blues have been, it's looking more and more like the Wild will be facing division-rival Winnipeg in the opening round, not the Knights.

CALGARY (2-0, 15-8-1): The Knights still have two games left with the Flames, who have an outside chance at catching Minnesota or St. Louis. The Flames have caught fire, no pun intended, having won five of eight after Tuesday's loss in Salt Lake City. With five of its last eight games in Calgary, the Flames can do their part and just need help from the Blues and Wild.

VANCOUVER (2-0, 20-7-3): The Knights still have two games left with the Canucks, who opened the season 16-9-5 through mid-December, but haven't given off playoff vibes ever since. The Canucks have lost 26 of their last 44 (18-18-8), and in that stretch since Dec. 18, rank 29th in the league with their 2.59 goals-for per game average. Vancouver is an unlikely candidate to make a surprise appearance in the Wild Card round, but it remains mathematically alive.

UTAH (2-1, 19-10-0 as Arizona): Utah is clinging to its playoff hopes by a thread, and likely isn't making the postseason. But thanks to a 13-7-3 run since Feb. 4, Utah has an outside chance to sneak by Calgary and Vancouver, if the Wild and Blues slip into a downward spiral. The problem for Utah is that even with a winning record during its winning run, it's been outscored 74-68.

After going 2–2–2 on their six-game road trip, the Vancouver Canucks are now preparing for a three-game homestand in which they’ll take on a crop of division rivals. Tonight, Vancouver will host the Seattle Kraken at 7:30 pm PT. Their next games are a set of back-to-backs on the weekend, when they’ll take on the Anaheim Ducks at 1:00 pm PT on Saturday, and the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:00 pm PT on Sunday. It’s very likely that the Canucks’ chance at competing in the playoffs will be dictated during this week, so let’s take a look at how these three games may shape the end of Vancouver’s regular season. 

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Vancouver’s first game of the homestand is against the Kraken, who have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with a record of 31–38–6 and 68 points. They come into this game having lost 3–1 to the Dallas Stars on Monday. Seattle holds a relatively steady position towards the middle of the league in terms of most stats — their power play is 24th in the NHL with a success rate of 18.9%, while their penalty kill is 21st with an effectiveness of 76.9%. In the season series, Vancouver has won one of three games against the Kraken, dropping their first game 5–4 after letting in four straight Seattle goals. Their only win came in a 4–3 shootout victory to start 2025. As it stands, if Vancouver wins in regulation against the Kraken tonight, their playoff odds rise to 9.59% threshold. A regulation loss will drop their chances to 2.19%, as per MoneyPuck.com. 

The next match Vancouver has at home is against the Ducks on Saturday in the first of the team’s final back-to-back this season. Currently, both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen are expected to be available to start. Given the fact that Demko started on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets and will be starting tonight against Seattle as well, it would make the most sense for Lankinen to take the game against the Ducks to give him some rest. With their 33–33–8 record and 74 points, mathematically speaking, Anaheim has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Right now, their power play is operating at a near league-worst 12.6%, while their penalty kill is 28th with a success rate of 73.6%. Anaheim’s last trip to Vancouver was exactly a month ago, on March 5, in a game that the Canucks narrowly won 3–2. 

Vancouver takes on Vegas in the second half of this weekend’s back-to-back. The Golden Knights (45–21–8) will also be playing in the second half of a back-to-back, as they take on the Calgary Flames the night before. As the current Pacific Division leader in points with 98, and a difference of five points between themselves and the next team (the L.A. Kings), Vegas has already clinched their playoff spot and is expected to play against the team in the Western Conference’s first wild card spot. With a power play percentage of 30.6%, Vegas has the highest-ranked power play in the NHL. One area where Vancouver may be able to take advantage of them, however, is on the penalty kill. Right now, Vegas’ PK is running at a 75.5% effectiveness rating, placing them at 25th behind the Buffalo Sabres, Kraken, and Boston Bruins. Vancouver’s last matchup against the Golden Knights was directly after the 4 Nations Faceoff, in a game that they lost 3–1. Sunday will not be the only time the Canucks face Vegas to round out their season, as the Golden Knights will also be visiting Vancouver on April 16 for game 82. 

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The Winnipeg Jets had cut the lead in half and were building off of the momentum before a costly turnover by Logan Stanley allowed the Los Angeles Kings to regain their two-goal advantage, proving to be enough to sink their hopes of a comeback.

While the turnover by Stanley isn't the sole reason they lost, the timeliness of his costly error is a reoccurring theme that many fans have grown tired of witnessing. 

Second time Jets have lost a puck in the neutral zone and get burned by it.

Logan Stanley trying to channel his inner Cale Makar but doesn’t quite get it to go.

Kuzmenko makes it a 3-1 game. pic.twitter.com/Vw25ocN6io

— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) April 2, 2025

Listed at 6'7 and 231 lbs, Stanley has the frame to be a physical force but shies away from imposing himself far too frequently. In 56 games, Stanley has thrown just 78 hits, ranking sixth on the team. For reference, Luke Schenn has thrown 49 hits in nine games with the Jets. 

If Stanley isn't a physical force, isn't providing offence from the blue line, is prone to costly turnovers and struggles to impact the game defensively, what argument is there for HC Scott Arniel to continuously write down Stanley's name in the lineup? Now 26 years old, there's little to no evidence that shows Stanley will break out and become what the Jets envisioned. 

Making matters worse, Stanley has remained in the lineup over Ville Heinola, who's yet to be given a proper shot at consistent NHL hockey. He's skated in 52 games in his NHL career, spanning over five seasons. His career-high of 17 games has come this year, a season in which Heinola has played in one game since Jan. 17. 

Heinola has been a point producer on every team he's played for prior to joining the Jets. In 154 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose, the 24-year-old has scored 23 goals and 103 points. 

Heinola is built similarly to Josh Morrissey, both are a bit undersized with great mobility and puck skills. Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo have formed a great pairing due to their games complementing each other. DeMelo's best trait is his defensive game allows Morrissey to flourish offensively, something Heinola and Schenn could do if given the opportunity. 

Heinola is signed for an additional season at a very low cap hit, but the Jets need to decide on his future before his value hits rock bottom. Wasting his development sitting in the press box while a defenseman older than him continues to make ill-advised errors could result in a waste of valuable assets. 

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Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.

In 2019, he was picked 11th overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes but, just five years later, he signed a two-year deal to play with his hometown team, Brynäs Gävle, which has just been promoted back to the SHL. He went on to have a spectacular season, recording 37 points in 49 regular-season games as Brynäs surprisingly finished first.

“I definitely don’t regret a thing,” Söderström is quoted on the club’s website. “It’s a slightly different path to take because I’m still young and my goal is still very much to make it in the NHL.”

That might happen next season as Söderström, now 24, was traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks on the NHL trade deadline, and he indicated at the time that he had been seeking to get his NHL rights moved.

Victor Soderstrom Might Return To NHL After Rights Traded To Chicago: ‘We’ve Been Trying To Arrange It All Season’ Victor Söderström didn’t want to give up on the NHL so early, but it seems that he didn’t see a path to that dream running through Salt Lake City. Playing this season for Brynäs IF in the SHL, he learned on Friday – the NHL trade deadline – that his NHL rights had been traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks along with the rights to Shea Weber – who hasn’t played since 2021 and is essentially retired – in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

But first things first, as Brynäs has a semifinal series coming up against Skellefteå AIK starting on Friday. Skellefteå’s lineup includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jonathan Pudas, the two previous winners of the award.

“I love coming to the rink every day,” Söderström continued. “The fact that the pairing with Charles-Édouard D’Astous has worked so well has of course also meant a lot.”

D’Astous, a 26-year-old Canadian who was the top defenseman in the Finnish Liiga last season, outscored Söderström by two points this year and has also apparently drawn interest from NHL teams.

According to the Brynäs website the jury for the award described Soderstrom as:

An elegant player on the ice who has been one of the biggest contributors to newcomer Bynäs' record-breaking season in the SHL. Extremely skilled, and also a top-notch point-scorer as a defenseman. Has formed the league's best defenseman pair during the season with Charles-Édouard D’Astous.

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The award for best defenseman in Sweden’s top league was named after Börje Salming in 2008, the same year the legendary defenseman was named to the IIHF’s All-Century Team. Salming died in 2022 from complications related to ALS.

Börje’s older brother Stig Salming was present when Söderström received the Salming Trophy. Both Salming brothers were also Brynäs defensemen.

“Börje would have liked this,” Stig Salming was quoted.

Previous winners of the Salming Trophy

2024-25 Victor Söderström, Brynäs
2023-24 Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Skellefteå
2022-23 Jonathan Pudas, Skellefteå
2021-22 Maja Nylén-Persson, Brynäs
2020-21 Nils Lundkvist, Luleå
2019-20 No winner due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2018-19 Erik Gustafsson, Luleå
2017-18 Lawrence Pilut, HV71
2016-17 Henrik Tömmernes, Frölunda
2015-16 Niclas Burström, Skellefteå
2014-15 Tim Heed, Skellefteå
2013-14 Patrik Hersley, Leksand
2012-13 Magnus Nygren, Färjestad
2011-12 Mattias Ekholm, Brynäs
2010-11 David Rundblad, Skellefteå
2009-10 Magnus Johansson, Linköping
2008-09 Markus Ragnarsson, Djurgården
2007-08 Mikko Luoma, HV71

Jari Kurri – 2024 Börje Salming Courage Award Winner – Is A Controversial Figure In His Home ClubOn Saturday afternoon in Tampere, hours before the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers played the second of two NHL regular-season games in the Finnish city, the NHL Alumni Association made Finnish hockey icon Jari Kurri the second recipient of the Börje Salming Courage Award.