The 49-19-4 Winnipeg Jets are set to host the 38-28-7 New Jersey Devils from snowy Manitoba on Friday night.
Doused with 15 centimetres of snow over the past 24 hours, Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre will host the first game of the season that truly doesn't matter for the Jets' initial playoff chances.
We say 'initial' because every game matter in terms of final standings, finishing placements and season series', but as of Winnipeg's 3-2 overtime victory on Tuesday, the Jets are in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
They enter the night one point behind Washington for first overall, while having played the same amount of games as the Capitals.
But more concerning for the Jets are the red-hot Dallas Stars who sit just four points behind Winnipeg, as well as the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, who have combined for a 27-3-3 record in their last 33 games played, combined.
With injuries to Gabe Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari, Alex Iafallo has positioned himself on the top line, while David Gustafsson draws back into the fold on the fourth grouping. The second and third lines have see some adjustments as well. Logan Stanley continues to dress on the blueline over Haydn Fleury.
Connor Hellebuyck will get the nod between the pipes as the Jets look to become the first team to hit 50 wins on the season.
Winnipeg Jets' expected line combinations for Friday, March 28 vs. New Jersey:
Although Reimer hasn't played much this year, he's started four consecutive games. Despite starting the year terribly, things are turning around for him.
He's posted a save percentage (SV%) of .900, .917, .938, and .920 with a 3-1 record in four consecutive starts.
He’s hovering around league average for the season. In 17 games, Reimer has a record of 5-8-2, a 2.94 goals against average (GAA) and a .901 SV%.
Digging into MoneyPuck numbers gives us a few more observations. Reimer leads all Sabres goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected with 8.1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi have GSAx of -5.6 and -8, respectively.
Amongst all NHL goalies who have played at least 15 games, Reimer ranks 26th in GSAx. The only Red Wings goalie who has done better in this metric is Cam Talbot, who ranks 22nd with 10.6.
In his last season with the Red Wings, he had similar numbers. Reimer boasted an 11-8-2 record with a 3.11 GAA, a .904 SV%, and two shutouts.
While it wasn’t a mistake to let Reimer go, his recent hot streak is proof that he still has some game to bring to the table. But, just like all things, it probably won’t last very long.
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SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand has made his Florida debut.
The Panthers had Marchand — who, because of an upper-body injury, hasn’t appeared in a game with Florida since being acquired in a trade with Boston three weeks ago — in the starting lineup Friday night when the team played host to the Utah Hockey Club.
Marchand, who was greeted by plenty of fans around the ice during warm-ups and even flicked a puck into the stands toward one group as a souvenir, got the loudest reception of any of Florida’s skaters when the game-opening unit was announced.
It was the first time in 1,091 NHL games, 1,248 when adding in playoff contests, that Marchand took the ice in something other than a Bruins sweater. Marchand was on Florida’s second line with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich — who grew up in New England watching Marchand play for the Bruins.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Samoskevich said of playing with Marchand. “He’s such a good player. So silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you — he’s got eyes in the back of his head. It’s a lot of fun. Excited for the future with him. He’s such a good guy off the ice, too.”
Marchand had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with the Bruins this season, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice said when the deal got done that Marchand, he believes, helps fill what Florida will need in its playoff run and its quest to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
“He’s had an incredible career,” Maurice said. “He’s a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don’t want to see it all in one game. ... You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical he is, how hard he plays. Then you get him in practice and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, he’s got hands on him.’ And you start to realize how good the skill level is there.”
It may have been strange at first, with the former captain of the Bruins wearing Florida colors after those teams had tough playoff battles — both won by the Panthers — in 2023 and 2024. But by all accounts, Marchand has fit perfectly into the Florida mix.
“He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice,” Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling said. “A huge veteran that’s going to be big for us.”
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Alex Ovechkin didn’t score for Washington, staying at 889 career goals and six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
Ovechkin did initiate a memorable moment on the ice in Minnesota on Thursday night, though.
The three-time NHL MVP, who has been in the spotlight for months amid his pursuit of Gretzky’s career goal mark, hustled over toward the tunnel behind the bench after the horn sounded on Washington’s 4-2 loss to make sure all of the Capitals came back on the ice to shake hands with retiring Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Ovechkin was the first to greet Fleury at mid-ice as they shared a hug and a laugh.
Fleury, who’s in his 21st and assuredly final season in the league, was on the home bench all night while Filip Gustavsson manned the net.
Ovechkin mentioned to the team in the morning that it would be the last matchup against Fleury, who faced Ovechkin and the Capitals frequently over the first 13 seasons of his career with Pittsburgh. Ovechkin had 28 goals in 47 games against Fleury, his most against any goalie.
“He’s had so many battles with the Caps, with ‘O,’” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “Pretty classy to be able to send him off and just say how impressive a career he had.”
Capitals center Dylan Strome played briefly with Fleury in Chicago.
“Everyone knows he’s one of the best people of all time in the game, so the little respect we can show him at the end of the game I think goes a long way,” Strome said.
The Wild were impressed by the gesture, even if they weren’t surprised.
“Every team we go to, you see the signs. Everyone loves him, and everyone loves playing against him,” Gustavsson said. “I think no one really would say anything bad about him.”
At some point soon, the Wild will likely find themselves doing their own internal tribute.
“It’s awesome to see. It’s fun for him, and I am happy for him,” defenseman Jonas Brodin said. “He’s a great person and one of the best I have ever played with, so it’s pretty cool. It’s special to have that when you quit hockey someday, that you played with that guy, for sure.”
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Dylan McIlrath to a two-year, $1.6 million contract Thursday.
The 32-year-old McIlrath has two assists in 11 games this season. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
McIlrath captained Washington affiliate Hershey’s 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup championship teams in the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-6 defender has three goals and six assists in 86 career NHL regular-season games with Washington, Florida, the New York Rangers and Detroit.
The Florida Everblades announced Friday they have agreed to terms with forward Josh Ho-Sang on a standard player contract (SPC).
The 29-year-old right-shot right winger won the Kelly Cup with the Everblades last season, posting one goal and 17 assists during the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Toronto native also provided two goals and 13 assists in 11 regular season games ahead of the 2024 playoffs.
Before the Everblades, the 6-foot, 174-pound Ho-Sang played 53 NHL games and 225 AHL games split between the New York Islanders, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and San Antonio Rampage.
Ho-Sang scored seven goals and 17 assists in the NHL. The Kelly Cup Champion was drafted in the first round (28th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders from the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires.
Ho-Sang played 256 OHL games split between Windsor and the Niagara IceDogs, finishing with 82 goals and 210 assists.
The Everblades kick off the weekend with a big matchup in Estero against the Toledo Walleye. Puck drop is set for 7:30 Pm ET.
0:36: The Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Tortorella. What do we think of Tortorella’s comments on Tuesday and the subsequent decision by the Flyers to move on?
6:20: Who do we think should be the next coach in Philadelphia, and will Tortorella end up coaching elsewhere by next season?
8:14: The St. Louis Blues are on an eight-game winning streak. What has stood out about St. Louis during this run, and should teams be genuinely concerned about meeting them in the first round?
11:10: Brad Marchand is slated to make his debut with the Florida Panthers on Friday against Utah Hockey Club. Do we like Marchand on the second line with Sam Bennett?
13:14: When Matthew Tkachuk returns to the Panthers’ lineup, who becomes a healthy scratch?
14:58: Alex Ovechkin is now just six goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Do general sports fans realize this is going on? Is the NHL doing enough to promote this Great Chase?
19:11: Day 1 of the NCAA men’s hockey national championship is in the books. These eliminations mean we have many players who could turn pro now that their seasons are done, but one of the biggest names to watch is MSU goalie Trey Augustine. Do we think Augustine will sign to go pro or return for his junior season at MSU?
20:51: What other prospects are you keeping an eye on now that their seasons are over?
23:17: We return to our weekly look at Ryan and Michael’s top eight Stanley Cup contenders. Starting with Ryan's list, which squad moved the most on his list and why?
24:55: Michael shares which team moved the most on his top eight Cup front-runners list and why.
29:10: What series in the Western Conference will be the toughest?
30:35: True or false: do we think Matvei Michkov is secretly happy Tortorella is fired?
32:52: Without looking, who has a better save percentage for the Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger or Casey DeSmith?
34:22: Which fan base should be more concerned about their team next season: Boston or Detroit?
36:22: Is Kadri the Calgary Flames' best-ever free-agent signing?
37:55: Sidney Crosby is the first player in NHL history to record 20 point-per-game seasons. Will anyone currently playing in the NHL ever beat this?
The longer the Chicago Blackhawks suffer at the bottom of the standings, the worse it gets for some of the young players like Connor Bedard who is already at a higher level and is ready to start getting in the mix of a playoff chase. That being said, there has to be some upgrades externally. That is what is going to take this team with a lot of young and talented players to the next level.
The additions like Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, and even Ilya Mikheyev have done well for the Blackhawks, and there is lots more cap space to go use this summer, even factoring in that some of the young players will have to be paid.
Chicago needs to land at least one of the free agent forwards this summer in the top two tiers of UFAs. Let's dive deeper.
Mitch Marner is in a league of his own in terms of being the top UFA forward this summer after Mikko Rantanen was signed by the Dallas Stars. This means that many teams are going to do what they can to convince and target Marner if he hits free agency. The majority think that Matthew Knies is the player the Toronto Maple Leafs should be prioritizing, and I'm in agreement.
The Blackhawks will be able to take a good run at a UFA Marner as they have the funds, they are an Original Six team, and he will be able to play alongside Bedard. This might incentivize the Blackhawks even more to up the dollar amount and signing bonus to get Bedard a winger like this.
The next tier is interesting, but it also isn't that big. The Blackhawks can't put all of their eggs in one basket as Marner might re-sign in Toronto or go to a different team. If that's the case, Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, and Sam Bennett have to be seriously looked at.
Ehlers and Boeser would be top line, top power play right away for the Blackhawks while Bennett would give the team a solid number two centerman behind Bedard. I don't expect Chicago to pull a Nashville and be able to bring in or try to bring in multiple of these players, but one would get things rolling in the right direction.
All three of those forwards will be looking for bigger contracts than what they are currently signed to, but once again, the Blackhawks have the cap space to accommodate. We are patiently waiting for Chicago to take the next step in this new era.
The Utah Hockey Club has announced that they have recalled goalie Matt Villalta from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. In a corresponding move, they have sent down Jaxson Stauber to the Roadrunners.
Villalta, 25, has played in 41 games for Tucson, posting a record of 17-21-3. Along with that record, he has a .906 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.01 goals-against average (GAA).
He will now join the Utah Hockey Club and back up Karel Vejmelka, potentially even appearing in an NHL game. Although that wouldn’t be his first NHL game, it would be his first with Utah.
As for Stauber, the 25-year-old has had a bit of a rough go in the NHL this season. After getting off to an early start, he has struggled. In six games played, he has a record of 2-1-1 along with a .892 SV% and a 3.26 GAA. Unfortunately, he will report to the AHL but could be called up again before the end of the season.
With Connor Ingram out of the lineup due to personal reasons, the backup goalie position for Utah has a glaring hole. Vejmelka has been good this season but is likely a bit fatigued and needs a game or two off. Unfortunately, with no true backup goalie and Utah still mathematically in a playoff spot, it makes it hard for the coaching staff to not point to Vejmelka as the starter.
Things haven’t quite gone as planned for the Rangers this season, but they still somehow find themselves square in the mix for a playoff spot.
The Eastern Conference Wild Card race is truly a toss-up as things stand right now, and if New York were to heat back up down the stretch, they just might be able to scratch their way into a third straight postseason berth.
Here’s how things shape up with 10 games to play…
The Current Leaders
Ottawa Senators
Record: 38-28-5 (81 PTS)
While the race for the top spot appeared to be very close not too long ago, Ottawa has created some separation of late -- they now lead by seven points after taking home victories in seven of their last 10 games.
The Senators sit closer to the struggling New Jersey Devils for third place in the Metropolitan Division (three points) than any team behind them is to catching them for that top Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.
They picked up a huge regulation win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
Montreal Canadiens
Record: 33-29-9 (75 PTS)
Montreal is looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time since losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. They enter Friday occupying the second Wild Card spot.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has his young and hungry club playing some great hockey this season, but they’ve fallen off a bit of late, dropping four in a row and seven of their last 10 games.
One of the most resilient clubs this year is looking to hold onto a slim one-point advantage.
Even after selling off some of their key pieces ahead of the trade deadline, the Islanders have found their way back into the Wild Card mix.
New York sits just one point behind Montreal for that final playoff spot, but they’ve also been struggling of late. They're entering the weekend on a three-gane losing skid with losses in six of their last 10 games.
The Islanders play mainly playoff contenders down the stretch, starting with a meeting with the high-scoring Lightning on Saturday afternoon.
New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena / Russell LaBounty - Imagn Images
New York Rangers
Record: 34-32-6 (74 PTS)
The Rangers have been receiving tremendous goaltending from Igor Shesterkin of late, but they haven’t been able to find the back of the net consistency enough, and it’s led to some tough luck losses.
That’s been the case for this club all season long.
They finish up a West Coast road trip by taking on the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks over the next two days -- before closing out the season with seven of their eight games against playoff contenders.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 32-29-9 (73 PTS)
Columbus held that top spot just a couple of weeks ago, but then they hit one of their toughest stretch of the season, and went on a brutal six-game losing streak.
They were finally able to snap that with a massive shootout win over the Islanders on the road on Monday night, but they still remain two points out with three teams to jump and just 12 games to play.
That last part is a big key -- they have two games at hand on the Rangers and one on the rest of the field -- they also play the Senators twice and then finish the season against the Islanders on April 17.
Detroit Red Wings
Record: 33-33-6 (72 PTS)
Detroit squandered a huge opportunity to make up some ground on Thursday, as they were defeated by the Senators 4-3, handing them their 11th regulation loss in their last 14 games.
They now have 10 games left and four teams to jump for the second WC spot.
By no means was goaltending the reason the Detroit Red Wings lost 4–3 to the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, but it certainly didn't help. Starter Alex Lyon conceded on two of the the first three shots he faced. When asked whether the defense in front of Lyon or Lyon's own struggles were the cause of the early deficit, a visibly frustrated Todd McLellan said only, "Both. Both."
For the month of March, Detroit's team save percentage is just .867, while the Red Wings have conceded 3.46 goals a game. That's not an easy recipe with which to win games, and, well, Detroit has won many: just three wins from 13 games and all 10 losses in regulation. However, despite the Red Wings' struggles in net, it does not appear the team has any appetite for giving top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa (a 2021 first round draft pick) a look in the NHL crease. Not yet anyway.
The first indicator that Detroit might be feeling something less than optimistic about Cossa's (immediate) future came in the form of the trade deadline acquisition of Petr Mrazek from Chicago. That the Red Wings would bring in goaltending help for the stretch run needn't indicate doubt over Cossa's future, but the fact that Mrazek is signed through the 2025-26 season starts to evoke that uncertainty. In explaining the move, general manager Steve Yzerman said that in acquiring Mrazek, he was solidifying his '25-26 tandem: Mrazek and Cam Talbot. Sure, Cossa could play his way into that rotation, but the unsubtle suggestion was that Cossa didn't factor into Yzerman's plans in net for the coming season.
Cossa was an emergency call-up for the final game of Detroit's recent road trip, but when it ended and Talbot returned to health, Cossa went right back to Grand Rapids. In explaining that process after Thursday morning's skate, McLellan suggested Cossa wouldn't get an NHL look to close out the season unless injury necessitated it, saying, "The emergency conditions will see to exist once Cam [gets healthy], so the simple answer to that question is no, unless we get into an emergency situation again," said McLellan, when asked whether there was a chance to see Cossa start for Detroit down the stretch. "That's just the way it goes now with roster moves."
None of this should be taken to mean that Cossa's NHL career is doomed before it even really begins. However, as the Red Wings limp toward the end of the regular season, the organization's actions and words have made clear that it doesn't perceive Cossa as a solution to its struggles in net. Not yet anyway.
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Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov and his KHL team, SKA St. Petersburg, were kicking off their chase for the Gagarin Cup yesterday, and to say it was a disappointing start would be an understatement.
As reported, Demidov started the game as SKA’s thirteenth forward, and while Roman Roterberg had said he would play, he rode the pine for the entirety of the first frame. After 20 minutes, SKA was losing 2-1 to Dynamo Moscow.
The right winger then saw 3:30 of action in the second frame and a further 4:16 in the final one, including a two-minute shift at six on five when St. Petersburg was desperate to find a goal, losing 3-1. It was too little too late, however, and the score remained the same.
Demidov ended his work night with 7:46 ice time, two shots on goal, two hits, and a blocked shot. Will Rotenberg decide to change the lineup after that less-than-ideal result? We’ll see when the two teams face off again on Saturday.
Two former Canadiens are skating for the Dynamo in that series. One is Jordan Weal, who spent three seasons in the Habs’ organization, registering 25 points in 65 games in the NHL and 24 in 34 games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The center got a pair of helpers in the 3-1 win, while the other, Cedric Paquette, also grabbed an assist.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday morning that their 2024 second-round pick, Harrison Brunicke, would be assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The 18-year-old right-handed defenseman finished his third season with the Kamloops Blazers, who did not qualify for the playoffs with a 24-39-4-1 record and finished 10th in the WHL Western Conference.
Despite the team's place in the standings, Brunicke wrapped up his third WHL season by finishing sixth in team scoring with a career-high 30 points thanks to five goals and 25 assists.
Although Brunicke has never played in the AHL, he played some NHL pre-season games this year. Meanwhile, the WBS Penguins are one of the top teams in the AHL, giving the rookie defender a chance to play competitive hockey leading up to the Calder Cup playoffs.
The Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella on Thursday, replacing him with Brad Shaw on an interim basis.
Tortorella, 66, had a year remaining on his contract. Following a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, he expressed frustration over the Flyers' recent decline in the standings, sounding like he wasn't keen to continue coaching a rebuilding team.
Under Tortorella, the Flyers exceeded expectations since last season. They narrowly missed the post-season last year despite management's hesitant rebuilding approach and the lack of experienced goalie depth following Carter Hart's mid-season departure.
They were still in the chase this season. However, trading away Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Erik Johnson gutted their roster depth, which was further weakened by a recent injury to blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen. They wound up tumbling down the standings and out of contention.
Finding a suitable replacement will be management's off-season priority.
The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau and Jonathan Bailey suggested David Carle of the University of Colorado as a candidate. Before Tortorella’s firing, Philly Hockey Now's William James suggested the same. Ben Kuzma of The Vancouver Province wondered if Canucks coach Rick Tocchet might land behind the Flyers' bench.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun mentioned Carle and Tocchet, pointing out that the latter is the only current NHL coach on an expiring contract, though it comes with a club option for next season. He wondered if Joel Quenneville might be part of the Flyers' search.
LeBrun also cited interim coaches Joe Sacco in Boston and Anders Sorensen in Chicago. He mused about Peter Laviolette's future if the New York Rangers miss the playoffs. The Hockey News’ Sam Carchidi and Proteau also wondered about AHL Lehigh Valley coach Ian Laperriere as an option.
Before his firing, Tortorella felt the Flyers had to improve their goaltending after this season. He indicated Hart's departure last season left the position in turmoil, relying on inexperienced goaltenders Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. As a result, the Flyers have one of the league's worst goals against per game (3.45).
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic believes Fedotov's future with the Flyers is in doubt. He has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3.275 million, a 5-13-3 record, a 3.21 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage.
The Flyers will find the market is thin this summer for free-agent goaltenders with starter experience. The notables include the oft-injured Fredrik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils, and Vitek Vanecek of the Florida Panthers.
John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks is the only noteworthy goalie in the trade market. He carries an average annual value of $6.4 million through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade clause. The 31-year-old Gibson might not be keen to swap a rebuilding team in Anaheim for one in Philadelphia.
Crosby has 80 points in 72 games this season, 17 more points than the second-leading scorer on the Penguins, Rickard Rakell. Crosby missed two games before the 4 Nations Face-Off, meaning he can only play a maximum of 80 matches this season.
The 37-year-old could still break some massive franchise records set by another all-time great, Mario Lemieux.
Lemieux is the Penguins' leader in goals with 690 and points with 1,723. Crosby gained the lead in the assist column earlier this season and currently has 1,058 helpers.
It’ll take some time for Crosby to beat Lemieux in goals and points, but he’s well within reach. He could even get it done before his next two-year contract expires.
Crosby only needs 48 more points to become Pittsburgh’s all-time points leader. He’s more than capable of setting that record in the first half of next season.
In every season where Crosby has played at least 40 games, he scored at least 47 points. As long as he stays healthy, he won’t break a sweat on his way to becoming the franchise’s point leader. If we use his 1.11 points-per-game average from this season, he’s projected to record eight more points this season and break Lemieux’s record 36 games into 2025-26.
Breaking the goals record will be a bit more of a challenge.
Crosby has 618 career goals, 73 away from breaking Lemieux’s 690-goal marker. In the next two seasons, Crosby will have to get close to 40 goals in each of those campaigns to become the club’s all-time goal leader.
Last season, he scored 42 goals, his most since the 44 he recorded in 2016-17.
The goal to give him the point per-game record was his 26th of the year. In the season's final eight games, he’s on pace to score two or three more goals. He’ll have to return to his production from last season if he wants any chance to break the record, but at this point, it’s tough to doubt what Crosby can do.
As for the team, they lost 7-3 to the Sabres, sit 26th overall in the NHL standings and are projected to miss the playoffs for the third straight season.
