WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena on October 8, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to Saturday, folks!
After a relatively quiet trade deadline, the Bruins are back in action today — and it’s a pretty important game in the playoff race.
As always, treat that 12:30 start time with an asterisk, as this is an ABC game.
We could place bets on what time puck drop actually happens. I’m going with 12:39 PM.
Anyways, the Capitals come into today’s game four points behind the Bruins in the race for the second wild card spot, though the Bruins do have two games in hand.
The Caps made one of the deadline’s bigger moves earlier this week, dealing longtime defenseman (and Massachusetts native) John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks.
They also sent forward Nic Dowd out to Vegas.
The Caps also made a couple of acquisitions, bringing in David Kampf and Timothy Liljegren.
These moves aren’t necessarily a waving of the white flag, but they certainly weren’t a team loading up for a playoff run (though to be fair, the Caps weren’t really positioning themselves as contenders anyways).
The Caps are led by familiar faces: Alex Ovechkin (50PTS), Tom Wilson (49PTS), and Jakob Chychrun (49PTS).
They’ve also gotten good production out of Aliaksei Protas (20 goals) and Dylan Strome (49PTS).
On the Bruins side of things, I wouldn’t expect anything majorly different today.
David Pastrnak needs to get going, as his goal drought extends toward the “is there a bigger problem here?” territory.
Columbus is now just a point behind the Bruins, and the Blue Jackets play later on tonight, so there’s a little extra pressure in the standings now as well.
Hey, that’s what makes this a fun time of year, right?
Utah Mammoth - 33-25-4 - 70 Points - 6-4-0 in the last 10 - Won 2 - 4th in the Central.
Columbus Blue Jackets - 32-21-8 - 72 Points - 8-1-1 in the last 10 - Won 3 - 4th in the Metro.
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
Columbus has won three-straight and earned points in four consecutive games (3-0-1) after earning a 4-2 victory over Florida on Thursday. The club has earned points in 15 of its last 17 contests (14-2-1) since a Jan. 11 win at Utah.
CBJ, who are in the middle of a four-game homestand, have recorded points in seven-straight home contests (6-0-1) and 11-of-12 games played at Nationwide Arena in 2026 (9-1-2).
Since Dec. 22, the Blue Jackets have gone 18-6-2 (386 pts, .731 points pct.) and rank third in the NHL in points and points percentage, fourth in save pct. (.908), fifth in goals-against/game (2.65), sixth-T in penalty kill pct. (82.4), as well as 11th in goals for/game (3.46).
The club has scored the opening goal in 15 of the past 17 games and leads the league in scoring first in 2025-26 (39, 27-7-5).
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Charlie Coyle has points in four-straight games (1-4-5) and has posted 6-11-17 and five multi-point efforts in the last 11 contests since Jan. 24.
Adam Fantilli, who had his four-game goal streak (4-2-6) and five-game points streak (4-3-7) snapped on Thursday, has totaled 5-7-12 in the past 11 contests.
Conor Garland was acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. In five seasons in which he has played 68 or more games, he has averaged 19 goals and 47 points with Arizona and Vancouver.
Kirill Marchenko has collected assists in three consecutive games (2-3-5) and has registered points in eight of his past nine contests since Jan. 24 (4-7-11).
Mathieu Olivier notched his third multi-goal game effort of the season in the win over Florida and has totaled 7-2-9 and 30 hits in the last 10 contests.
Zach Werenski, who has missed the past three games due to illness, has collected points in 22 of his past 24 games played since Dec. 11 (11-24-35, 11 multi-point efforts).
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 19.9% - 16th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 77.1% - 25th in the NHL
Goals For - 191- 17th in the NHL
Goals Against - 192 - 22nd in the NHL
MammothStats
Power Play - 117.2% - 25th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 78.0% - 21st in the NHL
Goals For - 196 - 16th in the NHL
Goals Against - 169 - 4th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheMammoth
Columbus is 2-0-1 all-time, and 2-0-0 at home vs. Utah.
Columbus has lost 7 straight games to the Panthers overall, and three straight at home.
The visiting team has come back to earn 3-2 overtime victories in all three games of the series.
CBJ scored two power play goals, including the overtime winner, in the first meeting of the season series on Jan. 11.
The Jackets have killed off all five Utah power play attempts over the past two contests.
The teams have combined to average 58 shots on goal in the first three matchups.
Both teams are looking for their first shutout, hat trick and penalty shot attempt in the all-time series.
Charlie Coyle, LW Mikael Pyyhtia and LW Dmitri Voronkov (GWG) all scored goals in the win at Utah on Jan. 11.
Zach Werenski has collected assists in all three games of the series against Utah (1-3-4), including setting up the winner in the most recent meeting and notching the OT winner in the very first game on Jan. 31, 2025.
Who To Watch For TheMammoth
Dylan Guenther leads the Mammoth with 28 goals.
Clayton Keller leads Utah with 42 assists and 61 points.
Goalie Karel Vejmelka is 29-16-2 with a SV% of .901 and a shutout.
CBJ Player Notes vs.Mammoth
Charlie Coyle has 1 point in 3 career games against Utah.
Boone Jenner has yet to register a point against the Mammoth.
Mason Marchment has 2 goals in 3 games vs. Utah.
Injured Reserve
Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 23 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.
Zach Werenski missed the last 3 games due to illness.
Dante Fabbro missed the last game due to a lower-body injury.
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 165
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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The Philadelphia Flyers were reportedly actually close to trading Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline, but the deal never got over the line.
In his post-trade deadline press conference, Flyers GM Danny Briere insisted that other teams did simply not meet his asking price for Ristolainen, and he's right; it takes two to tango.
After several teams acquired right-shot defensemen, Ristolainen's suitors rapidly dwindled, and the Detroit Red Wings and Steve Yzerman eventually ended up as the last, most logical fit with minutes to go before the deadline hit.
Instead, the Red Wings, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, opted for St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk over Ristolainen.
"I heard Yzerman had a lot of balls in the air. A lot going on. Not that he'll ever tell us what they were. I think he had a lot of things in the air. The one thing I am pretty sure about is, at the end, he had a choice: Ristolainen, or Faulk. And he took Faulk," Friedman said in his trade deadline episode of "32 Thoughts".
"We knew he was trying on Myers, we talked about Ekman-Larsson. But I think it came down to Ristolainen and Faulk. He took Faulk."
As a consequence of their desperation, Yzerman and the Red Wings ultimately paid St. Louis a pretty penny for Faulk's services, parting ways with talented Russian forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and veteran defenseman Justin Holl.
Faulk is much different from Ristolainen, too, in that he's only 6-foot, older at age 33, and more expensive with his $6.5 million cap hit for two more seasons, including this one.
He's also a more adept puck mover, having reached the 30-point threshold in each of the last five seasons.
Ristolainen is more of a destroyer at this stage of his career, trading his Buffalo offense for a more consistent use of his 6-foor-4 frame and strength to kill plays and retain possession.
Holl, too, fit that bill, and while Ristolainen is very clearly the better defenseman, it is now obvious that Yzerman and the Red Wings preferred a player with Faulk's profile instead.
If Friedman is right, as he usually is, that has to sting a bit for the Flyers, who failed to move their top trade chip in a market that was white-hot for defensemen this year.
Should the Flyers want to revisit moving on from Ristolainen for picks and prospects, they'll have to wait until June.
After weeks of speculation, and despite Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes’ best efforts, the Sainte-Flanelle was unable to make any trades in the run-up to the trade deadline, which means that the Habs were attacking the final stretch of the regular season with the same issues that have plagued them all season: shaky goaltending, a very young second line pivot and a coach who doesn’t trust his sixth defenseman, whoever is filling the role on any given night.
After the 7-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks with Jakub Dobes on Tuesday night, Samuel Montembeault was back in net for the Canadiens against the Anaheim Ducks, while Arber Xhekaj was brought back in to replace Jayden Struble. Martin St-Louis also decided to make some changes up front by remixing his lines, which made his first line happy.
Canadiens’ fans counted their blessings after the Ducks’ first goal, which came 20 seconds in on their first shot, was waived off for offside. It gave Montembeault a chance to start over, which he missed as he was once again beaten on the next shot. However, it’s hard to blame the goaltender when the goal is scored on a three-on-one. Still, it’s the fifth time in 23 starts that he has scored a goal in the first two minutes.
The netminder made a spectacular save on the penalty kill with his paddle to prevent Anaheim from getting a second goal. But not long afterwards, he let in yet another goal on a shot from far out that wasn’t deflected. It’s a headscratcher to see him post Jekyll and Hyde performances time after time. The Bécancour native is capable of the best and the worst at times in the same minute, which unfortunately makes every game an adventure.
Samuel Montembeault has the third-worst save percentage in the league when it comes to unblocked low-danger shots (.948%)
Only Carter Hart (.935%) and Samuel Ersson (.939%) have worse results.
In the second frame, with the score tied at 2-2, Jackson Lacombe took a slapshot from the blueline, and it found the back of the net without a screen or a deflection. Whichever way you look at it, Montembeault really struggles against shots from far out, while he can make big saves on shots from the real danger zones. This is puzzling to say the least, and it’s a trend that started at the end of the last season as well. It’s almost as if he couldn’t see the puck from far out.
Had it not been for the fact that the Canadiens are playing on Saturday night, Montembeault would have deserved to be pulled after that third goal.
Ready For A Leading Role
Since coming back from the Olympics, the line formed by Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov had struggled, prompting the Slovak’s return to the top line, and it didn’t take long for the move to pay off.
Just a minute in, Slafkovsky went hard on the forecheck and retrieved the puck to pass it to Cole Caufield, who fed Nick Suzuki in front of the net, and just like that, the score was tied. Then, about two and a half minutes later, Slafkovsky was able to complete a pass to Lane Hutson while absorbing some contact, and the blueliner went on to score the Habs’ second goal. Two assists in 3:30 for Slafkovsky, who was ready to play.
One slight criticism, though, is that he needs to make better decisions on the power play. At times, he seems to want to rush the play, and that often translates into a giveaway caused by a predictable pass.
Mr. Saturday Night Worked Overtime
The Ducks took a 4-2 lead 35 seconds into the third frame, and while some believed the Canadiens were toast at that point, the Habs didn’t. Mr. Saturday night, Cole Caufield, took charge, scoring twice in less than five minutes with Alexandre Carrier squeezing a lamplighter in between Caufield’s and just like that, the Canadiens took a 5-4 lead.
The diminutive sniper now has 16 goals in his last 14 games, and with 37 goals, he has tied his career high set last season. With 37 goals in 61 games, Caufield is now on pace for a 50-goal season.
Unfortunately for Caufield, the Canadiens were unable to hold on to the lead, and with less than a minute to go, Chris Kreider deflected a shot from the point to tie the game and send it to overtime with the Ducks playing six-on-five. The Habs failed to score the game-winning goal despite getting a power play in the extra frame, and a shootout was necessary. It took six rounds, but in the end, Alex Killorn gave the Ducks the win.
The Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Los Angeles Kings at 7 PM ET.
The Florida Panthers picked up a much-needed win on Friday night in Detroit.
Florida’s players also breathed a big sigh of relief, apparently, after the NHL Trade Deadline passed at 3 p.m. without a certain somebody being included in any deals.
That somebody is Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
In the days leading up to Friday’s Trade Deadline, rumors were swirling about interest in Bobrovsky, a pending unrestricted free agent, from potential playoff teams looking for help in the goaltending department.
The interest is not surprising in the least.
While yeah, Bobrovsky is 37 years old, he’s also backstopped the Panthers to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances and back-to-back championships with a trio of spectacular postseasons, cementing his spot among the best netminders of all time.
It’s also reasonable to say that his sub-par 2025-26 season can be attributed, at least in part, to the struggles and injury woes of the team playing in front of him.
"There is no guy that I want to play in front of (more),” Tkachuk said. “We’re so happy he’s still here. All 20 of us are going to be begging him to stay, and begging whoever to have him stay. He’s the reason why we have two Stanley Cup rings."
Tkachuk is one of several Panthers players – a list that includes Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Gus Forsling, Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, Seth Jones, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola – who are all signed through at least the end of the decade.
Not only that, but with so many players signed to team-friendly deals and a salary cap expected to rise by $18 million between the next two offseasons, Florida’s rock-solid roster will receive more reinforcements that Panthers GM Bill Zito and hist staff can target.
The bottom line is that Florida believes they are far from finished when it comes to competing for and winning Stanley Cups, and as far as Tkachuk is concerned, Bobrovsky is a big part of those future plans.
“He is one of the biggest reasons this organization is where its at,” Tkachuk went on to say of Bob after the game. “We need him, we want him, and not only for his play on the ice, but he’s literally one of the best guys in the world.”
We’ll see how things play out in the coming weeks and months.
As of now, Bobrovsky is set to hit the open market on July 1.
Photo caption: Apr 24, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) congratulates goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in game two of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
Who:Philadelphia Flyers (28-22-11, 7867points, 6th place Metropolitan Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-13, 75 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)
When: 5:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Local broadcasts on SportsNet Pittsburgh and NBC Sports, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens have less than 24 hours between puck drops this weekend. They’re back in action Sunday afternoon against the Boston Bruins, before their busy March continues with a five-game road swing that involves a trip out West bookended by road games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Opponent Track: The Flyers had won three straight, including two overtime victories, before dropping a 3-0 shutout loss to the Utah Mammoth on Thursday. Philadelphia then made a few moves ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, most notably sending out Bobby Brink and Nicolas Deslauriers.
Season Series: The Pens are leading this series despite dropping the Oct. 28 opener in a 3-2 shootout loss, thanks to blowout wins in Philadelphia on Dec. 1 and at home on Jan. 15.
Getting to know the Flyers
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Trevor Zegras – Christian Dvorak – Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov – Noah Cates – Travis Konecny (?)
Denver Barkey – Sean Couturier – Nikita Grebenkin
Luke Glendening – Carl Grunstrom – Garnet Hathaway
DEFENSEMEN
Travis Sanheim / Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York / Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae / Noah Juulsen
Goalies: Dan Vladar, Samuel Ersson
Potential scratches: Travis Konecny, Nick Seeler, Adam Ginning
Injured Reserve: Tyson Foerster, Rodrigo Abols
Second-line winger Travis Konecny, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, skated in a no-contact jersey during the Flyers’ Friday practice.
The Flyers made a few moves at the deadline. Here’s a run-down of the notable ones:
The Flyers traded winger Nick Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional 2027 seventh-rounder. General manager Danny Briere said the trade was made in the hopes of giving Deslauriers, 35, a shot at a playoff run.
Philadelphia traded winger Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman David Jiricek, who will report to the AHL.
They also claimed Luke Glendening (formerly a New Jersey Devils center) off waivers Friday. The Flyers have been in search of a fourth-line center since losing Rodrigo Abols to an ankle injury in January. Glendening will be available to play against the Pens.
Rasmus Ristolainen, subject to trade rumors ahead of the deadline, stayed put in Philadelphia. Briere said the Flyers “went through all the teams that were serious” but couldn’t find the value they wanted.
Holding onto Ristolainen could indicate the Flyers are hoping to take a step forward next season with players like Bump and Jiricek making the jump to the NHL in the near future. Philadelphia is currently in danger of landing in a middle ground the Penguins know well by finishing outside of both the playoffs and the draft lottery.
The Flyers could be adding a few names to this list after the trade deadline.
The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported Friday that AHL winger Alex Bump could make his NHL debut on Friday as a replacement for Brink. Bump has 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 36 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season.
The Flyers also signed former Wilkes/Barre and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Garrett Wilson to a two-way contract on Thursday, so he could potentially get a call-up down the stretch.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Rickard Rakell – Ben Kindel – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Kevin Hayes – Justin Brazeau
Avery Hayes – Connor Dewar – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Goalies: Arturs Silovs (Stuart Skinner played last game)
Potential Scratches: Blake Lizotte (day-to-day injury), Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov
IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany
Evgeni Malkin met virtually with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday and was suspended for five games, the maximum allowed in a virtual hearing, for slashing Rasmus Dahlin in Thursday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres. That means the Pens could be without both Sidney Crosby and Malkin for this weekend’s back-to-back as well as three straight West Coast road games.
The Penguins recalled Ville Koivunen from the AHL. Koivunen was recently named the AHL’s Player of the month after scoring 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 11 games during an 8-1-2 stretch for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Pens will need a breakout NHL stretch from him in order to help make up for the absence of their two top players.
Sidney Crosby rejoined practice Friday. He was non-contact, and Muse told reporters nothing has in his return timeline. (The Pens said on Feb. 25 their captain would be out at least four weeks. If dating back to his injury, which he suffered on Feb. 18, that would put his reevaluation date around the back end of the team’s upcoming road trip).
The Penguins made a deadline-day move of their own by sending out a 2026 third-rounder in exchange for 6-foot-8 forward Elmer Soderblom.
The Penguins have acquired forward Elmer Soderblom from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick (originally belonging to San Jose).
Two nights after pulling off the Christmas-like miracle in Motown, the Golden Knights couldn't complete a comeback after once again allowing three unanswered goals, and lost 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild.
The loss comes two nights before a critical Pacific showdown with the Edmonton Oilers.
Minnesota scored three second-period goals in a three-minute span to take a 3-0 lead, delivering the same gut punch that has bothered the Golden Knights all season - falling behind early.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored a goal early in the third period to bring Vegas within two, but Vladimir Tarasenko extended the lead to 4-3 late in the third, putting the game out of reach despite Mitch Marner's late goal, which provided the final margin.
"You can't let the game slip away in those (three) minutes," Jack Eichel said., "Listen, they're a good team, they're gonna get chances. Can't let one trickle into three, but there was still a lot to like about our game.
"I thought we did a lot of good things in the second period, and the third as well, so, back to the drawing board I guess."
Unfortunately for the Knights, it's the same drawing board they've been sketching on after far too many losses they've had to chase games.
The Golden Knights are now in second place in the Pacific Division, one point back of the Anaheim Ducks, 73-72, with the third-place Oilers (68) on deck.
KEY MOMENT
Michael McCarron's goal at the 8:25 mark of the second period came just 18 seconds after Zach Bogosian's goal made it 2-0. Though the Knights showed some life in the third period, McCarron's goal was the knockout punch that seemingly sealed Vegas' fate.
KEY STAT
36.4% ... The Golden Knights scored a power play goal on their only opportunity of the game, improving to 4 of 11 since their return from the break. Vegas' power play ranks third in the league since the NHL resumed play after the Olympics.
WHAT A KNIGHT
Dorofeyev continued his post-Olympic offensive tear with an assist and a goal. He now has seven points in the six games out of the break, having scored four goals and dishing three assists. Dorofeyev became the first Golden Knight in franchise history to record consecutive 30-goal seasons.
STATS!!!!
Pavel Dorofeyev is the FIRST GOLDEN KNIGHT in franchise history to record consecutive 30-goal seasons 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9mXjIPQWqQ
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 7, 2026
UP NEXT: The Golden Knights continue their homestand with Sunday's game against the Edmonton Oilers.
PHOTO CAPTION: Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton (5) fights Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena.
Mark Stone’s latest injury may come as a shock, but the Vegas Golden Knights say it’s not as serious as feared.
Stone has been sidelined due to an upper-body injury, but general manager Kelly McCrimmon emphasized Friday that the situation is under control and does not anticipate a lengthy absence.
The 33-year-old Stone was placed on injured reserve Thursday after sustaining the injury in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The incident occurred when Penguins defenseman Kris Letang lightly checked Stone, causing him to fall to one knee before skating slowly to the bench.
The moment Mark Stone suffered his injury.
Friday marked Stone’s third consecutive missed game, this time against the Minnesota Wild. He is also set to sit out Sunday’s home matchup against the Edmonton Oilers but will be eligible to return afterward.
When pressed about whether the injury might be related to Stone’s previously surgically repaired back, McCrimmon declined to confirm but maintained a reassuring tone. “I think we’re really comfortable that it’s manageable,” he said. “We’re not alarmed by the injury that he has.”
Meanwhile, coach Bruce Cassidy reported that the Golden Knights captain was receiving treatment at City National Arena and remained in high spirits.
This represents the best possible outcome for Stone, who had been on pace for a career season despite missing 16 games earlier in the year due to a broken finger in October.
Unfortunately for the Golden Knights, they suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
The Wild exploded for three goals in just over three minutes during the second period to pull away for a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.
Minnesota, third in the Central Division, has now gone 3-2 since the Olympic break, while Vegas remains second in the Pacific.
Mats Zuccarello sparked the scoring spree with a precise wrist shot at 5:18 of the second. Zach Bogosian followed with a blistering slap shot at 8:07, and newcomer Michael McCarron tipped in a third just 18 seconds later. Vladimir Tarasenko added an insurance goal with 4:18 left in the third, assisted by McCarron in his Wild debut.
Vegas answered with third-period goals from Pavel Dorofeyev and Mitch Marner. Dorofeyev’s power-play tally at 2:17 marked his 30th of the season and ended Gustavsson’s bid for a shutout. Goaltender Akira Schmid finished with 20 saves.
Friday also featured several notable debuts for Minnesota, including Robby Fabbri, Bobby Brink, and Nick Foligno, who joins younger brother Marcus following his trade from Chicago. Vegas debuted Nic Dowd and Cole Smith, with Dowd acquired earlier that day from Washington. Meanwhile, Vegas placed forward Mark Stone on injured reserve Thursday due to an upper-body injury.
Mar 6, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) scores the game winning goal against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during the overtime shootout period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Following a monumental trade deadline which saw the return of Nazem Kadri, the Colorado Avalanche still had a game to play. One of the most important Central Division games was on tap this Friday evening in Dallas against the Stars. Ultimately the Avalanche would win 5-4 in a shootout after numerous last second goals in a comeback affair.
The Game
After a whirlwind of a day, the evening matchup between the league’s two best teams didn’t disappoint. At first the Avalanche got on the board with a Cale Makar power play goal but the lead didn’t last long as Miro Heiskanen got Dallas their own score on the man advantage.
From there the Stars proceeded to add to their lead. First from Wyatt Johnston who walk around the defense and picked a corner on Mackenzie Blackwood. It would be the Colorado goaltender who misplayed the puck behind the net which allowed the Dallas fourth line in Justin Hryckowian to take advantage and put the Stars up by two.
The first period wasn’t over yet, however, as the Avalanche got one last power play opportunity and Nathan MacKinnon put the puck past Jake Oettinger with one second left on the clock to cut the Dallas lead to 3-2 by the end of the first 20 minutes of play.
That momentum didn’t carry on for Colorado as Dallas struck first in the middle frame. Josh Manson lost a board battle and Jamie Benn was left alone in front to put Dallas up 4-2. That was the end of Blackwood’s night as Scott Wedgewood took the crease in relief.
Colorado still wouldn’t give up, though, and Martin Nečas cut the Stars’ lead in half again. That’s how the second period would conclude with the Stars holding a 4-3 advantage heading into the final frame.
A big moment happened midway through the third period as the Avalanche killed off a Stars 5-on-3. Another missed opportunity for Dallas was when Benn could have sealed the game but missed the cage on an empty net shot. The Avalanche had new life and naturally tied the game with 13 seconds left from none other than Val Nichushkin. With a 4-4 tie the game headed to overtime.
Despite the Avalanche having a few early good looks it was the Stars who held much of the possession in the extra frame. But still, nobody could get a puck past Wedgewood. And a shootout was needed to decide this game.
Colorado went with the hot hand in Nichushkin and it paid off as he used his long reach to poke the puck past Oettinger. Nečas took that inspiration and netted a goal doing the same. Wedgewood stopped both shots he faced and the Avalanche walked away with a 5-4 victory.
Takeaways
Colorado clearly wants to give Blackwood the net but Wedgewood has stepped up time and time again, this time not allowing a single goal, including in the shootout, if relief. He more than earned this win, his 23rd on the season. It might make sense to keep an open mind on a goalie rotation in the playoffs since that’s what’s worked for the Avalanche thus far.
Upcoming
Another big game in a rematch with the Minnesota Wild in a matinee affair at 12 p.m. MT on Sunday, March 8th nationally televised on TNT. Perhaps the return debut of Nazem Kadri on national television?
The Chicago Blackhawks capped off trade deadline day with a match against the Vancouver Canucks. The Blackhawks certainly aren't a playoff-caliber team, but the Canucks came in with the worst record in the NHL at 18-36-7. It is almost certain that they will finish the year with the best odds of winning the lottery.
Arvid Soderblom surprisingly started the game in goal for the Blackhawks. Spencer Knight is sick, so Caydon Edwards was signed to a PTO to be the backup.
Before the game kicked off, Darren Pang and the Blackhawks hosted a wonderful ceremony to kick off "The Next Originals", the final chapter of their centennial celebration.
Once the puck was dropped, it looked like two teams who made a handful of trades in an effort to build for the future. Just because the Canucks are in last place doesn't mean it isn't a team full of proud professionals.
Ryan Donato found a loose puck dumped in by Frank Nazar and made a forehand backhand move to make it 1-0. That was just 1:08 into the game.
Exactly one minute later, Drew O'Connor's deflection goal made it a 1-1 tie. 24 seconds later, Jake DeBrusk made it 2-1. From there, the Canucks started to clearly outskate the Blackhawks.
Teddy Blueger made it 3-1 at 6:32, which was the third goal on Soderblom on just seven shots. With an emergency backup goalie on the bench, there wasn't even a thought about pulling him.
Instead of going away quietly in the first period, the Blackhawks started to show some fight from there. After accepting a pass from Tyler Bertuzzi, Oliver Moore made a great play to set up Ilya Mikheyev for an open cage. The goal was scored at exactly 12:00. That 3-2 score held through the first intermission.
The second period was heavily dominated by the Blackhawks. They possessed the puck more than Vancouver, outshot them 10-6, and scored the only goal with less than one minute remaining in the middle frame.
Frank Nazar tied the game with a deflection of Alex Vlasic's point shot. The 3-3 score went into the second intermission. After a tough start to the game, the Blackhawks really buckled down to get it tied.
Despite having the momentum after a brilliant second period, the Canucks took it back early in the third period when Brock Boeser batted one out of mid-air past Soderblom to give the Canucks a 4-3 lead.
With Soderblom on the bench for the extra attacker, the Canucks threw one into the empty net. They didn't settle for just one empty net goal, though. They had a second one and skated out of town with a 6-3 victory.
This is a game that the Blackhawks fell to a lesser team because they didn't come out of the game playing well defensively. When you go down 3-1 before the first period is half over, it is going to be hard to come back once the game settles down.
The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Sunday evening when they take on the Dallas Stars. This is a one-game road trip down to Texas to take on the Stars before returning home for a Monday night game against the Utah Mammoth at the United Center.
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Call it the post-trade deadline bump. The Vancouver Canucks took a 6–3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in their first game after the 2026 Trade Deadline, snapping a seven-game losing streak dating back to January 31. Drew O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser (2), and Max Sasson all found the back of the net, while Nikita Tolopilo made 20 saves on 23 shots faced in his 10th NHL start of the season.
Despite the moves they made resulting in major absences in their lineup, Vancouver looked noticeably lighter while playing today. Boeser, who has seen his fair share of trade deadlines, spoke on the impact the deadline passing can have on a player and their performance.
“It’s definitely a distraction for a lot of guys when your name’s out there. I’m just happy that we’re past it, and a lot of guys are happy,” he told Sportsnet post-game. “I just want to move forward and really start playing the right way with all these young guys and the older guys.”
With Vancouver having traded Conor Garland and David Kämpf ahead of the deadline, Aatu Räty ended up slotting back into the lineup for his first game since February 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Räty will likely see a lot more playing time now that Kämpf, one of the Canucks’ go-to defensive centres, has been moved. In today’s game, the forward led his team in faceoff winning percentage with 84.6% and had two hits in 10:53 minutes played.
It looked like this game could end up being quite the shootout within the first five minutes, as the Blackhawks scored the opening goal a little over a minute into the first period. O’Connor and DeBrusk scored within 30 seconds of one-another only a minute after Chicago’s goal to give Vancouver the 2–1 lead by the three-minute mark. Blueger potted another one six and a half minutes into the period to put Vancouver up 3–1. While the Blackhawks did tie things up at three apiece, Boeser gave Vancouver the go-ahead goal at the beginning of the third period.
Vancouver did a good job of taking themselves to the net this game, as all four of the non empty-net goals they scored came from close-range. Adding onto that, all three of the Canucks’ first-period goals came about with traffic crowding the area in front of Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Söderblom. O’Connor and Räty made their way to the net on the former’s tip-in goal, while it was Nils Höglander and DeBrusk who crowded Söderblom on the latter’s. While Blueger was all alone on his, the centre brought two Chicago players to the net with him when he put it past the goaltender.
Part of what many fans have been looking for from the team has been an increase in minutes for their younger players now that some of their veterans have been dealt. This process started out positively in today’s game, as young forwards like Sasson and Liam Öhgren spent some time on the penalty kill, while Tom Willander and Zeev Buium each recorded over two minutes on Vancouver’s power play.
The Canucks, for the most part, haven’t shied away from making moves better aligned with the direction they’re planning on taking now that the deadline has passed. Vancouver’s roster is noticeably younger now, with the team icing a D-core with the average age of 24 tonight. With no moves available for the rest of the season, Vancouver’s aim moving forward will be to continue growing with each game.
“It’s definitely good to know the direction,” Boeser added. “We have so many young guys in the lineup, and we’ve talked about how everyone has to learn and stick together and focus on the details that the coaches are preaching. So that was a much better job tonight.”
Mar 6, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger (53) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Stats and Facts:
Today marks the second time this season Drew O’Connor and Jake DeBrusk have scored exactly 24 seconds apart in the first period, as they also did-so on November 17 against the Florida Panthers
Marcus Pettersson records his first multi-point game since joining the Canucks
Jake DeBrusk increases his personal point streak to three straight games
With an assist today, Marco Rossi extends his personal point streak against the Blackhawks to four straight games
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1:08 - CHI: Ryan Donato (14) from Frank Nazar
2:08 - VAN: Drew O’Connor (15) from Tom Willander and Marcus Pettersson
2:32 - VAN: Jake DeBrusk (14) from Zeev Buium and Elias Pettersson
6:32 - VAN: Teddy Blueger (6) from Marcus Pettersson and Max Sasson
12:00 - CHI: Ilya Mikheyev (12) from Oliver Moore and Tyler Bertuzzi
2nd Period:
19:17 - CHI: Frank Nazar (8) from Alex Vlasic and Ilya Mikheyev
3rd Period:
2:40 - VAN: Brock Boeser (14) from Linus Karlsson and Jake DeBrusk (PPG)
18:34 - VAN: Max Sasson (11) (ENG)
19:44 - VAN: Brock Boeser (15) from Marco Rossi and Filip Hronek (ENG)
Up Next:
Vancouver will be back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Winnipeg Jets as part of Hockey Night in Canada. Since Tolopilo started tonight, it’s expected that Kevin Lankinen will play tomorrow. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT.
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Sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings are determined to prove that this March, a month they've heavily struggled in during the last three campaigns, will be different this time around.
But it's hard not to feel the listless feelings of the last three years creeping in after the way the club’s last two games have unfolded.
For the second consecutive game at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings dropped a contest against an opponent that had lost on the road the previous night before traveling to Detroit.
On Wednesday evening, it was the Vegas Golden Knights. And on Friday evening, it was the Florida Panthers, a team fighting for its playoff lives and which had lost its previous four games in a row, that dealt the Red Wings a disappointing loss.
Matthew Tkachuk, Dylan Larkin's Team USA teammate with whom he won a gold medal late last month, scored his sixth career hat-trick and first since 2024 in a 3-1 win over Detroit.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 7, 2026
Even more concerning was that Larkin was injured midway through the third period after going down awkwardly on the ice. He slowly made his way back to the bench while hunched over, before heading immediately to the dressing room and did not return.
Larkin leaves hurt after a weird fall - skate slipped and made him do the splits. Seemed to be in some pain, have to hope nothing is torn... #LGRWpic.twitter.com/lUuUDxY1lF
Matthew Tkachuk scored the first of his three goals on the night after Michael Rasmussen turned the puck over in the corner. Carter Verhaeghe then sent a pass to a wide-open Tkachuk in front of the net, where he one-timed it past John Gibson.
The Red Wings knotted the score in the second period while enjoying a five-on-three advantage. Alex DeBrincat netted his 32nd goal of the season after he batted the puck out of the air off a rebound from the boards past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
However, throughout the game, Bobrovsky looked more like the goaltender who helped lead the Panthers to consecutive Stanley Cup titles over the past two springs than the struggling netminder who entered the game with a goals-against average north of 3.00.
He turned aside everything Detroit threw at him and also caught a break when a shot from Dylan Larkin dribbled through his legs and slid just inches wide of the post. Minutes later, he made another stop on the goal line as Larkin tried to jam the puck in from the side of the net.
He also robbed Patrick Kane's deflection of a pass from DeBrincat from in tight.
Tkachuk scored his second goal of the game early in the third period on the power-play, deflecting Sam Reinhart's shot past Gibson after a failed clearing attempt by defenseman Albert Johansson.
With Gibson pulled for the extra attacker, Tkachuk completed the hat trick by firing the puck into the open net from his own defensive zone.
Bobrovsky finished the game with 28 saves, while Gibson countered with 20 saves.
The Red Wings, who acquired defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues on Friday, expect the veteran defenseman to join them in New Jersey for their next game against the Devils on Sunday.
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The NHL's trade deadline is officially complete, and while the Los Angeles Kings didn't have a loud day on Friday, they made some moves.
Though these trades aren't franchise-altering by any means, Kings GM Ken Holland deserves some credit for what he's done, and here's why.
For starters, back on Feb. 4, he made a grand addition, bringing in superstar left winger Artemi Panarin. While it wasn't technically a deal that was made at the trade deadline, the Kings only lost prospect Liam Greentree and a couple of conditional draft picks, none of which were first-rounders.
On Friday's deadline day, the Kings made a pair of moves. The first trade was sending right winger Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.
"When Tampa called, it was (Perry's) decision," Holland told reporters in a press conference. "He wanted to go there, so we got a second-round pick."
With the Foegele and Perry trades, as well as the Phillip Danault deal with the Montreal Canadiens back in December, Los Angeles has six second-round picks for the next three drafts, including three for 2026.
"Coming into the deadline… I wanted to try and get another pick or two for our scouts," Holland said. " I think it's important that we got to continue to draft, try to get some young players in the organization."
Later in the day, not long before the 12 p.m. PST cutoff, Los Angeles acquired center Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs. That trade costs the team a 2026 third-round pick, which becomes a second-rounder if the Kings make the playoffs.
"Laughton's a veteran guy," the Kings GM mentioned. "He's a center iceman, he can kill penalties, wins draws, competitive, and just gives us more depth."
On Thursday, Joseph was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues for the purpose of contract termination and became a UFA on Friday.
Los Angeles' GM said that head coach D.J. Smith is familiar with Joseph from their time with the Senators' organization. Joseph's best seasons were under Smith, including in 2023-24 when he recorded a career-high 35 points, registering 11 goals and 24 assists.
While it may seem like a boring and bleak addition, it's a more sensible move than some may think.
The Kings departed from Foegele and Perry just before the deadline, meaning there were two holes in the bottom-six forward group.
Scott Laughton (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)
One was filled with the acquisition of Laughton, and the other with Joseph. But there's more of an explanation behind this decision, specifically between Foegele and Joseph.
Joseph, 29, and one year younger than Foegele, has scored more points than the former King this season.
Joseph has two goals and 11 points in 39 appearances, while Foegele has seven goals and nine points in 47 games.
Furthermore, Joseph comes at a much lower cap hit than Foegele's $3.5 million. Not to mention, Foegele fetched the Kings a second-round pick for the upcoming draft, while Joseph was brought in for no exchange of assets and a low cap hit.
Essentially, Holland grabbed a second-rounder for an underachieving Foegele while acquiring another player of a similar position with no assets, and is outperforming Foegele in terms of offensive production.
In summary, the Kings' GM was crafty and looked to bring in the most value that he could with the assets he had. The team brings in a handful of draft picks for the future, while slightly upgrading their personnel up front with Laughton and Joseph over and underperforming Foegele and an aging pending UFA in Perry.
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The Florida Panthers opened the post-NHL Trade Deadline portion of their schedule on Friday night.
Florida is facing an incredibly difficult task in terms of trying to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but took a step in the right direction by picking up a solid 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
It was the Panthers who picked up the game’s opening goal, and it came off the stick of Matthew Tkachuk.
With Florida controlling the puck deep in Detroit’s zone, Carter Verhaeghe hustled to pick up the puck behind John Gibson’s net and sent a quick backhand pass to the slot, where Tkachuk had made himself at home between the circles.
Tkachuk’s quick one-timer gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 11:06 mark of the opening frame.
A pair of penalties on Anton Lundell and Gus Forsling midway through the second period led to the game-tying goal for Detroit.
While enjoying a two-man advantage, Alex DeBrincat picked up his 33rd goal of the season on a primary assist from Patrick Kane, knotting the score at one with 9:04 remaining until the final intermission.
Florida began the third period on the power play and quickly took advantage.
Once again it was Tkachuk, this time deflecting a shot by Sam Reinhart past Gibson to give Florida a 2-1 lead at the :35 second mark.
Tkachuk completed the hat trick late in the third, cashing in on an empty-net goal while giving the Panthers that all-important insurance tally.
Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 27 saves, including an impressive eight high-danger stops, to earn his 23rd win of the season.
The victory was Florida’s first in five games, sending the Cats back to Sunrise feeling good.
Photo caption: Mar 6, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
Nazem Kadri won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 and wasn't re-signed, starting the team's search for a No. 2 center.
They finally found one at the 2025 NHL trade deadline with Brock Nelson. But now they also have found a Kadri-style player.
Nazem Kadri.
The Avalanche and Calgary Flamesworked out a deal to bring back Kadri, giving up only Victor Olofsson off their roster, plus draft picks and an unsigned draft pick. Colorado now has enviable center depth and can trot out Nathan MacKinnon, Nelson, Kadri and fellow 2026 trade deadline acquisition Nicolas Roy.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who made the big move for Quinn Hughes earlier in the season, was busy during deadline week. He added penalty killing forward Michael McCarron and winger Bobby Brink, plus depth defenseman Jeff Petry. But his acquisition of Nick Foligno had an added benefit for the former Blackhawks captain. He'll get to play alongside his brother Marcus for the first time in their professional careers.
Sabres go all-in
The Sabres have been on a roll since Jarmo Kekalainen replaced fired Kevyn Adams as general manager. And the GM took steps to try to help the team end a record 14-season playoff drought. An attempted trade for Colton Parayko didn't materialize when the defenseman declined to waive his no-trade clause. Kekalainen responded with a trade for the Jets' Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, giving Buffalo a rugged third defensive pairing behind an impressive top four that includes Rasmus Dahlin. Sam Carrick was added to improve the team's league-worst faceoff winning percentage, and depth forward Tanner Pearson also joined. Schenn and Pearson have won Stanley Cup titles, important if the Sabres make a rare foray into the postseason.
Panthers hang on to free agents
The Panthers' run of back-to-back championships (and three trips to the Final) is heading toward an end because of a string of injuries that include captain Aleksander Barkov tearing his ACL on the first day of fall practice. GM Bill Zito traded pending free agent Petry but held on to free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and A.J. Greer and will try to re-sign them. The Panthers' core, when healthy, is still championship caliber. If they can't overcome their deficit, they can heal up and try again next season.
LOSERS
Capitals players devastated
They took it hard when Nic Dowd was dealt to the Golden Knights after being in Washington since 2018-19. Then they woke up Friday morning to find out that 17-year veteran John Carlson was heading to Anaheim after a late-night trade.
"Today sucks, it's brutal," forward Tom Wilson told reporters. "I’m sure there are some guys that want to cry. That’s the reality of it. Today you can cry and tomorrow you got to wake up and be a big boy and go out and play hockey."
Awkward position for Colton Parayko
Parayko had every right to veto a trade to Buffalo. That's why agents negotiate no-trade clauses with teams. But the fact that news of the trade leaked made things awkward for the defenseman as he took the time to make a decision on his future.
"We did some due diligence as soon as that happened," general manager Doug Armstrong told reporters, according to the Post-Dispatch. "We checked the phone records of all of our staff, texts and emails, and everybody passed the test, not surprisingly. I was disappointed it got out. I know it didn't come from us."
The Maple Leafs gave up a first-round pick and a prospect last season to land Scott Laughton and two mid-round picks from the Flyers. Leafs general manager Brad Treliving traded the pending free agent to the Kings on Friday and received a conditional third-round pick. It can become a second-rounder if Los Angeles makes the playoffs.
New CBA rules
The new collective bargaining agreement included a playoff salary cap and rules making it harder for teams to use a second team to retain some salary in a trade. The result: Deadline day was fairly dull until the Kadri trade surfaced.
