The Detroit Red Wings were 16.1 seconds away from a badly-needed regulation victory at Little Caesars Arena, but the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets snatched that victory from the jaws of defeat.
Former Michigan Wolverines defenseman Adam Fantilli scored the game-tying goal with 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation, and fellow former Wolverine Zach Werenski netted the decisive shootout goal, lifting the Blue Jackets to a 4–3 win over the Red Wings in a critical matchup for both teams.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 8, 2026
The Red Wings are now three points behind the Ottawa Senators, who defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, for the final Wild Card postseason spot with only four games remaining. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets moved to 90 points, one ahead of Detroit.
Things didn't start well for the Red Wings, who surrendered the opening goal to Danton Heinen after a defensive zone turnover at 2:06 of the opening frame. But team captain Dylan Larkin netted his 31st goal of the season midway through the period on the power-play, knotting the score at 1-1.
Defenseman Justin Faulk, who made his return to the lineup after missing the last few games, scored a beautiful in the second period after cutting through multiple Jackets players and beating goaltender Jet Greaves with a glove-side shot.
But Columbus made Detroit pay after David Perron was whistled for a minor penalty; Werenski whistled a shot from the high slot past Gibson, tying the score.
At 15:14 of the third period, Faulk scored his second of the game right off a face-off, taking a pass from Alex DeBrincat and firing a one-timer past Greaves.
With Greaves on the bench for an extra attacker, Columbus won a critical face-off following an icing call to the Red Wings, setting up Fantilli's game-tying goal.
Neither team scored in overtime, but both exchanged goals in the ensuing shootout. Detroit got goals from Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, while the Blue Jackets responded with tallies from Kent Johnson and Charlie Coyle before Zach Werenski delivered the dagger.
Goaltender John Gibson made 32 saves, while Greaves countered with 34 saves. Detroit also lost forward Michael Rasmussen, who recently missed seven games, with an injury after blocking a shot.
From here on out, the Red Wings are officially in "must-win" mode while also having to hope for outside help.
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster each scored twice, Dan Vladar made 23 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers routed the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday to bolster their playoff position with four games remaining.
The Flyers have won three straight and have six victories in their last eight contests. Their 92 points are four behind second-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division.
The Flyers have vaulted into playoff position with an 11-3-1 mark since a 6-2 home loss to the Rangers on March 9.
Zegras opened the scoring at 1:56 of the first. The 25-year-old forward scored again on the power play at 3:38 — his career-best 25th goal — with assists to JamieDrysdale and rookie Porter Martone, who scored his first NHL goal in overtime to lift the Flyers past the Bruins 2-1 on Sunday.
Cody Glass cut it to 2-1 at 11:24 of the first before Foerster scored at 2:46 of the second, then had his 13th goal of the season at 4:58. Matvei Michkov assisted both of Foerster's goals.
Zegras, who was acquired from Anaheim last June, also assisted on Foerster’s second goal and is second on the Flyers with 65 points.
Nick Seeler added an empty-net goal to complete the scoring.
Vladar improved to 27-13-7 in his first season with the Flyers. His previous high for wins in a season was 14 with Calgary in 2022-23.
Philadelphia has missed the playoffs the last five seasons and seven of the last nine campaigns. They haven’t played a home playoff series since 2018.
The Flyers have road games at Detroit and Winnipeg, followed by home contests against Carolina and Montreal.
MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored in the shootout after Nick Suzuki’s late tying goal as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Ivan Demidov and Phillip Danault also scored in regulation as playoff-bound Montreal won for the ninth time in 10 games. Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists and Jakub Dobes made 30 saves for his sixth consecutive win.
Caufield remained one goal shy of his 50th for the third consecutive game after scoring twice Thursday against the New York Rangers. He is scoreless in three straight games for the first time since posting four consecutive goalless outings from Jan. 8 to 12.
Eetu Luostarinen, Carter Verhaeghe and Cole Reinhardt scored for fading Florida, which lost its eighth straight game against the Canadiens. Daniil Tarasov stopped 29 shots.
The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions entered the night 27th in the overall league standings and out of playoff contention.
Canadiens forwards Kirby Dach and Texier returned to the lineup, while veteran Brendan Gallagher (healthy scratch) and Joe Veleno (flu) sat out.
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk missed the game for the birth of his first child, adding to a long list of absences for Florida. More than half of the Panthers’ usual roster is out for the season after three straight trips to the Stanley Cup final.
Up next
Panthers: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Canadiens: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jaccob Slavin scored at 1:13 of overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 on Tuesday night and claimed their fourth Metropolitan Division title in six years.
Slavin's first goal of the season helped offset a hat trick by Boston’s Morgan Geekie. Andrei Svechnikov, K’Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, William Carrier and Taylor Hall also scored for Carolina. Brandon Bussi overcame a shakey start and finished with 16 saves.
Hampus Lindholm and Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston, with Zacha's goal at 12:33 in the third period tying the game at 5. Boston's Jeremy Swayman made 18 saves before being pulled after allowing five goals, including three in the first nine minutes of the second period. Joonas Korpisalo stopped the 16 shots he faced in regulation, but Slavin beat him in OT by tapping in a pass from Sebastian Aho.
The Hurricanes will be home for the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Metropolitan champions for the third time under coach Rod Brind’Amour. They also won the Central Division in the shortened, reconfigured 2020-21 season.
Geekie, a third-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2017, claimed his second career hat trick with his third goal of the game with 1:10 left in the second period, cutting Carolina’s advantage to 5-4. Geekie had only one goal in the previous 20 games, but his scoring outburst on Tuesday pushed his season total to a career-best 37. Geekie had six goals in 38 career games with Carolina.
Stankoven scored on the power play to tie the game at 3 at 5:17 in the second period. The Hurricanes have scored 14 power-play goals in the past 11 games.
Carrier made it 4-3 at 7:20 in the second and Hall scored 73 seconds later, chasing Swayman. Jackson Blake and Sean Walker assisted on Hall’s goal and each finished with two assists.
Up next
Bruins: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Hurricanes: Begin a four-game trip at Chicago on Thursday.
The Senators took care of their own business on Tuesday night.
Jake Sanderson scored twice, and Brady Tkachuk had a career-best four assists as the Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 to maintain their two-point wild card lead in the East with just four games to play.
Tim Stützle had three points on the night, while Linus Ullmark led the way with 28 saves.
The game was tracking to be a defensive affair through the first 40 minutes, but the third period didn’t get that memo.
Jordan Spence and Nick Paul swapped goals late in the second before the Senators erupted for five goals in the third en route to the win.
Fabian Zetterlund scored early in the third, banking one in off the upper body of Tampa Bay defenceman Erik Černák to make it 2-1.
Jake Sanderson then made it 3-1 with a gorgeous goal, cutting hard to the net and slipping the puck through Tampa goalie Jonas Johansson.
Corey Perry cut the lead to 3-2, standing alone at the side of the net and redirecting a slap pass from the point past Ullmark. The Lightning appeared to be gaining momentum before Tampa was called for hooking.
Stützle restored the two-goal lead on the ensuing power play, jamming home a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble. Tampa challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood.
Then came the dagger. On ensuing delay of game penalty, the Senators executed a gorgeous set play off the centre ice faceoff.
Jake Sanderson dropped the puck off to Drake Batherson who hit Tkachuk with a long stretch pass at the blue line. Tkachuk quickly fed Sanderson, who had turned on the jets after quietly and slowly jumping into the rush after the original drop pass. Sanderson, now on a breakaway, beat Johansson with a slick backhander to make it 5-2.
Shane Pinto then added a hard working empty-netter to seal the 6-2 victory.
With the win, the Senators maintain their hold on a wild card spot in the East, two points up on Columbus, and three points up on Detroit and the Islanders. All four teams have four games remaining and the Senators own the tiebreaker on all three opponents.
Out of town on Tuesday, the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime. The Philadelphia Flyers handled the New Jersey Devils 5-1, while the Boston Bruins, who sit in the second wild card spot, lost 6-5 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Senators are back at it Thursday night at home against the Florida Panthers, a team they’ll be eager to get another crack at after Florida handed them a lopsided loss a week ago.
DETROIT (AP) — Zach Werenski scored in the shootout to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Tuesday night, ending a six-game skid.
Adam Fantilli tied the game with 17 seconds left, Danton Heinen also scored and Werenski also added a goal and an assist in regulation. Jet Greaves stopped 34 shots and assisted on Werenski's goal for his first career point.
Werenski notched his 26th multipoint game of the year, setting a single-season record for the Blue Jackets.
Justin Faulk scored twice, Dylan Larkin added one goal, and John Gibson had 32 saves for the Red Wings.
Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen left in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
The Blue Jackets blocked 21 shots and the Red Wings blocked 25.
Up next
Blue Jackets: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Red Wings: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
The Florida Panthers continued their final road trip of the season on Tuesday night when they visited the Montreal Canadiens.
Florida played some solid hockey against the playoff-bound Habs, but couldn’t hold a late lead, ultimately losing 4-3 to Montreal in a shootout.
A strong start by the Panthers was rewarded with the game’s opening goal.
Already outshooting Montreal 6-1, Florida took the lead after Donovan Sebrango carried the puck through the neutral zone and into Montreal’s end before firing a long wrist shot that was stopped by Jakub Dobes.
The rebound went off his right pad and straight to Carter Verhaeghe, who one-timed the puck into the net to put Florida up 1-0 at the 9:23 mark of the opening period.
It was a lead that held until just past the intermission.
With Tobias Bjornfot in the penalty box for slashing, Montreal rookie Ivan Demidov one-timed a pass from Cole Caufield past the blocker of Daniil Tarasov and into the net, knotting the score at one just 54 seconds into the middle frame.
Cole Reinhardt’s fifth tally of the season gave the Cats their lead back late in the period.
Catching up to the puck in Montreal’s zone with nobody between him and the goaltender, Reinhardt held the puck until Dobes committed, then extended his arms and wrapped the puck around the sprawled out goalie and into the net with 6:17 on the clock.
The score remained 2-1 until another Montreal scored on a delayed penalty early in the third period.
With six attackers on the ice, Phillip Danault picked up a loose puck in the slot and wired a wrist shot past Tarasov, knotting the game at two with 13:38 remaining.
This time, the Panthers answered in quick fashion.
Just 87 seconds later, Eetu Luostarinen got his stick on a long shot by Gus Forsling and deflected the puck over Dobes, putting Florida right back in front 3-2.
The Panthers held their lead until the final seconds, when Nick Suzuki caught Tarasov out of position and tied the game with just 20.1 to go.
Overtime solved nothing, so the game went to a shootout.
Goals by Cole Caufield and Alex Texier would be more than enough as Montreal picked up the bonus point.
Photo caption: Apr 7, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) stops Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) and teammate forward Juraj Slafkovsky (20) during the second period at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 07: Porter Martone #94 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center on April 07, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
That’ll do it for the 2025-26 New Jersey Devils.
We’ve all known this season has been over for a long time now, but tonight’s 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers sealed the deal. Thanks to this loss plus an Ottawa Senators win out of town, the New Jersey Devils have officially been eliminated from postseason contention this season. It was only a matter of time.
In their first game after general manager Tom Fitzgerald was fired, the Devils had a chance to show some fire and pride. Not just as a show of respect to their former GM, not just as a way to show they feel bad they got someone fired, but also because they had a chance to put a major dent in a hated rival’s playoff hopes. Philadelphia came in having won 14 of their last 20 games, which has vaulted them into playoff position for the first time in a while. Their hold on a postseason spot is very tenuous though, and a loss this evening would’ve caused some damage. Instead, Jacob Markstrom allowed a goal on the second shot he faced, then allowed another one in the blink of an eye, and it was all over from there.
To the Devils’ credit, after they went down 2-0 in the opening minutes, they really turned it on and smothered the Flyers through the rest of the first period. They pulled to within 2-1 thanks to a Cody Glass deflection goal off a Jonas Siegenthaler shot. But that was as close as they would get. New Jersey went to the man-advantage early in the second period, couldn’t score, then managed to get Jesper Bratt on a breakaway on which he missed the net, and the Flyers followed all that very shortly after with two quick goals. It was the perfect microcosm of this game and this season. The rest of the game was muddy and messy and uneventful, just like the Flyers wanted it. An empty-netter in the dying minutes was the final dagger.
If there’s one bit of cope I can offer, it’s that Philadelphia might learn all the wrong lessons from this run that they’ve found themselves on since the Olympic break. Despite the fact that they may play postseason hockey this year, this is still not a particularly good team. They have some young talent for sure, but aside from maybe Matvei Michkov, no one that I think is truly elite. Meanwhile their coach, Rick Tocchet, is a pretty bad head coach. The only reason they are in this position is because journeyman Dan Vladar has put up a wildly fluky .908 save percentage since the break. Does anyone truly believe that Dan Vladar is that good? So instead of continuing their rebuild – which I admit is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel – they might let a random hot stretch from a career backup goalie influence them to cut corners and accelerate their rebuild to the detriment of their long-term ceiling.
But that’s about all I can offer you tonight, and really, how sad is that? The Devils started this season so well, then spent months stuck in a slow-motion car crash, then frantically tried to climb back into the playoff race after the Olympics, only to fall short when it mattered most.
On a night where this team was playing its first game after their general manager got fired, there was a chance to show some professional pride. Sadly, that didn’t happen. The Devils are in a transitional period at the moment, the liminal space between one general manager’s vision and another’s. In between, in this one-game sample size, we have been treated to some thoroughly uninspired hockey. It’s what we’ve become accustomed to this season.
We can only hope that next year will be different.
Thanks to the loss tonight, the Devils have officially been swept in the season series by the Flyers. If you just read that and thought to yourself “Huh, that seems rare. I wonder when the last time that happened was”, then I can tell you you’re not alone. I thought the same thing. So I did a little digging, and based on my amateur research, I found that the New Jersey Devils have not been swept in the season series by the Philadelphia Flyers since…
…1983-84.
Anyone is welcome to fact-check me on this, but I believe this to be correct after going through the historical stats on Hockey Reference. Granted, this season’s sweep comes with a bit of an asterisk because they only played three games against one another. In many, many seasons, the Devils and Flyers would play upwards of five times per season. In that 1983-84 campaign, they matched up seven times. Going 0-for-7 is true ineptitude.
But so is this. Even in the worst of years, the Devils could always count on getting at least a win against the Flyers. Not this time. Better luck next year.
Backbreaking
I can’t imagine how mentally taxing it must be to play in front of Jacob Markstrom. He has an uncanny ability to put his team behind the eight ball as fast as humanly possible. Since he came to the Devils, Markstrom has allowed a goal on the first shot he’s faced a truly unnerving amount of times. Tonight he allowed a goal on the second shot he faced, which is morbidly hilarious progress I suppose. Granted, the goal he allowed on that second shot tonight was way more on Jonas Siegenthaler than Markstrom, but he still failed to rise to the occasion and make a big save when his team needed it.
In addition to his penchant for handing opposing teams an early lead, his style of play is just so chaotic as well. He flops himself out of position so frequently that I’m beginning to suspect he has a phobia of blue paint. It’s tough to play in front of a goalie when you have no idea where he might be at any given second.
To me, it’s so reminiscent of Mackenzie Blackwood. I know it’s popular to look at his success in Colorado and conclude that New Jersey gave up on him too quickly. I disagree, though I might agree with the argument that New Jersey’s goalie coaching and organizational development ruined him to a certain extent. But while Blackwood was in New Jersey, he had a knack for allowing the softest goals you’ll ever see. It was a common joke that New Jersey would outshoot a team something like 40-18 but lose the game 4-3 when Blackwood was minding the net. He might not be a perfect stylistic match for Markstrom, but their abilities to put their teams in bad positions is almost one-to-one.
I would not be surprised if the skaters in front of Markstrom feel an extra mental burden playing with him. Squeezing the stick, walking on egg shells, sitting on pins and needles…whatever your idiom of choice, it probably applies. The feeling of dread and emotional defeat that sets in when they see Markstrom allow another soft, early goal must be overwhelming.
Don’t Get So Defensive
Since the heights of the 2022-23 season, the Devils reworked their blue line in a big way. Former general manager Tom Fitzgerald made a concerted effort to move away from speedy puck movers like Damon Severson and John Marino and move toward hulking stay-at-home defensemen like Johnny Kovacevic and Brenden Dillon. Jonas Siegenthaler belongs in that latter camp too, but his acquisition came long before this shift so I can’t get on Fitzgerald too much for that.
Still, the difference is clear, and it’s cost New Jersey a ton of offense over the years. This wouldn’t be a huge problem if all these defensive defensemen were, you know, good at defending. But the truth is, they haven’t been able to defend anywhere close to good enough. Siegenthaler embarrassed himself on the first goal tonight. Kovacevic was torched on the fourth goal. Dillon was reasonable tonight, and he’s probably been the best of the three, but locker room leadership aside, Dillon just doesn’t provide much value at this point in his career.
In today’s NHL, it’s very hard for a defenseman to provide value as solely a defensive stopper. It’s even harder to do that if you’re a defensive ace in name and reputation only. Whoever the next GM of the Devils is, they need to find a way to jettison the offensive anchors on the blue line. Tonight was example number one billion of why they need to go.
That’s Baseball Hockey, Suzyn
One random thought that occurs to me after tonight’s mess:
The Devils currently have 40 wins. They have four games remaining. As poorly as they played tonight and as disappointing as this season has been, I think there’s a reasonable chance they win two of their last four to get to 42 wins on the season…the exact same amount as the playoff-bound 2024-25 New Jersey Devils.
Last year’s team finished with 91 points and secured third place in the Metropolitan Division. This year’s team can max out at 91 if they run the table, and even if they do, they will still finish way out of the postseason picture. Funny(?) how things work sometimes.
Next Time Out
The Devils are back at it on Thursday when they play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It will be the final division game of the year. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.
Your Take
You know what to do. Leave your comments below. As always, thanks for reading.
The Montreal Canadiens made some significant changes to their forward lines for their matchup against the Florida Panthers.
First, Canadiens rookie Oliver Kapanen has been dropped from the second line to Montreal's fourth-line right wing spot. This is notable, as the 22-year-old forward has been a key part of the Canadiens' top six this season. His 22 goals and 37 points in 77 games this season show that.
However, Kapanen has also been experiencing a cold streak down the stretch. Heading into Montreal's matchup against the Panthers, the 2021 second-round pick had zero points and a minus-3 rating over his last five games.
With Kapanen moving down to Montreal's fourth line, Alexandre Texier has added to the Canadiens' second-line left wing spot, forming a trio with Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov.
Texier had been sidelined with a lower-body injury since March 24 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Yet, now the 26-year-old forward is getting a big chance with the Habs in his return.
In 38 games with the Canadiens since signing with them earlier this campaign, Texier has eight goals and 19 points. This is after he had one assist in eight games with the St. Louis Blues before mutually terminating his contract with the Central Division club.
The Chicago Blackhawks traded away multiple of their former pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this season. Nick Foligno (Minnesota Wild), Connor Murphy (Edmonton Oilers), and Jason Dickinson (Oilers) were all dealt by Chicago ahead of the deadline. With the Blackhawks being out of a playoff spot and still rebuilding, it made sense that they moved on from these veterans.
However, the Blackhawks did not trade pending UFA forward Ilya Mikheyev at the deadline. When noting that the 31-year-old forward has been having another solid season for the Blackhawks, he certainly could have been a nice player for a contender to add to their roster. Yet, the Blackhawks kept him, and now they have a clear move to make with him.
With Mikheyev finishing the season with the Blackhawks, they absolutely should not let him leave for nothing through free agency this summer. He has been such a key piece of the Blackhawks' penalty kill and forward group this campaign. Thus, if they can keep him around on a short-term extension, that would be great news for the Blackhawks.
In 73 games this season with the Blackhawks, Mikheyev has recorded 16 goals, 17 assists, and 33 points. This is after he had 20 goals and a career-high 34 points in 80 games for Chicago this past season. With this, he has been a valuable piece of the Blackhawks' roster, and it would sting to lose him this off-season.
The Colorado Avalanche exacted revenge on the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night at Enterprise Center, securing a 3–1 win that clinched the Central Division title and locked them in as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the playoffs set to begin on April 18, the Avalanche will face the lowest-ranked wild card team in the opening round. If the standings hold, Colorado would square off against the Los Angeles Kings.
Valeri Nichushkin led the way with a two-goal performance in his return from injury, bringing his season totals to 16 and 17. Martin Necas added his 37th of the year as his breakout campaign continues, while Scott Wedgewood turned aside 18 shots and battled through a frightening collision with Philip Broberg in the third period to help secure the win.
However, the Avalanche did not escape completely unscathed as Nazem Kadri suffered an injury in the second period after taking a shot in the left hand/wrist area. It was announced in the third period that he would not return to the game due to an "upper-body injury."
Robert Thomas, who had scored a hat trick against Colorado in their previous meeting and accounted for all three Blues goals on Sunday, netted St. Louis’ lone tally in this one. Joel Hofer, coming off a strong outing in that earlier win, was given another start by head coach Jim Montgomery but took the loss despite making 34 saves.
First Period
Just shy of the six-minute mark, Nazem Kadri and Sam Malinski helped generate sustained pressure on Hofer. Malinski found Kadri with a backdoor feed, but the timing was off by a split second, and the chance slid wide.
On the ensuing sequence, Brock Nelson nearly opened the scoring with a highlight-reel effort, toe-dragging around Colton Parayko before firing a wrist shot through his legs. Hofer, however, tracked the play well and snagged it with the glove.
The breakthrough came late in the frame when Nichushkin redirected a Devon Toews point shot off the post and in, giving Colorado a 1–0 lead with 3:49 remaining.
Necas then doubled the advantage with 28 seconds left, finishing a feed from Nathan MacKinnon in the slot and wiring a shot over Hofer’s glove to make it 2–0.
Toews was assessed a tripping penalty late in the period, but Colorado still carried a 2–0 lead into the intermission while outshooting St. Louis 17–2.
Second Period
Nichushkin struck again just 1:40 into the period, scoring shorthanded with a between-the-legs finish that completely fooled Hofer and extended the lead to 3–0.
Moments later, he broke in alone on a breakaway in search of a hat trick, but Hofer came up with the stop. Still, Colorado dictated play, hemming St. Louis in and maintaining relentless offensive zone pressure while the Blues struggled to find their footing.
The Avalanche continued to tilt the ice as the period wore on, holding a commanding 27–7 edge in shots with six minutes remaining in the frame.
St. Louis eventually responded when Jimmy Snuggerud set up Thomas in the slot. His initial attempt was denied, but he pounced on the rebound and beat Wedgewood to cut the deficit to 3–1.
Colorado went to the power play late in the period after Logan Mailloux was called for tripping Nichushkin on a partial break. No penalty shot was awarded on the play. The man advantage, however, was cut short when Gabriel Landeskog was whistled for tripping Pavel Buchnevich with 10 seconds left in the period.
Third Period
St. Louis, still fighting for playoff positioning, continued to push. Holloway created a quality look after slipping past Toews, but Wedgewood held his ground and made the save.
Midway through the period, a concerning sequence unfolded when Malinski’s trip on Broberg sent the Blues forward crashing into Wedgewood. The goaltender went down awkwardly and remained down for several moments before being tended to by the training staff. After some time to recover, he stayed in the game. Colorado’s penalty kill—best in the league entering the night—rose to the occasion and successfully killed off the ensuing minor.
With just over four minutes remaining, the Blues pulled Hofer for an extra attacker, but neither side could generate a decisive push in the closing stretch.
From there, Colorado managed the game effectively down the final minutes, closing out a 3–1 victory that not only avenged their previous loss to St. Louis but also secured their place atop the Western Conference. The Avalanche now turn their attention to Thursday’s matchup against the Calgary Flames at Ball Arena, where they’ll look to carry this form into the final stretch of the regular season.
The NHL world has been rocked by the two recent coaching changes.
With just eight games remaining to go in the 2025-26 season, the Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella.
With just four games left, the New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy and replaced him with Peter DeBoer.
Mike Sullivan, who went through a change of his own last summer, departing the Pittsburgh Penguins after 10 years with the organization to join the New York Rangers as their new head coach, feels that the parity of the NHL has shifted team’s philosophy in how long to keep a coach for.
“All these circumstances are unique,” Sullivan emphasized. “It would probably be irresponsible for me to even weigh in on it because I'm not familiar with the circumstances. It's a competitive league.
“There's more parity in the league than there's ever been. There's such a fine line between winning and losing, and it's hard to make the playoffs. I think the parody in the league, at the end of the day, is the biggest aspect of it. Those are the pressures that we all deal with. Those of us that are part of this business, that's what we deal with every day. It's what we sign up for.”
Sullivan has been coaching in the NHL for over 20 years, so while these two moves may shock other people, Sullivan remained unfazed by the noise surrounding these coaching changes.
“I'm not gonna say it surprises me. No, it doesn't. Nothing surprises me in today's professional sports,” Sullivan said. “What I try to do and my position is I really don't get overly concerned about that stuff. You just try to focus on what's in front of you and your job, and you try to do it to the best of your ability.”
As the Ottawa Senators get ready to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centrer, the Atlantic Division leaders have run into late-season injury issues.
The Lightning are on a back-to-back after a loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. So fatigue, along with some key injuries and absences, may begin to take its toll in Ottawa.
Tampa will again be with star defenseman Victor Hedman. On Thursday, he was placed on long-term injured reserve following a March 25 announcement that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons.
Forwards Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, who were both named to Canada's Olympic roster in February, are listed as day-to-day and not expected to play on Tuesday night. Both were out of the lineup on Monday night vs Buffalo.
Pontus Holmberg, Hedman's Olympic teammate, is also out after colliding headfirst into an unlatched penalty box door as a Sabres player was about to leave the sin bin.
“I don't know who's working the penalty box over there," head coach Jon Cooper told the media after the game. "But I don't know if they should keep their job after what happened there. Like... leaving the door open.”
The Lightning have responded by calling up Syracuse forwards Conor Geekie, Jakob Pelletier and Dylan Duke to the active roster. They also reassigned Mitchell Chaffee to Syracuse. Geekie and Pelletier are both expected to play in Ottawa.
Another Olympian, Brayden Point, is probably feeling a bit sore after slamming hard into the Buffalo goal post on Monday night. But he finished the game and had a full media session afterward, so there's no reason to think he won't play.
Both Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul, who didn't play against the Senators in Tampa on March 28, are now back in the Tampa lineup, so that offsets things quite a bit. The Lightning won that game over the Senators, 4-2.
The last time the Sens faced a tired team in a back-to-back that was this banged up was exactly one week ago against the Florida Panthers. Not only did the Senators fail to take advantage of their opponent's troubles, but they were also destroyed by the Panthers, falling behind 5-0 in the first period.
So even though the Bolts won't have Hedman, Hagel, Cirelli, or Holmberg (they'll also trot out their backup goalie, Jonas Johansson), the Sens' recent history serves as a reminder that every NHL team, no matter what state they're in, has a chance to be a big problem for them.
NEWARK, N.J. — The Flyers had no problem keeping their foot on the gas Tuesday night in their quest to end a five-year playoff drought.
They took care of the Devils, 5-1, at Prudential Center.
Trevor Zegras stunned New Jersey with two goals in the first 3:38 minutes of the game. Tyson Foerster then added two goals during the second period, giving him three in his four games back from an arm injury that cost him four months.
“We’ve missed him all year,” Owen Tippett said. “He has put in the hard work to get back in time. I think part of that kind of relied on us, too. It’s great to see him back out there smiling and having a good time.”
Nick Seeler buried an empty-netter from long range to close things out.
“These are the games that you want to play with each other and for each other,” Seeler said. “It has been a blast. I think this group has come together since the Olympic break more than ever.”
Zegras finished with a three-point night. Matvei Michkov assisted both of Foerster’s goals. The Flyers improved to 9-0-0 this season when Michkov records a multi-point game.
Just two days after moving into playoff position, the Flyers (40-26-12) didn’t squander the momentum. They built on it, winning their third straight and for the 15th time in the last 21 games (15-5-1).
The Flyers swept the Devils (40-35-3) in their three-game regular-season series, outscoring New Jersey 16-7.
• Rick Tocchet’s club stayed in the driver’s seat Tuesday night.
With four games remaining, the Flyers still hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division.
They remained two points up on the Blue Jackets, who rallied for a 4-3 shootout win Tuesday night over the Red Wings. The Islanders were idle, so the Flyers padded their lead on New York to three points.
The Flyers also extended their lead on the Capitals to five points.
“We believed all year that we could be in this position,” Tippett said. “The job’s not done yet, we’ve got to continue going. We’re having a lot of fun as a group in here.”
The Flyers entered Tuesday with a 57.4 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to Hockey-Reference.com’s probabilities report. That should increase come Wednesday morning.
“It feels like almost for a month now we’ve been playing must-win games,” Zegras said. “We’re definitely getting more comfortable and definitely settling in a little bit, for sure.”
• Dan Vladar continued to play like the Flyers’ backbone.
“Vladdy was outstanding,” Seeler said.
He converted 23 saves on 24 shots. The 28-year-old has given up just three goals over the Flyers’ three-game win streak.
With New Jersey on a second-period power play and trying to get back into the game, Vladar made four saves in the span of 31 seconds. That kept the Flyers ahead 4-1 at second intermission.
“Vladar made an unreal couple of saves on the PK,” Tocchet said. “Who knows if it goes in there, so I’ve got to give him a lot of credit.”
The Devils woke up after their bad start and Vladar had to deny nine shots in the first period. New Jersey scored when a shot ricocheted off Cody Glass in front, but the Flyers still led 2-1.
They restored order in the first five minutes of the second period.
Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom stopped 14 of 18 shots.
Tippett made a nifty stop-and-go move to record a secondary assist on the Flyers’ game-opening goal. Porter Martone assisted the second goal, which came on the power play. It was the 19-year-old’s fourth point in five games since he signed his entry-level deal.
“He’s a moose,” Zegras said. “For a young kid, he plays a very mature game. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with him and he has been a great addition to the power play.”
Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale each had an assist on the night, as well.
• Zegras’ first goal gave him a new career high and the second added to it.
He now has 25 goals and he’s just one point away from passing his career high of 65 set with the Ducks in 2022-23.
“He wants to make the playoffs, he hasn’t played a playoff game,” Tocchet said. “I think he wants to prove a lot of people wrong. He has played with a chip on his shoulder this year and I love that he has played with a chip on his shoulder. He pushes the pace and he’s a real good locker room guy.”
• The Flyers had a rookie on three of their four lines.
Martone was on the second line, Alex Bump on the third and Denver Barkey on the fourth.
“Love seeing the young guys in these spots, how they’re dealing with it,” Tocchet said before the game. “They’re having fun, that’s the whole part of it. Don’t be scared of it; go attack it.”
• The Flyers are back in action Thursday when they visit the Red Wings (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
Teddy Blueger wandered back to the Vancouver Canucks’ locker room around an hour after practice concluded on Monday afternoon. The rest of the stalls around his were draped with used gear.
The forward stayed out late to get some faceoff work under his belt, among other things, despite winning 70% of his draws in the previous game and averaging a win rate of 54.69% through the past five. It’s something that speaks to the forward’s desire to improve — something that mirrors his desire to remain in Vancouver, regardless of the position the team currently occupies in the NHL’s standings.
Ahead of the 2025–26 NHL Trade Deadline, Blueger spoke to Sportsnet on how he’d “love to stay” in Vancouver if things work out that way. When the deadline passed, Blueger remained a Canuck. This doesn’t mean things are completely settled when it comes to his future. Decisions will need to be made once the off-season hits, as Blueger’s contract will expire if not renewed by the Canucks by July 1.
If you look at all of the noise surrounding the Canucks — past locker room intrigue, 32nd place, and many other things — it’s likely players approaching in free agency may be tempted to turn and run the other way. But if you ask Blueger about his thoughts on staying, you’ll hear the exact opposite.
“[Staying] for however long I want, that’d be nice,” he joked during an interview with The Hockey News after practice on Monday. “Obviously, it’d mean a lot. I think we’ve been through a lot [...] and to continue to be part of this journey, and get an opportunity to have this down period, and to have an opportunity to see it through and come out on the other side, on top, and be able to compete for something and be a part of a playoff run here again, would be very, very special.”
There’s an irony to Blueger’s words on this particular topic, given the fact that when he said this, only a room or two away was the team that he once won the Stanley Cup with — the Vegas Golden Knights — back in 2022–23. Blueger has found success in this league before, with a team much, much stronger than the Canucks. But when reflecting on why he would want to stay with Vancouver long-term, it’s the thought of blue and white orca flags waving through the city or a packed building with white towels waving that first comes to mind.
“That playoff run we had a couple years ago, it was an incredible time. I think throughout the city, you just felt the energy and felt the people behind you. That’s something I think you don’t get everywhere. To be able to get to experience that again would be something special. Obviously, when you look at a group like this, you just see so much potential and so many good things that could happen here. Nothing’s guaranteed, and there’s a lot of work that needs to be put in. It’s not going to be a steady increase, like a steady climb. There’s going to be ups and downs still, but along the way. To have the opportunity to be a part of success here would be really special.”
Jan 23, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger (53) and forward Drew O'Connor (18) celebrate Blueger’s goal against the New Jersey Devils in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
In some ways, gutting it out through a tough period to emerge successful makes victory taste even sweeter. The best possible example comes just down the highway where, a little less than a year ago, a gutsy Abbotsford Canucks team battled their way to the 2025 Calder Cup. If you want to win, you have to work for it, and that’s something Blueger acknowledges will be the case as the team settles into rebuild-mode.
“I think it takes some time for the group to kind of mold a new identity, a new kind of dynamic in the locker room. And I think there’s some leadership holes that have kind of gotten filled. [Filip Hronek], Marcus [Pettersson], and Brock [Boeser] have done a great job of that, and kind of trying to get everyone on the same page. I think there’s kind of a period of time where we have to develop some camaraderie, develop some unity, get to know each other better, a lot of new faces, a lot of change. So I think it’s taking time, but I think it’s gotten better. I think guys are getting along really well. We’re in that transition period of trying to build on something here.”
The Canucks have undergone so much change through the past couple of seasons that it becomes slightly shocking to realize that Blueger has only been with the team for three years now. Boeser (225), Hronek (218), Elias Pettersson (214), and Nils Höglander (184) are the only active Canucks to have played in more games than Blueger through the past three seasons. Having said that, these past three years, Blueger says, haven’t come without their lessons.
“I think especially this year, the past couple months since, guys like Myesy and Gar have gotten traded. I think it’s a lot. You really take a different perspective on the team, like all of a sudden, you look around and I’m the second oldest on the team, and I think you take into account team dynamics more. Just making sure we’re all on the same page, making sure everyone feels a part of it, and addressing the things that we feel like we need to improve as a group, some details, accountability, things like that, and trying to build on a certain set of values by which we all abide by. So I think you take a wider angle view, I guess, of not just taking care of yourself, but I think you have to involve everyone in team activities, make sure guys are being heard when something’s going on, and trying to mesh everyone together a little bit.”
For a player who, depending on how things go in the coming months, may not even be with the team by the time they finally find the success that so many hope for them to, Blueger certainly speaks with the commitment level of a long-tenured leader. He may not wear a letter on his chest, but as evidenced in his appearance on the leadership panel during Evander Kane’s 1000th NHL game celebration, the team clearly thinks of him as a leader. As the forward says, nothing is guaranteed — and that includes his role with the team moving ahead.
But maybe some things should be.
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