The shot by Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser goes past Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, left in the third period. (Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
The Ducks held their annual fan appreciation day Sunday, handing out thousands of gifts, from a new car to team jerseys and gift cards. But the one prize the Ducks’ long-suffering fans really wanted, a playoff berth, remained just out of reach.
Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2018, the Ducks lost a sloppy 4-3 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL’s worst team, leaving them a point shy of the playoffs with two games to play. The loss was the seventh in eight games for the Ducks, who have tumbled from first to third in the Pacific Division standings and may now have to settle for a wild-card berth.
So they’ll hit the road Monday for their final two games of the regular season needing one point from games in Minnesota and Nashville. The Ducks could also back into the playoffs if Nashville losses either of its final two games.
“We haven't clinched anything yet,” captain Radko Gudas said. “With two games to play, there's still a lot of work to do, 120 minutes to give it our all and make that push.”
“We just can't be satisfied with what we're at right now,” coach Joel Quenneville agreed. “We didn't make it easy on ourselves, that's for sure.”
The Ducks have already assured themselves of their first winning record since 2017-18 but the playoffs have been the Holy Grail the team has been chasing since then. And it appeared within reach until Marco Rossi scored on a power play with less than 11 seconds left in the extra period, silencing a sellout crowd that had repeatedly peppered the Ducks with rhythmic chants of “We want playoffs!”
“I loved it,” Quenneville said of the chant. “I wanted to complete that wish tonight.”
And it looked as if that would happen given the way the Ducks started, with Cutter Gauthier opening the scoring with the first of two goals 3:41 into a feisty and physical first period that was interrupted by seven penalties and two fights.
But Vancouver got the next three scores, taking a 3-1 lead when Brock Boeser intercepted a sloppy Leo Carlsson pass intended for John Carlson in Vancouver’s defensive end, then outskated Carlson the other way before lifting the puck over goaltender Lukas Dostal less than five minutes into the final period.
The shorthanded goal seemed to wake the slumbering Ducks, with Gauthier scoring on a power play 37 seconds later to halve the lead and become the first Duck with 40 goals in a season since Corey Perry in 2013-14.
“It's a huge milestone and something I'm very proud of,” Gauthier said. “But that's not why I'm playing hockey. I’m playing to win games and eventually win a Stanley Cup.”
Carlsson then evened things at 3-3 on a spectacular goal less than two minutes later, backhanding the puck over Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo while skating away from the crease for his 29th goal of the season.
“It was kind of a dagger when they score a shorthanded goal on us,” Gauthier said. “It's supposed to be the opposite way. But I thought we responded really well, obviously tying it back up.”
The Ducks couldn’t keep it there, however, with Chris Kreider taking a slashing penalty with 2:07 left in overtime, giving Vancouver an extra skater. Dostal had kept the Ducks in the game, making seven saves in the extra period, including five huge stops on the power play, but he couldn’t stop Rossi on the final shot, one which sent the Ducks’ fans home disappointed and eager to end to the second-longest playoff drought in the NHL.
“They've been hungry to get back in the playoffs over these last seven years,” said Gauthier, who was in junior high school in Michigan the last time the Ducks played in the postseason. “They're excited for it, we're excited for it. We fell short tonight but we had a great opportunity to go on this road trip and get some get points.”
Actually just one point — the one they left on the ice Sunday — will be enough.
Yes, it's quite difficult to believe that the rivalry between captain Sidney Crosby and captain Alex Ovechkin has been going strong for 21 years.
And what’s even harder to believe is that it may soon be coming to an end.
When the
Pittsburgh Penguins' and
Washington Capitals' legends met for the first time in 2005, smart phones were not yet invented. Penguins' rookie Ben Kindel was not even born yet. And "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey, "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani, and "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson were dominating the airwaves.
1,700 points and 900 goals later, the rivalry is still going strong, even if it's different. In celebration of their 75th regular season matchup and 100th overall game against one another - and, potentially, their last - here are 21 stats and factoids for the 21 years of the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry, with stats provided by Hockey Reference, Quant Hockey, and StatMuse:
1. On Nov. 22, 2005, Crosby and Ovechkin faced off for the very first time, and Crosby got the better of the night individually with a goal and two points, while Ovechkin registered an assist. Crosby's team also got the win, as he teamed up with Zigmund Palffy on both goals en route to a 5-4 victory.
2. Feb. 3, 2007 - in both players' sophomore seasons and in their sixth matchup against one another - was the first game in which Crosby and Ovechkin were both held pointless in a 2-0 Pittsburgh win.
3. A year after Crosby won his first Hart Trophy as league MVP, Ovechkin won his first in 2007-08 with a standout 65-goal, 112-point campaign. It was the first and only time Ovechkin has hit the 60-goal mark in his career.
4. In a seven-game series that featured matching hat tricks by Crosby and Ovechkin in Round Two, Game Two of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the two squared off in the playoffs for the very first time. Ovechkin had the slight edge in points with eight goals and 14 points to Crosby's nine goals and 13 points - but Crosby got the last laugh, as the Penguins won the series and went on to win the franchise's third Stanley Cup - and Crosby's first.
5. It took until Ovechkin's fifth NHL season to outscore Crosby in head-to-head matchups during a season, when Ovechkin registered 10 points to Crosby's seven in four games played. And they finished with a near-identical stat line in 2009-10, as Crosby had 51 goals and 109 points and Ovechkin finished with 50 goals and 109 points - even if it took Ovechkin nine less games to do it.
6. Despite Crosby playing in only 41 games that season due to a concussion suffered against the Caps during the WInter Classic, he finished 2010-11 with 32 goals - the same number as Ovechkin in 79 games. Ovechkin finished with a career-low 8.7 shooting percentage that season.
With Sid and Ovi heading into their 100th all-time meeting, here's how the two stack up against each other! 👀
7. The two only squared off once in 2011-12, which was on Dec. 1, 2011 - a 2-1 victory for the Penguins. Neither player recorded a point in the affair.
8. Crosby again got bit by the injury bug during the 2012-13 season with a broken jaw and missed the season's final 12 games, ending his campaign with 56 points and leading the scoring race until the final day of the season. Ovechkin went on to win his third Hart Trophy with 32 goals and 56 points - again tying Crosby in points; except, this time, Crosby was the one who played 12 less games.
9. Crosby dominated the head-to-head in 2013-14, registering three goals and seven points to Ovechkin's one goal in four matchups. Crosby secured his second Hart that season.
10. 2014-15 was a weird season for the NHL, as its leading scorer - Jamie Benn - finished the full 82-game season with 87 points. Crosby and Ovechkin both felt the effects, as they finished with 85 and 81 points, respectively.
11. In 2016, the Penguins and Capitals met for the first time in the playoffs since 2009. Ovechkin got the better of Crosby in that entire series with two goals and seven points, while Crosby had just two assists in six games - but the Penguins, again, went all the way that season.
12. Aside from the Penguins beating the Capitals en route to a second-consecutive Cup, there was a crazy, back-and-forth, track meet-type game on Jan. 16, 2017, when the Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Crosby amassed four points and was a plus-3, while Ovechkin had two assists and was a minus-4. Ovechkin also recorded his 1,000th NHL point against the Penguins on Jan. 11 that season.
13. 2018 was finally the Caps' year against the Pens in the playoffs - and it's the last time the two teams have faced off in the playoffs. Crosby and Ovechkin had a pretty even series stats-wise (3G-8A for Crosby, 3G-7A for Ovi), but Crosby was on the ice to witness Evgeny Kuznetsov's series-clinching OT goal in Game 6 - with the assist from Ovechkin - that sent the Caps to the Eastern Conference Final and, eventually, to Ovechkin's first and only Cup.
14. Ovechkin finished the 2018-19 season with 51 goals, capturing his eighth Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer. Crosby finished the season with 35 goals and 100 points - the last time Crosby hit the 100-point plateau.
15. In the first of two COVID-19-shortened seasons in 2019-20, Ovechkin was held pointless - while Crosby had two goals and four points in three games - in three matchups between the teams that all took place shortly before the league shutdown.
16. Although it was another COVID-19-shortened season for the NHL, and divisions were all out of whack. Not only did Crosby and Ovechkin finish with the same number of goals at 24 (Crosby finished with 20 more points at 62), the Penguins and Capitals also tied points-wise (77) at the top of MassMutual East Division - and they also finished with the same number of regulation wins (29). So, the Penguins won the second tiebreaker - regulation plus overtime wins - as they had 34 to the Caps’ 33.
17. During the 2021-22 season, there was only one goal scored between the two of them in their four head-to-head matchups that season, which was an Ovechkin goal in a 6-3 Capitals’ win on Apr. 9. Ovechkin was a plus-2 in those matchups, while Crosby was a minus-5.
18. The 2022-23 season marked the first time both the Penguins and the Capitals had missed the playoffs since the 2005-06 season, when they were the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference. 11 points separated the two teams in 2022-23, and the Penguins missed the postseason by one point.
19. Ovechkin finished the 2023-24 season with 272 shots on goal, while Crosby finished with 278. It’s the only season across both players’ careers where Crosby finished with more shots on goal than Ovechkin, with Ovechkin playing in only three less games.
20. The 2024-25 season was an historic one, as both players broke major records set by The Great One. Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s longstanding goal record of 894, while Crosby broke Gretzky’s point-per-game seasons record of 20.
21. Ovechkin and Crosby faced each other twice, with Crosby recording two goals and Ovechkin a goal and three points. They will end the season as the second-oldest (40) and seventh-oldest (38) players in the NHL, respectively, with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns being the oldest (41). Burns is the only remaining NHL player to have played in the pre-lockout NHL (2003-04), before Ovechkin and Crosby were drafted.
On Sunday, the Chicago Blackhawks were idle. Their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, however, was not. Rockford was at the Allstate Arena to take on the Chicago Wolves for Sunday night hockey.
Rockford was defeated in regulation by a score of 4-2, but the story of the game was their newest goaltender, Adam Gajan.
Gajan was a second-round pick, 35th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft. He has had a very interesting year, which included his first pro contract a couple of weeks ago.
This was the first pro game for Gajan, making his AHL debut with Rockford. Although his team lost, he gave them a chance to win by making 36 saves on 39 shots.
Gajan looked quite sharp this afternoon, stopping 36 Wolves shots. He more than gave the IceHogs a chance to earn points🎥 pic.twitter.com/VubfDd1TZF
The IceHogs are the third team that Gajan has played for this season. He was one of the NCAA's top goaltenders with the University of Minnesota Duluth, and he was also a part of Team Slovakia at the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. He didn't see any game action there, but it was a great learning experience in the early stages of his development.
With Gajan making this start, he became the 7th goalie to play for Rockford this season, which sets a team record. Even for an AHL team, where there is a lot of movement between the NHL and ECHL, that's a lot of goalies.
Next season, the Blackhawks are projected to have Spencer Knight, Arvid Soderblom, Drew Commesso, and Adam Gajan in the mix for different roles. For a kid like Gajan still developing, this was a great start to begin his ascention within the organization that drafted him.
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored his second goal of the game on the power play with 1:45 left in overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night.
The Devils trailed 3-2 after two periods, but Dawson Mercer scored a short-handed goal with 7:32 left in the third period to tie it at 3-3, setting the stage for Hischier's winner.
Connor Brown also had a short-handed goal for the Devils and Nico Daws made 27 saves.
Michael Amadio, Shane Pinto on the power play, and Fabian Zetterlund all scored in a roughly seven-minute span of the second period for the Senators, who had their four game win streak snapped.
Drake Batherson had an assist on Pinto's goal to move into 10th place on the franchise's career scoring list with 363 points. Marian Hossa is ninth with 390. Daniel Alfredsson is first with 1,108 career points with the team.
James Reimer made 26 saves for the Senators.
Hischier gave the Devils a 1-0 lead 5:12 into the game and also had an assist on Mercer's goal. Jack Hughes had two assists for the Devils including one on Hischier's winner.
Up next
Senators: Host Toronto on Wednesday night to end the regular season.
Devils: Play at Boston on Tuesday night to end the regular season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist to pass the 100-point mark for the season and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Islanders 4-1 on Sunday, eliminating New York from playoff contention.
Ivan Demidov, Alex Newhook and Zachary Bolduc also scored for Montreal, which continues its push for home-ice advantage in the opening round and a potential Atlantic Division title. Jacob Fowler made 30 saves, and defenseman Lane Hutson added three assists.
Casey Cizikas scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin stopped 18 shots but the Islanders lost for the sixth time in their last seven games to fall out of postseason contention.
Montreal broke the game open late in the second period, scoring three goals in a 55-second span.
Suzuki opened the scoring with his 29th goal of the season, reaching the 100-point mark for the first time in his career.
Demidov made it 2-0 just 28 seconds later, finishing a one-timer off Suzuki’s feed on the power play. It was Suzuki’s 72nd assist.
Newhook capped the surge at 16:51 of the second with a wrist shot on a two-on-one rush.
Cizikas redirected a shot from Scott Mayfield to spoil Fowler’s shutout bid midway through the third period.
Up next
Canadiens: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night in their regular-season finale.
Islanders: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night to conclude the regular season.
Four weeks ago, it seemed impossible that this feel-good Islanders season would end so soon.
The Islanders had been in a playoff spot since early December. They were buyers at the trade deadline. They were not quite a Cup contender, but with Matthew Schaefer driving the bus, the season’s vibe was impeccable.
Getting eliminated from playoff contention before the last game of the season even took place? Unfathomable, until it became all but inevitable Saturday night. Impossible to digest until it became official, leaving no choice, on Sunday.
The Islanders’ 4-1 loss to Montreal formalized what has been an astonishing, gutting and indicting collapse over the past 25 days. Since losing to Ottawa and falling out of a spot March 19, the Islanders are 4-9-0 in their past 13 games, a .307 points percentage that would rank 32nd in the league by a wide margin over the season.
“You can take a guess how I feel right now,” Casey Cizikas said inside an utterly devastated dressing room. “Frustrated, disappointed. It sucks.”
With the New York Islanders losing 3-0 in the third period to the Montréal Canadiens Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders rests during a timeout at UBS Arena. Getty Images
Since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982, this is the first time that all three tristate area teams have failed to make the playoffs in a season.
Had they merely been passably bad as opposed to awful, the Islanders would almost certainly have at least made the playoffs. Had they been average, the Islanders might have home ice in the first round.
Instead, in game after game, the Islanders fell flat. Two nights after that loss in Ottawa, the Islanders fell to pieces in the third period in Montreal. They came out as if it were a preseason game against the Blackhawks, got blown out 8-3 to the Penguins and — in the final blow for coach Patrick Roy — could not muster any desperation or energy whatsoever in must-win games against the Flyers and Hurricanes last weekend.
Casey Cizikas #53 of the New York Islanders celebrates his third period goal against the Montréal Canadiens at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York. Getty Images
Then, with Pete DeBoer behind the bench and the Islanders knowing they needed to run the table just to have a shot, an 0-for-5 power play and 3-0 loss to Ottawa on Saturday put their playoff chances into Lloyd Christmas territory.
Reverse just one or two of those results, and the Islanders might be looking forward to the postseason now. Instead, they could barely contain their emotions and shock Sunday night, still in disbelief that a season that had been so promising had ended so terribly.
“It’s just like, a bit of a gut punch,” Ryan Pulock said. “I think the first 65, 70 games, how we were so resilient and how much fun it was coming to the rink every day, trying to get back in the playoffs. I think at the start of the year, no one had us anywhere close. Just the finish we had and where we’re at now.
“This league’s tough. It’s tough. Every team is good. It’s such a fine line. You go and compete every night and then when this happens, it sucks.”
Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates his goal and 100th point of the season at 15:46 of the second period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York. Getty Images
The details of Sunday’s match are, largely, immaterial. The Islanders fell apart during a 55-second span in the second period over which they gave up three goals, with Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook doing the scoring. Offensively, they failed to threaten through two periods and failed to build Casey Cizikas’ third-period goal into anything more than a brief spurt of momentum. Zach Bolduc added a fourth for Montreal. The Islanders were left to sit with it.
“There’s not a lot of words, without swearing, [for] how I feel right now and how the group feels,” captain Anders Lee said. “We came up short after putting everything we had towards getting in this year.”
Tuesday’s now-meaningless bout against Carolina might be Lee’s last as an Islander. He is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and after the way this season ended, it seems a distinct possibility that general manager Mathieu Darche will look for serious changes in the roster’s composition.
Exactly what, and how much, changes are the questions facing Darche now.
After two straight seasons without playoff hockey, it’s pivotal to find the right answer.
ELMONT, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates his goal and 100th point of the season at 15:46 of the second period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 12, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just over a month ago, the New York Islanders were comfortably in a playoff spot. Even after a rough road trip out to California, a concerning stretch for sure, it still didn’t seem like the season was in any real peril. And then…
Everyone else in the Metro started surging while the Islanders floundered, going 7-10 to this point, including losing 6 of their last 7 games. The scoring went cold, while the defense fell apart and Ilya Sorokin started to look mortal, his Vezina bid likely slipping away in the process.
And all of that led to Patrick Roy’s dismissal. Mathieu Darche brought in Peter DeBoer with eyes towards next season. If everything worked out, he’d right the ship, go 4-0 in these games, and the Isles would earn a playoff bid in Matthew Schaefer’s first season.
That didn’t happen, though, and now Darche, DeBoer, and the Islanders will have a long offseason to start to set this team up for long-term success. That will probably be without some long time Islanders, but with an aging core and young talent along the way (Bridgeport made the AHL playoffs!), it’s time to make some difficult decisions.
Anthony Duclair came into the lineup for Ondrej Palat, and hopefully that was a hint that Palat won’t be part of this team going forward.
The Islanders went to an early power play after Josh Anderson was called for high sticking Carson Soucy, but unsurprisingly, they couldn’t convert on the power play. Jacob Fowler made a good save on Kyle MacLean after the power play expired.
Mat Barzal put a shot off Fowler’s mask, which was the other big chance for the Islanders that period.
Then, Emil Heineman was called for tripping Ivan Demidov, and on that power play, Juraj Slafkovsky whiffed in front of an empty net, and Ilya Sorokin made a big save on Nick Suzuki, the sharpest he’s looked in a few games now.
Second Period
Anthony Duclair shot the puck high over the net while pressured in front.
Scott Mayfield was boarded by Arber Xhekaj, with no call for that. Brayden Schenn came in on Xhekaj, and both of them got roughing penalties. Neither team converted on the 4 on 4, but Mayfield left the game after that hit.
He did return a few minutes later.
Anderson got a breakaway but missed high.
Nick Suzuki then scored to make it 1-0 for the Canadiens. On that play, Matthew Schaefer took a four minute double minor for high sticking, so the Canadiens also picked up a two-minute power play after that as well. And on that power play, Demidov made it 2-0.
And then Alex Newhook made it 3-0 less than 30 seconds later.
Xhekaj was called for roughing, sending the Islanders to the power play, which would continue on into the third period.
Third Period
The Canadiens killed that power play despite one good look from the Islanders.
With 11 minutes left, Casey Cizikas tipped a Mayfield shot past Fowler to make it 3-1.
That gave the Islanders some life, but they couldn’t get anything past Fowler before pulling Sorokin for the extra skater. They couldn’t convert with the net empty, and then Zack Bolduc scored late with Sorokin back in to make it 4-1.
Up Next
Next, the New York Islanders will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, April 14, the last game of the season and Fan Appreciation Night. All eyes will be on whether Matthew Schaefer will break Brian Leetch’s rookie scoring record.
Vancouver Canucks forward Curtis Douglas has scored his first ever NHL goal, tying the game up by a score of 1–1 against the Anaheim Ducks. This is the forward’s third career NHL point, as he has also put up two assists through 41 games during the 2025–26 season.
This is Douglas’ first NHL season, with the forward having made his NHL debut on October 9 against the Ottawa Senators. He scored his first career NHL point on November 12 against the New York Rangers and followed that up with an assist against the Florida Panthers the game after. His goal tonight is his first point as a member of the Canucks.
Douglas was the Canucks’ lone acquisition on NHL Trade Deadline day. Including tonight, the forward has played in 12 games with the Canucks as well as 29 with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier on in the season.
Douglas' first career NHL goal also marked a career milestone for another Canuck. Defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev, who was called-up by Vancouver yesterday, tallied his first NHL point with an assist on the 1-1 goal.
After tonight, Vancouver will play in their final home game of the season against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm PT.
Mar 30, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Curtis Douglas (42) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders have been eliminated from playoff contention following their 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
After a scoreless first period, the Islanders allowed three goals in 55 seconds to go down 3-0, the last of the three coming at 16:51 of the middle frame.
Casey Cizikas did score at 8:45 of the second period after he deflected a Scott Mayfield point shot to stop the Islanders from being shut out for a second straight night after falling 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon.
Zachary Bolduc scored with 13.2 seconds to play for the 4-1 final.
With the loss, the Islanders have now missed the playoffs for a second straight season.
The last time that happened was in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the last two seasons of the Garth Snow-Doug Weight Era.
The Islanders, who conclude their season on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, are 1-2-0 through their first three games under new head coach Pete DeBoer.
It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the Vegas Golden Knights.
They acquired Mitch Marner in the offseason. They entered the Olympic Break leading the Pacific Division. Then, just 52 days later, they fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella. But despite all the chaos, they officially punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night.
There is still much to be determined. Per hockeystats.com, the Golden Knights still have five potential round one opponents with less than a week remaining in the regular season. However, a frontrunner is finally emerging from the rest of the pack.
Let’s take a look at the Golden Knights’ five potential playoff opponents and run the numbers.
The Golden Knights' Potential Round 1 Opponents, per hockey stats.com
Utah Mammoth
Matchup Probability: 64%
Regular Season Record: 1-2
Scoring Edge: 10-5, Mammoth
In their second year as a Salt Lake City-based franchise, the Mammoth clinched a playoff berth. The Pacific Division isn’t settled yet, but the Mammoth are locked into WC1 and set to play the winner. They’re a fast, versatile team with high offensive upside and a new mammoth-themed fanboni titled the ‘Zammoth.’
While the Golden Knights are certainly the more experienced of the two teams, the Mammoth are young and hungry with something to prove. They’ve also gotten hot at the right time with a five-game winning streak, where they outscored their opponents 30-18 and boasted a power play with a 39.1% success rate.
Anaheim Ducks
Matchup Probability: 17%
Regular Season Record: 0-1-2
Scoring Edge: 12-9, Ducks
Right now, the Ducks look increasingly vulnerable. They’re fresh off a six-game losing streak and are 1-5-1 in their last seven games. During that six-game losing streak, they were outscored 29-15. The Ducks have a very young core, which is something a team of seasoned veterans could take advantage of.
On the other hand, Anaheim also has Joel Quenneville behind the bench. Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history, with three Stanley Cups to his name. And he’s certainly had success with young teams before.
Edmonton Oilers
Matchup Probability: 11%
Regular Season Record: 1-2-1
Scoring Edge: 13-13
On paper, the Oilers look like the easiest of the three most likely playoff matchups. Their depth scoring is streaky, and their penalty kill is below average. And after downgrading in net, their goaltending might be even worse than it has been in recent years.
But at the end of the day, Connor McDavid is Connor McDavid. And injured or not, Leon Draisaitl is still a top-five skater in the league. There’s also the fact that the Oilers would have home ice advantage. They have the edge in every single tiebreaker procedure.
Los Angeles Kings
Matchup Probability: 8%
Regular Season Record: 3-0-1
Scoring Edge: 18-13, Golden Knights
The Kings are a bit of a conundrum. Their -21 goal differential is the worst among all playoff hopefuls, and they set the NHL record this season for the most overtime appearances with 32. They have just 21 regulation wins; if not for their 19 overtime losses, they would likely be dead in the water.
But these Kings refuse to die. They’ve won four in a row and are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. The Golden Knights have had the Kings’ number this season, and would have an edge in a potential series. However, a team playing with house money is a dangerous team indeed. And if you couple that with this being Golden Knights-killer Anže Kopitar’s last season, well…
Colorado Avalanche
Matchup Probability: 1%
Regular Season Record: 1-1-1
Scoring Edge: 12-10, Avalanche
The Avalanche are the least likely playoff opponents for the Golden Knights, and that’s probably how they like it. Presidents’ Trophy curse or not, the Avalanche are the best team in the NHL this season. They lead the league in goals scored and fewest goals allowed, and boast the #1-ranked penalty kill.
The Golden Knights won their final meeting against the Avalanche, but Colorado was without Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar. Simply put, this is a matchup that the Golden Knights should hope to avoid.
There's a chance that Sunday was Alex Ovechkin's final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He recorded an assist in the Washington Capitals' 3-0 win, keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.
Ovechkin's rivalry with Sidney Crosby has been one of the best in NHL history, producing unforgettable moments. They've now played against one another 100 times and have played four crazy playoff series over the years.
The Penguins won the first three before the Capitals won the last one in 2018. Whoever won each series went on to win the Stanley Cup.
With all of that in mind, let's take a look at Ovechkin's top-five goals against the Penguins throughout his career.
The Dueling Hat Trick Goal
Let's go back to May. 4, 2009. It was Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Penguins and Capitals, with the Capitals taking Game 1, 3-2.
The two teams played an instant classic, with both Crosby and Ovechkin recording dueling hat tricks. Ovechkin's third goal was credited as the game-winner, making it a 4-2 game with 4:38 left in the third period. He blew the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury, giving the Capitals a big insurance goal.
Yes, the Penguins went on to win the series in seven games before winning the Stanley Cup, but this was still an unbelievable goal.
Game 3 winner in 2018
2018 was the third consecutive year that the Penguins and Capitals met in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Penguins won the two previous matchups in 2016 and 2017 and were the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions going into this series.
The two teams split the first two games in D.C. before the series shifted to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4. It looked like Game 3 was headed to overtime before Ovechkin scored the game-winner with 1:07 left in the third period. The goal stunned the Pittsburgh crowd.
This gave the Capitals a 2-1 series lead, and for the first time, some belief that they could actually beat the Penguins in a series. They'd end up winning the series in six games, thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov's overtime winner.
Ovechkin Hat Trick in 2010
Back on Feb. 7, 2010, the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, but there was a big hockey game that preceded that contest.
The Penguins played the Capitals in D.C. and raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second period before Ovechkin tied the game with a hat trick in the third period. Nicklas Backstrom won a draw before the puck got to Ovechkin's blade, and he made no mistake with it.
The Capitals would go on to win 5-4 in overtime, thanks to Mike Knuble.
Ovechkin's 1,000th point
As fate would have it, Ovechkin's 1,000th point came against the Penguins on Jan. 11, 2017. The Penguins were in D.C. for the game, and Ovechkin reached the milestone with a nasty goal.
He had a nifty toe-drag in the offensive zone before burying the puck past Fleury. He was mobbed by some of his teammates before being honored by the team.
Ovechkin's 1,001st point
I know that this goal came in the same game as Ovechkin's 1,000th point, but it was also a great goal.
After opening the scoring in the first period, the Caps took a 1-0 lead into the second period before they got a power play with a little less than 12:30 remaining in the period.
The Caps won the draw before John Carlson fed Ovechkin a one-timer from his signature spot. Fleury had no chance on the shot.
The Capitals won the game by three, 5-2.
Time will tell if Ovechkin returns for the 2026-27 season. He's expected to make a decision this summer.
WASHINGTON — Logan Thompson stopped 24 shots, and the Washington Capitals kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 Sunday in perhaps the final home of Alex Ovechkin’s brilliant career.
To reach the postseason, the Capitals must defeat Columbus in the season finale Tuesday night, and hope Philadelphia fails to win either of its last two games.
The 40-year-old Ovechkin intends to wait until the offseason to decide whether to retire or return for a 22nd season. The all-time NHL leader in goals with 929, Ovechkin has played in every game this season and leads the Capitals in goals (32) and points (63).
The spirited, sellout crowd saluted Ovechkin during the game with chants of “One more year!” and “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!”
Ovechkin helped seal the victory by picking up an assist on an empty-net goal by Connor McMichael, who scored earlier in the third period.
Pittsburgh last week clinched a postseason berth and home-ice advantage in the opening round. But the rivalry between these teams runs deep, and the Penguins tried hard to throw a wet blanket on the Capitals’ playoff hopes and Ovechkin’s big day.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was back on the ice after he and several teammates received a day off Saturday when Washington won in Pittsburgh 6-3. This was the 100th — and perhaps final — matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby, two of the game’s biggest names.
To mark the occasion, the two stars lined up at center ice for the opening faceoff. It was only the 175th career faceoff for Ovechkin, counting playoffs, compared to No. 32,131 for Crosby.
The game was scoreless until Trevor van Riemsdyk jammed the puck under Pittsburgh goalie Stuart Skinner’s right leg at 12:22 of the second period.
That was enough offense for Thompson, who notched his fourth shutout of the season.
Up next
Penguins: Close the regular season at St. Louis on Tuesday night.
The Stanley Cup will have a new home this year after the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers had their season derailed by injuries.
They’re not the only perennial contender to miss the playoffs, either, with the Buffalo Sabres among the roughly half dozen newcomers in the 16-team field. The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the dance, too.
The Colorado Avalanche have been dominant since October and go in as the favorite after clinching the best regular-season record in the NHL. That has rarely been an indicator of who hoists the Cup at the end of four rounds, and it’s anyone’s guess who comes out of the Eastern Conference, as well as the West.
“Every team in the playoffs can win,” Dallas Stars defenseman Tyler Myers said. “Every series is a tough series. That’s what’s so amazing about the NHL playoffs: It brings out the best in everybody, in every team, and it creates an unbelievable battle no matter who’s playing.”
New blood in the NHL playoffs
Buffalo ended the longest postseason drought in league history at 14 seasons and did so after losing 18 of its first 29 games.
“It’s something that we strived for from Day One,” said Lindy Ruff, who is among the favorites to be coach of the year. “You’ve got to feel good about getting there. It’s hard. We’re in a division that’s been extremely hard to get there. You’ve got to look back and say that we did a lot of good things to get to this point.”
The Sabres also look as if they can do some damage in the wide-open East without Florida. They’ve been the best team since the Olympic break.
Also hot down the stretch was Pittsburgh, which qualified for the first time since 2022 in new coach Dan Muse’s first season. The Penguins were 6-1 long shots on BetMGM Sportsbook in October to make it, but now the trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang gets another chance.
“A lot of people doubted us and I guess counted us out, and it just put fuel on the fire for us,” said defenseman Ryan Shea, who’s set to make his NHL playoff debut at 29. “I’ve been in the playoffs in the AHL, which was fun, but this is the best league in the world.”
The Utah Mammoth made it in the franchise’s second season in Salt Lake City. The Anaheim Ducks are also back with a young core coached by three-time Cup-champion Joel Quenneville.
The Central Division path is the toughest
Colorado is justifiably the best bet to win it all. Nathan MacKinnon could be the MVP, Cale Makar the top defenseman, and the reacquisition of Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline gives the Avalanche the depth to envision another parade in Denver this summer, four years since the previous one.
To do so, they’ll have to go through either Dallas or the Minnesota Wild in the second round just to reach the West final.
“Confident for sure: Believe in this group. I know we have what it takes,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “It’s going to be a long, tough road and mentally, physically grinding. I think we’re ready for it.”
Stars versus Wild opens the playoffs with a bang, pitting two of the top seven teams in the league in a best-of-seven series that ensures one of them will be golfing by mid-May. It’s the result of a division-focused format that Commissioner Gary Bettman has said leads to the best first round in sports.
“That makes for great matchups,” Bettman said. “If you’re a fan of the game and you’re looking for excitement, you’re looking to be entertained, you’re looking for intriguing stories, this format does it.”
From going for gold to chasing the silver chalice
Several players who won gold with the U.S. at the Olympics have the chance to add a Stanley Cup ring to their trophy case for the year.
Colorado’s Brock Nelson scored 30 goals after being a difference-maker in Milan. Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel, Minnesota’s Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson are all in the running, as are two goaltenders: Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and Dallas’ Jake Oettinger.
The same goes for some Canadian stars who see their silver medals as a symbol of losing and get an opportunity to make up for it. That includes Edmonton’s Connor McDavid following two consecutive losses in the final, and Crosby after an injury kept him from playing in the gold medal game and is chasing a fourth NHL title.
“That’s the best time of year,” Crosby said. “That’s why you play.”
Entering Sunday’s slate of games, four teams that didn’t compete last postseason — the Sabres, Mammoth, Penguins and Bruins — already qualified for this year’s dance. The Ducks, Flyers and Blue Jackets are still in the running to join them, with Anaheim having a chance to clinch Sunday night with a win against the Canucks.
Buffalo ended a historic playoff drought of 14 seasons. Utah made it in (technically) the organization’s second season of existence.
The Rangers are caught somewhere in the middle as they inch closer toward their second early summer in a row.
The Post’s Mollie Walker analyzes three turnarounds and what the Blueshirts could learn from them:
Bruins
Boston general manager Don Sweeney made a lot of home run decisions that turned his team around from 76 points last season to the 96 they carried into their matchup in Columbus on Sunday. This after coming off a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign, in which captain Brad Marchand was traded to Florida as part of a considerable deadline sell-off.
New Rangers (re)hire Kevin Maxwell can look at the fact that 10 of the players on the current Bruins roster were acquired via trade. A smashing success with Sweeney’s offseason signings — including Tanner Jeannot and Jonathan Aspirot — also filled organizational needs. Aspirot is now Charlie McAvoy’s top-pair partner.
Even if several players overperformed, the Bruins deployed a much more balanced offense this season. Depth scoring was pivotal in their push to clinching a playoff berth. The Rangers have been a top-heavy lineup for years. The Rangers know better than most that game-changing goaltending makes anything possible. Jeremy Swayman not only improved as the Bruins’ clear-cut No. 1 goalie when it mattered, but he was a real difference-maker down the stretch.
General manager Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins speaks with the media before the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NHLI via Getty Images
Boston’s return to the playoffs certainly wasn’t picture perfect. They’ve had three separate losing streaks of five or more games this season. It was still a process, which is what Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan references frequently. The Rangers had two really strong seasons that preceded their runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024. It won’t always be that way, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be.
Utah
The Mammoth were on a five-game winning streak when they clinched the organization’s first playoff berth. Without rehashing the disaster that was the Arizona Coyotes, a commitment was made to a trio of first-round draft picks — Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther — that has significantly paid off. They were nurtured. Cooley and Guenther have enjoyed breakout seasons and the young Utah core seems to be clamoring for a crack at the playoffs.
The Rangers’ largely failed track record with their organizationally grown prospects is well documented. Special circumstances surrounding the transition from the desert to Salt Lake City meant the club had to be patient, but with the geographical shift came a cultural one. Most of that came with a change in ownership. Ryan Smith has been lauded for his handling of the players and staffers during the move.
There is no indication MSG sports executive James Dolan, who owns the Rangers and Knicks, is going anywhere, but Utah is proof the most significant changes can stem from the very top down.
Logan Cooley of the Utah Mammoth celebrates a goal by Dylan Guenther against Seattle on April 2. Getty Images
Penguins
Projected to face-plant coming into this season, the Penguins proved a lot of people wrong. Pittsburgh, which hasn’t reached the postseason since 2022 and hasn’t won a single series since 2018, was rejuvenated by a new coach, remarkable play from the Big Three and the players GM Kyle Dubas surrounded them with. The Penguins probably emulated the closest process to a “retool,” which is what the Rangers are striving for.
Never underestimate the power of impactful leaders. Captain Sidney Crosby is one of a kind. His trio with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang is one of the greatest to do it in all of professional sports history. The fact that they have each had strong individual seasons at ages 38 and 39, respectively, has been nothing short of incredible.
So much of what the Rangers become will hinge on captain J.T. Miller and what he brings both on and off the ice. This is who Blueshirts president and general manager Chris Drury chose to be the guy. Miller has had his moments this season, both positive and negative, but it was all hindered by injuries throughout the season. Ex-Rangers assistant Dan Muse provided a fresh voice and presence behind the Penguins bench as well.
Dubas was able to rebalance and restructure the lineup, which benefited the most from the additions of Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov and rookie Ben Kindel.
The late-season roster shuffle continues. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Parker Wotherspoon all dress for this game after sitting out yesterday. Noel Acciari, Anthony Mantha, Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton all rotate out with official ‘undisclosed day-to-day injuries’.
Ovechkin and the Pens’ crew get a pregame faceoff. No official announcements or anything but it sure looks like a lot of signs pointing to this being it for the Great 8.
Dylan Strome gets himself kicked out of the opening faceoff so that Ovechkin can line up for a faceoff against Crosby. The Penguin captain wins it cleanly and the game is on.
The improved Penguins surpass yesterday’s one shot in the first period very easily. Karlsson draws the first power play of the game but Pittsburgh doesn’t score.
Crosby takes a penalty late in the period. The Capitals cash in quickly, Ovechkin makes a pass down to Justin Sourdif that gets tipped off the crossbar and then Sourdif finished it off by tapping the puck into the empty net. But wait, a coach’s challenge for offsides and Ilya Protas was very clearly a step ahead of the play at the blueline wipes out the goal.
The first ends with no goals that count, the Pens were better in the earlier parts of the start, the Capitals came on stronger as play went along.
Second period
Washington starts the second still on the power play, Pittsburgh kills it off.
Both teams skate back and forth, the Caps score for real this time. Trevor van Riemsdyk pokes at a puck in the crease about three times, it finally gets over the line. 1-0 Washington with 7:36 to go in the period.
The Pens wake up a little, Logan Thompson denies Tommy Novak on a great chance from in front off a pass from Rickard Rakell, then Novak is sprung for a breakaway but lets the puck slide off his stick to negate a scoring chance. Pittsburgh gets their second power play of the game soon after. Erik Karlsson slams a slap shot off Tom Wilson’s foot, otherwise nothing happening.
The Caps take a 1-0 lead into the last frame.
Third period
The Pens get their chance to pin the Caps in their zone for a long time, their pinch fails and the Caps go the other way on a 2-on-1 where forward Egor Chinakhov is the last player back. Next up, Connor McMichael scores, beating Skinner on backhand deke. 2-0 with just 4:10 to go.
Pittsburgh pulls the goalie with over 3 minutes to play, apparently wanting Ovechkin to get career goal No. 930 to send the people home happy. Ovechkin gets the assist to spring McMichael into space and score on the unguarded cage. 3-0 game.
Some thoughts
I think the Penguins really missed the mark with the decisions of playing/sitting players before the playoffs. Namely, how are you going to hold all the star players and key players out from ‘fan appreciation day’ to play them on the road the next day? Awful. And why play them at all today? Ovechkin nailed Letang, Karlsson took a high-stick and Rust blocked an Ovechkin shot in the foot in the first period alone. If you’re going to rest them, then go all the way and rest them all weekend. If you’re going to play them in games after being clinched then it shouldn’t have been today.
That said, it is what it is. Not like it’s wise to put hockey players on the shelf for 10 days and pick right up for the playoffs. Rotating almost every key player out either today or yesterday (besides Rakell, Chinakhov, Novak, Girard and maybe Brazeau if giving him the honor of being a ‘key player’) is a nice boost at this time of year to pick a spot for a day off for the crew.
Crosby/Ovechkin head to head 100 times. 56 wins for Crosby, point battle is 127-103 (48 goals, 79 assists for Crosby, 53 goals and 50 assists for Ovechkin).
Not too much going on in this game, Skinner was pretty good, Thompson was great. Everyone else was just kinda there. The game had an odd feel to it almost as a wake for the career of Ovechkin hanging over all of the proceedings.
The Pens wrap up the regular season on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
