It's no surprise that he broke a 43-year-old record on Saturday night in Carolina. The rookie phenom broke Phil Housley's 43-year-old record for the most points by an 18-year-old defenseman.
With the primary assist on Anders Lee goal, #Isles rookie Matthew Schaefer recorded point No. 58 to surpass Phil Housley for the most points by an 18-year-old defenseman in #NHL history.
He has 22 goals & 36 assists through first 78 games.
It's a wildly impressive feat for Schaefer, one that further cements just how special this season has been for him.
It's easy to lose track of how special these records and achievements are, especially when it feels like a new one gets met every single game.
It shouldn't be lost on any Islanders fan that Housley originally set this record back in the 1982-83 season, the same year the Islanders last hoisted the Stanley Cup.
That's how long it's been since there's been a game-destroying rookie of this talent, and that was the NHL saw its highest-scoring ever.
At this point, there are no more historical comparables. Schaefer's truly in a league of his own, blistering a new trail ahead.
The unfortunate side is that the record-breaking point came in a fourth-straight defeat for the Islanders.
Schaefer is the silver lining in that frustration.
Schaefer and the Islanders have four long days off before their next game. They'll host the Toronto Maple Leafs in UBS Arena next.
The Vancouver Canucks celebrated two NHL game milestones tonight in their 7–4 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Prior to puck-drop, they honoured Evander Kane for his 1000th NHL game played on March 30 against the Vegas Golden Knights. On the ice, Linus Karlsson scored twice in his 100th NHL game, while Jake DeBrusk and Marco Rossi also found the back of the net. Nikita Tolopilo started in net, stopping 17 of 23 shots faced.
The biggest piece of news occurred prior to puck drop. While Tolopilo was named the starting goaltender ahead of tonight’s game and ultimately ended up playing, Jiří Patera was called up only a few minutes prior to Vancouver’s warm-up. When both teams took to the ice for warm-ups, only Tolopilo came out. Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote later clarified why Kevin Lankinen was absent so close to puck-drop.
“He woke up and didn’t feel right, didn’t feel good. So we had to make that call this morning,” he said post-game, also clarifying that there is no current timeline on Lankinen’s absence.
The 100-game man made the biggest impression of his teammates in tonight’s matchup. Karlsson found the back of the net early in the first, collecting the puck along the boards and bringing it into the slot to score his 14th of the season. In the second period, it was Karlsson again who scored to even the score up at two, deflecting a shot from Victor Mancini past Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka.
“It’s something you dream of, to play in the NHL, and hopefully I have a couple more in me,” Karlsson said of his 100th game tonight. “You want to be a full-time NHLer and a hundred is a good start.”
Vancouver’s power play has been hot as of late, continuing their streak of success by scoring twice tonight in what is now their fifth consecutive game. With the two tallies tonight, the Canucks are now up to 11 goals in their past 10 games. Adding to that is the fact that DeBrusk currently has five of these goals down this particular stretch.
“I think the main thing is Hronek getting more comfortable up there. Two is where Boeser and DeBrusk are playing off each other in the right spot, whether one’s low, depending where the puck is, they’re a good tandem. They’re working well together with tips and rebounds. And I think Marco is pretty patient on that half wall. He doesn’t just throw pucks away, usually. He’s pretty consistent at making the right play,” Foote said about the power play’s recent string of success.
Having said that, their first opportunity lacked the same inspiration that it has shown recently. The Canucks gave up more high-end chances than produced their own during this man-advantage, allowing two breakaway sequences and ultimately giving Utah the space to score their fourth goal of the game.
“We were struggling early in this game. They were pressuring us up high. We weren’t getting down low quick enough. Then I thought our breakouts gave them a little bit of momentum. In the second period, we had two bad breakouts and gave them momentum. And then they got one right after that, 5-on-5. But then we got a couple quick ones.”
While tonight’s score ultimately didn’t paint the best picture, Vancouver still managed to get some goals on a night that celebrated two players’ career milestones.
Apr 4, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Linus Karlsson (94) skates with puck against Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
Stats and Facts:
Brock Boeser tallies his 477th point, tying Pavel Bure for eighth all-time in Canucks history
Canucks extend their current power play goal streak to five consecutive games
Vancouver remains winless against the Mammoth
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
2:28 - VAN: Linus Karlsson (14) from Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Liam Öhgren
13:34 - UTA: Kailer Yamamoto (11) from Logan Cooley
18:30 - UTA: Clayton Keller (23) from Lawson Crouse and Nick DeSimone
2nd Period:
2:05 - VAN: Linus Karlsson (15) from Victor Mancini and Teddy Blueger
7:04 - UTA: Clayton Keller (24) from Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev (PPG)
11:55 - UTA: Dylan Guenther (38) from John Marino and Logan Cooley
3rd Period:
0:20 - VAN: Jake DeBrusk (19) from Filip Hronek (PPG)
1:32 - UTA: Lawson Crouse (21) from Clayton Keller
4:40 - VAN: Marco Rossi (10) from Filip Hronek and Brock Boeser (PPG)
11:45 - UTA: Liam O’Brien (3) from Brandon Tanev and Nate Schmidt
19:07 - UTA: Clayton Keller (25) from Nick Schmaltz and Ian Cole (ENG)
Up Next:
The Canucks will play in their second-last game at home when they take on the Golden Knights on Tuesday. Vancouver has dropped both of their first two games against Vegas this season, losing 5–2 on February 4 and 4–2 on March 30. Tuesday will be the first and only time Vegas comes to Vancouver, with puck drop slated for 7:00 pm PT.
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Artemi Panarin continues his great play with the Kings, this time with a great find to Quinton Byfield on the rush in overtime to score the game-winning goal and lift the Los Angeles Kings (31-26-19) over the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-6.
In a tie game in overtime, we've seen this before from the Kings, and it's never good. But this time, Los Angeles capitalizes in the clutch to win a huge game in a must-win situation to stay alive in the playoff race.
This win makes up for that heartbreaking loss the Kings suffered on Thursday against the Nashville Predators.
If you are looking for the final score, you can just google the year when the Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/CaPEpJtE5l
The game opened up as it has in the last four games. Once again, the Kings went down by two goals to start the first period; it's the third time in their last four games that they have started off this poorly in the opening frame.
The recent defeats the Kings have been suffering stem from terrible early starts and fighting their way back into the game, which ends in the same pattern: losing in overtime.
Los Angeles went six minutes in the first period, not even recording one shot on goal, which tells you everything about why Toronto held a 2-0 lead to end the first period.
The early sluggish turnovers by Los Angeles led to the two-goal hole that the Maple Leafs poured on the Kings.
Despite the offensive struggles early on by the Kings, they still outshot Toronto 11-8 after 20 minutes.
The second period began immediately with Los Angeles playing with more urgency and tenacity, scoring two goals in two minutes. At the 18:49 minute mark, the Kings played a beautiful rush on transition with Jared Wright leading the play to find Quinton Byfield for the tap-in goal.
Another goal was capitalized on by the Kings after a Maple Leaf turnover. Mikey Anderson led the 2-on-1 rush out of the box and fed a trailing Adrian Kempe on the rush to bury his 31st goal of the season, tying the game up 2-2.
LAK Goal - Tie game!
Just off the kill, Anderson comes out of the box and feeds Kempe off the rush. Juice buries his 31st of the season. Perfect center-lane drive by Kopitar too. 2-2.
Toronto had two consecutive goals that were called off, which helped the Kings dodge a bullet. One goal was called off for offside, and the second for too many players on the ice, which would've had the Maple Leafs up 4-2, leaving the score tied.
Despite the two overturned goals, the Kings didn't capitalize on those calls and ended up giving up another goal, which counted.
The Maple Leafs converted on their first of two power plays, scoring on the loose puck, to give Toronto back the lead.
But, over five minutes later, the Kings once again tied things up after a beautiful pass from Brandt Clarke, finding Artemi Panarin for the tip-in goal in tight, tying the scoreboard 3-3.
With just under 11 seconds to go in the second period, the Maple Leafs would once again score on their second power play of the night after great passing. Easton Cowan beat Darcy Kuemper to give Toronto the lead again.
Despite trailing 4-3, Los Angeles was much better in the second. Recognizing that the playoffs are on the line, they were more aggressive on both sides of the ice and outshot the visiting team 17-6.
Now, this is where all the chaos began for Los Angeles. Entering the third period down by one, the Kings scored three consecutive goals to take a two-goal lead. Here's how it all started.
Panarin led with terrific patience on the puck, skating around the neck, redirecting traffic passing the puck to Adrian Kempe, who scored his second goal of the night through traffic to once again tie the game up.
LAK Goal - 10 ➡️ 9.
Good players making good plays. Panarin with terrific patience, finds Kempe in the slot, Juice buries his second of the day through traffic. 4-4.
Big Sammy Helenius put Los Angeles back in front for the first time just 28 seconds later after tying it up. Helenius got help with a nice moving screen by Jeff Malott to fire the puck through the Maple Leafs' goaltender and give the Kings their first lead.
Over a minute later, Los Angeles continued its great passing and movement, getting a lot of open looks. This time, it was Alex Laferriere joining the party after a great setup by Trevor Moore on the left side of the ice to finish the play and let Laferriere score.
Despite holding on to a two-goal lead, the Maple Leafs didn't go away that easily. The Kings started playing like how they did early on, careless turnovers and errors, letting Toronto capitalize and score two consecutive goals, tying the game 6-6 just like that.
TOR Goal - Tie game.
Turnovers by Edmundson and Kuemper, Leafs quickly turn them into 6-6. Knies the goal, his second of the game.
Both teams failed to score in the final five minutes of regulation after Toronto tied it up, forcing another overtime for the Kings, who now have the most overtime games played in NHL history with their 31st today.
After a breakaway chance for the Maple Leafs to score and win the game, Darcy Kuemper got a huge stop to set up the 3-on-2 led by Artemi Panarin, who found Quinton Byfield on the rush to score the game-winning goal, lifting the Kings over the Maple Leafs.
Key Stats
Adrian Kempe finished with two goals, two assists, and four points. Artemi Panarin had a great night as well, scoring a goal, assisting on the game-winning goal, and finishing with three points. Quinton Byfield pitched in two goals and two points, while Trevor Moore had a nice showing with two assists and two points.
The Kings are now back in the playoff picture with tonight's win, at 81 points and holding a two-point lead over the Sharks and Predators, who will face off tonight. The winner of that game will tie the Kings for the final playoff spot.
The Kings' next matchup is Monday against the Nashville Predators at 7:30 PM PT, in what will be the biggest game of the season for the Kings to continue to stay in the playoff hunt.
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Oliver Kapanen’s decisive goal in the shootout gave the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils for their eighth straight win on Saturday.
Kapanen scored on a wrist shot past Devils goalie Jake Allen in the fifth round of the shootout.
The win gave Montreal 100 points for the first time since the 2016-17 season when it accumulated 103 points.
Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble scored for Montreal, and Jakub Dobes had 35 saves.
Timo Meier, Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer scored for New Jersey and Allen stopped 26 shots.
Cole Caufield picked up two assists, but failed to notch his 50th goal for Montreal. Caufield will get another shot Sunday when these two teams face off again in Montreal. He is sitting at 49 goals.
Caufield is looking to be the first Montreal Canadiens player to score 50 goals in a season in more than three decades.
Mercer scored from Meier and Nico Hischier at 13:08 of the second period to cut the Montreal lead to 3-1.
Hutson’s unassisted goal came just 1:16 after Demidov scored on the power play at 8:12.
Struble’s second goal of the season and just the sixth of his career provided Montreal with a 1-0 lead late in the first period.
VANCOVUER, British Columbia (AP) — Clayton Keller had the third hat trick of his career and the Utah Mammoth extended their winning streak to three games with a 7-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
Keller's first three-goal game of the season came on a disputed power-play score and two empty-net goal. His man-advantage goal at 7:04 of the second period came on the deflection of a point shot by Dylan Guenther that gave Utah a 3-2 lead. The goal was originally waived off due to his stick touching the puck above the cross bar. After a video review, the referee ruled the stick was at or below the cross bar.
Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crowse each had a goal and an assist for Utah (40-30-6), which continued to push for a Western Conference playoff spot. Kailer Yamamoto and Liam O’Brien, who was in the lineup after 18 games as a healthy scratch, also scored for the Mammoth, who won their fourth straight road game. Logan Cooley added two assists. Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves for Utah.
Linus Karlsson, playing in his 100th NHL game, scored twice for Vancouver (22-46-8). Marco Rossi and Jake DeBrusk added power-play goals and Filip Hronek had two assists. Nikita Tolopilo stopped 17 shots for the Canucks, who have one win in their last nine games.
The Canucks called up goaltender Jiri Patera from Abbotsford of the AHL as the backup to replace Kevin Lankinen, who was a late scratch.
Before the opening faceoff there was a tribute to Vancouver native Evander Kane, who returned to the lineup to play his 1,001st game after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.
Up next
Mammoth: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Canucks: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
One of the Rangers’ most promising young players became the latest rookie to add optimism to the final leg of this lost season, recording his first career hat trick in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Red Wings at Madison Square Garden and helping the team claim its fourth win in the past five games.
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In the antepenultimate home game of a season that will end with one of the Rangers’ worst home records in the franchise’s 100-year history, the 20-year-old former first-round pick gave the packed crowd a rare memory worth carrying into next season.
Perreault became the fourth Rangers rookie in the past 30 years to record a hat trick, and one of five rookies in the league to do so this season.
His three multi-goal games this season are tied for second most among NHL rookies despite appearing in only 45 games.
“The trust that he’s earning from his coaches and his teammates, he’s becoming a great player right in front of us,” captain J.T. Miller said. “It’s exciting to think he’s 20 years old. He’s only gonna get stronger and better and faster, and what he’s been able to do for us is really impressive. He’s just got a really good nose for the game and he’s super smart and has that skill when he gets a chance to make some plays.”
Gabe Perreault #94 of the New York Rangers scores a goal during the third period at Madison Square Garden, Saturday April 4th, 2026, in New York, NY. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“We’re just trying to enjoy it and take this opportunity and run with it,” Perreault said of the team’s rookie class. “We’re trying to bring energy and have fun and enjoy every day together.”
Perreault, who had two points in the previous seven games, broke an 11-game goal drought (March 12) with 4:01 left in the second period, sending a shot over John Gibson’s glove, following a pass through traffic from Mika Zibanejad.
New York Rangers is greeted by center J.T. Miller #8 of the New York Rangers after he scores a goal during the third period at Madison Square Garden, Saturday April 4th, 2026, in New York, NY. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Perreault’s second goal was set up by a pretty feed from Jonny Brodzinski, which gave the Rangers (32-36-9) a 3-0 lead with 12:41 left in the third period.
“I think the game is slowing down in his mind and his hockey IQ is probably his greatest attribute,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He might not have the open-ice foot speed but he’s pretty elusive in traffic. With his vision and his brain and his stick skills, he’s finding ways to have success.”
As the clock sprinted down in the third period, Miller was able to get one more chance for Perreault, who scored his 10th goal of the season on an empty net with 1:44 to play.
First came the hats, falling to the ice.
Then came the hugs, enveloping the 5-foot-11 wing who found fans wherever he looked.
“You can see the reaction on the bench, everyone was rooting for him,” Sullivan said. “He’s an easy guy to root for.”
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 04: Center Marc Gatcomb #16 of the New York Islanders looks on after being hit by left wing William Carrier #28 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of the game against the New York Islanders at Lenovo Center on April 4, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Islanders took the lead twice in this game off early goals in the first and second period, but once again came up short. Marc Gatcomb scored his third of the season, Max Shabanov scored in his return to the lineup, Anders Lee picked up his third goal in four games, Mat Barzal got his 70th point of the season and, of course, we have a Matthew Schaefer Record Update.
Schaefer got an assist on Lee’s late goal, which was his 58th point of the season, the most by an 18 year old defenseman in NHL history.
Also worth noting, if you’re looking for positives in this late-season collapse, that Cal Ritchie picked up his 7th point in his last 7 games with an assist tonight, and all but one of his 4 assists were primary ones. It’s a good end to the season for the Isles’ other highly touted rookie who has had a solid season while Schaefer’s grabbed all the headlines.
Carolina got an early power play when Marc Gatcomb took a holding penalty just three minutes into the game, forcing Ilya Sorokin to make some big saves on Sebastian Aho. Scott Mayfield hit Jordan Martinook on the bench with the puck off a clearing attempt, and then right after the penalty expired, Gatcomb made it 1-0, assisted by Simon Holmström and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
Ondrej Palat hit the post behind Brandon Bussi, just narrowly missing the opportunity to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead.
Then, Seth Jarvis made it 1-1 after beating Ryan Pulock one on one and snapping it past Sorokin. That play started after Mat Barzal’s shot was deflected to Sean Walker in the slot, who passed it up to a streaking Jarvis.
Second Period
Early in the second, Cal Ritchie set up Max Shabanov from behind the net, and Shabanov made it 2-1 in his first game back in the lineup in a while. It was his first goal since the end of December, too.
Adam Pelech was called for holding, and Sorokin once again needed to make some big saves. Mayfield pushed Sebastian Aho into the crossbar and both he and Jarvis ended up in the box after a scrum. No team was able to capitalize on that.
But Carolina absolutely dominated this period, and Jackson Blake eventually tied the game at 2, while the Islanders were held to just five shots in the game to that point.
The Hurricanes got another power play when Ryan Pulock was called for hooking, and the Isles killed that. Then the Islanders got a power play of their own, with Alexander Nikishin called for slashing Mayfield, but Sebastian Aho scored shorthanded to make it 3-2 Hurricanes.
Third Period
Jarvis scored less than a minute into the period to make it 4-2.
Barzal set up Pageau but Bussi made the save. Ritchie also took a shot saved by Bussi, and the Isles had a few good chances stopped in the second half of the period.
Sorokin went to the bench with 3 and a half minutes left, and Anders Lee deflects a Matthew Schaefer shot past Bussi to make it 4-3 with a minute and 30 seconds left, but couldn’t get the tying goal despite some good chances.
Next, the Islanders head back to UBS Arena, where they’ll play out the rest of the season. On Thursday, they’ll host the playoff-eliminated Toronto Maple Leafs as they try to grab a much-needed two points and snap the longest losing streak of the season.
Sebastian Aho celebrates after scoring during the Islanders' April 4 game against the Hurricanes.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Forget collapse. This is what capitulation looks like.
In a game the Islanders absolutely needed to have, on a night when a response was necessary after getting dominated at home 24 hours prior, with two points nothing short of critical to their playoff hopes, they flatlined.
Outside of Ilya Sorokin, who single-handedly kept them in the game, the Islanders were barely competitive. All 20 skaters were passengers in this woeful performance that was bad enough to warrant firings and severe changes to the roster if indeed the Islanders fail to make the playoffs, as now seems likely.
They were played off the ice at the Lenovo Center in a 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes that handed the Isles a season-long four-game losing streak at the exact moment they could afford it least.
“We’ve been knocked down, there’s no doubt about it,” captain Anders Lee said. “But this thing’s not over. This race isn’t over. I believe in this group, the guys in this room believe in it. We’re hitting a tough patch at just a really bad time of the year.”
Nominally speaking, the Islanders still held a playoff spot at the close of business Saturday. In reality, they are like a prisoner waiting on a death sentence.
By the next time they play, Thursday at home against the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jackets, Flyers, Red Wings and Senators all will have had the chance to pass them in the standings, and it is a step too far to hope that none of the four do so.
The Isles are now 3-7-0 in their past 10, an astonishing stretch that seemed to come out of nowhere and which is now likely to keep them out of the playoffs a second straight season.
Sebastian Aho celebrates after scoring during the Islanders’ April 4 game against the Hurricanes. Imagn Images
There are four games left, all of which are at UBS and the Islanders may need to run the table or come close in order to save their season.
Just like 24 hours prior on Long Island, though, the Islanders performance did not even come close to meeting the moment. They had four shots in the first period, just two in the second and barely touched the puck until they were skating 6-on-5 late in the third.
The Hurricanes were faster, way more physical, less prone to error, generated more of a forecheck and, damningly, played with more urgency than the Islanders could muster. There was defensive breakdown after defensive breakdown — too many to count and too many responsible parties to try to dole out blame. It was one of their worst efforts of the season, in one of their biggest games of the season.
“I think the mind was right, the energy was right. They were suffocating us,” Ryan Pulock said. “I thought they controlled most of the game.”
Emil Heineman defends during the Islanders’ April 4 game against the Hurricanes. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was only because of Sorokin, who for the umpteenth time was hung out to dry by his teammates, and because ’Canes netminder Brandon Bussi put in a rare shaky outing that the Islanders hung onto a 3-2 deficit entering the final 20 minutes.
Nothing about the way the game had gone, though, indicated that they could do anything with it.
Even when they finally seemed to get a break in the form of an offensive-zone slash by Alexander Nikishin late in the second with the game tied at 2, the Islanders immediately bled a 2-on-1 rush and a short-handed Sebastian Aho goal.
The ’Canes ended any hopes of a comeback just 24 seconds into the third as Andrei Svechnikov’s cross-ice feed to Seth Jarvis was buried off the crossbar and in to make it 4-2.
Ilya Sorokin makes a save during the Islanders’ April 4 loss. NHLI via Getty Images
Anders Lee’s 6-on-5 goal saved some face for the Islanders on the scoreboard, but did little to hide their performance for most of the night.
Mat Barzal turned over puck after puck, Matthew Schaefer looked like his ever-increasing workload was getting to him, Bo Horvat was hardly noticeable. There was no spark in the bottom six from which Kyle MacLean was bizarrely omitted as a healthy scratch, and the defense corps could not so much as execute a breakout.
In just a few weeks, the season has done a total 180. The Islanders played Saturday like they are already doomed to the consequences.
“100 percent,” Pulock said, asked whether coach Patrick Roy’s message is getting through. “He believes in us and we believe in him. It’s just up to us right now to bear down.”
Roy, who might be coaching for his job over the next 10 days, tried his best to put a happy face on things.
“We’re right there, isn’t it? We’re right there in the standings,” he said. “I know they [all] have a game in hand on us, but it’s not a time of year where you gotta feel sorry for yourself.”
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are drawing nearer and nearer.
And with each passing day, the Pittsburgh Penguins are closer and closer to securing their ticket to the dance - and they're doing it in commanding fashion.
On Saturday, the Penguins played their first of back-to-back home games against the Florida Panthers, and their offense exploded for a 9-3 blowout win headlined by an Evgeni Malkin hat trick. Malkin and Sidney Crosby both hit major career milestones en route to the win, as Malkin became just the 23rd player in NHL history and third player in Penguins' history to record 1,400 points, and Crosby surpassed Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman to take sole possession of seventh on the NHL's all-time scoring list at 1,756.
"It feels like it's something every night," said forward Rickard Rakell, who registered his eighth goal in the past seven games Saturday. "But it's so exciting to watch them every day in practice and games and just have a chance to learn from them."
Lately, the Penguins have been getting off to fast starts, and that trend continued Saturday. Noel Acciari scored his 12th of the season just 20 seconds into the game to hand the Penguins a very early lead, and less than five minutes later, Erik Karlsson sent a one-time power play blast from the top of the right circle off a feed from Crosby to give his team the 2-0 advantage.
However, Florida did find a response, as A.J. Greer found the twine just two minutes later to cut the Penguins' lead to one. And with five and a half to go in the opening frame, Seth Jones shot a puck from the point that Rakell attempted to block with his hand, and the puck changed direction and ended up behind goaltender Arturs Silovs to knot the game at 2-2.
Then, the second period happened.
Once again, the Penguins had a loud start. But, this time, they just kept coming. Less than two minutes into the middle frame, Anthony Mantha threw a puck toward the goal from the right wall that hit a Florida stick on the way in and went past Sergei Bobrovsky to give him his 31st of the season and restore the Penguins' lead.
Exactly four minutes later, both Malkin and Crosby had their moment. From down low, Crosby found Karlsson at the right point on a power play opportunity, and he placed a perfect shot pass to a waiting Malkin on the doorstep, who deflected the puck into the net with the shaft of his stick. The secondary assist gave Crosby the point to surpass Yzerman, and the goal gave Malkin his 1,400th.
But Malkin wasn't done. Two and a half minutes later, the Penguins gained the zone on the rush, and Tommy Novak threw a puck at the net from the left wall. Malkin, again, was waiting on the doorstep, and it hit his leg and went in to make it 5-2.
Then, just a minute and a half after that, Elmer Soderblom scored his third as a Penguin to make it 6-2, capping off a stretch where the Penguins scored four goals and eight minutes and two seconds. The goal also chased Bobrovsky from the game, and he was replaced by Daniil Tarasov.
The Penguins still weren't done in the second period, though. Rakell added the Penguins' third power play tally of the game - his 22nd goal of the season - with a little more than two minutes left in the second, and Ryan Shea scored 19 seconds later to put the Penguins up by a comfortable 8-2 margin, capping off a six-goal second period.
Malkin's hat trick came three and a half minutes into the third period. He pickpocketed Florida defenseman Sam Benning right in front of Tarasov, and Malkin made a nice cross-crease reverse move to beat the netminder and secure the hat trick - as well as his team's ninth goal on the night.
Florida scored two more around the midway point of the third - one from Noah Gregor on a nice individual effort, and the other from Mackie Samoskevich - but the Penguins' offensive explosion was simply too high a mountain to climb.
For the third time in the last four games, the Penguins put up five or more goals, and this is the second time they've scored at least eight times within those four games. They have scored 25 goals in their last four games, and they're getting contributions from everyone.
And even if Saturday was Geno's night - and his teammates contributed a ton, too - they know they still have to come back ready for another fight Sunday against the same Panthers' team.
"We know Florida [has] lots of injury right now," Malkin said. "They [do] not play great, and we fight [for] playoffs. We are in different situations. We score the first two goals quickly, and the power play work tonight, we score three power-play goals.
"Everything works some nights. Like, you play the same, but the puck go in every shot. We see tomorrow, huge game tomorrow, because we know this team win two Cups in two years, and they fight tomorrow, for sure."
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:
- This team has some warts. It is not a perfect team by any means. Silovs was not very sharp in this one despite the win, and in addition to better goaltending, they're still turning the puck over and giving up high-danger looks far too frequently.
But this offense is legitimately scary.
The only two teams in hockey that have scored more goals than the Penguins' 275 this season are the Tampa Bay Lightning (277) and Colorado Avalanche (285). Of course, the Penguins' 248 goals against are the third-highest mark in the Eastern Conference, too, and they'll need to clean that up if there is any hope of a playoff run.
However, I'm not sure there's a deeper forward group in hockey than the Penguins. Malkin is two goals away from 20, and if he hits that mark, the Penguins will already have six 20-goal scorers this season (Anthony Mantha, Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rakell, Egor Chinakhov) with the possibility of a couple more hitting the mark (Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau have 17 each).
They also have 12 players with 12 or more goals and nine players with at least 15 goals - the highest total in the NHL - and both Karlsson and Connor Dewar have 14 goals, so that number could hit 11.
Do you remember the last time the Penguins had this kind of scoring depth in the Crosby era? I don't. I'm not sure they have.
This is a special, special offense. If they can clean up some of the rest, they'll be a tough opponent for anyone - especially if they stay this hot down the stretch.
- Somehow, Karlsson very quietly had a four-point game. That gives him 10 goals and 29 points in his last 20 games dating back to Feb. 28. In that same span, he is second only to New Jersey Devils' forward Jack Hughes in points. And it also gives him 14 goals and 64 points in 72 games on the season.
I mean, at this rate, this guy might finish near a point-per-game. What else can you say? He is in another stratosphere on some other planet right now, and no one in the league is operating at the level he currently is.
It's remarkable to watch. And if Penguins' fans are treated to playoff Karlsson... just wait.
After four points through two periods tonight for defenseman Erik Karlsson, let's check in on the NHL's point leaders since February 28:
1. Jack Hughes - 30 2. Erik Karlsson - 29 2. Nikita Kucherov - 29 2. Nick Suzuki - 29 pic.twitter.com/nuyJCWYiQl
- With a goal and two points on Saturday - according to Penguins PR - Rakell has a four-game goal-scoring streak and a seven-game point streak - both the longest active streaks in the NHL. He has points in 14 of his last 15 games and 11 goals and 21 points in those 15 games.
He's now up to 22 goals and 46 points in 56 games on the season, and - guess what? That's a 33-goal, 67-point pace - pretty similar to his 35-goal, 70-point campaign last season.
Rakell has been a monster for the Penguins, and - right now - he's making every single line he's part of better. He, Mantha, and Brazeau combined for four goals and eight points against the New York Islanders. He, Crosby, and Chinkahov had a pair of goals and four points against the Detroit Red Wings. And he, Malkin, and Novak combined for four goals and six points Saturday.
With two points (1G-1A) so far, Rickard Rakell has extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and his point streak to seven games - each the longest active such streaks in the league.
Behind Karlsson, Rakell has been their best and most important player in this stretch run, moving up and down the lineup and switching in and out of different positions. He's proving that he's very capable of repeating what most thought was an unrepeatable season in 2024-25, and he's a huge part of this team's success.
- Crosby looked much more himself in this game. He didn't explode off the scoresheet - and his milestone was certainly overshadowed by the night Malkin had - but this guy just continues to assert himself in the "Hockey Mount Rushmore" conversation.
Oh, and - by the way - he needs just one more point to clinch his 21st consecutive season at point-per-game or higher, which would pad his own NHL record of 20. Truly amazing stuff.
- Soderblom is finding his footing in Pittsburgh, and he has been very good in this last handful of games, registering two goals and five points in his last five.
But it's not just the production - in a fourth-line role, mind you - that stands out. He's a menace on the forecheck, he's playing physical, and he's using his size to win puck battles and overwhelm opponents. He also skates well for a guy who is 6-foot-9.
"Just feel like I'm playing more freely and playing without thinking too much," Soderblom said about playing in Pittsburgh. "And just play my game. And so far, I feel like it's worked pretty good."
To be honest, I'm not sure what you do when Blake Lizotte returns to the lineup. Soderblom, up to this point, has earned a permanent spot in it, and that means someone has to come out.
- Because, on that note, how good has Acciari been for the Penguins this season?
One year ago, he was the whipping boy for a lot of disgruntled fans. But not only is he the same hard-nosed, get-your-hands-dirty player he's always been in terms of shot-blocking, physicality, and defensive zone prowess, he's also added some offense this season with 12 goals and 23 points - his highest totals since his career season with Florida (20 goals, 27 points) in 2019-20.
He is such an important player for them. He plays the hard minutes and does the "thankless" jobs for this team, as former head coach Mike Sullivan used to say. But the offensive element is helping them even more - and some of his goals have been big ones, too.
It's been a great season for him, and he's also earned a stay in the lineup.
- Well, it was a great night for the Penguins on the out-of-town scoreboard, too.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis had two goals and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night for their fourth victory in five games.
Sebastian Aho broke a tie with a short-handed goal in the second period, Jackson Blake also scored and K’Andre Miller had two assists, and rookie Brandon Bussi made 13 saves to boost his season record to 29-6-1.
Marc Gatcomb, Max Shabanov and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, They have a four-game losing streak for the first time this season. Ilya Sorokin made 36 saves in his 11th straight start.
Lee’s goal with 1:37 to play with the Islanders — third in the Metropolitan Division — going with an extra skater gave them a chance, but they couldn’t break through again.
The Islanders had one-goal leads after Gatcomb scored in the first and Shabanov in the second. Shabanov was in his third game since the Olympic break and his first since March 13. He had been out with a lower-body injury and then missed games as a healthy scratch.
Aho’s go-ahead goal with 3:43 left in the second period gave the Hurricanes their sixth short-handed goal in nine games.
The Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes were playing in their first game since clinching a playoff berth two nights earlier. It was Carolina’s second straight strong defensive effort after allowing only 10 shots on goal Thursday night vs. Columbus.
Carolina has defeated the Islanders in all three meetings and they’ll meet again in the regular-season finale.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis had two goals and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night for their fourth victory in five games.
Sebastian Aho broke a tie with a short-handed goal in the second period, Jackson Blake also scored and K’Andre Miller had two assists, and rookie Brandon Bussi made 13 saves to boost his season record to 29-6-1.
Marc Gatcomb, Max Shabanov and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, They have a four-game losing streak for the first time this season. Ilya Sorokin made 36 saves in his 11th straight start.
Lee’ goal with 1:37 to play with the Islanders — third in the Metropolitan Division — going with an extra skater gave them a chance but they couldn’t break through again.
The Islanders had one-goal leads after Gatcomb scored in the first and Shabanov in the second. Shabanov was in his third game since the Olympic break and his first since March 13. He had been out with a lower-body injury and then missed games as a healthy scratch.
Aho’s go-ahead goal with 3:43 left in the second period gave the Hurricanes their sixth short-handed goal in nine games.
The Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes were playing in their first game since clinching a playoff berth two nights earlier. It was Carolina’s second straight strong defensive effort after allowing only 10 shots on goal Thursday night vs. Columbus.
Carolina has defeated the Islanders in all three meetings and they’ll meet again in the regular-season finale.
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 4: Darren Raddysh #43 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a goal against the Boston Bruins at Benchmark International Arena on April 4, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Perhaps it’s time for us to just accept that the Bruins and Florida Men don’t pair well together.
After a solidly played first 40 minutes, the Bruins allowed three unanswered goals in the third period to drop their second Florida game in a row, losing to Tampa Bay, 3-1.
Casey Mittelstadt scored the Bruins’ only goal early in the second period, while Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves in the defeat.
Charle-Edouard D’Astous tied the game for Tampa two minutes into the third period, then Darren Raddysh gave the Lightning the lead with just over five minutes left in regulation.
Nikita Kucherov would add an empty-net goal, and that was that.
The Bruins’ goal came off of a beautiful pass from Viktor Arvidsson, with Mittelstadt cashing in to make it 1-0 Bruins.
D’Astous’s goal came on a good bit of second effort from him, helped by some calamitous defending from the Bruins, making it a 1-1 game early in the third.
Yikes. You can look at the Florida game as one where the team got off to a slow start, got going, and got goalie’d a bit. Tonight was almost the opposite, with the B’s playing well early (they outshot Tampa 19-13 in the first two periods) before falling apart.
This isn’t to pin a loss on a single player, but that Raddysh goal can’t happen. Swayman cannot get beat from there, let alone in the last six minutes of the third period. The entire sequence looked like something you’d have happen to you when playing NHL23 (or pick your year) online: random defenseman gets the puck in the neutral zone, skates up the ice unbothered, shoots from a weird angle, scores, then some teenager starts swearing at you.
I’m not sure there’s much in this, but it’s worth noting that both of Tampa’s non-empty-net goals came off of plays that started in their own zone. I know that’s usually true of every goal if you rewind it far enough, but both goals seemed to come with the Bruins getting caught flat-footed when an offensive attempt petered out.
The Bruins went 0-for-4 on the power play, which certainly didn’t help matters. They had two chances in the first period, then had a big power play chance just two minutes after D’Astous’s goal, only to come up empty. NOT GREAT.
Also in the “NOT GREAT” file, the Bruins managed just three shots on goal in the third period. Yes, Tampa had as many goals as the Bruins had shots. I am not a paid analyst, but you’re not going to win that many games when that happens.
Mittelstadt’s goal was his 15th of the season, equaling his previous career high; that came back in 2023 with the Buffalo Sabres.
Depending on your mood at the moment, the Bruins either blew a big opportunity with this game or caught a big break tonight. They failed to pick up any points, but Detroit, Ottawa, Columbus, and the Islanders all lost Saturday as well, so the Bruins didn’t really lose any ground.
Montreal did end up winning on Saturday, putting that third spot in the Atlantic a bit further out of reach. They’re now six points ahead of the Bruins, with a game in hand as well.
Some minor housekeeping: with this recap up and a 3:30 PM game tomorrow, there won’t be a separate preview for that game.
We’ll put up a Public Skate a bit earlier than usual, so feel free to congregate there.
If you observe, Happy Easter. If you don’t, Happy Sunday?
Apr 4, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) and center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrate after Necas scores the game winning goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars squared off in a crucial matinee at American Airlines Center in Dallas, and it was Colorado who finally stole the first regulation win of the season series—pushing their quest for NHL and Central Division supremacy even further.
Brent Burns hit his 1,000th consecutive game, and the veteran forward-turned-defenseman logged a solid 18+ minutes on ice to help deliver the victory.
A milestone built on grit, passion and perseverance.
It was a low-scoring, gritty, playoff-style battle, but Martin Necas finally tucked away the game-winner midway through the third, and Nathan MacKinnon inevitably buried his career-high-tying 51st goal into the empty net. That sealed Colorado’s crisp 2-0 triumph over the Stars.
The Game
Most of the afternoon felt like a tight-checking chess match, with both Casey DeSmith and Scott Wedgewood making timely saves to keep it locked at 0-0 through two periods. Neither side was willing to blink.
In fact, this was one of the rare games all season with zero power plays goals for either team—a likely sneak preview of the grind we’ll see once the playoffs arrive.
The breakthrough finally came when Artturi Lehkonen found Martin Necas on a slick back-door play, putting the Avalanche up 1-0.
Necas cashing in on what might be the biggest regular-season goal of the year felt like the perfect cherry on top—right before MacKinnon’s empty-netter put the game to bed for good.
Takeaways
Coming off one of their ugliest performances of the season (probably the worst) against the Vancouver Canucks, it was huge to see the Avs respond with a complete, shut-down victory against their fiercest rival.
We called for a regulation win with a power-play goal on Friday’s Mile High Hockey Lab, but in hindsight, we should’ve just asked for the regulation W. Every other meeting between these two in 2025-26 had gone to OT or a shootout—so credit to Colorado for finally stealing the lone regulation victory of the regular season series.
Dallas rolling with DeSmith gave their fans a ready-made excuse, but when you get blanked, the finger has to point somewhere—and Scott Wedgewood was outstanding again. He now has three shutouts this season, all against divisional foes.
Big respect to Dallas for honoring Brent Burns and his 1,000th straight game the way they did. When you consider he started that insane streak after already playing 600 games, it’s truly remarkable. That’s something worth celebrating no matter which jersey he’s wearing.
Another day, and it's yet another milestone evening for Pittsburgh Penguins' longtime captain Sidney Crosby.
And, with this one, he has managed to climb even further up the NHL's all-time scoring list.
With an assist on Evgeni Malkin's second-period power play goal - his 1,400th NHL point, making him the 23rd player to hit the mark - against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, Crosby surpassed Detroit Red Wings great Steve Yzerman to take sole possession of seventh place on the NHL's all-time scoring list at 1,756. He tied Yzerman with a primary assist on Erik Karlsson's first-period power play goal.
Crosby, 38, has 28 goals and 69 points in 65 games so far this season.
Next up for Crosby is Marcel Dionne in sixth place, and he needs 15 points to tie him at 1,771. In addition, Crosby needs just one more point to clinch his 21st consecutive NHL season at point-per-game or higher to pad his own NHL record of 20. and he needs just two more points by the end of the 2025-26 regular season to clinch his NHL-record 21st consecutive point-per-game season.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Darren Raddysh broke a tie with 5:31 left and Tampa Bay beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 on Saturday night, hours after the Lightning secured a playoff spot.
The Atlantic Division-leading Lightning wrapped up the Eastern Conference postseason position with Detroit's 4-1 loss at the New York Rangers in the afternoon. Boston holds the first wild-card spot in the East.
After assisting on defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous' tying goal at 2:13 of the third, Raddysh put the Lightning ahead with a sharp-angle shot past goalie Jeremy Swayman from the right side on a break.
Nikita Kucherov added his 42nd goal of the season into an empty net, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves to help the Lightning finish a seven-game homestand 5-1-1.
Casey Mittelstadt scored for Boston in the second. Swayman stopped 20 shots as the Bruins lost their second straight on a four-game trip. They lost 2-1 at Florida on Thursday night.
