Category: Sports News

“We’re looking more like we’re playing a playoff game, like things matter,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch after the Edmonton Oilers picked up an overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. It's the team's second straight win, and unlike some of the past two-game streaks, these most recent victories have the Oilers looking like a team that's found something.

“We’re paying attention to detail, we’re simplifying our game. It’s nice to see. The games are so important right now that everyone seems like they’re dialled in and know the urgency to play right.”

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Then again, the Oilers have tried to win three in a row several times this season, and the same thing almost always inevitably happens -- the team puts up a stinker. 

Coming back home on Saturday afternoon to face the Anaheim Ducks, the Oilers can't afford to keep that tradition alive. That matinee game is as important as any game the Oilers have had on their calendar this season. The Ducks lead the Pacific Division and are five points up on the Oilers. If Edmonton wants any shot at catching them, this four-point swing (should Edmonton win in regulation) is critical. 

The good news is that the Oilers can feel good about their recent efforts. In past instances where three in a row was on the table, the Oilers had pulled out some wins they arguably didn't deserve. This time, both victories against Utah and Vegas were well earned. 

Even when the Oilers bent on Thursday -- allowing Vegas to tie the game three separate times -- they didn't break. Edmonton didn't allow the Golden Knights an opportunity to ever hold the lead. There are valuable lessons to be taken from that experience. 

There were solid lessons learned on this short road trip overall. 

“It’s a great road trip, two massive wins against two potential playoff opponents,” said Zach Hyman. He scored his 30th of the year on a great play, stripping the puck from a Vegas player in their zone and finishing it for a beautiful third goal. “I thought we played well defensively. Everybody contributed, which is so important at this time of year; everybody feels a part of it. We were rolling the lines, and everything went well. It was a huge road trip.”

Goaltender Connor Ingram said after the win: “We’ve found a way to play that’s given us success. Now it’s not being stubborn and sticking with it. Playing simple. We’re a good enough hockey club we’re going to get our chances. As long as we don’t give them that many, we’re going to be just fine.”  

The Most Impressive Part About Thursday's Win?

The Oilers’ penalty kill was spot on Thursday night. Perhaps the most impressive part of the game was their 4-on-3 kill in overtime. Edmonton fought it off, then Evan Bouchard got the game-winner. 

It was a solid defensive effort, the team's second in a row. During Tuesday’s win over Utah, the Oilers kept the Mammoth to a limited number of shots, blocking almost double the amount of even-strength shots as usual.

This team has found a playoff gear that they've shown no signs of having all season. The trick now is continuing to put forth that effort and not get stuck in their bad habits. The more they can win without Leon Draisaitl, the more they'll be ready to roll when he gets back. 

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1. ALLAN STANLEY: The big defenseman cost the Rangers the equivalent of four minor league players worth $40,000 right after World War II. Although fans wanted Allan to play a tougher game, that wasn't his style. The Rangers failed to give Stanley enough time to mature and foolishly traded him to Chicago on Thanksgiving Day eve, 1954. So good was Al that he's now in the Hall of Fame and winner of four Stanley Cup rings – as a Maple Leaf.

2. DAVE KERR: One of the NHL's best goalkeepers during the late 1930's, Davey was so good that he had the honor of being the first NHL player to have his picture on the cover of Time Magazine. After his Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1940, Kerr asked boss Lester Patrick for a $500 raise. When Lester refused –still in his prime – Kerr quit hockey and never returned.

3. MIKE BOSSY: A four-time Cup-winner with the Islanders, Mike could have been a Ranger.  In the 1977 Draft, the Blueshirts had the eighth and thirteen picks. First they went for Lucien DeBlois and then Ron Duguay, The Isles happily snatched Bossy at Number 14. 

The Penguins have had their struggles this season with the shootout, though the worm has turned in the past week with two straight victories in the game deciding gimmick. The problem has been two-fold in that their goalies can’t keep the puck out of the net (opponents are scoring a dreadful 54.2% this season) and their shooters, as of a week ago were only scoring on 24.2% of their attempts. That’s a losing formula on both ends.

As we wrote before, it was as simple as expecting the shootout woes to continue until Pittsburgh found better shooters than they had. Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are a combined 5-for-19 on the year (26.3%) and that low rate of converting isn’t going to lead to results, regardless of the goaltending woes on the other side. The last week has been aces, the Pens have scored four times on six attempts and only allowed one goal on five opponent tries. Much of the success has been in shaking up the shooters, Ben Kindel took only his second shootout try of the season last night. Newcomer Egor Chinakhov is 3-for-7 on the year with the Pens (42.8%) about doubling up the rest of the team’s percentage. They’ve found better players to take the shots and are now starting to win shootouts (it’s only two in a row, but hey that’s a start compared to the 1-10 record in shootouts at the start).

Kindel is now 2-for-2 this season on shootouts. The TSN feed caught him smiling as he took his attempt last night. This is the type of loose confidence and swagger you need from a shootout player. Pittsburgh should be using Kindel as a shooter every game at this point. He won’t score on all his attempts forever but he’s a lot better of an option than the veterans who have been coming up empty recently.

he was having the time of his life https://t.co/nXpkquAUS7pic.twitter.com/CDp5ceMJqt

— camryn (@sidnezcrosby) March 27, 2026

I don’t often use the Game Score impact card due to how it can be misconceived or analyzed but the one from last night was telling due to how it matched what I saw and how it ties into some ongoing trends. Rickard Rakell has been awesome lately with 14 points in his last 11 games. Erik Karlsson is pulling the wagon to a huge degree. The “fourth” line (even though they’re not deployed or given typical fourth line ice time) is making positive impacts. Bryan Rust is a reliable performer. Stuart Skinner had a great game keeping the team afloat. Kris Letang is struggling, Sam Girard is too while trying to find his way coming back from injury and still relatively new to the team and system. Tommy Novak didn’t grade well last night but has been better recently. All of this was on display last night and has been going that way for a while, reflected nicely by

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Pittsburgh Penguins on 2026-03-26: pic.twitter.com/wan7KcBPO1

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) March 27, 2026

At this point the team has to seriously question Ville Koivunen’s place in the lineup for this important stretch of the season. Out of 441 forwards across the NHL who have played at least 250 minutes, Koivunen ranks 439th in points/60 with a dreadful 0.45 rate that is below Ryan Reaves and just about everyone else in the league. On the rink Koivunen looks tentative, slow, is muscled off pucks regularly and barely supports play, often hinders it. He does little good away from the puck and has not been able to generate virtually anything with it, which ought to be his strength. The Penguins are in a tough spot given the injuries to Evgeni Malkin, Blake Lizotte and now maybe Sidney Crosby but it’s probably time (or past time even) to consider other options than Koivunen, who just doesn’t look the part right now of an NHL caliber player for a team pushing to make the postseason.

Here are the fastest teams ranked in terms of 20-22 mph bursts. I also included 22+ mph bursts in the 2nd column.

Boston is slowest in East while Calgary is the slowest in the NHL by significant margin. pic.twitter.com/2q9l271M5m

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) March 26, 2026

This ties into the above, but dropping Koivunen might make the Pens faster too, which they could probably stand to gain some team speed. Koivunen only has 11 bursts of 20+ mph in his 35 games this season, per NHL Edge. He plays on a line with Justin Brazeau, who himself only has 33 bursts of 20+ in his 54 games. That makes for one of the less explosive lines a team could create. Being fast doesn’t always mean being good and lacking burst doesn’t necessarily tie into an ineffective player, just a matter of all the pieces coming together in the big picture that present opportunities for the team to improve, especially seeing the Pens on the same rink as speedy teams like Carolina, Colorado and Ottawa in recent games. (And Rutger McGroarty, if you were wondering, has 24 bursts in his 20 NHL games).

Now shifting gears to an even worse topic, the dreaded goalie interference drama.

Written 32:https://t.co/6GsOv6rqMY

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 27, 2026

Friedman attempts to explain about how the league thought Karlsson lost a battle with Morgan Barron, creating the goalie contact and why that goal stood. That’s one interpretation, though as always application of rulings is ever inconsistent — for the Penguins and across the NHL.

Personally, I think the bigger issue is Justin Brazeau’s recently disallowed goal against Colorado versus Claude Giroux’s non-interference in last night’s Ottawa game. Both were similar, and if anything Giroux had less of a case of obstructing the goalie than Brazeau (who was dealing with some contact from a defender). It’s difficult if not impossible to make sense of the NHL’s conclusions.

One area worth taking notice about is the frequency of coach Dan Muse’s challenges. The Penguins’ nine goalie interference challenges lead the league by a wide margin, no other team has challenged for GI more than five times.

no one has challenged for goalie interference more than the Penguins this year — Boston, Calgary, Chicago, and Ottawa are tied for second with five challenges this year.

Behind the Penguins -9 in these challenges, the Panthers are second-worst after going 0-4

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) March 27, 2026

Is Muse, as a rookie, over-eager to try and reverse a call? He obviously sees things he thinks is interference, yet the league hasn’t agreed a single time. Not sure if the correction is to limit challenges to the most ‘obvious’ of cases, with the caveat being that it’s a major issue to know what even is ‘obvious’ these days. Credit Muse for having the conviction to keep challenging when he disagrees even though at some point internal choices might have to be adjusted given how it’s been going. Just some food for thought, since basically no one can provide logical answers at this point.

St. Louis Blues pro scout and AHL GM Kevin Maxwell and VP of hockey operations Peter Chiarelli are leaving the club to pursue other opportunities, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. 

According to Dreger, Maxwell is expected to return to the New York Rangers in a management role, while Chiarelli is one of the candidates to replace Barry Trotz as GM of the Nashville Predators.

Maxwell has been with the Blues organization since 2022. He’s worked as a pro scout and the GM of the Springfield Thunderbirds since his arrival. Prior to joining the Blues, Maxwell was the long-time director of professional scouting and a pro scout for the Rangers, spending 14 seasons with the club. 

The 65-year-old has worked in scouting departments with NHL teams since 1988. 

As for Chiarelli, he’s been with the Blues since 2019, starting as a senior advisor for two years before shifting into his role as VP of hockey operations for the past five seasons.

Prior to joining the Blues organization, Chiarelli was the GM of the Edmonton Oilers, but his time there went south fairly quickly, as he was fired before the end of his fourth season.

Could Blues' Doug Armstrong Take Over As GM Of Another NHL Franchise?Doug Armstrong is set to pass the baton to Alex Steen as GM of the St. Louis Blues on July 1st and become the full-time president of hockey operations, but is Armstrong ready to give up that role for good?

Before joining the Oilers, Chiarelli was the GM of the Boston Bruins, leading them to the Stanley Cup in 2011. 

The 61-year-old has worked in the NHL since 1999, starting with the Ottawa Senators. 

With Doug Armstrong becoming the full-time president of hockey operations and Alexander Steen as GM, moves within the front office were anticipated, but now the Blues will need to undergo plenty of housecleaning. 

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On a relatively quiet Friday night in the NHL, one matchup carries major weight in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Detroit Red Wings travel to Buffalo to face the division-leading Sabres in a game with significant postseason implications.

Detroit enters the contest trailing the Ottawa Senators by two points and the New York Islanders by three points for the second wild card spot in the East. This makes Friday’s game critical if the Red Wings hope to remain in the playoff hunt.

While Kevin McGonigle is dazzling on the diamond, the Red Wings have given their fans little to cheer about with a brutal 6-9-3 record over their last 18 games. That slump has caused their playoff chances to drop sharply and puts added pressure on their final 11 games of the season.

This will be the third and final meeting between Detroit and Buffalo, with the Sabres winning both previous matchups. Since their last meeting in mid-November, Buffalo has only improved. Over their past 15 games, the Sabres have gone 12-1-2, the best record in the league during that span. They have combined explosive offense with one of the league’s top defensive performances, pushing them to first place in the Atlantic Division and establishing them as a serious Stanley Cup contender.

Buffalo will face a Detroit team that is desperate for a turnaround as the Red Wings are overdue for a momentum shift and will look to finally break through against the Sabres. Much will depend on their returning players, who have started to make an impact.

Andrew Copp has four points in his last five games, while captain Dylan Larkin scored in his return and will aim to lead by example again. Detroit is also hoping for more production from David Perron, who has yet to register a point in five games since rejoining the team at the trade deadline.

Buffalo’s recent dominance has been fueled by the standout play of Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Both performed well internationally at the Olympics and have carried that momentum back to the NHL. Dahlin has been especially impressive, recording 29 points in his last 22 games, while Thompson has maintained a point-per-game pace over his last 19 contests.

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Detroit Red Wings’ Expected Line Combinations vs Buffalo (Friday)

Finnie – Larkin – Raymond

DeBrincat – Compher – Kane

Kasper – Copp – Appleton

Perron - Dries - van Riemsdyk

Edvinsson – Seider

Chiarot – Faulk

Johansson - Benard-Docker

Gibson

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The Detroit Red Wings visit the Buffalo Sabres in a pivotal game for the Eastern Conference standings at the Keybank Center on Friday, March 27.

My top Red Wings vs. Sabres predictions and NHL picks expect a low-scoring battle tonight.

Red Wings vs Sabres prediction

Red Wings vs Sabres best bet: Under 6.5 (-130)

The math simply doesn’t add up for this Over between the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres.

Detroit is averaging the sixth-fewest goals per game (2.54) out of the Olympic break, and Buffalo has allowed the third fewest (2.33).

Additionally, goaltending has been a strength for both teams during the stretch.

Detroit No. 1 John Gibson sports a high-end .914 save percentage with 8.61 goals saved above expected across his past 11 appearances, and Buffalo starter Alex Lyon checks in with respective .904 and 6.96 marks across his past seven games.

Red Wings vs Sabres same-game parlay

The Sabres have won 18 of their past 25 games (+9.60 Units / 29% ROI) with a plus-33 goal differential and the third-fewest goals again per game (2.52). Meanwhile, the Red Wings have lost seven of their past 10 with a minus-3 goal differential.

Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider has recorded three or more shots in eight of his past 10 games to pace the Red Wings with 38 total, and he also leads the way in attempts with 72. Seider has logged a massive 25:36 of ice time (4:20 with the man advantage) during the stretch, too.

Red Wings vs Sabres SGP

• Buffalo moneyline
• Under 6.5
• Moritz Seider Over 2.5 shots

Red Wings vs Sabres odds

• Moneyline: Red Wings +130 | Sabres -160
• Puck Line: Red Wings +1.5 (-200) | Sabres -1.5 (+165)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+110) | Under 6.5 (-130)

Red Wings vs Sabres trend

The Buffalo Sabres have won 18 of their last 25 games (+9.60 Units / 29% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Red Wings vs. Sabres.

How to watch Red Wings vs Sabres

Red Wings vs Sabres latest injuries

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The Montreal Canadiens currently have a 93.8% chance of making the playoffs according to Moneypuck, but they are still only four points ahead of the ninth-place team in the Eastern Conference standings. That’s far from a comfortable position to be in, and the road ahead promises to be a tumultuous one. In their last 19 games at the Bell Centre, the Habs have a 14-4-1 record, scoring 3.89 goals per game and surrendering 2.42 goals per game, but they have now left the comfort of their home arena for a five-game road trip against tough opponents.

Over the next eight days, the Habs will play five games against opponents with a collective record of 30-17-3 over their last 10 games. Saturday’s opponents, the Nashville Predators, are currently battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and sit in the second wild card spot with 77 points, just one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. Needless to say, they’ll be playing with desperation.

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Then, on Sunday, the Canadiens will face the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time in less than a week, after losing 5-2 to Montreal on Tuesday, Rod Brind’Amour’s men will no doubt be looking for revenge. Furthermore, they are currently battling the Buffalo Sabres for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

On Tuesday, they’ll take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who would be their opponents if the playoffs started today. Jon Cooper’s team is having another very good season and has already beaten the Canadiens twice. A 6-1 blowout at the Bell Centre in early December and a 5-4 overtime win at the end of the same month. This will be the third of four games between the two sides this year, and on top of needing the two points, the Habs need to gain some confidence and know they can beat Tampa, especially if they are to face them in the post-season.

On Thursday, they’ll take on the mathematically eliminated New York Rangers, who are second to last in the league with a measly 65 points. At this stage, the Rags are simply going through the motions, but the two points should not be taken for granted, and that game could be a big trap for the Habs.

Finally, they’ll wrap up the trip with the first game of a back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils. Although they have yet to be mathematically eliminated, with 76 points, they are 11 points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot. On paper, they are unlikely to make up that ground, but they are still 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and have outscored their opponents 41-32 over that span.

Against opponents like Carolina and Tampa Bay, the Canadiens cannot afford to have the same kind of start they’ve been having lately. Martin St-Louis’ men need to be able to provide a solid 60-minute effort and not rely so much on their goaltenders. Dobes has a 5-2-0 record since March 7 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .931 SV %, but hockey is a team sport, and everyone needs to contribute and play their part. There can’t be any passengers, not now and certainly not during the playoffs.

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Defenseman Erik Karlsson is getting most of the attention right now for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and deservedly so given the way he is playing. He is not only playing the best hockey he has ever played as a member of the Penguins, he is playing some of the best hockey that he has ever played for anybody. It is a marvel to watch. He is in command every time the puck is on his stick and is completely changing games. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin going in and out of the lineup, Karlsson has consistently stepped up and played like the superstar the Penguins need. He is their MVP right now, and for this season.

He is not the only Swedish player that is stepping up and making a major impact at the moment. Rickard Rakell is right there with him.

Maybe not at quite the same level, but at least fairly close.

He was every bit the impact player that Karlsson was in Thursday night’s 4-3 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators, scoring a pair of goals, assisting on another and making a handful of plays that even dazzled the Ottawa crowd. He was on one, and it was spectacular to watch.

It has also been a pretty common theme for him throughout the month of March.

With his three-point effort on Thursday, Rakell is now up to seven goals, eight assists, 15 total points and 31 shots on goal in the 14 games this month, while also scoring the game-winning shootout goal against the Winnipeg Jets this past Saturday. From an underlying numbers standpoint, his 59.04 percent expected goals share over that stretch is tops on the team (among players that appeared in at least 10 games) while the Penguins have outscored teams 14-9 with him on the ice during 5-on-5 play. He is also averaging 1.26 individual expected goals per 60 minutes. He is creating chances. He is converting on them.

It has been an especially important month for Rakell because a lot of that production came with Sidney Crosby out of the lineup and Rakell having to play out of position at center. The experiment with him at center may not have been wildly popular, and it is certainly not his strongest position or the ideal spot for him, but he simply produced and provided offense at a time when the Penguins needed.

He has also faced some criticism this season for seeing his overall production drop a bit from his career-year performance in 2024-25. But that was always going to be a very real possibility, if not an expectation. Most players that have a career-year in their early 30s are not going to repeat it or build on it. That is just not how aging curves and career progressions work. The important thing was for him to at least get back into the same ballpark and be close to it.

From a big picture perspective, he mostly has.

There was a big discussion at the trade deadline a year ago over whether or not the Penguins should have traded Rakell, but given the trade market for non-star wingers on the plus side of 30 (especially in-season), it seems unlikely that there was a huge market for him. At least not enough of one to make trading him worth it when he still has productive hockey to give. He clearly still does.

After Thursday’s game Rakell is now up to 17 goals and 39 assists in 51 games for the season. That is a 27-goal, 62-point pace over 82 games. Both numbers are above his normal 82-game averages (24 goals, 54 points) for his career. The production is not what it was a year ago, but it is still there at a more than acceptable rate. More importantly, it has been there when the Penguins needed it from him.

The Hockey News' main site has revealed players 41-60 for their latest top 100 NHL-affiliated prospect rankings. Several Chicago Blackhawks prospects made the cut from 61-100, and now another has made this latest batch: Roman Kantserov.

Kantserov was given the No. 52 spot in THN's rankings, and when looking at the season he has had, it is not difficult to understand why. The 5-foot-9 forward was simply dominant this regular season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL, as he had 36 goals, 28 assists, and 64 points in 63 games. He has also had a hot start to the playoffs, as he has two goals and four points in two games. 

With how well Kantserov has played this season in the KHL, it is hard not to be excited about his future with the Blackhawks. The young forward has the tools and skill to become a top-six forward later down the road. With this, he is easily one of the Blackhawks' most exciting prospects, and it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop his game from here. 

The Hockey News' main site has revealed players 41 to 60 from their latest top 100 NHL-affiliated prospect rankings. Three Philadelphia Flyers made the cut with the latest batch: Jack Nesbitt (No. 48), Jett Luchanko (No. 49), and David Jiricek (No. 51). 

Nesbitt was selected by the Flyers with the 12th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-4 forward had a strong regular season with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, as he had 25 goals, 33 assists, 58 points, and a plus-26 rating in 55 games. With this, it makes sense that he made these rankings. 

Luchanko was selected by the Flyers with the 13th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. In 38 games this season split between the Guelph Storm and Brantford Bulldogs, the 19-year-old had seven goals, 36 assists, and 43 points. 

As for Jiricek, the Flyers acquired him at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Bobby Brink. The 6-foot-4 blueliner is still looking to cement himself as a full-time NHL defenseman, but there is no question that he has good upside. In seven games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms since the trade, he has two goals and six points.