DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Kane scored twice for Detroit to move into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time goals list for NHL players born in the U.S. and lead the Red Wings to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Kane has 504 career goals, trailing Mike Modano (561), Keith Tkachuk (538) and Jeremy Roenick (513). The 19th-year veteran entered the night tied with Joe Mullen (502). Earlier this season, Kane passed Modano to become the highest-scoring American-born player in league history. Kane now has 1,383 career points in 1,355 games.
Emmitt Finnie, Moritz Seider and Dominik Shine also scored and Alex DeBrincat had three assists for the Red Wings, who started a four-game homestand by stopping a three-game losing streak.
J.T. Compher added two assists and John Gibson made 25 saves for Detroit, which moved into a tie with Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have two games in hand on the Red Wings, who currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Morgan Frost scored late in the first period to put the Flames on the board first, but Detroit scored three times in a span of 5:34 early in the second period to take control. Kane had the first and third goals in that surge.
Matt Coronato added a goal and an assist and Dustin Wolf made 20 saves for Calgary, which finished a five-game road trip through the Eastern Conference at 1-4. The Flames, who have the NHL’s second-worst record ahead of only Pacific Division rival Vancouver, are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.
DEVILS 4, BRUINS 3, OT
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes had three assists to extend his productive run since scoring the gold medal-winning goal for the U.S. at the Olympics, and New Jersey dented Boston's playoff chances by beating them in overtime.
Hughes set up Connor Brown’s goal to become the fastest player in franchise history to 400 career points. He also had a hand in Jesper Bratt’s goal and assisted on Paul Cotter’s winner with 6.2 seconds left in 3-on-3 overtime to reach 402 in his 414th regular-season game. Hughes has 12 points in 10 games since returning from Milan.
Cotter also scored early in the third period to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead before David Pastrnak tied it 1:42 later.
KINGS 4, RANGERS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Laferriere had a goal and two assists to lead Los Angeles to a win over New York.
Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson and Trevor Moore also scored for Los Angeles, which has won three of five.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots.
Despite 22 saves from Igor Shesterkin, New York’s four-game winning streak ended.
Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal 2:29 into the third period spoiled Kuemper’s bid for his third shutout of the season.
The Calgary Flames saw a strong start slip away Monday night, falling 5–2 to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. A physical opening period and an early Calgary lead were erased by a dominant middle frame from Detroit, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
The first period featured plenty of intensity as both teams established a physical edge. Early in the frame, Flames prospect Hunter Brzustewicz was driven hard into the boards along the wall, prompting teammate Martin Pospisil to immediately respond. Pospisil dropped the gloves with Dominik Shine who was responsible for the hit, energizing the Flames bench and setting the tone for a chippy contest.
Calgary carried that momentum onto the scoreboard later in the period.
With the Flames pushing in the offensive zone, Matvei Gridin skated into the slot and showed patience with the puck. After a subtle fake to freeze the defence, Gridin slid a crisp pass across to a streaking Morgan Frost, who redirected the puck past John Gibson to give Calgary a 1–0 lead.
The momentum swung quickly in the second period, and the Red Wings took full advantage.
Just 1:03 into the frame, Alex DeBrincat spotted Patrick Kane slipping behind the Calgary defence on a broken play. DeBrincat delivered the puck into Kane’s path, and the veteran forward smoothly controlled the pass between his legs before skating in alone and beating Dustin Wolf to tie the game 1–1.
Detroit grabbed the lead a few minutes later. After killing off a Calgary power play, the Red Wings transitioned quickly up ice. Lucas Raymond moved the puck to Albert Johansson, who delivered a one-touch backhand pass across the slot to Emmitt Finnie. Finnie tipped the puck past Wolf at 5:06, giving Detroit a 2–1 advantage.
The Red Wings kept pressing. At 6:37, Kane drove hard to the net and redirected a well-placed feed from DeBrincat past Wolf, extending Detroit’s lead to 3–1.
With the Red Wings on the power play at 11:45, Seider drifted in from the blue line and waited for traffic to form in front of the net before unleashing a pinpoint wrist shot that found the top corner. The goal restored Detroit’s two-goal lead at 4–2 heading into the third.
Detroit Seals It Late
Calgary pushed in the final frame but couldn’t solve Gibson again. The Red Wings eventually put the game away with an empty-net goal from Shine in the closing minutes, securing the 5–2 victory.
Matt Coronato snapped his 15-game goalless stretch with his second-period marker. The winger has been consistently generating chances and staying active around the puck, and this time the effort was rewarded.
2. Second Period Collapse
The middle frame proved decisive. Detroit scored four times in the period, turning a 1–0 Calgary lead into a multi-goal deficit the Flames couldn’t recover from.
3. Young Defence Gets a Look
Flames fans got a glimpse of the future as Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz dressed in the same game. With Yan Kuznetsov out of the lineup, both young defenders saw time on the power-play units.
Mar 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) during a stoppage in play against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Alex Ovechkin became the fresh face of the franchise for the Washington Capitals more than two decades ago when they selected the big, skilled Russian winger with the first pick in the 2004 NHL draft.
He’s now 40 and nearing the end of his 21st season with them. He hoisted the Stanley Cup as playoff MVP in 2018 and last year passed Wayne Gretzky as the league’s career goal-scoring leader.
Ovechkin has yet to say whether this is it or if he wants to play again in 2026-27, so the front office is planning for either contingency. While doing so, Washington is ushering in a youth movement on the fly, with the trade of 36-year-old organizational cornerstone John Carlson the latest step in turning the page on a generation of players responsible for not only a championship but 16 playoff appearances in 18 seasons.
“They’re these guys (who go from) sometimes they don’t even have a shaving kit to getting married and having families and having the careers that they’re having,” assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said in a phone interview. “Things don’t last forever.”
Capitals are building around a new core
The Capitals have done something rare in the NHL since the salary cap era began in 2005: replenish talent while consistently contending. Brian MacLellan, the general manager from 2014-24, and successor Chris Patrick have simultaneously bought and sold at times and made some shrewd offseason trades and free agent signings along the way.
The result is a new core of players in their mid-to-late 20s and early 30s, all signed through at least 2029: goalie Logan Thompson, defensemen Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy and Martin Fehervary, and forwards Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson, the latter of whom is likely to succeed Ovechkin as captain.
“That’s a pretty good starting point for a competitive team, a Stanley Cup-winning team,” Patrick said. “We just felt like going into the deadline, if we are going to make moves, we should make moves with that in mind — giving us assets that we can use to try to add impact players to this current group.”
Sending Carlson to Anaheim less than 15 hours before the trade deadline made it a sad day for former teammates. He spent 17 years with the Capitals, so Ovechkin called it probably the toughest day of his career from a personal standpoint.
The first- and third-round picks the Capitals got in the trade were among the best returns any team received for a pending free agent rental player. That deal and trading mid-30s fourth-line center Nic Dowd to Vegas added to a stockpile of draft capital: 13 selections in the first three rounds over the next four years.
Some of those picks will be used and others dealt for immediate help. A fast-rising cap has reduced the pool of high-end free agents available on July 1 because teams have plenty of space to re-sign their best players, so the trade market has become the place to go for talent.
“There’s not as big a bucket to shop from this summer, so I think having assets that are tradeable is good,” Patrick said. “Are those trades going to happen? I don’t know. We hope. There tend to be names that become available for some reason or another.”
Plenty of elite prospects already in Washington’s pipeline
The rare playoff misses and sell-offs have allowed Mahoney and his staff to infuse the organization with prospects from all over the world.
Already in the NHL are Ryan Leonard, the No. 8 pick in 2023, and fellow winger Ivan Miroshnichenko, a first-rounder the previous year. Defenseman Cole Hutson, selected 43rd in ‘24 is joining them this week after signing his entry-level contract Sunday fresh off his college season at Boston University ending. Ilya Protas, a find at No. 75 in that same draft, is leading the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears in scoring at the age of 19 and is close to following his older brother to Washington.
“I’m really happy with where we’re at,” said Mahoney, who been head of amateur scouting since 2000. “My guys have done a fantastic job of trying to kind of stockpile the shelves again.”
Protas, a 6-foot-5 center, might be able to slide into Dowd’s old spot as soon as next season. Hutson is a dynamic, offensively minded right-handed shooter whose impending arrival in part paved the way for Carlson to go to the Ducks, because there’s a succession plan in place.
“We felt a little bit more comfortable saying if we have to let a guy kind of towards the end of his career, in his mid-30s go, and could get good assets in return, hopefully we’re in a good spot,” Patrick said. “We won’t be right away, but within the next couple seasons hopefully we’re in a pretty good spot with where our younger guys have come.”
Mahoney, as he did in the late 2000s when the likes of Ovechkin, Backstrom, Mike Green and Alexander Semin were 20 and 21, would love to “speed up the clock” and fast-forward this next crop of prospects to being NHL ready. He knows that’s not possible, acknowledging, “You’ve got to be patient and let it evolve.”
And yet the expectation still is to win now — and whenever Ovechkin hangs up his skates. The Capitals are confident the players who have studied under him will keep the positive culture going and trust that management will keep making moves to supplement the core already in place.
“No one can replace Alex Ovechkin and what he brings to a team,” Patrick said. “Those guys, they just want to know that we’re going to be a competitive team and when it’s time to push the chips in, we will.”
The Los Angeles Kings (28-24-15) end their five-game road trip with a bounce-back 4-1 win over the New York Rangers (28-31-8), snapping New York's four-game win streak, after suffering that disappointing loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
The opening period began with Drew Doughty snapping an impressive long-range shot through traffic to give LA the early 1-0 lead. The Kings once again played great defense to start, frustrating the Rangers on offense despite New York not drawing a penalty; they still struggled to score and generate shots on goal, holding the Rangers to just six. LA outshot the Rangers 8-6 during the quiet offensive period.
The second period began with the Kings remaining hot, scoring two goals in a span of 28 seconds in the first four minutes of the second period to hold a commanding 3-0 lead. It all began with Mikey Anderson putting in the rebound after Alex Laferriere was fed by Quinton Byfield in the slot. LA took advantage and cleaned up the shot on the 4-on-2 rush.
A few seconds later, the Rangers got called on their first power play of the game, and this time Alex Laferriere was able to get the shot up himself and put it through the net to give Los Angeles a 3-0 lead.
LAK Goal - Jersey Kid, New York Goal.
Laferriere scores early on the power play to put the Kings ahead by three. Byfield with his second helper of the night. 3-0 Kings.
Artemi Panarin also returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time since being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. The fans gave him a standing ovation, a much-deserved honor for the four-time All-Star.
Panarin finished the game with one assist and one point, while Alex Laferriere finished with one goal, one assist, and two points. Los Angeles also got help from their defenseman Mikey Anderson, who scored one goal, one assist, and two points, while Quinton Byfield had a nice night spreading the wealth with two assists and two points.
The dominance began in the second period, with the Kings outshooting the Rangers 16-3, once again putting in that defensive effort under D.J. Smith as interim head coach.
The second period would end with the Kings leading 3-0, in the perfect position to win this game.
New York did score on a power play goal to cut the deficit to 3-1 two minutes into the final frame, but couldn't generate goals. Despite outshooting the Kings by a big margin, 13-2, the Rangers had one chance to score and cut the deficit to 1, but hit the crossbar and never got back in the game.
With under two minutes remaining in the final period, the Kings sealed the deal with Trevor Moore capitalizing on the empty-netter to close out the Rangers 4-1 in MSG.
Trevor Moore picks the empty net.
The @LAKings will get the two points at MSG and head home with a 3-1-1 record on their five-game trip.
Overall, it was a great bounce-back win for the Kings in a must-win situation after dropping to sixth over the weekend. Los Angeles is now tied with Seattle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
LA ends their five-game road trip with a 3-1-1 record and stays in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Kings will return to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday to host the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 PM PT.
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DENVER — Can virtual NHL officiating be worse than real life? Let's dive in, shall we?
Jokes aside, the Pittsburgh Penguins skated away with a 3–2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in our latest NHL 26 experiment, and the game was actually — gasp — fun to watch. If you missed it, you can check out the full simulation here.
Nathan MacKinnon and Parker Kelly provided the offense for Colorado, while Scott Wedgewood delivered a stellar performance between the pipes with 24 saves that bordered on video game legend territory.
Nathan MacKinnon hitting the net at morning skate.
For Pittsburgh, Bryan Rust scored twice and Justin Brazeau netted the late game-winner. Stuart Skinner was excellent as well, turning aside 33 shots to help secure the victory.
First Period
The Avalanche wasted no time electrifying the crowd at Ball Arena.
Just 29 seconds into the game, MacKinnon pounced on a loose puck along the boards, snapped it toward the net, and beat Skinner cleanly to give Colorado a 1–0 lead before many fans had even settled into their seats.
Pittsburgh quickly responded by cranking up the physicality. On the next sequence, Evgeni Malkin — appearing in his first game after serving a five-game suspension — leveled Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson during a gritty battle along the boards.
Manson bounced right back into the play. Moments later, off a faceoff win from Brock Nelson in Pittsburgh’s zone, the defenseman blasted a point shot that Skinner snatched out of the air with a spectacular glove save.
Nearly eight minutes into the period, Manson returned to the exact same patch of ice and fired another wrister toward the net. This time it beat the goalie but rang squarely off the post, drawing a loud, collective “Ohhh!” from the crowd.
About a minute later, Colorado went to the power play after Noel Acciari was whistled for holding Nelson. The man advantage generated chances, including a slap shot from Martin Nečas, but Skinner stood tall and kept the puck out.
Pittsburgh eventually found its breakthrough with 6:12 remaining in the period.
The sequence began when Parker Kelly mishandled the puck in the defensive zone, allowing Rickard Rakell to intercept the pass and quickly slide the puck into the slot. Rust took it from there, firing a precise shot past Wedgewood to tie the game 1–1.
The Penguins struck again almost immediately.
After crashing the net and forcing chaos around the crease, Parker Wotherspoon worked the puck free and sent it back to Rust in nearly the same shooting lane. Once again, he made no mistake, wiring it past the goaltender to give Pittsburgh a 2–1 lead.
Then came one of those classic EA Sports officiating moments.
Nicolas Roy was called for interference despite Anthony Mantha essentially skating directly into him. Thanks, EA. Fortunately for Colorado, the penalty kill held strong.
Late in the period, Wedgewood produced the save of the night.
With 1:29 remaining, Malkin uncorked a dangerous one-timer that looked destined for the net. Falling backward, the Avalanche goaltender somehow flashed the glove and robbed him in dramatic fashion.
After twenty minutes, the Penguins held a 2–1 lead and a 14–10 edge in shots.
Second Period
Colorado clawed its way back midway through the frame.
Nearly seven minutes into the period, Kelly capitalized on a quick passing play when Sam Malinski fed him in tight. Kelly attempted a backhand that caught Skinner’s blocker and fluttered awkwardly into the net, tying the game 2–2.
It was the kind of opportunistic scoring that highlights Colorado’s depth — the players who quietly deliver when the stars are tied up.
Nečas nearly pushed the Avalanche ahead later in the period with a booming slap shot from the top of the right circle, but the puck was partially deflected before Skinner calmly plucked it out of the air.
Neither team could break the deadlock before the intermission, sending the game to the third period tied 2–2. Pittsburgh held a razor-thin shots advantage at 22–21.
Third Period
The final frame opened with a little bit of everything — pressure, frustration, and plenty of iron.
About three minutes in, Mantha broke through Colorado’s defense and fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle.
Doink.
Off the post.
Colorado controlled possession through much of the first half of the period, outshooting Pittsburgh 8–0 during one extended stretch. A turnover at the blue line created a chance for Gavin Brindley to drive the net, but his shot glanced off Skinner’s glove and stayed out.
Then came another moment of metallic misfortune.
With nine minutes remaining, MacKinnon received a slick pass from Nazem Kadri in the slot and quickly snapped a backhand toward the net.
Doink.
Right off the post again as Skinner sprawled across the crease stacking the pads.
Mantha later joined the unofficial “post club.”
On a clean 2-on-1 rush with 4:30 left, Kris Letang fed him perfectly in stride. Mantha ripped the shot…
Doink.
Again.
The forward covered his face before throwing his arms skyward in disbelief, seemingly wondering what kind of hockey spirits had cursed him.
Unfortunately for Colorado, the cruelest bounce of the night was still coming.
With just 35 seconds left in regulation, Brazeau snapped a shot from the slot that deflected off Zakhar Bardakov’s stick and fluttered past Wedgewood into the net.
An own goal.
A brutal break.
And a 3–2 Penguins lead.
Colorado pulled the goalie for a final push, but the rally never materialized. Pittsburgh held firm in the closing seconds to secure the virtual victory.
Now the only question left is simple:
What happens when these teams meet in real life tonight?
The popularity of the Florida Panthers has grown quite a bit in recent years.
Three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final and back-to-back championships will do that.
Even throughout their current season, which has seen the Panthers struggle to find the same kind of success they’ve seen over the past several years, fans have been showing up and showing out, wherever the Cats might be hitting the ice.
That included Sunday in Seattle, when a plethora of Panthers fans were seen in the building and on the glass at Climate Pledge Arena.
“We get traveling fans who come out and follow us on a road trip, and it is great,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said Sunday.
It’s no surprise that Florida’s average attendance at home has seen a big boost.
This season, even with all of the Panthers struggles, they are still averaging the third-highest home attendance in the league, behind only Montreal and Tampa Bay.
But to see all the Panthers fans on the road has been great.
They’re not only showing up along the glass for pregame warmups, either.
Fans are at the practice rinks, they’re outside the team bus wherever it goes, they’re waiting outside arenas after games.
Panthers popularity is a real thing, ya’ll.
“There’s far more people looking for autographs at the hotel, a lot more Panthers jerseys in the fans in road buildings,” Maurice said.
Look for this trend to continue building momentum, as the Panthers should resume their run of Stanley Cup contending seasons in short order.
Florida’s roster is full of elite players who are locked up for several seasons, meaning the team is expected to maintain its spot as one of the top teams in the league.
Seeds that were planted long ago are now finally starting to bear fruit.
Dec 13, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; The Florida Panthers and their fans celebrate and empty net goal by left wing Brad Marchand (not pictured) against the Dallas Stars during the third period at the American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
Artemi Panarin returns to Madison Square Garden with his emotions still raw, just a few weeks after he was traded from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings.
The Rangers are set to play against the Kings on Monday night, marking the first time Panarin will face off against the Blueshirts since being traded.
Panarin admitted to potentially being emotional, but knows the magnitude of the game, given the Kings’ playoff push in the Western Conference.
"We'll see,” Panarin said about how emotional it will be playing the Rangers. “I'll try not crying. I guess battling for playoffs, I don't have time for that emotion"
There was a lot of buildup to Panarin’s departure from New York, yet everything seemed to reach a boiling point and move quickly in January, less than a month before he ultimately was traded.
The 34-year-old forward entered the 2025-26 campaign without a long-term contract extension in place, as his seven-year, $81.5 million contract extension was going to expire during the 2026 offseason.
Both Rangers’ president and general manager Chris Drury and Panarin spoke vaguely about contract negotiations, not revealing what may transpire in the future, which brought even more uncertainty to the situation.
Ultimately, Drury issued a letter to fans on Jan. 16 outlining the Rangers’ plan to retool the roster, and it was reported shortly after that the Rangers did not plan to re-sign Panarin and would look to trade him ahead of the March 6th NHL Trade Deadline.
Upon being held out of the Rangers’ lineup starting on Jan. 28 due to roster management, Panarin and his agent, Paul Theofanous, were able to explore the market and determine which teams would be willing to give a contract extension that met their demands.
Panarin zeroed in on the Kings as his preferred destination and waived his no-move clause to go to Los Angeles. Almost immediately after being traded, Panarin signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Kings.
“I feel weird actually. It’ll be in my head, and stay in my head and just walk around. I feel like this ended very quick — I was not expecting that, but I also had seven years here, so it was a great time for me,” Panarin said about how everything unfolded with the Rangers.
Now, everything is in the past, and Panarin will enter the world’s most famous arena as an opponent.
NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 22: Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) and New Jersey Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63) battle for the puck during a NHL game between the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on January 22, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (33-31-2) versus the Boston Bruins (37-23-6)
The Rules: If you have been a reader here, you already know the rules. But for the rest, a reminder: please do not swear in the comment section, and keep comments relevant to the hockey game going on. Beyond that, do not attack any other commenters, and do not ask for or pass along illegal streams on this board.
DENVER — Ilya Solovyov didn’t spend long in Denver, but his brief stint with the Colorado Avalanche still produced a moment he’ll remember for the rest of his career — the first NHL goal of his career.
The 25-year-old defenseman scored that milestone marker on Jan. 10 in a 4–0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. With 9:30 remaining in the second period, Solovyov accepted a rink wide pass from Parker Kelly, stepped into the play, and ripped a wrist shot from the top of the left circle past the goaltender. The celebration was instant and emotional as he leapt into the arms of teammate Brent Burns.
"It's good to score when we play at home," Solovyov told The Hockey News. "Yeah, it was a fun (moment), fun memory, so I'll try to (score some more) tonight."
Solovyov has been getting more ice time with the Penguins. Credit: Charles LeClaire
Solovyov’s path to that moment in Denver was far from straightforward. The Belarusian defenseman was claimed off waivers by Colorado in October after spending most of the 2024–25 season with the Calgary Wranglers, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames.
During that AHL campaign, Solovyov produced 28 points — six goals and 22 assists — tying for the team lead in goals among defensemen. He also appeared in five NHL games with Calgary, recording one assist.
But the move to Denver came with challenges beyond the ice, particularly for his family, who remained behind in Calgary while the logistics of another relocation were sorted out.
“I left my family back in Calgary for a bit. It’s been almost two weeks right now,” Solovyov said shortly after arriving in Colorado. “We have a house over there, so they’re not able to jump in right away. We have to clean everything; we have to call a moving company to pick up all the stuff. We’ve got a bed, a lot of kid stuff, so they’re not able to come right away. Now we’re trying to figure out everything else. The next day I’m flying to Colorado, and the day after that I’m skating by myself.”
Another Move, Another Opportunity
Just 10 days after scoring his first NHL goal, Solovyov’s whirlwind season took another turn. Colorado traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.
Given those circumstances, it was only natural to ask how his family has handled yet another move.
"It's maybe a little bit easier for me than for (my) family, especially my wife and son," he added. "Moving from Calgary to Denver, like you said, it was a little hard for them, but they try to manage it, and help me as much as they can."
On the ice, Solovyov appears to be settling in with his new club. In 16 games with Colorado, he recorded one goal and two assists for three points. Since joining Pittsburgh, however, his offensive production has already picked up. Through nine games with the Penguins, Solovyov has registered four assists — already surpassing his point total with the Avalanche, aside from the lone goal.
Now, he’ll have an opportunity to show his former team what they may have lost when the Penguins face the Avalanche tonight.
"I'm just trying to play solid, that's it. The last few games haven't been good for me, so I'll just try to (play better)."
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made some changes to their roster ahead of their matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.
The Penguins have announced that they have recalled defenseman Jack St. Ivany from his conditioning stint with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In addition, Pittsburgh shared that blueliner Alexander Alexeyev has been sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
St. Ivany played in three games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during his conditioning loan, where he had one assist and a plus-1 rating. Now, after getting called back up to Pittsburgh's roster, he will be looking to make an impact.
St. Ivany has not played in a game for Pittsburgh since Jan. 25 due to injury. Yet, he is now ready to return for the Penguins and will look to build on his strong season with the Metropolitan Division club. In 17 games this season for Pittsburgh, he has a career-high seven assists and 40 hits.
As for Alexeyev, he did not make his Pittsburgh debut during his call-up. In 29 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has three goals, seven points, 15 penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating.
The Montreal Canadiens lost more than the game when they were beaten 4-3 by the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night; they also lost forward Kirby Dach, once again. In the very early stages of the game, forward Jeffrey Viel blindsided Dach with a solid hit. The Canadiens’ player did not see the hit coming at all. He got back up, skating gingerly and headed to the bench; that was his second and last shift of the game.
During the first intermission, the Canadiens announced that he would not be back in the game because of an upper-body injury. The media asked for an update after the game, but there was no news to share. With the Habs benefiting from a day off on Monday, it’s unlikely that we’ll hear anything before morning skate on Tuesday ahead of the evening’s duel with the Boston Bruins.
Ever since he entered the NHL, Dach has been plagued by rotten luck with injuries. From the wrist injury at the World Junior Championships to the concussion with the Chicago Blackhawks and the two knee injuries with the Canadiens, he’s been through a lot. As if that wasn’t enough, he also suffered a broken leg earlier this season.
The Canadiens have not confirmed that he’s dealing with a concussion, but given how the play unfolded, it wouldn’t be surprising. The timing of this latest setback couldn’t have been worse for Dach, who is currently playing the last year of the four-year deal he signed when the Canadiens acquired him.
Of the 312 games the Habs have played since then, Dach has only played 149, for just 48% of the matches. As harsh as it seems to write this, it’s hard to see the Habs committing long-term to the 6-foot-4 and 221-pound forward. While there’s definitely some talent there, his body seems unable to sustain the rigours of an NHL career.
Montreal already signed Kaiden Guhle to a six-year deal, and the defenseman keeps missing time, putting the defence corps under pressure. In four seasons, he has played 195 games, out of a possible 328, which means the Canadiens have had him only 60% of the time.
It’s tough to build a team and need to have a plan B scenario ready at all times, especially given the constraints of the salary cap. Montreal already has to do that with Guhle, and doing it with Dach as well could hurt the team. At the end of the season, Dach will be an RFA but will become a UFA at the end of the 2026-27 season. If the Canadiens choose to give him yet another chance, I would be surprised if the contract had much term on it. It’s hard not to feel for Dach, but hockey is first and foremost a business at the professional level.
With the Ottawa Senators down two of their regular defensemen due to injury, Carter Yakemchuk is making a loud statement in the AHL about what he'd like to see happen next.
The American Hockey League announced on Monday that Yakemchuk has been selected as the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending March 15, 2026. In his past three games for Belleville, Yakemchuk has a goal, eight points and a plus-8.
Yakemchuk assisted on six goals in his two games last week, helping the Senators to a sweep of their weekend visit to Hershey.
He becomes only the seventh Belleville Sens player to earn the player of the week honours. The others are Drake Batherson (October 28, 2019), Logan Brown (November 4, 2019), Josh Norris (April 19, 2021), Michael Carcone (December 6, 2021), Egor Sokolov (February 7, 2022), and Angus Crookshank (January 22, 2024).
Yakemchuk, the seventh overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, is still waiting to make his NHL debut for Ottawa, even though both Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen are out with injuries. Their spots on the everyday roster have been taken by Yakemchuk's Belleville teammate, Dennis Gilbert, and Ottawa's seventh defenseman, Nik Matinpalo.
But that still left a need for a seventh defenseman in Ottawa, and the Sens also chose to bypass Yakemchuk for that role, calling up Lassi Thomson.
At the start of the season, if you told a Sens fan that the club would need nine defensemen in Ottawa at some point, they probably would have assumed Yakemchuk would be one of them.
But the fact of the matter is that the Senators want Yakemchuk to keep developing, keep playing big minutes, and come up to the NHL only when the time is right.
So far, so good.
On Saturday, Yakemchuk recorded four assists to help Belleville to a 6-3 victory. Then on Sunday, he added two more helpers in another three-goal Belleville win, this time, 5-2. Yakemchuk was named the First Star in both games.
On the season, Yakemchuk has recorded 35 points in 47 games, good for second among all AHL rookie defensemen.
When the Sens drafted him, he had just come off a 30-goal season with the Calgary Hitmen in 2023-24. But when he returned to the WHL last season to work on skating and his defensive game, his offensive numbers took a hit, but it looks like things are starting to trend back in a positive direction.
He did get a recent NHL taste, which he loved, coming up to practice with Ottawa during the Olympic break last month. Based on his recent performances, the kid looks like he's hungry for a lot more.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.
They played a horrendous first 30 minutes and were down 2-0 late in the second period before rallying to win 4-3. The win snapped the Penguins' two-game losing streak and kept them in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins will try to make it two wins in a row on Monday night when they play the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are in first place in the Central Division with a 44-12-9 record, good for 97 points. They have won seven of their last 10 games and have only lost in regulation five times at home this year.
Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best players on the planet and is having another outstanding season, compiling 44 goals and 109 points in 64 games. He does it all, and once he gets a burst of speed, it's usually game over.
Martin Necas is second on the team in goals (31) and points (80). He has been a perfect fit for the Avalanche since they acquired him last season.
Cale Makar is elite on the backend for the Avalanche, racking up 19 goals and 67 points in 65 games this year. He's hit the 90-point mark for two seasons in a row and is trying to make it three this year.
This is also an Avalanche team that is very deep at center. They can run MacKinnon-Nelson-Kadri down the middle for their first three lines.
Scott Wedgewood will start in goal for the Avalanche. He has a 25-4-5 record to go along with a .918 save percentage.
The Penguins will get Evgeni Malkin back from his five-game suspension and Justin Brazeau back from injury. They both took line rushes during the morning skate.
Sidney Crosby participated in the skate, but didn't take line rushes, meaning he will likely still be out for this game. Blake Lizotte will also be out with an upper-body injury.
Here's the projected lineup:
Forwards
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Mantha-Rakell-Rust
Koivunen-Kindel-Brazeau
Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Shea-Letang
Solovyov-Clifton
Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins after Stuart Skinner started against the Mammoth.
Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and ESPN. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a three-year contract with Sacha Boisvert, one of the team's top prospects.
The Blackhawks announced the entry-level deal with the Canadian forward on Monday. The contract carries a $974,167 salary-cap hit and runs through the 2027-28 season.
Boisvert, who turns 20 on Tuesday, could make his NHL debut this week. He won't play Tuesday against Minnesota while he waits for immigration clearance, but the Blackhawks visit the Wild on Thursday and host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
Coach Jeff Blashill said he plans to go slowly with Boisvert in terms of playing time.
“I think he's going to need to have a physical impact on the game on a night-to-night basis, and if he can do that, he becomes a real commodity,” Blashill said.
“He can add something to our team I don't know that we have enough of, and that's that kind of hard skill. And if he can do that, it'll be a real positive for us.”
Boisvert, a Quebec native, was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 18 pick in the 2024 draft. He had three goals and 14 assists in 26 games with Boston University this year.
Boisvert was scratched from BU's 4-1 victory over Vermont in the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament for an undisclosed reason. He returned to the lineup for Saturday's season-ending loss to UConn.
He was suspended for two games in January after getting into a fight during a 4-3 loss to UMass Lowell.
The 6-foot-3 Boisvert played for North Dakota for one season before transferring to Boston. He had 18 goals and 14 assists in 37 games for the Fighting Hawks.
The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced the host cities for the next big best-on-best international tournament.
The 2028 World Cup Hockey will be played in February 2028 in both Europe and North America. The European site is Prague, Czechia. The North American phase will be held in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta.
Calgary will have a new arena, Scotia Place, by then and will host seven round robin games and one elimination game. The same will occur at the O2 Arena in Prague.
Edmonton's Rogers Place will host both semifinals and the final.
Here's what to know about the 2028 World Cup of Hockey after details announced on Monday, March 16:
How many countries will take part?
There will be eight countries participating. Those countries will be announced later.
Where will the World Cup of Hockey be played?
Round robin games and one elimination game will be played in Calgary, Alberta and Prague, Czechia. Edmonton will host the semifinals and final.
When is the World Cup of Hockey?
It will be held in February 2028, but the dates and schedule will be announced later. There will be 17 games played.
When was the last World Cup of Hockey?
The World Cup of Hockey has previously been held in 1996 (USA victory), 2004 (Canada) and 2016 (Canada).
The 2028 event continues a recent stretch of international tournaments involving NHL players.
The 4 Nations Face-Off got things started in 2025 and NHL players returned to the Olympics in 2026 for the first time since 2014. Both tournaments ended up with USA-Canada finals. Canada beat the Americans in overtime at the 4 Nations on a Connor McDavid goal. Jack Hughes and the USA prevailed in overtime in Milan last month.
