Edmonton Oilers (35-28-9, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-14, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Edmonton Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights after Connor McDavid's two-goal game against the Utah Mammoth in the Oilers' 5-2 win.
Vegas is 32-26-14 overall and 10-5-4 against the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights have a +five scoring differential, with 224 total goals scored and 219 allowed.
Edmonton is 11-5-3 against the Pacific Division and 35-28-9 overall. The Oilers have scored 250 total goals (3.5 per game) to rank third in the league.
The matchup Thursday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Oilers won 4-2 in the previous matchup.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has 19 goals and 51 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
McDavid has 40 goals and 78 assists for the Oilers. Zach Hyman has four goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 3-7-0, averaging two goals, 3.4 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Oilers: 5-4-1, averaging three goals, 4.7 assists, four penalties and 9.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body), Carter Hart: out (leg), Jonas Rondbjerg: out (lower body).
Oilers: Curtis Lazar: out (undisclosed), Leon Draisaitl: out (lower-body), Colton Dach: out (undisclosed), Trent Frederic: out (undisclosed), Mattias Janmark: out for season (undisclosed).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Chicago Blackhawks (27-31-13, in the Central Division) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (34-24-12, in the Metropolitan Division)
Philadelphia; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks take the ice in a non-conference matchup.
Philadelphia has a 15-12-8 record at home and a 34-24-12 record overall. The Flyers have a 5-5-8 record in games decided by one goal.
Chicago has a 14-15-6 record in road games and a 27-31-13 record overall. The Blackhawks have gone 22-6-7 in games they score three or more goals.
The matchup Thursday is the second time these teams meet this season. The Flyers won 3-1 in the last meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Trevor Zegras has scored 22 goals with 34 assists for the Flyers. Owen Tippett has five goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Tyler Bertuzzi has 29 goals and 23 assists for the Blackhawks. Frank Nazar has five goals and six assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Flyers: 6-3-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.1 assists, 4.6 penalties and 11 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Blackhawks: 4-3-3, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Flyers: Rodrigo Abols: out (ankle), Tyson Foerster: out (arm).
Blackhawks: Shea Weber: out for season (ankle), Andrew Mangiapane: out (undisclosed), Oliver Moore: out (lower body), Sacha Boisvert: day to day (not injury related ), Matt Grzelcyk: out (upper-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Vegas Golden Knights came out flying Tuesday night, controlling play early and dictating tempo—but what followed was a sharp unraveling that turned a promising start into a lopsided 4–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Vegas did everything right in the opening minutes except the one thing that matters most: score. The Golden Knights piled up early pressure, firing nine shots and holding Winnipeg without one for nearly the first 10 minutes. Yet by intermission, they were trailing—a familiar and frustrating theme—as Kyle Connor punished a rare defensive lapse, converting one of Winnipeg’s first legitimate chances into a 1–0 lead.
The lone goal for Vegas.
From there, the game didn’t just shift—it tilted irreversibly.
Winnipeg seized full command in the second period, with Mark Scheifele orchestrating the turning point. The veteran forward delivered a composed yet clinical performance, registering a goal and two assists while igniting a decisive surge—two goals in under two minutes—that transformed a fragile one-goal game into a commanding three-goal cushion. What had been a contest defined by Vegas’ early control quickly became one dictated by Winnipeg’s efficiency and opportunism.
The Golden Knights eventually found a lifeline on the power play, with Colton Sissons finishing to trim the deficit. But the response lacked staying power. Vegas went 1-for-5 with the man advantage, and too often their offensive zone time dissolved into low-danger sequences against a Jets team that defended with structure and patience, forcing play to the perimeter and neutralizing second-chance opportunities.
Behind it all, Connor Hellebuyck provided the stabilizing presence. The Winnipeg netminder turned aside 26 shots, absorbing Vegas’ early surge and maintaining composure as momentum swung. His performance didn’t just preserve the lead—it ensured there would be no path back.
Scheifele later punctuated the night with an empty-net goal, sealing both the result and a signature performance that underscored Winnipeg’s ability to weather pressure and strike with precision.
For Vegas, the loss adds to a growing pattern that’s becoming difficult to ignore. Strong starts have become routine; sustaining them has not. Despite flashes of cohesion, the Golden Knights have now dropped four of their last five, with recurring lapses turning early control into eventual frustration.
The blueprint is evident. The follow-through remains elusive.
Until that disconnect is resolved, even their best beginnings will continue to fade into the same disappointing end.
The Calgary Flames extended their season-best run to four straight wins on Tuesday night, edging the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in a shootout at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Dustin Wolf turned aside 23 shots and came up with the key stops late, while Zayne Parekh and Olli Maatta each scored their first goals of the season to help Calgary claw back twice in the game.
Los Angeles struck early, opening the scoring just 2:35 into the first period. Joel Armia found Quinton Byfield at the blue line with a slick feed, and the Kings forward broke in alone before finishing on the backhand through the wickets of Wolf. Drew Doughty picked up the secondary assist as the Kings carried a 1-0 lead through the opening frame.
The second period didn’t offer much in terms of chances, but Calgary found a goal late. At 14:50, Olli Maatta got just enough of a one-timer, off a pass from Victor Olofsson, and beat Darcy Kuemper to even the score. It marked Maatta’s first goal as a Flame. Ryan Strome also drew an assist on the play.
Wolf made sure the game stayed tied heading into the third, turning aside a pair of quality chances with two big pad saves in the final minutes of the period.
The Kings wasted no time restoring their lead in the third period. Just 17 seconds in, a puck chipped out of the zone landed on Byfield’s stick, sending him in alone again. This time, he beat Wolf clean with a blocker-side shot to make it 2-1, with Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere adding assists.
Calgary responded on a two-man advantage (13:02). Zayne Parekh found space in the high slot and snapped a wrist shot past Kuemper to tie the game, 2-2. Matt Coronato and Matvei Gridin picked up assists on the power-play marker.
Overtime settled nothing despite a wide-open extra frame. Olofsson generated a pair of strong looks, and Morgan Frost rang a shot off the post on a 2-on-0, but the game remained deadlocked. In the shootout, Yegor Sharangovich scored the winner, despite losing the puck as he deked to the backhand, it slowly slid forward and slipped through Kuemper’s legs to seal the win.
Blake Coleman was noticeable from the opening shift. He pressured pucks, set the tone on the forecheck, and logged strong minutes on the penalty kill. His effort level hasn’t dipped, even this late in the season.
2. Flames finding momentum
Calgary is in the middle of its longest winning streak of the year, now four straight victories during this six-game homestand. It’s a stretch that’s brought some life back into the group.
3. Parekh rewarded
Zayne Parekh continues to trend upward. Both of his NHL goals have come against the Kings, and this one, scored on the power play, felt like a long time coming given how he’s been playing.
The Los Angeles Kings (28-25-18) lost another tough game Tuesday night, this time coming up short in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames (30-34-7).
Despite coming out with a point, the Kings still lose, fail to hold on to their lead, and are now three games back in the race for the final playoff spot.
A game that Los Angeles needed desperately because the teams they're competing with keep winning, the Kings struggle to hold a third-period lead.
The Kings' loss on the road against the Flames today continues their losing streak, now seven consecutive road games. Los Angeles is now 0-7 in the last seven matchups on the road against Calgary,
Los Angeles was aggressive on defense from the get-go, holding the Flames to six shots in the first and second periods. But both teams were very sluggish offensively, struggling to get shots up.
However, Los Angeles scored the first goal in the opening period, two minutes into the opening frame. Quinton Byfield capitalized on the nice breakaway, showcasing his speed to bury the goal and give Los Angeles the early lead.
LAK Goal - Q!
Byfield picks up right where he left off in Utah, opens the scoring with a nice breakaway goal. 1-0 Kings.
The rest of the period would end slowly, with neither team being able to get a shot up. Even though the Flames had six shots, they had a lot of chances to tie the game, but Darcy Kuemper did a good job saving the puck in tight situations.
That would change for Calgary, though, in the second period, where they finally got a shot up through the net, tying the game 1-1.
Defenseman Olli Maatta converted on the quick wrist shot, scoring his first goal since being acquired by the Flames, giving life to Calgary.
Los Angeles was unable to capitalize on the quick goal they got in the first period, coming up short on the power play and leaving the door open for a goal that would put the Flames right back in it.
The Kings once again outshot the Flames 9-6 in the second period, but went scoreless in the period.
Off the gate, Quinton Byfield once again scored a brekaway goal 17 seconds in the final frame to give Los Angeles back the lead.
LAK Goal - QuinTWOn Byfield!
Great speed to get in alone, buries his shot inside the far post 17 seconds into the third period. 2-1 Kings.
It was an excellent way for Byfield to use his speed and outrun the Flames to get a clean look at the net, giving the momentum back to Los Angeles.
The lead didn't last, though, for the Kings, once again leaving the door open for the home team to tie it up.
The Flames scored on their first power play of the night to once again tie the game 2-2. The Kings didn't play a good third period; despite scoring a goal, they were held to seven shots and got outshot 10-7.
The game went to extra periods, and it was certainly a very sloppy one for both teams. Los Angeles had several key turnovers, but the Flames couldn't capitalize on them to score. Calgary had a very good look at a 2-on-1 fastbreak possession, but couldn't hit the puck inside the net, forcing the game to go to a shootout.
Both teams would convert one goal in three rounds of the shootout, with Artemi Panarin scoring an incredible lob shot to force a fourth round. In the fourth round, Los Angeles would miss, and the Flames would get it to go to come away with the comeback victory at home.
Very heartbreaking loss for the Kings, especially at this point in time, where they could've pulled themselves closer to a playoff spot; they're now three games back of the Nashville Predators for the final spot.
The four-game skid for the Kings is making it much tougher every day to keep up with the teams in the Western Conference, and soon it will be very difficult to move closer to the playoff picture.
Quinton Byfield scored the only two goals on the night to keep Los Angeles in it, but still couldn't find a way to win the game. Darcy Kuemper looked much better tonight, coming up clutch in overtime and the shootout rounds, but couldn't get the timely stop in the fourth round.
Los Angeles will end its three-game road trip on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.
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The Islanders were unhappy with the goaltender interference call that went against them Sunday, but could at least add afterward that it didn’t end up mattering in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets.
As for the missed icing call Tuesday night that led to the Blackhawks’ fourth goal in an eventual 4-3 win, well, there was no such solace.
After Wyatt Kaiser sent the puck up the ice, with Tyler Bertuzzi diving and missing in an attempt to get a stick on it before it crossed over the blue line, the Islanders were so sure that it would be whistled down that Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield both temporarily seemed to slow up.
Instead, there was no call and Nick Lardis stripped the puck from Mayfield behind the net, setting up a streaking Frank Nazar, who made it 4-1 Chicago at 6:02 of the second.
“The referee said he made a mistake to us,” coach Patrick Roy said. “It was over. That’s all it was. That’s all. It was bad timing for us. It’s unfortunate, but that’s part of the game, I guess.”
Part of the game, maybe, and the Islanders bear some blame for not playing to the whistle, but this was a brutal time for such a missed call with the Islanders fighting for their playoff lives every night. The explanation on the ice, apparently, was that the puck hit Cal Ritchie.
“I don’t even know what that was about,” Ritchie said. “They said I touched the puck or something on that play. I wasn’t even near the play. Yeah, it’s a little frustrating.”
Ilya Sorokin reacts dejectedly after giving up the team’s fourth goal to Frank Nazar after a referee’s “mistake” call during the Islanders’ 4-3 loss to the Blackhawks on March 24, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Indeed, the video confirms Ritchie’s description to be correct.
For the rest of the night, the UBS Arena crowd mock-cheered on every icing call.
At the time of the goal, it did at least appear that the missed call would be inconsequential, with the Islanders down 4-1 and looking sluggish at best.
After they recovered their game in the third period to get within 4-3 at the final buzzer, though, it looms large. Even a point from getting as far as overtime could make a big difference in a race that appears ready to go down to the wire.
Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar (91) scores a goal during the second period when the New York Islanders played the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“We had an icing,” captain Anders Lee said. “We had an icing. They said that it hit Cal Ritchie. So I don’t have the time, really, to go back and look. We had a game to play, so I’ll let you guys take care of that, but Cal said it didn’t hit him.”
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists — and a rare fighting major in the second period — to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg, which snapped a five-game home skid against Vegas.
Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves to snap his six-game winless streak against the Golden Knights.
Colton Sissons scored the lone goal on the power play for Vegas. Adin Hill stopped 17 shots.
Scheifele dropped the gloves with Brett Howden late in the second period in just his 10th career fight in his 15th NHL season. Scheifele capped the scoring for the Jets with his 32nd goal, an empty-netter with 1:18 left.
Early in the second period, Iafallo and Perfetti scored just 118 seconds apart, giving the Jets a commanding 3-0 lead.
Sissons made it 3-1 in the second when he scored on the power play, the third straight game in which Vegas converted with the man-advantage.
Connor’s first-period goal gave him a point in 30 home games, extending his NHL-leading mark for the most home games with at least one point this season.
Up next
Golden Knights: Start a four-game homestand against Edmonton on Thursday.
DALLAS (AP) — Jack Hughes scored twice in New Jersey’s four-goal first period, and the Devils handed Dallas consecutive losses in regulation for the first time in two months, beating the Stars 6-4 on Tuesday night.
Jesper Bratt and Connor Brown also had goals as the Devils put four of their first five shots past Jake Oettinger to end the Dallas goalie’s career-best point streak at 14 games. Oettinger was pulled after the first period.
Wyatt Johnston had two goals to reach 40 for the first time in his career, and Jason Robertson scored his 39th for Dallas, which hadn’t lost two in a row in regulation since dropping three straight from Jan. 13-18.
Johnston’s second goal was his NHL-leading 24th on the power play, extending his franchise record set two nights earlier in a 3-2 loss to Vegas.
Playing for the first time since clinching a Western Conference playoff spot, the Stars lost to an East also-ran and fell seven points behind NHL-leading Colorado, their Central Division rival.
Hughes beat Oettinger one-on-one for both his goals, the latter when Luke Hughes connected with him on a two-line pass for a breakaway and a 4-1 lead 17:19 into the first. Hughes has eight goals in eight games after going without one in his first five games following the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA against Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Johnston tied his career high with his 38th assist when Robertson got Dallas within a goal midway through the second period.
New Jersey’s Timo Meier and Mavrik Bourque of Dallas traded third-period goals before an empty-netter from Dougie Hamilton.
Casey DeSmith replaced Oettinger and gave the Stars a chance late by stopping the first 12 shots he faced. Jake Allen had 23 saves for the Devils.
Up next
Devils: At Nashville on Thursday on the fourth game of a five-game trip.
Stars: At the Islanders on Thursday to start a four-game trip.
MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 24: Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montréal Canadiens celebrates an empty-net goal by teammate Jake Evans #71 (not pictured) during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on March 24, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the game but they were unable to hold the lead or light the lamp again as the Montreal Canadiens defeated them, 5-2 on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
The Hurricanes played well enough, they outshot the home team 42-19, but they could not finish nor could they solve goalie Jakub Dobes, who picked up the win.
Nikolaj Ehlers got the scoring started just two minutes and change into the game when he rocketed a shot on goal that deflected in off a Montreal player to make it 1-0. It was a powerplay goal, giving Carolina four powerplay goals in the last two games.
Jordan Staal found himself all alone in front of the opposing net and made no mistake to make the score 2-0 and the Canes were cooking. It was Staal’s 18th of the season.
The Hurricanes did an outstanding job limiting Montreal’s shots though the home team scored on a deflected goal as they were outshot, 16-4 in that opening period.
The Habs picked up their play in the second as they scored twice to make it 3-2 at the second intermission.
While the Canes had some chances, including a couple of breakaways, they could not score again.
Montreal put the game away later in the third when the puck got past K’Andre Miller and Ivan Demidov scored on his breakaway attempt to make it 4-2.
The Canadiens later scored an empty-netter to close out the scoring.
Alexander Nikishin played over 20 minutes in this affair for the first time in awhile, (20:49). He led the team with four blocked shots.
The game did not help Fred Andersen’s save percentage as he allowed four goals on the 18 shots he faced.
It was reported that Charles Alexis Legault was recalled for the game in case a defenseman could not go. (Someone was not feeling well). He was returned to Chicago when he was not needed.
The Canes returned home and will take a day or two off as they prepare to face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Erik Cernak scored a tiebreaking goal with 2:53 left in the third period when Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson misplayed a carom off the end boards and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Wild 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Cernak scored his second of the season after Charle-EdouardD’Astous' pass traveled the length of the ice and bounced off the end boards toward Gustavsson, who failed to control the puck with his glove. The puck went between Gustavsson's legs into the crease and Cernak pounced, sending it into the open net.
Tampa Bay rallied from a two-goal deficit, scoring three goals in the second period and five unanswered overall over the second and the third to win for the fourth time in five games and fifth time in seven.
Darren Raddysh had a goal and two assists, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel also scored, while Brandon Hagel and Pontus Holmberg added an empty-netter goals in the final minutes. Andrei Vasilevskiy had an assist and made 20 saves to win his fourth straight start. Guentzel's goal was his 32nd of the season and the 300th for his career.
Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello and Brock Faber also scored for the Wild, who have lost five of their last seven games. Gustavsson stopped 19 of the 23 shots that he faced.
Minnesota jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first and a 3-1 lead in the second before Tampa Bay bounced back. Raddysh and Guentzel scored in approximately a three-minute span of the second to tie the game at 3. Cernak, Hagel and Holmberg completed the scoring in the third for Tampa Bay.
The Wild had a potential go-ahead goal disallowed with 1:18 left in the second period after Tampa Bay challenged. After a review, it was decided that Raddysh was knocked to the ice and into the crease, prohibiting Vasilevskiy from a possible save.
For Minnesota, Joel Eriksson Ek was back in the lineup after missing three games with lower-body injury and Kirill Kaprizov returned after missing two games, also with a lower-body injury.
There's no bait to be taken by the Nashville Predators from the Sharks as they picked up their 14th straight win over San Jose, 6-3, on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.
Wild Card Standings Update
WC1: Utah - 80 PTS (vs. Edmonton)
WC2: Nashville - 77 PTS (vs. San Jose, W 6-3)
1. Los Angeles - 74 PTS (at Calgary, L/SO 3-2)
2. Seattle - 72 PTS (at Florida, L/SO 5-4)
3. Winnipeg - 72 PTS (vs. Vegas, W 4-1)
4. San Jose - 70 PTS (at Nashville, L 6-3)
Red hot start
One of the most criticized aspects of the Predators' season has been their starts, as they've either been outshot or given up the first goal in the majority of their matchups.
That was not the case against the Sharks as the Predators netted five goals in the first 20 minutes of the game, tying a franchise record for most goals scored in the first period.
The record was originally set in an 8-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 28, 2009.
"I really liked our mindset in the 1st period," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "We got off on the right foot. We've had so many of these conversations in this room about not starting right. We started on time, and we got to our game pretty quickly."
Filip Forsberg was a massive part of that effort, recording a goal and an assist in that first period. He'd add a primary assist on a Steven Stamkos power play goal in the second period for three points on the night.
Forsberg now has 12 points (5 goals and seven assists) in five games and was named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week on Monday. With 11 games left, he's eyeing a third straight 70-plus point season, recording 62 so far.
"Everyone came ready to play," Forsberg said. "Obviously, we're getting rewarded, which is nice. We did a lot of the right things, got on their defensemen and got pucks back. It set the tone for the rest of the time."
Matthew Wood, Roman Josi, Luke Evangelista and Brady Skjei all got involved in the scoring as well in the first frame. Skjei scored just his second goal of the season and first since Dec. 9.
"I've had some looks and just haven't gone in this year," Skjei said on his scoring. "We're just talking about hopefully, the floodgates will open a little bit here at the end of the season."
A push from Marchy
Jonathan Marchessault's production has risen as of late, after inconsistent play throughout the season.
The 35-year-old forward has 25 points in 51 games, but eight of them have come in just March alone. Against the Sharks, he had three assists and now has seven points in the last five games.
"I'm playing better hockey and part of a team that's trying to make a push for a playoff spot," Marchessault said. "Everybody has a great mentality and is in a great spot in the lineup. We're playing good hockey right now."
A lot of credit for Marchessault's production spike goes to a new line centered by Wood and Forsberg, opposite Marchessault on the wing. The trio has generated five goals over the last five games.
"It makes a big difference," Marchessault said. Fil (Forsberg) is an amazing world-class player, but Woody is the one who facilitates a little bit of everything for Fil and me. He's low and slow in the middle, always available, and we have a lot more possession in the pocket."
Staying in the race
Mar 24, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Nashville jumps to 77 points after winning its fourth straight game, now eyeing a first Wild Card spot, within three points of the Utah Mammoth.
While the Predators are in a very different place than they were at the beginning of the year, Brunette still references last season and how the team's mindset has not changed since then.
Nearing the playoffs, the Predators are not so much viewing themselves as underdogs as a squad out to prove they are finally living up to the potential promised last season.
"Our mindset from the end of last year to today has been the same," Brunette said. "You can always get the results, but we were out to prove that last year was a little bit of an apparition, that we're better than what we showed. Full credit to the group when the waters got a little rough there early. We dug in even deeper, and we stayed with it, and we didn't abandon ship."
In a game with major postseason stakes against a shorthanded opponent, the Detroit Red Wings fell short of rising to the occasion on home ice.
The Ottawa Senators, who entered the contest trailing Detroit by a single point in the standings, leapfrogged them with a 3-2 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
The Senators, who are 8-2 in their last 10 games, now have 85 points on the season compared to Detroit's 84.
The Red Wings entered the contest on the outside looking in at the postseason, with a 51 percent chance of advancing at puck drop. A regulation win would have raised those odds to 66 percent, but the loss dropped them to 37 percent.
Making the setback even more difficult to stomach for the Red Wings, who welcomed back team captain Dylan Larkin after a seven-game absence, the Senators had played the night before in Manhattan, and were also missing top defensemen Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot.
Instead, it was a rookie by the name of Carter Yakemchuk who made his NHL debut a memorable one.
Yakemchuk picked up his first NHL point by assisting on Brady Tkachuk's power-play goal, giving the Senators a 1-0 lead in the first period just minutes after the Red Wings had a would-be power-play goal of their own disallowed after replays showed they were offside.
Yakemchuk then tallied his first NHL goal early in the second period, beating goaltender John Gibson through a screen after the Red Wings failed to clear the puck.
Not long after that, veteran Lars Eller increased Ottawa's lead to 3-0, beating Gibson glove side from in close. At that point, boos began to rain down from the increasingly restless sellout crowd of Red Wings fans.
They soon had a reason to cheer, as Dominik Shine redirected a pass from Simon Edvinsson past Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, giving them a spark of hope.
Larkin buried a power-play goal early in the third period, bringing Detroit back to within a goal and bringing the energy back into the venue.
Unfortunately, it's as close as they would get. Not only did Detroit fail to convert on a critical power-play opportunity late in regulation, but they also had three prime scoring chances denied by Ullmark in the waning moments.
Detroit struggled to gain the zone on the ensuing power play, which came after Ridley Greig leveled rookie Emmitt Finnie along the half-wall. Finnie remained down on the ice for several moments and needed assistance from trainer Piet VanZant to get off; he was subsequently placed in concussion protocol.
There are still 11 games remaining in the regular season for the Red Wings, who now head on the road for a fourth straight divisional matchup, this time against the first-place Buffalo Sabres, the NHL's hottest team and biggest surprise story since mid-December.
While there is still a path for the Red Wings to break their playoff drought, their margin of error continues to shrink by the day.
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The Winnipeg Jets have found another win. Thanks to goals from Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo, Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele, the Jets took care of the visiting Vegas Golden Knights thanks in large part to a strong performance from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
“We always say as a team, bend, don't break," Perfetti said post-game.
"So other teams are going to get chances. They're going to get sustained o-zone time. But as long as we don't break and stay within our system and everyone's still pulling in the same direction, we're going to get out of it and we'll be fine. And I think tonight was a good example of that.”
The Jets needed a full 10 minutes to find their first shot on goal of the game, falling behind Vegas 9-0 in the early stages.
Photo by Danny Truong
But somehow it took until the 17-minute mark for either team to actually find the twine. And believe it or not, despite being heavily outshot in the frame, it was Winnipeg that got on the board first.
Connor blasted home his 32nd of the season following a strong offensive play on the blueline from defenceman Josh Morrissey. After shaking his defender, Morrissey found Connor all alone, cross-ice, who one-timed the puck past Adin Hill for the 1-0 marker.
The Jets did trail the visitors on the shot chart after 20 minutes, but hung onto the late goal to remain ahead where it mattered most.
The middle stanza saw an offensive explosion from Winnipeg, which got two more goals in the frame.
The first came off the stick of Iafallo, who capitalized on a brutal Shea Theodore turnover, putting the puck past Hill, top corner 2:08 in.
Then, just 1:58 later, it was Perfetti who tapped home a perfect saucer pass from linemate Gabe Vilardi on a two-on-one. This time it was Vilardi who flicked the puck over the sprawling Theodore, making it 3-0 Winnipeg just 4:06 into the second period.
With Iafallo in the box for removing the helmet of Jeremy Lauzon, the Vegas power play finally got on the board. Colton Sissons was the last Golden Knight to touch the puck before it trickled past Hellebuyck, cutting Winnipeg's lead to two goals.
Late in the period, Scheifele took exception to a hit by Oakbank's Brett Howden on linemate Kyle Connor. He dropped the gloves in defence of his teammate for just the 10th time of his career.
“Obviously, you don't want a guy like Scheif fighting very often," Perfetti said of his teammate.
"But when the opportunity presents itself like that, Howden takes a pretty good run at KC and Scheif’s right there. I mean, he's obviously not afraid to jump in and that shows a lot about him and our team and our culture. And we're all in this together. We're sticking with it. We're a team. We're a family in here. No matter the score, the outcome, where we are in the standings, whatever it is, we're going to be in this fight together. And I think when one of your best players does that, it really shows that.”
The Golden Knights remained ahead 21-16 in shots entering the third period.
Brad Lambert had the best chance of the first half of the third period, to which his strong net drive resulted in a heavy collision with Hill and the puck rattling off the crossbar and out of harm's way, keeping the teams stuck at the two-goal differential.
With Dylan Samberg in the box for high sticking, the Golden Knights pulled Hill for the extra attacker, but the Jets managed to hold off the six-on-four disadvantage, with Connor finding Scheifele for the empty-net marker as time ticked down on the clock, sealing the deal for Winnipeg.
Hellebuyck turned aside 26 of the 27 pucks sent his way by Vegas, while Adin Hill made 17 stops on 20 Winnipeg shots on goal.
Next up for Winnipeg is the first of two-straight games against the league leading Colorado Avalanche in the Thursday night home test.
Mar 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) reacts after scoring. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
As the road trip continues, the Colorado Avalanche made a stop in Pittsburgh to get revenge on the Penguins for the ugly 7-2 loss from a week ago. This game was neatly the exact opposite of that game as the Avalanche scored early and often to take a 6-2 win in Pittsburgh.
Prior to the contest it was a day of roster movement as both Ross Colton and Logan O’Connor entered the lineup in return from injury, with the latter making his 2025-26 season debut. Because the infirmary is always a revolving door, Nicolas Roy was a surprise late scratch with an upper-body injury.
A fast start is what the Avalanche needed and received as Nathan MacKinnon completely undressed Parker Wortherspoon on the blueline and deposited a breakaway goal over Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Samuel Girard setup Egor Chinakhov for Pittsburgh on a long shot that Brent Burns tipped snuck by Scott Wedgewood.
Any thought that this game would be hotly contested soon evaporated as the Avalanche scored three goals in the last five minutes of the first period. First, Sam Malinski broke his 38-game scoreless drought to give Colorado the lead. Then Martin Nečas co to Jed his power play prowess with a one-timer goal from his new spot at the left circle. Finally, with Nazem Kadri centering the third line and in a hard-working shift Parker Kelly scored the fourth and final Avalanche goal of the period 35 second later. A 4-1 lead at the first intermission made quite the statement.
In the second period it appeared there was a sign of life for Pittsburgh when Justin Brazeau scored but Devon Toews collided with a Penguin right into the crease and disturbed Wedgewood. Jared Bednar challenged for goaltender interference and actually won, taking the goal off the board.
The second period was actually very low-event with only 11 shots generated between the two teams. One of Colorado’s six shots, though, was Martin Nečas continuing his tear and netting his second goal of the night just before the second intermission to put Colorado up 5-1.
Someone said the third period still had to be played, which it did. Colorado killed a 5-on-3 for over a minute. Pittsburgh did get their second goal late in the period from Rickard Rakell when the puck took a big bounce behind the net and then Cale Makar helped sent it out to the net front and Rakell pounced on the loose puck. That momentum was short-lived as Ross Colton found the empty net to make it a 6-2 final for Colorado.
Takeaways
Surprisingly Logan O’Connor didn’t get eased back into action as he played just over 15 minutes in this contest. It was nice having him available for the penalty kill and he picked up an assist on Parker Kelly’s goal but it will be worth monitoring how O’Connor holds up over the next several games.
Upcoming
One final game on the road, back to visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday March 26th at 6 p.m. MT.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a lot of hype and excitement surrounding their Tuesday night matchup against the New York Islanders. The reason for that was the pending NHL debut of their top prospect, Anton Frondell.
Due to the morning skate, we knew that Frondell would start on the first line and top power play unit. His play in the SHL (and World Junior Championships) earned him a reputation that warrants that type of respect.
Head coach Jeff Blashill started that top line against the Islanders, and Connor Bedard let Anton Frondell take the opening face-off. His NHL career was officially underway from that moment on.
The first shift of the game didn't go as anyone wanted, however, as the Islanders scored right away. Matthew Schaefer, who went first overall two picks before Frondell in the 2025 NHL Draft, took a shot that was deflected in by Anders Lee.
New York's lead lasted for just over half a period, however, and that was it. Nick Lardis tied it at 12:46 of the first. After Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi failed to convert a 2-0 breakaway, the former found Lardis in the slot for the goal.
At 18:06, a special hockey moment took place, as Anton Frondell earned his first career NHL point with an assist on an Ilya Mikheyev goal. Frondell made a solid defensive play, used Connor Bedard as a decoy, and sprung Mikheyev, who didn't miss his chance.
Bedard grabbed that puck and kept it for Frondell to keep as a memory forever. It's a moment that he'll never forget, but it also put his incredible skills that he has on display.
Before the period ended, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 29th of the season to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead. He did what he does best and made good work of his net-front presence to jam the puck home.
That score held through the first period, and the Blackhawks scored the only goal of the second period. Nick Lardis, who was already working on a two-point night, won a puck battle on a strong forecheck, fed Frank Nazar, and watched the puck go in the net.
This play probably should have been icing on the Blackhawks, but Lardis's hustle forced the linesman to make a bad non-call. He made his own luck on the play with his effort, and Nazar was the beneficiary. Putting them together on the second line appears to be a Jeff Blashill masterclass.
With a 4-1 lead for the Blackhawks entering the final frame, things got a little scary for them. The Islanders scored twice to make it 4-3, and they had a power play with under two minutes left and the goalie on the bench.
Arvid Soderblom stood tall in the final moments of the match, and he was incredible again all game. After facing 49 shots in the loss on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, he faced 47 on this night against the Islanders. He made 44 saves on those 47 shots to preserve the win.
Hanging onto late leads has been a sore spot for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, but they prevailed in this one. This young group will have opportunities to play spoiler as the season winds down, and they did that to the Islanders, who are trying to lock down a postseason berth.
More On Anton Frondell
In addition to his first career NHL point, Frondell had two blocks, two shots, one hit, and 0 giveaways in 15:43 of ice time. He broke up plays, generated offense, and improved the overall makeup of the forward group right away. It won't be long before he is one of the most impactful forwards on the entire team.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action again on Thursday night when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in game two of their four-game road trip. Anton Frondell made his NHL debut in Tuesday night's game, and Sacha Boisvert will make his in Thursday night's game.
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