PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 8: The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate following a 5-4 overtime win over the Boston Bruins at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 8, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out the weekend on Sunday afternoon with another matchup against the Boston Bruins. The Penguins found themselves down 3-0 by the time the second period rolled around, but these Penguins dug down deep, led by Anthony Mantha and Egor Chinakhov, and rallied back, forcing overtime, and earned two massive points in a win. [Recap]
Sunday’s game also saw the debut of the Penguins’ newest acquisition, Elmer Soderblom, after trading for him from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline. The 6-foot-8 winger logged just over 10 minutes of ice time, three shots, and two hits. Coaches say they’re excited about his long-term potential as he adjusts to a new system and opportunity in Pittsburgh. [Penguins]
News and updates from around the NHL…
Sunday’s game between the surging Buffalo Sabres and longtime contenders Tampa Bay Lightning may have been the game of the season. The game saw a combined 100 penalty minutes, five fights, 15 combined goals, and a postgame scrum for good measure. Hopefully, we get a seven-game series of this come next month. [TSN]
It appears Connor Bedard is taking the next step in his ascension to the top of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise after being drafted first overall in the 2023 draft. Bedard is stepping into a larger leadership role for the team, formally being named an alternate captain for the rest of the season, and is expected to help guide the team’s young roster both on and off the ice as the franchise continues its rebuild. [NHL]
Longtime Chicago Blackhawks forward-turned-broadcaster Troy Murray has died. He was 63. [Associated Press via ESPN]
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. [TSN]
Maybe more of a Merrick or Henning than a Cole or Lindgren, as far as #10s go. | NHLI via Getty Images
The Islanders finish their four-game road trip with a stop to help Brayden Schenn pack up in St. Louis, where the Blues are returning from a lottery-spoiling perfect four-game western road trip of their own. In full selloff mode, the Blues somehow took out the Kraken, Sharks, Kings and finally the Ducks, with a 4-0 win last night.
Jonatha Drouin even scored for them, naturally.
Islanders News
J-G Pageau was relieved to stay where he has called home since joining the Isles on the eve of the pandemic. [Isles | Post]
Schenn, asked about waiving his limited no-trade clause to come to the Island, hinted at how Matthew Schaefer is going to bring more interested players into the fold: “When superstars in this league are good guys that take care of his teammates, guys are gonna want to be around him. And guys are only gonna want to come to the New York Islanders in the future just because of his talent and character.” (It’s widely believed that Schenn used his NTC to veto a trade to the Leafs last year, by the way.) [Post]
Schenn and new teammates shared their excitement. (Bonus footage: sewing the new jerseys on the road.) [Isles]
The Skinny: “The Isles improve to 16-2-3 when tied after two periods.” [Isles]
Gross: Bold moves by the Isles to double down on some mid-30s guys. [Newsday]
Last night’s NHL scores included the Penguins mounting a big comeback to beat the Bruins (in OT though, so Boston also gets a point) and pass the Isles in the standings, plus an insane, brawl-filled 8-7 Sabres win over the Lightning, pushing Buffalo above them and into first place.
The Leafs should do a full-blown rebuild. [Sportsnet]
And here’s a really, really long explanation that Oliver Ekman-Larsson has kids so the Leafs shouldn’t have put him on the trade block. [Sportsnet]
Gabriel Landeskog is week to week with a lower body injury. [NHL]
Vegas Golden Knights (29-21-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Dallas Stars (39-14-10, in the Central Division)
Dallas; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars host the Vegas Golden Knights after the Stars knocked off the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime.
Dallas has a 39-14-10 record overall and a 19-7-4 record on its home ice. The Stars have a +47 scoring differential, with 216 total goals scored and 169 allowed.
Vegas has a 15-11-7 record in road games and a 29-21-14 record overall. The Golden Knights have given up 199 goals while scoring 208 for a +9 scoring differential.
The matchup Tuesday is the second time these teams meet this season. The Stars won 5-4 in a shootout in the last matchup. Mavrik Bourque led the Stars with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jason Robertson has scored 34 goals with 40 assists for the Stars. Matt Duchene has five goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games.
Pavel Dorofeyev has 30 goals and 21 assists for the Golden Knights. Ivan Barbashev has scored five goals with two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 9-0-1, averaging 4.3 goals, 7.6 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 4-6-0, averaging three goals, 5.4 assists, 3.4 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Stars: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
It's happening again. The St. Louis Blues -- finally -- are heating up. Unfortunately, it's at the wrong time, and their fan base doesn't know how to feel about it.
There's those that are die-hard fans that want to see them win no matter their standing in the league, and then there are those that don't want them to ruin a potential high draft status.
The way the Blues are playing once the calendar turned to March indicates that dreams of perhaps drafting the likes of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg are becoming a pipe dream.
That's because they put together another solid road outing. Yes, road outing, with Joel Hofer gaining his fifth shutout of the season, and newcomers Jonathan Drouin (goal) and Justin Holl (assist) each picking up a point in his Blues debut, a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Sunday.
Jimmy Snuggerud picked up a goal and an assist, Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter each scored, and Robert Thomas extended his point streak to six games (five goals, five assists) with an assist as the Blues (25-29-9) swept a road trip of four or more games for just the third time in their history:
For the third time in their history, the #stlblues have swept a road trip of four or more games:
It's crazy to think where this team has been for much of the season, and after jettisoning off their captain (Brayden Schenn) to the New York Islanders and defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at the NHL Trade Deadline.
But here they are, and have climbed ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames in the overall standings, with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers also behind them, climbing to 28th overall in points with 59 and officially eight points behind the Seattle Kraken for -- dare I say it -- the second wild card in the Western Conference.
How about tonight's game observations?:
* Blues were the better team, period -- Even though the first period was 0-0, it was evident which team was better.
The Blues were skating harder, they were skating quicker, they were winning more puck battles, getting to areas of the ice necessary to have success, and the Ducks, who started the night in first place in the Pacific Division, relied heavily on former Blues goalie Ville Husso, who was sharp in the opening 20 minutes to keep the game scoreless.
The Blues actually hit consecutive posts (Jake Neighbours on a redirection, then Kyrou on a follow-up chance from that redirection), Dylan Holloway was robbed on a one-time doorstep save by Husso, and Pavel Buchnevich also hit the bar on a power move to the net late in the period while shorthanded.
That's about the only negative from a very sound first period for the Blues, who put themselves in danger with three penalties (although the interference call on Matthew Kessel was pretty weak at 13:08), but even the Blues' PK unit was winning to loose pucks and getting clears, and it was winning face-offs and getting clears.
It set up for a strong push moving forward, which the Blues most certainly did.
* The dam broke in the second -- We all know the Blues' woes in the second period, one of the league's worst at minus-28, and the Ducks came in with a plus-4.
You had to think they missed the mark by not grabbing the lead in a very solid opening period.
That certainly wasn't the case when the Blues took control outscoring the Ducks 3-0 and really put the game on ice.
It was a continuation of the first period and the Blues were not letting up in any shape or form, and Kyrou finally broke through on Husso to make it 1-0 at 4:22, getting out in transition and heading up the right side using his speed after getting a pass from Neighbours and whipping a wrister off the fat post and past Husso above the right pad and under the arm:
And then we get to Drouin, who also scored a beauty to make it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 10:07 rifling a one-timer from the right circle top shelf off a point feed from Philip Broberg, who followed up his career-high 32:51 ice time on Friday with another 27:17 in this game:
It did come with some resentment by the Ducks and rightfully so when Ross Johnston was called for high-sticking Tyler Tucker, but the replay showed Johnston, who would later fight Tucker (more on that), lifted Tucker's own stick into his face, but remember last Sunday against the Minnesota Wild when Jack Finley was called for a high sticking penalty and it was friendly fire by the Wild? I guess what comes around goes around.
The goal was Drouin's first since Nov. 14, 2025 with the Islanders against the Utah Mammoth and first in 39 games, which sounds crazy to think he was that snake bit in New York, or the puck just simply wasn't going in, or the opportunities just weren't there.
And an emphatic period came to a conclusion when Snuggerud laced a one-timer of his own from the right circle at 12:11 to make it 3-0, and as you can see, the Ducks were just too nonchalant moving the puck and getting to areas needed, and Thomas wins it in the corner and finds Snuggerud, who let it go so quick, Husso had no time to react:
* Tucker gets the spotlight now -- With Schenn off to the Islanders, the Blues are down one of their more emotional, and physical leaders on the ice. So when Holl, who assisted on Pius Suter's empty-net goal at 15:58 of the third period to make it 4-0 and put the game to bed, was boarded from behind by Johnston at 16:55 of the second period, Tucker will have to take more opportunities to be that guy to stick up for his teammates, and I'm sure that one will resonate well with a new teammate playing his first game, no matter the outcome:
* Hofer is in a zone -- This wasn't one of those games where coach Jim Montgomery came out in his postgame press conference to say the goalie had to steal them a game.
The team in front of the netminder was outstanding, but there were a handful of stops, including one on Leo Carlsson in tight in the second period of Hofer's 22 saves on the night that showed how locked in he's been since the break and is now one behind Ilya Sorokin (six) for the league lead in shutouts.
Hofer's numbers since the Olympic break look rather pristine at the moment:
* Drouin, Holl make solid contributions -- They're the new guys coming in for veterans who were a staple with the Blues, but Drouin and Holl each came in and were part of the team concept.
Drouin finished with 13:15 of ice time skating with Suter and Buchnevich with a pair of shots on goal and one hit, while Holl, who played with Tucker in his first NHL game this season after spending the bulk of it with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, was a plus-2 with an assist on Suter's goal and played 15:44 (three shot attempts).
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The Golden Knights missed an opportunity to take over the top spot in the Pacific Division as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the third-place Edmonton Oilers on Sunday in front of a nationally televised audience.
The division-leading Anaheim Ducks lost at home to the St. Louis Blues 4-0 earlier in the night, and remain one point in front of Vegas, 73-72, while the Oilers inched closer with 70.
The Golden Knights still have just six wins against teams that would be in the playoffs right now, the fewest in the league.
The Golden Knights have now lost 15 out of the last 16 games against teams in the playoff position.
US Olympic gold medalists Noah Hanifin and Jack Eichel scored for the Knights, while goaltender Adin Hill made 15 saves.
Trent Frederic, Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen scored for Edmonton.
After Frederic gave Edmonton an early second-period goal, Hanifin tied the game later in the stanza as he traced the blue line looking for clearance and blasted a shot through traffic to make it 1-1.
Podkolzin and Draisaitl scored in the third period to push Edmonton's lead to 3-1 before Eichel's short-handed strike brought the deficit back to one.
Kapanen's empty net goal with 1:57 left provided the final margin.
Edmonton netminder Connor Ingram made 24 stops.
KEY MOMENT
While Hanifin eventually tied the game in the second period, the Golden Knights had a goal taken away a little more than six minutes earlier. Keegan Kolesar's snipe from the right circle snuck by Ingram, but a coach's challenge for an offside call overturned the goal. It seemed to deflate the Knights momentarily, rather than building momentum sooner in the period.
KEY STAT
37 ... Frederic's goal marked the 37th time in 63 games a Vegas foe scored first. The Golden Knights are now 11-18-8 when their opponents scored first.
WHAT A KNIGHT
Aside from his goal, Hanifin played an exceptional game for the Knights with two additional shots, four more blocked and a fifth off target. He also registered four blocked shots and finished +1.
"It's all about just being assertive and moving my feet," said Hanifin, who was plus for just the second time in six games. "I think that's just what I got to do if I'm going to help this team. Tonight, I was getting up in the play a little bit. I think offensively, we're using the points a lot tonight, getting a lot of motion going, and I think that helps our D-corps in general."
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 9, 2026
UP NEXT: The Golden Knights play a one-off road game in Dallas on Tuesday.
PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at T-Mobile Arena.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Joel Hofer made 22 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, Jonathan Drouin scored in his Blues debut and St. Louis beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 on Sunday night to sweep a four-game trip.
Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter also scored to help St. Louis win for the fifth time in six games since the Olympic break.
Drouin was acquired from the Islanders on Friday at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Blues captain Brayden Schenn to New York. The left wing scored the second of three second-period goals, firing a slap shot past Ville Husso on a power play with 9:53 left.
Kyrou opened the scoring at 4:22, snapping a shot from the right side to the far post on a 3-on-1 break. After helping set up Drouin's goal, Snuggerud added one of his own on a one-timer with 7:49 to go.
St. Louis failed to add to the lead on an extended power play that spilled into the third when Ross Johnston received a major penalty for boarding Justin Holl, the defenseman who also made his Blues debut after coming over from Detroit.
After Anaheim successfully challenged Snuggerud's apparent goal midway through the third for offsides, Suter scored into an empty net with 4:02 to go
Husso stopped 31 shots. The Ducks completed a nine-game homestand, splitting the last four after winning the first five. They were 0 for 6 on the power play against the Blues.
John Carlson, the defenseman acquired from Washington on Thursday, missed his fifth straight game because of lower-body injury. Ducks center Mikael Granlund returned after missing six games because of an upper-body injury sustained playing for Finland in the Olympic bronze-medal game.
Up next
Blues: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Vladislav Gavrikov #44 of the New York Rangers scores a goal during the first period when the New Jersey Devils played the New York Rangers Saturday, March 7, 2026.
Most of the words Chris Drury said in July about defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov centered around the defensive side of the $49 million defenseman’s game. The Rangers president and general manager wanted to be better in front of their goaltenders. He wanted improved coverage in high-danger areas. And Gavrikov, inked to a seven-year deal at the start of free agency that month to pair with Adam Fox, possessed “qualities of an elite shutdown guy.”
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But over the past eight months, another layer to Gavrikov’s game has started to emerge. He has become a scoring option for the Blueshirts, something that hadn’t necessarily been the case in past seasons with the Kings and Blue Jackets.
After scoring in a third consecutive game Saturday during the loss to the Devils, Gavrikov has collected 12 goals — shattering his previous career high of six — after recording just 11 the last two seasons combined.
He’ll have a chance to continue the longest goal streak of his career Monday against Philadelphia, but even if it ends, Gavrikov became just the third Blueshirts defenseman to have a three-game goal streak across the past 10 seasons, according to the team.
He’s also tied with Hy Buller, from the 1951-52 campaign, for the first-most goals by a defenseman in his first season on Broadway, too.
Vladislav Gavrikov of Rangers scored a goal during the first period when the Devils played the Rangers Saturday, March 7, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Those numbers have all been a bit unexpected for Gavrikov. But with uncertainty looming in the offseason after trade rumors involving Braden Schneider and cryptic comments from Fox about his desire to remain with the Blueshirts through their retool, Gavrikov — given the term remaining on his deal and the production in his first season — has emerged as one of the surest pieces the Rangers have on their blue line.
“From an offensive standpoint, I think he’s had a really, really good year,” head coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. “He’s everything we had hoped for defensively when we signed him, but his offensive game, I think, is something that’s been a welcomed addition to our group — and we think he’s been pretty good in that area of the rink.”
With Fox only skating in 35 games this season and missing extended time with a pair of stints on long-term injured reserve, and with Schneider also mostly struggling this season, Gavrikov has already become the anchor of the Rangers blue line in the present, too. He leads all Blueshirts in ice time. His 25 points lead all defensemen. He has filled roles on both the penalty-kill and power-play units.
And, recently, the goals have followed. Less than a minute into the third period during the March 2 game, Gavrikov slid a pass to Fox across the blue line and then veered toward the left post — collecting a return pass and sending a shot into the Blue Jackets net. Then, against the Maple Leafs, Gavrikov deposited a rebound. And to give the Blueshirts a temporary lead Saturday, he took an extra stride in from the point and ripped a shot past Jacob Markstrom.
These are the signs that teams looking to overhaul a roster need. The ones that contain glimmers of hope, that capture the notion that internal building blocks exist in addition to any of the external ones acquired or drafted.
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Mason Marchment (17) and New York Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (44) fight for the puck during the third period at Madison Square Garden. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There’s Gabe Perreault, who’s up to 11 points and carved out a role on the first line. There’s Will Cuylle, in the middle of another productive season as a physical two-way forward. There’s Noah Laba, a rookie center. And then there’s Gavrikov, established in the NHL to the point where he was a commodity last summer but still in the early stages of his Rangers tenure.
Fox’s absences have forced some shuffling alongside Gavrikov throughout the season, but in the bigger-picture, the long-term status of their pairing has become murky. When asked if he wanted to remain with the Rangers through their retool, Fox said that’s a conversation for the offseason.
When given a chance to clarify those comments, he doubled down. Schneider’s name swirled in rumors, too, ahead of the deadline. It’s unclear just how eager Drury will be to move either of those pieces in the offseason with the Rangers sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference and committed to a retool — on paper — after issuing The Letter 2.0.
The Rangers know they’ll likely have Gavrikov, though. They’ll have someone who has delivered on the expectation to be a first-pair defenseman while unexpectedly adding offensive contributions, too. The next step involves ensuring that it’s just not a one-season fluke. That the production becomes sustainable.
But for now, in a lost season for the Rangers, it has certainly emerged as one of the bright spots.
You have to go back to Tampa Bay’s first season in the league, to Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hašek’s first season in Buffalo. To a time when Mario Lemieux had led the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back championships and Wayne Gretzky was on the verge of leading the Los Angeles Kings to their first Stanley Cup Final.
In the Sabres’ 8-7 win in Buffalo on Sunday night, the teams combined for 15 goals and 28 penalties, the most since the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals combined for 16 goals and 28 penalties on Feb. 11, 1993, according to OptaSTATS.
Six different players scored for the Lightning, while five players scored for the Sabres, and seven had at least three points. Jason Zucker scored two goals, and he assisted on Josh Doan’s second goal, the game-winner with 4:17 remaining in the third period. Nikita Kucherov recorded two goals and an assist to lead the Lightning.
Tampa Bay had 57 penalty minutes and Buffalo 45, with Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous and Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram leading the way with 12 apiece. The teams also had seven fights.
According to OptaStats, the 15 goals and 102 penalty minutes totals had not been reached since an NHL playoff game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers on April 25, 1989 (17 goals and 130 penalty minutes).
The victory marked the seventh in a row for the Sabres, who moved into first place in the Atlantic Division. According to the NHL, the last time they were in first place in their division at this stage of a season or later was April 11, 2010.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Stars in the first period thanks to goals scored by Tyler Bertuzzi and Sam Rinzel. With a chance to sweep the season series from one of the best teams in the NHL, they gave themselves the early advantage.
On the first goal, Artyom Levshunov collected the puck at the point, skated in a bit, and made an incredibly wise shot-pass to Tyler Bertuzzi, who tipped it home. On the Rinzel goal, he found the puck in the slot thanks to a great play by Oliver Moore and rifled it into the net.
Moore took a hit to make a play and immediately went to the dressing room. He did not return. That is the type of speed that you miss when it’s removed from the lineup.
After that, the Dallas Stars started to take over. Before the Blackhawks could escape the first period with a two-goal lead, Nathan Bastian scored to get the Stars on the board. That 2-1 held through the first intermission, and there was no scoring at all in the second.
Entering the third period, the Stars had a 22-10 shot advantage, indicating that the Blackhawks needed to be much better if they wanted to win the hockey game.
You could feel a Dallas goal coming, and Mavrik Bourque’s 13th of the season knotted things at two just 42 seconds into the third period. At 9:40, the Stars took their first lead of the game with Justin Hryckowian’s 10th of the year.
Just when it seemed completely hopeless for the Hawks, Connor Bedard scored with Arvid Soderblom on the bench to tie the game. In his 200th career NHL game, he put on a show with the extra attacker on the ice.
Overtime was required, but the Stars made sure to complete their comeback as Miro Heiskanen won it 22 seconds into the extra period. Dallas narrowly avoided being swept by a young Chicago team, but they found a way in the end.
It doesn’t feel good for these players to lose, but they will look back on a 2-0-1 performance against the Dallas Stars as a highlight of the season. That will be especially true if the Stars reach their potential in the playoffs.
The only update that Jeff Blashill had on Moore's injury is that he won't be available for Monday's home game.
The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Monday night when they take on the Utah Mammoth. This is their one game at the United Center this week before leaving for two games out west.
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For the second consecutive game, the Detroit Red Wings lost a key member of their lineup because of an on-ice injury.
However, the result of Sunday evening's game was far more positive than the result of Friday evening's game.
The Red Wings leapfrogged the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division standings with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center, the kind of response needed after a two-game winless skid on home ice.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 9, 2026
Now, the attention will turn to the status of goaltender John Gibson, who was shaken up after Devils forward Timo Meier shoved Lucas Raymond into him in the closing seconds of the second period.
He was replaced by Cam Talbot to begin the third period; both Gibson and Talbot became the first Red Wings goaltenders since Jonas Gustafsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014 to have a combined shutout in the same contest.
Gibson made 21 saves before his departure, followed by Talbot's 10 saves.
Detroit was already playing without Dylan Larkin, who suffered a lower-body injury on Friday against the Florida Panthers and was designated as day-to-day by head coach Todd McLellan.
Defenseman Justin Faulk, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Friday, made his Red Wings debut and skated in 19:28 of ice time, registering three shots on goal while blocking three shots. He also had four hits.
Detroit struck first in the opening 20 minutes of play, as a shot from the point by defenseman Moritz Seider deflected off a Devils player and sailed past goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Playing in his home state of New Jersey, first-year Red Wings forward James van Riemsdyk deflected a shot from Seider past Markstrom while on the power-play in the second period. It was his 15th goal of the season and first in 12 games.
While the Devils attempted to press and get back into the contest, Talbot held down the fort in Gibson's absence during the final frame.
The scoring was then capped by Dominik Shine, who tallied his first NHL goal by converting on a perfect centering feed from van Riemsdyk, increasing the lead to 3-0. The team captain of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, Shine was recalled in late February.
Detroit will continue its road swing by visiting the Sunshine State for a rematch against the Panthers, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined to make 31 saves, Dominik Shine scored his first NHL goal and the Detroit Red Wings beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Sunday night.
Opening a four-game trip, Detroit ended a two-game losing streak and stopped the Devils’ winning streak at four.
Gibson made 21 saves in first two periods, but was injured at the end the second. Talbot stopped 10 shots in the third. They became the first Detroit goalies to combine for a shutout since Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014.
Moritz Seider and James van Riemsdyk also scored, and each assisted on Shine’s third-period goal. Seider scored on a wrist shot at 3:20 of the first. Van Riemsdyk tipped in a shot from the point on a power play at 6:37 of second.
Shine broke through on a snap shot with 9:36 left. The 32-year-old forward was playing his fifth NHL game of the season and the 14th of his career.
Defenseman Justin Faulk made his Red Wings debut after being acquired from St. Louis on Friday.
Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves for New Jersey in the fourth game of seven-game homestand. The Devils were coming off a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday. Jack Hughes had a hat trick in that game.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined to make 31 saves, Dominik Shine scored his first NHL goal and the Detroit Red Wings beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Sunday night.
Opening a four-game trip, Detroit ended a two-game losing streak and stopped the Devils' winning streak at four.
Gibson made 21 saves in first two periods, but was injured late in the second on a collision in the crease. Cam Talbot stopped 10 shots in the third. They became the first Detroit goalies to combine for a shutout since Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014.
Moritz Seider and James van Riemsdyk also scored, and each assisted on Shine's third-period goal. Seider scored on a wrist shot at 3:20 of the first. Van Riemsdyk tipped in a shot from the point on a power play at 6:37 of second.
Shine broke through on a snap shot with 9:36 left. The 32-year-old forward was playing his fifth NHL game of the season and the 14th of his career.
Defenseman Justin Faulk made his Red Wings debut after being acquired from St. Louis on Friday.
Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves for New Jersey in the fourth game of seven-game homestand. The Devils were coming off a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday. Jack Hughes had a hat trick in that game.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tommy Novak scored 17 seconds into overtime to complete a wild comeback in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Anthony Mantha scored two third-period goals to help Pittsburgh — playing without franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — snap a three-game losing streak. Second in the Metropolitan Division, Pittsburgh has points in 16 of its last 19 games.
Crosby is out a minimum of four weeks because of a lower-body injury and Malkin served the second of a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin in the head.
Egor Chinakhov added a power-play goal, Connor Dewar also scored and Arturs Silovs stopped 22 shots. Chinakhov has 14 goals this season and 11 goals in 25 games with Pittsburgh.
Pavel Zacha had his second career hat trick, and David Pastrnak also scored for Boston. The Bruins have lost five of their last eight. They have a three-point lead for the final wild-card spot in the East.
AVALANCHE 3, WILD 2, SO
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored his NHL-leading 43rd goal and scored the winning goal in a shootout, lifting Colorado to a victory over Minnesota in a matchup between two of the NHL’s top four teams in points.
MacKinnon has 70 points in 55 career games against Minnesota, his most against any opponent.
Both teams converted on one of their first three shootout opportunities before Vladimir Tarasenko was stonewalled by Scott Wedgewood, giving MacKinnon the opportunity to deliver his team a win.
Wedgewood, who leads the NHL in goals against average and is second in save percentage, had 32 saves on 34 Minnesota shots.
Trailing 1-0 entering the third period, the Wild scored two goals in a stretch of 2:44, one on a power play and one short-handed, to take the lead. The Avalanche countered with a Nicolas Roy tip-in goal with 7:21 remaining to send the game into overtime.
STARS 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, OT
DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Miro Heiskanen scored 22 seconds into overtime to give Dallas a victory over Chicago.
Second in the Western Conference, the Stars are 11-0-1 in their last 12.
Young Chicago star Connor Bedard forced the extra period by scoring with 1:20 left in regulation with the Blackhawks playing with an extra skater.
Mavrik Bourque had a goal and an assist for Dallas. Nathan Bastian and Justin Hryckowian also scored, and Casey DeSmith made 12 saves.
Tyler Bertuzzi and rookie defenseman Sam Rinzel also scored for Chicago, and Arvid Soderblom stopped 28 shots. The Blackhawks are 2-7-4 in their last 13.
The Stars turned a 2-1 deficit going into the third period into a 3-2 lead on Bourque’s goal 42 seconds in and Hryckowian’s power-play goal at 9:40.
The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first period on a deflection by Bertuzzi at 6:59 and Rinzel’s blast from the slot fewer than two minutes later. Bastian scored Dallas’ first goal late in the period.
Soderblom made consecutive starts for the first time this season with No. 1 Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight sidelined with an illness.
SABRES 8, LIGHTNING 7
Buffalo, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Doan opened and closed the scoring with power-play goals and Buffalo outlasted Tampa Bay in a wild and feisty showdown for the Atlantic Division lead.
Doan broke a tie with 4:17 left with his 21st goal of the season, helping the Sabres win their seventh straight and move two points ahead of the Lighting.
The teams combined for 100 penalty minutes in a game that included five fights and a postgame scrum. They’ll meet one more time in the regular season on April 6 in Buffalo.
Doan capped a two-goal, third-period comeback for Buffalo in a game the Sabres led by three goals.
Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker also scored twice for the Sabres. Sam Carrick and Rasmus Dahlin added goals, Tage Thompson had four assists and Bo Byram three. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves.
RED WINGS 3, DEVILS 0
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined to make 31 saves, Dominik Shine scored his first NHL goal and Detroit beat New Jersey.
Opening a four-game trip, Detroit ended a two-game losing streak and stopped the Devils’ winning streak at four.
Gibson made 21 saves in first two periods, but was injured at the end the second. Cam Talbot stopped 10 shots in the third. They became the first Detroit goalies to combine for a shutout since Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014.
Moritz Seider and James van Riemsdyk also scored, and each assisted on Shine’s third-period goal. Seider scored on a wrist shot at 3:20 of the first. Van Riemsdyk tipped in a shot from the point on a power play at 6:37 of second.
Shine broke through on a snap shot with 9:36 left. The 32-year-old forward was playing his fifth NHL game of the season and the 14th of his career.
Defenseman Justin Faulk made his Red Wings debut after being acquired from St. Louis on Friday.
BLUES 4, DUCKS 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Joel Hofer made 22 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, Jonathan Drouin scored in his Blues debut and St. Louis beat Anaheim to sweep a four-game trip.
Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter also scored to help St. Louis win for the fifth time in six games since the Olympic break.
Drouin was acquired from the Islanders on Friday at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Blues captain Brayden Schenn to New York. The left wing scored the second of three second-period goals, firing a slap shot past Ville Husso on a power play with 9:53 left.
Kyrou opened the scoring at 4:22, snapping a shot from the right side to the far post on a 3-on-1 break. After helping set up Drouin’s goal, Snuggerud added one of his own on a one-timer with 7:49 to go.
St. Louis failed to add to the lead on an extended power play that spilled into the third when Ross Johnston received a major penalty for boarding Justin Holl, the defenseman who also made his Blues debut after coming over from Detroit.
After Anaheim successfully challenged Snuggerud’s apparent goal midway through the third for offsides, Suter scored into an empty net with 4:02 to go.
OILERS 4, GOLDEN NIGHTS 2
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen scored in the third period and Edmonton beat Vegas to tighten the Pacific Division race.
The Golden Knights, with 72 points, missed a chance to go back in front of Anaheim, which remained at 73 after the Ducks lost 4-0 at home to St. Louis. Third-place Edmonton has 70.
Vegas has lost five of six games, and the Oilers had dropped six of eight going into this meeting.
Trent Frederic also scored for the Oilers, and Connor Ingram made 24 saves. Connor McDavid had two assists and Evan Bouchard had one to extended their points streak to seven games.
Noah Hanifin and Jack Eichel scored for Golden Knights. Mitch Marner had two assists and Adin Hill stopped 15 shots.
Vegas winger Brett Howden played for the first time in two months. He had been out with a lower-body injury.
The teams traded goals in the second period, but a goal from Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar was successfully challenged by the Oilers.
Then in the third, Podkolzin scored an unassisted goal on a breakaway off a faceoff to put the Oilers ahead 2-1 just 2:34 into period. Draisaitl’s goal with 8:07 remaining came after Eichel failed to clear the puck out of his zone because teammate Rasmus Andersson’s broken stick was in the way.
Midway through the second period on Sunday against the Boston Bruins, it appeared as the though the Pittsburgh Penguins were headed for their fourth consecutive loss.
They were trailing, 3-0, and goaltender Arturs Silovs had just misplayed a puck behind the goal line to David Pastrnak, who made him pay. And it was a shame, too, because the Penguins were largely controlling play throughout the game up to that point.
But instead of throwing in the towel, they showed fight. They drew a late power play - and then, a five-on-three - that ultimately turned the tide of the game and gave them the momentum to roar all the way back from a three-goal deficit and, ultimately, take an important two points in a 5-4 overtime win.
"That's kind of been our M.O. the whole year," Novak said. "All four lines contribute, and we roll them all. [The fourth line] played unbelievable tonight, they were buzzing around from the start.
"I think it just speaks to the amount of good players we have in here, too, and how we can come wave after wave."
Boston opened the scoring midway through the first period on a Pavel Zacha power play goal, and Zacha added his second tally of the game just before the midway point of the second despite the Penguins getting the larger share of chances. The Pastrnak goal happened less than four minutes later, and it seemed like the Penguins were done for - especially considering that they had scored just two goals in their prior eight periods against the Bruins.
But the five-on-three changed everything. Egor Chinakhov - who is now part of the first power play unit - walked in and absolutely rifled a wrister past Boston goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to cut the Bruins' lead to 3-1. The goal gave them much-needed scoring momentum heading into the third period - arguably, their most impressive period of the season.
EGOORRR! 💪
Since his Pittsburgh debut on Jan. 1, no Penguin has more goals than Egor Chinakhov (11). pic.twitter.com/ZHGBf4FQ2t
After posting 15 shots in the second period, the Penguins put up 14 in the third - and three found the back of the net. It all started when Connor Dewar took a long pass from Ryan Shea that banked off the end wall, and he gathered the puck and fired a backhander toward the net that beat Korpisalo to cut the deficit to one.
Then, just 33 seconds later, defenseman Ilya Solovyov - playing in his first game since Feb. 5 - made an outlet pass to Tommy Novak at the left wall in the neutral zone. Novak found Anthony Mantha breaking down the right side, and in all alone, Mantha found the five-hole and tied the game at 3-3.
Unfortunately, Zacha responded with a hat trick goal less than two minutes later to give Boston back the lead. But the Penguins didn't quit. They just kept coming, and they were rewarded two and a half minutes after when Mantha put home his second of the game - and 23rd of the season - with a garbage goal at the net-front to tie things back up at 4-4.
The Penguins killed off a late power play for the Bruins and fended off a late push by Boston to force OT, where Novak was, ultimately, able to play hero after a nice individual effort from Chinakhov at the net-front.
"When you have a game where things haven't gone your way, and you just dig in during the third period and you keep staying with it, I think it's something that you - you want to carry that with you," Muse said. "You own it now. Like, you know you can be in these situations where you're down three at one point, and then there's hockey left.
"So, just focusing on that next shift, and stay with it. This was a great example of the guys, in the third period especially - even though there was still some back and forth - just the response that they continued to have. As a coach, you kind of feel it coming. There was a lot of belief on that bench and a lot of belief on our staff that, we didn't know how, but we were going to find a way tonight. And that's what the guys did."
- Chinakhov has completely changed the complexion of the first line. He, Rakell, and Rust have some very real chemistry.
Something that Chinakhov does so well is that he always knows where to be situationally and in relation to the play unfolding. He knows when to offer puck support. He knows when to position himself for a feed. He knows when to engage in puck battles along the walls. He anticipates where others are going to be and sets himself up to make a play.
His offensive instincts remind me so much of Jake Guentzel's. He's just a smart player. Playing alongside Rakell and Rust has brought out the playmaking side of his game, as he's not always relied upon to be the trigger man on that line. And he's darn good at switching between both.
Mar 8, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Egor Chinakhov (59) celebrates his power play goal with the Penguins bench against the Boston Bruins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
"I think he's continuing to do a lot of what he's been doing since he got here," Muse said. "He's doing it now with some different linemates. He's made some nice plays here, too, you know, the shot's obvious - I think anybody that watches any of our games or any of our practices, it's pretty clear that release is pretty special, and you saw it again there tonight - but he's also making some plays with these guys, and they continue to play hard there at both ends.
"Anytime you get new linemates, it might look look a little bit different in terms of how those plays develop and where they're going. But, the guys, they've done a good job in these games."
Oh, and I'll never, ever tire of watching Chinakhov shoot a vulcanized piece of rubber into the back of the net only to watch it bounce back out as fast as it went in. What a snipe. Not sure why plugging him on the first power play unit took so long.
Not only is he a big body - a VERY big one - he's good on the forecheck, he uses his reach to make plays, get shots off, and knock pucks out of danger. He seems to have pretty decent offensive instincts.
"I felt good. I feel like I was trying to not think too much," Soderblom said. "You know, it's new systems and stuff like that. But I tried to just play my game, and I just don't think too much and just play."
His line struggled a bit defensively - Kindel had another rough game in his own zone, particularly - but for a first game with his new team, I thought he was solid.
- Another guy who played an excellent game? Ville Koivunen.
I think the biggest difference between Koivunen's earlier stints with the NHL club this season and now is that he looks comfortable. He looks a bit more up-to-speed. And he's not trying to force plays, instead being himself and playing to his strengths.
- What a resurgent season this has been for Mantha. And, can we just talk about how impressive it is that he's doing what he's doing this season?
This guy had ACL surgery last season and played in just 13 games. That is not an easy injury to come back from, especially for a player north of 30. But his 23 goals and 47 points are just two and one shy of his career-highs, respectively, and he figures to shatter those numbers by the end of the season.
Kyle Dubas was right not to deal this guy at the deadline. He is, essentially, the Penguins' own rental, and taking him out of the picture would have been a huge detriment to their playoff chances.
What's he's doing is impressive, and it's fun to watch how well he's fit in with this group.
- The Sam Girard - Ilya Solovyov pairing was very good tonight. Solovyov was credited with a team-high three blocked shots, and I think there could have been a few more added to that total. Girard looked far more comfortable alongside a blueliner who plays a more stay-at-home style, even if Solovyov isn't exactly a classic stay-at-home defenseman.
They played some minutes together during their time with the Colorado Avalanche, and Muse thinks that familiarity was good for both players in this game. I would tend to agree. They were both good in this one, but I thought Solovyov was particularly good.
- There have been a lot of good wins for the Penguins. Big wins, too.
This one takes the cake, though, as their biggest and most character win of the season.
A loss would have extended their losing streak to four games, putting them in a precarious position ahead of their upcoming five-game road trip - all of which are games against current playoff teams. They took advantage of one of their two games in hand to the New York Islanders and leapfrogged them to go back into second place in the Metro. They're eight points back of the Carolina Hurricanes, who they play twice on this road trip and one more time at the end of the month.
Most of all, they did it without their two best players. They did it despite a large segment of fans lacking belief because of their predicament and because of the grind of their schedule.
