The Colorado Avalanche have been on a season-long tear, and today they aim to keep that momentum as they visit the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Center to finish a two-game road swing.

Avalanche Coming Off a Statement Win

Colorado enters today’s matchup fresh off a 5-1 rout of the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Nathan MacKinnon returned after a major penalty and a rescinded game misconduct stemming from a collision with Edmonton’s Connor Ingram, channeling any frustration into a four-point performance (1G, 3A), including the game-winner.

The NHL has RESCINDED Nathan MacKinnon's goalie interference major penalty. 😳

Doing this will stop MacKinnon from getting an automatic suspension per NHL rules if he were to get another major penalty soon. 👀 pic.twitter.com/OUza6Qn726

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 12, 2026

Martin Nečas scored his 30th goal of the season, and Nazem Kadri notched his first regular-season goal for Colorado since April 29, 2022. Scott Wedgewood stopped 28 of 29 shots for his 25th win, a new career high.

Martin Necas comes to Colorado and becomes a 30 goal scorer! #GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/xLwwXCLPiR

— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) March 13, 2026

The Avalanche maintain a five-point lead over the Dallas Stars and hold a key game in hand.

This game marks the first of two visits to Winnipeg in a two-week span. Colorado beat the Jets 3-2 on December 19 at Ball Arena, with Parker Kelly scoring the game-winner. Tonight, Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to start in net after a shaky outing Tuesday.

Thursday’s lineup featured 11 forwards and seven defensemen, debuting Nick Blankenburg, acquired from Nashville. The seventh defenseman logged 9:31, the lowest among the blueline, but will likely get another chance in Winnipeg.

MacKinnon’s four-point night keeps him just behind Connor McDavid for the league scoring lead (108 points to 111), though his 44 goals remain first in the NHL. Nečas is tied with Brock Nelson for second on the team with 30 goals, and Cale Makar is one goal shy of a fourth consecutive 20-goal season.

Nathan MacKinnon with 1 goal & 3 assists in the Colorado Avalanche’s 5-1 win against Seattle tonight!

MacKinnon has 108 points (44G + 64A) in 63 GP

MacKinnon has 17 points in his last 9 games pic.twitter.com/nMKg3Ve57P

— Maietta Sports Media (@MaiettaSports) March 13, 2026

Projected Avalanche Lineup

Forwards

Nazem Kadri – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas

Joel Kiviranta – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin

Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Nicolas Roy

Gavin Brindley – Zakhar Bardakov

This is subject to change as Ross Colton's status remains unknown as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury. He suffered the injury on Tuesday when the Avalanche suffered a 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Colton exited the game in the second period and did not return. 

Defense

Devon Toews – Cale Makar

Josh Manson – Brent Burns

Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski

Nick Blankenburg

Goalies

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Jets Fighting for Playoff Spot

After winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season and seeing Connor Hellebuyck earn the Vezina and Hart, Winnipeg entered 2025-26 with high expectations. But a slow start, injuries, and inconsistent play have left them seven points out of the second Western Conference wild card.

Hellebuyck missed three weeks after knee surgery in November, and Winnipeg lost eight of ten games without him, then 11 of 12 after his return. The Jets are fighting to avoid sinking to the bottom of the Central Division.

Trade deadline moves included sending Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, and draft picks, as well as trading Tanner Pearson for a 2026 draft pick. Despite these moves, closing the gap on playoff contenders remains a steep climb.

Winnipeg is in the middle of an eight-game homestand. Today’s game kicks off a back-to-back set, with the St. Louis Blues visiting Sunday. The Jets have lost their last two games, 4-1 to Anaheim and 6-3 to New York. Hellebuyck, fresh off Olympic gold with the U.S., is expected to start again.

The blue line will be depleted, with Neal Pionk and Colin Miller out, along with Vladislav Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter.

Mark Scheifele leads Winnipeg with 30 goals, 49 assists, and 79 points; Kyle Connor is second in all three categories (29G, 43A, 72 PTS). Josh Morrissey leads all defensemen with 11 goals, 33 assists, and 44 points.

Projected Jets Lineup

Forwards

Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Alex Iafallo

Cole Perfetti – Adam Lowry – Gabe Vilardi

Gustav Nyquist – Jonathan Toews – Isak Rosén

Cole Koepke – Morgan Barron – Brad Lambert

Defense

Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo

Dylan Samberg – Elias Salomonsson

Haydn Fleury – Jacob Bryson

Goalies

Connor Hellebuyck

Eric Comrie

Colorado looks to extend their dominance and maintain a stranglehold atop the Central Division, while Winnipeg hopes a strong home stand can spark a playoff push. Expect a fast, technical showdown in Winnipeg. 

Welcome back to another riveting edition of the Preview Skate! Public Preview?

In any case, here we are, with another Saturday afternoon game for the B’s. This time, they’ll be facing the Washington Capitals in D.C.

• When: 3ish PM
• Where: Capital One Arena – Washington, D.C.
• How to follow: ABC, 98.5 The Sports Hub
• Opposing perspective:Japers’ Rink

The Capitals remain on the edge of the playoff picture, sitting at 73 points. That’s five points behind the Bruins, with three teams (Columbus, Ottawa, and Philadelphia) in between the two.

They’re also six points behind both the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division, so they’re not quite out of it, but time is running out for them to make up ground.

We’ve got another national TV broadcast for this one, this time on ABC. Adjust your viewing plans accordingly.

The B’s and Capitals have played each other twice this season, once in October and once last Saturday. The B’s won both of those games, 3-1.

Not much has changed since these two teams played at TD Garden last Saturday. Same players, no major injuries to report, etc.

The Caps earned themselves a good win last time out, beating the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1.

That game was in Buffalo and ended the Sabres’ eight-game winning streak, so that’s a nice momentum-builder for the Caps.

The Bruins will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing result against San Jose while also improving their road record, which currently sits at an uninspiring 11-14-5.

You’d imagine the B’s turn to Joonas Korpisalo today, but I guess we’ll find out in a few hours.

For those who want to watch the standings as well: Ottawa will play at 1 PM, while Montreal, Columbus, and Detroit will all play tonight.

The Blue Jackets will play the Flyers, who are just four points behind them in the standings, so that’s a big one for both teams.

Should be an interesting Saturday!

Also, in case you missed it, Boston College won their Hockey East playoff game last night, so HagensWatch is on hold for now.

Bruins! Capitals! Played in a federal district, not a state/province!

Discuss.

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The Ottawa Senators welcome the Anaheim Ducks to the Canadian Tire Centre this afternoon, with puck drop scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. 

Brady Tkachuk has been creating tons of chances lately, and I’m eyeing him to keep that up in my Ducks vs Senators predictions. 

Read more in my NHL picks for Saturday, March 14. 

Ducks vs Senators prediction

Ducks vs Senators best bet: Brady Tkachuk Over 3.5 shots (-125)

Brady Tkachuk is averaging 3.88 shots per game, cashing his Over in three consecutive appearances — notching a total of 14 during that span. 

The Ottawa Senators captain also averages the third-most time on the power play for his team, and the Anaheim Ducks pick up 9.9 penalty minutes per game. That opens the door for Tkachuk to rack up shots on the man advantage.

The Ducks also rank 21st in shots allowed, and Tkachuk is averaging an impressive 4.05 shots on target at the Canadian Tire Centre this season. 

Ducks vs Senators same-game parlay

Drake Batherson has hit the Over in SOG in two of his last three contests, including four shots on Wednesday against Montreal.

He’s also cashed the Over in back-to-back appearances at home, and as I previously discussed, Anaheim bleeds shots. 

Tim Stutzle is Ottawa’s top playmaker, tallying 40 assists this season. He’s registered helpers in back-to-back outings, and has collected 22 assists in 30 home games compared to 18 in 34 on the road. 

Ducks vs Senators SGP

• Brady Tkachuk Over 3.5 shots
• Drake Batherson Over 2.5 shots
• Tim Stutzle Over 0.5 assists

Ducks vs Senators odds

• Moneyline: Ducks +140 | Senators -160
• Puck Line: Ducks +1.5 (-170) | Senators -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-115) | Under 6.5 (-105)

Ducks vs Senators trend

The Ottawa Senators have covered the puck line in nine of their last 13 games (+7.60 Units / 45% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Ducks vs. Senators.

How to watch Ducks vs Senators

Ducks vs Senators latest injuries

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ELMONT, NY --New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer broke another NHL record in their 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

He played 29:24 minutes, setting the NHL record for ice-time by an 18-year-old.

Schaefer surpassed Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who played 29:15 in an overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Dec. 4, 2018. 

The difference? There was no overtime on Friday night, with Schaefer essentially playing half the game. On top of that, Schaefer also missed a few shifts while sitting in the penalty box for roughing at 16:22 of the second period. 

Schaefer played 8:59 in the first, 9:56 in the second, and 10:29 in the third period as the Islanders tried to erase their deficit. 

When Schaefer was on the ice at 5-on-5, 21:52, the Islanders outshot the Kings 12-9, with one goal for and one goal against. 

On the night, Schaefer recorded his 28th assist and 48th point of th season, three shots on 10 attempts, and a block. 

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Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun is having the best offensive season of his career, already setting a new high in points with plenty of games to go.

He's feasted on lesser defensive teams all season, and my Bruins vs. Capitals predictions expect that to be the case again this afternoon.

Let’s break down my NHL picks for Saturday, March 14.

Bruins vs Capitals prediction

Bruins vs Capitals best bet: Jakob Chychrun Over 0.5 points (-135)

Jakob Chychrun has hit the scoresheet in 19 of 26 games (73%) against Bottom 12 teams in points allowed to defensemen, including both matchups with the Boston Bruins.

His numbers are even better on home soil, with points in 12 of 14 such matchups — averaging a remarkable 1.4 points per game.

The 27-year-old also stands to benefit from John Carlson's departure. He's served as the clear No. 1 offensive defenseman without Carlson, generating shots at a higher clip while picking up points in eight of 12 games.

Chychrun has registered a point in five of six home dates without the Washington Capitals legend.

Bruins vs Capitals same-game parlay

Connor McMichael has averaged 2.6 shots on goal per game and generated at least two shots in 14 of 17 home dates against Bottom 16 shot-suppression teams. He recorded three shots on eight attempts when facing the Boston Bruins on home soil back in October.

Charlie McAvoy is averaging 2.2 blocks on the road while recording at least two in 65% of his games. The Capitals are Top 10 in shot attempts per game at home, so there should be plenty of opportunities to jump in front of pucks.

Bruins vs Capitals SGP

• Jakob Chychrun Over 0.5 points
• Connor McMichael Over 1.5 shots
• Charlie McAvoy Over 1.5 blocked shots

Bruins vs Capitals odds

• Moneyline: Bruins +115 | Capitals -135
• Puck Line: Bruins +1.5 (-210) | Capitals -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+115) | Under 6.5 (-125)

Bruins vs Capitals trend

Jakob Chychrun has points in eight of his last 10 home dates. Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Capitals.

How to watch Bruins vs Capitals

Bruins vs Capitals latest injuries

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The Calgary Flames will try to build rare momentum Saturday night when they close out their season series with the New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.

Calgary arrives on Long Island riding a surge of confidence after a high-scoring 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, a game that showcased the resilience the Flames have tried to rediscover during a difficult season. The victory came midway through an Eastern Conference road swing and offered a glimpse of the aggressive, competitive identity Calgary hopes to carry through the final stretch of the schedule.

"Excited to be here."

Victor Olofsson speaks on getting set for his first game as a Flame tonight. pic.twitter.com/OnJQjOlgKr

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 9, 2026

Backlund Reaches 600-Point Milestone

Veteran center Mikael Backlund delivered a milestone moment in the win, scoring the eventual game-winning goal early in the third period while collecting the 600th point of his NHL career. For a Flames team that has spent much of the season battling adversity, the milestone was both a personal achievement and a symbolic spark.

"We want to play the right way every game and come out and play Flames style," Calgary center Mikael Backlund told reporters. "That's competing hard playing the right way. That's our main focus every night."

600 CAREER POINTS FOR BACKS! pic.twitter.com/LrQZQTHbRK

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 13, 2026

Even with the victory, the Flames remain buried near the bottom of the standings. Calgary entered the weekend with 59 points, 31st in the NHL and ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks. A disastrous opening stretch — 11 losses in their first 13 games (2-9-2) — left the club chasing the pack for most of the year.

Flames Searching For Rare Consistency

Now the math is daunting.

Calgary sits 10 points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference wild-card position, leaving the Flames with little margin for error as the regular season winds down. Consecutive victories have also been hard to come by — the Flames have managed back-to-back wins just twice since Jan. 1, posting an 8-14-3 record during that span.

Saturday offers an opportunity to change that narrative.

Islanders Feeling The Pressure

The Islanders, meanwhile, enter the matchup trying to shake off a frustrating loss and stabilize their own playoff positioning.

New York opened a weekend back-to-back against Pacific Division opponents Friday night and fell 3-2 to the Kings after digging themselves into an early hole. Los Angeles scored three times in the opening period before the Islanders mounted another late push.

Forward Emil Heineman fueled the comeback attempt with a pair of redirect goals across the final two periods, cutting the deficit to one early in the third. New York pressed hard down the stretch, outshooting the Kings 9-4 after Heineman’s second goal, but a last-second chance from rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer was blocked by veteran blueliner Joel Edmundson with just two seconds remaining.

The defeat halted what had been a strong stretch for the Islanders since the Olympic break. New York had won five of its previous seven games and rallied from multi-goal deficits in four of those victories.

Still, constantly playing catch-up has begun to take a toll.

"It wears on you having to come back all the time," Islanders center Bo Horvat, who had the secondary assist on both of Heineman's goals. "We have to find ways to get leads and hold leads. Going down the stretch here like that's tough -- not only physically but mentally to keep having to come back in games like that."

Despite the loss, the Islanders remain firmly in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. New York entered the weekend tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins with 79 points — two ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final guaranteed Metropolitan Division playoff spots.

They also sit level with the Detroit Red Wings for the conference’s top wild-card position and just one point ahead of the Boston Bruins.

For Calgary, the stakes are simpler.

The Flames are playing for pride, identity, and perhaps a foundation for next season — and another victory Saturday would mark one of their most consistent stretches in months.

The Colorado Avalanche have been soaring to incredible heights all season.

Today, the highest-flying team in the NHL will fly into Canadian airspace at Canada Life Center against Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets to finish off their two game road swing.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche come into today’s game fresh off a 5-1 victory over the reeling Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday night. The Avs would regain the services of Nathan MacKinnon, who returned to the lineup after being served a major penalty (courtesy of on-ice officials Kelly Sutherland and Brandon Schrader) and a corresponding game misconduct (which was rescinded by the NHL on Thursday) upon colliding with Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram (courtesy of Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse) in the 4-3 loss on Tuesday night. If MacKinnon was harboring any resentment after the events of Tuesday night, he channeled all of it towards Seattle’s Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer, resulting in a four point effort (1G/3A/4PTS), which included the game-winning tally, in the win. Martin Nečas scored his 30th goal of the season for the first time in his career, and Nazem Kadri scored his first regular season goal in a Colorado sweater since April 29, 2022, en route to the victory. Scott Wedgewood stopped 28 of 29 shots for his 25th win of the season, extending his career high.

With this victory, the Avalanche maintained a five point lead over the Dallas Stars—who defeated Edmonton by a score of 7-2 Thursday evening—and still hold a critical game in hand over their second place rivals. They remain the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. Coach Jared Bednar said after Thursday’s game, “Every win matters this time of the year. We’re trying to hang on to first place. Teams around us are winning, and to get a start like that [tonight], and have those guys feel good about their game is real important this time of year.”

Today’s game marks the first of two visits to Winnipeg in a two week span for the Avs. Both teams previously met on December 19 back at Ball Arena, a 3-2 Avalanche victory. Parker Kelly scored what proved to be the game winner in that contest. Look for Mackenzie Blackwood to get the start in Winnipeg today, as he looks to rebound from a performance on Tuesday night where he gave his teammates plenty of time to take control of the contest, but ultimately was unable to provide key saves when his defenders weren’t at their best.

Coach Bednar deployed eleven skaters at the forward positions on Thursday, along with seven defensemen. This saw the debut of Nick Blankenburg, acquired from Nashville just before the trade deadline, in an Avalanche sweater. Blankenburg, fared decently in his first outing with his new team, but as the seventh defenseman, had a team low 9:31 among the blue line corps. At the time of this writing, the Avalanche haven’t called anyone up from Loveland (which would be a curious decision given that there can be only four call-ups to use between now and the end of the regular season), and Ross Colton’s status is still unknown, so it’s possible that Bednar considers using this same lineup against Winnipeg and allow Blankenburg another opportunity to showcase his abilities.

Even with his four point performance on Thursday, Nathan MacKinnon trails Edmonton’s Connor McDavid in the overall points lead (MacKinnon has 108 points; McDavid leads the League with 111). His 44 goals on the season still lead all NHL skaters. Nečas is now tied for second in team goal scoring with Brock Nelson (30). Cale Makar remains one goal away from a fourth consecutive 20 goal season.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Nazem Kadri – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Joel Kiviranta – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Parker Kelly – Nicolas Roy – Gavin Brindley
Zakhar Bardakov – Jack Drury

Defense:
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski
Nick Blankenburg

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Winnipeg Jets

After capturing the Presidents Trophy as the League’s best team in the regular season with 56 wins last year, an encore performance seemed all but certain. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was awarded his second straight Vezina Trophy as the League’s best goaltender, and secured the Hart Trophy for the first time. However, their dominant run saw an early exit in the second round of the postseason at the hands of the Dallas Stars. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff got to work through the next several months, locking up several key figures to long-term, lucrative contracts: defenseman Neal Pionk (six years, $42 million dollars), center Gabe Vilardi (six years, $45 million dollars), left wing Kyle Connor (eight years, $96 million dollars) and captain Adam Lowry (five years, $25 million dollars). Cheveldayoff also signed former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who hadn’t seen NHL action since the end of the 2022-2023 season, to a one-year contract. Management made their commitment to the roster, and the future was looking bright.

Winnipeg didn’t have as dominant of a start to the 2025 – 2026 season began, as they went 12-8 in the first twenty games. However, Hellebuyck underwent knee surgery on November 22nd, causing him to miss three weeks of action. The Jets lost eight of their next ten games without Hellebuyck, and eleven of twelve games after his return on December 13. With Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota all but untouchable at the top of the Central Division standings, and Utah making a strong case for wild card consideration, Winnipeg was fighting an uphill battle, as they fought to prevent sinking to the Central Division basement. Currently, a stretch of .500 hockey coming out of the Olympic break sees Winnipeg seven points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. However, just one point separates them from cellar-dwelling Chicago.

With their hopes for playoff contention fading, Winnipeg traded defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for right wing Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a conditional 2026 4th round pick, and a 2027 2nd-round pick prior to the trade deadline. They would later trade left wing Tanner Pearson to Buffalo for a 2026 7th round pick on trade deadline day. It would take a lot to close the gap on the teams ahead of them in the wild card race, but a successful weekend at home could help turn the tide in their favor.

Winnipeg currently in the midst of an eight game homestand, and today’s game against Colorado serves as the first half of a back to back set of weekend games, with the St. Louis Blues paying a visit to Canada Life Center on Sunday afternoon. Winnipeg has lost its previous two games, a 4-1 defeat at the hands (wings?) of the Anaheim Ducks, and a 6-3 loss courtesy of the New York Rangers. Hellebuyck has started the previous seven of Winnipeg’s eight games since the return from winning Olympic gold with the United States (and teammate Kyle Connor) in Italy, and is likely to start again today. While Hellebuyck has been a formidable opponent against Colorado, he will face them with a depleted blue line, as both Pionk and Colin Miller remain out of the lineup due to injury. Other notable absences include former Avalanche center Vladislav Namestnikov and right wing Nino Niedereitter.

Center Mark Scheifele currently leads all Winnipeg skaters in goals (30), assists (49), and points (79). Connor is second in all three categories (29G/43A/72PTS). Defenseman Josh Morrissey, who earned a silver medal with Team Canada in Italy, leads all Winnipeg defensemen in all three categories (11G/33A/44PTS).

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Alex Iafallo
Cole Perfetti – Adam Lowry – Gabe Vilardi
Gustav Nyquist – Jonathan Toews – Isak Rosén
Cole Koepke – Morgan Barron – Brad Lambert

Defense:
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg – Elias Salomonsson
Haydn Fleury – Jacob Bryson

Between the Pipes:
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie

The Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights will be together for Saturday Night Hockey in Viva Las Vegas. This will be the third and final meeting of the season between these two clubs, with the season series at 1-0-1. Each team picked up a post-regulation win at home earlier in the year. 

The Blackhawks are coming off consecutive overtime wins over the Utah Mammoth, one in Chicago and one in Salt Lake City. The Golden Knight hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night and defeated them 6-2. Each team has 4 wins in their last 10.

Scouting Vegas 

The Vegas Golden Knights are a good team. They enter Saturday at 30-22-14. They’ve collected a lot of points by getting games to overtime, but then in turn left a lot on the table by not getting that extra point. 

Although they are second in their division, they feel that there is room for improvement. Whenever you lose a player like Alex Pietrangelo to a likely career-ending injury, it’s never a good thing. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame.

They also haven’t had William Karlsson for most of the season, which weakens them down the middle. On the wing, they are strong, but they could really use Karlsson right about now. Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl are the 1-2 center punch. 

In addition to having Mitch Marner in the fold this season, other impactful players like Pavel Dorofeyev, Ivan Barbashev, and Mark Stone skate on the wing. Stone just returned from injury on Thursday, and he has resumed what’s been an incredible year for him personally. 

Barbashev–Eichel–Stone

Dorofeyev–Herl–Marner

Howden–Sissons–Bowman

C. Smith–Dowd–Kolesar

McNabb–Theodore

Hanifin–Andersson

Lauzon–Korczak

Hill

Schmid

Whether it’s Adin Hill or Akira Schmid in the net, the Golden Knights need them to be at their best. Without Pietrangelo, they have a good defense, but they definitely miss their former number one.

Still, Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, and Rasmus Anderson were all Olympians in Milan, and they are all capable of changing the game. Chicago needs to be on their toes against them. If this group gets moderately good goaltending, they can defend against anyone. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks miss having Oliver Moore’s speed, but Ryan Donato has filled in nicely as the third-line center. With Andrew Mangiapane gaining some chemistry with him and Ilya Mikheyev, they form a pretty good third line. 

Since moving back to the center, Frank Nazar has begun to produce like the third-line center that Chicago needs him to be. With both him and Connor Bedard dominating offensively, they have proven that they can beat whoever stands in their way. 

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky 

Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen 

Mangiapane-Donato-Mikheyev 

Lardis-Lafferty-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier

Grzelcyk-Levshunov

Del Mastro-Rinzel

Knight

Soderblom

Spencer Knight made a somewhat surprising start on Thursday against the Mammoth. He had missed the three prior games due to illness and was projected to be the backup upon his return, as he wasn’t at the morning skate. He was excellent, despite this.

This is not a back-to-back situation for the Blackhawks, and they don’t play again until Wednesday. Their decision in net could go either way. 

Wyatt Kaiser was hurt late in the game on Thursday and never returned for overtime. After, Jeff Blashill would not confirm or deny his availability for Saturday’s game. If he doesn’t play, Ethan Del Mastro will draw in.

This game against the Knights is in the middle of a two-week stretch where the Blackhawks are going against some of the best teams in the conference. If they come out of this stretch with a positive record, it will be a great end-of-season storyline for their confidence. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 9:00 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

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The Calgary Flames look to make it back-to-back wins when they visit the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon.

My Flames vs. Islanders predictions have Calgary's recent dominance in this head-to-head continuing, and will snatch a third straight 2-game regular-season series sweep.

Read on for my NHL picks for Saturday, March 14. 

Flames vs Islanders prediction

Flames vs Islanders best bet:Flames ML (+145)

The Calgary Flames are coming off a 5-4 win over the Devils. It's just the fourth time in 17 games they've scored four or more goals, but each time they've been victorious.

That trend works with the New York Islanders, as they've tallied at least four goals in seven of the last nine meetings, going 6-0-1 in those games.

After a season-best five-game win streak, New York has lost three of five and is clinging to third in the Metropolitan Division.

The Flames aren't the team they want to meet: Calgary has won four straight against the Islanders and eight of the last 10.

Flames vs Islanders same-game parlay

Yegor Sharangovich scored a goal in his last game against Jersey, and he's now got two goals in his last three games. He also scored a goal the last time the Flames faced the Isles.

And Matthew Barzal was kept off the scoresheet in New York's loss to LA, but that's just the second time in 12 games that's happened.

Flames vs Islanders SGP

• Yegor Sharangovich anytime goal
• Matthew Barzal Over 0.5 points

Flames vs Islanders odds

• Moneyline: Flames +149 | Islanders -159
• Puck Line: Flames +1.5 (-185) | Islanders -1.5 (+161)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-115) | Under 5.5 (-101)

Flames vs Islanders trend

The Flames have won each of their last four games as underdogs against the Islanders. Find more NHL betting trends for Flames vs. Islanders.

How to watch Flames vs Islanders

Flames vs Islanders latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (32-31-2) versus the Los Angeles Kings (27-23-15).

The Time: 7:00 PM EDT

The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN, Radio — Devils Hockey Network

Back to a Losing Record

The Devils might still be “NHL .500,” but there is a key issue with their team this season: they have lost more games than they won. For a little while, they got back above with their four-game winning streak, but two brutal losses to the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames have sank them once more. Thanks to their lack of overtime losses this season, which have kept the objectively bad Los Angeles Kings in a playoff spot, the New Jersey Devils can only afford to lose one or two more games in regulation this season. But that’s just what happens when you play in a league that rewards being a loser in 65 minutes rather than 60 and most of the team’s losses are by more than one goal. Whose fault is that? Well, it might come down to…

White Flag Keefe

Yesterday, Tim published an article detailing the failures of the offensive system run by head coach Sheldon Keefe. This little section here is a perfect summation of the way the Devils play under Keefe:

Once a turnover happens, their system requires forwards to track back into coverage as opposed to pressuring to get the puck back. This is why you see so many “one-and-done” offensive chances. This is one of my biggest gripes with Keefe’s systems, is we were told we would be “pressuring the puck all over the ice” but instead the first instinct is to fall into a defensive posture.

This then brings us to the neutral zone, where once again we play prevent, as opposed to applying pressure.

After a few games of playing the right way during their four-game winning streak: that is, playing quickly on the rush, forechecking, and pressuring the puck with three or four skaters at or below the dots in the offensive zone, the Devils regressed right back to the ultra-conservative offensive system they had been flailing with all season. Tim also recapped the recent loss to the Flames, which I only saw the third period of. What I saw there was Keefe continuing to refuse to pull the goaltender, which should have been done after the third goal against. Without the softie allowed by Markstrom at the start of the period, the Devils might have actually taken that game to overtime. But even after Jack pulled the team to within two, Keefe would not pull Markstrom for the extra attacker until there was only a bit over three minutes to play. Down multiple goals, it generally behooves coaches to pull their goalies with five or more minutes left in the game: especially for a team as starved for goal-scoring as the Devils. But hey, at least Keefe had some shots for the guy who made it a game again.

Sheldon Keefe on Jack and Jack's line tonight for #NJDevils against the Flames:

“Just a lot of very sloppy play, until Jack shot the puck in the net, I don’t know if he handled one puck clean, it just wasn’t clean.”

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) March 13, 2026

I would suggest that the coach whose team’s victories and losses are always determined by the 40-minute mark take a look in the mirror for once in his coaching career. Meanwhile, Lindy Ruff is seeing his team pull off 8-7 back-and-forth victories and saying “that’s my kind of hockey.” I know what I’d rather watch, especially for a team full of talented rush players. Keefe can’t even get a forward to cover for a pinching defenseman.

Kings With Something to Play For

With Kings Captain Anze Kopitar in his final NHL season, the Los Angeles Kings are going to be playing their hearts out for the rest of the season while they try to cling onto eighth place in the Western Conference. Kopitar may have chosen retirement at the right time, as it seems time has caught up to him. He is still a very good defensive player, but his scoring has largely dried up, and this season is the first time Kopitar has ever produced below a 56-point per 82-game pace (46).

The Kings are obviously missing Kevin Fiala, who was hurt in a collision with Tom Wilson during the Olympics. Their replacement in that part of the lineup is pretty good though, as Artemi Panarin has nine points in nine games for the silver and black. Also around the Kings, former Devil Brian Dumoulin has massively turned his season around, going from some rather poor early numbers to now doing better than break-even at five-on-five with great penalty killing. The young Kings have had mixed seasons. Quinton Byfield’s development has turned to offensive regression. Alex Turcotte has not broken past fourth-line production. Alex Laferriere has seen no growth from last season. Only defenseman Brandt Clarke has had a particularly good season among the Kings’ under-25 players. Maybe that could be something to circle back on in a couple of months.

For the time being, though, the Kings are in a playoff spot despite having just three more points in the standings than the Devils. They need every win they can get with the Sharks on their tail. Tonight will not be an easy game for the Devils, if the powers that be even want them to win at this point.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of tonight’s game? Will the Kings win? If so, by how much? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

BUFFALO — The NHL Department of Player Safety issued a five-game suspension to Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas one day after a knee-on-knee hit on Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. The decision came on the same day that the NHL DOPS announced that Gudas would have a phone hearing to review the hit. Because the Ducks defenseman was not offered an in-person hearing, the maximum the suspension could be was five games, which he indeed received.

But that did not sit well with Matthews’ agent, Judd Muldaver, who issued a statement on the suspension to multiple reporters, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

“In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am disappointed and shocked the league would allow such a ruling. A phone hearing and five games is laughable and preposterous,” Muldaver continued. “While the process is set in our CBA, that this was the discipline is reckless and ridiculous. This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better. The Player Safety Department should be suspended”.

Hours earlier, the Leafs announced that Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear and a quad contusion. Although the star forward will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the Leafs announced that Matthews’ 2025-26 regular season is over.

Asked Auston Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver about his response to the ruling.

Here is his reply:

“In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am disappointed and shocked the league would allow such a ruling. A phone hearing and 5 games is laughable and preposterous.

While…

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 14, 2026

There is no doubt that the NHL DOPS has come under a lot of scrutiny from Leafs fans in particular for how they hand out discipline, but for an agent of a player to be so vocal about a particular suspension is a rare occurrence, particularly for Muldaver. Late in the second period of Toronto’s 6-4 win against Anaheim on Thursday, Gudas extended his knee and hit Matthews square in the knee, forcing the Leafs star to leave the game.

Immediately, the focus switched to Toronto’s lack of immediate response to the hit, with no players coming to the defense of Matthews by going after Gudas. In the third period, Leafs players responded physically, but head coach Craig Berube did point out that there should have been “four guys” after Gudas immediately after the hit.

pic.twitter.com/0ii7t51gRl

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 13, 2026

The Maple Leafs are set to hold a full morning skate at KeyBank Center on Saturday ahead of their game against the Buffalo Sabres, where the Leafs will unveil what their lines without their captain look like.

After missing out on Maxim Shabanov in the summer, the Philadelphia Flyers could dip right back into the KHL free agent pool this coming offseason.

It goes without saying, at this point, that center is the weakest position for the Flyers at the NHL level. If they play their cards right, they can add a rather large pivot from Belarus in the coming months.

The top KHL free agent heading into this offseason is none other than center Vitali Pinchuk, who has exploded for 31 goals, 33 assists, and 64 points in 62 KHL games for Dinamo Minsk this season.

Pinchuk, 24, is a powerful 6-foot-3 center who's shown positive progression offensively each year since his KHL debut back in 2020-21.

The size alone should make him more appealing to the Flyers than Maxim Shabanov was, and it helps that he's only gotten better with time.

Pinchuk's first full KHL season came back in 2022-23, when he scored eight goals, six assists, and 14 points in 61 games. In 2023-24, those totals improved to nine goals, 13 assists, and 22 points in 43 games.

Signing Vitali Pinchuk will be a smart move for whichever #NHL team wins the race. 24 year old has 31G and 64P in 62GP in the KHL. Has been maybe the most electric forward in the league this season. pic.twitter.com/N01Y6cHN7v

— Foley (@NHLFoley) March 12, 2026

Last year was the first major step forward for the undrafted center, as he racked up 25 goals, 18 assists, and 43 points in 66 games.

Another factor worth considering for the Flyers, too, is that Pinchuk has 15 points in 20 career Gagarin Cup playoff games. They need young, big-game players for when they make their playoff pushes in the future, and Pinchuk fits the bill.

When it comes to landing the Belarusian buzzsaw, the Flyers have plenty of connections available to them to help make it happen.

Somewhat uncommon for Russian and Belarusian players, Pinchuk actually spent a season -- 2019-20 -- in the OHL, playing for the Kingston Frontenacs. One of his teammates on that Kingston team was Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom, who is still with the organization on an AHL deal with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Aleksei Kolosov Reintroduces Himself to Top of Flyers Prospect PipelineThis top Flyers goalie prospect is kicking off his comeback tour with some stellar play and a commanding shutout, and now we can officially consider him back on the radar.

At the professional, and perhaps more significantly, the Flyers have Belarusian goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov, who came up with Pinchuk through the Belarus youth system in U18s and U20s, and played with him on Dinamo Minsk before leaving for the Flyers.

After a rocky start, Kolosov has adjusted well to life in North America primarily playing in Allentown with the Phantoms, and perhaps there is nobody better to recruit Pinchuk and pitch the organization than him.

Kolosov's taken a major step forward this season and has an outside shot at an NHL future with the Flyers, and perhaps adding an old pal to the fold would benefit all parties involved.

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (32-18-15, 79 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Utah Mammoth (34-26-6, 74 points, 4th place Central Division)

When: 9 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and Utah16, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens’ road trip continues with two more tough matchups against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night and the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday evening.

Opponent Track: The Mammoth are still sitting in the first Wild Card spot in the West with a six-point advantage over the San Jose Sharks, but they’re heading into Saturday’s matchup on a three-game losing streak after two overtime losses to the Chicago Blackhawks on either side of a 5-0 shutout by the Minnesota Wild.

Season Series: The Pens gave up four straight goals in six-minute span of the third period during their Dec. 14 matchup against the Mammoth, during which Justin Brazeau forced overtime before Dylan Guenther scored 42 seconds in to win it for Utah.

Hidden Stat: Ben Kindel recorded the only three-point outing of his NHL career so far against the Mammoth back, racking up a goal and two assists in that overtime loss back in December.

Getting to know the Mammoth

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Clayton Keller – Nick Schmaltz – Lawson Crouse

JJ Peterka – Logan Cooley – Dylan Guenther

Jack McBain – Barrett Hayton – Michael Carcone

Alex Kerfoot – Kevin Stenlund – Kailer Yamamoto

DEFENSEMEN

Mikhail Sergachev / Mackenzie Weegar

Nate Schmidt / John Marino

Ian Cole / Sean Durzi

Goalies: Karel Vejmelka, Vitek Vanecek

Potential scratches: Brandon Tanev, Liam O’Brien, Maksymilian Szuber, Nick Desimone

Injured Reserve: None

• The Mammoth locked in their top center last week by signing Nick Schmaltz to an eight-year, $64 million extension ahead of his pending free agency.
• Former Penguin Brandon Tanev signed a three-year, $2.5 million AAV deal with Utah this offseason, but he has already fallen completely out of the Mammoth lineup. He hasn’t played since Feb. 25, and he had been held without a goal and registered just two assists and a minus-14 rating through his first 45 games of the season.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka has taken on the largest workload in the NHL so far this season. He went into Friday having appeared in an NHL-high 51 games while playing more than 3,009 minutes, more than 130 more than the next most-played goaltender.

• He’s also tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the most wins this season (30), although he’s had a rough stretch since returning from the Olympic break, during which he’s gone 3-3-1 with a .871 save percentage and 3.4 goals against average. He’s been in net for the entirety of Utah’s recent three-game losing streak, and he got lost a rebound on the Connor Bedard game-winner that sealed the Mammoth’s overtime loss on Thursday.

BEDSY CALLS GAME 🚨

Connor Bedard nets the rebound for the Subway Canada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/k1z3MIaxOI

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 13, 2026

• The Mammoth are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time after missing out on the postseason during the franchise’s inaugural 2024-25 season. They’re being helped in that pursuit by the complete collapse of the bottom of the Western Conference, where every other team below the Mammoth (74 points) has 68 points or fewer.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Ryan Shea / Kris Letang

Ilya Solovyov / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Sam Girard (injured), Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Justin Brazeau (injured, week to week)

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany

• This marks the final game of Evgeni Malkin’s suspension before he is eligible to return during Monday’s matchup against the Avs.
• The Los Angeles Kings helped the Penguins out by defeating the New York Islanders in regulation on Friday night. The Pens, now tied in points with the Isles with a game in hand, could gain some breathing room in the top of the Metro with a win tonight. Here’s a look at the standings after Friday night, courtesy of NHL.com.

Calgary Flames (26-32-7, in the Pacific Division) vs. New York Islanders (37-24-5, in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Islanders -166, Flames +139; over/under is 5.5

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders host the Calgary Flames after Emil Heineman scored two goals in the Islanders' 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

New York is 37-24-5 overall and 17-11-2 in home games. The Islanders have a +six scoring differential, with 190 total goals scored and 184 allowed.

Calgary is 26-32-7 overall and 10-20-3 in road games. The Flames are 19-7-3 when scoring three or more goals.

Saturday's game is the second time these teams meet this season. The Flames won 4-2 in the last meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mathew Barzal has scored 18 goals with 42 assists for the Islanders. Anthony DeAngelo has one goal and six assists over the past 10 games.

Morgan Frost has 14 goals and 18 assists for the Flames. MacKenzie Weegar has five assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 7-3-0, averaging 3.3 goals, five assists, 2.4 penalties and 4.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

Flames: 4-5-1, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

INJURIES: Islanders: None listed.

Flames: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Max Shabanov, in what amounted to a significant understatement, called it “a little bit unusual” to have gone five weeks without playing in a game.

Granted, that layoff was in large part due to the Olympic break, but the nine straight healthy scratches Shabanov endured before returning to the lineup for Tuesday’s win over the Blues amounted to an obvious signal that the Russian rookie needs to do more to be in the Islanders’ lineup down the stretch following the additions of Ondrej Palat and Brayden Schenn.

He’s getting his chance to prove he deserves more playing time now, with a second straight game on the fourth line in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Kings after coach Patrick Roy seemed happy with his game in St. Louis.

“Just keep working,” Shabanov said, with goaltending coach Sergejs Naumovs acting as the interpreter Friday morning, his first time addressing reporters in nearly four months. “Stay positive. Try to get out of yourself the best you can do on the ice. Just be patient.”

Roy was happy enough with Shabanov’s play Friday to move him up to the second line by the end of the game when, he said, he was looking for more skill in his top six.

Shabanov’s name had been prominent in trade rumors leading up to the deadline last week, as it seemed he may not have a clear place in the Islanders’ plans.

It’s not clear whether a move was ever close to materializing, but both Shabanov and the Islanders need to take the rest of the season and figure out whether there’s a longer-term fit in New York.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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If not, Shabanov likely will be on the block this summer, when he’s set to be a restricted free agent.

“I try to stay away, not reading anything,” Shabanov said of the rumors. “Just to stay focused on practicing. Be capable to be back any time in the lineup and be helpful for the team. So it’s not my job to follow the news. Nothing I can do, nothing I control about it. Control what I can control.”

In 42 games this year, Shabanov has proven a skilled player and put up a solid 16 points. But the physical adjustment to the NHL — expected to be a process given Shabanov is 5-foot-9, 167 pounds — has indeed proven tough.

“Everything is different from the KHL,” Shabanov said. “Technically, tactically, game-wise. Pretty much everything is new.”

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Friday was the Islanders’ 13th straight sellout, their longest streak since they opened UBS Arena with 19 in a row.

Matthew Schaefer set a career-high in time on ice, finishing with 29:24.

Though this is a short homestand, with a three-game trip to Canada following Saturday’s match against the Flames, 12 of the Islanders’ last 18 games are at UBS.