Category: NHL

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Veteran center Scott Laughton has only been a member of the Los Angeles Kings for 14 games, yet his former Toronto Maple Leafs teammates already miss his presence.

Saturday marks Laughton's first game against the Maple Leafs since joining the Kings at this year's NHL trade deadline.

He was only a Maple Leaf for 76 regular-season and playoff games after joining Toronto at last season's trade deadline. However, his former teammates like the idea of Laughton returning to Toronto in free agency, as he is a pending UFA.

After the Maple Leafs'  practice on Friday in preparation for Saturday's game, Toronto's Steve Lorentz was asked about the possibility of Laughton returning in free agency.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Lorentz told reporters. "We would welcome him back with open arms. I know there's a lot of guys in this locker room that feel the same way."

The Kings acquired Laughton from the Maple Leafs as a pending UFA. He is in the fifth and final year of his contract, earning $1.5 million against Los Angeles' salary cap.

Therefore, unless Kings GM Ken Holland pushes to sign Laughton to a contract extension between now and July 1, the Oakville, Ont., native could leave for free in the summer.

Why Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland Had An Underrated NHL Trade DeadlineWhile it wasn't a loud deadline, GM Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings made some sensible moves that make the team better for the playoff push and the future.

Leafs coach Craig Berube was asked if he could see a world where a Laughton return to Toronto would be a fit.

"Yeah, I could see it, for sure," Toronto's bench boss told reporters. "He really liked it in Toronto, and he's from around there, too. I think that was a… dream for him to go back home and play."

Along with fantasizing about potentially reuniting with their old teammate, they shared how much of a great teammate he was and how lucky the Kings are to have him.

"I think you win with a guy like Scott," Lorentz said of Laughton. "He's a glue guy, he plays the game the right way, he plays hard, and he's definitely got the skill offensively and defensively to be out there in all situations."

Scott Laughton Reflects On Maple Leafs Tenure, ‘A Little Bit’ Surprised In Club’s Lack Of Immediate Response To Auston Matthews HitIn a 1-on-1 conversation with The Hockey News on Sunday, Scott Laughton reflects on his trade to the Los Angeles Kings, his former team's lack of response to the hit on their captain, the pressure of playing in Toronto and the possibility of re-joining the Leafs down the road.

Laughton is indeed a player that can be utilized in all situations, and that's exactly how Los Angeles has been using him.

Since his Kings debut against the Montreal Canadiens on March 7, Laughton is the joint leader on the team in shorthanded time on ice per game, along with defensemen Joel Edmundson, Mikey Anderson and Cody Ceci.

He's also on Los Angeles' second power-play unit and averages 1:12 of ice time per game on the man advantage.

Furthermore, he's been so important for the Kings in the faceoff dot, to the point where he takes the opening draw in overtime to win possession in the extra frame. He has a faceoff win rate of 58.1 percent as a member of the Kings.

With all he brings on the ice and in the dressing room, it's no wonder why his former Maple Leafs teammates have raved about him so much since his departure.

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The Kings are still right in the middle of their playoff race as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Unfortunately for the Kings, the Sharks play the Predators, meaning one team is guaranteed to reach 81 points tonight, and the Kings have to win to be tied for that wildcard spot. The Kings are coming off a 2-1 win over the St Louis Blues. The Leafs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks. 

Projected Kings Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

Joel Armia - Scott Laughton - Jared Wright

Mathieu Joseph - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward

Brian Dumoulin - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci

Anton Forsberg

Darcy Kuemper

Projected Leafs Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Leafs tonight: 

Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander

Dakota Joshua - Max Domi - Nicholas Robertson

Matthew Knies - Bo Groulx - Matias Maccelli

Michael Pezzetta - Jacob Quillan - Steven Lorentz 

Morgan Rielly - Philippe Myers

Jake McCabe - Brandon Carlo

Simon Benoit - Troy Stecher

Joseph Woll

Anthony Stolarz

Line Changes and Injuries

Neither the Leafs nor the Kings held a morning skate today. The Kings did not practice on Friday following their back-to-back games against the Blues and Predators. The Kings are without Alex Turcotte due to an undisclosed injury. The Leafs are likely to miss Ekman-Larsson in tonight's game as he was injured in the 4-1 loss against the San Jose Sharks. 

Key Factors

The Kings vs. Predators game was a very good one for the Kings; while they lost in a shootout, they battled back from a 4-1 deficit and walked away with a point. In that game, the Kings found scoring from all levels. Adrian Kempe had 2 goals, Joel Armia had a goal and an assist, and Scott Laughton had a goal as well. This is what the Kings need to make the playoffs. This is also the first game for Scott Laughton against his former team since being traded at the deadline. 

If the Kings can get that type of depth scoring in tonight's match-up, they will walk away with a win. The Kings' depth players are fully capable of stealing wins or points for the Kings, and tonight is a perfect time for them to play like they did on Thursday. 

For the goaltending matchup, it looks like Anton Forsberg vs. Joseph Woll. Forsberg has put up solid numbers in his last 3 games, with his save percentage above .930. For Woll, he is coming off a 33-save performance in which he allowed 5, but his team did not do him any favours, as they put up only 13 shots in that game. 

Overall, this is once again a must-win game for the Kings, especially when the 2 teams the Kings need to lose are playing each other today. My prediction for tonight's matchup is a 4-1 Kings win. 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ryan Hartman scored twice to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton also scored for the Wild (43-21-12), and Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves.

Linus Ullmark stopped 19 shots for the Senators (39-27-10). Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa.

Minnesota built a 3-0 lead through the first two periods and extended its advantage midway through the third on a great effort by Quinn Hughes. Hughes kept the puck in at the line, spun and found Middleton on the opposite side. Middleton fired through traffic for his second goal of the season.

Batherson spoiled Wallstedt’s shutout attempt with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Batherson then left the game, but returned after a brief absence.

The Wild capitalized on a Senators turnover late in the first that led to Hartman’s first goal of the game. Hartman scored his second of the game and 22nd of the season when Mats Zuccharello found him at the top of the slot and he beat Ullmark on the glove side at 15:31 of the second.

Jake Sanderson returned to Ottawa’s lineup after missing 13 games with an upper-body injury.

Up next

Wild: At the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.

Senators: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

DALLAS (AP) — Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns became the second player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 consecutive games when Colorado faced against Central Division rival Dallas on Saturday.

The bearded 41-year-old was recognized on the video board by the Stars early in the game, and plenty of Dallas fans joined a vocal Avs contingent in cheering for Burns.

The all-time ironman streak belongs to forward Phil Kessel, who played in 1,064 consecutive regular-season games from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023. He appeared with Toronto, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Vegas.

Burns, who appeared in his 1,500th game in October against the Stars, has been in the lineup for every game since Nov. 21, 2013, with San Jose. He also has played for Minnesota and Carolina.

Burns is in his first season with the Avalanche and has 11 goals. He and Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom are the only defensemen in league history to score double-digit goals at 40 or older.

The meeting with the Stars is Burns' 1,572nd career regular-season game. He entered the game with 941 points (272 goals, 669 assists). Burns spent 11 of his 22 seasons with the Sharks.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

On Thursday night, the Kraken honored defenseman Adam Larsson for reaching 1,000 NHL games played.  423 players in NHL history have met the impressive milestone, and Larsson marks the 141st defenseman to join their ranks.

Drafted 4th overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft by the New Jersey devils, Larsson played 65 games for the team that year.  He remained with the Devils until 2016 when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. In 2021, the Seattle Kraken picked up the veteran defenseman as part of the expansion draft.  Since joining the Kraken, Larsson has missed only one game-for the birth of his daughter.

Pre-game, Adam was joined on the ice by his wife, daughter, mother, brother, and sister.  To commemorate his achievement, the Kraken ownership group presented Larsson with a custom painting. He also received gifts from the team, along with the traditional silver stick to commemorate 1,000 games played.  His daughter, Alba, also received a miniature version of the silver stick.

The Kraken went on to lose 6-2 to the Utah Mammoth; an unfortunate end to a celebratory night.

Related:

Another Missed Opportunity: The Kraken Fall 6-2 After Early LeadEarly lead evaporates. Overturned goals and five unanswered Utah scores seal another tough defeat for the Kraken's fading playoff hopes.

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The Detroit Red Wings were hoping to build momentum after their victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and had a golden opportunity to do so this afternoon.

They faced the New York Rangers, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention and entered the game with the NHL’s worst home record this season.

Instead, the Red Wings once again failed to rise to the occasion and were dealt another blow to their fading Stanley Cup playoff hopes as time continues to run out.

Rookie Gabe Perreault scored a hat trick as part of New York's 4-1 win over the Red Wings at Madison Square Garden, Detroit's fifth regulation loss in their last seven games.

It was also the fourth time in their last six that Detroit's opponent led 3-0. 

pic.twitter.com/itGmDBQfpp

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 4, 2026

The Red Wings were playing without defenseman Justin Faulk, who was injured in the win over the Flyers; he was replaced in the lineup by rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who was called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Additionally, Michael Rasmussen returned to the lineup after missing seven games, replacing Mason Appleton. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Jaroslav Chmelar opened the scoring in the first period, deflecting a shot from defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov past goaltender John Gibson, who was making his 14th straight start. 

Perreault then scored the first of his three goals on the afternoon following a defensive breakdown in Detroit's zone. He added two more goals in the third period, including an empty-net tally to complete the natural hat trick. 

Forward David Perron, who hadn't registered a point since being re-acquired by the Red Wings nearly one month ago, scored with 33 seconds remaining in the game to prevent Jonathan Quick from picking up what would have been his 66th career shutout. 

Detroit failed to convert on four separate power-play chances, while the Rangers went one-for-two on their opportunities with the man-advantage. 

Because the Ottawa Senators also lost today in regulation to the Minnesota Wild, who the Red Wings face tomorrow afternoon at home, there remains a four-way tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers for the final Wild Card postseason spot in the Eastern Conference. 

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There has been no shortage of storylines around the Montreal Canadiens this season; the Habs’ struggles in net, Juraj Slafkovsky’s awakening, Cole Caufield’s chase for the 50-goal mark, the Rocket Richard Trophy and Nick Suzuki’s arrival on the international stage, which earned him recognition in other NHL markets—lost amongst all that, though, is the fact that Alex Newhook is having the best season of his career.

The 25-year-old winger has only played 35 games so far this season, but he still has 23 points to his name, which is a 54-point pace projected over the course of a full 82-game campaign. In the past, his highest-scoring season was 34 points in just 55 games in his first year with the Habs, which was a 51-point pace over 82 games.

Canadiens’ Dobson Is Not Just About The Offense
Canadiens’ Guhle Has Found His Game
Caufield And Canadiens’ Focus Is In The Right Place

Not unlike Kirby Dach, Newhook has been plagued by injuries since joining the Habs ahead of the 2023-24 season. In three seasons, he has played just 172 games out of a possible 239 so far. Still, with regular linemates Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen this year, he has proven to be a viable option on the top six. A much better option than Dach, who only put up 14 points in the 32 games he skated in this season, a 36-point pace over a full 82-game season.

Granted, on a contending team, Newhook would more than likely be a good third liner, but playing with a couple of talented youngsters, he has shown an ability to raise the level of his game. Next season, the Newfoundlander will be entering the final year of the four-year deal he signed when he joined the Canadiens, and he will have another chance to prove that he should be part of Montreal’s plans long-term. In an ideal world, he would be able to remain healthy and prove that he can consistently produce at the rate he has this season.

As things stand, he looks like a good option while the Canadiens wait to see how players like Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky will develop in the coming years and how well their skills will translate to the NHL.

In the Canadiens’ seven-game winning streak, Newhook has five points and a plus-five rating.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Failing to score until there were 32 seconds left and allowing a hat trick to Gabriel Perreault, the Detroit Red Wings lost an important game in their pursuit of a playoff spot, 4-1 at the New York Rangers on Saturday.

With six games left, the Red Wings remain on the outside looking in as part of a competitive Eastern Conference race down the stretch. They are among a handful of teams fighting for the East's second and final wild-card spot.

Detroit's loss clinched a berth for the Buffalo Sabres, who ended the NHL's longest postseason drought at 14 seasons. Though his teammates came up empty on scoring, goaltender John Gibson made some big saves among his 17, playing well in his 14th consecutive start.

Gibson allowed a deflection goal to Jaroslav Chmelar 13 minutes in, then one each to Perreault in the second and third periods. The first came from close range after a perfect pass from Mika Zibanejad and the second off the rush.

Perreault finished off his first career hat trick with an empty-netter with 1:44 left.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin appeared to get banged up from a series of collisions and was in obvious pain on the bench in the second. Larkin returned and gutted through it, unsurprising given what's at stake.

The Rangers played spoiler with Jonathan Quick stopping 31 of 32 shots in his return from injury. Playing for the first time since March 18, the 40-year-old in the twilight of his career stopped Emmitt Finnie the shift after Chmelar scored, slid over to make a pad save on David Perron late in the first and got lucky when J.T. Compher's shot rang off the post and out with 13 minutes remaining.

Fans chanted “Quickie! Quickie!” in the final minutes of what could be Quick's final NHL game.

Up next

Red Wings: Host the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

Rangers: Igor Shesterkin figures to get the nod at home against the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

The Buffalo Sabres are back in the NHL playoffs, ending a league-record postseason drought of 14 seasons.

All they had to do was change the messenger.

The Sabres clinched their first playoff berth since 2010-11 with the Detroit Red Wings' loss in the afternoon on Saturday, April 4.

It was looking like the streak could hit 15 when Buffalo sat in last place in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 8. The Sabres won three in a row to get back to .500, then fired general manager Kevyn Adams on Dec. 15 and promoted Jarmo Kekalainen to the position.

The team took off, extending its winning streak to 10 games. Entering Saturday, Buffalo has gone 32-8-4 under the former Columbus Blue Jackets GM. The Sabres have their first 100-point season since 2009-10 and are looking for their first division title since that season.

Kevyn Adams' tenure

Adams, the general manager since 2020-21, brought in some of the players on this team, such as Alex Tuch, Josh Norris, Jason Zucker, Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod and Josh Doan. He also traded away Jack Eichel (after a dispute over what type of neck surgery he should have), Sam Reinhart, Dylan Cozens and J.J. Peterka. Eichel and Reinhart won Stanley Cup titles after their trades.

Adams drew some criticism last season when he explained the difficulty of drawing free agents to Buffalo and why players often include the city on their no-trade lists.

"We don't have palm trees," he told reporters. "We have taxes in New York."

Adams last season brought back coach Lindy Ruff, who had been coach of the 2010-11 playoff team. But the Sabres continued their pattern of early-season swoons — 0-10-3 this time — and finished 12 points out of a playoff spot.

Buffalo traded No. 2 scorer Peterka to Utah in the offseason and opened the season 0-3. Fans began chanting for Adams' firing and it finally happened in December.

Jarmo Kekalainen's tenure

Teams often get a bump from a coaching change, but a front office change can also have an impact because a general manager can decide a player's future.

Kekalainen noted that his focus was going to be on work ethic, saying the team had lost some games by being outworked.

"You've got to work, you've got to compete and you've got to be relentless," he said after being named general manager. "That's what I want the identity of the Buffalo Sabres to be."

He added that he "firmly" believed that Sabres could be a playoff team.

Kekalainen had been hired as a senior adviser in May. He had been aggressive in Columbus, hanging on to pending free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin and adding to a team that shockingly swept the No. 1 overall Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round in 2019.

After he was promoted in Buffalo, he revamped the front office and held on to Ruff. He gave a contract extension to Doan, who was acquired in the Peterka trade. But with the team surging, there was little need to change the players.

The general manager made moves at the deadline to beef up the team's depth. He traded for Colton Parayko, but it fell through when the defenseman declined to waive his no-trade clause. He pivoted to add big, rugged defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn. He also added Sam Carrick, who's strong on faceoffs, and depth forward Tanner Pearson.

A sign that the Sabres were for real was when they defeated the Lightning 8-7 in a game that featured tons of goals and penalty minutes.

What's next for the Sabres?

They will try to win the Atlantic Division title and still have a chance to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

There isn't a lot of playoff experience in this core because of the long drought. However, Schenn and Pearson are former Stanley Cup winners and McLeod has been to the Final. Tuch has played 66 postseason games and Zucker has played 52.

And Ruff has coached 101 playoff games, winning 57. He took the Sabres to the 1999 Final.

Who has the longest playoff drought?

The Detroit Red Wings are at nine seasons, the Anaheim Ducks are at seven and the San Jose Sharks are at six. But heading into Saturday's game, the Ducks are second in the Pacific Division, the Sharks hold the second wild-card spot in the West and the Red Wings sit one spot below the playoff line in the East.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been eliminated, and their playoff drought is at six seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sabres back in NHL playoffs after 14 seasons; how they ended drought

NEW YORK (AP) — Buffalo Sabres clinch a playoff spot, ending the longest drought in NHL history at 14 seasons.

There are few people happier for John Tortorella getting the Vegas Golden Knights’ head coaching job than Mike Sullivan. 

Sullivan and Tortorella have a strong relationship and friendship that dates back well over a decade. 

From 2007-2012, Sullivan served under Tortorella as an assistant coach with the Tampa bay Lightning and New York Rangers. 

Most recently, the roles were reversed with Tortorella serving as an assistant coach behind Sullivan for Team USA at both the 4 Nations Face-off and 2026 Winter Olympics.

On Sunday, the Golden Knights relieved Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with Tortorella to be the team’s head coach with just a few games to go before the playoffs officially begin. 

Sullivan spoke about his relationship with Tortorella and reacted to the news of his friend’s new opportunity.

“I think he’s an excellent coach,” Sullivan said of Tortorella. “One of the things that he excels at is crisis management. He brings a ton of energy. I know he’ll bring a lot of energy to Vegas. I think, as I said, he’s an excellent coach. One of the things that has always impressed me with Torts, and obviously, I have a long-standing relationship with him. I worked with him for almost a decade. He was on our staff with the Olympic team, the 4 Nations team. In a lot of ways, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with him because I learned so much from him. We’re very different in how we go about it, but I’ve learned a lot from him as far as what it takes to win and how to instill an environment that’s conducive to winning.

“If you’re in coaching and you love what you do, you immerse yourself in a learning experience. And Torts has done that his whole career. He puts a lot of work into that. He prides himself in it. That’s been the most impressive thing for me in watching him. I think he’ll do what he does. I think he’ll do a terrific job.”