As their push for a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs carries onward, the Philadelphia Flyers could soon find themselves welcoming reinforcements to the fold.
With Michigan State falling at the hands of Wisconsin in a 4-3 overtime loss, Porter Martone's first and only season in the NCAA has come to an end.
Now, all eyes are on the 2025 No. 6 overall pick, as he is widely expected to join the Flyers at the NHL level for the remainder of this season... once he signs an entry-level contract.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes the deal between Martone and the Flyers could be done as early as within the day.
"Wisconsin, they upset Michigan State tonight. I got a few notes from people who were covering that game that, keep an eye on Porter Martone," Friedman said in his latest "Saturday Headlines" segment for Sportsnet.
"People just said this one could move very quickly. That'll be something to keep an eye on over the next 24 to 48 hours."
Martone, 19, finished an impressive NCAA campaign with 25 goals, 25 assists, and 50 points in just 35 games, ending the season with six- and seven-game point streaks, respectively.
The Peterborough, Ontario, native's 1.43 points per game rank fourth in the nation, trailing only Gavin McKenna, T.J. Hughes, and Ethan Wyttenbach.
Only Wyttenbach was more efficient, and more productive offensively (59 points), amongst D+1 collegiate skaters.
It is important to note that, when Martone signs his entry-level contract with the Flyers, he will immediately burn one of the three years.
This is a common practice in the NHL these days, but understandably always harkens back to the Cutter Gauthier debacle.
Last season, prospect Alex Bump opted to finish his season on an AHL tryout with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms instead of wasting a year of his contract.
The Flyers will host the Dallas Stars at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7 p.m. Sunday night, and while Martone and Michigan played fairly close by in Worcester, Mass., a quick turnaround and NHL debut would be a considerable feat for a player jumping from amateur hockey to the big leagues.
That said, Martone's NHL and Flyers debut is imminent.
Another slow start bled into the rest of the game in the Nashville Predators' 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.
Zach L'Heureux scored the Predators' lone goal of the night in the third period, putting away a bounce off the backboards.
The Predators were outshot 9-3 in the first 20 minutes of the game and saw Ivan Demidov score to give Montreal a 1-0 lead that it was able to build upon for the rest of the game.
"The urgency level's got to rise all over the ice," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "We didn't execute. If you don't execute against a team like that, who is fast, young and hungry, you're chasing it, and you play slow. We played slow a lot of the night."
Oliver Kapanen scored in the second period as Alex Newhook got Juuse Saros down with a sliding fake shot. Newhook found Kapanen in front and he scored into an empty net.
Cole Caufield netted his 45th goal of the season later in the period and now has three points on three goals in two games against the Predators this season. Newhook scored in the second as well and finished the night with two points.
Nick Suzuki had two points off two assists and is now tied for eighth in the league scoring race with 88 points on the year.
Luke Evangelista took a goaltender interference penalty in the first period, running into Jacob Fowler while driving to the net. That set off the Canadiens for the rest of the night as he drew two roughing penalties.
"That's part of the game, with everything that went down there," Evangelista said. "I figured I'd draw some attention myself, and they just kept coming after me. I just figured I would just kind of ride it out, keep soaking it, and just keep getting power plays for the boys."
Nashville's power play struggled, going 0-for-3 against the 27th-ranked penalty kill in the NHL.
"We threw pucks away, and we weren't sharp," Brunette said on the power play effort. "Those are big moments in the game. I know Halsey (Erik Haula) hit the post, but you get one there that you're back in the game, but then the third goal broke your back."
Saros made 28 saves on 32 shots in his 20th loss of the season.
The Predators are clinging on to the final Wild Card spot with 77 points and will need the Los Angeles Kings to lose to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday to stay there.
Nashville has a quick turnaround as it'll face the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road on Sunday at 4 p.m. CST.
"We've just got to forget it and move on," Brunette said. "It's something we've been doing all year. We're still in it, and the urgency level has to rise."
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Jackson Blake, Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis also scored for the Hurricanes, who won for the fourth time in five games. Brandon Bussi stopped 17 shots to win his second straight start after losing his previous three.
Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov scored for New Jersey and Jacob Markstrom had 29 saves. It was only the second loss in seven games for the Devils.
Ehlers, who has seven goals and 10 assists in 13 games this month, fueled a three-goal second period for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes signed Ehlers to a six-year, $51 million contract in the offseason.
After not scoring a goal in the first 11 games of the season, Ehlers has 23 goals in 61 games. The 30-year-old left wing spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with Winnipeg. He has found a role in Carolina on a checking line with Staal, the Hurricanes’ captain, and gritty veteran winger Jordan Martinook.
Ehlers’ power-play goal at 10:10 of the second period tied the game at 1-1. Blake fooled New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on a goal that gave Carolina a 2-1 lead at 13:48. Ehlers set up Staal at 15:13 to make it 3-1.
Gostisbehere returned after a nine-game absence due to a lower-body injury. He added a goal at 15:25 in the third and Jarvis tacked on an empty-net goal.
Meier finished a pretty play by Dawson Mercer to give New Jersey a 1-0 after the first period.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and assist to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Jackson Blake, Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis also scored for the Hurricanes, who won for the fourth time in five games. Brandon Bussi stopped 17 shots to win his second straight start after losing his previous three.
Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov scored for New Jersey and Jacob Markstrom had 29 saves. It was only the second loss in seven games for the Devils.
Ehlers, who has has seven goals and 10 assists in 13 games this month, fueled a three-goal second period for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes signed Ehlers to a six-year, $51 million contract in the offseason.
After not scoring a goal in the first 11 games of the season, Ehlers has 23 goals in 61 games. The 30-year-old left wing spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with Winnipeg. He has found a role in Carolina on a checking line with Staal, the Hurricanes’ captain, and gritty veteran winger Jordan Martinook.
Ehlers’ power-play goal at 10:10 of the second period tied the game at 1-1. Blake fooled New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on a goal that gave Carolina a 2-1 lead at 13:48. Ehlers set up Staal at 15:13 to make it 3-1.
Gostisbehere returned after a nine-game absence due to lower-body injury. He added a goal at 15:25 in the third and Jarvis tacked on an empty-net goal.
Meier finished a pretty play by Dawson Mercer to give New Jersey a 1-0 after the first period.
If there is one position the Pittsburgh Penguins have plenty of depth at, it's the goaltending position.
And one of their prospects set a franchise record on Friday.
Taylor Gauthier - starting goaltender for the Wheeling Nailers, Pittsburgh's ECHL affiliate - led the Nailers to a 4-0 win on Friday night against the Worcester Railers, which brings Wheeling's number to clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup playoffs down to one. With the win, Gauthier, 25, broke Wheeling's all-time franchise record for wins (67) and shutouts (10).
Wheeling will play Worcester again on Saturday, getting a chance to clinch with a win.
With last night’s win, Taylor Gauthier is now not only the winningest goalie in Wheeling history, but also the leader in shutouts. We are incredibly proud, as he has been a phenomenal person and player for this organization.
Gauthier began the 2025-26 season on injured reserve, but ever since his return to the lineup, he's been lights-out. In 29 games this season, he is 17-7-5 with a 1.94 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. So far, this is Gauthier's third-consecutive ECHL season of boasting a save percentage of at least .923 - and he posted that save percentage in 2023-24, when he won ECHL Goaltender of the Year.
Brennan Othmann will appear in his first NHL game since being traded by the New York Rangers on Mar. 6 in exchange for Jacob Battaglia.
The Flames called up Othmann from the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League on Saturday, and he will play for the Flames on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury once thought highly of Othmann, given that he was his first draft pick as president and general manager of the Rangers.
Despite the high expectations placed on Othmann upon being drafted, his game never quite translated to the NHL level in New York, and his play was inconsistent in the American Hockey League as well.
The 23-year-old forward spent the past two seasons getting sent up and down from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL to the NHL, struggling to carve out a permanent role with the Rangers.
Over the past two seasons with the Rangers, Othmann has played a total of 39 NHL games, recording one goal, two assists, and three points.
Ahead of his Flames debut, Othmann reflected on his time with the Blueshirts and confirmed that he sought out a trade early on in the season, while expressing his excitement to get a fresh start in Calgary.
“With the Rangers and that organization, I just never really got going, I just never really got an opportunity I felt like,” Othmann said. “They have a lot of high-end talent players at both right and left wing, so it was kind of hard to crack your way into that lineup over the last few years.
“I thought it was time for a change and kind of made the decision at the start of the year and the process went on the whole season. Getting that call on the deadline day was obviously super exciting. It’s not like I didn’t want to play for the Rangers, I just wanted a fresh opportunity, fresh eyes, and a fresh organization to look at me.”
In 10 games with the Wranglers, Othmann has recorded five assists.
The Hockey News' main site revealed players 11 to 20 for their latest top 100 NHL-affiliated prospect rankings. Two Buffalo Sabres prospects made this latest batch: forward Konsta Helenius and defenseman Radim Mrtka.
Helenius was given the No. 12 spot by THN, and it makes sense when noting that he has a ton of potential. The 19-year-old forward has taken a nice step forward with his play this season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans. In 51 games this campaign with the AHL squad, he has recorded 18 goals, 32 assists, and 50 points.
Helenius also played in his first nine career NHL games earlier this season, where he had one goal and four points. With this, the 2024 first-round pick has already shown promise at the NHL level.
As for Mrtka, he was given the No. 15 spot by THN. The 18-year-old defenseman played in 43 regular season games this season in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds, where he had one goal and 34 points. He also played in four games earlier this season with the Amerks, posting one assist and seven points.
Mrtka is a prospect with a lot of potential and should be an impactful defenseman at the NHL level later down the road.
It's been three years since Ryan Johansen donned a Nashville Predators jersey, but he said his time in Nashville meant "everything" to him.
"Nashville is me. It's who I am. It's the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life," Johansen said. "I met my wife here, I started a family here and I played most of my career here. We did awesome things here as a team. The memories are everlasting."
On March 19, Johansen announced his retirement from the NHL after 14 seasons, seven of which were spent in Nashville. In his time as a Predator, Johansen recorded 362 points (110 goals and 252 assists) in 533 games played and 48 points (17 goals and 31 assists) in 61 playoff games.
During the Predators' game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, Johansen will be honored for his time with the organization.
Johansen debuted with the Predators on Jan. 8, 2016, against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver after being traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He remembers the moment vividly.
"I knew I had to win that first face off cause Lavy (Peter Laviolette) told me that I was starting," Johansen said. "It was so much fun playing with Mike (Fisher), Shea (Weber), Pekks (Pekka Rinne), Jos (Roman Josi). You know those guys. They're the best humans in the world."
His time in Nashville also included the Predators' run to the Stanley Cup Final, the first time the organization had gotten that far.
"I haven't thought of something that would top that (the 2017 SCF run)," Johansen said. "Coming home from practice, before games and just seeing my yard littered with 'Go, Preds, Go,' and 'Go 92' and the way this town rallied around each other and supported us."
Apr 12, 2018; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen (92) Nashville Predators left wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) and Nashville Predators right wing Craig Smith (15) celebrate after a power play goal during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche in game one of the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
He also elaborated on his relationship with Fisher, whom he had the chance to reconnect with when Fisher came back into town this weekend. Johansen called Fisher the most important figure in his hockey career and one of the biggest in his life. Fisher even officiated Johansen's wedding.
Johansen also expressed excitement to visit children at the local hospital and how the opportunity goes beyond the game.
The biggest difference for Johansen in coming back to Nashville is that he won't be on the ice tonight, but is thrilled about the opportunity to watch the game as a fan.
"With ending my career and going onto my new chapter, it's so exciting to be a fan again and cheer these guys on," Johansen said. "Now that things have calmed down a bit in my life a bit, I can't wait to show up here a lot more and be involved."
Casey Cizikas could sense it. The fourth line was close to breaking through. When the Islanders center spoke with head coach Patrick Roy before the game, he said, “It’s coming. We feel it.”
And in their 5-2 victory over the Panthers on Saturday, when the Islanders erupted for five goals in the second period to mark their best offensive frame of the season, Cizikas’ prediction came to fruition.
Marc Gatcomb started the scoring barrage with his second goal of the season. And to cap everything, Cizikas collected his ninth goal.
“It’s contagious,” Bo Horvat said of the fourth line. “I mean, you see how hard they work and the stuff they create just by hard work, and it doesn’t take talent to work hard — and they show that every single night that their work ethic and compete, it drives our group. It really does. It’s been fun to watch them.”
New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) attempts a shot past Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) and center Carter Verhaeghe (23) during the first period of a game at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
In his pregame news conference, Roy said that the fourth line deserved some goals. They deserved to get rewarded for how they’d been playing. Maybe they were just tense. Maybe they needed to loosen up around the net. But in a year defined by plenty of line shuffling, he expressed optimism in his current iteration of that group — with Cizikas centering Gatcomb and Kyle MacLean.
Gatcomb delivered his goal 5:28 into the second period, when he sped through center ice, veered down the right side and flipped a shot toward the net that snuck past Daniil Tarasov. It’s one that the Panthers backup goaltender likely wants back, Gatcomb said, but “that’s a huge momentum shifter.” And after three goals followed, Cizikas capped the frame with a goal after his second swing at a rebound turned into a goal.
That group has tried to do everything they can to contribute, Gatcomb said. Sometimes, and especially recently, it might not end up on the scoresheet. Cizikas had scored just once this month. MacLean hadn’t scored since Jan. 13. For Gatcomb, the goal drought started Dec. 9.
But Saturday, they collected five of the Islanders’ 18 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, capturing just how important depth production can be during the push for a postseason spot.
“You’re happy for them, because they play so well and they play so hard,” Roy said. “The intensity from the start of their shift to the end of their shift is the same. … I mean, it’s a tough line to play against.”
New York Islanders center Kyle MacLean (32) takes a shot during the third period of a game against the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
Brayden Schenn’s three-point afternoon marked his first multipoint game since joining the Islanders ahead of the trade deadline. He scored during the second period and assisted on the goals from Simon Holmstrom and Emil Heineman. Schenn also blocked three shots, the second most on the Islanders behind just Ryan Pulock.
“That’s what he’s been doing since he’s been here,” Roy said. “This afternoon, I mean, he had the points, but I mean, I feel like he’s been playing like this since he’s been here.”
Matthew Schaefer, who moved into a tie with Stefan Persson (1977-78) for most points by an Islanders defenseman during his rookie season (56), was on the ice for four of their five goals during the scoring burst.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists to regain the NHL scoring lead as the Edmonton Oilers made a move up the Pacific Division standings, holding on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Saturday.
Zach Hyman had a goal and an assist and Jack Roslovic and Matt Savoie also scored for the Oilers, who won their third game in a row and moved three points back of the division-leading Ducks.
The Oilers went 1-9-2 in their previous 12 attempts to win more than two straight.
Edmonton is now 27-5-5 when scoring first this season.
The Oilers remained without star forward Leon Draisaitl, out for the rest of the regular season with a lower body injury.
Beckett Sennecke and Cutter Gauthier scored for the Ducks, who had a four-game winning streak halted.
Connor Ingram recorded 29 saves to earn the win in the Edmonton net, while Lukas Dostal made 30 stops for Anaheim.
Evan Bouchard picked up a pair of assists for the Oilers to extend his points streak against the Ducks to 11 games. The 26-year-old leads all NHL defensemen with 86 points and looks poised to become the 13th blueliner in league history to hit the 90-point plateau.
Up next
Ducks: Return home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
DENVER — The Winnipeg Jets rolled into Ball Arena looking to respond after a narrow 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Canada Life Centre just two nights prior—and they did exactly that, knocking off the NHL’s top team with a 4-2 win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Cole Perfetti delivered the decisive moment late in the third period, but the goal itself quickly became part of the NHL’s ongoing—and increasingly frustrating—goaltender interference debate.
With 5:11 remaining, Perfetti redirected a point shot from Josh Morrissey past Mackenzie Blackwood to give Winnipeg a 3-2 edge. It marked the Jets’ second deflection goal of the night, but all eyes immediately turned to Jonathan Toews, who never touched the puck but played a pivotal role in the sequence.
The Hockey News speaking on MacKinnon''s five-minute major from earlier in the season.
Toews was positioned inside the crease and appeared to make contact with Blackwood’s skate just before the puck crossed the line, though it likely had little to no impact on the play. Colorado challenged for goaltender interference, and given how similar plays have been ruled throughout the season, there was a strong expectation the goal might be overturned.
To the chagrin of the home fans, the officials upheld the call on the ice.
Brock Nelson scored his 33rd goal of the season on the power play, while Parker Kelly also found the back of the net. Gabe Vilardi and Cole Koepke added goals for Winnipeg. Blackwood made 19 saves, and Connor Hellebuyck was sharp as usual, stopping 21 shots in the win. Cale Makar recorded an assist in the contest as Colorado pushed but ultimately came up short.
A Loss in The Rematch
The Hockey News asked head Coach Jared Bednar whether it was difficult to prepare for a quick turnaround against a really good team they had just faced.
"It's actually easier," he stated. "Because normally what you do is finish the game, you break down the whole Winnipeg game, take what you liked out of it, take what you didn't like out of it, try to mix that in with your pre-scout playing the next opponent that you're already working on.
"You don't have to do that again when you're playing the same team twice. So, it's an easier job for the coaches as you go through it...it's mixed into the game review and then you're playing them again."
First Period
Both teams came out firing from the opening faceoff. Makar set up Gabe Landeskog for a one-timer from behind the net, and Landeskog ripped it from the left circle, but Connor Hellebuyck was there to make the stop. On the ensuing rush, Mark Scheifele charged in alone on Blackwood, who answered with a sharp glove save of his own.
At the 3:51 mark, Vilardi redirected a Josh Morrissey point shot past Blackwood for his 28th goal of the season, giving Winnipeg a 1-0 lead.
Just 3:27 later, the Avalanche earned their first power play when Dylan Samberg was called for hooking Logan O’Connor. Only 33 seconds into the man advantage, Nelson buried his 33rd of the season, tipping home a feed from Nazem Kadri to even the score at one. Makar picked up the secondary assist.
The first period ended tied 1-1, with Winnipeg holding a slight 10-9 edge in shots.
Second Period
Winnipeg regained the lead just 2:13 into the middle frame. Koepke corralled a loose puck, split Brent Burns and Ross Colton, and beat Blackwood five-hole to make it 2-1.
The Jets nearly added to their lead midway through the period when Sam Malinski lost his footing while handling a pass, creating a turnover that sent Winnipeg the other way. Blackwood came up with a key save to keep it a one-goal game.
Turnovers and odd-man rushes continued to trouble Colorado as the period wore on, forcing them to spend extended time defending. Devon Toews helped stabilize things late, getting a stick on a dangerous puck to send it out of play and earn a whistle.
With 1:55 remaining in the period, the Avalanche broke through. Josh Manson fired a shot from the point, and Parker Kelly got just enough of it in front to redirect it past Hellebuyck for his 17th goal of the season, tying the game at 2-2.
After two periods, the teams were deadlocked, with Colorado leading in shots 19-16.
Third Period
Artturi Lehkonen was penalized for tripping Scheifele early in the third period. However, Scheifele was also assessed a penalty for embellishment on the play.
Midway through the period, Perfetti and Kelly got tangled up after the whistle, leading to a scrum along the boards. Kelly appeared to get the upper hand physically before officials stepped in, and both players were handed roughing minors.
After those penalties expired, Colorado went back on the penalty kill when Josh Manson was called for high-sticking Toews.
Once the penalty expired, Winnipeg capitalized. Perfetti redirected a shot from the slot to give the Jets a 3-2 lead. Toews was deep in the crease and appeared to make contact with Blackwood, prompting Colorado to challenge for goaltender interference. The officials, however, ruled the goal valid and assessed Colorado a delay of game penalty for the unsuccessful challenge.
Connor sealed the win with an empty-net goal as Winnipeg closed out a 4-2 victory over the Avalanche, avenging their earlier loss just two nights prior.
Next Game
The Avalanche (48-14-10) take on the Calgary Flames (30-34-8) in the first of three meetings this season in their next game. That contest takes place Monday at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. local time.
Central Division Race
The Dallas Stars defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the evening at PPG Paints Arena. The win moved Dallas to 99 points. The Avalanche remain ahead with 106 points with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
The Colorado Avalanche return home to Ball Arena to open a three-game homestand with a rematch against the Winnipeg Jets, aiming to tighten their grip on the top seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche (48-13-10)
Colorado enters tonight’s contest following a 3–2 victory over Winnipeg on Thursday at Canada Life Centre. It was the first time the Avalanche had scored a win against the Jets on the road in a regular season game in 330 days. After falling behind early on a goal from Mark Scheifele, the Avalanche responded with three unanswered goals—two from Nathan MacKinnon—to secure their first regular-season win in Manitoba since February 24, 2023.
The Hockey News talks about the Colorado Avalanche and Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline.
The game also marked the return of Artturi Lehkonen, who had missed 11 games due to injury. He played a key role in the game-winning goal, delivering a precise pass that MacKinnon redirected past Connor Hellebuyck early in the third period. Winnipeg challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the ruling on the ice stood. A late goal from Scheifele narrowed the margin, but Colorado held firm to complete a perfect road trip.
The win extended Colorado’s lead over the Dallas Stars to nine points in the Central Division, with a game in hand. With Dallas in action against Pittsburgh and the Minnesota Wild closing the gap, the pressure remains high as the regular season winds down.
Head coach Jared Bednar emphasized both the positives and areas for improvement following Thursday’s win:
“It was a good effort from our guys. We gave up a couple of goals on turnovers on the D-zone walls, so there’s a couple of things we want to improve on, but for the most part, I think, [at the] end of the road trip, we played hard; we were competitive. Special teams did a really nice job tonight, and from the goaltender out, I think we had everybody involved and were able to carve out a win against a really good team, a desperate hockey team.”
Despite their strong position, Bednar made it clear the team remains focused.
“We’re still fighting for first place,” he said, “so every win’s important until they put the mark beside our [name in the] standings, so we’ve had something to play for down the stretch run here. I think we’ve had a good year, but we’re not comfortable. We’re still just kind of fine-tuning our game before going into the playoffs […] but you’re playing hungry teams every night that are jockeying for position, trying to fight [their way] into the playoffs, trying to move up the standings, so there’s still lots to play for in the season, and lots of hockey, and we certainly don’t want [our] game deteriorating over the last month of the season before we get into the playoffs, so that’s our main focus.”
Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves in Thursday’s win, earning his third straight victory. If he starts again, he could tie his career high with 22 wins in a season. However, Bednar may opt to continue rotating with Scott Wedgewood, who has also found success against Winnipeg this year.
Bednar spoke highly of his goaltending tandem:
“[Blackwood] came out of the [Olympic] break playing really good, then he had a dip in a handful of his starts, and he’s gone to work, and I feel like his last handful of games here, he’s given us a great chance to win. He’s coming up with big saves when we need him, he’s been exceptional on the penalty kill, which always helps, so [I’m] pretty happy with the way both of those guys are playing in net right now.”
MacKinnon continues to lead the NHL in goals with 48, while sitting just four points behind Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov for the league scoring lead. Martin Nečas (34 goals) and Brock Nelson (32) provide strong secondary scoring, while Cale Makar sits one point shy of 500 career points. Nicolas Roy’s status remains uncertain after missing time since March 22.
Tonight marks the beginning of Colorado’s final extended homestand of the regular season.
Projected Lineup
Forwards
Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Artturi Lehkonen – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Joel Kiviranta
Defense
Brett Kulak – Cale Makar
Devon Toews – Sam Malinski
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Goaltenders
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Winnipeg Jets (30-30-12)
Winnipeg’s playoff hopes remain uncertain as they sit five points outside the final Western Conference wild card position with ten games remaining. Despite earlier wins over Colorado and St. Louis, the Jets have dropped four of their last six, including Thursday’s loss to the Avalanche.
Their remaining schedule includes critical matchups against fellow wild card contenders such as Seattle, San Jose, St. Louis, and Utah—games that will likely determine their postseason fate. While a win against Colorado would be valuable, consistency against direct competitors will be essential.
Scheifele continues to lead the Jets in all major offensive categories (34 goals, 54 assists, 88 points), followed closely by Kyle Connor (32 goals, 82 points). Josh Morrissey remains the top-producing defenseman with 49 points. Neal Pionk has returned from injury, while Vladislav Namestnikov remains out.
With the stakes high, Connor Hellebuyck is expected to make his third consecutive start—his 50th of the season—as Winnipeg begins its final extended road trip. By its conclusion, the Jets’ playoff outlook may be firmly decided.
WINNIPEG, CANADA - MARCH 26: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates after scoring a third period goal against the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre on March 26, 2026 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Wins in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Winnipeg have made flying the friendly skies a first class experience for the first place Colorado Avalanche after completing this most recent road trip.
Tonight, the NHL’s best team books a return fair against the recently-vanquished Winnipeg Jets as the Avs begin a three game home stand in pursuit of the top seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Colorado Avalanche (48-13-10)
The Opponent: Winnipeg Jets (30-30-12)
Time: 5:00 P.M. MDT/7:00 P.M. EDT
Watch: ALT, ALT+ (Avalanche Local Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Regional Broadcast Areas – US), SN+, NHL Centre Ice (Canadian Broadcast Areas)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
As mentioned previously, the Avalanche come into today’s game fresh off a 3-2 victory over these same Winnipeg Jets on Thursday evening at Canada Life Center. Despite trailing early after a goal by Jets franchise center Mark Scheifele, the Avs would turn the tables with three unanswered goals—two courtesy of Nathan MacKinnon—en route to their first regular season victory in Manitoba since February 24, 2023. This game saw the return of Artturi Lehkonen, who had missed the previous eleven games due to injury. He factored in on the eventual game-winning goal with a great seeing-eye pass that MacKinnon deflected past Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck early in the third period. Winnipeg would unsuccessfully challenge the goal for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice withstood the challenge. A late goal by Scheifele made things interesting, but the Avalanche were able to stave off a Winnipeg push to complete the road trip sweep.
With this latest victory, the Avalanche increased their point lead over the Dallas Stars—who suffered a 2-1 regulation loss to the New York Islanders earlier Thursday evening—to nine points in the Central Division, and still hold a game in hand in their possession. They remain the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. Dallas will be in action against Pittsburgh today, and the Minnesota Wild, who have pulled within three points of Dallas, will face Boston. Dallas has a game in hand over Minnesota, but another regulation loss—a possible fourth loss in a row for Dallas—would open the door for Minnesota to pull within a single point of second place in the Central should they defeat the Bruins today.
The stakes in the standings are getting higher and higher, and the margin for error is growing thinner and thinner. The Avs control their own destiny, and completing the home and home series with Winnipeg with another victory will only tighten their grip on what’s been a near wire-to-wire run at the top of the standings.
Coach Jared Bednar said after Thursday’s game, “It was a good effort from our guys. We gave up a couple of goals on turnovers on the D-zone walls, so there’s a couple of things we want to improve on, but for the most part, I think, [at the] end of the road trip, we played hard; we were competitive. Special teams did a really nice job tonight, and from the goaltender out, I think we had everybody involved and were able to carve out a win against a really good team, a desperate hockey team.”
Bednar made it clear to say that, even with the Avs in control of their destiny as the regular season winds down, the remaining games still mean something. “We’re still fighting for first place,” he said, “so every win’s important until they put the mark beside our [name in the] standings, so we’ve had something to play for down the stretch run here. I think we’ve had a good year, but we’re not comfortable. We’re still just kind of fine-tuning our game before going into the playoffs […] but you’re playing hungry teams every night that are jockeying for position, trying to fight [their way] into the playoffs, trying to move up the standings, so there’s still lots to play for in the season, and lots of hockey, and we certainly don’t want [our] game deteriorating over the last month of the season before we get into the playoffs, so that’s our main focus.”
Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 22 of 24 shots for the victory in Winnipeg for his third straight win. Should Bednar turn to him again today, Blackwood could tie his single season career high in wins (22) with another stellar performance. However, if Bednar continues to alternate between starting him and Scott Wedgewood, then look for Wedgewood to return to the crease. Both goalies have victories over Winnipeg this season, so Bednar won’t be lacking in confidence in either option as the four game series comes to an end today.
Bednar said this of Blackwood’s recent play and his goaltending tandem as a whole: “[Blackwood] came out of the [Olympic] break playing really good, then he had a dip in a handful of his starts, and he’s gone to work, and I feel like his last handful of games here, he’s given us a great chance to win. He’s coming up with big saves when we need him, he’s been exceptional on the penalty kill, which always helps, so [I’m] pretty happy with the way both of those guys are playing in net right now.”
MacKinnon remains the NHL’s goal scoring leader (48), but remains four points behind both Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (both forwards have 114 points apiece at the time of this writing). Nečas now ranks second in team goal scoring (34), while Brock Nelson remains a close third (32). Cale Makar, who scored his 20th goal of the season against Dallas on March 18, needs only one point to reach 500 career points. It is currently unknown whether Nicolas Roy, who has not played since March 22 at Washington, will return to the lineup for today’s game.
Today’s game marks the first of a three game home stand at Ball Arena, the last extended stretch on home ice for the Avs this regular season.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Artturi Lehkonen – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Joel Kiviranta
Defense: Brett Kulak – Cale Makar Devon Toews – Sam Malinski Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Between the Pipes: Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood
Winnipeg Jets
When Winnipeg hosted Colorado at Canada Life Center two weeks ago, their playoff hopes were hanging in the balance. As mentioned in this space back then, a successful back to back weekend could prove to be the turning point in their bid to secure a postseason berth on the heels of last season’s historic run that saw them secure the top seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Presidents Trophy as the best team in the NHL. Although Winnipeg did defeat both Colorado and St. Louis in those back to back games, Winnipeg then proceeded to lose four of its next six games—including their most recent loss to Colorado on Thursday evening—and now remain five points outside the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, currently occupied (somehow) by the Nashville Predators.
With ten games remaining on their regular season schedule, Winnipeg has a lot of work ahead of them. Four of those games are against teams also chasing a wild card berth: Seattle (one point ahead of Winnipeg), San Jose and St. Louis (both one point behind Winnipeg), and Utah (currently eight points ahead of Winnipeg and holding the first wild card position in the Western Conference). While the term, “must-win” is thrown around a lot in sports, these four games are games that Winnipeg absolutely cannot afford to lose. A win today against Colorado would certainly help their cause, but games against Dallas, Vegas, and the surging Columbus Blue Jackets are also monumental hurdles for Winnipeg to clear in their desperate push to sneak into the postseason. It’s not an impossible task, but the odds are growing longer and longer, and as much as Winnipeg must focus on their own performance, they’ll also need to get some help to keep the teams they’re chasing close enough to pass.
With his pair of goals against Colorado on Thursday, Scheifele continues leading all Winnipeg skaters in goals (34), assists (54), and points (88). Kyle Connor is second in all three categories (32G/50A/82PTS). Defenseman Josh Morrissey still leads all Winnipeg defensemen in all three categories (12G/37A/49PTS). After missing the previous game against Colorado two weeks ago, defenseman Neal Pionk played in his fourth game on Thursday night since his return from injury on March 21. Former Avalanche forward Vladislav Namestnikov will remain out of the lineup due to injury. With so much riding on the line for Winnipeg, it’s almost a given that Hellebuyck will make his third consecutive start—his 50th of the season—today.
Today marks the first of a four game road trip for Winnipeg, its final extended road trip of the season. By the time this road trip is over, they may know if they’re cleared for a postseason takeoff, or if they’ve been grounded on the runway.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Alex Iafallo Cole Perfetti – Adam Lowry – Gabe Vilardi Isak Rosén – Morgan Barron – Brad Lambert Cole Koepke – Jonathan Toews – Gustav Nyquist
The Chicago Blackhawks will be an interesting team to watch during the offseason. They are in a position to upgrade their roster if they wish to, and one specific area that they could look to improve is their top six.
Now, they are being viewed as a potential match for the NHL's top pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz mentioned the Blackhawks as a potential fit for Buffalo Sabres star forward Alex Tuch if he ends up hitting the market this offseason.
"Chicago comes to mind, assuming he would want to join a team that is not quite a lock to contend right away," Gretz wrote about Tuch.
The idea of the Blackhawks signing Tuch is certainly interesting. He would give them a proven top-six winger and a star to play with center Connor Bedard. Furthermore, due to his strong two-way play, he would fit on the Blackhawks' power play and penalty kill if signed.
However, as good of a player as Tuch is, the Blackhawks also have several promising youngsters in their system who have good upside. Because of this, a long-term deal for Tuch could come with some risk for Chicago, even if he would be a strong fit on their roster in the short term.
In 70 games this season for the Sabres, Tuch has recorded 29 goals, 39 assists, 59 points, 75 hits, 78 blocks, and a plus-20 rating. This is after he had 36 goals and 67 points in 82 games with the Sabres in 2024-25.
In 2024, when the Senators acquired and then signed goaltender Linus Ullmark to a four-year contract worth $8.25 million, they believed they had fully solved their goaltending riddle. Almost two full seasons later, the position remains one of uncertainty.
Ullmark had a fantastic game against Pittsburgh on Thursday night in a 4–3 shootout loss to the Penguins. With another huge game lined up Saturday afternoon, it was assumed he would draw the start on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, as the Senators took the ice for warmup in Tampa, they were led by backup goalie James Reimer.
The Senators stormed out to an early 2–0 lead, but Tampa came back with four unanswered goals for a 4–2 victory. Make no mistake, the Senators were outplayed overall by the Lightning, even in the absence of Nikita Kucherov (illness) and Victor Hedman (personal leave). Goaltending was not the reason for the loss.
But if they had received the kind of goaltending performance they got on Thursday night, the kind that can steal games, who knows how the afternoon might have played out?
There was no pregame media availability, due to the early start, so fans on social media wondered throughout the game why Ullmark did not start. Senators head coach Travis Green was asked about it postgame and made it clear the decision wasn’t his.
“I want to play Linus every night," Green told Sens host Jackson Starr. "But he needed a rest and he wasn’t available to start tonight.”
Ullmark missed about a month of action earlier this season while dealing with mental health struggles, stepping away from the team on a personal leave of absence. He admitted to anxiety struggles during a game in Toronto on Dec. 27 and sought help the following day.
Ullmark said one of his biggest supports during that time was Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. Hedman is now on a personal leave of absence himself and did not play in Saturday’s game either.
After letting 3 of 4 possible points slip away in the past two games, the Senators' playoff chances absorbed another body blow, but with nine games left, they still remain very much alive.
They'll be in Florida against the Panthers on Tuesday night.
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