ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Noah Cates scored on a deflection off goalie Lukas Dostal's skate at 2:17 of overtime and — after a review for offsides on the play — the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Pacific Division-leading Anaheim forced overtime on Leo Carlsson's goal with 1:54 left in regulation.
Dan Vladar made 34 saves to help Philadelphia rebound from a 2-1 shootout loss to Columbus at home Saturday night. The Flyers are six points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.
Luke Glendening had his first goal of the season and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia. Trevor Zegras was held off the scoresheet in his first game in Anaheim since his offseason trade. He scored twice in Philadelphia’s 5-2 home victory over the Ducks on Jan. 6.
Cutter Gauthier also scored for Anaheim, and Dostal stopped 24 shots. The Ducks beat Montreal 4-3 on Sunday night to finish 2-2 on a Canadian swing.
Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas served the third game of a five-game suspension for kneeing Auston Matthews in a loss at Toronto on March 12. Matthews tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.
Defenseman John Carlson played his second straight game for the Ducks after a trade-deadline deal with Washington. His Anaheim debut was delayed by a lower-body injury.
Glendening opened the scoring at 2:50 of the first period, his first goal in 57 games this season with New Jersey and Philadelphia. Tippett made it 2-0 at 7:53 of second with his 23rd of the season. Gauthier cut it to 2-1 on a power play with 38 seconds left in second with his 35th goal of the season.
Philadelphia's Nick Seeler fought Jansen Harkins in the third period.
Rookie Cole Hutson scored in his first NHL game to help the Washington Capitals defeat the Ottawa Senators 4–1 on Wednesday night. The loss means the Senators remain five points out of a playoff spot, trailing the two wild-card holders, the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings.
Hutson signed a three-year entry-level contract with Washington on Sunday after completing his second season at Boston University. He looked like a carbon copy of his brother, Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens.
At the other end of the age spectrum, 40-year-old Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring in the second period. With that goal, Ovechkin reached the 25-goal mark for the 20th time in his career, tying the NHL record held by Gordie Howe. He outraced a flat-footed Ridly Greig to the net and redirected a Rasmus Sandin pass past Linus Ullmark to break a scoreless tie 8:09 into the middle frame.
Seconds later, Nick Cousins broke free on a partial breakaway and beat Logan Thompson between the legs, but as the puck trickled toward the goal, it took a sharp right turn and hit the post.
It summed up a frustrating night, one of several posts the Sens hit during the game, as the Senators generated more than enough chances to take control earlier. Their shooters simply couldn't put the puck in the net.
Late in the second, with the Senators caught on a long shift, Tom Wilson beat Ullmark from a bad angle on the short side to make it 2–0. With Ottawa struggling to finish, it was a terribly timed weak goal, but Ullmark helped to make up for it with a terrific pad save on a Ryan Leonard breakaway in the third.
The Senators pulled their goalie early for the extra attacker, and it paid off with 2:41 to play when Tim Stützle scored his 31st goal, redirecting a pass from Claude Giroux. But the hope was short-lived. Less than a minute later, Aliaksei Protas scored into the empty net, then Hutson added another empty-netter for his first NHL goal to put the game out of reach.
The Senators outshot the Capitals 35–25 on the night, and will now need to regroup quickly for another important matchup. They host the New York Islanders Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
Jesper Bratt reached 500 NHL points, and Connor Brown and Jack Hughes each had three points in the New Jersey Devils 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
“Always fun coming to the Garden and playing here,” Jack Hughes told NJD.TV. “Unreal atmosphere, unreal rink, unreal fans, a lot of Devils fans here tonight. Always just really fun coming here and playing."
On their second shot of the game, the Rangers opened the scoring off a snap shot from defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
Nico Hischier scored the Devils' first goal at the 16:14 mark while Gabe Perreault was in the penalty box serving a holding penalty. Brown and Bratt assisted on the power play goal.
With 4:43 remaining in the first period, Arseny Gritsyuk gave New Jersey a 2-1 lead. It was the rookie's 13th goal of the season, which is currently tied for the 10th most among first-year players.
Within the first minute of the second period, New York tied the game at 2-2 as Jacob Markstrom allowed goals on back-to-back shots. Mika Zibanejad celebrated his 28th goal of the season and 17th career goal against New Jersey.
Brown gives New Jersey a 3-2 lead with eight minutes remaining in the middle frame. It marked the Devils' second power play goal of the night. Jack Hughes and Hischier were credited with the assists.
Timo Meier extended the Devils' lead to 4-2 early in the third period. Paul Cotter, who scored the game-winning goal in New Jersey’s last game, picked up the lone assist.
Conor Sheary scored the Rangers' third goal of the game at the 10:19 mark of the final frame, but three minutes later, Jack Hughes scored to get the Devils ' two-goal lead back. Entering the game, Hughes had 14 points in 12 career games at Madison Square Garden.
Jesper Bratt scored New Jersey’s final goal of the night with 3:38 remaining in regulation. Jack Hughes picked up his third point of the night, earning an assist on the goal. Per Leo Scaglione Jr. of MSG Networks, “Jack has 35 points against the Rangers since 2019. His 20 goals and 35 points against the Rangers are the most of all NHL players since 2019.”
The Devils will hit the road for the next four games with stops in Washington, D.C., Dallas, Nashville, and Carolina. New Jersey will face the Washington Capitals on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Capital One Arena.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Hughes and Connor Brown each had goal and two assists to help the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
The Devils are 10 points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. They opened a five-game trip after going 5-2 on a homestand.
Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt each had a goal an assist for New Jersey, and Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier also scored. Jacob Markstrom made 14 saves.
Vladislav Gavrikov, Mika Zibanejad and Conor Sheary scored for New York. Jonathan Quick stopped 33 shots.
Last in the East, the Rangers have lost two straight after winning four in a row.
HURRICANES 6, PENGUINS 5, OT
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sean Walker scored with 28.3 seconds left in overtime as Carolina beat Pittsburgh, spoiling Sidney Crosby’s return to the Penguins’ lineup.
Jackson Blake had a goal and two assists, Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Walker each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes. Jordan Martinook and K’Andre Miller also scored and Nikolaj Ehlers finished with three assists. Frederik Andersen made 30 saves.
Erik Karlsson had two goals and an assist, Crosby added a goal and an assist, and Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel also scored for Pittsburgh. Stuart Skinner stopped 38 shots in the second matchup in nine nights between the top teams in the Metropolitan Division that went beyond regulation.
Pittsburgh completed a 2-1-2 trip that began with last week’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Eastern Conference- and Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes.
CAPITALS 4, SENATORS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 922nd goal and Cole Hutson scored his first to lead Washington past Ottawa.
Ovechkin is a goal shy of 1,000 — if his 77 postseason tallies are included.
The Capitals are still six points out of a playoff spot with time running out, but this was an encouraging night for the franchise. Hutson made his NHL debut less than a week after the end of his season at Boston University, and the 19-year-old defenseman showed off his smooth skating and stickhandling throughout the night, finally scoring into an empty net with 25.7 seconds remaining.
It was the 40-year-old Ovechkin who opened the scoring in the second period when Rasmus Sandin’s pass bounced off his right skate past goalie Linus Ullmark. That momentarily gave Ovechkin sole possession of the team lead in goals this season with 25, but then Tom Wilson beat Ullmark later in the period for his 25th.
Ovechkin has led the Caps in goals in all 20 seasons of his career, sharing the top spot only once — with T.J. Oshie in 2016-17.
He and his beloved longtime broadcast partner Mickey Redmond have often been ranked at the top by fans in NHL commentator rankings, and it's well deserved!
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Zakhar Bardakov went to the box for tripping Nils Lundkvist 2:06 into the game. As a result, Dallas went on an early power play. Dallas had a few chances, but Colorado played great defensively and made several clears to kill off the penalty.
Cale Makar initiated the breakout about 6:30 into the period and with time and space, sent Valeri Nichushkin on a breakaway, but Oettinger made the save.
At the halfway point of the period, only one shot was record on net. You heard that right. Just one. That shot belonged to the Avalanche.
Dallas got their first shot on net with 3:55 left in the period when Jason Robertson fired a one-timer, but Wedgewood made the stop. On the next sequence, Mavrik Bourque snapped a wrister from top of the right circle, but that was also gloved by Wedgewood.
Jamie Benn took a penalty late in the first after bear hugging and throwing Brock Nelson down to the ice for no apparent reason. Colorado followed up with a power play goal when Necas fed Makar a one-timer that clanged off the left side post and in to make it 1-0 Colorado.
Second Period
Wedgewood made an excellent stop to start the period as both teams turned up the pressure, a far contrast from the opening period that saw just eight shots on goal combined. Within the first few minutes, there were a combined five shots, with Colorado contributing three of them.
About four minutes into the period, a shot that bounced off Oettinger nearly ended up in his own net, but Stars defenseman Esa Lindell ended up catching the puck with his glove and put it back in play in a brilliant move to keep the game at 1-0.
At 6:18, Robertson tied the game at one when he batted in a rebound from top of the left circle to make it a 1-1 game. Wedgewood tried everything in his power and lunged with his stick in an attempt to snag it, but was too late.
Just over a minute later, Jack Drury got his hands on the puck and let a wrister go, but Oettinger gloved it. Frustrated, Drury slammed his stick to the ice in response.
As we approached two minutes to go in the period, the Avs poured the pressure on Dallas, but they just couldn't get the puck in the net. Makar fired a shot from the point and the puck got away from Oettinger and Brock Nelson tipped the puck, but it went by the net.
Oettinger made a scintillating save on MacKinnon with 1:08 left in the period when Sam Malinski set up a pass from behind the net, but Oettinger slid across the crease and made a low glove save and MacKinnon just stared in disbelief.
Near the end of the period, both Makar and Stars forward Michael Bunting were penalized: Makar for interference and Bunting for embellishment, although the latter appeared to be the wrong call. Bunting was furious and slammed his stick against the glass after the call was made. As a result, the third period began with 1:42 of 4-on-4.
Third Period
9:00 into the third period, Stars defenseman Tyler Myers went to the box for hooking Parker Kelly, and the Avalanche earned a critical opportunity on the power play.
The first shot from Makar went wide, but the second shot from the two-time Norris Trophy winner was deflected by Brock Nelson, but it ended up right in Oettinger's lap.
Dallas defenseman Lian Bichsel fired a shot from the point off the boards that bounced towards the crease, but Wedgewood was ready for it and made the stop.
Moments later, for the second time in as many games, Colorado was penalized for having too many men on the ice, which gave the Stars, who own one of the best power plays in the NHL, an opportunity to potentially take the lead in this game.
Following several crucial saves from Wedgewood and great defensive play, the Avalanche killed the penalty.
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche earned a virtual victory Wednesday night, rallying from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Dallas Stars 4–2 in NHL 26 simulation action.
Colorado got goals from Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Parker Kelly, while Scott Wedgewood turned aside 27 shots to backstop the comeback effort.
First Period
MacKinnon and Martin Necas looked to generate early offense off the rush, but their connection was disrupted by Esa Lindell.
Moments later, Thomas Harley was sent to the box for holding Nicolas Roy, giving Colorado an early power-play opportunity. Despite quality chances from Valeri Nichushkin and Makar, the Avalanche couldn’t capitalize.
Dallas came inches away from opening the scoring midway through the period. Miro Heiskanen intercepted a pass at center ice and led the rush before sliding it over to Jamie Benn, who set up Matt Duchene for a one-timer that rang off the post. Seconds later, Mavrik Bourque fired from the point, and Duchene’s deflection hit iron again—tough luck for Dallas.
Wedgewood kept things scoreless with a highlight-reel diving blocker save to rob Oskar Back.
The Stars earned their first power play with six minutes remaining after Sam Malinski was called for cross-checking Nathan Bastian, but Colorado’s penalty kill stood tall.
The period ended 0–0, though Dallas carried over a man advantage after Ivan Ivan—recently called up from the Colorado Eagles—was whistled for cross-checking late.
Second Period
Colorado successfully killed off the remaining penalty, but Dallas struck shortly after. Heiskanen unleashed a 98.4 mph slap shot through traffic to give the Stars a 1–0 lead.
At 8:44, Back doubled the advantage. Taking a pass from Nils Lundkvist, he faked low and snapped a shot over Wedgewood’s blocker to make it 2–0.
The Avalanche responded quickly.
Less than two minutes later, Necas forced a turnover in the offensive zone and found MacKinnon streaking into the slot. MacKinnon wired a wrister past Jake Oettinger to cut the deficit in half.
With just 1:11 remaining in the period, Zakhar Bardakov fed Ivan in the slot, and he buried a wrister to tie the game 2–2.
After two periods, the game was even, with Dallas holding an 18–12 edge in shots.
Third Period
The parade to the penalty box continued early in the third when Gavin Brindley was called for cross-checking Jason Robertson at 3:22.
Dallas generated a couple of looks on the power play, including a one-timer from Justin Hryckowian set up by Adam Erne, but Wedgewood held firm.
Colorado took the lead for good at 10:17. Kelly buried a one-timer from the top of the right circle off a feed from Joel Kiviranta to make it 3–2.
Makar sealed it late, hammering home a one-timer from Devon Toews with 1:23 remaining to push the lead to 4–2.
Following a four-game road trip to face the NHL’s eastern-most Canadian teams, the Anaheim Ducks will briefly return to Orange County for a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
The Ducks’ trip wasn’t short on storylines. Their 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday was the epicenter of controversy, as Ducks captain Radko Gudas received a five-game suspension for delivering a knee-on-knee hit to Leafs captain Auston Matthews, a knee that caused a grade-three MCL tear and a quad contusion, which will force the Leafs superstar out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
To end the trip, the Ducks won a high-octane matchup with the Montreal Canadiens 4-3, which saw the return of star forward Troy Terry and the debut of newly-acquired veteran defenseman John Carlson.
That game also saw the Ducks’ coaching staff healthy scratch fourth-year center Mason McTavish (23), whose struggles this season, and especially recently, have been understated due to the team’s relative success, as they make their final push toward their first playoff appearance in eight years.
"Sometimes you got to make hard decisions, and sometimes change might be healthy for the player individually,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville told the media following Sunday’s game. “You try different things along the way to give them an opportunity to go.
Hey, let's fight our way back into the lineup and push to get in there and be back to where you're expected to be. That's what we're looking for.”
After producing .54, .66, and .68 points per game in his first three seasons in the NHL, McTavish has only accounted for 32 points (13-19=32) through his first 61 games in 2025-26, a .52 points/game pace.
His struggles had reached a new low heading into Sunday’s scratch, as he’d only found the scoresheet for two assists in his last 12 games, including one in his last nine and having gone without a point in his last five games.
McTavish has always been a streaky player, but even when going through relative dry spells, he’s been able to impact games on forechecks and winning small-area puck battles along the walls. In the past, he’d done well to remain involved in plays, game-to-game, period-to-period, and shift-to-shift. Through this latest stretch, even those aspects have been neutralized, and pinpointing one specific area can prove a fruitless act.
“I think nothing seems to be connected right now. Not getting the puck with speed, not getting the puck much, not skating as much,” McTavish said after practice on Tuesday. “Just thinking a lot out there, I would say, is the biggest thing. I'm very confident, I'll be right, be right back with the guys, and playing a lot in a big role with this team. I have no doubt about that, and just a bump in the road.”
McTavish missed roughly half of Anaheim’s training camp this season due to contract negotiations. It’s possible that could have been a contributing factor. It’s also possible that head coach Joel Quenneville and his coaching staff have implemented a high-octane, puck possession-based system that hasn’t been easy for McTavish to adjust to or that isn’t particularly conducive to his play style.
“Yeah, I mean, who knows, right?” McTavish said when asked if missing part of camp had any effect on his play. “Obviously, we want to be at camp every time, but it’s just the way things worked out. Nobody really knows. Obviously, it’s a little trend, but it’s hard to put your finger on it, I guess.”
Lastly, it’s perceivable that this is a stall in McTavish’s development. He’s yet to round out his 200-foot game, as he’s been one of the NHL’s most negatively-impacful players on the defensive side of the puck this season.
His skating, in terms of foot speed, four-way mobility, and balance, isn’t optimal for top-six centers in the NHL. With his substandard skating, he will be forced to adapt and adjust his game to playing down the middle against the best players in the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a considerable weakness if a player can make up for it in other areas of their game.
“It's tough news for the player, and I think that he handled it well,” Quenneville said after Wednesday’s morning skate of McTavish’s reaction to being a healthy scratch. “We see him playing, so it's just a matter of time that we'll get him back in there and he'll be doing his thing.”
McTavish will serve his second straight game as a healthy scratch on Wednesday, as the Ducks host the Philadelphia Flyers. The Ducks remain in first place in the Pacific Division standings and will need McTavish to turn his performance around if he’s to assume an impact role for their upcoming (projected) playoff run.
The young center is in his first year of a newly signed six-year contract carrying an AAV of $7 million. The contract extension and his selection with the third-overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft represent considerable assets spent by the Ducks on McTavish, and as recently as October (if they don’t still), they considered him a significant part of their present and future.
In any regard, these healthy scratches have likely deflated a sizable percentage of any potential trade value. For the Ducks’ and McTavish’s sakes alike, the hope is that this stretch is simply a speed bump and not a sign of things to come moving forward.
The lingering feeling that followed Jaroslav Chmelar from the Rangers back to AHL Hartford gnawed at him.
He tried not to think about it too much — he did have AHL games to play, after all, to try and earn another call-up — in the moment, but Chmelar wasn’t thrilled with how his four-game stint with the Blueshirts went in December.
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Before that, the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in 2021 had appeared in just two NHL games since signing out of Providence College. Those cameos were entirely different from anything he experienced with the Wolf Pack. So Chmelar reset his mindset.
He used his frustration — and the thinking that he could’ve given more — as fuel and motivation.
After a third chance arrived two weeks ago, right before the trade deadline, Chmelar became a piece that head coach Mike Sullivan publicly stated he didn’t want to take out of the Rangers’ lineup.
The 6-foot-4, 226-pound winger has carved out a physical role on the fourth line while flashing glimpses of a scoring touch, too. He tallied his first goal March 5. He added another one Friday and nearly a third Monday, missing a chance near the net that ultimately turned into a learning moment.
And most of all, Chmelar and Sullivan both said, the game has started to slow down for him.
“When I got this [call-up], I was like, I gotta put more on the line,” Chmelar told The Post after the Rangers’ morning skate Wednesday before their game against the Devils at the Garden. “Be everywhere. The one step ahead. Give a little more effort to be happy with my game, and I’m glad it’s showing.”
With Chmelar adjusting to the speed of the NHL level, that has allowed him to play with more pace, Sullivan said.
One layer of that revolves around anticipation. Another includes “physical foot speed,” Sullivan added.
Midway through the second period against the Wild on Friday, Chmelar finished his check along the boards as Minnesota cleared the puck, and moments later, following a turnover in the neutral zone, he ended up on a breakaway — shifting the puck to his backhand and flipping it into the net.
Chmelar’s ice time has still been limited, given his lack of a penalty-killing role. He only topped 10 minutes in a game once. But his role in Hartford — where he collected 25 points across 46 games, with both on pace to shatter his AHL-bests in a full season — paired with his recent Rangers impression has given Chmelar a foundation to build on during the offseason, with roster spots and roles available on a retooling team.
“When he finishes checks, he can create anxiety,” Sullivan said. “He can unnerve the opponent.”
Jaroslav Chmelar watches his shot go past the net during the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Kings on March 16, 2026 at the Garden. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
There are still plenty of areas for growth. Chmelar noticed that he’ll rush into trying to make a play on offense instead of taking a breath, making one more move and then attempting something with the puck. That happened again Monday, when he ended up with a bouncing puck near the post but watched as it hit his stick’s heel and went wide of an open net.
“I think I could’ve waited there for a little bit,” Chmelar said. “I thought I had more pressure on myself than I had, and yeah, I mean, to be honest, I was pissed. … That haunts me a little bit, but I gotta put it behind, and hopefully the next one can go in.”
Chmelar planned to dive into plenty of video this upcoming offseason, preparing for any situation he ends up in next year. He wants to seek out advice from NHL players. There’s more to develop with maximizing his size, too, he said.
That, always, will remain at the crux of his skill set. It’s what allowed that goal in Minnesota, placing him in the right place at the right juncture. It’s what allowed him to secure a place in Sullivan’s lineup. And if he can add strength, Chmelar knows that’ll only make it more difficult for opposing defensemen.
“I think they gotta know that I’m coming, pretty much,” Chmelar said.
The last time that the Detroit Red Wings took on the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena, things didn't work out so well for the host Red Wings.
By the time the first period was over, the Red Wings had not only surrendered multiple odd-man rushes but allowed Montreal to score three times en route to what was an eventual 5-1 victory.
The good news is that Detroit was able to figure Montreal out in their next matchup in Quebec, a 4-0 Red Wings win on January 10.
But their third and final matchup of the season takes place at a most critical time for the Red Wings, who trail the Canadiens by two points in the standings in the ultra-tight Atlantic Division standings.
For the Red Wings, their season-opening setback against the Canadiens serves as a blueprint for avoiding a similar fate.
"We've gotta stay above them," said Alex DeBrincat on how to counter Montreal's quick and active forwards. "I think that first game of the year, we made a lot of mistakes, and it was kind of maybe a good thing that we learned from early. I thought we played better when we went into their building, so hopefully we can play more of that game than our first game."
"They're a fast, skilled team," he continued. "We know they want to get behind us, and they can make plays on that, so I think for the most part, staying above their forwards and making them go through five guys will be tough on them."
The Red Wings didn’t receive any help from around the NHL on Tuesday night.
Not only did the Columbus Blue Jackets defeat the Metropolitan Division–leading Carolina Hurricanes, but both the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins also picked up a point in Montreal’s overtime victory.
Detroit currently occupies the second and final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, tied in points with the Bruins and two points behind Montreal, currently in third place in the Atlantic Division.
"Every point is big now, the whole East is pretty close right now," DeBrincat continued. "We need to find a way to try and win some games and pull away a little bit, and hopefully we can play some good games at home here and go on from there."
While the Red Wings will remain shorthanded without team captain Dylan Larkin, head coach Todd McLellan said there's no choice but to continue with the players available and apply the standard that helped make them successful.
"All the work we've put in this year puts us in a spot where we have to continue to apply our game," McLellan said. "We've had to make adjustments due to injuries, but throw our best game out there night after night, and we're in control."
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Once you're inside the final month of the NHL regular season, which we are, it's generally desperation time.
Either you're facing desperate teams fighting for a playoff spot or better positioning, or you're facing an also-ran filled with players desperate to stay in the league next season.
Desperation is a fine label for the Ottawa Senators' latest biggest game of the year on Wednesday night when they face the Capitals in Washington.
The Senators' desperation is well-documented. By his own admission, GM Steve Staios says he felt like the Senators "pissed away a lot of points early on." Now they're paying for that, forced to make a late-season charge.
They're winning a lot these days, rocking an 11-2-2 mark since January 25. With the out-of-town scoreboard so consistently working against them, it may be feel like they've been sprinting on a treadmill on the standings.
But when they started this run, they were seven teams and nine points out of the playoffs. Now they're two teams and five points out, with two games in hand on both of the wild card holders, Boston and Detroit.
The Blue Jackets are wedged into the mix, too, just one point out of a wild card.
One of the teams the Senators have managed to put behind them in the standings is the Washington Capitals, who will host them on Wednesday night (7;30pm SN, TVAS).
The Capitals are not only eight points out of a playoff spot, but they have to climb over four teams to get there, one of them being the Senators. So any slim hope of a comeback will all but evaporate if they don't get two points on Wednesday.
In the face of all that desperation, Sens head coach Travis Green isn't tinkering with anything, same lineup, same starting goalie.
"Our approach isn't really changing," Green told the media. "We're gonna play a desperate team (on Wednesday night), so our desperation level needs to be high as well."
The Senators will again be without Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen. Sanderson is expected to start skating within the week, while Jensen is out for at least six weeks with a knee injury.
For Washington, Cole Hutson, brother of Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson, will make his NHL debut. He's expected to play alongside. Matt Roy and on the second power-play unit.
The Capitals figure he's mentally and physically ready to jump right into a near must-win NHL game for the Capitals.
Hutson was chosen 36 picks after Carter Yakemchuk in the 2024 NHL Draft. Despite the Senators recently losing two defensemen to injury, Yakemchuk, the reigning AHL player of the week, remains in Belleville, still waiting to make his NHL debut.
Here are Wednesday's line combinations and pairings, as per NHL.com.
Senators projected lineup
Drake Batherson -- Tim Stutzle -- Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk -- Dylan Cozens -- Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins -- Shane Pinto -- Michael Amadio
Warren Foegele -- Lars Eller -- Fabian Zetterlund
Thomas Chabot -- Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven -- Jordan Spence
Dennis Gilbert -- Nikolas Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark
James Reimer
Scratched: Stephen Halliday, Kurtis MacDermid, Lassi Thomson
Injured: Jake Sanderson (upper body), Nick Jensen (lower body)
Capitals projected lineup
Anthony Beauvillier -- Dylan Strome -- Alex Ovechkin
Aleksei Protas -- Hendrix Lapierre -- Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime -- Justin Sourdif -- Ethen Frank
Martin Fehervary -- Rasmus Sandin
Jakub Chychrun -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cole Hutson -- Matt Roy
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: David Kampf, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Timothy Liljegren, Declan Chisholm, Dylan McIlrath
DENVER — Two decades after his highly controversial departure from the Detroit Red Wings, Sergei Fedorov stood on the podium at his jersey retirement ceremony and openly admitted that the way he handled his exit was "a huge mistake."
At the ceremony, Fedorov hinted that his perspective had shifted since leaving the Red Wings, the team with which he won three Stanley Cups. He credited his personal life for grounding him, saying that meeting the love of his life, Corinna, helped reshape his outlook. Today, the couple shares two children: a daughter, Aleksandra, and a son, Viktor.
Matt Duchene speaks with The Hockey News and a slew of other reporters.
Matt Duchene may not command the same legendary status as Fedorov, but for the Colorado Avalanche, he was undeniably a cornerstone of the franchise’s modern era. Drafted third overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Duchene spent more than eight seasons with the Avs, producing some of the most memorable years of his career.
His best season came in 2013–14, when he recorded 23 goals and 47 assists in 71 games. He followed that with a career-high 30 goals the following year, though by his final full-time campaign with the team, his production had dipped to 18 goals, 23 assists, and 41 points.
Nearly a decade has passed since Duchene was traded to the Ottawa Senators as part of a three-way deal that also involved the Nashville Predators. Colorado received a substantial return, including then-rookie defenseman Samuel Girard, forward prospect Vladislav Kamenev, and a second-round pick from Nashville, along with center Shane Bowers (a 2017 first-round selection), goalie Andrew Hammond, and both a first- and third-round pick from Ottawa.
A Difficult Departure
Duchene had been on the block for some time after requesting a trade from the Avalanche the previous year. While he clearly showed frustration at still being in Colorado at the start of the 2017–18 season, he reported to camp and worked hard—though his expressions betrayed a player ready to move on.
Duchene shortly before being traded. Credit: Jerome Miron
Since the trade, Duchene has played for three other NHL organizations, landing with the Dallas Stars in the 2023–24 campaign. Despite appearing in 69 career playoff games, a Stanley Cup has eluded him—unlike several Avalanche teammates who stayed in Denver long enough to hoist the trophy in 2022.
Like Fedorov, Duchene is now a devoted family man. He is married to his wife, Ashley, and together they have three children: a son, Beau, and two daughters, Jayme and Ellie.
It took Red Wings fans and the organization a very long time to forgive Fedorov. Credit: Lou Capozzola
After some light-hearted clarification from The Hockey News about how having a family can change your perspective, Duchene was asked if there was anything he would have done differently regarding his departure from the Avalanche.
Being the straightforward person that he is, Duchene said he had no regrets with the way he handled things.
"No," Duchene said. "I think at that point in my career, it was best for me to (move on). Obviously, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done; I grew up idolizing this team. When you have to ask your hero for a trade, it's tough.
"That's a part of my history playing for this team that I'm super proud of and it's amazing that I got to live that childhood dream...I wanted a new opportunity and I felt like I needed it personally and it was nothing personal against (anyone). I think I handled it fine; I showed up to camp; I worked hard; I played hard; I played well."
Stars vs. Avalanche: Division on the Line
Duchene led the Stars in points last season with 82, tallying 30 goals and 52 assists. His numbers are a bit down this year due to an early-season injury, but through 42 games, he has posted 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points.
Tonight’s matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena carries high stakes. The Central Division is red-hot, and this game could go a long way in determining not only the division champion but also a frontrunner for the Presidents’ Trophy. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:50 p.m. local time.
There have not been many bright spots for the New Jersey Devils this season.
With a record of 34-31-2, the 2025-26 season can be easily labeled a disappointment. With only 15 games remaining, the one player having a career season is Cody Glass.
On Saturday night, against the Los Angeles Kings, Glass scored his 15th goal of the season. At the 7:58 mark of the first period, his snap shot from the left hash marks deflected off Kopitar and in to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead.
It marked the first time in his professional hockey career that he had scored over 14 goals.
“It is an awesome feeling," Glass said. "The puck has been finding me, and it is a good feeling when that happens."
The 26-year-old has been on a line with rookies Arseny Gritsyuk and Lenni Hämeenaho, prioritizing defense and allowing the youngsters to play their game.
“I let (Gritsyuk) and (Hämeenaho) do their offensive skill type thing, and just find the right areas,” he continued. “(...) I keep trying to tell them to do their thing. I will be the responsible one, I don’t care. You guys turn over pucks, I will backcheck for you.”
Glass was traded to New Jersey by the Pittsburgh Penguins with Jonathan Gruden for Chase Stillman, Max Graham, and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft on Mar. 7, 2025. He has played 69 games for the Devils and has earned 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists).
A first-round pick in 2017, Glass has taken hold of the Devils' third-line center position this season. Showcasing a hardworking, positive attitude, he appreciates every opportunity he has to play in the NHL.
“The mindset I have always had is to work as hard as you can because you never know when your last game is going to be.”
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins added multiple players to their roster during the 2026 NHL off-season. Forward Anthony Mantha was among them, as the Penguins signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract in free agency. This was after Mantha was limited to only 13 games with the Calgary Flames in 2024-25, where he had four goals and seven points.
Now, fast-forward to today, and it is clear that the Penguins' decision to sign Mantha has been a real home run.
Mantha is currently in the middle of a career year with the Penguins. In 67 games with the Metropolitan Division club, he has already set new career highs with 26 goals, 26 assists, and 52 points. With the Penguins having 15 games left, the 6-foot-5 winger still has a decent amount of time left to build on his offensive totals, too.
Mantha is only getting better as the season rolls on, too. He is currently on a five-game point streak for the Penguins, where he has five goals and two assists over that span. With this, he has simply been playing some excellent hockey for the Penguins as they maintain their spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Given how well Mantha has played this season with the Penguins, they should be working hard to sign him to a contract extension. The fit between Mantha and the Penguins has been amazing, and it will be fascinating to see if they can lock him up to a new deal because of it.
