The Colorado Avalanche are looking to make a crack at their next line of opposition.

The Avs open a two-game road trip Thursday against the Seattle Kraken looking to rebound after a narrow 4–3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week. It will be the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Colorado won the first matchup 5–3 in Seattle on December 16, and the series will conclude April 16 at Ball Arena.

Colorado’s loss Tuesday at Ball Arena came in a game that featured momentum swings and several special-teams moments. Ross Colton opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the first period, wiring a shot from the point through traffic for his eighth goal of the season. The assist on the play gave Brock Nelson the 500th even-strength point of his NHL career.

And we’re off ✈️ pic.twitter.com/p8V1wYpThd

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 11, 2026

Edmonton answered midway through the period when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins converted a power-play opportunity from the crease. Colorado regained the lead later in the opening frame when Martin Necas scored on the power play from the left circle, setting a single-season career high with his 29th goal of the year.

The lead was short-lived. Jack Roslovic tied the game late in the first before Nugent-Hopkins added his second of the night early in the second period to give Edmonton its first lead.

Colorado pulled even early in the third when Valeri Nichushkin redirected a right-point shot from Sam Malinski for his 14th goal of the season. But Edmonton’s star power ultimately decided the game. Connor McDavid buried a power-play one-timer from the doorstep at 9:03 of the third period, providing the eventual game-winner.

Despite the loss, Colorado continues to be powered offensively by Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 43 goals and ranks among the league leaders with 104 points and 61 assists. MacKinnon’s impact has been even more pronounced at even strength; since the start of the 2023–24 season, he has recorded an NHL-best 250 points in five-on-five situations.

The Avalanche blue line has been equally productive thanks to Cale Makar, who remains one of the league’s most dynamic defensemen. Makar sits among the top scoring defensemen in the NHL with 66 points while adding 19 goals and 47 assists.

Necas has also been a key contributor during Colorado’s recent stretch. His seven goals since February 25 are tied for the most in the league over that span, helping propel him into the NHL’s top ten in scoring with 77 points.

Seattle enters Thursday’s matchup after a 4–2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken jumped out to a 2–0 first-period lead on goals from Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers, but Nashville responded with three unanswered goals in the second period before Steven Stamkos sealed the game with an empty-net tally late in the third.

Offensively, Seattle is led by veteran forward Jordan Eberle, whose 22 goals and 44 points pace the club. Defenseman Vince Dunn leads the team with 29 assists, while Beniers ranks second in scoring with 40 points.

Historically, Colorado has enjoyed success in the matchup. The Avalanche hold a 9-3-1 record in 13 regular-season meetings against the Kraken and have also faced Seattle once in the postseason.

The matchup has also been productive for several of Colorado’s stars. MacKinnon has recorded 19 points in 12 regular-season games against Seattle and added seven more in the playoffs, while Makar has contributed 19 regular-season points against the Kraken along with five in six postseason contests. Necas has chipped in 11 points in nine career games against Seattle.

Defensively, Colorado has been particularly strong away from home this season. The Avalanche are allowing just 2.55 goals per game on the road, tied for the lowest mark in the NHL.

Even in Tuesday’s loss, the Avalanche believed their process was largely sound.

“I thought everybody had good legs tonight,” Makar said afterward. “I thought we had overall good forechecks. We struggled on the breakout a little bit early, but we were able to figure it out. I felt like we had some good chances but just didn’t finish sometimes.”

Colorado will look to convert more of those chances Thursday night as it continues its push through the final stretch of the regular season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to play the Florida Panthers tonight at 7 PM.  

Florida Panthers - 32-29-3 - 63 Points - 2-8-0 in the last 10 - Won 2 - 7th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 33-21-10 - 76 Points - 6-1-3 in the last 10 - Won 1 - 4th in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus stretched its points streak to seven games (4-0-3) with a 4-2 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday to tie a season long streak (7-0-0 from Jan. 22-Feb. 4). The club has earned points in 18 of its last 20 contests since Jan. 11 (15-2-3).

• The Blue Jackets, who are 7-1-0 in their last eight road contests, began a stretch of 6-of-9 games played away from home through Mar. 26 on Tuesday.

• Columbus finished 2-of-4 on the power play at Tampa Bay and rank seventh-T in the NHL in power play pct. on the road this season (25.0; 20-of-80).

• Since Dec. 22, CBJ have gone 19-6-4 (42 pts, .724 points pct.) and rank second in the NHL in points, third in points percentage, fourth in penalty kill pct. (84.0), sixth-T in save pct. (.901) and goals-against/game (2.79) as well as eighth in goals for/game (3.55).

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Charlie Coyle collected an assist on Tuesday to stretch his assists streak to four games (0-5-5) and points streak to seven consecutive (1-8-9). He has posted 6-15-21 and six multi-point efforts in the last 14 contests since Jan. 24.

• Adam Fantilli has 6-9-15 in the past 14 GP and LW Mason Marchment has 11-8-19 in 22 GP with the Blue Jackets.

• Conor Garland, who has multiple goals in each of the past two contests, is the first player with four goals in his first three games with the Blue Jackets.

• Kirill Marchenko has notched a power play goal in back-to-back games and has collected points in six consecutive games (4-5-9) and in 11 of his past 12 contests since Jan. 24 (6-9-15).

• Sean Monahan collected two assists against the Lightning and has points in five of the last six contests (2-4-6).

• Zach Werenski registered two assists on Tuesday and has collected points in 24 of his past 27 games played since Dec. 11 (11-27-38, 12 multi-point efforts). He sits two points shy of his second-straight 70-point campaign (20-48-68, 57 GP).

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 20.5% - 17th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 78.0% - 23rd in the NHL
• Goals For - 204 - 15th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 204 - 23rd in the NHL 

Panthers Stats

• Power Play - 19.4% - 19th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 82.2% - 6th in the NHL
• Goals For - 191 - 18th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 212 - 25th in the NHL

Series History vs. The Panthers    

• Columbus is 27-21-0-7 all-time, and 10-14-0-3 on the road vs. Florida
• Columbus has collected points in the past three meetings since Mar. 20, 2025 (1-0-2).
• The teams have combined for seven-plus goals in nine of the last 14 meetings since Jan. 15, 2022.

• The winning team has scored four or more goals in 17 of the past 20 games of the series going back to Mar. 9th, 2021 and in eight of the last nine at Florida since Apr. 19, 2021.

• The winning team has won by multiple goals in 14 of the last 18 meetings of the series, including 11 instances by three-plus goals.

• Columbus has scored a power play goal in both games of the 2025-26 series (2-of-7; 28.6 pct.).

• The teams have combined for 60 shots or less in five of the past seven meetings of the series (59.7 avg.).

• CBJ has recorded three shutouts in the all-time series (MR: Merzlikins, 1-0 OT win at CBJ on Feb. 4, 2020) and two hat tricks (MR: Werenski, 4-1 W at CBJ on Dec. 31, 2019).

Who To Watch For The Panthers

• Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 28 goals, 31 assists, and 59 points.
• Brad Marchand 27 goals and 54 points.
• Sergei Bobrovsky is 23-19-1 with a SV% of .876.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Panthers

• Charlie Coyle has 17 points in 32 games vs. the Panthers.
• Zach Werenski has 16 career points against Florida.
• Mason Marchment has 4 points in 7 games against Florida.

Injured Reserve

• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 26 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 170 

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.  

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Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (32-17-15, 79 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Vegas Golden Knights (29-22-14, 75 points, 3rd place Pacific Division)

When: 10:00 p.m. eastern

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

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins continue the rhythm of their every-other-day road trip with a game in Utah on Saturday (9pm eastern start), then comes Colorado next Monday and the trip ends where it started back in Carolina next Wednesday.

Opponent Track: Vegas is just 1-5-0 in the month of March, starting with a 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh on March 1st. They’ve lost three games in a row, including a 2-1 nailbiter in Dallas on Tuesday in their most recent contest. This is the start of a four-game homestand for the Golden Knights, who should be playing with desperation now that they’ve slipped from first to third place in their division.

Season Series: As mentioned above, the Pens took the first game 5-0 last Sunday. Ben Kindel scored a goal and added an assist to be named the first star of the game, Arturs Silovs stopped all 22 shots he saw to earn the shutout.

Hidden Stat: Pittsburgh is 13-6-6 against Western Conference opponents this year, per Pens PR.

Getting to know the Golden Knights

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Braeden Bowman

Brett Howden – Mitch Marner – Pavel Dorofeyev

Reilly Smith – Tomas Hertl – Keegan Kolesar

Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Colton Sissons

DEFENSEMEN

Brayden McNabb / Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin /Rasmus Andersson

Jeremy Lauzon / Kaeden Korczak

Goalies: Adin Hill and Akira Schmidt

Potential scratches: Ben Hutton, Jonas Rondbjerg

Injured Reserve: Mark Stone, Carter Hart, Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson

• As you might expect with a losing team lately, lots of changes and fluid forward lines with in-game adjustments are being frequently made, most notably joining Marner and Hertl together at times.
• Vegas opted to beef up their lower lines at the trade deadline since their last meeting with Pittsburgh earlier this month, adding C. Smith from Nashville and Dowd from Washington after previously getting Andersson a little before the deadline.
• Mark Stone hasn’t played since he left mid-game against the Pens on March 1st. That was about the last thing this team needed to lose their captain, it’s unknown when he might be back, though the injury was not said to be overly serious.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Since the 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh, Hill is 1-2-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .867 save%. Schmid is 0-2-0 with a 3.59 GAA and .865 save%. The Knights need some goaltending, neither player has been sharp lately.
• Pavel Dorofeyev is one of the more quiet star players around. He’s hit the 30-goal plateau for a second time in a row after notching 35 last season. Dorofeyev currently has more goals since the start of 2024-25 than players like Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews and Mikko Rantanen. Dorofeyev doesn’t do as much as a true superstar in the assist and playmaking department but his shot is an incredible weapon, especially on the power play where his 16 goals rank tied for second in the NHL this season.

No saves to be found

Vegas would easily be in first place in the weakest division in hockey, if they only had some goalie support. The white line plunging down in the upper right of this chart is more deflating than seeing the roulette wheel hit green for the second time in a row.

The Golden Knights have had to score a lot on the power play, and somehow coax out a good PK performance despite the lack of goaltending. They’re 2-6-0 since the Olympic break and lately their offense has dried up, in calendar March have been outscored 21-11 over the course of six games.

That leaves two schools of thought. Either the Penguins: A) are catching a vulnerable team at a good time (as they did earlier this month in a 5-0 shutout victory where the Knights only mustered 22 total shots) or B) are in for a tough one for a team that won’t want to lose a fourth straight game, are now at home while Pittsburgh traveled cross-continent and will make it a tough game. We’ll see which side of the coin it lands on, but there aren’t too many impressive signs out of VGK in recent days and weeks about the direction they’re headed in.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Ryan Shea / Kris Letang

Ilya Solovyov / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

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

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

• The regular goalie rotation lines up really nicely for Silovs to be in net tonight to try and keep it going after shutting this Vegas team out last week. No official word on that just yet, but given the regular rotation that makes a lot of sense.
• We’ll leave the lineup the same as last game, though there’s certainly chances for tweaks and improvements. Girard’s absence on the defense was felt, hopefully his day-to-day injury will have him back in the lineup sooner than later.

After a game that lacked emotion on Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens faced an intense rivalry night against the Ottawa Senators. Brady Tkachuk and co. are outside of the playoff picture, looking in, and they clearly intend to change that. While much of the attention before the game was on the fact that the Habs had recalled Jacob Fowler, before puck drop, it shifted to the fact that Arber Xhekaj was a healthy scratch against a rather physical foe.

Earlier in the day, Martin St-Louis mentioned he had a few game-time decisions to make, including whether to put Alexandre Texier back in for Cole Caufield, who was still battling an illness. Still, most people didn’t see the Xhekaj scratching coming.

Juraj Slafkovsky Makes Montreal Canadiens History
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Staying Focussed

The game started well for the Canadiens as they beat Linus Ullmark on their first shot, but the Senators turned up their physicality, rattling the Habs. Nick Cousins ran around like a guy who didn’t fear retribution and rocked Alexandre Carrier to kick off proceedings. Jayden Struble invited him to fight, which the pest declined, before Josh Anderson went to have a word as well with the same result.

Nick Cousins lights up Alexandre Carrier then gives Josh Anderson a weooo#gohabsgo#gosensgopic.twitter.com/gRdyva08kD

— RGF (@rgfray1) March 12, 2026

It was shortly after that that he took a roughing penalty, which allowed the Sens to tie the game, before they took a 2-1 lead less than two minutes later. At the end of the first frame, hits were 19-13 Ottawa (they were revised down during the intermission; originally listed as 22-14). Drake Batherson, Michael Amadio, and Dylan Cozens had three hits apiece while Nick Cousins had two.

At the end of the game, hits were 33-31 for the Senators, so the Canadiens caught up, mainly because once the Senators took the lead, they stopped trying to rattle the Habs with hits and focused on actually playing hockey. 

I don’t think St-Louis’ issue with Xhekaj is so much about his physicality; it’s about the way he reads the game. Players who thrive in the St-Louis style of hockey are very high in hockey IQ. The problem is, you’ll never manage to get six defensemen like that. If you did, you would have salary cap issues. Your bottom pairing is much more likely to be about grit than about talent, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You cannot have a team that’s incredibly rich in talent but lacks physicality; it’s been proven time and time again by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the last few seasons.

So Many Mistakes

It was a very tough night at the office for Mike Matheson and several other players. After 40 minutes, the veteran defenseman had five giveaways (it was revised to four) while Lane Hutson had three, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Brendan Gallagher had two apiece.

Matheson’s stood out, though, as they were deep in his own zone and created scoring opportunities for the Senators. Thankfully for the veteran blueliner, rookie goalie Jacob Fowler was a picture of calm, poise, and focus in net, playing his last-line-of-defence role to perfection. His demeanour and confidence were just what the Canadiens needed on a night when they were particularly sloppy. At the end of the game, the Canadiens had committed 24 giveaways while the Senators had nine. 

Evans Shines

Jake Evans had a point in a sixth consecutive game when he got an assist on Alexandre Texier’s game-tying goal, but he did much more than just that tonight. In a game that was quite physical, the centerman led both teams in hits with seven. He also had a blocked shot and a 56.3% success rate at the faceoff dot.

The point streak ties his career-long streak, which he established last season while playing in a contract year. Now, with three more years to go on his new deal, he’s not taking his foot off the pedal.

Another Lead Protected

While both teams played a prudent third frame, Ivan Demidov gave the Canadiens the lead with under eight minutes to go in the game, and the Habs were able to hang on. They protected the slimmest of leads, even though Ottawa attacked six-on-five, but they never would have been able to do so had it not been for Fowler’s brilliance.

In an intense last minute, the rookie goalie didn’t buckle under pressure; he played just as he had done since the start of the game, tracking the puck well, being positionally sound, and the Senators had no answer for his brilliance. Near, far, wherever the shots were coming from, he was there and ready. In the dying seconds, he made a jaw-dropping pad save that must have felt like a gut punch to Ottawa since the loss will really hurt their playoff hopes.

Absolutely unreal final minute from Jacob Fowler to seal the win.

Price like. pic.twitter.com/bCq178Z3SF

— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) March 12, 2026

While some will say the Canadiens didn’t deserve to win tonight because it was a sloppy game, the goaltender is part of the team, and Fowler certainly did deserve to win. In the second frame, after the Habs hit the post at one end, he made two saves on an Ottawa breakaway, which kept Montreal in the game.

F❌WLER#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/SHFRxRuhL6

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 12, 2026

The Tricolore will have a day off tomorrow before hitting the ice for practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Friday morning in readiness for the weekend’s back-to-back games against the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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Grab the coffee because it’s going to be late night if you’re a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and plan to stay up and watch them do battle with the Vegas Golden Knights out in the desert. This will be the second meeting between the two sides in less than two weeks after the Golden Knights visited Pittsburgh to open March and left licking their wounds after the Penguins battered them 5-0 behind and Artur Silovs shutout.

Puck drop tonight is scheduled for 10:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.

Pens Points…

Evgeni Malkin is out of the lineup until Monday and Sidney Crosby’s return is still to be determined, but without the two superstars who have powered them over the last two decades, the 2025-26 Penguins continue to dig deep and scratch out every point they can seemingly get. [Pensburgh]

It was a tough weekend for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, dropping a pair of games but still rescuing a point out of the contests with an overtime loss in the latter. Despite the defeats, the Baby Pens remain firmly in second place in the Atlantic division. [Pensburgh]

Back in January, Sidney Crosby played a starring role in a surprise engagement outside of the team practice facility in Cranberry. After traveling from Montreal and attending a team practice, fans Mathieu and Sandra got engaged as Crosby drove by, giving the couple a thumbs up through his window. [Penguins]

As bodies fall, replacements are needed and the Penguins have dipped into the talent pool to refill the ranks as of late. One of these recent call ups was Ville Koivunen who is still fighting for a permanent spot in Pittsburgh and is doing his best to learn from every opportunity. [PPG]

Playing 10 games in a row was a big moment for Connor Clifton this season as he’s battled injuries and scratches for most of the campaign thus far. Healthy and proving his worth on the ice has helped lead Clifton to a regular starting role as the season enter the final stretch. [Trib Live]

NHL News and Notes…

What was once a strong looking free agent class loses a little more luster this week with forward Nick Schmaltz inking a new long term deal with the Utah Mammoth that will have him forego free agency this summer to remain in the Beehive State for the next eight years. [NHL]

Washington Capitals (32-27-7, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (40-19-6, in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sabres -204, Capitals +168; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the Washington Capitals after Jack Quinn recorded a hat trick in the Sabres' 6-3 win against the San Jose Sharks.

Buffalo has a 40-19-6 record overall and a 21-8-3 record in home games. The Sabres are third in league play with 228 total goals (averaging 3.5 per game).

Washington has a 12-16-4 record in road games and a 32-27-7 record overall. The Capitals have a 15-6-0 record in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.

Thursday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Sabres won the previous meeting 4-3 in a shootout.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tage Thompson has 34 goals and 36 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has six goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

Tom Wilson has 24 goals and 26 assists for the Capitals. Pierre-Luc Dubois has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 8-1-1, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.7 assists, 4.7 penalties and 12.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

Capitals: 5-5-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sabres: None listed.

Capitals: None listed.

___

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

It's been about two and a half months since the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Egor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Chinakhov had requested a trade from the Blue Jackets last summer, and his wish was granted at the end of December. He only compiled three goals and six points with the Blue Jackets this year before he was traded to the Penguins. 

A couple of weeks after the Penguins acquired him, I wrote about how the early returns for Chinakhov were really strong. He racked up two goals and three points in his first six games with the Penguins, showcasing his blistering release and his speed. 

Since then, he's been even better, with 11 goals and 19 points in 26 games with the Penguins. His play over the last week is what I really want to focus on for this article.

He's been without Evgeni Malkin for the last three games since his linemate is serving a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head last Thursday. During that time, he has seen his role increase, playing on the top line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, as well as on the top power-play unit. 

He is flourishing in both roles and has been a big reason why the Penguins have earned four out of a possible six points during this stretch. Going back to Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he finished with two assists and was everywhere on the ice. He was creating chances for himself and for his teammates and was responsible defensively. 

That play carried over to Sunday's game against the Boston Bruins when he willed the rest of the team back into it. The Penguins were down 3-0 late in the second period and desperately needed a spark on a 5-on-3 power play. He took a pass from Rakell and made no mistake, making it a 3-1 game with 5:16 left in the period. 

After that, he was all over the ice in the third period before making the play of the game in overtime. The Bruins won the opening draw, but Chinakhov pestered Charlie McAvoy until he stole the puck and eventually took it to the front of the net for a chance. He didn't bury the puck, but it set the stage for Tommy Novak's game-winner just a couple of seconds later. 

Egor Chinakhov deserved two assists on this OT winner! 🫨 pic.twitter.com/y6fi91D9zR

— NHL (@NHL) March 9, 2026

He wasn't officially credited with an assist for the goal, but he made all of it happen. 

On Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Penguins ran their top power-play unit through him during regulation, and it delivered with a beautiful pass to Bryan Rust, who made it 2-1 in the second period. Chinakhov then earned an assist on Noel Acciari's goal that made it a 4-3 game late in the third period before Rust scored again with less than a minute to go, helping the Penguins steal a much-needed point.

Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas Hits Big Career MilestonePittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas hit a career milestone during Tuesday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Chinakhov almost won the game early in overtime, but Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen made a really nice save. He then had Andersen beaten in the shootout, but sailed the shot wide.  

Despite missing that shootout attempt, Chinakhov is playing at a ridiculously high level right now and has really stepped up in place of Crosby and Malkin. He's trying to help this team keep this special season going and make the playoffs. 

He's also shaping up to earn a nice pay raise from the Penguins this summer since he's been such a perfect fit. It's Chinakhov's world, and we're just living in it. 

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!  

If the Philadelphia Flyers have one defenseman on their roster that they absolutely must hold onto for the future, it is unequivocally Jamie Drysdale, who never fails to continue improving his game.

Drysdale, 23, was as dominant and assertive as ever Wednesday night in a physical contest against the Washington Capitals, and despite his relatively slight stature, held his own defensively all game long.

The Flyers' 2024 trade acquisition consistently disrupted plays using his skating and stick, avoided unnecessary physical contact, and was constantly starting his team in transition the other way.

For his efforts, Drysdale was rewarded with a goal, his seventh of the season that matches his career-high from last year in nine fewer games.

The 5-foot-11 rearguard found himself on the other end of a failed Noah Cates wraparound attempt, controlled the loose puck, and deftly waited out Dylan Strome in the shooting lane before beating Capitals goalie Logan Thompson blocker side to give the Flyers an important 3-1 lead early in the third period.

Flyers' Next Rebuild Step Hinges on Jamie Drysdale's DevelopmentHow Jamie Drysdale plays in the 2025-26 season will, for better or worse, alter the path of this rebuilding <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> team.

"I think it's more just not being gun-shy. Good things happen when you shoot the puck," Drysdale said of his newlyfound assertiveness shooting the puck.

"Guys are real good at getting into shooting lanes in this league, and it's not fun hitting shin pads all the time, so, gotta figure out a way to get it through."

Get the shot through Drysdale did, and it's the stuff of champs. All the elite offensive defensemen in the NHL are experts at exploiting passing and shooting lanes, and while Drysdale isn't there yet, he's certainly on his way.

The Flyers never dominated shot attempts or scoring chances in a game that they were outmatched in physically, but they were opportunistic when it mattered. Drysdale played his part.

How the Flyers Could Be Affected By Maple Leafs' StrugglesThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> could see the status of one of their first-round picks change if the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to struggle and sell off core pieces.

The former No. 6 overall pick played 21:59 against the Caps, trailing only Travis Sanheim and Cam York, who are penalty kill staples for Rick Tocchet's group.

On Wednesday night, it was Drysdale's show on defense, and he proved why he deserves another contract with the Flyers when he becomes a restricted free agent this offseason.

It's a remarkable story for a player who has gone from zero to hero in Philadelphia after plenty of early struggles, and the Flyers are now hoping they can repeat their success with Drysdale when they begin developing David Jiricek.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras scored in the second period and the Philadelphia Flyers rallied to beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Washington has lost four of its last five games and is tied with Philadelphia at 71 points. Both teams are seven points behind Boston in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The Flyers fell behind early when Washington’s Ryan Leonard took a pass from 40-year-old Alex Ovechkin and shot it through a screen past goalie Sam Ersson 9:21 into the game.

Through 64 games this season, it was the 44th time the Flyers had allowed the first goal. And, Philadelphia was 6-15-5 this season when trailing after the first period.

Konecny, celebrating his 29th birthday, took a pass from Travis Sanheim in the right circle and scored past Washington’s Logan Thompson at 4:23 of the second for a 1-all tie.

Owen Tippett then picked off a pass, stepped around Washington’s Tom Wilson and broke, 2-on-none, with Zegras. The two passed back and forth before Zegras lifted the puck in for a 2-1 lead.

Philadelphia added to its lead in the third period on a terrific play by Noah Cates. Tied up behind the Capitals’ net during a 4-on-4 situation, he one-handed a pass into the slot, where defenseman Jamie Drysdale shot it past Thompson for a 3-1 lead.

Tippett finished up the scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:03 left. Ersson stopped 21 shots for the Flyers.

CANADIENS 3, SENATORS 2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ivan Demidov broke a tie with 7:20 left, Jacob Fowler made 32 saves and Montreal beat Ottawa for their third straight victory.

Demidov scored off Alex Newhook’s rebound and Montreal held on a night after beating Toronto 3-1 at home.

Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexandre Texier also scored for Montreal, with Demidov assisting on Slafkovsky’s power-play goal in the first period.

Texier tied it at 2 on a wraparound with 2:31 left in the second.

Drake Batherson scored twice for Ottawa. Linus Ullmark stopped 20 shots.

Montreal’s Jake Evans played his 400th NHL game.

As the 2025-26 season wraps up, one storyline that has emerged is Evander Kane's quest for his 1,000th regular-season game. The 34-year-old is nine games away from the milestone, meaning he will have to play in half of the remaining 18 games to hit 1,000 for his NHL career. Kane was originally drafted in 2009 and is in his 16th NHL season. 

The topic of Kane hitting the milestone has come up recently as he is currently battling an upper-body injury. After missing Monday's game, Kane was back on the ice on Wednesday, where he was skating alongside Elias Pettersson and Drew O'Connor. After practice, Head Coach Adam Foote was asked about Kane closing in on 1,000th games and if it was already on his radar. 

"I want to see him get that," said Foote. "You know, I mean, that's something. Who knows what Kanner is going to do moving forward? I'm talking about what he wants to do. If he wants to continue to play after this. I'm sure he does. But he just, you always want a player to reach those goals, for sure. So that's a great, you know, it's a great thing to hang your hat."

If Kane stays in the lineup, he is scheduled to play game 1,000 on March 30 in Vegas. Players who hit the 1,000-game mark are rewarded with a silver stick to commemorate reaching the milestone. Other players who have played their 1,000th game this season include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Brenden Dillon and Roman Josi. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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DENVER — Let’s start with the obvious: Tuesday night’s matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche was a tightly contested hockey game. The Oilers capitalized on their chances, executed when it mattered most, and ultimately earned the victory.

That much is straightforward.

What is far less straightforward, however, is the officiating that unfolded throughout the night.

Regardless of which team you support — whether it’s the Oilers, the Avalanche, the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings, or anyone else — every rational fan ultimately wants the same thing: a sport where the rules are enforced competently and consistently. Tuesday’s game unfortunately provided another example of how far the NHL still has to go in that department.

Nathan MacKinnon has received a five-minute major following a scary collision with Connor Ingram.

Tristan Jarry has entered the game for Ingram. pic.twitter.com/3QgcDbKu18

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 11, 2026

Questionable Calls Begin Early

The first moment that raised eyebrows came with a hooking penalty assessed to Brett Kulak. The call was extremely ticky-tack and, in my view, didn’t truly meet the standard for hooking.

The Oilers did what good teams do — they took advantage. They converted on the ensuing power play and made the Avalanche pay.

And to be fair, bad call or not, you still have to play the game and keep the puck out of your net. The Avalanche have been one of the league’s better penalty-killing units all season, so that is one situation where Colorado still needed to be better regardless of the circumstances.

But consistency matters.

Later in the game, Evan Bouchard appeared to clearly hold Valeri Nichushkin’s stick against the boards. The play developed seemingly right in front of the officials, yet no penalty was called.

From a consistency standpoint, that sequence looked far more like a textbook penalty than the one Kulak had been assessed earlier in the night.

That observation alone shouldn’t be controversial.

The MacKinnon Ejection

The real controversy came late in the second period, when Nathan MacKinnon was ejected from the game after being assessed a major penalty for goaltender interference — resulting in the first game misconduct of his NHL career.

The play occurred while Colorado trailed 2–1 and was on the power play.

MacKinnon entered the offensive zone with speed before receiving an east-to-west pass from Martin Necas. His shot sailed wide of the net, and as he pursued the rebound along the goal line, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse closed in from behind.

Nurse made contact with MacKinnon’s left hip, subtly but significantly altering the Avalanche star’s path just as he attempted to avoid the crease.

With his skates angled left in an effort to steer clear of goaltender Connor Ingram, MacKinnon instead lost his lane and collided with the goaltender along the goal line. The impact forced Ingram from the game.

First and foremost, everyone hopes Ingram is okay. No one wants to see a player get injured in that fashion — regardless of team allegiance.

But even a basic understanding of physics makes the situation easier to interpret. When a 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenseman like Nurse makes contact with a player moving at high speed just inches from the crease, the margin for avoiding a collision becomes extremely small. Add in the fact that Ingram was leaning forward to play the puck, and the window for MacKinnon to escape the situation essentially disappears.

If that interpretation sounds reasonable, it’s because it’s not just fans saying it.

John Wroblewski — head coach of the U.S. women’s Olympic gold medal-winning team — joined the PuckAroundPod and offered his perspective on the play:

"Mack was going to the net as hard as he could legally," he explained. "I thought his route was going to take him above the paint and I thought he got nudged, hit by an extremely sturdy D, Darnell Nurse, who's one of the biggest frames in the league. That doesn't take much to, you know, to knock a train slightly off the rails.

"It was completely out of character for MacKinnon to run a goalie and isn't in his brand. I'm chalking the whole thing up to inadvertent contact. The whistle gets blown. The (concussion) spotters did a great job getting Connor the help that he needed. And the faceoff should have been outside the zone with no penalty assessed."

Retired goaltender Tuukka Rask, who played for 15 years in the NHL, all with the Boston Bruins, stated on TNT that he didn't agree with the five-minute major assessed to MacKinnon.

"I don't think so," he stated. "I'm all about protecting the goalies; this is just the perfect storm. Ingram's in a tough spot, stretching, Nurse is cutting the pass off on one knee basically.

"MacKinnon, I feel like he wants to get out of the way, but then he runs into Nurse, and then it's just a perfect storm. Sucks for Ingram getting hurt like that."

A League-Wide Consistency Problem

Beyond the specific ruling Tuesday night, the play highlighted a much larger issue that has quietly grown into one of the NHL’s most frustrating officiating problems: goaltender interference has become wildly inconsistent.

Night after night, similar plays are judged completely differently.

To see how confusing the standard has become, it’s worth revisiting a moment from last season.

On January 2, the Avalanche defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6–5 at Ball Arena in one of the most chaotic games of the year. During that contest, Parker Kelly made contact with Zach Benson near the crease. The bump caused Benson to tumble directly into the right leg of Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood, knocking him violently to the ice.

Wedgewood immediately went down in visible pain and remained sprawled in the crease.

Despite the fact that the goaltender was clearly injured and unable to defend the net, play continued. No whistle was blown. Moments later, Benson circled behind the net and scored on a wraparound while Wedgewood was still incapacitated.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar pressed the officials for an explanation. The reasoning he received was that the whistle was not blown because the collision had been caused by an Avalanche player.

That explanation is exactly why Tuesday night’s ruling raises so many questions.

Using that same logic, the play involving MacKinnon and Ingram should have resulted in a whistle and a faceoff — not a major penalty and an ejection. MacKinnon’s path into the crease had clearly been altered by contact from Nurse of the Oilers.

Instead, the result was the first game misconduct of MacKinnon’s career.

When Inconsistency Becomes the Story

Hockey is a fast sport. Officials are human, and mistakes are inevitable over the course of an 82-game season.

But there’s a difference between the occasional missed call and a pattern of inconsistency that leaves players, coaches, and fans genuinely unsure about how the rules are being interpreted.

When blatant slashes — like the one delivered by Zach Hyman on Brock Nelson — go uncalled, or when goaltenders like Tristan Jarry can slash players such as Parker Kelly skating to the net without consequence, it becomes increasingly difficult to defend the standard being applied on the ice.

And to be clear, this isn’t about blaming the Oilers. Any team in the league would take advantage of lenient officiating if it’s clear certain plays are going to be ignored.

The responsibility lies with the league.

The NHL Can’t Afford to Ignore This

From the standpoint of the NHL and the sport as a whole, the expectation should be simple: the rules need to be enforced with as much consistency as possible.

No one is asking for perfection.

But when major penalties, game misconducts, and injury-related plays are involved, the margin for error becomes extremely small — especially with the postseason approaching.

The last thing the NHL wants is a blown call, an inconsistent interpretation, or an avoidable officiating mistake deciding an entire playoff series.

Or worse, the Stanley Cup Final.

Because in today’s era of instant replay, viral clips, and nonstop social media discussion, moments like that don’t just disappear. They linger. They get dissected from every angle. And over time, repeated controversies like these begin to chip away at something far more important than a single game result: fan trust.

And that’s something the league simply cannot afford to lose.

When an athlete reaches the latter stages of a Hall of Fame career, the company he keeps on various statistical lists is always impressive. 

Rangers backup goalie Jonathan Quick surpassed franchise legend Henrik Lundqvist for 17th on the NHL’s career shutout list with his 65th in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Flames at the Garden. 

Next up is Islanders head coach Patrick Roy with 66. 

“It was something we were talking about on the bench the whole third period, it was competing hard for Quickie, to help him there,” Mike Sullivan said. “I was told at the end of the game that he just passed Hank. That’s a remarkable accomplishment in this game. 

“It just speaks volumes for how good of a goaltender he’s been for so long. His competitive spirit I think is inspiring, the way he goes about his business every day, watching his work ethic. I just think he has such a great influence on our group. So when he has the ability to get a shutout like this, I know his teammates were thrilled for him, and we were every bit as thrilled for him.”

The 40-year-old Quick has the most shutouts ever for any American-born goalie, 20 more than Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets. 

The two-time Stanley Cup winner also ranks 12th all-time with 409 wins. But only five of those victories have come in 22 appearances (5-15-2) this season. 

“Any time you’re mentioned with Hank‘s name with anything, it’s special,” Quick said about passing Lundqvist. “I know what he means to this city and this organization, what he’s done for goaltenders everywhere, with a lot of young guys looking up to him.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

“So just being in the same conversation with him with anything, with any stat or anything like that, it’s humbling.”

Mika Zibanejad recorded his 800th career point Tuesday night, and he is closing in on another milestone — his 1,000th NHL game — at 993 entering Thursday’s visit to Winnipeg.

“It feels surreal,” the 32-year-old Zibanejad said. “I think when I was starting to play hockey, I don’t know if that’s what I was dreaming about. 

“Coming into the NHL, I don’t know if it’s been a number or a milestone I’ve allowed myself to dream of or even thought about, honestly … It’s obviously fun, but I’m hoping I have a lot of good hockey left to play.”

Vancouver’s Chaos Giraffe era ended when the Vancouver Canucks traded Tyler Myers to the Dallas Stars last week. But, according to reports, the moniker for the Canucks’ former veteran defenceman will stay in Vancouver. Myers does not wish to keep it going as he starts a new journey in Dallas. 

“Let’s not bring that to Texas. That’s my worst nickname. It doesn’t even flow,” he said on 96.7 The Ticket after Dallas took a 2–1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights last night. 

Myers first appeared to have gotten the nickname from Wyatt Arndt of CanucksArmy, though it has stuck with the fanbase since then, developing into a term of endearment rather than critique after a few strong seasons. 

Now that Myers has found himself on the path to a Stanley Cup with the Stars, he’s hoping that he’ll be able to find another nickname. So far, it appears Dallas captain Jamie Benn, who played junior hockey with Myers as part of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, is pulling out some old tricks in order to do so.   

“We had a weird thing in Kelowna — what is that, 17 years ago now — everybody called each other by their dads name. So he’s bringing that back a little bit.” 

The Myers era in Vancouver appears to have ended. With his departure comes the end of the ‘Chaos Giraffe’ nickname. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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When captain Anze Kopitar retires at the end of this season, the Los Angeles Kings will have a hole down the middle of their lineup. Kopitar has been the team's top-line center for well over a decade, and the organization will have to pivot to another middleman to fill the gap.

One of those candidates for the upcoming off-season has been crossed off Los Angeles' list of potential targets on Wednesday. That's because Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz signed a contract extension with the club, removing his UFA status for this summer.

Schmaltz inked an eight-year, $64-million deal with the Mammoth. He will be the third-highest-paid player on the roster next season, earning $8 million per season through the 2033-34 campaign. The 30-year-old will be 38 when this contract expires.

This year, Schmaltz has scored 24 goals and 59 points in 65 appearances for Utah. Last season, he recorded a career-high 63 points, but is on track to blow that personal best out of the water by the end of this regular season.

For Los Angeles, that's another UFA off the free-agent market for this summer. The options for the Kings to find an outside candidate to help with their lack of depth down the middle next season are dying out.

Four Centers The Los Angeles Kings Can Pivot To In The Off-SeasonAfter avoiding making any big, risky splashes at the NHL's trade deadline, here are four centers that Los Angeles Kings Gm Ken Holland can look to this off-season, in a trade or UFA signing.

Potential targets remain, but only on the trade market. In terms of centers who are pending UFAs, none would be suitable candidates to play in the Kings' top six for many years.

On the trade market, there are a handful of players that could work and are available to pursue.

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson could be a potential player to chase. Not long ago, he was a 89- and 103-point scorer for the Canucks. What's tricky there is that Pettersson earns $11.6 million for the next six years, and hasn't been playing up to that standard lately. Not to mention, it sounds like Vancouver won't retain some of his contract.

Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues was dangled heavily to teams at the passing NHL trade deadline. With five years remaining on his $8.125-million AAV contract, there were reports that Thomas' asking price was extremely high. 

The New York Rangers' Vincent Trocheck was another option that was thrown around the NHL at the deadline. Reports stated that he preferred to stay in the Eastern Conference, ruling out Los Angeles. However, that doesn't mean Kings GM Ken Holland can't make another push for him in the summer.

Nonetheless, barriers are blocking each of those potential marriages. If Holland can't make a notable addition at the center position this summer, Quinton Byfield will need to step up in a big way if the Kings want to remain in playoff contention.

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Not only did the Detroit Red Wings suffer a frustrating defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday evening for the second time within a week, but they also lost another key forward to injury. 

Andrew Copp, who had taken the injured Dylan Larkin's place on the top line, was hurt after getting tangled up with Panthers forward Tomas Nosek after a face-off; Nosek fell onto his left leg, and Copp wasn't able to put any weight on it as he was assisted off the ice. 

Following the game, McLellan announced that Copp was "doubtful" to play on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning and that Larkin is also doubtful for the remainder of the trip. 

Now, the Red Wings are calling up multiple reinforcements from the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Detroit announced that John Leonard, Sheldon Dries, and Eduards Tralmaks have all been recalled under emergency conditions. 

UPDATE: The #RedWings have recalled Sheldon Dries, John Leonard and Eduards Tralmaks from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions. pic.twitter.com/SFLihKjvVr

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 11, 2026

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Leonard is playing in his first season with the Red Wings organization after signing as a free agent during the offseason. He's already played in nine games with Detroit in the NHL, scoring twice while adding two assists. 

Shorthanded Red Wings Lose Andrew Copp Vs. Panthers The Detroit Red Wings, who are already playing without top center and team captain Dylan Larkin, have lost Andrew Copp to an injury against the Panthers.

He's tallied 27 goals in 34 games for the Griffins, who clinched a postseason spot last month. 

Dries, a Metro-Detroit native, has yet to appear in a game with the Red Wings but has scored 20 goals with 17 assists in 48 games in Grand Rapids this season. 

Tralmaks, who signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings last March, has scored 18 goals with 10 assists in 48 games in Grand Rapids. 

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