TAMPA, FL - APRIL 4: Darren Raddysh #43 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a goal against the Boston Bruins at Benchmark International Arena on April 4, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Perhaps it’s time for us to just accept that the Bruins and Florida Men don’t pair well together.
After a solidly played first 40 minutes, the Bruins allowed three unanswered goals in the third period to drop their second Florida game in a row, losing to Tampa Bay, 3-1.
Casey Mittelstadt scored the Bruins’ only goal early in the second period, while Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves in the defeat.
Charle-Edouard D’Astous tied the game for Tampa two minutes into the third period, then Darren Raddysh gave the Lightning the lead with just over five minutes left in regulation.
Nikita Kucherov would add an empty-net goal, and that was that.
The Bruins’ goal came off of a beautiful pass from Viktor Arvidsson, with Mittelstadt cashing in to make it 1-0 Bruins.
D’Astous’s goal came on a good bit of second effort from him, helped by some calamitous defending from the Bruins, making it a 1-1 game early in the third.
Yikes. You can look at the Florida game as one where the team got off to a slow start, got going, and got goalie’d a bit. Tonight was almost the opposite, with the B’s playing well early (they outshot Tampa 19-13 in the first two periods) before falling apart.
This isn’t to pin a loss on a single player, but that Raddysh goal can’t happen. Swayman cannot get beat from there, let alone in the last six minutes of the third period. The entire sequence looked like something you’d have happen to you when playing NHL23 (or pick your year) online: random defenseman gets the puck in the neutral zone, skates up the ice unbothered, shoots from a weird angle, scores, then some teenager starts swearing at you.
I’m not sure there’s much in this, but it’s worth noting that both of Tampa’s non-empty-net goals came off of plays that started in their own zone. I know that’s usually true of every goal if you rewind it far enough, but both goals seemed to come with the Bruins getting caught flat-footed when an offensive attempt petered out.
The Bruins went 0-for-4 on the power play, which certainly didn’t help matters. They had two chances in the first period, then had a big power play chance just two minutes after D’Astous’s goal, only to come up empty. NOT GREAT.
Also in the “NOT GREAT” file, the Bruins managed just three shots on goal in the third period. Yes, Tampa had as many goals as the Bruins had shots. I am not a paid analyst, but you’re not going to win that many games when that happens.
Mittelstadt’s goal was his 15th of the season, equaling his previous career high; that came back in 2023 with the Buffalo Sabres.
Depending on your mood at the moment, the Bruins either blew a big opportunity with this game or caught a big break tonight. They failed to pick up any points, but Detroit, Ottawa, Columbus, and the Islanders all lost Saturday as well, so the Bruins didn’t really lose any ground.
Montreal did end up winning on Saturday, putting that third spot in the Atlantic a bit further out of reach. They’re now six points ahead of the Bruins, with a game in hand as well.
Some minor housekeeping: with this recap up and a 3:30 PM game tomorrow, there won’t be a separate preview for that game.
We’ll put up a Public Skate a bit earlier than usual, so feel free to congregate there.
If you observe, Happy Easter. If you don’t, Happy Sunday?
Apr 4, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) and center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrate after Necas scores the game winning goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars squared off in a crucial matinee at American Airlines Center in Dallas, and it was Colorado who finally stole the first regulation win of the season series—pushing their quest for NHL and Central Division supremacy even further.
Brent Burns hit his 1,000th consecutive game, and the veteran forward-turned-defenseman logged a solid 18+ minutes on ice to help deliver the victory.
A milestone built on grit, passion and perseverance.
It was a low-scoring, gritty, playoff-style battle, but Martin Necas finally tucked away the game-winner midway through the third, and Nathan MacKinnon inevitably buried his career-high-tying 51st goal into the empty net. That sealed Colorado’s crisp 2-0 triumph over the Stars.
The Game
Most of the afternoon felt like a tight-checking chess match, with both Casey DeSmith and Scott Wedgewood making timely saves to keep it locked at 0-0 through two periods. Neither side was willing to blink.
In fact, this was one of the rare games all season with zero power plays goals for either team—a likely sneak preview of the grind we’ll see once the playoffs arrive.
The breakthrough finally came when Artturi Lehkonen found Martin Necas on a slick back-door play, putting the Avalanche up 1-0.
Necas cashing in on what might be the biggest regular-season goal of the year felt like the perfect cherry on top—right before MacKinnon’s empty-netter put the game to bed for good.
Takeaways
Coming off one of their ugliest performances of the season (probably the worst) against the Vancouver Canucks, it was huge to see the Avs respond with a complete, shut-down victory against their fiercest rival.
We called for a regulation win with a power-play goal on Friday’s Mile High Hockey Lab, but in hindsight, we should’ve just asked for the regulation W. Every other meeting between these two in 2025-26 had gone to OT or a shootout—so credit to Colorado for finally stealing the lone regulation victory of the regular season series.
Dallas rolling with DeSmith gave their fans a ready-made excuse, but when you get blanked, the finger has to point somewhere—and Scott Wedgewood was outstanding again. He now has three shutouts this season, all against divisional foes.
Big respect to Dallas for honoring Brent Burns and his 1,000th straight game the way they did. When you consider he started that insane streak after already playing 600 games, it’s truly remarkable. That’s something worth celebrating no matter which jersey he’s wearing.
Another day, and it's yet another milestone evening for Pittsburgh Penguins' longtime captain Sidney Crosby.
And, with this one, he has managed to climb even further up the NHL's all-time scoring list.
With an assist on Evgeni Malkin's second-period power play goal - his 1,400th NHL point, making him the 23rd player to hit the mark - against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, Crosby surpassed Detroit Red Wings great Steve Yzerman to take sole possession of seventh place on the NHL's all-time scoring list at 1,756. He tied Yzerman with a primary assist on Erik Karlsson's first-period power play goal.
Crosby, 38, has 28 goals and 69 points in 65 games so far this season.
Next up for Crosby is Marcel Dionne in sixth place, and he needs 15 points to tie him at 1,771. In addition, Crosby needs just one more point to clinch his 21st consecutive NHL season at point-per-game or higher to pad his own NHL record of 20. and he needs just two more points by the end of the 2025-26 regular season to clinch his NHL-record 21st consecutive point-per-game season.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Darren Raddysh broke a tie with 5:31 left and Tampa Bay beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 on Saturday night, hours after the Lightning secured a playoff spot.
The Atlantic Division-leading Lightning wrapped up the Eastern Conference postseason position with Detroit's 4-1 loss at the New York Rangers in the afternoon. Boston holds the first wild-card spot in the East.
After assisting on defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous' tying goal at 2:13 of the third, Raddysh put the Lightning ahead with a sharp-angle shot past goalie Jeremy Swayman from the right side on a break.
Nikita Kucherov added his 42nd goal of the season into an empty net, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves to help the Lightning finish a seven-game homestand 5-1-1.
Casey Mittelstadt scored for Boston in the second. Swayman stopped 20 shots as the Bruins lost their second straight on a four-game trip. They lost 2-1 at Florida on Thursday night.
The Florida Panthers' quest for a rare three-peat was almost over before it started.
The two-time defending champions were already without Matthew Tkachuk because of offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia that he played through during the playoffs.
Then, on the first day of fall practice, captain Aleksander Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner as top defensive forward, tore his ACL.
That was a major blow after an offseason in which general manager Bill Zito defied the odds and got Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad re-signed.
Instead of the Panthers pushing for the NHL's first three-peat since the 1980s, they were officially eliminated from playoff contention after a 9-4 defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 4.
Normally, a team with Barkov's situation would place him on long-term injured reserve and bring in someone, but the newly enacted playoff salary cap makes that tougher to pull off.
The Panthers opened the season with three consecutive wins then lost four in a row as the injuries piled up.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had surgery for an upper-body injury in mid-October with an estimated recovery time of five months.
"We're not allowing any short-term injuries this year," coach Paul Maurice quipped at the time.
Eetu Luostarinen missed eight games with burns after a "barbecuing mishap." Seth Jones missed 2½ months after being hit with a puck at the Winter Classic. Marchand missed 11 games in the lead-up to the Olympics.
Tkachuk was able to return on Jan. 19 and the Panthers got to a season-best eight games above .500 (three points out of a playoff spot) on Jan. 25 before they fell again.
After the Olympics, in which the Panthers sent a league-best nine players, the Panthers began shutting down injured players, including Marchand. And Niko Mikkola, Anton Lundell and Evan Rodrigues suffered long-term injuries recently.
"The most dangerous job in sports right now is to play for the Florida Panthers," Maurice told reporters.
What did the Florida Panthers accomplish?
Now that the Panthers are out of the playoffs, here's a look back at what they accomplished in recent years:
Won the Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22 but lost in the second round.
Traded for Tkachuk in July 2022, recovered from a 3-1 series deficit against the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round and reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. They lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Won four rounds in the 2025 playoffs despite lacking home-ice advantage and beat Edmonton again for back-to-back titles.
What's next for the Florida Panthers?
The Panthers' position near the bottom of the NHL standings will be advantageous. They moved their 2026 first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Jones, but it's top 10 protected so they should be able to hang onto it. This draft is considered deep.
Florida moved Jeff Petry at the trade deadline but retained Sergei Bobrovsky and other pending unrestricted free agents and will try to re-sign them.
The Panthers had played 12 playoff rounds in the last three years, plus had heavy representation in the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics. A season out of the playoffs will help them rest and heal.
Once Barkov returns, the Panthers will automatically be better. If Bobrovsky re-signs and returns to form and Florida is able to avoid this season's spate of injuries, it should be a Stanley Cup threat again.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin had his 14th career hat trick and added an assist to become the 23rd player in NHL history to reach 1,400 career points, and the Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Florida Panthers 9-4 on Saturday to eliminate the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions from playoff contention.
The Panthers began the season hoping to become the first team since the New York Islanders of the early 1980s to win three straight championships. It never came close to happening as injuries and shaky play in net sent them tumbling to the bottom of the standings early in the season, a hole from which they never fully recovered.
While Florida will miss the playoffs for the first time in four years, Pittsburgh is inching toward a return to the postseason after three straight absences.
The Penguins strengthened their hold on second in the Metropolitan Division by blitzing the Panthers during the first half of the second period, pouring in four goals in less than 10 minutes.
Anthony Mantha broke a 2-2 tie with his 31st goal of the season just 1:51 into the second. Malkin then beat Sergei Bobrovsky twice in less than three minutes to create more than enough breathing room.
Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists for Pittsburgh. Noel Acciari and Elmer Soderblom added a goal and an assist. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby picked up a pair of assists to move past Hall of Famer and childhood idol Steve Yzerman and into seventh place on the NHL's career scoring list (1,756).
Artur Silovs stopped 19 shots for the Penguins and had little work to do after Pittsburgh chased Bobrovsky following Soderblom's third goal in 15 games since being acquired in a trade with Detroit.
Up next
The teams meet again Sunday at PPG Paints Arena in a rare back-to-back at the same venue.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 04: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates in front of Donovan Sebrango #6 of the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins keep the same skaters, flipping Ben Kindel and Rickard Rakell onto different lines. Arturs Silovs in the net.
It’s all Penguins early, the party gets started 20 seconds in with Noel Acciari driving hard to the net and lifting his rebound allll the way up and over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky. Nice little bounce earned by driving to the net.
Bryan Rust takes a hard shot into the boards, he stays down for a minute in pain. With Rust unable to go out for the power play, Egor Chinakhov fills in and earns an assist. So too does Sidney Crosby to tie Steve Yzerman on the all-time points list thanks to a wonderful shot from Erik Karlson. 2-0 Pens just 5:06 into the game.
The Panthers don’t go away and answer back courtesy of a shaky play by Silovs. The goalie can’t handle a routine long shot and puts a rebound into a dangerous place. A.J. Greer moves to it and scores. 2-1.
The luck from the Acciari goals balances out when Seth Jones takes a shot that was going well wide until it hit the glove of Rakell and back on trajectory to go in. Game tied 2-2.
Shots are 9-7 PIT after 20. They’ve played well enough to probably be winning, but goaltending, whaddya gonna do? (Shoulder shrug)
Second period
The answer to the above is score four-straight goals and chase Bobrovsky.
Anthony Mantha starts the ball rolling, it’s another unlucky moment for Bobrovsky when his own defender reaching back to try and prevent Mantha’s pass down to Justin Brazeau. The tip alters the puck enough to hand cuff Bobrovsky, Pens back in front 1:51 into the period.
Pittsburgh goes back to the power play for a second time when Connor Dewar gets hit before the puck gets there, and the power play makes the Panthers pay. Karlsson measures up a perfect shot-pass for Evgeni Malkin to direct to the top of the net. 4-2 on Malkin’s 1400th career point.
Malkin strikes again, again from near the net. Big Gene is crashing to the net and Tommy Novak just throws a knee-high grenade at him, the puck goes in off the body. 5-2.
Bobrovsky’s night comes to an end after the sixth goal, another shot/pass type situation where this time big Elmer Soderblom leans out a little and sends Dewar’s offering to the top shelf.
Connor Clifton throws two big hits, including one in open ice and Florida is not happy. Luke Kunin and Clifton drop the gloves and square up.
Florida goes to the box for a third time, the Penguins strike for their third PPG of the game. The big boys snap it around, eventually Malkin feeds Rakell in the slot and a backhand shot gets the Swede involved in the flurry of goals. 7-2.
Even more bad luck for Florida, Ryan Shea slips into the middle of the ice, he shoots with Brazeau in front and yet again the Panther defender gets a slight piece of the puck before it heads to the back of the net. Stop the fight it’s 8-2.
Florida catches the Pens napping and score on the rush. Noah Gregor zooms by Clifton, Silovs tries for a poke check and, nope, he didn’t get there. As a result of the effort to spring out, the five hole is wide open. 9-3.
The Pens are trying to feed Malkin for a fourth goal and getting greedy can get you in trouble in the NHL, no matter what the score is. Sam Girard plays the 2-on-1 well to take away the pass but Silovs’ isn’t square to the shot and Mackie Samsokevich smokes a shot up high. 9-4 now.
This game reminded me a lot of the Islanders game on Monday. Shaky goaltending by Silovs kept the score closer than it needed to be until the Pens bypassed even counting on their goalie to zoom way out enough to break the will of the opposition. Shots in the second period today started out as 11-0 Pittsburgh, by the team Florida generated anything, they were already down 6-2 and just about cooked.
Silovs couldn’t allow under four goals, even in the blowout win. You gotta give him a pass on the second goal where his own player deflected a shot, but the other goals were less than confidence-building. The Pens weren’t exactly playing hard in the third period, they could have gotten a few more saves out of the goalie. Take the shooter on the 2-on-1, make a stop. Then in the first period, that first Florida goal was infuriating. A team can’t get away with that level of goalie play for very long. The Pens will probably clinch a playoff spot soon, and it’s not like you can really call Sergei Murashov up then, the time for that has probably passed, for better or worse this team is going to sink or swim with Silovs and Stuart Skinner. Neither has been very impressive lately, Silovs today didn’t do anything to inspire anything different.
It was a lethal power play, going 3/3. Karlsson’s fingerprints were all over that with three power play points and absolutely controlling every piece of the puzzle, from setups to shots to even making lunging efforts to hold the puck in the zone. The big guys all have their confidence now, snapping the puck around, working to manipulate shooting lanes into opening up and then converting. Nothing’s prettier on the ice than a high-functioning power play, the Pens got one cookin’ right now.
Ended up being a milestone night for Malkin and Crosby. Malkin crosses the 1,400 point barrier and had one of his better games in a long while, even before getting to the fact he recorded four points. Crosby ties and then passes Yzerman in the same game with a multi-point outing of his own.
Bobrovsky looked like he didn’t want to be in there after the sixth goal, can’t blame him. Karlsson beat Bob clean but Acciari and Mantha’s goals were were sheer bad luck. Add in a couple of shot/passes or tips into the top and it added up to six GA in about half the game, with very little he could do about it.
The Penguins did get a lot of puck luck and good outcomes today, but don’t discount how they got there (“the harder I work the luckier I tend to be” and all). A couple time Florida defenders got a piece of the puck before it ended up in the net. If they didn’t try to make those plays, Brazeau was standing on the doorstep and possibly about to score anyways.
Loved to see after Rust got boarded by Matt Benning the response the next shift can from Soderblom throwing a heavy hit of his own. Then the next shift Benning took, he went into the corner with Mantha and the big guy dropped his shoulder and absolutely laid into Benning in a way that Mantha never does.
The Pens might have dodged some injury bullets today. Rust took a heavy check into the boards and looked stunned for a while before the pain went away. Dewar briefly left the game in the second period after taking the hit that drew a penalty. Ben Kindel missed a shift as well. Brazeau took some damage in the third period with a stick into his extended arm and missed some time himself, though he did come back. All of them did come back, but it just goes to show that even the “easy” ones usually come at a cost.
Florida (winners of their last two) aren’t incapable, despite having so much talent sidelined with injuries. But this is what a good team does against the 14th place team in the conference, at home, in April. Maybe not score 9 goals, but they win these games.
The Panthers also didn’t totally pack their tents in an play out the string, scoring twice in the third period. That gives something to build on with a fresh start tomorrow. The individuals on that team are all playing for something and want to salvage their trip.
The Pens will try to replicate as much of today as they can tomorrow in the same building against the same opponent in the rare rematch situation coming up tomorrow against Florida at 3:00pm.
The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers will not be defending their crown.
Suffering through an incredibly injury-plagued campaign, Florida lost 9-4 to the host Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon, all but officially eliminating the Cats from playoff contention.
A Columbus Blue Jackets win later tonight will make it officially official.
It didn’t take long for the Penguins to get the fun started for their fans.
Just 40 seconds into the game, former Panther Noel Acciarl picked up his own rebound and shoveled a backhand that floated over Sergei Bobrovsky and dropped right behind him in the net.
Less than five minutes later, Pittsburgh took advantage after Mike Benning took a boarding penalty on Bryan Rust that led to Erik Karlsson blasting a one-timer past Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Penguins a quick 2-0 lead.
The Panthers were quick to answer back.
Cole Reinhardt entered the Pittsburgh zone and sent a long wrist shot toward the net that was stopped by Arturs Silovs, but A.J. Greer was right there to slap a backhand into the net to cut the Penguins lead in half at the 7:10 mark.
Panthers defenseman Seth Jones tied the game with 6:29 left in the first period, blasting a slapshot that deflected off Rickard Rakell before beating Silovs inside the far post.
Once the second period arrived, the home team took the game over.
Anthony Mantha got things started 1:51 into the middle, but it was exactly four minutes after that when the Penguins really shifted into gear.
Pittsburgh scored three goals within a span of 4:02, including a pair by Evgeni Malkin and Elmer Soderblom’s sixth tally of the season, to give the Pens a 6-2 lead and chase Bobrovsky from the net.
Bob finished with 13 saves on 19 shots in 29:53 of game time, including stops on six of the nine high-danger shots sent his way by Pittsburgh, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Late in the middle frame, a pair of Penguins goals just 19 seconds apart by Rakell and Ryan Shea send the Panthers into the second intermission trailing six.
Malkin completed his hat truck 3:30 into the third period, stealing the puck from Mike Benning and beating Tarasov with a nice backhand-forehand move.
The goal ballooned the Pens’ lead to 9-2.
A pretty cost-to-cost-type goal by Noah Gregor and an odd-man rush tally by Mackie Samoskevioch brought the Panthers back within four, but that would be as close as they’d get.
For Samoskevich, he has now scored in four straight games, the longest such stretch of his young career.
Photo caption: Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) controls the puck in front of the Florida Panthers net during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)
The Flyers’ Easter Sunday game just got that much bigger.
Rick Tocchet’s club has a chance to move into playoff position when it hosts the Bruins (3:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP). That’s because the Islanders and Blue Jackets lost in regulation Saturday night.
So with a win or loss after regulation Sunday, the Flyers would take over the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division.
They have 88 points, one behind the third-place Islanders. If the Flyers pick up a point Sunday with a loss in overtime or the shootout, they’ll have the tiebreaker over the Islanders because they’ll have played one fewer game.
A win, though, would be ideal for the Flyers. That would put them in sole possession of third place with five games to go. They’d have 90 points, one ahead of the Islanders, who have four games left.
The Islanders and Blue Jackets are off Sunday. The Flyers are tied with the Blue Jackets and have played one fewer game.
The Flyers had two other games go in their favor Saturday. The Senators and Red Wings also lost in regulation.
The Flyers are in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Flyers are behind the Senators and Red Wings because of the regulation wins tiebreaker.
A team to not forget is the Capitals. They’re playing well and have 87 points, just one behind the Flyers in both the division and wild-card races.
The Flyers have really turned it on down the stretch. They’ve gone 13-5-1 over their last 19 games. They’re trying to snap a five-year playoff drought.
A lot of eyes have been on the wild-card picture, but the Flyers’ main focus can be third place. They control their destiny now in the division.
The Los Angeles Kingshave signed another prospect, the team announced Saturday. Los Angeles officially signs Henry Brzustewicz to a three-year entry-level contract deal worth $1 million, according to PuckPedia, and will report to the AHL's Ontario Reign on a PTO deal for the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Brzustewicz was drafted by the Kings in the first round and 31st overall in the 2025 NHL draft.
Following his breakout season with the London Knights, Los Angeles decides to sign him to a three-year entry deal after his season with the Knights comes to an end, following elimination from the playoffs.
We have signed D Henry Brzustewicz to a three-year entry level contract through the 2028-29 season.
Brzustewicz will report to the @OntarioReign on a PTO for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
The defenseman had a great season for the London Knights, recording 19 goals, 35 assists, and 54 points in 59 games. In his fifth season with the London Knights, this is not only the best set of numbers he has ever put up in the OHL, but he's also tied for third in the OHL in goals this season.
Most importantly for the Kings and Reign, Brzustewicz is a winner, most recently winning back-to-back J. Ross Roberston Cups with the London Knights (2024, 2025) and the 2025 Memorial Cup.
The Ontario Reign currently leads the Pacific Division with a record of 42-19-3 and 89 points. The 19-year-old will play a big role in the Reign's quest for a Calder Cup. With the playoffs coming up, Brzustewicz's skills will surely live up to what has been an excellent season up to this point.
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Saturday afternoon was the tale of two opposite storylines: the beginning of what could be a promising career, and the potential end of a legendary career.
Gabe Perreault and Jonathan Quick are at two opposite ends of their respective careers.
In the New York Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon, Perreault recorded his first NHL hat trick, while Quick may have played in his last NHL game.
From where Perreault was at when he entered rookie camp in September to this point in April marks a true transformation.
The 20-year-old forward didn’t make the Rangers’ opening night roster out of training camp and even when he was called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League in November, he only played in three NHL games before he was sent back down to the AHL.
Mike Sullivan emphasized that the game moved too fast for Perreault, who was initially struggling to make the jump from the AHL to the NHL.
“As a young player, it's just physical maturity,” Sullivan said of Perreault in November. “The speed of the game and the size and the strength of the players at this level is second to none. For most young players, that's one of the challenges in making the jump to being an impact player at this level.”
In December, Perreault was recalled by the Blueshirts, and he never looked back.
The 2023 first-round pick showed offensive poise and readiness to play in the NHL that he was unable to display in his previous call-up.
Since rejoining the Rangers in December, Perreault has steadily gained Sullivan’s trust, earning himself a consistent top-six role and time on the power play.
In his rookie campaign for the Rangers, Perreault’s natural offensive instincts have risen to the forefront, as the game continues to slow down for him.
“When you look at Gabe's growth here over the course of the season, I think he's picked up a couple of steps just in his quickness, not only that, but how quickly he thinks the game,” Sullivan said. “It's one of the biggest hurdles. I think young players, all young players, regardless of what their strengths are as players, is just the speed of the game, the physical speed, the foot speed itself, but also how fast you have to think the game.
“The windows of opportunity open and close way quicker in this league than any in the world. That's what separates the NHL from the rest. I think the game is slowing down in his mind. And obviously his hockey IQ is probably his greatest attribute… With his vision, and his brain, and his stick skills, he's finding ways to have success in those areas in that environment. That's the experiential learning that's so critical. It's essential to the young players' growth. I just think with each game that he plays, he's getting better and better in all those areas.”
Perreault is also learning how to be in the right places at the right times. On Saturday afternoon, Perreault’s first goal game when Mika Zibanejad found him the puck at the low bumper, and his second goal came when Jonny Brodzinski fed him the puck while streaking to the net on a two-on-one chance.
Sullivan gave Perreault an opportunity to complete the hat trick with an empty net in the late stages of the contest, and J.T. Miller made a conscious effort to pass Perreault the puck in order to achieve this great feat.
“Thrilled,” Sullivan said of how happy he is for Perreault. “You can see the reaction on the bench. Everybody was rooting for him. He's an easy guy to root for. He's a great kid. He works hard. The fact that J.T. was working hard for him to try to get the hat trick was awesome. I just think it speaks volumes for the type of people that we have.”
Perreault underplayed his hat trick after the game, but acknowledged that the accomplishment holds significance for him.
“It means a lot.” Perreault said of his hat trick. “My teammates made a couple of nice plays, so I had a couple of easy ones (goals) today. It definitely feels good to get the hat trick, but most importantly, get the win.”
On the other side of the coin, Quick is at a different stage of his career.
The 40-year-old’s future with the Rangers and more importantly, his future in the NHL appears to be murky.
It’s unclear if Quick will retire following the completion of the 2025-26 campaign, but his one-year, $1.55 million contract is set to expire on July 1, which raises questions regarding his plans past this season.
Despite not giving any indication of his future, it was hard not to have the thought that he could be making the last start of his NHL career.
Coming off of a seven-game absence from an upper-body injury, Quick came back strong on Saturday afternoon, making 31 saves on 32 shots and helping propel the Rangers to a victory over a Red Wings team still fighting for a playoff spot.
The veteran goalie didn’t delve into much detail about his future plans when speaking with the media postgame, and he was noncommittal on the topic of retirement.
“We got six games left, five games left, something like that. I just want to enjoy the ride the rest of the way these last five, six games and figure that out when it’s time,” Quick said about if he’s thought about the big picture whether this could be his last season.”
It takes a lot for someone to transition from being one of the premier goaltenders in the NHL to being a backup. That’s exactly what Quick has been able to do, creating a new chapter in an illustrious career.
Winning two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings as the starting goaltender, Quick adapted to a backup role in 2023 with the Vegas Golden Knights en route to winning his third Stanley Cup.
Since then, Quick has formed the perfect tandem in New York with Igor Shesterkin, stepping in for Shesterkin when needed while providing a critical veteran presence in the locker room.
“I believe he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. When you look at his body of work in the league, he's a multiple time Stanley Cup champion,” Sullivan said of Quick. “I think what he means internally to our organization, I think maybe flies under the radar. I think his teammates have so much respect for him, certainly his coaching staff and the management team.
“The example, what he represents, and how he goes about his business every day, I think is inspiring for all of us. His work ethic is second to none. He has such a passion for the game. He just loves hockey. He loves being on the ice, loves competing, and those are the types of players that we believe you win with ,and so I think he's a great inspiration for all of us.”
In Quick’s absence, Dylan Garand played two games, posting a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 goals against average, and .954 save percentage.
The 23-year-old goaltender is someone who is bound to compete for the Rangers’ backup position next season, and his recent emergence has brought more uncertainty surrounding Quick’s future with the Rangers.
Even with Quick back in the fold, the Rangers are still keeping Garand around for now. However, Sullivan doesn't view having three goalies around as competition.
“I think Quickie and Shesty have been great mentors for Dylan Garand right now,” Sullivan emphasized. “I can see that relationship developing. The example that those two guys set for a guy like Dylan, it's great for Dylan to be around these guys... I think a guy like Dylan right now being around these guys, I think there's huge value in that, and a huge benefit in that.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 03: Bryan Rust #17 celebrates his overtime goal with Erik Karlsson #65 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in front of Spencer Knight #30 of the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 3, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Veteran center Scott Laughton has only been a member of the Los Angeles Kings for 14 games, yet his former Toronto Maple Leafs teammates already miss his presence.
He was only a Maple Leaf for 76 regular-season and playoff games after joining Toronto at last season's trade deadline. However, his former teammates like the idea of Laughton returning to Toronto in free agency, as he is a pending UFA.
After the Maple Leafs' practice on Friday in preparation for Saturday's game, Toronto's Steve Lorentz was asked about the possibility of Laughton returning in free agency.
"Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Lorentz told reporters. "We would welcome him back with open arms. I know there's a lot of guys in this locker room that feel the same way."
Therefore, unless Kings GM Ken Holland pushes to sign Laughton to a contract extension between now and July 1, the Oakville, Ont., native could leave for free in the summer.
Leafs coach Craig Berube was asked if he could see a world where a Laughton return to Toronto would be a fit.
"Yeah, I could see it, for sure," Toronto's bench boss told reporters. "He really liked it in Toronto, and he's from around there, too. I think that was a… dream for him to go back home and play."
Along with fantasizing about potentially reuniting with their old teammate, they shared how much of a great teammate he was and how lucky the Kings are to have him.
"I think you win with a guy like Scott," Lorentz said of Laughton. "He's a glue guy, he plays the game the right way, he plays hard, and he's definitely got the skill offensively and defensively to be out there in all situations."
Laughton is indeed a player that can be utilized in all situations, and that's exactly how Los Angeles has been using him.
Since his Kings debut against the Montreal Canadiens on March 7, Laughton is the joint leader on the team in shorthanded time on ice per game, along with defensemen Joel Edmundson, Mikey Anderson and Cody Ceci.
He's also on Los Angeles' second power-play unit and averages 1:12 of ice time per game on the man advantage.
Furthermore, he's been so important for the Kings in the faceoff dot, to the point where he takes the opening draw in overtime to win possession in the extra frame. He has a faceoff win rate of 58.1 percent as a member of the Kings.
With all he brings on the ice and in the dressing room, it's no wonder why his former Maple Leafs teammates have raved about him so much since his departure.
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Bring on postseason hockey in Buffalo. The Sabres’ playoff drought is finally over.
Following an NHL-record 14 seasons of futility, during which the team finished no better than 19th in the league standings, the Sabres clinched a berth on Saturday when the New York Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings in regulation. Buffalo’s playoff drought was among the four North American major sports’ longest active streaks, ranking second behind the NFL’s New York Jets, who last qualified in 2010.
The Sabres clinched with six games left in their season, before playing at Washington on Saturday night, and are in contention to earn the Eastern Conference’s top seed. At 46-22-8, Buffalo is riding a 35-8-4 surge that has vaulted the team after sitting last in the East in early December.
The turnaround has been remarkable for a franchise that through Saturday has gone 5,458 days since the Lindy Ruff-coached team lost Game 7 of a first-round series to Philadelphia on April 26, 2011.
In the ensuing years, the Sabres have finished last overall four times and are on their seventh coach, with Ruff back for a second stint, and their fourth general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen.
Buffalo’s run up the standings coincided with Kekalainen being promoted from his position as senior adviser on Dec. 15, replacing Kevyn Adams, who was fired after five-plus seasons.
The Sabres already had won three straight when the change occurred and proceeded to go on a franchise record-matching 10-0 run. They’ve not looked back since. Buffalo is 14-3-2 since returning from the Olympic break, and the team’s worst stretch since December has been a 0-1-2 skid.
Though Adams’ firing played a role in spurring the team, so did Buffalo getting healthier.
The Sabres’ top two lines were replenished with the return of Josh Norris and Jason Zucker, and their goaltending got a boost with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shaking off an early season injury to resume sharing the starting duties with Alex Lyon. After opening the season 4-5-1, Luukkonen has gone 15-4-2 since Dec. 21.
Kekalainen also added depth at the trade deadline last month by acquiring center Sam Carrick, forward Tanner Pearson and defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn.
The team is led by two of its longest-tenured players: captain Rasmus Dahlin, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, and forward Tage Thompson, who was acquired in a trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis in the summer of 2018.
Dahlin entered Saturday ranking sixth among NHL defensemen with 67 points, while Thompson was tied for 11th among all skaters with 38 goals.
The next test for Buffalo is winning a playoff series, something the team hasn’t done since beating the Rangers in six games in the second round in 2007.
The turnaround has revived a fanbase that had grown weary with losing, various rebuilding plans that failed to generate a winner and a revolving door of talent being shuffled in and out of Buffalo — from O’Reilly’s departure to Jack Eichel being dealt to Vegas in November 2021 following a lengthy standoff over how to repair a neck injury. Each went on to win the Stanley Cup with his new team.
The Sabres have not hoisted the Cup through their first 54 seasons of existence.
Buffalo has had 21 home sellouts this season, including 15 in a row, a year after selling out just five games.
This season, the Sabres have shown resolve in rallying back from deficits. Buffalo entered Saturday with 19 come-from-behind wins, tied for seventh in the NHL. That included defeating Tampa Bay 8-7 last month after trailing 7-5 with nine minutes left in regulation.
The Lightning also clinched Saturday before playing.
