Calgary Flames (26-33-7, in the Pacific Division) vs. Detroit Red Wings (36-23-8, in the Atlantic Division)

Detroit; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings head into a matchup against the Calgary Flames as losers of three in a row.

Detroit is 36-23-8 overall and 18-11-3 in home games. The Red Wings are 29-4-6 when scoring three or more goals.

Calgary has a 10-21-3 record in road games and a 26-33-7 record overall. The Flames serve 11.2 penalty minutes per game to rank fourth in NHL play.

Monday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. The Red Wings won 4-3 in the previous meeting. Alex DeBrincat led the Red Wings with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: DeBrincat has scored 33 goals with 33 assists for the Red Wings. Moritz Seider has one goal and eight assists over the past 10 games.

Morgan Frost has 14 goals and 18 assists for the Flames. MacKenzie Weegar has five assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 3-5-2, averaging 2.2 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

Flames: 3-6-1, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.8 assists, three penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

INJURIES: Red Wings: None listed.

Flames: None listed.

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

The Golden Knights continued their offensive prowess for a second straight game, as Pavel Dorofeyev scored two goals and had one assist in a 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Just as important, at the other end of the ice, goaltender Adin Hill registered his first shutout of the season after stopping all 21 shots he faced.

Rasmus Andersson and Keegan Kolesar also scored for the Knights, who were fresh off Thursday's 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The win moved Vegas, which had slipped to third place last week, back into first place with 76 points, one point in front of the Anaheim Ducks. The Edmonton Oilers are one back of the Ducks, who have a game in hand on both teams.

The Ducks lost 2-0 at Ottawa earlier in the night, while Edmonton was idle.

KEY MOMENT

The staredown! Andersson's 12th goal of the season - and second with the Knights - resulted in the Rasmus staredown. The goal, which came 11:35 into the first period, gave the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead. The staredown, though, sent a message.

KEY STAT

5 ... After struggling to take early leads and lose the first period, it marked the fifth consecutive game the Knights didn't allow a goal in the first period.

"We've changed our pregame routine a little bit, our morning skate we've done a little bit differently," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I don't know if that has any effect ... to be honest, it's just something to get their attention. Obviously, we are doing something better. I think the players have better focus; maybe those tweaks have helped them focus.

"We're not chasing the game as much, and it's a lot easier to play that way."

WHAT A KNIGHT

Dorofeyev is an easy candidate after his second consecutive three-point night, but the nod goes to Hill, after turning in his first shutout of the season.

In starting for the fourth consecutive game, Hill turned in his best performance of the season.

It was Hill's first shutout in more than a year, his last coming on March 13, 2025, when he blanked Columbus in, ironically, a 4-0 win.

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights continue their four-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at T-Mobile Arena.

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Vegas Golden Knights in the second of two games on the West Coast, in between games at the United Center. 

The Blackhawks won the first one, an overtime victory against the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City. With a difficult Golden Knights team looming, Chicago knew that it needed their best effort to compete.  

From the puck drop on, however, things did not go well for the Blackhawks. They were outshot by Vegas 32-21, and were shut out on the scoreboard 4-0. 

Early in the game, when the Blackhawks were going through the early storm, Jeff Blashill used up his timeout. From that point forward, they competed a bit better, but it was far too late. 

It is hard enough to beat a heavy team like Vegas without spotting them a 3-0 lead early in the match. It's almost impossible to come back when down by multiple goals against them.

Adin Hill and the Knights have been looking for more consistent play this season, and the Blackhawks made them look like that Cup-contending team that everybody knows they can be. 

Spencer Knight started in goal for the Blackhawks, his second start of the road trip following his three-game absence due to illness. It wasn't his best performance, but the team in front of him did not take care of their assignments the way that they are expected to. 

The Blackhawks saw both Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Mangiapane hit the post, Connor Bedard had his share of chances, and an Artyom Levshunov goal was waved off due to a missed stoppage of play (hand-pass). No, that doesn't help them on the scoresheet, but they found chances despite Vegas controlling almost the entire game. 

Once or twice a month, for most teams in the NHL, a game comes along where you get thoroughly outplayed. It's emphasised when you're a bottom team like the Blackhawks, but the message will simply be to throw it away and move on. The players know this was an improper effort, and it will be corrected by the next time they hit the ice. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

The Chicago Blackhawks did not score a goal in this match, so there are no videos to share for this one. 

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Tuesday night, St. Patrick's Day. This will be a matchup against the Minnesota Wild, who defeated them in a shootout back on January 27th. This is a home-and-home for these two teams, so it's another opportunity for the Blackhawks to play the same team twice in a short time, mimicking some aspects of a playoff series. 

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With every other team in the Eastern Conference who is a threat to their playoff hopes winning on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins really needed to find a way to get at least a point - but, preferably, two - when they took on the Utah Mammoth later the same day. 

And just like they have so many times in this tumultuous 2025-26 season, they somehow managed to get the job done. 

After going down 2-0, the Penguins stormed back with authority to beat the Mammoth, 4-3, in regulation, securing their 28th regulation win of the season and allowing them to hold onto second place in the Metropolitan Division. The New York Islanders - who are right on their heels in third place with the same number of points with 81 - won in regulation, and the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins both won in a shootout, so getting the two points in regulation was critical since it’s the first tiebreaker and the Pens have more regulation wins than any of those teams.

The team’s ability to fight back when they’re down and out has been a theme since losing both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and they’re now 2-1-2 in the five games without them.

Things started off rough for the Penguins, who had one of their worst periods of the season in the first. Like they did in the game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, they were turning pucks over left and right, resulting in goals against.

A Blake Lizotte turnover led to the first goal of the game by Dylan Guenther, who rifled it past Stuart Skinner on a save attempt he’d probably like to have back. Then, just a minute and a half later, the Mammoth got a questionable power play opportunity after a scrum in which only Anthony Mantha was called for cross-checking, and Guenther capitalized again to make it 2-0. 

But after that first 10 minutes, the Penguins started to wake up a bit. And they took over in the second period.

Mantha picked his spot and cashed in on a five-on-three power play opportunity for the Penguins with a little more than five minutes to go in the middle frame for his 25th of the season, tying a career-high. Then, less than three minutes later, Tommy Novak notched his 15th of the year from the bottom of the right circle to tie the game at 2-2.

Mo making it happen and tying his career best of 25 goals in a season 👏 pic.twitter.com/cEFTvNUq6B

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

The Penguins got a carryover power play opportunity in the third, and Bryan Rust scored the go-ahead goal less than a minute and a half in. Utah responded a few minutes later when ex-Penguin Ian Cole capitalized after yet another Penguins’ turnover to knot things back up, but the Penguins clapped right back with a Noel Acciari garbage goal off a rebound at the net front - and from his knees - to make it 4-3 and give the Penguins the win.

NOEL 👏 ACCIARI 👏 pic.twitter.com/WjuoAEIXwA

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

Skinner was brilliant in the back half of the game, ultimately 26 of 29 and making some key saves in the last few minutes to help the Penguins survive and earn the win in regulation.

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Here are a few thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- The Penguins do not quit. They just don't. I've talked about it a million times at this point, but this is a defining characteristic of this group. And it's a marvel to witness.

They have a horrible start to this game, and they were punished for it by going down 2-0. But - like we've seen so many times this season - they didn't fold. Instead, they put on their work boots and fought their way back. 

I can't say enough about this team's resilience. If they do make the playoffs, it's going to make them a tough out for any opponent. They will not go down quietly, and that never-die mindset is such a good one to have when the games matter most. 

- Despite the win, this was another sloppy game for the Penguins. They were turning pucks over left and right, and - once again - two goals were direct results of turnovers.

With both Crosby and Malkin out, pretty much everyone has had to pull more weight and overcompensate. It's possible that some fatigue is beginning to set in, even after a long Olympic break. It also just tends to happen down the stretch run of the season where guys are simply running on fumes because they're giving 200 percent effort in all 60 minutes of every game, especially when they're in playoff contention.

But, nevertheless, the Penguins aren't the only team dealing with the same thing. I think what a lot of it boils down to is the fact that they know they have to generate more offense from different sources without 87 and 71, and they're taking more risks because of that.  

Whatever the reason, it's something they need to clean up if they hope to make the playoffs and get anywhere if they do make it. 

- Rust and Acciari have been scoring some big goals for the Penguins this season. Rust was the one to score the tying goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. And Acciari was the one to score the penultimate goal, both of which were with the goaltender pulled.

Then, against the Mammoth, Rust scores the initial go-ahead goal, and Acciari pots the game-winner. 

Both are leaders on this team, and - in addition to all of the other players I've praised during this stretch without the two stars - they've played a huge part in the Penguins continuing to collect points.

- Skinner did not have the strongest start to this game. He could have made a save on Utah's first goal by Guenther, and he looked a bit uncomfortable in the crease early on. 

But, man, did he look better as the game went on - and he secured the win for the Penguins with some brilliant saves. Both Skinner and Arturs Silovs have been a bit hot and cold as of late, and consistency at the goaltending position would greatly benefit the Penguins.

But Skinner pretty much earned them two points with his effort in the third - even stopping a breakaway opportunity while the Pens had the 4-3 lead.

- For a moment, it looked like Utah forward and Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley had a bad injury. He crashed into the net, went down awkwardly, and could not put any weight on his left leg as he left the ice.

But, he returned a few shifts later, and he appeared to be okay.  Glad he is, because he's a heck of a hockey player and a huge reason why the Mammoth are in playoff contention. 

- The Penguins' road trip doesn't get any easier from here, but the good news is that they'll have at least one of their big guys back in the lineup on Monday against the Colorado Avalanche, as Evgeni Malkin will have served his five-game suspension. 

As for Crosby? The Penguins have not had the luxury of any practice days on this trip, as they play every other day and need to designate the off-days for travel. This makes it difficult for Crosby to make tangible progress, even if he has joined their morning skates.

But, if they can get both of them back Monday, I don't think I need to take the time to describe how big that would be for this team, who managed to stay afloat without them but could certainly use them back in the lineup. 

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Pregame

The Penguins don’t make any lineup changes from last game besides giving Stuart Skinner his turn in net.

How we’re lining up in Utah.#LetsGoPenspic.twitter.com/cUJypGSIwD

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

They faceoff against the Utah Mammoth, who have this lineup.

How we’re lining up ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2McsS2PXxI

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 15, 2026

First period

Sloppy start for the Penguins, Blake Lizotte can’t handle a pass out of the zone and passes it back under pressure, turns out to be a bad idea that Dylan Guenther jumps on and snaps a low shot by Skinner. 1-0 Utah early.

What a steal! What a goal!

Gunner makes it 1-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/C3N01856mr

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 15, 2026

There’s a scrum in front of the Pittsburgh net, Anthony Mantha escalates things by going after a Utah player and Mantha takes a penalty for it. Utah capitalizes on the power play, a shot bounces off the end wall and Barrett Hayton smacks at it. The Pens lunge to pull the puck off the goal-line but Guenter comes crashing into the crease and knocks the puck in for his second goal of the game.

Gunner tallies ✌️

2-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/GYntm3AYFB

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 15, 2026

Parker Wotherspoon holds onto a puck to let his teammates complete a line change and creates an opportunity when he gets slashed to earn the first Pittsburgh power play. They get some zone time out of it but not much more.

Pittsburgh plays a little better in the second half of the period compared to the first, not that it’s saying much considering how poor they were early on. Shots end up 12-8 Utah after 20 minutes with them also carrying a 2-0 lead.

Second period

A few penalties go for the early part, Ilya Solovyov stops moving his legs and uses his stick to latch onto a Mammoth player to take a penalty but then Hayton slashes a Penguin to make it 4v4. That leads to a tough development for Logan Cooley, who crashes into the post with his leg in a similar way to an injury he suffered last season.

Penalties cycle through, amazingly Cooley is able to return to the game after the nasty collision with the post.

Later on, the Pens get another power play, then Rickard Rakell gets upended and Pittsburgh gets 1:27 of a 5v3 power play with 5:48 to go in the period. The moment is big, Dan Muse uses his timeout to rest his top players and gameplan something for the opportunity. It works, Mantha finds space on the right side and fires a shot up and over Karel Vejmelka on the short-side to make it a 2-1 game.

Mo making it happen and tying his career best of 25 goals in a season 👏 pic.twitter.com/cEFTvNUq6B

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

The Pens keep surging, the Ben Kindel line produces a great shift to tilt the ice, Tommy Novak’s line is out next. Novak goes low-to-high with a pass to Wotherspoon at the point, Wotherspoon puts it on net. The puck gets jammed into the mess of bodies and pops back to Novak who flips a fluttering puck into the net. 2-2.

IT'S TOMMY TIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/5mqeuULigX

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

Bryan Rust sets Rakell up for a goal in front of the net, Ian Cole has to hook Rakell to stop the goal, the Pens to a power play with 15 seconds left.

It wasn’t a pretty period, but it was effective and badly needed for the Pens to score two goals and tie the game. They didn’t have much going on until the 5v3 seemed to invigorate them and they found a way to pull themselves back into a game that they weren’t looking very competitive in for the first 35 minutes or so.

Third period

Much of the carryover power play looks disjointed for the Penguins, who struggle with keeping the puck in the zone. Finally, the luck turns and the puck clicks off a pair of Mammoth players and lands within reach of Bryan Rust. Rust fires it into the net. Pittsburgh takes their first lead of the night, 3-2.

A PPG for PGH 🚨@MShakeFactory, get those half-off Rustys shakes ready for tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/pKJlXMbQF3

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

That lead doesn’t last long, Rust toepicks and coughs up a puck, Utah finds Ian Cole as a trailing player on the rush, the defense is out of sorts and Cole scores on a wrist shot. 3-3.

Ian Cole with the equalizer! pic.twitter.com/RueK4JwWzF

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 15, 2026

The Pens keep at it, Noel Acciari wins a puck back from John Marino down low and passes to the point. Wotherspoon does his thing and gets the puck to the net. Acciari’s stick is tied up but he wills his way to tapping the puck into the net with it anyways. 4-3 Pittsburgh back in front.

NOEL 👏 ACCIARI 👏 pic.twitter.com/WjuoAEIXwA

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2026

With power plays on the night at 6-2 PIT and Utah down on the scoreboard, wouldn’t ya know it’s the Pens who take a penalty with 8:41 to play. The Pens survive.

Michael Carcone flies the zone and gets a breakaway with about 2:30 left, puck goes off the crossbar and out of play.

The Mammoth pull their goalie soon after and then take their timeout with 1:25 to go. Utah keeps winning faceoffs and pumping shots Skinner’s way, he’s able to battle the way his team has all night. Fittingly, it’s not the prettiest or smoothest sequence with some rebounds left around but he gets the job done well enough until time runs out to secure the victory.

Some thoughts

• “Playing connected” is an en vogue catchphrase these days for NHL teams to describe how they aspire to play cohesively as a unit in smooth, fluid control with one another as a group. The Penguins have not been playing connected lately and the trouble is it’s applying up and down the board. When a player as typically reliable as Blake Lizotte is creating trouble with a decision or Anthony Mantha is taking an unnecessary post-whistle penalty, it’s a tough watch right now. There’s a lot to figure out in terms of decision making right now all across the lineup.
• For the faults, weaknesses and mistakes, the Penguins never really go away or stop trying though. Gotta give them that if nothing else. They’ll keep battling and working to attempt to atone for the mistakes and go after the next one. This night wasn’t a one-off considering the recent comeback efforts against Boston and Carolina earlier this week, that certain spirit and ability to soldier on has been working.
• Falling behind early has been a big problem on this road trip, this was the third game on it and it was the third time the Pens fell down 1-0 somewhat early in the first period. This game and last game against Vegas it was 2-0. That’s not a way to live in the NHL being in a hole and playing from behind. The Pens have been one of the best first period and score first teams in the league this season but the starts have been another area on the fritz lately.
• Things didn’t get much better in the second, the Pens only managed two shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of the second period prior to Anthony Mantha’s 5v3 goal. They started scoring after that but still never really played very consistently or in a textbook manner. At this point, however, the style points don’t matter, only the results.
• Effective night for Wotherspoon, the scoresheet recorded both his shot attempts as officially being ‘blocked’, yet both times the puck ended up in the net due to a teammate in close putting in the loose puck. It’s simple yet proved effective to get bodies to the net and then send the puck in to see what could come out of any chaos created….And now the official scorer has taken away one of the shot attempts.
• Unfriendly night across the league for the Pens; the Bruins, Islanders and Blue Jackets all won their respective games and the Red Wings picked up a point with an OT loss. This was one that the Pens badly needed to keep the pace with all those teams in the playoff chase (where one will be left out) and in a bottom line business, they did. Wasn’t the cleanest game or most pleasing way to go about it, but at this point in the year and given the lineup – a win is a win is a win.

The Pens up their record to 1-1-1 on the road trip to keep hanging around. They’ll have one Hall of Fame center back for Monday against Colorado with Evgeni Malkin returning from suspension. Hopefully soon they’ll add a second one too as Sidney Crosby continues his rehab from his Olympic injury.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Charlie McAvoy scored twice and Fraser Minten had the shootout winner as the Boston Bruins beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Saturday.

Minten beat Washington’s Logan Thompson with a backhand shot in the ninth round of the shootout to give the Bruins their third win in five games and help Boston gain ground in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

Rasmus Sandin had a goal and an assist and Matt Roy also scored for the Capitals, who have lost two of their last three.

After a scoreless first period, the Capitals picked up their pressure to open the second, and it paid off. Just 1:15 minutes into the middle period, Roy fired an 86-mph slap shot past Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and into the top corner to give Washington the lead. It was Roy’s his first goal since Nov. 17, ending a 45-game scoring drought.

Minutes later, McAvoy fired a one-timer through traffic and past Thompson to even the score at 1. McAvoy has points in six straight games and 15 of his last 16 contests overall.

Sandin became the third defenseman to get on the board when his shot from point knuckled past Swayman, giving the Caps a 2-1 edge.

Following a couple of power-play chances for the Bruins, including a 5-on-3 opportunity halfway through the third, McAvoy tied the game by deflecting Pavel Zacha’s shot past Thompson and eventually forcing overtime.

Swayman had 25 saves in the win. Thompson stopped 32 shots in the loss.

SENATORS 2, DUCKS 0

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and Ottawa blanked Anaheim.

Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa. Shane Pinto had two assists. It was the 14th shutout of Ullmark’s career. The Senators have won four of five.

Ville Husso stopped 27 shots for Anaheim.

Nick Cousins won a battle along the boards at center which sprung Pinto down the ice. Pinto fed Amadio on a 2-on-1 and he made no mistake, beating Husso short-side 3:54 into the second period.

At the 9:21 mark of the second, the Senators capitalized on a turnover. Pinto intercepted a pass and found Chabot in the high slot for his seventh of the season and second career short-handed goal.

Anaheim challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.

JETS 3, AVALANCHE 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Kyle Connor reached 30 goals for a franchise-record eighth time and added an assist, Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves and Winnipeg beat NHL-leading Colorado.

Connor broke a tie with Ilya Kovalchuk for the most 30-goal seasons in Thrashers/Jets history. Connor has reached the 30-goal mark in every season of his nine-year NHL career except for the 56-game COVID-19 shortened campaign when he had 26.

Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Jets. Mark Scheifele had to two assists for push his season total to 51, one more than his previous best.

Martin Necas ended Hellebuyck’s shutout bid with 1:16 left.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 saves for the Avalanche. They had won six in a row on the road.

RANGERS 4, WILD 2

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Igor Shesterkin made 46 saves and Vladislav Gavrikov had a goal and two assists as New York extended its winning streak to four games with a win over Minnesota.

Noah Laba, Jaroslav Chmelar and Vincent Trocheck also scored for New York, which won for the fifth time in six games despite being outshot 48-18.

Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov scored for the Wild, who dropped their second straight and lost for the third time in four games. Filip Gustavsson had 14 saves.

New York had a 9-6 edge in shots in the opening period and led 2-0. The Wild carried play the rest of the way, outshooting the Rangers 42-9 over the final two periods — including 21-1 in the third, but were unable to solve Shesterkin.

HURRICANES 4, LIGHTNING 2

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov each had a goal and an assist and Carolina defeated Tampa Bay.

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour coached his 600th career game for the franchise and picked up his 367th career win, the most for a head coach at the 600-game mark, besting Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, who set the previous record of 364.

Jordan Martinook broke a third period tie and Frederik Andersen stopped 17 shots. Logan Stankoven added an empty-net goal.

Yanni Gourde and Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored for Tampa Bay, which fell to 3-7 since the Olympic break. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves.

ISLANDERS 3, FLAMES 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Simon Holmstrom scored twice and New York raced to an early lead and held on to beat Calgary.

Casey Cizikas also scored for New York and David Rittich made 30 saves as the Islanders won for the third time in four games.

Mikael Backund and Blake Coleman scored for Calgary, which slipped to 2-5-1 in its last eight games. Devin Cooley started in the net for the Flames and allowed three goals on 10 shots in the first period. Dustin Wolf replaced Cooley to start the second period and finished with 17 saves.

Holmstrom gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead with his first goal of the game when he collected a pass from Luke Schenn and scored on a shot over Cooley’s blocker at 16:35 of the first. It was Schenn’s first assist at UBS Arena since being acquired by the Islanders from St. Louis at the trade deadline.

DEVILS 6, KINGS 4

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes scored the go-ahead goal with 2:29 to play and Jake Allen made 27 saves as New Jersey edged Los Angeles.

Hughes put the Devils ahead 5-4 in the seesaw game with a power-play goal. Nico Hischier scored twice and Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier — with a last minute empty-netter — also scored.

Anze Kopitar scored twice for Los Angeles — to establish a Kings franchise points record — and Artemi Panarin and Taylor Ward also scored.

Ward had put the Kings ahead 3-2 at 11:43 of the middle period after Kopitar and Panarin scored in less than two minutes as Los Angeles battled back from an early 2-0 deficit.

But Gritsyuk tied the contest just 25 seconds into the third.

Hischier’s second goal put New Jersey ahead at 12:42 of the third before Kopitar scored to tie it again.

Glass scored his career-best 15th goal at 7:56 of the first, beating Anton Forsberg with a fluttering shot. Hischier made it 2-0 at 11:04. Forsberg had 22 saves.

SABRES 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2, SO

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jack Quinn scored the tying goal and also connected in a shootout, Alex Tuch ended the tiebreaker and Buffalo beat Toronto to rebound from its first loss since the Olympic break.

Buffalo was coming off a 2-1 home loss to Washington on Thursday night that ended an eight-game winning streak. The Atlantic Division-leading Sabres stretched their advantage over second-place Tampa Bay to four points and remained two points behind Carolina in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto played its first game since captain Auston Matthews’ season-ending knee injury. Matthews tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee Thursday night at home in a 6-4 victory over Anaheim on a knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas. Gudas was given a major penalty and ejected, then suspended five games for kneeing.

Defenseman Owen Power also scored for Buffalo, and Alex Lyon stopped 16 shots.

Max Domi scored for Toronto in his 800th NHL game. Dakota Joshua also scored, and Joseph Woll made 30 saves.

SHARKS 4, CANADIENS 2

MONTREAL (AP) — Macklin Celebrini had two goals and an assist to lead San Jose to a win over Montreal.

Collin Graf had a goal and two assists and Mario Ferraro also scored for San Jose, which ended Montreal’s three-game winning streak. John Klingberg finished with two assists, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots.

Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal, and Noah Dobson had two assists. Jakub Dobes made 17 saves.

The Canadiens held third place in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the division-leading Buffalo Sabres with two games in hand, heading into Saturday’s games.

The Sharks were one point shy of the Los Angeles Kings for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, with two fewer games played.

BLUE JACKETS 2, FLYERS 1, SO

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirill Marchenko scored his 25th goal and lifted a backhander over Dan Vladar in the third round of a shootout to give Columbus a victory over Philadelphia.

The Blue Jackets extended their points streak to nine games as they fight Detroit for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are 5-0-4 during the streak.

Marchenko opened the scoring on a wrist shot 4:21 into the first period. Alex Bump tied it on a tip with 9:36 left in the period.

Jet Greaves made 18 saves for Columbus. Vladar stopped 27 shots.

STARS 3, RED WINGS 2, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Thomas Harley scored 2:05 into overtime to give streaking Dallas a win over Detroit.

Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist, and Michael Bunting also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 of 24 shots. Harley scored his seventh OT goal in regular-season games.

The Stars are 14-0-1 in their last 15 games, matching the longest point streak in club history. Their 1998-99 Stanley Cup team had a streak of 12 wins and three ties.

Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond scored for the Red Wings, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period but dropped their third straight (0-2-1). John Gibson made 21 saves.

Bunting’s goal, on a power play for a 2-0 lead in the second period, was his first since being acquired from Nashville on March 5.

Dallas has won four straight and owns the second-most points in the league, three behind Central-leading Colorado.

For most of his NHL career, Simon Holmstrom’s success has been tied at the hip to Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

For whatever reason, the winger seems to have an innate chemistry with Pageau as his center — something the Islanders have been happy to indulge, but a fact that’s sometimes prevented Holmstrom from moving up in the lineup, and which has sometimes stopped coach Patrick Roy from tinkering with his lineup the way he might like.

That’s why moving Holmstrom up to play on Brayden Schenn’s line raised an eyebrow ahead of Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Flames.

And that’s why it’s extra meaningful for Holmstrom to have scored twice in a strong all-around performance with Schenn on his left side instead of Pageau.

“Just from watching him the past couple games, obviously he’s very talented at both ends of the ice. Honestly, I had no idea what type of player he was when I walked in here,” Schenn told The Post. “He surprised me a lot. Very talented, very skilled with the puck, very good both ends of the ice and he can skate. Definitely a 200-foot player and fun to play with.”

Schenn, who already bought Holmstrom a Rolex watch as payment for taking the No. 10 — Holmstrom switched to 92 — got him another gift Saturday with a feed off the rush for his first goal.

His second, ironically, came from Pageau when the Islanders were shorthanded late in the first — Roy didn’t split the pair on the penalty kill — but there was plenty to be encouraged about with the Schenn-Holmstrom duo, whose line was completed by Anthony Duclair, at 5-on-5 as well.

“Anthony Duclair had a good game, I love the way he played in his own zone,” Roy said. “… Simon had a nice play with Schenner.”

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Realistically, Roy will probably end up going back to Pageau and Holmstrom at some point before the playoffs, if only because the safe bet all year has been that the lines will change, and because the duo is so reliable.

Knowing he doesn’t need to be wedded to that option, though, could be key going into the playoffs.

“It definitely helps to build chemistry with the guys you’re playing with,” Holmstrom said. “I think everyone here, we have such a tight group, we can all play together. So I don’t think it makes that big of a difference [to move things around], but takes some time to develop chemistry as well.”

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Saturday was David Rittich’s first career win against the Flames, the team he spent the first five seasons of his career with.

“About time,” Rittich said. “I know my record against them since I left Calgary, it’s not great. It was terrible. So I’m glad I finally got a win against them.”

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The shorthanded Detroit Red Wings appeared headed for another damaging regulation loss on Saturday evening against the Dallas Stars, having registered just eight shots on goal and trailing 2–0 through 40 minutes.

However, what followed was a gutsy comeback effort that, while it did not ultimately result in a victory, is something Detroit can feel good about as they return home.

Goals from Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond knotted the score for the Red Wings in the third period, helping them gain a huge point in the standings.

But they couldn't quite complete the comeback effort, as Stars defenseman Thomas Harley ripped a shot past goaltender John Gibson, giving Dallas a 3-2 overtime win at American Airlines Center. 

Headed home with a point out of this one pic.twitter.com/TTVsrgkWSy

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 15, 2026

The Red Wings are still in the second Wild Card position with 80 points; the Boston Bruins, who defeated the Washington Capitals on Saturday, also have 80 points but are in the first Wild Card spot. 

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

Already playing without Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp, the Red Wings announced on Saturday morning that both Michael Rasmussen and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård would be unavailable. 

However, veteran David Perron made his second debut with Detroit since being re-acquired last week from the Ottawa Senators after being activated from Injured Reserve. 

The Red Wings were rather listless through 40 minutes, as the Stars got goals from both Wyatt Johnston and the newly-acquired Michael Bunting. 

Detroit showed signs of life in the third period, and got a gift when Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger accidentally knocked the puck through his own five-hole while trying to cover up a rebound from Simon Edvinsson's shot a moment earlier. 

Minutes later, with time becoming a factor for Detroit, Lucas Raymond tied the score after he capitalized on a nifty backhand feed from Emmitt Finnie and knocked the puck out of the air into the net. 

The comeback effort fell just short thanks to Harley's overtime goal seconds after Oettinger stopped chances from both Moritz Seider and Marco Kasper.

Gibson finished with 21 saves, while Oettinger stopped 22 shots. 

The Red Wings will return home for critical matchups beginning Monday against the Calgary Flames and then the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

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The Los Angeles Kings (27-24-15) put together a valiant effort in the second period, scoring three goals after trailing 0-2, but came up just short against the New Jersey Devils (33-31-2), falling 6-4 on Saturday. 

Anze Kopitar once again made history today, officially surpassing Marcel Dionne for the most points scored in the Kings' franchise history with 1,308, but still couldn't win the game. 

CROWN HIM 👑

Anze Kopitar passes Marcel Dionne in his final NHL season to become the @LAKings' all-time points leader! pic.twitter.com/X9aiKdctHQ

— NHL (@NHL) March 15, 2026

After trailing in the first period 0-2, the Kings came back in the second period and took a 3-2 lead, looking to be in control heading into the final period. Despite improved defensive and offensive efforts the rest of the way, LA ran out of steam down the stretch. 

LA lost key face-off moments in the clutch and gave up two power-play goals in the closing minutes of the final frame, a recurring problem for them all season. 

Devils Strike Early

It was a hot offensive start for the Devils early on. Devils forward Cody Glass finished a play from the slot after receiving a backhand pass from Arseny Gritsyuk at 12:02, beating Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg for the one-timer shot to give New Jersey a 1-0 lead.

Just over three minutes later, New Jersey extended their lead 2-0, after Nico Hischier finished the rebound, cleaning off the Kings' attempt to get on the boards. The Devils outshot the Kings 14-11 in the opening frame. Despite trailing, Los Angeles was still in it, but was making costly errors. 

Although the Kings were competitive in the period, unforced turnovers and failed clears allowed the Devils to capitalize early. New Jersey to hold their commanding 2-0 lead. 

King's Storm Back

The Kings immediately looked much better on offense and defense to start the second period. 

Five minutes into the period, Anze Kopitar scored for LA on the power play, tying Marcel Dionne's record for most points in Kings history, immediately shifting the momentum to Los Angeles' favor. 

Less than two minutes later, the Kings continued to build on their momentum, this time Artemi Panarin taking it himself, skating around the back of the net and creating open space on the slot to tie the game 2-2. 

LAK Goal - Tie game!

Panarin with a terrific effort, great patience in the offensive zone, buries his shot through traffic. 2-2,.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 15, 2026

Los Angeles continued to play excellent defense in the period, holding the Devils to just four shots. Brandt Clarke provided energy by doing the dirty work, with three assists and three points, including one to Taylor Ward, who scored on a one-timer to give the Kings their first lead. 

The Kings flipped the switch in this period, dominating the second and looking like the much better team after that slow start.

Los Angeles had a chance to extend its lead to 4-2 after a 2-on-1 led by Panarin and Kopitar, but Kopi's shot just rang off the crossbar, and the lead would remain 3-2, ending the second. 

Devils Clutch It Out

The Devils responded very quickly in the final frame, just 25 seconds in after the puck dropped in the third period. Arseni Gritsyuk tied the game 3-3 after a great pass by  Lenni Hämeenah, bringing the Devils back into it. 

Hischier would get it going again, scoring his second goal of the day as the Devils converted on the power play, regaining the lead for New Jersey. The Kings were having trouble again winning faceoffs and stopping the power play. 

NJD Goal - Power-play goal for the Devils puts the hosts ahead with 7:18 on the clock. 4-3.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 15, 2026

But the Kings had one more push, and Kopitar delivered once more, finishing off the assist from Panarin and Clarke to pass the franchise record for most points in Kings history. 

The play was immediately stopped, as the entire Kings bench swarmed the ice for Kopitar, hugging him and congratulating him for making history. 

1,308.

Anze Kopitar is officially the @LAKings all-time leading scorer.

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) March 15, 2026

But all of that didn't mean a thing to the Devils, who weren’t concerned at anything but winning the game.

After a penalty was called against the Kings, the Devils capitalized on another power play, this time from Jack Hughes, who scored at 2:29, restoring New Jersey’s lead at 5-4. 

All the great energy and effort the Kings had built was an afterthought as they looked drained in the final minutes of the final frame. 

Los Angeles tried to get another run, but an empty-net goal scored by the Devils capped off the 6-4 victory for New Jersey, holding off late. 

Key Stats

Kopitar finished with two goals and set the record for the most points scored in the Kings' history. 

Panarin recorded a goal, three points, and two assists, while Clarke contributed three assists in one of his most productive playmaking games of the season.

Not a good loss for the Kings because the San Jose Sharks won today and are now one point ahead of Los Angeles. The Kings had an opportunity to move closer to the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights, but failed to capitalize late. 

The Kings will end their five game road trip on Monday at 4:00 PM PT against the New York Rangers. 

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The Calgary Flames mounted a late push but couldn’t overcome a rough opening period, falling 3–2 to the New York Islanders on Saturday night in Long Island.

The opening frame belonged almost entirely to the Islanders, who jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back. At 10:36 of the first period, Casey Cizikas opened the scoring after battling for the puck along the boards. The veteran forward pulled it free from the corner, circled out from beside the net, and jammed the puck past Flames starter Devin Cooley for his eighth goal of the season to make it 1–0.

New York doubled its lead later in the period. At 16:35, Simon Holmstrom joined the rush and took a feed from newly acquired Brayden Schenn before snapping a shot past Cooley. The goal, Holmstrom’s 15th of the season, gave the Islanders a 2–0 advantage.

The Islanders weren’t done there. Late in the period, while shorthanded, Jean‑Gabriel Pageau moved the puck ahead to Holmstrom, who was driving up the ice. Holmstrom slipped the puck through Cooley’s five-hole at 19:35, giving New York a commanding 3–0 lead heading into the intermission.

The Flames made a change to start the second period, bringing in Dustin Wolf in relief of Cooley. The move helped stabilize Calgary defensively as the Flames tightened things up and prevented further damage.

Despite generating a few chances, neither team found the back of the net in the middle frame, leaving the Flames with a three-goal deficit heading into the third period.

Calgary finally broke through early in the third.

Kevin Bahl helped start the play before Olli Maatta fired a shot toward the net. Flames captain Mikael Backlund got a piece of it in front, tipping the puck past David Rittich to spoil the shutout bid and cut the lead to 3–1.

Calgary kept pushing, and midway through the period they pulled even closer. Yan Kuznetsov sent a pass ahead to Blake Coleman, who streaked in from the blue line. Coleman protected the puck beautifully, moving from backhand to forehand before sliding it past Rittich to make it 3–2.

The Flames pressed for the equalizer late, but the Islanders held on to secure the win.

Three Takeaways

1. Backlund Climbs the Record Book

Backlund’s goal was the 230th of his career and his 15th of the season, moving the Flames captain into fourth place on Calgary’s all-time goals list.

2. Slow Start Costly

The first period proved decisive. Calgary was outplayed early and forced to chase the game after surrendering three goals, including one shorthanded.

3. Veteran Leadership Sparked the Comeback

Backlund and Coleman led the Flames’ third-period push, providing both goals and driving the offensive pressure as Calgary attempted to erase the deficit.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes scored the go-ahead goal with 2:29 to play and Jake Allen made 27 saves as the New Jersey Devils edged the Los Angeles Kings 6-4 on Saturday night.

Hughes put the Devils ahead 5-4 in the seesaw game with a power-play goal. Nico Hischier scored twice and Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier — with a last minute empty-netter — also scored.

Anze Kopitar scored twice for Los Angeles — to establish a Kings franchise points record — and Artemi Panarin and Taylor Ward also scored.

Ward had put the Kings ahead 3-2 at 11:43 of the middle period after Kopitar and Panarin scored in less than two minutes as Los Angeles battled back from an early 2-0 deficit.

But Gritsyuk tied the contest just 25 seconds into the third.

Hischier’s second goal put New Jersey ahead at 12:42 of the third before Kopitar scored to tie it again.

Glass scored his career-best 15th goal at 7:56 of the first, beating Anton Forsberg with a fluttering shot. Hischier made it 2-0 at 11:04. Forsberg had 22 saves.

Kopitar scored at 4:15 of the second to narrow the deficit to 2-1.

With his second of the game, the 38-year-old Slovenian forward has 450 career goals and 858 career assists for 1,308 points, moving him ahead of Marcel Dionne. Dionne scored 550 goals with Los Angeles. Luc Robitaille leads with 557.

The Kings captain and a two-time Stanley Cup winner said he will retire after this season.

Panarin tied the contest at 2-2 at 6:03 with his third goal since he was acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 4.

Los Angeles is battling San Jose, Seattle and Nashville for the last Western Conference playoff berth.

Up Next

Devils: Host the Boston Bruins on Monday night.

Kings: Visit the New York Rangers on Monday night to conclude five-game road trip.

NEW YORK (AP) — Simon Holmstrom scored twice and the New York Islanders raced to an early lead and held on to beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Saturday.

Casey Cizikas also scored for New York and David Rittich made 30 saves as the Islanders won for the third time in four games.

Mikael Backund and Blake Coleman scored for Calgary, which slipped to 2-5-1 in its last eight games. Devin Cooley started in the net for the Flames and allowed three goals on 10 shots in the first period. Dustin Wolf replaced Cooley to start the second period and finished with 17 saves.

Holmstrom gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead with his first goal of the game when he collected a pass from Luke Schenn and scored on a shot over Cooley’s blocker at 16:35 of the first. It was Schenn’s first assist at UBS Arena since being acquired by the Islanders from St. Louis at the trade deadline.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau set up Holmstrom for a short-handed goal in the final minute of the first period, extending the Islanders’ lead to 3-0.

Backlund and Coleman scored during a 6:11 stretch of the third period to pull Calgary within a goal.

Up next

Flames: At Detroit on Monday in the finale of a five-game trip.

Islanders: Open a three-game trip at Toronto on Tuesday.

The Carolina Hurricanes are back in the win column thanks to a 4-2 Saturday night win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It was as good of a road game as you can hope for against one of the league's best, as the Hurricanes did a really strong job of locking things down defensively and pushing play the other way.

The Canes outshot the Bolts 35-19 overall, while also outchancing them 54-30 at 5v5.

The victory was also special as it came on Rod Brind'Amour's 600th career game behind the bench. He's coached all them with the Carolina Hurricanes and he also holds the record for the most wins by a head coach in their first 600 games (367).

Carolina struck first in rapid fashion as Andrei Svechnikov was sprung on a breakaway. While the Russian winger didn't convert on that chance, he drew a call and on the delayed penalty sequence, Sebastian Aho found Svechnikov in the slot for the go-ahead goal.

"That goal to start the game, it just set the tone," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "That was a tough game out there and I thought everyone really contributed. That's how we win. It was special plays here and there from every line and that's how we got to get it done."

That first period was also probably one of the more chaotic we've seen too as after that Svechnikov goal, we had three separate penalty kills, a few big hits, Seth Jarvis fought Zemgus Girgensons (his first NHL tilt), and then to cap it all off, the Canes scored again in the final minutes of the period.

It was almost a carbon copy of the first goal, but just reversed, as Aho was stopped on a breakaway by Andrei Vasilevskiy, but then Svechnikov found the loose puck off the rebound and fed Aho at the backdoor for the immediate response. 

Things looked pretty good for Carolina heading into the second period, but as has been the case over the last few games, the second frame was not very kind to them.

It's not like the Hurricanes were bad by any means in the second though. Sure, the Lightning were certainly generating a bit more zone time in the middle period, but their best chances came off of two broken plays caused by an overaggressive move by the Hurricanes' defense.

The first goal against came at the hands of a Yanni Gourde partial breakaway after the Canes got caught a little too high in the offensive zone and then less than two minutes later, the Lightning struck twice to tie the game after they sprung themselves on a 3-on-1.

Yes, Carolina has certainly had problems in second periods as of late, but this was more so a couple of bad breaks rather than the team not playing well.

And the Hurricanes got right back to it in the third period as they put their foot down on the gas. Carolina kept coming in waves, but it was a Jordan Martinook sling from the half-wall that wound up catching Vasilevskiy, who played a tremendous game for Tampa Bay, a bit unaware.

The Canes kept up the pressure from there, and although the Lightning didn't get too many chances, there were still a few close calls, with Sean Walker having to make a tremendous kick save with Brandon Hagel having basically an empty net and Frederik Andersen also shutting the door a few times on Nikita Kucherov.

"That was the one shift in the third where we were in one,' Brind'Amour said. "Freddie made a big save and then it was a tap-in, empty netter and Walks... You're never out of a play. That's what we always say and it's the old kick save and a beauty. We'll take it."

 "A couple of huge blocks by the guys in front," Andersen said. "Chatty had a good one in the first and then obviously Walks on that late on right before we scored."

But eventually, Logan Stankoven would hit the empty netter to carry the team through that final Lightning push.

"I thought we were really good," Brind'Amour said. "Had a couple mistakes that they ended up capitalizing on, but really, I felt that throughout the game we were solid. A couple of big saves, a couple of special plays from guys. Overall, a great effort."

The win also gives the Hurricanes a tie-breaker advantage over Tampa Bay, as they now hold the head-to-head matchup edge (2 wins: 1 loss).

The NHL tiebreaker format goes points, regulation wins, total wins and then head-to-head, so it would take some things breaking a certain way, but nonetheless, it's a good card to hold.

Carolina will continue to road trip with a stop in Columbus on Tuesday.

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The Islanders wanted to start strong.

They wanted to take a lead and play with a lead.

They wanted to stop digging themselves a hole in the first period, something they’d done in seven of their first eight games following the Olympic break.

Check, check and check on Saturday night, when a 3-0 first period powered a 3-2 win over the Flames at UBS Arena.

It remains to be seen if they can keep it up Tuesday night in Toronto, but here was proof positive that the Islanders can do plenty in the first period.

“We had a really good first period,” coach Patrick Roy said. “We had good jump. … Was pretty pleased with the way we came out. Part of what we talked [about] before the game, we want to have a good start, and we had the good start we were looking for.”

The playing with a lead bit, admittedly, may need some work, as the Islanders let Calgary back into the game in a third that got way too close for comfort.

Dustin Wolf, who relieved Devin Cooley after the latter coughed up a three-goal first, was simply excellent for Calgary, giving the Flames a chance to come back.

The warning signs started to blare 2:17 into the third, when Mikael Backlund tipped in Olli Maatta’s shot to make it 3-1.

Wolf pulled out a showstopper on Cal Ritchie shortly thereafter — his second terrific save off a rebound after robbing Matthew Schaefer late in the second — to keep it that way.

Then at the 8:28 mark, Blake Coleman took advantage of a poorly timed change to cut the lead to 3-2.

The Flames didn’t let up from there.

The Islanders successfully defended their lead in the end, but it would be hard to claim they played a good 60 minutes.

It took everything, right down to David Rittich’s 30th and final save of the night on Zayne Parekh with 17 seconds to go, to keep the Islanders from being on the wrong end of the comeback effort.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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“It’s a combination of everything,” Brayden Schenn told The Post. “We’re on a back-to-back, they’re fresh, they’re coming at us. That side of it. But I think we can manage the puck a little bit better. Put pucks to the goal line. Wear them down. Don’t let them keep on coming at us in waves. So that’s something we have to clean up.”

With that caveat, Saturday had plenty of good, starting with proof that Simon Holmstrom does not need Jean-Gabriel Pageau centering him to impact the game at a high level.

Coach Patrick Roy finally broke up the duo that had played all but two games together since Jan. 6, usually on the third line with Anders Lee, to put Holmstrom on the right side of Schenn on Saturday, with Anthony Duclair back in to complete the second line.

That allowed Ritchie to go to the third line with Lee and Pageau, while Ondrej Palat played on the fourth line, where he finished Friday’s loss to the Kings, with Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean.

The almost innate chemistry Holmstrom has with Pageau has always been the implicit argument against this sort of move.

Schenn, though, is not too dissimilar of a player to Pageau, and found himself in the sort of spot Pageau often is at 16:35 of the first: feeding Holmstrom on the rush for a goal that made it 2-0 Islanders.

Holmstrom got on the board again just a few minutes later, this one shorthanded and — as per usual — from Pageau after the latter had started the rush when Yegor Sharangovich fumbled a puck.

“It certainly gives us four very good lines, having [Holmstrom] playing with Schenn,” Roy said. “I thought that was giving us scoring from that line, A, and then, B, feeling comfortable that they could defend very well. And that’s what they did.”

The pair of late goals belied a first period in which the Islanders had played excellent hockey, and in which the aforementioned lineup changes paid dividends.

Cizikas jammed one in at the front of the net to open the scoring 10:06 in, and all four lines — including the Emil Heineman, Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal trio that had accounted for both goals Friday night and was unchanged from the second half of that game — had it rolling.

“Casey’s line, they really got us going,” Holmstrom said, echoing the sentiment around the room.

The win ensured the Islanders would end the night no worse than third in the Metropolitan Division, though the exact placement depended on the Penguins’ result against Utah in Salt Lake City.

Scoreboard watching, of course, is much less stressful when the Islanders take care of business adequately.

It was thanks to their start that they did just that.

Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar will retire after this season as the team's all-time leading scorer.

He scored career points No. 1,307 and 1,308 on Saturday, March 14, to move past Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne's team record.

Dionne was a fixture on the Triple Crown line of the 1970s and 1980s and scored 1,307 points in 921 games in Los Angeles between stints with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.

Kopitar, drafted No. 11 overall in 2005, has been with the Kings his entire career and achieved the feat in 1,505 games. He helped Los Angeles win Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014 and has been captain since the 2016-17 season.

The Slovenia native tied Dionne with a power play goal in the second period against the New Jersey Devils and broke the team record with another power play goal in the third period. Teammates poured onto the ice to congratulate him.

ANZE KOPITAR IS NOW THE ALL TIME LEADING SCORER IN LA KINGS HISTORY 👑

1,308 POINTS PASSING DIONNE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/frpFknknt8

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 15, 2026

Kopitar said during training camp that he would retire after the 2025-26 season. He said he was announcing that early so it wouldn't be a distraction if the team were in the playoff hunt.

The Kings entered Saturday's game holding the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the San Jose Sharks moved one point ahead with a victory and the Kings' 6-4 loss.

If the Kings make the playoffs, Kopitar also has a chance to set team playoff records. He trails Wayne Gretzky by two goals, three assists and five points.

Anze Kopitar, Marcel Dionne stats with Kings

Games: Kopitar 1,505; Dionne 921

Goals: Dionne 558; Kopitar 450

Assists: Kopitar 858; Dionne 757

Points: Kopitar 1,308; Dionne 1,307

Even strength points: Dionne 828; Kopitar 825

Power play points: Dionne 461; Kopitar 455

Busy season for records

This has been a busy season for career records. The Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele passed Blake Wheeler, the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby passed Mario Lemieux and the Detroit Red Wings' Patrick Kane passed Mike Modano to become the top U.S.-born scorer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anze Kopitar passes Marcel Dionne, becomes Kings' top all-time scorer