Category: NHL

NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves for his NHL-leading seventh shutout of the season, Bo Horvat scored the only goal on the first shot of the game and the New York Islanders moved back into a playoff spot with a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.

Sorokin bounced back a night after he allowed six goals on 32 shots before being pulled in New York’s 7-3 loss at Montreal. The shutout was his franchise-record 29th and Sorokin tied his single-season high set in 2021-22.

Horvat scored 1:25 into the game, taking a pass from Anders Lee and beating Jet Greaves with a snap shot. It was the earliest goal scored in an Islanders 1-0 victory in franchise history.

The Islanders snapped a two-game skid that knocked them briefly out of a playoff spot. With 85 points, they’re in the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference and tied with the Blue Jackets. Columbus is in third place in the Metropolitan Division because it has played one fewer game than New York.

Greaves finished with 21 saves for Columbus, which had its four-game winning streak and 12-game points streak stopped.

Lee appeared to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead with 7:54 remaining, but Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness challenged the goal and the call was overturned on video review when it was ruled that Lee interfered with Greaves.

Shortly after the Islanders’ goal was waved off, Sorokin made saves on in-close attempts by Cole Sillinger and Kirill Marchenko.

The Blue Jackets pulled Greaves with just over two minutes left, but Sorokin — who had 13 saves in the third period — and the Islanders held on.

Up next

Blue Jackets: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

Islanders: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

NEW YORK (AP) — Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer has been suspended three games for shoving Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary into the boards from behind.

The NHL announced the punishment on Sunday.

The play occurred 11:11 into the third period of Florida's 4-1 loss at Calgary on Friday night. The 29-year-old Greer was assessed a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct.

Greer has a career-high 13 goals and 24 points in 68 games this season. He will miss games against Seattle, Minnesota and the New York Islanders, and he forfeits $13,281.24 in salary that goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Winnipeg Jets snapped their three-game losing skid Sunday night, defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout to keep their playoff hopes alive.

It was a standout performance from Gabe Vilardi, who recorded a multi-point night and continued his strong season. Vilardi scored his 27th goal of the year on the power play, tying his previous career high, and added an assist on Winnipeg’s opening goal. His offensive contributions proved critical in a tightly contested game.

Jets captain Adam Lowry also delivered a bounce-back performance, opening the scoring in the first period with his fifth goal of the season to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead.

The Rangers responded later in the game, with depth forward Tye Kartye scoring his sixth goal of the season off an assist from New York captain J.T. Miller.

Vilardi restored Winnipeg’s lead early in the second period with his power-play goal, making it 2-1. New York answered again before the end of the period, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity to tie the game 2-2 heading into the third.

Both teams leaned on strong goaltending from unexpected sources as Winnipeg backup Eric Comrie made 27 saves, while Rangers netminder Dylan Garand impressed in his first career NHL start. Garand made 35 saves and allowed just one goal at even strength, helping keep New York in the game.

After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout, where Kyle Connor scored the winner to secure the victory for Winnipeg.

The win comes at a crucial time for the Jets with 12 games remaining, they sit five points out of a playoff spot and must surpass four teams in the standings. The Colorado Avalanche are currently the only team to have clinched a postseason berth, leaving the rest of the race wide open.

Winnipeg returns to action Tuesday at home against the Vegas Golden Knights and will need to stay hot to keep their playoff chances alive.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have assigned forward Ville Koivunen to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Koivunen was called back up to the Penguins' NHL roster earlier this month, but with this news, he is now heading back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 33 games this season with Pittsburgh, the 22-year-old forward has recorded two goals, five assists, seven points, and a minus-5 rating. 

Koivunen will now be looking to continue to make an impact now that he is back with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 29 games with the AHL squad this campaign, he has 11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points, and a plus-7 rating.

In 41 career NHL games over two seasons with Pittsburgh, he has recorded two goals, 12 assists, 14 points, and 14 penalty minutes. 

The Florida Panthers are going to be without another one of their regular forwards for the next several games.

Unlike the majority of their roster absences this season, this one will not be due to an injury.

Greer was suspended by the NHL Department of Player Safety for three games on Sunday.

An official explanation from the NHL can be found by clicking here.

The discipline stems from a hit by Greer on Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary during Friday’s 4-1 victory over the Panthers.

During the third period, with Calgary holding a 2-1 lead, Greer was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding after he pushed Zary into the boards head-first.

You can check out the hit in the X post below:

Connor Zary leaves the game following a hit from A.J. Greer pic.twitter.com/8JVCrVp0hb

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2026

The Greer-less Panthers will be back in action on Tuesday they host the first of their final three homestands of the season, all of which are a whole two games in length.

This one will feature Florida hosting the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday and the Minnesota Wild Thursday.

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Photo caption: Oct 2, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Nashville Predators in matinee hockey at the United Center on Saturday. The Blackhawks came into this game looking to rebound from a bad loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

The Predators entered Sunday above the playoff line. The Blackhawks had a chance to play spoiler for one of their top Central Division rivals. 

The Blackhawks played an okay first period, but there was no scoring for either side. The big story from the opening frame is Matt Grzelcyk’s injury, which took him out of the game. 

Nick Lardis got the Hawks on the board in the second with his 6th goal of the season. He was allowed to start a game in the top six, and he rewarded the coaches for it. 

Just over two minutes of game clock later, Nashville tied the game. Filip Forsberg scored his 31st to even things up for his team. 

The Blackhawks did reach the second intermission with a lead, as Connor Bedard scored his 29th of the season to put them up 2-1. He found himself on a breakaway, and he made a beautiful move to beat Juuse Saros. 

In the third period, Steven Stamkos tied things up again. Once again, the Blackhawks had a chance to put a game against a good team away, but they weren’t able to hang on to a late lead. Overtime was required with a 2-2 tie.

In the extra frame, Filip Forsberg took advantage of Andre Burakovsky behind the Blackhawks’ net. Once Forsberg stole the puck, he made a nice play to beat Spencer Knight and won it in overtime with his second of the game. 

After the game was over, Jeff Blashill confirmed that Matt Grzelcyk would miss the four-game road trip on the East Coast. He said that it is TBD beyond that. 

March has mostly been good to the young Blackhawks, but finishing off some of these potential wins has been an issue all season. There will be emphasis on fixing this as they head into the 2026-27 season. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

the goal, the replay, the celly… we’ve got it all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XRcwCZLcSO

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 22, 2026

SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT #98❤️ pic.twitter.com/z0FkXKS0gZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 22, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action again on Tuesday night when they head east to take on the New York Islanders, the first of the aforementioned four-game road trip. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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The Rangers may have found something in Tye Kartye.

Over his first 12 games with the Blueshirts, Kartye has racked up three goals and five assists for eight points since the organization plucked him off the waiver wire from the Kraken toward the end of February.

The game-tying goal he scored 41 seconds into the second period of Sunday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Jets counted as the 22nd of his career.

Kartye has already matched his production through his first 40 games of the season with the Kraken.

“Just his speed,” captain J.T. Miller said of what’s impressed him the most since teaming up with Kartye on a line. “I like playing with guys like that, that are relentless and a very good forechecker. Backs the D off, even if he doesn’t have the puck, he’s backing him off because he’s slashing out or whatever. It’s a simple game. I like playing with him and [Conor Sheary].

“Like when we get chances, try to play below the hash marks and grind the game down. Don’t make it too difficult on ourselves. Tye had a big game today. He was a big part of the success we had.”

He’s primarily skated in the middle six since coming to New York, but has skated on the wing of Miller and Sheary in the past couple of games.

Head coach Mike Sullivan has also worked him into the penalty-killing rotation, in which he has averaged 1:20 of short-handed ice time per game.

The PK ultimately fended off three of four power-play opportunities Sunday.

“I think Tye’s played great for us,” Sullivan said of the undrafted forward, who has 48 points in 191 career NHL games. “He’s a great kid, first and foremost. He brings great energy to the rink. He loves hockey. He loves to be on the ice. He loves to practice. He’s enthusiastic, and I think that energy is contagious. He can really skate. The one thing that jumps out to me is his puck-pursuit game, the offensive zone, just hunting pucks and hunting down defensemen and taking their time and space away. I think he creates opportunity for him and his linemates when he does it. And he’s a pretty conscientious guy defensively. He has a good stick. He’s willing to block shots…I think he’s been a welcomed addition to our lineup.”

The day after signing his three-year entry level contract, Drew Fortescue watched the Rangers take on the Jets from the MSG press box Sunday afternoon.

Considering the Rangers play another game against the Senators on Monday night, the expectation is Fortescue will get at least one practice with the team before making his NHL debut. The Rangers are scheduled to be off Tuesday following the back-to-back slate, so Fortescue’s first practice likely won’t be until after the team plays the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Wednesday.

His NHL debut could be Friday against the Blackhawks.

“I would envision him playing some games here moving forward and we’re excited to work with him,” Sullivan said after the loss Sunday.

The Rangers were pleased with how it worked out with Gabe Perreault last season, when the organization signed the young wing right after his season at Boston College ended and had him report to New York.

So much so that they wanted to do the same with Fortescue, who will also burn a year of his ELC by coming straight to Manhattan.

Had the Rangers not signed him this season, Fortescue would’ve only been eligible for a two-year deal after next season.

By signing him now, the Rangers get Fortescue into the system sooner and set him up to be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2028.

The Rangers are back in game action Monday night, when they welcome the Ottawa Senators to Madison Square Garden.

To say that Ottawa Senators winger Michael Amadio has been a model of consistency in his NHL career would be a major understatement. As an example, Amadio has posted exactly 27 points in each of the past three seasons.

But this year is now officially a career year.

Just a few weeks shy of his 30th birthday, Amadio marked the occasion early by hitting the 30-point plateau and scoring a huge third-period goal in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Amadio is in year two of a three-year contract with the Senators, and for a player who can be trusted in all situations, his $2.6 million salary is outrageously team-friendly.

Tim Stützle is among his admirers. When asked about him, Stützle quickly recalled Amadio's first go-around in Ottawa near the end of the 2020–21 season. The Senators acquired him from Los Angeles for defenceman Christian Wolanin almost exactly five years ago (March 29), when Stützle was closing out his rookie season.

“Nothing against the (former) management, but (Amadio) was a pretty good player, and we traded him away," Stutzle told the media.

“I was able to play on his line when he came in. We actually had a really good game, and then the next day he was traded. So I was really excited for him coming back (in 2024).

“And he's really underrated. In my opinion, he has one of the best sticks in the league, killing penalties, too... playing in every situation. I think just the space he creates for his teammates, it’s been awesome to see, and I think that line has been going really well.”

Amadio was Nick Paul's junior teammate for three seasons as they helped lead the Brampton/North Bay Battalion, and he's brought the same kind of no-frills reliability that Paul had here in his last couple of years before Ottawa shipped him to Tampa Bay.

Coaches love reliability.

It’s often said the very best way to know what a head coach thinks of a player is not to directly ask him, but to check his ice time. As the Senators took down the New York Islanders in a crucial 3-2 win on Thursday night, the Sault Ste. Marie native led all Senators forwards with 20:13.

But just to be on the safe side, the Ottawa media directly asked Travis Green what he thinks about Amadio.

“Yeah, Ammo’s one of those players. He just quietly brings a good game a lot of nights. He’s very smart. He’s got a real good stick, he can intercept passes well, and he’s got good hockey sense.

“He’s a nice player for us to have for sure.”

Amadio wasn't actually traded away by the Sens in 2021, so it didn't go down exactly as Stutzle described. Former GM Pierre Dorion just opted not to qualify him that summer, and Amadio eventually signed with the Leafs.

Toronto placed him on waivers in the first month, when he was snapped up by Vegas, where he eventually won a Stanley Cup in 2023. The following year, Ottawa signed him to the biggest deal of his career, a three-year pact worth $7.8 million.

Five years ago, under previous management, it's safe to say the Senators didn't know what they had. But today, in their fierce battle for a playoff spot, they'll take all the Ammo they can get. 

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

The Ducks have signed Herman Träff, the prospect to a three-year entry level contract beginning in 2026-27. Träff will join the San Diego Gulls in the AHL for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Träff was acquired by the Ducks last season when they sent Brian Dumoulin to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline. Playing for HV71 in the SHL at the time, Träff finished out the 2024-25 season with HV71 before signing a one-year deal with Oskarshamn in the HockeyAllsvenskan this past summer.

“I just feel like I’m gonna be at the place now (where I need to) play much, get more ice time and do my thing,” Träff said at Ducks development camp this past July. “I think it’s going to be good, in Oskarshamn, to do that. We will see. It feels good, and I’m ready for it.”

“He’s a big kid who has some nice skill,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said of Träff in his 2025 post-trade deadline conference call. “He has hockey sense. He plays with an edge and he’s a big kid. And I like that. He’s got an aggressive attitude when it comes to his physical game. Another piece that we can kind of look at to add to this team in the future.”

With Oskarshamn, Träff was able to utilize his shot more than he had before, becoming a power play weapon on the left flank and reaching the 20-goal mark for the first time in his juniors career.

Träff describes himself as a power forward who likes to shoot the puck and throw the body around. At 6-foot-3, he can certainly use his size to his advantage. The next step in his development, Träff says, is to be more direct when attacking.

“Sometimes, I can circle around (the offensive zone) a bit (too) much. I know the hockey they play here (in North America), it’s more against the net.”

The AHL is just the right place to hone in on that, with the style of play often being chaotic and resulting in several goalmouth scrambles every game. It will likely be a couple of seasons in the minors for Träff before he's ready to make the transition to the NHL, but his development path looks promising.

The Kings are on the second game of their back-to-back; they dropped their first game to the Buffalo Sabres 4-1. The Kings scored the first goal halfway through the first period, but after that, it was all Buffalo, as they scored 4 unanswered goals. The Kings have fallen out of a playoff spot, and with the Predators winning today, they are once again 3 points out. The Mammoth are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, so they will be looking to bounce back. 

Projected Kings Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

Alex Turcotte - Scott Laughton - Joel Armia

Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Mathieu Joseph

Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Darcy Kuemper

Anton Forsberg

Projected Mammoth Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Mammoth tonight: 

Clayton Keller - Nick Schmaltz - Lawson Crouse

JJ Peterka - Logan Cooley - Dylan Guenther

Jack McBain - Barrett Hayton - Michael Carcone

Alexander Kerfoot - Kevin Stenlund - Kailer Yamamoto

Mikhail Sergachev - MacKenzie Weegar

Nate Schmidt - John Marino

Ian Cole - Sean Durzi

Karel Vejmelka

Vitek Vanecek

Injuries and Line Changes 

The Kings did not have a morning skate since they played yesterday. The Kings have scratched Jacob Moverare, Taylor Ward, Jared Wright and are still without Andrei Kuzmenko due to injury. The Mammoth are dressing the same 18 skaters they used in the loss against the Anaheim Ducks. 

Key Factors 

The Kings are in must-win mode, with only 13 games left this season. With them currently 3 points back, they need to make up ground, and this game is a great time to start. The Kings need to protect the lead when they have it and stay in the driver's seat. 

The Kings have also allowed 9 goals in their last 3 games, and that needs to change. This team has been solid defensively throughout the season, and they need to get back to that. As with Panarin, the offence has been better, but the Kings need to play better defensively. 

The Kings are likely to start Darcy Kuemper, and the Mammoth are likely to start Karel Vejmelka, so the goaltending matchup is a big one in tonight's matchup. The Kings have been relying on the Panarin-Kempe duo, and while that has been working well, the depth forwards have to start producing for the Kings. 

If the Kings can play stronger defence and get that depth scoring, they can capitalize on more mistakes, and with the Mammoth being a younger team, the Kings can use that to their advantage.

Overall, the Kings need to win this game to stay within a point of the last wildcard spot. My prediction for tonight's matchup is a 3-1 Kings win. 

Filip Forsberg netted his third game-winning goal of the season in the Nashville Predators' 3-2 overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday at the United Center. 

The Predators are riding their longest winning streak of the season at four games, rattling off wins over Winnipeg, Seattle, Vegas and Chicago. 

Nashville now has a two-game lead on the Los Angeles Kings for the Wild Card 2 spot. with 75 points. Even if the Kings defeat the Mammoth on Sunday, they will still be a point behind the Predators. 

On the goal, Forsberg shoved Andre Burakovsky off the puck behind the Chicago net and pulled around front. From the right side of Spencer Knight, Forsberg beat him on the left corner for the win. 

It's Forsberg's 32nd goal of the season, nine points in four games. He finished with three points (two goals and an assist) against the Blackhawks. 

FILIP FORSBERG HAVE YOURSELF A DAY pic.twitter.com/mgR5tzPvyE

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 22, 2026

Juuse Saros returned to the lineup after missing the past two games with an upper-body injury. He made 26 saves on 28 shots for his 25th win of the season. 

The first period was scoreless before Nick Lardis put the Blackhawks ahead early in the second. 

Nashville responded off Forsberg's first goal of the game. He got a feed from Jonathan Marchessault into the slot and Forsberg on a snap shot. Marchessault's assist was his third point in three games. 

Connor Bedard gave the Blackhawks the lead back in the second period off his 29th goal of the season. 

Steven Stamkos tied the game in the third period, redirecting a feed from Forsberg into the net. Stamkos now has five points in the last three games. 

The Predators head back home on Tuesday to take on the San Jose Sharks, who trail Nashville by five points in the standings. 

Dylan Garand held his own in his NHL debut on Sunday afternoon, which ended in a New York Rangers’ 3-2 shootout loss against the Winnipeg Jets.

This day was a long time coming as Garand was drafted in the fourth round by the Rangers back in 2020 and has spent the past four seasons playing in the American Hockey League for the Hartford Wolf Pack. 

“I think there are a lot of goalies that get rushed into the NHL, first or second year pro, not that many games under your belt, and things like that,” Garand said. “Sometimes that hurts your career. For me, I've played a lot of American League games, and, yeah, I think it's made me more ready for today. Didn’t rush my development. Definitely leaned on all of that experience for sure.”

On Wednesday night, after the Wolf Pack’s 5-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers, Garand was informed that not only would he be called up to the NHL, but he was also slated to start on Sunday. 

The 23-year-old goaltender’s mind was consumed by what would transpire once he touched the ice at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

“I found out after a game last Wednesday that I was gonna play on Sunday, so I just was kind of thinking all day, every day for the last four days,” Garand confessed. 

Garand secured tickets for his mom, dad, stepmom, and goalie coach from his days with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League.

Garand flashed off his potential, recording a total of 35 saves on 37 shots, while making timely stops, especially down the stretch in the third period. 

He was poised, looking steady and calm behind the pipes, and he did not appear to be flustered by the moment. 

Despite giving up two goals on Winnipeg’s two attempts in the shootout, Mike Sullivan was pleased with Garand’s performance.

“He obviously was terrific,” Sullivan said of Garand. “He looked really solid, calm demeanor there, track pucks well, rebound control was great. He made some big saves for us. I thought he had a really strong game.”

In the grand scheme of things, the score in Sunday afternoon’s game was meaningless compared to the magnitude of this day for Garand and his family. 

The young goaltender has had to overcome a long journey filled with highs and lows to get to this point, waiting patiently in the AHL for years before this opportunity to play in the NHL finally came around.

Dylan Garand Ready For Long-Awaited NHL Debut Dylan Garand is set to make his NHL debut for the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets.

“I've kind of been waiting to make my NHL debut my whole life… I don't even remember the last time I didn't want to be a hockey player. It’s my life’s dream,” Garand said. “It's pretty cool to accomplish that. Hopefully it’s just the beginning, but yeah, it's a dream come true for sure. It’s an awesome experience, and I’m glad my family is here for it too.”

With Jonathan Quick’s contract ending at the end of the 2025-26 season and his future in the NHL still uncertain past this year, the Rangers' backup goaltending position behind Igor Shesterkin could very much be up for grabs. 

Garand’s NHL debut showed that he’s capable of slotting into that backup role if the opportunity is presented to him.

It was another very early Sunday matinee affair as the Colorado Avalanche briefly visited the Nation’s Capital on their east coast swing to take on the Washington Capitals. It wasn’t pretty but Colorado woke from their slumber in the third period and survived until overtime to take home the 3-2 win and maintain a five-point lead in the Central division race.

One welcome surprise was the return of the captain to the lineup as Gabe Landeskog was deemed sufficiently recovered from his “uncomfortable” lower-body injury.

The Game

The visitors must have still been on mountain time because it was a sleepy start for the Avalanche. They only mustered six shots on goal in the first period and gave the Capitals the first score of the game. Washington super rookie Justin Sourdif converted on a breakaway on a defensive miscue by Val Nichushkin and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Truly nothing happened in the second period as the teams traded unsuccessful power plays. The Avalanche put up eight shots on goal this frame and looked a little bit more dangerous but still nothing on the scoreboard. After 40 minutes of play Washington continued to hold on to their one-goal lead.

In the third period Colorado decided it was finally time to win the game. Early into the frame Gabe Landeskog took advantage of a Logan Thompson miscue as the netminder misplayed the puck after vacating the crease and Gabe Landeskog an open cage to shoot at to tie the game. Then by the midpoint Colorado took the lead as Zakhar Bardakov found Nic Roy open in the slot to put the Avalanche up 2-1.

After that Colorado was almost ready to lock it down and sneak out of town with a win but the great Alex Ovechkin did what he does best and sniped a power play goal to tie the game 2-2 with five minutes remaining. It was his milestone 1000th career goal combining regular season and playoffs.

Back to the task at hand, both teams managed to get the game to overtime. There it didn’t take long as Matin Nečas found his legs and wouldn’t give up the puck. After several tries he found Brock Nelson open for the tip-in and secured the 3-2 Colorado win.

Takeaways

With Landeskog back in the lineup and hopefully some other injured forwards making their return soon it will be interesting to see how the lines are constructed for the remainder of the regular season. In today’s game Nichushkin started on the top line but he clearly did not have his best game and eventually Landeskog found his way up the lineup. Considering that’s how Colorado’s first goal was scored it will probably remain that way for now.

Also it’s worth monitoring how the bottom six shakes out because it seems Jared Bednar is keen to keep the trio of Parker Kelly-Jack Drury-Joel Kiviranta together. This means Nic Roy was on the fourth line with Gavin Brindley and Zakhar Bardakov, who will surely get replaced with returning veterans soon.

Upcoming

A rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins to avenge the ugly 7-2 loss from a week ago. Puck drop is at 5 p.m. MT on Tuesday, March 24th.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have already gotten a lot of value out of the first round in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, as 11th overall pick Ben Kindel has been an unexpected yet integral part of the NHL team's success this season.

And it appears that another one of their three first-round selections last summer is knocking on the door, too.

On Sunday, the Penguins signed 22nd overall pick Bill Zonnon to a three-year, entry-level contract. The contract begins in the 2026-27 and will run thorugh the 2028-29 season, as Zonnon will be ineligible for participation in junior hockey next season and will join the Penguins' organization.

Zonnon, 19, dealt with two separate injuries in his fourth QMJHL season, this one with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada - one right from the gate in training camp and beyond and one later in the season. In 35 games, he put up 13 goals and 46 points to go along with a plus-24. 

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound center plays a hard two-way game, using his hockey IQ, physicality, forechecking, and playmaking acumen to his advantage. His team will face the Victoriaville Tigres - junior team of Penguins' goaltending prospect Gabriel D'Aigle, who also just signed his entry-level contract on Saturday - in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs.

Penguins Sign Big Goalie Prospect To Entry-Level DealThe Penguins have signed one of their goalie prospects.

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