Flyers beat the Sharks 4-1 to complete a three-game West Coast sweep
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Christian Dvorak scored a tiebreaking goal early in the third period and added an assist, Dan Vladar made 24 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Saturday to complete a three-game West Coast sweep.
Owen Tippett scored in the second period and defenseman Travis Sanheim and Noah Cates added empty-net goals in the final two minutes as the Flyers won their third straight and for the fifth time in six games. Philly was coming off a 3-2 overtime win over Anaheim on Wednesday and 4-3 shootout victory over Los Angeles on Thursday. The Flyers completed a California sweep for the second time in franchise history and extended their road winning streak to seven games.
Dmitry Orlov scored for San Jose, which lost its fourth in a row and for the seventh time in nine games. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots.
After a scoreless first period, Tippett got the Flyers on the board with his 24th of the season 2:26 into the second. Tippett took a pass from Trevor Zegras, got past the Sharks' Nick Leddy and beat Nedeljkovic with a shot to the glove side.
Orlov evened the score with his third of the season on a power play at 13:12 with a shot from the slot off a feed from William Eklund. Macklin Celebrini also assisted.
Dvorak put the Flyers ahead 1:47 into the third, scoring on the power play after San Jose's Mario Ferraro was sent off for roughing. The assists went to Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov, who picked up the 100th point of his NHL career.
The Sharks pulled Nedeljkovic late and the Flyers capitalized. Sanheim scored his eighth of the season and Cates netted his 15th, matching his career high of 38 points set in 2022-23 when he had 13 goals and 25 assists.
Up next
Flyers: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Sharks: At the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Penguins' Rust Hits Career Milestone On Saturday
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust has been a tremendous player during his NHL career.
He broke into the NHL during the 2014-15 season and has never looked back, compiling 229 goals and 491 points in 12 NHL seasons. On Saturday, he hit a big career milestone, playing in his 700th NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Rust's two assists helped the Penguins beat the Jets 5-4 in the shootout, giving the team 86 points for the season. Rust assisted on Rickard Rakell's goal in the first period and Erik Karlsson's goal in the third period.
Rust now joins Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang as the only Penguins to play in 700 or more games with only Pittsburgh. It's an incredible accomplishment and goes to show what a great Penguin he's been throughout his career.
His two points on Saturday extended his point streak to six games. He has five goals and 10 points on this point streak and 26 goals and 56 points in 62 games this year.
Rust will try to extend that point streak to seven when he plays in his 701st NHL game on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Kings Show Promise But Lack Finish In Loss To NHL-Best Sabres
The Los Angeles Kings (28-25-16) blew a game in what could've been their biggest win of the season, where they were competing wire-to-wire against the best team in the league, the Buffalo Sabres (44-20-6), until it came down to the final period.
LA's defense was great for the first 40 minutes of the game, before entering the third period tied, but the Sabres scored two goals in the final frame to hold on and get the 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Kings were great on the faceoff, winning 67.3% compared to the Sabres' 32.7%, and avoided the shutout, ending the Sabres' shutout streak since last Saturday.
But what this game showed was that there are levels to this: the mistakes Los Angeles made in the third period, Buffalo took advantage of to close out the game.
After suffering that heartbreaking loss on Thursday to the Philadelphia Flyers, where they gave up three goals in the second period, Los Angeles had an opportunity to pick up their biggest win of the season, but came up short in the final moments.
The game began with Artemi Panarin once again showing the Kings why he's a game-changer, especially on the power play, improving the stat to nearly 25% since he's been on the team.
LAK Goal - Breaking Bread!
— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 21, 2026
Panarin opens the scoring on the power play. Heads-up work by Kopitar in the bumper spot, just enough on the shot to get in. 1-0.
Anze Kopitar found Panarin with a slick pass to earn his 700th point on home ice, tying Marcel Dionne for the most ever in Kings history.
It was an even first-period matchup for the most part. Despite the Kings getting on the board first to lead 1-0, the Sabres still weren't going away, outshooting Los Angeles 13-8 in the opening frame.
Both goaltenders were excellent in the game, Anton Forsberg once again showing why he should be the permanent starter over Darcy Kuemper, saving several shots that
Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen did a great job at limiting the Kings' chances of extending this lead, especially in the second period, when LA had a power play in the final minute of the period and failed to generate shots.
Buffalo finally got on board when Tage Thompson scored the nasty rebound goal after going around Forsberg and bringing the puck back to the net to tie the scoreboard 1-1.
BUF Goal - Tage Thompson ties the game at 1. Nasty goal, sheeeeeeeeesh.
— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 21, 2026
The Kings were much better in the second period today, despite giving up a goal; the defense held the Sabres to just seven shots and got a lot of timely saves to end the period even.
The third period was quiet until the 8:48-minute mark when the Sabres scored to take their first lead. After Joel Edmundon stepped up for a big hit, Brandt Clarke was left alone to defend a 2-on-1, and the Sabres took advantage of that sequence to lead 2-1.
Los Angeles challenged the call for a potential high stick, but the goal would stand, and the delay would put the Sabres on the power play. And Buffalo would of course capitalize on the power play, scoring on the rebound after it went off defenseman Cody Ceci, giving Buffalo a 3-1 lead.
The Sabres defense picked up in the final period after getting that big stop in the second period, where they were all over the Kings' offense on the power play. Their intensity picked up in the final period, holding Los Angeles to single-digit shots.
Buffalo sealed the deal with an empty-net goal in the final two minutes of the match to take this game from the Kings on the road, ending their three-game road trip undefeated, while Los Angeles goes 0-1-1 in its two-game homestand.
Key Takeaways
With the loss now, the Kings fall out of the final playoff spot after the Nashville Predators won today, now holding a one-game lead over Los Angeles.
Give credit to the Kings for playing hard and staying in this game until the final period, but there are levels to this, and the Sabres showed Los Angeles why they're a championship contender and the Kings aren't.
Anton Forsberg was great, stopping 29 of 32 shots against the Sabres, coming up with big saves today, but in the final period, the Sabres flipped the switch.
Panarin scored the lone goal early on the power play to give the Kings that momentum lead, but that was all the offense could get against the Sabres' defense.
Luukkonen was also phenomenal on the crease for the Sabres, stopping 26 of the Kings' 27 shots, especially in the final period. He was huge for holding Los Angeles scoreless in the final 40 minutes of regulation.
FINAL - Kings 1, Sabres 4
— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 21, 2026
0-1-1 on the homestand, three straight on the road begins tomorrow in Utah.
The Kings will play the Utah Mammoth tomorrow night at 6:00 PM PT, beginning their three-game road trip.
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RECAP: Sharks Unable To Find Late Equalizer, Fall to Flyers 2-1
The San Jose Sharks were back in action on Saturday afternoon as they looked to get back in the win column against the Philadelphia Flyers following three straight losses.
Just a couple of minutes into the game, Garrett Wilson and Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves to get the energy going in the SAP Center. After the fight, Reaves skated over to the Sharks’ trainer with an apparent hand injury and went to the dressing room.
Collin Graf was called for holding just over five minutes into the first period, giving the Flyers the first power play opportunity of the night. During the penalty kill, Shakir Mukhamadullin blocked a shot with his left leg which caused him quite a bit of discomfort. Despite an attempt to skate it off during the TV timeout, he ended up going down the tunnel shortly afterwards.
Around the halfway point in the period, Trevor Zegras was called for kneeing Sharks forward Alexander Wennberg, giving the Sharks their first man advantage of the afternoon. During the stoppage in play, Mukhamadullin returned to the Sharks’ bench. The Flyers nearly scored a shorthanded goal, but they were denied by Kiefer Sherwood, who had hustled back to make a goal-line save.
Reaves went back down the tunnel shortly after the power play expired.
The Flyers were called for too many men on the ice with 4:20 remaining in the period. The Sharks were unable to get much going on the man advantage, but did hit the post with just under a minute remaining in the first.
Overall, the Sharks left much to be desired in the first period. They were very sloppy, specifically with passing and puck control.
Reaves once again returned to the Sharks’ bench to start the second period. At 2:26 in the second period, Owen Tippett opened the scoring for the Flyers, giving them a 1-0 lead. Philipp Kurashev took down Rasmus Ristolainen behind the Philadelphia net, giving the Flyers their second power play of the night a quarter of a way through the second period.
The Sharks then got their second power play of the night with 7:41 remaining in the second, as Emil Andrae sat in the penalty box for delay of game. During the power play, Dmitry Orlov scored his third of the season off of a nice pass by William Eklund, tying the game at 1-1.
Another fight broke out late in the second period after Barclay Goodrow threw a hit on Trevor Zegras. Noah Cates stepped up for his teammate and immediately threw off the gloves. John Klingberg and Travis Konecny were chirping at one another quite a bit late in the period, but nothing came of it before the teams went to their locker rooms for the second intermission.
Garnet Hathaway threw a heavy hit on Celebrini early in the third period, causing Mario Ferraro to go after him. Ferraro got the only penalty on the play, giving the Flyers their fourth power play of the night. While it was a costly penalty, the Sharks had to show that they weren’t going to let anything happen to their young superstar. The Flyers scored on the power play, with Christian Dvorak getting the goal and making it 2-1 for the visitors.
Michael Misa had a prime opportunity to restore the tie, but his stick broke on his shot attempt, and the puck floated softly toward Dan Vladar. Celebrini drew a penalty behind the Sharks’ net when he got tripped up by Zegras, giving the Sharks a key power play chance. The Sharks looked phenomenal on the power play, generating shot attempt after shot attempt, but the Flyers were able to keep the puck out of the net despite the heavy pressure.
Moments after the penalty expired, Celebrini was penalized for slashing. The Sharks killed off the penalty with little issue and immediately started putting pressure back on the Flyers.
Ryan Warsofsky pulled Alex Nedeljkovic out of the net with two minutes remaining, sending Will Smith over the boards as the extra attacker.
Travis Sanheim put away an empty-net goal to put the final nail in the coffin, as the Flyers took a 3-1 lead with 1:12 remaining. Cates then added a second empty-netter for the Flyers, making it 4-1.
The Sharks have now lost four straight games, and they'll have to try to get momentum back on their side while on the road. They'll head to Nashville to face the Predators in their next game on Tuesday.
Takeaways: Penguins Exorcise Shootout Demons, Beat Jets In Dramatic Fashion
The 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins never, ever make it easy.
Even when they come out of gate strong - as they did against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday - a handful of things have not gone their way lately. Another goaltender interference call (which we'll get to shortly) eludes them. A few unfavorable bounces that resulted in goals against. Another shootout, where the Penguins were 1-10 going into this one.
But, it should come as no surprise at this point that these Penguins found a way.
On the back of two goals by defenseman Erik Karlsson - who has been on an absolute tear - the Penguins tied the game in the third period to force overtime and beat the Jets, 5-4, in the shootout. Pittsburgh held two leads in this game but lost both of them, yet they found a way - as they often have this season - to answer the bell and earn a crucial two points in what is just about as tight a playoff race as you'll ever see in the Eastern Conference.
Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell scored in the shootout for the Penguins to seal the win, and goaltender Arturs Silovs - who came into this one with a .435 save percentage (10 for 23) in shootouts this season - stopped both Winnipeg shots to give Rakell the opportunity to end it.
And, boy, does getting that shootout monkey off their back feel pretty good for this team.
“Oh, it feels awesome," Rakell said. "Obviously, going into a shootout, it’s been on top of everyone’s head that it hasn’t gone great. But, we kind of worked on some shootouts yesterday in practice and just said that we were just going to try to turn the page and try to go out there with confidence. That’s what we did.”
TRICKY RICKY FOR THE WIN! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Gd95eThysk
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 21, 2026
The Penguins did come out swinging in this one, as they earned two early goals. Just a minute and six seconds into regulation, Evgeni Malkin fed linemate Egor Chinkahov, who was breaking toward the slot in the offensive zone, and Chinakhov worked his way around a couple of Jets and got a quick, deceptive shot off to beat netminder Connor Hellebuyck for his 14th goal of the season and the 100th point of his NHL career.
Egor keepin' it 💯 pic.twitter.com/pnay2Re13c
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 21, 2026
Then, just 56 seconds later, the Penguins' first line was breaking into the offensive zone on the rush, and Bryan Rust found Rickard Rakell - who was crashing the net - in the low-slot area for redirection goal to put the Penguins up to an early lead, 2-0.
Rusty to Raks magic 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zln4kCSEax
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 21, 2026
But, then, things got a bit hairy. Less than two minutes later, there was a scramble play at the Penguins' net-front after Silovs made an initial save, and Jets' center Morgan Barron went to play the puck in an attempt to shoot it on net. He ended up hip-checking Karlsson into Silovs in the process, knocking both Karlsson and Silovs into the post and squeaking the puck into the net amidst the chaos.
The Penguins challenged for goaltender interference - per Rule 69.1 - and were, once again, unsuccessful, as the goal stood. The Jets got some momentum in the latter part of the period afterward, and they carried it into the second.
No goalie interference here 🙄 pic.twitter.com/m6J7kpyCBa
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) March 21, 2026
And, six minutes into a generally poor middle frame, the Penguins were on the power play. A Karlsson shot bounced up in the air after hitting traffic on the way in, and it ended up on a silver platter at the left point for the Jets to have a two-on-one. Adam Lowry gave the puck to Cole Koepke, who made a nice move to beat Silovs and tie the game at 2-2.
Things were starting to fall apart for the Penguins. But, lucky for them, the Erik Karlsson show resumed its regularly scheduled programming.
With a little less than five minutes to go in the period, Karlsson gave the Penguins back the lead to cap off a beautiful passing play by the Penguins' second line in the offensive zone with a rocket from the right wall for his 10th of the season. So the Penguins were able to carry the lead into the third period, where things got a bit wild again.
Jets' defenseman put a seeing-eye shot from the right point past Silovs four minutes into the third to tie the game at 3-3, and the Jets appeared to pull ahead a few minutes later when Mark Scheifele put a top-shelf snipe past Silovs blocker-side. However, the goal was called back for a high stick on the puck by Alex Iafallo after a challenge by Pittsburgh, and the score remained 3-3 - at least, momentarily.
The Pens just successfully challenged the Jets' go-ahead goal for a missed high stick, on the SLIGHTEST touch of the puck you may ever see 😵💫🔍 pic.twitter.com/SPosTw4y5J
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 21, 2026
But Jets' forward Brad Lambert scored a few minutes after that on a shot from the slot that grazed Penguins' defenseman Sam Girard on its way in, and they actually did manage to take the 4-3 lead. That is, until Karlsson worked his magic again.
On an attempt by the Jets to break into the offensive zone, Girard forced a turnover and got the puck to Crosby, who sent it cross-ice to Bryan Rust breaking into the offensive zone down the right side. Rust left a drop pass for a trailing Karlsson, who gathered the biscuit, picked his spot, and sniped another one past Hellebuyck for his 11th of the season and his NHL-leading 19th point in the last 12 games to knot the game back up at 4-4.
LET KARL COOK 👨🍳 pic.twitter.com/ecDHvMGAIL
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 21, 2026
The Penguins had another overtime power play that they failed to convert on, and when things got to the shootut, Silovs shut the door, and Crosby and Rakell took care of business.
The Captain 💪 pic.twitter.com/mtJrQZEZVI
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 21, 2026
Pittsburgh is now three points ahead of the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets, both of whom play Saturday evening. Every point is a huge one at this time of year, so there was no better time for the Penguins to exorcise their shootout demons and earn the two points.
And this scrappy, never-quit mentality that was once again evident in this game has served the Penguins all season long, even becoming part of their identity.
"That pretty much probably sums it up," Rust said. "We are scrappy. Finding a lot of ways to get points, get wins, do whatever we can to continue to keep our spot in the standings. And that's been a trademark of this team, is that it may not be the prettiest sometimes, but we're never out of the fight. We never give up."
Inside The Penguins' Goalie Tandem: Skinner, Šilovs Talk Relationship Outside Rink, Splitting Goaltending DutiesPittsburgh Penguins' goaltenders Artūrs Šilovs and Stuart Skinner have both been helping the Penguins win hockey games and continue to earn crucial points down the stretch - and the success of their split tandem extends off the rink as well.Here are some observations and takeaways from this wild one:
- So, let's start with that goaltender interference call.
My initial thought was that the correct call was made on the goaltender interference challenge this time around. And, here's why.
Yes, Rule 69.1 clearly states - as detailed in the direct rule interpretation handout given out to those of us in the media suite - that "If a defending player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by an attacking player so as to cause the defending player to come into contact with his own goalkeeper, such contact shall be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, and if necessary a penalty assessed to the attacking player and if a goal is scored it would be disallowed."
Looking at this rule, that's exactly what happened. However, the one caveat to me - and the caveat that likely caused the "gray area" for interpretation - is that Bannon is trying to make a play on the puck. If Bannon was not attempting to make a play on the puck, and if Karlsson - who does have the "right of way" in this situation, technically - doesn't try to make a play or a block there, the contact never happens.
This feels like the equivalent of a coroner issuing a cause of death as "death." https://t.co/C4jGaRoRpA
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) March 21, 2026
So, one could argue that the contact is largely incidental, and it's probably why the interference wasn't called. That said - given some of the other things that have been called this season and the fact that what occurred is straight out of the rule book - I think that's got to get called back.
And, suffice to say, Penguins' head coach Dan Muse agrees - and is, noticeably, a bit fed up at this point, as the Penguins are 0-for-8 on goalie interference challenges this season.
"The GMs had their meetings recently," Muse said. "And, [Kyle Dubas] was down there, and Kyle came back, and, obviously, there's things that come up during those meetings that he wants to inform me on, and we discuss. And one of them was goalie interference, which was, obviously, a topic there. And the instructions to me from Kyle were, 'We want to go by the book.'
"And so, it comes up again now - shortly after - and I felt, we felt, that one was by-the-book in the sense that their player pushes 'Karl' into 'Arty.' So, the feel is, for me, after just recently talking to Kyle about this identical [play] by-the-book, that that was by-the-book. That's the rule. And that is the rule. Their player pushes our player into our goalie, that's goalie interference. So, that's why I challenged."
Can't really blame him on this one. We even got sheets printed in the media suite with the rule highlighted to show why Muse challenged it. Not a great look for the league.
To be clear, they printed that page of the rule book and distributed it to us: https://t.co/PGUyKin2WJpic.twitter.com/B01yDiKxZ0
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) March 21, 2026
- Honestly, getting this win in the shootout is a really big deal for the Penguins. Contrary to popular belief, this team actually dedicates a fair amount of time to shootouts at the end of practices, and it's nice to see their hard work rewarded.
Silovs was excellent in practice Friday, and he got the job done Saturday. And Crosby and Rakell - who had a combined two goals between them in the shootout this season - were able to get that monkey off their backs, too.
There was a weight lifted in the room. And you could tell.
“I know if I score, it’s over," a noticeably relieved Rakell said. "So, I can just go out there. If I don’t score, we get another chance. That’s what we needed at that point. For me, it was a win-win situation.”
Crunching The Numbers: Are The Penguins Contenders?The Pittsburgh Penguins are fighting tooth and nail to make the playoffs for the first time in four years. But are their team numbers indicative of a team good enough to be a contender?- That play by Girard on Karlsson's second goal was outstanding. Just a simple little poke check on Scheifele made that entire play happen, as the Penguins took it back quickly the other way.
I thought he and Kris Letang were mostly fine Saturday. I know it's been a bit of a rough ride for Letang especially, and Girard was playing in his first game since Mar. 8 after a stint on injured reserve. We'll see if they can continue to build and actually develop some chemistry, as that would be a massive development for the Penguins.
- Aside from banking another two points, something under-the-radar that I love about Chinakhov's game is that he never overextends shifts. He always changes at the right time, he never has an empty tank, and he's smart about his shift management in a general sense.
The shot is the main attraction for Chinkahov. But, man, is he a cerebral hockey player, too.
Penguins' Chinakhov Hits Points Milestone Against Winnipeg JetsPittsburgh Penguins' forward Egor Chinakhov continues to impress with his new team - and he hit the first of what is, hopefully, many major milestones on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets- Finally, we've got to talk about Karlsson again.
I'm pretty much writing poetry about Karlsson after every single game at this point. But, he's impossible to ignore. What he's doing right now is nothing short of incredible, and he's quite literally willing this team to wins.
He scored the game-tying goal against the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday in a two-goal effort. He follows that up with another two-goal effort in this one and, yet, another tying goal. As well as a go-ahead goal earlier in the game. And that's not even accounting for all the things he's doing outside of scoring, as he's making big defensive plays on a near-nightly basis and could have far more points than he has currently given the degree to which he's driving offense.
Karlsson has a staggering 19 points in his last 12 games, which is the best mark in the NHL since Feb. 28. That includes Connor McDavid. That includes Nikita Kucherov, who is on some kind of run. Same with Marty Necas, who has been a key part of the attack for the Colorado Avalanche.
I'm just going to say it: I've been watching a lot of hockey games this month. I've been keeping an eye on a lot of individual performances. And I think Erik Karlsson has been the best player in the National Hockey League during the month of March. He's elevating this team and willing them to wins, and he's a defenseman, not a forward, putting up this level of production.
Karlsson's been the Penguins' best player this season, and that's no knock on Crosby. He's simply been that outstanding, and his teammates have certainly noticed.
"There's not too many guys in the league who can do what he does, especially when he's at the top of his game," Rust said. "He's been a catalyst for us."
Rakell gave a glowing endorsement, too.
“He’s doing so much for us," Rakell said. "And it’s not just scoring goals. It’s the way he breaks out pucks and keeping a close cap on their entries and just dictating the game. Then, obviously, everybody knows his game. When he’s confident, he’s one of the best defensemen in our league still. He shows that he can do it all.”
Takeaways: Penguins Come Back Yet Again To Earn Point In Crosby's Return GameThe Pittsburgh Penguins continued to show their resilience and no-quit mentality Wednesday when they stole a point out of their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes - even if they had no business earning a pointBookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Unleashed: Can Tkachuk Continue His Momentum As Senators Host Banged-Up Leafs?
When the Senators and Leafs met in last spring's Stanley Cup playoffs, it seemed like we were witnessing the start of something good. Since their famous post-season tilts of the early 2000s, the two clubs have rarely been good at the same time, so the 2025 playoff Battle of Ontario was a welcome sight.
But as the two clubs meet in Ottawa Saturday night for the first time this season, it looks like the best version of the Battle will be on hold again for the foreseeable future.
The Leafs will almost certainly miss the playoffs this spring for the first time in seven years, and it looks like their Stanley Cup window has closed, if it was ever really open at all.
But to make matters worse (for them), they're also limping to the finish line with the entire hockey world questioning the team's character and culture.
Earlier this month, when Leafs captain Auston Matthews had his season ended by a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim's Radko Gudas, the group was nationally chastised for their lack of pushback.
But now Toronto has another knee injury to a top player.
Matthew Knies, who's second in Leafs scoring with 57 points, told The Hockey News' David Alter that he's playing with a knee injury, but trying to push through and finish the season with it.
“It's obviously not comfortable playing through it, but I feel like everyone's playing through something at this time of year, so that's not really an excuse," Knies said. "If it's not going to get worse, and there's no problem with me playing, then I'm going to play.”
So to recap, since last year's playoffs, Toronto has gone from first to worst in the Atlantic. They've lost Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, traded away Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann at the deadline, Knies is rocking a bum knee, and Morgan Rielly is a late scratch with a lower-body injury.
And even if they closed the year now with a perfect 12-0 run, they'd still finish 13 points worse than last year.
Whether the team will be checked out tonight or not remains to be seen, but their fan base seems to be. Usually, despite the Senators' premium pricing for these matchups, Toronto's fans would fill Canadian Tire Centre. But two hours before game time, there were still plenty of empty seats.
The Leafs' timing for a game against Ottawa couldn't be worse because Brady Tkachuk was a tough man to contain on Thursday night.
Tkachuk has endured some recent criticism for not being at his usual intensity level, but he managed to completely flip the switch against the Islanders, brawling off the opening faceoff, scoring the winning goal in the final seconds, and generally playing like an angry spring bear just out of hibernation.
It will be interesting to see, after dealing with post-Olympic fatigue, if he'll be able to floor it like that for the rest of the season or not.
As for the playoffs, the Senators are still very much in the mix.
With 14 games to play, they're five points behind Montreal (A3), Boston (WC1), and Detroit (WC2). Philadelphia and Washington are right on Ottawa's tail, just one point back. So the Senators will need an elite finish and a couple of teams ahead of them to falter.
Ottawa TV remotes will get a good workout on Saturday as the Canadiens host the Islanders, while the Red Wings and Bruins go head-to-head in Detroit.
Saturday night is about kicking their provincial rivals while they're down, getting the two points they need, while hoping those other two games are both settled in regulation time.
Sens head coach Travis Green says Linus Ullmark will start in goal, and despite some line tinkering on Thursday, he's going back to the combos he's begun games with for most of this month.
Senators projected lineup
Drake Batherson -- Tim Stutzle -- Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk -- Dylan Cozens -- Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins -- Shane Pinto -- Michael Amadio
Warren Foegele -- Lars Eller -- Fabian Zetterlund
Thomas Chabot -- Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven -- Jordan Spence
Dennis Gilbert -- Nikolas Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark
James Reimer
Scratched: Stephen Halliday, Kurtis MacDermid
Injured: Jake Sanderson (upper body), Nick Jensen (lower body)
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.
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The Nashville Predators score three goals on special teams, two on the power play and one short-handed, in a critical Wild Card race win over the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-1, on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.
The win temporarily puts the Predators in the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference for the first time this season. It's also the first time the Predators have won three in a row since Jan. 16. make
They will need the Seattle Kraken to lose in regulation and the Los Angeles Kings to lose in regulation in order to hold onto the spot by the end of the day.
- Los Angeles (72 PTS) hosts Buffalo (LAK leads 1-0 at end of first period)
- Seattle (71 PTS) travels to Columbus (4 p.m. CST puck-drop)
"It honestly feels great to win this game," Ryan O'Reilly said. "It's a good team over there. It's a very disappointing start...We gotta find a way to get something in the first (period). If it wasn't for big juice (Annuen) there, it could have gone out of hand, quick."
Special Teams Carry Scoring
The Predators' power play has ebbed and flowed this season. After slumping in early March, the unit has finally found some consistency and even turned into a weapon.
Nashville scored twice on the power play against the Golden Knights, with Steven Stamkos putting a one-timer feed from Filip Forsberg and O'Reilly then tipping in a shot/pass from Stamkos.
The conversion was Stamkos' 238th career power play goal, passing Brendan Shanahan for seventh all-time. He'd finish with three points on the day.
On the other end, the Predators' penalty kill found a way to find the back of the net as Tyson Jost capped off a 3-on-1 opportunity in the second period to put Nashville up 3-0.
According to Jost, it was a well-scouted play that created the opportunity and allowed the Predators to score. It was Jost's first career short-handed goal and his third point in five games.
"We kind of pre-scouted that (Mitch) Marner was gonna kind of try and go over to the flank (bounce the puck off the boards). He (Brady Skjei) made a great read and a great pass by him. I heard Halsey (Erik Haula) barking. I didn't know it was a 3-on-1, but I kind of heard him behind me there."
The Predators' first goal of the night wasn't scored on the power play, but was a unique scoring chance.
Less than a minute into the game, Stamkos scored right off the face-off to put the Predators up 1-0. It was O'Reilly's first of two points on the day.
"He (O'Reilly) said, 'How about I try to snap one back to you, and you shoot it?' and I said, 'Sure.' And it worked," Stamko said. "Those are a dime a dozen type of plays where it comes so clean and fast. I don't think anyone, including the goalie, reacted till it was in the net."
Annunen Stands Tall
Justus Annunen was put to the test in the first 20 minutes of the game, facing 20 shots to the Predators' four, and not letting in a goal.
He'd finish the night with a season high of 39 saves on 40 shots. Annunen's .975 save percentage was his best single-game performance in a start of the season.
After being thrown into the starter role on Thursday, as Juuse Saros was ruled out with a day-to-day upper body injury and was still out for Saturday's game, Annunen has been up to the challenge.
"It kind of took him (Annunen) a while to get going, and we've seen he's been exceptional," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "Even last time against Vegas. It ended up being a little bit higher (goal total), but he was spot on. His numbers and great danger chances are off the charts for us right now."
Nashville has a quick turnaround, facing Chicago on the road on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST. Brunette said it's unknown if Annuen or Matt Murray, a call-up from Milwaukee, will start.
The Predators were disappointed with their start, but one of the motivating factors was getting the win for Annunen and making sure it wasn't wasted.
"Thank God for Big Juice," Steven Stamkos said. "We didn't waste his performance, and that was kind of the story of tonight."
Staying In The Playoff Race
In the hours between the end of the Predators game and the end of the Kings game, Nashville is in the final Wild Card spot with 73 points.
They are very much not safe there with three other teams riding their coattails, but it's the first time this season that Nashville has finally been able to pass over the threshold.
The Predators are still proud of having gotten here. For the first two months of the season, they were the worst team in the NHL and are now on the brink of extending their season.
However, they know they need to continue winning to stay in this position.
"It's just the belief in the guys in this room, and that's all that matters," Stamkos said. "The coaching staff has a belief, the players have a belief, and it's not always gonna be pretty. We understand that at this time of the year, points are more important than how good the game looks. We put together a decent stretch over the past six or seven games and collected points.
"As you said, it's there for the taking."
Penguins/Jets Recap: It’s a…shootout win? Pens scrape to victory
Pregame
The Penguins get Sam Girard from injury and are about as healthy as they’re going to get this season with the only unavailable player of note being Blake Lizotte.
First period
The Penguins score on the second shift of the game on a sensational effort by Egor Chinakhov. Chinakhov takes a pass that Evgeni Malkin chips ahead for him, then cut into the middle of the ice through Dylan DeMelo. The lateral moves catches Connor Hellebuyck falling as he attempts to push back to his right. Chinakhov smokes a shot through the hole created. 1-0.
DeMelo’s nightmare start continues, he bobbles a puck that Bryan Rust quickly jumps on. Rust skates in low and feathers a little pass over Josh Morrisey’s stick. Rickard Rakell is driving to the front and able to lift it in. 2-0 just 2:02 into the game.
The frantic start continues, Chinakhov nearly scores again with a backhand shot but Hellebuyck gets a glove on it. Mark Schiefele hits the post. A bit later Parker Wotherspoon gets his shot blocked and the Jets are going the other way on an odd man rush. Arturs Silovs makes the first save but the rebound sits there. Morgan Barron comes barreling in, colliding with Erik Karlsson who slams into Silovs and the puck floats into the net.
The Penguins challenge for goalie interference. After review, the officials don’t agree. Goal stands, 2-1 game with 16:10 to go and Winnipeg goes to a power play. Pittsburgh kills off the penalty and then the game settles down.
Hellebuyck makes another nice save on Chinakhov and then keeps the puck out with Ben Kindel and the third line bearing down on him. Rakell gets to the net and another late chance that doesn’t go.
Wild and entertaining first period, shots are 13-8 Pittsburgh. The Jets are pretty fortunate the score is 2-1, it could easily be about a 3-0 or 4-0 score if the review went against them and Hellebuyck didn’t bail them out a few times.
Second period
The Penguins get a power play, which sounds good on the surface. Turned out to not be, the puck goes very high in the air and takes a weird bounce that gives Winnipeg a 2-on-1. Adam Lowry makes a great pass right through the skates of Erik Karlsson and Cole Koepke cuts against the grain to give Silovs no chance on that. 2-2 tie game.
Winnipeg starts to tip the ice and extending shifts, often against the Letang and Clifton pairs getting trapped on the ice. Just when it looks like the Jets are hogging all the pressure, the Penguins make a series of beautiful passes across the ice. A Jet defender ends up bumping into Hellebuyck, which takes his squareness to the shot away that Erik Karlsson sends into the net from all the way along the right wall. 3-2 Pens back in front.
Shots on goal are eight a piece in the second period. Both teams score once so the Pens cling to a one-goal lead after 40 minutes.
Third period
Winnipeg ties the game up, a long shot by Neal Pionk makes it through traffic and goes off the post and in. 3-3 game.
34 seconds later, the Jets appear to take their first lead of the game. Tommy Novak loses a puck behind his net, Silovs leaves a rebound that pops out for Scheifele. He’s got plenty of time and space to pick the top corner.
The Pens take a timeout to look the play over, Alex Iafallo raised his stick and touched the puck for what should have been a stoppage. Muse challenges a second time for the game and wins this one. Score stays at 3-3.
There’s no changing the next Winnipeg goal, Brad Lambert shoots from distance, it glances off Girard and changes direction enough to fool Silovs. 4-3 WIN after all.
Pittsburgh needs something good to happen and some of their best make it happen. Sidney Crosby makes a nice pass out for Bryan Rust. Rust drops it for Karlsson who glides in, picks a corner and fires in his 11th goal of the season. 4-4.
There’s no more scoring in regulation.
Overtime
Malkin and Kindel start the 3v3 and nearly score going forward on the faceoff. Kyle Conner gets a chance that Silovs stops then it’s all Pens going the other way. Kindel and Malkin have a 2-on-0 that Kindel again can’t finish. Later Crosby is behind the defense and gets slashed, generating a 4v3 power play with 3:20 to play.
The Pens work their power play, Dylan Samberg gets hit in the face and play stops with 43 seconds left in the power play. Crosby gets a redirect of a Karlsson shot/pass but that’s as close as they get.
Shootout
Chinakhov is the first shooter, he tries to shoot from long-range to the five-hole, Hellebuyck denies it.
Jonathan Toews goes first for Winnipeg. Silovs gets a little piece and the puck goes off the cross-bar and out.
—
Crosby takes the puck, he wires a puck to the glove side to score.
Gustav Nyquist tests Silovs’ five-hole, stopped.
—
Rakell gets a chance to win it — and he does! Snaps a low shot by Hellebuyck.
Some thoughts
- Hellebuyck gave up two goals on the first three shots, then made a beautiful save on Chinakhov to keep the game at 2-0. Huge moment there, big swing. It wasn’t a great beginning for Hellebuyck but he came up huge to prevent it from spiraling out of control.
- On the other side, tough game for Silovs. His rebound control wasn’t good and even sometimes he struggles to freeze pucks and get a stoppage to help the defense. The third period goals included some bad luck; traffic in front and a shot off the inside of the post then a defender changing the trajectory of the shot but overall it wasn’t a clean or good game for the Pens’ goalie.
- Dan Muse falls to 0-8 on goalie interference challenges this season, some of them in these recaps we have scorched him for as being low percentage ideas. This one was worth it, since the contact with the goalie seemed to be caused by the opposing player. Didn’t go the Pens way but in the subjective world of goal reviews that could have been one seen differently on a different day.
- On second thought, that probably deserves more of a reaction than ‘oh tough break to not get the call’, when the whole contact was initiated by the attacking player. The league has set a high bar to reverse calls (most of the time) but this one will be right up there with the handful of examples where what you see wasn’t reflected in the final decision, which is truly maddening.
- Ryan Shea left the game in the second period after absorbing a big hit from the 6’5” Lowry that ended up appearing to smack Shea up high. He’d miss the final 8+ minutes of the second and did return to the bench for the start of the third period with a full face shield but then went back down to the room and didn’t play again.
- The first 6:51 of this game featured three total goals, a post being struck, a great save and a questionable goal review. Felt like a whole game went down in just a few minutes.
- DeMelo played two shifts and had a big hand in how the Penguins scored two goals and then didn’t take another shift the rest of the period. Tough stuff there, the Jets went to a five defenseman rotation out of necessity due to his shoddy level of play before working him back in.
- Letang struggles continue, one indicator is an average shift time in the first two periods of 1:04. This is not by design and his icetime isn’t a result of coaching choices but rather getting caught on the ice too often for too long. Karlsson’s average shift times in the first two: 51 and 52 seconds. Almost every time the Pens get trapped in their own end for a prolonged time or have multiple failures to clear the zone, Letang has a hand in it more often than not. Letang’s 5v5 xGF% of 27% was sadly up from the effort in the teens the last game against Carolina, even putting a better puck mover in Girard hasn’t stablized No. 58’s play yet.
- Malkin did well on the first assist, and even liked his puck touches in OT but my word he also had a frustrating game with his decision making and plays coming off his stick today. Was nice to see him engaged and backchecking hard was not as fun watching
- Squandering the overtime power play only to see the game go to a shootout has been a story that’s unfolded in the past, and not in a good way. Luckily the Pens got some stops and scored some goals in the shootout. Amazing.
Playing the 12th place team in the West, at home, this one had to be a win for Pittsburgh with a tough matchup against Carolina tomorrow. The start was good but a lot of the last part of the game wasn’t. This Pens team always finds a way to hang around and keep fighting, with Karlsson still doing a lot of the heavy lifting. One more down.
Flyers roll through California, improve to 9-2-1 over last 12 games
Flyers roll through California, improve to 9-2-1 over last 12 games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers sure enjoyed their time in California.
They capped off a perfect road trip with a 4-1 win Saturday over the Sharks at SAP Center.
Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, Travis Sanheim and Noah Cates found the back of the net for the Flyers.
Dvorak’s marker was the game-winner in the third period and it stemmed the tide for the team’s beleaguered power play. Sanheim and Cates iced things with empty-netters.
The Flyers (34-23-12) swept their California trip with three wins in four days. They took the first two games after regulation — a 3-2 decision over the Ducks in overtime and a 4-3 shootout finish over the Kings.
Rick Tocchet’s club is on a six-game point streak (5-0-1) and has gone 9-2-1 over its last 12 games. The Flyers have 80 points with 13 games to go after finishing with 76 last season (33-39-10).
The Flyers won both meetings with the Sharks (32-30-6) this season. They beat San Jose in December, 4-1, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
• With 24 saves on 25 shots, Dan Vladar gave up two or fewer goals for the 28th time in 42 starts this season.
The 28-year-old converted 12 of his stops in the third period. In the second period, he made a sharp pad save on young star Macklin Celebrini to maintain the Flyers’ 1-0 lead.
But a little over three minutes later, the Sharks struck on the power play after Emil Andrae hit the puck over the glass. Dmitry Orlov’s goal, though, was Vladar’s only blemish.
San Jose netminder Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots.
Tippett gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead early in the second period with his 24th of the season. He has looked awfully dynamic of late and is pushing for his first 30-goal season.
• The Flyers have not gone away in a deep Eastern Conference playoff race.
They’re four points back of the Red Wings, who are in the second wild-card position. The Flyers still have three head-to-head matchups with Detroit.
When it comes to the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers are five points back of the third-place Blue Jackets.
• Garnet Hathaway delivered a clean, difference-making check on Celebrini in the third period, a big hit that ended up putting the Flyers on the power play for Dvorak’s goal.
Hathaway drew the penalty because Mario Ferraro was whistled for roughing as he jumped on the Flyers’ winger in defense of Celebrini.
The Flyers’ league-worst power play hadn’t produced a goal in the last five games, so this was a timely breakthrough. Matvei Michkov extended his point streak to three games with an assist on the goal.
For Dvorak, every point now is adding to a new career high. He has 41 points on 14 goals and 27 assists.
• With Sean Couturier (upper body), Denver Barkey (upper body) and Luke Glendening (lower body) all missing a second straight game, the Flyers deployed 11 forwards and seven defensemen again.
Andrae was utilized mostly as a forward. Garrett Wilson, playing just his second NHL game in almost seven years, dropped the gloves with longtime heavyweight Ryan Reaves during the first period.
In the second period, Cates added to the bout total. He fought Barclay Goodrow, who put a good hit on Trevor Zegras.
• The Flyers return home for a matchup Tuesday with the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu).
Penguins' Chinakhov Hits Points Milestone Against Winnipeg Jets
It's no secret at this point that sniping forward Egor Chinakhov has found a home with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And he just hit one of the first major points milestones of what is, hopefully, a long NHL career.
During Saturday's matinee matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, Chinakhov registered his 14th goal of the season and 11th with the Penguins just a minute and six seconds into the game. The goal marked his 100th career NHL point, which comes in his 235th NHL game.
The goal also marked his 11th tally in 31 games played with the Penguins, and he has 22 points in that same time span.
Chinakhov, 24, was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29 for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 thirrd-round pick. He had requested a trade from the Jackets over the summer, and prior to the trade, he had just three goals and six points in 29 games and was a healthy scratch on a few occasions.
He is second only to Anthony Mantha (12) in team goals since making his debut with the Penguins on Jan. 1 against the Detroit Red Wings.
Inside The Penguins' Goalie Tandem: Skinner, Šilovs Talk Relationship Outside Rink, Splitting Goaltending DutiesPittsburgh Penguins' goaltenders Artūrs Šilovs and Stuart Skinner have both been helping the Penguins win hockey games and continue to earn crucial points down the stretch - and the success of their split tandem extends off the rink as well.Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
Kings Vs Sabres Game Preview: Kings Look To Stay In Wildcard Spot
The Kings are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings earned 1 point in that game, which moved them into the final Western wildcard spot, and today's matchup won't be easy: the Kings host the Buffalo Sabres, who have been one of the NHL's best teams this season. The Sabres are coming off a 5-0 win over the San Jose Sharks and have not lost since March 12, when they faced the Washington Capitals.
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 - Taylor Ward
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg
Projected Sabres Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Sabres tonight:
Zach Benson - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Peyton Krebs - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn
Rasmus Dahlin - Mattias Samuelsson
Bowen Byram - Owen Power
Logan Stanley - Zach Metsa
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
Line Changes and Injuries
The Kings get Joel Armia back after he missed the last 10 games, and they will also have Adrian Kempe in the lineup. The Kings have scratched Mathieu Joseph, Jacob Moverare, and Jared Wright in tonight's matchup. The Sabres have scratched Luke Schenn, Michael Kesselring, and Josh Dunne.
Key Factors
The Kings are facing a very strong team in the Buffalo Sabres, so the big names of Kempe and Panarin will be looked to for a spark tonight. Panarin continues his impressive play with the Kings this season, as in his last 3 games, he has 6 points. For the Sabres, they have talent everywhere, but Rasmus Dahlin is the one to watch for the Kings because he is not only a very strong defenseman, but has 5 points in his last 5 games.
The Kings are likely to start Darcy Kuemper in tonight's matchup, and it looks like he will be going up against Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who last played against the Vegas Golden Knights, where he recorded a shutout.
Overall, this is a very tough matchup for the Kings, but if they stick to their game and stay strong defensively, they can battle for a win. My prediction in tonight's matchup is a 3-2 Kings win.
Vegas Struggles Continue in 4-1 Defeat to Nashville
The Vegas Golden Knights continued their recent slide Saturday, falling 4–1 to the Nashville Predators in a game that unraveled early and never fully stabilized.
Vegas has now dropped three straight and six of its last eight, struggling to generate timely offense while repeatedly putting itself behind the eight ball. Shea Theodore provided the lone goal for the Golden Knights, while Akira Schmid made 16 saves in the loss.
Steven Stamkos led the way for Nashville with two goals and an assist, striking just 40 seconds into the game to immediately tilt momentum. He added a power-play goal early in the second period as the Predators surged ahead. Tyson Jost and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for Nashville, which has now won three straight and four of its last six. Justus Annunen turned aside 39 shots to earn the win.
With his second goal, Stamkos moved past Brendan Shanahan into sole possession of seventh place in NHL history with 238 career power-play goals. Phil Esposito sits sixth with 246. Stamkos now has 33 goals and 55 points on the season.
First Period
Vegas couldn’t have asked for a worse start.
Just 40 seconds in, O’Reilly won an offensive-zone draw cleanly back to Stamkos, who wired a one-timer past Schmid to give Nashville an immediate 1–0 lead. It was a familiar script for the Predators, who improved their already strong record when scoring first.
To their credit, the Golden Knights responded with sustained pressure. By the midway point of the period, they had built a commanding edge in shots and puck possession, eventually finishing the frame with a 21–4 advantage. Despite that territorial dominance, they had nothing to show for it.
A late power-play opportunity—drawn when Stamkos was called for hooking Jack Eichel—offered a chance to reset the game, but Vegas’ recent struggles with the man advantage continued. Mitch Marner generated a quality look that Annunen snared cleanly, and another chance rang iron, but the Golden Knights came up empty yet again.
After 20 minutes, Vegas found itself trailing 1–0 despite thoroughly outplaying Nashville on the stat sheet.
Second Period
The game swung decisively early in the second—and it started with a costly penalty.
Less than a minute in, Theodore was assessed a double minor for high-sticking O’Reilly, drawing blood. Nashville wasted little time capitalizing, with Stamkos burying his second of the night on the extended power play to double the lead.
Moments later, Brayden McNabb took a puck up high and briefly exited down the tunnel, creating a tense moment before returning to the bench to a collective sigh of relief.
Vegas had its chances to respond. A power play at 4:31, following an interference call on Erik Haula, yielded some pressure but no finish. Pavel Dorofeyev came closest, battling for a loose puck at the top of the crease, but was tied up before he could get a clean shot off.
Another opportunity came midway through the period when O’Reilly was sent off for high-sticking McNabb. Instead of closing the gap, however, Vegas suffered a critical breakdown. A miscue at the blue line sprung Nashville on a 3-on-1 rush, and Jost buried the shorthanded chance to make it 3–0.
The Golden Knights finally broke through with 6:50 remaining. With O’Reilly back in the box—this time for slashing—Theodore stepped into a long-range wrister that beat Annunen cleanly to get Vegas on the board.
Any momentum was short-lived.
Moments after the goal, Nic Dowd was whistled for a blatant slashing penalty after snapping Fedor Svechkov’s stick in half. Nashville capitalized once again, as O’Reilly, still showing signs of the earlier high-stick, redirected a sharp pass at the top of the crease past Schmid to restore the three-goal cushion at 4–1.
Third Period
The Golden Knights had one final window to mount a push early in the third when Matthew Wood was called for slashing, but the power play once again failed to deliver. Vegas finished the night 1-for-4 with the man advantage—while also surrendering a backbreaking shorthanded goal.
From there, the game settled into a controlled defensive effort by Nashville. Despite continuing to generate shots, Vegas struggled to create second chances or sustained chaos around the net.
Schmid was pulled for the extra attacker with under five minutes remaining, but the Golden Knights couldn’t find a late spark. They did manage to keep Nashville off the empty net, but any hopes of a comeback had long since faded.
In the end, Vegas doubled Nashville in shots, 40–20, but the early deficit, special teams struggles, and costly mistakes proved too much to overcome as the Golden Knights dropped their third straight.
'Let The Game Come To Me, & Just Be Confident In Myself': Canucks Defenceman Victor Mancini Remains Focused On Showing He Belongs In The NHL
One of the players expected to play a role in the current rebuild for the Vancouver Canucks is defenceman Victor Mancini. The 23-year-old was acquired from the New York Rangers last season and recently signed a two-year extension. Listed at 6'3", 229 lbs, Mancini has a golden opportunity over the final few weeks of the campaign to show why he deserves a permanent spot on the blue line next year.
Mancini has spent the year split between the NHL and AHL. The right-shot defender has played 18 games for Vancouver compared to 33 for the Abbotsford Canucks. When asked about some of the messaging he received from the coaching staff before being sent down to the AHL earlier this year, Mancini explained that the organization wanted him to keep his game consistent at both levels.
"I don't have to do anything special at the American Hockey League level," said Mancini. "I don't have to do everything myself. Play the way I would at the NHL level. Little things like my skating, my transitions, my reads in the D zone, breakouts, little things like that are going to make a big difference."
At this stage of Mancini's career, improved development is key. He has played fewer than 200 professional games and is still learning how the NHL works. That being said, Mancini is ready to embrace any challenges that come his way as he works on taking his game to the next level.
"Just knowing that in Abby, I wanted to play the same way there that I would at the NHL level. So then, with being called up, just not trying to force anything. Let the game come to me, and just be confident in myself. Be confident in my skating, my puck handling, and making plays, keeping my head up. I feel like the past few games, I've felt a lot more comfortable on the ice, and that confidence has finally shown through."
As an organization, the Canucks have gone through significant changes this year. While he hasn't been at the NHL level all season, Mancini has received a few call-ups, which means he has seen the locker room transform over the past few months. He has also noticed a change in vibe around the group, which has been a significant topic of conversation in the market since the trade deadline passed.
"A little bit. Yeah. I feel like, going through what we're going through, and then the trade deadline, like there's a lot of unease in the locker room with certain guys. You know, you never know what's gonna happen. But I think after the trade deadline and seeing, like, okay, this is the group that we got now. You can kind of put that stuff out of your mind and just focus on the next game."
With the 2025-26 season coming to a close, the next month will be key for Mancini. He won't have the opportunity to play in the playoffs, as both Vancouver and Abbotsford are projected to miss the post-season, meaning that these final games will be it for the campaign. For Mancini, he remains focused on impressing the coaching staff and proving that he belongs full-time in the NHL.
"I think just prove that I belong and prove that I can play at this level and keep up with the speed. I feel like these past few games and the next, like, 15 or so, it's a bit of a tryout period for me. I'm not trying to read into things too much. I don't want to psych myself out. But, you know, when it comes down to it, the bottom line is just go out and play."
How the Canucks manage Mancini over the next month will be worth keeping an eye on. He has played over 16 minutes in each of his last three games and is looking more comfortable the longer he stays in the lineup. If Mancini can continue to develop his game, he has the potential to become a key part of the blue line next season.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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Anton Frondell Watch Is Officially On For Chicago Blackhawks
Anton Frondell's season with Djurgården is finished. They won their first game thanks to his overtime winner, but lost the next two, losing the series in three games.
Frondell already had his entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks signed last summer, so that portion of his process is already done. Now, it's just about getting him to North America and in the lineup for his NHL debut.
Frondell's season in Djurgarden ends with 20 goals and 8 assists for 28 points. For being a teenager in the SHL, a low-scoring league, he had an impressive goal total. His shot is otherworldly, and it will translate to the NHL eventually.
Chicago's top prospect also emphasizes his two-way game, comparing himself to Sasha Barkov of the Florida Panthers. It's a lofty expectation of himself, but confidence is never a negative.
At the World Junior Championships, Frondell was a catalyst in Team Sweden's Gold Medal win. He got his team into the Gold Medal Game with his shootout winner over Finland, and finished the tournament with five goals and three assists for eight points in seven games. He was named to the All-Star team of the tournament and given best forward honors.
The Blackhawks are expected to add Frondell to their lineup in the coming days. They face the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon, and then leave for the East Coast for four games after. His first chance to play at the United Center will likely be on March 31st, when they face the Winnipeg Jets.
The Blackhawks selected Frondell with the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. With some of the other young players they have in the room, he will fit right in. His game is projected to mesh well with the budding core that Chicago has.
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