The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on the road for the first of three games away from Nationwide Arena. This game features the New York Islanders and is huge. 

New York Islanders - 39-26-5 - 83 Points - 5-5-0 in the last 10 - Lost 2 - 4th in the Metro

Columbus Blue Jackets - 37-21-11 - 85 Points - 7-0-3 in the last 10 - Won 4 - 3rd in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus won for the four-straight contest and stretched its season-high points streak to 12 games (8-0-4) with a 5-2 win over Seattle last night. It's tied for the third-longest points streak in club history (third time) and the longest since a 12-game points streak from Dec. 9, 2019-Jan. 3, 2020 (8-0-4).

• The club has earned points in 23 of its last 25 contests (19-2-4, 42 pts) to lead the league in points (tied) and points pct. (.840) since Jan. 11.

• Since Dec. 22, CBJ are tied for the least regulation losses in the NHL with a 23-6-5 record (51 pts, .750 points pct.), and rank second in points and points pct., third in goals-against/game (2.65) as well as sixth in goals for/game (3.56).

• CBJ conclude their 14th of 16 back-to-back sets of the season tonight at the NY Islanders. The club leads the NHL in wins and points pct. in back-to-back sets in 2025-26 (18-5-4, .741).

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Charlie Coyle, who has tallied 7-18-25 in the last 19 contests, has tied his single-season career high in assists (2016-17 w/MIN) and has the third-most points of his 14-year career with 17-38-55 in 69 games in 2025-26.

• Adam Fantilli has registered points in six consecutive games (3-5-8), one game shy of his career best (4-4-8 from Jan. 2-16, 2025). He also has points in 12 of the last 14 games (8-9-17) and has 9-13-22 in the past 19 contests since Jan. 24.

• Jet Greaves has earned points in each of his last 13 starts since Jan. 11 (11-0-2, 2.34 GAA in 14 GP), while G Elvis Merzlikins has recorded points in 10 of his past 12 starts over that span (8-2-2, 2.50 GAA in 13 GP).

• Mathieu Olivier has registered six multi-point outings in the last 18 games since Jan. 28 (10-4-14).

• Cole Sillinger posted his second three-point effort of the season yesterday (1-2-3) and has assists in three-straight (1-5-6).

• Zach Werenski has notched consecutive three-assist outings and is one multi-point effort shy of tying Artemi Panarin's single-season franchise record (25 in 2018-19). He has collected points in 27 of his past 32 games played since Dec. 11 (11-34-45, 14 multi-point efforts) and has 20-55-75 in 62 games in 2025-26.

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 20.3% - 17th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 77.5% - 25th in the NHL
• Goals For - 222 - 12th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 213 - 18th in the NHL 

Islanders Stats

• Power Play - 16.8% - 26th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 81.1% - 9th in the NHL
• Goals For - 201 - 22nd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 197 - 5th in the NHL

Series History vs. The Islanders

• Columbus is 28-23-1-8 all-time, and 9-16-0-3 on the road vs. New York.
• CBJ have earned points in four of the last five meetings (3-1-1) and five of the past seven since Oct. 30, 2024 (4-2-1).
• The home team has earned points in seven consecutive games in the series (5-0-2) and in 13 of the past 16 (11-3-2).
• The winning team has won by multiple goals in seven of the last 10 meetings overall, but by a single goal in three of the five most recent contests (two after regulation).
• Four of the last six games played at New York have been decided by a single goal.
• The winning team has scored four-plus goals (including SO goals) in four of the past five meetings overall.
• The Blue Jackets have killed off 9-of-10 Islanders power play attempts over the last five games (90.0 pct.).
• The teams have averaged a combined 58.1 shots on goal in the past seven meetings of the series.
• CBJ has recorded five shutouts in the all-time series (MR: Merzlikins, 26 saves in 2-0 W at CBJ on Oct. 30, 2024).

Who To Watch For TheIslanders

• Bo Horvat leads NYI with 28 goals.
• Mathew Barzal leads all Islanders with 46 assists and 64 points.
• Goaltender Ilya Sorokin is 25-17-2 with a SV% of .911. He's 7-0-3 in his career against the CBJ.

CBJ Player Notes vs Islanders

• Charlie Coyle has 16 points in his career against the Islanders.
• Zach Werenski has 17 career points in 26 games against the NYI.
• Boone Jenner has 16 points in 35 games against the Isles.

Injured Reserve

• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 31 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 177

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

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The Ottawa Senators’ defensive depth is being tested once again.

Already without Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen, the Senators lost Dennis Gilbert to an upper-body injury Saturday night in a 5–2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gilbert was hit on a heavy forecheck by Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who skated with high speed through the neutral zone and eventually drove Gilbert hard into the end boards. Gilbert stayed down for about a minute before leaving the ice under his own power, favouring his shoulder.

After the game, head coach Travis Green said Gilbert could be out for a while.

The Senators clearly value what Gilbert brings, having acquired him twice in the past year. They first picked him up from Buffalo in the Dylan Cozens–Josh Norris deal last March. Gilbert then signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in the offseason before being traded back to Ottawa in a deal for Max Guenette.

Now, the Sens have a decision to make on who will replace Gilbert, the right-shot defenceman who was slotted into the third pairing when Jensen went down.

Lassi Thomson is currently in Ottawa as the seventh defenceman, but that doesn’t automatically make him the next man up. Maybe it's Carter Yakemchuk. Maybe the Sens wanted him to keep playing, not sit in an NHL press box as the seventh man.

Both players have strong pedigrees. Though his NHL stock has slipped, Thomson was a 2019 first-round pick and still leads all AHL defensemen in goal scoring.

Yakemchuk was a much more recent pick, chosen seventh overall in 2024, and he's playing very well too, winning AHL Player of the Week honours last week.

Another option would be to recall a left-shot defenceman from Belleville and shift Nikolas Matinpalo back to his natural right side.

From that perspective, newcomer Samuel Bolduc might have been an intriguing choice. He has four points in his first five games with Belleville after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings last week in exchange for Jan Jenik. But he was acquired after the trade deadline and can't play in the NHL this season.

So, the Senators' options probably come down to the two former first-rounders.

If they’re looking for the defenceman with the highest potential upside and ability to impact games, Yakemchuk stands out. And if they prefer a good skating, experienced AHL performer with a big shot, Thomson is right there, ready to step in, no gas money required.

It's not an easy decision, but we're guessing the Senators will continue to stay patient with Yakemchuk, continuing to shelter him, even though he may be the fans' choice.

If GM Steve Staios truly felt like it was the right thing to drop Yakemchuk into the eye of this playoff storm, where every mistake is so magnified, he likely would have inserted him into the lineup ahead of Gilbert many days ago.

That may ultimately hint at the direction Staios chooses, and we're guessing Thomson will be the next man up.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

*This story has been updated to clarify Bolduc's NHL eligibility this season.

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.

More from The Hockey News:
Former Senators Prospect Makes Edmonton Oilers Debut Saturday Night
The Buying and Selling Of Jakob Chychrun Never Quite Worked Out In Ottawa
One Year Later, The Fabian Zetterlund Trade Is Still Taking Shape
With Injuries To Sanderson And Jensen, the Sens Top Up Depth At AHL Trade Deadline

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Troy Terry is enjoying the most productive season of his career, averaging a point per game for the first time in Year 1 under Joel Quenneville.

Riding shotgun with budding star Leo Carlsson, he's well-positioned to build on his strong totals against the Buffalo Sabres. Terry headlines my three NHL player props and NHL picks for Sunday, March 22.

Best NHL player prop bets today

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Our best NHL player props for Sunday, March 22

Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.

Prop #1: Nikolaj Ehlers Over 0.5 points

-140 at BET99

Nikolaj Ehlers is playing his best hockey since joining the Carolina Hurricanes. He has hit the scoresheet in 12 of his last 18 games, tallying 17 points along the way.

He’s in a good spot to continue producing against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who rank Bottom-6 in shots, expected goals, and goals allowed at 5-on-5 over their last 10 games.

They've also struggled to keep the puck out in back-to-backs this season. The Penguins have conceded an average of 3.40 goals over the last 10 second legs they have played.

Expect the red-hot Ehlers to take advantage.

• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FDSN-South, SportsNet-Pittsburgh

Prop #2: Thomas Harley Over 1.5 blocked shots

-135 at BET99

Death, taxes, and Thomas Harley blocking shots against the Vegas Golden Knights. He's picked up at least two in six straight head-to-head meetings and 12 of the last 13.

There should be plenty of volume to step in front of again tonight. The Golden Knights sit 10th in total attempts this season and have scored once during their three-game losing streak.

They don’t have a lot of wiggle room in the playoff race and will be desperate to jumpstart the offense and distance themselves from the teams trying to hunt them down.

Look for Harley to be active in the defensive zone.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SCRIPPS, Victory+

Prop #3: Troy Terry Over 0.5 points

-135 at BET99

Troy Terry has averaged 2.59 points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play while riding shotgun with No. 1 center Leo Carlsson. That is high-end first-line efficiency for the Anaheim Ducks.

Given as much, it should be no surprise Terry has points in eight of 11 home games in which he has skated with Carlsson.

The Buffalo Sabres are a good team, but they rank 22nd in expected goals against at 5-on-5 over their last 10. They also play a high-event brand of hockey and have conceded more than 30 shots on average spanning the past 10 road dates.

Terry and the Ducks’ offense should cause the Sabres problems.

• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MSG-Buffalo, Victory+

These props are available now at BET99, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

A three-goal third period and a monster performance from Jeremy Swayman powered the B’s to their most important win of the season (for now), as they beat the Red Wings 4-2 in Detroit.

When the B’s went down 2-1 just four minutes into the third via an Alex DeBrincat goal, you could be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t going to be their night.

However, Elias Lindholm tied the game just two minutes later, Nikita Zadorov scored three minutes after that, and a Marat Khusnutdinov empty-netter sealed the deal.

Sandwiched around those goals were 21 third period saves from Swayman, including a couple of the highlight reel variety.

David Pastrnak scored the other Bruins goal, a PPG early in the second period.

After a scoreless first period, Lucas Raymond got the Red Wings on the board with a power play goal. I’m not sure it’s possible for a guy to be more open than he was. 1-0 Red Wings.

Pastrnak answered with a PPG of his own 90 seconds later, beating John Gibson with one of the purest one-timers you’ll see this season. 1-1 game.

DeBrincat gave Detroit the lead 4:06 into the third period, beating Swayman with a wrist shot through traffic to make it 2-1 Red Wings.

Just over two minutes later, Lindholm beat Gibson five-hole with a curling-style shot that never left the ice, making it a 2-2 game.

The surprise goal of the night came three minutes later, when Zadorov beat Gibson with a wrist shot on the rush to make it 3-2 Bruins.

Khusnutdinov added the empty netter at 18:08 of the third period, putting this one out of reach for Detroit.

Bruins win, 4-2.

Game notes

• While scoring four goals certainly helps matters, Swayman was the reason the Bruins won this game. He was immense in the third period, making one, two, and even more highlight-reel stops in the final period alone.
• I’m not sure you can find a better snapshot of the importance of good goaltending than in last night’s third period, as Swayman stood on his head and Gibson allowed that Zadorov goal. You can cut him a little slack by saying that he was screened by his own defenseman, but you need a save from your goalie on that shot.
• Playing in his second straight game for the B’s, Lukas Reichel earned a penalty shot midway through the third period when he used his speed to draw a hook from Patrick Kane on a breakaway. The penalty shot attempt left a little to be desired, as he elected to try to beat Gibson with a shot from inside the hashmarks, but…good effort.
• Mason Lohrei made a great play to keep the puck in the offensive zone immediately before Lindholm’s goal. He was credited with an assist on the play.
• Speaking of the Lindholm goal, Morgan Geekie earned the primary assist on that goal, one of his three assists on the night.
• Pastrnak’s PPG came via a comically earned 5-on-3 power play, as the Red Wings managed to take two minor penalties in a span of just eight seconds.
• Along with the goal, Pastrnak earned an assist on the empty-netter, giving him 500 career assists.
• The regulation win allowed the B’s to swap spots in the standings with Detroit, as the Bruins moved into the first wild card spot. They’re two points ahead of Detroit and tied in points with Montreal.
• This was the Bruins’ first regulation win on the road since mid-January.

The Bruins will be off (game-wise, at least) Sunday and Monday before an Atlantic Division back-to-back: they’ll host Toronto on Tuesday before playing in Buffalo on Wednesday.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz didn't make his scheduled start in net against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night after taking a puck to the throat during warmups.

Stolarz was taken to a hospital for precautionary imaging and released as the Leafs, with Joseph Woll in goal, fell to the Senators 5-2 on March 21.

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after the game that Stolarz planned to meet the team for the flight home to Toronto. He did not have an update on the goalie's condition.

Anthony Stolarz will not start tonight for the Maple Leafs after taking a shot up high in warmups pic.twitter.com/2fsusNGRuQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2026

"Obviously it's, you know, really tough to see that happen," said forward William Nylander, whose warmup shot struck Stolarz.

"I always come in and shoot the puck in the glove, and this one just came off a little bit to the left, and I hit him in the neck. So, I mean, I was obviously worried for him, but, I mean, I've been texting with him, so he seems to be OK."

In his second season with the Leafs, Stolarz is 8-9-3 with a 3.34 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 22 games. The 32-year-old, who won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024 as Sergei Bobrovsky's backup, missed 33 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Stolarz injury: Maple Leafs goalie hit in throat by puck

The Colorado Avalanche are bound for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season!

Today, their final road swing through the Eastern Conference sees them in a brunchtime visit to Washington, D.C. to face the Washington Capitals in a bid to sustain their Central Division lead.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche got their four game road trip off to a good start on Friday evening, as they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4-1 at United Center. All of Colorado’s big guns factored into the victory, as Martin Nečas, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Valeri Nichushkin all tallied goals in the contest. Nathan MacKinnon’s three assist night helped power Colorado’s big guns in the victory as he continues his chase for the Art Ross scoring title; coming into today’s contest, MacKinnon’s 114 points sees him two points behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (116) and four points behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (118). The win snapped Colorado’s three game losing streak, and helped them maintain their position as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and entire League standings.

With the win over Chicago, the Avalanche clinched their ninth consecutive postseason berth, and became the first team in the NHL this season to reach the 100 point mark in the standings. Although they’ve enjoyed being ahead of the rest of the League by a healthy margin throughout the season, that lead has diminished as the regular season marches towards its conclusion. The annoyingly persistent Dallas Stars have narrowed the lead the Avalanche have over their Central Division rivals in recent weeks, but Colorado did get some help from the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Dallas by a 2-1 overtime decision at Grand Casino Arena. The Avalanche currently hold a three point lead over Dallas, but today’s contest in Washington serves as Colorado’s game in hand in the standings. A win today will increase their lead to five points, with both teams having thirteen games remaining on their regular season schedules.

Head Coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the accomplishment after the win in Chicago on Friday. “We like what we’re doing right now. Obviously, there’s ebbs and flows to the season, but I think, to this point in the season, if you look at it as a whole, that we’ve put ourselves in a good spot here. We feel good about the way we’re playing. Making the playoffs is the first step to getting to where you want to go, so we’re pretty happy about that.”

Bednar may opt to return to Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped 19 of 20 shots on Friday against Chicago, for today’s contest. Scott Wedgewood, who continues leading the League for the lowest goals against average (2.19), and now leads the League in save percentage (.916), could get the start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh should Bednar decide on starting Blackwood today.

Prior to leaving for Chicago, Bednar indicated that Ross Colton, Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Logan O’Connor would accompany the Avs on the road trip, and that all four were projected to return to the lineup at some point as the trip progresses. None of them were in the lineup on Friday evening in Chicago, and at the time of this writing, there are no updates on whether any of them would make an appearance against Washington today. However, Ivan Ivan, who was in action on Friday in Chicago, was reassigned to Loveland after the contest, which may indicate that at least one player may return to action today.

Both Colorado and Washington previously met on January 19 at Ball Arena. MacKinnon scored twice, Nečas had a goal and an assist, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 of 24 shots in that contest as the Avalanche skated to a 5-2 victory. Today’s game wraps up the season series against Washington.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Valeri Nichushkin – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Nazem Kadri – Brock Nelson – Nicolas Roy
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Joel Kiviranta – Parker Kelly – Zakhar Bardakov

Defense:
Cale Makar – Sam Girard
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Washington Capitals

Since their previous meeting against Colorado in January, Washington has hovered around the .500 mark, having won five of their final nine games prior to the Olympic break and six of their previous eleven games upon returning to action after the pause. As a result, Washington currently sits in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, and are six points back of the final wild card spot, currently occupied by the Detroit Red Wings, in the Eastern Conference.

With three teams ahead of them as the season winds down, Washington’s chances of making the playoffs are slim. The trade deadline on March 6 saw the departures of Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights and cornerstone defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks, and the acquisition of forward David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the San Jose Sharks. Since the deadline, Washington has gone 4-2-1, but comes into today’s contest against Colorado having won three of their four previous games. Their most recent victory came this past Friday against the New Jersey Devils by a score of 2-1.

The debut of Cole Hutson this past Wednesday saw the rookie defenseman score his first career goal with Washington. While his older brother Lane may have more name recognition across the League due to his play for the Montréal Canadiens, Capitals fans certainly may feel optimistic about what he can bring to the Washington blue line, especially after scoring in his debut. The loss of Carlson may certainly sting, but the future lynchpin on defense may already be right there in Hutson if his development follows a similar trajectory to Lane’s.

As noted in this space during the first preview article featuring Washington and Colorado, if you were asked who was leading Washington in goals, you’d probably say it was Alex Ovechkin. As it was back then, it is still Tom Wilson, but Ovechkin now shares the goal scoring lead with Wilson (25), and the lead in team points (52). Wilson, who was out with injury for the previous outing against Colorado, earned a silver medal with Team Canada along with goaltender Logan Thompson. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun is third among Washington skaters in points (51), second in goal scoring among all skaters (23, tied with Aliaksei Protas), and third in assists (28).

Thompson has won his three of his past five starts, and will likely start today against Colorado. He ranks third in goals against average among goaltenders (2.36), and fourth in save percentage (.915).

Today’s game against Colorado wraps up a four game home stand at Capital One Arena. Washington will begin a three game road trip out west on Tuesday.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier
Aliaksei Protas – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael – Justin Sourdif – Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime – Hendrix Lapierre – Ethen Frank

Defense:
Martin Fehérváry – Rasmus Sandin
Jakob Chychrun – Trevor van Reimsdyk
Cole Hutson – Matt Roy

Between the Pipes:
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

The Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators are at the United Center on Sunday afternoon for a day game within the Central Division. The Blackhawks are trying to finish the season strong, while the Predators are trying to make a late-season push for the playoffs. 

Chicago is coming off a horrendous loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. Nashville is coming into the second leg of a back-to-back, as they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. 

Scouting Nashville 

The Nashville Predators are on a three-game winning streak, and that has pushed them above the playoff line entering Sunday. Nobody saw that coming, even a month ago, let alone multiple months ago. 

Stamkos - O'Reilly - Evangelista 

Forsberg - Wood  - Marchessault

Jost - Haula - L'Heureux

Schafer - Svechkov - Wiesblatt 

Skjei - Josi

Hague - Perbix

Barron - Ufko

Annunen

Murray

Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault, and Filip Forsberg lead things up front for Nashville. They were sellers at the deadline, but they kept these guys, and they are being rewarded for it late in the season. 

On defense, the bottom two pairs follow the lead of the top pair, comprised of Brady Skjei and Roman Josi. Nashville has been one of the best NHL teams at pumping out impactful defensemen, and this year is no different with their newfound depth.

Juuse Saros is injured, so their options in goal against the Blackhawks are Justus Annunen and Matt Murray. Annunen defeated the Golden Knights on Saturday, but they could go right back to him on Sunday. Andrew Brunette has a decision to make, but it won’t be revealed until closer to game time. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are not expected to have Sacha Boisvert or Anton Frondell available for Sunday’s game. They are both expected to make their NHL debut on the East Coast later next week. 

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky  

Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen  

Slaggert-Donato-Mikheyev  

Lardis-Toninato-Lafferty  

Vlasic-Levshunov

Kaiser-Rinzel

Del Mastro-Grzelcyk

Knight

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to be without Andrew Mangiapane and Louis Crevier again on Sunday. They are expected to return to the lineup on the upcoming road trip. 

Going with a traditional lineup was forced on Jeff Blashill in the loss to Colorado, as he used the 11/7 strategy in St. Paul on Thursday. Having Dominic Toninato, Sam Lafferty, and Ethan Del Mastro in the lineup on Sunday will be necessary again. 

Arvid Soderblom played for Spencer Knight on Sunday, the second half of a back-to-back. Against the Predators, expect Knight to get the nod once again. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 2:00 PM CT. 

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

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

With an incredibly tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference this season, the Montreal Canadiens had a must-win game against the New York Islanders on Saturday at the Bell Centre. Before the game, the organization paid tribute to Rodger Brulotte, a monument of the journalistic scene in Quebec, who passed away on Friday after a battle with cancer. Brulotte will be most remembered for his role as the Montreal Expos play-by-play man on RDS, but he also had a hand in the creation of the Expos’ mascot (at the time), Youppi! After the video tribute, the mascot came out on the ice, wearing his Expos jersey from back in the day, and holding a picture of himself with Brulotte, a nice touch by the organization.

The tribute to Rodger #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/mBERtlqELj

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) March 21, 2026

The Canadiens came out strong out of the gate and took a whopping 17 shots on Ilya Sorokin’s net in the first frame, but they still ended up trailing 2-1 after the first 20 minutes of action. While the Habs did well to test the star netminder often, they failed to create any traffic in front of him, and he’s one of those goalies who will stop the puck if he sees it.

Jacob Fowler, who was in the net for the first time since his loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Sunday, only saw six shots in the first stanza, but still surrendered two goals. The first of which was a sharp top-corner shot from former Habs Emil Heineman on the power play, and the second was scored on a breakaway. He could have given up a third after mishandling the puck out of his net and losing it, but Brendan Gallagher cut off the Islanders’ pass.

A Tale Of Two Teams

After dominating in the first frame, the Canadiens came out worryingly flat to start the second frame and stayed flat for much of it. Martin St-Louis’ men didn’t have a single shot on goal until 14 minutes had been played in the frame. Whatever Montreal was trying, it wasn’t working. Asked about that period, the coach explained:

The first tenish minutes of the second, we couldn’t execute. We had so many moments where we could have spent time in their zone, but we missed a pass, we tried to go low to high, and it bounced over our sticks. We could never get going. Eventually, we got it back. You know, I thought our power play was really good, which helped us regain momentum. I just felt tonight, in that third period, the guys understood how we played a lot of good hockey, and, unfortunately, the game is tied right now. Let’s get this game. It was a group decision at that point; we just kept going, and we were hard to handle.

- St-Louis on a tough game to coach

The Canadiens bounced back after a good scare; the Islanders had a goal denied when the puck was touched too high, and it seemed to wake Montreal up. Not long after, Jean-Gabriel Pageau absolutely obliterated Lane Hutson with a bone-crushing hit, and from that point on, the right version of the Canadiens was back. Seconds after that hit, Alex Newhook, who had missed numerous chances up to that point, tied up the game with a one-timer from the side. The goal came at the right time, especially since he had just missed a golden scoring opportunity from the high slot.

Less than a minute and 20 seconds later, Cole Caufield scored his 41st of the season, walking in with the puck on the near post and lodging it above Sorokin’s shoulder. A power play goal made possible by the fact that Juraj Slafkovsky made a good read on the other side to stop a zone exit from the Isles.

Qu’est-ce qui vient après 40? 41!!

What's after 40? 41!! #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/nV4xHp9i9K

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 22, 2026

After 40 minutes, the Canadiens had a 3-2 lead, somehow. Still, Brendan Gallagher had put them in hot water again by taking an incredibly silly penalty, a tripping call in the offensive zone with six seconds left in the frame.

Gallagher Bounced Back

While the penalty ended up being costly, with New York tying up the game on that power play, the veteran wasn’t made to skip a shift. Some might have liked the coach to have held him accountable, but on his very next shift, the Habs got the lead back as the veteran was creating traffic in front of the Isles’ netminder. Gallagher had an assist on the play and redeemed himself in the best possible way. Perhaps the coach felt his veteran knew what he had done was wrong, so there was no need to hammer the point home.

An Offensive Feast For The Top Line

In this 7-3 win, the top line combined for 13 points. Caufield got a hat-trick and a pair of helpers for five points, while Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky both recorded four points. They were a thorn in the Islanders’ side all night, and they frustrated their first line so much that Matthew Barzal ended up dropping his gloves and trying to fight the captain in the third. Suzuki was wise enough to decline the invite, and Kaiden Guhle soon came to his rescue.

Montreal now has 13 games left to play, and Caufield has 43 goals, making a 50-goal season a real possibility; he is on pace for 51 as things stand. As for Slafkovsky, he now has 61 points in 69 games, and each new point sets a new career high. As for Suzuki, with 85 points, he only needs four to tie his record-breaking 89 output from last season. The question is, though, will they remain together or will they have to be split up to kick-start the second line?

The Canadiens will have a day off on Sunday and be back to work in Brossard on Monday morning.

Massive ovation for Rodger Brulotte after the video tribute. Youppi! Is on the ice wearing his Expos jersey #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Yd2hv5zbCB

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) March 21, 2026

---

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MONTREAL -- At the 11:20 mark of the third period after allowing his sixth goal of the night, New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin left the ice. 

The No. 1 netminder had made 26 saves, but in a game that was not going to end in the Islanders' favor, head coach Patrick Roy made the move to give Sorokin a breather as he'll be back in between the pipes for the second leg of the club's back-to-back, a pivotal Sunday night showdown against the third-place Columbus Blue Jackets. 

"[I pulled him] because he's playing tomorrow," Roy said postgame. "It's as simple as that. We have to regroup for tomorrow, and Ilya will be in front of the net. These are two big games for us, and tomorrow is a big one as well. They're all big games, actually, but that's the main reason why we did that, to rest [Sorokin].

Sorokin has yet to play both legs of a back-to-back this season. 

Puck drop between the Islanders and the Blue Jackets comes your way at 7 PM ET live from UBS Arena and can be watched on MSGSN. 

The Islanders are one point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 games to go. 

Vegas Golden Knights (31-25-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Dallas Stars (43-15-11, in the Central Division)

Dallas; Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stars -148, Golden Knights +124; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights, on a three-game losing streak, take on the Dallas Stars.

Dallas is 43-15-11 overall and 22-8-4 at home. The Stars are eighth in league play with 233 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).

Vegas has a 15-13-7 record in road games and a 31-25-14 record overall. The Golden Knights have a +seven scoring differential, with 220 total goals scored and 213 given up.

Sunday's game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Stars won 2-1 in the last meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jason Robertson has 38 goals and 44 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has five goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Mitchell Marner has 19 goals and 50 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has six goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 7-1-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.5 assists, 4.2 penalties and nine penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.

Golden Knights: 3-7-0, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.7 assists, 4.2 penalties and 10.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Stars: Mikko Rantanen: out (lower-body), Radek Faksa: out (upper-body), Roope Hintz: out (lower body), Tyler Seguin: out for season (acl).

Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body), Carter Hart: out (leg), Jonas Rondbjerg: out (lower body).

___

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

Nashville Predators (32-28-9, in the Central Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (26-31-12, in the Central Division)

Chicago; Sunday, 3 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blackhawks -110, Predators -110; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: The Nashville Predators seek to keep a three-game win streak alive when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago is 11-7-5 against the Central Division and 26-31-12 overall. The Blackhawks have a 9-11-6 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.

Nashville is 10-9-4 against the Central Division and 32-28-9 overall. The Predators have a 26-6-3 record when scoring at least three goals.

Sunday's game is the fourth time these teams square off this season. The Predators won 4-2 in the last matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Bertuzzi has 28 goals and 21 assists for the Blackhawks. Frank Nazar has four goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Ryan O'Reilly has 24 goals and 40 assists for the Predators. Matthew Wood has scored five goals with one assist over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Blackhawks: 4-3-3, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

Predators: 5-4-1, averaging three goals, 4.8 assists, 3.6 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Blackhawks: Shea Weber: out for season (ankle), Louis Crevier: day to day (undisclosed), Andrew Mangiapane: day to day (undisclosed), Oliver Moore: out (lower body), Sacha Boisvert: day to day (not injury related ).

Predators: Juuse Saros: out (upper body), Adam Wilsby: day to day (lower-body).

___

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

Tampa Bay Lightning (43-21-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Calgary Flames (28-34-7, in the Pacific Division)

Calgary, Alberta; Sunday, 8 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lightning -180, Flames +149; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to keep a three-game win streak intact when they take on the Calgary Flames.

Calgary has an 18-12-4 record at home and a 28-34-7 record overall. The Flames have given up 211 goals while scoring 170 for a -41 scoring differential.

Tampa Bay has a 43-21-4 record overall and a 23-9-4 record in road games. The Lightning are first in NHL play with 343 total penalties (averaging five per game).

The matchup Sunday is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Lightning won 5-1 in the last meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mikael Backlund has scored 15 goals with 23 assists for the Flames. Olli Maatta has five assists over the past 10 games.

Nikita Kucherov has 40 goals and 78 assists for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel has scored five goals and added four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 4-6-0, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.7 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.

Lightning: 5-5-0, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.5 assists, 5.2 penalties and 15.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Flames: Samuel Honzek: out (upper body), Jonathan Huberdeau: out for season (hip), Jake Bean: out (undisclosed), Yan Kuznetsov: day to day (upper-body), Connor Zary: day to day (upper body).

Lightning: Max Crozier: out (abdomen), Dominic James: out (leg), Declan Carlile: out (undisclosed), Victor Hedman: day to day (illness).

___

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

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists to take the NHL scoring lead from Edmonton star Connor McDavid in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 5-2 victory over the Oilers on Saturday night.

Kucherov scored his 39th and 40th goals and had his 77th and 78th assists to push his season points total to 118. McDavid had his 38th goal to get to 116. Kucherov has 12 points in his last three games and 22 in his last eight.

Anthony Cirelli also scored twice, Jake Guentzel added a goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for Tampa Bay. Second in the Atlantic Division, the Lightning have won three in a row and four of five.

Josh Samanski also scored for Edmonton, and Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots. Second in the Pacific, the Oilers have lost two in a row.

The Lightning took a 3-1 lead with three minutes left in the second period. Kucherov emerged from the penalty box at the end of the first half of an Edmonton five-on-three advantage. and J.J. Moser sprung him on a breakaway for his first career short-handed goal.

McDavid is just shy of three milestones. He's a goal away from 400, an assist from 800 and two points short of 1,200.

Up next

Lightning: At Calgary on Sunday night.

Oilers: At Utah on Tuesday night.

___

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

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Saturday evening provided the Detroit Red Wings with one of their biggest tests of the season against the Boston Bruins, a divisional opponent with whom they are neck-and-neck in the chase for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Unfortunately, the game slipped away from them in the final 20 minutes of play. 

The Bruins, who entered the contest tied with Detroit in the standings, erased a 2–1 deficit in the third period with two quick goals on their way to a 4–2 victory at Little Caesars Arena. 

Final.

Next up: Ottawa on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/DrTEMKUClP

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 22, 2026

Elias Lindholm beat goaltender John Gibson with a quick wrist shot through his five-hole at 6:22 to tie the score, followed by a short-side goal from defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the face-off circle just 3:20 later. It ultimately stood up as the game-winner. 

Despite the loss, the Red Wings remain in the second overall Wild Card position in the tightly-packed Atlantic Division with 84 points. Unfortunately, they once again got zero help from the outside, thanks to victories from the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators. 

The Montreal Canadiens rebounded from their 3-1 loss to Detroit on Thursday by beating the New York Islanders 7-3, moving two points ahead of Detroit and into the third overall spot in the division. 

As it happens, Ottawa is Detroit's next opponent on Tuesday night. At 81 points, they're dangerously close in Detroit's rear-view mirror. 

Team captain Dylan Larkin missed his seventh consecutive contest with a lower-body injury he sustained on March 6. While he's resumed practicing, he's yet to be given the green light to return to game action. 

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

The opening 20 minutes of play were scoreless, despite J.T. Compher appearing to have beaten the buzzer with a goal in the waning seconds of the period. However, replays confirmed that the puck entered the net literally 0.2 seconds too late. 

However, Detroit was quick to find the back of the net in the second period thanks to a power-play tally from Lucas Raymond, his 22nd of the season. 

But Detroit soon got into penalty trouble. David Perron was whistled for interference, and just seven seconds later, Moritz Seider was called for delay-of-game after flipping the puck over the glass.

It directly led to a goal from sniper David Pastrnak, who scored his 28th goal off a wicked one-timed shot just seconds into the 5-on-3 chance. 

The Red Wings re-took the lead 4:06 into the third period, as Alex DeBrincat scored for the second time in as many games, beating Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman through traffic from the top of the face-off circle; it was his 35th of the season. 

Unfortunately, from that point on, Swayman was impenetrable. He made an acrobatic-like glove save on DeBrincat just minutes later, robbed rookie Emmitt Finnie on the doorstep, and made several other key saves to hold down the fort for his team.

Gibson, who also made a third-period save on Lukas Reichel's penalty shot opportunity, finished with 22 saves on the 25 shots he faced; Swayman countered with 41 stops in one of his best performances of the season. 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist to lead the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

Stamkos opened the scoring 40 seconds in and added a power-play goal in the first two minutes of the second period as Nashville raced to an early three-goal lead. Tyson Jost and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, who won their third straight and for the fourth time in six games. Justus Annunen made 39 saves and improved to 8-9-2.

With his second goal of the game, the 36-year-old Stamkos broke a tie with Brendan Shanahan and moved into sole possession of seventh place in the NHL with 238 career power-play goals. Phil Esposito is sixth overall with 246 man-advantage goals. Stamkos has 33 goals and 55 points this season.

Shea Theodore scored for Vegas, which lost its third in a row and for the sixth time in eight games. Akira Schmid stopped 16 shots.

Vegas carried the play throughout, outshooting Nashville 40-20. But, the Predators made the most of their shots with leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the second period. The Golden Knights had a 20-4 edge in shots in the first period and a 10-5 advantage in the scoreless third.

Stamkos scored in the opening minute after Ryan O’Reilly won a faceoff and delivered a perfect feed in the slot.

Stamkos scored his 33 of the season on the power play at 1:24 of the second, with assists going to Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula. Tyson Jost made it 3-0 with the Predators’ third short-handed goal of the season at 11:56. O’Reilly has the team’s other short-handed scores this season.

PENGUINS 5, JETS 4, SO

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell scored in a shootout and Pittsburgh beat Winnipeg.

Pittsburgh, which is jockeying for playoff positioning, earned an extra point in the shootout for the second time this season. The Penguins have points in seven of their last eight games and 21 of their last 25.

Arturs Silovs, who made 21 saves, stopped Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist in the shootout.

Erik Karlsson scored two goals and has five in his last three games. Karlsson, who has four straight multi-point games, now has seven goals and 19 points in his last 12 games.

Egor Chinakhov earned his 100th NHL point with a goal and Rakell scored to continue a career-best eight-game point streak.

Parker Wotherspoon had two assists, while Bryan Rust, playing in his 700th NHL game, continued a six-game point streak with an assist.

Cole Koepke scored a short-handed goal, while Morgan Barron also scored for the Jets.

Brad Lambert had a goal and an assist, while Neal Pionk scored in his return after missing the last 23 games because of injury.

WILD 2, STARS 1, OT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Vladimir Tarasenko scored 3:06 into overtime and Minnesota beat Dallas in what could be a first-round playoff preview.

Bobby Brink also scored and Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves for the Wild, improving to 9-2-0 in his past 11 starts.

It is Minnesota’s second win in six games, a stretch that included three straight home losses. The Wild are in third place in the Central Division — five points behind Dallas and 14 up on Utah.

Jason Robertson scored and Jake Oettinger stopped 26 shots for Dallas. The Stars moved within three points of Colorado, which clinched a playoff spot on Friday. Dallas is 1-1-1 in their last three games after a 14-0-1 run. Dallas beat the Avalanche 2-1 Wednesday in a shootout.

In overtime, a bounce off the half wall went to Brink, who quickly sent a pass across to Tarasenko alone in the right circle. His wrist shot found the far top corner and the Wild won its 15th game that has gone to extra time. Minnesota has played an NHL-high 28 overtime games.

SABRES 4, KINGS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zach Benson had a goal and an assist and Buffalo continued their white-hot play with a win over Los Angeles.

Tage Thompson, Sam Carrick and Rasmus Dahlin also scored for the Sabres.

Carrick and Dahlin scored 59 seconds apart midway through the third period, and Benson added an empty-netter to give the Sabres their fourth straight win and 12th in the past 13 outings. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves.

Buoyed by significant and vocal support despite being the visitors, the Sabres continued their push for an Atlantic Division title as they are on their way to ending a 14-year playoff drought, the longest in the NHL.

Artemi Panarin scored, picking up a point for the fifth straight game. Anze Kopitar tied Marcel Dionne for the Kings franchise record for points on home ice, and Anton Forsberg made 28 saves.

Los Angeles came into the day as the second wild card in the Western Conference but dropped behind the Nashville Predators, who won 4-1 over the Vegas Golden Knights.

FLYERS 4, SHARKS 1

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 Philadelphia beat San Jose 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.

BLUE JACKETS 5, KRAKEN 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Columbus scored three times in the first period and beat Seattle, extending the Blue Jackets’ point streak to 12 games.

Danton Heinen, Damon Severson and Mathieu Olivier scored in the opening frame, and Zach Werenski assisted on all three. Cole Sillinger had a goal and two assists, Kent Johnson added a goal, and Elvis Merzlikins made 15 saves as Columbus won its fourth straight.

Kaapo Kakko had a goal and an assist, and Vince Dunn also scored for Seattle, which has lost three straight and fell two points behind Nashville for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Joey Daccord stopped 23 shots.

CANADIENS 7, ISLANDERS 3

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored three goals to push his season total to 43 and added two assists to help Montreal beat New York.

Caufield is second in the NHL in goals, two behind Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon.

The Canadiens are third in the Atlantic Division, while the Islanders are a point behind Detroit for the second wild card in the tight Eastern Conference.

Juraj Slafkovsky had two goals and two assists, and Nick Suzuki had four assists to bring his season total to 61. Kaiden Guhle added a goal and two assists, Alex Newhook also scored and Jacob Fowler made 19 saves.

Emil Heineman, Simon Holmstrom and Matthew Schaefer scored for New York.

SENATORS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ottawa had a dominant game against their provincial rivals beating Toronto.

Anthony Stolarz was expected to get the start but took a puck to the throat during warm-ups and was sent to hospital for precautionary imaging putting Joseph Woll back in action. Woll had faced 36 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to Carolina on Friday night.

Tim Stutzle, Claude Giroux, Warren Foegele, Michael Amadio and Ridly Greig scored for Ottawa. Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence added two assists each, and Woll stopped 38 shots.

John Tavares and Easton Cowan scored for the Maple Leafs, who were without captain Auston Matthews who had knee surgery on Thursday. Linus Ullmark made 12 saves.

BLUES 3, CANUCKS 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Pius Suter and Pavel Buchnevich scored in a 1:19 span in the second period and St. Louis beat NHL-worst Vancouver to end a two-game losing streak.

St. Louis is six points behind Nashville for the final wild-card playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Blues have are 7-1-2 in their last 10.

Jordan Kyrou scored into an empty net on a power play with 48 seconds left to seal it. Jordan Binnington stopped 14 shots for St. Louis, allowing only defenseman Filip Hronek’s third-period goal on a power play.

Kevin Lankinen made 18 saves for the Canucks.

BRUINS 4, RED WINGS 2

DETROIT (AP) — Defenseman Nikita Zadorov broke a tie at 9:42 of the third period and Boston beat Detroit in an Eastern Conference wild-card showdown.

Jeremy Swayman made 41 saves to help Boston move two points ahead of Detroit for the first wild-card spot. David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Marat Khusnutdinov also scored for the Bruins.

Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat scored for Detroit. John Gibson stopped 23 shots.

Zadorov put the Bruins ahead with a long wrist shot that seemed to surprise Gibson as it sailed past his blocker. The defenseman has two goals this season.

LIGHTNING 5, OILERS 2

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists to take the NHL scoring lead from Edmonton star Connor McDavid in Tampa Bay’s victory over the Oilers.

Kucherov scored his 39th and 40th goals and had his 77th and 78th assists to push his season points total to 118. McDavid had his 38th goal to get to 116. Kucherov has 12 points in his last three games and 22 in his last eight.

Anthony Cirelli also scored twice, Jake Guentzel added a goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for Tampa Bay. Second in the Atlantic Division, the Lightning have won three in a row and four of five.

Josh Samanski also scored for Edmonton, and Connor Ingram stopped 22 shots. Second in the Pacific, the Oilers have lost two in a row.