Playing in a second game in as many nights against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Arber Xhekaj was limited to just over nine minutes of ice time once again. Granted, he’s not perfect defensively, far from it, but he can be a difference maker from a physicality standpoint.
At the time of writing, Xhekaj was second among all NHL defensemen who have played at least 30 games in hits per 60 minutes with 14.42 mere decimals between Connor Clifton, who leads the league with 14.59.
When he spoke to the media on Friday, Kent Hughes said he didn’t acquire any players because he wants to see the organization’s young players get some experience. That’s all well and good, but the 6-foot-4 and 240-pound defenseman cannot get the experience he needs if he’s not allowed to play.
On Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings, captain Nick Suzuki was rocked by a hard hit along the boards, and the Antichambre panel on RDS lamented the lack of a fight for him. They pointed out that Xhekaj wasn’t on the ice then, but he could have taken the number and addressed it later, before asking whether he was allowed to do so under Martin St-Louis. That’s the issue right there, Xhekaj is playing scared and wondering if he’s going to get the chop if he does what his nature dictates.
In press conferences, St-Louis has often said that he doesn’t want to overcoach his skill players by telling them when they should have shot rather than passed the puck, but from the outside looking in, it looks like he doesn’t mind overcoaching the gritty defenseman. Granted, Xhekaj needed to be reeled in initially because he was getting himself out of the play too much, seeking the big hits, but he’s adjusted that side of his game.
In the playoffs, where big hits and physicality are a regular occurrence, Xhekaj needs to play and do it without worrying about being scratched for the smallest mistake. He’ll never play as sound a game as a player who was drafted in the first round, but he brings something those players can’t bring. To benefit from that, though, the Canadiens need to learn to live with the occasional mistake.
Furthermore, when the Canadiens hold their annual skills contest, he’s always the leader in the hardest shot category. Last month, he set a net personal best with a 107.3 mph rocket. Of course, there’s a difference between doing it in a skills competition and in a game, but if he had more confidence, he might be more inclined to try some shots out there.
The Boston Bruins have had a miserable time getting road wins when facing quality defensive teams — and they’re facing a very good one in Pittsburgh today.
Even without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, my Bruins vs. Penguins predictions see the home team taking care of business.
Bruins vs Penguins best bet: Penguins moneyline (-125)
The Boston Bruins have struggled mightily on the road against good defensive teams. They've played 12 away games against teams ranking in the Top 10 in shot suppression, goal suppression, or both. Only two resulted in wins.
Boston posted an average goal differential of -1.92 and shot differential of -4.58 in those 12 contests. A lot of them were not close.
The Pittsburgh Penguins sit second in penalty-kill percentage, sixth in goals against, and 10th in shot suppression, so — even missing key players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — they’re positioned well to cause the Bruins problems and get a win.
Bruins vs Penguins same-game parlay
Ben Kindel has played a bigger role without Sidney Crosby in the lineup and made the most of it. He's averaged 2.7 shots and 5.0 attempts through six games, recording four or more attempts in five of them.
Yegor Chinakhov has cleared 2.5 shots in eight of his past 10 appearances. He played more than 21 minutes in his first game without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup and figures to be heading for another big workload against the Bruins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have hit the moneyline in 15 of their last 25 games (+4.50 Units / 14% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Penguins.
How to watch Bruins vs Penguins
Location
PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Date
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Puck drop
4:30 p.m. ET
TV
TNT
Bruins vs Penguins latest injuries
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The Detroit Red Wings are in New Jersey on Sunday for an evening matchup with the New Jersey Devils, setting the stage for a memorable night as newly acquired defenseman Justin Faulk is expected to make his debut with the club.
Detroit acquired Faulk with minutes remaining before the NHL trade deadline, adding an offensive defenseman and a much needed right shot to their blue line. The Red Wings sent defenseman Justin Holl, blue chip prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 first round pick, and a 2026 third round pick originally belonging to the San Jose Sharks to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the veteran blueliner.
The South St. Paul, Minnesota native has continued to produce even at age 33 with 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 61 games with St. Louis this season prior to the trade, continuing his long standing reputation as a defenseman capable of contributing offensively while playing heavy minutes.
Across his NHL career, Faulk has been one of the more consistent offensive defensemen in the league. Since entering the NHL after being selected in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he has appeared in 1,041 career games between the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues and now the Red Wings.
Faulk will wear number 72 with Detroit, marking the first time the number has been used by the franchise since it was worn by Andreas Athanasiou during his tenure with the Red Wings from 2015 to 2020.
Over the course of his career, Faulk has recorded 141 goals and 349 assists for 490 points while also building a reputation for his physical style of play. The former U.S. National Development program product has established himself as a strong physical presence, registering 1,621 career hits, which ranks 33rd all-time among NHL defensemen, along with 1,426 blocked shots, placing him 57th all-time among defensemen. His track record has shown that he is a reliable secondary scoring option while remaining a dependable two-way presence on the blue line.
Faulk built his reputation during his time in Carolina, where he developed into the Hurricanes' top offensive defenseman and earned three appearances in the NHL All-Star Game in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
He joined St. Louis for the 2019-20 season, one year removed from the Blues historic Stanley Cup win and Faulk became a steady top-four presence, helping log heavy minutes as well as depth scoring.
For the Red Wings, the move signals a clear intention to end their near decade long playoff drought while still avoiding a full sacrifice of future assets. GM Steve Yzerman made it clear he wanted to reward the group for its efforts this season, doing so by adding an experienced and highly capable defender who could help push Detroit’s young roster toward a postseason berth.
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The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the worst team in the National Hockey League, the Vancouver Canucks, on Friday. This capped off a tough trade deadline week for Chicago, so it’s a loss to throw in the garbage and move on from.
Next up is one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The Dallas Stars are 9-0-1 in their last ten games. That one loss came in the shootout against the Colorado Avalanche, the only team ahead of them in the NHL standings, on Friday night.
Scouting Dallas
The Dallas Stars win all of these games, but they can’t gain any ground because of how good the Central Division is at the top. The Colorado Avalanche are 7-3-0 in their last ten, including four straight wins, and the Minnesota Wild are 8-2-0 in their last ten. They make up three of the top four teams in the league.
A game against the Blackhawks is a big one for the Stars, because they come in expecting to get two points in the tight race. That is especially true knowing that the Wild and Avalanche play each other on the same day, presenting an opportunity to gain ground on one of them.
Dallas, more than any team in the NHL, has the best mix of older veterans, elite players in their prime, and young budding stars. They get contributions offensively and defensively from up and down their lineup.
Robertson-Hintz-Johnston
Steel-Duchene-Benn
Erne-Hryckowian-Bourque
Blackwell-Bäck-Bastian
Lindell-Heiskanen
Harley-Lundkvist
Bichsel-Lyubushkin
Oettinger
DeSmith
Mikko Rantanen, their best forward, is out for the Stars. He was injured while representing Team Finland in Milano Cortina. He will be back soon, but not against the Blackhawks on Sunday.
It is on Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene, and others to pick up the pace offensively. Rantanen is a superstar, but they have the firepower needed to win, as proven by their great play since the Olympics without Rantanen.
Their defense is incredibly notable, led by Olympians like Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Thomas Harley. Whether it’s their star number one, Jake Oettinger (also an Olympian) in net, or their solid backup, Casey DeSmith in net, Dallas is hard to score goals against. This well-rounded game on both sides of the puck is why they are 38-14-10.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks are looking to bounce back from that tough defeat at the hands of the Canucks. They’ve played better against good teams for some reason, and this game against the Stars is a nice opportunity to get back in the win column in a big way.
The Blackhawks have won each of the two meetings between them, both by a score of 4-3. This will be their last match against one another in 2025-26, so it’s a chance for Chicago to sweep the three-game season series.
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen
Mangiapane-Moore-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Donato-Lardis
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Grzelcyk-Levshunov
Commesso
Soderblom
The Blackhawks appear to be running the Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Oliver Moore trio down the middle again, but the wings have been switched up a bit. Ryan Donato looks to be the fourth-line center.
On Donato’s wing in practice were Landon Slaggert and Sam Lafferty. However, the Blackhawks called up Nick Lardis from the Rockford IceHogs after practice, so he’s sure to dress. Sam Lafferty has been scratched for most of the season, so that’s likely the guy to sit again.
Last time out, they went with an 11-forward, 7-defensemen strategy. Going in as the extra defenseman was Ethan Del Mastro. If they go that route again, it is fair to assume that Landon Slaggert would come out. They didn’t call up Lardis to sit him.
Spencer Knight fell ill on Friday afternoon, so an emergency backup goalie was used to back up Arvid Soderblom. On Saturday, before leaving for Dallas, they called up Drew Commesso, and Spencer Knight is staying home. Who starts in Dallas on Sunday and at home vs Utah on Monday remains to be seen
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 5:00 PM CT.
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The Detroit Red Wings have recalled forward John Leonard from the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, marking the third time this season the 27-year-old has been promoted to the NHL roster.
Leonard has been one of the AHL’s most productive forwards this season, posting 27 goals and 14 assists for 41 points in just 34 games with Grand Rapids. His scoring pace has made him a key contributor for the league-leading Griffins and one of the standout performers in the AHL.
During his previous stints with the Red Wings this season, Leonard has shown flashes of offensive ability with two goals and two assists for four points in nine games. While Leonard’s latest recall could be temporary depending on Larkin’s recovery, strong play could give the Red Wings reason to keep him in the lineup. His performance at the AHL level suggests a player continuing to grow into a reliable depth option capable of contributing offense when called upon.
Leonard’s rise has been steady over the past few seasons. Last year, he recorded 61 points in 72 games while helping the Charlotte Checkers reach the Calder Cup Finals. Originally selected by the San Jose Sharks in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Leonard has gradually worked his way toward carving out a role at the NHL level.
If he can translate his AHL success during this latest opportunity in Detroit and continue his slow growth over time, he may be able to become an NHL regular in the near future.
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After losing a handful of forwards at the NHL trade deadline, the Philadelphia Flyers organization suffered another loss at the position through injury.
On Saturday night, Lehigh Valley Phantoms communications director Bob Rotruck shared that Flyers forward prospect Devin Kaplan had undergone surgery to address an upper-body injury, sidelining him for seven to 10 weeks.
Kaplan, 22, had produced five goals, eight assists, and 13 points in 49 games for the Phantoms in his first year playing pro this season.
The former third-round pick also made his NHL debut for the Flyers last season, playing 12:12 in a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Game 82.
Kaplan hasn't played for the Phantoms since a 5-4 shootout loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Feb. 28; he scored in the game and recorded 12 penalty minutes for roughing and abuse of officials penalties.
The injury is bad news for the Phantoms, who just lost Alex Bump to an NHL call-up, have been without Denver Barkey for quite some time now, and saw Alexis Gendron get traded to Boston at the NHL trade deadline.
Aside from Karsen Dorwart, and perhaps Phil Tomasino, the Phantoms are now completely devoid of young forward talent coming up through the NHL pipeline.
They'll get some reinforcements from the Flyers at the end of their season when Bump and Denver Barkey return, but until then, surviving is looking like an increasingly difficult task for Lehigh Valley.
The Phantoms are currently 24-25-6 on the season, sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division with 54 points. A meager three-point buffer separates them from the Springfield Thunderbirds and missing the postseason, so they'll have to hold onto their playoff spot without Kaplan.
The Buffalo Sabres made a notable move ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline when they acquired defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets. The Sabres will be hoping that the pair can help bolster their blueline ahead of the playoffs.
One of the main pieces that the Sabres sent the other way to land Stanley and Schenn was former first-round pick Isak Rosen. Seeing Rosen get dealt was not surprising, as he had been the subject of trade rumors and had trouble cementing himself as a full-time NHL player in Buffalo.
Yet, with this trade to the Jets, Rosen has now been given a fresh start and should get more opportunities at the NHL level. The Jets have already called him up to their NHL roster, and he should get a decent amount of playing time when noting that the Jets' playoff hopes are incredibly low at this stage of the season.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff also confirmed that Rosen will stay on the club's NHL roster for the remainder of the season. Thus, he has a big chance to show Winnipeg what he can do.
Sometimes a player benefits from a change of scenery, and that could very well end up being the case for Rosen. It is going to be interesting to see if he can take that next step with the Jets. There is no question that the skilled forward has good upside.
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 02: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a goal scored by Artturi Lehkonen #62 on Mike Smith #41 of the Edmonton Oilers during the second period in Game Two of the Western Conference Final of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on June 02, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Avalanche, boasting the most formidable lineup in the NHL this season, just got a little nastier coming out of the NHL trade deadline.
Or, perhaps more fittingly, Naz-tier.
Nazem Kadri begins his second stint as a member of the Avs today, who face the newly reconfigured Minnesota Wild in a high stakes matchup at Ball Arena.
Colorado Avalanche (42-10-9)
The Opponent: Minnesota Wild (37-16-10)
Time: 12:00 P.M. MST/2:00 P.M. EST
Watch: HBO MAX/TNT/truTV (U.S. National Broadcast), TVAS/TVAS+ (Canadian National Broadcast), SN+, NHL Centre Ice (Outside Avalanche and Wild Broadcast Region – Canada)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche return home on the heels of their most challenging stretch of hockey in the wake of the Olympic break. They defeated the Dallas Stars by a 5-4 shootout decision after coming back from separate 3-1 and 4-2 deficits on Friday evening at American Airlines Center. After Stars captain Jamie Benn botched an empty net play that would have secured a key regulation victory for Dallas, Valeri Nichushkin tied the game with 13.2 seconds remaining in the third period. Scott Wedgewood, who replaced Mackenzie Blackwood after he surrendered four goals on eleven shots, was sensational in relief, stopping everything that came his way in regulation, and made brilliant saves on Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen in overtime and both Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene in the shootout. Martin Nečas scored what proved to be the shootout winner on Jake Oettinger, and Nichushkin added another shootout goal to ice the comeback, salvaging two critical points in the standings from falling into Dallas’ hands. The victory completed a sweep of the Avs’ three game road trip, and was their fifth win in six games, while snapping Dallas’ franchise record ten game winning streak.
Coach Jared Bednar said this of Nichushkin’s performance on Friday: “I feel like he’s been playing a lot better right before the break, coming out of the break, he’s starting to using his legs like we’re used to seeing. He had been fighting the puck for a little bit, had a little bit of an injury that was bothering him; he was playing through that, and he’s been snakebit […] hopefully this sparks him here, and he starts feeling it a little bit, because he deserves to put a few more back in the net.”
In their win over Dallas, the Avalanche further solidified their position as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. Coming into today’s game against Minnesota, they have a six point lead over Dallas with a game in hand, and a nine point lead over Minnesota with two games in hand. While the Avs trail the season series as a result of their 5-2 defeat on home ice by Minnesota on February 26, this version of the Avalanche roster will look markedly different from the one that Minnesota faced previously with the return of Nazem Kadri—a reunion that many Avs fans felt was nearly impossible—after being re-acquired from the Calgary Flames on Friday afternoon.
Despite having just a twelve goals to this point in this year, his lowest since the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, Kadri’s physicality, face-off prowess, and penchant for drawing penalties will be huge as the Avs close in on that coveted top seed for the playoffs. He should have no problem getting re-acquainted with Bednar’s system, and his chemistry within the locker room speaks for itself. Kadri will undoubtedly receive a hero’s welcome from Avs fans for his first game in a Colorado sweater in over three years.
Today marks the final game of the four game series with Minnesota, but a win by the Avalanche this afternoon could all but put the top spot in the Central Division out of Minnesota’s reach.
(Let’s try not to launch any pucks from the defensive zone on the penalty kill today.)
Nathan MacKinnon still leads the NHL with a League-best 42 goals and has closed the points gap with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (MacKinnon has 103 points; McDavid leads the League with 106). Nečas, who tied his career high in goals (28) this past Friday in Dallas, is two goals away from a tie for second place in goal scoring with Brock Nelson (30). Cale Makar is one goal away from his fourth season of reaching the 20 goal marker.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Gabe Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Parker Kelly – Nazem Kadri – Nicolas Roy Joel Kiviranta – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Defense: Devon Toews – Cale Makar Josh Manson – Brent Burns Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski
Between the Pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood Scott Wedgewood
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota came out of the Olympic break with a huge opportunity to gain ground in the hotly contested Central Division with their victory over Colorado. However, two consecutive losses to division opponents (ironically, a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Utah Mammoth on February 27—the night after they defeated Colorado by the exact same score—and a 3-1 loss to the St Louis Blues on March 01) allowed Dallas to reclaim second place, dropping Minnesota to third in the division. Coming into today’s game, Minnesota pulled within two points of Dallas, having defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena this past Friday, so a win in Denver today would be pretty massive. However, since Dallas holds a game in hand on Minnesota, they would still retain second place in the division. With less than twenty games left in the regular season, Minnesota may need to start getting help from other teams in order to position themselves more favorably as teams hit the final stretch of the season.
While Minnesota landed its biggest trade piece earlier this season in the Quinn Hughes deal last November, GM Bill Guerin was very active leading up to the NHL trade deadline. He claimed center Robby Fabbri off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, and acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Minnesota’s seventh round pick in this year’s draft. He also acquired center Michael McCarron in exchange for Minnesota’s second round pick in 2028.
Guerin wasn’t done there: at the deadline, he acquired right wing Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman David Jiříček. Brink made his debut for Minnesota this past Friday, but is no stranger to playing in Colorado, having won several awards at the collegiate level, including the NCAA championship in 2022, with the University of Denver Pioneers. Guerin also acquired Nick Foligno, the brother of Minnesota assistant captain Marcus Foligno, from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. Marcus Foligno is currently out with injury, but could return to the lineup against Colorado. Vinnie Hinostroza was also dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations.
Minnesota’s retooled lineup will give them a much different appearance in this final regular season matchup against Colorado. The addition of Brink will give them another option on offense; while his thirteen goals would tie him for seventh place among Minnesota skaters, this figure is a career high for him in his short NHL career and could see a bump in his new surroundings, especially if he continues to see top six ice time like he did this past Friday against Vegas. Foligno and McCarron add a veteran presence that playoff-bound clubs find irrisitible for playoff runs, and while Fabbri has struggled in recent seasons, having roster depth—especially at center—is a must have at this time of year as teams gear up for postseason play.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy currently share the team lead in goals (35). Kaprizov leads all skaters in points (75), while Boldy is three points behind in second place (72). Filip Gustavsson got the start Minnesota’s previous victory in Colorado, but was unable to finish the game due to illness. With Gustavsson getting a majority of the starter’s workload since coming back from the Olympics, it’s possible Jesper Wallstedt starts today to give Gustavsson a breather prior to Minnesota’s upcoming four game homestand starting on Tuesday.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Kirill Kaprizov – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello Matt Boldy – Joel Eriksson Ek – Bobby Brink Vladimir Tarasenko – Danila Yurov – Yakov Trenin Robby Fabbri – Michael McCarron – Nico Sturm
Defense: Quinn Hughes – Brock Faber Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon Jake Middleton – Zach Bogosian
Between the Pipes: Jesper Wallstedt Filip Gustavsson
Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton has gotten off to a strong start with his new team.
The 31-year-old, who was traded from the Maple Leafs to the L.A. Kings on Friday at the deadline for a conditional third-rounder in 2026, made his debut with his new club on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Laughton centered the Kings' third line, alongside Alex Turcotte and Jared Wright, and scored a game-tying goal for his new team in the second period.
Wright made a behind-the-back pass below the goal line to Laughton. He received the puck, spun, and then fired a shot under Jakub Dobes for his ninth goal of the season. It was Laughton's first goal since Jan. 23 against the Vegas Golden Knights, while with the Maple Leafs.
The Canadiens and Kings traded goals back and forth throughout the game, but Nick Suzuki's marker with less than five minutes to go in the third period turned out to be the game-winner for Montreal.
L.A. pushed to tie the game late in the third period, and Laughton was among the players on the ice fighting for a goal. Despite not scoring, the veteran forward finished the game with 15:08 of ice time in his Kings debut.
Laughton played more of a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs and had only 10 games this season in which his ice time was higher than what it was in his debut with the Kings.
Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, Laughton was living out his dream of playing for the Maple Leafs. Before being moved, he expressed a desire to remain with his hometown club.
However, with where Toronto sits in the standings, general manager Brad Treliving decided to sell, and Laughton — an unrestricted agent at the end of this season — was among the players traded before Friday's 3:00 p.m. ET deadline.
Hours after being shipped to the Kings, Laughton shared a post on X with a photo and video of him in Maple Leafs gear alongside his son, Reed. "Thank you Toronto," he wrote. "Dream come true."
Laughton joined the Maple Leafs via trade one year earlier from the Philadelphia Flyers. Toronto moved a conditional first-rounder in 2027 and Nikita Grebenkin for the bottom-six center.
"(Laughton) fit in right away," said Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews on Saturday morning, looking back on Laughton's tenure in Toronto. "I mean, he was only here for a year. I think a lot of guys kind of knew him from the Toronto area, and just an incredible guy."
The Oakville, Ontario-born forward finished his Maple Leafs tenure with 10 goals and 16 points in 63 regular-season games, plus two assists in 13 postseason games last spring.
NHL trade deadline addition David Jiricek made his debut for the Philadelphia Flyers organization in the AHL on Saturday night, and the results were a mixed bag. That's ok, and it's what the Flyers signed up for when they traded for him.
Paired with Helge Grans for his debut with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Jiricek found the back of the net with a power play strike from medium range.
The 22-year-old, unfortunately, also went semi-viral online for a mishap early in the Phantoms' game against the Charlotte Checkers.
After blocking a point shot from Brian Pinho, Jiricek pivoted to play the puck, only to fall down and allow Sandis Vilmanis to open the scoring in alone on Carson Bjarnason.
He did redeem himself with the power play goal, though, completing a comeback from 4-0 down and tying the game at 4-4 late in the third period.
In one game, the Flyers organization got all of the good and all of the bad with Jiricek, and again, that's what they signed up for. Fans criticizing their new top prospect after one awkward mistake need to resign themselves to this, too.
Flyers GM Danny Briere said himself that the goal was to get Jiricek ready to push for an NHL roster spot next year, which is seven months away.
In those seven months, the one thing Jiricek really needs to work on is his mobility. The hulking 6-foot-4 defender is never going to be skating around like a gazelle, but his hips are a bit stiff and he tends to take short, choppy strides. Jiricek's actual speed is perfectly adequate.
Defensively, Jiricek stood around a bit too much, and maybe that's a result of having just been traded for the second time and trying to learn a new system and new teammates on the fly. We'll see how that changes over the course of the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Initially, I wasn't too big a fan of trading an established middle-six scorer in Bobby Brink for a high-risk, high-reward defenseman in Jiricek who may or may not be an NHLer.
But, after seeing the talent and the puck skills, he's a few tweaks off from making it. Big tweaks, to be clear, but only a few.
Criticize the Flyers' development staff all you want - and maybe some of that is warranted over the years - but they've been doing a great job recently.
Forwards Alex Bump, Nikita Grebenkin, and Denver Barkey are all already NHL-caliber contributors, and Brink and Tyson Foerster came up from their system, too.
Brink, notably, was a small playmaker with not a whole lot of speed, and he worked like a dog to become faster, stronger, and better defensively. Who's to say a much more physically gifted and revered Jiricek can't do the same in a summer or two?
Coming into Philadelphia, a 21-year-old Jamie Drysdale was looking like a total zero from the 2020 draft. Wasn't putting up points, couldn't defend, and couldn't stay on the ice. See the above advanced stats chart for a visual of how bad it really was in 2023-24.
Now, though, Drysdale is beginning to emerge as a leader for the Flyers, and he's become one of their best defensemen overall. Maybe better than Cam York, and I think he'll continue to grow even more.
Drysdale, of course, is an elite skater, but he, like Jiricek, needed to work on his side of the ice and learn to defend at the NHL level.
Whether or not it works out, the Flyers deserve props for their unwavering willingness to take on high-risk projects in player development.
Drysdale was one, Jiricek is one, Jack Berglund with his skating coming in is another, and Jack Nesbitt is probably a worse skater than Jiricek. It's clearly not something the Flyers value, and it's something they also feel can be corrected to the level they require.
Jiricek is a player the Flyers have coveted for a long time, as have some fans. Now that the opportunity cost was deemed appropriate, Briere and Co. pulled the trigger and brought him in.
Now that you have your ticket for the Jiricek ride, you have to get on the train.
After suffering a tough loss in the sixth round of the shootout on Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens were back on the ice less than 24 hours later to complete their Western road trip with a duel with the Los Angeles Kings. While the Habs were very vocal in their frustration about how they played on Friday night, it didn’t show in the way they started the game in Los Angeles.
Despite the loss in Anaheim, Martin St-Louis stuck to the same lineup aside from Jakub Dobes manning the net after yet another subpar display from Samuel Montembeault on Friday.
For a second game in a row, the Canadiens just weren’t ready to start the game. In Anaheim, they gave 12 shots in the first period while taking only four, and somehow, they managed to do worse on Saturday night. The Kings pummelled Dobes’ net with 16 shots in the first 20 minutes, including nine on the man-advantage. The Czech netminder looked very sharp on the penalty kill, making nine saves while the men in black passed the puck around as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters playing a team of kindergarten students.
The only goal Dobes conceded was at even strength on an odd-man rush after a questionable play from a knackered Brendan Gallagher in the offensive zone. The veteran was on the ice for over a minute and didn’t have any gas left to defend when the play went the other way. Adrian Kempe served a perfect feed to captain Anze Kopitar, who only had to tip it over a powerless Dobes.
The Canadiens’ inability to start on time in these last two games has been puzzling, to say the least. Whatever the reason, it’s just unacceptable, especially as the season is entering its final stretch and every team is fighting for points with desperation. It’s not because the Kings are just a much stronger team either, in the second frame, Montreal put 11 shots on net.
Slafkovsky Strong
When Juraj Slafkovsky first came to the NHL, he struggled to stay on his feet in the league’s tough physical battles, but not anymore. In the second frame, he battled for puck possession in the offensive zone with Scott Laughton, and he almost carried him on his back as he made his way to the high slot to take a precise shot that gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.
It’s easy to forget that Slafkovsky is still only 21 years old because he’s already in his fourth NHL season, but it remains true. When he graduated with the Habs, he still had some growing up and some filling up to do. Now that it’s done, he’s become a force to be reckoned with.
That goal was his 50th point of the season, and with it, he became the first player in Canadiens’ history to have three consecutive 50-point seasons before the age of 22. That’s an impressive feat, especially when you consider how much history this franchise has. The big Slovak added another goal in the third frame, and an assist to get to 52 points, a new career high with 20 games left to play.
Watch Juraj Slafkovsky get open on the PP for the game-tying goal.
Once again tonight, the Canadiens failed to protect the lead they acquired in the second period when Laughton and Alex Laferriere found the back of the net. At that stage, the Habs looked defeated. Nick Suzuki had slouched shoulders, and Mike Matheson looked discouraged before heading to the bench and slamming the door. Given how L.A. scored the third goal, it was almost understandable.
Dobes made a couple of saves, but he couldn't smother the rebound, and it was pushed back in. While it’s obvious that he could have done a better job controlling the rebounds, Matheson, Suzuki, and Kaiden Guhle didn’t exactly cover the slot very well.
However, they were all able to shake it off, roll up their collective sleeves with just over 13 minutes left in the third, and claw their way back into the game. Slafkovsky’s second goal tied up the score with just over five minutes to go, and Suzuki scored what would stand as the game-winner less than a minute later.
With over four minutes left, the Canadiens finally protected a lead, even after the Kings pulled their goalie for an extra skater, something they have struggled with this season. Dobes surrendered three goals on 39 shots for a .923 save percentage. Granted, he gave up a weak goal to Laughton, but without his performance, the game could have been over after the first frame. Furthermore, he didn’t let that weak goal get to him; he shook it off and got right back on the horse, so to speak. This was the Canadiens' first win in L.A. since March 2019 and it was long overdue.
The Canadiens will now head back home for what will be another tiring week featuring a couple of back-to-backs. Given the schedule, it’s highly likely that we’ll see both goaltenders, but in an ideal world, St-Louis would be able to stick to Dobes going forward.
Kings forward Alex Laferriere, right, passes the puck in front of Montréal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes during the first period of the Kings' 4-3 loss Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
You’re on your own.
That’s the message Kings general manager Ken Holland delivered to his team at the NHL trade deadline, when he turned his attention from the present to the future.
Rather than make a major move, Holland folded. The cards he was holding and the deficit he faced in the standings told him he didn’t have a winning hand.
“These are the decisions that I have to make,” he said. “Certainly where we are in the standings, I have to make some philosophical decisions.”
Where they are after giving up third-period goals just 49 seconds apart Saturday in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens is sixth in the eight-team Pacific Division, four points out of a wild-card berth with 20 games remaining.
So Holland decided draft picks for next season and the season after were more valuable than immediate help this season. That’s a big change in philosophy from just a month ago, when Holland traded away part of the future — a prospect and two draft picks — for forward Artemi Panarin just ahead of the Olympic break.
“If Fiala was healthy and Armia was healthy, we’d be looking at our team different,” Holland said. “That’s why I did the deal before the deadline. We don’t have a lot of key pieces.”
“We want to continue to try to push to qualify for the playoffs,” he continued. “At the same time, behind the scenes, we’re trying to get some [draft] picks, looking to the future.”
So Holland called off the cavalry. If the Kings are going to make a run at a fifth straight playoff berth, they’re going to have to do it with an interim coach and the guys they already have. Holland made only a few cosmetic moves ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, shipping out forwards Corey Perry and Warren Foegele for draft picks and adding Scott Laughton and Mathieu Joseph, depth pieces, neither of whom are signed beyond this season.
Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky scores on Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the third period Saturday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
And if that sounded like a lack of confidence, D.J. Smith, the interim coach, said it was well-earned.
“It's up to the players and the coaching staff to get the team in a spot where the [general] manager feels that he's got to really help the group to try to win,” he said Saturday. “Obviously we didn't do that enough and it's unfortunate.”
But if the Kings’ breathing is shallow and their pulse faint, they aren’t dead just yet despite seven losses in their last nine games.
“We’re trying to win,” Holland said. “It’s the National Hockey League. We’re [four] points out of a playoff spot. Maybe the narrative changes if you’re 15 points out of a playoff spot. But we’re [four] points out of a playoff spot.”
Panarin — wearing the No. 10 sweater Perry had before he was traded to Tampa Bay — helped the Kings take a first-period lead Saturday, battling Montreal defender Mike Matheson for the puck entering the Canadiens’ zone. That allowed Adrian Kempe to skate in and take the puck off Matheson’s stick and feed Anze Kopitar at the far post for the tap-in.
That goal gave Kopitar 1,304 points for his career, just three shy of Marcel Dionne’s franchise record.
Samuel Helenius thought he had doubled the lead less than two minutes later but the goal was waved off by goalie interference. And the Kings should have had more after a period in which they outshot the Canadiens 16-1.
That proved costly when Montreal's Jake Evans drove a slap shot by Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper from the top of the left circle to tie the score in the second period.
Juraj Slafkovsky put Montreal in front less than five minutes before the second intermission, lifting a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove from the slot. But Laughton, making his Kings debut, got that back two minutes later, lining a low wrist shot from a tough angle off the pads of Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. Jared Wright got his first NHL point with an assist on the play.
The Kings’ Alex Laferriere and Slafkovsky traded third-period goals, with Slafkovky scoring 31 seconds after Trevor Moore went to the penalty box for slashing. That set the stage for Nick Suzuki’s go-ahead goal 49 seconds later, following a Moore turnover deep in the Kings’ end.
And that moved the Kings a game closer to a new season Holland has begun preparing for.
“Time is running out,” Laferriere said. “We have 20 games left now and we need every single point. We can’t change what happened so we’ve got to try to take the positives from the game and make sure it doesn’t happen ever again.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 7: Casey Mittelstadt #11 and Viktor Arvidsson #71 of the Boston Bruins celebrate the third-period goal against the Washington Capitals at the TD Garden on March 7, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Happy Sunday, folks!
The Bruins turned in a much-improved performance on Saturday afternoon, beating the Washington Capitals at TD Garden by a score of 2-1.
The B’s got goals from Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson, plus 22 saves from Jeremy Swayman.
The game probably could have gone a bit differently if Tom Wilson didn’t miss a couple of grade-A scoring chances, but coming off of Thursday night’s mess of a game in Nashville, yesterday’s team-wide performance was better in all areas.
The win coming in regulation had standings implications as well, with Washington falling to six points behind the Bruins for the second wild card spot.
The Caps are actually tied in points with Philadelphia now, with both Ottawa and Columbus ahead of them.
Other games on Saturday with playoff implications:
Buffalo beat Nashville, while Tampa beat Toronto. Those two wins mean Buffalo and Tampa remain tied atop the Atlantic Division, though Buffalo has played two more games.
Montreal beat Los Angeles to move into 3rd in the Atlantic and bump Detroit down to the first wild card spot.
Ottawa beat Seattle to stay in the wild card hunt.
Columbus lost to Utah in OT, allowing the B’s to gain a point in the standings on the Blue Jackets.
With 20 games left, there’s still plenty of time for all of this to change, so it’s probably silly to put too much thought into it, but hey, it’s Sunday. Something to read about.
Your highlights from yesterday’s win over Washington, if you’d like to review:
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against Andrew Peeke #52 of the Boston Bruins at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 13, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Boston Bruins (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)
When: 4:30 p.m. eastern
How to Watch: National game on TNT and TruTV, streaming on HBOMax
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens take a long road trip that starts and ends in Carolina with games on Tuesday and next Thursday March 18th. In between, they go a long ways with stops next week in Vegas, Utah and Colorado before returning back east.
Opponent Track: Since beating the Penguins 2-1 on Tuesday night, the Bruins lost 6-3 to Nashville and then defeated the Capitals 3-1 yesterday in Boston. After today they head back home for their next two games this week.
Season Series: It hasn’t been fun for Pittsburgh to see that other team in black and gold. Boston won a 1-0 game back on January 11th, then took a 2-1 game earlier in the week. The Pens and struggling to score against the Bruins is unfortunately an all-too-familiar trope in the Sidney Crosby era. Luckily today is the third and final PIT/BOS game of the season.
Hidden Stat: The Bruins have the second worst away record in the Eastern Conference (their 11-14-4 is just ahead of Toronto’s 11-15-4). However, the Penguins have only won 16 of their 32 home games this season (16-9-7) for one of the worst home records in the East.
Getting to know the Bruins
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Marat Khusnutdinov – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Casey Mittelstadt – Pavel Zacha – Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Steeves – Fraser Minten – Morgan Geekie
Tanner Jeannot – Sean Kuraly – Mark Kastelic
DEFENSEMEN
Jonathan Aspirot / Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm / Mason Lohrei
Nikita Zadorov / Andrew Peeke
Goalies: Joona Korpisalo (Jeremy Swayman played yesterday)
Potential scratches: Michael Eyssimont, Henri Jokirharju, Jordan Harris, Lukas Reichel (newly acquired)
Injured Reserve: none
Quiet trade deadline for the Bruins, who picked up forward Lukas Reichel for a sixth round pick and..that’s it. Much like the Penguins as a potential playoff team, Boston wasn’t interested in paying big costs to add veteran players at this time.
It would be fun if Boston makes it to the playoffs since their tough physical style and defensive nature is kinda going against the grain of a lot of teams these days who might have a little more speed and skill. It’s very possible Boston ends up as a Wild Card and might have to play a division winner like Carolina or Tampa in the first round. And, honestly, I think the Bruins are going to at least make an uncomfortable, long series out if it.
Swayman played yesterday, but that might not be a huge break for the Penguins to presumably see the backup goalie today. Korpisalo’s stats since Christmas (5-2-2, 2.61 GAA, .911 save%) are virtually identical to Swayman (10-3-2, 2.62 GAA, .912 save%). Seeing the backup in this situation, unfortunately, doesn’t look quite as beneficial as it might be in other instances.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Ville Koivunen – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Goalies: Arturs Silovs (Stuart Skinner played yesterday)
Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov, Kevin Hayes
IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany
This is a kind of gut check game for the Pens, who just saw this Boston team last week and lost a hard-fought road game. It’s going to take a lot to dig deep on the back-to-back and get a good result against a tough opponent for them recently, which also means it’s a great opportunity to see if anyone can step up and stand out.
Two top performing goaltending tandems
A key to the Pens and Bruins finding success in the last quarter of the season has been superior goaltending inputs. Both teams have been getting a ton of saves at key times, pilling up towards the top of the league as far as the goaltending performances have gone. Given that both teams are on a b-2-b, Boston traveled, daylight saving time and a strange 4:30pm start and that there has been a 1-0 and 2-1 final scores in the early PIT/BOS games, you’d probably expect a low-scoring contest to unfold today with goalie performances like this leading the way. (That said, of course watch it be a 5-3 game today).
As part of their 2026 NHL Trade Deadline acquisitions, the Detroit Red Wings picked up veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.
Faulk, who crossed the 1,000 career games played threshold this season, was acquired by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman in exchange for Justin Holl, a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.
While he wasn't able to play in Detroit's 3-1 setback on Friday evening against the Florida Panthers, they expect him to be slotted into the lineup for Sunday evening's tilt against the New Jersey Devils.
Following practice in Detroit on Saturday before they departed for New Jersey, head coach Todd McLellan said that while they anticipate Faulk suiting up, they'll observe how he acclimates to his new teammates.
“We're going to put him in and play him, and we'll have to observe just how comfortable he'll be in playing with certain partners," McLellan said. "We may think, ‘He'll fit really good with Ben Chiarot,’ and that is the plan a little bit to put him there, and get your four guys rolling out,” McLellan said of Justin Faulk.
“But we have to observe and pay attention to who he is playing well with, and see how it goes with his partner.”
Right now, no decision has been made as to which defenseman will slot out of the lineup for Faulk.
Detroit hopes Faulk’s presence will help stabilize their increasingly precarious position in the standings. Just a week ago, the Red Wings held second place in the Atlantic Division, but after two straight losses combined with wins by their division rivals, they now occupy the first Wild Card spot.
While Faulk is expected to make his Red Wings debut immediately, the same can't be said about David Perron, who was re-acquired on Thursday evening from the Ottawa Senators.
Perron, who played for the Red Wings from 2022 through 2024, underwent sports hernia surgery in January and isn't expected to be available to play for at least the next two weeks.
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