The Buffalo Sabres have announced that defenseman Jack Rathbone has been recalled from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. 

Rathbone joined the Sabres this past off-season on a one-year, two-way contract. Since then, the 25-year-old left-shot defenseman has appeared in 56 games with the Amerks, where he has five goals, 20 points, and a plus-6 rating. He has yet to make his Sabres regular-season debut, but that has the potential to change following this call-up.

Rathbone last played at the NHL level with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2022-23 season, where he had one goal and one assist in 11 games. In 28 career NHL games over three seasons, the Massachusetts native has posted two goals, three assists, five points, 21 hits, and a minus-5 rating. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks just signed defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Oliver Moore to entry-level contracts and they will see playing time until the end of the season in the NHL. While this burns a year off their entry-level deals, they both appear to be ready to show the Blackhawks what they have.

Both Rinzel and Moore are former first-round picks. Rinzel was drafted 25th overall in 2022 behind Kevin Korchinski and Frank Nazar while Moore was drafted one year later in 2023 at 19th overall behind Connor Bedard.

Both Rinzel and Moore just finished up their time at the University of Minnesota where they played great hockey. The 20-year-olds look to make an immediate impact and not only earn their place in the NHL every game until the end of the season, but showcase themselves for next season.

I believe the process of forming the roster in training camp isn't going to be the exact same as it was this season. While every young player isn't going to have to outperform veterans to make the team, Kyle Davidson is also unlikely to bring in as many veterans this time around and block the prospects right off the bat. Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert, who had both joined the Blackhawks late last season after moving on from the NCAA, each had to fight to get to the NHL and didn't make the opening roster.

Rinzel is seen as a premier prospect that is a big part of the future in Chicago. Moore is no slouch either and is able to score and produce offensively.

It appears as though Rinzel is going to start out on the second pairing alongside Wyatt Kaiser while Moore is going to get third line minutes with Joe Veleno and Nick Foligno. These are good spots for both players. Anywhere lower and they risk playing very limited minutes and with some players who won't necessarily help either of them succeed right off the bat.

Blackhawks' Ryan Donato Has A Chance At 30 GoalsThe Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3 on Friday night. It was a night that had some pros and cons but they ultimately fell short. There is a lot of work to be done but there are glimpses of what’s to come. 

The lineup for the Blackhawks with these two young players making their debuts is very exciting for Chicago fans Here's a look:

Ryan Donato - Connor Bedard - Ilya Mikheyev

Teuvo Teravainen - Frank Nazar - Tyler Bertuzzi

Oliver Moore - Joe Veleno - Nick Foligno

Landon Slaggert - Lukas Reichel - Pat Maroon

Alec Vlasic - Artyom Levshunov

Wyatt Kaiser - Sam Rinzel

Kevin Korchinski - Ethan Del Mastro

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

The Montreal Canadiens are now outside looking in to the playoffs race, thanks to a five-game losing streak. For Martin St-Louis’ men to even have a chance to make the Spring dance, they must return to their winning ways now, but it could be challenging. The Habs have only 10 games left on their schedule, and their next two games will be against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers.

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Despite being without Matthew Tkachuk because of an injury and Aaron Ekblad because of a suspension, the Canadiens are marching on. They have a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games and have won their previous two. However, the Canadiens have won the first two matchups with Florida this season.

The 4-0 win at the end of December was a turning point in the Canadiens’ season. It marked Jakub Dobes’ fulgurant start in the league, but he has lost some of his shine since then. He’s dropped his last three starts and expects to see Samuel Montembeault for most games, if not all, as long as the Habs are in the mix. As for the 3-1 victory in mid-March, it put an end to a losing streak and was a springboard for a dominant win over the Ottawa Senators.

The stakes are even higher now, and even if the Habs had a day off on Saturday, it’s easy to know Montembeault will be in goal on Sunday. He has a 2-4-1 record in eight games against Florida, with a 4.21 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage. Dobes played them once and was flawless, but the coach’s confidence in his young netminder has been shaken.

There’s no confirmation as to who will be on duty for the Panthers, but Sergei Bobrovsky has a 16-8-1 record with a 2.45 GAA and a .919 SP against the Canadiens, while Vitek Vanecek is 3-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and a .894 SP.

Up front, after a tough outing against the Carolina Hurricanes, captain Nick Suzuki should welcome a matchup with the Cats. He has 15 points in 17 games against Florida, six points behind alternate captain Brendan Gallagher, who has 23 points in 38 games, and four points behind Patrik Laine, who has 22 in 21 duels.

The Habs will need to keep an eye on an old foe in new colours, as Brad Marchand has 48 points in 57 games against the Canadiens. Captain Aleksander Barkov comes in second place with 47 points in 37 games, and veteran Sam Reinhart comes third with 22 points in 32 games.

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is an absolute must-win game for the Canadiens who will hope to keep their dominance on the Cats this season going. Montreal has only won three of the last 10 games against their host, so this remains a tall order for the young Habs. It will be interesting to see if St-Louis keeps an 11-7 formation of if he scratches a defenseman. 

On Saturday, the Senators did the Canadiens a favor by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets in regulation, meaning they dropped behind the Canadiens who momentarily got the second wild card back, only to lose it again when to the New York Rangers when they beat the San Jose Sharks in regulation. The silver lining for the Habs is that they still have two games in hand on the Blueshirts, just like Columbus and the New York Islanders mind you. 

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Boone Jenner(5) and Kirill Marchenko(28) provided the only offense for Columbus, and Daniil Tarasov suffered a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The Jackets fell short against Ottawa on Saturday night, and their playoff hopes suffered for it. 

With the loss to the Senators, the CBJ fell out of the wild card two spot, getting supplanted by the Montréal Canadiens the second the clock hit zeros. But then, later in the night, the New York Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks and would jump both Columbus and Montréal, knocking the Blue Jackets down another spot in the standings. All in all, it was a tough night for Columbus. 

Dean Evason said after the game, "That was a great game. Both teams played hard, played fast. Certainly the start was fantastic, the pace of the game. Everybody was playing their butts off. We had lots of chances, certainly in the third period and at the end to tie it. It was just a great hockey game that we fell a little bit short."

Zach Werenski added, "I thought we played hard. I thought it was a pretty even game for the most part. We'd probably like to have back some minutes in the second there where I thought we didn't get to our game, but it's a good team. I liked our effort."

The Jackets are now 33-30-9 with 75 points. 

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Boone Jenner scored his 5th goal of the season.
• Kirill Marchenko scored his 28th goal of the season.
• Zach Werenski had a pair of assists, his 51st and 52nd of the year. He also led the team with 5 shots.
• Denton Mateychuk recorded his 6th assist of the season.
• Daniil Tarasov stopped 24 of 27 Ottawa shots.

Team Stats

• The Jackets power play went 0/1 on the night.
• The Columbus PK stopped both of Ottawa's power plays.
• Columbus won 38.5% of the faceoffs.

Up Next: The Jackets welcome the Nashville Predators into Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. 

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each scored two goals, Jonathan Quick had 21 saves, and the New York Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks 6-1 on Saturday.

Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Trocheck also scored for New York.

Cam Lund scored a power play goal for San Jose for his first career point, and Sharks goalie Alexandar Georgiev had 27 saves.

Panarin, who scored his team-leading 32nd and 33rd goals, got New York started scoring twice in less than two minutes in a first period in which the Rangers out-shot San Jose 14-5. His first goal broke a scoreless tie at 12:04 of the first and then next at 13:58 made it 2-0.

Takeaways

Rangers: New York solidified its position in the wild card playoff race. The Rangers had lost eight of their previous 11 games (3-6-2) going into Saturday.

Sharks: Were seeking what would have been their first three-game winning streak since early December.

Key moment

Fox’s goal at 4:48 of the second period made it a 3-0 game and gave New York some breathing room a day after the Rangers blew a two-goal lead in the third period of Friday’s 5-4 overtime loss to Anaheim.

Key stat

The Rangers won 67.9 percent of the faceoffs in Saturday’s game. New York ranked third in the NHL in faceoff win percentage (53 percent) going into Saturday, and San Jose ranked No. 25 (48.2 percent)

Up next

The Rangers play host to Minnesota on Wednesday, and the Sharks play the Kings in Los Angeles on Sunday.

It’s been a fun week at home for the Florida Panthers.

After picking up a pair of wins over Pittsburgh and Utah while enjoying some down time in-between, the Panthers will look to complete their second straight perfect homestand when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise.

It’s the start of a home-and-home between the two Atlantic Division rivals, one that concludes on Tuesday at Bell Centre in Montreal.

One thing that is quite certain is that the Panthers should get a hell of a fight from the playoff hopeful Habs.

Entering play Sunday, Montreal holds the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference despite being in a three-way tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers points-wise.

The Canadiens have lost five straight though (0-3-2) and, at least until now, have squandered a chance solidify their standing in the playoff race.

Instead, the Canadiens will have to fight for points against the defending Stanley Cup champs over the next few days.

Florida arrives on Sunday one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and with a game in hand.

Much of the attention in Pantherland this week was on Brad Marchand.

Acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline while recovering from an upper-body injury, Marchand made his Panthers debut on Friday against Utah.

Marchand played well and picked up the primary assist on Sam Bennett’s overtime winner.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Sunday’s showdown with the Pens:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist

A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Evan Rodrigues

Gus Forsling – Seth Jones

Niko Mikkola – Tobias Bjornfot

Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis

Scratches: Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Dmitry Kulikov

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NASHVILLE -- The Golden Knights extended their win streak to six games by closing out their three-game road trip with a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators.

Reilly Smith scored his 11th goal of the season, and first since returning to the Golden Knights just before the trade deadline, to break a 1-1 tie 6:25 into the third period.

"It's definitely nice to be able to help the team win, and a little bit of relief just to see it go in," Smith said. "I feel like I've gotten a lot of opportunities over the last few games and just hitting something and not going in. Sometimes your worst opportunities are the ones that go in and just find it fortunate it bounces in the crease. At the end of the day that it's a big win for us and a really good road trip."

Smith's goal was the team's 52nd power-play goal of the season, tying a franchise record.

🗣️ REILLY
SMITH 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/uFf4Ole5m8

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 30, 2025

Jack Eichel scored his 27th goal while Brett Howden celebrated his 27th birthday with his 22nd goal of the campaign.

Adin Hill made a spot start and made 23 saves for the Knights, one night after making 18 saves in a 5-3 win at Chicago.

Vegas now has 98 points with nine games left on the schedule, nine points ahead of the second-place Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division.

Ryan O'Reilly scored Nashville's lone goal while Justus Annunen made 27 stops for the Predators, who were eliminated from the playoffs last week.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

ON THE SPOT: Hill wasn't scheduled to start in Nashville, after playing the night before, but after taking warm-ups, coach Bruce Cassidy said Ilya Samsonov wasn't able to go.

"Sammy just wasn't able to go," he said. "Something tightened up. So that was that. It was not going to be Hilly. We tend not to play a guy back to back, especially this time of year. But that was the choice we were left with, and good on him.

Cassidy added he had "no idea ... because it's something we expected to play right up until 5:10, or something. So hopefully not. Once we get back, it'll be re-evaluated."

COMING TOGETHER: Vegas' third line of Smith, William Karlsson and Victor Olofsson continues to build chemistry. Smith's goal came on the heels of Olofsson's two he scored in Chicago on Friday. With Smith and Karlsson's built-in chemistry after playing together in Vegas from 2017-2023, and now Olofsson a part of the line, the trio becomes an integral combination in the bottom six.

"I think the last two games is a testament of us trying to work with each other more and trying to create more on the rush and in zone," Smith said. "I think our reads have been better over the last two games. We're playing a little bit quicker, a little bit more in sync, and we're getting more opportunities because of it."

PLAYOFF READY: With just nine games remaining and the Golden Knights playing well, Cassidy wasn't ready to concede that his team is in playoff form... yet.

"You never want to get ahead of yourself, but I said last week, I thought we're trending really well, so we're certainly closer to the top of the scale than the bottom, especially our overall game," Cassidy said. "We're not only winning because we're scoring. It's not one thing, it's not one line, it's not one special team. It's, I think, a little bit of everything."

For the second straight game, the Ottawa Senators picked up a huge victory at the expense of an Eastern Conference wild-card hopeful.

Ridly Greig had a goal and an assist as the Senators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at Canadian Tire Centre in front of 17,758 fans. Shane Pinto added two assists, while Linus Ullmark made 29 saves.

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The victory leaves the Senators eight points above the Eastern Conference playoff cut line, ahead of Columbus, the idle Montreal Canadiens, and the New York Rangers. The Rangers will play later on Saturday night in San Jose.

Greig opened the scoring just over seven minutes into the first period, tipping in a low wrist shot from Thomas Chabot. However, the lead lasted only 31 seconds. Ullmark kicked out a big rebound into the slot, allowing Boone Jenner to fire a wrist shot past him to tie the game at 1.

With under six minutes left in the first, Drake Batherson corralled a loose puck in the slot and beat Daniil Tarasov between the legs, restoring Ottawa’s lead.

The Senators were even more dominant in the second period, but Tarasov stymied several great scoring chances. Jake Sanderson did manage to find the net on a two-on-one opportunity. Pinto directed the puck toward the net, and the rebound deflected off Sanderson’s body and in, making it 3-1. The whole play was set up by Greig's slick neutral zone chip pass off the boards that set Pinto free behind the defence.

Entering the third period down by two, Columbus was likely feeling the effects of an emotional game the night before against the Vancouver Canucks. But the Senators failed to finish their chances, letting the Blue Jackets hang around, and with under nine minutes to play, Kirill Marchenko cut the Ottawa lead to 3-2.

That gave the Blue Jackets some life, but despite a hard push, they couldn't find the equalizer. As it was in Thursday's win in Detroit, the third period for the Senators was a 'bend don't break' scenario. But the Sens were the better team and had enough chances to put the game out of reach a lot earlier.

"Yeah, top to bottom everybody was good, so it's good to see," Greig told the media. "I thought we were on top of them throughout the whole game. We were able to turn pucks over and kind of play fast."

Head coach Travis Green says he's pleased that his depth is coming through – all four lines are rolling and contributing at both ends of the rink.

"Yeah, and it's good when you have options as a coach," Green told the media. "You can make subtle changes to your lineup. You know, we've got Gauds and Highzy with Ammo on the fourth line right now (Adam Gaudette, Matthew Highmore, and Michael Amadio). And Ammo has played some really good hockey. The good teams have some depth they can play with and we're getting there for sure."

They'll need that depth on Sunday in a quick turnaround for a 5 pm game in Pittsburgh, where they'll face a Penguins team that's tracking to miss the playoffs for a third straight season.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored three goals for his second hat trick of the season and the New Jersey Devils beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Saturday.

Paul Cotter and Tomas Tatar also scored, Jesper Bratt had two assists, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 22 shots for the Devils. New Jersey won for the second time in six games (2-3-1).

Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman scored and Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves for the Wild, who have lost three of four.

Minnesota is tied with St. Louis for the top wild card in the Western Conference, with the teams six points ahead of Vancouver. The Blues beat Colorado 2-1 Saturday for their ninth straight win.

After New Jersey was blanked 4-0 Friday in Winnipeg, Hischier scored 29 seconds into the game and Cotter scored before six minutes elapsed for a 2-0 lead.

Hischier made it 3-1 early in the third, but Hartman answered two minutes later for the Wild. Hischier completed his first three-goal game since Nov. 25 with a power-play goal with 5:10 remaining. Hischier has a career-high 33 goals this season.

Foligno also had an assist on Hartman’s goal in the third period, and a major for fighting the Devils’ Jonathan Kovacevic for a Gordie Howe hat trick.

Takeaways

Devils: Hischier, whose first goal was the fastest to start the game for New Jersey this season, has points in 10 of his last 11 games with seven goals and six assists.

Wild: Minnesota finished 5-5-1 in a stretch it played 10 of 11 games at home. Five of the last eight games are on the road, where the Wild are second in the NHL with 47 points (22-11-3).

Key moment

New Jersey just missed making it 3-1 with 15 seconds left in the second period. On a 3-on-1 Bratt’s shot looked to be going in, but it went off the skate of teammate Timo Meier who was crossing at the edge of the crease and the puck deflected wide.

Key stat

Per NHL Stats, Bratt’s two assists give him 15 this month, the most in a month by a Devils player since Scott Gomez had 16 in March 2004. Bratt has a career-high 66 assists this season.

Up next

Wild visit New Jersey on Monday to complete the home-and-home set.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer whose career is worthy of skipping the mandatory three-year waiting period to enter the hall immediately upon retirement.

Recently, Crosby broke Wayne Gretzky's record for averaging a point per game for 20 seasons, a mark the Great One held for over 27 years. Considering these hockey legends are two of the greatest to play professional hockey, their longevity has allowed them to break or hold some important NHL records.

BREAKING: Sidney Crosby Breaks Wayne Gretzky's Point-Per-Game Seasons RecordAfter 20 years in the making, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has made NHL history.

However, both missed some milestones despite playing 20 or more seasons in the league. Today, we want to look at three NHL records that Crosby, who still has two seasons left on his contract, won't be able to tie or break despite over two decades in the NHL.

Most Seasons by a First Overall Pick

Crosby was the top pick in the 2005 Draft, which took place seven seasons into Joe Thornton's career. Thornton was the first overall selection in the 1997 Draft and would play 24 seasons in the NHL, including 17 after Crosby entered the league in 2005-06.

Interestingly, these two top picks met in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins won the series in six games, and Crosby took home the Conn Smythe Trophy, Thornton's only appearance in the Final.

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and on pace to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks of the regular season. 

Although Crosby has outscored Thornton in goals (618-430) and points (1,676-1539), Sid the Kid is still chasing Jumbo Joe in assists (1,109-1,058). He needs 51 over the two seasons to move up to seventh all-time, which is Thornton's place.

Since Crosby is wrapping up his 20th season, when his contract expires in 2027, he'll be two seasons short of Thornton's record of 24 seasons. However, if he remains healthy, Crosby will surpass Mike Modano (21 seasons) for second-most seasons by a first-overall pick. 

Most Seasons With 80 Points

On March 27, 2025, Crosby scored a first-period goal to net his 80th point, which gave him the NHL record for most seasons averaging a point per game.

That historical night also marked the 14th time in his career that Crosby scored at least 80 points, breaking a four-way tie for most 80-point seasons, a mark he shared with Dale Hawerchuk, Mark Messier, and Marcel Dionne at 13.

'When He Speaks, Everyone Listens': How Sidney Crosby's Mentorship Has Passed On To Multiple Generations Of TeammatesFollowing the team's regular practice on Dec. 16, Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby took some extra time out of his day to do something pretty much everyone around him is accustomed to witnessing on a day-to-day basis.

As mentioned before, Crosby has two seasons left on his deal. The Penguins captain hasn't scored less than 80 points since the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, the only two years he failed to reach 80 in over a decade dating back to the shortened 2012-13 season.

However, even if he continues collecting 80 points over the next two seasons, Crosby will end up one year short of Gretzky's record of 17 seasons of 80 points or more. 

Most Points by a Player in Their 30s

Crosby will turn 38 in August, and at the end of his contract in July 2027, he'll be 39, approaching 40. Since turning 30 ahead of the 2017-18 season, the captain has played 563 games, scored 236 goals with 413 assists, and has 649 points.

Ahead of his next game, Crosby ranks 18th all-time for points scored by an NHL player in his 30s. He's four points shy of catching Joe Pavelski (653) for 17th all-time. Pavelski is the only name ahead of Crosby on this list who is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

As expected, Gretzky owns this record thanks to 217 goals and 601 assists for 878 points, breaking the mark formerly held by Jean Ratelle, who had 861 points in his 30s.

 

Penguins Crosby Joins Exclusive Club With Another 80-Point Season Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored a first-period goal against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, March 27, securing his 14th 80-point season.

Thus far, only four players have scored over 800 points in their 30s, including Adam Oates (842) and Martin St. Louis (822). After these names, there are six names in the 700-point club, including Alex Ovechkin, who sits at 715. 

Once Crosby catches and surpasses Pavelski, next up is Joe Sakic (662), Norm Ullman (668), Daniel Alfredsson (672), Ray Bourque (680), and Brett Hull (690).

Considering the Penguins' captain has a career 1.24 points per game average, if he remains healthy over the next two seasons, he could potentially finish with an additional 204 points, which would give him an estimated 853 points in his 30s, which could be 25 points shy of Gretzky's all-time mark.

Former Waterloo Black Hawk Sam Rinzel has signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, less than two years after the defenseman’s final game at Young Arena.

Rinzel played for Waterloo during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 United States Hockey League seasons. He was drafted by Chicago during the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

The NHL’s Blackhawks chose him 25th overall. Rinzel has spent the past two years skating for the University of Minnesota Gophers.

In 2021/22, Rinzel appeared in 21 Waterloo regular season games, primarily after completing the high school season in Minnesota. He notched 10 points (2-8-10) and also was on the ice during all six of the Hawks’ 2022 Clark Cup Playoff games.

That summer, he became the fourth Waterloo player to be selected during the first round of the NHL Draft.

Returning to Waterloo for a full season in 2022/23, Rinzel produced 36 points (9-27-36) in 58 regular season contests and also tallied three points (1-2-3) in three playoff games.

Rinzel’s second USHL campaign was highlighted by three game-winning goals, eight multipoint nights, and a +14 plus/minus differential.

The Chanhassen, Minnesota, native advanced to the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2023. In two seasons with the Gophers, Rinzel played in 79 NCAA games, racking up 60 points (12-48-60). He was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie Team after his freshman year.

Earlier this month during the closing days of his sophomore season, Rinzel claimed the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award. His 31 points in 2024/25 ranked sixth among all college defensemen.

Within his time as a Gopher, Rinzel also represented the United States during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships. He returned from the competition with a gold medal.

Rinzel’s three-year contract with Chicago covers the current season. The Blackhawks have nine remaining games during 2024/25, including a matchup tomorrow at the United Center versus the Utah Hockey Club at 3 Pm.

An increasing number of players have skated in the USHL for Waterloo, then in the NHL for Chicago. This season, Craig Smith became the latest former USHL Black Hawk to join the NHL Blackhawks. The former Waterloo captain was traded to Detroit on March 7..

Zach Sanford is also currently under contract with Chicago and has spent the season with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. Vinnie Hinostroza, Blake Hillman, and Rem Pitlick have also played for Waterloo and Chicago.

Last summer, the Blackhawks drafted Waterloo’s top 2023/24 goal-scorer, John Mustard, with the 67th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

A dozen former Waterloo Black Hawks have played in the NHL this season. The group includes Max Sasson, the most recent Hawks alumnus to make his NHL debut. Sasson dressed for his first game with the Vancouver Canucks on November 23rd.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (44-25-4) are in California for a back-to-back series, as they faced the Los Angeles Kings (40-23-9) today and are scheduled to play the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow. Anthony Stolarz led the Leafs onto the ice for the game against the Kings, while Darcy Kuemper started in net for Los Angeles. Tanner Jeannot and Alex Turcotte remained day-to-day with their injuries. Playoffs are weeks away. The Kings need to stay sharp and win today – those two points are vital.

First Period Showdown 

The first period was underway with both the Kings and the Maple Leafs displaying a high level of physicality, energy, and engagement. The teams exchanged numerous hits until a fight broke out between Jeff Malott and Brandon Carlo, leading to five-minute major penalties for both. With the power play over, Kuemper continued to defend well, making key saves. Despite the scoreless outcome at the buzzer, the first period was anything but dull, played in front of a highly energetic and vocal crowd.

This is what you call a TILT 🥊 pic.twitter.com/LAlx5YHcdM

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 29, 2025

Bring On the Second

Alex Laferriere opened the scoring early, netting a backhand goal just one minute into the second period to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, the play saw Matthew Knies push Mikey Anderson, sending him into a collision with the Kings' net. Kuemper was slow to his feet but resumed in his net, nonetheless. As the period wound down, the Kings showcased their strengths: getting on the scoreboard early and keeping the puck out of their defensive zone. 

WHAT A MOVE LAFFY pic.twitter.com/5i7IRJSHep

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 30, 2025

The Third Period Push

Kuemper provided solid and reliable goaltending, consistently bouncing back to his feet with impressive tenacity in the last forty minutes of play. As the last twenty minutes was underway, Auston Matthews' first shot was turned aside, but he scored on his second try at 19:05 with a snap shot, his twenty-ninth of the year. Immediately after, Los Angeles called a timeout for a review of the play. Los Angeles challenged Matthews' goal for a high stick, and the review was unsuccessful for the Kings, leading to a delay of game penalty against them. Locked at 1-1, the game took a turn for the worse for the Kings when Drew Doughty tripped Mitch Marner, resulting in a power-play and a potential goal for the Leafs. The Kings, now in a state of panic, scrambled frantically to defend their zone. Kuemper then tripped Matthews, drawing a tripping penalty. Almost as if on cue, John Tavares found the back of the net, giving the Leafs a 2-0 lead. The goal marked his 490th in his career. 

As Jim Fox nicely puts it, "it's one of those games." Tavares scored his second goal of the night and his 35th of the season, ultimately securing the win for the Maple Leafs. The final score saw the Kings fall to the Maple Leafs 3-1. Their next challenge would be a home game against the San Jose Sharks tomorrow.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (37-18-7-1) continue their march towards the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, chasing the top spot in the Atlantic Division and pursuing a 40-win season. They got closer to achieving those goals after defeating the Charlotte Checkers 5-3 on Saturday.

In his professional debut, 2024 second-round pick Harrison Brunicke had an assist and a shot on a goal while finishing the afternoon minus-1. The rookie set up Vasily Ponomarev's game-winner at 14:43 of the third period, a power-play tally that broke a 2-2 tie. 

Despite picking up two helpers, Tristan Broz was not one of the game's three stars, as Valtteri Puustinen took top honors, scoring a goal at 12:10 of the second to give the visiting Penguins a 2-0 lead. 

WBS Penguins Can Snap Organization Playoff Winless StreakThe Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins punched their ticket to the Calder Cup playoffs on Wednesday with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. 

Unfortunately, that lead didn't make it to intermission as the Checkers got lamplighters at 14:57 and 16:15 to tie things up after 40 minutes.

Once Ponomarev restored the Penguins' lead, Matt Nieto and Joona Koppanen scored unassisted goals into the empty net at 17:43 and 18:08 to extend the visitor's lead to 5-2. Then, with 26 seconds left, Charlotte scored to make it a 5-3 final. 

Between the pipes, Filip Larsson made 25 saves on 28 shots (.893 SV%) to improve to 12-8-3 this season. Cooper Black was on the hook for the loss at the other end, stopping 18 of the 21 shots he faced. 

On special teams, WBS scored one power-play goal (Ponomarev) while going perfect on the penalty kill, 3-for-3. Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, with Charlotte finishing with more shots, 28-23.

Interestingly, Saturday's contest was not a day for players racking up assists. Three of the eight goals were unassisted, and only one tally (Ponomarev) had a secondary assist. 

The Penguins have nine games left and have already clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. Their next game is Sunday, a rematch with the Checkers. WBS is looking for its 38th win of the year and is chasing its first 40-win season since 2017-18.

Additionally, they are just three points behind the Hershey Bears for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, a crown they haven't won since 2016-17.

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and on pace to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks of the regular season.  March Penguins Prospects Update: GoaltendersThere are some exciting developments down on the farm for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Nashville Predators forward Colton Sissons left during the first period of Saturday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.

After taking a hit and falling awkwardly to the ice behind the Vegas net, Sissons remained down on the ice for several minutes and appeared to be in significant pain while being tended to by Predators head athletic trained Kevin Morley.

Sissons was eventually helped to his feet and off the ice by teammates Steven Stamkos and Michael Bunting, and he was not putting any weight on his left leg as he was helped back to the Nashville locker room. 

Sissons did not return to the game and was seen leaving Bridgestone Arena on crutches during the third period. The Predators have yet to provide any further update on his injury status.

The NHL’s coaching carousel continues to spin, with the Philadelphia Flyers firing coach John Tortorella this week. Tortorella was replaced on an interim basis by associate coach Brad Shaw, increasing the number of interim coaches to three. 

Let’s look at each interim coach’s situation and offer a guesstimate of which ones are likely to stay with their current team.

In alphabetical order of teams:

1. Boston Bruins

After replacing the fired Jim Montgomery in mid-November, veteran coach Joe Sacco was given the interim reins of the Bruins. But Sacco was unable to turn Boston’s season around, as he’s posted a 22-25-6 record since taking over, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney dismantled much of the roster at the NHL trade deadline.

For that reason, Sacco probably won’t be the choice to coach the Bruins beyond this season. But despite some rumors, Tortorella isn’t the solution. Tortorella has a very short shelf life behind the bench, and the Bruins don’t require a whip-cracker like him.

Rather, we see current Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan as the likely coach of the Bs. Sullivan is expected in many circles to part ways with the Pens at the end of the year, and picking Sullivan – who has already worked as Boston’s coach in 2003-04 and 2005-06 – makes much more sense for the Bruins. 

In any case, don’t expect Sacco to stick around Beantown much longer. He’s a placeholder coach, and Boston hasn't changed for the better under his guidance. Sweeney will almost assuredly want a more proven bench boss, and that isn’t Sacco at this stage.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks moved in a different coaching direction in the first week of December when they fired coach Luke Richardson and made Anders Sorensen their interim bench boss. Since Dec. 7, Sorensen has generated a 13-27-7 record as the Blackhawks have sunk to the bottom of the Central Division and second-last place in the NHL. 

But really, what coach could’ve done any better with the dog’s breakfast of a lineup created by Chicago GM Kyle Davidson? This organization is still in the early stages of a full rebuild, and they are going to continue to be a non-playoff team for the foreseeable future. So, our bet is that Sorensen has the interim tag removed from his job title, and he becomes the permanent coach in the Windy City. 

Sorensen’s ability to be a teacher is exactly what the Blackhawks need right now, and continuing to change coaches won’t help Chicago in the short or long term.

The Hawks can keep Sorensen around as the roster continues to be tweaked, and maybe a couple of years down the line, they can go with an experienced coach to take the organization to a higher level. For now, though, Sorensen is the right choice for the Blackhawks’ current predicament.

3. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers gave Shaw the reins after dismissing Tortorella, and Shaw is only going to get another seven games to prove he’s the right man for the job. Philadelphia indeed looked energized in the first two games after the Tortorella Era ended, but let’s be realistic – there’s just not enough of a sample size for Shaw to demonstrate he should be Philly’s coach beyond this season.

As we said earlier this week, there’s no shortage of candidates for Flyers GM Daniel Briere to consider, whether it’s an in-house candidate like AHL coach Ian Laperriere or an outside candidate like NCAA coach David Carle.

Some have suggested current Vancouver Canucks coach and former Flyers star player Rick Tocchet might be the right man for the gig in Philadelphia, but if we’re being honest, we don’t see Tocchet choosing to come in and have the pressure of leading the Flyers to the playoffs when they aren’t close to being at that level, and who's to say Tocchet won't just be back in Vancouver next season.

It’s a shame for Shaw to have so little time to prove himself in Philly, but the coaching business is far from fair. Thus, we don’t think Shaw is going to be the Flyers’ coach after this year is over.

It’s not the right situation to go with someone with relatively little time running his own NHL team, although Carle is in the same boat in that regard. However, Carle’s success at the collegiate level is what is making him an odds-on favorite to land the job in Philadelphia (or another market). The Flyers are probably going to go in a different direction at season’s end, and Shaw will likely latch on to another team as an assistant coach.

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