The Senators took care of their own business on Tuesday night.
Jake Sanderson scored twice, and Brady Tkachuk had a career-best four assists as the Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 to maintain their two-point wild card lead in the East with just four games to play.
Tim Stützle had three points on the night, while Linus Ullmark led the way with 28 saves.
The game was tracking to be a defensive affair through the first 40 minutes, but the third period didn’t get that memo.
Jordan Spence and Nick Paul swapped goals late in the second before the Senators erupted for five goals in the third en route to the win.
Fabian Zetterlund scored early in the third, banking one in off the upper body of Tampa Bay defenceman Erik Černák to make it 2-1.
Jake Sanderson then made it 3-1 with a gorgeous goal, cutting hard to the net and slipping the puck through Tampa goalie Jonas Johansson.
Corey Perry cut the lead to 3-2, standing alone at the side of the net and redirecting a slap pass from the point past Ullmark. The Lightning appeared to be gaining momentum before Tampa was called for hooking.
Stützle restored the two-goal lead on the ensuing power play, jamming home a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble. Tampa challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood.
Then came the dagger. On ensuing delay of game penalty, the Senators executed a gorgeous set play off the centre ice faceoff.
Jake Sanderson dropped the puck off to Drake Batherson who hit Tkachuk with a long stretch pass at the blue line. Tkachuk quickly fed Sanderson, who had turned on the jets after quietly and slowly jumping into the rush after the original drop pass. Sanderson, now on a breakaway, beat Johansson with a slick backhander to make it 5-2.
Shane Pinto then added a hard working empty-netter to seal the 6-2 victory.
With the win, the Senators maintain their hold on a wild card spot in the East, two points up on Columbus, and three points up on Detroit and the Islanders. All four teams have four games remaining and the Senators own the tiebreaker on all three opponents.
Out of town on Tuesday, the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime. The Philadelphia Flyers handled the New Jersey Devils 5-1, while the Boston Bruins, who sit in the second wild card spot, lost 6-5 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Senators are back at it Thursday night at home against the Florida Panthers, a team they’ll be eager to get another crack at after Florida handed them a lopsided loss a week ago.
DETROIT (AP) — Zach Werenski scored in the shootout to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Tuesday night, ending a six-game skid.
Adam Fantilli tied the game with 17 seconds left, Danton Heinen also scored and Werenski also added a goal and an assist in regulation. Jet Greaves stopped 34 shots and assisted on Werenski's goal for his first career point.
Werenski notched his 26th multipoint game of the year, setting a single-season record for the Blue Jackets.
Justin Faulk scored twice, Dylan Larkin added one goal, and John Gibson had 32 saves for the Red Wings.
Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen left in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
The Blue Jackets blocked 21 shots and the Red Wings blocked 25.
Up next
Blue Jackets: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Red Wings: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
The Florida Panthers continued their final road trip of the season on Tuesday night when they visited the Montreal Canadiens.
Florida played some solid hockey against the playoff-bound Habs, but couldn’t hold a late lead, ultimately losing 4-3 to Montreal in a shootout.
A strong start by the Panthers was rewarded with the game’s opening goal.
Already outshooting Montreal 6-1, Florida took the lead after Donovan Sebrango carried the puck through the neutral zone and into Montreal’s end before firing a long wrist shot that was stopped by Jakub Dobes.
The rebound went off his right pad and straight to Carter Verhaeghe, who one-timed the puck into the net to put Florida up 1-0 at the 9:23 mark of the opening period.
It was a lead that held until just past the intermission.
With Tobias Bjornfot in the penalty box for slashing, Montreal rookie Ivan Demidov one-timed a pass from Cole Caufield past the blocker of Daniil Tarasov and into the net, knotting the score at one just 54 seconds into the middle frame.
Cole Reinhardt’s fifth tally of the season gave the Cats their lead back late in the period.
Catching up to the puck in Montreal’s zone with nobody between him and the goaltender, Reinhardt held the puck until Dobes committed, then extended his arms and wrapped the puck around the sprawled out goalie and into the net with 6:17 on the clock.
The score remained 2-1 until another Montreal scored on a delayed penalty early in the third period.
With six attackers on the ice, Phillip Danault picked up a loose puck in the slot and wired a wrist shot past Tarasov, knotting the game at two with 13:38 remaining.
This time, the Panthers answered in quick fashion.
Just 87 seconds later, Eetu Luostarinen got his stick on a long shot by Gus Forsling and deflected the puck over Dobes, putting Florida right back in front 3-2.
The Panthers held their lead until the final seconds, when Nick Suzuki caught Tarasov out of position and tied the game with just 20.1 to go.
Overtime solved nothing, so the game went to a shootout.
Goals by Cole Caufield and Alex Texier would be more than enough as Montreal picked up the bonus point.
Photo caption: Apr 7, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) stops Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) and teammate forward Juraj Slafkovsky (20) during the second period at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - APRIL 07: Porter Martone #94 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center on April 07, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
That’ll do it for the 2025-26 New Jersey Devils.
We’ve all known this season has been over for a long time now, but tonight’s 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers sealed the deal. Thanks to this loss plus an Ottawa Senators win out of town, the New Jersey Devils have officially been eliminated from postseason contention this season. It was only a matter of time.
In their first game after general manager Tom Fitzgerald was fired, the Devils had a chance to show some fire and pride. Not just as a show of respect to their former GM, not just as a way to show they feel bad they got someone fired, but also because they had a chance to put a major dent in a hated rival’s playoff hopes. Philadelphia came in having won 14 of their last 20 games, which has vaulted them into playoff position for the first time in a while. Their hold on a postseason spot is very tenuous though, and a loss this evening would’ve caused some damage. Instead, Jacob Markstrom allowed a goal on the second shot he faced, then allowed another one in the blink of an eye, and it was all over from there.
To the Devils’ credit, after they went down 2-0 in the opening minutes, they really turned it on and smothered the Flyers through the rest of the first period. They pulled to within 2-1 thanks to a Cody Glass deflection goal off a Jonas Siegenthaler shot. But that was as close as they would get. New Jersey went to the man-advantage early in the second period, couldn’t score, then managed to get Jesper Bratt on a breakaway on which he missed the net, and the Flyers followed all that very shortly after with two quick goals. It was the perfect microcosm of this game and this season. The rest of the game was muddy and messy and uneventful, just like the Flyers wanted it. An empty-netter in the dying minutes was the final dagger.
If there’s one bit of cope I can offer, it’s that Philadelphia might learn all the wrong lessons from this run that they’ve found themselves on since the Olympic break. Despite the fact that they may play postseason hockey this year, this is still not a particularly good team. They have some young talent for sure, but aside from maybe Matvei Michkov, no one that I think is truly elite. Meanwhile their coach, Rick Tocchet, is a pretty bad head coach. The only reason they are in this position is because journeyman Dan Vladar has put up a wildly fluky .908 save percentage since the break. Does anyone truly believe that Dan Vladar is that good? So instead of continuing their rebuild – which I admit is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel – they might let a random hot stretch from a career backup goalie influence them to cut corners and accelerate their rebuild to the detriment of their long-term ceiling.
But that’s about all I can offer you tonight, and really, how sad is that? The Devils started this season so well, then spent months stuck in a slow-motion car crash, then frantically tried to climb back into the playoff race after the Olympics, only to fall short when it mattered most.
On a night where this team was playing its first game after their general manager got fired, there was a chance to show some professional pride. Sadly, that didn’t happen. The Devils are in a transitional period at the moment, the liminal space between one general manager’s vision and another’s. In between, in this one-game sample size, we have been treated to some thoroughly uninspired hockey. It’s what we’ve become accustomed to this season.
We can only hope that next year will be different.
Thanks to the loss tonight, the Devils have officially been swept in the season series by the Flyers. If you just read that and thought to yourself “Huh, that seems rare. I wonder when the last time that happened was”, then I can tell you you’re not alone. I thought the same thing. So I did a little digging, and based on my amateur research, I found that the New Jersey Devils have not been swept in the season series by the Philadelphia Flyers since…
…1983-84.
Anyone is welcome to fact-check me on this, but I believe this to be correct after going through the historical stats on Hockey Reference. Granted, this season’s sweep comes with a bit of an asterisk because they only played three games against one another. In many, many seasons, the Devils and Flyers would play upwards of five times per season. In that 1983-84 campaign, they matched up seven times. Going 0-for-7 is true ineptitude.
But so is this. Even in the worst of years, the Devils could always count on getting at least a win against the Flyers. Not this time. Better luck next year.
Backbreaking
I can’t imagine how mentally taxing it must be to play in front of Jacob Markstrom. He has an uncanny ability to put his team behind the eight ball as fast as humanly possible. Since he came to the Devils, Markstrom has allowed a goal on the first shot he’s faced a truly unnerving amount of times. Tonight he allowed a goal on the second shot he faced, which is morbidly hilarious progress I suppose. Granted, the goal he allowed on that second shot tonight was way more on Jonas Siegenthaler than Markstrom, but he still failed to rise to the occasion and make a big save when his team needed it.
In addition to his penchant for handing opposing teams an early lead, his style of play is just so chaotic as well. He flops himself out of position so frequently that I’m beginning to suspect he has a phobia of blue paint. It’s tough to play in front of a goalie when you have no idea where he might be at any given second.
To me, it’s so reminiscent of Mackenzie Blackwood. I know it’s popular to look at his success in Colorado and conclude that New Jersey gave up on him too quickly. I disagree, though I might agree with the argument that New Jersey’s goalie coaching and organizational development ruined him to a certain extent. But while Blackwood was in New Jersey, he had a knack for allowing the softest goals you’ll ever see. It was a common joke that New Jersey would outshoot a team something like 40-18 but lose the game 4-3 when Blackwood was minding the net. He might not be a perfect stylistic match for Markstrom, but their abilities to put their teams in bad positions is almost one-to-one.
I would not be surprised if the skaters in front of Markstrom feel an extra mental burden playing with him. Squeezing the stick, walking on egg shells, sitting on pins and needles…whatever your idiom of choice, it probably applies. The feeling of dread and emotional defeat that sets in when they see Markstrom allow another soft, early goal must be overwhelming.
Don’t Get So Defensive
Since the heights of the 2022-23 season, the Devils reworked their blue line in a big way. Former general manager Tom Fitzgerald made a concerted effort to move away from speedy puck movers like Damon Severson and John Marino and move toward hulking stay-at-home defensemen like Johnny Kovacevic and Brenden Dillon. Jonas Siegenthaler belongs in that latter camp too, but his acquisition came long before this shift so I can’t get on Fitzgerald too much for that.
Still, the difference is clear, and it’s cost New Jersey a ton of offense over the years. This wouldn’t be a huge problem if all these defensive defensemen were, you know, good at defending. But the truth is, they haven’t been able to defend anywhere close to good enough. Siegenthaler embarrassed himself on the first goal tonight. Kovacevic was torched on the fourth goal. Dillon was reasonable tonight, and he’s probably been the best of the three, but locker room leadership aside, Dillon just doesn’t provide much value at this point in his career.
In today’s NHL, it’s very hard for a defenseman to provide value as solely a defensive stopper. It’s even harder to do that if you’re a defensive ace in name and reputation only. Whoever the next GM of the Devils is, they need to find a way to jettison the offensive anchors on the blue line. Tonight was example number one billion of why they need to go.
That’s Baseball Hockey, Suzyn
One random thought that occurs to me after tonight’s mess:
The Devils currently have 40 wins. They have four games remaining. As poorly as they played tonight and as disappointing as this season has been, I think there’s a reasonable chance they win two of their last four to get to 42 wins on the season…the exact same amount as the playoff-bound 2024-25 New Jersey Devils.
Last year’s team finished with 91 points and secured third place in the Metropolitan Division. This year’s team can max out at 91 if they run the table, and even if they do, they will still finish way out of the postseason picture. Funny(?) how things work sometimes.
Next Time Out
The Devils are back at it on Thursday when they play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It will be the final division game of the year. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.
Your Take
You know what to do. Leave your comments below. As always, thanks for reading.
The Montreal Canadiens made some significant changes to their forward lines for their matchup against the Florida Panthers.
First, Canadiens rookie Oliver Kapanen has been dropped from the second line to Montreal's fourth-line right wing spot. This is notable, as the 22-year-old forward has been a key part of the Canadiens' top six this season. His 22 goals and 37 points in 77 games this season show that.
However, Kapanen has also been experiencing a cold streak down the stretch. Heading into Montreal's matchup against the Panthers, the 2021 second-round pick had zero points and a minus-3 rating over his last five games.
With Kapanen moving down to Montreal's fourth line, Alexandre Texier has added to the Canadiens' second-line left wing spot, forming a trio with Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov.
Texier had been sidelined with a lower-body injury since March 24 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Yet, now the 26-year-old forward is getting a big chance with the Habs in his return.
In 38 games with the Canadiens since signing with them earlier this campaign, Texier has eight goals and 19 points. This is after he had one assist in eight games with the St. Louis Blues before mutually terminating his contract with the Central Division club.
The Chicago Blackhawks traded away multiple of their former pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this season. Nick Foligno (Minnesota Wild), Connor Murphy (Edmonton Oilers), and Jason Dickinson (Oilers) were all dealt by Chicago ahead of the deadline. With the Blackhawks being out of a playoff spot and still rebuilding, it made sense that they moved on from these veterans.
However, the Blackhawks did not trade pending UFA forward Ilya Mikheyev at the deadline. When noting that the 31-year-old forward has been having another solid season for the Blackhawks, he certainly could have been a nice player for a contender to add to their roster. Yet, the Blackhawks kept him, and now they have a clear move to make with him.
With Mikheyev finishing the season with the Blackhawks, they absolutely should not let him leave for nothing through free agency this summer. He has been such a key piece of the Blackhawks' penalty kill and forward group this campaign. Thus, if they can keep him around on a short-term extension, that would be great news for the Blackhawks.
In 73 games this season with the Blackhawks, Mikheyev has recorded 16 goals, 17 assists, and 33 points. This is after he had 20 goals and a career-high 34 points in 80 games for Chicago this past season. With this, he has been a valuable piece of the Blackhawks' roster, and it would sting to lose him this off-season.
The Colorado Avalanche exacted revenge on the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night at Enterprise Center, securing a 3–1 win that clinched the Central Division title and locked them in as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the playoffs set to begin on April 18, the Avalanche will face the lowest-ranked wild card team in the opening round. If the standings hold, Colorado would square off against the Los Angeles Kings.
Valeri Nichushkin led the way with a two-goal performance in his return from injury, bringing his season totals to 16 and 17. Martin Necas added his 37th of the year as his breakout campaign continues, while Scott Wedgewood turned aside 18 shots and battled through a frightening collision with Philip Broberg in the third period to help secure the win.
However, the Avalanche did not escape completely unscathed as Nazem Kadri suffered an injury in the second period after taking a shot in the left hand/wrist area. It was announced in the third period that he would not return to the game due to an "upper-body injury."
Robert Thomas, who had scored a hat trick against Colorado in their previous meeting and accounted for all three Blues goals on Sunday, netted St. Louis’ lone tally in this one. Joel Hofer, coming off a strong outing in that earlier win, was given another start by head coach Jim Montgomery but took the loss despite making 34 saves.
First Period
Just shy of the six-minute mark, Nazem Kadri and Sam Malinski helped generate sustained pressure on Hofer. Malinski found Kadri with a backdoor feed, but the timing was off by a split second, and the chance slid wide.
On the ensuing sequence, Brock Nelson nearly opened the scoring with a highlight-reel effort, toe-dragging around Colton Parayko before firing a wrist shot through his legs. Hofer, however, tracked the play well and snagged it with the glove.
The breakthrough came late in the frame when Nichushkin redirected a Devon Toews point shot off the post and in, giving Colorado a 1–0 lead with 3:49 remaining.
Necas then doubled the advantage with 28 seconds left, finishing a feed from Nathan MacKinnon in the slot and wiring a shot over Hofer’s glove to make it 2–0.
Toews was assessed a tripping penalty late in the period, but Colorado still carried a 2–0 lead into the intermission while outshooting St. Louis 17–2.
Second Period
Nichushkin struck again just 1:40 into the period, scoring shorthanded with a between-the-legs finish that completely fooled Hofer and extended the lead to 3–0.
Moments later, he broke in alone on a breakaway in search of a hat trick, but Hofer came up with the stop. Still, Colorado dictated play, hemming St. Louis in and maintaining relentless offensive zone pressure while the Blues struggled to find their footing.
The Avalanche continued to tilt the ice as the period wore on, holding a commanding 27–7 edge in shots with six minutes remaining in the frame.
St. Louis eventually responded when Jimmy Snuggerud set up Thomas in the slot. His initial attempt was denied, but he pounced on the rebound and beat Wedgewood to cut the deficit to 3–1.
Colorado went to the power play late in the period after Logan Mailloux was called for tripping Nichushkin on a partial break. No penalty shot was awarded on the play. The man advantage, however, was cut short when Gabriel Landeskog was whistled for tripping Pavel Buchnevich with 10 seconds left in the period.
Third Period
St. Louis, still fighting for playoff positioning, continued to push. Holloway created a quality look after slipping past Toews, but Wedgewood held his ground and made the save.
Midway through the period, a concerning sequence unfolded when Malinski’s trip on Broberg sent the Blues forward crashing into Wedgewood. The goaltender went down awkwardly and remained down for several moments before being tended to by the training staff. After some time to recover, he stayed in the game. Colorado’s penalty kill—best in the league entering the night—rose to the occasion and successfully killed off the ensuing minor.
With just over four minutes remaining, the Blues pulled Hofer for an extra attacker, but neither side could generate a decisive push in the closing stretch.
From there, Colorado managed the game effectively down the final minutes, closing out a 3–1 victory that not only avenged their previous loss to St. Louis but also secured their place atop the Western Conference. The Avalanche now turn their attention to Thursday’s matchup against the Calgary Flames at Ball Arena, where they’ll look to carry this form into the final stretch of the regular season.
The NHL world has been rocked by the two recent coaching changes.
With just eight games remaining to go in the 2025-26 season, the Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella.
With just four games left, the New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy and replaced him with Peter DeBoer.
Mike Sullivan, who went through a change of his own last summer, departing the Pittsburgh Penguins after 10 years with the organization to join the New York Rangers as their new head coach, feels that the parity of the NHL has shifted team’s philosophy in how long to keep a coach for.
“All these circumstances are unique,” Sullivan emphasized. “It would probably be irresponsible for me to even weigh in on it because I'm not familiar with the circumstances. It's a competitive league.
“There's more parity in the league than there's ever been. There's such a fine line between winning and losing, and it's hard to make the playoffs. I think the parody in the league, at the end of the day, is the biggest aspect of it. Those are the pressures that we all deal with. Those of us that are part of this business, that's what we deal with every day. It's what we sign up for.”
Sullivan has been coaching in the NHL for over 20 years, so while these two moves may shock other people, Sullivan remained unfazed by the noise surrounding these coaching changes.
“I'm not gonna say it surprises me. No, it doesn't. Nothing surprises me in today's professional sports,” Sullivan said. “What I try to do and my position is I really don't get overly concerned about that stuff. You just try to focus on what's in front of you and your job, and you try to do it to the best of your ability.”
As the Ottawa Senators get ready to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centrer, the Atlantic Division leaders have run into late-season injury issues.
The Lightning are on a back-to-back after a loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. So fatigue, along with some key injuries and absences, may begin to take its toll in Ottawa.
Tampa will again be with star defenseman Victor Hedman. On Thursday, he was placed on long-term injured reserve following a March 25 announcement that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons.
Forwards Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, who were both named to Canada's Olympic roster in February, are listed as day-to-day and not expected to play on Tuesday night. Both were out of the lineup on Monday night vs Buffalo.
Pontus Holmberg, Hedman's Olympic teammate, is also out after colliding headfirst into an unlatched penalty box door as a Sabres player was about to leave the sin bin.
“I don't know who's working the penalty box over there," head coach Jon Cooper told the media after the game. "But I don't know if they should keep their job after what happened there. Like... leaving the door open.”
The Lightning have responded by calling up Syracuse forwards Conor Geekie, Jakob Pelletier and Dylan Duke to the active roster. They also reassigned Mitchell Chaffee to Syracuse. Geekie and Pelletier are both expected to play in Ottawa.
Another Olympian, Brayden Point, is probably feeling a bit sore after slamming hard into the Buffalo goal post on Monday night. But he finished the game and had a full media session afterward, so there's no reason to think he won't play.
Both Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul, who didn't play against the Senators in Tampa on March 28, are now back in the Tampa lineup, so that offsets things quite a bit. The Lightning won that game over the Senators, 4-2.
The last time the Sens faced a tired team in a back-to-back that was this banged up was exactly one week ago against the Florida Panthers. Not only did the Senators fail to take advantage of their opponent's troubles, but they were also destroyed by the Panthers, falling behind 5-0 in the first period.
So even though the Bolts won't have Hedman, Hagel, Cirelli, or Holmberg (they'll also trot out their backup goalie, Jonas Johansson), the Sens' recent history serves as a reminder that every NHL team, no matter what state they're in, has a chance to be a big problem for them.
NEWARK, N.J. — The Flyers had no problem keeping their foot on the gas Tuesday night in their quest to end a five-year playoff drought.
They took care of the Devils, 5-1, at Prudential Center.
Trevor Zegras stunned New Jersey with two goals in the first 3:38 minutes of the game. Tyson Foerster then added two goals during the second period, giving him three in his four games back from an arm injury that cost him four months.
“We’ve missed him all year,” Owen Tippett said. “He has put in the hard work to get back in time. I think part of that kind of relied on us, too. It’s great to see him back out there smiling and having a good time.”
Nick Seeler buried an empty-netter from long range to close things out.
“These are the games that you want to play with each other and for each other,” Seeler said. “It has been a blast. I think this group has come together since the Olympic break more than ever.”
Zegras finished with a three-point night. Matvei Michkov assisted both of Foerster’s goals. The Flyers improved to 9-0-0 this season when Michkov records a multi-point game.
Just two days after moving into playoff position, the Flyers (40-26-12) didn’t squander the momentum. They built on it, winning their third straight and for the 15th time in the last 21 games (15-5-1).
The Flyers swept the Devils (40-35-3) in their three-game regular-season series, outscoring New Jersey 16-7.
• Rick Tocchet’s club stayed in the driver’s seat Tuesday night.
With four games remaining, the Flyers still hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division.
They remained two points up on the Blue Jackets, who rallied for a 4-3 shootout win Tuesday night over the Red Wings. The Islanders were idle, so the Flyers padded their lead on New York to three points.
The Flyers also extended their lead on the Capitals to five points.
“We believed all year that we could be in this position,” Tippett said. “The job’s not done yet, we’ve got to continue going. We’re having a lot of fun as a group in here.”
The Flyers entered Tuesday with a 57.4 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to Hockey-Reference.com’s probabilities report. That should increase come Wednesday morning.
“It feels like almost for a month now we’ve been playing must-win games,” Zegras said. “We’re definitely getting more comfortable and definitely settling in a little bit, for sure.”
• Dan Vladar continued to play like the Flyers’ backbone.
“Vladdy was outstanding,” Seeler said.
He converted 23 saves on 24 shots. The 28-year-old has given up just three goals over the Flyers’ three-game win streak.
With New Jersey on a second-period power play and trying to get back into the game, Vladar made four saves in the span of 31 seconds. That kept the Flyers ahead 4-1 at second intermission.
“Vladar made an unreal couple of saves on the PK,” Tocchet said. “Who knows if it goes in there, so I’ve got to give him a lot of credit.”
The Devils woke up after their bad start and Vladar had to deny nine shots in the first period. New Jersey scored when a shot ricocheted off Cody Glass in front, but the Flyers still led 2-1.
They restored order in the first five minutes of the second period.
Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom stopped 14 of 18 shots.
Tippett made a nifty stop-and-go move to record a secondary assist on the Flyers’ game-opening goal. Porter Martone assisted the second goal, which came on the power play. It was the 19-year-old’s fourth point in five games since he signed his entry-level deal.
“He’s a moose,” Zegras said. “For a young kid, he plays a very mature game. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with him and he has been a great addition to the power play.”
Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale each had an assist on the night, as well.
• Zegras’ first goal gave him a new career high and the second added to it.
He now has 25 goals and he’s just one point away from passing his career high of 65 set with the Ducks in 2022-23.
“He wants to make the playoffs, he hasn’t played a playoff game,” Tocchet said. “I think he wants to prove a lot of people wrong. He has played with a chip on his shoulder this year and I love that he has played with a chip on his shoulder. He pushes the pace and he’s a real good locker room guy.”
• The Flyers had a rookie on three of their four lines.
Martone was on the second line, Alex Bump on the third and Denver Barkey on the fourth.
“Love seeing the young guys in these spots, how they’re dealing with it,” Tocchet said before the game. “They’re having fun, that’s the whole part of it. Don’t be scared of it; go attack it.”
• The Flyers are back in action Thursday when they visit the Red Wings (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
Teddy Blueger wandered back to the Vancouver Canucks’ locker room around an hour after practice concluded on Monday afternoon. The rest of the stalls around his were draped with used gear.
The forward stayed out late to get some faceoff work under his belt, among other things, despite winning 70% of his draws in the previous game and averaging a win rate of 54.69% through the past five. It’s something that speaks to the forward’s desire to improve — something that mirrors his desire to remain in Vancouver, regardless of the position the team currently occupies in the NHL’s standings.
Ahead of the 2025–26 NHL Trade Deadline, Blueger spoke to Sportsnet on how he’d “love to stay” in Vancouver if things work out that way. When the deadline passed, Blueger remained a Canuck. This doesn’t mean things are completely settled when it comes to his future. Decisions will need to be made once the off-season hits, as Blueger’s contract will expire if not renewed by the Canucks by July 1.
If you look at all of the noise surrounding the Canucks — past locker room intrigue, 32nd place, and many other things — it’s likely players approaching in free agency may be tempted to turn and run the other way. But if you ask Blueger about his thoughts on staying, you’ll hear the exact opposite.
“[Staying] for however long I want, that’d be nice,” he joked during an interview with The Hockey News after practice on Monday. “Obviously, it’d mean a lot. I think we’ve been through a lot [...] and to continue to be part of this journey, and get an opportunity to have this down period, and to have an opportunity to see it through and come out on the other side, on top, and be able to compete for something and be a part of a playoff run here again, would be very, very special.”
There’s an irony to Blueger’s words on this particular topic, given the fact that when he said this, only a room or two away was the team that he once won the Stanley Cup with — the Vegas Golden Knights — back in 2022–23. Blueger has found success in this league before, with a team much, much stronger than the Canucks. But when reflecting on why he would want to stay with Vancouver long-term, it’s the thought of blue and white orca flags waving through the city or a packed building with white towels waving that first comes to mind.
“That playoff run we had a couple years ago, it was an incredible time. I think throughout the city, you just felt the energy and felt the people behind you. That’s something I think you don’t get everywhere. To be able to get to experience that again would be something special. Obviously, when you look at a group like this, you just see so much potential and so many good things that could happen here. Nothing’s guaranteed, and there’s a lot of work that needs to be put in. It’s not going to be a steady increase, like a steady climb. There’s going to be ups and downs still, but along the way. To have the opportunity to be a part of success here would be really special.”
Jan 23, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger (53) and forward Drew O'Connor (18) celebrate Blueger’s goal against the New Jersey Devils in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
In some ways, gutting it out through a tough period to emerge successful makes victory taste even sweeter. The best possible example comes just down the highway where, a little less than a year ago, a gutsy Abbotsford Canucks team battled their way to the 2025 Calder Cup. If you want to win, you have to work for it, and that’s something Blueger acknowledges will be the case as the team settles into rebuild-mode.
“I think it takes some time for the group to kind of mold a new identity, a new kind of dynamic in the locker room. And I think there’s some leadership holes that have kind of gotten filled. [Filip Hronek], Marcus [Pettersson], and Brock [Boeser] have done a great job of that, and kind of trying to get everyone on the same page. I think there’s kind of a period of time where we have to develop some camaraderie, develop some unity, get to know each other better, a lot of new faces, a lot of change. So I think it’s taking time, but I think it’s gotten better. I think guys are getting along really well. We’re in that transition period of trying to build on something here.”
The Canucks have undergone so much change through the past couple of seasons that it becomes slightly shocking to realize that Blueger has only been with the team for three years now. Boeser (225), Hronek (218), Elias Pettersson (214), and Nils Höglander (184) are the only active Canucks to have played in more games than Blueger through the past three seasons. Having said that, these past three years, Blueger says, haven’t come without their lessons.
“I think especially this year, the past couple months since, guys like Myesy and Gar have gotten traded. I think it’s a lot. You really take a different perspective on the team, like all of a sudden, you look around and I’m the second oldest on the team, and I think you take into account team dynamics more. Just making sure we’re all on the same page, making sure everyone feels a part of it, and addressing the things that we feel like we need to improve as a group, some details, accountability, things like that, and trying to build on a certain set of values by which we all abide by. So I think you take a wider angle view, I guess, of not just taking care of yourself, but I think you have to involve everyone in team activities, make sure guys are being heard when something’s going on, and trying to mesh everyone together a little bit.”
For a player who, depending on how things go in the coming months, may not even be with the team by the time they finally find the success that so many hope for them to, Blueger certainly speaks with the commitment level of a long-tenured leader. He may not wear a letter on his chest, but as evidenced in his appearance on the leadership panel during Evander Kane’s 1000th NHL game celebration, the team clearly thinks of him as a leader. As the forward says, nothing is guaranteed — and that includes his role with the team moving ahead.
But maybe some things should be.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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.
Over the past month, as they’ve battled for NHL playoff positioning, the Ottawa Senators have had almost historically bad luck in the injury department.
Because of that, 12 different defencemen have suited up for the club during that stretch, but lately, the news has started to turn.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Toim Stutzle's incredible goal on Sunday evening.
After the return of their number-one defenseman, Jake Sanderson, last week, there was another encouraging development on Tuesday. Thomas Chabot was back on the ice, skating with the team at its morning skate ahead of a massive game at Canadian Tire Centre against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Chabot underwent surgery after taking a cross-check to the forearm from J.T. Miller of the New York Rangers on March 23. At the time, Chabot was expected to miss four to eight weeks, so seeing him on the ice barely two weeks later comes as something of a surprise.
"Nice to see him on the ice," head coach Travis Green said. "Anytime a guy gets out there in a morning skate, you know he's not far off. And hopefully he's back soon."
But will he back back sooner than Green anticipates?
"It's definitely going to be sooner, whenever it is," Green said.
Chabot isn’t known as a particularly physical player, and he’s certainly not a fighter, but that doesn’t mean he lacks toughness. Getting back on the ice this quickly says plenty about his willingness to push through for his team at a critical time.
"He's one of the toughest players that I've coached or played with when it comes to playing through injuries," Green said. "It's quite amazing to be honest."
Chabot has certainly had practice, playing through a wrist injury for two seasons and change before finally getting it fixed surgically once and for all.
Sens defenseman Dennis Gilbert, who would also represent an upgrade in the Sens' bottom pairing, returned to practice Monday, and Green said he's getting close to returning as well. But then there's this...
TSN 1200 on Twitter
Despite that end-of-practice note, Green didn't mention any change in Gilbert's return-to-play status.
One other player to watch will be Tim Stutzle, who was in obvious pain and having his left shoulder worked on during Sunday's game.
With just five games remaining in the regular season, the Senators are clinging to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 90 points. They sit one point ahead of the New York Islanders, with a game in hand, while both the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are just two points back.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
Following the announcement that Main Street Sports Group LLC would cease operation, which owns the FanDuel Sports Network, the Nashville Predators have announced a new broadcast partner for the 2026-27 season.
The Predators have signed a multi-year broadcast deal with Scripps Sports to broadcast games free, over-the-air to viewers in the Middle Tennessee region. This includes preseason, regular season and first-round playoff games.
Scripps also owns WTVF NewsChannel 5, but plans to broadcast Predators games on its second station, WNPX or The Spot – Nashville 28.
We’ve partnered with @ScrippsSports to become the TV and streaming home of #Preds hockey, beginning next season.
Fans across our broadcast region will be able to watch games for free on a new local station, “The Spot – Nashville 28.”
Alongside local access, games will also be available via the team’s soon-to-be-released live-streaming app and the Tablo over-the-air DVR and streaming platform.
The new broadcast deal also includes "a direct-to-consumer experience where fans can livestream games throughout the local broadcast territory."
“Scripps Sports could not be more pleased to become the broadcast partner for the Nashville Predators. Nashville is a hockey town, and this partnership makes Predators games available to the widest possible local audience,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports, in a press release.
“The combination of broadcast television and streaming guarantees that all Preds fans can follow the action wherever they choose to watch, on whatever device they choose.”
The Predators are the fifth NHL franchise to partner with Scripps Sports, joining the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Utah Mammoth.
TINLEY PARK, Ill. (AP) — The United States Hockey League on Tuesday unveiled a standard player development agreement that introduces benefits, including support for travel and secondary education and reimbursements for training and career-ending injuries.
The agreement enhances academic support, strength and performance resources, host family housing, mental wellness services and coaching already in place, and the U.S.-based Tier I junior league says it ensures players receive consistent development across all 16 teams.
“The standard player development agreement reinforces that structure by creating clarity and consistency for players and families while supporting the environment that continues to produce more NCAA Division I players and NHL draft selections than any single league in the world," USHL President and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan said. "This is about strengthening a pathway that already works.”
The USHL has partnerships with USA Hockey and the NHL. It says the agreement reaffirms the league's longstanding player-first approach to help athletes pursue participating in Division I college hockey and beyond.
That approach requires a 2-1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% of games played on weekends. U.S. Olympic gold medal-winners Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor and Jeremy Swayman are among the USHL products who reached the NHL.
The Carolina Hurricanes were announced as one of the two teams that will be going abroad next season for the NHL Global Series in Helsinki, Finland.
While it was certainly an exciting announcement for Canes fans, especially international ones, you can count Hurricanes alternate captain Sebastian Aho as one of those most excited about the news.
The Finnish centerman has played the last 10 seasons in the NHL, and while he goes back home every offseason, he hasn't played in an actual game back in Finland since 2016.
Now though, he'll have the chance to once again play in front of a crowd of Finns.
"Obviously it's gonna be somewhat weird because not every person is either a Kraken or Canes fan, right?," Aho said. "They're watching good hockey and hopefully rooting for the Finns. But I'm sure it will be a good atmosphere."
Aho said that he and his wife have been taking time on some of the off days since returning from the Olympics to go through all the potential people they'll be wanting to invite for the games.
"There's a lot," Aho said. "Been trying to figure out how many tickets and all that I'm gonna get for the game, so we've been asking the close friends and family if they're available for those dates and most of them will be coming, which is awesome. There's a lot of important people who will see me play who have not necessarily always been able to come here at all. It's awesome. It's probably gonna be a little expensive, but we'll see what we'll be able to work out."
It isn't everyday that you get an opportunity like this, so I'm sure Aho won't be too worried about losing out on a game check or two.
The Hurricanes star said he was actually informed about the event right before the Olympic break by team general manager Eric Tulsky.
"Eric came to the locker room and broke the news for me and within the next five minutes, every guy in the locker room knew pretty much," Aho said. "We kept it pretty tight though. They told us not to spoil it yet, but it was very exciting."
Aho did however discuss the upcoming event with some of his fellow Finnish Olympians, most notably Seattle Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko, who will be facing off against Aho and the Hurricanes in Finland.
The Canes alternate captain said that Kakko joked with him that he was "gonna make reservations at every single restaurant that weekend," so that the Hurricanes wouldn't have anywhere to go.
"We'll have to be quick to get some reservations at the best spots there because I'm sure they want to do the fun stuff too," Aho said. "But I'm sure I'll be able to find something good for the boys."
Aho didn't want to get into what he's planning for the team, saying that he doesn't want to "spoil too much," but he did say that there will for sure be a sauna experience as well as a bit of salmon soup and reindeer.
"I'm sure the boys will enjoy it," Aho said. "Those are probably the things that are a must, but there's plenty of good restaurants in the city and also overall just hanging out as a group. I think it's a great way to bond. Obviously it's a different, long road trip, but hopefully we're gonna have a good time."
Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour made the trip with the Hurricanes over 15 years prior, back then as the director of player development, and it's that sort of team bonding that he remembers so well.
"We went over there how many years ago now, I mean it's been a while, but it's a great memory and that's what it is. An opportunity to make memories" Brind'Amour said. "Obviously the games are going to be important, but there's a bigger takeaway too: Going somewhere where you wouldn't normally go and all that stuff. That's the exciting part."
Funny enough, that game 15 years ago was also one of Sebastian Aho's first tastes of the NHL, as the then 13-year-old was actually in attendance to see the Hurricanes take on the Minnesota Wild.
Those game featured a few big name Finns such as Jussi Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu, Joni Pitkanen, Mikko Koivu, Niklas Baskstrom and Antti Miettinen. Oh and future teammate Brent Burns as well.
"Back then, I had no clue I was gonna play in the NHL or for the Canes, so it's a pretty funny coincidence there," Aho said. "I enjoyed the game. Thought it was cool, something definitely unique. 15-20 years ago, I wasn't paying that much attention to the NHL then. But from there, with all the technology and everything, they started having prime time games, easy access with YouTube and all that, so it was kind of easier to follow the NHL from that point. It was cool. A big show obviously when the NHL comes to Finland. I enjoyed it and hopefully I'll have a good time as a player too."
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
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.
