Following a dominant 9–2 victory over the Calgary Flames, concern quickly shifted among Colorado Avalanche fans toward the status of star defenseman Cale Makar.

Makar recorded three assists in the win, including the primary helper on Nathan MacKinnon’s power-play goal late in the second period. However, the defenseman absorbed a hit from Flames forward Adam Klapka with 5:28 remaining in the frame and did not return for the third period, marking the end of his night.

Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed post-game that Makar is dealing with an upper-body injury but declined to provide a specific timeline for his return.

Medical insight from Dr. Harjas Grewal suggests the injury could involve a separated shoulder at worst. Encouragingly, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the injury is not believed to be serious, with the expectation that Makar may miss a handful of games to ensure full health ahead of the postseason. ESPN's Emily Kaplan also echoed the same sentiment.

Not great video. Possible separated shoulder for Makar

Time off depends on type. Can be as short as day-to-day and can be as bad as needing surgery. NHLers often miss a couple weeks

Of note, you can play with taping/support + injections (what McAvoy tried at 4Nations) https://t.co/ZRHgwu8jUG

— Dr. Harjas Grewal (@Harjas_Grewal) March 31, 2026

With just six games remaining in the regular season, it appears increasingly likely the Avalanche will proceed cautiously, prioritizing Makar’s recovery in preparation for the playoffs, which begin April 18.

On Cale Makar, don’t believe it’s too serious but he will likely miss a few games in order to get him to 100 percent before the playoffs.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 31, 2026

Makar's Impact Remains Significant

The potential absence of Makar, even in the short term, underscores his importance to Colorado’s success. Widely regarded as one of the NHL’s premier defensemen, Makar combines elite offensive production with strong two-way play.

Entering Monday’s contest, he had compiled 20 goals and 72 points in 71 games. On March 28, he became the fourth-fastest defenseman in league history to reach the 500-point milestone. His recent body of work includes back-to-back 90-point seasons and a 30-goal campaign in 2024–25, while 2025–26 marks his third consecutive 20-goal season and fourth overall.

Avalanche Eye Presidents’ Trophy

As of March 31, the Colorado Avalanche hold the NHL’s top record at 73-49-14, maintaining an eight-point cushion over the Dallas Stars.

With the regular season winding down and the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the horizon, Colorado remains firmly positioned to secure the Presidents’ Trophy, further solidifying its status as a leading contender for the Stanley Cup.

It was a fun night in Sunrise for the Florida Panthers and their fans as the Cats continue counting down on their regular season.

Florida put on one of their best offensive performances seen by their fans in what probably felt like a while, taking down the Ottawa Senators 6-3 Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Panthers got off to a fast start thanks to a miscommunication between Senators defenseman Jordan Spence and goaltender Linus Ullmark.

Almost immediately after the game’s opening faceoff, the puck was shot into Ottawa’s zone and it bounced off the boards in the corner and came back toward the slot.

The two Senators appeared to think the other was going to play the puck, and instead it went through them and right to a cutting Noah Gregor, who one-timed the puck past the out of position Ullmark just eight seconds into the game

Less than a minute later, Mackie Samoskevich finished off a pretty passing play that saw the puck go from Sam Bennett to Matthew Tkachuk to Seth Jones before finding its way back down to Mackie for a quick goal at the side of the net.

Just 66 seconds into the game and Florida found itself with a 2-0 lead.

Florida wasn’t done there.

About midway through the period, Carter Verhaeghe picked up a Jones rebound at the side of the net and wired the puck through Ullmark to make it 3-0 Cats just 9:09 into the game.

After about a five-minute break, the Panthers got back to the offense.

Goals by Verhaeghe and A.J. Greer just 34 seconds apart gave Florida an eye-popping 5-0 lead on Ottawa with 5:24 still left on the first period clock.

As one might expect, the Senators came out after the first intermission appearing to have had a fire lit under their backsides.

After keeping Florida hemmed in their zone from the start, Drake Batherson scored right off an offensive zone draw, beating Daniil Tarasov over the glove, exactly 100 seconds into the second period.

The goal didn’t spark a Senators comeback attempt, though.

Later in the period, Matthew Tkachuk got in on the fun, taking a nice pass from Sam Bennett and beating James Reimer to make it 6-1 Florida with 7:19 left in the middle frame. It was Tkachuk’s fourth point on the evening.

Spence then decided it was time to make up for his opening-shift blunder, picking up the game’s next goal on a shot that deflected off Verhaeghe on its way past Tarasov, cutting Florida’s lead back down to four with under five minutes to go until the intermission.

Michael Amadio picked up the game’s next goal, one-timing a pass from Ridly Greig past a sliding Tarasov at the 4:29 mark of the third period to cut further into the Cats’ lead.

Ottawa spent a large chunk of the third period on the power play after Noah Gregor was handed a match penalty for a hit to the head of Carter Yakemchuk, who needed help to the locker room by a couple of his teammates.

Despite spending five straight minutes up a man, including a lengthy two-man advantage in the middle of the power play, the Senators failed to get one past Tarasov and the Panthers.

On to the Bruins.

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Photo caption: Mar 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender James Reimer (47) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Pregame

The Penguins welcome Evgeni Malkin back from a four-game absence with a hand injury, but they have a scratch so late it doesn’t make the lineup card. Bryan Rust does NOT play tonight after taking warmup, his lower body injury keeps him out so Avery Hayes is in the game in place with the top lines all scrambled around at the last moment.

The visiting Red Wings bring the following lineup to town.

First period

Great start for the Penguins, who are able to keep the momentum from last night’s seven-straight goals to close the game against the Islanders going for a while longer. Pittsburgh strikes 4:19 in, Sidney Crosby wins a puck off the wall and centers for Rickard Rakell. Rakell patiently waits and holds, traffic builds in front of the net and Rakell shoots back against the grain to the top corner. 1-0 Pens.

It’s Anthony Mantha time a few minutes later after a scramble happens right at the goal in front of John Gibson. Mantha is able to collect himself, pull the puck out of the mayhem far enough to lift it back over the dogpile. 2-0 Pens, and Mantha is now a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.

Looks like Jacob Bernard-Docker is trying to give his team a lift by talking Connor Dewar into a fight, which is pretty admirable since it doesn’t look like Bernard-Docker actually knows how to fight. Or maybe he bit off more than he could chew and just hung on for dear life as Dewar sent some glancing blows off him before wrestling him down.

Pittsburgh gets the first power play of the game when Elmer Soderblom gets high-sticked by a former teammate, a most unusual power play occurs where neither team changes any players, it’s all zone time for the Pens and a few looks off the stick of Erik Karlsson, but no goals.

Undeterred, the Pens score shortly after the power play. Egor Chinakhov kinda pulls up on the rush and fires a shot that glances off the defenseman and make the puck change directions to end up going short-side on Gibson. He was already leaning the other way. 3-0 Pens.

Dominant performance, shots are 14-5 PIT. Had Gibson not made a few nice saves there could have been even more damage done than the 3-0 score after 20.

Second period

The Red Wings put Cam Talbot in the net for the start of the second period.

Detroit gets their first power play of the game after Mantha gets himself in trouble on the forecheck for holding/hooking the defender and gets on the board five seconds into it. The Red Wings win the faceoff, Patrick Kane fires a low shot to create a rebound and Dylan Larkin is able to punch in the rebound. 3-1.

The Pens find an answer, Connor Clifton steps in front of a slow clearing attempt and sends a shot back. Justin Brazeau is there to get a small deflection on it near the front of the net. 4-1 game.

Detroit gets a few chances late but can’t shrink the score again in the second period. Sam Girard and Lucas Raymond get too chippy with each other after a whistle in a scrum and we get 4v4 hockey as a result.

Shots in the second are 9-8 Red Wings, the Pens aren’t going full throttle but they’re still engaged enough to maintain.

Third period

Larkin gets called for a tripping minor to grant Pittsburgh a 4v3 power play for a limited amount of time.

In the second night of the b-2-b and up big in this one, the Pens are drifting off now. The Red Wings hit a crossbar really hard, it barely stays out.

Total coast mode for the Pens at this point, Detroit’s able to get into the zone, work it around, Pittsburgh keeps them mostly to the outside and then chips the puck out for the process to repeat. Stuart Skinner earns his supper with some saves, the clock keeps heading to the end.

The Pens get one more goal for the road with 7:51 remaining. Ryan Shea shoots from the point with two players posted up near the goal. Noel Acciari is the closest to the rebound and he fights off no less than Mo Seider to win a battle to punch the puck in. 5-1.

Detroit gets caught with six players on the ice. The top power play gets to work a little stress-free practice, they snap the puck around but don’t score.

Both teams come together and exchange pushes and shoves after the final whistle, won’t change the score at this point. Pens secure the victory.

Some thoughts

• Sidney Crosby entered the night two points behind Steve Yzerman for 7th place all-time on the NHL scoring list. Yzerman, GM and legend of the Red Wings, shame Crosby could only tack on one point to inch closer but not tie or pass on this night. Given the bigger picture, hardly a note anyone ought be concerned with.
• Anything and everything was going the Pens way early. Bryan Rust a very last minute scratch? No worries, just kinda make some last minute changes as you go, it all works out. Rakell and Mantha will score anyways.
• Those two are just scorching hot right now. Rakell now has seven goals in the last five games. Mantha, per Bob Grove, scored three goals over the course of six shots. Always a thing of beauty when really good players start performing at clincal levels.
• A lot has been made (well, OK, maybe more accurately a little) about Blake Lizotte’s absence from the penalty kill. It’s true the PK has been bad without him. Would it be any better with him? Perhaps but that’s a hypothetical that could have any answer you’d want to imagine. Statistically though, there’s a good case to be made it wouldn’t have mattered on the first DRW PPG: Lizotte has only won 43.6% of his 126 PK faceoffs this season. Noel Acciari (the player who took the faceoff and lost it) had won 50.6% of his 189 PK draws. So probability-wise, it’s not like Lizotte would have been likely to prevent the exact same result on that play. (That example aside, it certainly is a big loss and harmful to the PK and team in general to not have Lizotte available).
• Crosby had four hits on the nights officially and these were not getting credit for little bumps, a couple were big hits. One sent Andrew Copp crashing down off his feet. The intensity is definitely ramped up.
• Five shots on goal and eight total attempts for Malkin. Looked pretty good in his return considering his hand was banged up.
• The more I’ve seen of Soderblom, the more I’m liking it. He’s an active player and certainly makes the most of his opportunities to stand out in limited moments. His size alone can kinda make him a novelty in ways but beyond that you can see why the Penguins wanted him. He’s still just scratching the surface of the type of player he could be and seemingly *^this close^* to breaking through and being a force out there. Maybe that eludes him to fully reach his potential but it’s a worthy project to take on and see what could happen. (Can’t hurt the cause that a similarly-sized and skilled prototype in Brazeau had his major breakout this season). Threw this note in any case and stray Detroit people were checking this out of curiosity to see how Soderblom is fitting in. Slightly more impressed than anticipated.
• More surprising occurrence to happen for a second night in a row: chasing the opponent’s goalie or seeing actual, legit hockey fights? Sign of the times that it’s a reasonable question. Really raises the entertainment factor on a game, if you’re cheering for the Penguins, anyways, fights and making the opponent put in their backup goalie are always good fun.
• This game might have been more interesting had Alex Debrincat’s aim been true on two shots that both nailed the crossbar. The Penguins put it in coast for a good bit of this game. Luckily they survived without having to try and turn the competitiveness all the way back on.
• Two more points is huge for the playoff picture, the out of town scores mostly look helpful, though all are incomplete and potentially subject to change. Columbus is tied with Carolina at press time. The Flyers longshot hopes are even on further life support courtesy of losing an unfinished game as of now to Washington. The Islanders are trailing the Sabres. The beauty of winning for the Pens is the out of town scores don’t matter as much, at this part of the year is the biggest factor is one more precious game ticks away for all parties. The runway getting shorter is one of the most important parts of them all.

Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down for the Pens right now. These last two games were long pegged as some of the most crucial and the response for two convincing wins is very encouraging. The race to the finish line isn’t quite over yet and the Pens still do have three games in a four day stretch that begins anew on Thursday night on the road in Tampa.

The Utah Mammoth are bringing back their “Next Gen” game for a second time this season, presented by America First Credit Union, on April 11. When the Mammoth host the Carolina Hurricanes that afternoon, Delta Center will transform into a kid-powered experience, with young fans stepping into game-day roles throughout the arena, broadcast, and in-game entertainment.

Designed to celebrate and inspire the next wave of hockey enthusiasts, the event gives participants ages 8–14 a unique, behind-the-scenes opportunity to help shape the game-day atmosphere.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of it—secure your tickets now and join in supporting the growth of hockey’s future in Utah.

Playoff Hopes

If the Mammoth hold onto their wild card spot secure a postseason berth, their most probable first-round opponent appears to be the Anaheim Ducks.

There is no such thing as an easy series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The league’s parity has all but eliminated true underdogs from qualifying, but certain opponents present a less daunting challenge than others.

Earlier this month, Connor McDavid described the Pacific Division as a “pillow fight,” highlighting the relative lack of dominant contenders in that race. If Utah claims the first wild card position, it would remain within the Pacific bracket for at least the opening two rounds, avoiding Central Division powers such as the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild.

Anaheim and Utah find themselves in similar phases of their respective rebuilds. The Ducks have not qualified for the playoffs since 2018, but their recent high draft selections are beginning to emerge as key contributors at the NHL level.

Head-to-head, the teams have split their six all-time meetings evenly. Their most recent contest saw Anaheim pull away late with two empty-net goals in a 4–1 victory, while Utah previously delivered a decisive 7–0 win—though three of those goals came against a goaltender making his NHL debut.

One potential differentiator in a playoff series could be experience behind the bench. Anaheim is led by Joel Quenneville, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with 121 career playoff victories—third-most in league history. Utah’s André Tourigny, meanwhile, has coached more than 400 regular-season NHL games but has limited postseason experience, with his only appearance coming as an assistant in 2014. While Tourigny has enjoyed success internationally and in junior hockey, he has yet to capture a league championship at the professional level.

That said, coaching pedigree alone will not determine the outcome. Utah enters the matchup with advantages in team save percentage and goal differential, outpacing Anaheim by a margin of 30 goals. As is always the case in the playoffs, a variety of factors will ultimately shape the result—and only the games themselves will provide definitive answers.

The Chicago Blackhawks had Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets in town on Tuesday night. This was Chicago's first game at home after a long four-game road trip.

This was also Anton Frondell's first game at the United Center as a member of the Blackhawks. On his second shift of the game, Frondell scored his first career NHL goal. 

Frondell's goal came at the end of a shift in which he was all over the puck. There were a handful of other times that the puck could have ended up in the back of the cage, but he finally got it past Connor Hellebuyck for the first of his career. 

On the goal, Louis Crevier got it towards the net, Ilya Mikheyev put it on the stick of Frondell, and he didn't miss this chance. 

🚨ANTON FRONDELL FIRST NHL GOAL🚨 pic.twitter.com/8AEuLEIg74

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) April 1, 2026

Not only did he score his first career goal, but it came against a future Hall of Fame goalie in Hellebuyck. That is certainly a memorable way to score the first of many. 

Frondell's first goal is the fifth point (the first four were all primary assists) of his NHL career in his fifth game. That's exactly the type of start that the Blackhawks were hoping for from the 3rd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

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

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

The Chicago Blackhawks are in the final stretch of the season. Following their Tuesday night matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, the Blackhawks will have only eight regular-season games left. 

With the 2025-26 campaign now nearing its conclusion, one Blackhawks prospect who fans should be paying extra attention to during these final games is defenseman Kevin Korchinski.

Korchinski was called up to the Blackhawks' NHL roster earlier this week and should get more opportunities to finish off the campaign. This is because Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Artyom Levshunov will be out for the remainder of the season. 

With Korchinski getting called up, he will undoubtedly be looking to impress. It would be significant for him if he ends the year on a high note, as it would certainly help his chances of getting more opportunities on Chicago's roster next season. 

Korchinski has played in five games this season with the Blackhawks, where he has recorded one assist. Down in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs this season, he has posted two goals and 26 points. Overall, the 2022 seventh-overall pick has shown promise in the AHL, and it will be interesting to see if he can shine during the final stretch of the season from here. 

Martone makes NHL debut, Flyers miss out on chance to move into playoff position originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

On a busy Tuesday night in the playoff race, the Flyers fell to the Capitals, 6-4, at Capital One Arena.

It turned out to be a missed opportunity (more on that below).

Travis Sanheim, Carl Grundstrom, Christian Dvorak and Denver Barkey provided the Flyers’ goals.

Porter Martone had a team-high five shots in his NHL debut.

The Flyers tied the game in the second period and cut Washington’s lead to one twice during the third period, but they never led.

For a fifth time this season, the Flyers (37-25-12) failed to win four games in a row. They haven’t won more than three straight in over two years. The last time they did it was Feb. 6-12 of the 2023-24 season.

The Flyers split their four-game regular-season series with the Capitals (38-28-9).

• With a win, Rick Tocchet’s club would have taken over the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.

Twenty-two minutes after the Flyers lost, the Blue Jackets fell to the Hurricanes, 5-2. If the Flyers had won, they would have pulled even with Columbus and had the tiebreaker of fewer games played.

But the Flyers also didn’t lose any ground. The Islanders, Senators and Red Wings all lost in regulation, as well.

With eight games left, the Flyers are two points out of the second wild-card spot and three back of third place in the Metropolitan Division.

• Martone played his first NHL game a little over nine months after going sixth overall in the 2025 draft.

The 19-year-old signed his entry-level deal Sunday afternoon, skated Monday morning with a small group and then suited up Tuesday night against the game’s all-time greatest goal scorer.

The big winger did a lot of good things in 16:54 minutes. He had an early penalty when he put the puck over the boards, but he then settled in and was active the rest of the way.

With 25 seconds left in the second period, Martone had a nice look battling around the net. He also took a stick to his mouth in that sequence but was fine for the third period. Four of his shots came in the final stanza.

Martone was not scared to shoot, he used his size well and he looked positionally sound.

He entered the lineup for Alex Bump, who was a healthy scratch for the first time since being called up over three weeks ago. It wasn’t a bad time to give Bump a breather.

Because of the youth, the Flyers will have some good lineup decisions to make with their forwards.

• Dan Vladar surrendered five or more goals for just the fourth time this season.

The 28-year-old made 12 saves on 17 shots. Washington’s final goal was an empty-netter.

Vladar didn’t seem to track shots as well as he has for much of the season. But the Flyers didn’t play a perfect game, either.

Jamie Drysdale and Cam York had some trouble in the defensive zone. Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras had costly tripping penalties.

After goals from Sanheim and Grundstrom tied the game at 2-2 in the opening 4:36 minutes of the second period, Washington regained its two-goal lead with back-to-back power play markers.

The Flyers trailed by two goals at each intermission. They fell down 2-0 in the first period. Prior to Tuesday night, they hadn’t given up a first-period goal over their last five games.

Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson finished with two goals apiece.

Capitals netminder Logan Thompson stopped 20 of the Flyers’ 24 shots.

• Zegras had an assist, giving him 60 points on the season. He’s six points away from passing his career high of 65 set with the Ducks in 2022-23.

Sanheim (one goal, one assist), Dvorak (one goal, one assist) and Konecny (two assists) had multi-point efforts.

• The Flyers are back in action Thursday when they host the Red Wings (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Talk about the game with Pens fans here!

The Athletic is in the midst of releasing its prospect pool rankings, with the St. Louis Blues at 10th.

When The Athletic conducted these rankings a year ago, the Blues ranked 14th, moving up four spots in 2026. 

The Blues received high grades overall, but the one criticism was that the prospect pool is missing a truly elite, franchise-altering prospect. It’s fair criticism, but that’s also indicative of where the Blues have been selecting in the first round. Their highest draft selection in the last five years was 10th overall, when they selected Dalibor Dvorsky. 

While they may currently lack that top prospect, they could land that in this year’s draft. The Blues currently sit in fifth last place due to points percentage, and a top-five pick could be franchise-altering. 

With that being said, the depth the Blues have is rivalled by few. 

In the first tier, Scott Wheeler named three Blues players: Justin Carbonneau, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Adam Jiricek.  

Carbonneau had a stellar goal-scoring season in the QMJHL, and his club, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, is a threat to win the QMJHL championship. 

Three Blues Feature In The Hockey News' Top 100 NHL Affiliated ProspectsSt. Louis Blues prospects Adam Jiricek, Justin Carbonneau, and Otto Stenberg featured in The Hockey News' top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects.

Dvorsky has graduated to the NHL, but because of these rankings’ rules, he was still eligible to be named a prospect. In his first full NHL season, Dvorsky has scored 11 goals and 18 points in 62 games. He’s shown he can be a threat as a shooter, but he can also play a reliable two-way game.

His performance at the Olympics showed he could be a strong 5-on-5 player, but he needs to add that element in the NHL.

Jiricek is healthy and is showing his talent. He was a dominant defensive force at the world juniors and added plenty of offense as well. In the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs, Jiricek has led the way on the blueline, and they are the heavy favorites to win it all this year.

Logan Mailloux, Theo Lindstein, and Otto Stenberg highlighted tier 2. All three players have seemingly graduated to the NHL, but they did spend parts of the season with the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.

Blues Couldn't Have Scripted Theo Lindstein's Start To NHL Career Any Better; Future Looks Very Good2023 first-round pick scored first NHL goal in 10th game Monday, has fit in like a glove playing alongside a terrific mentor in Colton Parayko

They’ve all shown they can play in the NHL, but finding ways to become even more impactful is the next step.

Tier 3 featured Marcus Gildof, a big Swedish netminder; Colin Ralph, a big left-handed defenseman in the NCAA; and Dmitry Buchelnikov, a recently acquired skillful Russian winger. 

Tier 4 consisted of Lukas Fischer, another big left-handed defenseman in the OHL; Love Harenstam, a standout Swedish netminder; Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, a two-way Finnish center playing in the AHL; Juraj Pekarcik, a skilled winger in the AHL; Jakub Stancl, a versatile forward in the AHL; and Adam Jecho, a big center playing in the WHL. 

St. Louis Blues Weekly Prospect Report (March 29)Blues prospects off and running in postseason action; Ralph, Michigan State see season come to premature ending; Springfield keep pushing towards Calder Cup playoffs

Michael Buchinger was named as an honorable mention. 

With another three first-round picks in this year’s upcoming draft, there could be plenty of new faces in these rankings, and the Blues’ position could be a lot higher next year. 

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.

BUFFALO, NY —New York Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom will miss their Tuesday night game against the Buffalo Sabres after sustaining an upper-body injury in their 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

Holmstrom went hard into the boards in the first period, but remained in the game.

With Holmstrom out, forward Anthony Duclair returns to the lineup for the first time since March 21, their 7-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, which came five games ago. 

He'll skate alongside Brayden Schenn and Mathew Barzal, with Barzal going back to his usual spot on the top power-play unit.

Ilya Sorokin, who was pulled after he allowed a career-high seven goals on 29 shots in an 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, will start against Buffalo. 

Sorokin had only been pulled once this season, in the finale of a three-game road trip, a 7-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, March 21. 

He allowed six goals on 26 shots through 50:47 minutes. 

That game was also the first of a back-to-back, with Roy citing that pulling Sorokin was to keep him fresh for a pivotal Sunday night game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The move paid off as Sorokin stopped all 26 shots that came his way for a critical 1-0 shutout win. 

"Last time," Roy pointed out as to why Sorokin gets the call less than 24 hours after the loss to Pittsburgh. "Last time we played against Montreal, and then we came back against Columbus, he played a strong game, so certainly wanted him to be in tonight, and I think we owe him this after the way we played in front of him. So I'm sure it's a great opportunity for everyone to play a good game."

The Islanders are 9-3-1 on the second legs of back-to-backs this season. Sorokin is 5-1-0 and has not faced the Sabres this season. 

The Islanders are so, so, so badly in need of a bounce back from their horrific disassembly at home by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Unfortunately, they have to do it against the Buffalo Sabres, who are vying for first overall in the conference.

The Sabres are currently in a three-way tie with 98 points, though both Tampa Bay and Carolina have a game in hand — and history — on their side with less than 10 games to go.

The Islanders remain in a playoff spot before play begins, but their primary rivals are also in action and/or have games or games in hand. But the past few weeks have been all over the map, so they could just as easily, or at least believably, hurl a 3-0 shutout or a dramatic 4-3 comeback win as they could infuriate us on consecutive nights.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

• About last night: Turrible [LHH] | Eight goals [Newsday]
• Post-game, Patrick Roy was non-committal on who gets the start in net tonight. [Post]
• Previewing tonight. [Isles]
• The AHL board has approved the Islanders’ moving their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport to Hamilton, Ontario. That’s a place in Canada that once had dreams of an NHL franchise. [Newsday]

Elsewhere

Other potentially important games tonight, as the Isles enter with 89 points and 75 games played:

• The Bruins (92 pts, 74 GP) host the Stars
• The Canadiens (94 pts, 73 GP) visit the Lightning
• The Senators (86 pts, 73 GP) visit the Panthers
• The Penguins (90 pts, 74 GP) host the Red Wings (86 pts, 73 GP)
• The Blue Jackets (88 pts, 74 GP) host the Hurricanes
• The Flyers (still alive! 86 pts, 73 GP) visit the Capitals (83 pts, 74 GP)

Tonight, the Vancouver Canucks have the opportunity to secure the best odds at picking first-overall in the 2026 NHL Draft lottery. The Canucks, who have sat comfortably at 32nd in the NHL for the better-half of the season, currently hold a 21–44–8 record that has gotten them 50 points on the season. 

The closest team to Vancouver in the NHL’s standings is the Chicago Blackhawks, who currently sit at 31st with 67 points and a record of 27–34–13. If Chicago wins their next game, which takes place tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver will secure 32nd place and thus have the best odds of selecting first-overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. 

Even if Chicago is unable to beat Winnipeg tonight, the Canucks will still be able to clinch 32nd place in the coming days. A loss in their matchup against the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night will allow them to remain last in the league regardless of how they play in the games after that. 

Vancouver has yet to draft first-overall through all 56 seasons since their inaugural year. They have picked second and third-overall four times each, with their most recent highest-selection being Daniel Sedin in 1999. Their highest active-selection is Elias Pettersson, who was picked fifth-overall in 2017. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Welcome to another night of Bruins hockey, folks!

After going two-for-two on the weekend, the Bruins host a very good Dallas Stars team that finds itself in a little bit of a funk at the moment.

However, they DID just get Mikko Rantanen back from injury, which always helps.

After tonight, the B’s will embark on a four-game road trip with stops in Florida (2X), Philadelphia, and Carolina.

Points are at a premium, etc.

If you’re interested in scoreboard watching tonight, keep an eye on:

• Islanders vs. Sabres
• Canadiens vs. Lightning
• Panthers vs. Senators
• Penguins vs. Red Wings
• Flyers vs. Capitals
• Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets

Bruins! Stars! BACK IN THE COMMONWEALTH!

Discuss.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan and ex-Rangers head coach John Tortorella go way back.

Since 2007, Sullivan and Tortorella have served on the same coaching staff six times. Sullivan was an assistant to Tortorella in Tampa Bay, New York and Vancouver for a total of six seasons. He also was on Tortorella’s U.S. staff for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

The two have since swapped roles, with Tortorella serving as an assistant to Sullivan for Team USA at 4 Nations and the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.

When asked to weigh in on Tortorella’s stunning hiring in Vegas with single-digit games left in the 2025-26 season and a probable playoff run afoot, Sullivan offered high praise for the 67-year-old.

“I think he’s an excellent coach,” Sullivan said before the Rangers took on the Devils on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. “One of the things that he excels at is crisis management. He brings a ton of energy. I know he’ll bring a lot of energy to Vegas. I think, as I said, he’s an excellent coach. One of the things that has always impressed me with Torts, and obviously, I have a long-standing relationship with him. I worked with him for almost a decade. He was on our staff with the Olympic team, the 4 Nations team. In a lot of ways, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with him because I learned so much from him. We’re very different in how we go about it, but I’ve learned a lot from him as far as what it takes to win and how to instill an environment that’s conducive to winning.

“He has had the ability to evolve with the game. The evolution of the game is fast. The way the game’s being played today is very different than the way it was being played, for example, when him and I were working together coaching the Rangers in 2010. The way the game’s being played is very different. And Torts, because he’s a student of the game, he’s evolved with the game. The modern strategies, the evolution of the game. What’s the modern NHL look like? What’s the modern game look like?We talk about that. We have that conversation all the time with our coaching staff because we’re trying to study evolution. And it’s copycat league. Everybody steals from one another because of technology, film, all of those things. So everybody’s paying attention to that stuff.

“If you’re in coaching and you love what you do, you immerse yourself in a learning experience. And Torts has done that his whole career. He puts a lot of work into that. He prides himself in it. That’s been the most impressive thing for me in watching him. I think he’ll do what he does. I think he’ll do a terrific job.””

Sullivan and Tortorella won gold together with USA Hockey last month in the NHL’s highly anticipated return to the Olympics. They also spent four seasons together in New York from 2009 to 2013.

Urho Vaakanainen participated in morning skate Tuesday in a red non-contact jersey before missing his seventh straight game with an upper-body injury.

The wins over Chicago and Florida this past weekend were the Rangers’ first back-to-back victories at home this season. Tuesday night’s matchup with New Jersey marked the third contest of a season-high seven-game homestand.