Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan isn't sure if he'll join the AHL's Toronto Marlies for their Calder Cup Playoff run.
The 20-year-old wrapped up his first NHL season on Wednesday night with an assist on William Nylander's goal in the third period in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. His rookie year came to a close with 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games.
"I know I'm an NHL player. I feel comfortable, but I still got a lot more to give and I know I'll have a good summer here and get bigger and faster," Cowan told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.
"Everyone says that, but just take some time off and just get back to work, put in the work, and just get ready to have a better year next year."
Along with his 29 points, Cowan played throughout Toronto's forward group and finished the year averaging 14:43 of ice time. He also spent some time on the Maple Leafs' top power play unit after Auston Matthews' season ended due to a knee injury.
He impressed many this season and grew as the year continued. What caught a lot of people's eyes was how he reacted in the aftermath of Matthews going down, fighting Jackson LaCombe in the game against the Anaheim Ducks, and then standing up to Boston Bruins defender Nikita Zadorov a few games later for his hit on John Tavares.
At the trade deadline, though, the Maple Leafs sent Cowan down to the Marlies, making him eligible for the AHL club's Calder Cup Playoff run later this month.
He's one of seven players on Toronto's NHL roster — along with Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes, Michael Pezzetta, Ryan Tverberg, William Villeneuve, and Dennis Hildeby — who can return to the Marlies for their postseason.
But will Cowan be there when the Marlies' playoff run begins?
"I'm not exactly sure," Cowan said on Wednesday. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to play more hockey. But it's not my decision. Whatever the management thinks is right, I'll agree with them."
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was also asked if Cowan would go down to the Marlies after their exit interviews on Thursday, to which Toronto's coach said, "We'll discuss that tomorrow."
Berube continued, "Definitely a benefit for him playing in the (AHL) playoffs, right? You can look at the league, and you can dissect it anyway you want. It's a good league, and it's a good experience for him."
The Marlies have two more regular season games — on Saturday and Sunday against the Laval Rocket at Coca-Cola Coliseum — before their playoffs begin. Toronto currently holds the fourth spot in the North Division, but could squeeze into third place, depending on how the Cleveland Monsters' final two games go.
If the Marlies lock up third in the division, they'll begin their playoffs in the division semifinals (a best-of-five series) against the second-seeded team in the division. However, if Toronto ends up in fourth, they'll play a best-of-three series against the fifth-seed in their division.
WINNIPEG, CANADA - APRIL 11: Porter Martone #94 of the Philadelphia Flyers takes part in the pre-game warm up prior to NHL action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre on April 11, 2026 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
A young power forward with swagger drafted early in the first round can be an amazing thing for an NHL team. And unlike Cutter Gauthier, this one actually was willing to sign a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers! Porter Martone joined up with the Flyers after his 2025-26 season at Michigan State wrapped up and boy did he make a seamless transition to the NHL. The youngster put up 10 points in nine important games down the stretch to announce his arrival to the league in a major way.
Martone has played the part of the net front power forward, looking like an old pro despite being brand new (and a teenager). He scored his first goal in overtime less than two weeks ago and then has kept it going, riding a six-game point streak at the end of the season.
The Flyers badly needed the skill infusion, they only had four 20-goal scorers this season (Owen Tippett’s 28 leading the way) and just two players who recorded 52+ points on the year. That added up to an offensive output of 2.93 goals/game, 22nd in the league and lowest among Eastern Conference playoff teams. The Flyers’ power play was dead last at 15.7% and is another area where Martone (who has five power play points already) has provided a massive lift to his new team to give them a tangible boost in an area they needed it the most. As a result, inserting a young, talented and productive forward ended up being a Godsend for a Philadelphia team that’s playing some of their best hockey in these last 10 games that Martone appeared in.
Martone has found his fit on the second line, skating with center Christan Dvorak and with Travis Konceny on the other wing. That mix of veterans with the brand new rookie has worked out to the tune of out-scoring the opposition 5-1 in the brief time they’ve been together. That grouping of talent allows Philadelphia to work with another line featuring Tippet and Trevor Zegras and then still a third line where Matvei Michkov operates, then a checking line led by veteran Sean Couturier. Adding Martone has diversified the attack and made for a much more dangerous team capable of coming at opponents in waves and transformed the Flyers into quite the squad down the stretch.
The Penguins will probably be dealing with Martone as a key opponent for many, many years to come. They’ll get a first look at him in these playoffs and hopefully will give him an introduction to the world of NHL playoff hockey and limit the amount of success he will have in this first taste of action.
Dec 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) skates up ice with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Every year here at PensBurgh we set some over/under predictions for individual Pittsburgh Penguins players, and at the end of every regular season we like to revisit those predictions and see how everybody did.
It is time to revisit those predictions.
Let’s go back to the start of the 2025-26 NHL season and see what we were thinking for the Penguins’ most prominent players, both new and returning, and see how their performances compared.
Oh man. Not even close on any of them. This is not necessarily a reflection of the individual players or their development, but a reflection on what direction the season ended up taking.
Everything here was so unexpected that we did not even have Ben Kindel on our NHL radar when we set the young players over/under at the end of August.
Here is what each player actually did at the NHL level:
Ville Koivunen: 5 assists in 39 games
Rutger McGroarty: 3 goals in 24 games
Owen Pickering: 0 assists in 4 games
In most cases there just was not a ton of room for these guys to get an extended look or major role on this yaer’s team because the forward depth was just too good. Koivunen was so impressive at the end of the 2024-25 season that was easy to have relatively high expectations for him. I am not ready to give up on him, but his AHL production has not yet transferred to the NHL. Right now there is a lot of Dominik Simon in him in that he has great underlying numbers, but it does not always pass the eye test or result in points for himself.
I actually like McGroarty’s game at the NHL level quite a bit. His season got off to a delayed start as he was coming back from an injury, but again, the NHL depth was just so much better than anybody could have anticipated that he never really got a look.
Pickering looks like it may not happen for him here.
While pretty much all of the young players went under, we had some big overs here.
What each player actually did:
Anthony Mantha: 33 goals in 81 games
Just Brazeau: 17 goals in 64 games
Matt Dumba: 3 points in 11 games
Connor Clifton: 6 points in 50 games
Parker Wotherspoon: 30 points in 80 games
Mantha more than doubled our pre-season number for him and ended up leading the Penguins with 33 goals. Who saw that coming? Nobody. He might have been the best value signing of any team in the NHL this past offseason. He also played his way into a big contract this summer, whether it is with the Penguins or somebody else.
Brazeau was also a revelation for the Penguins, scoring 17 goals in only 64 games. His production leveled off in the second half, but he still exceeded what most expected for him. Both Mantha and Brazeau set career highs in goals.
Along the same lines, Wotherspoon also far exceeded what anybody could have expected. He recorded 30 points, 25 more than we anticipated, while becoming a steady complement to Erik Karlsson on the team’s top defense pairing.
Clifton and Dumba were the veteran defensemen brought in so the Penguins could buy some future draft picks from Buffalo and Dallas, with only Clifton playing a major role this season. He did not reach the over/under we had for him. Dumba spent most of the season in the American Hockey League.
Now we are talking. We ended up getting pretty close with a lot of these.
What each player actually did:
Rickard Rakell: 24 goals in 60 games
Bryan Rust: 29 goals in 72 games
Tommy Novak: 16 goals in 82 games
Erik Karlsson: 65 points in 75 games
Rakell did not match his production from a year ago and saw a little bit of regression, but a great second half got him to 24 goals in only 60 games. Had he not missed 22 games you have to imagine he would have easily exceeded the 25.5 goal total. He scored at a 32 goal pace over 82 games.
It is a similar story for Rust who ended up with 29 goals in 72 games. Those 10 missed games probably cost him another 30-goal season.
We were in the right ballpark with Novak, but just missed it by two goals.
Karlsson’s bounce back season resulted in him reaching the 65-point mark and earning team MVP honors.
We were again pretty close here for the most part.
Here is what each player actually did:
Sidney Crosby: 74 points in 68 games
Evgeni Malkin: 61 points in 56 games
Kris Letang: 34 points in 74 games
Crosby did not reach his over/under mark, mostly due to games missed after the Olympics. When he was on the ice he scored at an 89-point pace over 82 games. He did reach the point-per-game average for yet another season.
Malkin reached his over/under despite the fact he missed 28 games, which is a testament to how outstanding he has been this season offensively.
Letang had a roller coaster season, and at times was a tough watch, but he and Sam Girard have really come on strong during the stretch run. He missed the over/under by one point with eight missed games.
We had a bonus over/under in early February given the way Egor Chinakhov was scoring goals following his acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets. At the time, he had scored eight goals with 12 total points in his first 18 games. We wanted to see what he would do after that.
Egor Chinakhov: Over/Under 7.5 Goals For Remainder Of Regular Season
He exceeded it.
What he actually did:
Egor Chinakhov: 10 more goals for a total of 18 goals in 43 games with the Penguins and 21 goals for the entire season between Columbus and Pittsburgh.
Of all the roster moves general manager Kyle Dubas made over the past year to re-tool this team, there might not be a more significant move than the addition of Chinakhov. He is still younger and just entering his prime years in the NHL. He has enormous talent and star potential. From the moment he arrived he completely transformed the Penguins lineup and added a dimension of speed and skill that had been lacking. Not only did he put everything together from a goal-scoring perspective, he also showed that he is simply an outstanding hockey player that can impact the game in a number of ways. He can score goals and shoot the puck like few others in the NHL. He has exceptional speed and quickness. He is a strong playmaker. He is a much better defensive player than we were initially led to believe. He is just simply a really good hockey player.
Maybe his shooting percentage regresses a little bit next season. That should not stop him from still being a major contributor. His shot is good enough to maintain a higher shooting percentage than your average player. The shot volume can also still be there to help make up for any regression. He is also just really good in every other area that even with a slight regression in shooting percenatge he will still make a difference in most games and on most shifts. He also did all of this goal-scoring while getting very little power play time with the top unit. Get him out there with them and he could really become a goal-scoring force.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 07: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Egor Chinakhov (59) skates with the puck against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) during the first period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers on March 7, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With the regular season over for the Pittsburgh Penguins, all there is to do is sit and wait for everyone else to wrap up their schedules, which will be Thursday for a few select teams. What helps the Penguins at the moment is they already know who their first round opponent will be so preparations won’t be delayed and they can get to work scheming for the Philadelphia Flyers will no delay. As for when the Penguins and Flyers will drop the puck on their first playoff matchup since 2018, that is still wait and see since the schedule is yet to be released for that series or any of the others.
Pens Points…
Penguins fans are plenty familiar with the Philadelphia Flyers, but it’s still been eight years since the two sides have contested a playoff series and there are A LOT of new faces this time around. Get acquainted with this Flyers teams and learn how they got here before the series begins this weekend. [Pensburgh]
There are certain players who will grab all the headlines as the Penguins prepare to take on the Flyers to open the playoffs and there are others who will fly under the radar. While the big names in this series are well known, one of those under the radar guys could the someone who flips the series in the Pens favor. [Pensburgh]
This will be the fifth time the Penguins and Flyers have met in the playoffs during the Crosby/Malkin era and those matchups have provided some all-time memories, good and bad. From the chaos of 2012 to the infamous Max Talbot moment in 2009, these teams never disappoint. [Pensburgh]
Stepping away from the much anticipated Penguins/Flyers series for a moment, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are preparing to wrap up their AHL season this weekend with a few meaningless contests as they have already wrapped up a playoff spot and a first round bye. [Pensburgh]
When Dan Muse was hired as the Penguins head coach last year, no one knew what to expect from the new bench boss. Certainly no one thought he was going to guide this Penguins team to the postseason, but his leadership style and fresh system have put the Penguins back where they belong. [Penguins]
Building this Penguins team was a long process that began in the offseason and wasn’t complete until the trade deadline a few weeks ago. Drafting Ben Kindel in June was just the start, followed then by free agent signings that exceeded every expectation, and completed by a few trades to bring in key pieces during the season. [The Hockey News]
While Skinner and Silovs have done the bulk of the work at the NHL level this season, Sergei Murashov still projects as the Penguins future in goal. He was a stalwart in the AHL for the Baby Penguins this season and took home All-Rookie Team honors for his play. [Trib Live]
NHL News and Notes…
After being eliminated from the playoffs and delivering a lackluster performance in their final game of the season, Columbus Blue Jackets interim head coach Rick Bowness stepped to the mic and delivered an all-time coach presser. A day later, the players spoke and agreed with his harsh assessment of their play. [NHL]
The Vegas Golden Knights are the champions of what might be the most anticlimactic race of all time. With a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, they clinched their fifth Pacific Division title in franchise history.
Connor McDavid’s words were truth disguised as jest– this year, teams in the Pacific Division have done nothing but squander opportunities to pull ahead in the race to claim the division title. It took until day 190 of the NHL season for a team to pull ahead and stake its claim on the Pillow Fight Division title.
“We were on top there for a while, for a lot of the season,” said Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb. “Then we’re in third, flirting with a wildcard. We found our game at the right time and won the division. That’s what we wanted to do, and we did it.”
For the first 30 minutes of play, it didn’t look like the Golden Knights were particularly interested in winning said division. It took them nearly nine minutes to record their first shot on goal; the Kraken recorded nine shots before Vegas managed two. But after an encouraging power play opportunity, Seattle only outshot the Golden Knights 11-6 at the end of the first period.
But despite being thoroughly outshot– and arguably outplayed– the Golden Knights entered the second period with a clean slate and a 0-0 tie.
Both teams recorded nine shots on goal in the second period, and the Golden Knights generated three high-danger scoring chances against Seattle’s two.
The Kraken broke the ice 2:24 into the second period. Carter Hart kicked out Jamie Oleksiak’s blast from the point, and Jani Nyman beat Jeremy Lauzon to the puck. Nyman found Shane Wright all alone in front of the net, and Wright fired it home.
Jani Nyman beats Lauzon to the puck and finds Shane Wright alllllll alone in front of the net.
The Golden Knights netted the equalizer at 17:35 in the second. Nic Dowd won the offensive zone draw, and Shea Theodore beat Nikke Kokko with a shot through Reilly Smith’s screen.
Nic Dowd with the face off win, Reilly Smith with the screen, Theodore with the snipe.
Finally, the ice opened up in the third period. The Golden Knights outshot the Kraken 12-4 and controlled 91.39% of the expected goal share. They also generated nine high-danger scoring chances while not allowing Seattle to manage a single one.
The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night just 1:23 into the third period off another face-off play. Jack Eichel won the offensive zone draw back to Brayden McNabb, who walked the line and fired a shot on goal. As McNabb’s shot came through, Mitch Marner redirected it home from the slot.
Brayden McNabb with the shot, Mitch Marner with the surgical redirection!
The Golden Knights extended their lead at 12:01 in the third. Jack Eichel capitalized on a blown coverage in the offensive zone and set up a two-on-one. Rasmus Anderson got the pass across for Reilly Smith, who slammed a fluttering puck into the empty net.
The Golden Knights added another on a delayed penalty at 16:36. Tomáš Hertl fired a shot on goal; Kaedan Korczak, who was parked atop the crease, whacked at the rebound. The puck came loose, and Reilly Smith banged in his second of the night from the goal line.
Kaedan Korczak is in front of the net whacking at Tomáš Hertl’s rebound, and Reilly Smith scores his second of the night on the delayed penalty.
Nothing this year has been easy for the Golden Knights, and this game was no different.
“We just slowly went about our business and finally found our game,” said head coach John Tortorella following the 4-1 win. “You’d almost want to play one of those before the playoffs, if you knew the result was going to be a win– they don’t like being in it when it’s going on. But give our guys a lot of credit, they stayed with it and just kept on playing. They’ve grabbed hold of it. We have found some consistency, and they feel more and more comfortable with it.”
Three Takeaways of the Knight
1. Despite playing without much intensity in the first period, the Golden Knights entered the first intermission tied at zero. Despite having nothing to play for, the Kraken took advantage of Vegas’ uninspired play and shelled Carter Hart in the first period. Shea Theodore raved about his goaltender postgame:
“He’s been great,” Theodore said following the 4-1 win. “He’s been so solid. I think we’ve given up too many chances, but he’s been big back there. He’s been a backbone ever since he came back.”
2. The team is fully bought in right now, and no one embodies that more than Reilly Smith. He’s been in and out of the lineup for a chunk of the season, but he’s never let that affect his work ethic or attitude around the locker room.
“We have high expectations, and we try to live that every day,” said Smith after his two-goal performance. “Through the organization, the players, everyone, tries to live up to that level. Every day we’re at the rink, we don’t accept losing, and I think the last couple of weeks are a good testament to that.”
3. And with that, the 2026 regular season comes to a close for the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ll kick off the postseason this weekend at home against the Utah Mammoth.
When asked if he had any early thoughts about their playoff opponent, John Tortorella simply replied:
The Ottawa Senators polished off their 2025-26 NHL regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night at Canadian Tire Centre. The game meant nothing in the standings, but as any Senators fan will tell you, there’s never a bad time to beat the Leafs.
Drake Batherson, Warren Foegele, Dylan Cozens had the goals for Ottawa, while Claude Giroux added two assists and James Reimer made 19 saves. The Senators went 2-for-3 on the power play and outshot the Leafs, 38-20.
The Senators got the victory, despite resting five of their top players, including Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Michael Amadio, Thomas Chabot, and Jake Sanderson.
They also had nothing to play for.
“I think since we found out who we’re playing in the first round, most of us are just thinking about that, to be honest,” Batherson said. “Obviously, you want to go out there and play well, but it’s tough when you know this weekend you’re playing Game 1.”
William Nylander had the lone goal for Toronto, pulling the Leafs within one midway through the third before Cozens sealed it with an empty-netter on a 2 on 0. He dished the puck off to Shane Pinto to score on the empty net, but Pinto gave it right back to him.
The Senators finish the regular season with 99 points. The last time they hit that mark was 2015, the year of the famous Hamburglar run. The last time they surpassed the 99-point mark was in 2007, when they advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in their history so far.
Despite missing the final two games, Stützle led the team offensively with 34 goals, 49 assists, and 83 points. Having just turned 24 in January, he's only now entering his prime.
Ottawa may not have a 100-point scorer, but they boasted a fine balanced attack this season, with 13 different players recording 30 or more points.
Toronto, meanwhile, closes out the season on a five-game losing streak, finishing the season 21 points behind the Senators. A disappointing campaigfn after winning the Atlantic Division last year.
As for the Senators, they head to the postseason once again, set to face the Carolina Hurricanes, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. It marks the first ever playoff meeting between the two franchises.
Games 1 and 2 will be played in Raleigh, with dates and time still to be announced. We do know that some of the Stanley Cup Playoff series are set to begin as early as Saturday night.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins will open in Buffalo against the Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Full schedule details are expected to be released Thursday.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mitch Marner broke a third-period tie and the Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division for the fifth time in their nine-year history, beating the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Wednesday night to close the regular season.
Two points ahead of Edmonton entering the night, Vegas needed only a point to win the Pacific and set up a first-round series against Utah. Edmonton will finish play Thursday night at home against Vancouver.
Reilly Smith had two late goals, Shea Theodore also scored and Carter Hart made 22 saves to help Vegas win its third straight. The Golden Knights finished 39-26-17, going 7-0-1 since John Tortorella took over as coach for the fired Bruce Cassidy.
Shane Wright scored for Seattle, and Nikke Kokko stopped 22 shots. The Kraken have lost two straight to fall to 34-36-11 with a game left Thursday night at Colorado.
Marner gave Vegas a 2-1 lead at 1:23 of the third. Off a faceoff, defenseman Brayden McNabb took a long, straightaway shot that Marner tipped in for his 24th goal of the season.
Theodore tied it with 2:25 left in the second. The defenseman got the puck at the right point off a faceoff, moved to the top of the circle and fired a wrist shot past Kokko's glove.
Wright opened the scoring at 2:24 of the second after missing the previous eight games because of an upper-body injury.
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone played his 400th game for the franchise.
Up next
Kraken: At Colorado on Thursday night.
Golden Knights: Host Utah in the first round of the playoffs.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks hosted their season finale at the United Center by welcoming the San Jose Sharks. Neither team is going to the playoffs, but there is always going to be hype around a Connor Bedard vs Macklin Celebrini matchup.
Before the game began, the Blackhawks announced an extension for General Manager Kyle Davidson. Danny Wirtz made it known while on CHSN's Blackhawks pregame show.
The game had a rough start for the Blackhawks. They were outshot 7-3, hardly had the puck, and didn't do much when they did. It took them over half the period to even get one shot on goal.
They were fortunate to only be down 1-0. At 5:17 of the second period, Michael Misa scored a power play goal to make it 2-0 Sharks. From there, however, the Blackhawks started to play much better. In fact, they played better from that point on than they did at any point in the prior two weeks.
With just 30 seconds remaining in the second period, Sam Rinzel put his team within one. His seeing-eye shot found its way through Yaroslav Askarov, and the Blackhawks cut their deficit in half going into the second intermission.
In the third period, the Blackhawks scored four straight goals courtesy of Louis Crevier (twice), Ryan Greene, and Nick Lardis. That 5-2 score held as the final.
The Blackhawks end their 2025-26 season with a record of 29-39-14 for 72 points, which is an 11-point improvement from a year ago.
Louis Crevier deserves the extra individual credit on this night. Not only did he have the two goals, but his defensive work against some elite players was noticeable. On the penalty kill, he was blocking shots, getting in the way of passes, and using his big frame to his advantage.
Macklin Celebrini didn't have a point. The Sharks only have two wins when he doesn't find the scoresheet all year, so shutting him down played a key role in the win. Louis Crevier's pair with Alex Vlasic played flawlessly against his line.
It took some time for the Blackhawks to get going in this game, but they dug deep and pulled one out in front of their home fans one last time.
The Chicago Blackhawks’ season is now over. Ahead for them is another off-season of building for the future. The Blackhawks have the second best odds at winning the lottery, which will take place on May 5th, 2026.
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TAMPA BAY, Fla. — The Rangers capped the 2025-26 season with a 4-2 win over a pseudo Lightning team that rested some of their top players for the playoffs ahead.
“That sucks,” captain J.T. Miller told The Post of finishing his first campaign as captain under such circumstances before the game Wednesday morning. “It’s the only reason you want to play, compete for the trophy. And so we didn’t achieve our goal. We failed there.”
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This failed season didn’t just earn the Blueshirts an early summer for the second year a row.
It prompted an organizational redirection and reassessment that took precedence over the last three months. The reconstruction work has already begun, but maximizing the offseason — NHL draft, free agency, etc. — will be pivotal in moving the needle as the Rangers strive to redefine the team and return to contending status quickly.
After Wednesday’s win, the Rangers’ final draft lottery odds are now in the Flames’ hands. If Calgary defeats the Kings in their season finale Thursday night, the Rangers will secure the third-best odds to win the top-overall pick in the draft lottery May 5.
A Flames loss would bump the Blueshirts down to the fourth-best odds.
Mika Zibanejad (center) celebrates with Alexis Lafrenière (left) and J.T. Miller after scoring a second-period goal on April 15, 2026 at Benchmark International Arena. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
While fans dreamed off potentially drafting projected first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, the Rangers went 6-4 in their last 10 games of the season. Fun returned to a locker room that had been starved of it since before last season.
Rookies like Gabe Perreault, Adam Sykora, Dylan Garand and Jaroslav Chmelar gave the final weeks meaning in more ways than one.
Perreault scored his 12th goal of the season in the second period, when he flung the puck through traffic to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.
The goal tied Perreault with the Blues’ Dalibor Dvorsky and the Wild’s Danila Yurov, who both played over 70 games this season compared to the Rangers rookie’s 40.
The Rangers top line with Perreault, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière has been a sort of revelation in recent weeks — one that head coach Mike Sullivan will no doubt continue exploring next season so long as all remain on roster.
While Zibanejad’s power-play goal in the middle frame gave the Rangers a three-goal cushion, Tye Kartye scored the first two of the game to establish the upper hand.
Garand stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in his third career start and second career win.
“I never want to go back to the American League, honestly,” Garand said. “I’m so hungry to be here. I want to be in this league and a part of this organization.”
Taylor Raddysh drew into the Rangers lineup for the first time since March 27.
It was a special night for Raddysh, who got to square off against his brother, Darren, for the first time since they lost their father, Dwayne, to pancreatic cancer.
Zibanejad nearly cleaned up the team awards this season.
In addition to winning the fan-voted Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, Zibanejad was named team MVP by the media and the Players’ Player by his teammates.
Braden Schneider was this year’s recipient of the 2026 John Halligan Good Guy Award, which is given to a player for their “outstanding cooperation with the media throughout the season.” The Rangers beat writers decide the winner every year.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored the decisive shootout goal and the Dallas Stars posted their third consecutive 50-win season with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Justin Hryckowian and Esa Lindell each had a goal and assist, and Mavrik Bourque also scored for the Stars. Dallas finished 50-20-12 in reaching 50 wins for the seventh time in franchise history.
Jake Oettinger stopped 21 shots and two of Buffalo’s four shootout opportunities.
Zach Benson had a goal and assist and Josh Norris and Alex Tuch — with his 200th career goal — scored for Buffalo. Colten Ellis made 25 saves, then allowed three goals on Dallas’ four shootout attempts.
RANGERS 4, LIGHTNING 2
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) —Tye Kartye scored two goals and had an assist as New York beat Tampa Bay in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad — on the power play — also scored for New York, which snapped a three-game losing streak, while Dylan Garand made 29 saves in his first start since March 27. Zibanejad also had an assist.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry scored for the playoff-bound Lightning, who rested several key players. Brandon Halverson made 17 saves.
PANTHERS 8, RED WINGS 1
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mike Benning got his first two NHL goals, Wilmer Skoog, Mikulas Hovorka and Ludvig Jansson all got their first NHL points, and Florida closed out their injury-plagued season by routing Detroit.
Luke Kunin had two goals for Florida, while Vinnie Hinostroza, Cole Schwindt, Cole Reinhardt and A.J. Greer all also scored for the Panthers. Skoog, Marek Alscher and Matthew Tkachuk — playing for the first time since he and his wife welcomed their first child earlier this week — each finished with two assists.
Justin Faulk had the goal for Detroit.
SENATORS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Drake Batherson and Warren Foegel scored power-play goals and Ottawa — resting six players for the playoffs — beat Toronto in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Dylan Cozens added an empty-net goal and James Reimer stopped 19 shots against his former team. Ottawa finished 44-27-11 to take the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It will open its first-round series against Carolina on the road.
William Nylander scored for Toronto. Dennis Hildeby made 35 saves after being recalled from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies on Tuesday.
BLACKHAWKS 5, SHARKS 2
CHICAGO (AP) — Defenseman Louis Crevier scored twice in the final period, Ryan Greene and Nick Lardis also added third period goals, and Chicago rallied in their season finale to beat San Jose.
Crevier, with the first multigoal game of his career, tied the game at 2 by converting a backhand pass from Connor Bedard 3:51 into the period, then added an insurance goal on a 60-foot slapshot midway through the period.
Greene scored his 12th of the season between Crevier’s goals, beating Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from the slot at 8:35. Bedard also set up Lardis’ goal.
San Jose’s Mario Ferraro opened the scoring with a wrist shot that deflected off the left skate of Chicago defenseman Ethan Del Mastro 8:09 into the first period.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, KRAKEN 1
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mitch Marner broke a third-period tie and the Vegas won the Pacific Division for the fifth time in their nine-year history, beating Seattle to close the regular season.
Two points ahead of Edmonton entering the night, Vegas needed only a point to win the Pacific and set up a first-round series against Utah. Edmonton will finish play Thursday night at home against Vancouver.
Reilly Smith had two late goals, Shea Theodore also scored and Carter Hart made 22 saves to help Vegas win its third straight. The Golden Knights finished 39-26-17, going 7-0-1 since John Tortorella took over as coach for the fired Bruce Cassidy.
Shane Wright scored for Seattle, and Nikke Kokko stopped 22 shots. The Kraken have lost two straight to fall to 34-36-11 with a game left Thursday night at Colorado.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Drake Batherson and Warren Foegel scored power-play goals and the Ottawa Senators — resting six players for the playoffs — beat Toronto 3-1 on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Dylan Cozens added an empty-net goal and James Reimer stopped 19 shots against his former team. Ottawa finished 44-27-11 to take the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It will open its first-round series against Carolina on the road.
William Nylander scored for Toronto. Dennis Hildeby made 35 saves after being recalled from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies on Tuesday.
Toronto went 32-36-14, ensuring a bottom-five finish that will allow it to retain its first-round pick in the upcoming draft. The Maple Leafs were 0-6-1 in their last seven.
Nylander cut it to 2-1 midway through the third when he backhanded a bouncing puck from the slot past Reimer.
Batherson opened the scoring early in the first with his 33rd goal of the season. Foegele made it 2-0 late in the second period.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tye Kartye scored two goals and had an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Wednesday night in the regular season finale for both teams.
Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad — on the power play — also scored for New York, which snapped a three-game losing streak, while Dylan Garand made 29 saves in his first start since March 27. Zibanejad also had an assist.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry scored for the playoff-bound Lightning, who rested several key players. Brandon Halverson made 17 saves.
Kartye scored 4:02 into the game to give the Rangers the early lead, then added his second 1:29 into the second period for his first multi-goal game in the NHL. By adding an assist on Perreault’s goal at 4:49 of the second period that made it 3-0, Kartye had his first three-point NHL game.
Perry scored 51 seconds into the third period on a spinning backhand shot.
The Lightning were 0-for-3 on the power play in the game and have just one power-play goal in their last 11 games.
Max Crozier was back in the lineup for Tampa Bay after missing 26 games with an injury.
Up next
Rangers: The Rangers’ season is over.
Lightning: Host Montreal in Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Florida Panthers put on a good show for their fans during Wednesday’s season finale at Amerant Bank Arena.
Despite playing for nothing more than pride (and positioning in the NHL Draft Lottery), the Panthers skated all over the Detroit Red Wings, beating them 8-1 to end the season on something of a high note.
It took less than five minutes for the game’s first goal to be scored.
With Florida putting on the pressure in the Red Wings’ zone, Vinnie Hinostroza put a quick shot on goal that beat John Gibson, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 4:57 mark.
The only assist went to rookie Wilmer Skoog, who picked up his first NHL point in just his third NHL game.
Florida made it 2-0 at nearly the same stage of the second period.
Directly off an offensive zone faceoff, Luke Kunin one-timed a pass from Matthew Tkachuk past Gibson 5:37 into the middle frame.
A.J. Greer made it 3-0 Florida with a nice wraparound goal while the Cats were on the power play with 11:04 to go, then moments later a funky bounce off the back boards gave rookie Mike Benning his first NHL goal and a 4-goal lead to the Panthers.
Continuing the night of firsts, rookie Ludvig Jansson picked up his first NHL point with an assist on Greer’s PPG.
Florida wasn’t done there.
A gorgeous cross-ice pass by Donovan Sebrango gave Benning a wide-open net to shoot at, giving the rookie his second goal of the game, as well as his career, exactly 3:02 after his first.
For those wondering, Florida’s four second period goals came in the span of just 7:04.
Detroit finally got on the board late in the period off a long wrist shot by Justin Fault that went between Daniil Tarasov’s body and right arm, running the veteran goaltender’s shutout bid with 3:48 to go in the period.
Cole Schwindt picked up his fifth goal of the season and second in the past 10 days about halfway through the final frame, making it 6-1 Panthers.
Exactly 41 seconds later, Florida’s other Cole, Cole Reinhardt, scored his fifth goal in four games to give the Panthers a seventh goal on the night.
Kunin scored his second of the night with 1:48 to go, giving the fans a final goal to celebrate.
Now the Panthers and their 84 points will watch and wait while the rest of the league finishes out the season to see where they fall in the NHL Draft Lottery order.
Remember, Florida keeps their pick if it ends up in the top-10.
Photo caption: Apr 15, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot (8) blocks a shot against Florida Panthers right wing MacKie Samoskevich (11) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tye Kartye scored two goals and had an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad — on the power play — also scored for New York, which snapped a three-game losing streak, while Dylan Garand made 29 saves in his first start since March 27. Zibanejad also had an assist.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry scored for the playoff-bound Lightning, who rested several key players. Brandon Halverson made 17 saves.
Kartye scored 4:02 into the game to give the Rangers the early lead, then added his second 1:29 into the second period for his first multigoal game in the NHL. By adding an assist on Perreault's goal at 4:49 of the second period that made it 3-0, Kartye had his first three-point NHL game.
In what was their final game of the 2025-26 regular season, the Detroit Red Wings suffered the most lopsided setback of their centennial campaign.
Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Benning scored the first two goals of his NHL career, while Luke Kunin scored twice in what was an 8-1 rout of the Red Wings at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
The Red Wings, who officially missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th straight season, finished 41-31-10 and sixth overall in the Atlantic Division.
Just three months earlier, they were tied for first overall in the Eastern Conference, but a 9-15-5 stretch proved too damaging to overcome, and it was another season of unraveling after the calendar turned to March, falling out of the playoff race.
Vinnie Hinostroza scored the only goal of the first period for the Panthers, who then got tallies from Kunin, A.J. Greer, and two from Benning in the game's middle frame, building up a 5-0 lead before Justin Faulk scored for the Red Wings.
Florida then kept piling on in the third period, eventually taking an 8-1 lead after goals from Cole Schwindt, Cole Reinhardt, and Kunin.
Red Wings starter John Gibson, who was pulled after allowing Florida's fourth tally of the game, made 11 saves on the 15 shots he saw. Cam Talbot, who replaced him, stopped eight of 12 shots. Meanwhile, Florida's Daniil Tarasov finished with 24 saves.
The offseason is now officially here for the Red Wings, who now own the unfortunate distinction of having the NHL's longest current active playoff drought.
The club will return home to Detroit for locker-room cleanout day.
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