Florida Panthers assistant GMs Brett Peterson and Sunny Mehta are reportedly drawing interest around the NHL for several available GM jobs. 

The Panthers are considered the model of success at the moment. With three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances, including two wins, the Panthers’ style of play and operations have received plenty of praise.  The Panthers have been able to acquire high-end players and sign them afterwards. 

So it’s no surprise that teams are interested in bringing Peterson and Mehta into their organizations as general managers.

On Saturday, Sportsnet’s NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Peterson has garnered interest from the Nashville Predators, and Mehta has been discussed for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ vacant role.

Barry Trotz, the current Predators GM, will step down once he finds a suitable candidate. The Predators have reportedly begun interviewing several candidates from around the NHL. 

Peterson is expected to be a strong candidate to land the Predators’ job, and even if he doesn’t, he will likely see interest from other teams.

Predators Ask For Hurricanes GM Tulsky, In-Person Interviews Held For Other CandidatesThe Nashville Predators are one of the more intriguing teams to watch heading into the off-season. A recent report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman indicates that they were denied permission to speak with Carolina Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky, but find out who else is on their radar.

Peterson is set to manage Team USA’s Men’s World Championship roster in 2026. If the Americans perform well and the roster he builds succeeds, his chances of landing a GM role will increase drastically.

As for Mehta and the Maple Leafs, the fit makes a lot of sense, and Friedman believes Mehta will be a factor in the process. 

“He’s been kind of discussed this week, Sunny Mehta, one of the assistant general managers of the Florida Panthers,” mentioned Friedman. “I do think he’s going to be a factor.”

Major Changes Reportedly Expected For Maple Leafs; Doug Armstrong Likely Unavailable For GM RoleThe Toronto Maple Leafs made headlines when firing GM Brad Treliving, but the organization isn’t expected to stop there, as Sportsnet’s insider Elliotte Friedman expects major changes.

Friedman had previously discussed the firing of Brad Treliving and the opinions of MLSE CEO Keith Pelley. Pelley believes the Maple Leafs aren’t using all their resources to the best of their ability.

The Maple Leafs have one of, if not the biggest, analytics departments in the NHL, but under Treliving, Pelley believes they were underutilized. 

This is where Mehta would likely come in. Mehta began working as an analyst for the New Jersey Devils in 2014, before joining the Panthers in 2021. After two seasons, Mehta was promoted to assistant GM and director of analytics. 

With the Panthers success under Mehta and his impact on the analytics department, it’s easy to see why the Maple Leafs would be interested in Mehta’s services.

Panthers GM Bill Zito has built a strong relationship with Mehta and Peterson, but the pair of assistant GMs would likely love the opportunity to run their own NHL front offices. 

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The Calgary Flames made a quiet but telling roster move on Sunday—one that likely signals there’s more to come. Forward Brennan Othmann has been reassigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, a decision driven less by performance and more by timing, rules, and roster strategy.

At first glance, it’s a somewhat surprising call. Othmann has held his own since joining the organization, showing flashes of the offensive upside that made him a sought-after piece at the trade deadline. Acquired from the New York Rangers on March 6 in exchange for prospect Jacob Battaglia, he began his stint in the AHL and quickly contributed, recording five assists in 10 games.

His recall on March 28 offered a brief NHL audition, and he didn’t waste much time making an impression. In just two games with Calgary, Othmann registered a goal and an assist. The underlying numbers weren’t perfect—he posted a minus-4 rating—but that’s not uncommon for a young player adjusting on the fly.

If there’s a bright spot to take from his short NHL stay, it came in his most recent appearance. Othmann scored on March 30 against the Colorado Avalanche, providing one of the few positives in an otherwise rough 9–2 loss at Ball Arena. Not exactly the ideal team result, but individually, it’s a moment he can carry with him.

A Numbers Game

So why send him down now?

The explanation is rooted in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. After the trade deadline, teams are limited to five regular call-ups, with only four of those players allowed on the roster at any one time (outside of emergency situations). Othmann was one of those four, and ultimately, the odd man out.

The Flames’ other call-ups have carved out more defined roles. Defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz has been steady on the second pairing, contributing four assists and logging time on the power play. Forward Matvei Gridin has made a strong push in a top-six role, tallying three goals and 10 points in 14 games. Meanwhile, Aydar Suniev—freshly recalled—has yet to debut, but the organization appears intent on getting a closer look at his game before the season wraps up.

Given those circumstances, Othmann becomes the most expendable piece in the short term—not because he hasn’t earned his spot, but because the roster simply doesn’t have the flexibility to keep everyone up.

Following the move, Calgary’s roster now stands at 26 players: two goaltenders, eight defensemen, and 16 forwards. The Flames continue their road trip Tuesday night in Dallas, while Othmann heads back to the Wranglers with confidence, production, and a clear sense that this likely isn’t his last call-up of the season.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that Quinton Byfield has not lived up to the hype of a second overall pick, in fact it's a realistic statement. 

Taken with the second overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Byfield has appeared in 333 career games with the Los Angeles Kings and has been a regular in the lineup for the past four seasons. 

The 23-year-old has eclipsed 50 points twice, with his career high of 55 coming in 2023-24. This season, Byfield has 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 73 games played. So there's potential for a third straight 50 point season but it would require six points in the last six games. Which is incredibly doable with his recent play.

In his last 10 games, the Kings center has registered 11 points, in the form of seven goals and four assists, including five multi-point efforts. After a very lacklustre majority of the season, it's refreshing to see Byfield perform well, especially while the Kings need it most.

Throughout the season, 'Q' had multiple offensive droughts, including a 10-game span where he failed to record a point. The month of December was also a nightmare for him as he registered just two points in 12 games. 

Coming into this season, there was a high amount of hope that Byfield would begin to reach his potential as he prepared to replace Kings legend Anze Kopitar as the team's first line center. As of now it's unclear that he will be able to fill that role, but if he can keep his hot streak rolling to finish the season and into the playoffs, maybe it becomes a regular occurrence next season.

Quinton Byfield Calls Game In OT, Propels Kings Over Maple LeafsThe Kings used a Quinton Byfield goal in overtime to down the Maple Leafs on a night that meant everything for the Kings' playoff lives.

In the Kings most recent victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, Byfield scored perhaps the most important goal of the season. As the Kings played in overtime for a whopping 31st time, the 23-year-old buried his second of the night to propel L.A. to a crucial victory in a wild 7-6 game at home.

The line of Alex Laferriere - Byfield - Trevor Moore has performed well as of late, in large part thanks to Byfield.

Interim Head. Coach DJ Smith even had some reassuring words on the play of Byfield and his line.

"That line has been really good. Q gets two tonight. I mean, when your top two lines score like that, typically you win that game going away, you just don't like the way you won. But, Lou Lamoriello told me you never critique a win. And you know, you play 10 games, the best teams in the league win six or seven times out of 10. And you critique those four or three losses, you start picking on the wins, before you know it you're critiquing everything. So we're just going to take the two and we're going to move on."

Thanks to the heroics of Byfield, the Kings improved to 31-26-19 and are now tied with the Nashville Predators (36-31-9) for the second wild card spot in the west. Both teams have 81 points and teams like the Sharks, Blues, and Jets are hot on their trail.

The next six games could very well be the most important stretch of hockey in Byfield's young career. If he can stay hot and help drag the Kings into the postseason he could completely change the narrative of his 2025-26 season.

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Last year, Montreal Canadiens’ veteran defenseman Mike Matheson saw his power-play minutes melt in front of his very eyes when rookie Lane Hutson showed that he was ready to quarterback the first wave of the man-advantage. Relegated to the second unit, the Pointe-Claire native ended his season with an average of just 1:57 on the power play compared to 3:41 the year before. He also went from 62 points to just 31 on the season, getting just 10 points on the man-advantage, compared to 28 the year before.

This season, with Noah Dobson’s arrival, he’s hardly seen any power-play time at all, averaging just 16 seconds per night, and his time on ice has also diminished from 25:05 to 24:14. Yet, through 74 games, he’s already surpassed his point total from the last campaign with 37 and only one of those points came on the man advantage. Furthermore, he went from a minus-six rating last season to a plus-10 so far this year.

Canadiens’ Winning Streak Comes To Grinding Halt
Canadiens Are Off To The Races
Montreal Canadiens Legend Fired By Islanders

The improvement stems from the veteran's complete embrace of his new role as a penalty-killing specialist and his formation of a very effective pair with Noah Dobson. While neither has ever been known as a defensive specialist, their pairing has worked well because of their mobility and their strong puck possession, which keeps them on the ice in the offensive end for most of the time. Granted, he can make mistakes here and there, but anybody who spends so much time on the ice is bound to make some, and he has made fewer than last season.

Matheson’s capability to adapt as the Canadiens went through their rebuild showed that he was ready and willing to do whatever the team needed from him, which is what earned him a five-year contract extension. Back when Kent Hughes signed Jake Allen to a two-year contract extension, he described the goaltender as someone who didn’t mind being there for the rough patch, the tree-planting process and growth and who didn’t mind not being there when it was time to enjoy the shade provided by the grown three. Matheson earned the right to be there to enjoy the shade of the grown trees, which is why the GM signed him to a five-year contract extension at the end of November.

On Sunday night at the Bell Center, the Canadiens highlighted the fact that the blueliner had played his 700th NHL game in New Jersey on Saturday night with a congratulatory message on the Jumbotron. The announcement was met with warm applause by the Habs faithful.

At 32, there’s no denying that the rearguard plays an important role for the Canadiens, and if he keeps adapting as the young core matures and progresses, he may very well end up playing in Montreal for the rest of his career. If he spends the five years of his new contract in town, he could play 420 more games with the Sainte-Flanelle, bringing his NHL total to over 1,100, a testament to his longevity and adaptability.

Nice round of applause for #Habs defenceman Mike Matheson, who played his 700th career NHL game Saturday in New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/jmkaPBgmcF

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) April 5, 2026

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With just five games remaining in their regular season, there is still much to be determined for the Vegas Golden Knights.

They could make the playoffs and face the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. They could make the playoffs and face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. They could win the division and face WC1 (currently the Utah Mammoth) in the first round.

Now, it’s also still technically possible— although extremely unlikely— that the Golden Knights miss the postseason entirely. However, they’d basically have to lose out, and one of San Jose or Los Angeles would have to win out. There’s a reason why Moneypuck gives the Golden Knights a 97.4% chance to make the playoffs.

Regular-season series don’t always mean much in the grand scheme of things. In a seven-game series, coaches can make adjustments to counter their opponent. In an 82-game season, those adjustments are typically broader.That being said, in a tiebreaker situation, looking back on a regular-season series can make all the difference.

The top three spots of the Pacific Division are closer than ever. The Oilers currently hold the top spot with 87 points and the tiebreaker over the Ducks, but the Golden Knights lurk just one point back.

NHL Tiebreaker Protocols

If two or more NHL teams finish the regular season with the same number of points in the standings, playoff seeding is determined by these tiebreakers:

1. Regulation wins

2. Regulation and overtime wins (excluding shootout wins)

3. Total wins

4. Head-to-head points

5. Goal differential

6. Total goals for

Let’s take a look at how the Golden Knights measure up against the other two top teams in the Pacific Division.

Vegas Golden Knights

Regulation wins: 27

Regulation and overtime wins: 34

Total wins: 35

Goal differential: +7

Total goals: 247

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with more regulation wins (30).

The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with more wins in regulation and overtime (39).

The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with more total wins (39).

The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with six head-to-head points against the Golden Knights this season.

The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with a higher goal differential than the Golden Knights (+8).

The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with a higher total of goals scored than the Golden Knights (265).

Anaheim Ducks

The Golden Knights would hold the tiebreaker with a higher number of regulation wins (the Ducks have 24).

The Golden Knights would hold the tiebreaker with more wins in regulation and overtime (the Ducks have 33).

The Ducks would hold the tiebreaker with more total wins (41).

The Ducks would hold the tiebreaker with six head-to-head points against the Golden Knights this season.

The Golden Knights would hold the tiebreaker with a higher goal differential (the Ducks have a -14).

The Ducks would hold the tiebreaker with a higher total of goals scored than the Golden Knights (257).

Mike and Dan have many words about the firing of Patrick Roy and the hiring of Peter DeBoer as head coach, as well as for the disastrous week that knocked the Islanders out of the playoffs.

Not in a million years did we expect the Islanders to lose all four games in the important week in front of them. But that’s exactly what they did – some in ways that even we hadn’t seen before. The string of defeats at the worst time, plus a series of defensive mistakes all season long, were enough for them to make a change behind the bench. The move from “player’s coach” to hard ass coach is a time-honored NHL tradition, and DeBoer will need to find something the Islanders haven’t had in several seasons if he wants to get them into the post season. Even if it’s too late for this team, he will set the foundation for what to expect next season (and beyond).

In the second half, we digest the strange Patrick Roy Experience, from a guy who was once out of the Islanders’ stratosphere to a frustrating figure who couldn’t or wouldn’t fix his team’s faults. But Roy isn’t the only one to blame for this situation. There’s the owners who have made the franchise vulnerable to critics, the general manager who has lost both trades and fan goodwill in his first year in the job, the scouts who dropped the ball when needed and the players who have gotten away with way too much for way too long. Everyone owns a piece of this disappointing and confusing campaign.

Finally, we look at the next three games, which will determine both how this season will be remembered and how DeBoer’s tenure will begin. No pressure, coach.

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4/6/26 - 7:00pm at KeyBank Center, in Buffalo, NY

Buffalo – 46-23-8 | - 100  points – 2nd place in the Atlantic Division

Tampa Bay  – 48-22-6 | - 102 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division

Special Teams

Buffalo

Power Play – 20.8% (15th)

Penalty Kill – 82.1% (5th)

Tampa Bay

Power Play – 21.7% (14th)

Penalty Kill - 82.3% (4th)

Top Scorers

Buffalo

Tage Thompson: 77 GP, 38 G, 40 A, 78 PTS

Rasmus Dahlin: 73 GP, 18 G, 51 A, 69 PTS

Alex Tuch: 74 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 PTS

Tampa Bay

Nikita Kucherov: 70 GP, 42 G, 83 A, 125 PTS

Jake Guentzel: 76 GP, 36 G, 48 A, 84 PTS

Brandon Hagel: 69 GP, 35 G, 38 A, 73 PTS

Starting Goalies(projected)

Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (19-9-3, 2.57 GAA, .910 Sv %)

Tampa Bay  – Andrei Vasilevskiy (37-13-4, 2.31 GAA, .912 Sv %)  

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)

Forwards

Peyton Krebs   - Tage Thompson - Josh Doan 

Jason Zucker - Josh Norris - Alex Tuch

Zach Benson - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn  

Jordan Greenway - Tyson Kozak - Beck Malenstyn

Ex. Tanner Pearson, Josh Dunne 

Defense

Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power - Bowen Byram 

Logan Stanley -   Zach Metsa

Ex. Conor Timmins, Luke Schenn, Michael Kesselring

Goaltenders

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Alex Lyon

Colten Ellis

Injuries

Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)

Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season) 

Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)

Noah Ostlund (upper body, Mar.25; day-to-day(

Notes

On April 4, Buffalo clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. The Sabres have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 29 contests (20-6-3), including a league-best 14 wins and 30 points since the Olympic break.

Buffalo is on pace to record 106 points in 2025-26, which would be the 

most points in a single season by the Sabres since 2006-07 (113). Since Dec. 9, the Sabres rank first among all NHL teams in wins (35) and points (74). Buffalo’s 30 regulation wins in that span also lead the league. Buffalo has a team save percentage of .909, the best mark of any NHL team in that span.

Tage Thompson has tallied 55 points (25+30) in 47 games since Dec. 9 and his 22 even-strength goals in that span rank tied for fourth among all NHL skaters. Thompson has registered six points (2+4) in his last six games. Thompson’s 211 goals scored as a member of the Sabres place him tied with Alexander Mogilny for 12th place on Buffalo’s all-time list. Thompson needs seven more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list.

Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (33) and second in points (49) since Dec. 9. His 16 goals in that span rank tied for second among all NHL defensemen. Tonight’s game marks the 583rd of Dahlin’s career, which moves him into sole possession of the seventh-most by a defenseman in franchise history.

Josh Norris has registered three assists in his last three games.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

When the 2025-26 NHL season began the Pittsburgh Penguins were given, by most models, less than a 10 percent chance of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As they enter play on Monday, with game No. 79 on the schedule ahead, MoneyPuck has them at a 99.9 percent chance to make the playoffs with an 8.2 percent chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Needless to say, there has been a lot that has changed for this team over the past few months.

Erik Karlsson looks like a Norris Trophy defenseman again.

Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau and Parker Wotherspoon might have been three of the best value free agent signings in the entire NHL.

Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov look like potential long-term building blocks.

The core veterans are still outstanding.

The team has its flaws to be sure. They still give up too many goals, with both the defense and the goaltending sharing some responsibility in that. The forwards, however, are tremendous. This team is going to be the highest-scoring Penguins team of the Sidney Crosby era, and it is the second-highest scoring team in the NHL this season behind only the Colorado Avalanche. The forwards might be championship-worthy. They will at least be fun to watch and give them a chance.

Thanks to an incredibly strong week, and thanks to a pair of absolutely huge wins against the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings to begin it, the Penguins have put themselves in a great position going into this week. Going into Monday I figured the Penguins needed to get at least six out of the 10 possible points available to them to keep on schedule for what they needed to do to clinch a playoff spot. They ended up getting eight of the possible 10 points, completely dominating the Islanders and Red Wings, then doing what was expected of them against an injury-filled Florida Panthers team. Those performances make it easy to overlook the tough game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the middle of it all.

Their strong week, combined with the slides of the Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets, has put the Penguins into a position now where literally one win — just one win — in any of their four remaining regular season games gets them in the playoffs. Given the schedules the Islanders and Blue Jackets play, they might not even need that. It just makes it easier.

The week begins with their first chance for that win on Thursday night at the New Jersey Devils (I will be in atttendance). The Devils have not yet been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they soon will be in what has been another disappointing season for them. While they are not going to the playoffs, they have still been playing some of their best hockey of the season as of late. In fact, since losing to the Penguins 4-1 at the end of January, the Devils are 12-5-1 in their most recent 18 games, with superstar forward Jack Hughes playing some truly incredible hockey. Since the start of February Hughes is the NHL’s second-leading scorer with 36 points in 20 games, while his 33 points in 17 games since the beginning of March are the most in the NHL (it is worth noting Erik Karlsson’s 28 points in 20 games since then are third in the NHL).

That is a winnable game based on the standings. It is going to be a lot more difficult based on the way the Devils have been playing lately. Especially considering how rare a Penguins win in New Jersey seems to be.

The week continues over the weekend with another set of back-to-back games, this time against the Washington Capitals with Saturday’s game being in Pittsburgh and Sunday’s game being in Washington.

The Capitals looked like they were going to keep themselves in the playoff race, but kind of ruined that over the past week with some ugly losses to the Devils and New York Rangers. The intrigue in these games might be the questions about whether or not Saturday could be Evgeni Malkin’s final regular season home game in Pittsburgh, if it could be the final time we see Sidney Crosby play Alex Ovechkin in Pittsburgh, and if Sunday’s game could be the last game where all three of them are on the ice in the same game. Will Ovechkin retire after this season? Will Malkin re-sign with the Penguins or go elsewhere? My guess on all of that is it will not be it for any of those things, as I believe Ovechkin comes back for more year and Malkin eventually gets a new contract from the Penguins. But the questions and uncertainty at least make it all worth watching.

The other big intrigue this week is the Penguins goalie situation.

Arturs Silovs had to start both games this weekend due to Stuart Skinner dealing with what is being called an “upper-body injury” after apparently being hit in the face by a puck on Saturday. Silovs played better on Sunday, but is still not a level that is inspiring much confidence. The question is whether this leads to Sergei Murashov, who has been called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, gets any playing time and what he does with it. He is the future of the goalie position in Pittsburgh, and there is a growing argument that he should perhaps be part of the present as well.

Overall, this is a week where you would like to see the Penguins get four points. They only need two points. Getting them gets the Penguins back in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Officially back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Philadelphia Flyers picked up a massive 2-1 overtime win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. With it, the Flyers have improved to a 39-26-12 record and have moved up to third place in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Flyers' top prospect Porter Martone was the hero for Philadelphia against Boston, as he scored the overtime winner on the power play. He also recorded the primary assist on Christian Dvorak's game-opening goal with a great between-the-legs backhand pass.

With this fantastic performance for the Flyers, Martone now has one goal and three points in four games for the Metropolitan Division club. The 6-foot-3 forward is already showing that he can make an impact at the NHL level, and it is undoubtedly good news as the Flyers look to make the playoffs. 

There is no question that Martone has a ton of potential, and it is why the Flyers selected him with the sixth-overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He is certainly demonstrating plenty of promise early on in his NHL career, and it will be intriguing to see how he builds on it from here. 

A most unexpected and interesting development has happened in the Eastern Conference to shake up the playoff picture. Some of the strongest teams this season have started to falter. The Islanders have had a 3-7-0 record from March 19th, which cost Patrick Roy his job as head coach after NYI fell completely out of the playoff picture. The Blue Jackets did their part to hold the door open for others to catch up, posting a 1-6-1 record since March 22nd.

The Washington Capitals were looking like they could be that surprise team, especially after this past Tuesday when the Caps defeated the Flyers 6-4 to mark their third straight win and put themselves in a surprisingly strong position to make a late run at things. That run stopped rather suddenly with losses to New Jersey (7-3) on Thursday and then last night to the Rangers with an 8-1 score that punts on the season.

That left an unlikely team to walk through the door opened up by the Islanders and Blue Jackets faltering. And it was those Flyers who have done just that. Despite the loss to Washington on Tuesday, Philadelphia was 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games before that, quietly sneaking back into the picture as the trouble started on Long Island and in Columbus. That strong March gave Philadelphia the juice to pop up and defeat NYI on Friday night to create a big change in the standings. The Flyers would follow it up with a 2-1 OT win against Boston that featured Porter Martone’s first career goal as the game winner.

Suddenly, the battle of Pennsylvania could add another chapter in the 2026 playoffs.

The stunning turnaround of the Flyers could be represented from the Hockeystats.com model where Philadelphia had 32% odds of making the playoffs after their loss to Washington on Tuesday. Just a few days and two games later, it now sits at 60%. The Islanders are in big trouble after regulation losses last week to Pittsburgh and the Flyers. The Detroit Red Wings keep slip sliding away from a playoff berth too with Ottawa coming on in the Atlantic and Wild Card race.

The last week shows, to an extreme, just how much fortunes can rise and fall at the end of the season. It’s hard to imagine that just one week ago today entering Monday’s game, the Islanders (89) had more points than the Penguins (88), though NYI did play one more game. Fast forward just a few days and the Islanders still have 89 points — and now a new coach after a disastrous spell that saw losses to Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Carolina that still leave them with 89 points entering this week.

The Penguins, on the other hand, have all but sewed up their spot in the 2026 playoffs courtesy of picking up eight points in the last five games with the win over NYI, Detroit and a pair of lopsided victories over Florida.

Will the next week hold as much drama? NYI doesn’t play again until Thursday, they’ll have home games against Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal in the next week. The hiring of Peter Deboer could shake things up and try to get them out of their funk to make a desperate five-game run at Philadelphia. For their part, the Flyers play road games this week starting at New Jersey on Tuesday and then go to Detroit on Thursday and Winnipeg on Saturday. If the Flyers can grab two wins out of those games then the pressure for NYI to basically win out will be in play, given that Philadelphia is a point ahead and gets their game in hand on Tuesday to push their margin out even further.

The other team in the mix, Columbus, needs to start winning. They play Tuesday in Detroit, then Thursday in Buffalo and Saturday in Montreal. They sit two points behind Philadelphia, though CBJ should have the first tiebreaker by virtue of a 27-24 regulation win advantage. The Blue Jackets need some help from the Devils and Red Wings to stop Philadelphia, after CBJ plays a near must-win game against Detroit tomorrow night.

For the Pens, the last week couldn’t have gone any better. The teams in best position to challenge them for the second spot (NYI, CBJ) have continued to fall apart late in the season. Pittsburgh is six points up on Philadelphia, with the Flyers having played one less game, leaving the Pens in an excellent spot with five games remaining to chug along towards locking up home ice advantage for the first round.

The season may yet have more twists and turns to see between Philadelphia, NYI and Columbus will grab third place in the division even though recent momentum is surging towards seeing the first Penguins/Flyers playoff series since 2018.

Ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Elmer Soderblom from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. With the Penguins needing more forward depth, it was understandable that they brought him in. 

Soderblom was having a quiet season with the Red Wings before the trade, as he had just two goals and one assist in 39 games. However, getting a fresh start with the Penguins has undoubtedly been benefiting Soderblom, as he has been off to a strong start in Pittsburgh. 

In 16 games with the Penguins since being acquired from Detroit, he has recorded four goals, four assists, eight points, and 28 hits. With this, the big forward has not only been providing the Penguins with more physicality but also some solid secondary offensive production. 

Soderblom has also been red-hot for the Penguins as of late, as he has three goals and six points over his last six games alone.

With Soderblom already taking his game to a new level with the Penguins and still being just 24 years old, it is hard not to like this move early on for Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-8 forward has been a very good addition to the Penguins' roster, and it will be fascinating to see how he builds on his strong start with the Metropolitan Division club from here. 

Colorado Avalanche News

• Canucks rise up to stun the league-leading Avalanche. [Sportsnet]

• Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon becomes first player this season to reach 50 goals. [TSN]
• HALO conference in Denver showcases growth of analytics in hockey. [NHL]

• The Calgary Flames were “humbled” in a 9-2 loss against the Colorado Avalanche. [Calgary Herald]
• Avalanche signs NCAA free agent prospect DiMarsico. [Colorado Eagles]
  
  
  

News Around the League

• The drought is finally over, the Buffalo Sabres have officially clinched a playoff spot. [NHL.com]

• Malkin passes 1,400 points in his historic career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. [NHL.com]

• Stunning news on Sunday as New York Islanders show Patrick Roy the door and bring in Peter DeBoer. [Ottawa Citizen]

• NHL, SAP introduce salary cap projector as part of Front Office app. [NHL]

• Brent Burns’ consecutive games streak reaches a new milestone, approaches NHL record for Avalanche. [Sporting News]

• Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Scott Oake is retiring. [CBC]

Bruins' playoff odds still great, but lack of scoring is huge concern originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins have not yet secured a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and a lackluster weekend that included a regulation loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and an overtime defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t do much to help their cause.

However, their chances of achieving that feat over the next week still remain pretty high.

HockeyStats’ model gives the Bruins a 98 percent chance of reaching the postseason. MoneyPuck’s model gives the Bruins a 98 percent chance, too.

Four games remain on the Bruins’ regular season schedule, and none of them can be described as “easy”.

The Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes host the B’s on Tuesday. The Bruins play the Tampa Bay Lightning at home Saturday, before finishing up against a desperate Columbus Blue Jackets on the road Sunday and then hosting the New Jersey Devils next Tuesday.

Here’s what the wild card standings look like. It’s still mathematically possible for the Bruins to finish as a top-three team in the Atlantic Division, but the chances of that scenario unfolding are extremely small.

The B’s have a good cushion over the teams outside the wild card spots, and they hold the regulation wins tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets.

It would take a pretty significant collapse by the Bruins, plus other teams getting red hot, for Boston to miss the playoffs.

One thing that has helped the Bruins of late is the other teams around them haven’t played great over the last week or so. The Islanders have lost four straight games and fired head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday. The Red Wings have lost six of their last 10 games and the Blue Jackets are on a six-game losing streak.

The Bruins have lost three straight games, and a lackluster offense is largely to blame for those poor results. The No. 1 concern with the Bruins coming into the season was whether they could score enough goals to be competitive. But in a surprising twist, the offense has largely been a huge positive for this team all season, including the power play. The Bruins entered the Olympic break ranked sixth in goals scored per game and third in power-play percentage.

But since the Olympic break, the B’s rank 20th in goals scored per game and 26th in power-play percentage. This downturn offensively was expected to some degree. The B’s have ranked near the top of the league in goals scored above expected all season. Several players on the team have had career-high (or close to it) shooting percentages.

Morgan Geekie has scored a career-high 34 goals this season, which leads the team, but he hasn’t found the back of the net in 17 consecutive games. His last goal was March 5.

The analytics suggested the B’s would regress a bit offensively, and we might be seeing that unfold right now.

This scoring regression might have come too late to derail the Bruins’ chances of reaching the playoffs, but it could hurt them significantly in the first round.

The most likely Round 1 matchup for the B’s is the Hurricanes, per HockeyStats.

Carolina has allowed the fewest shot attempts, the fewest shots on goal, the third-fewest scoring chances and the 12th-fewest high-danger chances at 5-on-5 this season, per Natural Stat Trick. The Hurricanes are very structured defensively, they’re well coached and they’re disciplined (fewest penalties taken among East teams in a playoff spot).

Add it all up, and that’s a pretty unfavorable matchup for a team like the Bruins that’s really struggling to score.

Goaltending is often the deciding factor in the playoffs, and Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman arguably has been the best player at his position this season. That gives the B’s a huge advantage over a lot of teams. But great goaltending only goes so far. You have to be able to score goals and take advantage of the opponent’s mistakes with a good power play.

That’s why the Bruins’ latest scoring woes are a concern. If it doesn’t get fixed, their playoff run (assuming they make it) could be pretty short.