OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored with 11.1 seconds left to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Tkachuk controlled the loose puck in the crease and squeezed it past goalie Ilya Sorokin for the comeback victory.
New York dropped out of a playoff position in the tight Eastern Conference, while Ottawa closed within four points of the Islanders.
Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves on the opening faceoff in a fight between captains. Five minutes later, Ottawa’s Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn also exchanged punches.
Shane Pinto had a short-handed goal to tie it at 1 for the Senators in the second period, and Warren Foegele sent a backhander past Sorokin 5:12 into the third to even it at 2. James Reimer made 19 saves for the victory.
Rookie Matthew Schaefer opened the scoring for the Islanders early in the second period, and Schenn made it 2-1 at 2:02 of the third.
Schaefer is the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to have 50 points in a season, joining Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83).
The Montreal Canadiens had a date with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, and both teams desperately needed the two points in what is proving to be a very tight playoff race. Earlier in the day, the Habs announced that Josh Anderson was dealing with an upper-body injury and would be evaluated daily. As a result, Joe Veleno got back in the lineup to take on the team that drafted him. The Quebecer had watched the last 10 games from the press gallery.
With such high stakes, it was hardly surprising to see both teams play some tight and hard-hitting hockey. While the Canadiens’ run-and-gun offence can be very entertaining to watch, it often leads them to take unnecessary risks. With the playoffs fast approaching, they got a wake-up call when they dropped back-to-back games last weekend in what could only be described as a giveaway festival.
For a second game in a row, Martin St-Louis gave Jakub Dobes the net. After the Czech netminder had a great outing on Tuesday, it was felt that he deserved to be there again. It feels like the organization has learnt from its past mistakes. Earlier this season, when the youngster was playing great games, he would still make way for Samuel Montembeault because the team wanted its starter to get his game back.
Now, despite Jacob Fowler being widely regarded as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, the coach decided to stick with Dobes, giving him the respect he deserves. There’s no doubt that Fowler will get back in the net soon enough; you can’t let him sit for too long, but giving the nod to Dobes was the right move in the circumstances.
The masked man rewarded his coach with another good performance. Through 40 minutes, he had stopped the 15 shots he faced, including a few tricky ones on rebounds, and he looked very comfortable out there. The Wings were trying to get in his face and take his focus off the task at hand, but he remained concentrated, even if he did get in on the pushing and shoving at one stage.
Managing The Game, The Clock And The Lead
The Canadiens led 1-0 entering the third frame, but J.T. Compher put the Wings on the scoreboard a little over two minutes into the period, and St-Louis looked very irritated by the goal. Not because it was a bad goal to give from Dobes, he made the first save, but the puck bounced off the Wings’ player and into the net, and you can’t fault him for that, but because it all stemmed from the fact that the Canadiens’ second line attacked with no regard to its defensive responsibilities.
Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen all ended up behind the offensive goal line, allowing the Wings to get a numerical advantage. While everyone was back in the defensive zone by the time the puck went in, the Habs have enough trouble establishing who needs to cover who when they don’t have to do it under pressure. The coach was fuming, and the look he gave his forwards as they sat back on the bench spoke volumes. There were only 11 minutes left in the third frame by the time Newhook and Ivan Demidov got back on the ice.
St-Louis rarely benches his top offensive players, but he's been talking about risk and puck management for ages now, and particularly in the last few days, he had had enough.
Everything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
Despite leading for much of the game, the Canadiens ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat thanks to one play going horribly wrong. Montreal won a faceoff in the offensive zone, Matheson sent it around the board, and Noah Dobson was unable to stop the clearing attempt. Then, Mike Matheson went to retrieve the puck in the defensive zone, and somehow he coughed it up to Alex DeBrincat, who wasn’t going to miss his chance, all alone with Dobes.
As St-Louis has often said this season, the Canadiens paid cash for their mistakes in that game. The coach often says that “good teams will make you pay for your mistakes”, and Detroit made plenty of mistakes as well, but Montreal didn’t make them pay. The Michigan side had 19 giveaways but still skated away with the two points in a game the Canadiens couldn’t afford to lose.
Dobes would have deserved better on a night where he stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced for a .926 save percentage, but it’s not about what you deserve; it’s about what you get. On Thursday night, Detroit, the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators, and the Columbus Blue Jackets all won, yet another example of Murphy’s Law in action.
OTTAWA, Ontario — Such is the frenetic pace of the playoff race right now that the Islanders only needed to slip up once to get themselves into trouble.
Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Senators later, the Islanders were in danger of falling out of third place — and potentially a playoff spot altogether — contingent on results that would come in mere minutes later in Columbus and Detroit.
That the defeat came on Brady Tkachuk’s winner with 11 seconds left in regulation only added to the hurt.
The Blue Jackets and Red Wings, both of whom looked in good shape to get points as the buzzer sounded in Ottawa, both were in position to pass the Islanders with wins.
Warren Foegele celebrates after scoring the game-tying goal on Ilya Sorokin during the Islanders’ 3-2 loss to the Senators on March 19, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ontario. NHLI via Getty Images
That would amount to a major shock to the system for an Isles team that has been in a playoff spot every day since Dec. 4.
That’s the cruel nature of the race right now, and this was a particularly cruel night for the Islanders.
They temporarily lost Anthony Duclair to injury in the second period after the winger caught Tyler Kleven’s blast on his right knee, and on a night where they didn’t seem to have much in the tank, the Islanders scratched and clawed their way to a 2-1 lead early in the third period anyway.
Brayden Schenn broke a 1-1 tie just 2:02 into the last period, taking an outlet pass off the rush and executing a perfect give-and-go with Simon Holmstrom to score for a second straight game, handing the Islanders the lead.
Brayden Schenn, who also scored later in the game, fights with Ridly Greig (left) during the Islanders’ road loss to the Senators. Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Of course, that was not the end of it.
Warren Foegele re-tied the game off Fabian Zetterlund’s rebound that left Ilya Sorokin unable to cover his right post in time just over three minutes later.
Sorokin more than made up for it by the end of the night, coming up with a 10-bell save on Michael Amadio off the rush late in the third, which required the puck to be cleared off the line by Ondrej Palat for good measure.
Again, the Islanders looked completely on their heels — 19 minutes into the third, Schenn’s goal was their only shot on goal of the entire period.
It looked like the Isles would at least get the game to overtime, when Jordan Spence’s floater from the right point was knocked in by Brady Tkachuk with 11.1 seconds left on the clock, handing Ottawa a 3-2 lead and leaving the Islanders with a gut-punch loss.
With the assist, Schaefer became the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to record 50 points in a season, following Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83).
He alsobecame the fourth Islanders rookie defenseman to record 50 points in a season.
The Nashville Predators will be without their starting goalie in one of the most important games of the season.
It was announced ahead of Thursday's game against the Seattle Kraken that Juuse Saros is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He was reportedly injured during morning skate.
Justus Annuen will start in his place with Matt Murray as the late call-up from Milwaukee.
This is the first injury that Saros has officially sustained this season, and the Predators have gone as he has. Saros has a 24-19-7 record this season with a 3.14 goals-against and .894 save percentage.
#Preds Roster Update: Goaltender Juuse Saros will not play tonight vs. Seattle and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Goaltender Matt Murray has been recalled from the @mkeadmirals.
His last start was a 4-3 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, where he made 36 saves on 39 shots, and stopped all three of the Jets in the shootout.
Annunen sits at 6-9-2 on the year with a 3.10 goals against and a .890 save percentage. Murray has not played for the Predators this season and has not played an NHL game since the 2023-24 season, when he was with the Dallas Stars.
Thursday's matchup is critical, as a Predators victory would tie the Kraken for the final Wild Card spot. A loss would set the Predators four points behind Seattle in the playoff race.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders plan on moving their American Hockey League affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton, Ontario, for next season, the franchise announced on Thursday.
The relocation requires approval by the AHL Board of Governors.
Should the move be permitted, the team currently known as the Bridgeport Islanders will play at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, which completed major renovations last fall.
A team name, logo and ticketing information for the Hamilton market will be announced at a later date, pending AHL approval, the franchise said.
“We are excited to make Hamilton our primary affiliate in the American Hockey League,” Islanders general manager and executive vice president Mathieu Darche said in a statement. “The support the city has shown our organization throughout this transition has been incredible. We look forward to having our top young talent play in front of such a strong fanbase inside the newly renovated, world-class TD Coliseum and we are committed to establishing ourselves in the community to engage a new generation of hockey fans.”
The Islanders’ top minor-league affiliate has played in Bridgeport for the past 25 years.
While their season hasn’t quite gone the way many have hoped it would, the Vancouver Canucks will still be giving fans something to cheer about in the coming games. Nine milestones are currently on the horizon for a number of players, ranging from personal to franchise records.
The first to note of these records is Elias Pettersson sliding into ninth in Canucks history in career goals-scored. After his two-goal performance against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, Pettersson only needs one more goal to tie him with Bo Horvat for ninth in franchise history. This isn’t the only milestone Pettersson can hit soon, as he is also three points away from 500 career NHL points and three assists away from 300 on his career.
Another player who is close to achieving another franchise milestone is Brock Boeser, who needs one more point to tie him with Tony Tanti for ninth-most in Canuck history. The forward currently has 469, only 28 less than the next active player on the list (Pettersson, 497).
Next on the list are a handful of career-milestones in NHL games played. The most talked-about as of late has been Evander Kane, who is six games away from hitting 1000 NHL games. The last player to hit this record as a member of the Canucks was none-other than Tyler Myers, who did-so on October 19, 2024.
The next crop of career-milestones in games played are a fair bit less than Kane’s 1000. The first to take place will be Aatu Räty’s 100th-career NHL game, which he will hit if he plays tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Following that is Linus Karlsson’s 100th NHL game, of which he still has nine more to play before he hits it. Marcus Pettersson will be the next to hit a milestone in games played with 600 — while he still has 11 more games to play, it’s expected he’ll hit this before the end of the season. Finally, Max Sasson is 14 games away from 100 in the NHL, which he can achieve if he plays in virtually every game before the season ends.
Nov 11, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser (6) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) celebrate Boeser’s goal against the Winnipeg Jets in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The Philadelphia Flyers are ending Year 3 of the Danny Briere and Keith Jones regime in the same place it began: close to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but not in them, and in need of some serious high-end talent down the middle of the ice.
Briere's tenure, not accounting for the draft, has actually been mostly solid, though his successes haven't come without missteps to match.
Buy-low acquisitions like Sean Walker, Ryan Poehling, and Dan Vladar have paid dividends for the Flyers, but overall, the core of the roster remains the same.
Aging players like Nick Seeler, Travis Konecny, Christian Dvorak, and Garnet Hathaway all inked contract extensions under Briere's watch, which strays from the path of a traditional rebuild.
Dvorak, as well as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, could have fetched hauls at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, but one signed a five-year pact, and the other simply stayed put.
The good news for Briere and the Flyers is that they have proven shrewd in trade negotiations overall. Trevor Zegras, David Jiricek, Nikita Grebenkin, and even Jamie Drysdale and Carl Grundstrom have brought meaningful value to the table for the organization, be it now or for the future.
But, the Flyers could lean into that strength more.
In the 2025 draft, they traded the 22nd and 24th overall picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 12th overall pick, but then used that 12th pick on a pure upside play in Jack Nesbitt, rather than more critically acclaimed prospects like Carter Bear, Cole Reschny, Jackson Smith, Braeden Cootes, or Kashawn Aitcheson.
The Flyers made a similar pivot the year prior, trading down one spot from 12th to 13th, passing on the chance to select Zeev Buium, and adding Jett Luchanko to the fold instead.
It's not a slight against Nesbitt or Luchanko, but the two centers haven't taken meaningful steps forward in their development yet, and the Flyers still need high-end talent at the position despite burning a total of three first-round picks on the two players.
That's where, if the Flyers had gotten Smith and Buium, the rebuild would look much more positive, even with the significant presence of veteran players.
Assembling a young defense core of Buium, Smith, Jiricek, Oliver Bonk, Drysdale, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison is an extremely solid and talented base to work with, and that's excluding existing options like Cam York and Travis Sanheim.
Also excluded was defenseman Spencer Gill, who was acquired with the help of the third-round pick the Flyers acquired when trading down with Minnesota at the 2024 draft.
So far, the fact of the matter is that the Flyers, 16th in the NHL standings with 76 points and a -13 goal differential, are right back where they were in the 2023-24 season, even after adding Matvei Michkov, Zegras, Vladar, and Dvorak.
They still haven't leaned fully into one direction: whether to embrace a full rebuild or push all the chips in and go for a playoff run with their cap space and draft capital.
Other "rebuilding" teams, like San Jose, Anaheim, and Chicago have assembled more exciting nuclei of young talent without becoming abhorrent or unwatchable for more than a year at a time.
This fact is especially disappointing when accounting for the regression of Matvei Michkov, who has been in the crosshairs of Rick Tocchet, as well as the divided public, since the beginning of this season.
A once-promising 26-goal, 63-point rookie has devolved into a one-dimensional middle-six scorer who might just barely crack 40 points in his sophomore season.
That's sucked the excitement out of the Flyers, who still have plenty to offer for the future. Michkov, the apparent franchise player, has become more of a side character or extra in a cliché, inspiring action film rather than continuing to ascend as the avatar of a hopeful, high-flying future in Philadelphia.
The Flyers still have a solid group, yes, headlined by the likes of Michkov, Zegras, Porter Martone, Jiricek, and Drysdale, but it could also be much better with verifiable direction and focus.
It doesn't help, either, that the Flyers are on pace to secure another middling draft pick in the midst of their current playoff push, which will presumably push them out of the territory of the likes of Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Alberts Smits, Viggo Bjorck, Gavin McKenna, and more top prospects at positions of need.
Aleksei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason, and Egor Zavragin make for a strong group at the goalie position, but little else has improved for the future of the rebuild in the last two seasons.
A preseason game between the Hartford Wolfpack and the Bridgeport Islanders in Bridgeport on October 1, 2025.
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Islanders made official on Thursday what’s been expected since the fall, announcing plans to relocate their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport, Conn. to Hamilton, Ontario for the 2026-27 season.
The announcement was made alongside Oak View Group, which operates TD Coliseum, the arena in Hamilton where the team intends to play next year.
The move is subject to approval by the AHL Board of Governors.
A preseason game between the Hartford Wolfpack and the Bridgeport Islanders in Bridgeport in October 2025. Connecticut Public Broadcasting
“We are excited to make Hamilton our primary affiliate in the American Hockey League,” general manager Mathieu Darche said in a release. “The support the city has shown our organization throughout this transition has been incredible. We look forward to having our top young talent play in front of such a strong fanbase inside the newly renovated, world-class TD Coliseum and we are committed to establishing ourselves in the community to engage a new generation of hockey fans.”
The Islanders have struggled to draw crowds to Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, but the city has been their AHL home for 25 years.
The future of the venue is not entirely clear, but the team’s statement said the club remains “committed to working with the City of Bridgeport on a successful transition for Total Mortgage Arena.”
“On behalf of the entire New York Islanders organization, I want to extend our deepest thanks to the City of Bridgeport and the incredibly loyal fans who have supported this team for the past 25 years,” president of business operation Kelly Cheeseman said in the release. “From the early days of the Sound Tigers to our time as the Bridgeport Islanders, this community has been the heart of our AHL operations. We are grateful for the memories, the partnerships, and the passion the fans in Connecticut have shown our players and staff.”
Situated 45 minutes from Toronto with a capacity of nearly 18,000, TD Coliseum recently underwent a $300 million upgrade.
While the Islanders forfeit some convenience with Bridgeport being driving distance to Long Island, the number of direct flights every day from Toronto to New York make it unlikely there will be issues with getting call-ups to the area on time.
New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche speaks at a press conference before the game when the New York Islanders played the Saturday, November 22, 2025 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The team name and logo, along with ticketing information in Hamilton, will be announced at a later date, per the Islanders.
“Hamilton is thrilled to welcome an AHL team to our city,” Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath said in the release. “This is an exciting moment for Hamiltonians and a major step forward in building on the momentum we’re seeing in our downtown. Bringing professional hockey back to TD Coliseum means more opportunities for families to come together and increased support for local businesses. It strengthens our city’s proud hockey tradition while creating new opportunities for young players and fans alike to connect with the game.”
In a recent article for Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Philadelphia Flyers were one of the teams that had interest in Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine ahead of the trade deadline.
"There were discussions about Patrik Laine ending up either in Philadelphia or Toronto, but it obviously didn’t work out," Friedman wrote.
The Flyers having talks with the Canadiens about Laine ahead of the deadline is certainly interesting. The Flyers are currently on the wrong side of the playoff line, so it could have been surprising to some if they successfully brought in a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) like Laine.
However, the Flyers also notably traded Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild on deadline day. With this, perhaps the Flyers viewed Laine as a potential short-term replacement for Brink in their top nine once he got fully healthy.
The Canadiens were one of the teams that had been connected to Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of the trade deadline as well.
Nevertheless, Laine, of course, did not end up being dealt to either the Flyers or the Maple Leafs and will finish the season with the Canadiens because of it. In five games this season with Montreal, Laine has one assist. This is after he had 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games for Montreal last season.
Ryan Johansen has announced he is retiring from the NHL and professional hockey at the age of 33. Drafted in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johansen would go on to play over 900 games in the NHL, scoring 202 goals, 376 assists, and 578 points.
Johansen’s last season in the NHL was with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023-24, where, in 63 games, he scored 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points, six of which were power-play points, while averaging over 13 minutes of ice time per game.
His time with the Avalanche was not one to remember much fondly, as the team desperately needed a second-line center after Nazem Kadri left for the Calgary Flames, and J.T. Compher left as well.
He just came off a down season, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 55 games with the Nashville Predators, a significant drop from his 2021-22 season, when he scored 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points.
A change in scenery was supposed to do good for Johansen, joining an Avalanche team coming off a Stanley Cup, despite losing some players to free agency and only having to move off Alex Galchenyuk in exchange. However, it did come with his hefty $8 million cap hit, but if he could bounce back more offensively and remain strong defensively, it could fill a massive hole as the cap could continue to rise, and the team could focus on other areas to improve.
Though his time with the Avalanche wouldn’t last long, as he was traded mid-way through the season to the Philadelphia Flyers in a package that saw Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Avalanche in exchange for Johansen and a 2025 first-round pick.
It was a cap dump the Avalanche had to make; the production wasn't there, and his defensive game couldn't keep up with the cap hit he brought along, though getting Sean Walker was a great addition.
It got messy for Johansen with the Flyers as they tried to move him down to the AHL. After a “material breach,” the Flyers opted to terminate his contract, but that only opened up a whole can of worms among him, the NHLPA, and the organization for trying to get his contract off the books.
Center Ryan Johansen, who played eight seasons with the Nashville Predators from 2015 to 2023, announced his retirement on Thursday.
During his time in Nashville, Johansen tallied 362 points (110 goals and 252 assists) in 533 games played and 48 points (17 goals and 31 assists) in 61 playoff games, helping the Predators reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history in 2017.
Over his NHL career, Johansen played in 905 games, recording 578 points (202 goals and 376 assists) with three teams: Columbus, Nashville and Colorado.
His Predators' point and assist totals both rank sixth all-time. Johansen also owns the record for fastest goal scored in franchise history, tied with David Legwand at 11 seconds.
Johansen played in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game and earned All-Star MVP honors, tallying two goals and two assists. That season, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johansen had a career-best 71 points in 82 games.
He was drafted fourth overall in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Johansen spent four and a half seasons in the Blue Jackets organization before he was traded during the 2015-16 season for defenseman Seth Jones.
Johansen was traded by the Predators to the Colorado Avalanche following the 2022-23 season for the rights to Alex Galchenyuk. He played 63 games in Colorado before he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline and then placed on waivers.
He'd remain on the Flyers roster due to an unreported injury when he was acquired. Johansen was then placed on unconditional waivers following a breach of contract in the 2024 offseason.
Johansen had not played a game since the 2023-24 season.
The New York Islanders officially announced on Thursday that they intend to move their AHL affilaite, the Bridgeport Islanders, to Hamilton, Ontario, following the 2025-26 season.
The
The team will be set to play in the newly renovated TD Coliseum, which just underwent a $300 million renovation and seats 18,000 fans. The hope is to attract more talent to the Islanders organization, as the team will play in a more promising hockey environment, which Bridgeport could not compete with.
Hamilton offers a much better venue and a stronger hockey market.
The move will have to wait for approval from the AHL board of governors.
Here's the release:
"On behalf of the entire New York Islanders organization, I want to extend our deepest thanks to the City of Bridgeport and the incredibly loyal fans who have supported this team for the past 25 years," said Kelly Cheeseman, President of Business Operations for the Islanders and UBS Arena. "From the early days of the Sound Tigers to our time as the Bridgeport Islanders, this community has been the heart of our AHL operations. We are grateful for the memories, the partnerships, and the passion the fans in Connecticut have shown our players and staff."
"We are excited to make Hamilton our primary affiliate in the American Hockey League," said Mathieu Darche, General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Islanders. "The support the city has shown our organization throughout this transition has been incredible. We look forward to having our top young talent play in front of such a strong fanbase inside the newly renovated, world-class TD Coliseum and we are committed to establishing ourselves in the community to engage a new generation of hockey fans."
The Chicago Blackhawks traded multiple players leading up to the deadline, as Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach were all moved. The Blackhawks being sellers was not surprising, as they are still rebuilding and are on the wrong side of the playoff line.
While this is the case, they also reportedly were interested in making a major addition to their roster ahead of the deadline.
In his most recent 32 Thoughts column, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blackhawks were among the teams that had "serious interest" in Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Matthew Knies.
"Teams that showed serious interest in Matthew Knies included Anaheim, Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey and Utah," Friedman wrote.
Hearing that the Blackhawks had Knies on their radar is not necessarily surprising. At just 23 years old, he would have been an excellent addition for a team on the rise like the Blackhawks. This is especially so when noting that the Blackhawks could use more skilled wingers to help Connor Bedard.
Furthermore, at this point in his young career, Knies is already a proven top-six power forward. His stats this season effectively show this, as he has 18 goals, 39 assists, 57 points, and 132 hits in 66 games. This is after the 6-foot-3 forward had 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games last season for Toronto.
Knies would have also been a long-term addition for the Blackhawks if acquired, as he has a $7.75 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season.
While the Montreal Canadiens are still involved in a no-holds-barred fight to make the NHL playoffs, its AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, punched its ticket to the spring dance last night with a convincing 5-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, who has been elevated to the role of starter with Jacob Fowler’s callup, made 29 saves on the 30 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Sean Farrell was named the first star of the game with a goal and an assist.
The Rocket still has 10 games left in the regular season before the Calder Cup playoffs kick off, but it’s nice to put that question to bed before things become stressful; last year, they only qualified on March 28. This is the fourth time in the last five years that the Place Bell-based outfit qualifies for the playoffs.
The playoffs will feature six of the eight teams from the Atlantic Division, the first five teams from the North and the Central Division, and the top seven teams from the Pacific Division. The first round of the tournament will be a best-of-three format, but the two highest seeds in the Atlantic, the three highest seeds in the North and Central, and the first-place team in the Pacific will receive byes and go straight to the best-of-five Division Semifinal. The Division Finals will also be a best-of-five series, but the Conference Finals and the Final itself will be best-of-seven.
In other words, qualifying for the playoffs is one thing, but Pascal Vincent’s men will now be working towards getting a bye for the first round. While the Rocket is currently first in the North Division, all of its rivals have games in hand, and nothing is set in stone right now. Vincent will be glad to have Adam Engstrom at his disposal. The young blueliner recently came back from injury, and he’s having a great sophomore season with 33 points in 41 games.
One has to wonder if the Laval outfit will be able to rely on all its players going forward, though. Given how little ice time Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj generally get, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see Montreal call up David Reinbacher. It would allow them to see where he is in his development, and it would also mean that Lane Hutson could go back to playing on his strong side.
