While Wednesday must have been a fantastic day for Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler, it must not have been an easy one for Samuel Montembeault and Martin St-Louis. The coach has said it a few times lately, his job entails making tough decisions that negatively impact players he loves. During his morning media scrum, the coach lost his temper when he was essentially asked about the problem with Montembeault. He replied that he wasn’t going to answer 40 questions about his goaltending decision, with a tone that said, " Cut it out!".

After the game, when he was asked if it was satisfying for him to see Fowler have such a good game after making that tough decision, he explained:

Well, of course, it’s an opportunity for him, and as I’ve said before, when you’re in a leadership position, you’re going to make decisions that will impact people you like, people you love negatively, for the good of the team. It comes with the job; it’s the price you have to pay. It’s not easy to make those calls, but the fact that it’s a tough call doesn’t make you unable to make it.

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Clearly, giving the nod to Fowler when Montembeault had said himself the day before that he expected to play in Ottawa, even though it hadn’t been confirmed yet, wasn’t easy. St-Louis knew the former number one netminder was expecting to play; instead, he ended up in the press gallery while Jakub Dobes served as auxiliary.

The fact that the Habs weren’t even comfortable enough to have him on the bench and risk having to put him in if there was a problem with Fowler spoke volumes. This feels different from December when the youngster was first called up, because the stakes are higher. Each point could end up being a crucial one for playoff qualification, and the Canadiens cannot afford to gamble on him finding his form right now.

Martin St-Louis’ pregame comments 💬

Listen ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/LuL0EnytBb

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 11, 2026

Looking at Wednesday night’s numbers, however, St-Louis might have another gut-wrenching decision to make sooner rather than later. In the tilt against the Ottawa Senators, veteran winger and alternate captain Brendan Gallagher saw only 8:48 of action; no one else spent less time on the ice. Even Jayden Struble was used more with 9:12. And no, it’s not that he was ill; St. Louis confirmed after the game that Cole Caufield was the only one fighting a bug right now.

The Habs’ brass and coaching staff have a lot of respect and admiration for the 14-season veteran who has always given his all for the Sainte-Flanelle. Gallagher has now played 898 games, all wearing the Canadiens’ crest, but his performance of late has not been great. Last night, he only took one shot and committed two turnovers. When it’s time to backcheck, it sometimes looks like he cannot do it anymore. He’s not gliding out there; it’s not that he doesn’t want to. His determination is still there, but his physical capabilities aren’t. Still, he’s used on the second power play unit, where he got five of his 20 points this season, but it feels like a younger option should be considered.

In Ottawa, since Caufield couldn’t play, Alexandre Texier was able to reintegrate the lineup, and he did well to fill in for the sniper on the top line. In 18 shifts, he saw 14:49 of action, took two shots, blocked one, and landed four hits in what was a rather physical affair, on top of scoring the all-important game-tying goal. How do you take that player out of the lineup when Caufield is ready to return?

Since he joined the team, Texier has shown himself to be a bit of a Swiss Army knife; he can play many roles up and down the lineup, which Gallagher cannot do anymore. Scratching him would no doubt be a tough decision, since he could reach the 1,000-game milestone if he were to play every game until the end of his contract at the end of the 2026-27 season, and given all the respect everyone has for him. Still, St-Louis said that the fact that a decision is hard won’t mean he won’t make it, and for the good of the team, it may be time to give the veteran a rest. Whichever way you look at it, it’s time for the coach to put his money where his mouth is.

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Due to a flurry of injuries, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice has announced several lineup changes, highlighted by the debut of a young defenseman.

Earlier this morning, 24-year-old defenseman Mike Benning was recalled from the Charlotte Checkers. The 5-foot-9 defender has scored eight goals and 31 points in 56 AHL games this season, and will make his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets with Uvis Balinskis out of the lineup.

Balinskis was absent from practice yesterday after reaggravating a lingering issue. Balinskis is now confirmed to be out, and Benning will make his NHL debut skating alongside Niko Mikkola. 

Additionally, Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell are unable to play tonight, and they’ll watch the game from the press box. Verhaeghe’s status was in question for tonight’s game after something tightened up on the forward following his two-goal effort on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Lundell’s injury remains undisclosed. 

Panthers Recall Defenseman Mike Benning, Florida To Host Columbus Looking For Third Straight WinPanthers aim for a third straight win as rookie defenseman Mike Benning could make his NHL debut against Columbus.

Sam Reinhart, who missed Tuesday’s game against the Red Wings, will re-enter the lineup. He’ll be with new linemates, as he’ll skate on the right wing alongside left winger Eetu Luostarinen and center Evan Rodrigues.

With Lundell out as well, Cole Reinhardt will make his Panthers debut. The 26-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights just five days ago. In 44 games this season, Reinhardt has scored three goals and seven points. He’ll skate on the right wing as well, next to Mackie Samoskevich and Tomas Nosek on the third line.

The Panthers’ current long injury list includes Balinskis, Lundell, Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Cole Schwindt, Seth Jones, Jonah Gadjovich,  and Aleksander Barkov. 

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The Nashville Predators travel to Rogers Arena to face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, March 12. This marks the third meeting between these two teams this season after splitting the first two.

My Predators vs. Canucks predictions and NHL picks suggest a low-scoring affair between two goal-starving teams, while Vancouver will look to turn the tide on an ugly stretch in which they've won just once in their last 10 games.

Predators vs Canucks prediction

Predators vs Canucks best bet: Marcus Pettersson o1.5 blocked shots (-140)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson has been a stalwart on a rough blue line. He's blocked 10 shots in his last five games, hitting the Over in four of them.

The Nashville Predators average a respectable 28.4 shots per game despite their lackluster goal-scoring, and Pettersson has logged over 20 minutes of ice time in eight consecutive games.

His 108 blocks this season lead Vancouver, and he's poised to wear some rubber tonight.

Penguins vs Golden Knights same-game parlay

On the topic of Canucks players named Pettersson, I can smell an enticing opportunity regarding their leading scorer, Elias Pettersson. Although a far cry from what he once was, he remains their best offensive weapon and their most-deployed forward, ranking third on the team in ice time.

He's hit the Over for shots on goal in three of his last four games as Jake DeBrusk, their typical volume shooter, battles inconsistency.

Meanwhile, three of the last four and seven of 10 meetings between these teams have hit the Under. Both struggle mightily to score, and Vancouver's 5-4 overtime win on November 3 is an outlier.

Predators vs Canucks SGP

• Marcus Pettersson Over 1.5 blocked shots
• Elias Pettersson Over 1.5 shots on goal
• Under 6.5

Predators vs Canucks odds

• Moneyline: Predators -155 | Canucks +135
• Puck Line: Predators -1.5 (+155) | Canucks +1.5 (-180)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+110) | Under 6.5 (-130)

Predators vs Canucks trend

Vancouver has won just one of their last 10 games, but two of the last three against Nashville. Find more NHL betting trends for Predators vs. Canucks.

How to watch Predators vs Canucks

Predators vs Canucks latest injuries

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With the Western Conference a tight race yet again this season, we will take a look at the standings and games to watch across the league as the Kings look to secure a playoff spot and move up in the standings. 

LA is now sitting at No. 5, tied with Seattle for fourth place with 67 points after beating the Columbus Jackets and earning a point in their overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. 

The Kings also got help on Tuesday, with Seattle falling to Nashville and San Jose losing to Buffalo, which kept the standings in the Pacific Division tight despite the Kings losing. 

This is the most important several weeks of the stretch this season, and if the Kings beat the Islanders again as they did last week and the New Jersey Devils in their back-to-back games coming up, they'll be in a prime position to continue climbing up the rankings. 

The Kings Schedule Is InterestingOn the one hand, the Los Angeles Kings have the easiest remaining schedule in the regular season, but they will also play critical games against Western Conference opponents jostling for playoff positioning.

Here's a look at the current playoff standings in the middle of the Pacific and Central Division:

Pacific Division:

2. Oilers - 37-25-8, 72 points

3. Golden Knights - 29-22-14, 72 points

4. Kraken - 29-25-9, 67 points

5. Kings - 26-23-15, 67 points

6. Sharks - 30-26-6, 66 points

Central Division:

4. Mammoth - 34-26-5, 73 points

5. Predators - 29-27-8, 66 points

All seven of these teams are bunched up together in the Pacific and Central divisions, respectively, and only four teams will likely qualify for the postseason. So, let's take a look at the big games to watch around the league for the next couple of days and who you should be rooting for.

Thursday

Sharks at Bruins - The San Jose Sharks are just one point behind the Kings and Kraken, so a loss against the Bruins will take the pressure off Los Angeles for that final postseason spot. San Jose has also been in a slump recently, posting a 3-5-3 record in their last eight games and currently on a three-game losing streak, while the Bruins have been one of the hottest teams, especially at home, winning 13 consecutive games at TD Garden. The last time San Jose won on the road was on Jan. 27 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks. 

Avalanche at Kraken - This is another big game that will help the Kings if Seattle loses, because both teams are currently tied at that fourth spot in the division, so a Seattle loss and a Kings win will put Los Angeles in sole possession of the fourth seed. Colorado has arguably been the best team in the league this season and is 8-2 in its last 10 games, continuing its dominance on both sides of the ice, while Seattle is on a three-game losing streak.

The Kraken are also not a good team at home, with a 16-12-5 record this season at the Climate Pledge Arena; meanwhile, Colorado is one of the best road teams, posting a 20-6-5 record away from home. 

Oilers at Stars - Once again, Kings fans are gonna root for their heated rival team to lose. Dallas has been playing excellent hockey in their last 13 games, 12-1, going undefeated in the month of February, and before losing in that heavyweight matchup against the Avalanche in a shootout, they had won 10 straight, so the Oilers hands are gonna be full here, especially with this game being in Dallas. 

Friday 

Oilers at Blues - The Oilers have to play Dallas, then end their four-game road trip against an easier opponent in the Blues. Depending on how the game against the Stars goes, this could be a trap game for the Oilers, especially if they get tired against Dallas. Despite the Blues being 4-1 in their last five games, this will still be a tough one for them to beat Edmonton. 

Saturday

Sharks at Canadiens - The Canadiens have been on the road in 8 of their last 11 games, and they will finally head home to take on the Sharks, where they're 18-11-2. Montreal will also have three days off before this game, while San Jose will be playing their third game in five nights, so Montreal will have a very good chance of winning. 

Penguins at Mammoth - Utah currently has 73 points and is sitting in fourth place, a seven-point lead over the Predators in the Central Division. This will be a tough one for the Penguins to win. Despite sitting at No. 2 in the Metropolitan Division, they're currently 32-17-15, right at .500, and have a tough road schedule coming up, playing the Golden Knights on Thursday before taking on the Mammoth on Saturday. Pittsburgh is an average team on the road this season, with a 16-8-7 record away from home, so it will most likely be a loss. 

There are still a lot of games that the Kings will be monitoring over the next few days and weeks that aren't mentioned here, but these are the biggest games to have your eyes on. It will certainly be a very exciting end to the regular season, from tomorrow through April 16, for fans waiting to see who gets in and who is out. Stay tuned for more updates. 

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NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has decided not to make the Ottawa Senators forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in a 2021 trade that was later nullified.

The Senators instead will get the 32nd and final pick in the first round after the league decided their change of ownership affected what the appropriate punishment should be. The team will also pay a fine of 1 million Canadian dollars, roughly $735,000, to NHL Foundation Canada.

If Ottawa misses the playoffs and happens to win the draft lottery for one of the first two picks, it will result in a re-draw. After announcing the alteration Thursday, the NHL said it will have no further comment on the matter.

The decision was initially levied on Nov. 1, 2023, that the Senators would forfeit a first-rounder in 2024, ‘25 or ’26. New owner Michael Andlauer fired then-general manager Pierre Dorion that day and named Steve Staois as the replacement for that role.

The Senators traded forward Evgenii Dadonov to Vegas in July 2021 and failed to supply the Golden Knights with the player’s 10-team no-trade list. Vegas attempted to send Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks in March 2022 before the move was nixed by NHL Central Registry because he had not waived his no-trade clause.

There is precedent to the NHL reducing punishment after the fact. The New Jersey Devils in 2010 were docked a first- and a third-round pick and fined $3 million for a contract with Ilya Kovalchuk that was rejected. They instead were, like Ottawa, forced to the end of the first round in 2014.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Florida Panthers will aim for their third straight victory when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

Florida has won back-to-back games, both against the Detroit Red Wings, outscoring their divisional rival 7-4 between victories during a home and home series that occurred on Friday in Motown and Tuesday in Sunrise.

Now the Cats will shift their attention to another team trying to cement their position in the race to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Entering play Thursday, the Blue Jackets are the first team out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Columbus trails the Boston Bruins by two points for the final Wild Card spot, each team still with 18 games remaining on their respective schedules.

As for Florida, their consecutive wins did little to help them make up ground in the playoff race.

The Panthers are currently 11 points behind Boston, with four teams between them. If the Cats keep winning and turn their modest two-game streak into one that’s double-digits, they can find their way back into the case for a playoff spot. But that’s a big if.

Ahead of Thursday’s game, Florida called up defenseman Mike Benning from AHL Charlotte.

A day earlier, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said that the playing status for defenseman Uvis Balinskis was up in the air due to the aggravation of an injury he sustained a couple weeks ago against Buffalo.

Balinskis won't play, meaning Benning will step in and make his NHL debut. He'll be on a pairing with Niko Mikkola. 

Florida selected Benning in the fourth-round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He’s played each of the past three seasons with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, racking up 26 goals and 89 points in 182 games, to go with 124 penalty minutes and a plus-16 on-ice rating. 

He was on the ice for Florida's optional morning skate Thursday at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale.

#FlaPanthers coach Paul Maurice talks with Mike Benning before morning skate. pic.twitter.com/kuFRo42uyy

— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) March 12, 2026

Maurice also said that Carter Verhaeghe may or may not play Thursday after something tightened up on the forward following his two-goal effort on Tuesday against Detroit. 

Verhaeghe was also on the ice for Florida's morning skate, but he and Anton Lundell will both be held out of the lineup, Maurice said. 

Between the pipes, the Cats will turn to Sergei Bobrovsky. 

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s battle with the Blue Jackets:

A.J. Greer – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart

Cole Reinhardt – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist

Mackie Samoskevich – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Mike Benning

Donovan Sebrango – Dmitry Kulikov

Extras: Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Uvis Balinskis

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Mitch Marner is one of the most dynamic and productive playmakers in the NHL.

His production is especially impressive on home soil, and my Penguins vs. Golden Knights predictions and NHL picks expect him to build on his totals tonight.

Penguins vs Golden Knights prediction

Penguins vs Golden Knights best bet: Mitch Marner Over 0.5 assists (-115)

Mitch Marner has 47 assists through 64 games, tying him with Cale Makar for 16th among all players in helpers.

He’s done his best work in Vegas. Marner has recorded an assist in 65% of his home games and 69% following one day of rest.

Marner has been skating with Pavel Dorofeyev, who leads the team in goals. Bruce Cassidy gave him further weaponry to work with last time out, shifting Tomas Hertl to join that unit as well.

With such strong finishers by his side, Marner is poised to produce against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that has allowed 16 goals over the last four games.

Penguins vs Golden Knights same-game parlay

The Vegas Golden Knights deploy Pavel Dorofeyev in favorable matchups at home, helping him make more happen offensively. He's averaged 2.9 shots on goal and managed a 61% Over rate in Vegas. He should get plenty of looks playing on a line with Marner.

Without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins are likely to be overmatched against a very talented Golden Knights team desperate to get a win.

Penguins vs Golden Knights SGP

• Mitch Marner Over 0.5 assists
• Pavel Dorofeyev Over 2.5 shots
• Golden Knights moneyline

Penguins vs Golden Knights odds

• Moneyline: Penguins +130 | Golden Knights -150
• Puck Line: Penguins +1.5 (-180) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+155)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+110) | Under 6.5 (-130)

Penguins vs Golden Knights trend

Mitch Marner has assists in seven of his last 10 home games after one day off. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Golden Knights.

How to watch Penguins vs Golden Knights

Penguins vs Golden Knights latest injuries

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It’s often said in the NHL that one of the toughest games to play is the first one back home after a long road trip. But the Ottawa Senators can’t really use that as an excuse in this case, because the Montreal Canadiens had their own challenges to deal with.

Most notably, Montreal was playing the second game of a back-to-back. Top goal scorer Cole Caufield missed the game due to illness, and the Canadiens started a rookie goaltender who hadn’t played an NHL game in almost two months and had only 10 games of NHL experience.

That rookie, Jacob Fowler, called up earlier in the day from Laval, made 32 saves to lead the Canadiens past the Senators 3–2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday night.

Ivan Demidov’s goal at 12:40 of the third period held up as the game-winner, snapping a 2–2 tie. It was one of the easier goals he’ll ever score. After a shot from Alex Newhook, Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark coughed up a perfect rebound. Demidov barged to the net and jammed the puck home.

The game got off to a controversial start in the opening minute. Dylan Cozens drove the puck to the net and bumped into Fowler, drawing a goaltender-interference penalty. Senators head coach Travis Green was livid about the call, and the Canadiens capitalized by scoring on the ensuing power play to take a 1–0 lead.

Ottawa responded with a pair of goals from Drake Batherson, though neither came in convincing fashion.

The first came during a goalmouth scramble. Batherson appeared to fan on his attempt to jam the puck into the net. As he recoiled, he accidentally pulled the puck back out, but not before it had barely crossed the goal line.

His second goal came after Claude Giroux made a great effort to keep a clearing attempt in at the blue line. Giroux fed the puck to Batherson, who cut to the net and tried to stuff it in. Tim Stützle arrived late and appeared to score, but replays showed Batherson’s stick blade was the last to touch the puck, giving him credit for the goal.

Montreal tied the game in the second period on a wraparound by Alex Texier. As Texier and Nik Matinpalo went behind Ottawa's net, Ullmark got his stick tangled up in Matinpalo's legs as the two skaters went behind the goal, which served two purposes: it gave Texier the separation he needed for the wraparound and pinned Ullmark’s stick against the post, preventing him from pushing across to pinch off the post. Ullmark attempted to do the splits instead, leaving plenty of room for the puck to sneak under his pads.

For the third time in four games, Ullmark posted a save percentage well below .900, stopping 20 shots (.870) on the night. Meanwhile, the rookie Fowler made 32 saves for a .941 and was there when the Canadiens needed him at the end.

With the goalie pulled, the Senators did everything they could except score. Fowler stopped at least three great chances in the dying seconds, including an unreal save on Claude Giroux, who had a ton of open net to shoot at.

The loss represents a huge four-point swing in the standings. A win would have brought Ottawa within five points of Montreal. Instead, the Canadiens are now all but out of reach,  nine points ahead of the Sens with just 18 games remaining.

So the Senators' only real playoff hope now lies with the Wild Card. With 74 points, they must find a way to leapfrog two of the following teams to get back into the playoff picture: the Columbus Blue Jackets (76 points), the (WC2) Boston Bruins (78 points), or the (WC1) Detroit Red Wings (79 points).

Ottawa will try to regroup on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. when they host the Anaheim Ducks.

Interestingly, the Ducks currently lead the Pacific Division despite having only two more points than the Senators, a reminder of just how tough the Atlantic Division has been this season.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.

More from The Hockey News:

- There’s No Replacing Jake Sanderson, But Senators Must Step Up In His Absence
- Were the Senators Chasing Robert Thomas At The Trade Deadline?
- Senators Acquire Former 67s Star At Trade Deadline
- Senators Trade Veteran NHL Forward David Perron Back To Detroit
- Will Warren Foegele Prove To Be Worth The Price For The Senators?

Stay up to date with the latest Senators coverage at The Hockey News – Ottawa Senators.

The Colorado Avalanche are looking to make a crack at their next line of opposition.

The Avs open a two-game road trip Thursday against the Seattle Kraken looking to rebound after a narrow 4–3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week. It will be the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Colorado won the first matchup 5–3 in Seattle on December 16, and the series will conclude April 16 at Ball Arena.

Colorado’s loss Tuesday at Ball Arena came in a game that featured momentum swings and several special-teams moments. Ross Colton opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the first period, wiring a shot from the point through traffic for his eighth goal of the season. The assist on the play gave Brock Nelson the 500th even-strength point of his NHL career.

And we’re off ✈️ pic.twitter.com/p8V1wYpThd

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 11, 2026

Edmonton answered midway through the period when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins converted a power-play opportunity from the crease. Colorado regained the lead later in the opening frame when Martin Necas scored on the power play from the left circle, setting a single-season career high with his 29th goal of the year.

The lead was short-lived. Jack Roslovic tied the game late in the first before Nugent-Hopkins added his second of the night early in the second period to give Edmonton its first lead.

Colorado pulled even early in the third when Valeri Nichushkin redirected a right-point shot from Sam Malinski for his 14th goal of the season. But Edmonton’s star power ultimately decided the game. Connor McDavid buried a power-play one-timer from the doorstep at 9:03 of the third period, providing the eventual game-winner.

Despite the loss, Colorado continues to be powered offensively by Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 43 goals and ranks among the league leaders with 104 points and 61 assists. MacKinnon’s impact has been even more pronounced at even strength; since the start of the 2023–24 season, he has recorded an NHL-best 250 points in five-on-five situations.

The Avalanche blue line has been equally productive thanks to Cale Makar, who remains one of the league’s most dynamic defensemen. Makar sits among the top scoring defensemen in the NHL with 66 points while adding 19 goals and 47 assists.

Necas has also been a key contributor during Colorado’s recent stretch. His seven goals since February 25 are tied for the most in the league over that span, helping propel him into the NHL’s top ten in scoring with 77 points.

Seattle enters Thursday’s matchup after a 4–2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken jumped out to a 2–0 first-period lead on goals from Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers, but Nashville responded with three unanswered goals in the second period before Steven Stamkos sealed the game with an empty-net tally late in the third.

Offensively, Seattle is led by veteran forward Jordan Eberle, whose 22 goals and 44 points pace the club. Defenseman Vince Dunn leads the team with 29 assists, while Beniers ranks second in scoring with 40 points.

Historically, Colorado has enjoyed success in the matchup. The Avalanche hold a 9-3-1 record in 13 regular-season meetings against the Kraken and have also faced Seattle once in the postseason.

The matchup has also been productive for several of Colorado’s stars. MacKinnon has recorded 19 points in 12 regular-season games against Seattle and added seven more in the playoffs, while Makar has contributed 19 regular-season points against the Kraken along with five in six postseason contests. Necas has chipped in 11 points in nine career games against Seattle.

Defensively, Colorado has been particularly strong away from home this season. The Avalanche are allowing just 2.55 goals per game on the road, tied for the lowest mark in the NHL.

Even in Tuesday’s loss, the Avalanche believed their process was largely sound.

“I thought everybody had good legs tonight,” Makar said afterward. “I thought we had overall good forechecks. We struggled on the breakout a little bit early, but we were able to figure it out. I felt like we had some good chances but just didn’t finish sometimes.”

Colorado will look to convert more of those chances Thursday night as it continues its push through the final stretch of the regular season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to play the Florida Panthers tonight at 7 PM.  

Florida Panthers - 32-29-3 - 63 Points - 2-8-0 in the last 10 - Won 2 - 7th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 33-21-10 - 76 Points - 6-1-3 in the last 10 - Won 1 - 4th in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus stretched its points streak to seven games (4-0-3) with a 4-2 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday to tie a season long streak (7-0-0 from Jan. 22-Feb. 4). The club has earned points in 18 of its last 20 contests since Jan. 11 (15-2-3).

• The Blue Jackets, who are 7-1-0 in their last eight road contests, began a stretch of 6-of-9 games played away from home through Mar. 26 on Tuesday.

• Columbus finished 2-of-4 on the power play at Tampa Bay and rank seventh-T in the NHL in power play pct. on the road this season (25.0; 20-of-80).

• Since Dec. 22, CBJ have gone 19-6-4 (42 pts, .724 points pct.) and rank second in the NHL in points, third in points percentage, fourth in penalty kill pct. (84.0), sixth-T in save pct. (.901) and goals-against/game (2.79) as well as eighth in goals for/game (3.55).

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Charlie Coyle collected an assist on Tuesday to stretch his assists streak to four games (0-5-5) and points streak to seven consecutive (1-8-9). He has posted 6-15-21 and six multi-point efforts in the last 14 contests since Jan. 24.

• Adam Fantilli has 6-9-15 in the past 14 GP and LW Mason Marchment has 11-8-19 in 22 GP with the Blue Jackets.

• Conor Garland, who has multiple goals in each of the past two contests, is the first player with four goals in his first three games with the Blue Jackets.

• Kirill Marchenko has notched a power play goal in back-to-back games and has collected points in six consecutive games (4-5-9) and in 11 of his past 12 contests since Jan. 24 (6-9-15).

• Sean Monahan collected two assists against the Lightning and has points in five of the last six contests (2-4-6).

• Zach Werenski registered two assists on Tuesday and has collected points in 24 of his past 27 games played since Dec. 11 (11-27-38, 12 multi-point efforts). He sits two points shy of his second-straight 70-point campaign (20-48-68, 57 GP).

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 20.5% - 17th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 78.0% - 23rd in the NHL
• Goals For - 204 - 15th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 204 - 23rd in the NHL 

Panthers Stats

• Power Play - 19.4% - 19th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 82.2% - 6th in the NHL
• Goals For - 191 - 18th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 212 - 25th in the NHL

Series History vs. The Panthers    

• Columbus is 27-21-0-7 all-time, and 10-14-0-3 on the road vs. Florida
• Columbus has collected points in the past three meetings since Mar. 20, 2025 (1-0-2).
• The teams have combined for seven-plus goals in nine of the last 14 meetings since Jan. 15, 2022.

• The winning team has scored four or more goals in 17 of the past 20 games of the series going back to Mar. 9th, 2021 and in eight of the last nine at Florida since Apr. 19, 2021.

• The winning team has won by multiple goals in 14 of the last 18 meetings of the series, including 11 instances by three-plus goals.

• Columbus has scored a power play goal in both games of the 2025-26 series (2-of-7; 28.6 pct.).

• The teams have combined for 60 shots or less in five of the past seven meetings of the series (59.7 avg.).

• CBJ has recorded three shutouts in the all-time series (MR: Merzlikins, 1-0 OT win at CBJ on Feb. 4, 2020) and two hat tricks (MR: Werenski, 4-1 W at CBJ on Dec. 31, 2019).

Who To Watch For The Panthers

• Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 28 goals, 31 assists, and 59 points.
• Brad Marchand 27 goals and 54 points.
• Sergei Bobrovsky is 23-19-1 with a SV% of .876.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Panthers

• Charlie Coyle has 17 points in 32 games vs. the Panthers.
• Zach Werenski has 16 career points against Florida.
• Mason Marchment has 4 points in 7 games against Florida.

Injured Reserve

• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 26 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 170 

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.  

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Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (32-17-15, 79 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Vegas Golden Knights (29-22-14, 75 points, 3rd place Pacific Division)

When: 10:00 p.m. eastern

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and Scripps, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins continue the rhythm of their every-other-day road trip with a game in Utah on Saturday (9pm eastern start), then comes Colorado next Monday and the trip ends where it started back in Carolina next Wednesday.

Opponent Track: Vegas is just 1-5-0 in the month of March, starting with a 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh on March 1st. They’ve lost three games in a row, including a 2-1 nailbiter in Dallas on Tuesday in their most recent contest. This is the start of a four-game homestand for the Golden Knights, who should be playing with desperation now that they’ve slipped from first to third place in their division.

Season Series: As mentioned above, the Pens took the first game 5-0 last Sunday. Ben Kindel scored a goal and added an assist to be named the first star of the game, Arturs Silovs stopped all 22 shots he saw to earn the shutout.

Hidden Stat: Pittsburgh is 13-6-6 against Western Conference opponents this year, per Pens PR.

Getting to know the Golden Knights

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Braeden Bowman

Brett Howden – Mitch Marner – Pavel Dorofeyev

Reilly Smith – Tomas Hertl – Keegan Kolesar

Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Colton Sissons

DEFENSEMEN

Brayden McNabb / Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin /Rasmus Andersson

Jeremy Lauzon / Kaeden Korczak

Goalies: Adin Hill and Akira Schmidt

Potential scratches: Ben Hutton, Jonas Rondbjerg

Injured Reserve: Mark Stone, Carter Hart, Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson

• As you might expect with a losing team lately, lots of changes and fluid forward lines with in-game adjustments are being frequently made, most notably joining Marner and Hertl together at times.
• Vegas opted to beef up their lower lines at the trade deadline since their last meeting with Pittsburgh earlier this month, adding C. Smith from Nashville and Dowd from Washington after previously getting Andersson a little before the deadline.
• Mark Stone hasn’t played since he left mid-game against the Pens on March 1st. That was about the last thing this team needed to lose their captain, it’s unknown when he might be back, though the injury was not said to be overly serious.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Since the 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh, Hill is 1-2-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .867 save%. Schmid is 0-2-0 with a 3.59 GAA and .865 save%. The Knights need some goaltending, neither player has been sharp lately.
• Pavel Dorofeyev is one of the more quiet star players around. He’s hit the 30-goal plateau for a second time in a row after notching 35 last season. Dorofeyev currently has more goals since the start of 2024-25 than players like Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews and Mikko Rantanen. Dorofeyev doesn’t do as much as a true superstar in the assist and playmaking department but his shot is an incredible weapon, especially on the power play where his 16 goals rank tied for second in the NHL this season.

No saves to be found

Vegas would easily be in first place in the weakest division in hockey, if they only had some goalie support. The white line plunging down in the upper right of this chart is more deflating than seeing the roulette wheel hit green for the second time in a row.

The Golden Knights have had to score a lot on the power play, and somehow coax out a good PK performance despite the lack of goaltending. They’re 2-6-0 since the Olympic break and lately their offense has dried up, in calendar March have been outscored 21-11 over the course of six games.

That leaves two schools of thought. Either the Penguins: A) are catching a vulnerable team at a good time (as they did earlier this month in a 5-0 shutout victory where the Knights only mustered 22 total shots) or B) are in for a tough one for a team that won’t want to lose a fourth straight game, are now at home while Pittsburgh traveled cross-continent and will make it a tough game. We’ll see which side of the coin it lands on, but there aren’t too many impressive signs out of VGK in recent days and weeks about the direction they’re headed in.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Ryan Shea / Kris Letang

Ilya Solovyov / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Sam Girard (injured), Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Justin Brazeau (out injured week to week)

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany

• The regular goalie rotation lines up really nicely for Silovs to be in net tonight to try and keep it going after shutting this Vegas team out last week. No official word on that just yet, but given the regular rotation that makes a lot of sense.
• We’ll leave the lineup the same as last game, though there’s certainly chances for tweaks and improvements. Girard’s absence on the defense was felt, hopefully his day-to-day injury will have him back in the lineup sooner than later.

After a game that lacked emotion on Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens faced an intense rivalry night against the Ottawa Senators. Brady Tkachuk and co. are outside of the playoff picture, looking in, and they clearly intend to change that. While much of the attention before the game was on the fact that the Habs had recalled Jacob Fowler, before puck drop, it shifted to the fact that Arber Xhekaj was a healthy scratch against a rather physical foe.

Earlier in the day, Martin St-Louis mentioned he had a few game-time decisions to make, including whether to put Alexandre Texier back in for Cole Caufield, who was still battling an illness. Still, most people didn’t see the Xhekaj scratching coming.

Juraj Slafkovsky Makes Montreal Canadiens History
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Staying Focussed

The game started well for the Canadiens as they beat Linus Ullmark on their first shot, but the Senators turned up their physicality, rattling the Habs. Nick Cousins ran around like a guy who didn’t fear retribution and rocked Alexandre Carrier to kick off proceedings. Jayden Struble invited him to fight, which the pest declined, before Josh Anderson went to have a word as well with the same result.

Nick Cousins lights up Alexandre Carrier then gives Josh Anderson a weooo#gohabsgo#gosensgopic.twitter.com/gRdyva08kD

— RGF (@rgfray1) March 12, 2026

It was shortly after that that he took a roughing penalty, which allowed the Sens to tie the game, before they took a 2-1 lead less than two minutes later. At the end of the first frame, hits were 19-13 Ottawa (they were revised down during the intermission; originally listed as 22-14). Drake Batherson, Michael Amadio, and Dylan Cozens had three hits apiece while Nick Cousins had two.

At the end of the game, hits were 33-31 for the Senators, so the Canadiens caught up, mainly because once the Senators took the lead, they stopped trying to rattle the Habs with hits and focused on actually playing hockey. 

I don’t think St-Louis’ issue with Xhekaj is so much about his physicality; it’s about the way he reads the game. Players who thrive in the St-Louis style of hockey are very high in hockey IQ. The problem is, you’ll never manage to get six defensemen like that. If you did, you would have salary cap issues. Your bottom pairing is much more likely to be about grit than about talent, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You cannot have a team that’s incredibly rich in talent but lacks physicality; it’s been proven time and time again by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the last few seasons.

So Many Mistakes

It was a very tough night at the office for Mike Matheson and several other players. After 40 minutes, the veteran defenseman had five giveaways (it was revised to four) while Lane Hutson had three, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Brendan Gallagher had two apiece.

Matheson’s stood out, though, as they were deep in his own zone and created scoring opportunities for the Senators. Thankfully for the veteran blueliner, rookie goalie Jacob Fowler was a picture of calm, poise, and focus in net, playing his last-line-of-defence role to perfection. His demeanour and confidence were just what the Canadiens needed on a night when they were particularly sloppy. At the end of the game, the Canadiens had committed 24 giveaways while the Senators had nine. 

Evans Shines

Jake Evans had a point in a sixth consecutive game when he got an assist on Alexandre Texier’s game-tying goal, but he did much more than just that tonight. In a game that was quite physical, the centerman led both teams in hits with seven. He also had a blocked shot and a 56.3% success rate at the faceoff dot.

The point streak ties his career-long streak, which he established last season while playing in a contract year. Now, with three more years to go on his new deal, he’s not taking his foot off the pedal.

Another Lead Protected

While both teams played a prudent third frame, Ivan Demidov gave the Canadiens the lead with under eight minutes to go in the game, and the Habs were able to hang on. They protected the slimmest of leads, even though Ottawa attacked six-on-five, but they never would have been able to do so had it not been for Fowler’s brilliance.

In an intense last minute, the rookie goalie didn’t buckle under pressure; he played just as he had done since the start of the game, tracking the puck well, being positionally sound, and the Senators had no answer for his brilliance. Near, far, wherever the shots were coming from, he was there and ready. In the dying seconds, he made a jaw-dropping pad save that must have felt like a gut punch to Ottawa since the loss will really hurt their playoff hopes.

Absolutely unreal final minute from Jacob Fowler to seal the win.

Price like. pic.twitter.com/bCq178Z3SF

— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) March 12, 2026

While some will say the Canadiens didn’t deserve to win tonight because it was a sloppy game, the goaltender is part of the team, and Fowler certainly did deserve to win. In the second frame, after the Habs hit the post at one end, he made two saves on an Ottawa breakaway, which kept Montreal in the game.

F❌WLER#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/SHFRxRuhL6

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 12, 2026

The Tricolore will have a day off tomorrow before hitting the ice for practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Friday morning in readiness for the weekend’s back-to-back games against the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks.

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Will Bruins make the playoffs? Let's break down state of the race originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins are in the middle of a roster retool, but TD Garden still could be hosting important games in April and potentially May.

Boston’s streak of eight consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs ended last season as they finished with the NHL’s fifth-worst record. Many experts and analytics models were predicting the B’s would miss the playoffs again this season.

But the Bruins have defied the odds so far and actually have a pretty good shot at reaching the postseason.

The Bruins enter Thursday in the second wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but their margin for error is slim. However, many of the Bruins’ core players are no strangers to playing in important games at this time of the year, so the pressure of a playoff race shouldn’t be a negative for them.

Let’s take a look at the state of the playoff race entering Thursday.

Standings

Atlantic Division

Wild Card

The Bruins trail the Detroit Red Wings by one point with a game in hand for the first wild card playoff spot. They have only a one-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets and a five-point lead over the Ottawa Senators for the second and final wild card playoff spot in the East.

Holding off the Blue Jackets and Senators won’t be easy. Both of these teams are playing fantastic of late. The Senators have taken points from eight of their last 10 games. The Blue Jackets have a 6-1-3 record in their last 10 games.

It’s possible that a team like the Washington Capitals could get back into the race, but they are seven points behind with one more game played than the Bruins. That’s a tough deficit to overcome.

The Bruins could also qualify for the playoffs by finishing as one of the top three teams in the Atlantic Division. They are just four points behind the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning for third and second place.

If teams are tied in the standings at the end of the regular season, the first tiebreaker is regulation wins, and the Bruins have a lead in that category over Blue Jackets, Red Wings and Senators.

Remaining schedule

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Bruins have the second-toughest remaining schedule, per Tankathon. Eight of their last 18 games are against playoff teams. They still have to play the Lightning twice, Blue Jackets twice, the Stars, Sabres, Wild, Canadiens, Red Wings and Panthers.

Eleven of their last 18 games (including five of the last seven) are on the road, and that’s not good news for the Bruins because they’ve struggled away from home. Boston’s 11 road wins are at least five fewer than any other team currently occupying a playoff spot in the East.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a team that wants to have playoff success that’s not able to go out and win on the road. That’s an area we definitely have to be better at,” Bruins GM Don Sweeney said during his post-trade deadline press conference last Friday.

“Sometimes it’s our starts. Sometimes it’s our second period like (last Thursday night). There’s really no excuse for it, to be honest with you. To be a dominant home team like we have, you should be able to go into any environment and execute.”

The most important games left for the Bruins are probably the matchups against the Blue Jackets on March 29 and April 12. Both are in Columbus, and given how close these teams are in the standings, those points will be critical.

Other pivotal games with playoff implications include matchups with the divisional rivals such as the Canadiens, Lightning and Red Wings. The battle for the three Atlantic Division playoff spots will be fun to watch.

What do the analytics say?

Not every analytics model or website agrees on the Bruins’ playoff odds.

For example, MoneyPuck’s model gives the Bruins a 69.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. HockeyStats’ model gives the Bruins a 68 percent chance. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s model, created by Dom Luszczyszyn, gives the B’s just a 42 percent of reaching the postseason.

A tough schedule and an offense that is scoring well above expected could be some of the reasons for the Bruins not having better playoff odds. If the Bruins were to regress offensively in the coming weeks, it would not be surprising. Their 12.1 goals scored above the expected is the third-highest in the league.

A better-than-expected scoring output and strong goaltending (eighth-best save percentage) have been the primary drivers of the Bruins’ success this season. If either one starts to fall off, that would be a big problem for the B’s.

Grab the coffee because it’s going to be late night if you’re a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and plan to stay up and watch them do battle with the Vegas Golden Knights out in the desert. This will be the second meeting between the two sides in less than two weeks after the Golden Knights visited Pittsburgh to open March and left licking their wounds after the Penguins battered them 5-0 behind and Artur Silovs shutout.

Puck drop tonight is scheduled for 10:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.

Pens Points…

Evgeni Malkin is out of the lineup until Monday and Sidney Crosby’s return is still to be determined, but without the two superstars who have powered them over the last two decades, the 2025-26 Penguins continue to dig deep and scratch out every point they can seemingly get. [Pensburgh]

It was a tough weekend for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, dropping a pair of games but still rescuing a point out of the contests with an overtime loss in the latter. Despite the defeats, the Baby Pens remain firmly in second place in the Atlantic division. [Pensburgh]

Back in January, Sidney Crosby played a starring role in a surprise engagement outside of the team practice facility in Cranberry. After traveling from Montreal and attending a team practice, fans Mathieu and Sandra got engaged as Crosby drove by, giving the couple a thumbs up through his window. [Penguins]

As bodies fall, replacements are needed and the Penguins have dipped into the talent pool to refill the ranks as of late. One of these recent call ups was Ville Koivunen who is still fighting for a permanent spot in Pittsburgh and is doing his best to learn from every opportunity. [PPG]

Playing 10 games in a row was a big moment for Connor Clifton this season as he’s battled injuries and scratches for most of the campaign thus far. Healthy and proving his worth on the ice has helped lead Clifton to a regular starting role as the season enter the final stretch. [Trib Live]

NHL News and Notes…

What was once a strong looking free agent class loses a little more luster this week with forward Nick Schmaltz inking a new long term deal with the Utah Mammoth that will have him forego free agency this summer to remain in the Beehive State for the next eight years. [NHL]

Washington Capitals (32-27-7, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (40-19-6, in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sabres -204, Capitals +168; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the Washington Capitals after Jack Quinn recorded a hat trick in the Sabres' 6-3 win against the San Jose Sharks.

Buffalo has a 40-19-6 record overall and a 21-8-3 record in home games. The Sabres are third in league play with 228 total goals (averaging 3.5 per game).

Washington has a 12-16-4 record in road games and a 32-27-7 record overall. The Capitals have a 15-6-0 record in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.

Thursday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Sabres won the previous meeting 4-3 in a shootout.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tage Thompson has 34 goals and 36 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has six goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

Tom Wilson has 24 goals and 26 assists for the Capitals. Pierre-Luc Dubois has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 8-1-1, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.7 assists, 4.7 penalties and 12.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

Capitals: 5-5-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sabres: None listed.

Capitals: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.