DETROIT (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov completed the sixth hat trick of his NHL career on the power play with 1:51 remaining to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
The Wild led 4-1 before allowing Detroit to score three times in the third period and tie it. A penalty on Patrick Kane paved the way for Kaprizov to score his third goal of the game.
The Red Wings led the Atlantic Division and were tied for the most points in the Eastern Conference the morning of Jan. 25, with a 12-point playoff cushion. They've lost 12 of 20 games since to fall out of a spot with five left to play.
Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello each had an assist on the go-ahead goal. Vladimir Tarasenko and Boldy each scored for the Wild after Albert Johansson had a goal in the first.
J.T. Compher, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Kane scored on Filip Gustavsson to rally back. Gustavsson finished with 18 saves, while Detroit's Cam Talbot allowed five goals on 20 shots.
Up next
Wild: Host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
Red Wings: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
Stuck in their first four-game losing streak of the season at a critical point in an unexpected playoff chase, the New York Islanders fired Patrick Roy as head coach and replaced him with Pete DeBoer.
It was shocking in that it came on Easter Sunday, and amid their first sustained struggle in a season where external (if not internal) expectations were limited, and DeBoer now has just six games in this regular season to make some sort of impact.
But with the way the Islanders had played lately, and the degree to which they’ve relied on superlative performances by rookie Calder favorite Matthew Schaefer and Vezina contender Ilya Sorokin, it was common to wonder how long into this summer or next season Mathieu Darche would stick with Roy. The Islanders just began a rare four-day break in their game schedule, so if Darche was thinking of a late-season change for a while, this was the window.
DeBoer, of course, has a long track record of regular season success and long post-season runs, including an odds-defying 9-0 in Games 7. But he’s also had a short, burn-hot-and-fast shelf life in several of his previous stops. His last firing, by the Dallas Stars, came after mounting tension between him and players, including the goalie he threw under the bus after a playoff elimination.
DeBoer is 662-447-152 in 1,261 regular-season games for the Florida Panthers, Devils, San Jose Sharks, Golden Knights and Stars, and 97-82 in 179 Stanley Cup Playoff games while also guiding San Jose to the 2016 Final, a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His teams have advanced to at least the third round of the playoffs each of his past six seasons qualifying for the postseason, and in eight of his 10 overall.
Roy finishes his Islanders tenure with a record of 97-78-22 in 197 games. His lone playoff appearance was when he. replaced Lane Lambert on their way to a traditional five-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. His press conferences and media scrums, if not his on-ice structure, will be missed.
Saturday was an historic day for the Buffalo Sabres, as the club qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 15 years after the Detroit Red Wings lost 4-1 to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon, but the Sabres recent struggles continued, as they fell two points behind Tampa Bay for top spot in the Atlantic and into third place following a 6-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.
Buffalo fell behind 3-0 less than six minutes into the game, with Alex Lyon being pulled in favor of rookie Colten Ellis. The Sabres narrowed the gap to 3-2 by the end of the first, but the Capitals re-established a two-goal cushion in the middle frame and pulled away with a pair of third-period goals.
The loss marked the Sabres first pair of consecutive regulation losses since before GM Kevyn Adams was fired in early December and the fifth loss in the last seven games (2-3-2). It was also the third straight subpar outing for Lyon, who allowed six goals on 33 shots in an overtime loss to Anaheim on March 22 and four goals on 19 shots against Detroit on March 27.
The Lightning pulled into a two-point lead for top spot with a 3-1 win over Boston on Saturday, and Montreal tied the Sabres with 100 points and into second place based on having a game in hand and a one-game lead in regulation/overtime wins after a 4-3 shootout win in New Jersey. Monday’s matchup against Tampa Bay takes on even more meaning for Buffalo, as it is a must-win to keep their chances of winning the division alive. The Sabres could be two points behind the Habs by that time, since Montreal and the Devils face each other in the second of a home-and-home at the Bell Centre on Sunday night.
Monday's matchup against Tampa is a must win if the Sabres hope to have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Head coach Lindy Ruff spoke after the game:
Thoughts on the slow start in the loss:
We can't defend as poorly as we did on those first couple goals. I mean, we left two guys wide open. Coverage wasn't good, and ends up in the back of the net. We've taken a lot of pride. Our defensive play has been a big reason why we got to where we got. We can't take that for granted. (We took the timeout and) I talked about our defensive zone coverage. Just talked about, we've got to get back, got to stop inside. We were circling. I thought we fought our way back to 3-2, if you look at the second period, we have a two-on-one, we don't execute, would have made the game 3-3, and that two-on-one turned into a two-on-one the other way, and and they finished it (and) made it 4-2, and then now we're chasing the game again.
Did you pull Lyon to change momentum?
Yeah, for sure. He wasn't out there covering those guys that were wide open. He was trying to.
All of a sudden, you are in third place, which seems kind of shocking given on where the club has been for weeks:
You just have to refocus. You look at some of those plays that we made in our own end that weren't good enough. If you start cheating a little bit on offense, it hurts you, and I thought a couple times we got on the wrong side of the puck, and it hurt us. (Turning things around) starts with breaking the puck out. We haven't broke the puck out well enough. I think the first or second goal when (Byram) had it, it should be a play we're breaking the puck out. We turn that over and turnovers like that. When we have the puck, our players are automatically starting to head the other direction. So everything's connected. Break the puck out better, buy a little more time for your defense going back.
The New York Rangers appear to be locked in on utilizing three goaltenders to close out the 2025-26 season.
On March 20, the Rangers recalled Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, with Jonathan Quick dealing with an upper-body injury.
Through Quick’s seven-game absence, Garand played in two games, posting a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 goals against average, and .954 save percentage.
Since Garand notched his first NHL win on March 27, we haven’t seen him play in a game, which begs the question: Will the Rangers keep him around for the remainder of the season?
As of right now, it does not appear that the Rangers have any intention of sending Garand down to the AHL, but Sullivan hasn’t given confirmation whether or not Garand will get another start.
“Would we like for Dylan to get another start? Potentially, yes,” Sullivan said. “We'll see how it goes moving forward. We have a game plan for him.”
Having three goaltenders up at the same time creates some complications in terms of finding opportunities for all three of them.
Garand served in a backup role behind Shesterkin for much of Quick’s absence, being a healthy scratch for the past two games upon Quick’s return to practice.
Each goalie has been a participant in practice, but it’s difficult to split the repetitions equally, with Shesterkin and Quick receiving most of the work.
Through conversations with Rangers president and general manager Chris Dury as well as goaltending coach Jeff Malcolm, Sullivan has formulated a plan to navigate the three-goalie rotation.
“We have a game plan,” Sullivan said of the Rangers’ three-goalie rotation. “Chris Drury and I have had a conversation around this, so we're very much on the same page on what we think is best and why. That was a lengthy discussion. It's not a decision that we make lightly. I've talked to Shesty, Quickie and Dylan around a tentative game plan on what we think this whole thing might look like...
“Sometimes certain guys go out before practice, and they get repetition. Sometimes it's after practice. Certain guys split the net during the formal practice, depending on what that looks like. The point is, the logistical aspect of that (Jeff Malcolm) and I have had discussions around.”
Sullivan has made clear that, despite the Rangers being eliminated from playoff contention, Shesterkin is still the starting goaltender.
The Rangers have five games remaining this season, and with no back-to-backs in store, it’s possible Shesterkin starts every game to close out the 2025-26 campaign.
Even with the lack of opportunity to get game action at the NHL level, Sullivan believes there is value in keeping Garand with the Blueshirts and allowing him to learn under Shesterkin and Quick.
“I think Quickie and Shesty have been great mentors for Dylan Garand right now,” Sullivan emphasized. “I can see that relationship developing. The example that those two guys set for a guy like Dylan, it's great for Dylan to be around these guys... I think a guy like Dylan right now being around these guys, I think there's huge value in that, and a huge benefit in that.”
The Rangers’ backup goaltending position is up for grabs come next season, and given Garand’s breadth of experience in the AHL and the fact that Quick’s one-year, $1.55 million contract will expire on July 1, it isn’t far-fetched to assume that Garand could take over the position backing up Shesterkin and replace Quick.
The dilemma Sullivan seems to have on his hands is wanting to offer Garand more opportunities in order to see what the organization truly has in him, while also giving Quick the respect he deserves, who could very well be playing in his final NHL season at 40 years old.
“Shesty is an important guy to us. He's the number one guy here, and arguably the best goal in the game. We've had a lot of conversations lately about Quickie and what he means to the New York Rangers,” Sullivan said. “Just his body of work, and certainly, we are respectful of that. We're trying to do the right thing by all of our guys.”
Sullivan has continued to be tight-lipped regarding this three-goalie rotation, so it remains a mystery how it will evolve over these last remaining games.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 03: Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 3, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Mar 30, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy and players on the bench react during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Patrick Roy was fired as coach of the New York Islanders on Sunday, another late-season change in the NHL that comes with the team in the middle of a spring tailspin that has put its playoff chances in jeopardy.
First-year general manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision to part ways with Roy and name Peter DeBoer his replacement with four games left in the season. The Islanders have lost four in a row and seven of their past 10 games, going from comfortably in a playoff spot to needing help down the stretch in a competitive Eastern Conference race.
Getting outshot 40-16 and losing 4-3 at division-leading Carolina on Saturday night in another must-win game was the final straw for Darche, who took over last summer and decided at the time to keep Roy behind the bench.
Roy is the second head coach fired over the past eight days. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella on an interim basis a week ago.
This is not an interim move. DeBoer is taking the job full time.
The 57-year-old is fresh off serving as an assistant on coach Jon Cooper’s Canada’s staff at the Milan Cortina Olympics, serving as an advanced scout and helping a talented group reach the final before losing to the U.S. in overtime.
“More of preparation was just when everybody arrived here and you’ve got basically three days to prepare, that a lot of the grunt work is done,” DeBoer said in Milan. “I was involved in the scouting selection process. That was totally different for me and an exciting kind of wrinkle in what we usually normally do as coaches.”
DeBoer has taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Final and most recently coached the Dallas Stars to three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final before being fired last year following their latest exit.
Internationally, DeBoer was an assistant for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and has filled that role at multiple world championships. He called it a great opportunity for learning and perspective, even if being a head coach suits him better.
“Oh yeah, I’m a head coach,” DeBoer said. “I’m a short-term assistant coach. ... You always come back a better head coach for, I think, doing that.”
Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender considered one of the best to ever play the position, was hired by former GM Lou Lamoriello in January 2024 as a midseason replacement for fired coach Lane Lambert. Sparked by his arrival, the team made the playoffs that year and lost in the first round to Carolina. Regression has followed since, though players in recent days still had praise for Roy.
“He cares about the guys in the room,” captain Anders Lee said last week. “I think his messaging this season has been on point and he’s been able to read the room in a really good place and done his best to continue us on this journey of an 82-game hockey season.”
Roy did not make it to game No. 82, nor did he have the kind of public outbursts during games that were part of his first NHL gig with Colorado.
“I heard (about) his temper and stuff, or I’ve seen it over the years, like everybody,” said winger Ondrej Palat, who joined New York in a trade from New Jersey in late January. “He seems very calm. On the bench, he could get heated with all the circumstances that happen in a game. But in the room and around the boys, he’s pretty calm and positive.”
Parting ways with Roy comes at crucial point for the organization. Rookie of the year front-runner Matthew Schaefer has been a revelation in his first NHL season at the age of 18, and several other top prospects are on their way.
Roy was in his second job running a team in the league, following a three-year tenure with the Avalanche from 2013-16 that included winning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year and abruptly resigning in the middle of the summer. They hired Jared Bednar, who then coached them to the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Darche and the Islanders are hoping for the same trajectory after making this change.
The postseason buzz felt real on Easter Sunday in South Philadelphia.
The Flyers climbed into playoff position with a 2-1 win over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Porter Martone scored his first career NHL goal to win it in OT.
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers an early lead. Dan Vladar was excellent in net.
The Flyers (39-26-12) now hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with five games to go. They took advantage of a busy Saturday going completely in their favor while they watched from home.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, the fortune went our way,” Rick Tocchet said before the game. “But we’ve been trying to not worry about what’s happening on the scoreboard. Obviously you look at it, but to me, some of that doesn’t matter if you don’t win hockey games. This is a big game for us.”
Tocchet’s club played like it, continuing its surge down the stretch. The Flyers won for the 14th time in their last 20 games (14-5-1) and have a real chance to end their five-year playoff drought (more on that below).
They went to overtime for the 27th time this season. They’re 15-12 after regulation.
The Flyers took two of three games from the Bruins (43-26-9) in their regular-season series.
In the division race, the Flyers are also battling the Blue Jackets and Capitals. Columbus has 88 points and was idle Sunday. Washington has 87 points and visits the Rangers tonight. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Capitals.
The Flyers entered the day in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Detroit lost in regulation to the Wild. Ottawa is currently playing the Hurricanes.
As of right now, the Flyers can focus on the division race. But we’ll update the latest on the wild card here when the Senators-Hurricanes game goes final.
• Vladar did his job once again, denying 18 of 19 shots.
The 28-year-old has given up just two goals over the last two games.
Boston cracked Vladar in the opening minute of the third period when Pavel Zacha scored a power play goal. Carl Grundstrom was in the penalty box for interference toward the end of the season period.
Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.
Dvorak struck just 4:19 minutes into the game. Martone sprung him with a crafty touch pass. The 19-year-old winger has not played like a teenager since signing his entry-level deal. He looks like he belongs.
Martone had a couple of looks with under five minutes left in regulation, but he couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Not long after denying Martone twice, Korpisalo turned away Tyson Foerster at the doorstep.
But Martone got Korpisalo in OT.
• The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The postseason buzz felt real on Easter Sunday in South Philadelphia.
The Flyers climbed into playoff position with a 2-1 overtime win over the Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Porter Martone scored his first career NHL goal to win it in OT. It came on a 5-on-3 power play and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
“It was awesome to get that win in front of these fans,” Martone said.
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers an early lead and also assisted Martone’s winner. Dan Vladar was excellent in net. The goaltender pumped up the crowd when he skated back onto the ice as the game’s third star.
“All I heard before I came here was that the fans are passionate,” Vladar said. “I wanted to experience it myself and I did, so it was great.”
The Flyers (39-26-12) now hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with five games to go. They took advantage of a busy Saturday going completely in their favor while they watched from home.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, the fortune went our way,” Rick Tocchet said before the game. “But we’ve been trying to not worry about what’s happening on the scoreboard. Obviously you look at it, but to me, some of that doesn’t matter if you don’t win hockey games. This is a big game for us.”
Tocchet’s club played like it, continuing its surge down the stretch. The Flyers won for the 14th time in their last 20 games (14-5-1) and have a real chance to end their five-year playoff drought (more on that below).
“I think that West Coast trip, after going 3-0, I felt a little swagger from the guys coming off the plane,” Tocchet said. “That’s a tough trip. I think the week before, we had some tough games, some odd hours going to bed. Then we go on that West Coast trip, to go 3-0, I think that really added a lot of belief.”
The Flyers went to overtime for the 27th time this season. They’re 15-12 after regulation.
They took two of three games from the Bruins (43-26-9) in their regular-season series.
“I think this past month, just how we’ve been playing, it has been playoff hockey,” Noah Cates said. “For us to just stay above, be disciplined, not try to do something fancy or something stupid at the blue line, it speaks to the growth of the team — where we want to go, where we want to be, just how good we can be when we play that way.”
In the division race, the Flyers are also battling the Blue Jackets and Capitals. Columbus has 88 points and was idle Sunday. Washington stayed at 87 points after being blown out by the Rangers. The Flyers have a game in hand on the Capitals.
The Flyers entered the day in a four-way tie with the Senators, Red Wings and Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Detroit lost in regulation to the Wild. Ottawa beat the Hurricanes, so it holds the second wild-card position at 90 points.
As of right now, the Flyers can focus on the division race. They control their destiny for third place.
• Vladar did his job once again, denying 18 of 19 shots.
The 28-year-old has given up just two goals over the last two games.
Boston cracked Vladar in the opening minute of the third period when Pavel Zacha scored a power play goal. Carl Grundstrom was in the penalty box for interference toward the end of the second period.
Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.
Dvorak struck just 4:19 minutes into the game. Martone sprung him with a crafty touch pass.
“That’s not an easy play at all,” Dvorak said. “It was right on my tape, I didn’t even have to move my stick.”
The 19-year-old winger has not played like a teenager since signing his entry-level deal. He looks like he belongs.
“You can just tell he’s a hockey player, he loves the game,” Tocchet said. “Even on the bench, you tell him something, he’s a very engaged kid.”
Through his first four games, with the pressure of a playoff race, Martone has a goal, two assists and 20 shots.
“It’s impressive, not easy to do that coming from college and right into a playoff race,” Dvorak said. “He’s a big body, really smart, high hockey IQ player. That’s really important in this league.”
Martone had a couple of looks with under five minutes left in regulation, but he couldn’t beat Korpisalo. Not long after denying Martone twice, Korpisalo turned away Tyson Foerster at the doorstep.
But Martone got Korpisalo in OT.
“For me, just every shift, come back to the bench and reset,” the 2025 sixth overall pick said. “The goalie made two good saves on those. I knew if I got another chance, hopefully it would go in.”
• The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
At one point, Kopitar was asked if there were a time in his career when he thought he wouldn't be a King.
"Honestly, I didn't, no," Los Angeles' captain said confidently. "I felt like L.A. was my team, it's where I belong, and it didn't really cross my mind to where I'd go somewhere else."
While Kopitar admitted he wouldn't want his career to pan out any other way in terms of what his home has been for the past 20 years, he played the hypothetical game.
"(If) I really have to pick… probably Montreal," he admitted to Friedman. "I don't know, I just enjoy the city, I enjoyed playing there. Yeah, if I had to pick one, it'd probably be the Canadiens."
While it's not possible for Kopitar to switch teams at this point in the season - nor would he even entertain the idea - but he'd be a great fit for the Habs right about now.
Jake Evans and Anze Kopitar (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)
The Canadiens are doing just fine as they're second in the Atlantic Division and are hovering around being a top-five team in the NHL at this stage of the season. But one weakness they have is the hole on the second line at the center position.
It would be fun for Habs fans to fantasize about having the Kings' all-time point scorer on their roster, but Kopitar wouldn't trade his time in Los Angeles for anything else.
And because he knows he's calling it quits at the end of this season, why not play around with some hypothetical scenarios as he looks back on his incredible NHL career?
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This decision comes after the Islanders dropped four straight games, in which they played anything but competitive hockey, with the 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes the worst from a game-play perspective.
Roy, who replaced Lane Lambert halfway through the 2022-23 season, failed to make the playoffs in each of his first two seasons behind the Islanders' bench.
The Islanders went 88-76-20 under Roy.
DeBoer, who was relieved of his duties as the Dallas Stars head coach after pulling Jake Oettinger just 7:09 into the game following two goals on two shots in Game 5 of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, has 18 years of NHL coaching experience.
The grizzled veteran head coach has term on his new deal. Roy had two seasons left.
The Islanders battle the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
The New York Islanders have announced that they have fired Montreal Canadiens legend Patrick Roy from their head coaching position and hired Pete DeBoer as his replacement.
The timing of this firing is surprising, as the Islanders have only four more games remaining this regular season. Now, with this news, DeBoer will be looking to lead the Islanders to the playoffs instead of Roy.
However, the Islanders firing Roy comes with them in the middle of a four-game losing streak. They have lost lost seven out of their last 10 games and have the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington Capitals all right behind them for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Coaching firings don't normally happen this late into the NHL season, but Roy is now the second coach to be fired since late March. Crazy times in the NHL.
#Isles News: New York Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice President Mathieu Darche announced today that Patrick Roy has been relieved of his coaching responsibilities. Peter DeBoer has been named Head Coach of the New York Islanders.
The Islanders have fired head coach PatrickRoy with four games remaining in the regular season, general manager Mathieu Darche announced on Sunday.
Peter DeBoer was named the new head coach in a hiring that is expected to last longer than the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Isles are expected to retain all of their assistant coaches for the time being, according to Arthur Staple.
Roy's firing comes amid a slump that has seen the Isles lose seven of the last 10 games, as they have gone from looking certain to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs to a team on the brink of seeing their season end. Roy had two years remaining on his contract.
New York, losers of four straight after a 4-3 defeat to Carolina on Saturday, enters Sunday one point ahead of Philadelphia and Columbus for the final spot as the third-place team in the Metropolitan division, but has two games in hand over the Flyers and one game over the Blue Jackets.
The Isles are also in a precarious position when it comes to the wild card, as Ottawa (who occupy the final spot) and Detroit are both one point behind in the standings and with two games in hand. (The Boston Bruins, in the first wild card spot, enter Sunday five points ahead of the Islanders.)
The Islanders are back on the ice Thursday, at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
DeBoer comes to New York after spending three seasons behind the bench in Dallas, where he led the Stars to three consecutive conference finals appearances and a 149-58-29 regular season record. DeBoer was fired last June, with some of his public comments about goaltender Jake Oettinger after a Game 5 loss a week prior contributing to his dismissal.
Before that, he spent three seasons in Vegas, leading the Golden Knights to the conference finals twice. He also spent five seasons as the head coach in San Jose, making the playoffs four times, four seasons with the Devils, with one postseason trip, and three unsuccessful seasons with Florida.
He has made two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, but came up short with the Devils in 2012 and the Sharks in 2016.
DeBoer has a 662-447-152 record (.585 points percentage) during his 18-year head coaching career, and is 97-82 (.542 winning percentage) in the playoffs.
Roy, who was hired in January 2024 after New York fired Lane Lambert, went 20-12-5 down the stretch, but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He missed the playoffs in his second season and departed with a 97-78-22 record (.548 points percentage) for his time with the Islanders.
The Islanders fired Patrick Roy with four games remaining in the regular season.
Patrick Roy lost the Islanders dressing room, and consequently his job, the way Mike Campbell went bankrupt: gradually, then suddenly.
A month ago, you could have made a case for Roy getting votes for the Jack Adams Trophy. But by Friday night, when he took the blame for the Islanders looking unready to play in the first period against the Flyers, everyone paying attention knew that he was on thin ice. A day later, when his team was again embarrassed by the Hurricanes, it was obvious both that the Islanders had tuned out Roy and that he was very much on the clock.
Turns out, Mathieu Darche had likely already made the decision by then to end Roy’s fascinating-yet-failing tenure behind the Islanders’ bench. With four games left in the season and the club likely to fall out of a playoff spot before Thursday’s home game against the Maple Leafs, Roy was replaced by Pete DeBoer.
The move was shocking given the timing, but perhaps not altogether surprising.
Patrick Roy is pictured after the Islanders’ April 4 loss to the Hurricanes. Imagn Images
DeBoer, per multiple reports, was hired under a multiyear deal. This move would have required consent of ownership given that Roy had time left on his contract, but it is Darche who owns this bold and potentially defining decision.
It is a Lou Lamoriello-esque move from Lamoriello’s replacement, albeit one that — unlike Darche’s predecessor’s famous decision to fire Robbie Ftorek and hire Larry Robinson to coach the Devils in 2000 — seemed to hasten the inevitable.
Roy was hired by Lamoriello, not Darche, and although the two established a good working relationship, that fact always meant that the coach was likely to be the first person to take the blame under a new administration.
For now, The Post confirmed, the assistant coaching staff remains unchanged, though that may not remain true for long once the season is over.
Neither Darche nor DeBoer spoke publicly on Sunday, with the plan being for both to talk after the Islanders practice Monday.
At least in the short term, the task in front of DeBoer is obvious: get the Islanders to the playoffs and avoid what would be an utter calamity.
Up until the March 19 match in Ottawa, the Islanders had looked not just like a postseason lock, but a team that could potentially win a round.
Since then they are 3-7-0, losing control of their own destiny and a vibe that had been impeccable all year — driven by Matthew Schaefer’s ascendant rookie season — has turned aimless.
Peter DeBoer is pictured during an Islanders game in May 2025. NHLI via Getty Images
Captain Anders Lee said the team needed to stick together, a comment that seemed loaded with subtext, and MSG’s footage of the Islanders looking disinterested in what Roy had to say during a timeout the same night only added to the sense that something was not right.
Making matters even worse, Roy took the blame for his team being unready to play in the first period on Friday, only for them to be even worse in Saturday’s first period.
“100 percent,” Ryan Pulock said Saturday when asked whether Roy’s message was getting through. “He believes in us and we believe in him.”
As for the question of “Why now?” the answer is twofold.
First, if Roy had lost the faith of players and management, then there was little reason to think the Islanders’ best chance of making the playoffs was with him behind the bench.
Second, DeBoer has been considered the best candidate available all season after being fired by the Stars last spring. By hiring him now, Darche jumped a market that will be highly competitive in just a few weeks with Bruce Cassidy and Peter Laviolette among the big names still available.
Hiring DeBoer, a veteran coach with a proven track record across stops in Florida, San Jose, New Jersey, Vegas and Dallas, also sends a clear signal that the Islanders believe they are close to being a legitimate contender.
Though there will surely be severe ramifications to the roster during the offseason — very possibly including Lee’s exit as an unrestricted free agent — this is not a hire that screams retool.
Rather, it is one whose underlying currents indicate a busy offseason is to come, and that Darche has little intention of letting Schaefer’s years under an entry-level deal go to waste.
First, though, is the next four games. And, the Islanders had better hope, the playoffs.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 04: Seth Jarvis #24 and Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes are seen during warm ups ahead of a game against the New York Islanders at Lenovo Center on April 4, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
There’s no rest for the weary Hurricanes as they have to take a quick trip North of the Border for the last time in the regular season to face off against an Ottawa team that’s—stop me if you heard this one before—fighting for its spot in the playoffs.
In the last two weeks—starting with the 5-1 win against the Penguins in Pittsburgh—the Canes have played seven games and six have been against opponents fighting for their playoff lives. The only team to catch them has been Montreal. The latest victim was the New York Islanders on Saturday who currently sit in third in the Metropolitan Division, and next up is an Ottawa team that would be Carolina’s opponent if the playoffs started today. Which they don’t.
What’s helped Carolina is that they have something to play for, and honestly may continue to have something up until the last day of the season thanks to a ridiculously close Atlantic Division. Entering Sunday, they lead Pittsburgh by 10 points for first place in the Metro. As Pittsburgh has only five games left—including a 3 PM tilt against Florida (that is not a typo, somehow the NHL scheduled Florida and Pittsburgh to play in Pittsburgh on back-to-back days)—the best they can hope for is a tie. Should that happen because Pittsburgh won every game in regulation and the Hurricanes lost all six of their remaining games in regulation, then Pittsburgh would actually be the Metro champs because they’d have 37 regulation wins to the Canes’ 36.
What that means for Carolina is that if Pittsburgh once again wins in regulation—and now that Florida is officially eliminated it’s tough to see them really fighting that hard even after being killed 9-4 on Saturday—the Canes will need to get their game at least to Overtime. That will provide them with at least a point, and officially clinch the division. If somehow Pittsburgh fails to win in regulation, however, then that also clinches the division for Carolina. Why? Well, the best Pittsburgh can do then would be to tie the Canes in regulation wins at 36, the next tiebreaker is regulation plus overtimes wins (ROW) and the Canes have an eight game lead on Pittsburgh there.
In short—it’s possible the Canes will have clinched the division officially before their game against the Senators finishes, and if not all they have to do is get their game to overtime. That will bring them their first division title since 2023. Of course then it’s a fight for the top seed in the East overall, and as Tampa proved by coming back to beat Boston they aren’t going to sit back since both Montreal and Buffalo are tied for second just two points behind them. The answer as to when you sit guys that aren’t 100% may be later than you’d think.
With the short turnaround of a 7 PM game at home and now a 5 PM game on the road, don’t expect a morning skate for Carolina, and it’s also likely that once again coach Rod Brind’Amour won’t be changing out the lines. Frederik Andersen should be between the pipes.
On the other side of the ice the Ottawa Senators are one of several teams in the East that…don’t seem to really want to claim a spot. The Boston Bruins have gotten points in seven of their last ten to build a six point cushion over the second wild card spot, so even with their loss to Tampa on Saturday they are playing solid hockey. The Islanders, Senators, Red Wings, and Blue Jackets have all stumbled as of late while the Flyers and Capitals have taken advantage to crawl back in the race. It’s created a log jam to where Ottawa is technically in the WC2 spot, but they are right now tied in points with Detroit, Philadelphia, and Columbus. The Islanders sit just one point ahead of this group but in third place in the Metro, while Washington is just one point back though with one fewer game remaining than most.
Ottawa is going to get the benefit of the same back-to-back at home that Carolina got last weekend. The Senators are already 0-1 in this pair having dropped a decision to a Minnesota Wild team still with an outside shot of catching Dallas for second in the Central and hosting round one. The loss was the fourth in five games for Ottawa, which feels like they’ve been dealing with one story after another off the ice this season. That includes this week when Captain Brady Tkachuk’s dad Keith had some comments on the Tkachuk Brothers’ podcast that seemed to disparage goalie Linus Ullmark.
Speaking of Ullmark, the question will be whether he does the same thing as Ilya Sorokin and start back-to-back games, or if Ottawa goes with James Reimer who hasn’t played since Tuesday night. The Senators are in an “every point matters” situation, and they may feel that their best chance is Ullmark instead of a rested Reimer. We’ll find out around game time.
Thus on one side we have a team possibly looking to clinch a division while keeping their play up against a potential playoff opponent again versus another that’s trying to claw and get every point and even qualify. It should be a good match. If you aren’t in Ottawa to see this in person, here’s how you can catch the action:
Time: 5 PM
TV: FanDuel Sports Network in the Carolinas. Mike Maniscalco will handle play-by-play alongside Tripp Tracy doing color. Hanna Yates and Shane Willis will provide off-ice reports.
Streaming:FanDuel Sports Network App for fans in the Carolinas. Outside the Carolinas, the game will be available on the ESPN app for any ESPN+/ESPN Unlimited subscribers.
Radio: The pregame on 99.9 The Fan starts at 4:30. At 5PM the Hurricanes Radio Network (consisting of 99.9, 730 The Game in Charlotte, ESPN New Bern 107.5/1490, and ESPN Greenville 107.5/1570) picks up the FDSN feed. You can also stream the call on the Hurricanes app.
Odds: Hurricanes -128 Moneyline, Puckline Hurricanes -1.5 at +194/Senators +106 Moneyline, Puckline +1.5 at -260, O/U 6.5 (+104 Over/-128 Under)
The Montreal Canadiens can join those teams in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket on Sunday, April 5.
Also Sunday, the Carolina Hurricanes can clinch the Metropolitan Division title, and the Colorado Avalanche can clinch the Central Division and Western Conference titles.
The Eastern Conference bracket could also see some big changes. The Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers (88 points each) and the Washington Capitals (87) are in action.
The Senators currently hold the second wild-card spot in the East on a tiebreaker and could be passed by the other three teams. The Flyers could move past the idle New York Islanders (89) into third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders would drop out of a playoff spot if both the Flyers and Capitals win.
Here's what to know about the NHL standings, including the latest playoff bracket, who can clinch today and the tiebreaker procedures for the 2025-26 season:
Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Buffalo
Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota
Who can clinch an NHL playoff berth today?
The Montreal Canadiens will clinch a playoff berth if they get at least one point vs. the Devils or if the Red Wings or Senators lose.
The Carolina Hurricanes will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if they get at least one point vs. the Senators or the Penguins fail to win in regulation.
The Colorado Avalanche will clinch the Central Division and Western Conference titles if they defeat the Blues.
NHL games today (Sunday, April 5)
All times Eastern.
Minnesota at Detroit, 1, TNT
Florida at Pittsburgh, 3
Boston at Philadelphia, 3:30, TNT
Carolina at Ottawa, 5
New Jersey at Montreal, 7
Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 7, ESPN
St. Louis at Colorado, 9:30, ESPN
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
After April 4 games. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
x-Carolina Hurricanes (104)
Pittsburgh Penguins (94)
New York Islanders (89)
Atlantic Division
x-Tampa Bay Lightning (102)
Montreal Canadiens (100)
x-Buffalo Sabres (100)
Wild card
Boston Bruins (96)
Ottawa Senators (88)
Sitting out of playoff position: Detroit Red Wings (88), Philadelphia Flyers (88), Columbus Blue Jackets (88), Washington Capitals (87), New Jersey Devils (81), z-Toronto Maple Leafs (78), z-Florida Panthers (77), z-New York Rangers (73)
NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
After April 4 games. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Central Division
x-Colorado Avalanche (110)
x-Dallas Stars (102)
x-Minnesota Wild (98)
Pacific Division
Edmonton Oilers (87)
Anaheim Ducks (87)
Vegas Golden Knights (86)
Wild card
Utah Mammoth (86)
Nashville Predators (81)
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (81), San Jose Sharks (79), Winnipeg Jets (78), St. Louis Blues (76), Seattle Kraken (75), Calgary Flames (72), z-Chicago Blackhawks (70), z-Vancouver Canucks (52)
NHL playoffs if they started today
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 4:
Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
Pittsburgh (M2) vs. N.Y. Islanders (M3)
Tampa Bay (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
Montreal (A2) vs. Buffalo (A3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card
NHL Western Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on April 4.
Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
Edmonton (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
Anaheim (P2) vs. Vegas (P3)
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card
NHL tiebreakers: What is the first tiebreaker in NHL standings?
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:
Regulation wins
Regulation and overtime wins (ROW)
Total wins
Most points earned in head-to-head competition: If teams had an uneven number of meetings, the first game played in the city that has the extra game is excluded.
Goal differential
Total goals
When does the NHL regular season end?
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.
When do the NHL playoffs start?
The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18.
