In a postgame interview with NBC Sports California’s Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda, it seemed as though the fifth-year winger still was trying to process his incredible goal.
“I tried to get around him. It was late in the shift, too; it bounced up in the air, and I just tried to get some of the stick on it. It was nice,” Eklund told Hahn and Remenda. “I don’t know. It was just nice to get a goal, to be honest.”
The quality of the goal was noteworthy enough, but it broke an long drought for Eklund, too. Before Thursday, he hadn’t scored since his overtime winner against the Los Angeles Kings all the way back on Jan. 7 — 20 games ago.
Furthermore, Eklund was a game-time decision in the first place with a lower-body injury. Coach Ryan Warsofsky had high praise for the gritty 23-year-old in the locker room.
“He plays through injuries. He’s a tough kid. He wants to be out there,” Warsofsky told reporters. “He wants to make a difference for his team, and I give him a lot of credit. That’s a heck of a goal. … I mean, that’s a goal that you’ll see on highlight reels for a long, long time. That’s one of the nicest goals I’ve seen.”
While Eklund’s aerial finish reminded some of Bobby Orr’s famous “flying goal” to win the 1970 Stanley Cup Final — which also took place in Boston — both the scorer and his Massachusetts-native coach were hesitant to agree with the comparison.
Nevertheless, it’s a goal the Sharks certainly hope will bolster Eklund’s play over the final 19 games of the regular season.
“I’ve been working really hard, you know, to get those apples [assists] in,” Eklund told Hahn and Remenda. “But I can score goals, too, and it’s nice to get those going.”
Speaking of assists, which Eklund hasn’t struggled to pick up lately, he tallied another earlier in the night on the Sharks’ beautiful first goal via Michael Misa.
Thursday’s win moved San Jose back into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. And with the Stanley Cup playoffs around the corner, a productive Eklund could go a long way to getting the Sharks there.
With yet another notch in the injury department for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team is taking more measures to offset some of their losses and keep legs fresh.
And they made another move to address that on Thursday.
With recently acquired blueliner Sam Girard out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the Penguins shuffled a few things around with their defensive corps ahead of their matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday evening. They recalled 6-foot-4, 230-pound left defenseman Alexander Alexeyev from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - and sent Ryan Graves to the AHL on a conditioning loan.
Alexeyev, 26, has yet to appear for the Penguins in an NHL game this season, and he has three goals and seven points to go along with a plus-4 and 15 penalty minutes at the AHL level this season. The former first-round pick (31st overall in 2018) was signed to a one-year deal this offseason by the Penguins after spending parts of four NHL seasons with the Washington Capitals.
In 80 career regular season games, he has one goal and eight points, and he also appeared in 10 playoff games for the Capitals last season, registering no points and coming in at a minus-2.
Graves, 30, is in the third season of a six-year contract that pays him $4.5 million annually. He has appeared in only 19 games at the NHL level this season for Pittsburgh after getting waived following training camp, and he has not played since Jan. 21 against the Calgary Flames.
According to The Athletic, the Edmonton Oilers' goaltending situation is beyond not pretty. This shouldn't come as a huge surprise, but to see them ranked 31st out of 32 teams might be a bit of a shocker.
A recent article that ranked all NHL goalie tandems examined several factors while also weighing changes over time. For example, because the NHL is tracking shots differently -- and NHL shooters are just more skilled -- the leaguewide average save percentage this season is down to .896, the lowest it has been in 33 years.
One would think that an overall lowering of save percentages, even among the NHL's elite backstops might help the average goalie. That didn't help the Oilers, however.
The New York Islanders ranked at the top of the list with the best goaltending tandem. Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich were seen as the cream of the crop. At the bottom were the Ottawa Senators. Jesse Granger, the author of the article, wrote: "Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark and Leevi Meriläinen have combined for -36.3 GSAx. Not only is that the worst in the NHL, but it’s also more than twice as bad as the next closest tandem."
"The Oilers have started four different goalies this season, and none have a save percentage north of .900 or positive goals saved above expected. Edmonton’s defending certainly plays its part in that, but the goalies haven’t played well enough themselves either."
The goaltenders Granger speaks of are Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard, Tristan Jarry, and Connor Ingram.
Skinner was traded because the Oilers felt he couldn't be relied upon to get them through a grueling playoff run. Pickard's numbers were so poor at the start of the season, he was eventually placed on waivers and went unclaimed. Jarry came in as part of the Skinner trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ingram was traded for when the Utah Mammoth decided to move on because personal off-ice health issues led to the need for a fresh start.
Granger adds, "Since he was traded to Edmonton, Tristan Jarry has posted a .900 save percentage or better in only four of his 14 starts. For comparison, he did it eight times in 14 starts with the Penguins prior to the trade."
This isn't all on the goalies. The Oilers' defense has been hideous for much of the season. It's been an issue the team has tried to address with the additions of Connor Murphy and a strong defensive forward in Jason Dickinson. Edmonton even brought former assistant coach Paul Coffey back to help right the ship on the blue line.
Unfortunately, until all that is sorted out, the Skinner-for-Jarry swap hasn't looked like a win for the Oilers. Skinner has played well in Pittsburgh: interestingly, they ranked 18th on this list.
Does this 31st-place ranking feel fair? Or is the goaltending better than that in cities like Vancouver, where Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen have struggled? What about in St. Louis, where Joel Hofer has played OK, but Jordan Binnington has been the subject of trade rumors most of the season?
It certainly has to be better than the mess in Toronto, where Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, and Dennis Hildeby have contributed to a disaster of a season for the Maple Leafs.
One thing is clear: if the Oilers don't get better goaltending and Jarry and Ingram don't find another gear, seeing the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final for a third-straight season is likely a pipe dream.
The St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Calle Rosen to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
The deal will see Rosen paid $850,000 at the NHL level and $500,000 at the AHL level in 206-27, and then $900,000 in the NHL and $500,000 in the AHL during the 2027-28 season.
The 32-year-old had spent three seasons with the Blue organization, then played the 2024-25 season with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, and began the 2025-26 season with the Hershey Bears. The Blues acquired Rosen in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Nov. 3, 2025.
Since returning, Rosen has scored seven goals and 26 points in 47 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Swedish defender has become a trusted leader for the Thunderbirds, bringing NHL and SHL experience, as well as Calder Cup-winning experience, having taken home the coveted AHL championship in the 2017-18 season with the Toronto Marlies.
Rosen has accumulated 93 games of NHL experience, scoring 11 goals and 31 points. 73 of those 93 games came with the Blues.
Rosen was set to become a UFA at the end of the season, but his contract extension will keep him with the club through 2028, when he will be 34.
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The Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Mammoth are going to play each other for the second time in under a week. This is also the third matchup since the Olympics ended. Both games ended in victory for Chicago, including a 3-2 overtime win on Monday night.
For the Blackhawks, it is two straight games against the Mammoth, who played against the Minnesota Wild in between on Tuesday night. The Mammoth suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Wild, so they will return home with extra hunger to get back on track.
Scouting Utah
The Utah Mammoth is going to play its first game since the announcement of a new contract extension for former Blackhawks first-round pick Nick Schmaltz. He has become quite a good NHL forward, and he plays with a ton of great talent around him.
The lines look a bit different for Utah as they are switching some things up after losing a couple in a row.
Keller - Schmaltz - Crouse
Peterka - Cooley - Guenther
McBain - Hayton - Carcone
Kerfoot - Stenlund - Yamamoto
Sergachev - Weegar
Schmidt - Marino
Cole - Durzi
Vejmelka
Instead of having Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Dylan Guenther on a super top line, Guenther and Lawson Crouse have switched spots. With Logan Cooley and JJ Peterka on the second line with Guenther, there is some nice depth in their top-six with these combinations.
Karel Vejmelka was the first goalie off the ice for Utah at their morning skate, so he will start in goal for them as the league's leader in goalie wins. It was Vitek Vanecek in goal on Monday at the United Center. He played very well, despite the loss, but they will be going back to their number one in this game.
Unlike their first matchup and the last handful of games for Utah, they will have Mikael Sergachev back in the lineup. Paired with the newly acquired Mackenzie Weeger on the top pair, there are defensemen on this team who can make an impact.
Don't expect to see the same performance out of the Utah Mammoth in Thursday's game as they showed on Monday. With a playoff berth on the line for them, every point is crucial.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks had an optional morning skate on Thursday in Salt Lake City, but the lines aren't expected to change very much.
There is the possibility that they go 11/7 instead of the traditional lineup of 12/6, in which case Ethan Del Mastro will dress on defense instead of Sam Lafferty at forward, but that won't be known until warmups.
Arvid Soderblom is set to start for Chicago. He earned a shutout victory for the Blackhawks last time they were in Utah, and he is looking for a big performance again.
Drew Commesso started in goal for the Blackhawks on Monday, but he was sent down to the Rockford IceHogs in response to Spencer Knight's return. Knight will back up in this game and then likely face the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen
Mangiapane-Donato-Mikheyev
Lardis-Lafferty-Slaggert
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Grzelcyk-Levshunov
Soderblom
Vitek Vanecek robbed Connor Bedard at point-blank range a couple of times on Monday, but Bedard had one of his best games of the season. Despite that, he walked away with just one assist.
Learning to accept that this is the reality of the NHL sometimes is part of Bedard's development, and he handles it well. Look for him to get on the scoresheet in this one as a response.
Nick Lardis is likely with the team for good now, but he is still on the fourth line at the moment. Playing well and finding the back of the net when his name is called will be his path to more ice time.
On defense, Alex Vlasic, Artyom Levshunov, and Sam Rinzel are seeing a post-trade deadline increase in role, and they are mostly thriving. On the road against a good Mammoth team, they will be tested again.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 8:00 PM CT.
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The Philadelphia Flyers moved on from a once-promising forward prospect at the NHL trade deadline, and less than a week later, his new team has done the same.
On Thursday, in a rare post-trade deadline deal, former Flyers prospect Massimo Rizzo, who was traded to Boston alongside Alexis Gendron for Brett Harrison and Jackson Edward, was dealt again.
Rizzo, alongside fellow former NCAA standout Dalton Bancroft, were sent to Nashville in exchange for Navrin Mutter.
The Flyers originally acquired Rizzo, 24, from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Tony DeAngelo trade, but his pro career never took off as his college stats would have suggested.
Rizzo made his pro debut for the Flyers organization last season, scoring six goals, 12 assists, and 18 points in 46 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
This year, though, the former seventh-round pick played exclusively in the ECHL with the Reading Royals, where he was nearly a point-per-game player with 22 points in 29 games.
After the trade deadline, Rizzo made a one-game cameo for the AHL Providence Bruins before getting sent on the move again.
Such is the life of an NHL prospect.
Part of the appeal of Rizzo's brief Flyers career was reuniting him with University of Denver teammate Bobby Brink, who started turning the corner on his own NHL career when Rizzo arrived.
That, obviously, never came to fruition, and Brink has since headed home to the Minnesota Wild in a trade that brought David Jiricek to Philadelphia.
ST.
LOUIS – It’s
no secret that the St. Louis Blues are looking hard and heavy at many
of their younger players, not just for the now but also for the
future.
With
their record (25-29-10) what it is, and being seven points out of a
Western Conference wild card spot and having to jump at least five
teams with 18 games remaining, the Blues would have to be near
spotless to be in the conversation of the playoffs moving forward.
So
looking at a number of their younger players is imperative, and none
could be more imperative than seeing how two of their young, budding
players can handle playing with their top-line center.
And
it’s been all systems go when it comes to the line of Dylan
Holloway, Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud.
Let’s
just say since the return of the Olympic break, the trio has been on
a tear. And it could be quite the appetizer for what’s to come if
the numbers and metrics continue.
In
the seven games played, Holloway leads the way with 10 points (five
goals, five assists) and a plus-11 rating, which is second only to
Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin (plus-15); Thomas has played in
just five games after returning from his right leg procedure but has
nine points (four goals, five assists) and a plus-10 rating, right
behind Holloway; and Snuggerud has eight points (three goals, five
assists) in seven games and a plus-5 rating.
Snuggerud
has three straight multi-point games heading into a quick road game
on Thursday against the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina
Hurricanes (41-17-6) at 6 p.m.
“It’s
been developing,” Snuggerud
said.
“(Thomas
is)
such a skilled player. ‘Holly’ works so hard to get the puck,
too. Two really skilled players. The chemistry’s really developing.
“‘Holly’s
got speed, he can rip the puck. Thomas is such a good playmaker and I
try to find areas for those guys, but those guys are so skilled, it
makes it easier to play with them. Not just skill alone, they work
hard in the corners to get the puck back and that’s an important
trait.”
There
are elements of everything when it comes to the line. Each provides
something that boosts the other two, and the chemistry, although just
getting started, continues to ascend.
“Playing
with ‘Tommer’ and ‘Snuggy’ has been a lot of fun honestly,”
Holloway
said.
“Both players are super special players. ‘Tommer’ just see’s
the ice so well, his vision’s incredible,
he’s always trying to find a good play. He always makes a good
play. ‘Snuggy’ the same, and ‘Snuggy’ can rip the puck too.
It’s been a lot of fun playing with those guys and just trying to
keep this momentum going.”
Thomas
seems to be the glue guy, obviously, the one who has the puck on his
stick more so and can find the other two in quiet areas. But don’t
underestimate the others, and their underrated playmaking skills and
ability to hunt pucks. But Thomas seems to make the line go.
“What
he does is he gets them more looks, he gets them more energy,”
Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said.
“All three of them are feeding off each other right now. It’s
quite obvious every time out there, they’re looking to create
something, and they are.”
The
goal Snuggerud scored in a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks last
Sunday is a perfect example of a right-handed player finding a
right-handed player in a quiet area, someone who’s in the right
spot and looking for the puck, but someone who has the ability of a
Snuggerud to get a shot off quick. He scored on Sunday, and there was
a similar play in the third period of Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss
to the New York Islanders, but on that occasion, Snuggerud ripped his
shot off the post.
“Righty-righty
can find each other for some reason really well,” Montgomery
said.
“You would think a righty and a lefty would find each other a
lot more,
but
they kind of open up to one-timers to each other and you have a true
passer and a true shooter, one who really wants to shoot the puck and
one who really wants to pass it. It’s just good chemistry there.
They both have high level IQ’s, which allows them to find space.
Thomas knows where he wants to put the puck and Snuggerud knows where
he wants to go to get it.”
Snuggerud
said, “Practice
helps a lot, just kind of being in the same areas that have worked.
Just keep finding the spots where the puck’s going in the net. Just
keep that ball rolling as much as possible.”
With
Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk gone and off the roster now, the
younger generation is being thrust into roles as being those
next-step players. But Thomas, who is nursing an upper-body injury
stemming from the first period on Tuesday where it appeared he was
hit on the hand with the puck, looks so much more fluent now that his
lingering lower-body injury from last season appears to be behind
him.
“He’s
the guy here. He’s the heart of this franchise now, so obviously
you need to impact the game as much as you possibly can when you’re
playing with him and you know that he’s going to make the plays
that he is,” Snuggerud
said.
“I’d say just be ready any time your number’s called with him.
It’s been fun to learn to make plays with him.”
-
- -
The Blues will be making two lineup changes for Thursday's game, with Nathan Walker coming into the lineup on the fourth line and will replace Jonathan Drouin, who was allowed to go back to New York to grab some more of his belongings and will meet the team back in St. Louis for their game Friday when they host the Edmonton Oilers.
Also, Jordan Binnington gets the start in goal, and Joel Hofer is in line to start against the Oilers.
- - -
The
Blues had some business to take care of in Springfield of the
American Hockey League on Thursday when they announced the
signing
of
defenseman Calle
Rosen
to
a two-year, two-way contract extension starting
with the 2026-27
season($850,000
NHL/$500,000 AHL)
and for
2027-28 ($900,000
NHL/$500,000 AHL).
The
32-year-old is in
his second stint with the organization after he was acquired from the
Washington Capitals on Nov. 3, 2025.
This
season, Rosen has 26
points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 46 games with Springfield and
seven
points (one goal, six assists) in nine games with the AHL Hershey
prior
to joining the Blues’ organization.
-
- -
Dmitry
Buchelnikov, a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft acquired as
part of the package for Faulk from the Detroit Red Wings, has signed
a one-year extension to remain with CSKA Moskva of the KHL for the
2026-27 season:
The
22-year-old forward, who has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 41
games this season.
-
- -
Blues
Projected Lineup:
Dylan
Holloway-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud
Otto
Stenberg-Pius Suter-Pavel Buchnevich
Jake
Neighbours-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jordan Kyrou
Alexey
Toropchenko-Jack Finley-Nathan
Walker
Philip
Broberg-Logan Mailloux
Theo
Lindstein-Colton Parayko
Cam
Fowler-Tyler Tucker
Jordan
Binnington
will start in goal; Joel
Hofer
will be the backup.
Healthy
scratches include Jonatan Berggren, Jonathan
Drouin,
Oskar Sundqvist, Justin Holl and Matthew Kessel. The Blues report no
injuries.
-
- -
Hurricanes
Projected Lineup:
Andrei
Svechnikov-Sebastian
Aho-Seth
Jarvis
Taylor
Hall-Logan
Stankoven-Jackson
Blake
Nikolaj
Ehlers-Jordan
Staal-Jordan
Martinook
William
Carrier-Mark
Jankowski-Eric
Robinson
Jaccob
Slavin-Jalen
Chatfield
K’Andre
Miller-Sean
Walker
Mike
Reilly-Alexander
Nikishin
Brandon
Bussi
will
start in goal; Frederik Andersen
will
be the backup.
Healthy
scratches include Nicolas Deslauriers
and
Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Shayne
Gostisbehere (lower body) and Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) are out.
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Michael Pezzetta grew up like many hockey kids in the Toronto Area: bleeding blue and white, wearing a No. 13 sweater in honor of Mats Sundin, and watching games from the 300-level of Scotiabank Arena.
On Wednesday night, he won’t be looking down at the ice from the rafters. He’ll be on it.
The 27-year-old will make his Maple Leafs debut after being called up from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. For Pezzetta, the realization that he is finally about to suit up for his hometown team is still sinking in.
"I’ve still got to pinch myself right now, just thinking about putting the jersey on," Pezzetta said. "I’m super excited. I could barely sleep last night. It’s crazy."
Pezzetta signed a two-year, $1.575 million contract with the Maple Leafs as a free agent on July 1, but he began the year in the minors as the team managed a logjam of depth at the forward position. Pezzetta knew his chances of making the Leafs were slim, but he focused on being a pro and waiting for the window to open.
"At the end of the day, it’s a business and it’s hockey," Pezzetta said of his time with the Marlies. "It’s part of the game going down and you just try to do your best and put yourself in a position to get called up. For me, it’s just going down with a good attitude, playing hard and doing what I can."
The window did eventually open, perhaps not in the way the Leafs had expected. A disappointing season saw Toronto become sellers at the trade deadline, shipping away forwards Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton. Now mired in an eight-game losing streak, the call-up comes at a time when the Maple Leafs are searching for a spark.
“We're going to look at guys down there, and he's one of the guys that we wanted to see, I'd say, for a little while now,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said of Pezzetta. “He's a guy that's going to bring in lots of energy and good skater, strong skater. So we'll see how it goes.”
Pezzetta has four goals and six assists in 37 games with the Marlies this season. No stranger to adversity, the sixth-round pick of the 2016 NHL draft was a longshot to make it to the NHL, but ended up playing in 200 NHL games over four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.
“I just want to prove to everybody and myself that I can still play here,” Pezzetta said.
The debut will be a family affair, though the notice was short. Pezzetta didn't find out he was officially in the lineup until Wednesday morning, leading to a frantic scramble in the family group chat.
"I sent a quick text to my group chat, my buddies, and my parents," he smiled. "Everyone’s super stoked and trying to track down some tickets now."
Pezzetta will have a familiar face nearby for the milestone. He spent much of his time this season with Bo Groulx, who made his Leafs debut in a 3-1 loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday. Groulx was even over at Pezzetta’s house for dinner the night before the call.
If the Detroit Red Wings are to break their lengthy postseason drought, they're going to have to do it without the help of their top two centers for an extended period of time.
Before their evening matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan announced on Thursday afternoon that both Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp were at least two weeks away from further evaluation.
Additionally, veteran David Perron, who was acquired one week ago from the Ottawa Senators but hasn't played since Jan. 20, is still at least a week away.
"Both Andrew and Dylan are going to be two weeks, and we'll reassess them then," McLellan said. "David Perron, we're shooting for a week."
Per @DetroitRedWings head coach Todd McLellan following Thursday’s morning skate in Tampa Bay, both captain Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp are “gonna be two weeks..will reassess them then.” #LGRW
This means both players will, at minimum, miss Detroit's next six games.
Larkin was injured last Friday against the Florida Panthers at home when he fell to the ice, his knee bending awkwardly. While he traveled with the Red Wings on their subsequent road trip, he hasn't been able to play.
Copp, who was also hurt against the Panthers, albeit on Tuesday in Florida, when former Red Wings forward Tomas Nosek fell onto his left leg during a face-off.
The Red Wings suffered damaging regulation losses to the Panthers in both games.
On Wednesday, the Red Wings announced that John Leonard, Sheldon Dries, and Eduards Tralmaks have all been recalled from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions.
They now sit in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Boston Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets hot on their trails. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres have taken over the first-place position in the Atlantic, while the Montreal Canadiens have moved three points ahead of Detroit.
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The Ottawa Senators are getting back their forfeited 2026 first-round pick, though it is being moved to a later position.
The NHL restored the pick on Thursday, March 12, but moved it to the end of the first round at No. 32 overall. The league said the Senators could not trade or transfer the pick. The team will also be fined $1 million Canadian.
The original forfeiture stemmed from a 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights traded Dadonov to Anaheim in 2022 but hadn't been informed that the Ducks were on the player's no-trade list. That trade was invalidated and the Senators were later told that they would have to forfeit their first-round pick in 2024, 2025 or 2026.
Here's what to know about Thursday's decision, including how it affects the draft and the draft lottery:
Why was the pick restored?
The punishment was handed down after Michael Andlauer purchased the Senators in September 2023. General manager Pierre Dorion stepped down after the penalty. The NHL said Andlauer had filed for relief based on the move being done under previous ownership, and the league agreed to modify the punishment.
"We fully accept the modified sanctions the league has imposed today. We are grateful for the league and commissioner keeping an open mind on this issue and modifying the penalty," Andlauer said in a statement. "The Senators organization is appreciative the fine money will be directed to the NHL Foundation Canada, to help grow the sport in our country. We consider this matter closed and will have no further comments on the situation."
How does this affect the draft?
Normally, the Stanley Cup champion (or the team that acquired that pick) would draft 32nd overall. They will draft 31st instead, and all other teams that finish ahead of the Senators in the standings will move up one pick.
How does this affect the draft lottery?
If the Senators miss the playoffs, they will be assigned the usual lottery odds based on where they finish. But they won't be allowed to win the lottery. If the drawing picks the Senators' combination of numbers for the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick, there will be a redraw.
Where do the Senators currently stand?
The Senators are five points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot and are ranked 17th in the league. They have 18 games left.
The Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Anaheim Ducks to Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, March 12, and the two teams couldn’t be heading in more opposite directions.
Anaheim is scorching hot and pushing for a postseason berth, while Toronto is punching the clock to end a lost season.
My top Ducks vs. Maple Leafs predictions and NHL picks call for a low-scoring bout tonight.
Ducks vs Maple Leafs prediction
Ducks vs Maple Leafs best bet: Under 6.5 (+105)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been under attack for poor defensive play and have surrendered a league-high 4.2 goals per game during their active 4-12-4 stretch.
As a result, we’re landing a fair price for this Under because Toronto has also onlyscored 2.5 goals per game during the slump, and the Maple Leafs are running into the sneaky Anaheim Ducks and red-hot starter Lukas Dostal.
Dostal has posted a solid .904 save percentage with a league-high 16.23 goals saved above expected across his past 15 starts, which includes a .939 SV% on the highway.
Ducks vs Maple Leafs same-game parlay
The Maple Leafs have also allowed the most shots per game (33.8) during the highlighted slump, while the Ducks have averaged a healthy 29.3 during the same stretch, so I’m anticipating Joseph Woll to be busy.
In addition to making 28 or more saves in six of his past nine starts, Woll was particularly sharp Tuesday against the Canadiens with 30 stops and 1.79 goals saved above expected.
The final leg of this same-game parlay turns to Toronto winger William Nylander, who has recorded three or more shots in seven of his past 11 games while logging a healthy 19:26 of ice time per night.
Ducks vs Maple Leafs SGP
Under 6.5
Joseph Woll Over 27.5 saves
William Nylander Over 2.5 shots
Ducks vs Maple Leafs odds
Moneyline: Ducks -105 | Maple Leafs -115
Puck Line: Ducks +1.5 (-245) | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+200)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-125) | Under 6.5 (+105)
Ducks vs Maple Leafs trend
The Anaheim Ducks have hit the Under in five of their last six games (+4.10 Units / 63% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Ducks vs. Maple Leafs.
How to watch Ducks vs Maple Leafs
Location
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Date
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Puck drop
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
TSN4
Ducks vs Maple Leafs latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was one of the league's most-talked-about trade candidates. However, in the end, the Flyers elected to hold on to the 6-foot-4 defenseman for the remainder of the season.
While Ristolainen is sticking with the Flyers for now, questions about his future in Philadelphia are continuing to come up.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson discussed multiple trade candidates for the 2026 NHL off-season, and Ristolainen was given the No. 5 spot.
Seeing Ristolainen make this off-season trade board is not surprising in the slightest. It is clear that the Flyers have been open to moving him, and he should generate interest from teams looking to boost their right side.
Ristolainen will also be entering the final year of his contract in 2026-27, so the summer could be a good time for the Flyers to move him. This is especially so when noting that this year's free agency class is not the strongest when it comes to defensemen.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Flyers end up moving Ristolainen during the off-season from here.
After a difficult loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, the Ottawa Senators got some good news from the NHL on Thursday morning.
The Senators will be able to make a selection in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft after all.
The league has modified the penalty originally handed down to Ottawa for its role in the 2021 trade that sent Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Senators failed to properly communicate the details of Dadonov's contract, which later contributed to the botched 2022 deal when Vegas tried to flip Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks, a team that was on his no-trade list.
Initially, as punishment, the NHL ordered the Senators to forfeit their first-round pick in one of the 2024, 2025, or 2026 drafts. They kept their picks in 2024 (Carter Yakemchuk) and 2025 (Logan Hensler), hanging on to the notion that maybe the league would soften someday and approve their application for reconsideration and relief.
It's a good thing they did.
Instead of completely forfeiting the pick, the Senators will now be allowed to make the final selection of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2026 draft. Ottawa will not be permitted to trade the pick, and the organization must also pay a $1 million fine. The Senators will still participate in the draft lottery, but they will not be eligible to win it. If they win the right to move up, a re-draw will occur.
The decision is very similar to one the NHL made 12 years ago involving the New Jersey Devils. In that case, the league effectively returned the Devils’ forfeited first-round pick as part of a reduced penalty stemming from the 2010 Ilya Kovalchuk contract circumvention case. New Jersey was allowed to select last in the first round and was also barred from winning the draft lottery.
While Ottawa’s 32nd overall pick is essentially a glorified second-rounder, it still represents a meaningful win for the organization. The Senators are somewhat thin in the prospect department, and after dealing away a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Warren Foegele last week, Ottawa’s best selection in the 2026 draft was tracking to be a third-rounder.
Sens owner Michael Andlauer was more than happy to accept Thursday's ruling.
When the penalty originally came down, Andlauer wondered, since it happened under previous ownership, why the Dadonov screwup was his problem. He also wondered why the league and the Melnyk estate didn't reveal the seriousness of the problem during the franchise sales negotiation. It's a little like someone selling a home and not letting the buyer know there's a leak in the home's foundation that they'll have to deal with.
After getting the news of the penalty from the league, Andlauer relieved GM Pierre Dorion of his duties and replaced him with Steve Staios.
In its Thursday morning press release, the NHL made it clear it will have no further comment on the matter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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