BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin’s fiancee, Carolina Matovac, is back in Buffalo and on Wednesday attended her first game since her heart failed while the couple vacationed in France last summer.
The Sabres welcomed Matovac by showing her in the stands during the first period of their game against Boston. Matovac waved to the cheering crowd while Sabres players slapped their sticks against the boards.
Matovac received a lifesaving heart transplant and had spent the past seven months recovering in the couple's native Sweden, with Dahlin taking a few brief trips to visit her during the season.
Upon reporting for training camp in September, Dahlin revealed his fiancee's ordeal in a message posted on the team's website. He said Matovac felt sick for several days before her heart failed, saying she required CPR on “multiple occasions and up to a couple of hours at a time.”
Matovac spent weeks on life support before receiving a new heart. In January, Matovac revealed that she was pregnant when her heart failed, adding that her unborn child played “a vital role” in the discovery of the problem. The fetus, however, did not survive.
The Montreal Canadiens are one of several teams in the tight Eastern Conference looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs. While they are third in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings are not far behind them. Thus, every game at this juncture of the season is important for Montreal.
Due to this, the Canadiens need their key players to be on their A-game right now, and goaltender Jakub Dobes certainly has been as of late.
Dobes has had a .923 save percentage or better in five out of his last six appearances. This included him stopping 41 out of 43 shots in his most recent start against the Carolina Hurricanes on March 24. With this, the 24-year-old goaltender is playing some strong hockey right now at a critical juncture of the season for the Canadiens.
With his ongoing hot streak, Dobes has a 23-8-4 record, a 2.88 goals-against average, and a .896 save percentage in 35 games this season with the Canadiens. While he has had some growing pains at times this season, it is very encouraging to see him heating up down the stretch.
It will now be interesting to see how Dobes performs during this final part of the season from here.
DETROIT (AP) — The Red Wings on Wednesday signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year extension worth $3.2 million.
He will count $1.6 million against the salary cap through the 2027-28 NHL season.
Bernard-Docker, 25, has found a home on Detroit’s blue line by skating an average of 15 minutes over 55 games. The Red Wings are his third team in the league after playing his first 129 games with the Ottawa Senators and finishing last season with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Alberta native was a first-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Among the multiple moves by Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman during the offseason was signing defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a one-year contract.
Having been satisfied with his performance this season, Yzerman has seen fit to extend the relationship between the two sides.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Red Wings announced that Bernard-Docker had been given a two-year, $3.2 million contract extension.
This now leaves only pending restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson and pending unrestricted free agent Travis Hamonic as the Red Wings' defensemen who are not under contract for next season.
Bernard-Docker, who was originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the opening round (26th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, has skated in 55 games so far in his first season with the Red Wings.
He's registered four assists and has averaged 14:59 of ice time per game, which is seventh most among all Red Wings defenseman who have appeared in at least 50 games in 2025-26.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Hockey News' main site is currently releasing its latest top 100 NHL-affiliated prospects. To kick it off, THN revealed players 81-100, and a Montreal Canadiens prospect was among the players who made the cut: forward Owen Beck.
Beck just found his way onto the rankings, as he was given the No. 99 spot. When noting that he has the potential to become a solid two-way center at the NHL level, it makes sense that he has earned a spot on THN's rankings.
Beck has spent most of this season at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Laval Rocket. In 49 games with the AHL club on the year, the 2022 second-round pick has recorded 10 goals, 17 assists, 27 points, and a plus-8 rating. This is after he had 15 goals and 44 points in 64 games with Laval during this past season.
Beck has also played in 15 games this season with the Canadiens, where he has one goal, six penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating. While he has yet to break out at the NHL level, he has the potential to change that later down the road for the Habs.
Beck will be a prospect to watch very closely during this final stretch of the season. It will be interesting to see how he finishes off the campaign from here.
BOSTON - APRIL 26: Miroslav Satan #81 of the Boston Bruins shoots the puck against Ryan Miller #30 of the Buffalo Sabres in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 26, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Welcome to another night of Bruins hockey, folks!
While you can console yourself with the fact that losing to the Leafs helped worsen the Leafs’ draft lottery odds, there’s no getting around the fact that Tuesday night’s game was an ugly one for the Bruins.
Things won’t get any easier tonight, with the B’s facing a Sabres team that should be juiced to return home after a West Coast road trip.
While they haven’t officially clinched yet, the Sabres are pretty much locked in to a playoff spot, and given the tussling that’s happening atop and abottom (no, that’s not a word) the Atlantic Division, there’s a chance that tonight’s game could be a first-round preview.
Still, the Bruins are a couple of losses away from crashing out entirely, so maybe we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.
Los Angeles Kings left winger Andrei Kuzmenko has been out of the lineup for some time now. The last time he made an appearance for the Kings was on Feb. 25 against the Vegas Golden Knights in a 6-4 loss, recording two assists.
However, just a few days later, he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is out for the rest of the season. With that, the Russian is a pending UFA and requires a new contract for next season.
Barring an incredibly deep run in the post-season, is it possible that Kuzmenko has played his final game as a King?
His absence has been a huge loss offensively for the Kings. Kuzmenko had 13 goals and 25 points in 52 appearances, and is tied for the second-most power-play points on the team with 13.
The recovery timeline for repairing a torn meniscus is at least three months, and can be as long as six months, according to My Health Alberta. So even if the Kings made an unlikely run in the playoffs, stretching their season into late May, there's no guarantee that Kuzmenko could be back by then.
Andrei Kuzmenko (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
In fact, there's certainly no promise that Los Angeles can get into the post-season at all this year.
At any rate, it doesn't seem likely that the Kings will see Kuzmenko again this season. With that, the 30-year-old is unsigned for next year and needs a new contract if the team wants to see him next year.
Last year, Kuzmenko was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline. It was the second time he was traded that season, and the third team he represented.
He went on to play 22 regular-season games for the Kings in 2024-25, scoring 17 points. He then made his first career Stanley Cup playoff appearance and recorded a point per game - six points in six games.
With no signs of discussion over a new deal, it's possible that Kuzmenko pulled a Kings jersey over his head for the last time of his NHL career.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
This
was in early March, when it was already kick-started by the Blues’
coaching staff that it appeared that the right-handed D-man was ready
to absorb more of a workload and more responsibilities.
On
Tuesday in a 3-0 win against the Washington Capitals, it marked 12
straight games in which Mailloux logged 20 or more minutes, picking
up 20:51 of ice time.
Remember
early in the season when the first-round pick (No. 31) in the 2021
NHL Draft was either a healthy scratch, averaging 12-13 minutes a
game, including three games in which he didn’t even play 10 minutes
or when he was assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League
to find his game and gain some confidence? Seems like ages ago when
Montreal Canadiens fans were throwing victory parades in anointing
Habs general manager Kent Hughes as GM of the year for fleecing
fellow Blues GM Doug Armstrong into giving away Zack Bolduc in the
July 1, 2025 trade between the two clubs.
It’s
no coincidence that Mailloux, after a goal and an assist in his first
44
games and a minus-22
has gone to two goals and five assists his past 11 games and a
plus-5. He’s playing alongside Philip Broberg in the top four and
thriving not only in 5-on-5, but he’s also gaining regular minutes
quarterbacking the power play along with being a regular on the
penalty kill, which has killed 33 of 38 since the Olympic break, good
for an 86.8 percent clip, which ranks third in the NHL.
The
Blues are first in goals allowed since Feb. 26 (21) and goals per
game (1.62), and yes, goaltending has been a huge strength, but
Mailloux is part of the young core that’s thriving with more
responsibility and the more he thrives, the more coach Jim Montgomery
gives.
“He
has shown no signs of tiredness, he has shown no signs of mental
fatigue, which has been really impressive with all that ice time and
how much we’ve been
traveling,” Montgomery said.
“This has been the hardest travel schedule we’ve had all year and
it’s the more consistent, competitive levels we’ve seen from our
group over a month long span.
“(The)
guy doesn’t think. It’s just
make
plays; he’s direct, he’s decisive and you see how fast he plays
now, and that’s because there’s no more thinking going on; he’s
just being a hockey player. And that’s why you’re seeing his true
talents come out.”
This
is what Blues and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger said back in
October when Blues fans were up in arms as to why Mailloux didn’t
come into the Blues organization and start flying around as the
second coming of Bobby Orr. It takes patience, and truthfully, coming
together this quickly has some in the great north thinking maybe the
Canadiens should have been more patient themselves.
“He’s
slowly but surely earned it, but also with some of the moves at the
deadline has just propelled him into more ice time opportunities to
see what he has and he’s flourished,” Montgomery
said of Mailloux.
The
Belle River, Ontario native surely felt the weight of the world on
his shoulders having been traded for a popular first-round pick in
2021 in Bolduc, who Blues fans adored.
And
quite contrary to what some felt, the Blues didn’t trade Bolduc
because things didn’t work out in St. Louis, they traded him for a
necessity they felt they could mold into what he’s currently
becoming.
“I
feel like confidence has been a big thing for me lately,” Mailloux
said. “I feel like I’ve
definitely been given a good chance and a good opportunity around
here and I’ve been playing with some pretty good players. They
definitely help out.
“I’m
trying to do well. It’s a different league, but I’m used to ...
most of my career I’ve been playing these kinds of minutes.
Obviously it took an adjustment in this league, but I think I’m
getting a lot of help from D-partners, coaches, stuff like that. It’s
been alright.”
That
current D-partner is Philip Broberg, who has also been thrust into
the limelight by the Blues with top-pair minutes and an opportunity
to grow with another young guy that’s earning his stripes.
“He’s
been great,” Mailloux said.
“He’s a helluva player, helluva skater. He’s fun to play with.
He gets us out of trouble in our own end sometimes pretty often,
skated the puck out. He’s such a good defender as well. I feel like
we do a good job kind of reading off each other.”
Mailloux
has been so focused on being responsible defensively, that people
forget that his offensive skills is what made him the blue chip
prospect, but then he makes the zip pass to Jimmy Snuggerud for a
one-timer against the Capitals to remind everyone that his offense is
his bread-and-butter.
“Unbelievable,”
Snuggerud said.
“The position that he’s been put in and the opportunity he’s
been given, he’s striking to the top of it all he can do. He’s
playing high minutes, he’s
making plays, he’s doing the best he possibly can and it’s
showing. We’re winning games and I think that’s something you
have to learn as a young guy is what to do in those situations, and
I’m going through the same things and it’s been great to see that
for him.”
Mailloux,
whose season-high and career-high 26:56 came March 18 in a 2-1
shootout loss to the Calgary Flames, knows and understands he’s
barely scratching the surface, that there’s still so much more
untapped potential. But the ground roots have been firmly placed, and
he’s just taking things as they come.
“I’m
kind of trying to take it a day at a time still,” he said. “I
think just looking forward to improving and keep getting better and
moving in the right direction.
“Obviously
it’s my first full season in the NHL. There’s going to be some
growing pains and stuff, but I feel like I’m going to try and do my
best to keep trending in the right direction all year. Just come in
day by day and try to get a little better. The guys around here have
been great for that.”
For the umpteenth time: give it time in each scenario. Each player is developing in his own time, on his own merit. Mailloux struggled early and seems to have found his way to better ground. Bolduc started like a firecracker but has fizzled out as the season has gone along. The ups and downs of a young player are common. No telling what the Canadiens' patience will be with Bolduc. The Blues knew exactly what to do with Mailloux, and that was to be patient, and it seems to be paying off.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman is taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons, the team announced Wednesday.
The Lightning did not share further details and asked for Hedman’s privacy to be respected.
Hedman, 35, missed time in November, December and January because of injury and subsequent elbow surgery to repair it.
He returned in early February and represented his country at this year's Milan Cortina Olympics. Hedman has a goal and 16 assists and is averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time over 33 games for the likely playoff-bound Lightning.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 24: Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) makes a save on Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) in front during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Colorado Avalanche on March 24, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Allowing too many goals has been a major problem for the Penguins. As recently as March 3rd, the team was sitting sixth in the NHL with 2.78 goals against per game. In the last 11 games since then, that’s gone out the window – the Pens sit 31st over the last three weeks with an average of 4.17 goals allowed per game. six times giving up six or more goals. Take out the 7-2 win over Colorado and the average balloons up to 4.80 over the rest of the games.
Prevention has been ugly from team defense slipping down to the performance of the goalies. HockeyStats.com has a cool new tracker of Goals Saved Above Expected, which has taken a big hit lately, especially for Arturs Silovs.
After a 5-0 shutout win against Vegas back on March 1st, Silovs’s GSAA crested at +5.45. After allowing five goals last night against Colorado, Silovs is down to -1.85 GSAA. Silovs spent a good portion of the season through much of December and all over Janaury underwater in the GSAA category before a strong February. Since then, it’s been a downward trend capped by the disastrous -3.38 GSAA performance last night when Colorado teed off on him.
Stuart Skinner has performed better on this metric, but his numbers have gone down too – peaking at +10.13 GSAA after the January 25th 3-2 win over Vancouver and now sitting at +8.55 for the season. Skinner’s season sample includes the +3.72 GSAA from his time at the beginning of the year with Edmonton so overall he’s at +4.83 GSAA while playing for the Penguins.
The question now shifts to the tolerance of the coaching and management for these performances, especially when it comes to Silovs. Silovs has given up four or more goals in five of his last six starts. So far, that hasn’t been an issue – the team has stayed committed to an even rotation of goalies every other game. Skinner has only started two consecutive games once with Pittsburgh, a stretch from Jan 17-19, otherwise the two netminders have evenly split starts one after the other.
The Pens have options. 21-year old Sergei Murashov ranks second in the AHL in GAA (2.20) and third in save percentage (.919%). Joel Blomqvist has a 12-5-4 record and is tied for 14th with a .906 save%. Murashov, however, posted a negative GSAA in three of his five NHL starts early in the 2025-26 season and some of the upcoming games against the Islanders and Red Wings next week could be the most consequential ones of the year.
That doesn’t seem like the wisest time to throw an untested player into the mix when the season is on the line, yet the struggles of Silovs makes it a question worth pondering.
The Penguins have benefited from goalies riding in at the last minute and helping their years, fitting in the 25th year after Johan Hedberg rode a moose into town and 10 years after Matt Murray emerged on the scene. It would be a bold move and take a lot of conviction to elevate Murashov into that position this spring, but it one that gains more traction with about each passing game where the Penguins can’t keep the puck out of the net.
Three NHL teams moved up in the playoff races during a busy 15-game schedule on Tuesday, March 24.
The surging Buffalo Sabres can do the same during Wednesday night's two-game schedule.
Buffalo has a chance to move into the top seed in the Eastern Conference when it hosts the Boston Bruins, passing the idle Carolina Hurricanes if it wins.
The Sabres have gone 33-6-5 since Dec. 9. They replaced general manager Kevyn Adams with Jarmo Kekalainen two games into that run as they try to end a record 14-game playoff drought.
The Sabres lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points in the Atlantic Division race and will have played two more games by the end of the night.
Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and the Edmonton Oilers (Pacific) and Columbus Blue Jackets (Metropolitan) moved into second place in their respective divisions. They would have home-ice advantage in the first round if they finish the season that way.
Here's what to know about the NHL standings, tiebreaker procedures and playoff field for the 2025-26 season:
Who's in the 2026 NHL playoffs?
Eastern Conference: None
Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas
Who can clinch today?
No team can clinch today. But the New York Rangers will be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
NHL games today (Wednesday, March 25)
Boston at Buffalo, 7:30
N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 7:30
NHL Eastern Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 24. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes (96)
Columbus Blue Jackets (87)
Pittsburgh Penguins (86)
Atlantic Division
Buffalo Sabres (95)
Tampa Bay Lightning (93)
Montreal Canadiens (88)
Wild card
Boston Bruins (86)
Ottawa Senators (85)
Sitting out of playoff position: New York Islanders (85), Detroit Red Wings (84), Philadelphia Flyers (80), Washington Capitals (79), New Jersey Devils (74), Florida Panthers (73), Toronto Maple Leafs (73), New York Rangers (65)
NHL Western Conference standings 2025-26
As of March 24. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Central Division
x-Colorado Avalanche (104)
x-Dallas Stars (97)
Minnesota Wild (92)
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks (84)
Edmonton Oilers (79)
Vegas Golden Knights (78)
Wild card
Utah Mammoth (80)
Nashville Predators (77)
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (74), Seattle Kraken (72), Winnipeg Jets (72), San Jose Sharks (70), St. Louis Blues (69), Calgary Flames (67), Chicago Blackhawks (67), z-Vancouver Canucks (50)
NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 24.
Carolina (M1) vs. Ottawa (WC2)
Columbus (M2) vs. Pittsburgh (M3)
Buffalo (A1) vs. Boston (WC1)
Tampa Bay (A2) vs. Montreal (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 March 24.
Colorado (C1) vs. Nashville (WC2)
Dallas (C2) vs. Minnesota (C3)
Anaheim (P1) vs. Utah (WC1)
Edmonton (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 expected to begin on Saturday, April 18.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of stock put in their young players. Drafting and developing have been the biggest keys to their rebuild.
Connor Bedard was the prize of the entire process, as the Blackhawks earned the right to draft him by winning the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery. Since then, he has become an NHL superstar.
Other young players have come in since then, but few have had the excitement that Anton Frondell produced with his NHL debut on Wednesday. The third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft has an incredible set of skills that will allow him to have a long career.
A strong season in the SHL and an elite showing en route to a Gold Medal at the 2025-26 World Junior Championships made Jeff Blashill comfortable throwing him into the fire right when he arrived in the NHL.
Frondell played his first NHL game on the first line and the top power play unit. Of course, that meant playing with Connor Bedard. Getting on a line with the team's top superstar is never an easy task, but Frondell was up to the challenge.
It was an impressive debut for Frondell, who collected his first NHL point with an assist on an Ilya Mikheyev goal. He had to use Connor Bedard as a decoy to spring Mikheyev, which required tremendous confidence as he's looking off one of the best players in the world.
On the ice, these two have the skills to feed each other. Bedard and Frondell each have an elite shot, but they use it in different ways. Each of them is also a tremendous playmaker, so defending against them will be difficult as they develop further.
Although Bedard is just 20 years old, he knows he already has a leadership role in the organization and takes it seriously. It isn't just about having an "A" on your sweater and playing the game at a high level. It is about making everyone around you comfortable.
Frondell's comments after the game made it clear that Bedard is doing the right things to help out those coming into the lineup.
“Connor sits beside me here," Frondell said. "A really good guy, giving me good tips and everything.”
Jeff Blashill started their line to open the game, and Bedard let Frondell begin his NHL career by taking the opening faceoff. The signs of two stars developing a friendship right away are there.
That relationship will enhance their ability to play together on the hockey side. Enjoying your teammates is important to winning hockey in the NHL, and these two young stars are winners who are beginning to enjoy each other.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Vancouver Canucks are 70 games into their 2025–26 NHL season and have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. They also hit a new franchise-high in losses on home-ice in a single season with their 3–1 defeat against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon. With sights set on the future, here’s how the Canucks stack up to the rest of the NHL 70 games into their 2025–26 season.
Team Stats
Vancouver Canucks team stats 70 games into the 2025-26 season.
Vancouver’s highest-ranked team stat is, once again, their work in the faceoff dot. Their 49.4% faceoff win rate ranks 19th in the entire league, putting them ahead of teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning (47.5%, T-26th) and Minnesota Wild (46.8%, 30th). After that comes their power play, ranking 21st in the NHL with a success rate of 19.4% — higher than the Anaheim Ducks (18.1%, T-22nd) and Colorado Avalanche (16.7%, 27th). Aside from their 25th-ranked shots per game (26.1), Vancouver remains in either 31st or 32nd in the rest of their categories.
Individual Stats
Vancouver Canucks individual stats 70 games into the 2025-26 season.
For the most part, Vancouver’s individual stat leaders haven’t shifted too much from how they were at the last check-in. The only major changes are that Elias Pettersson has taken sole possession of the team lead in points and has also joined Jake DeBrusk in having the team-high of 17 power play points, while Drew O’Connor has tied Brock Boeser for the team lead in goals with 17. Prior to trading him, Kiefer Sherwood held the team’s high with this exact amount, though both Boeser and O’Connor only hit it in the team’s 70th game of the season. Interestingly enough, star players such as Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues), and Logan Cooley also have 17 goals thus far.
Goaltending Stats
Vancouver Canucks goaltending stats 70 games into the 2025-26 season.
Since the 35-game mark of this season, Thatcher Demko has held the team’s season-high in wins with eight. Kevin Lankinen finally met this stat with a 5–2 win against the Florida Panthers in what was Vancouver’s 67th game of the season. With Demko out, Lankinen, of course, has been the busiest of all Canucks goaltenders, as he has started in four consecutive games. As a result, he has logged the 25th-most minutes of all NHL goaltenders (2196:10), the 22nd-most shots-faced (1069), and the 14th-most high-danger shots faced (328).
Vancouver will play in one more home game, against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, before embarking on a four-game road trip. They’ll start with a game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday before facing the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. The Canucks will wrap up this road stretch with a back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mar 24, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling (25) checks Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
With the Chicago Blackhawks passing the torch to the younger players, it's easy to get lost in the superstars already lighting up the United Center. In this weekly series, I break down the best performances from the next wave of Chicago Blackhawks. Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Newest #Blackhawks goalie, Ilya Kanarsky was outstanding in the MHL (Russia’s version of the CHL) this year. He posted a .938 Save%, 2.24 GAA, 4 SOs and a 22-8-1 record. Additionally, Kanarsky saved 67/68 in one playoff game last season. Here are his best saves from that game. pic.twitter.com/1Yr0ydqCsw
Kanarsky is an under the radar prospect quietly producing in the VHL, Russia's second tier league. Despite playing on a 13-28 AKM Tula Region team, Kanarsky won over half the team's games while putting up a .922 save percentage, a 2.67 goals allowed average and 1 shutout. He signed an extension of unknown length on May 20, 2023. If Kanarsky's deal is up, it wouldn't shock me if he goes to Rockford based on his Russian numbers. Especially given AKM Tula Region's lackluster performance on the whole and Kanarsky's numbers in spite of it, Rockford seems like a reasonable destination.
Forward A.J. Spellacy had a big, productive weekend for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires, and some of his highlights were so ridiculous that I had to pull the clips
I don't envy any opposing players who are tasked with defending him on the rush pic.twitter.com/UyWaWO4RUi
The NHL is getting faster every year. That being the case, it makes sense that the Blackhawks selected A.J. Spellacy. His quickness and physicality makes him an asset to Windsor. The 6'foot 3, 205 pound defenseman has good puck control, running through opponents on his way to the net. Spellacy's maturity is a plus, exhibited in an interview with the Windsor Star. Despite playing the sub .500 Guelph Storm for their first playoff round, Spellacy remains focused on the task at hand.
“I don’t think we’ll take them lightly,” Spellacy said to Jim Parker of the Windsor Star. “Start with Game 1, think of it as it’s the biggest game of the season. I think we really have that playoff mentality. Take it game-by-game and obviously every game matters.”
That sort of mindfulness will serves Spellacy well in the professional game.
It's an exceptionally good thing when two of your top prospects in the same league are battling for the goal scoring title. Chicago had that great fortune with Marek Vanacker edging out fellow Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham for the OHL goals lead 47-46. Vanacker accomplished this through his five points (3 goals + 2 assists) during a pair of home games. The OHL's top team starts their playoff journey March 27 against the Sudbury Wolves, with Vanacker leading the charge.
Holmes has done well in his fourth line position this season with Brantford. He played a gritty, checking role while producing a respectable 17 points (6 goals + 11 assists) in 49 games plus 37 penalty minutes. With eight Bulldogs over 18, I think we will get a better sense of what his ceiling is in 2026-27.
It's been a memorable 24 hours for the crown jewels of the Ottawa Senators' 2024 NHL Draft.
On Tuesday, Carter Yakemchuk hustled to Detroit to play in his first NHL game and had a dream debut. Yakemchuk scored a goal and added an assist in an important 3-2 Ottawa victory over the Red Wings. Between that performance and the state of the Sens' banged-up blue line, he may be in Ottawa to stay.
Yakemchuk was the seventh overall draft pick in 2024, the rare right-shot defenseman with size (6'3", 220 lbs) and skill. After that, with the second pick in the draft, the Senators' scouting staff showed they have a type.
They went with a defenseman again... an even bigger one.
They selected 6-foot-7 Gabriel Elliason. Elliason doesn't have Yakemchuk's skill, but what he lacks in point production, he makes up for with physicality and unkind intentions.
On Draft Day, it was easy to imagine the two of them paired together someday, yin and yang, each bringing elements the other lacks.
On Wednesday morning, less than a day after Yakemchuk's big night, Elliason got his flowers, signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators, set to start in the 2026-27 season.
Image credit: Senators.com
Eliasson has spent the past two seasons with the Barrie Colts, who just won the OHL East's Central Division regular season title. With eight points in 61 games, he's clearly more of a shut down defenseman who uses his incredible reach and physical play to make life miserable for opponents.
And he plays with such a chip on his shoulder that part of his focus this season was dialling it back and picking his spots a little better. But fear not, fans of mayhem, Elliason still led the OHL in penalty minutes (122) and will now help ride the Colts into the playoffs starting Thursday against Niagara.
“Gabriel’s game has matured since we drafted him,” GM Steve Staios said in a club press release. “We’ve been pleased with his development, and his character and work ethic fit in perfectly with the team we’re building.”
Elliason will compete for an NHL job this fall, but will almost certainly spend a season or two in Belleville before he can truly be on Ottawa's radar. But just as we saw with Yakemchuk, thanks to all the injuries this month, you never say never.
And you can't teach big... or mean.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
