The Kings are still right in the middle of their playoff race as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Unfortunately for the Kings, the Sharks play the Predators, meaning one team is guaranteed to reach 81 points tonight, and the Kings have to win to be tied for that wildcard spot. The Kings are coming off a 2-1 win over the St Louis Blues. The Leafs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Projected Kings Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight:
Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Joel Armia - Scott Laughton - Jared Wright
Mathieu Joseph - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Brian Dumoulin - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci
Anton Forsberg
Darcy Kuemper
Projected Leafs Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Leafs tonight:
Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander
Dakota Joshua - Max Domi - Nicholas Robertson
Matthew Knies - Bo Groulx - Matias Maccelli
Michael Pezzetta - Jacob Quillan - Steven Lorentz
Morgan Rielly - Philippe Myers
Jake McCabe - Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit - Troy Stecher
Joseph Woll
Anthony Stolarz
Line Changes and Injuries
Neither the Leafs nor the Kings held a morning skate today. The Kings did not practice on Friday following their back-to-back games against the Blues and Predators. The Kings are without Alex Turcotte due to an undisclosed injury. The Leafs are likely to miss Ekman-Larsson in tonight's game as he was injured in the 4-1 loss against the San Jose Sharks.
Key Factors
The Kings vs. Predators game was a very good one for the Kings; while they lost in a shootout, they battled back from a 4-1 deficit and walked away with a point. In that game, the Kings found scoring from all levels. Adrian Kempe had 2 goals, Joel Armia had a goal and an assist, and Scott Laughton had a goal as well. This is what the Kings need to make the playoffs. This is also the first game for Scott Laughton against his former team since being traded at the deadline.
If the Kings can get that type of depth scoring in tonight's match-up, they will walk away with a win. The Kings' depth players are fully capable of stealing wins or points for the Kings, and tonight is a perfect time for them to play like they did on Thursday.
For the goaltending matchup, it looks like Anton Forsberg vs. Joseph Woll. Forsberg has put up solid numbers in his last 3 games, with his save percentage above .930. For Woll, he is coming off a 33-save performance in which he allowed 5, but his team did not do him any favours, as they put up only 13 shots in that game.
Overall, this is once again a must-win game for the Kings, especially when the 2 teams the Kings need to lose are playing each other today. My prediction for tonight's matchup is a 4-1 Kings win.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Ryan Hartman scored twice to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton also scored for the Wild (43-21-12), and Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves.
Linus Ullmark stopped 19 shots for the Senators (39-27-10). Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa.
Minnesota built a 3-0 lead through the first two periods and extended its advantage midway through the third on a great effort by Quinn Hughes. Hughes kept the puck in at the line, spun and found Middleton on the opposite side. Middleton fired through traffic for his second goal of the season.
Batherson spoiled Wallstedt’s shutout attempt with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Batherson then left the game, but returned after a brief absence.
The Wild capitalized on a Senators turnover late in the first that led to Hartman’s first goal of the game. Hartman scored his second of the game and 22nd of the season when Mats Zuccharello found him at the top of the slot and he beat Ullmark on the glove side at 15:31 of the second.
Jake Sanderson returned to Ottawa’s lineup after missing 13 games with an upper-body injury.
Up next
Wild: At the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.
DALLAS (AP) — Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns became the second player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 consecutive games when Colorado faced against Central Division rival Dallas on Saturday.
The bearded 41-year-old was recognized on the video board by the Stars early in the game, and plenty of Dallas fans joined a vocal Avs contingent in cheering for Burns.
The all-time ironman streak belongs to forward Phil Kessel, who played in 1,064 consecutive regular-season games from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023. He appeared with Toronto, Pittsburgh, Arizona and Vegas.
Burns, who appeared in his 1,500th game in October against the Stars, has been in the lineup for every game since Nov. 21, 2013, with San Jose. He also has played for Minnesota and Carolina.
Burns is in his first season with the Avalanche and has 11 goals. He and Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom are the only defensemen in league history to score double-digit goals at 40 or older.
The meeting with the Stars is Burns' 1,572nd career regular-season game. He entered the game with 941 points (272 goals, 669 assists). Burns spent 11 of his 22 seasons with the Sharks.
On Thursday night, the Kraken honored defenseman Adam Larsson for reaching 1,000 NHL games played. 423 players in NHL history have met the impressive milestone, and Larsson marks the 141st defenseman to join their ranks.
Adam Larsson Tribute, video by Candace Kludt courtesy of Seattle Kraken
Drafted 4th overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft by the New Jersey devils, Larsson played 65 games for the team that year. He remained with the Devils until 2016 when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. In 2021, the Seattle Kraken picked up the veteran defenseman as part of the expansion draft. Since joining the Kraken, Larsson has missed only one game-for the birth of his daughter.
Pre-game, Adam was joined on the ice by his wife, daughter, mother, brother, and sister. To commemorate his achievement, the Kraken ownership group presented Larsson with a custom painting. He also received gifts from the team, along with the traditional silver stick to commemorate 1,000 games played. His daughter, Alba, also received a miniature version of the silver stick.
Alba Larsson receives her mini stick from Kraken President of Hockey Operations Ron Francis photo by Candace Kludt | The Hockey News
The Kraken went on to lose 6-2 to the Utah Mammoth; an unfortunate end to a celebratory night.
The Detroit Red Wings were hoping to build momentum after their victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and had a golden opportunity to do so this afternoon.
They faced the New York Rangers, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention and entered the game with the NHL’s worst home record this season.
Instead, the Red Wings once again failed to rise to the occasion and were dealt another blow to their fading Stanley Cup playoff hopes as time continues to run out.
Rookie Gabe Perreault scored a hat trick as part of New York's 4-1 win over the Red Wings at Madison Square Garden, Detroit's fifth regulation loss in their last seven games.
It was also the fourth time in their last six that Detroit's opponent led 3-0.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 4, 2026
The Red Wings were playing without defenseman Justin Faulk, who was injured in the win over the Flyers; he was replaced in the lineup by rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who was called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Additionally, Michael Rasmussen returned to the lineup after missing seven games, replacing Mason Appleton.
Jaroslav Chmelar opened the scoring in the first period, deflecting a shot from defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov past goaltender John Gibson, who was making his 14th straight start.
Perreault then scored the first of his three goals on the afternoon following a defensive breakdown in Detroit's zone. He added two more goals in the third period, including an empty-net tally to complete the natural hat trick.
Forward David Perron, who hadn't registered a point since being re-acquired by the Red Wings nearly one month ago, scored with 33 seconds remaining in the game to prevent Jonathan Quick from picking up what would have been his 66th career shutout.
Detroit failed to convert on four separate power-play chances, while the Rangers went one-for-two on their opportunities with the man-advantage.
Because the Ottawa Senators also lost today in regulation to the Minnesota Wild, who the Red Wings face tomorrow afternoon at home, there remains a four-way tie with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers for the final Wild Card postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.
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.
There has
been no shortage of storylines around the Montreal Canadiens this season; the
Habs’ struggles in net, Juraj Slafkovsky’s awakening, Cole Caufield’s chase for
the 50-goal mark, the Rocket Richard Trophy and Nick Suzuki’s arrival on the
international stage, which earned him recognition in other NHL markets—lost
amongst all that, though, is the fact that Alex Newhook is having the best
season of his career.
The
25-year-old winger has only played 35 games so far this season, but he still
has 23 points to his name, which is a 54-point pace projected over the course
of a full 82-game campaign. In the past, his highest-scoring season was 34
points in just 55 games in his first year with the Habs, which was a 51-point pace
over 82 games.
Not unlike
Kirby Dach, Newhook has been plagued by injuries since joining the Habs ahead
of the 2023-24 season. In three seasons, he has played just 172 games out of a
possible 239 so far. Still, with regular linemates Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen
this year, he has proven to be a viable option on the top six. A much better option
than Dach, who only put up 14 points in the 32 games he skated in this season,
a 36-point pace over a full 82-game season.
Granted, on
a contending team, Newhook would more than likely be a good third liner, but
playing with a couple of talented youngsters, he has shown an ability to raise the
level of his game. Next season, the Newfoundlander will be entering the final
year of the four-year deal he signed when he joined the Canadiens, and he will
have another chance to prove that he should be part of Montreal’s plans
long-term. In an ideal world, he would be able to remain healthy and prove that
he can consistently produce at the rate he has this season.
As things stand,
he looks like a good option while the Canadiens wait to see how players like
Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky will develop in the coming years and how
well their skills will translate to the NHL.
In the
Canadiens’ seven-game winning streak, Newhook has five points and a plus-five
rating.
NEW YORK (AP) — Failing to score until there were 32 seconds left and allowing a hat trick to Gabriel Perreault, the Detroit Red Wings lost an important game in their pursuit of a playoff spot, 4-1 at the New York Rangers on Saturday.
With six games left, the Red Wings remain on the outside looking in as part of a competitive Eastern Conference race down the stretch. They are among a handful of teams fighting for the East's second and final wild-card spot.
Detroit's loss clinched a berth for the Buffalo Sabres, who ended the NHL's longest postseason drought at 14 seasons. Though his teammates came up empty on scoring, goaltender John Gibson made some big saves among his 17, playing well in his 14th consecutive start.
Gibson allowed a deflection goal to Jaroslav Chmelar 13 minutes in, then one each to Perreault in the second and third periods. The first came from close range after a perfect pass from Mika Zibanejad and the second off the rush.
Perreault finished off his first career hat trick with an empty-netter with 1:44 left.
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin appeared to get banged up from a series of collisions and was in obvious pain on the bench in the second. Larkin returned and gutted through it, unsurprising given what's at stake.
The Rangers played spoiler with Jonathan Quick stopping 31 of 32 shots in his return from injury. Playing for the first time since March 18, the 40-year-old in the twilight of his career stopped Emmitt Finnie the shift after Chmelar scored, slid over to make a pad save on David Perron late in the first and got lucky when J.T. Compher's shot rang off the post and out with 13 minutes remaining.
Fans chanted “Quickie! Quickie!” in the final minutes of what could be Quick's final NHL game.
Up next
Red Wings: Host the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
Rangers: Igor Shesterkin figures to get the nod at home against the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.
The Buffalo Sabres are back in the NHL playoffs, ending a league-record postseason drought of 14 seasons.
All they had to do was change the messenger.
The Sabres clinched their first playoff berth since 2010-11 with the Detroit Red Wings' loss in the afternoon on Saturday, April 4.
It was looking like the streak could hit 15 when Buffalo sat in last place in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 8. The Sabres won three in a row to get back to .500, then fired general manager Kevyn Adams on Dec. 15 and promoted Jarmo Kekalainen to the position.
The team took off, extending its winning streak to 10 games. Entering Saturday, Buffalo has gone 32-8-4 under the former Columbus Blue Jackets GM. The Sabres have their first 100-point season since 2009-10 and are looking for their first division title since that season.
Kevyn Adams' tenure
Adams, the general manager since 2020-21, brought in some of the players on this team, such as Alex Tuch, Josh Norris, Jason Zucker, Bowen Byram, Ryan McLeod and Josh Doan. He also traded away Jack Eichel (after a dispute over what type of neck surgery he should have), Sam Reinhart, Dylan Cozens and J.J. Peterka. Eichel and Reinhart won Stanley Cup titles after their trades.
Adams drew some criticism last season when he explained the difficulty of drawing free agents to Buffalo and why players often include the city on their no-trade lists.
"We don't have palm trees," he told reporters. "We have taxes in New York."
Adams last season brought back coach Lindy Ruff, who had been coach of the 2010-11 playoff team. But the Sabres continued their pattern of early-season swoons — 0-10-3 this time — and finished 12 points out of a playoff spot.
Buffalo traded No. 2 scorer Peterka to Utah in the offseason and opened the season 0-3. Fans began chanting for Adams' firing and it finally happened in December.
Jarmo Kekalainen's tenure
Teams often get a bump from a coaching change, but a front office change can also have an impact because a general manager can decide a player's future.
Kekalainen noted that his focus was going to be on work ethic, saying the team had lost some games by being outworked.
"You've got to work, you've got to compete and you've got to be relentless," he said after being named general manager. "That's what I want the identity of the Buffalo Sabres to be."
He added that he "firmly" believed that Sabres could be a playoff team.
Kekalainen had been hired as a senior adviser in May. He had been aggressive in Columbus, hanging on to pending free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin and adding to a team that shockingly swept the No. 1 overall Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round in 2019.
After he was promoted in Buffalo, he revamped the front office and held on to Ruff. He gave a contract extension to Doan, who was acquired in the Peterka trade. But with the team surging, there was little need to change the players.
The general manager made moves at the deadline to beef up the team's depth. He traded for Colton Parayko, but it fell through when the defenseman declined to waive his no-trade clause. He pivoted to add big, rugged defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn. He also added Sam Carrick, who's strong on faceoffs, and depth forward Tanner Pearson.
They will try to win the Atlantic Division title and still have a chance to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
There isn't a lot of playoff experience in this core because of the long drought. However, Schenn and Pearson are former Stanley Cup winners and McLeod has been to the Final. Tuch has played 66 postseason games and Zucker has played 52.
And Ruff has coached 101 playoff games, winning 57. He took the Sabres to the 1999 Final.
Who has the longest playoff drought?
The Detroit Red Wings are at nine seasons, the Anaheim Ducks are at seven and the San Jose Sharks are at six. But heading into Saturday's game, the Ducks are second in the Pacific Division, the Sharks hold the second wild-card spot in the West and the Red Wings sit one spot below the playoff line in the East.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been eliminated, and their playoff drought is at six seasons.
There are few people happier for John Tortorella getting the Vegas Golden Knights’ head coaching job than Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan and Tortorella have a strong relationship and friendship that dates back well over a decade.
From 2007-2012, Sullivan served under Tortorella as an assistant coach with the Tampa bay Lightning and New York Rangers.
Most recently, the roles were reversed with Tortorella serving as an assistant coach behind Sullivan for Team USA at both the 4 Nations Face-off and 2026 Winter Olympics.
On Sunday, the Golden Knights relieved Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with Tortorella to be the team’s head coach with just a few games to go before the playoffs officially begin.
Sullivan spoke about his relationship with Tortorella and reacted to the news of his friend’s new opportunity.
“I think he’s an excellent coach,” Sullivan said of Tortorella. “One of the things that he excels at is crisis management. He brings a ton of energy. I know he’ll bring a lot of energy to Vegas. I think, as I said, he’s an excellent coach. One of the things that has always impressed me with Torts, and obviously, I have a long-standing relationship with him. I worked with him for almost a decade. He was on our staff with the Olympic team, the 4 Nations team. In a lot of ways, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with him because I learned so much from him. We’re very different in how we go about it, but I’ve learned a lot from him as far as what it takes to win and how to instill an environment that’s conducive to winning.
“If you’re in coaching and you love what you do, you immerse yourself in a learning experience. And Torts has done that his whole career. He puts a lot of work into that. He prides himself in it. That’s been the most impressive thing for me in watching him. I think he’ll do what he does. I think he’ll do a terrific job.”
BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Nathan Horton #18 of the Boston Bruins scores a third period goal past Dwayne Roloson #35 of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 27, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to Saturday evening, folks!
The Bruins and Lightning will face off at Tampa’s consistently-renamed arena today, with Tampa eyeing first in the Atlantic and the Bruins hoping to solidify their grip on a playoff spot.
Two of the teams involved in the Eastern Conference wild card race with the Bruins will have already played by the time the B’s game starts, with the Red Wings and Senators each playing afternoon games (not against each other) on Saturday.
The Canadiens, Islanders, Capitals, and Blue Jackets will all play tonight, so there could be a lot of standings-shuffling by the time we reach Easter morning.
Anyways, it’s Bruins! Lightning! Indoors this time!
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)
Noah Ostlund (upper body, Mar.25; day-to-day(
Notes
Buffalo would clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11 with a win tonight or a regulation loss by Detroit.
Buffalo could also clinch a playoff spot by earning a point in tonight’s game against Washington and a regulation loss by Ottawa against Minnesota or a Rangers win of any kind against Detroit.
The Sabres have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 28 contests (20-5-3), including a league-best 14 wins and 30 points since the Olympic break.
Since Dec. 9, the Sabres rank first among all NHL teams in wins (35) and points (74). Buffalo’s 30 regulation wins in that span also lead the league.
Buffalo has not lost consecutive games in regulation since the team fell in three straight from Dec. 3 at Philadelphia to Dec. 8 at Calgary.
Tage Thompson has tallied 55 points (25+30) in 47 games since Dec. 9 and his 22 even-strength goals in that span rank tied for third among all NHL skaters. Thompson has registered six points (2+4) in his last five games. Thompson needs seven more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th
place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list.
Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (32) and second in points (47) since Dec. 9. His 15 goals in that span rank tied for second among all NHL defensemen. Tonight’s game marks the 582nd of Dahlin’s career, tied with Jay McKee for the seventh-most by a defenseman in franchise history.
Peyton Krebs has posted a point in four consecutive games (2+2) and he would match the longest point streak of his career (five games; March 25 to April 1, 2025; 3+3) with a point tonight.
Jack Quinn has posted three points (1+2) in his last three games.
Scott Wedgewood delivered one of his steadiest outings of the season Saturday night, turning aside all 18 shots he faced for his third shutout of the year — and the 11th of his career — as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0 at American Airlines Center.
The win was powered by elite production up front. Nathan MacKinnon scored his 51st goal of the season, matching a career high, while Martin Nečas added another to provide all the offense Colorado would need. The night also carried milestone significance, with Brent Burns skating in his 1,000th consecutive NHL game — just the second player in league history to reach that mark — and Devon Toews recording the 300th point of his career.
With the victory, the Avalanche became the first team in the NHL to reach 50 wins, improving to 50–15–10 and continuing to build momentum as the postseason approaches. Additionally, of the four meetings between these teams this season, this was the first that did not end in a shootout.
First Period
As expected, both teams came out with pace, trading early odd-man rushes that were turned aside at both ends. Wedgewood and Casey DeSmith looked sharp from the outset, with DeSmith getting the nod as part of a planned rotation while Jake Oettinger was given the night off.
At the 10:17 mark, Jamie Benn was called for tripping Valeri Nichushkin along the boards, sending Colorado to its first power play of the afternoon. The Avs couldn’t capitalize, and moments after the penalty expired, Lian Bichsel leveled Nichushkin in the corner while battling for a loose puck — a clean, hard hit that drew no whistle.
Colorado came close to breaking through when Artturi Lehkonen crashed the crease and nearly buried a rebound off an initial shot from Brock Nelson, but the puck slid just wide. Dallas answered with a dangerous scramble of its own, forcing Wedgewood into a desperation stop in tight to keep things scoreless.
Second Period
Brett Kulak was sent off for tripping Colin Blackwell just 1:57 into the period, giving Dallas an early opportunity. As the penalty expired, tensions flared in front of the net after Mavrik Bourque took a few extra jabs at Wedgewood. Jack Drury immediately stepped in, and the situation escalated into a brief scrum. Both players were assessed roughing minors, keeping things even at five-on-five.
Third Period
The game remained tightly structured into the third, with neither side giving much away. Five minutes into the frame — and 45 into the night — the shot count sat at just 17–12 in favor of Colorado, reflecting a disciplined, defense-first battle. It had the feel of a chess match, where one mistake or one moment of skill would decide it.
At 6:12, Nelson was whistled for hooking Jason Robertson, who went down easily and drew the call. That didn’t sit well with Gabriel Landeskog, who made his frustration clear as the teams lined up for the ensuing power play.
Colorado killed it off, but not without a scare. Former Av Matt Duchene found space at the top of the crease and slipped a shot through Wedgewood, only for a hand pass to halt play before any damage was done.
The breakthrough finally came off a quick, instinctive play. Nečas drove into the middle of the ice, and Lehkonen tracked down a loose puck near the top of the left circle before sliding it to the doorstep, where Nečas tapped it home to make it 1-0.
Dallas pulled DeSmith with 2:41 remaining, pressing for the equalizer. During the frantic sequence that followed, Drury and Joel Kiviranta repeatedly threw themselves in front of shots, with one final deflection sailing into the netting to force a stoppage.
The Colorado Avalanche defeat the Dallas Stars 2-0.
MacKinnon gets his 51st.
Scott Wedgewood gets his career-high third shutout of the season, the 11th of his career, and his first against his former team.#goavsgo@thehockeynews#texashockey
Moments later, MacKinnon iced it, burying an empty-netter for his 51st of the season to tie his career high. That sealed a 2-0 win for Colorado, one that all but locks up the Central Division as the regular season winds down.
Next Game
It's a quick turnaround for the Avalanche (50-15-10). They fly back to Denver this evening to prepare to square off against Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues (32-31-12) tomorrow night at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. local time.
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Scott Wedgewood #41 of the Colorado Avalanche saves a shot by Jason Robertson #21 of the Dallas Stars during a shootout at American Airlines Center on March 06, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The biggest date remaining on the regular season schedule has arrived for the Colorado Avalanche, who have long been the most dominant team in the NHL all year long.
The Dallas Stars, however, won’t stop at nothing to overtake them.
Today, both teams will face each other one last time at American Airlines Center to close out their regular season series, with the winner potentially laying claim to a first place finish in the West.
Colorado Avalanche (49-15-10)
The Opponent: Dallas Stars (45-19-12)
Time: 1:00 P.M. MDT/3:00 P.M. EDT
Watch: ABC, ESPN (US National Broadcast), SNP, SNW, SN+ (Canadian National Broadcast)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche wrapped up their final extended home stand on Wednesday night with an underwhelming 8-6 loss to the last-place Vancouver Canucks. The loss was the second during Colorado’s three game home stand, and while the 4-2 loss to Winnipeg a week ago was disappointing, this most recent defeat was exceptionally glaring: a host of defensive miscues and poor puck management opened the door for Vancouver to run up the score early and often. Mackenzie Blackwood, who gave up six goals on nineteen shots, was pulled with 4:39 remaining in second period in favor of Scott Wedgewood. The Avs then rallied from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game late in the third on Sam Malinski’s second goal of the evening, but Vancouver would reclaim the lead twenty-three seconds later, and iced the game with an empty net tally after Wedgewood was pulled for the extra skater.
Coach Jared Bednar, in what was indisputably his shortest press conference of the season, didn’t hold back. “The reality of it is, is if you want to win in this League, you have to play [the way we played in the third period] for sixty minutes, and we weren’t even close. [It] wasn’t a great first and it got worse in the second and […] if you want to hand out badges for good effort and stuff like that, I think we’re beyond that this time of year, you know? Effort for twenty minutes and doing the right things for twenty minutes isn’t good enough.” He went a step further, saying that there were no positives to be found in their effort.
“There’s no excuse,” he continued, “If we’re making excuses for that performance, it’s going to be a short [playoff] run.”
The loss prevented the Avalanche from increasing their points lead over Dallas, and as a result, today’s game still carries weight for both clubs. For the Avs, it’s the start of a back-to-back weekend that sees them returning home for an Easter evening matchup against the St. Louis Blues. With four massive points hanging in the balance for the Avs this weekend, here’s where today’s game matters from their perspective:
The Avs come into Dallas as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings with a total of 108 points. They have eight (8) games remaining on their schedule—two in hand on Dallas—and have forty-six (46) regulation wins on the season. A regulation win for the Avs wouldn’t completely drive the final nail into the coffin for Dallas to catch them, but it would put their chances on life support. A regulation win for the Avs, coupled with a victory on home ice tomorrow, should put first place out of Dallas’ reach.
This is all predicated on the Avs taking care of their own affairs. They control their own destiny, and while they have the tiebreaker advantages over Dallas right now (points and regulation wins), things can flip on a dime, and the last thing they need is giving Dallas any extra motivation with the end of the season in sight.
While this is certainly a huge weekend for the Avs, today’s game also sets a monumental milestone for Brent Burns, as he is slated to skate in his thousandth consecutive game. The forty year old defenseman, who made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild after being selected with the twentieth overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, played his first seven seasons with Minnesota before being traded to San Jose prior to the 2011-2012 season. He spent would spend the next eleven seasons in San Jose, where many of his career milestones would take place. The 2014-2015 season saw the first of eleven consecutive seasons of Burns skating in every every regular season game. He made his Stanley Cup Final debut in 2016, set a career high in goals (27) in a Norris trophy-winning campaign in 2017, and set career highs in assists (67) and points (83) in 2019.
Burns was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes prior to the start of the 2022-2023 season, where he spent three seasons before signing with the Avs prior to the start of this season. After surpassing former NHL defenseman Keith Yandle’s mark of 989 consecutive games on March 14, Burns became the all-time leader in consecutive games played among defensemen. Coming into today’s game, he trails only Phil Kessel, who holds the all-time record of 1064 consecutive games among all NHL skaters.
Nathan MacKinnon is the first player in the NHL to reach 50 goals, having broken the mark this past Wednesday. Despite being the NHL’s goal scoring leader, his 121 points total is three points behind both Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (124) and five points Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (126). Martin Nečas (35) and Brock Nelson (33) rank second and third in team goal scoring, respectively. Cale Makar, who left Wednesday’s game with injury, did not accompany the team to Dallas, and will be re-evaluated next week. Nicolas Roy also did not travel with the team to Dallas, and his status will be re-evaluated next week as well.
While Bednar did not indicate who would start in today’s game, look for Wedgewood to get the nod today.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Artturi Lehkonen – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Parker Kelly – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Joel Kiviranta
Defense: Devon Toews – Sam Malinski Josh Manson – Brent Burns Brett Kulak – Nick Blankenburg
Between the Pipes: Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood
Dallas Stars
The run that Dallas has been on has made them a darling of hockey circles everywhere. In any other season, Dallas’s 102 points would tie them with Carolina in a race for first place in the League, and with both teams splitting their two game season series, it would come down to the thinnest of margins to decide who would emerge ahead of the other. Add in Eastern Conference mainstay Tampa Bay Lightning and the come-out-of-nowhere Buffalo Sabres, both of whom boast 100 point seasons of their own, and there would be no shortages of storylines heading into the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Dallas featured prominently among them.
A ten game winning streak? Done. A gold medal winning goaltender? Check. A top-rated power play threat? Yep. A stellar record at home and away? You bet. If you’re the Dallas Stars, you rightly believe that success is yours for the taking as the Stanley Cup Playoffs grow closer.
In any other season, but not this season.
For all their success to this point, Dallas is, and still remains, second best. Coming into today’s regular season finale against Colorado, Dallas is still looking up at their division rival. That ten game winning streak? Colorado’s done that twice. Home and away records? Colorado remains the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose more than ten games on home ice (24-8-5) compared to everyone else (Dallas is 23-10-4 at home). As good as Dallas has been on the road (22-9-8), Colorado’s 25-7-5 record is still better than everyone else.
Let’s not stop there: A +49 goal differential for Dallas? Colorado’s +90 is tops in the League. Colorado’s allowed the fewest number of goals (193) compared to Dallas (209), and Scott Wedgewood’s 2.19 goals against average and .916 save percentage leads all active goaltenders. By comparison, goaltender Casey DeSmith’s 2.38 goals against average ranks third among active goaltenders, while Jake Oettinger’s 2.61 ranks fifteenth. DeSmith’s .909 save percentage ranks fourteenth among active goaltenders, while Oettinger’s .900 ranks twenty-third.
There are a couple of bright spots for Dallas. Dallas can hang their ten-gallon hats on a second-ranked power play percentage (29.1%), while Colorado’s 17.9% ranks twenty-fifth. Oettinger also ranks third in wins among goaltenders (31), four more than Wedgewood (27), and ten more than Mackenzie Blackwood (21).
Dallas also leads the regular season series 2-0-1, their most recent victory being a 2-1 shootout decision back on March 18 at Ball Arena. To this point in the season, every game against Colorado has ended in a shootout. In their last meeting at America Airlines Center on March 06, Dallas captain Jamie Benn botched an opportunity to ice the game with Wedgewood on the bench for an extra skater, but his shot attempt banked off the side of the net. Valeri Nichushkin would score the game-tying goal moments later, and provided the shootout heroics alongside Martin Nečas to best Oettinger en route to a 5-4 decision for Colorado. That game would also see the departure of Roope Hintz to injury after getting tangled up with Nathan MacKinnon in the second period.
Since then, Dallas has regained the services of former Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen. He returned to action on March 28 in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rantanen, who sustained injury during his play for Team Finland during the Olympics in Italy, had not made a regular season appearance for Dallas since a 5-4 victory over St. Louis on February 04, prior to the Olympic break.
In order to have a shot at first place in the West, Dallas is banking on a repeat performance from Oettinger, who blanked the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-0 this past Thursday. The victory was only Dallas’ third in their past ten games. A regulation win over Colorado would pull Dallas within four points of first place, and with four games remaining in the regular season, today’s head-to-head matchup is Dallas’ last, best chance to prevent Colorado from widening the gap between them. Even with a win over Colorado, Dallas would still have to play nearly flawless hockey down the stretch and hope they get some help from Colorado’s remaining opponents.
Wyatt Johnston leads all Dallas skaters in goals (41) and power play goals (25). Jason Robertson ranks second in goals (40), and leads the team in points (89). Miro Heiskanen leads all Dallas skaters in assists (53), while Rantanen is a close second (52). Rantanen also leads all Dallas skaters in penalty minutes (89).
Today marks the second of a five game home stand for Dallas, their final prolonged stretch of games on home ice. Oettinger will likely start in goal to close out the season series against Colorado.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Jason Robertson – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen Jamie Benn – Matt Duchene – Colin Blackwell Oskar Bäck – Justin Hryckowian – Mavrik Bourque Adam Erne – Arttu Hyry
Defense: Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist Lian Bischel – Ilya Lyubushkin Kyle Capobianco
Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke will finish his 2025-26 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Brunicke was assigned to WBS on Saturday morning after his junior season with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers ended this week. Brunicke finished the year with two goals and 24 points in 24 games before compiling one point in four playoff games.
He started the year with the Penguins after making the team out of training camp. He scored his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders on Oct. 9 and played in nine games for the Penguins before he was sent back to Kamloops.
