On Sunday, the Chicago Blackhawks were idle. Their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, however, was not. Rockford was at the Allstate Arena to take on the Chicago Wolves for Sunday night hockey. 

Rockford was defeated in regulation by a score of 4-2, but the story of the game was their newest goaltender, Adam Gajan. 

Gajan was a second-round pick, 35th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft. He has had a very interesting year, which included his first pro contract a couple of weeks ago. 

This was the first pro game for Gajan, making his AHL debut with Rockford. Although his team lost, he gave them a chance to win by making 36 saves on 39 shots. 

Gajan looked quite sharp this afternoon, stopping 36 Wolves shots. He more than gave the IceHogs a chance to earn points🎥 pic.twitter.com/VubfDd1TZF

— Dana Grey (@DanaGrey0) April 12, 2026

The IceHogs are the third team that Gajan has played for this season. He was one of the NCAA's top goaltenders with the University of Minnesota Duluth, and he was also a part of Team Slovakia at the Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. He didn't see any game action there, but it was a great learning experience in the early stages of his development. 

With Gajan making this start, he became the 7th goalie to play for Rockford this season, which sets a team record. Even for an AHL team, where there is a lot of movement between the NHL and ECHL, that's a lot of goalies. 

Next season, the Blackhawks are projected to have Spencer Knight, Arvid Soderblom, Drew Commesso, and Adam Gajan in the mix for different roles. For a kid like Gajan still developing, this was a great start to begin his ascention within the organization that drafted him. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored his second goal of the game on the power play with 1:45 left in overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night.

The Devils trailed 3-2 after two periods, but Dawson Mercer scored a short-handed goal with 7:32 left in the third period to tie it at 3-3, setting the stage for Hischier's winner.

Connor Brown also had a short-handed goal for the Devils and Nico Daws made 27 saves.

Michael Amadio, Shane Pinto on the power play, and Fabian Zetterlund all scored in a roughly seven-minute span of the second period for the Senators, who had their four game win streak snapped.

Drake Batherson had an assist on Pinto's goal to move into 10th place on the franchise's career scoring list with 363 points. Marian Hossa is ninth with 390. Daniel Alfredsson is first with 1,108 career points with the team.

James Reimer made 26 saves for the Senators.

Hischier gave the Devils a 1-0 lead 5:12 into the game and also had an assist on Mercer's goal. Jack Hughes had two assists for the Devils including one on Hischier's winner.

Up next

Senators: Host Toronto on Wednesday night to end the regular season.

Devils: Play at Boston on Tuesday night to end the regular season.

___

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

___

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist to pass the 100-point mark for the season and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Islanders 4-1 on Sunday, eliminating New York from playoff contention.

Ivan Demidov, Alex Newhook and Zachary Bolduc also scored for Montreal, which continues its push for home-ice advantage in the opening round and a potential Atlantic Division title. Jacob Fowler made 30 saves, and defenseman Lane Hutson added three assists.

Casey Cizikas scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin stopped 18 shots but the Islanders lost for the sixth time in their last seven games to fall out of postseason contention.

Montreal broke the game open late in the second period, scoring three goals in a 55-second span.

Suzuki opened the scoring with his 29th goal of the season, reaching the 100-point mark for the first time in his career.

Demidov made it 2-0 just 28 seconds later, finishing a one-timer off Suzuki’s feed on the power play. It was Suzuki’s 72nd assist.

Newhook capped the surge at 16:51 of the second with a wrist shot on a two-on-one rush.

Cizikas redirected a shot from Scott Mayfield to spoil Fowler’s shutout bid midway through the third period.

Up next

Canadiens: Visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night in their regular-season finale.

Islanders: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night to conclude the regular season.

Four weeks ago, it seemed impossible that this feel-good Islanders season would end so soon.

The Islanders had been in a playoff spot since early December. They were buyers at the trade deadline. They were not quite a Cup contender, but with Matthew Schaefer driving the bus, the season’s vibe was impeccable.

Getting eliminated from playoff contention before the last game of the season even took place? Unfathomable, until it became all but inevitable Saturday night. Impossible to digest until it became official, leaving no choice, on Sunday.

The Islanders’ 4-1 loss to Montreal formalized what has been an astonishing, gutting and indicting collapse over the past 25 days. Since losing to Ottawa and falling out of a spot March 19, the Islanders are 4-9-0 in their past 13 games, a .307 points percentage that would rank 32nd in the league by a wide margin over the season.

“You can take a guess how I feel right now,” Casey Cizikas said inside an utterly devastated dressing room. “Frustrated, disappointed. It sucks.”

Since the Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982, this is the first time that all three tristate area teams have failed to make the playoffs in a season.

Had they merely been passably bad as opposed to awful, the Islanders would almost certainly have at least made the playoffs. Had they been average, the Islanders might have home ice in the first round.

Instead, in game after game, the Islanders fell flat. Two nights after that loss in Ottawa, the Islanders fell to pieces in the third period in Montreal. They came out as if it were a preseason game against the Blackhawks, got blown out 8-3 to the Penguins and — in the final blow for coach Patrick Roy — could not muster any desperation or energy whatsoever in must-win games against the Flyers and Hurricanes last weekend.

Then, with Pete DeBoer behind the bench and the Islanders knowing they needed to run the table just to have a shot, an 0-for-5 power play and 3-0 loss to Ottawa on Saturday put their playoff chances into Lloyd Christmas territory.

Reverse just one or two of those results, and the Islanders might be looking forward to the postseason now. Instead, they could barely contain their emotions and shock Sunday night, still in disbelief that a season that had been so promising had ended so terribly.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

“It’s just like, a bit of a gut punch,” Ryan Pulock said. “I think the first 65, 70 games, how we were so resilient and how much fun it was coming to the rink every day, trying to get back in the playoffs. I think at the start of the year, no one had us anywhere close. Just the finish we had and where we’re at now.

“This league’s tough. It’s tough. Every team is good. It’s such a fine line. You go and compete every night and then when this happens, it sucks.”

The details of Sunday’s match are, largely, immaterial. The Islanders fell apart during a 55-second span in the second period over which they gave up three goals, with Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook doing the scoring. Offensively, they failed to threaten through two periods and failed to build Casey Cizikas’ third-period goal into anything more than a brief spurt of momentum. Zach Bolduc added a fourth for Montreal. The Islanders were left to sit with it.

“There’s not a lot of words, without swearing, [for] how I feel right now and how the group feels,” captain Anders Lee said. “We came up short after putting everything we had towards getting in this year.”

Tuesday’s now-meaningless bout against Carolina might be Lee’s last as an Islander. He is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and after the way this season ended, it seems a distinct possibility that general manager Mathieu Darche will look for serious changes in the roster’s composition.

Exactly what, and how much, changes are the questions facing Darche now.

After two straight seasons without playoff hockey, it’s pivotal to find the right answer.

Just over a month ago, the New York Islanders were comfortably in a playoff spot. Even after a rough road trip out to California, a concerning stretch for sure, it still didn’t seem like the season was in any real peril. And then…

Everyone else in the Metro started surging while the Islanders floundered, going 7-10 to this point, including losing 6 of their last 7 games. The scoring went cold, while the defense fell apart and Ilya Sorokin started to look mortal, his Vezina bid likely slipping away in the process.

And all of that led to Patrick Roy’s dismissal. Mathieu Darche brought in Peter DeBoer with eyes towards next season. If everything worked out, he’d right the ship, go 4-0 in these games, and the Isles would earn a playoff bid in Matthew Schaefer’s first season.

That didn’t happen, though, and now Darche, DeBoer, and the Islanders will have a long offseason to start to set this team up for long-term success. That will probably be without some long time Islanders, but with an aging core and young talent along the way (Bridgeport made the AHL playoffs!), it’s time to make some difficult decisions.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

Anthony Duclair came into the lineup for Ondrej Palat, and hopefully that was a hint that Palat won’t be part of this team going forward.

The Islanders went to an early power play after Josh Anderson was called for high sticking Carson Soucy, but unsurprisingly, they couldn’t convert on the power play. Jacob Fowler made a good save on Kyle MacLean after the power play expired.

Mat Barzal put a shot off Fowler’s mask, which was the other big chance for the Islanders that period.

Then, Emil Heineman was called for tripping Ivan Demidov, and on that power play, Juraj Slafkovsky whiffed in front of an empty net, and Ilya Sorokin made a big save on Nick Suzuki, the sharpest he’s looked in a few games now.

Second Period

Anthony Duclair shot the puck high over the net while pressured in front.

Scott Mayfield was boarded by Arber Xhekaj, with no call for that. Brayden Schenn came in on Xhekaj, and both of them got roughing penalties. Neither team converted on the 4 on 4, but Mayfield left the game after that hit.

He did return a few minutes later.

Anderson got a breakaway but missed high.

Nick Suzuki then scored to make it 1-0 for the Canadiens. On that play, Matthew Schaefer took a four minute double minor for high sticking, so the Canadiens also picked up a two-minute power play after that as well. And on that power play, Demidov made it 2-0.

And then Alex Newhook made it 3-0 less than 30 seconds later.

Xhekaj was called for roughing, sending the Islanders to the power play, which would continue on into the third period.

Third Period

The Canadiens killed that power play despite one good look from the Islanders.

With 11 minutes left, Casey Cizikas tipped a Mayfield shot past Fowler to make it 3-1.

That gave the Islanders some life, but they couldn’t get anything past Fowler before pulling Sorokin for the extra skater. They couldn’t convert with the net empty, and then Zack Bolduc scored late with Sorokin back in to make it 4-1.

Up Next

Next, the New York Islanders will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, April 14, the last game of the season and Fan Appreciation Night. All eyes will be on whether Matthew Schaefer will break Brian Leetch’s rookie scoring record.

Vancouver Canucks forward Curtis Douglas has scored his first ever NHL goal, tying the game up by a score of 1–1 against the Anaheim Ducks. This is the forward’s third career NHL point, as he has also put up two assists through 41 games during the 2025–26 season. 

‼️ CURTIS DOUGLAS FIRST @NHL GOAL ALERT ‼️ pic.twitter.com/86P80O4YXv

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 13, 2026

This is Douglas’ first NHL season, with the forward having made his NHL debut on October 9 against the Ottawa Senators. He scored his first career NHL point on November 12 against the New York Rangers and followed that up with an assist against the Florida Panthers the game after. His goal tonight is his first point as a member of the Canucks. 

Douglas was the Canucks’ lone acquisition on NHL Trade Deadline day. Including tonight, the forward has played in 12 games with the Canucks as well as 29 with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier on in the season. 

Douglas' first career NHL goal also marked a career milestone for another Canuck. Defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev, who was called-up by Vancouver yesterday, tallied his first NHL point with an assist on the 1-1 goal. 

After tonight, Vancouver will play in their final home game of the season against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm PT.   

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ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders have been eliminated from playoff contention following their 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

After a scoreless first period, the Islanders allowed three goals in 55 seconds to go down 3-0, the last of the three coming at 16:51 of the middle frame.  

THE CANADIENS JUST SCORED THREE GOALS IN 55 SECONDS 😳 pic.twitter.com/3dEqTjTJYK

— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2026

Casey Cizikas did score at 8:45 of the second period after he deflected a Scott Mayfield point shot to stop the Islanders from being shut out for a second straight night after falling 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon. 

Zachary Bolduc scored with 13.2 seconds to play for the 4-1 final.

With the loss, the Islanders have now missed the playoffs for a second straight season.

The last time that happened was in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the last two seasons of the Garth Snow-Doug Weight Era. 

The Islanders, who conclude their season on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, are 1-2-0 through their first three games under new head coach Pete DeBoer.  

It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the Vegas Golden Knights.

They acquired Mitch Marner in the offseason. They entered the Olympic Break leading the Pacific Division. Then, just 52 days later, they fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella. But despite all the chaos, they officially punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night.

There is still much to be determined. Per hockeystats.com, the Golden Knights still have five potential round one opponents with less than a week remaining in the regular season. However, a frontrunner is finally emerging from the rest of the pack.

Let’s take a look at the Golden Knights’ five potential playoff opponents and run the numbers.

Utah Mammoth

Matchup Probability: 64%

Regular Season Record: 1-2

Scoring Edge: 10-5, Mammoth

In their second year as a Salt Lake City-based franchise, the Mammoth clinched a playoff berth. The Pacific Division isn’t settled yet, but the Mammoth are locked into WC1 and set to play the winner. They’re a fast, versatile team with high offensive upside and a new mammoth-themed fanboni titled the ‘Zammoth.’

While the Golden Knights are certainly the more experienced of the two teams, the Mammoth are young and hungry with something to prove. They’ve also gotten hot at the right time with a five-game winning streak, where they outscored their opponents 30-18 and boasted a power play with a 39.1% success rate. 

Anaheim Ducks

Matchup Probability: 17%

Regular Season Record: 0-1-2

Scoring Edge: 12-9, Ducks

Right now, the Ducks look increasingly vulnerable. They’re fresh off a six-game losing streak and are 1-5-1 in their last seven games. During that six-game losing streak, they were outscored 29-15. The Ducks have a very young core, which is something a team of seasoned veterans could take advantage of.

On the other hand, Anaheim also has Joel Quenneville behind the bench. Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history, with three Stanley Cups to his name. And he’s certainly had success with young teams before.

Edmonton Oilers

Matchup Probability: 11%

Regular Season Record: 1-2-1

Scoring Edge: 13-13

On paper, the Oilers look like the easiest of the three most likely playoff matchups. Their depth scoring is streaky, and their penalty kill is below average. And after downgrading in net, their goaltending might be even worse than it has been in recent years.

But at the end of the day, Connor McDavid is Connor McDavid. And injured or not, Leon Draisaitl is still a top-five skater in the league. There’s also the fact that the Oilers would have home ice advantage. They have the edge in every single tiebreaker procedure.

Los Angeles Kings

Matchup Probability: 8%

Regular Season Record: 3-0-1

Scoring Edge: 18-13, Golden Knights

The Kings are a bit of a conundrum. Their -21 goal differential is the worst among all playoff hopefuls, and they set the NHL record this season for the most overtime appearances with 32. They have just 21 regulation wins; if not for their 19 overtime losses, they would likely be dead in the water.

But these Kings refuse to die. They’ve won four in a row and are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. The Golden Knights have had the Kings’ number this season, and would have an edge in a potential series. However, a team playing with house money is a dangerous team indeed. And if you couple that with this being Golden Knights-killer Anže Kopitar’s last season, well…

Colorado Avalanche

Matchup Probability: 1%

Regular Season Record: 1-1-1

Scoring Edge: 12-10, Avalanche

The Avalanche are the least likely playoff opponents for the Golden Knights, and that’s probably how they like it. Presidents’ Trophy curse or not, the Avalanche are the best team in the NHL this season. They lead the league in goals scored and fewest goals allowed, and boast the #1-ranked penalty kill.

The Golden Knights won their final meeting against the Avalanche, but Colorado was without Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar. Simply put, this is a matchup that the Golden Knights should hope to avoid.

There's a chance that Sunday was Alex Ovechkin's final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He recorded an assist in the Washington Capitals' 3-0 win, keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.  

Ovechkin's rivalry with Sidney Crosby has been one of the best in NHL history, producing unforgettable moments. They've now played against one another 100 times and have played four crazy playoff series over the years.

The Penguins won the first three before the Capitals won the last one in 2018. Whoever won each series went on to win the Stanley Cup.

With all of that in mind, let's take a look at Ovechkin's top-five goals against the Penguins throughout his career. 

The Dueling Hat Trick Goal

Let's go back to May. 4, 2009. It was Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Penguins and Capitals, with the Capitals taking Game 1, 3-2. 

The two teams played an instant classic, with both Crosby and Ovechkin recording dueling hat tricks. Ovechkin's third goal was credited as the game-winner, making it a 4-2 game with 4:38 left in the third period. He blew the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury, giving the Capitals a big insurance goal. 

Yes, the Penguins went on to win the series in seven games before winning the Stanley Cup, but this was still an unbelievable goal. 

Game 3 winner in 2018

2018 was the third consecutive year that the Penguins and Capitals met in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Penguins won the two previous matchups in 2016 and 2017 and were the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions going into this series. 

The two teams split the first two games in D.C. before the series shifted to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4. It looked like Game 3 was headed to overtime before Ovechkin scored the game-winner with 1:07 left in the third period. The goal stunned the Pittsburgh crowd. 

This gave the Capitals a 2-1 series lead, and for the first time, some belief that they could actually beat the Penguins in a series. They'd end up winning the series in six games, thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov's overtime winner. 

Ovechkin Hat Trick in 2010

Back on Feb. 7, 2010, the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, but there was a big hockey game that preceded that contest. 

The Penguins played the Capitals in D.C. and raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second period before Ovechkin tied the game with a hat trick in the third period. Nicklas Backstrom won a draw before the puck got to Ovechkin's blade, and he made no mistake with it. 

The Capitals would go on to win 5-4 in overtime, thanks to Mike Knuble. 

Ovechkin's 1,000th point

As fate would have it, Ovechkin's 1,000th point came against the Penguins on Jan. 11, 2017. The Penguins were in D.C. for the game, and Ovechkin reached the milestone with a nasty goal. 

He had a nifty toe-drag in the offensive zone before burying the puck past Fleury. He was mobbed by some of his teammates before being honored by the team. 

Ovechkin's 1,001st point

I know that this goal came in the same game as Ovechkin's 1,000th point, but it was also a great goal. 

After opening the scoring in the first period, the Caps took a 1-0 lead into the second period before they got a power play with a little less than 12:30 remaining in the period. 

The Caps won the draw before John Carlson fed Ovechkin a one-timer from his signature spot. Fleury had no chance on the shot. 

The Capitals won the game by three, 5-2. 

Time will tell if Ovechkin returns for the 2026-27 season. He's expected to make a decision this summer.

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The NHL playoffs will commence Saturday with some notable turnover in the 16-team bracket.

Entering Sunday’s slate of games, four teams that didn’t compete last postseason — the Sabres, Mammoth, Penguins and Bruins — already qualified for this year’s dance. The Ducks, Flyers and Blue Jackets are still in the running to join them, with Anaheim having a chance to clinch Sunday night with a win against the Canucks.

Buffalo ended a historic playoff drought of 14 seasons. Utah made it in (technically) the organization’s second season of existence.

The Rangers are caught somewhere in the middle as they inch closer toward their second early summer in a row.

The Post’s Mollie Walker analyzes three turnarounds and what the Blueshirts could learn from them:

Bruins

Boston general manager Don Sweeney made a lot of home run decisions that turned his team around from 76 points last season to the 96 they carried into their matchup in Columbus on Sunday. This after coming off a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign, in which captain Brad Marchand was traded to Florida as part of a considerable deadline sell-off.

New Rangers (re)hire Kevin Maxwell can look at the fact that 10 of the players on the current Bruins roster were acquired via trade. A smashing success with Sweeney’s offseason signings — including Tanner Jeannot and Jonathan Aspirot — also filled organizational needs. Aspirot is now Charlie McAvoy’s top-pair partner.

Even if several players overperformed, the Bruins deployed a much more balanced offense this season. Depth scoring was pivotal in their push to clinching a playoff berth. The Rangers have been a top-heavy lineup for years. The Rangers know better than most that game-changing goaltending makes anything possible. Jeremy Swayman not only improved as the Bruins’ clear-cut No. 1 goalie when it mattered, but he was a real difference-maker down the stretch.

Boston’s return to the playoffs certainly wasn’t picture perfect. They’ve had three separate losing streaks of five or more games this season. It was still a process, which is what Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan references frequently. The Rangers had two really strong seasons that preceded their runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024. It won’t always be that way, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be.

Utah

The Mammoth were on a five-game winning streak when they clinched the organization’s first playoff berth. Without rehashing the disaster that was the Arizona Coyotes, a commitment was made to a trio of first-round draft picks — Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther — that has significantly paid off. They were nurtured. Cooley and Guenther have enjoyed breakout seasons and the young Utah core seems to be clamoring for a crack at the playoffs.

The Rangers’ largely failed track record with their organizationally grown prospects is well documented. Special circumstances surrounding the transition from the desert to Salt Lake City meant the club had to be patient, but with the geographical shift came a cultural one. Most of that came with a change in ownership. Ryan Smith has been lauded for his handling of the players and staffers during the move.

There is no indication MSG sports executive James Dolan, who owns the Rangers and Knicks, is going anywhere, but Utah is proof the most significant changes can stem from the very top down.

Penguins

Projected to face-plant coming into this season, the Penguins proved a lot of people wrong. Pittsburgh, which hasn’t reached the postseason since 2022 and hasn’t won a single series since 2018, was rejuvenated by a new coach, remarkable play from the Big Three and the players GM Kyle Dubas surrounded them with. The Penguins probably emulated the closest process to a “retool,” which is what the Rangers are striving for.

Never underestimate the power of impactful leaders. Captain Sidney Crosby is one of a kind. His trio with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang is one of the greatest to do it in all of professional sports history. The fact that they have each had strong individual seasons at ages 38 and 39, respectively, has been nothing short of incredible.

So much of what the Rangers become will hinge on captain J.T. Miller and what he brings both on and off the ice. This is who Blueshirts president and general manager Chris Drury chose to be the guy. Miller has had his moments this season, both positive and negative, but it was all hindered by injuries throughout the season. Ex-Rangers assistant Dan Muse provided a fresh voice and presence behind the Penguins bench as well.

Dubas was able to rebalance and restructure the lineup, which benefited the most from the additions of Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov and rookie Ben Kindel.

Pregame

The late-season roster shuffle continues. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Parker Wotherspoon all dress for this game after sitting out yesterday. Noel Acciari, Anthony Mantha, Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton all rotate out with official ‘undisclosed day-to-day injuries’.

The home Capitals celebrate their final home game of the season and the potential last time to see Alex Ovechkin playing in DC with this lineup.

Ovechkin and the Pens’ crew get a pregame faceoff. No official announcements or anything but it sure looks like a lot of signs pointing to this being it for the Great 8.

First period

Dylan Strome gets himself kicked out of the opening faceoff so that Ovechkin can line up for a faceoff against Crosby. The Penguin captain wins it cleanly and the game is on.

The improved Penguins surpass yesterday’s one shot in the first period very easily. Karlsson draws the first power play of the game but Pittsburgh doesn’t score.

Crosby takes a penalty late in the period. The Capitals cash in quickly, Ovechkin makes a pass down to Justin Sourdif that gets tipped off the crossbar and then Sourdif finished it off by tapping the puck into the empty net. But wait, a coach’s challenge for offsides and Ilya Protas was very clearly a step ahead of the play at the blueline wipes out the goal.

The first ends with no goals that count, the Pens were better in the earlier parts of the start, the Capitals came on stronger as play went along.

Second period

Washington starts the second still on the power play, Pittsburgh kills it off.

Both teams skate back and forth, the Caps score for real this time. Trevor van Riemsdyk pokes at a puck in the crease about three times, it finally gets over the line. 1-0 Washington with 7:36 to go in the period.

The Pens wake up a little, Logan Thompson denies Tommy Novak on a great chance from in front off a pass from Rickard Rakell, then Novak is sprung for a breakaway but lets the puck slide off his stick to negate a scoring chance. Pittsburgh gets their second power play of the game soon after. Erik Karlsson slams a slap shot off Tom Wilson’s foot, otherwise nothing happening.

The Caps take a 1-0 lead into the last frame.

Third period

The Pens get their chance to pin the Caps in their zone for a long time, their pinch fails and the Caps go the other way on a 2-on-1 where forward Egor Chinakhov is the last player back. Next up, Connor McMichael scores, beating Skinner on backhand deke. 2-0 with just 4:10 to go.

Pittsburgh pulls the goalie with over 3 minutes to play, apparently wanting Ovechkin to get career goal No. 930 to send the people home happy. Ovechkin gets the assist to spring McMichael into space and score on the unguarded cage. 3-0 game.

Some thoughts

• I think the Penguins really missed the mark with the decisions of playing/sitting players before the playoffs. Namely, how are you going to hold all the star players and key players out from ‘fan appreciation day’ to play them on the road the next day? Awful. And why play them at all today? Ovechkin nailed Letang, Karlsson took a high-stick and Rust blocked an Ovechkin shot in the foot in the first period alone. If you’re going to rest them, then go all the way and rest them all weekend. If you’re going to play them in games after being clinched then it shouldn’t have been today.
• That said, it is what it is. Not like it’s wise to put hockey players on the shelf for 10 days and pick right up for the playoffs. Rotating almost every key player out either today or yesterday (besides Rakell, Chinakhov, Novak, Girard and maybe Brazeau if giving him the honor of being a ‘key player’) is a nice boost at this time of year to pick a spot for a day off for the crew.
• Crosby/Ovechkin head to head 100 times. 56 wins for Crosby, point battle is 127-103 (48 goals, 79 assists for Crosby, 53 goals and 50 assists for Ovechkin).
• Not too much going on in this game, Skinner was pretty good, Thompson was great. Everyone else was just kinda there. The game had an odd feel to it almost as a wake for the career of Ovechkin hanging over all of the proceedings.

The Pens wrap up the regular season on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

Flyers see magic number shrink, have great opportunity to end playoff drought originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers have a clearer picture of how they can clinch their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.

With the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 regulation loss Sunday night to the Bruins, the Flyers can punch their ticket to the postseason if they win one of their final two games. Their magic number is two points, so a pair of overtime/shootout losses would also do the trick.

Their first chance will come Monday when they host Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). They then welcome the Canadiens on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Flyers can also make the playoffs if they pick up one point over their last two games and the Blue Jackets beat the Capitals on Tuesday night. But their easiest way to get in is to win one more game.

The Flyers (41-27-12) hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division with 94 points. Two points in some fashion over the next two days would put them at 96, a total the Capitals, Blue Jackets and Islanders can’t reach.

The Capitals (42-30-9) have 93 points and can finish with a max of 95. They blanked the Penguins, 3-0, Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Jackets (40-29-12) have 92 points and can finish with a max of 94. They host the Capitals in the regular-season finale for both clubs.

The Islanders (43-33-5) were eliminated from the race Sunday with a 4-1 loss to the Canadiens.

Rick Tocchet’s club has lost consecutive games just once since Feb. 26. The Flyers have gone 16-6-1 over that span and have allowed just 2.39 goals per game.

They’re trying to snap a five-year playoff drought, which matches the longest in franchise history.

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The fate of the Detroit Red Wings was sealed on Saturday evening with their regulation loss to the New Jersey Devils, confirming that they would miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 10th consecutive season. 

However, there are still two games left on their regular season schedule before they break for the offseason, starting with a tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday evening, followed by their finale against the Florida Panthers, both on the road. 

Before those matchups take place, the Red Wings have announced an emergency call-up from the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who initially made the roster out of Training Camp, has been called up. 

UPDATE: The #RedWings have recalled Michael Brandsegg-Nygard from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions. pic.twitter.com/80HStaHnQf

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 12, 2026

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Brandsegg-Nygård, whom the Red Wings selected in the first round (14th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, played in 12 games in the NHL this season, registering an assist.

He's been a key contributor to the Griffins this season, who became the first AHL club in decades to clinch a playoff spot in February.

In 58 games played with the Griffins, he's tallied 20 goals with 24 assists, and also has posted an impressive plus-19 rating. 

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