LOS ANGELES — The Islanders may have just had the worst run in Southern California since Magic Johnson tried hosting late-night television.
After 5-1 in Anaheim came 5-3 in Los Angeles on Trade Deadline Eve, as the Islanders fell to the Kings on Thursday in a game where they were completely overmatched from the jump. As messages to management go, this was one Mathieu Darche would probably like to erase.
One bad game was something the Islanders could wave away off the heels of a five-game winning streak. Two is a harder sell.
“It’s a wake-up call for us that we still have a lot of work to do,” said Bo Horvat, whose line has been a shell of its usual shelf so far on this trip. “We still have to play confident, good hockey in order to make the playoffs.”
It is easier to list the couple positives for the Islanders on Thursday than the many, many things that went wrong.
Ryan Pulock was back from injury, and going 8:35 without allowing an empty-net goal was fairly impressive. That is, pretty much, it.
The Islanders turned pucks over, they had no net presence on either side of the ice, they were anemic on the power play.
They have yet to come out of a first period without trailing since the Olympic break, and Thursday was their worst start yet, as the Isles were outshot 19-5 and barely touched the puck.
“I wasn’t surprised the way they came out,” Roy said. “We talked about it. We knew it was the second game for their new coach, and they lost against Colorado.”
Ilya Sorokin defends the net during the Islanders’ 5-3 loss to the Kings on March 5, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
Of course, Roy’s team also lost on Wednesday and should have had plenty of motivation.
Somehow, they were still within arm’s length going into the third period thanks to Horvat scoring in, literally, the final second of the second period. After one second was put back onto the clock, Horvat whipped one in from above the left circle off a faceoff to bring the Islanders within 3-1.
The momentum proved fleeting.
The Kings celebrate a goal during their March 5 win over the Islanders. NHLI via Getty Images
The Islanders and Kings ended up trading goals throughout the third, with the deficit never getting below two as Alex Laferriere, Adam Pelech, Adrian Kempe and Emil Heineman all added to the scoresheet.
There is just no way to come back down three goals without being much, much better around the crease and below the hash marks than the Islanders were on Thursday. Let alone when giving the opponent free access through the neutral zone.
Come to think of it, forget coming back, it’s hard to win a game at all under those conditions.
“In the games where we came back, the previous five games, we were getting to the [dirty] areas, creating more havoc our front,” Horvat told The Post. “These last two games, we’re trying to be too pretty. It’s kind of backfired on us. We got to get back to being more simple.”
Horvat’s commentary on his own line, which was on for two goals against and made little positive impact for the second straight night, was just as scathing.
“Right now we’re trying to make something out of nothing,” he said. “We got to be a heck of a lot better in order for our team to win here. My line has to step up in bigger ways and create offense. And be reliable in our own end too. We have to be a lot better than we have been the last two games.”
The Islanders react after allowing a goal during their March 5 loss to the Kings. AP
Making matters worse was that, aside from JG Pageau’s line, pretty much the entire lineup has had a brutal two nights.
The fourth line, which can usually generate some kind of a forecheck, didn’t have much in the tank and Kyle MacLean committed a brutal turnover leading to the Kings’ second goal, via Samuel Helenius.
The second line has been a total nonfactor two straight nights and looks an obvious candidate to be broken up.
Pelech turned it over leading to Mikey Anderson’s third goal just 1:31 later.
Scott Mayfield has had a tough two games and though Matthew Schaefer is beyond any serious criticism, the superstar rookie hasn’t looked like his usual self in either game out West.
Maybe there is something in the air in this building, where the Islanders haven’t won since 2018. Or maybe it is Southern California in general, even though the smog is largely a thing of the past.
Either way, the Islanders will be glad to get out of here.
It’s a good thing the Islanders managed three dramatic comeback wins coming out of the Olympic break, because then they headed to southern California and played like doodoo. Actually, their starts and play in SoCal wasn’t that much different from the prior three games, just the bounces and outcomes were a little different.
They followed up a 5-1 loss in Anaheim with a 5-3 loss to the Kings in Los Angeles Thursday. For moments, I had Scott Gordon Era flashbacks, staying up late to watch depressing performances on the West Coast and questioning life choices.
However, this one also had a distinctly Patrick Roy flavor, with a very early goalie pull that provided some surrealist entertainment for the final 8:30 of the game.
Things got off to a weird start when Ilya Sorokin lost his stick in an encounter with Anze Kopitar, and no Islander bothered to sweep it back to him. Even after the Islanders cleared the zone once and the Kings had the puck at their own blueline with all five Isles skaters between them and Sorokin, no one bothered to retrieve the goal stick from the corner.
Sorokin made a couple of sterling, groin-defying saves without his stick, but then they left Artemi Panarin all alone in front, and the Russian was patient in beating his countryman (no)stick side.
This is just frustrating to see. What the hell were they doing and thinking?
In DJ Smith’s second game as interim head coach, the Kings committed two too many men penalties in the second period, one with six skaters and one with seven(!). During an in-game interview, Smith took the heat for it while noting “one by the D, one by the forwards” as too eager to get on.
But what’s the risk? The Islanders power play, rarely inspiring, was downright abysmal. The Kings had the best scoring chances on both advantages.
Meanwhile, the defense continues to be mind-boggling, too:
Speaking of which, the Kings made it 2-0 late in the second period with the Islanders coverage scrambling all over the place. Carson Soucy was bodied off the puck, did well enough (maybe?) to reach and poke the puck around the boards, but it was intercepted, and Soucy spent the intervening time complaining to the ref while covering no one.
Within a couple minutes, it was 3-0.
The Islanders would get one more power play to try to get back into the game, and while they at least gained the zone a few times — progress! — they still posed no threats.
HOWEVER…a J-G Pageau faceoff win and a Bo Horvat bullet led to the all-too-rare faceoff goal with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. Horvat put everything into the shot and whipped it in off the far post. Impressive.
The Islanders followed that up by coming out in the third with a little more pep, but Veteran Experienced Ondrej Palat took an offensive zone slashing penalty, and the Kings cashed in on the ensuing power play to make it 4-1 just 2:30 into the period.
Then Ilya Sorokin sailed a puck over the glass to put the Kings on the power play again, and it looked like we were in for more pain. But that was a failure of the imagination, because I neglected to envision the classic Pageau-Adam Pelech shorthanded 2-on-1, which Pelech finished like an opportunistic sniper to cut the lead to 4-2.
Did that make it a game again? It did not. A 3-on-2-ish from the Kings four minutes later restored the three-goal lead.
Patrick Roy pulled Sorokin for a sixth attacker with over eight minutes left, which provided some late-night entertainment at least. The Islanders mostly controlled the puck and were able to make some goal-saving blocks on Kings empty-net tries.
With 1:59 left and after a few more blocked empty-net tries, the Isles finally got one through. Matthew Schaefer’s point shot was deflected by Emil Heineman past Darcy Kuemper to make it 5-3.
That’s where things would finish, after one final empty-net block by Schaefer. Sorokin got himself a nice long rest. The Isles got zero points from their southern tour.
Up Next
The trade deadline, and then a visit to San Jose Saturday to complete the California swing.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored his first goal in a Kings uniform, and Los Angeles beat the New York Islanders 5-3 on Thursday night for the club’s first victory under interim head coach D.J. Smith.
Panarin, Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist apiece for the Kings, and Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves. Samuel Helenius and Alex Laferriere also scored in just Los Angeles’ second victory since January.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar had an assist while playing his 1,500th game, becoming the 25th player in NHL history to hit the mark. The Slovenian center, who is retiring this spring after 20 seasons in Los Angeles, is just five points away from passing Marcel Dionne to become the Kings’ career scoring leader.
Bo Horvat scored an improbable goal off a faceoff taken with a second left in the second period for the Islanders, but it didn’t prevent a second straight blowout loss for New York in Southern California.
Adam Pelech scored the second short-handed goal of his 11-year career and Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 shots for the Isles, who had won five straight before losing to Anaheim and Los Angeles by a combined 10-4 over the past two nights.
Emil Heineman scored with 1:59 to play while Sorokin was pulled for the final 8 1/2 minutes of the third period.
Smith replaced Jim Hiller on Sunday after the Kings’ slump took them out of playoff position. Los Angeles played decently in his debut while losing to NHL-leading Colorado on Monday.
Panarin had three assists in his first four games with the Kings, who acquired the Russian star from the Rangers and signed him to a $22 million contract extension a month ago.
Panarin finally got his first Kings goal 3:17 after the opening faceoff when Kopitar found him utterly unmarked 10 feet from Sorokin. He also secured his 10th career 20-goal season.
Down 3-0, the Islanders finally scored on an unbelievable play: With one second showing on the clock, Jean-Gabriel Pageau won a faceoff straight to Horvat, who whipped a perfect one-timer past Kuemper’s pad for his 26th goal.
After talks picked up towards the beginning of this week, the Vancouver Canucks have officially traded Conor Garland. The forward, who spent five seasons with the Canucks, has been sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a second-round pick in 2028 and a third-round pick in 2026. Garland finishes his time in Vancouver with 82 goals scored and 139 assists in 371 games.
Aside from the 2025–26 season, Garland has consistently been a 45–50-point player for the Canucks since being acquired via trade in 2021. He recorded a career-high in points in 2021–22, scoring 19 goals and 33 assists in 77 games. Last year, he registered his second career 50-point season.
Garland is a valuable player for any team — contending or not — due to his ability to provide offence, help drive a line, and kill penalties if needed. Many teams will likely find him best suited for an energy role, which he often provides night-in and night-out.
Discussions around a potential Garland trade picked up when Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that the New York Islanders were engaging in conversations revolving around the forward. Things escalated on Thursday when Pierre LeBrun of TSN, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV, and Jimmy Murphy of RG all confirmed multiple teams’ interest in acquiring Garland. Interested teams at the time included the Islanders, Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks.
With this trade, Vancouver now has multiple second-round picks in the next three NHL drafts. They also have two first-round picks in this year's draft and two fourth-round selections in the next three after 2026.
Vancouver will face the Chicago Blackhawks later tonight in what will be their first game without Garland on the team since 2021. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:30 pm PT.
Jan 27, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland (8) handles the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Dylan Cozens scored a power-play goal 6:33 into the third period to snap a tie and lift the Ottawa Senators to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.
Brady Tkachuk found Cozens alone in front and he beat Devin Cooley on the blocker side to give the Senators a 2-1 lead. Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto added empty-netters for the final score. Lars Eller also had a goal as the Senators, who are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, moved within four points of the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Eller’s goal ended a 34-game goalless drought. His last goal came on Oct. 30 against Calgary.
Linus Ullmark made 19 stops to improve to 8-0-3 in his last 11 decisions.
Martin Pospisil scored his first goal of the season for Calgary and Cooley made 33 saves.
Ottawa has been strong of late with the man advantage, entering the game 5 for 12 over its previous five games. The Senators finished 1 for 4 against Calgary.
Down 2-1, the Flames got a power play of their own with just over three minutes to go in the third period. But Stutzle intercepted Yegor Sharangovich's pass and scored into the empty net to put the game on ice.
Stutzle extended his point streak to 11 games (seven goals, eight assists).
The loss dropped the Flames to 31st overall in the league standings, ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks. Calgary is 0-3-1 in its last four games.
The Calgary Flames dropped a 4–1 decision to the Ottawa Senators Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in a game where strong goaltending kept Calgary within reach but Ottawa capitalized when it mattered most.
The Senators pushed the pace early, applying pressure in the opening minutes, but Flames goaltender Devin Cooley held firm. He turned aside all eight shots he faced in the first period and came up with a key pad save in the final minute to keep the game scoreless.
Calgary broke through late in the frame. Rookie Matvei Gridin tracked down a loose puck and slid it across to Martin Pospisil, who tucked it past Linus Ullmark at 17:04 for his first goal of the season.
The Flames carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission.
The remainder of the period featured tight checking and solid goaltending at both ends, sending the teams into the third period deadlocked.
Special teams made the difference in the final frame.
After drawing multiple penalties, Ottawa converted on their second power-play opportunity. During a battle along the boards, Brady Tkachuk dug the puck free and spotted Dylan Cozens alone in the slot. Cozens quickly picked his corner and snapped the puck past Cooley at 6:33 to give the Senators their first lead of the night.
With Calgary pressing late and the net empty, Tim Stützle sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, extending his point streak to 11 games and Shane Pinto scored again into the empty net securing the 4–1 Ottawa win.
Even in a loss, Devin Cooley looked composed and confident, making 35 saves. The Flames netminder made several timely saves and kept Calgary within striking distance throughout the game. Performances like this suggest he could be pushing for a larger role moving forward, and the Saddledome crowd responded to his effort like he’s quickly becoming a fan favourite.
2. Youth movement on the power play
The Flames’ first power-play unit featured young talent on the blue line, with Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin handling duties at the point. It’s a glimpse of the organization’s future as Calgary begins leaning more on its developing prospects.
3. Trade deadline uncertainty
With the NHL trade deadline approaching, Thursday’s game could potentially mark the final appearance in a Flames sweater for veterans Nazem Kadri or Blake Coleman. After the Weegar trade, Calgary’s roster could see more movement in the coming day.
The Blueshirts activated the 6-foot-7 forward off injured reserve ahead of Thursday’s game against the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.
In his first game since suffering a lower-body injury in practice in early December, Edstrom skated on the fourth line next to Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Parssinen.
“So I’ve been going through some struggles,” Edstrom said after the Rangers won 6-2. “Just kind of something that blew up again in practice, so it was something that they just thought I should take care of now instead of keep on playing through it. It’s always tough to miss time, but I feel way better now.”
This was Edstrom’s second long-term injury in the span of 10 months.
Adam Edstrom skates during the Rangers’ March 5 win against the Maple Leafs. Getty Images
He sustained a different lower-body injury last February, which required surgery to repair and knocked him out for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
After earning a spot out of training camp this season, Edstrom was scratched with “bumps and bruises” for a couple of games in early November.
On Nov. 18, however, the 25-year-old served as a healthy scratch.
Whatever sidelined him on Nov. 7 and 8 continued to nag him and ultimately forced the Rangers to put him on long-term injured reserve in mid-December.
Edstrom went on to miss 33 consecutive games.
The big-bodied Swede recorded a team-low 8:24 of ice time in the Rangers first regulation win on home ice since Nov. 24.
“At the start, you can kind of tell that you missed some time,” Edstrom said. “You always get a chance to come back in practice, but it’s always a little different coming out there in a game situation. I feel like I worked my way into the game, kind of happy to get the first one out of the way and now I can just look forward.”
Parssinen appeared in his first NHL game since Nov. 22.
After dealing with a long-term hand injury for a majority of his season with AHL Hartford, Parssinen skated in his 15th NHL contest of the season.
Thursday night was also Chmelar’s first game since Dec. 16 and the seventh NHL game of his career.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin got the nod Thursday night, marking his 38th start of the season.
After returning out of the Olympic break from a 13-game injury-related absence, he has backstopped the Blueshirts to a four-game point streak (2-0-2).
On Thursday, Shesterkin stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced.
At 7 p.m. April 5, tune into ESPN+, Disney+, Disney Channel or Disney XD to watch the Rangers and Capitals skate alongside Joy and Sadness in the Inside Out Classic, a real-time animated alternative broadcast featuring characters from the award-winning Pixar films.
Watch as “Inside Out” characters compete with animated versions of the NHL players, who will be virtually transported to Hockey Island inside the mind of the film’s main character, Riley.
Dylan Cozens snapped a 1-1 tie early in the third period as the Senators went on to defeat the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Thursday night in the second game of their four-game Western road swing.
The victory looked nothing like Ottawa’s previous stop in Alberta. Two nights earlier in Edmonton, the Senators lost 5-4 in overtime after squandering a 4-2 third-period lead.
Thursday’s game in Calgary was the polar opposite as the Sens outshot the Flames 37-20.
Calgary opened the scoring late in the first period when Martin Pospisil capitalized on an Ottawa turnover. Senators defenceman Nick Jensen accidentally over-skated the puck in his own zone, allowing Calgary to pounce. Pospisil finished the play for his first goal of the season, sending the Flames to the intermission with a 1-0 lead.
Ottawa answered midway through the second period, and the goal ended a lengthy drought for Lars Eller. Eller snapped home a shot off a beautiful feed from Ridly Greig to tie the game at 1. The goal was Eller’s third of the season and his first since October 30.
The game remained tight heading into the third period before the Sens finally broke through on the power play.
At 6:33, Cozens ripped a wrist shot past Calgary goaltender Devin Cooley, the game's first star with 35 saves. The goal gave Ottawa its first lead and it stood up as the game-winner.
The finish wasn’t without a little drama.
Artem Zub was called for a penalty with just over three-and-a-half minutes to play, giving Calgary a late power-play opportunity. The Flames pulled their goaltender to create a 6-on-4, but this just in, the Flames don't have the Oilers' power play and Ottawa’s much-maligned penalty kill held firm.
Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto put the game away with a pair of empty net goals. Stutzle's was a shorthanded effort, while Pinto’s goal was meaningless but welcome. He had entered the game with just three goals in his last 26 games.
Stützle was held off the scoresheet for most of the night before his late goal, but for the second straight game he may have been Ottawa’s best player, consistently driving play and creating chances.
The win was an important one for the Senators as they try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Ottawa not only picked up two points in Calgary, but also got some help out of town. The Nashville Predators defeated the Boston Bruins 6-3 on Thursday night, tightening the Eastern wild-card race.
With 21 games still to play, the Senators now sit four points behind Boston for the final wild-card spot and six points back of the Montreal Canadiens, who hold the first wild card.
With the trade deadline less than a day away (Friday at 3 pm), Thursday's results won't necessarily push general manager Steve Staios into full buyer mode, but the Sens still have every reason to believe they can claw their way back in the race.
For the first time since early January, the Pittsburgh Penguins have lost back-to-back games in regulation.
While, on the surface, this doesn't seem like the worst thing, there are other potential ramifications from Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres that could - quite frankly - alter the course of the Penguins' season and playoff hopes.
In addition to their loss to the Sabres - which kept them in a second-place tie in the Metropolitan Division with the New York Islanders for the time being - they also lost forward Evgeni Malkin, who was assessed a game misconduct for a slash to the head of Sabres' defenseman Rasmus Dahlin early in the second period.
The Sabres scored on the ensuing power play via a low-slot shot from Josh Norris, and the call was upheld after yet another failed goaltender interference challenge by Penguins' head coach Dan Muse.
And even Penguins' players admit that things may have snowballed after the Malkin sequence and another goaltender interference call failing to go their way.
"It's not easy," said goaltender Arturs Silovs, who was dealt a tough hand Thursday and stopped 21 of 25 Buffalo shots on goal. "We get [a] five-minute major we have to kill. I think we did a good job. But, sure, one of the top players leaving, it's not the best. It's like, one of the top [players in] our offense. So, it's not easy to regroup, but we tried to."
Things started off a bit sloppy for the Penguins, as Ryan McLeod scored his league-leading fifth shorthanded goal of the season on a breakaway after a tricky play at the offensive blue line to elude Penguins' defenseman Kris Letang and put the Sabres up, 1-0.
However, the Penguins responded with a shorthanded goal of their own less than three minutes later, when Bryan Rust performed his signature power move around Norris and across the net-front for his 21st goal of the season to tie the game.
Then, the second-period shenanigans with Malkin ensued, and the Sabres were up, 2-1. Two minutes after Norris's go-ahead goal, the Penguins were on a power play but found themselves in the defensive zone, where they took a penalty. On the delayed call, Alex Tuch buried his 25th goal of the season to put the Sabres on top, 3-1, and Owen Power added one just past the midway point of the second period to make it 4-1.
Mattias Samuelsson added an empty-net goal late in third period to bury the Penguins for good and secure the 5-1 win.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this emotional loss:
- I'll get to Malkin in a second because I won't have many thoughts numbers-wise, but I sure have plenty of thoughts. And let's start with this goaltender interference.
And, yes, this was clearly goaltender interference.
The Penguins challenged the Sabres' 2nd goal of the game for goaltender interference but the ruling was good goal 🫣 pic.twitter.com/nc4xpnEGAp
I have not agreed with all of Muse's challenges for goaltender interference so far this season, but this one seemed clear as day. Josh Doan ventured to the blue paint unimpeded initially and made contact with Silovs before Letang made contact with him. And, even if Letang did make what was very little contact, it seemed inconsequential, as Doan made no ensuing effort to get out of the way of Silovs.
This was goaltender interference. I know it. Most of the internet knows it. Analysts know it. Silovs knows it, too.
"For sure," Silovs said. "You know, it's like... I think it was clearly goalie interference. Like, I don't know. Other guy gets a little touch, doesn't count. It was blatant. He didn't even try to avoid me. Went through me, and what am I supposed to do? Yeah, I don't think the refs tried to help us at all today."
Muse also knew it. In fact, he was sure about it.
"My view on it is goalie interference because their player skated in the blue paint, made contact with our goalie, which affected the play. Which is the rule," Muse said. "He came in and made contact. Afterward, there is a little bit of a push. He initiated the contact in there. By the rules, I thought it was goalie interference. I still feel like it's goalie interference. And it seems like it changes day to day right now.
"People are again going to maybe question some of the challenges I've made. There's been lower percentage [challenges]. This one, I thought, was pretty clear."
So, if I was sure of it, the internet was sure of it, analysts were sure of it, Silovs was sure of it, and Muse was sure of it, why aren't NHL officials sure of it?
There is a disconnect with what this rule actually constitutes now, and it needs to be addressed. Especially since the loser of the challenge is punished with a penalty.
Just an egregious one to miss tonight. I don't understand it.
This is a 39-year-old franchise legend who badly wants another contract with the Penguins. That situation has become pretty public in the past week or so, even if Dubas prefers to keep negotiations private between he, Malkin, and agent J.P. Barry.
Your team is hanging onto second place in the Metro with the Islanders right on your heels in third and the surging Columbus Blue Jackets getting closer in the rearview. Your team is without its best player in Sidney Crosby for a few weeks, you have a guantlet of a schedule in March that is the hardest in the league, and despite this adversity, your team continues to battle and win most hockey games.
It's the time of year where pretty much every game is a must-win, but especially the game before the NHL trade deadline, when your GM just spoke about looking to add to the team on the forward front and defensive front to shore everything up for both a playoff run and the future.
The cross-checks? Sure. They happen dozens of times per game. Matching cross-checks are one thing, but slashing the head of an opponent with your stick is another, and it comes at a time when this Penguins' team is trying to hold on without its captain.
Composure needs to be kept there. This is not Malkin's first rodeo with a stick infraction, so he's almost certainly going to miss some time. Not having Crosby AND Malkin could quite literally derail what has been a magical, expectation-defying season for this team, and it would all be the result of a selfish, heat-of-the-moment decision by a player this team counts on.
There is never a time and place for what Malkin did. But it was especially bad considering the circumstances around this team, this season, and this contract negotiation.
If the Penguins miss the playoffs, they can point to several things. But this would be looked back on as the catalyst to the collapse.
So, for Malkin's sake - assuming that he misses some time and that Crosby won't be back for at least another week - his team better find a way to ride out the storm.
- All that said, Muse offered a pretty strong statement to his team after the game.
I asked him what the message was to the team after a couple of regulation losses in a row - the first time that's happened since Jan. 10-11. This was an emotional loss, and the last time the Penguins had a condensed schedule was December, when an emotional loss against the Anaheim Ducks snowballed into an eight-game losing streak.
So how do the Penguins avoid that this time around?
"You can say the schedule... I think it's just this league in general this time of year, too," Muse said. "Like, be pissed off. I don't want anybody walking out of today seeing this as okay. You also gotta be quick to turn the page. So, you get home, you get some sleep, you get to the rink tomorrow, we've got to look at ways that we can be better, we've got to quickly turn the page, and we've got to be ready for this next game.
"That's where we're at, and that's an important part is you don't let things continue to build. And I'd say the same thing if we had a game that we really liked. You've got to be ready for the next one because these are all turning fast."
We'll see what happens. In any case, Dubas is not - contrary to some panicked belief on Twitter - going to suddenly pivot and have a fire sale.
No. This team deserves to be rewarded. They've earned that. And they're still in a divisional playoff spot. Dubas must stay the course, whatever that means.
So, buckle up, Penguins' fans. This is going to be a very interesting 24 hours.
The Winnipeg Jets are sending defenseman Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres in a package deal, according to insider Frank Seravalli.
The move helps Buffalo’s in their efforts to strengthen its blue line as the Sabres explored a trade for Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, but the deal ultimately fell through when Parayko declined to waive his no-move clause on Thursday. With that option off the table, Buffalo appears to have had the Winnipeg duo as their backup plan with the return package not yet known.
Stanley, 27, has emerged as one of Winnipeg’s most productive defensemen this season. The Kitchener, Ontario native is in the midst of a career year, recording nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 59 games.
Not that he needs it, but confirming Chad’s reporting - #GoJetsGo are completing a deal to send both LD Logan Stanley and RD Luke Schenn to #Sabrehood in one package deal, pending trade call. https://t.co/TtXdk5WEpl
His breakout campaign has made him an appealing trade target around the league, particularly given his ability to handle significant minutes while playing under a very manageable cap hit. Stanley is averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game and carries a cap hit of $1.25 million. Over the course of his NHL career, he has appeared in 261 games with 14 goals and 43 assists.
Schenn, 36, could also be part of the discussions according to early rumours surrounding the negotiations. This season he has recorded one goal and seven points in 46 games while providing a physical presence through hits and shot blocking. The veteran defenseman brings a wealth of experience, including two Stanley Cup championships across a career that has spanned more than 1,100 NHL games.
Buffalo already had one of the deepest defense cores with Stanley and Schenn joining the likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Kesselring, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Alexis Lafreniere scored the go-ahead goal on a deflection in the third period, and the New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 on Thursday night to pick up their first regulation win at home in more than three months.
It was the Rangers’ 19th game at Madison Square Garden since defeating St. Louis on Nov. 24. They had lost 13 of 18 since, with the only victories during that stretch coming in overtime or a shootout.
Falling behind 13 seconds in, they rallied to win for just the eighth time in 28 home games all season.
Jaroslav Chmelar scored his first career NHL goal a few minutes after Lafreniere put the Rangers up, bringing some joy to the team and crowd at the three-quarter mark of a season that long ago went off the rails.
Playing on the eve of the trade deadline, who was not in uniform for New York and Toronto to safeguard them from injury was just as notable if not more notable than who was on the ice.
The Rangers scratched centers Vincent Trocheck and Sam Carrick. The Maple Leafs for a second consecutive night opted not to dress defenseman Oliver Ekman Larsson and forwards Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann. Roster management was the reason given.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan McLeod and Alex Tuch scored short-handed goals and Buffalo beat Pittsburgh.
McLeod now has a league-best five short-handed goals this season. Josh Norris added a power-play goal, Owen Power scored and Mattias Samuelsson scored an empty-net goal for the Sabres, who won their fifth straight game.
Tage Thompson established a career-best, nine-game point streak with an assist. Buffalo has points in 10 straight road games, matching the longest road point streak in franchise history.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 26 shots for the Sabres, who are 11-2-1 in their last 14 games.
Bryan Rust scored a short-handed goal for the Penguins, who lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Jan. 10-11.
BLUE JACKETS 4, PANTHERS 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jet Greaves made 26 saves, Mathieu Olivier scored twice and Columbus dealt another blow to Florida’s playoff hopes with a victory.
Two-time defending champion Florida is in danger of becoming the first Cup-winning team to miss the playoffs the following season since Los Angeles in 2014-15. Ten points behind Boston for the final wild-card spot in the East, the Panthers have lost the first four games of a trip that ends Friday night in Detroit.
Defenseman Ivan Provorov had a goal and two assists and Boone Jenner also scored to help Columbus, fighting for a wild-card spot in the East, win its third straight. The Blue Jackets were coming off a back-to-back sweep, beating the Rangers 5-4 in overtime in New York on Monday night and Nashville on Tuesday night to open a four-game homestand.
Defenseman Niko Mikkola and Sam Bennett scored for Florida in a 5:36 span of the third period.
Gustav Forsling appeared to tie it with 2:55 to go, but Columbus successfully challenged for goaltender interference. Olivier then put it away with an empty-netter with 1:42 left.
MAMMOTH 3, FLYERS 0
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vitek Vanecek stopped 16 shots in his 100th career win and Dylan Guenther assisted on two Utah goals as it beat Philadelphia.
Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller scored in the second period for the Mammoth, and Michael Carcone added an empty-net goal at 18:12 of the third.
Vanecek earned his first shutout of the season and the 11th of his career. The 30-year-old had four shutouts during the 2021-22 with the Washington Capitals.
Utah has won two straight games and five of its last seven while completing a two-game season sweep of the Flyers.
Dan Vladar made 20 saves for Philadelphia and slipped to 19-10-6. The Flyers had their three-game winning streak halted.
After a scoreless first period, the Mammoth outshot the Flyers 14-7 in the second period and took a lead they never relinquished.
PREDATORS 6, BRUINS 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Matthew Wood scored twice to lead Nashville to a victory over Boston.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists, Nicolas Hague, Erik Haula and Luke Evangelista also scored for the Predators. Juuse Saros made 20 saves for Nashville, which snapped a three-game losing streak. The Predators trail the Seattle Kraken for the Western Conference’s second wild card by three points.
Charlie McAviy and Viktor Arvidsson each had a goal and an assist and Morgan Geekie also scored for Boston. Joonas Korpisalo made 24 saves for the Bruins, who have lost two of their last three games. Boston is one point ahead of Columbus for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card.
Hague scored the game’s first goal at 13:53 of the opening period on a slap shot between Korpisalo’s pads.
Wood made it 2-0 at 1:24 of the second with a short-handed goal.
JETS 4, LIGHTNING 1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves, Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and Winnipeg beat Tampa Bay.
Morgan Barron, Gustav Nyquist and Kyle Connor, into an empty net, also scored for Winnipeg. The Jets improved to 25-26-10, extending their home winning streak against Tampa Bay to five games.
Nyquist scored his first goal in 41 regular-season games dating to last season. He gave Winnipeg a 3-1 lead at 5:34 of the third period.
Brayden Point scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots. The Lighting have lost four straight to fall to 38-18-4.
Point scored at 1:52 of the third period to spoil Hellebuyck’s shutout bid. Jake Guentzel picked up his 39th assist, matching his total last season.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves, Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Thursday night.
Morgan Barron, Gustav Nyquist and Kyle Connor, into an empty net, also scored for Winnipeg. The Jets improved to 25-26-10, extending their home winning streak against Tampa Bay to five games.
Nyquist scored his first goal in 41 regular-season games dating to last season. He gave Winnipeg a 3-1 lead at 5:34 of the third period.
Brayden Point scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots. The Lighting have lost four straight to fall to 38-18-4.
Point scored at 1:52 of the third period to spoil Hellebuyck’s shutout bid. Jake Guentzel picked up his 39th assist, matching his total last season.
Rasmus Dahlin #26 of the Buffalo Sabres has a disagreement with Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Things got heated — and potentially dangerous — on the ice between Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on Thursday.
Late in the first period of the Sabres’ 5-1 win, Malkin was given a match penalty for slashing after he and Dahlin battled for position in front of the net.
Dahlin gave Malkin some hard cross-checks, which then prompted the 20-year NHL veteran to turn around and swing his stick, hitting Dahlin, 25, in the side of the head and the neck.
Evgeni Malkin was assessed a game misconduct for slashing Rasmus Dahlin in the head with his stick. pic.twitter.com/fAGxWy3bm3
Malkin, 39, then dropped his glove and tried to fight further, but Dahlin grabbed his neck in pain before anything else happened.
Dahlin was issued two minutes for cross-checking, and Malkin got two minutes for cross-checking, along with a five-minute major penalty for slashing.
Malkin was also issued a game misconduct, resulting in his immediate ejection.
It is still unclear whether Malkin will face further discipline from the NHL.
Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres has a disagreement with Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins on March 5. NHLI via Getty Images
Across his lengthy career, Malkin has built himself a history of suspensions and NHL discipline, most recently being sidelined for four games during the 2022 season for cross-checking Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki across the face.
In 2019, Malkin was suspended for one game by the NHL for “an intentional stick swing with force for the purpose of retaliation” to Flyers forward Michael Raffl.
It is still unclear whether Malkin will face further discipline from the NHL for the play. Sportsnet on X
He was fined in that same season for high-sticking Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau and slashing Jets defenseman Logan Stanley.
Across 45 games played this season, Malkin has racked up 13 goals and 34 assists, where he now has an increased role for the Penguins as the team’s leading scorer, Sidney Crosby, is recovering from a lower-body injury sustained during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
As of Thursday night, the Penguins currently sat in second in the Metropolitan Division, trailing the Hurricanes by nine points.
Playing with four call-ups from the Milwaukee Admirals, fresh off four trades and without their top center, the Nashville Predators were led by their youth, seeing Matthew Wood score twice in a 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.
"Nothing, they do what really surprises me," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "Right from our leaders, grabbing it and our young kids brought some energy, and it was a good synergy tonight. I'm proud of the group.
"It's been an emotional week for a lot of guys and we stuck together like we have all year."
The Predators were also without Ryan O'Reilly, who was day-to-day with an upper-body injury after he was nicked in the eye by Charlie Coyle's stick in Tuesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In response, Nashville called up Ryan Ufko, Reid Schaefer and Fedor Svechkov from the Admirals on Wednesday night. "They (the call-ups) brought so much energy," Roman Josi said. "It's been a hard week to see that many guys go and it's a big opportunity for a lot of young guys to get in the lineup, to have a bigger role, play more minutes. We saw tonight that they want to grab it." Joakim Kemell was a late call-up on Thursday afternoon. It was a quick turnaround for Kemell as he landed in Nashville at 6:26 p.m. and arrived at Bridgestone Arena a little after 7 p.m.
Despite missing warmups, Kemell was dressed and ready for puck drop. In his first NHL game since October, he logged 16 shifts for 12:24 of ice time and recorded two shot blocks.
"To jump into those little circumstances, I thought he showed very well. Especially in the early parts of the game, for him to come and do that is hard, and it's a credit to him. He wants it. He wants to play and he showed it."
Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the Boston Bruins Mar 5, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Nic Hague opened the scoring, sneaking in a one-time slap shot from the point through the five-hole of Joonas Korpisalo to make it 1-0. It was his first goal since Jan. 3 and his third of the season.
Wood notched his first of the night shorthanded in the second period, scoring on a drop pass from Nick Perbix, who intercepted a David Pastrnak pass to spark the breakaway opportunity.
"I was very fortunate and he (Perbix) made an unbelievable play," Wood said on the goal. "I don't know how he saw me, but I'm glad he did. It was a great pass. I probably won't get many shorties in my career, but there's the first one."
Boston responded on the power play, but Erik Haula restored a two-goal lead, tipping in a shot from Brady Skjei to make it 3-1.
Filip Forsberg extended the lead on a wrist shot on the power play. It was his eighth power play goal of the season and 28th of the year. Ufko also recorded his first point as a Predator on a secondary assist.
Wood found the net for the second time on the night, tipping in a shot from Josi. Thursday was his second career multi-goal game. The first was a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Nov. 10, where he recorded his first career hat trick.
"He's probably, through the middle of the ice, our best player," Brunette said of Wood. "With his deceptiveness, speed and range, he makes plays, and I'm a big proponent of speed through the middle of the ice.
"I know he hasn't played (center) in a few years. I think he was excited to get that opportunity. I thought he's looked really good so far."
Boston made a push in the third period, getting goals from Charlie McAvoy and Viktor Arvidsson to make it a two-goal game.
Luke Evangelista added an empty net goal with 2:27 left in the game.
This was the Predators' final game before the trade deadline, which will occur on Friday at 2 p.m. CST. Nashville has traded away all of its pending unrestricted free agents except for two: Haula and Tyson Jost.
Nashville is on the road on Saturday, taking on the Buffalo Sabres at 4:30 p.m. CST.
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins played in their final game prior to the NHL Trade Deadline against the Buffalo Sabres. Going into it, they were second in the Metropolitan Division with 75 points, and they were less than 24 hours away from the 3:00 p.m. deadline on Friday.
Early in the second period with the score tied, 1-1, Penguins' foward Evgeni Malkin got tied up with Sabres' defenseman Rasmus Dahlin near Buffalo's goal line. The two exchanged cross-checks, and in frustration, Malkin slashed his stick at Dahlin's jaw area.
The result of the altercation was matching cross-checking minors and a five-minute slashing major for Malkin as well as a game misconduct.
Since Malkin has had a history of stick infractions, it would not be surprising to see supplemental discipline handed to him by the Department of Player Safety. Forward Bryan Rust was suspended three games earlier this season for a hit to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser.
Pittsburgh next plays Saturday at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, which comes one day after the NHL trade deadline. Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas said Wednesday that he may look to add a forward and a defenseman, and since the Penguins could possibly be without both Malkin and Sidney Crosby - week-to-week with a lower-body injury - for a length of time, it may force his hand to add a center by 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday.
