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The Calgary Flames contest their penultimate game of the season when they host the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.

Olli Maatta has been a defensive stalwart since joining Calgary in March, and my Avalanche vs. Flames predictions and NHL picks for Tuesday, April 14 expect him to slow down a lethal Avs attack.

Avalanche vs Flames prediction

Avalanche vs Flames best bet: Olli Maatta Over 1.5 blocked shots (-125)

The Calgary Flames acquired Olli Maatta from the Utah Mammoth last month, and the blueliner has already become an integral part of the club’s backend.

Maatta is logging 22:24 of ice time per game, second-most on the team behind only Zach Whitecloud (23:01).

Maatta has also excelled at blocking shots — he’s averaging 1.78 blocks per game since joining the Flames and has recorded Over 1.5 blocked shots in eight of his last 11 outings.

The Colorado Avalanche average 33.7 shots per game — tops in the NHL — so Maatta will have tons of rubber to get in front of.

Avalanche vs Flames same-game parlay

Both clubs have played low-scoring hockey down the stretch, with the Flames cashing the Under in three straight and the Avalanche doing so in six consecutive contests.

Four of the last five head-to-head meetings have also featured Under 6.5 goals, and the Avs don’t have much to fight for with their position as the top seed in the West already locked up.

Avalanche vs Flames SGP

• Olli Maatta Over 1.5 blocked shots
• Under 6.5

Avalanche vs Flames odds

• Moneyline: Avalanche -155 | Flames +130
• Puck Line: Avalanche -1.5 | Flames +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 | Under 6.5

Avalanche vs Flames trend

The Flames have covered the puck line in their last eight games at home (+9.50 Units / 72% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Flames.

How to watch Avalanche vs Flames

Avalanche vs Flames latest injuries

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ST. LOUIS -- Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein are going back to the minors.

But it's not punishment for the 2023 first-round picks by the St. Louis Blues.

Stenberg, a forward, and Lindstein, a defenseman, each scored in the Blues' 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday to cap off really strong showings for each player playing in NHL games this season for the first time.

The Thunderbirds, who are 30-31-6-2 (68 points) with three games remaining in their regular season, hold down the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of Lehigh Valley and they're a point behind fifth-place Hershey and four behind fourth-place Bridgeport.

It could all come down to a massive game on Wednesday at home against the Phantoms before concluding the season, Friday in Hartford, then finishing at home Saturday against the Wolfpack. But a win against Lehigh Valley Wednesday in regulation puts Springfield into the Calder Cup playoffs.

Stenberg (the 25th pick) played in 32 games this season and had 10 points (three goals, seven assists), including scoring the goal that cut the Blues' deficit to 3-2 in the second period Monday, a goal Blues coach Jim Montgomery said, "seemed to pick it up and our fans got in, they gave us life and we seemed to create a lot after that. Technically we could have had five goals that period."

TWO GOALS IN 25 SECONDS AND WE'RE TIED!!! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/TH9XtD4UTV

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 14, 2026

Stenberg, who is a plus-3, also had a couple more high-end defensive plays that created scoring opportunities with transition plays.

"His defensive reads are high end," Montgomery said. "His defensive hockey sense, his stick positioning are really high end."

Lindstein (the 29th pick) played 17 games and had four points (two goals, two assists), including this beauty of a backhand goal that put the Blues ahead for good at 4-3 in the second period:

He played alongside Colton Parayko during his entire stint here and was a plus-6.

Holy moly Theo Lindstein!!!! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/z1Apeu5SOD

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 14, 2026

 "They're good, young kids," Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich said. "Wants to learn, always listen, always asking questions. Always asking about PK. I've been in their shoes. I (was) asking some questions like 10 years ago. it's normal, and I'm glad they score, Silky move (by Lindstein). Everybody was like, 'Where does that come from?'" 

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It seemed like another bad July 1st contract when the Philadelphia Flyers gave 27-year old goalie Dan Vladar a $6.7 million contract for two years ($3.35m AAV). Vladar had completely pedestrian career stats of a 49-34-16 record with a 3.00 GAA, .895 save percentage and four shutouts in 105 regular-season games split between five games with Boston and 100 with Calgary.

Vladar’s last two seasons with the Flames were particularly bad, posting a cumulative -24 Goals Saved Above Average that at one time had plummeted all the way down to -32, making the contract all the more confounding. Via hockeystats.com:

But goalies are confounding players were wisdom and logic doesn’t always apply for the past to line up for future performance. The Flyers are in the playoffs in no small part thanks to the positive contributions of Vladar, who put up career-highs this season in wins (29), GAA (2.42), save percentage (.906%). He got that GSAA moved in the right direction this season too at +11.42 as a consistently strong positive factor to help his team throughout the season.

Vladar and the Flyers are both peaking at the right time, the starting goalie is 5-1-0 with a .921 save% in the month of April. Go back to March 14th and Vladar has a 8-3-1 record with a .912 save% and 2.17 GAA.

Philadelphia didn’t make the playoffs because they have a good offense or a lot of skilled players, they have neither. Their 2.91 goals ranks 22nd in the NHL, the lowest among all playoff teams this year. The Flyers did make the playoffs (in addition to feasting on OT/SO wins) because their defense is designed to absorb punishment and their goaltenders keep the puck out of the net, their 2.93 goals/against per game ranks 9th in the NHL.

A lot of that is due to the decision from general manager Danny Briere and coach Rick Tocchet to go grab a goalie in Vladar who had been more of a 1B type player and give him the opportunity to be a starter. Philadelphia had a lot of choices (like backup Samuel Ersson and current minor leaguer Aleksei Kolosov and the now-traded Ivan Fedotov) but not a lot of quality. Despite not really showing it in Calgary, Vladar ended up being the piece that moved the needle and finally gave Philadelphia the anchor in net that they’ve been searching for since seemingly time immemorial.

Strong goalie play can take a mediocre team and make them into a playoff team, and in the most simplistic of terms that was on display to a large degree this season in Philadelphia. Vladar’s stats were far superior to that of the other goalie on the team Ersson (13-11-5, .867 save%, 3.15 GAA and a -13.75 GSAA). The Flyers’ season was almost sunk when Vladar missed two weeks in January with a lower body injury and Philadelphia endured one of the worst stretches of their season of a 2-7-2 stretch from Jan. 7-28 that overlapped Vladar’s Jan 14-28 injury.

Vladar and the Flyers ended up surviving that period and re-finding his early season form to help earn a playoff spot. The Penguins will have a challenge to score on one of the better goalies in the league this season and seeing how their high-powered offense (3.52 goals/game, 3rd in the NHL) matches up against Vladar will be one of the glaringly major deciding factors for the first round.

The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Dallas Stars 6-5 in regulation time in their final home game of the season on Monday. The result was beneficial for the Leafs in their bid to finish with the best possible odds of keeping their 2026 first-round draft pick. This remained true even though it briefly appeared that things were trending in a different direction.

The Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period. Despite giving up that lead, they eventually regained control of the game to hold a 5-3 lead in the third period. However, Dallas responded with three quick goals, including the tying goal that was accidentally put in by Leafs defenseman Troy Stecher.

Regardless of how the Leafs lost the game, they were able to retain their current spot of fifth-worst in total points. This position would leave them at the No. 5 pick going into the NHL Draft lottery set for May 5. Consequently, they could still finish as low as sixth or seventh if one or two teams leap past them during the lottery draw.

The “bad” news for Toronto is that the highest they can now climb heading into the lottery is No. 4. Because the New York Rangers fell to the Florida Panthers 3-2 in regulation, they are left with one game remaining and 75 points, while Toronto sits at 78 points with one game to go. Toronto could still reach the No. 4 spot if the Flames gain three more points in their remaining two games than Toronto picks up in their season finale on the road against the Ottawa Senators.

Leafs fans are making their opinions known 😅 pic.twitter.com/fPZouMazqD

— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) April 14, 2026

The Maple Leafs traded away their 2026 first-round draft pick, along with forward Fraser Minten, for veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo in March of 2025. Because the pick is top-five protected, the Leafs must land a pick in the top five after the lottery results are finalized to keep it for this year.

Post-game, players were not explicitly asked about the notion of “tanking,” as they maintained their professionalism and effort. However, John Tavares was asked if it was difficult to play in games where a portion of the fanbase might prefer to see the team lose.

“I approach each game the same, so there should be an extreme amount of pride to play in this league, to play this game, and to wear the crest that we’re wearing,” Tavares said. “I try to approach each game the same no matter the circumstances, the challenges, or the spot you’re in. You go out there to compete as best you can, play at the highest level I can, and help the team win. That’s always the focus no matter what”.

Following the loss, the Leafs are now guaranteed a spot no lower than sixth heading into the lottery.

The Vancouver Canucks (24-48-8) wrap up their 2025-26 home schedule on Tuesday with a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings (35-26-19). While the Kings have clinched a playoff spot, Tuesday is a must-win as Los Angeles is still fighting for home ice in the first round. As for the Canucks, they will be looking to pick up just their ninth win at Rogers Arena this season while also extending their win streak to three games. 

Tuesday is Vancouver's annual Fan Appreciation Night. Based on everything that has happened this year, the fans deserve a lot of credit for sticking around and still attending games. During the game, the organization will also reveal the 2025-26 team awards, which were voted on by the fans earlier this month. 

As for the game itself, special teams will be worth monitoring. When these two teams met on Friday, neither was given a power play. The question now is, will this be another clean game, or will the power play and penalty kill get a workout? 

Players To Watch:

Teddy Blueger:

Teddy Blueger is showing why the organization should re-sign him. This past weekend, he scored his first career power play goal while also dropping the gloves to stand up for a teammate. Blueger is a culture-setter and a player who can help younger players as the organization enters its rebuild. 

Anže Kopitar:

For the final time in his career, Anže Kopitar will battle the Canucks. After an over 1,500-game career, the Stanley Cup champion is retiring once his season comes to a close. Over his career, Kopitar has been a pain in Vancouver's neck, recording 62 points in 73 regular-season games against the Canucks.

Vancouver Canucks (24–48–8): 

Points: 

Elias Pettersson: 15–34–49

Filip Hronek: 8–40–48

Brock Boeser: 22–25–47

Jake DeBrusk: 21–19–40

Linus Karlsson: 15–20–35

Goaltenders: 

Kevin Lankinen: 10–26–5

Thatcher Demko: 8–10–1

Nikita Tolopilo: 5–11–2

Jiří Patera: 0–1–0

Los Angeles Kings (35–26–19): 

Points: 

Adrian Kempe: 35-37-72

Quinton Byfield: 22-24-46

Alex Laferriere: 20-21-41

Kevin Fiala: 18-22-40

Brandt Clarke: 8-32-40

Goaltenders: 

Darcy Kuemper: 19-14-14

Anton Forsberg: 16-11-5

Pheonix Copley: 0-1-0

Game Information: 

Start time: 7:00 pm PT

Venue: Rogers Arena

Television: Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 650 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Sure, anyone can win the Stanley Cup so long as they make the playoffs — but is that really true? At this point we know there are contenders and pretenders in every postseason, and while it’s really cool to see Sidney Crosby in playoff hockey again, nobody is giving the Penguins a legitimate chance to raise the cup.

Today we look at the seven teams best poised to actually take it all home when the dust settles, from the clear favorites to the long shots.

No. 1: Colorado Avalanche

The Avs have been the best team in hockey this year, and it’s not particularly close. Anchored by Nathan McKinnon and Cale Makar, Colorado found a new gear in 2025-26 with the addition of Martin Necas. While Necas arrived last season as part of the Mikko Rantanen trade with Carolina, he really found his footing this season and meshed with the team.

Boasting a ludicrous +94 goal differential this season, nobody can match Colorado when it comes to the strength of their top two lines. The only risk for this team making a run to the cup is the severity of Cale Makar’s upper body injury. We know he’s going to miss some playoff time, and if that lingers it could have a huge effect on this team’s chances.

Key strength: Superstar strength out of their first two skating lines, as well as top line defense
Key weakness: Cale Makar is carrying an injury into the playoffs, and that could lead to a slow start

No. 2: Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are more or less the same team that have been a playoff staple for the last eight years. Rod Brind’Amour’s brand of team-focused, no-superstar hockey does a phenomenal job of leading the Canes to amazing regular season results, but tends to falter in the playoffs where individual performance reigns supreme.

Carolina will hope that the free agent addition of Nikolaj Ehlers is the missing piece they needed, and after a slow start Ehlers became everything the team hoped for with 68 points this season. The 2025-26 iteration of the Hurricanes took another offensive step forward with Seth Jarvis taking the next step, and Jackson Blake emerging as a future star — but this team has the worst goaltending of anyone in the playoffs this year, which could be mammoth problem.

Key strength: Four line skating depth with little drop off between lines
Key weakness: Both Freddie Anderson and Brandon Bussi are very shaky in net

No. 3: Dallas Stars

The Stars are a very, very good hockey team that too often masquerades as an elite one. That might seem unfair, but it’s tough to deny that the Stars failed to live up to expectations this season despite finishing with over 100 points on the year.

This was a team who were a preseason favorite to win the west, but Mikko Rantanen isn’t nearly as potent a scorer without McKinnon to set him up, and the Stars’ core weakness is a lack of playmaking centers. There’s an undeniable amount of firepower in Dallas, but running the game through the wings hasn’t traditionally been a recipe for success in the postseason.

Key strength: Streaky team who can dominate games when everything clicks
Key weakness: Things don’t click often enough for this team to be consistent

No. 4: Montreal Canadiens

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the NHL is a better place when the Montreal Canadiens are in the playoffs. This new generation of the Habs are brimming with young talent poised to take the next step forward. When you look at this roster you see a team that’s already over-performing expectations, and none of their key players have hit their prime yet.

Entering the playoffs Montreal has one of the strongest home ice advantages in the playoffs, with the Bell Centre being one of the most formidable places to play at the best of times. That edge isn’t likely to be quite enough to mitigate the defensive issues the Candiens are yet to resolve, or make it through with mid-tier goaltending.

Key strength: Goal-scoring potential of Cole Caulfield and Juraj Slafkovsky
Key weakness: Too much youth without enough veteran leadership to make a deep run

No. 5: Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild understood the assignment in 2025-26. After signing Kirill Kaprizov to a mammoth extension they had to pour more gas on the fire, and did just that by being the biggest in-season buyers by adding one of the NHL’s best defenseman in Quinn Hughes, then bolstering their depth with numerous smaller deals at the deadline.

Hughes has helped transform this team from a back-end playoff hopeful to a legitimate contender. The core issue is that when it comes to scoring Minnesota is wholly reliant on Kaprizov and Matt Boldy to find the net, with the rest of the team lagging far, far behind.

Key strength: Three brilliant playmakers in Kaprizov, Boldy, and Hughes
Key weakness: They’re in the west, which is dominated by the Avs

No. 6: Tampa Bay Lightning

When you have Andrei Vasilevskiy in net there’s always going to be a chance to win games, and the Lightning showed that in 2025-26 by allowing just 222 goals on the year. The problem comes at the other end, where regression from both Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel has put even more pressure on Nikita Kucherov to carry the load for Tampa Bay.

This version of the Lightning is really good, but hasn’t changed dramatically enough to see where they succeed where they’ve failed in the past. Corey Perry is too old to be a difference maker at this point, and the team overpaid to get him at the deadline. As such it feels like the Lightning are headed back to hit the same brick wall. Still, there’s always a chance they can get hot and make a deep run as they have in the past.

Key strength: Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel are two of the best scoring forwards in the playoffs
Key weakness: This looks too much like the same Lightning team that lost in the first round of 2024-25

No. 7: Buffalo Sabres

I hate putting the best feel-good story in hockey so low on the list, but it’s a credit to Buffalo that they make the contenders list at all. The Sabres went from finishing 7th in the Atlantic Conference to 1st this season, as they went from a team who seemed poised pre-season to be sellers and rebuilders at the deadline, to now being a legitimate force.

This team has solid depth, but lacks the high-end talent to really compete just quite yet. The power play unit for Buffalo isn’s fully developed, and once you get past Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch the forwards fall off a cliff.

Key strength: Devil-may-care freedom belief they can beat anyone
Key weakness: Not enough depth to compete just yet

Bruins playoff scenarios: Seeding update, most likely first-round opponents originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins are headed to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after failing to qualify last season.

But as they enter their regular season finale against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at TD Garden, both their playoff seed and first-round opponent remain TBD.

Let’s take a look at where the B’s stand in the wild card race and which teams they could face in Round 1.

Bruins’ most likely seed

The Bruins are unable to finish top-three in the Atlantic Division, so they will end up in the first or second wild card spot.

Boston enters Tuesday in the first wild card position with a one-point lead over the Ottawa Senators. That means the Bruins would clinch the No. 1 wild card berth with a win of any kind against the Devils in the regular season finale.

The B’s need to finish ahead of the Senators by at least one point to secure the top wild card spot because Ottawa owns the first tiebreaker with a 37-32 edge in regulation wins.

Both the Bruins and Senators have one more game remaining. Ottawa’s finale is against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, so if the Bruins lose in any fashion to the Devils, they’ll need to wait 24 hours before their seed is finalized.

In summary: The Bruins finish as top wild card team with any kind of win vs. Devils. The B’s would be the second wild card team if the Senators finish tied or ahead of them in the standings. Ottawa is currently one point behind the Bruins.

For what it’s worth, MoneyPuck‘s and HockeyStats‘ analytics models both project the Bruins to finish as the first wild card team.

Bruins’ most likely first-round opponents

There are two potential first-round opponents for the Bruins. If they finish as the first wild card team, they’ll play the Sabres. If they finish as the second wild card team, they’ll play the Hurricanes.

The easiest path to the Eastern Conference Final is probably through the Metropolitan Division. A path consisting of the Hurricanes in the first round and either the Penguins or Flyers in the second round is a little less treacherous than a path that includes the Sabres in the first round and the Lightning or Canadiens in the second round.

The Lightning represent the toughest matchup for the Bruins, so it would be ideal for them to avoid Tampa Bay as long as possible.

The Bruins have played both the Lightning and Hurricanes in the playoffs fairly recently. They haven’t played the Canadiens in the postseason since 2014, and the last Bruins-Sabres playoff series was in 2010. Seeing one or both of those rivalries get reignited would be fun.

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (41-24-16, 98 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ St. Louis Blues (36-33-12, 82 points, 6th place Central Division)

When: 9:30 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Local on TVAS and SN-PIT, national on ESPN

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Philadelphia Flyers officially clinched a first-round matchup with the Pens with a shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. These two teams last met in the postseason in 2018 (the Pens won that series in six games before losing the second round in six to the eventual champion Washington Capitals). The series will begin either Saturday or Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Opponent Track: The Blues were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday when the Los Angeles Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers. This marks the third time in four seasons St. Louis has fallen short of the playoffs. The Blues most recently claimed a 6-3 win at home Monday night against the shorthanded Minnesota Wild, and they’re wrapping up their season Thursday against the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City.

Season Series: A late even-strength goal from Sidney Crosby made the difference in the Penguins’ 6-3 win over the Blues back in October at PPG Paints.

Getting to know the Blues

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Dylan Holloway – Robert Thomas – Jimmy Snuggerud

Pavel Buchnevich – Pius Suter – Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours – Dalibor Dvorsky – Jonathan Drouin

Alexey Toropchenko – Jack Finley – Otto Stenberg

DEFENSEMEN

Philip Broberg / Logan Mailloux

Theo Lindstein / Colton Parayko

Cam Fowler / Tyler Tucker

Goalies: Jordan Binnington (Joel Hofer started last night)

Potential scratches: Justin Holl, Nathan Walker, Jonatan Berggren, Matthew Kessel, Oskar Sundqvist

Injured Reserve: None

• The Blues racked up even more offense than the scoreboard shows last night after multiple successful goal challenges from the Minnesota Wild. That included two goals in a span of less than 30 seconds in the second period. It could be another high-scoring game tonight in St. Louis. The Wild were resting half their starting lineup, and the Pens are likely to take a similar tactic tomorrow.

• That offensive explosion included two goals from Jake Neighbours, who’s been struggling down the stretch this season. It could be good for both team and player to end the season with a hot streak from Neighbours, who was floated on a recent 32 Thoughtspodcast as a potential future captain in St. Louis.
• Joel Hofer started last night against the Wild, so the Pens could be seeing Jordan Binnington tonight. Binnington is still searching for his first win of April after the Blues lost to the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets in his last two starts.

Season stats (does not include yesterday’s game)
via hockeydb

• Offensive depth has been an issue all season for the Blues, as recently pointed out by Jeremy Rutherford for The Athletic. Heading into Monday, the team’s top line of Dylan Holloway, Robert Thomas and rookie Jimmy Snuggerud had combined for over a quarter of the team’s total production (including defensemen).

“(The other lines) just haven’t found that rhythm that the first line has. Everyone sees the skill and the plays they make off the rush, but they’re doing a lot of good stuff, winning battles, being connected, and having someone at the net front. It’s something I think the other lines need to make sure that they have a net anchor a little bit more.” — Blues coach Jim Montgomery, per Rutherford

• The Blues are heading into the 2026 NHL draft with three first-round picks, including a lottery selection projected as of Monday to land at No. 8. They also have one of the top prospect pools in the NHL, starting by recent first-rounders Justin Carbonneau and Adam Jirícek. The Blues could be hoping graduating some of those prospects to the NHL in the near future, in addition to developing a potential high pick and young players like Snuggerud, will help this team retool from its aging 2019 championship core.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Ville Koivunen

Anthony Mantha- Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau

Rutger McGroarty – Kevin Hayes – Avery Hayes

Elmer Soderblom – Joona Koppanen – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton

Sam Girard / Jack St Ivany

Ryan Graves / Ilya Solovyov

Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs

Potential Scratches: Blake Lizotte (injured), Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Erik Karlsson, Parker Wotherspoon, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust

IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)

• Take these lines (from the Penguins’ first of two matchups with the Caps this weekend) with a grain of salt. They’ll depend on who the Pens decide to rest in the final game of the regular season, reportedly many of the top players are not expected to be on the trip out to Missouri and returned home to Pittsburgh after the game in DC on Sunday.
• Some fun stats from Penguins PR: Players who have hit career-high points totals with the Penguins this season include Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau, Connor Dewar, Egor Chinakhov, Ryan Shea, Parker Wotherspoon, Bryan Rust, Ilya Solovyov, Elmer Soderblom and Jack St. Ivany.
• If Anthony Mantha finishes the season as the Penguins’ leading goalscorer (he’s on track to, barring a three-goal night from Sidney Crosby) he will join Jake Guentzel, Chris Kunitz, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell on an exclusive list as the only Penguins outside Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to lead the team in scoring since 2005.
• Crosby is meanwhile set to finish the season as the Penguins’ point leader for the 16th time. He is one season shy of tying Gordie Howe’s 17 seasons as the Detroit Red Wings’ points leader for the all-time record with a single franchise.

It’s hard to believe, but we have arrived at game No. 82 for the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins, though it seems like just yesterday they were at Madison Square Garden opening the season against the New York Rangers. Not many fans thought there was going to be more than the standard 82 games for the Penguins this season, but we now know there is more hockey yet to be played with the Penguins qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs. First though, the Penguins will put a cap on the regular season with a matchup against the St. Louis Blues later this evening.

Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and ESPN.

Pens Points…

For now, there is only one game remaining on the Penguins 2025-26 schedule, a meeting with the St. Louis Blues later this evening to wrap up the regular season. More games of course will be added, likely this weekend when the Penguins begin Stanley Cup playoff action. [Pensburgh]

Who the Penguins will play when those playoff games are added remains to be seen, but we could know by the time this post goes live with the Philadelphia Flyers just two points away from locking down the final playoff spot and guaranteeing a “Battle of Pennsylvania” meeting in the first round. [Pensburgh]

There were a bunch of regulars missing from the Penguins lineup over the course of their weekend back-to-back with the Washington Capitals. That opened the door for some depth players to get back in the lineup and make one last audition before the playoffs begin. [Pensburgh]

For maybe the last time, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin met in an NHL game this weekend. If that was indeed the end of their two decade rivalry, then it was an absolute treat to watch all these years, and the two combatants seem to agree, the memories will last forever. [PPG]

It didn’t appear so at the time, but the moves Kyle Dubas made over the summer helped build the Penguins into the playoff team they are today. Add in a handful of other transactions he made during the season and at the draft, and you will exactly how he built the Penguins into a contender. [Sportsnet]

NHL News and Notes…

With the regular season winding down, the race for the NHL’s individual awards are also coming to a close. Nikita Kucherov is will positioned to win his first Hart Trophy and Zach Werenski could take home his first Norris while Matthew Schafer should waltz away with the Calder. [ESPN]

Anton Forsberg has backstopped the Los Angeles Kings into a playoff spot out west with a spotless week in goal and he has been named the NHL First Star of the Week as a result. Fellow goalie Linus Ullmark has named Second Star while Dylan Larkin rounded out the trio of honorees. [NHL]

The Islanders finish their season-killing homestand by hosting a longtime nemesis, the Carolina Hurricanes, who have nothing to play for and every reason to rest with first place in the East locked up. That didn’t stop them from forcing the Flyers to a shootout last night before Philadelphia clinched the final playoff spot and set up a Battle of Pennsylvania in the first round.

I’m still processing my feelings — disappointment? low expectations ultimately met but via a mostly fun route? hope for offseason improvements? — from how this season petered out, but we solved a lot of it in comments/group therapy yesterday so I think many of us are ready to start 2026-27, at least if we are given the reins to make the moves we know to be needed.

But there is still business to finish! Matthew Schaefer needs a goal tonight. I don’t care if they play him at forward like an early ‘80s Phil Housley, or if they set him up on the doorstep on the power play, or have him cherrypick like Daniel Briere — whatever they need to do, make this happen and give him exclusive possession of the NHL record for goals by a rookie defenseman.

They probably get shut out though.

The final First Islanders Goal picks of the season go here. BIG thank you to Commenter69420 for managing this all season and keeping it going for you FIG-addicts.

Islanders News

Will we get news of a callup or even NHL debut today? (Victor Eklund is getting that, according to THN) Figure knowing one way or other after the morning skate.

And this won’t be answered today, but will it be Anders Lee’s final game as an Islander? (Doubtful, but possible.) Or any of the other longtime Islanders? (More likely.)

• This is actually a tough vote for Goal of the Year: the Palmieri Instant ACL Legend or the Schaefer Leaf-Slayer goal. [Isles]
• What an up and down season, ending with a thud that makes Dan and Mike feel pretty low. [Islanders Anxiety podcast]
• Talking to Islanders and Rangers about their memories of their rookie lap. [Newsday]
• Pete DeBoer says getting a few games with this team means he is “way ahead” of where he would be had he been hired sometime this summer. [Post]
• Prospect Report: Kashawn Aitcheson continues to accumulate points, Quinn Finley’s Wisconsin falls short, and a few others are still active in the CHL playoffs. [Isles]
• The Islanders, Devils and Rangers have made history: This is the first time all three have missed the playoffs. [Post]

Elsewhere

Lots of games and additional clinchings last night. Though the Isles are done, there are actually two more days of games after tonight.

• Matt Moulson’s brother-in-law calls it quits at 40, finishes with a loss as a Ranger, following a long tradition of former greats going to the Smurfs to kill off their career. [ESPN]
• The Stars have a guy named Mavrik Bourque and he just got a hat trick. [Sportsnet]
• Here’s all the roster turnover Kyle Dubas did to get the Penguins one last playoff appearance before the tanks roll in. [Sportsnet]

Next season can't come soon enough for Sharks after NHL playoff race elimination originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

NASHVILLE — The Sharks are out of the playoffs.

But they’re still playing for each other.

San Jose played its best game in a week, blowing up the Nashville Predators’ postseason hopes in the process, in a 3-2 victory. The Los Angeles Kings have clinched the last wild-card spot in the West.

This is San Jose’s first victory over Nashville since Nov. 2019, snapping a 15-game losing streak.

“It’s a great feeling when you win, when you play like that,” Alex Nedeljkovic said, “you play for each other, play hard.”

The Sharks played a game that they could be proud of, for the first time in a week, outchancing and holding the Predators to just 27 shots.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

Seattle Kraken (34-35-11, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (38-26-17, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Seattle Kraken trying to continue a three-game home winning streak.

Vegas has gone 38-26-17 overall with a 14-5-6 record in Pacific Division play. The Golden Knights have a 36-6-11 record in games they score at least three goals.

Seattle is 16-8-1 against the Pacific Division and 34-35-11 overall. The Kraken have conceded 251 goals while scoring 223 for a -28 scoring differential.

The teams meet Wednesday for the fourth time this season. The Kraken won the previous matchup 4-3 in a shootout.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone has 28 goals and 44 assists for the Golden Knights. Mitchell Marner has four goals and five assists over the past 10 games.

Bobby McMann has 29 goals and 17 assists for the Kraken. Brandon Montour has three goals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 6-1-3, averaging 3.7 goals, 5.8 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Kraken: 3-6-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.2 assists, 2.9 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body).

Kraken: Joey Daccord: day to day (lower-body), Jared McCann: out (lower-body), Shane Wright: day to day (upper-body), Matt Murray: out (personal), Philipp Grubauer: day to day (lower-body).

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

Montreal Canadiens (48-23-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (42-27-12, in the Metropolitan Division)

Philadelphia; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Canadiens -154, Flyers +129; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Philadelphia Flyers after the Flyers knocked off the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout.

Philadelphia is 42-27-12 overall and 19-13-8 at home. The Flyers have a 7-5-8 record in games decided by a goal.

Montreal has a 48-23-10 record overall and a 24-8-8 record in road games. The Canadiens have conceded 247 goals while scoring 277 for a +30 scoring differential.

The matchup Tuesday is the third time these teams meet this season. The Flyers won 4-1 in the last meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Trevor Zegras has 26 goals and 41 assists for the Flyers. Tyson Foerster has five goals and one assist over the last 10 games.

Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Nicholas Suzuki has five goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flyers: 7-3-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 5.8 assists, three penalties and six penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Canadiens: 8-2-0, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 5.5 penalties and 14.2 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.

INJURIES: Flyers: Rodrigo Abols: out (ankle), Nikita Grebenkin: out (upper body).

Canadiens: Alexandre Carrier: out (upper body), Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).

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

On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights hosted the Winnipeg Jets in the penultimate game of the 2025-26 regular season. In an all-important game in the battle for control of the Pacific Division, they came to play. They took advantage of a much weaker Jets team and, aided by a four-goal third period, rolled to a 6-2 victory.

Right from puck drop, the Golden Knights established themselves as the better team. They generated five high-danger scoring chances while holding Winnipeg to one, and controlled 86.81% of the expected goal share.

“We had a lot of pressure, but didn’t score,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella postgame. “I think the shots were eleven to three, but it’s still zero-zero. I think sometimes teams get impatient, and that’s when they start opening themselves up… They just kept on point, and we found a way to score some goals.”

In the second period, the Golden Knights kept up their dominant play and capitalized on a few of their chances. They outshot the Jets 16-10 and generated 17 scoring chances.

The Golden Knights broke the ice at 7:38 in the second. Jack Eichel stripped the puck from Mark Scheifele and took off up ice in a 2-on-1 with Mark Stone. Eichel got the pass across, and Stone ripped it home for the 10th short-handed goal of his career.

Eichel and Stone short handed 2-on-1. Looks like Hellebuyck makes the save on Stone but the puck leaks through and trickles across the line.

1-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/RfXPlZcykL

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Golden Knights doubled their lead just as the penalty expired. Noah Hanifin fired a wrister from the point, and Reilly Smith redirected it home.

Shot by Hanifin, redirection by Reilly Smith!

2-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/9SFjXxELpl

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The wheels came off in the third period, with five goals scored in the first six minutes. The Golden Knights outshot the Jets 12-10, and both teams combined for 23 scoring chances.

The Golden Knights extended their lead just 31 seconds into the third. As he circled the wagon, Jack Eichel backhanded a drop-pass to Ivan Barbashev, who slammed the puck into the empty net.

Pretty behind-the-back pass by Eichel and Barbashev slams it home.

3-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/dwMifpKVPo

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Jets got on the board at 2:34 in the third. Colin Miller fired a shot-pass to Gabe Vilardi at the goal line, who redirected it home.

Winnipeg PPG. Colin Miller with the shot-pass and Gabe Vilardi with the redirection.

3-1, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/QkDHgSLLuf

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Golden Knights restored their three-goal lead just 1:03 later. Ivan Barbashev caught up to Brayden McNabb’s stretch pass and entered the zone. Barbashev left the puck for Mark Stone, who pulled up and threaded a cross-ice pass to Rasmus Andersson. Andersson flew deeper into the zone and wired a shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

And Vegas answers right back. Mark Stone finds Rasmus Andersson in transition and the defenseman wires it home for his fifth goal in the past ten games!

4-1, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/2n7yTFaA3p

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Jets answered back at 4:41 in the third. Mark Scheifele forced a turnover, and Gabe Vilardi threaded a pass to Kyle Connor, who was all alone in the slot. Carter Hart kicked out Connor’s wrister, but Scheifele banged in the rebound.

And now Winnipeg answers right back. Scheifele sneaks down below the right circle and bangs home Kyle Connor’s rebound.

4-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/5fe1KGF9tV

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

Scheifele took a high-sticking double minor just 24 seconds later, and the Golden Knights put the game away on the ensuing power play.

The Golden Knights restored their three-goal lead at 5:42 in the third period. After playing catch with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone found Pavel Dorofeyev all alone in the right dot. Dorofeyev dusted off the puck, picked his spot, and beat Connor Hellebuyck far-side.

Pavel Dorofeyev with a snipe for his 37th (and 20th PPG) of the season.

5-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/CjeylMuJ6q

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Golden Knights tacked on a sixth goal at 7:38 in the third. The puck took a hop off Dylan DeMelo over to Jack Eichel right in front of the net, and Eichel fired home his first power-play goal of the season.

BREAKING: Jack Eichel has scored a power play goal in the 2025-26 season.

6-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/nak8GuKkpO

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

“They’re joining together at the right time here,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella after the 6-2 win. “They have a strong belief that they can play. So hopefully that’ll continue, bring us through our next game, and then get us ready for the real stuff.”

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. As Jack Eichel pointed out, the Golden Knights’ power play hasn’t been cold over the past 10 games. However, it has been lukewarm at best. Tonight’s game was a penalty fest from start to finish, with 32 total PIMs– a perfect time for the dam to break. The Golden Knights went 2-for-7 on the power play, with both goals coming on the double minor right after the Jets scored their second goal of the game.

“You want to generate chances and momentum,” said Jack Eichel following the 6-2 win. “It seems like sometimes we’re struggling to get set up and kind of getting pushed out of the zone… There was some simplicity to it tonight. I think we just won a few battles, and were able to get a couple of shots, recover pucks, and move it around quickly.”

2. Towards the end of the second period, the Golden Knights scored a goal just 9 seconds after another power play expired. In the 1:54 leading up to Reilly Smith’s goal, the Golden Knights fired off 10 shot attempts. Seven of those ended up on goal, and three were blocked– two by Jets captain Adam Lowry, and one by Ivan Barbashev.

According to Golden Knights head coach John Tortarella, that shot-first mentality has been a point of emphasis.

“We sometimes try to pass the puck into the net,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to concentrate not just on the power play but five-on-five, trying to sift more pucks to the net and not overpass. There’s a fine line there because there are a number of skilled players on this hockey team. We certainly want to let them make plays, but there are certain times you can just put it in the paint.”

3. Don’t look now, but the Golden Knights have a very real chance of winning the Division. If they secure one point in Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, they lock up first in the Pillow Fight– er, Pacific Division.

“I don’t think any of us would have expected to head into the last game of the year with the chance to win the division with the number of points we had– but here we are. It’s on us to go out there and do a job and try to win a hockey game,” said Jack Eichel. “I don’t think anybody would be upset if you said that we won the division this year.”

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday night.

Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the NHL-best Avalanche, who have won three of four overall and seven straight road games.

Connor McDavid scored his 48th goal for the playoff-bound Oilers, who have lost four of five. Edmonton fell two points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division.

McDavid leads the league with 134 points and needs one more to become the seventh player in league history to reach 135 at least twice. The others are Wayne Gretzky (12 times), Mario Lemieux (five), Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Steve Yzerman.

Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for Colorado, and Edmonton’s Connor Ingram also stopped 30 shots.

In the shootout, McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in the first two rounds for Edmonton, and Valerie Nichushkin and Martin Necas replied for Colorado. Wedgewood then stopped a wrist shot by Jack Roslovic, opening the door for MacKinnon's game-winner.

The Avs were missing Nazem Kadri (finger), Cale Makar (upper body) and Josh Manson (upper body) as they prepare for the playoffs.

The Oilers remained without forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, although both resumed skating with the team on Monday.

Necas was held scoreless and still needs one point to reach 100 for the first time. Only four Avalanche players have ever hit the century mark — Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Up next

Avalanche: At the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Oilers: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

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