While the Montreal Canadiens have yet to book their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, they look well on their way to qualifying, and barring a disaster of epic proportion, they should get their ticket to the spring dance, despite going through most of the season with questionable goaltending. This shows just how much this team has progressed offensively. The Canadiens have scored 236 goals so far this season, the fourth-highest offensive output in the league behind the offensive juggernauts the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and the surprising Buffalo Sabres. Montreal is third in goals-per-game average with 3.53, hot on the trail of the Avalanche (3.78) and the Oilers (3.55).

That productive offence is the reason why the Canadiens are where they are in the standings. Still, as the postseason approaches, games get tighter, goals scored go down, and offensive picnics are a thing of the past, which means that goaltending becomes that much more important. This is the reason why the Habs called up Jacob Fowler. Samuel Montembeault is dealing with serious issues in his game right now, and his confidence is shaken, just like the team’s confidence in him. As for Jakub Dobes, he generally finds a way to win, but often benefits from a lot of support from his teammates filling up the net at the other end. Still, right now, it appears that Fowler and Dobes are ahead of Montembeault in the hierarchy.

Canadiens Prospect Makes Big 10 Semifinals
Canadiens: Steal Two Points From Red Hot Senators
Juraj Slafkovsky Makes Montreal Canadiens History

In 11 games this season, Fowler has a 5-4-2 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Meanwhile, Dobes is 21-6-4 with a 2.97 GAA and a .892 SV, and Montembeault is 10-8-4 with a 3.43 GAA and a .872 SV. As things stand, both the eye test and the stats test point to the Habs entering the playoffs with a tandem of rookie goaltenders.

Over the years, we’ve often heard that you need experience to win in the postseason. Still, despite being a 7-season veteran and 29-year-old, Montembeault has played only parts of three playoff games, leaving the third after being injured. That totals 152 minutes of playoff action; Dobes has played the same number of postseason games, for a total of 144 minutes. Of course, Fowler has yet to see any playoff action in the NHL, but he did play in the AHL postseason last year. He appeared in eight games or 387 minutes for the Laval Rocket, posting a 3-3-0 record, a 2.48 GAA, a .902 SV and a shutout.

Historically, the Canadiens have not fared too badly with a rookie goaltender in net. You don’t have to look any further than the 1986 Stanley Cup conquest to see that a rookie can do it. That year, Patrick Roy won both the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' MVP. League-wide, Cam Ward also led the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup championship as a rookie in 2005-2006, and Matt Murray did it with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015-16.

Hockey is increasingly becoming a young players’ game; why should it be any different with goaltenders? Talent and confidence will take you much further in the postseason than experience, especially if it’s not positive experience. Montembeault has struggled all year, and he looks lost in the crease right now. Unless he miraculously rebounds, the Canadiens will and should go full speed ahead with their two rookies. If the puck were to drop in the postseason today, they’d give Fowler the net, and Dobes would act as his backup. It’s a shame for Montembeault, but hockey is a results game, and you’re only as good as your last performance.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

Former Devils Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich scored for the Flames Thursday as Calgary took a 5-4 win. [Devils NHL]

“It’s been a trying season for the New Jersey Devils. Much of it is general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s fault for not assembling a strong enough roster. Sheldon Keefe deserves some blame as well, though it does appear he’s changed how the team plays since the Olympic break. That’s left the Devils in a position where their final 18 games don’t have significant meaning since they’re highly unlikely to make the playoffs. Still, there are a few things I’d like to see to build momentum heading into the offseason and the 2026-27 campaign.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Hockey Links

An unreal goal:

Radko Gudas gets ejected:

Nick Schmaltz gets an eight-year deal:

“Yes, it required a double-take. After Nick Schmaltz removed himself from the already thin July 1 free-agent market with his contract extension with the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, I glanced at the remaining pending UFA class. As of Thursday morning, your leading point-getter among pending UFA players was … drumroll … Darren Raddysh!” [The Athletic ($)]

“In a surprising reversal, the NHL has decided the Ottawa Senators will no longer forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in the canceled 2022 trade between Vegas and Anaheim involving winger Evgenii Dadonov. Rather than giving up their first-round pick in June’s NHL draft, the Senators will select last (32nd overall) in the round and pay a $1 million fine in Canadian dollars, the league announced Thursday. That money will go to the NHL Foundation Canada, a league-sponsored charitable organization.” [ESPN]

A look around the league at the draft capital situation following the trade deadline: [Sportsnet]

“O’Reilly, Benn, Reaves and Bogosian bring the NHL’s visor-less population to 0.46 percent of current skaters. That number stood at 32 percent of players during the 2011-12 season and 27 percent in February 2013, according to numbers provided by the NHL Players’ Association at the time.” [The Athletic ($)]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. Defensive breakdowns from the Penguins and opportunistic scoring from Vegas helped the home team pull away in the third period. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can’t return soon enough. [Recap]

The Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County approved the $1.7 billion sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Hoffmann Family of Companies on Thursday, but not before criticizing Fenway Sports Group for “profiteering” on the sale, noting the group could stand to make about $800 million (an 89% return) after only four years of ownership. Board members also said FSG failed to fulfill promised investments in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill neighborhood. [Trib Live]

One of the many reasons the Penguins have found success this season lies in the quality and contributions of the team’s depth players. Players and coaches say the team’s depth and chemistry have allowed different lines and players to step up on any given night. [Trib Live]

The Penguins shuffled around their defense corps on Thursday, recalling defenseman Alexander Alexeyev from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins while reassigning fellow blueliner Ryan Graves. [Trib Live]

News and updates from around the NHL…

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was injured on Thursday night after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas. Gudas received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit and is likely to face discipline from the league. [TSN]

Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Tom Dundon has sold a portion of his team to three new minority owners, including former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bobby Farnham. [TSN]

The NHL will not require the Ottawa Senators to forfeit a first-round draft pick for their involvement in a 2021 trade that was later voided. Instead, the team will receive the 32nd overall pick in this year’s draft. The team will also pay a $1 million fine to NHL Foundation Canada, with the league citing the franchise’s change in ownership when determining the revised punishment. [Sportsnet]

The Islanders are back home for a back-to-back, starting with what will hopefully be a vengeance match against the Los Angeles Kings. Coach Patrick Roy has made some line adjustments, putting newcomer Brayden Schenn with Mathew Barzal instead of with Calum Ritchie, the center who his arrival bumped to the wing.

Personally, it’s the Palat-Schenn combo I’d be breaking up as neither exactly brings the speed that they brought a decade ago. But we’ll see how this goes; Schenn has lots of experience with high-end talents and he can be the defensive conscience that allows a guy like Barzal to push forward.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• More on those line changes, and Barzal talking about his new old-men running mates. [Isles]
• Brayden Schenn brings the “defend your teammates” ethic. [Newsday]
• Five Islanders prospects to keep an eye on. [Newsday]
• Here’s hoping Cal Ritchie learns a thing or two from Schenn. [Po$t]
• Schenn is excited to settle in on Long Island. [THN]
• Speaking of which, J-G Pageau talks a little more about his extension to stick around. [THN]
• Stan Fischler and Ken Morrow on Schenn and other deadline acquisitions of yore. [NHL]
• Speaking of tonight’s opponent, the Kings have jettisoned to Ottawa former Isle Samuel Bolduc, who never played an NHL game with the franchise. [TSN]

Elsewhere

Lots of games last night, including a win for the Capitals and losses for the Penguins and Red Wings and an OTL loss for the Blue Jackets.

• Auston Matthews left the game after a knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas, who also left the game with an ejection for that infraction. [Sportsnet]
• The Leafs weren’t happy, though they didn’t do much about it. [TSN]
• Connor McDavid got in a fight, sort of, defending his buddy Leon Draisaitl. [Sportsnet]
• The league rescinded Nathan MacKinnon’s game misconduct from his collision with Edmonton goalie Connor Ingram. [TSN]

Bruins on pace to get lottery pick in 2026 NHL Draft from Maple Leafs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The NHL resumed play on Feb. 25 after taking about three weeks off for the Winter Olympic break, and up until Thursday, 31 of 32 teams had won at least one game over that span.

The only winless squad? The Toronto Maple Leafs.

Even the Seattle Seahawks, who last played in Super Bowl LX more than a month ago, had won a game more recently than Toronto.

The Leafs finally won Thursday night when they defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-4 to end an eight-game losing streak. But the positive result will do nothing to quell the frustration of fans in Toronto.

The 2025-26 season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Leafs. They entered the campaign with expectations of extending their playoff appearance streak to a league-best nine seasons. But not only will Toronto miss the playoffs, it might not even get the chance to make its own first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

That’s because the pick is owned by the rival Boston Bruins as a result of the Brandon Carlo trade from March of 2025. The B’s got the Leafs’ 2026 first-rounder (top-five protected), a 2026 fourth-rounder (via Flyers) and young center Fraser Minten in exchange for Carlo.

Here are the full conditions of the 2026 first-round pick from Toronto, per PuckPedia:

“Top 5 protected, slides to 2027. The 2027 pick goes to Philadelphia (as part of Laughton trade) if it is outside the top 10, which converts this pick to Boston to a 2028 unprotected 1st Round Pick. If this Pick slides to 2027 and is in the top 10, TOR can either transfer it to BOS to satisfy this trade and then give PHI the 2028 unprotected, or transfer it to PHI and give BOS the 2028 unprotected 1st Round Pick.”

The TL;DR explanation that fans need to know right now is the pick is top-five protected in 2026, and based on the current standings and projections, there’s a good chance the pick conveys to the Bruins this year.

The Maple Leafs enter Friday with the eighth-worst record in the league based on points percentage. HockeyStats.com projects Toronto to finish with 85 points and the 10th-worst record. MoneyPuck’s analytics model projects the Leafs to finish with 82 points and the seventh-worst record.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

If the Leafs finish with the seventh- or eighth-worst record, they’d have less than a 14 percent chance of jumping into one of the top two picks in the NHL Draft Lottery in May and keeping their pick. The Maple Leafs do have a chance to finish in the bottom-five of the league standings and keep their pick. It’s not inconceivable, especially when you consider they have the eighth-toughest remaining schedule, per Tankathon.

That said, unless the Maple Leafs continue to lose games at a rapid pace, combined with teams below them in the standings improving a bit, we could be looking at another top-10 pick going from Toronto to Boston.

Fans will remember the Phil Kessell trade from 2009 that resulted in the Bruins getting two first-rounders from the Maple Leafs that ended up being the No. 2 overall selection (Tyler Seguin) in 2010 and the No. 9 overall selection (Dougie Hamilton) in 2011.

History is likely to repeat itself for these Original Six rivals.

This lottery pick would be a huge boost to the Bruins as they continue their retool. The Bruins’ prospect pool is stronger than it’s been in a long time, with Boston College stars James Hagens (No. 7 overall, 2025) and Dean Letourneau (No. 25 overall, 2024) headlining the group. Boston also has an impressive stash of draft picks, including four first-rounders in the next two drafts and three fourth-rounders in 2026.

Adding another high-end prospect in what should be a strong 2026 draft would bolster the Bruins’ future and give them a chance to develop another franchise cornerstone player.

The Bruins have a good chance of returning to the playoffs in 2026. They occupy the second wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 17 games to go.

The B’s could be in the unusual spot of reaching the postseason and having a lottery pick. But they need the Leafs to do their part. If history is any indication, Toronto will come through for Boston.

Boston Bruins (36-23-6, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Washington Capitals (33-27-7, in the Metropolitan Division)

Washington; Saturday, 3 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins will attempt to break a seven-game road slide when they play the Washington Capitals.

Washington has a 20-11-3 record at home and a 33-27-7 record overall. The Capitals are 12-15-6 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.

Boston is 11-14-5 in road games and 36-23-6 overall. The Bruins have a 14-6-3 record in games decided by one goal.

Saturday's game is the third time these teams meet this season. The Bruins won 3-1 in the previous meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jakob Chychrun has 23 goals and 28 assists for the Capitals. Ryan Leonard has four goals and one assist over the past 10 games.

Morgan Geekie has 34 goals and 23 assists for the Bruins. Viktor Arvidsson has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 5-5-0, averaging 2.7 goals, four assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Bruins: 4-3-3, averaging three goals, 5.2 assists, 4.4 penalties and 10.8 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.

INJURIES: Capitals: None listed.

Bruins: None listed.

___

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

Chicago Blackhawks (25-29-11, in the Central Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (30-22-14, in the Pacific Division)

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

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks after Pavel Dorofeyev's two-goal game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Golden Knights' 6-2 win.

Vegas has a 15-10-7 record in home games and a 30-22-14 record overall. The Golden Knights are 29-6-8 when scoring at least three goals.

Chicago has a 25-29-11 record overall and a 12-14-6 record in road games. The Blackhawks have a -32 scoring differential, with 172 total goals scored and 204 conceded.

Saturday's game is the third time these teams meet this season. The Blackhawks won the previous meeting 3-2 in overtime. Tyler Bertuzzi scored three goals in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Eichel has 24 goals and 50 assists for the Golden Knights. Dorofeyev has seven goals and five assists over the past 10 games.

Connor Bedard has 27 goals and 34 assists for the Blackhawks. Ryan Donato has scored three goals and added three assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 4-6-0, averaging 2.9 goals, five assists, 4.2 penalties and 9.9 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.

Blackhawks: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: None listed.

Blackhawks: None listed.

___

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

Now that the real-life hockey deals have been completed, it's time to turn our attention back to the fantasy hockey stretch run. Time to solidify your lineups for the playoffs with new recruits. While trade deadlines have elapsed in most formats, the waiver wire route is always open. And it's always free.

With that in mind, here are a few players who can be of service.

(Rostered rates as of Mar. 13)

Forwards

Pavel Zacha, BOS (Yahoo: 32%)

The Golden Knights got more than a much-needed win on Thursday night; they got a long-overdue offensive burst in a 6-2 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

Five different Knights scored, including Pavel Dorofeyev's 31st and 32nd goals, as Vegas ended a three-game skid and took sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division.

Colton Sissons, Mitch Marner, Jack Eichel and Brayden McNabb also scored for Vegas. Goaltender Adin Hill made 24 saves.

The six goals were the most the Golden Knights scored since a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 25, and the 10th time they've scored six or more goals this season. They scored six or more just nine times last season.

Rickard Rakell and Ben Kindel scored for the Penguins while Arturs Silovs stopped 11 shots.

Marner, who moved back to the wing with the return of captain Mark Stone after a five-game absence, had the highlight of the night when he initiated a give-and-go with Dorofeyev before going airborne in the crease as he buried his 19th goal of the season.

"He was good tonight, moving over to the wing," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He's been open to whatever we use him for. So, hell of a goal, nice goal."

HOLY MITCH 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pUhDYt5kWO

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 13, 2026

KEY MOMENT

Cassidy stressed the importance of extending leads, and his team answered in the third period. Over a span of 1:45 in the final stanza, Dorofeyev and Eichel essentially put the game out of reach, as they gave the Golden Knights a three-goal lead.

KEY STAT

0-for-2 ... With a third-period power play opportunity for Pittsburgh, the Golden Knights held the Penguins to just two shots on goal during a 6-on-4 advantage. With nothing to lose, Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse pulled goaltender Silovs, but the Penguins couldn't capitalize.

WHAT A KNIGHT

Dorofeyev finished with two goals and an assist, and now has a career-high in points with 54. The 25-year-old now has 17 goals since Jan. 1, second most in the NHL.

UP NEXT: The Golden Knights continue their four-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights center Colton Sissons (10) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at T-Mobile Arena.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks scored a pair of third-period goals to erase a two-goal deficit then got a shootout goal from Jake DeBrusk to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Thursday night.

The Canucks trailed 3-1 after two periods, but Marco Rossi scored with 4:05 to play to make it 3-2 and Filip Hronek tied it at 3-all with 1:01 left in regulation.

Brock Boeser also scored in regulation for Vancouver.

Tyson Jost scored twice for Nashville, and rookie Matthew Wood added a goal.

Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. Nikita Tolopilo stopped 16 shots for Vancouver.

The Canucks opened the scoring at 8:40, when the double-tip of Hronek's point shot — first Marco Rossi and then Boeser — beat Saros. But the teams went to the dressing room tied 1-1 after Justin Barron snapped up a turnover by Tolopilo before Jost scored on the rebound.

In the second, Jost gave the visitors their first lead of the night, corralling the puck after Roman Josi's blast from the blue line went wide of the net, then depositing it past Tolopilo. Wood followed, his centering pass deflecting into the net off the skate of Canucks forward Liam Ohgren.

Rossi snapped a rebound past Saros and with Tolopilo on the bench, Hronek sent the game to overtime.

DeBrusk scored the only goal of the shootout as Tolopilo stopped all three shooters he faced.

Boeser’s goal was his 16th of the year, and fourth in five games. Evander Kane returned to the lineup after missing one game while dealing with upper-body discomfort.

With 17 games remaining, the Predators remain locked in a race for a wild-card spot with three other Western Conference teams. Saros became the second NHL goalie to reach 50 starts this season. Wood has four goals in his last four games.

Up next

Predators: At Edmonton on Sunday.

Canucks: Host Seattle on Saturday.

___

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

After taking a two-goal lead in the second period, the Nashville Predators gave up a pair of goals in the third period and went scoreless in the shootout, falling to the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, on Thursday at Rogers Arena. 

Ryan O'Reilly, Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos all failed to score as Jake DeBrusk scored the lone goal in the shootout.

It's Nashville's first shootout loss of the season and just the Canucks fourth win of the 2026 calendar year. The Predators have also lost five straight overtime/shootout games. 

Tyson Jost scored twice for Nashville, recording his first multi-goal game since May 13, 2021, when he had two goals as a member of the Colorado Avalanche in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. He also has three goals in the last two games. 

Matthew Wood scored his 14th goal of the season, shooting the puck from the left corner, and it deflected off of Vancouver's Liam Öhgren and into the net. That score gave Nashville a two-goal lead. 

Marco Rossi scored off a rebound to cut the Predators' lead down to one with five minutes left in the third period. With a minute left in the game and the extra attacker on, Filip Hronek scored to tie the game. 

Despite picking up the loss, Juuse Saros had a massive performance, making 24 saves on 27 shots. The Predators were outshot 12-5 in the first period with Saros making a handful of big saves to prevent Vancouver from expanding its lead. 

A victory would've tied the Predators with the San Jose Sharks for the final Wild Card spot in the West, with 68 points; however, the Sharks would've had the tiebreaker over them in wins. 

Sitting at 67 points, Nashville is in a three-way tie with Seattle and Los Angeles. With the most losses and more games played of the three, the Predators don't have the tiebreaker. 

The Predators will look to keep pushing for the playoffs on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. CST. 

Pregame

The Penguins use the same lines and lineup as the last game, Arturs Silovs gets back in the net.

The Vegas Golden Knights get captain Mark Stone back in the lineup for his first game since getting injured against these Penguins back on March 1st.

First period

Vegas gets the first goal, tough sequence for Parker Wotherspoon who has to retreat while dealing with a bouncing puck, by the time he settles it and spins to clear it the attempt hits the linesman’s skate and is there for the taking. Braeden Bowman makes a nice pass over for Colton Sissons to finish. 1-0 Golden Knights early.

Connor Clifton makes a late play on a player who doesn’t have the puck, Vegas gets the first power play. The Pens kill it off.

Vegas gets going in transition again, Tommy Novak gets a piece of a player pulling up on him and trips him, giving the Knights a second power play near the end of the period.

Shots are 6-6, not too much happening for the Penguins who find themselves down 1-0 after the first.

Second period

Pittsburgh kills off the carryover penalty from the first period and get their own power play soon after when Rasmus Andersson sideswipes Ville Koivunen for no reason away from the play. The Pens don’t get a shot on it, and worse, Vegas scores on the next shift. Pavel Dorofeyev shouldn’t be a hard player to find since he’s right to the side of the net but Ilya Solovyov got lost in traffic and the Knights got the puck to their leading scorer and he showed his skill by firing a puck over the shoulder of Silovs for his 31st of the season. 2-0.

It takes a while for the Pens to get a shot on goal in the second period, once they break the ice and put a little pressure on, they score. Bryan Rust whips a puck to the net with traffic in front, puck goes in with Rickard Rakell able to get a piece on the way. 2-1 game now.

That goal didn’t deter Vegas, Mitch Marner makes a great play to get the puck around Silovs and tucks it in. Another tough look for Solovyov to give the puck right to Marner then completely lose him once Marner got the pass back. Lead extended back to two just 56 seconds after the Pittsburgh goal.

Pittsburgh gets a power play, it looks like Novak mostly falls but Marner gets rung up for the trip. Not much comes of it.

The Pens get one back, Anthony Mantha enters the zone and makes a wonderful cross-ice pass that finds Ben Kindel driving the net. Kindel is able to direct the puck in for his 16th goal of the season. 3-2 game with 3:38 to play.

Even period for total goals, the Pens find a way to keep hanging close after 40 minutes.

Third period

The Pens keep pushing but get a little sloppy and get burnt. Wotherspoon swoops into the offensive zone deeper than Koivunen and leaves the puck for him. Koivunen gets muscled off of it and Vegas is off on an odd-man rush. They convert on it, thanks to their best two players of the night when Marner finds Dorofeyev, who unleashes a great shot to the top corner. 4-2 game.

Jack Eichel wants to remind that he’s a pretty good player too, he gets in on the act with a blocker side shot that foils Silovs. 5-2.

The Pens get a power play with 7:39 to go and pull the goalie to make it a 6v4 situation, ‘cuz hey, why not. They get a lot of zone time but can’t score. Pittsburgh leaves the goalie pulled to keep plugging away, it takes until 58 seconds left before the Golden Knights can finally hit the open net to set the 6-2 final score.

Some thoughts

• In some ways it could be said the Penguins are missing Sam Girard out of the lineup almost as much as they are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. OK, that sounded better as a thought in my head than it looks written out on the screen, so maybe it’s better to phrase it that the Pens are really missing Girard. I think Solovyov’s had a couple of rocky games in a row and big mistakes as a defender can be costly, often time ending up in the back of the net. Solovyov’s play on the second and third Vegas goal was not pretty to say the least. Not sure if Girard can be healthy enough to play by Saturday or the team would resort to giving the recently called up Alex Alexeyev a game but they certainly have to consider whatever it takes to get Solovyov out of the lineup.
• Going back to last game the Penguins had three straight goals generated by Bryan Rust throwing a puck on net. Not a bad strategy at this point to try and get bodies and traffic in front, fling it on and see what happens.
• The top power play needs a tweak. It’s nice to see Egor Chinakhov out there but he’s positioned himself too often in space, drifting near the blueline where he’s not a threat even when he gets the puck. He never heads to the net, even when there’s a lane and the puck is on the other side. He’s also been awkward to receive passes and hasn’t been able to create. Koivunen on the second pair plays that position a lot more active and better. All things considered, the Pens might as well put the right shot Ben Kindel on that left side or at least adjust the coaching to get Chinakhov more cohesive within that unit.
• I think Dorofeyev might be the idealized finished product for Chinakhov to turn into (even though they’re basically the same age and experience). What a wicked shot he’s got.
• The stat-line won’t do Silovs any favors but there can’t be a lot reasonably put on him tonight. Would you have liked to see a stop on Eichel’s third period goal? Yeah, maybe. Stuart Skinner made a great save in the third period while losing 4-2, but at some point that can’t be a realistic place to be. The Pens were a little too sloppy and were made to pay.
• Can’t say there was any quit in the Penguins, they pulled the goalie and played their big dogs heavy down the stretch. From the time the third period was at 7:39 to play down to 2:43 (4:56 of game time), Rakell played 3:48 of it. From the time there was 8:42 left in the game down to the ENG at 58 seconds (7:44 of game time), Kris Letang played 6:56 of it. Erik Karlsson played even more, taking a 3:58 shift and only was off the ice for 55 seconds in between the 7:42 mark down to the ENG. We’ll see about the wisdom of that potentially draining older players who still have a lot of hockey games coming up in the near future, but it can’t be said that the Pens didn’t do everything possible to make a comeback, even though at the then score of 5-2 with limited time, a three-goal comeback was incredibly bleak.
• The Pens fall to 2-6-0 all-time in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights have had some quality teams over these past nine years, Pittsburgh has never been able to get much going at T-Mobile Arena.
• There was some good news on the out of town scores, Detroit, Boston and Columbus also all lost tonight (CBJ picked up a point with an overtime loss). Never a bad thing when both the teams currently in the Wild Card spots lose in regulation to potentially create another playoff path for Pittsburgh beyond the cut-and-dry finish within the top-3 of their division.

The Golden Knights get their payback on the Pens for the 5-0 shutout game earlier in the month, Pittsburgh leaves town to head over to Salt Lake City for a game on Saturday night. If nothing else, at least Crosby, Malkin (and Girard!) are one game closer to coming back.

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night. This was Chicago’s second straight game against Utah, and their third matchup in the last 12 days. To say that these division rivals are familiar with each other would be an understatement. 

Chicago defeated Utah in each of the two post-Olympic matchups coming into this one. Their most recent, Monday night at the United Center, was a Frank Nazar overtime winner. 

Although this was two straight against them for the Blackhawks, there was a game for the Mammoth on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota won the match 5-0. 

It seemed, based on the morning skate, that Arvid Soderblom was going to start in goal for Chicago, but at the last minute, it became known that Spencer Knight was going to go. This was his first start after missing three games with an illness. 

After no scoring in the first period, a tough turnover by Andre Burskovsky led to Logan Cooley making a great pass to Dylan Guenther, who made it 1-0 Mammoth. Guenther’s 31st of the season was the only goal scored for either team through 40 minutes. 

After being awarded a power play early in the third period, Tyler Bertuzzi cashed in thanks to a brilliant pass through the crease from Connor Bedard. Bertuzzi now has a team-leading 28 goals. 

Frank Nazar, who also assisted on the Bertuzzi goal, stayed hot with a goal of his own at 9:17 of the third. He is a double-digit goal scorer for the second year in a row. That’s three goals in his last four games, and he looks like the second-line center that the Hawks need him to be right now. 

At 13:45, JJ Peterka tied the game for the Mammoth. The Blackhawks were presented with another opportunity to win a close game late in the match. Once the game reached overtime, their second straight overtime against Utah, they knew they had a chance. 

After Spencer Knight made some outstanding saves in the overtime period, Connor Bedard scored the sudden-death winner by putting home a rebounded puck sitting at the side of the net following Alex Vlasic’s post shot. It was Nick Lardis who set up Vlasic’s shot on goal. 

Knight wasn’t just brilliant in the extra frame. He made big-time saves throughout regulation, as well. He made 29 saves on 31 shots in his first appearance back from illness. Every game that Knight starts is a chance for the Blackhawks to win, and he seems to be getting better every day. 

The Blackhawks completed a 4-0-0 season sweep of the Mammoth with this victory. This is their first time sweeping a division rival since they swept the Dallas Stars in 2016-17.

For being another rebuilding year, they have certainly found ways to beat teams from their division who are going to end up in the playoffs. These games against the Mammoth are ones to be proud of. 

Wyatt Kaiser was injured toward the end of the game. After it ended, Jeff Blashill had no update. He believes he will know more on Saturday. That is the only dark cloud over what turned out to be an impressive night for the Blackhawks. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

Tyler Bertuzzi notches his 1⃣1⃣th power play goal of the season for a new career high!🚨 pic.twitter.com/WHkHN7FqzP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 13, 2026

"LET'S GOOOOO" -Frank, probably pic.twitter.com/jnaSX38jD2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 13, 2026

an instant classic🤩📽️ pic.twitter.com/7PWsCPiBUc

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 13, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Saturday night when they will close out their quick two-game road trip with a match against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

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Going into the 2025-26 season, there were a lot of expectations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They had missed the playoffs three seasons in a row, they had a lot of youth talent pushing for the NHL roster, and - by many measures, even by the expectations of their own general manager - playoffs were probably going to be a longshot as they prioritized development.

However, as the Penguins sit second in the Metropolitan Division in mid-March, it’s hard to deny at this point that this is, simply, a good hockey team. Whether by design or by accident, Dubas set his team up to be a playoff contender, and his players have taken advantage of every opportunity to keep themselves in that conversation. 

But, unfortunately, a pretty big curveball was thrown when captain Sidney Crosby was injured while representing Team Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and he was originally set to be out of the lineup until late March - near the end of a schedule gauntlet that includes 17 games in 31 days against 15 current playoff teams. Then, with Crosby already out, they were thrown yet another curveball when veteran forward Evgeni Malkin earned himself a five-game suspension for slashing the head of Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

With no Crosby and no Malkin, it would have been easy for the Penguins to fall off. To mail it in. To use the excuse of missing their two best players - plus, a few other key injuries - as reason enough for piling losses, should they happen. 

But no such thing happened. Although things haven’t been perfect, Pittsburgh has earned four out of eight possible points since Malkin exited the lineup, and they are 3-3-3 without Crosby - also earning exactly half the available points. It’s not as if the points have come easy, either. 

And there is one thing that separates this Penguins’ team from the team that missed the playoffs three seasons in a row. 

There is no quit in these Pittsburgh Penguins.

'Find A Way To Write Our Own Story': After Quiet Deadline, It's Time To See What These Penguins Are Made OfKyle Dubas and his Pittsburgh Penguins were relatively quiet at the NHL trade deadline - which speaks to the GM's belief in his current group of players.

We saw it earlier this season against the Columbus Blue Jackets, when they came back from three goals down and won it on a Crosby overtime goal. We saw it Sunday against the Boston Bruins, when they erased another 3-0 deficit to take down the Bs in dramatic fashion courtesy of Egor Chinakhov and Tommy Novak in overtime. We saw it Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, when the Penguins scored twice with the goaltender pulled to even the score and force extra time, even if they eventually lost again in the shootout. 

The truth is that these Penguins have a backbone. They don't back down. They never stop fighting, tooth and nail, for every single point they can get their hands on. And that has earned praise from general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas himself, who said this team’s resilience is his favorite thing about the group. 

"I think, especially since we've come back from Christmas, it's not just been the wins, but the way that the team has gone about winning that shows that, when we're at our best, it's a very good team,” Dubas said.

"For me, the greatest thing about the team the whole year has been the way that we've weathered times that haven't been great. The way that the team responds when things don't go well... the team always finds a way to respond, even with guys out of the lineup."

Egor Chinakhov's Stock With The Penguins Continues To RiseEgor Chinakhov's play with the Pittsburgh Penguins has been outstanding.

And that fighting spirit speaks to a locker room and organizational culture that has not necessarily been as prevalent in years past. This team refuses to go out quietly, and they refuse to let any of the outside noise or what others are saying dictate how their season is going to go. There’s something special about not just a group mentality like that but also the ability to back it up. 

The fact that the Penguins are still staying afloat and haven’t moved standings-wise without their two best players in the lineup speaks volumes about this team’s resilience and mental fortitude. Unlike in years past, when things don’t go their way, they don’t crumble. They don’t fold. They simply get back up and continue to throw punches.

Players like Erik Karlsson, Chinakhov, Rickard Rakell, and Anthony Mantha have stepped up, and they’re all different players in vastly different situations. Karlsson is a future hall-of-fame defenseman who is having his best all-around season since his days as an Ottawa Senator. Chinakhov is the newest, shiniest toy who has been the Penguins’ best goal-scorer since his Penguins’ debut on Jan. 1 and has shown flashes as an elite goal-scorer with his devastating wrist shot.

4 Penguins Who Have Stepped Up Big Without Crosby, MalkinOne look at the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' schedule in the month of March was enough for a whole lot of people to question whether or not a team that was - according to outside noise - supposed to be a lottery team would be able to sustain playoff-level hockey.&nbsp;

As for Rakell, he’s one of the longer-tenured faces in the room who has long been a sniping winger for Crosby and Malkin, and he’s - all of a sudden - been asked to play the biggest role on this team as its first-line center when he hasn’t regularly played center in a decade. And Mantha is a 31-year-old winger coming off of ACL surgery who has managed to score some of the biggest goals for the Penguins and is having a career year.

The mix works. These players aren’t just fighting for the playoffs, they’re fighting for each other. And that’s evident with every comeback and every response game and every hard-earned win without their star players. It’s the mark of a team that has differentiated itself in a way that few other teams can.

And that’s why this team just feels different. The air is changing in Pittsburgh this season, and if they can follow through and play hockey into late-spring, this is a team that folks are going to talk about for a very long time.

Penguins Forward Closing In On Career High In GoalsAnthony Mantha is three goals away from a new career-high.

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Mark Stone made his return to the lineup Thursday night for the Vegas Golden Knights after missing five games with an upper-body injury that landed the team captain on injured reserve.

Stone’s absence began following a March 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when he absorbed a hard check from veteran defenseman Kris Letang. The hit forced Stone to leave the game and ultimately sidelined one of Vegas’ most important players for nearly two weeks.

Ironically, Stone’s return came against the very same Penguins team involved in the play that caused the injury. His presence was immediately felt, as he resumed his usual spot on the Golden Knights’ top line at right wing alongside star center Jack Eichel and power forward Ivan Barbashev.

The Golden Knights struggled to maintain momentum during Stone’s absence, posting a 1–4 record over the five games he missed. The slide in form proved costly in a tightly contested National Hockey League Pacific Division race. Vegas dropped to third place during that stretch, falling behind the division-leading Anaheim Ducks and the second-place Edmonton Oilers.

Stone’s return comes at a critical point in the season as the Golden Knights attempt to regain ground in the standings and solidify their playoff positioning.

Before the injury, the 31-year-old captain was in the midst of another highly productive campaign. In just 43 games, Stone had already recorded 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points, continuing to demonstrate the elite two-way play and offensive creativity that have defined his career. Beyond the numbers, Stone’s leadership, defensive instincts, and puck-retrieval ability remain central to Vegas’ identity.

When healthy, Stone forms one of the league’s most dangerous top-line trios with Eichel and Barbashev. The combination of Eichel’s speed and playmaking, Barbashev’s physical presence, and Stone’s hockey IQ gives Vegas a balanced and difficult matchup for opposing teams.

With their captain back in the lineup, the Golden Knights will hope the return of their emotional leader provides a spark as they push toward the final stretch of the regular season.