The Dallas Stars banned a fan from the American Airlines Center, according to the Dallas Morning News. The ban comes one week after a video went viral on social media which showed a group of fans performing what looked to be a Nazi salute during a home game in December.
Per the Dallas Morning News, the Stars were only able to identify the one fan who had purchased the ticket out of the four seen in the video. He was not identified publicly, but a team spokesman told the Dallas Morning News that the individual had received an indefinite ban from all American Airlines Center events.
#USA - Dallas Stars fans sparked controversy after a video appeared to show them making a nazi salute during a game.
According to the woman who filmed it, the gesture was repeated after every goal. She reported the situation to arena staff, but no immediate action was taken.… pic.twitter.com/amMxzh73aH
The Stars will also reportedly increase in-arena messaging about the fan code of conduct and how fans can report violations, and provide additional training to arena staff to recognize and handle these situations as they come up.
“Any type of discriminatory or hateful behavior will not be tolerated and has no place in our arena," the team spokesman told the Dallas Morning News. "Creating and sustaining environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful is a non-negotiable for the Dallas Stars.”
The video — which first blew up on Reddit before being reshared to other platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter — shows the group of white male fans sitting in the upper deck and timing the gesture to the rhythm of "Puck Off" by Pantera, the Stars' goal song. The user who first posted the 18-second clip wrote that the group allegedly repeated the salute every time Dallas scored and that they sent the video to arena management, but no immediate action was taken as the team was unable to identify the group.
The Montreal Canadiens have been hot down the stretch, as they have won eight out of their last nine games. This surge undoubtedly has come at a good time for the Canadiens, as they are now very close in the standings to both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres.
Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes has certainly been a big reason for the Habs' success this season, as he has been very good overall. In 39 games with the Canadiens this season, the 24-year-old goaltender has a 27-8-4 record, a 2.73 goals-against average, and a .904 save percentage. Yet, what's important to note is that he has been only getting better as the season rolls on.
Dobes has been on fire for the Canadiens down the stretch, as he has had a .926 save percentage or better in each of his last seven appearances. This included him stopping 35 out of 38 shots against the New Jersey Devils in his most recent start. He has also had a 7-1 record over that span.
With the way Dobes has played for the Canadiens during this final portion of the season, it is hard not to feel excited about his future in Montreal. The Canadiens found themselves a good goalie in the youngster, and it will be intriguing to see how he continues to improve his game from here.
Outside noise from fans and media is part of the reality of playing professional sports, and the players and coaching staff are aware of it.
However, the Detroit Red Wings say they are determined not to let outside noise affect them as they enter the final five games of the season - games that will determine their postseason fate.
Following their heartbreaking 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday afternoon, the fading playoff chances for the Red Wings were dealt another serious blow.
Starting games on time has recently been an issue for the Red Wings. Although they scored on their first shot of the contest, they managed only three shots in the opening 20 minutes.
By the end of the second period, with the team trailing 4–1, they had recorded just eight total shots.
J.T. Compher, who scored Detroit's third goal, once again echoed what several of his teammates have said in recent weeks - they need to play with full intensity right from the opening puck drop.
“We need to play like we did in the third period for more of the game,” he said afterward. "We gave ourselves a chance. I think if we start better, it makes it a little easier on us, but the way we played in the third is the way we have to play for the rest of the games remaining.”
Not only did the Red Wings have trouble getting any kind of sustained offensive pressure for the game's first 40 minutes, but a careless line change opened the door for Minnesota's fourth goal late in the second.
“A horrendous change by two defensemen at the same time, and all of a sudden it’s four (goals against)," head coach Todd McLellan noted. "Then you can feel the energy go from excitement in the building to disappointment in the building."
The Red Wings have five games left in their schedule, beginning with a Tuesday night tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who, like Detroit, are trying to stake their claim on the second and final Wild Card playoff position.
Despite their precarious position, the Red Wings insist they're not finished yet.
"We’re going to come with the most amount of intensity and jam that we can bring on Tuesday," said Andrew Copp. "We’re not six feet under yet."
They have no choice but to do exactly that.
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DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have banned a person from attending games at American Airlines Center after they bought tickets for a group of spectators seen celebrating a goal with a Nazi salute.
“Any type of discriminatory or hateful behavior will not be tolerated and has no place in our arena,” the team said Monday in a statement. “Creating and sustaining environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful is a non-negotiable for the Dallas Stars.”
Stars fan Courtney Ripley told WFAA-TV in Dallas that she took a 12-second video at a game against Toronto in late December. It showed four fans reacting to a goal by appearing to raise and extend their right arms with a straightened right hand facing downward.
The team conducted an investigation that identified the individual who bought the tickets, who was informed of the indefinite ban.
“Additionally, we are increasing in-arena messaging regarding the Fan Code of Conduct and how our fans can report violations, along with prioritizing staff training to identify and handle situations that arise,” the team said.
Fan codes of conduct are prominent throughout the NHL. Every team has a scripted segment that is shared on their video boards, through their public address system or both, telling fans about their respective codes of conduct.
The NHL also has a multipoint fan code of conduct that opens by stating, “The best hockey experiences happen in environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful."
Remember when the Rangers didn’t score a single goal on home ice until their fourth game of the season at Madison Square Garden?
That set the tone for the 2025-26 campaign, and not in the way the Blueshirts wanted.
For a majority of the season, the Garden was a playground for opposing teams who ventured to the World’s Most Famous Arena to embarrass, bully and tease the Rangers like kids in a schoolyard. Clubs had their way with the insecure Rangers, and reveled in it.
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They were shut out two more times before capturing their first win on home ice in their eighth game. Their 0-6-1 start at MSG was the worst in franchise history, while their winning record on the road looked like it belonged to another team.
But it was so much more than the disparity in wins and losses. The Rangers could barely put up a fight at home. Offense wasn’t just hard to come by, it was painstakingly difficult to generate amid their one-and-done entries into the zone, a lack of energy and an overarching dysfunction.
The Rangers became the first team in NHL history to suffer six shutout losses through 17 home games.
It was bad. Really bad. It weighed on everybody. The futility at home hovered over the team all season long and acted as a sort of premeditated expectation. Fans booed incessantly, and who could blame them considering the prices they paid to be there only to not hear the goal song once?
Rangers right wing Jaroslav Chmelar (49) reacts after he scores the first goal of his NHL career during the third period. The New York Rangers defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
This current season-long homestand, however, has been the polar opposite of what everyone had come to expect from the Rangers at MSG.
“You get the sense of what the Garden is like when you compete hard,” head coach Mike Sullivan said amid his team’s 5-1 stretch entering their final home game of the season Wednesday night against the playoff-bound Sabres. “And the fan base, and they value and appreciate your work ethic and your competitive spirit out there.”
To put it in perspective, the Rangers mustered only four regulation wins through the first 34 home games of the season. They are already up to five in this seven-game homestand.
This encouraging streak — filled with rookie milestones and moments — has ensured the Rangers avoid tying the 2003-04 team’s record for the fewest home-ice wins in a season of 80 or more games.
The Rangers couldn’t buy a goal through the first couple of months of the season, but they’ve scored three or more in each of their most recent wins to outscore opponents 27-8 over the past six games. Their one loss was a one-goal defeat to the Canadiens.
Rangers left wing Adam Sykora (C) celebrates his goal with his teammates past Florida Panthers in the third period at Madison Square Garden. New York, USA, Sunday, March 29, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Certain rookie additions to the lineup — such as Adam Sykora, Jaroslav Chmelar and Gabe Perreault — have bolstered the offense in more ways than one.
Perreault posted his first career NHL hat trick this past weekend in his 49th game, becoming the fourth Rangers rookie in the past 30 years to score a hat trick and one of five NHL rookies this season to record one. His three multipoint games are tied for the second most among all NHL rookies, whom he has led in points (17) and goals (7) since March 17.
After Will Cuylle recorded his first hat trick Sunday, the day after Perreault, the Rangers had a player score a hat trick in two consecutive games for the first time since 2016 and on consecutive days for the first time since 1982.
Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin makes a save while teammate New York Rangers defenseman Drew Fortescue (C) protects the net from Florida Panthers left wing Nolan Foote in the first second at Madison Square Garden. New York. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
The last time the Rangers had hat tricks in consecutive games was Matt Puempel (Dec. 29, 2016, at Arizona) and Chris Kreider (Dec. 31, 2016, at Colorado).
Sunday’s 8-1 win over the Capitals at MSG was their largest of the season.
Oh, and a riveting Igor Shesterkin goalie fight was mixed in with all this rare home success.
The Rangers are doing what they can to salvage the pride of Madison Square Garden this season.
SAN JOSE – For weeks, particularly after losses, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky has cautioned his players about needing to bring a different level of play to the rink.
“That’s how the playoffs are going to be,” Warsofsky said frequently.
With the 2025-26 NHL regular season winding down, it seems as if the Sharks have bitten fully into what Warsofsky has been feeding them.
Two days after a gut-wrenching loss to the Nashville Predators that threatened to derail San Jose’s playoff hopes, the Sharks returned to SAP Center and beat a mediocre Chicago Blackhawks team 3-2.
The score was a lot closer than the game actually was. After a somewhat slow start, San Jose got its offense rolling behind William Eklund and kept the fans at the Tank smiling and clapping all night.
“We all know much these points matter and how tight of a race it is,” said Will Smith, who notched the 100th point of his NHL career. “(The vibe has) definitely picked up speed, and we know how important it is.”
The Sharks had high expectations during the offseason, but most were in agreement that the team would need a year or two of development before being considered a true contender.
With players like Smith, Eklund, star Macklin Celebrini and a solid goal-tending tandem of Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic, however, the timetable has been sped up.
They obviously still need some seasoning, both as individuals and as a collective, but the heart within the locker room is beating as strong as ever.
“The young core has kind of learned how to win these games,” Eklund said. “Today everything wasn’t perfect, but we won a game.”
That, in essence, is all that matters, especially at this time of the season.
There’s no value in style points. Just wins and losses. Celebrate the W’s, and learn from the L’s.
“I think we’ve had a lot of growth in individuals and as a team,” Warsofsky said after Monday’s win. “An example tonight, I thought (Michael) Misa was really good. He was skating, he was on the puck. It comes and goes with inconsistencies with that individually, but from a group there’s a lot of good communication and effort to play the right way. …
“The details that we need to play with in certain situations, we’ve seen some real growth for sure.”
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy and players on the bench react during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Mathew Barzal is familiar with the business.
Nearly a decade removed from making his NHL debut with the Islanders, the 28-year-old forward has played games under five head coaches.
Jack Capuano was fired midseason, months after leading the franchise to their first playoff series victory in 23 years. Doug Weight was gone after less than two full seasons. Barry Trotz was fired one year after the Islanders made their second consecutive run to the conference finals. And Lane Lambert was let go before finishing his second season with the team.
What could surprise Barzal now?
“When [John Tortorella] got hired in [Las] Vegas the other week, I kind of laughed, [coming] with eight games left,” Barzal said Monday. “And then this happens. There was no sense of that.”
The shock of Patrick Roy’s firing was still evident after Monday’s practice on Long Island, less than 24 hours after the head coach was dismissed with four games remaining in the regular season.
Islanders players staunchly defended Roy, denying he had lost the locker room near the tail end of his third season in charge, shouldering the blame for the season-worst four-game losing streak that has put the team’s playoff hopes in jeopardy.
“We all love Patty and wish that we could have done better over the last 10 days,” Barzal said. “You look in the mirror and there’s chances that I missed … As competitors, you feel disappointment, just thinking you could have done more.
“The biggest thing I’ll take away from Patrick is just the accountability and the honesty within the room … He was so honest in discussion, and the way he looked you in the eye and was completely honest with you. Never told a lie. And that’s something you really appreciate out of a coach.
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy and players on the bench react during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“But I think at this time of the year you can’t let anything linger too long. You move on as a player. You ride with what you’re given. You wake up this morning and you’re excited to give everything you’ve got.”
It was time to move on because there is so little time left in the season, so little time to become acquainted with new coach Pete DeBoer and the basics of a structure that has allowed him to lead four different teams to the conference finals.
“He was being honest with us about what we can do better,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said following Monday’s practice. “He’s had a lot of success everywhere he’s been and we’ll listen to everything he has to say. It’s not gonna be a problem to buy into his system. It’s exciting to have that little reset and fresh start.”
New Islanders coach Peter DeBoer hits the ice. New York Islanders/Kathryn Howell
Star rookie Matthew Schaefer shared similar enthusiasm, speaking of the opportunity to learn from the accomplished coach.
And despite the sudden change, the team’s mindset remains the same.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to expect to make the playoffs,” captain Anders Lee said. “We can go out there and get this thing done.”
A coach can only do so much, center Brayden Schenn said:
No matter how this season plays out for the Ottawa Senators, Tim Stützle gave fans a moment on Sunday night that's going to live for a long time.
His breakaway goal in the Sens' 6-3 win over Carolina had everything.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Tim Stutzle's steal and his breakaway goal in a 6-3 win over Minnesota.
It started with a strong defensive play in his own zone, swooping in to intercept a Hurricanes' pass back to the point. Then came the burst. Stützle cut to the middle and transitioned up ice without losing speed, split the defence, then scooted past them for a breakaway.
And then his creation at the end, which deserves all the chef's kisses.
Stützle put such a hard, convincing deke on Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen that Andersen slid completely out of the net, leaving it wide open for Stützle to calmly tuck in a backhand.
It was the kind of goal people will talk about for a long time, the kind where someone at an Ottawa sports pub will pipe up and says, 'Hey, remember that Stützle goal against Carolina?' and everyone will know exactly what he's talking about, even though they might not have any real recollection of what the Senators did that night or that season.
The goal also changed the entire feel of Sunday's game.
Ottawa didn't get off to a great start. An early penalty gave Carolina a power play, and Logan Stankoven, all alone in front, made it 1-0 on the power play. The building had a bit of that here we go again feeling.
The Senators quickly responded with Dylan Cozens tying it on the power play.
But it was Stützle’s goal that truly brought the building to life. Canadian Tire Centre erupted, and you could feel the momentum and energy leap onto Ottawa’s bench like an angry Darcy Tucker.
The goal was Stutzle at his best, and for those counting at home, it was well past time he snapped that seven-goal skid.
NHL.com
From there, the Senators looked like a different team. Not even a weird misplay of the puck between Warren Foegele and Linus Ullmark could change that.
Brady Tkachuk led the charge with two goals and was named first star, playing with the kind of edge and confidence that tends to follow a moment like that.
And suddenly, against a true Stanley Cup contender, Ottawa was dictating the pace instead of chasing it.
The Senators hung on to their wild-card spot for another day, outplaying a Carolina team that had won three straight. If the Senators' slow or uncertain start had continued, the 'Canes would have slowly squeezed the life out of the Sens the way Minnesota had the day before.
Stützle’s goal helped fuel all that, as did Tkachuk's, and after the game, the captain gushed about this teammate's abilities.
"It was a superstar moment," Tkachuk told the media. "He just made a great play under the stick. He had so much speed that I couldn't believe that. And then he made an unbelievable move. It was a huge goal for our group.
In a season that has had its share of ups and a few too many downs, it was another reminder of what this team can look like when its best players take over.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
SAN JOSE – Forty-eight hours after absorbing a gut-punch loss to the Nashville Predators, the Sharks got up off the mat — or ice — and showed they’ve still got a little bit of fight left in them before a potential meaningful playoff run.
William Eklund continued to break out of a prolonged slump with a goal and an assist, and the Sharks kept their late-season surge going with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday at SAP Center.
Kiefer Sherwood added on to what is already a career-best season total with his 22nd goal, while Will Smith scored his 23rd goal of the campaign for the 100th point of his NHL career for San Jose.
Macklin Celebrini had an assist for his 11th point in the last six games.
The Sharks have won five of six and are now 37-32-7.
San Jose began the night two points behind the Predators and Los Angeles Kings for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Those two teams played each other in Los Angeles later Monday night.
Here are the takeaways from Monday:
Eklund scores after goal negated
On a night when the Sharks couldn’t put together much of a sustained attack in the opening frame, having a goal taken off the scoreboard was a huge setback.
Early in the second period, Michael Misa appeared to score following a mini scrum in front of Chicago’s net. But the goal was negated after officials determined that Misa had kicked the puck into the net.
Even that didn’t seem to faze the Sharks.
Five minutes later, Eklund stole the puck near center ice then raced in to fire a shot past Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight for the tying goal.
Eklund also had an assist on Sherwood’s go-ahead goal in the second after taking control of the puck behind the net.
It looked like it might be a long night for the Sharks after goalie Alex Nedeljkovic allowed a Blackhawks goal in the first period. Instead, the 30-year-old backup goalie settled in and held down the fort.
Nedeljkovic faced a lot of heat early and shook off the early goal to finish with 27 saves. The Blackhawks kept firing hard shots at the Sharks goalie, who held up with some remarkable saves — including a brilliant glove save with 1:19 left in the game.
Chicago got its second goal on a power play in the third period.
Yaroslav Askarov has received the majority of starts in net this season, but Nedeljkovic has been very steady and has gotten better throughout the season.
Early missed opportunities
Despite some thrilling late comebacks this season, the Sharks have had a mostly difficult time rallying after falling behind in the first period.
They were able to overcome their early misses on Monday, although the entire night would have been a lot more comfortable had anything else gone in.
Collin Graf and Celebrini each had early one-on-one opportunities near the Blackhawks net in the first period but failed to cash in.
Vincent Desharnais had an open look from the left circle later in the opening period, but it was blocked. A few moments later, San Jose was on a power play but got little action off the man advantage.
The missed opportunities continued after that as Celebrini (twice) and Tyler Toffoli both missed point-blank shots near the crease.
Rakell has scored in five straight games and seven of his last eight, helping the Penguins get within a win of their first playoff berth since the 2021-22 season.
His five-game goal-scoring streak and eight-game point streak are the longest active streaks in the NHL. The NHL recognized it, naming Rakell the First Star of the Week on Monday.
Rakell compiled seven goals and eight points in five games this past week and now has 24 goals and 48 points in 57 games. He'd be over 30 goals if he hadn't missed several weeks earlier in the season.
Rakell has 11 goals in his last 10 games and 14 goals since the NHL came back from the 2026 Winter Olympics. He's done all of this while going back and forth between center and wing. However, he's settled in at center a bit more as of late.
He will try to help the Penguins clinch a playoff berth against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Towards the tail end of the Vancouver Canucks’ Monday morning practice, a familiar face was spotted taking to the ice just as other players began to come off.
With the rest of his teammates in black, yellow, or white in preparation for tomorrow’s black skate matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights, Filip Chytil popped out from the dressing room tunnel wearing a blue jersey and a full face shield. The forward joined Canucks skills coach Jason Krog for an on-ice workout prior to Vegas’ practice later on.
While this is not the first time Chytil has been spotted at a Canucks practice in the past couple of weeks, this doesn’t mean the forward will be returning to in-game action any time soon. When asked about the forward’s possible return to the lineup this season, Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote didn’t fully commit to an answer.
“Maybe, but I know that the medical staff would like him just to get up to form and get into a couple practices, and to go home in the summer knowing that he's been cleared is probably the idea.”
The facial fracture Chytil sustained in mid-February is only one of a few injury instances that have seen him miss time this season. A hit by Tom Wilson against the Washington Capitals kept the centre out from October 19 to the middle of January. Later, Chytil also departed from Vancouver’s matchup against the Utah Mammoth on February 2. This was the last game Chytil has played in so far this season.
Vancouver will face Vegas tomorrow night at 7:00 pm PT before heading on the road for three games in California.
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil (72) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The Nashville Predators will likely be without defenseman Nic Hague on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, as they have recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from the Milwaukee Admirals.
Hague suffered an apparent upper-body injury in the Predators' game against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and left the game early.
Oesterle is having a strong season in the AHL, recording 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games. Prior to the recall, Oesterle was riding a seven-game point streak, tallying 11 points in that run.
He's had six points in his last three games.
Oesterle is a veteran defenseman, now in his 14th professional season. From 2016 to 2024, he played full-time in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames.
#Preds Roster Update: We've recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from the @mkeadmirals.
Over his career, he's tallied 96 points in 408 NHL games. Despite this being his first call-up of the 2025-26 season, he's a veteran presence on the blue line that the Predators could benefit from.
Oesterle saw action in 15 games last season, recording three goals and an assist for four points and logged two penalty minutes.
The stakes are high in Monday night's game as two points would break a tie with the Los Angeles Kings for the final Wild Card spot. Both teams have 71 points, but Nashville has the regulation wins tiebreaker.
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to take on the San Jose Sharks to close out their three-game Western road trip. This will be Chicago’s final road game of the 2025-26 season.
Of course, unless one is out of the lineup for whatever reason, Sharks vs Blackhawks will be headlined by the player matchup between Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini for a long time. Of course, they were back-to-back first overall picks in 2023 and 2024.
Scouting San Jose
The San Jose Sharks are in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference. Earning the second Wild Card spot is on the table for them, and they need every point they can get. With two head-to-head matchups between the two between now and season’s end, the Blackhawks will heavily influence the fate of the Sharks.
Graf-Celebrini-Smith
Eklund-Wennberg-Sherwood
Chernyshov-Misa-Toffoli
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Dellandrea
Orlov-Desharnais
Mukhamadullin-Ferraro
Dickinson-Leddy
Nedeljkovic
Macklin Celebrini was absent from the morning skate, but this is San Jose’s way of giving him a rest. He plays a lot of minutes, and it’s pivotal to the success of the team.
Other young players with outstanding skill, like William Eklund, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Sam Dickinson, all play key roles in the success of the team, while veterans like Tyler Toffoli, Dmitry Orlov, and Alexander Wennberg contribute.
Alex Nedeljkovic will start in goal for the San Jose Sharks. If they can find a way to score some goals, largely thanks to the play of Macklin Celebrini, Nedeljkovic is good enough to help them win. San Jose only has two wins in games that Celebrini doesn’t have a point, so containing him is the biggest key to victory for all of their opponents.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks played a strong 60-minute game against the Kraken on Saturday, and repeating that effort is among their top priorities as their season winds down. Creating good habits and a winning culture could be beneficial to the 2026-27 season.
Greene - Bedard - Lardis
Bertuzzi - Frondell - Mikheyev
Donato - Nazar - Mangiapane
Teravainen - Boisvert - Slaggert
Vlasic - Rinzel
Kaiser - Crevier
Korchinski - Del Mastro
Knight
Andrew Mangiapane is going to draw back into the lineup. It is likely going to be in place of Andre Burakovsky, who may be a scratch based on his late departure from the morning skate in San Jose.
Jeff Blashill wouldn’t confirm or deny that thought process, so the true line combinations will have to wait until warmups. Spencer Knight will start in goal for the Blackhawks against the Sharks.
This is likely to be another game with Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Anton Frondell forming a three-headed monster down the middle. If so, that makes the Blackhawks a dangerous attacking team with those three coming in waves.
Coming off a game in which he scored his first career NHL goal, Sacha Boisvert will likely round out the centers. With the wingers and defensemen committed to a certain defensive game, this team can skate with anyone. Against another young team like the Sharks, it will take a village to get it done, as it usually does in the NHL.
For the Blackhawks, this is the last time that this team, as currently constructed, will be on the road together. After this game, they will return to Chicago for a four-game home-stand to finish the 2025-26 season.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it is available on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 9:00 PM CT.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
There are games that hinge on moments, and while this game certainly did at the end, it also validated a process.
The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2–1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins was a game that demanded patience, discipline, and emotional control against an opponent built to disrupt all three.
The result secured a 2–1 season series win over Boston. More importantly, it reinforced something more consequential: the Flyers are suddenly no longer chasing an unlikely postseason spot. With these two points, they're putting the Eastern Conference on notice that they control their own destiny, and they're comfortable in the driver's seat.
1. Porter Martone’s Breakthrough Was the Result of Process
For four games, Porter Martone had been building toward something.
Martone’s overtime winner—his first NHL goal—was a milestone and a culmination. It made him the first player in franchise history to score his first NHL goal in overtime, and subsequently blew the roff of Xfinity Mobile Arena, but it was not just a fortunate bounce or an opportunistic finish.
Martone has approached the NHL game with an assertiveness that is difficult to manufacture, especially for a 19-year-old with about a week of NHL experience under his belt. He has not waited for space; he has created it. He has not deferred; he has engaged. And in doing so, he has consistently put himself in positions to influence outcomes.
“It’s awesome, especially for it to come that way in overtime,” Martone said. “An overtime winner as your first NHL goal is pretty special. I think just continue to playing my game; that’s who I am. My linemates have been setting me up great, and it’s nice to see that one go in.”
Philadelphia Flyers winger Porter Martone (94). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
Martone understands what his game is, and more importantly, he is committed to playing it.
Head coach Rick Tocchet sees the same thing.
“You can just tell he’s a hockey player," Tocchet noted postgame. "He loves the game, even on the bench. He’s a very engaged kid. He’s not afraid to say something. He was talking about the power play, saying to some guys, ‘Hey, I’ll be here, you’ll be here.’ I like that.”
That level of engagement—tactically and emotionally—is rare for a player this early in his career.
The goal was the moment, but the process is the story.
2. Game Management Has Become a Defining Strength
In games like this, the difference is obviously in talent, but it is also in timing.
The Flyers managed the game extremely well, understanding when to push, when to absorb pressure, and when to simplify.
“I thought game management was better tonight,” Tocchet said. “There’s a lot of growth… a little bit of a rollercoaster sometimes, but, for the most part, this team has stuck together all year. I’m really proud of them.”
That growth was evident in subtle ways.
The Flyers limited unnecessary risks in transition and avoided overcommitting offensively. They maintained structure even when Boston increased physicality and tempo.
These are not exactly headline-grabbing elements, but they are the foundation of winning tight games.
Earlier in the season, this is the kind of game the Flyers might have lost—not because they were outplayed, but because they lost control of key moments. Against Boston, they stayed within themselves.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale (9) and forward Luke Glendening (41). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
3. They Matched Boston’s Physical and Emotional Identity Without Losing Theirs
The Bruins' style is physical, emotionally charged, and designed to pull opponents out of structure. Against them, discipline is not optional—it is essential. The Flyers met that challenge directly.
They did not shy away from contact. Instead, they engaged physically, supported one another in scrums, and matched Boston’s intensity shift for shift. But crucially, they did not allow that intensity to dictate their decisions.
It requires a team to be both reactive and controlled—to respond physically without compromising positional structure. The Flyers managed it effectively, and in doing so, prevented the game from becoming chaotic.
4. Christian Dvorak and the Flyers’ Depth Continue to Stabilize the Lineup
While Martone’s goal will define the highlight, the foundation of the win was built earlier.
Christian Dvorak opened the scoring and added an assist, marking his 11th multi-point game of the season and continuing a strong recent stretch.
His impact all season has been less about flash and more about reliability.
Dvorak has become a stabilizing presence—connecting plays, supporting defensively, and contributing offensively without disrupting the team’s structure. In games that require patience and precision, those qualities become magnified.
This is what the Flyers have been building toward: a lineup where contributions are layered, not isolated. It allows them to withstand different types of games—whether high-scoring or tightly contested without needing to alter their identity.
5. Preparation, Not Pressure, Is Driving Their Late-Season Approach
The most revealing insight from this game came before it even began.
“I was a little nervous,” Tocchet admitted postgame. “[But] you don’t want to make people more nervous. I said before the game, you should be stressed if you’re not prepared… I think our team’s prepared to play. Whether we execute and all that stuff, who knows? But, for the most part, we’re prepared to play the game, so why get stressed?”
They are not ignoring the stakes. They understand the standings. They feel the urgency. But they are not allowing that urgency to dictate their approach.
Preparation, in this context, becomes a stabilizer. It allows the Flyers to enter high-pressure games with clarity rather than anxiety—to focus on execution rather than consequence. And in games like this, where one mistake can define the outcome, that mental framework is as important as any tactical adjustment.
They showed that they are learning—not just how to play, but how to win in the kind of playoff-esque, high-pressure games that define seasons.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Edmonton Oilers are among the frontrunners to land 21-year-old German unsigned UFA, Viet Oswald.
Seravalli writes:
Two undrafted free agents generating NHL interest: RW Veit Oswald, 21, Red Bull Munich. The Oilers are the betting favorite, strong handful of teams interested." He adds that center Vitali Pinchuk is also getting interest, but didn't note if the Oilers were among the 15+ or so teams in on him.
Oswald is a German forward playing for EHC Red Bull München in the DEL. A product of Germany’s development system, he broke out in 2023–24, leading all U20 players in scoring and earning Rookie of the Year honors.
He has continued to produce steadily, posting solid numbers in recent seasons while contributing in the playoffs. This season, he's got 12 goals and 26 points in 38 games for
Munich EHC.
Known for his skill, speed, and versatility, Oswald also plays a reliable two-way game. Undrafted in the NHL, he attended the Toronto Maple Leafs development camp in 2024.
Austin Kelly of Dobber Prospects writes, "In the 2024 NHL Draft, Veit Oswald was ranked 114th by Central Scouting for just Europeans. I ranked him 67th (and kept myself from ranking him top-64 because of it). "I may consider my entire ranking to be a failure if Veit Oswald does not play a game in the NHL", I had wrote."
