It was an evening of blown leads for the Bruins on Sunday, as they let a 3-0 second period lead and a 4-3 third period lead slip away before losing to Pittsburgh in OT, 5-4.

Tommy Novak scored the game-winning goal 17 seconds into overtime, taking advantage of a Bruins turnover and a bit of interference from Erik Karlsson.

The Bruins wasted a great game from Pavel Zacha, who recorded his second hat trick of the season. David Pastrnak also broke his goal-scoring drought with a second period goal.

Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves in the loss.

Zacha got the scoring started midway through the first period, finishing off a nice passing play with a PPG to make it 1-0 Bruins.

Guess who? It was Zacha again nine minutes into the second period, as he beat Arturs Silovs with a beautiful back-hand. 2-0 Bruins.

While it won’t be the prettiest goal Pastrnak ever scores, he got back in the goal column with a nice effort to take advantage of a Silovs mistake. 3-0 Bruins.

Two minutes later, Egor Chinakhov got the Penguins on the board with a 5-on-3 PPG to make it 3-1 Bruins.

Connor Dewar make it 3-2 Bruins with a back-hand over Korpisalo’s shoulder six minutes into the third period.

Just 33 seconds later, Anthony Mantha beat Korpisalo five-hole to make it a 3-3 game.

Zacha would get his hat trick two minutes later with a perfectly placed shot to beat Silovs, making it 4-3 Bruins.

Less than three minutes later, it was Mantha again, as he collected a loose puck in the crease and made it a 4-4 game.

Novak’s goal came just 17 seconds into OT, helping the Penguins end their losing streak and sending the Pittsburgh fans home happy.

Bruins lose, 5-4 in OT.

Game notes

• If you were told on Friday afternoon that the Bruins would take 3-of-4 points in back-to-back games against Washington and Pittsburgh, you probably would have taken it. However, the way the B’s let this game get away from them (and the speed with which the wheels fell off) makes this feel more like a point that the Bruins gave away and less like a point earned.
• The Penguins deserve credit for hanging in the game, particularly without their two best players and in the midst of a losing run. However, the Bruins repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with mistakes or by losing puck battles, particularly in the latter half of the game. You have plenty of examples to choose from: Dewar winning a foot race on his goal, Charlie McAvoy giving the puck away in OT, Mantha being given a breakaway, etc.
• It sure looked like some “accidentally on purpose” contact from Karlsson on Pastrnak immediately before Novak’s goal. From a Pittsburgh perspective, you’ll probably claim that was just Karlsson standing his ground, but…yeah. I’ve seen some complaining that Pastrnak didn’t do enough to get up and get back in the play, but I’m not sure it would have mattered. The entire sequence really turned into a calamity, with Zacha and McAvoy both going after the same guy, leaving Novak by himself.
• Regardless of your take on the penalty (or lack thereof), you can’t pin this result solely on a missed call in an overtime that never should have happened in the first place. Even in OT, the Bruins had possession of the puck and their best players on the ice, only to give the puck away under little pressure. They paid for it just seconds later. Hopefully, that dropped point doesn’t come back to haunt them.
• While he didn’t end up with a goal, I thought Viktor Arvidsson had a good game against Pittsburgh, building on Saturday’s effort against Washington. Arvidsson was credited with two assists and seemed to create a positive kind of chaos in the offensive zone.
• The two teams combined for 25 shots and four goals in that wild third period.
• Regarding the highlights above, the NHL website just randomly doesn’t have clips of both Mantha goals and the OT goal. I’ve never really seen that in a recap before. WHAT IS THE NHL HIDING? Discuss.
• This game had a wild ending, but paled in comparison to Sunday night’s Sabres-Lightning game. That one saw the teams combine for 15 (yes, 15) goals, including seven in the third period of what would end as an 8-7 Buffalo win.

The Bruins will be back in action on Tuesday night, as they host the Los Angeles Kings at TD Garden.

Those same Kings could do the Bruins a favor on Monday, as they play the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Monday evening.

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out the weekend on Sunday afternoon with another matchup against the Boston Bruins. The Penguins found themselves down 3-0 by the time the second period rolled around, but these Penguins dug down deep, led by Anthony Mantha and Egor Chinakhov, and rallied back, forcing overtime, and earned two massive points in a win. [Recap]

Sunday’s game also saw the debut of the Penguins’ newest acquisition, Elmer Soderblom, after trading for him from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline. The 6-foot-8 winger logged just over 10 minutes of ice time, three shots, and two hits. Coaches say they’re excited about his long-term potential as he adjusts to a new system and opportunity in Pittsburgh. [Penguins]

News and updates from around the NHL…

Sunday’s game between the surging Buffalo Sabres and longtime contenders Tampa Bay Lightning may have been the game of the season. The game saw a combined 100 penalty minutes, five fights, 15 combined goals, and a postgame scrum for good measure. Hopefully, we get a seven-game series of this come next month. [TSN]

It appears Connor Bedard is taking the next step in his ascension to the top of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise after being drafted first overall in the 2023 draft. Bedard is stepping into a larger leadership role for the team, formally being named an alternate captain for the rest of the season, and is expected to help guide the team’s young roster both on and off the ice as the franchise continues its rebuild. [NHL]

Longtime Chicago Blackhawks forward-turned-broadcaster Troy Murray has died. He was 63. [Associated Press via ESPN]

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. [TSN]

The Islanders finish their four-game road trip with a stop to help Brayden Schenn pack up in St. Louis, where the Blues are returning from a lottery-spoiling perfect four-game western road trip of their own. In full selloff mode, the Blues somehow took out the Kraken, Sharks, Kings and finally the Ducks, with a 4-0 win last night.

Jonatha Drouin even scored for them, naturally.

Islanders News

• J-G Pageau was relieved to stay where he has called home since joining the Isles on the eve of the pandemic. [Isles | Post]
• Schenn, asked about waiving his limited no-trade clause to come to the Island, hinted at how Matthew Schaefer is going to bring more interested players into the fold: “When superstars in this league are good guys that take care of his teammates, guys are gonna want to be around him. And guys are only gonna want to come to the New York Islanders in the future just because of his talent and character.” (It’s widely believed that Schenn used his NTC to veto a trade to the Leafs last year, by the way.) [Post]
• Schenn and new teammates shared their excitement. (Bonus footage: sewing the new jerseys on the road.) [Isles]
• The Skinny: “The Isles improve to 16-2-3 when tied after two periods.” [Isles]
• Gross: Bold moves by the Isles to double down on some mid-30s guys. [Newsday]
• Who is this Brayden Schenn? [Newsday]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores included the Penguins mounting a big comeback to beat the Bruins (in OT though, so Boston also gets a point) and pass the Isles in the standings, plus an insane, brawl-filled 8-7 Sabres win over the Lightning, pushing Buffalo above them and into first place.

• The Leafs should do a full-blown rebuild. [Sportsnet]
• And here’s a really, really long explanation that Oliver Ekman-Larsson has kids so the Leafs shouldn’t have put him on the trade block. [Sportsnet]
• Gabriel Landeskog is week to week with a lower body injury. [NHL]

Vegas Golden Knights (29-21-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Dallas Stars (39-14-10, in the Central Division)

Dallas; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars host the Vegas Golden Knights after the Stars knocked off the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime.

Dallas has a 39-14-10 record overall and a 19-7-4 record on its home ice. The Stars have a +47 scoring differential, with 216 total goals scored and 169 allowed.

Vegas has a 15-11-7 record in road games and a 29-21-14 record overall. The Golden Knights have given up 199 goals while scoring 208 for a +9 scoring differential.

The matchup Tuesday is the second time these teams meet this season. The Stars won 5-4 in a shootout in the last matchup. Mavrik Bourque led the Stars with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jason Robertson has scored 34 goals with 40 assists for the Stars. Matt Duchene has five goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games.

Pavel Dorofeyev has 30 goals and 21 assists for the Golden Knights. Ivan Barbashev has scored five goals with two assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 9-0-1, averaging 4.3 goals, 7.6 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Golden Knights: 4-6-0, averaging three goals, 5.4 assists, 3.4 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Stars: None listed.

Golden Knights: None listed.

___

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

San Jose Sharks (30-25-6, in the Pacific Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (39-19-6, in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the San Jose Sharks after Alex Tuch's two-goal game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Sabres' 8-7 win.

Buffalo is 39-19-6 overall and 20-8-3 in home games. The Sabres rank eighth in the league serving 9.5 penalty minutes per game.

San Jose has a 13-15-1 record in road games and a 30-25-6 record overall. The Sharks are 27-7-3 in games they score at least three goals.

The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tage Thompson has scored 34 goals with 36 assists for the Sabres. Rasmus Dahlin has two goals and 11 assists over the past 10 games.

Tyler Toffoli has 16 goals and 23 assists for the Sharks. Macklin Celebrini has five goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 8-1-1, averaging four goals, 6.6 assists, 4.5 penalties and 11.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

Sharks: 3-4-3, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.4 assists, 4.1 penalties and 9.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sabres: None listed.

Sharks: None listed.

___

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

By Corey Abbott, RotoWire.com

Fantasy hockey managers looking to tinker with their rosters will benefit from zeroing in on specific categories. Whether you are looking for long-term fits or short-term options, there should be a plethora of potential pickups to help your squads. 

Let's get into this week's suggestions for your consideration.

Chris Kreider, LW, Ducks (31% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots 

It's happening again. The St. Louis Blues -- finally -- are heating up. Unfortunately, it's at the wrong time, and their fan base doesn't know how to feel about it.

There's those that are die-hard fans that want to see them win no matter their standing in the league, and then there are those that don't want them to ruin a potential high draft status.

The way the Blues are playing once the calendar turned to March indicates that dreams of perhaps drafting the likes of Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg are becoming a pipe dream.

That's because they put together another solid road outing. Yes, road outing, with Joel Hofer gaining his fifth shutout of the season, and newcomers Jonathan Drouin (goal) and Justin Holl (assist) each picking up a point in his Blues debut, a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Sunday.

Jimmy Snuggerud picked up a goal and an assist, Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter each scored, and Robert Thomas extended his point streak to six games (five goals, five assists) with an assist as the Blues (25-29-9) swept a road trip of four or more games for just the third time in their history:

For the third time in their history, the #stlblues have swept a road trip of four or more games:

* March 1-8, 2026 (4-0)
* Nov. 2-9, 2019 (4-0)
* Feb. 6-15, 2017 (5-0)

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 9, 2026

It's crazy to think where this team has been for much of the season, and after jettisoning off their captain (Brayden Schenn) to the New York Islanders and defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at the NHL Trade Deadline.

But here they are, and have climbed ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames in the overall standings, with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers also behind them, climbing to 28th overall in points with 59 and officially eight points behind the Seattle Kraken for -- dare I say it -- the second wild card in the Western Conference.

How about tonight's game observations?:

* Blues were the better team, period -- Even though the first period was 0-0, it was evident which team was better.

The Blues were skating harder, they were skating quicker, they were winning more puck battles, getting to areas of the ice necessary to have success, and the Ducks, who started the night in first place in the Pacific Division, relied heavily on former Blues goalie Ville Husso, who was sharp in the opening 20 minutes to keep the game scoreless.

The Blues actually hit consecutive posts (Jake Neighbours on a redirection, then Kyrou on a follow-up chance from that redirection), Dylan Holloway was robbed on a one-time doorstep save by Husso, and Pavel Buchnevich also hit the bar on a power move to the net late in the period while shorthanded.

That's about the only negative from a very sound first period for the Blues, who put themselves in danger with three penalties (although the interference call on Matthew Kessel was pretty weak at 13:08), but even the Blues' PK unit was winning to loose pucks and getting clears, and it was winning face-offs and getting clears.

It set up for a strong push moving forward, which the Blues most certainly did.

* The dam broke in the second -- We all know the Blues' woes in the second period, one of the league's worst at minus-28, and the Ducks came in with a plus-4.

You had to think they missed the mark by not grabbing the lead in a very solid opening period.

That certainly wasn't the case when the Blues took control outscoring the Ducks 3-0 and really put the game on ice.

It was a continuation of the first period and the Blues were not letting up in any shape or form, and Kyrou finally broke through on Husso to make it 1-0 at 4:22, getting out in transition and heading up the right side using his speed after getting a pass from Neighbours and whipping a wrister off the fat post and past Husso above the right pad and under the arm:

Any goaltender will tell you that's not an easy one to stop. Clearly. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/zT6sv8Dxex

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 9, 2026

And then we get to Drouin, who also scored a beauty to make it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 10:07 rifling a one-timer from the right circle top shelf off a point feed from Philip Broberg, who followed up his career-high 32:51 ice time on Friday with another 27:17 in this game:

First game, first goal as a Blue for Jonathan Drouin. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/4Uo8xY3v9L

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 9, 2026

It did come with some resentment by the Ducks and rightfully so when Ross Johnston was called for high-sticking Tyler Tucker, but the replay showed Johnston, who would later fight Tucker (more on that), lifted Tucker's own stick into his face, but remember last Sunday against the Minnesota Wild when Jack Finley was called for a high sticking penalty and it was friendly fire by the Wild? I guess what comes around goes around.

The goal was Drouin's first since Nov. 14, 2025 with the Islanders against the Utah Mammoth and first in 39 games, which sounds crazy to think he was that snake bit in New York, or the puck just simply wasn't going in, or the opportunities just weren't there.

And an emphatic period came to a conclusion when Snuggerud laced a one-timer of his own from the right circle at 12:11 to make it 3-0, and as you can see, the Ducks were just too nonchalant moving the puck and getting to areas needed, and Thomas wins it in the corner and finds Snuggerud, who let it go so quick, Husso had no time to react:

Thomas to Snuggerud.

We like the sound of that. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/rOB5Yag4ld

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 9, 2026

* Tucker gets the spotlight now -- With Schenn off to the Islanders, the Blues are down one of their more emotional, and physical leaders on the ice. So when Holl, who assisted on Pius Suter's empty-net goal at 15:58 of the third period to make it 4-0 and put the game to bed, was boarded from behind by Johnston at 16:55 of the second period, Tucker will have to take more opportunities to be that guy to stick up for his teammates, and I'm sure that one will resonate well with a new teammate playing his first game, no matter the outcome:

Ross Johnston vs Tyler Tucker

Johnston had 14 PIMS in 9 minutes of ice time#FlyTogether#stlbluespic.twitter.com/RA8pTgDons

— RGF (@rgfray1) March 9, 2026

* Hofer is in a zone -- This wasn't one of those games where coach Jim Montgomery came out in his postgame press conference to say the goalie had to steal them a game.

The team in front of the netminder was outstanding, but there were a handful of stops, including one on Leo Carlsson in tight in the second period of Hofer's 22 saves on the night that showed how locked in he's been since the break and is now one behind Ilya Sorokin (six) for the league lead in shutouts.

Hofer's numbers since the Olympic break look rather pristine at the moment:

Joel Hofer since the Olympic break:

4-0-0

1.00 GAA

.962 SV%

Stopped 101 of 105 shots#stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 9, 2026

* Drouin, Holl make solid contributions -- They're the new guys coming in for veterans who were a staple with the Blues, but Drouin and Holl each came in and were part of the team concept.

Drouin finished with 13:15 of ice time skating with Suter and Buchnevich with a pair of shots on goal and one hit, while Holl, who played with Tucker in his first NHL game this season after spending the bulk of it with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, was a plus-2 with an assist on Suter's goal and played 15:44 (three shot attempts).

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The Golden Knights missed an opportunity to take over the top spot in the Pacific Division as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the third-place Edmonton Oilers on Sunday in front of a nationally televised audience.

The division-leading Anaheim Ducks lost at home to the St. Louis Blues 4-0 earlier in the night, and remain one point in front of Vegas, 73-72, while the Oilers inched closer with 70.

The Golden Knights still have just six wins against teams that would be in the playoffs right now, the fewest in the league.

The Golden Knights have now lost 15 out of the last 16 games against teams in the playoff position.

— SinBin.vegas 🇺🇸🥇 (@SinBinVegas) March 9, 2026

US Olympic gold medalists Noah Hanifin and Jack Eichel scored for the Knights, while goaltender Adin Hill made 15 saves.

Trent Frederic, Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen scored for Edmonton.

After Frederic gave Edmonton an early second-period goal, Hanifin tied the game later in the stanza as he traced the blue line looking for clearance and blasted a shot through traffic to make it 1-1.

Podkolzin and Draisaitl scored in the third period to push Edmonton's lead to 3-1 before Eichel's short-handed strike brought the deficit back to one.

Kapanen's empty net goal with 1:57 left provided the final margin.

Edmonton netminder Connor Ingram made 24 stops.

KEY MOMENT

While Hanifin eventually tied the game in the second period, the Golden Knights had a goal taken away a little more than six minutes earlier. Keegan Kolesar's snipe from the right circle snuck by Ingram, but a coach's challenge for an offside call overturned the goal. It seemed to deflate the Knights momentarily, rather than building momentum sooner in the period.

KEY STAT

37 ... Frederic's goal marked the 37th time in 63 games a Vegas foe scored first. The Golden Knights are now 11-18-8 when their opponents scored first.

WHAT A KNIGHT

Aside from his goal, Hanifin played an exceptional game for the Knights with two additional shots, four more blocked and a fifth off target. He also registered four blocked shots and finished +1.

"It's all about just being assertive and moving my feet," said Hanifin, who was plus for just the second time in six games. "I think that's just what I got to do if I'm going to help this team. Tonight, I was getting up in the play a little bit. I think offensively, we're using the points a lot tonight, getting a lot of motion going, and I think that helps our D-corps in general."

this one definitely counts 👍 pic.twitter.com/Ao1Bh2J0ex

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 9, 2026

UP NEXT: The Golden Knights play a one-off road game in Dallas on Tuesday.

PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at T-Mobile Arena.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Joel Hofer made 22 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, Jonathan Drouin scored in his Blues debut and St. Louis beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 on Sunday night to sweep a four-game trip.

Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter also scored to help St. Louis win for the fifth time in six games since the Olympic break.

Drouin was acquired from the Islanders on Friday at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Blues captain Brayden Schenn to New York. The left wing scored the second of three second-period goals, firing a slap shot past Ville Husso on a power play with 9:53 left.

Kyrou opened the scoring at 4:22, snapping a shot from the right side to the far post on a 3-on-1 break. After helping set up Drouin's goal, Snuggerud added one of his own on a one-timer with 7:49 to go.

St. Louis failed to add to the lead on an extended power play that spilled into the third when Ross Johnston received a major penalty for boarding Justin Holl, the defenseman who also made his Blues debut after coming over from Detroit.

After Anaheim successfully challenged Snuggerud's apparent goal midway through the third for offsides, Suter scored into an empty net with 4:02 to go

Husso stopped 31 shots. The Ducks completed a nine-game homestand, splitting the last four after winning the first five. They were 0 for 6 on the power play against the Blues.

John Carlson, the defenseman acquired from Washington on Thursday, missed his fifth straight game because of lower-body injury. Ducks center Mikael Granlund returned after missing six games because of an upper-body injury sustained playing for Finland in the Olympic bronze-medal game.

Up next

Blues: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Ducks: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night.

___

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

Most of the words Chris Drury said in July about defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov centered around the defensive side of the $49 million defenseman’s game. The Rangers president and general manager wanted to be better in front of their goaltenders. He wanted improved coverage in high-danger areas. And Gavrikov, inked to a seven-year deal at the start of free agency that month to pair with Adam Fox, possessed “qualities of an elite shutdown guy.”

But over the past eight months, another layer to Gavrikov’s game has started to emerge. He has become a scoring option for the Blueshirts, something that hadn’t necessarily been the case in past seasons with the Kings and Blue Jackets.

After scoring in a third consecutive game Saturday during the loss to the Devils, Gavrikov has collected 12 goals — shattering his previous career high of six — after recording just 11 the last two seasons combined.

He’ll have a chance to continue the longest goal streak of his career Monday against Philadelphia, but even if it ends, Gavrikov became just the third Blueshirts defenseman to have a three-game goal streak across the past 10 seasons, according to the team.

He’s also tied with Hy Buller, from the 1951-52 campaign, for the first-most goals by a defenseman in his first season on Broadway, too.

Those numbers have all been a bit unexpected for Gavrikov. But with uncertainty looming in the offseason after trade rumors involving Braden Schneider and cryptic comments from Fox about his desire to remain with the Blueshirts through their retool, Gavrikov — given the term remaining on his deal and the production in his first season — has emerged as one of the surest pieces the Rangers have on their blue line.

“From an offensive standpoint, I think he’s had a really, really good year,” head coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. “He’s everything we had hoped for defensively when we signed him, but his offensive game, I think, is something that’s been a welcomed addition to our group — and we think he’s been pretty good in that area of the rink.”

With Fox only skating in 35 games this season and missing extended time with a pair of stints on long-term injured reserve, and with Schneider also mostly struggling this season, Gavrikov has already become the anchor of the Rangers blue line in the present, too. He leads all Blueshirts in ice time. His 25 points lead all defensemen. He has filled roles on both the penalty-kill and power-play units.

And, recently, the goals have followed. Less than a minute into the third period during the March 2 game, Gavrikov slid a pass to Fox across the blue line and then veered toward the left post — collecting a return pass and sending a shot into the Blue Jackets net. Then, against the Maple Leafs, Gavrikov deposited a rebound. And to give the Blueshirts a temporary lead Saturday, he took an extra stride in from the point and ripped a shot past Jacob Markstrom.

These are the signs that teams looking to overhaul a roster need. The ones that contain glimmers of hope, that capture the notion that internal building blocks exist in addition to any of the external ones acquired or drafted.

There’s Gabe Perreault, who’s up to 11 points and carved out a role on the first line. There’s Will Cuylle, in the middle of another productive season as a physical two-way forward. There’s Noah Laba, a rookie center. And then there’s Gavrikov, established in the NHL to the point where he was a commodity last summer but still in the early stages of his Rangers tenure.

Fox’s absences have forced some shuffling alongside Gavrikov throughout the season, but in the bigger-picture, the long-term status of their pairing has become murky. When asked if he wanted to remain with the Rangers through their retool, Fox said that’s a conversation for the offseason.

When given a chance to clarify those comments, he doubled down. Schneider’s name swirled in rumors, too, ahead of the deadline. It’s unclear just how eager Drury will be to move either of those pieces in the offseason with the Rangers sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference and committed to a retool — on paper — after issuing The Letter 2.0.

The Rangers know they’ll likely have Gavrikov, though. They’ll have someone who has delivered on the expectation to be a first-pair defenseman while unexpectedly adding offensive contributions, too. The next step involves ensuring that it’s just not a one-season fluke. That the production becomes sustainable.

But for now, in a lost season for the Rangers, it has certainly emerged as one of the bright spots.

The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning played a game for the ages Sunday, March 8 – the kind the NHL hasn’t seen in decades.

You have to go back to Tampa Bay’s first season in the league, to Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hašek’s first season in Buffalo. To a time when Mario Lemieux had led the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back championships and Wayne Gretzky was on the verge of leading the Los Angeles Kings to their first Stanley Cup Final.

In the Sabres’ 8-7 win in Buffalo on Sunday night, the teams combined for 15 goals and 28 penalties, the most since the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals combined for 16 goals and 28 penalties on Feb. 11, 1993, according to OptaSTATS.

JOSH DOAN GIVES BUFFALO AN 8-7 LEAD LATE!!!!!

SOOOOOOOO MANY GOALS! pic.twitter.com/DDD1Pryyii

— NHL (@NHL) March 9, 2026

Six different players scored for the Lightning, while five players scored for the Sabres, and seven had at least three points. Jason Zucker scored two goals, and he assisted on Josh Doan’s second goal, the game-winner with 4:17 remaining in the third period. Nikita Kucherov recorded two goals and an assist to lead the Lightning.

Tampa Bay had 57 penalty minutes and Buffalo 45, with Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous and Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram leading the way with 12 apiece. The teams also had seven fights.

The Chicago Blackhawks had a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Stars in the first period thanks to goals scored by Tyler Bertuzzi and Sam Rinzel. With a chance to sweep the season series from one of the best teams in the NHL, they gave themselves the early advantage. 

On the first goal, Artyom Levshunov collected the puck at the point, skated in a bit, and made an incredibly wise shot-pass to Tyler Bertuzzi, who tipped it home. On the Rinzel goal, he found the puck in the slot thanks to a great play by Oliver Moore and rifled it into the net. 

Moore took a hit to make a play and immediately went to the dressing room. He did not return. That is the type of speed that you miss when it’s removed from the lineup. 

After that, the Dallas Stars started to take over. Before the Blackhawks could escape the first period with a two-goal lead, Nathan Bastian scored to get the Stars on the board. That 2-1 held through the first intermission, and there was no scoring at all in the second. 

Entering the third period, the Stars had a 22-10 shot advantage, indicating that the Blackhawks needed to be much better if they wanted to win the hockey game. 

You could feel a Dallas goal coming, and Mavrik Bourque’s 13th of the season knotted things at two just 42 seconds into the third period. At 9:40, the Stars took their first lead of the game with Justin Hryckowian’s 10th of the year. 

Just when it seemed completely hopeless for the Hawks, Connor Bedard scored with Arvid Soderblom on the bench to tie the game. In his 200th career NHL game, he put on a show with the extra attacker on the ice. 

Overtime was required, but the Stars made sure to complete their comeback as Miro Heiskanen won it 22 seconds into the extra period. Dallas narrowly avoided being swept by a young Chicago team, but they found a way in the end. 

It doesn’t feel good for these players to lose, but they will look back on a 2-0-1 performance against the Dallas Stars as a highlight of the season. That will be especially true if the Stars reach their potential in the playoffs. 

The only update that Jeff Blashill had on Moore's injury is that he won't be available for Monday's home game. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

Bert gets us on the board 🥳 pic.twitter.com/sAwyt32Inj

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 8, 2026

Sam really said 'watch this' 🍿 pic.twitter.com/pbfDRcfANH

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 8, 2026

in his 200th game 🥹 pic.twitter.com/yphE6mhDgh

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 9, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Monday night when they take on the Utah Mammoth. This is their one game at the United Center this week before leaving for two games out west. 

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For the second consecutive game, the Detroit Red Wings lost a key member of their lineup because of an on-ice injury. 

However, the result of Sunday evening's game was far more positive than the result of Friday evening's game.

The Red Wings leapfrogged the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division standings with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center, the kind of response needed after a two-game winless skid on home ice. 

A SHUTOUT WIN IN JERSEY! pic.twitter.com/Ro5AO6fJmm

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 9, 2026

Now, the attention will turn to the status of goaltender John Gibson, who was shaken up after Devils forward Timo Meier shoved Lucas Raymond into him in the closing seconds of the second period. 

He was replaced by Cam Talbot to begin the third period; both Gibson and Talbot became the first Red Wings goaltenders since Jonas Gustafsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014 to have a combined shutout in the same contest.

Gibson made 21 saves before his departure, followed by Talbot's 10 saves. 

Detroit was already playing without Dylan Larkin, who suffered a lower-body injury on Friday against the Florida Panthers and was designated as day-to-day by head coach Todd McLellan. 

Defenseman Justin Faulk, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Friday, made his Red Wings debut and skated in 19:28 of ice time, registering three shots on goal while blocking three shots. He also had four hits. 

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Detroit struck first in the opening 20 minutes of play, as a shot from the point by defenseman Moritz Seider deflected off a Devils player and sailed past goaltender Jacob Markstrom. 

Playing in his home state of New Jersey, first-year Red Wings forward James van Riemsdyk deflected a shot from Seider past Markstrom while on the power-play in the second period. It was his 15th goal of the season and first in 12 games. 

While the Devils attempted to press and get back into the contest, Talbot held down the fort in Gibson's absence during the final frame. 

The scoring was then capped by Dominik Shine, who tallied his first NHL goal by converting on a perfect centering feed from van Riemsdyk, increasing the lead to 3-0. The team captain of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, Shine was recalled in late February. 

Detroit will continue its road swing by visiting the Sunshine State for a rematch against the Panthers, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined to make 31 saves, Dominik Shine scored his first NHL goal and the Detroit Red Wings beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Sunday night.

Opening a four-game trip, Detroit ended a two-game losing streak and stopped the Devils’ winning streak at four.

Gibson made 21 saves in first two periods, but was injured at the end the second. Talbot stopped 10 shots in the third. They became the first Detroit goalies to combine for a shutout since Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014.

Moritz Seider and James van Riemsdyk also scored, and each assisted on Shine’s third-period goal. Seider scored on a wrist shot at 3:20 of the first. Van Riemsdyk tipped in a shot from the point on a power play at 6:37 of second.

Shine broke through on a snap shot with 9:36 left. The 32-year-old forward was playing his fifth NHL game of the season and the 14th of his career.

Defenseman Justin Faulk made his Red Wings debut after being acquired from St. Louis on Friday.

Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves for New Jersey in the fourth game of seven-game homestand. The Devils were coming off a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday. Jack Hughes had a hat trick in that game.

Up next

Red Wings: At Florida on Tuesday night.

Devils: Host Calgary on Thursday night.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — John Gibson and Cam Talbot combined to make 31 saves, Dominik Shine scored his first NHL goal and the Detroit Red Wings beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Sunday night.

Opening a four-game trip, Detroit ended a two-game losing streak and stopped the Devils' winning streak at four.

Gibson made 21 saves in first two periods, but was injured late in the second on a collision in the crease. Cam Talbot stopped 10 shots in the third. They became the first Detroit goalies to combine for a shutout since Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard in 2014.

Moritz Seider and James van Riemsdyk also scored, and each assisted on Shine's third-period goal. Seider scored on a wrist shot at 3:20 of the first. Van Riemsdyk tipped in a shot from the point on a power play at 6:37 of second.

Shine broke through on a snap shot with 9:36 left. The 32-year-old forward was playing his fifth NHL game of the season and the 14th of his career.

Defenseman Justin Faulk made his Red Wings debut after being acquired from St. Louis on Friday.

Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves for New Jersey in the fourth game of seven-game homestand. The Devils were coming off a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday. Jack Hughes had a hat trick in that game.

Up next

Red Wings: At Florida on Tuesday night.

Devils: Host Calgary on Thursday night.

___

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