Justus Annunen made 43 saves for his first shutout win in a Nashville Predators uniform in a 5-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday at the Honda Center. 

It is Annunen's third career shutout, the first since March 4, 2024, in a 5-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks when he was with the Colorado Avalanche. 

It was also the Predators' first shutout win of the season and their widest margin of victory. 

The win also puts Nashville ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with 84 points. The Predators have four games remaining in the regular season. 

Erik Haula opened the scoring in the second period, picking up a slot-feed from Joakim Kemell and beating Lukas Dostal blocker side. 

About four minutes later, on the power play, Filip Forsberg fired a shot from the top of the circles to put Nashville up 2-0. It's his eighth point in the last five games and his 38th goal of the season. 

In the final minute of the second period, on the penalty kill, Ryan O'Reilly picked off a Ducks player and passed to Nick Perbix, forcing a break the other way. He'd pass it up to Brady Skjei, who scored on the breakaway for his third goal of the year and the Predators' eighth short-handed goal of the season. 

In the third period, on an odd-man rush, Zach L'Heuruex capped it off with a goal to give Nashville a wide 4-0 lead. Kemell had the primary assist on the goal for the first multi-point game of his career. 

Late in the third, Fedor Svechkov picked up a spinning feed into the slot from Tyson Jost and scored for his first goal in nearly a month. 

Nashville's penalty kill was efficient as it killed off 6-of-6 Ducks power plays. Two of those Ducks' power plays were 5-on-3s. 

The Predators will play their final road game of the regular season on Thursday, traveling to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Mammoth at 8 p.m. CST. 

 

Jared Bednar and Colorado were unable to clinch the division on home ice against the Blues on Easter Sunday, but they would get another crack at it tonight in St. Louis.

Their second meeting in three days fit the season of rematches and revenge, with Colorado finishing with two points this time around.

Valeri Nichushkin would score twice, including a shorthanded goal, with Martin Necas netting the other for the Avalanche, and Scott Wedgewood collecting 19/20 saves and his 29th win of the season.

The Game

Val Nichushkin had one goal in his last twelve games before tonight’s game, but he picked a great night to get out of his skid and started the scoring with a wonderful re-direct.

Sam Malinski made a nice pass along the blue line that found Devon Toews’ stick. His point blast was deflected past Hofer, who didn’t stand a chance behind Nichkuskin’s large frame.

Colorado took the 1-0 lead with 3:29 left in the first frame.

Volume way up 🔊 pic.twitter.com/j7Mm6rklld

— z – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 8, 2026

Just when it looked like we’d head to the intermission, a one-goal game, Colorado’s top line and D pair pinned the Blues in their own end in patented Avalanche fashion.

MacKinnon was strong on the puck in the corner, which, when supported by a pinch from Devon Toews, turned dangerous.

Once the puck landed on Artturi Lehkonen’s stick, he sent it right back to MacKinnon, who attacked the net and made a quick tap pass to Martin Necas.

Marty would tuck the puck over the shoulder of Hofer and give Colorado a 2-0 lead after one period of play.

Nate with some magic to get that puck to Necas 🪄 pic.twitter.com/1wyenP3qVB

— z – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 8, 2026

Colorado’s third and final goal of the evening would come just 1 minute and 40 seconds into the second frame. That means the Avalanche scored all their goals in 5:09 of game time.

This shorthanded exclamation point once again came from Val Nichushkin, and of the between-the-legs variety.

We’ve seen Nichushkin attempt this shot a few times without success, but this one trickled just enough to light the lamp.

Nothing like a late goal of the year candidate to make it 3-0 Avalanche.

Valeri Nichushkin – Colorado Avalanche (17)
Shorthanded Goal pic.twitter.com/L2VH5zjr2y

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 8, 2026

Robert Thomas had a hat trick on Sunday, but his one tally late in the second is all the Blues would do to muster up a fight, leaving a final score of 3-1 Avalanche and crowning the boys in Burgundy and Blue for the lucky 13th time in franchise history.

Takeaways

The Avalanche could have clinched the Presidents Trophy and home ice throughout the playoffs if Boston had also bested Carolina in regulation this evening. Still, they fell to the Canes in OT.

No worries, Colorado will clinch as soon as Carolina loses another in regulation, or Colorado collects another 2 points.

Valeri Nichushkin had just three goals shy of the 20-goal mark this season, and his 17 (this season) ranks 5th highest of his 11-year career.

CHAMPS of the Central ✅ pic.twitter.com/sq4rDsMbuo

— z – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 8, 2026

Val seemed to fight his game a bit on the scoring side this year compared to years past, but is still plenty productive in what feels like a “down-year” after his 28-goal performance in 2023-24.

Scott Wedgewood’s back collided with the post, and he went down, clearly in discomfort. Following the game, he said he just lost his breath and felt fine after getting it back and moving around a bit.

Although it explains why he didn’t leave the game tonight, it’s something to keep an eye on, given that Wedgewood has dealt with tightness in his back earlier in the season.

Speaking of scares, Nazem Kadri did, in fact, miss shifts before not returning for the third period entirely tonight. Jared Bednar didn’t give a clear update in the post-game presser, mentioning his playing or not playing in the next contest could depend on pain tolerance.

Bednar, although pleased with the outcome, was very clear in his messaging that they are not remotely close to the finish line or to realizing their goals this season.

Jared Bednar postgame:

“We’re not all the way there yet, right?”#GoAvsGo

— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) April 8, 2026

Upcoming

The Calgary Flames will visit Ball Arena for another date with the Avalanche on Tuesday.

Let us know what you thought of this contest in the comments!

An incredibly difficult and painful season for Dmitry Kulikov has come to an end.

After Tuesday’s shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice told the media that Kulikov suffered a broken finger during the third period.

As a result, Kulikov won’t play in any of Florida’s final four games of the season.

“Dmitry won’t come back from that,” Maurice said.

It’s the third serious injury Kulikov has had to endure this season.

He suffered a shoulder injury two games into the season, missing the next 57 while recovering from surgery.

After finally returning to Florida’s lineup in early March, the veteran defenseman got 15 games under his belt before the next serious injury struck, this time breaking his nose during a 6-3 Panthers win over the Ottawa Senators.

Despite Florida’s season being over in terms of making the playoffs, Kulikov told the coaching staff that he wanted to continue playing and battling with his teammates.

He had to miss two games with the broken nose before he was medically cleared to play, returning to the ice on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Now, Kulikov is the third player in the past two weeks to be ruled out for the season due to a broken finger, joining Evan Rodrigues and Aaron Ekblad.

Rodrigues was hurt during Florida’s 3-2 loss against Minnesota on March 26 while Ekblad injured his finger in the same game Kulikov broke his nose.

“It’s just the standard injury here now,” Maurice said. “It’s just unbelievable what these guys have been through.”

The Panthers will continue their road trip on Thursday in Ottawa before playing their final road game of the season Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Photo caption: Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (7) controls the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)

NEWARK, N.J. -- Contrary to recent precedent, the Philadelphia Flyers are beginning to prove that teams can compete with a core of elite, talented young wingers. Look at the shell-shocked Prudential Center as proof.

The New Jersey Devils, one of the NHL's hottest teams since the Olympic break and packed with talent in their own right, were made to look downright listless by Rick Tocchet and the Flyers for large swathes of Tuesday night's 5-1 win.

Timely goals from Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster, as well as timely assists from Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett and saves from Dan Vladar, drained the life from the Devils seemingly every time they threatened to build momentum.

Zegras, with his two tallies, established a new career-high of 25, surpassing his previous marks of 23 from 2021-22 and 2022-23. The 25-year-old has now tied his previous single-season best of 65 points with plenty of hockey left to play this season.

According to NHL PR, Zegras, having scored twice in just 3:38, is the fastest Flyer to score two goals to start a game since Flyers legend Brian Propp had two in 1:58 back on Feb. 27, 1982.

Flyers' Rick Tocchet Nailed His Latest Lineup ChangeThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> are, perhaps surprisingly, seriously threatening for a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, and it comes as a result of everyone pulling together at the perfect time.

Having played left wing alongside Christian Dvorak for much of the 2025-26 season, Zegras has enjoyed newfound success back at center, lining up between Foerster and Tippett.

In 35 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time together, the Foerster, Zegras, and Tippett unit has a 64.95% xGF%, according to Natural Stat Trick, while out-scoring opponents 3-2.

It's early and the returns have been small, but each player has pulled their weight equally.

"It's amazing," Zegras said after the game. "It's been a long time since I've felt this, like, the rush of winning."

Zegras could very well be on his way to playing in his first career playoff games, so long as he and the Flyers can maintain their torrid post-Olympics pace.

The same is true of youngsters like Michkov, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump, who also led by example in the eyes of Tocchet.

Michkov, with assists on both Foerster goals, has now quietly reached 45 points on what was considered to be a lost sophomore season. The 21-year-old is three goals away from 20 and five points away from 50.

Flyers Top Prospect Already Making A Major DifferenceFlyers top prospect Porter Martone is already making a big difference for the Metropolitan Division club.

"A guy like Bumper, he had a couple of tough shifts, and all of a sudden, after that, he played great. Barks, he throws one out in the stands, he's mad. But after that, he played great," Tocchet remarked.

"Mich, he served the [delay of game] penalty, comes out of the box, wins a battle on the wall, we get a 2-on-1. They know that these are big things. They're not small things when you can do those things."

The 2-on-1 Tocchet was referring to was Foerster's first of two goals, when the 24-year-old picked up Michkov's touch along the wall, raced down the ice, and beat Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom low.

That goal put the Flyers back ahead two goals at 3-1 after New Jersey dominated the last 15 minutes of the first period and found the scoresheet via Cody Glass. Michkov's subtle play killed the momentum and ultimately spurred the Flyers on to a significant win for playoff purposes.

The Flyers have been as good as any team in the NHL over the last month and a half, even without the fabled No. 1 center.

We'll soon find out if that's sustainable, and they should probably plan on upgrading the position anyway, but the core of the team certainly appears to be in place.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster each scored twice, Dan Vladar made 23 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers routed the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday to bolster their playoff position with four games remaining.

The Flyers have won three straight and have six victories in their last eight contests. Their 92 points are four behind second-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division.

The Flyers have vaulted into playoff position with an 11-3-1 mark since a 6-2 home loss to the Rangers on March 9.

CANADIENS 4, PANTHERS 3, SO

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored in the shootout after Nick Suzuki’s late tying goal as Montreal beat Florida.

Ivan Demidov and Phillip Danault also scored in regulation as playoff-bound Montreal won for the ninth time in 10 games. Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists and Jakub Dobes made 30 saves for his sixth consecutive win.

Caufield remained one goal shy of his 50th for the third consecutive game after scoring twice Thursday against the New York Rangers. He is scoreless in three straight games for the first time since posting four consecutive goalless outings from Jan. 8 to 12.

Eetu Luostarinen, Carter Verhaeghe and Cole Reinhardt scored for fading Florida, which lost its eighth straight game against the Canadiens. Daniil Tarasov stopped 29 shots.

The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions entered the night 27th in the overall league standings and out of playoff contention.

SENATORS 6, LIGHTNING 2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jake Sanderson scored a pair of goals and Ottawa were closer to a playoff appearance with a win over Tampa.

Jordan Spence, Fabian Zetterlund, Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa. Brady Tkachuk had four assists and goaltender Linus Ullmark made 28 saves for the win.

Nick Paul and Corey Perry scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 26 saves.

BLUE JACKETS 4, RED WINGS 3, SO

DETROIT (AP) — Zach Werenski scored in the shootout to lead Columbus over Detroit, ending a six-game skid.

Adam Fantilli tied the game with 17 seconds left, Danton Heinen also scored and Werenski also added a goal and an assist in regulation. Jet Greaves stopped 34 shots and assisted on Werenski’s goal for his first career point.

Werenski notched his 26th multipoint game of the year, setting a single-season record for the Blue Jackets.

Justin Faulk scored twice, Dylan Larkin added one goal, and John Gibson had 32 saves for the Red Wings.

HURRICANES 6, BRUINS 5, OT

Raleigh, N.C. (AP) — Jaccob Slavin scored at 1:13 of overtime as Carolina beat Boston and claimed their fourth Metropolitan Division title in six years.

Slavin’s first goal of the season helped offset a hat trick by Boston’s Morgan Geekie. Andrei Svechnikov, K’Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, William Carrier and Taylor Hall also scored for Carolina. Brandon Bussi overcame a shakey start and finished with 16 saves.

Hampus Lindholm and Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston, with Zacha’s goal at 12:33 in the third period tying the game at 5. Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 18 saves before being pulled after allowing five goals, including three in the first nine minutes of the second period. Joonas Korpisalo stopped the 16 shots he faced in regulation, but Slavin beat him in OT by tapping in a pass from Sebastian Aho.

The Hurricanes will be home for the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Metropolitan champions for the third time under coach Rod Brind’Amour. They also won the Central Division in the shortened, reconfigured 2020-21 season.

AVALANCHE 3, BLUES 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin scored twice and Colorado beat St. Louis to clinch the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference.

It is the third time in five seasons, and first since 2023, that the Avalanche finished as the top team in the conference.

Martin Necas also scored and Scott Wedgewood made 18 saves for Colorado, which has earned points in eight of its last 11 games.

Wedgewood was shaken up midway through the third period after Philip Broberg made contact with him after being tripped by Sam Malinski. Wedgewood was driven awkwardly into the post and stayed down for several minutes, but remained in the game.

Robert Thomas scored and Joel Hofer made 34 saves for the Blues, whose slim playoff hope took a hit with the loss.

STARS 4, FLAMES 3, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored twice, including in overtime, to lead Dallas to the win over Calgary.

Johnston scored 3:39 into overtime on a power-play backhand shot. Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen each got an assist on the goal. Johnston scored two goals in the game.

Justin Hryckowian and Robertson each scored for the Stars. Robertson’s wrist shot 4:51 into the third period sent the game to overtime.

Zayne Parekh, Yegor Sharangovich and Joel Farabee scored for the Flames.

Jake Oettinger stopped 17 shots in the win for the Stars. Devin Cooley made 21 saves for the Flames.

WILD 5, KRAKEN 2

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Vladimir Tarasenko scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist, and Minnesota twice benefited from replay reviews in a victory over Seattle.

Marcus Johansson also had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who won their fourth straight game. Marcus Foligno scored the tying goal early in the second, and Joel Eriksson Ek added an empty-net goal and two assists.

Minnesota trails Dallas by two points for second place in the Central Division and Western Conference heading into their showdown Thursday in Texas. Each team has four regular-season games remaining before they square off in a first-round playoff series, with home-ice advantage still up for grabs.

MAMMOTH 6, OILERS 5, OT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Clayton Keller scored on a power play 33 seconds into overtime to lift Utah to a victory over Edmonton.

Alexander Kerfoot forced overtime with 7:04 left in regulation after tapping in a long feed from Sean Durzi, setting the stage for Utah to claim its first win over Edmonton.

Nick Schmaltz scored twice in the second period to rally the Mammoth from a two-goal deficit. JJ Peterka and Logan Cooley also scored, and Karel Vejmelka had 21 saves.

Curtis Lazar, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin, and Colton Dach scored for the Oilers, who lost their second straight. Tristan Jarry made 25 stops.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, CANUCKS 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Cole Smith’s goal midway through the third period proved to be the winner as Vegas held on to beat Vancouver.

Max Sasson opened the scoring for the Canucks (22-47-8) with a wrist shot over the glove of Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart at the 12:50 mark of the second period. It was his 13th goal of the season.

Brayden McNabb replied for Vegas (36-26-16) less than three minutes later, sending a shot through traffic to tie the score at 1. Smith scored the go-ahead goal 12:13 into the third.

Vancouver had a prime chance to force extra time when Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson was called for interference with less than two minutes left. The Canucks pulled goalie Nikita Tolopilo in favor of an extra attacker, but failed to score.

Hart stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced for the Golden Knights. Tolopilo made 26 saves for the Canucks.

PREDATORS 5, DUCKS 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Justus Annunen stopped 43 shots — one shy of his career high — for his third career shutout, and Nashville sent Anaheim to their sixth consecutive loss.

Erick Haula, Filip Forsberg and Brady Skjei scored second-period goals, and Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov scored in the third for the Predators. Joakim Kemmell and Ryan O’Reilly each had two assists.

The win pushed Nashville (84 points) one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Predators have four regular-season games left.

The Ducks, who have been outscored 29-14 during their losing streak, remain stuck at 87 points. They also have four games remaining.

DALLAS (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored twice, including in overtime, to lead the Dallas Stars to the 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Johnston scored 3:39 into overtime on a power-play backhand shot. Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen each got an assist on the goal. Johnston scored two goals in the game.

Justin Hryckowian and Robertson each scored for the Stars. Robertson’s wrist shot 4:51 into the third period sent the game to overtime.

Zayne Parekh, Yegor Sharangovich and Joel Farabee scored for the Flames.

Jake Oettinger stopped 17 shots in the win for the Stars. Devin Cooley made 21 saves for the Flames.

The Stars won 62% of the faceoffs in the game.

Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl left early in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.

Up next

Flames: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

Stars: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

___

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

___

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

The Calgary Flames dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Stars in Dallas on Tuesday night.

Devin Cooley got the start in goal for Calgary, while Aydar Suniev suited up for just his second NHL appearance. The opening period didn’t produce any scoring, but the Flames took a hit to their blueline when Kevin Bahl exited early with an injury and did not return.

Dallas broke through first in the second period. Just over four minutes in, a shot that missed the net caromed hard off the end boards and bounced out to Justin Hryckowian who pounced and chipped it past Cooley to make it 1–0.

Calgary responded with a strong push midway through the period. After sustained pressure across multiple shifts, Olli Maatta moved the puck up to Adam Klapka, who drove the net and forced a rebound. Joel Farabee jumped on the loose puck and slipped a backhand past Jake Oettinger to even things at 1-1 with his 19th of the season.

The Flames grabbed the lead late in the frame. With under two minutes remaining, Klapka held the line to keep the play alive before feeding Yegor Sharangovich in the high slot. Sharangovich wired a shot past Oettinger to give Calgary a 2-1 edge heading into the third.

The Flames wasted no time adding to their lead. Just 26 seconds into the final frame, Zayne Parekh capitalized on the power play, stepping into open ice and firing a wrist shot over Oettinger to make it 3–1. Matt Coronato picked up the primary assist, with Matvei Gridin also drawing in.

But Dallas pushed back quickly. Wyatt Johnston cut the deficit to one after finishing a rebound off a Mikko Rantanen wraparound attempt, and moments later, Jason Robertson tipped home a pass from Matt Duchene to tie the game 3–3.

With neither side able to break the deadlock in regulation, the game moved to overtime. Calgary found itself shorthanded when Ryan Strome was assessed a double minor for high-sticking. The Flames’ penalty kill held firm initially, with Cooley turning aside several quality chances, but the pressure eventually broke through. Johnston struck again, taking a pass from Robertson and finishing on the backhand to seal the 4–3 win for Dallas.

Three Takeaways

Parekh continues to impress

 Zayne Parekh stood out throughout the night. He scored on the power play, was active in all three zones, hit the crossbar, and consistently moved the puck efficiently.

Klapka making his presence felt

Adam Klapka recorded two assists and played a key role in Calgary’s offensive zone time. It marks his second multi-point performance of the season.

Penalty kill strong, until it mattered most

 Calgary’s penalty kill was solid in regulation, going a perfect 3-for-3 against a dangerous Stars unit. However, the overtime double minor proved costly, overshadowing an otherwise strong night from the PK.

Mathew Barzal says his “heart” on the ice is at center.

Under new Islanders coach Pete DeBoer, his heart is getting what it wants.

During Tuesday’s second practice of DeBoer’s tenure, Barzal skated in the middle with Brayden Schenn shifted to left wing.

With four games left in the regular season and the Islanders (42-31-5) jostling for a playoff spot, they need DeBoer to shake things up after firing Patrick Roy. One of his first tweaks will be moving Barzal back to his favored position.

“My initial reaction watching Mat from the other bench is, everybody’s looking for that type of speed in the middle of the ice,” the former Panthers, Devils, Sharks, Golden Knights and Stars coach told reporters after practice.

“So, I think the fact that he’s played both, that he can play both, is a great thing. And coming back from the Olympics, out of the 14 or 15 forwards [Team Canada] took, most of them were centermen. So you’ve got to be able to move around and play different roles. But that speed through the middle of the ice is really dangerous. And the good teams all have that — [Jack] Eichel in Vegas and [Connor] McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon.”

Barzal has toggled between wing and center during his decade with the Islanders but hasn’t lined up in the middle since early February — a 23-game span in which he registered 24 points and five goals.

In the prior 54 games this season, Barzal lined up at center 50 times, totaling 43 points. His four starts at right wing before February resulted in three points.

DeBoer stopped short of confirming where Barzal will line up, but the forward welcomes a move back to the middle.

“I think my heart, as a player, is probably down the middle of the ice, just because it allows me to do a lot of things,” he said. “But I really like my time on the wing, and I think it’s actually helped me as a player.”

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Moments earlier, he said: “I like both, to be honest with you. I like being down the middle, maybe a little more speed underneath the puck.

“And I also like being on the wing, with being able to maybe be ahead of the play a little bit sometimes, and create some offense off the breakout and on entries and stuff, coming out of the wall and kind of getting creative.”

DeBoer, who reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Sharks and Devils, stopped practice a handful of times Tuesday to give players instructions from a whiteboard.

“I’m drinking through a fire hose right now, trying to get up to speed,” the coach said of his whirlwind start in New York.

DeBoer, 57, also employed color-coded uniforms for the team’s lines, though he said he’s being mindful of not “paralyzing” his players with too much information.

“I’ve got to get to know the group. … I don’t know them,” DeBoer said. “I’ve been coaching in the West for 10 years. So I don’t know this group as well as I would like to know them.”

Barzal was less stressed about his and his linemates’ potential positional tweaks.

“It’s easier to go from center to wing than wing to center,” he said when asked about himself, Schenn and Cal Ritchie all being natural centers.

“Schenner and Rich are both really smart players. I think it’s an easy adaptation for everybody.”

DeBoer hopes that’s the case when the Isles host the Maple Leafs in a pivotal Thursday night matchup.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jake Sanderson scored a pair of goals and the Ottawa Senators were closer to a playoff appearance with a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.

Jordan Spence, Fabian Zetterlund, Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa. Brady Tkachuk had four assists and goaltender Linus Ullmark made 28 saves for the win.

Nick Paul and Corey Perry scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 26 saves.

Tied 1-1 to start the third, the Senators scored twice in less than two minutes to take a two-goal lead.

Perry pulled the Lightning within one midway through the third when he was left all alone and raised a shot over a sprawled Ullmark.

The Senators added a pair of power-play goals to secure the victory.

Pinto scored into an empty net.

With an assist on Ottawa’s opening goal, Stutzle recorded his second-career 80-point season.

Up next

Lightning: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Senators: Host the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

___

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

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The Detroit Red Wings were 16.1 seconds away from a badly-needed regulation victory at Little Caesars Arena, but the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets snatched that victory from the jaws of defeat. 

Former Michigan Wolverines defenseman Adam Fantilli scored the game-tying goal with 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation, and fellow former Wolverine Zach Werenski netted the decisive shootout goal, lifting the Blue Jackets to a 4–3 win over the Red Wings in a critical matchup for both teams.

pic.twitter.com/foCxoHzepG

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 8, 2026

The Red Wings are now three points behind the Ottawa Senators, who defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, for the final Wild Card postseason spot with only four games remaining. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets moved to 90 points, one ahead of Detroit. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Things didn't start well for the Red Wings, who surrendered the opening goal to Danton Heinen after a defensive zone turnover at 2:06 of the opening frame. But team captain Dylan Larkin netted his 31st goal of the season midway through the period on the power-play, knotting the score at 1-1. 

Defenseman Justin Faulk, who made his return to the lineup after missing the last few games, scored a beautiful in the second period after cutting through multiple Jackets players and beating goaltender Jet Greaves with a glove-side shot. 

But Columbus made Detroit pay after David Perron was whistled for a minor penalty; Werenski whistled a shot from the high slot past Gibson, tying the score. 

At 15:14 of the third period, Faulk scored his second of the game right off a face-off, taking a pass from Alex DeBrincat and firing a one-timer past Greaves. 

With Greaves on the bench for an extra attacker, Columbus won a critical face-off following an icing call to the Red Wings, setting up Fantilli's game-tying goal. 

Neither team scored in overtime, but both exchanged goals in the ensuing shootout. Detroit got goals from Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, while the Blue Jackets responded with tallies from Kent Johnson and Charlie Coyle before Zach Werenski delivered the dagger.

Goaltender John Gibson made 32 saves, while Greaves countered with 34 saves. Detroit also lost forward Michael Rasmussen, who recently missed seven games, with an injury after blocking a shot. 

From here on out, the Red Wings are officially in "must-win" mode while also having to hope for outside help. 

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster each scored twice, Dan Vladar made 23 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers routed the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday to bolster their playoff position with four games remaining.

The Flyers have won three straight and have six victories in their last eight contests. Their 92 points are four behind second-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division.

The Flyers have vaulted into playoff position with an 11-3-1 mark since a 6-2 home loss to the Rangers on March 9.

Zegras opened the scoring at 1:56 of the first. The 25-year-old forward scored again on the power play at 3:38 — his career-best 25th goal — with assists to JamieDrysdale and rookie Porter Martone, who scored his first NHL goal in overtime to lift the Flyers past the Bruins 2-1 on Sunday.

Cody Glass cut it to 2-1 at 11:24 of the first before Foerster scored at 2:46 of the second, then had his 13th goal of the season at 4:58. Matvei Michkov assisted both of Foerster's goals.

Zegras, who was acquired from Anaheim last June, also assisted on Foerster’s second goal and is second on the Flyers with 65 points.

Nick Seeler added an empty-net goal to complete the scoring.

Vladar improved to 27-13-7 in his first season with the Flyers. His previous high for wins in a season was 14 with Calgary in 2022-23.

Philadelphia has missed the playoffs the last five seasons and seven of the last nine campaigns. They haven’t played a home playoff series since 2018.

The Flyers have road games at Detroit and Winnipeg, followed by home contests against Carolina and Montreal.

Jacob Markstrom made 13 saves in defeat for the Devils, who will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons and parted ways with general manager TomFitzgerald on Monday.

Up next

Devils: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

Flyers: Visit the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored in the shootout after Nick Suzuki’s late tying goal as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Ivan Demidov and Phillip Danault also scored in regulation as playoff-bound Montreal won for the ninth time in 10 games. Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists and Jakub Dobes made 30 saves for his sixth consecutive win.

Caufield remained one goal shy of his 50th for the third consecutive game after scoring twice Thursday against the New York Rangers. He is scoreless in three straight games for the first time since posting four consecutive goalless outings from Jan. 8 to 12.

Eetu Luostarinen, Carter Verhaeghe and Cole Reinhardt scored for fading Florida, which lost its eighth straight game against the Canadiens. Daniil Tarasov stopped 29 shots.

The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions entered the night 27th in the overall league standings and out of playoff contention.

Canadiens forwards Kirby Dach and Texier returned to the lineup, while veteran Brendan Gallagher (healthy scratch) and Joe Veleno (flu) sat out.

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk missed the game for the birth of his first child, adding to a long list of absences for Florida. More than half of the Panthers’ usual roster is out for the season after three straight trips to the Stanley Cup final.

Up next

Panthers: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Canadiens: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jaccob Slavin scored at 1:13 of overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 on Tuesday night and claimed their fourth Metropolitan Division title in six years.

Slavin's first goal of the season helped offset a hat trick by Boston’s Morgan Geekie. Andrei Svechnikov, K’Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, William Carrier and Taylor Hall also scored for Carolina. Brandon Bussi overcame a shakey start and finished with 16 saves.

Hampus Lindholm and Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston, with Zacha's goal at 12:33 in the third period tying the game at 5. Boston's Jeremy Swayman made 18 saves before being pulled after allowing five goals, including three in the first nine minutes of the second period. Joonas Korpisalo stopped the 16 shots he faced in regulation, but Slavin beat him in OT by tapping in a pass from Sebastian Aho.

The Hurricanes will be home for the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Metropolitan champions for the third time under coach Rod Brind’Amour. They also won the Central Division in the shortened, reconfigured 2020-21 season.

Geekie, a third-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2017, claimed his second career hat trick with his third goal of the game with 1:10 left in the second period, cutting Carolina’s advantage to 5-4. Geekie had only one goal in the previous 20 games, but his scoring outburst on Tuesday pushed his season total to a career-best 37. Geekie had six goals in 38 career games with Carolina.

Stankoven scored on the power play to tie the game at 3 at 5:17 in the second period. The Hurricanes have scored 14 power-play goals in the past 11 games.

Carrier made it 4-3 at 7:20 in the second and Hall scored 73 seconds later, chasing Swayman. Jackson Blake and Sean Walker assisted on Hall’s goal and each finished with two assists.

Up next

Bruins: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Hurricanes: Begin a four-game trip at Chicago on Thursday.

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

The Senators took care of their own business on Tuesday night.

Jake Sanderson scored twice, and Brady Tkachuk had a career-best four assists as the Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 to maintain their two-point wild card lead in the East with just four games to play.

Tim Stützle had three points on the night, while Linus Ullmark led the way with 28 saves.

The game was tracking to be a defensive affair through the first 40 minutes, but the third period didn’t get that memo.

Jordan Spence and Nick Paul swapped goals late in the second before the Senators erupted for five goals in the third en route to the win.

Fabian Zetterlund scored early in the third, banking one in off the upper body of Tampa Bay defenceman Erik Černák to make it 2-1.

Jake Sanderson then made it 3-1 with a gorgeous goal, cutting hard to the net and slipping the puck through Tampa goalie Jonas Johansson.

Corey Perry cut the lead to 3-2, standing alone at the side of the net and redirecting a slap pass from the point past Ullmark. The Lightning appeared to be gaining momentum before Tampa was called for hooking.

Stützle restored the two-goal lead on the ensuing power play, jamming home a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble. Tampa challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood.

Then came the dagger. On ensuing delay of game penalty, the Senators executed a gorgeous set play off the centre ice faceoff.

Jake Sanderson dropped the puck off to Drake Batherson who hit Tkachuk with a long stretch pass at the blue line. Tkachuk quickly fed Sanderson, who had turned on the jets after quietly and slowly jumping into the rush after the original drop pass. Sanderson, now on a breakaway, beat Johansson with a slick backhander to make it 5-2.

Shane Pinto then added a hard working empty-netter to seal the 6-2 victory.

With the win, the Senators maintain their hold on a wild card spot in the East, two points up on Columbus, and three points up on Detroit and the Islanders. All four teams have four games remaining and the Senators own the tiebreaker on all three opponents.

Out of town on Tuesday, the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime. The Philadelphia Flyers handled the New Jersey Devils 5-1, while the Boston Bruins, who sit in the second wild card spot, lost 6-5 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Senators are back at it Thursday night at home against the Florida Panthers, a team they’ll be eager to get another crack at after Florida handed them a lopsided loss a week ago.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News