The Pittsburgh Penguins made a couple of roster moves on Thursday.

After sending forward Avery Hayes back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Penguins recalled defenseman Ryan Graves from his conditioning stint. He was with WBS for a week and appeared in two games, scoring one goal.

Graves has only played in 19 games with the Penguins this season, recording one goal. That goal came against the New Jersey Devils back on Nov. 8. 

Defenseman Ryan Graves has been recalled from his conditioning loan with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). pic.twitter.com/5bPZH2eAgM

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 19, 2026

Graves has appeared in 15 games for WBS this season, racking up three goals and 10 points. He was originally signed by the Penguins back in 2023 before the 2023-24 season started. 

Graves has played in 150 games for the Penguins over the last three seasons, scoring five goals and assisting on 14 others. 

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BOSTON (AP) — Lukas Reichel had a goal and an assist in his Boston debut, Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves and the Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-1 on Thursday night to end a two-game losing streak.

David Pastrnak scored his 27th goal of the season and had an assist. Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Vacha also each had a goal and assist, and Fraser Minten and Jonathan Aspirot added late goals.

Fighting for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, the Bruins finished in regulation for only the second time in seven games. They were coming off overtime losses at New Jersey on Monday night and Montreal on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Toews ended Swayman’s shutout bid on a tip-in at 5:38 of the third. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots for Winnipeg.

SENATORS 3, ISLANDERS 2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored with 11.1 seconds left to give Ottawa a victory over New York.

Tkachuk controlled the loose puck in the crease and squeezed it past goalie Ilya Sorokin for the comeback victory.

New York dropped out of a playoff position in the tight Eastern Conference, while Ottawa closed within four points of the Islanders.

RED WINGS 3, CANADIENS 1

DETROIT (AP) — Alex DeBrincat scored the go-ahead goal with 3:25 remaining and assisted on Detroit’s two other goals, lifting the Red Wings to a victory over Montreal.

DeBrincat scored the winner on a backhander after stealing the puck from defenseman Mike Matheson in the Canadiens’ zone. J.T. Compher scored earlier in the period and Andrew Copp added an empty-net goal with 16.8 seconds remaining.

John Gibson made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who won for the second straight game following a three-game losing streak. Detroit recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since a three-game winning streak in mid-January.

The Red Wings also won the season series, 2-1 and pulled even with the Canadiens in the Atlantic Division standings in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

BLUE JACKETS 6, RANGERS 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Adam Fantilli scored twice, including an empty-net goal with 2:54 remaining, and Columbus beat New York, keeping alive hopes for their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.

Columbus extended its point streak to 11 games and takes over third-place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to the New York Islanders’ 3-2 loss in Ottawa.

Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist, and Isac Lundestrom, Conor Garland and Damon Severson also scored. Zach Werenski’s three assists give him 52 on the season and his second career 70-plus point season, tying him with Artemi Panarin for the most in team history. Jet Greaves made 22 saves for Columbus, which has won three straight.

Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal and an assist, and Vincent Trocheck also scored for New York, which had its two-game road win streak snapped. Igor Shesterkin finished with 31 saves.

BLACKHAWKS 2, WILD 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Connor Bedard scored a goal and defenseman Alex Vlasic made a game-saving stop as time ran out on Thursday night as Chicago beat Minnesota to snap the NHL’s longest active point streak for one team against another.

Ilya Mikheyev also scored and Spencer Knight made 28 saves for the Blackhawks, who were 0-18-1 in their last 19 games against Minnesota. Chicago’s last victory over the Wild was on Dec. 15, 2019.

Nico Sturm scored for the Wild and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 24 of 26 shots he faced.

With Wallstedt pulled for an extra attacker, the Wild nearly tied it in the final seconds. Knight got a piece of Quinn Hughes’ shot, but the puck trickled behind him in the crease. Before a Minnesota player could get to it, the 6-foot-6 Vlasic swept his stick into the crease and tucked the puck beneath his goalie.

PREDATORS 3, KRAKEN 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Filip Forsberg scored a goal and added two assists and Justus Annunen made 25 saves to lead Nashville to a victory over Seattle in a matchup of teams vying for a Western Conference wild card.

Ryan Ufko and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, winners of two straight.

Frederick Gaudreau scored and Joey Daccord made 24 saves for the Kraken, who are 2-6 over their last eight games.

With the win, Nashville pulled even with the Kraken, both with 71 points, just outside the wild-card spots.

PANTHERS 4, OILERS 0

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season as Florida continued to plague Edmonton, emerging with a victory over the Oilers in a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup finals.

Cole Reinhardt, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe scored for the injury-riddled Panthers, who snapped a two-game losing skid.

Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues and Mike Benning all had two assist games. The Panthers are almost certain to miss the playoffs and a chance to defend their back-to-back titles.

Connor Ingram made 19 stops in the loss for Edmonton.

The Oilers had a two-game winning streak halted and missed out on an opportunity to move ahead of idle Anaheim into first in the Pacific Division.

LIGHTNING 6, CANUCKS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and two assists and Tampa Bay beat NHL-worst Vancouver.

Kucherov moved into sole possession of second place in the NHL scoring race with 114 points, one behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Tampa Bay is second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind Buffalo.

Jake Guentzel, Darren Raddysh, Yanni Gourde and Brandon Hagel also scored for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for his NHL-leading 32nd victory.

Liam Ohgren and Linus Karlsson scored for Vancouver, and Kevin Lankinen stopped 24 shots.

MAMMOTH 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 0

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Karel Vejmelka stopped all 28 shots he faced for Utah, while Vegas counterpart Adin Hill was chased after allowing three goals without making a save in the Mammoth’s victory over the Golden Knights.

Vejmelka had his second shutout of the season and eighth in five NHL seasons to help Utah solidify its hold on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Mammoth built on a 6-3 home victory over Dallas on Monday night that snapped a four-game losing streak.

Third in the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights lost their second straight to finish a homestand 2-2. It fell apart quicky for Hill.

SABRES 5, SHARKS 0

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Alex Lyon made 23 saves for his 10th straight road victory as Buffalo scored three times in a span of less than two minutes in the second period to beat San Jose.

Sam Carrick scored twice, Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist, and Noah Ostlund and Tage Thompson also scored to help the Sabres win for the 11th time in 12 games. Buffalo moved into a tie with Carolina for the most points in the Eastern Conference.

Lyon posted his seventh career shutout and moved within one road win of the longest streak in NHL history. San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk each won 11 straight on the road.

Alex Nedeljkovic made 11 saves — but none in the three-goal second period — as the Sharks dropped their third straight and remained just outside playoff position in the Western Conference. San Jose became the second team in at least 11 seasons to allow at least three goals in a period without making a save, with Boston doing it last season against Chicago.

FLYERS 4, KINGS 3, SO

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov scored in a shootout to give Philadelphia their fourth victory in five games, over Los Angeles.

Noah Cates had a goal and an assist, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim also scored, and Samuel Ersson made 22 saves. The Flyers remained six points behind Boston and Detroit for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

On Wednesday night at Anaheim, Cates scored in overtime in the Flyers’ 3-2 victory over the Ducks.

Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin failed on their shootout attempts for Los Angeles, though the Kings still moved into the second wild card in the Western Conference.

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In this most critical stretch of the season, the Detroit Red Wings found a way to get it done against a divisional opponent that they're jockeying against for postseason position. 

Alex DeBrincat scored his 34th tally of the season at 16:35 of the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie against the Montreal Canadiens. It ultimately stood up as the game-winner, helping the Red Wings pick up a 3-1 victory at Little Caesars Arena and earn two huge points in the Atlantic Division standings.

Almost as importantly, Detroit's regulation win ensured the Canadiens picked up zero points. Detroit is now tied with Montreal and the Boston Bruins at 84 points apiece. 

As of now, they remain in the second Wild Card postseason position. The New York Islanders are a single point behind them, while the next closest team, the Ottawa Senators, is five points back. 

Thursday marked the return of forward Andrew Copp, who had missed the previous three games with a lower-body injury, to the lineup. Meanwhile, team captain Dylan Larkin remains sidelined despite having participated in the morning skate. 

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

There was no score in the opening 20 minutes of play, which nearly included the second goal in as many games for rookie Emmit Finnie; his shot rang off the post early in regulation. 

However, it would be Montreal who broke the ice late in the second period thanks to a power-play goal from Juraj Slafkovsky. They scored just seconds into their man-advantage chance with Moritz Seider in the penalty box, the result of over two minutes of play being hemmed in the Detroit zone. 

Detroit caught a fortunate bounce early in the game’s final frame, as J.T. Compher was credited with the game-tying goal. Patrick Kane’s shot from the point was stopped by Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes, but the rebound deflected off Compher’s leg and into the net.

Just as it appeared that both teams could be destined for overtime, DeBrincat stole a rolling puck from defenseman Mike Matheson in the Montreal zone.

He broke in alone on Dobes and roofed a backhand shot into the net, sending the fans in attendance into a frenzy. 

"They Make A Difference": Todd McLellan Praises Passionate Red Wings Fans One of the largest fan bases in professional sports, the fans of the Detroit Red Wings help make a difference for the players.

Montreal soon pulled Dobes and pressed hard for the tying goal, but Copp sealed the victory with an empty-net goal for his ninth tally of the season. 

John Gibson was solid again for Detroit, making 32 saves. Dobes countered with 25 saves. 

The Red Wings, who are now 2-0-1 in their last three games, face another critical test on Saturday as they face the Bruins at home. 

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This one suuuucks.

Brady Tkachuk’s goal with 11 seconds left was a gut punch, but the Islanders squandered two leads, going up in the second period thanks to Matthew Schaefer, and then again early in the third thanks to Brayden Schenn. But Schenn’s goal was the ONLY SHOT ON GOAL FOR THE ISLANDERS IN THE THIRD PERIOD.

Let me repeat that: Brayden Schenn’s goal was the only shot on goal for the Islanders in the third period.

The Senators were on a back to back but came out with a dominant third period, and got rewarded with two points. And since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings won their games, the loss knocked the Islanders out of a playoff spot.

Bad vibes all around, especially for all the yapping about setting the tone early with two fights.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

As I just mentioned, there were two fights early, with Anders Lee and Brady Tkachuk dropping the gloves right off the opening faceoff. Shortly after, Brayden Schenn took on Ridley Greig and Greig did his best to hang on against a much bigger guy like Schenn.

And then Dylan Cozens took a roughing penalty after taking off Matthew Schaefer’s helmet, but the Islanders couldn’t convert on the man advantage.

Ilya Sorokin was strong this period, and made a notable save on a wraparound attempt, but Carson Soucy earned what could have been the save of the game, stopping a sure goal with his skate.

Soon after, though, he took a tripping penalty, and Ottawa closed out the period on a power play that the Islanders killed the last 11 seconds of into the second period.

Second Period

Nick Cousins took a delay of game penalty for flipping the puck over the glass after a strong shift from the Islanders’ top line.

That power play pretty terrible, since the best chance came shorthanded from Tim Stützle, who just couldn’t find the finish.

Less than a minute after the power play, Matthew Schaefer, playing despite some doubts this morning (apparently he might be nursing a cold or something like that) gave the Islanders the lead, picking up his 50th point of the season. Phil Housley, pretty good defenseman, is the only other 18 year old defenseman with at least 50 points in an NHL season. So, you know, just Matthew Schaefer doing Matthew Schaefer things.

Anthony Duclair blocked a shot with his knee and was down on the ice and needed to be helped off. He didn’t return for the rest of the period.

Artem Zub went to the box for cross checking Mat Barzal, and Shane Pinto would tie the game for the Senators shorthanded, while the Islanders did nothing with the power play.

Bo Horvat took a holding penalty that the Islanders killed, and then Lars Eller was called for tripping Simon Holmström, but the power play, which completely sucked tonight, continued to be terrible. The Senators’ penalty kill is ranked 30th in the league, but the Isles’ power play is also 30th, so I guess it really was an even match of mediocrity.

Adam Pelech had to hold off Stützle and Kyle MacLean stopped a follow up Jordan Spence shot to keep the game tied at 1, and Brady Tkachuk put the puck off the outside of the net in the dying seconds of the second period.

Third Period

Brayden Schenn scored just two minutes into the third, giving the Islanders a 2-1 lead that should’ve given them some momentum in a must-win game.

Instead, Ilya Sorokin became the MVP of the period, making a big save on Tkachuk after Cal Ritchie and Adam Pelech couldn’t clear the puck, and another save on a dangerous redirect from Cozens.

Then, Warren Foegele tied it, after the puck hit off multiple players, including Sorokin’s arm, bouncing directly to Foegele after that initial save.

Duclair came back almost halfway through the third and looked fine, blocking a shot with his stick.

Matt Amadio missed wide with a tip in chance, and Sorokin made a huge save on a 2 on 1 (another save of the game candidate in a better game), helped by Ryan Pulock and Bo Horvat who helped clear it out of the crease.

Ultimately, with 11 seconds left Tkachuk picked off a loose puck in the crease after Pelech got crosschecked in front of Sorokin and scored to give the Senators the 3-2 lead and win.

That goal keeps the Senators’ playoff hopes alive, just barely, and puts the Islanders in an uphill battle for a playoff spot.

Just an extremely frustrating end to a high-pressure game, and it felt like the Islanders barely matched the intensity of a team playing the second half of a back to back. Just a gut punch of a loss.

Up Next

Next, the New York Islanders close out this Canadian road trip against the Montreal Canadiens, who lost to Detroit tonight, which is what pushed the Isles out of the wild card spots. It’s a must-win game, although it’s unlikely they’d be catching Montreal in a wild card situation if it came down to it. The Islanders just need two points every game, however they can get them.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored with 11.1 seconds left to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Tkachuk controlled the loose puck in the crease and squeezed it past goalie Ilya Sorokin for the comeback victory.

New York dropped out of a playoff position in the tight Eastern Conference, while Ottawa closed within four points of the Islanders.

Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves on the opening faceoff in a fight between captains. Five minutes later, Ottawa’s Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn also exchanged punches.

Shane Pinto had a short-handed goal to tie it at 1 for the Senators in the second period, and Warren Foegele sent a backhander past Sorokin 5:12 into the third to even it at 2. James Reimer made 19 saves for the victory.

Rookie Matthew Schaefer opened the scoring for the Islanders early in the second period, and Schenn made it 2-1 at 2:02 of the third.

Schaefer is the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to have 50 points in a season, joining Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83).

Sorokin stopped 23 shots.

Up next

Islanders: At Montreal on Saturday night.

Senators: Host Toronto on Saturday night.

The Montreal Canadiens had a date with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, and both teams desperately needed the two points in what is proving to be a very tight playoff race. Earlier in the day, the Habs announced that Josh Anderson was dealing with an upper-body injury and would be evaluated daily. As a result, Joe Veleno got back in the lineup to take on the team that drafted him. The Quebecer had watched the last 10 games from the press gallery.

With such high stakes, it was hardly surprising to see both teams play some tight and hard-hitting hockey. While the Canadiens’ run-and-gun offence can be very entertaining to watch, it often leads them to take unnecessary risks. With the playoffs fast approaching, they got a wake-up call when they dropped back-to-back games last weekend in what could only be described as a giveaway festival.

Canadiens Talked Patrik Laine Trade With 2 Teams
Canadiens’ AHL Affiliate Clinch Playoff Berth
Canadiens Still Need To Fix Recurrent Mistake

Not Making The Same Mistake

For a second game in a row, Martin St-Louis gave Jakub Dobes the net. After the Czech netminder had a great outing on Tuesday, it was felt that he deserved to be there again. It feels like the organization has learnt from its past mistakes. Earlier this season, when the youngster was playing great games, he would still make way for Samuel Montembeault because the team wanted its starter to get his game back.

Now, despite Jacob Fowler being widely regarded as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, the coach decided to stick with Dobes, giving him the respect he deserves. There’s no doubt that Fowler will get back in the net soon enough; you can’t let him sit for too long, but giving the nod to Dobes was the right move in the circumstances.

The masked man rewarded his coach with another good performance. Through 40 minutes, he had stopped the 15 shots he faced, including a few tricky ones on rebounds, and he looked very comfortable out there. The Wings were trying to get in his face and take his focus off the task at hand, but he remained concentrated, even if he did get in on the pushing and shoving at one stage.

Managing The Game, The Clock And The Lead

The Canadiens led 1-0 entering the third frame, but J.T. Compher put the Wings on the scoreboard a little over two minutes into the period, and St-Louis looked very irritated by the goal. Not because it was a bad goal to give from Dobes, he made the first save, but the puck bounced off the Wings’ player and into the net, and you can’t fault him for that, but because it all stemmed from the fact that the Canadiens’ second line attacked with no regard to its defensive responsibilities.

Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen all ended up behind the offensive goal line, allowing the Wings to get a numerical advantage. While everyone was back in the defensive zone by the time the puck went in, the Habs have enough trouble establishing who needs to cover who when they don’t have to do it under pressure. The coach was fuming, and the look he gave his forwards as they sat back on the bench spoke volumes. There were only 11 minutes left in the third frame by the time Newhook and Ivan Demidov got back on the ice.

St-Louis rarely benches his top offensive players, but he's been talking about risk and puck management for ages now, and particularly in the last few days, he had had enough.

Everything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

Despite leading for much of the game, the Canadiens ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat thanks to one play going horribly wrong. Montreal won a faceoff in the offensive zone, Matheson sent it around the board, and Noah Dobson was unable to stop the clearing attempt. Then, Mike Matheson went to retrieve the puck in the defensive zone, and somehow he coughed it up to Alex DeBrincat, who wasn’t going to miss his chance, all alone with Dobes.

As St-Louis has often said this season, the Canadiens paid cash for their mistakes in that game. The coach often says that “good teams will make you pay for your mistakes”, and Detroit made plenty of mistakes as well, but Montreal didn’t make them pay. The Michigan side had 19 giveaways but still skated away with the two points in a game the Canadiens couldn’t afford to lose.

Dobes would have deserved better on a night where he stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced for a .926 save percentage, but it’s not about what you deserve; it’s about what you get. On Thursday night, Detroit, the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators, and the Columbus Blue Jackets all won, yet another example of Murphy’s Law in action.

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OTTAWA, Ontario — Such is the frenetic pace of the playoff race right now that the Islanders only needed to slip up once to get themselves into trouble.

Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Senators later, the Islanders were in danger of falling out of third place — and potentially a playoff spot altogether — contingent on results that would come in mere minutes later in Columbus and Detroit.

That the defeat came on Brady Tkachuk’s winner with 11 seconds left in regulation only added to the hurt.

The Blue Jackets and Red Wings, both of whom looked in good shape to get points as the buzzer sounded in Ottawa, both were in position to pass the Islanders with wins.

That would amount to a major shock to the system for an Isles team that has been in a playoff spot every day since Dec. 4.

That’s the cruel nature of the race right now, and this was a particularly cruel night for the Islanders.

They temporarily lost Anthony Duclair to injury in the second period after the winger caught Tyler Kleven’s blast on his right knee, and on a night where they didn’t seem to have much in the tank, the Islanders scratched and clawed their way to a 2-1 lead early in the third period anyway.

Brayden Schenn broke a 1-1 tie just 2:02 into the last period, taking an outlet pass off the rush and executing a perfect give-and-go with Simon Holmstrom to score for a second straight game, handing the Islanders the lead.

Of course, that was not the end of it.

Warren Foegele re-tied the game off Fabian Zetterlund’s rebound that left Ilya Sorokin unable to cover his right post in time just over three minutes later.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Sorokin more than made up for it by the end of the night, coming up with a 10-bell save on Michael Amadio off the rush late in the third, which required the puck to be cleared off the line by Ondrej Palat for good measure.

Again, the Islanders looked completely on their heels — 19 minutes into the third, Schenn’s goal was their only shot on goal of the entire period.

It looked like the Isles would at least get the game to overtime, when Jordan Spence’s floater from the right point was knocked in by Brady Tkachuk with 11.1 seconds left on the clock, handing Ottawa a 3-2 lead and leaving the Islanders with a gut-punch loss.

New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer recorded his 50th point of the season Thursday night at 4:45 of the second period against the Ottawa Senators.

Schaefer. 50-point club. #Islespic.twitter.com/h3P793XRRk

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 20, 2026

With the assist, Schaefer became the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to record 50 points in a season, following Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83). 

He also became the fourth Islanders rookie defenseman to record 50 points in a season. 

The Nashville Predators will be without their starting goalie in one of the most important games of the season. 

It was announced ahead of Thursday's game against the Seattle Kraken that Juuse Saros is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He was reportedly injured during morning skate. 

Justus Annuen will start in his place with Matt Murray as the late call-up from Milwaukee. 

This is the first injury that Saros has officially sustained this season, and the Predators have gone as he has. Saros has a 24-19-7 record this season with a 3.14 goals-against and .894 save percentage. 

#Preds Roster Update: Goaltender Juuse Saros will not play tonight vs. Seattle and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Goaltender Matt Murray has been recalled from the @mkeadmirals.

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 19, 2026

His last start was a 4-3 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, where he made 36 saves on 39 shots, and stopped all three of the Jets in the shootout. 

Annunen sits at 6-9-2 on the year with a 3.10 goals against and a .890 save percentage. Murray has not played for the Predators this season and has not played an NHL game since the 2023-24 season, when he was with the Dallas Stars. 

Thursday's matchup is critical, as a Predators victory would tie the Kraken for the final Wild Card spot. A loss would set the Predators four points behind Seattle in the playoff race. 

Puck-drop is at 7 p.m. CST at Bridgestone Arena. 

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders plan on moving their American Hockey League affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton, Ontario, for next season, the franchise announced on Thursday.

The relocation requires approval by the AHL Board of Governors.

Should the move be permitted, the team currently known as the Bridgeport Islanders will play at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, which completed major renovations last fall.

A team name, logo and ticketing information for the Hamilton market will be announced at a later date, pending AHL approval, the franchise said.

“We are excited to make Hamilton our primary affiliate in the American Hockey League,” Islanders general manager and executive vice president Mathieu Darche said in a statement. “The support the city has shown our organization throughout this transition has been incredible. We look forward to having our top young talent play in front of such a strong fanbase inside the newly renovated, world-class TD Coliseum and we are committed to establishing ourselves in the community to engage a new generation of hockey fans.”

The Islanders’ top minor-league affiliate has played in Bridgeport for the past 25 years.

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

While their season hasn’t quite gone the way many have hoped it would, the Vancouver Canucks will still be giving fans something to cheer about in the coming games. Nine milestones are currently on the horizon for a number of players, ranging from personal to franchise records. 

The first to note of these records is Elias Pettersson sliding into ninth in Canucks history in career goals-scored. After his two-goal performance against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, Pettersson only needs one more goal to tie him with Bo Horvat for ninth in franchise history. This isn’t the only milestone Pettersson can hit soon, as he is also three points away from 500 career NHL points and three assists away from 300 on his career. 

Another player who is close to achieving another franchise milestone is Brock Boeser, who needs one more point to tie him with Tony Tanti for ninth-most in Canuck history. The forward currently has 469, only 28 less than the next active player on the list (Pettersson, 497). 

Next on the list are a handful of career-milestones in NHL games played. The most talked-about as of late has been Evander Kane, who is six games away from hitting 1000 NHL games. The last player to hit this record as a member of the Canucks was none-other than Tyler Myers, who did-so on October 19, 2024. 

The next crop of career-milestones in games played are a fair bit less than Kane’s 1000. The first to take place will be Aatu Räty’s 100th-career NHL game, which he will hit if he plays tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Following that is Linus Karlsson’s 100th NHL game, of which he still has nine more to play before he hits it. Marcus Pettersson will be the next to hit a milestone in games played with 600 — while he still has 11 more games to play, it’s expected he’ll hit this before the end of the season. Finally, Max Sasson is 14 games away from 100 in the NHL, which he can achieve if he plays in virtually every game before the season ends. 

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

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The Philadelphia Flyers are ending Year 3 of the Danny Briere and Keith Jones regime in the same place it began: close to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but not in them, and in need of some serious high-end talent down the middle of the ice.

Briere's tenure, not accounting for the draft, has actually been mostly solid, though his successes haven't come without missteps to match.

Buy-low acquisitions like Sean Walker, Ryan Poehling, and Dan Vladar have paid dividends for the Flyers, but overall, the core of the roster remains the same.

Aging players like Nick Seeler, Travis Konecny, Christian Dvorak, and Garnet Hathaway all inked contract extensions under Briere's watch, which strays from the path of a traditional rebuild.

Dvorak, as well as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, could have fetched hauls at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, but one signed a five-year pact, and the other simply stayed put.

The good news for Briere and the Flyers is that they have proven shrewd in trade negotiations overall. Trevor Zegras, David Jiricek, Nikita Grebenkin, and even Jamie Drysdale and Carl Grundstrom have brought meaningful value to the table for the organization, be it now or for the future.

NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Should Reunite Zegras with Former TeammateIf the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> have gotten one thing right in their rebuild, it's been their pro scouting and ability to buy low on struggling players. It might be time to check in with the Anaheim Ducks once again.

But, the Flyers could lean into that strength more.

In the 2025 draft, they traded the 22nd and 24th overall picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 12th overall pick, but then used that 12th pick on a pure upside play in Jack Nesbitt, rather than more critically acclaimed prospects like Carter Bear, Cole Reschny, Jackson Smith, Braeden Cootes, or Kashawn Aitcheson.

The Flyers made a similar pivot the year prior, trading down one spot from 12th to 13th, passing on the chance to select Zeev Buium, and adding Jett Luchanko to the fold instead.

It's not a slight against Nesbitt or Luchanko, but the two centers haven't taken meaningful steps forward in their development yet, and the Flyers still need high-end talent at the position despite burning a total of three first-round picks on the two players.

That's where, if the Flyers had gotten Smith and Buium, the rebuild would look much more positive, even with the significant presence of veteran players.

Assembling a young defense core of Buium, Smith, Jiricek, Oliver Bonk, Drysdale, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison is an extremely solid and talented base to work with, and that's excluding existing options like Cam York and Travis Sanheim.

Flyers' Connections Can Help Them Land Top KHL Free AgentAfter missing out on Maxim Shabanov in the summer, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> could dip right back into the KHL free agent pool this coming offseason.

Also excluded was defenseman Spencer Gill, who was acquired with the help of the third-round pick the Flyers acquired when trading down with Minnesota at the 2024 draft.

So far, the fact of the matter is that the Flyers, 16th in the NHL standings with 76 points and a -13 goal differential, are right back where they were in the 2023-24 season, even after adding Matvei Michkov, Zegras, Vladar, and Dvorak.

They still haven't leaned fully into one direction: whether to embrace a full rebuild or push all the chips in and go for a playoff run with their cap space and draft capital.

Other "rebuilding" teams, like San Jose, Anaheim, and Chicago have assembled more exciting nuclei of young talent without becoming abhorrent or unwatchable for more than a year at a time.

This fact is especially disappointing when accounting for the regression of Matvei Michkov, who has been in the crosshairs of Rick Tocchet, as well as the divided public, since the beginning of this season.

Flyers' David Jiricek Experiment Will Require PatienceJiricek scored in his Phantoms debut, but made a costly blunder that resulted in a goal against.

A once-promising 26-goal, 63-point rookie has devolved into a one-dimensional middle-six scorer who might just barely crack 40 points in his sophomore season.

That's sucked the excitement out of the Flyers, who still have plenty to offer for the future. Michkov, the apparent franchise player, has become more of a side character or extra in a cliché, inspiring action film rather than continuing to ascend as the avatar of a hopeful, high-flying future in Philadelphia.

The Flyers still have a solid group, yes, headlined by the likes of Michkov, Zegras, Porter Martone, Jiricek, and Drysdale, but it could also be much better with verifiable direction and focus.

It doesn't help, either, that the Flyers are on pace to secure another middling draft pick in the midst of their current playoff push, which will presumably push them out of the territory of the likes of Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Alberts Smits, Viggo Bjorck, Gavin McKenna, and more top prospects at positions of need.

Aleksei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason, and Egor Zavragin make for a strong group at the goalie position, but little else has improved for the future of the rebuild in the last two seasons.

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Islanders made official on Thursday what’s been expected since the fall, announcing plans to relocate their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport, Conn. to Hamilton, Ontario for the 2026-27 season.

The announcement was made alongside Oak View Group, which operates TD Coliseum, the arena in Hamilton where the team intends to play next year.

The move is subject to approval by the AHL Board of Governors.

“We are excited to make Hamilton our primary affiliate in the American Hockey League,” general manager Mathieu Darche said in a release. “The support the city has shown our organization throughout this transition has been incredible. We look forward to having our top young talent play in front of such a strong fanbase inside the newly renovated, world-class TD Coliseum and we are committed to establishing ourselves in the community to engage a new generation of hockey fans.”

The Islanders have struggled to draw crowds to Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, but the city has been their AHL home for 25 years.

The future of the venue is not entirely clear, but the team’s statement said the club remains “committed to working with the City of Bridgeport on a successful transition for Total Mortgage Arena.”

“On behalf of the entire New York Islanders organization, I want to extend our deepest thanks to the City of Bridgeport and the incredibly loyal fans who have supported this team for the past 25 years,” president of business operation Kelly Cheeseman said in the release. “From the early days of the Sound Tigers to our time as the Bridgeport Islanders, this community has been the heart of our AHL operations. We are grateful for the memories, the partnerships, and the passion the fans in Connecticut have shown our players and staff.” 

Situated 45 minutes from Toronto with a capacity of nearly 18,000, TD Coliseum recently underwent a $300 million upgrade.

While the Islanders forfeit some convenience with Bridgeport being driving distance to Long Island, the number of direct flights every day from Toronto to New York make it unlikely there will be issues with getting call-ups to the area on time.

The team name and logo, along with ticketing information in Hamilton, will be announced at a later date, per the Islanders.

“Hamilton is thrilled to welcome an AHL team to our city,” Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath said in the release. “This is an exciting moment for Hamiltonians and a major step forward in building on the momentum we’re seeing in our downtown. Bringing professional hockey back to TD Coliseum means more opportunities for families to come together and increased support for local businesses. It strengthens our city’s proud hockey tradition while creating new opportunities for young players and fans alike to connect with the game.”

In a recent article for Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Philadelphia Flyers were one of the teams that had interest in Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine ahead of the trade deadline.

"There were discussions about Patrik Laine ending up either in Philadelphia or Toronto, but it obviously didn’t work out," Friedman wrote.

The Flyers having talks with the Canadiens about Laine ahead of the deadline is certainly interesting. The Flyers are currently on the wrong side of the playoff line, so it could have been surprising to some if they successfully brought in a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) like Laine.

However, the Flyers also notably traded Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild on deadline day. With this, perhaps the Flyers viewed Laine as a potential short-term replacement for Brink in their top nine once he got fully healthy.

The Canadiens were one of the teams that had been connected to Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of the trade deadline as well. 

Nevertheless, Laine, of course, did not end up being dealt to either the Flyers or the Maple Leafs and will finish the season with the Canadiens because of it. In five games this season with Montreal, Laine has one assist. This is after he had 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games for Montreal last season. 

Ryan Johansen has announced he is retiring from the NHL and professional hockey at the age of 33. Drafted in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johansen would go on to play over 900 games in the NHL, scoring 202 goals, 376 assists, and 578 points.

Always a @PredsNHL 💛

Ryan Johansen has announced his retirement after 13 seasons in the League. pic.twitter.com/DL5xLHK3HY

— NHL (@NHL) March 19, 2026

Johansen’s last season in the NHL was with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023-24, where, in 63 games, he scored 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points, six of which were power-play points, while averaging over 13 minutes of ice time per game.

His time with the Avalanche was not one to remember much fondly, as the team desperately needed a second-line center after Nazem Kadri left for the Calgary Flames, and J.T. Compher left as well.

 He just came off a down season, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 55 games with the Nashville Predators, a significant drop from his 2021-22 season, when he scored 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points.

A change in scenery was supposed to do good for Johansen, joining an Avalanche team coming off a Stanley Cup, despite losing some players to free agency and only having to move off Alex Galchenyuk in exchange. However, it did come with his hefty $8 million cap hit, but if he could bounce back more offensively and remain strong defensively, it could fill a massive hole as the cap could continue to rise, and the team could focus on other areas to improve.

Though his time with the Avalanche wouldn’t last long, as he was traded mid-way through the season to the Philadelphia Flyers in a package that saw Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Avalanche in exchange for Johansen and a 2025 first-round pick.

It was a cap dump the Avalanche had to make; the production wasn't there, and his defensive game couldn't keep up with the cap hit he brought along, though getting Sean Walker was a great addition.

It got messy for Johansen with the Flyers as they tried to move him down to the AHL. After a “material breach,” the Flyers opted to terminate his contract, but that only opened up a whole can of worms among him, the NHLPA, and the organization for trying to get his contract off the books.

Report: Ryan Johansen Flyers Saga Ends with Philadelphia VictoryAccording to multiple reports, the months-long legal battle between forward Ryan Johansen and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> is now over.