Category: Ice Hockey

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Max Jones and Zach Hyman scored third-period goals, Adam Henrique had a pair of assists, and the Edmonton Oilers rallied without star forward Leon Draisaitl for an important 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 5-2-1 in March and moved into a tie with Anaheim atop the Pacific Division.

The Oilers were without Draisaitl, who is fourth in league scoring, after it was announced earlier in the day that he is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury.

Dmitry Orlov, Pavol Regenda and Kiefer Sherwood scored for the Sharks, who have lost five of their last seven.

Connor Ingram had 27 saves for Edmonton, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 stops for San Jose.

The game was tied 3-3 after two. The Oilers went up 5-3 with 11:48 to play in the third period as Hyman picked up a rebound in front and lifted a backhand shot into the net from his knees for his 29th goal in just 50 games this season.

San Jose's Macklin Celebrini had his nine-game point streak halted and was held without a point for the first time since the Olympic break. He had 14 points during the streak and remains five points from becoming the sixth teenager in NHL history to register 100 points.

Edmonton's Evan Bouchard picked up an assist to give him 26 points and a plus-22 rating in 18 career games against the Sharks. He has 32 points in his last 21 games overall.

Edmonton now has nine consecutive home wins over the Sharks.

Up next

Sharks: Host Buffalo on Thursday.

Oilers: Host Florida on Thursday.

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

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored 4:38 into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens edged the Boston Bruins 3-2 in a rivalry matchup Tuesday night.

Caufield tapped a pass from Nick Suzuki into the back of the net for his 40th of the season, becoming the first Canadien to reach the mark since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94.

Suzuki and Josh Anderson also scored while Jakub Dobes made 26 saves for Montreal, which snapped a two-game losing skid.

Brendan Gallagher picked up an assist in his 900th NHL game, all for Montreal.

Pavel Zacha had both goals for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 shots.

The Canadiens sat third in the Atlantic Division and one point ahead of the Bruins — with one game in hand — heading into Tuesday’s games.

BLUE JACKETS 5, HURRICANES 1

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Charlie Coyle had a goal and three assists, Danton Heinen scored his 100th career goal and Columbus beat Carolina.

Mason Marchment, Denton Mateychuk and Mathieu Olivier also scored for Columbus, which has gotten points in a season-high 10-straight games (6-0-4). Cole Sillinger and Adam Fantilli each added two assist, and Jet Greaves stopped 27 shots.

Andrei Svechnikov scored and Brandon Bussi made 25 saves for the Hurricanes.

Marchment scored on a power play 5:25 into the first period, and the Blue Jackets have scored in the opening 10 minutes in 13 of their last 20 games. Coyle added another power-play goal in the final minute of the first.

Svechnikov scored his 25th goal of the season with 5:55 left in the second period before Heinen and Mateychuk scored 34 seconds apart.

ISLANDERS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1

TORONTO (AP) — Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist on a pair of first-period power plays as New York beat Toronto.

Brayden Schenn scored his first goal since being acquired from St. Louis ahead of the trade deadline, and Emil Heineman also scored for the Islanders, who have won nine of 12.

Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves for New York, and Mathew Barzal had three assists.

Steven Lorentz scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll stopped 31 shots.

The Leafs fell to 2-1-1 since losing captain Auston Matthews for the season to a knee injury — a run on the heels of an ugly 0-6-2 slide that all but cratered their playoff hopes.

WILD 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, OT

CHICAGO (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored 3:09 into overtime, and Minnesota stopped a three-game slide by topping Chicago.

Marcus Johansson had a goal and two assists as Minnesota improved to 3-0 against Chicago this season. Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan Hartman also scored, and Brock Faber had three assists.

Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves for the Wild, and Jesper Wallstedt stopped two shots. Gustavsson departed for 3:27 in the third period because of an equipment issue.

The Wild had a long stint in their offensive zone before Johansson found Zuccarello for his 13th goal.

Minnesota forward Nick Foligno received a warm welcome in his first game against Chicago since he was acquired in a March 6 trade with the Blackhawks. Foligno held his stick in the air and waved to the cheering crowd after he was saluted with a tribute video during a timeout in the opening period.

Louis Crevier had a goal and an assist for last-place Chicago, which dropped its second straight game. Frank Nazar and Ryan Greene also scored.

PREDATORS 4, JETS 3, SO

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly scored the lone goal in the shootout to lift Nashville to a victory over Winnipeg.

O’Reilly beat Connor Hellebuyck to the glove side in the first round of the shootout. Predators’ netminder Juuse Saros secured the win by stopping Gabriel Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.

Matthew Wood, Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula scored in regulation for Nashville. Jonathan Marchessault chipped in with two assists. Saros made 36 saves.

Jonathan Toews forced overtime for Winnipeg, tying the game 3-3 with 1:01 left in the third period.

Josh Morrissey and Vilardi also scored in regulation for the Jets. Connor contributed three assists to extend his point streak to four games, while Scheifele assisted on the game-tying marker. Hellebuyck stopped 20 shots.

The contest was officiated by a single referee, Brandon Schrader, after Chris Lee was unable to attend due to travel issues.

OILERS 5, SHARKS 3

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Max Jones and Zach Hyman scored third-period goals, Adam Henrique had a pair of assists, and Edmonton rallied without star forward Leon Draisaitl for an important win over San Jose.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 5-2-1 in March and moved into a tie with Anaheim atop the Pacific Division.

The Oilers were without Draisaitl, who is fourth in league scoring, after it was announced earlier in the day that he is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury.

Dmitry Orlov, Pavol Regenda and Kiefer Sherwood scored for the Sharks, who have lost five of their last seven.

Connor Ingram had 27 saves for Edmonton, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 stops for San Jose.

CANUCKS 5, PANTHERS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Elias Pettersson scored twice, including the 200th goal of his NHL career, and Vancouver held on for a win over Florida.

The Swedish center opened the scoring at the 3:49 mark of the first period, blasting a one-timer in from inside the faceoff circle during an early power play. It was his 14th tally of the season and his first goal in 21 games.

Marco Rossi also scored and contributed a pair of assists for the Canucks, who rebounded from a lopsided 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

Vancouver center Aatu Raty and Drew O’Connor also scored and Brock Boeser added three assists. Kevin Lankinen — playing in his 200th NHL game — stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced for his first win since Jan. 21.

The Panthers got a goal and an assist from Matthew Tkachuk. Sam Bennett also scored and Carter Verhaeghe had two assists.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who lost their second straight game.

SABRES 2, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 0

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves to record his first shutout of the season and Buffalo defeated Vegas.

Josh Doan and Josh Norris scored for Buffalo, while Luukkonen registered the eighth shutout of his career.

The Sabres, who opened their four-game road trip with their 10th win in 11 games since the Olympic break, completed the regular-season sweep after they defeated the Golden Knights in Buffalo on March 3.

The Sabres have been the winningest team in the NHL since Dec. 9, sporting a 31-6-2 mark for 64 points.

The surge has Buffalo atop the Atlantic Division, ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.

Vegas, meanwhile, had its two-game win streak snapped after opening its four-game homestand with wins over Pittsburgh and Chicago, outscoring the Penguins and Blackhawks by a combined final of 10-2.

The Golden Knights suffered just their third shutout of the season and first at home.

LIGHTNING 6, KRAKEN 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored three goals for his sixth career hat trick and added two assists as Tampa Bay beat Seattle.

Brandon Hagel had a goal and three assists for the Lightning, who remained four points behind first-place Buffalo in the Atlantic Division. Anthony Cirelli added a goal and two assists, and Gage Goncalves had a goal and an assist.

Bobby McMann and Jared McCann scored for the Kraken, tied with the Los Angeles Kings at 71 points for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to wrap up their toughest road trip of the season on Wednesday in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The road trip started there last Tuesday, resulting in a 5-4 shootout loss for the Penguins. It looked like the Penguins weren't going to get a point out of that game until they scored two goals in the final three minutes of regulation to send it to overtime. They stole a point, even though they had chances to win the game in overtime. 

Since that loss, the Penguins have won two of their last three games on the trip, including Monday's 7-2 thrashing of the Colorado Avalanche. They're 2-1-1 and have earned five points heading back to Raleigh, with a chance to reach seven on Wednesday.

Going into the trip, five points seemed reasonable given several players were missing. Sidney Crosby and Sam Girard have missed all four games, while Malkin and Brazeau each missed three before returning on Monday. 

Despite the injuries and the suspension of Malkin, the Penguins have stayed in a playoff spot and have a lot of players to thank, especially defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson has been excellent all season, but has gone nuclear since the NHL players returned from the Olympics.

In 11 games since the end of the Olympic break, Karlsson has recorded three goals and 14 points. He finished Monday's game in Denver with a goal and two assists, and was a menace all over the ice. He was a one-man breakout and also made some simple, yet very effective plays along the boards in his own zone. He finished the game with 21:43 at all situations and controlled 54.7% of the expected goals. He's been the Penguins' best player since Crosby went down.

Anthony Mantha has also been on another level during this road trip, racking up three goals and five points in four games. He has 26 goals and 52 points this season, both of which are career highs. He's been an unbelievable free agent signing by Penguins president/general manager Kyle Dubas and is shaping up to get a big payday this offseason. 

Both goaltenders (Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner) have continued to push one another. The Penguins feel confident with either goaltender in the crease, and will have a tough decision to make in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they make it. 

Takeaways: Malkin Leads Pens To Statement 7-2 Win Over Avalanche In Return GameIn his first game back from a five-game suspension, Evgeni Malkin took the reins and led the Pittsburgh Penguins to a decisive and crucial 7-2 victory over the NHL's best team in the Colorado Avalanche.

Bryan Rust continues to be a big game player for the Penguins and now has 25 goals and 53 points in 60 games this season. Four of those goals and seven points have come via this road trip so far. 

The vibes continue to be through the roof with this team going into the final 15 games of the regular season, and no matter what happens on Wednesday, the Penguins will be in second place in the Metropolitan Division at the end of the trip. They have put themselves in a good position heading into a stretch in which they will play four of five games at home, starting on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. They control their own destiny to make the playoffs, which is all you can ask for during a playoff race. 

What was originally seen as a fearful road trip has only fueled this Penguins team further. 

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly scored the lone goal in the shootout to lift the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.

O’Reilly beat Connor Hellebuyck to the glove side in the first round of the shootout. Predators’ netminder Juuse Saros secured the win by stopping Gabriel Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.

Matthew Wood, Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula scored in regulation for Nashville. Jonathan Marchessault chipped in with two assists. Saros made 36 saves.

Jonathan Toews forced overtime for Winnipeg, tying the game 3-3 with 1:01 left in the third period.

Josh Morrissey and Vilardi also scored in regulation for the Jets. Connor contributed three assists to extend his point streak to four games, while Scheifele assisted on the game-tying marker. Hellebuyck stopped 20 shots.

The contest was officiated by a single referee, Brandon Schrader, after Chris Lee was unable to attend due to travel issues.

Up next

Predators: Host Seattle on Thursday.

Jets: Visit Boston on Thursday.

___

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

The Chicago Blackhawks welcomed the Minnesota Wild to the United Center on Tuesday night for some St. Patrick's Day hockey. That also meant a return for Nick Foligno, who was traded just a couple of weeks ago. 

Although Foligno would never get quite the ovation that a guy like Jonathan Toews got as a former captain, the organization and its fans are clearly happy with him for the way he conducted himself while playing an important leadership role during the rebuild. 

welcome back, captain ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VpEKN00tb8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 17, 2026

Right after the TV timeout in which Foligno was honored, a different former Blackhawks player found the back of the net. Brock Faber and Kirill Kaprizov made a nice play to set up Ryan Hartman in front of the net to make it 1-0 at 6:17.

Just over a minute later (7:58), Marcus Johansson made it 2-0 Wild. At that point, it looked like the Wild were going to end their losing streak in a big way. 

Louis Crevier, who leads the NHL in shots over 100 mph, had something to say about that. After Frank Nazar sent him into the attacking zone, he blasted a 102 mph shot past Filip Gustafsson to get the Blackhawks on the board at 10:47.

Crevier's shot was the fastest to find the back of an NHL net this season of any player on any team. He is becoming a true weapon in all three zones. 

The Wild were awarded a power play chance late in the opening frame, and Vladimir Tarasenko took full advantage. He has scored a lot of big goals at the United Center, and this one put his team back up by two. Tarasenko's snipe came as the result of a brilliant passing play by Marcus Johansson and Brock Faber.

That 3-1 score held in favor of Minnesota through the first intermission. They played much better and walked into the dressing room with a well-deserved lead. 

In the second period, the Wild and Blackhawks played a mostly even period. Shots were 11-10 in favor of Chicago, which was an incredible improvement over the 16-7 advantage that Minnesota had in the first. The Wild somewhat continued their good play early in the middle frame, but the Blackhawks got back on track in the second half of the period. 

One of those second-period shots went in for the Blackhawks. Ryan Greene scored at the net-mouth thanks to some digging by Connor Bedard. Louis Crevier also collected an assist on the goal. The 3-2 score went to the second intermission. 

In the third period, Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson left the game for an undisclosed reason. He was replaced by Jesper Wallstedt, but then Gustavsson came back in to finish the game. Wallstedt only played for 3:27. 

Late in the third period, Artyom Levshunov made a nice play to spring Connor Bedard, who had Frank Nazar with him. Bedard made a perfect pass to Nazar for him to tie it up at 3 at 18:20 of the third period. Like the previous two matchups between the two clubs this season, it went to overtime, tied at three. 

The future was on display with this goal, with three first-round picks who are pillars of the franchise combining to tie the game. 

In overtime, Mats Zuccarello scored after the Wild possessed the puck for almost the entire extra frame. All three matchups between the two clubs this year have ended with the Wild winning 4-3 in extra time.

It's another example of the young Blackhawks showing good fight, but failing to finish the job in the end.

A positive takeaway for Chicago is that the one point collected by the game reaching overtime is their 62nd of the season, which eclipses last year's total with 14 games remaining on the schedule. It won't be a drastic improvement, but still an improvement despite the team getting even younger. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

slapshot ✅
102 mph✅
Big Lou✅ pic.twitter.com/mtBGeUaxjU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2026

things that just make sense: a Greener goal on March 17th 🍀 pic.twitter.com/d69fZgg3zL

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2026

Frank called OT🚨 pic.twitter.com/ZQnC9EGnHt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Thursday. They will take on the Minnesota Wild in the second leg of a home-and-home. Like with the Utah Mammoth last week, the young Blackhawks have a chance to get a similar feel to playing the same opponent over and over, like the playoffs. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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TORONTO — For all the pregame hype around Matthew Schaefer playing his first game in Toronto, it was the Islanders’ other area-native rookie, Cal Ritchie, who scored in his first game back home Tuesday.

And for all the consternation about the Islanders’ power play all year long, the 5-on-4 unit finally looks like it’s heating up, scoring twice for the second time in four games.

That all added up to a fairly straightforward 3-1 win against a Maple Leafs side that looks painfully aware of how poor a season they’re having.

Two points here was a box the Islanders had to check on this road trip that heads next to Ottawa, with a razor-tight playoff race affording little margin for error.

Coach Patrick Roy was asked afterward — and after the Blue Jackets dispatched Carolina — about watching Columbus and Pittsburgh, the Islanders’ two chief opponents in the race, win seemingly every night.

“I think they see us winning every night too,” Roy said.

His team, a winner in four of five, filled its end of the bargain here in workmanlike fashion. The Islanders led from 4:15 in and put on a clinic in defending a lead: controlling possession, putting the puck deep, keeping Toronto to the outside. It was far from the most entertaining game of the season, but the two headliners — Ritchie and the power play — carry serious implications if what happened Tuesday can last.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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There have been moments this season when Ritchie has seemed to waver in confidence, and as recently as a couple of weeks ago, it felt like the Islanders were pushing for more out of the 21-year-old. He’s continued to have ups and downs, as expected from any rookie, but the move to the wing is going well. So is his move to the goal-line spot on the power play, which he’d never played before the Islanders assigned it to him.

“You watch a lot of clips,” Ritchie said. “Got a lot of really good players on this team that I can learn from. I’m trying to take it all in, trying to learn every day.”

It was only right, too, that Brayden Schenn — whom the Isles have assigned to mentor Ritchie — scored his first Islanders goal on an assist from the rookie, and it was a beauty, with Ritchie in the middle of a tic-tac-toe power-play goal that started with Mathew Barzal and ended with a Schenn one-timer for a 1-0 lead.

“We talked a lot,” Schenn said. “He’s working at it, and he’s getting rewarded for it, which is cool to see.”

It was the first of two goals the power play scored in the first period, and the second was all Ritchie, stuffing in his own rebound just nine seconds after Brandon Carlo went for a high stick. That made it a perfect homecoming for Ritchie, who said he got chills standing on the blue line for the national anthem.

That ought to boost Ritchie’s confidence plenty. Just as important: The power play suddenly seems potent, having won the Islanders a game in St. Louis last week — another two-point game for Ritchie — and having gotten them out to an early lead Tuesday.

At this point in the year, it’s likely too late to rescue the Islanders’ woeful ranking at 5-on-4, but they can certainly render it meaningless. Finally, there appear to be signs of a breakthrough.

“It wasn’t anything pretty,” Bo Horvat told The Post. “We just took pucks to the net, and Ritch did a great job taking the puck to the net, especially on his goal. And a great feed over to Schenner on his.

“We’re not trying to overcomplicate things. It’s just moving the puck fast and doing it well.”

For all that, plus Barzal notching a three-assist night for the first time since January 2024, one would think this game had plenty more excitement than it did.

Aside from the odd moment, though — Morgan Rielly dropping gloves with Kyle MacLean, Emil Heineman’s one-timer that made it 3-1 off a suffocating top-line shift — the game stayed in a sort of stasis. The Leafs, with little energy in front of a quiet home crowd, never really forced the issue, and the Islanders were plenty content with that equilibrium.

All told, it was one of the more forgettable 60 minutes of the season. If its trends can last, though, it may be one of the more significant.

TORONTO (AP) — Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist on a pair of first-period power plays as the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Brayden Schenn scored his first goal since being acquired from St. Louis ahead of the trade deadline, and Emil Heineman also scored for the Islanders, who have won nine of 12.

Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves for New York, and Mathew Barzal had three assists.

Steven Lorentz scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll stopped 31 shots.

The Leafs fell to 2-1-1 since losing captain Auston Matthews for the season to a knee injury — a run on the heels of an ugly 0-6-2 slide that all but cratered their playoff hopes.

New York’s Matthew Schaefer picked up an assist to move within one point of becoming the fourth rookie defenseman in franchise history to reach 50 in a season. The 18-year-old is looking to join Stefan Persson (56 in 1977-78), Denis Potvin (54 in 1973-74) and Vladimir Malakhov (52 in 1992-93).

Schenn scored on the game’s first power play at 4:15 of the first. Ritchie doubled New York’s lead at 9:43, also with the man advantage.

Toronto entered Tuesday with the NHL’s third-best penalty kill at 83.5 percent. New York’s power play was 29th at 15.9 percent.

Up next

Islanders: Visit Ottawa on Thursday.

Maple Leafs: Host Carolina on Friday.

It was déja vu all over again for the Bruins, as for the second night in a row, they gave away a lead and lost late in overtime.

This time, it was a Cole Caufield goal with 22 seconds left in the extra session that sank the B’s, giving Montreal an important 3-2 win in this Atlantic Division showdown.

Pavel Zacha scored both Bruins goals, while Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves in defeat.

The Bruins had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in this game, only to see the Habs respond about eight minutes later in each case.

After a scoreless third period, Montreal emerged on top after a back-and-forth OT that saw the teams trade a few chances.

Overall, this was a pretty evenly played game, but one that ends with further frustration for the B’s as they squandered a point for the second time in 24 hours.

Zacha got the scoring started with a power play goal two minutes into the game, making it 1-0 Bruins.

The Habs would capitalize on some loose play with the puck eight minutes later, as Nick Suzuki scored to make it a 1-1 game.

It was Zacha again five minutes into the second period, as he tipped a Viktor Arvidsson shot past Jakub Dobes to make it 2-1 Bruins.

The Habs would answer (again), about eight minutes later (again) as Josh Anderson tipped in a Lane Hutson shot to make it a 2-2 game.

That would remain the score through the third period and until late in overtime, when Cole Caufield scored with 22 seconds left to win the game for Montreal.

Bruins lose in OT, 3-2 final.

Game notes

• I suppose you can look on the bright side and say that the Bruins took four points out of a possible six on this three-game road trip, but it doesn’t really feel like a “glass half full” vibe at the moment. In a vacuum, this was a tight game that game down to Montreal making one extra play, but it becomes more frustrating when paired with last night’s unraveling in New Jersey.
• The Bruins could have used more from their power play tonight, as they were given four opportunities with the man advantage, a rarity for a road game in Montreal. While they cashed in on one of those, the first half of a double minor early in the first period, they came up empty the rest of the way.
• I know 3-on-3 OT usually ends up in a chaotic mix of guys swirling around, but I’m not sure the decision to let Caufield set up camp all alone in the crease was the best decision. Just a suggestion for the future.
• Zacha had a chance for a fairy tale ending in this one, as he was sprung for a breakaway in OT about a minute before Caufield’s winner.
• That winner was Caufield’s 40th goal of the season, the first time he has hit that mark in the NHL.
• While he ultimately takes the loss, Swayman played well for the Bruins in this one. I’m not sure how you fault him for any of the three Montreal goals.

While a point certainly doesn’t hurt the Bruins, things got a little tighter near the wild card spots thanks to Columbus’s 5-1 pasting of Carolina.

The B’s currently find themselves in the first wild card spot due to a regulation wins tiebreaker over Detroit, with Columbus just a point back of both teams.

The Bruins will be off on Wednesday before hosting the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden on Thursday night. A huge game against the Red Wings in Detroit will follow on Saturday night.

Buckle up!

Unsurprisingly in the lead up to this game, all the media attention for the New York Islanders was on rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer, who is from Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up going to Toronto Maple Leafs games. Blah, blah, you’ve heard it all before. But it would be a different rookie from the Toronto area who dominated the scoresheet tonight, as Cal Ritchie, also playing in his first game against the Maple Leafs (or should I say the St. Pats?) in Toronto, picked up a goal and an assist in the first period, both coming on the power play.

Ritchie set up Brayden Schenn’s first as an Islander before scoring what would be the eventual game winner himself, showing off in front of his family and friends. And Schaefer picked up an assist on Ritchie’s game winner, while Mathew Barzal, noted Leaf killer, assisted on all three goals, and he’s now up to 25 points in 21 games against the Maple Leafs.

Big win, and a solid start to a Canadian road trip, since Columbus won yet again and Boston picked up a point against Montreal.

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

First Period

William Nylander had a chance early that Ilya Sorokin saved after an Islanders giveaway.

After Cal Ritchie took a light slash on a developing 2 on 1, the Islanders went to the power play. On that power play, Mat Barzal passed the puck off to Ritchie, who went for a behind the back pass to Brayden Schenn, who scored his first goal as a New York Islander.

Adam Pelech took a hooking penalty on John Tavares, but the Islanders were the more dangerous team on the Leafs PP, as Simon Holmstrom had a short handed chance saved by Joseph Woll, and as the penalty expired, Holmstrom set up JG Pageau for a great chance that was saved by Woll as well.

Anthony Duclair was high sticked by Brandon Carlo, putting the Isles on the power play again. And again, they’d score quickly, as Barzal set up Ritchie in front. Ritchie picked up his own rebound and made it 2-0 batting the puck in past Woll.

Later, Sorokin made a big save on Mattias Maccelli to maintain the two goal lead.

Second Period

Bo Horvat hit the post on a good chance in front of Woll, and Nylander had a shot saved by Sorokin. Pelech was called for his second penalty of the game for slashing Nylander on that play.

Shorthanded, Matthew Schaefer set up a 3 on 2, but Holmstrom was knocked down, and Dakota Joshua was called for holding. There were chances exchanged during the 4 on 4, but neither team scored.

And then shortly after, the Leafs cut the Isles lead in half when Steven Lorentz made it 2-1. The Leafs looked much stronger this period, but a few minutes later, Emil Heineman restored the two goal lead, making it 3-1 off a pass from Tony DeAngelo. Barzal also picked up his third assist of the game on the goal.

Casey Cizikas was called for hooking, but the Islanders killed that.

Kyle MacLean made slight contact with Woll while skating across the ice near the crease, and Morgan Rielly cross checked him and then they exchanged punches. Both players got five minute majors, and Rielly also picked up the extra 2 minutes for cross checking, sending the Isles to the PP.

Horvat’s stick broke on a one timer chance, and he had to get back with a new stick off the bench to help defend a shorthanded chance from the Leafs, and the Leafs killed the penalty.

Third Period

Sorokin saved Calle Jarnkrok’s shot but left a big rebound, and Jacob Quillan put the puck wide as Sorokin was getting across.

That was the most dangerous chance for a while, but then Tavares took a four minute high sticking double minor. The four minute power play was pretty dangerous, but the Isles didn’t score on it. The Leafs pulled Woll as soon as they got possession, while still on the penalty kill, but they couldn’t score anything, and the Islanders would close out the 3-1 win.

Up Next

Next, the Islanders head to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Thursday night. The Senators are just hanging on in the wild card mix with a couple extra games to play, so this will be another important game with playoff implications as the Isles try to maintain their 3rd seed in the Metro Division.

TORONTO -- Calum Ritchie recorded a goal and an assist, while Matthew Schaefer added an assist in their hometown debuts, helping the New York Islanders to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. 

Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves to earn the 150th win of his NHL career. 

Here's how the game unfolded:

Brayden Schenn scored his first goal since joining the Islanders ahead of March 6th's NHL Trade Deadline. He received a nifty Ritchie feed on the power play at 4:15 of the first period:

Ritchie casually sets up Schenn as if they’ve been playing on the power play together, forever.🚨 #Isles 1-0 pic.twitter.com/E8P9LG8sFM

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 17, 2026

That was Schenn's 13th of the season. 

Ritchie doubled the Islanders' lead to 2-0 at 9:43 of the first period. Barzal, stationed on the left half-wall, fed Ritchie down low before the rookie cut to the top of the crease:

Ritchie creates a great target along the goal line and makes a great move to the inside. 🚨2-0 #Islespic.twitter.com/lMKpiJu0uV

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 17, 2026

That was Ritchie's ninth goal of the season. 

Steven Lorenz got the Maple Leafs on the board at 4:40 of the second, but the Islanders responded at 11:57 of the third after Emil Heineman wired a Tony DeAngelo one-time feed for his 19th of the season:

Possession ➡️ Heineman🚨 pic.twitter.com/qGxqYnNtfJ

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 18, 2026

UP NEXT: The Islanders battle the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at 7 PM ET

Developing prospects drafted after the first round can be complicated at times. Unlike top picks, those selected in the second or later rounds statistically have a smaller chance of becoming impactful at the NHL level. That being said, teams are able to find late-round steals almost every year, which is why the 2020 and 2021 drafts remain a dark cloud over the Vancouver Canucks organization. 

During the 2020 and 2021 drafts, the Canucks had a total of 11 picks. Of those 11 picks, zero have played NHL games, with only three having some form of connection to the organization. While there is a chance that one or two of these players could still play in the NHL, overall, these two drafts could go down among the worst in franchise history. 

Starting in 2020, Vancouver made five selections. Of those five, only Jackson Kunz remains with the organization as he is signed to an AHL deal. Here are the five draft picks:

82nd- Joni Jurmo
113th- Jackson Kunz
144th- Jacob Truscott
175th- Dmitri Zlodeyev
191st- Viktor Persson

As for players that Canucks could have had, here are some players who have played NHL games drafted just after these selections:

83rd- Alex Laferriere
114th- Mikael Pyyhtiä
150th- Matt Kessel
181st- Cole Reinhardt
205th- Ilya Solovyov

Moving to the 2021 draft, Vancouver made six selections. Of the six, only Danila Klimovich and Aku Koskenvuo. Here are the six draft picks:

41st- Danila Klimovich
137th- Aku Koskenvuo
140th- Jonathan Myrenberg
169th- Hugo Gabrielson
178th- Connor Lockhart
201st- Lucas Forsell

And here is a look at players who have played NHL games the Canucks could have drafted instead:

47th- Logan Stankoven
144th- Jaroslav Chmelar
150th- Joshua Roy
193rd- Tyson Kozak
203rd- Zakhar Bardakov

In the end, the inability to produce at least one NHLer from these two drafts is currently causing Vancouver issues. There is also a case to be made that Jim Benning's constant trading away of picks, even middle-round ones, has impacted the organization this season. As mentioned, while there is still a chance someone from this draft makes the NHL one day, the odds are that both classes will continue to remain bare. 

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 Detroit Red Wings did what they had to do on Monday evening, defeating the Calgary Flames by a 5-2 final score at Little Caesars Arena. 

Not only did goaltender John Gibson turn in another strong performance by making 25 saves, but the club also got a pair of second-period goals from future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane.

Kane knotted the score at 1-1 early in the second period when he sniped Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf on a breakaway attempt, and then later redirected a perfect pass from Alex DeBrincat (who also assisted on his first goal) past Wolf, giving him a total of 504 career goals. 

With his first goal tonight (#503), Patrick Kane passes Joe Mullen for the fourth-most by a U.S.-born player in NHL history pic.twitter.com/zlkxdZBgiy

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 17, 2026

Kane, who has already set a pair of important milestones this season by scoring both his 500th career goal and becoming the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, made history once again. 

With his 503rd goal, he passed Joe Mullen and now sits alone in fourth place all-time in total goals by a U.S.-born player.

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Kane, who moved past Mike Modano in late January in total scoring by a U.S.-born NHL player, looked back on a media tour that he took part in that included Modano, Mullen, and Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley early in his career.

“Coming into the NHL and being a high American pick, we did a little thing for Modano when he was about to pass the record there in New York City, kind of like a media tour with the past of Phil Housley and Joey Mullen, and present with Modano and myself, which I guess at that time was the future,” Kane said with a smile.

Kane then expressed his gratitude for the graciousness shown to him by both Housley and Mullen, who had already been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as the future Hall of Famer in Modano. 

“It was a long time ago, but to spend time with those guys, Mullen, Housley, and Modano, and just how gracious they were with their time with me, treating me like one of their own, was pretty cool to spend some time with them.”

Kane added, “It’s definitely a humbling milestone.”

There's no question that Kane will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility whenever his playing career comes to a close. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks made multiple moves leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. This was expected, as the Blackhawks are still rebuilding and are on the wrong side of the playoff line. 

Due to this, the Blackhawks traded multiple of their former pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs), as Nick Foligno (Minnesota Wild), Connor Murphy (Edmonton Oilers), and Jason Dickinson (Oilers) were all moved.

However, one Blackhawks pending UFA who did not get moved ahead of the deadline is veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. Now, the Blackhawks have a decision to make with the Massachusetts native because of it. 

Grzelcyk has been a solid depth addition for the Blackhawks this season. Due to this, could the Blackhawks try to keep the 32-year-old defenseman beyond this season? 

The Blackhawks have a young blueline with several promising defensemen. With this, it would not be the worst thing in the world if the Blackhawks extended Grzelcyk and kept him around as a veteran mentor for the club's younger defensemen. Grzelcyk could work well as the Blackhawks' seventh defenseman next season.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what the Blackhawks decide to do with Grzelcyk. In 66 games this season with the Original Six club, he has 12 assists and 30 penalty minutes.