OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored twice and the Ottawa Senators beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 on Sunday night to move into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Ottawa moved a point ahead of the New York Islanders for the last playoff spot with five games left. The Senators are five points behind Boston for the first wild card.
Carolina leads the East, two points ahead of Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes missed a chance to clinch the Metropolitan Division.
Both teams were playing the second half of back-to-back games, with Ottawa scoring twice in a 3:42 span in the third to take a 5-2 lead.
Shane Pinto made it 4-2 on a power play, beating Frederik Andersen to the short side. Ridly Greig then won a race to the net and, while Andersen made the initial save, the side was wide open for Tkachuk to bury his second of the game.
Carolina’s Taylor Hall wristed a shot past Linus Ullmark with 2:30 remaining to make it 5-3, but Claude Giroux added an empty-netter for Ottawa.
Dylan Cozens and Tim Stutzle also scored for Ottawa, and Ullmark stopped 25 shots. Defenseman Jake Sanderson played his 300th NHL game. He had an assist.
Logan Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina, and Andersen made 25 saves.
OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 05: Tim Stützle #18 of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his first period goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with Fabian Zetterlund #20 at Canadian Tire Centre on April 05, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the pregame hype reel was released on social media for Sunday’s game against Ottawa, the sight of Nicolas Deslauriers walking in and his jersey being hung ended up being a signal that Carolina was prepared to have at least one player sit out. It turns out two players didn’t make the trip to Ottawa—Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook—and the effort on the ice showed that the Canes had moved into preservation mode as Ottawa ran away with the game 5-2.
The loss means that Carolina failed to clinch the Metropolitan Division as Pittsburgh won in regulation for the second day in a row against a Florida team that has given up on the season.
Ottawa meanwhile was looking to at least salvage some points to stem the bleeding from dropping four of their last five and take advantage of other results during the day to stay in the Wild Card 2 spot and inch closer to Boston in the first spot.
The game started well for the Hurricanes, as Carolina reacted to losing their Power Play Goal games streak on Saturday by starting a new one. The Canes earned the penalty when Seth Jarvis went down the ice on a breakway and was held by Jordan Spence to the point where he ended up in the goalie net, hitting the cross bar. Jarvis was OK, and on the ensuring power play a red hot Nikolaj Ehlers was able to get close to the net, thread a great pass over to Logan Stankoven who potted it to put the Hurricanes up 1-0.
Once that power play was finished, though, the Senators basically took control of the game. There wasn’t a period where the Senators were outshot by the Canes, and less than two minutes after Stankoven gave Carolina the lead Ottawa tied it back up on a Power Play goal of their own by Dylan Cozens. Less than a minute later, Tim Stützle took advantage of a misplay on the puck, skated in on goalie Frederik Andersen, and made a great move at the crease to push the puck by the goalie to give the Senators a 2-1 lead.
Carolina still had some fight, though, as the first period wound down. Carolina was able to keep possession of the puck in the Ottawa zone in the last few seconds, and when a shot went toward Linus Ullmark he was unable to fully cover it in sight of the referee and Andrei Svechnikov kept batting at the puck to get it into the goal and knot the score right at the end of the period.
The good vibes for the Canes were over after that, though, as Ottawa took control of the game. Brady Tkachuk provided the dagger 8:33 into the period with a tip in from a point shot by Artem Zub. While Carolina didn’t surrender another goal in the second, the mood and play on the ice indicated that the Canes went into self-preservation mode.
The third period put the final nail in the game when Carolina was unable to take advantage of another power play, and Shane Pinto would score a few minutes later to put the game out of reach for Ottawa at 4-2. The rest of the goals were window dressing as Tkachuk made it 5-2, and then Taylor Hall finally got his 300th career goal late in the period to bring Carolina back to within two. The goal came with some netfront presence by the veteran, and it did give Carolina a shred of hope with a little over two minutes left.
The Hurricanes would pull Andersen and try to stage a rally, but Claude Giroux nailed the empty net, and Carolina heads back home with their winning streak snapped at three, 6-3.
Ullmark was able to make 25 saves on 28 shots playing the second night in a row after backstopping the Senators against Minnesota on Saturday. Andersen was a victim of the missing stalwarts of Staal and Martinook, making 25 saves on 30 shots.
Carolina heads back to Raleigh to face off against another desperate playoff team in Boston on Tuesday night for their last regular season home game. They’ll once again have a chance to clinch the division, and this time they’ll so without keeping an eye on Pittsburgh as the Penguins somehow scored three days off and won’t play again until Thursday.
Toronto defenseman Troy Stecher was a member of the Kings during the 2021-22 season - he played 13 regular-season games and four post-season contests - spoke about being Anze Kopitar's teammate for a short time and even shared a funny story about the Kings captain.
Stecher was asked if he had any specific memory about Kopitar from his short stint with the team.
"Yeah, actually… at the end of the season, we went there for family barbecue dinner, wrap-up party with all the guys and wives and kids, at his house," Stecher started. "I'd heard he had a pool, and there was no pool.
"So I was like, 'Kopi, where's your pool?' And he's like, 'follow me,'" Stecher said. "And then he clicked a button, and the ground, like, lowered up, and then the water started to fill in."
Stecher was impressed by Kopitar's fancy pool setup at his place.
"I was like, 'this is the NHL, this is really cool.' So that was a pretty cool memory," the Leafs defenseman said.
Not only was Stecher a teammate of Kopitar's, but he also shared the ice with the Kings captain several times as an opponent in the Pacific Division. Stecher also had stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers in his 10-year NHL career.
On Saturday, they shared the ice for the last time in a thrilling overtime contest, which finished 7-6 in Los Angeles' favor. Stecher had 21:10 of ice time in that game, while Kopitar finished the game with 21:13 of ice time.
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MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens wrapped up their second straight playoff spot Sunday when Detroit fell 5-4 to Minnesota, making them the first Canadian team to secure a postseason berth.
Last season, Montreal took the final spot in the Eastern Conference before falling to Washington in five games in the first round.
Montreal dropped a 3-0 decision to New Jersey at home Sunday night. The Canadiens are third in the Atlantic Division, even in points with second-place Buffalo and five ahead of Boston.
But by Sunday afternoon, Pete DeBoer's new squad lost its spot to the Philadelphia Flyers (89 points, one game in hand), who beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime. That moved the Islanders to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
That result also guaranteed that the Islanders will be on the outside looking in when they return to play on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Ottawa Senators (90 points) beat the Hurricanes, so the Islanders are now a point out of a wild-card spot.
We will see just how far out of a playoff spot the Islanders are when Toronto comes to town for a 7 PM showdown on Thursday.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rickard Rakell scored twice, Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Sunday.
Rakell scored his first goal for the Penguins with 48 seconds left in the first period on the power play, assisted on by Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. His second came with 1:52 left in the second period.
Bryan Rust and Elmer Soderblom also scored for the Penguins. Carter Verhaeghe and Cole Schwindt each scored for the Panthers.
Pittsburgh's Arturs Silovs stopped 29 shots after tandem mate Stuart Skinner was ruled out with an upper-body injury. Daniil Tarasov allowed five goals on 23 shots in defeat.
Up next
Penguins: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Panthers: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
MONTREAL, CANADA - FEBRUARY 08: Dawson Mercer #91 of the New Jersey Devils and Juraj Slafkovsky #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skate against each other during the third period at the Bell Centre on February 8, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) versus the Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10)
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PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his first period goal with Evgeni Malkin #71 against the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins use the same lineup from yesterday — including in net with Arturs Silovs playing. Taylor Gauthier got the quick call up from Wheeling last minute to serve as backup, Stuart Skinner was unavailable with an upper body injury.
Pittsburgh strikes first, Tarasov clears the puck to the wall but unfortunately for him it serves as a pass almost straight to Elmer Soderblom. Soderblom accepts the gift and quickly fires it back into the unguarded cage.
Pittsburgh is able to answer right back 35 seconds later. Sidney Crosby shows off the jets streaking down the left side and scores from distance. 2-1, Pens back in front.
Parker Wotherspoon and Matthew Tkachuk drop the gloves in a fight, Tkachuk picks up an extra minor penalty and the Pens score a back-breaking goal before the end of period to extend their lead to 3-1. Rickard Rakell takes a feed from Crosby and whips it into the net.
WELCOME TO RAK CITY.
Rickard Rakell is riding an eight-game point streak (9G-3A) with goals in five straight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mn803paAd9
Most of this period looked like a continuation from yesterday, a very good thing for the Penguins to keep taking care of business.
Second period
The teams go up and back the ice, in a way going through the motions while still bringing some level of chippiness. Rakell stays red hot and scores another goal late in the period, taking a pass from Evgeni Malkin and adding to the lead to 4-1.
The Pens tack on another, why not. Crosby makes a spinning backhand pass that isn’t particularly good but Bryan Rust has plenty of time and space to spin around and receive it. Rust then gets to the net and scores. 5-1.
Connor Clifton takes his second penalty of the period and the Panthers make them pay. Carter Verhaeghe makes his stats for the end of the season look a little better with the late goal. 5-2.
The offensive production right now is just electric with 30 goals in the last five games, the first stretch for the franchise since the ‘Score Lords’ days of 1996 with Lemieux, Francis and Jagr. The wild thing about the current run is it’s not star-driven, it’s been incredibly balanced with every line pitching in and consistent contributions from all over the place.
That being said, the big boys are starting to get it going. Malkin followed up his hat trick yesterday with two assists today. Crosby looked the best he has in a long while since dealing with his dual leg injuries of the last few months. Three-point night, which is great, seeing the captain showcase the skating ability and finishing touch to score from distance was an even better sign.
Rakell, too, has been unbelievable lately. Go play center? No problem. Rakell has scored 10 goals in the last 10 games, and he has at least one goal in eight of the last 10 games.
The goalie situation might have just gotten interesting. Skinner was able to serve as backup yesterday but apparently something happened recently that wasn’t allowing him to dress today. The team reportedly didn’t have enough time to physically get Sergei Murashov from Wilkes-Barre to Pittsburgh in time for the 3pm start, so they went somewhat local to bring Taylor Gauthier up from Wheeling to serve as something of a professional EBUG for the day. According to Josh Yohe at The Athletic, Murashov would be coming to Pittsburgh if Skinner is going to miss more time. That’s an area worth watching in the coming days, though since the next game isn’t until Thursday, there is some time to figure things out and see where it goes.
Interestingly though, Silovs was decent enough today, certainly his best performance in a long while. It’s been well-documented that goalies see a drop off in stats when they’re asked to play two days in a row. But it’s goalies, right? So of course someone like Silovs who has struggled lately actually ends up playing his best game in a while on his second day in a row.
Great weekend for the Pens to take care of business and win two relatively drama-free games against an eliminated opponent. Pittsburgh’s playoff magic number is down to just 2, and there’s a pretty good chance that the next time they take the ice on Thursday in New Jersey that they will have already officially clinched a playoff berth due to the outside results over the next few days.
The Florida Panthers wrapped up their weekend back-to-back in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately for the Cats, the back-end of the weekend doubleheader didn’t go any better than the opener, as Florida fell again on Sunday by a final score of 5-2.
The Penguins picked up the game’s opening goal, and it came after a turnover off the stick of Florida’s goaltender.
Daniil Tarasov came up toward the slot to try and clear a loose puck, but a stick-check by Connor Dewar caused Tarasov to partially whiff on his clear. The puck then went straight toward Elmer Soderblom, who smartly one-timed the puck back toward the vacated net, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead exactly 11 minutes into the game.
Florida would get the equalizer at the 16:15 mark after a Gus Forsling keep at the Penguins blue line and a spinning pass by Vinnie Hinostroza led to a slot shot by Cole Schwindt for his fourth goal of the season.
The game didn’t stay tied for long, though.
Sidney Crosby netted his 29th of the year to put the Pens up 2-1, and then Rickard Rakell scored for the second day in a row to send Pittsburgh into the first intermission with a two-goal advantage.
That’s how the score would remain until late in the middle frame, with Rakell picked up his second of the night when a friendly bounce off the back boards gave him a high-danger look from the low slot, beating Tarasov over the glove.
Bryan Rust got in on the fun early in the third period, taking a pass from Crosby and going in along on Tarasov before firing a backhand that was stepped up Tarasov but still found a way to bounce into the net, making it 5-1 Penguins.
It wasn’t until late in the game, but Florida finally found a way to stop the bleeding thanks to a power play goal by Carter Verhaeghe with 5:45 to go.
Florida wouldn’t get any closer than that.
They depart Pittsburgh having been outscored 14-6 while visiting the Pens.
Photo caption: Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)
Former Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy was dismissed by the New York Islanders on Sunday, a decision that, while not entirely unexpected, still arrives at a striking point late in the season with only four games remaining.
A Sudden Ending In Long Island
Roy’s departure follows a difficult stretch for the Islanders, who have gone 3–7–0 in their last 10 games and are currently clinging to playoff positioning. A four-game losing streak appears to have accelerated the organization’s decision-making process, ultimately leading to the mid-April coaching change.
While the timing of the move is notable, speculation surrounding Roy’s future had been building for some time. Even early in the season, questions persisted about his long-term fit with the club. Despite that, the Islanders entered the year with Roy behind the bench, and at one point appeared positioned to return to the postseason.
Roy initially helped stabilize the franchise after taking over midway through the 2023–24 campaign, guiding the Islanders to an unexpected playoff berth. That success, however, was followed by a disappointing 2024–25 season, which placed him firmly on the hot seat entering this year. Although the Islanders showed stretches of improved play during the current campaign, inconsistency in the second half ultimately proved costly.
Roy’s Avalanche Tenure And Coaching Arc
Roy’s firing in New York also brings renewed attention to his earlier coaching tenure with the Colorado Avalanche, where he made a significant impact both on and off the ice.
Hired in 2013, Roy immediately turned the Avalanche into one of the league’s most competitive teams, earning the Jack Adams Award in his first season as head coach. Under his leadership, Colorado captured the Central Division title and posted a 52-win season in 2013–14, a dramatic turnaround from the year prior.
Roy as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.
However, his time with the Avalanche came to an abrupt and unexpected end in 2016 when Roy resigned from his position, citing differences in organizational philosophy and a lack of input on personnel decisions. At the time, his departure caught the hockey world off guard, as detailed in reporting from ESPN, which noted Roy’s desire for a greater role in hockey operations alongside coaching responsibilities.
Roy’s resignation marked the end of a highly visible and at times volatile tenure in Colorado, where his intense coaching style and strong opinions on roster construction were both assets and sources of internal tension.
New Leadership In New York
In the wake of Roy’s dismissal, the Islanders moved quickly to appoint Peter DeBoer as his replacement. DeBoer, most recently the head coach of the Dallas Stars, brings extensive NHL experience and a track record of postseason success.
DeBoer is also familiar to Avalanche fans, having led the Stars to a seven-game victory over Colorado in a hard-fought first-round playoff series last season. He was also behind the bench when the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Avalanche in the second round in 2021. His arrival in New York sets the stage for a new direction behind the Islanders’ bench, particularly as the franchise looks to stabilize its late-season performance and secure a playoff berth.
With the Islanders’ playoff hopes still alive, the organization is hoping the coaching change provides a late boost in performance. For Roy, the dismissal adds another chapter to a coaching career that has been marked by both early success and abrupt transitions.
As the offseason approaches, Roy’s name is likely to surface in connection with future NHL coaching vacancies, though it remains to be seen where his next opportunity will come.
While NHL conversations often center around iconic offensive pairings like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, or Nikita Kucherov alongside Brayden Point, one of the league’s most productive duos continues to operate with far less attention in Winnipeg.
For much of the season, the offensive chemistry between Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor has quietly matched, and in some cases surpassed, the headline combinations that dominate league-wide discussion. Yet outside of Winnipeg, the pairing still rarely receives the same spotlight.
That lack of recognition persisted even after the Winnipeg Jets delivered the best regular season in franchise history, capturing their first-ever Presidents’ Trophy after finishing atop the NHL standings.
Winnipeg’s consistency throughout the year made them one of the league’s most complete teams, but much of the attention still landed elsewhere.
Now, Scheifele and Connor are once again making a strong case for greater recognition. The longtime linemates have factored in on 60 goals together this season, the highest total by any duo in the NHL.
That number reflects not only individual talent, but also a connection built through years of playing together and understanding each other’s tendencies in all areas of the offensive zone.
Their chemistry has become one of Winnipeg’s defining strengths. Connor remains one of the NHL’s most reliable finishers, while Scheifele continues to drive play with his vision and ability to create scoring chances under pressure. When one produces, the other is often directly involved, a pattern that has become familiar for Jets fans over several seasons.
Even with that production, Winnipeg often remains overlooked in league-wide conversations, particularly when compared with larger markets or teams built around more publicly celebrated stars.
Jets fans, however, have long recognized that Scheifele and Connor belong in any serious discussion of the NHL’s elite offensive tandems.
If hockey fans did not fully notice them during a Presidents’ Trophy season, they may not be able to ignore them much longer.
As another strong campaign continues, Winnipeg’s top duo is once again proving that one of the league’s very best partnerships plays in Manitoba, even if the rest of the hockey world is slow to admit it.
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DETROIT (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov completed the sixth hat trick of his NHL career on the power play with 1:51 remaining to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
The Wild led 4-1 before allowing Detroit to score three times in the third period and tie it. A penalty on Patrick Kane paved the way for Kaprizov to score his third goal of the game.
The Red Wings led the Atlantic Division and were tied for the most points in the Eastern Conference the morning of Jan. 25, with a 12-point playoff cushion. They've lost 12 of 20 games since to fall out of a spot with five left to play.
Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello each had an assist on the go-ahead goal. Vladimir Tarasenko and Boldy each scored for the Wild after Albert Johansson had a goal in the first.
J.T. Compher, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Kane scored on Filip Gustavsson to rally back. Gustavsson finished with 18 saves, while Detroit's Cam Talbot allowed five goals on 20 shots.
Up next
Wild: Host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
Red Wings: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
Stuck in their first four-game losing streak of the season at a critical point in an unexpected playoff chase, the New York Islanders fired Patrick Roy as head coach and replaced him with Pete DeBoer.
It was shocking in that it came on Easter Sunday, and amid their first sustained struggle in a season where external (if not internal) expectations were limited, and DeBoer now has just six games in this regular season to make some sort of impact.
But with the way the Islanders had played lately, and the degree to which they’ve relied on superlative performances by rookie Calder favorite Matthew Schaefer and Vezina contender Ilya Sorokin, it was common to wonder how long into this summer or next season Mathieu Darche would stick with Roy. The Islanders just began a rare four-day break in their game schedule, so if Darche was thinking of a late-season change for a while, this was the window.
DeBoer, of course, has a long track record of regular season success and long post-season runs, including an odds-defying 9-0 in Games 7. But he’s also had a short, burn-hot-and-fast shelf life in several of his previous stops. His last firing, by the Dallas Stars, came after mounting tension between him and players, including the goalie he threw under the bus after a playoff elimination.
DeBoer is 662-447-152 in 1,261 regular-season games for the Florida Panthers, Devils, San Jose Sharks, Golden Knights and Stars, and 97-82 in 179 Stanley Cup Playoff games while also guiding San Jose to the 2016 Final, a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His teams have advanced to at least the third round of the playoffs each of his past six seasons qualifying for the postseason, and in eight of his 10 overall.
Roy finishes his Islanders tenure with a record of 97-78-22 in 197 games. His lone playoff appearance was when he. replaced Lane Lambert on their way to a traditional five-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. His press conferences and media scrums, if not his on-ice structure, will be missed.
Saturday was an historic day for the Buffalo Sabres, as the club qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 15 years after the Detroit Red Wings lost 4-1 to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon, but the Sabres recent struggles continued, as they fell two points behind Tampa Bay for top spot in the Atlantic and into third place following a 6-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.
Buffalo fell behind 3-0 less than six minutes into the game, with Alex Lyon being pulled in favor of rookie Colten Ellis. The Sabres narrowed the gap to 3-2 by the end of the first, but the Capitals re-established a two-goal cushion in the middle frame and pulled away with a pair of third-period goals.
The loss marked the Sabres first pair of consecutive regulation losses since before GM Kevyn Adams was fired in early December and the fifth loss in the last seven games (2-3-2). It was also the third straight subpar outing for Lyon, who allowed six goals on 33 shots in an overtime loss to Anaheim on March 22 and four goals on 19 shots against Detroit on March 27.
The Lightning pulled into a two-point lead for top spot with a 3-1 win over Boston on Saturday, and Montreal tied the Sabres with 100 points and into second place based on having a game in hand and a one-game lead in regulation/overtime wins after a 4-3 shootout win in New Jersey. Monday’s matchup against Tampa Bay takes on even more meaning for Buffalo, as it is a must-win to keep their chances of winning the division alive. The Sabres could be two points behind the Habs by that time, since Montreal and the Devils face each other in the second of a home-and-home at the Bell Centre on Sunday night.
Monday's matchup against Tampa is a must win if the Sabres hope to have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Head coach Lindy Ruff spoke after the game:
Thoughts on the slow start in the loss:
We can't defend as poorly as we did on those first couple goals. I mean, we left two guys wide open. Coverage wasn't good, and ends up in the back of the net. We've taken a lot of pride. Our defensive play has been a big reason why we got to where we got. We can't take that for granted. (We took the timeout and) I talked about our defensive zone coverage. Just talked about, we've got to get back, got to stop inside. We were circling. I thought we fought our way back to 3-2, if you look at the second period, we have a two-on-one, we don't execute, would have made the game 3-3, and that two-on-one turned into a two-on-one the other way, and and they finished it (and) made it 4-2, and then now we're chasing the game again.
Did you pull Lyon to change momentum?
Yeah, for sure. He wasn't out there covering those guys that were wide open. He was trying to.
All of a sudden, you are in third place, which seems kind of shocking given on where the club has been for weeks:
You just have to refocus. You look at some of those plays that we made in our own end that weren't good enough. If you start cheating a little bit on offense, it hurts you, and I thought a couple times we got on the wrong side of the puck, and it hurt us. (Turning things around) starts with breaking the puck out. We haven't broke the puck out well enough. I think the first or second goal when (Byram) had it, it should be a play we're breaking the puck out. We turn that over and turnovers like that. When we have the puck, our players are automatically starting to head the other direction. So everything's connected. Break the puck out better, buy a little more time for your defense going back.
The New York Rangers appear to be locked in on utilizing three goaltenders to close out the 2025-26 season.
On March 20, the Rangers recalled Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, with Jonathan Quick dealing with an upper-body injury.
Through Quick’s seven-game absence, Garand played in two games, posting a 1-0-1 record, 1.44 goals against average, and .954 save percentage.
Since Garand notched his first NHL win on March 27, we haven’t seen him play in a game, which begs the question: Will the Rangers keep him around for the remainder of the season?
As of right now, it does not appear that the Rangers have any intention of sending Garand down to the AHL, but Sullivan hasn’t given confirmation whether or not Garand will get another start.
“Would we like for Dylan to get another start? Potentially, yes,” Sullivan said. “We'll see how it goes moving forward. We have a game plan for him.”
Having three goaltenders up at the same time creates some complications in terms of finding opportunities for all three of them.
Garand served in a backup role behind Shesterkin for much of Quick’s absence, being a healthy scratch for the past two games upon Quick’s return to practice.
Each goalie has been a participant in practice, but it’s difficult to split the repetitions equally, with Shesterkin and Quick receiving most of the work.
Through conversations with Rangers president and general manager Chris Dury as well as goaltending coach Jeff Malcolm, Sullivan has formulated a plan to navigate the three-goalie rotation.
“We have a game plan,” Sullivan said of the Rangers’ three-goalie rotation. “Chris Drury and I have had a conversation around this, so we're very much on the same page on what we think is best and why. That was a lengthy discussion. It's not a decision that we make lightly. I've talked to Shesty, Quickie and Dylan around a tentative game plan on what we think this whole thing might look like...
“Sometimes certain guys go out before practice, and they get repetition. Sometimes it's after practice. Certain guys split the net during the formal practice, depending on what that looks like. The point is, the logistical aspect of that (Jeff Malcolm) and I have had discussions around.”
Sullivan has made clear that, despite the Rangers being eliminated from playoff contention, Shesterkin is still the starting goaltender.
The Rangers have five games remaining this season, and with no back-to-backs in store, it’s possible Shesterkin starts every game to close out the 2025-26 campaign.
Even with the lack of opportunity to get game action at the NHL level, Sullivan believes there is value in keeping Garand with the Blueshirts and allowing him to learn under Shesterkin and Quick.
“I think Quickie and Shesty have been great mentors for Dylan Garand right now,” Sullivan emphasized. “I can see that relationship developing. The example that those two guys set for a guy like Dylan, it's great for Dylan to be around these guys... I think a guy like Dylan right now being around these guys, I think there's huge value in that, and a huge benefit in that.”
The Rangers’ backup goaltending position is up for grabs come next season, and given Garand’s breadth of experience in the AHL and the fact that Quick’s one-year, $1.55 million contract will expire on July 1, it isn’t far-fetched to assume that Garand could take over the position backing up Shesterkin and replace Quick.
The dilemma Sullivan seems to have on his hands is wanting to offer Garand more opportunities in order to see what the organization truly has in him, while also giving Quick the respect he deserves, who could very well be playing in his final NHL season at 40 years old.
“Shesty is an important guy to us. He's the number one guy here, and arguably the best goal in the game. We've had a lot of conversations lately about Quickie and what he means to the New York Rangers,” Sullivan said. “Just his body of work, and certainly, we are respectful of that. We're trying to do the right thing by all of our guys.”
Sullivan has continued to be tight-lipped regarding this three-goalie rotation, so it remains a mystery how it will evolve over these last remaining games.
