The Vegas Golden Knights (32-25-14) snapped a three-game skid and delivered a crucial statement victory, edging the Dallas Stars (43-16-11) 3-2 Sunday night at American Airlines Center.

Entering the contest on the heels of three uninspired performances in which they managed just a single goal, the Golden Knights faced a pivotal opportunity to preserve their playoff positioning—and they seized it.

Returning from a five-game healthy scratch, Reilly Smith made an immediate impact, scoring the game-winning goal with 3:38 remaining in the third period. Supporting him on the scoresheet were Brayden McNabb and Ivan Barbashev.

In net, Adin Hill displayed his goaltending skill, stopping 13 of 15 shots. However, he did surrender a couple of goals early in the game. Hill had struggled in recent outings—most notably against the Utah Mammoth, where he allowed three goals on just three shots. Overall, he had conceded five goals on his last nine shots, a concerning stat for any netminder.

Despite that rough stretch, Hill rebounded admirably against Dallas, helping the Golden Knights secure the crucial victory.

McNabb Sparks Early Momentum

Just over four minutes into the opening frame, McNabb set the tone with a coast-to-coast effort that highlighted his post-Olympic resurgence. His skillful drive gave Vegas an early lead, but the Stars quickly countered. Wyatt Johnston recorded his 23rd power-play goal of the season—setting a new franchise record—after a precise man-advantage shift at 10:55. Later, a defensive miscue allowed Justin Hryckowian to capitalize in front of Hill, knotting the score by the end of the first period.

Despite being outshot and out-chanced in the early stages, Vegas’ underlying metrics told a more promising story: 27-14 in shot attempts, 17-6 in scoring opportunities, and a commanding 71.82 percent expected goal share. The team had simply been undone by timely finishing from Dallas.

The second period belonged to the Golden Knights. Controlling the neutral zone and dominating shot attempts 11-3, Vegas held Dallas scoreless over the final 14:46 of the stanza. Their second-unit power play executed flawlessly: Brett Howden operated at the side of the net while Barbashev took over Dorofeyev’s role on the one-timer, tying the game at 2-2 at 9:10.

Special teams continued to define the period. After Jack Eichel drew a double minor for high-sticking, Vegas’ penalty kill delivered a clutch stop. Though the Golden Knights couldn’t convert on their subsequent power play late in the period, they sustained offensive pressure, generating multiple high-danger chances and forcing Casey DeSmith into several highlight-reel saves.

Late-Game Heroics Seal Victory

The Stars dominated early in the third, outshooting Vegas 10-1 in the first half of the period, but the momentum shifted as the Golden Knights gradually took control. With under four minutes left, Vegas orchestrated a decisive sequence: a crafty cycle by Mitch Marner created a rebound that Smith expertly pounced on, delivering the game-winner. The Stars pulled DeSmith in the final two minutes, yet Vegas’ relentless pressure on the 6-on-5 sealed the 3-2 triumph.

Vegas’ victory was a testament to tightened defensive execution and aggressive play, outshooting Dallas 33-15 and controlling the expected goals battle 4.57-1.61. Special teams, which had been a liability in Nashville, emerged as a saving grace in Dallas.

The win elevates the Golden Knights to second in the Pacific Division, holding a slim advantage over Edmonton. With just 11 games remaining, this gritty performance could provide the momentum Vegas needs to finish the season strong. The team will conclude its three-game road swing in Winnipeg on Tuesday, a matchup in which they already hold a favorable recent record.

While the Montreal Canadiens had a day off on Sunday, three players were in Mascouche at Memorable Authentic to meet fans and sign autographs. Despite the snow that wasn’t letting up, fans turned up in droves to meet Finnish rookie Oliver Kapanen, forward Alexandre Texier, and the latest Laval Rocket call-up and future Habs starter Jacob Fowler.

Kapanen and Texier appeared from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, while Fowler was in attendance from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM. The players were in great spirits and happy to pose for pictures with fans after signing their items.

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Canadiens Turn Things Around And Bag Big Win

The three players have plenty to smile about. Kapanen is having a fantastic rookie season with 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points. He’s third amongst rookies in goals, behind Beckett Sennecke (22 goals) and Matthew Schaefer (21 goals), and sixth in points.  

As for Texier, his season was going nowhere in St. Louis with one point in eight games, and he bet on himself, getting out of his contract and signing at a discount with the Canadiens to finish the season. He soon impressed Kent Hughes and earned a two-year contract extension with a 2.5 M cap hit. Since joining the Canadiens, he has 19 points in 37 games and has been used in a variety of situations, proving extremely useful to Martin St-Louis.

Meanwhile, Fowler, who was expected to spend the whole season in the AHL, took advantage of Samuel Montembeault’s tough season and made the most of his first callup in December. When Montembeault faltered again, the youngster was ready for the call, and he looks like he’ll be with the Habs until the end of the season, and for the playoffs as well. In 13 games, the youngster has a 6-5-2 record, a 2.72 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage.

If you missed out on the event, make sure to visit Memorable Authentic in the next few days to add signed items from the three players to your collection.

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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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The Pittsburgh Penguins March schedule was always going to be daunting, and they are almost through it. So far, all things considered, they have handled it mostly okay, especially given the absences of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for a significant part of it. I said at the beginning if they could just play .500 or better hockey, they should be fine and maintain their playoff position. They have done that. At least to this point.

Even the past five games have been a pretty significant success. Sunday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes was a total no-show, but even with that they still managed to get seven out of a possible 10 points. That is more than enough, and if they get seven out of the next 10 points they are still going to be in great shape.

I said on social media on Sunday you need to do yourself a favor and not look at every individual game as a must-win game and ride that roller coaster, but look at these games as groups of games and accumulated point totals. You get seven out of every 10 points, you are in. Even if they get six out of every 10 points, you are probably in.

I know it seems like nobody in the Eastern Conference ever loses, and that none of these teams will ever lose again, but I promise you, they are. If for no other reason than a lot of them play each other quite a bit over the next few weeks. Everybody around the Penguins also plays one of the toughest schedules in the NHL.

Right now the playoff cut-line in the Eastern Conference is 98 points. I suspect it might even come down a little bit as the next few weeks progress and some of these teams actually lose some games (and they will). But let’s just say 98 points is what you need. That is six more wins for the Penguins. That is not an overly high bar, even with the schedule (which, after getting through the past week, is now only the 11th toughest remaining schedule in the NHL instead of the absolute toughest).

They also, at the moment, hold the tie-breaker over almost every team behind them and chasing them.

So let’s just look at this as a math problem and what every team behind them would need to do record-wise (the required points percentage is in parenthesis) to pass them if they win between four and seven more games the rest of the way.

Realistically speaking I think this is a race between the Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Four of those five teams are going to make the playoffs. All the Penguins have to do is not finish in last among that group. Again, not an overly high bar. It is reachable. All of those teams have more difficult remaining schedules, and there are also a LOT of head-to-head games in there for all of those teams. The Penguins play the Islanders and Red Wings one more time each. Those games can go a long way toward determining things. Detroit plays Columbus and Ottawa one more time each, and Philadelphia three more times. Somebody is going to lose those games. Columbus plays Boston twice, along with its game against Detroit, and that does not get into the two games it also has against Carolina and its two road games at Montreal. Somebody is going to lose THOSE games.

The Ottawa Senators are lurking on the fringes. Maybe they can keep playing their way back in, but that is still a lot of work to do.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals just seem like they have way too much ground to make up. The Flyers would probably have to sweep all three of those games against the Red Wings, preferably (for their sake) in regulation.

You can follow sports however you want, but instead of sweating the standings every night and with every result, just focus on a target goal. Basically, if the Penguins win six more games and get to 98 points, they most likely get in. Especially if one or two of those wins come against the Islanders and/or Red Wings. If they win seven more games, get to 100 points, and somehow still do not make the playoffs I would not know what else to say except, “that’s just messed up and some really bad luck.” In the salary cap era no team has ever had even 98 points and missed the playoffs. Only two teams have ever had 96 points and missed the playoffs.

Can they start stacking some more of those wins this week?

Well, that is going to be tough, because it is another daunting week on the schedule.

It begins on Tuesday night with their second game against the Colorado Avalanche in a little more than a week. The Penguins won the first meeting in Colorado by a 7-2 margin in a game that I am not quite sure was as lopsided as the final score would indicate. They are almost certainly going to get a much better effort from the Avalanche in this game, and they better be ready for it. Performances like they had over the weekend (even in the win against the Winnipeg Jets) are not going to be good enough. The one thing to take into account here is that Colorado has looked a little more mortal in recent weeks. After starting the season 31-2-7, the Avalanche are 15-11-3 in the 29 games that have followed. Still good. Just not quite as dominant. They look a little more beatable right now.

On Thursday the Penguins have a big Eastern Conference game at Ottawa. Even though I am not quite sold at the moment on the Senators still being *in* the playoff race, they are better than their record indicates and they have given the Penguins fits in their two previous meetings this season. The Penguins also never seem to win in Ottawa. This would be a good game to have, especially since it is sandwiched between two extraordinarily tough Western Conference games.

After playing in Ottawa on Thursday, the Penguins return home on Saturday to play the Dallas Stars who will be in the middle of a four-game, Eastern Conference road trip. Dallas is one of the best teams in hockey, and has quite honestly been the better team between them and Colorado over the past two months, even with some big injury issues. The Penguins outplayed Dallas in their first meeting this season (in Dallas) only to give up a late third period goal and lose in a shootout. In all honesty, I would take that result again in this game. Every point matters.

After playing Dallas on Saturday, they have another huge Eastern Conference game on Monday night against the New York Islanders to open the next week.

This is going to be a tough week, and arguably just as tough, if not tougher, than the past week. If they can get three out of these six points I would consider that a win for the week. With this schedule you just have to get through it. Especially when a lot of the teams in the playoff race are all playing against each other this week. Somebody is losing. Just maintain what you are doing. They mostly have.

If they are going to continue that, they are going to need a few things. The first is better goaltending than they have been getting over the past few games. The second is better defensive play in front of those goalies and way fewer turnovers and mistakes. That is kind of why I think Sunday’s game could have been something they needed. Some bad habits had been developing in recent games, but they were still getting results. Eventually bad process turns into a bad result. They got that on Sunday. It needs to be a lesson.

ELMONT, NY -- Once the final buzzer sounded on Sunday night, signaling the New York Islanders' 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, that meant one thing: The Islanders were back in a playoff spot with 11 games to go.

With the newfound two points, the Islanders leapfrogged the Detroit Red Wings to sit in the second wild-card spot with 85 points. The Red Wings, who have 84, do have a game in hand, but a game in hand only matters if that team wins the game.

Oh, what a difference 24 hours can make #Isles: pic.twitter.com/xfYrWOaUUl

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) March 23, 2026

After falling out of a playoff spot last Thursday following a devastating 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators, the Islanders had the chance to rebound against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. However, they fell 7-3, making Sunday's game against Columbus, the team holding down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, incredibly important in keeping their playoff hopes alive. 

"That was probably one of the high-stress games of the year for our group," Islanders forward Bo Horvat said. "I mean, it was a hard-fought battle by everybody. Everybody was contributing tonight. All four lines were rolling, and obviously, Sorokin was phenomenal."

The Islanders, who kicked off a stretch of 10 of the final 12 games on home ice Sunday, host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night at 7 PM ET, a must-win as they continue onward with their playoff push.

Colorado Avalanche News

• Landeskog needed a quick surgery after taking Makar’s slapshot to the family jewels. [TSN]

• Avalanche defeat Blackhawks, become first team to clinch playoff berth. [NHL]

News Around the League

• Alex Ovechkin joins Wayne Gretzky as only players with 1,000 career goals. [The Athletic]
• Former Avs breaks through in win marred by ugly hit. [Yahoo]

• Wild reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children are being mourned by the hockey community. [Sportsnet]

• Oilers’ McDavid seemingly calls out their coach after a tough loss to the Lightning. [The Hockey Writers]
• Hamilton to become new home of New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate. [CTV News]
• Sidney Crosby speaks up on Olympic puck and makes Jack Hughes look rather petty. [Daily Hive]
• Toronto hosts world’s largest blind hockey tournament at Mattamy Athletic Centre. [CP 24]
• Maple Leafs vs. Senators: Toronto’s trouble starts with Anthony Stolarz scare before the opening faceoff in Ottawa. [Toronto Star]

Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Kaiden Guhle has struggled this season, not just because of injuries, but also on the ice, where his performances have not been up to the standard we’ve been accustomed to.

However, in Saturday night’s crucial game against the New York Islanders, the rugged defenseman took it up a notch and played what was arguably his best game of the season. Not just because he gathered three points, including what would turn out to be the game-winning goal, but also because his decision-making was spot on in all aspects of the game.

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He had five shot attempts, three of which made it to the net. On the other side of the puck, he had a team-leading four blocked shots and landed three hits. In the third frame, as tempers were running high and the Islanders were getting frustrated by the turn of events, Matthew Barzal dropped his gloves and tried to fight captain Nick Suzuki, and it only took seconds for the rugged blueliner to come to his rescue.

The defenseman told the media after the game that the Canadiens met after last weekend’s games against the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks and talked about buckling down:

Commitment to defend, to play hard, to not take any shit. It’s all that I think we were missing there for a bit, and we found it

-

That perfectly sums up Guhle’s performance on Saturday night. His stepping up for Nick Suzuki was definitely part of the “not taking any shit” point, and it showed how healthy the team culture is in Montreal. Especially if you compare that reaction to the Maple Leafs’ reaction, or lack thereof, when Radko Gudas ended their captain’s season.

Mat Barzal wanted to go with Nick Suzuki and he would NOT take no for an answer 😳🫣 pic.twitter.com/D3IvWEb8O0

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 22, 2026

That performance was definitely a step in the right direction for Guhle, but he now needs to play like that consistently. That’s harder to do than it sounds, but the rugged defenseman proved last night that he can play the exact kind of game that’s needed in the playoffs.

Kaiden Guhle hammers Anthony Duclair pic.twitter.com/GllzXUXQPR

— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) March 21, 2026

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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

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Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

A late goal from Jesper Bratt kept the Devils from being shut out, but otherwise the goals dried up as the Devils dropped a 2-1 loss to the Capitals on Friday. [Devils NHL]

“It’s been a tough season for the Maple Leafs, but Knies has been one of their more productive players. He’s averaged 2.26 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five, making him their second most efficient five-on-five scorer behind William Nylander. However, there are red flags that’d give me pause about acquiring Knies. There are only two Maple Leafs skaters above 50 percent in xGs, and Knies is not one of them. Not even close. He has an xG% of 45.88 percent this season, one of the worst marks on the Maple Leafs.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Injury updates:

Sheldon Keefe says that Brett Pesce is questionable to be able to return this season.

Stefan Noesen has been ruled out for the remainder of the year.#NJDevils

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) March 22, 2026

“Fitzgerald’s draft record in the second round and beyond is more or less fine. By that, I mean that the probability of a draftee turning into an NHL-caliber player generally drastically diminishes in the second round and beyond, and, to be frank, the Devils have drafted two NHL-caliber players (Lenni Hämeenaho and Seamus Casey) in the second round. New Jersey has not hit on any third-rounders in recent memory, and any draftee in the fourth round and beyond is typically some form of dart throw. The first round resume, however, is outright putrid.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links

Some history for Ovi:

OVI x 1,000 🚨

Alex Ovechkin joins Wayne Gretzky as the second player in NHL history to score 1,000 career goals in the regular season and #StanleyCup Playoffs combined! pic.twitter.com/Zol6EgR7xg

— NHL (@NHL) March 22, 2026

A brutal hit nets A.J. Greer just a three-game suspension:

Connor Zary leaves the game following a hit from A.J. Greer pic.twitter.com/8JVCrVp0hb

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2026

Florida’s A.J. Greer has been suspended for three games for boarding Calgary’s Connor Zary. https://t.co/DvEZbDU2xP

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 22, 2026

“This year’s Sabres aren’t just the season’s best bandwagon team; they might be the single greatest bandwagon team of all time. Seriously, can you think of a better option?” [The Athletic ($)]

“Minnesota’s hockey community is mourning longtime NHL writer Jessi Pierce and her three children following a deadly house fire in White Bear Lake. Fire officials said four people — including three children — were found dead inside a home early Saturday, March 21, in the 2100 block of Richard Avenue. Authorities have not yet publicly identified the victims or said what caused the fire.” [Minnesota Star Tribune]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out another back-to-back set on Sunday, playing against the Carolina Hurricanes for the third time in 13 days. If we’re being honest with ourselves, the Penguins didn’t really deserve the two points they got against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, getting outhustled and outplayed for large swaths of the game. Twenty-four hours later, they no-showed against the Canes and were promptly humbled. [Recap]

Off the ice, the Penguins were also busy, making several transactions. The team reassigned forward Ville Koivunen to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday. He had been scratched for the previous two games. [Trib Live]

Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea was scratched for Sunday’s game against the Hurricanes due to a presumed facial injury he suffered against the Jets on Saturday. [Trib Live]

The Penguins also agreed to terms with a few draft picks from the 2025 class. On Saturday, the team signed third-rounder goalie prospect Gabriel D’Aigle to a three-year, entry-level contract. [KDKA]

That signing was followed up on Sunday with the Penguins agreeing to terms with one of their 2025 first-round selections, Bill Zonnon. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL…

Longtime NHL reporter Jessi Pierce, who covered the Minnesota Wild, tragically died along with her three children in a house fire in Minnesota on Saturday, prompting an outpouring of grief across the hockey world. [NHL]

More history made for the Great 8: Alex Ovechkin scored his 1,000th career goal (regular season and playoffs combined), becoming just the second player in NHL history to reach the milestone, joining Wayne Gretzky. [Sportsnet]

One of the top prospects for the Chicago Blackhawks, Anton Frondell, is expected to join his NHL team and make his league debut soon after his Swedish season ended. [Associated Press via TSN]

By Corey Abbott, RotoWire.com

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

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

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

Gabriel Landeskog, LW/RW, Avalanche (36% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Hits 

Landeskog returned to the lineup in Sunday's 3-2 overtime win over Washington after missing seven straight games due to a lower-body injury. He filled the scoresheet with one goal, two shots, three hits and one block in the contest. The Avalanche captain had two goals, five helpers, 17 shots and six hits in six games after returning from the Olympics. If Landeskog remains healthy, he should be a productive member of Colorado's top six down the stretch. The Avalanche play three times this week. 

Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes (33% rostered) for Starts/Saves/Wins 

Andersen has stopped 102 of the 117 shots he has faced during his five-game winning streak. It has been a challenging season for the 36-year-old netminder, but he has been splitting time with Brandon Bussi, and that trend will probably continue down the stretch. Andersen could get the first half of Carolina's back-to-back against New Jersey on Saturday. He has gone 2-0-0 versus the Devils this season while allowing only four goals on 52 shots. The veteran netminder has plenty of upside with a stingy team in front of him. 

Casey DeSmith, G, Stars (24% rostered) for Starts/Saves/Wins 

DeSmith has lost his last two outings and had his worst performance of the season last Monday against Utah, allowing five goals on 21 shots in a 6-3 defeat. However, he has generally been solid for the Stars in 2025-26. He had a four-game winning streak before that start and has a 14-6-5 record this season. Dallas plays four times this week, and he could be between the pipes twice if the team splits contests evenly. DeSmith should play at least once, with the Stars set to visit Pittsburgh on Saturday and Philadelphia on Sunday. 

Gabe Perreault, RW, Rangers (19% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots

Perreault has taken advantage of his time as a member of New York's top six in March, generating four goals and eight assists through 10 games. He has been a great fit alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere on the first line. Despite dropping the second power-play unit, the 20-year-old Perreault will likely continue to log heavy minutes during the team's final contests of the 2025-26 campaign. The Rangers have four games scheduled this week, including three with home-ice advantage. 

Viktor Arvidsson, LW/RW, Bruins (17% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots 

Arvidsson's four-game point streak ended in Saturday's 4-2 win over Detroit, but he has been a valuable source of secondary offense for Boston down the stretch. He has compiled 15 points, including seven goals on 25 shots, in his last 16 games. He has become more of a puck distributor than a finisher in March, earning three goals, eight helpers and 20 shots through 10 outings. Arvidsson possesses solid offensive upside ahead of a four-game week for the Bruins. 

Jonathan Marchessault, RW, Predators (14% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Hits 

Marchessault has been much better after struggling through most of the first half of the season. After dealing with offensive inconsistency and injuries, he has rebounded with four goals and 15 points in his past 21 appearances. He has also registered 53 shots on net and 24 hits during that span. He has been seeing time alongside Filip Forsberg at even strength and on the top power-play combination. The 35-year-old Marchessault provides just enough category coverage to be helpful for fantasy managers ahead of an important four-game week for Nashville. 

Gage Goncalves, C/LW, Lightning (10% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/Hits 

Goncalves has accounted for five goals and 11 points in his last 11 appearances. Since returning from a lower-body injury, he has lit the lamp four times on 12 shots while adding three helpers, six blocked shots and 14 hits in seven outings. Following the Olympic break, he has been seeing time in Tampa Bay's talented top six. He has been playing alongside Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel lately. Goncalves makes for an intriguing roster choice ahead of a four-game week for the Lightning. 

Noah Cates, C, Flyers (5% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Hits/Blocks 

Cates has been all over the scoresheet since returning from the Olympic break, amassing five goals and 12 points in his last 13 matches. He has earned 18 shots on target, 11 blocked shots and 16 hits during that stretch. He has three goals on eight shots and one assist over a three-game point streak. He has been clicking alongside Matvei Michkov recently. The 27-year-old Cates has plenty of upside in deeper banger leagues if he can carry this momentum into a four-game week for Philadelphia. 

Connor Brown, RW, Devils (2% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots 

Brown has notched three goals and nine assists in his past 10 appearances. His three-game point streak ended in Friday's 2-1 loss to Washington, but he logged 23:04 of ice time in the contest. He has received a significant offensive boost while skating alongside Jack Hughes at even strength and on the top power-play unit. With New Jersey set to play four times this week, the 32-year-old Brown has a great deal of under-the-radar upside.  

Anton Frondell, C, Blackhawks (2% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/PP 

Frondell netted 20 goals and added eight assists in 43 regular-season games for Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League in 2025-26. He is poised to join Chicago this week to get his first taste of NHL action. The Blackhawks selected the 18-year-old forward with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He should see playing time alongside Connor Bedard at even strength and on the top power-play unit. Frondell has considerable potential in keeper formats, and he is worth keeping an eye on down the stretch in deeper standard leagues, especially with Chicago set to play four times on the road this week.

Los Angeles Kings (28-25-17, in the Pacific Division) vs. Calgary Flames (29-34-7, in the Pacific Division)

Calgary, Alberta; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Kings visit the Calgary Flames after the Flames defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in overtime.

Calgary is 29-34-7 overall and 10-7-2 against the Pacific Division. The Flames have a -40 scoring differential, with 174 total goals scored and 214 conceded.

Los Angeles is 28-25-17 overall and 6-5-8 against the Pacific Division. The Kings are 22-4-9 when scoring three or more goals.

The teams square off Tuesday for the third time this season. The Kings won the last meeting 2-0.

TOP PERFORMERS: Morgan Frost has 17 goals and 18 assists for the Flames. Blake Coleman has three goals and four assists over the last 10 games.

Artemi Panarin has 25 goals and 49 assists for the Kings. Anze Kopitar has scored five goals with four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 5-5-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.2 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.

Kings: 4-3-3, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.4 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Flames: Samuel Honzek: out (upper body), Jonathan Huberdeau: out for season (hip), Jake Bean: out (undisclosed), Yan Kuznetsov: day to day (upper-body), Connor Zary: day to day (upper body).

Kings: Kevin Fiala: out for season (leg), Andrei Kuzmenko: out (meniscus).

___

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

Vegas Golden Knights (32-25-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Winnipeg Jets (29-29-12, in the Central Division)

Winnipeg, Manitoba; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Winnipeg Jets host the Vegas Golden Knights after the Jets knocked off the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout.

Winnipeg is 29-29-12 overall and 17-13-6 in home games. The Jets are 11-11-8 in games decided by one goal.

Vegas is 16-13-7 on the road and 32-25-14 overall. The Golden Knights have allowed 215 goals while scoring 223 for a +8 scoring differential.

Tuesday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime in the previous meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Scheifele has 31 goals and 52 assists for the Jets. Gabriel Vilardi has four goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

Jack Eichel has 24 goals and 50 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has scored five goals and added five assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jets: 5-3-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.5 assists, 1.6 penalties and 3.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

Golden Knights: 4-6-0, averaging 2.3 goals, four assists, 4.3 penalties and 10.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Jets: Nino Niederreiter: out (lower body), Vladislav Namestnikov: out (lower body), Colin Miller: out (knee).

Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body), Carter Hart: out (leg), Jonas Rondbjerg: out (lower body).

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

The Carolina Hurricanes scored three power play goals and dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-1 on Sunday afternoon in the Steel City.

The Canes controlled the puck most of the game and were holding the Pens to a paltry 12 shots on goal until the Pens finally found some offense with five minutes and change to go.

In all, the Hurricanes had 26 shots on goal to 19 for the home team.

The Canes opened the scoring on a power play goal by Sebastian Aho just 47 seconds into the game. While Carolina had other opportunities in the period, they did not score again until Nikolaj Ehlers scored another power play tally six minutes and change into the second.

Ehlers had another excellent game as he contributed in many ways throughout.

Three minutes later, Jalen Chatfield made the score 3-0 when his shot from the point found its way into the net.

Ehlers found Seth Jarvis in front of the net in close during another power play and the score was 4-0 Carolina before the end of the second.

The Pens finally solved Fred Andersen later in the third period but Mark Jankowski zipped in an empty-netter to close out the scoring.

Andersen has now won his last five starts and allowed just the one goal on 19 shots.

Aho’s goal was his 25th, making eight seasons that he has scored 25 goals or more. That is a new franchise record.

The Canes travel to Montreal for their next match against the Habs on Tuesday night.

Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS021112.HTM

Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES021112.HTM

Interviews – https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vuct9429t084mxx0acjgt/ABr_sZ-agoXZbvBJfCKZO8E?rlkey=4pt7nvodo9dhif6w8cjuplpsx&e=1&st=s2jsx9ab&dl=0

The Vancouver Canucks became the first team to be eliminated from 2026 playoff contention. The "E" went up next to the Canucks name on the NHL's standings page late on Sunday night. Vancouver has played 69 games so far this season and has picked up just 50 points. 

The Canucks have now missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Since 2014-15, Vancouver has only qualified for the post-season three times. The last time the Canucks were in the playoffs was in 2024, when they reached Game 7 of the second round. 

Vancouver missing the playoffs has been a known fact for the last few months. At this rate, the Canucks are projected to finish 32nd in the league and will have the best odds at first overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Of Vancouver's 13 remaining games, five are at Rogers Arena while the remaining eight are on the road. 

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Before setting out on a three-game Western Canada road trip, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the NHL’s hottest team, the Buffalo Sabres, on Sunday evening at Honda Center.

The Ducks were coming off a playoff-style and potentially fortunate 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Friday. They entered the game with a three-point lead in the Pacific Division and had registered points in their last three games (2-0-1).

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Buffalo was playing their second leg of a back-to-back, as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Saturday. They entered Sunday having won their previous four games and had won 13 of their last 14.

The Ducks coaching staff started this game how they finished the last, from a lineup perspective, with Mason McTavish listed on as the fourth-line left winger. Frank Vatrano and Drew Helleson served this game as the team’s healthy scratches. This was the final game of Radko Gudas’ five-game suspension, earned when he initiated a knee-on-knee collision with Auston Matthews on March 12.

Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:

Kreider-Carlsson-Terry

Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke

Viel-Poehling-Gauthier

McTavish-Washe-Harkins

LaCombe-Trouba

Mintyukov-Carlson

Zellweger-Moore

Ville Husso got the start for the Ducks in this game and stopped 24 of 29 shots. In the Buffalo crease stood Alex Lyon, who saved 27 of 33.

“I don’t know how many times we’ve done that this year, but it’s been an alarming number,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said of his team scoring with the goalie pulled late. “It’s still not a recipe for success. The 4-2 (score) at the beginning of the period, that should have been something we should have nailed down and built off it.”

Game Notes

This was as typical of a 2025-26 Anaheim Ducks game as one could have expected. They exchanged chances with Buffalo all game, made several consequential mistakes in critical areas of the ice, got some luck, got some big saves from Husso when the game could have gotten out of hand, and once again, outscored their problems.

The underlying numbers don’t exactly paint that picture. They dictated pace and possessed pucks in elongated spurts throughout this high-event matchup. At 5v5, the Ducks won the shots on goal battle 27-26 and the expected goals battle 3.06-2.9, but lost the shot attempts battle 57-53.

D-Zone Coverage: Buffalo generated several long cycle sequences in this game, feeding their talented defensemen at the point and winning battles in the small areas of the zone. Tired legs would often give way to tired minds, and the net-front defenders were caught puck-watching on several occasions, leaving open slot attackers in prime locations.

Defense Rotation: The Ducks’ top four defensemen (LaCombe, Trouba, Carlson, Mintyukov) all notched well over 20 minutes TOI, while the bottom pair was short-shifted, especially as the clock was winding down. Zellweger and Moore were the only two defensemen on the Ducks with negative expected goals shares, and they were the biggest culprits of the poor defensive zone habits stated above. They weren’t as effective on breakouts as they’d been in previous games together, and when plays became sloppy, they had trouble adjusting and sorting out their assignments.

Jackson LaCombe: LaCombe went toe-to-toe with one of the NHL’s potential Norris Trophy finalists in Rasmus Dahlin and was equally as impactful, dictating pace, creating offense, and killing plays early on the defensive side of the puck in all three zones. LaCombe is an elite rush defender whose poise won numerous transition battles, which he then turned up ice into rush offense. He logged a pair of points while playing the vast majority of his 23:56 TOI at even strength.

The Ducks will hit the road for a three-game trip to face their Canadian Division opponents (Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers), starting with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday at 7 PM PST.

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-1 Win over the Mammoth

Takeaways from the Ducks 3-2 OT Loss to the Flyers

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 Win over the Canadiens

The Calgary Flames defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in overtime on Sunday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Calgary turned to Devin Cooley between the pipes, and he was busy from the opening minutes as Tampa Bay pushed the pace early. The night also marked the NHL debut of Tyson Gross, recently signed out of the NCAA, who slotted in alongside Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka.

Tampa Bay opened the scoring at 7:25 of the first period when Ryan McDonagh found space in the high slot and snapped a wrist shot through traffic and past Cooley. Brayden Point, a Calgary native, picked up an assist, along with Gage Goncalves, giving the Lightning a 1–0 lead.

The Flames responded late in the opening frame. At 16:25, Yegor Sharangovich worked the puck free along the boards and sent it up to Victor Olofsson, who ripped a wrist shot under the crossbar past Jonas Johansson to tie it. Zach Whitecloud added the secondary assist.

Moments later, on the very next shift (16:52), Calgary struck again. Morgan Frost buried his team-leading 17th of the season, wiring another shot high glove side on Johansson to make it 2–1. Matt Coronato picked up the helper.

The Flames extended their lead in the second period. At 8:28, Blake Coleman set up Mikael Backlund, who stepped into a slap shot from the top of the circle and beat Johansson cleanly upstairs for his 16th of the year. Hunter Brzustewicz also earned an assist as Calgary moved ahead 3–1.

Tampa Bay pushed back midway through the period. Following a scramble in front, Nikita Kucherov slid the puck to Darren Raddysh at the point, and his shot found its way through Cooley to cut the lead to 3–2 at 11:47. J.J. Moser recorded the second assist, while Kucherov continued his dominant stretch, now with 13 points (6g,7a) over his last four games.

Calgary appeared to restore its two-goal cushion late in the second when Backlund and Coleman connected again, but the goal was overturned after an offside challenge, keeping it a one-goal game heading into the third.

The Lightning found the equalizer at 15:40 of the final frame. Pontus Holmberg took a feed from Yanni Gourde and lifted the puck over Cooley to tie the game 3–3 and force overtime.

It didn’t take long to end it.

On the opening shift of overtime, Ryan Strome took a pass from Matvei Gridin and slipped it past Johansson to seal the win.

Rookie lap for #Flames Tyson Gross! 🔥@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/bvW2L8qIQC

— Bryan Wilson (@BryanWilsonHKY) March 22, 2026

Three Takeaways

Frost finding his touch

Frost continued to lead the way offensively, scoring his 17th of the season and adding to a strong recent stretch with three goals in his last four games.

Targeting the same spot

Calgary’s shooters consistently beat Johansson high glove side, with multiple goals finding nearly identical placement—an approach that clearly paid off.

Coronato producing again

After a lengthy dry spell, Coronato is back contributing, recording four points (two goals, two assists) over his last four games and showing renewed confidence offensively.