5 Centers Penguins Should Target In Trade Market
The most chaotic time of the NHL regular season has finally arrived, as the trade deadline is just one week away on Mar. 6.
And even though the Pittsburgh Penguins have already made several moves this season, they figure to have a bit more up their sleeve.
After their 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday, the Penguins remain in second in the Metropolitan Division, nine points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and tied points-wise with the New York Islanders at 73. Even if the team is in a good position now, they have the league's toughest strength of schedule remaining for the regular season, and they will be forced to make it through most of it without their best player in center Sidney Crosby, who is expected to miss three more weeks with a lower-body injury.
So, given their predicament - and their apparent reluctance to shift Evgeni Malkin back to the center position - it may be in their best interest to either call up a center from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), such as Tristan Broz or Filip Hallander, or explore the trade market for some viable options.
Here are five possible center options for the Penguins to target via trade:
Shane Wright
The young center for the Seattle Kraken has failed to establish consistency at the NHL level so far, and it seems that his value has decreased a bit.
Even though the Kraken may not be keen to sell lower on Wright, they do have some up-and-coming center depth in their organization - namely Jake O'Brien - and they may be able to get some value in return. As of January, the Kraken were, apparently, looking for a scorer in return, so this might be a situation where a an established NHL player could go the other way - someone like a Justin Brazeau or an Anthony Mantha, even a Rickard Rakell for the right return package.
Seattle is currently in the West's second wild card spot, so they, too, are fighting for a playoff position. It remains to be seen how the team approaches the deadline or if Wright is even on their trade board.
NHL's Top Four Center Trade Candidates Ahead Of DeadlineThe 2026 NHL trade deadline is rapidly approaching. These are the top centers in the rumor mill right now, for the March 6 deadline. Brayden Schenn
Schenn, 34, doesn't really fit the mold of "younger players with term" that Dubas and the Penguins would want to acquire. He is also 34, owed $6.5 million for two more seasons, and has seen a steep drop in production this season, registering just 12 goals and 24 points in 59 games so far this season.
But, this could be a situation where the Penguins might be able to buy low on Schenn from the struggling St. Louis Blues, and, potentially, even add to their draft cupboard. Of course, they wouldn't be able to get Schenn for nothing, and there is some inherent risk attached.
However, his playoff experience, two-way prowess, and knack for not shying away from physicality could suit the Penguins well down the stretch, especially without Crosby. Plus, it provides an opportunity for rookie Ben Kindel to get elevated in the lineup without repercussion, as Schenn is a good, reliable third-line center option.
Four Blues Players Feature On The Hockey News' NHL Trade Deadline BoardFour St. Louis Blues players appeared on The Hockey News' first edition of their NHL Trade Deadline Board. Dawson Mercer
Mercer could be an intriguing name to keep an eye on, as the New Jersey Devils are, unexpectedly, in legitimate contention for a lottery spot this season.
The 24-year-old center has 13 goals and 30 points in 60 games this season, and he, like Wright, is the exact kind of player the Penguins and Dubas would be interested in, if available. In fact, he probably would fit the mold of the player archetype Dubas tends to gravitate toward as well, as he is a high-IQ playmaker with excellent vision, a 200-ft game, positional versatility, and a potential higher ceiling in terms of production.
The cost would likely be fairly high, and there's no guarantee that the Devils' 18th overall pick in 2020 is even on the market for sure - even if GM Tom Fitzegerald expressed that he is ready to shake things up with the roster. But, if he is, the Penguins should be calling on the forward who is signed at $4 million through the end of next season.
NHL Trade Deadline Board: 25 Players To Keep An Eye OnHere are 25 NHL players to watch as we get closer to the March 6 trade deadline. Each of them has been mentioned in trade speculation and rumors, and we rank them based on a combination of impact and likelihood of being moved.Vincent Trocheck
Ah, the Pittsburgh kid. It's no secret that the New York Rangers are shifting to a rebuild, and they will surely be looking to shed some of their veteran players, making Trocheck one of the top options on the trade market.
Trocheck, 32, is signed through the end of the 2028-29 season at $5.625 million average annual value, which makes his contract a bit hefty to take on. Still, the veteran center is just about as good a third-line center option out there, and his 12 goals and 38 points in 45 games would certainly help with the Penguins' offensive attack.
However, even if he could help the Penguins this season, his lengthy contract and age don't really fit into the Penguins' future plans, and his is likely to come at a premium. There are probably options that make better sense on the market, but if - for whatever reason - he can be had at a low cost, it may be worth it.
Where Do The Rangers Go From Here?The two Gold-Bearing Rangers – captain J.T. Miller and Vin Trocheck – are home but how long they will remain Blueshirts only MSG owner James Dolan and his hockey orchestrator Chris Drury really know.
Elias Pettersson
Yep, Pettersson's name is here yet again, and - at this point - it should come as no surprise. But with the Vancouver Canucks in the basement of the league by a longshot, it's likely that GM Patrick Allvin will be in a position to sell.
The 27-year-old center - not long ago, one of the league's very best - has fallen off a bit the last two seasons, with only 13 goals and 35 points in 51 games so far in 2025-26. His $11.6 million cap hit through 2029-30 seems daunting, but the Penguins certainly have the cap space, and he might be the perfect example of an underperforming elite player who is long overdue for a change of scenery.
Because of his cap hit and his decline in production for two consecutive seasons, the Penguins may be able to buy low here. If the price is right, Pettersson should absolutely be considered - especially since when, at his best, the fifth overall pick in 2017 is one of the elite playmaking centers in the NHL and has a pretty nasty weapon in his shot, too, as a three-time 30-goal scorer.
Could Egor Chinakhov Help Extend Malkin's Career?There has been a whole lot going right for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> during the 2025-26 season, and much of it can be credited to the work of general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.
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Senators Dominate Leafs In Toronto, Move To Within Five Points Of Playoff Spot
The Ottawa Senators got back on the winning track in Toronto on Saturday night, crushing the Maple Leafs 5–2 in a game that was not as close as the score would appear.
Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each scored twice for the Senators, who moved to within five points of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Leafs, meanwhile, were dominated for most of the night and remain nine points off the pace. Ottawa set the tone early, outshooting Toronto 16–2 in the first period and never let up.
Linus Ullmark made 21 saves for the Senators, who outshot Toronto 40–23 overall. Joseph Woll was chased from the game after allowing five goals on 28 shots, while Anthony Stolarz made 12 saves after replacing him late in the second period.
Morgan Rielly opened the scoring for the Leafs, beating Ullmark between the legs with a wrist shot on the power play less than three minutes into the game.
Ottawa answered midway through the first when Thomas Chabot took a nice pass from Brady Tkachuk in the high slot and beat Woll with a wrist shot that may have deflected off a stick in front.
Early in the second period, Cozens gave Ottawa a 2–1 lead, tapping in a room-service rebound that landed right on his stick blade.
Ten minutes later, Batherson buried a snapshot off the post and in to make it 3–1, but William Nylander quickly responded to cut the deficit to 3–2.
That was as close as the Leafs would get.
After a neutral-zone turnover by Matthew Knies, Batherson scored his second of the night to give the Senators a 4–2 advantage. It appeared Knies had knocked the puck into his own zone, but Toronto challenged the play for offside. The challenge was unsuccessful, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty.
Cozens made them pay, scoring on a wrist shot on the power play to complete the scoring and send Woll to the showers. The third period was uneventful, save for a weird little line brawl that started when Anthony Stolarz and Ridly Greig got into it as they did last season.
The Senators will continue their road trip in Edmonton on Tuesday, then in Calgary on Thursday. After that comes the NHL trade deadline on Friday, when decisions will have to be made about whether to bolster the roster for the stretch run or stand pat.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published by The Hockey News. More headlines here:
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Gostisbehere sparks Hurricanes’ 5th straight win, 5-2 over Red Wings
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Shayne Gostisbehere had a goal and two assists to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to their fifth straight win, 5-2 over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho and Eric Robinson also scored for the Hurricanes, who have used a 12-game point streak (10-0-2) to surge to the top of the Eastern Conference with 82 points.
Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen made 27 saves to improve to 14-1-2 in his career against the Red Wings.
Simon Edvinsson and Patrick Kane scored and Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots for the Red Wings, who lost for the fifth time in seven games (2-4-1).
The Hurricanes built a 3-0 lead to continue their recent hot play at home. They lost their first two home games in January but have gone 10-0-1 at home since a 5-3 loss to Colorado on Jan. 3.
Gostisbehere scored at 2:18 in the third period to give the Hurricanes some breathing room after Detroit cut the margin to 3-2 at the end of the second period.
Blake, with assists from Gostisbehere and Hall, extended the Hurricanes’ margin to 5-2 with a goal at 5:30 in the third.
RANGERS 3, PENGUINS 2, SO
NEW YORK (AP) — Vincent Trocheck scored the shootout winner and Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves and the New York Rangers rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After an overtime in which each team had several good scoring chances, Trocheck beat Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner with the only goal of the shootout as the Rangers snapped a five-game losing streak. Shesterkin made five saves in overtime.
Mika Zibanejad and Taylor Raddysh also scored for the Rangers. The last-place Rangers are 7-15-5 at home this season.
Anthony Mantha and defenseman Ryan Shea scored for the Penguins, who had their two-game winning streak stopped. Pittsburgh is 8-1-2 since Jan. 17.
FLYERS 3, BRUINS 1
PHIALDELPHIA (AP) — Travis Konecny opened the scoring in the third period and set up Jaime Drysdale’s goal, Dan Vladar made 26 saves and Philadelphia beat Boston.
Konecny scored his team-leading 23rd goal of the season, sliding the puck past Jeremy Swayman off a drop pass from Christian Dvorak at 3:41 of the third. Konency then set up Drysdale for a wrister that made it 2-0 with 8:05 left.
Charlie McAvoy scored for Boston on a deflection with 6:57 to go. Flyers captain Sean Couturier had an empty-netter to snap a 31-game goal drought.
Philadelphia won back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 3-6 to move within six points of Boston for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins are 5-1-3 in their last nine.
Swayman made 14 saves.
SHARKS 5, OILERS 4
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Shakir Mukhamadullin broke a tie midway through the third period and San Jose snapped a five-game winless streak by beating Edmonton.
Mukhamadullin beat Connor Ingram with a slap shot from the point with 10:39 to play to give the Sharks their first victory since Jan. 27 at Vancouver. San Jose had been 0-4-1 since then, starting when the Sharks blew a 3-0 lead in the third period to Edmonton before losing in overtime.
Olympic star Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring for San Jose as he got the best of his matchup against his linemate from Canada in the Olympics, Connor McDavid.
Michael Misa, Barclay Goodrow and Alexander Wennberg also scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves.
Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Trent Frederic and Jake Walman scored for Edmonton, while McDavid chipped in with three assists to give him an NHL-leading 103 points on the season.
Ingram made 28 saves.
DEVILS 3, BLUES 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves, Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton had second-period goals and New Jersey beat St. Louis to end a five-game losing streak.
Markstrom lost his shutout bid with 1:18 left when Pavel Buchnevich scored with goalie Jordan Binnington off for an extra attacker.
Nico Hischier scored into an empty net in the final seconds.
Binnington made 30 saves in his first game since backstopping Canada to the Olympic final.
Meier scored his 16th goal of the season at 5:37 of the second, firing in a wrist shot from the right circle. He has three goals in his last six NHL games. For Switzerland in the Olympics, Meier had three goals and four assists in five games.
AVALANCHE 3, BLACKHAWKS 1
DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar scored two goals, Gavin Brindley had the go-ahead score early in the third period and Colorado beat Chicago.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 14 saves for Colorado, which killed off two penalties early in the third period to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Minnesota on Thursday night.
Colorado has an NHL-best 87 points and leads Dallas in the Western Conference by six points and Minnesota by seven. The Stars have played one more game than the Avalanche and the Wild have played two more.
Connor Bedard scored for Chicago, which has lost eight of nine and continues to struggle to score. The Blackhawks have just 12 goals in their eight losses.
Spencer Knight made 32 saves for Chicago, which had just nine shots through the first two periods.
ISLANDERS 4, BLUE JACKETS 3, OT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Simon Holmstrom scored 1:50 into overtime as New York beat Columbus for its fourth straight win.
Holmstrom got the feed from Tony DeAngelo and had a clear path up the right side of the ice before cutting toward the net with a wrist shot to beat Columbus’ Jet Greaves.
It was Holmstrom’s 14th goal of the season and his second in overtime. The Islanders are 8-0 in overtime games this season, the only team in the league that hasn’t lost in the extra period.
Scott Mayfield had a goal and assist for the Islanders. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored 22 seconds apart in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit. Ilya Sorokin stopped 27 shots.
Columbus’ Zach Wereneki, who had the assist on Jack Hughes’ goal in the United States’ gold-medal victory over Canada at the Olympics, had a pair of assists and extended his points streak to a nine games, the longest run by a defenseman in franchise history.
Werenski, second among NHL defensemen with 65 points, has 13 in his last nine games (two goals, 11 assists). It was Werenski’s 21st multipoint game this season and the 100th of his 10-year career. With 621 games played, he’s the fifth-fastest active defenseman to reach the mark.
Isac Lundeström, Mason Marchment, Adam Fantilli had Columbus’ goals. Greaves made 22 saves.
KINGS 2, FLAMES 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 29 saves, Alex Laferriere scored in the second period and Los Angeles beat Calgary to end a five-game losing streak.
Forsberg had his second shutout of the season and 10th of his NHL career, two nights after coming on in relief of Darcy Kuemper in the second period of an 8-1 home loss to Edmonton.
Laferriere scored with 4:24 left in second, putting his own rebound past goalie Dustin Wolf for his 14th goal of the season. Adrian Kempe added his 22nd into an empty net in the final minute.
Wolf made 35 saves. He spent seven years in the Los Angeles Junior Kings youth program before playing major junior for Everett in the Western Hockey League.
SABRES 6, LIGHTNING 2
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Josh Norris scored twice, Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and two assists and Buffalo beat Tampa Bay for its third straight victory.
Zach Metsa had a goal and an assist, Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson also scored and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 36 saves to help Buffalo move within four points of the Atlantic Division-leading Lightning.
The Sabres improved to 16-2-1 in their past 19 on the road, ending Tampa Bay’s 10-game home winning streak.
Dominic James and Victor Hedman scored for Tampa Bay. The Lightning have lost consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 15-18.
Andrei Vasilevksiy, who was 17-0-1 in his previous starts, was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots in his first regulation loss since Dec. 18. Jonas Johansson came on in relief and stopped 20 shots.
SENATORS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 2
TORONTO (AP) — Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each scored twice and Ottawa beat Toronto.
Thomas Chabot also scored, Cozens added an assist and Linus Ullmark made 21 saves.
Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored for Toronto in its third straight loss.
Rielly got the scoring started less than three minutes into the first period, but it was all Senators from there. Ottawa had the next 19 shots on goal and scored three straight to take a two-goal lead midway through the second period.
Nylander cut it to 3-2, but Batherson struck back with his second of the period less than two minutes later on a play Toronto unsuccessfully challenged for offside.
Cozens scored his second goal on the ensuing penalty, chasing goalie Joseph Woll after 23 saves on 28 shots. Anthony Stolarz stopped all 12 shots he faced.
CANADIENS 6, CAPITALS 2
MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored two first-period goals to help propel Montreal to a win over Washington.
Mike Matheson and Kirby Dach scored goals in the second period for Montreal, which has recorded at least a point in seven consecutive games (5-0-2).
Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans added empty-net goals in the third and Suzuki had two assists. Jakub Dobes made 27 saves as he improved his record to 9-0-2 over his last 11 games.
Caufield now has a team-high 35 goals this season. It took all of 30 seconds for the Canadiens to find the back of the net, marking the fastest game-opening goal scored by Montreal this season. Jakob Chychrun’s point shot was blocked by Caufield, resulting in a breakaway for the forward. His snap shot beat Charlie Lindgren to the glove side.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice for the Capitals, who had their three-game win streak snapped. The Capitals captain has scored 44 goals and recorded 76 points in just 63 career matchups against the Canadiens.
Lindgren stopped 19 shots in his first start since Jan. 29.
STARS 3, PREDATORS 2
DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored 1:47 into overtime, lifting Dallas to a comeback victory over Nashville for its eighth straight win.
Nathan Bastian and Wyatt Johnston scored in regulation for the Stars, who trailed 2-0 after one period. Dallas has rallied from deficits to win each of its three games against Nashville this season — two after trailing 2-0.
Jake Oettinger stopped 25 shots in his first start since returning from the Milan-Cortina Olympics, where he was the backup for the gold medal-winning U.S. team. He’s 7-0 in his last seven starts.
Dallas tied the team’s longest winning streak, set March 16 to April 3, 2024. The Stars have won their last six home games and improved to 20-4-9 in one-goal games this season. They have the second-most wins in the NHL in one-goal games, behind only the New York Islanders (22-5-5).
Michael Bunting and Steven Stamkos each scored for the Predators in the opening period. Juuse Saros made 22 saves.
KRAKEN 5, CANUCKS 1
SEATTLE (AP) — Jordan Eberle scored twice and added an assist as Seattle beat Vancouver.
Vince Dunn, Chandler Stephenson and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken, who snapped a two-game skid during which they were outscored 9-2 following the Olympic break. Joey Daccord made 27 saves.
The Canucks, who dropped their fifth straight, got a goal from Liam Ohgren. Kevin Lankinen made 20 stops but has now allowed 15 goals over his last three starts.
Dunn — playing in his 600th career game — scored at 7:36 of the first period from the top of the left circle to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.
Stephenson scored on a rebound with 9:40 remaining in the first period to make it 2-0. Adam Larsson recorded his 200th career assist on the goal.
Ohgren’s slap shot beat Daccord at 8:28 of the second period to cut the lead 2-1.
Eberle made it 3-1 with 6:13 left in the second, scoring his team-leading 21st goal of the season. He outskated his defender and finished the breakaway with a backhand.
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Robertson’s overtime goal caps Stars’ 3-2 comeback over Predators for 8th straight win
DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored 1:47 into overtime, lifting the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night for their eighth straight win.
Nathan Bastian and Wyatt Johnston scored in regulation for the Stars, who trailed 2-0 after one period. Dallas has rallied from deficits to win each of its three games against Nashville this season — two after trailing 2-0.
Jake Oettinger stopped 25 shots in his first start since returning from the Milan-Cortina Olympics, where he was the backup for the gold medal-winning U.S. team. He's 7-0 in his last seven starts.
Dallas tied the team's longest winning streak, set March 16 to April 3, 2024. The Stars have won their last six home games and improved to 20-4-9 in one-goal games this season. They have the second-most wins in the NHL in one-goal games, behind only the New York Islanders (22-5-5).
Michael Bunting and Steven Stamkos each scored for the Predators in the opening period. Juuse Saros made 22 saves.
With the Predators leading 2-1, Bastian scored on a wrist shot 5:31 into the third period to tie it.
In overtime, Brady Skjei nearly gave Nashville the win but hit the post. Seconds later, Johnston circled the net and missed, but Miro Heiskanen got the loose puck in the left circle. He sent a pass through the crease to an open Robertson, who got enough of the puck to direct it in for the win.
Johnston got the Predators on the scoreboard in the second period with his 32nd goal and 20th on the power play — extending his single-season record since the franchise relocated to Dallas in 1993-94. He’s also two power-play goals shy of tying the overall franchise record set by Dino Ciccarelli in 1986-87.
Up next
Predators: Host Detroit on Monday.
Stars: Play at Vancouver on Monday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Red Wings' Comeback Effort Dashed In 5-2 Loss To Stingy Hurricanes
The Detroit Red Wings dug themselves into a three-goal hole against the Carolina Hurricanes, and despite showing signs of life with a brief comeback effort, a familiar face ultimately delivered the decisive blow.
Former Detroit defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who skated one season with the club in 2023–24 and recorded 56 points, struck early in the third period to restore Carolina’s multi-goal lead en route to a 5–2 victory for the Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
Final from Carolina pic.twitter.com/ucljbUME0i
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 1, 2026
The loss dropped the Red Wings back into a Wild Card position in the tightly-packed Eastern Conference standings due to wins by the Buffalo Sabres, who have been one of the NHL's hottest clubs since mid-December, and the Montreal Canadiens.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Detroit trailed by two goals at the end of the opening 20 minutes of play thanks to goals from Carolina forwards Taylor Hall and Sebastian Aho.
Hall broke in alone on and beat goaltender Cam Talbot, making his first start since late January, after he blocked defenseman Simon Edvinsson's shot at the opposite blue line. Aho scored on the power-play in the waning seconds of the period.
Carolina then bolstered their lead to 3-0 thanks to a tally from Eric Robinson at the 2:52 mark, but the Red Wings gave their fans hope of a comeback effort thanks to a pair of goals in quick fashion from Edvinsson and Patrick Kane.
However, those hopes were dashed by Gostisbehere, who scored at 2:18 of the third period. Jackson Blake then put Carolina back up by three goals just over three minutes later.
Talbot finished with 31 saves, while his Carolina counterpart Frederik Andersen made 27 saves.
The Red Wings faltered on their only power-play chance of the game, while the Hurricanes finished at 25 percent efficiency by going 1-for-4 with the man advantage.
Red Wings Announce Dominik Shine Has Been Recalled From Griffins Grand Rapids Griffins team captain Dominik Shine has been called back up to the Red Wings ahead of Saturday evening's game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Detroit's three-game road swing will conclude on Monday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena with a matchup against the Nashville Predators.
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Nashville Predators Fall To Stars In Overtime After Giving Up 2-0 Lead | Recap
A two-goal Nashville Predators lead in the first period wasn't enough to hold off the Dallas Stars on Saturday as they scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Predators, 3-2, in overtime at American Airlines Arena.
It's the Stars' eighth straight win and the Predators' fourth straight overtime loss.
On the play that led to the game-winning goal, Wyatt Johnston wrapped around to the middle of the slot and fired a shot that went wide. Brady Skjei went to block the shot, but was indirectly tripped up by Miro Heiskanen's stick.
At the same time, Heiskanen was battling for positioning with Steven Stamkos when his stick was knocked out of his hands, taking him out of the play.
Heiskanen picked up the rebound and passed the puck over to Jason Robertson at the left side of the net. Prior to the pass, Erik Haula got tied up with Robertson, but Robertson was able to break free.
Robertson tapped the puck in for an easy, game-winning score.
Nashville jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. On the power play, Matthew Wood faked a shot and passed it over Michael Bunting on the right side for the score and to put the Predators up 1-0.
A little over a minute later, Stamkos scored his 30th goal of the season off a steal at the blue line and passed it to Luke Evangelista for a break into the Stars zone. Evangelista gave it back to Stamkos and he beat Jake Oettinger blocker side to make it 2-0.
The goal also saw Evangelista record his second assist of the game.
Nashville's offense went into a lull in the second period, getting just four shots on net and seeing Wyatt Johnston snap Juuse Saros' shutout bid on the power play to make it 2-1.
In the third period, a no-icing call caught the Predators off guard, allowing Thomas Harley to get a shot on net and Nathan Bastian to put the rebound away to tie the game, 2-2.
Of note, defenseman Adam Wilsby left the game with a lower-body injury and did not return. Nashville played with five defensemen for the majority of the night.
Saros made 22 saves on 25 shots, dropping his fifth overtime game of the season.
Nashville is sitting at 62 points, just a point outside of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. That gap may lengthen by the end of Saturday night, pending the result of the Seattle (63 points) and Vancouver game.
The Predators are back at home on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings at 1 p.m. CST.
Caufield scores 2 in the first period as the Canadiens beat the Capitals 6-2
MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored two first-period goals to help propel the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.
Mike Matheson and Kirby Dach scored goals in the second period for Montreal, which has recorded at least a point in seven consecutive games (5-0-2).
Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans added empty-net goals in the third and Suzuki had two assists. Jakub Dobes made 27 saves as he improved his record to 9-0-2 over his last 11 games.
Caufield now has a team-high 35 goals this season. It took all of 30 seconds for the Canadiens to find the back of the net, marking the fastest game-opening goal scored by Montreal this season. Jakob Chychrun’s point shot was blocked by Caufield, resulting in a breakaway for the forward. His snap shot beat Charlie Lindgren to the glove side.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice for the Capitals, who had their three-game win streak snapped. The Capitals captain has scored 44 goals and recorded 76 points in just 63 career matchups against the Canadiens.
Lindgren stopped 19 shots in his first start since Jan. 29.
Washington failed to capitalize four power-play opportunities.
The Bell Centre remains a tough stop for visiting teams as Montreal improved to 10-3-1 in its last 14 home games.
Up next
Capitals: Host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night.
Canadiens: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Batherson, Cozens each score twice in the Senators' 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs
TORONTO (AP) — Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each scored twice and the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Saturday night.
Thomas Chabot also scored, Cozens added an assist and Linus Ullmark made 21 saves.
Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored for Toronto in its third straight loss.
Rielly got the scoring started less than three minutes into the first period, but it was all Senators from there. Ottawa had the next 19 shots on goal and scored three straight to take a two-goal lead midway through the second period.
Nylander cut it to 3-2, but Batherson struck back with his second of the period less than two minutes later on a play Toronto unsuccessfully challenged for offside.
Cozens scored his second goal on the ensuing penalty, chasing goalie Joseph Woll after 23 saves on 28 shots. Anthony Stolarz stopped all 12 shots he faced.
The Maple Leafs' frustrations boiled over early in the third period in the form of a brawl in front of Stolarz, which resulted in 28 penalty minutes, including a 10-minute misconduct to Toronto's Max Domi.
Up next
Senators: At Edmonton on Tuesday night.
Maple Leafs: Host Philadelphia on Monday night.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhla
Connor Bedard Stays Hot But Blackhawks Lose To Avalanche 3-1
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night in Denver. On top of the entire NHL, the Avalanche present an incredible challenge for every team that they play against.
The Blackhawks, who are on the tail end of a rebuild, are still far away from being in the same class as the Avalanche, who will enter the playoffs as one of the top threats to win the Stanley Cup.
The Blackhawks kept the score close, but that is more because of Spencer Knight's brilliance in the goal. He made 32 saves on 34 shots.
Connor Bedard gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead early in the first period, but the Avalanche put in the work to get it tied and eventually win it before the game even came close to reaching overtime.
Cale Makar scored the tying goal for the Avalanche with less than 10 seconds remaining in the second period. From there, the Avalanche had a true grip on the game.
Gavin Brindley scored the go-ahead goal at 7:31 of the third period, and that stood as the game-winner. Makar added an empty net goal, and the 3-1 score stood as the final.
This was a tough loss for the Blackhawks. The score wasn't a true indication of how badly the Avalanche outplayed the Hawks, but the young team did stay in the game thanks to the goaltender and Bedard's early goal.
Bedard needs to stay hot, but the lack of scoring depth beyond Tyler Bertuzzi is keeping them from pulling out wins in some of these games. One more goal could have changed the entire outcome of this game.
Watch Every Chicago Goal
Bedsy what a shot🤯 pic.twitter.com/In0UHeU4PP
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2026
What’s Next For The Blackhawks?
The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Sunday, when they take on the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City.
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Hurricanes continue hot streak with 5-2 win over Detroit
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Shayne Gostisbehere had a goal and two assists to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to their fifth straight win, 5-2 over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho and Eric Robinson also scored for the Hurricanes, who have used a 12-game point streak (10-0-2) to surge to the top of the Eastern Conference with 82 points.
Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen made 27 saves to improve to 14-1-2 in his career against the Red Wings.
Simon Edvinsson and Patrick Kane scored and Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots for the Red Wings, who lost for the fifth time in seven games (2-4-1).
The Hurricanes built a 3-0 lead to continue their recent hot play at home. They lost their first two home games in January but have gone 10-0-1 at home since a 5-3 loss to Colorado on Jan. 3.
Gostisbehere scored at 2:18 in the third period to give the Hurricanes some breathing room after Detroit cut the margin to 3-2 at the end of the second period.
Blake, with assists from Gostisbehere and Hall, extended the Hurricanes' margin to 5-2 with a goal at 5:30 in the third.
Edvinsson scored from the left circle with 1:35 left in the second period to get Detroit on the scoreboard. Kane scored 47 seconds later to cut the deficit to 3-2 heading into the third period.
In the first period, Hall scored on a breakaway at 14:05 and Gostisbehere set up Aho’s power-play goal with eight seconds left to make it 2-0. Aho, who helped Finland win bronze at the Olympics, has seven points in the past six games. Robinson scored 2:52 into the second period to push the lead to 3-0.
Up next
Red Wings: Visit Nashville on Monday night.
Hurricanes: Start a four-game road trip at Seattle on Monday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Forsberg makes 29 saves, the Kings beat the Flames 2-0 to end a 5-game losing streak
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 29 saves, Alex Laferriere scored in the second period and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Calgary Flames 2-0 on Saturday night to end a five-game losing streak.
Forsberg had his second shutout of the season and 10th of his NHL career, two nights after coming on in relief of Darcy Kuemper in the second period of an 8-1 home loss to Edmonton.
Laferriere scored with 4:24 left in second, putting his own rebound past goalie Dustin Wolf for his 14th goal of the season. Adrian Kempe added his 22nd into an empty net in the final minute.
Wolf made 35 saves. He spent seven years in the Los Angeles Junior Kings youth program before playing major junior for Everett in the Western Hockey League.
The Kings have three games left on a six-game homestand.
Up next
Flames: At Anaheim on Sunday night.
Kings: Host Colorado on Monday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhla
Sabres Have 2 Blackhawks Trade Targets To Consider
The Buffalo Sabres are undoubtedly a team to pay attention to between now and the 2026 NHL trade deadline. With the Sabres looking to cement themselves a spot in the playoffs, they should be looking to add to their roster.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in a different position, as they are among the bottom teams in the NHL and should be sellers. Due to this, let's look at two players who the Sabres should consider pursuing from Chicago.
Ilya Mikheyev, LW/RW
The Sabres would benefit by adding another depth forward to their roster, and Ilya Mikheyev could be an interesting player for them to bring in. The 31-year-old forward could fit well in their bottom six, as he is a speedy winger who contributes offensively. He is also an excellent penalty-killer, so he would help the Sabres in that department.
Mikheyev has appeared in 53 games this season with the Blackhawks, where he has recorded 11 goals, 12 assists, and 23 points.
Connor Murphy, D
The Sabres have been connected to Murphy a lot this season, and it is easy to understand why. There is no question that they need another right-shot defenseman, and landing Murphy would give them a very solid one. The veteran blueliner could fit nicely on their bottom pairing and penalty kill if acquired.
In 58 games this season, Murphy has recorded four goals, eight assists, 12 points, and 84 blocks.
Islanders nip Blue Jackets in overtime to maintain playoff positioning
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Far too many times over the past few years, the Islanders have been in the same position the Blue Jackets were Saturday night: playing a four-point game, long before the end of the season, where it felt like their lives were on the line.
Rarely have they been in the opposite chair, but there they were Saturday. Columbus came into the evening six points behind the Islanders — the playoff team closest to them — and with two games in hand. An Islanders win wasn’t going to eliminate the Blue Jackets, but surely a growing standings deficit the week of the trade deadline would point Columbus general manager Don Waddell in a certain direction.
Now, Waddell has a hard week in front of him. His team tossed away a 2-0 lead in a game it was dominating through 30 minutes, and the Islanders walked out of Nationwide Arena with a 4-3 overtime victory on Simon Holmstrom’s game-winning goal that left the Blue Jackets seven points out of a playoff spot and gasping for air.
It was the second game of two on this road trip in which the Islanders trailed by two goals in the second period, and the second game of two in which their resiliency, along with some timely adjustments from coach Patrick Roy, made that forgettable.
“We just needed to be better with our puck management, that’s all it was,” Roy said. “When our ‘D’ were in [the offensive zone], we have to cover for them, and we didn’t do a good job. And they took advantage of it.
“… I thought we started putting more pressure on our neutral zone instead of sitting back. We had more pressure on our forecheck and we pressed more on the D-Zone coverage. I thought that created the game we had towards the end.”
- CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS
There was also something more simple: throwing pucks and bodies to the net. That was how Anders Lee, off a Scott Mayfield rebound, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, off his own rebound, scored 22 seconds apart to tie the game just after its halfway point. And it was how Mayfield made it 3-2 off a shot that ricocheted, taking a hard left turn off Kirill Marchenko and hitting Zach Werenski before crossing the goal line at 17:10 of the second.
Columbus came back down and re-tied it on Adam Fantilli’s deflection from Werenski to set up a 3-3 game entering the last 20 minutes, but the damage was done and the game had shifted.
“We saw what was working,” Pageau said. “Low to high, get pucks at the net, crash the net. That’s what created most of our goals. Other than the OT winner, all the goals were created like that.”
Just like two nights prior in Montreal, the Islanders got better as the game went on. The third period was their best, and if not for some good work by Jet Greaves, the Blue Jackets would have lost this game before overtime.
Undefeated in games that end in 3-on-3 play, though, the Islanders weren’t about to let their perfect record slip. They barely let the Blue Jackets touch the puck, and Holmstrom eventually put away Tony DeAngelo’s outlet pass to seal the win.
“I think we proved the last two games we’re very resilient,” Holmstrom said. “We don’t quit. We stay with it.”
The Islanders had started this one slowly. Their puck management was less than great, and aside from Cal Ritchie’s line, there weren’t many chances to speak of. Even Ilya Sorokin made a rare error, letting the puck trickle through him 2:30 into the game on Isac Lundeström’s tip from Dante Fabbro.
Mason Marchment, the villain last time these teams played, made it 2-0 early in the second off Charlie Coyle’s feed to the right circle that seemed to make its way through the Islanders’ defense in slow motion.
Lee and Pageau — who scored the tying and winning goals on Thursday in Montreal — pulled the Islanders back into the game, and this is a team that doesn’t tend to let those opportunities go to waste.
They didn’t Saturday.
And they may have just pushed Columbus’ season to the brink.
Recap: Avalanche survive with 3-1 win over Blackhawks
In continuation of the Central Division showdowns, the Colorado Avalanche moved on in their busy schedule in hosting the Chicago Blackhawks in a Saturday afternoon affair hoping to erase the bitter taste of defeat from two nights ago. It wasn’t a masterful effort but still Colorado found enough to end up with a 3-1 win over Chicago.
The Game
It wasn’t the start to the game the Avalanche were hoping for. Devon Toews took a hooking penalty six minutes into the match and Connor Bedard converted for Chicago on the power play for the game’s first score. For the rest of the first period the two teams would trade fruitless power plays while the Avalanche crafted a 14-4 shot advantage.
The second period wasn’t much better and was a slog to get through. Colorado took a too many men penalty early and then Chicago was called for three straight infractions after that. Colorado capitalized on none of them, gaining only a 9-5 shot advantage in the period in the process.
A sign of life, though, emerged after the fourth failed power play of the game for Colorado as Cale Makar found the back of the net with nine seconds left in the period. It wasn’t even a clean pass from MacKinnon as a Blackhawk tipped it on the way to Makar but he was able to find an open look much closer to the net that he has been and fired his favorite shot from the top of the right circle to tie the game 1-1 heading into the second intermission.
A shorthanded 3-on-1 happened early in the final frame but the Avalanche over-passed their way out of it to keep the game tied. Who knew the fourth line would bail out the Avalanche in their third minute of time on ice in the game? That’s exactly what happened midway through the third period to give Colorado their first lead of the contest when Gavin Brindley cleaned up some loose change at the net front.
Nothing else happened in this game except for an empty net goal scored by Makar after just seconds after Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Nečas over-passed themselves into a turnover when they had a chance at securing the victory. A 3-1 Colorado win was recorded after this sloppy game.
Takeaways
Joel Kiviranta remained absent from this game with Zakhar Bardakov participating in his place. Prior to the game Jared Bednar admitted on the radio that the Finn is going through concussion protocol.
It was nice to see Brindley as the hero of the game but it’s troubling he still ended with 3:26 time on ice and not a second more after he scored the game winning goal. It’s fair to wonder how much of the current bottom six forward group will remain on the roster after the upcoming NHL trade deadline on Friday.
Upcoming
A busy March schedule kicks off with the first of a back-to-back in California against the LA Kings at 8:30 p.m. MT on Monday, March 2nd.