Category: Ice Hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers are heading back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2020 and are set for a testy matchup with the bitter rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

Heading into Monday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers were set up nicely for a win-and-in scenario, and they needed every last minute to pull it off.

Matvei Michkov helped the Flyers erase a 2-0 deficit in the second period, and Porter Martone set up Trevor Zegras for the game-tying tuck minutes later.

Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake hit the post in overtime, but the Flyers' resolve was strong enough to hang on and survive through the shootout, as they've done time and time again this season.

Forward Tyson Foerster, whose season was supposed to be over, continued his fight and buried a shot past Brandon Bussi to score the only goal of the shootout.

Report: Top Flyers Prospect to Join NCAA PowerhouseAs it turns out, Porter Martone may not be the only first-round pick from the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> to head over to the NCAA to develop.

Goalie Dan Vladar stoned defenseman Alex Nikishin at the other end to send the Flyers to the playoffs.

Now, the Flyers are set for a grudge match with the Penguins, the franchise with which Rick Tocchet coached for two Stanley Cup runs.

Of course, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are still around kicking all these years later.

"These guys, they don't die. These guys are just warriors," Tocchet said of his former players after the Flyers' win Monday night.

"We're gonna have our hands full, and we're gonna have to do some game-planning here this week. But those guys don't die. It's gonna be a tough series and we're gonna have to go after those guys."

Those Penguins had a very similar season to the Flyers, going 41-24-16 through 81 games to this point.

Flyers Call Up David Jiricek In Surprise MoveThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> have made a bit of a surprising transaction with their playoff push coming to its final few games, recalling top defense prospect David Jiricek from the AHL on Sunday afternoon.

"Good team over there, lots of experienced players," Michkov said. "We're not playing hockey for the first year, either. It's my first time playing in the NHL playoffs, so I'll give all my best to it."

The Flyers last played the Penguins back on March 7, when Alex Bump scored his first NHL goal on an assist from Nikita Grebenkin. Ultimately, the Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout.

The Flyers and Penguins split their season series 2-2, with both Philadelphia wins coming in the shootout.

Those who sign up for priority access will have the ability to purchase playoff tickets before the general public.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored 27 seconds into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

Erik Cernak, Jake Guentzel and Conor Geekie also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves as Tampa Bay recorded at least 50 wins in a season for the fifth time in franchise history.

The Lightning are tied with Montreal for second place in the Atlantic Division. Each team has one game remaining.

Patrick Kane recorded his 1,400th career point for Detroit. Alex DeBrincat, David Perron and Marco Kasper scored for Detroit. Cam Talbot finished with 19 saves.

PANTHERS 3, RANGERS 2

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Cole Reinhardt scored his second goal of the game with 1:50 remaining and spoiled New York goaltender Jonathan Quick’s final NHL game as Florida beat the Rangers.

Quick, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, announced his retirement before Monday’s game after 19 seasons. He won the Cup twice in 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, and was part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2023 championship team.

Reinhardt broke a 2-all tie on Florida’s fourth shot of the third period, beating Quick on the glove side.

The Rangers, who have lost three straight, never led.

FLYERS 3, HURRICANES 2, SO

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyson Foerster scored the only goal in the shootout to send Philadelphia to a win over the Eastern Conference top seed Carolina and into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Flyerss goalie Dan Vladar stopped Carolina’s fourth shootout attempt and set off a wild celebration at the next. The Flyers skated to center ice and raised their sticks toward a packed and rowdy crowd that hasn’t enjoyed a home playoff series since 2018.

The Hurricanes got the point they needed to secure the top seed in the East.

STARS 6, MAPLE LEAFS 5

TORONTO (AP) — Mavrik Bourque had his first NHL hat trick and added an assist as Dallas rallied from a pair of deficits and beat Toronto.

Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist and Wyatt Johnston and Arttu Hyry also score for playoff-bound Dallas, which rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 5-3.

Casey DeSmith made 22 saves for the Stars, who are locked into the Central Division’s No. 2 seed. Matt Duchene had three assists.

William Nylander had a goal and two assists and Jacob Quillan netted his first NHL goal. John Tavares, Nick Robertson and Max Domi also scored for Toronto (32-35-14) in its final home game.

BLUES 6, WILD 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — (AP) — Theo Lindstein scored and St. Louis Blues overcame a two-goal deficit and beat Minnesota.

Lindstein scored on a backhand shot with 3:19 remaining in the second period to put the Blues up 4-3. Jonathan Drouin and Dalibor Dvorsky each had an assist on the goal.

Pavel Buchnevich scored the 200th goal of his NHL career and Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours, Otto Stenberg and Colton Parayko added goals for the Blues.

Parayko’s goal was his 81st and he moved into fourth in franchise history in goals by a Blues defenseman behind Al MacInnis (127), Alex Pietrangelo (109) and Chris Pronger (84). He moved out of a tie with Jeff Brown (80).

Nick Foligno, Michael McCarron and Danila Yurov scored for the Wild.

SHARKS 3, PREDATORS 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored twice in the third period, including an empty-netter with 1:45 remaining, to reach 44 goals on the season and San Jose beat Nashville to end a 15-game losing streak in the series.

With the Predators loss, the idle Anaheim Ducks clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.

Celebrini’s 30th multi-point game of the season moved him into a tie with Owen Nolan (1999-00) and Patrick Marleau (2009-10) for second-most by a Shark in a single season — only trailing Jonathan Cheechoo’s 56 in 2005-06.

Igor Chernyshov netted his third goal in the past two games on a power play to open the scoring for the Sharks.

Luke Evangelista scored both goals for the Predators to reach 12 on the season.

SABRES 5, BLACKHAWKS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Tage Thompson scored twice to reach 40 goals on the season, and Buffalo clinched the Atlantic Division title by defeating Chicago.

Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist as Buffalo (50-23-8) posted its fourth consecutive win. Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris also scored, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves.

Buffalo earned its first division title since the 2009-10 season and seventh overall. It reached 50 wins for the third time in franchise history, also accomplishing the feat in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

The Sabres were in the mix for the top spot in the Eastern Conference before Carolina secured the position by earning a point in a shootout loss at Philadelphia.

Ryan Greene scored for Chicago (28-39-14), and Spencer Knight made 21 saves. The last-place Blackhawks dropped to 7-17-7 in their last 31 games.

AVALANCHE 2, OILERS 1, SO

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout and Colorado beat Edmonton.

Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the NHL-best Avalanche, who have won three of four overall and seven straight road games.

Connor McDavid scored his 48th goal for the playoff-bound Oilers, who have lost four of five. Edmonton fell two points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division.

McDavid leads the league with 134 points and needs one more to become the seventh player in league history to reach 135 at least twice. The others are Wayne Gretzky (12 times), Mario Lemieux (five), Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Steve Yzerman.

Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for Colorado, and Edmonton’s Connor Ingram also stopped 30 shots.

KINGS 5, KRAKEN 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Quinton Byfield scored twice, Anton Forsberg made 28 saves and Los Angeles secured a playoff spot with a win over Seattle.

Trevor Moore, Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere also scored for the Kings, who won their fifth straight and are playoff-bound for the fifth consecutive season.

With two games left, Los Angeles is in position for the second Western Conference wild card and fourth in the Pacific Division, just two points behind second-place Edmonton. The Kings’ victory, combined with Nashville’s loss to San Jose earlier Monday night, wrapped up their playoff spot and eliminated both the Predators and the Sharks.

Adam Larsson, Frederick Gaudreau and Bobby McMann scored for Seattle, all in the third period. Nikke Kokko stopped 25 shots in his second career start. Matty Beniers had two assists.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 6, JETS 2

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone scored his fourth goal in three games and combined with Jack Eichel for seven points as the Golden Knights defeated Winnipeg to move Vegas closer to winning a fifth Pacific Division title in its nine seasons.

A victory over visiting Seattle in Wednesday night’s regular-season finale will give the Golden Knights the division title and home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs.

Eichel had a goal and three assists, and Stone added a goal and two assists.

Ivan Barbashev, Rasmus Andersson each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, and Reilly Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev each scored a goal. Dorofeyev’s extended his club record for power-play goals in a season to 20.

Noah Hanifin had two assists and Carter Hart finished with 21 saves.

Mark Scheifele recorded a goal and assist to set a Jets single-season scoring record with 101 points. Marian Hossa had 100 in the 2006-07 season.

Tristate hockey fans are in for an early transition to baseball this summer. 

For the first time in NHL history, the Rangers, Islanders and Devils have all failed to qualify for the playoffs in the same year. Since the Devils entered the league in 1982, at least one of the three local teams has participated in each postseason. 

The Rangers were not just the first of the three to be eliminated, but they were the second team in the NHL to be mathematically ruled out. It came swiftly with a 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on March 25. 

Though the Blueshirts season has essentially been over since even before president and general manager Chris Drury announced his retooling plans Jan. 16. 

Last week, the Devils followed suit and were eliminated following a 5-1 loss to the Flyers.

New Jersey’s 8-1 start to the season quickly fizzled out. The oft-injured Jack Hughes missed significant time, during which his team could not overcome the loss. That included a freak injury at a team dinner, where Hughes sliced his hand and required surgery. 

Injuries to other key players prevented the lineup from ever reaching full strength. 

Goaltending continues to hold the organization back. Among NHL goalies who made at least 40 starts this season, Jacob Markstrom’s .883 save percentage is the fourth worst. 

Like the Rangers, the Devils also struggled in their own building for whatever reason. Prudential Center saw the team go 21-17-3. 

Still, neither of their collapses was as egregious as that of the Islanders. 

The Islanders were the last of the three teams to be eliminated, on Sunday, when a 4-1 loss to the Canadiens capped a 4-9 limp through their most pivotal stretch of the season. 

Head coach Patrick Roy was fired with four games left. New head coach Pete DeBoer couldn’t save the sinking ship. 

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While the good news for the Detroit Red Wings is that they came back from a 3-1 third-period deficit against the Tampa Bay Lightning to knot the score and earn a point in the standings, the bad news is that it doesn't mean anything for them.

Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, one of the five best players in the NHL, scored the overtime game-winning goal just 27 seconds into the extra session, giving Tampa Bay a 4-3 win at Benchmark International Arena.

Final pic.twitter.com/YzVXTPBg3H

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 14, 2026

For the Red Wings, who were officially eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention on Saturday evening, it was their penultimate game of the 2025-26 regular season. 

Also adding insult to injury is the fact that, even though they now have accumulated the most points in a season since the start of their postseason drought, it still wasn't enough to get them into the playoffs. 

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

The Red Wings found the back of the net first, as David Perron scored his third goal since his return to Detroit early last month at the NHL Trade Deadline, finishing off a feed at the side of the net from J.T. Compher.

However, the Lightning knotted the score late in the frame thanks to the first goal of the season from Conor Geekie. 

Goals from Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel gave the Lightning a 3-1 advantage through the end of 40 minutes, but the Red Wings would fight their way back into the contest. 

First, Marco Kasper scored just his second goal since March 10, bringing them back to within one. And with 4:44 left in regulation, Alex DeBrincat scored his team-leading 41st goal of the season on a two-on-none rush with Patrick Kane, who picked up the 1,400th point of his career with the assist. 

But Kucherov silenced Detroit's comeback attempt shortly into overtime with his 44 goal of the season. 

Cam Talbot, making what could likely be his final start in a Red Wings uniform, made 18 saves, while Andrei Vasilevskiy countered with 27 saves.

The Red Wings have one game left on their schedule, and it comes on Wednesday against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who were also recently eliminated from postseason contention. 

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The Nashville Predators' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread after losing to the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, at home on Monday. 

Nashville will need Los Angeles to lose in any sort of fashion in order for the Predators to have a chance to compete for a playoff spot on Thursday against the Ducks. 

"We got what we deserve," Ryan O'Reilly said. "We didn't start the way we needed to. We got down and couldn't find a way back. We need a miracle now. It's disappointing. It's brutal."

Luke Evangelista had the lone Predators goal of the contest, going bardown on Alex Nedeljkovic in the late third period. It was his 11th goal of the season. 

Evangelista scored again late in the third to cut it back down to a one-goal Sharks lead. 

"It's a pretty s----- feeling. That's all I can really say," Evangelista said on the result. 

A boarding call on Steven Stamkos in the second period, but the Sharks are on the power play. Igor Chernyshov wristed in a kick-out pass from William Eklund that beat Justus Annunen's blocker side. 

In the third period, a disputed icing call on the Predators set a face-off in Nashville's zone. The puck was dumped into the Sharks' zone, but was touched by Alex Nedeljkovic before crossing the line. 

According to Predators head coach Andrew Brunette, the officials ruled that Nedeljkovic had stopped the puck after it had crossed the line.

Off the face-off, Justin Barron got the puck back, but turned it over along the boards. That allowed Macklin Celebrini to net his 43rd goal of the season and put the Sharks up by two. 

He added an empty goal with 1:45 left in the game to add some insurance to the Sharks' victory. 

"You feel gutted," Brunette said on the loss. "You're disappointed that we didn't get the result, and that we really didn't get to our game fast enough. We played the margins late when you're down and we know how that story usually goes. 

Justus Aunnen made 20 saves on 22 shots, snapping a two-game win streak. Nashville went with Annunen over Juuse Saros following a pair of wins over Anaheim and Minnesota. 

This was also San Jose's first win over the Predators since Nov. 9, 2019, which was a 2-1 shootout Sharks win in San Jose. It's the Sharks' first win in Nashville since Oct. 23, 2018, a 5-4 win. 

Nashville falls to 38-33-10 on the year, sitting at 86 points. It is staring at the possibility of missing the playoffs for a second straight season. 

"It's tough. You kind of hope for a miracle now," Roman Josi said. "It just wasn't our best game. We couldn't get to our game as we have in the past couple of games. Now you look at the scoreboard and the other games and hope for a miracle." 

TORONTO (AP) — Mavrik Bourque had his first NHL hat trick and added an assist as the Dallas Stars rallied from a pair of deficits and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 on Monday night.

Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist and Wyatt Johnston and Arttu Hyry also score for playoff-bound Dallas, which rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 5-3.

Casey DeSmith made 22 saves for the Stars, who are locked into the Central Division’s No. 2 seed. Matt Duchene had three assists.

William Nylander had a goal and two assists and Jacob Quillan netted his first NHL goal. John Tavares, Nick Robertson and Max Domi also scored for Toronto (32-35-14) in its final home game.

Artur Akhtyamov stopped 26 shots in his second start. Matthew Knies had two assists.

Maple Leafs forward Ryan Tverberg made his NHL debut. The 24-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ontario was a seventh-round pick at the 2020 draft and the third player in as many games to see his first NHL action for Toronto, joining forward Luke Haymes (Thursday) and defenseman William Villeneuve (Saturday).

The Stars will have home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs.

Tavares opened the scoring with his 564th career point for Toronto, passing Bob Pulford for sole possession of 11th on the franchise’s all-time list.

Up next

Stars: At the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

Maple Leafs: At the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

___

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

After the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched their first postseason berth since 2022 with a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday - as well as second place in the Metropolitan Division - the only thing left to check off the list was who their opponent would be in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

And that was finally determined on Monday.

With a 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Philadelphia Flyers clinched the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and will face the Penguins in the first round, setting the stage for the Battle of Pennsylvania. With the win, the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention, and the Eastern Conference playoff picture was set in stone.

The Flyers put together an improbable stretch run over the past few weeks, going 14-5-1 in their last 20 games. It is their first postseason berth since 2020, and it is their first time facing the Penguins since 2018, when Pittsburgh beat them during the first round in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal. 

The two teams have met seven times in the playoffs, with Philadelphia winning four of those series.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday, Apr. 18. Stay tuned to The Hockey News - Pittsburgh Penguins for updates on the postseason schedule, scores, playoff coverage, and more. 

Takeaways: Penguins Take Care Of Business, Clinch Playoff Berth With 5-2 Win Over New Jersey DevilsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a four-year drought and a statement win over the New Jersey Devils.

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!      

The Anaheim Ducks will end the NHL’s third-longest playoff drought, as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators on Monday, sending the Ducks to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. 

From ownership to the front office to the roster, the Ducks set this as a goal for themselves in the spring of 2025, following a 2024-25 season that saw them take a 21-point jump out of the league’s basement in the NHL standings.

Some significant changes occurred ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Ducks parted ways with Greg Cronin and most of his coaching staff and moved on from core roster pieces Trevor Zegras and John Gibson.

Cutter Gauthier Becomes Fourth Anaheim Ducks Player in History to Record 40 Goals in a Season

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 Overtime Loss to the Vancouver Canucks

Anaheim Ducks Goaltender Lukas Dostal Nominated for King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-1 Win over the Sharks

In the Summer of 2025, general manager Pat Verbeek hired Joel Quenneville, and with him, he brought Jay Woodcroft, Ryan McGill, and Andrew Brewer. To the roster, Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider, and Ryan Poehling were added.

The 2025-26 season had its high highs and low lows, highlighted by two seven-game winning streaks and lowlighted by a nine-game winless streak and a recent six-game winless streak.

Young players like Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, and Cutter Gauthier have taken significant steps in their development, while veterans like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba have been seemingly rejuvenated from their first full seasons in Southern California.

However, some younger players like Mason McTavish and Olen Zellweger have seen their development stalled or have taken a step back. Veterans Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano had fallen victim to their fair share of healthy scratches, unexpected from top contributors over the previous three seasons in Anaheim.

At the trade deadline, the Ducks moved on from Strome and, in a separate deal, added veteran right-shot defenseman John Carlson.

The journey’s been extensive and arduous, but for the first time since the 2017-18 season, there will be NHL hockey games beyond the 82 in the regular season in Orange County.

The Ducks’ last playoff game was on April 18, 2018, a 2-1 loss in a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. The only remaining member in the organization from that series is Troy Terry, who played his first two career NHL games down the stretch of the 2017-18 regular season, but wasn’t in any of the four playoff lineups for the Ducks.

“Just the maturity of the team,” Terry said on what he took away from that experience, being around the team during a playoff series. “This year is a team that’s hopefully starting a run of consistently being in the playoffs, and that team was at the end of however long it had been.

“So you could just tell they’d been there, done that. They just seemed…’unflappable’ is a good word. Put that in there that I said that word. You could tell the maturity level; nothing seemed to really faze them. They had their objective, and I think that’s what this group is working on and needs to continue to get better: belief in what we do best in here, and no matter what happens, not stray from that.”

In the four years prior to 2017-18, the Ducks experienced unprecedented success for the organization, qualifying for the NHL playoffs in four consecutive seasons, winning four Pacific Division titles, and appearing in two Western Conference Finals.

The Ducks’ leading scorers in 2017-18 included Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Jakob Silfverberg. Their TOI leaders were Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm.

As the Anaheim Ducks hope to enter into a new era of consistent contention, a new core is in place, with a new cohort of veterans filling complementary roles. Hungry vets will lean on prior experience, while the younger players will gain ever-valuable playoff reps.

“I’ve never been to the playoffs, but I truly believe that the experience from the past is going to have a big impact,” Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal said on what he expects from his first NHL playoff experience. “The national level, even in Finland, I’ve played in the playoffs there.

“Those are high paced games, you really cannot make any mistakes. It’s a different type of hockey, both teams are trying to play a defensive game.”

The Ducks will wrap up their regular season with a pair of games on the road to face the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, with seeding on the line.

The NHL playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 18. However, with the Ducks schedule to close out the season, it can be expected that their series will start either Sunday or Monday.

Ducks Goaltender Ville Husso Nominated for Masterton Trophy

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-0 Loss to the Predators

Drake Batherson is aging like fine wine. Two weeks shy of his 28th birthday, and now in his eighth season with the club, every year has been a little better than the last.

For example, this season, the Ottawa Senators winger has cracked the 30-goal and 70-point mark for the first time in his NHL career.

"Every player has always got (individual) goals going through the season," Batherson told the Coming in Hot podcast on Monday. "And for me, it was, I wanted to score 30 and get 70 points. So I was pretty pumped to obviously do that."

"And you know, the next year you set new goals out for yourself. And if you can do that and help the team get in the playoffs, I think that's the biggest thing. And yeah, I think it was a great year and got to give credit to obviously my teammates, the power play and getting put in situations where I was able to do that."

It's not just hyperbole to suggest Batherson gets better every year.

Just take a glance at his hockeydb.com page. For every year of his eight-year career, he's improved his point totals from the year before.

While that's an impressive stat, you might think that with all the superstars who've ever played this game, there are probably others who might also have replicated that feat.

Apparently, you'd be wrong.

According to Sportsnet's Kyle Bukauskas on Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts Podcast, Batherson is the first NHL player to accomplish that in 66 years. The only other player ever to do it, Bukauskas noted, was winger Vic Stasiuk, who retired in the 1960s. But from 1952 to 1960, he improved every year during his eight-year window.

If that's the case, and I can't imagine the weeks of research it would take to verify it, that would make Batherson the only guy who's ever done it from the start of his career onward.

32 goals and 72 points and improving every season definitely isn't bad for a guy who makes less than $5 million per season on a very club-friendly contract.

But the bargain will end on July 1, 2027, when Batherson becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027, and as such, he's eligible for an extension this summer. When asked about it on the Coming in Hot Podcast on Monday, Batherson said he isn't aware of any early contract discussions. 

The conversation also turned to the last couple of games of the regular season, and host Brent Wallace wondered about some of the club's stars getting to skip the game in New Jersey, and whether Batherson might like a little time off, too.

Batherson, who once told me if he weren't in the NHL, he'd be one of those guys who play in five different men's leagues, said he has zero issues in playing these games.

"I mean, I love it," Batherson said. "It's the NHL. Like, if you told me 10 years ago, I could be playing game 81 in New Jersey. I'd be like, 'A hundred percent!' I don't care what the situation is. So it's a dream come true playing every night for me. And I'm happy to be out there."

With another playoff run about to begin, the Senators are thrilled to have him as well. 

For a player who’s made a habit of raising his ceiling year after year, the most intriguing part might be this: Batherson's improvement streak is an active one, so we still don’t know where this thing will top out. 

How do you not take a shine to that?

Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Senators Officially Clinch Playoff Spot For Second Straight Year
Why Shane Pinto Should Be One Of The Favourites For The Selke Trophy
Ullmark Describes Masterton Trophy Nomination As Bittersweet
'A Superstar Moment:' The Senators Goal Everyone Is Talking About
Great Opportunities: The Rise Of Senators Defenseman Jordan Spence

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Cole Reinhardt scored his second goal of the game with 1:50 remaining and spoiled New York goaltender Jonathan Quick’s final NHL game as the Florida Panthers beat the Rangers 3-2 on Monday night.

Quick, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, announced his retirement before Monday’s game after 19 seasons. He won the Cup twice in 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, and was part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2023 championship team.

Reinhardt broke a 2-all tie on Florida’s fourth shot of the third period, beating Quick on the glove side.

The Rangers, who have lost three straight, never led.

Florida goalie Daniil Tarasov made 24 saves — including all 14 he faced in the third, with the Rangers putting on a strong push to try and get Quick one final victory.

Matthew Robertson and Gabe Perreault scored for New York, which has lost three straight.

Florida scored twice in the opening period on goals by Reinhardt and Mackie Samoskevich for an early 2-0 lead.

Reinhardt, who has four goals in his three-game goal streak, opened the scoring by following up a rebound off a shot from defenseman Tobias Bjornfot.

Samoskevich made it 2-0 at 11:21 off the breakaway.

The Rangers cut into the Florida lead at 15:19 of the opening period when Robertson scored off a shot from the point.

Perreault was struck by a rebound off a shot from defenseman Adam Fox with 2:40 remaining in the second period, tying the score at 2.

Quick had 14 saves in the loss.

Up next

Rangers: At Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Panthers: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Cole Reinhardt scored his second goal of the game with 1:50 remaining and spoiled New York goaltender Jonathan Quick's final NHL game as the Florida Panthers beat the Rangers 3-2 on Monday night.

Quick, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, announced his retirement before Monday’s game after 19 seasons. He won the Cup twice in 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, and was part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2023 championship team.

Reinhardt broke a 2-all tie on Florida’s fourth shot of the third period, beating Quick on the glove side.

The Rangers, who have lost three straight, never led.

Florida goalie Daniil Tarasov made 24 saves — including all 14 he faced in the third with the Rangers putting on a strong push to try and get Quick one final victory.

Matthew Robertson and Gabe Perreault scored for New York, which has lost three straight.

Florida scored twice in the opening period on goals by Reinhardt and Mackie Samoskevich for an early 2-0 lead.

Reinhardt, who has four goals in his three-game goal streak, opened the scoring by following up a rebound off a shot from defenseman Tobias Bjornfot.

Samoskevich made it 2-0 at 11:21 off the breakaway.

The Rangers cut into the Florida lead at 15:19 of the opening period when Robertson scored off a shot from the point.

Perreault was struck by a rebound off a shot from defenseman Adam Fox with 2:40 remaining in the second period, tying the score at 2.

Quick had 14 saves in the loss.

Up next

Rangers: At Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Panthers: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

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

Buffalo Sabres prospect Anton Wahlberg is a promising young forward in the team's system. The Sabres are hoping that he can become a solid part of their roster in the future, as he has good upside. It is why the Sabres selected him with the 39th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Wahlberg has certainly been having a nice finish to the 2025-26 season with the Amerks, as he has been heating up offensively down the stretch. Wahlberg is currently on a six-game point streak, where he has two goals and four assists over that span. With this, the young forward is undoubtedly feeling it right now for Rochester. 

Due to his hot streak, Wahlberg now has nine goals and has set new career highs with 27 assists and 36 points in 65 games this season with the Amerks. This is after he had 11 goals and 30 points in 63 games with Rochester during the 2024-25 season.

The Sabres will now be hoping that Wahlberg can continue to show promise down in the AHL with Rochester. If the 20-year-old keeps this kind of play up, it could open the door for him to make his NHL debut next season. 

Fans in Edmonton will get one last regular-season glimpse at McDavid vs. MacKinnon tonight at Rogers Place before the NHL playoffs begin this weekend.

Both clubs have secured playoff berths, but the Oilers are on the cusp of winning the pillow fight in the Pacific Division and will be desperate for a victory as they sit just one point (90) behind the Vegas Golden Knights (91), with both teams having two games remaining.

Where are you tuning in from tonight? pic.twitter.com/xiDqhdlMPX

— P – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 13, 2026

Will Edmonton pass the test and position themselves as home-icers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, or will Colorado play spoiler?

Colorado Avalanche

I’m not sure who spilled the salt at team dinner, but Colorado has been hit with an injury wave that has even extended to their head coach, Jared Bednar.

The puck he took to the face against Vegas has him still recovering from facial fractures and an abrasion in Colorado.

Maybe the view from the vantage of a fan can offer some insight, but I imagine Bedsy has his ways of influencing the group even from afar.

Now, as far as skaters go, I doubt we see Cale Makar, Josh Manson, or Nazem Kadri tonight or for the rest of the regular season.

Josh Manson left the Vegas game with an upper-body injury and did not return.

Josh Manson (upper body) will not return to the game.

— P – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 12, 2026

As mentioned in the intro, without any opportunity for advancement, there’s no reason not to shut these guys down until the playoffs.

Projected Lineup:

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Gabriel Landeskog
Valeri Nichushkin — Brock Nelson — Martin Necas
Ross Colton — Nicolas Roy — Joel Kiviranta
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor

Devon Toews — Sam Malinski
Brett Kulak — Brent Burns
Nick Blankenburg — Jack Achan

Scott Wedgewood
MacKenzie Blackwood

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have been without Leon Draisaitl for quite some time, but still run with McDavid and have been a team that can’t consistently find their stride, but appear and often prove plenty capable.

Do the @EdmontonOilers have some tricks up these sleeves? 🟠🔵

Currently outscoring their opponents 26-10, the Oilers look to extend their alternate uniform win streak to FIVE games tonight‼️ pic.twitter.com/YxR4pjxkTg

— NHL (@NHL) January 12, 2026

Interestingly, if the Oilers and Avalanche meet later in the playoffs as both sides intend, the Oilers will have won two playoff rounds, and any doubts will dissipate, as that would mark their 3rd Western Conference Final in a row.

The question marks in Edmonton still largely revolve around netminding, with the Skinner for Jarry deal not really panning out early on.

For now, I’d say it’s Ingram’s net.

Projected Lineup:

Vasily Podkolzin — Connor McDavid — Matthew Savoie
Max Jones — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Kasperi Kapanen
Colton Dach — Josh Samanski — Trent Frederic
Curtis Lazar — Adam Henrique — Jack Roslovic

Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse — Connor Murphy
Jake Walman — Ty Emberson

Connor Ingram
Tristan Jarry

Pete DeBoer’s earliest work is often his best work.

He went to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final in his first season with the Devils. His first season in San Jose ended in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. DeBoer landed in Las Vegas in 2019 and led the Golden Knights to the conference finals. He followed the same script in Dallas, leading the Stars to the conference finals in 2023.

It will be another six months before his first full season with the Islanders begins, but DeBoer’s disappointing first week with the team — losing two of three games to cap a collapse that will keep the Islanders out of the postseason for the second straight year — has provided the coach with unusual insight into his new roster.

“I can tell you we’re gonna be way ahead [next season], I’m gonna be way ahead of where I would’ve been had I come in in the summer, for sure,” DeBoer said following Sunday’s loss to Montreal. “Is it enough time to have all the answers? No, [but] I’ve got a lot more answers than I would have showing up here in training camp without having this experience with this group. So I’m excited to start fresh and have a camp and get to work with them. 

“We want to finish this off the right way on Tuesday. There’s some exciting pieces here but there’s no doubt we have a lot of work left to do.”

The Islanders (43-33-5) will conclude their regular season Tuesday night against the Hurricanes at UBS Arena, having fumbled a seemingly secure postseason spot by losing six of their past seven games. 

On Sunday, the players were still absorbing the death of a once-promising season. But the writing has been on the boards since Patrick Roy was fired and DeBoer was hired with four games remaining in the regular season.

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In the aftermath, first-year general manager Mathieu Darche said the stunning switch was made to grab “the No. 1 free agent on the market,” with far more in mind than the final four games.

In the season finale, DeBoer would like to “see as many guys as possible,” potentially opening the door for 19-year-old forward Victor Eklund — the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft — to make his debut with the Islanders after producing nine points (two goals, seven assists) in seven games with AHL Bridgeport.

Other call-up candidates include veteran winger Matt Luff — who was acquired in the trade for Brayden Schenn — Adam Beckman and former first-round pick Liam Foudy, as well as 22-year-old defensemen Isaiah George and Long Island native Marshall Warren.

“The more guys I can see in game action that are potentially part of this going forward, I think that’s important,” DeBoer said.

Two weeks ago, it would have been unthinkable for the Islanders season to end with 60 or so meaningless minutes. Two days ago, they still believed they could sneak into the bracket.

But the DeBoer era has just begun.

“You always learn something when you’re playing games this late in the season that matter,” DeBoer said. “When the lights go out on a season, it’s never easy after you put in that kind of time, particularly the journey they were on, the spot they were in and where they are now. I feel for them … We know we’ve got a lot of work to do here, but there’s a lot of good things, too.”

The Senators don't have their 2026 first-round Stanley Cup playoff schedule yet, nor do they know who their first-round opponent will be.

But we do know when playoff tickets are going on sale, and as always, membership has its privileges.

The Senators announced on Monday that first-round playoff tickets would go on sale beginning Thursday at 10 a.m., exclusively for season ticket holders, who will be able to purchase up to four tickets per game for all three possible home games in the first round. 

Sens Insiders will also have an inside track on the general public. On Friday at 10 a.m., they'll be emailed a link to access tickets for Games 3 and 4. They can also purchase up to four per game. 

After season ticket holders and Sens Insiders have had their fill, the general public can purchase tickets for Games 3 and 4, also with a limit of four per game. There will be a rush for tickets, but how fierce the rush will be depends largely on the Sens' opponent.

They have just one game left in their season, at home on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, their first-round opponent last year. This year's opponent could still be any one of the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, or the Tampa Bay Lightning. Obviously, Montreal and Buffalo fans would be far more likely to try to jump on tickets.

On Monday night, the Carolina Hurricanes can wrap up the Eastern Conference title, and the Buffalo Sabres can clinch the Atlantic Division title. If those two things happen, then Montreal and Tampa would be removed as possible Sens' opponents in round one.

The Sabres will clinch the Atlantic if they beat Chicago in regulation and Tampa Bay fails to beat Detroit in regulation. If the 'Canes end up as the top seed in the East, and then Boston beats New Jersey tomorrow, the Sens would face Carolina in round one.

The sixteen teams in the 2026 NHL playoffs could be finalized as early as Monday night. The Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings all have Monday paths to claim the 14th, 15th and 16th spots, although Dallas vs Minnesota is the only matchup set in stone.

The Senators clinched a playoff spot on Saturday night after a ferocious charge in the final third of the season, closing out the year with a 20-6-3 record since late January.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Senators Officially Clinch Playoff Spot For Second Straight Year
Why Shane Pinto Should Be One Of The Favourites For The Selke Trophy
Ullmark Describes Masterton Trophy Nomination As Bittersweet
'A Superstar Moment:' The Senators Goal Everyone Is Talking About
Great Opportunities: The Rise Of Senators Defenseman Jordan Spence