Category: Ice Hockey

A troublesome week continued for the Florida Panthers on Saturday in the Canadian capital city.

Florida lost for the fourth time this week, dropping a 3-0 affair to the playoff-hopeful Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.

The Panthers got off to a strong start, doubling up Ottawa on shots during the opening period, but that didn’t keep the Cats from falling behind yet again.

Two goals by the Sens on their first five shots – one by Jake Sanderson and another by Drake Batherson on the power play – sent the home team into the intermission with a commanding 2-0 lead.

Florida kept the pressure on Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg throughout the middle period, outshooting the Senators 12-5, but the score remained the same heading into the final 20 minutes.

Forsberg turned aside another 15 shots during the third period, earning his first shutout since all the way back on November 2 against Seattle.

This time, he stopped a season-high 40 shots on goal en route to his third shutout of the season and sending Florida to their fourth straight defeat.

On to Detroit.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Florida killed off four of Ottawa’s five power plays in the loss.

The Cats’ power play went 0-for-3.

Ottawa is now just four points behind the Panthers for third place in the Atlantic Division. Each team has six games remaining on their schedule.

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Best betting opportunities for the NHL’s final stretch, with expert picks to add for parlays or future bets

The NHL season is wrapping up with every team playing their final eight or so games. With so little time remaining, it's tough to find great values at this stage of the season. However, what we can focus on is identifying bets with a high probability of hitting, as they are less likely to go wrong with so few games remaining.

Whether you're looking to place a larger bet for a solid return or need an additional leg for a future bet in another sport, here are some of our safest picks to close out the NHL season—perfect for adding to your parlays.

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

2025 NHL Draft 1st Overall Pick - The Field vs James Hagens (-550)

The debate around the first overall pick this season has seen it's ups and downs with Boston College forward James Hagens seemingly being the unanimous pick but since other names have past him on several notable draft boards.

Schaefer goes coast-to-coast in the Prospect Challenge! 🇨🇦🆚🇺🇸Erie Otters 1st overall pick and Canadian prospect Matthew Schaefer goes coast-to-coast to put Team Canada up 4-0 against Team USA in the 2024 CHL vs. USA Pr...

Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino, TSN's Craig Button, The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy and legendary Junior Hockey journalist Bob McKenzie are some of the many established insiders that have Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer as the top pick in the draft class. The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari also doesn't have Hagens as the top pick but instead has Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa as the top pick.

Hagens on most draft boards has fallen outside of the top three with Mississauga Steelheads forward Porter Martone rounding out the top with Schaefer and Misa. It would be surprising for Hagens to reinsert himself into the conversation for the first pick after being widely-considered the fourth-best player on almost every expert's draft board. It would be a big leap, which certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility, but for jump in draft stock of that size needed, I'm willing to bet against Hagens. 

More NHL: The GR8 Chase: Predicting When Alex Ovechkin Breaks Wayne Gretzky's All-Time Goal Record

Winnipeg Jets Win Central Division (-290)

The Jets are in the driver seat to win the President's trophy with a one point lead over the Capitals with 108 points and a four-point lead over the Dallas Stars for the Division lead. Winnipeg should be able to lock things up with their sizeable lead that they should be able to add to and put out of reach with upcoming matchups versus the Blackhawks, Ducks and Utah. 

More NHL: Expect Canadiens To Clinch Final Eastern Wild Card Spot

Calgary Flames to Miss Playoffs (-530)

The playoff picture is all but set with the Blues getting hot at the right time with 11 straight wins and overtaking the Wild for the first wild card spot. This bumped Minnesota down to the second wild card spot and a five-point lead over the next-closest team in the Calgary Flames.

The mountain seems virtually impossible for the Flames to climb as they do have the advantage of two games in hand over Minnesota but their remaining schedule is very challenging with matchups versus the Wild, Kings as well as a pair of games against the Golden Knights. With seven games left, the Flames will have a shot as they play the last place San Jose Sharks twice but if they manage to fumble one of the games plus a loss to the Wild in their matchup would seal their fate. 

More NHL: Blues Enter Stanley Cup Playoffs As Dark Horse Contender

On Apr. 3, Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Historically, McGroarty became the 214th player to score their first goal in a Penguins sweater. 

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old becomes the 68th player to achieve the feat in the salary cap era, which began with Sidney Crosby's first goal on Oct. 8, 2005. 

McGroarty is on a list with three Hall of Famers: Colin Campbell (1975), Mario Lemieux (1984), and Mark Reechi (1989).

Other iconic names in franchise history are also on the list, such as Jaromir Jagr, Jean Pronovost, Bob Errey, Phil Bourque, Kevin Stevens, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust.

McGroarty is the fourth player to record their first goal this season, following Owen Pickering (Dec. 3), Joona Koppanen (Mar. 18), and netminder Alex Nedeljkovic (Jan. 17).

Interestingly, Greg Malone scored his first NHL goal with the Penguins on Nov. 5, 1976, and 27 years later, his son Ryan would tally his first goal with Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, 2003.

According to StatHead, Staal is the youngest player in franchise history to score their first NHL goal, achieving the feat at 18-032, just 30 days younger than Crosby was when he scored at 18-062. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and on pace to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks of the regular season. 

On the other hand, the oldest Penguins player to score their first NHL goal was Noel Price, who was 31-348 when he scored on Nov. 22, 1967. Price was one of six players to score their first goal in the inaugural season, starting with Gene Ubriaco's first goal on October 21, 1967.

Moreover, McGroarty is now the 39th active player to register their first NHL goal with the Penguins, including Tristan Jarry, who had the team's first-ever goalie goal on November 30, 2023. 

Considering the elite talent in the pipeline in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, this exclusive list of 214 players will surely expand before the end of the decade. 

Defenseman Elias Pettersson finally has his first NHL goal. The Vancouver Canucks defender beat Lukáš Dostál 9:40 into Saturday's matinee against the Anaheim Ducks. On the play, Linus Karlsson recorded his first career NHL assist while Derek Forbort was credited with the secondary assist. 

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This season has featured many first goals by Canucks players. Pettersson joins Karlsson, Max Sasson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Arshdeep Bains, who have all potted their first in the NHL. Pettersson is also the second Elias Pettersson to score for Vancouver, joining center Elias Pettersson, who scored his first goal on October 3, 2018, versus the Calgary Flames. 

FIRST OF MANY FOR JUNIOR! 👏 pic.twitter.com/NsHQWjQxKC

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 5, 2025

Initially drafted 80th overall in 2022, Pettersson is the 31st player from his draft to score a goal. He is one of 11 players to record a goal that was drafted outside the first round, which also includes teammate Victor Mancini. Pettersson is also the 120th player in franchise history to score against the Ducks while also being the 27th defender to pick up a goal against the Canucks division rival.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

Fans across the NHL patiently wait for Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record, tying The Great One with two goals on Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Lost in the shuffle of the news of goal No. 894 and the pursuit of No. 895 is the fact that Ovechkin tallied the game's winning goal, the 136th of his career. This established a new NHL record for the most game-winning goals, surpassing former Pittsburgh Penguins icon Jaromir Jagr.

A fitting stat for the evening. 📊

Alex Ovechkin takes sole-possession of first place on the NHL's All-Time Game-Winning Goals Leaders, passing Jaromir Jagr. pic.twitter.com/pfWqDVdpwV

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 5, 2025

Jagr played with the Penguins from 1990 to 2001, and the former captain scored a franchise record of 78 game-winners. Until the salary cap era, only two players scored more than 50, the other being Mario Lemieux, who had 74 in his career. 

Meanwhile, in other cities, Jagr continued his quest for the NHL record, which Gordie Howe held with 121 when he retired after the 1979-1980 season. The ageless wonder scored 13 with the Washington Capitals and 21 with the New York Rangers. 

When Jagr departed the NHL to play in the KHL, he was behind only Phil Esposito and Howe on the all-time list. Upon a return in 2011, he picked up two game-winners with the Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, and Boston Bruins while adding to his totals with eight with the Florida Panthers and nine with the New Jersey Devils.

Surprisingly, the only team Jagr didn't record a game-winner with was the Calgary Flames, with whom he played 22 games in 2017-18 and scored one goal.

Now, one goal away from becoming the game's greatest scorer, it is only fitting that Ovechkin establishes another record, tallying the most game-winners while owning the highest power-play goal total in league history. 

Over 19 seasons with the Capitals, Ovechkin has scored the deciding goal against every franchise except the Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Seattle Kraken, and Vegas Golden Knights. 

BREAKING: Sidney Crosby Breaks Wayne Gretzky's Point-Per-Game Seasons RecordAfter 20 years in the making, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has made NHL history.

Despite scoring more than ten goals against all but three franchises, Utah Hockey Club, Golden Knights, and Kraken, Ovechkin has only scored more than ten game-winners against one franchise, the New York Islanders, with a career-high 11 winners.

The NHL's game-winning goal milestone isn't the only record Ovechkin has overtaken Jagr for during the 2024-25 season. In January, The Great 8 scored against his 179th goalie, surpassing Jagr's career total of 178. 

Ovechkin's quest for goal No. 895 continues on Sunday against the Islanders and Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Chicago Blackhawks lost 5-3 to the Washington Capitals on Friday night. The Capitals, a Stanley Cup-contending team, may even agree that the game’s final score is not a vital storyline to come out of it. 

During the game, Alex Ovechkin scored two goals which tied him with Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. It was one of the most insane scenes you’ll ever see during an NHL game and it wasn’t even the record-breaking goal. That comes later. 

During the game, Chicago Blackhawks forward Oliver Moore collected his first NHL point in a goal scored by Frank Nazar. Later in the game, he earned his second with an assist on a goal scored by Philipp Kurashev. 

Moore and Sam Rinzel signed with the Blackhawks after their elimination from the NCAA Tournament with Minnesota. Now, they each have three games played and Moore has two points. It was important for him to get these confidence boosting points as he is a forward looking to create offense. 

Moore’s incredible accomplishment was overshadowed by the fact that Ovechkin tied the record, which was all anyone could talk about following the game. That doesn’t take away how special this is for Moore as he begins his hockey career. 

It seems that Moore is a student of the game who appreciates the all-time greats. He was not bothered by the fact that Ovechkin tied the record, which overshadowed his first time being on the scoresheet. 

"That was a surreal game. That was absurd." Moore said when reflecting on what just happened. "He's the greatest goal-scorer of all time so I was happy for him, to be honest with you. It was really cool to see."

Moore wasn’t the only young player with a major milestone overshadowed by Ovechkin’s moment either.

Ryan Leonard, who was recently signed by Washington when Boston College was eliminated, scored his first career NHL goal. Like Moore’s first point, not many talked about it as much as they would have if Ovechkin’s record-tying goal had not been involved.  

Up next for Oliver Moore is his search for his first NHL goal. His ability to play hard, the right way, and fast will allow him to get that in short order. The Pittsburgh Penguins are at the United Center for an evening game on Sunday. 

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

The Edmonton Oilers (44-26-5) are in town just before the playoffs to face off against the Los Angeles Kings (43-23-9) in the third of their four-game series. The Oilers are two points behind the Kings, making it important for the Kings to secure these two points and officially clinch a playoff spot. With the best home record in the NHL of 28-4-4, playing in Los Angeles was a challenging task for any visiting team. Darcy Kuemper manned the net for the Kings while Calvin Pickard led the Oilers out. As Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remained out of the lineup today, the Kings held a significant advantage to defeating Edmonton on home ice. After missing the previous game against the Utah Hockey Club, the Kings' defense sees the return of Jordan Spence to the lineup. 

Kings and Oilers Battle Hard in First Period

The game officially began with the opening faceoff, as Anže Kopitar won against Adam Henrique. Both the Kings and the Oilers were delivering hits throughout the period, but with seven minutes remaining, the Kings held the lead in shots at 7-3. Kuemper was effectively protecting the Los Angeles net, while Edmonton, playing without their captain and Draisaitl, lacked their usual energy and speed. As the buzzer sounded, both teams headed into intermission scoreless. 

Kings Lead 2-0  

The second period burst into action with a beautiful goal by Jeff Malott, but the celebration was short-lived. An Oilers challenge proved successful, overturning the goal due to an offside ruling, leaving the score at 0-0 and Malott still seeking his first NHL goal. Moments later, Kevin Fiala netted his 30th of the year, scoring on a rebound to make the score 1-0. Andrei Kuzmenko then extended the Kings' lead, scoring his eleventh goal of the season with a quick snap shot to make it 2-0. The second period drew to a close with the Kings showing consistent aggression and strong play, while the Oilers looked noticeably tired and without their typical spark. 

This goal was too amazing to not count pic.twitter.com/aW61OX02Dc

— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) April 5, 2025

30 FOR KEV! pic.twitter.com/XzYsM8WmLS

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 5, 2025

KUZ IS INEVITABLE pic.twitter.com/SiMI3tzWps

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 5, 2025

If anything is for certain as the Pittsburgh Penguins get ready to face off against the Dallas Stars, it's that they don't want a repeat of their last matchup.

On Nov. 11, the Penguins gave up six first-period goals - tying a franchise record for most goals allowed in the first period of a game at home - and dropped their first contest of the season against the Stars, 7-1.

And in that game, Pittsburgh had a very hard time defending Dallas's size and speed.

McGroarty Scores First NHL Goal In Penguins 5-4 Overtime Loss To BluesThe Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday - which gave the Blues their whopping 11th straight win - obviously wasn't the desired result.

"Our compete level has to be high," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've got to get into people early, just our ability to move to them and not let them get to the good ice and establish the ice. Once they get there, it's hard to move them because they're big and they're strong. But we can move to them and try to deny them the good ice. That gives us a better opportunity to establish inside positioning and box-outs.

"But, without a doubt, that's going to be one of the challenges against a team as big as they are."

Dallas also has the league's best penalty kill, which will be tasked with stopping a Penguins' power play that has scored on four of its last 10 opportunities. 

"They have good size, they can skate, they anticipate well, they have good sticks, and they have good goaltending," Sullivan said. "That's a pretty good formula for a penalty kill. We're going to have to move the puck, we're going to have to be willing to shoot... but I think, most important, we've got to get inside. We've got to make them defend the scoring area. We've got to be willing to put the puck there, but we've got to get people there, also."

Rookies Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen - who have played well the past two games and both registered career-firsts in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday - will still be part of the power play units, and they'll also still be featured in the Penguins' top-six.

But this time, Koivunen may have a new center.

Evgeni Malkin - who has been out since Mar. 23 with an upper-body injury - took line rushes on Friday and will be in the lineup on Saturday. In practice, he was working on a second line with Koivunen and Rickard Rakell, while Sidney Crosby continues to center McGroarty and Bryan Rust on the first line.

With Malkin back in the mix, here is the rest of the Penguins' lineup. Tristan Jarry will get the start in goal:

McGroarty-Crosby-Rust
Rakell-Malkin-Koivunen
Dewar-Hayes-Tomasino
Heinen-Lizotte-Acciari

Grzyleck-Letang
Karlsson-Timmins
Graves-Shea

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Penguins Notebook: Malkin Practices With Team, Bemstrom OptionedIt appears a key forward is nearing a return for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Stars are one of the hottest teams in hockey, as they have an active seven-game winning streak and are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. They are second overall in the Western Conference - and third in the NHL - with 104 points, and they are four points back of the NHL's best team in the Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division crown.

The Stars have three players in Matt Duchene, Jason Robertson, and Mikko Rantanen - acquired at the trade deadline by the Stars - who are over the point-per-game threshold, and they have a league-leading seven different players with 20 or more goals on their roster. They are fifth overall in the league in goals for and tied for third in goal differential (plus-69).

Penguins forward Bryan Rust enters Saturday's matinee matchup just one goal shy of 200 for his NHL career.

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The Buffalo Sabres regular season will conclude in less than two weeks, which will begin the post-mortem on their 14th season in a row not qualifying for the playoffs, but there are a number of ex-Sabres who will be active in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and integral to the success of their clubs.

Here are five players who will have critical roles in the post-season:

Jack Eichel

The former Sabres captain is leading the Vegas Golden Knights in scoring (27 goals, 66 assists in 74 games) and is a legitimate Hart and Selke Trophy candidate. The Pacific Division leader could have an easier path through the Western Conference, but injuries to Shea Theodore and Tomas Hertl will make Eichel’s production critical to their postseason chances.

Sam Reinhart

The reigning Stanley Cup champs are hampered by injuries, with Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and the suspended Aaron Ekblad unavailable. Reinhart has followed up his first 50-goal season with 37 goals this season, and the Panthers will be relying on him more heavily if Tkachuk and Barkov are hampered going into the first round against either Toronto or Tampa Bay.

Jake McCabe

The former Sabres blueliner has been part of the Leafs shutdown pairing with veteran Chris Tanev and has also contributed 23 points, but as has been the case throughout most of his career, McCabe’s health will be a big consideration. The veteran left Toronto’s 3-2 victory over Florida on Wednesday late in the third period and will not be in the lineup on Saturday against Columbus.

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Linus Ullmark

The former Vezina winner has provided the Ottawa Senators the stable goaltending they’ve needed for years and it is a near certainty that they will make the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but if the former Sabre gets hot, it is not impossible that the Sens could upset the eventual Atlantic Division winner in the first round.

Evander Kane

It’s strange to consider a player who has not played a regular season game to be a potential key contributor, but Kane (who has been on LTIR all year recovering from two serious injuries) is expected to be ready to play Game 1 of the first round and could possibly step in before then if the Oilers have the cap room to activate him. Edmonton’s chances of repeating will rely on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s recovery before the playoffs, but they will also need secondary scoring from players like Kane to get by Los Angeles later this month.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

The Carolina Hurricanes lost 5-3 to the Detroit Red Wings Friday Night at Little Caesars Arena.

It was a slow start for the Hurricanes, who found themselves in a 2-0 hole less than 10 minutes into the game, and despite some scoring, they just couldn't pull themselves out of it.

Jackson Blake continued to stay hot and Justin Robidas picked up his first career NHL point in his first career NHL game.

After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Robidas spoke with the media in Detroit. Here's what they had to say:

---

Rod Brind'Amour

On the game: The first period, we just weren't really engaged enough. Gave them two goals, didn't really gave them, but we got behind. And then we dug in and played a great game after that. Unfortunately, we gave them two and then the other two were turnovers where we had full possession of the puck and lead to basically a breakaway and then a guy all alone in front. Just sloppy decisions. Other than that, this game was pretty solid.

On Justin Robidas: Did a great job. Obviously had a nice one on the one goal. Just worked and worked and worked and then got us a goal. Won some faceoffs. He was good.

On the team's development of young talent: We certainly need it and it's great to see. Especially since these guys will only get better. We know that and they have the attitude where they want to get better. So you have to put the work in and as long as they keep that up, I think it's a real positive thing to have. 

On Jackson Blake starting to find a scoring touch: He's not doing anything differently. He's been playing well all year and now you play him with Fishy and Jarvs and I think that's helping him obviously. But he's really, in my opinion, maybe even been the best one out there on that line. He's driven it and he just continues to work and continues to get better. It's a real big bonus for us.

---

Justin Robidas

On making his NHL debut: It's fun to be able to contribute offensively, but kind of unfortuante that we weren't able to get that win.

On the game: I think we played hard, but we had a couple of sloppy turnovers and plays that ended up in the back of our net. So I think just cleaning that up would help, for sure.

On his nerves: I was pretty nervous, for sure. Didn't really nap this afternoon and I was just trying to enjoy it as much as I could and have fun with it.

On the locker room: It's a great group of guys. Everyone was very welcoming and I'm very grateful for their support. Everyone's support was very pretty special.

On the differences between the AHL and NHL: It's for sure a lot faster. You can't really make mistakes out there because it will cost you. Very quick, very high pace and I'd say it's also a lot less sloppy, for sure. Have to be sharp every shift so it was definitely a good learning experience for me.

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With the 2024–25 season nearly on the horizon, it’s time to take a look at some of the Vancouver Canucks’ records. By the time the season ends, the Canucks will have played 10 back-to-backs, the last of which they’ll complete after this weekend. Let’s take a look at how they have played during these games. 

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In the opening game of a back-to-back, Vancouver has gone 5–3–1 so far this season. They have scored 23 goals and let in 20. Kevin Lankinen has started five of these games, while Thatcher Demko and Artūrs Šilovs have each started two. The Canucks have had a much worse result in the second half of their back-to-back games, as they’ve gone 2–7–0. They’ve scored 19 goals, including shootout winners, and let in 30. Lankinen has started six of the team’s back-halves, registering a record of 2–4–0. Šilovs started the remaining games, putting up three regulation losses. Vancouver has lost both games in back-to-backs twice, while they have yet to win both. Interestingly enough, every game they played against Utah Hockey Club this season was during a back-to-back, though they ended up losing all matches regardless. 

Here is a more in-depth summary of each set of back-to-back games. 

November 16 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, November 17 vs. Nashville Predators 

Vancouver’s first back-to-back didn’t take place until the middle of November, when they took on the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena. In their first game, the Canucks won 4–1, keeping North Vancouver superstar Connor Bedard off the scoresheet. Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Erik Brännström, and Teddy Blueger scored for the Canucks, while Šilovs stopped all but one of the 29 shots Chicago put on net. Their next game was not as successful, as Nashville beat Vancouver 5–3 after the Predators scored three straight in the second period. Pettersson scored for the second time in as many games, while Aatu Räty and Kiefer Sherwood also found the back of the net. 

November 26 @ Boston Bruins, November 27 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 

Kevin Lankinen was the star in Vancouver’s first game of this back-to-back, as the Canucks won 2–0 against the Boston Bruins. He made 32 saves to register his second shutout of the season, while Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk scored for Vancouver. Once again, the second half of their set ended poorly, as the team lost 5–4 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Šilovs started, but let in four Penguins goals by the end of the first period, making the game slightly out of reach despite Vancouver’s attempts to come back. This game’s goals came from Räty, Pius Suter, Quinn Hughes, and Pettersson. 

December 18 @ Utah Hockey Club, December 19 @ Vegas Golden Knights 

The Canucks’ next back-to-back was headlined by their first ever trip to Salt Lake City, where they took on Utah. This was the first taste of back-to-back action for Demko this season. Although they led 2–0 by the halfway point of the third period thanks to Danton Heinen and Dakota Joshua, Vancouver ultimately lost 3–2 in overtime to Utah off a goal from Mikhail Sergachev. The next night, they lost 3–1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, who were able to capitalize on three of the 19 shots they sent Lankinen’s way. Teddy Blueger was the lone goal-scorer in this match. This was the first time this season that Vancouver lost both games of a back-to-back. 

January 2 @ Seattle Kraken, January 3 vs. Nashville Predators

In their 4–3 shootout win against the Seattle Kraken on January 2, Vancouver lost Demko due to injury. Lankinen took his spot, saving 13 of 15 as well as all of Seattle’s shootout attempts. Max Sasson, Garland, and Tyler Myers scored, while J.T. Miller won the game for the Canucks in the shootout. Once again, the game after was dismal for Vancouver, as they failed to score in a 3–0 loss to Nashville. Lankinen started this game as well, letting in one goal on 17 shots. 

January 10 @ Carolina Hurricanes, January 11 @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Demko made his return to the lineup on January 10, just in time to help Lankinen out with another back-to-back. However, Vancouver was unable to generate any goals once again, losing 2–0 to a Carolina Hurricanes team that played the night before. In a moment of redemption, however, the Canucks shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs the night after, winning 3–0 in a franchise record-breaking game. In a complete team effort, Brock Boeser, Hughes, and Sherwood scored, while Pettersson made a positive defensive impression with five blocked shots. 

February 22 @ Vegas Golden Knights, February 23 @ Utah Hockey Club 

The next back-to-back the Canucks played was against Vegas directly after the 4 Nations Faceoff break. Even with a stellar performance from Lankinen, only DeBrusk scored, leaving Vancouver with a 3–1 loss. The night after was nothing to phone home about either, as Vancouver lost 2–1 to Utah after being unable to scrape together any offense aside from yet another goal by DeBrusk. 

February 26 @ Los Angeles Kings, February 27 @ Anaheim Ducks 

In the first of this back-to-back only three days after their last set, Lankinen started and made 24 saves in a 3–2 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings. Garland had two goals including the game-winner, while Nils Höglander scored his fifth goal of the season. They managed to pull out a win despite surrendering a two-goal lead. In a disappointing effort, Vancouver lost 5–2 to the Anaheim Ducks the night after, also doing so after leading 2–0. Myers and Suter scored in the first period, but this wasn’t enough to stop Anaheim’s three-straight goals in the second period. 

March 11 vs. Montréal Canadiens, March 12 @ Calgary Flames 

In the first game of the first back-to-back of the week of March 11, Vancouver took on the Montréal Canadiens at Rogers Arena. Despite goals from Pettersson and Filip Hronek, the Canucks lost 4–2. This was the first game of three for Lankinen this week, as he started in net on March 11, March 12, and March 16. The night after, Vancouver won 4–3 in a shootout against the Calgary Flames, putting up a great performance all around. 

March 15 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, March 16 vs. Utah Hockey Club

Vancouver’s most recent back-to-back started excellently, as they took a 6–2 win against Chicago at home. Šilovs started the game, making 17 saves on 19 shots against. 11 different Canucks tallied at least a point, while Suter, Pettersson, Sherwood, Joshua, Blueger, and Höglander each had two. Their second game, against Utah once again, was another case of limited offense in which the Canucks lost 3–1.

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After an evening of celebrating Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record, Ottawa Senators fans turn their attention back to their team's pursuit of a playoff spot on Saturday afternoon. The Senators will host the Florida Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions, for a 2:00 p.m. matinee start at Canadian Tire Centre.

Both teams will be without some key players. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, isn't expected to play in either game this weekend. He was hurt last Sunday after accidentally running into Penguins defenceman Ryan Graves, who was standing in the neutral zone minding his own business.

If this is just a nagging minor injury, Sens fans are more than glad to see Tkachuk get this time off. But since it's a relatively new issue, it's hard to know if this is something that could affect his playoff status. Right now, he's not even skating.

Florida is also without their Tkachuk brother and captain. Mind you, those are two different people.

Matthew Tkachuk has a lower-body injury and likely won’t return until the playoffs. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who has an upper-body injury, also won’t play this weekend. The Panthers will also be without Nico Sturm and Dmitry Kulikov due to injuries, along with Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad is out until Game 3 of the playoffs due to a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the league's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

The champs have lost three games in a row, all to Canadian teams (two against Montreal and one against Toronto), and the Senators would like to keep them on that track. A Sens win on Saturday would start to make things a little uncomfortable for the Panthers, who would have seven games to play and only a four-point lead over Ottawa.

That said, reeling in the Panthers might not be in the Senators' best interest. As things stand now, that would likely give them a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round—a less favourable matchup than facing the Leafs. Ottawa swept Toronto with a 3-0 record this year.

In their last game, the Senators defeated the Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night, but only because of the heroics of goalie Linus Ullmark, who looked every bit like a former Vezina Trophy winner.

Concerns about seeding, though, are not a priority for this group—breaking the NHL’s third-longest active playoff drought remains the prime directive. Entering play on Saturday, the Senators remain 7 points above the playoff cut line with seven games to play in the Eastern Conference.

The Sens may need a shift or two to get used to Brad Marchand in a Panther uniform. After 16 years as a division rival in Boston, the Bruins traded Marchand to Florida at the deadline. He's off to a slow start, with just one assist in his first four games.

The Sens didn’t have a full skate on Friday, and with a 2 p.m. start, there’s no Saturday morning skate either. So these are the best-guess line combinations, based on recent games.

Update: Anton Forsberg will start for Ottawa against Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky.

Senators Projected Lineup (NHL.com)

Claude Giroux – Tim Stutzle – Fabian Zetterlund
Ridly Greig – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore – Adam Gaudette – Angus Crookshank

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Nikolas Matinpalo

Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg

Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee), Brady Tkachuk (upper body)

Panthers Projected Lineup (NHL.com)

Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich

Gustav Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Nate Schmidt
Jaycob Megna – Uvis Balinskis

Sergei Bobrovsky
Vitek Vanecek

Injured: Matthew Tkachuk (lower body), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Nico Sturm (upper body), Aleksander Barkov (upper body)
Suspended: Aaron Ekblad

The Boston Bruins have recalled forward Fraser Minten from the AHL’s Providence Bruins, the team announced on X on Saturday. The 20-year-old is set to make his debut with the club on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

pic.twitter.com/dSHqLluCrB

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 5, 2025

The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect will be wearing No. 93 with the Bruins, flipping the digits from the No. 39 he wore in Toronto.

Minten in the mix 📸 pic.twitter.com/UPevTsoHTm

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 5, 2025

Minten’s call-up comes as the NHL Bruins have lost 10 straight games, figuring that the team could use a boost and a chance to see what they have in the promising forward – who had three goals, four assists, and seven points in 10 games with their AHL affiliate. 

“The reports that we got from Providence were that he's been a very reliable, smart player...he's been playing well down there, and it's an opportunity for the organization to get a look at him,” head coach Joe Sacco told reporters pre-game.

Joe Sacco on Fraser Minten: "The reports that we got from Providence were that he's been a very reliable, smart player...he's been playing well down there and it's an opportunity for the organization to get a look at him." pic.twitter.com/UkXfbJEZa9

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 5, 2025

Originally drafted 38th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Minten has appeared in 19 career NHL games — all with Toronto. He recorded two goals and two assists during the 2024-25 season, with all four points coming after his initial four-game stint in the 2023-24 campaign, where he failed to record a point.

His path to Boston came on March 7, trade deadline day, when he was dealt to the Bruins as part of a package in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo. Before the deal, he had posted 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in 26 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in his first season in the AHL. 

'It Was A Bit Stressful': Former Maple Leafs Prospect Fraser Minten Reacts To Boston Trade, Taking On Former Team In Bruins DebutMinten made his Providence debut against the Marlies on Wednesday night in Toronto.

Despite his 19 games of experience, Minten never had the chance to play in Boston or stepped foot in the city. 

"Never skated at this rink before and never been in this city before, so it's all new stuff...I'm just going to play hard like I've been playing in Providence and be a reliable, hard-working guy,” he told reporters, ahead of the game.

Fraser Minten on his mindset heading into tonight: "Never skated at this rink before and never been in this city before so it's all new stuff...I'm just going to play hard like I've been playing in Providence and be a reliable, hard working guy." pic.twitter.com/sQ1Atdxj85

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 5, 2025

It’s the mark of a fresh start for Minten in the NHL and perhaps a helping hand for the 29th-ranked Bruins, who look to end their current skid with six games remaining on the regular-season schedule. 

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Swedish goaltender Arvid Holm, 26, is expected sign with the Detroit Red Wings this off-season, according to a tweet from Cam Robinson, Content Director and Director of Film Scouting for EliteProspects.com.

Playing for Rögle BK in the SHL this past season, the 6-foot-5 Holm posted a 1.90 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and four shutouts while playing in 35 of his team’s 52 regular-season games and was awarded the Honken Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. In the 14-team league, Rögle was tied for the fifth-best goals against total but was ranked 12th in goals scored.

Rögle finished seventh in the regular season before losing two straight games to the 10th-place Malmö Redhawks in a play-in series by scores of 2-1 in overtime and 3-0.

Holm still has another two years remaining on his contract with Rögle but European contracts commonly contain escape clauses should the player receive an NHL offer.

Originally from Ljungby, Sweden, Holm played for the Ljungby-Troja, Karlskrona and Färjestad clubs and was a sixth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Holm played three seasons in North America from 2021 to 2024 in the Winnipeg and Colorado Avalanche systems, playing in pre-season games and serving as the backup for both teams in a handful of NHL games, but didn’t earn any NHL regular-season minutes. In 71 AHL games, Holm had a goals-against average of 2.80, a save percentage of 2.80 and two shutouts.

Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top Defenseman Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.