Category: Ice Hockey

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Thursday that the club has signed a two-year extension to continue as the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Nashville Predators.

“The Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals have been terrific affiliates the last two years,” Gladiators owner Alex Campbell, commented in a statement. “We’re proud to extend our partnership through the 2026-27 season, and I look forward to continued success for the Predators, the Admirals, and the Gladiators.”

Since joining forces with Nashville and the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League prior to the 2023-24 season, Atlanta has had 11 players join the club under either an AHL or NHL contract, further adding to the developmental pipeline between all three teams.

This season, the Gladiators have benefited from additions such as defenseman Jeremy Hanzel (48GP-3G-15A), forward Alexander Campbell (3GP-2G-2A), and first-year goaltender Ethan Haider, a former 5th round selection of the Predators in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (29GP, 16-11-1, 3 SO).

The Predators are led by head coach Andrew Brunette, who played for the ECHL's Hampton Roads Admirals during the 1993-94 season. Since taking the helm, Brunette has guided Nashville to a record of 72-62-12.

Additionally, forward Cole Smith who now has over 200 games of NHL experience, began his professional career with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.

The Predators currently sit in seventh place in the NHL’s Central Division, with a record of 25-32-7, for 57 points. This past season, Nashville qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing as a Wild Card team in the consistently competitive Western Conference.

"We are excited to keep the Atlanta Gladiators as part of the Predators family moving forward," Predators General Manager Barry Trotz said in a news release. "We've been fortunate enough to reap the benefits of having a longstanding AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, and we are hoping that our partnership with Atlanta will blossom into something similar. The proximity between our two teams offers us the chance to further expand the game of hockey in the South, with two strong, passionate fan bases cheering us on. I'd like to thank the Gladiators organization – including the ATL Hockey Group, led by Alex Campbell – for their leadership and commitment to making this relationship even stronger in the coming years."

Over the years, Nashville has partnered with several teams, including the Hampton Roads Admirals (1998-00), New Orleans Brass (2000-01), Cincinnati Cyclones (2001-02, 07-17), Toledo Storm (2003-04), Norfolk Admirals (2017-18), the Florida Everblades (2019-22), and most recently the Atlanta Gladiators (2023-Present).

Atlanta was initially affiliated with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 until 2011, when the franchise relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Following the Thrasher’s departure from the NHL, the Gladiators have partnered with the Arizona Coyotes (2011-15, 2022-23), Boston Bruins (2015-18), Ottawa Senators (2021-22), and the Predators (2023-Present).

The Predators are currently on a west coast road trip, with their next game set forFriday in Anaheim against the Ducks. The Gladiators are also back in action on Friday when they host the South Carolina Stingrays for Heroes Night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 Pm.

Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden will return to the Vegas Golden Knights lineup tonight after missing Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for personal reasons. 

The Golden Knights were defeated by the Penguins in overtime, 3-2 after Noah Hanifin scored the equalizer with seven seconds remaining. The Golden Knights carried the play for most of the night despite missing two key forwards in Barbashev and Howden.

Both forwards will return to the lineup tonight and will skate together alongside Keegan Kolesar. Exiting the lineup will be Cole Schwindt and Jonas Rondbjerg. 

Barbashev and Howden were paired together on Feb. 27 against the Chicago Blackhawks and clicked instantly. They mesh well offensively, providing north-south oriented offence and are defensively responsible, allowing them to play against any of the opposition's lines. 

Howden is enjoying a career year, scoring 17 goals and 13 points in 62 games. If he continues to score at this pace, the 26-year-old could set a career-high in goals that eclipses his previous career-high in points. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter tonight's game feeling confident, holding the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. When Sean Monahan went down with an injury, many believed the Blue Jackets' chances of making the playoffs were dwindling, but the emergence of Adam Fantilli and stepping up of Kirill Marchenko, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kent Johnson has kept the Blue Jackets afloat. 

Slowing down Zach Werenski will be another difficult task. The 27-year-old has scored 20 goals and 69 points in 63 games. 

The Blue Jackets have struggled to keep the puck out of their net, and the Golden Knights should be able to take advantage of that tonight.

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

On Monday night, the Chicago Blackhawks (20-36-9) snapped a five-game point streak (3-0-2) against the Colorado Avalanche. Despite playing a mostly good road game, they took a hard loss 3-0. 

Next up is the San Jose Sharks (17-40-9) who are the one NHL team with a worse record than the Blackhawks this year. Both teams believe that they have a bright future but this isn't a winning season for either franchise. 

This is the third and final time that these two will meet in 2024-25. They split the first two with each team winning at home. Chicago's win was in their home opener and San Jose's win came on Halloween. 

In those two matchups, 2024 number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini was injured and did not play. That means that Thursday's matchup will be the first time that Celebrini will face 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard in the NHL. These two are friends away from the rink but it will be all business at SAP Center on Thursday night. 

Bedard locked up the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL during the 2023-24 season and Celebrini is trying to do the same thing in 2024-25. He has a chance but Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens and Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers may have something to say about it. 

This will also be Celebrini's first chance to play against Artyom Levshunov, who went one pick after him in the 2024 NHL Draft. Levshunov made his NHL debut on Monday against Colorado and was great. It is always interesting to see the top two picks from a draft go head-to-head. 

Bedard and Levshunov will fit into Chicago's lineup like this: 

Dach - Bedard - Dickinson

Teravainen - Donato - Mikheyev

Slaggert - Nazar - Foligno

Reichel - Veleno - Bertuzzi

Del Mastro - Murphy

Vlasic - Kaiser

Martinez - Levshunov

Knight

This is the same lineup that Chicago played well with on the road against the Colorado Avalanche. Bedard will skate with Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. Levshunov will skate with Alec Martinez again despite Martinez leaving the game early on Tuesday.

Spencer Knight will be in the net for the Hawks again. This is notable because it is the first time that he will make consecutive starts in a Chicago sweater. With three days rest in between games, they are going back to Knight which identifies him as the number one goalie.

For San Jose, Celebrini usually plays with William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli on the top line. Their other exciting rookie, Will Smith (taken 4th overall in the Bedard draft), is on the second line with Alex Wennberg and Collin Graf. Alexander Georgiev will be in the net for the Sharks. 

With the way that the Blackhawks have played since the Seth Jones trade, the vibes in the room are good. This San Jose team has talent but it is far from the Colorado team that Chicago just looked good against in a loss. 

No wins are easy in the NHL for any team but this is a matchup that should allow certain players on both teams to get their touches. For the two number-one picks specifically, this is a chance to shine bright. 

Both Bedard and Celebrini are expected to help carry the NHL in the coming years so seeing them match up against each other for the first time is a reason to tune in. Both guys are proud to represent their NHL teams well while trying to become top-flight players. 

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

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice has noticed something interesting of late ahead of Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When he pre-scouts his opponents, he sees a far different team than the one that ends up stepping on the ice against his team.

"When we look at the games teams play two or three prior to us, they don't look like the game they play against us," Maurice said after the morning skate prior to his team visiting the Maple Leafs. "There's high-end energy. We're always prepared for their best, which we need to do to stay sharp."

Such is life when you've won the Stanley Cup and done so largely with smash mouth hockey.

It would seem that the three games the Maple Leafs and Panthers play down the stretch going into the playoffs will be no different – high-octane, high-energy. It should provide an interesting glimpse into what should be an outstanding playoffs.

Today's video column has more.

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NHL Power Rankings: Key Matchups That Will Determine Each Team's FateWelcome back to The Hockey News' NHL power rankings, where we rank all 32 teams based on their weekly performance.

The New Jersey Devils face an added challenge in their quest for the Stanley Cup playoffs and beyond.

New Jersey’s top-scoring defenseman, Dougie Hamilton, is out for the rest of the regular season with an injury he suffered on March 4 against the Dallas Stars.

Hamilton’s recovery time may last into the second round of the playoffs, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald told the Krackin’ Canuckleheads podcast on Thursday.

After losing center Jack Hughes for the rest of the season and playoffs due to a shoulder injury and blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler for at least the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury, New Jersey must move forward without Hamilton.

“We turned the page pretty quickly when the injury happened. We just have to press on,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters on Thursday.

Hamilton was only one of six Devils players to appear in all 63 of New Jersey’s games before his injury, causing him to miss the following three games. He recorded nine goals and 31 assists for 40 points, as well as 89 blocked shots, 74 hits and an average ice time of 19:48.

New Jersey played most of last season without Hamilton after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. The Devils finished 10 points out of a playoff spot despite ranking third in the NHL in 2022-23, when Hamilton had 74 points in 82 games.

The Devils rebounded this season by currently ranking third in the Metropolitan Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve largely struggled since Dec. 28. They have the fourth-worst points percentage in that span at .446, with an 11-14-3 record. That’s caused them to fall from a tie for the most points in the NHL on Dec. 27 to 13th place.

Which NHL Teams Will Remain In The East's Wild-Card Battle?Now that the NHL’s trade deadline has passed, the race for playoff spots heats up.

What’s helped the Devils maintain third place in the division is the Columbus Blue Jackets’ streaky results. Despite having a four-game win streak from Feb. 22 to March 1, Columbus had a four-game winless streak before that and three losses in four outings after that, including on Tuesday against New Jersey.

Since Feb. 1, New Jersey and Columbus are nearly tied in points percentage at .462 and .458, respectively.

But playing an extended stretch without Hughes, the team’s top scorer before his injury, and defensemen Hamilton and Siegenthaler will test the squad’s depth when it matters most.

It will especially test Luke Hughes, who’s averaged 22:29 in ice time in Hamilton’s absence. The 21-year-old has a goal and three points in those three games on the top pair with shutdown D-man Brett Pesce and on the top power-play unit. Fellow 21-year-old blueliner Simon Nemec must also show what he can do in his call-up but has drawn criticism from Keefe about his inconsistency and missed assignments.

The team’s also pressed on with newly acquired center Cody Glass, who’s playing with new leading scorer Jesper Bratt and Erik Haula. Glass has a goal and two assists for three points since the Pittsburgh Penguins traded him on deadline day. Whether he continues his strong start remains to be seen, but he only has 18 points in 53 games this season, and his career-high 35 points came in 2022-23 with the Nashville Predators.

If the standings remain the same, the Devils will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. Both teams rank near the top of the NHL in fewest goals against per game and in the middle of the pack for goals-for per game.

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On Thursday, the NHL announced the creation of "Hockey Day in Sweden." The event will take place in Linköping, Sweden, on March 21 and 22. Part of the festivities will include a special presentation of the Vancouver Canucks versus New York Rangers game, which Niklas Holmgren and Jonatan Lindquist will commentate. 

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

Hughes Returns But Canucks Lose Myers For Game Against The Flames

Abbotsford Canucks’ Linus Karlsson Breaks Franchise Goal Record

Canucks Penalty Kill Ranked First In The NHL Since The Start Of February

Selecting the Canucks is a smart idea, as their roster is full of Swedish players, which includes Elias Pettersson and Marcus Pettersson. Vancouver also has a large amount of staff members from Sweden, including GM Patrik Allvin. As for the Rangers, they have Mika Zibanejad on their roster, who recently played beside Pettersson at the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

🇸🇪 NHL to celebrate first-ever "Hockey Day in Sweden" March 21-22.

The city of Linköping will host the festivities including the NHL Global Fan Tour and a @Canucks vs. @NYRangers viewing party.

Info: https://t.co/mryLnkcXv5pic.twitter.com/xDXBVQt8Sd

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 13, 2025

The game itself should be emotional, as these two teams have made multiple trades over the past two months. Canucks fans will get to see J.T. Miller and Carson Soucy against, while fans in New York will have the opportunity to welcome back Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini. Both teams are also desperate for wins, which should make the game on March 22 must-watch television.

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.

Can Celebrini vs. Bedard become NHL's next great rivalry? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on X at @Sheng_Peng.

For the first time on Thursday, Macklin Celebrini will play against Connor Bedard.

It’s the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft versus the 2023 top pick, two North Vancouver boys who skated with each other when they were kids at North Shore Winter Club … and the NHL’s next great star rivalry?

“I don’t know if it’ll be the Crosby-Ovechkin,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said, “but it’ll be probably in that ballpark.”

Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin has been must-see TV for two decades, since Crosby was the 2005 first-overall pick and Ovechkin was the 2004 first overall.

But like Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins and Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals, both Celebrini’s Sharks and Bedard’s Chicago Blackhawks have a ways to go before they see each other in a meaningful game.

For the third consecutive season, San Jose and Chicago are vying for the No. 1 pick.

The 2024 Calder Trophy winner, in his second season in the cellar, had this advice for the 2025 Calder front-runner.

Read the full story on San Jose Hockey Now

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

The road trip continues for the St. Louis Blues (31-27-7), who go up against the Pittsburgh Penguins (26-31-10) from PPG Paints Arena on Thursday at 6 p.m (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

It's the fifth of a season-long six-game road trip that has been broken up into two parts, with the Blues returning home following their 2-1 overtime loss against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, so they got to spend four nights in their own beds before finishing off the last two legs of the trip, which concludes Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.

As for the standings, the Blues sit now two points behind the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks after those two teams settled their game on Wednesday in a shootout, with the Canucks winning 3-2. Also, the Utah Hockey Club won, 3-2 against the Anaheim Ducks and pulled even with the Blues, so four teams are separated by two points in a logjam for the second wild card in the Western Conference. St. Louis, Vancouver and Utah all have 17 games remaining, Calgary has 18.

The Blues, according to coach Jim Montgomery, have done a good job of just living in the moment, which has enabled them to shave seven points off their deficit when they came back from the 4 Nations Face-Off, going 6-1-2 playing nine games in 15 days; they are 7-1-2 in the last 10.

"Since the break has started, every game has been important for us to be in the situation that we are, so we had to do the job early," Montgomery said. "Now we just need to continue on that path. It doesn't matter who we're playing. We've seen our next opponent, Pittsburgh just beat Vegas (3-2 in overtime), so we've got to be focused on that next task at hand and bring that same attitude of we're going to stay in the moment, we're going to have a great start, and then we're going to worry about the next shift, then we're going to worry about the next period and then we're going to worry about the 60 minutes.

"With that, we know the schedule is favorable right now. We're going to play two teams where we're going to playing back-to-backs again where they are not. They are rested waiting for us, so there's another challenge that's coming within that time frame. I think we're in the midst of starting (10) in 17 days."

Tonight does begin another tough stretch of games clustered into limited days, which includes three in the next four days where the Blues come home from Minnesota Saturday after a 7 p.m. start and play against the Ducks at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

- - -

With the team rolling, the only lineup change is Cam Fowler, who missed Saturday for the birth of his son, will return and go in for Matthew Kessel, and Jordan Binnington, who has won six straight starts and is 7-0-1 the past eight games he's started, will start in goal.

Also, forward Jordan Kyrou will play in his 400th NHL game tonight.

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Dylan Holloway-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Mathieu Joseph-Oskar Sundqvist-Zack Bolduc

Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker

Cam Fowler-Nick Leddy

Philip Broberg-Justin Faulk

Ryan Suter-Tyler Tucker

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Alexandre Texier and Matthew Kessel. Colton Parayko (knee) is out. Torey Krug (ankle) is out for the season.

- - -

Penguins Projected Lineup:

Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust

Connor Dewar-Evgeni Malkin-Philip Tomasino

Danton Heinen-Kevin Hayes-Emil Bemstrom

Bokondji Imama-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari

Vladislav Kolyachonok-Kris Letang

Matt Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-Conor Timmins

Tristan Jarry will start in goal; Alex Nedeljkovic will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Matt Nieto and Sebastian Aho. P.O Joseph (upper body), Tommy Novak (lower body) and Ryan Shea (upper body) are out.

The Columbus Blue Jackets emerged in the NHL this season in more ways than one.

Three-quarters into the season, the Blue Jackets find themselves in a playoff spot with a legitimately good chance of holding on and getting into the post-season.

Sean Monahan re-emerged as well by logging 41 points in 41 games as the Blue Jackets’ top center until he got injured on Jan. 7.

Since then, sophomore Adam Fantilli elevated his game to another level. He became a point-per-game center who can take over a shift – and a game – when he’s most needed.

For Columbus to hold off the rest of the pack in the battle for the wild-card spots, Fantilli must continue to fuel its playoff drive.

Fantilli has 23 points in 23 games with 12 goals over the span, highlighted by a hat trick against the New York Rangers last weekend. That massive performance came in a pivotal game that held off the Rangers and solidified the Blue Jackets’ playoff standing. 

Hatty for Fantilli 🤩

Adam Fantilli records his second three-goal performance of the season!

Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUSpic.twitter.com/toSz76rbdv

— NHL (@NHL) March 10, 2025

Since Monahan’s wrist injury on Jan. 7, Fantilli has scored at a rate of 2.66 points per 60 minutes at even strength, according to evolving-hockey.com. That ranks Fantilli in the top 25 NHL players who have played at least 300 minutes (roughly top-six forward minutes) over that period. Only Matvei Michkov (2.85) and Will Smith (2.7) have scored at a higher rate over that time among under-21 talent, and both have played significantly smaller roles for their teams, barely meeting the 300-minute criteria. 

Fantilli’s rocked a 66-percent goal share since becoming the Blue Jackets' No. 1 center, outscoring his opponents 31-16 since Jan. 7. While that’s largely due to the step he’s taken offensively, his defensive game’s massively improved as well, which coach Dean Evason noticed.

“I wish there were inside looks at where he was at the start of the year and how his commitment to playing the game the right way, how his commitment to playing defense, is commitment to being a good leader and teammate (have grown),” Evason told reporters on Monday.

Fantilli has always had the skating and strength to be a dominant two-way force, but his mental development is most notable. He’s tracking play much more effectively in his own zone, filling gaps in the middle of the ice and battling for loose pucks down low. When he gets the puck back on his stick, he’s showing off the explosive skating and transition ability up ice that he’s been known for. 

If the Blue Jackets will make the playoffs, it will be because Fantilli – and other youngsters Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, and Dmitri Voronkov – continue their strong play. But if Fantilli maintains his pace from the last 23 games, we could see him surpass the 30-goal and 60-point plateau as a 20-year-old.

Playing upward of 20 minutes on most nights, Fantilli’s asserting himself as the centerpiece for the Blue Jackets' run toward the playoffs. He is showing why there was the conversation about him being a first-overall caliber player in his draft year, even though he eventually went third overall after Connor Bedard (CHI) and Leo Carlsson (ANA). 

He’s been a force of nature in every league he’s played in whether it was the GTHL, the USHL or the NCAA. Fantilli is on his way to becoming an everyday impact player in the NHL. 

What could be the greatest era in Columbus Blue Jackets hockey is emerging. Fantilli will be an instrumental part of that.

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The Buffalo Sabres have loaned forwards Isak Rosen and Josh Dunne to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

The Buffalo Sabres have loaned forwards Josh Dunne and Isak Rosen to the Rochester Americans (AHL).

— Buffalo Sabres PR (@SabresPR) March 13, 2025

Rosen and Dunne were recalled by the Sabres back on March 8 but are now heading right back to Rochester.

Rosen, 21, has appeared in three games this season with the Sabres, where he has zero points and a minus-2 rating. He has been on a tear in the AHL with Rochester this season, posting 26 goals and 50 points in 51 games. 

Dunne, 26, has zero points and four hits in one game with the Sabres this season. Down in the AHL with Rochester, he has eight goals and 24 points in 54 games. In 15 career NHL games split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Sabres, he has zero points, 35 hits, and a minus-2 rating. 

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The clock is ticking on players of the visor-less vintage.

From sleepovers to leading his team in scoring, Tyler Toffoli is living his best life this year. It just happens to be on a team that is in last place overall in the NHL and recently went an entire month without a win.

Not that he's complaining.

When asked what it's like to be the old guy on a rebuilding San Jose Sharks team that has its future sewn up in rookies Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, the 32-year-old laughed.

"I think we've said it all season long — we have a lot of fun in here," Toffoli said after a recent win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. "It's one of those things where it sucks to lose. But then you come to the rink and hang out outside the rink, for the most part we're always together. It's fun."

It's fun for Toffoli, because despite the team's struggles he is having what looks like yet another career-type year.

With 24 goals in 63 games, Toffoli is once again leading his team in goal-scoring. If it stays that way, it will be the fourth time in his career — having previously led the Kings, Canadiens and Flames in goals — that he's finished as the team leader in that category.

tyler toffoli came to the sharks like an angel from heaven pic.twitter.com/hwgkHbiRwY

— laz (@72onice) March 5, 2025

"I think it's just one of those things where I personally felt very confident that past few seasons," said Toffoli, who has 43 points in 63 games. "Being able to play with some really good players obviously helps. It's just one of those things where I try to get open."

The chemistry that Toffoli has forged with Celebrini and Smith extends well beyond the rink. During a recent bus ride from Toronto to Buffalo, a wager was made that if Toffoli, Celebrini and Smith all scored in the same game that the three of them would bunk together in the same hotel room.

"Out of no where, (Smith) is like 'If all three of score tomorrow, you're sleeping over," said Toffoli, who initially balked at the idea of crashing with his teammates. "I'm like, 'Will, I'm not sleeping over. I'm 32 years old. That doesn't happen anymore.'

"SLEEPOVER! SLEEPOVER!"

Tyler Toffoli joined Never Offside with Julie Petry and @catbtoffoli to talk about his sleepover with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. 🦈

Check out the full episode here ➡️ https://t.co/p4M8N6LCN3pic.twitter.com/U0vLt9NFqR

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2025

"Long story short, we end up playing really well in Buffalo and I score the empty-net goal with 30-, 40-seconds left, whatever it was. As soon as it went in, I went to the bench and I was laughing. I didn't even realize that all three of us had scored.

"Will was like, 'Sleepover! Sleepover!"

"I'm like, 'What are you talking about? It's not happening.' And then we end up getting on the plane after the game and my coach came up to me and was like, 'You have to sleep over, you know that, right?' I'm like, Oh God, here we go."

Indeed, that led to a hilarious Instagram post where Toffoli was on a roll-away cot next to Smith and Celebrini, with Celebrini remarking that he "Slept like a baby."

I’ll just put this 🧾 right here…

The “bet” 😭 https://t.co/Age2ruwcjSpic.twitter.com/gM7xGedljx

— Cat (Belanger) Toffoli (@catbtoffoli) March 6, 2025

Toffoli, who signed a four-year contract with the Sharks last summer, could have more sleepovers in his future. Based on the way that Celebrini and Smith have been playing — they have combined for 32 goals and 81 points — don't be surprised if the wins start coming as well.

"It's tough, but it's one of those things where we have a lot of talent in here and we have guys that want to win," said Toffoli. "There's never any give. Even if we're not having a good night, we're going to come back and keep fighting — whether that's the same night or the next game, we bounce back and we try to pull things together."

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Vegas Golden Knights play this season for the second and final time.

Columbus Blue Jackets (70 pts) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (83 pts) Game PreviewThe Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Vegas Golden Knights into Nationwide Arena on Thursday. The Blue Jackets won their only meeting of the season in Vegas back on Jan. 30 in OT

Projected Lineup **Lines Subject to Change 

Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko

Kent Johnson – Boone Jenner – Mathieu Olivier

James van Riemsdyk – Justin Danforth – Luke Kunin

Zach Aston-Reese - Sean Kuraly – Christian Fischer

Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro

Denton Mateychuk - Ivan Provorov

Jake Christiansen - Damon Severson

Starter: Elvis Merzļikins

Scratches: Jordan Harris, Jack Johnson, Yegor Chinakhov

Injuries

• Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16 (61 Games)
• Sean Monahan (upper body) is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Jan. 7 (23 Games)
• Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and out for the season (8 Games)

• Cole Sillinger is day-to-day with an upper body injury (5 Games)

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 274

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.  

The Chicago Blackhawks were busy sellers leading up to the March 7 NHL trade deadline.

Since Jan. 24, they have sent Taylor Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the three-team deal involving Mikko Rantanen's ill-fated move to the Hurricanes. They also shipped Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers in a multi-player move and dealt Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith to the Detroit Red Wings for Joe Veleno.

Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno told reporters the team is more cohesive after trading away “some distractions.” 

Following the trade deadline, GM Kyle Davidson told the media it was time to shift from making moves for draft picks and prospects for deals that bring in players. He didn't rule out drawing on his stockpile of picks to swing a major trade during the off-season.

Davidson spent the past two seasons adding veterans via trades and free agency, but most were past their prime. What the Blackhawks need are players in their twenties who are also in their playing prime, including a winger who can play alongside young franchise center Connor Bedard. 

NHL Rumor Roundup: What Could The Off-Season Hold For The Sabres And Flyers?The Buffalo Sabres made one of the notable moves leading up to last Friday's NHL trade deadline, shipping center Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators for center Josh Norris. 

Turning to the Montreal Canadiens, GM Kent Hughes made no moves during the trade deadline. He said he wasn't worried about losing David Savard, Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak to free agency this summer, saying he felt it was best to keep them so his younger players could lean on their experience and leadership as they jockey for a wild-card berth down the stretch. 

Hughes didn't attempt to shop for a second-line center to replace the sidelined Kirby Dach, saying the trade deadline wasn't necessarily the best time to fill that position. He said he spoke with other GMs to “spitball” some ideas, including those involving players who didn't appear in the rumor mill before the trade deadline. 

Dach's injury history makes finding a second-line center a priority this summer for Hughes. He could go the free-agent route, but it's likelier he'll attempt to address that issue in the trade market, finding a player in his mid to late twenties who could fit into the Canadiens' long-term plans.

Joel Armia was out for the game against the Seattle Kraken. That hurt, but it happens and there’s no timetable for his return. Patrik Laine was the player who was back in the lineup and that was a positive but all of these changes to the lineup are tough on a team. 

Armia remains questionable for Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers. If the Canadiens stay in the race, they must beat Florida. Getting one point at this time of the year isn’t that much of a benefit especially if it’s against a team you’re chasing. The Canadiens aren’t chasing Florida but they are chasing the Ottawa Senators and the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

I cover the Flyers too and last season they missed the playoffs on the last day of the season. It went a bit further than I thought and that is what I’m seeing for the Canadiens. Unless you can win 5-7 in a row and have the teams you’re chasing lose regulation games, the math becomes the enemy.

Next Tuesday the Canadiens play the Senators at home. They can’t lose that game. Even an overtime loss would be costly. They play them again on April 11th in Ottawa. The hope is that the game means something. The Canadiens are done with the Blue Jackets. 

I always say the NHL schedule maker works with math geniuses to get these kinds of races because of the loser point. That’s what creates a lot of this. The NHL Is never boring and they do get that part right.