Category: Ice Hockey

The Montreal Canadiens have one game left to play, and they could still finish in first place in the Atlantic Division if they win their last game and the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres both lose their last two games. That’s much easier said than done, however.

Why? Because the Canadiens’ last game will be against the Philadelphia Flyers, a side that, even though in their place in the Metropolitan Division, has yet to book its place in the playoffs and will be desperate for the win. Unless, of course, the Flyers can triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes tonight and punch their ticket to the spring dance. Then, Philadelphia would have nothing left to play for, as they cannot get home ice advantage since they cannot catch up to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are four points ahead and own the tiebreaker.

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When Montreal and Philadelphia play on Tuesday, the other two teams vying for the Flyers’ place will be taking on each other, meaning that either the Columbus Blue Jackets will have 94 points (and with more regulation wins, they would pass Philadelphia) or the Washington Capitals will have 95 points and overtake the Flyers outright if the Canadiens’ hosts can’t muster two points in their last two games (Ovechkin and co. also have more regulation wins than Philadelphia).

Meanwhile, the Canadiens’ rivals won’t face great opposition. The Sabres' last two games will be on Monday night, against the Chicago Blackhawks, who have been eliminated for some time, and on Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars. While the Stars will be taking part in the race for Lord Stanley’s mug, they have nothing left to play for. They cannot catch the Colorado Avalanche, and they’ve already clinched home-ice advantage. Meaning they may well decide to rest some of their key players.

As for the Lightning, they have a date with the already eliminated Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, a side that has lost seven of its last 10 games. Since the game is in Tampa, they won’t even have the pressure to give their fans one last good game, which they’ve already failed to do, losing 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils in their last home game. Then, on Wednesday night, the Bolts will host the New York Rangers, a team eliminated some time ago and which has lost its last two games.

In other words, unless the Flyers win tonight, the playoff race will go down to the wire in the East, and the race to first place between the Habs, Bolts and Sabres won’t be settled until the end either.

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The pair of weekend games for the Penguins against the Washington Capitals were about as low stakes as it gets in the NHL regular season from Pittsburgh’s perspective. The Pens had already locked up the second seed in the Metropolitan Division, regardless of results the rest of the way.

As a result of that knowledge, the team shifted gears into preparing for the playoffs. 18-year old rookie Ben Kindel was out for both games. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Parker Wotherspoon all sat out on Saturday and played on Sunday. Noel Acciari, Anthony Mantha, Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton played Saturday then sat out on Sunday. In a move unrelated to playoff rest, Connor Dewar is now week-to-week with a more serious injury and his status for the start of the playoffs would seem to be in real jeopardy.

While the games themselves had no impact for the Penguins, they can still carry some level of individual importance. Kevin Hayes dressed for his first games in a while, having only played twice since January 11th. Rutger McGroarty and Ryan Graves got in the lineup, both only having played two and three NHL games respecitvely since the start of February. Jack St. Ivany was back after last appearing in the NHL on January 25th, Ilya Solovyov got a chance to play for the first time since being rotated out as a healthy scratch after the March 18th game.

Other recent lineup regulars like Elmer Soderblom, Justin Brazeau and Tommy Novak received opportunities in good spots to continue to make their cases on why they could be options for the postseason. So the games mattered on some level, even if the results did not. Here’s a look at the Game Score cards for both games over the weekend.

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Pittsburgh Penguins on 2026-04-11: pic.twitter.com/WTDKp6k4q5

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 11, 2026

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Pittsburgh Penguins on 2026-04-12: pic.twitter.com/EUfJdUNl7a

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 12, 2026

On the positive side, Kevin Hayes scored a goal on Saturday and showed well on Game Scores across both games. His skating at this point of his career makes him an overall liability but he was able to pick his spots well. Dewar’s injury (as well as the status of Blake Lizotte coming back from an injury of his own) might add a little drama to the depth chart moving forward. The Pens have no shortage of fill-in depth options and K. Hayes might not be at the very front of that line, though with his 56 career NHL playoff games he could be in the mix at some point.

Ilya Solovyov and Jack St. Ivany had tough days on Saturday – where to be fair, in context the under-manned Pens team had a major uphill climb all game that day when they got out-shot 31-12 – but bounced back with better performances on Sunday. Solovyov especially has shown some skating and puck moving skills with the ability to lineup on the left or right side of the lineup. At this point he probably is factoring in as the seventh defenseman and first one up for the playoffs if needed, which the team can feel a little more comfortable with after seeing his performance on Sunday.

Soderblom also showed enough over the weekend – and more importantly over the last few weeks – to lock down a spot in the lineup for Game 1. That would have been a tougher squeeze had Dewar remained healthy, now the path to a spot is virtually automatic for Soderblom.

On the negative side, Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty let some chances slip away to stand out. So too did Avery Hayes, who was made a scratch for Sunday’s game. Koivunen’s game on Saturday was particularly disappointing with a -0.67 Game Score coming off playing a forward team-high 17:49 in a nice role on a line with Rickard Rakell and Egor Chinakhov, a game where Koivunen did not manage a shot on goal. Overall right now Koivunen is a skilled forward who cannot score, his 5v5 points/60 dropped to 404th out of 407 forwards across the NHL (minimum 400 minutes) and doesn’t look like he will be a factor for the NHL playoffs this spring.

Similarly, McGroarty’s weekend was too quiet, held without a shot in almost 15 minutes on Saturday and then relegated to 9:55 played on Sunday. A. Hayes popped out with a big goal in the March 30th game against NYI, his only point in his last 14 NHL games since his two-goal debut, and the Pens decided to sit Hayes on Sunday following his forward-worst -1.00 Game Score instead of resting a player like Brazeau or Novak in a weekend where plenty of NHL regulars got a game off. Forwards like Soderblom and Acciari performing well lately has had the effect to wall off a spot in the lineup for A. Hayes.

Graves was another player with a disappointing turn, suffering some ugly play on a pair of goals against on Saturday leading to a -3.46 Game Score while playing the fewest minutes among defensemen (15:30) and then returning to become a familiar scratch for Sunday’s game. Not that such a development is particularly surprising at this point given how things have gone for Graves in Pittsburgh, but it sure doesn’t look like he belongs anywhere near a game in the playoffs and his showing this weekend did nothing but reinforce that position.

Overall for the Penguins, this weekend was about getting some rest in and simply checking boxes to get to the playoffs. Every game presents opportunity for someone and there were plenty of positive and negative signs from their depth players to help provide extra information if there becomes a need to dig deeper into the organization for players who need to step in for the playoffs.

Mike and Dan react immediately to the Islanders getting eliminated from playoff contention after a lost weekend against Ottawa and Montreal.

We’ve seen the Islanders lose in many different ways over the years. But we’ve never seen them choke away a season like this. They played almost every game since the Olympic Break as if they were playing out the string, whittling away a playoff berth that they might not have totally deserved. And while a few players get a Hall Pass, namely Matthew Schaefer and Cal Ritchie, many of the guys who have been here a while conducted themselves in a despicable, cowardly fashion. Which calls into question what the franchise’s real intentions are and where their true priorities lie. Do they want to get people to watch them and spend money on them, or do they actually want to win games first and foremost? Do they want to be just good, or truly great?

In the second half, we look ahead to their final, meaningless game against Carolina and the few milestones that we’d like to see get hit. We also talk briefly about the week’s one victory over a DOA Leafs team in a game we can’t even enjoy anymore because, like everything else, it amounted to nothing. Very few of their games over the last five seasons have been purely enjoyable because of the team’s attitude. There have been players and moments to remember but overall, this era can be personified by a noticeable and unsatisfying lack of accomplishment.

REFERENCES:

• The Islanders enjoyed Patrick Roy’s old Cup stories, actually.
• At least one Islanders team made the playoffs.

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Go back to the start of September when the Pittsburgh Penguins were just entering training camp, and imagine somebody telling you this week the Penguins would be playing their third consecutive meaningless game, preparing to sit everybody important for Game 82 so they can be ready for the playoffs.

Then imagine the Penguins would be spending that week likely preparing to play either the Philadelphia Flyers or Washington Capitals in the first round.

Chaos. Mayhem. You would have never believed it.

Nor would you have believed an 18-year-old Ben Kindel would show up right from the NHL Draft and make an immediate impact. Or that Anthony Mantha would be the team’s leading goal-scorer. Or that they would find another potential star in Egor Chinakhov, one that is just entering his prime years, in a mid-season trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Or that Stuart Skinner would be their starting goalie thanks to a Tristan Jarry trade. Or that Erik Karlsson would rediscover his Norris Trophy form. Or that Parker Wotherspoon would be a reliable first-pairing defenseman partner for him.

Each of these things on their own seem a little unbelievable. All of them together would have seemed impossible. But here we are, and after playing two meaningless games (for themselves) over the weekend, the Penguins have one more game that does not matter on Tuesday night at the St. Louis Blues.

It is really not even worth trying to analyze that game because it means literally nothing.

The Penguins spot as the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division is locked in. They will not move up. They will not move down. They have home-ice advantage in the first-round, no matter who they play. The Blues, meanwhile, are already mathematically eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention. None of the Penguins top players are expected to play, and it is the right call.

The focus now is Saturday. That is when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, and the Penguins are still waiting to see who their opponent will be.

The odds are that it will be the Flyers. Philadelphia needs just one win, or two points via two overtime losses, to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division.

They can do that on Monday night with a win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

If they lose that game, and especially if they lose that game in regulation, it would set up a potentially massive game between the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. The winner would still be relying on yet another Flyers loss, but it would at least produce some tremendous theatre.

Regardless of which team the Penguins play, I would put them as favorites in any matchup, but the Capitals would be the one I feel the worst about from their perspective. Washington is better than its record indicates, is the best 5-on-5 team of the three potential opponents and also has the best goalie in Logan Thompson. Thompson is a legitimate Vezina candidate this season and has been one of the league’s best goalies. I would rather take my chances against Dan Vladar or Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves than him.

The Flyers defend exceptionally well, allowing just 2.38 expected goals against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, the third-best mark in the NHL behind only the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators. They are not an especially potent offensive team, however, and have only won 26 games in regulation going into Monday.

Assuming they get in, they will be the only Eastern Conference playoff team that will have less than 30 regulation wins. They have 26 going into Monday, and can only max out at 28. Every other team that has clinched a spot has at least 32. They also have just 32 regulation and overtime wins, also the fewest among Eastern Conference playoff teams. They have been heavily boosted by a 9-4 shootout record.

Columbus has had one of the weirdest seasons in the league, underwhelming for the first half of the season, looking unbeatable after the coaching change from Dean Evason to Rick Bowness, and then completely going in the tank when it played itself back into playoff contention, losing nine of their past 12 games going into play on Tuesday.

There would be some intrigue with this matchup given the presence of Chinakhov in Pittsburgh and the way his season (and potentially career) has turned around since the trade. This would be a different type of revenge series.

Overall the Penguins are 5-2-4 against the three teams this season, with all four overtime losses being in shootouts. There is no shootout in the playoffs. The only two regulation defeats were against the Capitals this past weekend, games where the Penguins had nothing to play for, rested a bunch of people, and games the Capitals absolutely had to have.

They should matchup well with any of these teams. They can beat any of these teams. Now they have to actually show they can do it.

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Anze Kopitar has seen an uptick in production since the Los Angeles Kings acquired dynamic forward Artemi Panarin and stuck him on Kopitar’s wing.

My Kings vs. Kraken predictions and NHL picks expect a productive performance from Kopitar in an advantageous matchup against a team struggling to keep the puck out.

Kings vs Kraken prediction

Kings vs Kraken best bet: Anze Kopitar Over 0.5 points (-125)

Anze Kopitar centers the top line alongside star wingers Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe, and the results are encouraging. The Los Angeles Kings have scored 3.96 goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play with that trio on the ice, an elite rate.

Kopitar also skates on the No. 1 power play, giving him exposure to the team’s top players in prime offensive situations.

He's hit the scoresheet in 57% of games since Panarin was acquired — well above the 46% rate prior.

Facing a Seattle Kraken team that’s conceded 3+ goals in 12 of the last 13, Kopitar is primed for a productive night.

Kings vs Kraken same-game parlay

Trevor Moore is shooting more without Kevin Fiala or Andrei Kuzmenko in the fold. He's averaging 3.3 shots per game and has cleared 2.5 at a 71% clip over 21 games.

He’s yet to go back-to-back without 3+ shots, and has a perfect bounce-back opportunity against a Kraken side that sits eighth in 5-on-5 pace and 26th in shot suppression over their last 10.

The Kings have allowed just three goals over their last three games. They’re a tough team to score on, and the Kraken (27th in goals per game) are likely to struggle breaking through.

Kings vs Kraken SGP

• Anze Kopitar Over 0.5 points
• Trevor Moore Over 2.5 shots
• Kings moneyline

Kings vs Kraken odds

• Moneyline: Kings -140 | Kraken +120
• Puck Line: Kings -1.5 (+170) | Kraken +1.5 (-210)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 | Under 5.5

Kings vs Kraken trend

The Kings have won six of their past eight games. Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Kraken.

How to watch Kings vs Kraken

Kings vs Kraken latest injuries

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Dylan Samberg is always a consistent shot blocker, but he has put his body on the line even more frequently as Winnipeg has scratched and clawed to get in playoff contention.

My Jets vs. Golden Knights predictions and NHL picks expect Samberg to pile up the blocks against a Vegas team that has generated shot attempts at an extreme rate since making a coaching change.

Jets vs Golden Knights prediction

Jets vs Golden Knights best bet: Dylan Samberg Over 1.5 blocked shots (-150)

Dylan Samberg has blocked at least two shots in 15 of his past 19 games, averaging 2.2 along the way. He cleared his line in eight of nine matchups with playoff-bound teams during that stretch.

Samberg is in a terrific spot to pile up the blocks Monday night. The Vegas Golden Knights rank third in shot attempt rate — behind only Colorado and Carolina — since they hired John Tortorella, creating plenty of block opportunities.

Samberg is playing more than anybody on the Winnipeg Jets at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. He’ll see high usage in defensive situations, putting him in prime position to block shots.

Jets vs Golden Knights same-game parlay

Kyle Connor has generated 69 shot attempts over his past 10 games and recorded at least two shots on target each night. With their season on the line, the Jets will funnel as many pucks in his direction as they can.

We’ll round out the SGP with a bet on Connor to hit the score sheet. He has gone back-to-back games without a point, tying his longest drought of the entire year. With big minutes and plenty of shooting opportunities coming his way, I like his chances of getting back on track.

Jets vs Golden Knights SGP

• Dylan Samberg Over 1.5 blocked shots
• Kyle Connor Over 2.5 shots
• Kyle Connor Over 0.5 points

Jets vs Golden Knights odds

• Moneyline: Jets +150 | Golden Knights -175
• Puck Line: Jets +1.5 (-160) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+140)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 | Under 5.5

Jets vs Golden Knights trend

Dylan Samberg has blocked 3+ shots in three straight games against the Golden Knights. Find more NHL betting trends for Jets vs. Golden Knights.

How to watch Jets vs Golden Knights

Jets vs Golden Knights latest injuries

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We head into the last week of the regular season today, with 10 games on the schedule. My NHL player props expect productive showings from Mark Scheifele, Adam Fox, and Connor McDavid. 

Read more in my NHL picks for Monday, April 13. 

Best NHL player prop bets today

img alt="Get a first bet encore up to $800 with the BET99 promo code COVERSNHL" width="100%" loading="lazy" src="https://img.covers.com/promo-articles/bet99nhlcreative2526.jpeg"Get a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL.
(not available in Ontario)

Our best NHL player props for Monday, April 13

Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.

Prop #1: Mark Scheifele Over 0.5 assists

-125 at BET99

Mark Scheifele continues to produce the goods for the Winnipeg Jets. He’s scored 34 goals and tallied 65 assists this season, ranking 10th in the NHL. The veteran has cashed the Over in helpers in three of his last four contests. 

In fact, Scheifele has already notched seven assists in April. The Jets take on the Vegas Golden Knights this evening, and the 33-year-old has two helpers across two meetings with Vegas. He’s also grabbed 28 assists in 39 road contests.

• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: TSN3, SCRIPPS

Prop #2: Adam Fox Over 0.5 assists

-130 at BET99

Adam Fox is one of the best playmaking defensemen in the NHL. He’s registered 43 assists in 2025-26. The veteran has cashed the Over in helpers in three of his last four appearances, and he’s posted 2+ assists in two of those games.

He’s part of the New York Rangers’ top defensive pairing. He also plays on the PP1 alongside the likes of Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller, and Vincent Trocheck, all guys who can put the puck in the back of the net. 

That also means more opportunities to create chances for his scorers. The Rangers also face the Florida Panthers, who rank 28th in goals allowed, and Fox has already notched an assist against them. 

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MSG, SCRIPPS

Prop #3: Connor McDavid anytime goal

+105 at BET99

It’s a rare sight to see Connor McDavid have barely a shot on target and zero points. That was the case on Saturday in a 1-0 loss to the Kings, but he’ll bounce back tonight. The three-time Hart Trophy winner has 47 goals this season, which is third in the NHL. 

He’s also netted in two of his last three, scoring a hat-trick against the Sharks on Wednesday. McDavid is in for a tough matchup tonight against the Colorado Avalanche, but he's never shied away from a challenge and has already scored twice against them this season across two matchups. He also has nine SOG in those meetings. The chances will be there. 

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ALT, Sportsnet West

These props are available now at BET99, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

A few days ago, we had Saturday circled as the ‘make or break’ day as far as finding out who the Penguins would likely be playing in the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia was one point up on the NY Islanders and Saturday would see the Flyers play the Winnipeg Jets and NYI take on the Ottawa Senators. The results were conclusive — the Flyers romped to a 7-1 win, the Islanders got shutout and lost 3-0. Then, yesterday the Islanders made their elimination official by losing to Montreal.

As a result, via Hockeystats.com, the Battle of Pennsylvania is coming into further focus for the first round of the playoffs. Here are the odds of opponent for the Penguins.

The Flyers have two games left – one tonight against a Carolina team that has first place sewed up. The Hurricanes have won three straight, they haven’t employed a ‘pack it in and wait for the playoffs’ strategy by any means so it might be a tough game. Then Philadelphia plays tomorrow night against the Canadiens, who have incentive to win to strengthen their chances of winning the Atlantic Division. Should Philadelphia win either game or pickup overtime/shootout losses in both games, then their ticket to the playoffs is punched.

The playoff race only gets interesting if the Flyers suffer a regulation loss tonight against the Hurricanes. That would throw at least some hope to Washington and Columbus — who play each other on Tuesday. Here’s the standings.

While Philadelphia gets their chance to win and get in, the situation would get a lot more interesting if the Flyers lose tonight. The Capitals (36 regulation wins) hold the first tiebreaker over the Flyers, so a Washington win tomorrow against CBJ would put pressure on the Flyers to have a must-win game on Tuesday – assuming a PHI regulation loss tonight.

Columbus, at this point, needs a lot of help. They would need the Flyers to lose both of their games in regulation AND do their part by defeating Washington in regulation tomorrow night. Then CBJ, by virtue of regulation wins, would surpass Philadelphia if both ended up with 94 points (and Washington sat tight at 93). The math and odds are relatively more favorable for the Caps, since they would pass either CBJ/PHI if all ended up with 94 points and would pass PHI if WSH/PHI ended with 95. The trick for the Caps will be relying on the Flyers to only get zero or one point in the standings over the Flyers’ next two games, along with of course needing to get a result against the Blue Jackets to bolster their case.

The Red Wings latest end-of-season meltdown as them eliminated after being in first place in the conference as late as January, meaning Detroit now possesses the longest playoff drought in the NHL at 10 seasons, being as Buffalo has had a great season.

In the end, the drama didn’t go down to Game 82 for the Wild Cards – Ottawa won four-straight games last week and has a 5-1-1 April record to salvage their season and advance to the playoffs. Boston wasn’t hot in April (0-3-2 prior to yesterday’s win against Columbus) but managed to do enough in the second half of March (8-4-4 from March 14th on) to glide into a spot above the rest of the Metropolitan Division, courtesy of teams like the Blue Jackets and Islanders running out of steam in a major way over the last 10-12 games.

The Penguins sit in a fortunate spot, whether it’s the Flyers, Capitals or Blue Jackets the Pittsburgh first round opponent will likely have the fewest points of any Eastern playoff qualifier and certainly the lowest goal differential. The Flyers and Capitals have both been in good form winning seven of their last 10 games, though several of those opponents have had nothing to play for down the stretch.

The Penguins themselves are one win away on Tuesday in St. Louis from achieving their first 100-point season since 2021-22. That mark doesn’t look like any sort of priority for the team as they prepare for the start of the playoffs but would be a nice ending point for their season.

For now, the focus is over to the Flyers tonight to see if they can take care of their business against Carolina or will open the door to make Tuesday a very interesting night when it comes to determining which team will be meeting the Pens in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Flyers got all the help they could have possibly asked for, and now it's up to them to seal the deal and book their place in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On Sunday night, with a brutal 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

That leaves the Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington Capitals to vie for the last playoff spot--third place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Blue Jackets lost 3-2 to a Boston Bruins team resting some of its players on Sunday night, putting them on the precipice of elimination as well.

With a win over the Carolina Hurricanes at home at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday night, the Flyers can clinch themselves a playoff berth outright with no further strings attached.

Flyers Get Massive Playoff Help from Claude Giroux, SenatorsEven though he isn't on the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> anymore, Claude Giroux, with the help of his Ottawa Senators teammates, lent his former club a helping hand in their playoff race Saturday afternoon.

Because they have two more points than the Blue Jackets with a game still in hand, just one point from an overtime or shootout loss will allow the Flyers to knock Columbus out of the running.

Then, it's down to Washington, who have 93 points in 81 games and can only reach a maximum of 95.

The Flyers are sitting at 94 in 80 games, so their magic number is, obviously, two. A win or two overtime losses seals the deal for Philadelphia.

In anticipation of Monday night's game against the Hurricanes, it's worth noting that Carolina was without Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, William Carrier, Jalen Chatfield, K'Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake in their most recent game--a 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth.

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.

The Hurricanes have already clinched first place in the Metropolitan Division and can clinch home-ice advantage and the Eastern Conference with one more point over their final two games, so they don't have all that much to play for while already resting some players.

Colorado Avalanche News

• Head Coach Bednar will not travel with the team on this road trip due to a facial injury after taking a puck during a game. [TSN]

• Top college free agent T.J. Hughes to sign with Colorado Avalanche. [The Athletic]
• Can juggernaut Avalanche break Presidents’ Trophy curse? [The Score]
• Masterton Trophy nominations announced and Landeskog, Ullmark among those up for award for perseverance, sportsmanship, dedication. [NHL]
• Sam Malinski selected for Avalanche’s 2026 King Clancy Trophy Nominee. [The Hockey News]
• With plenty of fresh blood, NHL will have new Stanley Cup champion after the back-to-back champs failed to make the playoffs. [CBC]
• Avalanche say Nazem Kadri will miss a few games. [Sportsnet]

News Around the League

• Suzuki becomes first Canadien in 40 years to record 100 points in a season. [TSN]
• Do the Maple Leafs really play in a tough NHL market? It depends on who you ask. [The Star]
• Ovechkin appreciates ‘nice’ tribute during possible last game in Pittsburgh. [ESPN]

James Hagens shows why he's NHL-ready in strong Bruins debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Bruins top prospect James Hagens made his much-anticipated NHL debut Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the 19-year-old forward played very well.

It wasn’t a meaningless game, either. Yes, the Bruins had already clinched a playoff spot, but their final seed remains TBD despite beating the Blue Jackets 3-2 at Nationwide Arena. And Columbus really needed a win as it tries to earn the third and final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Against a desperate opponent, Hagens played a strong 200-foot game. The best example came on the Bruins’ second goal.

After starting the rush up ice with a clean breakout pass in the defensive zone, Hagens aggressively forechecked, pinned a Blue Jackets player to the boards and allowed the Bruins to regain puck possession. Sean Kuraly then fed the puck to Henri Jokiharju, who beat Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves to give Boston the lead.

Hagens earned a secondary assist for his first career point as a Bruin.

Some fine footwork on the forecheck 👌 pic.twitter.com/v9Il4jcywh

— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 12, 2026

The play was an example of the defensive details and all-around jump that Hagens made at Boston College as a sophomore this past season.

“His offensive game was always there, and he still continues to develop it,” BC head coach Greg Brown told NBC Sports Boston last week. “He’s only 19 years old now, but I think he took huge steps in the rest of his game, becoming a 200-foot player, defensive awareness, defensive detail — all those things that you’re going to need to play in the NHL, James really improved on this year, so it’s great to see.”

Hagens, who skated on a line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, finished with one assist, one shot on net, and three shot attempts in 13:08 of ice time. He also took a hooking penalty in the first period. The one area where we didn’t see Hagens was the power play because the Blue Jackets didn’t take a single penalty.

“It was super cool,” Hagens told reporters postgame. “Really cool building to be able to get that win. It was special. Maybe stay out of the box. But it was a really cool game.”

"It was super cool…to be able to get that win, it was special." — James Hagens reacts after his NHL debut

Full #NHLBruins postgame reaction ➡️ https://t.co/9UnePFRcJnpic.twitter.com/wuwgFnkisH

— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 13, 2026

His line produced more shots, more shot attempts, more scoring chances and more high-danger chances than it gave up. There weren’t any major mistakes from Hagens. He didn’t dominate, but he very much looked like he belonged at the NHL level.

“I thought he was good. I thought the whole line was great,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told reporters postgame. “They used their speed. They were not afraid to make plays. They made a lot of good decisions. They never really got into trouble. Coming into Columbus, it’s a tough building. I was curious how James would handle it, and I thought he did a good job.”

Sturm even had enough confidence to put Hagens out on the ice when the Bruins were protecting a one-goal lead in the third period with less than two minutes left on the clock.

What went into that decision?

“It’s because he gave me a reason for it,” Sturm said. “So it’s not just because of his name and he’s a high pick. No, I put him out there because I trusted him and the whole line did a great job, so they deserved to be out there.”

Hagens obviously has the least amount of experience among the forwards in the mix for bottom-six roles, but he has the best combination of speed and offensive skill in that group. He also isn’t going to be pushed around, either. He’s not the biggest player at 5-foot-11 and 177 pounds, but he’s sneaky strong and knows how to play defensively at a level higher than a lot of forwards his age.

Hagens’ next opportunity to display his skills will come Tuesday when the Bruins wrap up their regular season schedule against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. After that, Boston’s next matchup will be Game 1 of the first round.

Keeping Hagens in the lineup for the playoffs — at least for the first two games in Round 1 — would be the best decision for the Bruins. You never know how a rookie is going to handle the intensity of the playoffs, but it’s not like Hagens hasn’t played in big games at other points in his hockey career. And he has the maturity and even-keeled mindset that you need to play well in those pressure-packed environments.

All four of the Bruins’ potential first-round opponents have good goaltending and/or defend well, so the B’s are going to need players who can create offense for themselves and others. Hagens fits that description well, whether it’s at even strength or the power play. And until Sunday’s win over the Blue Jackets, the Bruins’ third and fourth lines hadn’t produced much offense since the Olympic break.

If the Bruins were a veteran team and a top contender (like 2023, for example), then maybe it wouldn’t make sense to throw a 19-year-old prospect into the postseason fire.

But this Bruins team wasn’t expected to compete for a playoff spot, let alone get into the tournament. They will be underdogs in every series they play, so why not give Hagens some valuable experience at the highest level?

ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders will be playing for pride on Tuesday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes after being eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday. 

Head coach Pete DeBoer was asked about his game plan for Tuesday. 

"I'll talk to Mathieu [Darche], and we'll come up with a plan," DeBoer said. "I would like to see as many guys as possible. We took Palat out tonight and put Duclair in. I wanted to give him an opportunity. I haven't seen him yet, so I'll have to talk to Mathieu [Darche] about the roster. But for me, the more guys I can see in game action that are potentially part of this going forward, I think that's important."

The Bridgeport Islanders clinched a playoff spot on Sunday night and don't play again until Wednesday, Apr. 15, so the Islanders' season finale doesn't get in the way of their push for a higher seed. 

So, who could we see in Tuesday's lineup based on what DeBoer said?

There is a strong chance that 2026 No. 16 overall pick, forward Victor Eklund, gets to make his NHL debut. The 19-year-old has been dominating AHL ice since coming over following the conclusion of his SHL season. He has nine points (two goals, seven assists) through his first seven games. 

Adam Beckman (28 goals, 21 assists), Matt Luff (18 goals, 33 assists), and Liam Foudy (25 goals, 21 assists) deserve a crack given how well they've played this season. 

Matthew Maggio, albeit a healthy scratch for nine games before entering the lineup on Sunday night, has had a career season with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) through 60 games.

On the blue line, DeBoer may want to see what Long Island native Marshall Warren, who got eight games with the Islanders this season under head coach Patrick Roy, can do, given his mobility. 

The same can be said for Isaiah George, who has been up as the seventh defenseman since March 24, getting into one game, a loss to Carolina on April 4. 

One of the biggest reasons why Bridgeport is heading to the playoffs is because of the play of goaltender Henrik Tikkanen (17-8-1, 2.60 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO). 

Could the 2020 seventh-round pick (No. 214) get a chance to face NHL shots, especially with backup goaltender David Rittich a pending unrestricted agent, and Semyon Varlamov's status (two knee replacements) going forward is anything but certain?

Reminder: While there's no limit on how many players can be on a roster, teams must be cap-compliant. The Islanders only have $2.682 million in available cap space, but could create more if any players need to be placed on long-term injured reserve, if you catch my drift. 

Puck drop against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 PM ET. 

Mason Marchment (19) and Adam Fantilli (24) scored the only goals in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday night. Jet Greaves made 19 saves in the loss.

The Columbus Blue Jackets' Stanley Cup Playoff hopes are officially on life support. For the second year in a row, the CBJ will go down to the wire and will most likely be eliminated. It's not officially over, but it's close. 

The Philadelphia Flyers now need to lose both of their remaining games, and the Jackets need to beat the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff berth. The Flyers play back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.

Last season, in a game that the CBJ needed the Habs to lose, the Hurricanes played a mostly AHL lineup and got beat by Montreal, to knock the Blue Jackets out of contention.

In a strange bit of irony, it will again be up to the Carolina Hurricanes to help the Blue Jackets out by beating the Flyers, to give Columbus one last sliver of hope come Tuesday night. 

Quotes

Rick Bowness - "We're all very, very disappointed in how it went tonight. We are. The guys are heartbroken. We're heartbroken. Now we've lost total control of what's going to happen. There's nothing we can do now. We'll just have to sit back and see what happens tomorrow night in Philly."

Adam Fantilli - "This one, it's a gut shot. We understand and understood everything going into this game, and we didn't get it done. The level of disappointment is pretty high right now."

Zach Werenski - "Yeah, especially when they take the lead, we really didn’t give him too much in the 3rd until that goal. I felt like Mo has a big goal to tie it up, we’re playing well, and you know, a good shot by him, and ends up being 3-2, and then after that we have to step up a little bit more. I mean, after that we had, like I said, a couple of grade A's from the slot, we got to find a way to score and tie it up. I mean, that could be our season."

Team Notes Per CBJ PR 

• Columbus (0-2-1) and Boston (3-0-0) completed their season series tonight.
• The Blue Jackets finished the 2025-26 season with a 13-6-5 record against the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference following tonight’s action.
• The Jackets scored the first goal of the game for the 49th time this season (32-10-7) and for the 28th time at Nationwide Arena (18-7-3).
• Columbus has scored first 24 times since Jan. 13 (17-4-3), tying Buffalo for the most instances in the league since then.
• The Blue Jackets skated in front of their sixth-straight and 15th sellout crowd of the season tonight.

Final Stats   

Player Stats & Notes 

• Mason Marchment scored his 19th goal, and 15th goal as a Blue Jacket, and has points in six of his past seven games played (2-6-8). His goal also gives him 4-6-10 in 11 career matchups against Boston, with points in four of his past five (3-6-9) and 4-2-6 in six career home games vs. the club.
• Adam Fantilli scored his 24th goal of the year and won 55.6% of his faceoffs. He has points in consecutive contests (1-2-3) and in three of his past four games (2-2-4). He improved to 3-2-5 in nine career games against Boston with all points in his past six matchups. 
• Dante Fabbro picked up his 6th assist. 
• Boone Jenner recorded his 25th assist and won 50% of his faceoffs. He now has notched 10-5-15 in 25 career contests against the Bruins, with 3-4-7 in his past nine overall and has points in four of his last five at home (1-4-5).
• Danten Heinen got his 5th assist and was a plus-2. He has points in 3 of his last 4 games. 
• Zach Werenski had 8 shots on goal and played 30:27.
• Charlie Coyle won 66.7% of his faceoffs. 

Team Stats

• The Jackets went 0/3 on the power play. 
• The Columbus PK didn't have to work, as the Jackets didn't take a penalty. 
• Columbus won 54.4% of the faceoffs - 31/57
• The Blue Jackets had 20 hits and 4 blocks.

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets welcome the Washington Capitals into Nationwide Arena in what could be the final game of the season.  

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to host the Dallas Stars in their final home game of the regular season on Monday, but they wake up to a favourable out-of-town result. They currently have a 32-34-14 record, which puts them in a precarious but potentially advantageous position for the draft lottery.

The Calgary Flames defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1 on Sunday to pick up another two points in the standings and move into the fourth-worst spot in the NHL. With 75 points in 80 games (33-38-9), they have an identical record to the third-worst New York Rangers, but the Flames moved ahead thanks to having more regulation wins, the first tiebreaker in the NHL. That means the Leafs are now just three points away from both clubs.

If both of those teams can pick up three out of four or more points in their last two games, and the Leafs earn zero or one point in their final two games, Toronto could finish as low as the third-worst team in the NHL. That is significant because finishing with the third-worst record would guarantee that the Leafs retain their 2026 NHL Draft pick. Under lottery rules, they would not be able to finish any lower than fifth for the draft set for May 5.

The Maple Leafs traded their 2026 NHL Draft pick on a conditional basis, along with Fraser Minten, to the Boston Bruins in exchange for veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo. The Leafs will retain their pick and give up a future unconditional first-rounder instead if they finish with a top-five selection. While finishing with the fourth or fifth-worst record does not guarantee they keep the pick, finishing third-worst would.

The Rangers visit the Florida Panthers on Monday. Meanwhile, Toronto’s games are certainly must-lose; if the Leafs were to win both of their remaining games, they could conceivably move as high as the eighth-worst in the NHL, which would be less than ideal for their draft goals.

Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 4–3 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks were by far the better team on Sunday from an analytics perspective. Anaheim won the even-strength scoring chances battle 28-13 while also picking up a win for even-strength high-danger scoring chances created by a count of 12-7. In the end, though, the Canucks' ability to not just score twice on the power play, but also once shorthanded, made the difference as Vancouver skated away with a win. 

 As for the heatmap, both teams crashed the net hard all night. Two of the Canucks' goals were scored from right in front of the crease, while the Ducks buried two from close range. In the end, Tolopilo was the difference maker as he stopped nine of 10 high-danger shots he faced. 

To wrap this win up, Curtis Douglas had what many call a legacy goal. He scored his first career goal, won a fight and led Vancouver with an even-strength xGF% of 78.24. While he has only been with the organization for a few weeks, Douglas has already become a fan favourite and someone that many would like to see re-signed this off-season. 

The Canucks return home on Tuesday to play their final home game of the season. Their opponent will be the Los Angeles Kings, who are looking to secure a playoff spot. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

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, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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