The Florida Panthers are slowly but surely nearing the finish line to a forgettable season.
Playing their second road game in as many afternoons, Florida matched up with the New York Rangers for a fun little Sunday matinee in Manhattan.
Offense came at a premium at Madison Square Garden, with the Cats and Rangers carrying a scoreless game into the third period until the two teams finally squeaked a few goals in.
Ultimately the Rangers picked up a rare win on home ice, defeating the Panthers 3-1.
It wasn’t until about five minutes had passed in the third period that we finally saw the game’s first goal.
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox picked up the puck at the Florida blue line and walked a few feet toward the net before firing a wrist shot that was deflected by Adam Sykora on his way past Sergei Bobrovsky.
The goal was Sykora’s second of the season, and his second in his past three games.
Connor Sheary made it 2-0 Rangers with a shorthanded tally at the 11:14 mark, then Fox sealed the win with an empty-net goal that came with 3:54 to go in the game.
Youngster Mackie Samoskevich ruined Igor Shesterkin’s shutout bid with 41 seconds to go, but overall, it was a good day for the home team, and a step in the right direction in terms of the Panthers pushing to keep their top-10 protected lottery pick in this summer’s draft.
Photo caption: Mar 29, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) and New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) battle for the puck during the second period at Madison Square Garden. (Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images)
Tomorrow, in a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane is projected to skate in his 1000th-career NHL game. Surprisingly, he’ll be just the ninth player in franchise history to hit this milestone as part of the Canucks, as only eight others have done so before him. Here are the eight players who played in their 1000th NHL game as a member of the Canucks.
Pit Martin
Martin was the first to play in his 1000th-career NHL game as a member of the Canucks, achieving this milestone on January 1, 1978 against the team he played over 10 seasons for, the Chicago Blackhawks. Through an 1101-game NHL career, Martin scored 324 goals and 485 assists. His final 131 NHL games were spent with Vancouver.
Ryan Walter
Walter was only a Canucks for two seasons — 92 games — as the majority of his time in the NHL came with the Montréal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals, who drafted him back in 1978. His 1000th NHL game came towards the tail-end of his NHL career, as he ultimately finished his career with 1003 games played in the league, scoring 264 goals and 382 assists during this span.
Dave Babych
The second player to hit their 1000th-career NHL game as a Canuck was Babych, who spent a total of 409 games with Vancouver through his 1195-game career. Babych played in his 1000th NHL game on February 7, 1996, also against a team he’d formerly played for in the Hartford Whalers. Babych’s NHL résumé also includes 142 goals and 581 assists with Vancouver, Hartford, the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Los Angeles Kings.
Trevor Linden
Linden became the third player to hit their 1000th NHL game-mark with the Canucks on March 26, 2002, when Vancouver took on the Los Angeles Kings. While the former Canucks captain did split some of his career with the New York Islanders, Montréal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals, he ultimately returned to his hometown team to skate in his 1000th NHL game. Later, in 2005–06, he became the first player to ever play in 1000 games for solely the Canucks.
Markus Näslund
Näslund, the fourth player to hit 1000 career NHL games with the Canucks, did-so in what would ultimately be his final season with the team he captained for seven years. He hit the 1000th-game mark on January 17, 2008 in a game against the Detroit Red Wings, during which he scored the game-tying goal. While most of these 1000 games were spent with Vancouver, Näslund did play in 151 of them with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Apr 5, 2018; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Henrik Sedin (33) and forward Daniel Sedin (22) skate down ice during the second period against the Arizona Coyotes at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images
Henrik Sedin
The third Canucks captain in a row to hit 1000 games as a member of the Canucks (though Linden was not technically captain at the time), Henrik Sedin achieved his milestone on March 12, 2014 against the Winnipeg Jets. With this, he also became the second player to play in 1000 games with Vancouver, wrapping up his NHL career with a grand total of 1330 NHL games — all, of course, with the Canucks. The eight-year captain remains the franchise leader in games played (1330), assists (830), and points (1070).
Daniel Sedin
256 days after his brother accomplished the same feat, on November 23, 2014, Daniel Sedin played in his 1000th NHL game, making him the sixth player in franchise history to achieve this milestone. Just like Henrik, he, too, became one of only three players to skate in 1000 games with the Canucks, with his career concluding with a total of 1306 games. His 393 career goals-scored remains the franchise’s record.
Tyler Myers
The most recent Canuck to skate in their 1000th NHL game was none-other than Tyler Myers, who achieved this milestone on October 19, 2024. While Myers was recently traded to the Dallas Stars, his time in Vancouver spanned 488 games of his 17-year and counting NHL career, ranking him 31st all-time in Canucks history in games played with the team. During that stretch of time, Myers scored 26 goals and 112 assists for Vancouver.
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The Florida Panthers will wrap up a quick two-game road trip when they make a Sunday stop at The World’s Most Famous Arena.
A rough season that still has a light at the end of a tunnel is quickly wrapping up for the Cats, and that includes Sunday’s stop at Madison Square Garden when they’ll face the equally-disappointing New York Rangers.
Entering play Sunday, the Panthers and Rangers find themselves sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
New York holds the third-worst record in the NHL, tied with the Chicago Blackhawks with 67 points but holding more wins, while the Panthers have dropped to six-worst, tied in points with the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks.
This is all relevant for Florida because their 2026 first round pick at the NHL Draft is top-10 protected.
That means even though the Panthers sent that pick to Chicago in last season’s Trade Deadline deal for Seth Jones, Florida gets to keep the selection if it ends up in the top 10.
There are 10 games remaining on the Cats’ schedule, only four of which will be on home ice.
Unless Sam Bennett is ready to slot back into the lineup, Florida will likely send out the same lineup utilized Saturday on Long Island.
The only expected change is in goal, where Sergei Bobrovsky should be in net after Daniil Tarasov got the nod against the Islanders.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Sunday’s party at the Garden:
Carter Verhaeghe – Eetu Luostarinen – Matthew Tkachuk
Photo caption: Apr 14, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) moves the puck as New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) defends during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned defenseman Anton Johansson to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, bringing the young blueliner back to North America following his stint with Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League.
Johansson, 21, was selected by Detroit in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and has been steadily developing in Sweden. This past season with Leksands IF, the six-foot-four defenseman recorded five goals and 12 assists for 17 points across 42 games, showcasing flashes of his two-way potential.
The move marks Johansson’s second stint with Grand Rapids. At the end of last season, he joined the Griffins and made an immediate impact, tallying five points and a plus-one rating in 11 regular-season games. He also appeared in three playoff contests, registering one assist, though he finished with a minus-three rating.
Detroit likely views Johansson as a long-term project on the blue line. With his size and defensive instincts, he profiles as a potential depth defenseman at the NHL level. However, his development has been gradual, and the organization appears committed to giving him time to adjust to the North American game and refine his consistency.
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The Boston Bruins picked up a 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Former Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt played a role in the Bruins' victory over the Wild, as he recorded three assists in the contest.
This was just the latest strong game for Mittelstadt, as he has been red-hot for the Bruins as of late. Over his last six games, the former Sabres forward has recorded seven points and a plus-3 rating. This included him scoring a goal against the Sabres on March 25. With this, there is no question that he has been playing some solid hockey for the Bruins down the stretch.
With his ongoing hot streak, Mittelstadt now has 14 goals, 26 assists, 40 points, and a plus-12 rating in 63 games this season. Overall, the former Sabres forward has been having a solid season with the Bruins and has become a key part of their top six in the process.
Mittelstadt was selected by the Sabres with the seventh-overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 339 games over seven seasons with Buffalo, he recorded 62 goals, 124 assists, and 186 points.
At the beginning of his tenure in Philadelphia, there was word that the Flyers would be John Tortorella’s last head coaching job.
But the 67-year-old clearly still has it in him.
He was hired Sunday by the Golden Knights as the team’s new bench boss after Bruce Cassidy was fired in his fourth season leading Vegas.
Cassidy won a Stanley Cup in 2022-23, his first season with the Golden Knights. The news comes as a real surprise considering the timing and the fact that Vegas was on the verge of making the playoffs for a fourth straight season under Cassidy.
But the Golden Knights, in third place at 32-26-16, have also benefited from playing in the Pacific Division, which is by far the NHL’s weakest this season.
Tortorella was fired by the Flyers at almost exactly this time last year. He was in his third season with the club, which had nine games left. Now, Tortorella takes over a Vegas team that has eight games left and is poised for the playoffs.
The veteran head coach did impressive work in getting the Flyers to be significantly more competitive and respected as the organization embraced a rebuild. But in Year 3, things had stalled and the rebuild went into another gear.
Tortorella goes to the Golden Knights with tons of experience and looking for his first Stanley Cup title since 2004, when he won with the Lightning.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been outscored 11-2 over their last two games. Naturally, they earned two regulation losses over the stretch, which has lowered the vibes surrounding the team. It is an incredibly young group, one of the youngest in NHL history, but that isn’t an excuse for how lousy they’ve been lately.
On Sunday, the Blackhawks are going to take on the New Jersey Devils, who have had one of the most up-and-down seasons in recent NHL memory. Like most of the teams on the outside looking into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, New Jersey will have a winning season, but their playoff chances are in the tank because of a bad stretch in the middle.
Scouting New Jersey
The New Jersey Devils have been better since the end of the Olympic break. It hasn’t been perfect, and there are issues to work on in the offseason, but the Blackhawks will find themselves embarrassed if they treat this like a getaway game to end the road trip.
New Jersey's tailspin happened partially because of the injury sustained by Jack Hughes when they visited Chicago back in November. It was an off-ice injury where he cut his hand while out to dinner. He is one of the top-flight forwards in the NHL, and they proved unable to win at a high clip without him.
Meier - Hischier - Mercer
Bratt - Hughes - Brown
Dadonov - Glass - Hameenaho
Cotter - Bjugstad - Tsyplakov
Siegenthaler - Hamilton
Hughes - Kovacevic
Dillon - Nemec
Allen
Down the middle, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are one of the top duos in the entire National Hockey League. Hischier is more of a two-way centerman who emphasizes both sides of the ice, while Hughes is focused on scoring goals and setting them up.
Hughes, of course, scored the Golden Goal in overtime against Canada in Milano Cortina to win the United States their first Gold Medal in 46 years. Since then, he's been one of the hottest players in the NHL.
His younger brother Luke is one of their top puck-moving defensemen, and he will play in the middle of a solid defense in front of goaltender Jake Allen. New Jersey lost to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday with Jacob Markstrom in the net, so it will be Allen against the Blackhawks.
In addition to Hughes and Hischier up front, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier round out their "big four", which has been a dangerous group in the second half of the season. For a Blackhawks team that has given up a lot of offense in recent weeks, this will be another huge test.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks had to call up Kevin Korchinski on Sunday morning, because imaging revealed that Artyom Levshunov has a fracture in his left wrist. The belief is that he played through it for a couple of games, and now they know for sure he needs to be out. His timeline is TBD.
Jeff Blashill also confirmed, without giving too many details, and it was hard to describe the lines during the morning skate, that Anton Frondell would move to center. This gives the Blackhawks time to see him play that position now rather than next year when they may be trying to win.
Greene - Bedard - Lardis
Bertuzzi - Frondell - Nazar
Burakovsky - Donato - Mikheyev
Teravainen - Boisvert - Slaggert
Vlasic - Crevier
Kaiser - Rinzel
Korchinski - Del Mastro
Knight
These are simply projections based on moving Frondell into a center role. The top six will see some changes as a result, but the bottom six may stay the same as in the last two games. The defense pairs, with Korchinski in there, are how they skated in the morning.
Spencer Knight is going to start in goal for Chicago. Giving up five on Thursday was hardly all his fault based on the team's play in front of him, but he is looking to bounce back as well. With Jack Hughes and company playing the way they have recently, the Blackhawks need Knight to be extraordinary if they want to win.
UPDATE:
Greene-Bedard-Lardis
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Mikheyev
Donato-Nazar-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Boisvert-Slaggert
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro
Knight
The Blackhawks are keeping Frank Nazar at center with Frondell moving to center.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+ and NHL Network. The puck will drop shortly after 6:00 PM CT.
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The Chicago Blackhawks have made a roster move, as they have announced that they have recalled defenseman Kevin Korchinski from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
Korchinski has appeared in four games this season with the Blackhawks, where he has recorded one assist, three blocks, and a minus-1 rating. In 53 games this season with the IceHogs, he has posted two goals, 24 assists, and 26 points.
Korchinski landing another call-up with the Blackhawks is certainly notable, as he is one of Chicago's brightest young players. Now, the 2022 seventh-overall pick will be looking to impress after getting this latest chance on the Blackhawks' roster.
In 96 career games over three NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, Korchinski has recorded six goals, 12 assists, 18 points, and 30 penalty minutes.
OTTAWA, CANADA - MARCH 26: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his third-period goal against the Ottawa Senators with teammates Erik Karlsson #65, Egor Chinakhov #59, Bryan Rust #17 and Noel Acciari #55 on March 26, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Teams in the NHL’s Eastern Conference playoff race are starting to get into single digits for remaining games this season. The race is on for the highly competitive spot above the playoff line.
In this week’s developments the Flyers and Capitals have won enough games to hang on the periphery but are running out of time and accordingly remain longshots. Philadelphia has a better chance given they have at least a game in hand on all the other teams but they would have to win a few more and get some luck for multiple teams losing before things truly got interesting.
That leaves 10 serious teams vying for the eight playoff spots. Some teams have lost momentum, the Penguins, Islanders and Red Wings have all been spinning their wheels as far as getting results in the last 10 or 12 games. That left the door open for the first wave of hard charging teams, Columbus and Ottawa, to put themselves in the picture after tremendous post-Olympic runs for both. It’s difficult for those runs to last forever, the Blue Jackets have dropped three of their last four games and the Senators find themselves losers of their last two (0-1-1 to pick up an important point against Pittsburgh).
One team quietly doing a good job lately is Boston, 5-1-2 in their last eight games. Avoiding regulation losses is the name of the game and the Bruins have done a good job of that, and even better by pulling out wins against quality opponents (Buffalo and Minnesota have fallen recently to the B’s).
The Penguins look ahead to potentially their most important week of the season. Their fate might go down to the wire to make for even bigger games at the end of the season but a Monday/Tuesday back-to-back against NYI and Detroit is so important. Hockeystats.com’s model has Pittsburgh today at 81% likely to make the playoffs. Tomorrow’s game carries up to a 21% swing, depending on the result. The game has even bigger implications for the Islanders, who could see a 29% swing for their projection simply based on this one game. Games can be more meaningful but it’s a challenge to find one so important to both teams.
Moneypuck’s model is even more sensitive to the Pens’ cause, throwing a 27.1% swing into the mix.
The good news for the Penguins is while this game is huge with massive implications, it’s hardly a ‘must win’ game. Winning, obviously, is more helpful to the situation than a loss, but the team has more chances down the stretch. The Hockeystat’s model projects Pittsburgh to end up with 98 points at the end of the season. That becomes more difficult and less margin of error to get there with a loss tomorrow, though it’s still possible the team could win five out of their last eight games and end up in the same place.
That said, given the damage a regulation loss would due to the Isles’, it’s a game with a great opportunity to stay in front of them in the standings. And if the Pens stay ahead of NYI, then they will make the playoffs (assuming nothing zany like a 10-game Philadelphia winning streak happens, pardon the mere idea!)
The Tuesday game against the Red Wings is nearly as important, and could deal another massive blow to Detroit’s chances. The Red Wings don’t play today or tomorrow, they have a lot of time to prepare and focus on the Pens. Pittsburgh has their massive game on Monday to add a back-to-back element. For much of the year it seemed like the Pens were incredibly fortunate on catching teams on the second part of their b-2-b, the situation turns at a crucial moment.
The calendar turns to April on Wednesday, and Pittsburgh is playing meaningful games. It doesn’t get much better than that. The season is coming down to the wire and teams have worked all year to put themselves in these positions. Now is the fun part to see which are able to rise to the occasion and who will be left disappointed and wondering where things went wrong.
The red-hot Montreal Canadiens will visit the Carolina Hurricanes today. These teams met just five days ago at the Bell Centre, with Montreal emerging victorious in a convincing 5-2 win.
My Canadiens vs. Hurricanes predictions and NHL picks suggest some similar happenings in Raleigh, given Montreal's strength on the road. Expect Cole Caufield, the NHL's hottest goal scorer, to chump the Hurricanes for a second time this week.
Canadiens vs Hurricanes prediction
Canadiens vs Hurricanes best bet: Cole Caufield anytime goalscorer (+150)
No one has scored more goals than Cole Caufield in 2026.
The 45-goal man has eight goals in his last eight games and found twine against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. He has two goals and four points in three games against Carolina this season.
He has 26 goals in 32 games since the calendar flipped. Ride the hot hand as he pushes for the elusive half-century mark.
Canadiens vs Hurricanes same-game parlay
Few offseason additions have been as beneficial as Noah Dobson. The 26-year-old leads the NHL in blocked shots (176) and has hit the Over in six of the last seven games, blocking an astounding 25 shots. He has a terrific matchup to wear some rubber tonight, as the Canes average the second-most shots on goal per game.
The Habs are perhaps the hottest team in the league right now, entering tonight on a four-game heater. They've won three straight against Carolina, including two straight as underdogs.
Furthermore, they're the fourth-best team away from home in terms of points percentage (.657). Jakub Dobes will get the nod in goal, and he's been lights-out as of late.
The Canadiens have won three straight games against the Hurricanes, including back-to-back wins as underdogs. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Hurricanes.
How to watch Canadiens vs Hurricanes
Location
Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
Date
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Puck drop
5:00 p.m. ET
TV
TSN2
Canadiens vs Hurricanes latest injuries
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ZURICH (AP) — The International Ice Hockey Federation is expected to have a new president later this year after Luc Tardif announced Sunday that he is not seeking re-election.
Tardif has been in the role since succeeding longtime leader Rene Fasel in 2021. It was not immediately clear who might be in line to follow Tardif, who revealed that he is stepping down on his 73rd birthday.
His term runs until October.
“With the IIHF in a strong and stable position, I feel it is the right time to pass the puck to a younger leader,” Tardif wrote in a letter. “I am committed to ensuring a smooth and effective transition for the benefit of the global ice hockey community.”
Tardif succeeded in bringing NHL players back to the Olympics by helping reach a deal involving the league, union, IIHF and International Olympic Committee. The Canada-born French executive hinted at having a role in preparations for the 2030 Games in the south of France.
“These past five years as president have been among the most challenging, yet also the most meaningful, of my career,” Tardif said, mentioning the navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic among other factors. “I am incredibly proud to have been a guardian of our sport, our events, our organization and our values, safeguarding them during these critical and uncertain times.”
MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 24: Seth Jarvis #24 of the Carolina Hurricanes and Kaiden Guhle #21 of the Montréal Canadiens battle for position during the first period at the Bell Centre on March 24, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes are back in action this afternoon with a 5:00 PM puck drop against the Montreal Canadiens at the Lenovo Center. After taking care of the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Saturday night, the Canes will look to avoid the season sweep versus the Habs this evening.
Montreal owns the season series so far, having beaten Carolina 7-5 on New Year’s Day and 5-2 just five days ago in Montreal. In both games, the Hurricanes dominated possession and outshot the Canadiens significantly, yet somehow found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard.
Montreal comes into Raleigh riding a four-game winning streak after beating Nashville 4-1 on Saturday. With 92 points, the Habs are third in the Atlantic Division and are fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The Canadiens remain in a battle for the playoffs, but are in a good position with 10 games remaining in the regular season. The Habs are on a four-game winning streak and are 9-4-2 since the Olympic break.
Cole Caufield is leading the way for Montreal this year. He has 45 goals this season and is chasing Nathan MacKinnon’s 48 goals for the league lead. No Canadien has led the NHL in goals since Guy Lafleur in 1977-78. Caufield is lethal from the slot and has been particularly dangerous against the Hurricanes, scoring in both meetings this year.
Juraj Slafkovský and Oliver Kapanen also scored in each of the previous two meetings between these teams.
Nick Suzuki has been outstanding as the team’s first-line center with 88 points in 72 games and has points in eight of his last nine games. He ranks ninth in the league in scoring, and his 64 assists are sixth-best in the NHL.
Sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson is having a Norris-caliber season with 71 points, and 19-year-old Ivan Demidov continues to shine in his rookie campaign with 16 goals and 40 assists.
With Jacob Flower earning the win over Nashville last night, Jakub Dobes is the likely starting goaltender. He was impressive in his first appearance against Carolina, stopping 41 of 43 shots on March 24. If he gets the start today, the Canes will be facing a goaltender who has posted a .926 save percentage over his last six starts and played great against them less than a week ago.
Montreal, under head coach Martin St. Louis, is a high-event, transition-based attack that prioritizes finishing quality over shot volume. The Canadiens rank 3rd in goals per game despite sitting just 20th with an expected-goals-for share of 48.76 percent. The Habs, fueled by Caufield’s elite 20.7 percent rate and slot-heavy offensive deployment, lead in the NHL in shooting percentage. The power play is a top-five unit at 24.5 percent, quarterbacked by Hutson at the point, and Suzuki being the playmaker. Suzuki ranks third in the league with 39 power play points.
On the flip side, the Canadiens’ kill ranks 26th in the league. The last power play goal they surrendered was a Nikolaj Ehlers tally five days ago.
Saturday’s win over the Devils showed exactly what this team is capable of when things click. The Canes scored five straight goals after falling behind 1-0, with Nikolaj Ehlers lighting the lamp on the power play and Seth Jarvis notching his 30th goal of the season on a shorthanded empty-netter. Shayne Gostisbehere returned from a three-week absence with a goal and an assist, and continues to perform during an injury-laden season.
The return of Gostisbehere is huge. His 43 points in 45 games lead all Hurricanes defensemen, and having him back as the power-play quarterback should give that unit a boost. He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat against the Devils.
Ehlers continues to be red-hot in March. He is on a three-game goal streak and has 17 points in 13 games this month.
Jarvis’s empty-netter last night made him just the sixth player in franchise history with at least three consecutive 30-goal seasons.
Jordan Staal scored yesterday against the Devils, and that marker put him in sole possession of eighth on the franchise’s all-time goal-scoring list. His next goal will put him at the 20-goal mark for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
With Brandon Bussi earning the win on Saturday, expect Frederik Andersen to get the start this afternoon. Andersen has played better since the Olympic break, earning a 6-2-0 record. However, one of those blemishes was the loss in Montreal, in which he allowed three goals on just 19 shots.
Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall — Logan Stankoven — Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers — Jordan Staal — Jordan Martinook
William Carrier — Mark Jankowski — Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin — Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere — Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen
Brandon Bussi
Scratched: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nicolas Deslauriers, Mike Reilly
Injured: Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body)
The Canes are wearing their red jerseys tonight and will honor veterans, active-duty personnel, Guard members, and reservists during Military Appreciation Night.
Here’s how to check out the action:
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Location: Lenovo Center – Raleigh, NC
TV: FanDuel Sports Network with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst; Shane Willis, analyst; Hannah Yates, rinkside.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home for the second of three straight games in the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena. This game features the Boston Bruins.
Boston Bruins - 41-24-8 - 90 Points - 6-2-2 in the last 10 - Won 2 - 4th in the Atlantic
Columbus Blue Jackets - 38-24-11 - 87 Points - 6-3-1 in the last 10 - Lost 2 - 4th in the Metro
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
The Blue Jackets began a three-game homestand with a 3-2 loss to San Jose on Saturday. It snapped the club's 12-game home points streak (9-0-3), which was tied for the longest home points streak in club history (12; 9-0-3 from Feb. 11-Mar. 31, 2013). The team failed to collect points for just the second time in 18 games at Nationwide Arena in 2026 (12-2-4).
The club has earned points in 24 of its last 29 contests (20-5-4, 44 pts) to lead the league points pct. (.759) and goals against per game (2.45), and rank second in wins (tied) and points and eighth in goals-for per game (3.45) since Jan. 11.
Columbus has allowed two goals or less in eight of the last 10 games since Mar. 10 (1.90 GA/GP, 3rd in NHL).
CBJ conclude their 15th of 16 back-to-back sets (18-7-4, .690 pts pct.) today vs. Boston. The club has won five of the last six second games of a back-to-back and earned points in seven of the past eight (6-1-1; 9-4-1 overall in second games).
The Jackets lead the NHL with a franchise-record 55 goals scored by defensemen in 2025-26 (55-131-186, 73 GP).
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Adam Fantilli collected an assist vs. San Jose and has points in eight of the last 10 games (3-7-10) and 14 of the last 18 contests (8-11-19). He has set a single-season career high in assists and points (tied) with 21-33-54 in 73 contests.
Jet Greaves has earned points in 14 of his last 16 starts since Jan. 11 (12-2-2, 2.23 GAA, .915 SV% in 16 GP), while G Elvis Merzlikins has recorded points in 10 of his past 13 starts over that span (8-3-2, 2.54 GAA in 14 GP).
Boone Jenner has registered 1-3-4 in the last six games and is slated to play in his franchise-record 800th career game (209-207-416, 799 GP) today against the Bruins.
Mathieu Olivier, who leads the club in hits (207), ranks 11th-T in the NHL in goals since Jan. 28 (11-4-15 in 22 GP).
Cole Sillinger, who notched a goal yesterday, has posted 2-5-7 in the last seven contests and has set career highs in assists and points (tied) with 8-25-33 in 72 appearances in 2025-26.
Zach Werenski has notched 21-56-77 and 25 multi-point efforts in 66 games in 2025-26 to lead NHL blueliners in points-per-game (1.17), multi-point efforts and shots on goal (229) and sit second in points and third in goals.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 19.9% - 18th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 77.9% - 24th in the NHL
Goals For - 228 - 15th in the NHL
Goals Against - 221 - 16th in the NHL
BruinsStats
Power Play - 23.3% - 9th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 76.7% - 27th in the NHL
Goals For - 243 - 9th in the NHL
Goals Against - 224 - 22nd in the NHL
Series History vs. TheBruins
Columbus is 17-18-10 all-time, and 10-8-5 at home vs. Boston.
CBJ have earned points in eight of the last 11 games against Boston at Nationwide Arena since Dec. 27, 2016 (6-3-2).
The home team has won three-straight games and earned points in 19 of the last 23 meetings dating back to Nov. 10, 2016 (15-4-4).
The winning team has scored four goals or more in five consecutive meetings overall and eight times in the last 10 matchups, as well as each of the past four at Nationwide Arena.
The winning team has won by multiple goals in seven-straight contests in the series and nine of the past 10 meetings, along with by three-plus in each of the past four at Columbus.
The Blue Jackets are 17-of-81 on the power play (21.0 pct.), and 58-of-68 on the penalty kill (85.3 pct.) against the Bruins in 23 all-time meetings at Nationwide Arena.
Who To Watch For The Bruins
David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 63 assists and 92 points.
Morgan Geekie leads Boston with 34 goals.
Joonas Korpisalo is 12-9-4 with a SV% of .891.
CBJ Player Notes vsBruins
Boone Jenner 13 points in 24 career games against Boston.
Zach Werenski has 15 points against the Bruins.
Mason Marchment has 7 points in 9 games vs. Boston.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 35 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.
Damon Severson - Missed 1 Game - Upper Body - Week-to-week
Dmitri Voronkov - Upper Body - Left game early against San Jose
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 182
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 14: Frank Nazar #91 of the Chicago Blackhawks takes a faceoff against Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils in the second period of the game at the Prudential Center on December 14, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (37-33-2) at the Chicago Blackhawks (27-33-13)
The Time: 7:00 PM EDT
The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN, NHLN; Radio — Devils Hockey Network
Effectively Eliminated
The New Jersey Devils were keeping their playoff hopes at least somewhat alive over the past couple weeks, winning most of their games. However, key losses to the Washington Capitals and last night’s collapse to the Carolina Hurricanes all but eliminated them from playoff contention. It is not quite a mathematical truth yet, as only the New York Rangers have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but it is too much of a hill to climb at this point. The most points the Devils can now finish with is 96 if they won each of their final 10 games, and there are currently four teams, spanning from seventh place (Penguins) to 10th place (Senators) with 86 to 88 points at this current moment. All of those teams can still hit 100 points, and only two of them will make the playoffs. Even the 11th and 12th place Flyers and Capitals can still reach the playoffs if three of those teams have a terrible end to the season. But the New Jersey Devils? They made their bed and now will have to lie in it.
I will have more to say in a future post-mortem article on this season, but it got me thinking last night: never let anyone tell you that a loss in November or December won’t make or break the season. And while this is a pervasive attitude among fans, that games late matter more than games early in the season (they don’t), it’s also terrible to see similar attitudes among players. And frankly, I think there were too many players on the Devils who were too comfortable with giving up a loss in the first half of the season with the mind that it doesn’t determine the whole season. Losing a game is fine, but losing efforts are not, and I think we all know that too many players gave losing efforts throughout the season until about a month ago.
The Blackhawks Are Worse…Much Worse
The Devils are not a bad team, though. The Blackhawks are a bad team. They are very likely to win the first overall pick for Gavin McKenna this summer. And if you are watching the standings for that, you might actually want the Devils to win tonight, hurting their own draft position. They are tied with the New York Rangers at 67 points through 73 games for the second-worst point totals in the league, ahead of only the truly rotten Vancouver Canucks. But what makes the Rangers more respectable than the Blackhawks is that the Rangers play in the Eastern Conference. In case you have not noticed by now, the league parity appears very well and good. But the conference parity has been flushed down the toilet and is now clogging the sewers under league headquarters. I might expect a team with 67 points in the West to have more like 55 points in the East. In total, there are 11 teams in the East with true winning records (i.e. not “NHL .500”) and 11 teams that have a winning record in regulation. In the West, the Edmonton Oilers just won their 28th game in regulation to become the fourth team to at least be breakeven in the first 60 minutes, with only three teams (Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota) having a winning record in regulation.
I will have more to say about conference parity in a future article, but it is important to note that the Blackhawks are a terrible team in one of the worst conferences I can ever remember staining an NHL season.
The Blackhawks have two scorers with more than 40 points in Tyler Bertuzzi (53 in 70) and Connor Bedard (67 in 60). If those two do not score, the Blackhawks are all but certain to lose their games. They lost 6-1 to the Rangers two nights ago and 5-1 to the Flyers in their matchup the night before. They have the 30th-ranked offense in all situations (2.51 goals per 60) and the 25th-ranked all situations defense (3.16 goals against per 60).
That’s actually an overperformance of their expected numbers.
Their 2.58 expected goals for per 60 ranks 32nd in the league: dead last. Their 3.46 expected goals against per 60 ranks 27th in the league. Reducing the situations to five-on-five only makes things worse, with their total offense improving to 26th in the league while their defense slips to 28th in the league, with their expected rates sitting still at 32nd for offense (2.22 xGF/60) and their expected five-on-five defense sitting dead-last at 32nd with a flat 3.0 expected five-on-five goals against per 60. The Devils, by comparison, are sitting at 2.58 xGF and 2.65 xGA per 60 at five-on-five. It’s a true chasm between a Devils team we are frustrated with and a truly bad team.
But this is the NHL, and truly bad teams are still full of (mostly) NHL players. If the Devils are wallowing too much from yesterday evening, the Blackhawks can catch them sleeping and take a victory, giving the Rangers second-position for the Draft Lottery. This is especially true since the solid young goaltender Spencer Knight will be in net for Chicago, with his .908 save percentage and three shutouts in 48 games this season. That trade, getting Knight with a first-round pick in exchange for Seth Jones, was really great work by Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson. Now that these games really don’t matter to the Devils’ playoff hopes, it might be fun to see how a young, talented goaltender performs in net.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of tonight’s game? How do you think the Devils will respond to their collapse in Carolina last night? What do you think of the Chicago Blackhawks? Can the Devils learn anything from a team that is truly in the basement? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
ST. LOUIS — The Toronto Maple Leafs have had their upcoming game against the Anaheim Ducks marked on their calendar ever since the two teams first met this season on March 12. That’s when Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas extended his knee into Auston Matthews, ending the Maple Leafs’ captain's season with a dangerous knee-on-knee hit.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Gudas wants to play against the Maple Leafs on Monday no matter what, but the final decision may not come down to him if the club’s medical staff doesn’t clear him. Gudas understands the scrutiny that comes with avoiding a game where he is sure to be a target of retribution by many Maple Leafs for the hit on Matthews.
The Leafs were criticized for their lack of immediate response to the hit at the time.
Headlines: Gudas/Toronto; McMann; Canada to finalize Worlds management team, then go over roster, which could include Gavin McKenna; possibility things will move fast between Porter Martone and Flyers; optimism between Flames and Jonathan Castagna.https://t.co/qNjGbrPRt6
With eight games to go, it’s evident that the Leafs look like a team that is just going through the motions, waiting for this season to be over. Any juice going into a game, like retribution against the Ducks, will at least help in making these games interesting for the Maple Leafs. Even if Gudas doesn’t play, there will probably be many fights in the game.
“You can't go out and do stupid things—suspensions and things like that," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube warned. "That's not what it's all about. But we definitely have to go out and play a physical, hard game against that team".
