The Colorado Avalanche have already locked up the top seed in the Western Conference, leaving just one box left to check before the postseason begins: securing the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage all the way through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They’re within striking distance, too. Just two more points over their final five games would seal it, and their first opportunity comes Thursday night against the Calgary Flames on home ice.

Colorado (51-16-10, 112 points) punched its ticket to the top of the conference with a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. It’s been a long time coming—the Avalanche have held the NHL’s best record since Dec. 1—and the only team still within reach is the Carolina Hurricanes, who sit six points back with four games remaining. Colorado also holds the edge in the season series, going 1-0-1.

“We set our goals at the start of the year, and we wanted to be on top,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said after the win in St. Louis. “That's a big step. We know it doesn't mean anything come playoff time, other than we get an extra game at home every series.”

Injury Concerns Surface Despite Win

As dominant as Tuesday’s win looked on paper, it didn’t come without a cost. Nazem Kadri exited after blocking a shot late in the second period, suffering a finger injury that will sideline him for an undisclosed period. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Wednesday on Altitude Radio that Kadri will miss time, though no timeline has been set.

Kadri, who was dealt from Calgary to Colorado on March 6, still leads the Flames in scoring with 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists). Since joining the Avalanche, he’s chipped in nine points (four goals, five assists) over 16 games.

Colorado has also been without star defenseman Cale Makar, who has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since March 30—ironically suffered against Calgary. The good news: he’s expected to return before the regular season wraps up.

Kadri is no stranger to playing through adversity. During the 2022 Stanley Cup run, he underwent thumb surgery in the second round but still managed to return for the final three games of the Final.

On the other side, Calgary (32-36-9, 73 points) is playing out the string after being officially eliminated from playoff contention following a win by the Nashville Predators on Monday. Still, the Flames didn’t roll over in Dallas on Tuesday, pushing the Dallas Stars to the brink before falling 4-3 in overtime.

Calgary had built a 3-1 lead early in the third period before the Stars stormed back to steal the extra point.

“I liked our game,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “There was a lot of our game where I thought we played hard. We did a good job away from the pucks, thought we had some lengthy shifts in the offensive zone. ... At the end of the night, again, you're taking penalties against a very good power play. That's tough.”

The Flames also took an injury hit of their own, as defenseman Kevin Bahl logged just two shifts before leaving with a lower-body issue. No update was provided postgame.

Thursday’s matchup marks the second meeting in a condensed stretch, with the two teams set to face off three times in just nine games. After not seeing each other at all earlier this season, they’ll wrap up the series Tuesday in Calgary.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Zucker scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 17 saves, and the Buffalo Sabres rallied to beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Zucker slid his 24th goal past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin at 7:14 after teammate Alex Tuch had tied the contest with his 31st at 5:50 of the third.

Zach Benson scored twice and Ryan McLeod added a goal for the Sabres, who will participate in the postseason for the first time since 2010-11.

The Sabres won their 48th game in a dramatic turnaround from last year when they had 79 points and missed the playoffs for a 14th straight season. Buffalo is 22-6-3 in its last 31 games, including a league-best 16 wins and 34 points since the Olympic break.

Alexis Lafreniere scored twice and Adam Fox also scored for the Rangers in their home finale. Shesterkin had 22 saves.

CAPITALS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 0

TORONTO (AP) — Logan Thompson made 21 saves to register his third shutout of the season as Washington breathed life into their fading playoff hopes with a victory over the Toronto.

Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary, with a goal and an assist each, Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson scored for Washington, which sits three points back of the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot with three games left on the schedule.

Anthony Stolarz suffered a lower-body injury early in the first period after stopping the second of two shots he faced for Toronto.

Joseph Woll finished with 14 saves in just over 57 minutes of work for the Maple Leafs, who are set to miss the postseason for the first time since 2016.

OILERS 5, SHARKS 2

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Connor McDavid scored his 15th career hat trick and finished with five points Wednesday night, leading Edmonton to a victory over San Jose that moved them into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.

McDavid controlled the game almost from the start, scoring on a power play in the first period and then twice in the second to make it 5-2. He also assisted on power-play goals by Vasily Podkolzin and Jack Roslovic to extend his NHL-leading point total to 133. The star center needs three goals in the final three games for his second career 50-goal season.

Connor Ingram made eight saves on 10 shots in two periods for Edmonton. Tristan Jarry stopped all four shots he faced in the third.

The win gave the Oilers 90 points, two more than Vegas in the division race. The Golden Knights have one game in hand.

Macklin Celebrini scored his 42nd goal for San Jose to give him 108 points this season, the third-most for a teenager behind Wayne Gretzky’s 137 and Sidney Crosby’s 120.

TORONTO (AP) — Logan Thompson made 21 saves to register his third shutout of the season as the Washington Capitals breathed life into their fading playoff hopes with a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary, with a goal and an assist each, Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson scored for Washington, which sits three points back of the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot with three games left on the schedule.

Anthony Stolarz suffered a lower-body injury early in the first period after stopping the second of two shots he faced for Toronto.

Joseph Woll finished with 14 saves in just over 57 minutes of work for the Maple Leafs, who are set to miss the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Alex Ovechkin — Washington’s leader with 31 goals and 61 points — announced Wednesday he won’t make a decision on his playing future until after the season.

The 40-year-old broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal mark of 894 last April and has found the back of the net at least 30 times in 20 of his 21 NHL campaigns.

Ovechkin has 45 goals and 35 assists for 80 points across 64 regular-season games against Toronto.

Capitals forward Ilya Protas made his NHL debut on a line with older brother Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. The bruising trio — Wilson is the smallest at 6-foot-4, while the siblings each stand 6-foot-6— tips the scales at a combined 700 pounds.

Up next

Capitals: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Maple Leafs: Visit the New York Islanders on Thursday.

___

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

All Times EDT

Thursday, April 9

MLB

Cincinnati at Miami, 12:10 p.m.

Athletics at N.Y. Yankees, 1:35 p.m.

Detroit at Minnesota, 1:40 p.m.

Arizona at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 7:40 p.m.

Colorado at San Diego, 9:40 p.m.

NBA

Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m.

Miami at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Boston at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Indiana at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Houston, 8 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Golden State, 10 p.m.

NHL

Toronto at N.Y. Islanders, 6:45 p.m.

Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Florida at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m.

Winnipeg at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Carolina at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Calgary at Colorado, 9 p.m.

Minnesota at Dallas, 9 p.m.

Nashville at Utah, 9 p.m.

San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

Vegas at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

_____

The Rangers successfully limited their opponent’s offense, fostered chemistry and closed out games during this lengthy homestand that concluded Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

When push came to shove against a hungry Buffalo team, however, the Blueshirts reverted to their old ways on home ice.

They didn’t just allow three unanswered goals — including an empty-netter — in the third period to fall 5-3 to the playoff-bound Sabres.

The Rangers were held without a single shot on goal for over 18 of the final 20 minutes.

“I don’t know if we sat back a little too much with the lead, but we had a couple good shifts to start the period, didn’t get anything on net, and they kind of controlled the play there through the middle part,” captain J.T. Miller said. “And then we pushed again at the end. That’s obviously not good enough. I look at it as a bigger sample size over the last little while. We’ve played a lot of good hockey and we know we want to end the season strong. So we’re excited to get back on the road, spent a lot of time at home. I have a lot of faith we’re going to end the season in a good way and feel good.”

Finishing their season at the Garden with a 14-20-7 record, the Rangers capped an otherwise tumultuous campaign on home ice with an encouraging 5-2 stretch.

Scoring goals was no longer the bane of their existence. Stacking wins lightened a beat-up locker room.

It’s breathed a competitive life back into the Rangers that hasn’t been there since the 2024 playoffs.

Alexis Lafrenière scored his first of two goals by redirecting an Adam Fox shot from the point, notching his 23rd goal of the season and his career-high 13th point on the power play.

With 39 seconds left in the first period, the goal cut the Sabres’ lead in half, 2-1, going into the first intermission.

The net-front role has been a revelation for Lafrenière, whose 22 points since March 1 rank third on the Rangers. 

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

Sniping one past Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen early in the second period, Lafrenière tied the game 2-2 for the Rangers as part of his third multi-goal game of the 2025-26 season.

The home team then earned its first lead of the night off its second power-play goal.

Fox cashed in from the slot and pulled within one of his career-high six power-play goals, which begs the question of what the 28-year-old could have accomplished if he hadn’t missed 27 total games due to injuries.

The goal extended Fox’s point streak to eight games, over which he has collected four goals and 11 assists.

“Obviously it was a struggle for us to win games early on,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “You look at the first 20 games of the season, there were a lot of games that we felt pretty good about our overall game from a process standpoint, and we struggled to score goals for whatever reason, in particular at home. … Our guys care deeply about playing in front of the home crowd and the people that support us. We have a sincere appreciation for that. And so sometimes that becomes a challenge in and of itself, because you’re trying so hard to try to win at home, sometimes it gets in the way of your instincts …

“I feel this second half, it started to go in the net for us. Most recently, we’re scoring a fair amount of goals. It’s not like we changed our game plan. We’ve got back to a pretty consistent team game.”

Matthew Robertson was named as the Rangers nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is given to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.”

The nomination is decided by members of the Rangers chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The winner is selected by a poll of the PHWA as a whole.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Zucker scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 17 saves, and the Buffalo Sabres rallied to beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Zucker slid his 24th goal past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin at 7:14 after teammate Alex Tuch had tied the contest with his 31st at 5:50 of the third.

Zach Benson scored twice and Ryan McLeod added a goal for the Sabres, who will participate in the postseason for the first time since 2010-11.

The Sabres won their 48th game in a dramatic turnaround from last year, when they had 79 points and missed the playoffs for a 14th straight season. Buffalo is 22-6-3 in its last 31 games, including a league-best 16 wins and 34 points since the Olympic break.

Alexis Lafreniere scored twice and Adam Fox also scored for the Rangers in their home finale. Shesterkin had 22 saves.

New York finished with five wins in a seven-game homestand but just 14 wins in 41 home games overall.

McLeod opened the scoring at 4:40 of the first. Benson then beat Shesterkin at 8:58.

Lafreniere answered on the power play at 19:21, then scored his second of the night and 24th this season at 2:57 of the middle period.

Fox put the Rangers ahead at 14:44 of the second before the Sabres rallied.

Benson completed the scoring with his 12th goal into an empty net at 18:44.

The Rangers will miss the playoffs for a second straight season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24 when they had 114 points and 55 wins, including 30 at home.

Buffalo, under Lindy Ruff who also coached the team when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, has 104 points — two more than Tampa Bay and Montreal in the Atlantic Division.

Up Next

Rangers: Visiting Dallas Stars on Saturday to start season-ending three-game trip.

Sabres: Hosting Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

During this past off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to a two-year, $2 million contract. This was after the left-shot defenseman had one goal, seven points, and a minus-10 rating in 55 games with the Boston Bruins during the 2024-25 season.

When the Penguins signed Wotherspoon, the expectation was that he would be a depth defenseman for them. Instead, the 6-foot-1 blueliner has been having a breakout year with the Penguins and has emerged as one of their most important defenseman in the process. 

Wotherspoon has been excellent for the Penguins this season, and the truth is in his stats. In 78 games this season with Pittsburgh, he has set new career highs with three goals, 26 assists, 29 points, and 160 blocks. With numbers like these, he has been a major pickup for the Penguins. 

Due to how well he has played, Wotherspoon has found a home on the Penguins' top pairing with Erik Karlsson this season. He has also become a key part of their penalty kill. 

With all of this, there is no question that Wotherspoon has turned out to be quite the gem for the Penguins and has been a notable reason for their major turnaround this season. 

The Senators made an interesting move on Wednesday morning, sending defenseman Carter Yakemchuk down to the minors.

Yakemchuk, Ottawa’s seventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, was up with the big club for four games before suffering an apparent concussion last Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. In his NHL debut on March 24, Yakemchuk made an immediate impression, recording a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The call-up was never really part of the original plan for this season. It was born out of necessity, if not emergency, with Ottawa’s blue line decimated by injuries.

Now, with Jake Sanderson back and Dennis Gilbert nearing a return, the Senators needed to create roster space. Yakemchuk becomes the odd man out.

It’s certainly a defensible decision. The last thing Ottawa wants is for its top prospect to be dropped right into the middle of a ferocious playoff race where every mistake is magnified ten times over.

But he is a seventh overall pick who's now in his second season since being drafted. It would be one thing if he were losing his spot to established NHL players. But the Sens are content to roll with Cam Crotty and Lassi Thomson, who have 31 career NHL games between them. Those players don't have Yakemchuk's skill, but they do play it safe, which is all Travis Green wants out of his 5-6-7 guys right now.

Now cleared after his concussion, Yakemchuk can be assigned to Belleville, where he’ll help the B-Sens close out their final five games of the season. Belleville sits eight points out of a playoff spot with five to play, so this will be more about development than helping in a late push.

His time is coming. It's just not now.

Thomas on Track: Chabot’s Return Gaining Steam

Meanwhile, Thomas Chabot took another step toward returning to the lineup.

The injured left-shot defenceman surprised many by skating Tuesday for the first time since suffering a forearm injury just over two weeks ago. He wore a non-contact jersey at that session, but on Wednesday morning, he was in a regular white jersey during an optional skate.

If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have guessed he was coming off an injury. Chabot was moving well, handling the puck cleanly, making crisp passes, and even getting involved in some net-front battle work.

The next key step will be Thursday’s game-day skate ahead of Ottawa’s matchup with Florida. If he’s a full participant there, his return could be right around the corner.

Belleville Signs Wheat Kings Star

Down in Belleville, the B-Sens have signed forward Luke Mistelbacher to an amateur tryout for the remainder of the AHL season.

The 20-year-old put up a team-leading 88 points this season with the Brandon Wheat Kings and added four points in four playoff games. Prior to that, he spent three seasons with the Swift Current Broncos, where he totalled 205 points in 257 games.

With Belleville’s playoff hopes all but gone, it's a chance to give a fine junior player a quick audition at the pro level and see what they might have.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

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

Ullmark Describes Masterton Trophy Nomination As Bittersweet
Sens Explode For Five Third-Period Goals In 6-2 Win Over Tampa Bay
'A Superstar Moment:' The Senators Goal Everyone Is Talking About
Sens Sign Two Of Their Drafted NCAA Prospect
20 Goals: Former Senator Now Exceeding All Expectations

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoff race is tightening up as postseason play begins April 18.

With the regular season at its end come April 16, some teams on the outskirts of the playoffs are already prepping for their offseason while others are still fighting for their Stanley Cup hopes.

In the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are chasing a wild card spot, hoping to overtake the Nashville Predators, who sit in the second and final wild card spot.

It will come down to the final regular-season games.

Through 77 games, the Kings are 32-26-19 (83 points). The Sharks are right under them; through 76 games, they have a 37-32-7 record (81 points).

San Jose has a Wednesday night game against the Edmonton Oilers. That's important for many reasons.

After an unexpected coaching change, a week of high-intensity practices and an unwelcome result elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night, the Islanders are ready to return to the ice — and fight for their postseason lives.

The Isles — following a 6-2 Senators thrashing over the Lightning — are three points off the second and final wild-card spot entering Thursday’s pivotal clash against the Maple Leafs.

And one of the team’s longest-tenured players knows exactly what’s required in that matchup against Toronto — the Isles’ first game since they lost to the Hurricanes on Saturday.

“It’s got to be all energy ahead,” defenseman Ryan Pulock told The Post. “I think as much as you make changes, it’s still just a game. And we need to bring that energy. We’re at home, there’s no excuses there. You need every guy on board, finding a little extra.”

On the third day of what new head coach Pete DeBoer has dubbed his “late-season training camp” — following his hiring over the weekend with just four regular-season games remaining — there was an urgency during the session at Northwell Health Ice Center.

Ilya Sorokin shone with some impressive glove work in net, DeBoer continued to feed his players instructions from a whiteboard and the coach was once again pleased with the buy-in from his new group.

“I feel like they’re optimistic,” DeBoer said of his players. “I feel a real good energy out there. The feedback’s been good, the conversations have been good. I think we all know the situation we’re in, but the mindset of the group is really good.

“I think they’re sick of my late-season training camp. I think they’re done with it. And I’ll be honest, I’ve never run a training camp in April. So I think we’re all ready to play some games.”

It was only Sunday that players were met with the news of Patrick Roy’s surprise firing.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

But with their playoff predicament — Hockey Reference gives the Isles just a 22.1 percent chance of making the postseason after a poor 3-7 stretch — there was little time for them to brood.

“When you first find out, there is some sadness,” Pulock said. “I think you build relationships with people, and you work together for a while, and when you hear that, it sucks for a minute.

“And then you can sit on it for a minute, and you get ready, you look forward, and you get excited about what’s ahead.”

Roy’s successor has also been heartened by the response he’s seen from his new players.

“I think anytime a coach loses his job, if you’ve got good character like we have in that room, they feel bad about it,” DeBoer said. “And I think they’re looking to respond in the right way and handle this the right way.”

The Islanders may have to sweep their upcoming slate against the Leafs, Senators, Canadiens and Hurricanes — and get help elsewhere, too — to sneak into the postseason.

But following a late-season slump and this week’s rare mini-break, the first order of business is clear: Beat Toronto.

“It’s a little sprint here, where we know our backs [are] against the wall,” Pulock said, “and it’s [an] exciting time to just try to win one hockey game.”

TORONTO (AP) — Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz left Wednesday’s loss to the Washington Capitals early in the first period with a lower-body injury.

The Toronto starter was hurt after stretching out his left leg to get a pad on Cole Hutson’s shot from distance.

Stolarz immediately collapsed to the ice and pulled off his mask before one of the referees blew the play dead.

The 32-year-old was attended to by a trainer and had to be helped off the ice by teammates before heading down the tunnel to the locker room.

Coach Craig Berube announced after the 4-0 loss that Artur Akhtyamov will be recalled from the American Hockey League and make his first NHL appearance Thursday when the Maple Leafs visit the New York Islanders.

“I’ve really liked him right from camp,” Berube said of the 24-year-old Russian selected 106th overall at the 2020 NHL draft. “Great personality. He’s played well down there. He’s a competitor and he’s really got fast reflexes."

The Maple Leafs also lost forward Dakota Joshua (upper body) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (lower body) to injuries later in the game against Washington.

Berube said Luke Haymes and William Villeneuve will join Akhtyamov as AHL call-ups. Haymes is also slated to make his NHL debut Thursday for the Maple Leafs, who are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

___

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

In a lacklustre game against the Vegas Golden Knights that saw the Vancouver Canucks put up only 11 shots on goal, only one line was able to find the back of the net: that of Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger, and Linus Karlsson. 

The trio has presented themselves well in the past few games, having found some offensive chemistry a little while after first being put together on March 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes. They were broken apart for a short period of time at the end of March but were reunited in Vancouver’s 8–6 rout of the Colorado Avalanche on April 1. It was a speedy dash by Sasson and Blueger that helped the Canucks break the ice during this game. Sasson’s Tuesday night goal reflected the same kind of speed and hard forecheck that this line has produced since then. 

But what has made this group so noticeable as of late? 

“They work together. They play the system, they forecheck as one. Really disciplined, and they’re able to generate a lot of more offensive zone time, and they play in heavy structure. They work well together. They’re a very predictable and dependable line,” Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote said of the Sasson – Blueger – Karlsson line after the team’s 2–1 loss to Vegas on Tuesday. 

Sasson’s goal on Tuesday night marked the sixth Canucks goal scored with this line factoring into the play, with five of these goals being scored directly from members of the line themselves. Four of these goals were produced with this trio breaking into the O-zone. 

According to Sasson, this has been a point of practice for this group. 

“We work on 3-on-2 rushes daily, so I know exactly how Teddy likes to move it and when,” he said, speaking on his goal after Tuesday’s loss to Vegas. 

There’s a reason why the recipe has been able to produce as of late, according to the players involved. For Blueger, that comes from his wingers’ abilities to forecheck hard and put some pressure on the opposition.   

“I’ve enjoyed playing with them a lot. They work extremely hard, they compete, they battle, so they’re easy to play with. I’ve enjoyed it a lot. They want to do well. They want to succeed. It’s honestly super enjoyable to play with guys like that, and we’re on the same page, as far as what we need to do to be successful, and they’re easy to talk to. Communication is good, so we’re learning from each other.” 

“He’s solid. He’s so good defensively, he plays a simple game. That’s what I like — where the puck goes and you can read after that, and [he’s] a great leader. I really enjoy playing with him. He’s a great guy, and I just love to play with him for sure,” Karlsson added of having Blueger as a centre.  

Pair two no-quit wingers with a defensively responsible centre in Blueger, and just like that, you’ve got a line that has earned not only their coach’s trust, but also the highest minutes as a line on their team. While Tuesday against Vegas was technically a ‘down’ night for them, Sasson, Blueger, and Karlsson still played 8:28 minutes together. This was the first time since their reunion on April 1 that the trio did not lead Vancouver in 5-on-5 minutes played by a line, as they held the team leads in their games against the Utah Mammoth (9:37), Minnesota Wild (10:51), and Avalanche (11:01).    

With this trio, like Foote says, you know what you’re going to get. Hard workers, solid defence, and energetic forechecking. The recent push in offence doesn’t hurt, either. 

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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What we learned as Sharks' playoff hopes take hit with costly loss to Oilers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN JOSE – Time is running out for the Sharks to make a big run to end their long Stanley Cup playoff drought following their 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday at SAP Center.

It was a costly defeat for the Sharks, as they entered the night with a shot at narrowing the gap between themselves and the Nashville Predators, who currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

With five games to go, there is no more margin for error. San Jose has 81 points, two behind the Los Angeles Kings and three behind the Predators.

The Sharks basically need to run the table against the likes of the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville, Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets. Three of those five – the Ducks, Blackhawks and Jets – are all games that San Jose should be favored in.

It won’t matter much who they play unless the Sharks clean up some of the ugliness from Wednesday, like penalties, missed opportunities and an inability to get much going offensively – San Jose attempted only 14 shots compared to 26 for Edmonton.

Unlike their spirited win over the Blackhawks on Monday, the Sharks were overwhelmed and outplayed at nearly every corner.

Celebrini gave the Sharks an early lead with his power-play goal at 4:05 into the first period.

The Oilers returned the favor two minutes later when Connor McDavid’s power-play goal – earning him his NHL-leading 129^th point – tied the game at 1-1.

After Edmonton got goals from Jack Roslovic and Vasily Podkolzin to take a 3-1 advantage, Kiefer Sherwood’s tip-in goal cut the lead in half.

McDavid, a seven-time NHL All-Star, put the icing on the cake for Edmonton with his third goal of the night that put the Oilers in front 5-2.

Here are the takeaways from Wednesday’s loss:

Rough One For Nedeljkovic

Alex Nedeljkovic had been playing fairly steady defense over the past week before the Oilers got to the Sharks goalie for a pair of power-play goals in the first period.

There wasn’t much Ned could do about McDavid’s wrist shot that got the Oilers their first goal. He has been doing that to the rest of the NHL all season.

Edmonton’s second goal, though, was a heartbreaker. Edmonton forward Podkolzin got between two defenders in front of the crease, then poked the puck between Nedeljkovic’s legs for the score.

McDavid had a similar goal in the second period that got between Nedeljkovic’s legs and into the net.

Their Own Worst Enemy

The Sharks faced a stiff challenge as it was, but San Jose made the task much more difficult due to the rash of penalties it racked up.

Edmonton took full advantage of it all, scoring its first three goals on power plays.

Even when they didn’t score, the Oilers – playing on consecutive nights – kept pushing the pace and pressure in the man-advantage situations. The Sharks’ defense just couldn’t keep up.

It’s Good To Be The Mack

The Sharks have had some great and memorable players in their history. When it’s all said and done, Celebrini might end up at the top of that illustrious list.

Still just 19 years old, Celebrini got SAP Center rocking early with his team-leading 42^nd goal of the 2025-26 NHL season that capped a solid surge by the Sharks.

San Jose was in Edmonton’s zone for several moments and took a few shots before Celebrini found an opening from the left circle and scored.

Within a few seconds of Celebrini’s goal, the crowd broke into MVP chants. It’s not the first time this season that the teenager has heard chorus from the home crowd. It won’t be the last, either.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

The Pittsburgh Penguins held their final practice before Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils.

This will be the first chance for the Penguins to clinch their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which are set to begin on Apr. 18. Any type of win gets the Penguins in the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season. 

All healthy players were present and accounted for at practice, including Anthony Mantha and Stuart Skinner. Mantha missed Tuesday's optional practice due to illness. Skinner looked good during Wednesday's session after a puck hit near his eye during Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers. The injury forced him to miss Sunday's second half of the back-to-back against Florida. 

Sergei Murashov was also present at practice after he was officially recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday. He got some work, but Skinner and Arturs Silovs took most of the reps during drills. 

Head coach Dan Muse told reporters after practice that all three goaltenders will travel to Newark for Thursday's game. 

Here's what the full lines looked like:

Forwards

Chinakhov-Crosby-Rust

Novak-Rakell-Malkin

Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau

Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari

Defensive pairs

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Girard-Letang

Shea-Clifton

Ryan Shea, who has enjoyed a career season this year, knows that the Penguins have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday and is super fired up about it. 

"I think we've had jump in every game since the East playoffs standings have been so tight. You have to have jump at this time of year," Shea said after practice. "You're fighting to get into probably the best playoffs in all of sports, and obviously, I haven't been in the playoffs yet, but just watching growing up as a little kid, and then now you're here, you're so close that I think it's just everyone's giving it their all."

"The motivation is at an all-time high, but also the confidence is at a high. We're not playing with, I guess you can call it, stupid motivation. We're playing with confidence, and we're playing in our structure. I think everything will take care of itself. Obviously, we know that another two points will clinch it, and we're going into a building that's tough to play in. They (the Devils) obviously have high-end skill, but if we play like we've been playing, then I think our work ethic will overcome their skill."

Avery Hayes, who's been up and down between the Penguins and WBS for the last couple of months, is also excited about the opportunity. 

"Yeah, it's amazing," Hayes said. "That's the goal, right? You want to play playoff hockey, every team, you gotta get there just to get into the dance, and you never know what's going to happen. To be that close and kinda taste it, it's a great feeling."

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The Penguins will face a Devils team that was eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday night following their 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. It came one day after the Devils parted ways with general manager Tom Fitzgerald. 

Even though the Devils aren't playing for anything on Thursday, this is still a team that can hurt the Penguins. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt have been fantastic as of late and can impact the game each time they're on the ice. The Penguins have also really struggled in Newark over the years. 

A win and a regulation loss by the Flyers on Thursday would also clinch home ice for the Penguins in the first round. They'd have second place in the Metropolitan Division all locked up.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

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