Category: Ice Hockey

Flyers rip Jets, have chance to end playoff drought with massive home games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers will come home with an opportunity to snap their five-year playoff drought.

They steamrolled the Jets, 7-1, Saturday night at Canada Life Centre.

Sean Couturier had a two-goal effort, while Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Travis Sanheim, Noah Cates and Nick Seeler also found the back of the net.

The club’s fourth line of Couturier, Garnet Hathaway and Luke Glendening was highly effective.

The Flyers (41-27-12), in a loud way, rebounded from their sloppy 6-3 loss Thursday night to the Red Wings.

Rick Tocchet’s club has lost consecutive games just once since Feb. 26. The Flyers have gone 16-6-1 over that span and have allowed just 2.39 goals per game.

With two games to go (both at home), the Flyers have a chance to nail down their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season (more on the race below).

The Flyers have won in their last four trips to Canada Life Centre while outscoring Winnipeg an astounding 14-2.

They split their two-game regular-season series with the Jets (35-32-12). Back in mid-October, they lost to Winnipeg, 5-2, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

• Ever since they took over a playoff spot last Sunday, the Flyers have stayed in the driver’s seat.

They hold the final playoff spot (third place) in the Metropolitan Division.

The Blue Jackets beat the Canadiens, 5-2, so the Flyers remained two points ahead of Columbus. The Flyers are three points up on both the Capitals and Islanders. They gained ground on New York, which was blanked by the Senators, 3-0. Washington kept pace by beating a stripped-down Penguins team, 6-3.

And get ready for some more scoreboard watching Sunday. The Blue Jackets, Capitals and Islanders are all in action.

If Columbus wins, the Flyers will have the tiebreaker for now because they’ll have played one fewer game. The Flyers, though, don’t want to finish even with any of the three teams chasing them because they’ll fall short in the tiebreaker of regulation wins.

• Dan Vladar put his previous start firmly in the past by denying 27 of 28 shots against the Jets.

He was pulled Thursday night in the second period after giving up four goals on eight shots. The Flyers didn’t help him much with penalties and allowing a shorthanded breakaway.

On Saturday night, Vladar looked so much more like himself and the Flyers played a cleaner game. The 28-year-old added to his career high in victories with No. 28. His career high coming into the season was 14.

Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Hart Trophy winner as the league’s MVP, surrendered five goals on 20 shots.

The Flyers stunned the Winnipeg netminder with three goals in the first period. It was a 5-1 game at second intermission after Cates scored a shorthanded goal late in the middle stanza.

Eric Comrie took over for Hellebuyck at the start of the third period and made one save on three shots.

• The Flyers really took advantage of a weaker Western Conference this season.

They went 21-7-4 against teams in the West. But they didn’t just pick on the bottom-feeders. They recorded four wins over the conference’s top three teams. They beat the Avalanche on the road, the Stars at home and swept the Wild.

How about this? If the Flyers played in the Pacific Division, they’d be a first-place team.

• Sanheim has given the Flyers a bona-fide No. 1 defenseman down the stretch.

Over the last 17 games, Sanheim has recorded five goals, six assists and a plus-13 rating. Rasmus Ristolainen, Sanheim’s defensive partner, has eight assists and a plus-16 rating in that span.

Sanheim’s goal Saturday night was his career-high 11th.

• The Flyers return home to wrap up the regular season with a back-to-back set. They host the Hurricanes on Monday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and Canadiens on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Carolina is 52-22-6 and trying to clinch the Eastern Conference’s top seed. Montreal is 47-23-10 and in a battle for the Atlantic Division crown.

What we learned as Sharks' playoff hopes dwindle after shootout loss to Canucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN JOSE – Depending on how things unfold over the next week, the Sharks almost certainly have played their final game of the 2025-26 NHL season at SAP Center.

A 4-3 shootout loss to the struggling Vancouver Canucks on Saturday was the final nail in San Jose’s season at the Tank, one that was noticeably better than a year ago but not enough to send the sold-out crowd home happy.

Star Macklin Celebrini added to his outstanding season with a shootout goal and two assists, giving him 110 points for the season — fourth overall in the NHL.

Igor Chernshov had two goals and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Sharks, while Yaroslav Askarov had 38 saves before allowing the game-winner in the sixth round of the shootout.

There’s a chance, slim as it may be, that the Sharks could be back in town to host a playoff game, but that will be determined over the next few days.

It was a strange night in many ways.

Vancouver scored its first goal by Marco Rossi in the second period. As Rossi pushed the puck toward the net, Askarov pulled the entire goal setup down and over the puck. After a short discussion by referees, the goal was upheld.

Askarov gets caught on the wrong side of the net, seemingly pulls it down, but the goal counts 😭🚨 pic.twitter.com/PTTYOjryZs

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 12, 2026

Shortly afterward, Toffoli put the Sharks back in front with his 19th goal of the season from just inside the left circle.

Vancouver didn’t go quietly, despite trailing three different times.

The Canucks made a surge and peppered Askarov with multiple shots before Jake DeBrusk fired the puck past San Jose’s goalie to tie it with 2:23 left in the second period.

Vancouver then forced overtime after scoring with one second left on the power play and three minutes remaining in the third period.

Here are the takeaways from Saturday:

So you’re saying there’s a chance

Despite their recent stumbles that pushed them to the brink of being eliminated from postseason contention, the Sharks head into their final three games still with a chance at getting into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It certainly won’t be easy. The Los Angeles Kings currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 87 points, with the Nashville Predators (86) and Winnipeg Jets (82) next in line.

The Sharks have 82. San Jose would have to make a clean sweep of their three remaining games against Nashville, Chicago and Winnipeg, and hope the Kings lose out.

Better start sets the tone

In each of their last two games, the Sharks came out flat, fell behind and never recovered. The slow starts were critical in losses to the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks.

Against a Canucks team that isn’t on the same level as the Oilers and Ducks, San Jose looked much more crisp offensively during the opening 20 minutes, although Celebrini missed a breakaway attempt midway through the period.

The Sharks missed a few other close scoring opportunities before Igor Chernyshov wrapped the puck around the right side of Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen to get the crowd inside SAP Center really vibing.

Cherny starts us off 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UIRq2p0qjt

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) April 12, 2026

San Jose wound up with 11 shots on goal in the first period.

Sharks shows some fight, literally

The Sharks may not make it to the postseason, but they’re not just rolling over, either.

Late in the first period after Celebrini absorbed a hard hit from the Canucks, Chernyshov and Vancouver defenseman Filip Hronek got into a heated tussle, although it didn’t appear that many punches were thrown.

Dmitry Orlov later got penalized for a hard hip check in the second period.

It’s not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but for a team that simply could have shut it down for the final week, it’s good to see there’s still some fight – and pride – left in Team Teal.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his 15th career shutout as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Islanders 3-0 at UBS Arena on Saturday afternoon. Ridly Greig and Michael Amadio led the way offensively, each putting up a goal and an assist for the Senators. Despite managing only 16 shots in the game, the Sens are now one point away from punching their ticket to the playoffs.

While leading 1-0 in the third period, the Senators capitalized on some good fortune when the Islanders took back-to-back tripping penalties. Jake Sanderson provided some breathing room, whacking home a rebound on the ensuing 5 on 3 to give the Sens a 2-0 advantage.

But the news wasn't all good.

Sens captain Brady Tkachuk left the game under mysterious circumstances. While standing in the neutral zone near the Islanders' bench, without seeming to take any contact at all, he appeared woozy as he left the ice surface. 

Sens head coach Travis Green didn't have any update on what happened to Tkachuk and could only report that he didn't feel good.

So that leaves us to speculate.

For the second straight meeting, Tkachuk had squared off with Anders Lee at the opening faceoff, leading to speculation that maybe Tkachuk had been playing while concussed after the fight.

Some have suggested that Pulock struck him on the neck with his stick, which, after multiple views, I'm not seeing at all.

Cervical vertigo might also be a possibility. It can be triggered suddenly by certain neck movements, and you can see Tkachuk do a hard shoulder check, turning his head to his left. He then flinched when he was immediately surprised by Ryan Pulock jumping off the Islanders' bench to his right.

That's when Tkachuk retreated to the bench, suddenly going from looking sharp to wobbly. 

Ryan Pulock seems to make no contact whatsoever. My best guess is maybe vertigo. That quick head turn, combined with the flinch from being surprised by Pulock in his blind spot could certainly trigger something like that. https://t.co/vislXLNf52

— Steve Warne (@SteveWarneMedia) April 11, 2026

Whatever happened here, the Sens hope to wrap up a playoff spot quickly and give Tkachuk and the rest of their banged-up crew some time off if they need it.

The club has now won four in a row, moving past Boston and into the first Wild Card playoff spot in the East. The two teams have the same record after the Bruins lost in regulation on Saturday, but the Sens are now ahead because they have more regulation wins.

The Detroit Red Wings are now the only team behind the Senators in the standings that can still catch them, but a lot would have to go right. The Wings would have to win their next three games, starting today against New Jersey, while the Senators would have to lose their last two.

Ottawa visits those same Devils on Sunday.

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:  

Why Shane Pinto Should Be One Of The Favourites For The Selke Trophy
Chabot Cleared To Play... 17 Days After Breaking His Arm
Ullmark Describes Masterton Trophy Nomination As Bittersweet
'A Superstar Moment:' The Senators Goal Everyone Is Talking About

NEW YORK (AP) — Ridly Greig scored a short-handed goal, Linus Ullmark stopped all 23 shots he faced and the Ottawa Senators moved to the verge of clinching a playoff spot by shutting out the New York Islanders 3-0 on Saturday.

Ottawa is in if Detroit loses at home in regulation to New Jersey. The Islanders’ hopes took another hit with a fifth loss in six games.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk took a puck up high late in the second period, returned for one shift in the third and then did not return.

Greig made it a 1-0 game with 6:54 remaining in the first. Jake Sanderson scored in the third, and Michael Amadio sealed it with an empty-netter. The Islanders went 0 for 5 on the power play.

New York is now 1-1 since firing coach Patrick Roy and hiring Peter DeBoer as his replacement. Ilya Sorokin allowed two goals on 15 shots.

Up next

Senators: Visit the Devils on Sunday night.

Islanders: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ridly Greig scored a short-handed goal, Linus Ullmark stopped all 23 shots he faced and the Ottawa Senators moved to the verge of clinching a playoff spot by shutting out the New York Islanders 3-0 on Saturday.

Ottawa is in if Detroit loses at home in regulation to New Jersey. The Islanders' hopes took another hit with a fifth loss in six games.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk took a puck up high late in the second period, returned for one shift in the third and then did not return.

Greig made it a 1-0 game with 6:54 remaining in the first. Jake Sanderson scored in the third, and Michael Amadio sealed it with an empty-netter. The Islanders went 0 for 5 on the power play.

New York is now 1-1 since firing coach Patrick Roy and hiring Peter DeBoer as his replacement. Ilya Sorokin allowed two goals on 15 shots.

Up next

Senators: Visit the Devils on Sunday night.

Islanders: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

___

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

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Senators got the Islanders started on this tailspin by beating them a month ago in Ottawa. And they may have delivered the dagger to the Islanders season Saturday afternoon on Long Island. 

The Islanders’ playoff odds hit life support as an 0-for-5 power play sent them on the fast track to a 3-0 defeat at home to the Senators, just their second shutout loss of the season. The second wild-card spot is now officially out of reach, and the Islanders could be eliminated from playoff contention altogether as soon as Sunday. 

The only path remaining to the playoffs is to overtake the Flyers for third in the Metro, but a Philadelphia win Saturday night in Winnipeg would put the Isles three points back with two games remaining for each team. Combine that with an Islanders loss Sunday to the Canadiens and you can stick a fork in the season. 

“Our season didn’t end tonight,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “As tough as that feels walking out of the rink here today, we gotta be prepared to take care of business, which is winning the last two games. If someone’s gonna beat us out of that last playoff spot, we gotta make them earn it.” 

While the Islanders had no choice but to be realistic about their chances of pulling off a miracle after firing Patrick Roy and hiring DeBoer with four games left in the season, the dressing room afterward was something bordering on stunned. The urgency that had been missing over the last few weeks under Roy was there Saturday. This loss was a matter of execution — on the power play and in the offensive zone — as the Islanders let a solid performance go to waste. 

“Felt like we worked our asses off tonight,” Cal Ritchie told The Post. “We worked hard tonight. Felt like we deserved better. We gotta win these next two to have a shot, that’s our focus.” 

Start with the power play, because it has been an issue all season and because it was the central issue on Saturday. The Islanders were not only an abysmal 0-for-5, but had just three shots in 10 minutes of power-play time. For good measure, they let up a shorthanded goal to Ridly Greig, who got up ice after Tony DeAngelo could not get to JG Pageau’s drop pass at the top of the zone, and finished Michael Amadio’s feed for a 1-0 lead at 13:06 of the first. 

Ottawa carried that lead into the third period as the Islanders, again and again, fumbled chances and did not so much as look threatening on the power play. 

Their fifth chance of the game at 5-on-4 came at 7:17 of the third and may have been their worst. The Islanders struggled to enter the zone and looked hesitant to shoot when they did. It was a lack of confidence personified. 

“They held the blue line really well,” Anders Lee said. “You watched our break-ins, we couldn’t get in. … They were on top of it from the get-go, right across the blue line. They made it really difficult to get set up. When we did get set up, we had some looks and some chances. They denied quite a bit coming into the zone.” 

Adding insult to injury, Ottawa sealed the game on its own 5-on-3 power play, when Jake Sanderson cleaned up Dylan Cozens’ rebound to extend the lead to 2-0 at 12:36 of the third. 

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Amadio tacked on an empty-netter to seal it with 2:31 to go. 

During training camp, the common refrain was that if the Islanders had been just average on the power play a year ago, they would have made the playoffs. They achieved average on the penalty kill, but have been entirely unable to do so on the power play, and it appears set to make the difference again. 

The Islanders were up ice for much of a match that was played with playoff-like physicality from the moment Anders Lee and Brady Tkachuk dropped gloves off the opening faceoff. They finished every check, and Kyle MacLean came flying after Nikolas Matinpalo for good measure when the Finn got in a shoving match with Matthew Schaefer early on. 

They could not, though, penetrate a note-perfect Ottawa defensive structure. The Senators did a terrific job keeping the Islanders to the outside and out of the danger areas all game long. Offensive-zone cycles were rendered useless, and there were no odd-man rushes to speak of. 

It made for a game in which the Islanders had little choice but to convert their power-play chances to win. 

This team has never found a way to win games with that recipe. 

And now their season may end Tuesday because of it.

It appears the Vancouver Canucks are looking to get more of their young players into the lineup ahead of the end of the season. Earlier today, the team announced that they have recalled defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev from the AHL. 

Despite the Abbotsford Canucks’ less than stellar season, Kudryavtsev has played solidly on a roster that has seen lots of change throughout the past few months. He has scored two goals and 16 assists in 42 games played at the AHL level, ranking fourth on the team in points by a defenceman (third of those who have spent the entire season with Abbotsford). 

Kudryavtsev made his NHL debut last year on April 14 against the San Jose Sharks and also played against the Vegas Golden Knights on April 16. The defenceman has yet to make his Canucks debut this season but was recalled in October as a result of Vancouver’s injury issues.  

Both Vancouver and Abbotsford will play later tonight, with the Canucks facing the Sharks at 7:00 pm PT and Abbotsford taking on the Calgary Wranglers at 5:00 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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The Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a Presidents Trophy-clinching performance on Thursday, play their final weekend game of the regular season tonight.

After a three and a half month hiatus, they will wrap up the season series against the Vegas Golden Knights, who pay their only(?) visit to the Mile High City this spring.

Colorado Avalanche

As mentioned above, the Avalanche secured their rightful place as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings in their 3-1 defeat of the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Gabe Landeskog would open the scoring late in the first period, and Martin Nečas scored on a pretty play as he skated through the Calgary defense to double the lead in the second period. A sleepy third period (and an extra skater in place of goaltender Dustin Wolf late in the frame) cracked open the door for Calgary, who had a tying goal wiped out due to a successful offside challenge by Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. Nathan MacKinnon would ice the game on an empty net goal late in regulation for his League-leading 52nd goal of the season, ensuring that Colorado would claim the fourth Presidents Trophy in franchise history. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of 29 shots for his 22nd win of the season.

With the win, Avs locked in home ice advantage throughout the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. With their position as the top seed in the playoffs now secured, Bednar has the option to rest players up and down the lineup. Speaking on the option to rest some players leading up to the end of the season, he said, “I’d like to see all of our guys play games yet before the playoffs […] If they’re able to play, we’ll get them as much rest as we can in between games, and then some guys, I’m going to try to get some guys a little bit of a breather that, I think, could probably benefit from it.”

Tonight wraps up the three game series against Vegas, with the Avs having won both of the previous two games. The last time both teams met was coming out of the holiday break back on December 27 at T-Mobile Arena. With Vegas leading 4-2 at the beginning of the third period, Nečas and MacKinnon would score to pull the Avs back on even footing, and despite falling behind with four minutes to play in regulation, a goal from Artturi Lehkonen with under two minutes pushed the game to overtime. Neither team scored in the extra session, and MacKinnon scored the shootout winning goal to complete the comeback as the Avs walked out with a 6-5 decision.

MacKinnon remains atop the League lead in goals coming into tonight’s game, having set a career high with his 52nd goal of the season on Thursday. With four games remaining in the regular season, his 126 points ranks third behind Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (128) and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (133). Nečas is two goals shy of his first ever 40 goal season, and two points away from his first 100 point season. Bednar indicated that Nazem Kadri will require further evaluation before rejoining the lineup, and he expects Cale Makar to return to action prior to the end of the season.

Scott Wedgewood is likely to start in goal for the Avs tonight. A win against Vegas would see him reach the thirty win mark for the first time in his career.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Nicolas Roy – Joel Kiviranta
Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Logan O’Connor

Defense:
Devon Toews – Sam Malinski
Brett Kulak – Josh Manson
Nick Blankenburg – Brent Burns

Between the Pipes:
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood

Vegas Golden Knights

A hot start that saw Vegas begin the season with a near identical record to Colorado through the month of October was derailed by a combination of injuries to key personnel: forwards Jack Eichel, William Karlsson Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons, Mark Stone, defensemen Brayden McNabb, Noah Hanafin, Jérémy Lauzon, and goaltenders Adin Hill and Carter Hart all missed time throughout the season. Even with so many injuries through their lineup, Vegas strung together several modest winning streaks through the year, including a stretch that saw them win seven straight games in January. However, they struggled to maintain their winning ways, winning only five games coming out of the Olympic break, and those hardships would only continue through February and March. As the season winds down, Vegas finds themselves tied with the Anaheim Ducks in points (89), but due to tiebreakers, currently occupy second place in the porous Pacific Division.

This isn’t the same Vegas team that previously faced Colorado back in December. They made their first trade of 2026 in January, sending longtime defenseman Zach Whitecloud, defenseman Abram Wiebe, a 2027 first round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick in 2028 to Calgary for defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Leading up to the trade deadline, they acquired depth forward Cole Smith from Nashville for defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third round pick, and forward Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third round pick, a 2029 second round pick.

Vegas didn’t limit themselves to roster makeovers this season. On March 29, head coach Bruce Cassidy was relieved of his head coaching duties, replacing him with John Tortorella in an interim capacity. Vegas marks the seventh stop for the two-time Jack Adams and former Stanley Cup-winning coach. The team responded with a four game winning streak to kick off the Tortorella era, which came to an end this past Thursday in a 4-3 shootout decision against the Seattle Kraken. Tortorella has yet to lose in regulation in his short time behind the Vegas bench, and a win tonight against Colorado could make things interesting in the chase for first place in the Pacific. The Edmonton Oilers, who currently lead the division, face the Los Angeles Kings this afternoon. By the time the puck drops in Denver, Vegas will know whether if they’re in a position to overtake Edmonton for the top spot, or if they’re still chasing them down. As of this writing, neither team has clinched a playoff spot, but the outcomes of both games could change that.

Eichel leads all Vegas skaters in points (83) and assists (58) while Mitch Marner ranks second in both categories (78 points and 55 assists, respectively). Pavel Dorofeyev leads all Vegas forwards in goals (35), while Theodore leads all Vegas defenders in goals (9), assists (29), and points (38).

This is the final road game of the season for Vegas, as they wrap up a four game road trip. Hart, who played the first three games of the road trip since (his first action since January 8), may return to the crease this evening. Hill was the goaltender of record in the loss this past Thursday in Seattle.

Vegas finishes out the regular season with a brief two game home stand against the Winnipeg Jets on April 13, and close out the regular season against Seattle on April 15.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Brett Howden – Mitch Marner – Pavel Dorofeyev
Brandon Saad – Tomáš Hertl – Colton Sissons
Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Keegan Kolesar

Defense:
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
Jérémy Lauzon – Ben Hutton

Between the Pipes:
Carter Hart
Adin Hill

With the Pittsburgh Penguins having several players out for their contest against the Washington Capitals, they have called up multiple forwards from the AHL. 

The Penguins have announced that they have recalled Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, and Rutger McGroarty from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Koivunen has appeared in 36 games this season for Pittsburgh, where he has recorded two goals and seven points. In the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has 11 goals and 36 points in 32 games this season. 

Koppanen has one assist, two penalty minutes, and a minus-1 rating in 10 games this season for Pittsburgh. Down in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has eight goals, 15 assists, 23 points, and a plus-19 rating in 42 games. 

As for McGroarty, he has two goals and five points in 21 games so far this season with Pittsburgh. He has shown clear improvement this campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as he has eight goals and 30 points in 28 games with the AHL squad. 

The Buffalo Sabres are in a fortuitous position with less than a week to go in the regular season. The club has already locked in their first postseason berth since 2011, and after their 5-0 shutout victory over Columbus, the Sabres have over a 95% chance to secure home-ice advantage by either Montreal or Tampa Bay losing on the weekend, or the Sabres earning two points in Chicago against the Blackhawks on Monday. 

Tampa Bay and Boston play on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden, and the Blue Jackets and Canadiens face off at the Bell Centre on Saturday. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff put his group through their paces at the Harborcenter on Saturday morning and spoke to the media:

What is the status of Noah Ostlund and do you hold out any hope for him being available next weekend?

(He’s) getting better, just one of those injuries, just pain management, and as soon as we get that reduced he'll be back…… I do. Hope's the one thing you can have. He was skated this morning. He's skating every day, just trying to get through this. That's all.

How nice is it to have a two-day respite before playing the final two games?

Shocking.....we thought originally maybe off-ice again today. But then we thought there's some things we'd like to work on in a quick sense, with a turnaround, with playoffs around the corner, (we'll) probably only have maybe one more practice this week after tomorrow.

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With the power play struggling, you’ve moved Alex Tuch back on the top unit. What are you hoping for with this move?

We're going to take a look at this for a game or two, which we have that luxury. If we run it off the left side where (Dahlin), is, then we got one-timer up-top, another one timer. So we've got the hands matched up a little bit better. Before these last five games, our power player was on a pretty good pace. We've run a little bit dry, so it's now time just try something.

How has Logan Stanley fit in on the blueline?

I thought he closed his gap lot quicker. His first pass was a lot better. I think all that's related, (he) made a nice play getting up ice. But I think he plays a real predictable game. You make the easy plays and kept everybody in front of him...... I think he dealt with the year where Winnipeg lost a couple top defensemen. He was put on a power play for a while. So I think the adjustments coming here are, you're not getting quite the same role, but what he's offered us is one, one real tough guy in the back end. He does have good hands. I think we saw that the other night, that in situations where we need somebody to get up ice, he can get up ice. He's a good skater. He's physical, so I think he's a good fit. He's the type of guy you need in the playoffs.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

While speaking to reporters, including TSN's Chris Johnston, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube announced that former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Anthony Stolarz is done for the 2025-26 season. 

Stolarz left his most recent appearance during the second period against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Now, with this update from Berube, the former Flyers goalie officially won't be back for the rest of the season for Toronto. 

After having the best save percentage in the NHL in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, Stolarz had a down year for his standards this campaign. In 26 games this season with the Maple Leafs, he had a 10-10-3 record, an .893 save percentage, and a 3.28 goals-against average. 

Stolarz was selected by the Flyers with the 45th overall pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In two seasons with the Flyers, he had a 6-4-4 record, a .911 save percentage, a 2.86 goals-against average, and two shutouts.

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The Montreal Canadiens will continue their quest for the Atlantic Division crown against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, April 11.

Montreal narrowly won a 2-1 nailbiter on March 26th, which kick-started an ugly six-game losing streak for the Jackets.

My Blue Jackets vs. Canadiens predictions and NHL picks suggest that an iconic milestone may be achieved for the second consecutive game at the Bell Centre.

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens prediction

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens best bet: Nick Suzuki Over 1.5 points (+135)

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is just two points shy of the century mark.

Of course, his linemate Cole Caufield had his moment of glory on Thursday, becoming the first Canadiens player to score 50 goals in a season since 1989-90. Suzuki would become the first Hab to hit 100 points in exactly 40 years.

The Habs captain has tallied 33 points in 22 games since the Olympic break, and he notched a point on both Montreal goals against Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Suzuki ranks sixth in NHL scoring over the last two seasons, and a 100-point campaign would be a significant addition to his resume.

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens same-game parlay

With the 50-goal monkey off his back, Caufield remains the hottest goal scorer in 2026.

Caufield has notched 28 goals in his last 30 games and 10 in his last 11. Perhaps he has an ounce of extra motivation to find twine, as he’s just two goals behind Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead.

On the topic of red-hot Habs, Jakub Dobes has been arguably the best goalie in the league over the past month.

While more aggressive and erratic than calm and prude, Dobes has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his last nine starts (and has won seven straight for good measure), boasting a .944 save percentage during that span.

Additionally, the Columbus Blue Jackets have only scored eight goals in their last five games.

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens SGP

• Nick Suzuki Over 1.5 points
• Cole Caufield anytime goal
• Blue Jackets Under 2.5 team total

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens odds

• Moneyline: Blue Jackets +110 | Canadiens -130
• Puck Line: Blue Jackets +1.5 (-220) | Canadiens -1.5 (+180)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+110) | Under 6.5 (-130)

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens trend

Montreal has won eight of the last 10 matchups against Columbus, including seven straight from Nov. 2022 to Nov. 2024. Find more NHL betting trends for Blue Jackets vs. Canadiens.

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Blue Jackets vs Canadiens latest injuries

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Two Atlantic Division rivals meet for the final time this season as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers.

Joseph Woll gets the call between the pipes for the Buds tonight, and my Panthers vs. Maple Leafs predictions expect another busy night for Toronto’s netminder.

Find out more in my NHL picks for Saturday, April 11.

Panthers vs Maple Leafs prediction

Panthers vs Maple Leafs best bet: Joseph Woll Over 26.5 saves (-110)

If there’s been one positive about the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, it’s been their goaltending.

Joseph Woll carries a respectable .901 save percentage this season despite plenty of difficult assignments, and he’ll likely be busy again tonight against the Florida Panthers.

The Leafs’ goaltender has faced an average of 33.1 shots against per game — the highest mark in the NHL among netminders with more than two games played.

Woll has made Over 26.5 saves in nine of his last 10 appearances, while the Panthers have recorded 26+ shots in all three of their meetings against the Maple Leafs this season.

Panthers vs Maple Leafs same-game parlay

John Tavares has improved as the season has worn on, logging a point in eight of his last 10 games.

On the Panthers' side, Sam Bennett seems to always bring his A-game against his hometown Leafs, and he’s eclipsed 2.5 shots in five of his last six contests.

The Over is also 6-3-1 in Toronto’s last 10 games.

Panthers vs Maple Leafs SGP

• John Tavares Over 0.5 points
• Sam Bennett Over 2.5 shots
• Over 6.5

Panthers vs Maple Leafs odds

• Moneyline: Panthers +110 | Maple Leafs -130
• Puck Line: Panthers +1.5 (-215) | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+175)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-115) | Under 6.5 (-105)

Panthers vs Maple Leafs trend

Toronto has cashed the first-period game total Over in 16 of its last 20 games at home (+10.45 Units / 37% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Maple Leafs.

How to watch Panthers vs Maple Leafs

Panthers vs Maple Leafs latest injuries

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — The 100th meeting between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will have to wait.

That's if it even happens at all.

The Pittsburgh Penguins scratched Crosby and longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin, among many others, just hours before Pittsburgh was scheduled to host Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

The Penguins said Crosby is day to day with a lower-body injury and Malkin is day to day with an upper-body injury. Pittsburgh also scratched forwards Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust and defensemen Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon.

Crosby and Malkin have both missed games recently with injuries. Crosby didn't play for a month after injuring his knee while playing for Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Malkin has missed nearly 20 games this season with various health issues.

The decision came two days after Pittsburgh clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2022 with a victory over New Jersey. The Penguins have basically locked up second place in the Metropolitan Division with three games remaining.

Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, and the Capitals are still holding out faint hope of making the postseason. Washington is still mathematically alive but likely needs to win each of its final three games and get some help.

___

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