The Islanders finish their season-killing homestand by hosting a longtime nemesis, the Carolina Hurricanes, who have nothing to play for and every reason to rest with first place in the East locked up. That didn’t stop them from forcing the Flyers to a shootout last night before Philadelphia clinched the final playoff spot and set up a Battle of Pennsylvania in the first round.

I’m still processing my feelings — disappointment? low expectations ultimately met but via a mostly fun route? hope for offseason improvements? — from how this season petered out, but we solved a lot of it in comments/group therapy yesterday so I think many of us are ready to start 2026-27, at least if we are given the reins to make the moves we know to be needed.

But there is still business to finish! Matthew Schaefer needs a goal tonight. I don’t care if they play him at forward like an early ‘80s Phil Housley, or if they set him up on the doorstep on the power play, or have him cherrypick like Daniel Briere — whatever they need to do, make this happen and give him exclusive possession of the NHL record for goals by a rookie defenseman.

They probably get shut out though.

The final First Islanders Goal picks of the season go here. BIG thank you to Commenter69420 for managing this all season and keeping it going for you FIG-addicts.

Islanders News

Will we get news of a callup or even NHL debut today? (Victor Eklund is getting that, according to THN) Figure knowing one way or other after the morning skate.

And this won’t be answered today, but will it be Anders Lee’s final game as an Islander? (Doubtful, but possible.) Or any of the other longtime Islanders? (More likely.)

• This is actually a tough vote for Goal of the Year: the Palmieri Instant ACL Legend or the Schaefer Leaf-Slayer goal. [Isles]
• What an up and down season, ending with a thud that makes Dan and Mike feel pretty low. [Islanders Anxiety podcast]
• Talking to Islanders and Rangers about their memories of their rookie lap. [Newsday]
• Pete DeBoer says getting a few games with this team means he is “way ahead” of where he would be had he been hired sometime this summer. [Post]
• Prospect Report: Kashawn Aitcheson continues to accumulate points, Quinn Finley’s Wisconsin falls short, and a few others are still active in the CHL playoffs. [Isles]
• The Islanders, Devils and Rangers have made history: This is the first time all three have missed the playoffs. [Post]

Elsewhere

Lots of games and additional clinchings last night. Though the Isles are done, there are actually two more days of games after tonight.

• Matt Moulson’s brother-in-law calls it quits at 40, finishes with a loss as a Ranger, following a long tradition of former greats going to the Smurfs to kill off their career. [ESPN]
• The Stars have a guy named Mavrik Bourque and he just got a hat trick. [Sportsnet]
• Here’s all the roster turnover Kyle Dubas did to get the Penguins one last playoff appearance before the tanks roll in. [Sportsnet]

Next season can't come soon enough for Sharks after NHL playoff race elimination originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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

NASHVILLE — The Sharks are out of the playoffs.

But they’re still playing for each other.

San Jose played its best game in a week, blowing up the Nashville Predators’ postseason hopes in the process, in a 3-2 victory. The Los Angeles Kings have clinched the last wild-card spot in the West.

This is San Jose’s first victory over Nashville since Nov. 2019, snapping a 15-game losing streak.

“It’s a great feeling when you win, when you play like that,” Alex Nedeljkovic said, “you play for each other, play hard.”

The Sharks played a game that they could be proud of, for the first time in a week, outchancing and holding the Predators to just 27 shots.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

Seattle Kraken (34-35-11, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (38-26-17, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Seattle Kraken trying to continue a three-game home winning streak.

Vegas has gone 38-26-17 overall with a 14-5-6 record in Pacific Division play. The Golden Knights have a 36-6-11 record in games they score at least three goals.

Seattle is 16-8-1 against the Pacific Division and 34-35-11 overall. The Kraken have conceded 251 goals while scoring 223 for a -28 scoring differential.

The teams meet Wednesday for the fourth time this season. The Kraken won the previous matchup 4-3 in a shootout.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone has 28 goals and 44 assists for the Golden Knights. Mitchell Marner has four goals and five assists over the past 10 games.

Bobby McMann has 29 goals and 17 assists for the Kraken. Brandon Montour has three goals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 6-1-3, averaging 3.7 goals, 5.8 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Kraken: 3-6-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.2 assists, 2.9 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body).

Kraken: Joey Daccord: day to day (lower-body), Jared McCann: out (lower-body), Shane Wright: day to day (upper-body), Matt Murray: out (personal), Philipp Grubauer: day to day (lower-body).

___

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

Montreal Canadiens (48-23-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (42-27-12, in the Metropolitan Division)

Philadelphia; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Canadiens -154, Flyers +129; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Philadelphia Flyers after the Flyers knocked off the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout.

Philadelphia is 42-27-12 overall and 19-13-8 at home. The Flyers have a 7-5-8 record in games decided by a goal.

Montreal has a 48-23-10 record overall and a 24-8-8 record in road games. The Canadiens have conceded 247 goals while scoring 277 for a +30 scoring differential.

The matchup Tuesday is the third time these teams meet this season. The Flyers won 4-1 in the last meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Trevor Zegras has 26 goals and 41 assists for the Flyers. Tyson Foerster has five goals and one assist over the last 10 games.

Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Nicholas Suzuki has five goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flyers: 7-3-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 5.8 assists, three penalties and six penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Canadiens: 8-2-0, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 5.5 penalties and 14.2 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.

INJURIES: Flyers: Rodrigo Abols: out (ankle), Nikita Grebenkin: out (upper body).

Canadiens: Alexandre Carrier: out (upper body), Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).

___

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

On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights hosted the Winnipeg Jets in the penultimate game of the 2025-26 regular season. In an all-important game in the battle for control of the Pacific Division, they came to play. They took advantage of a much weaker Jets team and, aided by a four-goal third period, rolled to a 6-2 victory.

Right from puck drop, the Golden Knights established themselves as the better team. They generated five high-danger scoring chances while holding Winnipeg to one, and controlled 86.81% of the expected goal share.

“We had a lot of pressure, but didn’t score,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella postgame. “I think the shots were eleven to three, but it’s still zero-zero. I think sometimes teams get impatient, and that’s when they start opening themselves up… They just kept on point, and we found a way to score some goals.”

In the second period, the Golden Knights kept up their dominant play and capitalized on a few of their chances. They outshot the Jets 16-10 and generated 17 scoring chances.

The Golden Knights broke the ice at 7:38 in the second. Jack Eichel stripped the puck from Mark Scheifele and took off up ice in a 2-on-1 with Mark Stone. Eichel got the pass across, and Stone ripped it home for the 10th short-handed goal of his career.

Eichel and Stone short handed 2-on-1. Looks like Hellebuyck makes the save on Stone but the puck leaks through and trickles across the line.

1-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/RfXPlZcykL

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Golden Knights doubled their lead just as the penalty expired. Noah Hanifin fired a wrister from the point, and Reilly Smith redirected it home.

Shot by Hanifin, redirection by Reilly Smith!

2-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/9SFjXxELpl

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The wheels came off in the third period, with five goals scored in the first six minutes. The Golden Knights outshot the Jets 12-10, and both teams combined for 23 scoring chances.

The Golden Knights extended their lead just 31 seconds into the third. As he circled the wagon, Jack Eichel backhanded a drop-pass to Ivan Barbashev, who slammed the puck into the empty net.

Pretty behind-the-back pass by Eichel and Barbashev slams it home.

3-0, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/dwMifpKVPo

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Jets got on the board at 2:34 in the third. Colin Miller fired a shot-pass to Gabe Vilardi at the goal line, who redirected it home.

Winnipeg PPG. Colin Miller with the shot-pass and Gabe Vilardi with the redirection.

3-1, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/QkDHgSLLuf

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Golden Knights restored their three-goal lead just 1:03 later. Ivan Barbashev caught up to Brayden McNabb’s stretch pass and entered the zone. Barbashev left the puck for Mark Stone, who pulled up and threaded a cross-ice pass to Rasmus Andersson. Andersson flew deeper into the zone and wired a shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

And Vegas answers right back. Mark Stone finds Rasmus Andersson in transition and the defenseman wires it home for his fifth goal in the past ten games!

4-1, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/2n7yTFaA3p

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Jets answered back at 4:41 in the third. Mark Scheifele forced a turnover, and Gabe Vilardi threaded a pass to Kyle Connor, who was all alone in the slot. Carter Hart kicked out Connor’s wrister, but Scheifele banged in the rebound.

And now Winnipeg answers right back. Scheifele sneaks down below the right circle and bangs home Kyle Connor’s rebound.

4-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/5fe1KGF9tV

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

Scheifele took a high-sticking double minor just 24 seconds later, and the Golden Knights put the game away on the ensuing power play.

The Golden Knights restored their three-goal lead at 5:42 in the third period. After playing catch with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone found Pavel Dorofeyev all alone in the right dot. Dorofeyev dusted off the puck, picked his spot, and beat Connor Hellebuyck far-side.

Pavel Dorofeyev with a snipe for his 37th (and 20th PPG) of the season.

5-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/CjeylMuJ6q

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

The Golden Knights tacked on a sixth goal at 7:38 in the third. The puck took a hop off Dylan DeMelo over to Jack Eichel right in front of the net, and Eichel fired home his first power-play goal of the season.

BREAKING: Jack Eichel has scored a power play goal in the 2025-26 season.

6-2, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/nak8GuKkpO

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 14, 2026

“They’re joining together at the right time here,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella after the 6-2 win. “They have a strong belief that they can play. So hopefully that’ll continue, bring us through our next game, and then get us ready for the real stuff.”

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. As Jack Eichel pointed out, the Golden Knights’ power play hasn’t been cold over the past 10 games. However, it has been lukewarm at best. Tonight’s game was a penalty fest from start to finish, with 32 total PIMs– a perfect time for the dam to break. The Golden Knights went 2-for-7 on the power play, with both goals coming on the double minor right after the Jets scored their second goal of the game.

“You want to generate chances and momentum,” said Jack Eichel following the 6-2 win. “It seems like sometimes we’re struggling to get set up and kind of getting pushed out of the zone… There was some simplicity to it tonight. I think we just won a few battles, and were able to get a couple of shots, recover pucks, and move it around quickly.”

2. Towards the end of the second period, the Golden Knights scored a goal just 9 seconds after another power play expired. In the 1:54 leading up to Reilly Smith’s goal, the Golden Knights fired off 10 shot attempts. Seven of those ended up on goal, and three were blocked– two by Jets captain Adam Lowry, and one by Ivan Barbashev.

According to Golden Knights head coach John Tortarella, that shot-first mentality has been a point of emphasis.

“We sometimes try to pass the puck into the net,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to concentrate not just on the power play but five-on-five, trying to sift more pucks to the net and not overpass. There’s a fine line there because there are a number of skilled players on this hockey team. We certainly want to let them make plays, but there are certain times you can just put it in the paint.”

3. Don’t look now, but the Golden Knights have a very real chance of winning the Division. If they secure one point in Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, they lock up first in the Pillow Fight– er, Pacific Division.

“I don’t think any of us would have expected to head into the last game of the year with the chance to win the division with the number of points we had– but here we are. It’s on us to go out there and do a job and try to win a hockey game,” said Jack Eichel. “I don’t think anybody would be upset if you said that we won the division this year.”

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday night.

Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the NHL-best Avalanche, who have won three of four overall and seven straight road games.

Connor McDavid scored his 48th goal for the playoff-bound Oilers, who have lost four of five. Edmonton fell two points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division.

McDavid leads the league with 134 points and needs one more to become the seventh player in league history to reach 135 at least twice. The others are Wayne Gretzky (12 times), Mario Lemieux (five), Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Steve Yzerman.

Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for Colorado, and Edmonton’s Connor Ingram also stopped 30 shots.

In the shootout, McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in the first two rounds for Edmonton, and Valerie Nichushkin and Martin Necas replied for Colorado. Wedgewood then stopped a wrist shot by Jack Roslovic, opening the door for MacKinnon's game-winner.

The Avs were missing Nazem Kadri (finger), Cale Makar (upper body) and Josh Manson (upper body) as they prepare for the playoffs.

The Oilers remained without forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, although both resumed skating with the team on Monday.

Necas was held scoreless and still needs one point to reach 100 for the first time. Only four Avalanche players have ever hit the century mark — Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Up next

Avalanche: At the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Oilers: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

___

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

Behind a big night from Quinton Byfield, the Los Angeles Kings (35-26-19) took care of business against the Seattle Kraken (38-34-8) on Monday to clinch a playoff spot, winning 5-3. 

Even with Seattle already out of the playoff hunt, they gave everything they had tonight against the Kings. This was not an easy game for the Kings; they fought hard down the stretch and came up big in crunch time. 

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT#GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/PCO9Dz49oN

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 14, 2026

Despite all that, the game remained very close in the third period, with the Kraken nearly mounting a full comeback to steal the game at home and take all hope away from LA. But clutch goals and defense helped secure the Kings' fifth consecutive playoff berth. 

Quinton Byfield had a big night on National Television, scoring two goals and two points. Trevor Moore pitched in one goal and two points, bringing nice energy for the Kings on the road. 

Adrian Kempe had one goal and one point, scoring the huge goal in the third period after LA allowed the Kraken to get back in the game. Kempe silenced the crowd, extending the lead to a two-goal lead. 

Anton Forsberg got his fourth consecutive start under the crease and once again continued where he started, anchoring the Kings' defense, finishing with 28 saves on 31 shots. 

The Kings began with an impressive start again. Byfield opened the scoring at the 17:17 mark after a faceoff win by the Kraken. Byfield forced a turnover and broke through transition on the 2-on-1, sniping the shot in the net to give LA a 1-0 lead. 

LAK Goal - Back Bar Byfield!

Outstanding play by 55. Self pass off the wall, 2-on-1 rush, keeps it himself and snipes one off the back bar for the goal. 1-0 Kings.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 14, 2026

The game got physical midway through the open period, with Jacob Melanson and Samuel Helenius getting into it, resulting in both being called for roughing. 

Los Angeles was doing everything it could to win this game, under pressure to clinch a playoff spot against a Seattle team that had nothing to play for. 

The one issue the Kings were having early in the game and for most of the match was controlling the puck and turning it over. Even with Seattle trailing in this game, the Kings' careless turnovers were letting the home team stay in it. 

Off another Seattle turnover, Byfield once again sprinted past everyone for the loose puck, this time by himself versus the goaltender, and did a good job controlling the puck to finesse a shot high glove side for the goal.

2-0 Kings after 20 minutes.

Two nasty goals from Byfield are the difference, alongside another stout period from Anton Forsberg.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 14, 2026

Once again, the Kings ended the period on a strong note on the road, holding a commanding 2-0 lead with Byfield leading the way offensively and Forbserg playing stout defense to hold Seattle scoreless through 20 minutes. 

The second period began with Seattle continuing to struggle to control the puck. This time at the 12:47 mark, Trevor Moore converted on the rebound shot from Alex Laferriere to extend LA's lead to a three-goal cushion. 

LAK Goal - Trevor Score!

Moore makes it 3-0 with a quick release from the slot. Alex Laferriere picks up his 40th point of the season with the only assist.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 14, 2026

LA was once again spreading the wealth and getting others involved. It seems like every night, it's a different player on the Kings shining and leading the Kings to big wins. 

Kings would hold onto a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes, once again holding Seattle scoreless to end the period. Great second period from Los Angeles, considering how much trouble they've had this season in the second period. 

The third period would seemingly take away everything the Kings had done to build that 3-0 lead. It looked like the same old Kings in the final frame, holding a big lead and letting the opponent claw its way back.  

In a span of seven minutes to open the final period, LA allowed two goals from the Kraken, trimming the lead down to just one. It was slowly looking like the momentum had shifted to Seattle, playing at home and getting two huge goals up. 

But the Kings silenced the crowd at the 7:31 mark after another turnover by Seattle led to a rush play. The 2-on-1 play led by Anze Kopitar and Kempe held strong, with Kempe scoring off the nice feed by Kopitar to score a big insurance goal, extending LA's lead back to a two-goal lead. 

LAK Goal - JUICE!

That's a massive insurance goal. Kopitar and Kempe 2-on-1 rush, 11 feeds 9, back of the net. 4-2, 7:31 on the clock.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 14, 2026

Seattle still wouldn't go down without a fight, though, scoring with under two minutes to go, cutting the lead back down to one. The game was progressing as if it would be a massive loss for the Kings in the final minutes of regulation, after holding a 3-0 lead to start the third period. 

But the defense would stand tall for Los Angeles in the final two minutes of regulation. With two seconds to go, Los Angeles would convert on the empty net goal to put this one away, winning 5-3 at Seattle.  

Key Takeaways

Your Los Angeles Kings are officially playoff-bound and will make their fifth consecutive postseason appearance after the Nashville Predators lost on Monday. It's still unknown as to who Los Angeles will play in the first round, but if everything stays as is, it will most likely be the Colorado Avalanche.

Since Edmonton lost to Colorado tonight, if Los Angeles wins tomorrow, they'll be tied with the Oilers for the second seed, and a Ducks loss tomorrow will drop Anaheim to fourth in the Pacific Division. 

Still, a big opportunity for the Kings to move up in the division and earn home ice advantage to start the first round. 

The Kings continune its road trip tomorrow against the Vancouver Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.    

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

For a second straight year, there will be no playoff hockey in Nashville.

After the Predators' loss to the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, on Monday at home and the Los Angeles Kings' 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken, Nashville has been officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Los Angeles clinches the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with 89 points. Nashville is three points back and, even with a win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, will still be trailing the Kings by a point at the end of the season. 

"I'm sure we'll digest the season and probably look back at it. We were asked a lot to get ourselves in this position, and something we'll have to look forward to working on," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said following the loss to the Sharks. 

The Kings prevailed with a two-goal win over the Kraken from Quinton Byfield in the second period. They will likely face the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Nashville's elimination and Los Angeles' qualification ends a nearly four-month-long chase for the final Wild Card spot that saw the Predators crawl out of the basement of the league and, at one point, into a playoff spot. 

Nashville was 6-12-4 going into November and, at one point, the worst team in the NHL. Powered by a stretch from Thanksgiving to mid-January, where Nashville went 17-8-0, the Predators suddenly had life. 

Nashville's change in fourth was specifically charged by Steven Stamkos, who had just four points through the first month of the season. He is now sitting at 40 goals, which is tied for the 10th most in the NHL. 

Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly also notched 70-plus points each as two of the most consistent players this season. Roman Josi also recorded his 1,000th career game and has tallied 54 points in 67 games. 

However, Nashville struggled to find consistent success down the stretch. It's gone 4-5-1 in its last 10 games, which included a three-game losing streak where Nashville was in the final Wild Card spot. 

With one game left, the Predators sit at 38-33-10 with 86 points. 

The New York Rangers’ 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday night marked the last game of Jonathan Quick’s 19-year illustrious NHL career. 

On Monday, after the Rangers’ morning skate, Quick announced that he would officially be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 season. 

While Quick tried to prepare for Monday’s matchup in Sunrise, Florida, like any ordinary game, he couldn’t help but feel the magnitude of the moment.

“There were some memories throughout the day,” Quick said. “Obviously with the morning skate, saying what I said, I had some texts coming in throughout the day. It takes you down the memory lane a little bit with some of the things some former teammates are saying to me, but obviously, all good things. It was special. I’m very fortunate to play as long as I did and with the people I did. Just great people, great teammates, great families. I’m very fortunate for the relationships I was able to make throughout my career.”

The 40-year-old goaltender made 14 saves on 17 shots in his NHL swansong. The Rangers’ loss and Quick’s individual statistics don’t tell the whole story of the night. 

Mike Sullivan described the occasion as a “celebration” and it truly was from the beginning of warmups until after the final buzzer sounded. 

During warmups, every player wore Quick’s jersey with No. 32 on the back. 

“I thought we had Stéphane Matteau out there taking warmups,” Quick jokingly said. 

After the game, the entire Florida Panthers team stayed on the ice to individually congratulate Quick on closing an incredible chapter in his life.

“It’s in the back of your head throughout it, but you’re just trying to enjoy it,” Quick said about trying to manage the emotions of the night. “This team played great. I wish I had a couple more saves for them. It’s unfortunate how it finished up, but they deserved to win. I didn't have as many (saves) as I'd like to tonight, but it was still special.”

Serving in a backup goaltending role under Igor Shesterkin for the past three seasons, Quick has been able to make a profound impact on the Rangers through not just his play, but the leadership and energy he brought to the locker room.

“I mean, a guy like him, he's as good a teammate as you can find. I've been thinking about it for a little bit now after finding out that was going to be his last year. It's like, things that I could say,” Vincent Trocheck said. “There's an infinite amount of positive things you can say about him. When you have a career as long as his, you come across hundreds of different teammates. Before being lucky enough to play with him a few years ago, you talk to guys that he played with, and every single one of them says the same thing. ‘He's the best teammate, an unbelievable guy.’ He's always trying to set things up to bring the guys together. He is the definition of a glue guy. 

Jonathan Quick Set To Retire At The End Of 2025-26 Season Jonathan Quick will officially retire at the end of the 2025-26 season. 

“He was — is — a Hall of Famer. Three cups. He was the starter in L.A. for 17 years, and he comes here, and he's the backup to Shesty, and it doesn't change a thing. He's still the greatest guy. He's so excited to be at the rink, and the guys are excited to come to the rink and be with him. So you can't say enough good things about him. He's the kind of guy that you need on a team in order to have success.”

The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night at the United Center. Buffalo, which came in with a chance to win the Atlantic Division, had a lot to play for against a Blackhawks team that already locked into the second-best draft lottery odds. 

The Blackhawks, as they've often done this season, got themselves out to an early lead. While short-handed, Ilya Mikheyev set up Ryan Greene for his second goal in as many games. 

The ice was chippy, and it was hard for anyone on either team to control a hard pass or shoot with a one-time shot. There were even multiple players losing an edge throughout. 

Before the first period ended, however, the Sabres found a way to overcome that. At 19:02, Josh Norris sniped one past Spencer Knight to even things up. 

In the middle frame, the Sabres took over the ice. They outshot the Blackhawks 12-4, and one of them went in courtesy of Tage Thompson. His 39th goal of the season put the Sabres ahead for good. 

The Sabres scored three more goals in the third period. Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson's second, and Ryan McLeod made it 5-1. That score would hold as the final. 

For Thompson, he now has 40 on the season to go with his first playoff berth with Buffalo and his Olympic Gold Medal that he won with Team USA back in February. 

This win, combined with the Tampa Bay Lightning failing to earn a regulation win (they beat the Detroit Red Wings in overtime), means the Sabres won the Atlantic Division. The turnaround that this team has had since the beginning of December will be remembered for a long time.  

For Chicago, when it comes to clean passes, smart decisions, line changes, and power play efficiency, this was one of the sloppiest games that the Blackhawks have played in the Connor Bedard era. 

Back when there were a handful of games remaining, Jeff Blashill said he wanted to give the fans a reason to believe in the future. The exact opposite has happened since. They are trending toward leaving for the summer with a whimper. 

After the game ended, both Wyatt Kaiser and Ryan Donato commented on hearing boos from their own fanbase, both admitting that it was probably warranted, but less than fun. There is still one more chance for them to have a nice game and go out feeling better. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

goals in back-to-back games for Greener✅ pic.twitter.com/AFm1BVHJ4Q

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 14, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action on Wednesday night at the United Center. They will close out the 2025-26 season with a match against the San Jose Sharks. 

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

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night but the point earned guaranteed them the top spot in the Eastern Conference and home ice for the first three rounds of the playoffs.

The Canes will face either the Ottawa Senators or the Boston Bruins, depending upon the outcome of future games.

The win clinched a playoff spot for the Flyers, who will face the Penguins in the first round.

The Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on just six shots on goal, which is a reversal of how periods usually go for this team.

Bradly Nadeau, who spent most of the season in the AHL, opened the scoring with a pretty shot off a perfect pass by Nikolaj Ehlers. It was Nadeau’s third goal of the season while playing for Carolina.

Ehlers would score his 25th a bit later in the period on a powerplay opportunity. That added to his career best 70 points for the season.

The Flyers scored twice in the second to tie things up and both teams skated the third without benefit of a goal.

During overtime, Jackson Blake made a beautiful move and hit the post but again neither team could score and the game went to a shootout.

The Canes could not light the lamp on four chances as Blake, Nadeau, Miller, and Nikishin each failed to score.

Tyson Foerster notched the game-winner for the home team.

The Hurricanes close their regular season and will face the Islanders on Tuesday night. They will not hold a morning skate on Tuesday morning.

Notes:

Nikishin had 23:38 of ice time. He had four hits and a team high three blocked shots.

Nic Deslauriers was credited with 11 hits.

Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS021284.HTM

Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES021284.HTM

Interviews –

AUDIO/VIDEO: Jordan Martinook and Rod Brind'Amour addressed the media after Carolina's 3-2 shootout loss in Philadelphia:https://t.co/OlayS3FwQD

— Hurricanes PR (@CanesPR) April 14, 2026

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored twice in the third period, including an empty-netter with 1:45 remaining, to reach 44 goals on the season and the San Jose Sharks beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Monday night to end a 15-game losing streak in the series.

With the Predators loss, the idle Anaheim Ducks clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.

Later Monday, the Sharks and Predators were both eliminated from the playoffs after the Los Angeles Kings beat the Seattle Kraken. San Jose missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

Celebrini’s 30th multi-point game of the season moved him into a tie with Owen Nolan (1999-00) and Patrick Marleau (2009-10) for second-most by a Shark in a single season — only trailing Jonathan Cheechoo’s 56 in 2005-06.

Igor Chernyshov netted his third goal in the past two games on a power play to open the scoring for the Sharks.

It was the longest skid for the Sharks against one opponent and had been Nashville’s longest winning streak against one opponent.

Luke Evangelista scored both goals for the Predators to reach 12 on the season.

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots in the win for the Sharks. Justus Annunen had 20 saves for the Predators.

Up next

Sharks: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

Predators: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

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

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

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Theo Lindstein scored and the St. Louis Blues overcame a two-goal deficit and beat the Minnesota Wild 6-3 on Monday night.

Lindstein scored on a backhand shot with 3:19 remaining in the second period to put the Blues up 4-3. Jonathan Drouin and Dalibor Dvorsky each had an assist on the goal.

Pavel Buchnevich scored the 200th goal of his NHL career and Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours, Otto Stenberg and Colton Parayko added goals for the Blues.

Parayko's goal was his 81st and he moved into fourth in franchise history in goals by a Blues defenseman behind Al MacInnis (127), Alex Pietrangelo (109) and Chris Pronger (84). He moved out of a tie with Jeff Brown (80).

Nick Foligno, Michael McCarron and Danila Yurov scored for the Wild.

Joel Hofer made 28 saves in the win for the Blues. Filip Gustavsson made 16 saves for the Wild.

The Blues won 58.8% of the faceoffs in the game.

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

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

The Philadelphia Flyers are heading back to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2020 and are set for a testy matchup with the bitter rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

Heading into Monday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers were set up nicely for a win-and-in scenario, and they needed every last minute to pull it off.

Matvei Michkov helped the Flyers erase a 2-0 deficit in the second period, and Porter Martone set up Trevor Zegras for the game-tying tuck minutes later.

Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake hit the post in overtime, but the Flyers' resolve was strong enough to hang on and survive through the shootout, as they've done time and time again this season.

Forward Tyson Foerster, whose season was supposed to be over, continued his fight and buried a shot past Brandon Bussi to score the only goal of the shootout.

Report: Top Flyers Prospect to Join NCAA PowerhouseAs it turns out, Porter Martone may not be the only first-round pick from the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> to head over to the NCAA to develop.

Goalie Dan Vladar stoned defenseman Alex Nikishin at the other end to send the Flyers to the playoffs.

Now, the Flyers are set for a grudge match with the Penguins, the franchise with which Rick Tocchet coached for two Stanley Cup runs.

Of course, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are still around kicking all these years later.

"These guys, they don't die. These guys are just warriors," Tocchet said of his former players after the Flyers' win Monday night.

"We're gonna have our hands full, and we're gonna have to do some game-planning here this week. But those guys don't die. It's gonna be a tough series and we're gonna have to go after those guys."

Those Penguins had a very similar season to the Flyers, going 41-24-16 through 81 games to this point.

Flyers Call Up David Jiricek In Surprise MoveThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> have made a bit of a surprising transaction with their playoff push coming to its final few games, recalling top defense prospect David Jiricek from the AHL on Sunday afternoon.

"Good team over there, lots of experienced players," Michkov said. "We're not playing hockey for the first year, either. It's my first time playing in the NHL playoffs, so I'll give all my best to it."

The Flyers last played the Penguins back on March 7, when Alex Bump scored his first NHL goal on an assist from Nikita Grebenkin. Ultimately, the Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout.

The Flyers and Penguins split their season series 2-2, with both Philadelphia wins coming in the shootout.

Those who sign up for priority access will have the ability to purchase playoff tickets before the general public.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored 27 seconds into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

Erik Cernak, Jake Guentzel and Conor Geekie also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves as Tampa Bay recorded at least 50 wins in a season for the fifth time in franchise history.

The Lightning are tied with Montreal for second place in the Atlantic Division. Each team has one game remaining.

Patrick Kane recorded his 1,400th career point for Detroit. Alex DeBrincat, David Perron and Marco Kasper scored for Detroit. Cam Talbot finished with 19 saves.

PANTHERS 3, RANGERS 2

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Cole Reinhardt scored his second goal of the game with 1:50 remaining and spoiled New York goaltender Jonathan Quick’s final NHL game as Florida beat the Rangers.

Quick, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, announced his retirement before Monday’s game after 19 seasons. He won the Cup twice in 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, and was part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2023 championship team.

Reinhardt broke a 2-all tie on Florida’s fourth shot of the third period, beating Quick on the glove side.

The Rangers, who have lost three straight, never led.

FLYERS 3, HURRICANES 2, SO

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyson Foerster scored the only goal in the shootout to send Philadelphia to a win over the Eastern Conference top seed Carolina and into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Flyerss goalie Dan Vladar stopped Carolina’s fourth shootout attempt and set off a wild celebration at the next. The Flyers skated to center ice and raised their sticks toward a packed and rowdy crowd that hasn’t enjoyed a home playoff series since 2018.

The Hurricanes got the point they needed to secure the top seed in the East.

STARS 6, MAPLE LEAFS 5

TORONTO (AP) — Mavrik Bourque had his first NHL hat trick and added an assist as Dallas rallied from a pair of deficits and beat Toronto.

Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist and Wyatt Johnston and Arttu Hyry also score for playoff-bound Dallas, which rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 5-3.

Casey DeSmith made 22 saves for the Stars, who are locked into the Central Division’s No. 2 seed. Matt Duchene had three assists.

William Nylander had a goal and two assists and Jacob Quillan netted his first NHL goal. John Tavares, Nick Robertson and Max Domi also scored for Toronto (32-35-14) in its final home game.

BLUES 6, WILD 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — (AP) — Theo Lindstein scored and St. Louis Blues overcame a two-goal deficit and beat Minnesota.

Lindstein scored on a backhand shot with 3:19 remaining in the second period to put the Blues up 4-3. Jonathan Drouin and Dalibor Dvorsky each had an assist on the goal.

Pavel Buchnevich scored the 200th goal of his NHL career and Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours, Otto Stenberg and Colton Parayko added goals for the Blues.

Parayko’s goal was his 81st and he moved into fourth in franchise history in goals by a Blues defenseman behind Al MacInnis (127), Alex Pietrangelo (109) and Chris Pronger (84). He moved out of a tie with Jeff Brown (80).

Nick Foligno, Michael McCarron and Danila Yurov scored for the Wild.

SHARKS 3, PREDATORS 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored twice in the third period, including an empty-netter with 1:45 remaining, to reach 44 goals on the season and San Jose beat Nashville to end a 15-game losing streak in the series.

With the Predators loss, the idle Anaheim Ducks clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.

Celebrini’s 30th multi-point game of the season moved him into a tie with Owen Nolan (1999-00) and Patrick Marleau (2009-10) for second-most by a Shark in a single season — only trailing Jonathan Cheechoo’s 56 in 2005-06.

Igor Chernyshov netted his third goal in the past two games on a power play to open the scoring for the Sharks.

Luke Evangelista scored both goals for the Predators to reach 12 on the season.

SABRES 5, BLACKHAWKS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Tage Thompson scored twice to reach 40 goals on the season, and Buffalo clinched the Atlantic Division title by defeating Chicago.

Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist as Buffalo (50-23-8) posted its fourth consecutive win. Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris also scored, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves.

Buffalo earned its first division title since the 2009-10 season and seventh overall. It reached 50 wins for the third time in franchise history, also accomplishing the feat in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

The Sabres were in the mix for the top spot in the Eastern Conference before Carolina secured the position by earning a point in a shootout loss at Philadelphia.

Ryan Greene scored for Chicago (28-39-14), and Spencer Knight made 21 saves. The last-place Blackhawks dropped to 7-17-7 in their last 31 games.

AVALANCHE 2, OILERS 1, SO

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout and Colorado beat Edmonton.

Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the NHL-best Avalanche, who have won three of four overall and seven straight road games.

Connor McDavid scored his 48th goal for the playoff-bound Oilers, who have lost four of five. Edmonton fell two points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division.

McDavid leads the league with 134 points and needs one more to become the seventh player in league history to reach 135 at least twice. The others are Wayne Gretzky (12 times), Mario Lemieux (five), Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Steve Yzerman.

Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for Colorado, and Edmonton’s Connor Ingram also stopped 30 shots.

KINGS 5, KRAKEN 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Quinton Byfield scored twice, Anton Forsberg made 28 saves and Los Angeles secured a playoff spot with a win over Seattle.

Trevor Moore, Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere also scored for the Kings, who won their fifth straight and are playoff-bound for the fifth consecutive season.

With two games left, Los Angeles is in position for the second Western Conference wild card and fourth in the Pacific Division, just two points behind second-place Edmonton. The Kings’ victory, combined with Nashville’s loss to San Jose earlier Monday night, wrapped up their playoff spot and eliminated both the Predators and the Sharks.

Adam Larsson, Frederick Gaudreau and Bobby McMann scored for Seattle, all in the third period. Nikke Kokko stopped 25 shots in his second career start. Matty Beniers had two assists.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 6, JETS 2

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone scored his fourth goal in three games and combined with Jack Eichel for seven points as the Golden Knights defeated Winnipeg to move Vegas closer to winning a fifth Pacific Division title in its nine seasons.

A victory over visiting Seattle in Wednesday night’s regular-season finale will give the Golden Knights the division title and home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs.

Eichel had a goal and three assists, and Stone added a goal and two assists.

Ivan Barbashev, Rasmus Andersson each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, and Reilly Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev each scored a goal. Dorofeyev’s extended his club record for power-play goals in a season to 20.

Noah Hanifin had two assists and Carter Hart finished with 21 saves.

Mark Scheifele recorded a goal and assist to set a Jets single-season scoring record with 101 points. Marian Hossa had 100 in the 2006-07 season.