On Tuesday night at the Bell Center in Montreal, not long before 10 pm local time, whatever remained of the Detroit Red Wings' playoff aspirations shriveled in upon itself in a 4–1 loss to the Canadiens. 

A game the Red Wings dominated for long stretches, a game contested much closer than the final score suggested, but ultimately a game from which one possible outcome—regulation victory—could provide any reasonable foundation from which Detroit could built to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The mathematical probability of securing that berth hasn't yet sunk to zero, but the Red Wings trail Montreal by eight points with five games to play, and at the end of a playoff push that's felt more like a slow death, Detroit appears to have at last squandered its last opportunity to pull within striking distance of the cut line.

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From a Red Wings perspective, there is no shortage of reasons for Tuesday's loss to sting.  To begin with, there is the macro: (all but certainly) a ninth straight season without qualifying for the playoffs, extending the longest such streak in franchise history and second longest active streak around the NHL.  Then there is the opponent and the biting frustration at being leap-frogged in the Atlantic Division queue by a Canadiens team in the bottoming out stage of rebuilding than Detroit was.

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Then, considering just the game itself, the Red Wings could rightly return to their locker room at the end of the night with an agonizing sense that the evening's game was there to be won, theirs to win.

In the first, Detroit outshot the Habs 23–4 in one of its most dominant periods of the season.  Thanks to a canny Patrick Kane set up for Dylan Larkin at the back door, the Red Wings had a lead, but they managed just the one goal despite the offensive volume.

Montreal evened the score with three and a half minutes to play in the second.  At the end of an extended Canadiens stay in the Detroit end of the rink, Habs defenseman Mike Matheson fired a puck to the net, where Cam Talbot was unable to squeeze it and Cole Caufield won the battle for the rebound, which he tucked home.

Moments later, the Red Wings had a glorious chance to re-take their lead, when an aggressive carom off the end boards left J.T. Compher with a wide open net.  With Montreal defenseman Guhle bearing down, attempting to swat the puck to safety, Compher sailed his shot over the cage, leaving the score tied.

After Detroit had dominated the first and controlled most of the second, the Habs—who'd managed to hold level at 1–1 through two—prevailed in the decisive third period.  That period saw some of Talbot's best saves as a Red Wing, including a brilliant technical stop with his glove to deny Josh Anderson at point blank range, but Montreal outshot its guests 10–4 and scored once to take the lead then twice into an empty net to run away with a 4–1 win.

Not long after Talbot's excellent denial, Anderson scored what would prove the game-winner.  First Brenden Gallagher beat out an icing to win the Canadiens possession deep in the offensive zone and initiating the cycle.  In the battle for the puck behind Talbot's net, Albert Johansson lost his helmet.  By rule, because he was not directly involved in the play (or at least he judged himself not to be, such that he feared playing on would draw a penalty), Johansson had to gather the helmet and return it to his head before playing on.  As he did so, Anderson found himself wide open a pocket ice of just beyond Talbot's crease, and this time he left the goaltender no choice.

The two empty net goals made the final result more lopsided than the game played out, but in truth, Detroit's season was over as soon as it had to chase the game at six-on-five in the first place.  To make up meaningful ground in the wild card race, the Red Wings really needed not just a victory but a regulation victory.

But that distinction proved moot.  Montreal claimed regulation victory, and the Red Wings are left to stare into the precipice of a ninth straight playoff miss after losing what was undeniably the biggest game of the year.  Detroit has five games left.  It can win those and hope.

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Despite a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators' eight-year playoff drought—the third longest in the NHL—has finally come to an end.

The Senators backed into the postseason, earning their "X" in the standings after the Detroit Red Wings lost 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. The Wings outshot the Habs 23-4 in the first period.

That result means the Senators clinch at least the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Until tonight, the Red Wings were the only current non-playoff team in the East still capable (barely) of catching Ottawa.

While the Senators' three-game win streak was halted, there was one bright spot in Columbus: Fabian Zetterlund scored his first goal as a Senator. Since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline, Zetterlund had no goals and two assists in 15 games.

With the Sens down 2-0 in the second period, the big Swede finally caught a bit of luck. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins couldn’t control the rebound after a point shot from Claude Giroux, and Zetterlund was able to tuck the puck into an empty net.

That gave the Senators some hope with under four minutes left in the second period, but it was quickly extinguished with just 22 seconds remaining in the middle frame when Mathieu Olivier deflected a shot in off his skate. That seemed to be the backbreaker. 

Olivier, Kent Johnson, and Justin Danforth each registered two points for the Blue Jackets. The shot count was dead even at 35, but Merzlikins outperformed Anton Forsberg on this night.

Thomas Chabot led the Ottawa offence with a goal and an assist in his 509th game with the club. He debuted with the Sens in the 2016-17 season – the year the Sens last went to the playoffs. So Chabot has been through every bit of the losing and frustration of the past eight years. The 28-year-old said you'll rarely ever catch him smiling after a loss, but Tuesday night felt great.

"It definitely does," Chabot told TSN 1200's Gord Wilson. "From top to bottom, I think everybody just took a huge step this year. Everybody did whatever they could every single night to get into the playoffs. And obviously, now that it's confirmed, we've still got some games to play, but I think the entire group is just freaking fired up. We're just excited to get in. We can't wait to go at it."

The Canadiens’ sixth consecutive win had major playoff implications for the Senators, both good and bad. On the one hand, as mentioned, it vaulted the Sens officially into the playoffs, but that wasn't really in doubt – it was almost certainly going to happen shortly, one way or the other.

But the victory also left Montreal just three points behind Ottawa for the top wild-card spot. Things could still change, but based on the current standings, the top wild card team would get the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one. The second wild card team will almost certainly face the Washington Capitals.

The Senators and Canadiens each have only four games remaining in the regular season, and they'll go head-to-head at the Canadian Tire Centre this Friday night.

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On Sunday night, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 at the United Center. They put together a strong 60 minute in order to secure the victory. It included holding onto a one goal third period lead and throwing one into the empty net.

On Tuesday night, the Blackhawks looked to sweep the home & home with the Penguins as they took their annual trip to the PPG Paints Arena. Unfortunately, things did not go Chicago’s way this time. 

Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Kevin Hayes were the goal scorers (Hayes had two) en route to a 5-0 victory. Tristan Jarry blanked the Blackhawks for his second shutout of the season. 

Spencer Knight has had some up and down moments in his Blackhawks tenure. This was more of a down as he allowed 5 goals on 27 shots, but the team didn’t do him any favors defensively. 

Early in the game, it looked like the Blackhawks were going to be able to outskate the Penguins for the second game in a row, but things got out of hand quickly. That happens with young teams like the Blackhawks. 

This is only the second time in 2024-25, if you can believe it, that the Blackhawks were shut out. They are not a winning team, but they haven't had much of a problem finding the net at least once per game. Jarry, who has had a trying year for Pittsburgh, found a way to shut the door in this one. 

Over their last four games, the Hawks faced all-time great superstars like Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Alexander Ovechkin. They didn't do a ton of winning throughout that stretch but the young guys were able to see first-hand how those guys play. 

Now, the East Coast road swing will continue with a game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Boston isn't a great team anymore but they will still present a solid challenge for this Blackhawks group trying to develop over the final four games. 

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

On a night that could have ended in celebration and securing a playoff spot, the New Jersey Devils skated off the ice frustrated and on the losing end of a 7-2 score. The team remains one point shy of punching their ticket to the postseason. 

The Boston Bruins dominated New Jersey, earning two points after 60 minutes. Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier were New Jersey's lone goal scorers. Their goals were 19 seconds apart. 

The Bruins capitalized on a Jesper Bratt turnover at the Devils blue line at the 9:38 mark of the first period. David Pastrnak scored his 41st goal of the season to open the scoring. The 28-year-old has factored in 12 straight Bruins goals (six goals, six assists) dating to Apr. 1 for the most in Boston history.

Michael Callahan extended the Bruins lead to 2-0 in the final seconds of the opening frame. It was the 25-year-old's first career NHL goal. Pastrnak collected an assist and his second point of the night. 

Jakub Lauko gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead early in the second period. It was his fourth goal of the 2024-25 campaign. 

Noesen beat opposing goaltender Jeremy Swayman on a delayed penalty at the 13:51 mark of the middle frame. Daniel Sprong picked up his first point as a Devil, earning the primary assist. Nico Hischier extended his point streak to four games with his secondary assist.  

Seconds later, Meier scored his 25th goal of the season, bringing New Jersey within one. Erik Haula picked up the lone helper. It was the perfect example of good things happening when you get pucks on net. 

The Devils gave up a goal with 52.9 seconds remaining. Casey Mittelstadt fired the puck toward Markstrom near the Devils' blue line. The puck hit Seamus Casey's stick and deflected past New Jersey's goaltender. 

The Bruins held a 4-2 lead over the Devils going into the second intermission. 

Morgan Geekie's 30th goal of the season gave the Bruins a 5-2 lead. The Devils had an inexcusable defensive zone breakdown, leaving the 26-year-old alone in front of Markstrom. Two minutes later, Fraser Minten gave Boston a 6-2 lead. 

After Cole Koepke scored for a 7-2 score, Keefe replaced Markstrom with Jake Allen. The former faced 23 shots and made 16 saves. The latter saved both shots faced. 

The Devils will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at Prudential Center. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — David Pastrnak scored and added two assists to reach the 100-point mark and Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves as the Boston Bruins routed the New Jersey Devils 7-2 on Tuesday night.

Michael Callahan, Jakub Lauko, Casey Mittelstadt, Morgan Geekie, Fraser Minten and Cole Koepke also scored for the Bruins, who won for only the second time in their last 13 games.

Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier scored for New Jersey, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Pastrnak opened the scoring at 9:38 of the first, beating Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom for his team-leading 41st goal.

Callahan made it 2-0 with his first NHL goal at 19:24 of the first. Lauko increased the lead at 1:45 of the second.

Noesen broke through for the Devils at 13:51 with his 21st goal. Meier scored his 25th just 19 seconds later.

Geekie added his 30th at 4:58 of the third, followed by Minten’s third at 6:55 and Koepke’s 10th at 10:50.

The seven goals were the most scored by Boston in a game this season.

Markstrom allowed seven goals on 23 shots before he was replaced by Jake Allen midway through the third.

Takeaways

Devils: Still need one point to clinch a postseason spot for the second time in three seasons.

Bruins: Won on the road for the first time since March 8. Boston is 12-25-3 in away games this season.

Key moment

Mittelstadt’s goal with 53 seconds left in the second gave Boston a two-goal cushion heading into the third period. Boston would score three more times in the final period.

Key stat

By scoring Boston’s first goal and assisting on the second, the 28-year-old Pastrnak factored in 13 straight Bruins goals dating to April 1 with six goals and seven assists during the streak. He reached the 100-point mark for the third straight season.

Up next

Devils: Hosting Pittsburgh on Friday.

Bruins: Hosting Chicago on Thursday.

New York Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom has his first 20-goal season of his career.

The 23-year-old recorded his 19th and 20th goals of the season Tuesday night in Nashville.

His first goal opened the game's scoring when he received a slick feed from Ryan Pulock before beating Juuse Saros at 4:16 of the first period:

Simon says 1-0 #Islespic.twitter.com/3IexyFqRAs

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) April 9, 2025

With the game tied at 2-2 following the opening frame, Holmstrom beat Saros' blocker with a shot from above the crease at 4:36 of the second period:

Holmstrom a 20-goal scorer for the first time in his #NHL career.

3-2 #Islespic.twitter.com/jSGFYfRFDO

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) April 9, 2025

Holmstrom also extended his career high in points (42).

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It has been a season full of milestones for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and one of their future hall-of-famers racked up yet another.

With a second-period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Erik Karlsson became just the second Swedish-born defenseman in NHL history - the other being Detroit Red Wings all-time great Nicklas Lidstrom - to score 200 goals.

Penguins Crosby Came Within A Game Of Establishing New NHL RecordPittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was held pointless in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, ending his 12-game point streak, where he had 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points. 

He is also just the 24th defenseman overall to register 200, and he needs just four more goals to surpass Gary Suter for 23rd on the all-time list.

Karlsson has 11 goals and 53 points in 78 games for the Penguins this season, and his 870 career points are good enough for 15th all-time among blueliners.

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The Nashville Predators (27-42-8, 62 points) look to avoid a seventh straight loss when they host the New York Islanders (36-34-7, 78 points) Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

Nashville is coming off a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, while the Islanders' last game was a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals that saw Alexander Ovechkin score his 895th career goal to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL record.

How the Predators Lined Up vs. New York

Bunting-O'Reilly-Evangelista
Forsberg-Stamkos-L'Heureux
Vrana-Svechkov-Marchessault
Smith-McCarron-Wood

Skjei-Blankenburg
Del Gaizo-Barron
Englund-Oesterle

Annunen
Saros

Extra: Sissons (WTW)
IR: Lauzon, Wilsby, Josi

Jonathan Marchessault, who missed Nashville's last four games with an upper-body injury, returns to the lineup against the Islanders.

Matthew Wood, the Predators' first-round pick (No. 15 overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, will appear in his second NHL game after making his debut with Nashville Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Predators announced prior to Tuesday's game that forward Kieffer Bellows and defenseman Spencer Stastney had been reassigned to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals.

Predators vs. Islanders: Live Updates

First Period (NSH 2, NYI 2)

The Islanders took an early 1-0 lead when Simon Holmstrom deflected a Ryan Pulock shot from the top of the right circle past Justus Annunen at the 4:16 mark.

Ryan O'Reilly cleaned up a rebound on a Michael Bunting shot in front of the Islanders' net for a quick Nashville response at the 6:44 mark to tie the game at 1-1.

Saw his shot & took it 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/v17VTN6RJZ

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 9, 2025

O'Reilly's goal was his 18th of the season and the 300th of his career. 

Filip Forsberg gave the Predators their first lead of the game five minutes later with his 30th goal of the season – an unassisted shot from the top of the left circle at the 11:45 mark.

The tally gave Forsberg the fifth 30-goal season of his career, the most by a single player in franchise history. 

That's 30 for Filip Forsberg 😌 pic.twitter.com/b5N93GzsMO

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 9, 2025

Bo Horvat deflected an Adam Pelech shot past Annunen to tie it up for the Islanders at the 16:12 mark.

The Predators and Islanders carried a 2-2 tie into the first intermission, with the shots 12-8 in favor of Nashville.

Second Period (NSH 4, NYI 4)

New York retook the lead on Holmstrom's second goal of the night early in the second period. Holmstrom received a pass in front of the net from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and roofed a shot that beat Annunen to put the Islanders on top, 3-2.

Nashville once again had the answer, this time on the power play. A Tony DeAngelo holding penalty gave the Predators their first chance on the man advantage, and Steven Stamkos made it count with a clapper from the top of the left circle to tie the game at 3-3.

It's Stammertime 7️⃣ seconds into the power play pic.twitter.com/Lwyd58FPrA

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 9, 2025

New York took the lead once again at the 12:09 mark of the second period when Maxim Tsyplakov lifted the puck over Annunen's left shoulder to give the Islanders their fourth goal on 10 shots.

It took just over a minute for the Predators to tie it back up, as Michael McCarron deflected a Brady Skjei shot and punched in his own rebound at the 13:25 mark of the period to make it 4-4.

*Scores off his own rebound* pic.twitter.com/Y3hHEnGjGw

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 9, 2025

Third Period (NSH 4, NYI 4)

Marcus Hogberg replaced Ilya Sorokin in goal for the Islanders at the start of the third period.

As has been the case for much of the season, Pittsburgh Penguins players keep dropping like flies.

And yet another injury has forced their hand for a call-up situation.

With forwards Philip Tomasino (concussion) and Blake Lizotte (lower-body injury) both out of the lineup for Tuesday's rematch tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Penguins recalled forward Matt Nieto from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) on an emergency basis.

Nieto - who was waived by Pittsburgh on Feb. 26 and subsequently re-assigned to WBS - has a goal and three points with the Penguins this season. In 15 games with WBS, he has three goals and seven points. He skated with fourth line during the morning skate Tuesday alongside Joona Koppanen and Noel Acciari. 

Penguins Eliminated From Playoff Contention In 3-1 Loss To Blackhawks Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they will be hitting the links early for the third consecutive season.

"He's a great pro," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "A terrific person, a great pro. He understands that he has a professionalism about him. He's been around the game a long time. He understands that he brings the right intentions, the right effort, the right energy, whether he's here or he's in Wilkes-Barre. He's handled it extremely well."

He will try to help the Penguins get revenge on Chicago from Sunday's 3-1 loss, which officially eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The team knows they need much more energy from the jump if they are going to come out on top in this one.

"We didn't have our best game when we played them last time," forward Rickard Rakell said. "Fortunately, we have the chance to redeem ourselves tonight, and that should just be enough motivation for us to put a better game on the ice."

He also acknowledged the mindset that the group needs to have the rest of the way, given the fact that they are officially out of the race.

"We play for each other," Rakell said. "You're in this organization, and you've got to play with some pride... just do everything you can to play your best game every night."

Tristan Jarry will get the start in goal Tuesday, as Alex Nedeljkovic faced Chicago Sunday and turned in a pretty good effort, stopping 28 of 30 shots faced. In his last start, Jarry stopped 21 of 24 shots in a 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars, and he's 5-3-2 in his last 10 games. 

Crosby's Hat Trick Powers Penguins 5-3 Win Over StarsThere is a certain NHL winger about to break Wayne Gretzky's goal record who is - rightfully - garnering a ton of attention across the league.

Here is the rest of the starting lineup for the Penguins:

Rutger McGroarty - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Rickard Rakell - Evgeni Malkin - Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar - Kevin Hayes - Danton Heinen
Matt Nieto - Joona Koppanen - Noel Acciari

Matt Grzelcyk - Kris Letang
Conor Timmins - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves - Ryan Shea

Entering Tuesday's game, Rakell and Rust are both sitting on career-highs in goals, with 34 and 28, respectively. Sidney Crosby is also riding a 13-game home point streak, which is the second-longest active such streak in the NHL.

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The defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers are resting some veteran players despite falling behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Panthers, which lost their last five games, are six points behind the Atlantic Division-leading Maple Leafs and four behind the Lightning. The Ottawa Senators, which sit in the first wild-card spot, are only two points behind Florida.

This has all led to the suggestion that the Panthers would be better off sinking in the Atlantic to set up a first-round series with the Maple Leafs instead of facing the Lightning, which won Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and improved from last season.

From this writer’s perspective, we think that’s inaccurate and disrespectful to a Maple Leafs team currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the NHL.

Yes, the Maple Leafs have a pattern of early exits in the playoffs. A similar thing can be said about the Colorado Avalanche, which didn’t make it out of the second round in 10 post-seasons between 2002-03 and 2020-21 before they won a Cup in 2021-22. The Leafs, meanwhile, are at 11 straight post-seasons without a Conference final appearance.

Eventually, many teams figure out how to win in the post-season. This year's Leafs could well be one of those teams.

Let’s remember, the Maple Leafs have two above-average goalies in Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, the best defense corps in recent franchise history, a “Core Four” of star forwards that remains very dangerous and a Cup-winning coach in Craig Berube. 

Of course, like every team, the Leafs are flawed, but assuming they will fall on their face again is ill-advised. The stakes are sky-high for Toronto, but that pressure could power them to finally produce a lengthy playoff run this year.

Even with the Panthers’ injuries factored in, the way they’re playing right now – going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and 4-8-1 since March 8 – makes us think some teams should hope they avoid the Leafs and instead play the Panthers when the playoffs kick off. It's not easy to just flip a switch when the post-season begins, and we think Florida could be in trouble if and when they get back to full strength.

As for the Maple Leafs, if they face the Senators or Montreal Canadiens in the first round, they should and will be favored to win that series. 

Toronto isn’t a lock to go far this year, but the notion that teams should be maneuvering to set up a series against the Leafs is bordering on preposterous. The Leafs are a very good team with something to prove – and anyone betting against them is playing with Blue and White fire.

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The Philadelphia Flyers cut and subsequently assigned Olle Lycksell to the AHL after he cleared waivers Tuesday, officially ending his time in the NHL this season.

Because the Flyers already used their fourth and final post-trade deadline call-up on rookie goalie Aleksei Kolosov, Lycksell, 25, cannot return to the NHL this season barring an injury that creates an "emergency" situation that prevents the Flyers from dressing 12 forwards.

Lycksell hadn't played for the Flyers since featuring in a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on March 31 despite having assists in each of the two games prior to that.

But, as a pending free agent and a "prospect" who turns 26 years old before the start of next season, Lycksell was running out of time.

His most recent stint with the Flyers was an audition, either for the Flyers themselves or for other NHL teams, and the Flyers have decided to cut that short despite there being just five games remaining and being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

This fate was not for a lack of opportunity, either, as Lycksell played up and down the lineup in various roles and situations.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers' most common line combinations including Lycksell at 5-on-5 were the following:

Olle Lycksell, Sean Couturier, and Matvei Michkov; Nick Deslauriers, Rodrigo Abols, and Olle Lycksell, and Olle Lycksell, Ryan Poehling, and Bobby Brink.

The line with Couturier and Michkov did not produce a single goal and was not on the ice for a goal against in 32:02 together, but the line with Deslauriers and Abols was out-attempted 27-25, out-scored 3-1, and out-chanced 17-13.

Curiously, the line with Lycksell, Poehling, and Brink was the best of the three, out-attempting opponents 18-15, out-scoring opponents 2-0, and narrowly out-chancing opponents 8-7.

It is worth noting, of course, that Poehling has five goals and seven points in his last five games and seven goals and 10 points in his last 10 games.

The 26-year-old former first-round pick is arguably the hottest player on the Flyers since the middle of March.

In respect to their similar ages, the difference between Lycksell and Poehling is ultimately that former first-round picks have to prove they can't play, while later draft picks like Lycksell have to prove that they can.

Based on this latest roster move, Lycksell has not proved to the Flyers that he can, at least consistently enough, leading to what could very well be the end of his Flyers career.

From the Flyers' perspective, it might make sense to offer Lycksell a contract in free agency and keep him around as a prospective 13th or 14th forward whom they can depend on in a pinch, particularly in case of injury.

From Lycksell's perspective, if the Swede is determined to make the NHL permanently, he could find a better opportunity to do so elsewhere.

The Flyers' top-nine is already stocked with players like Michkov, Brink, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, and Travis Konecny, leaving little opportunity to carve out a role other than one as a fourth-line grinder.

Standing at just 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, the odds are against Lycksell making a career out of such a role, especially this late in his development.

The good news is that, in the interim, Lycksell will join a Lehigh Valley Phantoms team that just clinched its third playoff berth in as many years.

With 17 goals and 41 points in 40 games with the Phantoms this season, Lycksell is the AHL club's leading scorer and ranks third on the team in goals, trailing only Jacob Gaucher and Alexis Gendron, who have scored 20 times apiece.

A strong Calder Cup playoff campaign could go a long way for Lycksell, who will be a Group-6 unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He'll be free to stay with the Flyers, if he wants, or choose another team, on Day 1 of free agency on July 1.

Ivan Demidov has had a busy day. A few hours (if that) after reaching an agreement with his former team, SKA St. Petersburg, to part ways before the end of his contract on May 31, the right winger signed his ELC with the Montreal Canadiens.

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Unlike Tyler Thorpe and Jacob Fowler, the Russian wonder’s ELC starts this season, meaning he’ll burn his first year. However, you won’t see anyone complain about that in town, as the city is already abuzz with the news of his signing, and everyone is eager to find out when he’ll play his first game with the Sainte-Flanelle.

Media members tried to get a press availability with Kent Hughes before the game against the Detroit Red Wings. Still, the Canadiens’ communication department replied that the GM and Jeff Gorton were working on all the details to bring Demidov over.

However, word to the wise: Hughes will be interviewed on TSN during the first intermission, an appearance that has been planned for weeks. Talk about great timing for the network. We are still awaiting confirmation of when the GM will be available for a full press conference.

i🆅an de🆆idov#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/h2qqbVBxUY

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 8, 2025

There’s no word yet about Demidov's timeline for joining the team or indication about when he’ll play his first game, but in an exclusive interview with RG.org, he said he will most likely have time to play in the regular season. Understandably, he also added that his goal was to adapt to this new style of hockey as soon as possible and show what he could do.

The three-year pact has a $941,000 cap hit and a value of 2.82 M. As expected, there is a signing bonus for each year and performance bonuses he can also hit. As I said earlier this week, the future is now Habs fans, so enjoy it!

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The Maple Leafs have four games in the next six nights, against the Panthers, Lightning, Canadiens, and Hurricanes.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to get as much rest as possible before the playoffs begin.

After having the day off on Sunday, the team opted for an optional practice on Monday. Several players got onto the ice and worked with Toronto's development staff, including injured players David Kampf and Jake McCabe.

The two won't be available for the pair of games in Florida. Kampf and McCabe's status beyond the back-to-back games is undetermined.

Having an optional skate allowed players to either step on the ice and feel the puck for a bit or remain off the ice and get some rest. It was a chance for the team to get a reset before entering the final stretch of their schedule.

"We got two sets of back-to-backs coming up here, starting tonight, and one on the weekend, so it’s a lot of hockey," Maple Leafs head coach Berube said. "Rest is important, and that’s one way we could do it."

One player, however, who is usually on the ice for long stretches after practices but wasn't skating on Monday, was John Tavares.

He took advantage of the day off to work on areas of his game away from the ice.

"I think you look at the big picture and the small picture, and you try to balance both," Tavares said on Tuesday, ahead of their game against the Florida Panthers.

"No doubt with the travel coming here, the back-to-back games we have in front of us, and then what’s coming on the weekend, and too, the last week next week, I felt personally it was just a good time to take the extra day, do some things off the ice."

‘I Want To Keep Everything Internal’: Why Maple Leafs' Steven Lorentz Didn’t Visit His Former Panthers Teammates In Return To FloridaToronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz is drawing the line in the sand ahead of the club’s clash with the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. 

Toronto has six games remaining in the regular season. Four matchups are on the first or second half of a back-to-back, and five of the six teams are divisional opponents. The playoffs begin on April 19, and their first-round opponent is still in the balance.

These final games are crucial for deciding who they get in the opening round and whether they secure home-ice advantage.

If the post-season began today, Toronto would play the Ottawa Senators in the first round. However, they're two points back from the Panthers for third in the Atlantic division. As of now, whoever finishes in the first wild-card spot faces the Maple Leafs.

"I think we've been playing meaningful games for quite some time now," Berube added. "Going into tonight, it's another meaningful game, and the next day. Those are important, in my opinion, going into the playoffs."

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