The last time the Colorado Avalanche faced the Anaheim Ducks was on Jan 21, when they fell 2-1 in the shootout. Though no extra time was needed here, as despite a rough start to the game, it was Avalanche hockey all the way, just how they wanted it, and they continued their win streak with a 5-1 victory over the Ducks.

Period 1:

The action starts early for the Ducks as Beckett Sennecke, off a failed Brent Burns clear, gets an early chance, but Scott Wedgewood flashes the glove to make the early save. Both Ross Colton and Martin Necas get called for interference, but the Avalanche can kill off both penalties.

It would be Cale Makar to open the scoring. He wraps around the net, makes Lukas Dostal bite hard on a fake shot attempt, then sends a wrister that beats him glove side as he shimmies into the shooting lane, 1-0 after a rocky start.

🥬 pic.twitter.com/9lfv5swF7a

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 4, 2026

Jacob Trouba is called for tripping, and it's Martin Necas with a one-timer from the circle to make it 2-0. Brock Nelson set up Necas with a great diagonal pass when he was at the opposite circle. Despite a rough start to the first period, the Avalanche came out on top in shots, with them being 8-7 as period one came to an end.

Period 2:

Chris Krieder almost makes it 2-1 but is called for goaltender interference as he collides with Wedgewood in the blue paint. Wedgewood is a bit uncomfortable as the team's medical staff checks him, but he is fine and remains in the game.

Another issue with trying to clear the puck leads to Pavel Mintyukov setting up Cutter Gauthier for a one-timer from the circle, making it 2-1. Josh Manson is called for holding, but the Avalanche kills off the penalty. Parker Kelly does his best Necas impression as he finds some room and walks into a wrist shot from past the hashmarks to make it 3-1.

Period 3:

It was all Avalanche in the third period, controlling the pace to their style and limiting the Ducks on numerous chances and puck control. Landeskog makes it 4-1 when he receives a great pass from MacKinnon on the rush.

The pass from Nate 😱 The shot from Landy 😱 PERFECT. pic.twitter.com/8WV4QGFvOr

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 4, 2026

MacKinnon, with that assist, reaches the 100-point mark in 56 games and becomes the first player in Avalanche/Nordique history to reach 100 points before their 60th game of the season. Last done by Peter Statsny in 1981-82 (60GP)

Kelly doubles up in the game to make it 5-1 as he capitalizes on Dostal losing the puck and scrambling to reposition, leaving Kelly with a wide-open net with the pass coming from Jack Drury. With his second goal of the game, it is his second multi-goal game of the season. Brett Kulak was handed the secondary assist, and that is now his first point as an Avalanche.

Through his first 5 games with the Avalanche, Brett Kulak has not been on the ice for a single goal against at even strength and the Avs are controlling 58% of the shot attempts with him out there.

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) March 4, 2026

The Ducks manage to generate some chances, but Wedgewood has been great all night, and the Avalanche secure the 5-1 win over the Ducks, and with the win, they move to 91 points, the first team in the NHL to do so this season.

The Avalanche are back in action on Friday, March 6, against the Dallas Stars as they try to end their 11-game winning streak in a major divisional matchup.

Avalanche Positioned as Heavy Favorite for Nazem Kadri ReunionAccording to insiders, talks between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames are beginning to pick up steam.

The San Jose Sharks continued their homestand against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. With both teams fighting for a playoff spot in their respective conference, it was an important game all around. 

The Canadiens controlled the puck quite a bit in the opening minutes, forcing Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov to make a couple of saves. He couldn’t save them all, though, as 6:18 into the first period, Oliver Kapanen scored his 19th of the season and gave the visitors an early lead on their third shot of the night. Meanwhile, it took the Sharks nearly half of the first period to record their first shot on goal.   

Vincent Desharnais drew the first penalty of the night when Nick Suzuki was sent to the box for interference. While the Sharks got a couple of chances on the power play, nothing came of the man advantage.

With 4:28 remaining in the period, the Sharks were finally able to get on the board. Collin Graf scored his 16th of the season when he found himself in front of the net with quite a bit of space. Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini got the assists on the play.

Celebrini nearly gave the Sharks the lead moments later when he intercepted an errant pass and immediately fired the puck on net. Jakub Dobes was positioned perfectly, though, and made the save.

The Sharks were generating quality chances late in the period, but were unable to break through the Montreal defense. Eventually, the game would head into the first intermission, tied at a goal apiece.

Collin Graf tripped up Lane Hutson just over two minutes into the middle frame, giving Montreal their first power play opportunity of the night. When Montreal started to carry the puck into the offensive zone, the SAP Center crowd started a loud “Go Habs Go” chant, which was quickly drowned out by a chorus of boos from the Sharks faithful. 

The Sharks’ penalty kill was successful, but Phillip Danault scored shortly afterward to restore the Canadiens’ lead. Moments later, Askarov made a massive cross-crease save to deny Kapanen his second goal of the night, keeping it a one-goal hockey game.

Celebrini would get a hooking penalty 6:55 into the period, giving the Canadiens a prime opportunity to extend their lead. Askarov again denied what seemed like a sure-fire goal during the ensuing penalty kill, fully extending to make the save. The Sharks faced some heavy pressure, but once again, they killed off the penalty. 

Michael Misa continued his hot streak, scoring in his third straight game. Moments after the goal, Kapanen went to the penalty box for Montreal after he was called for slashing. The power play was short-lived, though, as Alexander Wennberg was penalized for taking down Jake Evans in the corner less than halfway through Kapanen’s penalty. 

Macklin Celebrini gave the Sharks their first lead of the night with a shot from inside the faceoff circle. The goal was Celebrini’s 30th of the season. Just 25 seconds later, Alexander Wennberg would make it 4-2. With the assist on Wennberg’s goal, Kiefer Sherwood recorded his first point as a member of the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks would go on to carry that lead into the second intermission. 

Early in the third period, two Canadiens were penalized for roughing, while Mario Ferraro was also sent to the box. Ultimately, the Sharks ended up with a power play.

Will Smith scored a power play goal three and a half minutes into the third period to make it 5-2 for the Sharks. Celebrini found him with a perfectly placed pass, and Smith was able to direct the puck past Dobes. As a result, all three members of the Sharks’ first line had scored.

Shortly after the goal, Vincent Desharnais was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking Kirby Dach. Montreal then got a power play goal of their own, as Ivan Demidov was able to beat his countryman Askarov, making it a 5-3 hockey game. 18 seconds later, Alex Newhook made it a one-goal game, and the Canadiens were right back in it.

The momentum had completely shifted in Montreal’s favor, and the Sharks were on their back foot. They had roughly 15 minutes remaining to maintain their lead, something that they’ve struggled with at times this season. Zach Ostapchuk created a quality scoring chance for himself just under 8 minutes into the third, but was denied by Dobes. 

Sam Dickinson hauled down Demidov with 11 minutes remaining, sending the Sharks back to the penalty kill at a crucial point in the game. The Canadiens took advantage of the man advantage, as Newhook netted his second of the night with two seconds remaining on Dickinson’s penalty. In under eight minutes, it had gone from a 5-2 Sharks lead, to a tied game. 

Adam Gaudette and Kirby Dach got offsetting penalties with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, resulting in some four-on-four hockey late in the game. Both penalties would expire without a goal being scored. 

With time running down, the Canadiens were penalized for too many men on the ice, giving the Sharks a chance to regain their lead. The Sharks went on to score on the power play, with Kiefer Sherwood scoring his first as a Shark. Adam Gaudette went on to score an empty-net goal, making it 7-5.

Despite heavy pressure by the Canadiens, Sherwood's goal would inevitably be the game-winner as the Sharks held onto the lead, winning 7-5.  They'll be back on the ice at the SAP Center on Friday, when they host the St. Louis Blues. 

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Nathan MacKinnon secured his fourth consecutive 100-point season with a third-period assist, and the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche snapped the Anaheim Ducks' five-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night.

Parker Kelly scored two goals and Scott Wedgewood made 27 saves for the Avs, who have won three straight and four of five since the Olympic break. Martin Necas got his 27th goal and Gabriel Landeskog also scored to complete Colorado's back-to-back sweep of the Southern California clubs.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 29th goal and Lukas Dostal stopped 21 shots for the Ducks, whose eight-game home winning streak since Jan. 2 also ended.

Anaheim would have moved into first place in the Pacific Division with a point, but the loss kept Vegas one point ahead. The Ducks are in a playoff race down the stretch for the first time since 2018.

After two fruitless Ducks power plays in the opening minutes, Makar put the Avs ahead from the slot with his 18th goal.

Necas added his seventh power-play goal of the season 2 1/2 minutes later, beating his Czech Olympic teammate with a high shot. The goal was just the second on the power play in the last 12 games for the Avalanche, who inexplicably have the NHL's worst man-advantage unit despite their overall excellence.

Gauthier hammered home a one-timer early in the second after a superb cross-ice pass from Jackson LaCombe, but Kelly got his 14th goal later in the period.

Landeskog then scored a goal in his second straight game, connecting early in the third on a one-timer from MacKinnon, who got his 59th assist to go with his NHL-leading 41 goals.

Up next

Avalanche: At Dallas on Friday night.

Ducks: Host New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

___

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

LOS ANGELES -- The New York Islanders are looking to push their win streak to five games when they battle the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday night. 

A win would be monumental for the Islanders in the standings, given what transpired on Tuesday night.  

With the Pittsburgh Penguins falling 2-1 to the Boston Bruins in regulation, an Islanders' win would have them ahead of Pittsburgh for sole posession of second place in the Metropolitan Division. 

Not only that, but a win would also widen the gap between New York and the Washington Capitals to seven points. The Capitals fell 3-2 to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday. 

The Islanders will have a game in hand on Washington after Wednesday's contest. 

The team to watch is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who, after beating the New York Rangers 5-4 in overtime and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, find themselves just five points back of the Islanders with a game in hand before Wednesday. 

The Islanders are looking to bolster their top-six ahead of Friday's 2026 NHL Trade deadline. They have had serious talks with the Vancouver Canucks regarding right winger Conor Garland. 

They are also believed to still be in talks with the St. Louis Blues regarding Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. 

Buckle up. 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl had two goals and three assists, Evan Bouchard scored on a power play at 1:50 of overtime and the Edmonton Oilers rallied to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-4 on Tuesday night.

With Brady Tkachuk in the penalty box for tackling Connor McDavid in overtime, Edmonton got it back to Bouchard and he blasted in his 18th of the season.

Zach Hyman tied it for the Oilers with 1:25 remaining in the third period with goalie Connor Ingram of for an extra attacker. Hyman tipped Draisaitl's pass under Linus Ullmark for his 25th goal of the season.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored and Ingram made 17 saves for the Oilers in their first home game in a month. They had lost five of their previous six.

Drake Batherson had two goals for the second consecutive game and Dylan Cozens and Michael Amadio also scored for Ottawa. The Senators are 6-1-2 in their last nine games.

Ullmark made 32 saves.

Up next

Senators: At Calgary on Thursday night.

Oilers: Host Carolina on Friday night.

___

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

The Ottawa Senators looked like they had a W in the bank on Tuesday night but the Edmonton Oilers had other ideas. Down 4-2 in the third, the Oilers blew past the Senators for a 5-4 overtime win.

With Brady Tkachuk off for pretty much tackling Connor McDavid to prevent an odd man rush in overtime, Evan Bouchard's one-timer from the top of the circle gave Edmonton the win.

Leon Draisaitl was in all the scoring with five points, two goals and three assists. His countryman Tim Stutzle was the best player for the Sens with two assists. Drake Batherson scored twice for the Sens, who were outshot 37-21. Linus Ullmark made 32 saves.

The two clubs traded a pair of goals each in a fast-paced first period. Dylan Cozens opened the scoring 3:34 into the game with a fierce wrist shot. But less than 90 seconds later, after Ullmark coughed up a puck that looked like he had smothered, Leon Draisaitl capitalized to tie the game.

Just over 90 seconds after that, Batherson restored Ottawa’s lead with a perfect wrist shot high to the glove side. However, the Oilers tied it again at the 16:48 mark on a bizarre play. Batherson tried to clear a loose puck out of harm’s way, but his attempt bounced off teammate Nick Jensen and into the Ottawa net. Draisaitl was credited with the goal.

Batherson quickly atoned early in the second period, scoring his second of the night on another excellent wrist shot at the 4:30 mark. Just 41 seconds later, after a wild goalmouth scramble, the puck squirted out to Jensen, who made a clever pass to Michael Amadio. His quick snapshot made it 4–2 Senators.

From there, as the Oilers pushed to get back into the game, the Senators seemed to sit back and not stick with what had made them successful.

In the first minute of the third period, Shane Pinto gift-wrapped an opportunity for the Oilers to climb back into the game when, completely unforced, he lobbed the puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty. The Oilers made them pay, cutting the lead to 4–3.

It initially appeared that Leon Draisaitl had deposited his hat-trick goal into an open net, but the puck actually caromed off the skate blade of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

In the dying moments, with the Oilers’ goalie pulled, Edmonton benefited from a very suspect icing call that should have been waved off. The faceoff came back into the Ottawa zone with tired Senators on the ice, and Zach Hyman scored the tying goal right in his office battling near the crease.

In three-on-three overtime, Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk failed to capitalize on a 2-on-1 rush and both were caught up ice. The Oilers broke out the other way and Tkachuk was called for holding on Connor McDavid. On the ensuing four-on-three power play, Evan Bouchard’s point shot beat Ullmark, who was caught deep in his net.

Losing the extra point was big because the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets both won their games on Tuesday night, leaving the Senators six points out of a wild card spot.

The Senators continue their road trip Thursday night when they visit the Calgary Flames.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Olympic golden goal-scorer Jack Hughes extended his points streak to four games since returning from Milan, and the New Jersey Devils dealt the Florida Panthers’ playoff hopes another blow by beating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Hughes’ shot that went wide banked right to Dougie Hamilton for his goal. Hughes has four assists — one in each game — since the NHL season resumed.

Hamilton, whose name has been involved in trade buzz for several months, also had an assist. It’s unclear if the Devils will be able to move the defenseman before the deadline Friday, given that Hamilton has two years remaining on his contract beyond this season at a $9 million salary cap hit and is owed a $7.4 million roster bonus on July 1.

If New Jersey, which looks out of the race, sells elsewhere, depth forward Cody Glass may have boosted his value by scoring his 14th goal of the season. Arseny Gritsyuk also scored, looking off Hughes on a 2 on 1 before beating Sergei Bobrovsky, who was excellent early and finished with 28 saves on 31 shots.

Florida is in danger of becoming the first Cup-winning team to miss the playoffs the following season since the Los Angeles Kings in 2014-15. The Panthers have lost three of four games since the Olympics ended, all of those coming in regulation.

MAMMOTH 3, CAPITALS 2

WASHINGTON (AP) — JJ Peterka scored in the second period on a bizarre bounce, and Utah beat Washington.

Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev scored for the Mammoth, who took an early 2-0 lead and held off the Capitals in a matchup of teams near the playoff cutoff lines. Utah entered the night tied with Edmonton for the top wild card in the Western Conference.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Ryan Leonard scored for Washington, which fell to four points behind Boston for the second wild card in the East. The Bruins also have three more games left than the Caps.

The Capitals have been hoping to add a forward before Friday’s trade deadline, and with Aliaksei Protas out for personal reasons Tuesday, they struggled to apply consistent pressure in the Utah zone until they were down two in the third. It’s not clear if Washington’s position in the standings — and losses to Montreal and the Mammoth in its last two games — will alter the team’s approach to the deadline.

SABRES 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored after being honored for helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal in hockey, and Buffalo won its fourth straight game by beating Vegas.

Owen Power and Jason Zucker also scored for the surging Sabres. Buffalo improved to 25-5-2 in its past 32, and its 35 wins through 61 games are the team’s most since having 41 over the same span in 2006-07.

Alex Lyon made 29 saves to improve to 13-2 in his past 15 starts.

Pavel Dorofeyev, with his team-leading 29th goal, and Ivan Barbashev scored and Vegas matched a season-low by losing three straight in regulation. The slumping Golden Knights also dropped to 4-8-2 in their past 14.

Akira Schmid stopped 25 shots.

BRUINS 2, PENGUINS 1

BOSTON (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored less than a minute apart early in the first period and Boston held on for a victory over Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson scored just 42 seconds into the game, but Khusnutdinov tied it at 1-1 when he snapped the puck high inside the far post past Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner for his 13th goal of the season at 5:10 of the first.

Mittelstadt added his 13th of the season 50 seconds later when he gathered in the rebound of Nikita Zadorov’s shot and fired past a diving Skinner and into an open net. Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.

Karlsson scored on the Penguins’ first shot on goal after the Bruins had two excellent scoring chances in the first few seconds requiring solid saves by Skinner. The Bruins challenged for goalie interference but the goal was upheld. Skinner finished with 26 saves.

BLUE JACKETS 3, PREDATORS 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Damon Severson broke a tie with a snap shot from the point through traffic at 6:07 of the third period and Columbus beat Nashville to open a four-game homestand.

Both teams played Monday night, with Columbus beating the Rangers 5-4 in overtime in New York, and Nashville falling 4-2 at home to Detroit.

Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan also scored for Columbus, with Monahan tying it at 2 at 1:52 of the third with a short-handed goal. He also had a short-handed goal Monday in New York.

Jet Greaves made 20 saves for Columbus in 51:44, missing an 8:16 stretch of the first period because of concussion protocol after Nick Blankenburg caught him with an elbow on the side of the head on a rush. Elvis Merzlikins stopped both shots on faced before Greaves returned.

Filip Forsberg had a power-play goal for Nashville, and Ryan O’Reilly was credited with a goal in the second that a Columbus player put in. O’Reilly was cut below the eye taking a faceoff midway through the third.

Justus Annunen stopped 24 shots for the Predators.

JETS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2, OT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored at 2:06 of overtime to lift Winnipeg to a victory over Chicago.

Cole Perfetti forced the extra frame for Winnipeg, tying the game 2-2 with just 38.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Dylan Samberg, who assisted on Scheifele’s winner, also scored in the first period for the Jets, who went to overtime for the fourth consecutive game.

Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Greene scored for Chicago. Connor Bedard picked up two assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the victory. Spencer Knight stopped 29 shots for the Blackhawks.

The Jets pulled Hellebuyck for the extra attacker and netted the equalizer when Perfetti buried the late chance. The goal validated a second-period line shuffle that had Perfetti placed on a line with Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi.

By forcing the extra frame, the Jets went to overtime for the fourth consecutive game. It was a crucial late push to grab two points as they kicked off a critical eight-game homestand.

STARS 6, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Sam Steel scored twice and added an assist and Dallas extended its franchise-record winning streak to 10 games with a romp over Calgary.

Jamie Benn, Mavrik Bourque, Nathan Bastian and Wyatt Johnston also scored to help Dallas improve to 38-14-9. Matt Duchene had four assists giving him a team-best 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) during the winning streak.

Steel and Duchene tied career highs for points in a game, and Steel tied a career high with 10 goals. He also had 10 times for Minnesota in 2022-23.

Casey DeSmith made 20 saves to improve to 13-4-5.

Flames starter Dustin Wolf was pulled after giving up four goals on 17 shots. Devin Cooley made 16 saves in relief.

After a dominant effort against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins travelled to Boston to take on the Bruins Tuesday night, a team they had lost three straight games to.

Unfortunately, they walked away with the same result. 

The Penguins struggled in the first period, and despite finding their game in the latter two periods, the Bruins bested them, 2-1. All three goals were scored in the first period of play, with Erik Karlsson opening the scoring for Pittsburgh just 42 seconds into the game and Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scoring both of Boston's goals by the six-minute mark of regulation. 

The rest of the game was a tight-checking goaltending battle, and Penguins' netminder Stuart Skinner was solid early on and throughout, stopping 26 of 29 Bruins' shots. However, Boston's Jeremy Swayman put on a stellar performance - especially in the third period, when the Penguins were piling on an onslaught - allowing just one goal on 35 shots. 

Even though they were completely out of sorts in the first period and were lucky to be down by only one, the Penguins really found their game in the second and third periods. It just wasn't enough, and they earned their fourth-straight loss against a Boston team that always seems to give them finishing fits.

NHL Jack Adams Award Rankings: Can Penguins' Dan Muse Beat Avalanche's Jared Bednar?Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has led our NHL Jack Adams Award rankings for most of the season. But Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Dan Muse leads the top challengers.

Here are a few notes and takeaways from this one:

- Swayman was brilliant in this game. He made some ridiculous saves in the final frame to preserve his team's lead, and he never lost his composure, even as the Penguins were very heavily pressuring. 

Skinner was good, too, especially on an opening sequence in which he was forced to make a few nice stops prior to Karlsson's goal. The two goals against were primarily a result of the Penguins' defense breaking down in front of him.

Gotta love a good goaltending battle, even if that comes at the expense of scoring.

Is It Worth It To Move Stuart Skinner Before Friday's NHL Trade Deadline? Stuart Skinner is out there in trade talks, but does it make sense to move him?

- There's no going around how sloppy the Penguins were early on, and I haven't seen them play that way since the holiday break. Their forwards were completely losing track of guys in the high-danger areas. The defensemen were caught puck-watching and with feet of stone. 

After Boston's second goal - which was just 50 seconds after the first - head coach Dan Muse used the Penguins' sole timeout. Whatever he said must have worked because the Penguins were buzzing for most of the rest of the game. 

But those first six minutes killed them. And I'm sure they'd want both plays back.

- On a positive note, Karlsson, the lone goal-scorer, was on a whole other level Tuesday. 

He finished with a team-high six shots and 16 shot attempts. He was generating offense at will, continuing his excellent work on the penalty kill, running a smooth power play, aiding the team in transition, and making a few key defensive plays throughout. 

Against pretty much any other team, Karlsson probably has about four goals. But he, like his teammates, simply couldn't crack Swayman as the game progressed and got better for him. 

Without Crosby, the Penguins will be relying on Karlsson to generate a lot of offense. I thought he was the game's best player, and it wasn't particularly close. 

6 Penguins' Storylines To Watch During Trade Deadline WeekEveryone's eyes will be on Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins leading up to the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 6.

- I continue to be a bit baffled by the Penguins' refusal to use Ben Kindel and/or Egor Chinakhov on their first power play unit and in six-on-five situations. 

Kindel was very good again on Tuesday, and he has, arguably, been their best player for the better part of this post-holiday run. If he hasn't been their very best player, he's certainly been their most consistent on a night-in, night-out basis. His vision and puck distribution skills - especially from down low - could be weapons in either situation.

And then there's Chinakhov. Here's a guy who has 10 goals in his last 21 games - and, indisputably, the best shot on the team - and he's not out there with the game on the line? Given Chinakhov's defensive play and puck skills with the Penguins, too, there's really no reason to exclude him in situations where the team needs to score a goal. 

Rickard Rakell is a good player. So is Anthony Mantha. So is Bryan Rust. But I'd swap out two of those three for the other two without hesitation on the power play and at least one of them during six-on-five. 

Penguins' Prospect Named AHL Player Of The MonthPittsburgh Penguins' prospect Ville Koivunen was given the AHL's top honors for the month of February and continues to impress at that level.

- Faceoffs are a legitimate problem for the Penguins right now, and it's especially hurting them on key offensive zone draws that require possession to be established.

The Penguins were just 16 of 48 (33 percent) on faceoffs Tuesday, and they've gone 68 of 207 for an abysmal faceoff win percentage of 32.9 percent. And, according to Penguins' historian Bob Grove, Sidney Crosby had taken a whopping 38.6 percent of all Penguins' faceoffs (1,171 of 3,030 this season before his injury.

The next closest player? Kindel, who had taken 428 going into Tuesday's game. 

Before being hurt, Sid had taken 38.6% of all Pens' faceoffs this season (1,171 of 3,030).

— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) March 4, 2026

- The NHL trade deadline is Friday, Mar. 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Crosby is injured, Blake Lizotte is day-to-day, and the injury statuses of Tristan Broz and Filip Hallander remian unclear at this point. 

The Penguins badly need a center, and the reality is that this season, they may have to seek options externally. This will definitely be a storyline to monitor this week. 

5 Centers Penguins Should Target In Trade MarketThe Pittsburgh Penguins, currently in playoff position and without Sidney Crosby, may look to add a viable center option at the NHL trade deadline.

- This is the time of year where scoreboard watching becomes a daily routine. 

The Washington Capitals lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime, 3-2. The Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Seattle Kraken Monday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2, and they are now just five points behind the Penguins.

It can't be stressed enough how important points are now. 

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

The Chicago Blackhawks closed out their four-game road trip with a visit to Jonathan Toews and the Winnipeg Jets. With a chance to make it a .500 trip, they knew they had an opportunity to win against a reeling Jets team. 

Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele made a brilliant play early to set up a goal scored by Dylan Samberg. His first of the season and 10th of his career was a snipe, but he was the beneficiary of the two superstars. 

From there, the Blackhawks started to take over the game with their pace, speed, and tenacity. With under two minutes remaining in the first period, the Blackhawks tied the game. 

Teuvo Teravainen stayed hot, as did the power play, as he scored his 13th of the season. It was a struggle to score power-play goals leading into the Olympic break, but they seem to have it worked out now. 

Nobody scored in the middle frame, but the Blackhawks mostly controlled play. Connor Hellebucyk looked like the goalie everyone knows him to be, which kept his team alive. 

Just 32 seconds into the third period, Ryan Greene scored to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. Connor Bedard collected his second assist of the game on this goal. Leading up to the goal, Greene was having a sensational game, and he eventually was rewarded for his efforts. It's nice to play with Connor Bedard, too. 

The Blackhawks played extremely well again to begin the third period. It looked like they'd add that third goal and skate out of Winnipeg with a win. Then, a switch flipped as the game came to a close. 

For the final half of the third, the Blackhawks became a shell of themselves. Winnipeg started to possess the puck and control play in their attacking zone. 

Eventually, and deservedly so, the Jets tied it up at 2. With Hellebucyk on the bench for the extra attacker, fresh off a timeout, Cole Perfetti scored with a perfect shot that beat Spencer Knight. 

In overtime, Mark Scheifele continued his Blackhawk domination with the game-winning goal at 2:06. That's now 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in his career against the Blackhawks, including three points on Tuesday. 

For the Hawks, they let a great road showing slip away in the final minutes of regulation and overtime. Coming out of the break, there was a lot of chatter about holding onto leads late, but that wasn't on display in this one. 

Every year, a young team is going to have a handful of losses that hurt more than others. This is one of them for the Blackhawks. After dominating for 50 minutes and having a late lead on the road, it was all for naught because they couldn't hold on for one more minute. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

take a look at the goal from 🇫🇮8️⃣6️⃣🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/nCBpEGHMu1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2026

light. it. 🆙 pic.twitter.com/HxRmLSzSdJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks will return home for the first time since the Olympics on Friday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center. 

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The New Jersey Devils may indeed be pulling out of the three-month slump that sank their season. Or the Devils’ very modest two-game winning streak might just be what it appears to be on its surface – a couple of wins over two teams that are somehow even worse off than the Devils. And make no mistake, that’s exactly what the Blues and Panthers are.

How bad of a season has it been for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs? Well, Florida was pretty stoked to get Tomas Nosek back in the lineup for the first time since last summer’s Cup-clincher. The Panthers were also thrilled to have Dmitry Kulikov in the lineup for just the fourth time this season.

Neither was much help against the Devils though.

New Jersey got goals from five different players and Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 of 21 Florida shots Tuesday night as the Devils put a major dent in Florida’s plans to defend its Cup with a 5-1 win over the Panthers at Prudential Center.

New Jersey went back over NHL .500 with the win. At 30-29-2 the Devils have 62 points and are 11 points back of the final wild card spot. Florida’s 63 points have them 10 back of Boston, which beat Pittsburgh Tuesday night, and the Panthers, or at least head coach Paul Maurice, seem to know that the end is near.

Down 3-1, Maurice was desperate enough he pulled goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with more than four minutes to play leading to empty netters by Dawson Mercer at 16 minutes, 23 seconds of the third and Simon Nemec at 19:20.

For just the third time in their last 10 games, the Devils scored the game’s first goal. Arseny Gritsyuk snapped a shot over Bobrovsky’s blocker at 12:10 of the opening period after Connor Brown sprung Gritsyuk and Jack Hughes on a two-on-one.

The Panthers evened it up on an Anton Lundell goal 2:27 later, but couldn’t make the Devils pay for a double minor taken by Brendan Dillon with less than a minute to play in the period. And when Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was called for hooking early in the second, it was the Devils who took advantage of the extra ice, getting a Dougie Hamilton goal while the teams skated four aside.

Cody Glass’ 14th goal of the year on a tip-in from just off the right post at 8:13 gave the Devils some breathing room.

Not that they’d need it.

Markstrom was solid for a second straight game, picking up second star honors in the win, and Mercer and Nemec buried the Panthers with empty netters in the game’s final minutes.

Up Next

No rest for the Devils, who take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 p.m., Wednesday, at Prudential Center in another nationally televised game, this one on Hulu. The Leafs (27-24-10) are just a couple of points ahead of the Devils, who are looking to win three in a row for the first time since the western Canada road trip in late January. Toronto lost to the Flyers on Monday and is just 3-6-1 in its last 10 games.

Your Thoughts

So the Devils are whatever. … It’s hard to read anything into these games from a Devils’ perspective, but wow was that a terrible showing from the Panthers. Soft. Gutless. It was a dead ringer for the kind of non-effort the Devils have been putting out since December when the ugly reality of how many teams they had to leapfrog became clear and they completely tuned out Sheldon Keefe. They’ll get a Leafs team in very similar straits to the Panthers Wednesday night, so they might be looking at three in a row. Then again, it’s a back-to-back, and we all know how good the Devils are on short rest. But if they somehow get a win then there’s a terrible Rangers team up next on Saturday. … Does anyone think these games count and they have a chance at making a run?

The Nashville Predators front office is staying busy, making their second trade of the night to send Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights for defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 3rd round draft pick. 

This is the second transaction the Predators have made on Tuesday night as they sent Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a 2028 2nd-round draft pick. 

The Predators now have nine picks in the 2028 NHL Draft: two in the second and third rounds, one in the first round, and rounds four through seven. 

"We're going to miss two great people," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said on McCarron and Smith getting traded. "Two big parts of our culture and what they bring every day. They're wonderful people and kind of like family. It's sad to see them go, but I'm hoping for the best. They both have a good opportunity to go on a long run.

"We're going to miss them. It's a sad day here today." 

Smith's trade was written on the walls as he played just three seconds in the Predators' 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, likely due to the trading rule. Smith was originally scratched alongside McCarron. 

The 30-year-old, 6-foot, 3-inch center signed with the Predators out of college in 2020 and has 271 games with the team. This season, Smith had 10 points (6G, 4A) in 41 games and 31 penalty minutes, skating on Nashville's fourth line. 

Nashville Predators Trade Michael McCarron To Wild For 2028 2nd Round PickPredators ship physicality to the Wild for future draft capital. McCarron's departure reshapes Nashville's roster and future plans.

He is in the final year of a 2-year, $2 millon contract and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. 

Sedoff, a 24-year-old, 6-foot, 2-inch defenseman, was signed by the Golden Knights to a  3-year, entry-level contract in 2023, worth $2.61 million, which will expire at the end of this season. 

Sedoff has yet to play an NHL game, spending three seasons with the Henderson Silver Knights. This season, in 38 games, Sedoff has no goals, four assists and 15 penalty minutes. 

This is the third transaction the Predators have made with the Golden Knights since July 2024, after signing Jonathan Marchessault and trading for Nic Hauge. 

The Predators have about $30 million in cap space at the deadline, with seven contracts expiring this offseason.

Michael Bunting, Erin Haula, Tyson Jost and Nick Blankenburg will all be unrestricted free agents.

Justin Barron and Zach L’Heureux will be restricted free agents.

After getting partially goalie’d on Saturday afternoon, the Bruins responded with a partial goalie’ing of their own on Tuesday.

Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves, including going 28-for-28 in the second and third periods, to help lead the Bruins to a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh at TD Garden.

All three goals in this game were scored within the first six minutes of the first period, with the Penguins outplaying the Bruins for large stretches in the latter half of the game.

Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored the Boston goals just 50 seconds apart in the first, turning what had been a 1-0 deficit less than a minute into the game into a 2-1 lead the B’s wouldn’t relinquish.

Erik Karlsson got the scoring started with a wrist shot through traffic to make it 1-0 Penguins.

Khusnutdinov took a great pass from Mikey Eyssimont and beat Stuart Skinner from the circle to make it a 1-1 game.

Less than a minute later, it was Mittelstadt cashing in on the rebound of a Nikita Zadorov shot to make it 2-1 Bruins.

After three goals in the first six minutes, you’d be forgiven for assuming this was going to be a 6-5 barn burner.

Instead, that was the last goal of the game, as the Bruins’ play tailed off a bit but Swayman stood tall to deny the Penguins.

2-1, Bruins win.

Game notes

• Karlsson’s goal actually came on Pittsburgh’s first shot of the game, meaning Swayman started the game 0-for-1 and finished it 34-for-34. Feast, famine, etc.
• Per the NESN broadcast, the Bruins are 6-0-2 in their last eight games following a loss. Tonight’s two points could prove to be big ones, as the Washington Capitals (four points behind the B’s) and Florida Panthers (ten points behind) both lost in regulation tonight.
• Khusnutdinov will get the accolades for the wicked shot to beat Skinner, but he also deserves credit for forcing a turnover along the goal line prior to the goal. Eyssimont’s thread-the-needle pass to find Khusnutdinov in a small space was a thing of beauty as well.
• Speaking of extra effort plays, Pavel Zacha deserves some credit as well. He earned a secondary assist on Mittelstadt’s goal, winning a one-on-one battle for the puck near the corner. Not exactly a “play that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet” since…well, the assist shows up on the scoresheet, but the extra effort to win the puck made the play possible.
• Mittelstadt also made a great extra effort play in the last minute of the game, as he lost his stick but managed to kick the puck out of the defensive zone while Pittsburgh had the goalie pulled.
• In his first appearance in nearly a month due to the Olympic break, Andrew Peeke played pretty well. The defenseman recorded 18:03 TOI, fourth-most among defensemen, and finished the night with two blocked shots and four hits.
• The win was the Bruins’ 11th in a row at TD Garden, their longest streak in four years.

The Bruins will have one more game prior to the NHL trade deadline: in Nashville on Thursday night, in what is a weird, one-game road trip for the B’s.

Will Dealin’ Don make a move by then?

Time will tell.

After taking a one-goal lead at the end of the second period, the Columbus Blue Jackets scored twice in the third to hand the Nashville Predators a third straight loss, 3-2, on Tuesday in Columbus. 

Nashville's front office was busy throughout the game as well, trading center Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a 2028 2nd-round pick.

Cole Smith, after originally being scratched, played just one shift for three seconds of ice time, signaling he may be traded next. 

Adam Fantilli opened the scoring in the game, capping off a tic-tac-toe play to make it 1-0.

In the final 28 seconds of the period, Filip Forsberg scored on the power play, poking a Steven Stamkos shot from the far right goal line. It was Forsberg's sixth power-play goal of the season and third point in four games. Stamkos also has three points in four games. 

Nashville Predators Trade Michael McCarron To Wild For 2028 2nd Round PickPredators ship physicality to the Wild for future draft capital. McCarron's departure reshapes Nashville's roster and future plans.

Ryan O'Reilly was credited with a Blue Jackets own goal in the second period as Ivan Provorov tried to move the puck off the goal line but ended up knocking it into the net. The conversion game gave the Predators their first and only lead of the night. 

On the penalty kill, Sean Monahan went on a 2-on-1 with Charlie Coyle and finished the play off on his own to tie the game up in the third period. This is the second straight game Nashville has given up a shorthanded goal on the rush. 

With six minutes left in the game, a shot from Damon Severson was tipped in by Coyle to give the Blue Jackets the game-winning goal. The goal was challenged for goaltender interference, but the challenge was unsuccessful. 

Since the end of January, the Predators have struggled, going 3-2-4 in their last nine games. 

Justus Annunen made 24 saves on 27 shots in the result.

Erik Haula briefly left the game in the second period after getting hit in the leg with the puck before returning later in the period. Ryan O'Reilly also suffered an eye injury in the third period and did not return to the game.

Nashville falls to 27-26-8. It will face the Boston Bruins at home on Thursday at 7 p.m. CST 

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Olympic golden goal-scorer Jack Hughes extended his points streak to four games since returning from Milan, and the New Jersey Devils dealt the Florida Panthers’ playoff hopes another blow by beating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Hughes’ shot that went wide banked right to Dougie Hamilton for his goal. Hughes has four assists — one in each game — since the NHL season resumed.

Hamilton, whose name has been involved in trade buzz for several months, also had an assist. It’s unclear if the Devils will be able to move the defenseman before the deadline Friday, given that Hamilton has two years remaining on his contract beyond this season at a $9 million salary cap hit and is owed a $7.4 million roster bonus on July 1.

If New Jersey, which looks out of the race, sells elsewhere, depth forward Cody Glass may have boosted his value by scoring his 14th goal of the season. Arseny Gritsyuk also scored, looking off Hughes on a 2 on 1 before beating Sergei Bobrovsky, who was excellent early and finished with 28 saves on 31 shots.

Florida is in danger of becoming the first Cup-winning team to miss the playoffs the following season since the Los Angeles Kings in 2014-15. The Panthers have lost three of four games since the Olympics ended, all of those coming in regulation.

Combined with Boston’s victory against Pittsburgh, Florida is 10 points back of the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with just 21 games left to play. Coach Paul Maurice said captain Aleksander Barkov, who’s recovering from tearing the ACL and medial collateral ligament in his right knee during training camp, is not expected back until at least late March.

Up next

Panthers: At Columbus on Thursday night.

Devils: Host Toronto on Wednesday night.

By now, Gabe Perreault agrees, the game has started to slow down for him.

He has skated in 27 games with the Rangers this season. He has collected 11 points, including a career-best three during their overtime loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday, and flashed the dynamic offensive skill set that defined the former first-round pick’s game with Boston College and AHL Hartford.

That latest sample — which fueled a four-goal comeback in the third period — served as the most recent glimpse of Perreault’s potential in his first extended NHL stint. Head coach Mike Sullivan said he bumped Perreault up to skate with Vincent Trocheck in overtime because of his performance, too.

And all of a sudden, in the middle of a lost season filled with constant shuffling, the Rangers finally have a prospect seemingly positioned to end their development woes.

“I wouldn’t say he’s the fastest or the strongest or the biggest, but he’s really quick to pucks and has a great stick and his hockey brain really helps him a lot — and he’s obviously got elite skill,” Rangers forward J.T. Miller, who skated alongside Perreault on the first line recently before landing on injured reserve Tuesday, said postgame Monday.

The lack of production from top Blueshirts draft picks — from Alexis Lafrenière and Brennan Othmann to the since-traded Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil — has spanned coaching staffs.

There have been spurts, with Lafrenière’s 2024 postseason being the most recent example before Perreault, but all, at some point, faded.

There was always a chance for Perreault to snap the drought. The last two months have only solidified that.

Perreault ripped a shot from the slot Monday to make it 4-2, and then he tied the game later in the third period by skating toward the right side of the net and lifting a shot past Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.

Both instances captured Perreault hanging onto pucks longer or taking shots himself, and he finished with a career-best six shots on goal against Columbus, according to Hockey Reference.

He also became the first Rangers rookie 20 years old or younger to have a three-point period since Alex Kovalev in December 1993, according to the team, and Perreault became the ninth rookie in the NHL this season to have at least two multigoal games.

That, in the short-term, meant the Rangers had a top line capable of producing like one with the addition of Perreault, though shuffling will follow after Miller’s upper-body injury.

And, in the long-term, Perreault has kept delivering reminders that he has as good of a chance as anyone to become the prospect that sticks.

“I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of chances these last couple games,” Perreault said Monday, “and it feels good to get a couple go in.”

The Rangers recalled forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Parssinen from Hartford, while forward Brendan Brisson and defenseman Scott Morrow were assigned to the Wolf Pack.