Category: Ice Hockey

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.    

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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.

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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.

Tristate hockey fans are in for an early transition to baseball this summer. 

For the first time in NHL history, the Rangers, Islanders and Devils have all failed to qualify for the playoffs in the same year. Since the Devils entered the league in 1982, at least one of the three local teams has participated in each postseason. 

The Rangers were not just the first of the three to be eliminated, but they were the second team in the NHL to be mathematically ruled out. It came swiftly with a 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on March 25. 

Though the Blueshirts season has essentially been over since even before president and general manager Chris Drury announced his retooling plans Jan. 16. 

Last week, the Devils followed suit and were eliminated following a 5-1 loss to the Flyers.

New Jersey’s 8-1 start to the season quickly fizzled out. The oft-injured Jack Hughes missed significant time, during which his team could not overcome the loss. That included a freak injury at a team dinner, where Hughes sliced his hand and required surgery. 

Injuries to other key players prevented the lineup from ever reaching full strength. 

Goaltending continues to hold the organization back. Among NHL goalies who made at least 40 starts this season, Jacob Markstrom’s .883 save percentage is the fourth worst. 

Like the Rangers, the Devils also struggled in their own building for whatever reason. Prudential Center saw the team go 21-17-3. 

Still, neither of their collapses was as egregious as that of the Islanders. 

The Islanders were the last of the three teams to be eliminated, on Sunday, when a 4-1 loss to the Canadiens capped a 4-9 limp through their most pivotal stretch of the season. 

Head coach Patrick Roy was fired with four games left. New head coach Pete DeBoer couldn’t save the sinking ship. 

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While the good news for the Detroit Red Wings is that they came back from a 3-1 third-period deficit against the Tampa Bay Lightning to knot the score and earn a point in the standings, the bad news is that it doesn't mean anything for them.

Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, one of the five best players in the NHL, scored the overtime game-winning goal just 27 seconds into the extra session, giving Tampa Bay a 4-3 win at Benchmark International Arena.

Final pic.twitter.com/YzVXTPBg3H

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 14, 2026

For the Red Wings, who were officially eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention on Saturday evening, it was their penultimate game of the 2025-26 regular season. 

Also adding insult to injury is the fact that, even though they now have accumulated the most points in a season since the start of their postseason drought, it still wasn't enough to get them into the playoffs. 

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The Red Wings found the back of the net first, as David Perron scored his third goal since his return to Detroit early last month at the NHL Trade Deadline, finishing off a feed at the side of the net from J.T. Compher.

However, the Lightning knotted the score late in the frame thanks to the first goal of the season from Conor Geekie. 

Goals from Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel gave the Lightning a 3-1 advantage through the end of 40 minutes, but the Red Wings would fight their way back into the contest. 

First, Marco Kasper scored just his second goal since March 10, bringing them back to within one. And with 4:44 left in regulation, Alex DeBrincat scored his team-leading 41st goal of the season on a two-on-none rush with Patrick Kane, who picked up the 1,400th point of his career with the assist. 

But Kucherov silenced Detroit's comeback attempt shortly into overtime with his 44 goal of the season. 

Cam Talbot, making what could likely be his final start in a Red Wings uniform, made 18 saves, while Andrei Vasilevskiy countered with 27 saves.

The Red Wings have one game left on their schedule, and it comes on Wednesday against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who were also recently eliminated from postseason contention. 

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The Nashville Predators' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread after losing to the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, at home on Monday. 

Nashville will need Los Angeles to lose in any sort of fashion in order for the Predators to have a chance to compete for a playoff spot on Thursday against the Ducks. 

"We got what we deserve," Ryan O'Reilly said. "We didn't start the way we needed to. We got down and couldn't find a way back. We need a miracle now. It's disappointing. It's brutal."

Luke Evangelista had the lone Predators goal of the contest, going bardown on Alex Nedeljkovic in the late third period. It was his 11th goal of the season. 

Evangelista scored again late in the third to cut it back down to a one-goal Sharks lead. 

"It's a pretty s----- feeling. That's all I can really say," Evangelista said on the result. 

A boarding call on Steven Stamkos in the second period, but the Sharks are on the power play. Igor Chernyshov wristed in a kick-out pass from William Eklund that beat Justus Annunen's blocker side. 

In the third period, a disputed icing call on the Predators set a face-off in Nashville's zone. The puck was dumped into the Sharks' zone, but was touched by Alex Nedeljkovic before crossing the line. 

According to Predators head coach Andrew Brunette, the officials ruled that Nedeljkovic had stopped the puck after it had crossed the line.

Off the face-off, Justin Barron got the puck back, but turned it over along the boards. That allowed Macklin Celebrini to net his 43rd goal of the season and put the Sharks up by two. 

He added an empty goal with 1:45 left in the game to add some insurance to the Sharks' victory. 

"You feel gutted," Brunette said on the loss. "You're disappointed that we didn't get the result, and that we really didn't get to our game fast enough. We played the margins late when you're down and we know how that story usually goes. 

Justus Aunnen made 20 saves on 22 shots, snapping a two-game win streak. Nashville went with Annunen over Juuse Saros following a pair of wins over Anaheim and Minnesota. 

This was also San Jose's first win over the Predators since Nov. 9, 2019, which was a 2-1 shootout Sharks win in San Jose. It's the Sharks' first win in Nashville since Oct. 23, 2018, a 5-4 win. 

Nashville falls to 38-33-10 on the year, sitting at 86 points. It is staring at the possibility of missing the playoffs for a second straight season. 

"It's tough. You kind of hope for a miracle now," Roman Josi said. "It just wasn't our best game. We couldn't get to our game as we have in the past couple of games. Now you look at the scoreboard and the other games and hope for a miracle." 

TORONTO (AP) — Mavrik Bourque had his first NHL hat trick and added an assist as the Dallas Stars rallied from a pair of deficits and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 on Monday night.

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.

Artur Akhtyamov stopped 26 shots in his second start. Matthew Knies had two assists.

Maple Leafs forward Ryan Tverberg made his NHL debut. The 24-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ontario was a seventh-round pick at the 2020 draft and the third player in as many games to see his first NHL action for Toronto, joining forward Luke Haymes (Thursday) and defenseman William Villeneuve (Saturday).

The Stars will have home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs.

Tavares opened the scoring with his 564th career point for Toronto, passing Bob Pulford for sole possession of 11th on the franchise’s all-time list.

Up next

Stars: At the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

Maple Leafs: At the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

___

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

After the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched their first postseason berth since 2022 with a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday - as well as second place in the Metropolitan Division - the only thing left to check off the list was who their opponent would be in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

And that was finally determined on Monday.

With a 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Philadelphia Flyers clinched the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and will face the Penguins in the first round, setting the stage for the Battle of Pennsylvania. With the win, the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention, and the Eastern Conference playoff picture was set in stone.

The Flyers put together an improbable stretch run over the past few weeks, going 14-5-1 in their last 20 games. It is their first postseason berth since 2020, and it is their first time facing the Penguins since 2018, when Pittsburgh beat them during the first round in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal. 

The two teams have met seven times in the playoffs, with Philadelphia winning four of those series.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday, Apr. 18. Stay tuned to The Hockey News - Pittsburgh Penguins for updates on the postseason schedule, scores, playoff coverage, and more. 

Takeaways: Penguins Take Care Of Business, Clinch Playoff Berth With 5-2 Win Over New Jersey DevilsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a four-year drought and a statement win over the New Jersey Devils.

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The Anaheim Ducks will end the NHL’s third-longest playoff drought, as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators on Monday, sending the Ducks to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. 

From ownership to the front office to the roster, the Ducks set this as a goal for themselves in the spring of 2025, following a 2024-25 season that saw them take a 21-point jump out of the league’s basement in the NHL standings.

Some significant changes occurred ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Ducks parted ways with Greg Cronin and most of his coaching staff and moved on from core roster pieces Trevor Zegras and John Gibson.

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Anaheim Ducks Goaltender Lukas Dostal Nominated for King Clancy Memorial Trophy

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-1 Win over the Sharks

In the Summer of 2025, general manager Pat Verbeek hired Joel Quenneville, and with him, he brought Jay Woodcroft, Ryan McGill, and Andrew Brewer. To the roster, Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider, and Ryan Poehling were added.

The 2025-26 season had its high highs and low lows, highlighted by two seven-game winning streaks and lowlighted by a nine-game winless streak and a recent six-game winless streak.

Young players like Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, and Cutter Gauthier have taken significant steps in their development, while veterans like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba have been seemingly rejuvenated from their first full seasons in Southern California.

However, some younger players like Mason McTavish and Olen Zellweger have seen their development stalled or have taken a step back. Veterans Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano had fallen victim to their fair share of healthy scratches, unexpected from top contributors over the previous three seasons in Anaheim.

At the trade deadline, the Ducks moved on from Strome and, in a separate deal, added veteran right-shot defenseman John Carlson.

The journey’s been extensive and arduous, but for the first time since the 2017-18 season, there will be NHL hockey games beyond the 82 in the regular season in Orange County.

The Ducks’ last playoff game was on April 18, 2018, a 2-1 loss in a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. The only remaining member in the organization from that series is Troy Terry, who played his first two career NHL games down the stretch of the 2017-18 regular season, but wasn’t in any of the four playoff lineups for the Ducks.

“Just the maturity of the team,” Terry said on what he took away from that experience, being around the team during a playoff series. “This year is a team that’s hopefully starting a run of consistently being in the playoffs, and that team was at the end of however long it had been.

“So you could just tell they’d been there, done that. They just seemed…’unflappable’ is a good word. Put that in there that I said that word. You could tell the maturity level; nothing seemed to really faze them. They had their objective, and I think that’s what this group is working on and needs to continue to get better: belief in what we do best in here, and no matter what happens, not stray from that.”

In the four years prior to 2017-18, the Ducks experienced unprecedented success for the organization, qualifying for the NHL playoffs in four consecutive seasons, winning four Pacific Division titles, and appearing in two Western Conference Finals.

The Ducks’ leading scorers in 2017-18 included Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Jakob Silfverberg. Their TOI leaders were Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm.

As the Anaheim Ducks hope to enter into a new era of consistent contention, a new core is in place, with a new cohort of veterans filling complementary roles. Hungry vets will lean on prior experience, while the younger players will gain ever-valuable playoff reps.

“I’ve never been to the playoffs, but I truly believe that the experience from the past is going to have a big impact,” Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal said on what he expects from his first NHL playoff experience. “The national level, even in Finland, I’ve played in the playoffs there.

“Those are high paced games, you really cannot make any mistakes. It’s a different type of hockey, both teams are trying to play a defensive game.”

The Ducks will wrap up their regular season with a pair of games on the road to face the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, with seeding on the line.

The NHL playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 18. However, with the Ducks schedule to close out the season, it can be expected that their series will start either Sunday or Monday.

Ducks Goaltender Ville Husso Nominated for Masterton Trophy

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-0 Loss to the Predators