Category: Sports News

POSTGAME

"I try to be the best version of myself each and every day and just try to get as good as I can to become the player I want to be."@utahhockeyclub Logan Cooley on his competitiveness and what drives him pic.twitter.com/JjOG2Iklwd

— Utah Hockey Club PR (@UtahHC_PR) March 23, 2025

Utah has gotten used to close games, whether it's playing in one of its 19 overtime games its had this season, which is tied for the most in the league, or playing in games with only a one-goal lead.

However, in this game, Utah had to play a one-goal lead knowing it could have had two additional goals, if not for two successful challenges from the Lightning.

One of those challenges came on a Clayton Keller goal, which was waved off because teammate Jack McBain created enough contact with Tampa goalie Brandon Halverson, starting his first-ever game for the Lightning, to cancel the goal.

Goaltender interference, no goal. 5-4, Utah.

Time to respond, boys. https://t.co/NJwXn16Zam

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 22, 2025

But despite having goals wiped off the board, it was ultimately Utah's defense that won it in this high-scoring affair.

After Tampa's Brayden Point scored the Lightning’s fourth goal with 17:06 remaining in the third period, Utah didn't allow another goal for the rest of the period.

Considering Utah was caught with too many men on the ice for a with only 2:09 remaining in the game, it was particularly impressive that Utah not only held off a power play unit, but also an extra Tampa attacker that came out whenever Halverson was pulled.

Andre Tourigny Among Many Supporting Ryan Smith and the New Utah OwnershipOn Monday, March 17, James Mirtle of the Athletic put out an article ranking every NHL owner from 1-32, based on surveyed responses from over 4000 readers, including fans of every NHL team.

But with Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka, playing in a league-high 13th consecutive start, making a couple of late saves, the puck fell to Utah's Alexander Kerfoot, who scored an empty-netter to put Utah up 6-4 and seal the game.

"Yeah, I love it. Right from the start of the game, the focus, the execution, the urgency was elite. I think everybody was engaged. Everybody was connected. We're really disciplined, and in the way we had to play against those guys. Great effort from the boys." 

The empty-net goal was Kerfoot's second of the day, with the other coming after a key moment that saw a goal from Utah's Lawson Crouse erased, followed by some great passing from Tampa, which led to its second goal of the game from Anthony Cirelli.

Fellas didn't like that last one so they took it back.

3-2 good guys. pic.twitter.com/0YDIAs5m4e

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 22, 2025

Originally, Utah's Kevin Stenlund, whose assist on the goal gave him his fifth point in five games, had taken a shot that went wide right of the goal.

But with Utah recovering the puck, it ended up back where Stenlund was. In the exact same spot, Stenlund took another shot, this time aiming for an open Kerfoot standing right in front of the net. This time, Utah would get a point with Kerfoot deflecting the puck in.

Though the Crouse goal was cancelled after a successful Tampa challenge revealed the puck hit the curve of the glass near the benches, having Kerfoot score not long after Tampa's goal was an important response from Utah.

"We’ve been playing a lot of one goal games, this one didn’t feel much different even though there are more goals on the scoreboard," said Kerfoot. "They’re a dangerous team, they got guys who are going to make plays even if you’re in the right spots... I thought we were pressing, the [Cooley] line was great all night... Veggie came up big at the end there and we got the win."

But while Tampa would cut the game to 5-4 in the third period, a goal from Nick Schmaltz would give Utah a two-goal lead that would prove crucial in this back-and-forth offensive affair.

🚨 Puck don't lieeeeeee! Atta boy Schmaltzy! pic.twitter.com/E7juQRL7R2

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 22, 2025

Thanks to Logan Cooley aggressively shooting near the net, the puck remained in play. With the puck not being covered by Halverson in time, Schmaltz capitalized and took a quick shot to score.

With Cooley credited with the assist, it gave him his third point of the day, with the other two coming from goals earlier in the game.

One of those goals came after Cooley deflected the puck off Utah's John Marino in a way that slid right under Halverson's legs.

BOYS DIDN'T LIKE THAT ONE EITHER SO THEY TOOK IT BACK!

COOLS STAYS HOT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ab0tuJzi93

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 22, 2025

Considering Cooley had just gone through a six-game stretch without a single point, he has now scored six points in the last four games and has been on a roll.

“It’s always tough when you go through stretches of not playing your best, not producing," said Cooley. "And just overall, I think during that goal it allows you to get some confidence back and get back to your game and what makes me the player I am. It’s one of those things where it seems like it’s going my way right now and you just have to take advantage of it." 

Though Utah's competition, Calgary and St. Louis, pulled out wins today— with the Flames having a late comeback against the Islanders— Utah can take solace in the fact that at least Vancouver lost 5-3.

Utah will have one last game at home against the Detroit Red Wings before going on a three-game road trip, where it will play Tampa Bay for its second time in a week. That game will be on Thursday, March 27.

ST. LOUIS – You kind of had a sense this was in store for the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

After an emotional 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday to move into the second wild card into the Western Conference, recovering and playing another game less than 48 hours later, against the Chicago Blackhawks no less, was going to be a tough motivational game to get up for. Even though these points mean just as much as any.

The Blues had been playing so much clean hockey since the 4 Nations Face-Off, but it was predictable that they would have a bit of a clunker, and it was in danger there for a bit, as the young Blackhawks, playing for jobs for next year, were pushing them to the brink.

But the energy guys of Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker led the charge each with a goal and assist, Robert Thomas and Zack Bolduc each scored, combined with another stellar outing by Joel Hofer (26 saves), and the Blues won their season-high fifth straight, 4-1 against the Blackhawks at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

“There’s probably a couple factors. The emotion of Thursday night. It was a roller-coaster game and obviously it meant a lot, and I just think you’re going to have … when you watch the league, there’s some nights, for whatever reason, a team has no legs,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. ‘The great thing for us was, I don’t think we were even close to our ‘A’ game and yet we managed the game. We weren’t perfect, but we grinded it out. We were incredibly selfless and we ended up pulling out a win. Chicago was playing well. They were checking well.”

The Blues (36-28-7), who lead the wild card by two points on the Calgary Flames, who have two games in hand, and the Vancouver Canucks by three points and Utah Hockey Club by four, who host the Nashville Predators on Sunday, played without forward Pavel Buchnevich, ruled out due to what the team called illness, was not in sync and it showed but found a way in the end to persevere.

“They played hard, they defended hard, they forechecked hard, they came at us,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said of the Blackhawks. “I don’t think we were at our best today, but give them credit, they checked well.”

The Blues swept the three-game season series, the second time in their history doing so (4-0-0 in 2019-20).

Let’s get into Saturday’s Three Takeaways:

* Fourth line willed Blues – Montgomery preaches habits and details. Toropchenko, Walker and Radek Faksa are usually at the front of the line when it comes to them.

For large swaths of the game, the Blues were sloppy with the puck, there wasn’t the typical forecheck, but when those practice habits were on par, enter the fourth line.

“They lead us with our habits,” Montgomery said. ‘We’ve been preaching habits for a long time now. We’re seeing that.

“We weren’t very clean the first two periods, but that line was. Every time they got on the ice, we either got a face-off in their end or they changed in the offensive end. It’s nice to see them get rewarded, and they really made some high-end plays.”

It took a Thomas midair tip goal to get the scoring started at 15:13 of the second period, but Toropchenko made it 2-0 at 17:20 when all three forwards touched the puck after a quick up by Cam Fowler.

“We were just on top of them and grinding, grinding, grinding. They made that play, Fowler got the puck, he passed it to ‘Walks,’ ‘Walks’ chip it to Faksa and Faksa found me with a great pass.

“Main focus on our line is have good habits every game. It doesn’t matter when. Even on the practice day, make yourself better and just push through and play hard.

“I think we just all play the same way, all play like hard hockey, just grind, be physical, be good on the forecheck and first of all, be great in the ‘D’ zone and wear the other team down and make some good stuff for our teammates.”

It happened again on Walker’s goal at 1:12 of the third period that made it 3-1 after Chicago scored shorthanded with 54 seconds left in the second period.

It was a momentum-swinging goal that made it 2-1, but the fourth line drew it back for the home side by making a good, smart play off the edge and to the net with Toropchenko finding Walker.

“The game on Thursday and it’s sometimes hard to come back and back that up,” Walker said. “The first period really wasn’t up to our standards. I think if we can kind of do the little things and chip in here and there, I think we can go a long way with it.”

“Yeah, it led us,” Montgomery said. “They scored two key goals that separated us. That was good.”

Bolduc, who got rewarded by being promoted to the top line in Buchnevich's absense, got in on the fun to close out the scoring at 7:43 of the third on a net front rebound to make it 4-1.

* Hofer kept Blues in it – When the play looks sketchy in front of the goalie, sometimes the goalie’s play needs to be strong.

Hofer made a number of bail-out saves in this game when it was 0-0.

The Blues weren’t doing him any favors with turnovers and getting checked off pucks, but Hofer, who is 4-0-1 his past five starts, was clean with most of his handles, he was seeing pucks through traffic and most importantly, didn’t allow Chicago to gain momentum and confidence by scoring first, which the Blackhawks had a number of opportunities to do so.

* The ‘Hometown Hero’ goes out in style in last game in St. Louis –In an interview with former Blues color commentator and current Blackhawks color analyst Darren Pang pregame, Oakville native Pat Maroon announced this season, his 14th season, will be his last in the NHL.

Maroon, who played 10:41 and got into his 96th career fight in the third period with Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker, received accolades from Blues fans thanks to the team’s Bluenote Productions staff with a video tribute and the game’s First Star and ensuing interview on FDSNMW with Jamie Rivers.

Needless to say, Maroon, who was a key component on the Blues’ first-ever Stanley Cup championship squad in 2018-19, scoring one of the most important goals in franchise history in the second round of Game 7 in double overtime, winning the game 2-1 and sending the Blues into the Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks, was emotional during and after the game.

“I was shocked what the Blues did for me tonight,” Maroon said. “They didn’t have to do that. Obviously, I’ve been talking about it with my wife and my family. I’ve done everything I could in this league. I have no regrets. Just having a conversation with ‘Panger,’ it kind of blew up. First, I wanted to thank the St. Louis Blues organization for really making this night really special for me and my family.

“Thank God they told me before the period started, so I was ready for (the tribute). The Blues didn’t have to do anything tonight. I was just playing a hockey game. Obviously, people got wind of it right away after I talked to ‘Panger’, and they really made it a special night for me. I can’t thank the Blues organization for doing that for me and my family tonight. Everyone was here tonight, so that made it really special.”

The hometown hero ... #stlbluespic.twitter.com/g0VyducCvY

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 22, 2025

ST. LOUIS -- The Dalibor Dvorsky era is off and running.

The St. Louis Blues recalled the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from Springfield of the American Hockey league on Saturday night, and the center will make his debut against the Nashville Predators.

"Do what got you here, play to your strengths," Blues coach Jim Montgomery on his message to Dvorsky. "I think not only in your first game, but a lot of times you've got to talk to players about what you can do."

Dvorsky, 19, will skate with Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier on a line.

"We're excited to watch him play tonight, as I'm sure all of our fan base is," Montgomery said. "I've never seen him skate, and I've never been on the ice with him. If he's playing well, he's going to play a lot. That's the way I go into every game with every player."

The Dvorsky recall is in correlation to Pavel Buchnevich, who missed a 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday with an illness. Montgomery said after the game and on Sunday that Buchnevich is day to day.

"'Buch' is good," Montgomery said. "It's just a day to day thing. He's not himself right now feeling healthy. We all get viral infections and stuff."

Dvorsky has 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 57 games with the Thunderbirds.

His goals are tied for third among AHL rookies and fifth in points.

Dvorsky was not in the lineup for the Thunderbirds on Saturday and had a four-game point streak (two goals, two assists).

The longest road trip of the season for the Florida Panthers came to a frustrating end on Saturday night.

Facing the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals, Florida couldn’t keep up with the high-flying Caps and lost 6-3 at Capital One Arena.

The Panthers fell behind early after Connor McMichael caught Florida’s blueliners in a line change.

McMichael went in all alone on Vitel Vanecek and made a silky smooth move to give the Caps a 1-0 lead at the 3:15 mark.

Just over three minutes later, a fortunate bounce put the puck on the stick of rookie Mackie Samoskevich in the corner and he quickly found Sam Bennett on the doorstep.

All Bennett had to do was redirect the pass into an empty net, knotting the score at one.

The goals continued to come fast and furious after that.

Defensemen John Carlson and Seth Jones traded goals 92 seconds apart, and then a minute later, Anthony Beauvillier gave Washington their third lead of the period at 3-2.

Jonah Gadjovich was quick to tie the game at three just 31 seconds after Beauvillier’s goal, and that’s how the game would go into the first intermission.

The second period was not a great one for the Panthers.

By the time the middle frame was six minutes old, Washington had already scored not one, not two but three more goals, taking a commanding 6-3 lead that would end up being the final score.

On to the Penguins.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Bennett logged his third multi-point game this month. He’s logged 10 points in 10 March games for Florida.

The goal by Jones was his first as a member of the Panthers. He’s logged thee points over his past six games.

Evan Rodrigues’ assist on Jones’ goal was his first point in nine games.

Nico Sturm picked up his first point as a Panther with an assist on Jones’ goal.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Nazem Kadri scored at 3:51 of overtime and the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday.

Matt Coronato had two goals and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and two assists for Calgary in its third straight win. Dan Vladar finished with 26 saves.

Bo Horvat, Marc Gatcomb and Kyle MacLean scored for the Islanders. Maxim Tsyplakov and Noah Dobson each had two assists, and Marcus Hogberg had 31 saves as New York snapped a three-game win streak but extended its point streak to five games (3-0-2).

Hogberg denied Morgan Frost on a breakaway shortly before Kadri scored the winning goal.

Huberdeau, playing in his 900th career NHL game, scored the tying goal with 2:22 remaining — just 29 seconds after MacLean gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead late in the third period.

Vladar made a nifty glove save on Ryan Pulock in the closing seconds to keep the game tied.

Takeaways

Flames: MacKenzie Weegar was a late scratch due to a lower-body injury. The right-handed defenseman has averaged a career-high 23:53 of ice time per game and has 41 points (seven goals, 34 assists) in his third season with Calgary.

Islanders: Hogberg made his first start since March 9. Ilya Sorokin had started the previous five games and Semyon Varlamov has not played since late November due to a lower-body injury.

Key moment

Coronato, a 22-year-old forward from New York, scored twice in his first professional game on Long Island.

Key stat

Dobson and Simon Holmstrom each extended their individual point streaks to four games, a career high for Holmstrom.

Up next

Flames host Seattle on Tuesday while Islanders host Columbus on Monday.

The NHL’s coaching carousel is spinning faster than ever, with multiple teams changing coaches – including the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues – during the current regular season. But the way things are shaping up, there are going to be more changes we should expect to see once this season is over. 

With that in mind, here are four coaches likely to part ways with their team this summer. In alphabetical order:

1. Andrew Brunette, Nashville Predators

The Predators have been one of the biggest disappointments this season, posting a 25-35-8 record that puts them in 14th place in the Western Conference. Consequently, the spotlight is squarely on Brunette, who has been on the job in Nashville since May of 2023. That may not sound like a long time for a coach to leave their mark, but if Preds GM Barry Trotz isn’t going to make material changes to his team’s roster, the thing he can change is his coach.

It’s certainly not solely Brunette’s fault that Nashville is where they are in the standings. However, the Predators may opt for a new voice behind the bench. And that would leave Brunette looking for work after this season concludes.

2. Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres

Many eyebrows were raised when greybeard veteran Ruff was hired for his second tour of coaching duty in Buffalo last April. But the Sabres have been unable to improve in Ruff’s latest tenure, generating the Eastern Conference’s worst record at 27-35-6. The 65-year-old Ruff may see his tenure come to an end this coming off-season – especially if the Sabres dismiss GM Kevyn Adams at season’s end. A new GM will want their own coach in place, so Buffalo could be looking for a new bench boss very soon.

Ruff’s near-lifelong connection to the Sabres hasn’t translated into many wins this year, and in the zero-sum business of NHL coaching, that’s all that really matters. Buffalo has to chart a different course as soon as possible, and that’s why we believe Ruff will be sent packing in favor of a younger coach with a different vision for this constantly-changing Sabres roster.

3. Joe Sacco, Boston Bruins

The Bruins were accustomed to performing well in recent years, which is why their sub-par performance this season is such a downer for Boston fans. Jim Montgomery was fired in mid-November, and Sacco was inserted as an interim replacement for him. But that hasn’t done much good at all, and we don’t see Sacco staying on the job once this year comes to an end.

Who will replace Sacco? Well, we see another coach currently employed by another Eastern Conference team – Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan, who we’ll discuss below – being the choice in Beantown as the Bruins attempt to retool on the fly. Hiring Sullivan for his second stint as Boston’s coach would give the Bs the structure and discipline they’re in dire need of. Sometimes a return to a familiar face makes sense for a team, and that’s where we think the Bruins will be at with Sullivan if and when he becomes a coaching free agent.

4. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins

Sullivan has been Pittsburgh’s coach since December 2015, and he’s led them to two Stanley Cup championships, giving him a lot of leeway in the nine years he’s been on the job with the Penguins. But every coach eventually reaches his "best before" date, and considering that Sullivan’s Pens have failed to make the playoffs for this season and the previous two seasons, the Penguins need a change behind the bench.

Only Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper – another multi-time Cup winner – has more current tenure than Sullivan, and we expect Sullivan would quickly be picked up by another team once the Penguins let him go. But the Penguins need a different voice now, and it’s time for both Sullivan and the Pens to mutually agree to part ways. All good things eventually come to an end, and it’s high time for the Penguins to move on from Sullivan.

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