Category: Sports News

One look at the Pittsburgh Penguins' schedule in the month of March was enough for a whole lot of people to question whether or not a team that was - according to outside noise - supposed to be a lottery team would be able to sustain playoff-level hockey. 

And right when, not one, but two of the team's biggest stars were guaranteed to miss at least a few games, there were even more questions. The currently injured Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin - who still has three games to serve on his suspension - have been driving the bus for the Penguins for two decades, and they are still the two most productive players on the team.

Well, as it turns out, the Penguins have been doing fine regardless. 

In the three games since they lost both Crosby and Malkin simultaneously, the Penguins are 1-0-2 and have collected four out of six possible points. They're still second in the Metropolitan Division, and they are finding ways to beat good teams, squeak points out of almost every game, and utilize their "never quit" mantra to come roaring back in games, even when they are down.

And, although many of them are playing pretty well without 87 and 71, there have been four players who have stepped up in a big way and stood out among the rest.

Penguins Provide Injury Updates On Several PlayersThe Pittsburgh Penguins provided a few injury updates on Tuesday.

Erik Karlsson

Not only is Karlsson playing his best hockey as a Pittsburgh Penguin this season, he's also playing the best all-around hockey he's played since his days as an Ottawa Senator. 

The 35-year-old, three-time Norris Trophy-winning blueliner is in his third season with Pittsburgh, and he has looked the part both offensively and defensively all year. He has six goals and 42 points in 58 games. He's also played a key role on both special teams units for the Penguins, and their power play and penalty kill have both been top-five units in the NHL for the majority of the 2025-26 season despite a recent fall-off by the power play, which is now ranked sixth.

But since the Olympic break - which included heartbreak for Karlsson and Team Sweden - his play has been at another level. 

Karlsson is driving offense at an elite rate, he's getting pucks to the net with six shots in two of his last four games, he's logging heavy minutes, and he's made some stellar defensive plays that weren't prevalent in his game much at all prior to this season.

He has not played in the postseason since 2018-19 with the San Jose Sharks. He badly wants to get there this time around, and he's playing like a man carrying his team on his back. 

Karlsson has been the Penguins' best player in these last seven games, and it's not particularly close. 

Takeaways: Penguins Storm Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Bruins In OT For Most Critical Win Of The SeasonLed by Anthony Mantha's two goals, the Pittsburgh Penguins put together their biggest and most impressive comeback win of the season against the Boston Bruins on Sunday

Egor Chinakhov

Chinakhov has been simply magnificent since joining the Penguins, as his 11 goals are more than any other Penguins' player since his debut with the team on Jan. 1.

But he has really turned it up since the break - and, especially, in the three games without Crosby and Malkin. 

In the three games without Crosby and Malkin, Chinakhov has a goal and three assists, and - really - he should have four assists, as he wasn't awarded one on Tommy Novak's overtime winner against the Boston Bruins on Sunday but certainly earned one. He hounded one of the league's best defensemen in Charlie McAvoy and forced a turnover, took the puck around the offensive zone and across the net front, stuck with it after a poke check, and got the puck to Novak for the goal. 

And this is just one example. Chinakhov has been playing responsible defensive hockey since he arrived in Pittsburgh, and his smarts and instincts have been on full display on a top line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust - a line he has helped elevate.

This guy was well-worth a second- and third-rounder, and as a pending-RFA, he is making his case for a pretty big pay raise this summer, when he and the Penguins wiill surely talk about a new contract. 

Egor Chinakhov's Stock With The Penguins Continues To RiseEgor Chinakhov's play with the Pittsburgh Penguins has been outstanding.

Rickard Rakell

Rakell has drawn the ire of some Penguins' fans since the Olympic break for his play at the center position. Having not been a full-time center since 2017 - and with the Penguins stretched thin at center - it took a few games for Rakell to adjust to his role as the team's first-line center without Crosby, a role he probably never imagined he'd play as a Penguin. 

But he's stepped up in a big way since Malkin came out of the lineup in terms of getting some offensive momentum, driving play, and taking draws. He has a goal and four points in the last three games without both of the big guys, and he's making some progress in terms of winning draws, as he's 11 of his last 25. Not great, but not where he started, either. 

Many forget that Rakell missed 21 games earlier this season with a broken hand, and he was flirting with point-per-game before that. He's been asked to shoulder a huge load without Crosby and Malkin, getting matched up down the middle against the opposition's best, running the power play from down low, and being relied upon offensively. 

The Penguins are 1-0-2 and have earned four of six possible points without both Crosby and Malkin. Rakell may not be doing the flashy things like Karlsson and Chinakhov, but he is a vitally important member of their top-six, and the team wouldn't be functioning at the level it still is without him in the picture.

Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas Hits Big Career MilestonePittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas hit a career milestone during Tuesday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Anthony Mantha

Speaking of top-six players stepping up, Anthony Mantha has certainly done so since both 87 and 71 exited the lineup. 

Mantha tallied the tying goal and the go-ahead goal against the Boston Bruins on Sunday, and he also scored against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday in the last minute of the first period to tie the game at the time. 

But it's not just the goals in terms of Mantha's contributions, even if he has 24 of them this season - second only to Crosby. He's also made some key defensive plays, most notably in overtime against the Canes, when he blocked a shot to save a goal and later backchecked and dove to break up a 2-on-0 opportunity. And he's still helping the second line drive possession and create chances.

The 31-year-old forward has been nothing short of impressive this entire season, as he's already tied his career-high in points (48) and is just one goal shy of tying his career-high in that department. And this is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he played just 13 games before tearing his ACL.

Mantha has been an integral part of the Penguins' resurgence this season, and he has stepped up in really big moments for the team all season long - but, especially, in these last three games.

Penguins Forward Closing In On Career High In GoalsAnthony Mantha is three goals away from a new career-high.

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The Islanders’ incredible overtime magic continued with their 10th OT winner of the season, this time built off the foundation of a three-goal comeback and a rare double-power-play conversion from a team whose power play can rarely shoot straight.

Mat Barzal finished the 4-3 win in St. Louis, using his speed to wrongfoot forward Jordan Kyrou for the overtime tally at 2:11. But the Isles only got there thanks to some good fortune, good power play passing and a timely coach’s challenge that prevented a 4-0 deficit.

The Isles had outshot the Blues badly in the first period and to start the second, but they allowed too many golden chances and were behind 3-0 just over midway through the game. It looked like it was 4-0 when Robert Thomas put in another golden chance, but it was overturned by video review after the Isles challenged for offside. Before the challenge, it looked like the Isles were considering putting David Rittich in, but thankfully they didn’t, because Sorokin’s elite services later proved necessary.

That overturned goal was the fortune teller’s turning point if not the actual turning point; it wasn’t until much later in the second period (17:50) that J-G Pageau finally got the Isles on the board. With the way the Isles had generated chances prior to that point (still outshooting the Blues 29-14 through 40 minutes), it felt like that gave them a fighting chance going into the third.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

But who would’ve expected that chance to be cashed in by not one, but two power play goals? Honestly, when Pavel Buchnevich was called for a very fortunate double-minor high-sticking on Calum Ritchie five minutes into the third, my first thought was, “Great, there goes four more minutes of comeback time wasted.”

Instead, the Isles power play moved the puck around and retained it along the boards decently enough — though not as well as the Blues, who just missed restoring their three-goal lead on a power play late in the second. Their persistence was rewarded when Jack Finley (son of former Islander and Blue Jeff Finley) accidentally pushed a loose puck over the line as he and another Blue battled with Bo Horvat and Cal Ritchie in the crease.

The goal was credited to Ritchie at 5:52, erasing the first minor and bringing the Isles to within one. They pulled off a proper power play sequence to get the next one, Horvat finishing a tic-tac-toe play in the slot from Ritchie and Barzal.

That left it tied 3-3, paving the way for some nervy moments but mostly two teams who were fine with tossing a coin for the extra point.

Overtime was your usual cagey affair, and Barzal wisely awaited the right moment to turn on the jets just after Kyrou came on the ice (and after receiving the puck from Brayden Schenn, who was shadowed by his trade counterpart Jonathan Drouin on the play). As Darren Pang said on the TNT broadcast with Butch Goring and Brendan Burke*, “Barzal going up against Kyrou, not exactly a Selke-nominated player.”

*At the game, staring into space as I waited for my daughter to use the restroom, I was startled to see Burke and Goring in line for the men’s room among the masses. I knew the game was on TNT but didn’t realize they had the call — didn’t even realize Butch does TNT games?! — so I was disoriented but happy, and take full credit for the comeback that ensued.

That burst of speed and 3-on-3 matchup allowed Barzal to bait Kyrou outside before cutting inside and firing upstairs from the slot. Game over.

Overall, it was a mostly well-earned two points for the Isles with the final shots tally 49-23. But many of their shots did not have the desired traffic or rebound presence, while they let up some inexcusable openings on the Blues goals. That included a 4-on-1 counterattack to open scoring for the Blues, and a wide open backdoor Jimmy Snuggerud after Scott Mayfield, Carson Sousy and Ritchie were all mesmerized watching Thomas in the left wing corner. Dylan Halloway’s goal to make it 2-0 was at least a fantastic shot that stunned Ilya Sorokin, but the Blues forward was allowed to much space to dance into the slot unimpeded.

Schenn’s Farewell

What a crazy, whirlwind week for new Islander Brayden Schenn! Switching teams without switching hotels in San Jose, getting one game in (an OT win, it’s how we do) before heading right back to his home for the past decade, then taking in a tribute and thank you after a parting that he did not request. With three kids, including a newborn, he’ll surely settle in on Long Island just fine, unless the former Drouin residence he’s renting is cursed.

On the ice, he looked a little more comfortable, logged five shots in 17:06 and won seven of 10 faceoffs. He had an early chance to get on the board that required a stretching stop from Joel Hofer. And for the record book, he gets the assist on the OT winner, even if all he did was hand it off to Barzal on his own way off for a change.

Up Next

That was huge, getting not one but two points from an 0-3 deficit in a game the hockey gods tried to steal from them. That pulls them even with Pittsburgh, which has a game in hand and picked up an OTL point tonight.

The Isles head home from the trip 2-2 thanks to some OT magic. They’ll have a home back-to-back vs. L.A., which beat them too easily last week, and Calgary, which lost 4-0 tonight in Manhattan.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jack Quinn capped his three-goal outing with an empty-netter, and the Buffalo Sabres won their eighth straight by beating the San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Tuesday night.

Jason Zucker and Beck Malenstyn broke the game open by scoring four minutes apart in the second period. Alex Tuch also scored, posting his 300th career point with Buffalo, in his 600th career NHL game, and captain Rasmus Dahlin and Ryan McLeod had three assists each.

Alex Lyon stopped 17 shots, improving to 15-2 in his past 17 starts.

Macklin Celebrini, Kiefer Sherwood and Alexander Wennberg scored for San Jose, which opened a five-game road trip a point behind eighth-place Seattle in the Western Conference standings. Yaroslav Askarov finished with 20 saves.

Celebrini’s goal was the 19-year-old Canadian Olympian’s 33rd and 90th point in his 62nd game of the season. The only NHL players in their teens to reach 90 points in fewer games are Sidney Crosby (54 games in 2006-07) and Wayne Gretzky (56, 1979-80).

The Atlantic Division-leading Sabres, coming off a thrilling 8-7 win over Tampa Bay, improved to 29-5-2 in their past 36 outings — a run that began with a 10-game win streak.

RANGERS 4, FLAMES 0

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexis Lafreniere got his second career hat trick and Jonathan Quick stopped 21 shots as New York defeated Calgary.

Conor Sheary scored his second goal of the season.

Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault added two assists. Zibanejad’s assist on Lafreniere’s first goal gave him 800 career points. Adam Fox’s assist on the goal gave him 400 career points, becoming the fourth Rangers defenseman to hit that milestone.

Lafreniere has eight goals and five assists in his last nine games.

Quick earned his second shutout of the season and the 65th of his career. He passed Henrik Lundqvist for 17th most career shutouts in the NHL and sits one behind Patrick Roy.

Dustin Wolf made 25 saves for the Flames.

BRUINS 2, KINGS 1, OT

BOSTON (AP) — Charlie McAvoy scored 39 seconds into overtime and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots to earn Boston's 13th straight victory at home, beating Los Angeles.

Mason Lohrei scored midway through the third period to snap a scoreless tie. But the Kings tied it five minutes later when Drew Doughty’s shot from the blue line deflected off the heel of Bruins forward Elias Lindholm and into the net.

It was the seventh straight time the teams had gone to overtime in Boston.

In the overtime, Mark Kastelic blocked a shot in the defensive zone and made a long pass to David Pastrnak, who waited for McAvoy to come into the zone. The Bruins defenseman and U.S. Olympian, who went to the locker room at the end of the second period after taking a puck off his mouth, skated in on Darcy Kuemper and went to his backhand for the winner.

Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The victory kept Boston in possession of the East’s second wild-card spot.

PANTHERS 4, RED WINGS 3

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals in the final 90 seconds to rally Florida to a victory over Detroit.

With Florida goalie Daniil Tarasov on the bench, Verhaeghe scored with 1:30 remaining to make it 3-all.

Then, with 15 seconds left, Verhaeghe took a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and his shot went off the skate of Detroit defenseman Justin Faulk and past goalie Josh Gibson.

Vinnie Hinostroza had his first goal and assist for the Panthers, and Niko Mikkola also scored. Tarasov stopped 25 shots.

Faulk had a goal and an assist in his second game for the Red Wings, who also lost to the Panthers 3-1 at Detroit on Friday night. Faulk was acquired from St. Louis at Friday’s trade deadline.

Patrick Kane and Marco Kasper also scored for the Red Wings, and Gibson made 24 saves.

CANADIENS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1

MONTREAL (AP) — Oliver Kapanen scored his 20th of the season as Montreal held on for a win and handed Toronto its eighth consecutive loss.

Phillip Danault also scored, and Jake Evans added an empty-net goal for Montreal. Jakub Dobes made 17 saves.

William Nylander scored for struggling Toronto, which is on track to miss the playoffs after nine consecutive trips to the postseason.

Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots in a solid outing.

The Maple Leafs entered the night 11 points outside the playoffs and 13 behind the Canadiens, who held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

BLUE JACKETS 5, LIGHTNING 2

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Conor Garland scored two goals for the second consecutive game and Columbus defeated Tampa Bay.

Kiril Marchenko, Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov also scored for Columbus, who improved to 15-2-3 in the past 20 games. Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 15 saves and registered his second assist of the season.

Gage Goncalves and J.J. Moser scored for Tampa Bay, which fell to 2-6 since the Olympic break and has just one win in the past seven games. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 26 saves. The Lightning have allowed 34 goals in the past six games and six power-play goals in the past two games.

Garland, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline, had not scored a goal in his previous 24 games with Vancouver. But after scoring twice on Monday against Los Angeles, Garland had two more on Tuesday, including an insurance power-play goal in the third period.

HURRICANES 5, PENGUINS 4, SO

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jackson Blake converted on the decisive shootout goal and Carolina recovered after relinquishing a two-goal lead late in regulation to beat Pittsburgh.

Mark Jankowski and Seth Jarvis scored 59 seconds apart in Carolina’s three-goal third period and Logan Stankoven and Alexander Nikishin also scored for the Hurricanes, who extended their home-ice points streak to 12 games. Frederik Andersen made 24 saves in the matchup between the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division.

Bryan Rust scored two goals and Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari had the other goals for the Penguins, who began a five-game road trip that also will end in Raleigh. Erik Karlsson and Egor Chinakhov had two assists. Stuart Skinner stopped 39 shots, but he’s without a victory in five outings since Jan. 31. The Penguins are 1-2-2 in their last five games.

Ben Kindel converted in the shootout for the Penguins and Andrei Svechnikov matched that for the Hurricanes before Blake’s tally.

ISLANDERS 4, BLUES 3, OT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mathew Barzal scored in overtime to cap New Yorks’ rally from a three-goal deficit for a win over St. Louis.

In addition to his goal at 2:11 of the extra period, Barzal had two assists. Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Bo Horvat also scored for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves.

Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and two assists as the Blues had their season-high four-game winning streak snapped.

It was the third-straight multipoint game for Snuggerud. The 21-year-old has 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in his last 13 games.

Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway also scored for the Blues. Joel Hofer made 45 saves.

STARS 2, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1

DALLAS (AP) — Jamie Benn scored the go-ahead goal on a power play in the second period and Jake Oettinger stopped 25 of 26 shots as Dallas beat Vegas.

Oskar Back also scored for the Stars, who extended their points streak to 13 games (12-0-1).

Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights, who have lost three consecutive games and six of their last seven. Adin Hill made 14 saves.

Benn, the Stars’ 36-year-old captain, has goals in three of the last four games and 10 points in the last eight.

Oettinger, whose 26 wins are good for third in the league, is 9-0-1 in his last 10 starts.

Benn batted the puck in from the edge of the crease with 5:44 left in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and give Dallas’ second-ranked power play a goal in 10 consecutive games.

WILD 5, MAMMOTH 0

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his 37th goal of the season, Matt Boldy notched his 36th, and Filip Gustavsson earned his fourth shutout of the season as Minnesota defeated Utah.

Bobby Brink scored his first goal since the Wild acquired him from the Flyers on Friday. Brink, a Minnesota native, put his new team up 3-0 early in the third period.

Danila Yurov and Ryan Hartman also scored in the third.

Gustavsson stopped all 25 shots he faced. Utah’s Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves in the loss.

Quinn Hughes extended his point streak with an assist, giving him one goal and five assists in his last five games.

DUCKS 4, JETS 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Ryan Poehling had a goal and an assist to lead Anaheim to a victory over Winnipeg.

Alex Killorn and Jackson LaCombe also registered a goal and an assist. Tim Washe also scored for Anaheim. Lukas Dostal made 12 saves for the Ducks, who rebounded from a 4-0 loss to St. Louis on Sunday.

Morgan Barron scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck had 30 saves for the Jets, who saw their three-game win streak and six-game point streak halted.

After a scoreless first period in which Anaheim outshot Winnipeg 8-2, the Jets opened the scoring at 5:04 of the second when Barron notched his 10th of the season, assisted by Elias Salomonsson and Cole Perfetti.

The Ducks quickly flipped the script, scoring three times in less than two minutes. Washe tied the game at 6:24 and Poehling gave Anaheim the lead just 14 seconds later. Killorn added the insurance marker at 8:08 to give the visitors a two-goal lead.

OILERS 4, AVALANCHE 3

DENVER (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, and Edmonton defeated Colorado.

McDavid’s goal, his 36th of the season, came on a snap shot on the power play with 10:57 remaining in the third period, breaking a 3-3 tie.

In a game featuring three of the NHL’s four points leaders, Leon Draisaitl had his 59th and 60th assists of the season, the second of which set up McDavid’s winner. Jack Roslovic also scored for the Oilers, who won for the fourth time in six games after a four-game losing streak. It was Nugent-Hopkins’ third multigoal game of the season and first since Dec. 21.

Edmonton had two goals on four power-play opportunities against an Avalanche team that had the NHL’s third-best penalty kill entering the night.

PREDATORS 4, KRAKEN 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Ryan Ufko scored his first NHL goal with 5:35 to play in the second period to put Nashville ahead to stay in a win over Seattle.

The rookie skated in from the right of the goal, dodged between two defenders and tucked the puck past Seattle goalie Joey Daccord to give the Predators a 3-2 lead and two critical points in their chase for a wild-card playoff spot. Right now the team is on the outside of the playoff picture.

Tyson Jost and Reid Schaefer also scored second-period goals to erase Seattle’s 2-0 first-period lead and Steve Stamkos added an empty-netter for his 31st goal of the season.

Jonathan Marchessault had a pair of assists for Nashville, which had lost four of its previous five, and Juuse Saros made 43 saves.

Kaapo Kakko scored just 2:14 into the game and Matty Beniers scored at 9:46 of the first period to give the Kraken a 2-0 lead. Beniers scored from a tough angle, firing from the bottom of the right circle and over the shoulder of Saros just inside the far post.

Daccord finished with 23 saves.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Ryan Poehling had a goal and an assist to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.

Alex Killorn and Jackson LaCombe also registered a goal and an assist. Tim Washe also scored for Anaheim. Lukas Dostal made 12 saves for the Ducks, who rebounded from a 4-0 loss to St. Louis on Sunday.

Morgan Barron scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck had 30 saves for the Jets, who saw their three-game win streak and six-game point streak halted.

After a scoreless first period in which Anaheim outshot Winnipeg 8-2, the Jets opened the scoring at 5:04 of the second when Barron notched his 10th of the season, assisted by Elias Salomonsson and Cole Perfetti.

The Ducks quickly flipped the script, scoring three times in less than two minutes. Washe tied the game at 6:24 and Poehling gave Anaheim the lead just 14 seconds later. Killorn added the insurance marker at 8:08 to give the visitors a two-goal lead.

The Ducks outscored the Jets 12-6 in three games this year. The win keeps the Ducks in first place in the Pacific Division, while continuing a hot run for goaltender Dostal, who has now won 13 of his last 15 games.

Up next

Ducks visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Jets host the New York Rangers on Thursday.

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