NEW YORK (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored his 200th regular-season NHL goal and had three assists, and the Ottawa Senators handed the New York Rangers a fifth consecutive loss, beating them 8-4 on Wednesday night.
Tkachuk, a St. Louis native who is set to play for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Olympics, helped set up Drake Batherson’s goal on the power play 2:18 in and Dylan Cozens’ with 5.7 seconds left in the first period. Adding goals from Nick Jensen and Tkachuk in between, the Senators scored four in a period at Madison Square Garden for the first time in their 33-season franchise history.
Home fans booed their team off the ice at the first intermission after a lackluster 20 minutes, and it did not get much better until long after the outcome had been determined. The Rangers lost for the 17th time in 22 games at the Garden and are now in last place in the Eastern Conference.
Jonathan Quick allowed six goals on 17 shots before getting the mercy pull and relieved by Spencer Martin a little past the midway point of the second. Quick was hardly to blame for New York’s eighth defeat in nine games, with mistakes by teammates in front of him putting the veteran goaltender in all sorts of difficult positions.
At the other end of the rink, Leevi Merilainen, making his ninth consecutive start in Linus Ullmark’s absence, had 18 saves and allowed two goals to Gabe Perreault and one apiece to Noah Laba and Alexis Lafrenière.
Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and David Perron also scored and Tim Stutzle had an empty-net goal as the Senators won on back-to-back nights, following up on beating Vancouver at home on Tuesday to snap their losing streak at four.
Up next
Senators: Host the rival Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Jordan Smith, a 29-year-old tennis coach from Sydney, has won the inaugural One Point Slam at the Australian Open and its A$1m prize on Wednesday, after upstaging a field that included Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. It is Tennis Australia, however, which won the jackpot, after the new concept – despite its near three-hour duration, often confusing format and awkward exchanges between players – attracted a full house to Rod Laver Arena during opening week as organisers look at non‑traditional ways to attract fans to Melbourne Park
The Buffalo Sabres have 23 days before the NHL’s trade deadline arrives on March 6. And other than goaltending (which has the most depth), the Sabres can make trades to address their two areas of need – at forward, and on ‘D’.
Trading one of Alex Lyon or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would clear up the logjam between the pipes, but goalie depth is important, so Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen might decide to hold on to his netminding depth.
"The Big Show"
But Kekalain has to add a strong, experienced and capable defenseman. For instance, would Winnipeg Jets blueliner Luke Schenn be an option? It says here he absolutely should. Schenn is a no-nonsense, physical defenseman who still has stuff left in the tank. There could be other options on ‘D’, but Schenn fits the mold of the type of player Sabres coach Lindy Ruff likes. Oh, and he won’t cost an arm and a leg to trade for.
Meanwhile, up front, there’s also a need Kekalainen should address on the trade market. A veteran winger for Buffalo’s second line would be ideal. And given that Buffalo will have $8.5-million in salary cap space, Kekalainen can and should be able to pluck someone to give his team a different look.
For instance, would Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk be a target for the Sabres? DeBrusk does have a full no-trade clause in his contract, but it’s not working out for him in Vancouver, and he looks like a change of scenery will do him good.
Or what about taking a run at another Canuck – winger Kiefer Sherwood? He’s a far less-expensive gamble at $1.5 million, and he’s a UFA at the end of the season, so he could be a pure rental, or you could sign him to an extension.
In any case, we use these examples to show you there’s plenty of talent out there to bid on if you’re Kekalainen. And the boost the Sabres would get from adding one or two of these players would make it worth whatever Buffalo had to give up to get them.
The Sabres are far from a perfect team, and they’ll still have their issues regardless of what happens to them trade-wise. But Kekalainen can send his group of players a message – that message being, “I believe in you, and here’s a gift of a talented player to make the team even better.”
Kekalainen has to act soon, lest he miss out on trades he should’ve been in on. Being proactive is going to get Buffalo the experienced hands they need to make a Stanley Cup playoff push. And if Kekalainen can pull that off, he’s going to get the gratitude of Sabres fans desperate to see this team make it to the post-season.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continued to climb the NHL's all-time goals list on Tuesday night.
His tying goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the 524th goal of his career, good for 38th all-time alongside Bryan Trottier, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.
Malkin's goal was a perfect shot and it came after a lot of hard work in the offensive zone with the goaltender pulled. The goal secured the Penguins a point before they lost 2-1 in a shootout.
Malkin's next goal would be his 525th and would put him in a tie with Marian Hossa for 37th on the NHL's all-time goals list. Malkin has two goals in his last four games, so it won't be long until he passes Hossa on this list.
Malkin also has three points in his last four games and will try to help the Penguins break their three-game losing streak on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Dan Vladar is out for the remainder of the club's matchup against the Buffalo Sabres due to an injury.
The Flyers also shared that Vladar will be re-evaluated following the team's contest against the Sabres.
Vladar exiting early due to injury against the Sabres is undoubtedly concerning for the Flyers. The 28-year-old netminder has been a notable reason for the Flyers' success so far this season, as he has proven to be an excellent addition to their roster. As a result of this, the Flyers will be hoping that Vladar's injury is not serious.
Vladar has appeared in 27 games so far this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded a 16-7-4 record, a 2.42 goals-against average, and a .907 save percentage. With numbers like these, he has given the Flyers some much-needed stability between the pipes this campaign.
In 132 career NHL games split between the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, and Flyers, Vladar has a 65-41-20 record, a 2.88 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage, and four shutouts.
Injury update: Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar will not return to tonight’s #PHIvsBUF game due to injury. He will be re-evaluated after the game.
One of the most beloved former members of the Detroit Red Wings is goaltender Chris Osgood, who has his name on the Stanley Cup three times as a member of the club.
Not only did Osgood back up Conn Smythe Trophy winner Mike Vernon in 1997 despite getting the bulk of starts in the regular season, but Osgood then would lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup as a starter ten years apart, both in 1998 and 2008.
It was on this day in 1999 that Osgood picked up the 150th victory of his NHL career, which at that point had been played exclusively in Detroit. The Red Wings picked up a 2-1 win at Joe Louis Arena over the expansion Nashville Predators thanks to the game-winning tally scored by former Russian Five member Slava Kozlov.
In doing so, he became just the third goaltender in Red Wings history to achieve the feat.
Red Wings fans well remember the acquisition of Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek (acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for Kozlov) in the legendary summer of 2001, during which they also brought aboard Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.
After initially participating in Training Camp and part of the pre-season with the Red Wings, Osgood was exposed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the New York Islanders, whom he would lead not only to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but within a victory of a first round upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Osgood, who would later play a stint with the rival St. Louis Blues, returned to the Red Wings as an unrestricted free-agent in 2005. He'd play the rest of his career with the Red Wings, which included not only winning the Stanley Cup in 2008 and coming within a victory of repeating in 2009, but the 400th victory of his NHL career in December 2010, which fittingly came against the Colorado Avalanche.
It's one of the more contested debates in hockey circles as to why Osgood, the second winningest goaltender in Red Wings history and who won the Stanley Cup twice as a starter, hasn't been yet inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Montreal Canadiens are in a good place right now. At the time of this writing, they have a 26-14-7 record and are third in the Atlantic Division standings. They are also only two points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic.
With the Canadiens being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they should be buyers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. One area that they could look to address is down the middle, as they could use a legitimate top-six center.
One name who has been floating around the rumor mill who would be an amazing addition to the Canadiens' roster is St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas.
The Blues are having a nightmare season, as evidenced by their 18-21-8 record. Due to this, several of their players have entered the rumor mill as trade candidates, with Thomas being the most notable. The 26-year-old was also recently included on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.
With Thomas being on the right side of 30, a proven top-six center, and signed until the end of the 2030-31 season, the Canadiens would need to come up with a big trade offer to have any chance of landing him. Yet, he could very well be worth it when noting that he is a legitimate star and could make the Canadiens become top contenders.
Thomas is having a down year for his standards with the Blues in 2025-26, but he isn't getting much offensive support around him. In 42 games, he has a team-leading 22 assists and 33 points. His 11 goals also have him tied for first on the Blues with Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours.
Thomas' recent seasons also show that he is capable of being a major difference-maker when playing at his best. During this past season with St. Louis, he had 21 goals, 60 assists, and 81 points. This was after he recorded 26 goals and a career-high 86 points in 82 games for the Blues in 2023-24.
With this, there is no question that Thomas would be a fantastic player for the Canadiens to bring in if they want to upgrade down the middle immediately. It will be intriguing to see if they target him from here.
New York Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault is a player who the Original Six club is expecting to be a big part of their future. It is understandable, as the 20-year-old forward undoubtedly has the potential to become a very good NHL player.
Now, Perreault's potential has led to him receiving some praise.
Perreault was the only Ranger who made Corey Pronman's latest NHL players and prospects under 23 rankings for The Athletic. Perreault was given the No. 120 spot on Pronman's list.
When noting that Perreault has the tools to become a top-six forward in the NHL, it makes sense that he has been ranked among the top young players in the sport.
Perreault has shown promise during his first full professional season in 2025-26. In 20 games with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, he has recorded 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points. With numbers like these, he has certainly demonstrated his offensive upside at the AHL level.
Perreault's success in the AHL has also allowed him to get chances on the Rangers' roster this season, too. In 14 games this season with the Rangers, the 2023 first-round pick has recorded one goal, four assists, five points, and an even plus/minus rating.
It will now be interesting to see how Perreault performs as the season rolls on. There is no question that he has a bright future with the Blueshirts.
Dell Curry is more than just a father and the guy who likes to golf with his sons Stephen and Seth — he's an NBA legend in his own right.
Which is why the Hornets announced that on March 19, they will retire Curry's No. 30 jersey. Curry spent 10 seasons as a player with the Charlotte Hornets, won Sixth Man of the Year with the team, and has now spent the last 17 years as the team's color commentator.
On March 19th, No. 30 will be raised to the rafters.
Dell Curry’s lasting legacy as a player, broadcaster, and ambassador for more than 25 years with our organization will forever be honored and celebrated.
"When I first came to Charlotte in 1988, the city embraced my family and me in a way I never expected," Curry said in a statement. "I was blessed to join an organization that believed in me, play alongside teammates who would become life-long friends and compete in front of the most passionate fans in the NBA. I'm proud to continue being part of the Hornets organization and this community today. Having my jersey retired is an honor I never imagined, and I'm forever grateful to Rick and Gabe as well as the entire organization. Charlotte shaped so many meaningful moments in my life, and I'm humbled by this recognition."
This is part of an effort by Hornets Co-Chairmen/owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin to grow the connection between the team and community, and as part of that the franchise's history.
Dell Curry is a big part of that history. A 3-point sharpshooter, Curry was a key part of some of the best Hornets teams including three 50-plus win campaigns and four playoff appearances. Curry remains the team's all-time leader in games played (701), and is second in points (9,839), field goals made (3,951) and 3-point field goals (929).
For a younger generation of Hornets fans, he has always been the color analyst on the broadcasts.
The jersey retirement will happen during a halftime ceremony on March 19, when Charlotte hosts Orlando.
When the Trae Young to Washington trade went down, one of the big questions was how much Young would play for the Wizards this season. Washington has motivation not to be too good this season and Young is the kind of player who raises a team's floor (at least) and wins games.
Young will remain out with right MCL and quad injuries through the All-Star break in a month, at which point he will be re-evaluated, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
It doesn't seem coincidental that this report comes out just as there were growing questions around the league about whether the Wizards were running afoul of the league's player participation policy. Those are the rules the league put in place a few years ago to make sure star players are on the court — and Young, an All-Star the past four years, qualifies. Young had already returned from an MCL issue, and quad injuries don't usually take very long to recover from.
The Hawks held Young out with that quad contusion prior to the trade, but the expectation was that, once traded, he would be instantly, almost miraculously healthy (as many other players have been in that situation over the years).
Except, the Wizards are not looking to win too much. Washington owes its first-round pick to New York, but it is top eight protected heading into what is expected to be a very good draft at the top. The Wizards currently have the fourth-worst record in the league, and, even if things go poorly with the lottery, they cannot lose their pick. Even if Washington enters the lottery with the fifth- or sixth-worst record, there is a greater than 96% chance it keeps the pick. However, get to the seventh-worst record or better and the Knicks suddenly start to feel a lot better. Young, as a guy who can just win a team games, can mess up their plans.
Injury or no, there have been "rumbles" that the Wizards might give Young a two-year contract extension, reports NBA insider Marc Stein at The Stein Line. Young has a player option for $48.9 million next season. If he is willing to waive it, the Wizards might offer him two years with more guaranteed money overall but less per season (two years, $70-$75 million). It's something to watch.
As is when Young will actually step on the court for the Wizards.
This one felt like a perfect storm for the Flyers.
They lost their No. 1 goaltender to an injury and their losing streak hit a season-worst four games as they fell to the Sabres, 5-2, Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.
Dan Vladar exited after the first period with an undisclosed injury. The Flyers were down 2-0 when he departed and trailed 4-1 at second intermission.
Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras provided the team’s goals.
The Flyers (22-15-8) are 0-3-1 on this skid and have been outscored 19-6.
Buffalo has won 14 of its last 16 games, a stretch that has included two victories over Rick Tocchet’s club. The Flyers went 1-2-0 in their regular-season series with the Sabres (25-16-4).
• Vladar allowed two goals on five shots in the first period.
The Flyers fell down 1-0 for the 31st time in 45 games. Cam York was whistled for crosschecking and Rasmus Dahlin took advantage 14 seconds later on Buffalo’s power play.
The Sabres made it 2-0 when Mattias Samuelsson scored seven seconds after Zegras committed a neutral-zone turnover.
“You can’t come back all the time,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “I know we’ve had one of the better records coming back, but it’s too hard to play that way, we don’t have the team to do that, so we’ve got to buckle down.”
Samuel Ersson took over at the start of the second period and converted six saves on eight shots. Buffalo’s final goal was an empty-netter.
It probably goes without saying that the Flyers are in trouble if Vladar has to miss time. He has been arguably the most important player to their playoff push, while Ersson is going through the toughest stretch in his NHL career.
Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 20 of the Flyers’ 22 shots. He robbed Nikita Grebenkin just 6:05 minutes into the game with a glove save, which allowed Buffalo to strike first about three and a half minutes later.
• Jamie Drysdale returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury.
He played in place of Rasmus Ristolainen, who was a late scratch because of an upper-body injury. The Flyers are considering him day to day.
Bobby Brink missed a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. Denver Barkey was also not in the lineup as the Flyers gave the 20-year-old rookie a night to watch.
• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit the Penguins (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The primary storyline entering Wednesday night was New York Knicks coach Mike Brown returning to Golden 1 Center for the first time since being fired by the Kings just over a year ago.
But Sacramento forward Precious Achiuwa ended up stealing the spotlight in a “revenge game” of his own — his first game against his previous team from Manhattan since moving across the country as an NBA free agent this past offseason.
The former Knick recorded season highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds en route to leading the Kings to a 112-101 win, though Achiuwa maintained this matchup held no extra importance to him.
“I don’t think it was extra motivation,” Achiuwa told reporters postgame. “I just think it was continuing to build on the success we’ve had in the last couple games, you know, just continuing to carry that over. Just go out there and play hard, play the right way, and that was the result.”
Achiuwa was a clear spark plug on the offensive end and made sure to celebrate right in front of former teammate OG Anunoby after hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.
But that scoring success appeared to be a product of his defensive intensity, at least in the eyes of his coach Doug Christie.
“He was locked in on the defensive end, because he was accepting an assignment in [Knicks guard Jalen Brunson] that is a huge one,” Christie explained about Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8 forward that typically might not be expected to defend a point guard. “I mean, he’s an MVP candidate — all the different things that come along with Jalen Brunson. The ability for him to be willing and ready to step into that, I think that just locks him in.”
And in order to be able to defend effectively a player of Brunson’s caliber, it’s almost a necessity to have a certain level of self-confidence and belief — which Achiuwa doesn’t appear to lack on defense.
“Defense is something that I can hang my hat on, any time, any day, any night,” Achiuwa asserted. “A lot of guys around the league talk about defense — I put myself up there with the best of them, being able to guard point guards all the way through centers. If you look at the last 10 games or so, I’ve guarded pretty much … every position from point guards to centers.”
Achiuwa’s primary defensive assignment didn’t last long; Brunson rolled his right ankle within the opening five minutes and didn’t return. But that didn’t deter Achiuwa’s energy on either end, with the 26-year-old out of Queens adding two assists, two steals and two blocks to his stat line.
“He was aggressive downhill, driving, making sure he was getting to the basket,” Christie added. “There’s not a selfish bone in his body, so he’s a willing passer. But the biggest thing on [the box score] is the 14 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end, and just grown-man basketball all around.”
Achiuwa has played 39, 30 and 30 minutes in the Kings’ last three games — that’s three of his four highest minute totals this season, with the lone exception being 34 minutes in an overtime game in November. In what perhaps isn’t a coincidence, Wednesday’s win gave Sacramento (11-30) its first three-game winning streak of the 2025-26 NBA season.
And Achiuwa’s intensity hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“Precious, I can’t believe he was a free agent when we picked him up,” Zach Lavine told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live” while Achiuwa lit the beam. “Playing against him the last five, six years, and then being able to actually have him come in and bring energy. He’s a defensive guy, but he can play 1 through 5. He’s knocking down some threes, which I haven’t seen, but you know, we’ll take it. His pressure, his energy, and the way every day he comes into the facility, he brings happiness.”
"I can't believe he was a free agent when we picked him up."
To be fair, Maxime Raynaud’s parents also have been in attendance for all three of the Kings’ consecutive wins, so maybe the reasoning behind this hot stretch is twofold. But Raynaud appreciated Achiuwa’s effort, too.
“I thought he started off super aggressive, first by scoring, but also getting stops and getting big-time rebounds, so his energy is contagious,” Raynaud told Ragan and Mason postgame. “He started it, and then everybody just picked up from there. He was definitely the leader of our team tonight.”
Now a perfect 3-0 to start its seven-game homestand, Sacramento welcomes the Washington Wizards on Friday night as the team looks to continue playing their best ball of the season.
Francesco Pio Esposito was the hero for Inter, the substitute’s 78th-minute goal earning a 1-0 home win over lowly Lecce to boost their title hopes.
The Serie A leaders laboured against stubborn opposition before Esposito scored from a rebound with 12 minutes remaining. Inter move six points clear of Milan and Napoli with victory in what could be a major turning point in this season’s title race.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the middle of a retool. Due to this, they have many young players in their system who they are hoping will be big parts of their future.
Now, a handful of the Penguins' promising youngsters have earned some big praise.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.
When noting that these five players are viewed as having good upside, it is not surprising in the slightest that they each have made Pronman's rankings. They each have the potential to be nice parts of the Penguins' roster in the future. In fact, Kindel is already cementing himself as just that, as the 18-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and 19 points in 42 games this season for Pittsburgh.
As for Brunicke, Horcoff, McGroarty, and Murashov, it is hard not to feel optimistic about their futures with the Penguins. Perhaps this group and Kindel could help make up Pittsburgh's future core later down the road.
