Category: Sports News

The Chicago Blackhawks will welcome the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. Buffalo is the last team to be paying their first visit to the United Center in 2025-26, and it comes in the second-to-last game of the season.

Back on November 21st, the Sabres skated off their home ice with a 9-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. That was their third win in four games, moving their record to 8-9-4. 

Shockingly, since that win over the Blackhawks, the Sabres have had a winning percentage above .700 and have been one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. 

They enter Monday 49-23-8 with 106 points, the fourth-best record in the NHL, and a chance to win the Atlantic Division with two games left. The turnaround has been one of the most remarkable in NHL history. 

Scouting Buffalo

The Sabres have a great mix of veterans, young players, and depth up and down the lineup. They play a fast and heavy game, which allows them to compete with whoever may be on the other side. 

Krebs-Thompson-Tuch

Zucker-McLeod-Quinn

Benson-Norris-Doan

Greenway-Kozak-Malenstyn

Dahlin-Samuelsson

Byram-Power

Stanley-Metsa

Luukkonen

At forward, Tage Thompson drives the bus offensively, and he's supported by stars like Alex Tuch, Josh Doan, Jason Zucker, Josh Norris, and Jack Quinn, amongst others. 

On defense, Rasmus Dahlin is one of the five best in the NHL, and his name will appear on lots of Norris Trophy ballots. 

Head coach Lindy Ruff has started using Owen Power, a former number one overall pick, as a shutdown defenseman, and he has thrived. It has also taken pressure off Dahlin, who is now put in even more of an offensive role. This also allows Bowen Byram to thrive playing with a player like Power, who has been focused solely on shutting down the opposition. 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is going to start in goal for the Sabres. Since their turnaround began, he's been a wall for them. With a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division on the line, they are going with their number one guy. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks had Oliver Moore on the ice in a regular sweater for their morning skate on Monday, but he will not play. This does, however, leave the door open for him to play in their season finale on Wednesday.

Greene - Bedard - Lardis

Bertuzzi - Frondell - Mikheyev

Donato - Nazar - Burakovsky

Slaggert - Boisvert - Teravainen

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Rinzel

Korchinski-Del Mastro

Knight

Frank Nazar was hit in the face with a puck last game. He left and did not return. However, he avoided the worst-case scenario, which is a broken jaw for the second time this season. He's missing a few front chicklets, but he will play against Buffalo. 

Ethan Del Mastro was a late scratch last time out due to injury. He was replaced by Sam Lafferty, who was a forward playing defense for a night. Del Mastro will return to the lineup against Buffalo. 

Andrew Mangiapane was also injured during the last game against the Blues, and he wasn't out for the morning skate. One of Sam Lafferty or Landon Slaggert is likely to get in the forward lineup for him.

Spencer Knight is going to start for the Blackhawks in this one. He will likely close out the season for Chicago, with there being just one more game. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it is available locally on CHSN. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 7:30 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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 on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Quick says he is retiring at age 40 after nearly two decades in the NHL, a stretch during which he was one of the best goaltenders of his generation.

Quick said his start for the New York Rangers at the Florida Panthers on Monday night is his last game. It's his 921st appearance, counting playoffs.

“He earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and staff members through his work ethic and dedication to his craft,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement posted on social media. “Jonathan is a special person and player, and the entire Rangers organization wishes him — along with his wife, Jackie, and three children, Madison, Carter and Cash — all the best in retirement.”

Quick backstopped the Los Angeles Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and ’14 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the first of those two title runs.

The Milford, Connecticut, native was the U.S. starter at the 2014 Olympics and has a Cup ring from 2023 as a backup for the Vegas Golden Knights.

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

New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick announced that Monday night's game in Florida will be his last.

That puts a wrap on a 19-year career that could very well likely land the ultra-competitive goalie into the Hall of Fame.

Quick, 40, won Stanley Cup titles with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012 by going 16-4 with a 1.41 goals-against average and .946 save percentage, plus three shutouts.

Quick also won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 after coming over in a trade. He has spent the last three years as a backup goalie with the Rangers.

The New York Islanders season is coming to an end. The Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention after a 1-6-0 stretch that saw Patrick Roy dismissed as head coach and Peter DeBoer hired.

Since the NHL Olympic Break ended, the Islanders have gone 11-12-0 overall, having plummeted from second in the Metropolitan Division to sixth place and been eliminated before the puck drops for game No. 82.

So, what's the root cause of the issues? There are myriad factors, with the number one issue being the power play's inability to score, now ranked third-worst in the league.

Another factor could include Ilya Sorokin's dip in form after overuse. 

Perhaps most underrated is the Islanders' form at 5-on-5 hockey.

The #Isles won't be playing playoff hockey for a second straight season.

Now comes the why.

Four reasons they fell short @TheElmontershttps://t.co/fDRLt65GGo

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 13, 2026

Since the Olympic Break ended (23 games), the Islanders have exactly one player who is a positive at 5-on-5 hockey (courtesy of NatStatTrick). 

That's Matthew Schaefer, of course. He's been on the ice for 24 goals for (GF), and 21 goals against (GA).

Carson Soucy: 9 GF, 19 GA. Scott Mayfield: 10 GF, 19 GA. Adam Pelech 8 GF, 15 GA. Tony DeAngelo 8 GF, 11 GA. Ryan Pulock 13 GF, 16 GA. Adam Boqvist, 2 GF, 7 GA.

The woes of Soucy and Mayfield shouldn't be overly shocking. As a pairing, they've been out for just four goals for and 12 goals against since the Olympics ended.

Pelech and DeAngelo, when healthy, didn't do so well either. They're at 3 GF and 7 GA at 5-on-5 hockey since the Olympics ended.

The other main Islanders' pairing of Schaefer and Pulock sits at 11 GF and 12 GA at 5-on-5 since the Olympics.

Schaefer's combined total from time played with Pelech, Soucy, DeAngelo, and Mayfield is 13 GF and 7 GA. In limited minutes with Boqvist, Schaefer finished with 0 GF and 2 GA. 

The pattern from all those numbers is clear.

Everyone struggled except Schaefer, who excelled. Schaefer helped raise other players' totals and overall performances during an otherwise bad run of form for all involved.

Starting first with the two acquisitions, Ondrej Palat has been on the ice for 10 GF and 16 GA since the Olympics ended in 5v5 action. In his total time with the Islanders, he has been on the ice for 13 GF and 18 GA in 5v5 action.

Brayden Schenn, acquired at the Trade Deadline, has been on the ice for 9 GF and 17 GA in 5v5 play. His most common linemate, Calum Ritchie, sits 7 GF and 15 GA.

When those two have played with Mathew Barzal, those numbers are 5 GF and 6 GA.

Schenn and Ritchie together without Barzal are at 2 GF and 5GA.

That pattern shows Barzal elevated the duo from defensive deficiencies, highlighting Schenn's better impact as a winger at this point in his career.

Ritchie and Schenn are tied for the worst 5-on-5 +/- on the team since the Olympics ended, sitting at -8.

Palat (-6) is third.

Amongst the entirety of the Islanders' forward group, Emil Heineman and Bo Horvat played well down the stretch.

Together, their line produced 9 GF and 6 GA at 5v5, even with Horvat's noted scoring dip.

Without each other as line mates, both saw huge negative swings: -3 at 5v5 for Heineman and -4 for Horvat.

Sometimes, raw numbers don't do the whole picture justice. That's where another fun stat, Expected Goals For/Goals Against (xGF/xGA) and the Expected Goals For Percentage (xGF%) come into play.

NOTE: All numbers discussed below are calculated at 5v5, unless otherwise specified

This statistic measures the overall performance of players and their chances in a game, turning it into a mathematic formula based on the probability of goals being scored based on the quality of chances. 

A good xGF% is anything above 50%. The 50% line is equivalent to 0, anything below indicates you're allowing more quality chances than you're generating.

For example, if you watched any games down the stretch, the most consistent Islanders' line was unquestionably Kyle MacLean, Casey Cizikas, and Marc Gatcomb.

The numbers back that up. The trio leads the Islanders in xGF% since the Olympics, with Cizikas and Gatcomb sitting over 60% xGF%, while MacLean's at 57.75%.

Those are exceedingly strong numbers, and show how effective the trio is.

You'd also then think, if these numbers are effective, that Schaefer would be the Islanders' best defenseman.

The answer is yes, no doubt. Schaefer sits at a 56.54 xGF%. 

The next best defenseman is Pelech, with a 54.26 xGF%. No player on the Islanders got worse luck than Pelech. He played at an extremely high level, with the Islanders expecting around 22 goals with him on the ice at 5v5.

They only scored eight goals total, completely tanking his actual GF and GA, as shown above.

The worst Islanders at xGF% since the Olympics ended is Anthony Duclair, who had an xGF% of 29.28%, a rough number across eight total games.

Amongst guys who played in most or all games, Schenn sits at the bottom. In 18 games with the Islanders, Schenn's xGF% sits at 43.94%, a very low figure, well below the team's average.

Mayfield and Soucy are the two lowest defenders in this stat amongst the regulars, touting a 47.95% (Mayfield) and a 48.75% (Soucy) respectively.

It's worth noting that in just four games, Maxim Shabanov crushed it. He generated an xGF% of 62.29%, but just didn't get into enough games to see how he would've continued to perform.

Overall, the xGF% for the Islanders is not as bad as you might think it is.  

So, what's the biggest takeaway from these numbers? What can be learned about the Islanders' 5v5 play that doomed their season?

One big takeaway should be how badly they missed Kyle Palmieri. He's a strong finisher, adding another true finisher would've helped immensely at 5v5.

Another takeaway should be these numbers should be the numbers aren't perfect, but they can illustrate patterns.

It's no coincidence that the Soucy/Mayfield duo consistently showed up at the bottom, just as Schenn and Ritchie did.

Ritchie is severely hurt by these numbers. Some of his best came on the man advantage, where he totaled seven power-play points since the Olympics ended. Similarly, Schenn added three points on the power play.

You can't dismiss the poor defensive metrics at 5v5 for them together, though.

The numbers also don't show the sometimes-brutal defensive zone mistakes that were made, that often wound up in the back of the net.

Overall, the numbers point to the three big things:

1. At even strength, the Islanders were an above-average team, with weak spots defensively that caused a lot of issues.

2. They lack scorers who capitalize on good 5v5 play.

3. Games get decided in the margins. The margins are special teams. The Islanders' special teams failed in the biggest moments.

In their last 23 games, the Islanders went 13/68. Four of those goals came in two games against the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs.

In fact, of the 13 goals, they scored only 9 in the final 23 games. There were four games in which the Islanders scored twice on the man advantage, one of which came in a 7-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

If you take out the multi-PPG games against Toronto (x2), Montreal, and one against the St. Louis Blues, the power play statistics plummet. 

Instead of reading 13/68, that drops to just 5/50, otherwise read as 10%.

In those same 19 games down the stretch, the Islanders allowed four shorthanded goals on those 50 power plays.

The opposition scored during New York's man advantage just as much as they did.  

Going down the stretch and having that type of performance overall is just about as bad it gets, and further shows just how bad the Islanders needed to clean up the special teams, but just couldn't.

It's the biggest statistical reason the Islanders won't be in the playoffs next week.

The Montreal Canadiens picked up a 4-1 win against the New York Islanders on Sunday. Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc played a role in the Canadiens' win over the Islanders, as he scored a goal and recorded an assist in the contest. 

This strong performance against the Islanders was certainly needed for Bolduc. Before it, the 22-year-old forward had gone seven straight appearances without a point. He was also healthy scratched for two games before this contest against the Islanders, so he undoubtedly had a strong bounce-back game. 

Now, Bolduc will be looking to build off this solid game against the Islanders from here. He has shown that he can be a difference-maker at times this season, and it would be huge for the Canadiens if he got hot with the playoffs right around the corner. 

Bolduc will certainly be a player to watch from here because of it. If he can contribute offensively like this more consistently, it would be huge for the Canadiens as they look to go on a real playoff run this spring. 

In 77 games with the Canadiens this season, Bolduc has 12 goals, 18 assists, 30 points, and 166 hits. This is after he had 19 goals, 36 points, and 108 hits in 72 games for the St. Louis Blues this past season. 

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues knew their fate during their 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

They followed through and won the hockey game despite knowing their playoff fate had been sealed when they were eliminated for the third time in four seasons.

Now with three games remaining in the regular season, including Monday’s 7 p.m. game against the Minnesota Wild (45-23-12), who will be going to the playoffs, what’s left for them to accomplish?

Plenty, according to coach Jim Montgomery, who along with his coaching staff and management, will have a keen eye on who approaches these so-called meaningless, play-out-the-string games and how they take them.

“We’re just trying to see who’s going to compete in these games, because there’s a lot of games in the regular season that are like this that we were playing three in four and you need a gut-check and who’s going to have a gut check,” Montgomery said. “Today, that’s about personal pride, how you want to represent yourself and the St. Louis Blues organization. I said this after the first period in Chicago, you only have so many games in your career, and do you want to look back and you want to lay an egg in one of these games where you could have been good for your team? It’s not going to change. We all understand human nature, but the competitive fire that has been in you since you were an eight-year-old to play in this game, it’s either there at eight years old and it’s there when you’re 28. If it’s not there when you’re eight years old, it’s not going to be there when you’re 28.”

That means for those tank-a-thon fans that want to see the Blues (34-33-12) lose out to get the best possible draft lottery result, don’t count on losing in so-called on-purpose fashion.

When the Blues were as much as 14 points out of a wild card in the Western Conference at one point, and 12 back coming out of the Olympic break, all the talk was about tanking and getting as high a lottery pick as possible.

But they have gone 14-5-3 since and got to as close as three points of reaching the goal of playoffs. It was a good run, yes, but in the end, it all meant nothing because of the results that were troublesome earlier in the season.

But Montgomery has learned at least something out of this recent push.

“That there’s some young guys emerging that possibly can be really good players in this team in the future,” he said.

But there’s also that analogy of needing to figure out an 82-game season, and not a good stretch of the the season, like the last 22 games.

“I try not to get too excited about playing really well when you’re so far out of it,” Montgomery said. “There’s so many teams … you look at the NFL, I looked at one year, the Redskins were 0-8 and they finished 8-8 … this team’s set to go to the Super Bowl; they were 4-12 the next year. There’s a lot of people that make a livelihood of being really good when your team’s basically eliminated. We need to find more players that want to be really good right from the start of the year, and that’s something as an organization that we have to instill and something that we’re going to try and make sure we do from the start of the year next year.

“Sorry to not give you a great answer for your question, but it annoys me at times. Not the question, the performance.”

So with games against the Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday and Utah Mammoth to close out 2025-26 on Thursday, what will be evaluated?

“You see the guys that keep competing,” Montgomery said. ‘Who’s cheating for offense, who’s trying not to play the right way for the team but they do play the right way when it’s convenient for them. The guys that play the right way all the time, and that’s something that we’ve been harping on, something we talked about for the last 40 minutes in Chicago. We want to play the right way. In the end at the end of your career, you want to know that you do the reunion where you played with your teammates and they know that you gave them everything they had, that they can rely on you. That’s the sign of a great teammate.”

- - -

The Blues will play a version of the Wild that resembles more of a preseason lineup than the regular-season version.

Minnesota will not dress, among their top players, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Hartman, Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov, due to rest purposes.

Minnesota is locked in as the No. 3 seed in the Central Division and will play No. 2 Dallas Stars in the first round.

“I think it’s two years in a row that it’s going to be in the Central Division that a Stanley Cup contender is going to be eliminated in the first round,” Montgomery said. “Do I think that’s fair? Life isn’t fair, that’s the rules, so they’ve got to play by them. The person that’s going to win the Stanley Cup has to go through the best teams at some point. Just the way it is.

“… They’ve used a different lineup the last three games, I think, since everybody’s been locked into their position. They’re heavy on the third and fourth lines, they’re skilled and talented and fiercely competitive on the first two. They’re deep on defense. This is a really good hockey team that is built for the playoffs, in my opinion.”

- - -

The Blues will make a couple changes to their forward lines, including inserting Jonathan Drouin and Jack Finley in against the wild, in place of Jonatan Berggren and Oskar Sundqvist.

Joel Hofer will start in goal, meaning Jordan Binnington will get the home finale -- and perhaps his final game in front of the home crowd (?) on Tuesday against the Penguins.

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Dylan Holloway-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud

Pavel Buchnevich-Pius Suter-Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jonathan Drouin

Alexey Toropchenko-Jack Finley-Otto Stenberg

Philip Broberg-Logan Mailloux

Theo Lindstein-Colton Parayko

Cam Fowler-Tyler Tucker

Joel Hofer will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Justin Holl, Jonatan Berggren, Matthew Kessel, Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker. The Blues report no injuries.

- - -

Wild Projected Lineup:

Yakov Trenin-Danila Yurov-Vladimir Tarasenko

Marcus Johansson-Hunter Haight-Bobby Brink

Nico Sturm-Michael McCarron-Nick Foligno

Robby Fabbri-Ben Jones-Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Jonas Brodin-Jared Spurgeon

Jake Middleton-Brock Faber

Daemon Hunt-Matt Kiersted

Filip Gustavsson will start in goal; Jesper Wallstedt will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Mats Zuccarello, Joel Eriksson Ek, Zach Bogosian, Jeff Petry, Viking Gustafsson-Nyberg, Matt Boldy, Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, Quinn Hughes, and Kirill Kaprozov. The Wild report no injuries.

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.