Category: Sports News

The Colorado Avalanche won their second straight game Sunday afternoon against Central Division rival Dallas --  the Avs' eighth win in their past nine games that improved their record to 41-24-3 this season.

Here are three key takeaways from Colorado's victory over the Stars:

1. Avs overcome Dallas' early lead, stake out 3-1 advantage after two periods

The Avalanche were down 1-0 to the Stars at the 4:10 mark of the first period on a goal from Dallas winger Jason Robertson. However, the Avs stormed back with the next three goals of the game to go up 3-1 after two periods of play.

Star forward Martin Necas got Colorado on the scoreboard with his 23rd goal of the season -- and in the middle frame, the Avalanche got goals from forwards Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin to take a commanding lead into the third period. The Avs limited the Stars to just 10 shots on net in the first two periods, and that defensive success was reflected on the scoresheet.

2. Sloppy third period from Avalanche allows Stars to force OT

After generating 27 shots on net through the first 40 minutes, the Avs allowed Dallas to out-shoot them 12-8 in the third period -- and that's was what the Stars needed to get back into the game. 

First, Dallas forward Mavrik Bourque struck for his 10th goal of the season with 5:48 left in regulation time -- then, just 20 seconds later, the Stars evened things up when forward Matt Duchene posted his 26th goal of the season to force overtime. Simply put, Colorado took its foot off the gas late in the game, and Dallas was able to secure a valuable point in the standings by pushing the game to extra time.

3. Superstar Makar caps off three-point day by scoring game-winner, pushing Avs closer to Stars in Central standings

Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar had a banner day on offense Sunday, posting a primary assist on Necas' goal, then adding another assist on Nichushkin's marker. But Makar's biggest contribution was a terrific individual effort in OT, as he potted his 25th goal of the year just 34 seconds into the extra period to give the Avs the victory.

With the win, Colorado crept one point closer to the Stars in the Central standings. The Avs are now 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, and they're now just two points behind Dallas for second place in the Central. The Stars do have two games in hand on the Avalanche, but as the possibility of a Dallas-Colorado playoff series looks more and more like what we're going to get in Round One, the Avs' win Sunday was a statement game.

This was the final regular-season game between Colorado and Dallas this season, and the Avalanche's win put the season series at 2-1-0 in the Avs' favor. If we do see the Stars and Avalanche squaring off in the opening round -- or at any point in the post-season -- we're definitely going to get entertaining hockey. And the Avs have shown repeatedly that they're up to the challenge of taking on one of the NHL's deepest teams.

Very quietly, on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Kings pulled out another impressive win, beating the Nashville Predators 1-0 in overtime for their fifth straight victory. And with the win, the Kings moved ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division – and L.A. is now five standings points behind the first-place Golden Knights, with the Kings holding two games in hand on Vegas.

Suddenly, there’s a legitimate chance Los Angeles will be able to avoid another first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Oilers. That would end three straight seasons in which the Kings and Edmonton squared off in Round One – and as we’ll explore below, that would almost certainly be a better road for L.A. in the post-season.

If the Kings are able to leapfrog over the Golden Knights and win the Pacfic, they could be looking at a first-round series against the Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks or St. Louis Blues. And any of those teams could be a better opponent for Los Angeles in the opening round.

The Kings are 2-0-0 against the Wild this season, with their final regular-season showdown set for Monday. Meanwhile, the Kings are 0-2-0 against the Flames, but both of their losses were close games, and they still have one more game against Calgary in their final game of the season. As far as the Canucks go, L.A. is 1-1-1 against Vancouver this year. And against the Blues, the Kings are 1-1-1. So any of those teams would likely be preferable competition for the Kings.

That said, let’s say the Kings stay where they are, and Edmonton remains in third place in the Pacific. Is it reasonable to argue that this year might be the first year Los Angeles is able to send the Oilers home early for the summer? We believe the answer to that question is "yes".

For instance, in their first game against Edmonton this season, the Kings beat the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. Then, in their most recent game, L.A. lost to Edmonton by a 1-0 score. But the two teams still have two games left against each other before the playoffs roll around – an April 5th game in Los Angeles, and an April 14th game in Edmonton. Those games could decide who gets home-ice advantage in a Round One series, and that's crucial, as L.A.’s home record is an imposing 23-3-4, while their road mark is a sub-par 13-17-5. 

But the more convincing argument to be made when it comes to the Kings beating the Oilers this year is to look at the way the Kings have won their games, as they’re one of the NHL’s best defensive machines. Indeed, Los Angeles has the second-best goals-against average in the league, with a stellar 2.55 GAA. The Oilers, on the other hand, are 14th in the league at a 2.91 GAA. And as we all ought to know by now, defense is what wins you games in the post-season.

To be sure, the Kings are significantly different than the L.A. teams that have lost to Edmonton in their past three playoff series. For one thing, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has delivered as advertised in his first season as the Kings’ No. 1 netminder, posting a 22-8-7 record, a 2.16 GAA, and a .919 save percentage in 38 appearances. Kuemper’s pedigree as a Cup winner is exactly what this Kings team needs, and so long as he stays healthy, Kuemper holds the edge over Oilers counterpart Stuart Skinner.

That’s NHL win No. 200 for Darcy Kuemper – congratulations to the @LAKings netminder! pic.twitter.com/H2vdWNAeiX

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) March 16, 2025

And while the Kings don’t have an elite talent at forward comparable to Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, L.A. does have seven forwards in double-digits in goals, and eight players who’ve produced between 30-54 points. 

On defense, the Kings have at least as good of a group of blueliners as they had last season, with the addition of veteran Joel Edmundson and the development of youngsters Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence. And L.A. would have the best D-man in the series in veteran star Drew Doughty, who has looked terrific since returning from an injury that’s limited him to only 17 games this season. But that prolonged absence may mean Doughty has a lot left in his competitive tank for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

In any case, the Oilers’ defense is their Achilles Heel, and that could well prove to be the difference between the Kings winning the series this time around. Los Angeles is proving time and again they can clamp down on opponents’ offense this season, and if they are able to restrict the Oilers’ superstars, Edmonton’s complementary players may not be able to produce enough goals to put the Oilers over the top.

All of this is to say we like the Kings to do great things in this year’s playoffs. Whether they square off against Edmonton or another team, L.A. has the defensive acumen to suffocate their opponent’s offense. And they’ve still got a foundation in Doughty and captain Anze Kopitar who can rely on their Cup-winning experience to lead their teammates to playoff victories. 

The Kings didn’t make any trade-deadline moves because they didn’t need to in order to win games. L.A.’s current hot streak should put the rest of the league on notice – this Kings team should be one that no other team wants to face in Round One, or any round.

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At 27-32-8, the Philadelphia Flyers are 27th in the NHL and once again one of the league’s worst teams.

Head coach John Tortorella impressively managed to bring the Flyers to the brink of a playoff spot last season, only for the team to suffer a rash of injuries, lose a key player in Sean Walker to a trade, and crash and burn out of the postseason picture.

Expectations were higher this season, of course, with star rookie Matvei Michkov essentially serving as a 1:1 replacement for the aging, ineffective Cam Atkinson, who was bought out by the Flyers in the offseason.

The problem for Tortorella is that, one way or another, he and his team fell decidedly short of those expectations.

At forward, Travis Konecny, the Flyers’ main proprietor of offense, has five goals in 30 games in 2025. Owen Tippett, still battling inconsistency in the offensive zone, is on pace for the least prolific full season of his Flyers career. Tyson Foerster is producing at a rate virtually identical to last season and was a healthy scratch earlier this year.

On defense, Travis Sanheim and Cam York are producing far less offense than they were a year ago. The latter was recently benched by Tortorella, and his eyebrow-raising comments about a lack of communication from the coach echo those made by Sean Couturier after his bizarre benching last season, which came shortly after being named the Flyers’ captain.

Players like Emil Andrae and Egor Zamula have stagnated or leveled off, though Jamie Drysdale is starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Accounting for the vast regression and apparent turmoil with some players, Tortorella’s message still seems to be striking a chord with the Flyers–the wrong one, though. When you play the wrong notes, the music turns from a song to noise.

Could, or should, Rick Tocchet return to the Flyers?

If the Flyers wish to go with a new voice and head in a new direction in the offseason, not much is preventing them from doing so.

Tortorella’s contract is set to expire next summer, while Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, who signed a two-year contract after replacing Bruce Boudreau, is up this summer.

The Flyers would owe Tortorella very little at the expense of moving forward. And if the Flyers want Tocchet, they'll have to strike quick.

That's because Tocchet, according to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, is no guarantee to extend his stay in Vancouver, either.

“Here’s what I can say: the Canucks are trying to extend him. They do like the guy and they want him back,” Dhaliwal said on “Kyper and Bourne” Wednesday. “But as [Canucks GM] Patrik Allvin says, it takes two to tango. Maybe Tocchet’s taking his time. So, let me throw this at you: Tocchet’s franchise goalie has got four injuries in his last 11 months. His franchise defenseman could leave in two years. His franchise center is on pace for 50 points and signed for seven more years.

“I know the media’s getting to Tocchet. He made a couple of comments the last two games, it tells you the media’s getting to him. . . It’s been a really trying year. He’s had to babysit Miller, Pettersson, the feud. Media’s all over him now, and if this team doesn’t make the playoffs, what’s gonna happen then? He’s got a decision to make, Rick Tocchet. I’m really surprised there’s 18 games left in the regular season and he’s not signed.”

Tocchet, a former Flyers captain played a total of 11 years in Philadelphia, was teammates with Flyers GM Danny Briere under Tortorella on the Phoenix Coyotes, and has spent a number of years working alongside successful NHL coaches, such as Mike Sullivan, Rick Bowness, and Jacques Martin.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion–once as a player and twice as a coach–Tocchet, like Tortorella, knows what it takes to win. The Flyers won’t sacrifice that valuable experience without being able to replace it.

The Canucks boss has reached hockey’s pinnacle more recently than Tortorella, and the reigning Jack Adams Trophy winner’s best coaching job might still be in progress.

Despite a rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller blowing a hole in the hull of Vancouver’s locker room and losing captain Quinn Hughes and starting goalie Thatcher Demko for large parts of the season due to injury, the Canucks are still alive in the playoff race.

In fact, the Canucks are actually in a playoff spot at the time of this writing, even with a player like Pettersson only on pace for 52 points, which would be the fewest he’s scored in a full season in his entire professional career.

Rather than argue with Pettersson on the bench or yank him from the lineup, Tocchet’s conservative approach with Pettersson has seen the former 100-point-scorer start to trend upward with four goals and six points in his last five games.

“I always tell guys, you can have an average first two periods, but rise to the occasion, which [Pettersson] did. Good for him.” Tocchet told the media after the Canucks’ recent win over Chicago. “That’s what we need from him when things are just kind of neutral, that he can just elevate his game.”

This is an approach that would work well with Michkov, for example. Today’s stars respond to coaching differently than they did even 10 years ago.

If Tocchet wants the Flyers job in the summer and the two sides agree there’s a mutual fit, the organization has a ton of ammo to freshen the atmosphere and begin to build a more competitive roster.

A new voice could lead the Michkovs, Konecnys, and Sanheims and reel them back in, while three first-round picks in 2025 can be weaponized to build towards the future and/or acquire a building block for the present.

DETROIT — On Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings played their way to a convincing 3–0 victory over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights.

Petr Mrazek backstopped the victory with an 18-save shutout, while Detroit got the offense it needed from from three youngsters.  Albert Johansson (who walked tidily around Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov for the game's opening goal) was the oldest goal scorer of the night at 24, which Lucas Raymond (22) and Marco Kasper (20) adding third period insurance markers to put the game out of reach of a weary Knights team that had lost in a shootout a night prior in Buffalo.

"Looking up at the end of the night at the scoreboard was a real good thing for our team, considering the opponent, the type of game they play," said coach Todd McLellan after the game.  "So it was a pretty good night for a lot of our players and should give us some confidence."

Here's more on how the Red Wings played their way into the shutout win.

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Mrazek Getting "Swagger Back," Continues to Stake Claim to Crease

It wasn't a high volume night in net for Mrazek, but he did everything asked of him, including a few moments of brilliance when Vegas applied pressure and created chaos around his crease.

"His performance was excellent," said McLellan.  "They didn't have many shots, but they had some good ones that got through traffic, and it was last minute–type saves and then the scramble in and around the paint.  I thought he handled it well."

Obviously, the bottom line is unimpeachable for Mrazek, though there were moments when he was slightly less than convincing.  Over his career, Mrazek's worst form seems to include a proclivity for 'swimming' in his crease, struggling to track the play and losing his relationship to his net.  That wasn't the case Sunday afternoon, but at times there was an uncertainty to his game—peaking over his shoulder to make sure a puck hadn't squeaked through.

In the third, a Mark Stone slapper that didn't look especially dangerous slipped through him, nearly gifting the Knights a goal.  Mrazek came up slowly following that sequence and had to be attended to by a trainer, but he stayed in the game.  After the game, he joked that he "got it in a spot where you don't want to know where I got it," temporarily incapacitating him but nothing serious.

He's now made three straight starts and is clearly McLellan's first choice in net following his return to Detroit at the deadline.  Of the decision to stick with him, McLellan said, "He's given us some confidence...You just feel it on the bench. When a save is made, the energy that's on the bench right now with Petr in the pipes...we sense that, we feel it, so we chose to go with him again."

Mrazek himself said that his sense of comfort has grown with the continuity he's gotten since coming back to the Red Wings.  Before his current run of three straight starts (and two wins), Mrazek hadn't played since Jan. 27 with the Blackhawks.  "Playing those three games in a row definitely helps...[I] haven't been playing for a while before, and once you're playing, you're getting your confidence back, your swagger back, so I've felt every game that I've played, I've felt better and better," he said after Sunday's shutout.

It's hard to imagine McLellan would turn away from Mrazek heading into Tuesday's game in Washington, considering the coach stuck with him following Friday's loss in Carolina and was rewarded Sunday for doing so.

Kasper, Johansson Keep Playing Way into More Confidence

Both Marco Kasper and Albert Johansson scored for the Red Wings Sunday, but in both cases, the goal alone fails to encapsulate the scope of their influence on the game and the result for Detroit.

The Red Wings second line—Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat on Kasper's wings—was by far its most consistently dangerous Sunday afternoon.  Per MoneyPuck.com, the trio played 13:05 together at five-on-five, accruing a 2.033–0.381 edge in expected goals and 1–0 advantage in actual goals.

Kasper effectively clinched the game with just under nine minutes to play, when he re-directed home an Erik Gustafsson pass to make it 3–0 Detroit, but he could easily have had scored another (perhaps even two) based on the chances he found for himself.  

In moving from Dylan Larkin's wing on the top line (where he looked completely at home) to the 2C hole with Kane and DeBrincat, Kasper continues to show the intelligence and maturity in his game.  He was involved in everything for his line—killing plays and winning back pucks in the defensive zone, transitioning the puck from end to end, and, of course, actually finishing chances in the O zone.  In so doing, he's shown a natural understanding of what has to change in moving from wing back to center and in adjusting to his new linemates.  Whether on Larkin's wing or centering his own line, Kasper has been a live wire every night for Detroit.

"I'm just trying to do my best wherever, whatever spot I'm put in, and every time I step on the ice, I'm trying to be the most competitive player on the ice—win all my battles, skate hard, and just do the right things," Kasper said after the game.  He certainly did the right things Sunday afternoon, and that's no exception to his recent run of form.

Meanwhile, Johansson showed off a goalscorer's hands in weaving his way around Samsonov and tucking home the puck, but again, the goal itself was just the start of what he did well.

After the game, McLellan gushed about the 24-year-old D man's performance, saying, "His game tonight was outstanding.  There were so many little things that he did when we didn't have the puck in our end—breaking up plays, good read and react type stuff, situations where there was something dangerous about to happen and he was right there to kill the play.  Obviously his goal was a very nice goal, a poised goal, so those are all good things.  His overall play, I don't think there's anybody in the hockey world that would walk into the arena and go, 'That guy's a rookie.'  So just his poise, his growth, his confidence, competitiveness, all the things that are really hard to measure...I think have made him a really good player for us."

Johansson finished the night with 21:49 of ice time, trailing only his partner Simon Edvinsson's 22:37.  Those are minutes he earned and minutes he won for his team.  In keeping with McLellan's assessment, he looks a completely different player to the one who very much showed his youth early in the season.  No matter how the season ends for Detroit, Johansson's emergence since McLellan's takeover is a tremendous positive to take from the campaign.

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