Category: Sports News

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was rushed to the hospital after taking a puck to the face on Saturday, which resulted in facial fractures and a corneal abrasion.

Bednar, 54, will now miss the Avs’ upcoming two-game road trip, at the very least, due to the injuries suffered.

The freak accident took place during Colorado’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

Bednar was admitted to a nearby hospital following the incident and was fully conscious, according to a spokesman for the Avalanche, and underwent a CT scan for an advanced evaluation of the injuries.

Avs head coach Jared Bednar took an attempted dump-in from Keegan Kolesar to the side of the head and has left the bench pic.twitter.com/Qh0uQQSXgd

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 12, 2026

Bednar was standing behind the Colorado bench as a puck bounced off Knights defenseman Keegan Kolesar’s stick, flying over the boards and hitting the Avs head coach in the face as 16:39 remained in the third period.

He was ultimately aided to the locker room by one of the team’s athletic trainers and replaced in the interim by Avs assistant coach Dave Hakstol.

With three games to go, Colorado has and will finish with the top spot in the NHL’s regular season, currently at 115 points on the year.

The Avalanche have seven more points than anyone in the league, with the Western Conference foe Dallas Stars sitting behind them at 108.

Colorado is currently the betting favorite to win the 2026 Stanley Cup with a goal differential of +94, which is 34 goals better than the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are second at +60.

The Buffalo Sabres positioning for the upcoming playoffs improved slightly after Saturday’s results, as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens used up their games in hand and now have two games left before the end of their regular season on Wednesday.  The Sabres chances of finishing first or second in the Atlantic Division and securing home-ice advantage per Moneypuck.com are at 96.4%. The Lightning won 2-1 over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden and moved to within two points of the Sabres for top spot in the Atlantic, while Montreal remained two points back of Buffalo after a 5-2 loss to Columbus at the Bell Centre. 

The Canadiens received some bad news in the contest, as the club revealed on Sunday that defenseman Noah Dobson suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday and will be re–evaluated in two weeks, which likely excludes the veteran blueliner from seeing action until late in the first round. Montreal recalled defenseman David Reinbacher from AHL Laval, where the former top-five pick has played 57 games this season. 

The Habs play the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Sunday, and if they lose in regulation, the Sabres will clinch at least second place in the Atlantic and home ice in the opening round of the playoffs. Buffalo can also clinch if they win in Chicago against the Blackhawks on Monday. Tampa finishes off its regular season schedule with home games against Detroit on Monday and the NY Rangers on Wednesday, while the Sabres finish off their regular season with Fan Appreciation Night against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. 

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

If the Sabres win the Atlantic, they are guaranteed to face an Atlantic Division foe in the opening round. The Ottawa Senators clinched a wildcard spot with a 3-0 win over the Islanders on Saturday afternoon, and moved into a tie with the Bruins. The Senators occupy the first wildcard spot due to a tiebreaker, and that spot would face the Atlantic Division winner, while Carolina has clinched home-ice through the Eastern Conference Final and will play the second wildcard club.

Both the Bruins and Senators play on the road on Sunday, with Boston facing the much tougher matchup in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. The Senators take on the Devils in Newark.  The Bruins finish off their season at home against New Jersey on Tuesday, while the Senators play in Kanata on Wednesday against Toronto. 

The Sabres practiced at KeyBank Center on Sunday morning before departing for Chicago to face the last-place Hawks on Monday night. With Alex Lyon out for at least a week, it is expected that Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will give Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and rookie Colten Ellis each a start. Luukkonen was in the starter’s net on Sunday, which is a preliminary indicator that the veteran will get the start at the United Center. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

As the 2025-26 NHL regular season and the Eastern Conference playoff push winds down, there are teams that have seized the moment and strung wins together like the Penguins, Flyers and Senators, and there are teams that have spiraled out of previously promising positions to leave an empty feeling like the Red Wings and Islanders.

The Red Wings were officially eliminated last night, coughing up multiple leads against the Devils in front of a quiet home crowd that turned into a minutes-long chorus of boos as Detroit officially reached a decade without a playoff appearance. Will the Islanders earn such a reaction? It probably depends on their effort over the next two games, but they’ve done themselves no favors.

Columbus (92 pts.) is still in the picture, interrupting their tailspin with a win over the Canadiens last night. The Flyers (94 pts.) put pressure on everyone by convincingly destroying the Jets in Winnipeg. The Islanders (91 pts.) and Capitals (91 pts.) still have outside chances, but only if everything goes right for them and everything wrong for Philadelphia and Columbus.

The Isles’ foe tonight is the Canadiens, who were beaten by the Blue Jackets at home last night but still have a chance to secure home ice advantage or even a division-winning seed.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• Special teams killed them again. [Newsday | LHH | Post]
• How are things looking? Not good! [Newsday | Post]
• Takeaways: Special teams, of course, which DeBoer noted. Also: “It doesn’t feel great right now, but we’re still alive. We have to win our last two games.” [Isles]
• Previewing tonight: here come the Habs. [Isles]
• The Islanders created a special night for Cole, the younger brother of Connor Kasin, the varsity hockey player who lost his life during a charity game in 2024. [Post]
• Denver University won its 11th NCAA championship, topping Wisconsin and Isles prospect Quinn Finley. [NHL]

Elsewhere

• The Habs will be without Noah Dobson, who left yesterday’s game with a thumb injury “caused by blocking his NHL-leading 188th shot.” Re-evaluated in two weeks, so that is brutal timing for them. [Sportsnet]
• Jared Bednar took a puck to the face and had to go the hospital. [TSN]
• That NCAA UFA and Hobey Baker finalist TJ Hughes who was “linked” to the Isles? He is now inked with the Avs. [TSN]

Before a bell similarly tolls for the Islanders, here’s some Red Wings Collapse Porn:

• Todd McLellan: “It’s just a microcosm of the year, really, and where we are as an organization. We have to get better top to bottom.” [NHL]
• “If something can be unacceptable and predictable at the same time, this was it. It happened again, in the same ridiculous manner with the same ridiculous mistakes.” [Detroit News]
• Todd McLellan: “I don’t even know if they want a Stanley Cup Championship anymore. They just want a team that’s going to come in and give them something to cheer about.” [Athletic]
• “When it mattered most, they looked lackadaisical. It is one thing to lose on skill, but what excuse is there for being outworked, again and again?“ [Detroit Free Press]

With a better showing over the final two games, the Islanders can avoid some of those condemnations — and they’re in year 1 of a new regime, with a new coach, so it’s not the same as what’s happening in Detroit. But still, the position they were in, the additions that were made to theoretically reinforce the effort, it’s all going to bring up some core questions if/when they fall short.

The Western Conference playoff race is beginning to heat up. With the Oilers and Golden Knights clinching a playoff spot on Saturday, Los Angeles is now four points behind Vegas for the first seed, three points behind Edmonton for the second seed, and two points behind Anaheim for the third seed. 

It's still not clear as to how the seedings will look in the division; no team has locked in a spot yet, making the last few games an incredible watch to end the season. It's a log-jam featuring the Kings, Ducks, Golden Knights, and Oilers, all battling for the third, second, and first seed. 

The @EdmontonOilers and @GoldenKnights clinched their spots in the #StanleyCup Playoffs tonight!

Who will take the last two spots in the Western Conference? 💬 pic.twitter.com/jWGtlA1KPp

— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2026

Here's a look at the current playoff standings at the top of the division:

1. Vegas Golden Knights - 37-26-17, 91 points

2. Edmonton Oilers - 40-30-10, 90 points

3. Anaheim Ducks - 42-32-5, 89 points

4. Los Angeles Kings - 34-26-19, 87 points

All four teams have their flaws, making it possible for the seedings to change at the end of the regular season. The Pacific Division, especially, has been one of the worst divisions we've seen in a very long time, so it wouldn't surprise anyone if Los Angeles moves up to second or third to end the season.

 If the Kings win out their remaining regular-season games and Edmonton loses one of its two remaining games, it's very possible LA can finish at best as the third seed. 

To finish higher than that, they'll need Anaheim to lose two of their last three games or lose all of them. Vegas at this point looks like it will finish at the top of the division, now holding a four-point lead over Los Angeles, and since firing its head coach, they are 5-0-1. 

That would be remarkable if Los Angeles could somehow secure home ice in the first round of the playoffs, something that was out of the question just a week ago. 

The most important thing is for the Kings to draw a favorable matchup in the postseason. A team like Edmonton, which is missing Leon Draisaitl for probably most of the first round of the playoffs, can be a favorable matchup, or against the Ducks, who are a young team and have had trouble playing consistent team defense.

One way or another, we will just have to wait until next week to find out who the Kings will be playing or if they will be out of the playoffs.  

Let’s take a look at the big games to watch around the league for the next couple of days and who Kings fans should be rooting for.

Sunday

Canucks at Ducks - 

Unless Vancouver can pull off this upset like they did when they defeated the Colorado Avalanche last week or keep this game close, it's unlikely they can win this game on the road against Anaheim, which desperately needs this win to stay afloat in the playoff race. 

Monday

Avalanche at Oilers - 

The Avs already have the No. 1 seed locked up in the Central Division, while the Oilers are battling Anaheim and LA for the No. 2 seed. But, Edmonton didn't look good against LA today, so it's very possible Colorado can win this game. But if Edmonton wants to win this game, they can, recognizing the urgency and the potential for home ice on the line. 

Sharks at Predators - 

San Jose is pretty much out of playoff contention at this point, while Nashville is still fighting with the Kings to secure the final wild-card spot. At home, it's very likely the Predators come out and do everything they can to win this game. 

Jets at Golden Knights - 

Vegas has looked very good under John Tortorella, going 5-0-1 under him and defeating the Avalanche in a thrilling overtime game on Saturday. Winnipeg, meanwhile, is also fighting LA and Nashville for the final playoff spot, essentially needing to win all its remaining games, so it should be very motivated to pull off this upset. 

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Five years ago today, the Detroit Red Wings made one of the defining trades of their rebuild, sending Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a 2021 first round pick, and a 2022 second round pick.

At the time, the deal reflected two teams moving in opposite directions. Detroit was deep in a rebuild and looking toward the future, while Washington aimed to strengthen its roster for another Stanley Cup run.

In the immediate aftermath, Vrana looked like a centerpiece addition as the Czech winger exploded out of the gate with eight goals in just 11 games, showcasing the elite scoring touch that made him so highly regarded. But his tenure in Detroit never found stability. Injuries and time in the NHL Player Assistance Program disrupted his progress, and by 2023 he was moved to the St. Louis Blues.

Panik’s role proved far more limited, appearing in only 12 games for the Red Wings before being assigned to the American Hockey League and eventually moving on, leaving little impact on the rebuilding club.

Meanwhile, Mantha’s stint in Washington produced mixed results. Though he showed flashes of offensive ability, inconsistency and injuries prevented him from becoming the top-line force the Capitals envisioned. He settled more into a middle-six role during his time with the team.

As the years passed, the true weight of the trade shifted to the draft picks, which ultimately defined its long-term impact. The 2022 second round selection became Dmitri Buchelnikov, a dynamic forward who has continued to develop in Russia.

Now 22, Buchelnikov is viewed as a rising prospect with significant offensive upside and has begun drawing attention from NHL clubs, including interest from St. Louis in trade discussions, where he would be eventually dealt in the trade deadline move for defenseman Justin Faulk.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The 2021 first round pick, however, took a far more consequential path as Detroit packaged that selection in a draft-day trade with the Dallas Stars to move up to 15th overall, where they selected goaltender Sebastian Cossa, now widely regarded as the organization’s top prospect in net.

In exchange, Dallas received the 23rd overall pick, along with additional second- and fifth-round selections. With that 23rd pick, the Stars drafted Wyatt Johnston. That decision has since become one of the most talked-about ripple effects of the original trade.

Johnston quickly emerged as a cornerstone player in Dallas with the now 22-year-old, Toronto native producing at a star level and is on pace for 87 points this season, including a record-setting 26 power play goals.

While Cossa remains a highly promising goaltender, he has yet to make the full-time jump to the NHL. Johnston, on the other hand, has already become the type of top-six center the Red Wings have been searching for. 

Detroit acquired assets that aligned with its long-term vision, while Washington addressed an immediate need. But years later, it is the indirect outcome, Dallas landing a rising star in Johnston, that continues to shape how the deal is remembered.

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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.