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By no means was goaltending the reason the Detroit Red Wings lost 4–3 to the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, but it certainly didn't help.  Starter Alex Lyon conceded on two of the the first three shots he faced.  When asked whether the defense in front of Lyon or Lyon's own struggles were the cause of the early deficit, a visibly frustrated Todd McLellan said only, "Both.  Both."

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For the month of March, Detroit's team save percentage is just .867, while the Red Wings have conceded 3.46 goals a game. That's not an easy recipe with which to win games, and, well, Detroit has won many: just three wins from 13 games and all 10 losses in regulation.  However, despite the Red Wings' struggles in net, it does not appear the team has any appetite for giving top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa (a 2021 first round draft pick) a look in the NHL crease.  Not yet anyway.

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The first indicator that Detroit might be feeling something less than optimistic about Cossa's (immediate) future came in the form of the trade deadline acquisition of Petr Mrazek from Chicago.  That the Red Wings would bring in goaltending help for the stretch run needn't indicate doubt over Cossa's future, but the fact that Mrazek is signed through the 2025-26 season starts to evoke that uncertainty.  In explaining the move, general manager Steve Yzerman said that in acquiring Mrazek, he was solidifying his '25-26 tandem: Mrazek and Cam Talbot.  Sure, Cossa could play his way into that rotation, but the unsubtle suggestion was that Cossa didn't factor into Yzerman's plans in net for the coming season.

Cossa was an emergency call-up for the final game of Detroit's recent road trip, but when it ended and Talbot returned to health, Cossa went right back to Grand Rapids.  In explaining that process after Thursday morning's skate, McLellan suggested Cossa wouldn't get an NHL look to close out the season unless injury necessitated it, saying, "The emergency conditions will see to exist once Cam [gets healthy], so the simple answer to that question is no, unless we get into an emergency situation again," said McLellan, when asked whether there was a chance to see Cossa start for Detroit down the stretch. "That's just the way it goes now with roster moves."

None of this should be taken to mean that Cossa's NHL career is doomed before it even really begins.  However, as the Red Wings limp toward the end of the regular season, the organization's actions and words have made clear that it doesn't perceive Cossa as a solution to its struggles in net.  Not yet anyway.

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Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov and his KHL team, SKA St. Petersburg, were kicking off their chase for the Gagarin Cup yesterday, and to say it was a disappointing start would be an understatement.

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As reported, Demidov started the game as SKA’s thirteenth forward, and while Roman Roterberg had said he would play, he rode the pine for the entirety of the first frame. After 20 minutes, SKA was losing 2-1 to Dynamo Moscow.

The right winger then saw 3:30 of action in the second frame and a further 4:16 in the final one, including a two-minute shift at six on five when St. Petersburg was desperate to find a goal, losing 3-1. It was too little too late, however, and the score remained the same.

Demidov ended his work night with 7:46 ice time, two shots on goal, two hits, and a blocked shot. Will Rotenberg decide to change the lineup after that less-than-ideal result? We’ll see when the two teams face off again on Saturday.

Two former Canadiens are skating for the Dynamo in that series. One is Jordan Weal, who spent three seasons in the Habs’ organization, registering 25 points in 65 games in the NHL and 24 in 34 games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. The center got a pair of helpers in the 3-1 win, while the other, Cedric Paquette, also grabbed an assist.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday morning that their 2024 second-round pick, Harrison Brunicke, would be assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

The 18-year-old right-handed defenseman finished his third season with the Kamloops Blazers, who did not qualify for the playoffs with a 24-39-4-1 record and finished 10th in the WHL Western Conference. 

Despite the team's place in the standings, Brunicke wrapped up his third WHL season by finishing sixth in team scoring with a career-high 30 points thanks to five goals and 25 assists. 

Although Brunicke has never played in the AHL, he played some NHL pre-season games this year. Meanwhile, the WBS Penguins are one of the top teams in the AHL, giving the rookie defender a chance to play competitive hockey leading up to the Calder Cup playoffs. 

Penguins Call Up Star Prospects Koivunen & McGroartyAfter a disastrous road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins are calling up some reinforcements from the AHL. On Friday morning, they announced that prospects Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty are bound for Pittsburgh.

The Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella on Thursday, replacing him with Brad Shaw on an interim basis. 

Tortorella, 66, had a year remaining on his contract. Following a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, he expressed frustration over the Flyers' recent decline in the standings, sounding like he wasn't keen to continue coaching a rebuilding team. 

Under Tortorella, the Flyers exceeded expectations since last season. They narrowly missed the post-season last year despite management's hesitant rebuilding approach and the lack of experienced goalie depth following Carter Hart's mid-season departure.

They were still in the chase this season. However, trading away Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Erik Johnson gutted their roster depth, which was further weakened by a recent injury to blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen. They wound up tumbling down the standings and out of contention. 

Finding a suitable replacement will be management's off-season priority. 

The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau and Jonathan Bailey suggested David Carle of the University of Colorado as a candidate. Before Tortorella’s firing, Philly Hockey Now's William James suggested the same. Ben Kuzma of The Vancouver Province wondered if Canucks coach Rick Tocchet might land behind the Flyers' bench.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun mentioned Carle and Tocchet, pointing out that the latter is the only current NHL coach on an expiring contract, though it comes with a club option for next season. He wondered if Joel Quenneville might be part of the Flyers' search.

LeBrun also cited interim coaches Joe Sacco in Boston and Anders Sorensen in Chicago. He mused about Peter Laviolette's future if the New York Rangers miss the playoffs. The Hockey News’ Sam Carchidi and Proteau also wondered about AHL Lehigh Valley coach Ian Laperriere as an option.

Tortorella Gone, But Many Flyers Problems RemainJohn Tortorella has a lot of redeeming qualities, including the fact he develops a culture with his hard-driving, old-school style.

Before his firing, Tortorella felt the Flyers had to improve their goaltending after this season. He indicated Hart's departure last season left the position in turmoil, relying on inexperienced goaltenders Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. As a result, the Flyers have one of the league's worst goals against per game (3.45).

Kevin Kurz of The Athletic believes Fedotov's future with the Flyers is in doubt. He has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3.275 million, a 5-13-3 record, a 3.21 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage. 

Back To The Future: Flyers Plagued By Same Old Goalie IssuesFor most of the last four decades, the Philadelphia Flyers have been the poster child for mediocre-to-poor goaltending.

The Flyers will find the market is thin this summer for free-agent goaltenders with starter experience. The notables include the oft-injured Fredrik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils, and Vitek Vanecek of the Florida Panthers. 

John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks is the only noteworthy goalie in the trade market. He carries an average annual value of $6.4 million through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade clause. The 31-year-old Gibson might not be keen to swap a rebuilding team in Anaheim for one in Philadelphia.

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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby wrote his name in the NHL history books once again on Thursday. 

With a goal against the Buffalo Sabres, Crosby became the first NHL player ever to record 20 seasons where he’s averaged at least one point per game. He broke the tie with Wayne Gretzky, who had 19.

Crosby has 80 points in 72 games this season, 17 more points than the second-leading scorer on the Penguins, Rickard Rakell. Crosby missed two games before the 4 Nations Face-Off, meaning he can only play a maximum of 80 matches this season.

The 37-year-old could still break some massive franchise records set by another all-time great, Mario Lemieux.

Lemieux is the Penguins' leader in goals with 690 and points with 1,723. Crosby gained the lead in the assist column earlier this season and currently has 1,058 helpers.

It’ll take some time for Crosby to beat Lemieux in goals and points, but he’s well within reach. He could even get it done before his next two-year contract expires.

Crosby only needs 48 more points to become Pittsburgh’s all-time points leader. He’s more than capable of setting that record in the first half of next season.

In every season where Crosby has played at least 40 games, he scored at least 47 points. As long as he stays healthy, he won’t break a sweat on his way to becoming the franchise’s point leader. If we use his 1.11 points-per-game average from this season, he’s projected to record eight more points this season and break Lemieux’s record 36 games into 2025-26.

Penguins Crosby Joins Exclusive Club With Another 80-Point Season Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored a first-period goal against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, March 27, securing his 14th 80-point season.

Breaking the goals record will be a bit more of a challenge. 

Crosby has 618 career goals, 73 away from breaking Lemieux’s 690-goal marker. In the next two seasons, Crosby will have to get close to 40 goals in each of those campaigns to become the club’s all-time goal leader. 

Last season, he scored 42 goals, his most since the 44 he recorded in 2016-17.

The goal to give him the point per-game record was his 26th of the year. In the season's final eight games, he’s on pace to score two or three more goals. He’ll have to return to his production from last season if he wants any chance to break the record, but at this point, it’s tough to doubt what Crosby can do.

As for the team, they lost 7-3 to the Sabres, sit 26th overall in the NHL standings and are projected to miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

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After a disastrous road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins are calling up some reinforcements from the AHL. On Friday morning, they announced that prospects Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty are bound for Pittsburgh.

Currently, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the AHL's fifth-best team, with a 36-18-7-1 record thanks partly to Koivunen, who has compiled 55 points in 62 games, good enough for sixth in league scoring. 

Meanwhile, since Feb. 15, McGroarty has collected the most points of anyone in the WBS lineup, scoring 18 points in the past 19 games, bringing his season totals to 39 points in 60 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and on pace to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks of the regular season. 

After coming to the Penguins organization after a mid-summer trade from the Winnipeg Jets, McGroaty played in three NHL games before finding his groove in the AHL. 

Like McGroarty, Koivunen is playing his first professional season and is the baby Penguins' leading scorer and one of four players to score more than 20 goals this season.

The Finnish winger, a key piece in the Jake Guentzel trade, will have a chance to make his NHL debut on this call-up.

Since Pittsburgh will not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, both prospects will get some laps in and still have plenty of time to return to the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs, which begins mid-April.

Pittsburgh's next game is Sunday against the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena, while WBS visits the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.