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Nashville Predators forward Colton Sissons left during the first period of Saturday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.

After taking a hit and falling awkwardly to the ice behind the Vegas net, Sissons remained down on the ice for several minutes and appeared to be in significant pain while being tended to by Predators head athletic trained Kevin Morley.

Sissons was eventually helped to his feet and off the ice by teammates Steven Stamkos and Michael Bunting, and he was not putting any weight on his left leg as he was helped back to the Nashville locker room. 

Sissons did not return to the game and was seen leaving Bridgestone Arena on crutches during the third period. The Predators have yet to provide any further update on his injury status.

The NHL’s coaching carousel continues to spin, with the Philadelphia Flyers firing coach John Tortorella this week. Tortorella was replaced on an interim basis by associate coach Brad Shaw, increasing the number of interim coaches to three. 

Let’s look at each interim coach’s situation and offer a guesstimate of which ones are likely to stay with their current team.

In alphabetical order of teams:

1. Boston Bruins

After replacing the fired Jim Montgomery in mid-November, veteran coach Joe Sacco was given the interim reins of the Bruins. But Sacco was unable to turn Boston’s season around, as he’s posted a 22-25-6 record since taking over, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney dismantled much of the roster at the NHL trade deadline.

For that reason, Sacco probably won’t be the choice to coach the Bruins beyond this season. But despite some rumors, Tortorella isn’t the solution. Tortorella has a very short shelf life behind the bench, and the Bruins don’t require a whip-cracker like him.

Rather, we see current Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan as the likely coach of the Bs. Sullivan is expected in many circles to part ways with the Pens at the end of the year, and picking Sullivan – who has already worked as Boston’s coach in 2003-04 and 2005-06 – makes much more sense for the Bruins. 

In any case, don’t expect Sacco to stick around Beantown much longer. He’s a placeholder coach, and Boston hasn't changed for the better under his guidance. Sweeney will almost assuredly want a more proven bench boss, and that isn’t Sacco at this stage.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks moved in a different coaching direction in the first week of December when they fired coach Luke Richardson and made Anders Sorensen their interim bench boss. Since Dec. 7, Sorensen has generated a 13-27-7 record as the Blackhawks have sunk to the bottom of the Central Division and second-last place in the NHL. 

But really, what coach could’ve done any better with the dog’s breakfast of a lineup created by Chicago GM Kyle Davidson? This organization is still in the early stages of a full rebuild, and they are going to continue to be a non-playoff team for the foreseeable future. So, our bet is that Sorensen has the interim tag removed from his job title, and he becomes the permanent coach in the Windy City. 

Sorensen’s ability to be a teacher is exactly what the Blackhawks need right now, and continuing to change coaches won’t help Chicago in the short or long term.

The Hawks can keep Sorensen around as the roster continues to be tweaked, and maybe a couple of years down the line, they can go with an experienced coach to take the organization to a higher level. For now, though, Sorensen is the right choice for the Blackhawks’ current predicament.

3. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers gave Shaw the reins after dismissing Tortorella, and Shaw is only going to get another seven games to prove he’s the right man for the job. Philadelphia indeed looked energized in the first two games after the Tortorella Era ended, but let’s be realistic – there’s just not enough of a sample size for Shaw to demonstrate he should be Philly’s coach beyond this season.

As we said earlier this week, there’s no shortage of candidates for Flyers GM Daniel Briere to consider, whether it’s an in-house candidate like AHL coach Ian Laperriere or an outside candidate like NCAA coach David Carle.

Some have suggested current Vancouver Canucks coach and former Flyers star player Rick Tocchet might be the right man for the gig in Philadelphia, but if we’re being honest, we don’t see Tocchet choosing to come in and have the pressure of leading the Flyers to the playoffs when they aren’t close to being at that level, and who's to say Tocchet won't just be back in Vancouver next season.

It’s a shame for Shaw to have so little time to prove himself in Philly, but the coaching business is far from fair. Thus, we don’t think Shaw is going to be the Flyers’ coach after this year is over.

It’s not the right situation to go with someone with relatively little time running his own NHL team, although Carle is in the same boat in that regard. However, Carle’s success at the collegiate level is what is making him an odds-on favorite to land the job in Philadelphia (or another market). The Flyers are probably going to go in a different direction at season’s end, and Shaw will likely latch on to another team as an assistant coach.

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The Nashville Predators (27-38-8, 62 points) fell to the Vegas Golden Knights (45-20-8, 98 points), 3-1, Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

Ryan O'Reilly scored Nashville's lone goal on the power play, and Justus Annunen made 26 saves in goal. Adin Hill made 23 saves to earn his second win in as many nights for Vegas.

Ilya Samsonov took warmups with the Golden Knights, but it was Hill who made the start on Saturday despite also starting Friday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Samsonov remained on the bench for the first period as Hill's backup but did not return after the first intermission.

How the Predators Lined Up vs. Vegas 

Forsberg-O'Reilly-Evangelista
Bunting-Stamkos-Marchessault
L'Heureux-Svechkov-Sissons
Smith-McCarron-Bellows

Skjei-Blankenburg
Del Gaizo-Barron
Englund-Stastney

Annunen
Saros

Extra: Vrana, Oesterle
IR: Josi, Lauzon, Wilsby

Predators vs. Golden Knights: Live Updates

First Period (NSH 0, VGK 0)

Predators forward Colton Sissons left during the first period with an apparent lower-body injury after taking a hit and falling awkwardly to the ice behind the Vegas net. Sissons needed to be helped off the ice and was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he headed back to the locker room.

Predators' Colton Sissons Exits vs. Golden Knights with Apparent Lower-Body InjuryNashville Predators forward Colton Sissons left during the first period of Saturday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena with what appeared to be a lower-body injury.

The game remained scoreless after the first period, with the shot total even at nine apiece.

Second Period (NSH 1, VGK 1)

The first goal of the game was scored on the first power play of the game for either team less than six minutes into the second period. After William Karlsson was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, it took the Predators' top power play unit just six seconds to find the back of the net. Ryan O'Reilly tipped in a Nick Blankenburg shot from the blue line to give Nashville the 1-0 lead at the 5:53 mark of the second period.

Filip Forsberg recorded the secondary assist on the play, moving him into second place on the Predators' all-time assists leaderboard with 357.

Vegas had an answer less than three minutes later, however, when Jack Eichel scored on the rebound of a Shea Theodore shot to tie the score at 1-1.

O'Reilly appeared to score his second goal of the period a few minutes later, but a successful coach's challenge by Vegas determined that Luke Evangelista interfered with the goalie prior to the play and there was no goal.

Third Period (NSH 1, VGK 3)

With Justin Barron in the box for hooking, Reilly Smith broke the tie for Vegas on the power play by picking up a loose puck and scoring to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead at the 6:25 mark of the third period.

Brett Howden scored into the empty net with 45 seconds remaining in regulation for the 3-1 final.

The Ottawa Senators are about to get extremely well acquainted with the 2024-25 Columbus Blue Jackets. The Senators have just 11 games left in their regular season, and three of them – more than a quarter – will be against the Blue Jackets, starting Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre (7 pm).

That means six points are up for grabs and that's exactly Ottawa's lead on Columbus right now. A Sens win on Saturday would make it eight and almost impossible for the Jackets to catch them. A loss would drop the lead to four, which suddenly isn't all that imposing. So, that's the last thing the Sens want to see.

That, and donkey hats.

YOUR FIRST STAR AND DONKEY OF THE GAME!✨
BOOOOOONNNEEEEEE!!!! 🫏 pic.twitter.com/g6U8phXV9y

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 29, 2025

After each victory, the Blue Jackets decided this season to honour their player of the game with a donkey hat in honour of the late Johnny Gaudreau, who would jokingly call his teammates "donkeys' when the friendly chirps broke out. 

Sens headlines:
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UND Fires Brad Berry, Unofficial Member of Ottawa's Player Development Team

Former Ottawa Senator Jakob Chychrun Gets Massive Deal In Washington

Columbus enters play on Saturday as the WC2 holder, tied with the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers, but they've played two fewer games than the Rangers and one less than the Habs. The New York Islanders lost 5-3 to Tampa Bay on Saturday to stay a point back.

The Senators will have the advantage of rest for this one. While they beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 two nights ago, the Blue Jackets scored a wild, emotional 7-6 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks at home on Friday. Columbus had trailed in the game, 3-0, so it's hard to predict if they'll be gassed on Saturday or on top of the world. 

Jackets head coach Dean Evason isn't buying into the fatigue factor.

“It’s just hockey,” Evason told the Columbus media after Friday's game. “That’s all it is. We’re not skating (Saturday), so you can sleep in and get a nice meal in a wonderful hotel. You fly a charter and have a nap, you wake up, puck drops, and you play hockey. It’s not that hard.”

Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson, who has nine points in his past eight games, says the Sens' locker room is buzzing about the opportunity that lies before them.

"Yeah, it's such a tight race and for those teams, it feels like they're almost losing every night we lose. So it's been kind of good for us," Batherson said. "It's going to be an interesting finish, I think, and we're excited for it. Obviously, we've got three games left against Columbus alone, so a lot of big points at stake here coming up."

At the brief game-day skate on Saturday morning, banged-up Senator defenceman Nick Jensen didn't participate. But this has been the norm for many weeks and probably won't change until next season. He is expected to play on Saturday as the Senators roll out the same line combinations they did in Motown.

Linus Ullmark will start in goal for the Sens against Daniil Tarasov for Columbus.

The first 7000 fans to Canadian Tire Centre will receive a pair of Go Sens Go sunglasses. Apparently, the Sens' future is so bright they gotta wear shades. 

Senators Projected Lineup

 Forwards
Claude Giroux – Tim Stutzle – Fabian Zetterlund 
David Perron – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson 
Brady Tkachuk – Shane Pinto – Ridly Greig
Matthew Highmore – Adam Gaudette – Michael Amadio

Defensemen

 Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Nikolas Matinpalo

Goalies

 Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg

Scratched 
Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic

Injured 
Nick Cousins (knee)

Blue Jackets Projected Lineup

Forwards 
Dmitri Voronkov – Sean Monahan – Kirill Marchenko
Boone Jenner – Adam Fantilli – Kent Johnson 
Cole Sillinger – Justin Danforth – Mathieu Olivier 
Zach Aston-Reese – Sean Kuraly – Luke Kunin

Defensemen 
Zach Werenski – Dante Fabbro 
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson 
Denton Mateychuk – Erik Gudbranson

Goalies 
Daniil Tarasov 
Elvis Merzlikins

The Vancouver Canucks have made a roster move ahead of their matinee game on Satuday against the Winnipeg Jets. Vancouver assigned goaltender Artūrs Šilovs to the Abbotsford Canucks, who are currently in San Jose to take on the Barracude. The move is a good indicator that both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen are fully healthy and ready to resume their tandem for the remaining nine games of the season. 

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Sending Šilovs down the AHL should give the Latvian goaltender an opportunity to start more games. The 24-year-old has played just two games since the start of March, with his only start coming in a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. So far this season, Šilovs has played 10 games at the NHL level, posting a 2-6-1 record with a .861 save percentage. 

The addition of Šilovs should help Abbotsford in its quest to secure a spot in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. Through 62 games, the AHL Canucks have 75 points and currently sit third in the Pacific Division. Abbotsford has 10 games remaining and is on pace to be the host city for their first-round matchup. 

As mentioned, Vancouver will be wrapping up their six-game road trip with a game against the Jets. Saturday's game is crucial for the Canucks as they are battling to secure a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Puck drop on Saturday is scheduled for noon PT from the Canada Life Centre.

 Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. 

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brayden Point scored twice and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 5-3 on Saturday.

Nick Perbix and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 35 stops.

Marc Gatcomb, Anthony DeAngelo and Ryan Pulock scored for the Islanders, who lost their fourth straight game. Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves.

The Lightning won their third straight and matched the idle Florida Panthers’ 91 points atop the tight Atlantic Division, where the Toronto Maple Leafs entered Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings just a point back.

Takeaways

Islanders: At 32-20-10, New York is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with 74 points. The Islanders trail Ottawa (81), Columbus (75), Montreal (75) and the New York Rangers (75) with Saturday’s slate of games remaining.

Lightning: After a rematch with the Islanders on Monday in the opener of a four-game trip, Tampa Bay is at Ottawa, Buffalo and the Rangers, through a week from Monday.

Key moment

Kucherov and Perbix scored in the first 7:31 of the game to give the Lightning an early advantage. Point scored late in the first and second periods to extend the advantage to four goals before the Islanders clawed back with three unanswered goals in the first nine minutes of the third, making it 4-3. Guentzel’s empty-netter sealed the win.

Key stat

Kucherov scored on the Islanders’ first shot, at 2:02 of the first to fuel the fast start.

Up next

The Lightning play at the Islanders on Tuesday. New York is at the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.