With four games left in the regular season, there’s still no definite timeline for the return of Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk was injured 11 days ago in a neutral zone collision with Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves and has missed the past five games.

But there's every reason to believe that he and the club are just being smart and that he'll be ready for Game One of the Eastern Conference playoffs, set for either April 20th or 21st.

For one, Tkachuk did return for the final period after the collision in Pittsburgh, suggesting that the injury isn't serious.

Secondly, at Thursday's media availability, head coach Travis Green may have tipped the club's hand a little. When TSN's Claire Hanna asked Green about a timeline for Tkachuk's injury—making it clear that she had already talked to the Sens captain earlier in the day—Green first wanted to know what Tkachuk had told her.

Greene was having a little fun, but it also hints that the Sens are being strategic and, while doing so, trying to stay on the same page with this.

"You'll see him when he's ready to play," Greene said, finally.

Thirdly, and this is the biggest factor, there’s no way Brady Tkachuk is going to miss a chance to play in the first Stanley Cup playoff series of his career. None. Zip. Nada.

“I don’t think I’d ever miss an opportunity to play in the playoffs,” Tkachuk told the media. “But not looking too far in advance and looking forward to skating tomorrow, feeling good, and going from there.”

That should set minds at ease in Ottawa because that's all that's important right now, not these last four games.

Tkachuk missed the past five when the playoffs weren't a sure thing. Now that they are, there's certainly no need to rush back for the final four games. Whether the Senators move up, down, or stay where they are in the Eastern standings, they're going to have an extremely challenging first-round opponent no matter what.

So getting the captain as healthy as possible for the playoffs is far more important than having him play in these next four games. That was the spirit of reporter Brent Wallace's question—wondering whether Tkachuk's continued absence is because he doesn't really have to be in the lineup right now.

"I don't know that," Tkachuk said. "Obviously, I want to play. I don't like watching, and the guys have really helped me out. The last bunch of games put us in the position that we are.”

GM Steve Staios addressed Tkachuk’s status on Wednesday, the morning after the club clinched its first playoff spot in eight years.

"He continues to progress,” Staios told the media. “Now that we've clinched a playoff spot, I think every team goes through these discussions like, what is the best situation? Do you rest players? How do you manage that? We haven't figured that part out yet. But, to me, you always want to keep the team moving along and competing at a high level to roll into the playoffs at the right time.”

The Sens seem poised to reintroduce some serious sandpaper to their lineup, just in time for the playoffs. Not only is Tkachuk almost certainly going to be back by playoff time, but Nick Cousins is now recovered enough from his knee injury back in January to be a full participant at practice on Thursday.

“Yeah, I felt good,” Cousins said. “I mean, I think that's one of the parts I miss the most, is just being a part of the guys, whether it's in practice or around the rink. You're kind of on your own schedule when you're injured so that part stings. But it's nice to be back and kind of get into the swing of things and, you know, shake the rust off and get into a full practice.”

The Senators will have a playoff-style matchup with the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night. The Habs, whose fan base often turns the building into Canadien Tire Centre, will be looking to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since losing in the Cup Final in 2021. 

More Sens Headlines:
- The Five Core Ottawa Senator Players Most Ready To Finally Experience Playoffs
- David Perron Chosen As Ottawa Senators 2025 Masterton Trophy Nominee
- CLINCHED: Ottawa Senators Officially Clinch First Playoff Spot In Eight Years
- Remember When: Five Outstanding 2017 Ottawa Senator Playoff Trivia Questions
- From Another November Struggle To The Verge Of The Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Former Ottawa Senators Assistant GM Ray Shero Passes Away At Age 62

The Vegas Golden Knights host the Seattle Kraken tonight with quite a bit of uncertainty with their lineup.

Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo are confirmed to be out, as Eichel deals with an upper-body injury and Pietrangelo battles an illness. Brett Howden will remain on the top line, centering Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev in Eichel's usual place. Kaedan Korczak will remain in the lineup, skating alongside Nicolas Hague, who will return to the lineup after missing the previous game with an illness. 

Tomas Hertl has missed the previous eight games with an upper-body injury and is in line to return. He'll be back with his usual linemates, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brandon Saad. 

“It feels nice to be back,” Hertl said. “It sucks to miss games, especially close to the playoffs. When you’re injured, you feel alone because you’re staying here and you don’t travel. It was nice just being with the guys again and being part of the team.”

Victor Olofsson was absent from practice, dealing with the same illness Pietrangelo and Hague have been plagued by, but he'll be a game-time decision. HC Bruce Cassidy said he is likely to play, but if he can't go, Alexander Holtz will draw into the lineup. 

The Golden Knights can clinch the Pacific Division tonight if they defeat the Kraken and the Los Angeles Kings lose in regulation to the Anaheim Ducks.

Avoiding Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs is vital, and could be the key to a long playoff run.

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Golden Knights Clinch Home-Ice Advantage In First Round Of PlayoffsAfter picking up a point in a shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Vegas Golden Knights have clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Some say Aleksei Kolosov is the worst goalie on the Philadelphia Flyers, and others say he is the best. But what do the stats say?

The stats say the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Kolosov, 23, has a .867 save percentage in his 16 games this season, and only Arturs Silovs (.861) and Cayden Primeau (.836) are worse among NHL goalies with at least 10 games played.

Sam Ersson, the Flyers' starter, and Ivan Fedotov have not been much better with their identical .881 save percentages.

Based on these raw numbers, it's easy to see why Kolosov might be the "worst" Flyers goalie, but he's actually played as good or better than his counterparts, except in one area.

According to MoneyPuck, Kolosov actually leads the Flyers in low-danger save percentage on unblocked shots with .956. Fedotov (.954) and Ersson (.953) narrowly trail the Belarusian, but they still trail him.

As for medium-danger attempts, Kolosov is by far and away the Flyers' best, with his .900 medium-danger save percentage on unblocked shots blowing away that of Fedotov (.844) and Ersson (.835).

The one area Kolosov is severely lacking in, however, is the one that might count the most. That is, his ability to make the big save for the Flyers, or lack thereof.

The 23-year-old's save percentage on unblocked high-danger shots is just .574, which is significantly lower than Fedotov's .784 and Ersson's .785.

Further to that point, MoneyPuck projects Kolosov's high-danger save percentage on unblocked shots to be .686, while Fedotov and Ersson are projected to sit at .685 and .662, respectively.

In short, Fedotov and Ersson are coming up big for the Flyers more than they probably should, while the opposite is true of Kolosov.

With added context, this phenomenon is not necessarily unusual, either.

Despite his similar lack of NHL experience, Fedotov has had more time to become familiar with the NHL, his Flyers teammates, and the callouts his defensemen use to coordinate breakouts and plays behind the net.

Ersson has been playing in North America for the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms since 2022, including three seasons as a full-time starter between the two.

Kolosov does not have those advantages.

He's younger, less experienced as a pro player, speaks the least English, and is eight inches shorter than Fedotov and three inches shorter than Ersson. The Flyers' former third-round pick has to do more with less, and bouncing around between the AHL and NHL and sitting in the press box for prolonged periods of time has done him no favors, either.

It's impossible to make a concrete evaluation on a young goaltender in just one season, especially one as chaotic as this.

We can, however, deduct that there are designs of an NHL goalie within Kolosov, and his full potential will not be unlocked overnight.

It is up to Kolosov himself and the Flyers organization to coax that out.

Kolosov was rock-solid for the Flyers as recently as Wednesday night, stopping 20 of the first 22 shots he faced through the first 40 minutes against the New York Rangers.

Then, he allowed two poor goals to forwards Jonny Brodzinski and J.T. Miller, which allowed the Rangers to tie the game at 3-3, then take the lead at 4-3.

Based on the stats referenced above, we can safely say that it was uncharacteristic of Kolosov to allow two such goals, but it can happen to anyone.

The Flyers, of course, ultimately won 8-5, with Brad Shaw, Sean Couturier, and Tyson Foerster all praising the young goalie's efforts during and after the game.

Kolosov earned his first NHL win since Dec. 12, when he made 25 saves on 26 shots in a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Notably, this was the first time the Flyers won a game in which Kolosov posted a save percentage below .900.

The Flyers are 5-1-0 in all games where Kolosov has a save percentage of .900 or higher.

As long as the youngster continues to work and improve alongside his teammates, he can carve out a long and productive NHL career. This is proof.

Denver, Colo. - It's Fan Appreciation Night at Ball Arena! While fans celebrate the last home game before the postseason kicks off, it's business as usual for the Colorado Avalanche. 

With the Vancouver Canucks officially eliminated from playoff contention as of Wednesday night, the Avalanche look to hold onto their 3rd place position in the Central for the rest of the regular season. 

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL:

1. X - Winnipeg Jets - 78 GP - 110 points

2. X - Dallas Stars - 78 GP - 106 points

3. X - Colorado Avalanche - 79 GP - 100 points

PACIFIC:

1. X - Vegas Golden Knights - 78 GP - 103 points

2. X - Los Angeles Kings - 77 GP - 97 points

3. Edmonton Oilers - 78 GP - 95 points

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WILD CARD:

1. Minnesota Wild - 79 GP - 93 points

2. St. Louis Blues - 80 GP - 93 points

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Post-Morning Skate Roster Updates:

Happy Thursday, everyone! Updates at morning skate ahead of tonight’s game vs. the Vancouver Canucks:

🏒 Mackenzie Blackwood in the starter’s crease
🏒 Jonathan Drouin is skating in a red no-contact sweater
🏒 Necas and Girard both present and dressed to take contact
🏒 No… pic.twitter.com/lYiGbIrLDY

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) April 10, 2025

Head Coach Jared Bednar spoke with the media following today's morning skate. It was a full skate; the only players missing were Nathan MacKinnon, Josh Manson, Ross Colton, Ryan Lindgren, and Charlie Coyle.

Of those players, the only one ready to go for tonight is Charlie Coyle. Bednar also said that both Martin Necas and Samuel Girard, who skated in full-contact uniforms, will be in the lineup tonight, as well.

Nathan MacKinnon is also apparently dealing with a "minor injury" and will not play tonight. Bednar even went as far as saying he may not play in either of the back-to-back games this weekend either for the sake of rest.

Ross Colton is still considered day-to-day.

Ryan Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury last game against the Vegas Golden Knights and will sit out tonight.

Jonathan Drouin skated this morning in a red no-contact and Bednar had a good update on him, saying he "looks like he'll play this weekend."

With all of the injuries and resting guys, the Avalanche recalled Chris Wagner from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) this morning. He played in Tuesday's match against the Golden Knights.

It’ll be #GoAvsGo Mackenzie Blackwood vs. #Canucks Kevin Lankinen tonight

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) April 10, 2025

Mackenzie Blackwood occupied the starter's crease for the Avalanche this morning. Following Vancouver's morning skate, Head Coach Rick Tocchet said Kevin Lankinen will get the start for his group.

Where/How to Find the Game:

Puck drop: 7:08 PM Mountain Time

TV Broadcast: Altitude/Altitude+ (Colorado), KUSA/9News (Colorado), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), ESPN+ (out-of-market)

Radio Broadcast: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 (Colorado), Sportsnet 650 (Vancouver)

Peter Laviolette confirmed that Gabe Perreault will be a healthy scratch for the New York Rangers on Thursday night against the New York Islanders. 

This marks the second consecutive game where Perreault won’t be in the Rangers’ lineup. 

The 19-year-old signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on Mar. 31 and played three games before getting benched. 

Laviolette said that he’s had conversations with Perreault over the past couple of days and expressed that he still feels the young forward is getting a worthwhile experience just by being around an NHL environment. 

“Great,” Laviolette said about how Perreault has handled being scratched out of the lineup. “He's a young player being here, practicing at an NHL level, playing games at an NHl level, getting coached, he sees everything, and just conversations about the day-to-day stuff. So yeah, there are always conversations with young players.”

Perreault spent his first two games on a line with J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafrenière before getting dropped down to a bottom-six role. 

In his three games thus far, Perreault is averaging 13:31 minutes.

The Winnipeg Jets take on the Dallas Stars, looking to all but clinch their place atop the Central Division.

The Jets will be receiving reinforcements to battle the Stars, adding Neal Pionk and Nikolaj Ehlers back into their lineup. 

Pionk has been out since Mar. 11 with a lower-body injury. He's been slowly recovering, taking multiple practices with and without contact before finally deciding to play. He'll slide back onto the second pairing alongside Dylan Samberg, a pairing that has been dynamite all season long for the Jets.

Ehlers will also be returning, after missing the previous two games. He was hit by the puck twice against the Vegas Golden Knights and has been nursing the injury since. He was considered a game-time decision for those two games but did not play. Now feeling comfortable and ready, Ehlers will rejoin Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti on the second line. 

The Jets enter tonight's game with a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. They went 1-2-0 on the three-game road trip before returning home to defeat the St. Louis Blues.

The Stars enter tonight's game with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 but are losers of three consecutive games, two of which came in overtime. The Stars blew a three-goal lead with a minute remaining against the Vancouver Canucks before giving up the overtime winner to Kiefer Sherwood.

If the Jets win in regulation tonight, they'll build a six-point lead over the Stars with three games remaining, meaning they would need to win just one of their last three games or the Stars would have to lose one of their last three. A regulation loss brings the Stars within two points.

The goaltender matchup features two of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Connor Hellebuyck will look to improve on his .924 SV% and 2.02 GAA. Jake Oettinger will be searching for the 37th win of the season, bringing him to a tie with Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. 

Puck drop is at 7:00 PM CST at the American Airlines Center. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Line Combinations: Jets at StarsThe 53-21-4 Winnipeg Jets have hit the ice in Dallas, where they will take on the rapidly climbing 50-22-6 Stars on Thursday evening.