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After a day off on Thursday following a 2-1 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames the previous night, St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery put his team through the gamut on Friday.

The coach had to stop several drills multiple times to get points across. 

It resonated on Saturday when the Blues finished off a long but short on games played through Canada with a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday.

Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist to reach 500 points in the NHL, Logan Mailloux (two assists) had his first multipoint game in the NHL, Pius Suter and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues (28-30-11), who finished their trip 1-1-1 and are 7-1-2 in the month of March. They are six points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card in the Western Conference. Jordan Binnington made 14 saves for the win.

The Blues did have two goals called back (Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway) in the game, one for goalie interference and one for playing the puck with a high stick, a change from Wednesday when they tied an NHL record for most challenges successfully won (three) in one game.

Let's look at Saturday's game observations:

* A more direct approach -- Unlike their 2-1 shootout loss to the Flames on Wednesday, the Blues had a more direct approach and played with a purpose, especially in the offensive zone.

They limited their giveaways in areas that weren't in dangerous areas, and when pucks were in Vancouver's zone, particularly the first and second periods, forwards were on the hunt with effective forechecks, keeping plays alive that enabled them to create opportunities and driving middle lanes to the net.

In the first period, although they didn't score, Cam Fowler and Holloway had opportunities coming down the slot due to effective pressure.

There wasn't a whole lot more to that first period, other than a very quick one due to at one point, the play running for 8:52 without a whistle and a 5-4 edge in shots on goal for the Blues, but they elevated their play in the second period when they took control of the game, and it all started with Suter scoring against his former team at 10:17 to make it 1-0.

It started when Snuggerud's forecheck got a piece of Filip Hronek's backhand clearance in the Vancouver zone, and the Blues were able to keep the puck alive, eventually with Holloway finding Robert Thomas in alone on Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, who made the save on Thomas, but Suter, who came on when Snuggerud came off on a line change, made an immediate beeline to the net and was able to steer it in with his body after making stick contact down on a knee:

Suter comes back to Vancouver and gives the Blues a 1-0 lead! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/vvEcIL8lPR

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 22, 2026

The Blues, who outshot the Canucks 11-6 in the middle period, went right back to work and Buchnevich's one-timer from just inside the right circle made it 2-0 at 11:36 when another cycle play wound up at the point, with Mailloux finding Philip Broberg, who had space to skate in along the left side into the left circle, pump fake a shot before going back cross seam to just inside the top of the right circle for a one-timer by Buchnevich:

Poetry in motion. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/yHaAjSCrYy

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 22, 2026

They say a two-goal lead is the worst in sports, especially hockey, but this one had the feel of being pretty safe despite the Blues laying off the gas in the third period and seeing the Canucks pull within one on Hronek's power-play goal at 8:32 to cut the deficit in half at 2-1 on a wrist shot that deflected off Mailloux's stick.

* The Big 5-0-0 -- Buchnevich completed the Blues' win when he could have deposited a puck into the goal himself but chose instead to give Kyrou the power-play, empty-netter at 19:12 for a 3-1 lead, giving him 198 goals and 302 assists:

With two points tonight against Vancouver, Pavel Buchnevich has reached 500 in his @NHL career. Congrats Buchy! 👏 #stlbluespic.twitter.com/1YTZqAHUxs

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 22, 2026

The line with Jake Neighbours and Kyrou produced a 14-1 edge in Corsi-for, according to naturalstattrick.com and a Fenwick-for of 9-1. 

* Mailloux keeps playing 20-plus -- Getting to play with Broberg means the rookie will get big minutes, and for the 11th straight game, Mailloux played 20-plus minutes, To go with his first multipoint game in the NHL after getting the secondary assist on Kyrou's goal, Mailloux played 21:59 and was a plus-1.

In his past 11 games, including Saturday's 21:59, Mailloux has played 26:56, 24:58, 21:16, 21:41, 23:39, 20:16, 25:03, 22:52, 20:32, 20:35. 

Mailloux's last game when he played fewer than 20 minutes was Feb. 26, the first game out of the Olympic break; he has two goals and two assists and is a plus-3 in the past 11 games.

* Top line keeps driving offense -- With Snuggerud helping set up the first goal with his forecheck and Thomas and Holloway each picking up an assist on the Suter goal, it was another game in which this trio drive the Blues' offense with the ability to skate and check and make plays.

Thomas now has at least a point in 12 of his past 13 games (six goals, 10 assists) with a plus-16 going back to Jan. 9; Holloway has a point in eight of nine games (four goals, seven assists) with a plus-12, and Snuggerud has a point in seven of 10 games (five goals, seven assists) with a plus-10.

The line produced 12 of the Blues' 21 scoring chances for.

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After the crushing loss to the Ottawa Senators where they got dominated after an early goal in the third period, the New York Islanders followed that up with a crushing loss to the Montreal Canadiens where they got dominated after an early goal in the third period.

For a team that’s thrived all year on a narrative of gritty comebacks and everyone stepping up, that clearly isn’t the case when the pressure is at its highest. And maybe we’re talking about a different game entirely if Mat Barzal and Matthew Schaefer don’t both hit iron in the second period, the one period the Islanders dominated but ended up down 3-2.

But the what ifs don’t matter, because in the biggest games of the season so far, the Islanders couldn’t find ways to win, while all the teams around them are picking up points and jumping ahead of them for a playoff spot they’ve held since the beginning of December.

Anders Lee had 1 point this entire road trip (an admittedly good power play assist tonight), which is not exactly “setting the tone” like he said after the first period of the Ottawa game where he fought Senators captain Brady Tkachuk (who notably did a lot more to set the tone, like, you know, scoring the game winning goal!)

JG Pageau, who signed a three year contract with the team just about two weeks ago, has put up a whopping 2 points in the 7 games since.

Bo Horvat hasn’t scored since the game against St. Louis on March 10th.

It’s just not enough from veteran leadership, and it’s not helped by the completely optional defense this team plays, relying solely on whether an 18 year old playing in his first NHL season can magically take over a game. It’s an indictment of Patrick Roy and management that this hasn’t been addressed all season.

Maybe the team will prove me wrong and go on a tear with 10 of their next 12 games at home. But right now, the team’s on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

It was somewhat controversial when Patrick Roy said Ilya Sorokin would be starting tonight’s game, given how direct an impact on the Metro Division standings the game tomorrow against the Columbus Blue Jackets has. But Sorokin made some huge saves early in the game as the Canadiens pressured him with shots.

Casey Cizikas took a slashing penalty, and Sorokin made a big save on Ivan Demidov, but Juraj Slafkovsky ripped it past Sorokin to make it 1-0 Montreal.

Kaiden Guhle was called for a roughing penalty and Matthew Schaefer had a good chance that Jacob Fowler saved on the delayed penalty.

The power play struggled a bit, but then Anders Lee, under pressure, passed the puck off to Emil Heineman, who scored his 20th of the season against his former team from a sharp angle.

Sorokin made some big saves on Alexandre Texier and Mike Matheson, and then on a breakaway, Simon Holmström deked the puck around Fowler to make it 2-1 Islanders.

Later, Tony DeAngelo took a slashing penalty that the Islanders killed.

Second Period

The Islanders had some good chances early, and then Noah Dobson took a penalty for hooking. On that power play, Mat Barzal hit the post after beating Fowler.

Matthew Schaefer comically high sticked a puck into the goal behind the net, which was obviously no goal but it was funny in a game where the Montreal crowd booed him just about every shift.

Sorokin saved a good shot from Slafkovsky, and Ryan Pulock and Cole Caulfield got into a scrum and everyone else skated over, too, but no penalties were given out.

Schaefer put a shot off the post, and Sorokin made another huge save on Slafkovsky redirect of a Lane Hutson shot.

But then, Alex Newhook tied the game after he was left all alone and Sorokin couldn’t get across the crease to stop it.

DeAngelo then took an interference penalty, and Caufield made it 3-2, despite the Islanders mostly being dominant this period.

Then, Brendan Gallagher was called for tripping Heineman with 6.3 seconds left in the period.

Third Period

Schaefer tied the game on that power play, one-timing it past Fowler and earning the record for most power play goals by a rookie defenseman for the Islanders with his 22nd of the season.

Sorokin made a save on a dangerous Hutson chance, but a Guhle shot deflected off Marc Gatcomb’s stick when he was trying to block it, then off the post, and in, to make it 4-3 Montreal.

Fowler saved a Cizikas shot on a 2 on 1, and the Canadiens made it 5-3 when Slafkovsky scored again. Schaefer lost the puck battle behind the net, and then Ryan Pulock was caught frozen watching the play rather than defending Slafkovsky in front.

A few minutes later, Caufield made it 6-3 with his second of the night, and then David Rittich was put in for Sorokin, who is presumably playing tomorrow against Columbus.

Then, Roy pulled Rittich with 6 minutes left, but the Isles wouldn’t have a 6 on 5 for long, as a big scrum broke out with Mat Barzal trying to fight Nick Suzuki. Barzal picked up 4 minutes for roughing and a 10 minute misconduct, while Suzuki got 10 minutes to match, while Kaiden Guhle who came in late on Barzal got two minutes for roughing and a 10 minute misconduct, and Brayden Schenn, who also joined in, got a 10 minute misconduct.

On the ensuing Montreal power play, Caufield got his hat trick to make it 7-3.

Then, Zachary Bolduc made it 8-3, but Roy challenged the play for being offside, and won, taking that goal off the board. I’m sure that’s a consolation prize to someone, as the Canadiens closed out their 7-3 win, keeping the Islanders on the outside of the playoffs with 83 points in 70 games.

Up Next

Next, the Islanders head home to UBS Arena to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have surged up the standings and are now two points ahead of the Islanders with a game in hand, occupying third in the Metro Division. A win tomorrow would keep the playoff hopes alive, while a loss would be pretty catastrophic as all the teams around the Islanders in the Eastern Conference just keep winning.

Jordan Spence and Tyler Kleven each helped set up two goals on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators rolled to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, outshooting them 43-14 in the process.

The Senators looked to have the game well in hand, building a 3-0 second-period lead before Toronto pushed back. The Leafs clawed their way to within one, but Michael Amadio’s third-period goal poured cold water on the embers of a comeback, before Ridly Greig’s late marker ultimately sealed the win.

Ottawa also got goals from Tim Stützle, Claude Giroux, and Warren Foegele, who now has four goals in eight games since joining the club.

Easton Cowan led the way for Toronto with a goal and an assist, while John Tavares added the other Leafs goal.

This was a game the Senators absolutely had to have, and not just because they're right in the thick of the playoff chase. The circumstances were clearly tilted in their favour.

Toronto has gone from first to worst in the Atlantic this season and is now playing out the string. They were already without Auston Matthews due to a knee injury, and had also lost Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton to trades at the deadline two weeks ago. Just before puck drop, the Leafs were dealt another blow when Morgan Rielly was ruled out.

But the headaches didn't end there. After preparing all day to be the backup, Joseph Woll was forced into action after William Nylander’s shot struck starter Anthony Stolarz in the throat area during warmups. Stolarz was taken to the hospital to be examined, forcing the Leafs into an EBUG situation.

The Senators had an injury scare of their own when Oliver Ekman-Larsson skated almost the length of the ice and drove Dennis Gilbert hard into the end boards. Gilbert stayed down for roughly a minute before leaving the game, appearing to favour his shoulder.

If Gilbert is sidelined, and Travis Green says it could be a while, Ottawa could turn to Lassi Thomson, who's already with the team as the seventh defenceman. But that doesn't mean Thomson is necessarily the next man up. That may be Carter Yakemchuk, who may still be in Belleville because he needs to play, not sit in an NHL press box as the seventh man.

Late in the game, Fabian Zetterlund nearly added a highlight-reel finish, attempting a Michigan-style goal behind the Toronto net. He couldn’t quite pull it off, but Sens fans would have described it as a fitting exclamation point against their hated rivals, reminiscent of Greig’s infamous empty-net clapper that riled the Leafs up a few years ago.

The victory moves the Senators to within one point of the New York Islanders, who were hammered 7-3 in Montreal on Saturday night, and three points behind Detroit for the final Wild Card spot. 

The Senators are back in action Monday night in New York against the Rangers. If they win that one, they may have a chance to pass the idle Red Wings and into a playoff spot when they face the Wings in a massive head-to-head showdown on Tuesday in Detroit.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.

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MONTREAL -- After a devastating defeat to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, the New York Islanders were punished by the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday in a 6-3 loss. 

Goaltender Ilya Sorokin's brilliancy was not enough. He allowed six goals on 32 shots in what was an onslaught. David Rittich came in for relief, with Roy giving Sorokin some rest as he'll start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. 

Looking around the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins won in a shootout. The Blue Jackets won in regulation, while the Philadelphia Flyers also got a win to keep themselves in the playoff picture. 

The Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings are still playing. 

Here's how the game unfolded. 

Despite Juraj Slafkovskiy opening the scoring, an Emil Heineman snipe and a Simon Holmstrom breakaway tuck hand the Islanders on top. 

Palat get an assist since that’s whose stick Pelech used on the pass?

pic.twitter.com/veBd2gCyVq

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 21, 2026

However, a 2-1 lead quickly became a 3-2 deficit after the Canadiens scored twice in 1:19 in the middle frame. That was after the Islanders came out of the gates strong, going up 8-0. 

Rookie Matthew Schaefer did what he's done all season, scoring a big-time goal on the power play at the 45-second mark of the third period to move within one goal of the rookie record for a defenseman:

Big Game Schaef. #Isles

pic.twitter.com/UrznQJrVJq

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 22, 2026

But, less than three minutes later, Kaidan Guhle's point shot deflected off Marc Gatcomb and past Sorokin, putting Montreal back on top 4-3 at 3:17 of the third. 

Slafkovsky scored his second of the game at 8:07, giving Montreal a 5-3 lead. before Caufield's second of the game made it 6-3 at the 11:20 mark of the final frame. 

Caufield recorded the hat-trick on the power play at 14:59 of the third for a 7-3 final.

"I think it slipped away in the second period, when we hit those two posts," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said postgame. "I thought that was the difference in the game, and we could have made it 3-1, and they scored that late goal in that second period on their power play. We tied the game. Unfortunately, it was a bad bounce on that fourth one, and from there, they just took over the game." 

The Islanders end their final road trip of the season with a 1-2-0 record. 

The Vancouver Canucks hit to 40 loss mark on the season after a 3-1 defeat against the St. Louis Blues. Filip Hronek scored the only goal, which came on a third-period power play. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced in the loss. 

Saturday's game was the definition of a slow start. Vancouver registered just four shots in the first and were at 10 by the end of the second period. As for the 15 total shots, it was not the lowest of the season, but ranks tied for second with three other occasions. 

"They were quick up on us," said Adam Foote post-game. "And we weren't gapping up. Like it happened in the first early. We didn't do enough to start on time. And so when you're not gapping up, when you're not pushing up ice, you get caught in between. When our forwards weren't pushing with all three, then the D weren't gapping up either, and they were just hit in the middle and going back down into our end. And the second period. We have struggled in second periods, because we get caught when we're not skating. We get caught in our end easily, and then we have a hard time stopping cycles. So then once you get out of it, you got to change, and then you are right back down. So we've got to manage the puck better. Stop the cycles as a few to five in the second. And you know, it's hard to generate offense when you're in your end. Then you're having these changes. And the changes were really weak, like they weren't even proper. We didn't thump it out deep enough and push them back in their end to at least get our forecheck going there. Do another quick up. So something we've been working on and addressing, and, you know, once we started pushing in the third, we saw it changed. And, you know, we took over the third. But we have to learn to start on time in these afternoon games too."

Again, second periods proved to be the Canucks' Kryptonite. Vancouver allowed two in the middle frame, which brought their total to 95 allowed in 69 games. At this stage of the campaign, it is hard to imagine this problem being fixed as it has plagued the team since the start of the season. 

In the end, the Canucks can not afford to have performances like this down the stretch. While wins and losses no longer matter, effort levs and process are still being judged as the organization tries to sort out who to keep for the rebuild. Ultimately, Saturday was another disappointing performance in front of a Rogers Arena crowd who have seen just eights win in 36 games. 

Stats and Facts:

- Elias Pettersson ties Mattias Öhlund for the 11th most power play assists in franchise history at 103

- Elias Pettersson tied J.T. Miller for the ninth most power play points in franchise history at 165

- Marco Rossi goes eight for nine in the faceoff dot

- Canucks set a franchise record for regulation loss in a season at 23

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

No Scoring

2nd Period:

10:17- STL: Pius Suter (11) from Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway
11:36- STL: Pavel Buchnevich (16) from Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux

3rd Period:

8:32- VAN: Filip Hronek (8) from Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi (PPG)
19:12- STL: Jordan Kyrou (16) from Pavel Buchnevich and Logan Mailloux (PPG) (ENG)

Up Next:

The Canucks continue their homestand on Tuesday when they battle the Anaheim Ducks. Vancouver and Anaheim will play twice more this season, with the final game coming in April. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

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, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored three goals to push his season total to 43 and added two assists to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 7-3 on Saturday night.

Caufield is second in the NHL in goals, two behind Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon.

The Canadiens entered the day third in the Atlantic Division, while the Islanders were the first team outside the playoffs in the tight Eastern Conference.

Juraj Slafkovsky had two goals and two assists, and Nick Suzuki had four assists to bring his season total to 61. Kaiden Guhle added a goal and two assists, Alex Newhook also scored and Jacob Fowler made 19 saves.

Emil Heineman, Simon Holmstrom and Matthew Schaefer scored for New York.

Ilya Sorokin allowed six goals on 32 shots before he was pulled midway through the third period. David Rittich stopped three of four shots in relief as the Islanders dropped their second second straight game. After Schaefer beat Fowler with a one-timer from the point to tie it 45 seconds into the third period, the Canadiens responded with four goals in a row,

Guhle restored the lead when his shot from distance deflected off forward Marc Gatcomb and into the net at 3:17.

Slafkovsky made it 5-3 at 8:08, and Caufield chased Sorokin with a shot between the goalie’s pads with 8:40 to go. Hats rained down on the ice when the American winger buried his 43rd with 5:01 left.

Up next

Islanders: Host Columbus on Sunday night.

Canadiens: Host Carolina on Tuesday night.