The last time the Colorado Avalanche faced the Anaheim Ducks was on Jan 21, when they fell 2-1 in the shootout. Though no extra time was needed here, as despite a rough start to the game, it was Avalanche hockey all the way, just how they wanted it, and they continued their win streak with a 5-1 victory over the Ducks.

Period 1:

The action starts early for the Ducks as Beckett Sennecke, off a failed Brent Burns clear, gets an early chance, but Scott Wedgewood flashes the glove to make the early save. Both Ross Colton and Martin Necas get called for interference, but the Avalanche can kill off both penalties.

It would be Cale Makar to open the scoring. He wraps around the net, makes Lukas Dostal bite hard on a fake shot attempt, then sends a wrister that beats him glove side as he shimmies into the shooting lane, 1-0 after a rocky start.

🥬 pic.twitter.com/9lfv5swF7a

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 4, 2026

Jacob Trouba is called for tripping, and it's Martin Necas with a one-timer from the circle to make it 2-0. Brock Nelson set up Necas with a great diagonal pass when he was at the opposite circle. Despite a rough start to the first period, the Avalanche came out on top in shots, with them being 8-7 as period one came to an end.

Period 2:

Chris Krieder almost makes it 2-1 but is called for goaltender interference as he collides with Wedgewood in the blue paint. Wedgewood is a bit uncomfortable as the team's medical staff checks him, but he is fine and remains in the game.

Another issue with trying to clear the puck leads to Pavel Mintyukov setting up Cutter Gauthier for a one-timer from the circle, making it 2-1. Josh Manson is called for holding, but the Avalanche kills off the penalty. Parker Kelly does his best Necas impression as he finds some room and walks into a wrist shot from past the hashmarks to make it 3-1.

Period 3:

It was all Avalanche in the third period, controlling the pace to their style and limiting the Ducks on numerous chances and puck control. Landeskog makes it 4-1 when he receives a great pass from MacKinnon on the rush.

The pass from Nate 😱 The shot from Landy 😱 PERFECT. pic.twitter.com/8WV4QGFvOr

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 4, 2026

MacKinnon, with that assist, reaches the 100-point mark in 56 games and becomes the first player in Avalanche/Nordique history to reach 100 points before their 60th game of the season. Last done by Peter Statsny in 1981-82 (60GP)

Kelly doubles up in the game to make it 5-1 as he capitalizes on Dostal losing the puck and scrambling to reposition, leaving Kelly with a wide-open net with the pass coming from Jack Drury. With his second goal of the game, it is his second multi-goal game of the season. Brett Kulak was handed the secondary assist, and that is now his first point as an Avalanche.

Through his first 5 games with the Avalanche, Brett Kulak has not been on the ice for a single goal against at even strength and the Avs are controlling 58% of the shot attempts with him out there.

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) March 4, 2026

The Ducks manage to generate some chances, but Wedgewood has been great all night, and the Avalanche secure the 5-1 win over the Ducks, and with the win, they move to 91 points, the first team in the NHL to do so this season.

The Avalanche are back in action on Friday, March 6, against the Dallas Stars as they try to end their 11-game winning streak in a major divisional matchup.

Avalanche Positioned as Heavy Favorite for Nazem Kadri ReunionAccording to insiders, talks between the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames are beginning to pick up steam.

The San Jose Sharks continued their homestand against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. With both teams fighting for a playoff spot in their respective conference, it was an important game all around. 

The Canadiens controlled the puck quite a bit in the opening minutes, forcing Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov to make a couple of saves. He couldn’t save them all, though, as 6:18 into the first period, Oliver Kapanen scored his 19th of the season and gave the visitors an early lead on their third shot of the night. Meanwhile, it took the Sharks nearly half of the first period to record their first shot on goal.   

Vincent Desharnais drew the first penalty of the night when Nick Suzuki was sent to the box for interference. While the Sharks got a couple of chances on the power play, nothing came of the man advantage.

With 4:28 remaining in the period, the Sharks were finally able to get on the board. Collin Graf scored his 16th of the season when he found himself in front of the net with quite a bit of space. Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini got the assists on the play.

Celebrini nearly gave the Sharks the lead moments later when he intercepted an errant pass and immediately fired the puck on net. Jakub Dobes was positioned perfectly, though, and made the save.

The Sharks were generating quality chances late in the period, but were unable to break through the Montreal defense. Eventually, the game would head into the first intermission, tied at a goal apiece.

Collin Graf tripped up Lane Hutson just over two minutes into the middle frame, giving Montreal their first power play opportunity of the night. When Montreal started to carry the puck into the offensive zone, the SAP Center crowd started a loud “Go Habs Go” chant, which was quickly drowned out by a chorus of boos from the Sharks faithful. 

The Sharks’ penalty kill was successful, but Phillip Danault scored shortly afterward to restore the Canadiens’ lead. Moments later, Askarov made a massive cross-crease save to deny Kapanen his second goal of the night, keeping it a one-goal hockey game.

Celebrini would get a hooking penalty 6:55 into the period, giving the Canadiens a prime opportunity to extend their lead. Askarov again denied what seemed like a sure-fire goal during the ensuing penalty kill, fully extending to make the save. The Sharks faced some heavy pressure, but once again, they killed off the penalty. 

Michael Misa continued his hot streak, scoring in his third straight game. Moments after the goal, Kapanen went to the penalty box for Montreal after he was called for slashing. The power play was short-lived, though, as Alexander Wennberg was penalized for taking down Jake Evans in the corner less than halfway through Kapanen’s penalty. 

Macklin Celebrini gave the Sharks their first lead of the night with a shot from inside the faceoff circle. The goal was Celebrini’s 30th of the season. Just 25 seconds later, Alexander Wennberg would make it 4-2. With the assist on Wennberg’s goal, Kiefer Sherwood recorded his first point as a member of the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks would go on to carry that lead into the second intermission. 

Early in the third period, two Canadiens were penalized for roughing, while Mario Ferraro was also sent to the box. Ultimately, the Sharks ended up with a power play.

Will Smith scored a power play goal three and a half minutes into the third period to make it 5-2 for the Sharks. Celebrini found him with a perfectly placed pass, and Smith was able to direct the puck past Dobes. As a result, all three members of the Sharks’ first line had scored.

Shortly after the goal, Vincent Desharnais was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking Kirby Dach. Montreal then got a power play goal of their own, as Ivan Demidov was able to beat his countryman Askarov, making it a 5-3 hockey game. 18 seconds later, Alex Newhook made it a one-goal game, and the Canadiens were right back in it.

The momentum had completely shifted in Montreal’s favor, and the Sharks were on their back foot. They had roughly 15 minutes remaining to maintain their lead, something that they’ve struggled with at times this season. Zach Ostapchuk created a quality scoring chance for himself just under 8 minutes into the third, but was denied by Dobes. 

Sam Dickinson hauled down Demidov with 11 minutes remaining, sending the Sharks back to the penalty kill at a crucial point in the game. The Canadiens took advantage of the man advantage, as Newhook netted his second of the night with two seconds remaining on Dickinson’s penalty. In under eight minutes, it had gone from a 5-2 Sharks lead, to a tied game. 

Adam Gaudette and Kirby Dach got offsetting penalties with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, resulting in some four-on-four hockey late in the game. Both penalties would expire without a goal being scored. 

With time running down, the Canadiens were penalized for too many men on the ice, giving the Sharks a chance to regain their lead. The Sharks went on to score on the power play, with Kiefer Sherwood scoring his first as a Shark. Adam Gaudette went on to score an empty-net goal, making it 7-5.

Despite heavy pressure by the Canadiens, Sherwood's goal would inevitably be the game-winner as the Sharks held onto the lead, winning 7-5.  They'll be back on the ice at the SAP Center on Friday, when they host the St. Louis Blues. 

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Nathan MacKinnon secured his fourth consecutive 100-point season with a third-period assist, and the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche snapped the Anaheim Ducks' five-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night.

Parker Kelly scored two goals and Scott Wedgewood made 27 saves for the Avs, who have won three straight and four of five since the Olympic break. Martin Necas got his 27th goal and Gabriel Landeskog also scored to complete Colorado's back-to-back sweep of the Southern California clubs.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 29th goal and Lukas Dostal stopped 21 shots for the Ducks, whose eight-game home winning streak since Jan. 2 also ended.

Anaheim would have moved into first place in the Pacific Division with a point, but the loss kept Vegas one point ahead. The Ducks are in a playoff race down the stretch for the first time since 2018.

After two fruitless Ducks power plays in the opening minutes, Makar put the Avs ahead from the slot with his 18th goal.

Necas added his seventh power-play goal of the season 2 1/2 minutes later, beating his Czech Olympic teammate with a high shot. The goal was just the second on the power play in the last 12 games for the Avalanche, who inexplicably have the NHL's worst man-advantage unit despite their overall excellence.

Gauthier hammered home a one-timer early in the second after a superb cross-ice pass from Jackson LaCombe, but Kelly got his 14th goal later in the period.

Landeskog then scored a goal in his second straight game, connecting early in the third on a one-timer from MacKinnon, who got his 59th assist to go with his NHL-leading 41 goals.

Up next

Avalanche: At Dallas on Friday night.

Ducks: Host New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

LOS ANGELES -- The New York Islanders are looking to push their win streak to five games when they battle the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Wednesday night. 

A win would be monumental for the Islanders in the standings, given what transpired on Tuesday night.  

With the Pittsburgh Penguins falling 2-1 to the Boston Bruins in regulation, an Islanders' win would have them ahead of Pittsburgh for sole posession of second place in the Metropolitan Division. 

Not only that, but a win would also widen the gap between New York and the Washington Capitals to seven points. The Capitals fell 3-2 to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday. 

The Islanders will have a game in hand on Washington after Wednesday's contest. 

The team to watch is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who, after beating the New York Rangers 5-4 in overtime and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, find themselves just five points back of the Islanders with a game in hand before Wednesday. 

The Islanders are looking to bolster their top-six ahead of Friday's 2026 NHL Trade deadline. They have had serious talks with the Vancouver Canucks regarding right winger Conor Garland. 

They are also believed to still be in talks with the St. Louis Blues regarding Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. 

Buckle up. 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl had two goals and three assists, Evan Bouchard scored on a power play at 1:50 of overtime and the Edmonton Oilers rallied to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-4 on Tuesday night.

With Brady Tkachuk in the penalty box for tackling Connor McDavid in overtime, Edmonton got it back to Bouchard and he blasted in his 18th of the season.

Zach Hyman tied it for the Oilers with 1:25 remaining in the third period with goalie Connor Ingram of for an extra attacker. Hyman tipped Draisaitl's pass under Linus Ullmark for his 25th goal of the season.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored and Ingram made 17 saves for the Oilers in their first home game in a month. They had lost five of their previous six.

Drake Batherson had two goals for the second consecutive game and Dylan Cozens and Michael Amadio also scored for Ottawa. The Senators are 6-1-2 in their last nine games.

Ullmark made 32 saves.

Up next

Senators: At Calgary on Thursday night.

Oilers: Host Carolina on Friday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Ottawa Senators looked like they had a W in the bank on Tuesday night but the Edmonton Oilers had other ideas. Down 4-2 in the third, the Oilers blew past the Senators for a 5-4 overtime win.

With Brady Tkachuk off for pretty much tackling Connor McDavid to prevent an odd man rush in overtime, Evan Bouchard's one-timer from the top of the circle gave Edmonton the win.

Leon Draisaitl was in all the scoring with five points, two goals and three assists. His countryman Tim Stutzle was the best player for the Sens with two assists. Drake Batherson scored twice for the Sens, who were outshot 37-21. Linus Ullmark made 32 saves.

The two clubs traded a pair of goals each in a fast-paced first period. Dylan Cozens opened the scoring 3:34 into the game with a fierce wrist shot. But less than 90 seconds later, after Ullmark coughed up a puck that looked like he had smothered, Leon Draisaitl capitalized to tie the game.

Just over 90 seconds after that, Batherson restored Ottawa’s lead with a perfect wrist shot high to the glove side. However, the Oilers tied it again at the 16:48 mark on a bizarre play. Batherson tried to clear a loose puck out of harm’s way, but his attempt bounced off teammate Nick Jensen and into the Ottawa net. Draisaitl was credited with the goal.

Batherson quickly atoned early in the second period, scoring his second of the night on another excellent wrist shot at the 4:30 mark. Just 41 seconds later, after a wild goalmouth scramble, the puck squirted out to Jensen, who made a clever pass to Michael Amadio. His quick snapshot made it 4–2 Senators.

From there, as the Oilers pushed to get back into the game, the Senators seemed to sit back and not stick with what had made them successful.

In the first minute of the third period, Shane Pinto gift-wrapped an opportunity for the Oilers to climb back into the game when, completely unforced, he lobbed the puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty. The Oilers made them pay, cutting the lead to 4–3.

It initially appeared that Leon Draisaitl had deposited his hat-trick goal into an open net, but the puck actually caromed off the skate blade of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

In the dying moments, with the Oilers’ goalie pulled, Edmonton benefited from a very suspect icing call that should have been waved off. The faceoff came back into the Ottawa zone with tired Senators on the ice, and Zach Hyman scored the tying goal right in his office battling near the crease.

In three-on-three overtime, Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk failed to capitalize on a 2-on-1 rush and both were caught up ice. The Oilers broke out the other way and Tkachuk was called for holding on Connor McDavid. On the ensuing four-on-three power play, Evan Bouchard’s point shot beat Ullmark, who was caught deep in his net.

Losing the extra point was big because the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets both won their games on Tuesday night, leaving the Senators six points out of a wild card spot.

The Senators continue their road trip Thursday night when they visit the Calgary Flames.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Olympic golden goal-scorer Jack Hughes extended his points streak to four games since returning from Milan, and the New Jersey Devils dealt the Florida Panthers’ playoff hopes another blow by beating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Hughes’ shot that went wide banked right to Dougie Hamilton for his goal. Hughes has four assists — one in each game — since the NHL season resumed.

Hamilton, whose name has been involved in trade buzz for several months, also had an assist. It’s unclear if the Devils will be able to move the defenseman before the deadline Friday, given that Hamilton has two years remaining on his contract beyond this season at a $9 million salary cap hit and is owed a $7.4 million roster bonus on July 1.

If New Jersey, which looks out of the race, sells elsewhere, depth forward Cody Glass may have boosted his value by scoring his 14th goal of the season. Arseny Gritsyuk also scored, looking off Hughes on a 2 on 1 before beating Sergei Bobrovsky, who was excellent early and finished with 28 saves on 31 shots.

Florida is in danger of becoming the first Cup-winning team to miss the playoffs the following season since the Los Angeles Kings in 2014-15. The Panthers have lost three of four games since the Olympics ended, all of those coming in regulation.

MAMMOTH 3, CAPITALS 2

WASHINGTON (AP) — JJ Peterka scored in the second period on a bizarre bounce, and Utah beat Washington.

Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev scored for the Mammoth, who took an early 2-0 lead and held off the Capitals in a matchup of teams near the playoff cutoff lines. Utah entered the night tied with Edmonton for the top wild card in the Western Conference.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Ryan Leonard scored for Washington, which fell to four points behind Boston for the second wild card in the East. The Bruins also have three more games left than the Caps.

The Capitals have been hoping to add a forward before Friday’s trade deadline, and with Aliaksei Protas out for personal reasons Tuesday, they struggled to apply consistent pressure in the Utah zone until they were down two in the third. It’s not clear if Washington’s position in the standings — and losses to Montreal and the Mammoth in its last two games — will alter the team’s approach to the deadline.

SABRES 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored after being honored for helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal in hockey, and Buffalo won its fourth straight game by beating Vegas.

Owen Power and Jason Zucker also scored for the surging Sabres. Buffalo improved to 25-5-2 in its past 32, and its 35 wins through 61 games are the team’s most since having 41 over the same span in 2006-07.

Alex Lyon made 29 saves to improve to 13-2 in his past 15 starts.

Pavel Dorofeyev, with his team-leading 29th goal, and Ivan Barbashev scored and Vegas matched a season-low by losing three straight in regulation. The slumping Golden Knights also dropped to 4-8-2 in their past 14.

Akira Schmid stopped 25 shots.

BRUINS 2, PENGUINS 1

BOSTON (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored less than a minute apart early in the first period and Boston held on for a victory over Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson scored just 42 seconds into the game, but Khusnutdinov tied it at 1-1 when he snapped the puck high inside the far post past Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner for his 13th goal of the season at 5:10 of the first.

Mittelstadt added his 13th of the season 50 seconds later when he gathered in the rebound of Nikita Zadorov’s shot and fired past a diving Skinner and into an open net. Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.

Karlsson scored on the Penguins’ first shot on goal after the Bruins had two excellent scoring chances in the first few seconds requiring solid saves by Skinner. The Bruins challenged for goalie interference but the goal was upheld. Skinner finished with 26 saves.

BLUE JACKETS 3, PREDATORS 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Damon Severson broke a tie with a snap shot from the point through traffic at 6:07 of the third period and Columbus beat Nashville to open a four-game homestand.

Both teams played Monday night, with Columbus beating the Rangers 5-4 in overtime in New York, and Nashville falling 4-2 at home to Detroit.

Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan also scored for Columbus, with Monahan tying it at 2 at 1:52 of the third with a short-handed goal. He also had a short-handed goal Monday in New York.

Jet Greaves made 20 saves for Columbus in 51:44, missing an 8:16 stretch of the first period because of concussion protocol after Nick Blankenburg caught him with an elbow on the side of the head on a rush. Elvis Merzlikins stopped both shots on faced before Greaves returned.

Filip Forsberg had a power-play goal for Nashville, and Ryan O’Reilly was credited with a goal in the second that a Columbus player put in. O’Reilly was cut below the eye taking a faceoff midway through the third.

Justus Annunen stopped 24 shots for the Predators.

JETS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2, OT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored at 2:06 of overtime to lift Winnipeg to a victory over Chicago.

Cole Perfetti forced the extra frame for Winnipeg, tying the game 2-2 with just 38.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Dylan Samberg, who assisted on Scheifele’s winner, also scored in the first period for the Jets, who went to overtime for the fourth consecutive game.

Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Greene scored for Chicago. Connor Bedard picked up two assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the victory. Spencer Knight stopped 29 shots for the Blackhawks.

The Jets pulled Hellebuyck for the extra attacker and netted the equalizer when Perfetti buried the late chance. The goal validated a second-period line shuffle that had Perfetti placed on a line with Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi.

By forcing the extra frame, the Jets went to overtime for the fourth consecutive game. It was a crucial late push to grab two points as they kicked off a critical eight-game homestand.

STARS 6, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Sam Steel scored twice and added an assist and Dallas extended its franchise-record winning streak to 10 games with a romp over Calgary.

Jamie Benn, Mavrik Bourque, Nathan Bastian and Wyatt Johnston also scored to help Dallas improve to 38-14-9. Matt Duchene had four assists giving him a team-best 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) during the winning streak.

Steel and Duchene tied career highs for points in a game, and Steel tied a career high with 10 goals. He also had 10 times for Minnesota in 2022-23.

Casey DeSmith made 20 saves to improve to 13-4-5.

Flames starter Dustin Wolf was pulled after giving up four goals on 17 shots. Devin Cooley made 16 saves in relief.

After a dominant effort against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins travelled to Boston to take on the Bruins Tuesday night, a team they had lost three straight games to.

Unfortunately, they walked away with the same result. 

The Penguins struggled in the first period, and despite finding their game in the latter two periods, the Bruins bested them, 2-1. All three goals were scored in the first period of play, with Erik Karlsson opening the scoring for Pittsburgh just 42 seconds into the game and Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scoring both of Boston's goals by the six-minute mark of regulation. 

The rest of the game was a tight-checking goaltending battle, and Penguins' netminder Stuart Skinner was solid early on and throughout, stopping 26 of 29 Bruins' shots. However, Boston's Jeremy Swayman put on a stellar performance - especially in the third period, when the Penguins were piling on an onslaught - allowing just one goal on 35 shots. 

Even though they were completely out of sorts in the first period and were lucky to be down by only one, the Penguins really found their game in the second and third periods. It just wasn't enough, and they earned their fourth-straight loss against a Boston team that always seems to give them finishing fits.

NHL Jack Adams Award Rankings: Can Penguins' Dan Muse Beat Avalanche's Jared Bednar?Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has led our NHL Jack Adams Award rankings for most of the season. But Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Dan Muse leads the top challengers.

Here are a few notes and takeaways from this one:

- Swayman was brilliant in this game. He made some ridiculous saves in the final frame to preserve his team's lead, and he never lost his composure, even as the Penguins were very heavily pressuring. 

Skinner was good, too, especially on an opening sequence in which he was forced to make a few nice stops prior to Karlsson's goal. The two goals against were primarily a result of the Penguins' defense breaking down in front of him.

Gotta love a good goaltending battle, even if that comes at the expense of scoring.

Is It Worth It To Move Stuart Skinner Before Friday's NHL Trade Deadline? Stuart Skinner is out there in trade talks, but does it make sense to move him?

- There's no going around how sloppy the Penguins were early on, and I haven't seen them play that way since the holiday break. Their forwards were completely losing track of guys in the high-danger areas. The defensemen were caught puck-watching and with feet of stone. 

After Boston's second goal - which was just 50 seconds after the first - head coach Dan Muse used the Penguins' sole timeout. Whatever he said must have worked because the Penguins were buzzing for most of the rest of the game. 

But those first six minutes killed them. And I'm sure they'd want both plays back.

- On a positive note, Karlsson, the lone goal-scorer, was on a whole other level Tuesday. 

He finished with a team-high six shots and 16 shot attempts. He was generating offense at will, continuing his excellent work on the penalty kill, running a smooth power play, aiding the team in transition, and making a few key defensive plays throughout. 

Against pretty much any other team, Karlsson probably has about four goals. But he, like his teammates, simply couldn't crack Swayman as the game progressed and got better for him. 

Without Crosby, the Penguins will be relying on Karlsson to generate a lot of offense. I thought he was the game's best player, and it wasn't particularly close. 

6 Penguins' Storylines To Watch During Trade Deadline WeekEveryone's eyes will be on Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins leading up to the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 6.

- I continue to be a bit baffled by the Penguins' refusal to use Ben Kindel and/or Egor Chinakhov on their first power play unit and in six-on-five situations. 

Kindel was very good again on Tuesday, and he has, arguably, been their best player for the better part of this post-holiday run. If he hasn't been their very best player, he's certainly been their most consistent on a night-in, night-out basis. His vision and puck distribution skills - especially from down low - could be weapons in either situation.

And then there's Chinakhov. Here's a guy who has 10 goals in his last 21 games - and, indisputably, the best shot on the team - and he's not out there with the game on the line? Given Chinakhov's defensive play and puck skills with the Penguins, too, there's really no reason to exclude him in situations where the team needs to score a goal. 

Rickard Rakell is a good player. So is Anthony Mantha. So is Bryan Rust. But I'd swap out two of those three for the other two without hesitation on the power play and at least one of them during six-on-five. 

Penguins' Prospect Named AHL Player Of The MonthPittsburgh Penguins' prospect Ville Koivunen was given the AHL's top honors for the month of February and continues to impress at that level.

- Faceoffs are a legitimate problem for the Penguins right now, and it's especially hurting them on key offensive zone draws that require possession to be established.

The Penguins were just 16 of 48 (33 percent) on faceoffs Tuesday, and they've gone 68 of 207 for an abysmal faceoff win percentage of 32.9 percent. And, according to Penguins' historian Bob Grove, Sidney Crosby had taken a whopping 38.6 percent of all Penguins' faceoffs (1,171 of 3,030 this season before his injury.

The next closest player? Kindel, who had taken 428 going into Tuesday's game. 

Before being hurt, Sid had taken 38.6% of all Pens' faceoffs this season (1,171 of 3,030).

— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) March 4, 2026

- The NHL trade deadline is Friday, Mar. 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Crosby is injured, Blake Lizotte is day-to-day, and the injury statuses of Tristan Broz and Filip Hallander remian unclear at this point. 

The Penguins badly need a center, and the reality is that this season, they may have to seek options externally. This will definitely be a storyline to monitor this week. 

5 Centers Penguins Should Target In Trade MarketThe Pittsburgh Penguins, currently in playoff position and without Sidney Crosby, may look to add a viable center option at the NHL trade deadline.

- This is the time of year where scoreboard watching becomes a daily routine. 

The Washington Capitals lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime, 3-2. The Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Seattle Kraken Monday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2, and they are now just five points behind the Penguins.

It can't be stressed enough how important points are now. 

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