DETROIT—It's been a grim month of March in Hockeytown, with the beloved Red Wings limping through the stretch run.  Again.  Yet despite a 3–10–0 record since the calendar turned over from February, Detroit remains within spitting distance of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  Of course, grabbing that spot requires the Red Wings to start stringing together wins in a hurry, beginning Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena against the Boston Bruins.

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"We've been lucky enough, I guess you could call it, that no one's really seized that spot, and it's tough games this time of the year," forward Lucas Raymond told The Hockey News after Saturday morning's skate.  "I think that shows, but not playing good the way we've been wanting to and still being in it is huge, and we gotta seize that opportunity."

"We haven't gotten the results we've wanted over the last 10 games or so, but we're still right in it, so we know that if we play our game...we might not technically control all our own destiny, but we feel like if we take care of our business, we'll be in pretty good shape," added defenseman Justin Holl.

Coach Todd McLellan likened Detroit's recent struggles to golf, saying his team needs to learn to not allow one mistake spiral into disaster.  "You're on the golf course and you have a bad tee shot, it doesn't mean you have to have a bad round," McLellan said after Saturday morning's skate.  "You go from playing birdie golf to playing par golf during that time. You clean things up, you get on the green, you try to play safe and put it in, and you take your par instead of your birdie. When we get into a bad drive situation, all of a sudden we're swinging away and it gets worse, instead of managing it."

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Clock Ticking on Red Wings' Playoff Hopes After 4–3 Loss to OttawaDETROIT—Not quite 13 minutes into the Red Wings' 4–3 loss to the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, Senators captain Brady Tkachuck caught up to Detroit forward Lucas Raymond as he rushed the puck through neutral ice, dumping Raymond to the ice, then pinning him there with an arm around his neck.  With Tkachuk and Raymond still entangled, Ottawa rushed the puck the other way until Tim Stutzle used a burst of speed to get around Moritz Seider and beat Alex Lyon with a well-placed wrist shot.  The goal made it 2–0 Senators, though the Red Wings had a 10–3 edge in shots, but that was the story of the night for the home team: Bullied away from the puck and beaten with it, even if the final score suggested a narrow margin.

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Lineup

As they look to revitalize their season, Detroit will be offering a slightly different look to its forward lines, reminiscent of the combinations that McLellan used to close out Thursday's loss to the Senators.  Wingers Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane will now flank Dylan Larkin on the top line, while Lucas Raymond and Michael Rasmussen will now skate on Marco Kasper's wings on line two.

Lines at morning skate:
DeBrincat-Larkin-Kane
Rasmussen-Kasper-Raymond
Berggren-Compher-Tarasenko
Watson-Motte-Smith

Chiarot-Seider
Edvinsson-Petry
Johansson-Holl pic.twitter.com/WRLrxWvk2w

— Sam Stockton (@_samstockton) March 29, 2025

"Well not just Dylan and Raymond, the group as a whole," explained McLellan, when asked whether the tinkering was meant to spark his top two scorers.  "We started last game with a set of lines and by the time we got to the third, we pulled them apart, but the most energy and jump and attack time that we had was with lines that look similar to what we are going with today."

Cam Talbot will start in net for the Red Wings.

Injury Update

On the injury front, McLellan did not have an update on Petr Mrazek, who remains unavailable after suffering an upper body injury in Utah.  Meanwhile Elmer Soderblom remains out as well, but he is at least closer to getting back to action. 

"Elmer is still gonna be day-to-day, but I don't see him playing in St. Louis," McLellan said, alluding to the Red Wings' Tuesday night game against the Blues.  "I don't know for sure though.  That's how close he is, but how far away he is."

Re-Tooling Bruins Pose Unique Challenge

Following the trade deadline, the Bruins are a different team to the one that beat Detroit 3–2 in Boston on Dec. 3.  Most notably, erstwhile captain Brad Marchand is off to Florida, where he made his Panthers debut Friday night, assisting on the overtime winner, but Marchand is not alone amongst the departures.  Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic are all also out the door.

McLellan pointed out Saturday morning that while those sorts of departure theoretically deplete a roster, it can also invigorate the players who remain, with bigger roles. 

"Well they're a different team now," said McLellan of the current state of the B's.  "For me personally, having come out here, I know them with all the pieces that they've had in the past...There's a lot of players there [now] that are getting opportunities, that have moved up the lineup a little bit as they retool.  When players get that chance and they take advantage of it, they can be a handful, because they've been sitting in the weeds and wanting more and asking for more and trying to play for more, and now it's in front of them, so they can be a real dangerous team when those types of players get hungry."

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Michkov keeps humming, Flyers beat Sabres with 7 more goals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

After a stretch of 11 losses in 12 games, the Flyers won their second straight Saturday afternoon with a 7-4 decision over the Sabres at the Wells Fargo Center.

Matvei Michkov put up his second straight two-goal performance. Jakob Pelletier scored his first as a Flyer and Noah Cates potted the go-ahead 4-3 goal in the second period. Cates had a three-point effort.

Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster and Ryan Poehling gave the Flyers third-period insurance. The markers for Tippett and Poehling came on the power play. The Flyers’ man advantage has produced goals in back-to-back games and is 3 for 38 in March.

The Flyers (30-36-9) are 2-0-0 under interim head coach Brad Shaw and have scored 13 goals. They beat the Canadiens, 6-4, two days ago after John Tortorella was fired in the morning.

“It’s just different, just like a reset,” Cates said after Saturday’s win. “When you’re in a season like that, a tough spot, any change is welcomed. Unfortunately it’s a coach and a well-respected guy.”

The Flyers have seven games left.

“We realize in here that we were a part of the problem,” Tippett said. “If we performed better, then maybe those circumstances don’t happen. I think it was kind of a wake-up call for all of us and we just want to finish the rest of the season strong here.”

The Flyers are 2-0-0 against the Sabres (30-36-6). The clubs meet in the regular-season finale April 17 at KeyBank Center.

• Michkov’s push to become the first Flyer to ever win the Calder Trophy continued to heat up.

“He’s an exceptional player with the puck, an exceptional player offensively,” Shaw said. “I think what he has to learn is that the better he checks and the better he plays without the puck, the sooner he gets it back and then the more opportunistic he can be and the more he can show off the skill package that he has.”

The 20-year-old winger leads all NHL rookies in goals with 24. He has three overtime winners, three shootout tallies and 56 points. Over the last 20 games, he has recorded 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists).

“There’s so much room for growth away from the puck,” Shaw said. “Even with the puck, he’s going to learn, as he goes, what works and what doesn’t work in so many different scenarios. And he’s well down that path already.

“That’s a real exciting player to sort of picture where he may be three, four years from now. He’s a challenge, he can be opinionated and he can be a little bit stubborn, but he’s playing some great hockey for us offensively right now and we’re reaping the benefits.”

Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Flames goalie Dustin Wolf are expected to be Michkov’s top competition for the rookie honor.

• The Flyers came into Saturday just one point ahead of Buffalo for the Eastern Conference’s worst record. The Sabres have played three fewer games, so it’s something to keep an eye on the rest of the way.

But the Flyers also entered Saturday just one point behind the Kraken and two points back of the Penguins and Bruins. There’s potential for a lot of movement before the end of the season when it comes to the 2025 NHL draft lottery odds.

• Samuel Ersson won consecutive starts for the first time since Feb. 22-25, when he picked up victories in the Flyers’ first two games out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

The 25-year-old made 17 saves on 21 shots Saturday.

Buffalo netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 25 of the Flyers’ 32 shots.

• Cam York was back in the lineup after sitting on the bench for all of Thursday night’s game because of a disciplinary issue.

The 24-year-old played alongside Jamie Drysdale. Both were a plus-1.

• Garnet Hathaway (undisclosed) and Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) remained out.

• Before the game, the Flyers honored Bob Kelly, who recently retired after serving the organization for over 50 years.

Known as “The Hound,” Kelly was on the Flyers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning clubs in 1974 and 1975.

“It really goes back to the fans, our fan base, we wanted to give them a product that they could be happy with,” Kelly said. “It’s kind of what was enjoyable.”

Following his playing career, Kelly held many roles in the organization’s community relations department.

“A very good man who worked his ass off for this team,” Hockey Hall of Famer and Flyers icon Bob Clarke said.

• The Flyers are back in action Monday when they host the Predators (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Michkov keeps humming, Flyers beat Sabres with 7 more goals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

After a stretch of 11 losses in 12 games, the Flyers won their second straight Saturday afternoon with a 7-4 decision over the Sabres at the Wells Fargo Center.

Matvei Michkov put up his second straight two-goal performance. Jakob Pelletier scored his first as a Flyer and Noah Cates potted the go-ahead 4-3 goal in the second period. Cates had a three-point effort.

Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster and Ryan Poehling gave the Flyers third-period insurance. The markers for Tippett and Poehling came on the power play. The Flyers’ man advantage has produced goals in back-to-back games and is 3 for 38 in March.

The Flyers (30-36-9) are 2-0-0 under interim head coach Brad Shaw and have scored 13 goals. They beat the Canadiens, 6-4, two days ago after John Tortorella was fired in the morning.

The Flyers are 2-0-0 against the Sabres (30-36-6). The clubs meet in the regular-season finale April 17 at KeyBank Center.

• Michkov’s push to become the first Flyer to ever win the Calder Trophy continued to heat up.

The 20-year-old winger leads all NHL rookies in goals with 24. He has three overtime winners, three shootout tallies and 56 points. Over the last 20 games, he has recorded 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists).

Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Flames goalie Dustin Wolf are expected to be Michkov’s top competition.

• The Flyers came into Saturday just one point ahead of Buffalo for the Eastern Conference’s worst record. The Sabres have played three fewer games, so it’s something to keep an eye on the rest of the way.

But the Flyers also entered Saturday just one point behind the Kraken and two points back of the Penguins and Bruins. There’s potential for a lot of movement before the end of the season when it comes to the 2025 NHL draft lottery odds.

• Samuel Ersson won consecutive starts for the first time since Feb. 22-25, when he picked up victories in the Flyers’ first two games out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

The 25-year-old made 17 saves on 21 shots Saturday afternoon.

Buffalo netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 25 of the Flyers’ 32 shots.

• Cam York was back in the lineup after sitting on the bench for all of Thursday night’s game because of a disciplinary issue.

The 24-year-old played alongside Jamie Drysdale. Both were a plus-1.

• Garnet Hathaway (undisclosed) and Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) remained out.

• Before the game, the Flyers honored Bob Kelly, who recently retired after serving the organization for over 50 years.

Known as “The Hound,” Kelly was on the Flyers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning clubs in 1974 and 1975.

“It really goes back to the fans, our fan base, we wanted to give them a product that they could be happy with,” Kelly said. “It’s kind of what was enjoyable.”

Following his playing career, Kelly held many roles in the organization’s community relations department.

“A very good man who worked his ass off for this team,” Hockey Hall of Famer and Flyers icon Bob Clarke said.

• The Flyers are back in action Monday when they host the Predators (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

With coaching news coming out of the Philadelphia Flyers organization this past week, many have set their sights on how the NHL coaching landscape could look past this season. Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet is currently tied at sixth with seven other coaches for the longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL with their current team. The 2024–25 regular season is Tocchet’s last year of his current contract, though there is an option to extend this by another year from the organization’s side. Rumours have swirled about Tocchet possibly replacing former Flyers coach John Tortorella during the offseason, as the current Canucks coach spent 11 seasons with Philadelphia as a player. 

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As it stands, Tocchet’s status moving forward with the team is unknown, but that doesn’t mean his departure is confirmed. In his three seasons and 190 games coached as a member of the Canucks, he has a record of 104–61–25 — good for a points-percentage of .613%. By the time the 2024–25 regular season ends, he’ll be at 200 games coached with Vancouver. In an interview with insider Pierre LeBrun of TSN, Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin spoke highly of the current Canucks head coach. 

“I sure hope that he’s going to be part of this organization moving forward. That’s a conversation that I hope we’ll get to the finish line here sooner rather than later,” he said. 

Tocchet is the only head coach who is on an expiring deal. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if a few other coaches found themselves jobless by the offseason. 

The Nashville Predators were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday night after narrowly losing 3–2 to the St. Louis Blues. Their season comes as a bit of a surprise to many, as the additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, and more were expected to make them a genuine contender. However, things got off the rails early, and the Predators were never able to live up to the lofty expectations set for them last summer. Andrew Brunette, Nashville’s Head Coach, has seen success in past seasons such as his 51–18–6 2021–22 season with the Florida Panthers, but his current record (27–37–8) indicates that the Predators may wish to make some changes behind the bench. With that being said, even if Nashville was to move on from Brunette, it’s not likely that he would end up in Vancouver. 

A team whose trajectory has started trending downhill is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Coming off his 10th season as the Penguins’ Head Coach, Mike Sullivan and his team have not made the playoffs since 2022. While it’s clear that the Penguins organization wants to keep as many pieces of their former Stanley Cup-winning team together, something to consider is the Canucks’ role in this situation. Vancouver’s inclination to acquire players connected to Pittsburgh’s championship teams is no secret — Allvin and President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, have pointedly targeted players and coaches that they have history with. However, the 2025–26 season is the final year of Sullivan’s contract, and with Pittsburgh’s current situation, it’d make the most sense for them to stick with their Head Coach and make a decision on where their future lies. 

One candidate to become the Canucks’ Head Coach in the 2025–26 season isn’t very far from home. Former player (2010–13) and assistant coach (2016–20) with the Canucks, Manny Malhotra, rejoined the organization in 2024 as the Head Coach of the Abbotsford Canucks. Previously, Malhotra spent four years with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach. With both NHL and AHL experience, as well as familiarity with the Canucks organization, it’d make the most sense for Vancouver’s next Head Coach to be someone who has been ingrained in the team since earlier days. Malhotra has seen the culture of the 2011 Canucks, but was also around for the debuts of Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes. The length of his contract is currently unknown. 

At the end of the day, the Canucks’ Head Coach for the 2025–26 season depends on what the organization decides to do with Tocchet. While this year has been a rollercoaster, Tocchet has managed to keep the team competitive even towards the end of the season. A reset during the offseason may bring the team back to the success they shared in 2023–24. For the time being, Vancouver should opt to continue with Tocchet and move on the season after if the results aren’t there. 

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