For the first time since the end of January, Kaiden Guhle was on the ice for the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night as they tried to end their four-game losing streak against the Carolina Hurricanes. Before the game, the blueliner was interviewed by Marc Denis on RDS and explained he thought the Habs needed to focus on defense considering how many goals they had given of late, adding they knew they could score goals since they have talented players…

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About The Lineup

With Guhle ready to return, Martin St-Louis elected to dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards, meaning Joshua Roy lost his place in the lineup. While Roy hasn’t been breathtaking since being called up, he can at least shoot the puck, which is more than can be said of a diminished Joel Armia, who has been struggling with a wrist injury.

Roy had two goals in the last four games but was minus-one in the previous two contests. Still, it’s a questionable decision to me. As willing as Armia is, if he cannot take a shot, he cannot help the team.

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Furthermore, that formation makes it rather hard to manage everyone’s ice time and the pairings on the blueline. Given Guhle's long absence, it was understandable to use seven blueliners. 

There Needs To Be A Balance

While Guhle was right in saying the defense needed to improve, you cannot forget about the offense. Just like scoring without defending won’t win you any games, defending without scoring will have the same result.

Montreal came out strong out of the gate and scored just 23 seconds in, but Carolina tied up the score 18 seconds later, taking the wind out of the Canadiens’ sails. It was a lucky goal, which is a shame considering how well Samuel Montembeault handled himself for the rest of the period, but there comes a time when you must make the big saves, the game-changer to give your team wings. That goal on the Canes’ first shot was a gut punch.

To make matters worse, the first line struggled against Rod Brind ' Amour’s team, with the top line accounting for a single shot in two periods. As reported in our pregame article, this has always been a tough matchup for the Habs’ top dogs. Cole Caufield didn't take a single shot on goal, while Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky had one a piece. 

The Canadiens had four shots on goal in the first frame and three in the second to make it seven over the first two periods, their lowest total of the season after 40 minutes. They managed just eight three times this season and nine once. Montreal finished the game with 15 shots, nowhere near enough at any time in the season, but especially now that it's crunch time. 

A Mistake Xhekaj Cannot Afford

With seven defensemen dressed, Arber Xhekaj looked to be feeling the pressure of a possible scratch. He was directly responsible for the odd-man rush on the Hurricanes' third goal. He took himself right out of the play by trying to land a big hit at the blue line, forgetting his defensive coverage and leaving Sebastian Aho free to score an insurance marker.

Xhekaj’s gritty play can be an ace up St-Louis’ sleeve, but only when he plays smart. The rearguard had been making better reads this season, but not on this rare Friday night game. In the end, he only spent 3:52 on the ice, including a single shift in the final frame that lasted four seconds. That was a 12th consecutive loss in Carolina for the Canadiens who haven't won in Raleigh since 2016.

The Canadiens lost a fifth consecutive game, this time 4-1, and with the Columbus Blue Jackets beating the Vancouver Canucks, the Habs are now outside of the playoffs picture looking in. At least, the blame lays squarely at their door. While Montreal has a day off on Saturday, the New York Islanders, who have a game in hand, will be taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning and with a win, they would leapfrog both the Habs and the Jackets to land the second wild card spot.  Columbus could get it back with a win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night however. 

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The Anaheim Ducks continued their five-game homestand by hosting the New York Rangers on Friday evening at Honda Center. The Ducks were coming off of potentially their most complete performance of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday with a 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins and looking to return to the .500 mark for the first time since March 9.

The Rangers entered having lost four of their last five and just a point out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Ducks head coach Greg Cronin went with an identical lineup to the one that earned his club their last victory against Boston.

Lukas Dostal got the start between the pipes for the Ducks and saved 26 of 30 shots.

Dostal was opposed by Igor Shesterkin, who stopped 28 of 33 shots.


Jacob Trouba left the game with 14:44 remaining in the third period after crashing into the end boards following a rush chance. He didn’t return, and Cronin didn’t have an update on his status after the game.

“We had lost Trouba, so we were down one of our primary (penalty) killers,” Cronin said after the game. “We did a good job managing the personnel and, again, we got a shorthanded goal for the second night in a row. So, a lot of positive things with the special teams.”

Here are my notes from this game:

Leo Carlsson-Carlsson has fully arrived. He’s dictating games like his skillset and potential suggested when he was drafted second overall at the 2023 NHL Draft, and he’s doing it on both sides of the puck. He’s translating his anticipation skills and diligent scanning ability into manufacturing offense from up to 200 feet from the opposing net.

“His goal, he just ripped through the middle and snapped it right from 35 feet,” Cronin said. “When he’s not carrying the puck, he’s driving the inside ice as well, which is giving him puck recoveries in the offensive zone.”

There are still areas of his game that will need some refinement. He could still win a higher percentage of board battles, which should come with experience and further physical growth. The key to unlocking the power play unit he’s on will be finding ways to get the puck on his stick and, in doing so, draw defenders out of position. He’s far too dynamic to simply maintain a stationary position in the bumper.

Radko Gudas-This wasn’t one of Gudas’ better performances on the blueline for the Ducks. The underlying numbers suggest he had a positive impact (51.88 xGF%) and 5:24 of his 20:44 TOI was spent on the penalty kill, a kill that stifled six of seven chances from New York.

He continues to take himself out of plays in attempts to make big hits in open ice. New York’s second goal was a result of improperly reading his backcheckers and overcommitting to the forward driving the middle lane.

His late penalty nearly proved costly. However, he did well to jump out of the box and drive to the net after entry, collapsing the defensive structure and opening a lane that was exploited by Pavel Mintyukov, who found a trailing Olen Zellweger for the game-tying goal.

Cutter Gauthier-Gauthier has been the Ducks’ most improved player since the start of the season. He’s taken the time and has been afforded the opportunity to refine and learn the details it will take to bring success upon himself at the NHL level.

He’s seeking out shooting lanes and adjusting his angles in order to get enough space for his elite release. He’s recognizing and anticipating when to get his feet moving through neutral with and without the puck to optimize his speed and dangerously enter the offensive zone.

The Ducks will return to Honda Center on Sunday to take on the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs at 5 pm PST.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mason McTavish scored 59 seconds into overtime, and the Anaheim Ducks overcame a two-goal deficit in the final six minutes of regulation for a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday night.

After Olen Zellweger tied it with 1:45 left, McTavish scored his 20th goal on Jackson LaCombe’s pass to finish a stirring comeback by the Ducks, who are all but certain to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

Leo Carlsson had a goal and three assists in the former No. 2 overall pick’s first career four-point game for Anaheim. Cutter Gauthier scored the Ducks’ first goal in the third, and Alex Killorn got an early short-handed goal. Lukas Dostal made 27 saves.

J.T. Miller, Alexis Lafrenière and Adam Fox had a goal and an assist apiece for New York, which has lost five of six.

Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal in the third period. Igor Shesterskin stopped 28 shots.

Takeaways

Rangers: Collapse aside, they also missed the chance to leapfrog three teams into sole possession of the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re even with Columbus (75) and Montreal (75) and barely ahead of the Islanders (74), but all three teams have games in hand on the Rangers.

Ducks: Jacob Trouba faced New York for the first time since his trade to Anaheim in December. The former Rangers captain left in the third with an apparent injury.

Key moment

Four minutes after Gauthier started the rally with his rebound backhand with 5:48 left, the 21-year-old Zellweger finished an odd-man rush with a nasty shot right under the bar.

Key stat

Anaheim had just one short-handed goal in its first 70 games before connecting twice in two games, with Killorn following Carlsson’s shorty on Wednesday.

Up next

The Rangers visit the Sharks on Saturday. The Ducks host the Maple Leafs on Sunday.

There are some exciting developments down on the farm for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With more talent in the system than they've had in recent memory, the Penguins have several prospects of interest to keep an eye on. We close out our March Penguins Prospects Update with goaltending.

Sergei Murashov

CERTIFIED BRICK WALL 🧱

Sergei Murashov now holds the franchise record for the longest win streak in a rookie season with 10 wins! pic.twitter.com/0kBqbHQSeT

— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 23, 2025

If you've been paying any mind at all to the Penguins' farm system, it's becoming increasingly harder to ignore what Murashov is doing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).

He has already broken the WBS rookie record for consecutive wins, and he is currently tied for the franchise record for consecutive wins with 11, previously set by John Curry in  2008-09. Murashov is 11-0-0 with a shutout and a .916 save percentage at the AHL level this season, and he has been getting the vast majority of games in the team's stretch run.

He is still a raw prospect and needs to refine things such as his rebound control, but his athleticism, anticipation, and quickness post-to-post is better than any goaltending prospect the Penguins have had in quite a while. 

March Penguins Prospects Update: DefensemenThere are some exciting developments down on the farm for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

If you're a Penguins' fan, you need to start paying attention to the 20-year-old Murashov. Development still needs to happen for the young Russian goaltender - who, prior to this stint, hadn't owned a save percentage below .920 in any professional league (including the KHL) since he was 16 years old - but this kid appears to be the real deal.

In fact, he may just be the Penguins' best prospect.

Joel Blomqvist

Blomqvist, 23, saw two different NHL stints this season. The first was at the beginning of the NHL season, and it was a good one. The second one? It was clear that some development still needed to happen for Blomqvist, so he was sent back to WBS on Mar. 3. 

At the NHL level this season, Blomqvist put up an .885 save percentage, and he has a .910 save percentage with a 7-5-3 record at the AHL level this season.

The trouble is that Blomqvist has been dealing with an injury ever since, so he has not seen an AHL game since Feb. 16 and hasn't seen a game, period, since Mar. 2. Even if he does manage to come back before the end of the season, he is not likely to see that much action because of the way Murashov has suddenly solidified himself as the starting goaltender for WBS.

Filip Larsson

Larsson, 26, has also been spectacular for WBS this season. Although Murashov has been getting the biggest workload recently, Larsson is still showing that his 2024-25 AHL season is no fluke.

He has an 11-8-3 record with a .916 save percentage across 24 games this season. Injuries have kept him from putting together a full season, but when he's been the guy, he's been reliable. 

However, Larsson has struggled a bit in the month of March, posting just an .877 save percentage with a 2-4 record to go along with it. Still, he's had a solid season, and Penguins fans should be happy with where his development is at.

Taylor Gauthier

Gauthier, 24, is now the starting goaltender for the Wheeling Nailers with Murashov out of the picture.

And he has not disappointed.

The 6-foot-2 netminder from Calgary is 13-10-2 with a .925 save percentage this season, which ranks fifth in the ECHL among qualified goaltenders. He is following up his 2023-24 ECHL Goaltender of the Year season with another strong campaign.

Although his future is in the NHL is a longshot because of the guys in front of him at this point, he is proving to be a reliable depth option in the Penguins' system.

March Penguins Prospects Update: ForwardsThere are some exciting developments down on the farm for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jaxon Castor

Unlike Gauthier, Castor has struggled a bit at the ECHL level this season. The 28-year-old undrafted goaltender - a lefty - is 5-6-1 with an .869 save percentage on the season.

He is doing his best in a backup role for the Wheeling Nailers, but Gauthier is getting the vast majority of the starts for a reason.

Thomas Gale

Although Gale, a 24-year-old netminder from Kirkland, Quebec, has not yet played an ECHL game yet this season - he just transferred to Wheeling on Mar. 28 for an amateur tryout (ATO) - he did enjoy a solid NCAA season for the College of the Holy Cross.

In 39 games played for the Crusaders, he put together a 24-13-2 record with a .927 save percentage and two shutouts. Upon arrival, he will likely get some runway for a chance to assume the backup role behind Gauthier for Wheeling.

He may be someone to keep an eye on in the Penguins system if he does, indeed, stick with the team.

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CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Vegas Golden Knights at United Center on Friday night. Vegas, a Stanley Cup contender, is a team that should normally be trouble for Chicago. 

That isn't always how it goes in hockey. The Blackhawks started this game off well when Ryan Donato scored off his rebound. Ethan Del Mastro made a brilliant stretch pass to find Donato for a breakaway, which led to the goal. Adin Hill initially made a save before Donato buried the second chance opportunity. 

Chicago held that score through the first intermission. It was the second period when it felt like Vegas was going to take over. Mark Stone and Victor Olofsson scored consecutive goals just under a minute apart. 

After that, Ryan Donato tried to make it a special sports night in town. He scored two goals in 15 seconds to complete the hat-trick. Tons of hats made their way to the ice in celebration. 

Once again, the Blackhawks took a one-goal lead (3-2) into the intermission. You knew that the Golden Knights wouldn't go away without a fight. 

Just over two minutes into the final frame, Victor Olofsson scored his second of the game to tie it up for Vegas. 

It looked like Chicago would get Vegas to overtime, but Teuvo Teravainen took a costly penalty late in the period. With just over three minutes to go in regulation, Pavel Dorofeyev scored a power-play goal, which gave Vegas a lead late. 

Before long, Brett Howden threw one into the empty net and sealed the 5-3 victory for the Golden Knights. Despite keeping up with this elite Vegas team, they weren't able to get the win in the end.

Games like this are staples during hard rebuilds. The young defense had their ice time pretty evenly spread out. They all had some really good moments, and there were some mistakes as well. All of them will be better off for having games like this under their belt. 

Donato had his first career hat-trick and gave the Blackhawks a chance to win, but they still fell short in the end. Vegas is built to win a championship, and they showed why in the third period when the chips were down. 

The Blackhawks are back at it on Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club at the United Center. If the Blackhawks play the same way they did against Vegas, they will have a chance to beat them too. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves for his NHL-best seventh shutout of the season and the fast-starting Winnipeg Jets regained the league points lead, beating the New Jersey Devils 4-0 on Friday night for their 50th victory.

Alex Iafallo scored twice, Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and David Gustafsson also scored. At 59-19-4, Winnipeg moved a point ahead of Eastern Conference-leading Washington.

Iafallo opened the scoring 58 seconds in, and Gustafsson made it 2-0 at 1:52. Iafallo added a power-play goal in the second, and Scheifele had his 36th of the season in the period.

Takeaways

Devils: Jake Allen made 15 saves.

Jets: Nick Ehlers had an assist to extend his points streak to five games,

Key moment

The Jets jumped out to the early 2-0 lead. Iafallo scored on a turnaround backhand 58 seconds into the game. Only 54 seconds later, Gustafsson pounced on a rebound in front of the net and slid the puck past Allen.

Key stat

Hellebuyck also set a franchise record with his seventh shutout.

Up next

The Devils are at Minnesota on Saturday night. The Jets host Vancouver on Sunday.