The Montreal Canadiens lost 6-4 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the post John Tortorella era. The Flyers were going to come out strong to avenge their old coach and the Canadiens weren’t up to the task.

1. You can’t leave Matvei Michkov open. His first goal was too easy and that amped up the home crowd and left the Canadiens looking listless early on. I didn’t see that coming. Why would they start an impactful game so poorly? 
2. Cam York was facing disciplinary backlash for an undetermined item the Flyers wouldn’t elaborate on. He was on the bench with no stick. The Flyers played the entire game with five defenseman because they didn’t have anybody that was healthy enough to fill in. All of their defensive pairings were put in a blender and their defense was cohesive compared to the Canadiens.
3. The Canadiens missed defensive assignments on the Michkov goal, then the Michkov breakaway was stopped, On Couturier’s first goal, that went off his hand (was taken away from Michkov) he said postgame. It was easy, he was parked in the crease, they both were. When the defense wasn’t letting the team down, Jakub Dobes did. He wasn’t ready for a game of this magnitude.
4. Patrik Laine made a great defensive play and eventually got a goal. He had a good game. The Alex Newhook goal is the type he could pull off in college but hasn’t replicated enough in the pros. Goaltender interference is bizarre at this point. I can’t tell you what the rule is and neither can most players and Brendan Gallagher.

           “They got in Dobers way. That’s what they’ve been calling. That’s the standard. The league needs to show consistency with it. I don’t know what to make of the decision. Players are frustrated around the league.” 

          I thought Brink touched him while in the blue paint. What do I know the goal counted.

     5.  Accountability is great but fixing it is more important.

         “There’s no excuse,” said Josh Anderson.

That’s what you expect to hear. He looked miserable and took the bullet. Does that  mean they will do better next game? I’m not sure. I had said in previous articles the Flyers faltered down the stretch last year because of bad goaltending and not enough scoring at the right time. Not garbage time. It feels like the Canadiens are going down that path but the season isn’t over yet.

The Ottawa Senators improved their playoff chances on Thursday night while also knocking another nail in the Detroit Red Wings' coffin. Despite spending much of the first period in the penalty box and then bending hard in the third, the Senators held on to defeat the Red Wings 4-3 at Little Caesars Arena.

Just two and a half weeks ago, in a 2-1 victory, Sens goalie Linus Ullmark frustrated the Wings with a season-high 48 saves. He was the biggest reason Detroit was held scoreless in a chaotic first period, as the Red Wings went 0-for-5 on the power play. Ullmark ended the night with 31 saves.

Despite the Wings controlling most of the early play, Ottawa struck first. Fabian Zetterlund notched his first point as a Senator, setting up a hard-charging Thomas Chabot. Chabot hustled up into the rush and beat goalie Alex Lyon with a wrist shot to make it 1-0.

Just over seven minutes later, Brady Tkachuk caught up to Lucas Raymond and manhandled him in the neutral zone. While the Detroit fans protested, the puck went the other way, and Tim Stützle beat Lyon with a wrist shot on the short side. At that point, the Senators were being outshot 12-3 but still led 2-0.

A chippy first period boiled over when Stützle and Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson got into a shoving match, prompting Tkachuk to step in. Edvinsson, at 6-foot-6 but not known for fighting, agreed to drop with Tkachuk. But the scrap was little more than a wrestling match.

The Red Wings’ luck didn’t improve in the second period. Defenseman Ben Chiarot attempted to dump the puck in off the boards, but it struck Michael Rasmussen and bounced right to Drake Batherson, who set up David Perron for a breakaway goal, stretching Ottawa’s lead to 3-0.

That marked the end of Lyon’s night, as he was replaced by former Senator Cam Talbot.

The Sens took that lead into the third and finally took one penalty too many. With Shane Pinto off for a cross-check, Patrick Kane broke through for the Wings on the power play. Former Senator Alex DeBrincat fed him a pass across the crease, and Kane was able to tap it in.

Michael Amadio seemed to put the game away with a breakaway goal, his sixth goal of the month, making it 4-1 Ottawa. It turned out to be the game-winner and Amadio's sparkling two-way game will be tough to leave on the fourth line much longer.

With just over eight minutes to play, in a dreadful piece of Ottawa defending, Raymond made it 4-2. He was left all alone in front of Ullmark and had all day to pick his spot.

Less than four minutes later, former Senator Vladimir Tarasenko beat Ullmark from the slot, cutting Ottawa’s lead to one and setting up a tense finish.

However, the Senators D fought back a heavy Detroit push for the victory.

With the win, Ottawa moves seven points above the Eastern Conference playoff cut line. They'll host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night in the first of three games against them in the final three weeks of the regular season.

San Jose Sharks learning to play with third-period lead sign of solid progress originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

When a team is in last place, they look for small-but-real victories, examples of progress as a unit.

For the San Jose Sharks, maybe they’re learning to play with leads better?

On March 1, they lost 5-3 to the Ottawa Senators after blowing another third-period lead.

At that point, the Sharks had an NHL-worst .450 Winning Percentage Leading After Two Periods, which would be the worst mark in the salary cap era, just below the 2005-06 St. Louis Blues’ .500.

Since then, however, San Jose has won three straight games leading after two periods: March 4 at the Buffalo Sabres, March 13 against the Chicago Blackhawks and Thursday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, raising that gruesome .450 to a less-abominable .522.

Yes, the Sharks blew a 5-3 lead to the Leafs, giving up two last-minute goals with Toronto’s goalie pulled. San Jose needed the shootout to come away with the win.

Read the full story at San Jose Hockey Now

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The 2024-25 regular season is coming to a close, with the majority of NHL teams having ten or fewer games remaining. That includes the Vancouver Canucks, who sit just below the playoff bar with 80 points through 72 games. Ultimately, the last few weeks of the season will be chaotic as teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences battle for 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff berths. 

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When it comes to the Canucks, they are in a complicated situation. As mentioned, Vancouver is currently on the outside of the playoff picture and is competing with the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Utah Hockey Club for the two Wild Card spots. While most of the focus has been on the Wild Card chase, there is another way the Canucks could get into the playoffs, and that is by finishing as the third team in the Pacific Division. 

Before diving into this possibility, it is important to note that Vancouver finishing as the third-place team in the Pacific Division is highly unlikely. That being said, the team that is currently holding the spot is 1-2-1 in their last four games and is facing some serious injury issues heading into the final weeks of the regular season. The team in question is the Edmonton Oilers, who, with ten games remaining, have 87 points on the season. 

Now that the theory has been presented, the question is what would need to happen to make this idea a reality. Ultimatley, the Canucks would need to record eight more points than the Oilers for the rest of the season. For example, if Edmonton posted a 3-7-0 record, Vancouver would need to go 7-3-0 in their final ten games to surpass their division rival. 

As for the schedule comparissons, the Oilers have an easier schedule than the Canucks. Edmonton's strength of schedule is .529 compared to Vancouver's .577. If this were to happen, the Canucks would need the San Jose Sharks to do them a huge favour, as they have three more matchups against the Oilers left on the schedule. 

One of the reasons why this is possible is that, as mentioned, the Oilers are currently dealing with some injury issues. Leon Draisatil and Connor McDavid have both missed the last handful of games, while Stuart Skinner was absent from the lineup on Thursday when they lost to the Seattle Kraken. While all three of these players are expected to return before the end of the season, not having them at 100% could cause some issues as Edmonton looks to secure a playoff berth. 

While the odds are stacked against them, Vancouver still has a chance at clinching a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will not be easy, as six of their final 10 games are against teams currently in playoffs, which included two more games against the Winnipeg Jets. That being said, anything is possible if they go on a run, which includes surpassing the Oilers for the third spot in the Pacific Division. 

The Canucks play their fifth of sixth straight on the road Friday when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a key matchup for both teams as each is battling for a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT from Nationwide Arena.

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, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.