ELMONT, NY- The New York Islanders fell to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday at UBS Arena, losing 5-2. With the loss the Islanders squandered an opportunity to move into a playoff spot for the first time since November 16.

Thatcher Demko picked up the win for the Canucks, stopping 26 of 28 Islander shots.

© Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Isles goalie, Ilya Sorokin was pulled early in the third period after making just 15 saves on 19 shots. Marcus Hogberg came in relief to save all five Canuck shots he faced.

Neither team scored in the first period, with the Islanders getting the better of the chances. Demko stood on his head making many incredible stops, including two on Bo Horvat.

After the one period, the Islanders lead 10-5 shots, but neither team could score.

Kiefer Sherwood opened the scoring early in the second period. He tipped a long shot taken by Quinn Hughes into the back of the net with 2:39 off the clock. Filip Hronek tapped the puck to Hughes, earning the secondary assist.

A few minutes later with the Canucks on the power play, J.G. Pageau and Casey Cizikas connected to score shorthanded for the Islanders 5:35 into period two to tie the game at one:

What a freaking goal by Casey Cizikas! #Islespic.twitter.com/ux0ayyrfYi

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) March 27, 2025

Then, exactly nine minutes into the middle frame Tony DeAngelo outwaited Demko after the puck popped free to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. Cizikas earned his second assist of the night, with Pierre Engvall being credited with the secondary assist:

Tony gives us the lead!! #LGI | @Fordpic.twitter.com/j9m0vwHNT8

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 27, 2025

4:59 later, the game was knotted up once again. Former Islander Aatu Raty, who was dealt in the trade that brought Horvat to the Islanders, scored his third of the season to even the score at 2-2. Marcus Pettersson and Sherwood assisted.

Then, Derek Forbort scored his second goal of the season for the Canucks with 22.9 seconds left to go in the second period. Jake DeBrusk and Pius Suter assisted and the Canucks entered the third period with a 3-2 lead.

To start period three, Conor Garland stole the puck and Teddy Blueger wristed a shot past Sorokin only 1:05 in, consequently ending Sorokin’s night.

Hogberg entered the game in relief of Sorokin.

The Islanders had a power play attempt with 13:40 remaining but couldn’t get anything going. Then another with 4:41 left with the net empty - - and an extra attacker.

New York failed to score and Sherwood scored his second of the game into the empty net with 1:52 to go. The ENG made it 5-2 and was assisted by Suter and Drew O’Connor.

Losing 5-2, the Islanders are still one-point out of a playoff spot. They are back in action on Saturday in Tampa Bay at 2 pm against the Lightning.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks took on the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night at the United Center. After winning big over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon, Chicago was looking for their second straight win. 

New Jersey came in floundering despite their comfortable playoff position. This was the right time for the Hawks to get a win over the Devils. 

The Blackhawks did not have an ideal start to the game. New Jersey took a 2-0 lead before the first period was halfway done. It looked like it would be an ugly one early on for Chicago. 

The Devils eventually took a first-period penalty, which allowed the Blackhawks to gain some momentum. Tyler Bertuzzi scored his standard power-play goal by camping out in front of the net. This 2-1 score carried into the first intermission. 

In the second period, both sides had up and down moments. Just over three minutes into the period, the Blackhawks saw their next power play go completely different from their first one. 

The Hawks turned the puck over a handful of times, and eventually, Jesper Bratt made a play that allowed Ondrej Palat to shoot one in. Just over two minutes later, however, Ilya Mikheyev brought the Blackhawks back within one to keep Chicago in the game.

It looked like the Blackhawks tied it when Ryan Donato redirected an Artyom Levshunov shot, but a review determined that it wouldn’t count because of a high stick redirection. 

Later in the middle frame, the Devils were awarded a controversial power-play chance. Simon Nemec was on top of Connor Bedard pushing him into the ice, and Landon Slaggert came to his rescue.

Slaggert was the only one who was given a penalty on the play, and New Jersey scored a power-play goal to make it 4-2. That score went into the second intermission. As you can imagine, the home crowd was not a fan of how that played out.  

The third period was mostly uneventful. Things did get a little bit interesting at the end, however, when the Blackhawks pulled Spencer Knight for the extra attacker with over four minutes left. Frank Nazar scored to get the Blackhawks within one. 

Although the Blackhawks looked like they might be able to get it tied up late, the Devils sealed it by throwing one into the empty net and walked away with a 5-3 victory. The comeback effort came up short. 

One player who deserves some individual praise is Artyom Levshunov. He was the third star of the game in a loss thanks to his two assists. There are some things to work on when it comes to his defensive game and overall positioning, but his skating and offensive skills allow him to find the scoresheet often. 

Chicago was unable to win two in a row for the first time in about a month. They fall to 2-7-1 in their last ten games and 21-42-9 overall. 

Now, they will face an even tougher test as the Vegas Golden Knights will be in the building on Friday night. Chicago has played okay at times against elite teams, but they will need their very best to have a chance in this one. 

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

CHICAGO (AP) — Luke Hughes had three assists, Jesper Bratt chipped in with two and the New Jersey Devils ended their three-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Nathan Bastian, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, Dawson Mercer and Stefan Noesen scored for the Devils. Bratt has four assists in his last three games and a career-high 84 points this season. Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves.

Nico Hischier extended his point streak to eight games with an assist on Noesen’s empty-net goal. Hischier has four goals and five assists since March 11.

Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar scored for Chicago, which has lost eight of the last 10 games. Spencer Knight stopped 15 shots.

Takeaways

Devils: New Jersey won both games against the Blackhawks this season, including a 4-1 win in their previous matchup on Dec. 14.

Blackhawks: Chicago outshot the Devils 24-20, including 13 shots in the third period, but struggled to get past Markstrom.

Key moment

The Devils scored two goals within 27 seconds of each other to take a 2-0 lead over the Blackhawks. Bastian scored at 6:23 of the first period and Mercer at 6:50. Mercer’s came on a power play just five seconds into the penalty.

Key stat

The last time the Devils scored at even strength, on the power play, short-handed and into an empty net was Nov. 14 against the Panthers. They had three power-play goals, two at even strength and one short-handed empty-netter in the 6-2 win.

Up next

The Devils visit the Jets on Friday, and the Blackhawks host the Golden Knights the same night.

NEW YORK (AP) — Kiefer Sherwood had two goals and one assist, Thatcher Demko finished with 26 saves and the Vancouver Canucks beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Aatu Raty, Derek Forbort and Teddy Blueger also scored for Vancouver.

Casey Cizikas and Tony DeAngelo scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin made 15 saves before getting pulled early in the third period. Marcus Hogberg had five saves in relief.

The Canucks scored three times in a 7:06 stretch to take a 4-2 lead after the Islanders took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period.

Blueger scored 65 seconds into the third period to chase Sorokin. Sherwood added an empty-net goal with 1:52 remaining.

The Islanders remain on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture after losing three of four on a four-game homestand.

Takeaways

Canucks: Demko started his second straight game since returning to the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 8. The 2024 Vezina candidate also missed the first 24 games of the regular season while recovering from a knee injury sustained during the first game of the 2024 playoffs.

Islanders: DeAngelo gave the Islanders a short-lived one-goal lead in the second period and extended his point streak to four games (one goal, four assists).

Key Moment

Demko made two stellar saves on Bo Horvat in the first period, which allowed Vancouver to weather an early barrage from the Islanders and eventually score the first goal when Sherwood redirected a shot from Quinn Hughes.

Key Stat

Raty scored his third of the season to even the score at 2-2 in his first game back at UBS arena since the Islanders traded him and additional assets for Horvat in January 2023.

Up Next

The Canucks visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday while the Islanders play at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

It’s hard not to like Nikita Grebenkin. 

On Wednesday, TSN’s Mark Masters sat down for a one-on-one virtual meeting with now-former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nikita Grebenkin. The two discussed various topics, including his initial reaction to being traded from Toronto to Philadelphia at the deadline.

It’s safe to say the 21-year-old showed no hard feelings toward the organization.

“I understand 95% that Leafs traded me, and no surprise to me. Brad Treliving tell me, 'Nikita, you nice guy, but we traded you.’ I speak, 'Brad, no problem. Go, Leafs, Go! It's business.' I don't worry,” Grebenkin told Masters.

"Treliving tell me, 'Nikita, you nice guy, but we traded you.' I speak, 'Brad, no problem. Go Leafs Go! It's business.' I don't worry." 😅

Nikita Grebenkin speaks with @markhmasters on getting traded. pic.twitter.com/gaJUJ8UV9E

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 26, 2025

The Leafs traded Grebenkin and a first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft in return for the services of Scott Laughton, the Flyers’ fourth-round pick in 2025 and sixth-round pick in 2027, on March 7.

Grebenkin’s time with the Maple Leafs organization may have been short, but it was eventful. Drafted in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, he quickly developed into a fan favourite. 

Most notably, the Russian-born forward went viral for his “backcheck, forecheck, paycheck” comment after his NHL debut on November 20, 2024 – serving as a testament to his contagious energy. 

'Backcheck, Forecheck, And Paycheck': Nikita Grebenkin Proving To Be Fan And Team Favorite With Maple Leafs After NHL DebutGrebenkin had one shot, four hits, and 11:05 of ice time with the Maple Leafs in his NHL debut.

Despite the move, Grebenkin had nothing but appreciation for Toronto and the people who helped him along the way.

“I like Toronto; thank you, Toronto. People, teammates, and general manager Brad, thank you, Brad. Guys really helped me start my career… thank you, Toronto, thank you. Go, Leafs, Go!”

Though he’s now with the Flyers, Grebenkin shared that he still keeps in touch with his former teammates – especially Max Domi.

“Yes, Max Domi. Max Domi tell me. Max helped me in Toronto. Every time he speak to me, I go down (to Marlies), I go up (to Leafs) everytime Max tells me, and I tell Max how are you? Enjoy your day. I like Max, and I like all my full teammates in Toronto Maple Leafs. Every guy helped me little, but helped,” said Grebenkin.

The bond between Grebenkin and Domi was evident after the trade. 

When Grebenkin posted a farewell message to Leafs fans on Instagram, he included a picture with Domi, who commented, “Good luck, buddy. Going to miss you.”

The forward has proven himself and his potential through his physicality and ability to produce at the AHL level, saying he’s ready for the opportunity that lies ahead in Philadelphia. 

“Right now, I stay in Philadelphia and work and want to help Philadelphia,” Grebenkin said.

Since being acquired by the Flyers, Grebenkin has spent his time playing for the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In four games, he has two goals, one assist, and three points.

“My start of season I go AHL, I go up NHL, go down, go up. It’s a different league. The last time I stay in NHL free week… don’t play, don’t go down, long time don’t play it’s hard. Now, right now, I have full focus,” he added.

With the Maple Leafs, Grebenkin played in seven games for the NHL club this season, spending most of his time in the organization with the affiliated Toronto Marlies. In 39 appearances with the Marlies, Grebenkin had nine goals, 12 assists, and 21 points.

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