Monthly Archives: April 2025

Hockey News

McGroarty Scores First NHL Goal In Penguins 5-4 Overtime Loss To Blues

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Apr 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rutger McGroarty (2) is congratulated by right wing Rickard Rakell (67) and right wing Ville Koivunen (41) after scoring his first NHL goal to tie the game against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday - which gave the Blues their whopping 11th straight win - obviously wasn't the desired result.

But there were a lot of good things happening in this effort - particularly from the two youngest players on the team.

Penguins top prospect Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal with 23.8 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and earn Pittsburgh a point. Fellow rookie Ville Koivunen earned the primary assist on the play, which was his first point in the NHL. 

“It was pretty cool, especially at that point in the game versus a team like that and how hot they are,” McGroarty said. “It was pretty cool for Ville and I to do that on the same goal. We might have to split the puck in half, I'm not sure.”

Koivunen saw the opportunity there for McGroarty, and he wasted no time distributing the puck to him. 

"I just saw Rutger open, and Rutger was doing his magic there," Koivunen said. "So, just give him the puck."

Both rookies have clearly earned the trust of the coaching staff, as head coach Mike Sullivan decided to deploy both of them in the six-on-five situation at the end of the game. They shared the ice with Rust, Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson - and they did not disappoint. 

Sullivan said they were "terrific," and he made a point to shout out a play that McGroarty made prior to the goal that helped prevent a Blues empty-net goal.

“Rutger chased the puck down prior to that, where, if we gave them the separation, they might have hit an empty net," Sullivan said. "They don't, because he puts pressure on it. I thought they were terrific in that circumstance."

'We Have A Close Team': WBS Penguins Practice In Pittsburgh, Talk Chemistry Of Group'We Have A Close Team': WBS Penguins Practice In Pittsburgh, Talk Chemistry Of GroupThe Penguins took to the ice for practice on Thursday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa.

He also added that the two young forwards earned the opportunity through performance to get those critical minutes.

"If we didn't think they were deserving, we wouldn't put them out there," Sullivan said. "We think they're making a difference. They're earning their opportunities."

Early in the game, McGroarty also earned his first NHL point, setting up linemate Bryan Rust for one of his signature power-move goals. The Penguins took the 1-0 lead into the second period, which was a bit of a back-and-forth affair that saw Pittsburgh unravel a bit defensively.

Apr 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (17) celebrates with right wing Rutger McGroarty (2) defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) and center Sidney Crosby (87) after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

Jake Neighbours scored just 39 seconds into the middle frame for St. Louis, but Penguins forward Connor Dewar - who has scored all four of his goals this season with the Penguins since being traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs on deadline day - gave the Penguins back the lead a few minutes later.

However, Pittsburgh gave up several odd-man rushes before the midway point of the period, and Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou - on a breakaway - scored a minute and 17 seconds apart to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. Neighbours added his second of the game a little less than six minutes into the third period to put St. Louis up, 4-2, but the Penguins responded for the remainder of regulation.

Apr 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Jimmy Snuggerud (21) celebrates after assisting on a goal by left wing Jake Neighbours (63) for his first NHL point during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk went to the box for holding midway through the period, and Rickard Rakell - positioned in the slot - finished a feed from Sidney Crosby for his 33rd goal of the season, putting him just one goal shy of his career-high set in 2017-18. The assist also extended Crosby's point streak to 11 games, which is the longest active streak in the NHL and the longest by a player age 37 or older since Nikolas Lidstrom's with the Detroit Red Wings in 2010-11 (11 games).

Penguins Crosby Has Shot At Unofficial Gretzky RecordPenguins Crosby Has Shot At Unofficial Gretzky RecordDuring Sunday's TSN broadcast between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators, announcer Gord Miller pointed out that Sidney Crosby, who ranks 10th all-time in assists, has set up a player's first NHL goal on 14 occasions. 

Then, the kids were given the opportunity to make something happen in the waning seconds of regulation, and they didn't waste it. Suffice to say, it was quite the night for two of the best prospects in the Penguins' system, and particularly for McGroarty.

And he appreciates the coaching staff's trust in him and Koivunen to put them out on the ice in the game's most critical moment.

"It means a lot," McGroarty said. "I feel like that's something... a minute and a half left, six-on-five, a pulled goalie, down by one... it means a lot. It's pretty cool."

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Hockey News

Utah HC's Playoff Hopes Take Another Tough Blow In Latest 4-2 Loss to Kings

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Apr 3, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) and Utah Hockey Club center Nick Bjugstad (17) have words after a play during the third period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

A lot changed for Utah HC in 44 seconds. 

What had been a 1-1 game, one that seemed like Utah’s to take control of at any moment, thanks in large part to its 25-9 advantage in shots on goal through two periods, suddenly had turned into a 3-1 deficit that the team could never recover from.

With a quick, unassisted goal from Kings forward Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles would not only take the lead back, but would never give it up for the rest of the game. 

With Utah defenseman John Marino attempting a dangerous cross-ice pass right after the faceoff, the puck went straight to Fiala’s stick, right in front of the net, leading to an immediate goal for the Kings.

The uncharacteristic mistake from Marino would prove to be fatal for Utah later in the game. 

After two penalties were called on Anze Kopitar for cross-checking Kevin Stenlund, and Stenlund was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for going down a little too easily after the cross-check, a 4-on-4 situation was set up for both teams.

But with Fiala’s goal coming just 19 seconds into the 4-on-4, play resumed with both Stenlund and Kopitar still in the box.

Without the extra man on the ice, Utah made yet another costly mistake.

This time, Trevor Moore knocked Utah's Sean Durzi to the ice, then took off on a breakaway and buried another goal for L.A. during the 4-on-4.

“I think the first one was an unfortunate turnover," said coach André Tourigny. "Johnny (John Marino) doesn't do a lot of those... just happened at the wrong time. I think it was an unnecessary risk but that's happened. The other one, there's a few things on that. I think we didn't move our feet to get up ice... Veggie (Karel Vejmelka) could have, should have, gotten that puck."

The Kings would add one more with an empty-netter to go up 4–1, before conceding Utah’s only other goal—Jack McBain's first career power play goal—with under 30 seconds remaining and far too little time left to mount a comeback.

"We were in the driver's seat for the first two periods, and unfortunately, what happened on the four on four and they capitalized on two chances," said Utah's Lawson Crouse. "That's how quick the game can get away from you, and we were playing catch up from there." 

While the game ultimately ended in a convincing win for the Kings, it's hard not to look back at a few key moments in the first two periods that went Los Angeles' way. 

The first tough break for Utah came just two minutes in, when what looked like an early goal was called back.

Upon review, a pass from Utah’s Clayton Keller to Dylan Guenther, who was wearing a bubble after breaking his nose in Utah’s win over the Flames, never crossed back in front of the blue line and instead traveled along it.

As a result, Keller crossed the line before the puck, making the play offside. While it wasn’t initially called and it appeared as though Guenther had scored, a quick challenge by the Kings led to the play being overturned and play resumed shortly after.

“I think [the team is learning] how every play matters...," said Guenther. "Every shift, no matter what happens, all you can do is go out there and try to win your shift so just take it a step at a time.”

While Utah never looked fazed, even after the unfortunate offside call, the team found itself on the wrong side of yet another goal

This time, the Kings scored their first goal of the night following a wild sequence in which L.A.'s Adrian Kempe collided with Vejmelka after being pushed by Utah’s Logan Cooley.

Because it was deemed that Kempe ran into Vejmelka because of Cooley,  no goalie interference penalty was called against Kempe.

All of the sudden, what could have been a 1–0 lead heading into the second period instead turned into a 1–0 deficit.

Those breaks for the Kings were a big reason why the game stayed close early on, even with Utah's offense humming and controlling much of the play.

While Lawson Crouse scored Utah’s first goal of the game in the second to tie things up and keep it competitive, being on the wrong end of a two-goal swing early proved costly once Utah began making mistakes in the third.

Though Utah's playoff hopes are still statistically possible, the team can't seem to catch a break with each win the Blues get, this time with its second consecutive overtime victory coming against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The win extended St. Louis' win streak to 11, tied for the longest in the NHL this season, and has singlehandedly snuffed Utah's hopes of making the playoffs. 

With only six games remaining and sitting nine points behind the Minnesota Wild, holders of the final Wild Card spot, Utah will need to win out the rest of its schedule if it has any hope of making the playoffs.

Minnesota has struggled recently, losing five of its last six games, but it would still take a remarkable collapse, like losing all six of its remaining games, for the Wild to fall out of playoff position.

So while tonight's loss has all but eliminated Utah from the race, the club will need to keep fighting while there's still a statistical chance, starting with its game against Winnipeg on Saturday, April 5.

Its Do or Die For Utah Hockey ClubIts Do or Die For Utah Hockey Club 
Hockey News

Three Takeaways From Blues' 5-4 Overtime Win Against Penguins

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St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich (second from left) scores on a backhand past Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry (left) on Thursday. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

ST. LOUIS – The old adage that good teams find ways to win when they’re not at their best has found its way to the St. Louis Blues once again.

And in doing do on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the same team that was last in the NHL to put together a three-game winning streak has now matched a franchise record 11 straight wins.

The Blues were not at their best, but they found a way for a second straight overtime game when Robert Thomas’ power-play goal at 2:12 won it, 5-4, after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period at Enterprise Center.

Jake Neighbours scored twice to surpass the 20-goal mark for the second straight season, and Thomas and Jordan Kyrou each had a goal and an assist for the Blues (42-28-7), who moved two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for the first wild card in the Western Conference. They matched the Stanley Cup-winning team of 2018-19 for consecutive wins (Jan. 23-Feb. 19) and won their 10th in a row at home.

“It’s been a fun ride,” Thomas said. “We’ve beaten some really good teams and we’re playing really good hockey. We just got to consistently be there every single night and that’s what makes a great team and that’s what we’re on our way to be.”

Added forward Oskar Sundqvist, who was part of the 2019 team, “It's awesome. I was here for the last 11 straight wins. It's a good feeling in our group right now. Even if we haven't played our best games our last two games, but we're finding ways to win. That's what's important right now.”

Jimmy Snuggerud had an assist for his first NHL point in his second game, and Joel Hofer won his fifth straight start with 24 saves.

“Another one of those games where we didn’t think we played to our standard, but finding ways, goalies are playing well, guys are making big plays in big moments and keep finding ways,” Neighbours said.

Here are Thursday’s Three Takeaways --

* The power play finally connected – Even with the Blues scoring four times at 5-on-5, it was a game in which they could have put it away with better special teams.

Earlier in the game, they had a 38-second two-man advantage lumped in with a four-minute double minor for high-sticking and did nothing with it.

The Blues led the game 3-2 and had the chance to put the game away then but their unwillingness to be more direct allowed the Penguins to stay in the game despite Neighbours scoring at 5:56 on a great play by Snuggerud both defensively, then starting the transition offensively to make it 4-2.

But on the 4-on-3 in overtime, after Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was called for slashing Kyrou, the Blues had to be more direct, they had to take advantage of the open ice.

It wasn’t clean, but Thomas and Kyrou worked the puck off the left side and after corralling the puck, Thomas wired a wrister high glove on Tristan Jarry to end it.

“They pressured hard and we weren’t able to beat it early,” Thomas said. “I missed a couple good looks. We did have some good looks. I think just more consistent on the 5-on-3 and the couple minutes, I think we had six minutes of power play 5-on-4. Got to find a way to do a better job early in the game, but it came through in the end.”

* Staying with it despite frittering away third-period lead – The first period was as poor as the Blues have played in quite some time, and coach Jim Montgomery attributed it to “energy.”

The Blues just weren’t connected on the ice, their puck play was passive, zone exits weren’t clean, and the Penguins (30-34-12) had something to do with it, but they finally turned the game around in the second period.

“We just don't seem to have juice, and it's going to happen, but it's a sign of a good team when you don't have our legs and we're still pulling out wins,” Montgomery said. “This is a hard league to win in, as we found out earlier in the year.

“I thought we were significantly better (in the second period), I thought we skated, I thought we worked better and I thought it led to a lot of opportunities.”

Neighbours tied the game 1-1 on a beautiful sequence with Philip Broberg, Pavel Buchnevich and Thomas, who fed Neighbours on the last pass 39 seconds in.

After Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead during a sequence that Thomas took a stick to the face on a follow-through shot by Rickard Rakell, Buchnevich tied the game 2-2 after Nathan Walker broke up a play in the neutral zone, and Buchnevich used his stick magic to lift a backhand in at 6:48 before Kyrou whipped a wrister past Jarry for their first lead at 3-2 at 8:05 on an incredibly strong flipper out of the zone in stride by Cam Fowler.

“Got the perfect spin on it, English on it too, right,” Montgomery said. “So he could skate right into it. It was nice.”

But after the Neighbours goal, the Blues, who were 0-for-4 on the power play at the time, were not going to get any more man advantages unless it was something egregious, and the Penguins had yet to have a power play.

But when a failed clearance of a puck seconds later resulted in Justin Faulk taking a holding minor, the Penguins didn’t waste much time all of the sudden making a game of it when it didn’t have to be a game when Rakell scored from the high slot at 11:15 of the third period, using all of 30 seconds to score on their lone power play to make it 4-3.

The Blues didn’t do a good job of closing the game out the rest of the way either, and when Pittsburgh pulled Jarry, eventually it was Rutger McGroarty scoring his first NHL goal at 19:35 to tie the game 4-4.

“We have won all different kinds of games, but I am not happy that we were up 4-2 in the third and we went to overtime,” Montgomery said. “We have to close out games. We have to get better.

“Attention to detail, knowing your responsibilities. There’s a couple mistakes there in that (tying goal). It’s a wraparound goal, they make a power move, but we shouldn’t be that far from the net.”

* Holloway goes down, now what – When Blues forward Dylan Holloway left the game late in the first period with a lower-body injury, as a result of a McGroarty check in the Blues’ offensive zone along the wall at 17:09 and Holloway trying one more shift roughly a minute later, it would remove a 26-goal scorer and 63-point player from the Blues’ lineup.

Now what?

Who can jump into the top six and play with Kyrou and Brayden Schenn, or whoever it may be?

Well, Zack Bolduc comes to mind. Snuggerud, who made a strong defensive stick play that ultimately led to a beautiful pass to Neighbours for the Blues’ fourth goal, would get more ice time and more responsibilities.

Game management was important at that time, and those that handled the extra ice time handled the minutes effectively.

“It’s kind of just a little scrambly on the bench,” Neighbours said. “We’re trying to mix and match lines, get guys out there. Obviously that’s an elite player for us, someone who plays in all situations and a really important piece for our team. But we had to focus on the task at hand. We weren’t playing great and obviously it sucked losing Dylan. Just hope he’s OK and we get him back.”

Snuggerud finished with 16:22 of ice time, significantly more than the 10:43 he played on Tuesday in a 2-1 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings.

“Really impressive. He’s been making a lot of plays,” Montgomery said of Snuggerud. “I think once he gets used to the speed, strength and less time and space in the NHL, he’s going to be a real good player for us. He’s already playing well.

“It gets a little difficult. It can, but we have a lot of players than can play all three forward positions. And I found out that Snuggerud can play left wing. It just worked out that I could manage the bench quite easily with the depth of the talented players that we have.

“I haven’t seen any egregious mistakes, and in the D-zone, surprisingly, because he’s never played our D-zone before, he’s executing really well. He cut the top off the one time, sprinted out, made sure they stayed on the same side of the ice and Sunny was able to get out and kill it. It’s a sign of a really smart player because our D-zone’s very different than man-on-man.”

Hockey News

Jets Beat The Golden Knights For The First Time This Season; Winning 4-0

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Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry (17) celebrates next to Winnipeg Jets right wing Nino Niederreiter (62) after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets picked up a much-needed win in emphatic fashion, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time this season, 4-0.

The Jets opened the scoring in the first period, thanks to Mark Scheifele's 37th goal of the season. Alex Iafallo made a phenomenal play, taking the puck off his face before sliding over to Scheifele to one-time the puck into the wide-open net. Adam Lowry extended the Jets lead, scoring his 15th goal with 1:45 remaining in the opening frame.

A 96MPH slap shot from Colin Miller on the power play gave the Jets a three-goal lead in the second period.  

With under a minute to go Cole Perfetti scored the Jets' fourth goal of the game into the Golden Knights' empty net.

Eric Comrie was solid from the second the puck dropped, turning away all 27 shots he faced, earning his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career. Adin Hill was pulled after the second period, allowing three goals on 19 shots. 

The Jets are back in action on Saturday when they take on a central division foe, Utah HC. 

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Hockey News

The Colorado Avalanche Clinch Eighth Consecutive Playoff Berth After Resounding Win in Columbus

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

At the end of the 2016-17 season, the Colorado Avalanche finished dead last in a 30-team league, with a record of 22-56-4 and a total of 48 points.

The next season, Colorado made it back to the postseason. Though it was fruitless with a first-round bounce, it ended a three-year postseason drought.

Tonight, on April 3rd, 2025, the Avalanche secured a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season with a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It was reported this morning by NHL.com that the Avalanche had an opportunity to secure their spot in this year's postseason run with any of the following scenarios: 

If they defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets in any fashion

OR

If they get one point vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets AND the Calgary Flames lose to the Anaheim Ducks in any fashion

OR

If the Calgary Flames lose to the Anaheim Ducks in regulation.

As of 8:45 pm Mountain Time, the Flames/Ducks game is tied at 1-1 in the second period. Not that it matters, as the Avalanche were able to check off scenario number 1.

The New Guys Showed UP

Long-awaited, forward Charlie Coyle netted his first goal in burgundy and blue to tie things up with the Blue Jackets. 

This goal would be just one of three points on the night for the third-line center. The other two points came as assists on goals scored by Cale Makar and Miles Wood. He joins Makar and his defensive partner, Devon Toews, who also had three points apiece in tonight's win.

Brock Nelson, who slotted into Colorado's second-line center spot upon being traded, also notched a goal in tonight's win. This goal is his 10th point and 4th goal since being traded.

Every single center chipped in tonight. While it wasn't a goal, Jack Drury did provide the lone helper on Parker Kelly's game-winning goal in the second period. Since joining the Avalanche, Jack Drury has provided some much-needed depth to this team, providing not only vital help on the penalty kill, but crucial skill in the faceoff dot.

A Monumental Night for the Norris Trophy Favorite

Makar, as mentioned recorded a three-point night (1g/2a) in Colorado's win over Columbus. His goal, Colorado's fifth of the night, acted as his 30th of the season, making him the first defenseman in 16 years to achieve 30 goals in a season. He becomes the ninth defenseman to achieve a  30-goal season, joining the likes of Bobby Orr (5x), Paul Coffey (4x), Denis Potvin (3x), Doug Wilson, Phil Housley, Ray Bourque, Kevin Hatcher, and Mike Green, who was the last defenseman to notch the milestone in the 2008-09 season.

With a primary assist on Toews' third-period goal, Makar also hit the 60-assist mark on the season. He becomes the first defenseman in Avalanche/Nordiques franchise history and the 20th defenseman in NHL history to record the milestone in multiple seasons. He is the fifth player, following Joe Sakic (7), Peter Stastny (7), Peter Forsberg (5), and Nathan MacKinnon, in franchise history to record multiple 60-assist seasons.

Makar's 90 points, reached tonight, ties his career high in points, set last year (2023-24) with 21g/91a in 77 games played.

What's Next?

The Colorado Avalanche only have five games remaining in their regular season campaign.

  • AWAY: Saturday vs. St. Louis Blues @ 5:00 PM Mountain time
  • HOME: Tuesday vs. Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:30 PM Mountain time
  • HOME: Thursday vs. Vancouver Canucks @ 7:00 PM Mountain time
  • AWAY: Saturday vs. Los Angeles Kings @ 2:00 PM Mountain time
  • AWAY: Sunday vs. Anaheim Ducks @ 8:00 PM Mountain time

This Saturday's matchup against the St. Louis Blues will be Colorado's third game in four days before they return to Denver for their final two matchups at home until the postseason begins.