The Ottawa Senators are about to get extremely well acquainted with the 2024-25 Columbus Blue Jackets. The Senators have just 11 games left in their regular season, and three of them – more than a quarter – will be against the Blue Jackets, starting Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre (7 pm).

That means six points are up for grabs and that's exactly Ottawa's lead on Columbus right now. A Sens win on Saturday would make it eight and almost impossible for the Jackets to catch them. A loss would drop the lead to four, which suddenly isn't all that imposing. So, that's the last thing the Sens want to see.

That, and donkey hats.

YOUR FIRST STAR AND DONKEY OF THE GAME!✨
BOOOOOONNNEEEEEE!!!! 🫏 pic.twitter.com/g6U8phXV9y

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 29, 2025

After each victory, the Blue Jackets decided this season to honour their player of the game with a donkey hat in honour of the late Johnny Gaudreau, who would jokingly call his teammates "donkeys' when the friendly chirps broke out. 

Sens headlines:
One On One: GM Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators
UND Fires Brad Berry, Unofficial Member of Ottawa's Player Development Team
Former Ottawa Senator Jakob Chychrun Gets Massive Deal In Washington

Columbus enters play on Saturday as the WC2 holder, tied with the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers, but they've played two fewer games than the Rangers and one less than the Habs. The New York Islanders lost 5-3 to Tampa Bay on Saturday to stay a point back.

The Senators will have the advantage of rest for this one. While they beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 two nights ago, the Blue Jackets scored a wild, emotional 7-6 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks at home on Friday. Columbus had trailed in the game, 3-0, so it's hard to predict if they'll be gassed on Saturday or on top of the world. 

Jackets head coach Dean Evason isn't buying into the fatigue factor.

“It’s just hockey,” Evason told the Columbus media after Friday's game. “That’s all it is. We’re not skating (Saturday), so you can sleep in and get a nice meal in a wonderful hotel. You fly a charter and have a nap, you wake up, puck drops, and you play hockey. It’s not that hard.”

Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson, who has nine points in his past eight games, says the Sens' locker room is buzzing about the opportunity that lies before them.

"Yeah, it's such a tight race and for those teams, it feels like they're almost losing every night we lose. So it's been kind of good for us," Batherson said. "It's going to be an interesting finish, I think, and we're excited for it. Obviously, we've got three games left against Columbus alone, so a lot of big points at stake here coming up."

At the brief game-day skate on Saturday morning, banged-up Senator defenceman Nick Jensen didn't participate. But this has been the norm for many weeks and probably won't change until next season. He is expected to play on Saturday as the Senators roll out the same line combinations they did in Motown.

Linus Ullmark will start in goal for the Sens against Daniil Tarasov for Columbus.

The first 7000 fans to Canadian Tire Centre will receive a pair of Go Sens Go sunglasses. Apparently, the Sens' future is so bright they gotta wear shades. 

Senators Projected Lineup

 Forwards
Claude Giroux – Tim Stutzle – Fabian Zetterlund 
David Perron – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson 
Brady Tkachuk – Shane Pinto – Ridly Greig
Matthew Highmore – Adam Gaudette – Michael Amadio

Defensemen

 Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Nikolas Matinpalo

Goalies

 Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg

Scratched 
Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic

Injured 
Nick Cousins (knee)

Blue Jackets Projected Lineup

Forwards 
Dmitri Voronkov – Sean Monahan – Kirill Marchenko
Boone Jenner – Adam Fantilli – Kent Johnson 
Cole Sillinger – Justin Danforth – Mathieu Olivier 
Zach Aston-Reese – Sean Kuraly – Luke Kunin

Defensemen 
Zach Werenski – Dante Fabbro 
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson 
Denton Mateychuk – Erik Gudbranson

Goalies 
Daniil Tarasov 
Elvis Merzlikins

The Vancouver Canucks have made a roster move ahead of their matinee game on Satuday against the Winnipeg Jets. Vancouver assigned goaltender Artūrs Šilovs to the Abbotsford Canucks, who are currently in San Jose to take on the Barracude. The move is a good indicator that both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen are fully healthy and ready to resume their tandem for the remaining nine games of the season. 

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

Get Game-Used Canucks Game By Taking Part In This Auction

Possible Canucks Head Coach Candidates For The 2025-26 Season

The Vancouver Canucks 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds With 10 Games Remaining

Sending Šilovs down the AHL should give the Latvian goaltender an opportunity to start more games. The 24-year-old has played just two games since the start of March, with his only start coming in a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. So far this season, Šilovs has played 10 games at the NHL level, posting a 2-6-1 record with a .861 save percentage. 

The addition of Šilovs should help Abbotsford in its quest to secure a spot in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. Through 62 games, the AHL Canucks have 75 points and currently sit third in the Pacific Division. Abbotsford has 10 games remaining and is on pace to be the host city for their first-round matchup. 

As mentioned, Vancouver will be wrapping up their six-game road trip with a game against the Jets. Saturday's game is crucial for the Canucks as they are battling to secure a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Puck drop on Saturday is scheduled for noon PT from the Canada Life Centre.

 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. 

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brayden Point scored twice and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 5-3 on Saturday.

Nick Perbix and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 35 stops.

Marc Gatcomb, Anthony DeAngelo and Ryan Pulock scored for the Islanders, who lost their fourth straight game. Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves.

The Lightning won their third straight and matched the idle Florida Panthers’ 91 points atop the tight Atlantic Division, where the Toronto Maple Leafs entered Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings just a point back.

Takeaways

Islanders: At 32-20-10, New York is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with 74 points. The Islanders trail Ottawa (81), Columbus (75), Montreal (75) and the New York Rangers (75) with Saturday’s slate of games remaining.

Lightning: After a rematch with the Islanders on Monday in the opener of a four-game trip, Tampa Bay is at Ottawa, Buffalo and the Rangers, through a week from Monday.

Key moment

Kucherov and Perbix scored in the first 7:31 of the game to give the Lightning an early advantage. Point scored late in the first and second periods to extend the advantage to four goals before the Islanders clawed back with three unanswered goals in the first nine minutes of the third, making it 4-3. Guentzel’s empty-netter sealed the win.

Key stat

Kucherov scored on the Islanders’ first shot, at 2:02 of the first to fuel the fast start.

Up next

The Lightning play at the Islanders on Tuesday. New York is at the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

Well, for some of the well-established teams, it mostly is. For the New York Rangers, it may not be. For the Philadelphia Flyers, who were eliminated on the last day of the season, it isn’t. This league is changing, and you have to have certain bases covered before you become that team. 

There’s no way I can say I am comfortable with the Montreal Canadiens goalie tandem if they want to battle for the playoffs next year. It’s not good enough and Jacob Fowler is too young to throw into the NHL no matter how good he looks.

Sam Montembeault has been up and down this year. He’s NHL mediocre. He’s no longer developing and asking him to be better than NHL average for a full season doesn’t seem possible. He is a good 1B. That’s what I think he is. 

Jakub Dobes is 23. He is still developing. Is it possible for him to be a 1A starter? Maybe, but I haven’t seen that in him aside from his hot start when he was promoted to the NHL. He’s a good AHL goalie, but not at the top of the league, so in the NHL, he has some steps to take but I don’t see the Canadiens being better next year with the same tandem. 

There will be changes on defense next year. Kaiden Guhle being healthy will be a big bonus and maybe they will go out and get another established defenseman to replace David Savard. I wouldn’t re-sign him under any circumstances. His game has dropped off to the point where the team can’t play as fast as they want to when he is in the game. In a reduced role, he can help another team. 

The center depth has to improve as well and I don’t have a quick fix there. Kirby Dach may not be the answer any longer. He never really got to that next level and maybe he will but that’s an if and you can’t build an offseason with maybe’s.

The end of March and the flipping of calendars to April indicate one thing in the hockey world: playoffs. CHL playoffs are underway as are playoffs in the European hockey leagues, soon to be followed by the AHL and, eventually, the NHL.

Anaheim Ducks Prospect Spotlight: Lucas Pettersson's Impressive Start to 2025

Anaheim Ducks forward prospect Lucas Pettersson (35th overall in 2024) recently saw his 2024-25 SHL season come to an end at the hands of fellow Ducks forward prospect Herman Traff (91st overall in 2024) in a relegation battle between Pettersson’s MoDo Hockey and Traff’s HV71.

As a result of the best-of-seven series in which HV71 won 4-2, MoDo will be relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan for the 2025-26 season, Sweden’s second-tier professional division.

Pettersson (18) had his 2024-25 season split between playing for MoDo, the SHL club that owns his rights, and on loan for Ostersunds IK in HockeyAllsvenskan. He tallied just one point for MoDo at the SHL level (0-1=1) in 29 games while rarely playing more than six minutes per game.

Early in the season, he had played eight games at the J20 level for MoDo and scored eight points (4-4=8). The majority of the second half of his season was spent with Ostersunds IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, where he found his footing in an increased role against grown men and scored 19 points (9-10=19) in 26 games.

Remain in Sweden

The confluence of his performance at the HockeyAllsvenskan level and his club’s relegation from the SHL leaves questions about where he could play next season in 2025-26.

He could remain in Sweden and play another year in HockeyAllsvenskan for MoDo, a division he might be outgrowing.

Play in the Ducks Organization

He could make the transition to North America and have two (or even three) options in front of him. The unlikeliest is that he signs his ELC and performs well enough in Ducks training camp to earn a spot on the NHL roster. If the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks AHL affiliate, need center depth, he could play the 2025-26 season in close proximity and about 90 miles south of Honda Center.

Head to the CHL

If the Ducks organization doesn’t deem him ready for professional hockey in North America, he could play in the CHL next season. He was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL in the second round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft (116th overall).

As opposed to the professional levels, the CHL would allow Pettersson to explore the limits of his offensive game. He is already well-lauded for his detail and two-way prowess, often compared to Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson. He possesses enough offensive tools like above-average mobility, puck skills, and change-of-pace vision to provide true offensive impact at the NHL level.

Taking the time and putting forth the effort into developing and translating those skills to the North American pro-style game could elevate Pettersson’s ultimate potential and even mold him into a significant piece of the Ducks' core moving forward.

The “win at all costs” ideals of professional hockey aren’t always conducive or ideal for growing and refining the offensive talents of teenage players. Pettersson is at a critical point in his ultimate progression, and it will be curious to monitor how the Ducks organization manages the young centerman.

Report: Ducks, Verbeek 'Good With Cronin Coming Back Next Season'

Ducks Continue to Shuffle Penalty Kill Personnel

The Maven's urging the Rangers to immediately hire John Tortorella did not win immediate approval from my studious audience.

Nor will I hide the dissent from you.

"Torts is the Rex Ryan of the NHL," says avid fan and critic Steve Viuker of Brooklyn. "He may be great for an NHL Network TV gig but – as a coach – he wears thin on a team in a short period of time."

Viuker singles out a couple of reasons why Torts got canned in the NHL's homestretch.

"In his last eleven games, the Flyers won one and lost ten. Plus, they didn't have a power play goal for all of March. Torts is the baseball version of Billy Martin of the George Steinbrenner years."

By contrast, Harvey Cohen of New Jersey fires this broadside at Viuker.

"The Rangers need Torts because they need a jolt right now. They are a direct reflection of their coach," Cohen explains. "They make no in-game adjustments. Laviolette is too passive, stagnant, predictable and statuesque."

Others point to GM Chris Drury as the prime culprit for allowing a soft offensive core to remain intact while paying no attention to team defense. "Kris Knoblauch would have suffered the same result as Lavy because he would be coaching the same soft core."

A sizeable number of fans would love to see John Davidson return – this time as general manager – "because he knows the qualities that a good coach would have to have to coach in New York."

Hey! Let's not kid ourselves; the bottom line is simply that any decision will be made – or not made at all – by MSG majordomo Jim Dolan.

Until we hear differently from him, Peter Laviolette still has a job. Whether The Maven likes it or not!

The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3 on Friday night. It was a night that had some pros and cons but they ultimately fell short. There is a lot of work to be done but there are glimpses of what’s to come. 

One of the pros is the play of Ryan Donato. He scored all three of Chicago’s goals in the loss for his first career hat-trick. It was one of the best games he’s had as an NHL player. 

Donato's second and third goals of the game came on consecutive shifts, 15 seconds of game clock apart. 

"I didn't even really have time to think about it, to be honest with you," Donato said on scoring two goals quickly.

He went on to speak about how, usually when he gets a second goal in a game, he has time to think about that third, and it never comes. This time, he went right back out there and completed the hat trick quickly. 

Before this season, Donato’s career high in goals was 16. These three goals were his 26th, 27th, and 28th of the year. He needs two more to reach the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career. That would be remarkable at 28 years old. 

“I'm a guy that sometimes has too much anxiety around the rink because I think about the negative things, and that's something I've worked on,” Donato said after his big night. “[Scoring 28 goals] definitely feels surreal a little bit, but it'd be a lot more surreal if we won."

Donato is a humble man who doesn’t like to make it all about himself. That is usually what makes hockey players special compared to other athletes. He knows that his milestone is special, but it would have been better for him if they had won the hockey game. 

Donato is in line for a massive pay upgrade this off-season. Reaching 30 goals is potential for even more, as teams would love to add a guy like that to their middle six. 

What gave Donato the ability to make this sort of jump in production? Well, he worked hard on his goal scoring during the summer. He wanted to come in this year and be a key contributor to this rebuilding Blackhawks team. 

He's not under 23 like half of the roster, but he isn't over 30 yet either. There is a lot of good hockey left for Ryan Donato beyond this year. When you play the right way in all situations, you have years like this if you are as talented as he is. 

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

Barkov very much enjoyed Marchand's Panthers debut: ‘It was awesome' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Brad Marchand played in the 1,091st game of his NHL career on Friday night. That’s not a milestone number, but it’s noteworthy because it was the first time he took the ice for a team not named the Boston Bruins.

The 36-year-old left wing was traded from the Bruins to the Florida Panthers not long before the March 7 NHL trade deadline. He was injured at the time of the trade and missed several weeks, but he made his debut for the defending Stanley Cup champions Friday and helped lead them to a 2-1 overtime victory against the Utah Hockey Club at home.

Marchand tallied four shots on net and picked up the primary assist on Sam Bennett’s game-winning goal in OT.

It was a weird sight for Bruins fans to see Marchand put on the sweater of a different team after he spent the first 15-plus seasons of his career in Boston.

It had to have been weird for some of the Panthers players, too, many of whom played against Marchand in several intense Stanley Cup Playoff games versus the Bruins over the last two seasons.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was seen laughing on the bench next to Marchand during a stoppage in play Friday night. He explained the interaction postgame to Panthers rinkside reporter Katie Engelson:

“I realized I heard this many times from one Boston player, but now I hear this from my own teammate,” Barkov said. “…When they announced Marchand in the starting lineup, you’re just sitting there and thinking, is this real? You just battled against him, and now, all of a sudden, you’re his teammate. It’s crazy, but it was awesome.”

The Panthers entered Saturday with a 44-25-3 record (91 points) atop the Atlantic Division.

They have a great chance to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year, and having another former champ like Marchand in the mix can only help.