Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl practiced today in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering his injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 23.

The initial reaction and news that broke was disheartening, with some reports saying that Hertl's chances of returning before the playoffs were slim. Twice Hertl was announced out for the remainder of the week but todays news was the first bit of positive news.

Returning in non-contact is the first step in the return process, the next step will be practicing with contact at least once. The Golden Knights are back in action on Thursday when they host the league-leading Winnipeg Jets. 

The timeline following the injury has been unclear to both the fans and the organization.

"I’m sure he wants to be around his teammates," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He’s been putting the work in. We weren’t sure how it was going to come along, but good to see him back out there."

Cassidy has ruled out Hertl for the next three games, but they'll be taking it day-by-day following those games. Allowing Hertl to get some game action before the beginning of the playoffs will bode well for the 31-year-old. 

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The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Jackson Hallum to a two-year, entry-level contract.

The 22-year-old played three seasons at the University of Michigan, scoring 17 goals and 42 points in 84 games. His junior season saw him set a career-high in goals, scoring eight goals and 17 points in 36 games. 

The Golden Knights selected Hallum in the third round (91st overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. Prior to joining the Wolverines, Hallum recorded 29 goals and 70 points in 62 games in his final season in the USHL. 

Listed at 6'0, 170 lbs, Hallum is known for his speed and was considered one of the fastest skaters in his draft class. He's aggressive on the forecheck, willing to throw a big hit to earn the puck back.

The left-handed winger will join the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL for their final eight games of the season. Hallum is the second NCAA prospect the Golden Knights have signed, the first being Trevor Connelly. The Silver Knights have struggled for quite some time and the Golden Knights organization looks to be beefing the roster up with prospects. Mathieu Cataford is another forward who is likely to join following the conclusion of his season. 

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Golden Knights Sign Trevor Connelly To Entry-Level ContractThe Vegas Golden Knights have signed top prospect Trevor Connelly to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Gabe Perreault is expected to wear the number 94 for the New York Rangers as he makes his NHL debut on Wednesday night and there’s some deep history behind that decision.

His father, Yanic Perreault repped the number 94 when he played in the NHL. 

Gabe revealed that it was actually Yanic who suggested and inspired him to use that very same number. 

“Growing up, I’ve always had a number with a 4 in it,” Gabe said. “When I talked to my Dad, I think he suggested it a little bit, so definitely because of him a little bit.”

Through Yanic’s 14 seasons in the NHL, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Phoenix Coyotes. 

After two seasons at Boston College, Gabe signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on Monday and now he’s ready to carry on his father’s legacy in the NHL. 

It’s people like Yanic who helped Gabe get to this point, so it’s only right he pays homage to him. 

“I’ll be excited,” Gabe said about his NHL debut. “Obviously, a little bit nervous. But I know that's part of it. That's expected, but I'd be super grateful and really thankful for everyone that's helped me get to this point.”

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the postseason, a place they've become all too familiar with since arriving in the NHL eight years ago.

Despite Tuesday's 3-2 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Knights clinched a playoff berth for the seventh time in eight seasons when the Utah Hockey Club beat the Calgary Flames, 3-1, earlier in the night.

Now comes the biggest question: Who will the Golden Knights face in the first round?

If the Golden Knights win their fifth Pacific Division crown, they'll face whatever team is sitting atop the Western Conference Wild Card standings. But if a late-season collapse drops them into second or third place, behind either the Oilers or Los Angeles Kings, the Knights will face one of those two teams.

Here's a glance at Vegas' first-round possibilities, with its 2025 season series and overall (regular season and postseason) records in parentheses:

LOS ANGELES (1-3, 22-15-3): The Kings are the last team the Knights want to face in the opening round, a highly unlikely scenario considering it would take a late-season surge by the Oilers to win the Pacific Division. Though Los Angeles was the original team everyone thought Vegas would have a built-in rivalry with, considering the proximity, the Knights' postseason drama with San Jose overshadowed things. Since then, there have been other postseason clashes that have stolen Vegas' attention, including epic series against Minnesota, Colorado and Dallas. If these two eventually meet this postseason, the rivalry everyone hoped for will undoubtedly come to light.

EDMONTON (2-2, 15-14-3): The Oilers are the defending Western Conference champions, and will have the same rage the Florida Panthers had last season, one year after losing to the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. Whomever gets Edmonton in the postseason, regardless of the round, will have to deal with a charged-up Connor McDavid, who finally got to the Final, and now with a whiff of the Cup, will be eager to get back there. Vegas beat the Oilers in six games two years ago, en route to winning its Stanley Cup. That series could still fuel things two summers later.

ST. LOUIS (2-0-1, 18-9-3): As of Wednesday, the Blues hold the top spot in the Wild Card race, and would be the Golden Knights' first-round opponent. It's one of the teams Vegas has had the most success against of the possibilities. That doesn't make the Blues any less dangerous, though. Since a rather disappointing 25-26-6 start to the season, the Blues are on a 16-2-1 run since Feb. 23. During that stretch, the Blues rank No. 1 with 16 wins and 33 points. They also lead the NHL in that span with a 3.84 goals-for average and rank No. 2 in allowing just 2.00 goals per game.

MINNESOTA (3-0, 19-15-1): The Wild looked as if they might challenge for the Central Division after opening the season on winning runs of 18-4-4 through Dec. 6, and 27-12-4 through Jan. 11. Since then, however, the Wild have lost 18 of 32 games (14-18-2) while being outscored 96-73. With seven games left on their docket, four of them are on the road, including back-to-back games in New York against the Rangers and Islanders on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. With as hot as the Blues have been, it's looking more and more like the Wild will be facing division-rival Winnipeg in the opening round, not the Knights.

CALGARY (2-0, 15-8-1): The Knights still have two games left with the Flames, who have an outside chance at catching Minnesota or St. Louis. The Flames have caught fire, no pun intended, having won five of eight after Tuesday's loss in Salt Lake City. With five of its last eight games in Calgary, the Flames can do their part and just need help from the Blues and Wild.

VANCOUVER (2-0, 20-7-3): The Knights still have two games left with the Canucks, who opened the season 16-9-5 through mid-December, but haven't given off playoff vibes ever since. The Canucks have lost 26 of their last 44 (18-18-8), and in that stretch since Dec. 18, rank 29th in the league with their 2.59 goals-for per game average. Vancouver is an unlikely candidate to make a surprise appearance in the Wild Card round, but it remains mathematically alive.

UTAH (2-1, 19-10-0 as Arizona): Utah is clinging to its playoff hopes by a thread, and likely isn't making the postseason. But thanks to a 13-7-3 run since Feb. 4, Utah has an outside chance to sneak by Calgary and Vancouver, if the Wild and Blues slip into a downward spiral. The problem for Utah is that even with a winning record during its winning run, it's been outscored 74-68.

After going 2–2–2 on their six-game road trip, the Vancouver Canucks are now preparing for a three-game homestand in which they’ll take on a crop of division rivals. Tonight, Vancouver will host the Seattle Kraken at 7:30 pm PT. Their next games are a set of back-to-backs on the weekend, when they’ll take on the Anaheim Ducks at 1:00 pm PT on Saturday, and the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:00 pm PT on Sunday. It’s very likely that the Canucks’ chance at competing in the playoffs will be dictated during this week, so let’s take a look at how these three games may shape the end of Vancouver’s regular season. 

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Vancouver’s first game of the homestand is against the Kraken, who have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with a record of 31–38–6 and 68 points. They come into this game having lost 3–1 to the Dallas Stars on Monday. Seattle holds a relatively steady position towards the middle of the league in terms of most stats — their power play is 24th in the NHL with a success rate of 18.9%, while their penalty kill is 21st with an effectiveness of 76.9%. In the season series, Vancouver has won one of three games against the Kraken, dropping their first game 5–4 after letting in four straight Seattle goals. Their only win came in a 4–3 shootout victory to start 2025. As it stands, if Vancouver wins in regulation against the Kraken tonight, their playoff odds rise to 9.59% threshold. A regulation loss will drop their chances to 2.19%, as per MoneyPuck.com. 

The next match Vancouver has at home is against the Ducks on Saturday in the first of the team’s final back-to-back this season. Currently, both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen are expected to be available to start. Given the fact that Demko started on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets and will be starting tonight against Seattle as well, it would make the most sense for Lankinen to take the game against the Ducks to give him some rest. With their 33–33–8 record and 74 points, mathematically speaking, Anaheim has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Right now, their power play is operating at a near league-worst 12.6%, while their penalty kill is 28th with a success rate of 73.6%. Anaheim’s last trip to Vancouver was exactly a month ago, on March 5, in a game that the Canucks narrowly won 3–2. 

Vancouver takes on Vegas in the second half of this weekend’s back-to-back. The Golden Knights (45–21–8) will also be playing in the second half of a back-to-back, as they take on the Calgary Flames the night before. As the current Pacific Division leader in points with 98, and a difference of five points between themselves and the next team (the L.A. Kings), Vegas has already clinched their playoff spot and is expected to play against the team in the Western Conference’s first wild card spot. With a power play percentage of 30.6%, Vegas has the highest-ranked power play in the NHL. One area where Vancouver may be able to take advantage of them, however, is on the penalty kill. Right now, Vegas’ PK is running at a 75.5% effectiveness rating, placing them at 25th behind the Buffalo Sabres, Kraken, and Boston Bruins. Vancouver’s last matchup against the Golden Knights was directly after the 4 Nations Faceoff, in a game that they lost 3–1. Sunday will not be the only time the Canucks face Vegas to round out their season, as the Golden Knights will also be visiting Vancouver on April 16 for game 82. 

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The Winnipeg Jets had cut the lead in half and were building off of the momentum before a costly turnover by Logan Stanley allowed the Los Angeles Kings to regain their two-goal advantage, proving to be enough to sink their hopes of a comeback.

While the turnover by Stanley isn't the sole reason they lost, the timeliness of his costly error is a reoccurring theme that many fans have grown tired of witnessing. 

Second time Jets have lost a puck in the neutral zone and get burned by it.

Logan Stanley trying to channel his inner Cale Makar but doesn’t quite get it to go.

Kuzmenko makes it a 3-1 game. pic.twitter.com/Vw25ocN6io

— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) April 2, 2025

Listed at 6'7 and 231 lbs, Stanley has the frame to be a physical force but shies away from imposing himself far too frequently. In 56 games, Stanley has thrown just 78 hits, ranking sixth on the team. For reference, Luke Schenn has thrown 49 hits in nine games with the Jets. 

If Stanley isn't a physical force, isn't providing offence from the blue line, is prone to costly turnovers and struggles to impact the game defensively, what argument is there for HC Scott Arniel to continuously write down Stanley's name in the lineup? Now 26 years old, there's little to no evidence that shows Stanley will break out and become what the Jets envisioned. 

Making matters worse, Stanley has remained in the lineup over Ville Heinola, who's yet to be given a proper shot at consistent NHL hockey. He's skated in 52 games in his NHL career, spanning over five seasons. His career-high of 17 games has come this year, a season in which Heinola has played in one game since Jan. 17. 

Heinola has been a point producer on every team he's played for prior to joining the Jets. In 154 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose, the 24-year-old has scored 23 goals and 103 points. 

Heinola is built similarly to Josh Morrissey, both are a bit undersized with great mobility and puck skills. Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo have formed a great pairing due to their games complementing each other. DeMelo's best trait is his defensive game allows Morrissey to flourish offensively, something Heinola and Schenn could do if given the opportunity. 

Heinola is signed for an additional season at a very low cap hit, but the Jets need to decide on his future before his value hits rock bottom. Wasting his development sitting in the press box while a defenseman older than him continues to make ill-advised errors could result in a waste of valuable assets. 

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LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights returned home from a successful road trip only to have their six-game win streak brought to an abrupt halt with a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Despite the loss, though, Vegas is in the playoffs for the seventh time in its eight seasons in the NHL, as it qualified when the Utah Hockey Club defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 to clinch for the Knights before the Oilers game was decided.

"Three years in a row, that’s the objective here, I think," said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy, whose led the Knights to the postseason in all three years he's been in Vegas. "This team is, to me, a playoff team that should be in the playoffs. We’re going to be happy we’re in, but that’s not our ultimate goal, nor should it be. Especially a night like tonight, we’d rather have done it with a win."

Pavel Dorofeyev had a goal and an assist, while center Nicolas Roy also scored for the Knights, who suffered their first loss since March 16. Goaltender Adin Hill made 17 saves.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

700 FOR STONE: Captain Mark Stone appeared in his 700th game Tuesday night, in what was also his 334th regular-season game as a member of the Golden Knights. Stone, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in February 2019, has played in 409 games overall and ranks second on the team with 246 assists in both the regular season and the playoffs since arriving. His 140 goals and 386 points rank No. 1 overall among current members of the team.

SECOND PERIOD BLUES: The Golden Knights have dominated their competition in the first and third periods, outscoring teams by a combined score of 175-118. Their 73 goals in the first period rank fifth in the NHL, while they've allowed only 57 in the opening stanza. The margin is even greater in the third, with a 102-61 edge. Their 102 goals rank first in the league. After being outscored by the Oilers in the second period, 3-0, the Knights have just a 74-72 edge in the middle set. They rank 14th with their 74 goals. If the playoffs started Wednesday, the Knights would face a tough challenge in the St. Louis Blues, who are outscoring teams 75-57 in the second period.

NOW WHAT: Though the Golden Knights have clinched a playoff berth, they're not out of the wild-card woods just yet. Vegas (98) is five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (93) and seven in front of the Edmonton Oilers (91). Sitting in first and second of the Western Conference Wild Card standings are the Blues and Minnesota Wild, both from the Central Division. The Knights aren't in jeopardy of slipping out of the Pacific Division's top three, but could fall into second- or third-place with a late-season collapse. By doing so, they would face either the Kings or Oilers in the first round, rather than the Blues or Wild. The Knights have eight games remaining, including five on the road. They'll need to shake off Tuesday's loss and get back to winning if they want to wrap up their fifth Pacific Division title.

The St. Louis Blues just won't slow down. The Central Division club defeated the Detroit Red Wings in overtime by a 2-1 final score on April 1, extending their winning streak to an incredible 10 games.

Blues defenseman Cam Fowler was the team's hero, as he scored the overtime winner. His goal was a great one, too, as he beat Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot top shelf with a beautiful backhander. He also recorded the primary assist on Jordan Kyrou's late third-period goal that forced overtime in the first place.

This is just the latest clutch game Fowler has had since being acquired by the Blues in December from the Anaheim Ducks. The 33-year-old has been a perfect fit for the Blues, and the truth is in his stats.

In 45 games since joining the Blues, Fowler has nine goals, 21 assists, 30 points, and a plus-16 rating. He has not been slowing down in the slightest as the year progresses, either, posting 12 points in his last 13 contests. This includes two goals and five points in his previous four games. 

Exciting Blues Forward Is Hitting New LevelEverything is going right for the St. Louis Blues at the perfect time. After winning each of their last nine games, the Blues now have a five-point lead over the Calgary Flames for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. As a result, their playoff odds are certainly increasing.

Fowler's strong all-around play has made him become a massive part of the Blues' defensive group. He is in their top four and used on both their power play and penalty kill. With this and all he is providing offensively, he is continuing to be an amazing addition for the Blues. 

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