There are losses that sting, and then there are losses that frustrate. This one? A little bit of both.

The Philadelphia Flyers came into Washington desperate for a spark after two straight shutouts. They found one in Ryan Poehling, whose second-period goal snapped their scoring drought and injected some much-needed life into the lineup. 

They kept grinding, won two crucial coaches’ challenges, and had a dominant third period where they were the better team in almost every facet—except the one that mattered most.

Despite their push, Charlie Lindgren was on his game in net for the Capitals, and the Flyers just couldn’t find that tying goal. 

1. Ryan Poehling Breaks the Drought and Brings the Energy

The Flyers hadn’t found the back of the net in over 190 minutes when Ryan Poehling finally ended the dry spell. It was a simple goal—a no-frills wrister that you might’ve missed if you blinked—but it got the job done.

Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) on XJust a flick of the wrist for Poehls. #PHIvsWSH | #LetsGoFlyers

And just like that, the Flyers had life again.

“The only way you can get confidence scoring goals is to score a couple,” head coach John Tortorella told reporters postgame.

You could feel the lift in the bench, in the play, in the way they carried themselves for the rest of the game. It’s amazing what a single goal can do. 

It was also fitting that it came from Poehling, a player who has quietly been a key depth piece all season. He’s been a relentless forechecker, a strong penalty killer, and a guy who plays with the kind of energy that can be contagious. In a game where the Flyers desperately needed a jolt, he provided it.

Even after the Capitals re-extended their lead, the Flyers didn’t fold. That goal was a spark, and while they didn’t complete the comeback, it was a step toward getting their offense back on track.

2. Two Huge Coaches’ Challenges Showed the Flyers’ Resilience

If there’s one thing you can’t question about this team, it’s their compete level. That was on full display in the second period, when two massive challenges—both successful—kept them in the game.

“It was a great night for our video coaches,” John Tortorella told media after the game. “They should get paid more.” 

The first challenge came after Washington appeared to take a 4-1 lead. But a review showed that the goal resulted from a hand pass, and just like that, the deficit stayed at two. A game-changing moment.

The second challenge was even bigger. With the Flyers pressing, Sean Couturier found a loose puck in the crease and jammed it over the line. The play was initially waved off, but the Flyers challenged—and after a long review, the call was overturned. Goal. Suddenly, it was 3-2, and the Flyers had real momentum.

Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) on XCoots (and Torts) weren't giving up. 😤 #PHIvsWSH | #LetsGoFlyers

Those moments say a lot about the mindset of this team. They’re engaged, they’re fighting for every inch, and they’re willing to take their chances when the opportunity arises. The Flyers could have easily been looking at a 4-1 game heading into the third. Instead, they had a real shot at tying it.

3. The Flyers Were the Better Team Late—But the Goals Didn’t Come

The third period was all Flyers. They dominated possession, outshot Washington 16-2, and spent long stretches in the offensive zone. The desperation was there, the effort was there, the chances were there—but the tying goal never came.

That’s the most frustrating part of this one. The process was right—and it has been across this recent stretch of games—but the finish just wasn’t there. Some of that was Lindgren, who played an outstanding game in net for the Capitals. Some of it, though, was self-inflicted.

Tortorella made a specific point postgame about Travis Konecny, who has been in a bit of a slump lately. The 28-year-old winger had a couple of opportunities but, instead of shooting, he looked to pass. And Tortorella acknowledged the frustration surrounding knowing what Konecny is capable of, but not seeing that translate to goals.

“I’ve been talking to him,” he told reporters postgame. “With TK, you can see where it’s at when he should turn that 2-on-0 into a 1-on-0. He should go down and say, ‘I’m scoring this goal,’ not getting involved in a passing play. That’s where his mindset is right now.”

It’s a simple statement, but an important one. Konecny is at his best when he’s playing direct, aggressive hockey. When he hesitates, when he looks to make the perfect play instead of taking the shot that’s in front of him, he’s not as effective. And in a game where the Flyers needed just one more goal, those decisions made a difference.

“I want him to score that goal, not make a pass,” Tortorella continued. “Take the ice away from [Matvei Michkov, who received the pass in question], and you go score that goal. That’s the way he’s gonna get out of it…That’s the player he is.” 

Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) on XI'm sure I've watched players be stuck in their own heads more than Travis Konecny is right now, but for the life of me, I can't think of a single one at the moment. It's wild how much he looks like he's overthinking every offensive opportunity.

And this is not to single Konecny out—he’s been one of the Flyers’ most important players all season, and certainly not the only player on this team that’s had terrible puck luck. But it’s emblematic of the larger issue: the Flyers have the skills and they had their chances. They just didn’t capitalize.

Final Thoughts

If the Flyers had played the entire game like they played the third period, we’re probably talking about a different outcome. That’s both frustrating and encouraging.

Frustrating, because they had an opportunity to steal at least a point and didn’t. Encouraging, because this performance was a huge step up from the two games that came before it. The offense started to click. The energy was back. They played hard until the final horn.

And right now, that’s what they have to build on.

The playoff race is razor-thin. Every point matters. Every moment matters. The Flyers didn’t get the result they wanted in Washington, but if they carry this momentum into the next game—if they bring that third-period team from the opening faceoff—they’ll give themselves a real shot at getting back in the win column.

After months of trade rumors, the Buffalo Sabres dealt forward Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators on deadline day in a major move.

In the trade, the Senators acquired Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert, and a 2026 second-round pick, while the Sabres landed forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.

It was no secret that the Sabres were open to shaking up their roster after performing below expectations yet again this campaign. However, there is no question that Cozens is benefitting from his change of scenery early on.

In his first seven games with the Senators, Cozens has three goals, six points, 28 hits, and a plus-1 rating. This includes scoring a goal in the Senators' most recent matchup against the Colorado Avalanche on March 20. 

With numbers like these, Cozens is not only making an impact offensively but also providing plenty of grit for the Senators in the process. He has been looking more like the impactful top-six power forward he was with the Sabres during their 2022-23 season, where he set career highs with 31 goals, 37 assists, and 68 points.

Sometimes, players thrive after getting a fresh start, and Cozens is early on. It will be interesting to see if the former Sabre can keep this kind of play up with the Senators from here. 

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Another night, another crucial game for the Montreal Canadiens, who were taking on the New York Islanders on Thursday night in Long Island. After an emotive day for the Habs, in which Brendan Gallagher revealed he had recently lost his mother, Della, to cancer, it was time to get back to business to keep chasing a playoff spot.

A Tight-Knit Group

While Gallagher only announced his mother’s passing late on Wednesday night, we found out today that it happened some time ago when the Canadiens were in Calgary. Speaking to the media before the game, coach Martin St-Louis revealed it happened during the Canadiens’ trip out west earlier this month. He praised his team for how they stuck together to support their teammate in his hour of need and explained he did what he could to help the veteran get through the challenging event.

Brendan Gallagher Bids Farewell To His Mother Della
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St-Louis had lost his mother during the playoffs with the New York Rangers back in 2014 as they were facing the Canadiens. While it did bring back some memories for him, he explained not everyone deals with death in the same way, adding Gallagher felt like playing helped him cope with the ordeal.

The man himself looked at peace speaking about it with the media. Asked if tonight’s game would be a challenge, he explained that it had been since he found out, but the Ottawa game was the last one before the funerals, which were held on Wednesday. As “luck” would have it, her passing happened while the team was out west, and Gallagher said the whole team took a bus and came to the Gallagher family home to spend time with them, which was an appreciated unannounced visit. 

The Need To Separate Yourself

No matter how good an opposing goaltender is, when you dominate in shots as the Canadiens did on Thursday night, you must convert some of those opportunities. This might just be one of the topics touched on the most by St-Louis in the post-game pressers: his team’s inability to separate itself from the opponent when dominating.  

No scoring is one thing, but when you feed a monster like Ilya Sorokin, shoots, and he eats them all, his team’s confidence grows exponentially. When you have a goaltender like that behind you, you’re not panicking because you’re not scoring enough; you have “the man” back there.

Montreal’s dominance in the middle frame was evident, but they couldn’t score a single goal (that wasn’t called back for offside, that is), and as a result, the Islanders, full of confidence, were able to score a second power-play goal on the night. It's no small feat for the team with the worst power play before Thursday night’s game.

Some Saves Have To Be Made

On Tuesday night, when Samuel Montembeault gave Travis Hamonic a questionable goal, his teammates bounced right back and bailed him out, but on Thursday night, there were two questionable goals.

No one’s perfect, but a goal near side like the one in the first frame and a gut punch through the goaltender in the third will always be challenging to overcome for any team. On a contender, the goaltender is better than that. The coach has said he doesn’t want to overwork his starter in the past, so could we see Jakub Dobes on Saturday? It’s not out of the question, especially since the youngster beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in the shootout back in January.

Thankfully for Montembeault, there might just be a new ghost in the rafters who travels with the Canadiens as well. For the second game in a row, Gallagher scored a goal and pounded his heart hard, dedicating an other lamplighter to Della, his mother.

🥹 pic.twitter.com/HAsUaUwk3W

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 21, 2025

The goal sent the game to overtime, but as a hockey game is not a Hollywood script; when Lane Hutson turned on the jets and lost the puck deep in the offensive zone in extra time, the Islanders got an odd-man rush, and Bo Horvat scored the game-winning goal. While the loss will be disappointing for St-Louis’ men, none of the Habs’ rivals in the playoff race won tonight, so the point lost doesn’t hurt too much.

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Three things to note from Cagnoni's NHL debut in Sharks' loss 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 X at @Sheng_Peng.

We have to remember to grade Luca Cagnoni’s NHL debut on a curve.

He’s a 20-year-old defenseman, the hardest position to learn in the NHL, playing his first game against the Carolina Hurricanes, arguably the most ferocious forecheck in the league.

I get there’s a lot of excitement for his debut, given his show-stopping rookie AHL campaign so far. The 2023 fourth-round pick is second among all AHL defensemen with 47 points.

But the AHL isn’t the NHL, as Cagnoni saw first-hand in a 3-1 San Jose Sharks defeat.

That said, there are three things that I liked about Cagnoni’s NHL debut.

More of these three positives, and less of the negatives — the 5-foot-9 defender was frustrated by the big bad Canes’ forecheck and was bodied at times — and he’s going to be just fine. No player is perfect, you’re just looking for, big picture, a consistent net positive effect on games.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

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POSTGAME

"It gets a little bit of our confidence back... We have to play a lot, but we just had to make sure that we got back on track. It was a step in that direction."@utahhockeyclub Dylan Guenther on the bounce-back win pic.twitter.com/ZyKJ6X0BaZ

— Utah Hockey Club PR (@UtahHC_PR) March 21, 2025

Don't let the 5-2 final score fool you, this was a grit-and-grind game for Utah Hockey Club.

With roughly two minutes remaining, Utah held a narrow 3-2 lead over the Buffalo Sabres and had to withstand a late push from a Sabres team with an extra attacker, as goalie James Reimer had been pulled.

To make matters even more challenging, Utah was about to be down a man as well after Kevin Stenlund was called for high-sticking. But what happened seconds later was nothing short of one of the most bizarre goals of the season:

Utah goal!

Scored by Kevin Stenlund with 01:10 remaining in the 3rd period.

Utah: 4
Buffalo: 2#BUFvsUTA#UtahHC#SabreHoodpic.twitter.com/3TC0bS0E15

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 21, 2025

Yes, that's right. The Sabres scored on their own net after a pass from Tage Thompson slipped past teammate Rasmus Dahlin, instead ricocheting at a perfect angle into their own goal.

"Oh it was great, as long as it doesn't happen on our side, its great, its perfect," said Tourigny. "That was a key moment... now you lead by two and on top of it the face off is in the middle of the ice instead of your own zone. That was good timing, it was a clutch, clutch play."

While Stenlund was credited with the goal simply because he was the last Utah player to touch the puck before his penalty, he oddly deserves credit for… not intercepting Thompson's pass attempt as he was the closest Utah player in the vicinity of the puck. 

Utah HC Drops UtahHC+ Service To $1 For Rest Of The SeasonUtah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith loves his fans, and it shows after the announcement made today.

That goal was both the unluckiest play of the game and a 'clutch' moment—depending on which team you ask.

Instead of Utah being in an extremely vulnerable position, forced to withstand a full minute of a Sabres two-man advantage that was trying to force overtime, Utah was suddenly given a huge amount of breathing room with the two goal lead.

"I mean, it was kind of a scrambly play, and I was just kind of filling a spot and I got the puck and wasn't really aware that there was a delayed call," said Thompson. "So had that been the case, then I probably would have just tried to attack and shoot it, make them touch it. But yeah, they're kind of sitting there, and thought I had a lane to Dahls (Dahlin) to the top, and it just went through everybody, so bad play by me, and even worse result."

But to make this game even more painful for Sabres fans, that wouldn’t be the only empty-netter Utah would score.

Empty net goal for Utah!

Scored by Mikhail Sergachev with 00:19 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Karel Vejmelka.

Utah: 5
Buffalo: 2#BUFvsUTA#UtahHC#SabreHoodpic.twitter.com/k1gUpZsAsj

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 21, 2025

Even while shorthanded and facing a two-man disadvantage, Utah’s Mikhail Sergachev managed to score his second goal. But even that goal had an unusual stat: it was the first assist goalie Karel Vejmelka had for Utah Hockey Club. It's also the third assist of his NHL career.

"No, obviously, that was lucky," said Sergachev. "To get those lucky bounces, you gotta work hard, and I think that stretch in the third, we worked hard and had a lot of chances to score. We didn't score, and we got those two, so I guess we’ll take them."

Earlier this season, Utah’s other goalie, Connor Ingram, recorded his first two assists for the team. His first came on Dylan Guenther’s clutch game-winner against Columbus. In his very next start against the Capitals, Utah's first-ever shootout win, Ingram would register another assist, this time on a Josh Doan goal, before leaving the game after taking a puck to the mask.

It certainly is one of the stranger endings to a Utah game all season, considering it was just a 3-2 game only a minute before all of this transpired. Plus, Buffalo had been proving to be a very tough and competitive opponent, so for it to end with a three-goal lead for Utah is truly bizarre.

But before any of the strange empty-net goals occurred, it was Guenther who, his team-leading 25th goal of the season, scored the game-winner for Utah.

What an effort from this line 💪

Gunner makes it a 3-2 game! pic.twitter.com/qr9HL8TYWc

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 21, 2025

That goal also happened to be his ninth game-winner of the season, the second-highest in the NHL behind only Edmonton's Leon Draisaiti, who has 10 on the season. 

On a night that saw Calgary, St. Louis, and Vancouver all register points, with Vancouver managing to force overtime on a last-second goal before eventually losing 4-3 to St. Louis, Utah needed this win to stay close in the hunt. 

Now, Utah will need to prepare for a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning this Saturday, March 20.

ST. LOUIS – Who thought this was possible a month ago?

We don’t know how things will shake out in the end, as things can change from day to day, but in a span of 26 days, the St. Louis Blues went from being eight points out of a playoff position to holding down the final wild card in the Western Conference.

It didn’t go according to play, but a playoff-like atmosphere developed between the Blues and Vancouver Canucks, and when Philip Broberg scored at 3:42 of overtime to send the Blues to their fourth straight win, 4-3, over the Canucks at Enterprise Center on Thursday, it moved the Blues (35-28-7) above the playoff line in the Western Conference for the first time since Nov. 6 by matching their season-high fourth straight win.

“That was a playoff game and boy, what momentum swings in it,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “I really liked our resilience.”

“Yeah, that was an incredible atmosphere,” said Blues forward Dylan Holloway. “Our fans were super loud. You could feed off that energy. After ‘Tucksy’ scored, they were jumping. It was really fun to be a part of. I thought our crowd was awesome tonight.”

Tyler Tucker, aka ‘Tucksy,’ also had a goal and an assist and Zack Bolduc scored, while Jordan Binnington, while not tested often, made 15 saves.

“I think it’s the same thing, you’ve got to keep sticking to what’s made us successful here lately,” Broberg said. “We’ve just got to keep that going here the last games.”

It was a crazy up-and-down, emotional game with plenty of playoff implications, and the emotional roller coaster was none more evident than the third period after it was a nip-and-tuck 1-0 game through 40 minutes.

Then things didn’t necessarily open up, but guys …

“Made really good plays, made really good shots,” Montgomery said. “And there’s more desperation offensively, so you saw that from both teams.”

Let’s get into the Three Takeaways:

* Blues are showing incredible resiliency – You want to talk about a range of emotions, then this was the game for you.

The Blues started this game well but were kept off the scoreboard by Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.

When Vancouver pushed in the second, the Blues had to absorb the counter-punches.

And when Bolduc made it 1-0 at 15:47 of the second period finally breaking through, one wondered with so much at stake whether it would be difficult to get scoring chances in the third period.

Well …

The Canucks came out and sent a strong message to start the third that they weren’t going to relinquish the second wild card that easily.

When Kiefer Sherwood tied it 1-1 at 1:11 of the third and then Brock Boeser scored the first of two goals, including his 200th in the NHL, that gave Vancouver a lead at 6:35, now it was the Canucks’ turn to try and lock down a tight one-goal lead.

Maybe earlier in the season, the Blues would have wilted.

Not these Blues, not this day.

“The talk on the bench was great,” Montgomery said. “It was just, ‘Let’s just go get it back, plenty of time. Let’s get back to the goal line, let’s get back to playing in the offensive zone.’ The talk on the bench was very positive. It was never, ‘What did we just give up?’ We’re staying in the moment really well mentally.”

Tucker and Holloway would restore the lead in short order. They scored 24 seconds apart and the Blues regained the lead 3-2, with Tucker scoring at 9:28 off a face-off win by Brayden Schenn, and Holloway finishing off a Jordan Kyrou pass at 9:52 to make it 3-2.

“Yeah obviously a huge goal,” Tucker said. “Just tried to get it through. Obviously a big win by ‘Schenner’ there. It was fortunate enough to go in.”

Tucker then blocked a Sherwood shot that began the sequence for the go-ahead goal.

“As soon as I touched the puck, ‘Rouzy’ was yelling for it, so I knew that he had some speed,” Holloway said. “He usually gets excited like that when he's buzzing up the ice. So as soon as I passed it to him, I tried to get on my horse and go back post. He made a helluva pass over and all I had to do was tap in.

“That's where we've grown so much as a team, not getting too high, not getting too low. We knew it was going to be a tight-checking game. That's another team trying to get into the playoffs just like us. We knew it was going to be hard. Down by a goal, we still had that belief. Even when it went into OT, we still believed that we were going to win. I think that's probably the biggest thing that we've grown on so far.”

And when Boeser scored the tying goal at 19:56 to tie the game 3-3, it was a gut punch that could have provided devastating affects.

Again, a mental fortitude was tested and one was passed when Broberg finished Schenn’s pass off a 2-on-1 – that Holloway sprung – and ended the game and put the Blues into the wild card when he went backhand for the finish at 3:42 of overtime.

“I just tried to drive the net and he was able to do a great pass and I just tried to take it to the backhand and just happy it went in.

“It speaks a lot to the belief in this group. Nobody stopped working. We came back and I thought we played a very good game today.”

* Tucker/young players are growing into quite the prospects -- Here we have a pressure-packed game with tremendous playoff implications, and there is Tucker, Jake Neighbours, Holloway, Broberg, Bolduc all in the middle of it.

Tucker came up with clutch plays with the game on the line, played 15:49 with five hits and five blocked shots and none bigger than the one that led to the Holloway goal.

These are valuable lessons that the young Blues are gaining, not only in the immediate but for the future.

“It’s a lot of guys, right? Jake Neighbours hasn’t been in this kind of stretch run, Bolduc and then you have Tucker, right,” Montgomery said. “We’re starting to see these guys. The experience they’re getting down the stretch run is only going to help us next year and for years to come, and that’s why we’re very thankful our team has been able to play so well to get into these types of games like this. This is not only going to help us this year but years to come.

“I’ll say this for Tucker. He’s really a good offensive defenseman, and as he matures in this league, you’re going to see plays like that more and more. He really understands … his hockey brain is really good. It’s underestimated by a lot of people and I think people will see that over the next couple of years of how good of a Blue he’s going to be for us.”

Broberg added, “I think [Tucker’s] playing great. He’s made a huge impact and he’s an unbelievable guy too. I’m happy for him.”

I’ll admit I had Tucker written off a long time ago. When he was cut from training camp and assigned to Springfield after clearing waivers, the Blues had seven guys (including Scott Perunovich and Pierre-Olivier Joseph) in front of Tucker, who was eighth on the depth chart, and with the acquisition of Fowler, he was essentially in a no-win situation until he wasn’t.

It’s tremendous perseverance from a seventh-round pick with one last chance who’s made himself a reliable, dependable NHL defenseman in the end who keeps growing.

* Game-tying goal late could be costly point to give away? -- We’ll know more when all is said and done, but should the Blues miss the playoffs by a point – like the 2017-18 season – they’ll look back at the sequence of events that led to giving up a costly point in this game.

It all started when Justin Faulk, with time and space along the wall, instead of just playing the puck into open ice in the neutral zone or into the Vancouver zone, made a critical mistake and played it into the Canucks bench from his own zone and brought the face-off back into the Blues zone with 17.5 seconds left.

And even after winning the face-off, Faulk was killed off along the wall by Jake DeBrusk and another puck wasn’t cleared right away, but the puck did get moved out into the neutral zone, but the Blues allowed the great Quinn Hughes to shift around Pavel Buchnevich, find Elias Pettersson at the offensive zone blue line, and veteran Ryan Suter had vacated the opposite side to move to his right and help the play in the middle left Boeser alone and he stepped into a slap shot from the right circle to beat Binnington and tie the game 3-3.

It could have been a momentum-zapper – it left 18.096 stunned – but ultimately, it wasn’t. However, it was a point given away, which could go a long way in the end.

“I thought we should have scored into the empty net twice [Alexey Toropchenko and Buchnevich], so you’ve got to end the game there. We should have executed better. We won the face-off, that puck’s got to get out and then the last thing is on that line rush, we’ve got to have sticks protecting middle ice and they were able to go east-west on us five feet inside the blue line. That shouldn’t happen to us.”

It shouldn’t, but they were able to conquer the gut punch.

“It's definitely deflating, but that's where we've grown as a team,” Holloway said. “I think early on in the year we probably get down on ourselves, but as soon as that happened, we weren't very happy, but the message on the bench was just stay with it, we've got this, we're going to win. We had that team belief. When guys are stepping up and saying that, it kind of chills the bench a little bit, kind of cools us off a little bit. We were lucky enough to win that in OT. ‘Schenner’ and ‘Broby’ made a helluva play.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored his second goal of the game 3:37 into overtime to lift the New York Islanders past the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves and had his first two assists of the season, the first Islanders goalie with multiple points in a game. Anthony Duclair and Simon Holmstrom also had goals for the Islanders, who moved within two points of the Canadiens for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

New York is 7-3-1 in its last 11 since a four-game skid and has won three in a row for the first time since a 7-0 run spanning Jan. 18 to Feb. 1.

Brendan Gallagher tied it for Montreal with 14:16 left after the Canadiens trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Patrik Laine had a goal and an assist and Joshua Roy also scored for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves.

Takeaways

Canadiens: Despite the loss, Montreal has points in 11 of its last 12 games, going 8-1-3 in that span.

Islanders: Duclair’s goal at 5:37 of the first period gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead and snapped New York’s 0-for-18 power-play drought.

Key moment

With the game tied at 3 in OT, Horvat capped a 2-on-1 break by driving up the left wing and beating Montembeault high on the short side. That came after Montreal’s Lane Hutson was checked off the puck on a rush the other way.

Key stat

The Islanders went 1 for 2 on goal challenges. Coach Patrick Roy was successful in challenging Nick Suzuki’s goal that would have put Montreal up 2-1 early in the second period when a replay review showed he was just inches offside entering the Isles zone.

Laine’s power-play goal, cutting the Islanders’ lead to 3-2 at the 4:32 mark of the third period, was allowed to stand after being challenged for goalie interference.

Up next

Canadiens: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

Islanders: Host the Calgray Flames on Saturday.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks came into Thursday night’s game feeling lousy as they were on a five-game losing streak (0-4-1). The Los Angeles Kings, firmly in a playoff spot, came in looking to avenge a bad loss the last time they were in town (a 5-1 loss on March 3rd). 

The bad vibes for Chicago continued once the puck was dropped. Spencer Knight did a good job of keeping the Kings at bay for a while but about halfway through the period, Los Angeles scored two goals in under a minute. Trevor Moore's beautiful wrister and Alex Turcotte's neat direction put LA up 2-0.  

In the second period, the Blackhawks played a little bit better. They were still outshot but Connor Bedard scored the only goal of the middle frame. It was a nice power-play one-timer off a feed by Tyler Bertuzzi.

Once the third period came around, the Hawks knew they needed an ugly one to get it tied for a chance to win. As Jason Dickinson said after the loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, they need a gritty one. 

In the final frame, the Blackhawks played their best period of the evening. It looked for a while like they were going to get that gritty goal to tie it up but they were unable to. Los Angeles deposited one into the empty net and took the 3-1 final to the bank. 

Spencer Knight gave up two goals on 33 shots. It was a wonderful bounce-back performance after a tough one earlier in the week. Anders Sorensen went back to him one game later and it worked out well. Unfortunately for Knight, his team only gave him one goal in support of this marvelous performance. 

With this loss, the Blackhawks are mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. It is just a formality at this point as it was clear in October that they weren't going to the playoffs. 

The San Jose Sharks were the only team to be eliminated before them. Now that the Hawks have lost six straight, five in regulation, they are back in contention for the best draft lottery odds. 

Connor Bedard scoring another goal is the one positive to come from this game. He now has 19 on the year and leads the team with 54 points.

Back-to-back games with a power play marker is good as he seems to be willing to shoot more when the opportunity presents itself. The man-advantage is a great place to gain confidence. 

Chicago will hit the road for one as they have the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon. The Blues have continued to get better and better as the season moves along so breaking out of this losing streak won't be easy against them. 

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

John Tavares continues to prove why he is one of the most consistent players in the NHL. 

On Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward reached the 1,100-point milestone with a three-point performance, leading the charge en route to a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers – the club’s third consecutive win.

Tavares became just the 68th player in NHL history and the eighth active skater to reach 1,100 career points.

With his goal at 4:16 of the second period, John Tavares becomes the 68th skater in NHL history to record 1,100 career points.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) March 21, 2025

“You don't take it for granted. It's been a great journey, a lot of hard work, and obviously, I've played with two great organizations and a lot of great teammates that have been a big part of that, helping me along the way and making me look good a lot of the time,” said Tavares post-game. 

“But obviously, very proud of the commitment I try to make and the passion I have for the game. Just try to go out there, execute and play well, be effective, and be accounted on offensively,” he added.

The milestone moment came in the second period when he wired home his second goal of the game, restoring Toronto’s lead after the Rangers had tied things up early in the frame. A fortunate bounce sent the puck onto his stick with an open net in front of him, and he made no mistake, firing it past Igor Shesterkin.

JOHN TAVARES 🚨🚨

1100 NHL POINTS! pic.twitter.com/qqXVCaT4Un

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 21, 2025

The 34-year-old forward also opened the scoring at 12:30 of the first period, netting his 28th goal of the season off a perfectly placed one-timer. Tavares finished the night with two goals, an assist, and a plus-2 rating while leading all Toronto forwards in ice time at 19:42.

JOHN TAVARES 🚨

What a shot! pic.twitter.com/P0StJPYmwE

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 20, 2025

“It's incredible. I mean, what an accomplishment,” said linemate William Nylander, who recorded two assists and reached a milestone of his own with his 600th career point. “He had a great game tonight, and I mean, the way he gets prepared before every game, just a complete pro on and off the ice.”

Tavares’ production remains remarkably steady at age 34. 

Through 62 games this season, he has 29 goals and 31 assists for 60 points – matching last year’s goal total in 18 fewer games. His longevity as a top-tier player is further highlighted by the fact that he has recorded at least 60 points in 13 NHL seasons, with the only exceptions being his rookie campaign (2009-10), the lockout-shortened season (2012-13), and the COVID-19-impacted year (2020-21).

John Tavares vs. Father Time

2023-24: 29 goals in 80 games
2024-25: 29 goals in 62 games

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) March 21, 2025

“He's just the ultimate pro, the ultimate model of consistency,” said defenseman Jake McCabe. “He's a great example for all of us in our room and such a huge part of our team. So, yeah, it's 1,100 points, man. S— That's a lot of points.”

Head coach Craig Berube praised the former No.1 overall pick’s ability to elevate his game, even amidst a back-to-back that required travel. 

“I thought he was really good tonight. An older guy like that on back-to-back nights and a pretty quick team over there too, but he was solid,” said Berube. “He was so strong on pucks tonight and won all his battles, faceoffs. He does all the little things right, and he's got that knack to score goals, I'll tell you that.”

‘I Love It Here, I’ve Said I Want To Stay’: John Tavares Reaffirms Commitment To Maple Leafs Amid Contract Uncertainty Following Loss To AvalancheAfter rumors surfaced following the NHL’s trade deadline that the Toronto Maple Leafs had considered trading Mitch Marner to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Mikko Rantanen, John Tavares was asked about his own future with the team following Toronto’s 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

For a player who has built his career on consistency, leadership, and offensive production, Tavares’ 1,100-point milestone is just another testament to his overall impact on the ice. 

And with the way he’s playing, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

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