Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore might have been part of a losing effort in their debuts for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Utah Hockey Club, but they impressed, especially Rinzel.
Right away, Rinzel looks like a defenseman that is fully capable of stepping right into the NHL and not playing a single game in the AHL, and that is likely what will happen. He was arguably the most impactful defenseman for the Blackhawks in his first NHL game and head coach Anders Sorensen said, "I think Rinzel had a real attack mindset. I think he had four grade A chances offensively. Did a lot of good things."
He looked smart, shifty, and creative, all what is going to make him a strong top pairing d-man for a long time in the NHL. While it may seem like this is jumping the gun, the 20-year-old was drafted in the first round and has only gotten better at a great rate since joining the Blackhawks' organization.
Frank Seravalli also shares the same sentiment towards Rinzel, mentioning that, "Sam Rinzel will not play a single game in the AHL... he projects to be a top pair NHL defenseman."
This is a different situation than with past high drafted defensemen such as Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov. The Blackhawks had to make a choice on Korchinski and he wouldn't have gotten the right development in the CHL again, so after playing out his first season in the NHL, he took a step back for better development in the AHL for a chunk of this season. Levshunov played a year in the NCAA and dominated, but he is still two draft years later than Rinzel and along with an early injury and a roster a bit too full of veterans, there wasn't the space.
Rinzel got a couple of years playing against men in college and excelled. The Blackhawks' youth movement is also in full effect as the veterans have been pushed out.
Rinzel has the capability of being the most impactful defenseman for the Blackhawks, but will have competition, which is great for the team long-term. He has a handful of games left this season to showcase himself for next season, and I don't anticipate anything keeping him from earning the spot in the NHL in training camp next season and sticking.
It's been an up-and-down season for Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry.
The 29-year-old played in the AHL after struggling through the first half of the schedule. Recalled in early March, he rattled off four straight wins. On Sunday, he got his first shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Reviewrecently wondered if Jarry had done enough to save his career with the Penguins. He doubted his recent performance would improve his value in this summer's trade market.
Madden believes the Penguins can't afford to keep Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic, who has a year left on his contract with a cap hit of $2.5 million. Jarry is signed through 2027-28 with an average annual value of $5.375 million.
Buying out Jarry would only count as $1.747 million against the Penguins' salary cap for next season. However, that cap hit rises to just over $5 million in 2026-27 and $4.5 million in 2027-28, dropping to just $797,000 annually for the remaining three years of the buyout.
D'Amico indicated Oilers GM Stan Bowman sought to bolster his depth at center with someone who'd be more than a playoff rental. Pageau, 32, is signed through next season with a cap hit of $5 million. He also has a 16-team no-trade list.
The Islanders reportedly spurned the offers because they didn't want to retain salary and weren't interested in a return of draft picks. That could remain their position with Pageau if the Oilers or other clubs make trade inquiries this summer.
Speaking of the trade deadline, Scott Powers of The Athletic thinks some teams might be kicking themselves for not offering the Chicago Blackhawks a first-round pick for Ryan Donato.
The 28-year-old center is enjoying a career-best performance with 29 goals and 59 points in 72 games. He's reportedly sitting on a three-year contract offer worth $4 million annually.
Powers believes Donato could be interested in returning to the Boston Bruins if he goes to market. He's a Boston native who began his career with the Bruins. The Blackhawks hope he'll recognize that the top-six minutes and power-play time he's getting in Chicago won't be available to him on better clubs.
During 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.
The Penguins captain ranks second all-time behind Wayne Gretzky, who had assists on 18 first-career goals during his 20 seasons in the league. Although the NHL doesn't officially recognize this record, Crosby is just four helpers away from tying the Great One.
Considering the influx of talent in the Penguins system, including recent call-ups Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, Crosby may have plenty of opportunities to set up one of the young guns for their first NHL goal.
If that moment occurs, that player or players will join a list that includes the following players:
Given his history, Crosby tends to set up first career goals in bunches. It's been over four years since he registered his last assist on a first goal, which means the captain is due.
Will we see one before the end of this season, or can he collect a couple during the 2025-26 season?
Even though the league would not officially recognize his achievement, it would still be a fun fact on his already Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
With the playoffs right around the corner, every team in the NHL is feeling the pressure.
The Detroit Red Wings sit outside the second Wild Card position in the Eastern conference, currently occupied by the Montreal Canadiens. Even if they don’t admit it, they feel pressure to secure their first playoff berth since the 2015-16 season.
Teams that have already secured a playoff position are fighting tooth and nail to get a more advantageous placement before the playoffs begin. Home ice advantage can be a huge difference maker, so winning as many regular season games beforehand is imperative.
Last weekend, the Red Wings were embarrassed by the Vegas Golden Knights, to the tune of a 6-3 loss. After the loss was official, they made a late night (early Sunday morning) move in sending down defender Brogan Rafferty to the AHL.
Trey Augustine had himself a night that weekend as well. The Red Wings goalie prospect was a significant contributor to Michigan State securing another Big Ten Title.
The Grand Rapids Griffins secured an extra body to help them with their playoff run. The organization brought over prospect Emmitt Finnie, who finished his season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.
But then, the organization got some bad news. In the opening minutes of their contest against the Utah Hockey Club, goaltender Petr Mrazek was injured. He has not returned to game action since then.
Injury was added to injury shortly after. Goalie Cam Talbot was unavailable to the Red Wings against the Colorado Avalanche due to injury, so they emergency recalled Sebastian Cossa from the Griffins to fulfill backup goaltender duties.
After losses to the Avalanche and Ottawa Senators, Cossa was returned to the Rapids due to a healthy Talbot.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, his 24th career extra-period goal, which is second all-time behind Alex Ovechkin, who has 27.
Considering Crosby has scored a regular season goal against every team, we thought it was time to look at which teams the captain scored an overtime goal against.
Crosby has scored an overtime goal against 16 teams and is still waiting to find the back of the net versus Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, and Vegas.
He's never scored a game-winning goal against San Jose, St. Louis, and Vegas. Crosby ranks 12th overall all-time with 97 game-winners and first in Penguins history ahead of Evgeni Malkin (86), Jaromir Jagr (78), and Mario Lemieux (74).
Crosby scored one career overtime goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs on May 16, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena, then CONSOL Energy Center.
Of course, there's no talking about Crosby and overtime magic without mentioning his Golden Goal from the 2010 Olympics, one of hockey's most memorable moments.
Before retiring, will Crosby catch Ovechkin for the NHL record regarding regular-season overtime goals?
Longtime Kings broadcaster Nick Nickson puts on his headset before calling a game between the Kings and New York Rangers on March 25. Nickson, who has called Kings games since 1981, is retiring at the end of the season. (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Don’t think of this as Nick Nickson’s final season behind the microphone for the Kings. Think of it as an encore.
Nickson planned to be golfing by now. He planned to be following his grandkids, Casey and Avery, to their games and attending the birthday parties and anniversaries he had to miss in more than five decades as a hockey broadcaster.
The Kings had other plans, summoning Nickson to a meeting in the summer of 2023 where he worried he might be fired before he could tell them he was ready to retire. Instead the Kings told Nickson, their longtime radio voice, they wanted him to simulcast the radio and TV calls. And they wanted a two-year commitment.
“Had it not been for the change, last year might have been my last,” he said.
Nick Nickson calls a game between the Kings and New York Rangers at Crypto.com Arena on March 25.
The fact it wasn’t makes this season positively, absolutely the last one. (We think.) At 71, Nickson says he has too much he wants to do and not nearly enough time between games in which to do it, so his career will end when the Kings’ season does.
“I’m doing this on my own terms, which I’m grateful for,” he said during an hourlong lunch that was heavy on remembrances and void of regrets. “Some people around the league said ‘Nick why? You still sound so good.’ And yeah I appreciate that.
“But I want to be able to enjoy doing what I want while I’m still healthy. The timing is right.”
The Kings will honor Nickson when they play host to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, a tribute he believes will be heartfelt even though it’s April Fool’s Day.
“I thought of that when they mentioned April 1st, ” Nickson said. “But because so many people are preparing for it, I don’t think it’s going to be a joke. I think it will actually happen.”
Stage manager Donna Moskal points to the camera as Kings broadcasters Jim Fox, left, and Nick Nickson, right, rehearse for a game broadcast.
In his 44 seasons with the Kings, Nickson says he has called more than 3,800 games while narrating the rise of hockey in a desert. He watched the Triple Crown line of Charlie Simmer, Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor; welcomed Wayne Gretzky to L.A.; and saw Jim Fox, Daryl Evans and Jarret Stoll move from the ice into the broadcast booth.
Two other players, Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake, went from Nickson’s broadcasts into the Kings’ front office as president and general manager, respectively.
“For the culture of a franchise to have people that have been around a long time, it means a lot,” said Robitaille, now Nickson’s boss. “You have your core fans that follow the team and when they’ve been listening to Nick Nickson for all these years they’re part of the family. It’s hard to describe.
“Everybody grew up listening to them and then next thing you know, they get married and they have kids, and they’re still listening. I hear those stories over and over.”
That’s because Nickson described more than just hockey. He did the play-by-play of history, calling the Kings’ two Stanley Cup championships. His radio call of the final six seconds of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final is arguably the franchise’s most memorable moment.
“The long wait is over! After 45 years, the Kings can wear their crown!”
Nick Nickson prepares a script before a game between the Kings and Rangers on March 25.
Nickson’s Hall of Fame career — he became the third Kings broadcaster, after Bob Miller and Jiggs McDonald, to be enshrined when he was voted in by his peers in 2015 — began with the minor league Rochester Americans a year after he graduated from Ithaca College, where he served as sports director for the school’s radio station. Two years later he began calling games for the New Haven Nighthawks, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate.
That’s where he got the break that changed his life. The Rangers, who had a player-development agreement with the Nighthawks, briefly ended the relationship in 1981 and the Kings, who were looking for an AHL partner, moved in. The Kings needed more than just a minor league affiliate, however.
Pete Weber had left his seat next to Miller, creating an opening in the broadcast booth. Kings coach Parker MacDonald knew Nickson from his time in New Haven, and though MacDonald wouldn’t last the season behind the bench, he was there long enough to push Nickson for the job.
With the move West, Nickson joined perhaps the most storied and iconic group of sports broadcasters ever assembled in one city. In addition to Miller, Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrín were calling Dodgers games, Chick Hearn was doing the Lakers, Tom Kelly was on USC football and Ralph Lawler soon moved north from San Diego with the Clippers.
All six are Hall of Famers. Yet Nickson, the youngest of the group at 27, fit in immediately.
“He was just great to be around,” Miller said. “Nick was always so well prepared. Great player identification. Kept up with the play, all the fundamentals.”
But the key to his success and that of the other Hall of Famers was stability, Nickson said. Scully and Jarrín both spent more than six decades with the Dodgers. Hearn and Lawler did 41 seasons with Lakers and Clippers, respectively. Nickson, meanwhile, is retiring after 44 seasons with the Kings, the same as Miller, who retired in 2017.
Nick Nickson calls a game at Crypto.com Arena between the Kings and Rangers on March 25. The Kings will honor Nickson before Monday's game against the Jets.
“It’s unusual that a broadcaster stays with one team for a number of years. The era of broadcasters sticking with one team for 40, 50 years is probably gone,” said Nickson, whose time with the Kings was measured in a series of short-term contracts that were always renewed. “You have that connection. It’s just a comfort level.”
“What we’ve had to offer and how we’re presented the game, I think it has educated [people] into being a more appreciative hockey fan,” he added. “That only is natural if you’re in that space for that long.”
As a result, giving up the job — and the game — after five decades won’t be easy. Just ask Miller, who was at a Kings game last weekend shortly after surgery for an aneurysm.
“You know, I still miss doing play-by-play,” he said. “There are certain games I’ll be watching on TV and my wife will say, ‘Do you miss that?’ I don’t miss preparation these days, with players changing teams and so many teams. But there are times I’d watch the game and say, ‘Yeah, I’d like to be doing the play-by-play.’”
As for Nickson, “well, he’s a golfer,” Miller said. “He’s got grandkids. So I don’t think he’ll have any problem getting used to it.”
Nickson has one confession he’d like to make before signing off the final time, though. That memorable call at the end of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs? He worked on that ahead of time.
The Kings were so dominant that spring, Nickson was confident they would win before the final series with the New Jersey Devils even started.
“That’s when I came up with what I eventually said,” he remembered.
Nick Nickson takes a brief break in the broadcast booth before a game between the Kings and Rangers on March 25.
But the genius wasn’t in the words, it was in the timing, with Nickson pronouncing the word “crown” as the final horn sounded.
He’s had nearly two seasons now to think about how he’ll end the final broadcast of his 44-year career, one that draws closer with every passing game.
“Maybe,” he finally offered, “I should that say ‘After 44 years the long wait is over.’”
It’s been almost 20 years since the Boston Bruins’ own first-round draft pick landed in the top five, but that streak might end this season as the Original Six franchise continues to tumble in the NHL standings amid a seven-game losing streak.
The B’s are in free fall right now. They just wrapped up a four-game Western Conference road trip plus an away game against the Detroit Red Wings and went 0-5-0.
The Bruins entered Monday tied with the Buffalo Sabres — yes, the same Sabres that haven’t made the playoffs since 2011 — for the sixth-worst record in the league based on points percentage (.466). Based on actual points, the B’s are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the sixth-worst record (69 points).
Securing a top-five pick is a very real possibility for the Bruins. They haven’t done that since 2006 when they selected forward Phil Kessel at No. 5 overall.
Before we get into what needs to happen for the Bruins to have a top-five selection, here’s a look at their current NHL Draft Lottery odds, per Tankathon.
No. 1 pick: 6.5 percent chance
No. 2 pick: 6.7 percent
No. 3 pick: 0.2 percent
No. 7 pick: 44.4 percent
No. 8 pick: 36.5 percent
No. 9 pick: 5.6 percent
So, right now, the most likely spot for the Bruins to land in the lottery is the No. 7 pick, although they could jump as high as No. 1 and as low as No. 9.
What needs to happen for the Bruins to land a top-five pick? Well, they need to continue losing and get some help from a few other teams winning. More specifically, the B’s need the Seattle Kraken, Philadelphia Flyers and Sabres to win as many games as possible.
The Kraken and Sabres both have a very tough remaining schedule, which isn’t good for Boston. The Flyers have the second-easiest remaining schedule and have won back-to-back games since firing head coach John Tortorella last Thursday.
Here’s the remaining strength of schedule for teams No. 4 through No. 10 in the current draft order, per Tankathon. The higher the rank, the tougher the schedule.
No. 4, Kraken: No. 4
No. 5, Flyers: No. 31
No. 6, Sabres: No. 3
No. 7, Bruins: No. 22
No. 8, Penguins: No. 24
No. 9, Ducks: No. 5
No. 10, Islanders: No. 8
As we’ve noted before, the top 10 of the upcoming draft is pretty strong, and there are several high-end center prospects, which is good for the Bruins due to their severe lack of strength at that position.
Michael Misa (Saginaw), James Hagens (Boston College), Anton Frondell (Sweden) and Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton) are among the centers worthy of a top-10 pick. Misa would be the ideal pick for the B’s. He has 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games in the OHL this season, but he’ll probably be gone by the No. 2 or No. 3 pick. Frondell is an excellent option, too, but might not make it past pick No. 5.
The difference between the No. 4 or No. 5 pick and the No. 7 or No. 8 pick is a large one, whether the Bruins want to keep the pick or potentially look to package it for an impact player who can help right away.
The goal for the Bruins over the next two weeks should be losing as many games as possible and bolstering their odds of winning the draft lottery next month. Nobody likes to lose, but this path is what’s best for the short- and long-term health of the organization.
The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 8-1 on Sunday night.
San Jose is coming off a 6-1 loss at the hands of the New York Rangers on Saturday.
Adrian Kempe and Warren Foegele scored two goals for the Kings, while Phillip Danault, Trevor Moore, Trevor Lewis, and Andrei Kuzmenko scored the other goals for LA. David Rittich made 22 saves.
Cam Lund scored his second NHL goal and second goal in as many nights. Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned from an upper-body injury. Georgi Romanov made 28 saves.
As the power-play wound down, Kempe netted his 30th goal of the season at 15:`13. Anze Kopitar fed a pass to the top of the crease that Kempe one-timed through Romanov's five-hole.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs capped off a successful California road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. The club secured five of a possible six points, going 2-0-1 in three games and creating some breathing room at the top of the Atlantic Division.
With the win, the Leafs now hold a three-point lead over both the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, sitting at 94 points with just eight regular-season games remaining.
The three-game swing happened all in four nights, and although it started shaky, it ended as a success. On Thursday, the club scratched and clawed their way to earn a single point against the San Jose Sharks, scoring twice in the final 44 seconds to force overtime. Despite falling 6-5 in a shootout, they salvaged a crucial point in a game they didn’t deserve.
Two days later, the first of a back-to-back, Toronto earned a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings, thanks to a three-goal third period. The Kings, the NHL’s best home team this season, entered the game riding a seven-game win streak on home ice and had collected points in 15 straight contests. The Leafs found a seam in the third period after being shut out in the opening 40 minutes, securing two more points and catapulting to the top of the division.
On Sunday, the trip concluded in Anaheim, where Steven Lorentz delivered the game-winning goal at 11:35 of the third period to lift the Leafs past the Ducks. Toronto weathered a strong push from Anaheim, getting outshot 31-23 and spending long stretches of the game in their own zone, including a first period where they were heavily outplayed.
Regardless, they cashed in on important points when it mattered.
“It's great. It's not an easy road trip,” said star forward Mitch Marner. “But anyway, three games and four nights to get used to a three-hour time change. The San Jose game wasn't easy. We made some big mistakes that they counted on. I thought we battled back to get a point, which is great. And these last two, both teams are very good, very hard to play against. So we knew these are important points. We wanted to get them. Just happy with us digging in and battling for them.”
Toronto’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Leafs return home to host the Panthers on Wednesday night, though Florida will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after facing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
From there, the Leafs face a tough seven-day stretch with matchups against the Columbus Blue Jackets before facing both the Panthers and the Lightning on a back-to-back in Florida on April 8 and 9. With only Eastern Conference opponents remaining on the schedule, every game carries weight.
“Yeah, it's no secret what's going on in the standings right now. All these points matter,” said Lorentz. “We've got three big games coming up against the two teams that are in the mix with us. So those are definitely important games, and important points on the line.”
“At the same time, we just have to take it a game at a time. We can't be thinking of just those three games. We've got eight or nine other ones that we've got to play into. So I think it's just one step at a time, and that's what we've got to focus on. It's just bringing our best every night. Eight games would be great to play our best hockey every single night, but mistakes are going to happen as long as we address those, and we keep going in the right direction, then we're happy.”
Toronto has won six of their last eight games, trending in the right direction towards the postseason. With the ability to win in different ways, whether grinding out low-scoring games or mounting comebacks late, the Leafs have begun to get in a “playoff mindset,” says goaltender Joseph Woll.
“I think every game throughout the season matters, but these points are very important, and I'm just trying to get myself in a playoff mindset before it starts. I think that's the mood around the room,” said Woll. “I think that's the kind of game we're trying to play as a team. So I think we've done a good job of that.”
“Just the importance of everything, of every moment, right? In the playoffs, the margin for error is even smaller. So I think it's that much more important to be dialed in for a full 60, right? Like goals happen quick, mistakes happen quick. So I think, you know, from my standpoint, at least, it's dialing in the focus to make sure you're there and you're giving your best and you're fully present for all 60 minutes-plus,” he added.
The remaining eight games see seven opponents in or fighting for a playoff spot. For now, they’ve put themselves in an excellent position, controlling their own destiny. However, they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas.
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Game 73: The Los Angeles Kings (40-23-9) host the San Jose Sharks (20-43-9) to close out the season series with their Northern California rival.
The LA Kings will look to get back to their winning wins at Crypto.com Arena after losing to Toronto on March 29th. Grinder Jeff Mallot will make his third straight start in place of injured Tanner Jeannot. Currently in 2nd place in the Pacific Division, the Kings will be looking to go two points clear of the idle Edmonton Oilers. The Kings and Oilers appear to be headed to a fourth straight 1st round playoff confrontation. The only question remains seems to be which squad with have home ice in this series.
San Jose has the worst record in the NHL but have had success against their Southern California rivals, winning two out the first three games in the season series. 18-year-old Macklin Celebrini has 11 points (3 G, 8 A) in the month of March and 53 points in his rookie campaign after being selected 1st overall by San Jose in the 2024 NHL Draft. Georgi Romanov will make his second career NHL start in goal tonight for the Sharks. Former King Tyler Toffoli checks in with a team leading 27 goals on the year for San Jose.
Season Series:
Oct. 24--LA 3, SJ 2
Oct. 29--SJ 4, LA 2
Nov. 25--SJ 7, LA 2
Last Ten:
LA Kings: 7-3-0
San Jose Sharks: 4-6-0
Leading Scorers:
LA Kings-- Adrian Kempe, 29 goals, 58 points
SJ Sharks--William Eklund, 17 goals, 54 points
Probable Staring Goalies:
LA Kings--David Rittich, 14-13-2, 2.77 GAA, .888 SV%
BIG stop by Rittich on a walk-in attempt by Carl Grundstrom.
Quinton Byfield comes right back the other way but Romanov denies him.
San Jose to go on the power play. LA's Drew Doughty goes off 2 minutes for slashing.
Now other LA King penalty. Phil Danault goes off two minutes for high-sticking. San Jose with now have a long 5 on 3 power play and an excellent chance to tie the game.
Celebrini steps into one and draws iron.
HUGE kill by LA as San Jose squanders their 5 on 3 power play.
PENALTY PALOOZA continues. SJ penalty to Noah Gregor, two minutes for hooking.
BIG slapper from Doughty stopped by Romanov.
Sustained o-zone time by LA on this power play but still unable to convert.
GOAL: Adrian Kemp from the slot on a nice pass from Kopitar. "Juice" makes it 2-0 on his team leading 30th goal of the season.
