Rg.org has done wonderful work interviewing former Russian NHLers recently, and their latest interview is with a former Montreal Canadiens player, Ilya Kovalchuk, even though he wasn’t with the team for long.

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While he played less than 1,000 games in the NHL, Kovalchuk was a great offensive talent who scored 876 points over the course of his career. He’s also one of those players who played in the NHL but felt the need to go home after a while; after signing a 15-year deal with the New Jersey Devils in 2010, he announced his retirement from the NHL in 2013 and walked away from the 77 million left on his contract.

After playing part of six seasons in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, Kovalchuk decided to return to the NHL, signing a contract with the Los Angeles Kings. After 17 games in his second season in LA, he was traded to the Canadiens and played 22 games with the Habs during the 2019-20 campaign before being flipped to the Washington Capitals. He went back to Russia at the end of that season.

In his short tenure with the Canadiens, the left winger scored six goals and seven assists for 13 points, but he still made some highlight-reel plays that quickly made him a fan favorite. The "Kovalshow" brought in some light in an otherwise very bleak season for the Canadiens. 

In an exclusive interview with RG.org, the former NHL star was asked about Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov and praised him, saying he was a bright and hard-working young man with a true passion for the game. He also mentioned that he’s heard he puts in a lot of extra work and is confident he will do well in Montreal.

Just like Andrei Kovalenko a couple of days ago, Kovalchuk emphasizes the importance of respecting the local culture and not being shy about speaking the language. He also agrees hockey is like a religion in Montreal, which comes with intense scrutiny, and that’s something he’ll need to be ready for.

Thankfully, the organization is well-aware of that fact, and any player joining the Canadiens has to complete a training and awareness program that prepares them for that reality, as France Margaret Belanger explained in a recent interview.

There are only three games left in SKA St. Petersburg’s regular season, and after a losing streak, Roman Rotenberg’s men have straightened the ship of late, winning their last four games. We’ll see if that translates to success in the playoffs.

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While nagging can build frustration, a little reminder never hurt anyone.

The Detroit Red Wings have been a busy team over the last week. Like the rest of the NHL, they are dealing with the aftermath of a hectic trade deadline.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

*Highlights from the Red Wings' most recent win.

Last Sunday (March 9th, to be precise), Red Wings newcomers Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith joined the team for their first practice. Their new jersey numbers were also revealed at that time.

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The following day, the Red Wings took on the Ottawa Senators in a very important matchup. They ultimately lost the contest 2-1, with goaltender Linus Ullmark pulling out all the stops - 48 of them.

Players can only participate in a playoff run if they are acquired by the NHL's Trade Deadline. However, teams are still allowed to make trades. The Red Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, pulled off a minor deal with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by acquiring defender Nikolai Knyzhov for future considerations.

Swedish prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka is having a season. Just this past week, he set an SHL record. Additionally, rumors are swirling that he will join the Red Wings once his SHL season and playoffs have reached their end. 

While this hasn't been officially confirmed at this time, all signs point to it being the case.

The Red Wings broke a streak of bad luck by walloping the Buffalo Sabres 7-3. Patrick Kane had a huge night, recording two goals and three assists in 17:21 minutes of work to propel them to a victory.

Another Swedish defenseman made headlines with the Red Wings last week. Anton Johansson signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team. The 6-foot-4 right-handed defender has played full-time in the SHL for the last two years and will report to the Griffins under an AHL tryout.

And just when you thought things were going well, the Red Wings get handed another loss. This time, it came at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Alex DeBrincat and Michael Rasmussen scored for the Red Wings in a 4-2 result.

Thanks to Trey Augustine, Michigan State is going to the Big Ten Championship game. Augustine is having quite the season. He's already won a World Junior Gold Medal with Team USA this season, and adding another Big Ten Championship would put an emphatic exclamation point on his season. 

Finally, the Red Wings capped off their week by gaining ground on the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. They earned a 3-0 shutout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Mrazek earned an 18-save shutout while Albert Johansson, Lucas Raymond, and Marco Kasper contributed the run support. 

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ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders entered Sunday night's matchup against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers six points back of the second wild-card spot with 18 games to go.

After a 4-2 comeback win, the Islanders woke up on Monday morning four points back of the second wild-card New York Rangers, who could not help themselves with a 3-1 loss to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. 

So, that means, for now, the Islanders are chasing their cross-town rival.

The good news for the Islanders is that the Rangers have played two more games (a potential four-point swing) and the two sides go head-to-head on Apr. 10. 

The Detroit Red Wings, who began their night two points up on the Islanders, inched within two points of the Rangers following a 3-0 shutout win over the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Here's a look at Monday's games that impact the Eastern Conference wild-card race:

The Boston Bruins, who are tied for the Islanders in points, battle the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. The Philadelphia Flyers, who are four points back of the Islanders, play the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Metropolitan Division's second seed, the New Jersey Devils, battled the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are two points back of a wild-card spot. 

Up next for the Islanders is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are just two points behind them in the standings and have won four straight. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Bruins prospect Fraser Minten scores hat trick for Providence originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

One of the best assets the Boston Bruins acquired across their NHL trade deadline deals was talented prospect Fraser Minten.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound center was part of the trade that sent defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs on deadline day. The B’s also got a 2026 first-round pick in that deal.

Minten has been playing for the AHL’s Providence Bruins since the trade, and he put on a show in Sunday’s game against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The former 2022 second-round pick scored his first goal with the P-Bruins in the opening period. He established good position in front of the net and capitalized on a nice pass from Georgii Merkulov to give Providence a 1-0 lead.

Minten’s second goal again came in front of the net, this time off a nice pass from Billy Sweezey. He completed the hat trick later in the second period after collecting a rebound in the slot and showing off a pretty move to beat the Thunderbirds goalie from a tough angle. This whole sequence began with a faceoff win by Minten in the attacking zone.

Check out all three of Minten’s goals from Providence’s 4-1 win in the video below. He also picked up the primary assist on Riley Duran’s third-period goal.

One of the most impressive aspects of Minten’s hat trick was his willingness to crash the net. Establishing inside ice isn’t easy, but he’s not afraid to go to the tough areas to win puck battles and score goals. He also impressed on faceoffs in this game, which is another encouraging sign for the Bruins.

Even though it would be fun for Bruins fans to watch Minten play some games at the NHL level over the final few weeks of the regular season, the best course of action is to leave him in Providence. He can play a ton of minutes in all situations down in the AHL and continue to refine his skill set, create good habits and build some confidence.

You don’t want to rush a top-tier prospect’s development. And now that he’s really settling in at Providence, it doesn’t make much sense to switch things up.

The Bruins have desperately needed good young centers for a long time. It’s a position where they’ve really struggled to draft well for many years. Minten has a bright future as a two-way center who could fill a middle-six role in the NHL fairly soon.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a goal and two assists, Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 shots and the Islanders beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Saturday night.

Anders Lee, Anthony Duclair and Adam Boqvist also scored for the Islanders, who have won four of their last five games. Noah Dobson and Simon Holmstrom each had two assists.

Nikolai Kovalenko and Will Smith scored for the Sharks, who have lost 10 of their last 12 (2-7-3). Macklin Celebrini had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev finished with 24 saves.

Duclair scored on a power play midway through the opening period and Pageau made it 2-0 with 39 seconds left in the first.

Kovalenko’s power-play goal got the Sharks on the scoreboard at 6:27 of the second.

Lee and Boqvist scored about 2 1/2 minutes apart early in the third, before Smith pulled the Sharks within two with 1:27 remaining.

Takeaways

Islanders: New York lost five out of six before its current strong stretch.

Sharks: The league-worst Sharks dropped to 3-13-3 in their last 19 games.

Key moment

After a faceoff in the right circle in the Sharks’ zone, Lee jumped on a loose puck in the circle, spun and fired a shot past Georgiev while falling down to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead 1:13 into the third period.

Key stat

Both teams came in ranking in the bottom third of the league in penalty-killing — the Sharks 27th at 74.5 percent and the Islanders 29th at 71.2 percent — and both were 2 for 4 in this game.

Up next

Islanders visit Anaheim on Sunday, and Sharks host Nashville on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Gatcomb kicked off the scoring in the third period and the New York Islanders scored three more times to defeat the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Sunday night.Marc Gatcomb kicked off the scoring in the third period and the New York Islanders scored three more times to defeat the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Sunday night.

Maxim Tsyplakov and Noah Dobson also scored and Simon Holmstrom added an empty-net goal to seal the win. Anthony DeAngelo added two assists, and Anders Lee earned his 499th career point with an assist. Ilya Sorokin made 22 stops for the Islanders.

Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov each scored and added an assist for the Panthers. Vitek Vanecek made 30 stops.

Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly had an assist in his first game back since sustaining a concussion Nov. 1 against Buffalo. He also missed time because of a heart defect.

Takeaways

The Panthers had won the previous two meetings this season 6-3, and looked to be on track to win this one after going up 2-0.

The Islanders had lost three straight and were coming off 2-1 overtime loss to Edmonton at home Friday night.

Key moment

During a mad scramble in the closing seconds, Sorokin stopped several attempts, losing his blocker in the process, to keep the Islanders ahead.

Key stat

The Islanders scored four straight goals in the third period to come back from a 2-0 deficit.

Up next

The Panthers visit Columbus on Thursday. The Islanders visit the Penguins on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Viktor Arvidsson scored the tiebreaking goal just early in the third period and the Edmonton Oilers beat the New York Rangers 3-1 on Sunday night.

Corey Perry and Connor McDavid also scored for Edmonton, which won its second-straight to complete a four-game trip. The Oilers were coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the Islanders on Friday. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three assists and Stuart Skinner finished with 21 saves.

Will Cuylle scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin had 20 saves. New York snapped a two-game win streak.

Arvidsson beat Shesterkin with high shot at 6:09 of the third for his ninth goal of the season to put Edmonton up 2-1.

McDavid made it a two-goal lead with his 25th with 3:25 remaining.

Perry scored a power-play goal off a goalmouth scramble with 43 seconds left in the first to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. It was the 39-year-old’s 15th of the season and 444th of his career.

Cuylle tied it with his 18th at the 5-minute mark of the second.

Takeaways

Rangers: New York lost its third straight at home to slip to 16-15-3 at Madison Square Garden.

Oilers: Edmonton improved to 19-13-2 on the road.

Key moment

Skinner stopped Rangers forward J.T. Miller at 9:40 of the third on the power play, then denied Adam Fox with 6:39 left.

Key stat

Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl also assisted on Perry’s goal. Draisaitl leads the Oilers with 101 points, including 52 assits. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon has 103 points to lead the NHL.

Up next

Oilers host Utah on Tuesday, and Rangers host Calgary.

With four goals in the third period, the New York Islanders defeated the Florida Panthers 4-2 to snap their three-game losing streak and keep alive playoff hopes. 

The big news entering the game was that defenseman Mike Reilly returned for the first game since Nov. 1 following a heart procedure he underwent on Nov. 19.

Reilly replaced Adam Pelech, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. 

Here's how it happened:

The Islanders earned the first power play of the game at 8:16 when Eetu Luostarinen elbowed Alexander Romanov.

The Islanders were unable to convert, but Romanov was able to return without missing a shift.

After recording 11 of the first 12 shots of the game, the Islanders earned their second power play at 17:26 when Dmitry Kulikov was caught by Anthony Duclair’s speed and took a holding penalty.

Kulikov went to the locker room with an upper-body injury and did not return.

The Islanders could not beat Vitek Vanecek, concluding the period ahead in shots 12-1 yet without a goal.

After getting outplayed in the opening period, the Panthers found the scoresheet first when Aleksander Barkov recovered Gustav Forsling’s rebound and fed Sam Reinhart at 1:00 of the second period.

This was Reinhart’s 33rd goal of the season.

The Islanders went to the penalty kill for the first time at 2:49 when Kyle MacLean tripped Forsling.

The Panthers applied pressure, and with just one second remaining on the man advantage, Barkov tipped Reinhart’s shot which crept past Ilya Sorokin to put the Panthers ahead 2-0. It was Barkov’s 18th goal of the season.

After a strong second half in the period, the Islanders received a too many men on the ice penalty at 19:47.

The Islanders outshot the Panthers 10-9 in the second period.

Patrick Roy’s squad killed the minor penalty to start the third period then went to the power play on a Nate Schmidt hooking call at 2:48, but the score remained.

At 6:29, Marc Gatcomb put the Islanders on the board with a wraparound goal following Vanecek’s sprawling save: 

Marc Gatcomb: Keeper. #Islespic.twitter.com/CeCHaCzoD0

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) March 17, 2025

This was Gactomb’s fourth goal of the season.

The Islanders found the equalizer at 12:16 when Reilly sent a stretch pass to Max Tsyplakov who went five-hole on Vanecek:

Tsyplakov breakaway 🚨beats Vanecek and it's 2-2 with 7:44 to go in the third. pic.twitter.com/K0F4bDaKv3

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 17, 2025

This was Tsyplakov’s eighth goal of the season.

Just 17 seconds later, the Islanders took the lead for the first time in the game when Noah Dobson flew into the offensive zone and beat Vanecek glove-side:

This was Dobson’s seventh goal of the season.

#Isles  take a 3-2 lead 17 seconds later.

Huge comeback.

Noah Dobson showing his skill! pic.twitter.com/2AIZXMTgLw

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 17, 2025

The Panthers pulled Vanecek for an extra attacker in the final minutes, but a Simon Holmstrom empty net goal at 19:53 following multiple sprawling saves by Sorokin secured the comeback victory. 

The Islanders are in action again on Tuesday as they face the Penguins in Pittsburgh at 7 PM.