The Blue Jackets will play their final regular-season game on Thursday against the New York Islanders. 

Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, this game means very little other than keeping a five game winning streak alive, and going out on a winning note. The Montreal Canadiens beat the "resting" Hurricanes in regulation, which means the Jackets are out. They left it in the hands of other teams to get them in, which is not a recipe for success. 

Columbus Blue Jackets Eliminated From Playoff Contention The Columbus Blue Jackets have been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Blue Jackets still have this game to play, and will do so in front of their faithful fans who will fill the arena to the rafters. 

There are still a few things to play for.

1. A six game winning streak.
2. Zach Werenski needs 1 assist to tie the single season assist record, and two to pass Artemi Panarin.
3. Boone Jenner is one goal from 200 in his career.
4. Columbus will have five players who will play 82 games - Kuraly, Provorov, Olivier, and Fantilli. In 23-24 they had just one - Provorov.

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.5% - 22nd in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.9% - 22nd in NHL
• Goals For - 261 - 8th - 3.22 GPG - 9th
• Goals Against - 266 - 25th - 3.28 GPG - 25th

Islanders Stats

• Power Play – 14.8% - 31st in NHL
• Penalty Kill – 77.8% - 31st in NHL
• Goals For - 261 – 8th – 2.73 GPG – 27th
• Goals Against – 266 – 25th – 3.10 GPG – 19th

Series History vs. The Islanders

• Columbus is 17-7-5 at home and 26-22-8 in 56 all-time games against the Islanders
• The Jackets are 2-1 vs. NYI this season. 

Who To Watch For The Islanders

• Bo Horvat leads the Isles with 29 assists and 57 points. 
• Anders Lee leads the team with 29 goals. 
• Ilya Sorokin is 30-24-6 with a .907 SV%. 
• Marcus Högberg is 2-5-3 with a .887 SV%.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Islanders

• Boone Jenner has 15 points in 31 career games against New York. 
• Zach Werenski has 13 points in 23 games.  
• Sean Monahan has 16 points in 19 games against the Islanders. 

Injuries

• Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and is out for the season (25 Games) 
• Elvis Merzļikins (upper body) has missed 4 games. 
• Jake Christiansen (upper body) has missed 3 games. 

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 321

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

Let us know what you think below.

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The puck dropped on the Montreal Canadiens’ 82nd game of the season at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night, with the Carolina Hurricanes in town. Martin St-Louis’ men had already failed to clinch a playoff berth in their last three games, and expectations were high in Montreal, especially since the visitors decided to rest some of their regular players. Rod Brind’Amour even went as far as using Jesperi Kotkaniemi as his top-line center.

Nick Suzuki Is Up For The King Clancy Trophy
Canadiens: The Training Wheels Are Off Demidov
Josh Anderson Wins An Award

Milestones

Although Juraj Slafkovsky is only 21, he skated in his 200th NHL game on Wednesday night. He started the game with 50 points, tied with the career high he had established last season, but he didn’t have to wait too long to top it, registering an assist on the game’s opening goal scored by Kaiden Guhle.

While he took a silly penalty in the second frame, as has often been the case lately, he played a great game. He was on the ice for three of the Canadiens’ goals, blocked three shots, and landed a hit. His physical play also led to Nick Suzuki's goal, and when he learns to play like that on a consistent basis, he will become a real threat for opponents. 

This Habs goal by Nick Suzuki doesn’t happen without the big hit & board battle win by Juraj Slafkovsky

pic.twitter.com/0ckn4uHEoQ

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 17, 2025

In the second frame, rookie blueliner Lane Hutson got an assist on Kaiden Guhle’s second goal of the game, it was his 60th helper, tying Larry Murphy’s record for the most assists in a season by a rookie defenseman. If his name wasn’t already penciled in as the Calder Trophy winner, it should be now.

Guhle Bounced Back

After a disappointing game on Monday in which he took a penalty that became the turning point, Kaiden Guhle played a massive role in the Canadiens’ win. He scored two goals, landed seven hits, blocked three shots, and logged nearly 24 minutes of ice time.

On nights like these, it’s easy to see why Kent Hughes decided to make Guhle the first young core piece of his defense. He can do it all, excel on defense, contribute to the offense, and pump up the team with his physical play.

It Wasn’t Perfect, But It Was Enough

While the 4-2 scoreline could lead to believe the Canadiens dominated, it wasn’t the case. There was an agonizing stretch for Canadiens’ fans in the second frame when the score was tied 1-1 and during which the Hurricanes dominated even though they were icing a watered-down version of their roster. It was a display reminiscent of the loss against the Chicago Blackhawks.

With 8:49 left in the second stanza, the Canes had a 12-2 edge in shots on goal for that frame, and the Habs looked like they were playing nervously. The captain took charge four minutes later, and Suzuki scored a big goal to give Montreal a lead that Guhle doubled minutes later. Then, in the final frame, after the Canes had gotten back to within one, there was a lot of defending, and the Habs really needed to work to close out the game, with the coach cutting his bench and using his more defensive players.

In the post-game presser, the bench boss was almost beaming with pride:

The last two minutes after we scored in the empty net, I could breathe a bit, and I was thinking about plenty of things, my dad came to mind, my mother too. My dad was a huge Canadiens fan […] As soon as I could, I went to see my dad in the room and gave him a big hug, I think he was even more stressed than our players.

St-Louis was visibly proud of his team and can now look forward to experiencing the playoffs in Montreal while being on the home side. It will be the first time since spring 2017 that the Canadiens will participate in the playoffs in front of a real crowd. There was that magical run to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2021, but the building wasn’t full thanks to COVID. If tonight’s anything to go by, the atmosphere when the Canadiens take on the Washington Capitals in just over a week should be electric.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

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What's next for Sharks in net with Georgiev set to move on? 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 Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

Alexandar Georgiev is moving on.

“I’ve already had a conversation with the GM, and he said they’re going with a different group for next year,” the pending unrestricted free agent shared, after stopping 25 of 27 shots in the Sharks’ season-ending 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

It was the Sharks’ 11th-straight loss.

Georgiev, 29, was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Mackenzie Blackwood trade on Dec. 9.

It was a trying campaign for Georgiev, who had led the NHL in wins over the last two years.

Ousted by the team that he thought he’d be leading into the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, the veteran netminder had to try and find his game on perhaps the worst defensive team in the league.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

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How Bruins can fix roster, return to playoffs in 2026 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins were the most disappointing team in the NHL this season, and the question now is: How do they retool their roster and get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as quickly as possible?

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is about to face the biggest test of his career. He has to achieve two objectives at once.

The first is a quick retool that includes substantial roster improvements so the remaining prime years of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Jeremy Swayman are not wasted. The second is he has to have an eye toward the future and dominate the 2025 NHL Draft.

Sweeney likely will have a top-five pick in every round this year, which he has never had during his decade-long tenure as B’s general manager. His draft record is average at best, and that must improve for the Bruins to have any sort of success both in the short- and long-term.

Here are five ways the Bruins can try to fix their roster and contend again next season (and beyond).

Jeremy Swayman regains his previous form

The easiest way for the Bruins to get back on track and make the playoffs next season is for starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman to play at the top 10 level he’s shown for most of his career.

Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa and the rest of the staff need to figure out what went wrong with Swayman and which adjustments need to be made.

Expectations for Swayman went way up after his stellar 2024 playoff run and the offseason trade of Linus Ullmark that made the 26-year-old netminder the undisputed No. 1 in Boston’s crease.

Swayman’s 2024-25 season started with a contract dispute that resulted in him missing all of training camp and the preseason. He finally reached an eight-year, $66 million deal with the B’s a couple days before Opening Night.

Swayman was able to play a career-high 57 games without any injuries, but his performance dipped dramatically. His .920 save percentage from 2020-21 through 2023-24 was the sixth-highest among all goalies. He fell to a career-low .892 save percentage and a 3.12 GAA this season, while also ranking 92nd of 102 qualifying goalies with a minus-9.2 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Last season, Swayman ranked fourth in goals saved above expected (plus-18.4).

It was stunning to see Swayman go from leading the 2024 playoffs in save percentage and GSAA, and then play so poorly this past season.

Swayman is not as bad as he looked in 2024-25. We have multiple seasons of data to support that. And it’s not like the team defended well in front of him, either. But he can’t play this poorly again. He’s the league’s fifth-highest paid goalie. The Bruins don’t have the offensive firepower to overcome bad goaltending, so it’s on Swayman to return to the top 10 level he’s played at for most of his career.

Develop young talent

It’s impossible to retool, especially in a quick manner, without good young players coming through the system. You can’t plug all your roster holes in free agency and the trade market. It’s too expensive and just not feasible.

Teams have to draft and develop young players who make a meaningful impact at the NHL level. And as a bonus, these players are on cheap, team-friendly contracts.

The Bruins have not developed many NHL regulars in recent years, and the ones they have — John Beecher, Jakub Lauko, etc. — are not impact players. Only seven of the 36 players selected by the Bruins in the last seven drafts have played in an NHL game. Only two of those seven — Beecher and Mason Lohrei — have played more than 100 games.

Lohrei has the potential to be a top-four defenseman someday. He’s a gifted offensive player and an excellent skater. He tallied 33 points in his first full season with the B’s. It’s important for the Bruins to give him every chance to improve.

The Bruins also need to figure out the best development path for Casey Mittelstadt — a 26-year-old center acquired in the Charlie Coyle trade. Fraser Minten, who was acquired in the Brandon Carlo trade, has the makings of a very good middle-six forward. Will Zellers, a prospect acquired in the Coyle deal, led the USHL with 44 goals and shows great potential as a scorer.

Fabian Lysell, Boston’s 2021 first-round pick, finally played in the NHL this season and put together a couple encouraging performances late in the year. His speed and skill are desperately needed. Poitras has shown flashes of being a good NHL player despite a disappointing 2024-25 season.

It’s OK to make big moves in free agency and the trade market once in a while, but there has to be a steady flow of young players coming up through the system. That’s how you build championship depth.

Find a legitimate top-six center

The Bruins were able to survive at center last season without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, both of whom retired after the 2023 playoffs. That wasn’t the case this season. The lack of suitable replacements for Boston’s two longtime centers was a massive problem.

Making matters worse for the Bruins is there aren’t any good internal options. Matt Poitras had a nice rookie season in 2023-24, but he underwhelmed this year, tallying one goal in 33 NHL games. He spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. Poitras still has potential as an NHL player, but thinking he could fill a top-six role any time soon would be foolish.

There aren’t any other prospects capable of stepping into that position, either, which highlights the importance of the Bruins using their 2025 first-round pick on the best center available.

Elias Lindholm was expected to be a top-six center, especially when he signed for top-six money (seven years, $54.25 million) on Day 1 of free agency last summer. Lindholm largely underwhelmed, often producing at the level of a No. 3 center. He has tallied 65-plus points only once since 2018-19.

The trade market is the best place for the Bruins to find a top-six center in the near future (more on that below).

Swing for the fences in trade market, free agency

The Bruins will have around $28 million in cap space this summer, per PuckPedia. They need to re-sign right wing Morgan Geekie and defenseman Mason Lohrei — both restricted free agents — but Sweeney does have some financial flexibility to chase big-ticket additions in free agency and/or the trade market.

The No. 1 player who could hit unrestricted free agency is Toronto Maple Leafs wing Mitch Marner. The 27-year-old forward is an elite offensive player who has averaged 95.25 points over the last four seasons, including a career-high 100 this year. It’s unknown whether the Leafs will let Marner get to free agency, but if he does hit the open market, the Bruins would be wise to make a run at him.

A center is Boston’s No. 1 need, but Marner is one of the league’s top playmakers. His 73 assists ranked tied for third-most with Connor McDavid.

Nikolaj Ehlers also could become a UFA. The Winnipeg Jets forward has scored 20-plus goals in eight of the last nine seasons, and he’s hit the 60-point mark in each of the last two seasons. The Bruins need a top-six left wing with Brad Marchand no longer on the roster, and Ehlers certainly would be able to fill that role.

The best center who could become a UFA is Florida Panthers veteran Sam Bennett. He scored 25 goals — the second-highest total of his career — in 76 games. He’ll be 29 years old in June. Bennett is a solid player and a winner, but he’s not the type of player who the Bruins should spend major money to acquire. Marner is far better offensively and a little younger.

Outside of Marner, there aren’t any real game-changers in free agency. So that leaves the trade market as perhaps the best place to make substantial upgrades.

The Bruins, as a result of their trade deadline deals, have a lot of good trade assets to use in the offseason. For starters, they have more early-round draft picks coming up than they’ve owned in a long time. That haul includes four first-round picks and five second-round picks over the next three drafts.

Top-six forwards are quite expensive to acquire via trade, and the Bruins might have to be creative to find a good deal. But the Bruins now have some talented prospects and a bunch of future draft picks, so they have the ammo to make a bold swing.

Hire the right coach

Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

The Bruins have had some really good head coaches over the last 10 years, but they’ve ended up firing all of them.

They fired Claude Julien during the 2016-17 season, which, in fairness, made sense at the time. They fired Bruce Cassidy after the 2022 playoffs and he won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights the very next season. They fired Jim Montgomery 20 games into this season and he helped the St. Louis Blues drastically improve and make the playoffs. Montgomery might actually receive some Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) votes.

This next hire — assuming it’s not interim head coach Joe Sacco — has to be able to develop young players and fix the special teams. The Bruins had the 29th-ranked power play and the 24th-ranked penalty kill this season.

The Bruins could look at an internal candidate such as Jay Leach, who has four years of assistant coach experience in the NHL. He also has four seasons of AHL head coaching experience with the Providence Bruins. Jay Pandolfo is the Boston University head coach, but before joining the Terriers, he was a Bruins assistant coach for several seasons. He would be a good candidate to pursue.

University of Denver head coach David Carle, who has done a tremendous job with that program (two national titles), should be ready for an NHL job. If the Pittsburgh Penguins move on from Mike Sullivan, would the B’s be interested in bringing back the Massachusetts native? Sullivan is an excellent coach who has won two Stanley Cup titles in Pittsburgh and also coaches Team USA.

The next coach will be the third that Sweeney has hired as GM. If he gets this one wrong, he might not get a fourth chance.

Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The Canucks wrapped up their season with a decent night from an analtyics perspective. Vegas won the even-strength scoring chances battle 18-17, while also holding a 7-6 advantage in even-strength high-danger chances. Overall, Vancouver was able to stay in this game for two periods, but were unable to hold off the Golden Knights during the third period.

The heatmap is a good representation of why the Canucks only scored one goal on Saturday. Vancouver elected to take most of their shots from distance, and struggled to create second-chance opportunities in the crease. The hope is that next season, the Canucks can become a team with a stronger net-front presence, which should lead to more goals and chances.

To wrap things up, Nils Höglander had a strong game for Vancouver. During his 13:22 of ice time, he recorded an assist and finished with an xGF% of 61.85. In the end, Höglander finished the season on a high and showed that he deserves a spot in the top six next year.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

The Calgary Flames (40-27-14) will travel to the City of Angels to face the Los Angeles Kings (48-24-9) for their final regular-season game.

This game was originally scheduled for Jan. 8, but was postponed due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.

With the playoff pursuit now over, the Flames are expected to set shape their future by suiting up Zayne Parekh, Sam Morton, Hunter Brzustewicz and Aydar Suniev for their debuts against L.A. Full article on these skaters here.

The Kings on the hand have already qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are slated to face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Several of their top players have been listed as day-to-day including defensemen Drew Doughty, Joel Edmundson, Mikey Anderson, center Anze Kopitar, wings Quinton Byfield and Tanner Jeannot.  It will not be a surprise to see them not in action, in hopes of being rested and ready for the post-season.

HEADS 2 HEAD

At even-strength, Calgary’s save percentage is the third-highest against Los Angeles. They average 30.5 shots on goal per game against the Flames, which is the ninth in the league. The Kings’ power play is ranked tenth based on the performance of the last 30 days. With L.A. not being at full strength, expect those numbers to be different.

Dustin Wolf is expected to suit up for his ninth-consecutive game and to his relief, his final of an outstanding season.

Meanwhile, the Kings’ save percentage is the fifth-best against the Flames of all teams. However, Calgary averages a league-low 23 shots on goals per game to L.A. Both those numbers could look also look different with a younger Flames lineup. It will also be interesting to see how the power play turns out. Before a rare two-power-play-goal night against Vegas on Tuesday, the Flames were 3-for-20 in the man-advantage.

TALE OF THE TAPE (SKATERS)

TALE OF THE TAPE (GOALIES)

Puck drops at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles tonight at 7:30 MT/9:30 ET.

The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their 2024-25 season with a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Pius Suter scored the only goal while Kevin Lankinen stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced through two periods. Nikita Tolopilo was credited with the loss, as he made six saves on eight shots in the third period.

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Despite a strong first period, Vancouver was unable to gain momentum as they were outscored 4-0 in the second and third periods. The Canucks could not match the Golden Knights speed, as they fell for the 16th time this season in regulation at home. In the end, it felt as though the only people in Vancouver who had energy in the third were the fans, as they started multiple chants near the end of the game.

Games like Saturday are a good reminder of how much the Canucks need to improve their roster ahead of next season. Yes, getting players like Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, and Tyler Myers will help, but the difference in speed and skill was on full display during the 4-1 loss. Despite neither team having anything to play for, Vancouver was still outshot 29-17, with the team once again recording more missed shots (20) than those that hit the net.

Shifting off the ice, Saturday was long-time equipment manager Pat O'Neill's final game with the organization. O'Neill has been working in the NHL for over 40 years, and has been with the Canucks since the late 80's. Not only did O'Neill receive a standing ovation, but every player on the Golden Knights roster ensured they went by the bench after the game to shake his hand.

"He's just a terrific person," said Quinn Hughes post-game. "We've had some great years, some tough years here through the six years I've been here. He's one guy that, no matter what, you come in and he's got a smile on his face. He's the same person to everyone. He acts the same every single day. So he's a legend in Vancouver, a pillar for the organization. He's seen so much, so many great players, great people, coaches and captains. He's definitely a legend here, and he'll be missed. I talked to him today. I know he's planning to still be around the rink a little bit. It's gonna be probably hard to go cold turkey for him, but yeah, just a tremendous, tremendous human being."

In the end, Vancouver's season ends with more questions than answers. They will miss the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and may be on the verge of losing key contributors in free agency in Brock Boeser, Pius Suter, Derek Forbort and Rick Tocchet. Ultimately, the next few months will be challenging for the organization as this management group looks to build a roster that can compete for a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Stats and Facts:

- Pius Suter sets a new career high with 25 goals
- Conor Garland hits the 50-point mark for the second time in his career
- Kiefer Sherwood finishes the season with 462 hits
- The Vancouver Canucks finish the 2024-25 season with a 38-30-14 record

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

8:23- VAN: Pius Suter (25) from Conor Garland and Nils Höglander

2nd Period:

18:33- VGK: Victor Olofsson (15) from William Karlsson and Shea Theodore

3rd Period:

7:59- VGK: Pavel Dorofeyev from Victor Olofsson and Ben Hutton
10:45- VGK: Jack Eichel (28) from Ben Hutton and Brett Howden
18:28- VGK: Cole Schwindt (1) from Shea Theodore (ENG)

Up Next:

Year End Media- Friday, April 16, 2025

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.