The Buffalo Sabres battled the Florida Panthers in the first of a Sunshine State back-to-back, tying the game late on a JJ Peterka power play goal, before falling 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday, but the game marked scary incidents to Sabres rookie center Jiri Kulich and defenseman Owen Power.

Kulich was slammed at center ice by Panther forward Jonah Gadjovich with a high hit late in the second period, which drew the rebuke of a number of Buffalo teammates, but Gadjovich was not penalized for the hit. Gadjovich later dropped the gloves with Sabres winger Alex Tuch.

Jonah Gadjovich NAILS Jiri Kulich in open ice and the Sabres go after him 😳💥 pic.twitter.com/qrPOhRyzdW

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 12, 2025

Other Sabres Stories

Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday?The Buffalo Sabres are currently focused on finishing off the 2024-25 season on a positive note after most of the campaign being dominated by the negative. The club is looking to win their third game in a row in Utah on Thursday after a shootout win over Vegas on Saturday and an overtime victory in Boston on Monday. Barring an incredibly successful final 16 games, the Sabres are likely to finish in the bottom five of the NHL standings, and with a number of questions that will need to be addressed in the offseason. Dahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of BuffaloAs if the Buffalo Sabres do not have enough drama with the club heading for their 14th consecutive season outside of the playoffs, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin refuted a report from TNT panelist and Spittin Chiclets co-host Paul Bissonette that the Sabres team captain met with GM Kevyn Adams and wants out of Buffalo if the club does not improve quickly. Sabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The AthleticThe Buffalo Sabres season began with the hope of ending their long playoff drought and will end on April 17th with a 14th consecutive year outside of the postseason. There are a number of contributing factors to the club’s struggles, but according to an article in the Athletic that surveyed fans from every NHL club, Sabres owner Terry Pegula is ranked last among the 32 owners.

“A tough hit. (It’s) debatable whether it was clean or not,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “They are claiming that (the puck) touched (Kulich’s) stick. I’ve watched it few times, I’m not going to debate whether it hit or barely touched his stick or not.”

Power left the game in the middle frame after Mattias Samuelsson knocked Carter Verhaeghe into the Sabres blueliner’s leg and rolled up on his left ankle. Ruff indicated that Power would likely not play in the second of back-to-back games against Tampa Bay, with Jacob Bryson stepping in on the left side, but the injury looked to be more severe and potentially could end Power’s season with just three games remaining.

Owen Power injury #Sabrehood#TimeToHuntpic.twitter.com/zSKlcgHYKj

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) April 13, 2025

After Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves in the loss to Florida, James Reimer will get the start against the Lightning.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

Nashville Predators prospect Joakim Kemell is considered one of the team's most promising youngsters. The 20-year-old forward is continuing to develop his game at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Milwaukee Admirals and is in the middle of a solid season that saw him play in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic.

In 63 games this season with the Admirals, Kemell has posted 18 goals, 21 assists, and 39 points. Overall, he has shown good upside with the AHL squad, but this is especially the case with his most recent play.

Kemell is starting to heat up for the Admirals, as he has three points in his last two contests. This includes a two-goal night against the Iowa Wild in the Admirals' 5-0 win on April 9.

Seeing Kemell put together some solid games is undoubtedly encouraging for the Predators. The hope is that the 2022 first-round pick will blossom into a key forward for the Predators in the future, and it will be intriguing to see how he builds on his hot stretch of play from here. 

In 144 career AHL games with the Admirals, Kemell has 40 goals, 53 assists, and 93 points. He also appeared in his first two NHL games back in February, where he recorded eight shots. 

Recent Predators News 

Predators Sign Tough Guy To Contract ExtensionThe Nashville Predators have announced that they have signed forward Navrin Mutter to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2025-26 season. Former Predators Forward Done For The SeasonPittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has announced that former Nashville Predators forward Tommy Novak will be out for the rest of the season.  Nashville Predators Sign Goalie To Multi-Year ExtensionThe Nashville Predators have announced that they have signed goaltender Matt Murray to a two-year, two-way contract extension. At the NHL level, he will carry a $775,000 cap hit.

In their final home game of the 2024-25 season, the Ducks will take on the Colorado Avalanche.

Anaheim is looking to bounce back from a 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Apr. 10. The Avalanche are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Kings on Saturday. They will be without several key players––including Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar--due to injuries and maintenance.

Defenseman Ian Moore will make his NHL debut for the Ducks after signing his entry-level contract (ELC) on Saturday. He will be paired with veteran Jacob Trouba, a natural right-hander who will shift to the left and play his off-side.

"It's been an awesome couple of days," Moore said. "I'm super excited for my family and it's a dream come true. I'm super honored to have this opportunity. Hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm really excited for it."

"He's a young kid," Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. "First NHL game, he's gonna be excited. He had a little bit of practice time yesterday and he looked like he had pretty good footwork. I think his Harvard pedigree is a reflection of his IQ. Hopefully, that transfers to the ice. Excited to watch him."

"Trouba's been around a long time and he can play the left side, which will help the two righties. I think his experience on both halves of the ice will help the team and that line that's on the ice with them."

- Ducks head coach Greg Cronin on the decision to pair Ian Moore with Jacob Trouba.

Lukáš Dostál will start against the Avalanche, with the opportunity to rebound from a tough performance against the Kings. Dostál will look to replicate his bounceback performance from Apr. 7, when he stopped 45 saves en route to a 3-2 win after allowing six goals in the previous game.

Ducks Projected Lines

Cutter Gauthier - Leo Carlsson - Alex Killorn
Trevor Zegras - Ryan Strome - Frank Vatrano
Nikita Nesterenko - Mason McTavish - Troy Terry
Jansen Harkins - Isac Lundeström - Sam Colangelo

Jackson LaCombe - Radko Gudas
Jacob Trouba - Ian Moore
Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson

Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)

Avalanche Projected Lines

Artturi Lehkonen - Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta - Charlie Coyle - Martin Nečas
Parker Kelly - Jack Drury - Logan O'Connor
Jere Innala - Chris Wagner - Jimmy Vesey

Sam Girard - Erik Johnson
Keaton Middleton - Sam Malinski
Wyatt Aamodt - Jack Ahcan

Scott Wedgewood (confirmed)

Tim Stutzle scored twice, including the overtime winner, as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre. Thomas Chabot chipped in with a goal and two helpers as the Senators officially nailed down the top wild card position in the East.  By not winning in regulation, they now cannot go any higher or lower in the standings.

Ottawa typically thrives when scoring first—they lead the NHL with the best record after scoring the first goal in a game—but this was a game they never led, getting outshot 32-25 in the process.

After a scoreless first, Flyers tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers found himself wide open in front of the Ottawa net and tucked home his own rebound to make it 1–0. Losing track of a player like Deslauriers in coverage is a bit like not noticing that a grizzly bear is in your living room.

But less than a minute later, Stützle took a crisp lead pass from Thomas Chabot, sprinted past his man and cut to the middle to tie the game at 1.

With under three minutes left in the second period, Noah Cates restored the Flyers' lead. On a one-on-one with Chabot, Cates got his shot off, skated around him to grab the rebound, and then beat Anton Forsberg on the wraparound to make it 2–1.

Early in the third, at 4:41, Shane Pinto floated a slick saucer pass to Fabian Zetterlund, who showed off his elite release and snapped one past Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov to tie it at 2.

But less than three minutes later, Garnet Hathaway scored from a bad angle, beating Forsberg short side—a save attempt the Sens goalie, to put it kindly, would love to have another go at.

With under eight minutes to play, Angus Crookshank set up Thomas Chabot at the top of the right circle. Chabot fired a wrister high to the blocker side, tying the game once again at 3–3.

In overtime, after Travis Sanheim went off for interference on an obvious pick play, the Senators went to work, 4-on-3. When Cates lost his stick, the Sens were able to throw the puck around freely. Finally, in a perfect tic-tac-toe play started by Claude Giroux, Stutzle one-timed a perfect pass from Drake Batherson to win it.

Since it wasn't in regulation, the OT victory officially locks the Senators into the Wild Card 1 position. With two games to play, they could still finish the season tied with either Tampa Bay or Florida, but now they can’t catch them in regulation wins, which is the first tiebreaker.

That means the Sens will face the winner of the Atlantic Division in the first round of the playoffs, which will either be Toronto or Tampa Bay. The Leafs have a four point lead on the Lightning with three games to play.  

By Steve Warne
THN Ottawa Site Editor

Sens Headlines:

- Andlauer Reflects On Playoffs; Could New NHL App Help Mitigate Dadonov Fallout?
- Brady Tkachuk: 'I Don’t Think I’d Ever Miss An Opportunity To Play In The Playoffs
- The Five Core Ottawa Senator Players Most Ready To Finally Experience Playoffs
- David Perron Chosen As Ottawa Senators 2025 Masterton Trophy Nominee
- CLINCHED: Ottawa Senators Officially Clinch First Playoff Spot In Eight Years
- Former Ottawa Senators Assistant GM Ray Shero Passes Away At Age 62

During the New Jersey Devils' April 13 contest against the New York Islanders, forward Paul Cotter was given a match penalty for an illegal check to the head on defenseman Adam Pelech. 

The play occurred during the second period of the matchup. After Pelech dumped the puck into the Devils' zone, Cotter caught the Islanders blueliner with a shoulder to the head. 

Following the hit, Pelech was noticeably bleeding and later ruled out for the remainder of the contest. 

Paul Cotter was given a match penalty for this hit on Adam Pelech

Pelech got up and was FURIOUS at Cotter 😳 pic.twitter.com/OESobMUf28

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 13, 2025

Cotter, 25, was acquired by the Devils this past off-season from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. In 79 games this season with the Devils, Cotter has 16 goals and 22 points. 

In 217 career NHL games over four seasons split between the Golden Knights and Devils, Cotter has 38 goals, 29 assists, 67 points, 109 penalty minutes, and 661 hits. 

Recent Devils News 

Devils Forward Continues To Be Strong AdditionThe New Jersey Devils made several moves this past off-season that helped them turn things around this campaign. Among their notable ones was signing forward Stefan Noesen to a three-year, $8.25 million contract.  New Jersey Devils Star Continues To DominateThe New Jersey Devils picked up an impressive 4-0 win against the New York Rangers on April 6. With this, the Devils have improved to a 41-29-7 record on the season and have won each of their last three games.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Bo Horvat scored late in the second period and Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves and the Islanders topped the Devils 1-0 on Sunday.

Horvat intercepted an attempted pass by Devils forward Timo Meier and fired a shot past goalie Jacob Markstrom with 57 seconds left in the middle period for his 28th goal this season. The Islanders held on as Sorokin improved to 30-23-6 with his fourth shutout this season and the 22nd of his career.

This is the second time the 29-year-old Russian netminder has reached the 30-win mark in his five-year NHL career.

The Islanders snapped a three-game losing streak by winning a day after they were eliminated from postseason contention with a shootout loss at Philadelphia. New York made the playoffs the past two seasons, losing to Carolina both times in the first round.

This was the ninth time the Devils were blanked this season.

Devils captain Nico Hischier had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the waning seconds but shot the puck wide.

New Jersey is heading to the postseason for the second time in three years. The Devils will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round. New Jersey defeated the Rangers in seven games in the opening round two years ago, then lost to Carolina in the second round.

Markstrom made 21 saves for the Devils.

Takeaways

Devils: Fell to 19-16-5 at home. New Jersey is 22-16-2 on the road.

Islanders: Improved to 16-17-7 on the road with their first away win since March 18.

Key moment

Sorokin, who hadn’t played since allowing Alexander Ovechkin’s record-breaking 895th goal last Sunday at UBS Arena, returned from a three-game absence with a lower body injury with a flawless performance.

Key stat

The Islanders are 19-5-6 when scoring first and 15-29-6 when allowing the opening goal.

Up next

Devils: Visiting the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Islanders: Hosting the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

With only two games remaining on their 2024-25 schedule, the Pittsburgh Penguins don't want to go out with a whimper. 

And their injury-depleted lineup will see some relief on Sunday afternoon.

Forward Philip Tomasino will be back in the lineup on Sunday against the Boston Bruins, who have fallen to the basement of the Eastern Conference with a 2-8 record in their last 10 games. 

Tomasino has been out since Apr. 5 with a concussion, and he will slot into a new spot in the lineup on a fourth line with Vasily Ponomarev and Joona Koppanen. Tristan Jarry will get the nod in goal for the third straight game.

Here is the rest of the Penguins' lineup:

Today's lineup vs. Boston ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GQyNnAWedI

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 13, 2025

Entering the game, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is one point shy of registering his third consecutive 90-point season and the ninth of his NHL career. Crosby sits at 32 goals and 89 points.

Bryan Rust needs one more goal to hit the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career, and Rickard Rakell - sitting at 34 goals - is one tally shy of setting a new career-high. His 68 points also puts him just one point shy of tying his career-best mark set in 2017-18 with the Anaheim Ducks.

In addition, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk enters Sunday's matchup just two points shy of hitting the 40-point mark for the first time in his NHL career.

'I Would Love To Come Back': After Career Year, Grzelcyk Hopes To Stay In PittsburghWhen defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made the decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer, he did so with the mindset that he'd come in and be granted some opportunity to rediscover his game.

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