Category Archives: Hockey News

Hockey News

Bo Horvat scores lone goal in Islanders' shutout win over Devils

Leave a comment

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.

Hockey News, The Hockey News

Stars Vs. Avalanche Set To Be A Blockbuster, But Who Will Advance To Second Round?

Leave a comment
Jake Oettinger, Valeri Nichushkin and Esa Lindell (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are nearly here, and already, we know many of the first-round matchups we’ll be seeing.

In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes will be taking on the New Jersey Devils. The Washington Capitals will be squaring off against the Montreal Canadiens or the Columbus Blue Jackets. And in the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets will be battling one of the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild or Calgary Flames, and the Los Angeles Kings will be facing the Edmonton Oilers. To be sure, there will be no shortage of drama right out of the gate in the playoffs.

However, the first-round showdown we’re most interested in will be the Dallas Stars against the Colorado Avalanche. This will be the second time since 2019-20 that the Stars and Avs have faced each other in the post-season, with Dallas winning both series. But this time around, we believe the Avalanche have what it takes to beat the Stars and win their first-round series for the second season in a row. 

A lot of the Stars’ fortunes will depend on the status of star defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who hasn’t played since Jan. 28 due to a knee injury that required surgery. Dallas has gone 18-7-5 in Heiskanen’s absence, but Heiskanen could miss the entire first round, and being without a first-pair blueliner who can play 25 minutes a night could be devastating for the Stars’ playoff aspirations.

Given that Colorado has superstar D-man Cale Makar – the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Norris Trophy as the league’s top blueliner – not having Heiskanen to counterbalance Makar’s impact might be the difference that pushes the Avalanche to victory in the opening round.

Colorado has gone 2-1-0 against Dallas this season, with the Avs winning the two most recent games, including a 4-3 overtime win on March 16. And the Avalanche’s lone loss to the Stars this year came on Nov. 29, well before Colorado remade their goaltending tandem and altered much of their lineup.

But in the two Avalanche wins over Dallas, the Avs didn’t play No. 1 netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, going instead with backup Scott Wedgewood. So the Stars are going to get their first up-close look at Blackwood in Game 1 of their upcoming series, and the Stars’ lack of familiarity with Blackwood could play out to Colorado’s advantage.

Dallas does indeed have the edge in some significant team stats, with a slightly better goals-for average of 3.38 per game (compared to the Avs’ average of 3.32) and a better goals-against average of 2.64 (compared to Colorado’s average of 2.83).

However, the Avalanche have the better power play at 24.7 percent (compared to Dallas’ average of 22.8 percent). And given that special teams often matter greatly in the post-season, the Avs could benefit from their potent play with the man-advantage.

We’ll be offering our predictions for the entire first round once the series matchups are all confirmed. But for now, we’re going to say we like the Avalanche to narrowly beat out the Stars this time around.

Colorado’s lineup is stacked with first-rate talent, and Dallas’ lineup doesn’t have a shortage of skill, either. But we believe the Avs have the best player in the series in superstar center Nathan MacKinnon, and his determination to win is likely to push Colorado into the second round. 

And regardless of who wins, the Stars/Avalanche series is going to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the opening round – and the winner of the series could go on to win it all.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Hockey News

Penguins V. Bruins Preview: Tomasino Returns To Lineup

Leave a comment
Mar 1, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Philip Tomasino (53) defends Boston Bruins center John Beecher (19) during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

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:

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 Pittsburgh'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.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!      

Hockey News

Sorokin’s Shutout Leads Islanders 1-0 Past Devils

Leave a comment
Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The New York Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

It was the first game for the Islanders following their elimination from playoff contention.

Ilya Sorokin returned to the crease following his injury in the Islanders' 7-6 loss to the Nashville Predators on April 8. 

Jacob Markstrom made his first start since April 8 when he conceded seven goals on 23 shots in a loss to the Boston Bruins.

Here’s how it happened:

Penalties by Casey Cizikas and Nathan Bastian gave both teams a power play in the first half of the period, but neither capitalized.

The Islanders nearly opened the scoring at 11:01, but it was deemed not to be a goal.

Around the 13:30 mark, Pierre Engvall fired a wrist shot off the post, followed by Hudson Fasching’s rebound attempt, which was turned aside by Markstrom.

The Devils outshot the Islanders 10-8 in the period.

A Paul Cotter elbow to Adam Pelech at the 6:00 mark resulted in a five-minute major and match penalty. This was the second time Cotter has been ejected from a game for an illegal hit to the head, the last time coming in 2023.

The hit left Pelech with blood gushing from his nose as he left the ice:

He did not return.

The Islanders had one shot on goal and did not score during the five-minute power play.

Bo Horvat found the game’s first goal in the final minute when he intercepted a Timo Meier pass before sniping Markstrom glove-side:

This was Horvat’s 28th goal of the season and fourth in his past six games.

The Devils outshot the Islanders 6-5 in the period.

It was an uneventful third period that saw neither side generate much offense.

Sorokin turned aside all 23 shots faced for the shutout and Horvat found the game's lone goal as the Islanders earned their 35th win of the season.

UP NEXT: The Islanders battle the Washington Capitals on Tuesday at 7:30 EST.