Oilers Defeat Jets 4-1 as Stuart Skinner Wins in Return
The Edmonton Oilers are safely in a playoff spot as they finish out their 2024-25 regular season campaign. On Sunday (Apr. 13), they took on the best team in the…
Category Archives: Hockey News
Blue Jackets Complete Weekend Sweep of Capitals to Stay in Playoff Race
The Columbus Blue Jackets knew what they had to do on Sunday night against the Washington Capitals. They needed to win. Otherwise, their playoff race would end. Thanks to a…
Maple Leafs Defeat the Hurricanes 4-1
Sunday afternoon (April 13), the Carolina Hurricanes hosted their last regular-season home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Lenovo Center. Both teams were looking to win the season…
3 Takeaways From Penguins Lackluster 4-1 Loss To Bruins
The Pittsburgh Penguins had six periods left in their 2024-25 season. On Sunday at PPG Paints Arena, they played an equally disappointing Boston Bruins team and walked away with a lackluster 4-1 loss.
Ultimately, the Penguins didn't generate much through 40 minutes, only playing with passion and grit in the final period. The game was out of reach at 3-1 before an empty net tally sealed a victory for the visitors.
Now, at 33-36-12, Pittsburgh will finish below .500 for the first time since 2005-06.
Rakell Continues Career Season
Rickard Rakell had the Penguins' only goal on Sunday, a power play tally late in the second period. His 35th of the year is a new career high. Meanwhile, with his 69th point, he's just one shy of reaching 70 for the first time.
As Pittsburgh's leading goal-scorer, Rakell extends a franchise streak of at least one player scoring 35 goals to four seasons, following Jake Guentel (2022, 2023) and Sidney Crosby (2024).
A Lot of Passengers on Sunday's Train
The Penguins have had their fair share of good and bad moments over the last month, which resulted in their early playoff elimination. However, with a struggling Bruins team in town, it seemed like the Penguins were no match for a team below them in the standings.
In the first, the home team had six shots and didn't significantly increase their total in the middle period until the second half of the frame. At the end of 40 minutes, the Bruins were up 3-1 and outshooting Pittsburgh 26-15.
Unfortunately, by the time the Penguins showed up to play, banging bodies and making plays along the goalline, time was running out. Veteran Evgeni Malkin registered no shots on goal, one of only two forwards not to pepper Joonas Korpisalo.
Meanwhile, no skater registered a positive plus/minus rating, and the Bruins outscored the Penguins in the face-off circle.
What's Next: Season Finale
The 2024-25 Penguins have one more game together next Thursday when they host Alex Ovechkin for the season finale. Since breaking the all-time goals record, the Capitals are 1-1-0 with their playoff spot locked up.
After Sunday's performance, these Penguins have one final opportunity to give fans something to cheer about this season. Ultimately, it's the one chance players like Crosby, Rakell, and Bryan Rust have a chance to reach a personal milestone.
Moreover, it could be the final time fans see Tristan Jarry or Matt Grzelyck in a Penguins sweater. Considering the franchise's draft capitals at the upcoming draft, plus plenty of cap space, change is on the horizon, and Thursday night will be the last time we see this group together.
Rakell Sets New Career-High In 'Slow' 4-1 Loss To Bruins
Heading into a Sunday matinee matchup with the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins hoped to take advantage of a team in free fall and sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Unfortunately, the Penguins were dead on arrival.
Pittsburgh dropped the penultimate game of their season, 4-1, to a Bruins team that was simply more ready from the jump. They outshot the Penguins 26-16 through the first 40 minutes, and that reflected in the score.
Boston got the scoring started at the last moments of the first period. With three seconds remaining on the clock, Elias Lindholm put home his own rebound at the net-front to give Boston a 1-0 lead. They added on in the second period, as Fabian Lysell scored his first NHL goal on the power play a little past the midway point and Morgan Geekie added a third goal a few minutes later.
The Penguins got a late-period goal of their own in the second, however, and it was a milestone one. With 16 seconds remaining in the middle frame, Philip Tomasino took a pass from Ville Koivunen and then fired a shot-pass of his own toward the net. Rickard Rakell was waiting on the backdoor, and it hit the shaft of Rakell’s stick and went in.
That goal was Rakell’s 35th of season, which set a new career-high for the scoring forward. He also registered his 69th point on the goal, which ties his career-high set in 2017-18 with the Anaheim Ducks. And he said a better start this season was a huge part of his resurgence.
“I think I just got off to a good start, and then, you obviously start feeling better after that and just [start] trusting your game,” Rakell said.
After the Rakell goal, unfortunately, any momentum the Penguins had at the end of the second period died off in the third. The Bruins played a pretty stingy brand of hockey - as they’re known to do - and Jakub Lauko added an empty-net goal within the final three minutes of regulation to shut the door.
Head coach Mike Sullivan was not particularly pleased with his group’s energy level and felt that the Penguins played a slow game throughout.
“It was a slow game, period,” Sullivan said. “I thought our goaltender was terrific. The rest of it, it’s hard to find a positive.”
Even In Passing, Shero Leaves Legacy On Penguins OrganizationIt's hard to talk about the Sidney Crosby-era Pittsburgh Penguins without talking about former general manager Ray Shero.
Here are some thoughts and observations from this one:
- First and foremost, there was a really nice video tribute to former Penguins general manager Ray Shero, who died Wednesday at the age of 62. before the game. Both the Penguins’ and Bruins’ starters on the ice - typically lined up on the blue lines in preparation for the game - actually backed up toward the benches in order to be able to view the tribute on the jumbotron.
If that doesn’t tell you how much love the Penguins - and the league at large - have for Shero, I’m not sure what does. He will be sorely missed by everyone in hockey and by the Penguins.
- Ponomarev looks okay. I do like his tenacity and his ability to extend shifts. Sullivan and Dubas have both talked about his “motor,” which is definitely on display.
But I do think there are some details in terms of the speed of the game that he needs to get more accustomed to with more NHL experience. His reads are a bit slow, the timing of his passes is off, and he sometimes still gets caught playing the man-to-man defensive style that the Carolina Hurricanes deployed before he was brought to Pittsburgh in the Jake Guentzel trade.
That being said, development for a player like Ponomarev is going to be much different than for players like Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen. He is a bottom-six player, and his ceiling is likely third-line center. A lot of his development will be focused on defensive details, reads, forechecking, and versatility.
Don’t expect Ponomarev to look like an impact player right away. Eight NHL games - and only six with the Penguins spread across three stints - is not anywhere close to enough time to make any sort of judgment on whether or not he’ll be an effective NHL player within his role.
Remember, development doesn’t stop when players reach the NHL level. There is still a learning and adjustment curve. You might see that with Ponomarev.
- Speaking of Koivunen, I’m not sure what else I can say at this point. This guy has not missed a beat playing in Pittsburgh’s top-six, as he has five points in seven games - including a four-game point streak.
But it’s not even the production that impresses me most. It’s his hockey sense and his reads. He’s always right where he needs to be in order to make and execute plays. His vision is legitimate, and it marries well with both Crosby and Malkin.
The transition has been seamless for Koivunen, as it was for McGroarty before his season-ending injury. If they can keep this up, this is very, very good news for the Penguins and their chances at a quicker turnaround.
- Jarry was absolutely phenomenal in the first period for the Penguins. He did surrender the late goal - not really his fault on that one - but the Bruins were peppering him with shots in the latter half of the opening frame.
'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.
- In the seven games since being moved off of Sidney Crosby’s line, Rickard Rakell does have three goals and six points. However, all three goals - and five of those points - have come on the man advantage.
It seems abundantly clear that Rakell has an immense amount of chemistry with Sidney Crosby. But if the Penguins are going to give younger guys like McGroarty and Koivunen legitimate runway at the NHL level in 2025-26 - and Rakell is still around - this may pose a bit of an issue.
I think the simple solution is to swap Rakell and Bryan Rust, as Rust has historically meshed well with Evgeni Malkin. But it will also be interesting to see whether or not the Penguins target a second-line center this offseason.
In any case, if Rakell is on this team, he should be playing with Crosby. This was the first season in which he spent the vast majority of his minutes alongside 87 - and it’s hard to argue with the results.
_ I want to focus on Rakell a bit more.
What a season he has had. Just one year ago, social media keyboard warriors were writing him off during a down season that was set back by a slow start and a few injuries.
I’ve said it time and time again, but this is the kind of player Rakell is when he has the opportunity to play with an elite playmaking center. As long as he and Crosby play together - and he remains healthy - he is going to put the puck in the net.
Crosby, Rakell Continue Dominance As Top DuoAfter the 2024 NHL trade deadline, Pittsburgh Penguins POHO and GM Kyle Dubas traded captain Sidney Crosby's best winger in Jake Guentzel. It seemed to be the first domino to fall in an effort to sell off the team's marketable, talented assets to begin pushing toward the future.
I don’t know what is going to happen this summer with Rakell. My gut feeling is that he will be a Pittsburgh Penguin when the puck drops for the 2025-26 season. Regardless, he’s a heck of a player on both sides of the puck, and he’s a valuable piece to any team interested in contending.
_ Well, there’s just one more. And that’s when the Washington Capitals come to town on Thursday for fan appreciation night.
Pens fans, do Alex Ovechkin a favor and show him some appreciation on Thursday. He deserves it. And take it all in, because - by all accounts - we don’t have much time left to watch Crosby and Ovechkin square off. Ovechkin has indicated that he plans to retire following the expiration of his contract in 2026.
So just enjoy this rivalry for what it is, and has been, for two decades.
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NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2025-04-14 18:44:32
NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2025-04-14 21:23:37
Former NHLer Rob Pearson Looks Back On His Career From Leafs Winger To Jr. A Coach
By Ella Tsotsos, The Hockey News Intern
Rob Pearson, a former OHL and NHL player, recently announced his departure as the head coach of the Pickering Panthers in the Ontario Jr. A League. Pearson played for several teams during his junior and professional career, including the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, which was the team he played for when he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1989.
Growing up, Pearson‘s parents had season tickets for Toronto and being able to watch the Leafs from a young age kept the franchise close to his heart. The 1989 NHL draft was held in Minnesota, and Pearson’s experience was unforgettable. After being selected 12th overall, Pearson recalls going out for dinner with Leafs legend George Armstrong. Pearson was informed by Armstrong that it was the first time that a draft pick had ordered two steaks at dinner.
The 1989 draft was the first time – and only time – in which three players from the same OHL team were selected by the same NHL team in the first round. The Leafs drafted Scott Thornton at No. 3 overall, followed by Pearson at 12th overall and Steve Bancroft at 21st overall, the final pick in the first round. All three players had suited up for Belleville during the 1988-89 OHL season.
“We were fortunate,” Pearson said. “It was Scottie, then I went 12th, and Steve Bancroft went 21st. So, as friends and guys on the same team, it was awesome. We really enjoyed it.”
Pearson played parts of six NHL seasons from 1991-92 to 1996-97, getting into 269 NHL games. After that, he spent a few years in the AHL and IHL before a final season in Germany with the Frankfurt Lions in 2001-02.
Pearson shared that it was a difficult transition adjusting to life after hockey. He said he took a break from everything and learned how to take care of a home until he began making calls to figure out what he wanted to do next.
Michael Boyer, a Chevrolet dealer located in Pickering, Ont., represented a new chapter for Pearson. He joined the car dealership, and Pearson now holds the title of Business Elite Manager. And once he had his post-playing career in order, with hockey still in the back of his mind, Pearson began coaching and becoming a mentor.
Pearson coached various teams, and one in particular was the Pickering Panthers in the OJHL. Pearson coached the team from 2019 through this season before announcing his departure at the end of the campaign. From playing professionally to coaching, this transition is common with many players. His son, Luke, is a goalie for Yale University. To have the privilege to learn from a professional player goes a long way.
"You just felt it was a good opportunity to be able to give back and help these kids out, that maybe a path that you took was wrong or a path that you took was right, that I could go and help them individually,” Pearson said.
Pearson’s hockey career was well travelled, as he played for Belleville and Oshawa in the OHL, Toronto, Washington and St. Louis in the NHL, Portland and Worcester in the AHL, Cleveland, Orlando and Long Beach in the IHL, and, finally, Frankfurt in Germany’s DEL.
His highest-scoring seasons came in the OHL when he scored 48 goals and 88 points with Belleville in 1989-90 and then 63 goals and 118 points with Belleville and Oshawa in 1990-91.
In his NHL draft season of 1988-89, Pearson missed much of the Bulls’ campaign due to an injury – he scored eight goals and 20 points in 26 games as an OHL rookie that season – so there were some questions as to where he would go in the draft.
He ended up being selected 12th overall in the first round, and Pearson lived up to the role that everyone hoped for during his first season with the Leafs, with 14 goals and 24 points in 47 games during the 1991-92 campaign. In 1992-93, he enjoyed his best NHL season, placing fourth on the Leafs with 23 goals and leading Toronto with 211 penalty minutes.
"We were thrilled to get 'our man,’ ” said former Leafs GM Gord Stellick, who drafted Pearson.
The Leafs had been pining for Pearson, as they wanted a player with outstanding stats and grit. Pearson was a player that stood out because he played a physical game but also had offensive talent. The 1980s and '90s were an era in the NHL when the physicality of the game was very prominent.
“Guys that could score, guys that could skate, like a guy like Brendan Shanahan,” Pearson said. “He was somebody that held you accountable on the ice, but he could play the game.”
Pearson played most of his professional games in the AHL, where he did very well for himself. After his playing career and to the present day, he became a mentor in the hockey world, providing invaluable insight to shaping hockey players.
“I believe that if you can teach these young men that it's not a race, if you can teach them to learn how to find their game and play their game, if you can teach them to find their path and not to be in such a rush to climb the ladder and get to that next level, to be patient and understand that the level will come to you and you'll get there eventually,” Pearson said.
Pearson announced his departure from the Panthers at the end of the 2024-25 season. He led the Panthers to victory as the Buckland Cup champions after defeating the Toronto Junior Canadiens in 2022. Pearson was also named coach of the year in 2021-22 after guiding the Panthers to a 39-10-1-3 record, which was the second-best record in the 21-team Jr. A league.
While he steps away from the game for now, Pearson cherishes the many memories he made in hockey – even the ones that came with a few bruises. “I remember leaving the arena black and blue and looking right away who's your opponent for the next game, because sometimes you had those tough sleeps at night knowing Detroit is coming in or Chicago is coming in or whoever's coming in, and you knew what you had to deal with the next night,” Pearson said.
The journey has been long for Pearson, but hockey has always found a way to stick with him.
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Avalanche's Resting Of Stars Is The Right Thing To Do
The Colorado Avalanche are locked into a first-round matchup against the Dallas Stars in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. And on Saturday night in Los Angeles, the Avs pulled key stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Jonathan Drouin in a loss against the Kings. And the Avalanche were absolutely right to engage in a form of "asset management" that ensures Colorado will be at its best when the Stars series kicks off.
Sure, some fans may want the Avalanche to put their foot on the gas and generate their best record they can put up. And while it's true the Avs have now lost three of their past four games and five of their past eight games, the bottom line is that nothing they can do of late will change that first-round showdown against Dallas.
With that in mind, why would Colorado coach Jared Bednar and Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland risk MacKinnon, Makar, Toews and Drouin being injured in a relatively meaningless game? It doesn't make sense, which is why the Avs will almost certainly rest those four players again in Colorado's final regular season game, against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night.
Gabriel Landeskog Set to Play in His First Professional Game Since 2022Loveland, Colo. - The Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles (AHL) announced this morning that Gabriel Landeskog will dress for the Colorado Eagles in their match tonight against the Henderson Silver Knights. This will be his Eagles debut.
The Avalanche may get a bonus addition in the first round if veteran center Gabriel Landeskog can get into the lineup. Landeskog made a successful return to action in an American League game this weekend, and the emotional boost the Avs would get from him making the jump to NHL action would be considerable. But again, Colorado has to be careful with him; they can't push Landeskog too hard and have him re-aggravate the injury that's kept him out for years now. They need to be especially careful with him, and hope the hockey gods smile down on him as a first-round contributor.
And really, can you imagine the backlash if the Avs played a top star and they did get hurt? Bednar and MacFarland would be run out of Denver if that happened. The proper thing to do is sit all of them out, and have them rested and healthy for Game One. And at that point, if they do lose to the Stars, it won't be because they didn't have their best players at their peak.
To be sure, the Colorado/Dallas series is going to be the toughest series of the first round. And the Avalanche need MacKinnon, Makar, Toews and everyone on the roster to be fully prepare to give it their all. And that means making tough tactical decisions like sitting out their stars.
No Avs fan should be complaining that they don't get to see their favorite players in every game of the sesaon. The goal is to win the Cup, not to win a handful of games that don't matter in the big picture.
And when MacKinnon, Makar and the rest of Colorado's lineup is good to go in Game One, these games of rest will be well worth it.
How many Presidents' Trophy winners have went on to win the Stanley Cup?
How many Presidents' Trophy winners have went on to win the Stanley Cup? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Winnipeg Jets are champions of the NHL regular season.
Winnipeg on Sunday clinched the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the team with the most points in the regular season. The Jets secured the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy after the East-leadingWashington Capitals lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, putting Winnipeg’s current point total of 114 out of reach for Alexander Ovechkin and Co.
It’s been a historic season in more ways than just one for the Jets. In the first season under head coach Scott Arniel, the Jets have set franchise records for longest winning streak (11 games) and wins (55) — and they’ve matched the franchise record for points that was set in 2017-18, with one more game still on the schedule.
Kyle Connor and Co. are now looking to deliver the franchise its first Stanley Cup championship. But what does history say about Winnipeg’s Cup chances after winning the Presidents’ Trophy?
Here’s what to know about the Presidents’ Trophy:
What is the Presidents’ Trophy in hockey?
The Presidents’ Trophy is awarded to the NHL team that finishes with the most points in the regular season.
In the event of a tie for most points, the team with the most regulation wins gets the award. The second tiebreaker is the team with the most regulation and overtime wins and the third tiebreaker is the team with the most total wins.
When was the NHL Presidents’ Trophy first awarded?
The Edmonton Oilers won the first-ever Presidents’ Trophy in the 1985-86 season. Wayne Gretzky and Co. also won it the following season.
Who has won the most NHL Presidents’ Trophies?
The Detroit Red Wings own the most Presidents’ Trophies with six, although it’s been close to two decades since their last win. Detroit won the award in 1994-95, 1995-96, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06 and 2007-08.
The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers each have won four Presidents’ Trophies, while the Colorado Avalanche and the Capitals have claimed three apiece.
How many NHL Presidents’ Trophy winners also won the Stanley Cup?
Presidents’ Trophy triumphs have been followed by many more playoff exits than championship victories. Since it was first awarded in 1985-86, just eight Presidents’ Trophy winners have went on to capture the Cup.
Who was the last NHL Presidents’ Trophy winner to win the Stanley Cup?
It’s been over a decade since a team picked up the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season. The Chicago Blackhawks finished atop the NHL standings in the shortened 2012-13 campaign before beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the ’13 Cup Final. That Blackhawks team is also the most recent Presidents’ Trophy winner to even reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Chicago is one of seven franchises to sweep the two trophies, with the Red Wings being the only franchise to achieve the feat more than once. Here’s a full look at each Presidents’ Trophy-winning Stanley Cup champion:
- 2012-13: Chicago Blackhawks
- 2007-08: Detroit Red Wings
- 2001-02: Detroit Red Wings
- 2000-01: Colorado Avalanche
- 1998-99: Dallas Stars
- 1993-94: New York Rangers
- 1988-89: Calgary Flames
- 1986-87: Edmonton Oilers
What’s the record for most team points in an NHL season?
The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins racked up 135 points in the 2022-23 campaign to break the single-season NHL record. Boston also set the league record for wins that same regular season with 65. The previous NHL record for points of 132 was held by the 1976-77 Canadiens.
The 1995-96 Red Wings, who tallied 131 points, are the only other team to ever reach the 130-point milestone.
List of Presidents’ Trophy winners
- 2024-25: Winnipeg Jets, 114 points (1 game still remaining)
- 2023-24: New York Rangers, 114 points
- 2022-23: Boston Bruins, 135 points
- 2021-22: Florida Panthers, 122 points
- 2020-21: Colorado Avalanche, 82 points
- 2019-20: Boston Bruins, 100 points
- 2018-19: Tampa Bay Lightning, 128 points
- 2017-18: Nashville Predators, 117 points
- 2016-17: Washington Capitals, 118 points
- 2015-16: Washington Capitals, 120 points
- 2014-15: New York Rangers, 113 points
- 2013-14: Boston Bruins, 117 points
- 2012-13: Chicago Blackhawks, 77 points
- 2011-12: Vancouver Canucks, 111 points
- 2010-11: Vancouver Canucks, 117 points
- 2009-10: Washington Capitals, 121 points
- 2008-09: San Jose Sharks, 117 points
- 2007-08: Detroit Red Wings, 115 points
- 2006-07: Buffalo Sabres, 113 points
- 2005-06: Detroit Red Wings, 124 points
- 2003-04: Detroit Red Wings, 109 points
- 2002-03: Ottawa Senators, 113 points
- 2001-02: Detroit Red Wings, 116 points
- 2000-01: Colorado Avalanche, 118 points
- 1999-2000: St. Louis Blues, 114 points
- 1998-99: Dallas Stars, 114 points
- 1997-98: Dallas Stars, 109 points
- 1996-97: Colorado Avalanche, 107 points
- 1995-96: Detroit Red Wings, 131 points
- 1994-95: Detroit Red Wings, 70 points
- 1993-94: New York Rangers, 112 points
- 1992-93: Pittsburgh Penguins, 119 points
- 1991-92: New York Rangers, 105 points
- 1990-91: Chicago Blackhawks, 106 points
- 1989-90: Boston Bruins, 101 points
- 1988-89: Calgary Flames, 117 points
- 1987-88: Calgary Flames, 105 points
- 1986-87: Edmonton Oilers, 106 points
- 1985-86: Edmonton Oilers, 119 points