Lysell scoring first Bruins goal is encouraging sign for future originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Fabian Lysell has played much better of late for the Boston Bruins, and his hard work was finally rewarded Sunday afternoon when he scored his first career NHL goal in a 4-1 road win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Bruins right wing found himself all alone in front of the net during a second-period power play when he took a pass from Pavel Zacha and beat Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Lysell made his NHL debut back on Dec. 28 but didn’t play another game for the Bruins until he was called up in March. He’s now played 11 games for the Bruins this season and has two points in his last three games, in addition to seven shots on net over the last two matchups.

“I think it means a lot for a guy like him,” interim head coach Joe Sacco told reporters in Pittsburgh on Sunday. “He sees himself as a little bit more of an offensive player, and when you’re in that position, you want to produce offensively.

“Especially getting your first one in the National Hockey League, it’s always a weight lifted off your shoulders. I think it’s been 11 games. Good on him. He’s doing some good things with the puck at times offensively. He’s attacking through the neutral zone, he’s attacking in the offensive zone. There are some things to like in his game, that’s for sure.”

Sometimes it takes time for young players to acclimate to the speed and physicality of the NHL game. Lysell failed to make much of an impact early in this recent call up, but he has looked much more comfortable of late and has really been using his speed to put pressure on opposing defensemen, draw penalties and create good looks at the net for himself and teammates.

Since making his return to the Bruins lineup on March 22 against the San Jose Sharks, Lysell ranks second on the Bruins at 5-on-5 in shots (20), third in shot attempts (35) and fifth in scoring chances (16), per Natural Stat Trick. He has been credited with just two turnovers during that span at 5-on-5, too, a sign that he’s improved his puck protection and is consistently making the right reads.

Even though the Bruins’ season ends Tuesday with a matchup versus the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden, Lysell will get more reps with the Providence Bruins in the AHL playoffs later this month. It’s a great opportunity for him to play in some high-pressure situations.

Lysell is arguably the Bruins’ top prospect right now. He was a 2021 first-round pick, and he has an impressive offensive skill set including an excellent shot, great speed and above-average playmaking ability. It hasn’t been easy for Lysell to crack the lineup since he was drafted, but more opportunity was created for him as a result of the Bruins dismantling their roster at the trade deadline in early March.

The Bruins are about to embark on a summer retool, and they need young players such as Lysell, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, Matt Poitras and Mason Lohrei, among others, to play a meaningful role in that process. It’s time for the B’s to start building the next generation.

Lysell still needs to be a little more consistent, but the last few games have no doubt been encouraging. It’s something to build on for the 22-year-old forward as he enters an important offseason. One of the best-case scenarios for the Bruins going into 2025-26 would be Lysell showing he belongs in Boston on a permanent basis.

On Sunday, the Anaheim Ducks played their final home game of the 2024-25 season when they hosted the Colorado Avalanche. The Ducks were coming off a 6-1 beatdown at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday after back-to-back victories over the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

Game #80: Ducks vs. Avalanche Gameday Preview

This was the Avs’ season finale, and as they were locked into the third spot in the Central Division standings, they rested several of their impact players, including Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews.

The Ducks signed defenseman Ian Moore to an ELC on Saturday, and he made his NHL debut in this game. He was paired alongside Jacob Trouba, and Olen Zellweger served as a healthy scratch.

Ducks head coach Greg Cronin shuffled the lineup for this game, switching Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras on their respective lines.

Lukas Dostal got the start in this game for the Ducks and saved 20 of 23 shots.

Scott Wedgewood was in the Colorado crease and stopped 18 of 20.

“We started out poorly and we ended poorly,” Cronin said after the game. “To me, it’s extremely disappointing. I’ll leave it at that.”

Here are my notes from this game:

Rush Defense-Typically, when the Ducks have given up rush opportunities this season, it’s been a failure to pick up assignments despite getting back on the backcheck and beating trailers up ice.

That wasn’t the case in this game. They allowed two goals off rush chances and were beaten back up ice both times.

“Everything went off of turnovers,” Cronin said of what went wrong in the last ten minutes of the game. “It wasn’t like they stripped us. We had full possession of pucks.

“I don’t care what game it is during the season; you either play the right way, or you play the wrong way. We played the wrong way, and they took advantage of the turnovers and put them in the back of the net.”

On Colorado’s first, Pavel Mintyukov tried to make a backhand pass from the top of the zone to a low forward in the corner and was picked off, igniting a 4-on-3 that turned into a 4-on-2 the other way.

On Colorado’s third, Troy Terry and Mason McTavish were caught below the offensive goal line without possession. McTavish was the weak side forward who should have tracked back when the puck was sent up the opposite wall.

Ian Moore-Moore was able to showcase what could potentially evolve him into a quality modern defensive defenseman, specifically his skating. He has an explosive stride and elite four-way mobility that allow him to eliminate time and space as well as recover from broken plays.

His willingness to take control of the play in the offensive zone and walk the blueline confidently in search of a shooting or passing lane was on display and has been something missing from that aspect of the Ducks’ attack this season.

“I can’t really put it into words this quick,” Moore said after his first career NHL game. “It hasn’t sunk in. I was just trying to play simple out there, just trying to stick to the basics. It would have been nice to get the win, but it’s still a dream come true for me to play tonight.”

Trevor Zegras-For as long as Zegras is a member of the Ducks’ organization, it would appear he’s destined to be a winger. He is most effective when leading rushes and with the entire ice in front of him, so it’s imperative to manufacture ways to put himself in those positions.

Mitch Marner, Artemi Panarin, and Kirill Kaprizov have no issue getting to the middle of the ice in the defensive or neutral zones to build speed and drive play into the offensive zone. As an outlet, Zegras is too stationary and could stand to start his movements to open ice before outlet passes are made so he can make the next play with speed.

The Ducks will hit the road for their final two games of the season on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets, respectively.

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The Colorado Avalanche found a way to end their regular season in style as they come back from a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 against the Anaheim Ducks. They ended the second period without getting on the board until Wyatt Aamodt, Jack Drury, Charlie Coyle, and Erik Johnson put up a four-goal third period to complete the comeback.

Scott Wedgewood made 18 saves on 20 total shots.

A Showing for the Rookie

Wyatt Aamodt received the call-up to join the Avalanche on the road on Friday morning, along with Colorado Eagles' teammates Jack Ahcan and Jere Innala. Of those three players, Aamodt is the only one who hadn't played a single NHL game. He made his NHL debut on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.

Sunday's game against the Ducks was his second NHL game, and if it isn't one to remember...

Aamodt joined in on the rush with Martin Necas, receiving a drop pass and snapping it at the net. The puck ricochets off of Ducks' defenseman Pavel Mintyukov and past goaltender Lukas Dostal to get the Avalanche on the board. His first NHL point, and it comes in the form of a kickstarting goal for his team.

Wyatt Aamodt with the wrister 🚨#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/TXlg4C3Ls5

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 14, 2025

In 66 games with the Colorado Eagles this season, the 27-year-old undrafted defenseman has 3 goals and 13 assists.

What an End to the Regular Season

After Sunday's win, Colorado heads into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 102 points. They are securely cemented into the 3rd place spot in the Central Division. On Saturday night, the playoff matchup for the first round was announced. The Avalanche will play the Dallas Stars.

Our matchup is set. #GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferentpic.twitter.com/soGXWAumsj

— x - Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 13, 2025

Per a member of the Avalanche staff, the schedule for round one of the playoffs is set to be announced following the conclusion of the NHL regular season on Thursday, April 17th.

The Stars delivered a devastating exit to the Avalanche in the second round of the 2023-24 playoffs last year, with forward Matt Duchene scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime.

The rivalry seems to be an even bigger deal this year given that long-time forward for the Avalanche, Mikko Rantanen, now wears green on the other side of the ice. The Finland native spent 10 years with the Avalanche organization before he was dealt in a blockbuster trade to the Carolina Hurricanes, who flipped him again at the trade deadline to Dallas.

The Stars still have two games remaining but are firmly in the Central's second-place spot with the Winnipeg Jets having secured the President's Trophy on Sunday. They currently sit at 106 points on the season.

What's Next for the Avalanche?

Per Avalanche Media Relations, the Avalanche will not practice on Monday, April 14th. A schedule has not been released for the remaining week, but seeing as Colorado is the first NHL team to finish their regular season, this week will likely be one for the group to fine-tune skills in practice, but mostly to get the rest they need before playoffs officially begin on April 19th.

The Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2, winning another do-or-die game and live to fight another day.

Here are my three takeaways from the game:

1)     Sharks’ energy just fizzled out

You remember the last Sharks-Flames post-game takeaway where we talked about how San Jose came alive in the third period after a low-oomph opening two periods?

Well, the opposite happened on Sunday: the Sharks came bursting out of the gate with an Expected Goal value of 1.5, which was even more than Calgary’s 0.7. That doesn’t matter though because the Flames led 2-1 at first intermission.

However, going back to San Jose, the Sharks never reached that level of passion of energy in the game again. They had an Expected Goal value of 1.32 combined for both second and third periods.

2)        Offense has been good in some ways, not in others

The Flames scored five goals on an Expected Goal value of 3.78. That is 1.22 goals above expected.

Third-line wing Yegor Sharangovich’s two goals at an Expected Goal value of 0.88 made him deserving of the First-Star award.

The power play situation has been the same, unfortunately. The Flames went 0-for-2, and could’ve used the second power play opportunity to get the go-ahead goal in the second period.

3)      Dustin Wolf

Wolf had a great game this time. With an Expected Goal Against value of 2.81, he gave up only two. A save percentage of 93.3 looks good on the stat sheet as well.

With the Flames getting two valuable points in regulation, all eyes will be on Minnesota's (95 pts) and St. Louis' (94 pts) final regular season games against Anaheim and Utah respectively on Tuesday.

St. Louis CANNOT get a regulation win. If they do, Calgary is out.

If the Blues lose, get an overtime loss (95 pts), or overtime victory (96 pts), then Calgary has to beat or equal St. Louis in whatever points they’ve put up. If they are equal in points, Calgary has to make sure they have more than 31 regulation wins (most regulation wins is the tie-breaker)

For Minnesota, it’s simple: win and you’re in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If the Wild don't win, Calgary can try and catch up to overtake them in points.

Calgary’s next win-or-go-home contest will be against the Vegas Golden Knights, also on Tuesday at 7 MT/9 ET from Calgary.

The San Jose Sharks lost their ninth straight game as the Calgary Flames won 5-2 on Sunday.

Thomas Bordeleau made his season debut for the Sharks and played on the third line in Cam Lund's spot, who was out with an illness. 

The Flames got goals from MacKenzie Weegar, Adam Klapka, Matt Coronato, and Yegor Sharangovich, who scored twice. Dustin Wolf made 28 saves. Calgary needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Tyler Toffoli scored his 30th goal of the season, giving him 30 goals for the third consecutive season. Jan Rutta also scored for the Sharks, and Georgi Romanov made 25 saves.

Toffoli scored his 30th goal of the season by following up a rebound at 3:09 of the first period.

Cleaning up his own rebound. 😤 pic.twitter.com/8npKTumZwq

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 14, 2025

Weegar scores with a beautiful slap-shot top shelf to tie the game 1-1 at 9:24.

🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥

MacKenzie Weegar rips a slap shot past Georgy Romanov and ties this game up!

🎥: Sportsnet | #Flamespic.twitter.com/z4ahgKYh2L

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 14, 2025

Nazem Kadri slips by Henry Thrun and finds Klapka in front for the 2-1 lead at 14:15.

KLAP ON! pic.twitter.com/MUNhWstBF8

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 14, 2025

Rutta tied the game 2-2 at 4:20 of the second period after he jumped in the offensive zone and finished on the backhand.

Rutta ties it up! 😎

🍎: Eklund
🍏: Toffoli pic.twitter.com/BDL3sqEtFU

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 14, 2025

Sharangovich gave the Flames a 3-2 lead at 1:30 in the third period after he got a puck through Romanov.`

Yegor Sharangovich gives Calgary the lead early in the third period 👏

📺: Sharks 🆚 Flames live on SN1
📲: Stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/Qgw8nBRyfU

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 14, 2025

Coronato extended the Flames' lead to 4-2 at 10:55.

#Flames are the only NHL team with a perfect record this season when scoring 4+ goals (15-0-0) pic.twitter.com/rccTtuxM6w

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 14, 2025

Sharangovich added the empty-net goal for the 5-2 final.

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.