New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier had some choice words for his team following its disappointing 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
"We just got to find a way to win against certain teams, and we haven't done that all year," he said. "That should not happen. Just another immature performance by us."
The Devils held a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission thanks to Max Willman and Jesper Bratt, but it would be all Sabres the rest of the way.
Tage Thompson secured Buffalo's comeback victory with a natural hat trick before adding an empty-netter for his second career four-goal game.
"I don't fault our effort tonight," interim head coach Travis Green said. "I thought, pretty well to a man, every guy in there worked. But there's just a couple little mistakes that you'd like to have back. Some of that's mental, and at this time of the year, it costs you."
The loss dealt New Jersey's playoff hopes a crushing blow. The Devils remain five points behind Washington for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and the Capitals have two games in hand.
Also standing in the Devils' way are the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings.
New Jersey was attempting to win its third game in a row for just the fifth time this season and the first time since December.
"Some things (don't) change," Hischier said. "I think everybody has to look themselves in the mirror. If you play against teams like that, the only way they're going to beat you is you beat yourself. And that's what we did here tonight again."
He continued: "I think everybody in here should finally learn from it and we keep addressing it until everybody gets it. Just like that, we're going to be a playoff team again."
Last season, the Devils bucked a four-year playoff drought and beat the New York Rangers in the opening round before being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Netminder Jake Allen is aware of New Jersey's situation, but he's still trying to provide some veteran guidance.
"You've gotta have perspective in this situation," he said. "You get four out of six points on this (road trip), you'll take it. But at the same time, I understand how crucial the situation is. We're down to eight games left, you're pushing it here.
"But I've reiterated this since I got here, I've been in this situation before, you can't worry about other teams. You just gotta worry about us."
Next up for the Devils is a clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson’s scored four times, including the go-ahead goal with 4:34 remaining, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Devils 5-2 on Friday night to put a dent in New Jersey’s late-season playoff push.
Thompson’s natural hat trick rallied Buffalo from a 2-0 deficit, and he capped the outing with an empty-netter with 6 seconds left.
The loss left the Devils five points behind the Washington Capitals, who hold the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. New Jersey lost for just the third time this season — 16-2-1 — when leading after one period.
Buffalo, meanwhile, stayed mathematically in the race by moving into 12th in the East, a point a ahead of Pittsburgh, and six behind the Capitals.
JJ Peterka, with his fifth goal in four games, also scored an empty-net goal. Alex Tuch had two assists to extend his point streak to seven games, in which he’s combined for a goal and nine assists. Devon Levi stopped 28 shots.
Max Willman and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, who blew a chance to win three straight for just the fifth time this season. Jake Allen stopped 31 shots in dropping to 4-3 since being acquired in a trade with Montreal.
After scoring twice in the second period, Thompson completed his sixth-career three-or-more-goal outing by batting down Rasmus Dahlin’s shot from the left point. The puck dribbled under Allen, and Thompson used his lengthy reach to sweep the puck in behind the goalie.
Thompson’s surge began after Willman deflected in Luke Hughes’ point shot and Bratt had a shot deflect in off Peterka’s stick to stake the Devils to a 2-0 lead 10:31 into the first period.
Thompson responded by scoring 28 seconds into the second period off Timo Meier’s turnover in the neutral zone. He then tied it with 2:31 left into the period after being set up in the middle by Tuch, who forced John Marino to cough up the puck at the left boards.
Hughes’ assist on Willman’s goal was the rookie defenseman’s 41st point of the season. He now ranks third on the team’s rookie list, one point ahead of Scott Niedermayer, and one behind Viacheslav Fetisov. Will Butcher holds the record with 44 points in 2017-18.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
Sabres: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
On this week's episode, Brendan Batchelor and Randip Janda discuss the Canucks' loss against Dallas, the teams Vancouver could face in the first round, the struggles of the power play and Elias Pettersson. They also answer listener questions and conduct the Rose Ceremony.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Much to the joy of hockey fans everywhere, beloved goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury may not be hanging up his pads just yet.
"The door is more open today for a return than it was in September or October," he told NHL.com's Jean-Francois Chaumont in a French-language interview.
The Minnesota Wild puck-stopper said in September that he'd wait until the end of the 2023-24 season - his 20th in the NHL - before deciding on his retirement.
Now, Fleury said that he's "rediscovered the joy of playing hockey," which changes everything for the 39-year-old veteran.
"I'd like to sit down with (Wild GM Bill Guerin) and have a chat with him," he said. "I want to know what he thinks. What are the plans for the Wild? What are his options? What does he think about me? Am I still an asset for the team?
"We also have another good young goalie in the American Hockey League in (Jesper) Wallstedt. He's been playing in (the AHL) for two years now. I'll need to know Bill's plans."
The future Hall of Famer has been a solid option between the pipes for the Wild all season in the face of Filip Gustavsson's struggles. Fleury has 16 wins under his belt across 36 appearances, as well as an .899 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average. He's also saved 6.95 goals above average and 3.59 goals above expected at five-on-five, per Evolving-Hockey.
Guerin said he's been impressed by Fleury's play and professionalism, so a reunion wouldn't be out of the question for the executive.
"I'm more than open to the possibility of seeing him coming back for another season, 100%," he said. "We'll talk about it in the next few days. He's still having a good season. I think he's still got hockey in him if he wants. There's still some gas left in his tank."
This is Fleury's second full season in Minnesota after the Chicago Blackhawks sent him there at the 2022 trade deadline. He's currently playing out the final season of a two-year, $7-million extension.
The netminder could've been a top target at this season's trade deadline, but Fleury made it clear he wanted to stick with the Wild during their playoff push.
Though Minnesota's odds of making the postseason are at a minuscule 5.2%, according to MoneyPuck, there's still nowhere else Fleury would rather be.
"Yeah, it's probably Minnesota or retirement," he said.
"If I come back, I'd sign a one-year contract," Fleury continued. "And then, we'll figure it out from there."
Fleury already ranks second all time in wins (560) and fourth in games played (1,021) by a goaltender. He's also a three-time Stanley Cup champion and took home the Vezina Trophy in 2021.
The Quebec native has appeared in 17 straight postseasons, though that streak is now in jeopardy.
Matt and guest co-host Irf Gaffar talk about the Canucks' ailing power play and how to fix it. They discuss the loss to Dallas on Thursday, the stakes against Anaheim come Sunday, who should tend goal versus the Ducks, why the coach used different forward combinations than what he has practised with, and the officiating vs the Stars. Plus we hear from head coach Rick Tocchet, forward J.T. Miller, evaluate Arshdeep Bains' return to the NHL, look ahead to playoff tickets, and check in on some Canucks' prospects in the NCAA ranks.
Jeff Paterson from Rink Wide: Vancouver joins to talk about the loss to Dallas, the woeful power play, Pius Suter in the bumper spot, fixes, his concern level with how the team is playing heading into the final stretch with the Edmonton Oilers creeping, the blended lines out the gate Thursday, officiating, the Canucks' lack of discipline and which winger (if any) can be a hero and start producing.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle was suspended one game for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny from the bench during Thursday's game, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.
A clip of Kaiden Guhle’s slash on Travis Konecny that forced a hearing with DoPS today. Guhle gave the slash while on the bench.
Guhle wasn't penalized for the incident. Konecny was able to stay in and finish the game, which the Canadiens won 4-1.
The league found that this wasn't an example of a player getting hit into the bench or a scrum occurring near the bench, adding that there was "no reason" for Konecny to expect Guhle's reaction.
Konecny leads the Flyers in goals (31), assists (33), and points this season.
This is Guhle's first suspension in his two NHL seasons. The Habs' 16th overall pick in 2020 has been one of the team's best blue-liners in 2023-24. He has six goals and 15 assists while ranking third on the team in average ice time with 21:08 across 68 games.
Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.
Two weeks ago, we introduced a one-and-done midseason tournament concept for the NHL called "Ice Insanity," seeding teams 1-32 based on league standings but setting parameters for advancement based on tenets of hockey handicapping to ready ourselves for the real thing - the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here's how we got here:
First round: Recent form (even-strength expected goals share (xG%) since the All-Star break)
Sweet 16: Ability to drive play (full season even-strength xG%)
Elite Eight: A hot goaltender (GSAx per 60 minutes since the All-Star break)
The Hurricanes had a pair of easy matchups in the first two rounds, especially given how good their advanced metrics are. The Canes suddenly have reliable goaltending, which pushed them past the Bruins.
The Flames got fictionally hot at the right time to knock off the Kings in the first round, and then were set up with a great matchup in the second round against the Senators. Calgary barely snuck past the Canucks, thanks to Vancouver's former goalie Jacob Markstrom.
The Wild's hot play took down the Flyers. Minnesota then beat the Rangers, who were lucky to get past the first round based on their even-strength metrics. The Oilers' shaky goaltending cost them in the Elite Eight, even against mediocre Marc-Andre Fleury.
Final Four
To win our made-up tournament's title belt (we can't compete with the Cup), teams must convert minimal chances the late stages of the playoffs provide. While fluky goals can happen at any moment, they can't be relied upon. But there are two areas where a team's talent level can be the difference-maker: High-danger chances at even strength (ES HDC) and power plays (PPG).
TEAM
ES HDG+PPG
ES HDC+PP
Hurricanes
156
967
Flames
122
902
Panthers
132
965
Wild
133
869
To make "Ice Insanity" even nuttier, we're creating a metric based on how efficiently a team converts high-danger chances at even strength and on the power play. Dividing the goals into the opportunities, we get what we're calling their "SNIPES (Score Now, It's Playoff Extreme Stress) Percentage."
MATCHUP
SNIPES %
(8) Hurricanes
16.1
(21) Flames
13.5
(3) Panthers
13.6
(18) Wild
15.3
Hockey's version of a "Cinderella" run often ends before the Stanley Cup Final and that's the case for the Flames in our fake tournament.
When the going gets tough, with fewer penalties called and high-danger chances scarce during the run of play, Minnesota - somewhat surprisingly - is more likely than Florida to take advantage of minimal chances available. So it's a Minnesota-Carolina final.
"Ice Insanity" Championship
MATCHUP
POST-ASB ES XG
ES xG%
GSAx/60
SNIPES%
(8) Hurricanes
58.6
55.9
1.77
16.1
(18) Wild
55.0
51.0
0.03
15.3
To crown our champion, we put all our stat categories together, and with a sweep of the four categories, the Hurricanes are your first "Ice Insanity" winners. Their prize: Potential inclusion into your futures portfolio at +650 to win the Stanley Cup. (And a title belt.)
The cheat sheet
The betting world's dirty little secret is that while there are no bad bets at the right price, the process of discovering a good price is hidden.
Each week, we balance market information from regular-season point totals and in-season advanced metrics - with an even-strength focus - to determine the win probability for each team and the moneyline needed to bet on either side. The idea is to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-team results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.
You can use whatever parameters you like to decide how much of an edge you need to trigger a bet, but here are mine:
True line favorite of -111 or longer: 1%
True line between -110 and +110: 2.5%
True line underdog of +111 or longer: 4%
I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for the second leg of a home back-to-back. For injured players, the player's impact on their team's win probability is estimated.
When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's a possibility that a moneyline moves into a bet-friendly range at some point between the market opening and puck drop.
DATE
GAME
WIN PROB. (%)
PRICE TO BET
Mar. 29
NJD@BUF
53.9/46.1
NJD -112/BUF +137
Mar. 30
DET@FLA
29.0/71.0
DET +300/FLA -233
VGK@MIN
46.1/53.9
VGK +137/MIN -112
ANA@EDM
14.5/85.5
ANA +856/EDM -547
NSH@COL
35.7/64.3
NSH +215/COL -172
NYR@ARI
59.8/40.2
NYR -143/ARI +176
CAR@MTL
75.0/25.0
CAR -285/MTL +377
OTT@WPG
42.5/57.5
OTT +159/WPG -130
CHI@PHI
36.8/63.2
CHI +205/PHI -164
PIT@CBJ
63.1/36.9
PIT -164/CBJ +204
NYI@TB
42.9/57.1
NYI +157/TB -128
BOS@WSH
58.4/41.6
BOS -135/WSH +166
TOR@BUF
58.5/41.5
TOR -135/BUF +167
SJS@STL
33.7/66.3
SJS +236/STL -188
DAL@SEA
58.5/41.5
DAL -135/SEA +167
LAK@CGY
52.6/47.4
LAK -106/CGY +130
Mar. 31
ANA@VAN
21.9/78.1
ANA +457/VAN -336
Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Simon Benoit to a three-year contract extension at $1.35 million per season, the club announced Friday.
Benoit was a pending restricted free agent. He's playing on a one-year, $775,000 deal that he signed in August.
The 25-year-old has one goal and four assists while averaging 16:55 of ice time over 54 games in 2023-24.
Benoit isn't known for his offense, but he has favorable underlying numbers. The Leafs have controlled 51.76% of both the expected goals and the scoring chances at five-on-five with Benoit on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.
He's recently taken the injured Morgan Rielly's spot on the Leafs' top defensive pairing alongside Jake McCabe. Benoit and McCabe also play on the team's second penalty-killing unit.
Benoit is in his first season with Toronto after playing parts of three campaigns with the Anaheim Ducks. The San Diego Gulls, the Ducks' AHL affiliate, signed Benoit as an undrafted free agent in September 2018. Anaheim didn't extend him a qualifying offer last summer, and he signed with the Leafs as a UFA.
Part 1 of our offseason lookahead series examined what the Montreal Canadiens can do to keep their rebuild on the right track. In Part 2, we break down what the Ottawa Senators must do to get over the hump.
Ottawa entered the season with playoff expectations. At the very least, it hoped to be in the hunt right until the very end. The Senators have arguably been the league's most disappointing team this season, though, sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Writing off the talented, young team entering 2024-25 would be foolish. But Ottawa's first offseason under new owner Michael Andlauer and new general manager Steve Staios will be pivotal to ending its seven-year playoff drought. Here's what the front office needs to do to right the ship:
Hire an experienced coach
Len Redkoles / National Hockey League / Getty
Ottawa's first order of business is to find a person to lead the charge from behind the bench. Interim head coach Jacques Martin clearly isn't the long-term answer. Someone with NHL head coaching experience and defensive acumen would be ideal to help the Senators' underachieving, unstructured group reach its full potential. Staios needs to nail this hire or risk setting the team back multiple years. Here are five logical candidates, ranked in order of fit:
Claude Julien: The 63-year-old makes sense on so many levels. He grew up in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans and previously worked with Andlauer in the Canadiens organization. But more importantly, Julien has a long track record of success, winning the Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, leading them to another final in 2013, and winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2014. He brings a strong defensive system and, as a bonus, is bilingual. The lone negative? He hasn't coached in the NHL since 2021.
Craig Berube: The head coach of the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning St. Louis Blues will be in high demand as arguably the most attractive option available this summer. With his intense demeanor and direct style of play, it's easy to envision him turning the Sens around.
Dean Evason: An underrated option this summer, Evason guided some strong defensive teams to the postseason four times during his five-year Minnesota Wild tenure. He likely won't be as sought-after as Berube, which is good news for the Senators.
Gerard Gallant: The 60-year-old has enjoyed success everywhere he's been. He led the Florida Panthers to a playoff appearance in 2016 (their second in 15 years at the time). He improbably helped the Vegas Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season. In 2022, he guided the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final.
John Stevens: A three-time Stanley Cup champion as an assistant coach (twice with the Los Angeles Kings, once with Vegas), Stevens probably deserves another chance at being a head coach. His previous stints included trips to the playoffs in 2018 with the Kings and the 2008 Eastern Conference Final with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Entertain a major trade, but don't force it
Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Forcing a trade just for the sake of shaking things up would be foolish. But Staios should absolutely do his due diligence to see what's out there.
After all, the Senators' core has been together for multiple years without enjoying a shred of team success. While Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Jake Sanderson will likely be untouchable, everything else should be on the table. That means entertaining trades for Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, Josh Norris, Claude Giroux, Drake Batherson, and others.
In particular, Staios will have some decisions to make about Chychrun and Giroux, who can become unrestricted free agents in 2025. Giroux has a full no-movement clause, so he controls his own destiny. If he wants to play out the last year of his deal then become a UFA again, he's earned that right. But the Senators can't let Chychrun walk the same way. Considering the assets the old regime surrendered to acquire him, Ottawa needs to either extend or trade him.
In any potential deal, Staios should prioritize acquiring a shutdown, right-handed defenseman to help bring some much-needed balance to the blue line. It's easier said than done, though.
Find Brannstrom a new home
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
While major deals can be tough to pull off, a minor one, like giving Erik Brannstrom a change of scenery, shouldn't be overly complicated. The centerpiece of the return package for Mark Stone hasn't developed into the offensive, top-four defenseman the Senators hoped for. The 24-year-old has been fine in a third-pairing role over the years, but it might be best for both sides to move on - especially if the Sens hang on to both Chabot and Chychrun. There isn't much room for Brannstrom to move up the lineup in Ottawa.
Brannstrom is arbitration-eligible this summer and would likely earn more than his current $2-million salary. Paying north of that for a 5-foot-10, third-pairing defenseman isn't ideal.
Rather than shipping him away for a draft pick, finding a player in a similar situation makes sense, and there may be no better fit than Los Angeles Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev.
Kaliyev averaged 15 goals per season in a depth role over the last two campaigns, but he's fallen out of favor in L.A. amid a down year in 2023-24. But the 22-year-old brings size and a lethal shot, and he's posted strong defensive metrics.
Notably, both Andlauer and Staios know Kaliyev from their time together with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, where the sniper was a star in junior, racking up 248 points in 192 games. Staios likely believes Kaliyev has some untapped potential.
Kaliyev is coming off his entry-level contract and won't have arbitration rights as a restricted free agent this summer, so he'll be much cheaper than Brannstrom.
Target strong defensive players in free agency
Derek Cain / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Offense isn't an issue for the Senators. They've struggled to keep the puck out of their net in recent years, so the majority of their offseason acquisitions should be strong defensive players.
If the Sens' only notable trade involves Brannstrom, they'll have roughly $9 million in cap space after signing RFAs Shane Pinto, Parker Kelly, and, in this case, Kaliyev.
That's a lot of room to work with for Staios, who'll need to address holes on the blue line. Chris Tanev, who Ottawa has already been linked to, is an obvious target, but he won't be cheap. Matt Roy, who's essentially a younger version of Tanev, could be a prime target, and if the Sens are going to commit a significant chunk of cap space to one player, he'd make sense. Other defense targets include rugged, stay-at-home types like Vincent Desharnais, a familiar face in Dylan DeMelo, Jalen Chatfield, Nikita Zadorov, and Ian Cole.
The Senators will also have needs up front, though mainly just in the bottom six. Responsible defensive players who bring physicality and penalty-killing ability would be ideal, such as Warren Foegele, Dakota Joshua, Jordan Martinook, Yakov Trenin, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Final product
Arianne Bergeron / National Hockey League / Getty
For the sake of our mock offseason, we ultimately didn't complete any major trades. But after making a handful of minor moves, the Sens are better equipped to compete for the playoffs in 2024-25 with a 22-man roster that comes in just under the $87.5-million cap ceiling:
Cap Friendly
*Not pictured: No. 7 defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker ($805K cap hit)
**Cap hits are projected for Pinto, Kaliyev, Kelly, Trenin, Aube-Kubel, Cole, and Desharnais.
Trenin and Aube-Kubel give the Senators a fourth line that can be trusted to play tough minutes in the defensive zone. Trenin, in particular, is an excellent penalty killer who could also play a third-line role in a pinch.
There's a lot of money allocated to the blue line, but Cole, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, is still a rock-solid defender at age 35, and the late-blooming, 6-foot-7 Desharnais is just 27 years old and still improving. Together, they'd allow the Chabot-Chychrun pairing to get more offensive zone starts, and they'd vastly improve Ottawa's dreadful penalty kill.
With a proven defensive head coach - like Julien - the goalie tandem that Ottawa is contractually locked into for next season is set up for success.
This offseason may not feature the splashy moves Sens fans might be longing for, but Staios may want to take a year to see if he can find the right pieces - including a new head coach - to help the talented core make a leap before deciding to shake it up.
