2025 NHL Draft Rankings – Horn’s Top 64 for March
With the 2024-25 NHL season coming to an end, and junior playoffs well underway, I thought it was high time to take another look at the 2025 Draft class. The…
Monthly Archives: April 2025
Kings' top line is one of the NHL's best scoring trios. So why don't they have a nickname?
What’s in a name? Sometimes a lot.
No one, after all, has ever given a nickname to a bunch of guys who hit .225 or a team that finished in the middle of the standings. But do something special and with flair and people start calling you Magic, The Hammer or The Great One.
Hockey was once at the forefront of this naming ritual, with the tradition of stamping memorable monikers on the sport’s most productive scoring lines dating to the 1920s and the New York Ranger threesome of Bun Cook, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook, collectively known as the “A Line” after the subway line that ran under Madison Square Garden.
The names could sometimes get creative, as with the Vancouver Canucks’ “Mattress Line,” which included two twins (Daniel and Henrik Sedin) and a king (center Jason King) and the Buffalo Sabres’ “French Connection” of French-Canadians Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert. Or sometimes ridiculous, as with the “Trio Grande Line” of Clark Gilles, Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, which took the New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup titles.
Read more:After 44 seasons, Nick Nickson's retirement will mark end of an era for Kings
Which brings us to the Kings’ current top line of left wing Andrei Kuzmenko, center Anze Kopitar and right wing Adrian Kempe. It has set no records and won no Stanley Cups; in fact, it hasn’t even clinched a playoff berth, although that will happen shortly.
But since coming together a month ago, when general manager Rob Blake acquired Kuzmenko from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline, the threesome has become one of the hottest trios in the NHL ahead of the Kings' showdown with the Edmonton Oilers at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
After getting six or more goals in a game four times in the first 60 games, the Kings did it four times in the next 13 with Kuzmenko. Scoring overall has risen nearly a goal a game and the team has lost just three times in its last 15 games, putting it on pace to open the Stanley Cup playoffs at home, where they have the best record in the Western Conference.
And that has sparked a question: what should the line be called?
“Hadn’t even thought about it,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said.
“It’s not really on the front burner,” added Glen Murray, the Kings director of player development “I haven’t really thought about it a lot.”
OK, so maybe it’s not a burning question. But there are some candidates just the same.
“AK,” Kopitar said. “That’s what I’m going for.”
That one is solid because it works on two levels, using each players’ initials but also highlighting the fact they all have a strong shot.
Patrick O’Neal, who hosts the “LA Kings Live” pregame and postgame shows on FanDuel West, likes Special K. Simple but elegant.
Then there’s the “AAA Line,” inspired by each player’s first initial and the fact that, like the auto club, the line is dependable and the Kings trust it will get them where they want to go.
The odds that any of those will catch on are long since the prevalence of assigning nicknames to top NHL lines has faded in recent years, robbing the game of some of its fun. With line pairings jumbled and players traded so frequently in modern hockey, it has become difficult for fans and the media to develop an association with particular combinations. At the same time, the rise of data and analytics has shifted the focus from the collective performance of a group of players, such as a line, to the performance of individuals.
Murray, who skated on the Boston Bruins’ imposing “700-pound Line,” a name inspired by the collective weight of the three players, said the absence of nicknames doesn’t necessarily represent progress.
“It’s too bad,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with coming up for a name for a line that’s just been put together.”
Hiller believes nicknames can be useful in developing an identity and esprit de corps for young players, who are typically lacking both. But it’s not really necessary on a line centered by someone such as Kopitar, who is fourth among active players in games played.
“For some young players, maybe,” he said. “I’ve seen it when three young players get together and they have energy and stuff like that. But I’m not sure there’s too much that’s going to get Kopi going in a different direction at this stage of his career.”
In any case, it wasn’t a nickname that turned the Kings’ line around but rather the addition of Kuzmenko on the left side.
“It took a few games to kind of understand how Kuzy plays. But they're dangerous,” Murray said. “This guy is Uber talented. He can make plays all over the ice and it's fun to watch. The enthusiasm that Kuzy has for the game, it just oozes out and it goes in Kempe and Kopi.”
Read more:Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore help power Kings to their third straight win
Into Blake as well. Rumors ahead of the trade deadline linked the Kings to a number of high-profile targets including Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell. Chicago’s Ryan Donato and San José’s Luke Kunin. So when Blake settled on Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals in his rookie season with Vancouver in 2022-23 then spent the next two seasons shuffling among four teams, the news underwhelmed.
Kuzmenko, however, has overdelivered, collecting four goals and six assists in 15 games. As a result, the trade has proven to be among the most consequential in the Western Conference, reinvigorating a team that saw a season-long five-game losing streak end in Kuzmenko’s debut.
“The way he celebrates his goals, it’s like the last one he’s ever going to score,” Murray said of Kuzmenko. “It gives you a little energy, right? They know they’re going to be a threat.”
The question now is what should they be called?
“The playoffs are coming up,” Murray said. “Having this new line, coming up with a unique name for it, I think it’ll just come one day.
“I love it. It makes it fun, too.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 5, 2025
In Midst Of Whirlwind Season, St. Ivany Regains Confidence
It has been a whirlwind year for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany.
Last May, he signed a three-year extension with Pittsburgh worth $775,000 annually at the NHL level. He made the NHL club out of training camp, and - after struggling through the first month of the season - he was optioned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) on Dec. 3 to find his game again.
And just four days after his re-assignment, he went down with an injury that kept him out of the lineup for almost two months. It took him a while to get back to 100 percent, both physically and mentally.
Now? St. Ivany is fully healthy and ready to capitalize on the opportunity in front of him and the rest of the squad in WBS. In 32 games with WBS this season, he has a goal and 11 points and is a plus-4, and he has spent a lot of time on the top pairing with Sebastian Aho.
"Injury was unfortunate, and it took a little time to get back," St. Ivany said. "The first, maybe, five or six games after not playing, it was a little bit of finding myself. And then, I feel like I started to string together a lot of games, and I'm having a really good time here."
St. Ivany spent 19 games at the NHL level to start the season, registering just one point. But it wasn't the production that failed to mirror what the Penguins' coaching staff saw in the 6-foot-4, 205-pound blueliner last season.
A lot of the shortcomings in St. Ivany's game in the earlygoing this season were in the defensive details that he seemed to handle with a high degree of confidence and execution in 2023-24 to pair with his physicality and skating ability.
Unfortunately, his slow start to the season was a bit of a blow to that confidence, and the coaching staff saw an opportunity to allow him to try and find that again at the AHL level. So they made the difficult decision to option him.
"When I got sent down, it was just a little bit about confidence," St. Ivany said. "I feel like my game kind of dipped a little bit. The conversations with [the coaching staff] were just that it's hard as a younger player to re-find that in their experience. And they found that going down to the AHL and playing a lot more minutes is when you can start to develop. So, for me, it's just about keeping it simple, defending hard, using my feet, and then, it's just building confidence."
St. Ivany admitted that the initial disappointment of being sent down did affect him a bit, especially given his situation coming out of the summer.
"I mean, this past summer, signing a three-year contract like I did, it was with the idea that I'd have some runway to make it to the NHL," he said. "So, obviously, it's disappointing when you get sent down because it's everyone's dream to be there, but you can't feel too sorry for yourself for too long.
"I just got back at it and started working. I love the game, so it doesn't really matter where I play. I'm going to have fun doing it."
McGroarty Scores First NHL Goal In Penguins 5-4 Overtime Loss To BluesThe Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday - which gave the Blues their whopping 11th straight win - obviously wasn't the desired result.
And it's evident that St. Ivany - like everyone else in Wilkes-Barre - is certainly having fun. The team culture in WBS is top-notch, as pretty much every player at the team's practice in Pittsburgh on Thursday echoed the same sentiments about how tight-knit the team is. St. Ivany was one of them.
"It's great," he said. "Some guys I played with last year, so I have familiarity there. But then, the other guys... it just feels like a college team, almost. Everyone's young, and everyone's loving coming to the rink, and it just makes playing really easy when you're playing with your best friends.
"So, I've had a great time. I feel like, down the stretch here, we've started to gel together a lot. The best teams, they have that kind of chemistry off the ice... and I feel like we definitely have that."
The chemistry that the crop of players in WBS has built is clear, and it shows in the results. The team has already clinched a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs, and they are currently vying for a first-round bye down the final stretch of the regular season.
But, at the end of the day, there is still a much bigger picture, and the guys on that team are aware of it. St. Ivany is, too.
Many of the players on what is regarded as one of the best teams WBS has had in the past couple of decades are on the brink of NHL readiness. For many of them, the work that they're putting into developing a winning culture is something they hope to carry over as they transition to the NHL level.
'We Have A Close Team': WBS Penguins Practice In Pittsburgh, Talk Chemistry Of GroupThe Penguins took to the ice for practice on Thursday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa.
St. Ivany mentioned all the photos on the wall in WBS of players like Bryan Rust, former Penguin Jake Guentzel, and Tristan Jarry - who were part of successful AHL teams when they went through the system - and that they're in the NHL for a reason.
He knows that a championship-hungry mindset is something that they have to maintain as both a collective unit and as individuals - especially as they start to populate the NHL roster in the coming seasons.
So this Calder Cup run is vitally important to them.
"It's no surprise that when you win at the AHL level, it usually translates to the NHL level," St. Ivany said. "So, I think for us, it's just building that winning culture. And, hopefully - when we all make the jump up - it's able to translate to the next level."
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Game Day Preview: The Calgary Flames vs The Vegas Golden Knights
The Calgary Flames (36-27-12, fourth in the Pacific Division, five points away from the second wild-card spot) will host the Vegas Golden Knights (45-22-8, first in the Pacific Division, 79.9% to win Division).
This will be the third of four meetings between the two teams. Vegas dominated both previous matchups
This will be a big test for the Flames who are coming off a comfortable and a morale-lifting 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. While that was a matchup the Flames were expected to win, the Knights are a completely different beast. The Knights have already locked in their playoff spot, and are looking to clinch the Pacific division title. They have tremendous offensive power with the likes of Mark Stone, Conn Smythe Trophy candidate Jack Eichel and two-way defenseman Shea Theodore. This Vegas team comes into Thursday with the best power play percentage overall AND in the last 30 days. Talk about pressure…
But let’s think positive: A win for the home side will be a MASSIVE game-changer.
And it can happen. This season, the Flames have registered wins against teams like Winnipeg and Washington, the two teams who are on their way to owning the best records in their respective conferences.
There is plenty to be optimistic about in this game.
HEAD 2 HEAD
Based on both prior games this season, the Calgary Flames have the eighth-worst save percentage against the Vegas Golden Knights at even-strength situations. While the Flames did go 5-of-6 (83.33%) on the PK, Dan Vladar (who was the goalie in both those games) will be rested according to pre-game reports to make way for Dustin Wolf to be in goal. We’ve only had good things to say about him.
But no matter who is the goalie, the Knights offense love dishing shots on them as Vegas unloaded Vladar with 37.5 shots per game, the third-most shots on goal to any team all season.
On the other side, the Flames having been shutout in both games against the Knights. In fact, they are the ONLY team in the league to have yet to score against Vegas.
It doesn’t take much to figure out that if there is a “prove it” game for the Flames offense to break out in, this is that game. Especially, for their power play unit…. and especially for a team that wants to prove that they belong in the playoff picture.
But it might be an uphill battle considering that Calgary has dispensed only 23.5 shots on goal per game to the Knights, the second-worst to any team this season.
TALE OF THE TAPE (SKATERS)
TALE OF THE TAPE (GOALIES)
PLAYOFF ODDS
With the Flames the lone team in this game looking to clinch a playoff spot, the following chart shows how those odds will pan out depending on the result:
Calling this a tough game is definitely an understatement, and prior history suggests the Knights probably have marked this as a win. Calgary faithful need to pack the Saddledome and really get loud and rally the Flames to squeeze out a W.
Islanders Up Next In Alex Ovechkin's Pursuit Of Breaking Gretzky's All-Time Goal REcord
As the New York Islanders prepare to host the Washington Capitals on Sunday at 12:30 ET, Alex Ovechkin comes in looking to make NHL history.
After a two-goal game on Friday, he looks to stand alone as the NHL’s all-time leader in goals.
Ovechkin lit the lamp in the first period to score his 893rd career goal to move within one of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record:
Is two more too much to ask for? pic.twitter.com/3Bmg2K2RKH
— x - Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 4, 2025
In the third period, Ovechkin scored a power-play goal from his left dot office to tie The Great One:
An incredible moment in @Capitals history shared by the best duo in hockey.
— Monumental Sports Network (@MonSportsNet) April 5, 2025
👂 Listen in to @JoeBpXp & @Laughlin18 for @ovi8's record tying goal from the MNMT broadcast booth.
#Gr8Chase by @Venture_Global | #ALLCAPSpic.twitter.com/V3ZvLlKdxL
The league and fans have taken full notice of the occasion, with Sunday poised to be a big day as history is on the doorstep.
As of Friday night, the cheapest tickets to get in on Ticketmaster cost well over $1,000, with prices skyrocketing after Ovechkin got his first goal on Friday. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Gretzky will also be in attendance for a potential on-ice ceremony.
The Islanders and Capitals drop the puck on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The game will be available nationally on TNT, TruTV, and Max.
Matthew Page wrote this story.
Shorthanded Panthers hope to snap losing skid, in Ottawa for matchup with playoff-hopeful Senators
The Florida Panthers are hoping a couple days off will help cure whatever is ailing them.
Florida arrives at Canadian Tire Centre for a battle with the Ottawa Senators having lost each of their past three games.
After dropping a home-and-home with the Montreal Canadiens, the Panthers saw their latest third period lead vanish on Wednesday night in Toronto.
The down week has cost the Cats their spot atop the Atlantic Division, as they now sit in third place, four points behind the Maple Leafs and one behind Tampa Bay.
All three teams have seven games remaining on their respective regular season schedules.
Florida will also be playing quite a bit shorthanded, missing Sasha Barkov, Nico Sturm, Dmitry Kulikov and Matthew Tkachuk due to injury. Aaron Ekblad is also out until Game 3 of the playoffs due to a suspension.
Ottawa, meanwhile, has solidified their spot in the Wild Card race thanks to an 11-3-1 March run.
Entering Saturday with a seven-point cushion on the New York Rangers, the first time out of the playoffs, the Senators can close to within four points of the Panthers with a regulation win.
Game on. Don't forget, it's a 2 p.m. ET puck drop.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s scrum with the Sens:
Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Sam Reinhart
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Gus Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Nate Schmidt
Jaycob Megna – Uvis Balinskis
Scratches: Sasha Barkov, Nico Sturm, Dmitry Kulikov
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Alex Ovechkin confirms he refused to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record with an empty net
Alex Ovechkin wants to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record the right way.
The Washington Capitals star had an opportunity to not only score his unprecedented 895th career goal, but do it as part of a hat trick. He had two goals early in the third period to tie Gretzky at 894, but Chicago pulled its goalie while down 4-3 and gave him too good of an opportunity with an empty net.
Ovechkin could be seen telling Washington head coach Spencer Carbery he didn't want to come in, and confirmed he was doing so after the game. It was an understandable decision, as Ovechkin's next goal will be a highlight reel for decades to come.
You don't want that to be an empty-netter.
Alex Ovechkin told Spencer Carberry he didn’t want to score on an empty net for 895. A true legend 👏 pic.twitter.com/64LiP1XfNk
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 5, 2025
One player who did stay in was Capitals rookie Ryan Leonard, who notched his first career goal in his third career game.
RYAN LEONARD FIRST NHL GOAL ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qoI1Wxwe82
— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025
Chicago put goalie Spencer Knight back in the game after that, so Ovechkin came back in and nearly got the hat trick anyway. He got four shot attempts off in the final two minutes and was agonizingly close to the record-breaking goal, but Knight had other plans.
The Capital One Arena crowd booed Knight for his efforts.
We were THIS close to seeing Ovechkin break the record with a hat trick goal on home ice 😳 pic.twitter.com/WiGxUcM9UR
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 5, 2025
Ovechkin didn't get the hat trick, but the Capitals did get a 5-3 win. He now has six games remaining in the regular season to surpass Gretzky, with his next opportunity on Sunday on the road against the New York Islanders. If he wants to do it at home, he'll have to wait until Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The whole moment clearly means a lot to Ovechkin, so it's no surprise he only plans to break a record that has stood for two-and-a-half decades with a goaltender in front of him. Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will continue to follow him until he does so, with Gretzky cheering him on.
Alex Ovechkin Ties Wayne Gretzky's Goal Record; Blackhawks Lose 5-3
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Washington Capitals on Friday night in DC. The game was between a President's Trophy candidate and a lottery team. However, it had a lot more juice because of The Great Chase.
Alexander Ovechkin entered Friday with 892 career goals, which was two shy of Wayne Gretzky's record. Of course, it was "business as usual" mentality for the Blackhawks, but it was hard to avoid thinking about what was at stake.
You don't go into an NHL game thinking a specific player would have a hat trick but with Ovechkin, you can never rule it out.
It only took him 3:52 to get his first of the game and 893rd of his career. His 40th goal of the season was to take a 1-0 lead. Ovechkin's 14 40-goal seasons are the most in NHL history.
After that, the Blackhawks scored two straight goals. Tyler Bertuzzi and Frank Nazar were the scorers who gave Chicago a 2-1 lead. On the Nazar goal, Oliver Moore earned his first career NHL point with an assist.
Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) on XOliver Moore gets his first NHL point on this Frank Nazar goal ‼️Just under the mid-way point of the second period, the Blackhawks and Capitals exchanged goals. Martin Fahervary scored to tie the game and Philipp Kurashev scored ten seconds later for the lead right back.
In the third period, Dylan Strome was credited with an own goal as Connor Murphy hit it into his own net. This mistake by Murphy kept Ovechkin from scoring his second of the game as he was on the doorstep by the loose puck.
Ovechkin would eventually get that second goal just a few minutes later to tie Wayne Gretzky's record. His 894th career goal was celebrated as every Capital player spilled over the bench to hug their teammate. The building was as loud as a home Stanley Cup victory.
Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) on XAlex Ovechkin has tied Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals scored in NHL history with 894 career goals.Ryan Leonard scored his first career NHL goal into the empty net and the Capitals won the game 5-3. Ovechkin had multiple chances on net when he needed one more to break the record but Spencer Knight stood tall.
Once the game was over, the Blackhawks stayed out on the ice to shake Ovechkin's hand. Now, he will attempt the break the record against the New York Islanders on Sunday night.
Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) on XRespect.The Blackhawks played the Capitals, one of the best teams in the NHL, hard all game. They stayed with them until Ovechkin gave them the lead in the third. Their speed, skill, and youth are on full display to end the season despite the results.
Oliver Moore collected his first career point and it took him no time to get his second. The speedy forward is capable of creating with a hard forecheck, which was evident on Friday.
Chicago's next game is against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday evening. They will go from trying to stop Alexander Ovechkin to trying to stop Sidney Crosby. That is never a fun stretch.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
Ovechkin Ties Gretzky’s Goal Record in Capitals’ 5-3 Win Over Blackhawks
The Washington Capitals welcomed the Chicago Blackhawks to Capital One Arena on Friday night with all eyes squarely pointed toward Washington’s Captain, Alex Ovechkin, as he entered the contest three…