With just three games remaining on the Pittsburgh Penguins' regular season schedule, it appears the injury situation on the NHL roster is beginning to deplete the AHL team.

Forwards Vasily Ponomarev, Emil Bemstrom, and Valtteri Puustinen were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - on an emergency basis after head coach Mike Sullivan announced that forwards Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte, Rutger McGroarty, Matt Nieto, and Tommy Novak will miss the remainder of the regular season.

Emergency recalls do not count toward the post-deadline limit of four AHL call-ups, so each recalled forward is eligible to play without issue.

All three recalled forwards have seen some semblance of NHL ice this season, and they have been major players in WBS's quest for a Calder Cup. Ponomarev has 15 goals and 40 points in 54 AHL games, and Puustinen has 16 goals and 35 points in 47 games. 

Bemstrom leads WBS in points-per-game (1.02) with 21 goals and 46 points in 45 games, and he was named an AHL All-Star this season.

Acciari, 33, had five goals and 12 points - as well as a team-leading 100 blocked shots and 180 hits - in 79 games this season. Lizotte, 27, had two separate injured reserve stints earlier this season and registered 11 goals - tying a career high - and 20 points. Both players are under contract for one more season with the Penguins.

Novak was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Penguins prior to deadline day in a package that sent forward Michael Bunting the other way. The 27-year-old center had played in just two games for the Penguins before going down with an injury that has kept him out since Mar. 9, and he has two years remaining on a contract worth $3.5 million annually.

Nieto had been waived by the Penguins on Feb. 24 and has recorded just one goal and three points in 32 games. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Penguins Lose Top Prospect McGroarty In 5-0 Win Over BlackhawksAfter an uninspiring loss to the

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old McGroarty was impressing in his latest stint at the NHL level, putting up a goal and three points in five games and displaying some natural chemistry on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. McGroarty was expected to join WBS for their Calder Cup playoff run after the conclusion of the NHL regular season.

If WBS makes a deeper run, there is a chance McGroarty could make a return sometime later in the playoffs.

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Ray Shero, a longtime NHL executive and former Ottawa Senators assistant GM, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 62.

His passing comes during an already tough week for the hockey community, which is also mourning the death of Greg Millen — the former NHL goaltender and longtime broadcaster. Millen served as the Senators’ TV colour analyst during Shero’s time in Ottawa.

Shero most recently worked as a senior advisor to GM Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild, part of a great career in NHL management that began in Ottawa in 1993. After parting company with the Sens to take the same role in Nashville in 1998, he eventually got his first GM job with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 and won a Stanley Cup in 2009 with a young Sidney Crosby leading the charge.

“Ray Shero was a big part of my early days in Pittsburgh,” Crosby said in a statement posted on Penguins' social media. “He gave me a lot of opportunity as a young captain and supported me throughout his time. He did so much for our organization and my memories with him are special. I am grateful for our time spent here and that we were able to share a Stanley Cup Championship together.”

Dan Bylsma, now in Seattle, was Shero’s head coach on that 2009 Penguins’ Cup winner, and the news hit him especially hard.

“Not many people knew how ill he was,” Bylsma told The Athletic. “Only a couple of family members and a couple of friends. That was it. From what I hear, that’s what Ray wanted. He had this huge circle because everyone loved Ray. But only a handful of people knew. I am absolutely devastated.”

That 2009 Cup win allowed Shero to hoist the Cup like his father, Fred, did 34 years earlier as head coach of the Penguins’ state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Here’s part of Commissioner Gary Bettman’s statement on NHL.com:

“Ray Shero’s smile and personality lit up every room he walked into and brightened the day of everyone he met,” Bettman said. “Widely respected throughout hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for talent, he was even more beloved for how he treated everyone fortunate enough to have known him.

“Whenever we ran into each other at a rink when he was scouting, it was clear he loved what he was doing, and I always marveled at his infectious enthusiasm. The entire National Hockey League family mourns his passing and sends our deepest condolences to the Shero family and Ray’s many friends throughout the hockey world.”

Shero spent 13 seasons as an NHL GM, first with the Penguins from 2006–14 before his five seasons with the Devils. But before that, he was part of the Senators' very young front office during the team’s early years, working as assistant GM under Randy Sexton.

Sexton and Shero were teammates at St. Lawrence University, the alma mater of several Sens executives in those days. After school, Shero became an agent for several years before his old teammate reached out to him to help run the Sens’ front office.

The Senators posted this statement on social media:

“It’s with a heavy heart that we learn about the passing of Ray Shero, a member of the Ottawa Senators front office hockey operations from 1993–1998 and a key contributor across many NHL organizations over the course of his career.”

Shero would, most assuredly, have been pleased to see the team that gave him his start getting back on the right track this season. The Hockey News sends condolences to his family and friends.

More Sens Headlines:
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- David Perron Chosen As Ottawa Senators 2025 Masterton Trophy Nominee
- CLINCHED: Ottawa Senators Officially Clinch First Playoff Spot In Eight Years
- Remember When: Five Outstanding 2017 Ottawa Senator Playoff Trivia Questions
- Top 10: Jake Sanderson Takes His Offensive Production To A New Level
- From Another November Struggle To The Verge Of The Stanley Cup Playoffs

If you blinked, you probably missed a goal.

That’s how wild things got at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, where the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers combined for nine goals in the third period alone in what felt less like an NHL game and more like a high-scoring, firewagon fever dream.

But when the dust settled, the Flyers emerged with an 8–5 win over a Rangers team still jockeying for playoff position, thanks to a first career hat trick from Tyson Foerster and some timely goaltending from Aleksei Kolosov in his first start in three months.

It’s easy to look at the standings and assume there’s nothing left to play for. The Flyers disagree. Loudly. They’re not rolling over—they’re pushing forward, playing with pride, freedom, and a whole lot of energy. As Foerster put it simply after the game: “Winning is fun, so let’s keep winning.”

Hats off, belt on. #PHIvsNYR | @IBXpic.twitter.com/cHT0FUP6Hs

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 10, 2025

1. Foerster’s Hat Trick Caps a Successful Season

In one of the NHL’s most iconic buildings, Tyson Foerster had a night he’ll never forget. Three goals, 22 on the season, and a spot in the Flyers’ history books.

“It was pretty cool,” Foerster said afterward. “I know this building is awesome, and it was pretty cool to get a hat trick here, for sure.”

Have yourself a night, Tyson Foerster! He's got his first career hat trick!! 👏

Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUSpic.twitter.com/9WokJIWfuV

— NHL (@NHL) April 10, 2025

"Cool" is an understatement. Foerster became the first Flyer since Simon Gagne to record back-to-back 20-goal seasons to begin his career with the club—a feat that speaks not only to his finishing ability but also to his steady growth as a two-way contributor.

“[Gagne’s] a Flyers legend, so it’s pretty cool to be a part of that,” Foerster said with a smile. “Coming in here every year, you just want to get better and better. So to do that, to just be a little bit better [than last year]... it’s pretty good.”

His scoring touch was on full display Tuesday, but what’s perhaps even more impressive is how he’s added physicality and puck protection to his game. He’s no longer just a shooter—he’s someone who can be leaned on to drive a line and tilt the ice. And with four games to go, Foerster isn’t coasting to the finish line. “Hopefully I can continue to stay hot and do it again next year.”

2. Aleksei Kolosov Gets the Start—and the Win

The box score says Aleksei Kolosov gave up five goals. That’s true. It was his first start in three months, and he was immediately thrown into the fire—a situatuin interim head coach Brad Shaw specifically said pregame they were trying to avoid putting Kolosov in against the Rangers.

"I'm hoping our guys can play smart in the first five, 10 minutes, minimize the shots and the quality of them so that he can sort of work his way into the game. Make that first period as least chaotic as possible."

- Brad Shaw on Aleksei Kolosov making first start since Jan. 2

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 9, 2025

“I thought Koly was great in the first period,” said interim head coach Brad Shaw. “I talked about limiting chances against him, and then we give him a penalty shot and two other point-blank breakaways! So it wasn’t ideal… but I thought he held us in, kept it 1-0 after one period where we were kind of struggling and stuck in the mud a little bit.”

Sean Couturier echoed the praise: “He made some big saves early to keep us in the game. For us to get a couple of goals late in the game to help and get that win, I think it’s huge for him.”

The Flyers have been cautious with Kolosov’s development since he came over from Belarus, but this outing showed exactly why there’s excitement around the 22-year-old. He’s composed, athletic, and unflappable—even in a game where pucks were flying in at every angle.

The crease in Philadelphia has seen a revolving door this season, but Kolosov gave the Flyers a steady hand when they needed it.

3. This Team Still Cares—A Lot

Let’s get this out of the way: Tuesday night’s game was not a clinic in defensive structure. Brad Shaw admitted as much. “That was a crazy period. It just feels like—not quite utter chaos, but it feels like it’s slipping out of your control if it hasn’t already.”

And yet, through all the chaos, the Flyers never lost their sense of togetherness or belief. They didn’t cave when the Rangers surged, and they kept their foot on the gas until the final buzzer.

“I thought they had some good pushes in the first two periods,” said Sean Couturier. “I don’t think we played our best game, but we stuck together and got some big goals late in the game.”

This group might be out of the playoff picture, but they’re not going through the motions. There’s pride in every shift, chemistry in every zone, and fire in every celebration. Jakob Pelletier, whose reactions to goals have quickly endeared fans, teammates, and coaches alike, summed it up perfectly: “It was good! You know, it’s nice. I thought we had a tough first period, but then we came back strong.”

There’s also been a noticeable shift in the team’s offensive mindset since Shaw took over behind the bench. Couturier pointed to a looseness that’s brought out the best in players: “It definitely feels like guys seem to be a little more loose. They aren’t afraid to make plays… you’ve got to make sure you’re accountable… but it’s nice to see guys getting rewarded.”

With four games left, the Flyers are writing their own ending to this season—one that isn’t defined by playoff berths, but by fight, fun, and a belief that something meaningful can still come from the final stretch.