04.04.2025
Montreal Canadiens 4 - 1 Boston Bruins
The Montreal Canadiens secured a critical 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins, marking their third consecutive win and advancing their Eastern Conference wild-card playoff aspirations. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki each contributed a goal and an assist, while Sam Montembeault recorded 18 saves, helping Montreal achieve their first regulation win against Boston since 2019. This defeat extended the Bruins' losing streak to ten games, tying the eighth-longest in the franchise's history. Christian Dvorak's early second-period goal gave the Canadiens a lead they never relinquished, while Cole Caufield's 35th goal of the season and Suzuki's empty-netter further solidified their dominance. Suzuki’s impressive season continues, as he is the first Canadiens player to reach 80 points in a season since Alex Kovalev in 2007-08, highlighting an era of strong individual performances.
Ottawa Senators 2 - 1 Tampa Bay Lightning
The Ottawa Senators held off the Tampa Bay Lightning to secure a 2-1 victory, ending the Lightning's four-game winning streak, thanks to Linus Ullmark's outstanding performance with 31 saves. Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson scored for the Senators, while Ridly Greig contributed two assists, helping Ottawa maintain a crucial five-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens in the race for the Eastern Conference wild card. Ullmark's crucial saves, including a stop on Brandon Hagel's short-handed breakaway, were instrumental as the Senators played without captain Brady Tkachuk for the second straight game. Despite Hagel's goal and several strong chances, the Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy's 17 saves couldn't prevent his team's slump, as Tampa Bay missed the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot. Notably, Nikita Kucherov’s nine-game point streak ended, and Jake Sanderson made history as the fifth defenseman in franchise history to achieve consecutive 10-goal seasons. Ottawa's game plan and resilience, coupled with Ullmark's steady goaltending, were key to the victory.
Columbus Blue Jackets 3 - 7 Colorado Avalanche
In a commanding 7-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Colorado Avalanche secured a Stanley Cup Playoffs berth, with Cale Makar highlighting the win by scoring his 30th goal of the season. This milestone marks Makar as only the ninth defenseman in NHL history to reach 30 goals in a season, a feat last achieved by Mike Green in 2008-09. Makar, who also contributed two assists, praised his teammates for their support in reaching this milestone. Nathan MacKinnon, Charlie Coyle, and Devon Toews each recorded a goal and two assists, helping Colorado improve to 6-1-1 in their last eight games. The Avalanche, overcoming the challenge of a back-to-back after a shootout win against Chicago, celebrated coach Jared Bednar's first achievement of securing a playoff spot in a tough matchup. The Blue Jackets initially led 3-2 in the second period with goals from Sean Monahan, Zach Aston-Reese, who ended a 57-game goal drought, and Boone Jenner, before allowing five unanswered goals. Jenner extended his point streak to six games, while Columbus faces a playoff race challenge, sitting four points behind the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
St Louis Blues 5 - 4 Pittsburgh Penguins
Robert Thomas scored the overtime winner on a power play at 2:12, securing the St. Louis Blues' 11th consecutive victory with a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, tying a franchise record set by their 2018-19 Stanley Cup-winning team. Thomas, who also registered an assist, capitalized on Kris Letang's slashing penalty with a wrist shot that beat Tristan Jarry. Despite leading 4-2 in the third period, the Blues needed overtime to defeat the Penguins, with Coach Jim Montgomery expressing frustration at the team not closing out the game sooner. Jake Neighbours scored twice, while Jordan Kyrou added a goal and an assist, propelling St. Louis ahead of the Minnesota Wild for the Western Conference's first wild card spot. On the Penguins' side, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Rutger McGroarty made notable contributions, with McGroarty netting his first NHL goal. However, the loss marked Pittsburgh's fourth defeat in five games, despite impressive performances from Sidney Crosby and Ville Koivunen in the closing moments. St. Louis also faced injury woes with Dylan Holloway exiting early due to a lower-body injury.
Dallas Stars 5 - 1 Nashville Predators
The Dallas Stars defeated the Nashville Predators 5-1 at the American Airlines Center, extending their winning streak to seven games as Wyatt Johnston scored for the sixth consecutive game. Johnston's goal streak is currently the longest active in the NHL. Mason Marchment contributed a goal and an assist, with the Stars benefiting from two assists each from Matt Duchene, Mikko Rantanen, and Jason Robertson. Jake Oettinger made 28 saves, allowing Dallas to further secure their lead in the standings. The Stars scored four unanswered goals in the third period after Mikael Granlund tied the game late in the second. Predators coach Andrew Brunette praised the team's strong first-period performance but noted that turnovers in the second half hurt them. Notably, Rantanen reached 700 NHL points, becoming the third-fastest Finnish player to achieve this milestone. The Predators' Steven Stamkos scored the lone goal for Nashville, marking his team's fifth consecutive loss.
Utah Hockey Club 2 - 4 Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings secured a 4-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club, marking their third consecutive win, thanks to a rapid pair of goals within 44 seconds in the third period. Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore each extended their goal streaks to three games, while Drew Doughty contributed with a goal and an assist. Kings' goalie Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves to further the team's winning streak, as they have now claimed victory in seven of their last nine games. Despite goals from Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain, along with 15 saves from Utah's Karel Vejmelka, Utah fell short, losing four of their last six games. A potential goal by Dylan Guenther for Utah was disallowed early in the game due to an offside call after a video review.
Calgary Flames 4 - 1 Anaheim Ducks
In an impressive outing at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Calgary Flames defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-1, with Blake Coleman playing a pivotal role by scoring twice. Nazem Kadri got the Flames off to a flying start by scoring just 16 seconds into the game with a wrist shot, while Kevin Rooney ended his 18-game goal drought by netting Calgary's third goal. Despite Anaheim's Olen Zellweger leveling the score at 1-1 in the first period, Coleman’s short-handed breakaway goal and later power-play finish put Calgary back in command. Dustin Wolf made 26 saves for the Flames, who are now within five points of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Ducks, meanwhile, saw their playoff hopes dashed, further compounded when their starting goalie, John Gibson, was forced to leave due to a lower-body injury, paving the way for Lukas Dostal to take over.
Vegas Golden Knights 0 - 4 Winnipeg Jets
Jets shut out Golden Knights, maintain Central lead
LAS VEGAS --
Winnipeg maintained its four-point lead over the Dallas Stars atop the Central Division. The Stars won 5-1 against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers did not play the final 12:56 after taking a puck to the right leg.
Adin Hill made 16 saves before being relieved by Akira Schmid in the third period for the Golden Knights (45-22-8), who have lost back-to-back games. Schmid made two saves in relief.
Vegas is first in the Pacific Division but saw its lead drop to three points after the Los Angeles Kings’ 4-2 victory against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday.
Scheifele one-timed an Alex Iafallo cross-ice pass into the open next at 13:01 of the first period to give the Jets a 1-0 lead.
Lowry made it 2-0 at 18:15 after Brayden McNabb blocked a Logan Stanley shot, which deflected off Niederreiter and onto Lowry’s stick.
Miller scored a one-timer on the power play at 11:53 of the second period to push it to 3-0.
Perfetti scored an empty-net goal 19:08 for the 4-0 final.
San Jose Sharks - - - Edmonton Oilers
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