The Blue Jackets ride an 11-game points streak into a playoff berth, Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is challenging for the scoring title, Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews undergoes knee surgery, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets extended their points streak to 11 games (7-0-4) and moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Adam Fantilli scored two goals while Zach Werenski collected three assists for the 36-21-11 Blue Jackets (83 points). Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (28-33-8), who have dropped three straight games.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (NHL Images)
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk scored with 13 seconds left in the third period to nip the New York Islanders 3-2. Shane Pinto and Warren Foegele also scored for the 35-24-9 Senators (79 points), who are five points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Matthew Schaefer and Brayden Schenn tallied for the Islanders (39-25-5), who dropped one point behind the Blue Jackets, and out of a playoff berth with 83 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to score 50 points in a season. With 21 goals, he’s two shy of tying Brian Leetch for the most goals by a rookie blueliner.
Speaking of the Islanders, their AHL affiliate will move from Bridgeport, Conn., to Hamilton, Ontario in 2026-27.
Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and two assists in a 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Darren Raddysh and Brandon Hagel each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning (42-21-4), who hold second place in the Atlantic Division with 88 points. Marco Rossi collected two assists for the 21-39-8 Canucks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov’s three-point performance moved him within one point of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the scoring title. McDavid has 115 points while Kucherov has 114. The Lightning winger won the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s scoring champion in each of the last two seasons. He also won the award in 2018-19. Kucherov hopes to join McDavid, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito, Jaromir Jagr, and Stan Mikita as the only players to win the Art Ross Trophy four times.
Speaking of McDavid, he and his Oilers were blanked 4-0 by the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky turned in a 21-save shutout while Cole Reinhardt, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell, and Carter Verhaeghe scored for the 34-31-3 Panthers. Connor Ingram stopped 19 of 23 shots for the Oilers (34-27-9, 77 points), who are one point behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Oilers placed Leon Draisaitl (lower body) on long-term injury reserve and recalled forward Roby Jarventie from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
Buffalo Sabres goalie Alex Lyon made 23 saves to shut out the San Jose Sharks 5-0. Sam Carrick tallied twice, and Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist for the 43-20-6 Sabres, who have won 11 of their last 12 games to sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with 92 points. Alex Nedeljkovic gave up five goals on 16 shots as the Sharks (32-29-6, 70 points) dropped their third straight game. They are two points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes, but the latter holds the conference lead with a game in hand.
Speaking of shutouts, Utah Mammoth netminder Karel Vejmelka turned aside 28 shots in a 4-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Clayton Keller scored two goals for the Mammoth (36-27-6), who hold the first Western wild card with 78 points. Adin Hill got the hook after giving up three goals on his first three shots as the Golden Knights (31-24-14) sit third in the Pacific Division with 76 points.
Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat scored the winning goal and collected two assists in a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, handing the latter their third loss in their last four games. John Gibson made 32 saves for the 38-23-8 Red Wings, who hold the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 84 points. Juraj Slafkovsky scored his 25th goal of the season for the Canadiens (37-21-10) as they cling to third place in the Atlantic Division with 84 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings center Andrew Copp also scored as he returned to action following a three-game absence with a lower-body injury. Canadiens winger Josh Anderson missed this game as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Boston Bruins thumped the Winnipeg Jets 6-1. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to eight games while Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, and Lukas Reichel also had a goal and an assist each for the Bruins (38-23-8), who hold the first Eastern wild card with 84 points. Jonathan Toews scored for the 28-29-11 Jets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens hold third place in the Atlantic over the Bruins and Red Wings because they have a game in hand. However, they could soon find themselves outside the playoff picture if they continue to stumble.
A shootout goal by Trevor Zegras gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Noah Cates and Matvei Michkov each had two points for the 33-23-12 Flyers. Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist for the Kings (28-24-16), who picked up a point to move one point ahead of the Seattle Kraken into the final Western wild card with 72 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers got the win without Sean Couturier, Luke Glendening, and Denver Barkey, who were sidelined by injuries.
Speaking of the Kraken, they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Nashville Predators. Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists while Justus Annunen kicked out 26 shots for the Predators (31-28-9), who are one point behind the Kings in the race for that Western wild-card berth. Frederick Gaudreau replied for the 31-28-9 Kraken, who’ve lost six of their last eight games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Predators starting goalie Juuse Saros missed this game as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Chicago Blackhawks upset the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Spencer Knight made 28 saves while Ilya Mikheyev and Connor Bedard scored for the 26-30-12 Blackhawks. Nico Sturm tallied for the Wild (39-19-12), who hold third place in the Central Division with 90 points, but have lost four of their last five contests.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.
HEADLINES
TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews underwent a successful repair surgery for his torn left MCL. His recovery time is 12 weeks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matthews was injured last week by a deliberate knee-on-knee hit by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas, who received a five-game suspension for his actions. While Matthews’ season is over, Gudas could return to action as early as next Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The punishment really doesn’t fit the crime, does it?
HOCKEY 24/7: Frank Seravalli reports sources indicate the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held on May 5.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The league hasn’t officially confirmed this, but it would be in line with last year’s lottery, which was also held on May 5. The New York Islanders won that lottery, going on to select Matthew Schaefer with the first-overall pick during the draft the following month.
DAILY FACEOFF: Ryan Johansen announced his retirement after a 13-season NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, and the Colorado Avalanche from 2011-12 to 2023-24.
Johansen had 202 goals and 376 assists for 578 points in 905 regular-season games. He also had 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points in 67 playoff games.