NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 12, 2026
Four more teams clinch playoff berths, the Red Wings are eliminated again, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: The Ottawa Senators clinched a playoff berth with a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders. Linus Ullmark turned in a 23-save shutout while Ridly Greig, Jake Sanderson, and Michael Amadio were the goal scorers for the 43-27-10 Senators, who have won four straight and sit in the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 96 points. Ilya Sorokin stopped 13 of 15 shots for the 43-32-5 Islanders (91 points), who are three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk left this game in the second period after being struck in the neck/head area by the stick of Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock. There were no postgame details regarding his condition, other than head coach Travis Green saying Tkachuk wasn’t feeling well. It’s unlikely that Tkachuk will be playing against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
The Islanders are five points out of the final Eastern wild card, but they can make the playoffs if they overtake the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Both clubs have two games remaining in their schedules.
Speaking of the Flyers, they improved their chances of securing a playoff berth by crushing the Winnipeg Jets 7-1. Sean Couturier and Noah Cates each had three points, and Dan Vladar made 27 saves for the 41-27-12 Flyers (94 points). Haydn Fleury scored for the 35-32-12 Jets (82 points), who are five points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Meanwhile, the Kings nipped the Edmonton Oilers 1-0, but the Oilers clinched a playoff berth because the Flyers beat the Jets. Anton Forsberg made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season while Artemi Panarin scored the only goal for the 34-26-19 Kings (87 points). Connor Ingram stopped 20 of 21 shots for the Oilers (40-30-10), who sit second in the Pacific Division with 90 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the Kings’ final home game of the regular season. After this contest, team captain Anze Kopitar thanked the fans for supporting him during his 20-season career. He announced in September that he would be retiring at the end of this season. Kings fans could get a chance to see him play again at home if the team makes the playoffs.
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (NHL Images).
The Vegas Golden Knights secured a postseason spot with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Jack Eichel tallied the winning goal, and Carter Hart turned aside 30 shots as the Golden Knights (37-26-17) hold first place in the Pacific Division with 91 points. Devon Toews and Nick Blankenburg replied for the 52-16-12 Avalanche (115 points), who clinched the Presidents’ Trophy earlier in the week with the best regular-season record.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar left this game in the third period after being struck on the right cheek by a shot from Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar. Following the game, a team spokesman said Bednar was “fully alert and fully conscious”, but he was taken to a hospital for a CT scan and further evaluation.
Earlier in the day, the Avalanche announced the signing of top college prospect T.J. Hughes to a one-year entry-level contract for 2026-27. Hughes will join the Avs’ AHL affiliate for the remainder of this season on a professional tryout. The 24-year-old forward is considered the best unsigned college free agent from this year’s crop.
Shifting back to the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning got a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins, but the latter clinched a playoff berth. Brandon Hagel and Emil Lilleberg scored for the 49-25-6 Lightning, who sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with 104 points. Morgan Geekie scored his 38th goal of the season for the 43-27-10 Bruins, who hold the final Eastern wild card with 96 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators and Bruins have identical records with 80 games played, but the Sens have 37 regulation wins to the Bruins’ 31 wins.
The Bruins clinched a playoff spot because the New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 to eliminate them from the postseason chase. Jesper Bratt scored two goals and collected an assist for the 41-36-3 Devils, while Emmit Finnie had a goal and an assist for the 41-30-9 Red Wings (91 points).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings were booed off the ice by their fans following this game. This is the third straight season that the Red Wings missed the playoffs after entering March holding a postseason berth. Their postseason drought has lasted a decade.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Charlie Coyle scored twice in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli each had two points for the 40-28-12 Blue Jackets (92 points), who kept their playoff hopes alive as they sit two points behind the third-place Flyers in the Metropolitan Division. Cole Caufield sniped his 51st goal of the season for the Canadiens (47-23-10), who hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 104 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Caufield sits one goal behind Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (52 goals) in the race for the Maurice Richard Trophy as this season’s top goal scorer, but MacKinnon has a game in hand over Caufield.
The Canadiens also lost defenseman Noah Dobson to a thumb injury from blocking a shot. His absence will be felt keenly if he’s sidelined for the opening round of the upcoming playoffs.
They also learned that top prospect Michael Hage will return to the University of Michigan next season. His agent, Pat Brisson, said Hage wants to spend another season working on his physical and mental strength. He also wants another shot at winning a championship next season after Michigan was eliminated from the Frozen Four last week.
Washington Capitals rookie Ilya Protas had a goal and two assists while his brother Aliaksei Protas had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan Leonard tallied two goals for the 41-30-9 Capitals (91 points) as they sit three points behind the Flyers. Anthony Mantha scored his 32nd goal of the season for the 41-23-16 Penguins, who are second in the Metropolitan Division with 98 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin received a standing ovation from Penguins fans in what may be his final game in Pittsburgh. Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois and defenseman Rasmus Sandin left this game with injuries. There was no postgame update regarding their conditions.
The Penguins scratched seven players, including Sidney Crosby, from this game. Crosby is expected to be in the lineup for today’s game between the two clubs in Washington.
The St. Louis Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3, but it wasn’t enough to prevent them from being eliminated from postseason contention. Cam Fowler scored what proved to be the game-winning goal for the Blues (34-33-12). Ilya Mikheyev tallied twice for the 28-38-14 Blackhawks.
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time since 2015-16 in a 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth. Staal also collected an assist while Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho also scored for the 52-22-6 Hurricanes, who hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 110 points. Dylan Guenther netted his 40th goal of the season for the playoff-bound Mammoth (42-31-6), who hold the first Western wild card with 90 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes scratched eight regulars from this game. Among them were Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and K’Andre Miller.
The Dallas Stars clinched the second seed in the Central Division by blanking the New York Rangers 2-0. Jake Oettinger turned in a 22-save shutout, and Jason Robertson scored both goals for the 48-20-12 Stars (108 points). Igor Shesterkin stopped 17 of 18 shots for the 33-38-9 Rangers.
Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos tallied his 40th goal of the season and collected an assist in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Matthew Wood also scored for the 38-32-10 Predators (86 points), who sit one point behind the Kings for that final Western wild-card berth. Michael McCarron scored for the Wild (45-23-12), who are third in the Central Division with 102 points.
A shootout goal by Linus Karlsson lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks, leaving the latter’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Jake DeBrusk scored his 20th goal of the season for the 23-48-8 Canucks. Igor Chernyshov scored twice, and Macklin Celebrini had two assists to reach 110 points this season for the 37-34-8 Sharks (82 points), who are five points behind the Kings for that final Western wild card.
The Seattle Kraken scored four unanswered goals to beat the Calgary Flames 4-1, but it didn’t prevent them from being eliminated from the playoff race. Rookie goalie Nikke Kokko stopped 26 shots to win his first NHL game while Matty Beniers scored his 20th goal of the season for the 34-34-11 Kraken. Hunter Brzustewicz scored for the 32-38-9 Flames.
Florida Panthers forward Tomas Nosek scored his first two goals of this season in a 6-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mackie Samoskevich and Eetu Luostarinen each had three points for the 38-38-4 Panthers. William Nylander scored both goals for the 32-34-14 Maple Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Maple Leafs announced that goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Brandon Carlo, and forward Dakota Joshua have been shut down for the rest of the season due to injuries.
George, unfortunately your prediction to me in late February that Detroit would get into the big dance did not come to fruition. I alluded to the fact that they had started their March Meltdown early and would spiral out of a playoff spot. Not happy that my fears came true, but with several years of this team not being able to hold a lead or “take the next step” has been brutal to watch. Congrats to the Sens and B’s to comeback into playoff position.
I hope Brady recovers….. That did not look good. Kinda like a delayed concussion.
However, for next year, Detroit is in a very good spot cap wise with $31 million to spend and only 6 to sign. They have the 4th best prospect rating in the league and the 2nd best AHL record heading into the playoffs. The Griffens lead the league in most categories but are now 5 pts behind Providence.
Unfortunately the Wings have demonstrated having cap and prospects doesn’t equate to success on the ice. If you look at this team, it’s not that bad. But why or what’s holding them back?
Yeah, Johnny Z, that has to be hard to digest among the loyal fan base, with their collapse this year being especially hard to fathom. I saw them a lot this past season and for the most part they always appeared to be a solid, well-coordinated team, particularly when they played the Senators.
A couple of nights ago when they easily handled the Flyers 6-3, and up to that Bratt goal late in the 3rd yesterday to break a 3-3 tie, I really thought they still had a chance.
Re Tkachuk … he’s a tough bird, and now with them having clinched a WC spot and no real preference one way or another as to who they meet in Round 1, he can sit out the game today in NJ and the finale at home against the Leafs next Wednesday. They should also have Kleven back ready to go when the playoffs get under way.
There has to be some building grumbling from owners/management of Philadelphia, Columbus, Washington, Detroit and the NYI as they look at the standings this morning and see their teams shown as either eliminated or perhaps soon to be in that ultra-tight Metropolitan Division, while sporting better records than the entire Pacific Division, 4 of which proceed to the playoffs, plus one team from the Central (Utah) which holds the 1st WC slot out West and which would also be outside the playoffs in the East. It certainly doesn’t look good when you consider that this is also a result of an inter-locking schedule.
And when hearing the various personalities on the CBC, TSN and RDS coverage all referring to the goals differentials as a key sign of a serious playoff contender and see that, while all 8 teams in the East are on the + side, as are two still not in (Columbus +2 and Washington +15), two Western teams currently in (Anaheim -14 and Los Angeles -21) have glaring minus figures, as do the 3 teams still with a chance (Nashville -20, Winnipeg -14 and San Jose -44).
Some may choose to shrug it off as “inconsequential” … but as I say, it doesn’t look good.
Don’t look now B’s fans, but Toronto is in the 5th place position for worst overall in the league! They really are playing for that pick!
The Leafs tank commander Burbe is driving that tank right off to the sunset. I’m hoping they finish with pics 3 or 4th overall. That way if someone out of the top 5 win the lottery and move up, it won’t bump the Leafs out of the top 5….which we all know is the most Leafy outcome, right? LOL.
24 year old college player? Not sure how excited I’d be as an avs fan about a guy who dominated against 18 19 20 year olds. Always worth a shot though. And hage agent is brisson? What year is he going into? I’d be slightly concerned as an Habs fan that he could ride out his college years until fa.
Chrisms: Look up Hage’s story. He’s a Habs fan. His late father was a Habs fan. He and his mother were overjoyed when they selected him in the draft two years ago.
As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night, Hage’s decision has the Habs’ blessing. GM Kent Hughes met with him and his agent two weeks ago to discuss the future, and told him there was “no wrong answer” for whatever route he wanted to go next season.
Hage wants to join the Canadiens,and he will one day, but he also believes he needs more time to develop his skills, plus he wants another shot at the US College hockey title.
Plus the guy might also be interested in getting a degree. Some players have that as a priority but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.
With the current state of NCAA sports, Hage probably didn’t want to take a pay cut.
No worries. Hage will eventually be a Hab. He’s going into his junior year in college and Habs have his rights for 2 more years. He grew up rooting for the Habs and wants to play for them. He just feels he’s not yet NHL ready. Another year in college will benefit him and the team.
Alex Hage, Michael’s little brother committed to Michigan and it was part of the over-all decision making for Michael to go back next year and play with him.
Habs stunk out the joint…..again.
I like the team but until they get tougher in front of the net they’re going nowhere.
Beautiful hockey is fun to watch but as long as running the crease and goalie is a thing, teams will do it. Teams that have one man wrecking crews keep handing it to the Habs.
Boone Jenner has done it a few games, Anders Lee did it,
The only potential saving grace is that the D-system employed leaves no room for breakdowns and switching up the lines in the last few games showed some glaring missed assignments.
Regarding yesterday comments about Hage and Zharovsky being untouchable, here’s why.
1) At their age they are expected/hoped to be part of the next core in transition bout 4 years from now.
2) There a number of actual roster players in the 27-27 y/o range that are becoming redundant and of immediate value to trade partners.
3) There is a full prospect pool of players in the 22-24 y/o range for whom there’s no room on the Habs who are assets that can be used on other teams.
4) The “type” of players the Habs need to add might just already exist in Laval in the 20-22y/o range.
2) There a number of actual roster players in the 27-27 y/o range that are becoming redundant and of immediate value to trade partners.
Should have read-
2) There a number of actual roster players in the 25-27 y/o range that are becoming redundant and of immediate value to trade partners.
Why only a one year deal with
TJ Hughes ?.Does he eventually want to go to NJD. I kid I kid not related. Or is he
Better hope that thumb is not broken- typically a 6 week deal
Brady almost passed out getting to the bench and it wasn’t that far away .