The Montreal Canadiens have already punched a ticket. The Edmonton Oilers are nearly there, too.

The Ottawa Senators also look be on course for a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, have some work to do — and need a lot of help.

Four of Canada’s seven NHL teams remain in the mix for the NHL’s annual spring dance, with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs all set to miss out.

The Canadiens clinched a second straight post-season berth last weekend, but are jockeying for position in the Atlantic Division with the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. Buffalo tops the ledger with 106 points, followed by Montreal (104) and Tampa Bay (102).

The Sabres, who hold the first tiebreaker with 41 regulation victories, have two games remaining on the schedule, while the Canadiens and Lightning each play three more times in the regular season.

Montreal, which fell to the Washington Capitals in last year’s first round, could face either of those clubs to open the playoffs, while other possibilities include Ottawa and the Boston Bruins.

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The Oilers are on the cusp of making the post-season a seventh year running, a stretch that includes back-to-back Cup final appearances against the Florida Panthers in 2024 and 2025.

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Edmonton leads the Pacific Division — a race captain Connor McDavid called a “pillow fight” last month because of its slow crawl to the finish line — with 90 points, one better than both the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. Each team has three games remaining, with the Oilers holding the tiebreaker thanks to 31 regulation victories.

The website MoneyPuck.com pegged Edmonton’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs at 99.98 per cent heading into Saturday after the league took Friday night off. Claiming the division crown would likely mean a first-round matchup with the Utah Mammoth.

The Senators have captured four of their last five games in regulation to push the club’s post-season chances to 92.1 per cent.

Ottawa occupies the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card berth with 94 points and three games remaining.

The Senators are two back of the Bruins for the first wild card, while the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders are three points adrift of Ottawa. The Columbus Blue Jackets have 90 points, followed by Washington with 89.

Boston, Ottawa, Detroit, New York, Columbus and Washington all have three games left.

The Senators, who made the playoffs a year ago for the first time since the franchise’s run to the 2017 conference final before bowing out to the Maple Leafs, could face the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round, while the Sabres, Canadiens and Lightning are also possible.

Winnipeg sat last in the overall standings on Jan. 8 with a 15-22-5 record. The Jets steadied themselves and have made 20-9-7 surge in the second half to stay in the playoff conversation in the top-heavy West.

Last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner with a league-topping 116 points, however, will need a lot to go right to get in.

Winnipeg currently sits on 82 points, three back of the Los Angeles Kings for the conference’s second wild-card slot. The Nashville Predators have 84 points, while the San Jose Sharks are at 81.

The Kings, Jets and Sharks have four games left, one more than the Predators.

Winnipeg still has a shot, but MoneyPuck.com had its chances at 12.6 per cent heading into the weekend. Snagging an improbable post-season appearance would also likely mean a first-round date with the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2026.

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MONTREAL – Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the Montreal Canadiens dressing room after the team’s 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in a thrilling game Thursday night.

Carney was in Montreal for a Liberal party convention running through Saturday, attending the game following a day of media appearances and speeches across the city.

He met with Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, forwards Alex Newhook and Jake Evans, and defenceman Mike Matheson after an eventful game that featured fights, a dramatic finish and Cole Caufield scoring his 50th goal of the season.

“I’m going to be honest, I haven’t had that much fun in over a year,” Carney said, drawing laughs from the players. “Fantastic game.”

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Carney arrived at the start of the second period with the score 0-0 and sat three rows behind the Canadiens’ bench, shaking hands and chatting with nearby fans.

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When Caufield scored his milestone goal six minutes into the period, Carney jumped up and hugged those same spectators.

He joined the energetic crowd in doing the wave, took photos on his phone and high-fived fans once Juraj Slafkovsky’s late goal sealed the win for Montreal, the only Canadian team to clinch a Stanley Cup playoff spot so far.

Carney placed a hand on his chest and applauded as he entered the locker room, telling players they needed no introduction.

“It’s a real, real honour,” he said while shaking Suzuki’s hand. “It was a key moment in the game, the way you stood up, it was unbelievable.”

Suzuki answered that it was a real pleasure to meet him.

“Is that all you got?” Carney joked.

Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, meanwhile, said he discussed “leadership” with Carney when they briefly met after the game.

Carney wore two different Canadiens hats despite being a lifelong Edmonton Oilers fan. He grew up in Edmonton during the Wayne Gretzky era and was a third-string goaltender at Harvard University.

Last March, he joined Connor McDavid and the Oilers at practice and previously posted a photo of himself wearing a “McJesus” T-shirt.

The Liberal convention in Montreal — and Carney’s visit to the game — comes ahead of three byelections on Monday, and a day after a fifth opposition MP crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus.

— With files from Erika Morris and Daniel Rainbird.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

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TORONTO – Macklin Celebrini is often looking down on the bench.

The San Jose Sharks star centre isn’t in pain or checking his laces. He’s usually going over what just transpired — on an iPad.

“If a play didn’t work out how I wanted,” Celebrini explained. “Or if one of my teammates was talking to me about something and I didn’t see it, I think it’s good just to be able to go back and look.”

Technology and sports have countless intersections. One trend in the NHL over the better part of the last decade has been the use of digital tablets in-game that can provide coaches and players with near-instant replays.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is a big fan.

“Love the iPad,” he said. “We have a rule on our team where you only get to watch it during TV timeouts … you don’t want to be on the iPad when you’re trying to make a change.”

That’s where the bench balancing act comes into play.

“Sometimes we feel as coaches we’re working at the Apple Store when the guys are asking for iPads, but I get it, in a sense,” Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky said. “I don’t really appreciate it when they look to see how much they missed the net by.”

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle said there’s no such thing as too much information, but tablets can become a distraction.

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“The game is so fast, mistakes are going to be made,” he said. “If you’re looking on the iPad to see the mistake, it should already be forgotten and move on to the next shift.”

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New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said while there are plenty of benefits when it comes to parsing technique or structure, the tech can be overused.

“A goalie that made a big save or you flubbed on a pass — don’t waste your time on that,” he said. “Let’s stay in the moment and then move quickly on.”

Keefe, however, added the league’s younger generation grew up with screens and expects immediate intel from the video coaches splicing tape.

“They’ve come up in an era where they’re used to having things at their fingertips,” he said. “They want the information.”

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy will only really look at the iPad, which officials also use at the timekeeper’s bench on coach’s challenge and other replays, after specific sequences.

“I’m not a huge believer in nitpicking every shift and saying, ‘Why didn’t you pass it to me right here?’” he said. “I’m sure they have plenty of clips of me not passing to them, too.”

Celebrini’s screen time last season as a rookie got some attention.

“It was pretty public that I used the iPads quite a bit,” he said. “I think I got caught (on camera) every time I used it, so it looked like I was on it more than I was.”

Anaheim Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, who played more than 800 NHL games and owns over 1,000 victories behind the bench, has had a front-row seat to plenty of change in hockey.

“Not a fan (of iPads),” said the three-time Stanley Cup winner, who mostly searches out replays for calls by on-ice officials. “I’m not gonna discourage it, but I don’t promote it.”

Devils centre Jack Hughes said screen use can negatively impact players in the moment.

“You miss a big chance, and you’re upset about it,” he said. “You go back and look at look at it, but then you just get more frustrated. Every guy’s different, but think it’s very useful for some parts of the game.”

“Anything’s good in moderation, right?” New York Rangers winger Will Cuylle added. “But you don’t want to be like a little kid out there on his iPad.”

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, another former NHLer from a different era, noted players are sometimes only interested in tablet-based replays when it makes them look good.

“I love the iPads,” he said in a muted, sarcastic tone. “They want the iPads after a shift when they have a scoring opportunity, but they don’t want the iPad when they screwed up defensively.

“That’s when the assistant coach goes down and shows them.”

TIME CRUNCH

The NHL’s return to the Olympics offered fans a riveting mid-season tournament. That 2 1/2-week break has also left coaches with even less time for on-ice preparations throughout 2025-26 due to a compressed schedule that offers little wiggle room.

“Our morning skate is, a lot of times, our practice,” Quenneville said. “We just go 15, 20 minutes.”

He added that making sure players are ready for important games down the stretch is paramount.

“The other team’s in the same boat,” Quenneville said. “Rest, I think, is probably not a bad idea … we’ve been trying to be aware of that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.

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OTTAWA – Martin St. Louis may have tough decisions ahead.

The Montreal Canadiens coach raised eyebrows when he announced Jacob Fowler would start Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.

The 21-year-old was instrumental, however, in Montreal’s 3-2 victory with 32 saves.

After his recall from the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket, Fowler was in Ottawa ahead of his teammates Tuesday while Jakub Dobes made 17 saves in Montreal’s 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Samuel Montembeault was Dobes’ backup in Toronto, but the Canadiens still opted to recall Fowler.

He’d played his first 10 NHL games earlier this season. Fowler from Melbourne, Fla., went 4-4-2 with a .903 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average in that stretch. His previous appearance was Jan. 15 against the Buffalo Sabres.

With the Canadiens (36-18-10) looking to firmly lock down a playoff spot, it’s clear St. Louis was willing to go with whoever he felt provides his team with the best chance to win.

He was impressed by his young goaltender’s composure in a game that had playoff intensity. The Senators (32-23-9) are on the outside of the playoffs and fighting to gain ground.

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“I thought he battled,” said St. Louis. “He made some huge saves for us. It’s such a game of inches in terms of winning and losing and it usually comes down to your goaltender and I thought he did that …this game could have gone either way and I think Fowler did the job.”

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Teammates were quick to recognize their young goaltender’s performance.

“We know what he’s capable of, but I mean some of those saves he made late in the game there is a big reason why we won the game,” said Alex Newhook. “A lot of credit to him. Great to see.”

Fowler wasn’t as nervous as he was in his debut Dec. 11, when he had 33 saves in a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“The first experience had me a little bit more ready for this,” said Fowler. “Before (it) was a little bit more new stuff. Here, I was just kind of rejoining a team I felt I was a part of and super-happy to be a part of this team and great win for our group.”

Fowler lauded his teammates’ efforts in the final three minutes Wednesday when Ottawa pressed hard for an equalizer.

Fowler made a number of key saves, but Alexandre Carrier and Phillip Danault also blocked shots by from Fabian Zetterlund and Tim Stutzle to secure the win.

“It was pretty hectic,” recalled Fowler. “Couple plays there that our guys on the ice were pretty gassed and a lot of huge blocks there down the stretch. You know the last few minutes, there were a lot of guys doing a lot of hard things to get a win, and that’s what it takes this time of year.”

With 18 games remaining in their regular season, the Canadiens are focused on positioning themselves for a playoff run.

The win over the Senators ranked the Canadiens third in the Atlantic Division, with a three-point lead on the Detroit Red Wings and four on Boston, who hold the two wild cards.

‘You can’t buy that experience where we are in the season against that team,” said St. Louis. “Pretty good rivalry for us, on the road. You can’t buy that. So, for me, I think high marks the way (Fowler) played.”

With back-to-back games against San Jose and Anaheim this weekend, the coach’s decisions around his starting goaltender will be interesting.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026

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MONTREAL – Craig Berube liked what he saw — in most of the final 40 minutes.

The first period, meanwhile, looked far more like the version of the Toronto Maple Leafs that has them staring down a lengthy losing streak and a first missed trip to the playoffs since 2016.

The Montreal Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead en route to a 3-1 win over their Original Six rivals Tuesday night, extending Toronto’s winless skid to eight games.

“They outskated us and had the play in the first period,” Leafs coach Berube said. “I thought we did a much better job in the second period, got ourselves back in the game. We just need more.

“We just needed more of a push from a lot of guys.”

The Canadiens dominated early, toying with the Leafs in the offensive zone to hold a 15-8 edge in shots after 20 minutes.

Zachary Bolduc saw an early chance go wide and Kaiden Guhle ripped a shot off Joseph Woll’s mask before Oliver Kapanen opened the scoring less than five minutes in, finishing a slick passing play with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook with a deke from the goal line.

Montreal kept pressing until Phillip Danault capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to make it 2-0 at 14:41, as Guhle’s dump-in ricocheted off the glass and landed on the veteran centre’s stick for his fifth of the season.

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“They definitely had the play in the first for sure, had the puck,” Berube said. “We didn’t check it off of them and then when we did, we didn’t do anything with the puck. Didn’t get up the ice as a five-man unit and create anything. We had five shots on net and a couple chances, but not enough.”

Toronto pushed back in the second period with William Nylander cutting into the lead after a give-and-go with Easton Cowan during a strong stretch in the second period, but Montreal shut the game down in the third — with help from two Leafs penalties in the final nine minutes.

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Nylander said although the push back may be encouraging, it’s still far from where the Maple Leafs need to be.

“It’s a lot of losses in a row now,” he said. “Parts of all the games we’ve been playing, we’ve been playing snippets of good hockey. And I mean, that’s not how we want to play when we play a full game of good hockey. So until we trend closer to that, I think (that’s when) it will be positive.

“They were kind of all over us. Sometimes that happens, teams are all over (you), but to give up that many chances to begin with, it’s kind of tough. Woll did a great job and kept us in the game all night.”

The Maple Leafs (27-27-11) fell 13 points outside the playoffs and 15 behind the Canadiens (35-18-10), who jumped to third in the Atlantic Division.

So why can’t Toronto put together a full game of “good hockey”?

“It’s tough to say, but it’s hard to win in this league if you don’t get it,” Berube said. “You don’t have to dominate a period, but you have to be in the game. You got to create and you got to defend.

“Throughout this stretch, there’s been a lot of good hockey, but then there’s that stretch of — if it’s a period or a 10-minute stretch in a period — where these teams score two, three goals on us.”

Berube then pointed out that the Leafs can’t score their way out of those lapses. Toronto captain Auston Matthews — a former 69-goal scorer — extended his goalless streak to 12 games on Tuesday.

“Right now, we can’t find the back of the net enough,” he said. “When this is going on, you got to keep the puck out of our net as much as possible, hopefully find our groove with the scoring, but we need more guys to dig in and contribute than there is right now.”

Over in the Canadiens dressing room, centre Jake Evans called the outing their “most complete game.”

“I felt the third period, we were in control for most of it,” he said. “We just didn’t get that third or maybe even fourth goal to take them out of it, and they fought hard to battle back.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026.

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MONTREAL – Oliver Kapanen scored his 20th of the season as the Montreal Canadiens held on for a 3-1 win and handed the Toronto Maple Leafs their eighth consecutive loss on Tuesday night.

Phillip Danault also scored, while Jake Evans added an empty-net goal for Montreal (35-18-10). Jakub Dobes made 17 saves.

William Nylander replied for struggling Toronto (27-27-11), which is on track to miss the playoffs after nine consecutive trips to the post-season.

Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots in a solid outing.

The Maple Leafs entered the night 11 points outside the playoffs and 13 behind the Canadiens, who held the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kapanen opened the scoring 4:46 into the first period, finishing a slick passing play with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook with a deke from the goal line. Demidov held off two Maple Leafs in the corner before sending the puck to Newhook, who fed Kapanen down low.

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Danault then capitalized on a fortuitous bounce to put the Canadiens up 2-0 at 14:41 as Kaiden Guhle’s dump-in ricocheted off the glass and rolled in front of the Maple Leafs’ net, gifting the veteran centre his fifth of the season.

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Nylander buried his 22nd from a give-and-go with Easton Cowan, putting Toronto on the board at 14:33 in the second after Dobes’ flurry of saves kept it a two-goal game with the Leafs pressing.

TAKEAWAYS

Canadiens: Besides two shifts on the power play, Cole Caufield sat at the end of the Canadiens’ bench from late in the second period through the end of the game. Montreal’s leading goal scorer appeared to be in some discomfort, with trainers occasionally checking in, though it was unclear when he was injured.

Maple Leafs: The Canadiens dominated play early, toying with the Leafs in the offensive zone to lead the game 2-0 — and the shot count 15-8 — after 20 minutes. Toronto pushed back in the second period with Nylander cutting into the lead after Montreal missed several opportunities to pile on, but Montreal hung on in the third.

KEY MOMENT

Late in the first period, veteran Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher, after he interfered with Cowan, fought Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe as the building erupted.

KEY STAT

Toronto captain Auston Matthews — a former 69-goal scorer — extended his goalless streak to 12 games.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Canadiens: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2026.

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TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs put a positive spin on their fourth straight loss since the Olympics.

The Maple Leafs gained a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, but they will enter their final 21 regular-season games seven points out of a playoff position.

But the Boston Bruins, the team that holds down the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, have played two fewer games than the Maple Leafs.

“We’re just trying to stay positive,” Toronto forward Dakota Joshua said. “It’s a tough time for our group.”

Last season, the Montreal Canadiens snatched the eighth and final playoff spot in the East with 91 points. That means the Maple Leafs need a minimum of 27 points in their final 21 games to have hope of securing a post-season berth.

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Joshua revealed that different Toronto players have stepped up with words of wisdom in the hopes of shaking the Maple Leafs out of a funk that has seen them lose 10 of their last 13 outings.

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“It’s about sticking together,” Joshua said. “It’s about finding a way.”

Joshua scored the Maple Leafs’ first goal before 18,255 at Scotiabank Arena in his third game back after missing two months with a lacerated kidney. The 29-year-old left-winger from Dearborn, Mich., admitted that it has been difficult to get his wind back.

“I’m feeling better every game,” he said.

The goal was Joshua’s first since he scored the game-winner at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 16.

Toronto head coach Craig Berube shuffled his lines in an attempt to get his team a much-needed win. Nicolas Roy, between Joshua and Matias Maccelli, was an effective trio, providing the home team with some physicality.

“Since (Joshua has) come back, he’s been pretty good,” Berube said. “I thought he did a lot of good things again tonight. Other than the goal, even though it was a great shot, good play. For me, he’s being that heavy, physical player that we need a good job for us.”

Berube also put his two best offensive players, captain Auston Matthews and William Nylander, together on a line with Bobby McMann. While Nylander scored the tying goal with 2:30 remaining in regulation on the power play, Matthews extended his season-high goalless streak to eight games.

“I thought they were good,” Berube said. “Auston had eight shots. Willie had (four). They created. They just didn’t finish.”

The Maple Leafs’ busy post-Olympic schedule continues on Wednesday and Thursday for their fifth and sixth outings in nine days against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, respectively.

“That’s kind of like our blueprint,” Berube said in his analysis of the shootout loss to the Flyers. “We did a lot of good things tonight. We’ve got to go out to Jersey and do the same thing.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2026.

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MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis admitted a 4-3 overtime loss to the visiting New York Islanders left a bitter taste with his players.

Montreal led Thursday’s game 3-2 late in the third, but the Islanders rallied with the game-tying goal in the final two minutes before scoring in the extra period.

The way that game ended was a point of emphasis on Saturday morning before the Canadiens hosted the visiting Washington Capitals.

“I think we learned from that,” said Canadiens forward Cole Caufield. “We weren’t too happy with ourselves and how we handled that third period (against the Islanders). Obviously, we knew we needed to have a good start and play a full 60 minutes (Saturday).”

The Canadiens entered the third period on Saturday with a 4-1 lead, thanks in large part to Caufield’s two first-period goals, the first of which came just 30 seconds into the game.

“When you get a goal the first shift of the game, it kind of sets the tone for the rest,” said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, who finished the game with a goal and two assists.

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“It was a good start,” added Caufield. “We needed that tonight. It’s pretty cool to get those two early but, obviously, getting chances is the most important thing.”

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While the Capitals would trim the deficit to two, courtesy of captain Alex Ovechkin’s second goal of the night, Montreal was determined to not let the lead, or the game, slip away from them again.

“What I liked best about the game was how we managed the third period,” said St. Louis. “I know it’s different from the other night because we were leading by more, but they scored a goal to cut the deficit to two goals. We managed it better. We continued to play in the third.”

Suzuki was also proud of his team’s commitment to finishing the game properly.

“I think there’s some points in the game where we probably were sitting a little too far back,” said Suzuki. “Sometimes, you get uncomfortable when you keep losing the lead. I thought we did a better job of not trying to be too safe out there.”

The Canadiens have seen a third-period lead turn into a loss on eight occasions this season, including three in regulation time.

Montreal currently sits third in the Atlantic Division standings with 75 points, just one point back of the second-place Buffalo Sabres, who have played one more game than the Canadiens.

With the Detroit Red Wings just one point back of Montreal entering play Sunday, Caufield recognizes the importance of not letting teams back into games, especially as the team gets set to enter the final two months of the regular season.

“These are very important games,” said Caufield. “It’s a sprint to the finish line. Obviously, every team in our division has been pushing in the same direction. All these points matter. That’s what makes it fun.”

HONOURING THE OLYMPIANS

Before Saturday’s puck drop, the Montreal Canadiens recognized 11 athletes who competed at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. In addition to Suzuki, Tom Wilson and Logan Thompson of the men’s ice hockey team, short track speedskaters Danaé Blais, William Dandjinou, Félix Roussel, Florence Brunelle, Kim Boutin, Courtney Sarault and Steven Dubois were saluted at centre ice by the Montreal faithful.

A thunderous ovation was also given to freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury, who captured a gold and silver medal in moguls during the 33-year-old’s final Olympics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2026.

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