Logan Thompson was the difference here, turning aside 24 shots and earning the shutout It was a composed, controlled outing with very little given up in terms of second chances.

Connor McMichael kept his strong run going with two goals and one assist, including the game-winner. He has been on a hot streak with 11 points in his last 10 games and currently has 14 goals and 32 assists on the season.

Alex Ovechkin picked up an assist in the game, but the moment that stood out came right after the final horn when he waved off the Penguins in the handshake line. Afterward, when the "one more year" chants came up, he didn't close the door on anything. He left it open, saying he needs time to think it over, which only adds to the speculation about what's next. Maybe there's still a bit left in the tank.

Ovi was joined by Crosby, Malkin and Letang at center ice for a pic 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/KhLbrzcI3D

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 12, 2026

Washington Capitals are still stacking important wins late, doing just enough to keep their playoff push alive. The margin for error is basically gone now. They're not eliminated, but it's going to take a near-perfect finish plus help from teams above them dropping points to get over the line.

At the top of the division picture, Pittsburgh Penguins have already locked up a playoff spot, and the focus has shifted toward health and getting ready for the postseason rather than chasing standings points.

In the Wild Card race, things are still tight. The Philadelphia Flyers sit in one spot with 94 points, while the Capitals are right behind them at 93. Neither group is secure yet. Right behind them, the Columbus Blue Jackets remain in the mix at 92 points but they did not do themselves any favors in loosing against the Bruins. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders have now been officially eliminated after their loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The playoff race is intense and it does not get any better than this if you are a hockey fan.

–

Boston completed the season series sweep over Columbus, in a game that was considered to be a must win for the Blue Jackets. The Bruins Sean Kuraly had a strong all-around performance, finishing with a 1G, 2A night and factoring directly into all three Boston goals.

Henri Jokiharju also chipped in offensively with a two-point effort (1G, 1A), adding production from the backend while continuing to log reliable minutes.

Even though Columbus controlled large stretches of play and finished with a 35–22 edge in shots, they were ultimately undone by finishing and goaltending. Joonas Korpisalo came up big for Boston, turning aside 33 shots and holding the line in key moments to secure the win despite heavy pressure.

Offensively for Columbus, Adam Fantilli continued to show his upside with a goal and leading all forwards with four shots on net. Linemate Mason Marchment was the other Blue Jackets player to register a goal.

Zach Werenski did everything he could from the back end, firing eight shots on goal and logging over 30 minutes of ice time in every effort to push for the win for the Blue Jackets.

–

Nick Suzuki continued his elite season with another multi-point effort, driving Montreal's top line and reached 101 career points for the first time in his NHL career.

Ivan Demidov added his 18^th goal of the season and now has 62 points, leading all rookies. Beckett Sennecke is trailing close behind with 60 points and Matthew Schaeffer with 59 points.

Alex Newhook and Zachary Bolduc were the other Canadiens players to score. Both players also registered an assist for two points on the night. All three goals registered by the Canadiens were scored within a 55 second span.

With the Canadiens win, the New York Islanders were been eliminated from playoff contention making yet another year out of the playoffs.

11-12-0 since the Olympic break. 4-9-0 last 13. 1-6-0 last 7.#Isles fell apart in a big way last 2 weeks, but this was a 2-month collapse.

GM changed. Coach changed. Time for a major roster shakeup to turn this team in a new direction. https://t.co/Jy10jEGbGL

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNHL) April 13, 2026

The Islanders didn't just stumble late in the season, they lost all control after the Olympic break, turning what was a steady campaign into a two-month slide that fully unraveled over the final stretch.

Ilya Sorokin took the loss in the Islanders elimination game while facing a relatively controlled shot environment, stopping 18 shots but ultimately getting little support in front of him.

In 55 games, Sorokin has posted a 29–24–2 record with a 2.68 GAA, .905 SV%, and 7 shutouts while continuing to carry a heavy workload as the Islanders' clear No. 1. While his SV% is slightly below his peak seasons, the underlying numbers tell a different story, his GSAx (+39.31) shows he's still performing at a high level and consistently dealing with tough defensive situations in front of him. Compared to last year's .907 SV%, the surface production is fairly similar, but the consistency and elite ceiling from his peak years has dipped. Sorokin has essentially been the backbone of the Islanders yet again, and while younger pieces like Matthew Schaefer are starting to take on more responsibility, the team's structure would look very different without him handling the workload like he does. You can still expect him to be a reliable volume starter who can still deliver strong individual outings next season as this Islanders group looks to build on what they nearly accomplished this season.

–

Nico Hischier had a big night, finishing with three points (2G, 1A) including the overtime winner on the power play.

Jack Huges continues his hot streak with another two points (2A). Hughes has 18 points in his last nine games played

With Jacob Markstrom shut down for the season, Nico Daws stepped into the starter's role and delivered a solid showing, stopping 27 shots to pick up the win. Connor Brown also found the back of the net and continues to quietly produce, now sitting at 18 points (8G, 10A) over his last 20 games.

Brady Tkachuk was out of the lineup after suffering an injury on Saturday night, and with the Senators already locked into a playoff spot, he is likely to sit the remaining regular season games as a precaution.

–

Marco Rossi was the difference for Vancouver, delivering the overtime winner while also playing spoiler to Anaheim's playoff-clinching hopes. He added an assist as well, finishing the night with a strong all-around performance in a game that meant a lot to the Ducks and not at all for the Canucks.

MARCO ROSSI! CANUCKS WIN IN OVERTIME 🔵🟢 pic.twitter.com/jEZKcXAqG4

📢 advertisement:

— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) April 13, 2026

Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser both chipped in with two-point nights, each recording a goal and an assist.

Cutter Gauthier made an immediate impact in his return to the lineup after missing five games, jumping right back into form with a two-goal performance. He's now sitting at 40 goals in just his second full NHL season, reinforcing just how quickly his offensive game is evolving.

Leo Carlsson also found the back of the net, while Chris Kreider contributed two assists in a solid but ultimately incomplete effort.

With the loss, Anaheim remains at 90 points with two games left, while the Kings sit at 87 points but still have three games in hand, keeping the race very much alive. The Ducks have struggled down the stretch, going 3-5-2 in their last 10, while Los Angeles has surged at the right time with a 6-1-3 run, setting up a tense finish where every point carries significant weight.

–

In a very similar fashion to the Canucks and Ducs game, the Utah Mammoth had a prime opportunity to pull further away with their Wild Card spot but were unable to do so with a loss to the Calgary Flames.

An unlikely hero in Brayden Pachal led the Flames with a goal and two assists.

Matt Coronato, Mikael Backlund and Connor Zary all each also scored a goal each.

Dustin Wolf tended to the twine posting a 0.966 SV% on 29 shots against.

–

Some fantasy leagues run right through to the end of the NHL season, so for those still in it, these final few days are where things can flip quickly.

At this point, it's less about raw talent and more about information, timing, and how well you adapt. Team motivation is all over the place. You have teams pushing for playoff spots, others locked into position, and some already eliminated. On the flip side, teams with nothing left to play for start managing workloads, which is where things get unpredictable.

Load management can also be a major factor, from rest days, maintenance scratches, or last-minute changes, especially for veterans, top-line players, and starting goalies on secure teams. The Colorado Avalanche is a perfect example where a lot of their top-six players may be out of the lineup for these last few days for maintenance in preparation for the playoffs and because of that, availability starts to outweigh talent, even with the Avalanche playing three games this final week.

Heading into the final days of this weeks matchup, the waiver wire has some value, particularly from teams like Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, and St. Louis who all play three games the final few days among the LA Kings and Winnipeg Jets. The Kings offer a solid depth look in Alex Laferriere (45% rostered), who brings useful flexibility with C/LW/RW eligibility and can chip in across multiple peripheral stats. In San Jose, Alexander Wennberg (18%) continues to hold value as a steady, under-the-radar option. Out in Seattle, Bobby McMann (26%) is still worth serious consideration as he offers stable multi-category production and short-term scoring upside. Although they are out of the playoffs the St. Louis Blues still carry intrigue with rookie winger Jimmy Snuggerud (36%) who is still rostered fairly low in most Yahoo! Leagues but gaining more traction in deeper formats.  

Thanks for reading! See you next week! For more fantasy hockey content and analysis, follow me on X @Punters_hockey. If you have any questions about your team or a trade? My DMs are always open, happy to help!