NHL Game Recaps: 3/15/25

It was a busy Saturday night in the NHL as 11 games were played across the US and Canada. A couple of blowouts and some tight matches defined Saturday's contests.

Golden Knights vs Sabres: BUF wins 4–3 in SO

Vegas forward and former Sabres captain Jack Eichel made another return to Buffalo last night with his team holding a four-point lead in the Pacific Division.

Vegas opened the scoring with two goals from forwards Brett Howden (18) and Pavel Dorofeyev (27), but Buffalo responded with goals from Ryan McLeod (15) and Jason Zucker (19) to tie the game in the third.

It looked like Vegas would walk away with the win when Eichel (21) put home a rebound with two and a half minutes remaining. But with 14 seconds left and an extra attacker on the ice, Rasmus Dahlin wired a slapshot through a screen that beat Adin Hill and sent the game to overtime.

The game ended in a shootout, with the Sabres converting 2-of-3 attempts for the comeback win on home ice.

GWG: Alex Tuch

Hill (VGK): L, 34 saves

Luukkonen (BUF): W, 16 saves

Devils vs Penguins: PIT wins 7–3

It was a happy night in Pittsburgh as five different skaters scored in the team's 7–3 win over New Jersey.

The Devils struck first 10 minutes into the game, as forward Cody Glass scored his sixth of the year. Pittsburgh responded with four unanswered goals from Connor Dewar (2), Danton Heinen (8), Rickard Rakell (31), and Philip Tomasino (10).

The Devils narrowed the gap with back-to-back power-play goals from Timo Meier (19) and Nico Hischier (28), making it a 4–3 game in the third.

Pittsburgh pulled away with goals from Erik Karlsson (10), Dewar (3), and Kevin Hayes (10) to seal the 7–3 victory.

GWG: Philip Tomasino

Markstrom (NJD): L, 16 saves

Jarry (PIT): W, 24 saves

Capitals vs Sharks: WSH wins 5–1

A first-period onslaught by Washington saw goals from Dylan Strome (21), Aliaksei Protas (29), and Taylor Raddysh (7) to make it 3–0 after 20 minutes.

Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini added to his Calder campaign with his 21st goal in the third, but Washington’s Trevor van Riemsdyk (1) and Alex Ovechkin (34) sealed the 5–1 win in San Jose.

Ovechkin now trails Wayne Gretzky by eight goals, sitting at career goal No. 887.

GWG: Aliaksei Protas

Georgiev (SJS): L, 14 saves

Romanov (SJS): 9 saves

Thompson (WSH): W, 19 saves

Lightning vs Bruins: TBL wins 5–2

A brutal loss for Boston ended with boos raining down from angry Bruins fans.

Tampa opened the scoring two minutes in via Viktor Hedman (12). Boston tied it before the period ended with a slapshot from Elias Lindholm (12).

Tampa Bay dominated the second period with three straight goals and 21 shots—while Boston failed to record a single shot.

An early third-period goal from Bruins forward Marat Khusnutdinov was Boston's only bright spot, as Tampa added two empty-net goals from Brandon Hagel (31) and Anthony Cirelli (22) to complete the 5–2 win.

GWG: Anthony Cirelli

Swayman (BOS): L, 34 saves

Vasilevskiy (TBL): W, 10 saves

Senators vs Maple Leafs: OTT wins 4–2

The Ottawa Senators swept the season series against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4–2 win in Toronto. The Leafs have now lost five of their last six games.

All-Star William Nylander opened the scoring in the second with a beautiful backhand for his 37th of the year. Ottawa quickly answered with a wrist shot from Jake Sanderson (7) to tie it.

Shortly after, a bad giveaway from goaltender Linus Ullmark gave Leafs captain Auston Matthews an easy goal—his 24th of the season. But before the second frame ended, Ottawa scored twice through David Perron (5) and Claude Giroux (14).

Giroux’s power-play goal stood as the game-winner, with Michael Amadio (9) adding an empty-netter to secure the win.

GWG: Claude Giroux

Stolarz: L, 21 saves

Ullmark: W, 21 saves

Panthers vs Canadiens: MTL wins 3–1

Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault was key in the team’s win at home, making clutch saves to keep the Canadiens’ playoff hopes alive—they now trail the second wildcard, New York Rangers, by one point.

Patrik Laine and Cole Caufield opened the scoring in the first period. Laine’s 16th came on the power play five minutes in, and Caufield’s 33rd capped the frame.

Florida struck early in the second via Mackie Samoskevich (13), but Christian Dvorak’s (7) deflection goal sealed the 3–1 win for Montreal.

GWG: Cole Caufield

Bobrovsky (FLA): L, 12 saves

Montembeault (MTL): W, 21 saves

Hurricanes vs Flyers: CAR wins 5–0

Carolina’s 5–0 road win over the Flyers extended its win streak to seven.

Sebastian Aho opened the scoring with a snapshot that beat Samuel Ersson early in the first. Mark Jankowski (7) added a blocker-side goal to close the period.

Taylor Hall (12) scored a power-play goal 19 seconds into the second, and Jankowski (8) added his second before the period ended.

Rookie defenseman Scott Morrow scored his first NHL goal in the third, lobbing a rebound over Ersson’s shoulder to cap the dominant win.

GWG: Sebastian Aho

Ersson: L, 25 saves

Kochetkov: W, 26 saves

Rangers vs Blue Jackets: NYR wins 4–0

With a playoff spot on the line, the Rangers blanked the Blue Jackets 4–0 at Nationwide Arena.

Alexis Lafreniere opened the scoring in the final minute of the first with a backhander for his 15th. Artemi Panarin made it 3–0 in the second with a screened shot—his 29th of the season.

Vincent Trocheck added two more in the third, and Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves for his fifth shutout of the year.

GWG: Alexis Lafreniere

Tarasov: L, 17 saves

Shesterkin: W, 21 saves

Blues vs Wild: STL wins 5–1

Jordan Kyrou’s hat trick helped the Blues inch closer to a playoff spot with a 5–1 win in Minnesota.

It was a quiet first period aside from Brayden Schenn’s 15th. Jake Neighbours (17) doubled the lead in the second, and Robert Thomas made it 3–0 with a backhander.

Jake Middleton got one back for Minnesota, but Kyrou’s two third-period goals completed the hat trick and secured the win.

GWG: Jake Neighbours

Gustavsson: L, 22 saves

Hofer: W, 17 saves

Predators vs Kings: LAK wins 1–0 (OT)

Darcy Kuemper’s fourth shutout of the year lifted the Kings over the Predators 1–0 in overtime. Nashville’s Justus Annunen was also strong, making 20 saves.

Quinton Byfield (17) ended it 3:20 into OT, finishing a backdoor pass from Adrian Kempe. The win improved LA’s home record to 23–3–4.

GWG: Quinton Byfield

Annunen (NSH): L, 20 saves

Kuemper (LAK): W, 24 saves

Blackhawks vs Canucks: VAN wins 6–2

The Canucks widened their lead in the West’s second wildcard spot with a 6–2 win at home.

Vancouver needed just 15 shots to put up six goals, with six different players hitting the scoresheet. First-period tallies from Quinn Hughes (15) and Tyler Myers (5) gave them a 2–0 lead.

Conor Garland’s give-and-go with Pius Suter made it 3–0 in the second. Chicago’s Alex Vlasic (4) made it 3–1 late in the period.

The Canucks piled on in the third with goals from Elias Pettersson (15), Nils Aman (1), and Suter (18). Artyom Levshunov earned his first NHL point on Wyatt Kaiser’s 4th of the year.

GWG: Conor Garland

Söderblom (CHI): L, 9 saves

Silovs (VAN): W, 17 saves