NHL Hockey 3 Days

Last updated: April 1, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

Management Shuffle & Executive Moves

The league office saw off-ice moves coincide with on-ice turbulence, most dramatically in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs fired GM Treliving on Monday just as the team faced playoff elimination, leading CEO Keith Pelley to cite a lack of "alignment" and cultural issues as the rationale for the dismissal Pelley cited 'culture'. Elsewhere, organizational leadership saw extensions and new hires: Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill secured a two-year contract extension running through the 2027-28 season, while the Florida Panthers brought in former Amazon & Disney executive Michael White to serve as the new president of business operations. A highly unusual coaching change occurred in Vegas, where the Golden Knights, feeling the players had "lost their spark," fired Bruce Cassidy and shockingly installed John Tortorella behind the bench Vegas hopes Tortorella hire in a bid to reignite their Cup aspirations.

On-Ice Action & Player Milestones

Tuesday's slate provided high drama, including a rare confrontation between the pipes when Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin and Devils counterpart Jacob Markstrom engaged in a lengthy goalie fight midway through the third period of New York's eventual 4-1 victory. In Washington, Alex Ovechkin continued his historic march, scoring twice to log his record-extending 20th 30-goal season as the Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-4. Meanwhile, the Penguins welcomed back captain Sidney Crosby Crosby returns from injury after he missed the prior game due to a lower-body issue, leading Pittsburgh to rout the Islanders in his return. However, Tuesday's action also resulted in injury, as Sabres forward Sam Carrick sustained a left arm injury after exchanging blows with Islanders captain Anders Lee during a second-period scrap Carrick injures arm.

Playoff Race & Future Planning

With the regular season winding down, clubs are jockeying for seeding, evidenced by Monday's critical Metro Division clash where both the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets desperately sought the two points available to bolster their positioning Hurricanes, Blue Jackets battle. For the teams locked into their fate, the focus shifts to projections and potential matchups, as Monday's games also fed into the final draft lottery standings Playoff watch, draft lottery, while analysts provided guides for fans whose teams were ousted, ranking the top Stanley Cup playoff bandwagons to support. On the administrative side, the league has provided teams with a new computational tool designed to help clubs ensure cap compliance under the recently altered playoff roster rules NHL teams get new tool. For fantasy managers, Monday’s weekly guide advised adding high-scoring players like McMann and Snuggerud ahead of the final weeks of league competition Weekly pickups: Add hot-scoring.