BROCKVILLE, ONT. — Greetings from my little snowy postcard town in southeastern Ontario with a microbrewery, a small Irish pub, a pool hall, a pizza shop and a wonderful view of the sunrise on the St. Lawrence River. In the Daily, we’re got the most important games to watch tonight for the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Justin Bourne looked at the trends of six teams fighting for playoff spots, Top 2026 NHL Draft prospects, and there is more bad news for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
This morning, I’ll make the 60-minute drive up to the arena in Kanata. If you’re up here for the game, say hello. I usually spend the day at the outlet mall across from the arena after a Timmy’s coffee and a sam. Our Shelly Anderson did a sparkling job at practice on Wednesday. It was one of those days when the boys clear out quickly to catch a flight, so the longer conversations are not there to be had. She still squeezed out some information.
There is still ice and snow on the river up here. My car’s thermometer said 45. It definitely was not, but the lager at 1000 Islands Brewing was pretty outstanding, as usual. Oh, and so is the bag of All Dressed Ruffles I snagged at the grocery store. Seriously, why in the hell aren’t All Dressed chips a thing in the US?!
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Injuries have taken away Evgeni Malkin, limited Sidney Crosby, and now perhaps the Penguins’ most productive winger, Anthony Mantha.
The Penguins are down to cliches right now. The weight of the world is upon them as the Ottawa Senators have caught up, the Columbus Blue Jackets have refused to lose for two months, and the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins keep pace. Here’s the Penguins locker room’s reaction to the battle.
Steelers Now: Derrick Bell landed the latest Steelers Mock Draft 2.0.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: On the eve of the season opener, the six storylines to follow this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
And last night’s Penguins Live Chat: Drama and Pandora’s Box:
NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now
The games to watch tonight:
Columbus at Montreal: 7 p.m.
Penguins at Ottawa 7 p.m.
Dallas at New York Islanders 7 p.m.
Chicago at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Boston Hockey Now: It was a big win Wednesday. The red hot Buffalo Sabres gave the Penguins no help; our Jack Studley breaks down the big-time win by the Boston Bruins.
Eastern Conference Playoff Battle
Columbus: 87 points
Penguins: 86 points
—Wild Card—
Boston: 88 points
Ottawa: 85 points
––Out of Playoffs—
NYI: 85 points
Detroit: 84 points
If the Penguins lose Thursday and the Islanders win, the Penguins will be out of the playoff seeds.
Just in case you’re curious, the NHL has set the date for the NHL Draft Lottery: May 5.
Sportsnet: (The Penguins are not included in the story) The underlying trends for six playoff contenders, three up and three down, and what the trends say.
NHLtraderumors.me: An aggregation of several stories and a podcast, the NHL is discussing expansion. A few days after Darren Dreger reported the NHL wants to go back to Arizona (dear god, why?), Jeff Marek says Atlanta and Houston are the frontrunners, but other cities are making pitches. In fact, two groups are pushing for a team in Atlanta.
TSN Video: Canada is falling in love with the Ottawa Senators as the Sens are galloping toward the playoffs. Are they a Cinderella team?
NHL.com: The start of the story might not sound like a big deal, but it’s just another wonderful storyline a few hours north of Pittsburgh. Rasmus Dahlin’s fiancee attended her first Sabres game … since her heart transplant.
TSN: Craig Button ranks the top of the 2026 NHL Draft class, and Gavin McKenna has strengthened his hold on No. 1.
Philly Hockey Now: Porter Martone would have loved to go to the Penguins. And the Penguins would have loved to have him, but he didn’t last nearly long enough in the 2025 NHL Draft. Our Will James had a chat with him about Michigan State’s national championship hopes and what comes next as the top Philadelphia Flyers prospect.
Detroit Hockey Now: It has been a tough slog. From second place to out of the playoff seeds, and grinding through without their best centers, Bob Duff writes that it’s worse than we thought for the Detroit Red Wings.
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