One season after the New York Rangers finished with the best record in the NHL, the team fired head coach Peter Laviolette and associate head coach Phil Housley on Saturday.

• The Rangers went 55-23-4 (114 points) last season and advanced to the Eastern Conference final where they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in a six-game series. New York went 39-36-7 this season (85 points) to finish six points out of a playoff spot.

  "We came into this season with high expectations for ourselves," Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a release. "Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations. We must all do better -- myself included. As we head into next season and beyond, I felt that a change was necessary in order to give us the best chance to achieve our goals as an organization."

  Drury said the search for a new head coach started immediately.

  In two seasons as the Rangers head coach, Laviolette, 60, posted a 94-59-11 record. Before this season, New York had made three consecutive playoff appearances, while making the Eastern Conference finals twice in that run.

  The Rangers have not participated in the Stanley Cup Finals since 2014 and last won a title in 1994.

  Laviolette, who played in just 12 NHL games in his career, all during the 1988-89 season with the Rangers, has been an NHL head coach for 23 seasons.

  He owns an 846-562-161 record (25 ties) with the New York Islanders (2001-03), Carolina Hurricanes (2003-09), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-14), Nashville Predators (2014-20), Washington Capitals (2020-23) and Rangers.

  His 846 regular-season wins are the most among United States-born coaches in NHL history and seventh all-time.

  --Field Level Media

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand will not play in the team's Eastern Conference first-round series against the Florida Panthers, head coach Jon Cooper announced on Saturday.

• Bjorkstrand is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury that he sustained the injury during Tampa Bay's 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on April 11.

  Bjorkstrand, 30, has nine points (five goals, four assists) in 18 games with the Lightning since the club acquired him from the Seattle Kraken prior to the NHL trade deadline. He recorded 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 61 games with the Kraken in 2024-25.

  A third-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL Draft, Bjorkstrand has totaled 384 points (172 goals, 212 assists) in 624 career games with the Blue Jackets, Kraken and Lightning.

  --Field Level Media

Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen participated in the morning skate on Saturday but will not play in Game 1 of Western Conference first-round series against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

• Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Heiskanen is taking a step in the right direction as he looks to turn the corner following knee surgery. Heiskanen, who wore a non-contact jersey on Saturday is labeled day-to-day by DeBoer.

  "Definitely a step in the right direction from where we've been in the last 2 1/2 months," DeBoer said.

  DeBoer said the next step is for Heiskanen to participate in a full-contact practice session.

  Heiskanen, 25, has been sidelined since Jan. 28 after his left knee was injured in a collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone.

  Heiskanen has 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 50 games this season while logging a team-best 25:10 of ice time per game.

  Since being selected by Dallas with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Heiskanen has recorded 283 points (58 goals, 225 assists) in 475 career games over seven seasons.

  --Field Level Media

The Anaheim Ducks fired Greg Cronin on Saturday morning after two seasons as their head coach.

• Cronin, 61, posted a 62-87-15 record in Anaheim after accepting the position -- his first as an NHL head coach -- on June 5, 2023. The Ducks limped to a 35-37-10 (80 points) mark in 2024-25 and a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Division to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

  "I want to personally thank Greg for his tireless work and dedication to the team," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "He is responsible in many ways for the improvement we've seen from our young core.

  "However, after several weeks of careful evaluation, I concluded we needed a change in direction and a new voice. This was an extremely difficult decision for me to make, but I felt it was necessary to continue our progress toward becoming a Stanley Cup contender that I know we can be."

  Cronin, who took over for Dallas Eakins, had previous NHL assistant-coaching duties with the New York Islanders (1998-2003, 2014-18) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (2011-14). He also served as the head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2003-05) and Colorado Eagles (2018-23) of the American Hockey League, as well as the bench boss at Northeastern University from 2005-11.

  --Field Level Media

Colorado tied for seventh in the NHL with 102 points during the regular season, but the Avalanche are opening the playoffs as the consensus favorites to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.

• On the eve of playing host to Game 1 of a first-round series against the Dallas Stars -- who finished with 106 points during the regular season -- Colorado was being offered as the +750 Cup favorite by DraftKings and at +700 by BetMGM.

  It helps that the Stars will be minus top goal-scorer Jason Robertson due to a lower-body injury sustained in the team's regular-season finale. Dallas has already been playing without top defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) and limps into the playoffs 0-5-2 in its past seven games.

  By contrast, after retooling the roster throughout the season, Colorado has been gaining momentum since mid-February. That has led to the Avalanche being backed by the most total wagers (10.6 percent) and money (11.0) to win the Cup since opening at +1000 at BetMGM.

  However, Colorado is not among the book's three biggest Cup liabilities.

  The top honor in that regard would go to St. Louis, followed by Montreal and Dallas. With the Blues (+4000) and Canadiens (+8000) the two biggest longshots remaining, BetMGM is more nervous about the Avalanche.

  It's the two Florida teams the book is pulling for currently. The defending champion Panthers have drawn a modest 6.3 percent of the money at +750 currently, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have been backed by just 2.8 percent of the money while moving from +2000 to +1100.

  Tampa Bay finished tied with Colorado with 102 points during the regular season, while Florida was 11th with 98 points.

  "The Panthers and Lightning are among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup but the public is ignoring them," BetMGM senior trader Matthew Rasp said. "BetMGM really wants the Stanley Cup to stay in Florida."

  Winnipeg, which topped the league with 116 points while winning an NHL-best 56 games, opens the postseason at +1000 at both BetMGM and DraftKings -- the eighth-shortest Cup odds and tied for the sixth-shortest odds at the latter.

  --Field Level Media

Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson has been ruled out of Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series against the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

• Robertson is considered week-to-week due to a lower-body injury he sustained during the Stars' regular-season finale at the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.

  Robertson, 25, led the Stars in goals (35) and finished second in both assists (45) and points (80) while playing in all 82 games this season.

  He has totaled 394 points (168 goals, 226 assists) in 374 career games since being selected by Dallas in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft.

  --Field Level Media

Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard announced Friday that he intends to retire after the team's postseason run is over.

• Savard, 34, has spent the last four of his 14 NHL seasons with the Canadiens.

  Montreal will open the playoffs on the road Monday for Game 1 of a best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series against the top-seeded Washington Capitals.

  The Quebec native has recorded 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) in 75 games this season.

  A 2021 Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay, Savard has totaled 242 points (54 goals, 188 assists) with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Lightning and Canadiens. He was selected by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft.

  --Field Level Media

The Nashville Predators re-signed defenseman Andreas Englund to a $775,000 deal for next season, the team said Friday.

• The Predators claimed Englund off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 10.

  He played in 24 games for Nashville, recording two assists, 36 penalty minutes, 58 hits and 33 blocked shots.

  Englund, 29, has two goals, 18 assists and 188 penalty minutes in 197 games with five teams since the Ottawa Senators drafted him in the second round out of Sweden in 2014.

  --Field Level Media

More than 23 million fans attended an NHL regular-season game in 2024-25, the highest total in the league's 108-year history.

• The league announced Friday that a total of 23,014,458 people attended a game during the 1,312-game season. That eclipses the previous record of 22,873,142, set last season.

  In addition to the 32 teams' home arenas, the NHL also played the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago, a Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and Global Series games in Prague, Czechia, and Tampere, Finland. A total of 94,571 fans attended the game at Ohio Stadium, marking the second-largest gathering in NHL history.

  Fueled by 41 sellouts at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens led all clubs in total attendance with 865,305 fans.

  --Field Level Media

Ryan McLeod collected a goal and two assists to help lift Buffalo to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, giving Sabres coach Lindy Ruff his 900th career win.

• With the result in the regular-season finale for both teams, Ruff became the fifth NHL coach to achieve the milestone. Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka scored one goal and set up another, Peyton Krebs also tallied and James Reimer made 21 saves for the Sabres.

  Philadelphia rookie Matvei Michkov scored twice to boost his team-leading goal total to 26 on the season. He also had an assist.

  Tyson Foerster scored his ninth goal in his last nine games and added an assist. Bobby Brink also had a goal and an assist and Aleksei Kolosov turned aside 26 shots for the Flyers.

  Rangers 4, Lightning 0

  Mika Zibanejad scored twice and added an assist as host New York ended one of the more disappointing seasons in team history with a victory over playoff-bound Tampa Bay.

  Vincent Trocheck scored a short-handed goal early in the second to open the scoring and Zibanejad set up Chris Kreider's tally early in the third before scoring both of his goals. The Rangers ended the season with three wins in four games but will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

  New York's Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves for his sixth shutout this season and 21st of his career. Tampa Bay goalie Jonas Johansson stopped 18 shots.

  Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 3 (OT)

  Scott Laughton scored 56 seconds into overtime -- after Chris Tanev tied the game with two seconds left in regulation -- and Toronto came back to defeat visiting Detroit.

  Auston Matthews and Philippe Myers also scored for the Maple Leafs, while Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies each added two assists and Joseph Woll made 31 saves.

  Justin Holl had a goal and an assist and Austin Watson and Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Red Wings. Cam Talbot stopped 16 shots.

  Senators 7, Hurricanes 5

  Ottawa scored four goals in a third-period rally and beat visiting Carolina in a battle of playoff-bound teams.

  Drake Batherson and Adam Gaudette had two goals each and Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens added a goal and two assists apiece. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk returned after missing eight games with an upper-body injury. He left early in the third period as a precaution after taking a stick in the face.

  Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Skyler Brind'Amour (the first of his career), Jack Roslovi1c and Tyson Jost got the other goals for the Hurricanes.

  Penguins 5, Capitals 2

  Alex Ovechkin scored his 897th NHL goal, but visiting Washington dropped its season finale to Pittsburgh. The 39-year-old veteran finished the season with 44 goals in 64 games, and he broke the NHL's all-time goal-scoring record with No. 895 on April 6.

  Bryan Rust scored twice and Sidney Crosby and Philip Tomasino each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who will miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Alex Nedeljkovic made 18 saves.

  Connor McMichael scored for the Capitals, who will be the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Clay Stevenson stopped 33 shots in his NHL debut.

  Blue Jackets 6, Islanders 1

  Jet Greaves made 36 saves for Columbus, which beat visiting New York to end the season on a six-game winning streak.

  Greaves, a 24-year-old rookie, won his final five starts, allowing four goals in that span.

  Cole Sillinger and Zach Werenski each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who finished two points out of a playoff spot. Hudson Fasching scored and Marcus Hogberg made 20 saves for the Islanders, who lost five of their final six.

  Flames 5, Kings 1

  Nazem Kadri scored twice as visiting Calgary topped Los Angeles in the last game of the NHL's regular season.

  Mikael Backlund added a goal and an assist for Calgary, which wrapped up its season on a four-game winning streak. Sam Morton and Zayne Parekh, making their NHL debuts, also scored. It was the first time in Flames history two players netted their initial goals in their debuts in the same game.

  Taylor Ward tallied in his first NHL game and David Rittich stopped 24 shots for the Kings, who will have home-ice advantage against the division-rival Edmonton Oilers in the first round. It was the first NHL game since 2002 (and just the fifth in the expansion era) to feature three players scoring in their league debuts.

  --Field Level Media

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will play in the team's regular-season finale Thursday against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.

• The Senators qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017, and Tkachuk wants to be certain he will be fully ready for the first-round series against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs that starts Sunday.

  "I want to make sure that I'm 100 percent right," Tkachuk told reporters. "I'm going to play 100 percent tonight."

  The 25-year-old forward tallied 55 points (team-high 29 goals, 26 assists) in 71 games this season, his seventh in the NHL since Ottawa selected him fourth overall in the 2018 draft.

  He will return to his position at left wing on the Senators' first line as well as on the top power-play unit.

  "It's just going to be nice to finish off the regular season, finish off the grind that we've put ourselves through," Tkachuk said. "I've been feeling great. Started ramping it up this week and been feeling really good -- no issues, no problems. I think it's important to get a game in, get some touches."

  --Field Level Media

Florida Panthers forward Jesse Puljujarvi received a two-game suspension Thursday for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mitchell Chaffee.

• Puljujarvi had a disciplinary hearing with the NHL on Thursday after being assessed a match penalty in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Lightning.

  His hit on Chaffee came with 11:32 remaining in the third period. Chaffee took the puck in the offensive zone before being blindsided with a shoulder to the head by Puljujarvi. Chaffee crumpled to the ice as a scrum ensued between the teams.

  With the Panthers' regular season over, Puljujarvi's suspension will cover the first two games of Florida's playoff series with the Lightning. Game 1 is Tuesday and Game 2 is next Thursday, both in Tampa, Fla.

  Puljujarvi, 26, was playing in just his fifth game with Florida after joining the team's AHL club on a professional tryout in February. He played in 26 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins before having his contract terminated. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) on the season in 31 games.

  The former No. 4 overall pick of Edmonton in the 2016 draft has 128 points (58 goals, 70 assists) in 387 career games with the Oilers (2016-23), Carolina Hurricanes (2023), Penguins (2023-25) and Panthers.

  --Field Level Media

The Winnipeg Jets signed defenseman Neal Pionk to a six-year, $42 million contract extension on Thursday.

• Pionk, 29, tallied 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 69 games this season for the Presidents' Trophy winners.

  The Omaha, Neb., native was second on the Jets in ice time (22:04) and tied for third in plus/minus (plus-21).

  The extension will begin with the 2025-26 season for Pionk, who earned a $6 million base salary this season.

  Pionk has recorded 256 points (44 goals, 212 assists) in 536 games with the New York Rangers (2017-19) and Jets.

  Top-seeded Winnipeg opens the Stanley Cup playoffs against the visiting St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

  --Field Level Media

New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports paid financial settlements last year to a former team employee who made sexual assault allegations against the forward, The Athletic reported Thursday.

• The report, citing NHL and team sources, said the alleged assault occurred during a road trip in December 2023. The accuser left the Rangers in August 2024 after reaching settlements that included a non-disclosure agreement and no admission of wrongdoing by Panarin, 33.

  The woman reportedly reached two undisclosed settlements, one with Panarin and the other with MSG Sports, the company that owns the hockey team.

  According to the report, the woman was a regular member of the Rangers' traveling party. Panarin allegedly took her phone at a post-game gathering and said she could only retrieve it by coming to his hotel room. When she went to his room, sources said Panarin pinned her down on the bed before she was able to push him off, retrieve her phone and leave the room.

  Neither Panarin nor his agent responded to requests from The Athletic for comment.

  "The matter has been resolved," read a statement from an MSG Sports spokesperson.

  The accuser, who was not identified by name as an alleged victim of sexual assault, also said "the matter has been resolved."

  The NHL sent an email to The Athletic acknowledging the situation: "The Club retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation, which the League was fully apprised of. We consider the matter closed."

  The league and the Rangers declined to disclose whether Panarin had faced any discipline.

  Panarin, who was named the team's MVP for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, leads the Rangers with 89 points (37 goals, 52 assists) in 79 games played this season. New York has been eliminated form the playoffs and will finish the regular season at home Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

  A four-time All-Star, the Russian-born Panarin has recorded 870 points (302 goals, 568 assists) in 751 games with the Chicago Blackhawks (2015-17), Columbus Blue Jackets (2017-19) and Rangers.

  --Field Level Media

Kaiden Guhle scored twice for the Montreal Canadiens, who clinched the final berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-2 win against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

• Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist and Sam Montembeault made 27 saves for the Canadiens (40-31-11, 91 points), who claimed the second Eastern Conference wild card and will face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the postseason.

  Jake Evans capped the victory with an empty-net goal.

  Taylor Hall and Tyson Jost scored for the Hurricanes (47-29-5, 99 points), who rested several mainstays for the game and are 1-5-1 in their past seven entering their regular-season finale at Ottawa on Thursday. Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves.

  Jets 2, Ducks 1 (OT)

  Mark Scheifele scored at 1:11 of overtime to give Winnipeg a win against visiting Anaheim in the regular-season finale for both teams.

  Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey broke up a two-on-one by the Ducks, and the Jets scored on the other end when Scheifele hit the net with a one-timer from the right circle. Neal Pionk also scored and Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for the Jets, who had already clinched the Presidents' Trophy for the best record in the NHL this season.

  Troy Terry scored and Ville Husso made 42 saves for the Ducks, who lost four in a row to end the season (0-2-2).

  Predators 5, Stars 1

  Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and two assists as Nashville closed its disappointing season with a rout of visiting Dallas, which limps into the playoffs on a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2).

  Jordan Oesterle and Jonathan Marchessault each recorded a goal and an assist, while Juuse Saros made 29 saves for the Predators. Nashville's Jakub Vrana and Justin Barron also scored, and Filip Forsberg had two assists.

  Back after missing 58 games due to a hip injury, Dallas' Tyler Seguin assisted on Mason Marchment's goal less than 20 seconds into the game. Jason Robertson, second on the team with 80 points, exited in the second period with a lower-body injury.

  Red Wings 5, Devils 2

  Jonatan Berggren, J.T Compher, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Marco Kasper all scored and Detroit held off the Devils' third-period comeback attempt in Newark, N.J.

  Alex Lyon made 28 saves for the Red Wings, who will miss the playoffs for the ninth straight season, extending a franchise-worst mark. However, they have won three straight games, all against teams bound for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

  Erik Haula and Dawson Mercer scored within a three-minute of the third period for the Devils, who ended their regular season by losing four of their final five games. They begin postseason play this weekend against the Carolina Hurricanes. Nico Daws recorded 22 saves.

  Golden Knights 4, Canucks 1

  Pavel Dorofeyev scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Victor Olofsson had a goal and an assist to lead visiting Vegas to past Vancouver in the regular-season finale for both teams.

  Jack Eichel and Cole Schwindt also scored goals and Ben Hutton and Shea Theodore each added two assists for Pacific Division champion Vegas. Akira Schmid made 16 saves for the Golden Knights, who completed a four-game season sweep of the Canucks.

  Pius Suter scored for the Canucks, who won the Pacific Division in 2024 but finished in fifth this season and missed the playoffs.

  Oilers 3, Sharks 0

  Ty Emberson scored and added an assist, leading Edmonton to a victory at San Jose in the regular-season finale for both sides.

  Max Jones and Corey Perry had the other goals for the Oilers, who reached the 100-point mark for the fourth consecutive season. Stuart Skinner made 18 saves for his third shutout of the season.

  The Sharks, last in the overall standings, wrapped up the regular season on an 11-game winless skid (0-8-3). Alexandar Georgiev stopped 25 shots.

  --Field Level Media

Dallas forward Jason Robertson sustained a lower-body injury during the Stars' regular-season finale at Nashville on Wednesday and left the game.

• Robertson, the Stars' second-leading points producer with 80 (35 goals, 45 assists) this season, was apparently injured in the second period. The Stars announced that he would not return to the contest.

  Dallas, which trailed 5-1 after two periods, is locked into second place in the Central Division and will host the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Stars entered play on Wednesday in a season-worst 0-4-2 slide.

  Robertson, the Stars' second-round draft pick in 2017, is in his sixth season with Dallas, having recorded 79 or more points in each of the past four campaigns.

  --Field Level Media

Florida Panthers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is set for a disciplinary hearing with the NHL on Thursday after being assessed a match penalty for his illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning winger Mitchell Chaffee on Tuesday night.

• Puljujarvi's hit on Chaffee came with 11:32 remaining in the third period. Chaffee took the puck in the offensive zone before being blindsided with a shoulder to the head by Puljujarvi. Chaffee crumbled to the ice as a scrum ensued between the teams. Panthers forward Nico Sturm and Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons dropped the gloves.

  The Panthers lost 5-1 in their final regular-season game. Any suspension the league doles out will result in Puljujarvi missing the start of the playoffs.

  Puljujarvi, 26, was playing in just his fifth game with the Panthers after joining the team's AHL club on a professional tryout in February. He played in 26 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins before having his contract terminated. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) on the season in 31 games.

  The former No. 4 overall pick of Edmonton in the 2016 draft has 128 points (58 goals, 70 assists) in 387 career games with the Edmonton Oilers (2016-23), Carolina Hurricanes (2023), Penguins (2023-25) and Panthers.

  --Field Level Media

The Dallas Stars activated center Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve ahead of Wednesday's regular-season finale at Nashville.

• Seguin, 33, underwent hip surgery on Dec. 5 and has not played since Dec. 1. He is considered a game-time decision against the Predators.

  The Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

  Seguin collected 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 19 games before the injury. The six-time All-Star has recorded 808 points (360 goals, 448 assists) in 988 career games with the Boston Bruins (2010-13) and Stars.

  Seguin is completing the sixth season of his eight-year, $78.8 million contract with Dallas.

  --Field Level Media

Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension Wednesday.

• Dowd, who turns 35 on May 27, has recorded career-high totals in goals (14), points (27) and games played (81) this season.

  He was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

  "Nic has been an integral member of our team, both on the ice and in our leadership group, and we are excited to extend his contract for an additional two years," Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said in a statement. "During his time in Washington, Nic has proven to be a consistent and reliable two-way player who can be trusted in all situations. This signing solidifies our depth at the critical center position as we move forward. Off the ice, Nic has been a consummate professional and has made significant contributions to our community through his charitable efforts."

  To Patrick's point, Dowd was the recipient of the organization's Caps Care Community Award in honor of his efforts in the community during the 2024-25 season.

  Dowd has 176 points (84 goals, 92 assists) in 581 career games with the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Capitals.

  --Field Level Media

Winnipeg Jets forward Alex Iafallo signed a three-year contract extension worth $11 million on Wednesday.

• The extension will begin next season for Iafallo, who has recorded 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists), 15 penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating in 81 games this season.

  Iafallo, 31, has totaled 262 points (111 goals, 151 assists) in 583 career games with the Los Angeles Kings and Jets. He was an undrafted free agent who was signed by the Kings out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2017.

  --Field Level Media

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is recovering from heart surgery, the team announced Wednesday.

• Letang, who turns 38 next week, underwent a successful procedure in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to close a small hole in his heart.

  The Penguins said the expected recovery time for the 19-year NHL veteran is four to six weeks.

  Letang has suffered two strokes during his career, the first in 2014 and another in 2022. He also had surgery last May to repair a broken finger.

  Letang recorded 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 74 games this season for the Penguins, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season.

  A two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time All-Star, Letang has recorded 772 points (175 goals, 597 assists) in 1,161 games since Pittsburgh drafted him in the third round in 2005. He ranks third in franchise history in games behind longtime teammates Sidney Crosby (1,351) and Evgeni Malkin (1,212).

  --Field Level Media

Pavel Buchnevich celebrated his 30th birthday two days early as his three-point performance helped the St. Louis Blues secure a playoff spot on Tuesday with a 6-1 win over the visiting Utah Hockey Club.

• Buchnevich made sure the Blues (44-30-8, 96 points) would not miss out on the playoffs for a third straight season as he had a hand in the team's first three goals -- all in a four-goal first period. He finished with a goal and two assists for his fourth three-point game of the season and second in three games. Jordan Kyrou added a pair of third-period goals. Jimmy Snuggerud got his first career goal to go with an assist, and Zack Bolduc and Brayden Schenn each recorded a goal and an assist as well.

  Robert Thomas and Cam Fowler both notched a pair of assists. Jordan Binnington stretched his home winning streak to 11 by stopping 22 Utah shots.

  Utah (38-31-13, 89 points) mustered only one goal -- a power-play tally from Clayton Keller -- in its season finale. Mikhail Sergachev and Nick Schmaltz set up Keller's 30th goal. Karel Vejmelka made 23 saves.

  Wild 3, Ducks 2 (OT)

  Minnesota clinched a playoff berth when Joel Eriksson Ek forged a tie with 22 seconds left in regulation, then the Wild wrapped up a win over Anaheim when Matt Boldy scored with 18 seconds remaining in overtime in Saint Paul, Minn.

  Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves in regulation and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped five shots in overtime and helped Minnesota kill a power play. Marcus Johansson also scored for the Wild, who earned the Western Conference's first wild-card spot in their regular-season finale.

  Alex Killorn and Sam Colangelo scored while Lukas Dostal made 37 saves for the Ducks, who have lost three in a row (0-2-1) with one game remaining.

  Blue Jackets 3, Flyers 0

  Jet Greaves made 29 saves as Columbus kept its playoff hopes alive by winning at Philadelphia.

  Greaves denied Tyson Foerster on a point-blank chance early in the third period to highlight his second shutout of the season. He has turned aside 120 of 123 shots over his last four games. Defenseman Dante Fabbro and Kent Johnson each scored in the second period and Adam Fantilli tallied in the third for his 30th goal of the season and fifth in his last three games.

  Samuel Ersson turned aside 31 shots for the Flyers, who have lost two in a row on the heels of winning five of their previous six.

  Maple Leafs 4, Sabres 0

  Toronto clinched the Atlantic Division as Auston Matthews scored his 400th NHL goal, Mitch Marner reached the 100-point plateau with a goal and Anthony Stolarz saved all 35 of host Buffalo's shots for his second consecutive shutout.

  The Maple Leafs, who extended their winning streak to four games, will face the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Steven Lorentz and Nicholas Robertson also scored for Toronto.

  Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 28 of 31 shots for the Sabres as their seven-game winning streak on home ice came to an end.

  Flames 5, Golden Knights 4 (SO)

  Morgan Frost scored the shootout winning goal and tallied once in regulation as Calgary recorded a victory over visiting Vegas, but it was not enough to keep the Flames' Stanley Cup playoff hopes alive.

  Nazem Kadri collected one goal and one assist while Mikael Backlund and Adam Klapka also scored for Calgary, which was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Matt Coronato notched two assists. Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf made 38 saves through regulation and overtime.

  Brandon Saad scored one goal in a three-point game for Vegas, which had already clinched the Pacific Division crown and rested a few key players. The Golden Knights' Tomas Hertl had one goal and one assist and Pavel Dorofeyev and Nicolas Roy added singles. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves for Vegas, which will face the Minnesota Wild in the opening round of the playoffs.

  Capitals 3, Islanders 1

  Dylan Strome recorded his third career hat trick to lead visiting Washington past New York in the penultimate regular-season game for both teams.

  Strome scored once in each period for the Capitals, who have clinched the Eastern Conference's top seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Strome's big night pushed his goal total to 29, two more than his previous career high. Charlie Lindgren made 32 saves as Washington won for just the fourth time in 11 games.

  Hudson Fasching scored unassisted in the third for the Islanders, who will miss the playoffs for the second time in the last seven seasons. Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves as the Islanders lost for the 10th time in 13 games.

  Lightning 5, Panthers 1

  Brayden Point notched his team-leading 42nd goal and had two assists, and Tampa Bay topped Florida.

  Tampa Bay got goals from Conor Geekie, Jake Guentzel, Nikita Kucherov (assist) and Darren Raddysh as it earned points for the sixth straight game (3-0-3). Victor Hedman and Yanni Gourde had two helpers each, and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 23 saves as the club finished 29-8-4 at home.

  Florida (47-31-4, 98 points) ended its season on a two-game losing streak and was 3-6-1 in its past 10 matches. Brad Marchand scored in his 1,100th NHL game, and backup goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 26 shots.

  Blackhawks 4, Senators 3 (OT)

  Rookie forward Frank Nazar's goal 48 seconds into overtime gave Chicago the win over Ottawa as the Blackhawks finished their season with 61 points, nine more than the year before.

  Connor Bedard set up Nazar's game-winner and scored his 22nd and 23rd goals. Joe Veleno scored the Blackhawks' other goal and Spencer Knight made 34 saves.

  Nick Cousins, defenseman Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson got the goals for the Senators, who have one regular-season game left before facing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Dylan Cozens had two assists and Anton Forsberg stopped 12 shots.

  Devils 5, Bruins 4 (OT)

  Brian Dumoulin scored 1:30 into overtime as playoff-bound New Jersey won at Boston to break a three-game skid.

  Timo Meier had a goal and two assists, Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist and Luke Hughes and Nico Hischier each dished out two assists for the Devils. Stefan Noesen and Simon Nemec also scored and Jake Allen made 20 saves for New Jersey.

  David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist for his sixth consecutive multi-point game and Morgan Geekie extended his goal streak to six games for Boston. NHL debutant John Farinacci and Marat Khusnutdinov scored, Nikita Zadorov had two assists and Jeremy Swayman made 21 stops.

  Kings 6, Kraken 5

  Rookie Samuel Helenius scored twice and Alex Turcotte and Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist apiece as Los Angeles held on to defeat host Seattle.

  Alex Turcotte and Warren Foegele also tallied and Kevin Fiala and Vladislav Gavrikov had two assists apiece for the Kings, who have one game remaining before they begin the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. David Rittich made 29 saves, including stopping a first-period penalty shot by Chandler Stephenson.

  Tye Kartye, Brandon Montour, Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen scored for the Kraken, whose season came to an end. Joey Daccord stopped 18 of 24 shots.

  --Field Level Media

St. Louis center Robert Thomas exited the Blues' Tuesday game against the visiting Utah Hockey Club due to a lower-body injury.

• He had problems with a leg earlier in the game but continued to play. Thomas' final shift, in the first minute of the third period, lasted only 13 seconds.

  Before leaving, Thomas handed out two assists to extend his points streak to 12 games (four goals, 21 assists).

  The 25-year-old owns 21 goals and 60 assists in 70 games this season, as he became the 11th player this season to reach the 60-assist mark. It was also the second year in a row he has produced 60 assists for the Blues, who clinched a Western Conference wild-card spot with their 6-1 victory over Utah.

  --Field Level Media

A New Jersey judge ruled Tuesday that all charges against a driver who was involved in the deaths of hockey brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau would be upheld, including manslaughter and vehicular homicide.

• The ruling came after nearly two hours of arguments as to whether the Gaudreau's own drinking may have contributed to the brothers' deaths. Ultimately, according to Superior Court Judge Michael Silvanio, "[t]here's no credence in the argument there was contributory negligence on the part of the cyclists."

  The Gaudreaus were bicycling near their hometown in southern New Jersey last August when Sean Higgins, 44, struck the brothers from behind while attempting to pass another driver on the right. The 31-year-old Johnny and 29-year-old Matthew were pronounced dead at the scene.

  According to the defense, the Gaudreaus, in the area for their sister's wedding that was to take place the following day, had blood alcohol levels of at least .129, well above the state legal limit of .08. Police said that Higgins had a blood alcohol content of .087.

  Witnesses said that the brothers were safely riding on the edge of the road and not weaving into traffic, according to the prosecution, which also accused Higgins of exhibiting road rage when he hit the Gaudreaus. Higgins faces two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter as well as evidence tampering and leaving the scene of an accident.

  He was located about a quarter of a mile away next to his vehicle, which had stalled. Higgins faces a maximum of 70 years in prison. The defense, which alleges that the Gaudreaus were cycling without lights after dark, rejected a plea offer of 35 years. The case will head to trial with a hearing scheduled for June 10.

  Johnny Gaudreau was preparing to begin his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets after playing eight years with the Calgary Flames. He scored 243 goals and dished out 500 assists throughout his career. Matthew, meanwhile, was working as a high school coach after playing professionally in the ECHL and the American Hockey League.

  --Field Level Media

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is expected to be ready for the playoffs, head coach Craig Berube said on Tuesday.

• Ekman-Larsson, 33, hasn't played since sustaining an upper-body injury while falling awkwardly on a breakaway in a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Wednesday.

  The Maple Leafs (50-26-4, 104 points) visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night and host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday to conclude the regular season.

  Toronto is four points up on the second-place Lightning in the race for the Atlantic Division title. The postseason begins on Saturday.

  "Right now, I mean, I expect (Ekman-Larsson) to play, but you never know," Berube said on Tuesday. "He's tough. He'll play through things. And if he's not in the lineup, somebody else is going to have to step up. That's just the bottom line. That's part of the playoffs."

  Edman-Larsson, 33, has four goals, 25 assists, a plus-14 rating, 52 penalty minutes, 83 blocks, 108 hits and a 21:04 average ice time in 77 games in his first season with Toronto.

  He has 500 career points (148 goals, 362 assists) in 1,059 games with the then-Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes (2010-21), Vancouver Canucks (2021-23), Florida Panthers (2023-24) and Maple Leafs.

  Defenseman Jake McCabe will miss his sixth consecutive game on Tuesday because of an upper-body injury. He might not return before the first-round playoff series is underway.

  "There's always a concern, right?" Berube said. "It's just a little ways away yet for me to make those kinds of decisions and things like that. I've got to see them up close a little bit more here and talk to these guys and see where they're at."

  McCabe, 31, has two goals, 21 assists, a plus-23 rating, 40 penalty minutes, 135 blocks and 118 hits while averaging a team-high 21:31 of ice time in 66 games this season.

  He has 175 career points (35 goals, 140 assists) in 643 games with the Sabres (2013-21), Chicago Blackhawks (2021-23) and Maple Leafs (February 2023-present).

  --Field Level Media