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Deadspin | Bruins ride momentum of offensive eruption into clash vs. Pens

Deadspin | Bruins ride momentum of offensive eruption into clash vs. Pens

Jan 10, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Marat Khusnutdinov (92) is congratulated by defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) after scoring against the New York Rangers during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The Boston Bruins look to continue rolling along on a five-game homestand as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday in the finale of a weekend back-to-back for both teams.

It was a historic Saturday for the Bruins as Marat Khusnutdinov (four goals, one assist) and Pavel Zacha both recorded their first career hat tricks and David Pastrnak tied a franchise record with a career-high six assists in a 10-2 thrashing of the New York Rangers.

Boston’s second straight win and fourth in the last six games (4-1-1) came on the strength of its first 10-goal outburst since 1988. Khusnutdinov and Zacha represent the first pair of Bruins to record hat tricks in the same game since 1964.

“Forget about how (many goals) we scored, but we played really, really good,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said of his team’s overall effort. “They should feel really good about it.”

Plenty of others got in on the fun as well. Fraser Minten scored twice and added an assist, while defenseman Charlie McAvoy scored and set up a goal. Elias Lindholm and Henri Jokiharju each dished out a pair of assists.

All of Boston’s offense supported soon-to-be U.S. Olympian Jeremy Swayman, who made 27 stops en route to his third win in four starts. With the tight turnaround, Joonas Korpisalo likely will start versus Pittsburgh after his 28-save effort in a 4-1 Thursday win over Calgary to begin the homestand.

“It’s pretty fun to watch and be a part of (a game like that),” rugged Bruins forward Mark Kastelic said. “Just to see how everybody played together for pretty much the full 60 minutes.”

However, Boston finished Saturday’s game down two forwards after Morgan Geekie exited to tend to a family matter and Lindholm sustained a lower-body injury. Both likely will be Sunday game-time decisions.

Pittsburgh arrives in Boston after having a six-game win streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

“(The Flames) did a good job. They compete hard. Not a lot of time and space,” Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby said. “That’s hockey. Games aren’t always going to be up and down. We’ve got to find different ways to create. We did at times, but it was difficult for us to sustain that the way we have, so we’ve got to find ways to be able to do that.”

Egor Chinakhov scored the Penguins’ lone goal. Rookie Arturs Silovs made 23 saves as he has continued to alternate starts with Stuart Skinner since the latter’s arrival from the Edmonton Oilers earlier this month.

“You saw how many odd-man rushes he had to face,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “He kept the game close for us.”

Saturday’s game marked the end of an eight-game point streak for Crosby, who logged five goals and nine assists over that span. However, longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin notched his 854th career assist, which is good for the 10th-most with a single franchise in NHL history.

The Penguins, who went 0-for-3 on the power play and had a third-period goal wiped away due to goaltender interference, were without top-line winger Bryan Rust due to a lower-body injury.

Massachusetts native Kevin Hayes jumped into the lineup as a result of Rust’s absence, while Rafael Harvey-Pinard was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League in what Muse called a “precautionary” transaction.

The Pittsburgh lineup includes former Bruins forwards Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari and defenseman Parker Wotherspoon. Brazeau (12 goals) is one of the team’s four double-digit goal scorers.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Bruins #ride #momentum #offensive #eruption #clash #Pens

Deadspin | Sabres stomp Blackhawks, wrap up Atlantic Division crown  Apr 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) shoots the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images   Tage Thompson scored twice and Alex Tuch had a goal and assist as the Buffalo Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-1 victory against the host Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.  Buffalo (50-23-8, 108 points) recorded its fourth straight victory. The Sabres have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference behind the Carolina Hurricanes’ 111 points.  After snapping a 14-season playoff drought this month, Buffalo will open the postseason against either the Boston Bruins or the Ottawa Senators.  Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris also scored while Rasmus Dahlin notched two assists for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves.  Rookie Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Spencer Knight stopped 21 shots.  The Sabres outshot the Blackhawks 26-16. Chicago finished 0-for-5 on the power play compared to 0-for-2 for Buffalo.  The Blackhawks (28-39-14, 70 points) put a brief scare into the Sabres when Greene opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 3:58 of the first period. With Sam Rinzel off for high-sticking, Greene took an Ilya Mikheyev pass off the rush, made a move in front and beat Luukkonen with a wrist shot just 14 seconds into the Buffalo man advantage.  Also sluggish at even strength in the early going, the Sabres tied the game at 19:02 of the first period. Josh Doan stole a Greene pass inside the Chicago blue line and fed the puck to Norris, who sent a wrist shot over Knight from the left circle.   Norris stretched his point streak to five games while Doan extended his to four.  Buffalo capitalized on another Blackhawks turnover at 13:00 of the second period to take the lead for good. Thompson, the club’s top scorer with 81 points, collected the puck near the goal line and scored after weaving through two defenders.  The Sabres made it 3-1 at 5:38 of the third. Dahlin found Tuch in the middle of the ice with a stretch pass, and Tuch’s shot glanced off Knight’s glove and into the net.  Thompson netted his 40th goal less than six minutes later, converting a one-timer from Dahlin.  McLeod capped the scoring at 18:35 of the third.  Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar wore a cage mask after leaving the team’s Saturday home loss to the St. Louis Blues early upon taking a puck to the face.  Chicago fell to 1-8-1 in its past 10 games.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Sabres #stomp #Blackhawks #wrap #Atlantic #Division #crownApr 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) shoots the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Tage Thompson scored twice and Alex Tuch had a goal and assist as the Buffalo Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-1 victory against the host Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Buffalo (50-23-8, 108 points) recorded its fourth straight victory. The Sabres have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference behind the Carolina Hurricanes’ 111 points.

After snapping a 14-season playoff drought this month, Buffalo will open the postseason against either the Boston Bruins or the Ottawa Senators.

Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris also scored while Rasmus Dahlin notched two assists for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves.

Rookie Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Spencer Knight stopped 21 shots.

The Sabres outshot the Blackhawks 26-16. Chicago finished 0-for-5 on the power play compared to 0-for-2 for Buffalo.

The Blackhawks (28-39-14, 70 points) put a brief scare into the Sabres when Greene opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 3:58 of the first period. With Sam Rinzel off for high-sticking, Greene took an Ilya Mikheyev pass off the rush, made a move in front and beat Luukkonen with a wrist shot just 14 seconds into the Buffalo man advantage.


Also sluggish at even strength in the early going, the Sabres tied the game at 19:02 of the first period. Josh Doan stole a Greene pass inside the Chicago blue line and fed the puck to Norris, who sent a wrist shot over Knight from the left circle.

Norris stretched his point streak to five games while Doan extended his to four.

Buffalo capitalized on another Blackhawks turnover at 13:00 of the second period to take the lead for good. Thompson, the club’s top scorer with 81 points, collected the puck near the goal line and scored after weaving through two defenders.

The Sabres made it 3-1 at 5:38 of the third. Dahlin found Tuch in the middle of the ice with a stretch pass, and Tuch’s shot glanced off Knight’s glove and into the net.

Thompson netted his 40th goal less than six minutes later, converting a one-timer from Dahlin.

McLeod capped the scoring at 18:35 of the third.

Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar wore a cage mask after leaving the team’s Saturday home loss to the St. Louis Blues early upon taking a puck to the face.

Chicago fell to 1-8-1 in its past 10 games.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Sabres #stomp #Blackhawks #wrap #Atlantic #Division #crown">Deadspin | Sabres stomp Blackhawks, wrap up Atlantic Division crown  Apr 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) shoots the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images   Tage Thompson scored twice and Alex Tuch had a goal and assist as the Buffalo Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-1 victory against the host Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.  Buffalo (50-23-8, 108 points) recorded its fourth straight victory. The Sabres have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference behind the Carolina Hurricanes’ 111 points.  After snapping a 14-season playoff drought this month, Buffalo will open the postseason against either the Boston Bruins or the Ottawa Senators.  Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris also scored while Rasmus Dahlin notched two assists for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves.  Rookie Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Spencer Knight stopped 21 shots.  The Sabres outshot the Blackhawks 26-16. Chicago finished 0-for-5 on the power play compared to 0-for-2 for Buffalo.  The Blackhawks (28-39-14, 70 points) put a brief scare into the Sabres when Greene opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 3:58 of the first period. With Sam Rinzel off for high-sticking, Greene took an Ilya Mikheyev pass off the rush, made a move in front and beat Luukkonen with a wrist shot just 14 seconds into the Buffalo man advantage.  Also sluggish at even strength in the early going, the Sabres tied the game at 19:02 of the first period. Josh Doan stole a Greene pass inside the Chicago blue line and fed the puck to Norris, who sent a wrist shot over Knight from the left circle.   Norris stretched his point streak to five games while Doan extended his to four.  Buffalo capitalized on another Blackhawks turnover at 13:00 of the second period to take the lead for good. Thompson, the club’s top scorer with 81 points, collected the puck near the goal line and scored after weaving through two defenders.  The Sabres made it 3-1 at 5:38 of the third. Dahlin found Tuch in the middle of the ice with a stretch pass, and Tuch’s shot glanced off Knight’s glove and into the net.  Thompson netted his 40th goal less than six minutes later, converting a one-timer from Dahlin.  McLeod capped the scoring at 18:35 of the third.  Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar wore a cage mask after leaving the team’s Saturday home loss to the St. Louis Blues early upon taking a puck to the face.  Chicago fell to 1-8-1 in its past 10 games.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Sabres #stomp #Blackhawks #wrap #Atlantic #Division #crown

England captain Ben Stokes says any suggestion he and coach Brendon McCullum are not aligned “is a massive overstatement”.

Were there disagreements between them during their Ashes debacle in Australia? Yes.

Was it any different than normal? No.

Stokes and McCullum have been in lock step since 2022, and they crashed and burned when they lost to Australia 4-1 last winter. Both men supported the other after being humbled, but the Ashes review threw up signs of tension.

Stokes wanted to play more conservatively, while McCullum wanted to double down on all-out attack.

Since the Ashes, Stokes has kept a low profile. When he and McCullum kept their jobs last month following the Ashes review, he posted on social media that he was happy to continue working with McCullum and the post-Ashes period had been the hardest period of his captaincy.

The captain has used an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to address his relationship with McCullum.

“Saying we weren’t aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement,” Stokes said.

“When you’re in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you’re always going to agree on everything, then it’s just impossible. To me, that isn’t a healthy environment for sport, in particular. You need debate. You need discussions. Then you end up getting to the place you both want to end up getting to.

“As similar as Brendon and I are, we’re also dissimilar in other areas as well. We agree 95 per cent of the time on things, but those 5 per cent things that we might have different views on, we talk about them between each other and then we end up getting to the place where we want to get to.”

Stokes hasn’t played in the County Championship since breaking his cheekbone in a freak accident in pre-season training with Durham. But he’s set to return in May before New Zealand arrives in June for a Test series. Pakistan follows this summer, and Australia comes to England in 2027.

As was recommended in the Ashes review, England’s leadership will tweak what it does with the team, and Stokes has welcomed it.

“I’m very confident in mine and Brendon’s ability to be able to work together, because we’ve done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way,” he said.

“The main point of Brendon and me is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That’s always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now than how that operates after four years of working together. Hopefully we’ll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win.”

Published on Apr 14, 2026

#Stokes #shuts #talk #rift #coach #McCullum #agree #cent #time">Stokes shuts down talk of rift with coach McCullum, says, ‘We agree 95 per cent of the time’  England captain Ben Stokes says any suggestion he and coach Brendon McCullum are not aligned “is a massive overstatement”.Were there disagreements between them during their Ashes debacle in Australia? Yes.Was it any different than normal? No.Stokes and McCullum have been in lock step since 2022, and they crashed and burned when they lost to Australia 4-1 last winter. Both men supported the other after being humbled, but the Ashes review threw up signs of tension.Stokes wanted to play more conservatively, while McCullum wanted to double down on all-out attack.Since the Ashes, Stokes has kept a low profile. When he and McCullum kept their jobs last month following the Ashes review, he posted on social media that he was happy to continue working with McCullum and the post-Ashes period had been the hardest period of his captaincy.The captain has used an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to address his relationship with McCullum.“Saying we weren’t aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement,” Stokes said.“When you’re in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you’re always going to agree on everything, then it’s just impossible. To me, that isn’t a healthy environment for sport, in particular. You need debate. You need discussions. Then you end up getting to the place you both want to end up getting to.“As similar as Brendon and I are, we’re also dissimilar in other areas as well. We agree 95 per cent of the time on things, but those 5 per cent things that we might have different views on, we talk about them between each other and then we end up getting to the place where we want to get to.”Stokes hasn’t played in the County Championship since breaking his cheekbone in a freak accident in pre-season training with Durham. But he’s set to return in May before New Zealand arrives in June for a Test series. Pakistan follows this summer, and Australia comes to England in 2027.As was recommended in the Ashes review, England’s leadership will tweak what it does with the team, and Stokes has welcomed it.“I’m very confident in mine and Brendon’s ability to be able to work together, because we’ve done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way,” he said.“The main point of Brendon and me is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That’s always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now than how that operates after four years of working together. Hopefully we’ll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win.”Published on Apr 14, 2026  #Stokes #shuts #talk #rift #coach #McCullum #agree #cent #time

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