NHL roundup: Knights beat Wild to clinch final playoff berth

The Vegas Golden Knights, the defending Stanley Cup champions, established an early advantage and secured a 7-2 win against the Minnesota Wild in Las Vegas on Friday. This victory also ensured their place in the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Jack Eichel, Nicolas Roy, and Pavel Dorofeyev each had a goal and an assist, while Chandler Stephenson tied his career high with four assists, helping Vegas snap a three-game losing streak.

Jonathan Marchessault, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, and Keegan Kolesar also scored for the Golden Knights, with Noah Hanifin adding two assists. Logan Thompson made 25 saves for Vegas, which moved within one point of the third-place Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division.

Marat Khusnutdinov scored his first NHL goal, and Ryan Hartman also scored for Minnesota. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 23 saves for the Wild, who lost for the fourth time in their past five games.

In another game, the Flames defeated the Ducks 6-3, with Nazem Kadri collecting one goal and two assists in his 900th career game. Andrei Kuzmenko posted his second career hat-trick for Calgary. Andrew Mangiapane, Connor Zary, and Dustin Wolf, the two-time AHL top goaltender, also contributed to the Flames' victory.

Frank Vatrano, Olen Zellweger, and Sam Colangelo scored for the Ducks, while Anaheim goalie John Gibson stopped 21 shots.

In the Hurricanes' 5-2 victory over the Blues, Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin each had a goal and an assist. Jake Guentzel scored a pair of empty-net goals for Carolina, which has won four straight games. Zack Bolduc and Jordan Kyrou scored for the Blues, with Jordan Binnington making 37 saves in the losing effort.

The Nashville Predators dominated the Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-1 victory, thanks to Filip Forsberg's outstanding performance. Forsberg scored his 10th career hat trick, setting a new franchise record for single-season goals with 46, surpassing Matt Duchene's previous record of 43 set in 2021-22. Kiefer Sherwood and Jason Zucker also contributed goals for Nashville, with Luke Evangelista adding two assists and Kevin Lankinen making 25 saves.

The Blackhawks, on the other hand, struggled to keep up, with Philipp Kurashev scoring their only goal. Goalie Arvid Soderblom made 35 saves, but it wasn't enough to stop Nashville's offensive onslaught.

In another game, the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime, with Matias Maccelli scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist. Maccelli's overtime goal, his 15th of the season, came at 1:35 of the extra period. Josh Doan and Logan Cooley also scored for Arizona, while Karel Vejmelka made 38 saves.

Despite the loss, the Oilers secured home ice in the first round of the playoffs with a single point. Adam Henrique and Darnell Nurse scored for Edmonton, with Evander Kane contributing two assists and Calvin Pickard making 25 saves. The game took place amidst rumors of the Coyotes potentially relocating to Salt Lake City, adding extra tension to the matchup.