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Around the NHL: Lightning, Sabres combine for 15 goals, 5 fights; Nazem Kadri shines in return to Avalanche
Corey Perry of Tampa Bay Lightning gets into fight.
Photo credit: © Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Jeremy Tingly
Mar 9, 2026, 09:30 EDTUpdated: Mar 9, 2026, 09:26 EDT
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Welcome back to another edition of around the NHL, and with the trade deadline in the rearview, we’ve entered the home stretch of the 2025-26 season.
The trade deadline was full of entertainment, as there were blockbuster trades, some big trades that fell through in the last minute, and even a couple of shockers which surprised us all. On the ice, there’s less than 2o games remaining, playoff races are tightening up, and we’re in for a lot of fun this last month of the season.
Here’s the very latest from around the NHL:

Sabres’, Lightning combine for most goals and penalties in a game since 1994

The Atlantic-Division showdown in Buffalo on Sunday was a wild affair between the Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams set quite the mark that hadn’t been touched in 32 years, as both teams combined for the most goals and penalties in a game since 1994.
This thriller included 15 goals, 27 penalties, and five fights, in a game where the Sabres somehow came out on top with an 8-7 victory. Josh Doan opened the scoring in the first period, and from there, the wheels came off and this game got turned upside down on it’s head.
One of the crazier moments of the game happened in the second period, with the Sabres up 2-0, Lightning forward Brandon Hagel took matters into his own hands. Hagel ended up jumping Sabres’ captain Rasmus Dahlin and had no regard for human safety. This incident stemmed from some carry over from the Olympics, and now with the divisional race on the line, tempers flared, and Hagel didn’t hold back for a second.
With the 8-7 victory, the Sabres have now won seven games in a row and hold a two-point lead on the Lightning for top spot in the Atlantic. Sabres fans have turned up, the city of Buffalo is buzzing, and playoff hockey in northern New York is going to be very fun to watch this spring.

Nazem Kadri receives standing ovation from Avs’ faithful, has slick assist

Nazem Kadri said his head almost hit the ceiling he jumped so high when he found out he was getting traded back to Colorado, and on Sunday, the veteran center made his return to the Avs and had chills when the fans gave him a standing ovation almost halfway through the first period.
Needless to say, the transition back to mile high was as seamless as ever, as Kadri set up Nathan MacKinnon for the opening goal against the Minnesota Wild, and looked like he never left.
Kadri played 21:47 on Sunday against the Wild, moves from the NHL’s doghouse with the Calgary Flames, to the penthouse with the Avs, and re-joins a Stanley Cup contending team, who made a flurry of moves at the trade deadline, including sending a conditional first-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nicolas Roy.
Speaking of Roy, he scored in his Avalanche debut on a slick tip in front of the Wild’s net. Roy played 12:16 of ice-time in his first game with his new team and will be a focal point to watch heading into the playoffs, as he’s expected to be the team’s shut-down centreman.
Colorado has now won five games in a row and sit atop the Central Division with a 43-10-9 record, seven points up on the Dallas Stars. If the Avs can get the goaltending they need for the playoffs, they’re certainly going to be very hard to beat in a seven-game series.

Quick hits from around the NHL:

  • Roy wasn’t the only one to score in his debut with his new club, Scott Laughton also scored in his Los Angeles Kings debut. Laughton played 15:08 in his Kings debut and also saw time on L.A’s second power-play unit, a role he didn’t sniff under Craig Berube in Toronto.
  • Bobby McMann is expected to make his Seattle Kraken debut when they host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
  • St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong had the team’s technology department go through every single employee’s emails, text messages, and phone records to try and figure out who leaked the Colton Parayko trade to Buffalo. The search was unsuccessful, and for now, Parayko remains a Blue after nixing the trade to the red-hot Sabres.
  • Speaking of Buffalo, they added some more size and toughness to their blueline acquiring both Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley from the Winnipeg Jets.
  • John Carlson admitted he was in complete shock once he woke up to find out the Washington Capitals traded him to the Anaheim Ducks. Alex Ovechkin called it the worst day of his hockey career. You can tell how much Carlson means to the entire organization, and there’s a decent chance he re-signs in Washington this summer to finish out his career.
  • Speaking of the Capitals, they acquired former Maple Leaf Timothy Liljegren from the San Jose Sharks to replace Carlson for the rest of this season.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin was suspended five games for slashing Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin in the head.
  • After tons of speculation, both Jordan Binnington and Sergei Bobrovsky weren’t traded by their respected clubs. Bobrovsky, a pending free agent, now turns his attention to signing an extension in Florida, meanwhile, Binnington has one year left on his deal and is an offseason trade candidate out of St. Louis.
  • After 650 games with the Blues, Brayden Schenn will be making his return to St. Louis on Tuesday night as a member of the New York Islanders.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL

The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th, from 11 AM-3:30 PM ET for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.
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