A lot will be on the line Thursday night in New Jersey when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Devils.
Plus, Alex Ovechkin might or might not retire, Konnor Griffin is must-see TV, and there’s local transfer portal news in Thursday’s “On Sports,” pinch-hitting for “First Call.”
Ticket to the dance
The Pittsburgh Penguins will visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in a key battle in the Metropolitan Division.
New Jersey (40-35-3) has been eliminated from playoff contention, but could still impact the division, conference and wild card standings.
The Penguins will clinch a playoff berth with a win. They also can clinch a spot if they get a point and the Sabres beat the Blue Jackets or the Maple Leafs beat the Islanders and the Sabres top the Blue Jackets in regulation.
The teams have met three times this season. The Devils won 2-1 in New Jersey in November, and the Penguins won a pair of 4-1 decisions in January and late May at PPG Paints Arena.
The Devils are led by Olympic hero Jack Hughes, who has 72 points (25 goals, 47 assists).
The Penguins, who have won four of their past five games, have earned points in 17 of their last 25 games against New Jersey, dating back to March 20, 2021.
They are 7-3-2 in their last 12 trips to the Prudential Center.
Ovi on the fence
Speaking of Penguins’ rivals, the NHL’s career goal-scoring leader, Alex Ovechkin says he will decide after the Washington Capitals’ season is over whether he will retire or return for another season.
In an interview with radio broadcaster John Walton that aired Wednesday, Ovechkin said: “I’m going to be 41 years old in September, so you just have to be smart about it.”
Alex Ovechkin sat down with John Walton to discuss his plans to take time after the season to reflect and consult with his family before determining his future this summer.
Catch their full conversation tonight on Caps Pregame Live on @MonSportsNetpic.twitter.com/J9jAKL5HJE
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 8, 2026
Ovechkin has 928 regular-season goals over 21 years, all with the Capitals. He has 31 this season.
“I still enjoy it. I still have fun,” Ovechkin said in Toronto. “I’m still happy to be with the boys in the locker room.”
The Capitals beat the Maple Leafs, 4-0, on Wednesday night. They have 89 points and are chasing Boston (96), Ottawa (92), Columbus (90), Detroit (89) and New York Islanders (89) in the wild-card standings.
Griffin boosts ratings
It was a special day for Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin on Wednesday after he signed a nine-year contract extension worth a franchise record $140 million, with escalators that could up that total to $150 million.
That bodes well for SportsNet Pittsburgh, which reported record viewership for Griffin’s major league debut at Friday’s home opener.
"This is someone who wants to be great" ????
Pirates GM Ben Cherington talks about Konnor Griffin after signing a 9-year extension ???? pic.twitter.com/iRBGUuUim8
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 8, 2026
His debut game initially set a benchmark for the highest streaming audience in network history, but that was then surpassed Sunday, making it the largest single-game streaming audience in SNP 360 history.
On linear television, his debut delivered a 6.15 household rating, which was 2% higher than Paul Skenes’ 2024 debut, according to a SportsNet Pittsburgh spokesperson. That means that approximately 6.15% of all households with televisions in the Pittsburgh market were tuned into Friday’s game at some point.
The network also said that Saturday’s Penguins game against the Florida Panthers generated the largest Penguins streaming audience in SNP 360 history, representing a 44% increase over the 2025 season high.
SportsNet Pittsburgh does not release specific streaming audience numbers.
Littlejohn enters portal
Robert Morris junior guard Jeremiah Littlejohn entered the transfer portal Thursday, according to Verbal Commits.
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 3.6 points and 0.4 rebounds in five appearances this season.
He joins fellow Colonials Albert Varags, Ryan Prather Jr., Desean Goode, Nikolaos Chitikoudis, Josh Hill and Vasilije Serafimoski in the portal.