For 59 minutes and 58 seconds on Tuesday, it looked like a Pittsburgh Penguins' resounding victory over the Anaheim Ducks was a given. 

But, hockey is a weird game. And these Penguins are a confounding team. 

With 0.1 seconds left in regulation and the Penguins on the power play, the Ducks tied the game at 3-3 and went on to defeat the Penguins in a shootout, 4-3. Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 25 of 28 Anaheim shots, and he - once again - failed to make a save in the shootout. 

This one was a dominant effort from the Penguins, which made what happened even more baffling. 

The Penguins opened the scoring midway through the first period when Noel Acciari shot a puck toward the net and behind Ville Husso right off the faceoff from the left circle. The score remained 1-0 heading into the second period.

And, in the middle frame, the chances were a bit more split. Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe scored a little more than five minutes int the middle frame, as he walked down the left side and put one top-shelf above Silovs and into the back of the net. Troy Terry did a similar thing on the right side with a little more than five minutes remaining in the period, beating Silovs short-side high. 

Then, in the waning seconds of the period, Tommy Novak - who came into this one with two goals and six points in his last five games - got his own rebound around the net, went below the goal line, and banked a puck off the back of Husso to tie the game at 2-2 with 19 seconds left in the second period. 

And the score remained that way until late in regulation. The Penguins were pressuring in the offensive zone, and Sidney Crosby found Anthony Mantha on the doorstep with a cross-ice pass to put Pittsburgh up 3-2 on the power play with 3:55 remaining in regulation. And, to make matters even better, they got another power play at the end of the game when Chris Kreider took a tripping penalty with 18 seconds left, pretty much guaranteeing a win, right?

Final. pic.twitter.com/zRadZ8g1Tr

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 10, 2025

Well, not so fast. 

In the last seconds of regulation, Anaheim's Beckett Sennecke gained the offensive zone shorthanded, walking around Penguins' forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Kris Letang. The puck ended up in the goal crease, and so did Erik Karlsson, who fell and slid in toward Silovs and the puck. The puck hit Karlsson's hand, and somehow, it crossed the goal line with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock. 

It was a good goal. All tied up, 3-3. Overtime didn't prove to be enough, and the Penguins went on to lose their fifth shootout in as many attempts this season. 

Shock was prevalent in the locker room following the game. The Penguins outplayed the Ducks for the vast majority of regulation, and shots ended up 47-28 in favor of Pittsburgh. 

But the Penguins blew their seventh lead in 14 games, and those precious points lost are starting to become a problem - as is their ability to hold leads, something that has haunted them the past couple of non-playoff seasons. 

“It’s obviously a very frustrating feeling right now,” Karlsson said. “That was a game that we all thought we had in the bag. Scoring a late power-play goal, putting all the pressure on them. They still created a fair amount of chances. [Silovs] played great for us and bailed us out when we needed to.

“Being up a goal like we were with 18 seconds left, that’s a game that we should win 99.9% of the time. This was a game that shouldn’t have happened the way that it did.”

Penguins Provide Injury Update On Key PlayerInjured reserve has been an all-too-popular place for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> this season.&nbsp;

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Here are some notes and takeaways from this one:

- Let's just get the elephant in the room over with right off the bat. 

The Penguins have blown too many leads lately. They've been sloppy and/or outplayed in most of those efforts.

But to lose this way? Absolutely unacceptable. No two ways about it. 

That play just can't happen. Not only were the Penguins 18 seconds away from a win, they were on the power play, and they were, once again, the better team. Rust blew coverage. Letang blew coverage. Karlsson needs to be more careful there. Crosby can't pinch on that play. 

Those are four of your best, most veteran players. Oftentimes, it is the veterans making these kinds of mistakes. 

If the Penguins are going to make the playoffs, that has to stop. They are outplaying legitimately good hockey teams and are a legitimately good hockey team themselves. So they need to find a way to close out games like they were in October.

Penguins Call Up 2 Forwards As Injury Bug BitesThe Penguins have called up two forwards from the AHL.

- That aside, this game was a very sloppy one in a general sense for both sides. There were a lot of mishandled pucks, misfired passes, misfired shots, big rebounds, neutral zone play, and puck/stick battles.

I suspect the ice wasn't great, but this could also just be the result of two tired teams playing against each other. The Penguins travelled back from Dallas Sunday and cancelled practice Monday, and it showed that they just looked a little off, even if they outplayed the Ducks. 

- It would be malpractice not to mention Novak, who has been on a tear lately and has three goals and seven points in his last six games. 

His goal at the end of the second was huge. He's crashing the net more and using the middle of the ice more. He's getting pucks to the net and led the Penguins - along with Rust - in shots on goal Tuesday with six. He's a good complementary player to Crosby's line or the second line. 

He has been legitimately good lately, and his lineup versatility makes him even more valuable. 

"Tommy's playing well," head coach Dan Muse said. "You can see he's attacking the game with the puck. He's making plays. I think he's playing well at both ends of the ice. I think he's a guy that, if you go out throughout the course of the year, he's gotten a lot of chances. He's been pretty consistent in terms of getting those areas. I think he's getting to the inside even more. He's getting a lot more looks from right around the net. And so, we're happy with this play.

If he keeps this up, it should make for some interesting decisions as far as lineups when Rakell and Malkin return. 

- The "kid line" of Rutger McGroarty, Ben Kindel, and Ville Koivunen were - once again - good from the jump in this game. They were the Penguins' best line in the first period, and they continued to generate scoring chances throughout the game.

Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse Needs To Play The "Kid" Line MoreThe third line of McGroarty-Kindel-Koivunen has been great, but they need more minutes.

The one issue with this line - if you even want to call it that up to this point - has been that none of the three have really taken charge as a "trigger man." All three players have a playmaking-first mentality, and they could benefit from getting more pucks to the net.

Well, McGroarty changed that Tuesday. He had five shots on goal - including four in the first period - and was getting the puck to the net anytime he could. 

Once again, this could be a dangerous third line for the Penguins. They're already responsible in their own zone, so once they start producing with regularity - it's bound to happen - look out.

- The Penguins' power play didn't look bad Tuesday by any stretch. They held zone time for the most part and didn't give up any chances against. 

But there just doesn't seem to be as much movement and quick passing as there was before. The Penguins are best as a power play unit when they're moving with expediency and getting penalty kills out of structure. And they are able to get more pucks to the net that way, too.

The power play has been a huge threat all season long. It needs to stay that way. 

Penguins' Top Defensive Prospect Named To Team Canada's Preliminary World Junior RosterIt appears that at least two prospects from the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> could be headed to the World Junior Championship (WJC).&nbsp;

- This was a really good effort from the Penguins against a young, fast team. They were getting their way as far as possession, scoring chances, and shots, including outshooting the Ducks 16-8 in the first period. 

Once again, there is a lot to be said about the way the Penguins have been playing so far in the month of December, especially against some of the league's best teams. They deserved two points in Dallas even though they came away with the shootout loss. They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning by the skin of their teeth, but they got it done. They dominated the Phildelphia Flyers in a 5-1 win on Dec. 1. And they outmatched a Ducks team that they should have beat in regulation.

They're playing well-structured, opportunistic, and sound hockey against good opponents. That's what good teams in this league normally do. 

But they also lapse at the worst times and in the most critical moments of the game. They shouldn't have lost Tuesday. They know it. The fans know it. Muse knows it. Everyone knows it.

To say the game Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens is a must-win feels like an understatement. The Penguins need a response - and a good one.

NHL Rumors: 2 Potential Trade Fits For Penguins' Tristan JarryThese two teams should be watched when it comes to Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry.

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Ville Husso’s inclusion on the Ducks’ opening night roster was a short one. He was placed on waivers just one day after the Ducks’ opening night roster announcement.

After clearing waivers, Husso was reassigned to the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. The Finnish netminder picked right back up where he left off from last season, when he was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings last February.

 A late-season injury to John Gibson last year provided an opportunity for Husso to return to the NHL. He had been playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL prior to his acquisition by Anaheim after struggling to perform at the NHL level for the Red Wings.

Husso’s tenure with the Red Wings was a forgettable one, but his strong play with the Gulls upon arriving in the Ducks’ organization (7-2-0 record and .907 SV%) carried over to his NHL spot starts at the end of 2024-25. In four appearances (three starts), he had a .925 SV% and 2.99 goals against average.

An unrestricted free agent this past offseason, Husso had the chance to pursue a job elsewhere. Ultimately, he chose to re-sign with Anaheim, penning a two-year deal with a $2.2 million AAV.

“I really enjoyed my time last year, couple months here,” Husso said. “There is good people around the team, both (in Anaheim) and in San Diego. I saw it as a good spot for myself to just get better and get my game in a good spot.”

Due to injuries for both Lukáš Dostál and Petr Mrázek, Husso has been thrust into the starting role. Dostál’s injury came during the final week of November and after Husso was recalled and got his first start of season on Black Friday, Mrázek suffered an injury of his own on the last day of November.

In six appearances (five starts) since being recalled, Husso has a 4-2-0 record. One of those losses came when Husso relieved the injured Mrázek during a tie game with the Chicago Blackhawks. The only logged shot that Husso faced in that game was a partial breakaway against Connor Bedard, who used his magic hands to beat the Finnish goaltender in close. The cruel nature of the game reared its head on that one.

Husso’s only other loss was the Ducks’ shambolic performance against the Utah Mammoth on Dec. 3, when they lost 7-0. Aside from that, he has held down the fort. The latest masterpiece was a 45-save performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. A late holding the stick penalty and subsequent power play goal against could have been the mark on an otherwise stellar night, but the Ducks tied the game with 0.1 seconds remaining in the third. The result was decided in the shootout, where Husso stopped all three Penguins shooters.

“Team effort. Probably not our best, but good teams get those two points even when it’s an okay game,” Husso said to media after the game. “It’s been so much fun to be around these guys. Every day, it’s like learning something new. Fun group to be a part of and shows that we never give up.”

Vyacheslav Buteyets has been the backup goaltender with both Dostál and Mrázek on the shelf. The 2022 sixth-round pick made his debut during the 7-0 defeat to Utah, relieving Husso after the first two periods. Dostál traveled with the team for their five-game road trip and participated in Tuesday’s morning skate. He is on track with the initial two to three-week timeline that was given by head coach Joel Quenneville.

When Dostál returns, Buteyets will be reassigned to the AHL and Husso will serve as the backup. A set of understandable moves. But Mrázek’s return, whenever that may be, could create a conundrum.

Husso has demonstrated thus far that he can be an NHL-quality goaltender again. Mrázek had some early inconsistencies to start the season, but rebounded with a strong performance against the Vegas Golden Knights before suffering a trio of hard-luck losses in his next three starts.

It wouldn’t be out of the question for the Ducks to carry three goaltenders when everyone is healthy, but a currently full 23-man roster means that a move (like waiving Nikita Nesterenko or Jansen Harkins or sending Ian Moore down) will have to be made. Would the Ducks be able to sneak Husso through waivers because of his comparatively high salary and the extra year on his deal? They’ve already done it once, but that was before teams like the Winnipeg Jets lost their bonafide No. 1 goaltender to injury.

A scenario like this is something that Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek likely won’t have to think about for at least another couple of weeks, until Mrázek begins skating again. For now, it’s Husso’s net.

“Just got to keep working, keep grinding and be ready whenever,” Husso said.

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The former Minnesota Wild defenseman just achieved a rare milestone in a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Brent Burns recorded an assist on Brock Nelson's goal in the first period of the game that the Preds ended up winning in a shootout.

Burns, 40, picked up his 11th assist of the year and his 15th point in his 30th game of the season.

He became the second 40-year-old defenseman in NHL history with at least 15 points through his first 30 games of a season (age based at start of season).

Nicklas Lidstrom had 26 points in 2010-11 and 21 points in 2011-12. No other defenseman has reached this feat.

Burns was the 20th overall pick by the Wild in the 2003 NHL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Wild before he was traded to the San Jose Sharks.

In his seven seasons with Minnesota, Burns recorded 55 goals, 128 assists and 183 points in 453 games.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

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The Vancouver Canucks are 30 games into the 2025–26 season. Vancouver’s record has not looked bleaker than it has as of right now (so far), as the team has officially taken sole possession of last overall in the entire NHL. Here’s how they’re performing compared to the rest of the league.  

Team Stats 

For the majority of their team stats, the Canucks sit either last in the NHL or 30th and below. These include their league-worst overall record (11–16–3), points-percentage (.417), and goals-against (108). Their penalty kill also drops within the bottom-three, clicking at a 30th-best rate of 72%. Vancouver’s only semi-redeeming team stat on this list is their power play, which is currently tied for 17th in the NHL with a success rate of 18.8% — though it has not found much success as of late. 

Individual Skaters

Since the 25-game mark of the 2025–26 season, the Canucks have not had any change in all but one of their individual skater stats. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes both still lead the team in points, though neither has registered one within the past five games (Pettersson has missed two due to injury). Their 22 points each tie both Pettersson and Hughes for the 81st-most in the NHL; for reference, the league’s leading points-getter, Nathan MacKinnon, currently has more than double this amount (51). The only stat that has seen a change in the player leading it is TOI on the penalty kill, which now belongs to Tyler Myers (101:57). Intriguingly, his PK TOI currently places fourth among all NHLers.  

Goaltenders

Nikita Tolopilo’s solid stretch of play throughout the past few games has earned him the current lead in a good chunk of the Canucks’ goaltending stats. While Thatcher Demko still holds sole possession of the most wins by a Canucks goaltender (5, tied for 40th in the NHL), Tolopilo now has the highest SV% (.911), goals-against average (2.74), and high-danger SV % (.862) despite playing in the least amount of games. 

The Canucks look like they may gain a massive boost in their next game, on December 11, as Demko could make his return to the lineup then. After, Vancouver will embark on a five-game road trip that will take them across the east coast until the holiday break. They’ll take on the New Jersey Devils (December 14), New York Rangers (December 16), New York Islanders (December 19), and the Boston Bruins (December 20), before their last stop against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 22. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Tuesday night’s humiliating defeat was the final drop in the bucket; this latest debacle might just have been the Montreal Canadiens sending out an SOS, much like The Police sang in 1975, and GM Kent Hughes heard it loud and clear. Minutes after the final buzzer, the team announced it had recalled three players from the Laval Rocket: defenseman Adam Engstrom, who was with the Habs in their latest road trip, forward Owen Beck, and, for the first time, goaltender Jacob Fowler.

Plenty has been written about the Canadiens’ goaltending struggles in the last month, but on Tuesday night, the situation reached a breaking point. The Tampa Bay Lightning took only 27 shots on goal, but they still scored six goals. Jakub Dobes, who started the game, gave up three goals on 14 shots.

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At the risk of sounding like a broken record, he wasn’t bad; the first two goals came on breakaways and the third one on a Nikita Kucherov one-timer as the sniper was left all alone on the wing. On the last one, the Czech netminder was without his stick, which he had dropped trying to freeze the puck, and that can be held against him, but even with his stick, it’s doubtful that he could have made the save.

Samuel Montembeault, who played the last 40 minutes, once again gave up a goal on a long-range shot that didn’t look particularly threatening, on top of being beaten near side on a shot from the wing. It was yet another tough outing for him.

The fact that the Canadiens are willing to recall 21-year-old Fowler, who’s playing his first professional season right now, shows just how desperate they are. Turning to him as the team struggles to put together a suitable defensive game is far from ideal. Unless Martin St-Louis’ men clean up their act, the youngster could be thrown to the wolves.

Not that he isn’t a quality goaltender, he has a 10-5-0 record in 15 games with the Rocket this season, including three shutouts. His goals-against average stands at 2.09, and his save percentage at.919. Those are excellent numbers, but there’s a massive jump between the AHL and the NHL level. Dominating in the AHL doesn’t always guarantee success in the big league; we’ve seen it with Cayden Primeau just last season. The Farmington Hills native had a .927 SV in 26 games with the Rocket last year, but a .836 SV in 11 games with the Canadiens.

Usually, with goaltenders, slow and steady wins the race; that’s a position where you do not want to rush things, but given the current situation in Montreal, something had to give. However, the organization will need to be careful in managing expectations; Fowler cannot come in and be heralded as the team’s saviour right now. He should not be put under that much pressure. Montreal is already a pressure cooker without that label.

The team’s leadership will have to stand up and get this team to take a long, hard look in the mirror to stop allowing so many premium opportunities game after game after game. Leading by example is one thing, but there are times when more is needed, and judging by the organization’s reaction to Tuesday night’s debacle, that time is now.

After Wednesday morning's practice in Brossard, the Canadiens will board a plane and head to Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. Will Fowler make his NHL debut there? If he were, he wouldn’t be the first Canadiens’ goaltender to get his baptism of fire against the Pens. Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy (he came in relief in a game against the Winnipeg Jets, but his first start was against the Pens), and Carey Price all started their career against Thursday night’s hosts. Chances are, St-Louis will be asked who will get the start Thursday after practice, but he’ll probably say he doesn’t know yet...

WHAT A SAVE BY JACOB FOWLER‼️ pic.twitter.com/9P2y2SoBUC

— NHL (@NHL) September 23, 2025

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New York Islanders' forward Bo Horvat scored twice in their 5-4 shootout win against the Vegas Golden Knights. That earned him a postgame interview with the TNT panel. 

Paul Bissonnette asked Horvat about Matthew Schaefer, A.K.A Schaef Daddy, and how he's impacted the team so far:

"Yeah, Schaef Daddy has been great," Horvat said with a chuckle. "Trust me, I listened to the podcast, and I heard that. I don't know if it's stuck as much as he wanted to, but he's been phenomenal for us. He's a hell of a kid, hell of a hockey player, and he's completely changed our team in the best way. He's so dynamic. He's such a good hockey player. And we're definitely lucky to have him."

Bo Horvat talks to the boys about the Isles solid start and "Schaef Daddy" as Biz calls him 😂 pic.twitter.com/POZSU524tF

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) December 9, 2025

Five months ago, Schaefer joined Spittin Chiclets where the Schaef Daddy nickname came to the service:

In the Islanders' shootout win, Schaefer recorded the secondary assist on Horvat's first goal of the night, giving him 22 points in 31 games with eight goals and 13 assists. 

His 22 points passed Petr Svoboda (3-18—21 in 1984-85 w/ MTL) for the 10th most by an 18-year-old defenseman in a single season.

Like Horvat said, Schaefer has completely changed the dynamic of the Islanders. He's impacted every facet of their game has changed the club's timeline when it comes to how far they are away from competing for a Stanley Cup. 

December is a hectic month for everyone with the Holidays coming up, but it’s going to be one crazy month for the Montreal Canadiens players as well, since their schedule is jam-packed. Last night, they played their third game in four nights when they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they did it with Jakub Dobes in net once again.

The visitors were winless in their last four games and had been shut out in their previous two tilts, on top of being without all-star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Furthermore, Jon Cooper’s men were playing the second game of a back-to-back after taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.

Interestingly, four teams had two scouts at the Bell Centre for this game, and three of them had a goalie scout present, as Dobes was playing his third game in four nights. If they were there to have a closer look at him, he wouldn’t have made a particularly good impression.

An Awful First Frame

The Bolts wasted no time in showing they meant business. Twenty-nine seconds in, Charles-Edouard D’Astous levelled Brendan Gallagher, and it turned out to be a perfect metaphor for the first frame.

The visitors dominated play in the first frame, outshouting the Canadiens 15-6. Tampa scored its first goal on its second shot on net as Brayden Point easily got past Jayden Struble to get in all alone on the Canadiens’ netminder.

Their second goal came on a Pontus Holmberg breakaway as Ivan Demidov made an errant pass on the power play, right on cue for Holmberg to collect it. Dobes gave up a third goal on a Nikita Kucherov one-timer after losing his stick in a desperate attempt to freeze the puck.

It’s not that the Canadiens didn’t try to shoot, but most of their shots ended up in the netting behind the goal rather than on the net they actually needed to score on. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki really struggled to hit the net, which is never good news for the Habs.

Martin St-Louis allowed Dobes to finish the period, but elected to start the second frame with Samuel Montembeault in the net. The change made little difference: Dobes finished the game with a .786 save percentage, allowing three goals on 14 shots, while Montembeault gave up three goals on 13 shots, for a .769 SV%.

Power Play Changes

In the first frame, Zachary Bolduc was back on the first power, even though he remains on the fourth line. Meanwhile, both Caufield and Suzuki were double-shifted on the second unit, meaning that Demidov still had the benefit of playing with them.

It was the second unit that produced the Canadiens' first and only goal as Demidov entered the zone crossing with Oliver Kapanen before making a cross-zone pass to Suzuki, who rang his shot off the post. Still, Kapanen showed excellent hand-eye coordination to bat it in mid-air. It was his ninth goal, which allowed him to tie Beckett Senecky for the lead in rookie goal scoring. The Finn now has the same number of goals as Juraj Slafkovsky, meaning they share second place on the team behind Cole Caufield, who has 16.

C'est avec un but qu'on fait quatre buts

Can't score 4 if you don't start with 1, right?#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/DAIi7Rc11b

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 10, 2025

The goal must have come as a relief for Kapanen, who had missed a couple of chances off Demidov's setups in the first frame. The late-period goal should have been a boost to start the third frame, but it wasn’t. On the contrary, Tampa scored 1:22 into the final frame, and that was one goal too many. For the rest of the game, the Canadiens lacked jump, confidence and even the will to compete; they actually looked like they were “sleepskating” out there. Tampa earned the two points with a decisive 6-1 win.

Home Sweet Home?

After 29 games, the Canadiens have an 8-3-2 record on the road but a 7-8-1 record at home. To have a chance of making the playoffs, they need to improve their home performance. You cannot be outplayed and manhandled when you control the matchups. On that topic, the bench boss explained:

We’ve got to be better at home. My press conferences at home are starting to be boring. […] I think we give up too many early goals. At the start of periods, I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but it’s becoming a trend. I’ve got to correct that trend.

-

Asked if it was due to the Habs struggling to shake off the disappointment of giving up a goal, St-Louis said:

There’s a mental element to it, you’ve mental strength has got to be stronger than your emotions. We’re being testing mentally right now.

-

In the dressing room, Alexandre Carrier discussed stopping the hemorrhage, which brought me back to last season, when the team kept getting blown out and couldn’t stop the bleeding after giving up a couple of goals at home. The start of the season might have made us think that was now a thing of the past, but the last month says otherwise.

Calling In Some Reinforcements

After the game, the Canadiens announced that they had called up goaltender Jacob Fowler, defenseman Adam Engstrom, and forward Owen Beck from the Laval Rocket. Regardless of how you look at it, this should send a message to the players. Of course, they always call up players to go on the road, but they never call up a goaltender to go on the road. They only called up Kaapo Kahkonen because of Montembeault’s illness last weekend.

The Canadiens will practice at 11:00 in Brossard this morning before taking off for Pittsburgh in the afternoon. It will be interesting to see how St-Louis addresses the trend he has finally acknowledged is his biggest concern.

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