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It was the healthiest the Kings have been all season, getting Drew Doughty back from injury, but the team chemistry looked disconnected and flat through the first 40 minutes of regulation.

Despite Trevor Moore scoring the only goal of the night for the Kings in the third period, L.A. could never overcome the Blackhawks' defense, which silenced the Kings' offense and crowd, continuing the team's home struggles.

The Kings generated 27 shots and dominated the faceoff circle at 55.9 percent. However, it still wasn’t enough to solve Chicago’s goaltender Spencer Knight or erase the two goals they gave up in the second period. 

Final from Los Angeles. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/2MwHlMIUOi

— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 5, 2025

Blackhawks Strike in the Second

Chicago broke open the scoreless match in the second period when Connor Bedard won the face-off against Quinton Byfield and ripped the power-play goal, capitalizing on the Kings' weak penalty kill. 

The Blackhawaks then added a late-period dagger with just six seconds remaining, as defenseman Wyatt Kaiser beat Darcy Kuemper in the shooting lane to make it 2-0. 

The Kings were competitive on the ice but not on the scoreboard for the first 40 minutes. After the game, Warren Foegele commented that the team wasn't in sync early on tonight.

“We weren't really connected in the first 40 minutes, and it bit us, “Warren Foegele.”

-

Kings Power-Play Struggles

The Kings had five power-play chances of their own and had a chance to tie it up on the final power-play, but came up empty. The scoreboard and stat sheet were close and even between the two teams, but on the ice, Chicago was clearly the better team tonight, with more focus and a stronger desire to play together. 

Los Angeles out-hit the Blackhawks 20-13, but that doesn’t mean anything if you lose the game when the buzzer sounds. Too many mistakes and sequences broke down before they became threats.

A Familiar Frutsration at Home

With another tough loss at home that could’ve gone either way, the offense is still searching for consistency. The Kings are winning face-offs, getting saves, and outshooting their opponents for the most part, but the goals simply aren't coming. 

Until that changes, these issues will continue in Los Angeles and may get worse as the season approaches April. 

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St. Louis Blues fans, we have a problem.

Actually, it’s been a problem for quite some time, but the culmination, or frustration, however one wants to call it, boiled over on Thursday night.

The Blues looked disinterested, disoriented and disorganized. It resulted in a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Boston.

Pavel Buchnevich and Pius Suter scored for the Blues (9-12-7), who once again couldn’t crack more than two goals in a game for the ninth time in the past 10. Jordan Binnington, who was pulled in his last start when he allowed two goals on five shots in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, made 22 saves.

Aleksanteri Kaskimaki made his NHL debut and was on the ice for the Buchnevich goal (more on him later).

Let’s go into the game observations:

* Where is the effort? – Rarely do I question effort. It’s usually execution that does in a game.

But on Thursday, effort comes into play.

The Blues are coming off having two days off between games, a rarity. And they won’t have that again until Christmas break. So Thursday started a stretch of 11 games in 19 days.

So being on front end of it, where was the urgency? Where was the energy? Where was … yes … the effort?

Boston (16-13-0) was playing without their best players in this game, including David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy due to injuries, and No. 1 goalie Jeremy Swayman was getting the night off for Joonas Korpisalo.

Yes, the Blues are playing a few players short themselves, but not nearly of that caliber, and coming out with a good start was imperative.

But just look at the first goal scored by Alex Steeves at 6:30 of the first period to make it 1-0.

First off, it was another bad line change by the Blues, but the urgency of two forwards in the neutral zone, and two defensemen on the ice never challenged the play into the zone, then things were allowed to play out on the lefthand side with nobody hustling back to pick up Steeves at the backdoor and he slams the shot past Binnington:

5️⃣ GOALS IN 5️⃣ GAMES 👏 pic.twitter.com/SHZsRMgZdK

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2025

It was a precursor of things to come.

And on Morgan Geekie’s goal at 11:25 that made it 2-0, there were two defensemen along the corner boards (Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg) trying to win a wall battle with one player (Steeves), whose effort and determination enabled him to pop the puck to Elias Lindholm, and he found Geekie open in the slot, a pass that Dalibor Dvorsky couldn’t get enough on. But once again, it was way too easy:

CALL 'EM UP 📞🤓 pic.twitter.com/MVXM0BjSDQ

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2025

The effort and determination of winning wall and/or board battles continues to be a sore spot, and in this point of the season, it shouldn’t be.

* So many defensive breakdowns; why is there so much disconnect at this juncture in the season – The Blues actually get the kind of start they needed early in the second when Buchnevich made it 2-1 at 1:59, after Parayko jumped a pass along the O-zone wall and curled around the net to find Buchnevich for a one-timer from the left circle:

Puck's stuck. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/6q5tGpboPH

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 5, 2025

You’re back in the game just like they were looking for.

But the next three goals scored by the Bruins, hoo boy.

Viktor Arvidsson cracked one off the right side wall at 6:04 made it 3-1, but it was the buildup that was more baffling than anything.

How does Mason Lohrei get all that free ice uncontested from his zone all the way into the Blues’ zone, gets a shot off from the top of the left circle that Binnington blockered to the right wall that Arvidsson corralled?:

A 7️⃣1️⃣ SNIPE 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qo8tVIG4pV

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2025

How does a guy get that much free ice?

That’s where the disconnect comes in. Guys backing into the zone, forwards playing too spread out allowing so much free ice, easy breakouts.

It’s still happening. This was the 28th game of the season.

And for Pavel Zacha, the first of his two goals, there’s a cross ice pass that is there because of a large gap for Zacha to move into the Blues’ zone, cut to the middle of the ice, three skaters around him with no resistance, and a fourth getting in there late, and I’m not putting that on Kaskimaki because this is his first game, and he has teammates on the ice that should be setting an example of hard work and being connected. But that goal scored from the high slot over Binnington’s glove hand made it 4-1 at 12:26, and this team’s penchant – or lack thereof – scoring goals, it was game over:

PAV POTS ONE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/nO4a947uqz

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2025

And the icing on the cake when Jake Neighbours was called for interference at 19:45, there’s 15 seconds to close a period out.

Even after losing a face-off, the puck was at the blue line with 5.5 seconds left. There's no way the Bruins could work it into the left face-off circle (they did), get an uncontested shot from there (they did), collect the rebound with only one player around the puck (they did) and get it to the low slot off the edge of the right circle (they did):

PAV BEATS THE BUZZER ⏳ pic.twitter.com/oXWvMQ5Lep

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2025

It boils down to defensive breakdowns, disconnect and lack of execution. It’s 5-1 at that point rubbing salt in the wound.

* This was supposed to be Kaskimaki’s night – The 2022 third-round pick made his rookie lap at one of the top venues around the league. It was supposed to be a special night for the forward.

But Blues teammates didn’t give Kaskimaki, who was a minus-1 and played 15:17 with a shot on goal and a blocked shot, much to be happy about.

Sure, he’s thankful to finally get to the NHL, and I didn’t think Kaskimaki, who played with Buchnevich and Dvorsky on a line, looked out of place, but he only has to go up from here.

Pius Suter, who missex the past two games, did get on the board with his seventh ay 9:07 of the third period but too little, too late:

If at first you don't succeed...

find Pius Suter pic.twitter.com/DmK8WOrFpw

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 5, 2025

* Needless to say, Blues coach Jim Montgomery was none too pleased from his comments to media after the game, along with Binnington and Parayko:

“Obviously anytime you lose it’s a tough result… but not the way we wanted it to go.”

Jordan Binnington, Colton Parayko and Jim Montgomery after Thursday’s game in Boston. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/XpqyHtioBk

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 5, 2025

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Well, that was one of the crazier National Hockey League games you might ever witness. 

And - despite getting outplayed for most of the game - the Pittsburgh Penguins somehow prevailed in the end.

The Penguins survived to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, amidst controversy to close out the game. While that will be discussed in a moment, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry deserves a significant amount of credit for the win, as he stopped 37 of 40 Lightning shots he faced - many of which were point-blank chances surrendered by a leaky Penguins' defense. 

The scoring opened up on a first-period power play for the Penguins when 22-year-old rookie forward Ville Koivunen finally registered his first NHL goal after career games. He sniped a rocket high-glove side and into the corner of the net from the left circle to put the Penguins up, 1-0. 

Then, in the second period, Evgeni Malkin forced a turnover, pushed the puck out to himself, skated in for a breakaway, and went five-hole to make the score 2-0. Rookie Ben Kindel also added a power play goal midway through the second on a perfect tip-in off a beautiful shot-pass by Erik Karlsson to put the Penguins up, 3-0.

Then, Tampa took over. Nikita Kucherov was found on the doorstep for his 12th of the season with only a minute and change remaining in the middle frame to make it 3-1. Then - just a minunte and change into the third period and on the power play - Brandon Hagel scored to make it 3-2, and he scored again midway through the period by getting behind the Penguins' defense to tie the game. 

The Penguins had been here before. They blew a 3-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, and they didn't recover en route to the loss. This time, however, they did respond, as Malkin took a perfect feed from Tommy Novak to one-time it into the net from the right circle, putting the Penguins back up by one.

And this is where things got hairy. Late in regulation, the Lightning pulled their goaltender for a six-on-five, and Kucherov seemed to have his second goal of the evening. However, the officials convened after they heard from the situation room that there may have been a hand pass prior to the goal. 

As it turns out, there was. Hagel - accidenal or not - committed a hand pass to Jake Guentzel, which nullified the tally and gave Pittsburgh it's fourth win in the last five games. 

Safe to say, the guys did NOT agree with this call. 😳@spittinchicletspic.twitter.com/RMpkqYfrVp

— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) December 5, 2025

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Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this crazy game:

- Let's make one thing clear: The Penguins were getting absolutely boatraced for 90 percent of this game.

Tampa Bay exposed every mistake the Penguins made - there were many - and turned seemingly every single one into a high-danger opportunity. This was especially true in the first period and in the back half of the third period, when the Bolts were just taking it to the Penguins.

The Penguins were opportunistic. It wasn't unlike watching the 2017 Penguins somehow squeak out a Cup run despite getting outplayed in the majority of games. 

Obviously, it's important to simply play like a good hockey team the majority of the time, especially when you're trying to make the playoffs. But, sometimes, it's okay to be lucky.

The Penguins were certainly lucky Thursday. 

- Now, onto their biggest stroke of luck. The no-goal.

All I'll say is that there are a whole lot of people misunderstanding the rule. Is the rule a good one? Like over-the-glass delay of game penalties, I think there is a conversation to be had there. 

But by rule, I think that's a handpass. It's not the best rule, but it is what it is.

Revisiting The Jake Guentzel Trade TreeOn Thursday, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will take on the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> in Florida, as Pittsburgh looks to hold onto its playoff positioning and Tampa looks to extend its Atlantic Division lead.&nbsp;

- Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon have been tremendous for the Penguins this season. They were fine for the most part in this game. 

But the tying goal was defensive malpractice.

Both players somehow got caught too high in the defensive zone, and Brandon Hagel quite literally walked right behind both of them and straight to the net, where he beat Jarry with an impossible shot. 

I don't know what the goal was there, but the Penguins really need to play more responsibly when they're holding a lead against teams with supremely talented offensive players who can burn you on every mistake. That's what happened against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, and that's what happened again Thursday.

- Tristan Jarry was magnificent in this game. He quite literally was the sole reason the Penguins were in the game at all, as even their power play was bleeding chances against despite registering two goals on the night. 

I didn't love the second Kucherov tally, but it doesn't matter because it didn't count, anyway. Still, Jarry didn't seem as confident in the final period of that game despite looking like he could walk on water for the first 40 minutes. 

Is Tristan Jarry's Early Season Success Sustainable?Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry has been lights out to start the 2025-26 season. The only question is, can he sustain it for a whole year?

Either way, his teammates owe him a very fancy steak dinner. He was the primary reason the Penguins won that game. 

- It's pretty crazy what Malkin is doing this season. He has the same amount of points as Crosby in the same amount of games. Neither of his two goals in this one were flukey. 

Malkin tends to fall off a bit after hot starts, but that hasn't exactly happened yet this season. I don't think he's consistently playing at the level he was in the first month of the season - and since Justin Brazeau went down - but he's still producing, and he's still maintaining over a point-per-game pace.

What he's doing at 39 is special. He had a few blips on the radar in this game, but he more than made up for it with a two-goal, three-point effort.

- What a day it was for the kids.

As far as the third line of Kindel, Koivunen, and Rutger McGroarty, they were the Penguins' best line in this game. They were generating chances throughout the evening, and they seem to have some legitimate chemistry. That line could be a revelation for the Penguins if it continues to click. 

And then there's the two goal-scorers. 

Good for Koivunen. He deserved that one. He's been playing well for a stretch of games here, but he was so, so snakebitten. And, wow, was it a snipe.

Give it up for Ville Koivunen, @NHL goal scorer 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rhkt8xcuTF

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 5, 2025

I've been saying that Koivunen just needed to get that "first NHL goal" monkey off his back. I think the points will start to come in bunches now. 

Then there's Kindel. The tip-in goal was perfectly executed by both him and Karlsson, and he continues to look like a natural on the first power play unit. He played on the penalty kill yet again created a few shorthanded chances. There was a PK sequence where he blocked a shot then cleared the puck out of the zone. He was driving play five-on-five, too.

What impresses me most about Kindel - at only 18 - is that he can walk into any situation, have no adjustment period, and play like a 10-year NHL veteran in that role. He did it with the power play, and now, the penalty kill. He continues to play a calculated, smart, high-IQ brand of hockey, and his ability to distribute the puck is so advanced for his age. 

New 'Kid Line' Might Be Just What Penguins NeedThe Pittsburgh Penguins debuted their new "kid line" of Rutger McGroarty, Ben Kindel, and Ville Koivunen against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday - and it paid off.

I can't say the last time I watched an 18-year-old thrive in every situation they're thrown in immediately. He needs no adjustment and just introduces himself like he owns the place. 

The Penguins have a special young player on their hands. 

- Another player deserving of a shoutout is Imama. 

Imama is not a guy who needs to be in the lineup on an everyday basis. He's an enforcer. He goes about his business, and he's always looking to stir things up. 

But his impact extends into the locker room, too. Imama is well-liked, well-respected, and personable in the locker room, and that energy is contagious. His fight sparked some energy for the Penguins Thursday, even if they were pretty decidedly getting beat. 

I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see him stick around for a little bit. 

CURTIS DOUGLAS AND BOKO IMAMA RIGHT AT CENTER ICE 😳 pic.twitter.com/YXl2QReO1B

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 5, 2025

- The Penguins next play the Dallas Stars on Sunday. 

I expect a much better performance by the Penguins against yet another tough opponent. 

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It was all about the fundamentals in the New York Rangers’ 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Going into this matchup, the Rangers were coming off of an emotional, come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Stars. 

The Rangers carried that momentum into Ottawa, as they came into the game with a fiery and intense energy. 

A clean breakout started by Artemi Panarin, followed up by nifty stick work from J.T. Miller, ended in a Mika Zibanejad goal to put the Rangers up 1-0, 3:19 into the first period. 

A few minutes later, it was Noah Laba’s physicality to steal the puck in the neutral zone and keep the puck in the offensive zone that led to Vladislav Gavrikov’s goal, giving the Blueshirts a quick 2-0 lead. 

"It was critical,” Mike Sullivan said of how impactful Laba’s physical play was to Gavrikov’s goal.  “I thought Labs was physical all night. He brings a speed element with his size and his strength. When he brings some physicality to his game I think he's a lot more effective...I thought this was one of his more physical games that he's had in a while."

Gavrikov now has three goals over his past five games, as he’s far exceeded his offensive expectations going into the season. His six goals has him tied for fifth among all NHL defensemen in goals this year.

“Obviously, his core competency is his ability to defend,” Sullivan said on Tuesday about Gavrikov. “He's hard to play against. He's one of the better defending defensemen, we think, in the league. Having said that, we believe has the ability to help our offense, whether it be with outlet passes or joining the rush or being active off the offensive blue line. I won't lie, I'm surprised with how effective he's been just with his instincts. In particular, the way he jumps off the offensive blue line.”

All night long, the Rangers’ relentless forecheck allowed them to sustain offensive pressure and put the Senators on their toes. 

Between the constant forecheck and net-front presence, the Rangers were able to make the Senators’ life a lot harder. 

That was especially evident on Will Borgen’s goal in the second period.

Sullivan has always preached for forwards to go after pucks hard and try to hold onto pucks when they can in order to sustain pressure, while strong net-front presence is an element of the game he’s tried to instill into the Rangers’ game. 

Vladislav Gavrikov Exceeding All Of Mike Sullivan's Expectations The signing of Vladislav Gavrikov is turning out to be extremely impactful for the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a>.&nbsp;

“I thought we competed hard all night long,” Sullivan said. “We just kept trying to play the game the right way. I think overall, I thought it was a pretty good effort…  “I thought we did a real good job, in particular tonight, getting inside a little bit more of the forwards we're getting to the net more there was intention there.”

Igor Shesterkin made some big stops when the Rangers did up some high-quality chances, and he made 25 saves on the night  

Panarin reached a milestone in this game, recording the 900th point of his career. 

“Happy to get that, but glad we win tonight,” Panarin said of recording 900 career points. “Especially in a winning game, I have that number. So nice.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.   

Revenge is sweet, when it's on your side.

The Nashville Predators avoided a sweep by the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers with a 2-1 come-from-behind thriller in overtime on a goal that was allowed after the net had come off its moorings.

Sound familiar?

The Preds lost a controversial game in overtime earlier this season to the Minnesota Wild after the goal was allowed when goalie Justus Annunen knocked the net loose.

Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, the Preds tasted the benefit of a loose net and sent Panthers fans home disappointed.

Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Cats' lone goal, while Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos got the Preds' two hard-fought goals.

The win avenges an 8-3 loss to the Cats in late November, and Florida has now dropped four straight, languishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

After Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky robbed Matthew Wood on a breakout, Carter Verhaeghe faked out Juuse Saros on the other end after a nice setup by Sam Bennett for a 1-0 lead at 16:26 of the opening frame.

Both teams had numerous chances to change the scoreboard, but it wasn't until the third period that the Preds finally knotted the game.

Ryan O'Reilly put in a rebound off a Michael Bunting shot at the 13:41 mark to make it a 1-1 game, spoiling Bobrovsky's shutout bid and requiring overtime.

Then, Steven Stamkos fired in the golden goal at 4:01 of the extra frame from O'Reilly, and the Preds come away with an unbelievable win.

COMEBACK WIN COURTESY OF STAMMER ‼️ pic.twitter.com/MgVjC21p5n

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 5, 2025

The net came off its moorings, but upon further review, the goal was allowed.

Earlier in the game, the Preds thought they had a power-play goal, but the officials determined the puck never crossed the goal line. Stamkos' goal made certain the no-goal wouldn't come back to haunt them.

The Predators have won four of their last five games, their best stretch of the season thus far. The Panthers haven't won since beating Nashville at Bridgestone Arena Nov. 24.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Saros Outduels Bobrovsky.

After a rocky stretch, Preds goalie Juuse Saros appears to have found his form. He stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Preds' 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Tuesday, and passed almost every test against Florida.

Saros and Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky put on quite a show, but Saros outdueled the Stanley Cup Champion, stopping 30 of the 31 shots fired his way.

His biggest test came in the second period, as the Panthers held a 16-5 shot advantage in the frame. The only blemish came on Verhaeghe's goal to put the Cats ahead 1-0.

Verhaeghe deked Saros out of position after being fed by Sam Bennett. This came just moments after Bobrovsky robbed Matthew Wood on a breakaway at the other end.

For the game, Florida outshot the Preds 31-29, but Saros earned his money on this night.

The Preds’ penalty kill was heavily tested.

As good as the Predators’ penalty kill has been most of the season, it had allowed a goal in three of its last four games coming into Thursday.

In all fairness, the unit was without Cole Smith and Michael McCarron, two of their best penalty killers, both fighting injuries. McCarron was back in the lineup against Florida, and the kill was back in form.

There were some close calls. Nick Blankenburg went to the sin bin for a high-sticking double minor, sending Anton Lundell to the locker room briefly. The Cats had several great chances, including one sequence when Saros lost his stick. Disaster was averted, and the Preds killed off the double minor.

Florida was 17-for-89 (19.8%) on the power play, 18th in the league heading into Thursday. The Preds shut down the Cats' power play, killing all six penalties. The Preds' own power play failed to score on all five of its chances.

Ozzy Wiesblatt exited early.

Wiesblatt has been a bright spot in Nashville’s lineup this season. He scored his first NHL goal Tuesday against Calgary, and celebrated by pointing to the sky in honor of his late brother, Orca.

Early in Thursday’s contest, Wiesblatt lost a glove and appeared to injure his hand. He left for the tunnel and didn’t return. He's currently listed as having an upper-body injury.

Thursday night was indeed the night for Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ville Koivunen.

Koivunen, who hadn't scored an NHL goal in his first 23 NHL games, ended that streak on Thursday with his first career NHL goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His power play goal opened the scoring in the game.

Koivunen took a feed from Kris Letang and ripped the puck past Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson. His celebration was also so sick.

"THERE IT IS VILLE!" 🤩

Ville Koivunen has his first NHL goal! pic.twitter.com/mkybiqpaO9

— NHL (@NHL) December 5, 2025

Koivunen had been getting so many chances to start the season before scoring this one. He had been a bit unlucky on some of his previous chances, but now that this first one went in the net, the floodgates should open. He can relax a bit, knowing that he now has his first NHL goal. 

His goal helped the Penguins beat the Lightning 4-3 and jump up to third place in the Metropolitan Division. 

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