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ST. LOUIS – It’s been a week since Jordan Binnington has seen the net for the St. Louis Blues.

Binnington was last in action against the Nashville Predators and received the mercy pull in a 7-2 loss, in which he allowed six goals on 25 shots in a poor effort by those playing in front of him.

Joel Hofer has started the past three games, including a 1-0 shutout win of the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, but it will be Binnington back between the pipes when the Blues (13-15-7) host the New York Rangers (16-15-4) on Thursday in the second of back to back games at 7 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

“The team needed a reset, first of all,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He’s been the negative benefit of our poor play. When we’ve really played poorly, it’s been in front of ‘Binner’ in these last two weeks. I think it’s given him the opportunity to work and to prepare and to get back the right mindset that makes him an elite goaltender in this league along with coach (David) Alexander.”

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The Blues will make a couple skater changes for the game Thursday, including inserting Matt Luff in at forward for Robby Fabbri, and Tyler Tucker will go in for Matthew Kessel.

For Fabbri, he started off the season with an assist in each of his two games but on Wednesday, played in just two shifts in the third period with Alexey Toropchenko taking Fabbri’s spot on the top line and double-shifting protecting a one-goal lead.

“I think that he got here, his first two games were excellent,” Montgomery said of Fabbri. “I think his last two games, and I spoke to him about this, a little less juice in his legs, not being as impactful. And on a back to back, it’s a lot. He wasn’t in a training camp, he’s not in the same hockey shape as everybody else is. It’s just an opportunity, and Luff’s been really good for us. We’re playing a bigger, heavier team tonight on a back to back, a team that’s fresh, so we’ll just get a fresh body in. It really wasn’t a negative of anything of his play. He’ll be back in the lineup soon.”

Toropchenko will start on that top line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. As for how the game progresses, it will be determined if he stays there.

“He’s smart enough to play with anyone,” Montgomery said of Toropchenko, normally a fourth-line winger. “It’s not ideal that he’s in that situation, but we’re playing with a lead (Wednesday). He brings north hockey to playing with 18 and 89, who like to play east-west because they have the creativity and the ability and skill level to do it, and he allows them to be a little bit simpler and the way he reloads and the way he back-checks, his habits, his sticks, creating turnovers in the offensive zone, we just thought it would allow us to close out that game a little bit better, and he’s going to start there tonight.”

Tucker, who sat out Wednesday not necessarily as a healthy scratch but he was banged up from Monday’s loss to the Predators, is an insertion into the lineup to provide beef against a bigger lineup.

“Tucker was a little sore yesterday from the slew-foot that he received at the end of the game in the third period (Monday),” Montgomery said. “It’s just with a back to back, we weren’t going to play Tucker with him being sore. It wasn’t so much of a matchup as it was we’re in a back to back, we’re in the middle of a three in four. Kessel’s been really good for us, his numbers suggest that, we have a lot of confidence in him, but now we’re on a back to back, so we’re going to go back to Tucker. It’s that simple.”

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Montgomery was asked about Otto Stenberg, a first-round pick (No. 25) in the 2023 NHL Draft, and his successful debut in the NHL on Wednesday, playing 13:38. Here is an interesting take on Stenberg’s awareness and ability to read a game by Montgomery.

“He’s a first-round pick not because of his stature, it’s because of his brain, his instincts and his ability to make plays at both ends of the ice,” Montgomery said. “As a coach, you see the things that make a guy very effective right away, stick positioning, angling, little things, always being on the right side of the puck.

“There was a play yesterday in the third period that a defenseman was in, taking a shot off the rush, I believe it was (Philip) Broberg, and he was the last forward back. And the puck went into the corner to where he could have dove at it. He didn’t go because he read numbers. Most young players would dive in and the other team would have a 2-on-1 off his back. As a coach, it’s a confidence-builder as a coach when you see a player read numbers that quickly because the game of hockey, especially when you come to play your first game in the NHL, things happen faster than you’ve ever seen before and he read that instantly. And they got nothing. We actually reloaded above, they turned it over by the red line.”

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Injured players Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist) and Nathan Walker (upper body) were on the ice Thursday morning working prior to an optional morning skate.

None will play Thursday, but that’s some encouraging signs that they are on the mend.

“It’s always good when you see guys getting closer,” Montgomery said. “What’s not good is when you win a game, the fist pump line of guys not dressed is about eight long, that’s when you’re like, ‘Holy Jesus, we do have a lot of injuries.’”

Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) were not skating.

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The Blues, after wearing their old home uniforms that are now their third jerseys on Wednesday, will don the road whites at home for the first and only time on Thursday, so fans will get to see firsthand -- unless you've seen them on the road -- those sweaters.

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Blues Projected Lineup:

Alexey Toropchenko-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Jake Neighbours-Brayden Schenn-Otto Stenberg

Pius Suter-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jonatan Berggren

Mathieu Joseph-Oskar Sundqvist-Matt Luff

Philip Broberg-Colton Parayko

Tyler Tucker-Justin Faulk

Cam Fowler-Logan Mailloux

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Robby Fabbri and Matthew Kessel. Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain), Nathan Walker (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are out.

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Rangers Projected Lineup:

Will Cuylle-Vincent Trocheck-J.T. Miller

Artemi Panarin-Mika Zibanejad-Alexis Lafreniere

Conor Sheary-Noah Laba-Taylor Raddysh

Gabe Perreault-Sam Carrick-Matt Rempe

Vladislav Gavrikov-Braden Schneider

Carson Soucy-Will Borgen

Matthew Robertson-Scott Morrow

Igor Shesterkin will start in goal; Jonathan Quick will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Jonny Brodzinski and Scott Morrow. Adam Fox (upper body) and Adam Edstrom (lower body) are out.

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Exactly three decades after he coached his first game behind the Ottawa Senators' bench, Jacques Martin is set to be immortalized by the franchise. 

The Senators announced on Thursday that Martin will be added to the club’s Ring of Honour on Saturday, January 24, before the club's home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The date is a nice choice, falling exactly 30 years after Martin coached his first game with the Sens on January 24, 1996.

“I have been privileged to coach outstanding players and not only great players, but great people. And that was the reason I was able to get there,” Martin said in a club statement.

His addition to the Ring was one of the easiest decisions in franchise history.

The Sens' content team devised a clever plan to surprise Martin, asking him and Daniel Alfredsson to narrate a Great Moments in Sens History video. Alfredsson capped it off by revealing Martin's tribute night, a special moment that hasn’t happened yet.

Martin isn't an easy guy to make smile, but he looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

Kudos to the Sens content team for this one. It has nostalgia, emotion, and a well-executed surprise. Instantly one of my all-time favourites. https://t.co/cJljHkKhsq

— Steve Warne (@SteveWarneMedia) December 18, 2025

The Ottawa-born coach stands 16th in NHL history with 1350 games coached in the NHL and holds team records for games coached (748), wins (367) and playoff victories (31). 

He was named the NHL’s Coach of the Year in 1999, and guided Ottawa to its only President’s Trophy during the 2002–03 season. That was the season the Sens went to the Eastern Conference Final before bowing out at home in a Game 7 heartbreaker against the New Jersey Devils.

When it looked like Martin's coaching days were probably behind him, the Sens brought him back at age 71 in Dec. 2023 to be a consultant and resource to head coach D.J. Smith. 12 days later, he became Smith's replacement, guiding the Sens to the end of the 2023-24 season. Martin made way for Travis Green in May 2024 and continues to serve as an advisor to the club’s coaching staff.

Martin will be remembered for quickly righting a floundering ship in Ottawa's early years.

When he arrived in the 1995-96 NHL season, it was only January, and Martin was already their third head coach of that season. The team wasn't that much better than the historically bad expansion team (10-70-4) they had in the 1992-93 season. Rick Bowness had recently been fired after a 6-13 start in his fourth season. They were even worse, absurdly so, after promoting their AHL head coach, Dave Allison, who was fired after a 2-22-1 record.

Just over one calendar year later, Martin steered the Sens into the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Technically, Martin had three stints with the Senators. In his first run with the Senators, in a beautiful gesture, he temporarily gave up the head coaching reins to his friend and assistant coach, Roger Neilson. Neilson, who was battling cancer, officially took over the Sens' bench for the final two games of the 2001-02 season, allowing him to reach the 1000 game mark in his NHL coaching career.

Neilson died the following year at age 69.

With his induction, Martin becomes the fourth member of the Senators' Ring of Honour at Canadian Tire Centre, joining Bryan Murray, Wade Redden and Dr. Don Chow.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was originally published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Read more:

Top Prospect Carter Yakemchuk Injured In Collision During AHL Game
Senators' First Step Toward Stanley Cup Playoff Return Is Better Goaltending
30 Games Into The Season, What Is The Ottawa Senators' Identity?
Speculating On Yakemchuk's NHL Arrival Time
Popular Former Senator Forward Attempting Comeback At Age 38
Four Ottawa Senators Make Annual List Of Most Punchable NHL Players

It’s going to be a fun few weeks in and around Miami’s MLB ballpark.

That’s because the NHL has started moving into loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, and setting things up for the 2026 Winter Classic.

The game is set for Jan. 2 between the host Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers.

On Wednesday, the league began the process of building the ice rink inside the ballpark.

That processes included the NHL bringing down not one, but two mobile refrigeration units to help maintain the ice surface in warm South Florida.

“I think it’s pretty bold move by the League,” said NHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Derek King. “I think for us, it’s ‘Why not Florida?’ It’s an amazing hockey market, so for us to bring the game here, I think it’s pretty exciting.”

The retractable roof at loanDepot park is expected to remain closed during construction of the rink and likely until the game arrives, as temperatures in South Florida are expected to remain in the 70s and 80s in the days leading up to the Winter Classic.

As King and NHL Senior Manager of Facilities Operations Andrew Higgins explained, the construction of the rink itself will likely run though next week. Around Dec. 23 or 24, the installation of the ice surface will begin, at which time the air conditioning inside loanDepot park will be cranked up extremely high.

“We’ll be able to close in the building, keep everything conditioned,” said King. “That’s going to allow us to build it like we would in any other venue.”

Both the Panthers and Rangers are scheduled to hold practices on the ice at loanDepot park the day before the Winer Classic.

Anything the players and coaches have to say about the ice quality will be taken into account by Higgins and his staff, and adjustments can and will be made as needed.

Additionally, the ice that is being built at the ballpark will be quite thicker than what is normally seen inside NHL rinks.

Usually, ice is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick, but the ice for the Winer Classic will be around 2 to 2.5 inches thick. That way, if there are any issues, they can just shave the ice down instead of adding water to it.

“I think the quality (of the ice) is going to be great,” said King.

When the game arrives, the plan is for the stadium to open its roof panels and the massive glass windows past left field that provide a pristine view of the Downtown Miami skyline.

The 2026 Winter Classic is set for an 8 p.m. faceoff.

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The Florida Panthers are starting to make some headway in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to a very strong couple of weeks.

Wednesday night’s 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings was Florida’s sixth in their past seven games.

The victory improved the Cats’ record to 18-13-2, and their 38 points are one point back of both the second Wild Card spot and, perhaps more importantly, one point back of third place in the Atlantic Division.

Interestingly, the Atlantic is so tightly packed, the first-place Detroit Red Wings have 41 points, so only three more than the Panthers, and Florida has two games in hand.

It certainly looks like the Panthers are setting themselves up for a very happy holiday.

Let’s get to Wednesday’s takeaways:

A TOUGH HOME WIN

Ask any coach or any player…the first game back home after a long road trip is never an easy one to win.

Florida had just played four away games in six nights, all against playoff teams at the time (Utah has since fallen out of a playoff spot), and come away with six of a possible eight points.

Returning home to face a strong Kings squad who were quite hungry themselves after having a four-game point streak snapped Monday in Dallas, the Panthers certainly had their work cut out for them.

Florida survived a strong push by LA at the start before slowly but surely turning momentum in their favor, getting back to the basics that have driven their recent success away from home.

“This was a tough one tonight to come back off the road, and I think the other team, especially at the start, played exceptionally well,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “I think the road team has the advantage in this situation, and we found a way to win a game. We're in that mode. We're not looking for perfection right now.”

DEPTH AND HEALTH

The Panthers have spent much of this season trying to find ways to succeed in their systems despite having an extremely depleted lineup.

Between the injuries piling up and Carter Verhaeghe missing a game due to the birth of his child, things came to a head earlier this month as Florida dropped five of six, all on home ice.

Then Verhaeghe came back and Eetu Luostarinen returned, and suddenly the Cats’ depth received a nice boost.

They’ve now won six of seven and have points in seven of eight.

“At the start of the month, we got beat by Toronto,” Maurice said. “We get beat. But (Carter) Verhaeghe and (Eetu) Luostarinen were out, and that made our number (of healthy forwards) eight, and when you get to that number, you're going to have a hard time. And then Carter’s wife had the baby, and the next night he came in, and we got a point and we played a little bit better. And then Luostarinen came back into our lineup, so now you're back to a more manageable number of injuries.”

A LOSS TO BE LEARNED FROM

Florida’s only defeat over the past couple weeks came on the second night of a back-to-back against the NHL’s best team.

It was an incredibly difficult turnaround for Florida, who had to endure a two-hour time change in addition to steep elevation changes when traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Salt Lake City and then to Denver, and playing games on consecutive nights in those environments on top of it.

Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad said a couple days later that it was possibly the most challenging back-to-back set of his career.

It showed on the ice, as Florida followed up a victory in Utah with an embarrassing 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.

Maurice and his Panthers didn’t let the defeat deter them off the path they had begun to walk and continued pushing toward better and more consistent play, instead using the loss as motivation and learning from what went wrong.

“I think we'd started to play better, and then we got pounded by Colorado, and there was just a lot of things that we don't do, but it almost was a blessing in disguise,” said Maurice. “(Playing on a) back-to-back, it exposed everything. From that point on, we've been better, much better. We gave up more than we wanted to give up tonight, for sure, but I think that's a function of context, because the Dallas game and the Tampa Bay game were played pretty darn well.”

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Photo caption: Nov 13, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with teammates after reaching his 1000th career point on an assists to center Eetu Luostarinen (27) for a goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a big move last week, as they traded goaltender Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers. One of the pieces the Penguins got back from the Oilers in the trade was veteran defenseman Brett Kulak. 

Kulak has the potential to be a nice addition to the Penguins' roster. When playing at his best, the 31-year-old is a reliable defenseman who plays a smart game. He certainly showed this during this past season with the Oilers, as he recorded seven goals and 25 points in 82 games.

Yet, with Kulak being a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) and the Penguins having a ton of defensemen, could he end up being a potential trade chip for Pittsburgh this season? It seems possible.

During a recent appearance on the NHL Network, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman brought up the possibility of the Penguins trading Kulak this campaign.

"I think Kulak is a better player than he's shown this season," Friedman said. "He's had a really rough year. I've always liked him. It will be interesting to see if they flip him for more."

With Kulak being a proven veteran defenseman with plenty of playoff experience, it is certainly possible that he could generate interest from contenders this season. He is a solid bottom-pairing defenseman who can kill penalties, so he would be a nice depth pickup for a playoff club to bring in if the Penguins decide to shop him. 

Milan Lucic has officially signed with EIHL club, Fife Flyers, following his professional tryout with the St. Louis Blues. 

Prior to pre-season, the Blues invited Lucic to their training camp, but the 37-year-old sustained an injury and missed most of the Blues' game action. When he recovered, he played with the Springfield Thunderbirds again on a PTO, but the Blues ultimately decided not to sign the 17-year NHL veteran. 

The 2006 second-round pick (50th overall) played 1177 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, notching 233 goals and 586 points. Lucic also won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in the 2010-11 season, scoring five goals and 12 points in 25 playoff games. 

Lucic's new team, the Fife Flyers, is a Scottish-based team that currently sits last in the 10-team British league with three wins in its first 20 games. The team’s roster includes ex-NHLers Simon Després and David Booth, as well as 38-year-old Canadian left winger Garet Hunt, who was Lucic’s teammate on the Memorial Cup and WHL Champion Vancouver Giants.

According to the Flyers' press release, Lucic's signing with the Flyers is pending paperwork completion, and he will wear No.8 this season in the Kingdom.

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 or creating your own post in our community forum.