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After having three days off between games, it may have been reasonable to expect a little bit of rust from the Pittsburgh Penguins when they took on the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday.

Well, that was somewhat true in this one. The Penguins had a slow, lethargic start to the first period, which is something that hasn’t happened much lately. But - as they have since the holiday break - they kept the game close and showed up big-time in the second period. 

And they absolutely took over from there. 

After surrendering the first one to Blackhawks’ defenseman Connor Murphy, the Penguins scored six consecutive goals - including four in the second period - to chase the Blackhawks out of their barn with a 6-2 victory. Pittsburgh was outshot 9-8 in the first period and outshot Chicago 36-11 for the rest of the game, putting forth a dominant effort to earn their league-best fifth-straight win. 

With the win, the Penguins kept pace with the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders - who sandwich them at first and third in the Metropolitan Division - since both teams also emerged victorious Thursday.

“I see it every day in practice. I believe in these guys and what they're capable of doing," head coach Dan Muse said. "And I've seen the work that they've put in... you feel good coming off a road trip like we just had, you feel good coming off this game, so it's not surprising that I believe in them.

"But, with all this being said, too, we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We've got to keep pushing and keep getting better"

Pittsburgh came out of the gate slow, and Murphy got on the board approaching the midway point of the first when Penguins’ goaltender Arturs Silovs was screened and impeded by his own blueliner in Kris Letang at the net front. However, they had a pretty quick response, as Connor Dewar registered his 11th of the season when he picked up the loose change and shot the puck from the low-slot area to tie the game. 

HOW DEW YOU LIKE THAT FOURTH LINE?! 💪 pic.twitter.com/zN4c4SV0na

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 30, 2026

And from the jump in the second period, the Penguins asserted themselves. Nearly six minutes in, Anthony Mantha found Ben Kindel breaking to the left circle in the offensive zone, and Kindel snapped the puck past goaltender Arvid Soderblom for his third goal in two games to make it 2-1. Then, later in the period, Penguins’ defenseman Parker Wotherspoon laid a big-time hit on Blackhawks’ forward Tyler Bertuzzi in the neutral zone, which freed up the puck for Evgeni Malkin. He skated it into the offensive zone and put a perfect spin-o-rama backhand pass on the tape of a breaking Egor Chinakhov, who deked his way to the net and beat Soderblom for Pittsburgh’s third goal.

TEENAGE TALENT. pic.twitter.com/UwKth573ca

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 30, 2026

And the Penguins weren’t done. Just 31 seconds later, Kindel threaded a pass to Mantha, who came through the middle on a breakaway and finished it off for his 17th of the season to put the Penguins up, 4-1. Ryan Shea added a one-time tally with just 30 seconds left in the middle frame - assisted by defenseman Ilya Solovyov, playing in his first game with the Penguins - to make it 5-1.

Fourteen minutes into the third, Dewar notched his second of the game in a scrappy net-front scramble that resulted in a post-goal scrum. Blackhawks star Connor Bedard fired a laser less than a minute later to cut into the Penguins’ lead, but it didn’t amount to anything, and the Penguins secured the 6-2 win.

“Everyone's working hard. It's hard to win in this league, and everyone understands that," Silovs said. "And I think that guys have been clicking really well on [their] lines to each other, so it's great to see that."

'Prove-It' Mindset Big Part Of Penguins' Success, IdentityThe Pittsburgh Penguins - individually and collectively - are forging an identity, in part, because of a "prove-it" mindset that has contributed to their success this season

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- I’m just going to put this out into the universe, even if it’s a bold statement. You know who Chinakhov very much reminds me of?

The last guy who donned No. 59 before him.

Look, I’m not saying he will produce to the level that Guentzel does. Chinakhov is a finisher, not so much a playmaker. But, like Guentzel, he has a quick, deceptive release, his puck skills are high-level, and he just always seems to be in the right spot. He knows how to expose the right areas of the ice and put himself in the right place at the right time, every time, in the offensive zone. And - unlike Guentzel - there is a defensive element and a speed element to his game. 

That’s six goals and eight points in 14 games with the Penguins, and he had three goals and six points in 29 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Penguins' Chinakhov May Be The Real DealThe Pittsburgh Penguins may have found a diamond in the rough in newly acquired winger Egor Chinakhov, who has a devastating wrist shot.

Well, thanks Columbus, and thank you, Kyle Dubas. I have no idea what was so amiss in Columbus - and I have no idea what Chinakhov’s Penguins’ career has in store for him - but this guy is a legitimate goal-scorer in the National Hockey League. I think, if paired with an elite playmaker - which the Penguins sure have - he can be a perennial 30-goal scorer, perhaps more.

- The third line produced three Penguins’ goals tonight and is really starting to hit its stride.

Kindel and Mantha are developing some legitimate chemistry, and Rutger McGroarty had himself a nice game after being recalled from the AHL as a complement to those guys, too. I love how you can always find McGroarty around the net. 

But Kindel and Mantha’s connection is starting to produce results, and Muse was complimentary of Mantha, as he had three points and once again showed some playmaking ability in tight areas.

“He's absolutely got the ability to do that," Muse said. "You see the shot, but he sees things well offensively, he can make those tight-area plays. Sometimes, because he's so big, you don't always see that kind of playmaking from players his size, but I think he's shown that over the course of the year. It doesn't come as a surprise there."

That line was humming all night long, and hopefully, they can continue to just keep climbing.

A BLAST FROM MO 💥 pic.twitter.com/8iwLDVkqnv

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 30, 2026

- I’ve said it a million times in the past few weeks, but the forward depth on this roster, when healthy, is a force to be reckoned with. There are few teams in the NHL with the four-line depth that the Penguins have. And so much of it has to do with the emergence of Kindel.

Mantha talked about the maturity that Kindel plays with at such a young age.

"He's learning quick," Mantha said. "If you compare his first couple of games to right now, I don't think it's the same player out there. And you see the confidence level on the ice right now that, maybe earlier in the season, you didn't quite see. And he's making plays, he's running the puck up, and, yeah... he's a smart kid, so he'll keep learning."

With the second and third lines rolling the way they are, it’s crazy that Sidney Crosby’s line almost feels like a secondary source of scoring at this point. And that’s quite the development, especially since they were, pretty much, the only source of scoring for two seasons prior.

This team’s forward group is legitimate. And it’s dangerous.

Penguins' Kindel Proves Importance To Lineup In Whirlwind Rookie SeasonPittsburgh Penguins' rookie center Ben Kindel is making his case as an important part of the NHL lineup this season - and he only figures to get better.

- It was nice to see Solovyov register his first point with the Penguins. He isn’t the fleetest of foot out there, but I thought he played a pretty steady game alongside Shea. And he doesn’t shy away from physicality. 

I’m not sure what the defensive rotation is going to look like with Jack St. Ivany on the shelf for the next two months. But I think he may have earned a few more looks with his play on Thursday.

- That Wotherspoon hit was something else. He has been a revelation for the Penguins this season - and continues to be - but his physicality is such an underrated and underappreciated part of his repertoire. 

Chinakhov is proving why people need to stop overvaluing draft picks.

Pens got clowned by many for giving up a 2nd and a 3rd. Those aren't even guaranteed to be NHL players, and even if they are, it could be 3-5 years.

Chinakhov has been amazing in PIT

pic.twitter.com/9PivOTJtuw

— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) January 30, 2026

This was a prime example of physicality directly translating to offense in transition. The Penguins have been missing this kind of physicality for many a year, and now, they have a couple of players who provide that. Solovyov had quite the hit on a first-period penalty kill, too, and Connor Clifton and Noel Acciari aren’t afraid to throw the body, either.

This is just a very different kind of energy and toolset that the Penguins have needed.

- Like Malkin, I think it’s safe to say Dewar has earned an extension. 

A fifth-round pick was all it took to acquire him last season. What a fourth-line player.

Penguins' Rust Suspended Three Games For Hit Against CanucksIt looks like the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will be without one of their top forwards for an upcoming crucial stretch of games.&nbsp;

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

Every game counts in this part of the NHL season, especially for the Islanders, who are looking to strengthen their postseason positioning before the Winter Olympics break. 

So when they went to MSG to take on the rival Rangers on Thursday night, it was a bit disconcerting that the last-place team was outplaying them. Yes, the score was in a scoreless tie deep into the second period, but the Rangers were up on shots and the Islanders' offense could not get going. However, the Islanders found a spark in an unlikely place.

Carson Soucy, in his second game with the Islanders and having just three goals entering play after being traded from the Rangers earlier this week, scored at 17:18 of the second period, throwing up a prayer and squeaking it past Jonathan Quick stick side to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

Carson Soucy returns to MSG and scores the first goal of the game! pic.twitter.com/m9om9G7dIG

— Islanders Videos (@SNY_Islanders) January 30, 2026

"We had a message going into the second, want to get a little more pucks on net," Soucy said of his goal. "Start creating off the shot, whether it was rebound or whatever. Just got a fortunate bounce and it went in."

Soucy spent parts of two seasons with the Rangers after stops in Minnesota, Seattle and Vancouver, so he's used to joining new teams and facing old ones, so Thursday's game against the Blueshirts, while he admits was weird at first, was just like any other game.

"Like I’ve been saying, I just want to help this team win, no matter who it’s against," Soucy said. "Just happy to contribute. Want to help this team get two points, especially before the break here."

While Soucy downplays his goal, the score infused the team with new vigor. A little over a minute later, rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer scored his 14th goal of the season to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead, the difference in their 2-1 win. 

"It gets us pretty fired up," Schaefer said of Soucy's goal. "Soucy just getting traded from the Rangers, being a great guy off and on the ice...for him to get that goal, just a payback in a way. He gets traded and gets a goal against his old team. It’s pretty cool."

“Was happy for Carson. He’s been playing so well," Roy said of his new player. 

The acquisition of Soucy was just one of two deals made by Islanders GM Mathieu Darche this week, the other being Ondrej Palat from the Devils. Palat posted two points (one goal, one assist) in his debut with the Islanders on Wednesday, and now Soucy's goal kickstarted the victory on Thursday. In the first two games, both players have contributed to wins and Roy isn't surprised by it.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?" Roy said with a smirk. "They both play a role that we needed. Both guys are experienced and gives us that depth." 

“They’ve done a great job welcoming both of us in," Soucy said of how the Islanders have treated him and Palat. "Obviously, it's been a lot of fun. It's always interesting meeting a bunch of new teammates all at once. But yeah, they welcomed us in really well.”

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Things appeared bleak for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday evening, trailing 3-1 to the Washington Capitals with under two minutes remaining in regulation. 

The good news is that, thanks to a pair of goals from Alex DeBrincat, including a wild bounce off the glass to knot the score at 3–3, the Red Wings secured a valuable point in the standings.

The bad news is that the Capitals converted on all three shootout attempts, while Detroit went 2-for-3, resulting in a 4–3 loss.

Got a point in the shootout.

Next up: Colorado Saturday. pic.twitter.com/wBx41yAwUP

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 30, 2026

Patrick Kane did become the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, recording the 1,375th point of his NHL career with an assist on Ben Chiarot’s second-period goal.

Kane initially appeared to reach the milestone in the opening 20 minutes, picking up an assist on what would have been a power-play goal by Lucas Raymond. However, replays showed that Kane entered the offensive zone a fraction too early, and the goal was disallowed for offside.

Not long after Raymond's disallowed goal, the Capitals scored first thanks to the third goal of the season from Nic Dowd, who beat John Gibson with a low glove-side shot. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.  

Chiarot's goal midway through the second period knotted the score at 1-1, and was his first tally since signing a three-year contract extension earlier in the week. 

The Capitals took a 2-1 lead in the third period after Dylan Strome poked the puck away from Gibson's glove and wrapped it around into the net; the tally withstood a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. 

Washington then padded their lead after a deflection goal from Declan Chisholm, who was credited for his first goal of the season. 

DeBrincat scored the first of what would be two goals on the night at 18:20 of the third period with Gibson pulled. Then, at the 19:07 mark, his dump-in attempt deflected off the glass and somehow bounced into the net past a bewildered Charlie Lindgren.

Improbably, the Red Wings tied the game and secured at least one point on a night when the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens all won their respective games.

Following a scoreless overtime, Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane converted in the shootout for Detroit, though Dylan Larkin rang a shot off the crossbar. The Capitals scored on all three of their shootout attempts, including the game-deciding tally from Dowd.

The Red Wings will face the Colorado Avalanche at home on Saturday afternoon. 

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The Florida Panthers lost a frustrating game on Thursday night in St Louis.

A late power play goal by the Blues after a questionable call on Niko Mikkola sent the home team to a last-second 5-4 victory over the Panthers.

Florida actually got things started early in the Blues Barn, and it was the Cats’ fourth line that once again provided a spark.

Sandis Vilmanis and Luke Kunin dug the puck free below the goal line and found A.J. Greer in front of the net.

Greer’s 11th tally of the season gave Florida a 1-0 lead at the 3:12 mark of the opening frame.

It didn’t take long for the Blues to take their first lead of the game, as Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou scoring a pair of quick goals just 3:05 apart.

A Sam Reinhart power play goal tied the game about 90 seconds later, but goals by Jonatan Berggen and Oskar Sundqvist late in the first and early in the second gave St. Louis a two-goal edge.

Hometown boy Matthew Tkachuk then took it upon himself to bring the Panthers back into the game, scoring his first two goals of the season less than two minutes apart to send the game to the third period tied at four.

That’s how the score would remain until the game’s final seconds.

With the teams already playing at 4-on-4, Mikkola was called for goalie interference on a play where he appeared to be pushed into Blue goalie Joel Hofer by Berggen.

Florida held strong as long as they could, but Jimmy Snuggerud scored on a one-timer with just 8.4 seconds on the clock.

On to the Jets.

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Photo caption: Jan 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) defends the net against St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) during the second period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

After a disappointing showing last night against the Ottawa Senators, in which Colorado lost by a final score of 5-2, the Avs came out flat once again on the second leg of a back-to-back. A 7-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens was tonight’s result. This was the third time in the month of January in which Colorado has lost by a final score of 7-3.

Let’s take a look at the action from tonight.

First Period

The Canadiens would get on the board first not even a minute into the game, as the Avs had a miscommunication on defense off a face-off, and Noah Dobson was left all alone to rip it past Scott Wedgewood on a sharp angle.

Fortunately for Colorado, Brock Nelson would tie it up for Colorado after that, though, as he made a great move to stick-handle into the offensive zone, and put a great shot past Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes.

Nick Suzuki would quickly give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead after that on the power play, as he wasn’t picked up in front of the Colorado net, and managed to bury a rebound past Wedgewood.

Colorado would then allow a short-handed goal while on the power play, as Suzuki managed to get into the Avs’ zone all alone behind the defense, and made no mistake. The Avalanche now lead the NHL with nine shorthanded goals against. It really punctuates how futile this power play truly is for Colorado.

Second Period

It was a fairly quiet second period until Jake Evans would make it 4-1 Montreal, as Wedgewood would misplay a puck behind his own net, resulting in essentially an empty net goal for Evans.

Kirby Dach would then get maybe a bit of a lucky one, as he tries to go for a wrap-around attempt, and the puck would bang off of Josh Manson’s skate, and into the back of the net. It really wasn’t Scott Wedgewood’s night.

Joel Kiviranta would manage to stop the bleeding for a moment after that, as he managed to get one back and make it 5-2. Were there signs of live for Colorado at this point with a period left to go?

Third Period

Ross Colton would make things interesting early on in the third period, as Val Nichushkin was able to find him right in front of the Montreal net, and Colton was able to put the puck past Dobes. It was Colton’s first goal scored since November.

Almost immediately after that, the Avs would give that goal right back, as Alexandre Carrier would finish a 2-on-1 play to make it 6-3 for Montreal. This goal was really the back breaker as it ended any sort of come back momentum Colorado had.

Another defensive breakdown would lead to Juraj Slafkovsky being left alone in front of the Avs’ net once again, and he deposited the puck into the back of an empty net, for your final score of 7-3.

Takeaways

It’s very clear that this team is ready for the break and just trying not to get hurt leading up to the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean this brand of hockey is any fun to watch, still. Similar to last night, nothing went right for Colorado. Passes weren’t connecting, you had a handful of bad defensive breakdowns that resulted in goals, you lost the special teams battle, and you lost it badly at that by giving up a shorthanded goal. On top of that, when you got even the slightest bit of life in the third period, you almost immediately gave it back, as I said, not a fun brand of hockey to watch whatsoever, especially when you know how good this team is. Hopefully, they can find something against Detroit and San Jose in their last three games before the NHL Olympic break.

Upcoming

Colorado wraps up their road trip against the Detroit Red Wings to begin a home-and-home on Saturday, January 31. Puck drop will be at 11 a.m. MT nationally televised on ABC.

DETROIT — Patrick Kane smiled. The wait was over.

Kane became the highest-scoring United States-born player in NHL history, passing Mike Modano with an assist for his 1,375th point on an assist Thursday night for the Detroit Red Wings against the Washington Capitals.

“It’s nice to have it over with in some ways and worry about the rest of the season,” Kane said after Washington’s 4-3 shootout win.

Kane passed the puck from the boards to Alex DeBrincat in the left circle, and DeBrincat set up Ben Chiarot for a tying goal from the point midway through the second period.

Kane flashed a grin and hugged Chiarot.

He was surrounded by teammates, including those who emptied the bench to join a brief celebration. As Kane skated away, the spotlight was put on him and he raised his stick to acknowledge the crowd while appearing to be on the verge of tears.

His likeness was shown on the videoboards at Little Caesars Arena with an American flag in the background and the number 1,375.

Modano held the mark for 18-plus years. Kane reached the milestone a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374, passing Phil Housley.

“I knew at an early age in your career you would be the one chasing this number down and here we are,” Modano said in a prerecorded message played on the videoboards. “Continue on and make this number harder for the next guy.”

Kane has been one of the faces of American hockey since getting taken with the first pick in the 2007 draft by Chicago. He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three times from 2010-15 as a co-headliner of one of the most successful runs since the league’s salary cap era began in ’05.

“When you think of USA Hockey, he’s one of the first players that comes to mind, if not the first player,” fellow American Jack Eichel said. “Such a great representation of USA Hockey and us Americans — something for a lot of the guys that came after him to strive to be, myself included.”

U.S.-born defenseman Charlie McAvoy recalled watching Kane on those long runs “do stuff that at the time people didn’t do.”

“His type of player just transcends now, when back then there wasn’t anybody that was really doing that,” U.S.-born defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “He changed the game of hockey. He’s an absolute legend. And it’s great that he’s an American.”

Earlier this month, Kane became the 50th player and fifth American to score 500 goals, following Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick and Joe Mullen. Brett Hull, a dual citizen who was born in Canada and played internationally for the U.S., had 741 goals and 1,391 points.

“He’s well on his way to being the best USA player of all time,” countryman Jack Hughes said.

Kane won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in ’07-08, the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013 and the Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP in 2015-16, when he also led the league in scoring.

“Such an iconic player, just played with such passion,” said Tage Thompson, who’s a first-time U.S. Olympian this year. “Very enthusiastic, loved scoring goals, loved making plays.”

Kane’s slick hands more than made up for him being on the smaller side at 5-foot-10 and under 180 pounds.

“He’s maybe got the best highlight reel of all time,” Hughes said. “Just as a kid, you watch all of his videos and everything, and you’re like, that’s the guy you want to be just because of how skilled he is.”

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the Devils a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night after New Jersey’s Jack Hughes left the game in the first period and didn’t return.

Hischier’s slap shot from just beyond the left faceoff circle beat Nashville’s Justus Annunen high to the glove side for the winner. Dawson Mercer picked up the assist on Hischier’s eighth career overtime goal. Hischier leads the Devils with 18 goals and 23 assists in 54 games.

New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt tied the game at 2 midway through the third. Dougie Hamilton also scored for the Devils, who snapped a two-game skid. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves.

Hughes left the game after three shifts in the first period. The team did not announce any injury status for the 24-year-old center.

Hughes’ latest absence comes two weeks before the U.S. is set to play its first game at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Hughes, along with brother Quinn, is a first-time Olympian. The U.S. has two sets of brothers, with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk also on the team.

Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville, which lost its third straight. Annunen made 32 saves.

McCarron staked Nashville to an early lead with a goal five minutes into the first period. Hamilton tied it at 1 midway through the second, extending his points streak to nine games.

Forsberg gave the Predators the lead 1:34 into the third period. With the goal, Forsberg moves into sixth place for career NHL goals by a Swedish player with 338 scores in 833 games. He trails Mats Sundin (564), Daniel Alfredsson (444), Markus Nasland (395), Tomas Sandstrom (394), Daniel Sedin (393).

Bratt’s 13 goal of the season came on a Predators turnover, flipping a shot over Annunen to tie the game.

Up next

Predators: At the New York Islanders on Saturday.