On Dec. 13, former Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick Lukas Reichel was placed on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks. This was after the Canucks traded defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster move. 

Now, instead of getting claimed by another team, Reichel has cleared waivers and can officially be assigned to the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. 

When noting that Reichel is a young forward and a former top prospect, it seemed possible that another club could have claimed him off waivers. However, that did not come to fruition, and he will remain with the Canucks organization for now. 

The Blackhawks traded Reichel to the Canucks back in October in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The fresh start has not benefited Reichel yet, as he has recorded zero goals, one assist, and a minus-5 rating in 14 games with the Canucks since being traded by Chicago. 

Reichel was selected by the Blackhawks with the 17th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In 174 games as a member of the Blackhawks, he posted 22 goals, 36 assists, and 58 points. 

The Edmonton Oilers made a major move earlier this week, acquiring goaltender Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was after the Oilers were heavily linked to Jarry in the days leading up to the move. 

While the Oilers ended up acquiring Jarry, they also reportedly kicked tires on another goaltender before they made their big trade with the Penguins.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Sabres had interest in Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon. 

"In addition to Tristan Jarry, I believe the Oilers poked around Alex Lyon. Not as seriously as Jarry, but it was there," Friedman wrote. 

Lyon has been creating some chatter as a trade candidate due to the Sabres' goaltending situation right now. The Sabres currently have three goaltenders on their roster, with Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Colten Ellis. They also have prospect Devon Levi in the AHL with the Rochester Americans. Thus, there naturally has been some wondering if Buffalo could part ways with a goaltender before the trade deadline passes. 

Yet, in the end, the Oilers got their big fish with Jarry. Had the Oilers landed Lyon instead of Jarry, he likely would have served as a 1B or backup goalie for Edmonton. 

Lyon has had a solid season on a struggling Sabres team. In 16 games on the year with the Sabres, he has recorded a 5-6-3 record, a .902 save percentage, a 3.13 goals-against average, and one shutout. 

On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks took on the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center. It was a 4-0 loss for the Blackhawks, but the story was the NHL debut of Nick Lardis. 

Lardis had a wonderful 2024-25 season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. He scored 71 goals and had 117 points, making his turning pro have extra hype. 

Lardis has been excellent with the Rockford IceHogs so far this year. He has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 24 games played before being called up by the Blackhawks on Saturday. 

In his debut, Lardis didn’t score and was -2, but he had 5 hits, and put 2 shots on goal in 15:32 of ice time. He led the team with 8 shot attempts, as well. It was clear that he belonged on an NHL sheet of ice with his play.

Some of Chicago’s best scoring chances, in a game that they were shut out, came off the stick of Nick Lardis. He brought a sense of energy to his game as well, which could help the team while Connor Bedard is out.

"It was pretty special,” Lardis said of his NHL debut. “Obviously, playing against Detroit, Patty Kane in the building, it was a lot of fun. Didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but it was pretty special." 

Lardis confirmed that the Rockford IceHogs had to turn their bus around because of his call-up. They were on their way to Grand Rapids for a game. Now, he has his first NHL game in the books. 

“I thought Lardis played good,” said head coach Jeff Blashill. “He played good on the power play. He’s a talented young player.” 

Blashill put Lardis on the third line with Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore. The idea behind it, according to the head coach, is that Lardis was able to play with other young players with whom he’s comfortable. The line did not look out of place.

“They seem like they had a lot of jump,” Blashill said of the line. “They created opportunities and had good young legs.”

Up next for Lardis and the Blackhawks is a three-game road trip through eastern Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs are up first on Tuesday night.

If he plays the way he did against the Red Wings, his first goal and point, and many more after that, will come for him. Jeff Blashill talks about process a lot, and Lardis has a great process. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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The Carolina Hurricanes picked up back-to-back shootout wins this week over Metropolitan opponents to move back into first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Canes came back to win each game, first picking up a 3-2 win in Washington and then a 4-3 victory in Philadelphia.

Here are seven takeaways from the wins:

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1. You Only Need One

Both games came down to the wire for Carolina and things couldn't really be any tighter than they were, especially since one shot determined both outcomes.

Against Washington, it was Seth Jarvis in the one slot who scored the game's lone shootout tally and against Philadelphia, Jackson Blake sealed the victory in the four slot.

Both were fairly unlikely heroes as Jarvis entered Thursday's game 1-for-6 in his career and Blake entered Saturday's game 0-for-3.

But as two of Carolina's best offensive players, you need to just put them in a position to deliver.

"In these situations, you have to make moves," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Goalies are too good. So you need guys that have that courage to be able to make moves."

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2. But Seven Saves Combined

Goaltending was a big part of the conversation in these two wins, especially when it came down to the shootout and both Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov went a perfect 7-for-7 combined on the shots they faced.

Kochetkov especially had a great showing as his unorthodox poke checks disrupted the Flyers skaters so much.

That was also both the first shootout loss for the Flyers this year in six tries and the first time Trevor Zegras had been stopped.

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3. Comeback Canes

The Hurricanes had to overcome hurdles in both of the games, as they trailed at multiple points in each.

They gave up the first goal to Washington after a great start and then folded a bit in the third period to concede the lead again.

However, the team fought back with goals from both Ehlers and Stankoven to force the extra frames.

Against Philly, a bad start saw the Hurricanes go down 2-0, but a strong bounce back period saw the game tied again.

"We stuck with it and I think that's just a great win to get, knowing that if you stick with your game, good things are gonna happen," said Jordan Martinook.

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4. But Probably Should Have Won Each In Regulation

It's a tale as old as time.

Carolina dominates a game, but find themselves tied or trailing regardless.

They dominated that game against the Capitals, but then got a bit on their heels in the third period and as such found themselves trailing.

Against the Flyers though, the Hurricanes had a bad first period.

At some point, the team needs to have a better 60-minute showing, but it's clear that this team is good enough to overcome poor starts or tough stretches.

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5. Power Play Struggles 

The Canes' power play is like a box of chocolates. 

You never know what you're going to get.

After a really strong stretch and even back-to-back power play goals from Jordan Staal of all people, it went 0-for-4 on the road trip and honestly didn't look that impressive at all.

Every penalty kill is going to look and play differently, so varied results are going to happen, but it's kind of crazy to see how much variance there are for the Hurricanes on the man advantage.

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6. Alexander Nikishin Benching

On Saturday, after the Hurricanes took the lead thanks to a Seth Jarvis breakaway, the team immediately gave it right back after the Flyers got loose on a 2-on-1.

The main culprit of that breakdown was rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin.

After a regroup by the Flyers in their defensive end, the Russian blueliner made a halfhearted effort to pinch along the board with no support back, giving up an easy odd-man rush.

It's one thing to make a wrong decision, but he also didn't give nearly enough effort on his attempt to hold the zone either.

If you're going to go, which is the wrong decision there in a game where you just took the lead, you have to commit and he sort of just found himself in no-man's land.

And thanks to that, he watched the rest of the game from the bench.

Those mistakes are the biggest things Nikishin still has to work on.

Knowing game situations, when and where to be aggressive, but also just effort overall.

The Hurricanes know how talented he is offensively, and his heads-up play in the second period gave the team a 2-2 tie. But as a defenseman, you have to be able to be trusted to protect a lead.

That's where Nikishin is still learning and developing and I see no problem with the decision to sit him there, especially being that the team was still in a tight contest.

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7. Joel Nystrom Proving His Mettle

Fresh off becoming a million dollar man, the rookie blueliner is continuing to impress.

The Swede led all Hurricanes skaters in chance share over the past two games, with a 30-12 edge, and also had the highest expected goals percentage at 76.81%.

His on-ice results were also the best as he led all defensemen in goals for in his 5v5 ice time (3) and he conceded only three high-danger chances in over 25 minutes of 5v5 ice time.

There's no guarantee that he'll stick around with the Hurricanes when Jaccob Slavin returns from injury, but he's proved that he can be a successful NHLer.

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Recent Articles

A True Leader Through and Through: What Teammates, Organization Have To Say About Carolina Hurricanes Captain Jordan Staal

'There's Always A Light At The End Of The Tunnel': Logan Stankoven Battling Through Slump, Hoping To Turn Corner

10 Questions with Carolina Hurricanes Defenseman K'Andre Miller

New Look, Same Swagger: Nikolaj Ehlers Fitting In Perfectly With Carolina Hurricanes

A Perfect Storm: Hurricanes Rookie Defenseman Joel Nystrom Making Most Of Opportunity

Hurricanes Rookie Goaltender Brandon Bussi Chasing NHL History On Unfathomable Start

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Zeev Buium scored in his first game since being traded to Vancouver, Thatcher Demko stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced and the Canucks beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Sunday.

The game was initially supposed to be Quinn Hughes and the Canucks against brothers Jack and Luke, after plenty of buzz about them wanting to play together in the NHL someday. Instead, Quinn was traded to Minnesota in a blockbuster move Friday night, and Jack remains out of the lineup after having finger surgery in November.

Buium was part of the return from the Wild, along with center Marco Rossi, who returned after missing a month because of injury. Buium also had an assist.

Liam Ohgren, the third player involved in the deal, along with a first-round draft pick, also made his Vancouver debut.

Jake DeBrusk scored the Canucks’ opening goal 61 seconds in, continuing a recent problem for New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who allowed three on the first seven shots he faced Thursday night, when he was pulled eight minutes in from an 8-4 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Markstrom allowed two goals in the first period on eight shots, then was perfect the rest of the way, finishing with 13 saves. The Canucks put only one shot on net in the third.

Luke Hughes scored the only goal of the game for the Devils, who were playing for a third time in four days. They’ve lost 10 of 16 games since Jack Hughes was injured during a team dinner in Chicago.

Up next

Canucks: Make their second stop on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip Tuesday night at the New York Rangers.

Devils: Open a two-game Western road trip Wednesday night at the Vegas Golden Knights.

ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild (18-9-5) is set to host the Boston Bruins (19-13-0) for a second of a back-to-back.

Tonight marks Quinn Hughes Wild debut but also a former Wild center's first game back in Minnesota.

Marat Khusnutdinov will return to Minnesota tonight with the Bruins to face the Wild for the first time since the trade.

Khusnutdinov, 23, was drafted by the Wild in the 2020 NHL Draft with the 37th overall pick. He played in two seasons with the Wild before he was traded for a forward who is now a near point-per game player for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

At the 2025 trade deadline, the Wild traded Khusnutdinov to Boston along with forward Jakub Lauko and a 6th-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for Justin Brazeau.

“He is still feeling things out here. How to play in this league and how to play in a consistent way, I would say,” head coach Marco Sturm said of Khusnutdinov. “I thought [Thursday] night was one of his better games. For me, it’s nice he competes, he has a lot of speed, and I can throw him on any line or any position – that’s what I like about him.”

In 18 games to finish the year, Khusnutdinov had three goals and five points. This year he has four goals and eight points in 27 games. Since being moved to the top-six, the youngster has four goals and three assists in 20 games.

The Bruins practiced in St. Paul on Saturday at The TRIA Rink and Khusnutdinov led the team stretch after the practice.

He is still finding his way but the young center has been given a lot more ice time and has even been given power play time and overtime minutes. He has scored in overtime with the Bruins this year.

“I think it’s a good trade [for] me. More ice time on [the] Bruins. Playing power play,” Khusnutdinov said. “I played fourth line, second line, first line. It is good for me…It doesn’t matter which line; good for me.”

Marco Sturm on Marat Khusnutdinov:

"He definitely gave us a good recommendation yesterday for dinner. That was good." https://t.co/yr8qb6CY6V

— Belle Fraser (@bellefraser1) December 13, 2025

After the Wild's game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Kirill Kaprizov talked about his reaction to the Hughes trade.

He said that he was actually with Khusnutdinov on Friday when it happened.

“I just was in my car I think," Kaprizov said. "I saw Marat yesterday, and we just sitting and then Moose called me, ‘Oh you saw this?’ I said, ‘Oh, what.’ Yeah.”

Kaprizov took on a mentor role for Khusnutdinov when he broke into the NHL with the Wild. He didn't know any English and Kaprizov helped him by driving him to practices and games. He sat next to him in the locker room and pushed him to learn English.

The Wild moved on from Khusnutdinov pretty quickly for a power forward that played 25 games for them and had one goal. But tonight will be Khusnutdinov's first game back in Minnesota.

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Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

Wild Acquire Quinn Hughes From Vancouver, Sending Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Plus MoreWild lands Norris-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes in a high-stakes blockbuster.

- When The Ice Shrinks, The Wild's Game Is Built To Hold Up.

- 'Sometimes You Gotta Look Yourself In The Mirror': Matt Boldy's Message Has Now Become The Wild's Mantra.

- Wild Place Jake Middleton and Mats Zuccarello On The Injured Reserve.

- Wild Recall Defenseman David Jiricek From Iowa.

- A Historic Start: Wild's Jesper Wallstedt Joins Nearly Century-Old Company With Record Rookie Surge.

NEWS & NOTES

Blue Jackets Goalie Prospect Makes KHL All-Star Game Along With Two Former JacketsIvanov was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 5th round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

According to KHL.ru, 2022 Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Sergei Ivanov has been named to the 2026 Fonbet KHL All-Star Game. He will play for the U23 All-Stars.  

The game will also feature "World Stars," which consist of North American and European players. Two former Blue Jackets made the team. Former forward Kevin Labanc, and former defenseman Adam Clendening will play for the World Stars. 

From THN's Archive: Following His Hockey Heart A devastating neck injury threatened Grant Marshall's NHL dream. Defying doctors, he battled back, playing 700 games and winning two Cups.

DEC. 4, 1990, IS A DAY GRANT MARSHALL WILL NEVER FORGET. He was 17 years old playing in his first season in the Ontario League with the Ottawa 67’s when he was viciously checked from behind by Jason Young in a game against the Sudbury Wolves. The hit left him with a broken neck and temporary paralysis. In the blink of an eye, his NHL dream was put on hold. “At that point I was so scared,” Marshall says. “I couldn’t move. My life was turned upside down.”  

Metro Division Standings As Of 12-10-25The Metropolitan Division continues to be one of the hardest divisions in the NHL.

The Metro Division is a part of the mushy middle of the NHL standings. Not one team in the Metro is ranked lower than 20th in the entire league. While the Metro-leading Capitals have moved up to third. It really is the wild, wild west right now, and no team seems to want to run away with the division.

From THN's Archive: Scott HartnellLetter to my Rookie self

Wow, that was some hit, wasn’t it? You’ll probably never skate through the neutral zone with your head down when Darren Langdon is on the ice again, right? In case you’re wondering where you are at the moment, you’re in Raleigh, N.C. Actually, you’re in an ambulance and, yeah, that’s your dad riding with you. Way to screw up the Dads’ Trip there, pal.

Cannon City Quotables: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Ottawa SenatorsHear from Evason, Fabbro, Jenner, and Werenski as the Blue Jackets clash with the Red Wings. Get their candid insights and game predictions.

Zach Werenski:

• 3-0 hold really hurt the team
• They tried to come back, but the Senators played well to stop their momentum
• Feels the team needs to be more desperate right from the start
• Felt the team have key breakdowns at key times
• Team needs to dig deep and find ways to win
• Guys on the team need to have full buy-in and just win
• Feels the team is finding ways to lose
• Reminds reporters and fans, it's tough to be a goalie
• Feels that some of the goals that are going in, any team would score - it's not on the goalies
• The message in the room is that they will be okay, they just need to win games
• Admits it's frustrating

Cannon City Quotables: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Vegas Golden KnightsHear from Head Coach Dean Evason, Yegor Chinakhov, Charlie Coyle, and Jet Greaves.

GAME PREVIEWS & RECAPS

Columbus Blue Jackets (32 pts) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (36 pts) Game PreviewColumbus is 29-30-0-5 all-time, and 13-16-0-3 on the road vs. Carolina.

Series History vs. The Hurricanes

• Columbus is 29-30-0-5 all-time, and 13-16-0-3 on the road vs. Carolina.
• The Jackets are 0-6-0 in their last six games in Lenovo Center.
• The CBJ went 2-2 vs. the Canes last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Carolina Hurricanes The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 PMJackets Third Period Implosion Helps Bussi To 7th Straight Win; Jackets Lose Third StraightThe Blue Jackets are now 13-11-6 on the year with 32 points.

Dmitri Voronkov(11-PPG) scored the only goal for Columbus, while Jet Greaves made 27 saves in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. 

For two periods, the Blue Jackets looked like they were holding their own against the juggernaut Hurricanes, but when the game ticked over into the third period, they took control and pummeled the Blue Jackets.  

Columbus Blue Jackets (32 pts) vs. Ottawa Senators (30 pts) Game PreviewColumbus is 19-20-2-3 all-time, and 12-7-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa.

Series History vs. The Senators

• Columbus is 19-20-2-3 all-time, and 12-7-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa
• The Jackets are 8-1-2 against Ottawa in the last 11 home games.
• The CBJ went 1-2 vs. the Sens last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Ottawa SenatorsThe Columbus Blue Jackets are home to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 PM. Merzlikins Struggles Early; Blue Jackets Drop Fourth StraightThe Blue Jackets are now 13-12-6 on the year with 32 points.

Boone Jenner(4), Dante Fabbro(2), and Dmitri Voronkov(12) scored for Columbus, while Jet Greaves made 21 stops in relief of a pulled Elvis Merzlikins in a 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators.   

This game got ugly in a hurry, and there was no coming back from it. When David Perron and Drake Batherson scored 1:13 seconds apart in the first, it was ok, no big deal, right? But when Tim Stützle scored on the power play with around five minutes to go in the first, Dean Evason had seen enough. Evason, who admittedly doesn't like to pull goalies, yanked Elvis Merzlikins after giving up his third goal of the period. Merzlikins did not look comfortable at all in the 15 minutes he played.   

Columbus Blue Jackets (32 pts) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39 pts) Game PreviewColumbus is 7-6-0-1 all-time, and 4-2-0-1 at home vs. Vegas.

Series History vs. The Golden Knights

• Columbus is 7-6-0-1 all-time, and 4-2-0-1 at home vs. Vegas.
• The Jackets are 3-3-1 against Ottawa in the last 7 home games.
• The CBJ went 1-1 vs. the Knights last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Vegas Golden KnightsThe Columbus Blue Jackets are home to take on the Vegas Golden Knights at 7 PM. Blue Jackets Blow Multiple Leads, Drop Fifth StraightThe Blue Jackets are now 13-13-6 on the year with 32 points.

Charlie Coyle(5) and Yegor Chinakhov(3) scored the only goals against the Vegas Golden Knights, while Jet Greaves made 22 saves in a 3-2 loss on a snowy Saturday night in Columbus. 

They had this one. It really felt like they had this one. Instead, after blowing multiple leads in the game, they would lose to the Golden Knights to seal their 5th straight loss.    

Up Next: The Jackets are back at home to play the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.   

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The Human-Skating Yo-Yo that is the New York Rangers went UP –  for a change – last night at The Garden.

Beating the fast-slipping Montrealers 5-4 in overtime was not a classic in any sense of the word. But the Yo-Yos from Seventh Avenue won't complain, especially captain J.T. Miller, who scored the game-tying goal and the power play-winner in the extra session.

"The key here," says The Old Scout, "is that the Blueshirts exploited a weak team that used a third-string goalie (Jacib Fowler) playing only in his second NHL game. And it took a dumb Montreal penalty in OT to get New York the win."

Igor Shesterkin had to make only 13 saves on 17 shots, while the Locals' other goals were produced by rookie Noah Laba, Breadman Panarin on a penalty shot, and Will Cuylle.

"It's encouraging that Laba is getting used to NHL play and that Cuylle is re-finding the game that made him so useful last season." added The Old Scout.

Also noteworthy is that the Blueshirts rallied from an 0-3 deficit to avoid a potential loss – and that captain Miller finally came up with a big game; at long last.

"When we were down, we kept pushing," says Laba, "and we knew the goals would come."

Give the Rangers a few more third-string goalies and an overtime power play and, sure, the goals will come.

We'll see how the New York Yo-Yos make out tomorrow night Chris Kreider's Ducks come to town; hopefully with a first-string goalie just to make it interesting!

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned during Saturday's broadcast of the Edmonton Oilers versus the Toronto Maple Leafs that there is a noticeable change in Connor McDavid. No, it's not the 15 points he's put up in five games -- although that's a big deal. Instead, it's McDavid's smile -- something the Oilers haven't seen a whole lot this season. 

Friedman noticed that at least twice during the game against the Maple Leafs, he could see the often stoic and serious McDavid visibly relax, smile, and sometimes laugh.  Overall, he looked happy on the bench. That's a recent change, something that has come with the Oilers playing better hockey, having a better record... and perhaps, finally making a decision on their goaltending. 

Related Story:

Jarry Successful in Oilers Debut, Gets Front Row Seat To The McDavid Show

This is not to suggest that McDavid wanted Skinner out of Edmonton. McDavid was the first to say that the former starter will be missed after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, Friedman also noted that there was speculated tension in the room as the entire organization knew that the goaltending needed a makeover. 

Friedman seemed to be hinting that the uncertainty with Skinner weighed on everybody. 

The analyst argued that, as the season got going, if Skinner had a rough game tensions tended to resurface.  While I can say I noticed those tensions first hand after a tough loss, I can't say I ever felt the fingers being pointed solely at Skinner.

What I can say is that the locker room vibes were often tense. Skinner faced the music on many nights, but the Oilers' early struggles brought with them high stress levels. They were staying in the fight and never slipping too far out of contention. Still, from the very first game of the season, when Skinner flubbed a handle against the Calgary Flames, which led to a tying goal and eventual overtime loss, the writing was probably on the wall. 

Friedman reported on Saturday that pressure was weighing heavily on Skinner himself. A consummate professional, when the trade finally happened, it sounds like all parties were ready for it. Reports have since surfaced that Skinner wasn't opposed to a fresh start, while the Oilers were aware he wasn't going to be their starter for this season's playoffs -- no matter what. 

Stuart Skinner has far more Stanley Cup Playoff experience than Tristan Jarry -- which some are arguing is a reason to call the Oilers losers on this trade. One thing to remember, that experience brought with it two failed attempts to win the NHL's ultimate prize. The Oilers weren't going to gamble with a third attempt at it and the same guy between the pipes. 

When it comes to Jarry, having less Stanley Cup Playoff experience in the eyes of the Oilers. If for no other reason, no one knows what Jarry can and will do. Would it be nice if he was a proven playoff netminder? Sure. But what he isn't is a goalie who got the very end twice and couldn't cross the finish line.

Skinner, unfortunately, carried that with him into this season. He knew it, the Oilers knew it, and the players in that locker room knew it. Whether or not moving on from that is the kind of thing that might cause McDavid to smile more often is perhaps assuming too much. 

What might be fair to argue is that the Oilers are playing better hockey and that big questionmark about what Edmonton intends to do with a very real goaltending conundrum is, at least for now, answered. 

That could be bringing with it a sense of ease that allows everyone to move forward.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are fresh off another epic collapse on Saturday. 

They had a 5-1 lead with less than 13 minutes to go in regulation against the San Jose Sharks and coughed up the lead before losing in overtime. They even had a 5-2 lead with less than six minutes left and still couldn't find a way to get the two points. 

The Penguins were dominating the Sharks all afternoon, but when one bad thing happened, it snowballed and got so much worse. 

They will try to get over it quickly on Sunday when the Utah Mammoth come to town. The Mammoth are fresh off a 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Friday night and are 15-13-3 this season, good for fourth in the Central division. 

Nick Schmaltz has been fantastic this season, compiling 12 goals an 29 points in 33 games. Clayton Keller has also been great with 10 goals and 28 points in 33 games. Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka are also big threats when they're on the ice. 

The Mammoth will be without Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley, who has 14 goals and 23 points this year. He has blossomed into an entertaining player since he was drafted third overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. 

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is closing in on more history. He's only two points away from tying Mario Lemieux for the most points in the Penguins' franchise history and the eighth-most points in NHL history. He also only needs three points to move past Lemieux. 

Sergei Murashov will start in goal for the Penguins since goaltender Stuart Skinner is still dealing with immigration following the trade from Edmonton. Defenseman Brett Kulak is dealing with the same thing and also won't be available for this game.

Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and fans can listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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The Nashville Predators don't feel like they played a bad game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday in Denver. 

In the 4-2 Predators loss, both head coach Andrew Brunette and forward Jonathan Marchessault agreed that Nashville had played a good game, and the loss was more on the Avalanche, which found a way to win. 

"I don't think it was a step back. I think we had a pretty good effort," Marchessault said. "Sometimes you've just got to give credit to the opponent and that's a really good team that finds ways to win hockey games. Tonight, they were just better than us." 

The Predators had 18 scoring chances, 11 of them high danger on 29 shots and paced play for the early part of the second period. However, facing Colorado's starter, Scott Wedgewood, they struggled to find the back of the net.

It also came down to Nashville giving Colorado a little too much space, a power-play opportunity, or letting in a bad goal.

Nathan MacKinnon's opening goal saw the Predators' defense give the league's leading scorer too much space. Jack Dury's shot found its way into the net off a double deflection off of Roman Josi and Nic Hague. 

Victor Olofsson scored on a play that saw the Avalanche pull Wedgewood for a 6-on-5 opportunity on the delayed penalty call. The final goal was an empty net. 

"First goal was a little bit of a breakdown, an unlucky bounce on the second goal and 5-on-6, with their goalie out, was the difference in the game," Brunette said. "We hung in there and had our chances. I really liked the first 10 minutes of the second period and then we got into penalty trouble."

Nashville had opportunities to cut the lead and tie the game. Specifically in the second period, Ryan O'Reilly made a centering feed to Steven Stamkos in the slot, but Wedgewood shut down Stamkos' opportunity. 

Marchessault still got a conversion on the power play and Tyson Jost scored late, recording his second goal of the season. 

"It was a game that could've been had. We had some really good opportunities to tie the score, and it didn't happen," Brunette said. "I really like our overall game. There were no overall passengers. That's kind of the pattern we've had over the last two or three weeks and we'll continue to do that moving forward." 

Up next: Nashville Predators (12-15-4, 8th in Central) at St. Louis Blues (12-14-7, 7th in Central) on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. CST at the Enterprise Center. 

On a day when the New York Islanders inducted Pat LaFontaine into the team's Hall of Fame, one of the team's newest acquisitions was the hero.

Emil Heineman scored the shootout winner to cap off a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, his second in as many skills competitions. 

However, in a roundabout way, Heineman's heroics were the end of a 44-year history of the original deal that brought LaFontaine to Long Island. The pick used to select LaFontaine was acquired in a 1981 deal with the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Dave Cameron and Bob Lormier.

However, that was just the start of what was an expansive trade tree. 

You are NOT wrong. Dobson stemmed from it, sicko stuff pic.twitter.com/Jzd3W36Z0L

— MF Isles (@MF1sles) December 14, 2025

The Heineman branch of the trade tree has several high-profile names involved.

It starts with Pierre Turgeon, one of four players acquired in the first trade with the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. After four seasons, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens with Vladimir Malakhov for three players, including Kirk Muller and defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who set the next leg into motion. 

Schneider and D.J. Smith were part of the deal that brought Wendel Clark back to Toronto, with Kenny Jonsson, an Islanders Hall of Famer being part of the return. However, a Hockey Hall of Famer in Roberto Luongo was taken with a first-round pick that went to New York in the trade, which became the next branch. 

He and Olli Jokinen were dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. Those two were dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in the trade for Jeff Tambelini. The other Islander acquisition, Denis Grebeshkov, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers Marc-Andre Bergeron and a 2008 third-round pick that became Kirill Petrov. 

Petrov and Allen Rourke were part of a return deal to the Oilers for a 2008 second-round pick, which became Travis Hamonic. Which leads us to the more recent and, for now, final developments. 

Hamonic was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2017 with a 2019 fourth-round pick for three draft picks. One of them was a 2019 first-rounder, which became Noah Dobson. Evidently, this culminates in the Heineman trade, where he joined the Islanders in exchange for the picks that became Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. 

Emil Heineman scores a beauty to secure the @NYIslanders' shootout win! 🦞 pic.twitter.com/Oz84UlypEb

— NHL (@NHL) December 14, 2025

However, several of the tree's branches are eye-catchers.  As part of the deals on the opposite side, the Alexei Yashin trade is part of the story. The Islanders traded Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a first-round pick, which became Jason Spezza, in the deal for Yashin. Also notable was a deal for forward Oleg Kvasha to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2006 third-round pick, which was later traded to the Boston Bruins to allow them to take Brad Marchand. 

With the original trade of LaFontaine to Buffalo sparking the last 44 years of deals into motion, everything came full circle on his special day. As Heineman continues to make a name for himself on Long Island, it all can be traced back to Saturday's honoree.