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.
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)
MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 29: Ivan Demidov #93 of the Montréal Canadiens defends against Valeri Nichushkin #13 of the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at the Bell Centre. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty 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.
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.
Patrick Kane salutes the fans after his 1,375 career point, most by an American born player, on an assist on Ben Chiarot during the second period of the Red Wings’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Capitals at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 29, 2026 in Detroit. NHLI via Getty Images
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.”
Detroit right wing Patrick Kane (88) is surrounded by teammates after recording his 1,375th point to pass Mike Modano and break the NHL record for points by a player born in the United States. AP
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.
The Los Angeles Kings (22-17-13) outshot the Buffalo Sabres (31-17-5) and had a lot of chances to make this a closer game, but a pair of unlucky calls against them and a strong night from Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon and forward Alex Tuch proved too much to overcome.
Despite playing a much better second period after a poor first, LA was unable to dig itself out of the hole at KeyBank Center, falling 4-1 in Buffalo.
Once again, struggling early on in regulation and falling in a 2-0 hole, doomed the Kings to make any run against the home team.
Buffalo struck first in the opening period. A pass from Ryan McLeod intended for Alex Tuch deflected off the Kings and slid past Darcy Kuemper for a fluky goal, giving the Sabres the early 1-0 lead.
The Sabres added to that lead a few minutes later after a faceoff win. Matttias Samuelsson stepped from the point and beat Kuemper's glove, extending the lead 2-0 despite LA holding the edge in shots made through the first 20 minutes of regulation.
Los Angeles had a lot of chances late in the period to score, but the defense from Lyon was excellent, with him on the crease for Buffalo, turning aside several chances the Kings had.
Second Period: Controversial Call
The Kings appeared to get on board early in the second period when Alex Laferriere knocked off the puck past Lyon, cutting the deficit to one, but the goal was overturned after an extended review due to goalie interference between Corey Perry and Lyon.
It was a big call: looking back on the play, it seemed the goalie had enough time to recover, but the call was upheld, and instead of 2-1, the score remained 2-0, and gave the Sabres a chance to extend it further in the second period.
Laferriere has the puck in net for the Kings.
It's ruled a goal, but the officials huddle for an extended time and call it no goal for goalie interference after contact between Perry and Lyon.
Moments later, Tuch finished from the slot off a point shot to extend the score 3-0 just like that, after the overturned goal from the Kings.
Near the end of the second period, Los Angeles finally broke through on the power play when Kevin Fiala fed Adrian Kempe off the high deflection on the power play to score, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Down two entering the third, the Kings were desperate for a big play to get back in the game, but they never made it, as the Sabres' defense and goaltender made it tough for Los Angeles.
The dagger came when Tuch converted on the empty-net goal, finishing with three goals on the night and torching the Kings' defense, winning 4-1.
The Kings finished with a 38-32 advantage in shots and a 30-9 advantage in hits, but Buffalo made most of its opportunities on the Kings' 20 giveaways, which led to extended zone time for the Sabres to convert on offense.
It was nice to see Kuemper play well tonight after missing the last game against the Detroit Red Wings, finishing with 28 saves despite giving up three goals.
The biggest play was obviously the overturned goal at a critical moment on Laferriere's shot, who would've made it 2-1 in the second period, but instead it was 3-0 after two periods, and Los Angeles was never able to recover from then on.
The Los Angeles Kings drop their first game in this six-game road trip and will look to clean up this loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at 9:30 P.M. PT
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.
There wasn’t much mystery to this one. The game was bad early, stayed bad, and only got uglier as the night wore on.
The Colorado Avalanche were handed a 7–3 loss by the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Bell Centre, as the NHL’s top team dropped its second straight game in as many nights and failed to find any sustained rhythm. Colorado has now lost six of its last eight and sits at 4-4-2 over its past 10 after opening the season at a record-setting pace.
Brock Nelson, Joel Kiviranta, and Ross Colton scored for Colorado. Scott Wedgewood, returning after time away following the birth of his second child, struggled in net, surrendering seven goals on 28 shots.
Nick Suzuki led the way for Montreal with two goals and an assist. Juraj Slafkovský, Kirby Dach, Alexandre Carrier, Jake Evans, and Noah Dobson also found the back of the net, while Ivan Demidov chipped in with two assists. Jakub Dobeš made 26 saves for the Canadiens.
Montreal wasted no time setting the tone. Just 56 seconds into the game, Lane Hutson found Dobson in the left circle, and the defenseman blasted a one-timer past Wedgewood to open the scoring.
Colorado responded quickly. A little more than three minutes later, Nelson continued his torrid January by toe-dragging around Hutson and snapping a wrist shot cleanly into the net to tie the game. It marked his 28th goal of the season and underscored his status as one of the league’s hottest scorers this month.
The momentum didn’t last. After Keaton Middleton was whistled for cross-checking, Suzuki capitalized on the power play by burying a rebound that kicked off Wedgewood’s pad, restoring Montreal’s lead.
The Avalanche then compounded their problems. Josh Anderson was called for tripping Martin Nečas, but Colorado’s power play imploded when they surrendered their ninth shorthanded goal of the season. Kapanen cleared the puck directly to Suzuki, who broke in alone and beat Wedgewood with a forehand fake before sliding home the backhand to make it 3–1.
Second Period
The middle frame opened with Cole Caufield taking a high-sticking penalty on Artturi Lehkonen, drawing blood but only earning a minor. Colorado couldn’t convert, and moments later frustration mounted when Nathan MacKinnon was slashed on the hands without a call.
Soon after, Sam Malinski was sent off for an accidental high stick on Demidov. While Malinski immediately apologized, Slafkovský took exception, only to be met by Valeri Nichushkin, who stepped in and dropped him with a forearm.
Midway through the period, Sam Girard nearly sparked a comeback with a breakaway, but Dobeš shut the door with a brilliant pad save.
The game took a scary turn minutes later when Josh Manson crushed Kaiden Guhle along the boards after Guhle reached for a puck with his head down. Guhle stayed down in obvious pain. Zachary Bolduc confronted Manson, but neither dropped the gloves. After review, officials assessed no penalty.
Montreal quickly made Colorado pay. Evans extended the lead after Wedgewood mishandled the puck behind his net, allowing Evans to wrap it into an empty cage. Less than a minute later, Dach added another on a wraparound that slowly trickled across the line, pushing the lead to 5–1.
Colorado finally stopped the bleeding late in the period when Kiviranta jammed home a rebound from the left doorstep off an initial shot by Malinski with 1:54 remaining.
Third Period
The Avalanche showed some life to start the third, forcing turnovers and generating early chances. On one sequence, Cale Makar tried to set up MacKinnon for a tap-in at the back door, but the puck bounced awkwardly off his stick.
Colorado broke through at 4:38 when Nichushkin danced around defenders and found Colton behind the net. Colton snapped the puck past Dobeš, ending a 25-game scoreless drought and briefly cutting the deficit to two.
Any hope of a comeback vanished quickly. Just 67 seconds later, Montreal restored its four-goal cushion on a 2-on-1 rush. After a turnover in the defensive zone, Dach fed Suzuki, who drew both Makar and Nečas before sliding a pass to Carrier in the left circle for a wide-open finish.
Slafkovský delivered the final blow midway through the period. His initial shot sailed wide, but Wedgewood slid out of position while trying to disrupt Kapanen, inadvertently pushing the puck back to Slafkovský, who calmly buried it into the open net to seal a 7–3 result.
For Colorado, it was another discouraging night that raised more questions than answers as their early-season dominance continues to fade.
Next Game
The Avalanche (35-8-9) are back in action Saturday morning, visiting Patrick Kane and the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena for an 11:30 a.m. puck drop.
Within an hour after being drafted by the Islanders, Matthew Schaefer declared in an interview with former “Entourage” star Kevin Connolly, “We’re going to beat the Rangers every time we play them.”
Schaefer’s four-leg parlay cashed Thursday night, when he scored at Madison Square Garden to help the Islanders to a 2-1 defeat of the Rangers that marked their first time sweeping the season series since 2017-18.
“Getting drafted to this team, coming to play for the Islanders, I know there’s that big rivalry,” Schaefer said inside a packed visitors locker room after the fact. “Every game from here on out’s a playoff game, especially against the Rangers. It’s a big win for us.
“Like I said before, we want to beat them every time, and we want to keep doing that because I know it makes us happy, I know it makes our fans happy, and we get two points out of it.”
It’s the third time in the history of the rivalry that the Islanders have swept the season series, having also done so in 2015-16. It’s the first time they’ve won every game in regulation and the first time they’ve gone four full games against the Rangers without trailing.
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer skates down ice during the first period on Jan. 29, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
That is sweet revenge after the Rangers swept the Islanders by a combined score of 23-5 a year ago, culminating in a 9-2 embarrassment at UBS Arena that marked a low point for the Isles.
“I think we owed them one,” captain Anders Lee said. “Last year didn’t go our way. I think we evened it up.”
Since then, it has been all Islanders, starting with the lottery balls dropping in perfect sequence for their 3.5 percent chance at winning the No. 1 overall pick, and the rights to draft Schaefer. Had they beaten the Rangers just once last season, the two teams’ lottery odds would have been reversed, and he might have been skating for the other team Thursday.
Instead, Schaefer was making their lives miserable — and, in the latest ignominy in what has been a veritable parade of them for the Rangers, so too was Carson Soucy.
Soucy, who scored four goals in 62 games across parts of two seasons with the Blueshirts before being traded to the Island this week, was not acknowledged on the scoreboard in his return to the Garden. He served up some revenge by lighting the lamp in his second game as an Islander, squirting a shot from the left point through Jonathan Quick’s pads to open the scoring at 17:18 of the second period.
New York Islanders right wing Max Shabanov (49) and New York Islanders center Kyle MacLean (32) celebrate the goal by New York Islanders defenseman Carson Soucy (4) against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
On a night in which it was all too evident that both teams had played 24 hours prior, that seemed to give the Islanders a bit of a jolt. Schaefer’s goal came under two minutes later, as the 18-year-old whipped in a shot that beat Quick short side through Simon Holmstrom’s screen.
His 14th goal of the season broke a tie with Bobby Orr for second on the all-time defenseman goal scoring list for 18-year-olds.
“Who’s that?” Schaefer joked about Orr, who made his debut 41 years before he was born.
The Rangers did not merely lie down from there. Mika Zibanejad’s one-timer from the left circle cut the lead to 2-1 early in the third period.
The game, which had been a dreary affair, creaked its way into life from there, and the Rangers were suddenly bearing down on Ilya Sorokin. The netminder twice stopped Gabe Perreault on grade A chances at the doorstep.
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin defends the net against New York Rangers center Noah Laba during the first period. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“It’s frustrating, for sure,” said J.T. Miller, having been the victim of Sorokin on a second-period slot one-timer and having drawn iron in the game’s opening minutes. “At some point, it’s hard to come up with answers other than put the puck in the net more often.”
The Islanders, who kept pace with the Penguins to stay tied on points — though behind on percentage — for second in the Metro, simply have more to play for than their counterparts right now. The most interesting thing happening for the last-place Rangers is up in Chris Drury’s box, as the team president and general manger tries to navigate a landing spot for Artemi Panarin.
On nights like this one, that seems to make all the difference.
“It was not our best game of the season, but that’s what good teams do,” coach Patrick Roy said. “They find ways to win.”
For a second straight game, the Nashville Predators failed to get through the first minute of overtime, falling to the New Jersey Devils, 3-2, on Thursday in extra time at the Prudential Center in Newark.
On Tuesday, the Predators dropped another 3-2 result in overtime as David Pastrnak scored 15 seconds into the period.
The Predators have now lost five of their last six and three straight.
Against New Jersey, after failing to connect on their chance in front of the Devils net, New Jersey broke the other way and saw captain Nico Hischier go bar down on Justus Annunen to end the game 42 seconds into overtime.
The Predators jumped ahead first as Michael McCarron scored in the first period, putting away the puck in a net-mouth scramble and giving Nashville a 1-0 lead. It was his third goal of the year.
Jonathan Marchessault recorded the primary assist and now has three points in four games.
New Jersey's Dougie Hamilton scored the lone goal in the second period to knot the game up at two.
Filip Forsberg gave the Predators the lead back off of his 20th goal of the season, scoring off a quick pass from Adam Wilsby.
With the goal, Forsberg became sixth all-time for career goals by a Swedish-born player, recording 338 and breaking a tie with Henrik Zetterberg.
Halfway through the third, Jesper Bratt tied the game at three. Nashville did have a power play for 10 minutes, but failed to convert.
Annunen made 32 saves on 35 shots in the result. Nashville was outshot, 35-29.
The Predators drop their sixth overtime game of the season but earn a point in the effort, sitting at 54 total points.
They are three points outside of a Wild Card spot, but that gap will likely widen as the San Jose Sharks (57 points) have an early first-period lead on the Edmonton Oilers.
The Predators will face the New York Islanders next on Saturday at 6 p.m. CST at UBS Arena. It will wrap up a three-game road trip as the Predators return to Nashville on Monday against the St. Louis Blues.
NEW YORK (AP) — Carson Soucy scored against the team that traded him 72 hours earlier, Matthew Schaefer got the 14th goal of his stellar rookie year and the New York Islanders defeated the Rangers 2-1 on Thursday night.
Soucy became the first player to score for the Rangers and the Islanders at Madison Square Garden in the same season. The Islanders swept the back-to-back set between the crosstown rivals after winning 5-2 at home on Wednesday night.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 20 of 21 shots to pick up his 18th victory in 32 starts this season. Schaefer, the first pick in the draft last June, broke a tie with Hall of Famer Bobby Orr for the second-most goals by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.
Schaefer’s goal came 1 minute, 35 seconds after Soucy beat former teammate Jonathan Quick short side from a tight angle. Soucy was playing just his second game with the Islanders since they gave up a third-round pick to get him in just the fourth trade between the New York teams and first since 2010.
Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play and Quick allowed two goals on 21 shots in his eighth appearance in 12 games since Igor Shesterkin was sidelined because of a lower-body injury. The long-term absences of Shesterkin and top defenseman Adam Fox exacerbated what was already a rough season for the Rangers, who recently signaled they are beginning a retooling process.
In line with that, they began sitting leading scorer Artemi Panarin rather than risking an injury that could prevent trading him before the March 6 deadline. Panarin is a pending unrestricted free agent whom the Rangers informed they were not re-signing.
The Islanders, who have won three in a row as they aim to make the playoffs, were without fourth-line center Casey Cizikas because of illness. Maxim Shabanov took his spot in the lineup.
The Buffalo Sabres are in a position to do some buying at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The Atlantic Division club currently holds a playoff spot and has a good chance of snapping its 14-year postseason drought, so they should not be afraid to be buyers.
The Sabres could use another impactful right-shot defenseman, and the St. Louis Blues have an interesting option worth considering in Justin Faulk.
Faulk is one of several Blues players currently in the rumor mill as they look to shake up their roster. With this, the Sabres should be open to kicking tires on the veteran defenseman.
If the Sabres landed Faulk, he would give them a very solid top-four defenseman for their right side. This would be excellent for the Sabres, as he would certainly strengthen their blueline if acquired.
Faulk would also be a good veteran to have around for the Sabres' young players. This would be a nice bonus for a Sabres club that is looking to take that next step and officially cement itself as a playoff team.
Faulk would be more than a rental for the Sabres, too, as he has a $6.5 million cap hit until the end of next season. With this, he would have the potential to benefit Buffalo beyond this season, which adds to his appeal.
In 53 games this season with the Blues, Faulk has recorded 11 goals, 14 assists, and 25 points.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 29: Ryan Shea #5 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at PPG PAINTS Arena on January 29, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
New lineup for the Penguins, Ilya Solovyov makes his Pittsburgh debut, Rutger McGroarty is back from the AHL to get back in the absence of Bryan Rust (suspension). Arturs Silovs gets the call in the net.
Chicago starts the game with their third line, so Dan Muse elects to put his fourth line out to match for a curious opening faceoff. No Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard squaring up right off the bat.
Sloppy and slow start for the Penguins. Ben Kindel takes a penalty six minutes in, the Blackhawks get a lot going on the power play but don’t score (Bedard dents the crossbar with a shot to come close). It keeps building, Ryan Greene pulls up and hits Connor Murphy with a pass. The defender takes a shot, Kris Letang backs all the way into Silovs, which couldn’t have helped matters. 1-0 Chicago.
Pittsburgh gets a spark from their sparkplug fourth line. Blake Lizotte might have got away with a trip (surely the only thing a Penguin player got away with in the first period, considering they ended up in the penalty box four times in the first 20 minutes) and that opening is all they need. Noel Acciari shoots, Connor Dewar eventually finds the rebound, wheels out into a shooting area and fires the puck in for his 12th goal of the year. 1-1 game.
The refs make it up to Chicago by giving them their second power play of the game on the next shift. This one isn’t as good. Two coincidental minors later the period comes to an end. Not a pretty sight for the Pens still looking to get their legs back under them from the long road trip, but they get out of the first period even at 1-1.
Second period
The Pens get to work, McGroarty causes mayhem in the crease, Chicago can’t clear a little later and Anthony Mantha feeds Ben Kindel in the middle of the ice. Kindel hesitates on the shot and gets goalie Arvid Soderblom to think high glove side. That leaves a lot open five hole. 2-1 Pens.
History strikes – kinda. For the first time in the last six periods, the Penguins are awarded a power play. They look out of practice and don’t get much going.
The Pens get a pretty goal on the rush. Parker Wotherspoon stands up Tyler Bertuzzi, blocking his attempt as the hit gets delivered. The puck rolls to Evgeni Malkin who is off to the races. Malkin pulls up with a spinning backhand centering pass to Egor Chinakhov. Chinakhov blows by Artom Levshunov and lifts the puck past Soderblom. 3-1.
31 seconds later, Pittsburgh strikes again. Kindel puts a great pass for a streaking Mantha for a breakaway. In a move that would make Mario proud, Mantha feints a forehand shot, Soderblom bites and it’s an easy finish to the backhand. 4-1 game just like that.
There’s blood in the water, Pittsburgh gets another before intermission. McGroarty was causing more mayhem in the crease, Mantha found the loose puck and sent it back to the point for Solovyov. Solovyov quickly bumped it over for Ryan Shea to hammer. It finds its mark. 5-1 game.
It took 20 minutes for Pittsburgh to get their legs back, they found them in the second and exposed Soderblom as the backup goalie he is, while throwing 23 (count ’em, 23!) shots on goal in the second period alone. Four goals in the middle frame opens up a sizeable 5-1 lead.
Third period
The Blackhawks look like they are ready to get out of town, only one shot on goal in the first 14 minutes of the period. The Pens keep going, eventually the fourth line crashes the net, going crazy to smack another one home. Dewar gets there to do it for his second goal of the night. 6-1.
That wakes Bedard up, at least. He comes down on the rush and lets Brett Kulak slide himself completely out of position. Bedard has all day to pick a spot and snipe Silovs high to the glove. 6-2 game.
Silovs actually has to make one more save on a good chance from in close, then things settle down and the teams ease onto the final whistle.
Some thoughts
One of the trickle down effects of Bryan Rust’s suspension is that Egor Chinakhov is now on the top power play. Has shades of Jared McCann 2021 with that left handed option on the left side ready to fire that shot short-side.
The biggest impact of no Rust was Justin Brazeau moving up to the top line. He looked mostly in the way, isn’t easy to play with Crosby and the lack of familiarity was on display. Will be interesting to see if they give that more time to find more, Crosby rotated in with Malkin a couple times in the third period, Brazeau still only played 12:45 at even strength despite the label of being a first line player.
Keeping Mantha with Kindel proved to be worth whatever lead time the top line might need. They have something special going on. McGroarty didn’t register a point but was more visible in this game than he had been in several of his recent NHL showings too. Lots of chaos on that line, augmented by the skilled plays and finishes that Kindel and Mantha put on display.
The second period was a feast like nobody’s business; Mantha scored three points while only taking six shifts that period. That’s like ‘your best night happening against a bad team’ in beer league type of production there.
Speaks to just how dangerous and balanced the Penguins are when they score six goals on the night and their normal first power play (Crosby, Rust, Rakell, Malkin, Karlsson) have all of one assist on the night (Malkin’s pass to Chinakhov). Rust, of course, had a good reason for not producing any points since he wasn’t allowed to play, the rest of the most skilled and players relied on for offense weren’t required of much on this night. The third and fourth lines were more than Chicago could handle, combining for five goals between themselves.
Solovyov first impressions: good night and opening game. Has some good size, did pin Bedard to the wall once in the first. By design it was a quiet introduction to ease him in, with the blowout allowing him to get more ice time in each period. Earned a primary assist with a basic play but good idea. Stats were 16:51, 3 shot attempts (neither on net, two blocked, one missed), 1 hit, 2 giveaways, 1 blocked shot. (The giveaways stand out a little, but were nothing egregious. The NHL did change the standard and frequency of how they record giveaways before last season, increasing it dramatically). Too early to say much, Solovyov was deferring to his partner Shea to do almost all the heavy lifting moving the puck, but hey, to be expected on the first night with a new team.
It’s also too early to be watching the out of town scores for anything besides mostly fun, though it’s too much fun not to take a gander – especially when the Pens won their game without much despair. However, there was almost no help across the board so it’s not that much fun of an update besides holding serve. Carolina just scored three goals in the last two minutes to turn a regulation loss against Utah into a 5-4 win, the Pens remain six points out of first place as a result (with a game in hand). The Islanders defeated a hapless Ranger team to stay tied with the Pens (Pittsburgh does have two games in hand on NYI). The Devils earned an OT win, though they are seven points back of Pittsburgh. The Flyers lost again, which is always good, but losing relevance since they are way in the rearview mirror now (eight points back of Pittsburgh, who has one game in hand). Washington is currently tied.
Not the toughest of competition but the Pens can only play the team in front of them and handled business convincingly to keep their winning streak rolling. Next up is a visit from the Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
The Chicago Blackhawks played the second game of their two-game road trip on Thursday night. In the first one, they blew a 3-0 lead and lost to the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout.
In this game against the Penguins, things started well for them as they took a 1-0 lead on a goal scored by Connor Murphy. A great defensive play by Frank Nazar led to a great rush where he and Ryan Greene made a play to find Murphy, who didn't miss with his snipe.
Murphy, who is likely to be traded by Chicago ahead of the deadline, has been playing exceptionally well in recent weeks. Contending teams are going to take a look.
After going up 1-0, however, the Penguins took over in a big way. They scored six unanswered goals to make it 5-1. Four of those goals came in the second period, which was a truly awful period for the Hawks. They will watch the tape and see that it was one of the worst periods of their entire season.
Connor Bedard had a wonderful snipe late in the game to make it 6-2 at 14:31 of the third period, but the game was well out of reach at that point. That stood as the final score.
Although nobody would ever say that Arvid Soderblom played well, but he was asked to face 44 shots. 23 of them came in that brutal middle period. He stayed in the game to eat the loss, with Spencer Knight projected to go on Friday. Soderblom gave up six, but most goalies in the league are not winning when they face 44 shots.
The Penguins put up six against the Blackhawks, and Sidney Crosby didn't have a single point. Usually, that's a sign that a team played horrible hockey, which was the case for Chicago on Thursday night.
This is the type of game you scrap if you're a young Blackhawks team. They have had a few of these stinkers in 2025-26, but they don't have much time to think about this one. Another game awaits one night later.
The Blackhawks are back in action on Friday night. The Columbus Blue Jackets will be at the United Center for a tilt to kick off the weekend. Puck drop is shortly after 7:30 PM CT.
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.
The San Jose Sharks look to take advantage of the market to enhance their team as they gear up for a hopeful playoff run.
According to San Jose Hockey Now, the Sharks have shown interest in winger Artemi Panarin, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Apparently the feeling is mutual. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported that Panarin would be interested in signing a contract extension with the Sharks.
Panarin is being held out of the lineup by the New York Rangers as they explore a trade and is not expected to play before the Olympic break. The retooling Rangers said they wouldn't be offering him an extension. Panarin, who has a no-movement clause, is reportedly exploring an extension as part of a trade.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun said some teams view Panarin as a "rental but aren't ready to get into a big extension" while other teams believe the opposite.
"Have the Sharks talked to them? Yes," LeBrun said. "My understanding is the Sharks had a discussion with the Rangers. We know (Sharks general manager) Mike Grier and (Rangers general manager and president) Chris Drury have the history, (they) worked together in New York."
However, a skeptical LeBrun shut down rumors of a potential Sharks play for Panarin, due to their recent signings including re-signing 31-year-old forward Alexander Wennberg to a three-year contract worth $18 million on Jan. 4.
"But beyond that conversation, I'm not sure how serious San Jose wants to be here," LeBrun said. "You know, they just traded for (Kiefer) Sherwood. They just signed Wennberg. So I wouldn't have San Jose as a front-runner right now. We'll see."
The 34-year-old has accounted for 19 goals and 57 points in 52 games played.
Panarin, a two-time NHL First-Team All-Star, has played 11 seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Rangers. He tallied 321 goals and 927 points in 804 career games.
It happened. Patrick Kane already had a case to be considered the greatest player in USA Hockey history, but now he is the leading scorer of every NHL player to ever come from the United States of America.
On Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena, playing for the Detroit Red Wings, Kane collected an assist on a goal scored by Ben Chiarot that tied the game at one. This was point 1375 for Kane, which passed Mike Modano for the American scoring record.
THIS ONE COUNTS ✅
PATRICK KANE HAS PASSED MIKE MODANO FOR MOST POINTS BY AN AMERICAN-BORN PLAYER! pic.twitter.com/UAeTo6lLUg
Earlier in the game, Kane had an assist wiped off the board as the goal that was scored was waived off for offside after a challenge. The celebration had to wait for a period, but nobody doubted that Kane would find a way to get it done in this match.
When he scored it, the entire Red Wings bench spilled over the boards to congratulate their legendary teammate. A video from Mike Modano himself played on the Jumbotron to congratulate Kane and speak of his impact on the game for young Americans.
Patrick Kane's 1375 points that broke the record are comprised of 500 goals and 875 assists. 446 of those goals and 779 of those assists came while wearing a Chicago Blackhawks sweater.
This record, three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and many other individual awards will be marks on his resume that make Kane a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he's done playing.
Next up for Kane is leading this Red Wings team back into the playoffs, which will end the second-longest drought in the league. It's been a couple of years since he last suited up for the postseason himself, so hockey fans will be treated to "Showtime" on the biggest stage once again.
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.
Kane, 37, had an assist in the second period on Thursday, Jan. 29 against the Washington Capitals to give him 1,375 points, one more than Modano, the former Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars standout who finished his career in Detroit.
It was the second milestone that Kane reached this month. He scored his 500th goal on Jan. 8, becoming the fifth U.S.-born player and 50th overall to hit that mark.
He drew the second assist on a goal by Ben Chiarot to break the points record Thursday. Teammates poured onto the ice to congratulate him.
Kane looked like he might have the record early in the first period when he set up an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, but the play was ruled offsides after a Capitals challenge.
Of all things, just as Patrick Kane is celebrated for setting up DeBrincat and reaching 1,375 points, video review shows it was offside. pic.twitter.com/HzBmm5naqP
It was the second time in three games in which he lost a point. He was originally awarded an assist on a goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 24, but it was later taken away. He had an assist late in that game to move within one point of Modano and then tied the record on Jan. 27 with an assist against the Los Angeles Kings.
Patrick Kane vs. Mike Modano
Modano, who was born in Michigan, played 1,499 games. Kane has played 1,343. Modano had been the U.S. leader for 18-plus years, passing Phil Housley in November 2007 shortly after Kane's NHL debut.
Modano (1988) and Kane (2007) are former No. 1 overall picks. Modano won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and Kane won with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He won a scoring title with 106 points in 2015-16, the only American to do so, and also took home the Hart Trophy that season, ending a 91-year drought for U.S.-born players. His career best was 110 points in 2018-19.
Kane had a brief stint with the Rangers after a 2023 trade, then had hip surgery in the offseason. He signed with the Red Wings in November 2023 after recovering and has been in Detroit since.
Modano was not in the building but the Red Wings played a video message in which he praised Kane's skill level and the influence he has had on young American players.
"They all wanted to be Patrick Kane growing up," Modano said.
Mike Modano with a message to Patrick Kane after he broke his all-time scoring record among U.S.-born players 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vltRjnvL27
Modano's U.S. record of 561 goals (Brett Hull, who played internationally for the USA, was born in Canada) might hold up as the standard for a while. Kane is the next-closest active player at 500. Between him and Modano are Joe Mullen (502), Jeremy Roenick (513) and Keith Tkachuk (538).
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthew is the next active U.S.-born player at 427 goals and 772 points. He's averaging 1.14 points per game to Kane's 1.03.
