The Vancouver Canucks are two games through their mid-December road trip, having already won 2–1 against the New Jersey Devils and 3–0 against the New York Rangers. Already, they’ve faced four of their former players, and could easily take on five more by the end of this trip. With at least one former Canuck faced during each stop in this trip, let’s take a look at these former players’ connections to Vancouver. 

After Devils goaltender Jake Allen was given the start on Saturday for his team, it was former Canuck Jacob Markström who took on the team that he played for over six seasons. Vancouver and Markström parted ways during the 2020 off-season, in which the goaltender signed a six-year contract with the Calgary Flames in free-agency. The Flames traded Markström to the Devils back in June of 2024. 

Another former Canuck who suited up against Vancouver on Sunday was Juho Lammikko, who spent a total of 75 games with the team. Lammikko was acquired by the Canucks back in October of 2021 alongside Noah Juulsen (who appears later on this list) in exchange for former fifth-overall draft pick Olli Juolevi. Lammikko went on to spend three seasons in Switzerland before making his NHL return with the Devils this year. 

As well as Markström and Lammikko, another former Canuck who is now with the Devils is Zack MacEwen, who began his NHL career with Vancouver but was ultimately claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers and proceeded to bounce around the league. He did not play against the Canucks when they stopped in New Jersey on Sunday. 

J.T. Miller made his presence known in Vancouver throughout the near-six years he spent with the team. Now the captain of the Rangers, Miller played in his second game against his former team on Tuesday. Vancouver traded Miller to New York, the team that drafted him 15th overall back in 2011, at the end of January. 

Only a couple of months after Vancouver moved on from Miller, Carson Soucy found himself packing his bags as well. Soucy was traded to the Rangers only one day before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, with Vancouver receiving a third-round pick (which later became center Kieren Dervin) in exchange. Soucy signed with the Canucks back in July of 2023 and amassed five goals and 11 assists in 99 games played with Vancouver during his time there. 

While he isn’t a current player, Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan did spend some time as a member of the Canucks. Serving as an assistant coach during the 2013–14 season, Sullivan was part of John Tortorella’s staff in a season that saw the Canucks finish fifth in the Pacific Division with 83 points. 

Vancouver’s game against the New York Islanders may or may not feature two former Canucks. The reason for this is the fact that Bo Horvat, former Canucks captain and 2013 ninth-overall pick, is currently injured after sustaining a lower-body injury last week. The forward spent nine years as a member of the Canucks, four as captain, and was regarded as an important piece in the team’s core prior to being traded in January of 2023. Horvat is currently day-to-day and could return to his team’s lineup within the next week or so. 

While Horvat’s potential — but likely — absence means Vancouver will face one less former player, this doesn’t mean that their match against the Islanders will be without a former Canuck. Marc Gatcomb, who has played in the Islanders’ past two games, did not end up playing for Vancouver but spent some time with their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Gatcomb’s time with Abbotsford spanned 112 games, during which he scored 12 goals and 16 assists. 

The next stop on Vancouver’s road trip is Boston, where they’ll take on two former Canucks (and Flames) who both signed with the Boston Bruins back in 2024. Traded to Vancouver in a blockbuster in January of 2024, Elias Lindholm only played in 26 regular season games with the Canucks but scored six goals and six assists. He has since moved on to the Bruins, where he has put up 22 goals and 45 assists in 105 games. 

Also traded to Vancouver from Calgary during the 2023–24 season, Nikita Zadorov joined former Flames and Canucks teammate Lindholm in Boston after signing with the team during the 2024 off-season. Vancouver initially acquired Zadorov in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round and 2026 third-round pick. Zadorov quickly became a fan-favourite in Vancouver due to his sharp personality and intense style of play. 

Vancouver’s final stop in this east coast road trip is Philadelphia. The Flyers currently have one former Canucks player and a former Canucks Head Coach. The player, who’d been with the Canucks for four years before signing with the Flyers in free-agency this off-season, is none-other than Juulsen. He was sent from the Florida Panthers to Vancouver via trade alongside Lammikko back in 2021 and skated in 109 games with the Canucks. 

Now Head Coach of the Flyers, Rick Tocchet spent nearly three years as the Canucks’ Head Coach. During this time, he helped coach Vancouver to Game 7 of the second-round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He finished his time in Vancouver with a record of 108–65–27, good for a points-percentage of .608. As the Flyers’ Head Coach, Tocchet has established a current record of 17–9–6. 

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According to Research Ground’s Marco D’Amico, former Montreal Canadiens center Philip Danault is unhappy with the Los Angeles Kings and has requested a trade. The expectation is that it might happen before the roster freeze, but L.A. is after a player-for-player deal and not assets for the future. Would it be a good idea for the Habs to bring him back?

Yes, Danault left as a free agent in the disastrous 2021 offseason when the Canadiens lost half of their center line and realized that the playoff run had taken an incredible physical toll on defenseman Shea Weber, goaltender Carey Price and forward Paul Byron, but it wasn’t because he had had enough of the market. Just like Andrei Markov and Alex Radulov back in 2016, he left over a contractual dispute with former GM Marc Bergevin.

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When he first got to Los Angeles, he had two great seasons of 51 and 54 points, before taking a downward trajectory with seasons of 47 and 43 points. This year, he’s on pace for just 14. He didn’t just forget how to play hockey and put up points; at 35, he is getting less ice time and is no longer playing alongside the likes of Kevin Fiala. Whichever way you look at it, he’s been overtaken by Quinton Byfield, and that was always going to happen.

If he’s asking for a trade because he’s not happy with his ice time and utilization, I’m not entirely convinced that it would be a good move for Kent Hughes to bring him back into the fold. Financially, it could work; he’s only under contract until the end of next season, but he wouldn’t get the kind of role he had with the Canadiens before he left.

Nick Suzuki is the team’s number one center, Oliver Kapanen is not doing bad work centring the second lines against all odds, Jake Evans isn’t doing great, and Joe Veleno isn’t very impactful with just three points in 28 games. Would a bottom-six role suit him? Would he be an upgrade over Kapanen and be able to build chemistry with Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky?

If the Canadiens have concluded that Kirby Dach won’t be the second-line center they once hoped he would be, could they use Danault as a stopgap before the arrival of Michael Hage? Perhaps, but looking at the big picture, it would likely be more profitable to let Kapanen get more experience, as he’ll be in the league long after Danault has retired.

Furthermore, if the Kings are after a player-for-player deal, the price tag may be high. It’s doubtful that they’ll accept taking Brendan Gallagher of the Canadiens’ hands, and besides, he does have a full no-movement clause on his contract. Josh Anderson? I’m not sure there’s a need for him in LA, and thinking about the playoffs, Montreal needs Anderson’s sandpaper, at least until Florian Xhekaj is NHL-ready. Could the Kings be willing to take Dach? Given his injury history, that would be a big gamble for them, and he’s due for a new contract. Even if he’ll only be a RFA and remain under team control, it makes the situation blurry for a team willing to take him on.

I believe the best course of action for the Canadiens is to stick with Kapanen, unless, of course, the price tag on Danault is lower than what it seems to be right now. Hage is just around the corner, and while it’s hard to know how well his game will translate to the pro level, he’s improved significantly over the last couple of seasons and judging from an interview published today by D’Amico, he’s willing to do everything it takes to make it work.

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On Wednesday morning, the New York Islanders announced that they had loaned rookie defenseman Travis Mitchell back to Bridgeport. 

#Isles announce that they have loaned D Travis Mitchell back to Bridgeport.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) December 17, 2025

Mitchell, 26, made his NHL debut on Black Friday, playing in nine of the last 10 games.

Helping to fill the Alexander Romanov hole, Mitchell has provided stability for the most part, keeping things simple, but has only averaged 11:32 minutes per game. That's led to more minutes for Adam Pelech and No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer. 

Another caveat to the send-down is that Mitchell is one NHL game away fromlosing his waiver exemption:

Something For Islanders To Consider When It Comes To Travis MitchellRookie blueliner Travis Mitchell's solid play forces a tough decision. Will the Islanders risk waiving him to keep defensive depth options open?

It's possible that the Islanders are swapping Mitchell for another left-side defenseman who can eat some more minutes. Isaiah George, who returned this past weekend after missing a month with an upper-body injury, averaged 15:39 in his 33-game stint on the big squad last season. 

Could we see rookie Marshall Warren, who played his first two games at the NHL level once Alexander Romanov went down the first time, come back up?

He averaged 12:08 minutes per game over his small stint. 

While the Islanders don't play until Friday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks, Bridgeport is in action on Wednesday night against the Syracuse Crunch.  So, don't expect a corresponding move to come until at least Thursday morning, maybe not until Friday morning. 

Mitchell recorded one goal, four shots on 13 shot attempts, adding six blocks and 13 hits in 103:50 total minutes. 

The Islanders are off on Wednesday after their 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Mitchell played a career-high 15:04 minutes but didn't play the final 6:37. 

The New York Islanders are 1-1-0 without Bo Horvat over the last two games. Despite two different results, there's been a common theme.

In both games, the Islanders deviated from the style that's led to their success this season, reverting to Barry Trotz's style of securing points. 

.@stefen_rosner Morning Minute on what he’s seen from #Isles over these last two games without Bo Horvat: pic.twitter.com/YhJTPy6qjf

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) December 17, 2025

On Saturday night, the Islanders went up 2-0 early and tried to play a more grindy style to get the two points. 

Ultimately, they allowed the Tampa Bay Lightning to build momentum, come back, and recover for a 3-2 shootout win. 

The Islanders were held to just one shot in the second period, allowing 17 before being outshot 8-6 in the third period. 

When in doubt, it was flip into the neutral zone and out, which kept Tampa on the attack and the Islanders on their heels. 

Sorokin's brilliancy is what allowed the Islanders two points. 

The Islanders owned a Corsi For % of 47.22. 

However, on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, the Islanders couldn't win playing that way and fell 3-2. 

After going up 1-0 in the first period courtesy of Emil Heineman, the Islanders tried to get puck deeps and get the forecheck going -- but to no avail -- not consistently at least. 

They weren't winning puck battles, and their struggles to take away time and space in the neutral zone let the Red Wings generate chances off the rush, which helped Detroit get on the board. 

The Islanders allowed two power-play goals, only one at 5-on-5, but they just weren't generating enough when the puck was on their sticks. The latter of the two power-play goals came with 2:17 to play in the third. 

The Islanders owned a Corsi For % of 44.66.

There's a reason the Islanders have been held to 18 or fewer shots this season, compared to the 29.3 shots per game they averaged over the previous 32 seasons. 

The Islanders 939 shots are fifth in the NHL. 

With Horvat's 200-foot game out of the lineup, it's understandable why the Islanders may be tweaking how they're playing. He's a huge loss.

It's a major test, but this group has overcome obstacles all season and found a way to get into rhythms. It's been a tough first two games.

It's been a season of players taking advantage of opportunities, so the question is, who will rise up and take advantage of their newfound minutes? Who will play the leading role in helping the team keep their foot on the gas when the light turns yellow, not slow down to play it safe? 

Philadelphia Flyers forward Christian Dvorak was among the 32 players featured on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.

The Flyers center was given the No. 29 spot on Johnston's list. 

"Dvorak has had a nice start to his tenure in Philadelphia, where he signed a one-year contract as a free agent in July. That makes him a deadline asset for the Flyers to flip if they again become sellers," Johnston wrote.

There is no question that Dvorak has proven to be a solid pickup for the Flyers early. In 32 games so far this season, he has recorded seven goals, 16 assists, 23 points, and a plus-10 rating. With numbers like these, he has found himself a spot in the Flyers' top six.

If the Flyers were to shop Dvorak this season, there would likely be a good amount of interest in him given how good he has played this season. This is especially so with the trade market for centers not being the strongest right now. 

Yet, for the Flyers to actually end up being sellers and trade Dvorak, a lot would need to go wrong with their season from here. Right now, the Flyers have been one of the NHL's biggest surprises, as they have a 17-9-6 record and are third in the Metropolitan Division standings. If they continue to play this well as the season rolls on, they will very likely keep Dvorak around for the playoffs. 

Furthermore, given how well Dvorak has fit in, the possibility of him getting a contract extension later this season should not be ruled out. With Dvorak signing a one-year contract this summer with the Flyers, he is not eligible to sign an extension with Philadelphia until January. Once the new month is here, that could be something to keep an eye on.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what happens between the Flyers and Dvorak from here. 

NHL insider Chris Johnston has made his latest trade board for The Athletic, and it featured two Chicago Blackhawks: defenseman Connor Murphy and goaltender Laurent Brossoit.

Seeing Murphy make Johnston's trade board is not necessarily surprising. The veteran blueliner is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), and the Blackhawks have a ton of young promising defensemen in their system. Due to this, it certainly is possible that the Blackhawks could shop Murphy as we inch closer to the trade deadline. 

Murphy should generate interest from contenders, as he is a big right-shot defenseman with who is reliable and has plenty of experience. In 33 games this season, Murphy has posted three assists, 29 hits, and 46 blocks. 

As for Brossoit, it is no secret that the Blackhawks have been working to find him a new home. The veteran goaltender recently cleared waivers, but Johnston noted that Brossoit still could generate trade interest, especially if the Blackhawks are willing to retain some of his $3.3 million salary. In three games this season with the Rockford IceHogs, he has posted a 2-1-0 record, a .900 save percentage, and a 3.39 goals-against average. 

Brossoit could be a nice pickup for a team that needs help at the backup position if he stays healthy. 

ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild (20-9-5) returned to the ice on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals (18-11-4). 

There was a record that was broken in that game.

Kirill Kaprizov has now set a Wild franchise record in the win over the Capitals. He entered the game with zero goals and zero career points in five games against the Capitals but walked out with a record.

With his power-play goal in the second period, Kaprizov now has 70 career power-play goals. It was his 21st goal of the year and his eighth power-play goal this season. 

Kirill Kaprizov is the new @mnwild franchise leader in power-play goals! 💚 pic.twitter.com/5QgelsZKSQ

— NHL (@NHL) December 17, 2025

Since entering the NHL in 2020-21, Kaprizov and Alex Ovechkin were tied for the most goals by a Russian skater. Kaprizov broke that tie in a game against Ovechkin.

Kaprizov: 206 goals in 353 games

Ovechkin: 205 goals in 372 games

Since it was his 206th career goal, Kaprizov passed Mikko Koivu (205) for the second most in franchise history. He sits 13 back of Marian Gaborik (219) for the franchise record.

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The big story of the day in town on Tuesday was the Montreal Canadiens’ decision to send Samuel Montembeault down to the Laval Rocket on a conditioning stint, which was no doubt prompted by the fact that Jacob Fowler has shown he can already do the job with the Habs. As a result, the 21-year-old netminder got his first home start against the Philadelphia Flyers.

That development took some of the spotlight away from the fact that Mike Matheson would be missing the game with an upper-body injury, but that came back to the forefront when Jayden Struble was slotted in to play on the top pairing alongside Noah Dobson.

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A Golden Opportunity

As is always the case in pro sports, one man’s injury is another one’s opportunity. With Matheson sidelined, Arber Xhekaj was back in the lineup, joining Struble and Adam Engstrom. That was an opportunity for the three defensemen to show that they deserve to be in the lineup when the injured players return, but not everyone seized it.

Xhekaj looked nervous on the ice, and 12 minutes into the first frame, he made an ill-advised pass, which turned into a giveaway. Nothing came of it, but it didn’t go unnoticed. On his next shift, he was unable to handle a routine pass, and it turned out to be his last shift of the period. Every other defenseman saw some ice time on the penalty kill, but not Xhekaj.

While he does bring something special to the lineup with his grit and physicality, he cannot rely solely on that to ensure his presence in the lineup. He really needs to clean up those mistakes that keep happening too often. Since being called up, Engstrom has played a cleaner game than the young veteran, and with 2:49 left in the first frame, he got to play a first shift with Lane Hutson. It might have been because Xhekaj was sitting, but it does show that the coach appreciates his work.

That being said, I don’t believe Struble is having a better season than Xhekaj; his mistakes are not as obvious or frequent.

Late Goals Are Gut Punches

Whoever is in net, one thing that never helps a team is to let in late goals. Through 40 minutes, the Flyers were leading 3-1, and two of their goals came with less than a minute left in the first two frames. That’s a momentum killer if there ever was one, especially when it comes 40 seconds after taking the lead. That Carl Grundstrom goal was the result of yet another defensive snafu, though, so it’s not entirely on Fowler, but the goaltender is there to stop the pucks and to fix mistakes as well.

As for the goal that made it 3-1, that one was on Fowler; he came out of his net to handle the puck behind the goal line and just left it, thinking his defenseman would collect it, but he hadn’t seen Matvei Michkov coming. The Russian fed Bobby Brink in front of the net, and just like that, the Habs were down 3-1. Of course, one could say there was a breakdown in communication between the goaltender and his defensemen, but still, Fowler cannot do that. That’s a mistake he’s not likely to repeat anytime soon.

Lil rookie mistake by Fowler leads to a Flyers goal 😅 pic.twitter.com/DaEqdndSdH

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 17, 2025

Not The Same Without Matheson

The Canadiens better hope that the veteran blueliner isn’t out long-term, because they missed him greatly tonight. Lane Hutson had to shoulder much of the load and spent over 27 minutes on the ice, which is a lot even by his standards. However, in his post-game press availability, coach Martin St-Louis explained he felt his team’s attack struggled tonight because it didn’t use its blueliners enough:

I felt like we died with the puck in the offensive zone because we weren’t using our defensemen. It’s a team that plays really tight in front of the net, and if you don’t use your blueliners, you’re playing three-on-five. It’s something we talked about before the game as well; we had trouble sending the puck up the zone. When you do that, you force those teams that are compact in front of the net to deploy themselves, and then you can attack more on the inside.

That’s a fair point, and it may go some way toward explaining the lack of shots in the first two periods, but this has now become a trend. You’re rarely going to win a game when you’ve had a total of 10 shots on net after 40 minutes.

Asked for his thoughts on Adam Engstrom, whom he’s now seen in a few games, the bench boss said:

Obviously, he’s a great skater. I just think he plays the game that’s in front of him. I don’t think he’s intimidated by the NHL; he just plays the game. I think he’s a confident kid, and he can do a lot on the ice. He doesn’t seem too worried out there, so not only has he got a lot of tools, but he’s also got the confidence behind the tools.

The pilot was very pleased with his ability to make reads at high speed, which bodes well for the young man’s future.

The Canadiens will practice in Brossard at 11:30 on Wednesday before leaving for their traditional children’s Christmas hospital visit at 1:30 PM. They'll play their next game on Thursday night at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, who will be without injured star Connor Bedard.

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The Detroit Red Wings owed the New York Islanders for their previous two losses in which they were outscored 12-2. 

Forward Alex DeBrincat, one of the hottest goal scorers in the NHL right now, made sure that New York wouldn't enjoy a third straight win over Detroit. 

He scored his 19th and 20th goals of the season, both on the power-play, in the third period of what would ultimately be a 3-2 Red Wings victory at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday evening. 

Not only did DeBrincat reach the 20-goal mark for the sixth consecutive season, but he also became the fastest Red Wings player to reach the plateau since Henrik Zetterberg in 2007-08, the most recent season in which they won the Stanley Cup. 

What's been going right for him? As the old adage goes, just get pucks on net. 

"Just shooting the puck a lot, I think," DeBrincat said. "Obviously playing with great players who get me the puck in good situations, and I'm just trying to pull the trigger as much as I can. Luckily, two went in today and hopefully it keeps going." 

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

The Red Wings have not had a 40-goal scorer since Marian Hossa reached that mark during his first and only season in Detroit in 2008–09.

Following their devastating Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, Hossa signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and went on to win the Stanley Cup three times alongside current Red Wings forward Patrick Kane from 2010 to 2015.

Kane later developed an instant chemistry with DeBrincat during their time in Chicago, a special bond that they now share as members of the Red Wings. 

Head coach Todd McLellan made no secret about the fact that he appreciates the competitive nature of DeBrincat, and that it rubs off on the rest of his teammates. 

“His competitiveness rubs off on everybody else and his ability to shoot it into the net is second to none, so that combination is great," McLellan said. "He does so many other things that he almost drags the rest of the group into the game. That’s a good thing for us.”

Currently, DeBrincat is on pace to reach 48 goals, which would be the highest number by a Red Wings player since Brendan Shanahan scored 46 goals following his trade to Detroit in October 1996. 

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The biggest story going into the Tuesday matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers was the goaltending battle, which featured two netminders in Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner who were swapped in a trade between the teams on Friday. 

And, unfortunately for the Penguins, Jarry and the Oilers got the better of them.

The Penguins fell to the Oilers, 6-4, on Tuesday to bank their sixth consecutive loss and bring their record to 14-9-9. Edmonton scored three times on the power play, Connor McDavid registered four points, and Jarry stopped 26 of 30 Penguins' shots to propel the team to the win. 

Skinner allowed five goals on 22 shots, and he admitted the first part of the first period was a little weird for him. 

"It was definitely different. Super weird, like, taking a nap and thinking that I'm playing the old team," Skinner said. "So, the first period, I feel like for the first five minutes I kind of had to settle my game in and calm my mind down. And as the game went on, I think I did a better and better job at that. Obviously not the way that I wanted to start. I think I definitely could have helped these guys out on a few goals."

Skinner may have had the opportunity to settle in a bit more naturally. But an early disallowed goal may have changed the entire complexion of the game.

A little more than six minutes into the game, Rickard Rakell drew a tripping penalty on Mattias Ekholm. The Penguins had a generally lackluster power play after that, but Ben Kindel came in on the rush within the last 20 seconds of the man advantage and found Justin Brazeau in the slot, who sniped it past Jarry for what would have been his ninth goal of the season. 

What Brett Kulak Brings To The Penguins After Trade From EdmontonThe Pittsburgh Penguins got Brett Kulak back in the Tristan Jarry deal, and he has the tools to help this team.

However, the Penguins were offside on the play, and the goal was called back. From there, they took a disastrous string of penalties that, ultimately, doomed them early on in the game. 

About a minute after the expiration of Ekholm's penalty, Danton Heinen took an interference penalty, followed by a Bryan Rust hooking penalty then a Brett Kulak - playing in his first game with the Penguins as well - delay of game penalty that came just 18 seconds after the Rust penalty to give the Oilers an extended five-on-three. 

Zach Hyman scored on the two-man advantage with assists from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who recorded his 1,000th career NHL point on the play. He became the first German-born player to ever reach the 1,000-point mark. 

Draisaitl hits 1,000 @NHL points on Hyman's opening PPG 🙌 #LetsGoOilerspic.twitter.com/2Jto5GsASM

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 17, 2025

Then - still on the power play - McDavid skated through the neutral zone and through the entire Penguins' penalty-killing unit for a breakaway, and he buried it just 16 seconds after the first power play goal. Even though Tommy Novak responded with a late first-period goal - and the rest of the game was back-and-forth - the Penguins could never quite recover after those initial power play goals. 

Skinner let in a leaky goal to Matt Savoie early in the second period, and the Penguins - once again - responded via a booming one-timer on the power play by Erik Karlsson to make it 3-2. Sidney Crosby registered the primary assist on the play, putting him just one point shy of tying Mario Lemieux for the Penguins' all-time lead in points. But Brazeau took another Penguins' penalty a few minutes later, and Evan Bouchard had a power play goal of his own from the slot to put Edmonton back up by two. 

Vasily Podkolzin added a goal in the third period to make it 5-2, then Bryan Rust scored with the net empty with less than four minutes to go in regulation to make it 5-3. But McDavid got his second of the night on the empty net after that, and Heinen's goal with 14 seconds left on the clock was too little, too late.

"The season's always going to be a bit of a roller coaster, and obviously, right now, we're in a downswing," Rust said. "And I think we can't just go around here moping around and coming in every day with long faces. I think each day is a new day. We'll think about this one for the rest of the night, to learn our lessons, to move on.

"Obviously, we've had a few too many lessons to learn here recently, but we can't sit and sulk and dwell on it."

'We're Ripping Off The Band-Aid Right Away': Skinner, Jarry To Square Off Against Former TeamsThe Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers completed a trade Friday that involved a goaltender swap - and they will face off against each other in their new uniforms Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

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Here are some takeaways from this one:

- The story of this game was special teams from start to finish. And, unfortunately, the Penguins just didn't have an answer for Edmonton's lethal power play unit. 

But they didn't do themselves any favors in the first period. 

First, there was the inteference call on Heinen near the midway point of the first. The Penguins did a pretty good job killing off the first half of that penalty until Rust was called for hooking a minute and eight seconds later. Edmonton went to the five-on-three. 

And - once again - the Penguins did pretty well for themselves. That is, until Kulak airmailed a clearing attempt into the stands, extending the Oilers' five-on-three.

That's when Hyman scored and gave Draisaitl point No. 1,000. Then, just 14 seconds later, McDavid walked the entire Penguins' penalty kill and went right in on Skinner, who never had a chance. 

When things aren't going well for your team, you have to find a way to stay disciplined and stay out of the box, especially against a power play as lethal as Edmonton's. The call on Brazeau ahead of Bouchard's goal was a bit weak, but it was still costly. 

The Penguins were a pretty decent five-on-five team in this game, but - in a rare instance - their special teams let them down big-time.

- I think it might be time to break up that top line.

They're getting caved in defensively on most nights and aren't generating enough on offense to make up for it. They look slow. Crosby is turning the puck over with high frequency, Rust is hard to watch in his own zone, and Rakell looks like the only player on the line interested in playing a full 200-foot game, even if he's still shaking off some rust. 

Most first lines are outmatching them at five-on-five. They really need a new look, and - although I don't expect it to happen - I do think Crosby and Rust need to be split up. They're becoming a liability defensively together. 

I don't love the idea of breaking up the second line - as I think that has, generally, been the Penguins' best line - but I'd give Brazeau some runway with Crosby and Rakell and let Rust slide down to the second line with Kindel and McGroarty. Just swap those guys for a few games and see if it works. Maybe McGroarty can see some minutes on the top line in place of Brazeau instead. 

I really do think that Rakell and Crosby should be kept together regardless. Rakell not only has chemistry with Crosby, he also has a defensive conscience. I think either McGroarty or Brazeau could be a good complement there. 

But, regardless, something needs to change at the top of the lineup. The Penguins are limited on center depth right now, so honestly, it wouldn't surprise me to see Rakell get some reps at center on the second line - even if I'm not sure that's the best way for the Penguins to go right now. 

Opinion: The Penguins Need To Right The Ship - And It Starts With Their LeadersThe Pittsburgh Penguins are mired in their worst stretch of the season, and it's up to Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang to pull them out of it.

- Aside from the Savoie goal, not much of this can be pinned on Skinner tonight. 

It's not ideal to greet your newly acquired goaltender - in his first game in your uniform which happens to be against his former team - by giving him an endless three-on-five to defend against in his first period as part of the team. The unfortunate thing is that Skinner made some saves in this game, but his start was tainted from the beginning because of that five-on-three. 

It will be interesting to see who gets the net Thursday between Skinner and Arturs Silovs. I thought, for the most part, Skinner was fine on Tuesday, all things considered. 

- This was a really, really rough night for Karlsson and, especially, Parker Wotherspoon.

Wotherspoon was on for all five of the Oilers' goals against aside from the empty-net goal, and Karlsson was on for five as well (including the empty-net goal). Wotherspoon was credited with two giveaways, and he also got undressed on McDavid's breakaway goal and didn't look particularly good on Podkolzin's goal. 

Podzilla attack 🦖 #LetsGoOilerspic.twitter.com/uCiH7hqNQS

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 17, 2025

Karlsson was one for five against - including the empty-net goal - and he looked lost in his own zone and in the neutral zone all night. 

Look, every player is entitled to a bad game or two. Wotherspoon and Karlsson have been so, so good for the Penguins for most of the season, but like everyone else lately, their play has fallen off in a big way in recent games. 

With Kulak in the mix, it will be interesting to see how Muse shuffles the defensive pairings. I'd keep Wotherspoon and Karlsson together for now, but things are starting to fall apart a bit.

- Speaking of Kulak, I thought he was - for the most part - fine in his Penguins' debut. Obviously, the delay of game penalty was very costly, but aside from that one huge blip on the radar, he was fine next to partner Jack St. Ivany, who was also playing in his first NHL game this season. 

'It Just Made Sense For Us To Do It At This Time': Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas Gives Insight On Jarry TradeIt's safe to say that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-penguins-deal-tristan-jarry-to-edmonton-oilers">the trade sending Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday</a> - which returned goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick - surprised a whole lot of people, fans and players alike.

I thought St. Ivany looked a bit rusty, which is to be expected in a player's first game of the season in mid-December. One thing I did like from him, though, is that he was engaged physically, and he was tied for the team lead in hits with four. 

I'd give that pairing a few games runway. But I also think it wouldn't be the worst thing to try Kulak with Kris Letang, who has struggled this season. Ryan Shea's play has fallen off lately, and he's still, ideally, a third-pairing or seventh defenseman on a playoff team. 

- This is six straight losses for the Penguins. They went 0-2-3 on their five-game homestand, and they are 0-2-4 without Evgeni Malkin in the lineup. 

As I've said for much of the past week, the Penguins' leadership group just needs to find a way to lead this team out of the rut it's in. There's no other choice, no other way. Crosby needs to be better. Rust needs to be better. Karlsson needs to be better, and so does Letang. Most teams are only as good as their best players will take them, and right now, the Penguins aren't getting enough from their top players.

If they hope to salvage their season, it needs to start with them and with a reset on the road, beginning in Ottawa against the Senators on Thursday.

Oilers Look Like Way Too Early Trade Winners After 6-4 Win Over PittsburghFive days.

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When the Pittsburgh Penguins returned home to face the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 9 to start five-straight games inside PPG Paints Arena, they were coming off a really successful three-game roadtrip. 

They blew out the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Dec. 1, held on for dear life to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Dec. 4, and earned a point against the Dallas Stars on Dec. 7. They would've swept the trip if they had survived a 6-on-5 at the end of the third period against the Stars. In the end, they lost that game in a shootout. 

Still, they earned five out of six points on that trip and were 14-7-6 going into this five-game homestand with a legit opportunity to make more progress in the standings. Instead, they lost all five games, allowed 25 goals, and earned only three out of 10 points, dropping them to 14-9-9 overall. They're still very much alive in the playoff race, but they picked a brutal time to have their worst stretch of the season to date. 

It looked like it was going to get off to a great start last Tuesday. They had a power play and an offensive zone faceoff with 17 seconds left against the Ducks in the third period. All they had to do was keep the puck away from the Ducks to secure two points. Instead, they let Beckett Sennecke go through the offensive zone unimpeded to tie the game with .1 seconds left before losing in a shootout. 

It felt like that tying goal, which was a bad bounce off Erik Karlsson's glove (even though it never should've gotten to that point), cursed the rest of the homestand because the Penguins never recovered. They blew a 5-1 lead to the San Jose Sharks and a 3-0 lead to the Utah Mammoth over the weekend before losing 6-4 to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. They also lost to the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 last Thursday. 

Even when the Penguins would play well in these games, something bad would happen and then snowball into something worse, especially in the games against the Sharks and Mammoth. They had multi-goal leads against both teams in the third period and looked scared. They were sitting back and letting the opposing players do whatever they want instead of taking the fight to them. It's what happens when a team has no confidence. 

Now that this has occurred, it's on everyone to correct it. It's on the players to commit to playing a full 60 minutes instead of cowering in the face of adversity. 

The top line of Rakell-Crosby-Rust, in particular, needs to be a lot better than it has been. Despite producing six points in his last six games, Crosby has been looking a step behind and hasn't been playing well in his own zone. For as productive as Rust has been (four goals and seven points in his last four games), he also hasn't been playing well in his own zone, ditto for Rakell. 

Takeaways: Penguins Drop Sixth Straight On Milestone Night For Oilers' DraisaitlThe biggest story going into the Tuesday matchup between the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> and <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/">Edmonton Oilers</a> was the goaltending battle, which featured two netminders in Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner who were <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/we-re-ripping-off-the-band-aid-right-away-skinner-jarry-to-square-off-against-former-teams">swapped in a trade between the teams on Friday</a>.&nbsp;

Defensively, Kris Letang needs to be a lot better on the second pair. He's been really fighting it this season and has been caught out of position too many times. He's been playing with Ryan Shea for the bulk of this season, but as I wrote last week, it might be time to see if a new partner (like Brett Kulak) can help get more out of him, otherwise the coaching staff might have to start cutting his minutes. He's still averaging 21:33 per game, which is almost two full minutes less than his 23:31 per game last year. Still, he's not affecting the game as much as he once did. 

We've seen what the Penguins can look like when they're firing on all cylinders. If you go back to October, when they'd take a lead into the third period, they'd shut things down. Heck, even against the Flyers earlier this month, they took a 3-1 lead into the third period and locked everything down. They even added two more insurance goals to win 5-1. The blueprint is there, but it's on everyone to find it on a more consistent basis. 

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San Jose Sharks forward Jeff Skinner has hit a new career milestone.

During the Sharks' Dec. 16 contest against the Calgary Flames, Skinner officially played in the 1,100th game of his NHL career. 

It is undoubtedly a big accomplishment for an NHL player to reach 1,100 career games, and Skinner is now the latest player to do so. This new milestone shows just how strong of a career the Sharks sniper has had. What also makes it even more impressive is that he is still just 33 years old. 

Skinner became an NHL regular immediately after being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes with the seventh-overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, as he put up a 63-point season as a rookie in 2010-11. Now, Skinner is in his 16th NHL season.

Skinner joined the Sharks this off-season when he signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the club in free agency. In 21 games so far this season with the Sharks, he has recorded four goals and seven points. 

In 1,100 career NHL games split between the Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, and Sharks, Skinner has posted 377 goals, 329 assists, and 706 points.

Adam Fantilli scored with 1:28 left in overtime to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4–3 win over the Ducks on Tuesday night, breaking a five-game losing streak.

Zach Werenski scored twice and added an assist in his 600th NHL game, Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist, and Kent Johnson added two assists. Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots for his first win since Nov. 20.

Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist, Ryan Strome and Jackson LaCombe also scored goals, and Ryan Poehling recorded two assists for the Ducks. Ville Husso made 24 saves as the Ducks dropped three games on their five-city trip.

Werenski gave Columbus an early lead at 8:21 of the first period, burying a feed from Jenner to extend his home point streak to 11 games.

Strome pulled the Ducks even with a wrister from the crease at 3:35 of the second period, but Columbus responded with two goals in a 43-second span. Werenski put the Blue Jackets back on top before Jenner backhanded in the rebound of an Ivan Provorov shot just 19 seconds later to make it 3–1.

After Granlund pulled the Ducks within a goal at 5:29, LaCombe tied the score with 3:16 left in the third. Fantilli then ended it in overtime with a wrister from the right circle.

The win was Columbus' first over the Ducks in Nationwide Arena since Dec. 1, 2017.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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There aren't many players in the National Hockey League hotter than Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat right now, who has points in seven of his last eight games and came through once again in the clutch on Tuesday evening against the New York Islanders. 

With newborn son Leighton in attendance, DeBrincat scored a pair of power-play goals in the third period, including the game-winner with 2:17 left in regulation, as part of Detroit's 3-2 win.

THAT'S A #REDWINGS WIN!!!! pic.twitter.com/dMEzKFWCVP

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 17, 2025

DeBrincat gathered the rebound of his initial shot that deflected off Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock and fired a shot past goaltender Ilya Sorokin for the winning tally: 

GOTTA LOVE THE CAT!!! pic.twitter.com/7e3Lqaev7m

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 17, 2025

Playing the role of hero, DeBrincat would become the first Red Wings player this season to reach the 20-goal mark with his winner late in regulation. He's also on pace to become the first Red Wings player since Marian Hossa in 2008-09 to reach 40 goals scored. 

It was Detroit's first victory in three tries over the Islanders this season, who had taken both previous contests from the Red Wings by a combined 12-2 score. 

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With the victory, the Red Wings have now won five of their last seven and improved their record to 19-12-3 through the first 34 games of their centennial campaign.

The Islanders struck first when Emil Heineman one-timed a shot past goaltender John Gibson at the 4:27 mark of the opening period, and it remained the game’s only goal until early in the third.

The Red Wings generated multiple chances against Ilya Sorokin through the first 40 minutes, including a breakaway by John Leonard, who was making his Detroit debut after being called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins to replace the injured Patrick Kane.

Rookie defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka ended Sorokin’s bid for a second straight shutout in Detroit by roofing a shot over his shoulder early in the third period to tie the game at 1-1. DeBrincat then scored on Detroit’s first power-play opportunity of the night not even two minutes later to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.

However, the Islanders quickly answered when defenseman Scott Mayfield snuck in from the point, took a pass, and beat Gibson from the slot for his first goal of the season.

That set the stage for DeBrincat, who collected his team-leading ninth power-play tally of the season that ultimately stood up as the game-winner. 

Gibson won his fifth straight game for the Red Wings, making 16 saves on the 18 shots he faced, while Sorokin countered with 18 saves of his own on 21 shots against. 

The Red Wings won't have much time to celebrate their win, as they're back at it on Wednesday evening against the visiting Utah Mammoth. 

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