I am still reeling from that Ilya Sorokin performance on Thursday in Edmonton. Ye gods, that was a masterpiece.
But anyway, on to the next one. The Islanders are in Calgary for an afternoon meeting, and David Rittich will start against his former team (though as he noted, there aren’t a lot of former teammates in the other room).
The Flames are a couple steps above the Western basement and seven points below the final wild card spot. They’ve been better-ish of late (5-5 in their last 10) but are still expected to basically tread water for the lottery.
With no Bo Horvat, the Isles are getting by on great goaltending. [Newsday]
Some timely improvement from Anthony Duclair has also helped. [Post]
Takeaways, Barzal on Sorokin: “There’s not enough words to describe how good that guy is.” [Isles]
More discussion of Sorokin on the Tri-State podcast with Arthur Staple. [YouTube]
Confirmed now, Horvat will not be joining them on this trip. [Post]
Here’s a selection of practice media availabilities from yesterday, including Tony DeAngelo noting that Adam Pelech “may look like a stay-at-home defenseman, but he breaks out like an offensive defenseman,” and Andrew Gross asking Czech David Rittich if he’s “a sentimental guy” as he returns to Calgary:
Today’s opponent: Presented without comment, other than to be rude earworm for your afternoon:
Elsewhere
Last night’s scores included Carolina thumping Florida NINE to one and Tampa Bay finally losing, but still getting a regulation point.
Another letter! Chris Drury signed a letter to fans about the Smurfs disaster, and I believe he actually wrote it because it was worded weirdly and included em dashes and en dashes within the same sentence. It’s weird how J.T. Miller did not save them. [NHL]
Dean Evason was blindsided by his firing in Columbus. [Sportsnet]
Supposedly trade talks are heating up for Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson. [TSN]
This is an old story resurrected, but: How Moncton got Ted Nolan back into coaching, and eventually a call from the Isles. [Sportsnet]
ST.
LOUIS – The
St. Louis Blues looked forward to the opportunity to slay the dragon
on Friday night, the hottest team in the NHL going in the Tampa Bay
Lightning.
The
Lightning had bolted their way through 11 straight opponents with a
hot knife, and the Blues were next on the agenda and with another
win, the Lightning would establish a franchise record.
The
Blues would have none of that, and it took every ounce of energy and
they did it in a fashion they had trouble with all season: doing it
in overtime and/or a shootout.
But
when Jordan Kyrou scored in the second round of the shootout and Joel
Hofer was 3-for-3 in saves, including the final one on Nikita
Kucherov in the third round, the Blues put an end to the Lightning’s
winning streak at 11 with a 3-2 win at Enterprise Center on Friday.
“It
feels great,” Kyrou
said.
“Obviously we haven’t done that all year. It feels good to get
that one.”
Jake
Neighbours and Nick Bjugstad scored, and Hofer made 34 saves as the
Blues (19-21-8) completed a mini two-game homestand winning both
against two of the Eastern Conference’s best.
“We
knew it would be a good test, a quick little homestand before a road
trip,” Neighbours
said.
“It was a big point of emphasis for us. Carolina was coming off a
back to back, so that game was important and Tampa was on an 11-game
win streak coming into tonight. Two big games and guys rose up for
the challenge, played a stingy, hard defensive game. Don’t think we
had our best tonight by any means, but guys dug in and got it done.”
Let’s
look at Friday’s game observations:
*
Quick strike first period after not much happening – The ice was
tilted for much of the first period toward’s Hofer’s end of the
ice.
The
Lightning had much of the territorial edge in the first period, and
for the Blues, there was a lot of one-and-done. The few times they’d
get pucks in and try to attack offensively on the forecheck, it was
coming right back out.
But
when Neighbours and Bjugstad struck 30 seconds apart to turn a 0-0
game into a 2-0 lead, it allowed them to dictate things for a stretch
of the game.
When
Neighbours made it 1-0 at 17:03, it was a fortuitous bounce when
Kyrou’s shot from the high slot deflected to Neighbours at the
bottom of the right circle, but the Blues were finally able to get
to the middle of the ice when Cam Fowler dropped it to Kyrou for the
shot and Neighbours finish:
And
when the Bjugstad line with Pavel Buchnevich and Jonatan Berggren put
a puck in deep and had an effective forecheck, effectively turning it
over from Charlie-Edouard D’Astous behind the net and Buchnevich
feeding Bjugstad for a high-slot wrister that made it 2-0 at 17:33:
We didn't even get the highlight from the last goal done before this happened. pic.twitter.com/T1CtKZcfg8
“Part
of the way our defense and our systems are built is if teams are
keeping the puck that we can keep them to the outside and not allow a
lot of high-danger chances,” Neighbours said. “I thought we did a
pretty good job of that, especially early in the first period, kind
of allowed us to get our legs under us a little bit. Obviously
getting a couple goals at the end of the first was big for confidence
and mojo going into the second.”
*
Blues
were managing game well ... until penalties struck, including one bad
one – The Blues had gotten close to the midway point of the game
holding a two-goal lead against a potent and balanced offense, but
when Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker each took a tripping minor,
that’s asking for trouble.
Especially
Walker, whose careless trip could have been prevented, especially
when the Blues were doing an excellent job at killing off the initial
minor. Walker had the puck along the wall near the Blues bench, and
with the final seconds ticking down on Toropchenko’s penalty, all
Walker had to do was dump the puck down below the goal line and the
Lightning almost surely would not have had time to score. But
instead, he tried to pull the puck around Oliver Bjorkstrand and
ended up tripping him, giving the Lightning, which was sixth in the
league at 28.6 percent during its 11-game win streak, the chance to
get right back in the game.
It
wasn’t much time, but the Lightning had 12 seconds of a two-man
advantage and needed only eight ticks when Kucherov one-timed a
Brandon Hagel no-look pass by Hofer at 9:59 to make it 2-1.
Not
only did it put the Lightning back in the game, but it gave Tampa Bay
1:52 of another full man advantage and the Lightning took advantage
when Bjorkstrand tied the game 2-2 at 11:01, so feeling like they had
firm control of the game, the Blues lost their grip.
All
due to one mishap that could have been avoided.
“Nathan
Walker’s an incredible team-first guy who would do anything to win
a game,” Montgomery
said.
“I know he knows that. We don’t have to talk to him about that.
He was trying to do a positive thing and it wasn’t the right game
management at the time in the second period.”
The
Blues didn’t feel like it was time to panic.
“After
they tied it, it’s just … that’s Kucherov,” Neighbours said.
“That’s that power play. It’s hard to stop even when you know
what’s coming. That’s what elite players do, that’s what good
power plays do. We knew 5-on-5, we didn’t mind our game. We thought
we had a chance and if we could get it back to that and stay with
that, we had a good chance.”
Walker
led all skaters with six hits in the game, and he does play with a
big heart, but that miscue could have cost the Blues two points.
Consider it a lesson learned.
*
Hofer being Hofer – Right now, the Blues goalie is playing with a
lot of confidence in his game.
The
Lightning, like the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, were throwing a
lot of rubber at Hofer, and getting bodies to the net.
He
made two really good saves on Jake Guentzel in the first period and
was able to snap a shot from the point by Max Crozier looking one way
and catching it in another with Anthony Cirelli right in his grill.
“I
saw the release,” Hofer said. “It definitely makes it easier.
“I
feel good. Just trying to keep building. Even during the good games,
trying to take a thing or two and keep working on them and keep
building my game. It’s been going good.”
Since
Nov. 29, Hofer is 9-4-0 with a league-best 2.06 goals-against average
and .929 save percentage.
“He’s
playing big in the nets,” Montgomery said. “He’s making tough
saves look easy. That gives you a lot of confidence on the bench,
especially the players in front of him.”
*
More directness in OT – There was a reason why the Blues were 0-6
(0-8 if you count shootouts) in overtime this season. There was no
direct play towards the oppositions goal.
Whether
it be passing up shots, not playing north-south, not attacking the
net with a purpose, you name it, the Blues were all over it.
They
did outshoot Tampa Bay 4-2 in the extra session and had a couple
different chances to win it but came up just a little short before
Kyrou would strike in the shootout to preserve the win.
“I
thought we were more direct offensively, yes,” Montgomery said. ‘I
still think we were passing up too many shots, too many turnovers
going east-west. When you’re playing these elite teams, they cover
the middle of the ice really well, and that led to not as much O-zone
time as we would have liked.”
The
Blues practiced both 3-on-3 and shootout attempts Thursday in
practice and it seemed to pay off, despite the futility amongst
themselves on the pracrice ice.
“Yesterday
we worked on it and I thought today, we were attacking,” Kyrou
said, who had two terrific chances, one blocked by JJ Moser and
missing the net in the final second off a face-off win.
“We were not staying back. We were being aggressive shooting the
puck more. I thought we looked a lot better in overtime.”
*
Making the shootout count for a change – This was only the Blues’
third shootout of the season, and they were 0-for-6 combined in shootout attempts in losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks.
But
Kyrou changed all that in the second round when he scored just his
fifth career shootout goal (on 22 attempts) in his career, when he
stickhandled to Vasilevskiy and flipped a backhand home for his
fourth game-winner:
“He’s
a big goalie, hard to score on,” Kyrou
said of Vasilevskiy.
“I just tried to move him as much as I can and raise the puck.”
Kyrou,
who hasn’t scored in 12 games (including 10 since returning from a
lower-body injury but does have four assists), finished tied with
Jimmy Snuggerud and Justin Faulk with four shots on goal.
“I
think this has been four consecutive games where Jordan Kyrou has
played his four best consecutive games in a row,” Montgomery said.
“His shot-first mentality and the assist on the (No.) 63 goal. He’s
trying to shoot pucks, he’s being very aggressive offensively, and
I like the way he’s tracking and stripping people from behind right
now.”
*
Bjugstad’s draws – When Montgomery sent Bjugstad over the boards
to start the overtime and take the opening draw, there was a purpose.
The
big center won 13 of 19 from the dot (68 percent for the night), at
one point being 10 of 12. But Montgomery didn’t care that he lost a
few down the stretch.
The
Blues were wanting the puck to begin OT, and they got it off
Bjugstad’s face-off win and possession to do what they’d like.
“Based
off be was 10-3 after two periods on face-offs,” Montgomery said.
“Some nights, you just win all the draws. It’s just the timing’s
on. He had one of those nights and he came up with three big wins in
overtime.”
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The Los Angeles Kings (19-16-12) earned a point tonight against the Anaheim Ducks (23-21-3) at home, but missed another chance of closing out the game when it got tight, falling 3-2 to Anaheim after leading 2-0 late in the second period.
Despite Los Angeles controlling large stretches of the game and the numbers on the stat sheet looking similar, the Kings once again proved they can't be trusted when the game gets close, as Mason McTavish sealed the win in the shootout.
Byfield and Armia Power the Kings to an Early 2-0 Lead
Los Angeles opened the scoring just over a minute into the first period when Quinton Byfield buried a wrist shot for his eighth goal of the season. Joel Armia, who returned from injury tonight after missing the last five games, quickly made his presence felt on the ice for the Kings, burying his 10th goal of the season in the second period, keeping the Kings in firm control of the game.
At this point, it looked like the Kings had a firm grip on the game, generating great looks and consistent pressure off the rush and in the offensive zone. But, it wouldn't be a Kings game if it didn't go down to the wire.
Late-Second Period Collapse Continues Troubling Trend
The game turned quickly late in the second period, a period that continues to haunt the Kings all season.
Ryan Strome and Tim Washe (who scored his first NHL goal) found the net against Darcy Kuemper, tying the game 2-2 just like that, putting the pressure on Los Angeles after having a commanding 2-0 lead.
Los Angeles has now surrendered 50 goals in the second period this season and owns a minus -10 goal differential in the frame, an awful stat to resurface at such a critical moment.
Not the best couple of minutes in late 2nd for Darcy Kuemper, Strome and Washe (1st NHL goal) on low danger chances. 2 in 2:44 for Anaheim in a frame that Kings have been subpar all season (50 GA -10 goal differential). LA have lost 11 of 16 when tied after 2. 2 2 after 40
The collapse after building a two-goal lead carried into another frustrating reality. The Kings have now lost 12 of 17 games that are tied after two periods, a big issue that keeps recurring when games are close and momentum swings to the opposition.
After 40 minutes, the game was tied 2-2. Despite Los Angeles controlling large stretches of possession and generating more quality looks, the game was tied.
Scoreless Third Leads to OT
Neither team scored in the third period or overtime, despite Kevin Fiala having a breakaway fast-break opportunity, but he lost control of the puck under the Ducks' defensive pressure.
LA and Anaheim had good luck in overtime, but give credit to both goaltenders for saving the game and sending it to a shootout.
Anaheim ultimately would prevail when McTavish beat Kuemper to secure a 3-2 Ducks win.
Both the Kings and Ducks finished with identical numbers at the end of the game: 28 shots and 50% on faceoffs, but neither team scored a power-play goal tonight.
Despite strong efforts from Fiala and Armia, the Kings once again walked away with just one point after failing to close out a winnable game. This loss becomes very concerning for the Kings because it's the same away Los Angeles keeps losing, strong starts are no longer enough if they can't execute late-game situations.
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The Carolina Hurricanes played one of their most entertaining games of the season as they thoroughly dominated the Stanley Cup Champion, Florida Panthers, 9-1 on Friday night at the Lenovo Center.
Nikolaj Ehlers had a hattrick, goaltender Brandon Bussi picked up another win, (17-3-1) and every Carolina forward had at least one point in the shellacking.
The Panthers were missing some key players due to injuries but this win has to help the Hurricanes get over the mental block which they seemed to have when they played this team.
The home team dominated the first period but skated into the dressing room with a slim 1-0 lead.
Ehlers scored the first goal off an absolutely beautiful no-look pass by Jordan Staal.
The Panthers tied the score early in the second period off an odd play but that would be it for the visitors.
Later in the period, Mark Jankowski knocked in a rebound off of a blast by Alexander Nikishin to make it 2-1.
A couple minutes later, Nikishin rocketed another shot during a powerplay that got by Bobrovsky to make it 3-1 and the Canes never looked back. The shot was clocked at 92 MPH.
Speaking of the powerplay, the team officially went 4 of 5 for the night and the penalty kill was perfect, 0-5.
In the previous two meetings against the Panthers, the Canes gave up multi-goal leads in the third period and ended up losing, but that was not happening on this night.
Andrei Svechnikov sniped another PP goal to start things off in the third. A bit later, Ehlers scored another powerplay tally, his second of the night.
Just 21 seconds later, Taylor Hall scored yet another powerplay goal to make it 6-1, but the Canes were not done yet.
Next up, Ehlers scored his third and the hats rained down upon the Lenovo Center ice.
Hall then scored again and 10 seconds later, Eric Robinson made it 9-1 and the celebrations started.
There were several heroes in this game and the team was physical throughout.
The Canes outshot the Panthers, 33-16. They outhit them 30-19 and were dominant in the faceoff circle winning 66% for the game.
Jordan Staal was finishing his checks from start to finish and was awarded six hits. Sean Walker was very physical in this one as well and also had a team high six hits.
Panther, Donovan Sebrango took exception to one heavy hit and went after Walker. The defenseman answered the bell as the two dropped the gloves until Walker took him down. According Cory Lavalette, it was Walker’s first career NHL fight.
Bit surprised by this, but that's the first career NHL fight for Sean Walker
It was the first game that Ehlers played on the same line with Staal and Martinook. After the game when asked about it, he said he was looking forward to it.
“The way they play, the way they battle and get pucks out, I knew I would get more space out there. And that is something I was looking for.”
Nikishin had one of his best games in the NHL with a goal and an assist.
Alexander Nikishin passed Chris Pronger (5 in 1993-94) for the third-most goals in a season by a rookie defenseman in @Canes/Whalers history, trailing Justin Faulk (8 in 2011-12) and Jamie McBain (7 in 2010-11). #NHLStats
I could on and on about this game but there is another one coming up soon enough as the Hurricanes traveled after this game to New Jersey, where they will play yet another back-to-back scenario.
DENVER — After winning 17 consecutive games at Ball Arena, the Colorado Avalanche have now dropped back-to-back contests on home ice.
Colorado suffered a 7–3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Friday night, marking the second time this season the Predators have defeated the Avalanche—more than any other NHL opponent.
Ryan O’Reilly led Nashville with a hat trick and four-point performance. Filip Forsberg added a goal and two assists, Roman Josi recorded three helpers, and Michael Bunting also found the back of the net. Juuse Saros was sharp throughout, stopping 39 shots.
For Colorado, Brock Nelson scored twice, while Martin Nečas tallied his 22nd goal of the season. Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in his return from injured reserve.
Ryan O'Reilly made a statement off the bat.
Bednar Displeased with Effort
Head coach Jared Bednar typically finds something to build on following a loss. Friday night was not one of those occasions.
“There were no positives about this game,” Bednar said with a subtle chuckle. “I hated that game from start to finish, pretty much.
“We got slightly better in the second period and okay at the start of the third, but it wasn’t enough to win the hockey game, so there’s nothing I liked.”
Given the trade rumors surrounding O'Reilly, The Hockey News put Bednar on the spot and asked him if he or anyone else has put any thought into acquiring him. Bednar was succinct in his response.
"I have no idea," he said flatly. "That's not my department. If they keep playing like that, they won't be trading anybody."
First Period
O’Reilly opened the scoring just 30 seconds into the game, winning a faceoff against Nathan MacKinnon before taking a feed from Forsberg and beating Blackwood with a quick backhand.
Nearly a minute later, Nelson answered for Colorado, tying the game at 1–1 after hammering home a rebound off a Brent Burns point shot. The goal was his team-leading seventh of the month and 23rd of the season.
At the 7:32 mark, O’Reilly struck again. His sharp-angle attempt from the side of the net deflected off Sam Girard’s stick and past Blackwood, restoring Nashville’s one-goal advantage.
Colorado responded just over four minutes later when Nelson buried his second of the night, redirecting Josh Manson’s wrist shot from the point past Saros to even the score at 2–2.
Despite the deadlock after 20 minutes, the Avalanche dictated much of the play, outshooting Nashville 17–10 in the opening frame.
Second Period
Jack Drury nearly gave Colorado the lead midway through the period, setting up Victor Olofsson for a blistering one-timer from the right circle, but Saros came up with a timely save.
Just over a minute later, the Avalanche came within inches again as Burns fired a point shot that kicked off Saros and trickled toward the goal line. Neither Nelson nor Ross Colton could reach the loose puck before Saros sprawled to cover, aided by a collapsing defense.
With under seven minutes remaining, O’Reilly completed the hat trick against his former club, deftly deflecting a Luke Evangelista shot past Blackwood to give Nashville a 3–2 lead.
Moments later, a costly offensive-zone turnover by Valeri Nichushkin sprung a Nashville 2-on-1 rush. Bunting capitalized, snapping a top-shelf wrist shot to extend the Predators’ advantage to 4–2.
Colorado entered the third period trailing by two despite holding a commanding 32–21 edge in shots on goal.
Third Period
The Avalanche wasted little time pushing back. Just 65 seconds into the period, MacKinnon found Nečas in the slot, and the Czech winger ripped a wrist shot that Saros couldn’t track, pulling Colorado within one.
Colorado unraveled late in the period. Zakhar Bardakov was whistled for interference on a questionable call, and Nashville capitalized on the ensuing power play when Forsberg snapped a top-shelf shot from the right circle off a feed from O’Reilly to make it 5–3.
Steven Stamkos added an empty-net goal moments later to extend the lead. After Cole Smith was called for slashing Bardakov, Colorado went back to the power play and elected to pull the goaltender again.
That decision backfired. Cale Makar turned the puck over at the blue line, allowing Michael McCarron to break free and score a rare shorthanded empty-net goal, sealing a 7–3 Nashville victory.
Next Game
The Avalanche (33-5-8) have now lost four of their last six games and will look to rebound Monday against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (24-18-6). Coverage begins at 2 p.m. local time.
After a long winter’s nap the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Nashville Predators in their ongoing seven-game home stand. It was the fourth and final meeting between these teams this season and by far the ugliest as Colorado dropped their first regulation game at home in a 7-3 defeat.
A Ryan O’Reilly hat trick punctuated the loss. Brock Nelson scored two goals and Martin Nečas added one for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves in defeat.
The Game
It took all of 30 seconds for the game’s first score, unfortunately it was from the visitors. Ryan O’Reilly got free in front of the net and swiftly put a backhand past Mackenzie Blackwood in his return to the crease. That lead didn’t last long as Nashville immediately gave it back a minute later when Brock Nelson deposited his own puck at the net front past Juuse Saros.
Action calmed down a bit after the early scoring barrage but déjà vu struck as Nashville got on the board again from O’Reilly as he was awarded a goal after Samuel Girard placed a perfect tip on the puck right through Blackwood’s five-hole. The Avalanche responded back with another Nelson goal as he deflected a Josh Manson shot. And that’s how the first period would end, a 2-2 tie.
To start the second period the Avalanche had their chances but after a failed Avalanche power play, O’Reilly completed the hat trick with his own tipped shot to give Nashville the lead again. Your move, Brock Nelson. But the equalizer never came as Nashville scored their fourth goal on a rush from Michael Bunting to end the period 4-2 in Nashville’s favor.
There were quick signs of life to start the third period as Martin Nečas received a slap pass from Nathan MacKinnon in the slot to bring Colorado within one just a minute into the frame.
It would be Nashville who scored the next goal, though, as the Colorado comeback attempt was thwarted. Zakhar Bardakov was assessed a questionable interference penalty which was reviewed and the Predators converted on the subsequent power play. Filip Forsberg got a shot past Blackwood in traffic to restore the two-goal lead with five minutes to go.
From there it was desperation mode for the Avalanche as they pulled the goalie and gave up two shorthanded goals to Steven Stamkos and Michael McCarron for a 7-3 Nashville final. An ugly loss for Colorado’s first regulation defeat at Ball Arena this season.
Takeaways
This was Mackenzie Blackwood’s first start this month and it’s fair to wonder if he was shaking off the rust but giving up five goals on 28 shots really isn’t a great performance. With Scott Wedgewood allegedly healthy now too it will be interesting to see how Jared Bednar chooses to split starts as the schedule picks up moving forward.
Quietly the Avalanche are in a 2-3-1 stretch which coincides with the loss of Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews. This step back is understandable with the key players missing but assuming full health down the stretch and in the playoffs is faulty especially as it’s a war of attrition to go deep into the summer. The squad can’t just dominate with a full roster.
Jared Bednar said there were no positives tonight. “We didn’t do enough to win the hockey game.”
It's no secret that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has struggled quite a bit at times this season.
There have been games when he looks completely lost, and others when he shows everyone that Father Time hasn't caught up yet.
The latter games have been more prevalent as of late, especially on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, a game the Penguins won 6-3. He was methodical with his decisions, including one on the power play where he had an outrageous keep at the blue line.
It looked like the Flyers were about to clear the puck when Letang jumped up with his hand to knock the puck down and settled it. The puck stayed in the offensive zone, eventually leading to Sidney Crosby's goal that made it 5-1. The Flyers left Crosby wide open at the side of the net, which was obviously a major mistake. This was Crosby's 60th career goal against the Flyers, a team he loves to torment.
The athleticism was on full display, and the power play hasn't missed a beat since he replaced Erik Karlsson on the top unit earlier this week. Speaking of that, Karlsson will be out for at least the next two weeks, which is tough because of how great he's been this year, especially offensively.
Before going down, Karlsson was on the top pair with Parker Wotherspoon, while Letang was on the second pair with Brett Kulak. Letang's pair is now the top pair, and he led all Penguins' defensemen in ice-time on Thursday with 23:25 at all situations.
Kulak and Letang have been paired for 15 games this season and have gotten more comfortable together in each one. Kulak isn't flashy, but he's steady in his own zone, which Letang needs.
The two have played 215:10 at 5v5 this season, and the underlyings have continued to improve. Are they perfect? No, but as a pair, they've been on the ice for 50.4% of the expected goals, 50% of the high danger chances, 49% of the scoring chances, and 48.4% of the shot attempts. With more minutes, I think you'll see the scoring chances and shot attempts rates get above 50%.
They've also been on the ice for only five goals against this season, which speaks to how well they're playing together in their own zone.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Letang was also tremendous against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, despite the Penguins falling 2-1 in a shootout. He was a major reason why the Penguins tied the game late in the third period when he helped win a battle along the boards against former Penguin Jake Guentzel before Malkin fired a perfect shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Letang got the primary assist on the goal.
Letang played 16:19 at 5v5 during that game and was on the ice for 51.5% of the shot attempts, 56.6% of the expected goals, and 58.8% of the scoring chances.
Back on Jan. 1, Letang scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Detroit Red Wingswith an absolute rocket of a shot. It was a goal he really needed, and it also gave the Penguins their third-straight win at the time. The goal also came in his 1,200th game, and Letang now has the second-most overtime goals by a defenseman in NHL history (13).
He played 18:22 at 5v5 in that game and was on the ice for 67.6% of the shot attempts, 91.7% of the expected goals, 81.8% of the scoring chances, and 100% of the high danger chances. He was an absolute menace in all three zones in that game.
The Penguins come into Saturday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in third place in the Metro with 54 points. They're in the thick of the playoff race and are trying to end their three-season playoff drought since they haven't made the postseason since the 2021-22 season, when they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games.
In order to do that, they'll need Kris Letang to keep playing the way he has been for the last few weeks.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored the only goal in a shootout and the St. Louis Blues beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Friday night to snap the Lightning's franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak.
Kyrou’s backhand shot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov had a chance to extend the shootout but was stopped by Joel Hofer, who made 34 saves in regulation and overtime before delivering three more in the tiebreaker.
It was the Blues' first win in overtime or a shootout this season. They had been 0-8.
The Blues took 2-0 lead late in the first period with goals just 30 seconds apart.
Jake Neighbors got the first with 2:57 to play in the period and Nick Bjugstad scored when he was left alone in the slot with 2:27 left.
Tampa Bay tied it with a pair of power-play goals 62 seconds apart in the second.
Kucherov scored at 9:59 when the Lightning had a two-man advantage. He then assisted on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal 1:02 later. Darren Raddysh assisted on both goals.
Vasilevskiy made 19 saves.
Tampa Bay was trying for a team-record 12th consecutive win. The Lightning had not lost since a 2-1 setback to Los Angeles on Dec. 18. The last time they won 11 in a row was from Jan. 29 to Feb. 17, 2020. They went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.
The plan is now for their star centerman to stay in New York for the duration.
That does not constitute a setback in Horvat’s recovery from a lower-body injury, general manager Mathieu Darche told The Post and Newsday after the Islanders practiced Friday.
Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) skates with the puck during the third period against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, in Newark, NJ. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
He is skating on his own in New York. With it unlikely that Horvat would have played in Vancouver or Seattle, it simply didn’t make much sense for him to lose a day on the ice while traveling out west, plus deal with game and practice schedules that would not accommodate him as well as staying at home.
Horvat has been skating for about three days, Darche said, and there is a possibility — though certainly not a guarantee — that he plays when the Islanders are back at home against the Sabres on Jan. 24.
If this was the playoffs, Horvat might be playing, but the Islanders have the luxury of caution right now and intend to use it.
The belief is still that Horvat will return with a fair amount of runway before the Olympic break, and his ability to represent Team Canada at the Milan Games is not in jeopardy.
Though some Islanders fans — remembering John Tavares’ knee injury at the Sochi Olympics — are understandably worried about Horvat getting hurt a third time in Italy, there is almost no chance that Horvat, nor any other player for that matter, would opt out of the Olympics over injury worries, even with the ice at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena being a major question mark hanging over the event.
Tony DeAngelo, who was with the Rangers when they sent out their 2018 Letter announcing a retool, reminisced a bit Friday after Blueshirts general manager Chris Drury sent out a similar missive to fans.
“I was one of the young guys, so it was probably beneficial for me,” DeAngelo said. “There was a lot of good players, we wound up getting a lot of good assets. They went on a five-, six-year run there, it was pretty good. It made sense for the team.
“As players, especially as a young player, kinda was just along for the ride and seeing what they did. Fortunately, I was able to be part of a couple good years there. And I left there, they kept building. Two conference finals. For our sake [now] it’s nice to hear there’s a little retool going on, but I’m sure it’ll all work out there.”
David Rittich will start in net against the Flames on Saturday.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had three goals for his sixth career hat trick and first with Carolina, and the Hurricanes scored six times in the third period to cruise past the Florida Panthers 9-1 on Friday night.
Ehlers, who signed with Carolina in the offseason after playing 10 years with Winnipeg, also had an assist. Taylor Hall had two goals and Mark Jankowski had a goal and two assists. Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist and Eric Robinson also scored.
Brandon Bussi made 16 saves for the Hurricanes, who had four power-play goals and improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Uvis Balinskis had the lone goal for the Panthers, who gave up eight unanswered goals and had their two-game winning streak stopped. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed all nine of Carolina's goals while stopping just 26 shots.
Ehlers gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first period. Balinskis tied it at 1:19 of the second — but it was all Carolina after that.
Jankowski put the Hurricanes up 2-1 at 13:10 of the second and Nikishin made it 3-1 with a power-play goal three minutes later.
Svechnikov, Ehlers and Hall also scored power-play goals in the third as Carolina pulled away.
Ehlers completed his hat trick on a one-timer off a pass from Logan Stankoven to make it 7-1. Hall and Robinson capped the scoring.
Up next
Panthers: Play at Washington against the Capitals on Saturday night.
Hurricanes: Take on the Devils in New Jersey on Saturday night.
There was plenty made about young San Jose Sharks phenom forward Macklin Celebrini making an appearance at Little Caesars Arena to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday evening.
Instead, the game’s main storyline would ultimately focus on another young forward who had been struggling to produce offensively.
Red Wings forward Marco Kasper, playing in his second NHL season, arguably delivered his best performance of the campaign and scored for the first time since late October as part of a 4-2 Detroit victory at Little Caesars Arena.
Kasper's empty-net goal late in regulation with Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov on the bench for a sixth attacker gave him his first tally in 37 games.
He also registered a highlight-reel assist on teammate J.T. Compher's goal in the second period.
He picked up the puck in the neutral zone, dangled around defenseman John Klingberg, and sent a pass through the legs of Dmitry Orlov right onto the tape of Compher, who made no mistake to knot the score at 2-2.
It was the Red Wings who struck first in the game's opening 20 minutes of play, as Alex DeBrincat one-timed a pass from Lucas Raymond past Akarov on the power-play for his 25th goal of the season.
However, San Jose tied the game when a shot from Celebrini slipped in and out of goaltender John Gibson’s glove and landed behind him. Sharks forward Will Smith poked the puck home, giving Celebrini the 72nd point of his sophomore NHL campaign, which ranks third among all NHL scorers.
The Sharks then grabbed their first and only lead early in the second period, as Collin Graf redirected a pass from former Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy past Gibson.
After Compher's tying goal in the second, it would be Dylan Larkin who scored what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third period, slipping the puck past Askarov on the goal line.
Despite not initially being called a goal on the ice, video replay confirmed that the puck fully crossed the goal line, and was soon announced by the on-ice officials.
Kasper then scored late in regulation on an assist from Raymond, his third of the game.
John Gibson remained hot for the Red Wings, making 20 saves. Askarov countered with 21 saves.
The Red Wings return to the ice on late Sunday afternoon, as they host the Ottawa Senators.
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The longest road trip of the season for the Florida Panthers will come to an end on Saturday night.
Florida has a chance to end the trip with an even record, but they’ll have to take down the stingy Washington Capitals first.
The Cats lost the first two games on their trip, in Toronto and Montreal, before picking up a pair of dubs in Ottawa and Buffalo.
After a four-day break, Florida resumed their roadie Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes but were romped out of Raleigh, losing by an embarrassing 8-1 final score.
The big question surrounding the Panthers is when their injured star forwards will be healthy enough to get back in the lineup.
Matthew Tkachuk has been nearing a return for over a week now, shedding his non-contact jersey and joining his teammates for a few full-contact practices.
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice has said that it’s down to how Tkachuk feels as he recovers from the ramped up, physical practices, so perhaps Saturday will be the day he’s ready to return.
Brad Marchand had been labeled day-to-day by Maurice with an undisclosed injury, but he went on Injured Reserve Friday as the Cats made room on the 23-man roster for Cole Schwindt.
Marchand and Tkachuk can both join the roster at any time, and Florida has flexibility as Noah Gregor and Tobias Bjornfot have both previously cleared waivers and can be sent to AHL Charlotte, though Bjornfot is a defenseman so he’d likely stay over the forward.
Gregor has cleared waivers, can go to AHL Charlotte; so can Bjornfot. Studnicka would have to clear waivers to go back.
Photo caption: Jan 8, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates with his teammates at the bench his second goal of the game against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)
The Florida Panthers couldn’t keep their brief winning streak alive as they continued a long road trip Friday night in Raleigh.
Florida ran into a buzzsaw as the Carolina Hurricanes dominated much of the contest, taking down the Panthers 9-1 at Lenovo Center.
Carolina controlled the majority of the opening period and were eventually rewarded for their strong start.
Jordan Staal made a perfect cross-zone pass to a streaking Nicolaj Ehlers, who quickly went to his forehand and wired the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky to send the Hurricanes into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
They outshot Florida 13-3 in the opening frame.
Florida bounced back quickly though, knotting the score less than 90 seconds into the second period.
Rookie Sandis Vilmanis carried the puck into Carolina’s zone, dropping it for Mackie Samoskevich who was quickly checked off the puck by Sean Walker.
The puck kept sliding across the zone, and Uvis Balinskis walked into a one-timer that beat Brandon Bussi to tie the game at one.
For the Panthers, it was all downhill from there.
A pair of goals about three minutes apart by Mark Jankowski and Alexander Nikishin gave Carolina a comfortable two-goal edge heading into the third period.
Early in the final frame, Andrei Svechnikov make it 4-1 Hurricanes on a power play goal that came just after a 5-on-3 advantage came to an end.
That wasn’t an issue for Carolina because a few minutes later they had another two-man advantage, and this time Ehlers picked up his second goal of the game, extending the Canes’ lead to four.
Just 21 seconds later, Taylor Hall scored a fourth straight power play goal for the Hurricanes to give them a 6-1 lead.
Ehlers completed his hat trick less than 90 seconds after Hall’s goal, causing headgear to litter the ice and creating a delay that the Panthers were surely salty about, as it meant they had to wait that much longer before getting the hell out of there.
Eventually, the game did come to an end, but not before Hall scored another one to give the Hurricanes an eighth goal, and Eric Robinson scored moments later to make it 9-1 because why not.
Photo caption: Jan 16, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) is stopped on his breakaway attempt by Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
The Philadelphia Flyers went from rebuilder to playoff dark horse... or so they thought, and now the team and its loyal but increasingly impatient fans are paying the price.
The Flyers, in the midst of a five-game losing streak (0-4-1), still very much look like a young, directionless team that has some future pieces, but a far cry from a finished product.
Having now fallen out of a playoff spot in what is shaping up to be yet another midseason collapse, the Flyers have also allowed no fewer than five goals in each of their last four losses, all in regulation.
Backup goalie Sam Ersson, after falling well behind Dan Vladar in the eyes of Rick Tocchet and Co., has descended into unplayable territory and owns an unfathomably bad .853 save percentage on the season.
Continuing to put Ersson in the line of fire when he very clearly has no confidence is harmful to both the player and his teammates, and the Flyers need to move on and move forward for the benefit of both parties.
That puts the Flyers back at what can be considered square one relative to the past few seasons; one goalie who can steal a few games, and another goalie behind him who is a complete enigma.
Time will tell if Aleksei Kolosov's resurgence is legitimate and can be relied upon, or if the Flyers again gravely miscalculated their situation.
Since signing a five-year, $25.75 million ($5.15 million AAV) contract extension with the Flyers on Jan. 5, veteran center Christian Dvorak has been out-shot 75-60 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, while being out-scored 5-2.
Linemates Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny, who have gone equally cold, have struggled in lockstep, though Zegras, who earns favorable deployment when the team trails, has out-shot opponents 80-65 in the same timeframe.
By re-signing Dvorak, in addition to retaining other grey hairs like Nick Seeler, Konecny, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Garnet Hathaway, the Flyers have called it quits on a rebuild and have no intentions on racing with other cellar dwellers to the bottom.
But, if the Flyers are all-in on being a competitive team looking to reach the playoffs--they've already lost their playoff spot--they cannot be bad and boring. They are both.
The San Jose Sharks, who are still an objectively bad team hindered most by their island of misfit toys defense core, have given Macklin Celebrini the keys to the car, and it's made them one of the NHL's most entertaining teams.
Celebrini, still just 19, has 24 goals and 71 points in 47 games this season after recording 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games last season.
He also has his Sharks in a playoff spot.
Flyers starlet Matvei Michkov, as you'll recall, finished his rookie campaign with more goals than Celebrini did, more games played notwithstanding.
That same Michkov has seen his average ice time drop two full minutes from 16:41 to 14:41 under Tocchet, who has demanded the Russian sensation adapt his style to the system and not vice versa.
Everyone knew when Michkov was drafted seventh overall in 2023 that he was not a plus skater but was an exceptional proprietor of offense attacking angles from his favored right wing and creating plays out of thin air.
The difference now is that the 21-year-old is playing left wing, right wing, with bit-part bottom-sixers, with top-sixers, on the top power play unit, or on no power play unit at all.
He's being thrown around and utilized with extreme indifference, but for some, it is a big shock and concern that Michkov has just 24 points in 45 games because of that.
But, hey, when you don't score, maybe you can contribute in other ways, right?
How about Michkov dropping the gloves and fighting Blake Lizotte on behalf of Denver Barkey, someone he's known for maybe a few weeks, in that 6-3 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
In the last week, Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin, who have a combined 166 NHL games between them, got into fights standing up for and trying to inspire their teammates. But where are the leaders?
Hathaway, Seeler, Konecny, and Sean Couturier have seen this movie--the midseason collapse--before, and it is happening again.
The young guns are showing as much fight as possible in their limited opportunities, while the details, fight, and overall basic fundamentals for much of the rest of the team have completely fallen to the wayside.
Just play a 1-1-3 neutral zone and keep three to four bodies above the puck like the Tampa Bay Lightning did on Monday night and the Flyers have been completely stifled offensively.
The Flyers are not fun to watch, not hard to play against, and not disciplined. They are not committed to making the playoffs or rebuilding, and they are not bad enough to secure a top draft pick as they had last season.
Instead, the Flyers are very much a team adrift, going through the motions until the 2026 Winter Olympics come along.
Only the team can dig itself out of this relentless cycle of greyness and mediocrity, but if they fail to do so, there would be enough sample size to deduce that the heart of the team, the core, as currently constructed, is simply incapable without further changes.
The Flyers' next opponents--the New York Rangers--just openly penned a letter to their fans admitting they have been terrible all season and will make a bunch of trades in order to try and course-correct, and that same Rangers team still has more regulation and overtime wins (18) than the Flyers do (17) this season.
If the Flyers can't take down New York in their own building on Saturday afternoon, the organization will be forced to double back and reconsider their blueprint for success for this season, the offseason, and beyond.
