Category: Sports News

The Buffalo Sabres have been enjoying success of late, but they’re still in a dogfight to hang onto a Stanley Cup playoff berth. And their next 10 games could be the difference in making or missing the post-season.

The Sabres start the week on a five-game road trip, with showdowns against the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. Do any of those teams sound like pushovers to you? Us neither. But that’s only the first half of the Sabres’ next five games.

Once they finish up with the Islanders game, the Sabres will play the Los Angeles Kings, Canadiens (again) and Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Again (and with due respect to the Penguins), that’s nine games out of 10 that the Sabres get an opponent who could beat them.

That means, between now and then – ‘then’ being three weeks from today,– the Sabres could find themselves either in a top-three position in the Atlantic Division, or they could be in the basement of the Eastern conference once again. The difference between being a playoff team and a non-playoff team is razor-thin, and that’s why every game counts.

The Sabres will need to produce about 14 standings points out of 20 points available to them in their next 10 games. Anything less than that, and there’s room for competing teams to leapfrog them in the standings. 

Sabres Get Massive Night From Thompson In Win Over Habs – And That's What They Need More OfBuffalo Sabres star winger Tage Thompson had a season-best performance against the Montreal Canadiens. And the Sabres need consistent brilliance from Thompson to secure their playoff spot.

The Sabres have to show right now that they’re a different group than the Sabres teams that wilted beneath the pressure that has built every year since Buffalo last was a playoff team.

But there's no question the Sabres have a major test in the 10 games ahead. And the way they respond to that challenge will largely dictate whether they can end their playoff drought, or see it increased to 15 years.

For the second time in as many days, the Ottawa Senators blew a two-goal lead and lost in overtime. Alex DeBrincat scored just 36 seconds into the extra frame to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4–3 home victory.

As was the case in Saturday's overtime versus Montreal, the Senators had a prime chance at one end, couldn’t capitalize, then surrendered an odd-man rush the other way. DeBrincat led the charge and ripped a shot high glove-side past newcomer James Reimer, who had a solid debut despite the loss.

Ottawa was outshot 34–22 in the game.

The Senators got things going early in the first period, scoring twice in just 39 seconds.

Just over four minutes in, Drake Batherson had a wide-open net and made no mistake after Red Wings goaltender John Gibson stopped initial shots from Thomas Chabot and Fabian Zetterlund. For number 19, it was goal number 19 on the season.

Ottawa kept pressing and earned a power-play opportunity soon after. Batherson chipped a puck down low to Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk passed it out front to Dylan Cozens, who finished with a smooth forehand-backhand deke to beat Gibson and give the Senators a 2–0 advantage.

Detroit cut into the lead just over two minutes later. Following an elbowing call on Nick Cousins that didn't look like much, the Red Wings’ power play went to work. Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored his sixth of the season, firing a long wrist shot through traffic that Reimer never picked up through the screen.

Six minutes into the second period, Lucas Raymond tied the game with his 15th goal of the year. In a one-on-one with Jake Sanderson, Raymond ripped the puck past him, and beat Reimer cleanly up high. Senators goaltending continues to struggle with shots from distance, ranking among the league leaders in goals allowed from long range.

Late in the second, with David Perron off for holding, James van Riemsdyk buried a rebound on the power play to give Detroit a 3–2 lead. It was similar to the between the legs shot that Tim Stutzle had scored versus Montreal on Saturday.

But the Senators answered before the end of the period. With Elmer Söderblom in the box for interfering Ridly Greig, Shane Pinto redirected a crisp pass from Claude Giroux into a vacant net. The goal sent both teams to the locker room tied 3–3 after 40 minutes.

Early in the third period, the Senators continued their recent trend of taking offensive-zone penalties. Brady Tkachuk was called for tripping 190 feet from Ottawa’s net. James Reimer made a couple of big saves on the ensuing sequence, forcing him to move laterally and keep the game tied.

Dylan Cozens had a prime opportunity to give the Senators the lead five minutes into the third. Off a hard forecheck by Greig, the puck was jarred loose and slid out to Cozens alone in front with no one around him, but Gibson made a nice glove save.

With nine minutes left to play, Reimer made another fine save to keep the score tied at three. Elmer Soderblom was all alone in front and redirected a shot from the point, but Rhymer got his right pad on it.

The Shane Pinto line had a great look in the final minute of regulation, but never quite got a clean shot off.

That set the scene for DeBrincat's OT heroics against his former team.

Reimer was solid in his first NHL regular-season start in nine months. At 37, Reimer is the third oldest goalie to play this season in the NHL. Jonathan Quick is the oldest followed by former Senator Cam Talbot.

Prior to the game, the Red Wings held a ceremony honoring forward Patrick Kane, celebrating his recent entry into the NHL’s 500-goal club.

The Senators will be in Columbus on Tuesday night.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:

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VANCOUVER -- The New York Islanders hit the ice against on Sunday afternoon ahead of their Monday showdown against the Vancouver Canucks. 

Mathew Barzal is from Coquitlam, British Columbia, which is about a half hour from Vancouver, so he'll have family and friends in the stands for this one. 

After backing up David Rittich in their 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, Ilya Sorokin will return to the crease. He stopped all 26 shots that came his way in a 1-0 shutout win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. 

Sorokin, Islanders Snap McDavid's 20-Game Point Streak In 1-0 Shutout Win Over OilersSorokin blanks McDavid's Oilers with a masterful shutout. Duclair's timely power-play goal seals a crucial 1-0 victory for the Islanders.

Maxim Tsyplakov, who hasn't played since the Islanders' 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild, will draw back in for Maxim Shabanov. He'll skate alongside Calum Ritchie and Emil Heineman. 

"There's nothing personal," head coach Patrick Roy said. "I mean, sometimes you've got to try different things. And Tsyppy hasn't played since the Minnesota game, and so we thought this was a good time for it."

Tsyplakov has just one goal in 24 games this season. Roy wants to see the player he saw in the KHL footage before the forward signed with the Islanders ahead of the 2024-25 season. 

"I want him to play his game," Roy said. "When I was watching him two years ago, before he came to the Islanders, I thought that, the way I was watching him, he was a power forward. He's a guy that will bring pucks to the net, a guy that plays really well defensively...to me, that's his DNA, and I want him to play that game. I don't need him to be fancy with the puck -- I know he will, which is fine with me at times. But what I really want to see is his net presence, his ability to do a great job in the defensive zone, and stuff like that. And I know he could do it."

Here's the rest of the lines: 

#Isles  lines at Sunday’s practice:

Lee-Barzal-Duclair
Drouin-Pageau-Holmstrom
Tsyplakov-Ritchie-Heineman
MacLean-Cizikas-Gatcomb
E: Shabanov

Schaefer-Pulock
Pelech-DeAngelo
Boqvist-Mayfield
E: McWard

Sorokin
Rittich

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) January 18, 2026

Puck drop between the Islanders and Canucks comes your way at 10 PM ET. 

CHICAGO (AP) — Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar practiced with the team on Sunday and could return as soon as Thursday at Carolina.

Nazar, who turned 22 on Wednesday, was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20.

“It feels great to be back with the guys and skating and had a lot of fun out there today,” Nazar said.

The Blackhawks have lost three in a row going into Monday night's home game against Winnipeg. They visit the Hurricanes on Thursday before hosting Tampa Bay on Friday night.

“As far as I know, he won't play tomorrow. Unless something drastically changed, I don't think he will,” coach Jeff Blashill said of Nazar. “So that would allow him another full practice at least and then see where we go from there.”

Blashill also said Teuvo Teravainen won't play against the Jets because of an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old forward got hurt in the first period of last week's 4-1 loss to Edmonton.

Nazar, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, has six goals and 15 assists in 33 games this season. He agreed to a $46.2 million, seven-year extension with the Blackhawks in August.

“Just really itching to get back and give what I can to help the team win,” Nazar said.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Vancouver Canucks have announced four roster moves ahead of their matchup on Monday against the New York Islanders. Vancouver has recalled defenceman Elias Pettersson while assigning defenceman Victor Mancini and Nikita Tolopilo to the AHL. The Canucks have also called up goaltender Jiri Patera under emergency conditions.

Pettersson was sent down to the Abbotsford Canucks on January 11 and skated in two AHL games. He did not record a point but did have two penalty minutes and two shots on goal. This season, Pettersson has played in 38 NHL games, where he has recorded six points. 

As for Mancini, he skated in four games for the Canucks since his call-up on January 11. In those four games, he recorded two shots and averaged 16:33 of ice time. Mancini has spent the majority of his season in the AHL, posting six points in 20 games. 

Moving to the goaltenders, Tolopilo played two games on his recent call-up. In those two games, he posted a 6.01 goals against average and a save percentage of .842. Tolopilo is 4-4-3 in the AHL this season with a save percentage of .900.

Lastly, Patera is projected to serve as the backup on Monday against the Islanders as Thatcher Demko remains out with an injury. He has played one NHL game this year, where he allowed seven goals on 40 shots against the Florida Panthers. This season, Patera is 7-6-4 in the AHL and has a save percentage of .915. 

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MONTREAL (AP) — Phil Goyette, the former NHL forward who helped the Montreal Canadiens win Stanley Cup titles in his first four seasons and was the New York Islanders' first coach, has died. He was 92.

The Canadiens said in a statement Sunday that Goyette died Saturday, saying Goyette's “family would like to thank the public for their wishes of sympathy.” The team didn't provide a cause of death.

Goyette, from Lachine, Quebec, made his debut with the Canadiens in 1956-57. He also played for the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues, winning the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct in 1969-70 with St. Louis.

In 940 regular-season games, Goyette had 207 goals and 467 assists. The center added 17 goals and 29 assists in 94 playoff games. He wrapped up his playing career in 1971-72, falling short of a fifth Stanley Cup title when the Rangers fell to Boston in six games in the final.

“We join the hockey world in sending our condolences to Phil’s loved ones, friends, and former teammates,” the Rangers said in a statement.

Goyette coached the expansion Islanders in 1972-73, going 6-40-4 before he was replaced by Earl Ingarfield.

“The Islanders are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Phil Goyette, the organization’s original head coach,” the team said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

According to TSN insider Darren Dreger, the Calgary Flames have traded defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights, a move that further strengthens an already loaded Western Conference and adds another obstacle in the Winnipeg Jets path should they qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The return to Calgary includes defenseman Zach Whitecloud, Vegas 2027 first round pick, a conditional 2027 second round pick that escalates to a 2026 first rounder if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup, and the rights to unsigned defenseman Abram Wiebe. The Flames are also retaining 50 per cent of Andersson salary for the remainder of the season.

While Winnipeg was not directly linked to Andersson, his landing spot is significant. Rather than a top defenseman leaving the Western Conference or landing in the Eastern Conference, Andersson joins a Vegas team that the Jets could realistically face in a postseason matchup. The deal removes one of the best defensemen from the trade market while simultaneously reinforcing a direct conference rival.

The timing only adds to the challenge for Winnipeg. Central Division heavyweights Dallas, Colorado, and Minnesota have all made notable moves and increasingly resemble legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Now Vegas, already among the league’s deepest and most battle tested teams, adds a proven top four blueliner with offensive upside and playoff experience.

Despite playing on a middle to bottom tier Flames team, Andersson has quietly put together a strong season. The 27 year old has recorded 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 47 games, along with a plus one rating.

A former 46 point defenseman, Andersson has consistently produced between 30 and 40 points per season while logging heavy minutes against top competition. He brings a reliable two way game, physicality, and puck moving ability that translate well to playoff hockey.

For Vegas, the move signals an all in approach as they gear up for another deep postseason run. For the Jets, it is another reminder of how narrow the margin is in the West. Any potential Winnipeg dark horse Stanley Cup push now looks even more complicated with yet another conference rival getting stronger at the deadline.

If the Jets are to navigate a brutal Western Conference playoff picture, they will likely need to rely on internal growth, elite goaltending, and timely performances, because the arms race around them shows no signs of slowing down.

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According to TSN insider Darren Dreger, the Calgary Flames have traded defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights, a move that reshapes the trade market and represents a missed opportunity for the Detroit Red Wings.

The return to Calgary includes defenseman Zach Whitecloud, Vegas’s 2027 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick that escalates to a 2026 first-rounder if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup, and the rights to unsigned defenseman Abram Wiebe.

The Golden Knights do not have a contract extension in place with Andersson, and the Flames are retaining 50 per cent of his salary for the remainder of the season.

The deal takes one of the top available defensemen off the market. Detroit was among the teams believed to be in the mix for Andersson, who had drawn significant league-wide interest as one of the most attractive blueliners potentially available via trade.

Despite playing on a middle to bottom tier Flames team, Andersson has delivered strong results this season. The 27 year old has produced 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 47 games, along with a plus one rating.

A former 46 point defenseman, Andersson has consistently posted between 30 and 40 points per season while logging heavy minutes. He brings a physical element, reliability, and steady two way play that appealed to teams looking to strengthen their blue line.

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

For Vegas, the move adds a proven top four defenseman with offensive upside and playoff experience to an already deep roster as the Golden Knights gear up for another postseason run.

For Detroit, missing out on Andersson is a notable setback. The Red Wings have been actively exploring upgrades on defense as they push to solidify their roster and remain competitive in the playoff race.

While Andersson is no longer an option, Detroit continues to monitor the market for other opportunities to address its blue line needs.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins made a few roster moves ahead of their Western road trip that begins Monday against the Seattle Kraken. 

21-year-old forward prospect Rutger McGroarty - who has been out since Jan. 7 with a concussion - was activated from injured reserve Monday. He was subsequently optioned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate.

In addition, forward Joona Koppanen was recalled from WBS to fill out the final spot on the Penguins' active roster, meaning the team will carry 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders on their Western road trip this week.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson - placed on injured reserve Jan. 13 - practiced with the team in a non-contact capacity on Sunday and will make the trip. He was originally supposed to be re-evaluated two weeks from that date. 

"Nothing's changed in terms of status or anything else," head coach Dan Muse clarified about Karlsson. "But, obviously, anytime somebody hasn't been out there for team practice, even when it is coming in as non-contact, it's another step."

With his AHL assignment, McGroarty will have a chance to get regular playing time in the top-six for WBS. With the Penguins' current lineup gelling pretty well at the NHL level, it was unlikely that McGroarty would have seen much playing time had he stuck around. He has two goals and three points in 16 NHL games and four goals and seven points in five AHL games this season. 

Koppanen, 27, has been up for a few stints with the NHL club this season, registering one assist to go along with a minus-1 in 10 games. In 22 AHL games, he has put up six goals and 11 points. 

Erik Karlsson Returns To Penguins Practice On SundayErik Karlsson took another step in his recovery on Sunday.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have activated forward Rutger McGroarty from injured reserve and have assigned him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins also shared that they have recalled forward Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. 

McGroarty has played in 16 games this season with Pittsburgh, where he has recorded two goals and one assist. This is after he had one goal and three points in his first eight career NHL games this past season with Pittsburgh.

Down in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this campaign, McGroarty has posted four goals and seven points in five games. Now, after being reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the 2022 first-round pick will be looking to make a big impact with the AHL squad. 

Koppanen, on the other hand, has recorded one assist, four blocks, and nine hits in 10 games this season with Pittsburgh. Down in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this campaign, he has posted six goals, five assists, and 11 points in 22 games.

The Penguins are set to face off against the Seattle Kraken in their next contest on Jan. 19. 

The Penguins have recalled forward Joona Koppanen from the @WBSPenguins (AHL).

Forward Rutger McGroarty has been activated from Injured Reserve and re-assigned to WBS. pic.twitter.com/LsNSCgHPuN

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 18, 2026