Darren Raddysh continues to be a huge weapon on the back end, averaging more than a point per game while generating shots at a high clip.

My Sabres vs. Lightning predictions expect Raddysh to stay hot in an advantageous positional matchup.

Let’s break down my NHL picks for Tuesday, February 3.

Sabres vs Lightning prediction

Sabres vs Lightning best bet: Darren Raddysh Over 2.5 shots (-120)

Darren Raddysh is a red-hot, one-man shooting gallery. He's averaged 3.8 shots on 7.9 attempts over his last 10 games, going Over this line in eight of them.

Victor Hedman’s return made no impact on his usage. He continued to quarterback the top power play — a unit that scored three times in the Stadium Series game — and saw a steady dose of minutes at 5-on-5.

Raddysh attempted 12 shots, recorded a pair of points, and flirted with 30 minutes of ice time. He’ll be just fine with Hedman back.

The 29-year-old has a nice matchup to keep ripping the puck, as the Buffalo Sabres rank 29th in shot suppression vs. the right blueline over the past 10 games, and that’s where a healthy chunk of Raddysh’s volume comes from.

The Sabres sit 26th in that regard, so it’s not a matter of a dip in play for an otherwise strong side at defending that area. They've bled shots there all year.

With the Sabres also in a road back-to-back after an emotional divisional win against the defending Stanley Cup winners, Raddysh and the rested Tampa Bay Lightning should be able to enjoy plenty of time on the front foot.

Sabres vs Lightning same-game parlay

Jake Guentzel leads the Lightning in high-danger chances over the past five games, but only scored in one of them. Playing for a sizable home favorite in a game with a 6.5 total, this is a good spot for him to find twine.

The Lightning are a strong shot suppression team, but that shouldn’t matter too much for Jason Zucker.

He's recorded multiple shots in nine of his past 10 road games, including against the Panthers, Islanders, Canadiens, Jets, and Flyers — all strong defensive teams or lower-pace opponents.

Sabres vs Lightning SGP

• Darren Raddysh Over 2.5 shots
• Jake Guentzel anytime goalscorer
• Jason Zucker Over 1.5 shots

Sabres vs Lightning odds

• Moneyline: Sabres +185 | Lightning -225
• Puck Line: Sabres +1.5 (-125) | Lightning -1.5 (+105)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+100) | Under 6.5 (-120)

Sabres vs Lightning trend

Darren Raddysh has gone Over 2.5 shots in seven of his last 10 home games. Find more NHL betting trends for Sabres vs. Lightning.

How to watch Sabres vs Lightning

Sabres vs Lightning latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Not much was expected from either team, yet the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders are sitting comfortably in playoff positions — and their ability to keep the puck out is a big reason why.

My Penguins vs. Islanders predictions expect the two sides to lean on goal-suppression abilities in tonight's important divisional clash.

Let’s break down my NHL picks for Tuesday, February 3.

Penguins vs Islanders prediction

Penguins vs Islanders best bet: Under 6.5 (-130)

The Pittsburgh Penguins (ninth) and New York Islanders (third) are both Top-10 teams in goal prevention, while they each rank in the bottom half of the league in pace.

Pittsburgh and New York played on Monday night and used the lesser of their goaltenders in Arturs Silovs and David Rittich. That sets up for Stuart Skinner and Ilya Sorokin to square off this evening.

Skinner is quietly playing excellent hockey. He has been terrific since the holiday break, posting an 8-1 record, .916 save percentage, and stopping +6.25 goals above expectation through nine starts.

Sorokin has stopped 14.19 goals above expectation over the same period, the second-highest mark in the NHL. He also leads the league in GSAx on the season. We should expect great goaltending.

These two sides also don’t force the issue when facing other strong defensive teams. They don’t change their style, open up, and try to flex their muscles offensively. Instead, they lean into lower-event, defensive battles.

An average of 5.5 goals have been scored in Pittsburgh’s last 10 games against Bottom-10 teams in goals allowed.

Conversely, Islanders games have featured an average of 4.0 goals over the last 10 vs. teams in the Bottom-10 in goals against. Five goals or fewer were scored in each.

Penguins vs Islanders same-game parlay

Tony DeAngelo has averaged less than 19 minutes per game this season, but that number has grown above 21 over the past 10 games. He’s responded with more shot volume, averaging 2.9 shots and 5.1 attempts in that span while clearing his line eight times.

Pittsburgh is an older team, so it might need to rely on fresh legs in a back-to-back. That’s no problem for Ben Kindel, who has generated multiple shots on goal in eight of his last nine games on zero days of rest.

Penguins vs Islanders SGP

• Under 6.5
• Tony DeAngelo Over 1.5 shots on goal
• Ben Kindel Over 1.5 shots on goal

Penguins vs Islanders odds

• Moneyline: Penguins +105 | Islanders -125
• Puck Line: Penguins +1.5 (-225) | Islanders -1.5 (+185)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+115) | Under 6.5 (-135)

Penguins vs Islanders trend

The New York Islanders have hit the Game Total Under in 14 of their last 25 games (+4.15 Units / 15% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Islanders.

How to watch Penguins vs Islanders

Penguins vs Islanders latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Colorado Avalanche News

• Colorado Avalanche teams up with “Dungeon Crawler Carl” author Matt Dinniman to support cat rescue. [CBS News]

• MacKinnon scores twice to become first 40-goal scorer of season, Avalanche blank Red Wings. [TSN]

• There’s still something special about Canadiens-Avalanche games. While broadcasters love to babble about NHL “rivalry” games these days, the Habs-Nordiques clashes provided unmatched drama. [Montreal Gazette]

• Ottawa Senators topple first-overall Colorado Avalanche with a 5-2 victory. [Ottawa Citizen]

News Around the League

• Will Canada regret not taking Evan Bouchard? [Sportsnet]
• Lightning owner to miss outdoor game with ‘major leg fracture’. [USA Today]

• Ullmark overcomes emotions, Devils in winning return for Senators. [CBC]

• Ice hockey venue will not be ready for start of Olympics. [BBC]
• 2026 U.S. Winter Olympics Hockey Roster: Why The NHL’s Top American Scorers Missed The Cut. [Forbes]

• Lightning’s Hagel scores 11 seconds into outdoor game, a record. [ESPN]
• Every NHL player participating in 2026 Winter Olympics. [Sports Illustrated]
• Olympics to help satisfy international appetite for hockey best-on-best. [NHLPA]
• Olympic ice hockey vs. NHL rules: How are they different? [NBC LA]
• Lack of Quebec-born NHL stars, Olympians mystifies Marc-André Fleury”It’s a little sad,” retired goaltending star and two-time Stanley Cup champion says of his province’s hockey pipeline running dry. [Montreal Gazette]

The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the New Jersey Devils tonight at 7 PM. 

New Jersey Devils - 28-25-2 - 49 Points - 3-6-1 in the last 10 - Lost 1 - 7th in the Central

Columbus Blue Jackets - 27-20-7 - 61 Points - 9-1-0 in the last 10 - Won 5 - 4th in the Metro.

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus has won a season-high five-straight games, as well as nine of its past 10 games overall, while outscoring opponents 39-26 since Jan. 11 following its 5-3 victory at St. Louis on Saturday.
• CBJ lead the NHL in points pct. (.900) and rank fifth in goals for/game (tied, 3.90), team save percentage (tied, .909) and power play pct. (30.4) as well as sixth in goals-against/game (2.60) over that stretch.
• The Blue Jackets finished 10-4-1 (21 pts) in January, tying for the most wins (2014, 2025) and points (2025) in the month in club history.
• The club has scored the opening goal in eight of the past 10 games and has scored the first goal in 32 contests, tied or third-most in the NHL in 2025-26.
• Columbus leads the NHL in goals by defensemen and ranks fourth in points with 41-97-138 in 54 contests.
• CBJ play their 11th of 16 back-to-back sets of the season (12-5-3 .675 pts. pct;) at New Jersey and vs. Chicago.

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Charlie Coyle has notched 9-5-14 in the last 10 contests and ranks second-T in the NHL in goals since Jan. 11. He has 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points.
• Adam Fantilli has collected points in three of the last four contests (1-4-5) and is one assist shy of tying his single-season career high (23, 2024-25). He has 13 goals, 22 assists, and 35 points.

• Jet Greaves (5-0-0, 2.47 GAA, .914 SV%) and G Elvis Merzlikins (4-1-0, 2.49 GAA, .910 SV%) have each won four games for the Blue Jackets since Jan. 11.

• Kirill Marchenko has points in four-straight games (1-4-5) and is tied for the team lead in scoring since Dec. 22, while recording points in 15 of the last 19 contests (9-11-20). He has 19 goals, 27 assists, and 46 points.

• Zach Werenski posted the second-most assists and points by a Blue Jacket in a single month (Panarin, 8-17-25, Mar. 2018) with 5-15-20 in 15 games in January. He leads NHL blueliners in goals (tied, 19), points (60), multi-point efforts (20), points-per-game (1.20), even strength goals (16), even strength points (44) and shots on goal (179) this season. He leads all Blue Jackets in goals, assists, and points.

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 20.1% - 17th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.5% - 28th in the NHL
• Goals For - 167 - 18th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 176 - 22nd in the NHL   

Devils Stats

• Power Play - 21.4% - 14th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 78.6% - 20th in the NHL
• Goals For - 142 - 28th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 169 - 16th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheDevils

• Columbus is 30-23-1-3 all-time, and 13-10-1-3 on the road in New Jersey.
• The Blue Jackets are 3-9-1 in the last 13 games vs. the Devils.
• The Jackets are 1-2-0 against New Jersey this season.
• The road team has won the first three meetings of the 2025-26 series and has earned points in eight of last 10 matchups (7-2-1).

• The winning team has recorded four or more goals in 10 of the last 15 meetings overall since Jan. 8, 2022, and five of the past six at Prudential Center since Oct. 30, 2022.

• The teams have combined for seven or more goals in each of the past three contests at New Jersey.

• The teams have combined for 65 shots or less in seven of the last nine matchups overall.

Who To Watch For TheDevils

• Nico Hischier leads the Devils with 18 goals and 41 points.
• Jesper Bratt leads NJ with 27 assists.
• Goalie Jacob Markstrom is 15-12-1 with a SV% of .881.
• Jake Allen is 12-13-1 with a SV% of .907.

CBJ Player Notes vs.Devils

• Zach Werenski has 11 points in 26 career games vs. the Devils.
• Sean Monahan has 27 points in 22 games.
• Charlie Coyle has 13 points in 37 games against New Jersey.

Injured Reserve

• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 16 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 151

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.  

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When it rains, it pours.

That’s been the feeling around the Florida Panthers this season as the injury issues continue to pile up.

Already missing key forwards Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell, the Panthers saw another one of their vital pieces come out of a game with an injury.

Center Sam Bennett left Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres after the first period and did not return.

“It seems like somebody is getting injured every night,” said Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk. “I feel for him, that’s not ideal going out with an injury that early (in the game).”

He played seven shifts during the first period, logging 5:11 of ice time and going 2-for-4 in the faceoff circle.

Afterwards, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice did not have much of an update on Bennett’s injury.

“We’ll just leave it as upper-body,” Maurice said. “We’ll get a better handle on it tomorrow.”

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Maurice has given similar evaluations for many of Florida’s injured players this season.

The good news is that the NHL is about to take a league-wide pause during the 2026 Winter Olympics, giving players who aren’t participating a few weeks to rest and heal for the late-season push toward the playoffs.

The bad news is that Florida picked a horrible time to go on a losing streak and have all but fallen out of contention for a playoff spot.

Following Monday’s loss to Buffalo, the Panthers are now nine points behind Boston for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and they’re 11 points back of Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division, with one game in hand on both.

Florida has played 55 games, meaning they have only 27 remaining to make up all those points.

The next two outings for the Panthers, Wednesday against Boston and Thursday at Tampa Bay, are the only chances the Cats have to make up any ground before the Olympic break.

Adding Bennett to a Florida injured list that doesn’t seem to want to get any smaller is just the latest setback for the league’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Champs.

Without Bennett, the Panthers are now down all of their starting centers: Sasha Barkov, Bennett, Lundell and Tomas Nosek. 

Surviving without key injured players is one challenge, but removing all of the center icemen on a team that plays a five-man defensive system like Florida is like trying to skate to the bench after your blade pops off the holder. 

We'll see how things play out in the coming days and weeks, but the Panthers need to start piling up the points before its too late. 

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Report: Artemi Panarin Market Grows; Panthers Identified As Team Looking To Sign An Extension If Acquired

Photo caption: Nov 22, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) moves the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Montreal Canadiens were taking on the Minnesota Wild on Monday night in what promised to be a tough task. Both teams were 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and had won their previous three matches. Montreal was seventh in the league while Minnesota was fourth prior to puck drop, but the Wild had been the Canadiens’ pet peeve for a long time, before the Habs finally managed to beat them less than two weeks ago in Montreal.

For a fourth game in a row, Martin St-Louis gave the net to Jakub Dobes, who had won his last six games and was undefeated in regulation in his last nine games. The Czech netminder had played a massive role in the Canadiens’ last three wins, being named the second star of the game in each one.

Former Canadiens First-Rounder Is Heating Up
Goalie Fight A Rare Feat In Montreal Canadiens History
How The Canadiens Chose Their Game Prize

Good Old Gallagher

While some are eager to point out that Brendan Gallagher doesn’t produce as much as he once did and that he gets hunched over on his stick much faster than he did in the past, there’s one thing that has never changed throughout the right wing’s career: his level of effort and dedication. On Monday night, the Alberta native was playing in the 890th game of his career with the Habs, and he decided to celebrate in style.

After the Wild had taken a 2-0 lead in the first frame, Gallagher found himself with the puck high up in the Wild’s zone, and John Hynes’ men didn’t try to close him down. The veteran took the space he was given and used it to beat both Quinn Hughes and Jonas Gustavsson, scoring a beautiful backhand goal, much like Jake Evans’ game-winning goal against the Vegas Golden Knights.

If you don’t respect Gallagher, he will hurt you. That goal gave the Canadiens a much-needed spark and was the first of three unanswered goals by the Habs. The 33-year-old doesn’t panic when his team is down; he keeps on working, grinding away. His combativity is second to none, and that’s the main reason why the coaching staff will hesitate to scratch him. He might have been a fifth-round pick, but his work ethic, effort, and dedication have always been first-class. The goal was point number 480 for Gallagher, who now trails Bobby Smith by two points for the 26th highest scorer in franchise history.

Timely Goals

The Canadiens’ first two goals were scored with less than a minute to go in the first two frames, the kind of goals that are an absolute gut-punch to the opposition. Too often this season, the Habs have given up an early goal that has taken their legs right from under them, and when the Wild scored 38 seconds in, some wondered if the early goal would send them down to the mat, but they got back up.

Chaud devant

Took the scenic route#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Y89jayZ7Ry

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2026

Better yet, after the Wild dominated the second frame, Montreal scored another late-period goal through Ivan Demidov on an exquisite Lane Hutson cross-zone pass and then followed it up with its own early goal to take its first lead of the game. It took Kirby Dach 12 seconds from the start of the period to get the puck past Gustavsson.

Du tac au dach

Last minute goal ✅
First minute goal ✅#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/B8voBTDv33

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 3, 2026

In the end, though, it was the Wild who scored the ultimate timely goal, with the overtime game-winner. While the Canadiens would have liked to see a penalty called on the play, Joel Eriksson-Ek was just standing his ground, and Nick Suzuki collided with him because he didn’t see him, so that wasn’t interference.

With this 4-3 overtime defeat, the Canadiens leave Minnesota with one point and remain in third place in the Atlantic division, one point ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, who beat the Florida Panthers on Monday night to keep the pressure on the Habs. It also means that the Panthers are now nine points out of a playoff spot, just like the Toronto Maple Leafs. As for the Ottawa Senators, they are now trailing the Boston Bruins by seven points, but they have a game in hand. Montreal now has roughly an 80% chance of making the spring dance and finds itself in a much more comfortable position than it was last season when the league entered the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

---

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have won back-to-back games for the first time in almost a month.

It wasn't always pretty, especially as the Calgary Flames cut Toronto's lead to one in the second period. But the Maple Leafs held on to beat the Flames 4-2, winning both games against Calgary this season.

Monday’s win was also the Maple Leafs’ first regulation win since Jan. 10.

William Nylander stole the show. Joseph Woll came up massive when they needed him most. And the defense, which was missing Morgan Rielly — who's out until after the Olympic break with an upper-body injury — held up.

With a win on Monday, the Maple Leafs move seven points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot. They'll play their final game before the break on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

But first, let's discuss the game that was, between the Maple Leafs and Flames:

The William Nylander show

There wasn't a better play on the ice than Nylander.

It was the forward's second game back in the Maple Leafs' lineup after reaggravating a groin injury that forced him to miss seven games. He returned on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks and, while he didn't register a point, you could notice glimpses of the Swede returning to full form.

Nylander was in his final form against the Flames. As he always appears to be.

Entering Monday night's game, Nylander had an 11-game point streak against Calgary, the city where he was born. And it didn't take him long to find the 12th straight game with a point.

After John Tavares cut off a pass at Toronto's blue line, he sprang Nylander on a breakaway, with the forward making no mistake. He put it under Dustin Wolf's glove for his 18th goal of the year.

William Nylander wasted no time 🚨 pic.twitter.com/s9xVY86mnA

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 3, 2026

Back at it again was Nylander in the middle frame.

Just over seven minutes in, a loose puck was up for grabs behind Calgary's net. Morgan Frost appeared to have a handle on it before Nylander snuck up from behind, stripping Frost, and finding Matias Maccelli in front for a goal.

Matias Macdelli doubles the lead 🚨 pic.twitter.com/55llFsdSF4

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 3, 2026

It was Nylander's second point of the game and Maccelli's eighth goal (and surprisingly, his first on the road) to put Toronto up 2-0.

And no, Nylander wasn't done there.

After some slick passing from Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, which concluded with a scoring chance for Matthews, the puck popped back out to Nylander. He found Troy Stecher with a great pass, and the defenseman slotted it into the pretty-much wide-open net.

Troy Stecher makes it 3-0 🚨 pic.twitter.com/29QGXY5vgY

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 3, 2026

In the third, he hit a post, set up a few scoring chances and, as he was for the entire first and second period, all over the place. Nylander finished with

Joseph Woll is getting a much-needed break

If there's anyone on the Maple Leafs who needs rest, it's Woll — especially after that third period against the Flames alone.

(And sure, the rest of Toronto's players, too.)

But Woll has started in 17 of the Maple Leafs' last 25 games. Zoom in a little further: Woll has been the starting goalie in 13 of the previous 17 games. Only two goaltenders have started in more games than Woll since Dec. 16: the Nashville Predators' Juuse Saros (18) and the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck (19).

On Monday, there wasn't much the 27-year-old could do on Nazem Kadri's goal, Calgary's first of the game. The former Maple Leafs forward went upstairs on Woll's short side.

Make it 13 points in 12 career games vs. Toronto for Naz 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RZE71g3zVD

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 3, 2026

Later in the period, after Woll couldn't control a rebound, the Flames' continued offensive pressure created another goal. Kadri, again, was involved; this time, finding Joel Farabee heading to the net.

Kadri's pass went off Farabee's skate and in, making it 3-2 for Toronto.

Joel Farabee brings Calgary within one pic.twitter.com/b8T94eXWEV

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 3, 2026

In the third period, Woll made a few incredible stops. None better than the one later in the game, after the puck took a weird bounce off the glass and went towards the net.

Woll, out of his crease, quickly got on his horse to get back and take a swipe at the puck as it approached the net. Luckily, Woll got his stick on it before Adam Klapka, whose swipe of the puck put it over the net.

Joseph f--king Woll! pic.twitter.com/pmlDxiYQGS

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 3, 2026

Woll finished the game, stopping 28 of 30 shots and picking up his 13th win of the season.

Other takeaways

- Bobby McMann's empty-netter was his 18th goal of the year. He's now two goals shy of his career high in goals and three shy of his career high in points. If Toronto decides to move him before the trade deadline, it could bring them some good assets.

- Troy Stecher came up big for the Maple Leafs. He scored a goal and finished with 20:08 of ice time, the third-most among Toronto's players against the Flames. The defenseman continues to come up big for the club since being picked up on waivers in November.

- Easton Cowan should get into Tuesday's game against the Oilers. Not only is it the second half of a back-to-back, but he's got to play eventually, and what better test than against two of the league's best players? Cowan in for Calle Jarnkrok? Who says no?

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (28-15-11, 67 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ New York Islanders (30-21-5, 65 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division)

When: 7:30 p.m. ET

How to Watch: National broadcast on TNT, streaming on HBO Max

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins have just one game left after tonight, a Thursday road matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, before the Olympic break. The team will hope to give everyone, especially Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, some time to rest up before NHL play resumes on Feb. 26 with a home game against the New Jersey Devils.

Opponent Track: Like the Penguins, the Isles are coming into this game on the second part of a back-to-back. While the Penguins were losing to the Ottawa Senators, the Islanders were also looking flat in a Monday night 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Season Series: The Penguins won the season opener thanks to a third-period goal from Justin Brazeau back during the second game of the season in Pittsburgh on October. 9. The Pens will meet up with the Isles one more time in Elmont on March 30.

Getting to know the Islanders

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Ondrej Palat – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal

Emil Heineman – Jonathan Drouin – Simon Holmstrom

Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Anthony Duclair

Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

DEFENSEMEN

Mathew Schaefer / Ryan Pulock

Adam Pelech / Tony DeAngelo

Carson Soucy / Scott Mayfield

Goalies: Ilya Sorokin (starter), David Rittich

Potential scratches: Adam Boqvist, Max Shabanov, Calum Ritchie

Injured Reserve: Kyle Palmieri

• Jonathan Drouin has spent most of his career as a winger, although the Islanders are currently running him as a center. He has just three goals in 49 games since he signed with the Islanders last summer, and he’s been struggling on the face-off dot as of late (he had a 36.4 percent success rate on the draw last night against the Washington Capitals).
• The Islanders suffered a second-period collapse last night against the Capitals, blowing a 1-0 lead by allowing two goals in 32 seconds and never recovering.
• David Rittich started last night (he made 20 saves on 23 shots in the 4-1 loss), putting Ilya Sorokin on track to start against the Pens.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• The Islanders’ power play is running at 16 percent this season, ranking them down at for 26th in the NHL.
• Rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer has been a driving force behind the Isles’ climb back into the playoff picture this season. He has 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 56 games of his first NHL season, the third-most points among rookies and sixth-most goals among all defensemen.

What a goal from the kid! 🤩

Matthew Schaefer nets his 15th goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/MHae9JoTs6

— NHL (@NHL) February 1, 2026

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Anthony Mantha – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Brett Kulak / Ryan Shea

Ilya Solovyov / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Kevin Hayes, Rutger McGroarty

IR: Kris Letang (broken foot, out at least four weeks), Ryan Graves, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones, Jack St. Ivany

• Bryan Rust should be back in the lineup tonight after serving out the final game of his three-game suspension on Monday. That could bump Rutger McGroarty back out of the lineup.
• The Pens are looking to bounce back from a flat loss to the Senators on Monday night. Head coach Dan Muse called the Penguins’ performance last night “far off the mark” from where the team has been lately:

"We have to be better than this. For me this is so far off the mark of where we've been playing & working to get to. It's an opportunity tomorrow to show ourselves there's a much better game that we have the ability to play than that."#Pens head coach Dan Muse after 3-2 loss

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) February 3, 2026

“It was flat. It was execution. Silovs had a really strong game. I think our penalty kill did a good job, outside of that I don’t think there is much that I’m walking away here liking.”#Pens head coach Dan Muse after 6-game win streak broken in 3-2 loss

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) February 3, 2026

• Especially notable last night was continued struggles by Evgeni Malkin, who is seemingly playing hurt and who committed three official giveaways, and the Penguins’ top line. The Justin Brazeau/Sidney Crosby/Rickard Rakell trio earned the fewest expected goals for of any line the Penguins iced last night, per MoneyPuck. The Pens will hope the return of Bryan Rust can spark something there by re-shuffling the lines.
• Arturs Silovs played in the defeat, so Stuart Skinner will likely be expected to get the nod against the Isles.
• Last night was the first time the Pens have finished a game without a point since a Jan. 11 shutout loss to the Boston Bruins.
• The Penguins currently have two points and two games in hand on the Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division, so a win tonight could be key down the stretch of the playoff race.

Coming off six straight victories, the Pittsburgh Penguins were due for a dud performance and that is exactly what they delivered in a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators in their final home game before the Olympic break. Despite being badly outplayed most of the night, the Penguins did lead 1-0 in the first period and had the game tied at 2-2 with about five minutes left before old nemesis Claude Giroux scored the eventual game winner to halt the Penguins winning run. [Pensburgh]

It’s a quick turnaround for the Penguins who head to Long Island for a contest later this evening against the New York Islanders. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM and will be broadcast on TNT.

Pens Points…

Three games stand between the Penguins and the Olympic break, a number that will be down to just two following last night’s game against the Senators. They may be hot coming into the week, but it’s imperative they keep that momentum rolling heading into the hiatus. [Pensburgh]

While the Penguins understood why Bryan Rust was suspended, they were quietly fuming at the length of the suspension for a first time offender. That anger was multiplied over the weekend when franchise villain Tom Wilson was let off with nothing for a violent hit. [The Athletic $$]

In victories over the Blackhawks and Rangers, it was the Penguins depth scoring that did most of the damage when it came to putting the puck in the net. After seasons of weak depth that held the team back, it’s turning into a strength for the 2025-26 Penguins. [The Hockey News]

There were no splashy free agent signings for the Penguins last summer, but those players they did bring in have played like superstars this season. Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau, and Parker Wotherspoon have all outplayed their contracts and boosting the Penguins playoff push. [The Hockey News]

NHL News and Notes…

Jared McCann had a massive week for the Seattle Kraken and takes home First Star of the Week honors from the NHL. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy went unbeaten last week and capped it off with a goalie fights in the Stadium Series to nab Second Star. [NHL]

Following a career in hockey that has spanned over two and a half decades, Barry Trotz will step back and retire from his role as general manager of the Nashville Predators. Trotz will remain in the job until his replacement is named and will then transition into an adviser role. [NHL]

Buffalo Sabres (32-18-5, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (35-14-4, in the Atlantic Division)

Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lightning -227, Sabres +186; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres visit the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Lightning defeated the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout.

Tampa Bay has a 35-14-4 record overall and a 7-3-1 record in Atlantic Division games. The Lightning have gone 13-4-2 in games their opponents commit more penalties.

Buffalo has an 11-4-2 record in Atlantic Division play and a 32-18-5 record overall. The Sabres are fifth in the league with 187 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).

The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Guentzel has 24 goals and 33 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has six goals and 15 assists over the past 10 games.

Tage Thompson has 29 goals and 28 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has scored seven goals with three assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 8-1-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 6.4 assists, 4.5 penalties and 13.2 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game.

Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 6.9 assists, four penalties and 9.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.

INJURIES: Lightning: None listed.

Sabres: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Vancouver Canucks (18-32-6, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (25-16-14, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights will try to end a five-game losing streak when they play the Vancouver Canucks.

Vegas is 25-16-14 overall and 7-4-4 against the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights have a +11 scoring differential, with 181 total goals scored and 170 conceded.

Vancouver is 5-6-2 against the Pacific Division and 18-32-6 overall. The Canucks have a 7-8-4 record in games decided by a goal.

Wednesday's game is the first time these teams square off this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Eichel has 19 goals and 45 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has seven goals and one assist over the last 10 games.

Drew O'Connor has 13 goals and eight assists for the Canucks. Teddy Blueger has five goals and one assist over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 3-5-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.3 penalties and 5.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.

Canucks: 2-7-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.6 assists, 2.9 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.8 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: None listed.

Canucks: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

WASHINGTON — The lethargic effort by the Islanders on Saturday night prompted a drastic change in their forward lines for Monday’s 4-1 loss against the Capitals.

Not only was Mathew Barzal shifted back to the wing and reunited with Bo Horvat for just the fourth time this season, but the second line featured Jonathan Drouin starting at center for the first time all year.

Drouin skated between Emil Heineman and Simon Holmstrom, another combination the Islanders had never deployed together.

The only forward line that stayed untouched was the fourth line of Kyle MacLean, Casey Cizikas and Marc Gatcomb.

Anthony Duclair moved down to the third line with Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, while Ondrej Palat skated with Barzal and Horvat.

“I was pretty happy the way things went with the Horvat line [and] Drouin line,” Roy said after the game. “Even the Pageau and Cizikas [lines]. I thought we did a lot of good things, but unfortunately maybe not enough offensively to score more than one goal.”

The Islanders have been keeping the idea of Drouin playing in the middle in their back pockets for a while, having occasionally skated with him there when others missed practices.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Drouin has also frequently taken faceoffs, and took a 50.9 percent rate at the dots into Monday, when he went 4-for-11 on faceoffs.

Trying Heineman and Holmstrom, two Swedes who are close off the ice, together, could also help to spark Heineman, who has hit a bit of a wall lately.

“I like playing center,” Drouin, who has occasionally played the position in both the NHL and in juniors, said pregame. “You’re more free a little bit up the ice, you’re not stuck on the wall as a winger watching your defensemen. More free, a little more instinct.”

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The revamped power-play units, with Matthew Schaefer, Barzal, Horvat, Holmstrom and Palat together on the top unit, produced an 0-for-2 night.

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David Rittich stopped 20 of 23 shots in nets on the front end of the back-to-back, with Ilya Sorokin scheduled to play Tuesday against the Penguins at UBS Arena.

Roy said goalie coach Sergei Naumovs made the decision.

“That was a tough one because Ilya was so good here in Washington at the beginning of the season,” Roy said. “Probably one of his better games. They’re both good teams, Washington and Pittsburgh. Sometimes you just go with what the goalie coach’s feeling is.”

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Scott Mayfield fought Tom Wilson 1:47 into the third after Wilson hit Holmstrom near center ice.

Though the hit was legal, Mayfield called it “a little awkward, kind of high.”

The Calgary Flames delivered a spirited effort Monday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, but an early three-goal deficit proved too much to overcome as they fell 4–2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Calgary welcomed back rookie defenceman Zayne Parekh, who returned to the lineup after completing his AHL conditioning stint with the Calgary Wranglers. The game marked Parekh’s first NHL appearance since Nov. 7.

Toronto wasted no time opening the scoring. On the Maple Leafs’ first shot of the night, William Nylander broke in alone just over a minute into the game and snapped a glove-side shot past Dustin Wolf to give the visitors a 1–0 lead. The goal extended Nylander’s point streak against Calgary to 12 straight games.

Nylander continued to drive Toronto’s offence in the second period. After collecting the puck behind the net, he spotted Mattias Maccelli in the slot, who one-timed a shot past Wolf to make it 2–0. The Maple Leafs then sustained heavy pressure in the Flames’ zone, and Nylander struck again—this time finding former Flame Troy Stecher, who chipped the puck by Wolf to stretch the lead to three.

With the assist, Nylander recorded his 46th career three-point game, tying Doug Gilmour for eighth in franchise history.

Calgary finally found life midway through the period. Joel Farabee slipped a pass to Nazem Kadri at the side of the net, and Kadri picked his spot, roofing a shot over Joseph Woll to cut the deficit to 3–1. The goal was Kadri’s 10th of the season, continuing his strong production against his former club.

Kadri and Farabee teamed up again shortly after, this time with Kadri sending a hard saucer pass across the crease that Farabee redirected past Woll to pull the Flames within one.

The Flames pushed hard in the third period, generating several quality chances and ringing a shot off the post, but Woll held firm in the Toronto crease. With Wolf pulled for the extra attacker in the final minute, Bobby McMann sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal, securing the 4–2 win for the Maple Leafs.

Three Takeaways

1. Effort Was There, Finish Wasn’t

Calgary outshot and outhit Toronto, firing 30 shots on goal and generating enough looks to erase the deficit, but puck luck and timely saves never swung in their favour.

2. Coronato Continues to Impress

Matt Coronato was one of Calgary’s most dangerous forwards, leading all players with seven shots on goal while logging 19:27 of ice time.

3. Encouraging Return for Parekh

Zayne Parekh was trusted in late-game situations in his first NHL contest since early November. While there were moments of adjustment, his confidence with the puck, clean passing, and overall presence were noticeable signs in his return.

The Vancouver Canucks kicked off their road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Vancouver's goal scorers on the night were Liam Öhgren and Teddy Blueger. As for Kevin Lankinen, he did not have a strong night as he stopped 14 of the 20 shots he faced in the game. 

Monday's game was the definition of lower energy from the Canucks. Outside of a few moments, Vancouver struggled to generate any form of offence, as they finished the night with 23 shots. Overall, it was a disappointing effort made worse by the fact that this game occurred during the annual moms' trip. 

Defensive issues were once again the story for the Canucks. Whether it was missed assignments or lost stick battles, Vancouver struggled in their own zone all night. The game also featured a hat trick as Nick Schmaltz buried his third of the night in the third period.

"I think defensively, we just weren't good enough," said Blueger post-game. "We weren't tight enough. We knew they liked the cross-seam plays, and then we gave up a bunch of chances early in the first period. Lanks made some big saves and then just kept doing that throughout the second, and they made us pay for it."

As for a storyline from this game, that would be the departure of Filip Chytil. He played 7:36 through two periods and was absent from the bench at the start of the third. Post-game, Head Coach Adam Foote said Chytil "tweaked something" while responding to being asked if it was a head injury with "I hope not".

Lastly, ice time will once again be a discussion point after Monday's game. Jonathan Lekkerimäki played just 12:03 and was the only player outside of Chytil to play under nine minutes at even strength. With the game out of hand after the second and the team in a rebuild, there is no reason why a player like Lekkerimäki should be stapled to the bench in the third period. 

Ultimately, there were not a lot of positive takeaways from Monday's loss. Outside of the Öhgren, Blueger and Conor Garland line, the Canucks looked flat all night and were making simple mistakes that should not be happening this late in the season. In the end, though, Monday was another victory for the tank as Vancouver once again added some separation from the rest of the league at the bottom of the standings.

Stats and Facts:

- Vancouver has given up 198 hat tricks in franchise history 

- Teddy Blueger scores his fifth goal in nine games this season

- The Canucks are now 0-4-1 all-time against the Mammoth

- Vancouver has given up 72 second-period goals this season

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

3:35- UTA: Nick Schmaltz (20) from John Marino and Barrett Hayton
7:04- VAN: Liam Öhgren (4) from Conor Garland and Teddy Blueger
7:37- UTA: Nick Schmaltz (21) from Sean Durzi

2nd Period:

8:45- UTA: Mikhail Sergachev (9) from Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther
12:16- UTA: John Marino (5) from Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz
16:05- UTA: JJ Peterka (20) from Kailer Yamamoto and John Marino
18:48- VAN: Teddy Blueger (5) from Conor Garland and Marcus Pettersson

3rd Period:

12:22- UTA: Nick Schmaltz (22) from Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse

Up Next:

The Canucks play their final game before the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights. Last season, Vancouver failed to pick up a victory over Vegas in their four meetings. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

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For the first time all season, the Ottawa Senators have put together four regulation victories in a row.

Claude Giroux’s disputed goal with under five minutes to play snapped a 2–2 draw and gave the Senators a 3–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Monday night.

Tim Stützle and Michael Amadio had the other Senators goals, while Drake Batherson had two points on the night, along with Stützle. Linus Ullmark made 14 saves for Ottawa, which outshot the Penguins 31–16.

But it will be the Giroux goal that everyone will be talking about around water coolers on Tuesday.

Giroux started the play deep in Ottawa’s end, causing a turnover and slipping the puck to Nick Jensen, who fed Batherson in stride. As Giroux sprinted up the middle, Batherson tried to feed Stützle with a saucer pass that got deflected into the air. Stützle swatted it down with a baseball swing and it ended up right on the tape of Giroux for a clean break to the net.

Former Senator Erik Karlsson got caught flat-footed on the play and hacked at Giroux in desperation a couple of times, sending the veteran sliding into goaltender Arturs Šilovs and the goalpost. Because of the contact with Šilovs, the puck slid across the goal line.

Officials initially ruled no goal and gave Karlsson a tripping penalty. But while Giroux was down on the ice, shaken up, officials reviewed the play and determined it was a good goal.

The only reason for officials to allow the goal was because it was Karlsson who caused the collision and was penalized for it. But for some reason, the Penguins still wanted to challenge for goalie interference, which everyone knew would would fail.

Egor Chinakhov led Pittsburgh with a goal and an assist and gave the Penguins a 1–0 lead midway through the first period. When Michael Amadio tied the game early in the second period, the celebration seemed uncommonly big. His linemates were fully aware that it was his first goal in 24 games, going back to mid-December.

Stützle made it 2–1 Ottawa less than seven minutes into the third period, finishing what his linemate started. After Penguins defenceman Ryan Shea turned the puck over at Ottawa’s blueline, Jordan Spence chipped it to Batherson for a breakaway. He didn’t score, but Stützle was right there behind him to tuck in his 26th goal of the season.

Two minutes later, Thomas Chabot lost position on Tommy Novak and, when a shot came from Shea at the right point, Novak jammed home the rebound. After Chabot left Saturday night’s game early and arrived at Monday’s practice late, he was described as a game-time decision, apparently dealing with a right hand or wrist issue.

That set the scene for Giroux’s big goal, greasy as it was, late in the third period.

Few players have ever been a bigger thorn in the side of the Penguins than Giroux. According to the NHL’s website, he now has 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) in 33 games in Pittsburgh. That’s the most points and assists by any visiting player.

The victory was another crucial one because the rest of the East can’t stop picking up points. Buffalo got two more on Monday, despite being outshot 41-20, handing Florida its fourth straight loss, 5-3.

So while the Sens are now two points clear of the two-time champs, they remain eight points behind the Sabres. Montreal lost in overtime to Minnesota, so the Canadiens’ lead on the Sens is cut to nine. The Leafs and Red Wings both got two points on Tuesday as well.

The Boston Bruins are now the target, the second wild card, seven points up on the Sens. The Bruins imploded in the Stadium Series game in Tampa on Sunday night, blowing a 5–1 lead and losing in overtime. 

To extend their streak, the Senators will have to find a way to win in Carolina on Tuesday, a place where they haven’t had much historical success at all, let alone in part two of a back-to-back situation.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News