HELSINKI (AP) — Jordan Staal returned from injury, Andrei Svechnikov and Mark Jankowski each scored twice and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Saturday to sweep the NHL’s Global Series in Finland’s capital.
The Hurricanes (16-3-2) followed on their dominant 4-1 victory on Thursday and extended their winning streak to four.
Carolina became the first NHL franchise to win each of its first four regular-season games played outside North America following a sweep of a 2010 series against the Minnesota Wild, also in Helsinki.
Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes, Nikolaj Ehlers had three assists and Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 12 shots for his 12th win in 13 games.
Svechnikov scored on power plays with two identical goals from the right circle in the middle period, one-timing a precise snap shot to make it 3-0 and another for a 4-1 advantage. He has five goals in his four-game point streak and has 11 goals on the season.
His second goal with 9:55 left in the second period prompted the Kraken to pull Joey Daccord after he allowed four goals on 14 shots. Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves in relief.
Matty Beniers scored for the Kraken (9-8-1) to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
Blake beat Daccord with a snap shot after Sebastian Aho sent him a backhand pass in between his legs in the first period. Blake extended his career-best point streak to 11 games.
Jankowski doubled that advantage with 2:30 left in the period. He added his second with 8:54 left in the final period, tapping in a precise pass from Taylor Hall.
Staal, Carolina's captain, played his first game for the reigning champions after missing 14 following a calf tear on Oct 11. The 38-year-old center skated on the third line alongside wingers Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook and played 13:55.
The game Saturday was the 50th contested outside North America and ninth in Helsinki to tie Prague, with only Stockholm hosting more.
The NHL returns to Europe next month, this time to grow the fan base in Germany with a series between the Ottawa Senators and the Chicago Blackhawks in Düsseldorf on Dec. 18 and 20.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO - NOVEMBER 12: Logan O'Connor #25,Noah Juulsen #47, celebrate with Parker Kelly #17 of the Colorado Avalanche after Kelly scored a shorthanded goal during the third period against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on November 12, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Troy Parla/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Avalanche make their final stop on their road trip through Canada tonight when they face the Montréal Canadiens at Bell Center.
However, they’ll take the ice without two of their best players joining them.
Colorado Avalanche (11-6-3)
The Opponent: Montréal Canadiens (12-3-4)
Time: 5:00 P.M. MST/7:00 P.M. EST
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Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are coming into tonight’s game off the heels of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators this past Thursday. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Avs’ special teams went to work. Artturi Lehkonen scored his team-leading fourteenth goal of the season on the power play in the second period. Parker Kelly recorded a shorthanded goal—the team’s first shorthanded goal of the season—early in the third period to tie the game, and a power play goal from Gabe Landeskog put the Avs ahead with less then ten minutes to play in the period.
Ottawa’s Drake Batherson tied the game late in regulation, and Shane Pinto capitalized on a botched pass from Kelly moments before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. Scott Wedgewood stopped twenty-two of twenty-four shots in the contest.
The Avs finished the contest without the services of both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, having lost both to injury. MacKinnon was on the receiving end of a cross check from Ottawa’s Artem Zub late in the second period. He went to the locker room prior to intermission and didn’t finish the game. Makar’s injury appeared to take place during the second period, but unlike MacKinnon, his didn’t appear to be from the result of a body check or a fall to the ice. He also didn’t finish the game.
Head coach Jared Bednar announced earlier this morning that both MacKinnon and Makar will miss time: Makar will be out for two weeks, while MacKinnon will be out for the next month. In the interim, the Avs will insert Gavin Brindley, who was recalled from Loveland yesterday, into the lineup. Defenseman Alex Gagne will make his NHL debut tonight, while defenseman Brent Burns will skate in his 1600th career game. Mackenzie Blackwood will likely start tonight.
In his postgame comments on Thursday, head coach Jared Bednar seemed pleased with how his team performed in the wake of the injuries to his star players. “I liked our effort all around,” He said. “It’s a good hockey team we played. If you’re running without a couple of horses, you know, for half the game, so, pretty gutsy effort from our group. I’ll take it. I mean, we weren’t perfect. We made some mistakes; they cost us, but all in all, I’m pretty happy with what we did. It’s a big point.”
The Avs have collected three of a possible four points thus far during this road trip, and the prospect of a victory in Montréal looms large. The Avs split the season series against Montréal last year, but lost by a score of 7-3 during their previous visit to La Belle Province. For you superstitious folks out there, they were wearing their Quebec Nordiques heritage jerseys in that contest, and won’t be wearing them tonight.
Just sayin’.
The injured MacKinnon leads all skaters in points (30) and assists (20). Defenseman Devon Toews is enjoying an offensive flourish this season, as he leads all defensemen in goals (7). A win tonight could move Blackwood closer to second place in wins among active goaltenders across the League.
With the exception of Nashville, all Central Division teams are in action tonight. A win tonight keeps the Avs within pace of the second-place Predators, while remaining ahead of Dallas, Utah, Winnipeg, and St. Louis in the Central Division standings.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Artturi Lehkonen -Brock Nelson – Martin Nečas Gabe Landeskog – Nicolas Roy – T.J. Hughes Jaden Schwartz – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor Parker Kelly – Fedor Svechkov – Gavin Brindley
Defense: Devon Toews – Brett Kulak Noah Juulsen – Sam Malinski Alex Gagne – Brent Burns
Between the Pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood Scott Wedgewood
Montréal Canadiens
After bowing out to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, Montréal is out to prove last season’s deep playoff run wasn’t a fluke. General manager Kent Hughes moved quickly to secure some key pieces of his roster this summer. He signed star right wing Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73.2 million dollar contract extension and standout goaltender Jakub Dobeš to a three-year, $16 million+ dollar contract, respectively, during the first two days of free agency in July.
The rest of the summer was quiet for Hughes until September. Hughes then signed left wing Chris Kreider signed a one-year, $5.4 million dollar contract on September 12, while forward Zachary Bolduc, acquired last season from St. Louis, signed a four-year, $16.8 million dollar contract the next day. Two days later, former Avalanche forward Alex Newhook signed a four-year, $22.2 million dollar contract extension.
With several of their key pieces now locked into long-term contracts, the organization is now focused on making another deep playoff run, and their current record reflects that goal. Coming into tonight’s game against Colorado, Montréal currently shares the Atlantic Division lead with Tampa. They’ve won three of their previous four games, their most recent being a 5-2 defeat of their archrival Boston Bruins at T.D. Garden this past Thursday.
However, the injury bug has started to make its presence known in Montréal. Demidov has missed over a month with a fractured ankle, and goaltender Sam Montembeault has been out of action since October 31 with a lower body injury. Earlier today, the organization announced that Kreider will miss 6-8 weeks with a lower body injury, while defenseman Mike Matheson is considered a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Colorado.
Right wing Cole Caufield and defenseman Lane Hutson lead all Montréal skaters in points (18). Caufield’s twelve goals—none of which were scored on an empty net, to the delight and/or relief of Montréal fans everywhere—is first among all Montréal skaters.
Hutson lead the team in assists (10), while goaltender Jacob Fowler ranks third among all League goaltenders in wins (9). Defenseman Arber Hekaj leads all Montréal skaters in penalty minutes (32).
Tonight kicks off a stretch of five games in seven days for Montréal. After facing Colorado tonight, they will start a three game road trip next Monday. Montréal will wrap up the season series with Colorado on November 25 at Ball Arena.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovský Zachary Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier Alex Newhook – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson Owen Beck – Oliver Kapanen – Kirby Dach
Defense: Kaiden Guhle – Mike Matheson Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Solovyov, 26, has appeared in only three games this season, with the last appearance on Oct. 24 in a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. According to head coach Dan Muse, this decision was more so about getting Solovyov consistent playing time, as was the case the first time he was optioned to WBS this season.
"It's been awhile now. Hasn't played in a bit," Muse said. "So, it's an opportunity to play."
Of note, Solovyov did not have to pass through waivers again because he had not been back with the NHL club for either 30 days or 10 games. He was recalled on Oct. 18 after his initial placement on waivers Oct. 9.
The move shouldn't come as much of a surprise, especially since veteran defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is back practicing with the team. He played the first five games of the season before going down with a lower-body injury in mid-October, and he's been out ever since. He has not appeared in a game for the Penguins since Oct. 9, the same day Solovyov was waived.
Although van Riemsdyk, 35, has not officially been activated from injured reserve, the Penguins do expect him back soon. But Muse wants to see him ease back into things.
"We're going to get some more practices [is the] plan," Muse said. "Being out there with the team skate, a couple team skates now, some more practice time. So, that's the current plan."
MONTREAL (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche will be without forward Nathan MacKinnon for at least a month and defenseman Cale Makar for around two weeks, coach Jared Bednar told reporters Saturday before a game against Montreal.
Both star players are sidelined with lower-body injuries. It's a blow to a team that's among the Stanley Cup favorites.
MacKinnon and Makar left in the second period of the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime loss in Ottawa on Thursday night.
MacKinnon went down to his knees holding his right hip after being shoved by Senators defenseman Artem Zub while trying to win the puck. Makar left favoring his right leg in what appeared to be a non-contact injury.
Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, has five goals and 18 assists this season. MacKinnon has 10 goals and 20 assists.
The Winnipeg Jets have been surging behind red-hot forwards like Mark Scheifele and Dawson Mercer among others, but one of the top players for their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, is making a case to be considered if the offense slows down again.
Dima Zhilkin, Winnipeg's third-round pick in 2022, has not broken out at the NHL level yet, but he has steadily grown during his time with the Moose. He recorded 24 points in 62 games last season and is already six points shy of matching that total.
Through 16 games this season, Zhilkin has eight goals and ten assists for 18 points. He has at least a point in 11 of those 16 games and is riding a five-game point streak. That puts him on pace to be a potential point-per-game player.
With the Jets looking for offense wherever they can find it, Zhilkin could get a look if the team cools off. Through their first 12 games, Winnipeg's offense was one of the league's worst at 2.33 goals per game. Since then, that number has jumped to 4.13 over the last eight games.
If the offense starts to regress toward its early-season form, the Jets could turn to another young player, as they did with Brayden Yager. After the slow start, Winnipeg called up the former first-round pick after he recorded 12 points in ten AHL games. Yager has been decent so far, with a goal and an assist through five games.
Zhilkin could be a similar option with the 22-year-old having played six games with the Jets last season, so this would be his second stint at the NHL level. After making adjustments in the offseason and looking like a different player this year, he may be worth another look, and he could finally be mature enough to stay in the NHL and become a difference-maker for Winnipeg.
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The Senators haven't exactly followed the traditional development manual with their prized young defenceman Carter Yakemchuk.
The seventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft played in the club's first 13 games this season, but as the Senators have gradually returned to full health on the blue line, the 21-year-old has become the odd man out.
Yakemchuk has been a healthy scratch for six of the Senators' last seven games, spending way more time in the press box than on the ice.
Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News provides the Pittsburgh preview as the Penguins prepare to host the Senators on Saturday night.
He'll finally get back in there on Saturday night when the Senators visit the Pittsburgh Penguins. He replaces Nikolas Matinpalo on the third defensive pairing alongside Tyler Kleven. That's almost certainly not an indictment of Matinpalo, who's played very well of late. The kid just needs to play.
"We're fortunate we've got 7D that we really like," head coach Travis Green told the Senators social media team. "Yak's just been out of the lineup lately. We felt like it was important to get him back in.
"It's not a slight against (Matinpalo) at all. He's been playing great this year, but we just want to make sure that we're keeping everyone sharp, and Yak's more than capable. We're expecting a big game out of him as well."
Meanwhile, it's fair to wonder whether this is the ideal development model for a blue-chip prospect.
There's certainly value in having Yakemchuk practice with NHL players, learn from experienced teammates, and get a firsthand look at what it takes to succeed at this level.
But there's also a strong argument that he'd be better served playing big minutes in Belleville, where he'd be the big man on campus, quarterback the power play, and continue working on the quicker feet and defensive details that will determine his NHL future.
Saturday's opportunity will give him another chance to show he belongs.
Senators Projected Lineup
The Senators have announced their line combinations for Saturday's game, and they'll look almost identical to the setup that helped them defeat Colorado 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night.
The only change is Yakemchuk replacing Matinpalo.
Forwards
Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stützle – Dylan Cozens Phil Tomasino – Shane Pinto – Drake Batherson Michael Amadio – Ridly Greig – Claude Giroux Sammy Blais – Stephen Halliday – Hayden Hodgson
Defence
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence Tyler Kleven – Carter Yakemchuk
Starting Goaltender
Linus Ullmark
Ullmark will make his second consecutive start after returning from a lower-body injury that had kept him out since October 21.
As strategy goes, given Ullmark's constant battle with injuries and the grind of the long season, it may be worth considering a move to a true platoon situation at some point.
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup
The Penguins are expected to counter with the following combinations, with 22-year-old rookie goalie Sergei Murashov starting in goal.
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Evgeni Malkin Tommy Novak – Ben Kindel – Egor Chinakhov Nicholas Robertson – Hendrix Lapierre – Justin Brazeau Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Rutger McGroarty
Defence
Spencer Stastney – Erik Karlsson Samuel Girard – Kaedan Korczak Declan Carlile – Kris Letang
MacKinnon will miss one month and Makar will miss about two weeks.
Bednar said Makar had been dealing with a soft-tissue injury and "it just kind of started gradually getting worse."
The two were dealing with injuries last season in the Western Conference finals, one of the reasons that the Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Avalanche play six games from Saturday night, when they face the Montreal Canadiens, until Nov. 28. That would cover the two weeks without Makar. The team has off from Nov. 20-24.
Colorado plays 13 games during the next month, the time that MacKinnon is expected to miss.
Recent callups forward Gavin Brindley and defenseman Alex Gagne will play in Montreal. Gagne will make his NHL debut and play alongside Brent Burns, who's making his 1,600th appearance.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been showing signs of improvement lately, as they have won two out of their last three games.
A big reason for the Penguins' recent success has been goaltender Sergei Murashov. This is because the 22-year-old netminder has been playing very well for the Metropolitan Division club.
Murashov has not only won each of his last two starts but was excellent during them. In the Penguins' 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 7, Murashov stopped 26 out of 28 shots (.929 save percentage). He then followed that up by saving 34 out of 36 shots he faced against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 11, which equates to a .944 save percentage.
With numbers like these, there is no question that Murashov has been very good for the Penguins lately. The 2022 fourth-round pick is starting to show signs of breaking out, which is undoubtedly encouraging news for a Penguins club that wants to get better.
It will now be interesting to see if Murashov can continue to play this well for the Penguins from here. There is a lot to like about his game right now.
The Senators will begin a two-game road trip in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, and fortunately for them, they were able to get into town before Friday's air travel shutdown in the United States.
The Sens (12-6-2) have won three of their last four games and collected seven of a possible eight points in that stretch.
November 5: Beat Buffalo 2–1
November 8: Beat Utah 4–2
November 10: Lost to Washington 3–2 in overtime
November 12: Beat Colorado 4–3 in overtime
They've climbed into ninth overall in the NHL, despite an ongoing string of injuries that has tested their depth. In the deep Atlantic, where Tampa, Montreal, and Boston have been playing out of their minds in the first quarter of the season, that still only equates to a Wild Card spot at the moment.
Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News provides the Pittsburgh preview as the Penguins prepare to host the Senators on Saturday night.
The Senators caught a break on Friday, arriving in Pittsburgh before the Trump administration's Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide grounding of flights due to what they claimed were problems with their air traffic control communication.
There was also some concern about whether NHL officials would make it to their assignments. Unlike NHL teams, referees and linesmen generally fly commercially. However, longtime NHL broadcaster John Shannon reported Friday that all referees assigned to the league's 14 games had arrived in their respective cities.
On the ice, the Senators will face a Pittsburgh club that has generally struggled through the opening 19 games of the season, though they did win 2 of 3 on their just completed western swing.
The Pens (7-10-2) sit tied for sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 27th overall in the NHL with just 16 points.
The Senators, meanwhile, have gone 5-4-1 away from Canadian Tire Centre this season.
Saturday's matchup comes less than 48 hours after the Sens earned a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
Shane Pinto was the hero, opening the scoring and then delivering the overtime winner. Pinto became the fifth player in Senators history to score an OT winner on his birthday. For those who curiously like to keep track of such things, the other four were Radek Bonk, Mike Fisher, Thomas Chabot and Josh Norris.
With 17 points in 20 games, Pinto stands third in Sens scoring and looks for all the world like he's finally having his breakout season as an NHL scorer.
Thursday also marked the return of Linus Ullmark, who had missed eight games with a lower-body injury. Ullmark has a 8-1-0 record and has generally had the Penguins’ number, posting a 1.62 GAA and .938 save percentage in 11 appearances.
While the Senators have been getting contributions throughout the lineup, Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson continue to lead the charge.
Stützle leads the club with 24 points, while he and Batherson share the team lead with 10 goals. Stützle also enters Saturday's game with two points in each of his last four outings, matching the longest such streak of his NHL career.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Sidney Crosby stands fourth in team scoring with 13 points in 19 games and seeing him outside the top 100 in NHL scoring is certainly unfamiliar territory.
Pittsburgh's offence is led by former Senators captain Erik Karlsson, who has 19 points in 19 games. He’s one of 11 NHL defensemen moving along at a point per game pace in the first quarter of the season.
But it’s already getting late for the Penguins. They’re eight points and six teams out of the final wild card in the East and the hole they’ve dug for themselves will soon be too deep to get out of.
They're also just home from a week-long western road trip, where they won two of three games, but the first game back home after a long road trip can sometimes be a challenge.
According to Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News Pittsburgh, the Penguins will welcome back Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford, and Jack McGregor and officially add them to the Penguins' Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony.
Following Saturday's game, the Senators will continue their road trip Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
Puck drop against the Penguins is scheduled for 7 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
The Vancouver Canucks have a second-period problem. Through their first 21 games, the Canucks have allowed 35 goals in the second period, including four in the middle frame on Friday against the New York Rangers. For comparison, the next highest team in the league is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have allowed 26 in 21 games.
It would be one thing if Vancouver were also scoring goals in the second period, but that has also been a struggle. The Canucks have only found the back of the net 14 times in the middle frame through 21 games, which ranks tied for 29th in the league. This means that Vancouver is allowing approximately 1.6 goals against while scoring approximately 0.6 goals per game in the second period.
"I think that the story of the second was just our unwillingness or inability to stick to the script," said Head Coach Manny Malhotra after Friday's loss. "But our first period was probably the best we've looked in a long time, just in terms of everything structurally. Created a lot of chances. Scored a great ozone sequence goal. Didn't spend a ton of time in the D zone, so again, coming back to that mindset of simple and direct works for us. And in the second period, it was just a string of turnover after turnover after turnover that feeds transition and doesn't allow us to do the things that make us competitive.
As for Brock Boeser, he spoke about the mistake-filled second period against the Rangers by saying, "It's frustrating. Obviously, I feel like we just haven't played a full game together, and we talk about it, and we talk about it, and it's the same stuff. So we're gonna have to learn eventually."
One reason the Canucks have struggled in the second period is a lack of shots on net. Vancouver has been outshot 225-138, with their -87 shot differential the highest by any team in a single period so far this season. As for the rest of the game, the Canucks' shot differential by period reads as -70 in the first, -24 in the third and +4 in overtime.
At this stage, it is hard to understand why Vancouver continues to struggle in the second period. The problem is even perplexing to the players and Malhotra, who don't seem to have an answer as to why this issue persists. Ultimately, the Canucks' second-period play is costing the team almost nightly and is a prime example of Vancouver playing "losing hockey".
Nov 13, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) and forward Marco Rossi (23) battle with New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Heading into the 2026 Global Series in Helsinki, Finland, it was clear that Sebastian Aho was going to be the biggest star.
The Rauma native has long been one of his country's brightest stars, from winning gold at the 2016 World Junior Championships to helping lead the team to a bronze medal finish at this year's Winter Olympics to being already one of the all-time highest scoring Finnish born NHL players at just 29 years old.
All the focus was on Aho heading into these games and in Thursday's opening match, he delivered with a dominant, two-goal performance.
Aho scored both the game-winning goal and the final dagger as part of the Carolina Hurricanes' 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken at Veikkaus Arena, much to the joy of the home crowd.
"I was actually a little nervous before the game," Aho said. "You obviously hope to win that game, for sure, that's the main thing, but I'd be lying if I said that that didn't feel good. It was nice to score in that game, for sure."
And funny enough, the goals came on the 10th anniversary of his first career NHL goal, but even crazier than that is the fact that he scored that first goal against Philipp Grubauer as well.
"That's a cool little thing to happen for him," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "It's a great memory for him and I think he's going to remember this for his whole career. You couldn't really make it any better.
"You knew it meant a lot to him. You could see it all week that we've been here that he's just been extremely happy and he wanted to do what he did tonight. It was great to see."
Not only did Aho put on a performance he'll remember for the rest of his life, but he also reached a pair of milestones with his goals in the process too.
First, Aho passed Olli Jokinen for the fourth most goals all-time by a Finnish born player (322).
Second, he also tied Eric Staal for the most goals ever by a member of the Carolina Hurricane, doing so in 133 fewer games.
Ron Francis holds the franchise record with 382 goals, but no Carolina Hurricane has ever scored more than Aho has now.
The Hurricanes' franchise centerman still has many more years to come in the NHL, so it will be fun to see where he winds up when he finally decides to call it a career.
"I've been fortunate to be with him since he came into the league," Brind'Amour said. "I remember his first development camp practice when he showed up and I remember talking to some of the guys being like, 'I don't know if he's going to make it' because he was just a kid. He was so little. But he just willed himself into becoming the player he is."
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Former Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala is finally back in the NHL after a frightening injury kept him sidelined for nine months.
The Los Angeles Kings announced Thursday that Fiala had been activated from injured reserve and made his season debut against the New York Islanders. He notched an assist in the 5-2 loss.
Fiala had not played since suffering a serious injury while representing Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. The injury brought his Olympic tournament to an abrupt end and forced him to miss an extended period of action.
Now, nine months later, the former Wild standout is finally returning to the ice.
Fiala spent parts of four seasons with Minnesota after being acquired from the Nashville Predators in February 2019 in exchange for Mikael Granlund.
His best season came in 2021-22, when he recorded a career-high 33 goals and 85 points in 82 games. Fiala finished second on the Wild in scoring that season, trailing only Kirill Kaprizov.
That summer, Minnesota traded Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and defenseman Brock Faber.
The trade ultimately helped shape Minnesota's future, with Faber developing into one of the Wild's most important defensemen.
For Fiala, the move to Los Angeles provided an opportunity to continue his career as a top offensive contributor.
However, his career was put on hold following the frightening injury during the Olympics.
His return marks a significant milestone after a lengthy recovery process that kept him out of NHL action for approximately nine months.
While it remains to be seen how quickly Fiala can regain his offensive form, his return is welcome news for the Kings and hockey fans who watched him develop into a star during his time in Minnesota.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-2, 16 points) will look to build on their winning 2-1 California road trip Saturday when they take on the Ottawa Senators (12-6-2, 26 points) at home.
On Wednesday, the Penguins capped off the three-game swing with a 3-2 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks. A 34-save effort by rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov led the way, and it was his second win of the road trip as well as the second-most saves he made in a game this season, the most being when he stole the Penguins a point against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 with 45 saves on 47 attempts.
Even though a lot of the on-ice play was still a mixed bag for Pittsburgh - and their goaltender was outstanding enough to steal them a game yet again on Wednesday - they are some things to build off of. Their lineup seems to be gaining momentum, they are now near the top of the league in defensive zone giveaways with the third-fewest at 107, and they are actually beginning to see some synergy in their lineup.
The advanced stats back up the Penguins playing better five-on-five hockey as of late, too. They are fourth in the league in expected goals for per 60 with 2.88, their PDO is seventh-lowest in the league this season at 97.79 to indicate some poor luck, and their Corsi (shot attempts share) is eighth in the league at 52.67 percent amongst a bunch of playoff-positioned teams.
It remains to be seen if head coach Dan Muse keeps the same lineups together, but they did swap a few things around at Friday's team practice. After one game in the top-six, Nick Robertson was slid back down to the third line in place of Ville Koivunen in the lineup, while Hendrix Lapierre slotted back in at third-line center and youngster Rutger McGroarty remained in, taking line rushes on the fourth line with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar.
Muse did not commit to a goaltender for Saturday's game in Friday's media availability, but he did like what he saw from Murashov on the road trip. And injured defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk did skate with the team Friday, but he was on the fourth pairing with Ilya Solovyov, perhaps an indication that he will not be in the lineup Saturday.
The team's first game back home will also be its 'Hall of Fame Game', when they will welcome back Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford, and Jack McGregor and elect them to the Penguins' Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. The first two will be inducted as players, while Rutherford will be inducted in the Builder category and McGregor in the Contributor category.
As for the Ottawa Senators, they are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games and 5-4-1 on the road this season. They have fallen a bit in the standings to the first wild card position, but they are still a younger team with some weapons.
The Penguins have struggled against the Senators in recent years, going 2-5-3 with a minus-16 goal differential in their last 10 games head-to-head.
Chinakhov's stat line might not look like much, as he has just three goals and five points in 15 games played for the Penguins. But the stat line is no indication of the way he's played. He's struck iron on several occasions, and his 4.9 shot attempts per game is the third-highest mark on the team behind only Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell. He has developed some chemistry on the second line with Ben Kindel, and both have been playing better. It feels like when one goes in for Chinakhov, a bunch will follow.
Rutger McGroarty
McGroarty, 22, looks to be earning his second consecutive game after being called up during the Western trip and putting forth a nice effort in the 3-2 win over the Sharks. He may not be lighting up the scoresheet, as he has no points in three NHL games this season, but he is contributing on the defensive side of the puck and creating enough havoc in chance creation that he's still doing things to help the team win. The Penguins want to get younger, and McGroarty figures to be part of that mix — but he needs to keep forcing the Penguins' hand as far as keeping him in the lineup over others.
Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-2, 16 points):
Points:
Erik Karlsson: 3-16-19 in 19 GP Evgeni Malkin: 6-11-17 in 17 GP Tommy Novak: 7-7-14 in 19 GP Sidney Crosby: 6-7-13 in 19 GP Rickard Rakell: 6-5-11 in 19 GP
Goaltenders:
Arturs Silovs: 5-6-1, .873 save percentage Sergei Murashov: 2-4-1, .891 save percentage
Mar 26, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark (35) makes a save on a shot from Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Egor Chinakhov (59) in a shootout at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
Ottawa Senators (12-6-2, 26 points):
Points:
Tim Stutzle: 10-14-24 in 20 GP Drake Batherson: 10-9-19 in 20 GP Shane Pinto: 9-8-17 in 20 GP Michael Amadio: 6-5-11 in 20 GP Dylan Cozens: 4-7-11 in 20 GP
Goaltenders:
Samuel Ersson: 3-3-2, .885 save percentage Linus Ullmark: 8-1-0, .938 save percentage
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 p.m. ET Venue: PPG Paints Arena Television: Sportsnet Pittsburgh Radio: 105.9 The X
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home for the final game of a three-game homestand and will face the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at 7:00 PM.
Philadelphia Flyers- 5-10-6 - 16 Points - OT Loss 1 - 7th in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets - 7-10-0 - 8 Points - Lost 3 - 8th in the Metro
Series History vs. TheFlyers
The Blue Jackets are 33-19-3-4 overall, and 18-6-2-2 at home vs. Philadelphia.
Columbus beat the Flyers in Philadelphia in October.
Columbus has won six-straight games against Philadelphia overall and has earned points in nine of the last 10 in the series since Jan. 4, 2024 (8-1-1).
The CBJ have won consecutive home games and five of the past seven at Nationwide Arena dating back to Nov. 10, 2022.
The road team has earned points in 15 of the last 20 in the series since Feb. 20, 2020 (11-5-4).
The clubs have combined for eight or more goals in three of the last four played in Ohio and seven-plus in six of the last nine at Nationwide Arena.
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Kent Johnson has 5-5-10 in 12 career GP, including notching 2-1-3 and the OT GWG on Oct. 27.
Zach Werenski has 9-16-25 in 29 career GP, with five multi-point efforts in his last six games overall (3-7-10) as well as points in four-straight home contests (5-3-8) and five of the past six at NWA (6-4-10).
Matthew Knies has 3-5-8 in 10 career GP and has points in his past in each of his past three home contests against the team (1-3-4).
Sean Monahan has 14-7-21 in 26 career GP, with 4-4-8 in his last 12 overall, including points in four straight home contests (3-2-5).
Damon Severson has 10-15-25 in 49 career GP, including points in three of his past four games at Nationwide Arena (2-2-4).
Adam Fantilli has posted 2-7-9 in 11 career GP vs. the Flyers with points in six-straight meetings (2-5-7) after posting 1-1-2 in the Oct. 27 matchup.
Jet Greaves has gone 4-0-0 with a .956 SV% and 1.23 GAA in 4 appearances against the Flyers.
Charlie Coyle has posted 11-11-22 in 37 career games against the Flyers and has posted points in three of his last four home outings (3-2-5).
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 18.6% - 26th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 73.9% - 24th in the NHL
Goals For - 40 - 32nd in the NHL
Goals Against - 54 - 8th in the NHL
FlyersStats
Power Play - 18.8% - 25th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 79.4% - 12th in the NHL
Goals For - 47 - 28th in the NHL
Goals Against - 68 - 25th in the NHL
Who To Watch For TheFlyers
Matvei Michkov leads the Flyers with 10 goals and 15 points.
Trevor Zegras leads Philly with 10 assists.
Goalie Dan Vladař is 3-4-4 with a SV% of .879. His last start was on 11-11.
Joseph Woll is 2-6-2 with a SV% of .902. His last start was on 11-09.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 17 Games Missed - Lightly skating. Could return soon.
Conor Garland - Upper Body Injury - 2 Games Missed - No timeline for a return.
Sean Monahan - Lower Body Injury - Day to day
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 43
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
TV: CBJHN - Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo. DirecTV Ch. 660 (streaming), 660-1 (satellite). U-Verse (1735/735)
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Amid all the Matvei Michkov drama, and controversies surrounding other well-known stars around the NHL, one former Flyers defenseman with over 1,000 games of experience in the league has planted his flag with an authoritative, disapproving stance.
Since the 2026 Winter Olympics, an increase of players have requested trades away from their teams. Notably, former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was shipped off to Florida, and Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck ended up in New Jersey after holding out into the 2026-27 regular season.
Some, like Dylan Larkin, are still waiting for their turn. As for Michkov, he's in the last year of his entry-level contract, and despite the turmoil internally and externally, the Flyers have refuted reports that their young star wants to play elsewhere.
Former Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson, who played with Michkov in his rookie season in 2024-25 and with Flyers GM Danny Briere in Briere's last season in the NHL in 2014-15, has called out all Larkin and all the NHL players looking to leave their teams in the middle of their contracts during a pre-game segment for ESPN.
Johnson, 38, went through this kind of situation nine years ago in the prime of his playing career, when top forward Matt Duchene asked out of Colorado.
"The core guys of the team, Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, we went to [Avalanche GM] Joe Sakic, we said, 'Get him out of here. We want to be a part of the Avs, we want to be a part of the solution.' We ended up being rewarded for that [with a Stanley Cup], Johnson noted.
The Avalanche obliged, and Duchene ended up in Ottawa as part of a three-team trade, and Colorado ended up with a 2018 first-round pick that later became Bowen Byram.
"Now, Dylan Larkin, I can't stand these guys halfway through their contracts that they signed in good faith with their team now bailing ship and wanting to go for greener pastures," said Johnson. "As a former player, I don't like these guys abandoning their teams mid-season, mid-contract."
The other wrinkle of Johnson's comments is that many players, like Larkin and Hellebuyck, have no-trade and no-movement clauses that allow them to dictate where they will accept a trade to.
For the Flyers, if it comes down to it, that won't be the case with Michkov, though his status as a pending free agent will undoubtedly play a factor for inquiring teams.
Reports have indicated that the Flyers are not the most happy with the play of their veteran players; players like Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim, and Christian Dvorak all have full trade protection, while Owen Tippett has a 10-team no-trade list.
As things develop in Philadelphia, this could make for a potentially interesting situation a few weeks and months down the road. And the feelings of experienced pundits, like Johnson, are clear as this trade drama becomes more and more commonplace around the NHL.
