ST. LOUIS – Jim Montgomery spoke before the St. Louis Blues took on the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday that the players needed to play for each other, after being embarrassed against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Mission accomplished as the Blues rebounded with a strong effort and held off their divisional rivals, 3-2, at Enterprise Center, ending a two-game losing streak.

Logan Mailloux and Matt Luff each scored his first Blues goal, and Justin Faulk also scored, while Robert Thomas extended his point streak to four games (three goals, three assists) with a two-assist night. Joel Hofer made 27 saves as the Blues improved to 12-14-7 on the season.

“Very much so, right from the drop of the puck, you could feel it, the crowd was into it because our guys were there for each other, rallying for each other,” Montgomery said. “We were connected. We still made mistakes, and that’s going to happen in this game because there’s another team playing, but the effort and the second- and third-effort, playing for each other makes up for a lot."

Let’s look at Friday’s game observations:

* Mailloux sheds Monkey, Luff scores in place where he got first NHL goal – Role players can make all the difference in winning and losing, and although Mailloux isn’t a role player, Luff is.

But for Mailloux, it had to be a ginormous monkey off his back after going 19 games without scoring while seeing and obviously hearing that Zack Bolduc is producing with the Montreal Canadiens.

But Mailloux put the Blues ahead 1-0 at 3:41 on a beautiful shot from the left circle past Spencer Knight. It developed with Thomas gaining the zone, and feathering a puck to the opposite side of the ice knowing Mailloux is coming off the bench with open ice, and the defenseman took advantage of shooting through defenseman Louis Crevier’s legs and a Jake Neighbours screen on a delayed penalty, one that Neighbours helped induce:

FIRST AS A BLUE FOR LOGAN MAILLOUX!! pic.twitter.com/lad3MGTqu7

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 13, 2025

“It felt good to get the monkey off the back,” Mailloux said. “It was a heck of a play, kind of an area pass by ‘Tommer.’ They had a delayed penalty there. I was coming off the bench and I saw it and jumped up and it was a great screen by ‘Jakey’ in front too.”

Luff’s first goal since April 4, 2023 with the Detroit Red Wings against the Montreal Canadiens was a nice play from Colton Parayko’s outlet pass to Robby Fabbri along the lefthand side, and Fabbri recognizes Luff is coming down the slot, finds him, and Luff whips his wrister by Knight to the glove side at 11:48 of the first for a 2-0 lead:

ANOTHER FIRST AS A BLUE!!!!! THIS TIME IT'S MATT LUFF!!! pic.twitter.com/kzHTD6q0Oe

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 13, 2025

“It was a good pass by ‘Fabs,’” Luff said. “Always nice to get it done and nice to get a win too.

“Me, ‘Ginger’ and ‘Sunny’ just as a role line, I think were pretty good today so it’s nice to obviously contribute, roll that into the next game and see what happens.”

* Being way better at both net fronts – It’s obvious that the net fronts on Thursday were not nearly good enough.

The Predators could have pitched tents and camped out in front of the Blues’ goal, and the Blues were virtually non-existent at the opposite end.

That all changed on Friday, and it had to.

“Hundred percent,” Mailloux said. “I think especially after yesterday, had a few goals just kind of laying there in front and we got beat. That was definitely a big part.”

It included two fights (Mailloux vs. Colton Dach and Dylan Holloway vs. Connor Murphy).

“We had two fights tonight, but that’s not common anymore,” Montgomery said. “But that’s part of it. You see guys driving middle lane, stopping at the net. When defensemen were shooting, we had bodies at the net. Defensemen were pinching pucks, forwards were replacing them. In the D-zone, the box-outs were hard and heavy at our own net, getting back winning goal line races so we can break pucks out quickly. Those kind of things. It’s just effort-based and it’s doing the job so someone else doesn’t have to do it.”

* Needed a response after Thursday – Getting embarrassed is never fun. And it certainly wasn’t for the Blues.

They needed a response and got one.

“I think we talked about it before the game we have a homestand here of four games and we wanted to start off right, and I think we did,” Luff said.

“Team toughness makes us hard to play against,” Mailloux said. “That’s what we want to be. We don’t want teams looking forward to coming in here and playing us. It was fun.”

“It was really important. It was great to see that our leaders led and that our young players and players that have been on call-up, everyone chipped in,” Montgomery said. “It’s nice to see everybody again play hard and play for each other.”

* Blues offset Hawks push with big goal – The Blackhawks pushed to start the second coming in only down one (2-1) on Wyatt Kaiser’s goal late in the first at 15:50.

The Hawks quickly had the first five shots to even up with the Blues at 11-11, but the Blues pushed back, and had a gained edge for a number of minutes there when Faulk made it 3-1 at 8:57 when he stuffed a shot under Knight’s arm once he got a pass from Tyler Tucker from the point:

3-1 thanks to Justin Faulk. pic.twitter.com/pp46v5z5cj

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 13, 2025

It was a critical goal because the Hawks would get one back on Andre Burakovsky’s goal at 14:08 of the third period but the Blues finished the win off.

* Unfortunate Bedard injury – One always says to not take a second for granted.

Well, for the Blackhawks, the final 0.8 seconds could prove to to be costly when star forward Connor Bedard was injured on what coach Jeff Blashill said afterwards was a “freak accident.”

Bedard and Blues captain Brayden Schenn lined up for the draw to the left of Hofer in the right circle, and Chicago basically needed to get a quick shot off to have any chance of tying it. Schenn went for a stick lift and Bedard fell backwards awkwardly, got up immediately clutching his right shoulder and down the tunnel.

Connor Bedard exits the ice in serious pain holding his shoulder pic.twitter.com/LIf1pWgnW3

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) December 13, 2025

Blashill said Bedard will not play against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, but if the center misses any extended period of time, it will be tough to see for Chicago and hockey fans in general.

* Fabbri continues to play well – It's only two games, but it's evident that Fabbri doesn't want this to be a short stint, his second with the Blues.

This is not points in back to back games (two assists); he had two shots on goal and three more hits, including this one on Teuvo Teravainen that put the Hawks forward into the Blues bench and nearly score on it:

just a little midwest hospitality pic.twitter.com/lzcGbKHS4A

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 13, 2025

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The Pittsburgh Penguins made a big trade on Friday morning, sending goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick.

The Oilers had been a rumored destination for Jarry for the last few weeks since their goaltending was really struggling to start the season. They had a combined .879 save percentage between Skinner and fellow goaltender Cal Pickard through the first two months of the season, and are hoping that Jarry can help stabilize things in the crease. 

Skinner had been with the Oilers organization since they selected him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He's been inconsistent throughout his career, but will now have a chance for a fresh start in a new organization. He'll be paired with Arturs Silovs for the foreseeable future while Sergei Murashov continues to get the starters' reps in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. 

As for Kulak, he becomes an immediate upgrade to the third pairing on the left side of the blue line and can even play on the second pair with Kris Letang. He's having a rough go of things this year and has seen his minutes decrease, but it doesn't help that the Oilers' goalies (Skinner and Pickard) had an .861 save percentage with him on the ice. 

Kulak had a great season last year, compiling seven goals and 25 points in 82 games. He also averaged over 20 minutes per game during the regular season and over 23 minutes per game in the playoffs. He brought the offense and was also stingy in his own end at 5v5 and on the penalty kill. 

Kulak played 1475:31 at 5v5 last year and was on the ice for 53.4% of the shot attempts, 54.2% of the scoring chances, 54.4% of the high-danger chances, and 54.3% of the expected goals. Kulak spent 576 5v5 minutes with Ty Emberson last year and also has experience playing with Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard. He spent 425 5v5 minutes with Nurse and 208 5v5 minutes with Bouchard last year. 

Emberson was in his first full NHL season last year after playing in 30 games with the San Jose Sharks during the 2023-24 season. Kulak got to mentor him a bit, and I bring that up because there's a chance (even if it's small) that Harrison Brunicke plays for the team again this season after he gets back from the World Juniors. Kulak could have the opportunity to play with him if the Penguins feel like they're ready to start Brunicke's ELC.

BREAKING: Penguins Trade Tristan Jarry To Edmonton OilersThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have made a blockbuster move.

If not, Kulak's experience in a top-four spot could go a long way since Letang is really struggling right now. Letang had another rotten game against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, and it might be in Dan Muse's best interest to give him a new partner, at least to test it out. 

Outside of his 5v5 impacts, Kulak can also kill penalties, which is a significant strength of the Penguins. Going into Saturday's game against the Sharks, the Penguins rank fourth in the league with a 84.7% penalty kill. Kulak played 141:58 on the PK last year, which is the second-most minutes he's ever had on that unit. He's already up to 44:54 in 30 games this year and should see plenty of time on the Penguins' unit due to his defensive capabilities. 

If he can get back to his level from last year while keeping up his strong work on the PK, there's a chance the Penguins could flip him around the trade deadline since he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Of course, that depends on how much Dubas wants to sell because the team is in the playoff race right now. Despite three losses in a row, the Penguins are still in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 14-8-7 record. They have games in hand on the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division, but they only matter if you win them. 

Either way, Kulak has what it takes to help the Penguins' backend.

(Data via Natural Stat Trick and Dobber's Frozen Tools).

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On Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks paid their second and final visit of the season to the St. Louis Blues. After an 8-3 victory on October 15th, the Blues responded with a 3-2 victory this time around. 

On the final play of the game, while the Blackhawks were desperately trying to tie the game and force overtime, Bedard was injured. He left the ice quickly and appeared to be in some serious pain. 

Connor Bedard Injures Himself On Final Play Of Blackhawks' 3-2 Loss To BluesThe Chicago Blackhawks were unable to start a winning streak again. This time, they lost to the St. Louis Blues.

After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill provided a quick update on Bedard. According to Blashill, Bedard will not suit up on Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings. 

He also added that another update will be provided on Monday. Blashill gave his opinion that the play that injured Bedard was a "freak accident". 

Connor Bedard got injured and had to hurry to the locker room after this play to end the game pic.twitter.com/DzjpgWCgYa

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 13, 2025

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated on the road by the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. The Blues, who were embarrassed by the Nashville Predators one night prior, came out ready to play. 

St. Louis was also embarrassed by Chicago when the teams last met, a 8-3 Chicago win in St. Louis on October 15th. The Blues got their revenge in this one with a victory. 

The Blackhawks went down 2-0 quickly. Logan Mailloux and Matt Luff each scored their first goals as members of the St. Louis Blues to give them a multi-goal lead. 

After that, Wyatt Kaiser got the Blackhawks on the board with his second of the season. On the play, Connor Bedard made a great zone entry for Andre Burakovsky to make a brilliant pass to set up the Kaiser snipe. 

Before the Blackhawks could get it tied, Justin Faulk scored to re-give the Blues a two-goal advantage. That 3-1 score held through the second intermission. 

In the third, Connor Bedard made a big-time play that shows his growth as a player. After losing a face-off, he went right back to work to create a turnover, which ended up in the back of St. Louis' net thanks to Andre Burakovsky being in the right spot to take advantage of Bedard's play. 

The Blackhawks had some life after that, but were unable to get pressure with the goalie pulled, and the 3-2 held as the final. 

On the final play of the game, the Blackhawks tried to get a last-chance shot on net off a face-off. On the play, as the clock struck 0, Connor Bedard hurt what appeared to be his arm/shoulder. He couldn't get off the ice fast enough and was in intense pain. 

Connor Bedard got injured and had to hurry to the locker room after this play to end the game pic.twitter.com/DzjpgWCgYa

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 13, 2025

When the Blackhawks reveal an update on the status of Bedard, we will have it passed along to you on The Hockey News.

Watch Every Chicago Goal

hello again, #wkfc👋 pic.twitter.com/6LS5VGG2RV

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2025

things we love to see👏 pic.twitter.com/uFsMO8BdJ5

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2025

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will return home for the second half of a back-to-back set on Saturday night. The Detroit Red Wings will be at the United Center for an Original Six matchup. 

 Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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Certainly, the Canucks got a king’s ransom for Hughes. To get not one, but two high-end youngsters, an NHL-caliber player in center Marco Rossi, *and* a first-round pick is a solid haul for Vancouver executives Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford. But when it comes to Dahlin, we believe he’s sick to death of continuing to lose in Buffalo. And the Sabres haven’t done much of anything positive this year, so you have to believe he’s disgruntled the way Hughes was in Vancouver.

But there’s little question Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has to work with Dahlin on finding a new team to play for. And even then, with Dahlin holding all the cards with a no-move clause in his contract, you could find a taker team for Dahlin that still gives up draft picks and prospects.

And that’s the way the Sabres are headed – yes, once again, to the outside of the Stanley Cup playoffs looking in – so you can’t fault Dahlin for possibly wanting out. Other star players could’ve asked out of Buffalo far sooner , but like Hughes, Dahlin is trying his best, but just like Hughes, Dahlin isn't getting the results he wants. Hughes tried to mae it work in Vancouver, but he couldn’t do all the work himself. The same goes for Dahlin.

Sabres Freefalling Through Standings, But Have Your Say – Is It Time To Blow Things Up In Buffalo?The Buffalo Sabres are losing once again. With another blowout loss, it's time to consider a drastic overhaul. What's your take?

And now, when NHL GMs go big-game hunting for a top-defenseman, the Sabres should be seeing what they can get for Dahlin. Adams may also explore a trade for youngster Owen Power, but he’s having a tough year and wouldn’t get Buffalo nearly as much as they would if they chose to deal Dahlin.

We’re not saying a Dahlin trade is imminent. He may want to stay in Buffalo and get this team on the right track. However, the Sabres are losing all these games with Dahlin, so why shouldn’t they explore the market for a Dahlin trade? If Buffalo is going to miss the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season, all bets are off when it comes to untouchable players.

The deal for Hughes shows you what you can acquire if you’re determined enough and clever enough to make it work. Wild GM Bill Guerin deserves credit for going all-in with Hughes, and a Minnesota defense corps that includes Hughes and Brock Faber is almost too good to be true.

Slumping Sabres Should Be Trading This Goaltender As Soon As PossibleThe Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the standings yet again, and they need to start making trades. And there's one goalie in particular who they need to deal -- and they need to deal them now.

But the Hughes deal proves that any team can choose to trade a top player – and that means the Sabres should be preparing for life after Dahlin. He’s put in his time, and it still hasn’t worked. Thus, it's time to move on, for the betterment of Dahlin and the Sabres as well.

It's official: the Philadelphia Flyers pulling off a Quinn Hughes trade is not going to happen, and they should be thankful it won't.

On Friday night, Hughes, 26, was traded by the Vancouver Canucks for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, top defense prospect Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick.

The Flyers were never going to be able to match that, especially given that Rossi and Buium are the two clear centerpieces of the deal.

Of course, the Flyers passed on Buium for Jett Luchanko in the 2024 NHL Draft and were rumored to be interested in Rossi, only to bypass that endeavor with rumors suggesting the club would be concerned with adding a player with his 5-foot-9 size.

For the Flyers to have matched the Wild's trade offer for Hughes, they likely would have needed to part ways with Porter Martone, Cam York, Luchanko or Alex Bump, and their 2026 first-round pick, if we're aiming for 1:1 comparisons.

Missed Opportunity? Ex-Flyers Prospect Reaching Heights of NHL Superstars After Controversial TradeThe Flyers and Flyers fans have to be feeling pretty bad about how good Cutter Gauthier has been playing for the Ducks this season.

The fruit of the disappointment for fans is obviously going to be missing out on a superstar player had the Flyers acquired assets commonly linked to them throughout the summer and in previous years.

At the same time, though, the Flyers are nowhere near a win-now position like the Wild are in, because they don't have Kirill Kaprizov, high-level veterans, and two of the hottest goalies in the NHL.

Putting together this kind of trade package, considering the lack of leverage the Canucks had from the start of this whole saga, would have been egregious from Philadelphia's perspective.

That said, though, it doesn't excuse the Flyers from needing to make another big trade in the future, because they'll need to in order to find their No. 1 center of the future somehow.

Trevor Zegras's arrival has worked wonders for Danny Briere and Co., but Matvei Michkov's descent under new head coach Rick Tocchet has effectively counteracted that acquisition.

Flyers' Quinn Hughes Trade Hopes Take a Major HitIf the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> were hoping to execute a blockbuster Quinn Hughes trade, their competition for such an ambitious endeavor just got that much stronger.

Now, the onus is on the Flyers, who need a top center and a true No. 1 defenseman, to go out and make things happen, but the Hughes trade is really an example of what not to do.

But, if the market is always going to carry prices like Friday night's, well, they may not have much of a choice going forward but to make a tough choice.

It goes almost without saying that Tocchet, Briere, and the Flyers will be disappointed to have not gotten Hughes if they were ever truly in it, but their focus needs to be on the players they have in-house first until that day finally comes for them.

They always say that the NHL is all about opportunity.

Well, for 23-year-old defenseman Joel Nystrom, his opportunity has led to not only an NHL debut and stint, but now a multimillion dollar contract. 

The Carolina Hurricanes have inked Nystrom to a four-year, $4.9 million contract that will run through the 2029-30 season.

“Joel stepped into our lineup early in the season and has proven that he belongs in the NHL,” said Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky in a press release. “He fits our style of play well and we are excited to watch his continued development in Carolina.”

The Swedish rookie, who was a seventh-round pick in 2021, made his NHL debut on Oct. 23 and has since appeared in 23 games this season with all the injuries to Carolina's blueline.

Nystrom has picked up four assists on the year while averaging 16:02 per night. He's been a stable force on the blueline and even though he's a rookie, the moment has never seemed too big for him.

"We saw somebody that had really high-end hockey sense and that was something that we wanted to bet on," Hurricanes associate GM Darren Yorke told The Hockey News back in November. "Fast forward almost four years now and we’re seeing that hockey sense shine in the NHL and he’s been a big part of the team’s success lately when other guys have been hurt. He’s been able to step up.”

A Perfect Storm: Hurricanes Rookie Defenseman Joel Nystrom Making Most Of OpportunityA rare seventh-round pick defies the odds, showcasing an already high-level hockey sense. Discover how Joel Nystrom's rapid development landed him a a spot in the Hurricanes lineup.

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ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild made a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Quinn Hughes.

The cost was steep for Minnesota but it has to be when acquiring a player of that magnitude.

Vancouver will be getting Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.

Rossi, 24, was the Wild's 9th overall pick from the 2020 NHL draft and is coming off 24 goals and 60 points last season. A future top center in the NHL.

Buium, 20, has been compared to Hughes and was the Wild's 12th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft. He has played in 31 games this year and has three goals and 14 points. 

Ohgren, 21, was the WIld's 19th overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft and has struggled this year in limited ice time. He has zero points in 18 games.

Hughes, 26, is under contract for one more season after this one. Despite all the rumors of him joining his two brothers in New Jersey, Hughes has been traded to the Wild.

The 5-foot-10 defenseman has two goals and 23 points in 26 games this year for the Canucks and is their captain.

He won the 2024 Norris Trophy which is given to the top defenseman in the NHL. He led the league with an NHL career-high 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) in 82 games, and had the most even-strength points (54), second-most power-play points (38) and was fourth in plus/minus (plus-38) among defensemen.

In his career, Hughes has recorded 61 goals, 371 assists, 432 points, 16 power-play goals and 190 power play points in 459 games.

Quinn Hughes, acquired by MIN, is a superstar offensive defenceman. An exceptional skater, passer, and puck-handler who has been relied upon to carry his team's offence while also holding up his end of the deal defensively. #MNWildpic.twitter.com/k3j7Wn08Fp

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 13, 2025

The Wild don't make this move thinking there isn't a chance he signs with them. The Wild are going to have to sell it to him to stay though. His brothers Luke and Jack play for the Devils and the rumor for the longest time was that Quinn is going to sign there.

According to Michael Russo, there has been no assurance given to the Wild that Hughes will extend next summer. But, Wild general manager Bill Guerin does know him well. The U.S. born defender will be on Team USA at the Olympics.

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Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

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The Philadelphia Flyers made multiple moves during the 2025 NHL off-season. One of them was bringing in forward Christian Dvorak, as the Flyers signed him to a one-year, $5.4 million contract in free agency. 

While Dvorak landed a nice payday from the Flyers, it was not necessarily one of the most-talked-about NHL signings from the summer. While this was the case, there is no question that the Flyers' decision to sign Dvorak to this one-year, prove-it deal is looking like a home run. 

Dvorak has been impressing with the Flyers this season, as he has recorded seven goals, 14 assists, 21 points, and a plus-7 rating in 29 games. With this, the Flyers center is well on his way to crushing his current career-high of 38 points, which he recorded during the 2019-20 season with the Arizona Coyotes. 

Dvorak is only continuing to stay hot as the season carries on, too. Over his last three games with the Flyers, the 2014 second-round pick has posted one goal, four assists, and five points. This included him recording back-to-back two-point games against the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 and then the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 11. 

With the way Dvorak is playing, it is hard not to like this signing for the Flyers. It will be intriguing to see if the veteran forward can keep this kind of strong play up from here. 

The Detroit Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, have opened the season in remarkable fashion, winning 20 of their first 22 games. Leading the charge is top prospect Sebastian Cossa, who has been nearly unbeatable in net.

Detroit’s 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has been dominant, posting an 11-1-0 record with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage through 12 appearances.

The Hockey News spoke with Cossa ahead of the Griffins’ weekend matchups against the Rockford IceHogs and the Chicago Wolves. Cossa credited his impressive numbers to the experienced group playing in front of him, noting the impact of the NHL veterans on the roster.

"Being my third year in AHL now, a lot of confidence in myself, and knowing what I need to bring every night to play well and then obviously, I think we've got one of the best penalty kills in the league, which helps out a lot," Cossa started off by saying "As I said, I think the NHL experience, especially a lot on the back end, has helped out a lot for sure, so, definitely playing good hockey, and feeling really confident in my game, but the boys helped me out a lot too."

Grand Rapids’ leading scorer John Leonard recently spoke about the team maintaining a day-by-day mindset despite their strong start, a sentiment Cossa echoed. He acknowledged the outside buzz surrounding the team’s success but emphasized their commitment to staying grounded.

"The noise is going to be there with the start we've had, but I think we're still taking day by day, not letting it get to our heads, and still coming to work every day with a great work mentality and taking the next game with what it is face value," Cossa explained "Basically, I think every team's coming into our building when they play us, knowing that they're playing the best team in the league right now, so we're getting everyone's A game and I think every night someone on our team has stepped up and helped us get these wins here and there."

Cossa also spent part of the offseason working extensively with Griffins goalie coach Roope Koistinen, who has guided him throughout his three AHL seasons.

They focused on refining Cossa’s approach, helping him rely more on his natural reactions while maximizing the advantages of his six-foot-six frame, particularly in controlling slides and handling lateral movement.

Sebastian Cossa with the SAVE OF THE YEAR! (After misplaying the pass but who cares). He even has a big smirk on his face at the end of this clip #GoGRG#LGRWpic.twitter.com/JIZwKlaYHq

— Griffins Nest (@GrGriffinsNest) December 6, 2025

During that same offseason, Detroit made waves by acquiring goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in a Draft Day trade, giving the Red Wings their strongest goalie tandem in years. Cossa had the chance to work with Gibson during training camp and said the two quickly formed a strong connection, praising Gibson’s mentorship.

"I got to spend some time with him, trying to pick his brain as much as possible, he's an awesome guy, very reciprocal with me, very respectful, and just trying to help me out as much as he could, so he did a great job at that, someone who I feel confident that I can go talk to and chat with and stuff like that," Cossa said.

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Cossa also expressed admiration for Gibson’s recent performances, especially his ability to rebound after a challenging start in Detroit. When asked about early-season rumors of a possible NHL call-up during Detroit’s shaky stretch in goal, Cossa made it clear that while his ultimate goal is the NHL, his priority is to excel consistently at the AHL level first.

Sebastian Cossa save thread ⬇️#LGRWpic.twitter.com/1a2ALvWS8b

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) December 11, 2025

"Yeah, I mean, it's tough obviously you do hear it, at the end of the day, you do want to be there, so that's what you're striving for but I know that I need to dominate at this level for a sustained period of time and once that happens, hopefully get my shot, but just trying to take it day by day, do what I keep doing down here that's made me successful throughout the year and hopefully by the time I do get my shot, just bring that up and bring that routine up to Detroit," Cossa explained.

Throughout the interview, Cossa repeatedly emphasized his goal not simply to compete, but to dominate at every stage of his development. With the start he’s had, he’s proving exactly that. He concluded by saying that while the team hopes to carry their momentum into the postseason, their focus remains on maintaining high standards each night rather than looking too far ahead.

The Griffins return to the ice Saturday night when they host Rockford at Van Andel Arena. Fans can tune in on 96.1 The Game, WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM, stream through AHL.TV on FloHockey.tv. 

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ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues assigned forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Friday.

The 21-year-old, who was recalled on Dec. 1 and made his debut on Dec. 4 against the Boston Bruins, played in five games for the Blues. 

Kaskimaki, who did not record a point, has played in 16 games with the Thunderbirds this season and had seven points (four goals, three assists). He was originally drafted by the Blues in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

The signing of veteran Robby Fabbri, who had an assist in his Blues debut Thursday in a 7-2 loss to the Nashville Predators, likely made this move to send Kaskimaki back down easier so that he can continue to play games.

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Only one NHL team has hit double-digits in regulation home losses so far throughout the 2025–26 season. It’s the same team that currently sits dead-last in the NHL’s standings at 32nd with a total of 25 points collected throughout 31 games. 

Yes, it’s the Vancouver Canucks. 

Vancouver’s home record has been nothing short of abysmal this season. On the road, the Canucks haven’t fared terribly, as they’ve put together a record of 7–7–2 that ties them with three other teams for 17th in the NHL with 16 points. At home, however, is where things begin to slide. The Canucks have a league-worst home record of 4–10–1, having only grabbed nine points in their 15 home games so far. 

Salvaging this season feels like it’s out of the cards for a tired Canucks team and an even more tired Canucks fanbase that voiced their displeasure by throwing a jersey on the ice last night. There’s no direct remedy for their on-ice woes, given that a lot of factors have gone into the product currently being iced (David Kämpf being the only active natural center to play 80+ NHL games, for example). With that being said, there are some particular stats that stand out from Vancouver’s home stretches throughout the season — and not in a good way. Let’s take a look at some of the things that have contributed to the Canucks’ poor home record. 

Vancouver’s Penalty Kill Has Not Surpassed 75% While On Home Ice 

Looking at the Canucks’ stats on a month-per-month basis, Vancouver has yet to register a month in which they have posted a penalty killing rate of over 75%. Throughout five home games in October, the Canucks killed 11 of 15 penalties taken to register a rate of 73.3%. It’s better than their current overall PK% of 71.6%, but unfortunately also the highest they have registered throughout the first three months of the season. During their six home games in November, Vancouver posted a penalty-killing percentage of 70.6%, while December’s dropped to only 66.6% with two more games remaining after Christmas. 

With that being said, the penalty kill has been an issue throughout the season — not just on home ice. Their overall home penalty-killing percentage is 70.7%, while they have registered 72.1% while on the road. 

The Canucks’ Power Play Has Been Good, But Not Great  

One of the keys to a good team is a consistent power play — something that the Canucks haven’t quite been able to register. While their power play percentages at home aren’t bad, per-se, the Canucks have noticeably had some dry spells when it comes to their man-advantage. Of course, their dreaded 0-for-9 performance came on the road against the San Jose Sharks, but at home, Vancouver has endured some inconsistent spells as well. In their past four games, the Canucks have only scored one power play goal throughout nine opportunities. 

The eye-test indicates that the power play isn’t a main cause for negativity. In fact, it’s one of the Canucks’ few redeeming stats throughout the season, currently placing 16th in the NHL. When equipped with the proper pieces, they can move the puck into the O-zone well. However, it’s hard to generate those scoring chances when missing a good chunk of said pieces. Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Conor Garland — all of whom play pretty big power play minutes — have all missed some Canucks home games throughout the year. 

An Expected Strength Has Become One Of Vancouver’s Biggest Weaknesses 

Before the season started, it felt as though there was one part of the Canucks’ lineup that would undoubtedly be a strength — their goaltending. Kevin Lankinen had a career season in 2024–25 while Thatcher Demko entered the year with an off-season of health and proper training. 

It only took until November for things to start going downhill. 

Demko missed a back-to-back weekend homestand and later departed Vancouver’s game against the Winnipeg Jets on November 11, resulting in Lankinen playing in all six of the Canucks’ home games that month. Including Demko’s SV% logged against the Jets, Vancouver posted an overall SV% of .804 throughout the month of November. They allowed 27 goals-against throughout this span of time, coming out to an average of 4.5 per game. 

While the goaltending situation did improve throughout Vancouver’s first stretch of home games in December, the numbers still weren’t fantastic. They allowed 13 goals against for an average of 3.25 per game, while registering a SV% of .836 including the numbers put up by Lankinen before he’d been pulled against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. 

In theory, there are teams with worse goaltending records than the Canucks, but there aren’t many. Throughout the entire season, the Canucks have allowed 55 goals against at home in 15 games, coming to an average of 3.67 per game. The Montreal Canadiens (3.93), St. Louis Blues (3.75), and Detroit Red Wings (3.69) all have higher averages than them in this category. However, the Canadiens and Red Wings, both of whom are within the top-half of the NHL in points, also have much higher goals-for numbers, demonstrating that they can put in the effort to keep up with any opposing offence they allow. Clearly, the Canucks can’t say the same. 

While it’s still early in the season, it does feel as though time is running out for a Canucks team that is working against multiple deadlines. The disappointment from fans has been noticeable, with many choosing to spend their money elsewhere instead of at Rogers Arena. The Canucks’ season feels as though it has hit the rockiest part in a storm out at sea; they’ll either emerge as a pack or end up shipwrecked. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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The Winnipeg Jets have made several changes across the lineup lately to try and generate a spark amid their recent losing skid yet little has worked thus far with the Jets' 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday marking their 12th loss in their last 17 games with things potentially getting worse sooner than later as their upcoming schedule includes difficult matchups against teams like the Capitals, Oilers, Avalanche and Wild. 

Jets Colour Analyst Mitchell Clinton reported Friday that Arneil has experimented with more lineup changes, keeping Alex Iafallo on the top unit after his big night Thursday where he scored a nice goal on a solo effort versus Boston's Jeremy Swayman.

Besides the top line, the forwards are going to see several surprising changes ahead of Saturday's contest versus the Capitals with Cole Perfetti teaming up with captain Adam Lowry on the second line with Tanner Pearson on the opposite wing. 

#NHLJets line rushes. It’s all battle drills out of one end so it’s difficult to say what the “order” is:

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Perfetti-Lowry-Koepke/Pearson
Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Nyquist
Barron-Toews-Vilardi

Morrissey-Pionk
Samberg-DeMelo
Stanley-Schenn
Fleury-Miller

— Mitchell Clinton (@MitchellClinton) December 12, 2025

In the bottom six, Nino Niederreiter will play his 1,000th NHL game on Saturday and will do so playing with Vladislav Namestnikov and struggling veteran winger Gustav Nyquist on the third line. Finally, Gabe Vilardi is dropping all the way to the fourth line to hopefully keep winger Morgan Barron hot after he scored in Thursday's loss with Jonathan Toews centering the unit. 

The Jets are hoping that major shakeups to their forward lines will ignite some energy as they face a Washington team arriving in Winnipeg on a scorching run with a league-leading 10-1-2 stretch over its past 13 outings. 

The Capitals have been red hot on offense with a 4.15 goals per game average during their recent surge and will likely test a struggling Eric Comrie, who has battled hard despite tough circumstances, or rookie Domenic DiVincentiis, who would be thrown into a challenging NHL debut much like his Manitoba Moose goalie partner Thomas Milic, who drew the powerhouse Hurricanes in his first start. Winnipeg is simply looking for something to finally click and to secure a badly needed win.

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Wild acquire star Quinn Hughes from Canucks in blockbuster NHL trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season.

The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks.

Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebounding Vancouver to complete the deal. Rossi at 24, Ohgren at 21 and Buium at 20 fit the young players the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were to trade Hughes.

“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Hughes, only 26 and considered the best at player at the position behind Colorado’s Cale Makar, has one season left on his contract after this one before he can become an unrestricted free agent. There has been plenty of buzz around Quinn wanting to play with brothers Jack and Luke on the New Jersey Devils.

They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild GM Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

Hughes has two goals and 21 assists for 23 points in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. He has been their captain since 2023, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change in Vancouver 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure.

“With the circumstances surrounding JT and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

Minnesota cannot extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would entertain signing another contract. He had nothing in the way of trade protection on his current deal, paying him an average of $7.85 million annually, that would have allowed him to block a trade anywhere.

The Wild are taking a shot at challenging the two top teams in the NHL, Colorado and Dallas, in the Central Division, which also includes reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winningWinnipeg. Hughes vastly upgrades their blue line, which already included captain Jared Spurgeon and smooth-skating Swede Jonas Brodin. Winger Kirill Kaprizov only this past fall signed the richest deal in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” for eight more years.

It was the second major trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.