ST. LOUIS – A chance to take five of a possible eight points on a four-game homestand with the Olympic break on the horizon was on the table for the St. Louis Blues.

A team that has no margin for error was, in the words of coach Jim Montgomery, “we wanted it to come easy,” in the first two periods, and it proved costly.

The Columbus Blue Jackets won their season-high fifth straight and seventh in eight games since Rick Bowness took over as coach on Jan. 13, winning on the second of back-to-back games, 5-3 against the Blues at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

The Blues (20-26-9), who were coming off an entertaining 5-4 win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday, fell into some bad habits in a game that closed out a four-game homestand seeing them go 1-2-1.

Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to four games, Jonatan Berggren also had a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn had two assists. Jordan Binnington fell to 2-11-1 in his past 14 starts after making 18 saves.

“I think in the first two periods, we wanted it to come easy,” Montgomery said. “We were not skating, working, hitting like we have the last handful of games. And then in the third, we did. We pushed and it ended up being too little, too late.”

Here are the game observations:

* Fourth straight loss facing opponent playing second of back-to-back – The Blues have had the good fortune, or so it should wind up being that way, of facing a team that should be lower on energy.

The Blue Jackets played on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 7:38 p.m. puck drop mind you. They didn’t land in St. Louis until shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, probably didn’t get into their hotel until around 2 a.m., then turn around to play less than 24 hours later in a 6:08 p.m. puck drop.

The Blues got the start they wanted, grabbing the early lead when Snuggerud scored in his second straight game, working a nice give-and-go with Schenn before beating Jet Greaves in alone at 7:11 for a 1-0 lead:

Jimmy Snuggerud is heating up. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/lmqXLc8OQt

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 1, 2026

But then their play slipped. It lagged. Why?

“I just think we're hoping for things to go right and when they don't, we wait for a push and the reality in this league, that's not good enough,” Schenn said. “We have to find ways to dig in for one another. Realistically, you can't come back every third period. If you actually play the right way for the first 20-30 minutes of the game when you've got a team on a back-to-back, you will eventually tilt the ice and hem them in, like we did (in the third), but we're always chasing games. We just don't have enough drive to come out and push teams out early on.”

They held the lead for a whole 37 seconds before Isac Lundestrom tied it 1-1 off a fortuitous bounce initially that led to a blown coverage after a good stick lift by Boone Jenner on Pavel Buchnevich.

Columbus led 2-1 after the first and outshot the Blues 10-7 after initially being outshot 6-2.

* Blues didn’t protect the front of the net – It’s an area that had seen some improvement of late, but the net front coverage and allowance of ice between the hash marks was off the mark, if you will.

All three of the remaining Columbus goals either came off missed plays that ultimately led to goals with net front traffic.

Denton Mateychuk gave Columbus their first lead 2-1 at 12:54 of the first when the Blue Jackets cycled the puck cleanup up high, then the defenseman’s shot from the top of the left circle made it through with Dmitri Voronkov providing the net front coverage in front of Binnington and getting through the Blues goalie when Colton Parayko tipped the puck through:

DENTS FOUND A LANE! 💥

CBJ x @FanaticsBookpic.twitter.com/ELA02koLwP

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 1, 2026

Kent Johnson’s goal at 8:30 of the second period made it 3-2 when Ivan Provorov’s clean wrister from the left point found its way towards Binnington and Johnson was there without any resistance to tip it home:

KJ PUTS US BACK ON TOP 💥

CBJ x @FanaticsBookpic.twitter.com/NA5zfbfJBx

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 1, 2026

And what turned out to be the game-winner, Damon Severson’s high slot blast that made it 4-3 at 16:01 of the second came off a Dalibor Dvorsky giveaway just inside the O-zone blue line, and when Parayko tried pushing the puck up the lefthand boards, it was picked off by Zach Werenski, who fed his partner, and Severson’s shot came with traffic in front again:

SEVO WITH A BLAST FROM THE POINT 💥

CBJ x @FanaticsBookpic.twitter.com/CLWTfu9WbS

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 1, 2026

“That Columbus team, by good friend Rick Bowness is doing a really good job, they’re really big and they play a heavy game; they go to the net front,” Montgomery said. “We’ve played them twice and they’ve scored three goals in both games, rebound tips, just mucking it up. Something that we’ve been trying to preach to do a little more of ourselves, and I think we’ve gotten slightly better at it but not at their level.”

* Berggren finding his niche – Yes, Berggren went through a nine-game stretch without putting up a point, but he now has three in two games, including goals in back-to-back games, and it’s not for a lack of creating.

he Swede, claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 16, tied the game 2-2 with a power-play goal at 3:15 of the second, a nice shot from the inner portion of the right circle:

ALL TIED UP! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/h1ggd1TBfc

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 1, 2026

Berggren is being given top-six minutes, but in the past two games has played on the third line, so he’s a regular in the top nine. He’s been creating plenty of opportunities, and there’s been a lack of finish by his teammates by his creativity, but there’s something about this kid I like.

“The guys have done an easy job for me to come in and play my game,” Berggren said. “I feel like even if I haven’t produced these couple games, I’ve created a lot, and that’s all I can do. Lucky now, the puck goes in. Hopefully it keeps going like that.”

* Blues didn’t build on momentum of scoring – All three times the Blues scored on Saturday, they had the opportunity to build and add to the fatigue of an opponent that played the night before.

But each time that the Blues scored, Columbus found an answer.

They tied it 37 seconds after Snuggerud gave them the lead; Johnson’s goal came 4:45 after Berggren tied it in the second, and when Tyler Tucker’s goal tied the game 3-3 at 13:35 of the second, Severson put Columbus ahead 2:26 later.

Tyler Tucker ties the game once again! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/KRDhhBbflk

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 1, 2026

“I feel like this is a game we probably should have won,” Berggren said. “… We lacked execution. We didn’t move our feet and stuff like that. I think the last 10 games, we’ve done a really good job doing.”

* Blues had a good push in the third period, needed more close-in range attempts – Down a goal, the Blues were going to have to get on the hunt, and they did. The shot clock read 15-4, and at one point it was 14-1, but it seemed that many of the chances that were heading towards Jet Greaves, the Columbus goalie was seeing well or shots dented the logo in the middle.

“Good comeback in the third and we probably should have scored,” Berggren said.

“There were some good looks,” Montgomery said. “I would like them to be closer to the net. I didn’t like, especially on the power play, they were shooting from the top of the circles instead of the hash marks. We’re not attacking the goal line, having someone on the back door trying to bang it home, or we’re not executing the play when it’s there. I thought we had good looks, but I would have liked them to be a little more dangerous.”

* Schenn, Snuggerud with Dvorsky line has been humming well – The trio combined for a nice first goal, and the trip has combined for 16 points the past five games.

It’s a situation with the older vet and the two young pups linking up well.

“Just enjoying playing with them,” Schenn said. “For me personally, I remember in a situation, I had Danny Briere on my line and guys like Wayne Simmonds and Vinny Lecavalier (with the Philadelphia Flyers). If I asked them questions, they were always giving me an answer, be hard on me sometimes, and that’s how you learn. They’re both playing really well right now, they both have a bright future, they’re both very receptive to getting better and that’s what you want.

“Lots of chatter on the bench and what we can do better rather than I’m not the yeller and screamer at my linemates, never have been. I think it’s more dialogue of finding ways to be better as a three-man group whoever you’re playing with that night. Both of – I don’t want to call them kids – but both young guys are playing well right now.”

Robert Thomas Undergoes Leg Procedure, Expected To Return After OlympicsBlues top center has missed nine games, last played Jan. 10 at Vegas

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For the Pittsburgh Penguins, Saturday was a special night for a plethora of reasons. 

Prior to their late afternoon tilt against the New York Rangers, the Penguins honored the members of their 2016 Stanley Cup champion team, as this year marks its 10th anniversary. Many of the players on that team returned, too, including Pascal Dupuis, Carl Hagelin, Patric Hornqvist, Ben Lovejoy, and others. Even the Rangers brought two returnees in forward Conor Sheary and former Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan, now bench boss of the Rangers.

The ceremony was special enough to make captain Sidney Crosby shed tears. But, to top it all off, the Penguins came away with yet another victory at the end of it. 

Sidney Crosby has all the feels looking back at the 2016 @penguins team that won the #StanleyCup 🏆

📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/5yxrRLf64p

— NHL (@NHL) January 31, 2026

Despite a late push by the Rangers, the Penguins emerged victorious by a score of 6-5 to earn their league-best sixth consecutive win. Once again, Pittsburgh got contributions from up and down their lineup, with Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari reach registering two goals en route to the win. 

Mantha kicked off the scoring two and a half minutes into the game when he tipped a shot by linemate Rutger McGroarty from near the left point. Acciari one-timed his first on a feed from Blake Lizotte less than four minutes later after a hard-working shift by the fourth line, as Lizotte forced a turnover and made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone, Connor Dewar made a diving play to get the puck deep, and Connor Clifton had another zone keep prior to the goal. 

The Penguins controlled most of play in the second period as well. At the very end of a power play, Rickard Rakell failed to put the puck in the net on a shot from the low slot, but he pounced on his own rebound and fed a perfect, behind-the-back backhand pass to a waiting Mantha at the net-front, who put it in right after the man advantage expired to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead. 

WE WANT SOME MO.

Anthony Mantha records his fourth multi-point game in the last six 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WuTfO6TjDN

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

However, the Penguins took a late penalty for too many men near the end of the second, and Alexis Lafreniere made them pay with his 11th of the season to cut the Penguins' lead to 3-1. 

But the Penguins responded early in the third on a power play of their own, as Rakell put one in at the net-front to give Pittsburgh back the three-goal lead, with Erik Karlsson registering his 700th assist on the play. Acciari scored his second of the game and sixth of the season - surpassing his goal total from last seaosn - just 20 seconds later to make it 5-1. 

A PPG FOR PGH!

And Karl tallies his 700th @NHL assist 👏 pic.twitter.com/4ITyx3SZsj

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

Things got a bit hairy after that, though. Approaching the midway point of the period, the Penguins got another power play, but Vincent Trocheck capitalized on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity to bring the score to 5-2. Then, with less than five minutes to go, Vladislav Gavrikov scored to cut the Rangers' deficit to only two.

With goaltender Jonathan Quick pulled, Ben Kindel did put the puck into the empty net to make it 6-3 with two and a half minutes remaining, scoring his fourth goal in the last three games. But with more than a minute remaining, Lafreniere scored another one, and then Will Cuylle scored with 10 seconds left to bring the game to within one. 

The Penguins iced the puck after the center draw with a little more than three seconds left on the clock, but Acciari won the defensive zone draw to give the Penguins the narrow 6-5 victory.

Playoffs May Change Sentiment Around Penguins' 2026 First-Round PickIf the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to win hockey games and worsen their first-round draft positioning, the team could possibly look to move their 2026 first-rounder for an impact player

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Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- Let's start with the 2016 ceremony because this was a really cool moment. 

Sullivan got a nice ovation from the crowd. So did Hornqvist and Hagelin. But, of course, none other than Marc-Andre Fleury got the biggest ovation, as he usually does when he steps foot in the city of Pittsburgh these days. 

But the tribute video itself was moving and emotional, so much so that it brought Crosby to tears. And Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Fleury. And others. Even Penguins' head coach Dan Muse admitted he got chills during the video.

The Penguins always do these things right, and in front of a sellout crowd, boy, they got it right. The 2016 squad joined the team in the locker room after the game and went to dinner afterward. Just a really nice evening that was made better with a win.

Time passes, but the feeling still lives here 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KqKPC6pMQp

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

- Now, about the game. 

Even if the Penguins came away with the win, it wasn’t a perfect game. A few defensive lapses led to goals against late in this one, and their first power play unit was, once again, largely struggling. 

Most things have been going right for this team in the month of January. But they're still surrendering a lot of third-period goals, and their power play is a bit dysfunctional right now, as it only has one goal in its last 15 opportunities. 

Those are both things they need to clean up if they expect to keep winning hockey games in the stretch run of the season - especially during their gauntlet in the month of March.

Erik Karlsson Hits Career Milestone On SaturdayErik Karlsson notched his 700th assist during Saturday's game.

- Mantha is on quite the tear right now. And, coincidentally, so is Kindel. 

Mantha has five goals and eight points in his last four games and 10 points in his last six. Kindel has four goals and five points in his last three games. That third line has been the Penguins' best for the past three games, and it's largely because these two have developed some legitimate chemistry - even if they didn't directly connect on a goal Saturday. 

With 19 goals and 40 points, Mantha is well on his way to a career-best season, and Kindel is on his way to more production in what has already been a wildly impressive rookie season. These guys give them so much depth in their lineup, and the Penguins need them to continue putting up numbers for them.

MAN O-MANTHA.

Anthony Mantha is riding a four-game point streak 💪 pic.twitter.com/zcjzsXzb8q

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

- Let's not forget the third guy on that line right now, either.

McGroarty has had himself two really nice games since being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS). He's been good defensively, he's been forcing turnovers, hanging around the net front, and - quite simply - working his behind off. 

He looks like a much different player than he was a few weeks ago. I asked McGroarty if he'd be going back to WBS over the break, and he confirmed he would be to get more games in because he's missed so much time to injury this season. This will definitely benefit him.

But it really is a shame that there is not room for McGroarty in the NHL lineup when Bryan Rust returns from his suspension. This is a guy that probably belongs in the NHL, but there is no one that can be pried from their current lineup.

Without a doubt, he'll be the first player they call on when they need a player. But he's earning himself a bigger look with his play right now. 

'Prove-It' Mindset Big Part Of Penguins' Success, IdentityThe Pittsburgh Penguins - individually and collectively - are forging an identity, in part, because of a "prove-it" mindset that has contributed to their success this season

- As great as Stuart Skinner has been for the Penguins lately, this was not his best outing. 

He surrendered five goals on 20 shots, and he was very shaky late in this one, even if the Penguins' defense wasn't doing him any favors. He did look good early on, when the Rangers pressed early in the game, and he made a few nice saves. But he also didn't really get much of a workload until the end of the game, either. 

Skinner himself admitted that he didn't like his warm-up, and he wasn't happy with what transpired late in the game. However, if there was a game for Skinner to be off his game, it was this one, as the Penguins' offense gave him that cushion.

STUUUUU!!! pic.twitter.com/Hn2Wvcs3Sg

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

- Acciari deserves flowers for his play this season. Not only has he shown some legitimate offensive prowess akin to his 20-goal campaign with the Florida Panthers in 2019-20, he has continued to be a key part of that fourth line's ability to both drive play and be reliable on defense. 

It's not an exaggeration to say this fourth line is hockey's best. As good as Lizotte and Dewar have been, Acciari has been equally as good. And he deserves credit for that. 

- The Penguins will play the Ottawa Senators at home Monday before facing the New York Islanders Tuesday and the Buffalo Sabres Thursday to close out their pre-Olympic schedule. 

These are important games, particularly the one against the Isles. The Penguins would be wise to take at least two out of three here in order to give themselves some cushion, once again, for their gauntlet in March.

Penguins Forward Sets Career High In Goals On Thursday Pittsburgh Penguins forward Connor Dewar set a new career high in goals on Thursday.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!      

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari scored two goals apiece, and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins held off the New York Rangers 6-5 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.

Mantha and Acciari beat Jonathan Quick twice in a span of just over three minutes early in the first period to give the Penguins an early cushion. Mantha made it 3-0 with an easy tap-in in the second period. Acciari and Rickard Rakell scored 20 seconds apart early in the third to push Pittsburgh’s advantage to 5-1 on a night the franchise celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 2016 club that won the Stanley Cup.

Erik Karlsson became the 12th defenseman in NHL history to reach 700 career assists when he picked up the secondary helper on Rakell’s 10th goal of the season 1:20 into the final period. The other 11 defensemen to reach the 700-assist plateau are in the Hall of Fame.

Stuart Skinner improved to 8-1 in his last nine starts but nearly let a four-goal third period get away.

Alex Lafreniere scored twice for the Rangers. Vincent Trocheck, Vladislav Gavrikov and Will Cuylle all scored during a late rally, but it wasn’t enough for the Rangers to fall to 2-10 since goaltender Igor Shesterkin was lost indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

AVALANCHE 5, RED WINGS 0

DETROIT (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice to become the league’s first 40-goal scorer this season and the Colorado Avalanche continued their dominance of Detroit with a victory.

MacKinnon also had an assist, giving him 699 for his career. He failed to score in the previous five games, his longest drought of the season. MacKinnon increased his season point total to 91, trailing only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid.

Mackenzie Blackwood secured his third shutout this season by making 28 saves. Colorado is 14-0-1 in its last 15 meetings with Detroit.

Brent Burns, Ross Colton and Parker Kelly also scored for the Avalanche, while Artturi Lehkonen added two assists.

KINGS 3, FLYERS 2, OT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored twice in regulation and assisted on a goal by Quinton Byfield in overtime to help the Los Angeles Kings beat the Philadelphia Flyers.

Kempe scored twice in a span of 3:38 in the first period to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. After a Philadelphia rally, Kempe fed Byfield for his 10th goal of the season, a snap shot from the right circle that beat Flyers goalie Dan Vladar over his right shoulder.

Andrei Kuzmenko, who the Kings acquired from the Flyers at last season’s trade deadline, appeared to score a goal that would have extended the Los Angeles lead to 3-0 in the first period, but the Flyers challenged that the play was offside, and after review the goal came off the board.

Philadelphia rallied behind goals from Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny to force overtime.

Konecny has scored in three straight games for Philadelphia, and has registered at least one point in seven of his last eight.

JETS 2, PANTHERS 1

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored the go-ahead goal with 4:14 remaining, lifting Winnipeg to a win over sliding and short-handed Florida.

Winnipeg was 1-18-2 in games where it trailed entering the third period going into the game, and was down 1-0 with 20 minutes left against the Panthers. But the Jets scored twice in a span of just over seven minutes to take command.

Cole Perfetti scored with 11:26 left to tie the game, then Scheifele got his 27th of the season for what became the game-winner.

Eric Comrie stopped 27 shots for the Jets, including one with 37.1 seconds left on a shot by Matthew Tkachuk. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett got shots to the net after that as well for the Panthers, but neither got by Comrie and the Jets prevailed for just the third time in their last nine games.

Eetu Luostarinen got the goal for Florida, which has dropped three straight and ended the game eight points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers — who have been without Aleksander Barkov all season — played Saturday without Brad Marchand, who is day to day, along with Anton Lundell and Seth Jones, among others.

FLAMES 3, SHARKS 2

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Joel Farabee’s short-handed goal at 6:53 of the third period broke a tie and sent Calgary to a victory over San Jose.

Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each scored his 12th goal of the season for the Flames (22-26-6), who overcame a pair of one-goal deficits and snapped a five-game losing streak.

Will Smith and Adam Gaudette scored for the Sharks (27-22-4), who have lost two in a row and four of seven.

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 shots for the Sharks, while Dustin Wolf made 23 saves for the Flames.

Wolf’s best stop came against Macklin Celebrini with 21 seconds remaining when he stuck out a pad to deny the star forward after he was set up all by himself in front of the net.

CAPITALS 4, HURRICANES, 3, OT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justin Sourdif scored off a rebound at 1:42 of overtime and Washington overcame a three-goal deficit to beat Carolina.

Down 3-0 early in second period, the Capitals tied it on defenseman Jakob Chychrun’s goal with 6:42 left in regulation — his 19th of the season.

Hendrix Lapierre and Dylan Strome scored in the second period to start the rally and help give Clay Stevenson his first NHL victory. Stevenson won in his second career start and first of the season, stopping 19 shots.

Washington has won two in a row. It beat beat Detroit 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night to end a six-game trip.

Mark Jankowski, Sebastian Aho and Shayne Gostisbehere scored for Carolina, and Frederik Andersen made 38 saves. The Hurricanes had won two in a row and five of six.

BLUE JACKETS 5, BLUES 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kent Johnson had a goal and assist and Columbus beat St. Louis for its season-best fifth straight victory.

The Blue Jackets have won nine of 10, outscoring opponents 38-27 since Jan. 11.

Damon Severson, Isac Lundestrom, Denton Mateychuk and Mason Marchment also scored for Columbus. Jet Greaves made 28 saves.

Tyler Tucker, Jonatan Berggren and Jimmy Snuggerud scored for St. Louis.

Jordan Binnington stopped 18 shots. He has lost has lost six consecutive starts and 10 of the last 11.

Severson broke a 3-3 tie on a power play with 3:59 left in the second period with his fourth goal of the season.

PREDATORS 4, ISLANDERS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Roman Josi scored with 1:14 remaining in the game to lift Nashville past New York.

Filip Forsberg scored twice for Nashville, while Matthew Wood added a goal and an assist as the Predators snapped a three-game losing streak. Juuse Saros finished with 27 saves including a point-blank stop on Emil Heineman in the closing seconds.

On his winner, Josi skated into the Islanders zone, circled back and fired a shot over the glove of Ilya Sorokin that made him the first defenseman in franchise history with 200 career NHL goals.

Mathew Barzal finished with a goal and an assist for the Islanders. Matthew Schaefer and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored but the Islanders’ three-game winning streak came to an end. Sorokin made 38 saves.

CANADIENS 4, SABRES 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Cole Caufield scored twice to help give Montreal a win over Buffalo at KeyBank Center.

Caufield scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season in the third period to help Montreal overcome a 2-1 deficit for their third straight win.

Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen also scored for the Canadiens and Jakub Dobes made 36 saves.

Owen Power and Noah Ostlund scored for the Sabres who had a five-game win streak snapped. Alex Lyon made 27 saves.

MAPLE LEAFS 3, CANUCKS 2, SO

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored in a shootout and Toronto beat Vancouver to end a six-game losing streak.

Matthews had a chance to win it in overtime when he was awarded a penalty shot after Conor Garland was called for hooking, but goaltender Nikita Tolopilo made the save.

Nicolas Roy and Max Domi scored for Toronto, and Joseph Woll made 28 saves.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander scored for Vancouver. The Canucks have two wins in their last 17 games.

Domi tied it early in the third with a shot that hit Tolopilo’s shoulder then rolled over his back into the net.

Tolopilo stopped 39 shots.

SENATORS 4, DEVILS 1

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in his first start for Ottawa since taking a leave of absence Dec. 28, Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and the Senators beat New Jersey.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens scored his 100th NHL goal for Ottawa. The Senators have won three in a row.

Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves for New Jersey. The Devils have lost three of four.

The Devils were without Jack Hughes. He’s out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

_____

The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their eight-game homestand on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both goals were scored by rookies as Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Tom Willander found the back of the net. As for Nikita Tolopilo, he had a strong game in net, stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced. 

In the end, Vancouver was lucky that this game made it to overtime and eventually a shootout. The Canucks were outshot 18-5 in the third, with Tolopilo being the main reason the game finished regulation 2-2. Post-game, Head Coach Adam Foote was asked about what happened in the third period and why his club was unable to generate shots on goal. 

"Well, we played against a desperate team," said Foote. "They're going for it. They were pinching on us. It seemed like a few board battles, we didn't get pucks out that we should have gotten out. That's what happens when you play a team as desperate as they are."

As for Tolopilo, he was the story of the night. He came up clutch for the team in regulation and even stopped Auston Matthews in overtime on a penalty shot. Post-game, center Elias Pettersson said, "Yeah, he's really good for us. Keeping us in the game, all game long.

Another storyline from this game was the ice time of Lekkerimäki. Despite scoring, the 21-year-old did not play the final nine minutes of regulation or overtime. Post-game, Foote explained why the coaching staff decided to sit Lekkerimäki with the game tied late. 

"It's more of the defensive side," said Foote. "He's getting there for sure. The more time he's with us, the more he will know certain things, and the trust will be there. It's just slight movements defensively. It's just being young. It's not even a mistake. The longer he is here. He's a smart guy. He'll get that pretty quick. 

Lastly, one skater who had a strong game overall was Willander. He scored his sixth of the season and played 16 minutes. Post-game, Willander spoke about the performance and what has changed over the past few games. 

"I think actually over the last two games, starting last game, our defensive play has been a lot more solid," said Willander. "And I think we're finding our system a little bit better. We kind of talked through that a lot, and we're starting to find exactly what we're supposed to do in different situations. And I feel like we go better together defending as a five instead of more of man-to-man, so I think it's going the right way."

Ultimately, this was not a great performance, but thanks to Tolopilo, it resulted in Vancouver picking up a point. As for the atmosphere, it was great as Canucks and Maple Leafs fans launched duelling chants throughout the game. In the end, though, this homestand can be considered a success from a tank perspective as the team only picked up five of a possible 16 points. 

Stats and Facts:

- Elias Pettersson records his 80th blocked shot of the season

- Vancouver ends its eight-game homestand with a record of 2-5-1

- David Kämpf went 15 for 21 in the faceoff dot

- Nikita Tolopilo is the sixth rookie in franchise history to stop a penalty shot

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

No Scoring

2nd Period:

1:55- VAN: Jonathan Lekkerimäki (2) from Liam Öhgren and Pierre-Olivier Joseph
13:34- TOR: Nicolas Roy (5) from Nicholas Robertson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson
14:45- VAN: Tom Willander (4) from Evander Kane and Elias Pettersson

3rd Period:

2:26- TOR: Max Domi (9) from Auston Matthews

Overtime:

No Scoring

Shootout:

TOR: William Nylander

Up Next:

The Canucks hit the road for two straight, starting on Monday against the Utah Mammoth. Vancouver has already faced Utah once this season, which resulted in a 4-1 loss to the Mammoth. Game time is set for 6:30 pm PT. 

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The Florida Panthers came up short on Saturday in the first of a three-game homestand.

Playing just their third game in Sunrise over the past several weeks, Florida took a lead into the third period only to lose 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena.

Despite skating without key forwards Brad Marchand (undisclosed) and Anton Lundell (upper-body), Florida played a strong game during the opening periods and took an earned lead into the late stages of the contest.

That lead was off a snipe by young forward Eetu Luostarien that came moments after Florida came off the power play.

As Jets’ defenseman Logan Stanley was sprinting out of the penalty box after serving a two-minute minor for cross-checking Florida forward Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues corralled the puck at the blue line and fed an open Eetu in the right circle.

It didn’t take long for Luostarinen to wind up and fire a laser of a wrist shot past a screened Jets’ goalie Eric Comrie’s glove and into the net at the 14:40 mark of the first period.

Florida held onto that lead into the third period, and it wasn’t until nearly the halfway point of that final frame that Winnipeg finally was able to light the lamp.

After Gabe Vilardi made a couple nice moves to get to the Cats’ net, a streaking Cole Perfetti found a rebound and beat Sergei Borbovsky to knot the score at one at the 8:34 mark of the third period.

That’s how the score would remain until there was just 4:14 on the clock.

On what appeared to be a harmless zone entry, Winnipeg made a couple quick passes to completely bewilder the Panthers and take a 2-1 lead in the game’s final minutes.

It was a great passing sequence, with Gus Nyquist finding Kyle Connor entering the zone and then Connor going to the back of the crease where Mark Scheifele was waiting to slam home what proved to be the game-winning goal.

On to the Sabres.

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Photo caption: Jan 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Cole Perfetti (91) scores against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Islanders lost a frustrating game in regulation to the Nashville Predators, one they didn’t really deserve anything from, though the circumstances were still frustrating.

They blew an early 2-0 lead after looking pretty good in the first 10 minutes of the game, then were completely discombobulated the rest of the way, relying on Ilya Sorokin to keep them in it. Even with that, they also lost a 3-2 lead, had a goal overturned (and their coach’s challenge denied) for goalie interference on Anthony Duclair outside the crease, and gave up the game winner with just 1:14 left to play while the teams were at 4-on-4 following another head-scratching official’s ruling.

All that said, they’d have been lucky to get one point from this game and the 4-3 loss was warranted. You could argue they should’ve lost by much more — the Predators had a UBS record 22 shots in the second period alone — if only to make crystal clear they can’t get away with playing like this against non-Rangers-level foes.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

To think, it all started out like it might be a fun night. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair were buzzing on their first shift and got the Isles on the board at 1:29 as Barzal batted a bouncing puck in at the back door.

Matthew Schaefer double the lead four minutes later when Ryan Pulock handled a difficult pass from Barzal but stumbled with it just long enough to draw the opposite side winger toward him. That left Schaefer wide open for a feed, and the 18-year-0ld drove down the left wing faceoff circle and picked his spot on Juuse Saros for his 15th(!) goal.

But the lead didn’t last, and once again the Isles special teams could not reverse the tide. Nashville got on the board at the midway point just six seconds after Adam Pelech went into the box for tripping, and the Preds added a tying goal three minutes later. As the Predators continued to push, the Isles looked lucky to escape the period tied.

Even moreso in the second, when J-G Pageau got them a brief lead scoring against the flow of play. He drove the slot and made a pass attempt for Anders Lee, who had fed him first. The pass was blocked, but it still sent all of the Predators, including Saros, the wrong way while Pageau picked up the rebound and slid it in.

Filip Forsberg tied it at 3-3 seven minutes later, and miraculously that was how things would stay until Roman Josi’s late dagger.

The Goalie Interference(?)

Patrick Roy, the veteran of 19 NHL sesons and 1,029 games, clearly doesn’t understand what counts a goalie interference in this league…and neither does anyone else. The officials aggressively called this one off rather than waiting for a Nashville challenge (Saros’ dramatic glove toss may have helped), so it was left for the Isles to challenge and note some things that we have heard are important: 1) Duclair wasn’t in the crease, 2) Saros initiated contact, with his teammate helping keep Duclair there, 3) Not even sure if that contact was what prevented Saros — who seemed more intent in coming out to push Duclair — from making a play on a shot from the other side.

New York loses their challenge on this play. Duclair interfered with Saros & prohibited him from making a save. pic.twitter.com/UVK5cJwx9U

— Nick Kieser🏒 (@KieserNick) February 1, 2026

But whatever. I’m kind of glad it happened in a game the Isles seemed intent to lose anyway. You can argue from the scoreboard that it cost them the game, but they still killed the ensuing penalty off and they were sabotaging themselves throughout, they would’ve still found a way to lose.

Roy said Saros deserved an Oscar for throwing blocker on goalie interference

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) February 1, 2026

This and That

• With the Isles under a barrage and unable to connect passes, Roy had his line blender out and was trying all kinds of combos. Nothing seemed to right the ship.
• Casey Cizikas did return to the lineup but Max Shabanov stayed in, replacing Jonathan Drouin who was officially listed as sick.
• Is there any more pure joy on Bossy’s green earth than 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer celebrating a goal?

What a goal from the kid! 🤩

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

— NHL (@NHL) February 1, 2026

Up Next

Can’t help thinking this one was a costly loss. Nashville is beatable, while the Penguins, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Canadiens all won tonight.

The Isles’ remaining schedule includes the back-to-back of Monday night in Washington and Tuesday back home vs. the Penguins, before they finish the pre-Olympic stretch Thursday in New Jersey.

It was an emotional day at PPG Paints Arena as a reunion of sorts was held for the Penguins’ 2016 Stanley Cup team.

A large chunk of the team’s roster from the 2016 Stanley Cup team was back in Pittsburgh to be honored and celebrated before the Penguins’ game against the New York Rangers.

Nothing brings back memories like a team reunion 🥹 pic.twitter.com/kGl9TR0rpm

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 1, 2026

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby spoke at length about how it felt to be reunited with his teammates, saying that as you continue playing in your career, you tend to forget some of the big moments from the winning years, but that it was awesome to see everyone back in Pittsburgh.

As a tribute video to the team was playing in the arena, Crosby was visibly emotional on the ice.

Sidney Crosby has all the feels looking back at the 2016 @penguins team that won the #StanleyCup 🏆

📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/5yxrRLf64p

— NHL (@NHL) January 31, 2026

“I just you know, obviously loved that group and it’s pretty special when you have that bond and you win together,” Crosby said to Kevin Weekes during an interview on the ice. “When you see them all here and you see some of those clips, it’s definitely emotional but it’s still awesome to see them.”

Bryan Rust shared a similar sentiment.

The nostalgia is real 🐧 pic.twitter.com/GAl22uyZg5

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

“We were hockey players, and that’s our goal, to win Stanley Cups,” Rust said. “To be able to do this, and do that with the group that we had and all the amazing memories, it brings back so many smiles. It brings back happy tears.”

Patric Hornqvist said he didn’t come back to town just for the ceremony, but to take a little walk down memory lane as well.

Taking a trip down memory lane. pic.twitter.com/dtRtolEPis

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 31, 2026

“We rented a car yesterday to drive around, see our old houses, where my kids went to school, and the grocery stores,” Hornqvist said. “We almost lived our old life for one day, not playing hockey, and then the same night, you meet these guys who are like family. When you win, that’s how close you get to each other.”

As for this year’s Penguins, Pittsburgh defeated the Rangers in a 6-5 barnburner of a game.

Pittsburgh has now won six straight games and are 7-0-2 in their last nine games with their last regulation loss coming on January 11.

The Penguins are back at home on Monday night as they host the Ottawa Senators and then hit the road to face the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres before the NHL’s Olympic break.

Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves on 33 shots in the New Jersey Devils 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night.

New Jersey surrendered the game's opening goal for the 31st time this season. After the Devils failed to convert on two power play opportunities, Brady Tkachuk scored while Ottawa was on the man advantage at the 13:38 mark of the first period.

With 1:41 remaining in the period, Cody Glass won the offensive zone draw against Ridly Greig. The 26-year-old battled for the puck near Linus Ullmark's crease and passed it to Meier to tie the game entering the first intermission.

37 seconds into the third period, Jonas Siegenthaler was called for a hooking penalty, leading to the Senators scoring their second power play goal for a 2-1 lead. Ottawa went 2-for-3 on the man advantage, while the Devils couldn't convert on their five opportunities.

Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto scored the Senators' third and fourth goals in the final two minutes of regulation. Tkachuk finished the game with three points (one goal, two assists).

Jack Hughes was sidelined with a lower-body injury that he sustained against the Nashville Predators and is currently considered day-to-day.

The Devils will return to Newark and prepare to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday at Prudential Center.

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Captain Roman Josi scored his 200th career goal in the third period, snapping a tie and giving the Nashville Predators a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday at UBS Arena. 

He is now the 24th defenseman all-time to surpass 200 career goals. Josi now has 10 goals and 23 assists on the year, recording a goal and an assist against the Islanders.

On the play, during 4-on-4 play, Josi took the puck up the ice into the Islanders' zone before backpedaling and then wristing a shot bardown on Ilya Sorokin for the lead with 1:14 left in the game. 

The Predators gave up the first goal of the game 1:29 into the game off a shot from Matthew Barzal. It's the fifth time in the last six games that the Predators have fallen behind early.

The 2025 first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, scored his 15th goal of the season to double the Islanders' lead less than six minutes into the game. 

Adam Pelech was called for tripping on Andreas Englund, putting the Predators on the power play halfway through the first period, and Filip Forsberg converted to get Nashville on the board. 

 About three minutes later, Matthew Wood scored his first goal since Dec. 6 to tie the game at two. Wood had his first multipoint game (one goal, one assist) since Dec. 11, when he had two assists in a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. 

J.G. Pageau gave the Islanders back in the second period, but Forsberg would net his second goal of the game to tie things up at three. Forsberg now has 22 goals and 21 assists on the season. 

New York believed it had scored the game-leading goal in the third period, but it was waived off due to goaltender interference. The Islanders challenged the call and lost. 

Of note, defenseman Nick Blakenburg did not play due to illness and was ruled "day-to-day."

Nashville improves to 25-23-6 on the season and is within three points of a Wild Card spot. It will face the St. Louis Blues next on Monday at 7 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena. 

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson hit another milestone during Saturday's 6-5 win over the New York Rangers.

Karlsson notched his 700th assist on Rickard Rakell's power play goal that made it 4-1 in the third period, becoming the 12th defenseman in NHL history to accomplish that feat. He's also the eighth-fastest defenseman to reach that milestone.

700 assists for EK65 👏

Karlsson becomes the 12th defenseman in NHL history - and eighth fastest (1,132 GP) - to reach the milestone. pic.twitter.com/RWz4nBaiXt

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) January 31, 2026

Karlsson is also only the second Swedish defenseman to hit 700 assists, joining Nicklas Lidstrom, who finished is career with 878. 

Karlsson only needs 13 more assists to pass Scott Stevens for the 11th most assists among all defensemen in NHL history. He needs 43 more to move into the top 10 all-time. 

The Penguins held on to beat the Rangers 6-5 on Saturday and have won six in a row heading into Monday's game against the Ottawa Senators. 

---

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The New York Rangers’ 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon was emotional for Mike Sullivan.

As part of the ten-year anniversary celebration of the Penguins' 2016 Stanley Cup team, Sullivan attended an event with all of his former players on Friday night. 

Ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup, the entire team was honored, including Sullivan, who received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh fans.

“It's a proud moment for me, I was really happy to get a chance to see some of those guys that I was fortunate enough to win a Stanley Cup with,” Sullivan said. “That group of players deserves to be celebrated. They were a great team. We were certainly proud of them. It was a privilege to coach them, and so it was a bit of an emotional moment.”

Sullivan coached the Penguins for 10 seasons, winning two Stanley Cups in the process. 

However, over Sullivan’s final three seasons in Pittsburgh, the team failed to reach the playoffs. After the 2024-25 campaign, Sullivan and the Penguins parted ways with a fresh start clearly needed from both sides. 

Sullivan left a Penguins team that was seemingly retooling and looking to get younger around its core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, while he joined a Rangers team still hoping to remain competitive following a disappointing season. 

Ironically, it’s the Penguins, coached by former Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse, that find themselves in a playoff spot with an impressive 28-14-11 record, as they’ve managed to flip the script upon the departure of Sullivan. 

“It doesn't surprise me because I think those core guys that have been here as long as they have, they're a unique group,” Sullivan said of the Penguins' success. “Although they are aging, they're still elite-level play in their game. It's driven by Sid, their captain. 

“And so does it surprise me? No, it doesn't. I think they've done a great job as far as becoming a team, and some of the young guys they added, and some of the pieces they added along the way. When you look at the top line, they are the heartbeat of the team, and have been for a number of years. All the elements are in play. Their special teams have been really good. They're getting saves. It's a good recipe.”

On the other side of the coin, the Rangers currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 22-28-6 record. Instead of competing, Sullivan is now forced to navigate through yet another retooling situation with little to no hope of making the playoffs.

An Artemi Panarin Trade Involving Shane Wright Floated As Possibility As Artemi Panarin continues to be held out of the lineup due to roster management with the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> seeking a trade, multiple teams have been linked to be interested in Artemi Panarin’s services, including the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and New York Islanders.&nbsp;

“I’m fine, it's a different challenge,” Sullivan said about how he is navigating through the Rangers’ struggles. “We're going to keep digging in here. We're going to try to rally around one another and control what we can, and we're going to try to win the game right in front of us. It's a different situation. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you otherwise, but I think our guys have done a good job in just trying to compartmentalize their emotions. When the puck drops, they try to do their best to compete and play the game the right way.”

The contrast between the two teams was on full display on Saturday afternoon. 

The Rangers dug themselves into a 2-0 deficit less than 10 minutes into the game and were down 5-1 heading into the final period. 

Through the first 40 minutes of the contest, the game was controlled by the Penguins, specifically indicative of their 10-2 edge in shots in the second period. 

Despite a strong and valiant push by the Rangers in the final frame that saw them cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-5, it was simply too little too late, and the Blueshirts were unable to overcome their early woes.

This loss was yet another reality check for Sullivan, watching the Penguins thrive in his absence, as it certainly couldn’t have been easy for him.

The San Jose Sharks are enduring a tough five-game road swing, finishing the Tour de Canada with back-to-back losses.

After falling to the Edmonton Oilers in overtime on Thursday, San Jose jumped out to two early leads against the Calgary Flames, only to have a late shorthanded goal by Joel Farabee swing the game in Calgary’s favor, giving the Flames a 3–2 victory at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

San Jose’s road trip continues with stops in Chicago and Colorado before the NHL takes an extended break for the Winter Olympics in Italy, marking the first time NHL players will participate since 2014.

Will Smith gets things going early for San Jose 🦈

Watch Sharks vs. Flames on SNW, SNP, or stream on Sportsnet+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/rOxxgXa6wj

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 31, 2026

The Sharks struck first when Will Smith converted a power-play tap-in at 3:11 of the first period, finishing a precise backdoor pass from Alexander Wennberg. Calgary responded later in the period when Morgan Frost jammed a loose puck past a scrambling San Jose defense while the Sharks were down two men.

San Jose regained the equalizer shortly after a power play that carried over from the first period expired. William Eklund drove to the net and poked a loose puck into the crease, where Adam Gaudette was waiting for a simple tap-in on the right side.

Calgary countered when Matvei Gridin, set up by a slick cross-ice feed from Frost, executed a fluid one-timer, beating Alex Nedeljkovic to his left.

The decisive moment came at 6:53 of the third period, when Farabee, shorthanded, swiped a backhand past Nedeljkovic to give the Flames their first lead and ultimately the win.

Nedeljkovic, who played very well and finished the night with 39 saves, briefly left the game with 3:15 remaining after taking a hard lower-body shot but returned following the injury scare. Despite his efforts between the pipes, the Sharks were a bit short. 

Next Game

The Sharks have two games left on this road trip with the next one taking place on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. local time. 

The New York Rangers claimed defenseman Vincent Iorio off waivers on Sunday. 

Iorio was placed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Friday, which cleared the path for the Rangers to add him to the roster. 

The addition of Iorio fills a spot vacated by Carson Soucy, who was traded to the New York Islanders on Monday night.

Iorio was selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals.

After playing nine games over a two-season span with the Capitals, he was placed on waivers, and the Sharks quickly claimed him on Oct. 16, 2015.

The 23-year-old defenseman has recorded four assists in 30 career NHL games.

The Calgary Flames snapped their five-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon, edging the San Jose Sharks 3–2 in a tightly contested matinee at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Special teams, timely scoring, and a heavy shot advantage powered Calgary to the victory as they controlled long stretches of play and capitalized when it mattered most.

San Jose struck first on the power play, as Will Smith finished off a cross-seam feed from Alexander Wennberg, snapping the puck past Dustin Wolf to open the scoring.

Calgary answered with a man-advantage goal of their own. Matt Coronato’s shot produced a rebound, and Morgan Frost wasted no time ripping it past Alex Nedeljkovic to tie the game. After twenty minutes, the teams headed to the room deadlocked 1–1.

The Sharks came out strong in the middle frame, applying sustained pressure. Wolf made a pair of stops, but a loose rebound bounced into traffic and Adam Gaudette pounced, burying his 13th of the season to restore San Jose’s lead.

Calgary pushed back and found the equalizer thanks to Matvei Gridin. Set up by Frost at the top of the circle, Gridin blasted a one-timer past Nedeljkovic for his second career NHL goal, pulling the Flames even at 2–2 heading into the third.

The deciding moment came courtesy of a fortunate bounce shorthanded. A puck caromed off the end boards and landed on Joel Farabee’s stick, and the Flames winger made no mistake, finishing it off to give Calgary its first lead of the game.

From there, the Flames leaned on their shot volume and defensive structure to close it out, securing the 3–2 win.

Three Takeaways

1. Farabee Makes an Impact Shorthanded

Joel Farabee’s game-winner marked his third shorthanded goal of the season, moving him into a tie for second-most in the NHL. Calgary now sits tied for the league lead with seven shorthanded goals as a team.

2. Special Teams Tilt the Ice

Both clubs scored on the power play, but Calgary’s shorthanded strike proved to be the difference. Winning the special-teams battle ultimately decided a one-goal game.

3. Shot Volume Tells the Story

The Flames poured 42 shots on goal compared to San Jose’s 25, consistently generating pressure and wearing down the Sharks over sixty minutes.