After falling into a 5-1 hole in the second period, the Nashville Predators scored five unanswered goals for a miraculous comeback victory over the St. Louis Blues, 6-5 on Monday at Bridgestone Arena.
It ties the franchise record for the largest comeback in the game, four goals, set in a 7-5 win over the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 21, 2025, when Nashville also came back after going down 5-1.
Steven Stamkos scored the game-tying and game-winning goal in the third period.
The Predators were down by just a goal at the end of the first period, with Ryan O'Reilly recording his first tally of the night on the power play.
However, in the first four minutes of the second period, the Blues scored three unanswered goals, two of which came just 30 seconds apart.
The early second-period barrage saw the Predators pull Juuse Saros for Justus Annunen after Saros allowed five goals on 21 shots.
The Predators began to turn things around near the end of the second as Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored to make it a two-goal game. Forsberg now has four goals in three games.
In the third, O'Reilly netted his second of the night to cut the Blues' lead down to a goal. Stamkos took over, scoring twice to tie the game and give the Predators the lead. The second goal was his ninth game-winning goal of the season.
While they didn't score, Roman Josi had four assists and Luke Evangelista had three assists. Josi is riding a red-hot scoring streak, with 37 points in 42 games.
Nashville was able to hang on for the final 10 minutes of the game for its 17th comeback win of the season. The Predators improve to 26-23-6 on the year and steal two points for 58 on the season.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his second goal of the game on a power play at 3:38 of overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.
Minnesota got the power play when Phillip Danault hooked Kaprizov in front of the goal. Kaprizov took a feed from Quinn Hughes and fired a shot past Jakub Dobes from the high slot for his 32nd goal of the season.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber also scored, and Hughes had three assists to reach 50 for the season. Filip Gustavsson made 17 saves.
Faber tied it at 3 at 7:05 of the third, racing onto the puck down the right side for a quick shot. Quinn assisted on the goal.
Hughes assisted on Kaprizov’s first goal to tie the Russian’s team-record assists streak at nine and push his franchise-record points streak for defenseman to nine. Kaprizov had assists in nine straight games in 2022-23.
Minnesota won its fourth straight, ending Montreal winning streak at three.
Brendan Gallagher, Ivan Demidov and Kirby Dach scored to give Montreal the lead after the Wild raced to a 2-0 advantage.
Dach put Montreal ahead 12 seconds into the third, knocking in Nick Suzuki’s feed. Gallagher started the comeback with 52 seconds left in the first, and Demidov tied it with 17 seconds to go in the second,
Eriksson Ek opened the scoring at 38 seconds of the first, firing a wrist shot from right circle. Kaprizov made it 2-0 with 4:12 left in the first, tipping in Quinn's feed.
Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt didn’t return after taking a puck to the throat in the first period.
Up next
Canadiens: At Winnipeg on Wednesday night in their final game before the Olympic break.
Wild: At Nashville on Wednesday night in their final game before the Olympic break.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 02: Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) and Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield (24) fight during the New York Islanders versus Washington Capitals National Hockey League game on February 2, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Third-string rookie goalie? No problem… for the Capitals. Clay Stevenson played just his second game this year, and while he didn’t get his first career shutout, he turned away 29 of 30 shots by the Islanders.
Bo Horvat still looks a bit rusty after missing some time due to injury; he had a lot of chances tonight but just was off the mark each time. Hopefully he’ll get on the board soon, since the power play could really use his shot.
It wasn’t a bad effort by the Islanders, but struggling to score more than one goal against this guy just isn’t going to cut it for a team that has some level of playoff ambitions.
Early, David Rittich made a save on Ryan Leonard and took some extra contact and went down. Nic Dowd was called for slashing Rittich, sending the Islanders to the power play. That power play was not great, despite Patrick Roy putting Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Matthew Schaefer back together on PP1.
Schaefer took a holding penalty, and Horvat missed a shorthanded breakaway backhand, but the Islanders killed the penalty.
Rittich saved an Anthony Beauvillier breakaway, and then the Capitals gave the puck away to Barzal in the slot, and he made it 1-0 with his 15th of the season.
Ondrej Palat drew a slashing penalty on Tom Wilson with 19 seconds left in the period, and the Caps killed it in the second period. Palat, on PP1, nearly gave the puck away to Aliaksei Protas, but he couldn’t catch up to it.
Then, Martin Fehervary scored to tie the game, and just 30 seconds later, Beauvillier made it 2-1 quickly, two fairly soft goals given up by Rittich.
Bo Horvat shot wide on a breakaway chance and Simon Holmstrom hit the outside of the post, on the best opportunities to tie the game after the quick Capitals lead.
David Rittich made big saves on Wilson and Jakob Chychrun, and then Wilson laid a big open ice hit on Holmstrom, which got Scott Mayfield’s attention. Mayfield and Wilson fought, and Mayfield picked up an extra two minutes for “roughing” that seemed like a pseudo-instigator penalty even though Wilson was the one who dropped the gloves first after Mayfield came up to him.
Casey Cizikas had a good shorthanded chance on the kill, but with 10 seconds left, Carson Soucy took a high sticking penalty, giving the Capitals some 5 on 3 time and another power play.
After some dangerous moments, the Islanders killed both Mayfield and Soucy’s penalties. Any chance of a comeback seemed to deflate, though, when a Dowd pass bounced off Tony DeAngelo and past Rittich to make it 3-1.
Rittich was pulled for an extra skater with 5 minutes left, but John Carlson scored the empty netter with 2:25 left, giving the Capitals a 4-1 win.
Up Next
Tomorrow, the Islanders head back to UBS Arena to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently occupy the second seed in the Metro Division, two points ahead of the Islanders. Feels like a big one for the season as we approach the Olympic break!
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jason Zucker broke a tie on a power play at 5:31 of the third period and he Buffalo Sabres beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-3 on Monday night.
The Sabres have won six of seven and took over the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They hold a 10-point lead over the Panthers. Florida, which has lost four straight, trails Boston by nine for the final playoff position with 27 games remaining.
Peyton Krebs had a goal and an two assists for the Sabres. Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, and Josh Doan also scored for Buffalo, with Rasmus Dahlin had two assists. Alex Lyon, who has won 11 of his past 12 starts, made 38 saves.
Sandis Vilmanis, Evan Rodrigues, and Uvis Balinskis scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves.
The Panthers took a 2-0 lead early in the first period, but the Sabres scored the next three.
Florida, already playing without a number of its top forwards including captain Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, lost center Sam Bennett to an upper-body injury.
Bennett left the game after the first and did not return.
The Panthers scored 37 seconds in on a goal from Vilmanis, with Rodrigues making it 2-0 at 5:56 of the period.
Buffalo scored the next two to tie the score going into the second, first off a long wrist shot from Thompson, then off a goal from Kreps in front off the rush.
The Sabres led 3-2 at 5:44 of the second when Bobrovsky came 15 feet out to play the puck. Only Ryan McLeod beat the Florida goalie to it, and he found Benson in the slot for the easy goal.
The Panthers tied it late in the second on a power-play goal from Balinskis, but Buffalo took the lead back on a power-play of its own at 5:31 of the third when Zucker scored off a blind feed from Doan. Doan ended the scoring with a goal off a pass from Krebs with 2:1:9 remaining.
The Florida Panthers are going through some hard times right now.
Desperate for every point they can get in the standings, Florida dropped their fourth straight game on Monday night in Sunrise, a 5-3 affair to the Buffalo Sabres.
It didn’t take long for Florida to pick up the game’s opening goal, and it came off the stick of rookie Sandis Vilmanis.
Earning a start along with Cole Schwindt and A.J. Greer, Vilmanis jumped on the rebound of a Niko Mikkola point shot that hit Greer in the backside, corralling the puck and wiring a wrist shot over Alex Lyon’s glove at the 37-second mark.
The Cats weren’t done there.
After Sam Reinhart forced a turnover deep in the Sabres’ zone, Evan Rodrigues’ cross-crease pass attempt deflected past Lyon and into the net, making it 2-0 Florida before the game hit its first TV timeout.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the lead did not stick.
A pair of quick goals by Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs brought Buffalo right back into the game after the first 20 minutes.
Buffalo took their first lead of the game immediately after killing off a delay of game penalty early in the second, with Zach Benson catching Sergei Bobrovsky out of position after taking a pass from Ryan McLeod, who had just come out of the penalty box and beat Bob to the puck in Florida’s zone.
Another power play for the Panthers would prove much more prosperous, with Reinhart finding Uvis Balinskis sneaking down from the point. His one-time snap shot beat Lyon over the glove, sending the game into the third period tied at three.
Buffalo took the lead back about five minutes into the final frame after an iffy hooking call on Cole Schwindt quickly led to the Sabres first power play goal of the game.
After a couple key penalty kills by Buffalo, they converted a 2-on-1 with just over two minutes to go to cement the victory for the visitors.
Photo caption: Feb 2, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 2: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes the puck to the net as Linus Ullmark #35 of the Ottawa Senators tends goal in the first period during the game at PPG PAINTS Arena on February 2, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins go with the same lineup as last game with a change in goalies back to Arturs Silovs.
Thought the Penguins were cutting corners and falling into some bad habits early. One example early was Ryan Shea in the opening minute attempting to go up the wall to a covered players. It got picked off and a nice Ottawa passing play nearly led to a goal (and probably should have if the placement was elevated to where it should have been). They got away with it, thanks to the play of Silovs in the first 5-10 minutes, following some cross-ice passes and good looks by the Senators after the Pens either flew the zone or just weren’t quite as connected with their positioning and/or decision making with the puck.
The Pens’ style pays off when Parker Wotherspoon is able to make one of those long passes up to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin puts a centering pass in an area with Egor Chinakhov can take one touch and shoot. When Chinakhov shoots, he shoots hard. This one low past Linus Ullmark, 1-0 Pens.
THRIVING IN THE BLACK AND GOLD 🐧
Egor Chinakhov has nine points (7G-2A) in 16 games since he joined the Penguins. pic.twitter.com/IZthuV5CaD
Rickard Rakell sideswipes Ullmark to take a goalie interference penalty in another avoidable little moment of not quite being super-sharp. The hot Pittsburgh PK kills it off.
Ilya Solovyov is the next to go to the penalty box for getting a stick up, another kill for the Penguins.
First period comes to a close, Ottawa is up 13-7 in shots, Pittsburgh carries a 1-0 lead where it counts. More in the thoughts section, didn’t like this start for the Pens. Silovs was very good and they’re fortunate to be ahead at this point.
Second period
The sloppy play continues, Malkin fumbles a puck in front of his net and hands it over to Michael Amadio. Amadio quickly puts the puck glove side on Silovs and in. 1-1 game.
Still not going well, Shea coughing the puck up leads to Parker Wotherspoon cross-checking a guy. The refs call it to send Ottawa to their third power play of the night. Another kill, though the Sens are getting more and more zone time and opportunities.
Lines have changed, Anthony Mantha joins the Crosby/Rakell group, Justin Brazeau goes to play with Kindel/McGroatry. The Penguins finally get their first shot of the period with just over nine minutes to go.
Solovyov breaks his stick and fails to clear the zone in the last minute, then Connor Clifton takes another cross-checking penalty for Ottawa’s fourth power play in the game, compared to the zero for the Penguins. The buzzer sounds before too much can happen.
It’s been a sludge for the Penguins tonight. Only three shots on goal in the second period and just 10 for the game. It’s a tie game after 40 minutes.
Third period
The Pens deal with the 91 seconds of carryover power play time. It takes until 13:14 remaining for Ottawa to take the lead. Shea fails to get the puck deep and turns the puck over at the far blueline while the Pens are changing behind him. That gives Drake Batherson a clean breakaway, Silovs makes the first stop, the rebound is sitting right there for the second player on the scene to get to. Turns out it’s Tim Stutzle. 2-1 Ottawa.
The Pens finally find a response on the rare chance to get a puck to the net. It’s Shea again (he’s everywhere) taking a shot that hits off Tommy Novak in the crease. Novak is able to find the loose puck and tap it into the net. 2-2 game with 11:12 to go.
It takes until 9:09 left in the game for Pittsburgh to get their first power play of the night. The big group stays out the whole time without scoring.
Claude Giroux splits the defense, Erik Karlsson has to hack at him. That causes Giroux to fall and crash into Silovs and the net, the puck goes in during the continuation of play. It takes a long review and it’s ruled a good goal for the puck over the line before the net was off.
That explanation isn’t good enough for Dan Muse, so he challenges the play for goalie interference. Questionable at best considering the contact was clearly initiated by Karlsson. Challenge denied and the Pens get a penalty and a goal against out of the deal anyways.
Pittsburgh kills off the punishment penalty, Silovs is pulled with over 2 minutes to go to get to 6v5 grind time. About halfway through the timeout is used to give the top players a breather. Doesn’t work, time runs out on the comeback effort.
Some thoughts
From the first period area, didn’t like the way the Penguins started this game. It was nice they scored first, the style was eye-catching. The players didn’t look as connected as they usually do to start breakouts in close support. They’re trying to stretch the ice more. It’s impossible to be sharp and have the details down every night, though I think we saw some of this against the Rangers too where some bad habits are starting to creep in. Once a team experiences success or gets on a winning streak it can be difficult to keep all those little details buttoned up. It’s a long stretch of hockey too, there’s no such thing as perfection but it can be alarming to see some of the finer points of their game erode away.
Then again, it still means something to take advantage of those mistakes. Ottawa made one in the first period when Nick Jensen played too wide and let Chinakhov get inside of him. Didn’t take long for the puck to get on and off his stick and in the net.
You can see why Ottawa is first in the league in 5v5 xGA and third best overall in fewest shots allowed per game. They hound opponents all over the ice, grinding them down and making everything earned then jump on turnovers and get right back on the attack. Not a lot of room out there against them.
Ryan Shea was all over the place tonight. At one point he even skated the puck aggressive while shorthanded when he realized it was a forward in Dylan Cozens back playing defense. Some good moments, some not so good.
Kinda crazy how the Pens just can’t draw a power play for the most part these days with just 19 power plays in the last eight games. They can’t complain too much, they barely had the puck enough and were chasing Ottawa around for most of the night, tough to get a call like that.
We’ve had some Dan Muse headscratchers when it comes to challenging very questionable goalie interference penalties, this was another one. There was no universe where the refs where going to rule Giroux interfered with Silovs. Did the Penguins want the play to be a penalty on Karlsson and no goal? I don’t even think that’s possible. Not sure if Muse is being fed bad information by the video team or just out of tune with how NHL referees are going to rule on these types of plays, he’s now 0-5 in goalie interference challenges. Muse has made several calls where the chance of getting the call to go his way was going to be an extreme longshot. This review being the most questionable of them all so far. These things can happen with a rookie coach, though at this point of the season almost four months and 55 games in it would be nice to see smarter coaching inputs happening there.
Bad game by the big guys, as it was for just about everyone besides Silovs. Malkin was turning pucks over, he did create a goal but his decision making was spotty all night. Crosby didn’t have so much as one shot attempt (let alone one on goal) and was forcing cross-ice passes in the last minute when it appeared he had a shooting lane — a telltale sign for the rare times that he is fighting things and mired a slump. Rakell wasn’t much more noticeable. Probably a good thing that Bryan Rust can play tomorrow back from his suspension, his presence will be needed.
Can’t win ‘em all, the Ottawa Senators have always been a tough matchup for the Pens, that continued again tonight. Pittsburgh was tied late but had difficulties all night in looking sharp and couldn’t find a way to win a seventh straight game. No shame in that, though they will need to put this one in the rearview mirror quickly with a matchup against the division-rival Islanders tomorrow night.
The Islanders failed to add to their lead and saw the Capitals take a 2-1 lead within a 31-second span in the second period.
First, it was Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary beating Rittich five-hole through a screen at 5:29 of the second before Beauvillier wrapped one past an out-of-position Rittich at the six-minute mark of the middle frame.
The Islanders, like we saw in the second period of their 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, struggled to do everything. Despite their breakout issues and neutral zone play, they garnered chances.
Simon Holmstrom missed the net on a backhand semi-breakaway try before Horvat failed to score on his second breakway of the game, with Stevenson getting the shaft of his stick on a blocker-side try.
At 8:46 of the second, Nic Dowd's backdoor pass banked off Tony DeAngelo's skate and in to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead.
Roy pulled Rittich with 5:17 to go in the third, with John Carlson adding an empty-net tally at 17:35 for the 4-1 final.
UP NEXT: The Islanders battle the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM.
During this past off-season, former Montreal Canadiens forward Ryan Poehling was traded by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Anaheim Ducks in the deal that brought Trevor Zegras to Philly. While Poehling was not the big name in this trade, the 27-year-old forward has proven to be a solid addition to the Ducks' roster this season.
In 48 games this season with the Ducks, Poehling has recorded five goals, 16 assists, 21 points, 56 blocks, and a plus-7 rating. However, the former Canadiens forward has only been heating up as the season continues to roll on for the Pacific Division club.
In his last five games, Poehling has recorded two goals and five points. This included him recording a goal and an assist in the Ducks' most recent win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 1.
Poehling will now be looking to stay hot as the Ducks aim to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Poehling was selected by the Canadiens with the 25th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The former Canadiens first-round pick went on to play three seasons with the Habs, where he had 13 goals, nine assists, 22 points, and 79 hits. This included him scoring a hat trick and scoring the shootout winner in his NHL debut with the Canadiens during the 2018-19 season against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have activated defenseman Ryan Graves from injured reserve.
Graves has not played for the Penguins since their Jan. 21 contest against the Calgary Flames with an upper-body injury. However, now that he has been activated off injured reserve, he is officially an option for the Penguins again.
Graves has appeared in 19 games this season with Pittsburgh, where he has recorded one goal, 15 hits, 35 blocks, and a minus-2 rating. The 6-foot-5 defenseman also has two goals, seven assists, nine points, and a plus-6 rating in 13 games this season with the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
In 150 games over three seasons with the Penguins, Graves has recorded five goals, 14 assists, 19 points, 162 hits, 250 blocks, and a minus-7 rating.
Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators incoming general manager Barry Trotz announces the twenty fourth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Barry Trotz is retiring as general manager of the Nashville Predators after just under three years on the job but will stay on through the March 6 NHL trade deadline and until a successor is found, playing a role in that process.
Trotz, 63, said Monday he informed majority owner Bill Haslam in December that he intended to step away when his contract expired at the end of the 2026-27 season. The decision is not health-related, and Trotz is expected to remain with the organization as an adviser through that time.
“After some discussion, we elected to begin a search for my replacement now, but I am happy to work in my current role until we make a new hire, however long that might be,” Trotz said.
Haslam aims to have a new GM in place by the draft in late June. He downplayed any disagreement between ownership and Trotz that led to this plan.
“This is about Barry making a life decision and then us together,” Haslam said at a news conference announcing the change. “This has nothing to do with any disagreement with Barry or a reflection of where we are or are not as a team.”
Coach Andrew Brunette told reporters he learned Monday morning that Trotz was stepping down.
“I guessed I was as surprised as everybody else,” Brunette said. “Wasn’t expecting that today.”
Trotz took over control of hockey operations from longtime GM David Poile in the summer of 2023. The Predators made the playoffs the following season after Trotz fired coach John Hynes and hired Brunette to replace him.
After spending $100 million in free agency to sign Stanley Cup champions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei on July 1, 2024, set expectations high, they were one of the league’s biggest disappointments with 52 losses in 82 games and nowhere close to playoff contention.
“Our goal is to build an organization to win a Stanley Cup and not just make the playoffs,” Trotz said. “That’s been my goal since being here.”
Nashville is in the mix past the midway point of this season but appears to be an organization at a crossroads since Haslam became majority owner last summer. Stamkos still has two years left beyond this one on his contract at a salary cap hit of $8 million, Skjei four more at $7 million and Marchessault three more at $5.5 million.
They and center Ryan O’Reilly are all in their 30s and could be potential trade chips ahead of the deadline or in the offseason.
Whoever follows Trotz could have some big decisions to make on those players and others, pending how he approaches buying, selling or standing pat, along with Brunette and his staff. The core of franchise goaltender Juuse Saros, captain Roman Josi and top forward Filip Forsberg is signed for the foreseeable future, providing a foundation that could win again sooner than later with the right moves around them.
Trotz’s second act with the Predators was much shorter than his first, when he coached them from their inception in 1998 through 2014, bringing respectability and relevancy to an expansion team playing in a so-called nontraditional market. He moved on to Washington and was behind the bench when the Capitals won the Cup in 2018 and spent four seasons coaching the New York Islanders before returning to Nashville.
“At a time when many were questioning Sun Belt expansion, Barry, together with David Poile, established the Nashville Predators as a model NHL franchise,” Predators CEO Sean Henry said. “More recently, Barry has spent nearly three years working tirelessly as our general manager to position the Predators for several years of success, ensuring the organization has all the necessary tools in place to build a long-term winner in today’s NHL, placing an emphasis on the welfare of every player in our system.”
The Detroit Red Wings are navigating a mild slump after losing three straight games, and stretches like this often lead to deeper scrutiny of the roster. As the losses add up, certain concerns begin to surface, including the recent struggles of one of the team’s most encouraging young players.
Rookie forward Emmitt Finnie has hit a difficult patch after bursting onto the scene earlier this season. Finnie used his relentless work ethic to unexpectedly earn a spot on the opening-night roster and quickly became a fan favorite, drawing comparisons to a young Henrik Zetterberg, a seventh-round pick who worked his way into becoming an NHL mainstay.
While Finnie has maintained everyday status for much of the year, his recent lack of production has become harder to ignore. Finnie is currently mired in an 18-game goal drought and has recorded just two points during that stretch.
The skid contrasts sharply with his early-season performance, when he produced 19 points in his first 38 games, an impressive total for any rookie. What initially appeared to be a surprise breakout now looks more like the natural ups and downs of a first-year NHL player adjusting to the grind of a full season.
As a result, Finnie has seen his role reduced. His ice time has dipped, and he has been moved to the third line, where he can learn alongside veterans Mason Appleton and J.T. Compher. Even so, holding a third-line role on an NHL roster remains a significant achievement for a rookie, particularly one selected in the seventh round.
While struggles are expected at this stage of his development, Finnie will eventually need to rediscover the spark that fueled his early success. The last thing Red Wings fans hope to see is a promising young player viewed as a short-term success story or sent down to the AHL if the slump continues, a situation that recently affected his former linemate Nate Danielson.
For now, Finnie’s story is still being written. How he responds to this stretch of adversity may play a major role in shaping both his rookie season and his future with the Red Wings.
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The Vancouver Canucks will be without two of their wingers on this current road trip. According to Head Coach Adam Foote, both Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander will not play in either game this week. The Canucks have two remaining games before the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be played against the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Boeser not playing on the trip was already expected as he deals with an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old was hit in the head by Bryan Rust back on January 25, which resulted in the Pittsburgh Penguins forward receiving a three-game suspension. This season, Boeser has scored 12 goals while adding 25 points in 50 games.
As for Höglander, he is dealing with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old last played on January 27 and has already missed significant time with injury this season. Höglander has only played 18 games this year, where he has collected two assists.
Dec 7, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander (21) discusses face off stratedgy with forward Brock Boeser (6) during a stop in play against the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Vancouver's last game before the 2026 Winter Olympics is on February 4 versus the Golden Knights. Those not heading to Italy will get two weeks off, with practice scheduled to begin on February 18. As for when the Canucks return to action, that will be on February 25 when the Winnipeg Jets visit Rogers Arena.
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Florida Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich joined the team for practice today in a regular jersey, taking the next step in his recovery.
This was the first time we’ve seen Gadjovich practice in full contact, signifying that he is inching closer to a full recovery.
The 29-year-old suffered an upper-body injury that required surgery to repair. His original timeline was three months, announced on Nov. 8. Gadjovich sustained the injury late in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 25 and hasn’t played an NHL game since.
The next update the Panthers received about Gadjovich was on Dec. 30, when coach Paul Maurice said that they expect Gadjovich to return to the lineup following the Olympic break. Today, Maurice provided another update, stating he remains “on track” to be available near the end of February.
Prior to his injury, Gadjovich had played 10 games during the 2025-26 season, notching three assists. The Panthers have missed his physicality on the fourth line, and his addition should provide the team with the boost it desperately needs.
The Panthers are currently without Aleksander Barkov, Tomas Nosek, Dmitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich, Seth Jones, Anton Lundell, and Brad Marchand due to injuries.
The Panthers take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight in the first of three Atlantic Division matchups before the Olympic break.
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