Former Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala is finally back in the NHL after a frightening injury kept him sidelined for nine months.

The Los Angeles Kings announced Thursday that Fiala had been activated from injured reserve and made his season debut against the New York Islanders. He notched an assist in the 5-2 loss.

Fiala had not played since suffering a serious injury while representing Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. The injury brought his Olympic tournament to an abrupt end and forced him to miss an extended period of action.

Now, nine months later, the former Wild standout is finally returning to the ice.

Fiala spent parts of four seasons with Minnesota after being acquired from the Nashville Predators in February 2019 in exchange for Mikael Granlund.

His best season came in 2021-22, when he recorded a career-high 33 goals and 85 points in 82 games. Fiala finished second on the Wild in scoring that season, trailing only Kirill Kaprizov.

That summer, Minnesota traded Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and defenseman Brock Faber.

The trade ultimately helped shape Minnesota's future, with Faber developing into one of the Wild's most important defensemen.

For Fiala, the move to Los Angeles provided an opportunity to continue his career as a top offensive contributor.

However, his career was put on hold following the frightening injury during the Olympics.

His return marks a significant milestone after a lengthy recovery process that kept him out of NHL action for approximately nine months.

While it remains to be seen how quickly Fiala can regain his offensive form, his return is welcome news for the Kings and hockey fans who watched him develop into a star during his time in Minnesota.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-2, 16 points) will look to build on their winning 2-1 California road trip Saturday when they take on the Ottawa Senators (12-6-2, 26 points) at home. 

On Wednesday, the Penguins capped off the three-game swing with a 3-2 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks. A 34-save effort by rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov led the way, and it was his second win of the road trip as well as the second-most saves he made in a game this season, the most being when he stole the Penguins a point against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 with 45 saves on 47 attempts.

Even though a lot of the on-ice play was still a mixed bag for Pittsburgh - and their goaltender was outstanding enough to steal them a game yet again on Wednesday - they are some things to build off of. Their lineup seems to be gaining momentum, they are now near the top of the league in defensive zone giveaways with the third-fewest at 107, and they are actually beginning to see some synergy in their lineup. 

The advanced stats back up the Penguins playing better five-on-five hockey as of late, too. They are fourth in the league in expected goals for per 60 with 2.88, their PDO is seventh-lowest in the league this season at 97.79 to indicate some poor luck, and their Corsi (shot attempts share) is eighth in the league at 52.67 percent amongst a bunch of playoff-positioned teams. 

It remains to be seen if head coach Dan Muse keeps the same lineups together, but they did swap a few things around at Friday's team practice. After one game in the top-six, Nick Robertson was slid back down to the third line in place of Ville Koivunen in the lineup, while Hendrix Lapierre slotted back in at third-line center and youngster Rutger McGroarty remained in, taking line rushes on the fourth line with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar.

Muse did not commit to a goaltender for Saturday's game in Friday's media availability, but he did like what he saw from Murashov on the road trip. And injured defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk did skate with the team Friday, but he was on the fourth pairing with Ilya Solovyov, perhaps an indication that he will not be in the lineup Saturday.

Takeaways: Goaltending Steals Show As Penguins Close Out Winning California Road TripPenguins' rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov put on a show to will the Penguins to a 3-2 shootout win Wednedsay.

The team's first game back home will also be its 'Hall of Fame Game', when they will welcome back Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford, and Jack McGregor and elect them to the Penguins' Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. The first two will be inducted as players, while Rutherford will be inducted in the Builder category and McGregor in the Contributor category.  

As for the Ottawa Senators, they are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games and 5-4-1 on the road this season. They have fallen a bit in the standings to the first wild card position, but they are still a younger team with some weapons. 

The Penguins have struggled against the Senators in recent years, going 2-5-3 with a minus-16 goal differential in their last 10 games head-to-head. 

Penguins' Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk Returns To Team PracticeOne of Pittsburgh's veteran blueliners appears close to a return to action.

Players To Watch: 

Egor Chinakhov

Chinakhov's stat line might not look like much, as he has just three goals and five points in 15 games played for the Penguins. But the stat line is no indication of the way he's played. He's struck iron on several occasions, and his 4.9 shot attempts per game is the third-highest mark on the team behind only Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell. He has developed some chemistry on the second line with Ben Kindel, and both have been playing better. It feels like when one goes in for Chinakhov, a bunch will follow. 

Rutger McGroarty

McGroarty, 22, looks to be earning his second consecutive game after being called up during the Western trip and putting forth a nice effort in the 3-2 win over the Sharks. He may not be lighting up the scoresheet, as he has no points in three NHL games this season, but he is contributing on the defensive side of the puck and creating enough havoc in chance creation that he's still doing things to help the team win. The Penguins want to get younger, and McGroarty figures to be part of that mix — but he needs to keep forcing the Penguins' hand as far as keeping him in the lineup over others. 

Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-2, 16 points): 

Points: 

Erik Karlsson: 3-16-19 in 19 GP
Evgeni Malkin: 6-11-17 in 17 GP
Tommy Novak: 7-7-14 in 19 GP
Sidney Crosby: 6-7-13 in 19 GP
Rickard Rakell: 6-5-11 in 19 GP

Goaltenders: 

Arturs Silovs: 5-6-1, .873 save percentage
Sergei Murashov: 2-4-1, .891 save percentage

Ottawa Senators (12-6-2, 26 points): 

Points: 

Tim Stutzle: 10-14-24 in 20 GP
Drake Batherson: 10-9-19 in 20 GP
Shane Pinto: 9-8-17 in 20 GP
Michael Amadio: 6-5-11 in 20 GP
Dylan Cozens: 4-7-11 in 20 GP

Goaltenders: 

Samuel Ersson: 3-3-2, .885 save percentage
Linus Ullmark: 8-1-0, .938 save percentage

Game Information: 

Start time: 7:00 p.m. ET 
Venue: PPG Paints Arena 
Television: Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Radio: 105.9 The X

Report: Penguins' Erik Karlsson Generating Interest From Division RivalErik Karlsson is reportedly generating interest from this Metropolitan Division rival.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home for the final game of a three-game homestand and will face the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at 7:00 PM.     

Philadelphia Flyers - 5-10-6 - 16 Points - OT Loss 1 - 7th in the Metro

Columbus Blue Jackets - 7-10-0 - 8 Points - Lost 3 - 8th in the Metro

Series History vs. TheFlyers       

• The Blue Jackets are 33-19-3-4 overall, and 18-6-2-2 at home vs. Philadelphia.
• Columbus beat the Flyers in Philadelphia in October. 
• Columbus has won six-straight games against Philadelphia overall and has earned points in nine of the last 10 in the series since Jan. 4, 2024 (8-1-1).
• The CBJ have won consecutive home games and five of the past seven at Nationwide Arena dating back to Nov. 10, 2022.
• The road team has earned points in 15 of the last 20 in the series since Feb. 20, 2020 (11-5-4).
• The clubs have combined for eight or more goals in three of the last four played in Ohio and seven-plus in six of the last nine at Nationwide Arena.

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Kent Johnson has 5-5-10 in 12 career GP, including notching 2-1-3 and the OT GWG on Oct. 27.
• Zach Werenski has 9-16-25 in 29 career GP, with five multi-point efforts in his last six games overall (3-7-10) as well as points in four-straight home contests (5-3-8) and five of the past six at NWA (6-4-10).
• Matthew Knies has 3-5-8 in 10 career GP and has points in his past in each of his past three home contests against the team (1-3-4).
• Sean Monahan has 14-7-21 in 26 career GP, with 4-4-8 in his last 12 overall, including points in four straight home contests (3-2-5).
• Damon Severson has 10-15-25 in 49 career GP, including points in three of his past four games at Nationwide Arena (2-2-4).
• Adam Fantilli has posted 2-7-9 in 11 career GP vs. the Flyers with points in six-straight meetings (2-5-7) after posting 1-1-2 in the Oct. 27 matchup.
• Jet Greaves has gone 4-0-0 with a .956 SV% and 1.23 GAA in 4 appearances against the Flyers.
• Charlie Coyle has posted 11-11-22 in 37 career games against the Flyers and has posted points in three of his last four home outings (3-2-5).

Blue Jackets Stats 

• Power Play - 18.6% - 26th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 73.9% - 24th in the NHL
• Goals For - 40 - 32nd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 54 - 8th in the NHL   

Flyers Stats 

• Power Play - 18.8% - 25th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 79.4% - 12th in the NHL
• Goals For - 47 - 28th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 68 - 25th in the NHL

Who To Watch For TheFlyers     

• Matvei Michkov leads the Flyers with 10 goals and 15 points. 
• Trevor Zegras leads Philly with 10 assists.  
• Goalie Dan Vladař is 3-4-4 with a SV% of .879. His last start was on 11-11. 
• Joseph Woll is 2-6-2 with a SV% of .902. His last start was on 11-09.

Injured Reserve & Other Injuries

• Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 17 Games Missed - Lightly skating. Could return soon.
• Conor Garland - Upper Body Injury - 2 Games Missed - No timeline for a return.
• Sean Monahan - Lower Body Injury - Day to day

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 43

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

TV: CBJHN - Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo. DirecTV Ch. 660 (streaming), 660-1 (satellite). U-Verse (1735/735)

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Amid all the Matvei Michkov drama, and controversies surrounding other well-known stars around the NHL, one former Flyers defenseman with over 1,000 games of experience in the league has planted his flag with an authoritative, disapproving stance.

Since the 2026 Winter Olympics, an increase of players have requested trades away from their teams. Notably, former Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was shipped off to Florida, and Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck ended up in New Jersey after holding out into the 2026-27 regular season.

Some, like Dylan Larkin, are still waiting for their turn. As for Michkov, he's in the last year of his entry-level contract, and despite the turmoil internally and externally, the Flyers have refuted reports that their young star wants to play elsewhere.

Former Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson, who played with Michkov in his rookie season in 2024-25 and with Flyers GM Danny Briere in Briere's last season in the NHL in 2014-15, has called out all Larkin and all the NHL players looking to leave their teams in the middle of their contracts during a pre-game segment for ESPN.

Johnson, 38, went through this kind of situation nine years ago in the prime of his playing career, when top forward Matt Duchene asked out of Colorado.

"The core guys of the team, Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, we went to [Avalanche GM] Joe Sakic, we said, 'Get him out of here. We want to be a part of the Avs, we want to be a part of the solution.' We ended up being rewarded for that [with a Stanley Cup], Johnson noted.

Flyers' Matvei Michkov Draws Intriguing Comparison to NHL SuperstarIf the Flyers are correct in their assessment of Matvei Michkov, they will reap big rewards in the future.

The Avalanche obliged, and Duchene ended up in Ottawa as part of a three-team trade, and Colorado ended up with a 2018 first-round pick that later became Bowen Byram.

"Now, Dylan Larkin, I can't stand these guys halfway through their contracts that they signed in good faith with their team now bailing ship and wanting to go for greener pastures," said Johnson. "As a former player, I don't like these guys abandoning their teams mid-season, mid-contract."

The other wrinkle of Johnson's comments is that many players, like Larkin and Hellebuyck, have no-trade and no-movement clauses that allow them to dictate where they will accept a trade to.

For the Flyers, if it comes down to it, that won't be the case with Michkov, though his status as a pending free agent will undoubtedly play a factor for inquiring teams.

Reports have indicated that the Flyers are not the most happy with the play of their veteran players; players like Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim, and Christian Dvorak all have full trade protection, while Owen Tippett has a 10-team no-trade list.

As things develop in Philadelphia, this could make for a potentially interesting situation a few weeks and months down the road. And the feelings of experienced pundits, like Johnson, are clear as this trade drama becomes more and more commonplace around the NHL.

Who: Ottawa Senators (12-6-2, 26 points, 4th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (7-10-2, 16 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division)

When: 7:00 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and SN1/TVAS2, streaming for out of market at ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins have four days off before their next home game Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. The Pens are then hitting the road for a back-to-back the following weekend in Nashville and Dallas.

Opponent Track: The Senators have won three of their last four games, most recently claiming a 4-3 overtime victory Thursday against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

Season Series: The Penguins will see the Senators twice more this season, starting with a New Year’s Eve matchup in Ottawa and ending with a March 9 rematch in Pittsburgh.

Hidden Stat: The Senators are tied for the NHL lead in shorthanded goals against after giving up four in 20 games.

Getting to know the Senators

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stützle – Dylan Cozens

Philip Tomasino – Shane Pinto – Drake Batherson

Claude Giroux – Ridly Greig – Michael Amadio

Sammy Blais – Stephen Halliday – Hayden Hodgson

DEFENSEMEN

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence

Tyler Kleven – Nikolas Matinpalo

Goalies: Linus Ullmark, Samuel Ersson

Potential scratches: Nick Cousins, Carter Yakemchuk, Jackson Parsons

Injured Reserve: William Eklund, Warren Foegele, Andre Burakovsky

• The Senators got Ullmark back Thursday after the netminder missed nine games with a lower-body injury. Ullmark, who has been strong for the Sens this season, stopped 26 of 29 shots in his return to the lineup.
  • Ullmark has a career 8-0-1 record, 9.26 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average in nine contests against the Penguins dating back to his stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins.
• Ottawa is still dealing with some significant injury absences from the lineup. The Senators added Eklund, Burakovsky and Foegle this offseason as part of an effort to replace the production lost from the lineup when Brady Tkachuk was traded this offseason to the Florida Panthers, but all three are now on injured reserve.
• Nick Cousins has also been on the sideline since taking a hit in a Tuesday matchup against the Washington Capitals that Sens coach Travis Green later said knocked him unconscious.
• Both the Senators and Penguins are coming off of extra-time wins that salvaged blown leads in regulation. The day after the Penguins recovered in a shootout after surrendering a late lead to the San Jose Sharks, Shane Pinto scored in overtime against the Avalanche after the Sens gave up a tying goal with four minutes left in regulation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHANE PINTO!! 🎉

The birthday boy scores the @Energizer OT winner! pic.twitter.com/xaXlVqWJ9T

— NHL (@NHL) November 13, 2026

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Tim Stutzle is currently on track for a second straight point-per-game season after leading the Sens with 24 points in 20 games.
• The Senators have been running one of the worst power plays in the NHL since Tkachuk’s departure. Ottawa ranks 31st in the NHL with an 11.8 percent success rate on the power play so far this season.
  • The team has made up for that deficiency in part due to strong defense at 5v5. Ottawa has outscored opponents 41-30 at 5v5, per Natural Stat Trick.
• While The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun speculates the Penguins will sell at the deadline, The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie is envisioning a different path for the Sens. McKenzie recently theorized a trade for an impact forward could provide a crucial boost for a team that has proven to be strong defensively but ranks 17th in the NHL in goals scored per game.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Evgeni Malkin

Tommy Novak – Ben Kindel – Egor Chinakhov

Nick Robertson – Hendrix Lapierre – Justin Brazeau

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Rutger McGroarty

DEFENSEMEN

Spencer Stastney / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak

Declan Carlile / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

Potential Scratches:  Andrei Kuzmenko, Ilya Solovyov, Ville Koivunen

IR: Ryan Graves, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Elmer Soderblom, Bryan Rust

• The fourth line is the only one that looked the same at Friday’s practice after Wednesday’s win against the San Jose Sharks. Nick Robertson is back in the bottom six, and Hendrix Lapierre could be back in the lineup as Ville Koivunen rotated with the bottom six during Friday’s practice, per Michelle Crechiolo.

• Declan Carlile needed stitches after taking contact to the mouth in practice Friday, per Trib Live’s Seth Rorabaugh.

Carlile needed some stitches in his mouth. He reported being fine, even with a little blood and slurred speech. https://t.co/tcDhuWBGcP

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) November 13, 2026

• Tonight marks the Penguins’ annual Hall of Fame Game, during which Jim Rutherford, Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy and Jack McGregor will be celebrated in a pregame ceremony starting around 7 p.m. ET. Fleury will be the first Penguins player since 2005 to join the team HOF after he was unanimously voted in during his first year of eligibility.

When Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton hired Martin St-Louis to take the reins of the Montreal Canadiens, some thought it was a joke. How could a coach with no head-coaching experience in professional hockey find himself in perhaps the most high-profile coaching role in the NHL? Others thought he'd be Hughes and Gorton’s eyes and ears in the dressing room until the end of the season, and that would be it. Needless to say, both groups of people were very wrong.

St-Louis is now coaching his sixth season in town, and while at first he was only relied on to help develop young players, now the Canadiens are playing for keeps. It’s about the results; they want to win and reach their ultimate goal: the Stanley Cup. The bench boss has now been in charge of 384 Canadiens games, and he’s won 175. While that may not seem like a big number, it’s the seventh-most wins a coach has with the Sainte-Flanelle.

Canadiens Caufield Made History On Thursday Night
Fowler Leads Canadiens To Big Win Over Bruins
Canadiens: Guhle’s Level Of Play

With the 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins last night, St-Louis overtook Pat Burns in seventh place. He still has quite a way to go to tie Toe Blake, who has 500 wins, but it’s conceivable he'll be in fifth place by the end of the season. The Canadiens still have 65 games to play, and Cecil Hart, who’s sixth, has 196 wins, while Claude Julien has 201. The Laval native only needs 27 wins in those last 65 games to overtake Julien. He’ll then be able to set his sights on Michel Therrien, who has 271 triumphs.

At this stage, it’s hard to imagine St-Louis leaving this Canadiens team; it looks like a match made in heaven, and the contract extensions keep on coming.

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Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks “3 Standouts From The Game.” In this recurring series, The Hockey News’ Canucks team will do a deep dive into three standouts from Vancouver's last game. This article will focus on the Canucks' most recent 5–1 loss to the New York Rangers.

Brock Boeser 

Friday’s loss to the Rangers wasn’t all doom and gloom, though it may have seemed like it based on Vancouver’s performance during the final 45 minutes. Brock Boeser hit a career milestone against the Rangers on Friday, registering his 500th-career NHL point off Elias Pettersson’s goal in the first period. He is now up to 18 points on the season as a whole, and has extended his current point streak to six games. 

Boeser was also one of only four Canucks to skate in more than 20 minutes last night, logging 21:34 minutes played. In this span of time, he also recorded one shot on goal and one block. He also put up the most scoring chances for his team with a total of 13.  

Zeev Buium 

Zeev Buium made his mark during the Canucks’ high points in their 5–1 loss on Friday. The defenceman logged the primary assist on Pettersson’s goal and also recorded 24:38 minutes played, making this the fourth time in five games that he has skated in over 24 minutes. He passed the eye test offensively, demonstrating some renewed confidence with the puck both at even-strength and as the second power-play unit’s quarterback. 

Where things get dicey, however, is in the numbers department. Both Buium and defensive partner Filip Hronek got caved-in when New York went on their tear, with the young defenceman allowing the second-most scoring chances when on the ice — 17. 

Tom Willander 

Friday night marked the first game back for Tom Willander, who previously missed Vancouver’s past four games due to injury. Though he played in a more-modest 17:04 minutes in the loss (three minutes less than his per-game season average), the defenceman was still noticeable. Willander managed to tie his season-high in shots in a game on Friday with three. 

Numbers-wise, Willander was also the Canucks’ most noticeable defenceman against the Rangers. He logged 11 scoring chances-for, the most of all Vancouver defencemen on Friday, and also registered the least scoring chances against of his team’s defenders with six. 

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Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

Canucks Set A New Franchise Record In 5–1 Loss To The New York Rangers

Canucks Forward Brock Boeser Records 500th-Career NHL Point 

Canucks Place Brisebois On IR, Activate Chytil Ahead Of Matchup Against The Rangers

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While the Detroit Red Wings are facing two critical situations involving as many key players, only one of them has a ticking deadline. 

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who remains a restricted free agent, must be signed to a new contract by the Red Wings (or another NHL club) by 4:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 1 in order to be eligible to play this season. 

And according to the latest reports from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Swedish-born blue liner could be prepared to play this season in his native homeland. 

"One of the things that some reporters who live in Sweden have told me is that they believe that if this goes past Dec. 1, he's prepared to play there," Friedman said. "That's how strong his resolve is. But we'll see. We won't know that for another 16, 17 days."

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A potential Edvinsson departure from the organization would be nothing short of a disaster, in plain terms. Towering, puck-moving defenseman are a prime commodity in the NHL, and the Red Wings managed to draft one.

He's already established himself as the club's second-most important blue liner behind Moritz Seider, and his absence so far this season has clearly been felt. 

While the Red Wings are apparently banking on Edvinsson having a change of heart and deciding to accept their offer, the chances of that happening, based on the most recent reports, aren't good. 

With time ticking away, interim GM Shawn Horcoff, who has maintained that he has no desire to trade Edvinsson, will have to make an official decision soon. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks (5-13-1) are coming off a big overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres two nights prior. They were down 2-1 going into the third period and found a way to win a hockey game. During the second intermission, according to Frank Nazar, they had a plan to come out strong and win. 

"We came into the third period down a goal, and we said to everyone that we had to come out with this win," Nazar said. "We worked hard, and we earned it." 

This team lacks a lot of things, but they don’t lack character. They believe in themselves, and their willingness to get better speaks to who they are as people. Are they going to rattle off enough wins now to get back in the race? Unlikely. However, their goal of continuing to improve is very much still on the table. 

Scouting Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Jets (9-8-3) are a very interesting team right now. They are currently on a 5-game winning streak but are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. It’s been as up-and-down a season as you can have in the NHL. 

The Jets were one of the league’s most talked-about teams at the start of the season because of Connor Hellebuyck’s holdout. They have since traded him to the New Jersey Devils and completely moved on. 

Chicago’s season series with Winnipeg is a bit of a schedule quirk. The Jets have already been to the United Center once this year. The Blackhawks beat them 4-3 on October 15th. They will then play two games in Winnipeg on November 30th and December 10th. Before the holidays, they will already be through with seeing each other. 

The team that came to the United Center and lost a month ago is drastically different. The Hellebuyck cloud no longer hangs over their head, and their best players are playing like their best players. 

Connor - Scheifele - Vilardi

Perfetti - Yager - Mercer

Iafallo - Lowry - Bjorck

Koepke - Barron - Rosen

Morrissey - DeMelo

Samberg - Pionk

Ferraro - Bauer

Skinner

Daws

Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are the stars up front, but the newly acquired Dawson Mercer, along with Cole Perfetti, Alex Iafaklo, and captain Adam Lowry, help provide great depth. Viggo Bjorck, who is a close friend of Blackhawks forward Anton Frondell, was their 8th overall pick in 2026. He has been coming on strong lately, but is still searching for his first career NHL goal. 

On defense, everything starts and ends with Josh Morrissey, who was not available when these two teams met in October. He has game-changing abilities, and he has made a clear difference since his return. 

In net, the Jets will run out one of Jeff Skinner or Nico Daws. In a tough situation, they’ve played well. If the team in front of them scores goals and defends the way that they have proven they can, whoever starts won’t have a hard time doing their job.  

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks have been without Bowen Byram for most of this season. The Blackhawks won’t say much other than he’s day-to-day. It also sounds like he will be ready to jump in the lineup right when he’s medically cleared to play. For the last couple of days, Byram has practiced with his teammates in a non-contact sweater. 

Jeff Blashill would not rule him out for this game against the Jets, but he is day-to-day for now. When Byram returns, he'll have time to get his feet under him in the new system. 

Kantserov-Bedard-Bertuzzi

Mangiapane-Frondell-Kane

Moore-Nazar-Donato

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Vlasic-Cole

Del Mastro-Levshunov

Kaiser-Rinzel

Knight

Commesso

If Byram comes in, expect Ethan Del Mastro to come out. Spencer Knight started on Thursday against the Sabres, so we'll see if Drew Commesso gets his first NHL start of the season after starting the year in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs. 

When Patrick Kane came back ahead of the Buffalo game, Teuvo Teravainen came out for him. Will the latter come back in for someone? That remains to be seen as well. 

Chicago is not holding a morning skate on Saturday ahead of the daytime game, so warmups will clear up some of these decisions. Jeff Blashill will speak at 1 PM as well, which could answer the Byram question, at least. 

Blackhawks Reading

2027 NHL Mock Draft: Projecting Lottery Picks Based On NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary RankingsThe Chicago Blackhawks may end up with another top-five pick. Based on NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary Ranking, the lottery picks may go something like this.

How To Watch

You can hear the game locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can stream it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 2:30 PM CT. 

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

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The Islanders got a much-needed, feel-good win with balanced scoring (plus the obligatory Schaefer) Thursday in Los Angeles. Now they need to finish out the trip with a good result in Anaheim. Two points tonight against the Ducks would mean five out of six on the road trip.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• With feeling now: the Isles need to put together more than one win “in a row.” [Newsday | Post]
• Island Ice podcast with Casey Cizikas, Matthew Kessel, and the need for more than just relying on Ilya Sorokin standing on his head. [Newsday]
• Previewing tonight: Here’s hoping Victor Eklund keeps it going. [Isles]
• Takeaways from the win in L.A. [Isles]

This is Part 2 of Bryan Trottier’s podcast with Brett Hull and Kelly Chase. It sucks to hear, but he talks about what it was like to see all of his dynasty buddies traded or waived, how going to Pittsburgh and joining Mario Lemieux gave him new life — and what a contrast that was to Clarke Gillies’ post-Isles life. He talks about the tough decision to retire, too:

Elsewhere

• Daniel Briere is the latest to come out and contradict Kevin Weekes’ report that Matvei Michkov wants out. [NHL]
• Speaking of B.S.: Connor Bedard insists the Blackhawks “100%” believe in their coach Jeff Blashill. [NHL]
• League-wide rumblings on Michkov, Erik Karlsson as a rental and more. [Athletic]
• Bill Guerin praised Danila Yurov wbile not denying that he’s included him in trade offers for Dylan Larkin. He also had to deal with more Quinn Hughes questions, which will never end. [NHL]
• The Sedin twins say they are sick and sleepless over the Canucks’ bad start. [NHL | Sportsnet]
• Both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar left the Avs’ game vs. the Senators with injuries. [NHL]
• At the quarter mark, the Leafs need improvement (and don’t we all?). [Sportsnet]
• At the quarter mark, Justin Bourne talks about some themes, like player empowerment and how tearing down/tanking is the easy part, but actually rebuilding is hard. [Sportsnet]

Las Vegas, N.V.– What happens when two of the NHL’s hottest teams clash on a Friday night? You guessed it: it goes to a shootout. At least, that’s what happened tonight when the five-game win-streaking Vegas Golden Knights hosted the six-game win-streaking Nashville Predators.

The Golden Knights were the better team through two periods and held a 2-1 lead over Nashville heading into the final frame, but a completely different Golden Knights team came out to start the third. The Predators found the equalizer halfway through the third period and won 3-2 in the shootout, recording their seventh comeback win of the season.

Heading into Friday’s game against the Predators, the Golden Knights were 10-0-0 when leading after the second. Now, they’re 10-0-1.

“I thought we lost our game a little bit in the third,” said Rasmus Andersson following the 3-2 shootout loss. “They were the better team in the third period, and it cost us one point tonight… We just didn’t take care of the puck. We had too many giveaways.”

1. No Goals

A few years ago, a Mass Mutual commercial featured Ryan O’Reilly asking Juuse Saros about his financial goals. In the commercial, Saros responded, “No goals,” and repeated that phrase several times in a deadpan voice.

The Golden Knights finished tonight’s game with 42 shots on net. Juuse Saros stayed true to himself, stopping all but two. He finished the night with 40 saves, a .952 save percentage, and 1.71 goals saved above expected.

“Obviously, he’s a really good goalie,” said Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson. “Can we create more traffic and chaos, like they did on us in the third? For sure.”

Goaltender Adin Hill certainly did his part for the Golden Knights, as well. He made 30 saves on 32 shots, recording a .930 save percentage and 1.26 goals saved above expected.

“Hilly played well,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig. “Hilly played very well. He made some real big saves for us, and I thought he was tracking the puck well.”

2. A Tale of Three Periods

After one period, the Golden Knights had 19 shots against Nashville’s 10. After the second, Vegas had 34 shots to Nashville’s 20.

The Predators outshot the Golden Knights 12-8 in the third period and the five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime.

“Through two periods, we generated some looks. We had some opportunities,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig following the shootout loss. “In the third, we had the two looks from the slot… After they tied it, I think we had one more shot. So, we didn’t generate enough.”

Through the first two periods tonight, the Golden Knights generated 16 high-danger scoring chances while only giving up seven. In the last 25 minutes of hockey, the Predators generated seven high-danger scoring chances and held Vegas to just one.

“We were just having to punt the puck,” said Craig. “We didn’t get our feet going. We didn’t use our support to exit to kind of gain territory and chip away at territory. Therefore, they got the territory and were able to keep coming.”

3. Fine, We’ll Stop Ignoring the Elephant in the Room

It was a little over a month ago that Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig surprised everyone by deploying Trevor Connelly and Braeden Bowman as his first two shooters in the shootout. It sure did work out for him– both players beat Sergei Bobrovsky and gave their team a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Craig has stayed true to himself and continues to send Connelly and Bowman out in the shootout. This continues to prove to be the right decision, as Connelly has converted on two of three chances and scored the only Golden Knights shootout goal tonight.

The Golden Knights continue to deploy their best players in the shootout, which should make sense. Here’s the problem: 

Mitch Marner is 13-for-43 (30.2%) in the shootout in his career, but he has only converted on two of nine as a Golden Knight. Jack Eichel is 13-for-49 (26.5%) in his career, but has converted on zero of his last nine shootout attempts. 

Shea Theodore, who is a whopping 12-of-31 (38.7%!) in his career, was not used in the shootout tonight against the Predators.

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights had plenty of chances to build a cushion. When they didn’t, their puck struggles gave the Nashville Predators an opening.

The Predators erased a third-period deficit and beat Vegas 3-2 in a shootout Friday at T-Mobile Arena, ending the Golden Knights’ four-game winning streak.

It marked the first time Vegas lost a game after leading through two periods.

Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Andersson scored for Vegas, extending its point streak to six games (4-0-2) and moving to 13-5-3. Ryan O’Reilly scored both Nashville goals, and Roman Josi delivered the deciding shootout tally.

100/10 effort from Vic 🤩 pic.twitter.com/g6bTYksqWG

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 14, 2026

“First two periods, we couldn’t separate, right, score-wise, so they hang around,” Golden Knights coach Ryan Craig said. “In the third, I didn’t think we managed pucks the way we did in the first two periods.”

Juuse Saros made 40 saves for the Predators, who improved to 11-4-5 with their seventh consecutive victory.

Vegas finished with 42 shots, but its inability to sustain possession and move out of its defensive zone became the defining issue late.

Craig pointed to turnovers near the defensive blue line, insufficient movement and a failure to use available support.

“If you give them second chance after second chance, now you get fatigued, and now we’re just punting the puck,” Craig said.

Andersson offered a similar assessment.

“We just didn’t really take care of the puck,” he said. “Too many giveaways.”

Take a bow, Ras 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/rpULo7Y3Ah

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 14, 2026

Nashville’s pressure spread out Vegas’ defensive coverage and created opportunities to send pucks toward the net.

“I thought they did a good job in the third, and I just thought we didn’t really meet our standards in the third,” Andersson said.

O’Reilly’s tying goal came after Nashville worked the puck from the blue line back behind the net. Craig said Vegas lost its defensive layers, allowing O’Reilly room to emerge above the goal line and finish.

The breakdown overshadowed a performance from Adin Hill that Craig praised.

“Hilly played very well. Made some real big saves for us,” Craig said. “I thought he was tracking the puck well.”

At the other end, the Golden Knights’ shot total didn’t necessarily reflect the quality of their chances throughout the game. Craig said Vegas generated opportunities through two periods but struggled to create enough in the third.

Andersson credited Saros while acknowledging Vegas could have made his work more difficult.

“Can we create more traffic and chaos a little bit like they did on us in the third? For sure,” Andersson said.

Olofsson nearly ended the game early in overtime, striking the post with a chance to give Vegas its fifth consecutive victory.

Instead, the teams went to a shootout.

Trevor Connelly scored in the second round to put Vegas ahead, but Filip Forsberg answered in the third round to keep Nashville alive. After Jack Eichel missed in the fourth round, Josi converted to complete the comeback.

For Craig, the third-period solution required the same connected play that had helped Vegas establish its game earlier.

“Our forecheck, when we forechecked, especially in the first period, we were a very good hockey team,” Craig said. “I thought we weren’t able to forecheck in the third because we didn’t get to those spots where you could establish a forecheck.”

KEY MOMENT: Equalizer

O’Reilly’s second goal erased Vegas’ 2-1 third-period lead. Nashville reset the puck behind the net, and a coverage breakdown allowed O’Reilly to move above the goal line and score, sending the game toward overtime and eventually a shootout.

KEY STAT: 42

The Golden Knights put 42 shots on goal, but Saros stopped 40. Vegas has collected 10 of a possible 12 points during its six-game point streak.

WHAT A KNIGHT: Victor Olofsson

The winger scored his sixth goal of the season and nearly delivered the overtime winner, hitting the post. Olofsson has two goals and three assists in four games since returning from injury.

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights continue their five-game homestand Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific.

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights left wing Trevor Connelly (24) shoots against the glove of Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) during the first period at T-Mobile Arena.

The New York Rangers’ four-game road trip was capped off with a true feel-good story.

At 29 years old, Glenn Gawdin scored his first two NHL goals in the Rangers’ 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.

Since being selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Gawdin has been working toward earning himself a consistent NHL role.

Over the course of his professional hockey career, Gawdin has played in 487 American Hockey League games for the Stockton Heat, San Diego Gulls, Ontario Reign, and most recently, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Prior to signing a two-year deal worth $850,000 per season with the Rangers this past offseason, Gawdin had played in just 12 NHL games for the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks.

An injury sustained by Joe Veleno early in the season has left the Blueshirts with a hole at their fourth-line center position and a rotating cast of players filling that role since Veleno went down.

After starting the season with the Wolf Pack, the 29-year-old was called up by the Rangers on Nov. 10, joining the team on its four-game road trip.

“Was told (called up by the Rangers) in the middle of an American League Hockey game down in Springfield, drove home, packed a suitcase, my wife helped me,” Gawdin revealed. “Went from Hartford to Denver, (from) Denver to Calgary.

Friday night’s matchup in Vancouver added extra meaning for Gawdin, as he grew up in British Columbia and had 10-12 friends and family members at Rogers Arena cheering him on.

In the second period, goaltender Leevi Meriläinen turned over the puck, and Gawdin was able to retrieve it and take a low shot that fooled Meriläinen for his first career NHL goal.

Less than five minutes later, Gawdin deflected the puck off his skate on Vladislav Gavrikov’s shot for his second goal of the night.

“It’s special,” Gawdin said of scoring his first two NHL goals. “I think anywhere it would have been special, but to do it in Vancouver is that much sweeter.”

It’s been a long journey to get to this point for Gawdin, who has continuously paid his dues at the AHL level with the hopes and dreams of earning an NHL spot.

Through all of the difficult and uncertain times of his career, Gawdin admitted to leaning on the people closest to him for support.

“There's a lot that goes through your mind over the years,” Gawdin said. “Credit to the circle around me. Credit to my wife. They pushed me when I need it. I think the success tonight, they have an equal part in that.”

While Gawdin’s time with the Rangers moving forward is certainly not guaranteed, he’s made the most of an opportunity and created a memory in his hometown that he’ll likely remember for the rest of his life.

“He's a great kid,” Mike Sullivan said of Gawdin. “Obviously, he's coming back to his hometown here, he scores two goals. That's a great thrill, right?...We talked earlier before the game about how unique it is and how special it is for guys to play in their hometown and in front of their family and friends...

“Gawds, I think he's had two pretty good games. I think he played better today than he did the first hame, and him and I had that conversation. That first game when you get called up is not easy. The pace of play is different, and he's also trying to get comfortable with the group. I was thrilled for him.”

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Roman Josi scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of a shootout as the Nashville Predators beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 Friday night for their seventh straight win.

Ryan O’Reilly scored twice for the Predators. Juuse Saros made 40 saves.

Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Andersson scored for Vegas, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Adin Hill stopped 30 shots.

Trevor Connelly gave Vegas the early advantage in the shootout, but Filip Forsberg kept Nashville alive with a third-round goal. After Saros denied Jack Eichel, Josi converted to complete the comeback.

Braeden Bowman and Mitch Marner also missed for Vegas. Steven Stamkos and O’Reilly were unsuccessful for Nashville.

Olofsson nearly ended the game early in overtime, but his shot rang off the post.

The Golden Knights extended their point streak to six games despite the loss. Nashville won its fourth consecutive road game.

Olofsson continued his productive return from injury with his sixth goal in eight appearances this season. He had a goal and two assists in Wednesday’s 5-3 victory over Utah and entered Friday with four points in three games since returning Nov. 5 at Detroit.

Andersson scored his third goal of the season, while O’Reilly increased his total to nine.

RANGERS 5, CANUCKS 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Glenn Gawdin scored his first two NHL goals in New York’s four-goal second period and the Rangers won for the first time this season when allowing the first goal, beating Vancouver.

The Rangers finished a four-game trip with three victories have won five of their last six to improve to 12-8-1. They were 0-7-1 when allowing the first goal before Friday.

The NHL-worst Canucks have dropped seven straight to fall to 3-17-1.

Playing his second NHL game of the season and 15th overall, the 29-year-old Gawdin made it 3-1 on a snap shot with seven minutes left in the second. He added the second with 3:50 to go in the period for a 5-1 advantage.

Gawdin is from the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. He was called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.

Dylan Garand made 27 saves for New York.

The losing streak lives on as the Vancouver Canucks suffered a 5–1 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday night, extending their slump to seven straight games. Forward Elias Pettersson was the lone player to score in tonight’s matchup, while BC-locals Dylan Garand (27 saves on 28 shots) and Glenn Gawdin (two goals) had strong performances for the Rangers. Leevi Meriläinen stopped 26 of 31 shots faced. 

Tonight’s loss was a record-setting one for the Canucks, as they dropped their eighth consecutive home-game this season, marking a franchise record for home losing streaks.  

In a rare moment this season, having only done so seven times in their first 21 games, the Canucks opened the scoring tonight thanks to a puck tipped into the net by Pettersson. A sharp retrieval along the boards by Brock Boeser gave the long-tenured Canuck his 500th-career NHL point, as he recorded the second assist on Pettersson’s goal. 

By the end of the first period, however, the game was tied 1–1. A battle in the corners of Vancouver’s zone saw Pettersson and J.T. Miller fight for the puck, only for it to end up on the stick of Alexis Lafrenière. The 2020 first-overall pick sent the puck over to Gabe Perreault, who was able to shoot it past both Filip Hronek and Meriläinen. 

Despite hanging in there during the first period, momentum slowly started to shift in the Rangers’ direction throughout the second. Rangers forward Oliver Bjorkstrand kicked things off by capitalizing on a power play, though the following sequences of shifts saw the Canucks fail to get the puck out of their own zone.   

The roughest sequence for the Canucks came around the 13-minute mark of the second period, after which Vancouver surrendered three goals in 3:10 minutes. Shifts after surrendering a goal-against have been difficult for the Canucks this season, but this was even more apparent tonight. From passes not connecting to coughing the puck up easily, Vancouver gave New York ample chances to break-out and enter their zone. 

Vancouver’s sloppiness continued into the third period, when they took a too-many-men call around seven minutes into the frame. While they didn’t allow any more goals, the Canucks weren’t quite able to string together a consistent-enough stretch of play to be able to mount a comeback. 

Part of what may have halted any opportunity of a comeback was Vancouver’s performance on the man-advantage. The Canucks were unable to find the back of the net on any of their four power plays, racking up a grand total of six shots through the four chances. Of the two units, Vancouver’s second unit consisting of Zeev Buium, Linus Karlsson, Filip Chytil, Marco Rossi, and Paul Cotter appeared to find the most offensive success despite not ending up on the scoresheet.  

After the game, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra touched on what it was that caused Vancouver such a sudden crumble. 

“I think that the story of the second was just our unwillingness or inability to stick to the script. But our first period was probably the best we've looked in a long time, just in terms of everything structurally. Created a lot of chances. Scored a great O-zone sequence goal. Didn’t spend a ton of time in the D-zone, so again, coming back to that mindset of simple and direct works for us. And in the second period, it was just a string of turnover after turnover after turnover that feeds transition and doesn’t allow us to do the things that make us competitive.” 

“When you see the other teams transition, they continue to make our D stay out for long shifts, and then you’re not getting pucks deep and not getting to forecheck, and you’re just on your heels,” Boeser added. “It’s a pretty important part of the game. You see the best teams in the league — they continue to play the same way. There’s times you can make a play, and there’s times that you can’t, and you’ve got to learn when those times are.” 

Vancouver will now head on the road for their next three games, starting with a Sunday matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:00 pm PCT. 

Stats and Facts: 

• Brock Boeser becomes the eighth player to hit 500 points as a member of the Canucks 
• Elias Pettersson scores his first 5-on-5 goal since January 13, 2026
• Vancouver sets a new record for home-ice losing streaks, dropping their eighth-consecutive game  
• Marco Rossi, Jake DeBrusk, Linus Karlsson, defenceman Elias Pettersson, and Tom Willander all finish the game with three shots on goal

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

12:13 - VAN: Elias Pettersson (5) from Zeev Buium and Brock Boeser

18:47 - NYR: Gabe Perreault (7) from Alexis Lafrenière 

2nd Period: 

8:21 - NYR: Oliver Bjorkstrand (7) from J.T. Miller and Adam Fox (PPG) 

13:00 - NYR: Glenn Gawdin (1) 

15:14 - NYR: Alexis Lafrenière (10) from Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault 

16:10 - NYR: Glenn Gawdin (2) from Vladislav Gavrikov and Jaroslav Chmelar

3rd Period: 

No Scoring. 

Up Next: 

Vancouver Canucks @ Vegas Golden Knights, November 15, 2026, 7:00 pm PCT 

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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