Category: Ice Hockey

Matthew Tkachuk has hit the ground running this season, leading Florida in points and expected goals, while sitting second in shots over his first seven games.

My Sabres vs. Panthers predictions expect another active offensive performance from Tkachuk against Buffalo.

Let’s break down my NHL picks for Monday, February 2.

Sabres vs Panthers prediction

Sabres vs Panthers best bet: Matthew Tkachuk Over 2.5 shots on goal (-155)

Matthew Tkachuk has shot the puck at a healthy clip since returning from injury, averaging 2.9 shots on target through seven games.

He has posted better numbers at home, where he attempted at least five shots in all three showings.

His outputs have also shown spikes following a day of rest. He has generated 3.8 shots per game through four games under those circumstances.

Tkachuk is at home and rested, and the matchup against the Buffalo Sabres doesn’t get much better.

The Sabres are a high-event side that gives up a lot of shot volume. They’ve allowed the second-most shots to wingers over the past 10 games while playing at the sixth-highest pace.

This is a big pace-up spot for the Florida Panthers, who sit 31st in pace during that span. The Sabres should speed the Panthers up a bit, creating a better game environment for offense.

In an important inner-division clash against a team just ahead of the Panthers in the standings, Florida will be heavily reliant on its star winger to lead the charge.

Sabres vs Panthers same-game parlay

Tkachuk has only scored in one of his seven games this season, but he is getting a lot of looks around the net, and the Panthers are favorites in a game with a total of 6.5. This would be a good spot to get one.

Carter Verhaeghe is playing on Tkachuk’s opposite wing, and the two are both featured on the No. 1 power play. Dating back to last year, Verhaeghe has 15 assists over his past 18 games with Tkachuk in the lineup.

Sabres vs Panthers SGP

• Matthew Tkachuk Over 2.5 shots on goal
• Matthew Tkachuk anytime goal
• Carter Verhaeghe Over 0.5 assists

Sabres vs Panthers odds

• Moneyline: Buffalo +115 | Florida -135
• Puck line: Buffalo +1.5 (-215) | Florida -1.5 (+175)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+115) | Under 6.5 (-135)

Sabres vs Panthers trend

Matthew Tkachuk has averaged 4.5 shots on goal over his last eight games against Buffalo. Find more NHL betting trends for Sabres vs. Panthers.

How to watch Sabres vs Panthers

Sabres vs Panthers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Both the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins rank in the Top 10 in goals per game, but it's the Under that stands out in this matchup.

My Senators vs. Penguins predictions expect a lower-scoring affair between two Eastern Conference teams riding winning streaks.

Let’s break down my NHL picks for Monday, February 2.

Senators vs Penguins prediction

Senators vs Penguins best bet: Under 6.5 (ODDS)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have done a very good job defensively under first-year head coach Dan Muse, ranking 13th in shot suppression, fifth in penalty kill percentage, and tied for ninth in goals allowed.

The Ottawa Senators have had a more difficult time keeping the puck out, but they’ve largely held up when facing other teams that defend well.

Seven consecutive Senators games vs. Top 10 teams in goal prevention have featured five goals or fewer. They allowed 25 shots or less in each of those games, helping make life as easy as possible on their goaltenders.

This stretch includes a matchup with the Pens back in December. Just four goals were scored in that contest — a 4-0 victory for Ottawa — and the two sides combined for only 50 shots on target.

Defense is Ottawa’s calling card, and the Senators will be looking to keep things tight as they try to inch back towards a playoff spot.

The suspension of Bryan Rust and injury to Kris Letang should also take a bite out of their offense and make them easier to slow down.

Senators vs Penguins same-game parlay

Dylan Cozens has generated shots at a very consistent clip, averaging 2.7 on 4.5 attempts over his last 10 games. He cleared 1.5 shots in nine of them, only failing to do so against the No. 1-seeded Colorado Avalanche.

While Thomas Chabot left Ottawa’s last game with an injury, it was cited as precautionary. If he’s good to go, two shots is not much to ask for the minute-muncher who has registered multiple shots on target in 14 of his past 20.

Senators vs Penguins SGP

• Under 6.5
• Dylan Cozens Over 1.5 shots
• Thomas Chabot Over 1.5 shots

Senators vs Penguins odds

• Moneyline: Senators -105 | Penguins -115
• Puck Line: Senators +1.5 (-250) | Penguins -1.5 (+205)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+100) | Under 6.5 (-120)

Senators vs Penguins trend

The Over is just 2-7-1 over the past 10 head-to-head matchups. Find more NHL betting trends for Senators vs. Penguins.

How to watch Senators vs Penguins

Senators vs Penguins latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

It was a frustrating end to January for the Florida Panthers.

After reeling off wins in six of eight, Florida appeared to be rounding a corner and building some momentum heading into an extremely crucial point of the season.

That was until the past week, when the Panthers dropped each of their three games, two of which coming on home ice and all by a single goal.

Before the defeats, Florida had climbed to within three points of the second Wild Card spot (which was Boston at the time), with a game in hand, and four points back of third place in the Atlantic Division (back then it was Buffalo).

Fast forward to now, where the Cats enter play on Monday eight points behind the Sabres, who hold the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and ten points back of third-place Montreal with one game in hand.

With only 28 games remaining on their schedule, it’s getting to the point where Florida is losing any margin for error in terms of failing to accumulate points in the standings. Losing three straight games to teams who all had less points than the Panthers is something that simply can’t happen.

This will be the third of four meetings between Florida and Buffalo this season.

A 3-0 road loss to the Sabres back on Oct. 18 capped an early-season four-game losing streak for the Cats, while Florida picked up a 4-3 win in Buffalo on Jan. 12 that was actually the first home loss for the Sabres in about six weeks.

When the Panthers hit the ice on Monday they’ll be in the familiar position of shorthanded thanks to another pair of key forwards missing the game.

Both Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell are considered day-to-day and could play before the NHL breaks for the Olympics, but it won’t be against Buffalo.

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Photo caption: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) controls the puck during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

The Detroit Red Wings are beginning to feel their momentum slow. Once the hottest team in the NHL, they now find themselves on a three-game losing streak and losing four of their last five games before heading into one of the most difficult road environments in the league: Colorado.

This trip marks the Red Wings’ first journey west and into the Rocky Mountains this season. They will be looking to bounce back from a 5–0 blowout loss to the Avalanche last Saturday on home ice. Detroit now has a chance to return the favor, though improving their recent road form will be key after posting two wins and two losses over their last four away games. 

Colorado has also struggled recently, but Saturday’s win over Detroit may have helped halt an eight-game slump in which the Avalanche lost six of their previous eight contests. Both teams are eager for a victory, setting the stage for an exciting showdown in this marquee matchup.

Lineup Storylines

The Red Wings are going through a noticeable shift in form. Their offense has slowed considerably during a five-game losing streak, and while the defense has tried to hold things together, cracks have begun to show. 

Detroit’s once red-hot goaltender John Gibson has now lost three straight starts, with his most recent defeat coming against Colorado. In that game, he allowed four goals on 21 shots, making it his most deflating performance in recent weeks.

The hope is that the potential Vezina Trophy contender can steady himself and regain his rhythm, especially as the defense continues to adjust without Simon Edvinsson in the lineup. Offensively, the usual leaders remain Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond, while Marco Kasper has surprisingly tied for third on the team in points over the skid with one goal and two assists. 

The @DetroitRedWings are cooking with these passes tonight 🧑‍🍳

Check out this one from Marco Kasper to J.T. Compher! pic.twitter.com/IRTGk6pl1W

— NHL (@NHL) January 17, 2026

The concern is how quickly the scoring has dried up as DeBrincat and Raymond have combined for seven goals during the five-game stretch, while the rest of the roster has contributed just five. Depth scoring has swung wildly this season, starting as a major weakness, turning into a strength during winning streaks, and now slipping once again.

This downturn could prompt general manager Steve Yzerman to explore a move for additional offensive help, especially with rumors linking Detroit to New York’s Artemi Panarin. Regardless of roster speculation, the Red Wings need secondary scoring to reemerge.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Rookie Emmitt Finnie has gone 18 games without a goal, while second-line center Andrew Copp has failed to score in nine straight games after previously being on pace for a career year alongside Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. Even Kane himself has been held without a goal in 11 consecutive games. 

Detroit will need to rediscover its offensive identity sooner rather than later, especially against a Colorado team that demands near-perfection from its opponents.

Despite their recent struggles, the Avalanche have had little trouble generating offense, scoring 29 goals during an eight-game skid that still averages out to 3.22 goals per game. Their main issue has been on the defensive side, as the absence of key blueliner Devon Toews has forced constant changes to their pairings. 

Those adjustments have not gone smoothly, with Colorado allowing 3.78 goals per game over that span, the fifth-worst mark in the NHL during that stretch. The Avalanche are also dealing with significant offensive absences, as captain Gabe Landeskog, Martin Necas, and Drew O’Connor are all sidelined heading into Monday.

If the Red Wings can rediscover their scoring touch and turn the game into a high-tempo shootout, they may be able to pull off a surprising victory.

Goalie Matchup

Detroit: John Gibson (21-11-2 record, 2.68 GAA, .903 SV% | VS COL: 10-12-2 record, 2.59 GAA, .920 SV% in 26 games)

Colorado: MacKenzie Blackwood (15-4-1 record, 2.32 GAA, .914 SV% | VS DET: 4-2-0 record, 2.76 GAA, .902 SV% in seven games)

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Mike and Dan look back at a packed week of trades, wins, a season sweep and one terrible loss that makes an already daunting upcoming week for the Islanders even more scary.

For five days last week, Islanders fans were feeling good. Three wins, two over the Rangers in a humiliating season sweep complete with chirps from a goofball kid who’s already a star, and trades for Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat that, while open to criticism, have yielded good early results. Then Saturday happened, when the Islanders played a sloppy, maddening game against the Nashville Predators at home and took a giant step back after three steps forward. It was the last thing we wanted to see with a huge slate coming up and an Olympic break looming that will put us all in stasis for three weeks.

We look back at all of last week’s games and ahead to games against the Capitals, Penguins and Devils to close out the pre-Olympic schedule. One against a team directly behind you, one against a team directly in front of you and one that should be easy on paper but might end up being necessary. It’s a massive week that will tell us a lot about how the trade deadline might shape up. Of course, we said that before this week, too…

Finally we look at an article that ranked NHL arena experiences and at UBS Arena’s fair placement. It’s a great venue with one huge issue keeping it from the league’s upper echelon.

Be sure to count the times Dan says he wants to talk about something and then just never does. This might be an all time record.

REFERENCES

• Some reading about the trades for handsomefamily man Carson Soucy and unloved Devil Ondrej Palat
• Pierre LeBrun called the Palat move, “tidy,” the highest praise anyone can bestow upon an NHL transaction.
• Mathieu Darche had more to say about the trades (some of it funny) to Frankly Hockey.
• Alan Fuehring doesn’t want Matthew Schaefer to put him out of business.
• Here are The Athletic’s NHL Arena Rankings. UBS Arena’s placement seems fair.

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The Providence Bruins beat the Charlotte Checkers 3-0 on Sunday afternoon, their seventh win in a row and eighth in their last ten games.

However, the win was a bit more notable for another reason: Georgii Merkulov became the new all-time leading scorer in franchise history, as he recorded an assist in the win.

That assist gave Merkulov 211 career AHL points, one more than Andy Hilbert recorded as a member of the Providence Bruins.

MERKULOV FEEDS SODERSTROM FOR HIS FRANCHISE RECORD BREAKING POINT 🍎 pic.twitter.com/HA5TvYwdRc

— Providence Bruins (@AHLBruins) February 1, 2026

In his AHL career, the Russian winger now has 84G-127A-211PTS totals in 240 games over parts of five AHL seasons.

Hilbert, who had cups of coffee with the NHL Bruins and went on to have a decent NHL run with the New York Islanders, recored 101G-109A-21oPTS totals in 234 games with Providence.

Frankly, I was a bit surprised to see that this is Merkulov’s fifth AHL season, and even more surprised to see that he was now the franchise’s leading scorer.

That’s not meant as a knock on Merkulov, rather that I assumed there might have been a more prolific, long-time AHLer who had a higher mark over a longer period of time.

However, Merkulov has been consistently productive for Providence: coming into the current season, he led the P-Bruins in scoring three seasons in a row, which had never happened before.

Regardless, it’s a nice milestone for Merkulov, who has played 11 games at the NHL level and is still looking for his first goal.

The Bruins signed Merkulov to an entry-level contract in April of 2022, after just one season at Ohio State University.

He signed a one-year, two-way contract extension last summer. He’s now waiver-eligible, and had to clear when he was cut from training camp prior to this season.

Whether or not he gets another crack at the NHL roster remains to be seen, but being any franchise’s all-time leading scorer is no small feat.

Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz will announce on Feb. 2 that he is stepping down, according to a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The report from Friedman also indicates Trotz will continue in the role until his replacement can be found.

The Predators have announced a news conference on Feb. 2. The release said Trotz will have an announcement at Bridgestone Arena along with CEO Sean Henry and owner Bill Haslam. The Predators did not disclose the nature of the announcement.

The timing of this decision sets up a challenging rest of the season. With the Predators' record at 25-23-6 (56 points) and four points out of the final wild card spot, they are within striking distance of the playoffs. But in the ultra competitive Western Conference, their chances of a deep playoff run are slim. Trotz has indicated he's been willing to listen to offers on players like Ryan O'Reilly, Michael McCarron, and Michael Bunting at the trade deadline, which is on March 6.

Trotz, 63, took over as general manager in 2023 after the retirement of David Poile. Trotz was the first coach in Predators history, coaching from 1998 until 2014.

When Trotz took the job, he made a flurry of changes in an attempt to change the locker room culture. Matt Duchene's contract was bought out, Ryan Johansen was traded to Colorado, and the team signed center Ryan O'Reilly. The moves worked to transition the team away from the previous core and into a new look.

But many moves by Trotz came under heavy scrutiny. The decision not to sell Alex Carrier at the deadline in 2024, then sign him over the summer, then trade him just two months into the next season. The decision to sign Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract, instead of transitioning to Yaroslav Askarov in net. Losing Dante Fabbro in waivers to Columbus. Trading Luke Schenn to the Penguins for a third round pick, then seeing the Penguins immediately flip him for a second round pick. It was hard to find wins among the many apparent losses.

As the team looks for its next general manager, it will be worth noting if they keep with tradition and stay within the "Predators family" or if they look outside of the organization.

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Barry Trotz to step down as Predators general manager

There were some sketchy moments over the past two games, but the Pittsburgh Penguins kept their winning streak going this past week with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night and a 6-5 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. The week got off to a rocky start with a sloppy first period against the Blackhawks before they flipped the switch and absolutely steamrolled them over the remaining 40 minutes. Saturday’s game against the Rangers was pretty much the exact opposite as they dominated the first 44 minutes and jumped out to a 5-1 lead, before having to cling to a one-goal lead in the closing seconds after allowing four third period goals.

The third period goals against are concerning given what this team has done previously this season, but they still managed to get the two points. They enter this week having won six games in a row, seven of their past eight games and have at least one point in each of their past nine games. That has them sitting on Monday with the sixth-best points percentage in the entire NHL and the third-best points percentage in the Eastern Conference.

Lately, they have done what you would expect a good team to do and beat up on teams below them in the standings.

This week the schedule gets a little bit tougher with three pretty significant games against potential Eastern Conference playoff contenders as they go into the Olympic break.

The week begins on Monday night, at home, against the Ottawa Senators.

From a record and standings perspective, the Senators have been one of the more disappointing teams in the NHL this season having gone from a playoff spot in 2024-25, to a team that is struggling to stay in contention. But their record is also a little misleading and not a great reflection of the way the team has played.

There might not be a team in the NHL that has been hurt by goaltending more than them.

Ottawa is a top-10 goal-scoring team this season (ninth in the NHL at 3.33 goals per game) with a 54.01 percent expected goals share during 5-on-5 play (fourth-best in the NHL). They do a lot of things well, and have typically controlled the pace of play in their games.

They just can not get a save. From anybody. The Senators enter play on Monday with an all-situations team save percentage of just .868, which is 32nd out of 32 teams in the NHL. With even adequate or league average goaltending this might be a playoff team again. This is not a game to be taken lightly, especially with the Senators coming in having won three games in a row, outscoring their opponents by a 16-4 margin. It is also worth noting that two of those wins were against the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche.

They are capable of playing very well. Lately, they are. They are also finally getting some saves. Ottawa won the first meeting this season by a 4-0 margin, in Ottawa, back in December.

The Penguins then have a quick turnaround with a back-to-back situation on Tuesday night when they travel to Long Island for a massive game against the New York Islanders.

The Islanders are right behind the Penguins for the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Entering play on Monday, the Penguins are two points ahead of the Islanders for that second spot with two games in hand.

The Islanders also play on Monday night against the Washington Capitals (at Washington), so both teams will be playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel. That helps even things out for both teams.

The outcomes of Monday’s games could really change the stakes for that Tuesday game on Long Island.

A Penguins win, combined with an Islanders loss, would give the Penguins a four-point lead over the Islanders going into Tuesday’s game (with still two games in hand) and give them a chance to take a really commanding lead in that race for the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.

A Penguins loss on Monday, combined with an Islanders win, would draw the Islanders even in terms of total points and give them a chance to move ahead on Tuesday with a win.

There is potentially a lot happening there.

This Islanders team is also winning in the most New York Islanders way imaginable. They do not really do anything particularly well. They are not a great offensive team. They are 32nd out of 32 teams in expected goals against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. They are 29th in the NHL in expected goal share during 5-on-5 play.

So how are they winning and staying in the race? It is the goaltending. Ilya Sorokin is playing out of his mind, and after a couple of down years (by his standards, anyway) he is back to playing like one of the truly elite goalies in the NHL.

They also have Matthew Schaefer. The No. 1 overall pick has stepped right into the NHL and made an almost unbelievable impact. We really have not seen an 18-year-old defenseman impact games and a team the way he has in decades. If ever. He is legit. He is the real deal. The Penguins won the first meeting of the season by a 4-3 margin in their home opener.

The Penguins then close out their pre-Olympic break schedule on Thursday with a road game at the Buffalo Sabres. It was not even two months ago that game looked like a potential win that you could pencil in given how bad the Sabres started the season and how they looked like every other Sabres team from the past 14-15 years. Lately, though, they have been one of the hottest and best teams in the league, look like a playoff team, and are playing like a playoff team. That is not going to be an easy game.

Not only is Buffalo playing exceptionally well, it also has some really high-level players that can take over games in forward Tage Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Penguins won the first meeting of the season against the Sabres, in Pittsburgh, but it was not one of their crisper or cleaner games.

This is going to be a challenging week, not only in terms of opponent, but also because of going on the road and having another back-to-back situation. The good news: They will have Bryan Rust back for Tuesday’s game against the Islanders, even if that creates a lineup crunch that will probably take Rutger McGroarty out of the lineup. If the Penguins can get three or four points out of this week, that would be a fine result and really keep their momentum going into the Olympic break and keep them in a great position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

WASHINGTON, D.C -- Former New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz is stepping down as Nashville Predators' general manager, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Sources: Barry Trotz to step down as Nashville GM https://t.co/6HIo2fwCTL

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 2, 2026

Trotz will stay on until he can hire his replacement. 

The now 63-year-old took over for longtime Nashville general manager David Poile on July 1, 2023, just a season after former Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello relieved him of his coaching duties following a disappointing 2021-2022 season. 

Trotz, who helped lead the Islanders to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021, won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and made the playoffs in his first season at the helm in Nashville, losing in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks after six games. 

After missing the playoffs in 2024-2025, Trotz's current team sits four points out of the second wild-card spot, last beating the Islanders 4-3 at UBS Arena on Saturday.

The Predators will be holding a press conference at 12 PM CT to make this move official. 

A lot of good things happened on Saturday night in the Senators 4-1 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils. The Sens played an excellent game, Linus Ullmark was excellent in his return, and the club won their third game in a row.

But Sens defenseman Tyler Kleven also did something cool. According to NHL Public Relations, the 24-year-old unleashed the hardest slapshot in the NHL this season.

Kleven's shot was clocked at 103.51 miles per hour, harder than shots by the former leader, Boston forward Morgan Geekie (103.03 MPH), and New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (103.01), both recorded back in November.

Kleven really stepped into one on Saturday hammering the puck more than eight miles per hour harder than any of his other shots this season. He now stands tied for 10th among defensemen with 20 shots that have been recorded at over 90 miles per hour.

Along with Geekie (2) and Pulock (3), two other NHL players have recorded multiple 100-plus mph shot attempts this season. They are Winnipeg Jets defenseman Colin Miller and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Louis Crevier (three each). 

Kleven has 10 points in 49 games this season, already matching the total he had in 79 games in his rookie season last year. He's also seen an uptick in ice time, going from 14:28 to 16:46.

Kleven and the Senators return to action on Monday night in Pittsburgh, opening a stretch where they play eight of the next nine games on the road.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:

Ottawa 4 New Jersey 1: Linus Ullmark Makes 26 Saves In Senators Return
Two-Time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning Attends Senators-Devils Game In Ottawa
Why The Ottawa Senators Should Call Up Top Prospect Carter Yakemchuk
Senators' Difficult Path To The Playoffs: What's It Going To Take?

Who:Ottawa Senators (26-21-7, 59 points, 7th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (28-14-11, 67 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)

When: 7:00 p.m. eastern

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Olympic break is rapidly approaching, the Pens have two more road games (tomorrow night on Long Island, then Thursday in Buffalo) before putting a pin in the NHL season for three weeks.

Opponent Track: It’s high time for the Senators to get it in gear if they want to salvage their season with a playoff run, and they just might be getting that rolling. Ottawa has won three straight games, in impressive fashion by a 16-4 total score over Vegas, Colorado and New Jersey. Overall they’re 6-2-2 in the last 10 games. After tonight, the Sens fly to Carolina to play the Hurricanes tomorrow, so they’ll have to keep those considerations in mind with some lineup/goalie decisions.

Season Series: Ottawa won a 4-0 game back on December 18th in the first matchup of the year. After tonight, the Pens go back to Ottawa on March 26th for the third and final game.

Hidden Stat: The Penguins have not been a good matchup with Ottawa lately. The Sens are 8-1-1 against Pittsburgh since the start of the 2022-23 season.

Getting to know the Senators

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridley Greig

Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Stephen Halliday – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

DEFENSEMEN

Jake Sanderson / Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot / Nick Jensen

Tyler Kleven / Jordan Spence

Goalies: Linus Ullmark and James Reimer

Potential scratches: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo

Injured Reserve: David Perron

• Ullmark started on Saturday stopping 26/27 shots in his first game back from a month-long personal leave of absence for mental health reasons. That battle was compounded by unfounded rumors via social media.
• Giroux, 38, doesn’t have a contract for next season. Not sure if he intends to retire or not but always a chance for someone in his position that tonight could be his last game playing against the Pens in Pittsburgh. Same could probably be pointed out for the aged former Penguins Perron and Eller in the last year of their contracts and the final visit to Pittsburgh on the season scheduled tonight (although Perron won’t be playing tonight due to injury).

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Ottawa’s an interesting team in that they’ve put the pieces together with several high draft picks, now it should be time to see what they can do. They’re not exactly young-young for an NHL team (everyone is 23+) and almost all of their core (Tkachuk, Batherson, Chabot, Sanderson, Stutzle) has all been around and together for 4-5-6 seasons now in a lot of cases. It looked like they might have been turning the corner when they qualified for the playoffs last year for the first time since Chris Kunitz bounced them in 2017, but it’s been right back down this season so far.
• As we’re about to discuss, there’s no mystery why the team is in the position they are in..

Key to the game: Exploiting Ottawa’s goaltending

It’s no exaggeration to say the Senators have had their season derailed by goaltending. Hockey is a complex sport where factors from several different areas all matter and add up, but in this instance it’s pretty simple: the Senators haven’t gotten enough goaltending to be competitive. With such a poor foundation to build upon, it’s just impossible to go anywhere.

If the Sens were getting even below-average goaltending behind their elite team defence, they'd be in a very solid position right now. Allowing only one goal last night is a good start, but in fairness it was against the Devils…https://t.co/iA5WzxgvUFhttps://t.co/PjeGynHG54pic.twitter.com/3uJS1rOyVB

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 1, 2026

Team Goaltending – February 1https://t.co/WtmCOa0EkLpic.twitter.com/ZeXZQaiImb

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 1, 2026

Of course, the big hope is that the worst could be behind them if Ullmark is able to play up to his capabilities – he’s been one of the league’s better goalies in prior years with Boston and Buffalo. The physical tools and abilities are there, his step away from the team to get the mental areas under control could be the key to the season at this point for the Sens. They can’t keep up with those types of inputs (best xG defense, worst goaltending) and expect to go far.

That makes for a simple but ruthless game plan for the Pens. Go knock down the confidence. The Pens have been one of the NHL’s best first period teams this year, getting out to an early lead and deflating the confidence of the goalie and whole team would be a clean and easy path to a win tonight. Don’t let them get on track in that area and take advantage of what’s been shaky at best as Ullmark looks to keep building back up, assuming he plays since Ottawa has another game tomorrow. If it’s not Ullmark, then the task becomes picking on an almost 38-year old James Reimer.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Justin Brazeau

Egor Chinakhov  – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Brett Kulak / Ryan Shea

Ilya Solovyov / Connor Clifton

Goalies:  Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Bryan Rust (serving the third game of his three-game suspension), Kevin Hayes

IR: Kris Letang (broken foot, out at least four weeks), Ryan Graves, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones, Jack St. Ivany

• You can tell Evgeni Malkin is gutting it out with his shoulder seemingly giving him more problems with every passing game in the last handful of games. Will he be able to make it to the Olympic break?
• This will be the last game without Rust playing, at least. And with the inspired way McGroarty has been flying around the team still figures to have some decent options for the rest of the week, even though it obviously would be difficult to replace someone with the weight that comes with having a Malkin-type star in the lineup.
• After Skinner had perhaps his sloppiest game as a Penguin on Saturday against the Rangers, does the team now turn to giving Silovs two out of the three games in the Mon-Tues-Thurs split? Makes sense as of now.

Winning streak leaders

Not a Crosby or Rakell or Karlsson to be found in the team’s top scorers of the course of their six-game winning streak. The contributions are coming from everywhere, most notably and noticeably from their impressive fourth line of Dewar, Lizotte and Acciari seemingly always putting their imprint on a game. That Mantha-Kindel connection has really been coming through and paying big dividends too.

There are 10 games scheduled across the National Hockey League this evening. My NHL player props for all the action will include Quinn Hughes, Cole Caufield, and Rasmus Dahlin. 

Read more in my NHL picks for Monday, February 2. 

Best NHL player prop bets today

Get a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL.
(not available in Ontario)

Our best NHL player props for Monday, February 2

Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.

Prop #1: Quinn Hughes Over 2.5 shots on goal

-105 at BET99

Quinn Hughes has been fantastic since coming over to the Minnesota Wild, and he’s riding an eight-game point streak. However, there’s not a lot of value in the Over for his points prop, so I’m focusing on Hughes’ ability to put pucks on net. 

The defenseman is averaging 2.72 SOG this season, and he’s cashed the Over in back-to-back contests. Hughes had three shots on target in a 7-3 win over the Oilers on Saturday and had another four last Thursday against the Flames. 

Hughes is averaging 3.08 SOG at home this season, and the Wild will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to Saint Paul this evening.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, FDSN North

Prop #2: Cole Caufield anytime goal

+135 at BET99

We shift over to the Habs for my second prop. Cole Caufield is having another fantastic campaign for Montreal, which looks poised to make the playoffs. The American has scored 32 goals, which leads the team. 

Caufield ranks third in the league in scoring, and he’s found the back of the net in seven of his last eight appearances, including twice in a victory against the Sabres on Saturday. 

January was huge for the 25-year-old, as he scored 13 goals. He also netted against the Wild last month and will keep it rolling.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, FDSN North

Prop #3: Rasmus Dahlin Over 0.5 assists

-105 at BET99

Rasmus Dahlin continues to impress as a playmaker for the Buffalo Sabres. He’s registered 33 helpers in 2025-26, and in January, the 25-year-old handed out nine assists. He’s hit the Over in three consecutive outings. 

During that span, Dahlin has four helpers. He had an assist in a loss to the Canadiens on Saturday, and also handed out another helper a couple of days before that against the Kings. 

The Sabres take on the Florida Panthers tonight, and Dahlin has two assists against them this season across two meetings. He’s also tallied 17 helpers on the road.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MSG-B, SCRIPPS

These props are available now at BET99, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

It’s been less than a year since the Toronto Maple Leafs shipped Fraser Minten, along with a top-five protected first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, to Boston for veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo. While the Leafs certainly needed a player like Carlo, a right-handed shutdown defenseman who could play alongside Morgan Rielly, few would have predicted that Toronto would find themselves on the short end of the deal so quickly.

With the Leafs appearing bound to miss the playoffs for the first time in ten years, Minten has excelled with his new team. He was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January after scoring eight goals and adding six assists in 14 games. Recently, he was promoted to the club’s first line to play alongside Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak before moving back to the second-line center position.

“He was a steal for us,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said regarding the acquisition. Perhaps more impressive is that all eight of Minten’s goals came at even strength, as he was not slated to receive significant power-play time.

Fraser Minten of the @NHLBruins, who topped all rookies with 8-6—14 and a +12 rating in 14 games, has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for January.#NHLStats: https://t.co/idkVX4OOtVpic.twitter.com/HbZNsruplR

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) February 1, 2026

“I’m very, very happy with the way he’s been playing all year long,” Sturm added. “I put him in different situations from the fourth line to pretty much the first line, and you could see he can do it all. He definitely has something a lot of players don’t have”.

Meanwhile, Carlo has missed 23 games this season due to an ankle injury that required a corrective procedure. While injuries have contributed to Toronto’s struggles, handing Boston a high first-round pick is a tough pill to swallow—unless, of course, that pick remains in the top five.

Marco Sturm on Fraser Minten: "[He] was a steal for us."

Everyone say #ThankYouToronto 🤭 pic.twitter.com/VlnzsxRTsk

— NESN (@NESN) January 30, 2026

As Minten thrives, the trade is shaping up to be another lopsided Toronto-Boston transaction. History offers a grim reminder: in 2006, the Leafs traded goaltending prospect Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft. Rask became a franchise icon, winning a Vezina Trophy and serving as a backup for the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team before making two more Final appearances as a starter. He retired as the winningest netminder in Bruins history. Raycroft, by contrast, spent only two seasons in Toronto with mediocre results, despite a 37-win debut season.

The #OverDrive crew look back on the Brandon Carlo/Fraser Minten trade.

Do you think the Leafs lost that trade, in hindsight? 👀@OverDrive1050pic.twitter.com/2PnkR7DNgn

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 30, 2026

Similarly, in 2009, the Leafs acquired Phil Kessel from the Bruins. While Kessel led the Leafs in scoring for six seasons, the acquisition cost Toronto two first-round picks and a second-round pick. Those first-rounders became Tyler Seguin (2nd overall) and Dougie Hamilton (9th overall)—both high-end talents who have enjoyed long, successful careers.

Think of Mike Buckley as a kind of double agent.

Not the sinister kind, who give away state secrets for money or revenge; Buckley is privy to much lower-level intelligence. But that doesn’t mean it’s not just as valuable to the people involved.

Buckley is the Kings’ goaltender coach and his chief pupil is Darcy Kuemper, who will be playing for Team Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympic hockey tournament. Buckley will be in Milan coaching for Team USA. And if the competition goes to form, Canada and the U.S. will meet in the final.

You can see where this is going.

So would Buckley give up the goods on his NHL goalie if it meant helping his national team win a gold medal?

Read more:Katie Uhlaender's quest for record sixth Winter Olympics thwarted by Canada's questionable ethics

“I probably have a little bit more insight being with him on a day-to-day basis. But at the end of the day, the players still have to execute,” said Buckley, like Kuemper, a first-time Olympian. “So if I tell someone to shoot somewhere at a certain time or a certain spot, they're going to have to be able to execute that.”

The answer then is maybe.

Still, that’s a dilemma Buckley will probably never face since Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues, who was spectacular in goal in last year's Four Nations Face-off, will probably start for Canada in Milan. But with the Kings sending four other players (defenseman Drew Doughty, Canada; and forwards Adrian Kempe, Sweden; Kevin Fiala, Switzerland; and Joel Armia, Finland) plus Canadian equipment manager Darren Granger to the Olympics, there’s a good chance guys who have shared a dressing room since September will be competing against one another.

The same goes for the Ducks, who are sending four players — goalie Lukas Dostal and defenseman Radko Gudas, Czechia; forward Mikael Granlund, Finland; and defenseman Jackson LaCombe, U.S. — to Milan. Ducks star Leo Carlsson, who was expected to start for Sweden, will miss the Games after undergoing surgery to repair a rare injury in his left thigh last month.

So while the Olympics may bring countries together, it also has the potential to turn teammates against one another — at least temporarily.

In the group stage of the tournament, for example, Armia and Finland will play against Kempe’s Sweden. And Canada, with Kuemper and Doughty, will face Switzerland, which is led by Fiala.

“It’s obviously going to be a little strange,” Gudas said. “It’s only for a few games. For that amount of time, you can put things aside a little bit.”

Those kinds of match-ups were rare in the last two Olympic tournaments since NHL players didn’t take part, sidelined by a dispute over insurance, travel costs and scheduling issues. This year 147 NHL players are on the 12 Olympic rosters, with all 32 NHL clubs represented.

Not all the top NHL players will be in Milan, however. Russia has been banned from the tournament because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, meaning Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, won’t play.

Read more:'New evidence' gives Jordan Chiles a chance to secure the return of her Olympic bronze medal

Granlund, who won a bronze medal with Finland in 2014, the last time NHL players participated in the Olympics, is glad to be back.

“It was such a cool experience,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest honors I can have as a hockey player, playing for a country in the Olympics. There’s no player in the NHL who wouldn’t go.”

That’s due in large part to the rush that comes with wearing your country’s colors on your chest.

“It’s tough to explain how much it means,” he said. “You grow up in a country like Finland, watching the national team play. As a kid you’re dreaming to play for that team.

“Every single time you put that jersey on, it’s such a pride you feel.”

Doughty, who already has two gold medals, agreed, saying the only time he sings along with the Canadian anthem is at the Olympics.

“When we hear it in the NHL, I’m not singing,” he said. “But when you’re wearing a Canadian jersey, that’s one of the biggest moments you can have.”

Not just for the guys on the ice. Granger, the equipment manager, will be making his third trip to the Olympics with Canada. And the journey never gets old.

“It’s not something that you apply for. It’s something that you’re asked to do,” he said. “So I don’t take that lightly. It’s an honor.”

The equipment managers may have the most difficult job in the Olympic hockey tournament since they must prepare and maintain the sticks, skates, gloves and uniforms for 25 players, some of whom they’ve never met. That means checking in with the equipment managers of rival NHL teams to get prepared.

“We have quite a few players that are particular about certain things,” he said. “After a while, you just kind of get used to what those things are. If it’s a player that likes to use three sticks a game, then making sure he has that. If it’s a guy that likes to change gloves every other game, making sure you have enough.”

Yet if Canada wins the tournament, Granger’s reward won’t be a gold medal. Olympic rules say medals only go to the players, leaving the equipment managers, trainers and coaches — even coaches with inside information like Buckley — out in the cold.

“That’s OK,” Buckley said. “I just want the players to get one.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

The Devils went 0-for-5 on the power play and could only muster a single Timo Meier goal on Saturday as the Senators took a 4-1 win. [Devils NHL]

Jack Hughes missed the Senators game:

Jack Hughes is not ready to play versus Ottawa tonight. He's out.

But #NJDevils received positive news on his injury.

"Not anything serious." https://t.co/UNFYDT6a83

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 31, 2026

It’s time:

The #NJDevils are back down to 15th in the East in points and goal differential — ahead of only the Rangers — and have scored fewer goals than every team in the Conference.

They have played almost 70% of their schedule; it’s getting *very* late.

— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) February 1, 2026

Now the #NJDevils, who might be one more pre-Olympic loss away from a reckoning:

— 3 HD chances in Ottawa. Doesn't seem like a desperate team based on that number. And that includes 5 PP opportunities.

— Overturned tying goal is pretty clear rule-wise, so no arguing that.…

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNHL) February 1, 2026

“Put a pitchfork in the New Jersey Devils’ season. Well, most likely. Let’s not beat around the bush. This team is not good enough to make the playoffs, and the math shows that it’s increasingly unlikely to get back in the picture.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Hockey Links

The Lightning took the Stadium Series game in dramatic fashion on Sunday:

The @TBLightning overcame a deficit of four-plus goals to win for the first time in franchise history. Tampa Bay also became the third team to register a four-goal comeback win this season. #StadiumSeries#NHLStats: https://t.co/4U2iQVK6Q0pic.twitter.com/ms14JowZ79

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) February 2, 2026

Goalie fight!

GOALIE FIGHT AT THE #STADIUMSERIES

🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctFpic.twitter.com/OSydD4j1cq

— NHL (@NHL) February 2, 2026

Well this seems good! Seems like the sort of guy a team should try to add:

Looking around the league at trade deadline needs for every NHL team: [The Athletic ($)]

“There are really no positives to point to. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Devils right now, but goaltending might be the biggest one. And as it stands, they are probably regretting the two-year extension they gave Markström in November.” Assessing Jacob Markstrom and the NHL’s 31 other starting goalies: [The Hockey Writers]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.