Marchand, you ready? Good, cause you’re going!

When the Florida Panthers took the ice for pregame warmups on Saturday night in Minnesota, there was an unexpected surprise that emerged from the locker room.

Brad Marchand, who has missed each of the past seven games with an undisclosed injury, joined his teammates for warmups.

Marchand lined up on the right side of a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

Panthers line rushes…@ScrippsSports 📺 now for @FlaPanthers vs Wild pic.twitter.com/SDAKhxuUOG

— Steve Goldstein (@goldieonice) January 25, 2026

A.J. Greer was moved alongside the duo of Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, while Sam Reinhart slid to a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues.

Florida will seek their fifth road win in six tries against the Wild before heading straight to Chicago to complete a back-to-back set on Sunday.

Despite missing the chunk of time, Marchand remains tied for the team lead in assists and one point back of Sam Reinhart for the team lead in points. He’s been an integral part of Florida remaining in contention during their injury woes.

👀 pic.twitter.com/1YRlMimYw6

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 25, 2026

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Photo caption: Jan 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)

The Buffalo Sabres made the first trade under new GM Jarmo Kekalainen Saturday. But if Sabres fans were hoping for a blockbuster, they were sorely disappointed, as Saturday’s deal sent prospect forward Viktor Neuchev to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for veteran American League defenseman Gavin Bayreuther. Neuchev will begin his Canes career with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, while Bayreuther will report to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

However, there’s still plenty of time for Kekalainen to make a trade of significant consequence for his team. And whether it happens before the NHL’s Feb., 4 OIympic roster freeze, or by the league’s March 6 trade deadline, it absolutely has to happen.

Maybe it’s St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas the Sabres should pursue in a trade. Or maybe Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri should be Kekalainen’s focus. 

But wait, there’s more: recently-acquired Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud may not be long for Calgary. So why shouldn’t Kekalainen bolster his blueline and add Whitecloud to Buffalo’s defense corps? Or what about New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck? We put this out there a couple of weeks ago, and it makes even more sense today.

And heck, if we’re talking about the Sabres stepping up and taking big swings on the trade front, it still makes sense for Kekalainen to try to acquire Vancouver Canucks star center Elias Pettersson. Or another Vancouver veteran – rugged winger Jake DeBrusk – could improve Buffalo’s attack.

Sabres' Lucrative Deal For Youngster Doan Is A Gamble – But A Good One The Buffalo Sabres signed young winger Josh Doan to a lucrative contract extension. The deal is a gamble for the Sabres, but it's a good one,

You can see, then, why there’s really no excuse for the Sabres to stand pat. You want to reward Buffalo’s current players for saving their season, and you don’t do that by sitting on your hands and falling short of the Stanley Cup playoffs because you were too timid to take leap of faith and get the most out of your roster. 

No, the best move for Kekalainen & Co. is for him to throw caution to the wind and get ahead of competing teams for experienced veterans of note. Long-suffering Sabres fans deserve to be on the good end of trades, because for too long, they’ve been on the wrong end of them. 

Steep Price Sharks Paid For Sherwood Should Be Price Sabres Are Willing To Pay To Make Their Own Major MoveThe San Jose Sharks made a big move, acquiring Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks. But the price the Sharks paid to improve should be the same type of price the Buffalo Sabres should be willing to pay to make their own major move. Because standing pat isn't an option for this Sabres squad.

Is there a chance a major trade doesn’t work out as hoped for Buffalo? Of course. If there were a risk-free way to improve your team, everybody would be doing it. Thus, the Sabres have to forget about the potential downside of a big trade and embrace the upside of one.

If Saturday’s minor-league trade is all Kekalainen does, Buffalo fans will rightfully be irate. The Sabres have no shortage of potential ways to be a better team by the trade deadline. And the sooner they take a chance on a brand-name player in a big deal, the better they’re likely to be.

The Carolina Hurricanes have traded defenseman Gavin Bayreuther to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Viktor Neuchev, the team announced on Saturday.

Bayreuther, 31, signed a one-year, two-way deal with Carolina this offseason to return to North America and had played solely in the AHL this season.

He appeared in 33 games with the Chicago Wolves, registering four goals and 13 points.

With injury issues hitting the Sabres' blueline, this gives Bayreuther a potential chance to once again play NHL games.

Neuchev, 22, was a third-round pick by the Sabres in the 2022 draft and he has spent the last three seasons in AHL with the Rochester Americans.

The 5-foot-11 winger has 130 games of AHL experience under his belt with 24 goals and 66 points to show for it.

The Russian is in the final year of his ELC.

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As the Senators get set to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night, they've made one notable lineup change. Travis Green announced on Saturday at the game day skate that Nik Matinpalo will be in for Nick Jensen, and James Reimer will start in the first game of a back-to-back for the Senators, who will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

Jensen turned the puck over while retrieving it in his own end, leading to Nashville’s game-winning goal with just over a minute remaining on Thursday. However, he didn't get much help. The Sens had forwards standing around in the neighbourhood who were in a position to help Jensen by defending the front of Ottawa's net, and they just didn't.

Matinpalo will be playing just his second game since November 29. The only game he’s appeared in so far in 2026 was an 8–2 loss in Colorado.

Stephen Halliday will continue to fill in for David Perron, who will miss 5-7 weeks after sports hernia surgery. Halliday scored his first NHL goal in Nashville on Thursday.

Sens Line Combinations

Batherson-Stutzle-Giroux
Tkachuk-Cozens-Greig
Amadio-Pinto-Zetterlund
Halliday-Eller-Cousins

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Spence
Kleven-Matinpalo

Reimer
Shepard

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

As the Ottawa Senators begin a four-game homestand, they’ll have their hands full on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, the second-place team in the Eastern Conference and third place overall.

The Senators will be trying to shake off a difficult loss in Nashville on Thursday night, where they fell 5–3 to the Predators after surrendering a two-goal lead for the third time in four games.

Those performances, coming at a time when the Senators were already out of room for error, have sparked plenty of discussion over the past 48 hours about whether the team needs to make some kind of change to try and jump-start its extremely long-shot playoff hopes.

The Senators did make a change on Saturday, albeit a small one. With the penalty kill continuing to struggle in Nashville, head coach Travis Green has shifted control of the unit from Nolan Baumgartner to Mike Yeo.

“That’s not a knock against Baumer,” Green said. “He’s an excellent coach and he’s done a great job with our defencemen. The penalty kill hasn’t gone the way we’ve wanted, and that’s not just on him. Ultimately, the players have to get the job done, but a new voice might give a spark, give a different look, a different voice.”

Green said the changes to the penalty kill won’t be major and believes the unit could easily be in better shape than it is.

“There have been some goals we haven’t liked, and that goes back to the players' blown coverages where a guy doesn’t make the right play,” Green said. “We’ve also got some young penalty killers who are a work in progress. But we’ve got to right the ship.”

Given that the penalty kill has struggled all season, it’s fair to wonder why this move, or any move, wasn’t made earlier, when there was still a more realistic chance to save the season. Green leaned on a familiar explanation.

“I think there’s been a lot of learning with our group,” Green said. “I’ve seen improvement in our penalty kill. We haven’t gotten the results, but I’ve liked a lot of what we’ve seen. We felt a different voice might help as a sounding board. Mike’s done it for a long time as well. Our coaching staff collaborates on everything; this isn’t a one-man show in any area. We’ll see how it goes.”

The other change for Saturday night’s game against the Hurricanes is Nick Jensen being a healthy scratch in favour of Nick Matinpalo. Jensen turned the puck over while retrieving it in his own end, leading to Nashville’s game-winning goal with just over a minute remaining on Thursday. In fairness, the Sens had forwards standing around in the neighbourhood who were in a position to help Jensen by defending the front of Ottawa's net, and they just didn't.

Matinpalo will be playing just his second game since November 29. The only game he’s appeared in so far in 2026 was an 8–2 loss in Colorado.

James Reimer will get the start in goal for the Senators, who enter play seven points out of a wild-card spot and ten points back of the Atlantic Division’s top three teams.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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

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The Buffalo Sabres currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With this, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they looked to add to their roster between now and the 2026 NHL trade deadline.

One area the Sabres could look to address is the right side of their blueline. When looking at potential trade candidates who could be a nice fit on their roster, New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider stands out.

Schneider is among the several Rangers players who have been in the rumor mill since Blueshirts GM Chris Drury confirmed in a letter to fans that the team is rebuilding. With this, the Sabres should consider making a push for the right-shot defenseman.

If the Sabres brought in Schneider, he would have the potential to be a very solid addition to the Sabres' bottom pairing. He would also offer them another option for their penalty kill. 

Another appealing factor about Schneider is that he still has the potential to improve, as he is still just 24 years old. Furthermore, the 6-foot-4 defenseman would also give the Sabres' blueline a bit more bite, as he plays a heavy game. 

In 52 games so far this season with the Rangers, Schneider has posted two goals, eight assists, 10 points, 83 blocks, and 115 hits. 

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

As the Detroit Red Wings take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night in what will be their third and final game of this three-game road swing, it will be an emotional night for forward Mason Appleton.

Appleton, who played the bulk of his career with the Jets, signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings during the offseason as part of several additions by GM Steve Yzerman. 

A sixth-round (168th overall) pick of the Jets in the 2015 NHL Draft, Appleton played a total of 351 games with Winnipeg, along with a brief 49-game stint with the expansion Seattle Kraken in 2021-22 before being dealt back to Winnipeg. 

Ahead of his first game back in Winnipeg, Appleton discussed his transition from Manitoba to Michigan and said it has been a good fit for him so far.

"It's been good, it's different, obviously," Appleton said following the morning skate. "You spend eight years in one spot basically, and then you have to find a new home, and integrate yourself there. It's been good; I've enjoyed my time in Detroit, we have a solid team, and we've been winning games. It's been good." 

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

It’s Appleton’s first opportunity to play for a historic Original Six franchise like the Red Wings, and he appreciates the daily chance to soak in the club’s history, something players are constantly reminded of through the displays and photos at Little Caesars Arena.

"It's very unique and special," he said. "Playing in Winnipeg, obviously, with one franchise going and one franchise coming, it's kind of a bit different in that sense. But to walk the halls of LCA and you see the pictures of the Stanley Cup-winning teams and just everything that comes with wearing the Red Wings logo, it's pretty special." 

Appleton scored the eventual game-winning goal against the Jets at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 31 in a 2–1 Red Wings victory. In 42 games since joining Detroit, he has recorded five goals and six assists while averaging 13:39 of ice time per game.

When asked how it would feel to score another game-winning goal against his former club, Appleton smiled and said he’d be more than open to it.

"That'd be nice, we'll see," Appleton said. "Hopefully, we'll have another good game against them tonight to kind of round out this road trip. It'll be a fun one." 

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Welcome to Saturday night hockey, folks!

It’s 5º F in Boston, there’s a giant snowstorm coming, there’s an AFC Championship Game involving the Patriots tomorrow…everything is happening!

If nothing else, it’s a nice night to stay in and watch a hockey game. Hopefully the Bruins put forth a better effort than last time they hosted Montreal, but we’ll see.

Bruins! Canadiens! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE ON ICE!

Discuss.

The Buffalo Sabres have endured injuries that have reduced the organization’s blueline depth, and in his first trade since taking over, Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen acquired veteran minor-league defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from the Carolina Hurricanes for AHL winger Viktor Neuchev.  

Neuchev was selected in the third round of the 2022 Draft out of the Ekaterinburg Automobilist system, and after a full year in the KHL, the 22-year-old signed his entry-level contract and started in Rochester in a depth role. His role with the Amerks increased as the season progressed, and he ended his rookie season with 28 points (11 goals,17 assists). Last season, he was on pace to eclipse his rookie totals, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. 

In the final year of his ELC, Neuchev has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 34 games.   

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Bayreuther, 31, was an undrafted college free agent signed by Dallas in 2016, and after four years with the Stars, he was signed by Kekalainen in Columbus in 2020 and spent three years shuttling between the Blue Jackets and AHL Cleveland. After returning to the Stars organization for one year and playing in Switzerland last season, the left-handed defenseman signed with the Hurricanes, playing 33 games with the AHL Chicago Wolves. 

The Sabres are without defenseman Conor Timmins (broken leg), and lost Jacob Bryson to an upper-body injury in Montreal on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Kesselring has been out four separate times this season, and with Zac Jones recalled to Buffalo, the Amerks needed help on the blueline. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Tucker scored twice and Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 5-0 Saturday.

Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres won their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists.

Lyon, who signed with the Sabres in July after two seasons with Detroit, recorded the sixth shutout of his career and tied the Buffalo record of Gerry Desjardins (1976-77) with nine consecutive wins.

Buffalo improved to 18-3-1 in its last 22 games.

David Rittich made 16 saves for the Islanders, who were playing their first home game after a seven-game trip in which they went 3-3-1.

Rittich, who last started on Jan. 17 against Calgary, entered the game with a 4-2-2 record 2.46 goals-against average versus Buffalo. He slipped to 11-7-3 this season.

Zucker opened the scoring 33 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot, off a rebound of a shot by Jack Quinn. Thompson extended the lead to two goals, scoring past a sliding Rittich at 19:47 of the second.

Zucker’s second goal of the game, 25 seconds into the third, stretched the lead to 3-0. Dahlin scored into an empty net at 14:02 of the period and Tuch completed the scoring approximately 30 seconds later by tipping a shot from Samuelsson by Rittich.

Bo Horvat was back on the ice with the Islanders after being sidelined for nine games due to a lower-body injury.

Up next

Sabres: At Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Islanders: At Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

On January 16th, 2026, the New York Rangers released a letter to their fanbase addressing the current state of their franchise. After 'Fire Drury' chants flooded the ice at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers general manager addressed the state of the team by officially declaring the Rangers as a team that will be moving forward with a 'retool' not a rebuild. 

"This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects." - Chris Drury

In their ensuing retool, the Rangers have had discussions with upcoming unrestricted free agent Artemi Panarin, the team's leading scorer. Panarin, 34, has been informed by New York's brass that he will not be offered a contract extension from the club, meaning the four-time all-star will likely be on the move come the NHL's trade deadline.

Of course plenty of teams are interested in the dynamic winger, including the Los Angeles Kings. However, as elite as Panarin is, pursuing him may not be the best course of action for the Kings to take.

Extent of the Kings Interest

On the most recent episode of '32 Thoughts' Elliotte Friedman brought up the Kings as a potential suitor for Panarin, and even said that he thinks the forward would not mind playing in Los Angeles. With that being said, he doesn't think the Kings make the move unless he comes with a contract extension in place.

Panarin is expected to ask for a four to five year deal for his next contract which would take him into his age 39 season. With his play style, his production shouldn't be expected to take a major hit, so his ability make plays and put the puck in the back of the net would help the Kings who struggle mightily in that department. 

In 51 games with the Rangers this season, Panarin has scored 19 goals along with 37 assists for 56 points on a putrid Rangers team. He would rank first on the Kings in all three of those departments. It's not unreasonable for the team to express interest in a guy that would seemingly be your best player if acquired, but that doesn't always mean it's the right move.

NHL Rumors: Kings Linked To Multiple Centers Amid Positional StrugglesAs the NHL trade deadline approaches, trade rumors have been heating up, and there's no exception with the Los Angeles Kings. Players such as Elias Pettersson, Nazem Kadri, and others have linked to L.A.

Why the Kings Should Look to Add Elsewhere

It's abundantly clear that this Kings roster needs an upgrade, and Panarin would be just that, but does he really fit their timeline? 

Right now, the Kings provide zero threat to win the Stanley Cup, so why should they offload young assets to acquire a 34-year-old winger that doesn't push them over the edge. 

Even if they can manage to lock up Panarin to the four-five year deal he's expressed interest in, what would that look like in terms of AAV? Can you pay him more than Adrian Kempe, because that may have to happen in order to get him signed. Many teams in win-now mode will be all over Panarin who will be the biggest fish in July's free agency period. Overpaying for a veteran winger in his mid 30's while you're not a serious contender doesn't seem wise, especially when winger isn't the biggest positional need.

Could Panarin Be The Offensive Jolt The Kings Require?Artemi Panarin might be available for a trade after the New York Rangers announced they're headed for a retool. Could the Los Angeles Kings pursue the star left winger to give their lack of scoring a boost?

Obviously we are in the midst of the final season of Anze Kopitar's illustrious career, and with him leaving, leaves a gaping hole at the center ice position. Artemi Panarin does not fill that hole.

Instead of using time and resources on Panarin, the Kings would benefit more from searching for a replacement for Kopitar. Of course virtually nobody can live up the legacy that Kopi has built in the L.A. but there needs to be a plan beyond this season.

Quinton Byfield will likely get the first crack at the first line center job next season, but why not bring in another center that is available to provide some friendly competition for the role. Much like NFL teams do for their starting quarterback role when the position is in limbo.

Artemi Panarin is an incredible player and it wouldn't be the end of the world if they were to make the trade for him, but at this moment in time. He doesn't fit the needs or timeline of the Los Angeles Kings.

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If the Islanders don’t watch out, they are going to have a playoff race on their hands. 

Such is the state of play following Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Sabres in which the Islanders were utterly embarrassed on home ice, their power play dysfunctional and their top line benched for the entire third period. 

The loss means that, if the Flyers beat the Islanders on Monday night in Philadelphia, they will move ahead of New York for third in the Metropolitan Division on points percentage, with the loser below the playoff cutline entirely.

The schedule has been unforgiving to the Islanders, but nevertheless, this is not the position they imagined themselves in a few weeks ago. 

It is, though, exactly what they deserve at the moment. 

“I felt good about our game,” coach Patrick Roy said, “until they scored that second goal.” 

That second goal, with Zach Benson feeding Tage Thompson on an odd-man rush where Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair failed to backcheck in the dying embers of the second period, sucked the life out of the crowd and sucked the life out of the Islanders. 

The entire top line — Barzal, Duclair and Anders Lee — was benched for the whole third period as a result, and the Islanders gave no semblance of coming back. At that point, the afternoon became about the message Roy was trying to send more than salvaging a result. 

“It sends a big message,” Casey Cizikas said. “… Guys gotta be responsible. They gotta be held accountable. That’s what Patty did.” 

Up until then, the moments in which they could have seized hold of this one were myriad. 

There was Tony DeAngelo’s shot off the rush late in the first period that Alex Lyon stretched over to make a great save on; there was Max Shabanov’s backhand in front; there were a trio of shorthanded rushes all on the same Buffalo power play; there were two Islander power plays that amounted to nothing at all; there was a Cizikas goal wiped off for interference and a Barzal goal that came right after the first period buzzer. 

That was all before Buffalo scored for a second time, and the afternoon went to hell. 

The dam broke in the third, with Zucker scoring again inside of 30 seconds before Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch poured it on late, all with the top line sitting and watching. 

“The standard here is to win,” Roy said. “And I hope it does because I think Barzy’s a leader on this team. Unfortunately for Anders, he was on that line. Sometimes you gotta take it for the team.” 

The power play, whose units were changed up to try to achieve equilibrium following Bo Horvat’s return, is worth dwelling on. Patrick Roy did succeed in creating two equal units: they were just both equally bad. 

Duclair and Cal Ritchie, who had combined for the Islanders’ past three power-play goals, were no longer on the same unit. Neither were Matthew Schaefer and Barzal. The result was two units that could hardly complete one zone entry between them. 

Horvat, in his first game back from a lower-body injury, did not seem to be missing much of a step.

Ditto Isaiah George in his season debut for the Isles following a call-up in place of Ryan Pulock, though his partner, Adam Boqvist, had a nightmare performance. 

In that regard, he was not alone.

Despite going down early, the Utah Mammoth scored three unanswered goals in the second period, propelling them to a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

The game was originally scheduled for 2:30 p.m., but the start time was moved up to 12:20 p.m. due to inclement weather in Nashville. The unofficial attendance was around 6,000. 

"You're begging for good starts, and I thought we had a really good start, and then we started losing our game a little bit," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. 

Steven Stamkos scored less than three minutes into the game on the power play, off a one-time feed from Roman Josi to make it 1-0. It was Stamkos' 25th goal of the season and eighth power play goal of the year. 

Utah turned it on in the second period, scoring three goals over a 5:10-minute stretch. Kailer Yamamoto and Mikhail Sergachev had two points each in that stretch. 

The second period got away from us," Ryan O'Reilly said. "It's my job for my line to be harder against their top line. They had a couple of big goals there, and that's a couple of games in a row where I and the top line haven't played their top line the way we've needed to." 

Jonathan Marchessault responded later in the second period, scoring his second goal in two games to cut Utah's lead down to one.

It's the first time the Marchessault has two goals in two games or fewer since Oct. 13, when he had two goals in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. 

A holding-the-stick penalty on Roman Josi proved costly in the Predators' comeback effort as Barrett Hayton scored off a rebound to restore the Utah two-goal lead.

In the third period, JJ Petrka was taken down by Michael Bunting on a breakaway to the empty net. By rule, that's a goal and secured the Utah win. 

The Mammoth have now won five straight and have a three-point edge in the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. 

Juuse Saros dropped to 20-17-3 on the year, making 25 saves on 29 shots.

The Predators drop to 24-23-4 on the season and have lost three of their last four. They will face the Bruins next in Boston on Tuesday. 

"It was a great opportunity for us to really show what we are willing and want to be a playoff team," Brunette said. "It was a great opportunity and we fell a little bit short."