Revenge is sweet, when it's on your side.

The Nashville Predators avoided a sweep by the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers with a 2-1 come-from-behind thriller in overtime on a goal that was allowed after the net had come off its moorings.

Sound familiar?

The Preds lost a controversial game in overtime earlier this season to the Minnesota Wild after the goal was allowed when goalie Justus Annunen knocked the net loose.

Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, the Preds tasted the benefit of a loose net and sent Panthers fans home disappointed.

Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Cats' lone goal, while Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos got the Preds' two hard-fought goals.

The win avenges an 8-3 loss to the Cats in late November, and Florida has now dropped four straight, languishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

After Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky robbed Matthew Wood on a breakout, Carter Verhaeghe faked out Juuse Saros on the other end after a nice setup by Sam Bennett for a 1-0 lead at 16:26 of the opening frame.

Both teams had numerous chances to change the scoreboard, but it wasn't until the third period that the Preds finally knotted the game.

Ryan O'Reilly put in a rebound off a Michael Bunting shot at the 13:41 mark to make it a 1-1 game, spoiling Bobrovsky's shutout bid and requiring overtime.

Then, Steven Stamkos fired in the golden goal at 4:01 of the extra frame from O'Reilly, and the Preds come away with an unbelievable win.

COMEBACK WIN COURTESY OF STAMMER ‼️ pic.twitter.com/MgVjC21p5n

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 5, 2025

The net came off its moorings, but upon further review, the goal was allowed.

Earlier in the game, the Preds thought they had a power-play goal, but the officials determined the puck never crossed the goal line. Stamkos' goal made certain the no-goal wouldn't come back to haunt them.

The Predators have won four of their last five games, their best stretch of the season thus far. The Panthers haven't won since beating Nashville at Bridgestone Arena Nov. 24.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Saros Outduels Bobrovsky.

After a rocky stretch, Preds goalie Juuse Saros appears to have found his form. He stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Preds' 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Tuesday, and passed almost every test against Florida.

Saros and Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky put on quite a show, but Saros outdueled the Stanley Cup Champion, stopping 30 of the 31 shots fired his way.

His biggest test came in the second period, as the Panthers held a 16-5 shot advantage in the frame. The only blemish came on Verhaeghe's goal to put the Cats ahead 1-0.

Verhaeghe deked Saros out of position after being fed by Sam Bennett. This came just moments after Bobrovsky robbed Matthew Wood on a breakaway at the other end.

For the game, Florida outshot the Preds 31-29, but Saros earned his money on this night.

The Preds’ penalty kill was heavily tested.

As good as the Predators’ penalty kill has been most of the season, it had allowed a goal in three of its last four games coming into Thursday.

In all fairness, the unit was without Cole Smith and Michael McCarron, two of their best penalty killers, both fighting injuries. McCarron was back in the lineup against Florida, and the kill was back in form.

There were some close calls. Nick Blankenburg went to the sin bin for a high-sticking double minor, sending Anton Lundell to the locker room briefly. The Cats had several great chances, including one sequence when Saros lost his stick. Disaster was averted, and the Preds killed off the double minor.

Florida was 17-for-89 (19.8%) on the power play, 18th in the league heading into Thursday. The Preds shut down the Cats' power play, killing all six penalties. The Preds' own power play failed to score on all five of its chances.

Ozzy Wiesblatt exited early.

Wiesblatt has been a bright spot in Nashville’s lineup this season. He scored his first NHL goal Tuesday against Calgary, and celebrated by pointing to the sky in honor of his late brother, Orca.

Early in Thursday’s contest, Wiesblatt lost a glove and appeared to injure his hand. He left for the tunnel and didn’t return. He's currently listed as having an upper-body injury.

Thursday night was indeed the night for Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ville Koivunen.

Koivunen, who hadn't scored an NHL goal in his first 23 NHL games, ended that streak on Thursday with his first career NHL goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. His power play goal opened the scoring in the game.

Koivunen took a feed from Kris Letang and ripped the puck past Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson. His celebration was also so sick.

"THERE IT IS VILLE!" 🤩

Ville Koivunen has his first NHL goal! pic.twitter.com/mkybiqpaO9

— NHL (@NHL) December 5, 2025

Koivunen had been getting so many chances to start the season before scoring this one. He had been a bit unlucky on some of his previous chances, but now that this first one went in the net, the floodgates should open. He can relax a bit, knowing that he now has his first NHL goal. 

His goal helped the Penguins beat the Lightning 4-3 and jump up to third place in the Metropolitan Division. 

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Thursday evening's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena was nothing short of a roller coaster for the Detroit Red Wings, who gained a point in the standings but missed out on the second as part of their 6-5 shootout loss. 

The Blue Jackets, who twice had a lead evaporate, tied the game late in the third period with goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on the bench for an extra attacker, and then picked up the win thanks to goals in the shootout from Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko. 

Final in the shootout. pic.twitter.com/Lh2MlvqjPW

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 5, 2025

Special teams were the name of the game for both clubs, who each scored multiple power-play goals. 

With the setback, the Red Wings are now 14-11-3 in their centennial campaign, but are now tied for the second overall spot in the Atlantic Division with 32 points. They also won't like the fact that they've now allowed at least four goals against in five of their last six games. 

The Blue Jackets struck first after a shot from defenseman Ivan Provorov beat Cam Talbot from distance, but the Red Wings knotted the score early in the second period thanks to a power-play tally from Dylan Larkin. 

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

Marchenko restored the Columbus lead with a power-play goal of his own, followed by an even-strength tally from Johnson. But after Dmitri Voronkov was whistled for a four-minute double minor after his high sticking infraction on Andrew Copp drew blood, Detroit twice converted courtesy of Lucas Raymond and James van Riemsdyk, tying the game. 

A power-play goal from former Michigan Wolverines forward Adam Fantilli put Columbus ahead late in the second period, only to see the Red Wings roar back in the final frame thanks to goals in quick succession from Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. For Kane, it was the 496th goal of his career. 

Fantilli scored his second of the night to tie the game late in the third period after his shot deflected off defenseman Albert Johansson, setting up overtime. 

"Would Be Really Cool": Patrick Kane Would Love Mike Modano In Attendance For Milestone Achievement From one U.S.-born NHL legend to another, Patrick Kane says he’d welcome Mike Modano’s presence when he breaks the record for most points by an American-born player.

While the Blue Jackets got shootout goals from both Johnson and Marchenko following a scoreless five-minute overtime session, Merzlikins stopped van Riemsdyk and Raymond, securing the extra point. 

This was Detroit's first game of a six-game road trip which continues on Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken from Climate Pledge Arena. 

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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Artemi Panarin reached 900 NHL points with a goal and an assist and the New York Rangers won for the league-leading 12th time on the road, beating the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Thursday night.

The Rangers have won five of their past six to improve to 15-12-2. They are 12-4-1 on the road.

Panarin has 311 goals and 589 assists in 781 regular-season games.

Mika Zibanejad, Will Borgen and Vladislav Gavrikov also scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves. J.T. Miller had three assists.

Drake Batherson had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens also scored for Ottawa. Leevi Merilainen stopped 24 shots.

The Senators are 13-10-4. They have lost three of four.

Up next

Rangers: Host Colorado on Saturday.

Senators: Host St. Louis on Saturday night.

NEW YORK (AP) — Mathew Barzal had a goal and two assists, and the New York Islanders defeated the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche 6-3 on Thursday night.

Kyle MacLean, Anders Lee, Bo Horvat and Adam Pelech also scored a goal for the Islanders, who won their second straight. Ilya Sorokin finished with 35 saves and Casey Cizikas added an empty-net goal.

Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen scored for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves.

The Avalanche’s 17-game point streak was snapped and they lost in the first game of their four-game East Coast road trip.

Barzal scored with less than two minutes remaining in the second period to extend the Islanders’ lead to 5-2 when he converted a backhander on the power play.

The Avalanche scored two goals in 85 seconds to cut their deficit to 4-2 midway through the second period.

Nichushkin redirected a point shot, and Necas benefited from a fortuitous bounce off the skate of Islanders defenseman Travis Mitchell at 10:04 of the middle frame.

But Barzal’s highlight-reel goal helped New York regain control and hand Colorado just its second regulation loss in 27 games this season.

Lee buried a cross-ice pass from Barzal with 1:40 remaining in the opening period to make it 2-0 after MacLean opened the scoring at 5:56.

Horvat knocked in a Matthew Schaefer rebound for his team-leading 17th goal, pushing New York’s lead to 3-0 at 6:58 of the second.

Lee has 295 career goals for the Islanders, tied with Brock Nelson for fifth in franchise history.

Nelson, who returned to UBS Arena for his first game since being dealt last winter from the Islanders to the Avalanche, also received a video tribute during the first period.

Up next

Avalanche: Colorado remains in New York to play the Rangers on Saturday.

Islanders: New York visits the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

The Florida Panthers looked to break out of a recent funk on home ice when they welcomed the Nashville Predators to Sunrise.

Despite playing a strong overall game, Florida once again fell just short, this time giving up a late tying goal and then falling in overtime by a 2-1 final score.

The Panthers got the scoring started late in the first period on a nice passing play by two of the hottest Cats.

Sam Bannett slid a sneaky pass to a cutting Carter Verhaeghe in the Predators zone, and a quick backhand-forehand move later, Florida had a 1-0 lead at the 16:26 mark.

For Verhaeghe, the goal was his third over his past four games, a streak in which he’s racked up seven total points.

It was a big night for the one they call Swaggy, as his wife Casey gave birth to their first son, Rory, earlier this week.

Bennett has also been cooking of late. The assist was his eighth point over his past eight games.

Florida’s 1-0 lead remained on the scoreboard for the majority of the evening.

With 6:19 left in the third period, Ryan O’Reilly scored on the rebound of a Michael Bunting shot from a sharp angle to knot the score at one.

The Predators completed the comeback during overtime on a rush play that saw Gus Forsling go tumbling into his own goal.

Despite Florida’s net being dislodged, Steven Stamkos was able to shoot the puck into the cage as it slid toward the back boards, and since it was Forsling that knocked the net off, the goal was deemed legal.

On to Columbus.

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Photo caption: Dec 4, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) shoots the puck but cannot score after a save by Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Colorado Avalanche are facing off against the New York Islanders for the second time of the season. Last time it was a 4-1 win for the Avalanche on Nov. 16 but this time, the Islanders were out for revenge, and that they got. It was a tough night for the Avalanche but a great one for the Islanders.  They outshot the Avalanche 42-38 and capitalized on multiple chances leading to the 6-3 loss.

Period 1:

Heading into the game, this will be Devon Toews' 500th career game played in the NHL. The Avalanche once again are off to a sluggish start, and the Islanders capitalize on it. Mackenzie Blackwood loses track of a saved puck, and a whole scrum breaks out as sticks come flying in trying to either jam the puck in or bat it out, and it's Kyle McLean who finds the loose puck and bats it in to make it 1-0.

The Avalanche challenge for goaltender inference, as it looks like Blackwood was knocked down and had a stick stuck in his pads while he was down, but the challenge is unsuccessful. Thankfully, the Avalanche continue their strong penalty kill and kill it off, while the Islanders' power play continues to struggle.

Martin Necas is called for holding, but again, the Islanders fail to capitalize on the power play. However, it's Anders Lee with a nice short-side snipe that beats Blackwood under his glove to make it 2-0 with under two minutes left to play. The period ends with the Avalanche outshooting the Islanders 18-16, but it hasn't looked great for the majority of the period.

Period 2:

Artturi Lehkonen is called for cross-checking, but 30 seconds into the power play, Mathew Barzel is called for tripping, and it's 4-on-4. Bo Horvat can find the rebound of Matthew Schaefer’s shot and buries it, beating Blackwood five-hole to make it 3-0 Islanders. Just over 20 seconds later, Adam Pelech sends a shot that bounces off Blackwood’s glove weirdly and bounces under him and goes through his five-hole again, making it 4-0.

ADAM PELECH NETS ONE! #LGI | @FORDpic.twitter.com/u43IwvVFSZ

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 5, 2025

Though the Avalanche weren’t going just to lie down, Sam Malinski sends a wrister to the net, and Valeri Nichushkin, with good net front presence, can tip Malinski’s shot in, making it 4-1 and giving the Avalanche a little bit of life. That goal is just what they needed as the Avalanche get a little bit of puck luck as Martin Necas' shot bounces off Travis Mitchell and in, making it 4-2. Cale Makar is called for tripping, and Mathew Barzal on the power play burns them as he skates through Jack Drury and Brent Burns and finishes the play with a nifty back-hand shot to make it 5-2.

BARZZZZZZYYYYY #LGI | @FORDpic.twitter.com/WkCSadCn2i

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 5, 2025

Period 3:

Just over a minute into the period, Makar is able to walk down the slot and find Lehkonen on the goal line, who rifles one past Sorokin to make it 5-3. Schaefer is called for delay of game, but the Avalanche can’t score on their second power play of the night. Blackwood stops Anthony Duclair, who had a great breakaway attempt. Blackwood is pulled with just over three minutes left in the period, down two goals. 

Fight for the next. pic.twitter.com/YElXWWg9IX

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 5, 2025

Scott Mayfield is called for tripping, and the Avalanche gets a 6-on-4 opportunity with Blackwood pulled. Casey Cizikas picks off a cross-ice pass and sends it into the empty net to make it 6-3 and force the Avalanche to their second regulation loss on the season.

The Avalanche are back in action on Saturday, December 6, against the New York Rangers in New York.

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MacKinnon Outshines Sickness, Evokes Boxing Legend’s Relentless DriveNathan MacKinnon is far from the first elite competitor to confront illness and nevertheless prevail.

Talk continues to build around Winnipeg as the likely host for the NHL’s next Heritage Classic, and new rumors suggest the Winnipeg Jets may face the Montreal Canadiens if the event is officially approved. Nothing has been confirmed by the league, but speculation has intensified in recent days as the NHL considers bringing back its outdoor game series.

The rumors around the event began on the October 22 edition of Hockey Night in Canada. During the weekly headlines segment, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman told host Ron MacLean that the league was looking at reviving the Heritage Classic and that Winnipeg had emerged as a strong candidate. Friedman did not expand further but said, “looks like there’s going to be one next year and the whispers from out west is that Winnipeg is going to be a serious contender to host it.”

Since then, Winnipeg has consistently appeared as the expected host city, though no official announcement has been made, and the opposing team remains unconfirmed. Recent unverified reports point to the Montreal Canadiens as the likely opponent for the Jets, but neither the NHL nor either club has commented on the speculation.

NEWS: The 2026 NHL Heritage Classic will be October 25th between the Canadiens and Jets at the 32,000-seat Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, home of the CFL’s Blue Bombers. #GoHabsGo#GoJetsGo

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) December 4, 2025

If selected, Princess Auto Field, the home stadium of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, would be the venue. The stadium previously hosted the 2016 Heritage Classic when the Jets met the Edmonton Oilers. Winnipeg lost that game 3-0, with Edmonton led by a young Connor McDavid who recorded an assist.

The Jets last appeared in a Heritage Classic in 2019 in Regina, where they defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime at Mosaic Stadium. That win evened Winnipeg’s outdoor game record at one victory and one loss.

Winnipeg’s history of hosting large events and its strong fan base have kept the city in regular consideration for NHL outdoor games. The league typically confirms Heritage Classic details several months in advance, and for now the possibility of a Jets–Canadiens matchup remains only a rumor but a potential exciting matchup for a standalone event.

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ELMONT, NY --New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer reached the 20-point mark on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche. 

He recorded the primary assist on Bo Horvat's goal at 6:58 of the second period and now has eight goals and 12 assists on the season:

Schaefer 🍎 helps Horvat 🚨to his 17th goal.

Schaefer has 20 points. #islespic.twitter.com/Nh24SpzpWZ

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) December 5, 2025

With the assist, he tied Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov and Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke for the rookie point lead (20). 

The Kings are coming off a 3-1 loss against the Washington Capitals. That is the Kings' 4th loss in the last 6 games. The Kings' power play also continued to struggle, so they are looking to play better on the man advantage tonight against the Blackhawks, which may prove to be a difficult task, as the Blackhawks have the 5th-best penalty kill in the NHL. The Blackhawks are coming off a 4-3 Shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and are looking to avoid losing two in a row heading into tonight's matchup. 

Projected Kings Lines: 

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Trevor Moore - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia

Alex Laferriere - Phillip Danault - Andrei Kuzmenko

Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Corey Perry

Mikey Anderson - Joel Edmundson

Brandt Clarke - Drew Doughty

Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Darcy Kuemper

Anton Forsberg

Projected Blackhawks Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Blackhawks tonight: 

Ryan Greene - Connor Bedard - Andre Burakovsky

Tyler Bertuzzi - Frank Nazar - Oliver Moore

Teuvo Teravainen - Jason Dickinson - Ilya Mikheyev

Colton Dach - Ryan Donato

Alex Vlasic - Louis Crevier

Wyatt Kaiser - Artyom Levshunov

Matt Grzelcyk - Connor Murphy

Sam Rinzel

Spencer Knight

Arvid Soderblom

Injuries and Line Changes

The Kings are seemingly fully healthy, with Drew Doughty, Warren Foegele, and Phillip Danault all returning to the lineup. The Blackhawks are without Nick Foligno, who is out tonight with a left-hand injury. The Blackhawks are also running 11 Forwards and 7 Defensemen, a common theme this season. 

Key Factors

The Kings will have to try to contain one of the best young forwards in the NHL, Connor Bedard, who has been on an absolute tear this season for the Blackhawks, with 17 goals and 38 points on the year, and in his last 5 games, he has 4 goals and 7 points. The Kings will have to be smart defensively, especially with how electric Bedard has been. For the Kings, they will be looking to their superstar player to be the difference-maker, as he has 2 goals and 3 points in his last 5 games. 

The goaltenders in tonight's matchup are very interesting, as both Kuemper and Knight have been very solid this season, with Knight taking a massive step forward in his play. Knight this season has played 18 games, with 8 wins, 1 shutout, a 2.52 GAA, and a .917 SV%. For the Kings, Kuemper has been very solid, playing 18 games with 8 wins, 1 shutout, a 2.37 GAA, and a .908 SV%. So the matchup between these two goalies is going to be very interesting. 

If the Kings can clean up their power-play chances in this game, it could be the deciding factor for them tonight. In the last 10 matchups between these teams, the Kings are 7-1-2, and while Chicago has played much better this season, I predict the Kings will win 3-1 tonight and get back on track. 

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Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, a bonafide first-ballot future Hall of Fame player and arguably the greatest American-born forward in NHL history, is closing in on yet another milestone in his illustrious career.

With 1,359 career points, Kane trails Mike Modano by just 16 points (1,374) for the most by an American-born player in NHL history. He inched closer to Modano's record and actually tied him in a key category in the process.

During Detroit's 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday evening, Kane registered a pair of assists and equaled Modano's mark of 358 career multi-point games. 

Patrick Kane factored on two of five @DetroitRedWings goals and boosted his points total to 495-864—1359, 15 shy of tying Mike Modano for first among U.S.-born players. #NHLStats

Tune in 🌎: https://t.co/dT34F4MhkCpic.twitter.com/r2xIoqajtk

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 3, 2025

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

As he moves closer to becoming the highest-scoring U.S. player in NHL history, Kane said that he would love it if Modano were to be in attendance to watch his record be broken. 

"It would be really cool, I've been a big fan of Mike since his playing days," Kane explained earlier in the week. "When I met him when I came into the League, it was really a surreal moment for me. Loved the way he played, his flair and style, his jersey flapping when he was skating, and just how effortless he played."

"His highlights were something I watched growing up, so it would be cool to have him in attendance."

Modano himself indicated that he would like to witness Kane surpass his scoring record in person. 

"I knew years ago that he might be one that if he stayed healthy, that he would be the guy that kind of goes after it," Modano said. "I'd love to be there and definitely would make the effort to be there for that one."

Red Wings fans will recall Modano’s brief stint in Detroit at the end of his Hall of Fame career. The Westland native signed a one-year deal to join his hometown team before the 2010–11 season.

However, a lacerated right wrist suffered in a November 2010 game sidelined him for several months.

While Kane hasn't found the back of the net recently, he's had no shortage of good chances to score and is producing at nearly a point-per-game basis with 16 points in the 18 games he's played. 

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The San Jose Sharks have made a roster move, as they have assigned forward Pavol Regenda to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. 

Regenda was called up to the Sharks' NHL roster back on Dec. 1. From there, he scored a goal in each of his two games with the Sharks following being recalled. Yet, with this latest roster move, he is heading back to the AHL. 

Regenda will now be looking to make an impact after being sent back down to the Barracuda's roster. In 19 games so far this season with the AHL squad, the 6-foot-3 forward has recorded three goals, four assists, seven points, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-2 rating. 

In 21 career NHL games over three seasons split between the Anaheim Ducks and Sharks, Regenda has recorded three goals, two assists, five points, and 22 hits. 

There are a number of former Buffalo Sabres players scattered throughout the NHL, having a varied level of success this season. Periodically, we will check in to see how their players are faring. Today we start with ex-Sabres playing for the eight teams in the Pacific Division. The Anaheim Ducks do not have any former Buffalo players currently on their roster, but here are those on the other seven clubs.

Calgary 

Devin Cooley - G: The former Rochester Amerk played 14 AHL games for the Sabres AHL affiliate in 2023-24 and was called up to Buffalo, but never played a game. Currently, as Dustin Wolf’s backup, Cooley has a 3-3-2 record, but a sparkling .920 save % and 2.17 GAA. 

Edmonton 

Matthew Savoie - F:  The Sabres 2022 first-rounder scored 54 points for AHL Bakersfield after being traded to Edmonton in the Ryan McLeod deal in the summer of 2024. Getting his first legitimate crack at the NHL, the 21-year-old has seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 27 games. 

Curtis Lazar - F: Lazar played in Buffalo for 71 games between 2019-21, and for his seven NHL clubs he has one goal in 11 games this season.  

Los Angeles

Joel Armia - F: The Sabres 2011 first-rounder spent three years in Winnipeg and seven seasons in Montreal before signing as a free agent in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 26 games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Guerin Gathering Info On Possible Olympic Options 

San Jose 

Jeff Skinner - F: After being bought out by the Sabres in 2024, the former 40-goal scorer played for Edmonton and saw his first career postseason action. The 33-year-old had four goals in 17 games before being injured last month, but is expected to return to action this week.  

Seattle

Brandon Montour - D: The Cup-winning blueliner had 18 goals in his first season with the Kraken, and is having another solid offensive year thus far, with 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 20 games. 

Vancouver

Tyler Myers - D: The former Calder Trophy winner was part of the Evander Kane deal in 2015 and, after five years in Winnipeg, is in his seventh season with the Canucks. The big righty has seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in 27 games.

Evander Kane - F: The talented but undisciplined winger wore out his welcome in Edmonton after four years and was traded to the hometown Canucks last summer. In 27 games, Kane has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists), but there are reports that he has already worn out his welcome. 

Vegas

Jack Eichel - F: The former Sabres team captain reached the 90-point plateau for the first time last season, and this season is on pace to set a career-high, with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 26 games. Eichel will be on Team USA for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina next February.

Brayden McNabb - D: The stay-at-home blueliner won a Cup with the Golden Knights and, in his ninth season with Vegas, has one assist in 26 games. 

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The Winnipeg Jets are a curious team.

While they're without star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who had knee surgery two weeks ago, this is still largely the same group that won the Presidents' Trophy last season as the NHL's top regular-season team.

And yet, after they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout Wednesday night, the Jets have gone 2-5-1 after Hellebuyck last played on Nov. 15. Their .313 points percentage in that span is tied for last in the league.

This speaks to Hellebuyck's immense value to the Jets – he is the defending Hart Trophy winner, after all. But scratch beneath the surface, and you'll see that there are clearly multiple other issues that are plaguing Winnipeg right now.

Yes, the Jets have allowed the 11th-most goals against per game during Hellebuyck's absence, while they conceded the eighth-fewest goals per game beforehand. Goalie Eric Comrie has a .891 save percentage and 3.14 goals-against average in seven starts, while Thomas Milic has an .882 SP and 3.65 GAA in two appearances.

But they also have the seventh-worst offense in the NHL since Nov. 16 at 2.50 goals-for per game. And their special teams have also been a problem in that span. Their 15-percent power-play success rate and 78.9-percent penalty-kill rate each rank tied for 20th.

Hellebuyck's injury is projected to keep him on the sidelines until late December or early January. Winnipeg is only two points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand. But this team has too much talent, even without Hellebuyck, to be in this predicament.

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The Jets' next stretch includes games against the desperate Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. That won't be a cakewalk by any means, with the Avs, Stars and Caps sitting in the top three of the standings.

In the highly competitive Central Division, Winnipeg's challenge is considerable and constant. They need to be consistent in a way they haven't been since they came out of the gate 9-3-0. Even a .500 points percentage stretch likely won't push them back to the top of the division.

Some of their challenge falls at the feet of the Jets' secondary scorers.

Only four forwards have at least 0.50 points per game – Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi and Nino Niederreiter – and they need much more production out of players beyond their top line. Veteran center Jonathan Toews is a high-profile addition to the Jets, but the 37-year-old has three goals and nine points in 26 games. 

Winnipeg wants more out of the second-line center spot they signed Toews to occupy, but he's been out of the league for two seasons before making his comeback this year.

Clearly, they need more out of their bottom six forwards and from their defensemen other than star Josh Morrissey.

The Jets have $4.28 million in salary cap space – which is projected to balloon to $13.6 million at the March 6 trade deadline. But if they wait too long to spend that cap space, Winnipeg could be stuck closer to the bottom of the Central standings. So Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has to balance his longer-term needs with his immediate goals.

In any case, Winnipeg's focus has to be on either ratcheting up its defensive game without Hellebuyck or getting out of this scoring slump. All NHL teams will only do as well as they can when their key players are healthy and in the lineup, but they have enough skaters right now to get the job done.

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