Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart is projected to make his return to the NHL against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

The Golden Knights signed Hart to a two-year contract following his reinstatement into the NHL, along with the four other former Canadian world junior players who were acquitted of sexual assault in London, Ont., in July.

As of Monday, these players – Hart, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote – have served their suspensions and are eligible to play for an NHL club, cueing Hart's debut for the Golden Knights.

Former NHL goaltender Devan Dubnyk said Hart suiting up for Vegas is more than having goalie depth on the roster. If Hart can play like a starting goaltender like he once did for the Philadelphia Flyers, the Golden Knights have an asset.

"This is a guy who has a ton of potential and was a really good goalie when he was in Philadelphia coming up," Dubnyk said on The Hockey News' Big Show on Monday. "You might have signed somebody who can become part of your team, and then he becomes an asset.

"Whether that's an asset that you want to keep around, or an asset you want to move for somebody else, they find that out now. I don't think there's any point in waiting," the former netminder said. "If (Carl) Lindbom had been putting up wins and doing his thing, well then that's a different story, and you don't necessarily push a guy out of there, but that hasn't been the case in my eyes, and I think it's an opportunity for them to give him a look."

Dubnyk pointed out that although Akira Schmid's been winning games, Lindbom hasn't been up to par in Vegas' net since Adin Hill suffered a lower-body injury on Oct. 20.

Schmid has made 13 starts this season and has a 9-2-4 record, .896 save percentage, 2.51 goals-against average and 2.2 goals saved above expected, according to moneypuck.com. Lindbom, meanwhile, has one win in seven starts while putting up an .870 SP, 3.14 GAA and minus-2.7 goals saved above expected.

Hart should have an opportunity to become the starter with Hill reportedly being out for a little while longer. If the 27-year-old indeed hits the ground running, Vegas will have options to move a goaltender when Hill returns, whether that's Schmid, Hill or even Hart. While Lindbom is exempt from waivers, the other three aren't.

That said, every team in the NHL had a chance to sign Hart as soon as Oct. 15. But some teams made it clear they weren't signing him.

The Flyers confirmed in September they would not sign Hart after the goalie's representative said it was better for them to look for a fresh start. The Edmonton Oilers, which have a league-worst .865 team save percentage, did not see Hart as an option and instead gave votes of confidence to Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard to start the season.

"Right now, we're not looking at those types of situations," Oilers GM Stan Bowman said in September.

Hart was briefly linked to the Carolina Hurricanes in September, but those reported talks stopped. The Pittsburgh Penguinsdidn't make any inquiries despite surfacing in speculation, and the Utah Mammothwere out as well.

NHL Suspensions End For Five Players Acquitted In Hockey Canada TrialAs 2018 Canadian world junior players Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote are now eligible to play in the NHL again, here's where they're playing now.

Before Hart left the Flyers in late January 2024 to face the sexual assault charge, he played 26 games and posted a .906 SP, 2.80 GAA and 12-9-3 record.

Hart wrapped up his conditioning stint with the Golden Knights' AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. He made three appearances, registering a 3.07 goals-against average and a .839 SP.

There shouldn't be much stock put into Hart's AHL stats, Dubnyk said.

"It's completely different hockey," Dubnyk said. "I'll preface this with not bashing anybody who plays in the American League, they're still good players, it's still good hockey. It's chaotic. It's chaotic, and most of your chances are created off of mistakes. There are turnovers that don't happen in the NHL. There are plays that don't happen in the NHL."

On good NHL teams, there's structure in front of a netminder forcing opponents to create chances, Dubnyk added. Of course, he said players such as Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini or Nathan MacKinnon will still find ways to score, even if goalies know what to expect in the NHL.

"When you're used to seeing NHL play in front of you, it is completely different," he said. "That's where you get guys saying, some find it easier to play in the NHL because of that reason."

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All the momentum the Nashville Predators had following their two-game Thanksgiving road trip to Detroit and Chicago evaporated Saturday night, when they returned home and lost 5-2 to the Winnipeg Jets.

Nick Blankenburg and Luke Evangelista tallied the only goals for the Preds. Blankenburg tied his season high in goals by scoring his fourth on Saturday. The goal also extended his point streak to four games (3g-2a), which included a multi-point outing on Wednesday at Detroit (1g-1a).

Evangelista posted an assist along with his goal for two points on Saturday to push his point streak to four games (2g-5a).

It was the second game of a back-to-back, a scenario which hasn’t been kind to the Preds this season. While they have a 3-0-1 record in the opener of back-to-backs, they are 0-2-1 on the second night.

On Tuesday, the Predators will try and regroup when they host the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone Arena. This is the second of three meetings between the two clubs this season; Nashville won the first encounter, 4-2, on Nov. 1 at Bridgestone Arena.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s contest.

Game Day

Who: Nashville Predators (8-13-4) vs. Calgary Flames (9-14-4)

Where: Bridgestone Arena

When: 7 Pm CST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network South

Radio: 102.5 The Game

Betting line (via BetMGM):

Flames

+1.5 (-235)

O 5.5 (-120)

+100

Predators

-1.5 (+195)

U 5.5 (+100)

-120

Injury Report

Cole Smith, currently on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, skated during Tuesday morning's practice for the first time since going on IR.

Michael McCarron and Justin Barron also practiced and are day-to-day with lower-body injuries.

November Notes

The Predators finished the month of November with a 4-7-2 mark, equaling their win total from October when they went 4-6-2. Their longest winning streak during November was two, and the longest point streak was three.

The Preds had a five-game losing skid from Nov. 3-10, going 0-3-2 during that span.

One of the team's bright spots in November was rookie Matthew Wood. He led all NHL rookies in the month in goals (six) and tied for fourth in points (nine).

The 20-year-old Wood, who last scored on Friday in Chicago against the Blackhawks, also tallied his first career hat trick on Nov. 10 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (3g).

Preds Leaders

Ryan O’Reilly (8g-10a) leads the Preds with 18 points, followed by Filip Forsberg (9g-8a) and Evangelista (4g-13a) with 17 points apiece.

Juuse Saros is 7-9-3 with a 3.08 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. Justus Annunen is 1-4-1, 3.94, .850.

The Predators rank seventh in the NHL in faceoff percentage (52.7 percent). Leading the way for Nashville is Ryan O’Reilly, who is seventh in the NHL in face-offs won (258).

Scouting The Flames

Calgary concludes a five-game road trip Tuesday night in Nashville. The Flames are coming off a 1-0 OT loss on Saturday in Carolina to the Hurricanes.

Nazem Kadri (5g-16a) leads the Flames with 21 points, followed by Rasmus Andersson (5g-13a) with 18 points on the defensive side.

Dustin Wolf is 6-12-2 in net for the Flames with a 3.17 GAA and .890 SP. Devin Cooley is 3-2-2, 1.88, .931.

Flames rearguard Rasmus Andersson finished the month of November with a team-leading 14 points, recording three goals and 11 assists in 15 games. The Malmo, SWE, native posted four multi-point outings, including a pair of three-point nights on Nov. 19 in Buffalo (1-2—3) and Nov. 23 in Vancouver (0-3—3). He was named the NHL’s first star of the week for the period ending Nov. 23 after posting a league-high nine points from Nov. 18–23.

On the power play, Calgary is 12-for-90 (13.3%), dead last out of the 32 NHL teams. They are much better on the penalty kill; 16-of-88 (81.8%), 10th in the League.

Head To Head

The Preds are 24-14-9 at home all-time against Calgary. Nashville is 6-4-0 in their last 10 overall matchups versus the Flames and 3-2-0 in their last five at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators have only lost seven times in regulation to the Flames since Dec. 15, 2015 (15-7-6) and have picked up at least one point in 30 of their last 41 games (22-11-8).

The Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed center Samuel Helenius to a two-year contract on Tuesday.

This contract extension for Helenius comes in the final year of his entry-level deal and will kick in next season. Helenius will earn $875,000 in each of those two campaigns, beginning in the 2026-27 season.

Furthermore, the center will remain an RFA at the expiration of this next contract, as he’ll be 25 years old.

It’s been a busy Tuesday morning for Kings GM Ken Holland, making this the second piece of significant business in the span of hours.

Earlier in the day, Los Angeles dealt center Akil Thomas to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for center Nikita Alexandrov in a minor-league trade.

Trade: Los Angeles Kings Swap Centers With St. Louis BluesThe Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues have swapped former second-round picks, who both come with a handful of NHL experience.

Helenius, 23, has acted as an extra forward for the Kings in the past two seasons. This year, he’s made three appearances for the Kings, while last season he played over half of the regular season.

In 2024-25, the Fin made 50 appearances in the NHL, recording four goals and seven points while averaging 8:39 of ice time.

The Kings' Good, Bad, And Uglies Of NovemberRecapping the thrilling highs and frustrating lows for the Kings in November. From road dominance to power-play struggles, dissect the team's crucial month.

Before that, he spent three straight campaigns in the AHL with the Ontario Reign. After he was drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft as the 59th pick, he made 142 American League appearances across the trio of seasons.

In addition, the 6-foot-6 center featured in another 20 games for the Reign last season, recording two goals and six points. But this season, he hasn’t played a single minute in the minors, as he’s been kept on as a scratch for the first quarter.

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It appears as if Jonathan Quick is inching closer to making a return for the New York Rangers. 

Quick landed on injured reserve after a collision with Michael Carcone in the third period of the Rangers' 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Nov. 22. 

Starting on Monday, Quick resumed practicing with the team, and Sullivan confirmed that he’s making significant progress in his recovery from his lower-body injury.

“He is obviously back involved with the practice environment, and we'll see where that goes moving forward,” Sullivan said. “We feel (Quick) is making progress.”

With Quick out of the lineup, the Rangers recalled Dylan Garand who backed up Igor Shesterkin for a total of four games before being sent back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

In place of Garand, the Rangers called up Spencer Martin, a goaltender the Blueshirts signed to a two-year contract on Nov. 12. 

Martin was previously playing in the KHL with CSKA Moscow before his contract was bought out after 14 games.

The 30-year-old goaltender has played in 66 total NHL games for the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Fallout From Adam Fox's Injury Presents Opportunities There’s a lot of fallout, yet opportunities that come from Adam Fox’s injury. 

In those 66 games, Martin recorded a 24-30-8 record, 3.56 goals against average, and .883 save percentage. 

Sullivan explained why the team decided to call up Martin while sending Garand back down to the AHL. 

“We don’t want anybody sitting on the sidelines too long,” Sullivan said about why he sent Garand back down to the Wolf Pack. “We want guys playing, and that's an important aspect that we try to manage all the time. Spencer is a guy that we don't have a lot of familiarity with. It gives us an opportunity to get to know him a bit, seeing practice things of that nature. I think those are a few of the reasons why.”

Martin will serve as Shesterkin's backup goalie on Tuesday night when the Rangers play the Dallas Stars.

ST. LOUIS -- It's not a trade St. Louis Blues fans may have been expecting at this point of the season, but the team made a minor move on Tuesday morning.

The Blues announced they have acquired forward Akil Thomas from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Nikita Alexandrov.

Thomas, 25, will report to Springfield of the American Hockey League, where Alexandrov, 25, had been playing.

Thomas, a second round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 19 games for Ontario of the AHL; he has 106 points (50 goals, 56 assists) in 176 games in the AHL. He also has played in 32 NHL games with the Kings and had seven points (four goals, three assists).

Alexandrov, who was selected in the second round of the 2019 draft, had a couple different bouts with the Blues in 51 regular-season games, where he had nine points (three goals six assists). He had 143 points (61 goals, 82 assists) in 188 games with Springfield, including 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 18 games this season.

Observations From Blues' 4-1 Loss Vs. DucksJordan Binnington pulled after allowing two distance goals, voices displeasure with coach Jim Montgomery; offense remains anemic; power play goes 0-for on homestand, including 0-for-6 against 28th ranked PK in Ducks

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The Los Angeles Kings have acquired Nikita Alexandrov from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Akil Thomas.

This is a one-for-one trade involving two minor-league centers, both 25 years old. Alexandrov is eight months younger than Thomas and was drafted one year later than him.

St. Louis drafted Alexandrov in the second round with the 62nd overall pick in 2019. In contrast, the Kings selected Thomas 52nd overall in the 2018 draft, also in the second round.

Alexandrov and Thomas are on expiring contracts at $775,000 per season. Alexandrov is on a one-year deal while Thomas is on a two-year contract.

These two centers have spent the majority of their professional hockey careers in the AHL, with some NHL experience sprinkled in here and there. 

The Kings' Good, Bad, And Uglies Of NovemberRecapping the thrilling highs and frustrating lows for the Kings in November. From road dominance to power-play struggles, dissect the team's crucial month.

For Thomas he is playing in his fifth campaign down in the American League with the Ontario Reign. In 19 games this season, he has four goals and 13 points.

The Toronto native has played 32 career NHL games over the last two years. In fact, he only played NHL games last year. He featured in 25 games and scored three goals and an assist.

Meanwhile, Alexandrov has 19 more games in the NHL, featuring in 51 contests, but hasn't made an appearance since April 12, 2024.

Kings Make Significant And Highly-Anticipated Changes To Both Power-Play UnitsJim Hiller has made another change to the Los Angeles Kings' power play, but this one has been highly anticipated for quite some time. Defenseman Brandt Clarke gets moved to the first unit, while Brian Dumoulin gets reps with the second group.

With the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, Alexandrov has played part of five seasons. Last season, he finished over a point per game, recording 21 goals and 49 points in 48 outings. 

So far this year with the Thunderbirds, the German has three goals and 14 points in 18 games.

According to puckpedia.com, this is Kings GM Ken Holland's fifth trade since joining Los Angeles in May. 

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For the second time this season, the Montreal Canadiens will host the Ottawa Senators tonight at the Bell Centre. The first duel between the two sides was a highly entertaining affair with the Habs taking a 2-0 lead before letting the Sens claw their way back in the game, to not only tie it, but take a 3-2 lead which held until Ivan Demidov tied it up with less than three minutes to go in regulation. Alex Newhook then scored the game-winning goal to allow Montreal to take the two points.

Many believed the Senators would struggle after losing their captain, Brady Tkachuk, to a broken thumb on October 13. Still, Ottawa stayed afloat until his return on November 28 against the St. Louis Blues. Right now, the visitors are trailing the Canadiens by a single point in the extra-tight Eastern Conference. They haven’t won since his return, though, dropping the game to the Blues 4-3 and suffering a 6-1 defeat against the Dallas Stars. In their last 10 games, the Sens are 5-4-1 while the Habs are 4-5-1.

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Martin St-Louis has already announced that Samuel Montembeault would be in the net, just like in the first duel this season, where he had made 14 saves on just 17 shots. The Becancour native has a 4-4-0 record against Ottawa with a 3.15 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage. Jakub Dobes, who should therefore be in the net on Wednesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, has never taken on the Sens.

While Travis Green has yet to confirm who will be manning Ottawa’s net, it would be surprising if it wasn’t Linus Ullmark. The organization’s top goaltender has a 4-4-1 record against the host with a 3.40 GAA and a .871 SV. As for backup Leevi Merilainen, he has never taken on the Habs.

Up front, the Canadiens will want to keep a close eye on Claude Giroux, the veteran has 39 points in 52 games against Montreal. He has, however, slowed down, and Drake Batherson is the man to watch. In 29 duels, the right winger has 28 points, including two this season. Of course, Tkachuk is also a constant threat with 27 points in 30 games. Tim Stutzle also has a lot of success against the Canadiens with 21 points in 24 games.

For the Habs, Cole Caufield has a seven-game point streak, with two goals and six assists in that span, and is a regular contributor against Ottawa, with 14 points in 15 games. He’s also just two goals away from joining Martin Rucinsky as the 43rd best goal scorer with the Habs, with 134. As for captain Nick Suzuki, he’s on a five-game point streak (three goals and four assists) and has 22 points in 30 duels. Brendan Gallagher is, however, the Habs’ most productive forward against the visitors with 29 points, but he will be playing his 50th game against them on Tuesday night.

The Canadiens have only won four of the last 10 duels between the two sides, but that includes four of the last five tilts. Ottawa’s last win in Montreal goes back to January 2024, a 4-1 win. This game will be the second of four meetings between the two sides this season, the other two being scheduled for January and March in Ottawa.

Montreal will want to play a disciplined game, since the Sens rank 11th in the league with a 21.8% success rate on the man advantage, but they struggle on the penalty kill at 69.9%, which ranks 31st. Meanwhile, the Habs rank ninth on the power play with 23.5% and are 26th when it comes to the penalty kill with a 76.5% success rate. In the November tilt, each team received 16 penalty minutes, but that included the “payback” fight between Jayden Struble and Nick Cousins for his slash on Demidov in the preseason.

Judging by what we saw at practice yesterday, the lineup should be similar to the one used against the Colorado Avalanche since Jayden Struble is still day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 

Tonight is the Lane Hutson bobblehead night at the Bell Centre, so make sure you arrive early since only the first 8,000 fans will receive the free collectible. The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on RDS, TSN2 and TSN 5.

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Following a confidence-boosting 6-1-0 road trip out west, the New York Islanders returned home, where they'd play the next seven games. 

The Islanders were looking to keep the good times rolling and show the fan base that their road success wasn't a fluke. 

On paper, they've had success. They've outshot all five opponents they've faced, with no team logging more than 22 shots on goal in a single game, with New York topping 30 shots in every home game.

The only problem is that the Islanders have gone 1-3-1 during this stretch. The dominating, ice-tilting play hasn't mattered -- not when the Islanders themselves cannot score.

Across the five games, the Islanders have scored just six goals, shooting at a 3.49% clip.

In their lone win over the Seattle Kraken, they were shut out, winning 1-0 in a shootout. 

Still, confidence amongst the group remains high, as Roy likes the way they've played. It's hard not to. 

It's been a lack of scoring and simple mistakes that have deeply cost the Islanders during this stretch. 

Now, the schedule only gets tougher. Their next five games come against the only teams to win the Stanley Cup since 2020.

To close out this stretch at home, the two top teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences head to UBS Arena, with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and Brock Nelson and the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. 

Come Saturday, the Islanders will be in Florida for a weekend back-to-back with the Bolts and the Florida Panthers.

New York gets to return home after that for three more games, but it doesn't get any easier.

The Vegas Golden Knights are in town next Tuesday, Dec. 9. After that, the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks come to town, followed by a third game in 12 days against the Lightning.

Suffice to say, the next seven days will go a long way to deciding just how this Islanders' season will continue to unfold. 

Injuries haven't helped, either. Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov are out for the season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau remains out of commission -- he is expected back by Christmas.

This harsh run of games begs one question. What do the Islanders need to do better at to win games?

Roy already gave away that answer after a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins.

"We were the better team on the ice," Roy said. "But, the quality of our shots is gonna have to improve, find ways to bear down on our chances [...] we're going to win more games than we're going to lose if we play that way."

Against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Islanders immediately went down 3-0, but stormed back to tie the game, led by Matthew Schaefer. A late, four-minute power play came and went without a go-ahead goal, and the Islanders lost in the shootout.

Against the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon, again, they outplayed their opponent for most of the game. They couldn't score, while Ilya Sorokin's second-period gaffe cost them the game, with two empty netters bringing the final tally to 4-1.

With the level of opposition increasing, the Islanders need more goals, and it can't all keep coming from the top.

Anthony Duclair has one goal and five points in his last 17 games. He needs to score more, and he's had some chances.

Duclair's shooting a career-low 10%, whereas his career averages usually pace him closer to 14%. 

That would give him at least two more goals for the year. He's one of the players Roy is signalling to when he says the team needs to take better shots and make more of their opportunities.

Simon Holmstrom has gone nine straight games without a point, and has just one goal and two points across his last 14, a stretch in which he's played in the top nine throughout. He needs to produce a lot more, especially with how good his shot can be.

During his nine-game pointless streak, Holmstrom has gone four straight games without a shot on goal, something that can't happen with his elite shot. In total, he's gotten just 24 shots on goal this entire season, where he's played 25 games. 

Holmstrom scored 20 goals last year, a year many considered a springboard for bigger things. This year, Holmstrom is on pace for just 13 goals. It's been a disappointing run for the 2019 first-rounder, but the opportunity is still there.

They're not the only ones underproducing, but their droughts are a big reason why the depth scoring has dried up of late.

For the Islanders to turn this around and beat the best teams in the league over the next two weeks, the depth scoring needs to return. The Islanders need to find a way to score and to fix the power play, another huge piece of the issue. 

As always, the schedule presents an opportunity. If the Islanders rattle off a run of 4-2-1 or better, everyone's going to feel good, and they'll remain in a playoff spot.

If they go 2-4-1, there's every chance they'll sink to the bottom four of the conference with how compact the standings are.

Denton Mateychuk(6), Sean Monahan(4,5), Charlie Coyle(4), and Miles Wood(7) powered the Blue Jackets past the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves on 33 Devils shots in a 5-3 CBJ win. 

Last night's game turned into an MMA brawl, with a little bit of hockey thrown in for good measure. The story of this game was the second period when everything went sideways. There were 4 fights and 63 penalty minutes handed out. Jonas Siegenthaler, who fought Adam Fantilli, was given a game misconduct because his jersey wasn't properly secured, allowing it to come off. He was booted from the game, in what turned out to be a rare penalty.  

It wasn't pretty, but the Jackets played a pretty good road game, and Elvis Merzlikins was good between the pipes as well. 

Zach Werenski said of the game, "Everything that unfolded tonight, it was just us sticking up for each other and having each other's backs, and I think that's important in a long season. It's a great win for our group."

"This is a gigantic win for this hockey club," said John Davidson. 

First Period - SOG 10-7 Devils - CBJ Goal - Mateychuk(6)

Well, this game didn't start well for the CBJ. Just 40 seconds into the game, Zach Werenski took his first penalty of the season when he got called for hooking, giving the Devils their first power play. Nico Hischier wasted no time when he took a shot from Elvis Merzlikins' left side that got deflected by Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov's stick. 

Ondřej Palát scored to make it 2-0 Devils after being gifted a turnover by Jackets youngster Luca Pinelli. Pinelli just seemed to pass it to Palát indiscriminately, right in front of Elvis. That was probably the easiest goal of Palát's career. 

Denton Mateychuk scored his 6th goal of the season at 9:54 of the second period. The goal was a power play goal, and was how a power play should be done. Kent Johnson brought the puck in and avoided a Devil to leave the puck for Ivan Provorov, who passed it to Charlie Coyle, who was to his right. Coyle then found Denton Mateychuk, who was coming down the center of the ice in front of Jake Allen, who then tipped it past the Devils goalie. 

The Devils were on the power play when Timo Meier was awarded a goal.  Noesen was laying on top of Elvis when Meier put it in. The goal was talked about by the refs and deemed to be a good goal. Head Coach Dean Evason immediately challenged the goal. In a relatively quick review, it then determined to be goalie interference. Got all that? Good. 

The first period would end 2-1 in favor of the Devils, but the Jackets will have over a minute of power play time to start the second. 

Second Period - SOG 14-11 Devils - CBJ Goal Monahan(4)

The second period started off with a bang when Brenden Dillon thought it would be a good idea to go after Dmitri Voronkov. Voronkov started throwing haymakers and landed two massive uppercuts that sent Dillion down. It's unclear, but he may have hit his head on the ice, as he was extremely wobbly on his feet. 

Sean Monahan scored his 4th goal of the year when he took a pass from Cole Sillinger via Zach Werenski and beat Allen. It all started when Werenski threw a hit that dislodged the puck from a Devil defender and then passed it to Sillinger, who then took off down the ice for Monahan to finish. 

Just about a minute later, everything went off the rails. Adam Fantilli and Jonas Siegenthaler fought, while Sean Monahan and Paul Cotter got into a scuffle. Just a few minutes later, Damon Severson and Timo Meier exchanged hard hits, but only Severson ended up in the box. 

Dmitri Voronkov and Stefan Noesen got into a fight at 9:22 into the period, which was Voronkov's second fight of the night. Voronkov could've probably destroyed Noesen. Less than a minute later, Brendan Smith and Paul Cotter got into a fight. This game is an all-timer so far. 

Sean Monahan and Cody Glass got into a scuffle, instead of fighting majors, they were given minors for roughing. 

After an exciting second period, it would end with a 2-2 score. The two teams combined for 64 penalty minutes. 

Third Period - SOG 10-6 Devils - CBJ Goals Monahan(5), Coyle(4), Wood(7)

The first five minutes of the third period didn't have a penalty or a fight, which seemed weird. 

Charlie Coyle broke the tie when he beat Jake Allen at the 6:40 mark of the third. Sean Monahan scored his second goal of the game just 33 seconds later to push the Jackets lead to two goals. A two-goal lead and the Blue Jackets don't mix. 

Timo Meier scored on the power play to make it 4-3. Columbus fans everywhere are covering their eyes at this point. 

With 6:29 left in the game, former Devil Miles Wood let loose a nasty wrist shot from about 7 feet out to beat Allen to make the score 5-3. That's how it would end. 

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Denton Mateychuk scored his 6th goal of the year. It was a power play goal.
• Sean Monahan scored his 4th and 5th goals of the season. He also won 63.6% of his faceoffs.
• Charlie Coyle scored his 4th goal and had 2 assists. He won 64.7% of his faceoffs.
• Miles Wood scored his 7th goal of the season and had an assist. He was also a plus-3.
• Zach Werenski had two assists on the night and was a plus-3.
• Cole Sillinger had an assist.
• Isac Lundestrom recorded an assist and was a plus-3.
• Ivan Provorov had an assist and was a plus-3.
• Adam Fantilli won 64.7% the faceoffs he took.
• Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves.

Team Stats

• The Jackets power play went 1/3.
• The Columbus PK stopped 3 of 5 Devils man advantages.
• Columbus won 62.3% of the faceoffs - 33/53
• The two teams combined for 74 penalty minutes.
• The Blue Jackets blocked 11 shots.

Up Next: The Jackets play the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, 

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The Florida Panthers will look to end a surprising three-game losing streak on home ice when they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to Sunrise.

After starting the season with a strong 8-2-1 mark at Amerant Bank Arena, Florida has dropped each of their past three.

What’s frustrating about the losing streak is that you could argue Florida could and should have won each of the losses.

Between less-than-average goaltending against Edmonton to a pair of blown two-goal leads against Philadelphia and Calgary, there are several things the Panthers will be looking to tighten up when they host Toronto on Tuesday.

To be fair, the first couple months of the season haven’t been particularly kind to the Panthers or the Maple Leafs.

Entering play on Tuesday, Florida and Toronto each hold 25 points in the standings, good for last in the Eastern Conference.

They sit six points behind Pittsburgh, who hold the final Wild Card spot.

Tuesday’s matchup will be the first of four meetings this season between the Cats and Leafs.

The Panthers have won four straight on home ice against the Maple Leafs, dating back to October of 2023.

Florida won three of four during the regular season against Toronto last year before knocking them out of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven games.

Similarly to the other night when Calgary brought several former Florida players to town, the Maple Leafs’ roster features several ex-Panthers, all of whom won the Stanley Cup here.

Steven Lorentz and Oliver Ekman-Larsson should both be in Toronto’s lineup against Florida, while goaltender Antony Stolarz remains on IR with an upper-body injury.

As for Florida, they brought up forward Jack Studnicka from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on Monday, so it’s possible he cracks the Cats’ lineup against Toronto.

Sam Reinhart did not participate in Florida’s practice on Monday in Fort Lauderdale, so perhaps he’s hurt or under the weather.

Answers will likely come following the Panthers’ optional morning skate.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Tuesday’s tilt with Toronto:

Mackie Samoskevich – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

Jesper Boqvist – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – A.J. Greer

Noah Gregor – Luke Kunin – Jack Devine

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: May 18, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell (15) punches Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (95) during the first period of game seven of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

The Vancouver Canucks (10–13–3) will face one of their most daunting tasks tomorrow as they prepare to take on the league-leading Colorado Avalanche (18–1–6). Vancouver recently wrapped up their three-game stint in California with a record of 1–1–1, picking up a single point in their 2–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The Avalanche are coming off a 7–2 win against the Montréal Canadiens on Saturday. 

Tonight will not be Vancouver’s first game against the Avalanche this season, as they actually took Colorado to overtime back on November 9 and lost by a score of 5–4. This was Vancouver’s first overtime loss of the season as well as Colorado’s first win past regulation. Handing the Avalanche a loss will be an extremely difficult task, as Colorado has yet to lose in regulation on home-ice this season. 

One of the biggest talking points in Vancouver and Colorado’s last match was both teams’ power plays. Colorado scored twice on theirs, while Vancouver’s scored once to send the game to overtime. The Canucks’ power play has struggled greatly as of late, failing to convert on any of their 11 opportunities throughout the past two games. The Avalanche have gone 1/5 in their past two games but currently hold an overall power play percentage of 16.3% on the season — nearly 5% less than Vancouver’s 20.9%. With Colorado’s PK clicking at a success rate of 86.8%, Vancouver will have a tough task ahead of them if they want to get their power play back on the board.  

Players To Watch: 

Kiefer Sherwood

Since joining the Canucks in 2024, Sherwood has five goals and one assist when playing against the Avalanche. As well, he scored his 10th goal of the season in their last matchup. Sherwood has been slightly snakebitten throughout the past few games, as his last point came against the Dallas Stars on November 20. With Conor Garland absent from the lineup on Saturday due to injury, Sherwood ended up taking his place on the second line alongside Brock Boeser and David Kämpf. Garland will not be available for tonight’s game, so Sherwood may reprise his role alongside them.  

Nathan MacKinnon

The last time these two teams met, MacKinnon was a huge part in the wrecking crew that ultimately took the Canucks down. He factored into every goal that the Avalanche scored while potting two of his own to give Colorado an early 2–0 lead. As it stands, he’s operating at a ridiculous pace of 1.76 points per game while riding a three-game point streak that has seen him score three goals and four assists. It’ll be extremely hard for the Canucks to keep MacKinnon pointless when they face him tonight, but it’s not an impossible task — the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, Utah Mammoth, and Columbus Blue Jackets have all done-so this season.  

Vancouver Canucks (10–13–3): 

Points: 

Elias Pettersson: 8–14–22

Quinn Hughes: 2–20–22

Kiefer Sherwood: 12–4–16

Brock Boeser: 9–7–16

Filip Hronek: 2–14–16

Goaltenders: 

Thatcher Demko: 5–4–0

Kevin Lankinen: 4–7–3

Nikita Tolopilo: 1–1–0

Jiří Patera: 0–1–0 

Colorado Avalanche (18–1–6): 

Points: 

Nathan MacKinnon: 20–24–44

Martin Nečas: 13–20–33

Cale Makar: 9–23–32

Artturi Lehkonen: 9–15–24

Brock Nelson: 8–8–16

Goaltenders: 

Scott Wedgewood: 13–1–3

Mackenzie Blackwood: 5–0–1

Trent Miner: 0–0–2 

Game Information: 

Start time: 6:00 pm PT 

Venue: Ball Arena 

Television: Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 650 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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After perhaps the most disappointing loss of the season for the Anaheim Ducks in Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, they traveled to take on the St. Louis Blues the very next day with an opportunity to learn a lesson and immediately turn the page.

The Ducks were looking to come home from this quick two-game back-to-back with two points and remain atop the Pacific Division, with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights nipping at their heels.

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-3 Loss to the Blackhawks

Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report - 11/29/25

The Blues came into this game looking to extend their win streak to three games, but got word the morning before the game that forward Jimmy Snuggerud underwent surgery to repair a wrist injury and would be evaluated in six weeks. They also reported they’d be without forward Alexey Toropchenko, who will be out week-to-week after sustaining burns to his legs.

The Ducks coaching staff opted for a unique lineup in this game, electing to go with an 11/7 look, meaning 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Ryan Strome and Nikita Nesterenko were the scratches in this game, as was Petr Mrazek, who exited Sunday’s game with an apparent lower-body injury in the third period. The Ducks recalled goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets from the San Diego Gulls earlier in the day to serve as backup.

Ville Husso got the start in net for the Ducks and was impressive, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced. Husso was opposed by Jordan Binnington in the St. Louis crease, who stopped just three of five shots before he was pulled and replaced by Joel Hofer just ten minutes into the game. Hofer saved 19 of 20 shots in the final 50 minutes.

Game Notes

The Ducks seemed to have put the bad-start epidemic behind them, as they came out of the gates attacking again in this one. A pair of soft goals gave them a lead early, and although they gave one back between them, they didn’t let their foot off the gas for any stretch during this game.

Defensively, this was one of their better efforts on the season, improving in all the areas they’d been struggling with coming in. They held off a surging and hungry St. Louis squad in the third period, remaining tight on their coverages and diligent off the puck. Unlike the game a day prior, the Ducks put together a complete, 60-minute effort.

Penalty Kill: The easiest way to not give up power play goals is to stay out of the penalty box. The Ducks failed in that aspect and totaled six minor penalties in this game. However, their penalty kill stood tall against the Blues and was a perfect six for six.

Jackson LaCombe, the Ducks' PK TOI leader on the season, was taken off the unit entirely, and the Ducks went with Jacob Trouba and Pavel Mintyukov on the first unit, and Radko Gudas and Drew Helleson on the second. The Ducks have struggled, both on the kill and at 5v5, with boxing out the net-front forward. It was clearly an area of focus, as the defenseman at the bottom of the diamond was far more engaged battling in this game, especially Gudas.

Troy Terry and Leo Carlsson, two staples on the PK to this point in the season, only received 18 and 17 seconds, respectively. Chris Kreider (3:08) and Cutter Gauthier (1:32) were given significant time on the kill in their place. The coaching staff overhauled the PK personnel and received positive results in this game.

In an interesting move, Ian Moore was used on the kill, but as a forward. He noticeably timed his challenges well toward the blueline, was quick to anticipate what the point man was trying to accomplish with the puck, and read when to retreat to the middle of the zone.

Defensive Zone Coverage: The Ducks seemed to focus on shutting down the seams in front of and to the lower slot in this game. When the net defenders would previously be too quick to leave their post in front to support in the corner or on the perimeter, they remained in coverage for a split second longer, scanning the entire time, to ensure they weren’t leaving an attacker open in soft ice.

Leo Carlsson: Carlsson was once again gameplanned for, something he seems to be getting used to. St. Louis keened in on him when he was attempting to gain speed through his zone and into neutral ice, looking for secondary passes. However, Carlsson remained impactful on the forecheck, reading breakouts and causing disruption, as well as on the cycle, where he kept his feet moving with and without the puck, battled in tight areas of the ice, and gained position at the net when perimeter shots were taken. He’s taken needed steps toward rounding out his overall offensive game.

Pavel Mintyukov: Since he was reinserted into the lineup after his trio of scratches, Mintyukov has been the Ducks’ best defenseman (opinion). On Monday, he tallied a goal and an assist on the scoresheet, and when he was on the ice at 5v5 (13:40 TOI), the Ducks won the shot attempt battle 21-10, the shots on goal battle 9-6, and held 72.23% of the expected goals share.

His off-puck reads and active, disruptive stick broke up several Blues attacks, and he engaged attackers through the hands and body when needed. He manufactured puck touches in the offensive zone by moving his feet to open ice, whether down the wall or at the blueline. When he had the puck at the perimeter, he took smart shots, looking for tips and to shoot around screens when passing options weren’t available. This could just be another flash of what Mintyukov has to offer, or it could be the early stages of a breakout season for the now 22-year-old blueliner.

The Ducks will return to Honda Center for a three-game homestand, starting on Wednesday when they’ll host the Utah Mammoth.

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For the first time in weeks, it felt like a winning result for the Pittsburgh Penguins was never really in doubt throughout the game. 

And it was certainly a performance that was much-needed.

On Monday, the Penguins made their way to Philadelphia and took care of business against the Flyers with a dominant 5-1 win. The Penguins largely outplayed the Flyers and were bailed out on a few good looks from the opposition by goaltender Tristan Jarry, who put up another outstanding performance, stopping 28 of 29 shots. 

The Flyers had some chances against in the first period, but Jarry came through. And the Penguins broke through on the scoreboard first when - who else - Sidney Crosby scored his 17th goal of the season at the midway point. 

If there was a time in this game where the Penguins played with fire, it was in the early part of the second period. Leading 1-0, Erik Karlsson took a tripping penalty to give the Flyers a power play, and Connor Clifton - back in the lineup for the first time in five games - took an interference penalty 43 seconds later to give Philadelphia the five-on-three for more than a minute.

In the waning seconds of the five-on-three, Tyson Foerster - who was injured shortly after on a shot attempt and did not return - scored to tie the game at 1-1, but before the goal, Kris Letang was called for high-sticking. So the Penguins had to kill off yet another five-on-three right after the goal.

And their penalty kill unit came through. Blake Lizotte, Erik Karlsson, and Parker Wotherspoon were particularly impressive on it, and by limiting the damage on that series of penalties, they were able to seize back the momentum they had prior to the penalties. 

November Penguins' Prospects Update: ForwardsIt's a new season, and&nbsp;<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects are off to a pretty good start this season.

From there, the Penguins completely took over the game. They got a power play shortly after the expiration of Letang's penalty, and Crosby came through with his second tally of the game on a beautiful passing play by Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust, who found Crosby in the slot. Rust added another power play goal - and his third point of the night - near the end of the middle frame on a snipe from the left circle. 

And, from there, the Penguins' pressure never wavered. The Flyers got some chances in the final frame, but their high-danger opportunities were limited by the Penguins' defense. And, when they did get some decent looks, Jarry was there to stop them.

Tommy Novak added his third goal of the season with a little more than six minutes to go - the Penguins' third power play goal of the night - and Kevin Hayes took a perfect stretch pass from Parker Wotherspoon on a breakaway, which he was able to capitalize on to score against his former team and send the Penguins home with the 5-1 win.

BIG HAYESY BRINGING YOU THE BIG MACS! pic.twitter.com/w2xMs4JjbV

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 2, 2025

After one of their worst efforts of the season Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins responded with one of the best of the season Monday.

---

Here are a few takeaways from this one:

- It's beyond incredible how much Crosby absolutely terrorizes the Flyers. 

He has more goals (58), assists (78), and points (136) than anyone in NHL history against the Flyers. And you can always tell there's an extra jump in his step when the Penguins play their cross-state rivals, who he once admitted that he didn't like.

The crowd continues to boo him relentlessly, and he continues to score relentlessly. If Crosby played every game against the Flyers, he'd already have a few 200-point seasons under his belt. Probably.

- None of them had a point Monday, but the third line of Ben Kindel, Ville Koivunen, and Rutger McGroarty - recalled Monday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after recording four goals and seven points in five AHL games - was very good in this game. 

They seemed to be generating chances every time they touched the puck. Some rust was evident with McGroarty, as the puck rolled off his stick a few times. But he had some pretty instant chemistry with Kindel, Kindel already had chemistry with Koivunen, and McGroarty and Koivunen developed chemistry last season in WBS that was on display throughout the night.

In particular, I thought Koivunen had a very strong game. He came so, so close to scoring his first NHL goal yet again, and he actually had a wide-open two-on-one opportunity late in the third that he simply fanned on. 

Penguins Recall Two Players from Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonThe Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled two players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

If the "kid line" stays intact and plays the way it did Monday, they're going to be a lot of fun to watch - and they're going to put up some numbers down the road. 

And, don't worry, the goal will come for Koivunen, too. And given how snakebitten he is right now, it will probably be the flukiest goal in NHL history.

- Jarry is making a very good case right now to get the majority of the Penguins' starts. Arturs Silovs has struggled in his last two outings, both of which he needed pulled from. 

Of course, it's way too premature to write off Silovs. Prior to these last two games, he was very good for the most part. But Jarry is helping them win hockey games right now, and with a tough stretch ahead against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, the Dallas Stars on Sunday, and the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, he should get the net for most of the games for the time being.

The Penguins have a lot of goaltending depth, and Jarry knows it. It's nice to see him separating himself, especially after the season he had last year. 

November Penguins' Prospects Update: GoaltendersIt's a new season, and&nbsp;<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects are off to a pretty good start this season.

- Wotherspoon and Karlsson were phenomenal in this game. And, although their assists were gorgeous in this one, I'm speaking more so on the defensive side of things. 

Wotherspoon continues to be a steadying presence on the blue line, and his net-front defense was particularly good Monday. He uses his stick well, and he's not afraid to engage physically, either. He plays such a simple defensive game, and he has been a revelation on that first pairing.

And speaking of simplicity... what a difference a season and a new coaching staff have made for Karlsson. He's legitimately playing defense this season, and a large part of that has been about him simplifying as well. I think Wotherspoon has rubbed off on him a bit in that sense, but I also think he's also just playing within a system that makes a whole lot more sense for him.

He's also been stellar on the penalty kill, which was something almost foreign to him prior to this season. He joked with TSN Saturday that it took 17 years for a coach to figure out that he could kill penalties.

Well, Karlsson is killing penalties. And he's doing a heck of a job with it alongside his defense partner. The two of them have been outstanding for most of this season.

Penguins' Top Prospect Tied For First In NCAA In Points After Another Stellar GamePittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff had another outstanding weekend for Michigan.

- Hayes and Novak have been markedly better in this last handful of games. And, yes, the Penguins are definitely missing Rickard Rakell and Justin Brazeau. 

But they're both doing fine as placeholders and complementary pieces until those guys get back. 

I think the Penguins having an effective third line really makes a difference for the rest of the lineup because there is not as much raw pressure on those guys to perform. Neither of them are trying do too much, and they are benefitting from the Penguins being able to roll four lines.

I think they'll be fine enough to keep in those roles until Rakell and Brazeau return. Then, the lineup can go from there.

- There was a funny little moment post-whistle when Trevor Zegras confronted Penguins' physical defensive defenseman Connor Clifton and tried to fake him out a few times. 

The veteran in Clifton didn't budge. It was cringey yet very funny to watch.

Zegras was out here trying to pump fake Clifton into a penalty 😭 pic.twitter.com/V1eq3LE57M

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 2, 2025

---

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Tuesday night’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks has taken on added intrigue for the Colorado Avalanche, who return to Ball Arena navigating a wave of illness within the roster and the potential return of one of their marquee players.

Sickness Strikes Colorado

Captain Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Parker Kelly were all sidelined by illness on Monday and consequently absent from practice. MacKinnon, in particular, has been battling symptoms since Saturday, yet still took the ice—under clear physical duress—during Colorado’s 7–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Remarkably, he produced a three-point performance despite feeling unwell, a feat that underscores the extraordinary caliber of his talent. In today’s NHL, where the pace and physical demands are higher than ever, registering even a single point while sick is impressive; doing so three times borders on the exceptional.

You don’t think Landeskog wants a second Stanley Cup?? Watch this.
pic.twitter.com/tpn8XTEYD1

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) November 28, 2025

The Avalanche can only hope that MacKinnon recovers sufficiently to suit up on Tuesday, as his influence on this team is nothing short of indispensable. He currently leads the NHL in goals (20) and points (44), while his 24 assists rank second only to Connor McDavid’s 25. MacKinnon’s torrid pace has placed him firmly in contention for hockey’s rare “Triple Crown,” awarded to the player who finishes the season atop the league in goals, assists, and points. The feat has not been accomplished since 1996, when Mario Lemieux achieved it for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the year before his first retirement.

After a relatively modest start to the season, which included an unusual stretch of four disallowed goals, Landeskog has fully rediscovered his form during his first sustained period of consistent play in three years. Over his last nine games, he has recorded four goals and four assists, reaffirming his status as the emotional backbone of the Avalanche. His absence, should he be unable to play, would be felt as much on the bench as on the ice.

Parker Kelly, meanwhile, has been a welcome revelation. His energy, upbeat temperament, and unexpected aptitude for depth scoring, coupled with his well-known fondness for Taylor Swift’s Fate of Ophelia, have infused the lineup with a refreshing sense of vitality.

Yet the outlook is not wholly discouraging. There is a clear source of optimism: Valeri Nichushkin has removed his red non-contact sweater and participated fully in practice. According to head coach Jared Bednar, there is a chance he could return to the lineup on Tuesday night.

“He’s a possibility for tomorrow if he gets through today okay,” Bednar said.

Nichushkin Ready?

In a straightforward assessment, Nichushkin appeared solid in his return to full practice, although there were moments when he seemed slightly rigid. There may be some understandable hesitation about immediately restoring him to a full workload, yet it is evident that he is very close to returning to genuine game action, which is an encouraging development for the Avalanche.

Good morning from Family Sports Center. Valeri Nichushkin is no longer in a non-contact sweater!#goavsgo#avs@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/Va7GqG211q

— Ryan O'Hara (@OHaraSports) December 1, 2025

The 30-year-old Nichushkin had recorded five goals and seven assists for a total of 12 points in 17 games before sustaining a lower-body injury on November 6 during the Avalanche’s 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The injury occurred early in the third period after he blocked a shot, and he has since missed the last eight games.

Marty Necas and Brock Nelson going back to the fundamentals here early.

Nichushkin skates on by and Gavin Brindley is here as well.

Brindley still appears to be a ways away from returning. Still looks like he’s in clear discomfort.#goavsgo#avs@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/zDtc8iQIUz

— Ryan O'Hara (@OHaraSports) December 1, 2025

Regarding the rest of the injury report, Logan O’Connor remains sidelined with an undisclosed issue that is unrelated to the hip procedure he underwent for the second time during the offseason. Gavin Brindley, meanwhile, skated for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury against the New York Rangers on November 20. Known for his speed and explosive acceleration, Brindley was understandably far from his usual form during the session, indicating that he's likely a ways away from returning to action.

The NHL-leading Avalanche (18-1-6) will attempt to secure a second consecutive victory on Tuesday night when they face Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks (10-13-3), who enter the contest losers of their last two contests. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

In what should have been a great moment following a goal, the Philadelphia Flyers saw their emotions quickly fade after an injury occurred on the play.

On Monday night, early in the second period in the Flyers' game against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, Tyson Foerster dropped a bullet of a one-timer on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.

The problem, though, is that Foerster suffered a non-contact injury while taking the shot, crumbling to the ice favoring his right arm before scurrying off the ice down the tunnel in short order.

The 23-year-old had just scored his 10th goal of the season in just 21 games, but ended up throwing his gloves off in the tunnel in frustration.

Roughly 20 minutes after Foerster left the game, the Flyers announced that the winger would not return to Monday night's game with an upper-body injury.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Carter Hart Expected to Make NHL Return This WeekAccording to a report, former <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> goalie Carter Hart will make his return to the NHL and start for the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, marking his first dose of NHL action since January 2024.

If the key top-six forward is to miss any time, the Flyers did just make a roster spot by waiving and subsequently assigning defenseman Adam Ginning to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Considering the earlier talk about recalling Alex Bump from the minors, it would appear the former NCAA star is first in line to jump up to the NHL level in the wake of injury.

In 21 games this season, Foerster has 10 goals, three assists, and 13 points.