For a second year in a row, the Nashville Predators are struggling mightily, and it’s time for Barry Trotz to admit that his free agent shopping spree in the 2024 offseason didn’t pan out. The experienced GM went out and added players like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, which, on paper, looked like good signings. That was after bringing in Ryan O’Reilly, Gustav Nyquist and Luke Schenn the previous offseason. Still, the sauce didn’t take in the 2024-25 campaign, and it’s not this season either.

The Preds are currently 31st in the league, and it seems like it’s time for Trotz to bite the bullet and admit defeat. There are worse seasons to become a seller, though, considering Gavin McKenna will be up for grabs at the next draft. Given the expensive and lengthy contracts Trotz gave to aging players, it won’t be easy for the Preds to get out of their predicament.

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On Thursday night, two Predators scouts took in the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals from the Bell Centre press gallery. With rumours swirling around about a few of the Preds’ players, this was an interesting development. TSN insider Pierre LeBrun recently revealed that, according to his sources, the Canadiens could be interested in Marchessault.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old winger is currently in the second year of a five-year contract that has a $5.5 million cap hit. Speaking to RDS after signing that deal with the Preds, Marchessault had said the Canadiens were interested in signing him but weren’t willing to give him a five-year deal. Even with their current injury predicament, I struggle to see how Kent Hughes could now believe it would be a sound decision to take on that contract. Furthermore, he has only 6 points in 17 games.

The same argument also applies to Stamkos, who has two more years left at an $8 M cap hit and is already 35. As good as he once was, he’s barely a shadow of his former self now, with five points in 20 games.

Given the Canadiens’ depth issue at centre, which is likely to get even worse now that Jake Evans exited Thursday night’s game after a high hit from Tom Wilson, Ryan O’Reilly would be a much more enticing option. The rugged center might already be 34, but at least he’s only got one more year at $4.5 M left on his deal, and he is still producing. The big center has 13 points in 20 games and has a 56.4% success rate in the faceoff department.

Unlike many of his teammates, O’Reilly’s contract doesn’t include a no-movement clause, meaning he has no say on whether or not he gets traded. It might be worth remembering that the 6-foot-1, 207-pound pivot refused to sign a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs after landing there as a rental because he didn’t want to be in the spotlight of a big market and didn’t enjoy the media attention. There would be plenty of that in Montreal; could that prevent him from reporting if a trade was made? One would have to think the Canadiens would make sure it wouldn’t be the case before pulling the trigger on a deal.

If the Preds were to go ahead and trade O’Reilly, however, it wouldn’t send a great message to the room. The center is their second-highest scorer and one of just six players to reach double digits this season.

O’Reilly could definitely help the Canadiens, and his contract means he wouldn’t overstay his welcome either, but the question then becomes, what would the Preds need to trade one of their very few productive players right now? The Habs currently have nine picks at the next draft, including their first-round and two second-rounders, thanks to the Patrik Laine trade. Considering how stale the trade market is right now, Trotz could be in a position to be greedy; many teams would like to improve down the middle. The Predators are certainly one team to watch right now…

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The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Washington Capitals on Thursday night after losing their last four games, and to say Martin St-Louis’ men needed a win would be an understatement. After a red-hot start to the season, the Habs were dangerously close to being out of the playoff picture when the Caps came to town.

With the Habs having failed to score on their last 17 power play opportunities, all eyes were on the new look units that St-Louis didn’t have a chance to test against the Columbus Blue Jackets. As always this season, fans and media alike wondered which version of Samuel Montembeault would be in the net against the Caps and the best sniper in NHL history, Alexander Ovechkin.

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Goaltending Issues

While the coach is doing his best to show Montembeault that he trusts him, the issue is that the Becancour native doesn't trust himself. Once again on Thursday night, he allowed a goal on the first shot he faced. Granted, it was an Alexander Ovechkin slap shot, but still, it came from further out than his power play bullets typically come from. It’s common for a goaltender who has lost his confidence to allow a goal quickly because he overthinks it, and that’s not helpful.

For the first time this season, the coach actually pulled his goaltender during a period. After Montembeault had given up three goals on 10 shots, the bench boss had had enough. Not that he could do much on the second goal, which came on the power play with a guy all alone in the high slot, but he certainly could have stopped the third. It was a shot off the wing where there wasn’t much of an angle, and he touched it but couldn’t stop it.

Aside from the three goals he allowed, though, Montembeault has clearly been battling the puck lately. He rarely manages to freeze the puck right away; it’s almost as if each shot surprises him, and he pushes it back in traffic because he’s not expecting them. When you compare him to Jakub Dobes, it’s clear that the Czech netminder doesn’t put the puck back in traffic when he can’t freeze it; he deflects it to the side.

Mind you, after the second frame, Dobes had given two goals on 10 shots, which isn’t great either, but he still looked more confident out there. Asked about his goaltenders, the coach replied:

Can our goalies be better? Of course, I know they can be better. But we have to get the job done in front of them as well; we don’t have enough consistency. We’re not helping them consistently. It’s easy to point at the goaltenders.

-

Pressed further about what the team could be doing better in front of the goalies, St-Louis almost lost his cool:

Can our goalies play better? Yes, they’d be the first to tell you. You want me to say I want more saves? Everyone wants more saves. Of course, the goaltenders can always be better, but I won’t lay everything at their door. Other things are happening on the ice, which means we can help them more.

-

Asked to elaborate on what his players could do better, he answered:

Put pucks in deep, fewer turnovers, defend better, get the puck out when it’s around the blueline, take fewer penalties, block shots, put the puck on the sticks in front of the net, do you want more?

-

Premiere Night

While everyone was curious to see if Zach Bolduc and Juraj Slafkovsky would make the most of their new linemates, it was actually a couple of fourth liners who scored the Habs’ first two goals.

Brendan Gallagher struck first with his first of the season on a power play, even though the review was necessary before it was allowed. It was Montreal's first power play goal in 19 opportunities and it was long overdue. 

Then, in his 15th game with the Habs, Joe Veleno finally found the back of the net with assists from Mike Matheson and the good old Gallagher.

It's worth mentioning that Veleno had a pretty good night in the faceoff department as well, winning 60 % of his drafts. 

Going Back In Time

I don’t remember seeing Martin St-Louis so disappointed after a game. He said it outright at the start of the media availability:

I’m disappointed it’s as if we’d gone back in time tonight, and that’s disappointing. Our good was good, but we shot ourselves in the foot, it’s as if we’ve regressed 13 or 14 months.

-

It's hard to argue with what St-Louis was saying in a game where the Canadiens repeatedly shot themselves in the foot and ended up losing 8-4 (including an Ovechkin hat trick) to an older team that excels at feeding off an opponent's mistakes. The Capitals may not be as powerful as they once were but if you give them plenty of odd-man rushes, they will make you pay. They demonstrated that during the third frame when Lane Hutson, desperately trying to create some offense, turned the puck over up ice twice. The first three on one didn't succeed, but the other rush, which came what seemed like seconds later did. 

Juraj Slafkovsky also reverted to trying cross zone passes that he cannot pull off, being guilty of a couple of turnovers in the process.. The Slovak just doesn't have the deceptive skills Ivan Demidov has and the sooner he stops trying to pull those off, the better. Alexandre Carrier, who normally plays a smart and safe game, was guilty of three giveaways

The coach then nuanced his affirmation, saying there were moments tonight that made him feel like his team had regressed, and that it was tough to watch some of these things. While the pilot anticipates that his team can grow from this, he warns that they’ll need to hear some truths to do that. Which probably means that when the players turn up in Brossard tomorrow, there will be a long video session, but unlike last week, I don’t expect this one to turn into an optional skate, not the way St-Louis spoke after the game.

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Goals were difficult to come by on Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena as the Florida Panthers locked horns with the New Jersey Devils.

The first period goal scored by Sam Reinhart would stand as the game-winner thanks to a 31-save shutout by Sergei Bobrovsky as the Panthers skated to a 1-0 victory.

Florida has now won four of their past five games and despite continuing to lose players to injury – Eetu Luostarinen and Cole Schwindt went down this week – they continue to make progress and build momentum.

Picking up a hard-earned win against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference certainly helps the confidence, too.

Let’s get to Thursday’s takeaways.

BOB STANDS TALL

Panthers starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had one heck of a bounce-back game against New Jersey.

In his last outing, Monday’s 8-5 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, Bob faced only 15 shots on goal despite allowing a handful in, but fortunately for the Cats, they dropped an eight-spot and still picked up the win.

Bobrovsky responded by stopping all 31 shots the Devils sent his way, including nine of the high-danger variety.

He’s now tied for the league lead in shutouts and tied for second in wins.

“I kind of feel that's been a bit of a story of the career, and certainly for number one goaltenders…if you didn't like one of Sergei’s games, pretty sure you're going to like the next one, right?” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “He was right on tonight, and clean with everything they did. There's a lot of danger, once you watch that game on video, you'll be really impressed with the little deflections, they have wonderful hands on that team, and he made some great saves.”

A DEVINE DEBUT

Florida prospect Jack Devine did not look like a player making his NHL debut on Thursday.

While he finished the game with only 8:20 of ice time, Devine was noticeable when he was out there.

That’s particularly true during the first two periods when Florida was able to roll its four lines and continue keeping pressure on the Devils.

His ability to jump right into Florida’s lineup and play with confidence will go a long way as he starts to build a case for being considered for a regular NHL spot.

“He was where he was supposed to be, and had a good sense,” said Maurice. “I thought he showed a little confidence, even (though) his first play was a turnover in the neutral zone, which was kind of funny, sort of, but there was a play to be made there, he was trying to make the play, and then he picked the puck up and made nice outlet pass for a chance on his first shift. I thought he had a good balance between, you know, there's a lot of pressure on you. It's not just you want to perform for yourself, there's all these 19 other guys on the bench that played here a while that you want to perform for those guys. I liked their line, I thought their line in the second period gave us that four-line rotation that allowed us to be pretty aggressive.”

PENALTY KILL KEEPS ROLLING

Florida has been playing quite good when down a man over the past several weeks.

Outside of allowing two goals on six opportunities to Vancouver on Monday, the Panthers have not allowed any power play goals since the first period of their game in Los Angeles all the way back on Nov. 6.

That’s a span of 21 penalty kills over seven games in which Florida has allowed just the two goals.

“We've had one off night with it,” Maurice said. “And then probably from the Vegas game on, much like our power play, we've got some pairs that are going together now that have been really good. But again, it's driven by the back end. Those big fellas back there cover a lot of ice.”

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Photo caption: Nov 20, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Jack Devine (38) moves the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

When you lose three consecutive overtimes the way the Utah Mammoth has recently, emotions are going to be all over the place.

Against the Islanders, Utah had a questionable call before its loss; with the Ducks, it was a last-second, game-tying goal that ultimately led to an OT loss; and to top it all off against the Sharks, Utah managed to come back from a 2–0 deficit only for Macklin Celebrini to finish the game with a hat trick.

Despite dealing with all those tough moments, the Mammoth never let emotions get the better of them and kept competing all the same. But in a 4–1 loss to the Golden Knights, it was clear that Vegas forward Cole Reinhardt stirred up emotions the Mammoth couldn't move past.

It wasn't that Reinhardt did anything illegal or even dirty, but it was clear Utah wasn't happy with him after he laid out a massive hit on Kevin Stenlund, lowering his shoulder as Stenlund was collecting the puck.

With Stenlund slow to get up, Utah was immediately displeased with Reinhardt's hit. In fact, play stopped within seconds because Brandon Tanev personally confronted Reinhardt, resulting in a cross-checking penalty.

The powerful hit from Reinhardt was legal and didn't appear to be dirty, but the hit on Stenlund clearly lingered with Utah as play continued.

Tempers didn't flare immediately, even after both Jack Eichel and Ben Hutton scored just 19 seconds apart to put Vegas up 2–0.

Chef Hutty has goals in back-to-back games 🛖🔥 pic.twitter.com/W1gEupx8ky

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 21, 2025

Allowing Hutton to score as quickly as he did was starting to push Utah closer to its breaking point, as the Mammoth laid some hits of their own, but it hadn't yet led to anything too big.

But as Vegas continued to get into Utah's defensive zone and take shots, Utah finally snapped when Reinhardt came looking for a rebound opportunity against Karel Vejmelka.

Suddenly, three Mammoth players, led by Mikhail Sergachev, came at Reinhardt all at once, sparking a brawl between both teams.

Logan Cooley’s got a nice right hand😂 pic.twitter.com/mWgxU5jD0K

— Cap’n Cook 🦣 (@JazzePinkman) November 21, 2025

“I obviously did not like the way we responded to the emotion of the game," said André Tourigny. "We had a good first period, then we arrived in the second, and stuff happened to [Kevin Stenlund]. I didn’t like the way we reacted to it at first. We got emotional and got out of our game. They took over, and it was difficult for us to get back at it."

The brawl took a long time for the referees to break up. As soon as it looked like it had concluded and players were slowing down, another separate fight began, including Cooley’s right hook against Kaedan Korczak.

In total, five penalties were called against both teams, with Logan Cooley racking up two roughing penalties of his own.

Bullychev chirping from the box😂 pic.twitter.com/JZ6wVhlelb

— Cap’n Cook 🦣 (@JazzePinkman) November 21, 2025

Though Utah would manage to score shortly after the scuffle in the form of Nate Schmidt’s first Utah Mammoth goal, the team simply couldn't stay disciplined and gave up two more goals to Vegas.

And once again, another fight broke out, this time with Jack McBain and Vegas' Keegan Kolesar dropping their gloves.

It wasn't long after the McBain fight before it felt like Utah had given up trying to make a comeback in this game.

"It's like we plug one hole, another hole opens," said Ian Cole. "We need to really look at our game as a whole and our attitude and how we approach it and whether winning matters to us."

The loss to Vegas was certainly one of the toughest of the season, as Utah had yet to lose in such a manner at home.

But with a game against the Rangers just around the corner, Utah will have to figure out its emotions fast if it wants a win against a team with one of the best road records in the NHL (9-3-1).

Despite a strong effort, the Vancouver Canucks fell 4-2 to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson found the back of the net while Kevin Lankinen stopped 20 of the 24 shots. With the loss, Vancouver drops to 9-11-2 on the season and 3-6-1 at home. 

Thursday night's loss was arguably one of the Canucks best performances of the year. They outshot the Stars 36-24 while going two for two on the penalty kill. Unfortunately, mistakes cost Vancouver as bad pinches and missed assignments led to four Dallas goals. 

"We're competing," said Head Coach Adam Foote post-game. "I mean, we competed. We didn't quit. It seems like we've been doing that all year. As far as the resiliency, you know,  it's a game of mistakes, right? Dallas had a couple as well, and it's going to happen. We were right there tonight. It was a good game."

One player who had a strong night for the Canucks was Pettersson, who extended his point streak to five games. On top of his goal, Pettersson was tied for the team lead with six shots while winning 16 of his 21 faceoffs. Post-game, Pettersson was frustrated by the result despite the team's strong effort.

"Not good enough if we lost," said Pettersson. Definitely, it's a good team over there. Definitely did enough to win. Yeah, wasn't enough today."

As for a storyline from this game, that would be the power play. While Vancouver did score with the man advantage, they went one for five and could not capitalize on a five-on-three man advantage. Post-game, Pettersson was asked about the five-on-three and said, "We had a minute-twenty. Have to get a goal there. Games like this, tight and special teams can win us the game. I know we got one on the power play, but when we get a long five-on-three, we need to get a goal."

The frustrating part of this game was the Canucks inability to get a goal during the second period. While Vancouver was the better team for most of the night, they dominated the second period, outshooting the Stars 15-6. In the end, luck was not on their side as Jake Oettinger was able to shut the door for the final 40 minutes. 

After a game like the one on Thursday, the question moving forward is, can the Canucks replicate this performance? Yes, they made some costly mistakes, but overall, Vancouver played a strong game that should have resulted in a win. Unfortunately, games like this happen, as the Canucks leave Thursday night without collecting a crucial two points in the standings. 

Stats and Facts:

- Elias Pettersson scores his 200th goal with the Canucks (regular season + playoffs)

- Jake DeBrusk extends his point streak to three games

- Linus Karlsson scores his second goal in the last three games

- Vancouver records over 35 shots for the third time this season

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

00:55- DAL: Mavrik Bourque (3) from Justin Hryckowian
3:06- VAN: Linus Karlsson (3)
7:44- DAL: Jason Robertson (12)
14:25- VAN: Elias Pettersson (7) from Jake DeBrusk and Kiefer Sherwood

2nd Period:

No Scoring

3rd Period:

10:47- DAL: Colin Blackwell (2) Radek Faksa from Oskar Bäck
18:29- DAL: Mikko Rantanen (10) from Jamie Benn

Up Next:

The Canucks will get a few days off before finishing up their two-game homestand against the Calgary Flames. These two teams met earlier this season, with Vancouver picking up a 5-1 home win. Game time on Sunday is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT. 

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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In a tight Pacific Division showdown at San Jose, the Los Angeles Kings lose a heartbreaker in overtime to the Sharks, 4-3, resulting in the same pattern of Kings losses. 

Final from the shootout in San Jose. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/n1rEeYdOba

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 21, 2025

San Jose struck first. Adam Gaudette and Ty Dellandrea opened the game to score a pair of goals, putting the Sharks at a 2-0 lead. Los Angeles would rally late in the first period with Joel Armia cutting the lead in half, giving the Kings some spark of energy to end the period. 

In the second period, Anze Kopitar tied the game after a great shot that went past Cody Ceci and Trevor Moore into the net. The Sharks, though, would never quit, as they answered back quickly to restore the lead. 

However, late in the third period with just under a minute left, Adrian Kempe scored to make it 3-3, off the excellent feed from Kevin Fiala and Kopitar. The goal was set again for another thrilling overtime game in which the Kings have gone nine times this season and now, with the loss, have a 4-5 record in the extra period. 

Neither team could score in overtime, so it went to a shootout. In the shootout, the Kings missed all their chances to score and win, giving the Sharks plenty of chances to convert and secure the win. 

The Kings did hold some advantages during the match. They outshot the Sharks 34-24 and won more than half the faceoffs, 53.33 vs 46.7. But those numbers don’t mean anything if the visiting team comes up short on the ice. 

The Sharks were the more physical team with 26 hits to Los Angeles’ 12, consistently making it challenging for the Kings. Despite the loss, the Kings still ended their road 4-2, losing the last two games in Washington and now in San Jose, but had a good stretch and have turned their season around. 

But the one thing Los Angeles still struggles with is its inability to convert in shootout situations when they're presented.

Next up, Los Angeles will return home tomorrow to host the Boston Bruins at 10:30 P.M. EST. 

The New York Rangers had trouble keeping up with the Colorado Avalanche's speed and explosiveness, en route to a 6-3 loss on Thursday night. 

Before getting to what went wrong for the Blueshirts, there were parts of the game that Rangers fans should be encouraged about. 

There was a lot of pressure mounting on J.T. Miller going into this matchup, as he had only scored one goal in his previous nine games, which prompted him to criticize himself after the Rangers’ Tuesday night loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. 

To open up the contest, Miller scored a quick power-play goal, a big weight lifted off of the captain’s shoulders, and to make matters better, Miller struck gold on the man advantage later on in the game. 

The Rangers had two power play opportunities on the night and it was clicking on all cylinders. Mike Sullivan made an adjustment to the first power-play unit dating from their last game, replacing Will Cuylle with Vincent Trocheck, who played the bumper position, which allowed Artemi Panarin to move to his strong side and Mika Zibanejad on the backside, giving him a one-timer chance and just overall more room to operate with the puck. 

Miller played the netfront position to perfection, scoring a tap-in goal off of a feed from Zibanejad and deflecting Fox’s shot from the point. 

“We obviously scored a couple of power-play goals. I thought they were really good,” Sullivan said. “They were moving the puck. That was one of the more high-pressure kills in the league. They really put pressure on you to make plays. And I thought the guys, they executed really well.”

Those were the positives, but there was a lot that went wrong for the Rangers. 

The Rangers, clearly going up against the more talented and explosive team, applied a more defensive strategy and tried to take whatever the Avalanche would give them. 

While the Rangers hung around and even held a couple of leads, they weren’t able to keep up with Colorado's up-pace tempo for a full 60 minutes. 

The Avalanche decimated the Rangers in transition and were able to create offensive chances through their blazing speed. 

With the Blueshirts on their toes throughout the entire night, Colorado was able to draw five penalties. 

Despite a strong performance on the penalty kill from the Rangers, when you allow a team the likes of the Avalanche to get five power-play attempts, you’re going to pay a price, and that’s exactly what happened.

Colorado’s power play went 1-5, but got a critical goal from Brock Nelson in the third period. 

“When you play a team like that and take that many penalties, it makes it hard,” Sullivan said of all of the penalties the Rangers committed. “I thought from a structure standpoint, our penalty kill had way better semblance of structure in the defensive zone. They're a hard team on the entries, because they come with so much speed and dynamic.”

Mike Sullivan Adjusts Top-Six Forward Line Combinations Due To Lack Of Offensive Production Mike Sullivan made a significant shake-up to his top-six forward unit ahead of the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a>’ Thursday night matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche currently hold the best record in the entire NHL, sitting at 14-1-5. The talent differential between Colorado and New York was prevalent and glaringly obvious to the watchful eye.  

The Rangers have been playing a much more structured and defensively sound game compared to last season. 

However, they don’t have the same level of talent and offensive explosiveness that a team like the Avalanche possesses, so it’s difficult to remain competitive in these sorts of matchups. 

“I thought we were opportunistic, finding ways to stay in the game,” Sullivan said. “That’s definitely the best team that we’ve played all year and they might be the best team in the league right now with how explosive they are.”

This game was almost a wake-up call to where New York truly stands among the league’s best teams. 

The reality is that while the Rangers have continued to make strides since Mike Sullivan’s arrival, they are far off from the ultimate goal of being a true Stanley Cup contender. Watching them against the Avalanche only heightened and validated that perspective. 

The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday night against the Utah Mammoth.

Drake Batherson’s goal with under two minutes to play in regulation gave the Ottawa Senators a 3–2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. It was a memorable evening for Senators rookie Stephen Halliday, who not only played his first NHL game but also recorded a gorgeous assist on Shane Pinto’s game-tying goal.

The Senators got on the board first. Late in the first period, Dylan Cozens sprinted down the left wing and dropped the puck to Nick Jensen, who dropped it to Nick Cousins. Cousins unleashed a slap shot that beat Petr Mrazek to make it 1–0 Ottawa.

The Senators controlled the play and had the lion’s share of the chances in the first and early in the second, but Mrazek was excellent and kept the score close, allowing his teammates to find their legs after playing Boston 24 hours earlier.

The Ducks finally pushed back on a goal by Bennett Senecke after some rough Ottawa defense. Anaheim's Leo Carlsson broke into the Senators’ zone, leading a three-on-three rush. Cozens peeled away to attack Carlsson, who was already covered. Carlsson fed Cutter Gauthier for a 2 on 1 with Sennecke, bearing down on Artem Zub.

Gauthier actually fanned on his shot attempt, but Zub, who was poke checking and backing in too far, allowed Gauthier to regroup and finish the play, passing the puck over to Sennecke who tied the game at 1.

A minute and a half later, the Ducks made it 2–1 when Chris Kreider dished a perfect saucer pass to Mason McTavish, who was sprinting to the far post and redirected the puck past Linus Ullmark.

But with under a minute left in the period, Shane Pinto scored his 10th of the season to tie the game 2–2. Driving to the net, he was poke-checked by Mrazek, but the puck deflected off Pinto’s shin pad and in. He was set up by Stephen Halliday on a perfect pass — Halliday’s first NHL point in his first NHL game.

The Senators had a great chance with under six minutes to play in the third. Claude Giroux had a semi-breakaway, and realized he was about to be caught, so he dropped it back to Michael Amadio who got it to Pinto who was denied by Mrazek.

Finally, with just under two minutes to play, Jake Sanderson’s shot from the left point was deflected in by Drake Batherson, and that stood up as the winning goal, despite the Ducks' best efforts.

They had a couple of great chances at the end, but Ullmark made a tremendous skate save on Sennecke, who was in close. Then Troy Terry looked poised to score the game-tying goal on a cross-ice pass and one-timer, but his stick shaft exploded, denying him what probably would have been an easy equalizer.

The Sens may gave endured another injury loss on the blue line. Nikolas Matinpalo took a hard hit from Radko Gudas as he was taking a shot and the Sens defenseman slid hard, back first, into the end boards. Head coach Travis Green, as is custom, had no information on the injury after the game.

The Senators now improve to 10-6-4, one point out of first in the Atlantic. They'll be at San Jose on Saturday afternoon at 7 pm Eastern.

It was an extended break for the Colorado Avalanche after their 4-1 win against the New York Islanders. However, the Rangers are looking to bounce back after a 3-2 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite some pushback throughout the night, it's the Avalanche who come out on top tonight, in a 6-3 win.

Period 1

The period started well with the Avalanche starting quickly, but it quickly subsided as Samuel Girard was called for interference. On the power play, Mika Zibanejad looked like he was ready to blast a one-timer, but quickly switched it to a slap pass to J.T. Miller, who fakes out Scott Wedgwood and Miller is easily able to tap it in, taking the quick 1-0 lead. The Avalanche get a chance of their own on the power play when Vincent Trocheck is called for interference, but they are unable to convert.

Unfortunate sight as Gavin Brindley, who has been a spark plug as of late, leaves the game 10 minutes into the first period. He took a hard check into the boards, but his shoulder went hard and awkwardly first, and he looked in pain. Same Carrick is called for interference, but the Rangers do a good job of killing it off. It's Nathan MacKinnon, in front of the net, who bats in the rebound from Martin Necas’ shot, tying the game 1-1 and ending the period. That goal now pushes him ahead of Peter Stastny for second-most points in franchise history.

Nathan Mackinnon Passes Peter Stastny for Second Most Points in Franchise HistoryWith his goal against the New York Rangers, Nathan MacKinnon has surpassed Peter Stastny to move into second place in franchise history for points.

Period 2

Before the period started, Brindley was seen heading onto the ice to get some reps to see how he's feeling, but he was back in the tunnel very shortly and later confirmed a lower-body injury and would not return to the game. Carrick finds Adam Edstrom on a 2-on-1 breakaway, and Edstrom with an excellent re-direct finish to take the lead, 2-1.

Looks like Gavin Brindley is not on the Avalanche bench... Took a rough hit where it seemed his shoulder landed roughly into the boards. #GoAvsGo

— Stefano Rubino (@StefanoFRubino1) November 21, 2025

Connor Sheary is called for holding, but the Avalanche can’t convert on the power play. Makar completes a great passing play from Necas and MacKinnon as he beats Shesterkin with a wrap-around goal to tie it 2-2.

Period 3

Cuylle is called for tripping early into the period, and the Avalanche gets an early power play opportunity. Sam Malinski sends a great stretch pass to Brock Nelson, who rifles one past Shesterkin to make it 3-2. Notably, Wedgewood first made a great save and passed the puck to Malinski, so Wedgewood is credited on the goal, and it is his first career NHL point.

"Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars" 🎶 pic.twitter.com/BanuZBlM3R

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 21, 2025

Carson Soucy is called for hooking, but the Avalanche can’t convert on the opportunity. Jack Drury is called for tripping, and the Avalanche head to the penalty kill for the second time of the night. It's J.T. Miller who deflects Adam Fox’s shot into the net to tie the game 3-3. MacKinnon, right after the faceoff, rebounds and bats in Makar’s shot, which rang off the post, helping the Avalanche retake the lead, 4-3.

Nathan MacKinnon scored another beautiful goal.

Are you surprised? pic.twitter.com/Z8dPJaxme9

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 21, 2025

Brodzinski is called for holding, but the Avalanche fails to capitalize on the power play once again. Shesterkin is pulled with 1:30 left in the third, but Makar, right as he enters the bench, rips one across the ice and in to make it 5-3. Ross Colton finishes the game with another empty net goal and ends the game 6-3.

The Avalanche is back in action on Saturday, November 22, as they head on the road to face the Nashville Predators.

---

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Red-Hot Wedgewood to Start in Net Against RangersScott Wedgewood looks to remain in top form tonight against the New York Rangers, who have had an up-and-down season.

It feels like a script from Groundhog Day when it comes to the St. Louis Blues.

At least when a game goes beyond 60 minutes.

For the sixth time in as many tries, the Blues can’t hammer down the second point, again falling in overtime, 3-2 against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Travis Sanheim’s goal at 3:50 of overtime enabled the Flyers (10-6-3) to erase a two-goal deficit, their third two-goal deficit erased against the Blues (6-9-6) this season. The Flyers won 6-5 in a shootout on Nov. 14, erasing 3-1 and 5-3 deficits in that game.

Justin Faulk scored both Blues goals, his first multi-goal game since Oct. 19, 2022, and Joel Hofer was sharp in goal despite the loss, stopping 25 shots.

Let’s look at Thursday’s game observations:

* No killer instinct – It’s built into an alarming trend this team doesn’t seem to know how to get out of, what winning teams don’t do.

As mentioned above, the Blues have led the Flyers three times in two games by two goals – and lost, albeit in extra time.

Where is the killer instinct? Where was the putting the foot on the throat and extending a 2-0 lead into 3-0, 4-0, like the New York Islanders – who by the way happen to be the next opponent on Saturday afternoon – did against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, winning 5-0.

There were several opportunities with quality chances to not only score, but to get pucks on net.

And for a capper, Jordan Kyrou had a glorious chance in OT to win the game but was denied on the doorstep by Dan Vladar with 2:19 to play.

Jake Neighbours, who returned after missing 12 games and played really well, was denied on a first-period breakaway, and Alexey Toropchenko, whose forecheck helped set up Faulk’s first goal, backhanded a shot wide of the net on a break-in in the second period.

Brayden Schenn, who had eight(!) shots on goal in the game (10 attempts), and Pavel Buchnevich combined for 11 shots on goal in this game; they actually looked good together throughout the game creating opportunities, but consolation prizes aren’t mattering anymore. These two veterans, making a combined $14.5 million in cap space, have combined for four goals in 21 games. It’s just not good enough.

Schenn is a heart-and-soul guy, and you can’t question his grit and determination, and we all know Buchnevich simply isn’t getting the job done offensively, were very noticeable playing with Dalibor Dvorsky Thursday, with a Corsi-for of 22-8. Those are great numbers, but pucks have got to start going into the net. It was probably the best line of the night for the Blues, but the bottom line is results, and finishing was an issue.

And Kyrou, making plays in the game again, had four shots on goal but there was a backhand in front of decided for whatever reason not to sling at the net in the second, and had that glorious chance from Robert Thomas in OT. You have to start finishing.

It’s no wonder the leading scorer on the Blues (Kyrou, Faulk and Neighbours) this season only has six goals in 21 games.

Sure, you credit Vladar for making some quality saves himself, but this group isn’t closing out games and extending leads, and that’s a big reason why their record is what it is.

It started Oct. 25 against the Red Wings, when a 4-0 lead turned into a 6-4 loss; a 2-0 lead against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 8 turned into a 4-3 OT loss; the 3-1 and 5-3 leads against the Flyers turned into a 6-5 shootout loss and again on Thursday, 2-0 turns into only one point. Just there alone that’s five precious points lost from the bank.

Remember these if this team gets on a run and happens to fall short in the end.

* It was the perfect road game, then a first goal allowed broke a bad seal – Sure, as we mentioned about having the killer instinct to extend a 2-0 lead, but the Blues were getting the kind of road game they wanted for the most part and needed.

That game should have been at the least, 2-0 going into the third period, but there was the breakdown, late in the second period – the Kryptonite period – for the Blues, that gave the Flyers life.

Trevor Zegras, who killed the Blues last week as part of a line with Owen Tippett and Christian Dvorsk, was able to keep a puck alive with Pius Suter, who wasn’t able to kill it initially, and get it down low after Tyler Tucker, who did not have a good game, inexplicably left protecting the ice he needed to try and jump in to help Suter and in essence, left the low slot open for Tippett to quickly tip a puck to Rogrigo Abols, who came in with a whopping two goals in his career, to beat Hofer with 2:03 left in the period and make it a 2-1 game and now it’s a one-shot game:

Our first Rodrigoal of the season. 💥#STLvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/olZ8Zi0xsN

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 21, 2025

* Tying goal came off a turnover – Even at 2-1, the Blues were still in good position, but the tying goal came off the stick of Tyson Foerster, off an initial giveaway by Tucker.

The defenseman, who was minus-2 in 11:19 of ice time, was being pressured from behind by Noah Cates, and he was looking for an option on the opposite side, but instead of perhaps protecting the puck in the corner and get help or even slamming it hard on a rim off the boards, he softly throws it behind and around that was picked off and back behind the Blues net. Cates then wins the battle with Tucker behind the net and Travis Konecny is able to win a puck away from Thomas to the point to Emil Andrae, who quickly pivots a pass to Foerster and he one-times a slap shot by Hofer, who was screened by Faulk, to the near side at 11:49 and it was a 2-2 game:

It was only a matter of time. #STLvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/wxF7mLWHNO

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 21, 2025

* Hofer gave the Blues a chance – Hofer was strong. He made a number of quality saves and, all you ask of your goalie, is to give you a chance, and he certainly did.

His best save of the game was a highlight reel stop with his glove on a Zegras one-timer on a Philadelphia power play at 8:15 of the third that kept it a 2-1 game:

that save was INSANE pic.twitter.com/ybp8ODRZou

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 21, 2025

* Faulk came ready – Faulk had just four goals in 78 games last season and already in his 21st this season and 1,001st NHL game in his career, he now has six and is just one off the NHL lead for defensemen.

He gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 5:31 of the first period after a solid forecheck by Toropchenko separating Andrae from the puck behind the net to Oskar Sundqvist, who found the D-man at the right point and his shot found its way through with Toropchenko and Nathan Walker at the net providing traffic:

Justin Faulk said the content team needed to work harder so we worked REALLY hard on making this highlight for you. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/G78k50eS31

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 21, 2025

It was a great shift by the fourth line setting the tone.

And on his power-play goal at 12:08 of the first that made it 2-0, Neighbours did what he always does, gets gritty along the wall, does enough to keep a puck free for it to get back to Kyrou, who finds Neighbours low, and the forward’s seam pass to Faulk just inside the top of the left circle gave him a chance for a one-timer:

confirmed. Justin Faulk loves creating #content. pic.twitter.com/LzaiFTBlqO

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 21, 2025

* Neighbours affect, especially early – Neighbours played 14:13 in his first game since Oct. 25 and you come to appreciate the little things he does that others don’t do on a consistent basis.

He’s always in on the forecheck, making smart decisions with the puck on chips, working, trying to free his linemates up for good ice, things that seem to go unnoticed to go with three hits in the game but was a minus-1.

* Suter, Thomas lines did not generate nearly enough – The reason the Blues had Schenn, Dvorsky and Buchnevich on the ice is because they were creating. The line with Dylan Holloway, Suter and Kyrou, along with Neighbours, Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud did not.

Suter’s line was 3-13 Corsi-against, and Thomas’ line was 5-13. Suter and Holloway combined for one shot on goal, and Thomas, Neighbours and Snuggerud each had one shot on goal.

* Costly miscommunication leads to OT goal – The Blues had an offensive zone draw in Philadelphia’s zone, but Schenn lost it to Sean Couturier, and the two of them were tied up for a bit as the puck was being rimmed around the left. But Cam Fowler made a read to stay with his guy, which was Konecny on a pinch, who easily got to the puck and fed Sanheim for what amounted to be a 2-on-0 with Samheim keeping and wristing the winner past Hofer from the inner slot. The problem was Buchnevich, instead of staying with Sanheim, also went to Konecny and gave Sanheim an open lane to get the pass and move up ice with an odd-man break. Buchnevich could not catch Sanheim, and there’s your game, and another frittered away point:

SANNY ENDS IT IN STYLE. #PHIvsSTL | @fwwebbpic.twitter.com/ncYywkM6AI

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 21, 2025

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After losing to the Seattle Kraken earlier this month on the road, the Chicago Blackhawks came into this next matchup looking to return the favor. 

Through the first 40 minutes of the game, the Blackhawks were playing some of the best hockey that they've played in years. 

Early in the second, Tyler Bertuzzi, fresh off his injury return, scored to make it 1-0. This beautiful play started with a stretch pass by Alex Vlasic to Frank Nazar, who sent it to Teuvo Teravainen before he passed it to Bertuzzi for the goal.  

About halfway through the middle frame, Teuvo Teravainen scored a goal of his own.  After being the first to a dump-in on the power play, Bertuzzi made a neat swat pass to Teravainen, who made it 2-0. 

After the middle frame ended, the Kraken took over. At one point, the Blackhawks went on a 14-minute run without a shot on goal. With two goals in two minutes before the third period was halfway over, it was a brand new game. 

The game-changing play came in the final five minutes, when Connor Bedard was hooked on a breakaway, but there was no call. Bedard, as angry as he's ever been on the ice in his NHL career, showed up the referee and earned an unsportsmanlike penalty. 

On the ensuing power play, Jaden Schwartz scored to make it 3-2 Kraken. From there, that stood as the final score as the Blackhawks were unable to tie it with Spencer Knight on the bench. 

After the game was over, Connor Bedard took full responsibility for the loss. He wouldn't comment on what he said to the official, but he did say he can't let that happen again. 

“I’ve got to control my emotions in a better way." Bedard said. "I put our team in a vulnerable spot.” 

Jeff Blashill was not happy with the officiating at all, but he also acknowledged that Bedard knows better. It's a lousy way to lose a game if you're the Blackhawks, but it is a learning experience for a young superstar. 

"It better have been really personal to be that sensitive about it, because you're deciding games," Blashill said of the official making the call on Bedard. "So if it was super personal, I wasn't there, I don't know, but it better have been really personal if you're not going to have enough thick skin to just keep playing through."

In the loss, Spencer Knight made 24 saves on 27 shots. It's three goals against, but redirects and a power play goal against are more of a reflection of the team than Knight. Expect Arvid Soderblom to play in the second half of a back to back, and Knight to get the nod again on Sunday.

Burakovsky Injury

During the first period, Andre Burakovsky left the game after being hit in the head by Ryan Lindgren. Jeff Blashill also ruled him out for Friday's game but is unclear about the future beyond that. 

Andre Burakovsky heads to the locker room after taking a big hit from Ryan Lindgren. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/mmMU4YAdFi

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 21, 2025

Watch Every Blackhawks Goal

hey bert 👋 pic.twitter.com/mVIFc4w5Cq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 21, 2025

a beautiful power play goal🫡 pic.twitter.com/HjxFzEmSrS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 21, 2025

Up Next For Chicago

For the first time in 2025-26, the Chicago Blackhawks have a back-to-back situation. They are flying to New York to take on the Buffalo Sabres. This will be a one game trip, as they are coming back to Chicago for a tilt against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. 

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

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On a night where the Detroit Red Wings were hoping to avenge their 7-2 setback against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena last month, the visiting Islanders instead gave Detroit more of the same on Thursday evening. 

The Red Wings were completely shut down by goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who stopped all 29 shots that he faced as part of New York's 5-0 victory at Little Caesars Arena. It was his second shutout of the season. 

Back here Saturday vs. Columbus. pic.twitter.com/VtANrIBUai

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 21, 2025

Meanwhile, the statistics of Red Wings goaltender John Gibson took another hit, as he allowed five goals on 27 shots, though more than a few of them were deflections. 

The Islanders have now outscored the Red Wings in both games they've played by a 12-2 margin. 

The game overall was a complete reversal of their previous two victories over the New York Rangers and Seattle Kraken, in which they were completely dialed in defensively. 

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

The Islanders took a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to goals from Calum Ritchie and Maxim Shabanov. Ritchie's goal was the result of a defensive breakdown by Detroit, while Shabanov's was after Detroit lost a defensive zone faceoff. 

Early in the second period, Detroit's Lucas Raymond had a golden opportunity to cut the lead in half when he broke in alone on Sorokin, only to have his five-hole attempt stopped.

Just seconds later, the Islanders increased their lead to 3-0 after Mat Barzal's shot from the top of the slot deflected past Gibson. Bo Horvat then made it 4-0, capping a passing play with a one-time shot past Gibson from the face-off circle.

Not long after Nate Danielson was denied his second goal in as many games on a breakaway attempt of his own in the third period, Shabanov cut through both Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson to score his second goal of the night, making the score 5-0 for the Islanders.

Despite the loss, the Red Wings remain in first place in the Atlantic Division standings thanks to the 8-4 loss by the Montreal Canadiens as well as the 4-3 loss by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday evening. 

The Red Wings will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon. 

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DETROIT (AP) — Max Shabanov had two goals and an assist, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 shots for his second shutout of the season as the New York Islanders beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-0 on Thursday night.

Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist, Matthew Barzal and Bo Horvat also scored, and Casey Cizikas had two assists as the Islanders finished 6-1-0 on a seven-game road trip. It marked the second time in franchise history New York won six or more games on a trip — first since Feb. 19 to March 6, 2016.

Sorokin had five saves in the first period, 15 in the second and nine in the third to get his 24th career shutout.

John Gibson finished with 21 saves as Detroit snapped a four-game point streak (3-0-1).

The Islanders’ fourth line of Shabanov, Ritchie and Cizikas accounted for three goals and four assists. Shabanov, playing in his ninth career game, had one goal and two assists prior to Thursday’s outburst. The 20-year-old Ritchie scored his second goal of the season and third of his career.

Horvat scored his team-high 14th goal in the second period. He has eight goals and six assists in his last 11 games.

The teams combined for 58 penalty minutes, including three 10-minute misconduct infractions — Detroit’s Marco Kasper late in the 2nd period, and the Red Wings’ Ben Chiarot and the Islanders’ Scott Mayfield at 9:04 of the third.

Ritchie and Shabanov staked the Islanders to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Barzal and Horvat scored during the first six minutes of the second for a four-goal advantage. Shabanov converted a backhander for his second goal at 6:52 of the third.

Up next

Islanders: Host St. Louis on Saturday night to open a seven-game homestand.

Red Wings: Host Columbus on Saturday night.

The New York Islanders steamrolled the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, beating the Atlantic Division's No. 1 team 5-0. They go 6-1-0 on their seven-game road trip and now sit alone in third place in the Metropolitan Division as they gear up for a seven-game homestand. 

Ilya Sorokin turned aside all 29 shots that came his way for his second shutout of the season and second in five starts. He stopped 33 shots in a 5-0 shutout of the New York Rangers to begin the road trip. 

It was domination early by the Islanders, via the fourth line. 

Calum Ritchie scored his second goal in as many days after a nifty, quick feed from Maxim Shababov at 6:46 of the first:

…and now Cal Ritchie is hot 🔥
Goals in back-to back games #Islespic.twitter.com/mfT4lO1l2R

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 21, 2025

Then, off a Ritchie offensive-zone face-off win, Casey Cizikas taps the puck to Shabanov, who roofed the puck high blocker side to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead at 14:54 of the first:

Shabanov converting the Ritchie draw win.

If you were waiting to see what Shabanov can do, this might be the tip of the iceberg #Islespic.twitter.com/xCrIax1omc

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 21, 2025

The surge continued in the second period. At 3:19 of the middle frame, just after Ritchie left the ice after being high-sticked, Mathew Barzal jumped on a loose puck in the high slot, before he beat Gibson high glove side, with the shot getting deflected to extend the Islanders' lead to 3-0:

Bo Horvat got in on the fun at 5:04 of the second. Off a set play, Horvat won the offensive zone draw to Ryan Pulock before opening up for a one-time finish inside the right dot for his 14th goal of the season:

Something to note… This is the second ״set-piece״ goal for the Islanders tonight. Scoring goals off of offensive deep zone faceoffs are game breakers. Horvat🚨 pic.twitter.com/CCntRAVFg7

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 21, 2025

With his 14th goal of the season, Horvat now sits in a three-way tie with Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draistaitl, and Morgan Geekie for the NHL lead. 

Bo Horvat just joined these guys at top of the NHL in scoring with 14 goals 🚨⤵️ pic.twitter.com/sX4MJn86Iy

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 21, 2025

The Islanders weren't done just yet. Shabanov scored his second of the game, recording his fourth point, as he split the seas before he beat Gibson low glove side at 6:52 of the third to give the Islanders a 5-0 lead:

Casey Cizikas made a couple of amazing plays before Shabanov showed his skills🚨. By the time the puck went in the net No. 53 was already on the #Isles bench. pic.twitter.com/CBjSHivaQJ

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 21, 2025

The Islanders played the final 10:56 with just five defenseman following a scrum that saw Mayfield receive two minor penalties and a 10-minute misconduct. 

Long Island is back at it on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues for the first of a back-to-back, and the first of a seven-game homestand. 

Puck drop against the Blues is slated for 3:30 PM ET. 

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots, Sam Reinhart scored in the opening period and the Florida Panthers beat the New Jersey Devils 1-0 on Thursday night.

It was Florida’s first 1-0 regulation win in the regular season since Dec. 23, 2017, against Ottawa. The Panthers had a 1-0 overtime win at Columbus last season.

Bobrovsky has 51 shutouts, tied for 28th in NHL history. The Devils were blanked for the first time this season, wasting a 23-save effort from Jake Allen.

Reinhart collected the puck around the blue line, got around New Jersey’s Luke Hughes before beating Allen over the shoulder. It was Reinhart’s 11th goal of the season, and Bobrovsky made it stand up — staving off a flurry in the final minute to seal the win.

It marked the second time this season New Jersey failed to get a standings point in back-to-back games. The Devils lost at Tampa Bay on Tuesday; they also had consecutive regulation losses in Colorado and San Jose on Oct. 28 and 30.

The Panthers celebrated defenseman Jeff Petry’s 1,000th game — a milestone reached earlier this week — in a pregame ceremony.

Petry’s four children wore the sweaters of his four previous teams, Edmonton, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit, and the family was presented with a number of gifts from both the Panthers and the NHL. Every player on the Panthers warmed up for the game wearing a sweater bearing Petry’s No. 2 on the back instead of their own; those will be auctioned for charity.

The game was the NHL debut for Panthers rookie Jack Devine, a two-time national champion at Denver, who was called up with Florida now missing seven would-be regulars in the lineup because of injuries.

Up next

Devils: At Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Panthers: Host Edmonton on Saturday night in a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup Finals.