In what was arguably the biggest game of the year — with Mitch Marner returning to town for the first time — the Toronto Maple Leafs started and ended flat.

"Not good enough," Scott Laughton bluntly put it following the 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Yup, he described the game to a T. 

Now, going into this game, you'd expect every Maple Leafs player to be jacked up, for many reasons.

One: They're playing against a former teammate in Marner, whose return couldn't have been more anticipated. Two: Goaltender Anthony Stolarz, out for over two months with an injury, was returning to the lineup. Three: They lost to Vegas in overtime just over a week ago.

It had all the signs of being a big game from Toronto.

That was, until Vegas took over early and didn't let up. Even with a late push in the second period with goals from John Tavares, Laughton, and then Bobby McMann to make it a one-goal game, the Maple Leafs couldn't catch up to the Golden Knights.

"They were on their toes, and we weren't," head coach Craig Berube said on Friday night following the loss.

"[We] made a push in the second period. Got us back in the game. I thought probably 10, 11 minutes of that period were really good and played the way we wanted to start the game.

"Third period, we've got to be better. We've got to make a bigger push than that."

Scott Laughton is not happy with the lack of urgency in Toronto's game, among other things.

"It's simplicity, too. I mean, you're D are tired. You don't need to come back with the puck and make it harder. You chip pucks in, you fill lanes, you make it easy on your D, and you…

— David Alter (@davidalter) January 24, 2026

This isn't something we haven't seen before. For some reason, whenever the Maple Leafs need to go all in, they turn around and fold.

Why?

"I don't have that answer for you. I wish I did," Berube continued.

"I mean, we've been a real good home team here for a long time this year. I remember the last road trip we went on, and we came back home, we were a little bit the same way, kind of like in and out in the games, not quite detailed, not playing with the urgency that is needed and the simplicity that's needed.

"That's something definitely I talk to the team about after the game. We've got to fix it."

Beyond all the reasons listed of why Toronto should've come out firing, there's still the playoff picture: if the Maple Leafs defeated Vegas on Friday, they would've moved one point behind the Boston Bruins for second in the wild-card race.

Every game matters right now, and the Maple Leafs lose yet another at home.

"Yeah, it's concerning," said Laughton. "They come in off probably a late night. We know how that feels. Stolie's first game in a month, two months, and that's what we put up."

Craig Berube on tonight's game.

"For me, the standard's got to be better and higher. We're at home here. We're not playing consistently enough with the urgency that is needed."

— David Alter (@davidalter) January 24, 2026

It won't get any easier either.

Toronto welcomes the NHL's leader, the Colorado Avalanche, into the city on Sunday afternoon. They'll then face the Buffalo Sabres, who are a few points ahead of them, currently in the first wild-card spot.

After that, the Maple Leafs set off on their Western Canada road trip before the Olympic break.

Six games left; a possible 12 points on the line.

How they handle this next stretch will not only dictate their plans for the trade deadline in March, but likely their entire season.

"I think we understand where we're at and the importance of every game," said Tavares, who had Toronto's first goal on Friday against Vegas, "but just the need to execute, to be sharp, to battle through whatever challenges there might be, whether you feel good, whether you don't.

"Just the way we have to give ourselves the best possible chance to win hockey games, earn results. We just haven't been as consistent for 60 minutes coming back home here."

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back home for the third game of a five-game home stand to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 PM.    

Tampa Bay Lightning - 32-13-4 - 68 Points - 9-0-1 in the last 10 - Won 2 - 2nd in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 23-20-7 - 51 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Won 1 - 7th in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus won for the fifth time in the last six games overall since Jan. 11 (5-1-0) and collected points in five of its past six home contests since Jan. 3 (4-1-1) with a 1-0 shutout victory over Dallas on Thursday.

• The club continues a season-long five-game homestand on Saturday and is in a stretch of seven-of-eight games played at Nationwide Arena from Jan. 13-28 (3-1-0).

• The Jackets scored the lone goal on Thursday in the opening period. The club has scored the first goal in 14 of the last 19 contests and 17 of the past 24 and ranks T-sixth in the NHL in games scoring first in 2025-26 (29).

• Columbus leads the NHL in goals by defensemen and ranks fourth in points with 38-87-125 in 50 contests.

• The Blue Jackets (9-5-1) rank fifth in the NHL in team save percentage (.912), T-eighth in goals-against per game (2.67) and 11th in points pct. (.633) since Dec. 22.

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Charlie Coyle, who is one goal shy from 200 for his NHL career, became the fifth player to play in his 1,000th game while in a Blue Jackets uniform (Sergei Fedorov, Vinny Prospal, Scott Hartnell, Jakub Voracek) on Thursday.

• Jet Greaves turned aside all 28 shots faced on Thursday for his first shutout of the season. He leads the NHL in saves and ranks fourth-T in wins and sixth-T in SV% since Dec. 22 (min. 6 GP) with a 7-3-1 record, 2.32 GAA, .922 SV% and 320 saves in 12 games.

• Boone Jenner sits three assists from tying David Vyborny (204) for third on the club's all-time list in assists.

• Kirill Marchenko has notched points in 11 of the last 15 contests dating back to Dec. 22 (8-7-15).

• Mathieu Olivier combined for 26 hits in the last five contests and ranks second in the NHL with 67 hits since returning from injury on Dec. 28.

• Zach Werenski leads NHL blueliners in goals (19) and multi-point efforts (17) and sits one goal from becoming the third American defenseman in NHL history with two-straight 20-goal seasons (Phil Housley-6, Reed Larson-5). He has points in 25 of his past 30 contests overall to lead league defensemen in goals, points and points-per-game since Nov. 13 (15-27-42, 1.40).

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.4% - 19th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 75.7% - 28th in the NHL
• Goals For - 145 - 21st in the NHL
• Goals Against - 163 - 24th in the NHL 

Lightning Stats

• Power Play - 20.7% - 14th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 84.2% - 3rd in the NHL
• Goals For - 168 - 6th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 119 - 2nd in the NHL

Series History vs. TheLightning   

• Columbus is 17-29-1-6 all-time, and 12-12-1-2 at home vs. The Lightning.
• The Blue Jackets are 6-4-2 in the last 12 games against the Bolts at home.
• The CBJ has scored a power play goal in 4 of the last 6 games in the series against Tampa.

Who To Watch For TheLightning

• Brandon Hagel leads the Lightning with 25 goals.

• Nikita Kucherov leads the Bolts with 49 assists and 73 points.
• Goalie Jonas Johansson is 10-6-1 with a SV% of .896.
• Andrei Vasilevskiy is 21-7-3 but played on Friday night against the Blackhawks.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Stars 

• Zach Werenski has 21 points in 25 games vs. the Lightning
• Charlie Coyle has 16 points in 32 games.
• Kirill Marchenko has 11 points in 9 career games against Tampa Bay.

Injured Reserve

• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 12 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.
• Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 11 Games - Week to week.
• Denton Mateychuk - Lower Body - Missed 5 Games - Day to day.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 142

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.   

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The Philadelphia Flyers might have just saved their season with a sensational road trip punctuated by a 7-3 thrashing of the NHL's best team, the Colorado Avalanche.

Going 2-0-1 in their three-game trip without starting goalie Dan Vladar, the Flyers found a way to stay afloat in the playoff race.

They're still 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and remain three points back of the Boston Bruins for the second wildcard spot in the East, but the five points they just earned in the standings are the difference between being ninth in the Conference and 15th.

To be clear, with 57 points, the Flyers are still going to face stiff competition from the surging New Jersey Devils (56), Toronto Maple Leafs (57), Washington Capitals (56), and Florida Panthers (55) for a playoff spot, but a few bounces and different results this week would've had them down for the count.

Instead, the Flyers saw their playoff odds jump up a rather significant 7.2% with their regulation win over the Avalanche, which now sits them at a respectable 35.9% chance of reaching the postseason, according to Moneypuck.

The Flyers remain much more likely to miss the playoffs than make them, and perhaps some of that is a fair assessment by the model.

After all, we all saw the self-immolation against the Utah Mammoth that spoiled what would have otherwise been the perfect three-game road trip for a struggling club that appeared to be on its last legs.

It's still too early to tell if the Flyers are willing to pull off some type of trade for a center like Shane Wright, Elias Pettersson, or Robert Thomas to really give themselves an opportunity, but that's likely what it will take if the results stay middling, more or less, for the next four weeks.

It’s never fun for fans to see their favourite team hit the post of the crossbar; in fact, whichever level you play hockey at, you hate posts. Just think about Gordon Bombay’s fantastic minor hockey career coming to a grinding halt after his triple deke hit the post on a penalty shot in the Mighty Ducks. It’s drama nobody likes, but nobody escapes it.

Each fanbase feels like their team is hard done by and is undoubtedly the one who’s hitting the most posts and/or crossbars, but who’s actually hitting the most? Where do the Montreal Canadiens rank in that category?

Well, the team that has fallen victim to iron the most so far this season is the Carolina Hurricanes, with 80 occurrences as of January 23, 2026, followed by the Washington Capitals at 72, the Buffalo Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks with 69, and, in fifth place, the Canadiens with 64, just like the Detroit Red Wings.

Canadiens: Laine Is On The Trading Block
Canadiens Dug A Big Hole They Couldn’t Get Out Of
Canadiens’ Defence Corps Having Big Impact

At the other end of the spectrum, the San Jose Sharks have only been robbed by iron 29 times this season, that’s twelve fewer times than the St. Louis Blues, who have suffered that fate 41 times, and 14 fewer times than the Philadelphia Flyers, who are 30th in the category with 43 times.

Why have the Hurricanes hit the post so much? Well, they have taken the second most shots in the league so far this season, with 1649 shots, meaning that they’ve been frustrated by the goal on just five percent of their shots. As for the Capitals, they’ve taken 1487 shots, meaning they struck iron on five percent of their shots as well. The Sabres? Their percentage is five percent as well, while the Red Wings’ is also five percent. The Canadiens? Well, with 64 posts/crossbars on 1339 shots, they’ve also fallen victim to the net on five percent of their shots.

Meanwhile, with just 29 misfortunes on 1239 shots, the Sharks have only hit iron on two percent of their shots, while the Blues have done the same on three percent of theirs and the Flyers on three percent of theirs.

In other words, those who shoot less, hit iron less, and those who hit the post most often all do it 5% of the time; no one is jinxed or plagued by players with sub-par accuracy. Oh, and no, the Bell Centre ghosts can’t move the goal posts…

---

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Egor Chinakhov has made an instant splash since joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24-year old has been able to unlock his talents, which are readily apparent. Chinakhov has scored five goals and added one assist in his 12-game stint with the Penguins. On the surface that isn’t overwhelming. With more context, it stands out since all of his goals and points so far have come at even strength. It’s a small sample to date, though the data is encouraging; Chinakhov’s 2.17 goals/60 at even strength with the Pens is a massive number (tops in the NHL this season with a longer run of data is Brad Marchand with 1.89, Nathan MacKinnon is second at 1.70).

What makes the figure stand out even further is that is this isn’t a player going to the net and knocking in loose rebounds or deflecting pucks or even building his sample largely off of teammate’s passing plays that leave a goalie vulnerable for back-door tap ins. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with gaining results that way either, but Chinakhov is producing in a way that is more tantalizing and excites on a deeper level. Chinakhov is doing most of his work on the rush and using his overpowering shot and fast release to torch goalies. He’s shown a knack to pick corners and tendency to snipe on the shortside, hallmarks of a quality NHL goal scorer.

MALKIN ➡️ CHINAKHOV 🙌 pic.twitter.com/v8dIP7naUg

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 16, 2026

Raise your hand if you're happy Chinny is a Penguin 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/VNWnBvdiqa

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 23, 2026

The full mastery of his ability was on display in this goal against Calgary, drawing the puck in prior to releasing it, changing the shooting angle in the type of advanced move that differentiates a normal shooter from an exceptional one in today’s NHL.

TIC. TAC. TOE. 🎯

WHAT A RELEASE FROM CHINNY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IhxQE5XZeU

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 22, 2026

There’s no doubt Chinakhov has had a boost in the classic ‘change of scenery’ to enter a new situation by coming to the Penguins. Given normal stat rates, we can’t expect him to carry 2+ goals per 60 for the long haul, though the current production will undoubtedly open doors for more opportunity to increase actual totals despite the decline in the rate of time it takes to get there. Chinakhov has played with the second power play group, getting an average of 1:14 per game often coming from short shifts as the power play is expiring. The potential of an increased role and an eventual promotion to the top power play could be the next step to unlock even more total production. The most important thing for now is he has proved his shot can’t be denied, now it will be up to the coaches to figure out how they can maximize his abilities.

The other absolutely apparent standout skill for Chinakhov is his skating ability. Per NHL Edge, his max skating speed is right up there with anyone in the league, his ability to have 20 or 22+ mph bursts are incredible. The only thing holding down his percentile ranking on 18-20 mph bursts has been a lack of playing time and opportunity relative to the other players in the league.

The raw tools of being a lightning fast skater with an absolute rocket of a shot are standing out with the Pens as the player gets a chance to show what he can do.

In a sense, the challenge of maximizing the abilities has been the ready made story of Chinakhov’s career. It was a frustrating one for both him and the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first chapter. He couldn’t find much in Columbus, being moved all over the place and given limited opportunities in a rapidly changing cast of linemates couldn’t have helped matters.

Egor Chinakhov in CBJ:
22 different linemates & 21 Different Line Combos in 204 GP

Egor Chinakhov in PIT:
3 Different Linemates & 3 Different Combos in 11 GP

His career has been riddled with being unable to find chemistry, but it seems him and Malkin have found it.

Amongst…

— ARAnalytics (@ARAnalytics) January 22, 2026

If a team wants a player to bring consistency, it stands to reason the team should return the favor. It’s not hard to see that the Blue Jackets failed in that regard, resulting in failing to unlock the player as a whole into his full potential.

The Penguins have been able to provide more steadiness, since Evgeni Malkin returned from injury he’s been a constant with Chinakhov. Tommy Novak has been there all along. The results have followed as the trio continues to grow in chemistry with their complimentary offensive skills and proclivity to get on the rush fitting Chinakhov’s strengths of skating and shooting ability like a glove.

That’s made for a great first impression with his new team and shown an instant ability to impact games in special ways. The Penguins have a lot to be excited about in the coming days, weeks and months to see just how much more Chinakhov can add.

The Islanders are back from the road and primed for that classic “first game after the trip” letdown, although several games on their Western sojourn were a letdown, so hopefully they don’t feel like they can ease into things.

Meeting them this afternoon in Elmont are the Buffalo Sabres, who have been on an absolute tear taking them from the basement to passing the Islanders in the Eastern standings. The roster’s the same, so the fired Kevyn Adams must be wondering what it was about him that they were able to turn it on as soon as the GM was fired.

There was some lineup news from practice yesterday as Bo Horvat was a full participant and is expected to play today. Ryan Pulock, however, is listed as day to day.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• Day to day: Those lineup updates, plus appreciation for Horvat, and an opportunity for Cole McWard if Pulock can’t play. [Isles | Post]
• “Phenomenal teammate” Tony DeAngelo on turning what could’ve been a blip appearance into a year and counting with the Isles. [Newsday]
• Athletic “sources” now confirm the prior reports of the Islanders’ plan to move their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport to Hamilton. A few key steps remain, however. [Athletic]
• On the Island, Episode 4, including Marshall Warren’s debut as family and friends cheer him on:

Last night’s NHL scores included the Flyers, Devils and Capitals picking up wins — and yes, Mitch Marner was booed in Toronto and yes Vegas beat the Leafs.

A “tense” reunion as boos “rained down” on Marner. Barbarians. [Sportsnet]

Pittsburgh Penguins (25-14-11, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Vancouver Canucks (17-29-5, in the Pacific Division)

Vancouver, British Columbia; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Vancouver Canucks seeking to continue a three-game win streak.

Vancouver has a 5-15-3 record in home games and a 17-29-5 record overall. The Canucks have a 7-7-4 record in games decided by one goal.

Pittsburgh has a 14-7-4 record on the road and a 25-14-11 record overall. The Penguins have scored 165 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.

Sunday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Penguins won the last meeting 5-1.

TOP PERFORMERS: Brock Boeser has scored 12 goals with 13 assists for the Canucks. Evander Kane has three goals over the past 10 games.

Bryan Rust has 18 goals and 21 assists for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby has four goals and eight assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canucks: 1-9-0, averaging two goals, 3.3 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 4.3 goals per game.

Penguins: 6-2-2, averaging 3.6 goals, 5.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Canucks: None listed.

Penguins: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini had two goals to end his longest drought of the season, pacing the San Jose Sharks to a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Friday night.

Celebrini’s 25th and 26th goals of the season were his first since Jan. 7, a six-game stretch.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Celebrini had a chance for his third hat trick of the season but his shot in the third period was stopped by Rangers goalie Martin Spencer and the puck rolled slowly to the side of the net.

Pavol Regenda added his eighth goal for the Sharks while Will Smith and Collin Graf each had two assists. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves.

Sam Carrick had his second goal in six games for New York, which lost its third straight and is now 2-8-1 over its last 11 games.

Celebrini got the Sharks on the board quickly with a power-play goal 1:09 into the first period. Celebrini got positioned in front of the Islanders net and scored off a quick pass from Tyler Toffoli.

San Jose added a second power-play goal less than two minutes later when Regenda flipped a backhand shot that went over Martin’s left shoulder. Michael Misa and Graf assisted.

Celebrini scored his second goal of the night at the 7:37 mark in the first period. Chants of “MVP MVP” for the 19-year-old broke out moments later.

Carrick’s goal was his third of the season for the Rangers. Taylor Raddysh and Anton Blidh assisted. Martin finished with 28 saves.

Up next

Ranger: Play the Canucks on Tuesday night.

Sharks: Host the Bruins on Monday night.

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have spent much of the season leaning on strong third periods to close out games. 

On Thursday night, that formula was contaminated. 

After a tightly played first 40 minutes, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled away in the third period, scoring three goals in 10 minutes and skating to a 7–3 win at Ball Arena. 

Owen Tippett recorded a hat trick as Philadelphia turned a one-goal game into a runaway finish. The Flyers scored six times on 19 shots against Mackenzie Blackwood and Colorado closed its season-long seven-game homestand with a 3-2-2 record.  

Matvei Michkov also scored twice for Philadelphia and goaltender Samuel Ersson made 32 saves to earn his eighth win of the season. 

Colorado goals came from Parker Kelly, Victor Olofsson, and Cale Makar. Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon each finished with two assists, but the Avalanche couldn’t recover from a difficult final frame. 

Colorado controlled play early but once again struggled to get the puck in the net. And the power play? It was non-existent once again. 

First Period 

The Avalanche generated momentum immediately, drawing a penalty just 45 seconds in when Travis Konecny was called for hooking MacKinnon. Despite several quality looks on the power play, Colorado failed to capitalize. 

Konecny exited the box shortly after and helped initiate a Flyers rush, carrying the puck through the neutral zone before dropping it back to defenseman Emil Andrae, who attempted to set up Michkov for a backdoor chance. The pass missed its target. 

Nearly five minutes into the period, Noah Cates was called for interference after knocking down Necas on the backcheck. The Avalanche again generated pressure but came away empty-handed. Even after the power play expired, Colorado maintained possession, only for Ersson to deny Gavin Brindley with a strong glove save, as he was falling down in the crease. 

Colorado avoided further damage with just under six minutes remaining when Christian Dvorak rang a shot off the post on a wide-open net. 

Despite outshooting Philadelphia 13–1 early, the Avalanche went into the intermission trailing 2–0. Tippett opened the scoring with a wrist shot past Blackwood with 4:58 left, and with under a minute remaining, Philadelphia worked the puck around the zone before Michkov found Denver Barkey, who beat Blackwood from the right circle. 

Second Period 

Colorado got on the board 7:17 into the second period. Jack Ahcan fired a shot from the point that produced a rebound, and Kelly finished it off with a backhand to make it a 2–1 game. 

Midway through the period, Brock Nelson nearly tied the game with a one-timer that sailed just wide of the net. 

Olofsson tied the game 3:12 later, taking a drop pass from MacKinnon and snapping a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot over Ersson’s glove for his 10th goal of the season. 

The tie lasted just 32 seconds. Bobby Brink capitalized on a defensive-zone turnover and poked the puck past Blackwood to restore Philadelphia’s lead. 

Colorado answered again just over a minute later. Makar took a pass from MacKinnon, skated past the defense, and fired a shot from the right circle into the upper-left corner to tie the game at three. 

Third Period 

Colorado was sloppy from the opening faceoff of the third period, and it quickly came back to bite them. Repeated puck mismanagement handed the Flyers momentum, and Philadelphia made the Avalanche pay. Owen Tippett scored his second of the night, followed by a Matvei Michkov tally, giving the Flyers a 5–3 cushion. 

The shots themselves weren’t overwhelming, but they beat Blackwood cleanly. Blackwood has now surrendered 11 goals over two games since returning from injured reserve. 

Colorado had chances to push back, starting with a power play after Emil Andrae tripped Zakhar Bardakov into the boards, but the Avalanche came up empty. Another man advantage followed when Barkey slashed Josh Manson, yet a costly offensive-zone turnover sprung Tippett on a breakaway. 

Tippett finished the play shorthanded to complete the hat trick, the second of his NHL career. 

Michkov added an empty-netter with 3:07 remaining to put the game away and seal the 7–3 final. 

Next Game

The Avalanche (34-6-9) are on the road for the next three games. They will the ice on Sunday to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (24-18-9) at Scotiabank Arena. It's an early one. Coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. 

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic James scored in the fifth round of a shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it 15 straight games without a regulation loss, outlasting the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday night.

Tampa Bay is on a 14-0-1 tear, winning three straight after a shootout loss a week ago in St. Louis. The Lighting are 32-13-4 overall.

Nikita Kucherov tied it at 1 late in the second period with his 25th goal of the season and also scored in the shootout. Gage Goncalves scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker to keep Tampa Bay alive and, after Oliver Moore failed for Chicago, James slipped the winner past Arvid Soderblom.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots for Tampa Bay.

Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Soderblom made 30 saves. Chicago had won two straight, beating Carolina 4-3 in shootout Friday night in Raleigh.

Andre Burakovsky nearly ended it for Chicago in overtime, but couldn’t get the puck in at the side of that net as it slid across the crease.

Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 13-2 in the second period and had a 21-6 overall advantage through 40 minutes. Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 6, MAPLE LEAFS 3

TORONTO (AP) — Mark Stone had two goals and an assist and Vegas beat the Maple Leafs in Mitch Marner’s emotional return to Toronto.

Jack Eichel Pavel Dorofeyev, Braeden Bowman and Keegan Kolesar also scored for Vegas. Adin Hill made 18 saves, and Ivan Barbashev had three assists.

Marner, who played nine seasons with the Maple Leafs before his long march out the door ended last summer, was booed every time he touched the puck.

John Tavares, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz stopped 25 shots in his return from an upper-body injury.

Playing in the second of a back-to-back, Vegas won for the first time in three contests following a seven-game winning streak, including a 6-5 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs last week.

Toronto has dropped three in a row and five of six.

STARS 3, BLUES 2

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored his 30th goal of the season with one minute to play to lift Dallas to a victory over St. Louis.

Robertson lifted the puck in from the right circle four seconds after Roope Hintz won a faceoff for the Stars, who have won two of their last three games following a three-game losing streak.

Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene scored power-play goals for the Stars, and Johnston also had an assist. Jake Oettinger made 20 saves.

Robertson is tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for second in the NHL in goals scored.

Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist and rookie Dalibor Dvorsky also scored for the Blues, who have lost eight consecutive road games, all in regulation, and are a league worst 7-15-3 away from home. Jordan Binnington stopped 16 shots, his record at Dallas dropping to 1-5-3.

FLYERS 7, AVALANCHE 3

DENVER (AP) — Owen Tippett had his second career hat trick and Philadelphia handed NHL-leading Colorado its fourth loss in five games.

Tippett opened the scoring in the first and struck twice in the third. He also had an assist. Matvei Michkov had two goals and an assist, Denver Barkey and Bobby Brink also scored and Samuel Ersson made 32 saves.

Philadelphia finished 2-0-1 on a three-game trip and spoiled the 25th reunion of Colorado’s 2001 Stanley Cup championship squad.

The Avalanche had 15 players from the title team on hand, including team president Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque, Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake. They watched Colorado suffer just its second home regulation loss of the season and finish 3-3-1 on its longest homestand of the season.

Tippett gave the Flyers a 4-3 lead 56 seconds into the third period. Just 1:04 later, Michkov deflected Emile Andrae’s shot over Mackenzie Blackwood’s shoulder. Tippett scored on a short-handed breakaway with 9:36 left to push his season goals total to 18.

Cale Makar, Parker Kelly and Victor Olofsson scored for Colorado, and Nathan MacKinnon had two assists to retake the NHL scoring lead with 87 points.

CAPITALS 3, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Hendrix Lapierre ended a 90-game goal drought, Alex Ovechkin had an empty-netter and Washington beat Calgary to end a four-game losing streak.

Aliaksei Protas also scored and Logan Thompson made 25 saves against his hometown town.

Morgan Frost scored for Calgary, and Devin Cooley stopped 35 shots. In the third, Cooley denied defenseman Jacob Chychrun’s lacrosse-style wraparound attempt on a power play.

Protas broke a tie at 7:35 of the third. When Cooley slid to his left to defend against Tom Wilson, a rebound squirted out to the Belarusian, who fired the puck into an open net.

Lapierre tied it at 1 at 6:33 of the second. John Carlson’s shot deflected off the leg of Yan Kuznetsov and onto Lapierre’s stick for the 23-year-old’s first goal since March 18, 2024, which also happened to be against Calgary. He has 10 career goals,

Calgary countered a Washington short-handed, odd-man rush with a power-play goal on the Flames’ next trip down the ice. Frost bear Thompson with a wrist shot below the goalie’s outstretched stick at 6:09 of the first.

DUCKS 4, KRAKEN 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Lukas Dostal made 21 saves and Anaheim beat Seattle for its sixth straight victory following a nine-game losing streak.

Ryan Poehling scored short-handed, Chris Kreider added a power-play goal and Pavel Mintyukov banked in a long empty-netter. The Ducks have three games left on a five-game trip they opened with a 2-1 shootout victory at NHL-leading Colorado on Wednesday night.

Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle in the third game of a six-game homestand. Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots, highlighted by a successful poke-check on Jansen Harkins’ penalty shot midway through the second.

Gauthier and Poehling gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead in the first period, with the Ducks outshooting the Kraken 13-2 in the opening 20 minutes.

SHARKS 3, RANGERS 1

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini had two goals to end his longest drought of the season, pacing San Jose to a win over New York.

Celebrini’s 25th and 26th goals of the season were his first since Jan. 7, a six-game stretch.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Celebrini had a chance for his third hat trick of the season but his shot in the third period was stopped by Rangers goalie Martin Spencer and the puck rolled slowly to the side of the net.

Pavol Regenda added his eighth goal for the Sharks while Will Smith and Collin Graf each had two assists. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves.

Sam Carrick had his second goal in six games for New York, which lost its third straight and is now 2-8-1 over its last 11 games.

DEVILS 5, CANUCKS 4

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Cody Glass had two goals and an assist, Lenni Hameenaho scored his first NHL goal and New Jersey beat Vancouver to extend its Western Canada winning streak to three.

Nico Hischier and Connor Brown also scored for New Jersey. Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves.

Linus Karlsson, Teddy Blueger, Zeev Buium and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver, and Kevin Lankinen stopped 19 shots.

New Jersey went 2 for 3 on the power play. The Canucks were 0 for 2 and have gone four games without a power-play goal.

Hameenaho scored on a goalmouth tap-in at 1:41 of the first.

In the second, Hischier and Glass made it 3-0 with goals 40 seconds apart. Six minutes later, Karlsson put the Canucks on the board.

Then with Conor Garland serving a double-minor for high-sticking Hischier, Blueger scored short-handed before Brown replied.

With 1:48 left in the second, Buium pulled the puck out of a crowd and found the net to cut it to 4-3.

In the third, Glass added his second of the night. Boeser scored with 1:12 remaining and Lankinen off for an extra attacker.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three in a row on their Western road trip. 

They started out by beating the Seattle Kraken 6-3 on Monday, then the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Wednesday, and the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Thursday. They were by far the better team in each game and won all three in different ways. 

On Monday, the depth really shone through with Connor Dewar scoring two goals, one of which was shorthanded. Brett Kulak, Justin Brazeau, Parker Wotherspoon, and Rickard Rakell also scored.

Wednesday's game against the Flames was a defensive clinic for the Penguins, limiting the Flames to only 19 shots and five high-danger chances at 5v5. Thursday saw the Penguins blitz former teammate Tristan Jarry with three goals in 37 seconds in the first period, and he could never recover. They also held Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to a combined zero points, which shows how well this team is humming right now. 

They have six games left before the Olympic break, and I can't stress enough how important they are for the Penguins. They're a chance for them to really solidify themselves in the top three of the Metropolitan Division, and four of them will be against teams not currently in playoff position. 

The first will be on Sunday against a Vancouver Canucks team that is simply going through it. They've only won five games at home this season and have the worst record in the NHL at 17-29-5. They've already traded Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood, and more moves should be on the way as we get closer to the trade deadline.

Next week, the Penguins will return home for two games against the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. The Blackhawks had a nice start to the season, but are 21-22-8 through 51 games. They've also given up the sixth-most scoring chances against and the most high-danger chances against at 5v5 this season. 

The Rangers are once again a mess after releasing another letter to their fans, explaining that they will be doing a retool since they're at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers have lost eight of their last nine games, including Friday's game against the San Jose Sharks, and are still without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin and star defenseman Adam Fox. 

The Penguins' final three games before the break will come against the Ottawa Senators, who have taken a really big step back this season, the New York Islanders, who are trying to catch them for second place in the Metropolitan Division, and the Buffalo Sabres, who have been on fire for the last month and a half. 

For whatever reason, the Senators have been a matchup nightmare for the Penguins over the past few seasons, with the Penguins losing eight of their last 10 against them. That said, the Senators have lost seven of their last 10 games and face an uphill climb for the rest of the season. 

That Islanders game on Long Island is a four-point game that could go a long way in the standings. This will be the second of three meetings between the Penguins and the Islanders this season, following the Penguins' 4-3 win in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9. It could also be a potential first-round preview, since the two teams are neck and neck in the standings. 

Takeaways: Penguins Make Statement With 6-2 Stomping Of OilersThe Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game when they ousted the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in commanding fashion - showing that there may just be something special about this team.

Finally, the Sabres have been a wagon as of late and have been a ton of fun to watch. Tage Thompson is especially doing his thing this year with 26 goals and 52 points in 50 games, and they've also gotten contributions from a lot of other players throughout their lineup, including Josh Doan, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Jack Quinn, and their goaltenders.

They're trying to end their long playoff drought since they haven't made the postseason since the 2010-11 season. 

A big run during these six games would give the Penguins even more breathing room in the standings since their March schedule is especially difficult. They'll be playing virtually every other day in that month, and against some of the top teams in the league. Let's see how these next couple of weeks go.

(Data via Natural Stat Trick). 

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Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has quite the track record of taking chances on players who fall out of favor or aren't given greater roles with other organizations. 

Last season, he took a chance on former Nashville Predators forward Philip Tomasino, surrendering only a fourth-round pick. Although that one didn't quite pan out for Pittsburgh - he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in December - others have, including the signings of Parker Wotherspoon, Justin Brazeau, and Anthony Mantha. So far, too, has the trade for Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak. 

And the latest example of a chance acquisition looking like a steal for Dubas is winger Egor Chinakhov, who the Penguins acquired for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick, and forward Danton Heinen from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29. The 24-year-old Russian winger had not seen eye-to-eye with then-head coach Dean Evason, but Dubas decided to take a chance on him.

Well, it looks like that gamble may very well pan out. And then some. 

Before joining the Penguins, Chinakhov had three goals and six points in 29 games for Columbus, largely playing fourth-line minutes and even finding himself a healthy scratch. Despite the potential of the 2020 first-round pick (21st overall), injuries and inconsistency threatened to derail what was supposed to be a pretty promising young player. Pittsburgh was a second-chance opportunity for Chinakhov to play to his strengths and skate in a role that could, potentially, help him rediscover his game. 

Since joining the Penguins? That's exactly what has happened.

In 12 games with Pittsburgh, Chinakhov already has five goals and six points, which amounts to a 34-goal, 41-point pace for an entire season. He's also seen an uptick in ice time, averaging 2:37 more than he did in Columbus, he's been seeing time on the Penguins' second power play unit, and he's held down a regular spot on the second line next to Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak. 

Chinakhov Trade Shows Penguins Are Starting To Shift GearsKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, and it could be a sign of things to come over the next several months.

Of course, there are many players who enjoy a post-trade boost. It happened last season with Tomasino, who registered three goals and four points in his first five games with the Penguins post-arrival. Given Chinakhov's issues with inconsistency, things could go sideways at any moment, and it shouldn't be all that surprising if they do.

But things feel different with Chinakhov. For one - unlike Tomasino and others who have been in a similar situation with the Penguins - he isn't a one-dimensional player.

His speed is just on the periphery of the top-10 in the league, according to NHL Edge data, and his max skating speed this season of 23.6 mph is in the league's 98th percentile. In addition, Chinakhov plays a 200-foot game, showing a conscientiousness in the defensive zone and an ability and willingness to backcheck. He is also lethal in the shootout - something the Penguins, 1-7 in shootouts this season, desperately need - as a career 57.1 percent finisher in them.

And then, there's his shot.

Chinakhov’s shot is absolutely lethal.

The man is blazing fast and just feels like he can score at any time. pic.twitter.com/HyLyDaH60E

— Penguins Jesus (@PenguinsJesus) January 22, 2026

No, this isn't just your above average shot in the National Hockey League. Chinakhov has a devastating wrister and quick, deceptive release that defies logic and seemingly breaks the sound barrier, as it has clocked as high as 99.03 mph this season and as high as 101.56 in his career - both of which are in the 99th percentile of the league. He has clocked the fourth-hardest shot by a forward this season and is right in the mix with the hardest-shooting defensemen in the league, who largely populate the hardest shot list. 

But the thing that's so impressive is that this is primarily Chinakhov's wrist shot. The vast majority of the league's hardest shots are slap shots, and that's not the case with his. In fact, every other shot in the league harder than his this season in the top-10 - and each shot by the three forwards ahead of him on the list - have been slap shots.

CHINNY MAKES IT A BLOWOUT 🚨

"That shot... it's just DIFFERENT." - @pbourque29pic.twitter.com/U6ZmLOLnh2

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 23, 2026

Chinakhov's lethal wrist shot is a rare gift, and it's not something that has been commonplace at all in this league. Many compare his wrist shot to Joe Sakic's, whose 625 career goals rank 17th all-time, and there have also been comparisons to former Penguin Alexei Kovalev, who also had a devastating, heavy wrister.

I have seen so many comparisons of Egor Chinakhov’s shot and release to Alexei Kovalev.

And I think I agree. pic.twitter.com/zonLMIbfKr

— Penguins Jesus (@PenguinsJesus) January 23, 2026

So why might Chinakhov be the real deal?

Well, it's quite simple. He a multifaceted player, he has already developed some very real chemistry with Malkin and Novak, and he has a finishing touch that simply cannot be taught. He could stand to work on his shot accuracy, but as long as he keeps firing pucks at the net, more than enough are bound to go in because of his shot.

And it helps to play with two guys who can distribute the puck the way that Malkin and Novak are capable of. All of his goals with the Penguins have been a result of his shot, and if anything, it might benefit him to venture to the danger areas and the net-front more in order to maximize his production.

In any case, there's a chance that Chinakhov may end up being a very, very good find for Dubas and for the Penguins. Obviously, there's no guarantee that he ends up a 30-plus goal-scorer, or even that he ends up being an impact top-six player for the Penguins.

But with the talent and the gift that Chinakhov possesses, it's really not hard to imagine him thriving in Pittsburgh and being an integral part of their stretch run to the playoffs.

Takeaways: Penguins Make Statement With 6-2 Stomping Of OilersThe Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game when they ousted the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in commanding fashion - showing that there may just be something special about this team.

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The Calgary Flames couldn’t turn a strong start into two points, falling 3–1 to the Washington Capitals on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Jonathan Huberdeau returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with a day-to-day injury, while Brayden Pachal drew in on the blue line and Hunter Brzustewicz watched from the press box. Devin Cooley got the nod in goal, entering the night riding a 3-0-1 stretch over his last four starts.

Calgary opened the scoring midway through the first period on the power play. Morgan Frost carried the puck over the blue line, drifted into the slot, and snapped a wrist shot past Logan Thompson for his 10th goal of the season. The Flames controlled much of the opening frame, outshooting Washington 16–8 and setting the pace early.

The Capitals answered in the second period, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce. John Carlson’s point shot deflected off traffic in front and landed on the stick of Hendrix Lapierre, who shoveled the puck past Cooley for his first goal in 91 NHL games, tying the contest 1–1.

The deadlock held into the third period before another bounce swung the game. A rebound found Aliaksei Protas in front, and he made no mistake, scoring his 17th of the season to give Washington a 2–1 lead midway through the final frame.

Tempers flared late in the third when Adam Klapka, while seated on the Flames bench, tapped Tom Wilson on the shoulder with his stick, sparking a heated exchange along the boards. Klapka was assessed a game misconduct, and Wilson later received one of his own after drawing the attention of the officials with continued antics.

Alex Ovechkin sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal in the final minutes as the Capitals skated away with a 3–1 victory.

Three Takeaways

1. Cooley continues to give Calgary a chance

Despite the loss, Devin Cooley was steady once again, making 35 saves. Coming in hot at 3-0-1, he faced several high-quality looks and kept the Flames within striking distance. The goaltending has been there consistently, but offensive support remains an issue.

2. Scoring woes persist

Calgary’s offence stalled yet again, marking the sixth loss in January in which the Flames were limited to a single goal. It was also their third straight one-goal performance that ended in defeat, underscoring an ongoing struggle to generate timely scoring.

3. Paying the price defensively

The Flames defence absorbed plenty of punishment. Mackenzie Weegar blocked a shot off the knee, while Zach Whitecloud took a hard shot to the body that sent him briefly to the locker room before returning. Calgary’s willingness to block shots remains commendable, but the physical toll continues to mount.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks came home after a quick one-game trip to play the Carolina Hurricanes. Down in Raleigh, they took down one of the best teams in the NHL in a shootout. It is better known as "The Oliver Moore birthday game". 

On Friday night, they returned to the United Center for a match against another top NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa came in on a 14-game point streak, even with all of the injuries that they have been dealing with. 

Despite mostly being outplayed by the Lightning in the first period, Ryan Greene found a lane to the net and made it 1-0 with a beautiful move and shot. It isn't easy to beat Andre Vasilevskiy clean like that, but Greene made it happen. The dynamic duo of Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis collected the assists on the play. 

The Blackhawks weren't much better in the second period. Arvid Soderblom was able to keep them in the game, but Nikita Kucherov did tie it up late with a nifty backhand after receiving a neat pass from Brandon Hagel.

In the middle frame as a whole, the Blackhawks were outshot 13-2. In the game overall up to that point, Tampa led 21-6 in shots. Chicago came into the third knowing they needed a much better effort if they were going to escape with one point, let alone two. 

The play was much more even in the third period. Tampa and Chicago exchanged chances, but both Vasilevskiy and Soderblom warmed to the task. Bonus hockey was required for the second night in a row. 

In overtime, the Blackhawks had their one stretch of dominance. They had multiple grade-A chances, but Vasilevskiy stood tall as he always does.  

A shootout was required in consecutive games as well. Like the one on Thursday, it went to extra frames. Frank Nazar and Louis Crevier scored for Chicago, but Tampa scored just one extra goal and took the second point. 

Arvid Soderblom, despite taking the tough loss, was excellent. He was the only reason that the Blackhawks had a chance to win in the first place. 

“We owe a lot of credit to [Soderblom]," Ryan Greene said of his goalie. "I thought he was unbelievable. I don't think that game goes overtime without him playing the way he did.”

Soderblom made 31 saves on 30 shots during regulation and overtime. Playing in place of Spencer Knight once every few games isn't the easiest role in the world of hockey, but he has done it with class and respect for the game. 

Although they don't want to keep taking penalties, their kill continues to be excellent. Add another 3/3 performance in this one, moving their NHL lead up to 85.4 percent. Again, Soderblom played a key role in that success, along with some of the young defenders. 

That's three points out of four against two top teams for the Blackhawks. It wasn't perfect at times, but they continue to battle hard and find ways to collect points. 

Chicago, however, must clean up their play if it is going to keep getting these aforementioned points. Being outchanced 72-40 is not the way, but their goalie and some luck allowed them to nearly win. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

the Greene machine👊 pic.twitter.com/E1Jfbahuxr

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 24, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Sunday night when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will be at the United Center. 

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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