The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Calgary Flames tonight at 7 PM. New Head Coach Rick Bowness makes his Blue Jackets debut behind the bench. 

Calgary Flames - 19-22-4 - 42 Points - 5-5-0 in the last 10 - 7th in the Central

Columbus Blue Jackets - 19-19-7 - 45 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 3-2 OT victory at Utah on Sunday. The club returns home to play seven of the next eight contests at Nationwide Arena from Jan. 13-28.
• The Jackets have scored the first goal in 10 of the last 14 contests and 13 of the past 19. The team ranks sixth in the NHL in games scoring first in 2025-26 (25).
• Columbus leads the NHL in goals by defensemen and ranks fourth in points with 34-79-113 in 45 contests.
• The Blue Jackets rank third in the league in faceoff percentage since Dec. 13 (53.5 pct. in 14 GP).
• CBJ have denied opponents on 30-of-34 power play chances over the last 11 games and rank third in the NHL in penalty kill pct. since Dec. 20 (88.2).

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 18.8% - 19th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.4% - 29th in the NHL
• Goals For - 131 - 20th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 152- 28th in the NHL

Flames Stats

• Power Play - 13.6% - 32nd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 82.2% - 8th in the NHL
• Goals For - 114 - 32nd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 133 - 14th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheFlames

• Columbus is 36-26-0-8 all-time, and 21-10-0-4 at home vs. Calgary.
• The Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 in the last 7 against the Flames.
• The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Calgary last season.

Who To Watch For TheFlames

• Nazem Kadri leads the Flames with 24 assists and 32 points.
• Blake Coleman leads Calgary with 13 goals.
• Goalie Dustin Wolf is 14-18-2 with a SV% of .898

CBJ Player Notes vs.Flames

• Zach Werenski has 11 points in 15 career games vs. the Flames.
• Kirill Marchenko has 5 points in 7 games.
• Sean Monahan has 6 points in 7 games against his former club.

Injuries 

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 37 Games - IR - Expected to practice with the team when the current road trip concludes. But there is no timeline for a return to the lineup.
• Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 9 Games - IR
• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 7 Games IR - Out 3-4 months after having knee surgery.
• Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 6 Games - IR - Week-to-week.
• Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 4 Games - Week to week

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 115

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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After falling 4-0 to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to bounce back by taking on the Vancouver Canucks. The British Columbia outfit rolled into two, having lost its last three games in regulation and its last six games if you count extra time, which should have made it easy prey on paper.

Unfortunately for the Habs, the game isn’t played on paper, and no matter how badly a team is doing, there isn’t a single squad in the NHL that will give you the win. If you repeatedly shoot yourself in the foot, there’s not a single team that won’t make life complicated for you, and the Canadiens must have realized that tonight.

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Canadiens: Taking On The Struggling Canucks

A Comedy Of Errors

After 40 minutes, goaltender Jakub Dobes had given up three goals on just 14 shots, giving him a .786 save percentage. While that’s clearly not good enough, it was hard not to feel bad for the masked man since each of those goals came from glaring defensive mistakes.

On the first goal, it was Oliver Kapanen who missed his defensive coverage and wasn’t in a position to make life complicated for Ellias Pettersen as he jumped on a rebound. On the second one, Arber Xhekaj, who had been playing very well since the start of the new year, was under pressure in his own zone with two Canucks hot on his tail. He opted for a no-look backhand pass at the top of the defensive zone, which, of course, became a giveaway and was in the net seconds later. Then, on the third goal, Xhekaj and Kaiden Guhle collided, taking themselves out of the play, and the Canucks had an easy two-on-zero to score easily.

Nobody expects the defensive game to be flawless, but there’s a world of difference between playing a perfect match and making such enormous mistakes. The Canadiens played a much better defensive game in the third period, and Dobes shut the door on the eight shots he faced in the final frame, although he did get some help from his posts a couple of times.

Carrier’s Milestone

Before Monday night’s game, the Habs had a single goal from their blueliner on the power play and Noah Dobson, freshly inserted on the first man advantage unit, added one to that small tally. In the second frame, fellow defenseman Alexandre Carrier scored a pair of goals, which turned out to be his 100th and 101st points in the NHL. The Quebec City native now has five points in his last five games and must really enjoy being paired with Lane Hutson.

Interestingly, in 245 games with the Nashville Predators, the right-shot rearguard had only 69 points, averaging 0.28 points per game. With the Canadiens, he now has 32 points in 97 games, averaging 0.33 points per game, a slight increase.

The Habs now have the second-most productive blueline in the league with 119 points, second only behind the Colorado Avalanche, who had 144 points from their defensemen at the time of writing.

Turning It On In The Final Frame

After making a lot of mistakes through 40 minutes, the Canadiens came out strong in the third frame. It was almost as if the players felt bad for their goaltender and decided to go and get two points for him. After six minutes in the third, the Habs scored three times to take a three-goal lead, which would hold until the end of the game.

It was a strong frame for the second line as the three youngsters scored two of the three goals. In two games against the Canucks this season, the duo of Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov has put up 11 points (five for the Slovak and six for the Russian). They certainly wouldn’t complain if they had to play them more often.

Trop forts ces jeunes-là

Try stopping these kids challenge (impossible)#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Au2ub5A1L4

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 13, 2026

About The Roster

On Monday night, Arber Xhekaj played his worst game since the calendar turned to 2026, and it will be interesting to see if Martin St-Louis decides to replace him with Jayden Struble on Tuesday night in Washington. Will his strong start to the year have bought him a bit of leeway, or will his minus-three rating and juicy giveaway prove fatal? It’s also worth mentioning that Tom Wilson plays for the Caps and is a tough customer.

While Dobes has won four of his last five games, he has received a lot of offensive support, and his stats are not great. On Monday night, he finished the game with a .870 SV, and with Kent Hughes having said the Canadiens wouldn’t keep three goalies around for too long, one can wonder if the Slovak netminder might not be the one to go down. Speaking to the press after the game, Dobes said that he wouldn’t understand if he were sent back down to the Laval Rocket. Asked about that comment during his post-game media availability, the coach said whoever asked Dobes how he would feel if he was sent down had asked a bad question and did not say anything further.

After Monday morning’s practice, the coach said that it was a possibility that Josh Anderson could come back in the lineup on Tuesday night to face the Washington Capitals. If he is, in fact, inserted in the lineup, someone will have to come out. Against the Canucks, the fourth liners were the least-used forwards: Owen Beck spent 11:03 on the ice, Sammy Blais 11:06, and Joe Veleno 12:40.

After the game, the Canadiens took off for Washington, where they’ll join Samuel Montembeault, who had flown earlier to be fresh and ready for Tuesday night’s tilt—a wise move from the Habs who decided to take advantage of having three goaltenders around.

---

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Don’t look now but the Florida Panthers might be picking up some momentum.

After a frustrating start to their season-long six-game road trip, the Panthers have bounce back in a big way, picking up wins in Ottawa and Buffalo over the past few nights.

Monday’s win over the Sabres was particularly noticeable due to the fact that Buffalo had gone 13-1-0 since early December and were the hottest team in the league.

They also hadn’t lost a game on home ice since the day after Thanksgiving.

Now the Panthers get to take a few days off and relax in their own homes (they’re spending the off time in South Florida) as their roadie doesn’t resume until Friday when Florida plays a back-to-back set in Carolina and Washington.

Let’s get to Monday’s takeaways:

GREER GETS GOING

It had been a while since Greer put up three goals and five points in a six-game span back in late November.

We know what the gritty, skilled forward is capable of offensively, but it’s not often that he gets the opportunity to show it off.

Skating on a line with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe this week, Greer took advantage and showed what he can do when playing in a top six role.

The 29-year-old scored two goals in a game for the second time this season while also picking up the game-winner in Monday’s 4-3 win in Buffalo.

“He plays hard,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Our first introduction on day two of training camp a couple years ago, I don't think I've seen a guy work that hard straight through a brutal practice, and he's been doing it every night. Analytically, that line, they just score when they're together. Good for him. I don't know that he’s scored a lot of empty net goals in his career, because he wouldn't have got the opportunity to be out there, but he earned it tonight and deserved to be on the ice.”

STRONG FINAL FRAME

If ever there was a time the Panthers knew they’d be in for a fight for two points, it was during the intermission between the second and third periods on Monday in Buffalo.

The Sabres have turned KeyBank Center into a house or horrors for visiting teams over the past month during their ascent up the Eastern Conference standings.

They also had just tied the game a few minutes before the end of the second period, so both the crowd and the team were buzzing.

All Florida did was hold Buffalo to a single shot through the first 13:05 of the third period, which gave the Panthers an opportunity to apply some pressure of their own.

The Cats controlled puck possession and put up eight shots during that time, eventually taking their third lead of the game, one they would ultimately hold on to, on a goal by Anton Lundell.

“We were good,” Maurice said. “I think we had given up one shot in the first 11 minutes. I don't know when the shot came, but at the nine-minute timeout we'd given up one, so we weren’t sitting back, we weren't just flipping pucks out, we were trying to push the pace, but we were right.”

TWO BIG POINTS

The victory allowed Florida to keep pace in a fast-moving Eastern Conference playoff race.

That’s what will happen when there are so many teams competing for so few spots, so tightly packed together.

As it stands, there are two points separating top Wild Card spot (held by Toronto with 53 points) and the five teams below them, a group that includes the Panthers and their 51 points.

There are only eight points, and all eight non-playoff teams, between Toronto and Columbus, who sits in last place in the conference.

Buffalo is the second Wild Card team, one point ahead of Florida.

So yeah, beating them in regulation was fairly big for the Cats.

“They're huge,” Maurice said of the two points. “But the real takeaway is, I loved the way we played, and I felt the same way in Ottawa and the last two periods in Montreal. With some guys out, I get that, but the guys that were in there, they played hard, and we were on the puck, and we were frustrating to play against. We just played fast, and that's a great place to be at this point of the year, to understand that that's the way we got to play.”

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Photo caption: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate a win over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

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A night that was years in the making unfolded at Little Caesars Arena on Monday evening in downtown Detroit, as the iconic No. 91 jersey of former Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame forward Sergei Fedorov was officially retired and raised to the rafters. 

One of the greatest players in team history, Fedorov endeared himself to the fans of Hockeytown over 13 seasons with the club, during which he scored exactly 400 goals while also playing an integral role in their 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup wins. 

Fedorov, whom the Red Wings selected with the 74th pick in the 1989 NHL Draft and first arrived in Detroit after famously defecting from the Iron Curtain of the soon-to-be-fallen Soviet Union in 1990, began his NHL career under head coach Bryan Murray.

But in 1993, the Red Wings hired Scotty Bowman, who was already regarded as perhaps the greatest coach in the history of the sport. 

Just as he did with Steve Yzerman, Bowman helped Fedorov become a special two-way player who was just as good on the defensive side of the puck as he was offensively. In fact, Bowman sometimes even played Fedorov as a defenseman. 

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

Prior to his official jersey retirement ceremony, Fedorov explained that the greatest lesson that he learned while playing under Bowman was

"First of all, no matter how difficult things are going not your way hockey-wise, Scotty always was calm, leveled, and came to the locker room to talk to use without, if I may say, any panic in his voice," Fedorov said after taking a moment to contemplate. "He just basically addressed the issue in what we have to get better at."

"No matter how bad we lose, no matter how good we played, it was the same manner," Fedorov continued. "Because after a few seasons, when we couldn't get the job done, in other words, to win the Cup, we understood one thing - it was all in our hands."

Under Bowman, the Red Wings reached heights they hadn’t seen in decades, rising to the top of the hockey world three times, including back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.

Before arriving in Detroit, Bowman famously led the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s, winning the Stanley Cup in 1973 and from 1976 through 1979, and later coached the Pittsburgh Penguins to the 1992 Stanley Cup.

He retired after guiding the Red Wings to their third Stanley Cup championship in six years in 2002, his ninth as a head coach, a record that still stands today.

It was that experience that particularly stood out to Fedorov. 

"Scotty was just that kind of person, obviously an experienced person," Fedorov said. "He knew before the game if we were going to win or not, I have no doubt in my mind. Lately, I've analyzed it and come to that conclusion.

"And he was just sort of cool in the sense that he gave so much belief, confidence, and guidance from his demeanor when he came to speak to us - in any situation, bad or good."

While Bowman himself wasn't able to personally attend the ceremony on Monday evening, he was one of several who recorded a special video message as part of the proceedings. 

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The NHL says it will "continue to monitor" the unfinished Winter Olympic hockey venue in Milan but said it was "pleased" with a test event held at the Santagiulia Arena.

Delays in construction and doubts about the quality of the ice had raised concerns about players from North America's National Hockey League, the biggest in the world, taking part in next month's Winter Games for the first time since 2014.

"We expect that the work necessary to address all remaining issues will continue around the clock," said a statement from the NHL and NHL Players' Association after seven games were played in the arena over three days.

"The NHL and NHLPA will continue to monitor the situation, standing ready to consult and advise on the work being done to ensure that the local organising committee, the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world's best players.

"We were pleased that this weekend's event was a good trial run and provided important insight into the current status."

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will take place from 6-22 February, with ice hockey matches split between the new Santagiulia Arena and the existing Milano Rho Arena.

The rink in Milan, approved by the IIHF, is shorter than the minimum requirement in the NHL, leading to suggestions there could be an increase in high-speed collisions.

During the test event, there was a short delay while a small hole in the ice had to be repaired on Friday before the other matches took place without incident.

IIHF president Luc Tardif said "the puck was sliding and not bumping" and believes "there is no reason that the NHL will not come".

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters: "There are still challenges because the building is still under construction and the ice is new.

"We've been assured that, or we expect, that everything that needs to be done on a timely basis will get done.

"But, as you know, it's not our event. We're invited guests. We've offered to help and consult and advise as they feel they need and would be appropriate because we do have a little bit of expertise in that area."

History denied.

The Colorado Avalanche saw their 17-game home winning streak — one shy of tying a franchise record — come to an end Tuesday night at Ball Arena.

How It Unfolded

In overtime, William Nylander stripped Nathan MacKinnon of the puck and, moments later, outraced the Avalanche superstar up ice before finishing the play himself to secure a 4–3 win for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It marked Colorado’s first home loss in more than two months, though a late goal from Martin Nečas ensured the Avalanche still salvaged a point — something they’ve now done in all 22 home games this season.

With Mackenzie Blackwood still sidelined on injured reserve and Scott Wedgewood dealing with a minor issue, Colorado once again turned to Trent Miner. The 24-year-old, fresh off his first NHL victory, delivered another steady performance, but ultimately couldn’t come up with one more save than Joseph Woll at the other end.

88 ➡️ 8 🚨

Martin Necas finds Cale Makar, who rips it upstairs to even the score 🥬 pic.twitter.com/sjGI4aW6Wg

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 13, 2026

It didn’t help that one puck found the Avalanche net off a teammate.

After Woll denied several early looks from Brock Nelson, Toronto opened the scoring when Easton Cowan sent a puck toward the crease and Brent Burns inadvertently redirected it past Miner with his skate. Colorado answered quickly. Five minutes later, Cale Makar tied the game following some excellent work by Nečas along the boards. Nearly two minutes later, the Avalanche took the lead when Nelson scored five seconds into Colorado’s first power play of the night.

From there, the game began to tilt away from the Avalanche.

Colorado went nearly 13 minutes of the second period without registering a shot on goal. Before they could snap the drought, Toronto tied the game by capitalizing on a breakdown between Victor Olofsson and his defensemen. Olofsson attempted a drop pass, but Bobby McMann jumped it, then beat Sam Girard and Ilya Solovyov up the ice to score on a breakaway and even the game.

That space expanded further when Nečas and Laughton went to the box — Laughton for high-sticking and Nečas for holding — setting the stage for four-on-four hockey. Auston Matthews took full advantage, using Josh Manson as a screen before executing a toe drag and ripping a wrist shot top shelf over Miner’s glove, leaving the goaltender no chance.

As they’ve done all season, the Avalanche didn’t fold. Less than three minutes later, Nečas struck again, finishing a perfect feed from MacKinnon to tie the game. Colorado had a late opportunity to take the lead with Matthews in the box, but struggled to gain the zone with possession and failed to generate a look.

Overtime nearly ended in Colorado’s favor when Nečas set up MacKinnon for a one-timer off the rush, but the shot rang off the crossbar and kept the game alive. The miss proved costly. With just over a minute remaining, Nylander stripped MacKinnon once more and finished the play moments later, sealing the win for Toronto.

Despite the loss, the Avalanche moved to 19-0-3 on home ice and maintained their 12-point cushion atop the Central Division.

Next Game

The Avalanche (33-4-8) square off against the Nashville Predators (21-20-4) on Friday. Coverage will begin at 9 p.m. local time in what is certainly a very late start. 

The Los Angeles Kings (19-16-10) went scoreless for the first 40 minutes of the match, but showed a strong response after the early setback, only to fail to clutch up and win the game Monday night. Despite playing great defense with their no offense being cold early on, the Kings still came up short when it mattered most, falling 3-1 at Crypto.com Arena to the Dallas Stars. 

Dallas closed the game out in the clutch when the game was tied 1-1 in the third period, while Los Angeles struggled to convert its chances against Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who finished with 24 saves on the night, consistently denying the Kings shots on ice. 

Final from LA. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/WbBAjRtJh4

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 13, 2026

Early Turnover Leads to Opening Goal

The games opening goal came off a early Kings turnover. Just three minutes into the first period, Wyatt Johnson beat Darcy Kuemper on a rush chance alone after turnover, giving Dallas the early lead. 

From there, the Kings leaned into physical play with their offense being stagnant. The fourth line of Andre Lee, Samuel Helenius, and Taylor Ward brough that Ontario energy to the Kings tonight. It was a great defensive affair from that line, keeping the Kings very much alive for the first two periods of the game, despite their offense not finding any room to score. 

Kings Tilt the Ice 

Los Angeles had a solid second period, bringing a lot of offensive-zone pressure, but was still unable to score a goal. The Kings couldn't find the net with Oettinger under the crease, swatting rebounds and forcing Los Angeles to reset on multiple promising sequences. 

The breakthrough finally came in the third period on the power play. Brandt Clarke kept the puck on the blue line and moved it quickly to Corey Perry, who fed Quinton Byfield for a one-timer that tied the game 1-1. 

The assist from Perry marked his 500th career NHL assist, making him the first player in league history reach that milestone at age 40 or older. It was a deserved award for a power play unit that's been struggling this season to see that kind of achievement happen during the night for Perry. 

Per @NHLPR, Corey Perry is the first player in @NHL history to collect his 500th career assist at age 40 or older. He is also the 29th active skater to reach such mark. pic.twitter.com/nNW1Y2Z4on

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) January 13, 2026

Empty-Netter Seals It

Momentum swung to Dallas with under four minutes remaining when Jason Robertson scored the go-ahead goal that went past Kuemper, giving the Stars a huge momentum swing. The Kings pushed late, generating several looks in the final minutes, but couldn't beat Oettinger again. 

Matt Duchene sealed the game in regulation with an empty-net goal in the final seconds, sending the Kings to their latest loss in a game that followed a similar script. The Kings finished the night with more shots and one power play goal, despite the Stars going blank on the power play. Los Angeles' inability to close out games came back to haunt them, despite winning in the statsheet.

Give credit to Oettinger who proved to be the difference, repeteadly turning aside Los Angeles chances during its strongest pushes, while the Stars capitalized on their oppourtnites at the other end. 

While the Kings' fight showed improvement from their young guys, especially being shorthanded, still without Anze Kopitar or Joel Armia, the results once again showed that the Kings are unable to win games that come down to the clutch. 

Next up, the Kings will host their final two game home stand on Wednesday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. 

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CHICAGO- Ahead of Monday night's matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, news came out that Connor Bedard would not be playing. This has nothing to do with an injury. He came down with the "stomach bug" that the whole team has been dealing with over the last week. 

Colton Dach, who was initially scheduled to be a healthy scratch, ended up drawing into the lineup in Bedard's spot. While Connor Bedard was out with his shoulder trouble, the team started to learn how to play as a team without him. His absence was never going to be an excuse in this matchup. 

In the first period, Connor McDavid ended his career-high point streak to 19 games on a goal that put Edmonton up 1-0. He sent a pass to Evan Bouchard, who centered the puck into the net off of Zach Hyman. That 1-0 score would hold to the end of the first. 

16 seconds into the second period, Evan Bouchard slid one behind Spencer Knight to make it 2-0. Connor McDavid also collected an assist on this goal. That would be the end of scoring in the middle frame. 

In the final frame, it looked like the Oilers were on their way to skating out of Chicago with a shutout victory. However, Tyler Bertuzzi brought some life back into the United Center by scoring his 24th of the season off a Wyatt Kaiser rebound. 

The Blackhawks were unable to do anything with this momentum. Eventually, Bouchard scored his second of the game into the empty net to make it 3-1. That wasn't enough for Edmonton, however, as Leon Draisaitl took advantage of a Wyatt Kaiser turnover in front of the net and made it 4-1 twelve seconds after the empty netter. 

It is difficult enough to beat the Oilers when they have forwards like McDavid and Draisaitl leading the way, but you can't give them easy chances like that and expect good results. 

The score was not indicative of how close the Blackhawks made it in the end, but they don't feel like they played well either. A lot of passes made their way through seams without sticks being properly placed by defenders.

There were also long stretches of time during which Edmonton controlled play and kept Chicago from getting any zone time. Their neutral zone work was a big key to their win. 

Both goaltenders were magnificent in this one. Connor Ingram made 29 saves on 30 shots, while Spencer Knight made 33 saves on 36 shots. 

One positive note about the Blackhawks is their penalty kill. For one, they only gave the Oilers two power plays. Secondly, they didn't give up a goal to the power play that is atop the NHL by a lot. Chicago's penalty kill remains in the top three. 

Teuvo Teravainen left the game after the first period and didn't return. It was thought that he may have gotten the illness as well, but Jeff Blashill confirmed it was an upper-body injury. He did not say he will miss any time beyond this game and that he'll know more on Wednesday. 

With everyone who was sick last week back to start this week at morning skate, it looked like they were going to have a healthy group for this match against the Oilers. Then, Connor Bedard fell ill to throw a wrench in that. Only time will tell if anyone else gets hit before their next practice, which will be on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

big fans of this⬇️🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/KEiY67x1Et

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 13, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday night at the United Center. The other team from Alberta, the Calgary Flames, will be in town. 

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Heading into the summer of 2026, the Pittsburgh Penguins were set to have 13 expiring contracts on the books. 

Well, they have reduced that number to 12.

On Monday, the Penguins inked pending-unrestricted free agent center Blake Lizotte to a three-year contract extension, the team announced. The deal comes in at an average annual value of $2.25 million, which is a raise on Lizotte's current contract that pays him $1.85 million annually. 

The 28-year-old from Lindstrom, Minn. has been a key part of the Penguins' lineup this season, registering five goals and 10 points in 35 games while being a key part of their penalty kill unit as well as a steady defensive presence. The Penguins went 1-8 without Lizotte in the lineup due to an injury during the month of December, and they are 6-2 since his return. 

In general, the Penguins are in a much better spot than most thought they would be in at this point in time. They're just one point out of a playoff spot with at least a game in hand on all but two of the teams above them in the standings, they're 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they have more forward depth this season than they've had in recent memory. 

And Lizotte's signing, even if small on the surface, is the latest in a line of moves that suggest the Penguins may already be in the process of changing gears. 

A few weeks ago - and just after an eight-game losing streak threatened to bury their season before the holiday break - the Penguins made a move to acquire winger Egor Chinkahov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was the first time the Penguins really went out and "bought" a player since the Jake Guentzel trade back in the spring of 2024, spending a 2026 second-round pick as well as a 2027 third - plus forward Danton Heinen - to get the deal across the finish line. 

Penguins Sign Forward To Multi-Year ExtensionThe Penguins are keeping this forward around.

Now, about two weeks later, the Penguins re-sign Lizotte, someone who very easily could have fetched a decent return for them at the trade deadline. Every contending team could use a player like Lizotte in their bottom-six, as he is fast, tenacious, elite defensively, and good on the forecheck. 

Going into the 2025-26 season, the Penguins - by many measures - were supposed to be near the bottom of the standings. With so many pending-UFAs and RFAs - and several more such as Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau, and Arturs Silovs added to the roster in some capacity - it became somewhat apparent that the team was probably hoping to flip some of these players for more assets and draft capital at the trade deadline. 

Well, at least that's what was assumed. Because, even GM and POHO Kyle Dubas said at conclusion of the 2024-25 season that the Penguins making the playoffs in 2025-26 would be "an accomplishment." But, intentionally or not, those very acquisitions, plus a few others, have all helped steer the Penguins toward contention instead of merely performing well while the team is bottoming out. 

The Early Returns For Egor Chinakhov Are Encouraging Egor Chinakhov is fitting in nicely with the Pittsburgh Penguins since they traded for him.

So, perhaps the focus and the narrative has shifted a bit. 18-year-old rookie center Ben Kindel - drafted 11th overall in 2025 - has been a revelation at the NHL level this season and has certainly made an impact far sooner than anyone could have expected. 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke - although recently optioned back to his junior team - also began the season with the NHL club and showed flashes of potential. Rutger McGroarty, Filip Hallander, and Ville Koivunen have also seen a chunk of NHL ice this season between injuries and recalls. And there is more youth on the way.

The Penguins have managed to combine their youth and development movement, their long-tenured veterans, and those offseason acquisitions to foster a competitive team. Or, at least, a more competitive team than folks thought they would be. 

What the Lizotte signing - and the Chinakhov trade - signals is that the Penguins are prioritizing winning hockey games. Of course, signing an effective bottom-six forward for a relatively low cap hit, especially with the cap going up, doesn't seem like a big move on the surface. But the fact that the Penguins, once again, "bought" on a player - one they easily could have sold instead for future capital - says a lot about what their aims are for the rest of the season.

'I'm Lucky To Be Able To Play With Him': Penguins' Rookie Relishes Opportunity To Center All-Time GreatPittsburgh Penguins' rookie Ben Kindel is experiencing a rare opportunity to center an all-time great NHL player in Evgeni Malkin - and he hopes to make the most of it.

This is a better team with Lizotte on it. He helps them win hockey games, and Dubas and the Penguins know this. If asset collection was still the primary focus of this organization, they would not have bought on Chinakhov or extended Lizotte. That doesn't mean that they won't sell off any assets by the trade deadline - depending on where the team is at standings-wise - it just means that they won't sell players for the purpose of selling and collecting as much draft capital as possible.

Pittsburgh already has 15 picks within the first three rounds accumulated for the next three NHL drafts. If they want to, they can recoup more. But, as things stand now, they are clearly focused on winning this season because the team willed it so. And Dubas has rewarded his team's performance with the Chinakhov and Lizotte moves.

Now, we just have to wait and see how the Penguins respond and perform prior to Mar. 6.

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.

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On a night all about honoring Sergei Fedorov, the Detroit Red Wings made sure to end the evening with a flair for the dramatic.

Andrew Copp scored in overtime for the Red Wings, converting on a centering pass from teammate Alex DeBrincat to give his team a 4-3 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena. 

THAT'S ANOTHER #REDWINGS WIN! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/5RGg9UKwbr

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 13, 2026

The Red Wings, who had built up a 3-0 lead through 40 minutes of play, allowed their lead to slip away thanks to a trio of Hurricanes goals in the third period. However, it was Copp who ensured that Detroit kept pace with Carolina for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

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

Before the game, Fedorov's iconic No. 91 jersey number was raised to the rafters in a special ceremony that included several of his former teammates, as well as the Stanley Cup, the Hart Trophy, and the Frank J. Selke Trophy. 

Fedorov's rousing speech in which he thanked Red Wings fans earned multiple standing ovations from the sellout crowd, who continued to bring that energy after the opening puck drop.

James van Riemsdyk continued to be a force for Detroit in front of the net, scoring his 12th goal of the season after burying a rebound past goaltender Frederik Andersen. 

Goals from Alex DeBrincat and Albert Johansson gave the Red Wings a 3-0 lead which they took into the third period, only to watch Carolina fight their way back into the contest. 

They got back to within one goal after tallies from Jackson Blake and Seth Jarvis, and while on a late 5-on-3 power-play chance, former Red Wings defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere knotted the score at 3-3 with a wrist shot past goaltender John Gibson's blocker. 

Ultimately, it would be the Red Wings who earned the extra point thanks to Copp, and they are now tied with them for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Gibson improved to 13-2 in his last 15 total games, making 31 saves. Andersen countered with 14 saves. 

The Red Wings will be back on the ice in less than 24 hours, as they travel to Boston for a tilt against the Bruins. 

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After two consecutive blowout losses, one thing is clear: the Philadelphia Flyers still have a long way to go before thinking themselves part of the NHL's top playoff pack.

The Flyers are, at the time of this writing, still sitting comfortably at 11th in the NHL with their 22-14-8 record and 52 points, but three games--6 points--separate them from as low as 25th in the league.

If the special teams continue to misfire and stall out, as they did against the Tampa Bay Lightning, once again, on Monday night, that free fall becomes a distinct possibility.

The Lightning, on the strength of Brayden Point (knee) and Brandon Hagel, scored on two of their four power play attempts, while the Flyers stumbled to 0-for-2 on the night.

And, not only did the Flyers not score, but they failed to do so at the most inopportune times, considering the context of the game and trailing for all but the first 1:10 of the contest.

It should be noted, too, that the Flyers actually out-hit the Lightning 32-10 on Monday night, which is just proof that you cannot put wrestlers up against sprinters in a race and hope to win.

Top Flyers Prospect Dominating Upon Return from International TournamentWhile the 2026 World Junior Championships went awry in a hurry, this top <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> prospect is taking his revenge out on the NCAA.

Speaking of wrestling, it was encouraging that players like Rodrigo Abols and Nikita Grebenkin threw their weight around all night and then backed it up in their respective fights.

Grebenkin, 22, could have easily backed down as the young, inexperienced player, but instead tussled with the larger, older Max Crozier, took him down, landed some uppercuts, and taunted him after, much to the appreciation of Xfinity Mobile Arena's Pride Night crowd.

Generally, though, the Flyers' frustration with two losses in a row to Tampa Bay--which come at a combined score of 12-3--manifested in more ways than just physically.

Trevor Zegras slammed his stick on the ice and on the bench door multiple times, Travis Konecny was ejected for abuse of the officials, and even Dan Vladar ended up chasing Yanni Gourde around his net at some point.

For the second game in a row, the Lightning were too fast and too good for the Flyers, and the Flyers had no answers for it.

As for someone like Matvei Michkov, who should be a go-to difference-maker in games where the Flyers trail early and often, head coach Rick Tocchet says the 21-year-old is "easily checked" and "looks like he just got stuck in mud sometimes."

The difference between Tocchet and John Tortorella when it comes to handling Michkov is staggering, and it has reflected on the ice and statistically.

'F--king Amazing': Flyers' Trevor Zegras Has Found a Permanent NHL HomeFor all intents and purposes, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> can officially be considered the permanent NHL home of Trevor Zegras, who is enjoying every moment of the new lease on life he's found in his career.

When a franchise-changing talent like Michkov is virtually invisible and made to play in ways that run counter to his skillset, how much of a chance do the Flyers really have in the long run?

A coin flip, according to MoneyPuck, who had the Flyers' playoff chances drop from 57.8% to 51.8% following the regulation loss to Tampa Bay.

Veterans like Sean Couturier and Nick Seeler, who witnessed firsthand the collapse of the 2023-24 season, chalked this one up to consistency and generally not playing well enough, but that cannot be the case in every loss to a good team for the rest of the season.

If it is, well, we have new knowledge about the Flyers and where they are in this rebuild thing.

It's not all doom and gloom yet, but consecutive thrashings at the hands of the Lightning will assuredly teach the Flyers just what it's like to go head-to-head with a top-tier playoff team several games in a row like they would in a series.

These last two games were a gut check for the Flyers and have now established the standard of performance going forward.

The Florida Panthers were looking to build some momentum after a strong win in Ottawa over the weekend.

Florida went into the barn of the hottest team in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres, and picked up a gutty 4-2 victory.

The Panthers got things started early, thanks to an interference penalty on Josh Doan that was drawn by rookie Sandis Vilmanis.

Carrying the puck along the Sabres blue line, Uvis Balinskis sent a flat wrist shot toward the net that was deflected by Sam Reinhart on its way past Colten Ellis just 2:35 into the game.

Buffalo tied the score about midway through the period on a long shot by Jacob Bryson that got past a screened Sergei Bobrovsky, give some life to the fans inside KeyBank Center.

The excitement didn’t last long though thanks to A.J. Greer.

On a rush that started in Florida’s zone, Greer and Sam Bennett played the give-and-go game while going up the ice, with Greer eventually firing a long wrister from the top of the right circle that got past Ellis’ glove to send Florida into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.

The advantage held for Florida until late in the second period.

Tage Thompson sent a hard shot on Bobrovsky from a sharp angle that was stopped by the goaltender, but Zach Benson was able to outwrestle Aaron Ekbald to the loose puck in the crease and slide it over the goal line with 2:03 left in the middle frame.

Florida earned their third lead of the game just past the midway point of the third period.

Anton Lundell fired a backhand shot that Ellis stopped, but he couldn’t control the rebound and Eetu Luostarinen was able to push the puck back to Lundell at the side of the net.

He swept the puck into the net, giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead with 8:53 to go.

An empty-net goal by Greer, his second of the game and ninth of the season, cemented the victory for Florida, their second straight, despite a goal by Buffalo with 12.1 to go.

On to Carolina.

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Photo caption: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

The San Jose Sharks suffered an ugly 7-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 11. Former Sharks forward Tomas Hertl was a major reason for the Golden Knights' blowout win. 

Hertl put together a monster game for the Golden Knights against the Sharks, as he recorded two goals, three assists, and five points during the contest. With this, there is no question that Hertl was on fire against his former club.

Yet, this was only the latest big performance by Hertl, as he has been on a major hot streak as of late. Due to this, he was recently rewarded for it by the NHL. 

The NHL has announced that Hertl is the league's First Star of the Week from Jan. 5 to Jan. 11. When looking at how well the former Sharks star performed, it is very easy to understand why.

Hertl simply dominated during this past week for the Golden Knights, as he recorded three goals, six assists, and nine points in just four games. With numbers like these, it is clear that the former Shark is playing some fantastic hockey right now. 

With his ongoing hot streak, Hertl now has 18 goals, 21 assists, and 39 points in 44 games so far this season with the Golden Knights. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets and GM Don Waddell made a surprise decision to fire head coach Dean Evason on Monday. 

Even though Columbus is about 2,000 miles away from Los Angeles, that doesn't mean Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller can't be affected by the changes within the Blue Jackets organization.

Kings fans have been asking for a Hiller dismissal for months now, and Evason's sacking will only increase the pressure on Hiller's job security.

In their respective conferences, the Kings and Jackets are not in the same place. 

Los Angeles is currently in a playoff position, the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. In the meantime, Columbus is last in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of a playoff berth.

While they seem far apart, they're really not when you look at each team's record and points total so far this season.

Going into their clash with the Dallas Stars, the Kings have a 19-15-10 record with 48 points. In contrast, the worst team in the East has a 19-19-7 record and 45 points. 

Kings Vs Stars Game Preview: Kings Looking To Win Back to Back GamesThe Kings are looking to win back-to-back games after defeating Edmonton in a Shootout on Saturday.

Just three points separate the two teams - the Kings with playoff hopes, and the Blue Jackets with lottery hopes.

If the Blue Jackets believed it was time to make a change behind the bench for performance reasons, how far away are the Kings from thinking the same way?

In addition to the Blue Jackets' position not being far off from the Kings, there's now another NHL bench boss at home waiting to pounce on another opportunity to coach in the league.

Throughout the season, there have been several conversations and rumors about Pete DeBoer filling in if Hiller were ever to get fired.

Why Jim Hiller Is Quietly Sliding Toward The Hot Seat In Los AngelesLess than a year ago, Jim Hiller tied a franchise record for points and had the Kings playing strong night in and night out. The future was looking bright with Hiller and Los Angeles, but a year later, the Kings have one of the worst power plays and are currently out of the playoff picture.

DeBoer has been a successful coach wherever he's gone. He led the Stars to three straight Western Conference finals, as well as another two in tenures with the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights.

Now, Evason, a solid NHL coach, is also available if Los Angeles' brass were interested in making a coaching change. 

Not to mention another coach who has had plenty of playoff success and even a Stanley Cup to his name, Peter Laviolette.

The hot seat under Hiller has just got hotter.

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