The Los Angeles Kings (19-15-10) once proved that they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the league, including the Edmonton Oilers (22-16-7), grinding out a dramatic 4-3 shootout win in Rogers Place after a back-and-forth battle that featured momentum swings and late-game controversy. 

In a matchup that felt like a playoff game, the Kings were resilient on both ends of the floor. Missing their key players tonight, they stopped Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl from threatening to take over the game in the final moments of regulation. 

THAT'S AN LA KINGS DUB#GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/nWa9Jegtpx

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 11, 2026

Perry Strikes In Familiar Territory

Edmonton opened the scoring midway through the second period after an ill-timed Kings turnover left Leon Draisaitl alone in the slot, burying his 22nd goal of the season, reminding everyone why he continues to be one of the elite players in the league. 

But the Kings would respond later in the frame. 

Following the high-sticking penalty called on Darnell Nurse, Corey Perry, returning to Edmonton for the first time since leaving the Oilers, jammed home a rebound on the power play to tie the game 1-1. 

The first period looked evenly matched, both teams trading shots and goals, but the question was: could the Kings keep this pace up, or would they fold the same way they always do against their heated rival? 

Kings Depth Answers

Draisaitl struck again early in the second period, winning a face-off and sprinting into open space before scoring his second goal of the night to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead. 

Once again though the Kings had an answer for the Oilers.

Midway in the period, Andre Lee, the new King, who was recalled from Ontario, capped off a strong transition play, scoring his first goal of the season to tie the lead again, 2-2. 

Despite Edmonton putting more pressure on the ice in the late stages of the period, the Kings escaped out of the intermission with an even game, setting the stage high for a final period in regulation. 

Laferriere Gives Kings the Lead

The Kings finally grabbed their first lead of the night early in the third when Alex Laferriere diverted a Brandt Clarke shot to give Los Angeles its first lead. 

The Oilers didn't go away though. 

With Andrei Kuzmenko already in the box after serving a high-sticking penalty, Adrian Kempe was whistled for slashing, giving Edmonton a brief 5-on-3. A few seconds later, McDavid snapped a wrist shot to score his first goal of the game, tying the game 3-3 and reigniting the building.

Forbserg Slams the Door in OT and Shootout

Overtime belonged to Anton Forsberg, who turned aside multiple high chances of the Oilers scoring, especially from McDavid and Draisatil who had a lot of open shots to win the game, but Forsberg countered them. 

In the shootout, Adrian Kempe delivered the decisive goal to win the game, while Forsberg denied all of Edmonton's shots to seal the game. 

SHUT. 'EM. DOWN. pic.twitter.com/12wwKundrP

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 11, 2026

Final Takeaway

A couple of things to note: Los Angeles was good on the power play tonight, finishing 1/2, and it was the first power-play goal in over a week, a game they also won against Minnesota last Saturday.

Los Angeles also outshot the Oilers 30-24, but struggled with turnovers, giving the puck away 19 times, which is why the game came down to the wire, despite the Kings getting more shots up. But it was still a great quality win for a shorthanded Los Angeles team, coming off a terrible loss to the Winnipeg Jets last night, with no rest, against a fully rested Oilers team and one of the best offenses in the NHL. 

Up next, Los Angeles will begin their three-game home stand against the Dallas Stars on Monday, Jan. 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET, a team that will look to get revenge on after losing on their home ice last month. 

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The Nashville Predators (20-20-4) ran into a historic performance in goal Tuesday night, falling to the Chicago Blackhawks (19-19-7) at home.

Blackhawks rookie goaltender Drew Commesso recorded a shutout in his first NHL victory.

Commesso stopped every shot he faced to become the fourth goaltender in Blackhawks franchise history to post a shutout in his first career win, joining Corey Crawford, Craig Anderson, and Paul Goodman.

It was a 36-save shutout.

The Predators generated offensive-zone time and had some pressure throughout the night but were unable to convert against a goaltender who grew more confident as the game progressed.

Nashville created chances at five-on-five and around the net, but failed to find a breakthrough as Chicago played from ahead. According to MoneyPuck.com, the Predators had 4.38 expected goals.

“We came out in our first eight minutes or so, and I liked our game…and then we got really sloppy with the puck,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said postgame. “Our execution was fairly poor by our standards, and it didn't allow us to get to our game. We pushed a little bit at the end, but I think the whole game, I'm not sure if we thought it'd be a little bit easier than it was. Then we got frustrated with it and seemed to compound, which we haven't done that often. Regardless, we weren't sharp. They were the better team for most of the game.”

The Predators will finish the weekend back-to-back with the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Simon Holmstrom scored his second goal of the game 1:34 into overtime and the New York Islanders beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas also scored for the Islanders, who improved to 3-0-1 in their last four games. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves, including 17 in a scoreless third period.

Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov and Ben Jones scored for Minnesota in its third loss in four games (1-1-2). Quinn Hughes assisted on all three Wild goals and Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots.

In the extra period, Holmstrom circled into the slot and fired a backhander that beat Gustavsson to give the Islanders the win.

Minnesota took a one-goal lead three times in the first two periods, including Jones’ first NHL goal to open the scoring early in the first. But the Islanders answered each time to even the score.

Cizikas scored a short-handed goal to tie it 3-3 late in the second period, completing a 2-on-1 rush with Holmstrom by slipping the puck between Gustavsson’s pads.

The Wild were playing their first home game since Dec. 23. They went 4-1-2 on a seven-game road swing that coincided with the Twin Cities hosting the World Juniors Championships.

Up next

Islanders: At Winnipeg on Tuesday.

Wild: Host New Jersey on Monday.

On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks paid a visit to the Nashville Predators. This comes one night after suffering a 5-1 loss at home to the Washington Capitals. The “stomach bug” caused all sorts of problems for them. 

The bug impacted their lineup on Saturday, too, as Louis Crevier, Colton Dach, Sam Lafferty, Arvid Soderblom, and Spencer Knight were all still missing. Ilya Mikheyev was able to return from his illness. 

The Blackhawks called up Stanislav Berezhnoy to be the backup goaltender, and they gave the start to Drew Commesso. Commesso started in the loss to Washington, but Jeff Blashill went right back to him on no rest. 

That decision worked out for the team, as Commesso earned his first career NHL win. In the process, he also earned his first career NHL shutout with a score of 3-0. Commesso is the first Blackhawks goaltender since Corey Crawford to earn his first win in the form of a shutout. 

This wasn’t a game that the Blackhawks played incredible shutdown defense to help Commesso to a shutout, either. The Predators took 36 shots on goal, and he saved them all. 

Tyler Bertuzzi, Nick Lardis, and Ryan Greene scored the goals for Chicago. Connor Bedard, who was only playing in his second game back from injury, was excellent again. He had two primary assists in the win. 

The Blackhawks are now winners of five games out of six. They are also 6-2-1 since the holiday break ended. This level of success has them back in the Western Conference playoff race once again, which felt impossible a month ago. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

another power play goal from #⃣5⃣9⃣✅ pic.twitter.com/iKZIN5QbWl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 11, 2026

the kids are alright😌 pic.twitter.com/d6Ewg13GID

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 11, 2026

Unselfish play by Tyler Bertuzzi to give the empty-netter to Ryan Greene, who snaps a 19-game goal drought. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/NFum98SMyB

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 11, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Monday night when they take on the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center. This will be Connor McDavid’s first visit to Chicago this season. This kicks off four straight at home for Chicago. 

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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The final score tells the truth without offering much nuance. The details, as always, matter more.

The Philadelphia Flyers' 7–2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was their second defeat in as many meetings this season against a team operating at a very specific, very unforgiving level right now. The Flyers will get one more chance to adjust when the season series concludes Monday, but Saturday’s game made clear how quickly the game slip away when structure slips against a team that thrives on pace, precision, and punishment.

---

1. This Was Not Purely a Goaltending Loss, Even If the Goaltender Wore It.

Sam Ersson had a difficult night. The goals came in waves, the building grew restless, and the optics were unkind. But inside the Flyers’ room, there was little appetite for assigning blame to the goaltender alone. 

Tampa Bay scored by stretching the ice east-west, attacking seams before coverage could reset, and forcing Ersson into repeated lateral reads with traffic collapsing the crease. Those are high-danger looks even when executed imperfectly; Tampa executed them cleanly.

Ersson’s teammates recognized it immediately. Players went to him during the game to offer encouragement. Postgame, the decision not to make him available was organizational.

Sam Ersson was requested for postgame, but didn’t end up talking to the media. Flyers PR said it was a team decision to not make him available.

— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) January 11, 2026

“We’ve gotta be better in front of him,” Owen Tippett said postgame. “Those are tough games to play… I don’t know if the sarcastic cheers are really appreciated, but we’ve gotta do a better job in front of him.”

Garnet Hathaway echoed that sentiment, revealing that his message to Ersson was to “keep his head up. I don’t think we played as defensively sound as we needed to. We’re a very offensive-minded team, and that’s not on him. He’s played great all year. So forget it; put it in the past.”

Owen Tippett and Sean Couturier said the Flyers have to be better in front of Sam Ersson. Tippett said the sarcastic cheers weren’t appreciated. Several Flyers players went to Ersson during the game to give some encouragement.

— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) January 11, 2026

Rick Tocchet, meanwhile, struck a balance between accountability and protection.

“He’s struggling a little bit; you can tell a little bit,” Tocchet said. “You’re gonna have tough nights. If you have an NHL career, sometimes you’re gonna be in the mud, and you’ve gotta get yourself out of it. You’ve gotta work harder, you’ve gotta analyze things—not just [Ersson], anybody.”

Then, pointedly: “We’ve gotta work with him; we’ve gotta help him out, too—whatever we have to do to help him, mental or physical.”

This was a team loss. Ersson absorbed it because goaltenders always do, but the breakdowns began well before the puck reached him.

---

2. Tampa’s East-West Game Exposed Every Half-Second of Hesitation.

There are teams that beat you by volume. Tampa Bay beats you by speed of decision.

The Lightning punished the Flyers with an unrelenting east-west attack that forced defensive switches, pulled coverage out of shape, and turned small delays into open ice. Once Tampa established rhythm, Philadelphia struggled to disrupt passing lanes early enough to prevent those sequences from forming.

That's not to say the Flyers were completely silent. They had moments—stretches where they generated chances, forced Andrei Vasilevskiy into difficult saves, and even tilted the ice briefly. But against a team this sharp, those windows close quickly.

Rick Tocchet’s assessment was that he "didn’t mind half the game. You’re gonna have those kinds of games, but we do need some better efforts. A couple of our guys that we count on to score turned the pucks over a little too much. You can’t play that way.”

---

3. The Flyers Generated Chances—They Just Didn’t Finish Them.

One of the more frustrating aspects of the loss was that it wasn’t devoid of offensive opportunity. The Flyers scored twice—Garnet Hathaway’s first goal of the season and Owen Tippett’s power-play marker, his 14th—but they left several other chances on the table.

Christian Dvorak extended his point streak to three games with an assist, while Noah Juulsen and Rodrigo Abols also contributed helpers. The offense existed, and noticeably so, but the execution did not.

Some of that credit belongs to Vasilevskiy, who was calm, square, and efficient. Some of it belongs to Tampa’s ability to recover defensively after initial breakdowns. And some of it falls on Philadelphia’s inability to capitalize when the game was still within reach.

---

4. This Game Was a "Learning Lesson."

The Flyers will play Tampa Bay again on Jan. 12, and both players and coach highlighted the importance of having short memories and taking this game as a learning opportunity so they can be better against the Lightning next time around.

“Everybody’s tired of hearing it, but it’s a learning lesson,” Tocchet said. “You learn, you apply it, and be better, which our team has done.”

What matters now is not how they felt leaving the ice, but what they retain from it—about puck management, defensive spacing, and how quickly games can get away from you when structure slips.

The Flyers didn’t lose because they stopped trying. They lost because Tampa never took their foot off the gas. That distinction is uncomfortable, but can be ultimately useful with such a quick turnaround. 

The St. Louis Blues lost defenseman Philip Broberg early in the first period against the Vegas Golden Knights with an upper-body injury.

The 24-year-old, who signed a six-year, $48 extension earlier in the day on Saturday, was checked along the defensive zone boards by Vegas captain Mark Stone, who used his left left to make sure Broberg upended and land on his backside and back of his head.

Broberg was slow to get up but wound up skating off and slowly walking down to the team's locker room; he played 55 seconds and had an assist on a goal by Robert Thomas 53 seconds into the game that gave the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Broberg, who has two goals and 12 assists in 46 games this season, has averaged a career-high 23:18 time on ice per game. He was selected to Sweden's Winter Olympic hockey team last week.

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The Detroit Red Wings made sure that their second meeting of the season against the Montreal Canadiens had a far happier ending than the first. 

The Red Wings put together one of the most complete road efforts of their centennial campaign, defeating the Canadiens by a 4-0 final score at Bell Centre in what was a complete reversal of Montreal's 5-1 win in Detroit on Oct. 9. 

SATURDAY SHUTOUT IN MONTREAL pic.twitter.com/ODoJ1aQsIu

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 11, 2026

Goaltender John Gibson, who has been nothing short of clutch for the Red Wings since the start of December, picked up his third shutout of the season and 27th of his NHL career. 

With the victory, the Red Wings have taken sole possession of the top spot in the tightly-packed Atlantic Division. 

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

After a scoreless first period, the Red Wings opened the scoring when Lucas Raymond buried his third goal in as many games. He capitalized on a fortunate bounce as the puck deflected off the stanchion and popped out in front of the vacated Montreal net while goaltender Jacob Fowler had gone behind the goal to play the puck. 

The lead was then increased to 2-0 after a power-play goal by Dylan Larkin just seconds after the face-off in Montreal's zone. 

Alex DeBrincat put the game out of reach in the third period with his 23rd goal of the campaign, while Andrew Copp put the finishing touches on the scoring with an empty-net tally late in regulation. 

Several of Gibson's 27 saves were on high-danger chances for the Canadiens, who were often left frustrated after he turned aside everything they threw at him. 

The Red Wings will return home to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, before which the franchise will officially retire Sergei Fedorov's iconic No. 91 and raise a banner to the rafters at Little Caesars Arena. 

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Battered, bruised and struggling, the Florida Panthers arrived in Canada’s capital city on Saturday badly needing a victory.

Thanks to a strong outing by Florida’s special teams units, the Panthers were able to take down the Ottawa Senators 3-2 and pick up a crucial two points.

An early power play for the home team would prove beneficial.

Fabian Zetterlund scored a sharp angle goal that Sergei Bobrovsky would want to have back just one second after the penalty to Evan Rodrigues ended, giving Ottawa a 1-0 lead at the 4:03 mark of the opening period.

Later in the period, Florida was able to take advantage after receiving a power play of their own.

With Artum Zub in the penalty box for high-sticking Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues corralled the puck in the slot, waited for a lane to open and wired a shot past Leevi Merilainen to knot the score at one with 8:26 left in the first.

Florida’s power play wasn’t done there.

Later in the period, with Thomas Chabot in the box for roughing Mackie Samoskevich, Gus Forsling slid a cross-zone pass to Carter Verhaeghe, and his long wrist shot went off the far post and into the net, sending the Panthers into the second intermission with a 2-1 lead.

Forsling wasn’t done with just a primary assist, though.

Under four minutes into the third period, Forsling took a pass from his defensive partner Aaron Ekblad just inside the blue line, took a few strides toward the net and blasted a slapshot over the glove of Merilainen to give Florida a 3-1 lead 3:28 into the final frame.

It proved to be an important goal, as Claude Giroux scored with 1:42 on the clock and Merilainen on the bench, but that’s as close as the Senators would get.

Florida finished the game with goals on two of their four power plays while going a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

On to Buffalo.

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Photo caption: Jan 10, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save on a shot from Ottawa Senators right wing Michael Amadio (22) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)

The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they have assigned defenseman Riley Stillman to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. 

Stillman was called up to the Oilers' roster last month after starting the season with the Condors. In four games with the Oilers so far this campaign, the left-shot defenseman has recorded zero points, four blocks, seven hits, and a plus-1 rating. 

Now, after being sent back down to the Condors' roster, Stillman will once again be an important part of the AHL club's blueline. In 22 games with the Condors so far this season, Stillman has posted two goals, five assists, seven points, and 41 penalty minutes. 

In 167 career NHL games over seven seasons split between the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and Oilers, Stillman has recorded four goals, 22 assists, 26 points, 111 penalty minutes, 202 blocks, and 333 hits. 

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have called up goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy from their American Hockey League (AHL) affliate, the Rockford IceHogs. 

With goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom both sidelined with the flu, the Blackhawks needed another goalie on their roster. As a result of this, Berezhnoy has now landed his first call-up to the NHL.

Berezhnoy is currently in his first professional season in North America after signing with the Blackhawks this past off-season. In nine games this season with the IceHogs, he has recorded a 4-4-1 record, a 3.23 goals-against average, and a .889 save percentage. 

In 13 games with SKA Neva of the VHL this past season, he had a 6-3-1 record, a .931 save percentage, and a 2.49 goals-against average. He also played one game for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL in 2024-25. 

hi Stanislav👋

📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/sKaT6Irftypic.twitter.com/AtoBZGdRni

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 10, 2026

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard is getting another opportunity in the NHL.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have recalled Harvey-Pinard from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Harvey-Pinard became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this past off-season after the Canadiens elected not to tender him a qualifying offer. From there, he signed a one-year contract with the Penguins for the 2025-26 season. 

Since signing with Pittsburgh, Harvey-Pinard has only played in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Yet, after landing this call-up from Pittsburgh, that now has the potential to change for the former Canadiens forward. 

In 32 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Harvey-Pinard has posted seven goals, six assists, 13 points, 27 penalty minutes, and a plus-8 rating. 

Harvey-Pinard was selected by the Canadiens with the 201st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. In 84 games over four seasons with the Habs, he recorded 17 goals, 14 assists, 31 points, 106 blocks, 117 hits, and a plus-3 rating. 

Harvey-Pinard's best season with Montreal was in 2022-23 when he set career highs with 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games. 

The Colorado Avalanche, coming off a monumental 8-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, are now facing off against the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time this season. It was another complete domination of a game from the Avalanche, all while Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas were held without a point. The depth of this team showed up big time, all while Trent Miner helped secure the 4-0 shutout win.

Period 1:

Kirill Marchenko is called for high-sticking just over 10 minutes into the period, but the Blue Jackets kill it off. Brent Burns opens the scoring and his 7th of the season as he finds the loose puck off a rebound chance and buries it to open the scoring, 1-0. Gavin Brindley with a nice burst to create the scoring chance, and Ross Colton will pick up his 4th assist in 4 periods.

If at first you don't succeed, try again. Until it works actually. pic.twitter.com/hHIwomb0C0

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 10, 2026

Parker Kelly finds Victor Olofsson after battling in the corner for the puck, who then buries it with a nifty backhand shot, making it 2-0. This finally breaks a long 12-game pointless drought for Olofsson.

Period 2:

Just over 10 minutes into the second period, Parker Kelly, once again with great vision, sends a cross-ice pass to Ilya Solovyov coming into the offensive zone, who steps up and rifles a wrist shot, making it 3-0. This goal is Solovyov’s first career NHL goal and his third point in three games.

MacKinnon and Olofsson are called for hooking, but the Avalanche kill off both penalties with their league-best penalty kill.

Period 3:

Adam Fantilli is called for a delay of game as he sends the puck over the glass, but the Avalanche can’t capitalize on the power play. It’s Burns again who doubles up in the game with a shot from the blue line that deflects off Brendan Gaunce and in to make it 4-0.

With this two-goal game, he joins Tim Horton, Zdeno Chara, and Nicklas Lidstrom as the fourth defenseman over 40 years old to record a multi-goal game. The Avalanche hold on to win 4-0, earning Trent Miner his first career NHL win and shutout.

The Avalanche are back in action on Mon, Jan. 12, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

---

Gasping and Wheezing: Nelson’s Performance Silences Team USA DoubtersBrock Nelson has erased any doubt about whether or not he deserved an Olympic spot in Milan.

The Calgary Flames found their footing again on Saturday in Pittsburgh, edging the Penguins 2–1 to put an end to their recent losing streak.

Devin Cooley got the nod between the pipes for Calgary and delivered a steady performance as the Flames leaned on timely scoring and disciplined defending to secure the win.

Calgary struck first in the opening period thanks to Connor Zary, who continues to heat up offensively. Zary jumped on an early breakaway and calmly beat Arturs Šilovs to open the scoring, marking his eighth goal of the season. The Flames carried a 1–0 lead into the first intermission.

Pittsburgh pushed back in the second. Sidney Crosby intercepted a puck in the neutral zone and quickly transitioned the Penguins into a 2-on-1 rush. Evgeni Malkin fed Egor Chinakhov, who wired a one-timer past Cooley to knot the game at one. The teams remained deadlocked after 40 minutes with shots even at 15 apiece.

The decisive moment came early in the third. Just 42 seconds in, Matt Coronato walked the puck into the offensive zone, froze the defender with a fake, cut into the slot, and snapped a quick release past Šilovs to restore Calgary’s lead. Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson earned the assists on what would stand as the game-winning goal.

The Penguins thought they had tied the game midway through the period, but a successful goalie interference challenge wiped the goal off the board, preserving Calgary’s one-goal advantage the rest of the way.

Three Takeaways

1. Zary finding his rhythm

Connor Zary is starting to look like himself again. With four goals and one assist over his last seven games, he is making sharper reads, attacking the net with purpose, and skating with noticeable confidence — a positive trend for Calgary’s offence.

2. Stromgren seizes his opportunity

With Blake Coleman sidelined after exiting the previous game, William Strömgren re-entered the lineup for just his second NHL appearance. The young forward showed poise, flashed skill, and generated chances with his skating, making the most of his opportunity.

3. Fast starts made the difference

Both Flames goals came quickly — one early in the first period and the game-winner less than a minute into the third. Those quick strikes set the tone and proved crucial for a team looking to halt a skid. Strong starts were exactly what Calgary needed, and they delivered when it mattered

DENVER —  In his 28th career NHL game, Ilya Solovyov scored his first career NHL goal as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, a milestone moment years in the making.

The play developed moments after Columbus was turned aside by Avalanche goaltender Trent Miner. Veteran defenseman Brent Burns jump-started the transition by moving the puck to Victor Olofsson, who carried it cleanly through the neutral zone before dropping it back to Parker Kelly. Kelly lifted his head and spotted Solovyov streaking down the left wing. Solovyov took the pass in stride, walked it in, and snapped a wrist shot past Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzļikins to open his NHL scoring account.

The emotion was immediate and unmistakable. Seconds after the puck hit the back of the net, Solovyov thrust his fist into the air, kicked his right skate upward, and let out a jubilant scream before leaping into Burns’ arms. Teammates quickly surrounded him, with Jack Drury, Cale Makar, and others joining the celebration to congratulate their teammate on the long-awaited moment.

FIRST NHL GOAL FOR ILYA SOLOVYOV 🚨 pic.twitter.com/2D7QAxsNvA

— NHL (@NHL) January 10, 2026

Even as we entered the locker room for the postgame session, Solovyov remained all smiles, still soaking in what was undoubtedly the greatest night of his professional career to that point.

Solovyov Overcomes Struggles

Solovyov’s journey to his first NHL goal has been anything but easy. The 25-year-old defenseman was claimed off waivers by the Avalanche from the Calgary Flames on October 3, but initially struggled to carve out a consistent role in Colorado’s lineup. He appeared in nine games before enduring a stretch of 18 consecutive games as a healthy scratch, eventually earning a conditioning stint with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.

What stood out during that challenging stretch was Solovyov’s persistence. He remained committed to his development, frequently staying late after practices to work with Avalanche skills coach Mark Popovic. While he wasn’t drawing headlines or spotlight attention like some of the team’s star players, his dedication and work ethic never wavered.

Before joining the Avalanche, Solovyov spent the majority of the past four seasons in the AHL with Stockton and Calgary in the Flames’ system. Selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-3 left-shot defenseman established himself as a reliable, two-way depth option. He recorded 69 points and a plus-33 rating in 229 AHL games and also gained NHL experience, appearing in 15 games with Calgary over the previous two seasons.

Now, Solovyov has reached a personal pinnacle: scoring a goal in the National Hockey League. It’s a moment that validates years of perseverance, patience, and hard work—and perhaps the first step toward turning this breakthrough into a long and productive NHL career.

The Philadelphia Flyers still have one of the worst, most ineffective power plays in the NHL, but they can get the boost they've been looking for by taking advantage of another team's plight.

Among the Flyers' most consistent issues on the man advantage has been the quarterback, or lack thereof; players like Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Egor Zamula, Jamie Drysdale, and Rasmus Ristolainen have all run units to varying degrees of success.

But, that position has been a revolving door for a reason. Inconsistency and a lack of results just perpetuate the issue, and the Flyers have no defense prospects in the system capable of alleviating it.

So, if there are no youngsters or in-house solutions available, what's the next step? That's going to be a trade.

On Saturday, the New Jersey Devils and head coach Sheldon Keefe made the move to bench star defenseman Dougie Hamilton in favor of the now-healthy Johnathan Kovacevic, who is expected to make his season debut after successfully recovering from knee surgery.

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Hamilton, 32, has now, evidently, fallen behind Kovacevic, Brett Pesce, and Simon Nemec in the pecking order, but his agent, J.P. Barry, has fired back at the Devils for this.

Barry told TSN's Pierre LeBrun that the Devils are making this decision based on business and not Hamilton's performance, and even went as far to say that he and the player will be flexible to facilitate a trade outside the 10-team trade list.

Hamilton and his $9 million cap hit can only be traded to a third of the NHL for the remaining three seasons, including this one, on his contract, which makes things prohibitive for both sides.

It's unclear if the Flyers are on or off Hamilton's trade list, but there should be some interest coming from Philadelphia regardless.

At the time of this writing, the Flyers find themselves sitting pretty at ninth in the NHL standings.

Rasmus Ristolainen just returned from injury, Trevor Zegras and Dan Vladar look like studs, and Matvei Michkov is due for some positive scoring regression at some point.

If the Flyers want to make a move that should benefit them now and in the near future, why not move for Hamilton?

The 6-foot-6 defenseman has 28 power play points in his last 124 games despite losing his featured role to Devils teammate Luke Hughes, and Hamilton is just two injury-marred seasons removed from a career year that saw him explode for 22 goals, 74 points, and 28 power play points in 82 games.

The Flyers, who already have Ristolainen, York, and Sanheim, will not need to force-feed the offensively-oriented Hamilton minutes at 5-on-5, but they can give him as much ice time as he wants on the power play.

At 32, Hamilton wouldn't have to move himself too far away by going from Newark to Philadelphia, and he would still have the opportunity to lead and play on a competitive young team.

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The Flyers' $13.6 million in cap space is more than plenty to facilitate such a trade, and they'd have to give up little assets to pull it off considering that the Devils, in their financial situation, are at the mercy of the Flyers and other inquiring teams.

Through 42 games, the Flyers have scored just 18 power play goals, which ranks 31st in the NHL. Their overall conversion rate of 15% is equally bad and seats them 30th in the league, and that cannot remain if the Flyers are to truly push for the playoffs and then compete in the playoffs.

Buying low on Hamilton allows them to address a general need for depth on defense while giving a player with the firepower they need some motivation and a fresh start.