Category: NHL

Ahead of their game against the Edmonton Oilers, the New York Islanders have made some changes to their power play. 

The Rematch: Islanders' Matthew Schaefer vs. Edmonton's McDavid & Draisaitl — Part 2Rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer faces McDavid and Draisaitl again, minutes and stakes higher. Can he prove his growth against hockey's elite?

After going 0-for-6 for the first three games of their seven-game road trip, power-play coach Ray Bennett has elected to play Simon Holmstrom on the top unit, moving the struggling Jonathan Drouin to the second unit. 

#Isles PP this morning.

PP1
Schaefer
Barzal-Holmstrom-Heineman
Ritchie

PP2
DeAngelo
Drouin-Duclair-Shabanov
Lee

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) January 15, 2026

This change did happen late in their 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, I believe. 

Holmstrom has been playing at the top of his game as of late, with four goals and one assist over his last four games. Drouin, who signed a two-year deal this summer worth $4 million annually, has gone 23 games without a goal. He has six assists over that span.

The Islanders' power play sits last in the NHL at 15.2 percent. They've been, more or less, able to overcome the man-advantage issues this season thanks to strong defense and tremendous goaltending, both of which have played a part in their penalty-kill bounce-back.

We'll see if Holmstrom can take advantage of his elevated power-play role.

Puck drop between the Islanders and Oilers comes your way at 9 PM ET. 

The Battle of Pennsylvania will shift to Pittsburgh on Thursday night, after the two previous meetings were held in Philadelphia. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers split those two games, with the Penguins winning the most recent one 5-1 on Dec. 1. It was one of the Penguins' most complete games of the season. 

Philadelphia comes into this game on a four-game losing streak, having also just played in Buffalo on Wednesday. The Flyers lost 5-2 and also saw starting goaltender Dan Vladar leave early with an injury. 

One of Samuel Ersson or Aleksei Kolosov will start in the net for the Flyers on Thursday.

Trevor Zegras continues to have a great first season with the Flyers, compiling 18 goals and 42 points in 45 games. He's also annoyed the Penguins in both of the teams' previous games this year, reigniting the rivalry a bit. 

Travis Konecny has also been good, racking up 14 goals and 39 points in 44 games. Owen Tippett is second on the team in goals with 15 and has 28 points. 

This is a massive game in the standings, as the two teams are tied with 52 points and just outside the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. A regulation win gets the winning team up to 54 points.

The Penguins are expected to roll with the same lines that they had during Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defense

Kulak-Letang

Wotherspoon-St. Ivany

Shea-Clifton

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Stuart Skinner will start in goal for the Penguins after having the night off on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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Managing the salary cap is one of the most difficult challenges in building a Stanley Cup contender. Championship teams often rely on a mix of stars who outperform their contracts, savvy long term extensions signed at the right time, or in rare cases, young difference makers producing well above the value of their entry level deals.

The Detroit Red Wings currently find themselves in that rare third category.

Detroit has benefited this season from two 20-year-old rookies who are not only regular contributors, but trusted players in key roles. Forward Emmitt Finnie and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have provided meaningful production while costing the organization less than a combined $1.8 million through the 2027-28 season.

Finnie has spent much of the season on Detroit’s first line, an uncommon responsibility for a rookie. Through 48 games, he has nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points and remains on pace for more than 30 points in his first NHL season. Despite a recent scoring dry spell, projections suggest Finnie could finish in the 40 to 45 point range, which would be a strong total for a 20-year-old adjusting to the NHL.

On the blue line, Sandin Pellikka has been equally impressive. The rookie defenseman has shown poise beyond his years, making confident plays with the puck and contributing offensively at a steady rate. He has recorded five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 48 games, placing him on pace for roughly 30 points. That level of production is exceptional for a first year defenseman and adds another layer of depth scoring to the Red Wings defense.

ASP! ASP! 🤩

Axel Sandin-Pellikka does it himself to tie it for the @DetroitRedWings! pic.twitter.com/ipI0tNLvyq

— NHL (@NHL) December 17, 2025

Individually, neither stat line jumps off the page as a Stanley Cup defining performance. Collectively, however, the value of their contracts tells a different story.

Detroit’s ability to receive consistent, night to night contributions from two young players at such a low cap hit provides critical flexibility. If the Red Wings reach the playoffs this season but fall short of a deep run, that flexibility could become even more important moving forward.

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

Maintaining a competitive roster while holding significant cap space allows general manager Steve Yzerman to be aggressive, whether through free agency or at the trade deadline.

That financial freedom could position Detroit to pursue a high impact star such as Artemi Panarin or another marquee player should the opportunity arise. More importantly, it allows the organization to supplement its core without sacrificing long term stability.

As the Red Wings continue their progression toward becoming a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, Finnie and Sandin Pellikka’s entry level contracts may be remembered as quiet but crucial advantages.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are set to take on the Calgary Flames at the United Center. Despite losing to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, the Blackhawks come in with some recent success. At 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, they have found a way to stay afloat in the Western Conference. 

Chicago was forced to play without Connor Bedard again on Monday. He was out with the “stomach bug” that has terrorized the Blackhawks' dressing room. He should be good to go for this match, however, as he had a full participation in practice on Wednesday and morning skate on Thursday. 

This will be the Blackhawks’ third and final meeting with the Flames this season. The first two, one in each city, were won by the Blackhawks by a combined score of 9-2. 

Scouting Calgary

The Calgary Flames appeared to be pulling themselves out of the league’s cellar, but they are right back down after going 4-6-0 in their last 10. At 30th place in the league, the trade deadline and draft lottery are likely at the top of the organization’s mind. 

Huberdeau-Kadri-Farabee

Sharangovich-Backlund-Coronato

Zary-Frost-Klapka

Lomberg-Kirkland-Stromgren

Bahl-Andersson

Kuznetsov-Weegar

Hanley-Pachal

Wolf 

Cooley

There will be some changes coming to the Flames over the next month, but for now, the Blackhawks must check hard against guys like Nazem Kadri, Joel Farabee, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mikael Backlund. 

If it ends up being Dustin Wolf in net for Calgary, he's the type of goalie that can steal games, so the Blackhawks need net-front attacking, good shot selection, and awareness with the puck when in the offensive zone. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the other team from Alberta by a score of 4-1 on Monday. 2 goals in 12 seconds with under two minutes remaining (the first was an empty netter) made the score look worse than the game was for Chicago, but a bounce-back is on their radar in this one. 

Getting Bedard back will obviously boost the lineup, but they will be without Teuvo Teravainen for at least one game. He is out with an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated after this match. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky

Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev

Donato-Moore-Lardis

Dach-Foligno-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Levshunov

Grzelcyk-Murphy

Knight

Spencer Knight was in the starter's crease for Chicago. He will play against the Flames after a strong showing against the Oilers earlier in the week. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found locally on CHSN. The puck will drop shortly after 7:30 PM CT. 

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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It’s been 14 years since the Buffalo Sabres made the playoffs in the spring of 2011, and it’s been even longer since they won a playoff series, all the way back in 2007. Since then, Buffalo has been the butt of all jokes and often used as a stopgap by good players before they went out to win championships elsewhere. Think about Ryan O’Reilly or Jack Eichel, for instance. However, this season could be different. Buffalo finished 2025 and started 2026 with a 10-game winning streak and has now won 14 of their last 16 games. With 54 points, Lindy Ruff’s men are in the first wildcard spot, just ahead of the Boston Bruins, on whom they have two games in hand.

The Montreal Canadiens have won their last five games against the Sabres and eight of the previous 10 duels between the two sides, but given Buffalo’s recent results, it feels like this is going to be a completely different game. The Sabres are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, while the Canadiens are 6-2-2.

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Neither side has confirmed its starter yet, and given Samuel Montembeault’s fantastic performance on Tuesday night in Washington in the 3-2 overtime loss, one can wonder if he might have earned the right to start two games in a row despite the loss. When Montreal won the first duel of the season in October, Jakub Dobes was in the net and posted a .938 save percentage, stopping 30 of the 32 shots he faced. The Czech netminder has a 2-0-0 record against Buffalo with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .930 SV. Meanwhile, Montembeault has a 5-5-0 record with a 3.04 GAA and a .905 SV. As for Jacob Fowler, he has never faced the hosts, but if Martin St-Louis chooses the alternate goalies, it would be the youngster’s turn. The Canadiens are set to practice at 11:30 AM, and we should know who will start shortly thereafter.

At the other end of the ice, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 1-2-0 record against Montreal with a 4.54 GAA and a .847 SV, but he was in the net on Wednesday night when the Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. With Alex Lyon on injured reserve, Colten Ellis is acting as backup. Ellis has never faced the Canadiens, but in 10 games this season, he has a 5-4-0 record with a 3.11 GAA and a .900 SV. Since this is such an essential divisional meeting, one can wonder if Buffalo may be tempted to use Luukkonen even though he played last night, as he only faced 22 shots. The Sabres have a hectic schedule ahead, though, with five games in just eight nights.

Up front, Rasmus Dahlin is the Sabres’ most productive player against the Canadiens with 19 points in 21 games, followed by Alex Tuch, who has 18 points in 19 games and Tage Thompson, with 16 points in 17 games. Clearly, Buffalo’s leaders enjoy taking on the Habs. Tuch and Thompson are both on a five-game point streak, and the Habs will have to keep a close eye on them. It will be interesting to see if Josh Norris will be in the lineup after leaving Wednesday night’s game with an upper-body injury.

Meanwhile, Brendan Gallagher has 24 points against Buffalo in his career, but he gathered them over 44 games. Captain Nick Suzuki is second with 20 points in just 18 meetings, while Philip Danault is third with 15 points in 25 games. Newly extended Alexandre Texier has four points in seven games, but he’s been red-hot of late, and with a new contract in his back pocket, he should be skating like the wind on Thursday night.

The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on MSG-B, TSN2, and RDS. Jon McIsaac and Alex Lepkowski will be officiating, while Matt MacPherson and Jesse Marquis will be acting as linemen. With the Detroit Red Wings not playing tonight, a win would allow the Canadiens to leapfrog them in the standings and take second place in the Atlantic Division; they would remain behind the Tampa Bay Lightning since Jon Cooper’s men have played fewer games.

Edit: Jacob Fowler will get the start for the Canadiens and Kaiden Guhle will replace Jayden Struble in the lineup 

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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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The Florida Panthers will head to our nation’s capital on Thursday for a quick stop at an extremely prestigious place.

Before concluding their road trip with a back-to-back set against the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals on Friday and Saturday, the Panthers are stopping in Washington D.C. to visit with the president.

Similarly to last year, the Panthers, who are the defending Stanley Cup champions for the second straight season, will visit President Donald Trump at the White House.

The event is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the East Room of the White House.

During their visit last year, the Panthers brought the Stanley Cup and presented Trump with a personalized jersey.

Following the visit, Florida will make the short trip to Raleigh ahead of Friday’s matchup with Carolina. Then they’ll head right back to D.C. to face the Capitals the following night.

The Panthers are hoping to get either one or both of injured forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand in the lineup over the weekend, so we’ll see how things play out on that front.

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brett Kulak has created some chatter in the rumor mill as a potential trade candidate. With the Penguins retooling, it is certainly fair to wonder if they will flip the veteran pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) defenseman. 

Due to this, let's look at three potential trade fits for Kulak if the Penguins decide to shop him. 

Toronto Maple Leafs 

The Maple Leafs could use another experienced defenseman on their blueline, so a player like Kulak could grab their attention. He would be a nice addition to their bottom pairing and penalty kill if acquired. 

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings' defensive group could use a boost, and Kulak would provide them with just that if acquired. Due to his versatility, Kulak is capable of playing both sides, and that could benefit a team looking to break their playoff drought, like the Red Wings. 

Colorado Avalanche 

The Avalanche have been excellent this season, as they have a 33-4-8 record. With this, they should be buyers at the deadline, and a veteran blueliner like Kulak could make sense for them. He would offer them another player with a ton of playoff experience and could slot nicely on their third pairing. 

The Detroit Red Wings have recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, a move that could signal a potential injury on the backend that we're waiting to hear about or a possible last-ditch effort to generate trade interest ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

With Detroit continuing to evaluate its options, the recall appears to be an opportunity to get Gustafsson into the lineup for a few games and showcase his value to potential buyers. The veteran defenseman has drawn increasing attention in recent months, with multiple reports linking him to the New York Rangers as they search for help on the blue line.

Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman has reported that the Rangers are in the market for a power play quarterback while Adam Fox remains out on long term injured reserve. Friedman included Gustafsson among the players New York has checked in on, noting that his familiarity with the Rangers’ system and his affordable contract make him a logical short-term option. If Gustafsson can perform well in Detroit, the Red Wings could benefit by boosting his trade stock in the remaining weeks before the deadline.

Gustafsson has been a productive and steady presence in Grand Rapids this season. In 22 games with the Griffins, he has recorded two goals and 18 assists for 20 points, establishing himself as one of the team’s most reliable veteran players and a key contributor on the power play.

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

He has already appeared in one NHL game for Detroit this season. In that outing, Gustafsson logged 17 and a half minutes of ice time, registered two shots on goal, and finished minus one in a loss to the Nashville Predators. While he did not record a point, he showed the puck-moving ability the Red Wings were expecting when they signed him.

Gustafsson played 76 games for the Rangers during the 2023-24 season, finishing with six goals and 25 assists for 31 points. Over the course of his ten NHL seasons, he has appeared in 516 games. His most productive year came with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19, when he posted 60 points and emerged as one of the league’s more dynamic offensive defensemen.

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When New York Islanders' No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer faced Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers for the first time, he was only playing in his fourth NHL game. 

What Oilers’ Connor McDavid & Kris Knoblauch Had To Say About Matthew SchaeferOilers superstar Connor McDavid and head coach Kris Knoblauch share their thoughts on Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick who continues to impress across the league.

The 18-year-old, who has since emerged as the club's No. 1 defenseman skating alongside Ryan Pulock while averaging 23:56 minutes per game, was still skating on the third pairing alongside Scott Mayfield when the Islanders won 4-2 against Edmonton at UBS Arena. 

At 5-on-5, with head coach Patrick Roy able to control matchups, Schaefer only played 2:06 against McDavid -- Islanders were outshot 2-0 -- and 3:01 against Draisaitl -- Islanders were outshot 3-1. He played a total of 17:38 minutes, the third fewest minutes he's played this season. 

Things will be much different when the puck drops at 9 PM ET on Thursday.

While Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch is going to try to have his stars not on the ice against Schaefer, the rookie phenom plays too many minutes to be able to avoid him -- as do the Oilers' stars.

Schaefer, who powered through a jab to the ribs and a puck off the outside of the right knee in a 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, recorded his 13th goal and 30th point on the season. 

Islanders' Matthew Schaefer Matches Bobby Orr With 13th Goal As Rookie DefensemanRookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer joins Bobby Orr in the record books with his 13th goal, igniting a historic season.

While Schaefer has passed every test he's had and doesn't need to prove anything anymore, a successful game against McDavid and Draisaitl will show exactly how much growth he's shown in his game from the start of the season to now. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Vancouver Canucks tonight at 7 PM.  

Vancouver Canucks - 16-25-5 - 37 Points - 1-7-2 in the last 10 - Lost 5 Straight- 8th in the Pacific

Columbus Blue Jackets - 20-19-7 - 47 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Won 2 Straight - 7th in the Metro  

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.0% - 20th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 74.6% - 29th in the NHL
• Goals For - 136 - 20th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 155 - 28th in the NHL

Canucks Stats

• Power Play - 19.6% - 16th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 73.1% - 30th in the NHL
• Goals For - 121 - 27th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 165 - 31st in the NHL

Series History vs. TheCanucks

• Columbus is 26-33-2-9 all-time, and 15-15-2-3 at home vs. Vancouver.
• The Blue Jackets has won 5 straight games at home against the Canucks.
• The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Vancouver last season.

Who To Watch For TheCanucks

• Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks with 28 points.
• Filip Hronek leads Vancouver with 24 assists.
• Goalie Thatcher Demko is 8-10-1 with a SV% of .897

CBJ Player Notes vs.Canucks

• Zach Werenski has 8 points in 15 games vs. the Canucks.
• Dmitri Voronkov has 5 points in 5 games.
• Sean Monahan has 29 points im 40 career games against Vancouver.

Injuries 

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 38 Games - IR - Skating with team, but there is no timeline for a return to the lineup.
• Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 10 Games - IR
• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 8 Games IR - Out 3-4 months after having knee surgery.
• Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 7 Games - IR - Week-to-week.
• Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 5 Games - Week to week.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 122

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. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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The Philadelphia Flyers are in a bad way after losing their fourth straight in addition to losing Dan Vladar to injury. The silver lining, however, is that now is as good a time as any to evaluate a prospect who's completely turned his career around in one season.

Vladar, 28, exited the Flyers' 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with an unspecified injury and did not return, even as a backup in an emergency capacity.

Vladar surrendered two goals on five shots, and Sam Ersson, who has struggled mightily this season, made six saves on eight shots in relief.

The Flyers, who were already reportedly considering alternatives to Ersson, now have no choice but to turn to prospect Aleksei Kolosov, who's had an excellent first real season in the AHL with the so-so Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Kolosov, 24, has posted a 9-9-1 record in 19 games for the Phantoms to the tune of a 2.54 GAA, .908 save percentage, and his first two shutouts on North American ice.

Flyers Goalie Exits Sabres Matchup With InjuryFlyers goalie Dan Vladar left the team's contest against the Sabres due to injury.

The numbers aren't amazing, no, but neither are the Phantoms, who have experienced a ton of player turnover and have a number of first-time pros occupying significant roles on the team, led by Alex Bump, Carson Bjarnason, Denver Barkey, Karsen Dorwart, and Devin Kaplan.

Kolosov, now in the last year of his entry-level contract with the Flyers, has earned himself at least one more opportunity to show his stuff at the NHL level.

The Belarusian has played well in the AHL, and on the other hand, it would be almost impossible to play worse than Ersson has for the Flyers this season; Ersson has been beaten 14 times on the last 57 shots he's faced and currently boasts a .855 save percentage and 6-7-4 record on the year.

Kolosov, as bad as he looked at times last season, still managed a .884 save percentage and 5-6-1 record.

Flyers' High-Upside Prospect Changes Teams to Salvage Lost SeasonHaving played just 35 total games across the last two seasons, a high-upside <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> draft pick has made a move and decided to change teams in order to salvage a lost season of development.

It should ease the Flyers' minds, too, that Kolosov has a .929 save percentage across two NHL appearances for the club this season.

He's looked the part and played his role at both levels, and with he and Ersson both set to become free agents at the end of the season, the Flyers need to use Vladar's injury as an opportunity to evaluate and draw conclusions on both players, deciding who, if either, they will retain this summer.

Kolosov, at least for now, has the edge, if for no reason other than Ersson all but playing himself off the team, just as Egor Zamula had earlier in the season.

How Chara's 2011 Stanley Cup masterclass helped Bruins reach ultimate goal originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The 2005-06 NHL season was a disaster for the Boston Bruins.

They traded away superstar center and captain Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks early in the campaign for a lackluster return package. The team lacked talent and toughness, and it finished with the fifth-worst record in the league.

The franchise, which hadn’t been a real Stanley Cup contender since the late 1980s and early 1990s, appeared to be light years away from ending its championship drought, which in 2006 stood at 34 years.

It was, essentially, rock bottom for the Bruins.

And then everything changed July 1, 2006.

That’s when the Bruins, who were not big spenders at the time, splashed the cash to sign star defenseman Zdeno Chara to a five-year, $37.5 million contract. It’s without question the best free agent signing in league history.

“I’m willing to lead by my example of hard work, dedication, discipline and drive,” Chara said in his introductory press conference in July of 2006.

He also made it clear in that press conference what the objective was for him and the team: “I think the only thing we care (about) is the final goal and to win at the end.”

The Bruins will retire Chara’s No. 33 to the TD Garden rafters Thursday night before the B’s play the Seattle Kraken. It’s a fitting honor for a player who transformed the Bruins back into a Stanley Cup contender.

But it didn’t happen overnight. Playoff setbacks in 2008, 2009 and then blowing a 3-0 series lead in the second round to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 created some doubt over whether the Bruins had what it took to be champions.

But Chara, with his leadership and determination, kept the B’s moving forward. One thing about Chara is he never backs down from a challenge. He looks at the impossible as very much possible.

The Bruins’ 2011 playoff run, which culminated with the franchise winning its first Stanley Cup in 39 years, was one of the most exciting three-month periods in the history of Boston sports. There were so many ups, downs, and memorable moments.

There were many heroes during those four playoff series. Tim Thomas set a record for playoff save percentage and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP. David Krejci led the playoffs with 23 points. Brad Marchand scored a then-rookie record 11 playoff goals, including five in the Cup Final. Nathan Horton scored two OT-winning goals and the only goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Chara was also at the top of his game. When the Bruins needed it most, their captain stepped up with elite play at both ends of the ice on the sport’s biggest stage.

Chara played an astounding 37:06 of ice time in Game 5 of the first-round series versus the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs did not score and tallied only 14 shots when Chara was on the ice. The Bruins ended up winning in double overtime to take a 3-2 series lead. They won the series in overtime of Game 7.

In the second-round sweep against the Flyers, Chara helped tilt the ice heavily in the Bruins’ favor. Boston outscored Philadelphia 13-4 and generated more than 60 percent of all scoring chances during Chara’s 113:58 of ice time over four games.

In Game 7 of the East Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins had a 16-7 advantage in shots, a 12-5 edge in scoring chances and allowed zero goals during Chara’s 26:43 of ice time. The Lightning only tallied two shots on net when Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos went up against Chara in that game. The B’s won 1-0 to clinch their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1990.

Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

The 2011 Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks is where Chara’s defensive excellence really played a key role for the Bruins. He put on a defensive masterclass against a Canucks team that won the Presidents’ Trophy, scored the most goals of any team and had the No. 1 ranked power play. Daniel Sedin led the league with 104 points. His brother and linemate, Henrik, had 94.

Neither of those two superstar forwards made a profound impact in the Final. Daniel tallied four points in the series but was held without a point in five of the seven games. Two of his points were garbage time assists in Game 6. Henrik was completely invisible. He scored a meaningless goal late in Game 6. It was his only point of the series.

They couldn’t escape the physicality, long reach and towering presence of Chara. He played about 70 even-strength minutes against the Sedins in that series, per Natural Stat Trick, and Boston outscored Vancouver 5-2 and had a .960 save percentage in those minutes. Chara winning that matchup so decisively was pivotal in the outcome.

The Sedins were power-play maestros, too. Daniel led the league with 42 power-play points in the 2010-11 regular season. Henrik had 35. But in 28 minutes of power-play ice time against Chara in the Cup Final, the twins could only muster one goal — a garbage time tally in Game 6. Vancouver’s potent power play, which was supposed to tip the scale in its favor, was bottled up by the Bruins’ 6-foot-9 defenseman. The Canucks ended up going 2-for-32 on the power play in the series.

Overall, the Bruins outscored the Canucks 15-6 in Chara’s ice time over the seven games. He made a huge impact all over the ice versus a Vancouver team that many experts picked to win the series.

And when the final buzzer sounded in Game 7 and commissioner Gary Bettman brought the Stanley Cup onto the Rogers Arena ice and gave it to Chara, the greatest trophy in sports was lifted higher in the air than it ever had, or ever has been.

Winning the ultimate prize didn’t come easy, but those Bruins teams never did anything easy. There were many times throughout that journey toward winning the Stanley Cup that the B’s could have folded and given up. But Chara was never going to let that happen.

He set an example of hard work and dedication that was contagious. No challenge or setback was going to keep him from delivering on the goal he set during his introductory press conference in 2006. This is why the Bruins had the mental toughness to withstand a lot of challenges against the Canucks in the 2011 Cup Final.

Whether it was Patrice Bergeron getting bitten by Alex Burrows in Game 1 and Boston losing 1-0 on a late goal, or the Bruins losing in overtime of Game 2, or Nathan Horton getting knocked out of the series in Game 3 by a vicious hit, or the team losing 1-0 again in Game 5, or the B’s playing a must-win Game 7 on the road, Chara’s leadership kept his team laser-focused on the No. 1 objective.

Other legendary Boston athletes might have won more championships, or taken home more individual awards. But very, very few made the kind of transformational impact on their franchise that Chara did for the Bruins.

It’s one of many reasons why Chara will always be regarded as one of the best Bruins of all time. And it’s why the 2011 title will always matter a little more than some of the others that Boston teams have won.

The Los Angeles Kings (19-16-11) played host to the Vegas Golden Knights (22-11-12) in a battle between two playoff hopefuls from the Pacific division. After a rough loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday, the Kings were in desperate need of two points as they are start to slip out of the playoff picture in the West.

Unfortunately, two points isn't easy to come by in the National Hockey League as the Los Angeles was unable to finish the job on home ice and fall to Vegas by a score of 3-2 in overtime. 

The silver lining in all of these heart wrenching defeats is that they continue to walk away with the loser point, which could be seen as both a bad, and a good thing. The Kings now have the second most loser points in the NHL with 11, funnily enough, only Vegas has more with 12. 

Kings Fail to Capitalize Early

In perhaps one of the biggest games of the season so far, the Kings needed to get off to good start early in order to compete with a Vegas team that has found their footing lately. 

Los Angeles did control the majority of the play in the opening frame, while Vegas looked incredibly sloppy and were unable to get virtually anything going, as they struggled to even enter the Kings zone cleanly. 

Unfortunately, the Golden Knights were able to weather the storm and get out of the first period with a 0-0 tie. The Kings outshot the Knights 9-5 to end the period but just couldn't beat Akira Schmid.

Golden Knights Get on the Board

After successfully escaping an ugly first period, the Golden Knights looked like an entirely different hockey team in the second period. Clearly, head coach Bruce Cassidy voiced his frustration because it didn't take long for Vegas control the game.

Just under four minutes into the middle frame, rookie forward Braeden Bowman gave his team the lead with his sixth of the season. After a defensive mishap by Brian Dumoulin, Jack Eichel scooped up the loose puck and found a wide open Bowman who ripped the puck past Darcy Kuemper.

Both teams had an opportunity on the power play in the latter half of the period, but neither could capitalize. After 40 minutes Vegas was outshooting L.A. 19-17.

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Fiala Finds Twine

Just like Vegas did in the first period, Los Angeles weathered the storm in the second period and were lucky to be down just 1-0 after 40 minutes.

Through the early stages of the third period the Kings began to look desperate as they were pushing hard to even things up. They were able to generate some quality chances but just couldn't finish.

That was until Kevin Fiala buried his team-leading 17th goal of the season past Akira Schmid was in the midst of a shutout bid. Fiala earned this one as he was stopped on his initial shot, the puck then came to Alex Turcotte in the slot who fired it on goal which led to a juicy rebound right on the tape of the Kings sniper who wasted no time firing it into the back of the net. Fiala, who was probably the most notable Kings prior to his goal gets rewarded for sticking with the play and crashing the net. Turcotte and Andre Kuzmenko register the assists.

Marner Puts Vegas on Top

After a strong first 10-12 minutes of the final frame, the Kings were tested after Adrian Kempe was sent off for hooking. 

Just over 40 seconds into their man advantage, Vegas took the lead right back as Mitch Marner scored his 11th of the year with a blistering wrist shot. At this point it looked like Marner shoved the dagger into the heart of the Kings.

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Clarke Sends the Game to Overtime

When all hope seemed to be lost after yet another Kings third period fumble, the team didn't give up and continued to fight for the game tying goal.

It came down to the final 90 seconds but Brandt Clarke made the building erupt as he slid home his 5th of the season past Schmid to tie the game at 2-2 which meant extra time was needed.

CLARKIE TIES IT pic.twitter.com/zUAP0kK3rY

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 15, 2026

Stone Wastes No Time

After an electric finish to regulation, the Golden Knights silenced the Kings crowd as they scored just 25 seconds into the overtime period.

In a somewhat broken play that had Kuemper facing the wrong way, Jack Eichel was able to find Mark Stone all alone who was able to put the puck in the wide open cage, giving Vegas the win in a hard fought battle between two divisional foes.

Final from Overtime in LA. #GoKingsGo | @twiliopic.twitter.com/10dPsp58rX

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 15, 2026

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