Category: NHL

The Montreal Canadiens will host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night at the Bell Centre and will be hoping for a much better performance than the one they delivered in Buffalo one week ago. In what was Jacob Fowler’s 10th and last game before being sent back down to the Laval Rocket in the AHL, Tage Thompson was dominant, scoring a hat trick and adding a pair of assists.

Since that win, the Buffalo outfit has cooled down somewhat, losing its next two games to the Minnesota Wild (5-4 in overtime) and to the Carolina Hurricanes (2-1) before bouncing back with a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators. They now have a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games, exactly like the Canadiens. While Buffalo won the last duel between the two sides, Montreal has won seven of the previous 10 contests.

Canadiens’ Defence Corps Having Big Impact
Canadiens’ St-Louis Knows There’s A Big Price To Pay
Canadiens’ Hutson Shines In Big Duel With Rival Hughes

Neither coach has confirmed who will be manning their net yet, but the Canadiens should go back to Samuel Montembeault after Jakub Dobes’ performance against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The former has a 5-5-0 record against the Sabres, with a 3.04 goals-against average, and a .905 save percentage, while the latter has a 2-0-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .930 SV.

At the other end of the ice, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 1-2-0 record with a 4.54 GAA and a .847 SV, Colten Ellis is 1-0-0 with a 3.01 GAA and a .870 SV and Alex Lyon is 4-3-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a 3.01 SV. Lyon played the Sabres' last game, but he has had the lion’s share of the work this season, featuring in 22 games while Luukkonen has played in 19 and Ellis in 11.

Up front, Brendan Gallagher remains the Canadiens’ most productive player against the Sabres with 24 points in 45 games, but captain Nick Suzuki is slowly catching up; he now has 22 points in just 19 games, while Phillip Danault completes the top-three with 15 points in 26 games. The Habs have four players on a three-game point streak: Suzuki (1-4-5), Cole Caufield (2-4-6), Ivan Demidov (1-3-4), and Lane Hutson (1-6-7).

Meanwhile, Thompson has unsurprisingly become the Sabres’ most productive forward after his five-point night last week. He now has 21 points in 18 games, while Rasmus Dahlin has 20 points in 22 games. The defenseman is also on a six-game point streak (3-4-7). Alex Tuch completes the top three with 19 points in 20 games.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch the game on RDS, TSN2 and MSG-B. Jon McIsaac and Kelly Sutherland will be the referees, and Scott Cherrey and Ryan Daisy will be the linemen. After that game, the Canadiens will next play on the road Saturday night against the Boston Bruins before coming back home for their last homestand before the Olympic break, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche, who will be wearing their Quebec Nordiques jersey for the game.

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Eight games are on the National Hockey League slate this evening. My NHL player props for the action will include Jason Robertson, Lane Hutson, and Andrei Svechnikov. 

Read more in my NHL picks for Thursday, January 22.   

Best NHL player prop bets today

Get a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL.
(not available in Ontario)

Our best NHL player props for Thursday, January 22

Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.

Prop #1: Jason Robertson Over 3.5 shots on goal

+125 at BET99

Jason Robertson may have been snubbed from Team USA for the Olympics, but there is no question he’s a superstar for the Dallas Stars. The veteran has scored 29 goals and tallied 29 assists this season, and he’s averaging 3.70 SOG per contest. 

The 26-year-old just registered nine shots on target on Tuesday's victory over the Bruins, where he scored twice. Robertson is averaging just 2.6 SOG in January, but he’s up against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight, who are allowing the second-most shots on net in the NHL. 

The Stars are also on the road, and Robertson averages 3.81 SOG per night away from the American Airlines Center. 

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Victory+, FDSN Ohio

Prop #2: Lane Hutson Over 0.5 assists

-150 at BET99

Lane Hutson hasn’t missed a beat in Year 2, scoring nine goals and compiling 43 assists. 

The reigning Calder Trophy winner has notched six helpers in his last three appearances, cashing the Over in each game. He tallied an assist against the Wild on Tuesday, and he also had three helpers last Saturday. 

The Montreal Canadiens are at home tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Hutson has 18 helpers at the Bell Centre, and he has two assists in two meetings with Buffalo this season.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MSG-B, Bell Centre

Prop #3: Andrei Svechnikov anytime goal

+170 at BET99

The Carolina Hurricanes have lots of offensive weapons, and Andrei Svechnikov is up there with the best. The 25-year-old has netted 15 goals in 2025-26, and he’s fired home seven goals in January. 

Svechnikov is riding a three-game scoring streak. He found the back of the net on Monday after bagging a hat-trick last Saturday. Carolina welcomes the Chicago Blackhawks to town tonight, and the Russian has done a lot of his damage at home. 

He’s scored 12 of his 17 goals in Raleigh, and the Blackhawks aren’t exactly an elite defensive team.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN+, HULU

These props are available now at BET99, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. 

Despite defeating Washington, the Capitals had the stronger night from an analytics perspective. The Canucks were outchanced at even-strength by a count of 28-20 while also losing the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 14-9. In the end, though, Vancouver found a way to snap their 11-game winning streak, as they outscored Washington 4-1 at even strength. 

As for the heatmap, it shows the Canucks willingness to get pucks on net from everywhere in the zone. On the flip side, there were a couple of defensive breakdowns in front of the crease, which is where the Capitals scored their goals from. While it wasn't a perfect game, Vancouver will take it as they picked up their fifth home win of the season. 

To wrap this game up, the line of Liam Öhgren, Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland dominated their matchups all night. During their 9:37 together, the trio outshot the opposition 7-2 and won the scoring chances battle 8-0. The question moving forward is, can these three develop some chemistry and produce similar performances the rest of the season? 

The Canucks homestand continues on Friday when the New Jersey Devils visit Rogers Arena. Vancouver picked up the win the last time these two teams met earlier this season. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT.   

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

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Alex Steeves always felt he was destined for more when it came to his professional hockey career. When he departed the Toronto Maple Leafs' organization last summer for the Boston Bruins, he was able to turn the page from a lack of opportunity and turned it into a win with his new home.

STEEVIE'S SIGNED 🖊️ pic.twitter.com/1nJJaPHOo8

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 21, 2026

Steeves was rewarded for his efforts this season with a new two-year extension worth $1.625 million per season that will kick in at the beginning of the 2026-27 season.

In 33 games with the Bruins this season, Steeves has eight goals and six assists. Although he started this year with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League, Steeves was called up early in the year and was essentially told early on to get a place to live full-time in Boston because he wasn't going back down to the minors.

The Leafs signed Steeves in 2021, straight after his college days were over at the University of Notre Dame. Over four years, he dominated with the Toronto Marlies, where he currently holds the all-time franchise records for goals (105) and points (2016).

But frustration set in when Steeves was rarely called up to the Leafs, playing just 14 NHL games during his four-year tenure. 

It seemed inevitable that the Steeves would leave the organization, which he was able to do as a Group 6 UFA at age 25 due to not enough games played at the NHL level, but enough years as a professional. Had he been called up a little more often, the Leafs could have squeezed at least another year of the player's rights. And perhaps he wouldn't have left if he could have crafted a full-time NHL role.

Steeves exacted revenge against his former club, scoring his first goal with the Bruins against the Leafs as part of a 5-3 win on November 11.

Primarily playing on the third line with former Leafs teammate Fraser Minten, Steeves has shown some added grit to his game, with 117 hits this season and has earned the trust from new head coach Marco Sturm. The raise is nearly double the $850,000 he signed on a one-way deal with the Bruins back in July.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back home for the second game of a five-game home stand to take on the Dallas Stars at 7 PM.  

Dallas Stars - 28-13-9 - 65 Points - 3-5-2 in the last 10 - Won 1 - 2nd in the Central

Columbus Blue Jackets - 22-20-7 - 51 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Lost 1 - 7th in the Metro  

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus had its overall four-game win streak and four-game home points streak (3-0-1) snapped with a 4-1 loss to Ottawa on Tuesday.

• The club continues a season-long five-game homestand on Thursday and is in a stretch of seven-of-eight games played at Nationwide Arena from Jan. 13-28 (2-1-0).

• The Jackets have scored the first goal in 13 of the last 18 contests and 16 of the past 23. The team ranks sixth-T in the NHL in games scoring first in 2025-26 (28).

• Columbus leads the NHL in goals by defensemen and ranks fourth in points with 37-86-123 in 49 contests.

• CBJ are 5-of-14 on the power play in the last 5 games and rank third-T in the NHL in PP pct. since Jan. 11 (35.7 pct.).

• The Blue Jackets rank 10th in the NHL in team save percentage since Dec. 22 (.906 in 14 GP).

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Charlie Coyle is slated to become the sixth player from the 2010 NHL Draft to reach the 1,000-game milestone on Thursday vs. Dallas (199-316-515, 999 GP). He will also become the fifth player to play in his 1,000th game while in a Blue Jackets uniform (Sergei Fedorov, Vinny Prospal, Scott Hartnell, Jakub Voracek).

• Jet Greaves ranks second in the NHL in saves and ninth-T in SV% since Dec. 22 (min. 6 GP) with a 6-3-1 record, 2.54 GAA, .915 SV% and 292 saves in 11 games.

• Boone Jenner has collected assists in three of the last four games (1-3-4) and has notched 5-10-15 in 19 games since Dec. 11. He sits three assists from tying David Vyborny (204) for third on the club's all-time list in assists.

• Kirill Marchenko has notched points in 11 of the last 14 contests dating back to Dec. 22 (8-7-15).

• Mathieu Olivier combined for 21 hits in the last four contests and ranks second in the NHL with 62 hits since re-turning from injury on Dec. 28.

• Zach Werenski, who leads NHL blueliners in goals (18, tied) and multi-point efforts (17), has registered points in 24 of his past 29 contests overall to lead NHL blueliners in goals (tied), points and points-per-game since Nov. 13 (14-27-41, 1.41).

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.5% - 20th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 75.4% - 28th in the NHL
• Goals For - 144 - 21st in the NHL
• Goals Against - 163 - 26th in the NHL 

Stars Stats

• Power Play - 29.2% - 2nd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 79.6% - 15st in the NHL
• Goals For - 166 - 6th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 138 - 6th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheStars 

• Columbus is 34-36-0-7 all-time, and 18-16-0-5 at home vs. Stars.
• The Blue Jackets are 11-4-2 in the last 17 at home against Dallas.
• The CBJ beat the Stars 5-1 back on October 21st.

Who To Watch For TheStars 

• Jason Robertson leads the Stars with 29 goals.

• Mikko Rantanen leads Dallas with 44 assists and 63 points. He has 15 points in 14 games against the Blue Jackets.
• Jake Oettinger is 18-10-4 with a SV% of .902.
• Casey DeSmith is 10-3-5 with an .911 SV%. He hasn't played since January 13th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Stars 

• Zach Werenski has 8 points in 12 games vs. the Stars
• Charlie Coyle has 19 points in 39 games.
• Sean Monahan has 18 points in 28 career games against the Stars.

Injuries 

• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 11 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.
• Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 10 Games - Week to week.
• Denton Mateychuk - Lower Body - Missed 4 Games - Day to day.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 137

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 Chicago Blackhawks are being viewed as likely sellers with the 2026 NHL trade deadline starting to get closer. One Blackhawks player who has been a popular name in the rumor mill is forward Jason Dickinson, and it makes sense with him being a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).

Due to this, let's look at three teams that could pursue Dickinson this deadline season. 

Edmonton Oilers 

The Oilers could be on the hunt for another center leading up to the deadline, so they could make sense as a landing spot for Dickinson. The 30-year-old would have the potential to be a nice fit in their bottom six and would also give them another clear option for their penalty kill. 

Tampa Bay Lightning 

The Lightning are one of the top teams in the NHL this season and will be buyers at the deadline. One area they could look to boost is their bottom six, and bringing in a player like Dickinson would provide them with just that. Thus, they could be a club to keep an eye on when it comes to the Blackhawks forward. 

Philadelphia Flyers 

The Flyers remain in the playoff race and could look to add to their roster ahead of the deadline because of it. With center Rodrigo Abols currently injured with a fractured ankle, perhaps they could look to add a veteran forward like Dickinson for their bottom six and penalty kill.

Had Scott Laughton's penalty shot in the second period gone in, the Toronto Maple Leafs could've been walking away from their game against the Detroit Red Wings with a different outcome than a 2-1 overtime loss.

As Laughton stepped up for the free breakaway, you would've thought: surely the veteran forward is going to walk in and score a slap shot on Red Wings goaltender John Gibson.

Laughton loses the puck on the attempt pic.twitter.com/eF2cMRpTmh

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 22, 2026

Instead, Laughton approached Gibson slowly and eventually mishandled the puck, allowing it to stay out. Why didn't he walk in and attempt his patented clapper?

"I was too tired," he said. "I should've faked a broken stick and let (Auston) Matthews go or something."

Despite the overtime loss — plus a failed penalty shot attempt — Laughton wasn't too down on himself after the game when discussing what occurred on the chance which could've put Toronto up 2-1.

"I've done that move before. Just lost the puck, that's pretty much it," Laughton continued. "I could probably shoot it there, but it's easy to say once I watch it again and slow it down and do all that.

"But it doesn't go in, and the sun comes up tomorrow, and we get back after it."

The 31-year-old, though, did have the Maple Leafs' only goal in the game, which came in the opening period off a nice tic-tac-toe play between him, Steven Lorentz, and Calle Jarnkrok.

"(Jarnkrok) fans on it, tried to go for a rebound, and was lucky enough that it bounced off a stick, and I had a wide-open net," added Laughton.

SCOTT LAUGHTON 🚨

TIC-TAC-TOE! pic.twitter.com/PBa8xb9pVm

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 22, 2026

It was Laughton's seventh goal and ninth point in 32 games this season.

Although the trio of Laughton, Lorentz, and Jarnkrok were outchanced in the game at five-on-five, they did have a 66.49 percent expected goals-for at five-on-five, the best among all four of Toronto's lines against Detroit, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

"They were good. I mean, they got us a goal," head coach Craig Berube said, "but just they played against one of those top lines most of the night and did a good job against them and didn't give much up and checked well, did what they do, killed penalties. They were good."

A loss is a loss, albeit it was overtime. They did get one point.

Even with the point, Toronto remains outside of a playoff spot, one point back of the Boston Bruins and two points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Opponents are only going to get harder: the Vegas Golden Knights roll in on Friday, while the Colorado Avalanche come to Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

Scott Laughton, on what he expects the atmosphere to be like in Mitch Marner's return on Friday:

"It's going to be good. I think Mitch did a lot for this city while he was here. He was a really good player for this team for a while... Yeah, I'm sure it's going to be ... loud."

— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) January 22, 2026

Games are only going to get tighter, too, as we saw on Wednesday evening against the Red Wings.

"You want to get the extra (point), I think, especially within the division, but we didn't, and we keep moving forward," said Laughton.

"I thought we played a better game than Minnesota. We were tighter. Our D grinded. You go down to five D that early, it's a grind, and they played really well for us. (Joseph Woll) was good. The guys stepped up.

"We just got to find a way to get that extra goal, a greasy one at some point in the game. But we didn't, and we just got to keep moving."

The Philadelphia Flyers and their most senior players had the opportunity to completely flip the narrative around the franchise, but instead only fell victims to it in the worst way imaginable.

On Wednesday night against the Utah Mammoth, veteran forward Garnet Hathaway had the opportunity to seal a 5-3 victory with an empty-net goal clean in his sights in the offensive zone.

Instead, the 34-year-old was stripped from behind before even attempting a shot, and less than a minute later, Mammoth star Clayton Keller drove hard on Travis Sanheim, who flailed at a loose puck attempting to control it, embarrassing the Flyers and tying the game at 4-4.

In overtime, loose, lifeless plays by Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny allowed the Mammoth to both win back possession and score the game-winning goal, dooming the Flyers to yet another devastating loss.

Of course, things didn't start that way.

Konecny had just beaten the Vegas Golden Knights with two individual breakaway efforts that propelled Philadelphia to a life-preserving 2-1 win, and the Flyers appeared to be on cruise control on Wednesday night, too.

Evidently, the Flyers got too loose with 3-0 and 4-2 leads, even with a been-here, done-that guy like Christian Dvorak leading the way with two goals.

NHL Rumors: Flyers Have Target To Consider In Canucks ForwardThe Flyers could use another bottom-six center and should consider targeting this Canucks forward because of it.

Merely days ago, I posited that, if the Flyers really can't turn the page on the narrative that they can only play half a season before invariably collapsing, they might just be plainly incapable of doing so as currently constructed.

The Flyers are now 3-5-2 in their last 10 games; only the New York Rangers (2-7-1 and defeated the Flyers during that stretch), Dallas Stars (3-5-2), Washington Capitals (3-6-1), Calgary Flames (3-6-1), and Vancouver Canucks (1-8-1) have been as bad or worse than the Flyers as of late.

Washington and Dallas are the only teams in that mix with positive goal differentials

Yes, the Flyers are just three points out of the second wildcard spot in the East, but the Boston Bruins, who occupy that spot, are 8-2-0 in their last 10.

An experienced Boston team is playing its best hockey when it matters the most, while the Flyers are playing easily their worst.

Good teams find ways to win when they don't play well, and that's the difference between a rebuilder and a perennial postseason competitor, at the least.

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.

Both players and fans have seen this movie before, and both sides are, or at least should be, on the same page when it comes to a narrow playoff miss not being acceptable.

It's become clear the Flyers don't have the requisite star talent to compete with the best, and the talent they do have is hindered by a system dedicated to being as low-event as possible.

When the gameplan fails, the Flyers lack the creativity and the sheer skill to break the cycle. The players who have been here before have as many answers as anybody else.

The good news for the Flyers is that injured goalie Dan Vladar should return soon, but the bad news is their next game is against the NHL's best team in the Colorado Avalanche, who boast an astounding 34-5-9 record, .802 points percentage, and a +77 goal differential that is miles clear of the closest team (Tampa Bay, +49).

And we all saw how those Tampa Bay games went.

"Any given Sunday," as they say, but things are looking like they are about to get worse for the Flyers before they get better.

In the first game of their Alberta back-to-back, the Pittsburgh Penguins went into the Saddledome and handled the Calgary Flames by a score of 4-1 on Wednesday night. Goals from Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov put the Penguins in front 2-0, but a late second period tally by the Flames halved the deficit and set up what looked to be a tight third period of hockey. A month ago, the Penguins may have folded after giving up a momentum shifting goal, but the January Penguins responded with a pair of third period markers to lock down a second straight victory on this road trip. [Pensburgh]

There’s no rest for the weary with the Penguins right back in action tonight, making the short trip from Calgary to Edmonton to take on the Oilers in another late night affair. Puck drop is set for 9:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.

Pens Points…

Ben Kindel figured he was going to playing a lot of hockey in Calgary this season as a member of the Calgary Hitmen, his WHL side. Plans changed when he made the Penguins roster out of training camp, making this homecoming extra special for the rookie. [The Athletic $$]

Kyle Dubas put together a very successful offseason for the Penguins with multiple moves that have worked out very well. One of those moves was bringing in Anthony Mantha, a power forward coming off a major injury who turned into a key piece of the Penguins successes. [Trib Live]

While the outside additions this offseason were nice and have played a huge role in what the team has done this season, there is still little doubt to whom is main reason behind the Penguins success, it’s the captain Sidney Crosby who is putting together another age defying year. [Sports Illustrated]

There is a potential big name that could be dealt in a trade and there is a chance the Penguins could take a big swing if he’s available. Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars are at an impasse in contract talks meaning he could be dealt for assets if no deal is reached. [The Hockey News]

If the Penguins can sustain this success and qualify for the playoffs, and perhaps even if they fall just shy, there will be a strong case in favor of Kyle Dubas being named the NHL’s General Manager of the Year for building this competitive of a roster in what was supposed to be a potentially ugly season. [The Hockey News]

Arturs Silvos has bounced back from a rocky stretch of play, but even with that, the Penguins have a clear No. 1 goaltender in Stuart Skinner at the moment and it’s time for the coaching staff to handle the goalie rotation as such moving forward. [The Hockey News]

NHL News and Notes…

Just two weeks out from the Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics and the United States was forced into an emergency roster change. Seth Jones will miss The Games with an upper body injury and is being replaced on the roster by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe. [NHL]

Making the jump from the junior ranks to the collegiate game has not been the smoothest transition for top NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna. Many are saying his draft stock has taken a bit of a hit this season, but perhaps his game is being diseceted a little too much from afar. [Daily Faceoff]

Washington Capitals (24-21-6, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Calgary Flames (21-24-5, in the Pacific Division)

Calgary, Alberta; Friday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Capitals visit the Calgary Flames after Dylan Strome's two-goal game against the Vancouver Canucks in the Capitals' 4-3 loss.

Calgary has a 13-8-3 record in home games and a 21-24-5 record overall. The Flames are third in the league serving 12.4 penalty minutes per game.

Washington is 24-21-6 overall and 10-11-3 on the road. The Capitals have a 10-13-6 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.

The matchup Friday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nazem Kadri has nine goals and 25 assists for the Flames. Yegor Sharangovich has three goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

Alexander Ovechkin has 20 goals and 23 assists for the Capitals. Justin Sourdif has scored five goals and added five assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flames: 3-6-1, averaging two goals, 3.4 assists, 3.5 penalties and nine penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.

Capitals: 3-6-1, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.4 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.

INJURIES: Flames: None listed.

Capitals: None listed.

___

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

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brock Boeser had a goal and an assist as the Vancouver Canucks erased an early-two goal deficit and held on to end their 11-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.

Drew O’Connor, Evander Kane and Filip Hronek also scored goals while Jake DeBrusk and David Kampf added two assists each for the Canucks, who won for the first time since Dec. 29 and won at home for the first time since Dec. 6.

Kevin Lankinen made 29 stops.

Dylan Strome and Justin Sourdif scored power-play goals a little over a minute apart in the first period to give Washington a 2-0 lead. But Boeser and Kane knotted it at 2 after one.

Strome scored his second of the game with 3:23 to play to make it 4-3. He and Sourdif also had assists while Logan Thompson had 21 saves for the Capitals, who have lost four games in a row and five of their last six.

O'Connor and Hronek scored in the second period as Vancouver scored four unanswered.

Up next

Capitals: Are at Calgary on Friday night.

Canucks: Host New Jersey on Friday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The losing streak is officially over as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 on Wednesday night. Brock Boeser, Evander Kane and Drew O'Connor found the back of the net while Filip Hronek's third of the season served as the game-winner. In net, Kevin Lankinen was strong as he stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced for his first win of 2026.

Yes, you read that right, the Canucks have finally snapped their 11-game winning streak. After giving up two in the first, Vancouver fought back and was able to pick up their first win since December 29, 2025. The Canucks even earned a standing ovation as the Rogers Arena crowd cheered as the final seconds ticked off the clock. 

One of the major differences from Wednesday compared to other games on this losing streak is that Vancouver was able to play with a lead. Not only did the Canucks have a strong defensive outing, but they were persistent on the forecheck all night. Post-game, Head Coach Adam Foote spoke about the victory and mentioned a few players he felt stepped up in a big way. 

"We got down early, as you saw, and they were resilient," said Foote. "I think the best part about it was how our bench was after being down two nothing. It was really calm. And you've got to give a lot of credit to the guys for not getting rattled. It was really, you know, TJ, the ref came up to us after the first, and he said he missed that call. It was a really odd call, though. I could see why he missed it. You don't see that happen too often in the game, but when they got the high stick on the play, here you go, here we go. Really, is this happening right now? But maybe it was meant to be. To give a test to our guys. It was, were one of the best games I saw Garley (Conor Garland) and Boeser play. Not just because Boes got points. He was competing, and he was matched against Wilson. Real tough matchup, and he defended.

Boeser did have a strong game overall as he scored and recorded an assist in 16:20 of ice time. After a long goalless drought, he is starting to find his form and now has two in his last four games. Post-game, Boeser spoke to the media about his goal and how his overall recent play. 

"Just as of late, I'm just trying to shoot the puck more and get back to myself," said Boeser." And you know, I think when I shoot the puck, I feed off that. And you know, I feel better as the game goes on. So definitely something I am trying to do."

In a season that has gone after the rails, Wednesday was a positive that Canucks fans should celebrate. Vancouver fought hard and found a way to snap one of the longest losing streaks in franchise history. Overall, it was a good night for the fans at Rogers Arena as they had the chance to celebrate a Canucks win at home for the first time since December 6, 2025. 

Stats and Facts

- Brock Boeser records his 98th career multi-point game

- Jake DeBrusk records his sixth multi-point game with Vancouver

- Kevin Lankinen picks up his 77th career win

- David Kämpf records career assists numbers 98 and 99 

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

8:25- WSH: Dylan Strome (12) from Tom Wilson and John Carlson (PPG)
9:43- WSH: Justin Sourdif (10) from Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin (PPG)
13:32- VAN: Brock Boeser (11) from David Kämpf
18:22- VAN: Evander Kane (9) from Jake DeBrusk 

2nd Period:

8:58- VAN: Drew O'Connor (12) from David Kämpf and Brock Boeser
11:43- VAN: Filip Hronek (4) from Jake DeBrusk and Tom Willander 

3rd Period:

16:37- WSH: Dylan Strome (13) from Justin Sourdif and Jakob Chychrun

Up Next:

The Canucks homestand continues on Friday when the New Jersey Devils visit Rogers Arena. Vancouver picked up the win the last time these two teams met earlier this season. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT. 

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SEATTLE — Throughout a trip that everyone in the organization seemed to agree was the longest of their careers, the Islanders had done an excellent job of not letting the extended time on the road get to them.

The operative word in that sentence: had.

Because on Wednesday night in the seventh and last game of this two-week odyssey, the Islanders looked like they couldn’t wait to get on the plane and get home.

They had been playing survive-and-advance hockey most of the trip, and finally, that wasn’t enough against the Kraken in a 4-1 defeat at Climate Pledge Arena.

They finished the trip 3-3-1, a record that simultaneously feels disappointing given the Islanders beat the two best teams they played — Edmonton and Minnesota — while perhaps being more than they deserved given that they may not have decisively been the better team in any of the seven games.

“We gotta find ways to take care of the puck,” a sullen Casey Cizikas told The Post. “It’s happening too many times right now. Turn a puck over, giving them chances, odd-man chances. It’s just those turnovers are killing us, and we gotta find a way to limit those.”

Truth be told, Cizikas admitted, the problem didn’t start Wednesday.

“There’s gonna be turnovers in games, it’s inevitable, it’s gonna happen. The game’s fast, guys are on you quick,” he said. “But it’s the dumb ones.

“I think I can agree that we have gotten away with it a bit but weren’t able to come back this time or get away with it. Just frustrating.”

As for Wednesday, the high point of the game came less than three minutes in, when Anthony Duclair wired a puck in off Cal Ritchie’s feed on the power play to open the scoring.

After that, it was all Kraken.

The Islanders were beaten to too many pucks, couldn’t sustain any offense and their power play — which looked great zipping around the puck before Duclair’s goal — went ice cold.

The latter point proved particularly important as Seattle handed the Islanders seven power plays, but New York could only capitalize on the first.

They finished the night with just seven shots in 10:22 at five-on-four.

“I think we just need to move the puck faster,” coach Patrick Roy said, adding that the Islanders had passed up on too many shots. “Make quicker decisions and move it up, throw more pucks at the net.”

It was the Kraken who instead made the most of the man advantage, scoring at five-on-three on Matty Beniers’ tip at 10:40 of the first, and again just two seconds after Duclair’s tripping penalty — which had negated an Islanders power play — expired.

That goal, scored by former Ranger Kaapo Kakko on a searing wrister from the right circle to make it 3-1 at 16:28 of the second, technically wasn’t on the power play, but might as well have been.

On both that and Vince Dunn’s goal off an odd-man rush that caught Mathew Barzal’s line up ice to break a 1-1 tie in the second, Roy took issue with his team’s poor backchecking.

“We gave two goals where we should have backchecked better,” he said. “I wasn’t happy the way we backchecked on those plays.”

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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When Roy emptied his net with a little over four minutes to go in regulation, Jared McCann promptly obliged with an empty-netter to make it 4-1 and seal the game.

All told, the Islanders didn’t look like they had much in the tank, and Patrick Roy’s search for the right line combinations appears set to continue.

Aside from Barzal’s line, which at least generated some chances, he didn’t get much from any of his forward trios on Wednesday.

If Bo Horvat is ready to return when the Islanders are next in action on Saturday afternoon at home against Buffalo, it would do this team a world of good.

Otherwise, the Islanders will need to hope that this performance was about being at the end of the line after a long road trip, though that reasoning didn’t go far in the postgame dressing room.

“That just can’t be an excuse,” Cizikas said. “You gotta find ways to dig deep and gut these ones out. That’s what top teams in this league do. That’s what playoff teams in this league do.

“It’s a good learning experience for our team that we gotta play a full 60. We gotta have each other’s backs. But we gotta take care of the puck. We have to take care of the puck.”

TORONTO (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored at 3:07 of overtime as the Detroit Red Wings downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Simon Edvinsson also scored for Detroit. John Gibson made 30 saves. Larkin added an assist for a two-point performance.

Scott Laughton scored for Toronto, and Joseph Woll stopped 39 shots.

The Red Wings improved to 7-1-0 over their last eight games. The Maple Leafs fell to 1-2-2 across their last five contests following an 8-0-2 run.

Laughton opened the scoring at 4:46 of the first period before Edvinsson replied with 17.7 seconds remaining on the clock, moments after Woll made a huge pad save during a scramble.

Larkin won it in the extra period after Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider stole the puck from Maple Leafs winger Easton Cowan.

MAMMOTH 5, FLYERS 4, OT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Clayton Keller scored two twice to help Utah rally from a three-goal deficit and beat Philadelphia Flyers in overtime.

Keller forced overtime when he scored on an unassisted backhand shot with 34.2 seconds left in regulation. He followed with the winner 2:01 into overtime, snapping in the puck off a feed from Dylan Guenther.

JJ Peterka, Lawson Crouse and Barrett Hayton also scored for Utah, which won its fourth straight. Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves for the Mammoth.

Christian Dvorak had two goals and an assist another to lead the Flyers. Cam York and Bobby Brink also scored. Samuel Ersson made 22 stops for Philadelphia, which lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Philadelphia scored twice in the first five minutes. York put the Flyers on the board 29 seconds into the game when Dvorak tapped the puck out to him and he blasted a one-timer home. Dvorak extended the lead on his first goal at 4:36, attacking Vejmelka and threading a wrist shot around his skate.

DUCKS 2, AVALANCHE 1, SO

DENVER (AP) — Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier scored in the shootout and Lukas Dostal stopped 40 shots as Anaheim defeated NHL-leading Colorado for its fifth straight win.

Jeffrey Viel scored in his second straight game as the Ducks opened a six-game road trip.

Artturi Lehkonen scored for Colorado, and Scott Wedgewood made 16 saves.

Alex Killorn played in his 1,000th career NHL game. He spent 11 years with Tampa Bay, winning the Stanley Cup twice, before signing with Anaheim as a free agent in 2023.

Colorado forward Valeri Nichushkin returned after missing Monday night’s win over the Washington Capitals. He was involved in a car accident on his way to the rink and was held out as a precaution.

The Avalanche played without Gabriel Landeskog (upper body), defenseman Devon Toews (upper) and forward Joel Kiviranta (lower body). Forward Logan O’Connor has yet to play this season as he recovers from offseason hip surgery.

PENGUINS 4, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist as Pittsburgh beat Calgary.

Yegor Chinakhov and Bryan Rust also scored for Pittsburgh (24-14-11). The Penguins have points in five straight games (3-0-2) and are 9-2-2 in their last 13 games. Stuart Skinner made 18 saves in his sixth win in seven starts and improved to 17-12-4. Skinner is 6-2-1 against the Flames in his career.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had an assist and extended his point streak to four games (two goals, five assists).

Yegor Sharangovich scored for Calgary (21-24-5). Dustin Wolf had 21 stops in losing for the sixth time in seven games. He fell to 15-20-2.

The Flames have been limited to two goals in two games since Sunday’s trade that sent defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights. At the time, Andersson was third on the team in scoring.

KRAKEN 4, ISLANDERS 1

SEATTLE (AP) — Vince Dunn and Jared McCann had a goal and an assist each and Seattle snapped a four-game skid with a win over New York.

Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko also scored goals for Seattle, while Philipp Grubauer had 24 saves and the secondary assist on McCann’s empty-net goal late in the third period.

Anthony Duclair scored on the power play just 2:38 into the game for the Islanders, who wrapped up a seven-game road trip with a 3-3-1 record.

It was the seventh time in their last eight games that the Kraken gave up the first goal.

Ilya Sorokin, who had won four of his previous five starts in goal for the Islanders, made 21 saves and fell to 16-12-2 overall.

After Duclair gave the Islanders the early lead with his fifth goal in his last five games, Beniers deflected in a shot by Dunn while on a five-on-three power play with 9:20 to play in the first period to make it 1-1. The teams combined for six penalties in the first.

Dunn gave the Kraken the lead for good with his seventh goal on the season with 6:23 to play in the second. He scored on a wrist shot with Ryan Winterton and Ben Meyers each getting an assist on the goal.

CANUCKS 4, CAPITALS 3

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brock Boeser had a goal and an assist as Vancouver erased an early-two goal deficit and held on to end its 11-game losing streak with a win over Washington.

Drew O’Connor, Evander Kane and Filip Hronek also scored goals while Jake DeBrusk and David Kampf added two assists each for the Canucks, who won for the first time since Dec. 29 and won at home for the first time since Dec. 6.

Kevin Lankinen made 29 stops.

Dylan Strome and Justin Sourdif scored power-play goals a little over a minute apart in the first period to give Washington a 2-0 lead. But Boeser and Kane knotted it at 2 after one.

Strome scored his second of the game with 3:23 to play to make it 4-3. He and Sourdif also had assists while Logan Thompson had 21 saves for the Capitals, who have lost four games in a row and five of their last six.

O’Connor and Hronek scored in the second period as Vancouver scored four unanswered.