LAS VEGAS -- Jack Eichel's goal midway through overtime gave the Golden Knights a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

JACK EICHEL.
WITH THE BACKHAND.
FOR THE GAME WINNER.
FIRE. US. UP. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/s8DCOpqaQ6

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 16, 2026

It was the second time in as many nights Vegas won in overtime, after the Knights earned a 3-2 road win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

Tomas Hertl's 19th goal of the season came with seven seconds left to force the game into Vegas' 19th game past regulation.

TOMAS HERTL, YOU BEAUTY 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yP3QqlfGV1

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 16, 2026

After losing eight of their first nine games that extended past regulation, the Golden Knights have now won six of their last 10.

The nationally televised audience and a sold-out crowd of 17,975 were treated with what might have been the most exciting game of the season, in what was undoubtedly the most anticipated.

It marked Mitch Marner's first career game against the team that drafted him in the same draft Eichel was chosen second overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

"Obviously, they knew this one meant a little more to me," said Marner, who finished with two assists. "So, grateful to get the win. A lot of guys putting in the effort, and, you know, it's a team game out there.

"Once the puck dropped, it just felt like another hockey game out there. Obviously, I know a lot of those guys very well and trying to read off some of the plays and do some of the things I think they might do. But it's a competitive game, you want to always try to beat your buddies. That was a competitive game, both sides."

To say the least, as the Maple Leafs opened the game by taking a 2-0 lead just five minutes in on goals from Morgan Rielly and William Nylander.

Vegas would cut the lead in half when Pavel Dorofeyev scored his 18th of the season on a power play.

But in a sign of things to come, the back-and-forth affair saw Auston Matthews push Toronto's lead back to two goals to send the Leafs into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead.

The teams exchanged goals in the second - Keegan Kolesar for Vegas and John Tavares for Toronto - as the Leafs brought a 4-2 lead to the ice for the third period.

Dorofeyev scored his second of the game with another power-play goal just two minutes into the third period, but again, Toronto would answer to give Toronto another two-goal lead when Scott Laughton made it 5-3 with a little more than 11 minutes left.

Then things became interesting, as the Knights entered familiar territory, looking to wage another third-period comeback.

Wednesday night's overtime hero Mark Stone cut Toronto's lead to one with 9:46 left, when he was on the doorstep to punch home his 17th goal of the season.

Dorofeyev appeared to tie the game with a little more than four minutes left in the game, but all the hats that flew on the ice became meaningless when it was ruled he was offsides and the goal was called off.

Hertl's game-tying goal and Eichel's game-winner sent the building into a frenzy as the Knights continued their best run of the season.

KEY MOMENT

Pick one. It could have very well been Stone's third-period goal, or Dorofeyev's goal that was called off, as both fueled the Golden Knights differently. But undoubtedly, Hertl's gem with seven seconds left was the key, as it seemingly deflated the Maple Leafs, who were previously trounced by the Utah Mammoth, 6-1, on Tuesday.

"We got a lot of vets on the team, and obviously, guys played in the Stanley Cup, guys played in some big moments. And then we just so strong mentally and we just never quit. ... Every time we've been down, we knew we have chance to come back."

KEY STAT

8 - Thursday's win marked Vegas' eighth comeback win in the third period, most in the NHL.

"I use the word resilient because they have been," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said, when asked to identify his team 46 games into the season. "As the stakes go up, they get more competitive. ... They don't like losing. And you're going to lose some games and tonight it looked like it was going that direction for us, but we kept pushing back. It would have been easy to probably say we're down a few people, it's not our night, especially after the offside goal comes back. ... But they kept pushing because they want to win. The group wants to win."

WHAT A KNIGHT

Eichel finished with four points to extend his point streak to seven games. Eichel registered three assists for the second straight night after having a hand in every goal in Los Angeles. During his seven-game run, Eichel has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists). Eichel is tied for 11th in the league with 55 points, while his 38 assists rank tied for ninth along with Marner.

It also marked the second straight night the Eichel and Stone connected on the overtime winner, after the roles were reversed against the Kings.

"Just finding a way, I guess," Eichel said. "You know, competing when we don't have the puck in overtime, I think that's a big thing. And then capitalizing our chances. I mean, Stoney hits the post there right before we score, and thought we had a few chances. But yeah, credit to the whole group. It was a come-from-behind, win, find a way to get a goal late there. The resiliency in our group has been great all year, and it was there again tonight."

UP NEXT: The Golden Knights continue their three-game homestand against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) scores a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an overtime period to give the Golden Knights a 6-5 victory at T-Mobile Arena.

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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season, Anthony Duclair scored the game’s only goal in the third period on the power play and the New York Islanders edged the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 on Thursday night.

Duclair broke the deadlock with 6:18 remaining in the third period after Calum Ritchie sent a backhand pass to him. Mathew Barzal also assisted on the goal, giving him 500 career points in his 576th game over 10 NHL seasons.

Leon Draisaitl — whose tripping penalty put the Islanders on the power play for their goal — nearly tied it with just over 30 seconds left, but his shot in close hit off the far post to the right of Sorokin.

Connor McDavid, who would’ve had an assist if Draisaitl’s shot went in, had his 20-game points streak end. He joined Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey as the only three players in Oilers franchise history to have a points streak of at least 20 games.

It was the 27th career shutout for Sorokin, extending his franchise record. It was the Islanders’ first shutout in Edmonton since Billy Smith also stopped 35 shots in New York’s 2-0 victory in Game 1 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Final.

The Islanders, who have won four of six, had lost their last six games in Edmonton, dating to 2017. They were 1-12-0 against the Oilers in Edmonton since the 2007-08 season.

Connor Ingram made 17 saves for the Oilers, who have dropped three of their last four.

Up next

Islanders: Play at Calgary on Saturday.

Oilers: Play at Vancouver on Saturday night.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, only to turn around and play the other team from Alberta, the Calgary Flames, on Thursday.

The Blackhawks came out with a lot more juice in this one. At 2:38 of the first period, Nick Foligno sniped one after receiving a nice pass from Colton Dach to make it 1-0. 

Just under a minute later, Yegor Sharangovich scored a power-play goal to tie it up. This was the first power play goal that the Hawks have allowed since December 30th. The penalty kill was 16 for 16 in the last seven games before allowing this Sharangovich goal. 

Chicago's power play, much like its penalty kill, is ranked in the NHL's top ten. However, it failed them at 6:05 of the first period, but not because they didn't score.

While Chicago was on the man-advantage, Mikael Backlund took the puck away from Andre Burakovsky in the neutral zone, skated it in for a breakaway, and beat Spencer Knight to give the Flames a 2-1 lead with a short-handed goal. 

That would be the end of scoring in the first period. There was also no more scoring in the second period, but there were lots of other extracurricular activities. Just like the first two matches between these two clubs, there was a lot of hitting and fighting. 

Connor Murphy levels Joel Farabee and then scores the win on the fight too. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/SkADpK8aUm

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 16, 2026

Kevin Bahl with a huge hit on Oliver Moore, and Ryan Donato swoops in to defend his teammate. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/3QNGtYCFsU

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 16, 2026

Penalty minutes between Chicago and Calgary this season:

Nov. 7: 42 minutes
Nov. 18: 122 minutes
Tonight through two periods: 32 minutes.

These two teams have had some heated battles. #Blackhawks

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 16, 2026

In the third period, both goalies stood strong, but the Flames hit an empty net goal with 1:01 remaining in the third period. The 3-1 score would hold as the final. 

In the NHL, you can't allow a power play goal and a short-handed goal too often and expect to win.

The Blackhawks have been excellent in both departments this season (power play and penalty kill), so they can use that to help them bounce back next time out, but it wasn't good enough in this game. 

"We were minus-2 on special teams," said head coach Jeff Blashill. "It's hard to win games in this league without a great amount a firepower when you lose the special teams battle by 2 like that." 

Spencer Knight was great in this one. He allowed the two special teams goals to the Flames, but he didn't allow a single goal at even strength. With goaltending like that, you can expect to win more often than not. The team in front of him just let him down.

Watch Every Chicago Goal

right on target for goal no. 249🎯 pic.twitter.com/yJYwFgxSmI

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 16, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night at the United Center against the Boston Bruins. "The Banner Years" chapter of their centennial season will come to a close in that game, as over 25 alumni who won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2010, 2013, and/or 2015 will be in attendance for the celebration. This will be one of the marquee games of the 2025-26 season. 

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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After struggling to score in all of their past three hockey games, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally erupted on Thursday.

And who better to do it against than their archrival?

After scoring just two goals in their past three games, the Penguins tallied six against the Philadelphia Flyers and won by a final score of 6-3 to snap their three-game losing streak and move into third place in the Metropolitan Division. They got contributions from up and down their lineup and from their power play, which ended the game with three goals. 

Justin Brazeau, Bryan Rust, Egor Chinakhov, Blake Lizotte, Sidney Crosby, and Connor Dewar were the goal-scorers for the Penguins, and Stuart Skinner was really solid throughout, stopping 30 of the 33 Flyers' shots he faced. 

The offensive eruption was a nice change of pace for the Penguins, who combined for just two goals in their last three games. But, aside from a few lapses later in the game on the Flyers' last two goals against, they still brought the strong defensive process that has been part of their game since the holiday break. 

And, on Thursday, they just had the finishing to go along with it.

"I think it's been coming across the last few games," Lizotte said. "Inside the room, you could feel it building. We were getting chances, and I think throughout the season you just get stretches sometimes where they don't fall. Once one goes, they seem to all go. So, hopefully, we can keep finding the back of the net."

The entire game was a special teams battle, and the Penguins certainly came out on top. They took advantage of two of their first-period power plays, first, courtesy of Brazeau off a nice feed from Ben Kindel on the second unit a little more than two minutes into the game. Rust scored later in the period on the man advantage to put the Penguins up, 2-0. 

Tic, tac, toe... a power-play goal 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QeeCv97jWi

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 16, 2026

And they also wasted no time in building their lead when they came out for the second period. Chinakhov - playing in his eighth game with the Penguins - took a feed from Evgeni Malkin off the rush and buried it at close range past Flyers' goaltender Sam Ersson to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead. 

However, Philadelphia responded just a minute later with a goal of their own from fourth-line center Rodrigo Abols, and they did seize quite a bit of momentum from that tally. They controlled play for most of the period up until Lizotte - with his sixth of the season and third in his last eight games - batted home a Noel Acciari chip opportunity around the net-front at the last second to put the Penguins back up by three.

Then, early in the third, Lizotte laid a huge hit on Flyers' forward Denver Barkey near the red line, and his teammate, Matvei Michkov, stood up for him and challenged Lizotte in a fight. Michkov ended up getting an extra minor penalty for roughing, and Crosby - as he always does - made the Flyers pay on the ensuing power play to make it 5-1.

Denver Barkey gets ROCKED and Michiov wasted no time sticking up for him 💥 pic.twitter.com/IRnqzvYCCy

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 16, 2026

Dewar capitalized off a defensive zone turnover by the Flyers on a pass from Tommy Novak just over a minute later to put the Penguins up, 6-1, but the Flyers started pushing back a bit again afterward. Nick Seeler picked his spot from the left circle to make it 6-2 with just under 11 minutes to go in regulation, then Michkov scored with two and a half minutes left in the game to cut the Penguins' lead to 6-3. 

But, after that, the Penguins were able to shut it down. And responding to momentum swings has been something that the Penguins have done well since the break, too.

"I think if you look back at the history of our season, we've let some leads go that we shouldn't have," Lizotte said. "And I think it just shows the learning curve that we've made. In games like this, you have to control emotion, especially when momentum's really not in your favor at the moment.

"When you're protecting a lead - those moments within the game where it could go sour quickly - you have to find a way to change momentum. And I think we did a really good job of that tonight."

Two Penguins' Prospects Named To AHL All-Star ClassicPittsburgh Penguins' prospects Tristan Broz and Sergei Murashov were recognized for their outstanding AHL seasons with All-Star nods.

---

Here are some thoughts and observations from the Penguins' big win Thursday:

- Everyone has been talking about the newly extended Lizotte, and for good reason.

But I don't think there are enough words to express how important he has been to the Penguins this season. 

Not only does he kill penalties, block shots, and drill down all of the defensive details, there is just an energy and a tenaciousness about him that isn't matched by anyone else on this team. He has the ability to shift momentum in the game with his speed, work ethic, physicality, and forechecking, and he always seems to be part of the game's turning points and most clutch moments. 

LIZZO 😤 pic.twitter.com/KspMRJanIX

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 16, 2026

Both his goal and his hit-then-fight were important moments in the game, and that all-around ability to be a game-changer has not gone unnoticed by his teammates - not even his newest ones.

"I mean, not just tonight, but ever since I've been here, you see a guy that just works hard in both areas of the ice," Skinner said. "A guy that will do absolutely anything for the team to get us two points. He's a fast skater, he goes into the dirty areas, he fights, scores goals.

"Honestly, a player that shows a lot of heart, and all the success that goes to him... he's one of those guys that are very much deserving of it."

He was huge for the Penguins Thursday, and he has been for them all season long.

- That was Chinakhov's third goal in eight games with the Penguins. None of them have been cheapies, and two of them have come off the rush with Malkin.

It's safe to say that Chinakhov is fitting in nicely with the Penguins, and he is certainly building some chemistry with Malkin. But head coach Dan Muse is very impressed with the other areas of Chinakhov's game, too - which isn't something he necessarily knew about him as a player before coming over from Columbus.

MALKIN ➡️ CHINAKHOV 🙌 pic.twitter.com/v8dIP7naUg

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 16, 2026

“I don’t think he gets enough credit for the way he works away from the puck," Muse said. "He’s done a really good job there in terms of the tracking, the getting back. He’s got some detail to his game. You watch, and he’s changing at the right time, he’s driving wide, he’s drawing a number of penalties.

"So, I think the scoring’s obvious with him, but there’s some things that I’ve learned about him since he’s been here that, maybe, I didn’t know as much but really like.”

I've said it in a lot of post-game coverage, and I'll say it again: I think this is a really good addition for the Penguins. Chinakhov is a nasty goal-scorer, and he simply needed an elite distributor to help him unleash that. But it's not the only thing he does well. 

This is a multidimensional player, and Pittsburgh could really, really have something here. 

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

- The Penguins' special teams were very good Thursday, and the power play got a lot of recognition for its three goals.

But the penalty kill has been a huge strength for this team ever since Lizotte re-entered the lineup, and they were 4-for-4 on Thursday. Since the holiday break, the Penguins have only allowed three power play goals, and they have killed 12 straight and allowed just one goal in the last 16 opportunities. 

This team has been a pretty good five-on-five team when at full health. But special teams have been an x-factor in their success this season, and there's a good chance they could spell the difference between a playoff berth and a near miss for the Penguins this season. 

- As mentioned before, the Penguins have played very, very well defensively since the break. Save from a few lapses here, this is the team from October that was shutting teams down late in games when holding a lead and not giving the opposition much to work with when closing things out. 

In fact, the Penguins have blown just two third-period leads - each by just one goal, and each that they ended up winning beyond regulation - since their disastrous blown four-goal lead against the Utah Mammoth on Dec. 14.

They're shutting opponents down late in games, and they're responding so much better when the opposing team does score a goal or grab some momentum.

- And you know what? A ton of credit has to go to the way the Penguins' blue line has performed since the break. Because - even without their best defenseman in Erik Karlsson for the last two games - they've been very good.

Brett Kulak has settled in next to Kris Letang, and that pairing has been pretty solid for a few weeks now. They are being asked to play top-pairing minutes in the absence of Karlsson, and they've handled it well in those two games. Jack St. Ivany has stepped up to the plate since Karlsson went down, too, next to Karlsson's regular partner in Parker Wotherspoon, who has been unbelievably solid for the Penguins the entire season.

But even that bottom pairing of Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton have gelled in the past couple of games. Shea looks a bit more himself, and Clifton is throwing the body around and clearing the net-front like nodoby's business right now. 

They're not giving up much in terms of high-danger opportunities and odd-man rushes, and it has certainly helped their goaltenders, too. If they keep playing with this defensive detail - and they can couple that with the scoring that this lineup is capable of - this is a legitimately good hockey team.

Penguins' Top Defenseman Placed On Injured ReserveOn Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins placed top defenseman Erik Karlsson on injured reserve, which could threaten to derail their season

- Ben Kindel has no goals in his last 15 games. He did register that assist on Brazeau's goal, but the production hasn't been coming for him.

But he was outstanding on Thursday. In fact, I thought he was one of the best - if not the best - player on the ice. 

I've talked at length about Kindel, so I won't spend a ton of time on it. But he was everywhere. He was effective on the power play. Killing penalties. Taking key faceoffs. Driving five-on-five play for his line. Making defensive plays and using his smarts and his stick to disrupt. 

The details he has nailed down at his age just don't come this easily for 18-year-olds. His all-around game is so, so advanced for his age, and it was on full display Thursday.

The production is going to come. When it does, this kid is going to be a star. He plays like a veteran already.

- This is five straight games for the Penguins where Skinner has been excellent. He looks poised, settled in, comfortable, and confident in the crease, and he's making some big saves for his team whenever they do happen to give up a good opportunity. 

He and Silovs have done an excellent job keeping this team in every game. If they can get this level of goaltending down the stretch, this isn't just a legitimately good team. It's a borderline division-contender. 

There is still a lot of season left. But if the Penguins can overcome another major injury and string together some wins before the Olympic break, they surely won't be sellers at the trade deadline this season.

A Sitdown With 'Stu': Skinner Talks Hockey, Transition To PittsburghNew Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Stuart Skinner is adjusting to life in Pittsburgh after spending his first five-plus NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers

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The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their six-game road trip on Thursday with a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brock Boeser scored on the power play, which broke a 21-game goalless drought. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 32 of the 36 shots he faced in the loss. 

With the loss, the Canucks pushed their winless streak to nine games. Vancouver has only had two other nine-game winless streaks since the turn of the century, with the other two coming during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The last time Vancouver went winless in 10 straight was during the 1997-98 season, which led to the Canucks finishing 24th out of 26 teams. 

Thursday was a high-paced game from the start. Vancouver and Columbus each hit double digits for shots in the first and second, and both finished above 30 shots for the game. In the end, the difference was the Blue Jackets' ability to convert on their chance, while the Canucks could only produce one goal.

While this game featured another loss, there was a positive as Boeser broke his 21-game goalless streak. The 28-year-old's last goal came on November 28, which was 48 days ago. Boeser looked relieved on the play as he finally potted his 10th of the season and 214th goal of his career. 

Speaking of Boeser, he showed some chemistry late in the game when put on a line with Elias Pettersson and Liam Öhgren. The trio played 6:10 together as per Natural Stat Trick and finished with a 4-3 shots advantage. Watch for these three to stay together next game, as they were one of the more successful lines over the final 20 minutes. 

The penalty kill was a focus in this game as Columbus scored on both of their opportunities. After gaining some momentum, Vancouver's penalty kill has struggled over the past few weeks, and has now given up at least one goal in four of it's last five games. At this point, it is hard to determine what the solution to fixing the penalty kill as pucks are going in regardless of which players are on the ice. 

Let's just call it as it is; this was the perfect road trip for the Canucks. Vancouver didn't pick up a point over the six games and put some distance between themselves and other teams at the bottom of the standings. While some may view this opinion as negative, it is a positive from a rebuilding perspective as the Canucks main focus the rest of the year should be to finish 32nd in the league. 

Stats and Facts:

- Elias Pettersson records his 100th career power play assist

- Brock Boeser's 75th power play goal breaks his tie with Stan Smyl and moves him into sole possession of sixth all-time in franchise history

- Elias Pettersson extends his point streak to three games

- Vancouver has scored one goal or fewer in four of its last five games

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period:

17:25- CBJ: Charlie Coyle (10) from Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli (PPG)

2nd Period:

5:59- CBJ: Kirill Marchenko (17)
10:14- CBJ: Zach Werenski (18) from Kent Johnson (PPG)
14:09- VAN: Brock Boeser (10) from Elias Pettersson and Zeev Buium (PPG)

3rd Period:

10:13- CBJ: Kent Johnson (5) from Boone Jenner and Damon Severson

Up Next:

The Canucks return home from their road trip to start an eight-game homestand. Their first matchup will not be an easy one as the Edmonton Oilers come to town on Saturday. Game time is scheduled 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.

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On Thursday, two Pittsburgh Penguins' prospects were recognized for the strong seasons they are having. 

Forward Tristan Broz and goaltender Sergei Murashov were named to the Atlantic Division's team for the AHL All-Star Classic, which will take place Feb. 10-11 in Rockford, Ill. The rosters were chosen by a committee of AHL coaches. 

It will be the first AHL All-Star appearance for both players.

Broz, 23, has appeared in just one NHL game for the Penguins this season, but he has continued to build off a strong 2024-25 rookie campaign in the AHL for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins. He has recorded 13 goals and 26 points in 33 games this season to go along with a plus-8, and he leads all WBS skaters in points and goals. 

Murashov, 21, saw a pair of brief stints at the NHL leve this season, posting a 1-1-2 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in five appearances. For most of the AHL season, Murashov led the league in both goals-against average and save percentage, but a recent two-game slide dropped him down to third. 

He is 13-4-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 18 AHL appearances this season. 

A Sitdown With 'Stu': Skinner Talks Hockey, Transition To PittsburghNew Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Stuart Skinner is adjusting to life in Pittsburgh after spending his first five-plus NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers

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Seamus Casey, New Jersey Devils defenseman, was named to his second straight AHL All-Star Game.

This season, the former second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has suited up for the Utica Comets and the New Jersey Devils. He has tallied 17 points (one goal and 16 assists) for the Comets in 26 AHL games.

In addition to his AHL contributions, he has also appeared in two NHL games this season, earning zero points.

During the 2024-25 season, Casey made 14 appearances with the Devils and collected eight points.

Casey is among 30 AHL All-Stars who played in the NHL this season.

Set to represent the North Division in Illinois on February 10th and 11th, the 22-year-old defenseman will take the ice on behalf of the Comets.

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have placed forward Josh Dunne on injured reserve.

Seeing the Sabres place Dunne on injured reserve is entirely understandable. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff recently announced that the 27-year-old forward would be out for the next four to six weeks due to a mid-body injury. Because of this, it makes sense that Dunne has now been placed on injured reserve as he focuses on his recovery. 

Dunne has played in 28 games so far this season with the Sabres, where he has recorded one goal, three assists, four points, 34 penalty minutes, 34 hits, and a minus-4 rating. 

Dunne has gotten into the most NHL action of his career already this season, as he entered the campaign with just 16 NHL games played over three seasons. Yet, he will now be forced to miss a good amount of time due to his injury. 

In 44 career NHL games over four seasons split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Sabres, Dunne has recorded one goal, four points, 49 penalty minutes, 70 hits, and a minus-14 rating. 

Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour is poised to return after missing 14 games with a hand injury, as he’s been activated from the injured reserve.

To free up a roster spot for Montour, winger Jacob Melanson was sent down to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The 22-year-old Melanson played 15 games in this NHL stint, scoring his first career NHL goal and adding three assists. Melanson routinely impressed the coaching staff with his physicality and aggressiveness on the forecheck.  

Despite averaging just 9:25 of ice time, Melanson threw 65 hits, blocked six shots, and fired 12 shots on goal. Melanson turned a lot of heads in this call-up stint and could be a contender to make the NHL roster out of training camp and pre-season next year. 

He’ll return to the Firebirds, where he’s notched seven goals and 14 points in 23 games. 

Kraken's Brandon Montour Deemed A 'Possibility' For Tonight's Matchup Against The BruinsThe fourth stop of the Seattle Kraken's five-game road trip is in Boston, where veteran defenseman Brandon Montour could be making his return to the lineup.

At the moment, who Montour will enter the lineup for is undetermined. The three possible players to step out of the lineup are Cale Fleury, Jamie Oleksiak and Ryker Evans. Fleury has impressed his teammates and the coaching staff since he entered the lineup in place of Montour. 

The answer will be revealed when the Kraken take the ice for warmup prior to their matchup against the Boston Bruins. 

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Despite being one of the lowest-ranked teams in the Western Conference in recent years, the San Jose Sharks have given the Detroit Red Wings a tough time in their most recent visits to Little Caesars Arena. 

The Sharks have beaten the Red Wings by a combined score of 12-8 in each of their two most recent matchups in Detroit, which included a wild 6-5 overtime setback in December 2023. 

The last time the Red Wings defeated the Sharks on home ice was Jan. 24, 2023, a 3-2 overtime victory with Andrew Copp playing the role of hero. 

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This season, the Sharks are showing that they're no longer pushovers, thanks in large part to forward Macklin Celebrini, a 19-year-old phenom whom San Jose selected first overall in 2024. 

With an astounding 24 goals and 46 assists for 70 points, Celebrini is proving that he's every bit worth the hype he came with coming into the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Red Wings, who host the Sharks on Friday evening, know that they must always be aware of when he's on the ice. 

"He's obviously the main focus," Patrick Kane said of Celebrini following Thursday's practice. "He's the main guy offensively for that team; he's been carrying them all year."

Not yet of legal drinking age in the United States, Celebrini is not only ranked third overall in total NHL scoring, but also was announced as being included on Team Canada's Olympic roster. 

Not bad for a 19-year-old. 

"His points compared to the next guy on their team show how valuable he's been, and he's got them in a playoff spot now, too," Kane continued. "He'll definitely be the main focus of our attention defensively, and making sure whoever is on the ice is aware of him." 

As Kane noted, Celebrini’s 70 points are 38 more than San Jose’s next-leading scorer, Tyler Toffoli, who has 13 goals and 32 total points.

As of Thursday afternoon, Celebrini and the Sharks occupy the second and final Wild Card playoff berth in the Western Conference. 

The Red Wings, who defeated the Sharks by a 3-2 final score in a shootout in San Jose on Nov. 2, will be focusing their game plan on how best to neutralize the former first overall pick. 

Todd McLellan Hits the Reset Button as Red Wings Shuffle Lines AgainFollowing their 3-0 loss against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings displayed some new line combinations at Thursday morning's practice.

"It's not an easy task because the book on him isn't real big in the NHL; he's taken it by storm and is an incredible player," head coach Todd McLellan said of Celebrini. "But he is starting to show some tendencies that other teams are looking at." 

"He's definitely driving that team and creating lots of confidence, and as he elevates his play, others around him elevate their play, and they're a tough team to play against," McLellan continued. "We'll obviously have to be aware of him when he's on the ice and help the players with any type of pre-scout analysis we can give them." 

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Flyers play two goalies for second straight game as losing streak hits 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers’ most troubling stretch of the season worsened Thursday night.

Rick Tocchet’s club lost convincingly to the Penguins, 6-3, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. It trailed 4-1 at second intermission for a third straight game and was down 6-1 in the final stanza.

Samuel Ersson was pulled in the middle frame.

Rodrigo Abols, Nick Seeler and Matvei Michkov provided the team’s goals.

The Flyers (22-16-8) have dropped five straight (0-4-1). They’ve been outscored 25-9 over this season-long skid.

Tocchet’s club is 1-2-0 in its four-game regular-season series against the Penguins (22-14-10). The clubs wrap things up March 7 back at PPG Paints Arena.

• Ersson denied 11 of 14 shots in a period and change of work.

The 26-year-old has surrendered 15 goals over his last three starts. He entered the game with the worst save percentage of his career at .855.

For a second straight game, Cam York committed a first-period penalty and the opponent struck first on the ensuing power play. It marked the Flyers’ 32nd 1-0 deficit in 46 games.

A little over 10 minutes later, Pittsburgh made it 2-0 with another power play goal after Garnet Hathaway was whistled for tripping. The Flyers gave up two or more power play goals for a third consecutive game.

Aleksei Kolosov was called up from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley to back up Ersson. Dan Vladar was unavailable after suffering an undisclosed injury Wednesday night in the first period of the Flyers’ 5-2 loss to the Sabres.

Kolosov ended up taking over 2:17 minutes into the second period after Abols drew the Flyers to within 3-1. About a minute before then, Ersson gave up a transition goal to the Penguins.

The 24-year-old Kolosov made 13 saves on 16 shots.

There has been no official word on Vladar, but the fact that he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve is a good sign for his status.

Pittsburgh netminder Stuart Skinner stopped 30 of the Flyers’ 33 shots.

• This felt like a critical game for the Flyers.

They really needed to stop the bleeding, but couldn’t. The Flyers have been mostly uncompetitive on this losing streak, their special teams have been costly and they’ve battled injuries.

You can’t blame fans if they’re thinking this is the inevitable slide that will ultimately sink the Flyers’ playoff push. It’s only mid-January and Tocchet’s club is still right there in a busy mix. But the Flyers had a collapse in 2023-24 that spoiled a surprise playoff push.

They’ve missed the playoffs in five straight seasons, matching the franchise’s longest drought.

• One positive for the Flyers was Michkov dropping the gloves in the third period to defend Denver Barkey, who took a big hit from Blake Lizotte.

Later in the period, Barkey recorded his second assist of the night on Michkov’s goal.

• To make room for Kolosov, Bobby Brink was placed on injured reserve, a stint retroactive to nine days ago.

Brink missed a fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. But whenever the 24-year-old winger is cleared to return, he can come off IR immediately.

Rasmus Ristolainen missed a second straight game with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old defenseman has been considered day to day.

• The Flyers are back in action Saturday when they host the Rangers (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Chara: Joining Bruins in 2006 ‘best decision I ever made' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON – Zdeno Chara had his No. 33 raised to the TD Garden rafters Thursday night in a special pregame ceremony before the Bruins hosted the Seattle Kraken.

It was a well-deserved honor for the man who played the leading role in restoring the Original Six franchise back to greatness.

Right where it belongs.#BigZ33pic.twitter.com/IRibujSZoa

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 16, 2026

But this night would not have been possible without a key decision in July of 2006, one that Chara described Thursday night as the “best” he’s ever made.

NHL free agency typically is not where you find franchise cornerstones. That type of player is usually acquired through the draft or via the trade market.  

Chara is one of the rare exceptions.

The Ottawa Senators had a couple key players with expiring contracts after the 2005-06 season, including defensemen Wade Redden and Chara.

The Senators re-signed Redden and Chara went to free agency. The Bruins were interested, and despite being known at that time for not splashing the cash for top free agents in their prime, they ultimately signed the imposing 6-foot-9 defenseman to a five-year contract worth $37.5 million.

Chara and the Bruins were the perfect match. And in many ways, they needed each other.

The Bruins were coming off an awful 2005-06 season in which they traded captain Joe Thornton and finished with the league’s fifth-worst record. The once proud franchise was at a low. Competing for the Stanley Cup seemed like pure fantasy.

They were desperate for a foundational player to bring back the Big Bad Bruins era of hockey – one built on hard work, effort, commitment and determination.

Chara was seeking that kind of opportunity, so he chose to take his world-class talent to Boston and challenged himself to lift the Bruins to a championship level again.

“I knew that’s where I wanted to go because there were these opportunities of possibly leading the team, there was desperation to get better, the history, and the living,” Chara said at a press conference following his ceremony. “I saw that it would be a good fit, and it ended up being the best decision I ever made.”

Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

It didn’t take long for Chara to help the Bruins rediscover their identity, and in his second season as captain they were back in the playoffs. They would advance to the postseason 11 times in his 14 years wearing the spoked-B, including three trips to the Stanley Cup Final and one championship in 2011, which ended the franchise’s 39-year title drought.

“Things really changed when Z came here as a free agent,” Bruins legend Ray Bourque said Thursday night, a few hours before the ceremony. “From that point, the culture and everything that comes with that, and the success and the run that they had, he was such a big part of that.

“I remember him as a fresh, young player coming up with the Islanders and what he became. It’s a credit to him and how hard he worked and how dedicated to the game he was. It was so much fun to watch him develop into the player and person that he is. He’s a legend. He deserves to be up there (in the rafters) and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.” 

During those 14 seasons with Chara wearing the “C”, the Bruins won the fourth-most games of any team, scored the fifth-most goals, allowed the fewest goals, had the fourth-best power play and the fifth-best penalty kill. They also won the second-most playoff games. Just like the great Bruins teams of the 1970s and 1980s, they were a nightmare for opponents to play against.  

It was one of the franchise’s most successful and exciting eras.

“They became the Bruins again,” Bourque said. “We could be proud of that group and how they played. They played hard and they were hard to play against.”

He added: “They were so much fun to watch and the fans could really appreciate that team and be proud of that team.”  

We are entering a pivotal stretch for the Ottawa Senators and general manager Steve Staios.

Back-to-back games against the divisional rival Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings this weekend highlight the remaining eight games left in January, but time is quickly running out for the Senators to close the distance on the Eastern Conference’s wild card seeds.

Thanks to the ever-increasing presence of three-point games around the league, it will not be easy to gain traction in a tightly contested Eastern Conference. Three points separate the Senators from the lowly 15th-place Columbus Blue Jackets, while five points are the difference between them and the second wild card.

In order for the Senators (22-19-5, .533) to get in the vicinity or surpass Boston’s points percentage (26-19-2, .574), it would necessitate winning five more consecutive games.

Putting together a seven-game winning streak certainly feels unlikely given the Senators’ struggles in goal this season, and that is what has to be frustrating for Staios.

If this team could generate a higher save rate, they would comfortably be in a playoff position.

Instead, the Senators’ five-on-five save percentage of 88.64 is the lowest in the league per Evolving-Hockey. Their 79.81 shorthanded save percentage is also the lowest in the NHL, but worse than that, it ranks as the lowest since modern public analytics websites began scraping and capturing data at the start of the 2007-08 season.

Similarly, if their 86.87 percent all-situations save percentage holds up for the remainder of the year, it will become the worst save percentage ever recorded in the modern stats era.

On an individual basis, only the St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington has a lower goals saved above expected (GSAx) metric than Leevi Merilainen (-11.09 GSAx) and Linus Ullmark (-9.14 GSAx).

Although a young goaltender experiencing troubles in his first professional season as an NHL backup is hardly unique, the goaltending position has been further complicated by Ullmark's unanticipated leave of absence. Prior to his absence, Ullmark was projected to play in more than 50 regular season games for the first time in his NHL career. That was noteworthy given the condensed schedule in this Olympic year, but it likely spoke volumes about the organization's confidence in the struggling Merilainen.

Whether the increased volume of starts contributed to Ullmark’s struggles is up for debate, but considering his body of work and career save percentage of .914, it was reasonable to believe that his statistics would improve and begin to reflect his career norms in time. Now, everyone is wondering when Ullmark will rejoin the Senators and return to the net.

In the interim, Merilainen’s ineffectiveness and the lack of quality options at the AHL level necessitated the signing of unrestricted free agent goaltender James Reimer. The 37-year-old has not played in an NHL game since April 17, 2025, when he beat the Philadelphia Flyers. His only action this season has been the two games that he represented Canada at the Spengler Cup and the lone appearance in Belleville, where he was shellacked for six goals.

The struggles of the position have not only shone a light on the organization’s lack of quality depth, but have also drawn attention to general manager Staios’ offseason decisions.

It is clear the organization obviously felt obligated to reward Leevi Merilainen for his strong 2024-25 campaign that he split between Belleville and Ottawa. His nine-game stretch in January was principally responsible for keeping the Senators afloat and in contention for a playoff spot that they would eventually secure.

Despite that loyalty and being compelled to provide an opportunity for the young goaltender, the organization elected not to bring in a veteran goaltender with NHL experience as a contingency plan to guard against the possibility of Ullmark missing games or Merilainen’s ineffectiveness.

Now, the Senators are experiencing both.

Given how poorly Ullmark and Merilainen have played, the hope is that they will bounce back and that their numbers will regress toward their career norms over time. It is worth noting that Merilainen has looked capable in his last two starts, but there is a specific timetable for Ullmark's return.

It puts Staios in a difficult position because their goaltending is unreliable. They cannot bank on it getting markedly better, and because of that, it should, in theory, impact what the Senators’ general manager can or is willing to do.

The organization’s pipeline of prospects is widely panned for lacking quality prospects.

Poor amateur scouting and the trading of valued draft picks in shortsighted deals that never required revisionism by Staios’ predecessor simultaneously emptied the system while shortchanging the Senators’ rebuild. It has created a situation in which, as good and impressive as the Senators’ young core is, there should be more young talent in Ottawa’s system that they could either graduate to the parent roster to insulate their core or use as capital to acquire the players they need to push this roster forward.

Without it, the Senators are closer to resembling a middle-of-the-pack team than a true Cup contender.

The dreaded murky middle can be a difficult place to navigate for a general manager. Often, your team is too good to be bad or at least bad enough to have lost seasons be rewarded with high draft picks. They are also not good enough to sustainably compete with the league's elite.

There is also the added pressure of trying to maximize this group’s prime.

Modern NHL research has proven that a player’s offensive prime years often occur between 22 and 27 years of age, which happens to coincide with where Ottawa’s core is right now. With Drake Batherson representing the first of Ottawa’s core to potentially reach unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2026-27 season, with Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot to follow the year after that, the reality is that the Senators’ window of contention is already upon us.

The uncertainty around the Senators’ goaltenders' effectiveness is compounded by the fact that there simply aren't a ton of desirable trade chips within their system. Perhaps things would be different if the Senators had not lost their 2026 first-round pick for their gross incompetence (or willful ignorance) in the Evgenii Dadonov trade scandal, but without any guarantees that they will eventually be able to recoup that pick, they do not have a ton of assets to move without touching the parent roster.

The situation essentially limits what Staios can do.

This group needs an infusion of higher-end talent to help take this core to the next level, but it lacks the high draft picks or trade chips the organization needs to easily acquire it.

Without it, it's likely Staios will continue to make the moves that have characterized his stewardship of this franchise - modest moves that improve the margins in hopes that these small gains will be enough to progressively move this team forward.

Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:

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On Thursday, the American Hockey League and Rockford IceHogs announced that Nick Lardis and Kevin Korchinski have been named to the AHL All-Star Game. 

Korchinski, who was the All-Star MVP of the AHL last season, is currently playing with Rockford. Lardis, who is in his first year of pro hockey, earned his way up to the NHL club due to his success in the minor leagues. 

Reppin’ the hometown team ⭐️

Nick Lardis and reigning All-Star MVP Kevin Korchinski have been selected for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO U.S.

📰: https://t.co/Hm0OENuLJlpic.twitter.com/9dNmq02FXW

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 15, 2026

Korchinski has played in 33 AHL games this season. In those games, he has 2 goals and 17 assists for 19 points. In two NHL games this season, both of which took place last week, he has one assist. 

As for Lardis, the goal-scoring prowess that allowed him to score 71 in his final year of major junior continued when he reached the pros. In 24 games with the IceHogs, he has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. In 15 games with Chicago, Lardis has four goals and one assist for five points. 

Being a point-per-game forward is difficult in the AHL, and it's even harder when you're a rookie. Lardis has the tools to be a high-end offensive producer. He is showing why at every level, and that earned him an All-Star nod. 

The two-day event will take place at the BMO Center on February 10-11 and will feature the Skills Competition, AHL All-Star Challenge, AHL Hall of Fame Induction, and more.

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Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot and winger Jack Devine have been selected to represent the Charlotte Checkers at the 2026 AHL All-Star Game.

Bjornfot is participating in his second full season with the Florida Panthers. He has yet to play an NHL game this year, but skated in 14 games last season. In the AHL, the 24-year-old has scored one goal and six assists for seven points in 22 games. 

His offensive game since coming over to North America has been muted, but at the AHL level, he’s a trusted defensive defenseman with a strong skating stride and the ability to move the puck. He is currently on the NHL roster as an extra defenseman due to the injuries of Dmitry Kulikov and Seth Jones. 

Devine is enjoying a stellar AHL rookie campaign with the Checkers. His 11 goals rank third on the team, and his 24 points are tied for the team lead despite playing 29 games, six fewer than most of his teammates. 

He’s played six fewer NHL games due to his first call-up to the NHL. Devine played six games in the NHL in late November/ early December. The 22-year-old was unable to record his first career NHL goal or point, but proved that he will one day have what it takes to secure an NHL role. 

He averaged just 8:26 of ice time, but threw six shots on goal and did little things that impressed coach Paul Maurice and his coaching staff. It’s an impressive and deserving feat that Devine was selected to the AHL All-Star Game. 

The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic will be held on Feb. 10-11 in Rockford, Ill. 12 players will represent each of the AHL’s four divisions. Committees of AHL coaches determined rosters, and at least one All-Star is selected from each of the 32 AHL teams.

Joining Bjornfot and Devine on the Atlantic Division roster are Denver Barkey, Patrick Brown, Tristan Broz, Frederic Brunet, Michael DiPietro, Matt Luff, Cole McWard, Sergei Murashov, Gabe Perreault, and Ilya Protas.

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