Category: NHL

ST. LOUIS – When Otto Stenberg was recalled by the St. Louis Blues from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Dec. 15, there was no guarantee how much, or how little, the first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft would play.

Or stay in St. Louis for his first NHL stint.

But there was a good scouting report by Blues coaches for the work that the 20-year-old had put in during training camp, that they were quite comfortable in utilizing the forward as much as possible, and in most situations.

He came up due to a rash of injuries among the forward group, and now that three of them (Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud) have returned to the lineup, one had to wonder if Stenberg’s stint would be a short one.

But now that Pius Suter (high ankle sprain) is sidelined and will be reevaluated in four weeks, Stenberg’s tenure is likely to last at least that long. And the only reason we bring him up as a candidate to return to the AHL when numbers get crowded is due to his waiver-exempt status.

But Suter’s versatility of playing in a plethora of situations will be a challenge. However, Stenberg, who picked up an assist on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres setting up Brayden Schenn’s goal in the first period and now has four assists in his first six games of his NHL career, has made quite the favorable impression that coach Jim Montgomery has a trustworthy option to use in a lot of Suter’s spots.

“He continues on his path that he’s trending on, yeah, he’s going to get the opportunity because his stick is in the right position, he stops in the right spots, he doesn’t get below pucks,” Montgomery said of Stenberg. “He’s someone that’s developing that skill and that the coaches are seeing.”

It’s quite remarkable to see that Stenberg looks quite comfortable in his own skin at this level. He doesn’t look overwhelmed, he reads the game well, it’s not too fast for him, he’s not intimidated, and teammates are putting him in positions to succeed, and most importantly, vice versa.

It’s been mentioned enough that Stenberg doesn’t cheat the game, and his stick work may be some of the finest the Blues have on this current roster already.

“I think it's been when I got a bit older and started talking about those details with sticks and everything,” Stenberg said. “I would say the year after I got drafted, I talked a lot to ‘Steener’ in Sweden when he was the development guy there. He talked a lot about sticks and stuff. Maybe a little bit from there, I just think about it more. I would say like before that, I don’t think I ever think about how I should position my stick. Yeah, maybe start thinking about it more and more there and just try to read what the guy with the puck is going to do and then you can put your stick on your reads.”

Suter is one of the top penalty killers for the Blues, and when one talks of players with good stick positioning on the ice, on the penalty kill is essential, and Stenberg has already seen his ice time there increase.

“Yeah of course (it’s paid off),” Stenberg said. “(Steen) was a good player when he played. He had a lot of good things to tell me and even like last year and this year, we talked to all the development guys and coaches, they helped me with that and everything. It's good.”

Stenberg made his NHL debut Dec. 17 against the Winnipeg Jets and the Stenungsund, Sweden native, who started that game on the fourth line, has moved up and down and utilized wherever needed. His trust has not gone unnoticed, and that’s why he’s playing more up the lineup; he was on a line with fellow 2023 first-round pick Dalibor Dvorsky and 2022 first-round pick Snuggerud on Tuesday ahead of a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

“In the offensive zone, you’re not going to get caught on the wrong side of pucks,” Montgomery said of Stenberg. “Like if two guys are low, he’s not diving in as the third guy. I think there’s a lot more offensive upside to Stenberg as he continues to get comfortable at this level, but going back, I think he has a lot more similar details, penalty kill and in the D-zone as Suter does.”

That’s why he feels he can replace all those elements while Suter is out.

“Yeah, I think so,” Stenberg said. “Just continue to play my game and play the way I've played the last five games and try to play good in D-zone and start making more plays and doing more and more with the puck. Start in the right end and just play my game. I hope so.”

A great example of why his offense can come around the more repetitions he gets is after that nice touch pass to Schenn on his goal Monday, look where Stenberg immediately goes: right to the net waiting for that rebound:

For the second straight game, Brayden Schenn has the Blues' first goal. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/arjUrJzbyC

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 30, 2025

"In the beginning, you want to play good defense and show the coach that he can trust you,” Stenberg said. “After that, I think you can start to make more and more plays, but still be smart and make good plays. I can try more and more, some more offense, yeah.”

There was a play in the third period Monday when the Blues were down 3-2, and Stenberg and Robert Thomas nearly hooked up for what would have been a really nice tying goal that Stenberg just missed when Thomas tried to slide a pass to him on the left post.

"I would like him to be a little further wide," Montgomery said after the game. "When you drive back post, it means you're outside back post. It gives you more to shoot at, but I just like the fact that he jumped on a shorthanded situation. Thomas actually said, 'Hey, we're going to go for it here,' before they went out. And 'Tommer' made a great play, but if he's a little more backdoor, I think he has time to see it come through and then he's outside the goalie's pad, and that's something we'll continue to work on with everyone.

Including Stenberg, who once he develops those offensive instincts, he can ask himself if he can be a top six player.

“I hope so. That's the goal,” Stenberg said. “I think I've said it before, I think I can play a lot of different roles on a team. That's a good thing for me. I will play where the coach wants me and I think I can do well on every line.”

Blues At World Junior Championship 2026 (Dec. 29): Jiricek Scores Highlight-Reel, OT Winner For Czechia; Sweden Wins Again, Harenstam Gets BreatherDefenseman, 2024 first-round pick's between-the-legs goal draws jaw drops and open eyes from all partsColten Ellis Grateful For Time In St. Louis Blues Organization; Goalie Is Stoked To Be In NHL With Buffalo SabresGrateful for his Blues development, Ellis embraces his NHL opportunity, seizing his Sabres chance despite a recent injury setback. "When they told me I was going on waivers, I know that’s a process, I really didn’t know what to expect."Another St. Louisan To Play Meaningful Game In Hometown For Sabres, Josh Dunne Joins Prestigious ListSabres forward hails from O'Fallon, Mo., has played here in past but only in preseason gamesSuter Sidelined At Least Four Weeks With Ankle InjuryBlues center was hurt in third period of 3-2 win against Predators on Saturday despite returning to gameBlues Will Ride Whoever The Hot Goalie Is ... For NowJoel Hofer heats up, earning consecutive starts. The Blues are riding his hand, for now, as their goalie rotation shifts.

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Flyers pick up win No. 20 to give Tocchet victorious trip back to Vancouver originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

In Rick Tocchet’s return to Vancouver, British Columbia, the Flyers made him a winner as they beat the Canucks, 6-3, Tuesday night at Rogers Arena.

Noah Cates, Carl Grundstrom, Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink, Owen Tippett and Christian Dvorak all found the back of the net for the Flyers. The goals from Tippett and Dvorak were empty-netters.

Cates (one goal, one assist), Konecny (one goal, one assist), Brink (one goal, one assist), Matvei Michkov (two assists) and Trevor Zegras (two assists) had multi-point efforts.

The Flyers (20-11-7) picked up their 20th win in Game 38 of the season. It’s the quickest they’ve gotten to 20 wins since 2019-20, when they did it in 36 games. That season was the last time the team made the playoffs.

Tocchet’s club rebounded from a 4-1 loss Sunday night to the Kraken. The Flyers have dropped consecutive games in regulation only once under his guidance (Nov. 1-2).

Tocchet left Vancouver in the offseason before becoming the Flyers’ new head coach. He had spent parts of the last three seasons there, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2023-24.

The Flyers beat the Canucks (16-20-3) for the second time in a little over a week. They took care of Vancouver, 5-2, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in their final home game before the holiday break.

• Dan Vladar matched his career high with win No. 14.

The free-agent signing made 32 saves on 35 shots.

The Canucks’ third goal came with just 1:44 minutes left in the action while the Flyers had a commanding lead.

Vancouver netminder Thatcher Demko stopped 27 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.

On Brink’s goal early in the third period, Michkov skillfully executed a 2-on-1. It was a huge play because the Canucks had just trimmed the Flyers’ lead to 3-2.

• After a poor start in which they were thoroughly outplayed, the Flyers were able to tie things up at 1-1 thanks to Cates’ goal.

With around eight minutes left in the first period, Michkov made a nice play to set up a shot from Cates. Konecny had a good hit at the defensive blue line 15 seconds before the goal to help spring the Flyers.

The Flyers’ alternate captain really played like a leader. His hit seemed to stem the tide and he then buried his goal on a great second effort around the net to cushion the Flyers’ lead to 3-1 in the middle stanza.

• When Tyson Foerster went down at the start of this month with a season-ending injury, the big storyline was who would step up in his absence? Well, how about the guy that was called up for him?

That ended up being Grundstrom, who has played like he doesn’t want to go back down. The veteran winger has scored a goal in four straight games and has seven over 11 games since his call-up.

Grundstrom has really opened eyes in just 12 games with the Flyers. He had three goals in 56 games all of last season with the Sharks. The 28-year-old was placed on waivers and sent to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley after being acquired in the Ryan Ellis trade just four days before the season.

• The Flyers are right back at it Wednesday when they visit the Flames for a New Year’s Eve matchup (9:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned forward John Leonard to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on Tuesday. The move was widely anticipated, as Patrick Kane is set to return from injury, leaving limited roster spots available.

Leonard did everything he could to secure his place with the Red Wings, tallying four points in seven games, including a three-game point streak during his stint in Detroit. This marked Leonard’s first NHL action since the 2023-24 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Over parts of five NHL seasons, the 27-year-old has recorded 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 77 games.

Before being called up, Leonard was one of the most dangerous forwards in the AHL, racking up 19 goals and ten assists for 29 points in just 20 games with the Griffins this season. He is currently tied for eighth in league scoring, ranks second in goals, and leads the league in game-winning goals.

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1:05 in, Leonard has his first as a Red Wing! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dcMD3pSKMb

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 20, 2025

Leonard’s stellar play earned him the AHL Player of the Month award for November, when he recorded 16 points in only ten games. A sixth-year professional, Leonard also made a significant impact in the postseason last year, helping the Charlotte Checkers reach the Calder Cup Finals with 14 points in 18 playoff games.

With Kane’s return, Leonard will now rejoin the Griffins, where he has continued to be a key offensive force and a player to watch for future NHL opportunities.

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The New Jersey Devils announced on December 28th that the team had sent forward Angus Crookshank back to the American Hockey League (AHL). 

Crookshank played eight games for the Devils, scoring one goal and averaging just over eight and a half minutes on ice.

He will return to the AHL to rejoin the Utica Comets.

The 26-year-old has played 18 games for the Comets this season and earned seven points.

A 2018 fifth-round pick, Crookshank is no stranger to the NHL, having played two seasons with the Ottawa Senators, recording 21 games and four points. In 29 NHL games, he has five points.

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 Minnesota Wild have been having a strong 2025-26 season. At the time of this writing, they sport a 24-10-6 record and are third in the Western Conference standings.

One of the many reasons for the Wild's good start to the season has been the excellent play of former Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Johansson. 

Johansson, 35, has been one of the NHL's biggest surprises this season. In 38 games so far this campaign with the Wild, the former Sabres forward has recorded 12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points, and a plus-21 rating. This is after he had 11 goals and 34 points but in 72 games this past season, so there is no question that the veteran forward is exceeding expectations in a big way for Minnesota. 

Johansson just keeps staying hot as the season carries on, too. During the Wild's most recent game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 29, the former Sabre scored a goal and recorded three assists. With this, he played a massive role in the Wild's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. 

It will now be interesting to see how Johansson builds on his strong 2025-26 season, but it is clear that the 16-year veteran is feeling it right now. 

In 60 games for the Sabres during the 2019-20 season, Johansson posted nine goals, 21 assists, and 30 points .

With the ball about to drop on 2025, The Hockey News Ottawa looks back on some of the biggest Senators news of the calendar year. The biggest news of all was the Senators finally returning to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in eight years. Unfortunately, as they have so many times in the distant past, they came out on the wrong end of the Battle of Ontario.

While the return to the playoffs was the year’s biggest news, it certainly wasn’t the only big news. Here’s a review of some of the big Senators' moments over the past year, starting with January through April.

January

Ridly Greig Re-signs

The Senators signed Greig to a four-year extension worth $3.25 million (AAV). The 22-year-old was scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the summer. “Ridly has established himself as a key member of our team going forward,” GM Steve Staios said in a club statement. “He brings a good mix of versatility and tenacity to our forward group.”

Greig was part of a lucrative 2020 NHL Draft for the Senators, who currently have six players on their roster from that draft: Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Tyler Kleven, Leevi Meriläinen, and Cole Reinhardt. “I am grateful to the Senators for the opportunity to spend the next four years with this group,” Greig said. “I am looking forward to continuing to develop and to the chance to win with this team.”

Leevi Meriläinen Becomes the Emergency Starter

With injuries to veterans Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg, 22-year-old Leevi Meriläinen was forced into action as Ottawa’s starting goalie. Meriläinen was brilliant in 12 games with the club, posting an 8-3-1 record, a 1.99 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage.

Sens Announce Preseason Games in Quebec City

Ottawa announced they would play a pair of preseason games in Quebec City in September against the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens. The club felt like there might be Quebec City hockey fans who are undecided on their NHL allegiances.

However, the Sens came away red-faced when they trotted out their mascot, Spartacat, wearing a jersey that was half Senators and half Nordiques. Some Sens fans were already annoyed that the club was promoting itself in front of a fan base that is starving to get its NHL team back. The mascot wearing the Nordiques crest only amplified the fan base’s annoyance.

Nick Cousins Suffers Knee Injury

In a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Cousins suffered a serious knee injury after a knee-on-knee collision with Jacob Quillan. Cousins missed the next 30 games following knee surgery, returning just before the playoffs.

Senators Announce Quarter-Century Team

The NHL announced the Senators’ Quarter-Century First and Second Teams. The First Team was made up of the Pizza Line with Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson. The defencemen were Erik Karlsson and Wade Redden, with Craig Anderson in goal. The Second Team was Brady Tkachuk, Marian Hossa, and Mark Stone up front. Chris Phillips and Zdeno Chára were the defence, and Patrick Lalime was the goaltender.

February

Meriläinen Sent Down

Despite outplaying the Senators’ two older goaltenders, Meriläinen was sent down to the minors when Ullmark and Forsberg got healthy. It was becoming apparent that the Senators would not re-sign Forsberg as a pending RFA, but the Senators wanted to protect their goaltending depth for the rest of the season. If they had sent down Forsberg, they may have lost him on waivers. Meriläinen was waiver-exempt, so down he went.

Hamburglar Anniversary

The Senators celebrated the 10th anniversary of the famous Hamburglar run, inviting him to town for a pregame ceremony at Canadian Tire Centre. Andrew Hammond played out of his mind filling in for the injured Craig Anderson in the second half of the 2015 season. With masked Ottawa fans happily hurling hamburgers onto the ice after every win, the Hamburglar’s record that spring was a stunning 20-1-2 with a .941 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average, propelling the Senators into the playoffs.

Hartman Slams Stützle

Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was suspended for 10 games for slamming Senators forward Tim Stützle to the ice face-first during a faceoff. A couple of weeks later, Gary Bettman swept in and reduced Hartman’s suspension to just eight games.

Senators at the Four Nations

February marked a return of a best-on-best event as the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off made its debut. Team USA had the highest Senators content, with both Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson suiting up. Linus Ullmark made Team Sweden, and Nikolas Matinpalo got the call to fill in for injured Finnish defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen.

March

The Norris Trade

March will best be remembered for a pair of Senators deals at the NHL trade deadline. The biggest was Josh Norris heading to Buffalo in a deal for fellow centre Dylan Cozens. The Senators also received defenceman Dennis Gilbert and a second-round draft pick in 2026. Heading to the Sabres with Norris was defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker, who had suffered a leg injury in January but was now healthy and having a hard time cracking Ottawa’s starting six.

The Zetterlund Deal

That was one of two big deals the Senators made that day. They also acquired winger Fabian Zetterlund from the San Jose Sharks, along with forward Tristen Robbins and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick. In return, the Sharks got Noah Gregor, Zack Ostapchuk, and a 2025 second-round draft pick.

March Madness

Senators head coach Travis Green hit a major coaching milestone, appearing in his 400th game behind an NHL bench. After the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off, the Senators crafted their own version of March Madness with a 7-0-1 record, which translated to a smooth .938 points percentage. That streak saved the season, because as March began, the Senators were on a five-game skid and trailed both the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets by four points for the two wild-card spots.

Those are some of the highlights from the first quarter of 2025. Coming up next? We're look back at April to June, which was the best part of 2025 for the Ottawa Senators.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa

This article is from The Hockey News-Ottawa. For more Ottawa Senators coverage, check out THN.com/Ottawa, and don't forget to join Steve at the Senators Roundtable by leaving a comment.

Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:

Senators Announce That Linus Ullmark Is Taking Leave Of Absence
Top Ottawa Senators Prospect Suits Up Again At World Juniors
Josh Norris: 'I Really Felt Like (Ottawa Fans) Had My Back, Even When I Was Injured'
NHL Player Fined For Cross-Checking Senators Star Tim Stutzle In The Face
Ottawa Senators Have A Soft Spot For Their Tough Guy
Senators Announce Their Latest Addition To Ring Of Honour

Adam Jiricek's season with Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League has been filled with plenty of personal and team success.

No matter what happens with his season in the OHL, the St. Louis Blues 2024 first-round pick in the NHL Draft's moment at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship on Monday will go down as a lasting memory.

Jiricek scored a between-the-legs overtime game-winner for Czechia, which rebounded from a late third-period goal surrendered and topped Finland 2-1.

The defenseman took a pass with his back to the goal from Petr Sykora and in one motion, spun and put the puck between his legs before raising his shot over the left shoulder of Finland goalie Petteri Rimpinen at 3:39 for the winner after Finland's Emil hemming tied the game with 20 seconds left in regulation to ease and add much-needed relief for the Czechs after losing a lead late:

Oh my goodness ... Adam Jiricek ... that was nasty. In OT for Czechia #stlblues ... https://t.co/94iCXpfByI

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) December 29, 2025

Jiricek led Czechia in ice time at 25:28 and was a plus-1 with three shots on goal.

After opening with a loss to Canada (7-5), Czechia is in third place in Group B with five points (1-1-0-1) and next plays Latvia on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.

As for Sweden, it was a relative easy 8-1 win against Germany on Monday to improve the Swedes to 3-0-0-0 (nine points) in Group A.

Blues goalie prospect, 2025 sixth-round pick Love Harenstam, who stopped 44 of 48 shots in Sweden's first two games, was the backup to Herman Liv on Monday and got a day of rest.

Harenstam is projected to get the start for Sweden when it opposed the United States on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for the top seed from Group A.

Colten Ellis Grateful For Time In St. Louis Blues Organization; Goalie Is Stoked To Be In NHL With Buffalo SabresGrateful for his Blues development, Ellis embraces his NHL opportunity, seizing his Sabres chance despite a recent injury setback. "When they told me I was going on waivers, I know that’s a process, I really didn’t know what to expect."Another St. Louisan To Play Meaningful Game In Hometown For Sabres, Josh Dunne Joins Prestigious ListSabres forward hails from O'Fallon, Mo., has played here in past but only in preseason gamesSuter Sidelined At Least Four Weeks With Ankle InjuryBlues center was hurt in third period of 3-2 win against Predators on Saturday despite returning to gameBlues Will Ride Whoever The Hot Goalie Is ... For NowJoel Hofer heats up, earning consecutive starts. The Blues are riding his hand, for now, as their goalie rotation shifts.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Seattle Kraken have assigned winger Jani Nyman to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Nyman has played in 24 games this season, scoring four goals and six points, but has struggled to earn consistent minutes under coach Lane Lambert. This season, he's averaging just 10:42 of ice time and has been a healthy scratch 13 times. 

The 21-year-old will join the Firebirds squad, who sit in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 15-9-4-0 record. Nyman spent his rookie campaign with the Firebirds last year, notching 28 goals and 44 points in 58 games. 

Although Nyman has shown signs of being good enough to play in the NHL, returning to the AHL to get consistent minutes is likely what's best for him. He'll play in the top six for the Firebirds, most likely on the top line and be a key figure on the power play. His shot is NHL-ready, but he needs to find ways to use it.

A better understanding of where he needs to be in the offensive zone to get open for his teammates needs work, and figuring out ways to use his skill to put himself in high-danger areas when he has the puck. He's shown he can do so in the AHL, and this stint will help him improve in that area of the game. 

While Nyman heads back to the AHL, Jacob Melanson remains and continues to find ways to be effective on the fourth line. Since his call-up, Melanson has skated in eight games and recorded his first career NHL point last night, registering an assist on Ryan Winterton's goal. 

The 22-year-old stands six-foot, 207 pounds and plays with speed and physicality. With Jaden Schwartz out, Ben Meyers and Melanson have earned the opportunity to remain in the NHL. They've formed a solid fourth line with Tye Kartye or Ryan Winterton.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night for the first of four meetings this season.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers on Monday, while the Penguins got back in the win column on Sunday with a 7-3 thrashing of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hurricanes and Penguins played three times last year, with the Hurricanes winning each matchup. The Penguins have lost four of their last five to the Hurricanes heading into Tuesday's contest. 

Sebastian Aho has been great once again for the Hurricanes in the first half of the season, compiling 14 goals and 35 points in 38 games. Seth Jarvis leads the team in goals with 19, but is currently out with an injury. 

Star defenseman Jaccob Slavin is also out with an injury, which is a big deal since he's one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. He gets all the matchups against each team's top line and is elite in his own end. 

The Hurricanes have gotten good production from forward Jackson Blake this season (12 goals and 24 points). Nikolaj Ehlers, who is in his first season with the team, only has eight goals in 38 games but does have 26 points. 

This has been a tough matchup for the Penguins over the last few years, due to the Hurricanes' relentlessness and their elite ability to shut things down in their own zone. High-danger chances may be hard to come by, so if the Penguins get one, they'll have to do whatever it takes to bury it. 

As for lineup changes, Penguins head coach Dan Muse confirmed after the morning skate that Stuart Skinner will start in goal. He's continuing to rotate starts between Skinner and fellow goaltender Arturs Silovs. 

Yegor Chinakhov, who was acquired via trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, will not be in the lineup. 

Here's a look at the projected lineup:

Forwards: 

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Mantha-Novak-Brazeau

McGroarty-Kindel-Koivunen

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defensive pairs:

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Kulak-Letang

Shea-St. Ivany

---

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

---

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The Chicago Blackhawks are 1-7 in their last 8 games played. Their one victory was an impressive shootout win over the Dallas Stars, who are one of the best teams in the NHL right now. However, things have been a major struggle without Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. 

Now, the Blackhawks will host the New York Islanders, who are one of the NHL’s surprise teams this season. With the number one pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Matthew Schaefer, in the mix, things have been fascinating for that franchise. At 21-14-4, their 46 points put them in second place in the Metropolitan Division. 

Scouting New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have some sneaky good players at every corner of their roster, which has contributed to their status as a top-three team in their division. 

Lee-Barzal-Holmstrom

Drouin-Horvat-Heineman

Duclair-Pageau-Shabanov

MacLean-Cizikas-Gatcomb

Schaefer-Pulock

Pelech-DeAngelo

Warren-Mayfield

Rittich

Hogberg

Matthew Schaefer is looking like he has the potential to be an all-world player on New York's blue line. The fact that he's only going to get better is scary, but that's what you hope for when you make a number one pick. 

Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat as the 1-2 down the middle is solid for the Islanders. With JG Pageau and Casey Cizikas as the 3-4, their center depth can go toe-to-toe with most teams.

In goal, they have been using David Rittich because their superstar, Ilya Sorokin, has been out with an injury. Whether they use Rittich or Marcus Hogberg remains to be seen, but the Blackhawks will need to have a good forecheck, be smart with the puck, and create a good net front presence if they want to score on Patrick Roy's team. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks, without Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard, don't have a winning roster. However, they do have a handful of great role players who will be with this team when they are a winner down the road. 

There are also a handful of veterans in the lineup who do a great job of setting an example for the young and inexperienced players. Currently, they are going through a hard time and need to find their way out of the slump. 

Bertuzzi-Greene-Burakovsky

Teravainen-Moore-Lardis

Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev

Foligno-Dach-Slaggert

Extras: Lafferty, Toninato

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Levshunov

Grzelcyk-Murphy

Extra: Del Mastro

Knight

Spencer Knight is going to start for the Blackhawks against the Islanders. He wasn't at his best in his most recent start, but he has been incredible for the entire season as a whole. Balshill isn't giving his number one goalie much time before allowing him to try and bounce back. 

The most interesting thing about these lines is Teuvo Teravainen getting Nick Lardis on his line. Lardis is a shoot-first type of player so being on a line with Teuvo who passes everything could lead to more goal scoring. Oliver Moore is going to play center on that line, which is something he learned to do in college. 

Before practice on Monday, Connor Bedard took a skate. He stick handled and skated with speed, but he didn't take any shots. Frank Nazar has also upgraded to eating solid food, confirming that he broke his jaw. 

Connor Bedard Skated Before Blackhawks' Monday PracticeBefore the Chicago Blackhawks practice on Monday, Connor Bedard took a skate as he tries to recover from his shoulder injury.

How To Watch

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

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Trying to figure what this Rangers team is all about is roughly equivalent to cycling from here to eternity. 

A night in Raleigh leaves us with this much evidence.

1. A 3-2 overtime loss is a Pyrrhic victory because the New Yorkers came away with a point against the Division leaders in Carolina.

2. The formula holds: Igor Shesterkin's goaltending avoided a 6-2 loss.

3. New York's offense is so weak that the goal-scoring heroes had to be defenseman Vlad Gavrtikov and Jonny Brodzinski.

4. If that isn't bad enough, the Rangers were outshot almost two-to-one (35-19).

5. Egad, what a cad! The Blueshirts were beaten by Carolina's fourth-string goalie, Brandon Bussi. (This guy didn't miss the bus!)

The three-game road trip still could be a winner if they top Washington – very doable –  tomorrow – and then Florida, which has many aces out with injuries.

An Optimist Looks At A Good Blueshirt New YearSkeptics to the contrary; the season is not yet a dead one for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a>.

Coach Mike Sullivan  is happy. "We competed hard and when it was five-on-five we had our moments," Sully proclaims.

You would be happy, too, as the highest-paid bench boss in the NHL – with no fear of firing!

Samuel Montembeault hasn’t played in the NHL since December 9, when he came in relief to Jakub Dobes in a 6-1 defeat at the end of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he hasn’t started a game in the NHL since December 2, a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Since then, he’s had a conditioning stint in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, played two games between a diminished side that was missing several of its regulars, lost them both and spent a lot of time working on his game with Rocket goaltending coach Marco Marciano, a man he’s known since he first worked with him when he played in the QMJHL with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. On Tuesday night, we’ll get to see if it worked, if he has his game back.

For most, it may just be yet another Tuesday night break, but for Montembeault, the stakes are much higher. The way he performs tonight will, in all likelihood, dictate how the Montreal Canadiens move forward with their goaltending this season. The fact that his first game back is against the Florida Panthers, the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2015 draft before putting him on waivers in 2021, is an interesting twist of fate. However, it’s not like the goaltender should need any more motivation than proving he still belongs in the Canadiens’ net.

Canadiens: Suzuki Waiting To Hear
Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky Rewarded For Big Week
Canadiens: Jordan And Patrik Laine Did The Honours

Tuesday night’s tilt will be the first of three meetings this season, and it comes as just two points separate the two teams in the standings. The Habs are currently third in the Atlantic Division, while the Panthers hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Should the Cats claim the two points tonight, they’d overtake the Habs despite having the same number of points in the standings since the Florida outfit has more regulation wins than Martin St-Louis’ men.

Interestingly, the last 10 games between the two teams have been split evenly, with each team claiming five wins. The Canadiens won the last five, while the Panthers won the first five, including a home game on February 29, 2024, which they took 4-3 in the shootout. Will the double defending champions call time on the Canadiens’ domination over them?

Just like the Canadiens, the Panthers have had their fair share of injury woes this season, and they are still without two huge names in Matthew Tkachuk and captain Aleksander Barkov, who’s out for the season, but may come back in the playoffs, if the Cats get there. Dimitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek and Cole Schwindt are also all on injured reserve.

Florida has a 7-3-0 record in its last 10 games and won a duel against the Washington Capitals, 5-3, on Monday night with Sergei Bobrovsky in net. It was the Russian netminder’s 446th career win, allowing him to overtake Terry Sawchuk in eighth place on the all-time wins leader list. He needs nine more wins to overtake Curtis Joseph in seventh place. Florida has yet to confirm who will be in the net for the game against Montreal; it may be the second game of a back-to-back, but it’s a crucial match in the standings. Bobrovsky has a 16-9-1 record against the visitors with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. As for backup Daniil Tarasov, he’s only faced the Canadiens twice, and he has a 0-1-0 record with a 2.65 GAA and a .898 SV.

Meanwhile, Montembeault has a 4-4-1 record against his former team with a 3.75 GAA and a .892 SV. As for Jacob Fowler, he has never faced them, but they were the first team Jakub Dobes ever played. Just over one year ago, he made 34 saves to register a shutout against the Florida outfit and help the Canadiens turn their season around.

When the Canadiens practiced on Monday, there was one significant change in the lineup up front. Alexandre Texier was skating alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on the top line. He had finished the last game there, but it looks like St-Louis wants to have a longer look at him in that spot. This means that Zachary Bolduc finds himself on the third line, playing alongside Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson. Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens’ top points producer against the Panthers with 24 points in 40 games, while Suzuki has 20 points in just 19 duels, and Anderson has 14 points in 24 tilts. Caufiled is not far off from being a point-per-game player against the hosts with 12 points in just 14 games.

At the other end of the ice, Brad Marchand is the Panthers’ most productive player against the Habs with 48 points in 58 games, and he’s on an eight-game points streak, having put up 13 points in that span. Sam Reinhart comes in second place with 23 points in 34 duels, and Sam Bennet completes the top three with 21 points in 28 games.

The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on SCRIPPS, TSN2, and RDS. Cody Beach and Kendrick Nicholson will officiate, with Brad Kovachik and Tyson Baker serving as the linemen. Tuesday night’s tilt will be the Canadiens' last game of 2025 as they’ll be off for New Year’s Eve before taking on the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year’s Day.

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Boone Jenner(6), Damon Severson(3), DentonMateycuk(7), and Kirill Marchenko(14) powered the offense, and Jet Greaves played great, making 27 saves to beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Monday night. 

The day began with their flight to Ottawa being delayed due to issues with the plane and the weather. They were supposed to fly out on Sunday night but didn't arrive in Ottawa until 3:40 PM. After hurrying to the arena and getting ready, they took warmups and got ready to play.

Soon after warmups, the club announced that forward Sean Monahan would miss the game for "maintenance," so Zach Aston-Reese stepped into the lineup for him. 

It was not a normal gameday for the Columbus Blue Jackets in any way, shape, or form. 

First Period - SOG 12-7 CBJ - CBJ Goal - Jenner

The first 5 minutes of the period were pretty slow, with not a lot of shots or action. Cole Sillinger changed that when he got called for tripping Tim Stützle 5:03 into the period, giving the Sens their first power play. The Jackets would kill it with ease, with Greaves making two saves. 

The Blue Jackets earned their first power play when Fabian Zetterlund threw a dirty elbow at Dante Fabbro's face. Fabbro went down but popped right back up. Zetterlund skated off as if nothing happened but was escorted to the penalty box. The Senators would kill it, but Leevi Meriläinen had to make 5 big saves to keep the game scoreless. 

But just a few seconds after the penalty expired, the Blue Jackets jumped on a Sens turnover and buried a goal passed Meriläinen. Cole Sillinger sent a no-look pass from the boards to a waiting Boone Jenner who was crashing the net. 

Mathieu Olivier and Kurtis MacDermid had a quick scrap that ended fairly quick when both players went down. 

Dylan Cozens took a tripping penalty that gave the CBJ their second power play of the game. The Sens killed it off, ending the period with Columbus owning a 1-0 lead. 

Second Period - SOG 10-3 Senators - CBJ Goal - Severson

Damon Severson scored to make it 2-0 when he let loose an absolute missile to beat Meriläinen just 1:21 into the second period. 

A little over three minutes in, Dante Fabbro was called for holding Claude Giroux, giving the Sens another power play. The Blue Jackets killed the penalty to keep their two-goal lead. 

The Senators' Jake Sanderson, son of former CBJ great Geoff Sanderson, scored to make it 2-1 at the 8:16 mark of the period. Ottawa took a turnover down the ice, where the puck eventually found Sanderson's stick. He let a shot go that no one was stopping. 

Damon Severson was called for tripping Dylan Cozens a little over halfway through the period. At this point, the Blue Jackets are starting to falter a bit.

The Blue Jackets killed the penalty, and just as it ended, got a power play of their own when David Perron tripped Brendan Smith, giving them their third man advantage. Mason Marchment was called for hooking with 49 seconds left on their power play, killing it. 

Ottawa failed to score on the abbreviated power play they were awarded.  

Third Period - SOG 11-7 Senators - CBJ Goals - Mateychuk, Marchenko

Denton Mateychuk scored to make it 3-1 just 1:55 into the third period. Damon Severson picked up his second point of the night, and 6th point in 4 games. It was a huge insurance goal to regain a two-goal lead. 

Kirill Marchenko scored on a beautiful, odd-man rush to make the score 4-1. Kirill Marchenko is officially hot. 

The Blue Jackets would again hold a third-period lead and finish it off to pick up the win. Despite the adversity of the day, they played very well at times and took advantage of a slumping Senators club. 

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Boone Jenner scored his 6th of the season and 399th point of his career.
• Damon Severson scored his 3rd goal of the year and had an assist. He now has 6 points in his last 4 games.
• Denton Mateychuk scored his 7th of the year.
• Kirill Marchenko scored his 14th of the season
• Cole Sillinger picked up two assists and went 6/12 at the faceoff circle.
• Charlie Coyle had two assists and went 5/11 on faceoffs.
• Dmitri Voronkov had one assist.
• Mason Marchment had an assist, and now has points in all four games since being acquired.
• Adam Fantilli had an assist and went 10/20 on faceoffs.
• Jet Greaves made 27 saves, which included 4 on the power play.

Team Stats

• The Jackets' power play went 0/3.
• The Columbus PK stopped all four of the Senator power plays.
• Columbus won 54.4% of the faceoffs - 31/57
• The Blue Jackets had 23 hits.

Up Next: The Blue Jackets are back home on New Year's Eve to play the New Jersey Devils. 

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The Florida Panthers will look to complete a back-to-back set sweep when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night in Sunrise.

Florida is fresh off Monday’s exciting comeback victory over the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena, their ninth in 12 games since the start of December.

The Cats will have to dig deep if they want to pick up a win over the Habs though, as Florida will be playing their third game in four nights after exiting the league’s annual holiday break.

Montreal, on the other hand, has placed only one game since the pause ended, a 5-4 shootout loss in Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon.

Entering play Tuesday, the Habs sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with 46 points through 38 games.

The Panthers are right on their heels, holding the second Wild Card spot with 44 points, also through 38 games.

A win for Florida would give them the edge over Montreal though, as the Cats already have five more regulation wins than their friends from the north (18 to 13, for those wondering).

It’s also worth noting that those 18 regulation wins are tied for the most in the conference with Washington and Tampa Bay.

Florida is expected to start Daniil Tarasov on the back end of the back-to-back set, which would also set up Sergei Bobrovsky to get the nod for Friday’s Winter Classic.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Monday’s matchup with the Capitals:

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer

Jesper Boqvist – Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicks

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: Dec 29, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jeff Romance-Imagn Images)