TORONTO (AP) — Mark Stone had two goals and an assist and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Maple Leafs 6-3 on Friday night in Mitch Marner’s emotional return to Toronto.
Jack Eichel Pavel Dorofeyev, Braeden Bowman and Keegan Kolesar also scored for Vegas. Adin Hill made 18 saves, and Ivan Barbashev had three assists.
Marner, who played nine seasons with the Maple Leafs before his long march out the door ended last summer, was booed every time he touched the puck.
John Tavares, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz stopped 25 shots in his return from an upper-body injury.
Playing in the second of a back-to-back, Vegas won for the first time in three contests following a seven-game winning streak, including a 6-5 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs last week.
Toronto has dropped three in a row and five of six.
Rasmus Andersson made his debut for Vegas after the blueliner was acquired from Calgary on Sunday.
CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic James scored in the fifth round of a shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it 15 straight games without a regulation loss, outlasting the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday night.
Tampa Bay is on a 14-0-1 tear, winning three straight after a shootout loss a week ago in St. Louis. The Lighting are 32-13-4 overall.
Nikita Kucherov tied it at 1 late in the second period with his 25th goal of the season and also scored in the shootout. Gage Goncalves scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker to keep Tampa Bay alive and, after Oliver Moore failed for Chicago, James slipped the winner past Arvid Soderblom.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots for Tampa Bay.
Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Soderblom made 30 saves. Chicago had won two straight, beating Carolina 4-3 in shootout Friday night in Raleigh.
Andre Burakovsky nearly ended it for Chicago in overtime, but couldn’t get the puck in at the side of that net as it slid across the crease.
Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 13-2 in the second period and had a 21-6 overall advantage through 40 minutes. Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play.
Kucherov tied it with 1:18 left in the second. He cut through the slot, taking Brandon Hagel's pass on his forehand and lifting in a backhander.
Greene opened the scoring on a power play with 2:18 left in the first period with a goal that withstood a lengthy review after the Lightning challenged for offsides. Greene cut across the front and beat Vasilevskiy with a forehand shot.
Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno fought Jack Finley early in the first, with Finley getting an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
TORONTO (AP) — Mitch Marner stepped on the ice for warmups and heard some boos during an initial lap around a rink he knows well.
The Vegas Golden Knights winger experienced more jeers on his first shift. That noise only got louder when Marner finally touched the puck, followed by an unexpected ovation after heading to the bench.
In his first game back at Scotiabank Arena since a drawn-out divorce with the Toronto Maple Leafs was finalized last summer, Marner felt a range of emotions Friday night.
And left with a 6-3 victory.
“Passionate fan base,” Marner said. “They love their team. It was interesting the whole night. When warmups hit, it really just felt odd and weird.”
The Maple Leafs honored Marner, who spent nine seasons in Toronto playing for the team he cheered for as a kid, during the first television timeout. There was a mixture of boos and cheers throughout the 40-second video tribute as many fans rose to their feet. Marner raised his right arm and tapped his chest in acknowledgment with Vegas already up 2-0.
“I was trying to just take it in and not get emotional,” he said. “Still got a lot of love for these fans.”
Asked if there was a sense of relief the homecoming was finally over, Marner replied with a smile: “Completely, definitely, honestly.”
Vegas captain Mark Stone thought the atmosphere hit the right notes all night.
“You’re expecting boos, right?” Stone said. ”(Marner) doesn’t play for the Maple Leafs anymore, but they tip their cap to what he did for this organization.”
Drafted fourth overall in 2015, Marner enjoyed plenty of regular-season success with the Maple Leafs, but was a lightning rod of criticism in hockey’s biggest media market for Toronto’s inability to break through in the playoffs.
A slow march out the door from his de facto hometown last season as unrestricted free agency loomed finally ended when he was shipped to Vegas in a sign-and-trade deal that netted Marner an eight-year, $96 million extension.
“That (booing) was fine,” he said. “I knew was it going to come … the cheering when I was going off was pretty funny. I didn’t see that one coming.”
Marner, who picked up two assists in a 6-5 overtime victory against his old team on the Las Vegas Strip last week, has 12 goals and 40 assists in 50 games this season.
“Our guys were going to try to bring their best for Mitch,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “And they did.’
Marner’s new club sits comfortably in a playoff position atop the Pacific Division standings, while Toronto is on the outside in the Eastern Conference post-season race.
“The booing I had, it was what I expected,” he said. “Tried to play through it, play with the puck, play my game. And do my thing.”
The Flyers sure delivered one Friday night with a 7-3 stunner over the juggernaut Avalanche at Ball Arena.
Owen Tippett led the Flyers’ charge with a hat trick. His second goal snapped a 3-3 tie just 56 seconds into the third period before Matvei Michkov added insurance only 1:04 minutes later.
Tippett then punctuated his night on a shorthanded breakaway. Michkov sealed the game with an empty-netter.
The Flyers took the final stanza, 4-0, from a Colorado team that entered with an NHL-best plus-37 goal differential in the third period.
Denver Barkey and Bobby Brink also found the back of the net for the Flyers.
Samuel Ersson had a commendable effort in net.
The Flyers (24-17-9) went 2-0-1 on their road trip against teams all in Western Conference playoff position. If they didn’t have a collapse against the Mammoth two nights ago, they would have swept the trip.
Rick Tocchet’s club handed the league-leading Avalanche (34-6-9) just their second regulation loss on home ice. Colorado dropped to 20-2-4 at Ball Arena.
Before this loss, the Avalanche were 19-2 in games decided by three or more goals.
• Ersson denied 32 of 35 shots.
The 26-year-old was making his third consecutive start and sixth straight appearance. The Flyers didn’t help him early with a couple of penalties in the game’s opening five minutes. Ersson was outstanding, though, converting 17 first-period saves.
The Flyers took a surprising 2-0 lead into first intermission. But Colorado turned it on like it typically does, making it a 3-3 game 12:12 minutes into the second period.
Parker Kelly put the Avalanche on the board after Christian Dvorak committed a turnover that kept Colorado in the offensive zone. Victor Olofsson tied it up at 2-2 off a great pass from Nathan MacKinnon.
Brink responded 32 seconds later to regain the Flyers’ lead, but Cale Makar quickly countered for the Avalanche.
Colorado netminder Mackenzie Blackwood stopped just 13 of the Flyers’ 19 shots.
• Tippett now has a team-leading two shorthanded goals after coming into the season with none in his career.
Last season, it was really intriguing early on when the Flyers tried Tippett on the penalty kill. They didn’t continue with it, but he’s starting to show why he can be a threat at shorthanded.
His power and speed can put pressure on the opposing power play. Tippett played 2:24 minutes on the penalty kill against the Avalanche. We’ll see if the Flyers keep giving him the opportunities.
• For a fourth straight game, the Flyers scored first. Tippett promptly regathered the puck and fired again after having his initial shot blocked, putting the Flyers ahead with a little under five minutes left in the opening frame.
Not even four minutes later, Barkey made it 2-0 with a power play goal off a feed from Michkov.
Michkov was very good, finishing with his first three-point game of the season.
• Dan Vladar missed a fifth straight game. He has been considered day to day with a lower-body injury. The Flyers’ next game against the Islanders feels like a possibility for his return.
• The Flyers come home for a matchup Monday against New York (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Two teams have repeatedly emerged as favourites to land Vancouver Canucks winger Evander Kane in a trade this year. According to Kevin Weekes, there are two teams from the Central Division to keep an eye on. On Friday, Weekes wrote via "X", "Per multiple sources, I’m told the @DallasStars and @Avalanche are among the likely destinations for @Canucks F Kane via potential trade."
Both the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are preparing for long playoff runs. While Colorado currently is the best team in the NHL with 77 points in 48 games, Dallas ranks sixth with 65 points in 51 games. As of writing, the Stars would take on the Minnesota Wild in the first round, while the Avalanche would face the second Wild Card team.
While Kane's season with Vancouver has not gone as planned, he still has tools that contenders would like to add to their roster. He went to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two years and has 84 hits in 49 games. Kane is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and will be looking to show teams that he can be an impactful player moving forward.
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane (91) shoots against the Washington Capitals in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
On top of the trade deadline, which is scheduled for March 6, there is a trade freeze that kicks in on February 4. This freeze will last until the end of the 2026 Winter Olympics, with teams able to start making moves on February 22. The Canucks have already made two significant moves this year, as they traded both Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood.
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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One of the Montreal Canadiens' top objectives at the 2026 NHL trade deadline should be to add another top-six forward. Adding a second-line center, in particular, would be significant for a Canadiens club looking to prove that they can be true contenders.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly is standing out as a prime potential option for the Canadiens to consider.
O'Reilly is showing this season that he is still capable of being a major difference-maker. In 50 games so far this season with the Predators, he has recorded 18 goals, 32 assists, 50 points, and a plus-8 rating. With numbers like these, the 34-year-old would be a huge pickup for the Canadiens if acquired.
O'Reilly is only getting better as the season carries on, too. The star center is currently on a six-game point streak, where he has recorded five goals and 13 points over that span. This includes him putting together back-to-back three-point games against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 20 and the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 22.
Yet, besides being red-hot right now, O'Reilly could also be an appealing target for the Canadiens because he plays a strong two-way game and is well-known for his leadership. With this, he would have the potential to benefit the Canadiens in multiple ways.
O'Reilly would also be more than a rental for the Canadiens. This is because he is signed until the end of the 2026-27 season, where he has a bargain $4.5 million cap hit.
The Chicago Blackhawks have multiple players who are pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs). Among them is forward Ilya Mikheyev, as the 31-year-old is in the final season of his four-year, $19 million contract.
Mikheyev was traded to the Blackhawks during this past off-season in a cap dump move for the Vancouver Canucks. The change of scenery did him good, as he posted 20 goals and a career-high 34 points in 80 games during his first year with the Blackhawks in 2024-25.
Now, in his second season with the Blackhawks, Mikheyev has recorded nine goals and 17 points in his first 45 games. While his pace of production is lower so far than it was last season, he has still been giving the Blackhawks some secondary scoring. He is also being used on the Blackhawks' penalty kill again.
With Mikheyev being a pending UFA, he is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Blackhawks. When noting that he is a solid part of their top nine and a key penalty killer, should the Blackhawks try to keep him around beyond this season? It is fair to wonder if they could.
For a Mikheyev contract extension to make sense with the Blackhawks, he would likely make less than his current $4.75 million AAV. Furthermore, with the Blackhawks having several young players in their system and Mikheyev being older than 30, a short-term extension would make more sense for them.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what the Blackhawks decide to do with Mikheyev from here.
Share your thoughts in the comments what you think the Blackhawks should do with Mikheyev.
The Vancouver Canucks are 50 games into the 2025–26 season. After dropping 11-straight games and trading Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks, the Canucks won their first game of 2026 against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. This marks their 17th win of the season and fifth home win of 2025–26. Here’s how the Canucks stack up to the rest of the NHL 50 games into the season.
Team Stats
Vancouver Canucks team stats 50 games into 2025-26.
While the Canucks weren’t doing phenomenally before it, their 11-game losing streak didn’t exactly help their team statistics. Vancouver now ranks 32nd in the NHL in exactly half of these particular team stats. Aside from their record and points-percentage, the Canucks’ goals-against (182) and penalty kill (71.3%) sit at the very body of the league. Their highest-ranking stat remains their power play, which sits at 20th in the NHL with a success rate of 19.3%.
Individual Skaters
Vancouver Canucks individual stats 50 games into the 2025-26.
Vancouver’s individual stat leaders start to shift now that Sherwood is no longer part of the team. Elias Pettersson has now taken the team lead in goals (13), while Aatu Räty now leads them in hits (94). The Canucks’ individual stat leaders chart also shows a brief glance at how big of a role Filip Hronek has taken since Quinn Hughes’ departure from the team. The defenceman shares the team lead in points with Pettersson (29), while also leading his team in assists (25) and total minutes played (1222:18). The only listed individual stats in which Vancouver ranks higher than 32nd in the league are their overall TOI (Hronek, 11th), power play TOI (Brock Boeser, 20th), and penalty-killing TOI (Marcus Pettersson, 15th).
Goaltenders
Vancouver Canucks goaltending stats 50 games into the 2025-26.
Another injury to Thatcher Demko means that the Cancuks’ goaltending stats are likely to change again in the coming days. Demko still leads Vancouver in SV% (.895%), GAA (2.90), and wins (8), while Kevin Lankinen tops the Canucks’ charts in all other goalie stats. In the four stats that Lankinen leads in for the Canucks, three of his totals rank higher than 32nd in the NHL — his minutes played (25th), shots-faced (22nd), and high-danger shots faced (16th). Lankinen also ranks 33rd in the league in high-danger SV% with 0.807%.
The next five Canucks games will take place on home-ice. Vancouver will face the New Jersey Devils tonight at 7:00 pm PT, then the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3:00 pm PT matinee on Sunday, and then the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday at 7:00 pm PT. Games against the Anaheim Ducks at 7:00 pm PT on January 29th and the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4:00 pm PT on the 31st round out Vancouver’s next run of games at home.
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) and forward Brock Boeser (6) and forward Teddy Blueger (53) celebrate their victory against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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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The Nashville Predators' game time against the Utah Mammoth on Jan. 24 at Bridgestone Arena has moved up to 12:30 p.m. CT in response to the pending winter weather this weekend, the team announced.
The game time moved up two hours, from 2:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., with winter weather moving into the area in the morning of Jan. 24.
Bridgestone Arena doors will open at 11 a.m. on Jan. 24, according to the team.
The National Weather Service currently forecasts snow in the morning of Jan. 24, followed by a possible mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain throughout the rest of the day.
The Predators plan to honor defenseman Roman Josi in a pregame ceremony. He played in his 1,000th career NHL game on Jan. 22.
The Buffalo Sabres did not come out of the 4-2 win over Montreal unscathed, as head coach Lindy Ruff indicated after the game that defenseman Jacob Bryson would miss some time with an upper-body injury. Bryson left the game in the middle of the second period and did not return.
“He went back to Buffalo today and we'll find out (the severity of the injury),” Ruff said after the team’s practice on Friday. “We'll know next couple days. He'll probably see the doctors today, and we'll get a better idea.”
The Sabres recalled defenseman Zac Jones from AHL Rochester and placed Bryson on injured reserve. Jones is leading the Amerks in scoring with 37 points (6 goals, 31 assists) in 32 games.
Winger Zach Benson scored the game-winner in the second period, but was on the receiving end of an elbow from Habs forward Zachary Bolduc. Benson was on the ice and showing no ill effects at the Northwell Heath Ice Center on Long Island on Friday.
"Incidental or not, I felt it was a little bit of a cheap shot,” Ruff said. “But no, he's back smiling and laughing this morning, so he's doing good."
Team captain Rasmus Dahlin missed practice after blocking a shot in the third period against the Habs, but Ruff stated that it was for maintenance purposes and that they felt that he would be good to go. The Sabres play an afternoon game against the Islanders on Saturday, and will return home to practice before completing their road trip in Toronto on Tuesday.
Technically, Olen Zellweger is 49 games into his third NHL season after playing 62 games in 2024-25 and 26 in 2023-24. The Anaheim Ducks selected the dynamic, “undersized” defenseman with the 34th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. As one of the youngest players in that year’s draft, he was six days from eligibility for the 2022 draft.
Following his draft, Zellweger (22) went on to a decorated junior career in his final two seasons in the WHL, scoring a combined 158 points (46-112=158) in 110 regular season games, 38 points (13-25=38) in 20 playoff games, winning two World Junior Championship gold medals, two Bill Hunter trophies as the WHL’s top defenseman, and one CHL defenseman of the year award.
In his rookie year (2023-24), Zellweger played 44 games for the San Diego Gulls in the AHL, scoring 37 points (12-25=37), earning a spot as the Gulls’ AHL All-Star representative, and he seemed well on his way to fulfilling his offensive potential.
If anyone were to convey that Zellweger would one day become a top-four defenseman in the NHL, they’d have likely guessed he’d play the role of a team’s top power play unit point man and offensive point producer, with very little defensive responsibility.
The transition into the NHL has been anything but smooth for the now 5-foot-10, 194-pound defender who oozes refined skill and is as flawless a skater as one can find. He had difficulty carving a role for himself under former Ducks head coach Greg Cronin, who favored veterans for key roles, and he, along with Pavel Mintyukov, fell victim to a logjam on the blueline in 2024-25 that caused him to serve as a healthy scratch for 20 games and play a non-conductively safe brand of hockey.
He worked tirelessly, as the last Ducks player off the ice for nearly every morning skate and practice, to refine all areas of his game and iron out any deficiencies on the defensive end, and he became a complete NHL defenseman.
Zellweger was projected as one of the players who would benefit most from the Ducks' hiring of Joel Quenneville as their new coach for the 2025-26 season. The logjam was relieved, and on paper, the wide-open, offensive, pressure system seemed perfectly catered to Zellweger’s play style.
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Though his now-polished defensive prowess has earned him the third-most TOI (873:15) among Anaheim blueliners this season, following a difficult stretch for Anaheim’s power play to start the season, in which Zellweger was firmly on the team’s second unit, he’s seen his offensive responsibility evaporate completely.
“The core of strength is still, I think, our power play,” Zellweger said. “I still think I have a lot of untapped potential there (that) I need to find a way to get out. Penalty kill has been really good, a challenge for me. I hadn’t played penalty kill in the NHL until this year, so I really enjoy it. It’s super important, getting lots of kills.”
Though he’s now a bona fide top-four defenseman and is being utilized as such at 5v5, during the Ducks' 15 games since Dec. 16, Zellweger has only logged a grand total of 84 seconds on the power play and not even one second in the last four games.
On the flip side, Zellweger now holds a role on the team’s second penalty kill unit, and over the team’s last eight games, he’s averaging 2:05 TOI on the PK. The Ducks have only allowed one goal when he’s been on the ice for the PK during that stretch.
“I like that versatility in his game, that he can do both things,” Quenneville said. “I think Zelly gives us a great presence when exiting our zone, joining the attack, off the point in the offensive zone, and finding holes in spots. He’s quick to pucks as well. I think when we started him penalty killing, it was a good opportunity for him to get quality ice time as well.
“So far, in a short amount of time, he looks like he’s enjoying the opportunity, but his quickness can help him get to pucks and pressure in the right situations, and get the clear as well. Young guys on defense, that’s a big job description to get done. You gotta like the way he started.”
Zellweger’s been a point producer and point defenseman on the power play at every level he’s played at below the NHL, and is finding ways to translate that skill to his new role as a defensive stalwart.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
“I’ve played power play my whole life, so I think just the subtleties when I see a guy have the puck. Maybe he’s looking down, and I can pressure him,” Zellweger continued. “Small things like that, I can kind of see the seams unfolding. I think that helps me a lot going on the PK. It makes it less of a transition to be effective. Using my quickness, and trying to read a play as it unfolds and be in the right positions.”
At 5v5, Zellweger is Anaheim’s second-best defenseman, behind only Jackson LaCombe. When he’s on the ice, the Ducks account for 53.68% of the shot attempts share, 50.87% of the shots on goal share, and 51.25% of the expected goals share. He’s driving 5v5 offense from the blueline, as when he’s on the ice, the Ducks have notched 2.99 expected goals for per 60 minutes (2nd on ANA) and 3.27 goals/60 (1st on ANA). He’s either been too unproductive or hasn’t been given enough of a chance with the man advantage.
That may leave some to wonder what his role is for the Ducks organization moving forward. Is he destined to cap out as a good top-four defenseman who kills penalties on a second unit? If that’s the case, Zellweger will have tough competition nipping at his heels in the Ducks’ pipeline, with Stian Solberg (23rd overall in ’24) and Tyson Hinds (76th in ’21) in the AHL, Lasse Boelius (60th in ’25) in Liiga, Tarin Smith (79th in ’24) in the WHL, and Drew Schock (101st in ’25) in the NCAA.
He’s been passed on the Ducks’ power play depth chart by both Mintyukov and Jacob Trouba, with LaCombe assuming top unit TOI. If he can’t find consistent time with the man-advantage, one could even wonder how the Ducks’ front office views the player and if he has a long-term spot on the roster.
Zellweger has as much puck skill and skating ability as any defenseman in the NHL. He’s worked endlessly to round out his 200-foot game, performing well defensively at 5v5 and on the kill, but his biggest impact comes on the offensive side of the puck. He has 18 points (6-12=18) in 49 games this season and 47 points (15-32=47) in 137 games in his career.
Zellweger is in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be an RFA when the Ducks’ season concludes. How general manager Pat Verbeek and the Ducks’ front office approach the trade deadline, home stretch of the season, and offseason as it pertains to Olen Zellweger will be immensely telling on how they view him within the framework of the present and future of the organization.
The Buffalo Sabres moved one step closer to a top three spot in the Atlantic Division with a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday. The Sabres followed the same script as they did in Nashville earlier in the week, jumping out to an early lead and holding on for dear life in the latter part of the game.
Jason Zucker, Beck Malenstyn, and Zach Benson staked Buffalo to a 3-0 lead early in the second period, but the Habs responded before the end of the middle frame with tallies by Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, and outshot the Sabres 15-3. Buffalo maintained their lead through the third, and Samuel Montembeault pulled for the extra attacker. Peyton Krebs iced the game away with an empty-netter.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves in the win.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff spoke after the game:
Sabres sign Josh Doan to a seven-year contract extension
What can you say about your team holding on to leads in these games?
We came out, played a really good first period. You've got to give Montreal a lot of credit. They had a big push in the second. We made a couple errant plays that they took advantage of. (Luukkonen) made some great saves. But then I thought we played a rock-solid third period where maybe gave up one chance in a one-goal game, which I got to give our guys a lot of credit for just locking back into our game.
Does it help your team to play in a heated environment like Montreal?
I think you can see in the East that every team is winning every night. We know how much the game meant to us, and Montreal knows how much the game means to them. And every game, you can win a game. With the run we've had, and you're sitting two points inside a playoff race. It's good training for high-intensity games. For the most part, our guys have been able to pass the test, we've been able to weather some storms, and we've been able to push through and win games.
The Buffalo Sabres have made a roster move, as they have called up defenseman Zac Jones from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Jones being called up to the Sabres' roster comes after fellow defenseman Jacob Bryson exited Buffalo's most recent contest against the Montreal Canadiens due to injury. Now, by recalling Jones, the Sabres have another defenseman to work with.
Jones has been called up several times this season by the Sabres, but he has yet to make his regular-season debut with the NHL club. Yet, he will now be hoping that changes after landing this latest call-up to the Sabres' roster.
Jones has been simply excellent this season down in the AHL with Rochester. In 32 games so far this campaign with the Amerks, the left-shot defenseman has recorded six goals and 37 points. He is also tied for first in the AHL with 31 assists, so he has certainly been making an impact offensively with Rochester.
Jones was also recently named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Game due to his strong play with Rochester this season.
Craig Berube had 241 fighting majors in his NHL career, but the massive wound he showed off Friday didn’t come from dropping the gloves.
The Maple Leafs head coach suffered a nasty cut requiring several stitches across his forehead and a black out in an accident while working out at a gym Thursday.
“Yeah, I’ll address it, because you’re gonna see it tonight. I had an accident in the gym yesterday,” Berube said when asked by a reporter if he was “OK” following the morning skate ahead of Friday’s game against the Golden Knights. “The other guy looks way worse. There was three of ’em.
Craig Berube showed off a gnarly cut on his head after what he described a a gym accident.
“No, it’s tough. It was stupid. It was just a bad accident, and it’s on me. My fault, and yeah, I’m fine.”
When asked if he expects to be behind the bench against Vegas, the 60-year-old Berube nodded and replied, “yes.”
Berube played 17 NHL seasons for five teams, including one with the Islanders in 2000-01, amassing 159 points and 3,149 penalty minutes over 1,054 games.
Leafs HC Craig Berube reveals a massive gash on his head as the result of an accident in the gym. pic.twitter.com/zVQ25tDGVi
The former enforcer in his second year coaching the Maple Leafs (76-43-13) after spending the previous six seasons with the Blues, leading them to a Stanley Cup title in 2019. The Alberta native was fired by St. Louis in Dec. 2023 following a 13-14-1 start.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils called up Colton White from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Earning four assists, White has contributed in over 23 games with the Devils this season.
Drafted 97th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Devils, the 28-year-old is now back with the team.
Over six seasons, White played 107 NHL games: first with the Devils, then with the Anaheim Ducks after signing as a free agent in July 2022, before returning to New Jersey in July 2024. He has earned 14 points, all assists.
White, a defenseman, spent his first four NHL seasons with the Devils, then joined Anaheim as a free agent on July 14, 2022.
On July 1, 2024, he rejoined the Devils as a free agent.
Meeting the Devils in Vancouver, the defenseman prepares for Friday’s match-up against the Canucks.
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