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It was another successful road trip for the Detroit Red Wings, who collected five of a possible six points, capped by a 5–1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.

THAT'S ANOTHER #REDWINGS DUB! pic.twitter.com/MyMfRAOynC

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 25, 2026

Led by a pair of goals from J.T. Compher, the Red Wings moved back into first place in the Atlantic Division standings, overtaking the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were in action at the same time but beaten 8-5 by the Columbus Blue Jackets.  

It was also the second straight game the Red Wings played without defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is unavailable because of a lower-body injury. 

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There was no score in the opening 20 minutes of play at Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg, but the ice was broken midway through the second period by Jets forward Cole Koepke, who backhanded a loose puck off a shot from Logan Stanley past goaltender John Gibson. 

However, the Red Wings would knot the score late in the frame thanks to the first of two goals on the night from Compher. He banged the puck past Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck right in front of the crease after taking a feed from Andrew Copp.

Compher then scored what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal in the third period, capitalizing on a pretty three-way passing play with James van Riemsdyk and Emmitt Finnie, who now has points in consecutive games. 

Lucas Raymond doubled the lead when his wraparound attempt deflected into the air, off the crossbar, off Hellebuyck’s back, and into the net. While the Jets thought that Marco Kasper may have high-sticked the puck before it entered the net, replays showed that wasn't the case. 

Detroit then salted the game away with an empty-net goal from Alex DeBrincat. Patrick Kane picked up an assist on the play, moving him within one point of Mike Modano for the most points by a U.S.-born player in NHL history.

Kasper then added a goal on a two-on-one rush with Dylan Larkin just 32 seconds later, giving him his fifth goal of the season; he now has points in four of five games after a lengthy drought. 

Gibson continued his impressive streak for the Red Wings, making 25 saves. Hellebuyck, a Commerce Township, Mich. native who will be teammates with Larkin next month during the Winter Olympics, made 26 saves.

The Red Wings will return home for three straight contests, starting on Tuesday evening against the Los Angeles Kings. 

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The Rangers’ baffling unreadiness at pivotal moments in a game dates back to last season.

It is, of course, easily identifiable, but Mike Sullivan clocked it as a reflection of the team’s shortcomings in situational play. The first-year Rangers head coach has rattled off several instances this season, such as the start and end of periods, after a goal is scored and after a fight.

Those are critical moments in games, he’s pointed out numerous times, in which teams have an opportunity to build or stifle momentum.

Friday night at San Jose saw the Blueshirts give up their 14th goal of the season within at least the first 2:18 of a period. That includes overtime, in which they have surrendered the game-winner within the first 1:33 on three occasions.

The onus will always fall on the players who are actually taking the ice, but Sullivan took accountability from behind the bench as well.

“I think we got to have a readiness from the drop of the puck,” Sullivan said after the 3-1 loss to the Sharks on Friday night. “And trust me, I’ve thought about it because lately I think the last few games, we haven’t had the best starts. So I got to do a better job preparing them for it. I got to find a way to make sure they’re ready from the drop of the puck.”

The 14 goals do not even include the multitude of occasions the Rangers were caught slipping at the end of period.

Falling on the right side of momentum-changing moments has been a point of concern for this Rangers team. There’s a certain level of focus that is required to manage games effectively, and they have repeatedly blown critical moments.

Unable to avoid what’s gone on outside the locker room since the 2024 offseason, the Rangers’ on-ice product undoubtedly has been affected. Team confidence is so clearly fractured. There doesn’t appear to be much internal drive. It feels like they are anticipating defeat most nights.

As much as roster construction and chemistry are to blame as well, no club can function properly under the circumstances the Rangers have faced in the last 19 months or so.

It has been evident for some time that the team needs some fresh faces, hence the retooling announcement in “The Letter II.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

The Rangers would like to believe that clarity on the organization’s status would alleviate pressure.

Mika Zibanejad talked about enjoying the time they still have with each other as a group.

Captain J.T. Miller noted that all the “B.S.” is out in front of them now, and they can try to enjoy the game again.

A team psyche, however, doesn’t always work so simply.

The Rangers might want to begin with starting games on time.

“It’s just they came out with more urgency,” Miller said of the Sharks. “We’re not ready to play, I don’t like saying that. Like, we were ready to play the game, but they won a couple more battles early on. They worked harder, they drew more penalties in those certain instances and capitalized on their power play. So, I mean, that was basically the start of the game. I mean, when we took the timeout, I think it was 3 ¹/₂ minutes into the game and was basically short-handed up until that point. So it’s kind of hard. But like I said, they earned their power plays in the beginning of the game, and they were just a little more urgent than we were.”

Due to the impending snowstorm, the Rangers canceled their Alumni Classic that was scheduled to take place Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

According to a news release, the organization assured that tickets purchased through Ticketmaster or directly at the MSG Box Office would be automatically refunded to the original method of payment.

Word is there are no current plans to reschedule the event, which was set to feature notable alumni such as Adam Graves, Derek Stepan, Mike Richter, Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, Brian Boyle and Sean Avery.

The Islanders made the long-awaited move to call up Isaiah George before Saturday’s game, but did so in the sort of context they would have preferred to avoid.

Ryan Pulock was out with an upper-body injury and called day to day by coach Patrick Roy.

That meant instead of replacing Adam Boqvist in the lineup — which would have been the likely move had the Islanders brought home a fully healthy defensive corps from Wednesday’s 4-1 loss in Seattle — George was on a pair opposite the Swede.

Scott Mayfield moved up to the top pair in Pulock’s usual spot, reprising the role he played at the start of the season on the right side of Matthew Schaefer.

“I thought it was good,” George said of his performance across 13:56 of ice as the Islanders lost 5-0 to the Sabres. “Thought I had some moments, obviously, wish you had better shifts, but I felt comfortable out there. Getting back to the groove of things but I felt like I was handling the puck pretty well. Felt like I was seeing the ice.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

Before the game, Roy went through the list of players from Bridgeport the Islanders have given a chance this year: Travis Mitchell, Marshall Warren, Cole McWard and now George. Left unsaid was that part of the reason four defensemen have been called up is not one of them has seized a job for good.

George, who played 33 games with the Islanders last season, may have the best chance of doing so. Word is that the 21-year-old put on serious muscle mass since his stint with the Isles a year ago, addressing one of the issues that prevented him from finishing the season on Long Island.

The Oakville, Ontario native impressed last season with his poise and skating, but the NHL seemed to wear on him over time, in particular the physicality of the league. Roy also said that a concussion, sustained in Toronto that caused George to miss a few games, had to do with some of his struggles.

This season, George has missed time with a pair of injuries, but has impressed since returning from the latest one a couple of weeks ago in particular. In his last game before getting called up last Monday, George had two assists.

“Obviously, you’d rather not be hurt,” George said. “You want to be playing, playing good, so that was obviously a tough situation. But I’m just happy with the way I stuck with it, kept working. I feel like the last couple weeks it’s kind of gone my way.”

Bo Horvat played 19:20 and recorded four shots on net in his return from a lower-body injury.

“I felt pretty good,” Horvat said. “I think, obviously, can be better in certain areas and timing-wise and legs, but overall felt pretty good. Felt confident.”

Marchand, you ready? Good, cause you’re going!

When the Florida Panthers took the ice for pregame warmups on Saturday night in Minnesota, there was an unexpected surprise that emerged from the locker room.

Brad Marchand, who has missed each of the past seven games with an undisclosed injury, joined his teammates for warmups.

Marchand lined up on the right side of a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

Panthers line rushes…@ScrippsSports 📺 now for @FlaPanthers vs Wild pic.twitter.com/SDAKhxuUOG

— Steve Goldstein (@goldieonice) January 25, 2026

A.J. Greer was moved alongside the duo of Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, while Sam Reinhart slid to a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues.

Florida will seek their fifth road win in six tries against the Wild before heading straight to Chicago to complete a back-to-back set on Sunday.

Despite missing the chunk of time, Marchand remains tied for the team lead in assists and one point back of Sam Reinhart for the team lead in points. He’s been an integral part of Florida remaining in contention during their injury woes.

👀 pic.twitter.com/1YRlMimYw6

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 25, 2026

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Photo caption: Jan 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)

The Buffalo Sabres made the first trade under new GM Jarmo Kekalainen Saturday. But if Sabres fans were hoping for a blockbuster, they were sorely disappointed, as Saturday’s deal sent prospect forward Viktor Neuchev to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for veteran American League defenseman Gavin Bayreuther. Neuchev will begin his Canes career with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, while Bayreuther will report to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

However, there’s still plenty of time for Kekalainen to make a trade of significant consequence for his team. And whether it happens before the NHL’s Feb., 4 OIympic roster freeze, or by the league’s March 6 trade deadline, it absolutely has to happen.

Maybe it’s St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas the Sabres should pursue in a trade. Or maybe Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri should be Kekalainen’s focus. 

But wait, there’s more: recently-acquired Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud may not be long for Calgary. So why shouldn’t Kekalainen bolster his blueline and add Whitecloud to Buffalo’s defense corps? Or what about New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck? We put this out there a couple of weeks ago, and it makes even more sense today.

And heck, if we’re talking about the Sabres stepping up and taking big swings on the trade front, it still makes sense for Kekalainen to try to acquire Vancouver Canucks star center Elias Pettersson. Or another Vancouver veteran – rugged winger Jake DeBrusk – could improve Buffalo’s attack.

Sabres' Lucrative Deal For Youngster Doan Is A Gamble – But A Good One The Buffalo Sabres signed young winger Josh Doan to a lucrative contract extension. The deal is a gamble for the Sabres, but it's a good one,

You can see, then, why there’s really no excuse for the Sabres to stand pat. You want to reward Buffalo’s current players for saving their season, and you don’t do that by sitting on your hands and falling short of the Stanley Cup playoffs because you were too timid to take leap of faith and get the most out of your roster. 

No, the best move for Kekalainen & Co. is for him to throw caution to the wind and get ahead of competing teams for experienced veterans of note. Long-suffering Sabres fans deserve to be on the good end of trades, because for too long, they’ve been on the wrong end of them. 

Steep Price Sharks Paid For Sherwood Should Be Price Sabres Are Willing To Pay To Make Their Own Major MoveThe San Jose Sharks made a big move, acquiring Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks. But the price the Sharks paid to improve should be the same type of price the Buffalo Sabres should be willing to pay to make their own major move. Because standing pat isn't an option for this Sabres squad.

Is there a chance a major trade doesn’t work out as hoped for Buffalo? Of course. If there were a risk-free way to improve your team, everybody would be doing it. Thus, the Sabres have to forget about the potential downside of a big trade and embrace the upside of one.

If Saturday’s minor-league trade is all Kekalainen does, Buffalo fans will rightfully be irate. The Sabres have no shortage of potential ways to be a better team by the trade deadline. And the sooner they take a chance on a brand-name player in a big deal, the better they’re likely to be.

The Carolina Hurricanes have traded defenseman Gavin Bayreuther to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Viktor Neuchev, the team announced on Saturday.

Bayreuther, 31, signed a one-year, two-way deal with Carolina this offseason to return to North America and had played solely in the AHL this season.

He appeared in 33 games with the Chicago Wolves, registering four goals and 13 points.

With injury issues hitting the Sabres' blueline, this gives Bayreuther a potential chance to once again play NHL games.

Neuchev, 22, was a third-round pick by the Sabres in the 2022 draft and he has spent the last three seasons in AHL with the Rochester Americans.

The 5-foot-11 winger has 130 games of AHL experience under his belt with 24 goals and 66 points to show for it.

The Russian is in the final year of his ELC.

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As the Senators get set to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night, they've made one notable lineup change. Travis Green announced on Saturday at the game day skate that Nik Matinpalo will be in for Nick Jensen, and James Reimer will start in the first game of a back-to-back for the Senators, who will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

Jensen turned the puck over while retrieving it in his own end, leading to Nashville’s game-winning goal with just over a minute remaining on Thursday. However, he didn't get much help. The Sens had forwards standing around in the neighbourhood who were in a position to help Jensen by defending the front of Ottawa's net, and they just didn't.

Matinpalo will be playing just his second game since November 29. The only game he’s appeared in so far in 2026 was an 8–2 loss in Colorado.

Stephen Halliday will continue to fill in for David Perron, who will miss 5-7 weeks after sports hernia surgery. Halliday scored his first NHL goal in Nashville on Thursday.

Sens Line Combinations

Batherson-Stutzle-Giroux
Tkachuk-Cozens-Greig
Amadio-Pinto-Zetterlund
Halliday-Eller-Cousins

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Spence
Kleven-Matinpalo

Reimer
Shepard

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

As the Ottawa Senators begin a four-game homestand, they’ll have their hands full on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, the second-place team in the Eastern Conference and third place overall.

The Senators will be trying to shake off a difficult loss in Nashville on Thursday night, where they fell 5–3 to the Predators after surrendering a two-goal lead for the third time in four games.

Those performances, coming at a time when the Senators were already out of room for error, have sparked plenty of discussion over the past 48 hours about whether the team needs to make some kind of change to try and jump-start its extremely long-shot playoff hopes.

The Senators did make a change on Saturday, albeit a small one. With the penalty kill continuing to struggle in Nashville, head coach Travis Green has shifted control of the unit from Nolan Baumgartner to Mike Yeo.

“That’s not a knock against Baumer,” Green said. “He’s an excellent coach and he’s done a great job with our defencemen. The penalty kill hasn’t gone the way we’ve wanted, and that’s not just on him. Ultimately, the players have to get the job done, but a new voice might give a spark, give a different look, a different voice.”

Green said the changes to the penalty kill won’t be major and believes the unit could easily be in better shape than it is.

“There have been some goals we haven’t liked, and that goes back to the players' blown coverages where a guy doesn’t make the right play,” Green said. “We’ve also got some young penalty killers who are a work in progress. But we’ve got to right the ship.”

Given that the penalty kill has struggled all season, it’s fair to wonder why this move, or any move, wasn’t made earlier, when there was still a more realistic chance to save the season. Green leaned on a familiar explanation.

“I think there’s been a lot of learning with our group,” Green said. “I’ve seen improvement in our penalty kill. We haven’t gotten the results, but I’ve liked a lot of what we’ve seen. We felt a different voice might help as a sounding board. Mike’s done it for a long time as well. Our coaching staff collaborates on everything; this isn’t a one-man show in any area. We’ll see how it goes.”

The other change for Saturday night’s game against the Hurricanes is Nick Jensen being a healthy scratch in favour of Nick Matinpalo. Jensen turned the puck over while retrieving it in his own end, leading to Nashville’s game-winning goal with just over a minute remaining on Thursday. In fairness, the Sens had forwards standing around in the neighbourhood who were in a position to help Jensen by defending the front of Ottawa's net, and they just didn't.

Matinpalo will be playing just his second game since November 29. The only game he’s appeared in so far in 2026 was an 8–2 loss in Colorado.

James Reimer will get the start in goal for the Senators, who enter play seven points out of a wild-card spot and ten points back of the Atlantic Division’s top three teams.

Steve Warne
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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The Buffalo Sabres currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference standings. With this, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they looked to add to their roster between now and the 2026 NHL trade deadline.

One area the Sabres could look to address is the right side of their blueline. When looking at potential trade candidates who could be a nice fit on their roster, New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider stands out.

Schneider is among the several Rangers players who have been in the rumor mill since Blueshirts GM Chris Drury confirmed in a letter to fans that the team is rebuilding. With this, the Sabres should consider making a push for the right-shot defenseman.

If the Sabres brought in Schneider, he would have the potential to be a very solid addition to the Sabres' bottom pairing. He would also offer them another option for their penalty kill. 

Another appealing factor about Schneider is that he still has the potential to improve, as he is still just 24 years old. Furthermore, the 6-foot-4 defenseman would also give the Sabres' blueline a bit more bite, as he plays a heavy game. 

In 52 games so far this season with the Rangers, Schneider has posted two goals, eight assists, 10 points, 83 blocks, and 115 hits. 

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As the Detroit Red Wings take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night in what will be their third and final game of this three-game road swing, it will be an emotional night for forward Mason Appleton.

Appleton, who played the bulk of his career with the Jets, signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings during the offseason as part of several additions by GM Steve Yzerman. 

A sixth-round (168th overall) pick of the Jets in the 2015 NHL Draft, Appleton played a total of 351 games with Winnipeg, along with a brief 49-game stint with the expansion Seattle Kraken in 2021-22 before being dealt back to Winnipeg. 

Ahead of his first game back in Winnipeg, Appleton discussed his transition from Manitoba to Michigan and said it has been a good fit for him so far.

"It's been good, it's different, obviously," Appleton said following the morning skate. "You spend eight years in one spot basically, and then you have to find a new home, and integrate yourself there. It's been good; I've enjoyed my time in Detroit, we have a solid team, and we've been winning games. It's been good." 

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

It’s Appleton’s first opportunity to play for a historic Original Six franchise like the Red Wings, and he appreciates the daily chance to soak in the club’s history, something players are constantly reminded of through the displays and photos at Little Caesars Arena.

"It's very unique and special," he said. "Playing in Winnipeg, obviously, with one franchise going and one franchise coming, it's kind of a bit different in that sense. But to walk the halls of LCA and you see the pictures of the Stanley Cup-winning teams and just everything that comes with wearing the Red Wings logo, it's pretty special." 

Appleton scored the eventual game-winning goal against the Jets at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 31 in a 2–1 Red Wings victory. In 42 games since joining Detroit, he has recorded five goals and six assists while averaging 13:39 of ice time per game.

When asked how it would feel to score another game-winning goal against his former club, Appleton smiled and said he’d be more than open to it.

"That'd be nice, we'll see," Appleton said. "Hopefully, we'll have another good game against them tonight to kind of round out this road trip. It'll be a fun one." 

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Welcome to Saturday night hockey, folks!

It’s 5º F in Boston, there’s a giant snowstorm coming, there’s an AFC Championship Game involving the Patriots tomorrow…everything is happening!

If nothing else, it’s a nice night to stay in and watch a hockey game. Hopefully the Bruins put forth a better effort than last time they hosted Montreal, but we’ll see.

Bruins! Canadiens! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE ON ICE!

Discuss.

The Buffalo Sabres have endured injuries that have reduced the organization’s blueline depth, and in his first trade since taking over, Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen acquired veteran minor-league defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from the Carolina Hurricanes for AHL winger Viktor Neuchev.  

Neuchev was selected in the third round of the 2022 Draft out of the Ekaterinburg Automobilist system, and after a full year in the KHL, the 22-year-old signed his entry-level contract and started in Rochester in a depth role. His role with the Amerks increased as the season progressed, and he ended his rookie season with 28 points (11 goals,17 assists). Last season, he was on pace to eclipse his rookie totals, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. 

In the final year of his ELC, Neuchev has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 34 games.   

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Bayreuther, 31, was an undrafted college free agent signed by Dallas in 2016, and after four years with the Stars, he was signed by Kekalainen in Columbus in 2020 and spent three years shuttling between the Blue Jackets and AHL Cleveland. After returning to the Stars organization for one year and playing in Switzerland last season, the left-handed defenseman signed with the Hurricanes, playing 33 games with the AHL Chicago Wolves. 

The Sabres are without defenseman Conor Timmins (broken leg), and lost Jacob Bryson to an upper-body injury in Montreal on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Kesselring has been out four separate times this season, and with Zac Jones recalled to Buffalo, the Amerks needed help on the blueline. 

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NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Tucker scored twice and Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 5-0 Saturday.

Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres won their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists.

Lyon, who signed with the Sabres in July after two seasons with Detroit, recorded the sixth shutout of his career and tied the Buffalo record of Gerry Desjardins (1976-77) with nine consecutive wins.

Buffalo improved to 18-3-1 in its last 22 games.

David Rittich made 16 saves for the Islanders, who were playing their first home game after a seven-game trip in which they went 3-3-1.

Rittich, who last started on Jan. 17 against Calgary, entered the game with a 4-2-2 record 2.46 goals-against average versus Buffalo. He slipped to 11-7-3 this season.

Zucker opened the scoring 33 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot, off a rebound of a shot by Jack Quinn. Thompson extended the lead to two goals, scoring past a sliding Rittich at 19:47 of the second.

Zucker’s second goal of the game, 25 seconds into the third, stretched the lead to 3-0. Dahlin scored into an empty net at 14:02 of the period and Tuch completed the scoring approximately 30 seconds later by tipping a shot from Samuelsson by Rittich.

Bo Horvat was back on the ice with the Islanders after being sidelined for nine games due to a lower-body injury.

Up next

Sabres: At Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Islanders: At Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.