The Calgary Flames have placed forward Martin Pospisil on the long-term injury list and assigned him to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on a conditioning loan, marking a significant step in his return-to-play process.
Pospisil has yet to appear in a game for the Flames this season, and until recently, it remained uncertain whether he would return at all. Given his history with concussions, the organization has continued to take a cautious, measured approach with the 26-year-old forward, as timelines surrounding similar injuries can often be unpredictable.
The conditioning stint suggests Pospisil is progressing toward game readiness, allowing him to ease back into competition in a controlled environment. While the Flames have not indicated when — or if — he could rejoin the NHL roster, the move itself is a positive signal after an extended absence.
There may also be international implications. Team Slovakia general manager Miroslav Šatan recently hinted at the possibility of Pospisil being part of Slovakia’s roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The timing of this assignment could indicate that both the player and the Flames are preparing him for potential Olympic participation later this season.
Selected by Calgary in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Over 144 NHL games across two seasons, he has recorded 12 goals and 49 points while playing an energetic, physical style that has resulted in 193 penalty minutes. He also finished last season with a plus-14 rating, highlighting his effectiveness at five-on-five.
For now, the focus remains on health and gradual reintegration. How Pospisil responds during his time with the Wranglers will go a long way in determining his NHL future — and potentially his availability on the international stage later this winter.
On Friday morning, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes are open to dealing center Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
In Friedman's blog, he shared that Kotkaniemi has already been pitched in trades that ultimately went in the other direction.
The Hurricanes were in on ex-Vancouver Canucks D-man Quinn Hughes, who was moved to the Minnesota Wild. Kotkaniemi was mentioned in that deal.
Furthermore, when the Los Angeles Kings were in the process of trading away Phillip Danault, Carolina was involved in that discussion, with Kotkaniemi on the table. However, Danault was traded to the Montreal Canadiens instead, in exchange for a second-round pick.
The connection can be made with the Kings who dealt a center in the Danault and picked up another, younger center in Kotkaniemi. However, that doesn't mean it's a great idea.
After this season, Kotkaniemi still has another four years on his current contract. His deal pays him $4.82 million in average annual value in what was inked as an eight-year ticket.
That price wouldn't be so hefty if the 25-year-old contributed at a sufficient level. But with the Hurricanes this season, he only has two goals and six points to show for it.
As a result, he's been demoted to the fourth line this year, and hasn't scored a goal in 14 games.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
An indication of how poor and disappointing Kotkaniemi has been as of late would be the lack of representation he's had for Finland.
He was left off the Olympic roster for the upcoming tournament in February, and wasn't even included on Finland's 4 Nations Face-Off roster either.
Not only does acquiring Kotkaniemi not make sense for the Kings from a quality and performance standpoint, but there also isn't a true spot in the lineup for Carolina's center.
With Danault in Montreal, Kings center Alex Turcotte has been given an elevated role, moving from the fourth line to the third line. Bringing in Kotkaniemi would just complicate Turcotte's role once again.
There isn't much more time in Turcotte's development as a young player. Turning 25 years old in February, he could use all the opportunities he can get in order to blossom as an effective NHL player, and the Kings organization should roll with that.
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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that defenseman Adam Ginning has been loaned back out to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Flyers announce that Adam Ginning has been loaned back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Interesting move after Tocchet said today that Jamie Drysdale was a "possibility" to come back to the lineup on Wednesday.
Ginning was recalled to the Flyers on Jan. 9 after Jamie Drysdale was placed on Injury Reserve retroactive to Jan. 6, after suffering a brutal hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ross Johnston that caused Drysdale to exit the game early with an upper-body injury.
Recently, though, Drysdale has been participating in practices and morning skates in a non-contact jersey, and updates from Rick Tocchet suggested that the 23-year-old was moving in a positive direction regarding his recovery.
On Tuesday, when asked if Drysdale and Bobby Brink (who also left the Anaheim game early with an upper-body injury) would be available for the Flyers' game against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14, Tocchet said that both players would be a "possibility."
Through 41 games played in the 2025-26 season, Drysdale has recorded 18 points (3G, 15A) and had been showing significant improvements in several aspect of his game, most notably his five-on-five play.
"I think he's a big loss sometimes, when things get a little hectic going on there," Tocchet said of Drysdale on Tuesday. "He does settle things down."
The Flyers are heading into a back-to-back on the road, against the Sabres on Jan. 14 and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 15.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are bringing their 10-game winning streak into Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
The Lightning are fresh off a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night and will try to win their 11th straight game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
These two teams met in Tampa Bay back on Dec. 4, and it was a wild affair. The Penguins held on for dear life in a 4-3 win after they had a 3-0 lead for most of the game. Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winning goal late in the third period.
The Lightning will start Andre Vasilevskiy on Tuesday after backup Jonas Johansson started on Monday. Vasilevskiy has been sensational this season, winning 18 games with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He's a big goaltender and takes up a ton of space in the crease, so creating traffic in front will be paramount for the Penguins.
Brayden Point got injured during Monday's game and his status for Tuesday is up in the air. He needed help getting off the ice after scoring a goal to make it 3-0.
Brayden Point helped off of the ice after this play here.
Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel are still doing their things this season. Kucherov has compiled 23 goals and 67 points in 40 games, while Guentzel has 20 goals and 47 points in 44 games.
Brandon Hagel has also been great, racking up 22 goals and 41 points, ditto for Darren Raddysh, who has 12 goals and 39 points as a defenseman.
The Penguins are set to get Bryan Rust back after missing the weekend back-to-back with an injury. He was a full participant during the morning skate.
However, they'll now be without star defenseman Erik Karlsson for at least two weeks. The Penguins announced that he'd be out with an undisclosed injury before Tuesday's morning skate.
This is a major loss since Karlsson is having an outstanding season. He does it all on the blue line and has been elite at generating offense in the offensive zone.
Here's a look at the expected lines for this game:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Malkin-Novak-Chinakhov
Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Defense
Kulak-Letang
Wotherspoon-St. Ivany
Shea-Clifton
Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins after he was the first goaltender off during the morning skate.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
The Winnipeg Jets have been rumored for some time to be exploring a partial tear down this season, with the organization potentially shifting focus toward the future. The idea would be to move veteran players, open roster spots for younger talent from the minors and junior ranks, and use the remainder of the season as an evaluation period ahead of next year and beyond.
While speculation has surrounded the Jets for weeks, a clearer picture of who could be on the move is beginning to emerge. Pending free agents such as Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn remain widely expected to be dealt, even though they were not included in the most recent report. However, new insight from NHL insider Chris Johnston has added several notable names to the discussion.
On The Chris Johnston Show, Johnston reported that Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Gustav Nyquist are all potential trade candidates as the Jets weigh their options ahead of the deadline. All three are veteran forwards who could appeal to Stanley Cup contenders looking to bolster their depth for a playoff run.
Niederreiter, 33, still has two years remaining on his contract but has seen his offensive production dip into the 30 to 40 point range after peaking with a 57-point season for Minnesota in 2016–17. While no longer a top-line contributor, he remains a reliable, experienced forward who could be moved for a lower-round draft pick. Teams like San Jose, Montreal, and Seattle could value his leadership, while an intriguing possibility exists with the New York Islanders, the club that drafted Niederreiter fifth overall in 2010. With the Islanders pushing for a playoff spot, a reunion could make sense for both sides.
Namestnikov, also 33, is enduring one of the most difficult seasons of his career and, like Niederreiter, is signed for two more seasons. Known for his versatility, Namestnikov can play up and down the lineup and finished last season with a career-high 27 assists. In the right situation, he could rediscover his game as a middle-six contributor. San Jose, Montreal, and Seattle again stand out as potential fits, but Tampa Bay presents an especially compelling option.
The Lightning drafted Namestnikov 27th overall in 2011, and with Brayden Point recently sidelined by injury, Tampa Bay could be looking for flexible depth. The organization has a history of adding veteran forwards before playoff runs, making Namestnikov a logical depth target.
The most challenging contract to move may belong to Gustav Nyquist. After posting a career-best 75 points two seasons ago, Nyquist struggled mightily last year and hoped for a fresh start in Winnipeg yet that turnaround has not materialized.
Nyquist is once again having a difficult season and is on pace to finish below the 20-point mark. He carries a $3.25 million cap hit as a pending free agent, which complicates trade discussions. Still, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is expected to explore every avenue to either recoup some value or simply move the contract before season’s end.
For Jets fans, the emergence of these names is an encouraging sign that the organization may finally be committing to a youth movement. If veterans are moved, it could open the door for prospects to earn meaningful NHL opportunities. Combined with the likely departures of defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, Winnipeg could accumulate valuable assets and create much-needed flexibility heading into the offseason.
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A former Vancouver Canucks forward was traded in the KHL over the weekend, as Daniel Sprong has been moved from CSKA Moscow to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg for monetary compensation. Sprong, who was CSKA’s points leader, played in nine games for the Canucks during the 2024–25 season and scored a goal and two assists.
Sprong signed a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow during the 2025 off-season. In his time with CSKA, he scored 12 goals and 19 assists in 29 games and was named an assistant captain for the team. Sprong joins an Avtomobilist roster that includes former Canucks defenceman Nikita Tryamkin.
A former second-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015, Sprong has played with seven different NHL teams throughout his career including the Detroit Red Wings and the Seattle Kraken, who he was traded to from Vancouver. He amassed 87 goals and 79 assists in 374 games played at the NHL level.
As mentioned, the Canucks moved on from Sprong after nine games at the start of 2024–25. Vancouver traded him to Seattle in exchange for future considerations, though the Kraken later sent him to the New Jersey Devils for a 2026 seventh-round pick at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Oct 4, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sprong (91) skates against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have recalled forward Tristan Broz and defenseman Ryan Graves from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Penguins also shared that forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard has been sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Broz played in his first career NHL game earlier this season during the Penguins' Nov. 26 contest against the Buffalo Sabres. During the matchup, he recorded two shots in 11:30 of ice time. Now, with this latest call-up, he is getting another shot on Pittsburgh's roster.
In 33 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Broz has posted 11 goals, 13 assists, 24 points, and a plus-7 rating.
Graves has played in 17 games this season with Pittsburgh, where he has recorded one goal and a minus-4 rating. Down in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the 6-foot-5 blueliner has posted two goals, seven assists, and nine points in 13 games. Now, the veteran defenseman will be aiming to impress after getting another chance on Pittsburgh's NHL roster.
As for Harvey-Pinard, he was called up to the Penguins' roster last week but did not make his debut with the NHL club. In 32 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has posted seven goals, six assists, and 13 points.
The Detroit Red Wings picked up a meaningful win Monday night, beginning with the retirement of franchise legend Sergei Fedorov’s iconic No. 91 before the game and finishing with a hard-fought 4–3 overtime victory against one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams in the Carolina Hurricanes.
The game featured plenty of back-and-forth action, with Detroit receiving a strong depth scoring effort as James van Riemsdyk and Andrew Copp stayed hot, while defenseman Albert Johansson found the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
There were also some tense moments, as the Red Wings surrendered a 3–0 lead entering the third period and were forced to regroup before securing the overtime win.
Now Detroit turns the page from an emotional home victory to a difficult road test in Boston against the Bruins in a crucial divisional matchup. With the teams battling closely in the standings, this four-point game carries extra weight.
A win would not only earn the Red Wings two points but also prevent a divisional rival from doing the same. The clubs have already met twice this season, with both games decided by narrow margins. Boston claimed the first meeting with a 3–2 shootout win, while Detroit responded with a 5–4 victory at home to split the home-and-home series.
Tuesday’s matchup projects to be another tight contest. The Red Wings have been on a tear, with Monday’s win improving their record to 14–4–1 over their last 19 games. Boston has also been heating up, posting a 5–1–1 mark in their last seven outings. The Bruins have done so despite missing breakout winger Morgan Geekie, who has slowed considerably after a strong start to the season.
Geekie has recorded points in just two of his last nine games and missed Sunday’s contest due to a personal matter. His absence would be notable, as he factored into two of Boston’s three goals in their earlier 3–2 win over Detroit.
Even without Geekie, the Bruins remain dangerous thanks to superstar winger David Pastrnak, who has been red hot since returning to the lineup in early December. Pastrnak has produced eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points over his last 16 games and continues to rank among the league’s most productive forwards.
Detroit will counter with one of its own hottest players in center Andrew Copp, who has enjoyed a breakout stretch. Copp has recorded multiple points in two straight games, has points in four consecutive contests, and has totaled 19 points over his last 21 games while developing strong chemistry with new linemates Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. That trio has been a major catalyst for the Red Wings’ offense and will look to keep the momentum rolling.
Cam Talbot is expected to start in goal for Detroit after John Gibson handled the duties in Monday’s win, while Boston is likely to turn to star netminder Jeremy Swayman, who has won three of his last four starts.
Detroit Red Wings’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Boston (Tuesday):
Kasper – Larkin – Finnie
DeBrincat – Copp – Kane
van Riemsdyk – Compher – Raymond
Soderblom – Rasmussen – Appleton
Edvinsson – Seider
Chiarot – Sandin-Pellikka
Johansson – Benard-Docker
Talbot
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The Vancouver Canucks (16-24-5) wrap up a back-to-back on Tuesday as they battle the Ottawa Senators (20-19-5). Vancouver is coming off a loss on Monday and has gone 0-4-0 so far on this Eastern road trip. As for the Senators, they have also been struggling of late as Ottawa is 3-6-1 in their last 10.
The Canucks enter this game looking to end a seven-game losing streak. Vancouver has just one win in their last 10 and is slipping further and further into the NHL's basement. As for January, the Canucks are 0-4-2 and have been outscored 27-12.
Tuesday is the perfect opportunity for Vancouver to snap their losing streak. As mentioned, the Senators have also struggled over the past few weeks, and are now dealing with an unwanted media circus due to social media rumours. While the Canucks will be the tired team, they may have a slight advantage just based on the distractions going on in Ottawa.
Players to Watch:
Drew O'Connor:
Drew O'Connor has been one of Vancouver's most consistent players all season. He is now up to 17 points and is one of four players who has skated in all 45 games this year. Whether at even strength or on the penalty kill, O'Connor continues to find ways to have a positive impact despite only averaging 13:44 per night.
David Perron:
David Perron has had plenty of success against the Canucks in his career. In 48 regular-season games, the 37-year-old has scored 12 times while recording 29 points. Perron is currently skating on the second line and could be a significant factor Tuesday night.
Dec 21, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven (43) checks Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser (6) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks (16–24–5):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 12–15–27
Filip Hronek: 3–24–27
Kiefer Sherwood: 17–6–23
Jake DeBrusk: 12–10–22
Conor Garland: 7–15–22
Goaltenders:
Thatcher Demko: 8–10–1
Kevin Lankinen: 6–11–4
Nikita Tolopilo: 2–2–0
Jiří Patera: 0–1–0
Ottawa Senators (20–19–5):
Points:
Tim Stützle: 19-26-45
Drake Batherson: 17-23-40
Jake Sanderson: 8-25-30
Claude Giroux: 9-23-32
Dylan Cozens: 12-19-31
Goaltenders:
Linus Ullmark: 14-8-5
Leevi Meriläinen: 6-10-0
Hunter Shepard: 0-1-0
Mads Sogaard: 0-0-0
Game Information:
Start time: 4:00 pm PT
Venue: Canadian Tire Centre
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
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What - Game 47 (28-14-4) When - 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13 Where - Enterprise Center; St. Louis, MO How to Watch - ESPN+, HULU
The Carolina Hurricanes are right back at it tonight as they take on the St. Louis Blues for their second game in as many nights.
Carolina is coming off of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, a game that saw them fight back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period alone to take a point.
The Hurricanes now have points in five straight contests.
St. Louis enters tonight's contest on a three-game skid, having most recently lost 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Blues have not had a good season, currently sitting as the third worst team in the league.
Their goaltending has struggled and they really aren't getting much production from the lineup outside of a few key guys.
But evert game in the NHL is a tough one, so the Hurricanes have to be sure to still bring their A-game.
Streaks
Seth Jarvis (1g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games.
Milestone Watch
Andrei Svechnikov is one point shy of 400 career points.
Game Notes
Carolina is 36-44-5-6 all-time against St. Louis and last season went 1-1-0 against them.
Andrei Svechnikov (7g, 13pts in 11gp) is a point-per-game player for his career against the Blues.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour was drafted ninth overall by St. Louis un the 1988 draft. He would appear in 157 games for the club before eventually being traded to Philadelphia.
Blues defenseman Justin Faulk was drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft by Carolina. He appeared in 559 games with the franchise from 2011-2019. He holds the record for most goals by a blueliner in franchise history (85).
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Nikolaj Ehlers Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Seth Jarvis Eric Robinson - Mark Jankowski - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin
Brandon Bussi Frederik Andersen
Injuries and Scratches: Mike Reilly, William Carrier (LBI), Noah Philp (concussion), Pyotr Kochetkov (hip), Charles Alexis Legault (hand)
Blues Projected Lineup
Jake Neighbours - Robert Thomas - Jordan Kyrou Pavel Buchnevich - Brayden Schenn - Jimmy Snuggerud Otto Stenberg - Dalibor Dvorsky - Jonatan Berggren Alexey Toropchenko - Oskar Sundqvist - Nathan Walker
Injuries and Scratches: Robby Fabbri, Matthew Kessel, Nick Bjugstad (UBI), Dylan Holloway (ankle), Mathieu Joseph (elbow), Pius Suter (ankle)
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New York Islanders rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer has been tremendous in his first NHL season. The 18-year-old defenseman has 12 goals with 17 assists for 29 points through the first 45 games of his career.
If we look at the Calder race, Schaefer sits in third place. He is seven points back of Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov, who has 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points to sit atop the rookie leaderboard. In second place is Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke, who has 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points.
However, the fact that Schaefer is a defenseman plays a huge part in this, and if he can keep up his pace, there's no question that he should win the Calder. The last Islanders player to win that award was Mathew Barzal ater recording in 2017-18 after recording 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games.
Now, to the crease.
Despite a slow start to the season, Ilya Sorokin has been one of the most clutch goaltenders in the NHL this season. After turning aside 33 of 36 in a 4-3 overtime win against the Nashville Predators, Sorokin improved to 14-10-2, with a 2.47 GAA and a .915 SV%, with four shutouts. His 19.0 Goals Saved Above Expected leads the NHL.
Sorokin should be unanimous frontrunner for Vezina. Stole a win last night with 2.72 goals saved above expected in Islanders 4-3 win. Leads NHL in GSAE Leads NHL in Goalie Steals (GSAE > Score Differential) Goalie Steals: 9 (1st) 35% of his starts, he's stolen a win for his team… https://t.co/mVXpUqFxPQ
Sorokin was a Vezina finalist back in 2022-23 (31-22-7, 2.34 GAA, .924 SV%, 6 SO), a season where he owned a 38.7 GSAE. He fell to then Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark, who owned a 1.89 GAA and with a .938 SV% and two shutouts, with a GSAE of 42.4.
Could the Islanders win the Jennings Trophy, given how well backup David Rittich has played, too?
They've combined to give up 120 goals this season, the third fewest in the NHL this season. Ahead of them is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who doesn't really have a dominant tandem.
The Colorado Avalanche, who have allowed just 95 goals this season, are the front-runners for this award, given the play of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Calgary Flames tonight at 7 PM. New Head Coach Rick Bowness makes his Blue Jackets debut behind the bench.
Calgary Flames - 19-22-4 - 42 Points - 5-5-0 in the last 10 - 7th in the Central
Columbus Blue Jackets - 19-19-7 - 45 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
Columbus wrapped up a four-game road trip with a 3-2 OT victory at Utah on Sunday. The club returns home to play seven of the next eight contests at Nationwide Arena from Jan. 13-28.
The Jackets have scored the first goal in 10 of the last 14 contests and 13 of the past 19. The team ranks sixth in the NHL in games scoring first in 2025-26 (25).
Columbus leads the NHL in goals by defensemen and ranks fourth in points with 34-79-113 in 45 contests.
The Blue Jackets rank third in the league in faceoff percentage since Dec. 13 (53.5 pct. in 14 GP).
CBJ have denied opponents on 30-of-34 power play chances over the last 11 games and rank third in the NHL in penalty kill pct. since Dec. 20 (88.2).
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 18.8% - 19th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 76.4% - 29th in the NHL
Goals For - 131 - 20th in the NHL
Goals Against - 152- 28th in the NHL
FlamesStats
Power Play - 13.6% - 32nd in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 82.2% - 8th in the NHL
Goals For - 114 - 32nd in the NHL
Goals Against - 133 - 14th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheFlames
Columbus is 36-26-0-8 all-time, and 21-10-0-4 at home vs. Calgary.
The Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 in the last 7 against the Flames.
The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Calgary last season.
Who To Watch For TheFlames
Nazem Kadri leads the Flames with 24 assists and 32 points.
Blake Coleman leads Calgary with 13 goals.
Goalie Dustin Wolf is 14-18-2 with a SV% of .898
CBJ Player Notes vs.Flames
Zach Werenski has 11 points in 15 career games vs. the Flames.
Kirill Marchenko has 5 points in 7 games.
Sean Monahan has 6 points in 7 games against his former club.
Injuries
Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 37 Games - IR - Expected to practice with the team when the current road trip concludes. But there is no timeline for a return to the lineup.
Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 9 Games - IR
Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 7 Games IR - Out 3-4 months after having knee surgery.
Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 6 Games - IR - Week-to-week.
Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 4 Games - Week to week
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 115
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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After falling 4-0 to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to bounce back by taking on the Vancouver Canucks. The British Columbia outfit rolled into two, having lost its last three games in regulation and its last six games if you count extra time, which should have made it easy prey on paper.
Unfortunately for the Habs, the game isn’t played on paper, and no matter how badly a team is doing, there isn’t a single squad in the NHL that will give you the win. If you repeatedly shoot yourself in the foot, there’s not a single team that won’t make life complicated for you, and the Canadiens must have realized that tonight.
After 40 minutes, goaltender Jakub Dobes had given up three goals on just 14 shots, giving him a .786 save percentage. While that’s clearly not good enough, it was hard not to feel bad for the masked man since each of those goals came from glaring defensive mistakes.
On the first goal, it was Oliver Kapanen who missed his defensive coverage and wasn’t in a position to make life complicated for Ellias Pettersen as he jumped on a rebound. On the second one, Arber Xhekaj, who had been playing very well since the start of the new year, was under pressure in his own zone with two Canucks hot on his tail. He opted for a no-look backhand pass at the top of the defensive zone, which, of course, became a giveaway and was in the net seconds later. Then, on the third goal, Xhekaj and Kaiden Guhle collided, taking themselves out of the play, and the Canucks had an easy two-on-zero to score easily.
Nobody expects the defensive game to be flawless, but there’s a world of difference between playing a perfect match and making such enormous mistakes. The Canadiens played a much better defensive game in the third period, and Dobes shut the door on the eight shots he faced in the final frame, although he did get some help from his posts a couple of times.
Carrier’s Milestone
Before Monday night’s game, the Habs had a single goal from their blueliner on the power play and Noah Dobson, freshly inserted on the first man advantage unit, added one to that small tally. In the second frame, fellow defenseman Alexandre Carrier scored a pair of goals, which turned out to be his 100th and 101st points in the NHL. The Quebec City native now has five points in his last five games and must really enjoy being paired with Lane Hutson.
Interestingly, in 245 games with the Nashville Predators, the right-shot rearguard had only 69 points, averaging 0.28 points per game. With the Canadiens, he now has 32 points in 97 games, averaging 0.33 points per game, a slight increase.
The Habs now have the second-most productive blueline in the league with 119 points, second only behind the Colorado Avalanche, who had 144 points from their defensemen at the time of writing.
Turning It On In The Final Frame
After making a lot of mistakes through 40 minutes, the Canadiens came out strong in the third frame. It was almost as if the players felt bad for their goaltender and decided to go and get two points for him. After six minutes in the third, the Habs scored three times to take a three-goal lead, which would hold until the end of the game.
It was a strong frame for the second line as the three youngsters scored two of the three goals. In two games against the Canucks this season, the duo of Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov has put up 11 points (five for the Slovak and six for the Russian). They certainly wouldn’t complain if they had to play them more often.
On Monday night, Arber Xhekaj played his worst game since the calendar turned to 2026, and it will be interesting to see if Martin St-Louis decides to replace him with Jayden Struble on Tuesday night in Washington. Will his strong start to the year have bought him a bit of leeway, or will his minus-three rating and juicy giveaway prove fatal? It’s also worth mentioning that Tom Wilson plays for the Caps and is a tough customer.
While Dobes has won four of his last five games, he has received a lot of offensive support, and his stats are not great. On Monday night, he finished the game with a .870 SV, and with Kent Hughes having said the Canadiens wouldn’t keep three goalies around for too long, one can wonder if the Slovak netminder might not be the one to go down. Speaking to the press after the game, Dobes said that he wouldn’t understand if he were sent back down to the Laval Rocket. Asked about that comment during his post-game media availability, the coach said whoever asked Dobes how he would feel if he was sent down had asked a bad question and did not say anything further.
After Monday morning’s practice, the coach said that it was a possibility that Josh Anderson could come back in the lineup on Tuesday night to face the Washington Capitals. If he is, in fact, inserted in the lineup, someone will have to come out. Against the Canucks, the fourth liners were the least-used forwards: Owen Beck spent 11:03 on the ice, Sammy Blais 11:06, and Joe Veleno 12:40.
After the game, the Canadiens took off for Washington, where they’ll join Samuel Montembeault, who had flown earlier to be fresh and ready for Tuesday night’s tilt—a wise move from the Habs who decided to take advantage of having three goaltenders around.
Don’t look now but the Florida Panthers might be picking up some momentum.
After a frustrating start to their season-long six-game road trip, the Panthers have bounce back in a big way, picking up wins in Ottawa and Buffalo over the past few nights.
Monday’s win over the Sabres was particularly noticeable due to the fact that Buffalo had gone 13-1-0 since early December and were the hottest team in the league.
They also hadn’t lost a game on home ice since the day after Thanksgiving.
Now the Panthers get to take a few days off and relax in their own homes (they’re spending the off time in South Florida) as their roadie doesn’t resume until Friday when Florida plays a back-to-back set in Carolina and Washington.
Let’s get to Monday’s takeaways:
GREER GETS GOING
It had been a while since Greer put up three goals and five points in a six-game span back in late November.
We know what the gritty, skilled forward is capable of offensively, but it’s not often that he gets the opportunity to show it off.
Skating on a line with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe this week, Greer took advantage and showed what he can do when playing in a top six role.
The 29-year-old scored two goals in a game for the second time this season while also picking up the game-winner in Monday’s 4-3 win in Buffalo.
“He plays hard,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “Our first introduction on day two of training camp a couple years ago, I don't think I've seen a guy work that hard straight through a brutal practice, and he's been doing it every night. Analytically, that line, they just score when they're together. Good for him. I don't know that he’s scored a lot of empty net goals in his career, because he wouldn't have got the opportunity to be out there, but he earned it tonight and deserved to be on the ice.”
STRONG FINAL FRAME
If ever there was a time the Panthers knew they’d be in for a fight for two points, it was during the intermission between the second and third periods on Monday in Buffalo.
The Sabres have turned KeyBank Center into a house or horrors for visiting teams over the past month during their ascent up the Eastern Conference standings.
They also had just tied the game a few minutes before the end of the second period, so both the crowd and the team were buzzing.
All Florida did was hold Buffalo to a single shot through the first 13:05 of the third period, which gave the Panthers an opportunity to apply some pressure of their own.
The Cats controlled puck possession and put up eight shots during that time, eventually taking their third lead of the game, one they would ultimately hold on to, on a goal by Anton Lundell.
“We were good,” Maurice said. “I think we had given up one shot in the first 11 minutes. I don't know when the shot came, but at the nine-minute timeout we'd given up one, so we weren’t sitting back, we weren't just flipping pucks out, we were trying to push the pace, but we were right.”
TWO BIG POINTS
The victory allowed Florida to keep pace in a fast-moving Eastern Conference playoff race.
That’s what will happen when there are so many teams competing for so few spots, so tightly packed together.
As it stands, there are two points separating top Wild Card spot (held by Toronto with 53 points) and the five teams below them, a group that includes the Panthers and their 51 points.
There are only eight points, and all eight non-playoff teams, between Toronto and Columbus, who sits in last place in the conference.
Buffalo is the second Wild Card team, one point ahead of Florida.
So yeah, beating them in regulation was fairly big for the Cats.
“They're huge,” Maurice said of the two points. “But the real takeaway is, I loved the way we played, and I felt the same way in Ottawa and the last two periods in Montreal. With some guys out, I get that, but the guys that were in there, they played hard, and we were on the puck, and we were frustrating to play against. We just played fast, and that's a great place to be at this point of the year, to understand that that's the way we got to play.”
Photo caption: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate a win over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
A night that was years in the making unfolded at Little Caesars Arena on Monday evening in downtown Detroit, as the iconic No. 91 jersey of former Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame forward Sergei Fedorov was officially retired and raised to the rafters.
One of the greatest players in team history, Fedorov endeared himself to the fans of Hockeytown over 13 seasons with the club, during which he scored exactly 400 goals while also playing an integral role in their 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup wins.
Fedorov, whom the Red Wings selected with the 74th pick in the 1989 NHL Draft and first arrived in Detroit after famously defecting from the Iron Curtain of the soon-to-be-fallen Soviet Union in 1990, began his NHL career under head coach Bryan Murray.
But in 1993, the Red Wings hired Scotty Bowman, who was already regarded as perhaps the greatest coach in the history of the sport.
Just as he did with Steve Yzerman, Bowman helped Fedorov become a special two-way player who was just as good on the defensive side of the puck as he was offensively. In fact, Bowman sometimes even played Fedorov as a defenseman.
Prior to his official jersey retirement ceremony, Fedorov explained that the greatest lesson that he learned while playing under Bowman was
"First of all, no matter how difficult things are going not your way hockey-wise, Scotty always was calm, leveled, and came to the locker room to talk to use without, if I may say, any panic in his voice," Fedorov said after taking a moment to contemplate. "He just basically addressed the issue in what we have to get better at."
"No matter how bad we lose, no matter how good we played, it was the same manner," Fedorov continued. "Because after a few seasons, when we couldn't get the job done, in other words, to win the Cup, we understood one thing - it was all in our hands."
Under Bowman, the Red Wings reached heights they hadn’t seen in decades, rising to the top of the hockey world three times, including back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.
Before arriving in Detroit, Bowman famously led the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s, winning the Stanley Cup in 1973 and from 1976 through 1979, and later coached the Pittsburgh Penguins to the 1992 Stanley Cup.
He retired after guiding the Red Wings to their third Stanley Cup championship in six years in 2002, his ninth as a head coach, a record that still stands today.
It was that experience that particularly stood out to Fedorov.
"Scotty was just that kind of person, obviously an experienced person," Fedorov said. "He knew before the game if we were going to win or not, I have no doubt in my mind. Lately, I've analyzed it and come to that conclusion.
"And he was just sort of cool in the sense that he gave so much belief, confidence, and guidance from his demeanor when he came to speak to us - in any situation, bad or good."
While Bowman himself wasn't able to personally attend the ceremony on Monday evening, he was one of several who recorded a special video message as part of the proceedings.
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