Category: NHL

Things are not going well for the Calgary Flames so far this season.

The Flames are at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 6-13-3 record and 15 points. This is after they just missed out on the playoffs last season, finishing the year with a 41-27-14 record and 96 points. They even had more points than the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens, which made the playoffs in the East.

A crucial part of Calgary's success last year was the play of rookie Dustin Wolf. He started the season splitting the starts with then-backup Dan Vladar, then gradually got more assignments as he played exceptionally well for a rookie netminder. He finished as a finalist in the Calder Trophy race.

Now, Wolf has had some ups and downs this season as he's taken on more responsibility, with an .892 save percentage, 3.08 goals-against average and one shutout.

But while the Flames are struggling immensely early on, another goaltender – Devin Cooley – has been a big bright spot for them.

Oh Devin Cooley. Never ever change. pic.twitter.com/nbzzkmKlcI

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 20, 2025

After spending all of last season in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers, Cooley beat out free-agent signing Ivan Prosvetov for the Flames' backup job out of training camp. And he quickly dismissed questions about whether Calgary needed a proven NHL veteran to give Wolf the type of backup support that Vladar gave.

In fact, Cooley's been excellent.

While he has a 1-2-1 record, he leads all NHL goaltenders who have played six or more games with a .935 save percentage and a 1.80 goals-against average. He also has six goals saved above expected, according to moneypuck.com.

With numbers like these, there is no question that Cooley is playing some very strong hockey right now. He is also showing no signs of slowing down as the season continues, either. In his most recent appearance against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 19, he stopped 28 out of 30 shots, which equates to a .933 save percentage. 

Cooley has also shown great consistency early on, as he has had a .921 save percentage or better in five out of his six appearances this season with the Flames.

When noting that the 28-year-old Cooley had only six games of NHL experience before this season, which were all with the San Jose Sharks in 2023-24, him playing this well with the Flames is undoubtedly impressive. It will be interesting to see if the Los Gatos, California, native can continue to stay hot for the Flames, but he has been a fun story early on in 2025-26. 

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A quarter of the way into the NHL season, the Detroit Red Wings find themselves in unfamiliar but welcome territory: sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a winning record, a wave of rookies making meaningful strides, and milestone moments piling up faster than they have in over a decade. It has been, by nearly every measure, a season to remember.

But amid the glowing storylines and energized fan base, a handful of concerns continue to simmer beneath the surface. At the center of the quiet discontent is a respected veteran who has long been considered part of the team’s leadership core in forward Andrew Copp.

Copp, 31, entered the season looking for a rebound year as his production has dropped every season since his first with the Red Wings when he recorded nine goals and 33 assists for 42 points. He's continued to be a two-way player with a stabilizing presence in the locker room and a key contributor on special teams. Yet his offensive production has again dipped, this time to an alarming level. 

Through 21 games, Copp has recorded just one goal, an empty-net tally, and seven assists for eight points. He is currently on pace for just four goals, which would mark the lowest total of his NHL career, while his projected 30 points would fall fairly in line with his last two seasons but remains well short of expectations for a player carrying a $5.625 million cap hit.

With Detroit fans growing increasingly vocal about their frustrations with general manager Steve Yzerman and several of his personnel decisions, Copp has become one of the most heavily scrutinized names. Certainly not because of his character, as he remains one of the most beloved players in the dressing room and has even worn the "A" at times with the organization, but because of what his contract means for a team trying to take the next step.

Complicating matters even worse is Copp has a modified 10-team no-trade clause, which limits Detroit’s flexibility. Even if the Red Wings wanted to move him, the combination of his cap hit, declining scoring touch and lack of trade candidates would make any deal difficult to execute.

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Yet Detroit’s coaching staff continues to lean on Copp in critical moments, largely because of his role on the top penalty-kill unit. Though now skating on the fourth line, he still averages over 14 minutes per game because of his work on Detroit's penalty kill, that has transformed the unit for from the worst in the NHL last season to a respectable 13th overall this year. 

Still, internal pressure is on the horizon as the Red Wings are continuing to get surging young talent pushing upward from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, with several prospects eager for NHL minutes. Among them is Carter Mazur, who was nearing an NHL look before suffering an injury. Once healthy, Mazur could force Detroit’s hand, or at least apply the pressure necessary to spark improvement from Copp.

What a slick little pass from Emmitt Finnie to Carter Mazur! pic.twitter.com/IErr5a1Fti

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 23, 2025

League insiders suggest the Red Wings have quietly explored their options regarding Copp, though no imminent move appears realistic. With the salary cap expected to rise next season, Copp’s contract may feel less burdensome over time but for now, Detroit is likely tied to him for the next two years.

For a team finally emerging from its rebuild, the Copp conundrum is less a crisis and more a stubborn complication. The Red Wings know what he brings as a leader, penalty killer, and steadying on-ice presence. They also know they are not getting the level of offensive production they are paying for and will continue to nag at fans until things turn around. Until then, the Red Wings may simply have to make the best of the situation, trusting that Copp’s intangible value and the rising cap environment will ease the sting over time.

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During the 2025 NHL off-season, the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. This was after Bolduc had a solid breakout year for the Blues in 2024-25, posting new career highs with 19 goals, 17 assists, and 36 points in 72 games. 

Bolduc started off his Canadiens tenure on fire, recording three goals and four points in his first three games. However, since then, he has only posted one goal and two assists over his last 17 games. This included him going without in nine straight games from Oct. 28 to Nov. 17. 

Bolduc broke his pointless streak in the Canadiens' most recent matchup against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 20, as he recorded an assist on Nick Suzuki's second-period goal. Now, the Canadiens will be hoping that Bolduc can build off this and get his offense going again. 

If Bolduc can regain his early-season form, it would be big news for a Canadiens club that is dealing with serious injury trouble right now. It will be interesting to see if he will heat back up for the Canadiens from here. 

According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Winnipeg Jets have granted top prospect Brad Lambert permission to seek a trade. 

With the Chicago Blackhawks being a team on the rise and Lambert being a young forward with high potential, should the Original six club consider pursuing him? 

Lambert has shown signs of promise early on during his career at the American Hockey League (AHL). His top season was in 2023-24 with the Manitoba Moose, as he posted 21 goals, 34 assists, and 55 points in 64 games. However, he did see his offensive numbers drop this past season with Manitoba, as he finished the year with 35 points in 61 games. 

Lambert also showed off his offensive talent during the 2022-23 season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Seattle Thunderbirds, as he recorded 17 goals and 38 points in 26 regular-season games. He also had six goals and 26 points in 17 playoff games for the Thunderbirds that year. 

Lambert is still looking to cement himself as a full-time NHL player, but he has played in some games for the Jets. In 10 games over three games with Winnipeg, he has recorded one goal and three points. However, with the Jets having such a deep forward group and being in win-now mode, Lambert has had trouble landing a permanent role with them. 

While this is the case, there is no question that Lambert still has the potential to become a top-six forward due to his skill. With this, he could be a very interesting player for a young team like the Blackhawks to take a chance on. At 21 years old, he could be a long-term option for the Blackhawks if he took that next step, which also adds to his appeal. 

According to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch, the Ottawa Senators have placed former Philadelphia Flyers forward Olle Lycksell on waivers. 

Lycksell joined the Senators this off-season after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Atlantic Division club in free agency. He has played in six games this season with Ottawa, where he has recorded one goal, two hits, three blocks, and a minus-2 rating.

However, Lycksell has not played for the Senators since their Nov. 8 contest against the Flyers, as he was in concussion protocol. 

With Lycksell being placed on waivers, this indicates that the former Flyer is ready to return to action. If he clears waivers, the Senators will then be able to assign him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. 

Lycksell was selected by the Flyers with the 168th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 45 games with the Flyers over three seasons from 2022-23 to 2024-25, he posted one goal, 10 assists, 11 points, and a minus-6 rating. He also had 52 goals, 76 assists, and 128 points in 134 games with the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have assigned Mason Geertsen to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Geertsen was placed on waivers on Nov. 20 and went through them unclaimed. Due to this, the Sabres were able to send him down to Rochester, where he should now be a solid part of the AHL squad's roster. 

Geertsen has played in five games this season with the Sabres, where he has posted zero points, one shot, eight hits, and 12 penalty minutes. His most recent appearance for the Sabres was on Nov. 4 against the Utah Mammoth, where he had 3:49 of ice time.

The Buffalo Sabres have assigned forward Mason Geertsen to the Rochester Americans (AHL).

— Buffalo Sabres PR (@SabresPR) November 21, 2025

Geertsen spent this past season exclusively in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights, where he recorded five assists, 77 penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating. In 447 career AHL games over 10 seasons, Geertsen has recorded 19 goals, 69 points, and 840 penalty minutes. 

Alexandre Texier cleared waivers on Friday and has been assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League.

The 26-year-old was designated a non-roster player on Thursday when the St. Louis Blues activated Jake Neighbours off injured reserve and needed a roster spot for him.

The next step for Texier, who is in the final year of a two-year, $4.2 million contract he signed after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 28, 2024 for a 2025 fourth-round pick, is to either report to the Thunderbirds or come to a mutual agreement with the Blues to terminate his contract and become a free agent.

Texier played in just eight games this season and had one assist and 31 games last season in which he had six goals and five assists.

“For ‘Tex,’ he's an outstanding young man and just didn't find any kind of path this year to consistently stay in the lineup,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said on Thursday.

The Blues also assigned defenseman Hunter Skinner, who made his NHL debut in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 14, to Springfield on Friday but made no corresponding move to bring anyone else up.

Observations From Blues' 3-2 Overtime Loss Vs. FlyersBlues have lacked killer instinct all season, another example on Thursday; fifth two-goal lead turns into lost points; Faulk putting in results offensively; critical mistake late in second period allows Flyers back into game; creating chances, not finishing is haunting this team at the moment

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Tonight, November 21, 2025, the Pacific Coliseum prepares to host yet another primary tenant within its storied halls. Before BC’s first ever PWHL team, the Vancouver Goldeneyes, take to the ice for the first time, let’s reflect on the Vancouver Canucks’ history at the Rink on Renfrew. 

October 9, 1970 marked the first game the NHL’s Canucks ever played at the Coliseum — though the WHL Vancouver Canucks spent a few years prior occupying the ice. This inaugural roster included names like eventual Canucks General Manager Pat Quinn, leading points getter André Boudrais, and the first captain in Canucks history, Orland Kurtenbach. 

While it took awhile, Vancouver’s first playoff game played at the Coliseum came on April 17, 1975 — five years after their inaugural season. In a series against a powerhouse Montréal Canadiens team that was, frankly, a little uneven in terms of scoring, the Canucks won Game 2 on the road but ultimately lost the series in overtime in Game 5. After that, the post-season became a more frequent occurrence for the Canucks, who qualified for the playoffs in four of six seasons. 

It was in 1982 when the Pacific Coliseum hosted the Stanley Cup Finals for the first of two occasions in its history. After three straight first-round losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and expansion-fellow Buffalo Sabres, who they faced twice, Vancouver took down their division-rival Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. Unfortunately, the New York Islanders were simply too powerful for the Canucks, who fell in four games to Mike Bossy and his team. 

From there, Vancouver’s team shifted, twisting from the era of Stan Smyl, Dave Babych, and other Canucks greats, to the new-gen at the time synonymous with the flying skate. Aside from their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1982, Vancouver’s first playoff series win came in 1992, when they took down the Winnipeg Jets in seven games. The first game of this series at the Coliseum took place on April 18, with the Jets winning by a score of 3–2. 

Two years later, the Canucks took part in their second — and final — Stanley Cup Final at the Coliseum. After back-to-back competitive regular-season records of 42–26–12 (1992) and 46–29–9 (1993), Vancouver managed to pave their path to within championship grasp by taking down the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, and Toronto Maple Leafs. With their series against the New York Rangers tied at one win apiece, Vancouver came back to the Pacific Coliseum to try and make a push for the Stanley Cup, but left their homestand with two losses. Their lone home victory in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final came in a sudden-death Game 6. 

The Canucks played their last game at the Coliseum on May 27, 1995, losing 4–3 in overtime against the Blackhawks during their second-round playoff series. This came after Vancouver took a series win against the St. Louis Blues in the first round, winning one of the three home games they played in. May 11, 1995, marked the last Canucks playoff win that fans at the Coliseum saw. 

While the Canucks and the Pacific Coliseum have since moved on from one-another, creating even more team history with other venues and sports across the lower mainland, the history enshrined within its walls still lingers. 

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 Chicago Blackhawks have the second half of a back-to-back situation on Friday night. They will make a one-game trip to New York to play the Buffalo Sabres. This is their first such scenario of the 2025-26 season. 

The first half didn’t go well for the Blackhawks. After playing well through the first 40 minutes, the Blackhawks allowed the Kraken to come back and win 3-2. There was some controversy at the end, along with some costly mistakes in between the whistles. 

Connor Bedard's Late Unsportsmanlike Penalty Allows Kraken To Complete ComebackThe Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Seattle Kraken at the United Center on Thursday night.

Buffalo, unlike Chicago, is not doing well in its rebuild. At 7-9-4, they have 18 points, which is good for last place in the Eastern Conference and 29th place in the entire league. Once again, the Sabres are failing to meet any expectations. 

Black Alternate Sweaters

On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks announced the return of their legendary black alternate sweaters. They will wear them for a total of seven games in 2025-26. 

Blackhawks Announce Return Of Legendary Black Alternate JerseyThe Chicago Blackhawks announced that their legendary black alternate jersey will make its return.

Scouting Buffalo 

There is no shortage of talent in Buffalo. Their lack of success is mismanagement of said talent. Stars like Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch lead the way, while good depth players like Josh Doan, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Jack Quinn are capable of making a difference. 

It is the bottom of the lineup that fails the top players, which is where the mismanagement comes in. Add in the fact that they haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, and you have a team that fails to be confident in themselves from top to bottom. 

Doan- Thompson -Tuch 

Zucker-McLeod-Quinn

Kozak -Ostlund -Rosen  

Greenway-Krebs- Malenstyn 

Samuelsson-Dahlin

Byram-Timmins 

Bryson-Power

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the starter’s net for the Sabres during Friday’s morning skate. Lukkonen, like every Sabres goalie to play this year, has had a rough go, but his career numbers against the Blackhawks are excellent. 

Although the Sabres are struggling, they have a few solid wins on their resume and play hard. If the Blackhawks don’t take this lineup, especially the guys at the top, seriously, they will have a hard time winning. 

Projected Blackhawks Lines, Defense Pairs, and Starting Goalie

In Friday night’s loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Blackhawks lost Andre Burakovsky to an injury. In that game, they had their typical 11/7 strategy implemented, with Landon Slaggert sitting out along with the injured Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson. 

Without Burakovsky and no call-ups, they are going to have an 11/7 situation again, with Landon Slaggert drawing back in. 

Greene-Bedard- Bertuzzi

Moore-Nazar-Teravainen

Dach-Donato-Mikheyev

Slaggert-Lafferty

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Levshunov

Grzelcyk-Murphy

Rinzel

Soderblom

The line rushes during warmups will provide more clarity on this, but Greene and Bertuzzi have both had chemistry with Bedard before. Moore is also more than capable, and there is proof of it, with Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen. 

With it being just 11 forwards, and down to the last 11 forwards on the NHL roster, expect more ice time for Bedard and Nazar throughout the game as double shifters.

How To Watch

The game can be seen on CHSN and heard on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. Those outside of Chicago interested in catching the game can find it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 6 PM CT at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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The NHL fined Dallas Stars right winger Mikko Rantanen $2,000 for two citations of embellishment.

The league's hockey operations flagged Rantanen on two occasions this season, which automatically triggered the fine.

The first incident, which triggered a warning, came from Dallas' Oct. 16 game against the Vancouver Canucks. The second incident happened just over a minute into the third period of the Stars' game against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 11.

Rantanen skated by the Senators' crease and got tangled up with netminder Linus Ullmark. Ullmark raised his right arm, and Rantanen appeared to grab it. Both players fell to the ice.

NHL Hockey Operations tracks all games, logs all penalties for diving or embellishment and flags plays not called on the ice that it determines deserved such a penalty. In both incidents, Rantanen was not assessed a penalty.

Ottawa Senators' Nick Cousins Fined For EmbellishmentThe NHL's hockey operations department flagged Nick Cousins for two incidents that violated the league's embellishment and diving rule this season.

Rule 64 of the NHL rulebook is designed to punish players and teams that embellish to draw a penalty, increasing the severity of the punishment the more it happens. Here's what happens when a player is cited for embellishment or diving under Rule 64:

• First citation: warning
• Second citation: $2,000 fine
• Third citation: $3,000 fine
• Fourth citation: $4,000 fine
• Fifth citation onward: $5,000 fine each

If a team combines for four fines, whether it's a player or collective team receiving the fine, the coach starts to get fined:

• Four fines total: coach is fined $2,000
• Five fines total: coach is fined $3,000
• Six fines total: coach is fined $4,000
• Seven-plus fines total: coach is fined $5,000 each

The fined money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Rantanen, 29, has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points in 21 games this season. The Nousiainen, Finland, native also received a game misconduct penalty for boarding New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov on Nov. 18 but didn't receive supplementary discipline.

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Friday’s schedule is light, featuring just four games, but it still promises compelling matchups, most notably the return of Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks after a viral moment in Thursday’s loss to the Seattle Kraken.

Bedard was hooked on a breakaway attempt, and the 20-year-old center was furious when no call was made. He was subsequently penalized for abuse of officials, and the Kraken capitalized on the power play to steal the game. Now, in the second half of a back-to-back, Bedard and the Blackhawks aim to bounce back against the Buffalo Sabres, who have won two of their last three contests.

For those tracking our Pad Stack challenge, the strategy remains the same. We started with a $10 bankroll and continue to grow it through careful, research-driven bets. Our most successful streak ended Monday at a season-high $411.47, only to be derailed by a last-minute empty-net goal from the Florida Panthers against our Vancouver spread. After a tough Thursday swing on a Leafs-Blue Jackets same-game parlay, we’re resetting at $10 and looking to rebound. Our confidence is high heading into Friday’s Blackhawks-Sabres matchup, and we’re ready to make it count.

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.

Are The Detroit Red Wings For Real?Detroit's surprising start defies middling stats. Can a youth-fueled surge finally end the playoff drought?

Picks: Connor Bedard Over 0.5 Points & Blackhawks +1.5 (+100)

We can anticipate a big bounce-back performance from Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks in a spot where few expect it. Chicago has dropped all three of its matchups against the Sabres with Bedard in the lineup, though he’s recorded points in two of those games. This season, Bedard has 29 points in 20 games, including an impressive run of 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points over his last 12 contests, second in the NHL during that stretch, trailing only Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon by three points. 

Buffalo has historically dominated Chicago, winning seven of the last eight meetings, and they enter Friday on a roll, winning two of their last three games. The Blackhawks also haven’t won in Buffalo since 2019, losing four straight trips to the Queen City. That could change this time, as this Chicago team is vastly different than past teams. 

They sit at 10-6-4 overall but have been one of the NHL’s best betting teams, going 16-4 against the spread (ATS). Notably, one of those losses came as a favorite, meaning Chicago is 16-3 as an underdog. In contrast, the Sabres have a lesser 7-9-4 record this season, are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games, and are just 1-5 on the puckline as a favorite this year. A wager on this same-game parlay would double our current bankroll of $10, leaving us with $20 to work with heading into the biggest day for hockey in the week on Saturday.

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After being off since Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will return to action on Friday night against the Minnesota Wild.

The Penguins are coming off a 4-0 shutout win over the Nashville Predators in the NHL's Global Series, while the Wild are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

After starting slowly, the Wild have found their game, winning three in a row and seven of their last nine. They are making their move in the standings and are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks currently have the tiebreaker since they have a game in hand. 

Kirill Kaprizov has really gotten going for the Wild and has compiled 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games. Matt Boldy has also been fantastic this season, totaling 11 goals and 22 points in 21 games. 

In goal, Filip Gustavsson is the starter for this game, despite backup Jesper Wallstedt having a stellar season. He may be the backup and only has seven starts, but he has a .926 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average. 

Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins after he was the first goaltender off at the morning skate. He was tremendous in his last start on Friday and was the only reason the Penguins got a point in that game against the Predators. He's been one of the best goaltenders in the league to start the year and ranks 10th in the NHL in goals saved above expected with 8.4.

Here's a look at what the rest of the lineup could look like, based on Thursday's practice:

Forwards: 

Dewar-Crosby-Rust

Hayes-Malkin-Mantha

Novak-Kindel-Poulin

Koppanen-Lizotte-Heinen

Defensive pairs

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Shea-Letang

Graves-Clifton

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Puck drop for Friday's contest is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and NHL Network. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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