Category: NHL

There were some sketchy moments over the past two games, but the Pittsburgh Penguins kept their winning streak going this past week with a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night and a 6-5 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. The week got off to a rocky start with a sloppy first period against the Blackhawks before they flipped the switch and absolutely steamrolled them over the remaining 40 minutes. Saturday’s game against the Rangers was pretty much the exact opposite as they dominated the first 44 minutes and jumped out to a 5-1 lead, before having to cling to a one-goal lead in the closing seconds after allowing four third period goals.

The third period goals against are concerning given what this team has done previously this season, but they still managed to get the two points. They enter this week having won six games in a row, seven of their past eight games and have at least one point in each of their past nine games. That has them sitting on Monday with the sixth-best points percentage in the entire NHL and the third-best points percentage in the Eastern Conference.

Lately, they have done what you would expect a good team to do and beat up on teams below them in the standings.

This week the schedule gets a little bit tougher with three pretty significant games against potential Eastern Conference playoff contenders as they go into the Olympic break.

The week begins on Monday night, at home, against the Ottawa Senators.

From a record and standings perspective, the Senators have been one of the more disappointing teams in the NHL this season having gone from a playoff spot in 2024-25, to a team that is struggling to stay in contention. But their record is also a little misleading and not a great reflection of the way the team has played.

There might not be a team in the NHL that has been hurt by goaltending more than them.

Ottawa is a top-10 goal-scoring team this season (ninth in the NHL at 3.33 goals per game) with a 54.01 percent expected goals share during 5-on-5 play (fourth-best in the NHL). They do a lot of things well, and have typically controlled the pace of play in their games.

They just can not get a save. From anybody. The Senators enter play on Monday with an all-situations team save percentage of just .868, which is 32nd out of 32 teams in the NHL. With even adequate or league average goaltending this might be a playoff team again. This is not a game to be taken lightly, especially with the Senators coming in having won three games in a row, outscoring their opponents by a 16-4 margin. It is also worth noting that two of those wins were against the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche.

They are capable of playing very well. Lately, they are. They are also finally getting some saves. Ottawa won the first meeting this season by a 4-0 margin, in Ottawa, back in December.

The Penguins then have a quick turnaround with a back-to-back situation on Tuesday night when they travel to Long Island for a massive game against the New York Islanders.

The Islanders are right behind the Penguins for the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Entering play on Monday, the Penguins are two points ahead of the Islanders for that second spot with two games in hand.

The Islanders also play on Monday night against the Washington Capitals (at Washington), so both teams will be playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel. That helps even things out for both teams.

The outcomes of Monday’s games could really change the stakes for that Tuesday game on Long Island.

A Penguins win, combined with an Islanders loss, would give the Penguins a four-point lead over the Islanders going into Tuesday’s game (with still two games in hand) and give them a chance to take a really commanding lead in that race for the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.

A Penguins loss on Monday, combined with an Islanders win, would draw the Islanders even in terms of total points and give them a chance to move ahead on Tuesday with a win.

There is potentially a lot happening there.

This Islanders team is also winning in the most New York Islanders way imaginable. They do not really do anything particularly well. They are not a great offensive team. They are 32nd out of 32 teams in expected goals against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. They are 29th in the NHL in expected goal share during 5-on-5 play.

So how are they winning and staying in the race? It is the goaltending. Ilya Sorokin is playing out of his mind, and after a couple of down years (by his standards, anyway) he is back to playing like one of the truly elite goalies in the NHL.

They also have Matthew Schaefer. The No. 1 overall pick has stepped right into the NHL and made an almost unbelievable impact. We really have not seen an 18-year-old defenseman impact games and a team the way he has in decades. If ever. He is legit. He is the real deal. The Penguins won the first meeting of the season by a 4-3 margin in their home opener.

The Penguins then close out their pre-Olympic break schedule on Thursday with a road game at the Buffalo Sabres. It was not even two months ago that game looked like a potential win that you could pencil in given how bad the Sabres started the season and how they looked like every other Sabres team from the past 14-15 years. Lately, though, they have been one of the hottest and best teams in the league, look like a playoff team, and are playing like a playoff team. That is not going to be an easy game.

Not only is Buffalo playing exceptionally well, it also has some really high-level players that can take over games in forward Tage Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Penguins won the first meeting of the season against the Sabres, in Pittsburgh, but it was not one of their crisper or cleaner games.

This is going to be a challenging week, not only in terms of opponent, but also because of going on the road and having another back-to-back situation. The good news: They will have Bryan Rust back for Tuesday’s game against the Islanders, even if that creates a lineup crunch that will probably take Rutger McGroarty out of the lineup. If the Penguins can get three or four points out of this week, that would be a fine result and really keep their momentum going into the Olympic break and keep them in a great position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

WASHINGTON, D.C -- Former New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz is stepping down as Nashville Predators' general manager, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Sources: Barry Trotz to step down as Nashville GM https://t.co/6HIo2fwCTL

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 2, 2026

Trotz will stay on until he can hire his replacement. 

The now 63-year-old took over for longtime Nashville general manager David Poile on July 1, 2023, just a season after former Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello relieved him of his coaching duties following a disappointing 2021-2022 season. 

Trotz, who helped lead the Islanders to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021, won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and made the playoffs in his first season at the helm in Nashville, losing in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks after six games. 

After missing the playoffs in 2024-2025, Trotz's current team sits four points out of the second wild-card spot, last beating the Islanders 4-3 at UBS Arena on Saturday.

The Predators will be holding a press conference at 12 PM CT to make this move official. 

A lot of good things happened on Saturday night in the Senators 4-1 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils. The Sens played an excellent game, Linus Ullmark was excellent in his return, and the club won their third game in a row.

But Sens defenseman Tyler Kleven also did something cool. According to NHL Public Relations, the 24-year-old unleashed the hardest slapshot in the NHL this season.

Kleven's shot was clocked at 103.51 miles per hour, harder than shots by the former leader, Boston forward Morgan Geekie (103.03 MPH), and New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (103.01), both recorded back in November.

Kleven really stepped into one on Saturday hammering the puck more than eight miles per hour harder than any of his other shots this season. He now stands tied for 10th among defensemen with 20 shots that have been recorded at over 90 miles per hour.

Along with Geekie (2) and Pulock (3), two other NHL players have recorded multiple 100-plus mph shot attempts this season. They are Winnipeg Jets defenseman Colin Miller and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Louis Crevier (three each). 

Kleven has 10 points in 49 games this season, already matching the total he had in 79 games in his rookie season last year. He's also seen an uptick in ice time, going from 14:28 to 16:46.

Kleven and the Senators return to action on Monday night in Pittsburgh, opening a stretch where they play eight of the next nine games on the road.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:

Ottawa 4 New Jersey 1: Linus Ullmark Makes 26 Saves In Senators Return
Two-Time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning Attends Senators-Devils Game In Ottawa
Why The Ottawa Senators Should Call Up Top Prospect Carter Yakemchuk
Senators' Difficult Path To The Playoffs: What's It Going To Take?

Who:Ottawa Senators (26-21-7, 59 points, 7th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (28-14-11, 67 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)

When: 7:00 p.m. eastern

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Olympic break is rapidly approaching, the Pens have two more road games (tomorrow night on Long Island, then Thursday in Buffalo) before putting a pin in the NHL season for three weeks.

Opponent Track: It’s high time for the Senators to get it in gear if they want to salvage their season with a playoff run, and they just might be getting that rolling. Ottawa has won three straight games, in impressive fashion by a 16-4 total score over Vegas, Colorado and New Jersey. Overall they’re 6-2-2 in the last 10 games. After tonight, the Sens fly to Carolina to play the Hurricanes tomorrow, so they’ll have to keep those considerations in mind with some lineup/goalie decisions.

Season Series: Ottawa won a 4-0 game back on December 18th in the first matchup of the year. After tonight, the Pens go back to Ottawa on March 26th for the third and final game.

Hidden Stat: The Penguins have not been a good matchup with Ottawa lately. The Sens are 8-1-1 against Pittsburgh since the start of the 2022-23 season.

Getting to know the Senators

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridley Greig

Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Stephen Halliday – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

DEFENSEMEN

Jake Sanderson / Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot / Nick Jensen

Tyler Kleven / Jordan Spence

Goalies: Linus Ullmark and James Reimer

Potential scratches: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo

Injured Reserve: David Perron

• Ullmark started on Saturday stopping 26/27 shots in his first game back from a month-long personal leave of absence for mental health reasons. That battle was compounded by unfounded rumors via social media.
• Giroux, 38, doesn’t have a contract for next season. Not sure if he intends to retire or not but always a chance for someone in his position that tonight could be his last game playing against the Pens in Pittsburgh. Same could probably be pointed out for the aged former Penguins Perron and Eller in the last year of their contracts and the final visit to Pittsburgh on the season scheduled tonight (although Perron won’t be playing tonight due to injury).

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Ottawa’s an interesting team in that they’ve put the pieces together with several high draft picks, now it should be time to see what they can do. They’re not exactly young-young for an NHL team (everyone is 23+) and almost all of their core (Tkachuk, Batherson, Chabot, Sanderson, Stutzle) has all been around and together for 4-5-6 seasons now in a lot of cases. It looked like they might have been turning the corner when they qualified for the playoffs last year for the first time since Chris Kunitz bounced them in 2017, but it’s been right back down this season so far.
• As we’re about to discuss, there’s no mystery why the team is in the position they are in..

Key to the game: Exploiting Ottawa’s goaltending

It’s no exaggeration to say the Senators have had their season derailed by goaltending. Hockey is a complex sport where factors from several different areas all matter and add up, but in this instance it’s pretty simple: the Senators haven’t gotten enough goaltending to be competitive. With such a poor foundation to build upon, it’s just impossible to go anywhere.

If the Sens were getting even below-average goaltending behind their elite team defence, they'd be in a very solid position right now. Allowing only one goal last night is a good start, but in fairness it was against the Devils…https://t.co/iA5WzxgvUFhttps://t.co/PjeGynHG54pic.twitter.com/3uJS1rOyVB

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 1, 2026

Team Goaltending – February 1https://t.co/WtmCOa0EkLpic.twitter.com/ZeXZQaiImb

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 1, 2026

Of course, the big hope is that the worst could be behind them if Ullmark is able to play up to his capabilities – he’s been one of the league’s better goalies in prior years with Boston and Buffalo. The physical tools and abilities are there, his step away from the team to get the mental areas under control could be the key to the season at this point for the Sens. They can’t keep up with those types of inputs (best xG defense, worst goaltending) and expect to go far.

That makes for a simple but ruthless game plan for the Pens. Go knock down the confidence. The Pens have been one of the NHL’s best first period teams this year, getting out to an early lead and deflating the confidence of the goalie and whole team would be a clean and easy path to a win tonight. Don’t let them get on track in that area and take advantage of what’s been shaky at best as Ullmark looks to keep building back up, assuming he plays since Ottawa has another game tomorrow. If it’s not Ullmark, then the task becomes picking on an almost 38-year old James Reimer.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Justin Brazeau

Egor Chinakhov  – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Brett Kulak / Ryan Shea

Ilya Solovyov / Connor Clifton

Goalies:  Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Bryan Rust (serving the third game of his three-game suspension), Kevin Hayes

IR: Kris Letang (broken foot, out at least four weeks), Ryan Graves, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones, Jack St. Ivany

• You can tell Evgeni Malkin is gutting it out with his shoulder seemingly giving him more problems with every passing game in the last handful of games. Will he be able to make it to the Olympic break?
• This will be the last game without Rust playing, at least. And with the inspired way McGroarty has been flying around the team still figures to have some decent options for the rest of the week, even though it obviously would be difficult to replace someone with the weight that comes with having a Malkin-type star in the lineup.
• After Skinner had perhaps his sloppiest game as a Penguin on Saturday against the Rangers, does the team now turn to giving Silovs two out of the three games in the Mon-Tues-Thurs split? Makes sense as of now.

Winning streak leaders

Not a Crosby or Rakell or Karlsson to be found in the team’s top scorers of the course of their six-game winning streak. The contributions are coming from everywhere, most notably and noticeably from their impressive fourth line of Dewar, Lizotte and Acciari seemingly always putting their imprint on a game. That Mantha-Kindel connection has really been coming through and paying big dividends too.

There are 10 games scheduled across the National Hockey League this evening. My NHL player props for all the action will include Quinn Hughes, Cole Caufield, and Rasmus Dahlin. 

Read more in my NHL picks for Monday, February 2. 

Best NHL player prop bets today

Get a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL.
(not available in Ontario)

Our best NHL player props for Monday, February 2

Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.

Prop #1: Quinn Hughes Over 2.5 shots on goal

-105 at BET99

Quinn Hughes has been fantastic since coming over to the Minnesota Wild, and he’s riding an eight-game point streak. However, there’s not a lot of value in the Over for his points prop, so I’m focusing on Hughes’ ability to put pucks on net. 

The defenseman is averaging 2.72 SOG this season, and he’s cashed the Over in back-to-back contests. Hughes had three shots on target in a 7-3 win over the Oilers on Saturday and had another four last Thursday against the Flames. 

Hughes is averaging 3.08 SOG at home this season, and the Wild will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to Saint Paul this evening.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, FDSN North

Prop #2: Cole Caufield anytime goal

+135 at BET99

We shift over to the Habs for my second prop. Cole Caufield is having another fantastic campaign for Montreal, which looks poised to make the playoffs. The American has scored 32 goals, which leads the team. 

Caufield ranks third in the league in scoring, and he’s found the back of the net in seven of his last eight appearances, including twice in a victory against the Sabres on Saturday. 

January was huge for the 25-year-old, as he scored 13 goals. He also netted against the Wild last month and will keep it rolling.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, FDSN North

Prop #3: Rasmus Dahlin Over 0.5 assists

-105 at BET99

Rasmus Dahlin continues to impress as a playmaker for the Buffalo Sabres. He’s registered 33 helpers in 2025-26, and in January, the 25-year-old handed out nine assists. He’s hit the Over in three consecutive outings. 

During that span, Dahlin has four helpers. He had an assist in a loss to the Canadiens on Saturday, and also handed out another helper a couple of days before that against the Kings. 

The Sabres take on the Florida Panthers tonight, and Dahlin has two assists against them this season across two meetings. He’s also tallied 17 helpers on the road.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MSG-B, SCRIPPS

These props are available now at BET99, one of our best betting sites.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Bruins have real potential this season if they stay out of penalty box originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins coughed up a 5-1 lead in Sunday’s 2026 Stadium Series outdoor game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Raymond James Stadium.

After giving up the first goal 11 seconds into the game, the Bruins then scored five unanswered goals. But then the Bruins couldn’t stop taking penalties, and that gave the high-powered Lightning power play a chance to get back into the game.

It's looking a little crowded in the penalty box… 😅 pic.twitter.com/28VLuijec7

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 2, 2026

Tampa Bay took full advantage of the opportunity.

Four unanswered Lightning goals — including three on the power play in the second period (two of which resulted from a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage) — forced overtime, and Tampa Bay ultimately won 6-5 in a shootout.

The Lightning score two goals back-to-back to get within ☝️

📺: #StadiumSeries live on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/AtIQ0BsONc

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 2, 2026

To be clear, the officiating was pretty bad in this game. Yes, many of the Bruins’ penalties were legitimate, but the Lightning got away with plenty. Tampa Bay should not have had an 8-3 advantage in power-play opportunities.

“We had complete control of the game, and then you give a team with that kind of power play a 5-on-3 for I don’t even know how long it was, you’re just asking for it,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said postgame.

It was a frustrating loss for the Bruins, and one that highlighted the need for them to stay out of the penalty box if they’re going to give themselves a chance to beat quality opponents the rest of the regular season and potentially in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Bruins had a 26-23 edge in shots, a 23-16 advantage in scoring chances, a 9-4 lead in high-danger scoring chances and outscored the Lightning 4-2 during 5-on-5 action. The difference for the Bruins was taking so many penalties.

“We didn’t have our composure, I would say,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told reporters postgame. “It started with Charlie’s penalty there. They were just better than us after the whistle. I don’t think they were better than us today hockey-wise. But they were better than us after the whistle.

“They’re not tougher than us. But they did a good job. We just lost our composure a little bit, and it cost us a point, unfortunately.”

This was not a unique occurence for the Bruins. They have been taking too many penalties all season.

The B’s lead the league with 279 penalties taken — at least 21 more than any other team. Their minus-49 penalty differential is the worst in the league.

Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov has taken a league-leading 40 penalties. Veteran center Mark Kastelic is fourth with 29.

No team has been shorthanded more than Boston’s 209 times, and the penalty kill’s 77 percent success rate ranks 27th out of 32 teams. The Bruins’ penalty kill probably isn’t as bad as that 77 percent would suggest, but Boston could lessen the burden on that group by being more disciplined.

The Bruins did get a point from Sunday’s defeat, giving them a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. They occupy the first wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a 32-20-4 record (68 points) as of Monday.

The Bruins have done a great job improving in most facets of their game since dropping to the third-worst record in the East on Dec. 30. Since then, they have the league’s second-best record (12-2-2) while ranking No. 1 in goals scored (67), No. 6 in fewest goals allowed (44) and No. 2 in power-play percentage (33.3).

But the Bruins also have taken the most penalties and have been shorthanded the second-most times in that span, too. Boston has shown an impressive ability to fix different aspects of its performance all season. One area that hasn’t seen any improvement is the discipline to not take a ton of penalties.

If the Bruins can get that under control and play with more composure, they could actually become a tough out come playoff time — assuming they qualify.

It’s been less than a year since the Toronto Maple Leafs shipped Fraser Minten, along with a top-five protected first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, to Boston for veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo. While the Leafs certainly needed a player like Carlo, a right-handed shutdown defenseman who could play alongside Morgan Rielly, few would have predicted that Toronto would find themselves on the short end of the deal so quickly.

With the Leafs appearing bound to miss the playoffs for the first time in ten years, Minten has excelled with his new team. He was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January after scoring eight goals and adding six assists in 14 games. Recently, he was promoted to the club’s first line to play alongside Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak before moving back to the second-line center position.

“He was a steal for us,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said regarding the acquisition. Perhaps more impressive is that all eight of Minten’s goals came at even strength, as he was not slated to receive significant power-play time.

Fraser Minten of the @NHLBruins, who topped all rookies with 8-6—14 and a +12 rating in 14 games, has been named the NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for January.#NHLStats: https://t.co/idkVX4OOtVpic.twitter.com/HbZNsruplR

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) February 1, 2026

“I’m very, very happy with the way he’s been playing all year long,” Sturm added. “I put him in different situations from the fourth line to pretty much the first line, and you could see he can do it all. He definitely has something a lot of players don’t have”.

Meanwhile, Carlo has missed 23 games this season due to an ankle injury that required a corrective procedure. While injuries have contributed to Toronto’s struggles, handing Boston a high first-round pick is a tough pill to swallow—unless, of course, that pick remains in the top five.

Marco Sturm on Fraser Minten: "[He] was a steal for us."

Everyone say #ThankYouToronto 🤭 pic.twitter.com/VlnzsxRTsk

— NESN (@NESN) January 30, 2026

As Minten thrives, the trade is shaping up to be another lopsided Toronto-Boston transaction. History offers a grim reminder: in 2006, the Leafs traded goaltending prospect Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft. Rask became a franchise icon, winning a Vezina Trophy and serving as a backup for the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team before making two more Final appearances as a starter. He retired as the winningest netminder in Bruins history. Raycroft, by contrast, spent only two seasons in Toronto with mediocre results, despite a 37-win debut season.

The #OverDrive crew look back on the Brandon Carlo/Fraser Minten trade.

Do you think the Leafs lost that trade, in hindsight? 👀@OverDrive1050pic.twitter.com/2PnkR7DNgn

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 30, 2026

Similarly, in 2009, the Leafs acquired Phil Kessel from the Bruins. While Kessel led the Leafs in scoring for six seasons, the acquisition cost Toronto two first-round picks and a second-round pick. Those first-rounders became Tyler Seguin (2nd overall) and Dougie Hamilton (9th overall)—both high-end talents who have enjoyed long, successful careers.

Think of Mike Buckley as a kind of double agent.

Not the sinister kind, who give away state secrets for money or revenge; Buckley is privy to much lower-level intelligence. But that doesn’t mean it’s not just as valuable to the people involved.

Buckley is the Kings’ goaltender coach and his chief pupil is Darcy Kuemper, who will be playing for Team Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympic hockey tournament. Buckley will be in Milan coaching for Team USA. And if the competition goes to form, Canada and the U.S. will meet in the final.

You can see where this is going.

So would Buckley give up the goods on his NHL goalie if it meant helping his national team win a gold medal?

Read more:Katie Uhlaender's quest for record sixth Winter Olympics thwarted by Canada's questionable ethics

“I probably have a little bit more insight being with him on a day-to-day basis. But at the end of the day, the players still have to execute,” said Buckley, like Kuemper, a first-time Olympian. “So if I tell someone to shoot somewhere at a certain time or a certain spot, they're going to have to be able to execute that.”

The answer then is maybe.

Still, that’s a dilemma Buckley will probably never face since Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues, who was spectacular in goal in last year's Four Nations Face-off, will probably start for Canada in Milan. But with the Kings sending four other players (defenseman Drew Doughty, Canada; and forwards Adrian Kempe, Sweden; Kevin Fiala, Switzerland; and Joel Armia, Finland) plus Canadian equipment manager Darren Granger to the Olympics, there’s a good chance guys who have shared a dressing room since September will be competing against one another.

The same goes for the Ducks, who are sending four players — goalie Lukas Dostal and defenseman Radko Gudas, Czechia; forward Mikael Granlund, Finland; and defenseman Jackson LaCombe, U.S. — to Milan. Ducks star Leo Carlsson, who was expected to start for Sweden, will miss the Games after undergoing surgery to repair a rare injury in his left thigh last month.

So while the Olympics may bring countries together, it also has the potential to turn teammates against one another — at least temporarily.

In the group stage of the tournament, for example, Armia and Finland will play against Kempe’s Sweden. And Canada, with Kuemper and Doughty, will face Switzerland, which is led by Fiala.

“It’s obviously going to be a little strange,” Gudas said. “It’s only for a few games. For that amount of time, you can put things aside a little bit.”

Those kinds of match-ups were rare in the last two Olympic tournaments since NHL players didn’t take part, sidelined by a dispute over insurance, travel costs and scheduling issues. This year 147 NHL players are on the 12 Olympic rosters, with all 32 NHL clubs represented.

Not all the top NHL players will be in Milan, however. Russia has been banned from the tournament because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, meaning Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, won’t play.

Read more:'New evidence' gives Jordan Chiles a chance to secure the return of her Olympic bronze medal

Granlund, who won a bronze medal with Finland in 2014, the last time NHL players participated in the Olympics, is glad to be back.

“It was such a cool experience,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest honors I can have as a hockey player, playing for a country in the Olympics. There’s no player in the NHL who wouldn’t go.”

That’s due in large part to the rush that comes with wearing your country’s colors on your chest.

“It’s tough to explain how much it means,” he said. “You grow up in a country like Finland, watching the national team play. As a kid you’re dreaming to play for that team.

“Every single time you put that jersey on, it’s such a pride you feel.”

Doughty, who already has two gold medals, agreed, saying the only time he sings along with the Canadian anthem is at the Olympics.

“When we hear it in the NHL, I’m not singing,” he said. “But when you’re wearing a Canadian jersey, that’s one of the biggest moments you can have.”

Not just for the guys on the ice. Granger, the equipment manager, will be making his third trip to the Olympics with Canada. And the journey never gets old.

“It’s not something that you apply for. It’s something that you’re asked to do,” he said. “So I don’t take that lightly. It’s an honor.”

The equipment managers may have the most difficult job in the Olympic hockey tournament since they must prepare and maintain the sticks, skates, gloves and uniforms for 25 players, some of whom they’ve never met. That means checking in with the equipment managers of rival NHL teams to get prepared.

“We have quite a few players that are particular about certain things,” he said. “After a while, you just kind of get used to what those things are. If it’s a player that likes to use three sticks a game, then making sure he has that. If it’s a guy that likes to change gloves every other game, making sure you have enough.”

Yet if Canada wins the tournament, Granger’s reward won’t be a gold medal. Olympic rules say medals only go to the players, leaving the equipment managers, trainers and coaches — even coaches with inside information like Buckley — out in the cold.

“That’s OK,” Buckley said. “I just want the players to get one.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

The Devils went 0-for-5 on the power play and could only muster a single Timo Meier goal on Saturday as the Senators took a 4-1 win. [Devils NHL]

Jack Hughes missed the Senators game:

Jack Hughes is not ready to play versus Ottawa tonight. He's out.

But #NJDevils received positive news on his injury.

"Not anything serious." https://t.co/UNFYDT6a83

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 31, 2026

It’s time:

The #NJDevils are back down to 15th in the East in points and goal differential — ahead of only the Rangers — and have scored fewer goals than every team in the Conference.

They have played almost 70% of their schedule; it’s getting *very* late.

— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) February 1, 2026

Now the #NJDevils, who might be one more pre-Olympic loss away from a reckoning:

— 3 HD chances in Ottawa. Doesn't seem like a desperate team based on that number. And that includes 5 PP opportunities.

— Overturned tying goal is pretty clear rule-wise, so no arguing that.…

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNHL) February 1, 2026

“Put a pitchfork in the New Jersey Devils’ season. Well, most likely. Let’s not beat around the bush. This team is not good enough to make the playoffs, and the math shows that it’s increasingly unlikely to get back in the picture.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Hockey Links

The Lightning took the Stadium Series game in dramatic fashion on Sunday:

The @TBLightning overcame a deficit of four-plus goals to win for the first time in franchise history. Tampa Bay also became the third team to register a four-goal comeback win this season. #StadiumSeries#NHLStats: https://t.co/4U2iQVK6Q0pic.twitter.com/ms14JowZ79

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) February 2, 2026

Goalie fight!

GOALIE FIGHT AT THE #STADIUMSERIES

🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctFpic.twitter.com/OSydD4j1cq

— NHL (@NHL) February 2, 2026

Well this seems good! Seems like the sort of guy a team should try to add:

Looking around the league at trade deadline needs for every NHL team: [The Athletic ($)]

“There are really no positives to point to. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Devils right now, but goaltending might be the biggest one. And as it stands, they are probably regretting the two-year extension they gave Markström in November.” Assessing Jacob Markstrom and the NHL’s 31 other starting goalies: [The Hockey Writers]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

The Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed old running mates to remember and honor the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Stanley Cup-winning team before Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers, including that team’s fourth line of Eric Fehr, Matt Cullen and Tom Kuhnhackl. Those players (among the rest of the bottom-six) made key contributions on the scoresheet, which helped round out that championship side. Fast forward 10 years, and we’re seeing that trend emerge again. [Trib Live]

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks and was placed on injured reserve due to a fracture in an unspecified foot. [Trib Live]

Updates from around the NHL…

The International Olympic Committee is “absolutely certain” that the Olympic ice rink is good to go. [Sportsnet]

The Edmonton Oilers have placed veteran goaltender Calvin Pickard on waivers, the team announced on Sunday. [TSN]

Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s draft, had a day to remember in front of 74,000-plus people inside Penn State’s Beaver Stadium over the weekend, recording a goal and two assists for the Nittany Lions in their 5-4 overtime loss against Michigan State. [NHL]

The Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from a four-goal deficit to beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout at Raymond James Stadium during the latest Stadium Series game on Sunday night. [Associated Press]

The NHL season has seen a lot so far in the 2025-26 season.

Patrick Kane became the top U.S.-born scorer, Sidney Crosby passed legend Mario Lemieux, there was a record-setting Winter Classic and a wild Stadium Series game in Tampa.

Plus there have been not one but two goalie fights.

Plenty still remains this season before the Stanley Cup is finally hoisted in June, starting when NHL players head to Milan, Italy, to play in the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

Here are the key dates for the rest of the 2025-26 season, starting with the upcoming Olympic break:

When is the Olympic break?

The NHL will take a break from Feb. 6-24 for the 2026 Winter Olympics. There are seven games on the schedule on Feb. 5. No trades can take place during the Olympic break.

When is the Olympic men's hockey tournament?

The tournament starts on Feb. 11 with two games. The USA opens play on Feb. 12 against Latvia. All teams will play three games during the round robin, which runs through Feb. 15. The top four teams get byes to the quarterfinals.

Playoff qualification games are on Feb. 17 for teams ranked fifth through 12th, quarterfinals are Feb. 18 and semifinals are Feb. 20.

The bronze medal game is Feb. 21 and the gold medal game is Sunday, Feb. 22.

When does the NHL resume play after the Olympics?

Play resumes on Feb. 25 with eight games.

When is the NHL trade deadline?

The NHL trade deadline will be at 3 p.m. ET on March 6.

When does the NHL regular season end?

The NHL regular season is scheduled to end with six games on April 16.

When do the NHL playoffs begin?

The Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 18.

When is the NHL draft lottery?

The date of the NHL draft lottery is to be determined.

When is the last possible day of the Stanley Cup Final?

The last possible day is June 21.

When is the NHL draft?

The NHL draft will be June 26-27 at Buffalo's KeyBank Center. Top prospects will be there, but general managers will work remotely, just like last year.

When does NHL free agency begin?

NHL free agency begins at noon ET on July 1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL Olympic break, trade deadline and other key 2025-26 season dates

By Corey Abbott, Rotowire.com

Fantasy hockey managers looking to tinker with their rosters will benefit from zeroing in on specific categories. Whether you are looking for long-term fits or short-term options, there should be a plethora of potential pickups to help your squads. Due to the Olympic Break, Week 18 in Yahoo leagues will go from Monday, Feb. 2, to Sunday, March 1. Weekly transaction limits will not change during that period. 

Let's get into this week's suggestions for your consideration.

Akira Schmid, G, Golden Knights (31% rostered) for Starts/Wins 

Schmid has a 15-6-6 record this season with two shutouts and a 2.55 goals-against average. He has been working in a timeshare with Adin Hill, as both netminders have struggled recently. Schmid has lost his last three outings (0-2-1) while allowing 10 goals on 77 shots, but he had a four-game winning streak before that, with 88 saves on 96 shots. He could get back on track against the last-placed Canucks if he starts on Wednesday in the first half of a back-to-back for the Golden Knights. Vegas also concludes Week 18 with three games after the Olympics.

Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers (31% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Blocks 

Forsling is on pace to reach at least the 30-point plateau for a fifth straight regular season. While he continues to struggle with offensive consistency, he has chipped in four assists in the last four games. He has four shots on goal, three blocked shots and one power-play helper over that span. The 29-year-old defender has 64 shots, 59 blocks and 38 hits through 54 outings this campaign. Florida plays three times before the break and has another three-game week after the Olympics. 

Anthony Mantha, LW/RW, Penguins (29% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots 

Mantha has amassed five goals, 11 points and 15 shots on net over his past eight appearances. He has netted five goals on eight shots while adding three helpers and a plus-6 rating during his four-game point streak. He has three multipoint efforts and an incredibly unsustainable shooting percentage over that span, but he has been a valuable middle-six forward this campaign. He ranks second on the team with 19 goals and 31 even-strength points through 53 appearances. Pittsburgh plays three times this week and has another three matches after the break to finish Week 18. 

Claude Giroux, LW/RW, Senators (26% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Hits

Giroux has accounted for one goal, five assists (two on the power play), 11 shots on net, five blocked shots and 12 hits in his last eight games. He has reached the scoresheet in two straight outings while posting one goal on five shots and one helper. The veteran forward sits third on the team with 28 assists. He has been skating on the top line with Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson, who rank first and second, respectively, on the club in scoring. Ottawa plays five times in Week 18, including three before the break.

Justin Sourdif, C/RW, Capitals (13% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/Hits

Sourdif has generated nine goals, 16 points, 31 shots on net and 14 hits in his last 14 appearances. Despite missing three games due to injury, he is tied with Dylan Strome for the most points (14) among Washington forwards since the calendar flipped to 2026. Sourdif has three goals, three assists, 16 shots, four blocks and seven hits in the past six matches. He has been superb in the team's middle six this campaign while developing chemistry with Tom Wilson, who leads the Capitals in goals and points. Washington plays six times in Week 18, including three contests before the break. 

Alexander Wennberg, C, Sharks (10% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Blocks/Faceoffs 

Wennberg hasn't gone more than two straight games without picking up at least one point in his last 24 appearances. He has five goals and 18 assists during that span, including five power-play points (three goals, two assists). He also has accumulated 37 of his 70 blocked shots during that stretch. He sits third among all forwards in blocks this season. Wennberg leads the Sharks with 415 faceoff wins, albeit with a 44.8 winning percentage. He is averaging a career-high 20:48 of ice time per game while skating on the second line and occupying a first-unit power-play spot. He's on pace to reach the 55-point plateau for the second time in his NHL career. San Jose has two games this week and three more after the Olympics to complete Week 18. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C/RW, Islanders (10% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/Hits/Faceoffs 

Across his past eight contests, Pageau has compiled five goals, seven points, 13 shots on target and 13 hits. He has notched 12 goals and 24 points through 47 appearances this season. He also sits second on the team with 413 faceoff wins and has a career-best 60 winning percentage. The third line of the Islanders is leading the charge offensively recently, making Pageau a solid option. The Islanders play six times in Week 18, including three contests before the Olympics.

Jack Quinn, RW, Sabres (8% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/PP

Over his last 12 games, Quinn has collected five tallies and 12 points. His four-game point streak ended in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Montreal, but he logged 17:28 of ice time, including 5:23 on the man advantage. He is producing from the second line, and his promotion to the first power-play unit should boost his fantasy value. Buffalo plays six times during Week 18, including three times before the break. 

Max Domi, C/LW, Maple Leafs (6% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots 

After a slow start this season, Domi ramped up his production in January. He has generated five goals on 27 shots and 13 points in his last 16 outings. The 30-year-old forward has three goals and four helpers during his five-game point streak. He has been effective on the top line skating alongside Auston Matthews, but he does not have a spot on the first power-play unit. Still, Domi could be a worthy pickup for at least Toronto's final two games before the break. The team also plays three times in four nights after the Olympics to wrap up Week 18. 

Barrett Hayton, C, Mammoth (3% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Faceoffs

Across his last nine outings, Hayton has three goals, seven points, 25 shots on target, five blocked shots and five hits. He has landed on the scoresheet in four of the past five games while earning five points (two goals, three assists). The 25-year-old center also has one tally and two helpers during his three-game point streak. Hayton ranks second on the team with 301 faceoff wins and has won 53.1% of his draws this campaign. He skates on the second line and works with the top power-play unit. Utah plays twice this week and three more times immediately following the break. 

Oy.

1st Period

Things did not start well at all. Brandon Hagel ended up getting the opening goal within the first 11 seconds of the game after beating his defender clean on body position, and put the puck straight past Swayman for the Lightning to go up 1-0.

Mercifully, the Bruins managed to take advantage of their foes being a bit off-kilter, and Alex Steeves got a centering feed from Michael Eyssimont to tie the game up! 1-1 Everybody.

Then, Morgan Geekie tipped in a goal that seemingly got by everybody, including the commentators on ESPN. 2-1 Bruins!

Then, Viktor Arvidsson decided that he wanted to get in on that, and got a tip-in of his own! 3-1 Bruins!

No further scoring, and we head to the 2nd period!

2nd Period

Oh boy.

Let’s start with the positives. To begin with, that Matthew Poitras kid is back! Let’s see what he’s got!

Nice backhander, kid! 4-1 Bruins!

Then, Morgan Geekie got a two-on-one with David Pastrnak, and hammered it home to make it 5-1 Bruins!

Not too long after this, a significant amount of nonsense occured. There were mass scrums, there was a goalie fight after Jeremy Swayman decided he needed to take out Brandon Hagel…

…and there were penalties. Oh man, were there penalties.

Those penalties came up big for the Lightning. Very big.

First, Oliver Bjorkstrand got a rebound out of a net-front scramble…

…then Darren Raddysh put a missile on from the point…

…and then Nick Paul, who seems to be an eternal haunt of the Bruins, got a tip-in goal. Bringing the period to an end with a 5-4 Bruins lead.

Third Period

While there will be much discussion of the second period and the validity of the penalties called, the sad reality is that the Bruins had plenty of opportunity at even strength during this period to respond, and unfortunately the team that met the moment was the Lightning, and Nikita Kucherov in specific. No penalties, no man disadvantages, just a great pass and a good shot. 5-5 Everybody.

Onto overtime we go.

Overtime

Tampa got another power play in the middle of all this but let’s be real, the Lightning had every shot.

That’s gonna come back to bite you.

Shootout

Jake Guentzel finally completed the steal by scoring on Jeremy Swayman in the Shootout.

6-5, Bruins Lose the Stadium Series.

Game Notes

• Your TOI Leader was Charlie McAvoy, who logged 30:19 tonight.
• This was a winnable game that the Boston Bruins got suckered into giving away. The Bruins got up big thanks to good hard work and an early command of the unusual ice, which seemed to flummox the Lightning and seemingly caused Vasilevskiy to have trouble with tracking the puck. Things were looking really, really good, and then the Lightning started drawing some attention, and that attention turned into violence, which turned into a series of penalties that were either inexplicable to call or completely avoidable. Regardless of what you think of the Lightning, they are still full of extremely talented players, and those talented players made mincemeat of the B’s 5-on-3 PK, which allowed them a chance to get back into this one, and for all the hemming and hawwing we’ve done and will continue to do about those penalties, the game tying goal and the game-starting goal were even strength tallies made by forwards beating the backcheck in front of them fair and square and in extremely inconvenient times. OT wasn’t much better, and while Swayman did what he could in the shootout, Jake Guentzel was just too much. Boston falls to 4-2-0 in Outdoor games.
• The refereeing in this game was, to put it nicely, complete and total buttcheeks. Granted, and given how unhappy we are right now I think we can admit some of the penalties that Boston got through the 2nd and 3rd period were genuine, reckless, and frankly idiotic to take, others were just bizarrely enforced or late whistled or just missed entirely. The Lightning went 3-for-8 tonight where Boston only went 1-for-3 on the power play, and Tampa was only short-handed during the 1st period. That should say everything.
  • I will stop short at calling this game rigged or something like that. Boston made a hard pivot towards a more conservative, defensive shell game after the nightmarish 2nd period and allowed the Lightning to slowly find cracks in their defense; not exactly hard to do given the talent on display. They might’ve been let back in after a major kerfuffle, but the refs are just bad at their jobs, and the Lightning are great at gaming bad refs. Sometimes this becomes enormously apparent like tonight. Right now, the Bruins aren’t good enough to overcome that. The longer term goal is getting to the point where you can. B’s
• Jeremy Swayman faced almost 45 shots tonight; a vast majority of which happened in the second half of the second period. That’s as much an indictment on the defense in front of him as it is the fact he had a truncated version of that defense in front of him for most of the 2nd period. That .891 SV% does not even begin to tell the whole story; he made some heroic saves to keep this team in a truly frustratingly wonky game. He also fought Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight, which I’m sure he enjoyed. Maybe if you wanna goalie fight you should have a couple of practice rounds in your pads at Warrior. Just to get the form.
• I had to watch the NHL in ASL broadcast and I highly recommend it; the ESPN broadcast was miserable as it usually is, and the ASL broadcast by comparison was nothing but crowd noise, basic information, and only occasionally some missed shots but that was a function of the main camera. I can’t vouch for the ASL commentators’ performance, but they both seemed pretty engaged with what was going on and updated the viewer frequently.
• Tonight, the Bruins lost. They played out on dogs#!t ice, got up big, lost it all thanks to bad penalties and even worse refereeing, and still pulled a point off of the division leaders and are rapidly coming for Colorado’s hide in the race for the President’s Trophy. Last time, the B’s were the ones to come back and nearly make it an extra time game. They now know they can at least hang, at least for a little bit. Now they have to start thinking about whether or not they can survive a playoff series against this team; because if things hold as they are, the Bruins will face the Lightning again in April; both in the regular season and playoffs. Plenty of decisions to be made; pre-Olympic deadline is almost here, and the post-Olympic deadline isn’t that far off afterwards. Much to consider here, and let’s hope Don Sweeney is ready to make the best decision for the long-term health of this squad.
• Still just two points at the beginning of February. The game was dramatic and stupid but you gotta get on the bus to Sunrise anyway.

---

The Bruins have their final game before the Olympic break on Wednesday, when they take on the Florida Panthers. That game drops the puck at 7pm EST. It’s a TNT/HBO game, so adjust your watching accordingly.

We’ll see you there. Go B’s.

Following a five-game road trip, the Anaheim Ducks returned to Honda Center on Sunday to host the Vegas Golden Knights in a Pacific Division matchup, Anaheim’s penultimate game before the extended Olympic break.

The Ducks were hoping to return to the win column, as they’ve dropped out of a playoff spot entering Sunday and following back-to-back losses against the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers.

Game #55: Ducks vs. Golden Knights Gameday Preview (02/01/26)

Takeaways from the Ducks 2-0 Loss to the Canucks

This game was Vegas’ second in as many days, and they came in with their top spot in the Pacific on the line, desperate for a win, having gone winless in their previous four games, and having only won one of their previous seven.

The Ducks saw the return of a pair of star forwards, as Troy Terry re-entered the lineup after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury, and Mason McTavish re-entered after missing five.

Leo Carlsson remains out with a thigh lesion and was placed on IR earlier on Sunday. Ryan Strome, Sam Colangelo, and Drew Helleson served as the Ducks' healthy scratches, and they lined up like this:

Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke

Kreider-Poehling-Terry

Viel-McTavish-Harkins

Johnston-Washe-Harkins

LaCombe-Trouba

Mintyukov-Moore

Zellweger-Gudas

Lukas Dostal got the start in the Ducks’ net and saved 28 of the 31 shots he faced. He was opposed by Adin Hill in the Knights’ crease, who stopped 19 of 22.

“Across the board, I thought we did a lot of good things, Dosty was solid in net, and we got that good start in the first period,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “Then you see some of the plays they (Vegas) can make. It’s a heck of a test and a good challenge for us, and we knew we had to be at our best. We played hard and eliminated some of their possession game. When you see what they can do at the end of the game, we’ll take it.”

Game Notes

Anaheim set the tempo early, controlling game flow and possession time, and generating quality chances off the rush and cycle. Vegas pushed back heavily in the second and even more heavily in the third, but the Ducks’ lead was too great, their defense stingy in the hard areas of the ice, and Dostal rose to whatever challenge he was presented with.

The last two periods didn’t favor the Ducks in any respect, as a combination of them sitting on their lead and Vegas’ push flipped possession numbers. It wasn’t likely a sustainable way to tally standings points, but a big two points went their way nonetheless.

Defensive Zone Coverage: With the return of two potent offensive players in Terry and McTavish, there was a question of whether the Ducks would or could continue to play the same brand of detailed, relatively conservative, defense-first hockey that they’d established and had success with without them.

Remarkably, against an offensive powerhouse, they were able to (for the most part) pressure along the perimeter without overcommitting. When they found themselves drifting too far from the middle of the ice and vulnerable, they tracked back through the middle and broke up several seam pass attempts.

Centers, especially, stayed low in coverage, reading when to support defensemen and wingers, allowing teammates to pressure, and covered to tie up opponents or pounce on rebounds around the crease.

Penalty Kill: An area of weakness on the penalty kill this season, until recently, had been the awareness of the weak side forward to cover the crashing flank toward the back post. Vegas attempted several backdoor, cross-crease passes on their two power plays, but that weak-side forward broke them up deftly.

Ryan Poehling: During the absence of Leo Carlsson, Poehling has been centering lines with more offensive talents than he’d been early in the season, when the roster was at full strength. It’s allowed him to have the puck on his stick more, and in this game with Terry and Kreider, he was afforded more time and space with it. He’s gained noticeable confidence, both on the rush and cycle, even driving play during several shifts. If this continues, the Ducks will have a rare luxury on their roster: a bottom-six center who can provide instant and consistent offense.

Chris Kreider: “Chris Kreider’s made a living being in front of the net,” Troy Terry said of his linemate after this game. Three of Anaheim’s four goals (two of which went to Kreider) came with him parked right in front of Adin Hill, taking away visibility, getting tips on perimeter shots, and crashing while on the rush. He’s more than just a body at the blue paint; he is a distinguished communicator, often directing linemates where to go or where to place pucks from his spot in front of the opposing goal.

The Ducks will play their last game before the extended Olympic break on Tuesday, when they’ll host the Seattle Kraken in yet another critical Pacific Division bout.

Rumor: Ducks "Out" on Panarin, Uninterested in Extension

Ian Moore Is Ducks’ Swiss Army Knife

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-4 Loss to the Oilers