PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 31: Pittsburgh Penguins center Blake Lizotte (46) battles with New York Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (18) in front of New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers on January 31, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Penguins fourth line has become a major driving force behind their success this season, and rapidly become not only one of the most effective fourth-lines in the NHL, but also one of their most effective lines as a team.
When the Penguins visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, in their final game before the Olympic break, it is going to have a different look.
Perhaps even a significantly different look.
The Penguins announced on Thursday that Blake Lizotte will be away from the team for personal reasons as his wife is expecting the birth of their first child.
The good news is it is not an injury situation and just a temporary absence for some good news for the Lizotte family.
Forward Blake Lizotte (personal) will not be available for tonight’s game against Buffalo.
The bigger potential concern beyond Thursday is the fact forward Noel Acciari was also not present at the morning skate, putting his availability into doubt with what Dan Muse called an illness.
Pens HCDM: – Silovs starts vs Buffalo – Acciari is dealing with illness; hasn’t been ruled out yet tonight “game time decision” pic.twitter.com/qx4hfPiN9h
The fourth consisted of Connor Dewar, Kevin Hayes and Rutger McGroarty.
That could obviously be a problem on a lot of different levels.
For one, Lizotte and Acciari are both significant parts of the Penguins penalty kill. Taking them out of the lineup would really love that unit scrambling for some options.
It would also negate the 5-on-5 play that group has been demonstrating all season.
The Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari trio has played 282 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey this season and outscored teams by a 14-7 margin with a 54.7 percent expected goals share. They are doing that despite getting the heaviest defensive zone starts on the roster.
It is also not playing like a traditional fourth line in the sense they are just looking to chip the puck and play to a 0-0 tie. They are looking for offense, creating offense and converting offense.
If McGroarty draws back into the lineup that would not be the worst thing given how well he has played in his most recent call-up. It might not be ideal to have him on the fourth line, but his presence in the lineup would be a positive.
Hayes would be the concern given how much he has struggled this season when he has played.
This was already going to be a difficult game given that the Sabres have been one of the best teams in the league for two months now, and it could get significantly tougher if two-thirds of their fourth line can not play. Even Lizotte’s absence along would be significant. Given that the Penguins have recorded just one out of a possible four points this week these would be two important points to get going into the Olympic break. They are going to have their work cut out for them.
Sometime after making this trade with the New York Rangers and before the Kings' outing against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night, Holland made himself available at a scheduled press conference.
During his media availability, he was asked about head coach Jim Hiller and his confidence in the coaching staff for the final stretch of the season.
Holland said that he has full confidence in his team's coaching staff for the remainder of this season and expects the Kings to make the playoffs.
At this point in the season, with just 27 games left in the regular-season schedule, it wouldn't make much sense to make a coaching change.
Not only is the 2025-26 campaign in the back half, but the Kings are as close as a team can get to a playoff spot, and in a weak Pacific Division.
In 55 games, Los Angeles has 60 points from a 23-18-14 record, including its 4-2 loss to Seattle on Wednesday. With that, they are three points off the Anaheim Ducks, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, playing one more game than the Kings have to this point.
Furthermore, the Kings are just one hot streak away from sitting atop the Pacific. The Vegas Golden Knights, who will be Los Angeles' next opponent on Thursday, have 66 points in 56 contests.
Therefore, not only is there a minimal buffer period for a new coach to come in and instill their new system on the Kings, but the team's not in the worst position in the standings either.
This is Hiller's third year as the Kings' coach, and his second full season as the bench boss. Last year, he led the Kings to a second-place finish in their division with a .640 win percentage and 105 points in the regular season.
For this season, the Kings are on pace to register 90 points in the standings under Hiller's guidance. That wouldn't be enough to make the playoffs last season in the Western Conference, with the final team to get in accumulating 96 points.
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The Anaheim Ducks hired Pat Verbeek to take the reins as the franchise’s general manager on Feb. 3, 2022 (just six weeks before the 2022 trade deadline).
The 2025-26 season is his fourth full season in the GM role. He spent the 2022 trade deadline tearing the roster down and his first two full seasons, the two worst in franchise history (2022-23 and 2023-24), stockpiling and laying a new foundation on which his potentially contending teams will one day be built.
The standings suggested the Ducks turned a corner in 2024-25, making a 21-point leap from 59 (27-50-5) to 80 (35-37-10). Today, with 26 games remaining on the 2025-26 schedule, the Ducks have 63 points (30-23-3) through 56 games and seem to be in the process of making another sizable jump, as they’re on pace to eclipse 92 points and make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Verbeek's hiring, so let’s take a look at all the notable moves he made in the last calendar year to get his club to where they are today:
2025 Trade Deadline
Ducks acquire goaltender Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for future considerations
This wasn’t a needle-moving move at the time, but Verbeek was able to get a third-string goaltender for free, with John Gibson dealing with various injuries throughout the course of the 2024-25 season. He fit in well down the stretch, both in Anaheim and with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. Enough so that the Ducks elected to sign him to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $2.2 million.
Husso has performed at an adequate level for a backup in Anaheim, appearing in a total of 16 games and posting a 7-6-2 record and a .895 SV%.
Grade: C+
Ducks acquire forward Herman Traff and a 2025 second-round pick (Lasse Boelius) from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Brian Dumoulin
Just eight months and 61 games after Dumoulin was acquired for a fourth-round pick, Verbeek flipped the veteran defenseman on an expiring deal for a player taken in the third round of the 2024 draft (Traff) and what became the 60th overall pick in 2025 (Boelius). Both players acquired for Dumoulin seem destined for the NHL in the not-too-distant future.
Traff is a big power forward with a heavy shot that he gets his entire 6-foot-3, 198-pound frame behind, and is having an excellent 2025-26 D+2 season for IK Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden’s second-tier professional league), where he’s tallied 38 points (22-16=38) in 42 games.
Boelius is a smooth, puck-moving, yet defensively sound, 6-foot-1 defenseman eating second/third-pairing minutes in his first full season in Liiga (Finland’s top professional division) for Assat, where he has seven points (1-6=7) in 39 games and represented Finland at the 2026 World Junior Championships, where he tallied seven points (2-5=7) in seven games.
Grade: A
2025 Offseason
Ducks Fire Greg Cronin and hire Joel Quenneville
It was somewhat shocking to see Verbeek let go of Greg Cronin just two years after he was hired and following a season in which the Ducks made a 21-point jump in the standings from 2023-24 to 2024-25. However, most metrics, underlying or traditional, indicated the lack of growth from the roster Verbeek was looking for with Cronin behind the bench, and he was the first NHL head coach let go following the end of the season.
Cronin was let go on April 19, and the Ducks found their next head coach on May 8: Joel Quenneville. Quenneville carried with him an impressive resume as a three-time Stanley Cup winner and the second-winningest coach in NHL history, but also a checkered past as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks during their 2010 sexual assault scandal.
The Ducks under Quenneville have been a roller coaster to this point in the season. After a scorching start, they’ve scored the 15th-most goals per game in the NHL (3.20), and they’ve allowed the fourth most goals per game (3.48). They have the 24th-ranked power play (17.9%) and the 22nd-ranked penalty kill (78.1%).
With him, Quenneville has brought a steady presence on and off the bench and seems to be a good manager of personalities and environment. He’s allowed his youngest and most talented roster players, from Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger to Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Beckett Sennecke, and Cutter Gauthier, to work through their mistakes and learn from failure rather than fear failure.
The system he’s implemented, along with the new coaching staff that includes Jay Woodcroft and Ryan McGill, has shown flashes of how successful it can be when all cylinders are firing. Still, Quenneville’s next step will be to ensure those cylinders fire with greater consistency moving forward.
Grade: B+
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Ducks acquire Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick (Elijah Neuenschwandner) from the New York Rangers in exchange for Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick (Artyom Gonchar)
With this trade, Verbeek essentially dropped 15 spots in the draft and parted with a defensively inclined center prospect with a low ceiling (Terrance) to add a talented goalscorer, but a depreciated asset in Kreider, who was coming off of an injury-riddled down year at 34 years old.
Kreider’s been inconsistent for the Ducks so far in his tenure in Anaheim, but he has brought a blend of light-heartedness and professionalism to the Ducks’ locker room, producing 30 points (19-11=30) in 50 games. He has one year remaining on his contract that carries an AAV of $6.5 million.
If there was a nit to pick when evaluating this trade, it would lie in the initial selection of Terrance in the second round of the 2023 draft, when there were several higher-ceiling players on the board in a deep draft. All things considered, this is a positive outcome for the Ducks.
Grade: B
Ducks acquire Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick (Eric Nilson), and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Trevor Zegras
Verbeek acquired a good friend of Zegras in the form of Chris Kreider, but after spending a year and a half swirling in trade speculation, Verbeek finally traded Zegras, and the return was underwhelming. Poehling is a nice fit in the Ducks' bottom six and is the Ducks' best defensive forward by a considerable margin. Nilson projects as something similar down the road, and the fourth may have become a roster player already (more on that later).
However, Zegras was sold when his value was at an all-time low, days before NHL free agency was set to open, which eventually led to a market deficiency in the style of player Zegras represents. It was clear Zegras wasn’t destined to remain in Anaheim long-term, but the ideal option seems like it would have been to play him in the Ducks' new, offense-forward system and under Quenneville, who’d had past success with players like Jonathan Huberdeau and Patrick Kane, to recoup some value.
If that was never going to be an option, the next best route would seemingly have been to wait a week to see how many teams swung and missed on top-six forwards in free agency (it was a lot), as the pool was depleted following a myriad of players re-signing with their previous clubs. Zegras seems to have found a long-term home in Philadelphia, regained his shine, and has produced 48 points (20-28=48) through his first 55 games.
Grade: D
Ducks acquire Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for John Gibson
In another trade felt like a long time coming, Verbeek handed Lukas Dostal sole possession of the keys to the Anaheim crease with this move. Gibson and Dostal were one of the best tandems in the NHL in 2024-25 (if not the best tandem), but each deserved to be a starter for the 2025-26 season.
This seemed like another underwhelming return, especially given Mrazek’s cap hit and, again, how many teams were looking for goaltending help after the free agency period was underway. After a rough start, Gibson re-found his form in Detroit and has posted a 22-12-2 record, a .904 SV%, and 8.1 goals saved above expected. Mrazek has rarely been healthy for Anaheim this season, and when he has, he’s been inconsistent to say the least, posting a 3-5-0 record, a .858 SV%, and -8.0 GSAx.
Grade: D+
Draft
The Ducks selected ten players in the 2025 NHL Draft, highlighted by tenth-overall pick Roger McQueen. McQueen is a towering, 6-foot-5 right-shot center who covers vast amounts of ice, possessing surprising puck skills, a willingness to physically engage, and a scoring touch. He was a top-five talent who dropped to ten due to a fracture in his back, costing him all but 20 total games in 2024-25. The Ducks, having selected at the top of the previous six drafts, allowed them to take a calculated risk on McQueen, who’s tallied 23 points (8-15=23) through his first 25 games in his freshman season at Providence College in the NCAA.
As mentioned, Boelius and Nilson project to play NHL games with their translatable skillsets. The Ducks took a few interesting swings later in the draft, highlighted by talented winger Emile Guite in the fifth round, who, after a down year in 2024-25, has bounced back with 45 points (23-22=45) in 41 games so far in 2025-26.
Grade: A-
Free Agency
Ducks sign Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract, $7 million AAV
A year after striking out on big offers to high-profile free agents Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, Verbeek made his biggest needle-moving free agency signing to date on July 1, 2025. Granlund’s versatility was a major selling point for Verbeek, and has proved useful during his first few months in Anaheim. He’s provided a lot of the clever, high hockey IQ plays the Ducks lost with Zegras’ departure, and picked up much of the offensive slack when the team had lost star players at various points to injury throughout the middle portion of the season. He’s scored 27 points (12-15=27) through his first 38 games with the Ducks.
Grade: B
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Contract Extensions
Ducks sign Lukas Dostal to a five-year contract extension, $6.5 million AAV
Lukas Dostal filed for salary arbitration on July 5, 12 days before he and the Ducks avoided a hearing and agreed to a five-year extension. Dostal had elevated himself into conversations as one of the NHL's top young goaltenders, and this contract made him the 11th highest-paid goaltender for the 2025-26 season.
Early in the season, reflecting the entirety of the 2024-25 season, Dostal was the Ducks' best player and the primary reason they got off to a 11-3-1 record in their first 15 games. As the salary cap ceiling continues to increase for the duration of his contract, it will likely continue to represent a bargain.
Behind another mediocre defensive team this season, Dostal has posted a 21-13-2 record, a .897 SV%, and 3.7 GSAx.
Grade: B+
Ducks sign Mason McTavish to a six-year contract extension, $7 million AAV
Verbeek took another contract extension negotiation with an RFA coming off their ELC well into Ducks’ training camp, after doing the same with Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras in 2023. McTavish was eased back into camp (unlike with Zegras and Drysdale), and didn’t seem affected by the extended negotiations, but was relieved nonetheless that it was in the rearview and he’d remain in Anaheim for the better part of a decade.
He continues to be a streaky 2C for Anaheim and has scored 30 points (13-17=30) through 51 games this season. In a league where every team is seemingly looking to add firepower down the middle, the Ducks are in a good place with Leo Carlsson and McTavish as a one-two for the foreseeable future.
Grade: B-
Ducks sign Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year contract extension, $9 million AAV
In a surprise preseason announcement, Verbeek locked up his top defenseman to the largest dollar value contract in franchise history. The sticker shock with this extension was real, but with the rising salary cap and the role LaCombe has played for the team in the last season and a half, this contract will likely age surprisingly well.
LaCombe is 13th among all NHL skaters in terms of TOI/G (24:30), playing top minutes for the Ducks at 5v5, on the power play, and penalty kill. He’s scored 37 points (6-31=37) through 56 games in 2025-26 and will represent the US at the Olympics in Milan. He’s living up to the extension, and it doesn’t even kick in until the 2026-27 season, when his cap hit will take up an even lower percentage of the Ducks’ overall cap space.
Grade: B+
In Season (2025-26)
Ducks acquire Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick
Verbeek’s most recent move was to acquire a 28-year-old (now 29) winger with just 64 career NHL games under his belt, including ten in 2025-26 as the Boston Bruins’ 14th forward. He’s a no-frills, prototypical bottom-six winger who’s made the most of his elevated shot in his first nine games with the Ducks, scoring three points in his first four games with the club, but nothing since.
Ultimately, the trade doesn’t (and won’t) move needles, and Viel’s performed adequately. However, with the injuries the lineup sustained over the last month, it felt like an opportunity to see how some of the younger players with the Gulls could have fared with some NHL experience, and it opens some eyes regarding how Verbeek feels an NHL bottom six should be built.
The fourth-round pick traded will become whichever ends up better between the picks acquired in the Gibson (Detroit) and Zegras (Philadelphia) deals.
Grade: C
Conclusion
The Ducks currently sit in a playoff position and have taken another step in their journey out of the NHL’s basement. With playoff games representing the stated goal for the 2025-26 season, it seems time for Verbeek to make a more significant needle-moving transaction or two to get his club to that point. Reports indicate he’s aiming to land a “big fish,” but his track record calls his ability to pull that off into question.
This past year may have raised concerns about Verbeek’s reading of various markets, but credit is due when it comes to recognizing that an overhaul behind the bench was needed in order for the Ducks’ youngest, most talented, and most important players to take necessary steps in their development and to get the roster, as a whole, to where they are now: in control of their own destiny, with playoff hockey on the line every night.
The Calgary Flames have reassigned defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz and forward Matvei Gridin to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, the team announced Wednesday, following Calgary’s 4–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Directly after a 5–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to kick-off the 2026 Winter Olympic break, the Vancouver Canucks re-assigned Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Victor Mancini, and Nikita Tolopilo to the AHL. This will ensure that all three players get some playing time while the NHL goes on break until February 25. Jiří Patera will join Vancouver as a result of these moves.
Lekkerimäki was called-up by Vancouver last week after spending over a month in the AHL. During this period of time with the Abbotsford Canucks, the forward scored seven goals and four assists in 11 games played. Throughout his past five games with Vancouver, Lekkerimäki scored a goal and saw some first-unit power play time.
Mancini has gone up-and-down from the NHL to AHL throughout the past couple of weeks due to injuries on Vancouver’s blueline. He rejoined the Canucks on January 12, skating in four games before being sent back down to Abbotsford. The defenceman played in four games with the AHL Canucks during that span, tallying a goal and an assist, before he was brought back up due to an injury to Zeev Buium. Mancini has two goals and six assists in 24 games in the AHL this season.
Tolopilo has gotten into quite a few games for Vancouver this season, playing in nine total as a result of injuries to Thatcher Demko. He has three wins, three losses, and an overtime loss to his name this season as well as a 3.04 GAA and team-high .910 SV%. He very nearly recorded his first NHL shutout with a 2–0 win against the Anaheim Ducks on January 29; however, since Kevin Lankinen came in and made one save while Tolopilo was being evaluated for concussion protocol, the shutout ultimately belongs to both of them.
While Vancouver will now be on break until their 7:00 pm PT game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 25, the three players sent to Abbotsford could take part in as many as seven games before the NHL resumes. The AHL Canucks will play the San Jose Barracuda on February 6 and 7; the Ontario Reign on February 14, 16, and 18; and the Henderson Silver Knights on February 20 and 21.
Jan 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Victor Mancini (90) watches as goalie Nikita Tolopilo (60) makes a save on Edmonton Oilers forward Matt Savoie (22) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The Olympic break is straight ahead, and the Ottawa Senators will play their final game before the layoff against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday, February 5.
My top Senators vs. Flyers predictions and NHL picks are calling for Ottawa leaving the City of Brotherly Love with a win tonight.
Senators vs Flyers prediction
Senators vs Flyers best bet: Senators moneyline (-125)
The Ottawa Senators have elite underlying numbers at 5-on-5 with a fourth-ranked Corsi For percentage and expected goals percentage, and No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark has looked the part in his two starts since returning to action.
Ullmark has turned away 40 of 43 shots for a .930 SV% across the consecutive wins, and he’s also stopped 1.63 goals above expected.
With the Philadelphia Flyers ranking 24th in CF% and 15th in xGF% at 5-on-5, I am expecting Ottawa to head into the Olympic break in winning fashion.
Senators vs Flyers same-game parlay
Sens winger Drake Batherson has picked up a point in four consecutive games and is skating with leading scorer Tim Stutzle on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit. With Batherson and Stutzle being on the ice for a high-end 5.51 goals per 60 minutes this season, look for No. 19 to mark the scoresheet again tonight.
Turning to the final leg of this same-game parlay, Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot has registered two or more shots in 16 of 23 games since returning from an upper-body injury, and he’s settled into a secondary role on the blue line behind No. 1 Jake Sanderson.
Softer matchups have been helpful with Chabot ranking third on the Sens in attempts (111) while also sporting an impressive 54 CF% at 5-on-5 across the 23-game stretch.
The Senators have covered the puck line in nine of their last 14 away games (+7.35 Units / 36% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Senators vs. Flyers.
How to watch Senators vs Flyers
Location
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Date
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Puck drop
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
TSN5
Senators vs Flyers latest injuries
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Brandon Hagel continues to pile up the shots each night without Brayden Point in the lineup, especially at home.
My Panthers vs. Lightning predictions have that trend continuing in his final game before the Olympic break.
Let’s take a closer look at my NHL picks for Thursday, February 5.
Panthers vs Lightning prediction
Panthers vs Lightning best bet: Brandon Hagel Over 2.5 shots on goal (-160)
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel has averaged 3.6 shots and 7.5 attempts per game without Brayden Point. Those are much higher than his outputs with Point in the lineup and have led to a remarkable 76% Over rate, clearing this line in 13 of 17 games.
His numbers in Tampa Bay are even better. He's produced 4.3 shots on goal per game, averaging close to eight attempts each night with Point sidelined. That has resulted in eight Overs through nine games. Incredible consistency.
Not only is Hagel skating on the No. 1 power play, but he has Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel by his side on a stacked top line.
Without Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Nick Paul, head coach Jon Cooper has opted to use Guentzel at center and put all his eggs in that basket.
They will undoubtedly get plenty of offensive zone starts and cushier usage to help maximize their abilities.
They should spend a ton of time on the attack, generating opportunities. Hagel is the most trigger-happy player of the bunch and will get plenty of chances to shoot as a result.
Panthers vs Lightning same-game parlay
We’re going to take a couple of swings and try to head into the break with a bang.
Hagel’s high volume makes him a threat to score nightly, particularly with so many of his shots coming from high-danger areas. He has scored eight goals through nine home dates without Point.
Sticking with Canadian Olympians, Brad Marchand stands out for the Florida Panthers. He will be unfazed by the difficult matchup as he has scored in exactly 50% of his games vs. Top-10 defenses, including all three meetings with Tampa Bay.
Brandon Hagel has 3+ shots in nine of his last 10 without Brayden Point. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Lightning.
How to watch Panthers vs Lightning
Location
Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
Date
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Puck drop
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
Hulu
Panthers vs Lightning latest injuries
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The Vegas Golden Knights haven’t strung together many wins of late, yet they still hold on to top spot in the Pacific Division.
My Kings vs. Golden Knights predictions see Vegas taking care of business against an intra-division foe and entering the break on a high.
Let’s break down my NHL picks for Thursday, February 5.
Kings vs Golden Knights prediction
Kings vs Golden Knights best bet: Golden Knights moneyline (-135)
The Vegas Golden Knights are playing better than their 3-5-2 record would indicate over the last 10 games. A lot better.
They have generated 139 high-danger chances while conceding just 98. That’s a 58.65% share, slotting them second to only the Dallas Stars league-wide.
Put simply, Vegas is creating a lot better chances than they’re giving up. They're also loaded with firepower to help them convert those chances.
They have largely been undone by goaltending. Luckily for them, that area of their team shouldn’t be as problematic tonight.
The Los Angeles Kings have scored 141 goals this season, second-fewest in the league. Only the Calgary Flames have found the back of the net fewer times.
The Kings also rank 30th in shooting percentage. That’s far from ideal heading into a matchup with a Golden Knights team that allows only 24.8 shots per game.
Newcomer Artemi Panarin will not play, with the Kings opting to give him the break to skate and get up to speed with the systems of his new team.
Whether Vegas outscores its goaltending problems, or simply limits shots so effectively they don’t show up, I expect them to win this game.
Kings vs Golden Knights same-game parlay
Mark Stone hasn’t scored in six straight games, his longest drought of the season. He has, however, scored in 10 of his past 18 home dates and was shifted back onto the top line with Jack Eichel in last night’s game.
He should get plenty of good feeds from one of the league’s best playmakers.
The volume continues to be there for Alex Laferriere regardless of opponent. He has cleared this line in seven of his past 10, including against strong shot suppression sides like Philadelphia, St. Louis and…Vegas!
Kings vs Golden Knights SGP
Golden Knights moneyline
Mark Stone anytime goal
Alex Laferriere Over 1.5 shots on goal
Kings vs Golden Knights odds
Moneyline: Los Angeles +130 | Vegas -150
Puck line: Los Angeles +1.5 (-190) | Vegas -1.5 (+160)
Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-135) | Under 5.5 (-115)
Kings vs Golden Knights trend
Mark Stone has scored in six of his past 10 games in Vegas. Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Golden Knights.
How to watch Kings vs Golden Knights
Location
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Date
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Puck drop
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
FDSN West, Vegas 34
Kings vs Golden Knights latest injuries
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Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 5–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Despite a strong first period, Vancouver was unable to keep up to Vegas’ skill throughout the rest of the game. They outchanced the Golden Knights in the first period only, but suffered a brutal collapse in the third period that saw them put up only two scoring chances-for and four shots on net. Throughout the entire game, Vancouver only registered six high-danger scoring chances.
If there were any doubts about Vancouver’s lack of chances, the heat map from last night’s game confirms it. The Canucks were unable to find good areas to take chances from, with their warmest spot on the map being at the faceoff dots. Defensively, they were unable to keep Vegas from scoring from in-tight, as three of the Golden Knights’ five goals came from directly near Kevin Lankinen.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, February 4, 2026, Natural Stat Trick.
While it wasn’t a great night for most, one trio made their mark in their second-straight game. Vancouver’s line of Liam Öhgren, Teddy Blueger, and Conor Garland continued to show up for the Canucks offensively-speaking, factoring into both of the team’s goals last night while also playing the most minutes together with 14:16. They also registered the highest CF% with 62.07% while also generating the most scoring-chances for (7).
Though he didn’t factor into scoring, Tom Willander had himself a strong night for Vancouver. The defenceman played the fourth-highest minutes on the team with 20:10, also registering the fourth-highest CF% with 51.43%. Willander also generated the most scoring chances-for on the Canucks (9) while allowing the second-least (4).
Vancouver will now be on break for the next couple of weeks as the 2026 Winter Olympics take place. Seven members of the Canucks organization will represent their countries in Italy, while the rest will have some time off before resuming practice in mid-February. Vancouver’s next game will take place on February 25 at 7:00 pm PT when the Winnipeg Jets roll into town.
Feb 4, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) keeps the puck away from Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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The Florida Panthers are hoping to go into the NHL’s Olympic break on a high.
Florida picked up a 5-4 shootout win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night and will complete a pre-pause back-to-back set when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Thursday’s game will be the fourth and final regular season matchup between the cross-state rivals.
So far, the Lightning have won twice in Sunrise while the Panthers picked up two points in their only other trip to the Treasure Coast back in December.
It’s been a much better season for the Bolts than the Cats, despite both teams having to maneuver serious injury issues.
Entering play Thursday, Tampa is tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference but takes the tiebreaker on both wins and games played.
Florida, meanwhile, sadly sits eight points behind the Boston Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Boston doesn’t play again until after the Olympic break, so Florida can pull within six games of the Bruins with a win on Thursday.
The Panthers received a big boost to their lineup on Wednesday when injured forwards Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell all suited up for the Cats.
A healthy Florida squad will go a long way toward the Panthers making a run at crashing the playoff party.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s tussle in Tampa:
Photo caption: Feb 4, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) speaks to defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) against the Boston Bruins during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro and forward Jeff Skinner have both been included on Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.
Ferraro was given the No. 33 spot on Johnston's trade board. This is not the first time that the left-shot defenseman has come up as a trade candidate due to his pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) status.
Johnston noted that the Sharks have had extension talks with Ferraro, so he is a player who they certainly could end up keeping around. However, if the Sharks end up making the left-shot defenseman available for trade, there would likely be a lot of interest in him. This is because he is a solid top-four defenseman who is reliable defensively and is built for playoff hockey.
In 55 games so far this season with the Sharks, Ferraro has recorded four goals, eight assists, 12 points, 94 hits, and 105 blocks.
As for Skinner, Johnston gave the veteran winger the No. 47 spot and noted that his no-trade list has now changed to an eight-team trade list. With this, the Sharks now have some wiggle room to move him if they wish to.
Skinner has been scratched multiple times this season by the Sharks and has not appeared in a game for the Pacific Division club since their Jan. 11 contest against the Vegas Golden Knights. This is even with the 33-year-old forward posting two goals and six points in his last six games.
Teams looking for more secondary offensive production and experience could take a chance on Skinner if he is made available by San Jose. In 32 games this season, he has recorded six goals and 13 points.
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 04: Anton Lundell #15 of the Florida Panthers scores a goal against Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Boston Bruins during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena on February 04, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the Olympic break, folks!
The NHL is officially paused for around three weeks, with players either heading off to Milan or (probably) heading to some kind of tropical locale for a bit of a break.
The Bruins entered the break with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers last night, their second consecutive shootout loss in the cursed state of Florida.
If you don’t want to watch the highlights but want a brief recap of what happened:
It was a back-and-forth game early, but Florida ended up taking a 4-2 lead into the third period on the back of three special teams goals (2 PP, 1 SHG) in the second period.
The B’s tied it up in the third on goals by Mark Kastelic and Casey Mittelstadt.
Brad Marchand ended up scoring the eventual winning goal in the shootout, beating Joonas Korpisalo in the fourth round; Mittelstadt’s attempt was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky, giving the Panthers the win.
The more notable (and rage-inducing) part of the game came in the first period, when Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis elbowed Charlie McAvoy in the head:
Vilmanis was only given two minutes for an illegal check to the head, and the Panthers actually ended up with a power play because the Bruins were given two minutes for roughing for going after Vilmanis, plus a bonus two for unsportsmanlike conduct by the bench.
Only in the NHL could a player get illegally elbowed in the head and have his team end up disadvantaged.
McAvoy did eventually return to the game, and I imagine Vilmanis will end up getting fined like $1,500 or something today.
I don’t know why, but the “but, anyway” at the end is funny to me.
Vilmanis didn’t skate another shift after the hit, allegedly leaving with an upper-body injury.
Regardless of your (correct) feelings on the McAvoy incident, this was a game that saw the B’s let down by special teams play.
They were given seven PP opportunities, and only converted once — plus, they allowed a shorthanded goal, so…those kind of cancel each other out.
They also allowed Florida to convert on two of their three PP chances, so not a banner night for the PP or PK.
The B’s head into the Olympic break with points in seven consecutive games, and while taking two out of four points on this Florida trip certainly isn’t the worst result, you can’t help but think they left something on the table.
The glass is either half full or half empty, I guess, depending on your perspective.
Over in Milan, things are off to a bumpy start in the ice hockey world, with the Canadian women’s team’s opening game postponed due to cases of norovirus spreading among the Finland women’s team.
A norovirus outbreak in the Olympic village is………..not ideal.
Anyways, the first half(ish) of the Bruins season is over: 32-20-5, 69 points, currently in a playoff spot (with a four-point cushion).
It’s also worth noting that the B’s are only three points from 2nd/3rd in the division.
Overall, this first half feels like a slight overachievement.
Even before Marty Walsh took the job as head of the NHL Players’ Association, he started to hear the same refrain.
In interviews for the job, he’d ask players about their priorities. Get us back into best-on-best competition and back into the Olympics, he was told.
After skipping the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, the NHL had come close to a return in 2022. Contracts were signed, the league’s calendar included a long break in February for players to go to Beijing. The pandemic, and subsequent restrictions on athletes who traveled to China for the Olympics, caused the league to pull out in December 2021.
By the time Walsh was named head of the NHLPA in March 2023, there was no pandemic to worry about. So the conversation quickly got serious about 2026.
After more than a decade without NHL players going to the Olympics, and with an entire generation of the league’s best players never given the opportunity to play in any kind of best-on-best competition, there was broad agreement that something had to give.
“There was never really a negotiation with the NHL,” Walsh told The Post. “It was basically right out the gate, mutually agreed upon that we want to get NHL players back into the Olympics, from Day 1, pretty much.”
It is, of course, one thing to be on the same page about wanting to go to the Olympics, and another thing entirely to make it happen.
On the NHL side, the Olympics come with a particular stumbling block. If they allow their players to go, it is, essentially, the highest-profile hockey event in the world, and the league itself has no control over it and cannot profit off it, at least not directly.
“We have to disappear for two weeks at the height of our season,” commissioner Gary Bettman told The Post. “Which means content for the website, for dot-com, for the radio station, for social media, from us, disappears to a large extent, because we don’t get [intellectual property] rights from the IOC.
“We have to have a compressed schedule. We have to take into account that NHL teams send various amounts of players to the Olympics. Teams like Tampa and the Panthers send 10 players each and we’ve got some teams sending one or two players. Teams are gonna come back in a different place in terms of how they are than when we left. The fact of the matter is, some teams are gonna have a good chunk of their roster a little more tired and banged up.”
Team USA winger Kyle O’Connor says the NHL players are “just chomping at the bit” to play in the Olympics again. Getty Images
Those concerns were shelved during negotiations with the IOC and IIHF for a few reasons.
First, the agreement to go to the Olympics also came with the agreement to hold the 4 Nations Face-Off and, starting in 2028, the World Cup of Hockey. That is a win-win: Players are more than happy to get more opportunities to play best-on-best, and judging by the rousing success of the 4 Nations last season, the World Cup — over which the league and players association have joint control — will be a ratings bonanza and cash cow.
“I think having this consistent schedule moving forward is gonna change the dynamics as far as the fan experience,” Walsh said. “I’m from Boston, I hear it all the time: Is there gonna be another 4 Nations? I try to explain to people, we have a World Cup of Hockey. … I think it’s important for us that people want to see this tournament, make it exciting. That [growth] will be measured at some point; I don’t think you can measure it yet.”
Second, going back to the Olympics was a major priority for the players. It helped, too, that Walsh, unlike certain predecessors, established a strong relationship with Bettman early and the league also recognized that, though the Olympics stood to benefit most from their presence, being there would help grow the game.
Third, negotiations with the IOC and IIHF went well. Costs such as transportation and insurance — the latter of which has turned into an ongoing issue at the World Baseball Classic — needed to be shouldered by those parties. Medical standards identical to the NHL’s were also incorporated.
Sidney Crosby, celebrating during Canada’s win over the U.S. in the gold medal game in 2010, is making his Olympics return. AFP/Getty Images
“Certainly, we weren’t going to pay for the privilege of shutting down,” Bettman said.
The IOC agreed to write the check, so that hurdle was cleared.
“What was not on the list [of issues],” Walsh said, “was the ice. Know what I mean?”
The last hurdle
The first thing that needs to be said about the Santagiulia Arena in Milan is that it is expected to be complete, or, better put, complete enough to stage a competition.
That such a thing was recently in question, though, is a problem unto itself. And if not for the determination of the players, who have taken an attitude that they will play in the Olympics come hell or high water, it’s certainly possible that the state of the arena would be threatening the tournament at large.
The Santagiulia Arena, which will stage most of the men’s games and both the men’s and women’s gold medal games, will have a capacity of approximately 3,000 fewer seats than planned because of construction issues.
Construction of 14 dressing rooms is coming down to the wire, the luxury suites are unfinished, the dimensions of the ice are off by a few feet, the first test event wasn’t held until just a few weeks ago and featured a stoppage of play due to a hole in the ice. The practice rink, which is adjacent to the game rink, has been slow to complete too, though The Post was told last week that it is on schedule.
The good news, relatively speaking, is that the hole in the ice is baked into the expectations for the first game on a new sheet of ice, and not quite as alarming as it sounds. The bad news is, well, pretty much everything else. The ice may be playable, but that is different from the ice being good.
“I was disappointed that the arena wasn’t as much of a priority as we had hoped,” Bettman said. “That they [hadn’t] begun building it sooner, so this wasn’t a bit of a fire drill down the end.”
The NHL and the NHLPA have both tried to keep things diplomatic regarding a situation that will at best narrowly avoid being a total embarrassment. But when Walsh and Bettman spoke to The Post in mid-January, their frustration was obvious.
“I just think when you’re building something like this for the Olympics, I would have thought a sense of urgency would have settled in a lot earlier, where you would have this thing done,” Walsh said. “… You’re talking about the world coming to your city and your country, you would hope that the arena would have been looking — not actually world class — but complete.
Marty Walsh, the head of the NHL Players’ Association, said he knew from the beginning of his tenure how badly the players wanted to return to the Olympics. AP
“From what I understand, they’re working around the clock now. They just started to work around the clock. Quite honestly, they should’ve been working around the clock all along. If it was coming to my city and I was in charge, I’d say let’s get this thing done.”
The NHL’s agreement with the IOC includes the 2030 Games, where hockey will be played in the Stade de Nice in France — a venue that already exists as a soccer stadium, but which will need to be fitted for hockey and divided into two indoor arenas.
The hope is that Kirsty Coventry, who was appointed head of the IOC last year and thus is not taking the brunt of the blame for the current situation, prevents something similar from happening four years from now.
“My expectation is that they learned from the experience,” Bettman said. “And hopefully we won’t see a repetition of it.”
Russia, Russia, Russia
Another point of contention in this return to best-on-best competition: the exclusion of Team Russia, which has been expelled from international competition due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
That decision — as regards both the Olympics and the 2028 World Cup of Hockey — is essentially out of the NHL’s and PA’s hands, and perhaps even the IOC’s.
First and foremost, the political echelon in European countries would need to be comfortable with the idea of their national teams playing on the same sheet of ice as Russia’s, an inherently uncomfortable thought given the propaganda value of sport. That question might even supersede those involving ongoing ceasefire negotiations, or the Trump administration’s relative warmth toward Vladimir Putin.
“I wouldn’t isolate the United States because of what’s going on here with the president and his relationship, or lack thereof, with Putin,” said Walsh, who was secretary of labor under Joe Biden when Russian soldiers began marching toward Kyiv. “Nobody’s said to us, ‘Let the Russians play,’ as far as political leadership. It’s a world issue and I think it has to be resolved on a world stage.
“I don’t think Canada and the United States can even begin to open the door here. It really has to be Europe.”
It’s little secret that Russian players want to participate, though most have refrained from commenting on the geopolitical situation, in large part because doing so could affect their families at home.
The IIHF and IOC have signaled openness to allowing Russian and Belarussian athletes at the youth level to play starting in 2028.
“That’s entirely their call,” Bettman said.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he was “disappointed” about all the problems with the Olympic hockey venue. Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn
Drop the puck
Once the tournament begins with Slovakia facing Finland next Wednesday, though, it’s a safe bet that all the concerns will be relegated to the back burner.
If the hockey is good, then a global TV audience won’t care much about whether the luxury suites in the arena are complete, or even if the ice is as good as it could be.
It will be about hockey, Olympic best-on-best hockey, and the stage which produced Sidney Crosby’s golden goal, T.J. Oshie’s shootout heroics, Dominik Hasek carrying Czechia to gold, and the Miracle on Ice will have the spotlight shining on it again.
“I think there’s nothing, in any sport, that compares to our best-on-best,” Bettman said. “The energy, the excitement, the passion, the skill that our players bring to the game is extraordinary.”
Indeed, as the date has grown closer, the excitement to get to Italy has grown palpable in NHL circles. The players, after all, have waited 12 years for this.
“I think everyone’s just chomping at the bit,” Team USA winger Kyle Connor told The Post. “The intensity, the buzz, the awareness of what the 4 Nations brought, now to take that to the scale of the Olympics. As a player, just thrilled to be able to involve more countries as well.
“Just do best-on-best hockey. It’s what you want as a competitor.”
It looked like a trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs was unlikely for the Maple Leafs as they entered their four-game West Coast road trip last week. They had just lost five straight at home and were eight points out of a playoff spot.
It got worse when they lost to the Seattle Kraken last Thursday; Toronto then was 10 points out of the final wild-card spot. That's when reports surfaced that the Maple Leafs might lean towards being sellers as they approach the March 6 trade deadline, which makes a lot of sense.
Toronto was free-falling in the standings, losing game after game. It felt like their season was slowly — and surely — in jeopardy, and that their consecutive playoff streak (the longest in the NHL) was coming to an end.
However, after wins against the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers, Toronto is sitting in a different position. They're now six points out of the final wild-card spot, currently held by the Boston Bruins.
"We talked about coming out of the break, we've got to be prepared and ready to go because we've got, obviously, some catching up to do here," said head coach Craig Berube on Tuesday night after their win in Edmonton.
"But three wins going on the break is a good boost for our team, and I'm proud of our team, the way they competed on this road trip."
All of this begs the question: Where do the Maple Leafs go from here?
The case for being sellers
I think we could all agree that the Maple Leafs have gotten beaten up on the trade front in recent years.
The Fraser Minten-Brandon Carlo deal with the Bruins is one example of that (though Carlo's game is on an upward trajectory as of late). I think you could say the same with paying the Philadelphia Flyers a first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin for Scott Laughton.
Now, Laughton and Carlo are important to the Maple Leafs' makeup, but many believe it was an overpay for those two in particular. I would agree, to a degree (we'll save that for another day).
Toronto, though, could recoup some of those lost assets ahead of this year's deadline if they decide their season is over.
They've got a few trade chips in unrestricted free agents, like Bobby McMann, whose 19 goals are one off matching a career-high set last season. Laughton is also a UFA at the end of this season.
Those two in particular (McMann, especially) could bring back a decent return.
McMann's a strong, powerful skater who can score and is cheap at a cap hit of $1.35 million. Laughton is a faceoff magician and an incredible teammate. If they're calling it quits on the season, the Maple Leafs need to capitalize on an investment.
Carlo and Simon Benoit have also surfaced as players that Toronto could move to regain some draft capital.
A retool for the Maple Leafs would be approved by most if they remain outside of a playoff spot.
But in their current position in the standings, could they wait a little longer after the Olympic break to decide on the season? They must have several alternative options if things go south, or north.
But apparently not.
TSN's Chris Johnston reported on Wednesday that the Maple Leafs' stance on the trade front hasn't changed, despite inching closer to the second wild-card spot in the East.
"From the Brad Treliving side of things, the Leafs' front office, they've started garnering and engaging in what their players are worth on the market," Johnston reported.
"I don't expect a three-game winning streak, and even perhaps if it extends beyond the break, where the Leafs win a couple games out of the break, I don't believe that's going to alter what this front office wants to do...
"I think the Leafs are going to get a good sense over the break, in terms of what the value is for (their players) is on the market, monitor those decisions. And as we get closer to March 6, I do still think you're going to see the Leafs sell, to some degree."
The case for staying in the playoff race
If you're a Maple Leafs fan, this could likely be what you want.
And I don't blame anyone for wanting Toronto to try to remain in the playoff picture.
This season, more than ever, feels wide open. Aside from the Colorado Avalanche, there are no real sure bets to win the Stanley Cup. Don't get me wrong, there are some strong teams, like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars.
However, I believe that, when all the chips are down, Toronto still has dangerous enough players to hang with those teams. The same goes for them against the Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings, all of whom sit higher than the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.
The playoffs are a different animal, though.
Keep in mind, Toronto's season has featured some pretty big highs and lows, which is why I'd say if you still have belief, you're not entirely wrong for it.
They lost Anthony Stolarz for a few months, but Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby held down the fort. Thesame occurred on defense with Carlo during the months he was out. They're also currently without Dakota Joshua (lacerated kidney) and Chris Tanev (groin) — both important players in the grand scheme.
Auston Matthews is back to being himself. William Nylander is flying. And if their win against Edmonton taught us anything, it's that when the Maple Leafs play like a team, they're still a robust hockey club.
It's still okay have hope in them; it's what being a fan is all about.
Remember, too, that the Olympic break could do some damage to teams, whether it's injuries or decelerating a club's hot streak. There are definitely a couple of teams in each conference that are riding the high of a strong season.
"I don't know about it," said Berube on whether the almost three-week break could throw some teams into a rut.
"I mean, listen, the Olympics are going to have a lot to say about that, in my opinion. Coming out of the Olympics, you never know what happens, injuries and all that sort of thing.
"But we can't worry about that. We've got to make sure we're prepared and we get the work in when we get back to work and get ready to go again. Right out of the break, we've got two tough opponents in Florida."
