It's no secret that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has struggled quite a bit at times this season. 

There have been games when he looks completely lost, and others when he shows everyone that Father Time hasn't caught up yet. 

The latter games have been more prevalent as of late, especially on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, a game the Penguins won 6-3. He was methodical with his decisions, including one on the power play where he had an outrageous keep at the blue line. 

It looked like the Flyers were about to clear the puck when Letang jumped up with his hand to knock the puck down and settled it. The puck stayed in the offensive zone, eventually leading to Sidney Crosby's goal that made it 5-1. The Flyers left Crosby wide open at the side of the net, which was obviously a major mistake. This was Crosby's 60th career goal against the Flyers, a team he loves to torment. 

Sid scores his 25th of the season 🎯 pic.twitter.com/5syPqfyolC

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 16, 2026

The athleticism was on full display, and the power play hasn't missed a beat since he replaced Erik Karlsson on the top unit earlier this week. Speaking of that, Karlsson will be out for at least the next two weeks, which is tough because of how great he's been this year, especially offensively. 

Before going down, Karlsson was on the top pair with Parker Wotherspoon, while Letang was on the second pair with Brett Kulak. Letang's pair is now the top pair, and he led all Penguins' defensemen in ice-time on Thursday with 23:25 at all situations. 

Kulak and Letang have been paired for 15 games this season and have gotten more comfortable together in each one. Kulak isn't flashy, but he's steady in his own zone, which Letang needs.

The two have played 215:10 at 5v5 this season, and the underlyings have continued to improve. Are they perfect? No, but as a pair, they've been on the ice for 50.4% of the expected goals, 50% of the high danger chances, 49% of the scoring chances, and 48.4% of the shot attempts. With more minutes, I think you'll see the scoring chances and shot attempts rates get above 50%. 

They've also been on the ice for only five goals against this season, which speaks to how well they're playing together in their own zone. 

Letang was also tremendous against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, despite the Penguins falling 2-1 in a shootout. He was a major reason why the Penguins tied the game late in the third period when he helped win a battle along the boards against former Penguin Jake Guentzel before Malkin fired a perfect shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Letang got the primary assist on the goal.

WELCOME TO MALKAMANIA 💪 pic.twitter.com/JCq00hEYgt

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 14, 2026

Letang played 16:19 at 5v5 during that game and was on the ice for 51.5% of the shot attempts, 56.6% of the expected goals, and 58.8% of the scoring chances.

Back on Jan. 1, Letang scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Detroit Red Wingswith an absolute rocket of a shot. It was a goal he really needed, and it also gave the Penguins their third-straight win at the time. The goal also came in his 1,200th game, and Letang now has the second-most overtime goals by a defenseman in NHL history (13). 

He played 18:22 at 5v5 in that game and was on the ice for 67.6% of the shot attempts, 91.7% of the expected goals, 81.8% of the scoring chances, and 100% of the high danger chances. He was an absolute menace in all three zones in that game.

Takeaways: Penguins Take Down Cross-State Rival Flyers In Commanding 6-3 WinThe Pittsburgh Penguins snapped their three-game losing skid with a big win over their rival Philadelphia Flyers to catapult themselves to third in the Metropolitan Division standings

The Penguins come into Saturday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in third place in the Metro with 54 points. They're in the thick of the playoff race and are trying to end their three-season playoff drought since they haven't made the postseason since the 2021-22 season, when they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games.

In order to do that, they'll need Kris Letang to keep playing the way he has been for the last few weeks. 

(Data via Natural Stat Trick and MoneyPuck). 

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Kyrou scored the only goal in a shootout and the St. Louis Blues beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Friday night to snap the Lightning's franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak.

Kyrou’s backhand shot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov had a chance to extend the shootout but was stopped by Joel Hofer, who made 34 saves in regulation and overtime before delivering three more in the tiebreaker.

It was the Blues' first win in overtime or a shootout this season. They had been 0-8.

The Blues took 2-0 lead late in the first period with goals just 30 seconds apart.

Jake Neighbors got the first with 2:57 to play in the period and Nick Bjugstad scored when he was left alone in the slot with 2:27 left.

Tampa Bay tied it with a pair of power-play goals 62 seconds apart in the second.

Kucherov scored at 9:59 when the Lightning had a two-man advantage. He then assisted on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal 1:02 later. Darren Raddysh assisted on both goals.

Vasilevskiy made 19 saves.

Tampa Bay was trying for a team-record 12th consecutive win. The Lightning had not lost since a 2-1 setback to Los Angeles on Dec. 18. The last time they won 11 in a row was from Jan. 29 to Feb. 17, 2020. They went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.

Lightning: Visit the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Blues: At the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

CALGARY, Alberta — The Islanders originally planned for Bo Horvat to be with them throughout this seven-game road trip that continues Saturday afternoon in Calgary.

The plan is now for their star centerman to stay in New York for the duration.

That does not constitute a setback in Horvat’s recovery from a lower-body injury, general manager Mathieu Darche told The Post and Newsday after the Islanders practiced Friday.

He is skating on his own in New York. With it unlikely that Horvat would have played in Vancouver or Seattle, it simply didn’t make much sense for him to lose a day on the ice while traveling out west, plus deal with game and practice schedules that would not accommodate him as well as staying at home.

Horvat has been skating for about three days, Darche said, and there is a possibility — though certainly not a guarantee — that he plays when the Islanders are back at home against the Sabres on Jan. 24.

If this was the playoffs, Horvat might be playing, but the Islanders have the luxury of caution right now and intend to use it.

The belief is still that Horvat will return with a fair amount of runway before the Olympic break, and his ability to represent Team Canada at the Milan Games is not in jeopardy.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

Though some Islanders fans — remembering John Tavares’ knee injury at the Sochi Olympics — are understandably worried about Horvat getting hurt a third time in Italy, there is almost no chance that Horvat, nor any other player for that matter, would opt out of the Olympics over injury worries, even with the ice at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena being a major question mark hanging over the event.

Tony DeAngelo, who was with the Rangers when they sent out their 2018 Letter announcing a retool, reminisced a bit Friday after Blueshirts general manager Chris Drury sent out a similar missive to fans.

“I was one of the young guys, so it was probably beneficial for me,” DeAngelo said. “There was a lot of good players, we wound up getting a lot of good assets. They went on a five-, six-year run there, it was pretty good. It made sense for the team.

“As players, especially as a young player, kinda was just along for the ride and seeing what they did. Fortunately, I was able to be part of a couple good years there. And I left there, they kept building. Two conference finals. For our sake [now] it’s nice to hear there’s a little retool going on, but I’m sure it’ll all work out there.”

David Rittich will start in net against the Flames on Saturday.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers had three goals for his sixth career hat trick and first with Carolina, and the Hurricanes scored six times in the third period to cruise past the Florida Panthers 9-1 on Friday night.

Ehlers, who signed with Carolina in the offseason after playing 10 years with Winnipeg, also had an assist. Taylor Hall had two goals and Mark Jankowski had a goal and two assists. Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist and Eric Robinson also scored.

Brandon Bussi made 16 saves for the Hurricanes, who had four power-play goals and improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

Uvis Balinskis had the lone goal for the Panthers, who gave up eight unanswered goals and had their two-game winning streak stopped. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed all nine of Carolina's goals while stopping just 26 shots.

Ehlers gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first period. Balinskis tied it at 1:19 of the second — but it was all Carolina after that.

Jankowski put the Hurricanes up 2-1 at 13:10 of the second and Nikishin made it 3-1 with a power-play goal three minutes later.

Svechnikov, Ehlers and Hall also scored power-play goals in the third as Carolina pulled away.

Ehlers completed his hat trick on a one-timer off a pass from Logan Stankoven to make it 7-1. Hall and Robinson capped the scoring.

Panthers: Play at Washington against the Capitals on Saturday night.

Hurricanes: Take on the Devils in New Jersey on Saturday night.

—

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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There was plenty made about young San Jose Sharks phenom forward Macklin Celebrini making an appearance at Little Caesars Arena to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday evening.

Instead, the game’s main storyline would ultimately focus on another young forward who had been struggling to produce offensively.

Red Wings forward Marco Kasper, playing in his second NHL season, arguably delivered his best performance of the campaign and scored for the first time since late October as part of a 4-2 Detroit victory at Little Caesars Arena. 

#REDWINGS W!!! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/A6FVtKMyOw

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 17, 2026

Kasper's empty-net goal late in regulation with Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov on the bench for a sixth attacker gave him his first tally in 37 games.

He also registered a highlight-reel assist on teammate J.T. Compher's goal in the second period.

He picked up the puck in the neutral zone, dangled around defenseman John Klingberg, and sent a pass through the legs of Dmitry Orlov right onto the tape of Compher, who made no mistake to knot the score at 2-2. 

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It was the Red Wings who struck first in the game's opening 20 minutes of play, as Alex DeBrincat one-timed a pass from Lucas Raymond past Akarov on the power-play for his 25th goal of the season. 

However, San Jose tied the game when a shot from Celebrini slipped in and out of goaltender John Gibson’s glove and landed behind him. Sharks forward Will Smith poked the puck home, giving Celebrini the 72nd point of his sophomore NHL campaign, which ranks third among all NHL scorers.

The Sharks then grabbed their first and only lead early in the second period, as Collin Graf redirected a pass from former Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy past Gibson.

After Compher's tying goal in the second, it would be Dylan Larkin who scored what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third period, slipping the puck past Askarov on the goal line. 

Despite not initially being called a goal on the ice, video replay confirmed that the puck fully crossed the goal line, and was soon announced by the on-ice officials. 

Kasper then scored late in regulation on an assist from Raymond, his third of the game.

John Gibson remained hot for the Red Wings, making 20 saves. Askarov countered with 21 saves. 

The Red Wings return to the ice on late Sunday afternoon, as they host the Ottawa Senators. 

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The longest road trip of the season for the Florida Panthers will come to an end on Saturday night.

Florida has a chance to end the trip with an even record, but they’ll have to take down the stingy Washington Capitals first.

The Cats lost the first two games on their trip, in Toronto and Montreal, before picking up a pair of dubs in Ottawa and Buffalo.

After a four-day break, Florida resumed their roadie Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes but were romped out of Raleigh, losing by an embarrassing 8-1 final score.

The big question surrounding the Panthers is when their injured star forwards will be healthy enough to get back in the lineup.

Matthew Tkachuk has been nearing a return for over a week now, shedding his non-contact jersey and joining his teammates for a few full-contact practices.

Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice has said that it’s down to how Tkachuk feels as he recovers from the ramped up, physical practices, so perhaps Saturday will be the day he’s ready to return.

Brad Marchand had been labeled day-to-day by Maurice with an undisclosed injury, but he went on Injured Reserve Friday as the Cats made room on the 23-man roster for Cole Schwindt.

Marchand and Tkachuk can both join the roster at any time, and Florida has flexibility as Noah Gregor and Tobias Bjornfot have both previously cleared waivers and can be sent to AHL Charlotte, though Bjornfot is a defenseman so he’d likely stay over the forward.

Gregor has cleared waivers, can go to AHL Charlotte; so can Bjornfot. Studnicka would have to clear waivers to go back.

Panthers might be clearing some space here… https://t.co/vuExx3yomD

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) January 16, 2026

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s soiree in D.C. if Tkachuk does crack the lineup:

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer

Jesper Boqvist – Cole Schwindt – Luke Kunin

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis

Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Panthers fall flat in embarrassing 9-1 loss to Hurricanes

Cole Schwindt Returns To Panthers Lineup Tonight Against The Hurricanes

Panthers sign defenseman Uvis Balinskis to 2-year extension

Panthers road trip continues in Carolina with Cats searching for third straight win

Tobias Bjornfot And Jack Devine Selected As Charolette Checkers AHL All-Star Game Representatives

Photo caption: Jan 8, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) celebrates with his teammates at the bench his second goal of the game against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

The Florida Panthers couldn’t keep their brief winning streak alive as they continued a long road trip Friday night in Raleigh.

Florida ran into a buzzsaw as the Carolina Hurricanes dominated much of the contest, taking down the Panthers 9-1 at Lenovo Center.

Carolina controlled the majority of the opening period and were eventually rewarded for their strong start.

Jordan Staal made a perfect cross-zone pass to a streaking Nicolaj Ehlers, who quickly went to his forehand and wired the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky to send the Hurricanes into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

They outshot Florida 13-3 in the opening frame.

Florida bounced back quickly though, knotting the score less than 90 seconds into the second period.

Rookie Sandis Vilmanis carried the puck into Carolina’s zone, dropping it for Mackie Samoskevich who was quickly checked off the puck by Sean Walker.

The puck kept sliding across the zone, and Uvis Balinskis walked into a one-timer that beat Brandon Bussi to tie the game at one.

For the Panthers, it was all downhill from there. 

A pair of goals about three minutes apart by Mark Jankowski and Alexander Nikishin gave Carolina a comfortable two-goal edge heading into the third period.

Early in the final frame, Andrei Svechnikov make it 4-1 Hurricanes on a power play goal that came just after a 5-on-3 advantage came to an end.

That wasn’t an issue for Carolina because a few minutes later they had another two-man advantage, and this time Ehlers picked up his second goal of the game, extending the Canes’ lead to four.

Just 21 seconds later, Taylor Hall scored a fourth straight power play goal for the Hurricanes to give them a 6-1 lead.

Ehlers completed his hat trick less than 90 seconds after Hall’s goal, causing headgear to litter the ice and creating a delay that the Panthers were surely salty about, as it meant they had to wait that much longer before getting the hell out of there.

Eventually, the game did come to an end, but not before Hall scored another one to give the Hurricanes an eighth goal, and Eric Robinson scored moments later to make it 9-1 because why not. 

On to Washington.

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Cole Schwindt Returns To Panthers Lineup Tonight Against The Hurricanes

Panthers sign defenseman Uvis Balinskis to 2-year extension

Panthers road trip continues in Carolina with Cats searching for third straight win

Tobias Bjornfot And Jack Devine Selected As Charolette Checkers AHL All-Star Game Representatives

Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers to visit White House for second straight year

Photo caption: Jan 16, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) is stopped on his breakaway attempt by Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

The Philadelphia Flyers went from rebuilder to playoff dark horse... or so they thought, and now the team and its loyal but increasingly impatient fans are paying the price.

The Flyers, in the midst of a five-game losing streak (0-4-1), still very much look like a young, directionless team that has some future pieces, but a far cry from a finished product.

Having now fallen out of a playoff spot in what is shaping up to be yet another midseason collapse, the Flyers have also allowed no fewer than five goals in each of their last four losses, all in regulation.

Backup goalie Sam Ersson, after falling well behind Dan Vladar in the eyes of Rick Tocchet and Co., has descended into unplayable territory and owns an unfathomably bad .853 save percentage on the season.

Continuing to put Ersson in the line of fire when he very clearly has no confidence is harmful to both the player and his teammates, and the Flyers need to move on and move forward for the benefit of both parties.

That puts the Flyers back at what can be considered square one relative to the past few seasons; one goalie who can steal a few games, and another goalie behind him who is a complete enigma.

Time will tell if Aleksei Kolosov's resurgence is legitimate and can be relied upon, or if the Flyers again gravely miscalculated their situation.

The Discourse Around Matvei Michkov Makes No SenseThe great debate for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> so far this season has been whether or not star sophomore forward Matvei Michkov is getting a fair shake under new head coach Rick Tocchet and being put into positions to truly succeed.

Since signing a five-year, $25.75 million ($5.15 million AAV) contract extension with the Flyers on Jan. 5, veteran center Christian Dvorak has been out-shot 75-60 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, while being out-scored 5-2.

Linemates Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny, who have gone equally cold, have struggled in lockstep, though Zegras, who earns favorable deployment when the team trails, has out-shot opponents 80-65 in the same timeframe.

By re-signing Dvorak, in addition to retaining other grey hairs like Nick Seeler, Konecny, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Garnet Hathaway, the Flyers have called it quits on a rebuild and have no intentions on racing with other cellar dwellers to the bottom.

But, if the Flyers are all-in on being a competitive team looking to reach the playoffs--they've already lost their playoff spot--they cannot be bad and boring. They are both.

The San Jose Sharks, who are still an objectively bad team hindered most by their island of misfit toys defense core, have given Macklin Celebrini the keys to the car, and it's made them one of the NHL's most entertaining teams.

Celebrini, still just 19, has 24 goals and 71 points in 47 games this season after recording 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games last season.

He also has his Sharks in a playoff spot.

Flyers starlet Matvei Michkov, as you'll recall, finished his rookie campaign with more goals than Celebrini did, more games played notwithstanding.

Report: Flyers Rejected Big Maple Leafs Trade for Rasmus RistolainenAccording to a new report, the Philadelphia Flyers received a massive trade offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs for veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. GM Danny Briere and Co. didn't budge.

That same Michkov has seen his average ice time drop two full minutes from 16:41 to 14:41 under Tocchet, who has demanded the Russian sensation adapt his style to the system and not vice versa.

Everyone knew when Michkov was drafted seventh overall in 2023 that he was not a plus skater but was an exceptional proprietor of offense attacking angles from his favored right wing and creating plays out of thin air.

The difference now is that the 21-year-old is playing left wing, right wing, with bit-part bottom-sixers, with top-sixers, on the top power play unit, or on no power play unit at all.

He's being thrown around and utilized with extreme indifference, but for some, it is a big shock and concern that Michkov has just 24 points in 45 games because of that.

But, hey, when you don't score, maybe you can contribute in other ways, right?

How about Michkov dropping the gloves and fighting Blake Lizotte on behalf of Denver Barkey, someone he's known for maybe a few weeks, in that 6-3 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

In the last week, Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin, who have a combined 166 NHL games between them, got into fights standing up for and trying to inspire their teammates. But where are the leaders?

Hathaway, Seeler, Konecny, and Sean Couturier have seen this movie--the midseason collapse--before, and it is happening again.

The young guns are showing as much fight as possible in their limited opportunities, while the details, fight, and overall basic fundamentals for much of the rest of the team have completely fallen to the wayside.

NHL Trade Rumors: Should the Flyers Pursue Dougie Hamilton?The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> still have one of the worst, most ineffective power plays in the NHL, but they can get the boost they've been looking for by taking advantage of another team's plight.

Just play a 1-1-3 neutral zone and keep three to four bodies above the puck like the Tampa Bay Lightning did on Monday night and the Flyers have been completely stifled offensively.

The Flyers are not fun to watch, not hard to play against, and not disciplined. They are not committed to making the playoffs or rebuilding, and they are not bad enough to secure a top draft pick as they had last season.

Instead, the Flyers are very much a team adrift, going through the motions until the 2026 Winter Olympics come along.

Only the team can dig itself out of this relentless cycle of greyness and mediocrity, but if they fail to do so, there would be enough sample size to deduce that the heart of the team, the core, as currently constructed, is simply incapable without further changes.

The Flyers' next opponents--the New York Rangers--just openly penned a letter to their fans admitting they have been terrible all season and will make a bunch of trades in order to try and course-correct, and that same Rangers team still has more regulation and overtime wins (18) than the Flyers do (17) this season.

If the Flyers can't take down New York in their own building on Saturday afternoon, the organization will be forced to double back and reconsider their blueprint for success for this season, the offseason, and beyond.

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While the Detroit Red Wings have put themsevles into an extremely advantageous position with their current second overall ranking in the Atlantic Division standings, they're going to be in for a dogfight the rest of the way. 

The Atlantic Division is perhaps the most competitive in the NHL right now, and multiple teams are on complete heaters - including one that has to be seen to be believed. 

With just how tight things are, the Red Wings are keenly aware of not only their own position but how their closest competition is faring. 

"We look at the standings, there's a lot of information that comes from that stat pack, not just on the front page, but we look through it, and then analytics gives us information," head coach Todd McLellan explained. "But if your nose is stuck in it and you're trying to do a bunch of math and figure out stuff now, you're probably wasting your time. There are too many games left, and it's just too tight." 

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After the termination of general manager Kevyn Adams, the Buffalo Sabres have rattled off 15 of their last 17 games. 

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning have won 11 straight games, while the Toronto Maple Leafs have won eight of 12. 

"It’s incredible," McLellan said of the pace of their Atlantic competition. "I don’t know who’s losing. Everybody seems to be winning." 

To begin their centennial campain, the Red Wings were put through the gauntlet with several divisional matchups, including twice against the Maple Leafs, along with matchups against the Lightning and Florida Panthers. 

Despite their Opening Night loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 9, the Red Wings earned victories in back-to-back contests against the Maple Leafs, followed by wins over both the Panthers and Lightning.  

Late last month, the Red Wings picked up their third win of the season against the Maple Leafs, the first time they'd won three straight against their longtime Original Six rival in 30 years. 

"As far as banking points against teams, you get teams when they're hot, and they're cold, and it can go for or against you," McLellan said. "Specifically against Toronto, we were able to get those points, and there are still some left on the table." 

"We needed to explain to the players that points in games two, three, and four are just as valuable as in (games) 80, 81, and 82," he continued. "Hopefully, our players have grasped that, but we're past the beginning. Now, we're over the hump and coming downhill. Points will remain important every night." 

The Red Wings well remember what has befallen them in each of the last few seasons when the month of March rolls around, and it will be incumbent upon them to avoid a similar outcome this year if they are to bring Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to Little Caesars Arena for the first time this spring. 

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On Saturday night, with the Boston Bruins in town, the Chicago Blackhawks will celebrate "The Banner Years." This is the third of four chapters throughout their Centennial Season that will honor the franchise's long history. 

This chapter is designed to recognize the teams that won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015. It was the greatest run of success in franchise history, and it brought the game of hockey back to the front burner in a sports-crazed town like Chicago. 

Over 20 of the players who appeared on one or more of those three teams will be in the house for the celebration, adding to the intrigue of the night. 

Of every player that suited up during that stretch, ten players stick out above the rest. Seven of these players won all 3 championships in the new millennium, and the other three won two.  

Won Two Championships With Chicago

10. Bryan Bickell

Bryan Bickell might not have been quite as productive during the regular season as other depth forwards on the team through the years, but his importance to two of the three championships can't be overstated.  

He was always a moderately productive bottom-six forward during the regular season, but his game reached a new level in the postseason. He always found a way to score big goals and make amazing plays when the stakes increased. 

In 2013 and 2015, Bickell was in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy as a playoff MVP at times. In the playoffs, he usually found himself playing in the top six because of what he brought to the table. 

His style of play, a strong physical forward who dominates in front of the net, was incredibly suited for playoff hockey. The Blackhawks were even more dangerous because of his playoff scoring elevation alongside the stars on the team.  

9. Johnny Oduya

When Johnny Oduya is the fourth-best defenseman and the ninth most important player during a modern-day dynasty, it speaks volumes about those higher on the list. 

Oduya never made flashy plays or dominated offensively at any point, but he provided a steady, calm defender every time he was on the ice. 

He did find a clutch goal now and again, but shutting down stars like Pavel Datsyuk, Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar, and Ryan Getzlaf, amongst many others, along the way was a huge key to the team's overall success. 

8. Corey Crawford

Antti Niemi was the main starter for the Blackhawks during the 2010 run to the Stanley Cup, but Corey Crawford took over after that. He was never a top-three goalie in the NHL, but he had times where he was 5-10. 

He was the starting goalie for Chicago in 2013 and 2015, along with many other deep playoff runs around those two incredible years. Whether it was the regular season or the playoffs, Crawford was always there when his team needed him most. 

You can't win in the NHL without above-average goaltending, especially in the playoffs. Crawford was as reliable as they come for many years. 

Won Three Championships With Chicago

7. Patrick Sharp

Patrick Sharp was one of the best pure goal scorers that the team had during the run. In fact, he's one of the best in franchise history. When his career was in trouble during his time with the Philadelphia Flyers, he found his way to Chicago, where he became a star. 

Sharp knew how to find the back of the net from range. He could score from in tight as well, but nothing like his ability to snipe. He wasn't dancing out there making finess plays, but the playmakers on the team knew that if they found him with some open ice, he was going to get it on net. It went in more often than not. 

6. Niklas Hjalmarsson

It's hard to beat a team that has two goalies on the ice. Hjalmarsson didn't wear all of the pads and responsibility that actual goalies do, but he never wavered if he had to block a big shot. 

No matter what, he'd throw his body in front of pucks coming off the sticks of the hardest shooters the game had to offer. Whether it was Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, or Zdeno Chara, Hjalmarsson was not afraid. 

Hjalmarsson never failed to have his sticks in the right spot either. He didn't provide very much offense, but teams didn't find much scoring success when he was on the ice as a deterrent to their game. 

5. Brent Seabrook

Brent Seabrook was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (14th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft. He lived up to everything they needed from him and more. 

Seabrook dominated the game in all three zones. He had a big shot that played well on a power play, he could make a great breakout pass, and nobody could get anything going against him with much regularity. 

He also had a certain clutch gene to his game, which allowed him to come up with some of the biggest goals in franchise history. Seabrook was so good that Team Canada had him on Olympic rosters throughout his career, which speaks to his overall game. On most NHL teams, he would have been a number one, but the Blackhawks had so much depth. 

4. Marian Hossa

Marian Hossa is the greatest free agency signing in the history of Chicago sports. He came to the Blackhawks, and they were a completely different team. 

Think of a high-end offensive producer and a Selke Trophy caliber player, and combine that into one. That gives you Marian Hossa. He also came to Chicago incredibly motivated after finishing each of his two previous years as a Stanley Cup runner-up. 

Hossa was the perfect complement to the young core that the team had put together. His line was always able to defend and score, no matter who the opponent was. Of every player on this list, Hossa was the first to make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame and have his number retired by the team. 

3. Patrick Kane

If this list were based on talent and overall career production, Patrick Kane would be number one. The truth is, however, that most of his super elite offensive years came after winning Stanley Cups. 

Kane was still the third most important player to the three teams that did win. As a winger, Kane drove offense like a center during these times, and everyone on his line was more likely to score due to his presence. 

Kane was one of the three players to win a Conn Smythe Trophy during this run. His playoff MVP came during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

His most shiny moment of them all? Ending a 49-year drought for Chicago with his overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2010 Final. Few forwards in the league were as clutch as the man known as "Showtime". 

2. Duncan Keith

Duncan Keith was a robot on the ice. He could play anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes per game, depending on how long it went with multiple overtimes. He didn't score goals as much as Seabrook from the back-end, but he did make plays as well as any other two-way defenseman in the league. 

Keith won two Norris Trophies and was one of the three Conn Smythe Winners. Keith's playoff MVP came in 2015, as he willed the remnants of the previous two Chicago Cup winners to a third with his play. 

Keith joined Hossa in the Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class, but his number has not yet been retired. That will happen eventually, as he was the second most important player (and number one defenseman) on a team that won multiple championships. 

1. Jonathan Toews

Was Jonathan Toews as flashy as Patrick Kane (or even Marian Hossa)? No. That wasn't his game. His talent was being a great offensive player, but also an elite two-way forward. His play in all three zones was so good that many considered him to be a top-five NHL forward during these Stanley Cup runs. 

Eventually, Kane became a more notable player than Toews, but nobody can deny him the title of most important player to "The Banner Years". Every Stanley Cup champion in the last 25 years has that number one center leading the way. For Chicago, it was Toews. 

There were also a lot of leaders on these teams, but everyone followed the word of Toews more than anything. From a young age, he was the captain of a winning Original Six team, and that turned him into one of the game's all-time greatest leaders. 

The third and final Conn Smythe Trophy winner of the three Cups was Toews, who took home the hardware in 2010.

It was pure domination from Toews and every teammate on this list, for a very long time. This core must live in the legacy of Chicago sports forever. 

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

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ST. PAUL, Minn - After a tough homestand that included no wins in three games, the Wild are set to begin a roadtrip against the red-hot Buffalo Sabres, who is 15-2-0 in its last 17 games.

Then a back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, before returning home.

A bunch of moves were made by the Wild on Friday.

Matt Boldy will miss the next four games at least, after he was put on the Injured Reserve (IR) list. 

He will join Jonas Brodin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Zach Bogosian on the IR. Neither of the four players will travel with the Wild for this trip.

After making his NHL Debut on Thursday, David Spacek will stay with the team. Carson Lambos was recalled before the game but did not play. He has now been sent down.

David Jiricek has been recalled by the Wild.

Jiricek, 22, has played in 18 NHL games this season and has zero points, 11 shots and five hits.

Lambos, 23, has played in one NHL game this season, which was his NHL debut. He has one shot on goal, one blocked shot and is a plus-one in 10 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time.

He will go back down to the American Hockey League (AHL).

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Goals, saves, and wins have not altered Justus Annunen's focus this season. 

Through the first two months of the season, Annunen had a .859 save percentage, a 3.43 goals against average and a 1-5-1 record, a stat line that was one of the worst in the NHL. 

In a similar sense, the Predators weren't playing well, sitting as the worst team in the NHL with a 6-12-4 record in mid-November. Head coach Andrew Brunette has said before that Annunen hadn't been put in "fair" situations earlier in the season. 

"We have to be really fair when we evaluate him (Annunen). We put him in some hard places, and we put him when he's a little bit rusty," Brunette said following a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers on Dec. 21. 

Annunen's role in the early season was to relieve Juuse Saros, whether that meant giving the starting goalie a break or coming in after Saros was yanked.

In the early season, the Predators went as far as Saros went. At one point, the Finn was in the top two in the league in shots faced and saves made, not getting much support from the defense in front of him. 

In a time where things seemed grim, Annunen didn't change anything. He muted all the noise around him and did the only thing that he could do: work hard. 

"You have to focus on what you can do," Annunen said. "There's gonna be goals. That's hockey. Sometimes you've got to look beyond the results. You can't just look at the numbers and be like 'oh I had a bad game' or 'I had a good game.' You have to look at the whole picture."

The confidence in his own game has led to results: Annunen has won his last three starts and posted a .900 save percentage in his previous four. 

His latest victories have been against the Vegas Golden Knights (4-2), the Washington Capitals (3-2), and the New York Rangers (2-1). Despite losing to the Colorado Avalanche, 4-2, Annunen made an impressive 37 saves on 40 shots.

"I feel like my game is being the same whole year and that it's hockey sometimes," Annunen said.
"I've been putting in the work all summer, all last year and all my life, but sometimes the puck just goes in. Winning games, of course, helps." 

Saros's efforts came in clutch in the victory over the Capitals, as he prevented Alexander Ovechkin and company from forcing overtime. He was perfect in 5-on-5 play and made 30 saves on 32 shots, which was his second 30+ save performance of the season. 

"You got a little bit of grace for him (Annunen) in the first couple starts, and now he's gotten a little bit better rhythm," Brunette said following the win over the Capitals.
"You could tell he's feeling a lot better, especially in his last five starts. He's been exceptional." 

The confidence and belief in Annunen's game and that it'd eventually come around were shared by Predators management, as he signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract beginning in the 2026-27 season.

"I like it here a lot. They (management) want me to stay here, and I want to stay here, so that's pretty easy," Annuen said. "It's pretty good for the next couple of years to be able to work with Juice (Saros), Benny (Ben Vanderklok), Mitch (Korn) and just try to improve every day and try to get to the next level." 

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury shared a letter with fans saying the franchise feels their disappointment.

Drury wrote on Friday that he plans to “retool” by possibly trading established players.

Coming off an underachieving this season and missing the playoffs last year, the Rangers are the only team with a losing record in the Eastern Conference past the midway mark of the NHL season.

New York has lost a season-high five games, entering its next game Saturday at Philadelphia.

The Rangers were booed off the ice at the first intermission of their latest loss, an 8-4 loss to Ottawa that was the team's 17th setback in 22 games at Madison Square Garden.

Winger Artemi Panarin, New York’s leading scorer every season since signing as a free agent in 2019, does not have a contract beyond June 30, turns 35 on Oct. 31 and could be dealt before the March 6 trade deadline.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl