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The vibes are high for the Detroit Red Wings these days, as they're in as advantageous a position through the first 50 games of a season as they've been in nearly 15 years. 

For the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, the Red Wings have won 30 of their first 50 games and are currently in a first-place tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top seed in the Atlantic Division. 

It also won’t be long before the NHL Trade Deadline (March 6) arrives, and if the Red Wings continue on their current trajectory, there’s a strong possibility they could be buyers.

While rumors have linked the Red Wings to Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, a pair of NHL Insiders have instead speculated about a different player who could land in Detroit, one with a well-known prior connection to forward Patrick Kane.

Insiders Jeff Marek and Pierre McGuire discussed potential landing spots for New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, who was informed last week by general manager Chris Drury that he will not be offered a new contract by the club. 

"When you look at the landscape for Artemi Panarin, what teams jump to mind for you, Pierre?" Marek asked. 

"I'm going to throw one at you - the Detroit Red Wings," McGuire said. "I think what they've done so far with this team and Todd McLellan there, I think they've amped it up. I look at that Moritz Seider/Simon Edvinsson tandem, that's a read-built defensive tandem for playoff hockey." 

"You look at the quick strike capability of a guy like Lucas Raymond, you look at Alex DeBrincat's goal against Ottawa in overtime, the way he shot the puck; you look at the speed and creativity of Larkin," he continued. "Patrick Kane seems like he's having fun again." 

McGuire then praised what he described as a plethora of talented young players in the Detroit system and suggested packaging some of them in a deal with the Rangers to acquire Panarin, whom he called a “perfect fit” for Detroit.

"Turn some of those young players into a guy like Panarin, I think that's the perfect fit," McGuire said. 

Could Artemi Panarin be the piece the Detroit Red Wings need?@JeffMarek and Pierre McGuire discuss potential landing spots for the Rangers' pending UFA

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— The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) January 20, 2026

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One of the most talented players in the NHL, Panarin already has a prior connection with Kane, having played alongside him with the Chicago Blackhawks and later briefly with the Rangers in 2023.

Much like Kane’s connection with Alex DeBrincat, he developed instant chemistry with Panarin upon the latter’s arrival in the NHL in 2015. The duo routinely wowed fans in Chicago, becoming one of the league’s most dangerous offensive pairings and frequently combining for highlight-reel plays that resulted in goals.

The Red Wings currently have just over $13 million in available salary cap space, which would be more than enough to absorb Panarin's cap hit (a portion of which would likely be retained by the Rangers). 

However, a potential holdup in any pursuit of Panarin, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, is whether he would be willing to agree to a contract extension.

While Detroit previously showed interest in acquiring now–former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently stated that the absence of an extension was the reason no deal ultimately materialized.

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The Montreal Canadiens should be looking to add to their roster ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. They are third in the Atlantic Division at this point in the season and should not be afraid to boost their roster because of it. 

Adding another top-six forward should be one of the Canadiens' top objectives this season. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou stands out as a very interesting option to consider. 

With the Blues having an incredibly disappointing season, several of their players have been in the rumor mill with the trade deadline less than two months away. Kyrou is among the top Blues players creating chatter, and he would have the potential to be a strong addition to the Canadiens' roster. 

Kyrou has recorded eight goals and 20 points in 39 games so far this campaign. While these numbers are not the most impressive, there is reason to believe he should turn things around when looking at his past success. In three out of his previous four seasons, the 27-year-old winger has hit the 70-point mark. He also scored 31 goals in each of his last three seasons. Right now, he is struggling on a Blues team where everyone else is performing below expectations.  

If the Canadiens acquired Kyrou, he could make some real magic on the Habs' first line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. He would also give the Canadiens another impactful player to work with on their power play. 

Kyrou would also be much more than a rental for the Canadiens, as he has an $8.125 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season. This adds to his appeal, but he also has a full no-trade clause, so he would need to approve a move to Montreal for any chance of a deal going down. 

Colorado Avalanche News

• Avalanche AHL affiliate makes history with Kim Weiss promotion. [Sports Illustrated]

• Trio of Colorado Eagles headed to the AHL All-Star Game. [Mile High Hockey]

• Jared Bednar’s message to Avalanche: “We have to dig in”. [Denver Post]

• Checking up on the Colorado Avalanche’s 2025 draft class mid season. [The Hockey News]

News Around the League

• Three potential trade fits for Dougie Hamilton. [The Hockey News]

• Oilers star Leon Draisaitl takes leave of absence for family illness. [USA Today]

• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played his 1,000th regular-season game on Sunday, all of them as an Oiler. [The Edmonton Journal]

• Flames send Andersson to Golden Knights for package including Whitecloud, two draft picks. [TSN]

• Phil Goyette, former NHL forward and Islanders’ first coach, dies at 92. [Yahoo Sports]

• Steven Stamkos fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct in Predators game for bench incident with Golden Knights defenseman Lauzon. [NHL]
• Frank Nazar practices with Blackhawks, could return Thursday. [ESPN]
• NHL players will compete at Olympics, says international ice hockey chief. [CTV News]

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back home for the first game of a five-game home stand to take on the Ottawa Senators at 7 PM.

Ottawa Senators -22-19-7 - 51 Points - 4-4-2 in the last 10 - Lost last 2 in OT- 8th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 22-19-7 - 51 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - Won 4 Straight - 6th in the Metro  

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 20.0% - 20th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 74.8% - 29th in the NHL
• Goals For - 143 - 20th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 159 - 25th in the NHL

Senators Stats

• Power Play - 24.4% - 7th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 71.5% - 31st in the NHL
• Goals For - 156 - 11th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 163 - 28th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheSenators

• Columbus is 20-21-2-3 all-time, and 12-8-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa.
• The Blue Jackets are 8-2-2 in the last 12 games against the Sens at home.
• The CBJ are 1-1-0 against the Senators this season.

Who To Watch For TheSenators

• Tim Stützle leads the Sens with 21 goals and 49 points.

• Jake Sanderson leads Ottawa with 29 assists.
• Goalie Leevi Meriläinen is 8-10-1 with a SV% of .860.
• James Reimer 0-0-1 with an .882 SV%.

CBJ Player Notes vs.Senators

• Zach Werenski has 21 points in 20 games against the Sens.
• Charlie Coyle has 19 points in 33 games. All of his points are assists.
• Sean Monahan has 19 points in 32 games vs. Ottawa.

Injuries 

• Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 12 Games - IR - Week to week. Has been skating, but the timeline is unknown.
• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 10 Games IR - Out for the rest of the regular season.
• Miles Wood - Lower Body - Missed 9 Games - Week to week.
• Mason Marchment - Upper Body - Missed 7 Games - Week to week.
• Denton Mateychuk - Lower Body - Missed 3 Games - Day to day.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 127

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 93.3 The Bus, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.   

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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 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders. 

The Canucks were the better team in this game from an analytics perspective. Vancouver held a 31-23 even-strength scoring chances advantage while winning the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 19-11. In the end, though, the Islanders were able to take advantage of their opportunities, which led to their victory. 

As for the heatmap, the Canucks did a good job of crashing the crease. The issue was that New York also had no problems getting into Kevin Lankinen's crease. While there were positives offensively, Vancouver's defensive play was a problem on Monday. 

To wrap things up, the line of Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser had a strong night. In 10:55 together, they won the shots battle 8-4 while holding a high-danger scoring chances advantage of 8-1. If the team is going to snap their losing streak, they need these three to get going and not just have strong analytical nights, but also contribute on the scoresheet. 

The Canucks continue their road trip on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. This could be the last time Alex Ovechkin plays at Rogers Arena, as he is a free agent at the end of the season. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT.   

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Sidney Crosby climbed a couple of all-time NHL leaderboards while skating in his 1,400th career game Monday afternoon in Seattle.

Crosby recorded his second assist of Monday night on Rickard Rakell’s third-period goal to help lead the Penguins to a 6-3 road win over the Kraken with his 1,742nd career point.

The ranks third only behind Wayne Gretzky (2,772 points) and Marcel Dionne (1,771) for the most points at the milestone in NHL history, according to NHL Stats.

Including the playoffs, those two assists moved Crosby past Ron Francis for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time points leaderboard (1,943 regular-season and postseason points). Only Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr and Gordie Howe have more.

Those aren’t the only milestones Crosby cleared in Monday night’s win. Per NHL Stats:

• Monday night’s win marked the 512 multi-point game of Crosby’s career. That moved him past Gordie Howe (511 career multi-point games) for the fifth-most in NHL history. Two more multi-point games this season would allow him to leapfrog Messier and Dionne for third on the all-time leaderboard.
• The outing also brought Crosby’s career points total on the road to 784 points in 700 away games, tying Mario Lemieux (784 points in 443 road games) for the eighth-most in NHL history. That will leave the Penguins captain 25 road points back of Alex Ovechkin for seventh on the list.
• Crosby’s set-up on Rakell’s third-period goal also marked the 580th third-period point of his career (he’s scored 213 goals and 367 assists in the final 20 minutes of regulation, per NHL Stats). That moved him past Dionne and Francis for seventh among all third-period scorers in NHL history.

This might not be the last time Pens fans get to watch Crosby climb the NHL’s all-time leaderboards this season. After Monday’s victory, he’s just 12 points back of tying Steve Yzerman (1,755 career points) for the seventh-most career points in NHL history.

Crosby’s meanwhile still ranking among the best in the league this season. His 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) currently ranks 13th in the NHL, and his 26 goals are tied for fifth.

The Penguins will hope Crosby is able to extend his streak of three straight multi-point games when the road trip continues Wednesday in Calgary.

What a start to the western road trip for the Pittsburgh Penguins who put up a half dozen goals on the Seattle Kraken for a 6-3 victory on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Emerald City. The Penguins jumped out to an 2-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game but the Kraken battled back and were able to tie it in the second period. That tie lasted less than a minute as the Penguins posted a quick response to jump back in front then held on from there for the win and to extend their points streak to four straight. [Pensburgh]

Next up for the Penguins, they head across the border into Canada for the first of a back-to-back set against the Alberta teams with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

Pens Points…

It’s all road games for the Penguins this week as they undertake their annual trip to Western Canada with a quick stop in Seattle. Back-to-back late nights will see the Penguins take on Calgary and Edmonton midweek before wrapping up the trip with an early evening tilt in Vancouver on Sunday. [Pensburgh]

Next month, the Penguins will team up with Sportsnet Pittsburgh to host their annual Charity Game on February 26th when they take on the New Jersey Devils in the first game following the Winter Olympics. The ever popular charity bags will be up for sale and feature special items included in each. [Penguins]

NHL News and Notes…

A big week from Tage Thompson saw him post three points per game in a three game week with three goals and six assists to take home First Star of the Week honors. Also grabbing the weekly awards were defenseman Roman Josi and goaltender Karel Vejmelka. [NHL]

Kiefer Sherwood is on the move in what is sure to be the first of many moves involving the Vancouver Canucks in the coming weeks. Sherwood is off to San Jose to join the Sharks in exchange for a pair of second round picks and defenseman Cole Clayton. [Sharks]

Minnesota Wild (28-13-9, in the Central Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (27-15-7, in the Atlantic Division)

Montreal, Quebec; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Canadiens -143, Wild +120; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild after Juraj Slafkovsky's two-goal game against the Ottawa Senators in the Canadiens' 6-5 overtime win.

Montreal has a 27-15-7 record overall and a 13-10-1 record in home games. The Canadiens rank fourth in the league with 216 total penalties (averaging 4.4 per game).

Minnesota has a 28-13-9 record overall and a 15-7-3 record in road games. The Wild have a +18 scoring differential, with 158 total goals scored and 140 given up.

Tuesday's game is the first time these teams meet this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Oliver Kapanen has scored 16 goals with 11 assists for the Canadiens. Slafkovsky has six goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Quinn Hughes has four goals and 39 assists for the Wild. Marcus Foligno has scored six goals and added two assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 6-3-1, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.2 assists, 4.3 penalties and 10.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

Wild: 4-3-3, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.5 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.

INJURIES: Canadiens: None listed.

Wild: None listed.

___

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

San Jose Sharks (25-20-3, in the Pacific Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (30-13-4, in the Atlantic Division)

Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lightning -302, Sharks +241; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to keep a four-game home win streak alive when they take on the San Jose Sharks.

Tampa Bay has a 30-13-4 record overall and a 12-9-0 record on its home ice. The Lightning serve 13.8 penalty minutes per game to rank second in NHL play.

San Jose has a 25-20-3 record overall and a 12-11-0 record in road games. The Sharks have given up 168 goals while scoring 150 for a -18 scoring differential.

Tuesday's game is the second time these teams square off this season. The Lightning won the last matchup 7-3. Darren Raddysh scored three goals in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Guentzel has 21 goals and 28 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has nine goals and 14 assists over the past 10 games.

Tyler Toffoli has 13 goals and 19 assists for the Sharks. Will Smith has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 9-0-1, averaging 4.3 goals, 8.1 assists, 4.9 penalties and 14.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.

Sharks: 7-3-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 5.8 assists, four penalties and 9.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Lightning: None listed.

Sharks: None listed.

___

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

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Alex Killorn broke a second-period tie, rugged newcomer Jeffrey Viel scored his first goal of the season and the Anaheim Ducks beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Monday night.

Cutter Gauthier scored twice on his 22nd birthday — the second into an empty net in the final minute — to push his season total to 22. Mason McTavish also scored to help Anaheim to its fourth victory in a row following a nine-game losing streak.

Lukas Dostal made 19 saves, surviving a wild scramble on a late 21-second two-man advantage.

Matthew Robertson, Artemi Panarin and Vladislav Gavrikov scored for New York, and Spencer Martin stopped 21 shots in his fourth NHL game of the season.

Seeing time with Igor Shesterkin sidelined by a lower-body injury, Martin was back in goal after stopping 25 shots Saturday in a 6-3 victory in Philadelphia that ended a five-game losing streak.

Killorn gave Anaheim a 3-2 lead with 1:58 left in the second period. He scored off a rebound of Jacob Trouba’s long shot after a prolonged scramble behind the goal.

Gauthier padded the lead at 1:01 of the third, and Gavrikov countered for New York at 7:11 with a long shot on a power play.

Viel tied it at 2 at 8:29 of the second with his first goal for the Ducks and the first in 12 NHL games this season. Acquired from Boston on Friday for a 2026 fourth-round pick, Viel controlled Ryan Poehling’s feed from the blue line and beat Martin from close range.

Viel had no points and 30 penalty minutes in 10 games this season for Boston, and added another fighting major in his Ducks debut Saturday night in a 2-1 overtime victory over Los Angeles. In 66 career NHL games, he has four goals, two assists and 188 penalty minutes.

Up next

Rangers: At Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Ducks: At Colorado on Wednesday night.

LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights closed their three-game homestand winners of another mid-season trade, but on the losing end of a 2-1 decision at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers.

One day after acquiring defenseman Rasmsus Andersson from the Calgary Flames in a blockbuster trade, the Knights were silenced by a hungry Flyers team that ended a six-game slide.

Travis Konecny scored twice while goaltender Samuel Ersson made 23 saves.

Tomas Hertl scored Vegas' lone goal and goalie made 15 saves Adin Hill

Vegas had its seven-game win streak brought to an abrupt halt.

The Golden Knights had won three straight and six of the previous seven meetings with Philadelphia.

KEY MOMENT

Konecny's second goal of the night, in the third period, was the epitome of how the night was going for the Knights. On the penalty kill, Konecny broke free with the puck and skated in untouched for a short-handed breakaway goal to put Philadelphia ahead 2-1.

KEY STAT

7 - Vegas had a season-high seven power play opportunities but capitalized just on time with a man advantage. During its previous seven-game win streak, the Golden Knights were 8 of 17 on the power play.

WHAT A KNIGHT

Hertl scored his fourth goal while registering his ninth point in five games. Hertl ranks fourth on the team with 43 points, with a co-team high 20 goals and 23 assists.

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights open a four-game road trip in Boston on Thursday.

PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at T-Mobile Arena.

The New York Rangers were unable to build off of their 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, as they kicked off the west coast road trip with a 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. 

The Rangers put on a strong push to open up the first period, which seemed like a continuation of their impressive performance in the City of Brotherly Love. 

Matthew Roberston opened up the scoring, and after a relatively evenly played period, the score was tied 1-1. 

Artemi Panarin’s goal toward the beginning of the second frame extended his point streak to 10 games.

Since it was reported that the Rangers don’t plan to give Panarin a contract extension and will look to trade him before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, the veteran forward has recorded three goals, two assists, and five points in just two games. 

In fact, since Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury sent out what is being called the “Letter 2.0” making clear of the team’s intentions to retool the roster, the Blueshirts have actually played notably better, and specifically more loosely. 

“I think there's things that I think we're improving on, as far as the systems go, and being in the right spots and doing the right things, like having the right intentions, but it's just cleaning up the execution is still something we gotta get better at,” Vincent Trocheck said.

In the latter stages of the contest, the Rangers reverted to some of their sloppy tendencies, struggling to move the puck out of their defensive zone, while turnovers also proved to be an issue, which allowed the Ducks to take a 4-2 lead and run away with the victory. 

“It’s tough when you turn the puck over the way we turned it over,” Mike Sullivan said. “And when you’re careless with the puck, and you give them those kinds of opportunities, they're going to end up in your net.”

Now that the Rangers have accepted the harsh reality that the playoffs are a long shot, the primary focus must be on making sure the younger players on the roster continue to grow and develop. 

Mike Sullivan Calls Rangers' Choice Not To Extend Artemi Panarin A ‘Big-Picture’ DecisionWhile it’s inevitable that the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> trade Artemi Panarin before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, when exactly it will happen and to which team still remains unclear.

Gabe Perreault is starting to find his footing in the NHL and is showing flashes of his offensive potential playing in a top-six role alongside Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller. 

His steady strides have not gone unnoticed. 

“Gabe had a hell of a game today. I think maybe did a lot of things that people watching don't see,” Miller said. “Obviously, he's a really gifted player with the puck. It's how he's made a name for himself at this point. That being sad, he was in such good spots all over the rink today. You can tell he's learning a lot as he goes. 

“He's trying to be a sponge and it's fun to play with. He's just going to get better as he gets going, but I think today, his play without the puck was better. He was good with the puck, but I'm saying his play without the puck really stood out to me.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ideally, having clarity on management’s direction would allow the Rangers to play with a freer spirit.

Reality, however, doesn’t usually cater to idealism.

The Blueshirts could not match the Ducks — and several of their ex-teammates — in an empty-net-abetted 5-3 loss Monday night, marking their ninth defeat in the past 12 games. While the Rangers came out swinging in their first game after Chris Drury’s retooling announcement, the energy and execution wasn’t as formidable this time around.

On the heels of the organization’s statement, coach Mike Sullivan accurately pointed out how the Rangers have been engulfed in outside noise since last season.

The hope is that some organizational transparency ahead of the Olympic break would alleviate some of the pressure.

Between poor puck management and a slow start to the third period Monday, any buoyancy the Rangers may have had was weighed down.

“One of the simplest, easiest ways to beat yourself is to not manage the puck appropriately,” Sullivan said after the loss. “If you do, you give teams opportunities to create easy offense And I think in a few of the events of tonight, we beat ourselves because we didn’t take care of the puck.”

Exactly four minutes into the game, the Rangers were able to capitalize on some extended zone time.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

Mika Zibanejad tipped the puck back to Matthew Robertson, whose slap shot from the top of the zone went five-hole on Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal. It counted as the rookie defenseman’s third goal of the season and his first since the last time the Rangers faced Anaheim on Dec. 15.

The Ducks swarmed below the hash marks later in the period, creating some traffic in front of Rangers goalie Spencer Martin. A puck deflected off Robertson’s skate and right to Mason McTavish for the 1-1 score.

Scoring on the power play in a third straight game, the Rangers retook the lead on Artemi Panarin’s 19th goal of the season. Despite some prime chances to even the score later in the game, the power play converted on two of its four opportunities.

Anaheim applied significant pressure on a goalie who was making just his second start of the season.

Jeffrey Viel scored his first goal as a Duck to even the score at two-all, cleaning up a rebound after the Rangers were hemmed in their zone.

Anaheim later made it a 3-2 game on their second power-play opportunity of the period. Alex Killorn buried a puck that had already trickled past Martin off Jacob Trouba’s shot.

Just over a minute into the third period, Drew Helleson’s keep-in at the blue line allowed Cutter Gauthier to give the Ducks a two-goal lead. While Vladislav Gavrikov’s power-play goal cut the Rangers deficit to one, the visitors weren’t able to find the equalizer.

“I think the guys are doing their very best to take a professional approach through this process,” Sullivan said Monday morning. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks here, most recently. I do think that these guys take a lot of pride in what they do, and they and they care a lot. I’ve had this conversation with you guys on so many different occasions, and it’s not just coach speak, it’s my honest assessment of this group of players. … Does it change the mindset? It may, in some strange way. There’s clarity of direction and people understand where we’re all at right now. I think there’s no speculation.

“There’s clarity in the direction. And maybe clarity might bring a little bit of a freer spirit with that clarity. I’m not sure, to answer your question. I think time will tell.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Call it an inkblot test of a win.

On one hand, the Islanders overcame a horrid start to take two points from the Canucks on Monday with a 4-3 final, and six games into a seven-game road trip without their leading scorer, it is something to still be getting points.

And on the other, well, this looked like a mess at various points, and the Islanders have been playing with fire the entire trip. Are we really going to laud the Islanders for gritting out two points against the 32nd-ranked team in a 32-team league, which lost its 11th in a row Monday after trading their own leading scorer, Kiefer Sherwood, the same morning?

The Islanders would point out, and rightly so, that they all count the same in the standings, that there’s no such thing as an easy night in this league and that after nearly two weeks on the road, they are in desperate need of some rest and recovery.

“That was a found-a-way-to-win game,” Anders Lee told The Post. “… We’re walking outta here with two points. You gotta win games when you’re not at your best.”

All fair. And still, it’s hard not to feel uneasy about how this one went.

The Islanders struggled badly to handle Vancouver’s physicality, lost too many battles and — it feels like a broken record by now — were poor in front of both nets. They were discombobulated throughout the game’s early stages, and the newly put together second line of Max Tsyplakov, Cal Ritchie and Emil Heineman lasted all of one period, with two goals against, before Tsyplakov was unceremoniously benched.

Nevertheless, Vancouver couldn’t put them away early, and the Islanders worked their way back into this one. They took a 3-2 lead on a Ryan Pulock snipe at 15:58 of the second, less than two minutes after Anthony Duclair’s second goal of the night had tied the game on the power play.

The Islanders gave Vancouver a window of opportunity by wasting a 1:39-long 5-on-3 at the start of the third, but instead of seizing momentum, the Canucks fumbled it themselves.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

They failed to convert their own power play shortly afterward, then the Islanders dutifully made it 4-2, with Tony DeAngelo slamming in Lee’s rebound.

Skating at 6-on-5, the Canucks got back within one on Drew O’Connor’s tip-in from Filip Hronek to throw a scare into the Islanders. That was all they could do though.

“We started to be better in our one-on-one battles,” coach Patrick Roy said. “That was the big difference. I think we gave nine chances after the first, it was way too many. So we had to refocus on our defense and play better defensively.”

Duclair, who loosed a right-circle wrister for the Islanders’ first goal of the night, has been one of few unambiguous positives for the club’s struggling offense on this trip. Since his hat trick two weeks ago against New Jersey, he’s looked like a wholly different player, confident and decisive.

“I’m using [Casey] Cizikas’ stick, made the switch,” Duclair said, revealing that his first game with the different stick was the five-point night against the Devils. “Think that’s why it’s going in.”

His chemistry with Mat Barzal, who is always engaged when returning home to Vancouver, was on display Monday as the top line put together a strong night. So too was the offensive prowess of the Matthew Schaefer-Pulock pair, with the rookie dynamic as ever, and saving a goal by clearing Evander Kane’s shot off the line after it trickled through Sorokin in the third.

On the other side of the ledger, start with Tsyplakov, whose confidence looks plainly shot. He looked lost on Monday, was unceremoniously benched after the first period and it’s getting hard to see how this situation gets fixed.

“It’s on me,” Roy said of that situation, adding that Tsyplakov will likely stay in the lineup against the Kraken. “He didn’t play a bad game. Just, he hasn’t played a lot and sometimes when that happens, you just want to go with the guys that you think you got the best chance to win [with].”

Cal Ritchie saved his night by notching an assist in his third straight game but otherwise looked stuck in the same funk he’s been in lately.

The Islanders lack of physicality, as a team, was on stark display here too. The Canucks bum-rushed them in the first, the visitors looked bewildered and a better opponent would have surged to an easy win.

Getting two points isn’t enough reason to ignore the wake-up call.

VANCOUVER, BC -- The New York Islanders were in need of a bounce-back game on Monday night against the Vancouver Canucks after falling 4-2 to the Calgary Flames on Saturday evening. 

While it wasn't pretty early against Vancouver, the Islanders got the win, a 4-3 victory to improve to 3-2-1 on their seven-game road trip with one game to go. 

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves for the Islanders. Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves for Vancouver. 

Here's how the game unfolded:

The Islanders couldn't have been more off defensively to start the game.

Their defensive-zone coverage was lackluster, leading to Vancouver striking first at 2:49 of the first courtesy of fourth-line center Max Sasson. 

Fortunately for the Islanders, Ilya Sorokin was able to keep the Canucks from adding to their slim 1-0 lead before Anthony Duclair wired home the 1-1 equalizer at 10:11 of the first after a tremendous feed from Tony DeAngelo:

What kind of sauce? #Isles

pic.twitter.com/NTLcLG5eF9

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) January 20, 2026

That was Duclair's 10th goal of the season, with Matthew Schaefer notching his 20th assist of the season. 

The Canucks did get back on top, with Evander Kane deflecting an Elias Pettersson wrist shot at 14:48 after Maxim Tsyplakov turned the puck over on the breakout. 

Matthew Schaefer appeared to tie the game at 2-2 on a glorious effort, but Vancouver won a challenge for offside. 

The Islanders scored two unanswered goals in the second period to enter the third period up 3-2. 

First, it was Duclair scoring his second goal of the game, this time on the power play from the bumper spot off a nice feed from Ritchie at 14:34 of the second:

Ritchie to Duclair for a PPG🚨is becoming a thing. #Isles
pic.twitter.com/wtg5mpVdJp

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) January 20, 2026

Then, it was Schaefer feeding Ryan Pulock, who beat Lankinen blocker side at x to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead:

Ryan Pulock 🎯
Matthew Schaefer 21 assists #Isles lead 3-2 pic.twitter.com/V9LjRFD3b6

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) January 20, 2026

Schaefer notched his second straight multi-point game and seventh multi-point game of the season. 

Tsyplakov sat for 11:15 in that second period. 

The Islanders had a chance to double their lead with a 5-on-3 power play early in the third, but the Canucks killed it off. 

DeAngelo got the Islanders that critical two-goal lead. After Anders Lee peeled to the front of the net, his shot banked off Lankinen and went right toward DeAngelo, who buried the rebound at 10:15 of the third:

Tony D gives the #Isles some breathing room late in the third. pic.twitter.com/M9IUSo8ArZ

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) January 20, 2026

The Canucks got one back with 1:51 to play in the third with Lankinen on the bench. 

O'Connor scored his second of the game, deflecting a Filip Hronek shot from atop the crease to make it 4-3. 

The Islanders held on to get the win. 

UP NEXT: The Islanders battle the Seattle Kraken at 10 PM ET on Thursday.