After losing five games in a row earlier this month, the Montreal Canadiens are now on a three-game winning streak after surprising the Vegas Golden Knights on the road. With Jakub Dobes having backstopped the Habs to their last two wins, all eyes were on Samuel Montembeault to see how he would respond.

Given the tall task awaiting the Tricolore in Colorado, winning this game was pivotal for Montreal, which was trying to get back into the playoff picture. When the final buzzer rang at the T-Mobile Arena, Canadiens fans could be heard singing the traditional “Ole, Ole, Ole”.

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A Statement Game From Montembeault

While the Canadiens’ number one has struggled since the start of the season, his performance in this challenging test was impressive. He stopped all but one of the 31 shots he received, and the one goal he gave wasn’t a bad one. Mark Stone was left all alone in front of the net, a recipe for disaster.

Throughout the game, the masked man looked comfortable, and his positioning was sound. All too often lately, he was finding himself deported to one side and couldn’t do much when the shots were coming. On Friday afternoon, though, he looked in control and didn’t overplay any shot.

The one-on-one work done with the goalie coach of late finally paid off, and he ended the game with a .968 save percentage. One can almost wonder if perhaps the pressure of the possibility of making Team Canada for the Olympics might have been on his mind since the start of the season. At this stage, his chances to make it are slim to none, and he certainly looked more loose in the net. Of course, this is only one game, but if it’s a sign of things to come, it’s a good omen.

An Interesting Top Six

While some were quick to criticize the Canadiens’ newly formed top six, any line adjustment needs some time to take, so to speak. This game was the fifth in which Zachary Bolduc was skating alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. At the same time, Juraj Slafkovsky played with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, and both lines created opportunities.

For a second game in a row, Bolduc had a multi-point game with a goal and an assist after putting up a goal and two assists against the Utah Mammoth. With an assist on Bolduc’s goal, Caufield extended his point streak to six games. Furthermore, he scored a goal from a very tight angle, near the goal line, a spot around which he has spent some time with Martin St-Louis lately; clearly, the private tutelage paid off.

As for Slafkovsky, he was directly responsible for Bolduc’s goal, which was scored on a deferred penalty call. With 11 skaters on the ice, the big Slovak still found a way to send a fantastic cross-zone pass to Bolduc, who didn’t need much effort to bury the goal. Oftentimes this season, the former first-overall pick at the 2022 draft has turned the puck over by attempting those kinds of passes; the difference is that on Friday, he took his time to do it, and he didn’t try a Hail Mary no-look pass. As St-Louis likes to say, he was more calculated. The empty net goal he scored was a much-deserved reward.

As for Demidov and Kapanen, they were kept off the scoresheet, but the Finn had quite a few choice opportunities; he couldn’t bury them. Akira Schmid just had his number tonight.

About The Newcomer

Recently signed free-agent Alexandre Texier played his first game with the Bleu, Blanc, Rouge and grabbed an assist for his trouble, sending Jake Evans off on a breakaway. Skating alongside Evans and Josh Anderson, he had a solid game.

He spent 13:41 on the ice, had one shot on goal and one hit. The coach was satisfied with his game, saying he had made good reads and good plays on the ice.

The Canadiens are now heading to Denver, where they’ll take on the Colorado Avalanche at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday. Against all odds, Montreal will be attempting to grab six points out of a possible six on this western road trip.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Trevor Zegras scored in regulation and during the shootout, Travis Konecny also had a goal in the shootout, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 4–3 on Friday.

Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier also scored in regulation for Philadelphia, which took a 3-0 lead less than two minutes into the second period. Samuel Ersson finished with 28 saves as the Flyers won for the fourth time in their last five games.

Rookie Matthew Schaefer had a goal and an assist, and Emil Heineman and Anders Lee also scored for New York, which lost for the third time in its last four games. David Rittich made 18 saves.

Schaefer became the first teenage defenseman in NHL history to score eight goals through his first 25 career games, breaking a tie with Bobby Orr when he scored 8:11 into the second.

The Islanders erased the three-goal deficit with a second-period scoring burst. Lee capped the barrage, tying the game on a power play in the final minute of the period. It was New York’s first man-advantage goal in its last 30 opportunities.

Kyle Palmieri appeared to injure his left knee but stole the puck from Emil Andrae to set up the Islanders’ first goal. Heineman then buried a wrist shot at 5:42 of the second to cut the Flyers’ lead to 3–1. Palmieri did not return.

The 24-year-old Heineman set a career high with 10 goals.

Foerster and Couturier both scored off Islanders turnovers 22 seconds apart midway through the first period.

Zegras’ shot deflected off Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock on a power play 1:55 into the second to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 3-0.

Up Next

Flyers: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday to end a four-game road trip.

Islanders: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

The New York Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins by a 6-2 final score on Nov. 28. Former Chicago Blackhawks star Artemi Panarin was a significant reason for the Rangers' win, as he put together a big game for the Blueshirts.

Panarin impressed in a major way against the Bruins, as the former Blackhawks forward scored a goal and recorded three assists in New York's win. This included him scoring the Rangers' game-opening goal and recording the primary assist on Mika Zibanejad's eventual game-winning goal. 

This is just the latest strong game from Panarin, as he has been on fire as of late for the Rangers. Over his last 12 games with the Rangers, the former Blackhawks forward has recorded six goals and 19 points. This includes him recording six points over his last two games alone.

Due to his strong stretch of play, Panarin has now recorded eight goals, 18 assists, and 26 points in 26 games with the Rangers this season. With this, the veteran winger has certainly bounced back from his slow start to the year. 

Panarin kicked off his NHL career with the Blackhawks during the 2015-16 season. In 162 games over two seasons with the Blackhawks, he posted 61 goals, 90 assists, 151 points, and a plus-26 rating. 

For the ninth time this season, the Vancouver Canucks’ penalty kill surrendered two goals against in a single game in the team’s 3–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson were the two Canucks to find the scoresheet, while ex-Canuck Adam Gaudette netted a pivotal goal for the Sharks. Nikita Tolopilo started in his second-straight NHL game, playing in his fourth game at both the NHL and AHL level since last Friday. Today, he stopped 21 of 24 shots against. 

Boeser and Conor Garland found success in Vancouver’s last game by providing the team with a decent helping of offence as well as a little defence (though there wasn’t much of the latter in that game). Their offensive jump continued today, with Boeser firing the game’s opening goal past a sea of Sharks after some prolonged O-zone cycle time. 

Vancouver’s power play, which has done excellent work by scoring 10 times in the past eight games, received eight-ish opportunities today (a couple of penalties went past regulation) but did not end up scoring on any of them. Though some of their opportunities were rife with possession time and stable set-up, Vancouver did not generate many quality shots that would give Yaroslav Askarov much difficulty. By the end of the game, the Canucks managed eight shots on Askarov while on the man-advantage. 

One of the most impressive parts of the game for the Canucks was a stunning goal by Pettersson, who had put together a 10-point effort in the past seven games played prior to tonight. The forward’s hand-eye coordination was on full display as he batted himself an errant puck along the boards before turning around, waiting for Askarov to bite, and sliding the puck along the unprotected side of the Sharks’ net. This goal put him in sole possession of seventh in points scored as a Canuck (479) in franchise history. 

Penalties for both the Canucks and Sharks were a big part of today’s game, as both teams took 19 combined throughout the match. After a decent Wednesday game that saw them kill five of six penalties taken, the Canucks’ penalty kill allowed another two goals against, once again in part due to some disorganization in on-ice coverage. Surprisingly enough, Quinn Hughes took two of the Canucks’ eight total penalties taken today — one for interference and one for what’s been defined as unsportsmanlike conduct. 

This isn’t the end of the story for the penalty kill today, however. Initially, the Sharks looked like they very nearly scored on Vancouver’s third penalty, but no goal was called and Marcus Pettersson was called for tripping on the play, giving San Jose a 5-on-3 advantage for over a minute. While on this penalty kill, center Pettersson managed to produce a fair scoring chance against Askarov and two Sharks, though the opportunity didn’t convert. From there, the Sharks scored twice, with the second goal coming after a review that deduced the puck had crossed the goal line despite it being in Tolopilo’s glove. 

Three more penalties were called with only a couple of seconds left in the third period after a scrum broke out along the boards in San Jose’s zone. After looking at the scrum, the referees ruled that the faceoff would take place in the Sharks’ zone as Hughes was the lone player to not involve himself in the tussle. Despite looking like they may try to pull off a final bid at a goal with a 6-on-3 advantage and 1.9 seconds remaining, Vancouver did not gain possession in time and ultimately dropped the game.  

Had the Canucks converted on at least one of their power plays, or killed another one of their penalties, the result would have been much different. Unfortunately, it was Vancouver’s special teams that made the difference today, ultimately handing them their first loss of the road trip. 

Stats and Facts: 

• Elias Pettersson passes Pavel Bure (478) for seventh in Canucks history in career points with 479
• Brock Boeser takes sole possession of 10th in franchise history in points (450) 
• Canucks surrender two power play goals against in a game for the ninth time this season 
• Evander Kane records his 300th career NHL assist

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

4:28 - VAN: Brock Boeser (9) from Conor Garland and Tom Willander 

9:25 - SJS: Will Smith (8) from Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini (PPG) 

2nd Period: 

3:04 - VAN: Elias Pettersson (8) from Evander Kane and Filip Hronek 

14:03 - SJS: William Eklund (6) from Macklin Celebrini and John Klingberg (PPG) 

15:17 - SJS: Adam Gaudette (6) from Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Toffoli 

3rd Period: 

No scoring. 

Up Next: 

The Canucks will complete the third part of this road trip’s California leg tomorrow, taking on the Los Angeles Kings for the first time this season. With Tolopilo getting the start for Vancouver tonight, it’s likely that Jiří Patera starts tomorrow. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jake Allen stopped 42 shots for his 29th career shutout and Arseny Gritsyuk scored twice in the New Jersey Devils’ 5-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

Nico Hischier, Brenden Dillon and Paul Cotter also scored, and the Metropolitan Division-leading Devils snapped a three-game road skid.

The shutout was Allen’s first since a 34-save outing in a 4-0 win at Montreal on Feb. 8. And the 35-year-old goalie improved to 8-4 this season while bouncing back from allowing six goals on 35 shots in a 6-3 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 22.

The Sabres were shut out for the third time this season. Alex Lyon stopped 18 shots in his first appearance since being yanked after allowing two goals on three shots in an eventual 6-3 loss at Colorado on Nov. 13.

Hischier opened the scoring 12:07 into the first period. Timo Meier’s pass from behind Buffalo’s net hit Sabres forward Alex Tuch, and the puck flipped into the air before landing in the crease, where Hischier tapped it in for his fifth goal and ninth point in four outings.

Gritsyuk scored 7:45 into the second period by converting Dawson Mercer’s pass from behind Buffalo’s net. Dillon and Cotter, with a breakaway goal, sealed the win by scoring less than four minutes apart in the third period.

The game opened with Buffalo forward Tage Thompson seeking to settle any lingering differences he had with Stefan Noesen by engaging the Devils forward in a 30-second fight. They squared off during a faceoff 2 1/2 minutes in their first meeting since Noesen leveled Thompson with an elbow to the head in February.

Both received five-minute fighting majors.

Up next

Devils: Return home, where they’re 9-0-1, to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

Sabres: Travel to play the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

The Florida Panthers continued their season-long six-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against the Calgary Flames.

Despite coming in with a poor record, Calgary earned their fourth win in five games by defeating the Panthers 5-3 at Amerant Bank Arena.

Interestingly, it was Florida that got the scoring started, and they did it less than a minute into the game.

After Jesper Boqvist denied a Calgary zone exit, Sam Reinhart swept the loose puck back down toward the Flames’ net.

The puck went straight to Evan Rodrigues, and he quickly deposited a shot behind Evan Cooley to give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead just 54 seconds in.

Exactly 2:04 later, Florida doubled their lead on a play that came directly off a neutral zone turnover forced by Carter Verhaeghe.

A.J. Greer brought the puck into Calgary’s zone on an odd-man rush, quickly feeding Sam Bennett for a shot that Cooley couldn’t catch up with, and just like that it was 2-0 Panthers.

It didn’t take long for the Flames to answer back.

A long wrist shot by Yan Kuznetsov fooled Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov and cut Florida’s lead in half at the 5:35 mark. The goal was also Kuznetsov’s first in the NHL.

Another long shot by a Flames blueliner would tie the game up midway through the period.

Former Panther MacKenzie Weegar wound up and took a big slapshot after taking a few steps in from the blue line, and while Tarasov got a piece of the shot with his blocker, it wasn’t enough to keep the puck out of the net.

Calgary added a pair of goals during the second period off the sticks of Morgan Frost and Nazem Kadri to send Florida into the final frame trailing by two.

That’s how the score would remain until around the 12-minute mark of the third period.

With Florida flying into the Flames end, Reinhart found Brad Marchand entering the zone and the veteran’s wrist shot beat Cooley’s glove and brought the Cats to within one.

They wouldn’t get any closer.

An empty-net goal by Joel Farabee cemented Florida’s second straight loss.

On to the Maple Leafs.

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Photo caption: Nov 28, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Calgary Flames defenseman Yan Kuznetsov (37) celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

It's the first time the Colorado Avalanche will face off against the Minnesota Wild this season. The Wild are coming into this game on a six-game winning streak with the help of their own star goaltender, Jesper Wallstedt. The Avalanche were able to come back from a 2-1 lead to force extra time, but it wasn’t enough as the shootouts still haunt the Avalanche, and they fall 3-2.

Period 1:

An early showing of the period suggests how the rest of the period, if not the game, could go. Fast, physical, both teams/goaltenders will need to do everything they can to beat their opponent. Sam Malinski is called for roughing, but the Avalanche manages to kill it off. The Avalanche gets a power play of their own when Zeev Buium is called for hooking, but can't convert on the opportunity.

It's Nathan MacKinnon who buries home a loose puck that crosses Jesper Wallstedt's crease. Artturi Lehkonen does a great job setting up the play, as he won a difficult puck battle in the corner to free the puck, and MacKinnon was able to bury the free rebound. With that goal, MacKinnon passes Milan Hejduk for most goals scored against the Minnesota Wild in franchise history.

Period 2:

The first ten minutes of the period were a show that the Wild were not going to give up so easily, and put the pressure on the Avalanche hard. The pressure finally broke through as Buium's shot from the left wing bounced off Kirill Kaprizov’s skate and into Scott Wedgewood's five-hole, tying the game up 1-1. Scary moment when Cale Makar gets hit hard by former teammate Yakov Trenin into the boards and is in a bit of pain getting up. However, he would be fine as he took a shift off but was right back into the action.

97 breakin' the streak pic.twitter.com/zilPLo7Yiv

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 28, 2025

It’s Kaprizov to get the Wild the lead when he comes racing into the offensive zone, and Ryan Hartman finds him and rips a wrist shot top shelf past Wedgewood to take the lead, 2-1. The Wild outshot the Avalanche 17-10 in the second period, and it showed, with the Avalanche doing a lot of chasing in their own end of the ice as the Wild were able to set up multiple times. Cycling the puck well and able to stay in the offensive zone numerous times throughout the period.

Period 3:

The Avalanche came out as they did in the first period, with even more intensity, to tie the game up. Though they are running into one major problem: the play of Wallstedt and how well he has been stopping pretty much everything they throw at him. It's Captain Gabriel Landeskog who refuses to give up the play after being high-sticked in the face, as he buries MacKinnon's shot for the rebound to tie the game, 2-2.

THAT'S OUR CAPTAIN 🫡 pic.twitter.com/5jGe1hFPv7

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 28, 2025

The Avalanche outshot the Wild 14-8 in the period as they tried to push for the win, but were unsuccessful, and the game heads to overtime.

Overtime/Shootout:

It was a pretty uneventful overtime, as both teams played keep-away with the puck until they found the perfect shot or tired out their opponent. The Avalanche outshot the Wild 3-0 in the period, but nothing was particularly dangerous so this game will need a shootout.

Martin Necas and Mats Zuccarello went first for their team and were successful. Both MacKinnon and Kaprizov were denied in the second round. Matt Boldy to start the third round, and Makar misses on his chance, so the Wild win 3-2. 

The Avalanche are back in action tomorrow, November 29th, against the Montreal Canadiens at home, wearing their throwback Quebec Nordiques jersey.

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From Notice to Praise: Bednar Raves About Blackwood’s Stellar PlayJared Bednar now has two goaltenders playing at the top of their game.

New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri left Friday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers with a lower-body injury. 

Palmieri went down with over five minutes played in the second period. He was racing to the left wing corner with Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim. After Sanheim went to the ice, Palmieri fell onto the ice back-first, before getting up and skating over to the Islanders' bench mid-play. 

Before leaving the ice, Palmieri stripped Flyers' defenseman Emil Adrae, leading to the Islanders' first goal of the night: 

The hardest earned assist in Kyle Palmieri’s career. Hope he’s ok.
pic.twitter.com/TvYbN9rEVY

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 28, 2025

This story will be updated following the game. 

The New York Rangers came away with a 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Friday afternoon. 

Despite a win in Carolina on Wednesday night, Mike Sullivan made a slight change to the offensive lines, putting J.T. Miller with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière, while placing Will Cuylle on a line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. 

Cuylle seemed to thrive on his new line, forcing a turnover early in the first period, which led to a 2-on-1 chance in which he found Panarin for a goal. 

On the Rangers’ second goal of the first period, Cuylle’s nifty play to keep possession in the offensive zone and get the puck to Vincent Trocheck developed into a Carson Soucy goal. 

Through the first 20 minutes of the contest, the Rangers dominated the pace of play. A large part of that was due to the aggressive forechecking from New York’s forwards. 

The Blueshirts’ relentless forechecking allowed for them to generate multiple high-quality scoring chances through the turnovers they were creating. 

The Bruins provided some pushback to start the opening frame, but momentum quickly shifted back into the Rangers’ favor after they were awarded two consecutive power plays, including a four-minute double minor. 

New York cashed in with two power-play goals from Mika Zibanejad to take a commanding 4-0 lead. 

The power play was clicking on all cylinders, led by the first unit consisting of Adam Fox, Zibanejad, Panarin, Miller, and Trocheck.

“The power play, obviously, was the difference maker in the game,” Mike Sullivan emphasized. 

It was in the third period, up 4-0, when the Rangers began to take their foot off of the gas and let the Bruins creep back into the game with two quick goals. 

While the Rangers managed to hold off the Bruins’ attempted comeback, Sullivan still feels it’s imperative moving forward to remain aggressive even when the team is attempting to maintain a lead. 

Rangers Recall Scott Morrow With Will Borgen Still On Injured Reserve The New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> have recalled Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, while sending Connor Mackey back down to the AHL.&nbsp;

“When you get a four-goal lead heading into the third period, you are guarding against human nature,” said Sullivan. “You want to exhale, but you can’t in today’s game. I just think it's so important that you continue to keep your foot on the gas. Continue to play the game that has brought you success.” 

Any time the Bruins did seize momentum, the Rangers adapted and were able to take control back, which is a sign of a well coached unit that is able to manage the ebbs and flows of a game. 

Panarin also had a notable performance, recording four points on the day. His offensive game has begun to come alive as of late, and that’s no surprise to Sullivan. 

“He has game-breaking ability with his playmaking. Once again, it was on display tonight. He was dynamic,” Sullivan said of Panarim. “Just his ability to create time and space for himself. He uses the width of the rink really well to create just this amount of separation that he needs to make that next play. He has such great vision. He sees the play away from the puck so well. He's one step ahead of everybody on the ice.”

Early on in the season, the Rangers’ top forwards were struggling to produce offense. That has not been the case through the team’s most recent stretch. 

Over the past five games:

Panarin: 6 points

Zibanejad: 6 points

Miller: 4 points 

Trocheck: 5 points

Cuylle: 3 points

Lafrenière: 2 points 

The Rangers’ offense operates effectively when their top-six forward core is producing, and after a slow start, they are beginning to score at a high level and build confidence. 

The Blueshirts have rattled off two road victories in a row. Maybe it hasn’t been perfect, but there are a lot of positives to take away from this Thanksgiving road trip.

Players are beginning to fully buy into Sullivan’s system and are growing accustomed to the way that he wants them to play. 

“I think our execution can continue to improve, just getting a little bit sharper with our puck possession game, but I think the guys are buying into the game that we’re trying to play as a team,” Sullivan said. “We're trying to continue to build our team game. It's essential to win in this league consistently. Obviously, we've gone into some pretty tough buildings. … I think the group is buying in.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar and defenseman Sam Rinzel have landed themselves some big praise. 

Nazar and Rinzel have both made The Hockey News' Top 100 Hockey Players 21-And-Under list. THN's Ryan Kennedy gave Nazar the No. 35 spot, while Rinzel picked up the No. 36 spot. 

Nazar making THN's list is not surprising in the slightest, as the 21-year-old forward has been continuing to improve as he gains more experience. In 21 games so far this season with the Blackhawks, the young forward has recorded five goals, 10 assists, 15 points, and an even plus/minus rating. This is after he posted 12 goals, 14 assists, and 26 points in 53 games for the Blackhawks during his rookie year. 

Rinzel, on the other hand, is well on his way to becoming a very good NHL defenseman. The 21-year-old blueliner has played in 22 games this season with the Blackhawks, where he has recorded one goal, six assists, seven points, and a plus-2 rating. He also had five assists in nine games for Chicago this past season. 

Both Nazar and Rinzel have the potential to blossom into very impactful NHL players and are already impressing early on. Due to this, them making THN's list is entirely justifiable. 

With the ninth-overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Buffalo Sabres selected defenseman Radim Mrtka. With the Sabres needing help on the right side of their blueline, they are hoping that the 6-foot-6 defender will be a big part of their roster in the future. 

With Mrtka having high potential, he has now landed a spot on The Hockey News' Top 100 Hockey Players 21-And-Under list. THN's Ryan Kennedy gave Mrtka the No. 37 spot on the rankings. 

Mrtka is showing off his potential this season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In 10 games with the WHL squad so far this campaign, he recorded one goal, 11 assists, 12 points, and a plus-4 rating. This was after he posted three goals, 35 points, and a plus-10 rating in 43 games with the Thunderbirds back in 2024-25. 

Mrtka also played in four games this season with the Rochester Americans, where he recorded one assist, seven penalty minutes, and an even plus/minus rating.

Overall, there is a lot to like about Mrtka, so it is understandable that he has made this list. It will be fascinating to see how he continues to grow his game from here. 

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It's not easy to score three goals on Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy during a game, but it's what the Detroit Red Wings managed to do on Saturday afternoon.

The only problem was that once again, they weren't able to keep the puck out of their own net. 

Multiple defensive turnovers spelled defeat for the Red Wings, as they dropped a 6-3 final score at Little Caesars Arena for their third consecutive regulation defeat. 

Perhaps even more worrying is the fact that it was the fourth time in the last five games that the Red Wings have allowed at least four goals. 

While head coach Todd McLellan has repeatedly spoken of essentials like mental fortitude, team captain Dylan Larkin acknowledged that the club is a bit brittle right now. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

"Even when we were winning games, we were down a goal or two early and right now, we're just a little fragile and mistakes seem to be compounding," Larkin said. "We're finding ourselves down early in games and that's the way it's going right now. There's a blueprint in how we play well and you saw it parts (Friday) but in this league against a team like that, you have to be ready all 60 (minutes) and show what you are made of all those 60."

Among the mistakes in Detroit's end was a misplay on the puck by young defenseman Albert Johansson as he was stripped of the puck from behind by Gage Goncalves, who scored Tampa's second goal a moment later. 

Rookie Nate Danielson inadvertently sent the puck right into his own crease from the slot after getting his stick on a Tampa pass attempt, setting up the first of what would be two goals from Yanni Gourde on the afternoon. 

Finally, Moritz Seider misplayed the puck behind his own net during the third period, leading directly to Jake Guentzel's deflection goal seconds later that put the game out of reach. 

The Red Wings have shown at various points this season that they're capable of putting together consistent, 60 minute efforts. A prime example of it was their victory earlier on Nov. 16 over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, arguably their most complete defensive performance of the campaign. 

Conversely, the Red Wings have also strayed away from what has made them successful at various points, with their recent losses to the NHL-worst Nashville Predators and on Saturday against Tampa Bay being prime examples. 

J.T. Compher, who scored the game’s opening goal, said that although younger players’ fear of making a mistake can sometimes cause exactly that, good players and teams find ways to stay consistent regardless of how long they’ve been in the NHL.

"You're going to learn in this League a bunch of different ways. Even guys that aren't in their first year, it could be their third, fourth, sixth, seventh years. It's a battle to be consistent in this League, and the good players do it, the good teams do it." 

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Former Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno is going to be missing some time.

The Minnesota Wild have announced that they have placed Foligno on injured reserve. In addition, the Wild shared that the former Sabres forward will be out week-to-week due to a lower-body injury. 

This is certainly tough news for Foligno, especially when noting that the 34-year-old forward has been looking to bounce back from a tough start to the season. In 23 games so far this campaign with the Wild, the former Sabre has posted zero goals, two assists, and a minus-10 rating. This is after he recorded 14 goals, 15 assists, 29 points, and a plus-7 rating in 77 games with the Wild this past season.

Foligno kicked off his NHL career with the Sabres after being selected by them with the 104th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 347 games over six seasons with the Sabres from 2011-12 to 2016-17, the 6-foot-3 forward posted 49 goals, 67 assists, 116 points, 334 penalty minutes, and 1,023 hits. 

Foligno's time with the Sabres ended when he was traded to the Wild during the 2017 NHL off-season. 

We're already getting to some very exciting NHL players and prospects as the online countdown of The Hockey News' top 100 hockey players aged 21-and-under continues.

The Hockey News' Prospects Unlimited issue's annual ranking of hockey's youngest talent is compiled by Ryan Kennedy, and while he uses our Future Watch rankings as a resource, this is a completely independent compilation.

Future Watch is based on a survey of NHL scouts, while the PU Top 100 is cobbled together by Kennedy based on his projections of what the players will be once they hit their primes.

Since different positions have different prime years, take that to mean we are projecting how good these forwards will be when they are 23 or 24 years old, the defensemen when they are 24 or 25 and the goalies when they are 25 or 26.

The birth year cutoff for this year’s list is 2004. Ages noted are as of Oct. 1.

As we share the top 100 list on TheHockeyNews.com, you can see the full list with player bios and draft information for each of them right now by being a subscriber to The Hockey News and accessing the Archive or by opening the magazine if you've already received it in your mailbox.

Catch up on the players ranked 41st to 60th, 61st to 80th and 81st to 100th. Here are the next 20.  

40. Ryan Lin, D, 17 years old, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
NHL Draft: 2026

39. Cole Hutson, D, 19, Washington Capitals
Boston Univ. (HE)

38. Ryan Roobroeck, LW, 16, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
NHL Draft: 2026

37. Radim Mrtka, D, 18, Buffalo Sabres
Seattle (WHL)

36. Sam Rinzel, D, 21, Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago (NHL)

35. Frank Nazar, C, 21, Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago (NHL)

34. Cayden Lindstrom, C, 19, Columbus Blue Jackets
Michigan State (Big Ten)

33. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, 20, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit (NHL)

32. Jake O'Brien, C, 18, Seattle Kraken
Brantford (WHL)

31. Roger McQueen, C, 18, Anaheim Ducks
Providence College (HE)

30. Cutter Gauthier, LW, 21, Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim (NHL)

29. Caleb Desnoyers, C, 18, Utah Mammoth
Moncton (QMJHL)

28. Michael Hrabal, G, 20, Utah Mammoth
UMass (HE)

27. Ethan Belchetz, LW, 17, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
NHL Draft: 2026

26. Brady Martin, C, 18, Nashville Predators
Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

25. Will Smith, C, 20, San Jose Sharks
San Jose (NHL)

24. Ryan Leonard, RW, 20, Washington Capitals
Washington (NHL)

23. Carter George, G, 19, Los Angeles Kings
Owen Sound (OHL)

22. Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, 21, St. Louis Blues
St. Louis (NHL)

21. Sam Dickinson, D, 19, San Jose Sharks
San Jose (NHL)

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The Detroit Red Wings said all the right things after their regulation loss to the NHL-worst Nashville Predators on Wednesday evening. 

However, the same kind of defensive miscues that hurt them during that setback were once again at the forefront of Friday afternoon's tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The Lightning took advantage of multiple giveaways by the Red Wings and made life hard for goaltender John Gibson, who allowed five goals as part of their 6-3 loss at Little Caesars Arena. 

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It was also the fourth time in the last five games that Detroit has allowed at least four goals against. With the loss, the Red Wings, who briefly were the top team in the Atlantic Division earlier this month, fell to 13-11-1 and are now in a fifth-place tie in the division standings.

Detroit found the back of the net first in the opening 20 minutes of play after J.T. Compher beat goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky with a quick blocker-side shot from the face-off circle. 

But the Lightning knotted the score later in the frame after a blast from the point by defenseman Darren Raddysh beat Gibson through the five-hole. 

Gibson’s five-hole was exposed in the opening seconds of the second period when Gage Goncalves stripped the puck from Albert Johansson near the top of the slot and snapped a shot through his pads.

Less than three minutes later, another Detroit defensive miscue set up the first of Yanni Gourde’s two goals on the afternoon. Gourde had multiple whacks at the puck during a goal-mouth scramble before he got the last one to successfully go in. 

Detroit gained some life after Michael Rasmussen poked a loose puck past Vasilevsky a moment after Compher's shot rang off the post, but Gourde capitalized by firing the puck past Gibson, who wasn't properly set after Nate Danielson inadvertently knocked Tampa's Zemgus Girgensons into him. 

A quick shot through the five-hole of Vasilevsky by Dylan Larkin late in the period cut the deficit to one, but Tampa would once again take advantage of a defensive miscue by a Red Wings defenseman to restore their two-goal bulge. 

Jake Guentzel's deflection goal at 12:37 of the third period following a turnover by Moritz Seider effectively put the game out of reach; the Lightning then added insult to injury with an empty-net tally from Brandon Hagel at 17:13.

The goals-against average and save percentage of Gibson, which were both already at pedestrian levels coming into today's game, weren't helped after he allowed five goals on 27 shots. Meanwhile, Vasilevskiy picked up the win by making 33 saves.

The Red Wings will now travel to Boston for the first of two straight matchups against the Bruins, who will be in Detroit on Dec. 2. 

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