Colton, who was listed as day-to-day yesterday (Jan 15) with an upper-body injury, was a game-time decision per head coach Jared Bednar during their morning skate, as he was the only player absent.
Though his availability was put into question, no one from the Colorado Eagles was initially called up, suggesting his status for tonight's game was super serious or that they really wanted to see if Colton could play and make a last-minute decision to call someone up.
The Avalanche had already had to call up a number of players from the Eagles, with numerous forwards currently injured. Ivan Ivan and Zahkar Bardakov, in place of Joel Kiviranta and Gabriel Landeskog, who are presently out week-to-week.
Most importantly, Blackwood is being activated from Injury Reserve and starting tonight, marking his first game since New Year's Eve against the St. Louis Blues, when he stopped 12 of 13 shots faced, helping them to a 6-1 victory. This is another boost for the Avalanche as they will now have their full goaltending tandem available, also known as the "Lumberyard."
Though Trent Miner, who was called up to help relieve Scott Wedgewood during his absence, showed an outstanding performance that should not only show confidence in the organziation but with the fans that if there would happen to be another injury to one of the goalies, Miner showed that despite the level of this team playing infront of him, he made some big plays either keeping the Avalanche in the lead to helping them stay within distance to tie the game and earn a point.
Mackenzie Blackwood morning skate practice
In the two games he played, he helped earn his first career win and shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets (Jan 10) and helped earn a point against the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime (Jan 12). The Avalanche play 10 more games before the Olympic break, six at home and four on the road.
The New York Rangers, less than two years removed from being the league's best regular-season team, are calling for a "retool."
General manager Chris Drury sent out a message to fans on Jan. 16 with the struggling Rangers sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference.
"With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation," he wrote. "We are not going to stand pat - a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects.
"We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family."
The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2023-24. They missed the playoffs last season, leading to a coaching change to Mike Sullivan.
But fortunes haven't changed. They have lost five in a row, starting in a game in which star goaltender Igor Shesterkin was hurt. In the four games since, they have given up 27 goals. Defenseman Adam Fox is also out with an injury.
According to puckpedia.com, the Rangers have a little more than $3,000 in cap space available.
Artemi Panarin is in the final year of his contract and would fetch prospects and picks if dealt. He has an $11.6 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause that the Rangers would need to get him to waive. The Athletic reported that Panarin was told his contract wouldn't be extended.
Many of their other veterans are locked in long-term, including Fox and Vincent Trocheck (2029), J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad (2030) and Shesterkin (2033).
"You will begin to see some of our plans come to light in the coming weeks and months," Drury wrote.
The NHL trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on March 6.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes acquired minor league defenseman Kyle Masters and a fourth-round pick this year from the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round selection in 2027.
The teams made the move on Friday.
San Jose dealt Masters to clear a contract, allowing rookie Michael Misa to continue playing for the Sharks. Misa needed to be added to the roster to play in a 10th game and the Sharks had been at the limit of 50 contracts before the trade.
The 22-year-old Masters, who has not played in the NHL, was drafted in the fourth round by the Minnesota Wild in 2021. He has 35 career points in 69 games in the East Coast Hockey League and six points in 35 American Hockey League Games.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim Ducks have acquired forward Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins in a trade for a fourth-round draft pick.
The Bruins will get either Detroit's pick or Philadelphia's pick — whichever is better — in the fourth round of the upcoming draft in the deal announced Friday.
Viel is scoreless with 30 penalty minutes in 10 games this season for Boston, and he hasn't scored an NHL point since the 2021-22 season with San Jose.
The physical forward has spent most of his professional career in the AHL, but has five points and 183 penalty minutes in 64 career NHL games with the Bruins and Sharks. He scored 40 points for the Winnipeg Jets' AHL affiliate in the 2023-24 season.
The Ducks already have physical forward Ross Johnson on their roster. The veteran leads Anaheim with 83 penalty minutes while also scoring a career-high 12 points in 44 games.
The Buffalo Sabres are continuing to impress as the season rolls on and are setting themselves up to be buyers in the process.
With the Sabres looking to break their 14-year post-season drought, they should not be afraid to make some additions near the deadline if they remain in the playoff race. One specific need they should address is the right side of their defense.
When looking at potential trade candidates around the NHL, one player who could be a nice addition to a Sabres club on the rise is Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas.
After starting the season on fire, the Anaheim Ducks have fallen back down to Earth. The Ducks have won only one out of their last 10 games and are now sixth in the Pacific Division standings. If they continue to struggle as the season rolls on and are out of a playoff spot closer to the deadline, Gudas could be a trade candidate to watch.
Gudas is currently in the final year of his contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA). Thus, if the Ducks find themselves out of the playoff race near the deadline, Gudas would be a prime rental candidate. With the Sabres needing another right-shot defenseman and veteran, he could be a great fit on Buffalo's roster.
If the Sabres brought in Gudas, he would give them a hard-nosed defenseman who is known for his leadership and has a good amount of playoff experience. With this, he could be a nice depth pickup for a Sabres club looking to take that next step.
In 33 games this season with the Ducks, Gudas has recorded one goal, nine points, 22 penalty minutes, 58 blocks, and 116 hits.
Florida Panthers center Cole Schwindt will return to the lineup tonight after missing 26 games with a broken arm.
Prior to sustaining the injury, Schwindt had played 10 games in a Panthers uniform, scoring twice. The Panthers claimed Schwindt off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights, about a year after the Golden Knights claimed Schwindt from the Calgary Flames.
The Panthers had initially drafted the 6-foot-3 right-handed center, but traded him to the Flames as part of the package that landed Matthew Tkachuk. The 24-year-old Schwindt has played 59 games in his NHL career, scoring three goals and 10 points.
Schwindt was seen skating on the fourth line, centering Jesper Boqvist on his left and Luke Kunin on his right. Exiting the lineup is Jack Studnicka, as Sandis Vilmanis will once again skate as the third line left winger next to Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich.
As the Panthers welcome back Schwindt, they’ll remain without Tkachuk and Brad Marchand. Tkachuk did skate today but did not partake in line rushes. His return seems imminent, but the Panthers have preached patience, and they won’t dress Tkachuk until he is 100 percent healthy.
Marchand, whose injury is considered day-to-day, remains out of the lineup and did not skate today at practice. He wore a non-contact jersey the last time the Panthers skated, but he was absent this time. His injury seems to be trending in the wrong direction at the moment.
The Panthers take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight in Raleigh, NC, at 7:00 p.m. EST at the Lenovo Center.
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Following the announcement that Adam Wilsby is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the Nashville Predators have recalled Andreas Englund from the Milwaukee Admirals.
Englund played 24 games up in Nashville last season, recording two points (two assists) and logging 36 penalty minutes. This season in Milwaukee, he has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 30 games and 44 penalty minutes.
The 6-feet-3-inch, 201-pound defenseman was drafted by the Ottawa Senators 40th overall in the 2014 draft.
He was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings after playing just 11 games during the 2024-25 season, producing just one goal. On Feb. 10, 2025, Englund was claimed by the Predators.
Englund will either take Wilsby's spot on the second pairing with Brady Skjei or move down to the third pairing with Justin Barron and Nick Blankenburg would move up.
The Predators kick off a quick two-game road trip on Friday, facing the Colorado Avalanche at 8 p.m. CST before traveling to Las Vegas to play the Golden Knights on Saturday at 9 p.m. CST.
The Ducks made a trade on Friday morning, acquiring forward Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. The Bruins will receive the better pick between the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.
Viel, 28, has appeared in 10 NHL games this season for the Bruins. He spent most of last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins.
Undrafted out of the QMJHL, Viel signed a two-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks in 2019. Playing the role of an agitating grinder, Viel spent two seasons in the AHL before getting NHL experience during the shortened 2020-21 season. He continued to split time between the NHL and AHL before spending the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate.
Viel’s sandpaper play style matches what head coach Joel Quenneville is looking for from his bottom-6 and also mirrors the style of play that general manager Pat Verbeek displayed during his playing days. A fourth line consisting of Viel, Ross Johnston and Ryan Poehling could prove to be an irritating combination for opponents.
With Nikita Nesterenko being assigned to AHL San Diego on Thursday, the Ducks had an open roster spot to accommodate Viel. Because the Bruins are at home on the East Coast, Viel is unlikely to play in either Friday or Saturday’s games against the Los Angeles Kings.
There are two kinds of losses in the NHL: losses that feel like one-off nights and losses that start to resemble patterns. The Philadelphia Flyers’ 6–3 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday leaned toward the latter.
Philadelphia showed stretches of the assertive, organized hockey that has carried it through much of the season, particularly in a dominant second period, but those moments were swallowed by recurring issues: slow starts, untimely penalties, and an inability to convert territorial control into scoreboard pressure.
The result was a fifth straight loss, and one that stings a little more coming against a bitter division rival that now leads the season series 2–1.
1. The Opening Act Sets the Tone—And the Tone Is Wrong.
Before most of the crowd had settled, the Flyers were already playing from behind. Pittsburgh scored twice in the first period with a directness that contrasted sharply with Philadelphia’s tentative puck play. The Penguins didn’t need elaborate sequences—just quick exits, clean entries, and a willingness to attack seams the Flyers left open through the middle.
This has, unfortunately, become a pattern in recent games. The Flyers' starts have grown cautious, almost procedural, as if the group is waiting for the game to reveal itself instead of seizing it. Defensemen retreated a half-beat too far, forwards arrived late on first touches, and breakouts lacked the crisp support options that contributed so crucially to the team's success earlier in the season. By the time the Flyers began to find their legs, they were already chasing a two-goal deficit against an opponent content to counterpunch.
The psychological tax of that dynamic is evident. Every shift becomes heavier when the margin for error has vanished before the game has truly begun.
2. Discipline as a Recurring Self-Inflicted Wound.
If the slow starts are the disease, penalties have been the accelerant. Philadelphia took a series of minors that felt avoidable and, worse, ill-timed. Each trip to the box functioned as a reset button for Pittsburgh, erasing the Flyers’ best sequences before they could mature into sustained pressure.
Against Tampa Bay earlier in the week, the Flyers were penalized 12 times. Thursday wasn’t quite that extreme, but the theme persisted: discipline eroding just as momentum appeared within reach.
It doesn't help that the Flyers' special teams are still leaving something to be desired. Their power play is currently sitting last in the NHL at just 15% effectiveness, and while their penalty kill is in a better position in 21st place at 77.8%, it hasn't shown the dominance it once did not all that long ago.
3. A Second Half That Promised Everything—and Delivered Too Little.
In the middle frame of this game, the Flyers started to look like themselves again.
Rodrigo Abols scored his third goal of the season—he’s now tied for second on the team with eight points since Dec. 20—and Matvei Michkov snapped his drought in the third period with his tenth, continuing his uncanny knack for producing against the Penguins (six points in seven career games).
Nick Seeler added his second of the year in the final frame, and Denver Barkey orchestrated sequences with the poise of a veteran, finishing with two assists.
But the Flyers kept conceding. One loose puck management decision became a rush against, one missed layer became a goal, and the air left the bench. It has happened too often in this skid: Philadelphia plays well enough to deserve a different scoreline, but not well enough to protect itself from a single lapse.
4. Goaltending Caught in the Crossfire.
Sam Ersson was pulled early in the second period, replaced by Aleksei Kolosov, who was called up in the absence of Dan Vladar, who left early in the game against Buffalo and is getting evaluated for an unspecified injury.
The move was not an indictment of Ersson alone; too many chances arrived uncontested, and too many cross-seam passes reached their target without resistance. Still, the change spoke to a growing unease.
Over the last five games, Flyers goaltenders have been asked to be crisis managers rather than backstops. Defensive layers that once arrived automatically are now inconsistent. When that happens repeatedly, even average chances begin to feel dangerous.
Kolosov provided some relief, but no matter who has been in net across these five games, Philadelphia has been leaking goals in bunches, and no goalie thrives in that climate.
Aleksei Kolosov (35). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
5. Barkey Shines, Which Is Both Hopeful and Telling.
Denver Barkey was the Flyers’ most compelling player, driving transition with speed and courage, picking up two assists and repeatedly arriving at the interior ahead of Pittsburgh defensemen.
It was also revealing. When a player fresh out of junior hockey is the engine in a rivalry game, it highlights how quiet some established voices have become. Michkov’s goal (assisted by Barkey), and his spirited response of dropping the gloves after Barkey absorbed a heavy hit, showed pride, but the broader attack remains disjointed—which is even more disappointing considering how much scoring they've enjoyed this season across all four lines.
Thursday night was not a blowout in spirit until the scoreboard made it one. Almost more frustratingly, it was a series of small failures stacked on top of one another.
Those habits have turned a manageable rough patch into a five-game slide in which opponents have piled on goals and forced Philadelphia into impossible scripts. The group that once prided itself on structure and steadiness now looks hurried and, at times, unsure of where the next answer will come from.
Losing to Pittsburgh always amplifies the sting, but the real concern is not the opponent—it is the repetition. Until the Flyers repair their starts, rediscover discipline, and convert their good minutes into safe leads, nights like this will continue to feel less like aberrations and more like warnings.
It's still January, so it would be unfair to say that the season is entirely lost, but what has been lost—at least for right now—is the advantageous position they held in the Metropolitan Division (they've slid from third to fifth), and what is in danger of slipping through their fingers is a comfortable shot at the postseason.
Catastrophizing and placing the brunt of the blame on any single player is unproductive in times like these. This is their first major losing streak, and their first significant test of self-evaluation and resiliency, under Rick Tocchet. Time will tell how they handle bouncing back from this rough patch because while the tide may be receding, the tsunami has not hit the Flyers' shores just yet.
For a while, no one was taking the opportunity and running with it as head coach Patrick Roy cycled his lines, hoping that someone would get in an offensive groove and take some pressure off Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, the latter of whom has missed six straight games and 11 of the last 14.
As of late, two players have risen to the occasion.
Forward Simon Holmstrom is playing the most confident brand of hockey we've seen from him at the NHL level, even more so than what we saw in his breakout campaign last season, where he scored 20 goals with 25 assists for 45 points.
While his slow start to the season might disallow him from reaching last season's point totals, his confidence with the puck on his stick has been impressive and, more importantly, consistent. He's driving plays. He's using that long reach and his 6'1, 208-pound frame to protect pucks, win battles, and find teammates.
Although he's been held pointless in the last two games, with no shots in their 1-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, he had four goals and one assist in the three games prior.
He scored the overtime winner against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night for the 4-3 dub:
The penalty kill, in which he plays a leading role, has killed off 8-of-10 on this road trip.
The other player who has really stepped up has been forward Anthony Duclair.
After what happened at the tail-end of last season and his struggles to start this season, you have to credit Duclair for buying in and doing the little things that help win hockey games. He found himself in a bottom-six role where he committed to the defensive side of the puck and even sat in the press box at times.
But a breakout game against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 6, a 9-0 win which saw him score a hat-trick, adding two assists for a five-point night, has him humming along, and Roy rewarded him with an opportunity to play on the top line with Barzal.
After going pointless in their 2-1 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators and in their 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild, Duclair has found the back of the net in each of the last two games.
He scored the lone goal in the Islanders' 1-0 shutout win against Edmonton, a power-play goal playing in the Horvat bumper spot:
This summer, when you looked at this team on paper, you thought that this was going to be the deepest offensive team Long Island has seen in quite a while.
However, we were just not seeing the depth scoring come through consistently. With injuries to Horvat and Palmieri, the Islanders had to rely heavily on defense, goaltending, and the penalty kill.
While those things have remained tremendously strong, backstopping the team in every win, the Islanders are starting to get some scoring from "the other guys," and that's beyond critical, especially once Horvat returns.
The Detroit Red Wings are becoming a regular mainstay when it comes to the NHL rumor mill with the team being involved in several trade rumors as well as being regularly named as a likely fit for certain players due to how advantageous a spot like the Red Wings is these days.
A renewed winning culture, a strong young core blending seamlessly with a solid group of veterans, and a pipeline of blue chip prospects that can either accelerate the rebuild or be used as valuable trade assets have positioned the Red Wings as a major topic of conversation around the league.
They have surfaced in even more trade discussions toward the end of the week, centering on a player recently made available by the Vancouver Canucks. Around the league, teams are closely monitoring whether the Canucks will move star center Elias Pettersson, as the former 102-point scorer has experienced a significant drop-off since his career-best season.
Pettersson was reportedly involved in a rumored conflict with former teammate J.T. Miller during their time in Vancouver, with the two said to have clashed frequently. Many believe it was Miller's unsatisfaction with Pettersson's play and his work ethic following signing his current large contract with a heavy $11.6 million cap hit for six more seasons after this one.
The team tried to resolve the issue by dealing Miller to the New York Rangers but still no resolution has been found in Pettersson's game as he's sitting with 29 points in 39 games this season with the Canucks sitting in last place in the NHL.
TSN's Chris Johnston spoke to the rumors of the Canucks open to trading Pettersson saying that many teams believe he just needs a fresh start elsewhere to find that 100-point player once again.
Everything started up with Pettersson trade rumors once again when The Province's Patrick Johnston spoke with Vancouver GM Jim Rutherford, who told the reporter “It’s our duty to take calls on everyone,” in a statement that echoed throughout the entire hockey media landscape.
This quote also builds off a report made by TSN’s Darren Dreger who said that the Canucks management team has been starting to look more into the idea of a complete rebuild and that they are "open for just about anything, and that might include finally trading Elias Pettersson."
Johnston finished off his talk on Pettersson by naming some teams that could be a fit for the Swedish center with the final team mentioned being the Red Wings.
There is a potential spot for Pettersson in the Motor City considering they could immediately put him in a favorable spot on the team's second line and have him play with star talents like Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, who could hopefully get a quick turnaround out of Pettersson. His contract would be a heavy one but the Red Wings would be able to work around it quite well compared to other teams.
Detroit’s most significant upcoming contract decision involves Simon Edvinsson, who is expected to land a deal comparable to St. Louis defenseman Philip Broberg. Broberg recently signed a six-year extension carrying an $8 million annual cap hit. Given their similar playing styles, it is reasonable to project a comparable contract for Edvinsson, though he is two years younger and could potentially command a seven-year term.
The Red Wings currently have more than $27.4 million in available cap space and could see even more flexibility next season, with several contracts set to expire. Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk may come off the books if they choose not to re-sign, while defensemen Travis Hamonic, Ben Chiarot, and Erik Gustafsson, along with goaltender Cam Talbot, are also scheduled to become free agents.
With so much available space, adding a second center with a heavy cap hit like Pettersson isn't the worst idea plus as the cap continues to grow the $11.6 million will take up less of the overall cap and will start to look like a bargain if they can turn Pettersson's game around.
It's a gamble for the Red Wings as they will likely need to sacrifice some meaningful assets, most likely Nate Danielson among others but if they want to possibly acclurate their chances at contending for a Stanley Cup, getting a stable second line center could be a great move.
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Winger Jagger Firkus and defenseman Tyson Jugnauth have been selected to represent the Coachella Valley Firebirds at the 2026 AHL All-Star Game.
Firkus is skating in his second AHL season, and he’s been the offensive force the Seattle Kraken predicted he would be when they selected him in the second round (35th overall) in the 2022 NHL draft. He had a strong rookie season, posting 15 goals and 36 points in 69 games, but the focus was on improving the other aspects of his game.
Now that he is honing in on those skills, his offensive game has been given the room to shine, and it’s doing so. In 35 games, Firkus has scored 14 goals and 35 points, one back of his rookie totals in nearly half of the games. He ranks sixth in the AHL in points while leading the Firebirds and ranking second on the team in goals. He’s been as impressive as any player on the Firebirds, and it won’t be long before we see the 21-year-old skate in the NHL.
Jugnauth is taking part in his rookie AHL campaign, and there hasn’t been much of an adjustment period needed for the left-handed defenseman. In 35 games, the 21-year-old has scored four goals and 26 points, ranking third on the team in points.
Selected in the fourth round (100th overall) by the Kraken in the 2022 NHL draft, Jugnauth’s development has skyrocketed, and he’s continuing to fly up the depth chart. He was impressive in pre-season this year, skating in two games while scoring a goal, but showing his two-way prowess. He’s not the biggest player on the ice, listed at 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, but he skates well and uses his hockey IQ to position himself.
Tyson Jugnauth (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)
The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic will be held on Feb. 10-11 in Rockford, Ill. 12 players will represent each of the AHL’s four divisions. Committees of AHL coaches determined rosters, and at least one All-Star is selected from each of the 32 AHL teams.
Joining Firkus and Jugnauth on the Pacific Division roster are Filip Bystedt, Matvei Gridin, Quinn Hutson, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Andree Lee, Carl Lindbom, Jacob Megna, Isak Posch, Dmitri Simashev, and Tim Washe.
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It’s been a little over a month since the trade with Edmonton sent Tristan Jarry for Brett Kulak, Stuart Skinner and a second round pick. To add a little more commentary on what was touched on earlier on this website today, the trade has been aging better by the day for the Penguins. What started out as a nice escape to clear the troubling contract of Jarry (who went back to the IR soon after the trade) turned out to enhance the Pens quite nicely so far on the ice.
There’s the future second round pick, which has no short-term relevance besides beefing up the reserves. Kulak’s addition to Pittsburgh has finally provided them with a second top-four caliber left-side defenseman and served to make Kris Letang look the best he has looked in…quite a while. Much has been made of Letang’s decline — and to be fair, time waits for no one and the 38-year old has looked every bit of his age recently. Then again, last season Letang’s most common defense partner was Matt Grzelyck, this season it was Ryan Shea prior to Kulak joining the team. It’s about 14 months overdue, but finally Pittsburgh has a partner for Letang with an above-average defensive impact, so it’s probably no wonder that the results the Pens have seen on the ice out of Letang have drastically improved once the blueline was addressed.
That alone would probably make the Edmonton trade enough of a success, but the headline-grabbing focus is naturally going to be on the goalie-for-goalie swap. It’s not every day in the NHL these days that you see two teams exchange starting goalies for one another. Skinner can a polarizing figure, although so far the Pens have to be thrilled. Skinner has five quality starts out of eight per hockey-reference, so far easily out-pacing Jarry’s one quality start for Edmonton. Jarry does have that IR stint working against him there, but as Beau Bennett taught us the best ability is availability and that’s another point in favor of the deal working out favorably.
Skinner can tend to ride extreme highs and lows, right now he’s caught a groove with a 4-1-0 record since the Christmas break that features a .941 save% and only allowing seven goals in those five games. In that stretch, the Penguins have commanding wins over three division rivals (Philadelphia last night, New Jersey last week, Carolina back on 12/30). In all of those games Skinner was not only one of their best players on the ice, he was a driving factor in every victory.
Trades often live on in relitigation for months and years afterwards so it surely is early to plan a parade or anything, but what a short-term boost that deal has provided for the Penguins to this point. The Oilers, despite Jarry’s injury, are 9-5-2 since the deal in their own right, so they’re probably not too mad about how things have gone lately either — since in an indirect way the move served to open a path for Connor Ingram’s return to the NHL where he has looked fairly sharp.
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Speaking of decisions paying instant dividends, Kyle Dubas has to feel assured about locking Blake Lizotte up for three more seasons earlier this week, not that he likely had many doubts about it in the first place. The length of the term isn’t back-breaking but it’s still a sizeable and notable one for a 28-year old with fourth line upside. It’s well-worth the commitment when a player is as capable as Lizotte to make an imprint on a game like he did last night against Philadelphia.
Lizotte scored a goal that ended up standing as the game winner and later threw a massive clean hit that triggered a response fight where he handled himself nicely (albeit, against a non-fighter in Matvei Michkov).
The supporting cast players for the Pens has been a massive issue dating back to the start of this decade. In 2021, perhaps Pittsburgh’s last best season where they won their division, Pittsburgh saw a +18 mark in goals for vs goals against at 5v5 when neither Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin were on the ice. By 2022-23, the first time they missed the playoffs, the Ron Hextall built team had slumped to -24 in that same category.
This season, the Pens are back strongly in the playoff hunt over halfway through the season and thanks to players like Lizotte and his frequent fourth linemates of Noel Acciari and Connor Dewar who have been on the ice for more goals for than against. When a team’s fourth line is not getting outscored despite the harsh defensive starts, that’s a good sign that they are going to be doing at least alright. Overall in the 5v5 category the Pens still have some work to do to with the performance of their mid-lines (players like Ben Kindel, Justin Brazeau, Kevin Hayes, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen have all been out-scored at 5v5) but so far they’ve definitely found something to work with and some major improvements from their depth, to which Lizotte will continue to be a key piece for the foreseeable future.
In previous early years of Dubas’s stint with Pittsburgh, a veteran on an expiring contract like Lizotte would have been traded away by the deadline. Whether this re-signing indicates a significant step into a phase of retaining key contributors or is a one-off remains to be seen, though it certainly is a strong piece of evidence that the Penguins are looking to hold what they can instead of defaulting into strictly selling off all parts when the time comes.
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Furthering the theme of improving the current roster, the acquisition of Egor Chinakhov has shown promise as an upgrade as well. Chinakhov’s stat-line with Pittsburgh isn’t overwhelming (three goals and an assist in eight games), his impact has been notable with his speed, shot and even a contribution of a shootout goal. Chinakhov is still something of a reclamation project coming off his stint in Columbus (he only manufactured three goals in 29 games at the start of the season with the Blue Jackets) yet there’s been encouraging early returns with the change of scenery.
In some ways, Dubas and the Pens have to hope this could be a case of “you get what you pay for” when comparing Chinakhov to a similar last year acquisition of Philip Tomasino. Chinakhov cost a fair bit more (a second+third round pick, compared to just a fourth rounder for Tomasino) and that is due to having a little bit more to work with. Last night’s short-side goal on the rush demonstrates an example – Chinakhov has the tools to generate game-breaking ability. Whether or not he has the consistency will be a lingering open question for a while. Finishing ability like this is worth the price, now it’s just about seeing how often he can deliver.
Fit in the frame of the big picture, it might also be pointed out that the move from adding second round picks — which Pittsburgh did under Dubas in every year in a stretch for the 2024-29 drafts (besides jockeying for draft positioning in 2025) — into now sending out a second round pick to bring in an NHL caliber player is some evidence of a sea change in the current organizational strategy. Whether it was trading away Jake Guentzel, Conor Timmins, Anthony Beauvillier, Luke Schenn, Tristan Jarry and Reilly Smith or taking on the bad contracts of Kevin Hayes and Matt Dumba, the Penguins operated for a couple years in a way of strictly accumulating second round picks. Now, in one instance at least, the worm turned the other way and Dubas acted on previously stated intentions to turn a pick into a current contributor.
The takeaway at this point shouldn’t be a drastic shift into an expectation of full-on spending, though it does seem notable that the tide could be starting to change in this regard depending on the inputs of the team. In the end, Dubas might get the best of both worlds where his ample cap space allows him to scour the league for future 22-25 year old players with potential while retaining more draft capital than just about everyone else in the league to use to select more than his fair share for the future too.
Because, ultimately, responding to the team’s inputs has been Dubas’s role in the past few years. He threw some caution to add/retain players like Erik Karlsson, Ryan Graves and Tristan Jarry in year one, when that didn’t work out in the standings, management shifted gears accordingly to pare down on players like Guentzel and Marcus Pettersson who needed new and expensive contracts, without dealing away quality performers like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell who didn’t. The Pens got younger and suffered a bit to take lumps in losing key contributors without immediate replacement. Now that the team is in the hunt, it makes the situation appropriate for the manager to make moves that dovetail as good for the present while being good for the future, a fitting category for all three of the team’s transactions of the last month.
The Ottawa Senators have pivotal back-to-back games this weekend, with the Montreal Canadiens visiting the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night and a quick turnaround to a road game against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
With their backs against the wall in the Eastern Conference playoff race, two wins would do wonders to get back in the mix and push for a wildcard spot. But these matchups are about more than getting points to climb the standings.
The Senators need to prove that they have another gear.
THN Ottawa's Jack Richardson says the pressure is rising on Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios.
A somewhat nail-biting 2-1 victory over the reeling Vancouver Canucks at home on Tuesday snapped a 4-game losing streak, and the Senators followed it up a night later with a dominant 8-4 beatdown at Madison Square Garden over the lifeless New York Rangers.
They were expected to do exactly what they did and deserve credit for doing so, but most fans likely have a “wake me up when you beat a good team” mentality after a despondent stretch of games.
That is why these games against the Canadiens and Red Wings are on a platter for the Senators to make a statement.
Entering play Friday night, Detroit and Montreal are 2nd and 3rd in the Atlantic division, respectively. The Senators are dead last and 7 points out of the second wildcard spot.
Typically, a back-to-back scenario against top teams in the division would be daunting for a team fighting to get back into the playoff hunt. But given the Senators’ recent history with both teams, the expectation this weekend should be 4 points.
For the last five years, the Senators have built feisty rivalries with the Canadiens and Red Wings. It’s a result of the young cores the teams have been assembling during their respective rebuilds. Each franchise has been desperate to take the next steps to become Stanley Cup contenders, especially after watching an Atlantic division team win it all in four of the last six seasons.
Montreal and Detroit have each taken a significant step so far this season, pacing the East with consistent play and leaving Ottawa in the rearview mirror.
But head-to-head, the Senators have done well against the Habs and Wings.
Ottawa has made two visits to the Bell Centre this season, the first was an overtime loss on a brainfart turnover by Drake Batherson in November, and the second was a convincing win in December to wrap up a 7-game road trip, punctuated by a signature Brady Tkachuk goal on a feed from Tim Stützle.
Saturday will be the first matchup in Ottawa and gives the Senators a chance to take a stranglehold on the season series with the Canadiens.
Sunday will be the second of four games against the Red Wings this season. The first was just last week in Ottawa, in which the Senators dominated but could not buy a save.
Both the Canadiens and Red Wings play a fast and skilled game, but the Senators’ defensive identity should allow them to thrive in both games. All eyes will be on Tkachuk, Stützle and Jake Sanderson, who all seem to step up their games against Montreal and Detroit.
These are good matchups for the Senators on paper. But results trump the process at this point in the season. They desperately need points, and this weekend is a great opportunity to gain significant momentum in the standings while making a statement against two budding rivals.
Jack Richardson The Hockey News - Ottawa
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The Florida Panthers have locked up one of their defenseman for a couple more years.
On Friday, the team announced they had come to terms with defenseman Uvis Balinskis on a two-year contract extension.
The deal comes with an average annual value (AAV) of $875,000, a slight raise on his previous contract.
The extension will keep Balinskis with the Panthers through the 2027-28 season.
“Uvis has proven his ability to be a dependable NHL blueliner on a consistent basis,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said in a statement released by the team. “He possesses a relentless work ethic and we are excited that he will continue his career with the Panthers.”
Florida initially signed Balinskis out of the Czech Extraliga in 2023.
He was re-signed to a two-year extension in January of the following year that carried an AAV of $850,000.
Balinskis has played 36 games with the Cats this season, accumulating a goal and eight points while racking up 24 penalty minutes and earning a plus-1 on-ice rating.
In his third NHL season, Balinskis has skated in 138 games with the Panthers, accumulating six goals, 29 points and 59 penalty minutes.
He was also named to Team Latvia's Olympic team and will represent his country next month in Milan.
Florida now has six defensemen signed at least through 2028: Balinskis, Seth Jones (signed through 2030), Aaron Ekblad (signed through 2033), Gus Forsling (signed through 2032), Niko Mikkola (signed through 2034) and Dmitry Kulikov (signed through 2028).
Photo caption: Dec 4, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis (26) moves the puck against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Ross Colton Injury Forces Avalanche to Consider Eagles Call-UpsInjuries continue to test the Colorado Avalanche. 
Avalanche Activate Blackwood From Injured Reserve, Restore Goaltending DepthMackenzie Blackwood has been activated from injured reserve for the second time this season.
Checking Up On Colorado Avalanche's 2025 Draft Class MidseasonLet's take a look at how the three selections the Colorado Avalanche made at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft are doing so far, halfway through the season.
