Category: NHL

The long, winding rebuild that has been going on in Anaheim since 2018 looks to be on the upswing. The team has taken steps to become a team worth watching again. They’ve become a team that isn’t an easy out anymore.

When the Anaheim Ducks started this rebuild, moving on from the core of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, they began to look for the future of the franchise. They were drafting high, making plenty of picks, and they thought they seemed to be on the right track.

The selections of Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in 2019 and 2020, respectively, looked to have them on the right track. Both players looked very promising in their first steps into the NHL. Zegras was the kind of player who was quite literally put on the cover of the NHL video game. There was excitement around the Ducks. The losing didn’t stop, though.

In 2021 and 2022, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger were added to the prospect pool and made their debuts. The losing still didn’t stop. The Ducks continued to be a team without structure and without purpose on most nights.

In 2023, Anaheim drafted Leo Carlsson second overall. They moved Drysdale in a trade that brought them Cutter Gauthier. They followed that up by drafting Beckett Sennecke in 2024 and then moving Zegras as the relationship between the team and player soured.

Fast forward to this season, McTavish is playing a pivotal role as a top-six center. Gauthier leads the team in goals. Zellweger and Mintyukov are playing pivotal roles on the backend. Lukas Dostal, drafted in 2018, has become one of the better starting netminders in the NHL. Jackson Lacombe, drafted in the second round in 2019, has emerged as a top-pair blueliner, and Sennecke has 12 points as a rookie in just 17 games.

The Ducks are leading their division by one point, and they’ve played fewer games than the teams chasing them. The team's success has been impressive. They are getting contributions up and down the lineup, but it’s their young players leading the way.

Every team needs a centerpiece or a franchise player. They need the player that they plan on building around. For the Ducks, that’s been Leo Carlsson. The Ducks’ young star is sitting near the top of the NHL’s scoring list alongside players like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Coincidentally, going into Friday’s action, Carlsson was tied with Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 first overall pick, for third in NHL scoring.

The NHL's Top Scorers Prove Tanking And Rebuilding WorkJust how many top-end NHL draft picks are dominating the scoring race? The answer gives more proof to the benefits of going all in on a rebuild instead of retooling.

When Carlsson was drafted second overall, so much of the discussion was about the Chicago Blackhawks taking Bedard first overall. The buzz around Carlsson was that the Ducks weren’t taking Adam Fantilli, who wound up going to Columbus at third overall. Matvei Michkov was the talk of the draft because he was supremely talented, but fears of the ‘Russian factor’ were whispered about throughout the draft process.

Carlsson was the least fun and exciting option of the players at the top of that draft.

A little more than two years later, he’s the top line center on one of the league’s most talented young squads. The franchise player that they are set to build around for the next decade or more.

What has made Carlsson so special this season is that while he’s scoring the lights out, he has grown into an impactful two-way presence in the mold of Aleksander Barkov or Auston Matthews. His size, skating, and intelligence at both ends of the ice have made him one of the truest two-way forces in the NHL in the early season.

Carlsson has shown flashes in his first couple of seasons. His physical pace has now caught up to his intelligence on the defensive side of the puck. So often, he had the right intentions, but he was just a bit late to the board battle or the loose puck. This year, he’s on time, every time.

His speed and power have become more consistent this year. He’s growing into his frame, and the connections between how his mind operates and what his body is capable of have been evident. It’s allowed him to lean on opponents and take the puck when the game slows down and then burst away with speed.

Through the neutral zone, Carlsson is not only capable of carrying the puck, but he is more than happy to utilize teammates, working passing plays to evade pressure and navigate through traffic. His understanding of pressure has become a strength, absorbing as much as he can before deferring to teammates.

Leo Carlsson's Skating Transformed from Perceived Weakness to his Biggest StrengthDraft scouts pegged Carlsson's skating as a weakness, but the Ducks saw a future star. Now, his improved stride fuels his game-changing impact.

When he gets into the offensive zone, his physical and mental growth have made him one of the league's more lethal dual-threat power forwards. He plays through contact, draws in defenders and then can swing off pressure before hitting a teammate in open ice or use the defender as a screen and fire a pinpoint shot through their feet. Carlsson’s heavy shot has become a legitimate weapon for the Ducks, and opposing teams can’t key in on it because of his vision and passing.

When you start to look at some of the advanced numbers and the underlying stats, Carlsson’s arrival seems even more evident. He’s one of two players in the top 15 of league scoring who have less than 17 percent offensive zone starts, at 16.7 percent, according to moneypuck.com. He also leads that same group in defensive zone starts at 16.9 percent. Only two other players in the league's top 15 scorers are above 14 percent.

Carlsson is currently rocking a 61 percent Corsi and a 59 percent Fenwick, well above average in shot share. His on-ice expected goals percentage is 56 percent. His on-ice shot attempts per 60 minutes are 78.87, an insane rate. Whichever advanced metric you follow, Carlsson looks fantastic. This isn’t just smoke and mirrors. Carlsson’s arrival is legitimate.

Simply put, Carlsson has become borderline dominant on most nights. He’s ascending to the level of a true number one center with elite upside. At just 20 years old, Carlsson has become the franchise piece that the Ducks have hoped for.

Now it’s time for Carlsson and the Ducks to prove that this isn’t just a hot start.

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Throughout recent years, think about the Stanley Cup Champions and the elite teams in hockey. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have Aaron Ekblad. Nathan MacKinnon has Cale Makar. Nikita Kucherov has Victor Hedman. 

Right here in the Metro, Sidney Crosby's had Kris Letang for 21 years. Alexander Ovechkin's had John Carlson for 17 years.

All of these teams are or were perennially in the conversation of the best teams in hockey. One thing they had right was a true superstar defenseman, a guy who can play 25 minutes a night and every time he's on the ice, he can scare the opponents with the plays he can make.

For the first time since a guy named Denis Potvin skated with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, the New York Islanders have a true superstar on the blue line. 

Matthew Schaefer continues to build his legacy night in and night out. On Friday in Utah, Schaefer scored his first-career overtime goal, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. He broke the record that Crosby set 21 years ago. Schaefer's anchored them to four straight victories, all on the road.

Mathew Barzal teed him up, as the duo whirled all around the ice, skating circles around the Utah Mammoth. 

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XThis guy. In OT 🚨#Isles

That the goal came 24 hours after Schaefer set up Barzal for a late game equalizer against the Vegas Golden Knights just shows the rapport the duo have made.

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on X#Isles score a 6-on-5 goal! Drouin, Schaefer setup Barzal🚨

The goals are almost a mirror of each other at the end. A crisp, smooth pass right into the wheelhouse of the shooter for a one-timer. 

That chemistry and skill are the stuff that wins Stanley Cups. They're unmistakable, foundational pieces for the Islanders. It's hard to believe, but Barzal's been here for 10 years now.

Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) on XWhen I talked to #lsles Barzal about Schaefer, he said, "It’s been a long time... I’ve watched MacKinnon & Makar, Pettersson & Hughes—those kinds of guys—so it’s nice to have a guy like that here [...] We’re going to have some nice plays, me & him." https://t.co/gLqJy7JV1d

In that time, he's played with some great offensive defenseman, from Nick Leddy to Noah Dobson, but they're a far cry from what Schaefer brings.

Barzal's at his unmistakable best when he's surrounded by guys who can skate with him. It's why Jonathan Drouin's been such a boon for the Islanders, his speed and skill combining well with Barzal, funneling pucks into dangerous areas constantly.

Drouin's fit well whether he's with Barzal or if he's been with Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman, another dynamic duo that's exploded for the Islanders.

No, this Islanders' team isn't perfect. But for the first time in a long time, they have a truly franchise-altering talent, one whose positive energy and high skill plays have littered the team's highlight reel, just 18 games into the season.

Between him and Barzal, along with Horvat and stellar play from Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders have the bones of what eventually wins a Stanley Cup, or as many of those franchises mentioned at the beginning, multiple championships. 

Matthew Schaefer is pretty good, eh?

The Islanders rookie sensation scratched his name into the NHL record books once again on Friday night, helping push the team past the Utah Mammoth for their third consecutive OT win. 

Schaefer’s one-timer found the back of the net off a feed from Mathew Barzal just over two minutes into the extra session, completing the comeback and securing the big second point. 

“It was awesome,” Schaefer said. “Some great hockey-sense from Barry to find me, it’s pretty easy when I can just try to put it on net there and it went in -- definitely a hard fought game and another good win for us.”

The 18-year-old passed Penguins star and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby as the youngster player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season. 

He now leads all defensemen with seven goals and is tied for fourth in points (15). 

“He’s a great player, really just unbelievable,” backup goalie David Rittich said. “18 years old and playing that way with that much confidence out there, I think it tells you everything you need to know about him.”

While Schaefer came through in the end, he did give the Islanders a scare midway through.

The youngster imped to the bench after taking an open-ice hit from Utah’s Kevin Stenlund during the second period, then was hobbled after blocking a shot in the third. 

He met with trainers, but was able to return each time without missing a shift.

“I’m still feeling it,” Schaefer said. “It’s something that stings and then you’ve just got to suck it up -- definitely not leaving the game. We have an off day Saturday, going to be icing my legs to get ready for the next game.”

For the first time in the 2025-26 season, the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks dropped back-to-back games when they faced the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings this week on the road.

Until Tuesday, the Ducks were the NHL’s hottest team, winning their previous seven games and nine of ten. Leo Carlsson was the hottest player on the league’s hottest team through that stretch and dating back to just before the NHL’s “4 Nations” break in 2024-25.

Through the Ducks' first 17 games, Carlsson leads the team and is tied for third in the NHL’s scoring race with 26 points (11-15=26). He just saw his 11-game point streak snapped in the Ducks’ latest loss to the Red Wings on Thursday. During the 11-game streak, he tallied 20 points (9-11=20) and was the first NHL player 20 years old or younger to record a 10-game point streak in the last five NHL seasons. Before Tuesday, when the Ducks lost to the Colorado Avalanche, Carlsson and Paul Kariya (1994-95) were the only Ducks players 20 or younger to record multiple points in four consecutive games.

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-3 Loss to the Red Wings

Ducks’ Youth Leading Their Rise to the Top

Though Carlsson played well over the last two games, the Avs and Wings held one of the NHL’s brightest young stars to just a goal, the Ducks' lone goal against Colorado on Tuesday, in 42:44 TOI total. Did the Red Wings and Avalanche crack the code on how to shut down Carlsson (relatively), or did the bounces simply not go his way, keeping his presence on the scoresheet limited?

When healthy, Carlsson’s most consistent line has been centering Troy Terry and Chris Kreider. The trio has found a nice rapport, with Kreider’s small-area and net-front prowess opening up an abundance of open ice for Carlsson and Terry to operate in transition and on the cycle, two players who thrive with pucks on their sticks and at full speed. They’ve been one of the NHL’s best lines through the first part of the season, combining for 59 points between the three (26-33=59), ranking fifth in expected goals share (62.7%), fourth in xGF/60 (4.09), and 12th in xGA/60 (2.43) (min 100 minutes).

On the Ducks' recent two-game skid, Colorado head coach Jared Bednar and Detroit head coach Todd McLellan decided to hard-match strength vs strength at home with the last change, sending their top line and D pair over the boards to compete against the Ducks’ top line every chance they got at 5v5.

Every time Carlsson went over the boards at 5v5 on Tuesday against Colorado, Bednar put out his top line (Artturi Lehkonen-Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas) and his top defensive pair (Devon Toews-Cale Makar) in hopes of maintaining possession and keeping the puck off Carlsson’s stick. At 5v5, Carlsson’s line finished with 53.85% of the shot attempts share (14-12), 64.29% of the shots on goal share (9-5), and 63.72% of the xG share (1.2-.68).

The numbers suggest Colorado didn’t exactly shut down Carlsson and the Ducks’ top line, but visibly, they were hounding pucks and killing plays early to prevent cycle chances through the first two periods before locking down the middle of the defensive zone late to hold on to their decisive victory.

On Thursday against Detroit, McLellan took a page out of Bednar’s playbook and threw out his own top line (Lucas Raymond-Dylan Larkin-Alex DeBrincat) and D pair (Simon Edvinsson-Moritz Seider) against Carlsson every chance he got at 5v5. Carlsson’s line finished with 47.83% of the shot attempts share (11-12), 41.67% of the shots on goal share (5-7), and just 31.75% of the xG share (.33-.71).

Unlike Colorado, the numbers DO suggest Detroit shut down the Ducks’ top line. In a more low-event style, Detroit’s top line was able to do most of its damage on the rush and displayed a relentless forecheck to kill counters before they could build.

The Ducks will wrap up their three-game road trip with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota, unlike Colorado and Detroit, has deployed a lineup over their last ten games, where their top two offensive talents (Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy) have been playing on separate lines. They recently placed top center Marco Rossi on IR, who is set to be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

The Wild currently sit in sixth in the Central Division with a 7-7-4 record, perhaps a disappointing start to the season for them. However, they’ve notched points in five of their last six games (4-1-1), and will be hoping to get their record over the .500 mark for the first time since the first game of the season. With Rossi out and the blueprint utilized by Colorado and Detroit, it will be interesting to see if Minnesota and head coach John Hynes reconnect Kaprizov and Boldy in an attempt to control puck possession time and match them up against the Ducks’ Kreider-Carlsson-Terry line.

Joel Quennville Remains Jack Adams Favorite, Impact Sparked Ducks Hot Start

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-1 Win over the Jets

After a video session with his men yesterday, Martin St-Louis hopes his Montreal Canadiens have learned a few things and can get back on track when they take on the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre tonight. The Habs have lost their last two games and have been outscored 12-1 in the process. In fact, they’ve now given 12 unanswered goals, and something has to give.

With Alex Newhook out of action for the next four months, the Sainte-Flanelle called up Jared Davidson from the Laval Rocket yesterday, and the 23-year-old fifth-round pick at the 2022 draft will be making his NHL debut against Boston. His arrival will no doubt force the coach to make some adjustments, as it’s doubtful that he could slot in Newhook’s spot.

Canadiens’ St-Louis Says He Did His Job Following Optional Skate On Friday
Montreal Canadiens Call Up Surging Prospect
Canadiens Provide Bad Newhook & Guhle Injury Updates

The Bruins have done surprisingly well this season so far, and just like the Canadiens, they’ve got 22 points to their name, although they’ve played two more games. Like the Habs as well, they find themselves with a pair of struggling goaltenders. In fact, since Jeremy Swayman signed his lucrative eight-year contract at the start of the last season, he’s not been the same goaltender, but he does seem to be on his way to recovery this year.

Boston’s starter has yet to be confirmed. Still, since Jonas Korpisalo played in Thursday night’s 5-3 defeat against the Ottawa Senators, it would be surprising if Swayman wasn’t back in net tonight. The American netminder has a good record against Montreal; he’s 9-1-1 with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .901 SV. Although his Finnish backup has an even better one, he’s 8-2-0 with a 2.49 GAA and a .916 SV.

As for the Canadiens, the coach has already confirmed that Samuel Montembeault will be in net after Jakub Dobes struggled in his last start against the Dallas Stars, allowing five goals on just 13 shots. The Becancour native has faced the Bruins 11 times in his career, posting a 3-6-1 record with a 3.84 GAA and a .880 SV%.

This tilt against a big rival might just be what Brendan Gallagher needs to break the ice this season. He has no goals in 17 games and only seven assists this season, but in 43 games against the Bruins, he has 30 points, leading the Habs with 13 goals. Nick Suzuki is the second most productive forward against Boston with 13 points in 18 games. Josh Anderson and Mike Matheson complete the top three with 12 points each.

As for the Bruins, their top scorer against the Habs is David Pastrnak, the Czech has a whopping 42 points in 32 games, including 20 goals. Charlie McAvoy is the visitors’ second-most-productive scorer against the Canadiens with 16 points in 23 games, while Pavel Zacha completes the top three with 14 points in 21 games.

Tonight’s game is the first of four meetings between the two sides this season, with the other three being scheduled in December, January and March. The visitors have won eight of the last 10 games between the rivals, but Montreal did win the previous meeting, at home last April. Meaning that, unlike the Stars and the Los Angeles Kings, the Bruins do not have a long winning streak at the Bell Centre.

It will be interesting to see how St-Louis decides to amend his lines. Newhook’s absence might give a better opportunity for Zachary Bolduc, who had a good start to the season but is struggling of late. The summer acquisition has got a great shot, but he needs someone to set it up, and that’s something Ivan Demidov could certainly do.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch the game on TVA Sports, City, Sportsnet East, NESN and NHLN. The Canadiens will practice on Sunday morning before flying to Columbus for a Monday evening game against the Blue Jackets for a one-game road trip.

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  The Columbus Blue Jackets are at home tonight to face the New York Rangers.  

The Blue Jackets welcome the best road team in the NHL into NWA tonight, so this won't be an easy game at all. 

The Rangers are 8-1-1 on the road this season, with their only regulation loss coming at the hands of the lowly Calgary Flames back on October 26th. Before that, they suffered an overtime loss to Toronto on October 16th. That makes five wins straight on the road for the Rangers. 

The Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. The win marked their second straight after losing 4 in a row on a western Canada trip. The schedule doesn't get any easier, so they need to play the way they know how and score some goals to stay in the insane Metro Division race. 

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 14.6% - 30th in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 73.9% - 26th in NHL
• Goals For - 53 - 18th in NHL
• Goals Against - 55 - 19th in NHL

Rangers Stats

• Power Play - 15.2% - 28th in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 81.6% - 11th in NHL
• Goals For - 48 - 25th in NHL
• Goals Against - 46 - 6th in NHL

Series History vs. Rangers

• Columbus is 24-24-1-6 all-time, and 13-16-0-1 at home vs. New York.
• The Jackets are 3-3-2 in the last 8 vs. the Rangers.
• The CBJ went 1-2-2 vs. the NYR last season.

Who To Watch For TheRangers

• Will Cuylle leads the Rangers with 6 goals.
• Adam Fox leads the team with 12 assists.
• Aetemi Panarin leads the Rangers with 16 points.
• Goalie Igor Shesterkin is 6-6-2 with a .909 SV%. He won his last start on Nov. 12 against Tampa.
• Columbus Legend Jonathan Quick is 3-1-0 with a .950 SV%. He won his last start on Nov 7 against Detroit.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Rangers

• Zach Werenski has 18 points in 26 games against the Rangers.
• Sean Monahan has 12 points in 17 games.
• Charlie Coyle has 20 points in 32 career games vs. NYR.

Injuries - Gudbranson on IR

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 9 games - IR
• Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 1 Game

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 22

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.  

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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Once upon a time in the NHL, when an opponent destroyed you, there was a risk that practice the next day would be tough, that there would be some bag skating, that the coach may very well raise his voice, but this is not today’s NHL. After his Montreal Canadiens were beaten 7-0 by the Dallas Stars, coach Martin St-Louis decided that the on-ice practice would be optional.

Canadiens Provide Bad Newhook & Guhle Injury Updates
Canadiens: Gallagher And Evans Join Adam Nicholas
Canadiens: St-Louis Speaks On The Eve Of His 300th Game

That decision surprised some, and when the bench boss was asked what his players did in Brossard on Friday morning, he replied that there was a mandatory video session. Ask to describe what that was like. He said there was a TV showing some clips, and they talked about a few things. Further pressed by a journalist to know what the tone of the meeting was like, the pilot said:

Listen, I’m not going to tell you what my tone was like, alright? I did my job today.

- St-Louis didn't like being questioned about his handling of Friday's practice

While he didn’t say it, St-Louis didn’t appreciate the fact that the way he handled the group following such a beating was put into question. While fans and media alike wondered whether it was the best time for an optional skate, they are not in the coaches’ shoes or have the beat of the room that the coach does.

The coach stated that the team had been on the ice for four consecutive days and that two games were coming up quick against the Boston Bruins on Saturday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and that the players knew what they had to do whether it was to skate like Oliver Kapananenm, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc decided to do, jump on the ice earlier with skills coach Adam Nicholas like Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans chose to do or by just sticking to off-ice training like all the others.

As for the other burning question, he confirmed that Samuel Montembeault would be in the net against the Bruins, meaning he’s sticking with the “if you lose, you give up the net” formula.

While the coach didn’t have a full update on Alex Newhook, he did acknowledge that the forward would miss some time and that he would need to make some lineup changes. A couple of hours later, the verdict was handed down. Newhook suffered a broken ankle, had surgery and will be out for four months. Because bad news never comes alone, the Canadiens also announced that Kaiden Guhle had surgery on a partially torn adductor muscle and would miss from eight to 10 weeks—awful news for the Canadiens that comes at the worst possible time.

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It was looking to be a quiet night for Matthew Schaefer against the Utah Mammoth defense.

Utah was holding Schaefer in check, only managing one shot on goal heading into overtime. He was playing tough hockey, leading the Islanders in time on ice despite awkwardly skating to the bench twice in pain, but Utah wasn’t allowing him to make an impact on the offense.

But despite all of the adversity, it was Schaefer who handed Utah Mammoth its first overtime loss of the season — all while becoming the youngest player in NHL history to score a game-winning goal in the regular season.

YOUR GAME WINNER. #LGI | @FORDpic.twitter.com/xpuz7vqb6f

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 15, 2025

The lane opened for the Islanders when JJ Peterka decided to keep following New York’s Bo Horvat. Rather than switching with Lawson Crouse to pick up Schaefer, Peterka stayed behind Horvat.

But when Nate Schmidt picked up Horvat, Peterka was left without a man to guard and on the wrong side of the ice. With the sudden opening, Matthew Barzal took advantage of the 2-on-1, passed to Schaefer, and history was made.

"I think we knew we had better for sure," said Schaefer "In the second and third, we wanted to come out hard, and then we got a great bounce there to tie us up. Then we fought hard, and Barzzy (Barzal) found me. It was a great game and really hard fought."

On his way to making history, Schaefer also overtook future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby, who previously held the record. But Crosby was a whole 31 days older when he set it; Schaefer, on the other hand, earned the mark at just 18 years and 70 days.

Matthew Schaefer potted the overtime winner and became the third-youngest player in the past 80 years to score a goal in consecutive games, as well as the youngest defenseman in NHL history to achieve the feat.#NHLStats: https://t.co/Uk128IKFBNpic.twitter.com/gvk7WBxGMu

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) November 15, 2025

Never having a chance to possess the puck, the Mammoth were forced to keep covering the Islanders throughout overtime. Though Karel Vejmelka was able to save the first two shot attempts, Utah still was never able to get its own shot at scoring. 

"So, yeah, when you don't have the puck, it's all about coverage, communication, and making sure you're not getting tested," said Crouse. "Obviously, they're two great players. I mean, Horvat's got one of the better sticks in the league right now, and Barzal has incredible speed and skill and incredible passing and vision. So yeah, it's unfortunate."

Before the game even got to overtime, the Mammoth looked like it was in firm control of the game, leading 2–1 halfway through the third. But like in its 4–2 loss to Ottawa, Utah would find itself on the wrong end of yet another controversial call.

Who needs sticks when you can just kick the puck pic.twitter.com/PEhUMKXLiD

— Cap’n Cook 🦣 (@JazzePinkman) November 15, 2025

Rather than Utah having its own goal disallowed, like in the Ottawa game, this time an Islanders goal from forward Jonathan Drouin was allowed to stand despite him clearly kicking the puck toward the net.

In most cases, any time a puck is scored with a kicking motion, the goal is disallowed. But as explained in the NHL's own video review, Schmidt was seen touching the puck just before it crossed the goal line and it was deemed that his "stick propelled the puck into his own net."

The NHL does acknowledge that Drouin does indeed kick the puck as well, but because the puck touched Schmidt’s stick, the goal was still allowed to stand.

"It's an instinctual thing," said Schmidt. "In hindsight, do I wish I would have pulled my stick back so they would have called it back? Yeah, but that's gonna be really hard for me to do. You're trying to get it out then I almost step on Vejmelka in the process."

While the goal was allowed to stand in this game, there is still a compelling argument that says the goal should have been disallowed. 

As rule 37.4 of the NHL's official rules stats, "A goal cannot be scored on a play where an attacking Player propels the puck with his skate into the net (even by means of a subsequent deflection off of another Player) using a 'distinct kicking motion.'"

When watching the replay, it’s clear that Schmidt’s stick only touches the puck for a brief second. He never gains possession, and the puck hardly alters its path even after touching his stick. Saying Schmidt propelled the puck in feels like a bit of a stretch considering the path of the puck never changes direction.

Ironically, if Schmidt hadn’t touched the puck at all, the goal would have been disallowed without a second thought. But instead, Utah found itself tied at 2–2, with the referees’ call proving to be costly.

Though the Mammoth still came away with a point in the standings, it was a tough way to lose, considering it has only managed two wins against the Buffalo Sabres in its last eight games.

To make matters worse, Utah looked like the better team for the majority of the night, albeit with another rough performance on the power play, going 1-for-6. But even then, Utah was able to break a seven-game drought without a power-play goal.

And with its next game against an impressive Anaheim Ducks team on the road, Utah will have to fight hard to get out of its recent funk.

ST. LOUIS – Another one that got away.

How many times have we said that about the St. Louis Blues this season?

This time, it came in the form of a pair of two-goal leads.

The Blues got a point, but it felt like losing another one despite getting a big offensive night, only to lose 6-5 in a shootout against the Philadelphia Flyers at Enterprise Center on Friday.

Robert Thomas, Jimmy Snuggerud and Jordan Kyrou each had a goal and an assist, while Jordan Binnington made 26 saves. But the Blues blew two two-goal leads, 3-1 in the second period and 5-3 in the third period to fall to 6-8-4 (16 points) and a date with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Let’s look at Friday’s game observations:

* Blowing a pair of two-goal leads – The Blues had this game in hand multiple times.

They had a goalie (Sam Ersson) on the ropes, allowing five goals on 17 shots (.706 save percentage).

When they took command with a 3-1 lead on goals by Snuggerud at 9:42 of the first period, then Justin Faulk at 6:54 of the second period (on a Cam Fowler assist, his 500th NHL point), that’s when the mistakes started:

This shot by Jimmy Snuggerud was absolutely WICKED. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/PmKmuuCQNm

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 15, 2025

Cam Fowler collects his 500th career point with an assist on Justin Faulk's goal. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/JJQfMRoSB8

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 15, 2025

The response wasn’t good.

Cam Fowler, who had two assists in the game and reached 500 points in the NHL, lost coverage at the net when Christian Dvorak popped in and backhanded in a rebound 23 seconds after the Faulk goal, it’s a one-goal game again:

That's how you bounce right back.#PHIvsSTL | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/L9psZaViCN

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 15, 2025

And when Trevor Zegras was parked at the net front and tied the game at 18:24, it opened got the Flyers back on level ground, and it came after Pavel Buchnevich (we’ll get to him later) missed a great chance to make it a 4-2 game moments earlier, then Colton Parayko was beaten to the wall by Owen Tippett as the puck was then at the blue line, and a shot got to the net for the tip past Binnington:

Another for Ziggy as a proud papa looks on. 👊#PHIvsSTL | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/CiZ5PHs3h0

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 15, 2025

But the Blues regained the advantage in the third period, when coach Jim Montgomery moved Brayden Schenn back between Dylan Holloway and Kyrou, a line that carried the Blues on their shoulders in the second half of last season, and Holloway’s third in three games made it 4-3 just 40 seconds into the final period:

don't look now but Dylan Holloway has goals in three straight games pic.twitter.com/uxZXsJW0Pt

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 15, 2025

And when Thomas scored on a one-timer from the slot, off a pretty feed from Snuggerud, at 4:56 of the third, the Blues were up 5-3 and should have had that game under control:

blink and you might miss it pic.twitter.com/cnl4E2l00W

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 15, 2025

But again, they didn’t.

Dvorak scored at 7:53 to make it 5-4 after Matthew Kessel slipped to the ice trying to turn and move up with the puck, creating a turnover and shot from the slot:

Tipp and Dvo will take that one!#PHIvsSTL | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/lgaPmJxtx0

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 15, 2025

And when Tippett tied it 5-5 at 10:27, it marked a plethora of errors, including at the end, Mathieu Joseph vacating the high slot where Tippett was, and ultimately, three Blues wound up screening Binnington on the shot:

FIVE GOALS FOR THIS LINE. 🔥#PHIvsSTL | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/XlGu6yT1MZ

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 15, 2025

“Quite high to be honest,” Montgomery said when asked of the level of disappointment and frustration blowing two two-goal leads. “I didn’t like that we gave up the first two-goal lead. Those were some net front miscues and then the last two goals were guys not owning their quadrants or turnovers. Regardless, we scored five goals. You’ve got to win that game. There’s got to be more desperation in us.”

* All possession in OT, no shots at the net – The Blues, unlike their 4-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken last Saturday in overtime, had majority of the puck in the extra session, but they cycled it out on multiple occasions and really never generated the kind of chances that would quantify winning.

They had a couple looks, and Fowler had one great opportunity from the inner edge of the left circle that was stopped, and Snuggerud had a puck roll off his stick with some pressure from behind cutting to the net from the left side.

“There’s a lot of speed. It’s a fast game,” Snuggerud said. “I thought we had good chances and in overtime.”

What has to be most peculiar is that even with all the possession, how do the Blues allow the Flyers to make TWO changes to get fresh guys on the ice when they have possession?

That was a big issue and can’t happen.

Players failing to recognize the odd-man chance when players are changing was puzzling.

“We’ve had a lot of success. Coach (Steve) Ott has done a real good job and it’s worked a lot in past years of building, taking it back out of you don’t like your entry,” Montgomery said. ‘I think we were a little impatient. I think we could have hit the last time Thomas got it. I forget who had the puck, they stopped, they hit him coming late and that led to a good opportunity. I think it was 21’s opportunity when he skated in, which I thought were in on the hands or he might have scored. But we’re not having the same purpose of attacking inside the dots.

“We don’t put teams on their heels in those situations. Twice they changed, and the guy with the puck didn’t see it and he didn’t bypass them so we could have a 3-on-2. I think that was the bigger mistake that we made, the natural execution on the 3-on-3. They changed when we took it out and we let them change. It was still 3-on-3. You’ve got to see it, you’ve got to go.”

“We didn’t do a good enough job keeping them in three-quarter,” Thomas said. “We let them change twice even though we had the possession. We’ve got to be a lot smarter there (and) set up the next guys. If you have the puck, they should never be able to change. Your guys should be able to change at least once, maybe even twice, get them tired and take advantage of it.”

And despite the difference in possession in OT, the Flyers somehow still managed to outshoot the Blues 6-1.

* Top guys produced – The Blues need their top end players to make plays, and to score.

They got seven points (four goals, three assists) from Thomas, Kyrou, Snuggerud and Holloway. They generated enough, despite the low volume of shots on goal (47 attempts), from their top end guys.

Kyrou made a savvy read picking off a Zegras pass in the neutral zone and darting in along the right side before beating Ersson from the right dot for a 1-0 lead at 1:19 of the opening period:

✅ Steal puck
✅ Shoot
✅ Score

Jordan Kyrou does it all. pic.twitter.com/Cgvmemsaa0

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 15, 2025

“Yeah, but at the end of the day, you need everyone to win,” Snuggerud said. “Not saying we were top heavy or bottom heavy today. Everyone in the lineup needs to be at their best if we want to win games. I thought we had chances as every line. We just have to bear down at the end of the game.

“… As the games go on, more and more games, I feel like you build more and more chemistry. As a team, I feel like that’s what we’re really most worried about right now keeping our energy up throughout the whole game and bearing down and finishing with a win.

“… Any time you score five goals in a game you should be happy because we were creating offense, but on the flip side defensively, I feel like you don’t want to give up that much as well. It’s living and learning and we have to keep moving forward.”

“Yeah, we had some chances,” Thomas said. “We’ve still go to get better.”

* Blues blowing points in OT, SO – Four games, four losses for the Blues in overtime and the shootout.

That’s four points banked, but the potential of an extra point left on the table in those four games.

“Those are big extra points,” Thomas said. ‘We’ve got to find a way to get those done, especially in overtime. We’ve got to bear down and get those in the net and if it comes to shootout, we have our spots, we have our stuff we need to do. We just didn’t hit them there.”

* Buchnevich turnover, ensuing penalty shot – Pavel Buchnevich nearly cost the Blues the extra point in overtime after losing a puck, turning it over that would have resulted in a Zegras breakaway. But the Blues forward was able to trip Zegras from behind at 2:51 of OT, awarding the Flyers forward a penalty shot.

Binnington would make the save when Zegras tried beating him five-hole. It prolonged the game, but it came after another lengthy possession for the Blues.

“I think he had to,” Montgomery said of Buchnevich. “It’s the same situation that would occur, but usually when a forward doesn’t have too much time to think, he’s going to trust his instincts. You understand why he did it. To me, the turnover’s the issue. Not what happens next.”

Also an issue, Buchnevich is not producing offensively at all. Nothing.

He was a plus-1 but had just one shot on goal and two missed nets in 18:40. It’s the 11th time in 18 games Buchnevich has produced zero points.

* Skinner’s debut – Defenseman Hunter Skinner got the traditional rookie lap at the start of warmups, a dream-come-true playing in his first NHL game:

Hunter Skinner and the rookie solo lap #stlbluespic.twitter.com/NS8SpOtWge

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) November 15, 2025

And it wasn’t a knock-your-socks-off game for the 24-year-old, but he managed his ice time (10:45) well with four hits and was a plus-1 in the game.

Making his NHL debut would certainly be an emotional moment for Hunter Skinner... but imagine what it's like for his parents. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/XxogP4lzE3

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 15, 2025

“I thought he was aggressive,” Montgomery said. ‘He was fine, but my brain’s more on how we give up two two-goal leads.”

* Dvorak line torched Blues – Dvorak (two goals, one assist), Tippett (one goal, three assists) and Zegras (two goals, one assist, shootout winner) combined for 10 points in the game and were all the offense the Flyers needed.

They were allowed to have their way throughout the game, and it wasn’t even the line that Montgomery said the Blues focused on as much because he was playing Thomas’ line against the line of Matvei Michkov, Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.

“For whatever reason, their second line gave us fits,” Montgomery said. “I was matching Thomas against Couturier’s line. That’s their top line. And their second line gave us fits defensively.”

* Schenn rejoins familiar linemates – At the start of the third, Montgomery reunited Brayden Schenn with Holloway and Kyrou, and it paid dividends.

It set the tone for what the Blues were hoping would be a win when Kyrou set up Holloway for a left-circle shot to give the Blues a 4-3 lead just 40 seconds into the final period:

“Yeah, and it paid off with that fourth goal,” Montgomery said. “Sometimes you’re going to have games where you’re not on. I thought Schenn was skating so I moved him up and I dropped (Dalibor) Dvorsky back on the third line at left wing.”

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SALT LAKE CITY -- No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored at 2:06 of overtime to beat the Utah Mammoth 3-2 in overtime and extend the New York Islanders' winning streak to four games.

This guy. In OT 🚨#Islespic.twitter.com/mu8vzTcyic

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 15, 2025

With that goal, Schaefer became the youngest player in NHL history at 18 years and 70 days to score an overtime goal, surpassing Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (18 years, 101 days). 

Schaefer took a big hit and sacrificed the body to block a shot in the second and third period respectively, grinding to help his team to victory. 

“Big game. I mean, we fought back, we fought hard," Schaefer said. "I don't think our first was the best, but we just kept fighting, we kept getting better. So I think we deserved that win.”

Despite a slow start to the game, the Islanders found themselves up 1-0 at 7:13 of the first thanks to another Emil Heieneman tally, scoring his eighth goal of the season -- two short of his career-high. 

J.J. Peterka and and Dylan Guenther scored before the end of the first, but Jonathan Drouin evened the score at 13:44 of the third after he kicked a puck toward call that Nate Schmidt put into his own net. 

That led to overtime where Schaefer did his thing. 

David Rittich was phenomenal, turning aside 27 of 29. 

The Islanders have now tied the Penguins in points with 22, but Pittsburgh owns the regulation wins tie-breaker -- nine to seven. They sit only two points back of the Carolina Hurricanes for the second seed in the Metro. 

The Islanders move on to Colorado, where they'll battle Brock Nelson and the Avalanche on Sunday night. 

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Matthew Schaefer scored on a slap shot 2:08 into overtime and the New York Islanders beat the Utah Mammoth 3-2 on Friday night for their third straight extra-time victory.

Jonathon Drouin and Emil Heineman also scored for the Islanders (10-6-2) in their fourth straight win, and Tony DeAngelo had two assists. David Rittich stopped 27 shots — including all 16 after the first period.

Schaefer, the 18-year-old defenseman selected No. 1 overall in this year’s NHL draft, has 15 points — most among NHL rookies.

Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka scored for the Mammoth in the Utah franchise’s 100th game. Karel Vejmelka had 18 saves.

The Mammoth are the best in the NHL in limiting shots on goal and they outshot the Islanders 29-21 as they dropped to 5-1-1 at home.

New York tied it 2-2 with 6:16 remaining when the puck went off Jonathon Drouin’s skate and was touched by Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt’s stick as it passed over the goal line. The goal was initially disallowed but reversed after video review.

Heineman opened the scoring 7:13 into the first period — the second straight contest he notched the first goal of the game.
Peterka tied it with just under 7 minutes remaining in the first with his sixth of the season.

The Mammoth ended their seven-game power-play goal drought when Guenther’s slap shot went over Rittich’s shoulder during a 5-on-3 with 1:25 left in the opening period to take a 2-1 lead. That marked the first time this season the Islanders gave up a goal with a two-man disadvantage.

The Islanders beat Las Vegas in overtime Thursday and was in the second half or a back-to-back but matched the Mammoth’s energy with rugged defense and deft power-play kills, squelching five of six opportunities.

Up next

Islanders: At Colorado on Sunday for the fifth game of their road trip.

Mammoth: At Anaheim on Monday.

There's no doubt that the Pittsburgh Penguins did not get off to the start they wanted to in the first game of the NHL Global Series. 

Pittsburgh dropped the contest, 2-1, in overtime to one of the league's bottom teams this season in the Nashville Predators, and - honestly - they're lucky to have even earned a point. They were outplayed for the final 40 minutes of the game and were bailed out by goaltender Arturs Silovs.

Of course, the Penguins still have the second game against Nashville on Sunday to conclude the Global Series, and they could very well still walk away from their road trip to Stockholm, Sweden with three out of four points. While that is the best they can do at this point, the Penguins need to bank points.

They have lost five out of their last six games for a 1-3-2 record. Seven of their next eight contests may be against current non-playoff opponents, but they haven't exactly been playing inspired enough hockey lately to instill confidence that they'll get the better of those games. Maybe the early-season success was a mirage, and maybe this is who they truly are.

Or, maybe it's not. Maybe, their key injuries are simply getting the better of them right now, and they could use some kind of boost to their roster.

And - maybe - a solution is waiting in the wings at the AHL level in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) on XBrozer gets us going!!

Center Tristan Broz has eight goals and 13 points in 15 games on the AHL season, including four goals in the last five games. The 23-year-old forward - selected in the second round (58th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft - impressed in training camp this year with two goals in four games and was one of the final cuts before NHL rosters were announced.

The Penguins are in a pretty dire situation with their injuries. Top-line winger Rickard Rakell - last season's leading goal-scorer at 35 - is out with a broken hand for at least another month, and second-line winger Justin Brazeau had six goals and 12 points in 12 games and will be out until around mid-December. Before both players went down, the Penguins were one of the league's best teams in the scoring and goal differential departments, and - since Brazeau's injury - the Penguins have been mired in that 1-3-2 spell and have only scored 14 goals in contrast to the opposition's 19. 

Their injuries are making a legitimate difference right now because they're testing the team's scoring depth at the forward position. But, at the time of each player's injury, they were two of the team's top-three goal scorers - and that certainly doesn't lend to the Penguins being able to find the back of the net with regularity. 

October Penguins' Prospects Update: ForwardsIt's a new season, and with the month of October in the books, that means it's time for the first&nbsp;<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects update of the season.

It has also forced them to move 18-year-old rookie center Ben Kindel - who had been thriving as the team's third-line center - into a top-line role with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. Even though Kindel has been fine in that role, it has hampered the Penguins' ability to roll four lines, and they're a much deeper team with Kindel as their third-line center.

And that's the issue the Penguins face right now: If they move Kindel back into that role, who plays with Crosby? They could move the snakebitten Ville Koivunen up in the lineup, but that would take a capable player away from Kindel. They could move Tommy Novak up, but that would affect the Malkin line and pose the same problem. 

Having Broz in the picture - in addition to guys like Kindel and Koivunen - gives the Penguins some options in terms of deployment. Broz is a capable two-way center and could very well slot in the third-line center role, allowing the team to keep Kindel with Crosby. They could also bump Koivunen up with 87 and allow Broz and Kindel to play together on a line, which shouldn't be an issue since Broz has played on the wing.

Simply put, it will be weeks before the Penguins are even close to full health. Given how close the Eastern Conference standings are, they can't afford to throw away valuable points in this upcoming stretch of games against teams that they, on paper, should beat. 

Right now, the Penguins can't roll four lines effectively, and they need another set of young, fresh, capable legs to shore up their bottom-six depth. There's no guarantee that Broz will pan out at the NHL level, but calling him up certainly shouldn't hurt things, and there is a good chance that he's an upgrade over what they currently have.

So, it's time for the Penguins to begin ushering in more youth on the roster. Giving Broz the call should be the first thing the Penguins do when they return to Pittsburgh next week.

Takeaways: Penguins' Lack Of Injury Depth Exposed In 2-1 Loss To Predators During First Game Of Global SeriesDespite all of the excitement and fanfare surrounding the start of the 2025-26 Global Series, Friday simply wasn't the night for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>.

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

The Vancouver Canucks had to finish their game against the Carolina Hurricanes without a key member of their defensive core. With 12.7 seconds left in the third, Filip Hronek all of a sudden left the ice. According to Head Coach Adam Foote, Hronek was pulled from the game by the concussion spotter and did not return.

Filip Hronek has left the game after this elbow from Andrei Svechnikov 😳 pic.twitter.com/MRWV0jpg8V

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 15, 2025

Looking at replays, the most likely incident that caused Hronek to be pulled from the game happened with 2:05 left in the third. After clearing the puck, Hronek was elbowed in the head by Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov. Despite clear contact to the head, Svechnikov did not receive a penalty on the play. 

As expected, the hit has drawn plenty of criticism online from Canucks fans and media members. Hronek's agent also made his feelings known, posting the clip on "X" and writing, "Here we go again! The National Concussion League. Open season on NHL players' brains. No call on the play. If only the referee were in a position to have a clear view of the play."

Vancouver continues its three-game road trip on Sunday as they pay a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season, Tampa Bay picked up victories in both games and has won nine of its previous 10 games against the Canucks. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 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.

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The milestones just keep rolling for Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, a first-ballot future Hall of Fame player who is also widely regarded as the best United States-born forward in NHL history. 

With an assist during Thursday evening's 6-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, Kane became just the 31st player in NHL history to reach 1,350 career points, and is now immediately in the rear view mirror on the records of Guy Lafleur and Brendan Shanahan on the NHL's all-time points list. 

"I didn't know if 1,350 was a milestone or a number, or why it was being put up there," Kane said with a smile.

Oh, and it won't be long before Kane notches his 500th career goal, as he's currently at 494 tallies and counting. 

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

During Thursday’s game, Kane’s latest accomplishment was displayed on the scoreboard to roaring cheers from the sold-out crowd. However, Kane admitted after Friday’s practice that he wasn’t initially sure why he was being shown.

"I didn't know if 1,350 was a milestone or a number, or why it was being put up there," Kane said with a smile.

Throughout NHL history, several high-profile Hall of Fame players have hailed from the United States, and Kane is at the top of the list among active players who fit that description.

As a native of Buffalo, Kane grew up watching players like Pat Lafontaine skate for the Sabres while also admiring the likes of Mike Modano and Chris Chelios. 

"I like (Pat) Lafontaine, Modano, Chris Chelios, a huge fan of him on and off the ice, just a complete warrior," Kane said. "I didn't like him so much when we were going against him and he was cross-checking me in the back, but he's become a great friend and he's probably the guy who's the best American player of all time, and I definitely look up to those guys. "

Becoming one of the greatest U.S.-born NHL players wasn't something that Kane initially thought of when he first started becoming active in hockey, but it's not something he takes for granted. 

"I was just a young kid from Buffalo who tried to play hockey and enjoy it, and maybe try and get a college scholarship," he said. "As time goes on, you get opportunities and take advantage of playing in different situations, stepping into good opportunities, you get chances to do some pretty special things. I'm pretty fortunate with that." 

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