Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins completed their Western Canada swing on Sunday evening, facing off against the Vancouver Canucks. It was a homecoming for rookie forward Ben Kindel, who led the way with two goals as the Penguins won 3-2. [Recap]
However, in the dying moments of the game, amid a Vancouver push for the tying goal, forward Bryan Rust hit Vancouver’s Brock Boeser on the ice as time expired Sunday. Video shows Rust appearing to hit Boeser up high with an extended elbow, an action deemed “dirty” by Vancouver players. [Sportsnet]
Big Justin Brazeau has been one of the many positive revelations this season. The winger has career highs in goals (14) and points (25) in 37 games after Sunday. He’s been able to cash in on his offensive opportunities by “playing the right way.” [Trib Live]
Every club in the league would take 13 goals and 40 points in 36 games for a 39-year-old forward who is set to be an unrestricted free agent at year’s end. However, those statistics belong to an NHL and franchise icon in Evgeni Malkin, who has now publicly said he is willing to take a discount to return to the Penguins next season. General manager Kyle Dubas, with his seemingly infinite pool of cap space, should listen and reward Malkin with the extension he has rightfully deserved. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has apologized after he was seen on camera flipping the middle finger during Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. [TSN]
The Seattle Kraken are open to hearing trade offers for 22-year-old center Shane Wright, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. [theScore]
The NHL may have gained a new fan base as viewers go crazy for the viral HBO streaming hit “Heated Rivalry.” The show, which centers around a romance between two hockey players, has driven a “noticeable spike” in demand for NHL tickets and revenue for the league, according to ticket website SeatGeek. [CBS News]
Vegas Golden Knights (25-14-12, in the Pacific Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (28-17-7, in the Atlantic Division)
Montreal, Quebec; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Vegas Golden Knights after Cole Caufield recorded a hat trick in the Canadiens' 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins.
Montreal is 28-17-7 overall and 14-11-1 at home. The Canadiens have a 25-6-6 record in games they score three or more goals.
Vegas has a 13-7-6 record in road games and a 25-14-12 record overall. The Golden Knights are 24-5-7 in games they score at least three goals.
The matchup Tuesday is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Canadiens won 4-1 in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Caufield has 29 goals and 24 assists for the Canadiens. Alexandre Texier has four goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
Pavel Dorofeyev has 22 goals and 16 assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has seven goals and 11 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 5-4-1, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.8 penalties and 11.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 7-3-0, averaging 4.3 goals, 7.2 assists, 2.2 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.
INJURIES: Canadiens: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Fantasy hockey managers looking to tinker with their rosters will benefit from zeroing in on specific categories. Whether you are looking for long-term fits or short-term options, there should be a plethora of potential pickups to help your squads.
Let's get into this week's suggestions for your consideration.
Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning (40% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Hits/Blocks/Faceoffs
Cirelli has notched two goals and four assists during his three-game point streak. His production has been inconsistent at times recently, but he has generated five goals, 29 shots on net, 13 blocked shots, 12 hits and 16 points in his last 17 appearances. Cirelli might match or surpass his career-high 59 points from the 2024-25 regular season. He has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the top-six, and he currently is playing on the first line due to the absence of center Brayden Point. The Lightning have three games slated for this week.
Elias Lindholm, C, Bruins (33% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Blocks/Faceoffs/PP
Lindholm has registered one goal, four assists, five shots on net and seven blocked shots over his last four outings. He has one marker and one helper on the power play during that span. Lindholm is clicking with David Pastrnak on the top line, which gives his fantasy value a significant boost. While the 31-year-old Lindholm has experienced some brief dips in production, he has been effective for the most part this season. He has nine goals, 35 points, 65 shots, 40 blocks 30 hits and a team-high 382 faceoff wins, with a 54.3% success rate, through 42 appearances. Lindholm's category coverage makes him an intriguing option ahead of a four-game week for Boston, and he has value for the remainder of the season as a potential 60-point performer.
Mason Marchment, LW, Blue Jackets (32% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/Hits/PP
Marchment's fantasy stock is on the rise since he produced a four-point effort, including a hat trick, against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He has played in two contests after missing eight straight games because of an upper-body injury. Since being acquired from Seattle in mid-December, he has amassed eight goals, 11 points, 19 shots and eight hits over nine appearances for Columbus. Marchment fits in nicely on the top line and the first power-play with his new team. The Blue Jackets play four times this week.
Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild (27% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/PP
Zuccarello has generated three goals and six assists during his five-game point streak. He has one goal and four helpers on the power play during that stretch. Since late December, he has compiled six goals on 33 shots and 16 points in his past 15 appearances. Had he stayed healthier in 2025-26, he could have been on pace for the second 70-point campaign of his NHL career. He has been all over the scoresheet when he's been in the lineup, while seeing most of his playing time alongside Kirill Kaprizov. Zuccarello has plenty of offensive upside going into a three-game week for Minnesota.
Lawson Crouse, LW/RW, Mammoth (25% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/Hits
Crouse has been a streaky scorer recently after a sluggish start to the 2025-26 campaign. He has accounted for five goals, 12 points, 24 shots on target and 38 hits in his last 13 outings. The 28-year-old winger had a top-line role alongside team-leading producers Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz before missing a 5-2 win over Nashville on Saturday due to an illness. Assuming he recovers quickly, he could play in four games during a busy week for the Mammoth. If he remains unavailable, Kailer Yamamoto (0% rostered) had one goal and one assist in Saturday's contest while filling in on the first combination for Crouse.
Alex Lyon, G, Sabres (24% rostered) for Starts/Saves/Wins
Following a nine-game absence due to a lower-body injury, Lyon has picked up right where he left off with some superb play between the pipes for the surging Sabres. He has won both of his outings since returning to action, stopping 57 of the 60 shots he faced. Lyon has won his last nine appearances while posting a 2.05 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He has a 12-6-3 record this season with two shutouts across 23 appearances. Lyon could still lose some playing time to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but both netminders should be rostered in more leagues. Buffalo plays three times this week.
Justin Sourdif, C/RW, Capitals (10% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/Hits
Sourdif has two goals and three assists during his three-game point spree. He has eight shots on target, two blocked shots and three hits over that span. Across his last 11 appearances, Sourdif has eight goals, 15 points, 23 shots, six blocks and 10 hits. His fantasy value received a boost with Tom Wilson's return to the lineup against Vancouver last Wednesday. Washington has three games scheduled for this week.
Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Sharks (8% rostered) for Starts/Saves/Wins
Nedeljkovic has won his last five starts while recording a 1.99 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. He has allowed two goals or fewer in four of those outings. Even though he has much better numbers, Nedeljkovic has been rotating games with Yaroslav Askarov during that stretch. Still, the 30-year-old Nedeljkovic has value as a depth option or a spot starter during his superb run, making him a viable pickup for San Jose's three-game week.
Anthony Duclair, LW, Islanders (6% rostered) for Goals/Points/Shots/Blocks/PP
Duclair has heated up in January, accumulating eight goals on 15 shots and 10 points through nine games. He is clicking with Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee on the top line. The trio got benched in Saturday's 5-0 loss to Buffalo, which should provide considerable motivation ahead of a four-game week for the Islanders.
Corey Perry, RW, Kings (5% rostered) for Assists/Points/Shots/PP
Perry has missed five of the last nine games due to a personal matter, but he has picked up one point in each of his four appearances in the lineup during that span. He has racked up three goals, seven assists, 11 shots on net and five blocked shots in his past nine contests. He ranks second on the team with 11 power-play points and has earned three tallies and three helpers with the man advantage during that nine-game stretch. The veteran winger is skating on the top line and the first power-play combination. Perry is an intriguing addition due to his production, and the Kings play a league-high five times this week.
The Calgary Flames saw a strong start unravel on Sunday night, falling 4–3 in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Calgary opened the game with pace and purpose, jumping out to a 2–0 lead in the first period and controlling long stretches of play, but Anaheim chipped away and eventually stole the extra point thanks to a hat-trick performance from rookie Beckett Sennecke.
Jonathan Huberdeau got the Flames on the board at the 6:17 mark of the opening frame, snapping an 10-game goal drought. After driving the net, Huberdeau stayed with a loose puck and poked it past Lukas Dostal to give Calgary an early advantage.
Just moments later, the Saddledome erupted again as Hunter Brzustewicz recorded his first career NHL goal. The defenceman fired a shot from the point that deflected off traffic in front and found its way into the net, doubling the Flames’ lead and capping a memorable milestone in his 17th NHL game.
Anaheim pushed back late in the first despite managing only three shots on goal through much of the period. A quick backdoor play found Sennecke, who buried his first of the night past Dustin Wolf to cut the lead in half.
Calgary dominated the shot clock early in the second period, outshooting Anaheim 25–7 at one point, but the Ducks found their footing. Crisp puck movement led to another Sennecke goal at the side of the net, tying the game at 2–2. The Ducks briefly thought they had taken the lead moments later, but a high-stick goal from Alex Killorn was immediately waved off and upheld after review.
The Flames regained the lead on the power play in the third period. Nazem Kadri worked the puck down low to Matvei Gridin who threaded a cross-seam pass to Matt Coronato, who elevated a quick shot over Dostal to make it 3–2.
Anaheim answered once again, tying the game on a 2-on-1 rush as Kris Kreider finished a one-timer to complete the hat trick and force overtime.
In the extra frame, Sennecke delivered the decisive blow, ripping a top-shelf shot over Wolf’s glove to seal the 4–3 Ducks victory. The rookie now leads all first-year players with 18 goals on the season.
After spending time as a healthy scratch, Hunter Brzustewicz made a strong case to stay in the lineup. His first NHL goal was the reward for a simple, confident play, and it marked a positive step for a player who has been trending in the right direction.
3. January continues to be difficult for Dustin Wolf
The loss marked Wolf’s sixth defeat in his last seven appearances, underscoring a challenging month for the young goaltender. Despite stretches of strong play, the results haven’t followed, adding to Calgary’s recent frustrations.
And, even by the skin of their teeth, they just keep on winning, too.
On Sunday, the Penguins narrowly defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, to close out their perfect four-game Western road trip. It is their third time this season stringing together at least four straight wins, and the win gave them solid standing at second place in the Metropolitan Division with 63 points - four points ahead of the third-place New York Islanders and six points back of the divison-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
The victory may not have been as comfortable as the previous three, but they still came away with it - and that's in large part thanks to their netminder, Stuart Skinner, who was magnificent late in the game and stopped 30 of 32 Vancouver shots on goal.
The game got off to a bit of a wild start, as there was a disallowed goal for each team in the first period. The first was when Egor Chinakhov appeared to pick up the loose change and score at the net-front, but the play was deemed offside. The second was an apparent Canucks goal by Connor Garland that was deemed goaltender interference on the ice, as ex-Penguin Teddy Blueger interfered with Skinner.
But the Penguins took over a bit when the second period began. Five and a half minutes into the middle frame, Evgeni Malkin took a feed from Tommy Novak off the rush and put it home at the goal mouth to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. Later in the period - and in front of 192 family members and friends - hometown kid Ben Kindel finished a perfect shot-pass by Ryan Shea to put Pittsburgh ahead by two.
Then, with a little more than two and half minutes remaining in the second, Justin Brazeau made a high-level play at the offensive blue line to sneak the puck past Canucks' young defenseman Zeev Buium and feed it to a breaking Kindel in the slot, who one-timed a rocket past Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen and broke the goal camera in the process to make it 3-0.
But, despite the Penguins building a nice lead in the second period, Vancouver swung the momentum in a big way during the third.
After some sustained pressure, Jake DeBrusk finally got Vancouver on the scoresheet six and a half minutes into the third. The score remained 3-1 until six minutes remained in regulation, and that's when Blueger tipped a shot by Liam Ohgren to bring the Canucks to within one.
And the pressure didn't subside for the rest of regulation. The Canucks kept coming, but Skinner answered the bell every time - even channeling his inner "Marc-Andre Fleury-against-Nicklas Lidstrom-in-2009" to dive to his right and make a game-saving stop with 50 seconds left.
He was also able to shut the door in the game's waning seconds - when Vancouver had multiple shots on goal right around the net-front - to send the Penguins home with the win and a perfect eight points on their road trip.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this key 3-2 win:
- Of course, every win from here on out for the Penguins - and for any team - is an important one. Every lost point counts and is to the benefit of every team trying to chase you in the standings.
But it goes without saying that getting all eight points on this Western swing, especially when that's never to be expected, was as huge as it was pleasantly surprising.
The fact that the Penguins trail the Hurricanes by only six points with a game in hand is pretty crazy, especially when taking into account the eight-game losing streak in December and how hot the Hurricanes have been, too, as they are 7-1-2 in their last 10. Keeping pace with that team is no small thing, especially since that team is a Stanley Cup contender year in and year out.
But, perhaps, the even bigger deal is that the Penguins have created some separation between themselves and the Metro playoff contenders below them. The Isles are four points back. The Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals are each six points back, and the Penguins have two games in hand on the Caps.
Again, every win is important. But getting all eight points on this road trip is massive, especially since every NHL team is going to be shaking off some rust after the Olympic break. Padding points now is crucial when you consider the gauntlet the Penguins have in the month of March.
- On a relatively quiet night for the first line - which hasn't been the case recently - the middle-six really stepped up once again.
We're used to seeing it from Malkin, Novak, and Chinakhov at this point. But it sure is nice to see the third line develop some chemistry and get going in these last few games.
Anthony Mantha has five points in his last four games. Brazeau four in his last four. Kindel has just the two goals in his last five, but he was still doing other things to help generate, even if he wasn't showing up on the scoresheet.
The Penguins are a four-line team, and that makes them dangerous.
- Speaking of Kindel, good for him.
Ben Kindel and 192 of his closest friends and family 🫶
"Lots of people that have been part of my life for a long time and have helped me make it here. So, it's great. It’s about them just as much as it is myself."
It has been a whirlwind season for the 18-year old, and it was nice to see him have himself a game in front of a lot of supporters. 192 people showing up for one person is pretty unreal, and Kindel delivered in front of all of them as close to his hometown Coquitlam as he can get.
Oh, and by the way, Kindel is the first Penguins' rookie since Jake Guentzel in 2016-17 to register a double-digit total in goals. He now has 10 goals and 22 points in 48 games.
- Skinner has been unreal for the Penguins. In his last eight starts, he is 7-1-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average and .934 save percentage.
Stuart Skinner's last eight starts with the @penguins:
I don't expect him to maintain those numbers, of course, and nobody else should, either. He will come back down to earth a little bit eventually, and he may even hit a rough patch. He has been known to do that throughout his career.
But I think there is something to the "change of scenery" thing here. Skinner is more confident, more relaxed, and more poised, and it shows in his body language and positioning on the ice.
If he can continue this tear - or even give the Penguins slightly above average goaltending - they should have no problems making the postseason.
- I don't think it was a particularly strong night for the Penguins' defense, as good as it has been lately. I didn't like Kris Letang's play on Vancouver's first goal, and as a whole, the back end gave up far too many golden opportunities in this one.
That said, this game was a blip on the radar in comparison to recent performances. The Penguins are still giving up a few too many chances, but they've been much better as of late. So, hopefully, they revert back to what they were doing during the first three games of this road trip in these last five games before the break.
- To be fair, however, the Penguins did play most of the game with five defensemen, as Jack St. Ivany exited early with what was later specified as an upper-body injury. He did not return.
If St. Ivany is out for any length of time, that would be terribly unfortunate, as he has looked much better in this last handful of games. And he hasn't had the best injury luck in the past year and a half, either.
- At the end of regulation, Bryan Rust had a bit of a nasty check to the head of Canucks forward Brock Boeser.
I do expect expect disciplinary action, to be honest. We'll see what happens.
- And, about that break.
Starting Thursday at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Penguins will play five games in eight days. The first three of those games are against teams outside the playoff picture in Chicago, the New York Rangers, and the Ottawa Senators. And after that? They have the Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres, two teams either chasing them in the division or jostling for wild card positioning.
Just like this Western trip was, these next five games are extremely important. The Penguins can't afford to let points slip away, especially in two games that are, essentially, four-point games.
And just like they did on this trip, they need to beat the teams they should beat. At minimum, the Penguins - realistically - need at least three out of five. But they should get four out of five.
In any case, the schedule in March is rough, and it's chock-full of contenders. They need to bank every point they possibly can before the three-week hiatus.
TORONTO (AP) — Brock Nelson scored twice in a 1:12 span in the first period and sealed his fifth career hat trick with an empty-netter in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
Jack Drury also scored to help NHL-leading Colorado improve to 35-6-9. MacKenzie Blackwood made 32 saves.
Colorado became the fourth team in NHL history with six or fewer regulation losses through 50 games, joining the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers (35-3-12), 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens (38-5-7) and 1975-76 Canadiens (36-6-8).
The last team with at least 77 points through 50 contests was the 2022-23 Boston Bruins (38-7-5), who went on to set the NHL record for wins in a season with 65.
Max Domi had a late power-play goal for Toronto, and Joseph Woll stopped 33 shots. The Maple Leafs are 24-19-9.
The Maple Leafs had a 4-3 overtime victory in Denver on Jan. 12, but have dropped six of seven (1-4-2), including an ugly 0-3-1 start to their current five-game homestand following an 8-0-2 run.
DUCKS 4, FLAMES 3, OT
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Rookie Beckett Sennecke scored at 2:54 of overtime for his first NHL hat trick as Anaheim rallied to beat Calgary.
Sennecke’s winner came on a 2-on-1 in which he kept the puck and snapped a shot past Dustin Wolf, just inside the post.
Chris Kreider also scored for Anaheim (28-21-3), which extended its winning streak to seven games. Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn each had two assists. Lukas Dostal made 32 saves and improved to 19-12-2.
Sennecke’s three-goal effort gives him 18 for the season and 41 points overall, which places him second in rookie scoring to Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, who has 11 goals and 32 assists for 43 points.
The Ducks moved to within one point of the second-place Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. Anaheim holds one game in hand. The Ducks and Oilers play Monday in Edmonton.
KRAKEN 4, DEVILS 2
SEATTLE (AP) — Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton scored 18 seconds apart in the third period, Joey Daccord made 27 saves and Seattle beat New Jersey.
Ryker Evans and Jordan Eberle also scored for Seattle, which has won three of their last 10 games. Beniers was playing in his 300th career NHL game.
Dougie Hamilton and Jack Hughes scored for the Devils. Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 shots in his sixth start in New Jersey’s last seven games. The Devils conclude their four-game Pacific Division road trip with a 3-1-0 record.
Hamilton opened the scoring 8:11 into the first period with a clean shot on the power play. Scoring his sixth goal of the season, Hamilton now has eight points in his last nine games.
Evans tied the game at 7:37 in the second period. The shot hit Johnathan Kovacevic’s stick and slipped through Markstrom’s pads, who appeared to be heavily screened.
Beniers and Catton scored back-to-back for Seattle, with their goals coming at 7:04 and 7:22 in the third period, respectively.
SENATORS 7, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Stephen Halliday had two goals and an assist, Dylan Cozens also scored twice and Ottawa routed the road-weary Vegas.
Senators goalie Linus Ullmark returned to to the active roster from a personal leave, backing up Mads Sogaard. Ullmark was the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner.
Halliday scored his second and third career goals, and added the assist for a three-point game in his first season in the NHL.
Fabian Zetterlund, Jordan Spence and Nick Jensen also scored, and Brady Tkachuk had three assists. Sogaard stopped 19 shots.
Rasmus Andersson scored in third period for Vegas, making it 7-1. It was the defenseman’s first goal in two games with the Golden Knights following a trade with Calgary.
PENGUINS 3, CANUCKS 2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Rookie Ben Kindel scored twice in the second period to lead Pittsburgh to a win over Vancouver and a sweep of Pittsburgh’s four-game western Canada trip.
Kindel, from nearby Coquitlam, British Columbia, had a large contingent of supporters on hand for his second multi-goal game. The 18-year-old had gone 20 games without a goal after scoring eight in his first 28 and has 10 goals and 12 assists in 48 games.
Evgeni Malkin also scored for the Penguins (26-14-11), and Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots and won for the seventh time in eight games.
Jake DeBrusk and Teddy Blueger scored in the third period for the Canucks (17-30-5), who failed to complete their comeback try and dropped their second straight. Kevin Lankinen stopped 21 shots.
PANTHERS 5, BLACKHAWKS 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot scored his first two goals this season — giving him just three over seven NHL seasons and 139 career games — and Florida defeated Chicago for their third straight win.
Mackie Samoskevich and Carter Verhaeghe connected 2:04 apart early in the third period and Sam Reinhart added an empty-netter as the Panthers won for the sixth time in eight. Daniil Tarasov made 19 saves and the two-time defending Stanley Cup Panthers moved eight games over .500 for the first time this season.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored his team-leading 25th goal for the Blackhawks. Spencer Knight, who started his career with Florida, made 20 saves and fell to 0-2 against his former team.
The teams generated only a handful of chances through the first and second periods and neither pressured with a territorial edge.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Rookie Beckett Sennecke scored at 2:54 of overtime for his first NHL hat trick as the Anaheim Ducks rallied to beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 Sunday night.
Sennecke's winner came on a 2-on-1 in which he kept the puck and snapped a shot past Dustin Wolf, just inside the post.
Chris Kreider also scored for Anaheim (28-21-3), which extended its winning streak to seven games. Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn each had two assists. Lukas Dostal made 32 saves and improved to 19-12-2.
Sennecke’s three-goal effort gives him 18 for the season and 41 points overall, which places him second in rookie scoring to Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, who has 11 goals and 32 assists for 43 points.
The Ducks moved to within one point of the second-place Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. Anaheim holds one game in hand. The Ducks and Oilers play Monday in Edmonton.
Jonathan Huberdeau, Matt Coronato and Hunter Brzustewicz, who had his first NHL goal, scored for Calgary (21-25-6), which is winless in its last four games (0-2-2). Wolf, who had 17 stops, falls to 15-21-2.
Huberdeau’s ninth goal snapped a 10-game goalless streak. Brzustewicz’s first NHL goal comes in his 18th game.
Calgary entered the game having scored just once in each of its last three games since the trading away of defenseman Rasmus Andersson. However, goals less than two minutes apart by Huberdeau and Brzustewicz gave the Flames a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the first period.
Tied 2-2 entering the third period, Coronato broke the deadlock at 4:50 before Kreider tied it at 13:08 and forced the extra session.
Anaheim’s second seven-game winning streak of the season gives the Ducks multiple seven-game runs in a season for the first time since 2014-15, when they also had two.
Up next
Ducks: At Edmonton on Monday in fourth game of a five-game trip.
The Chicago Blackhawks had their point streak (3-games) snapped by the Florida Panthers on Sunday evening. After a special dedication ceremony for “Hockey Fights Cancer”, the product on the ice left a lot to be desired.
The first 45 minutes of the hockey game were scoreless. That was until 15:33 of the second period when Tobias Bjornfort gave Florida a 1-0 lead.
With 30 seconds remaining in the middle frame, Tyler Bertuzzi tied it thanks to a great play made by Wyatt Kaiser and Ilya Mikheyev to find him at the net-mouth.
In the third period, the Panthers took over. Mackie Samoskevich, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, and Tobias Bjornfort's second goal of the game made it four unanswered for Florida. The 5-1 mark stood as the final score.
This loss for Chicago snapped a three-game point streak. They weren't outplayed until the third period, but that ultimately cost them the game.
Part of their struggles as a team overall, including in some of their wins, is scoring goals. Their offense has been lackluster for a couple of weeks now. Connor Bedard isn't producing at the same rate that he was before his injury, and the rest of the team isn't picking it up.
The power play, which had a good first half of the season, has been struggling in recent games. After going 0-3 on Sunday, they are now 0-17 over their last seven games, which has plummeted the entire unit down to 16th in the league with 20.5 percent.
With the loss, the Blackhawks will stay at 50 points. They are wildly improved compared to where they were with 30 games to go last year, but they have a long way to go before the playoffs are a realistic possibility.
The Blackhawks are back in action on Tuesday night when they pay a visit to the Minnesota Wild. It's another game against one of the elite teams in the NHL, except this one is a divisional matchup.
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The Vancouver Canucks battled to the end but fell 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Vancouver's goal scorers on Sunday were Jake DeBrusk and Teddy Blueger. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced.
Sunday was another example of the Canucks going down by multiple goals and needing a big push in the third to try and tie the game. All three goals scored by the Penguins happened in the second period, which puts Vancouver's total to 67 goals against in the middle frame. Post-game, Head Coach Adam Foote spoke about the second period and why it has been an issue all year.
"It's we can't, we're fine and, you know, it seems like we don't get the first goal, or they get the first goal or the second, we kind of get off mentally," said Foote. "We get off our game a little bit, and we've discussed it. And once they get back on, you see what they can do. They just went out as a completely different team in the third. Controlled that game in the third. So we just got to not get frustrated at 0-0, or one, nothing. For a long time, we had a mistake. Just hang in there and just, you know, play."
The biggest storyline from this game came right before the final whistle as Brock Boeser took an elbow to the head from Bryan Rust. Boeser did skate off under his own power but was talking with the trainer on the way to the bench. While Foote did not give an update post-game, he did comment on the play.
"I don't have an update yet, but I just looked at the hit," said Foote. "It wasn't pretty. There was a headshot. A shoulder in his head. I'm sure the league will look at it. Even though he may have been desperate to get Bess down because it was a scrum at the net, I still think it was something that you had to be in control of your body. I thought it was a little bit vicious hit to the head.
As for a positive from the game, the Canucks were able to hold Sidney Crosby pointless and without a shot in this game. Foote and his staff mainly used Blueger and Elias Pettersson in the role to keep the future Hall of Famer in check. Post-game, Blueger spoke to the media about the matchup and how difficult it is to defend against Crosby.
"He's obviously one of the hardest matchups in the league," said Blueger. "So, you know, it's a very, very tough matchup. At the same time, you appreciate it. He's one of the all-time greats. And, yeah, going against him is, you know, a privilege in a way, too. So it's, it's hard work. But yeah, I think, Petey went against them a lot too, and did a good job against them."
Jan 25, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil (72) stick checks Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Ultimately, Sunday replicated so many other nights this season. Vancouver fell into an early hole, showed off their resiliency, yet still came up short in the end. Overall, the positive remains that the game featured entertaining moments while also helping the tank as the Canucks picked up zero points and extended their lead at the bottom of the standings.
Stats and Facts:
- Jake DeBrusk breaks his eight-game scoring drought
- Teddy Blueger scores for the second-straight game
- Conor Garland records his first point of 2026
- Elias Pettersson's 290th career assist ties him with Dennis Kearns for the ninth most in franchise history
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
No Scoring
2nd Period:
5:24-PIT: Evgeni Malkin (13) from Tommy Novak and Egor Chinakhov 8:41- PIT: Ben Kindel (9) from Ryan Shea and Anthony Mantha 17:22- PIT: Ben Kindel (10) from Justin Brazeau and Brett Kulak
3rd Period:
6:29- VAN: Jake DeBrusk (13) from Elias Pettersson and Evander Kane 14:00- VAN: Teddy Blueger (3) from Liam Öhgren and Filip Hronek
Up Next:
The Canucks continue their homestand on Tuesday when they face the San Jose Sharks. While Kiefer Sherwood is injured, there is a chance he will make his Sharks debut on Tuesday. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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Don’t look now, but the Florida Panthers are building up some steam.
Playing in their third road game in four nights, the Panthers took down the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Sunday night at United Center, wrapping up a perfect 3-0-0 road trip.
For the second time on this road trip, goals were quite hard to come by for both the Panthers and their opponent.
The first tally of the night came late in the second period, and once again, it was the Cats who went ahead first.
Directly off an offensive zone faceoff win by Cole Schwindt, Toby Bjornfot came down from the blue line and picked up the puck, carrying it behind the net and attempting a wraparound shot on Spencer Knight that squeaked through the goaltender’s legs.
Unfortunately for the Cats, they couldn’t hold the lead and take it into the third period.
A failed zone clear by Florida led to Tyler Bertuzzi banging home an Ilya Mikheyev rebound with just 29.3 on the clock.
It took Florida less than five minutes of third period time to re-take the lead.
Mackie Samoskevich picked up the puck in the right circle and leaned into a wrist shot that was stopped by Knight, just not enough to keep it from crossing the goal line.
They weren’t done there.
Just 2:04 later, Evan Rodrigues drew a gaggle of Blackhawks toward him in the left circle before feeding Carter Verhaeghe in the slot, and Swaggy’s wrister beat Knight over the glove to double the Cats lead with 12:36 to go.
An empty-net tally by Sam Reinhart, his 26th goal and 50th point of the season, cemented the victory for Florida, but Bjornfot added a second of the game off a great feed from Verhaeghe with 22.2 to go just for good measure.
Goaltender Daniil Tarasov was solid when called upon Sunday, finishing with 20 saves to earn his second win on the road trip. He was also in net for Thursday’s victory in Winnipeg.
Photo caption: Jan 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (22) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at United Center. (Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)
A 3–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins today was not the biggest concern for the Vancouver Canucks. At the end of today’s game, Brock Boeser found himself on the receiving end of a bad head-shot by Penguins forward Bryan Rust, getting up slowly after. This occurred within the final bit of the third period, during Vancouver’s push for a game-tying goal deep in Pittsburgh’s zone.
“I think it’s a pretty dirty play, to be honest with you,” Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk said post-game of what had happened to Boeser.
“Seemed pretty dirty to me watching it on the replay,” Teddy Blueger, who spent five seasons as a member of the Penguins alongside Rust, said. “I don’t think Rusty is a dirty player, but I think it was pretty clear head contact.”
Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote met with the media post-game, explaining that he has yet to receive an update on Boeser's condition.
"I don't have an update yet, but I just looked at the hit. It wasn't pretty. It was a headshot [...] I'm sure the league will look at it, because it was. Even though he may have been desperate to get Boes down because it was a scrum at the net, I still think it was something that you had to be in control of your body. I thought it was a little bit of a vicious hit to the head."
The Canucks resume their eight-game home stand with a match against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm PT. They remain at home for two more games after this, against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, before heading on the road for two games before the Olympic break.
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser (6) skates against the Washington Capitals in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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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Goaltender Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox have continued skating on their own, but head coach Mike Sullivan didn’t think that their return to practicing with the rest of the Rangers at full capacity would be “imminent.”
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Sullivan told The Post after the Blueshirts practiced in Tarrytown on Sunday that their pair of stars had skated “probably upwards of” four or five times.
Shesterkin has been on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since Jan. 5, while Fox landed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since that same overtime loss to the Mammoth.
Shesterkin is eligible to return, but Fox can’t get activated until the Jan. 31 game against the Penguins.
“They’ve been on the ice a handful of times at this point,” Sullivan said as the Rangers prepared to face the Bruins on Monday at the Garden. “They skated [Sunday] morning, so they’re making progress.”
A full return to practice would mark the final step needed for the Rangers to get their $92 million goaltender and their former Norris Trophy winner back into the lineup.
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is helped off the ice by a trainer and New York Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov after falling back on his leg in the first period at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York, Monday, January 05, 2026. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
Without Shesterkin, backup Jonathan Quick has gone 0-5-0 with a .795 save percentage and 23 goals allowed across five starts, while Spencer Martin, who was recalled from AHL Hartford, has gone 1-2-0 with an .881 save percentage in three starts — while also taking over twice when Quick was pulled.
And Fox’s absence — his second extended one of the season — forced the Blueshirts to bump Braden Schneider to the top defensive pairing alongside Vladislav Gavrikov and to shift Gavrikov into Fox’s spot on the top power-play unit.
The Blueshirts struggled mightily with the man advantage when Fox missed 14 games due to a shoulder injury earlier in the year, but they’ve gone 5-for-19 in the eight games since he sustained the latest injury.
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox reacts while on the ice in the second period at Madison Square Garden in New York, November 04, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
Sam Carrick’s job isn’t to score. But in the immediate aftermath of the loss to the Sabres on Jan. 8, Carrick rued his missed chances on offense and was critical of himself for not doing enough to contribute production.
During the Rangers loss to the Sharks on Friday, the fourth-line center collected his third goal of the season and his second across their last six games, an early sign of his starting to turn those opportunities into occasional goals.
“He does a lot of the thankless jobs that help teams win,” Sullivan said. “They don’t necessarily show up on the scoresheet all the time, but he does a lot of the little things, the subtleties of the game that add up to winning. He’s physical. He sticks up for our guys. He takes faceoffs. He’s part of our penalty kill. He’s a momentum guy. He’s a great teammate.”
“And so a player like [him] is able to chip in a few goals, it certainly is a boost of confidence for him, but everybody’s thrilled for him because of all the thankless jobs he does on a daily basis.”
The Penguins strike first only to see it get called back on a Vancouver challenge. Egor Chinakhov sneaks a puck in from right in front but he was offside and a step ahead of the play at the blueline so it made for an easy reversal.
Jack St. Ivany leaves the bench in the middle of the period, dropping Pittsburgh down to five defenders.
It becomes the Canucks turn to have a disallowed goal. Conor Garland blasts a slapshot from outside that gets by Stuart Skinner, though the ref immediately washes it out because Teddy Blueger backed all the way into the blue paint of the crease and contacted Skinner with his backside.
Matching no goals makes it a 0-0 score after one. Vancouver is up 9-8 on shots, Skinner made a few nice saves along the way.
Second period
Vancouver gets the first power play of the game when Anthony Mantha smacks a guy in the face. The Pens PK takes care of business, no small thanks to a bunch of saves from Skinner.
The Pittsburgh second line comes through for a goal again, this time it counts. Chinakhov picks the puck off this time, Novak again with the setup to a streaking Evgeni Malkin to lift it home. 1-0 Pens.
Next up, the Ben Kindel show. The 18-year old gets his first goal in 19 games by redirecting a puck from in tight, to the delight of 180 family and friends in attendance.
Kindel turns that goal-drought into a goal-streak with another goal to extend the lead to 3-0. Should get a bonus point for absolutely shattering the camera within the net.
Big time period for the visitors to blow the game open with three goals.
Third period
It takes almost six minutes for Vancouver to get their first shots of the third period, they make them count. Jake DeBrusk follows up a shot and is able to put the puck into the net. 3-1
Say what you will about the Canucks, they didn’t go away quietly. Filip Hronek takes a big slapshot that has enough energy on it to bounce around a few times and go off Teddy Blueger and into the net. 3-2 game with just 6:00 to go.
Goalie Kevin Lankinen is pulled with about 2 minutes left, it’s crunch time for the 6v5 magic that Vancouver looks for. They get a great look that Skinner stymies with a diving save that brings back memories of Marc-Andre Fleury in Detroit.
The Canucks keep throwing everything they can at the net between bodies, sticks, pucks, yet they can’t crack Skinner again before the final buzzer goes off to save the Pens.
Some thoughts
Novak’s play in the neutral zone has been great lately. Whether it’s skating the puck and gaining the zone or blocking breakout attempts he’s been everywhere. It’s been paying off in big ways like the setup for the Malkin goal, it’s also all over the place to be on the puck constantly.
Two goals for Kindel! He’s still been playing well all over the ice without the puck despite the lack of goals lately, popping in two for the homecoming of the Vancouver native in his first game there was a special moment for him to create.
Between the team’s rookie party and seeing his family in a luxury box, how expensive was the weekend for Kindel? The old joke about playing for free might have some level of truth to it, he’d probably take it for the two goals, including the GWG.
The Bob Grove stat of the day: today was game 1,000 (including playoffs) of the Big 3 all in the lineup together.
St. Ivany only took three shifts (playing 2:54) before leaving with what was announced as an upper body injury. That meant the Pens basically went the distance with only five defenders for the balance of the game tonight.
They still found a way to ease Letang back into the lineup, though you wouldn’t tell it from his overall ice time (16:50 through two periods, overall for the game). Letang wasn’t used on the PK. He hasn’t been a huge PK guy this season (averaging 1:27 per game), but that still ranked fourth among Pittsburgh defenders for a somewhat regular shift or turn in the rotation.
Another quality start in the books for Skinner, as has become his norm as of late. There were times he didn’t have a lot of action, though at the start of the game and the Canuck power play early in the second he had to be good, as was. Moneypuck had Vancouver with over 2 expected goals at the halfway point of the game. Thanks to Skinner it was 0 actual at that point. Could it have been another OT/SO loss and three-goal third period lead blown for the Pens? It was trending that way until Skinner’s late game heroics.
Maybe when the Penguins come back East they will find some power plays back at home. Pittsburgh only had six total power plays over the four-game western swing, including zip, zero tonight.
Can’t complain with the results though, four games on the trip end up as four wins. Big time results there.
The Penguins gotta be looking around seeing if the NHL has any more teams for them to play out in the northwest. Sadly, they do not, the team will return home and look to bottle up the momentum for their next game on Thursday against Buffalo.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany exited the team's Jan. 25 contest against the Vancouver Canucks after suffering an upper-body injury.
St. Ivany was limited to only three shifts during the Penguins' matchup against the Canucks, where he recorded one block in 2:54 of ice time.
Before suffering this injury, St. Ivany was in the middle of a nice hot streak for the Penguins. The right-shot defenseman had back-to-back two-assist games for the Penguins on Jan. 21 against the Calgary Flames and then on Jan. 22 against the Edmonton Oilers. With this, the timing of this injury is certainly tough for St. Ivany.
In 17 games so far this season with the Penguins, St. Ivany has recorded zero goals, seven assists, and a plus-7 rating.
Defenseman Jack St. Ivany (upper body) will not return to tonight's game.
The San Jose Sharks are going to be a very interesting team to watch at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. They have already shown that they are not afraid to be buyers, as they brought in forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Yet, with the team also focused on the future, several of their pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have also come up in the rumor mill.
The most notable Sharks pending UFA who has been creating chatter as a trade candidate is defenseman Mario Ferraro. With Ferraro being a steady top-four defenseman who plays a heavy game, there is no question that he has the potential to generate a ton of interest from contenders. But should the Sharks really consider trading him?
With the Sharks being in the Western Conference playoff race, trading a defenseman like Ferraro would come with some clear risk. He is one of the Sharks' best blueliners, and there is no question that moving on from him would create a major hole on their defense.
Given how important a player Ferraro is to the Sharks' roster, it would make a lot of sense for them to try to extend him before potentially dealing him. At 27 years old, he is right in his prime and could continue to be a great fit on a Sharks club that is on the rise if extended.
However, if Ferraro still does not have an extension once we get closer to the deadline, that is where things could get interesting. He may be too valuable an asset for the Sharks to potentially lose for nothing this off-season through free agency.
Nevertheless, it is going to be intriguing to see what happens between the Sharks and Ferraro this season from here.
