There are a number of former Buffalo Sabres players scattered throughout the NHL, having a varied level of success this season. Periodically, we will check in to see how their players are faring. Today we start with ex-Sabres playing for the eight teams in the Central Division. The Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals do not have any former Buffalo players currently on their roster, but here are those on the other six clubs.

Carolina

Taylor Hall, Eric Robinson, William Carrier, Mark Jankowski - F: The 34-year-old former Hart Trophy winner is playing for his seventh NHL club and will likely finish out his NHL career in Carolina after signing a three-year extension last April with a no-movement clause. Hall has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 26 games. Robinson, Carrier, and Jankowski each spent one season in Buffalo, and all are serving in depth roles for the Hurricanes. Robinson has five goals in 20 games, while Carrier and Jankowski each have one goal this season. 

NY Rangers

Conor Sheary - F, Will Borgen - D: The veteran winger played two seasons with Buffalo before being traded back to Pittsburgh in 2020. After stops in Tampa and Washington, Sheary was signed to a PTO and earned a one-year contract to play for former Pens coach Mike Sullivan. In 26 games as a checking forward, the 33-year-old has six assists. Borgen played parts of two seasons with Buffalo before being claimed by Seattle in the expansion draft. After four seasons with the Kraken, he was traded to Broadway for Kaapo Kakko. In 22 games for the Rangers, the 28-year-old has four points (2 goals, 2 assists).

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Philadelphia

Nicolas Deslauriers - F, Rasmus Ristolainen - D: The veteran enforcer played his first four seasons with Buffalo before stops in Montreal, Anaheim, and Minnesota, before settling in with Philadelphia. The 34-year-old has played primarily on the fourth line for 12 games and has no points and 17 penalty minutes.  Ristolainen has been out all season recovering from an upper-body injury, but has been on the ice in recent weeks and is hoping to get back in the Flyers lineup before New Year’s. 

 

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The tides are beginning to turn for the Nashville Predators toward the end of 2025, as they have won four of their last five games and are on a back-to-back streak. 

Thursday, they knocked off the Florida Panthers, 2-1, in overtime for their first victory over the Panthers since the 2023-24 season. Steven Stamkos had the game-winning goal, which was his fourth goal in five games. 

The Predators face a hefty task on Saturday in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes to extend their winning streak.

Here is everything you need to know for the Predators Saturday evening tilt. 

Game info

Who: Nashville Predators (10-13-4, 8th Central) at Carolina Hurricanes (16-8-2, 2nd in Metropolitan) 

When: 6 p.m. CST 

Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 

TV: FanDuel Sports Network South 

Radio: 102.5 The Game 

Line (via BetMGM): Predators (+1.5) Hurricanes (-1.5). Over/under 6 (-110/-110)

Penalty slayers

The Predators' penalty kill has been impressive all season, but it arguably had its best showing in the win against the Panthers. The unit killed off 6-of-6 penalties en route to the victory. 

The performance was so impressive that Steven Stamkos, who scored the game-winner, gave the team's postgame award to the entire PK unit. Nashville's penalty kill is now tied for 10th in the NHL at 82.1%, killing off 69-of-84 penalties. 

The effort is even more impressive considering that Cole Smith, one of the unit's top killers, has been out for the last two weeks. In addition, the Predators have been taking fewer penalties compared to the last few seasons. 

Nashville has 232 penalty minutes, which ranks 19th in the league. Usually, the Predators are one of the league leaders in that category. The Predators have dropped the gloves only six times so far. At this time last year, there had been 10. 

O'Reilly picking up speed

Ryan O'Reilly has been rock-steady for the Predators all season, but has really begun to pick up momentum over the last few games. He has eight points in the last five games after failing to record a point in the previous four games.

He leads the Predators in scoring, sitting at 21 points. O'Reilly had multi-point performances against the Red Wings (three points), Blackhawks (two points), and Panthers (two points). He's truly been living up to his nickname, Factor, over the last few games. 

Adding in Steven Stamkos' recent success, recording six points in the last five games, it seems that the Predators are finally finding an offensive identity. Nashville has also scored four goals or more in three of its last five games. 

Calming the storm 

The Hurricanes have consistently been one of the best teams in the NHL over the past few seasons, but the Predators have their number in the regular season, winning five of their last six against Carolina. 

In their last meeting, on March 26 in Raleigh, Luke Evangelista scored twice and Juuse Saros recorded his 200th career win, making 34 saves in a 3-1 victory. It's a matchup the Predators have dominated even if both teams are in different spots in the standings. 

Unlike Nashville, Carolina has struggled as of late, dropping three of its last five, including a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Toronto had a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period before it scored three unanswered goals. 

The Hurricanes are still one of the better teams in the league, sitting at second in the Metropolitan Division with 34 points. Seth Jarvis is tied for 10th in goals with 16 in 26 games played. 

Inactive players 

Nashville: Justin Barron (lower body, injured reserve), Ozzy Weisblatt (upper body, injured reserve), Nick Perbix (upper body, day-to-day), Zach L'Heureux (lower body, injured reserve), Cole Smith (upper body, injured reserve). 

Carolina: K'Andre Miller (illness, questionable), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (ankle, injured reserve), Jaccob Slavin (lower body, injured reserve), Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body, day-to-day), Charles-Alexis Legault (hand, injured reserve). 

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins continued their winning ways over Lehigh Valley on Friday night. 

WBS defeated Lehigh Valley 6-2 and got contributions from all over the lineup. Aidan McDonough, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, Sam Poulin, Danton Heinen, and Atley Calvert all scored in the win. Sergei Murashov was also great in goal, stopping 34 of 36 shots. 

Murashov has been lights out since the Pittsburgh Penguins sent him back to WBS, showing why he has a bright future in the organization. He made his NHL debut back on Nov. 9 against the Los Angeles Kings and played in four games before the Penguins sent him back. In those four games, he had a .913 save percentage and a 1.90 goals-against average. 

He has played in 10 games for WBS this year, compiling a 1.73 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. 

Heinen, McDonough, and Broz were named the three stars of the game. Heinen finished with a goal and an assist, McDonough had a goal and two assists, and Broz had a goal and an assist. 

⭐️ Danton Heinen (1G, 1A)
⭐️⭐️ Aidan McDonough (1G, 2A)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tristan Broz (1G, 1A) pic.twitter.com/xImTPc5jnZ

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 6, 2025

Broz made his NHL debut on Nov. 26 against the Buffalo Sabres before he was sent back to WBS a few days later. He was close to making the NHL roster out of training camp and was one of the final cuts. If he keeps up his strong play, it won't be long until he gets a second NHL look. 

McDonough has also enjoyed a nice season, racking up four goals and 14 points in 21 games. It's his first season with the organization after he was signed over the summer. 

Hayes now has six goals and 12 points in 16 games and could also get a call-up to the big squad later in the season. Like Broz, he was really close to making the NHL team out of camp. 

WBS is now 16-5-1 and has 33 points through 22 games. They are in first place in the Atlantic Division, one point up on the Providence Bruins. WBS will be back in action on Saturday against the Hershey Bears, another top rival. 

The game will start at 7 p.m. ET.

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The St. Louis Blues enter their matchup on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators 30th in the NHL in goal scoring (2.54 goals per game) and scoring two or fewer in nine of the past 10 games.

They’ve scored a grand total of 19 the past 10 games (1.9 per game), with the line game they’ve scored more than two: the Senators, who the Blues beat 4-3 in come-from-behind fashion on Nov. 28.

And in an ever-changing lineup for the Blues (9-12-7) where consistency seems to be a monumental task of achieving, the coaching staff continues to search for combinations that they hope get them out of the doldrums of scoring. But when you're also 29th in goals against (3.50) per game, it makes it awfully tough to secure wins, and the Blues are the only team in the league with single-digit wins at this point of the season.

Saturday was an optional skate, but according to the team, there will be changes throughout the forward group (listed below).

The only actual lineup change will be Matthew Kessel going back in on defense for Tyler Tucker, and with the Blues set for a back-to-back this weekend, including a Sunday night game against the Montreal Canadiens, Joel Hofer will get the start on Saturday, with Jordan Binnington then slated to go on Sunday.

The Blues’ come-from-behind win against the Senators was their only one of the season when trailing after two periods, when they were down 2-1 and rallied to score three in the third, a rarity of scoring more than one goal in a period of late.

It'll be the second of a three-game trip after a poor loss Thursday against the Boston Bruins, 5-2.

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Dylan Holloway-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jordan Kyrou

Pius Suter-Brayden Schenn-Nick Bjugstad

Aleksanteri Kaskimaki-Oskar Sundqvist-Mathieu Joseph

Philip Broberg-Colton Parayko

Matthew Kessel-Justin Faulk

Cam Fowler-Logan Mailloux

Joel Hofer will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Tyler Tucker and Matt Luff.Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Alexey Toropchenko (leg burns) and Nathan Walker (upper body) are out.

- - -

Senators Projected Lineup:

Brady Tkachuk-Tim Stutzle-Fabian Zetterlund

David Perron-Dylan Cozens-Drake Batherson

Michael Amadio-Ridly Greig-Claude Giroux

Nick Cousins-Stephen Halliday-Hayden Hodgson

Jake Sanderson-Artem Zub

Tyler Kleven-Jordan Spence

Nikolas Matinpalo-Nick Jensen

Linus Ullmark will start in goal; Leevi Merilainen will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Kurtis MacDermid and Dennis Gilbert. Thomas Chabot (upper body), Lars Eller (undisclosed) and Shane Pinto (lower body) are out.

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Earlier this week, news that the Winnipeg Jets would host the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium on October 25, 2026, leaked online after a post on the Jets’ official website announced the event, only to be taken down. Clearly, the league wasn’t ready to announce the news, but it is indeed happening.

It’s been quite a few years since the Canadiens played outdoors. The last time they did it was in the league’s NHL 100 Classic back in 2017 when they took on the Ottawa Senators at Lansdowne Park. In front of 33,959 fans, the Habs were shut out 3-0 by the Sens. The temperature at puck drop was minus eleven Celsius, and it got colder as the game went on. Montreal was outshot 38-28 and could only win 29% of the faceoffs. Carey Price, who was making his 10th consecutive start, played well, but he couldn’t score any goals.

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The Habs’ performance was a stark contrast with the 2016 Winter Classic in Foxboro, where the visiting Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 5-1. Brendan Gallagher was one of the stars of the game, putting up a goal and an assist in what was his return to action after missing 17 games because of two broken fingers, which needed surgery. Paul Byron (2), David Desharnais, and Max Pacioretty had scored the other goals, but it was the then 23-year-old who had sparked the Habs to life. Even more impressive was the fact that the Canadiens were without star goalie Price and that Mike Condon, a Holliston, Massachusetts native, was manning the net.

At the Canadiens’ practice on Friday, the winger was asked about the upcoming Heritage Classic by RDS’ Luc Gelinas and was surprised to hear about it:

Awesome, it will be nice and warm, he said with a big grin, before adding: That’s great, that’s a lot of fun. I still remember those games, some of the most fun hockey games; it reminds you of your childhood experiences, so I’m excited for these guys to experience it.

- Gallagher on the upcoming Heritage Classic

The veteran also recalled that when the Canadiens played the first Heritage Classic in Edmonton in 2003, he had tickets to the game, but his dad decided he should go with his team to Fort McMurray to play their game rather than go watch. His team had won by 15 or 16 goals; I’m not sure they needed us there. He laughed it off, adding that his decision might have been motivated by the extreme cold that day.

The game was held to commemorate the Edmonton Oilers' 25th anniversary in the NHL and the 20th anniversary of their first Stanley Cup win, in front of 57,167 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. In a polar-temperature game, the Habs won a 4-3 thriller in which Jose Theodore saved 34 of 37 shots and famously wore a toque over his mask.

On this day in 2003, the Canadiens and Oilers braved the cold and played the Heritage Classic, the NHL’s first regular season outdoor game #Habs365#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/kcK39cLe7E

— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) November 22, 2024

Eight years later, the Sainte-Flanelle took on the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium in Alberta and were shut out 4-0 by Mikka Kiprusoff. Funnily enough, soon-to-be Hab Rene Bourque had scored two of the four goals while Alex Tanguay, a former Hab, also scored.

The Canadiens have a 2-2-0 record in outdoor games and will be hoping to win a third match in Winnipeg next October. One has to wonder if the NHL will ever give the Habs a chance to play an outdoor home game, but for now, they’ll have to make do with being the road warriors.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the NHL's most pleasant surprises this season. After entering the season expected to be among the bottom NHL clubs again, the Blackhawks instead have a 12-9-6 record and are fifth in the Central Division.

One major reason for the Blackhawks having such a solid start to the season has been the incredible play of goaltender Spencer Knight. In 19 games so far this campaign, the 2019 first-round pick has recorded a 9-5-5 record, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.44 goals-against average. With numbers like these, he is well on his way to having a breakout season for the Blackhawks. 

Knight is only continuing to shine as this season continues, too. During his most recent start against the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 4, he saved 26 out of 27 shots in Chicago's 2-1 win. With this, there is no question that the young goalie is impressing. 

With the way Knight has been playing for the Blackhawks, it is clear Chicago's decision to acquire him from the Florida Panthers in the Seth Jones trade is looking like a home run. Knight is proving that he can be an impactful NHL starting goaltender, and he should be a huge part of Chicago's roster as they look to continue to head into the right direction. 

The NHL’s Central Division is proving to be the toughest in the league, with three teams at the top – the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild – that are the top four teams in the entire league.

The Avalanche have the NHL’s top record at 19-2-6, while the Stars are just behind them with the league’s second-best record at 19-5-5, and the Wild are fourth overall at 15-8-5. Those three teams are not separated by much, and the Avs, Stars and Wild are all well on their way to locking up a Stanley Cup playoff spot.

However, if the question is “which of these three teams is under the most pressure to translate their hot start into playoff success?” in this writer’s point of view, it's the Stars.

First, we have to acknowledge some other truths. For starters, it’s clear the Avalanche have absolutely gone all-in this season, and they couldn’t have asked for a better start – including their 8-1-1 record in their past 10 games. We did pick Colorado as our Stanley Cup pick, and we haven’t seen anything to change our minds.

Meanwhile, Minnesota has also gone 8-1-1 in its past 10 games, getting arguably the best goaltending from its tandem of rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson. And Minnesota’s mix of young and old talent has been effective in a way we have to give them credit for. 

Now that the Avalanche and Wild have gotten their flowers, we’re going to tell you why we believe the Stars are under the most pressure in this division.

That discussion starts with the terrible luck they’ve had this week with injuries – specifically, veteran center Tyler Seguin, who is projected to be out for the season after getting hurt Tuesday in a game against the New York Rangers. 

With Seguin now sidelined potentially until next season, there’s a major hole in Dallas’ lineup, and it can’t be easily filled, even if there were several above-average forwards on the trade block, which there isn't.

The Stars are built to win now, but in the Jamie Benn and Seguin Era that began in 2013-14, Dallas hasn’t been able to put it all together and win a Cup. 

Yes, the Stars advanced to the Cup final against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20, and made it to the Western Conference final for the past three seasons. But success in the third and fourth rounds has eluded the Stars.

Four Best Long Shots To Win The NHL's Eastern And Western ConferenceThe Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild among the NHL squads that are long shots to advance to the Stanley Cup final, but can they pull it off?

If Dallas does take a step backward and lose in the first or second round this season,  Stars GM Jim Nill might need to take a long, hard look at changing things up in the hope they’ll find the right championship mix. And that's if he signs another contract with the team, as he's in the final year of his deal.

Now, the beauty of where Dallas is at the moment is that, by-and-large, the Stars can be a playoff team and a legitimate Cup threat for many years to come.

With youngsters like center Wyatt Johnston, defenseman Thomas Harley and center Mavrik Bourque, you’ve got a foundation you can rely on for many seasons, including this one.

Even goaltender Jake Oettinger, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and left winger Jason Robertson are just 26 years old, and Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz are 29 years old. So there’s no sense that this Stars team will crumble into dust anytime soon.

That said, there are also Stars that need success sometime soon. Dallas captain Benn is 36 years old, center Matt Duchene is 34, and center Seguin is 33, although, has won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.

Nonetheless, time is of the essence right now. And that sense that Father Time is counting down on some key veterans is only increasing.

Don’t get it twisted – if the Avalanche get knocked out of the post-season in the first or second round, there could be significant changes for them next summer, same goes for the Wild.

But Nill has built his Stars team to win right away. So, in the coming weeks and months, the Stars must continue to deliver positive results, or Dallas may suffer consequences that Minnesota or Colorado may avoid.

Predicting The NHL's Central Division Rankings In 2025-26The NHL’s Central Division is super competitive. We’re predicting how it will end up by April.

The Stars’ lineup is the envy of many teams. But there’s an attendant pressure on Dallas that comes with having so many talented players. That’s why the Stars are under the most amount of pressure to stick the landing and win their first Cup since the 1998-99 campaign.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a nice start to the 2025-26 season. After entering the campaign expected by many to be among the worst teams in the NHL, they have started the year with a 14-7-5 record. With this, they are currently third in the Metropolitan Division standings. 

If the Penguins continue to stay on the right side of the standings and are in a playoff spot near the deadline, it would be understandable if they looked to add to their roster. One specific area they could look to improve in this scenario is the left side of their defense. 

Because of this, one player whom the Penguins should seriously consider pursuing is Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram.

If the Penguins landed Byram, he would instantly give the left side of their top four a major boost. Furthermore, he would also provide the Penguins another option to work with for both their power play and penalty kill if acquired. 

Byram also stands out as a potential fit for the Penguins because he is still young at 24 years old. Thus, he could work well on a retooling club like Pittsburgh if brought in. 

In 28 games so far this season with the Sabres, Byram has posted six goals, seven assists, 13 points, and 34 blocks. 

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The six-game road swing for the Detroit Red Wings continues with a matchup on Saturday evening against the Seattle Kraken.

Their most recent tilt was a 6-5 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday evening, a wild back-and-forth affair that saw multiple Detroit comebacks that ultimately fell just short. 

Part of the comeback effort was the 496th career goal from forward Patrick Kane, who knotted the score at 4-4 in the third period with a patented wrist shot from the top of the slot that beat goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. 

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Kane, who is hot on the trail of Mike Modano to become the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, did pass Modano in one specific category with his performance on Thursday. He registered his 359th career multi-point game, passing Modano for the most by a U.S.-born player: 

Patrick Kane just recorded his 359th career multi-point game, passing Mike Modano (358) for the most by a US born skater in NHL history! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/EvACkgTAvc

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 5, 2025

Kane's goal was his fourth of the season and first since mid-November, but he's also added 14 assists, giving him 18 points in 19 games. 

He missed multiple games earlier this season when he was felled by an upper-body injury that he suffered late in Detroit's 2-1 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in mid-October. 

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  The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers play today at Amerant Bank Arena.   

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 18.8% - 16th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 71.8% - 30th in the NHL
• Goals For - 80 - 20th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 89 - 20th in the NHL

Panthers Stats

• Power Play - 17.9% - 20th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 80.5% - 19th in the NHL
• Goals For - 76 - 25th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 82 - 17th in the NHL

Series History vs. The Panthers

• Columbus is 26-21-0-6 all-time, and 10-14-0-2 on the road vs. Florida.
• The CBJ are 2-8-2 in the last 12 against Florida.
• The Jackets went 0-2-1 last season against the Cats.

Who To Watch For The Panthers

• Brad Marchand leads the Panthers with 15 goals and 27 points.
• Anton Lundell leads Florida with 14 points.
• Sergei Bobrovsky is 10-8-1 with a SV% of .886. His last start was on December 4th.
• Daniil Tarasov is 2-4-1 with a SV% of .907. His last start was on November 28th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Panthers

• Zach Werenski has 15 points in 25 career games against Florida. He also has a hat trick against Bobrovsky
• Charlie Coyle has 15 points in 30 games.
• Sean Monahan has 14 points in 19 games vs. the Panthers.

Injuries 

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 19 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
• Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 11 Games - IR - Could return this week
• Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 4 Games - IR- No timeline for a return

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 50

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 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

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The Philadelphia Flyers are going to have to make a trade and clear bodies from the winger position at some point in the near future, but, until then, they're reportedly trying to cool the noise surrounding one player in particular.

Talented young forwards Tyson Foerster, Matvei Michkov, and Porter Martone figure to be three of the Flyers' four top-six wingers of the future, which leaves room for only one more top dog.

Travis Konecny, who is in the first year of his eight-year, $70 million ($8.75 million AAV) contract, is assured that final spot, almost by default, though he is coming off a career-best 76 points in 2024-25.

The odd men out, at least for the more premium roles on the team going forward, are going to be Owen Tippett and Bobby Brink.

Tippett, 26, has been the popular name in trade talks due to his rare combination of size and speed, his inconsistency, and a $6.2 million cap hit through 2031-32 on a contract that sees its modified no-trade clause kick in on July 1, 2026.

The Discourse Around Matvei Michkov Makes No SenseThe great debate for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> so far this season has been whether or not star sophomore forward Matvei Michkov is getting a fair shake under new head coach Rick Tocchet and being put into positions to truly succeed.

But, Tippett quietly does have nine goals and 18 points in 26 games this season, which puts him on pace for 28 goals and a career-high 56 points. It's not 40 or even 30 goals, no, but the Flyers apparently believe the former No. 10 pick has even more to give.

“I think the Flyers are trying to do everything they can to calm the noise around him. I think it’s bothered him a little bit. I think he’s definitely heard it," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said of Tippett in his latest episode of "32 Thoughts."

"I think the Flyers are trying to say, ‘Look, this is not our doing.’ I do think the Canucks asked about him. I don’t think that’s going to be happening."

The Canucks, of course, come into play based on the connections between them and first-year Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet, who coached a plethora of Vancouver players of interest to the Orange and Black, headlined by Quinn Hughes.

NHL Rumors: 3 Potential Trade Fits For Flyers' Owen TippettFlyers forward Owen Tippett has been in the rumor mill. Let's look at some possible fits for the forward if Philadelphia ends up officially shopping him.

Hughes to the Flyers is all crazy talk right now and would require the Flyers to pay up with an eye-watering package of futures, prospects, and young NHL players, and that would immediately bite them if Hughes were not to re-sign beyond 2027, when his current contract expires.

It is fascinating, though, that the finger-pointing towards Tippett has reached such a fever pitch that the Flyers have to go out of their way to tell the player the opposite is true, and that this information comes from the top NHL insider in Friedman.

Time will tell if the Flyers trade Tippett before his trade protection kicks in on July 1, if at all, but the situation is worth monitoring, especially if and when Martone arrives to squeeze his fellow winger off a featured role.

It appears the San Jose Sharks were “starstruck.” 

The Dallas Stars (18-5-5) came alive in the third period, scoring three goals to pull away for a 4-1 win over the Sharks (13-12-3) on Friday night at American Airlines Center. Goals from Jason Robertson, Sam Steel, Mikko Rantanen, and Miro Heiskanen propelled Dallas, while Jake Oettinger stopped 16 shots to secure the victory. 

Collin Graf scored the lone goal for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves on the night. 

What Happened 

The Stars struck first at 14:20 of the opening period as Jason Robertson netted his 18th goal of the season. Wyatt Johnston unleashed a blistering one-timer from the left circle, and the rebound found Robertson at the edge of the crease, where he finished with precision. 

Jason Robertson - Dallas Stars (18)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/CFMsTchrZ3

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 6, 2025

San Jose responded in the second period, with Graf tying the game at 8:23 off a Nick Leddy rebound, keeping the Sharks in contention. 

Collin Graf - San Jose Sharks (4) pic.twitter.com/r2Zi3emHXO

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 6, 2025

But the final 20 minutes belonged to Dallas. Sam Steel was a constant presence around the net, creating multiple scoring chances, including two while killing penalties. His relentless effort finally paid off at 10:56 when he notched his fourth goal of the season to put Dallas ahead 2-1. Steel initially fired a backhand at goaltender Askarov, corralled his own rebound, and shoveled it through the five-hole to secure the lead. 

Rantanen extended the Stars’ lead at 16:39, registering his 13th goal of the season. Coming out from behind the net, Rantanen unleashed a precise wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle, earning his third point of the night. 

Miro Heiskanen capped the scoring with an empty-net goal at 17:41, sealing Dallas’ 4-1 triumph. 

The Stars outshot San Jose 24-17, and went 1 for 2 on the power play. The Sharks, meanwhile, failed to convert all four of their opportunities on the man advantage. 

What’s Next 

The Sharks are back in action Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes (16-8-2) at Lenovo Center. Puck drop takes place at 2 p.m. PT.  

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist, Akira Schmid got a shutout against his former team, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Friday night.

Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev also scored and Jack Eichel had two assists for Vegas, which has won three straight after a four-game skid (0-2-2). Schmid, who spent three seasons with New Jersey before being traded to Vegas on June 29, 2024, finished with 24 saves to get his third career shutout — second this season.

Jacob Markstrom had 24 saves for the Devils, who were shut out for the second straight game and finished a winless four-game homestand (0-4-0). New Jersey lost 3-0 to Dallas on Wednesday night.

The Devils shuffled all four lines and got off to a slow start as they were outshot 13-5 in the first period.

Theodore got the Golden Knights on the scoreboard with 13 seconds left in the opening period, scoring from the right circle after a pass from Eichel.

New Jersey then outshot Vegas 11-7 in a scoreless second period.

There were no penalties until Vegas’ Brandon Saad was sent off for tripping at 2:16 of the third period. The Devils had only one shot on goal during the advantage.

New Jersey got another power play nearly 10 minutes later when Noah Hanifin was called for delay of game for sending the puck over the glass, but the Devils were held without a shot on goal.

The Golden Knights got their first power play 5 seconds after their penalty expired as New Jersey’s Nico Hischier was whistled for hooking. Hertl took advantage as he tipped Mitch Marner’s one-timer past Markstrom with 4:26 remaining for his team-leading 12th of the season.

With Hischier in the penalty box again, Barbashev scored on the rebound of Eichel’s shot from center point that hit the left post with 1:24 left.

Up next

Golden Knights: At New York Rangers on Sunday night.

Devils: At Boston on Saturday night.

Hunter Haight has been with the team for seven games. He has not played in any of those games. Sometimes having a young guy be with the team on the road trip or any game for that matter, can be a great thing for their development.

Haight, 21, was fantastic in training camp and in the preseason. He impressed the staff so much he made the team out of camp and started the season by playing in the first two games. He was then sent down.

Since being called up, Haight was scratched for five games before he was sent down where he played in an AHL game with the Iowa Wild.

Minnesota called him back up for the road trip and he has been scratched for the last two games. The Wild's fourth line is Liam Ohgren, Ben Jones and Tyler Pitlick.

The three of them have a combined zero points. Ohgren is a minus-3 in 15 games, Pitlick is a minus-2 in 17 games and Jones is a minus-5 in 15 games.

Jones, 26, is a seventh round draft pick and played in 26 games last year for Minnesota and didn't record a point. He had three points last year all taken off because he ran into the goaltender and it was overturned for goalie interference.

In 15 games this year and 43 in his NHL career over three seasons, Jones has zero points. Believe it or not, in 15 games this year Jones has not been on the ice for a single goal for. His expected goals numbers aren't much better.

Jones' on-ice expected goals is 31% which is the second worst on the Wild behind Ohgren. The line as a trio is tied for 22nd worst in the NHL for expected goals against per 60 minutes. They rank 262 out of 284 lines.

The trio ranks as the worst line in the NHL in expected goals for per 60 minutes. That is 284 out of 284. They have recorded 19 shots as a trio and have allowed 45. They rank dead last in Corsi For %. 284 out of 284. Do they allow shots?

You bet. 78.76 shots against (Corsi) per 60 minutes. Only three lines in the NHL have a worse rating. They also rank dead last in Fenwick and third to last in Fenwick against. 

What is Corsi and Fenwick? 

Corsi counts all shot attempts, including shots on goal, missed shots, and blocked shots. Fenwick is a variation of Corsi that excludes blocked shots, counting only shots on goal, missed shots, and shots that hit the post.

So in conclusion, the data suggests they are one of the worst lines in the NHL when it comes to allowing offense and generating offense.

Meanwhile the Wild's 47th overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft is sitting in the press box and the Wild's 19th overall pick from the same Draft is playing between two guys who have combined for zero points in 32 games.

Haight scored 20 goals in his rookie season in the AHL. He scored a few in the preseason this year and impressed the Wild. Maybe not enough though considering Jones, Pitlick and Ohgren are still playing.

It doesn't seem to matter what Ohgren or anyone else around him does. He will continue to be sheltered and play limited minutes. Almost every one of his goals and assists in his career have come when he was playing in the top-nine.

At some point, development has to come with opportunity. Whether or not you believe Haight earned his call-up and this opportunity to play, he is here and if the fourth line is going to get caved in every game, it’s hard to justify Haight watching it happen instead of getting those minutes himself to grow.

The Wild have nothing to lose by putting him in but everything to learn. The results below him aren’t changing, but at least he could learn something by being out there.

All data from Money Puck.com.

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The New Jersey Devils face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight, marking a reunion for winger Paul Cotter. Cotter was traded to the Devils in June 2024 from the Golden Knights. His fit with the Devils and the impact of the trade on both teams merit analysis.

On June 29, 2024, Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick moved from Vegas to New Jersey in exchange for Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid.

Cotter was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Golden Knights.

He played three seasons with the team, recording 138 games, 22 goals, and 23 assists.

With the Devils, Cotter has played 106 games, totaling 18 goals and 10 assists.

Last season, Cotter blended in well with the Devils team. He scored a career-high 16 goals and recorded 22 points in 79 games. He also threw a career-high 245 hits, which is now a Devils franchise record.

This season, Cotter struggled early on, but so has the entire Devils lineup. The team has lost three straight games, and according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, they “were essentially lifeless” in Wednesday’s loss.

For the Golden Knights, Holtz hasn’t panned out the way the team had hoped. This season, in eight games, he has recorded zero points. Last season in 53 games, he recorded 12 points–not quite what the Golden Knights were expecting from the 23-year-old left winger.

Schmid, on the other hand, has performed well this season. Although he played only 5 games last season, he has already started 15 this season.

The goaltender has a .896 save percentage and a 9-2 record.

Entering tonight's matchup, the Golden Knights are 12-6-8 with 32 points. The Devils are 16-10-1 with 33 points. Both teams are closely matched in points. 

The trade benefited both sides, as Cotter has found a fit with the Devils and Schmid with the Golden Knights. 

The puck will drop at 7 PM tonight as both teams look to add another win to their record. 

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