After a dramatic 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins hoped to carry some of that momentum into their final game before the holiday break on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But, despite some sustained pressure and pockets of good play, the Penguins just couldn't get the result they wanted. 

The Leafs defeated the Penguins, 6-3, in a game that was much tighter than the score indicates. Toronto scored two empty-net goals at the end, which followed a highlight-reel goal by Max Domi that put the Leafs up for good in the game, despite the Penguins pressing pretty hard for most of the game.

William Nylander started the scoring nearing the midway point of the first period when a Kevin Hayes turnover at the offensive blue line turned into a breakaway opportunity that Nylander buried on the backhand. The Penguins didn't hang their heads, though, as they responded less than a minute later with a Bryan Rust breakaway goal. 

Sidney Crosby was the one who sprung Rust for the breakaway, and his assist on the tally gave him sole possession of eighth place on the NHL's all-time assists leaderboard. The Penguins had some momentum, and they were pressing pretty hard. 

However, few minutes later, Matias Maccelli fired a puck in the direction of Penguins' goaltender Stuart Skinner from around the left wall, and - in an attempt to stymie the shot - Penguins' defenseman Parker Wotherspoon got his stick on it. But, unfortunately, he essentially ended up redirecting it into the net, and the Leafs went back on top, 2-1.

Again, the Penguins were playing pretty well for most of the second period, even if Toronto had picked up the pace a bit. But another mistake came back to haunt them. While cycling in the offensive zone, Erik Karlsson got the puck at the point, and he tried to go around Leafs fourth-line forward Steven Lorentz. Lorentz pickpocketed Karlsson - who blew a tire afterwards - and he was off to the races. 

Crosby Reaches Milestone For Second Consecutive GameThe big milestone may have come for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' captain Sidney Crosby on Sunday against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a>, when he surpassed Mario Lemieux <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-sidney-crosby-breaks-mario-lemieux-s-franchise-record-to-become-penguins-all-time-leader-in-points">to become the Penguins' all-time leader in points</a>.&nbsp;

Skinner made the initial save on the breakaway shot, but Lorentz buried the second-chance opportunity to put the Leafs up, 3-1. But, once again, the Penguins responded well, and - in particular - their third line of Rutger McGroarty, Ben Kindel, and Ville Koivunen started to generate some chances. 

McGroarty - who looked dangerous for most of the game - happened upon a puck that trickled out to him in the high-slot area, and he sniped a top-shelf rocket past Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll for his second of the season to make it 3-2. 

And the Penguins continued their momentum into the third period. Anthony Mantha struck exactly one minute into the third to tie the game, and Pittsburgh controlled most of the play. However, the Leafs pushed a bit midway through the third, and Domi - who had not registered a goal in 20 games and was coming off a healthy scratch - scored a highlight-reel goal when he split the Penguins' defense in the attacking zone and scored his fourth of the season to hand the Leafs a lead they would hold for the rest of the game.

Skinner stopped 25 of 29 Toronto shots, and he has an .831 save percentage in three starts with the Penguins so far. 

Pittsburgh dropped to 15-12-9 on the season, and they are now both three points out of a wild card spot and three points out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. They next play Dec. 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks following the holiday break. 

World Juniors: Brunicke, Horcoff Off To Good Starts In Preliminary PlayWith the World Junior Championship set to begin in just four days on Dec. 26, things are starting to wrap up for camps and preliminary rounds preceding the event.

---

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

The Colorado Avalanche face off against the Utah Mammoth for the second time this season. The Avalanche is looking for some revenge after losing 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 21. While it wasn’t the prettiest game, the Avalanche's strong performance and Scott Wedgewood's strong performance helped secure the 1-0 shutout win.

Period 1:

It wasn’t the prettiest first period for the Avalanche, but ten minutes in, they led in shots at 6-5, creating quite a few chances that are just now showing on the board, as the Mammoth are doing quite a good job blocking some attempts.

JJ Peterka is called for interference, but the Avalanche can’t capitalize on their first power-play opportunity of the game. The Mammoth gets their own power-play opportunity when Artturi Lehkonen is called for holding, but the Avalanche penalty kill continues to stand strong. Martin Necas almost opens the scoring as he receives a great outlet pass from Gabriel Landeskog to create a breakaway opportunity, but his shot just rings off the crossbar and out.

Period 2:

Devon Toews is called for a two-minute high-sticking penalty, but the Avalanche penalty kill stands strong once again to kill it off. It's Samuel Girard who opens the scoring as he steals the puck in the neutral zone and, on the breakaway, finishes with a backhand shot to open the scoring, 1-0. Nathan MacKinnon is called for tripping, but the Avalanche kills off a third power play opportunity. 

What a BEAUTY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/aCdFAIW8e2

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 24, 2025

Despite leading 1-0, the Avalanche haven’t looked that great. The Mammoth are all over their opportunities, disrupting plays, but it's Scott Wedgewood who has been making massive save after massive save to keep them in the game. Dylan Guenther is called for tripping, but the Avalanche can’t capitalize on their second power play opportunity. Wedgewood’s crucial play shows his importance, as once the power play ends, Guenther gets a breakaway chance, but Wedgewood robs him.

Wedgewood just moments later robs Clayton Keller as he follows through on his own rebound shot, flashing the glove at the last second to keep the game 1-0. Though the referees gathered to see whether the glove crossed the line on the save, the review determined it did not, and the call stands as 1-0.

WHAT A SAVE BY SCOTT WEDGEWOOD 🪵 pic.twitter.com/OrRQXzXEF0

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 24, 2025

Period 3:

Despite Wedgewood’s performance, credit needs to go to Vitek Vanecek for the breakaway goal that made it 1-0. He has stopped everything else the Avalanche have thrown his way, but their problem is that they can’t get through Wedgewood. Vanecek is pulled with two minutes left in the period, but the Mammoth can’t find the tying goal as the Avalanche win 1-0, despite being outshot 12-4 in the third period and 32-26 in the game.

The Avalanche are back in action after the holiday break on Dec. 27 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Is Samuel Girard On the Brink of a Trade?Ilya Solovyov was recently recalled from his AHL conditioning assignment, raising questions about the Avalanche’s long-term plans.

---

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The big milestone may have come for Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby on Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens, when he surpassed Mario Lemieux to become the Penguins' all-time leader in points. 

But that doesn't mean Crosby will stop reaching milestones with relative frequency. And, in fact, he reached another one on Tuesday during a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

With an assist on a Bryan Rust goal in the first period, Crosby registered the 1,080th assist of his career, which made him surpass Adam Oates to give him sole possession of eighth on the NHL's all-time assists leaderboard. 

He will need 30 more assists to surpass Joe Thornton, who is currently seventh all-time. 

Crosby, 38, has 645 goals and 1,725 points in his storied NHL career, and - with another point-per-game season - he has the chance to climb to sixth all-time in NHL scoring. Crosby could also land at sixth all-time in assists this season if all continues to go at his current pace. 

Right now, Crosby has 20 goals and 38 points in 36 games this season.

Alone At The Top Of Penguins' History, Sidney Crosby Keeps Redefining GreatnessPittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby has officially surpassed NHL legend Mario Lemieux for the most points in franchise history - and he continues to redefine and reinvent greatness.

---

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

The Buffalo Sabres may be mired in an NHL-record playoff drought, but they seem to save their best for the Ottawa Senators.

On the eve of the league’s three-day Christmas break, Bowen Byram scored his second goal of the game, 31 seconds into overtime, to give the Sabres a 3-2 victory at Canadian Tire Centre (17.753) on Tuesday night.

That’s the Sabres’ sixth straight win over Ottawa and their seventh straight victory overall.

Tim Stützle and Ridly Greig scored for the Senators, whose four-game win streak came to an end. Greig's goal tied the game at 1, late in the first period, cashing in with a slick backhand on a 2 on 1.  Stutzle's goal tied the game at 2 in the second, a fierce wrist shot from the high slot that went off the post and in. That goal came at the midway point of the second period and the two teams shut it down after that.

In overtime, Ryan McLeod skated the puck down the left wing into Ottawa's zone, and with Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson backing up a little too far, McLeod had the easiest passing seam to get it over to Byram. It appeared Byram didn’t get all of it on his one-timer attempt, so the puck was a little like a change-up pitch. knuckling past Ullmark as he slid from his right to his left.

Ullmark made 22 saves in the loss, snapping his personal four-game win streak. Alex Lyon made 24 saves for the win.

The Sens also missed a chance to enter the Christmas break in a playoff spot. With the regulation point, they hit the break with an excellent 5-1-1 mark in their past seven games, one point back of the Florida Panthers and one point ahead of the surging Sabres.

The Senators’ next action comes Saturday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs (7 pm).

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

Brett Pesce scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves on 25 shots in the New Jersey Devils 2-1 loss to the New York Islandersat UBS Arena on Tuesday night.

Pesce opened the scoring at the 15:35 mark of the first period. It was a hard-working shift where Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Nico Hischier were active on the forecheck and won their board battles near the goal line before the Devils’ captain found Pesce, whose wrist shot beat Islanders goaltender David Rittich. 

Hischier’s assist on Pesce’s goal marked his 270th career helper, which tied Bobby Holík for the 11th most assists in franchise history.

With seven minutes remaining in the middle frame, Markstrom came out of his crease to handle the puck. An unfortunate play by the goaltender put the puck on Simon Holmstrom’s stick, who shot it into an open net to tie the game at 1-1.

With 1:15 remaining in regulation, Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech scored the game-winning goal to give New York a 2-1 victory.

The Devils will be back in action after the holidays as they host the Washington Capitals on Saturday night at Prudential Center. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils sitefor THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

In their final game before the Christmas break, the Detroit Red Wings made sure to send the sellout crowd at Little Caesars Arena home with some holiday cheer. 

The Red Wings twice came back from one-goal deficits against the Dallas Stars in the third period to cap the evening with an overtime goal from Dylan Larkin, securing a 4-3 victory and helping to pad their lead in the Atlantic Division standings.

WHAT A WIN IN HOCKEYTOWN! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/7bTPd6DYNo

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 24, 2025

Larkin, who netted the game-tying goal late in the third period, carried the puck in over the Dallas line and fired a wrist shot past goaltender Casey DeSmith, securing the extra point for the Red Wings.

How about a DBOSS OT GWG for Christmas?! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/NtkAkf7fzK

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 24, 2025

The Red Wings opened the scoring thanks to the ninth tally of the season from veteran James van Riemsdyk, who roofed a shot as he's done so many times in his career; the play was set up by a strong drive to the net from Michael Rasmussen. 

The Stars responded with goals in the second period by Roope Hints (power-play) and Jamie Benn, taking a 2-1 lead into the final frame. 

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

Rookie Emmitt Finnie, who made the roster thanks to a strong showing in training camp and the preseason, continued his impressive first season by tying the game on the power play just 3:02 into the third period.

Time became a factor for Detroit after the Stars regained a one-goal lead on a power-play marker from Wyatt Johnston.

But, like Dallas, the Red Wings capitalized on their next five-on-four opportunity. Van Riemsdyk delivered a beautiful between-the-legs pass to Larkin, who was left unguarded in the slot, and he buried the game-tying goal at the 15:57 mark of the third period.

In overtime, Larkin scored what was his 20th goal of the campaign and his 11th career overtime game-winner.

Red Wings goaltender John Gibson won his eighth straight start, making 19 saves. DeSmith countered with 21 saves. 

Detroit will now be off through the Christmas break and will next play against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Dec. 27. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Raddysh and Alexis Lafreniere scored 66 seconds apart, part of a five-goal third period for the New York Rangers in a 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.

Raddysh scored twice against his former team, and Vincent Trocheck also had two goals. Will Cuylle and Artemi Panarin also scored for New York, which is 14-6-1 on the road this season and 5-10-3 at home.

John Carlson, Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas scored for the Capitals, who are 1-4-2 in their last seven games.

After the Rangers trailed 3-2 entering the third, Raddysh tied it when his backhand effort in close ended up behind goalie Logan Thompson with 11:50 to play. Just over a minute later, Panarin’s shot from near the blue line deflected in off Lafreniere.

Trocheck made it 5-3 with 6:17 left, and Panarin added a goal into an empty net. Then, with the goalie back in, Trocheck scored another.

Raddysh, who scored seven goals for the Capitals last season, received a message on the video board welcoming him back, then opened the scoring later in the first period. It was 1-all in the second when Strome scored after Igor Shesterkin nearly.

After a review, however, it was determined that the puck crossed the goal line, and the Capitals took a 2-1 lead.

Cuylle tied it later in the period, but Protas answered 57 seconds later.

Washington’s Ryan Leonard had two assists in his first game back from an upper-body injury. His face was bloodied on a check from Jacob Trouba in a Dec. 5 game at Anaheim.

Tom Wilson missed the game for the Capitals because of an illness. Rangers assistant coach David Quinn was not behind the bench, also because of an illness.

Up next

Rangers: At the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

Capitals: At the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Pelech scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and the New York Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Simon Holmstrom also scored for the Islanders and David Rittich stopped 28 shots as New York snapped a three-game skid before the NHL enters its three-day holiday break.

Brett Pesce scored for New Jersey in its second straight loss. Jacob Markstrom had 23 saves.

Islanders captain Anders Lee made a cross-ice pass to set up Holmstrom for a one-timer that went wide, and Pelech scored on the rebound with 1:15 remaining.

Holmstrom tied the score with 7:50 left in the second period after capitalizing on a miscue by Markstrom. The Devils’ goaltender left the crease to play the puck in the corner, but a miscommunication with Jonas Siegenthaler allowed the puck to squirt free, and Holmstrom scored into the open net.

Pesce opened the scoring with less than five minutes remaining in the first period with his first goal of the season in his 13th game.

Rittich made a key save on a breakaway by Jack Hughes midway through the second period, preventing New Jersey from extending its lead.

Up next

Devils: Host Washington on Saturday.

Islanders: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday.

The Florida Panthers played their final road game of the 2025 calendar year on Tuesday night in Raleigh.

For the second time in less than a week against Carolina, the Panthers erased a multi-goal third period deficit to pick up a resounding two points over the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, this time skating to a 5-2 victory at Lenovo Center.

It didn’t take long for Carolina to jump out to an early lead.

On a play that started behind the Hurricanes’ net, Joel Nystrom sent a pass about 150 feet down the ice to Sebastian Aho as he entered into Florida’a zone.

Aho stopped at the top of the right circle and dropped a pass to Eric Robinson, and his long wrist shot eluded Sergei Bobrovsky to give Carolina a 1-0 lead just 4:11 into the game.

Florida started the second period on a power play, but that ended up biting them in the backside.

Immediately after Carolina killed off the tripping penalty taken by Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal had the puck on his stick and sprung Svechnikov on a breakaway.

His five hole goal on Bobrovsky put the Hurricanes up 2-0 less than two minutes into the middle frame.

That would be the lead that Carolina carried into the final fame, which as it turns out, had them exactly where the Panthers wanted.

Cats defenseman Niko Mikkola got things started for Florida at the 3:53 mark when his long one-timer that came during a Panthers flurry in the Hurricanes end beat Frederik Andersen gloveside.

Just 2:24 later, a forced turnover by Aaron Ekblad led to Luke Kunin’s second goal of the season, and then exactly 43 seconds after that, a great feed from Sam Reinhart below the goal line found a cutting Anton Lundell, and just like that the Panthers led Carolina 3-2 with exactly 13 minutes to go.

They weren’t done there.

A nasty wrist shot by Sam Bennett from the right circle beat Andersen over the blocker gave the Panthers a two-goal lead just before the midway point of the third period.

Seth Jones capped off the amazing period by the Panthers with a power play goal, his sixth tally of the year, to give Florida a 5-2 lead with 4:39 on the clock.

While the comeback will get much of the attention, Bobrovsky come up with several massive saves that kept the game at 2-0, allowing Florida a chance to make their comeback.

Bob finished with 17 saves, including stops on all four of Carolina’s high danger shots.

Florida has now won eight of their past ten. Not too shabby.

On to the holiday break!

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Panthers' Mackie Samoskevich Out Against Hurricanes; Greer Good To Go

Panthers look to head into holiday break on high note, to meet Hurricanes in Carolina

Panthers to honor Brad Marchand for reaching 1,000 career points

Mackie Samoskevich Remains Day-To-Day, Health Status In Unknown For Panthers' Upcoming Encounter With Hurricanes

Three takeaways: Panthers ran out of gas against Blues, but they expect to bounce back quickly

Photo caption: Dec 23, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) skates with the puck against Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

We could all learn a thing or two from Connor Ingram.

The 28-year-old goalie made 26 saves Sunday in his first NHL start since February, helping the Edmonton Oilers beat Vegas 4-3. It had been ten months since his last NHL game. Ten months since he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program (PAP) in March to cope with the death of his mother to breast cancer.

That was Ingram's second time entering the PAP.

"I've been through enough to know the sun's coming up tomorrow, no matter what happens in this life," Ingram said after the game. "I've got a wife and a family that loves me. That's all that really matters at the end of the day. You want to win hockey games, but there's a lot more to life than hockey."

There's more to life than hockey. I know, crazy thought.

But Ingram knows this simple fact better than most. He first entered the Player Assistance Program in January 2021 to deal with undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder. He came back. He played. He won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2023-24 for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey after posting 23 wins and a .907 save percentage with Arizona.

Then his mother died. And he entered the program again in March, this time to cope with grief that hockey couldn't fix.

Oilers vs Flames: Pre-game Stats18-13-6 | 42 PTS

"There were a lot of days where I didn't think it (returning to the NHL again) would ever happen again," Ingram admitted. "I mean, it's just the truth of it. In this world, it's a competitive game with 64 spots to do this. So you don't take it for granted any day, it's a huge honour."

Sixty-four goaltending spots in the NHL. That's it. And Ingram spent ten months away from one of them, dealing with personal challenges that had nothing to do with save percentages or wins and losses.

Utah placed him on waivers in September. He went unclaimed. The Oilers acquired him on October 1 for future considerations, and Utah retained $800,000 of his $1.95 million salary. Edmonton sent him to Bakersfield, where he went 4-5-2 with a 4.04 GAA and .856 save percentage in 11 games.

Oilers Looked Decent Enough In Ingrams First Game BackAnd the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers">Edmonton Oilers</a> lineup reads as follows:

Those numbers aren't good. But Ingram was cleared from the Player Assistance Program on August 20th. He missed training camp. He was finding his game while dealing with everything that came before it. The statistics don't tell that story.

"If you surround yourself in life with good people, when you need them, they're there," Ingram said. "And I think when you go through struggles, you find out people that really are around, and those are the people you want to keep around."

Sunday against Vegas, those people got rewarded. Ingram made his first save 37 seconds into the game—a tricky blocker stop against Ivan Barbashev that drew a loud cheer from fans. He was too locked in to notice. Seven saves in the first period. Nine in the second. Ten in the third when Vegas scored twice to make it 4-3.

A Look Into Andrew Mangiapane's Slow But Steady Development With The OilersAndrew Mangiapane hasn't been scoring goals. That much is obvious. His last one came November 3 against Nashville, and when he finally ended the drought Saturday afternoon in Minnesota—tipping an Evan Bouchard shot past Filip Gustavsson at 13:35 of the first period—it had been 21 games and 47 days since he'd seen one cross the line.

He looked comfortable. He looked like someone who's played 103 career NHL games and knows what he's doing. He looked like a goalie who's been through enough to know that making saves matters, but it's not everything.

"It's what you dream of your whole life," Ingram said. "You don't dream of playing in the American League. You want to play in the NHL. So like I said before, you don't take any day for granted, and every day you're here's a good day."

Every day you're here's a good day. That's the perspective of someone who's had days where getting out of bed was the accomplishment. Days where hockey didn't matter because life was overwhelming. Days where the sun coming up tomorrow wasn't guaranteed to feel like a good thing.

Retired Goaltender Coming to Oilers?: Maybe We Should Pump the Brakes a LittleThe Oilers' chaotic goaltending situation means rumors are inevitable. Does that mean talk of a retired netminder coming to Edmonton is a real thing?

Ingram is back now. Tristan Jarry is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and will miss a couple weeks. Calvin Pickard is Edmonton's other goalie. Ingram will get more starts, more chances to prove the Oilers made the right call acquiring him in October.

But even if he doesn't, even if the numbers don't work out, even if this opportunity ends up being temporary, Connor Ingram has already won something more valuable than hockey games.

He's back doing what he loves, with the people he loves, after dealing with challenges that had nothing to do with the game itself. He's playing in the NHL again after ten months away. He's making saves and getting cheers and living the dream he's had his whole life.

Spencer Stastney Is Quietly Becoming A Very Interesting Piece For The OilersA hidden gem acquired from Nashville, Spencer Stastney's calm puck-moving and defensive reliability are proving invaluable to the Oilers' blue line depth.

"I've been through enough to know the sun's coming up tomorrow," Ingram said.

We could all learn from that. There's more to life than hockey. There's more to hockey than hockey. And sometimes, just being here is enough.

Connor Ingram is here. And every day he's here is a good day.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.   Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.

The Senators go for their fifth straight victory on Tuesday night when they play host to the Buffalo Sabres on the eve of the NHL's Christmas break. While neither team had the kind of start to the season they would have liked, both are now piping hot.

The Senators have won four in a row and five of six, while the Sabres, immersed in a 14-year playoff drought, have won six games in a row. So something's gotta give.

This will be the first game back in Ottawa for Josh Norris since the trade that sent him to Buffalo in March. 

The Senators won't change much after Sunday's impressive 6-2 victory in Boston. That includes Linus Ullmark starting in goal against his former team for a second straight game. Ullmark was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday. Over his past four starts, Ullmark has a .928 save percentage and a 1.74 GAA.

Here's how the chess pieces align on Tuesday night.

Senators Line Combinations

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Amadio-Greig-Giroux
MacDermid-Halliday-Cousins

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Spence
Matinpalo-Jensen

Ullmark

Sabres Line Combinations

Krebs – Thompson – Doan
Benson – McLeod – Quinn
Ostlund – Norris – Tuch
Greenway – Dunne – Malenstyn

Samuelsson – Dahlin
Byram – Metsa
Power – Kesselring

Lyon

The Chicago Blackhawks are set to finish the pre-Christmas portion of their 2025-26 schedule on Tuesday night with a match against the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center.

Chicago, which is on a six-game regulation losing streak, has plummeted to the bottom of the NHL standings. As for Philly, they have stayed afloat with their second-place standing in the Metropolitan Division. 

Scouting Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Flyers are in their first year with head coach Rick Tocchet. He has helped them become a respectable team in the NHL. They work hard, have plenty of skill, and are hard to play against. 

This game will be the second half of a back-to-back for the Flyers. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at home in Philadelphia. 

Zegras-Dvorak-Konecny

Barkey-Couturier-Tippett

Michkov-Cates-Brink

Grundstrom-Abols-Grebenkin

York-Sanheim

Andrae-Drysdale

Seeler-Ristolainen

Ersson

This is a well-balanced group that features a nice mix of young players and veterans. With a head coach like Tocchet, it's the perfect blend. 

Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim are guys who could be considered for Team Canada at the Olympics. Both of them were members of the 4-Nations Face-Off team and made a big impact on the gold-medal-winning team. 

Other young players, like Matvei Michkov, are exciting to watch and can make plays at a high level. Even a guy like Trevor Zegras, who came over in a big summer trade with the Anaheim Ducks, is having a bounce-back season. Now that he's healthy, you see what he can do with his skills. 

Their captain, Sean Couturier, isn't the young star that he once was, but he is still an excellent player who makes an impact in all three zones. He has also dealt with some health battles over the last handful of seasons, but he is totally back and making an impact again. 

Dan Vladar, who may have taken over as the number one goalie on this team, started against the Canucks on Monday night. It is expected that Sam Ersson will play against the Blackhawks. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks are now without Frank Nazar in addition to Connor Bedard. Nazar took a puck to the face in their last game, a loss to the Ottawa Senators, and he is going to be out for about four weeks. Bedard, of course, will be re-evaluated after the new year. 

Bertuzzi-Greene-Burakovsky

Moore-Donato-Lardis

Teravainen-Dickinson-Mikheyev

Dach-Toninato-Lafferty

Vlasic-Crevier

Grzelcyk-Levshunov

Kaiser-Murphy

Knight

Ryan Greene is being given a big-time opportunity with the top-line center role. With Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky, this could be a solid trio that has a little bit of everything on it. 

Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore are also getting a big opportunity as they are looking to be on the second line with Ryan Donato in the middle. 

Teuvo Teravainen, who missed Monday's practice with a maintenance day, is going to play. Nick Foligno was also in the mix to join this group for the game based on Monday's practice, but he is not ready to return just yet.

Spencer Knight is scheduled to start in goal for Chicago. He has been playing well, but the team in front of him has been finding ways to lose over the last couple of weeks. It's hardly Knight's fault, but the Blackhawks could use one of those signature "stand on your head" wins from their goaltender in this one. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found nationally and locally on TNT. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:25 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

There is a lot of chatter surrounding the Edmonton Oilers' goaltending situation. And for good reason. In a matter of weeks, the Oilers changed starters, only to see the replacement sidelined by injury. They then turned to an AHL call-up acquired after another NHL team moved on from him despite poor results. At the moment, Edmonton is operating with two backup-caliber goaltenders, neither of whom is viewed as a legitimate long-term NHL No. 1.

To hear that insiders might still believe there's potentially more news coming should not come as a shock to anyone. 

But the idea that Marc-Andre Fleury -- a veteran who has officially hung up his skates and retired --  is a goalie the Oilers could have between the pipes in the next few weeks is a long shot. It's possible, but it feels unlikely. 

Why Is This Even a Rumor?

The idea that Fleury and the Oilers is possible comes from two sources, only one of which actually mentions Edmonton in the conversation. 

First, it was Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN. He wrote, "Probably not surprising but hearing that some teams have checked in on Marc-Andre Fleury to see if there’s any chance at all he would consider playing again. Again not surprised teams with goalie needs would want to check on it."

If LeBrun is tweeting this, it's legitimate. 

 Related: Oilers Looked Decent Enough In Ingram's First Game Back

Second, it was Frank Seravalli, who specifically connected the Oilers as a team that would have interest. Seravalli noted, “I think he’s got the itch to keep playing, and I think for a guy who really has made it home in Minnesota, there’s no room for him there with [Jesper] Wallstedt and [Filip] Gustavsson.” He added, Fleury is “going to be with a team that has an authentic chance to win, and that’s got the Oil written all over it."

After the roster freeze is done could the #LetsGoOilers go after a certain goaltending legend? @frank_seravalli gives it a good chance.

Presented by @mrrooteredmpic.twitter.com/Dv52PdXpS0

— Sports 1440 (@Sports1440) December 22, 2025

A Lot of Hurdles If the Oilers Want to Sign Fleury

Again, while this is not impossible, there are a lot of what-ifs and hurdles to jump to make Fleury becoming an Oiler possibility. 

First, the money. Fleury isn't likely to sign with an NHL team for league minimum. He's not going to hold out for big money, but enough teams will be interested if he comes out of retirement that a pro-rated $2 million contract isn't out of the question. The Oilers have to move things around even make that work. 

Second, it's the fact that Fleury may or may not want to come out of retirement. Sure, he's staying near the game. That doesn't mean he's ready to jump back in. 

Third, he has to see the Oilers as a fit. Other teams that could be in the mix will have something to say about it, including the Montreal Canadiens. Their goaltending situation is far from secure, and if Fleury makes it known he's available, GM Kent Hughes will be all over this. They, too, are in a playoff position, and as a Quebec-born player, one has to assume there would be a draw to playing in Montreal. 

The idea of Tristan Jarry and Marc-Andre Fleury as the tandem in Edmonton sounds appealing. If Connor Ingram is your back-up to both, that might just be a winning forumla. However, Jarry has already shown injuries are a concern. Fleury is a bit of an unknown given the time away and his age. Ingram is a total question mark after months away from the game and just now jumping back into the NHL. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.   Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.

Year after year, estimates of NHL franchise wealth place the Maple Leafs and Rangers virtually tied at the top of the list.

In The Hockey News' 2025 "Hockey Business Annual," Executive Chairman and Publisher W. Graeme Roustan of Roustan Media, Ltd., pegged the valuation of both franchises at $4 billion; ergo league-leaders in the NHL money market.

Yet the Torontonians haven't won The Stanley Cup since 1967 and the Rangers have  been Cup-less since 1994. Hard to believe, isn't it?

With that in mind, The Maven commissioned Toronto-based hockey fiscal expert Mark Nussbaum for capsule reasons why this uncanny non-Cup run continues despite vast riches for both clubs. Take it away Mark:

"Let’s start with the obvious: When you head into the Christmas break and you’re not in a playoff spot, the chances are you are not going to get in next April.

"That said, let’s take a deeper dive into why the Leafs and Rangers are not Stanley Cup contenders. Consider these factors:

1. Consistency: Both teams lack this vital trait. They can play a few good periods – here and there – to be sure. They can win a couple of games. But a consistent stretch of good hockey? It’s a tall task for them because they have not displayed the ability to play their game at a consistent level.

2. Belief In Their Core Players Is Lacking: Each team suffered issues with core players and their production this season. However, when Core players are at the top of their games, they inject life into the team. When they are not, the roster is like a failing house of cards. Breadman Panarin and William Nylander have enjoyed reasonably good seasons so far,  but other parts of both cores – such as Mika Zibanejad and Auston Matthews – have not been up to par.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly: Rangers Vs. NashvilleThe Good, The Bad, And The Ugly; <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> vs. Nashville

3. Team Chemistry: It's missing on both sides of the border. Sure, sniffs of it can be inhaled once in a while  but there's hardly enough of it. Part of this issue can be blamed on the Leafs captain, Matthews, and his Rangers' counterpart, J.T. Miller."

In order for a team to make a deep playoff run – let alone raise Stanley – the above- mentioned ingredients must be available in large doses. 

Despite all the monetary assets that the Maple Leafs and Rangers have accumulated it cannot buy them a Stanley Cup!

It seems incredible when you think about it, but it's true.