With a 5–0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, the Vancouver Canucks’ losing streak has officially hit six games. Despite Vancouver outshooting Toronto, the Canucks were unable to defend efficiently against the Maple Leafs’ onslaught of offence. Thatcher Demko started the game for the Canucks but was replaced by Kevin Lankinen after the first period, with the latter ultimately making 17 saves on 18 shots against. 

The Canucks were given a plethora of opportunities to score during the first period, as the Maple Leafs took four different penalties including two too-man-men calls. However, things went catastrophically for the Canucks, as their power play went 0-for-4 during the first period despite putting up their best chances while playing at 4-on-3. Their fifth and sixth power plays, awarded during the second and third period respectively, nearly deepened their deficit after surrendering multiple shorthanded chances to the Maple Leafs. To make matters worse, Toronto scored twice while on the power play. 

One of Vancouver’s biggest struggles tonight was their defensive coverage. Turnovers resulted in two of the Maple Leafs’ three first-period goals, while lapses in coverage while shorthanded gave Toronto the opening goal. All five Canucks players skating on one side of the ice gave Max Domi the opportunity to tear down the ice and score Toronto’s second less than 10 minutes later. Toronto’s final goal of the first period came after a turnover in Vancouver’s own zone gave William Nylander and Steven Lorentz a chance off the rush. While not entirely his fault, the three goals-against resulted in Lankinen coming into the game for Demko by the start of the second period. 

Tonight was also not a good night for Vancouver’s performance in the faceoff dot, as collectively, the Canucks averaged a faceoff winning percentage of only 30.4%. No natural Canucks centre finished with a faceoff winning percentage above 40%, with Aatu Räty and David Kämpf being the only two to hit higher than 30%. 

While this game was primarily negative, there were a couple of individual performances that stood out. Nils Höglander, who has performed well throughout his past few games despite not yet registering his first point of the season, played with some jump tonight. The forward made sure to get the puck to the net when he could, skating well and getting into the zone early. 

As well as Höglander, Drew O’Connor had himself yet another noticeable game for the Canucks, putting up two quality chances during the first-half of the first period. The forward also made his presence known by getting into a tussle with some of the Maple Leafs after heading to the net to try and grab any errant pucks for a tip-in. The forward also took a tough tumble along the boards during the second period, resulting in him heading to the dressing room, though he returned to the ice a little while later. 

With tonight’s loss and the Winnipeg Jets’ win yesterday, Vancouver officially ranks last in the NHL’s standings. Their losing streak increases to six-straight games, with the team still looking for their first win of 2026. 

Stats and Facts: 

• Canucks allow three goals in the first period for the first time in 2025–26
• Marcus Pettersson registers his second fight of the season and second as a Canuck 
• After going 0-for-6 on the man-advantage, Vancouver’s power play goal streak ends at four games  

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

8:03 - TOR: Matias Maccelli (7) from William Nylander and Auston Matthews (PPG) 

16:31 - TOR: Max Domi (5) from Troy Stecher  

19:40 - TOR: William Nylander (15) from Steven Lorentz and Brandon Carlo 

2nd Period: 

13:07 - TOR: John Tavares (16) from William Nylander 

3rd Period: 

19:46 - TOR: Nick Robertson (10) (PPG) 

Up Next: 

The Canucks continue their east-coast swing with a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, taking on the Montréal Canadiens on January 12. Like Vancouver, Montréal was also shut-out tonight, dropping their game against the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4–0. Puck drop for Monday’s game is scheduled for 4:30 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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Battered, bruised and struggling, the Florida Panthers arrived in Canada’s capital city on Saturday badly needing a victory.

Thanks to a strong outing by Florida’s special teams units, the Panthers were able to take down the Ottawa Senators 3-2 and pick up a crucial two points.

An early power play for the home team would prove beneficial.

Fabian Zetterlund scored a sharp angle goal that Sergei Bobrovsky would want to have back just one second after the penalty to Evan Rodrigues ended, giving Ottawa a 1-0 lead at the 4:03 mark of the opening period.

Later in the period, Florida was able to take advantage after receiving a power play of their own.

With Artum Zub in the penalty box for high-sticking Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues corralled the puck in the slot, waited for a lane to open and wired a shot past Leevi Merilainen to knot the score at one with 8:26 left in the first.

Florida’s power play wasn’t done there.

Later in the period, with Thomas Chabot in the box for roughing Mackie Samoskevich, Gus Forsling slid a cross-zone pass to Carter Verhaeghe, and his long wrist shot went off the far post and into the net, sending the Panthers into the second intermission with a 2-1 lead.

Forsling wasn’t done with just a primary assist, though.

Under four minutes into the third period, Forsling took a pass from his defensive partner Aaron Ekblad just inside the blue line, took a few strides toward the net and blasted a slapshot over the glove of Merilainen to give Florida a 3-1 lead 3:28 into the final frame.

It proved to be an important goal, as Claude Giroux scored with 1:42 on the clock and Merilainen on the bench, but that’s as close as the Senators would get.

Florida finished the game with goals on two of their four power plays while going a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

On to Buffalo.

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Photo caption: Jan 10, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save on a shot from Ottawa Senators right wing Michael Amadio (22) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)

The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they have assigned defenseman Riley Stillman to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. 

Stillman was called up to the Oilers' roster last month after starting the season with the Condors. In four games with the Oilers so far this campaign, the left-shot defenseman has recorded zero points, four blocks, seven hits, and a plus-1 rating. 

Now, after being sent back down to the Condors' roster, Stillman will once again be an important part of the AHL club's blueline. In 22 games with the Condors so far this season, Stillman has posted two goals, five assists, seven points, and 41 penalty minutes. 

In 167 career NHL games over seven seasons split between the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and Oilers, Stillman has recorded four goals, 22 assists, 26 points, 111 penalty minutes, 202 blocks, and 333 hits. 

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have called up goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy from their American Hockey League (AHL) affliate, the Rockford IceHogs. 

With goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom both sidelined with the flu, the Blackhawks needed another goalie on their roster. As a result of this, Berezhnoy has now landed his first call-up to the NHL.

Berezhnoy is currently in his first professional season in North America after signing with the Blackhawks this past off-season. In nine games this season with the IceHogs, he has recorded a 4-4-1 record, a 3.23 goals-against average, and a .889 save percentage. 

In 13 games with SKA Neva of the VHL this past season, he had a 6-3-1 record, a .931 save percentage, and a 2.49 goals-against average. He also played one game for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL in 2024-25. 

hi Stanislav👋

📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/sKaT6Irftypic.twitter.com/AtoBZGdRni

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 10, 2026

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard is getting another opportunity in the NHL.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have recalled Harvey-Pinard from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Harvey-Pinard became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this past off-season after the Canadiens elected not to tender him a qualifying offer. From there, he signed a one-year contract with the Penguins for the 2025-26 season. 

Since signing with Pittsburgh, Harvey-Pinard has only played in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Yet, after landing this call-up from Pittsburgh, that now has the potential to change for the former Canadiens forward. 

In 32 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Harvey-Pinard has posted seven goals, six assists, 13 points, 27 penalty minutes, and a plus-8 rating. 

Harvey-Pinard was selected by the Canadiens with the 201st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. In 84 games over four seasons with the Habs, he recorded 17 goals, 14 assists, 31 points, 106 blocks, 117 hits, and a plus-3 rating. 

Harvey-Pinard's best season with Montreal was in 2022-23 when he set career highs with 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games. 

The Colorado Avalanche, coming off a monumental 8-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, are now facing off against the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time this season. It was another complete domination of a game from the Avalanche, all while Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas were held without a point. The depth of this team showed up big time, all while Trent Miner helped secure the 4-0 shutout win.

Period 1:

Kirill Marchenko is called for high-sticking just over 10 minutes into the period, but the Blue Jackets kill it off. Brent Burns opens the scoring and his 7th of the season as he finds the loose puck off a rebound chance and buries it to open the scoring, 1-0. Gavin Brindley with a nice burst to create the scoring chance, and Ross Colton will pick up his 4th assist in 4 periods.

If at first you don't succeed, try again. Until it works actually. pic.twitter.com/hHIwomb0C0

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 10, 2026

Parker Kelly finds Victor Olofsson after battling in the corner for the puck, who then buries it with a nifty backhand shot, making it 2-0. This finally breaks a long 12-game pointless drought for Olofsson.

Period 2:

Just over 10 minutes into the second period, Parker Kelly, once again with great vision, sends a cross-ice pass to Ilya Solovyov coming into the offensive zone, who steps up and rifles a wrist shot, making it 3-0. This goal is Solovyov’s first career NHL goal and his third point in three games.

MacKinnon and Olofsson are called for hooking, but the Avalanche kill off both penalties with their league-best penalty kill.

Period 3:

Adam Fantilli is called for a delay of game as he sends the puck over the glass, but the Avalanche can’t capitalize on the power play. It’s Burns again who doubles up in the game with a shot from the blue line that deflects off Brendan Gaunce and in to make it 4-0.

With this two-goal game, he joins Tim Horton, Zdeno Chara, and Nicklas Lidstrom as the fourth defenseman over 40 years old to record a multi-goal game. The Avalanche hold on to win 4-0, earning Trent Miner his first career NHL win and shutout.

The Avalanche are back in action on Mon, Jan. 12, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

---

Gasping and Wheezing: Nelson’s Performance Silences Team USA DoubtersBrock Nelson has erased any doubt about whether or not he deserved an Olympic spot in Milan.

The Calgary Flames found their footing again on Saturday in Pittsburgh, edging the Penguins 2–1 to put an end to their recent losing streak.

Devin Cooley got the nod between the pipes for Calgary and delivered a steady performance as the Flames leaned on timely scoring and disciplined defending to secure the win.

Calgary struck first in the opening period thanks to Connor Zary, who continues to heat up offensively. Zary jumped on an early breakaway and calmly beat Arturs Šilovs to open the scoring, marking his eighth goal of the season. The Flames carried a 1–0 lead into the first intermission.

Pittsburgh pushed back in the second. Sidney Crosby intercepted a puck in the neutral zone and quickly transitioned the Penguins into a 2-on-1 rush. Evgeni Malkin fed Egor Chinakhov, who wired a one-timer past Cooley to knot the game at one. The teams remained deadlocked after 40 minutes with shots even at 15 apiece.

The decisive moment came early in the third. Just 42 seconds in, Matt Coronato walked the puck into the offensive zone, froze the defender with a fake, cut into the slot, and snapped a quick release past Šilovs to restore Calgary’s lead. Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson earned the assists on what would stand as the game-winning goal.

The Penguins thought they had tied the game midway through the period, but a successful goalie interference challenge wiped the goal off the board, preserving Calgary’s one-goal advantage the rest of the way.

Three Takeaways

1. Zary finding his rhythm

Connor Zary is starting to look like himself again. With four goals and one assist over his last seven games, he is making sharper reads, attacking the net with purpose, and skating with noticeable confidence — a positive trend for Calgary’s offence.

2. Stromgren seizes his opportunity

With Blake Coleman sidelined after exiting the previous game, William Strömgren re-entered the lineup for just his second NHL appearance. The young forward showed poise, flashed skill, and generated chances with his skating, making the most of his opportunity.

3. Fast starts made the difference

Both Flames goals came quickly — one early in the first period and the game-winner less than a minute into the third. Those quick strikes set the tone and proved crucial for a team looking to halt a skid. Strong starts were exactly what Calgary needed, and they delivered when it mattered

DENVER —  In his 28th career NHL game, Ilya Solovyov scored his first career NHL goal as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, a milestone moment years in the making.

The play developed moments after Columbus was turned aside by Avalanche goaltender Trent Miner. Veteran defenseman Brent Burns jump-started the transition by moving the puck to Victor Olofsson, who carried it cleanly through the neutral zone before dropping it back to Parker Kelly. Kelly lifted his head and spotted Solovyov streaking down the left wing. Solovyov took the pass in stride, walked it in, and snapped a wrist shot past Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzļikins to open his NHL scoring account.

The emotion was immediate and unmistakable. Seconds after the puck hit the back of the net, Solovyov thrust his fist into the air, kicked his right skate upward, and let out a jubilant scream before leaping into Burns’ arms. Teammates quickly surrounded him, with Jack Drury, Cale Makar, and others joining the celebration to congratulate their teammate on the long-awaited moment.

FIRST NHL GOAL FOR ILYA SOLOVYOV 🚨 pic.twitter.com/2D7QAxsNvA

— NHL (@NHL) January 10, 2026

Even as we entered the locker room for the postgame session, Solovyov remained all smiles, still soaking in what was undoubtedly the greatest night of his professional career to that point.

Solovyov Overcomes Struggles

Solovyov’s journey to his first NHL goal has been anything but easy. The 25-year-old defenseman was claimed off waivers by the Avalanche from the Calgary Flames on October 3, but initially struggled to carve out a consistent role in Colorado’s lineup. He appeared in nine games before enduring a stretch of 18 consecutive games as a healthy scratch, eventually earning a conditioning stint with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.

What stood out during that challenging stretch was Solovyov’s persistence. He remained committed to his development, frequently staying late after practices to work with Avalanche skills coach Mark Popovic. While he wasn’t drawing headlines or spotlight attention like some of the team’s star players, his dedication and work ethic never wavered.

Before joining the Avalanche, Solovyov spent the majority of the past four seasons in the AHL with Stockton and Calgary in the Flames’ system. Selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-3 left-shot defenseman established himself as a reliable, two-way depth option. He recorded 69 points and a plus-33 rating in 229 AHL games and also gained NHL experience, appearing in 15 games with Calgary over the previous two seasons.

Now, Solovyov has reached a personal pinnacle: scoring a goal in the National Hockey League. It’s a moment that validates years of perseverance, patience, and hard work—and perhaps the first step toward turning this breakthrough into a long and productive NHL career.

The Philadelphia Flyers still have one of the worst, most ineffective power plays in the NHL, but they can get the boost they've been looking for by taking advantage of another team's plight.

Among the Flyers' most consistent issues on the man advantage has been the quarterback, or lack thereof; players like Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Egor Zamula, Jamie Drysdale, and Rasmus Ristolainen have all run units to varying degrees of success.

But, that position has been a revolving door for a reason. Inconsistency and a lack of results just perpetuate the issue, and the Flyers have no defense prospects in the system capable of alleviating it.

So, if there are no youngsters or in-house solutions available, what's the next step? That's going to be a trade.

On Saturday, the New Jersey Devils and head coach Sheldon Keefe made the move to bench star defenseman Dougie Hamilton in favor of the now-healthy Johnathan Kovacevic, who is expected to make his season debut after successfully recovering from knee surgery.

Surging Flyers Prospect Ends Dominant World Juniors with Gold MedalThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> have a new gold medalist in their ranks, and he happens to be their hottest prospect at the moment.

Hamilton, 32, has now, evidently, fallen behind Kovacevic, Brett Pesce, and Simon Nemec in the pecking order, but his agent, J.P. Barry, has fired back at the Devils for this.

Barry told TSN's Pierre LeBrun that the Devils are making this decision based on business and not Hamilton's performance, and even went as far to say that he and the player will be flexible to facilitate a trade outside the 10-team trade list.

Hamilton and his $9 million cap hit can only be traded to a third of the NHL for the remaining three seasons, including this one, on his contract, which makes things prohibitive for both sides.

It's unclear if the Flyers are on or off Hamilton's trade list, but there should be some interest coming from Philadelphia regardless.

At the time of this writing, the Flyers find themselves sitting pretty at ninth in the NHL standings.

Rasmus Ristolainen just returned from injury, Trevor Zegras and Dan Vladar look like studs, and Matvei Michkov is due for some positive scoring regression at some point.

If the Flyers want to make a move that should benefit them now and in the near future, why not move for Hamilton?

The 6-foot-6 defenseman has 28 power play points in his last 124 games despite losing his featured role to Devils teammate Luke Hughes, and Hamilton is just two injury-marred seasons removed from a career year that saw him explode for 22 goals, 74 points, and 28 power play points in 82 games.

The Flyers, who already have Ristolainen, York, and Sanheim, will not need to force-feed the offensively-oriented Hamilton minutes at 5-on-5, but they can give him as much ice time as he wants on the power play.

At 32, Hamilton wouldn't have to move himself too far away by going from Newark to Philadelphia, and he would still have the opportunity to lead and play on a competitive young team.

NHL Rumors: Flyers Skilled Winger On New Trade Board This Flyers forward has been featured on a new trade board.

The Flyers' $13.6 million in cap space is more than plenty to facilitate such a trade, and they'd have to give up little assets to pull it off considering that the Devils, in their financial situation, are at the mercy of the Flyers and other inquiring teams.

Through 42 games, the Flyers have scored just 18 power play goals, which ranks 31st in the NHL. Their overall conversion rate of 15% is equally bad and seats them 30th in the league, and that cannot remain if the Flyers are to truly push for the playoffs and then compete in the playoffs.

Buying low on Hamilton allows them to address a general need for depth on defense while giving a player with the firepower they need some motivation and a fresh start.

After an 8-2 beatdown at the hands of the league-best Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night, the Ottawa Senators are falling behind in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

But is the season lost? 

There are very few things to like about the Senators’ game as of late, specifically since the holiday break.

League ranks during that stretch: 

- 2-5-0 (30th)
- 11.5% PP (24th)
- 79.3% PK (17th)
- .825 team sv% (31st)
- 32 goals against (31st)
- 31.3 shots per game (4th)
- 26.1 shots against per game (10th)

Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but the glaring issue all season has been amplified in these seven games since Christmas. The league’s worst goaltending has somehow gotten even worse.

It coincides with starting goalie Linus Ullmark taking a personal leave of absence from the team on December 28th, putting the burden of steadying the ship on Leevi Meriläinen’s shoulders, and the 23-year-old has not been up to the task at all.

He’s been pulled twice in his last three starts, rocking a .857 sv% and 3.67 goals against average since the holiday break. In the two games Meriläinen was pulled, the Senators were forced to rely on their goaltending depth, which President and General Manager Steve Staios claimed he was comfortable with just a few weeks ago.

Hunter Shepard put up a .833 sv% in relief against the Detroit Red Wings and earned the loss.

Mads Søgaard was lit up for 5 goals on 16 shots in relief against the Avalanche and did not finish the game. He was sent to the minors on Saturday with Shepard returning to Ottawa.

Every single goal was from distance tonight. pic.twitter.com/vdrUP7Zi0D

— Jack Richardson (@jackrichrdson) January 9, 2026

In the aftermath of these performances, the Senators signed 37-year-old goaltender James Reimer to a PTO contract with the club’s affiliate in Belleville. Without a timeline on Ullmark’s return and Meriläinen’s consistent struggles, there is reason to believe Reimer will have an opportunity to seize control of the crease in Ottawa. 

If Reimer can step in and provide numbers even slightly below his last two seasons in Detroit and Buffalo, the Senators will win a lot more games.

James Reimer over the past two seasons:

2024-25 | BUF
• 22 GP
• 10-8-2 Record
• .899 SV%
• 7.34 GSAx
• 1 Shutout

2023-24 | DET
• 25 GP
• 11-8-2 Record
• .904 SV%
• 7.06 GSAx
• 2 Shutouts

His numbers are quite solid. Just a matter of whether he can step in mid-season… https://t.co/DHdH9N2cM8pic.twitter.com/Xe5fOT4EGQ

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) January 9, 2026

But has the putrid goaltending done too much damage already?

As of January 10th, the Senators are 6 points back of the second wild card spot in the East, and there are six other teams to jump. It’s not an impossible mountain to climb, but they need to get hot, and they need some help in the standings.

Next 7 games:

Jan. 10 vs Florida Panthers

Jan. 13 vs Vancouver Canucks

Jan. 14 @ New York Rangers

Jan. 17 vs Montreal Canadiens

Jan. 18 @ Detroit Red Wings

Jan. 20 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 

Jan. 22 @ Nashville Predators

This stretch will define the season. Three key divisional matchups and four other games the Senators should have no problem with if they are on their game. Maybe Reimer joins the team for some of these, or Ullmark comes back and finds his game.

But if the goaltending woes continue, the Senators have no chance. 

They just need some saves.

---

Jack Richardson
The Hockey News - Ottawa

Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:

Senators Sign Former Leafs Goalie James Reimer To Professional Tryout
Senators GM Steve Staios Condemns 'Fabricated And False Stories' Circulating On Social Media
Batherson Aims To Continue Hot December Into New Year
The Senators' Problems Are Simple And Obvious... The Solution Is Not
There's No Getting Around It: The Senators Need a Goalie
Senators Outshoot Wings But Fall 5-3 To Red Wings on Monday Night

The St. Louis Blues have locked up former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg with a six-year extension carrying an $8 million AAV.

It's a deal that may have Oilers fans frustrated, but it makes sense for both the Blues and Broberg to get this done.

6 MORE YEARS OF PHILIP BROBERG!

DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/N92LUvyIaypic.twitter.com/iInVIe2EMM

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 10, 2026

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St. Louis secures a core piece long term and avoids revisiting the contract if Broberg continues to trend upward, while the 24-year-old positions himself to hit unrestricted free agency at 31 after earning significant money.

Broberg has played all 45 games this season, posting 14 points, and is coming off a strong 2023–24 campaign in which he led Blues defensemen with a plus-21 rating. The former eighth-overall pick has appeared in 194 career NHL games and was recently named to Sweden’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

After joining the Blues via an offer sheet from Edmonton, Broberg quickly established himself in St. Louis’ top four. The move clearly paid off, as it’s unlikely he would have landed a contract of this magnitude had he remained with the Oilers.

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.

Banged-up Flyers get trounced by red-hot Lightning originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The undermanned Flyers were no match for the scorching Lightning in a 7-2 drubbing Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The seven goals allowed marked a season worst for the Flyers.

“It’s one of those games,” Rick Tocchet said. “When you play the game long enough, you’re going to have those type of games. But we do need some better efforts. A couple of our guys that we count on to score are turning the puck over too much. You can’t play that way. Too slow, east-west.”

With two goals and two assists, superstar Nikita Kucherov did the most damage for Tampa Bay.

On the Flyers’ side, Garnet Hathaway and Owen Tippett provided the goals. Hathaway recorded his first point of the season with a redirection just 4:15 minutes into the action.

The Flyers (22-13-8) had a three-game point streak halted (2-0-1). Tocchet called the loss a “learning lesson.”

“You learn and then you apply it and then you get better,” the head coach said, “which our team has done.”

Tocchet’s club was without Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale and Tyson Foerster. More on the team’s injuries here.

“We had to play, not a perfect game, but a smart game,” Tocchet said. “There were chunks of the game that we didn’t. The effort was there, I have no problem with the effort, especially the first 30 [minutes].”

The Lightning (27-13-3) have ripped off nine straight wins, a stretch in which they’ve scored five goals per game.

The Flyers are 0-2-0 in their three-game regular-season series against Tampa Bay. The clubs will wrap things up in two days.

• Samuel Ersson, making his first appearance in January, surrendered the seven goals on 23 shots.

He has given up four or more goals seven times in 16 starts.

“He’s struggling a little bit, you can tell,” Tocchet said. “You’re going to have tough nights. It’s a tough night. To have an NHL career, sometimes you’re going to be in the mud and you’ve got to get yourself out of it, you’ve got to work harder, you’ve got to analyze things. Not just him, anybody.”

Kucherov got Ersson twice in the opening 6:05 minutes of the game. The 2018-19 MVP was left all alone in front for the game-opening marker. Not even two minutes after Hathaway tied it up, Kucherov struck again.

Thirty-five seconds later, Ersson received a Bronx cheer when he made a save. He heard it some more in the third period.

“We’ve got to be better in front of him,” Tippett said. “Those are tough games to play. Obviously I think he deserved better. I don’t know if the sarcastic cheers are really appreciated, but we’ve got to do a better job in front of him and not put him in some of those situations.”

The 26-year-old entered the game with the worst save percentage of his career at .868.

“We’ve got to work with him, we’ve got to help him out, too,” Tocchet said. “Whatever we have to do to help him with the mental or physical. Got to show up the next day, we’ve got practice tomorrow and just be ready to go. That’s the only way you get out of these things.”

Ersson found his footing a bit after the early goals, but Nick Paul extended the Lightning’s lead to 3-1 in the second period. After Ersson made the initial stop, Paul rolled in unimpeded for the rebound opportunity.

Tampa Bay then went off for four goals in the third period to make it a total rout. The Flyers definitely opened up defensively as they pushed for offense, which didn’t help Ersson’s chances.

“In the third, when we’re chasing, we’re trying to create offense and we’re trying to keep our gas on the pedal, that’s when they counterattack, that’s when they’re good,” Hathaway said. “Regardless of the score, we lost.”

Andrei Vasilevskiy, who came in with consecutive shutouts over the Flyers, stopped 18 shots for the Lightning.

“Just an awful third period,” Sean Couturier said. “We’ll just move on. It’s one of those games you’ve got to forget quick.”

• The Flyers began Saturday tied with the Capitals for the NHL’s second-worst power play at 15 percent.

The woes on the man advantage were costly in the club’s 2-1 overtime loss Thursday night to the Maple Leafs.

On Saturday night, the Flyers went 1 for 2. Tippett’s power play goal stopped the third-period bleeding temporarily for the Flyers.

• The Flyers and Tampa Bay meet again Monday back here at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

BOSTON (AP) — Pavel Zacha recorded his first career hat trick — one of his goals coming while most of New York’s players were in the locker room at the end of the first period — and the Boston Bruins coasted past the Rangers 10-2 on Saturday.

Marat Khusnutdinov had four goals to go along with Zacha’s three, giving the Bruins their first pair with hat tricks in the same home game in club history.

The Bruins won for the fourth time in five games, avenging a 6-2 blowout loss at home against the Rangers on Nov. 28.

It’s also the first time since 1964 that two Bruins recorded a hat trick in the same game. Fraser Minten had two goals, Charlie McAvoy added one for Boston and David Pastrnak matched a team record with six assists.

Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller scored for the Rangers, who have lost six of seven. Coach Mike Sullivan remained one win short of 500 in his NHL career.

Zacha’s third goal made it 6-1 midway into the second period, prompting Sullivan to pull starting goalie Jonathan Quick.

But it was Zacha’s second that got the most interest.

The Bruins winger fired a shot from the right circle that trickled behind Quick, where defenseman Braden Schneider tried to sweep it clear of the crease before it crossed.

The period ended and most of the Rangers left the bench while the Bruins’ players remained. The goal was awarded after a review.

Khusnutdinov’s first tied at 1 just 2:31 into the first period. His third made it 8-2 in the third.

Bruins winger Morgan Geekie left the game at the end of the first period for a “family matter.”

Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made a right-pad stop on Vincent Trocheck’s penalty shot.

Up next

Rangers: Host Seattle on Monday night.

Bruins: Host Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The St. Louis Blues (17-20-8) will try to salvage a game to end a three-game road trip when they conclude it on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights (19-11-12) at 9 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The Blues are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Friday and have lost two straight, including a trip-opening 7-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

The Blues didn't necessarily play poorly Friday, outshooting Utah 28-23 in the game but were done i by a lack of coverage at the net front and once again: special teams, going 0-for-4 on an anemic power play that is now 0-for-17 the past six games and a penalty kill that has allowed four goals on seven attempts this trip and has allowed a goal in eight of the past 13 games.

It's the third and final meeting between the teams this season and the Blues' only visit to Vegas. The teams split two games in St. Louis, with the Blues winning the latest, 4-3 on Jan. 2.

Blues coach Jim Monntgomery will speak pregame at 7:45 p.m. (CT) to address any lineup changes since  the Blues did not hold a morning skate, but judging what he's done with Oskar Sundqvist, who scored the Blues' first goal on Friday, in the past and rested him on second of back-to-backs for load management purposes, we'll assume he will not play tonight and insert Robby Fabbri there, which is what the Blues did on Jan. 3 after Sundqvist played against Vegas but did not the following day against the Montreal Canadiens.

Also, Jordan Binnington is projected to get the nod after Joel Hofer made 19 saves on Friday but stay tuned for those confirmed lineup changes after Montgomery's availability.

We know Robert Thomas left in the third period after smacking his head on the ice but did return, and for the second straight game this trip, Jimmy Snuggerud had at least 10 shot attempts with 11 on Friday (five shots on goal, two blocked and four missing the net).

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Jordan Kyrou

Pavel Buchnevich-Brayden Schenn-Jimmy Snuggerud

Otto Stenberg-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jonatan Berggren

Alexey Toropchenko-Robby Fabbri-Nathan Walker

Philip Broberg-Colton Parayko

Tyler Tucker-Justin Faulk

Cam Fowler-Logan Mailloux

Jordan Binnington is projected to start in goal; Joel Hofer would be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Mathieu Joseph, Oskar Sundqvist and Matthew Kessel. Pius Suter (high ankle sprain), Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are out.

- - -

Golden Knights Projected Lineup:

Ivan Barbashev-Jack Eichel-Mark Stone

Reilly Smith-Mitch Marner-Pavel Dorofeyev

Brett Howden-Tomas Hertl-Keegan Kolesar

Cole Reinhardt-Colton Sissons-Braeden Bowman

Noah Hanifin-Zach Whitecloud

Jeremy Lauzon-Shea Theodore

Ben Hutton-Kaeden Korczak

Akird Schmid will start in goal; Carter Hart will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Jaycob Megna and Alexander Holtz. Adin Hill (lower body), William Karlsson (lower body), Brayden McNabb (upper body) and Brandon Saad (undisclosed) are out.

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Just when things seem to be getting better, the injury bug bits right back at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

One game after activating forward Evgeni Malkin from injured reserve (IR), the Penguins announced Saturday that top-line winger Bryan Rust is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. In a corresponding move, the Penguins recalled forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), as they had an open spot on their roster and didn't require an IR move.

It's unclear exactly when Rust sustained the injury, but he did appear to be in some pain after blocking a shot during Pittsburgh's 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. He will not be in the lineup against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Rust, 33, has been a fixture alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell on the Penguins' top line this season, and his production will be hard to replace for whatever length of time he is out. The veteran from Pontiac, Mich. has 16 goals and 36 points in 40 games on the season, and he also plays on both special teams units, which limits the Penguins there as well.

Harvey-Pinard, 27, was signed to a one-year deal worth $775,000 during the offseason. He was waived at the conclusion of training camp and re-assigned to the AHL, where he has seven goals and 13 points in 32 games to go along with a plus-8 rating. 

Penguins Call Up Skilled Forward From AHLThe Penguins have called up this forward from the AHL.

Harvey-Pinard spent parts of four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens - who selected him in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft - and put up 17 goals and 31 points in 84 games. 

The Penguins will look to extend their six-game win streak against Calgary, who have lost four in a row heading into the Saturday afternoon tilt at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Forward Tommy Novak will skate in Rust's place on the first line, while Kevin Hayes - playing in his first game since Dec. 23 - will slot in as the third-line center in place of Novak. 

'I'm Lucky To Be Able To Play With Him': Penguins' Rookie Relishes Opportunity To Center All-Time GreatPittsburgh Penguins' rookie Ben Kindel is experiencing a rare opportunity to center an all-time great NHL player in Evgeni Malkin - and he hopes to make the most of it.

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