In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. With the Philadelphia Flyers having a good amount of exciting youngsters, multiple of their players made the list.
Flyers youngsters Matvei Michkov (No. 20), Porter Martone (No. 31), Jack Nesbitt (No. 96), Oliver Bonk (No. 101), Yegor Zavragin (No. 112), Jett Luchanko (No. 125), and Jack Berglund (No. 126) all made Pronman's list.
Michkov and Martone are certainly the two Flyers youngsters from this group of players with the highest upside. While this is the case, Nesbitt, Bonk, Zavragin, Luchanko, and Berglund all have the potential to blossom into impactful NHL players themselves for the Flyers in the future.
With the Flyers being a team on the rise, they are hoping that this group of youngsters will be big parts of their roster in the future as they look to become true contenders. Michkov is already a key part of the Flyers' roster, and it will be fascinating to see how the rest of this group continues to develop before they make the jump to the NHL.
Nevertheless, there is no question that the Flyers have some promising young players in their system to watch.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the best NHL players and prospects who are younger than 23 years old.
The Chicago Blackhawks were certainly featured often in Pronman's rankings, as 11 of their youngsters made the cut: Connor Bedard (No. 2), Frank Nazar (No. 22), Roman Kantserov (No. 23), Artyom Levshunov (No. 35), Anton Frondell (No. 44), Colton Dach (No. 71), Sam Rinzel (No. 72), Oliver Moore (No. 82), Sacha Boisvert (No. 95), Vaclav Nestrasil (No. 104), and Mason West (No. 107).
Seeing so many Blackhawks included on these rankings is not surprising in the slightest. It is no secret that the Blackhawks have several promising youngsters in their system, and this list only proves that.
What's also so encouraging about this list of Blackhawks players is that it is a nice mix of NHL-ready talent and exciting prospects. This demonstrates that the Blackhawks still have plenty of exciting youngsters waiting in the wings who will have the potential to strengthen their roster in the future. With this, it is hard not to feel optimistic about the Blackhawks' future as they continue to trend in the right direction.
There have been only a few blemishes for the Buffalo Sabres recently, and in an extremely tight and competitive race in the Eastern Conference, the Sabres will have to bounce back from the 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first of back-to-back games at KeyBank Center on Wednesday.
The Sabres find themselves outside of the top-eight in the conference, in spite of going 13-2 in the last 15 games, but could move back into a wildcard spot with a win over the Flyers, who they are tied in the standing with at 52 points.
Buffalo held an optional skate at KeyBank Center on Wednesday, and head coach Lindy Ruff spoke to the media to provide an update on the roster:
The club sent down defenseman Zac Jones, how does that reflect on the injury status of Michael Kesselring?
(Kesselring) is available, but won't play. Rochester is playing tonight. In an emergency basis, Kesselring could play, and we'll evaluate him for tomorrow.
Is there an update on Josh Dunne?
He's gonna be off for a period of time. Right now the indications are maybe four-to-six weeks. (Ruff indicated on Tuesday that the injury was mid-body, and said on Wednesday that he will not require surgery).
What are you expecting in your third matchup with the Flyers?
They've got some great speed up front. We've had two hard games against them. They got us in their building, we got them in ours. (We) just anticipate, in Eastern Conference games, teams that you're right there with, every game is an important game. It's just going to come down to, compete and execution, and try to make them pay for their mistakes. But make sure we're taking care of the puck at the same time.
Have you instructed the players to not concentrate on the standings?
We haven't talked about the standings. We just talked about the importance of one game. I think we've been pretty good at trying to just stay in the moment, rebounding after the previous game, where you're right there in that game, to win it, or at least get points out of it. (You) spend more time on that, getting ready for this game than you do on the overall standings.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a roster move, as they have announced that they have assigned forward Tristan Broz to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Broz being sent down to the AHL comes just one day after the Penguins called him up to their NHL roster. The promising forward prospect did not make an appearance during his latest brief call-up to Pittsburgh's roster.
Broz did make his NHL debut earlier this season for the Penguins though during their Nov. 26 contest against the Buffalo Sabres. The 6-foot forward had a minus-1 rating and two shots during the Penguins' matchup against the Sabres.
Now, after being sent back down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's roster, Broz will be aiming to impress with the AHL club. The 2021 second-round pick has played in 33 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this campaign, where he has posted 11 goals, 13 assists, and 24 points.
The Montreal Canadiens’ power play currently ranks 11th in the NHL with a 22.4% success rate. In 47 games, they’ve had 134 power play opportunities and have scored 30 goals. Of that number, 27 came from five-on-four opportunities, one from a four-on-three chance and only two from a five-on-three opportunity.
In Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Capitals, the Canadiens had over a minute of a two-man advantage, and they could only muster one shot on it. The double advantage could have been longer if the Habs had given the puck over to the Capitals as soon as the referee’s arm went up instead of cycling the puck and taking a non-threatening shot…Speaking after the game, Martin St-Louis said of the five-on-three:
I hoped to see a goal. We have good players on the ice. If you don’t score when you’re playing five-on-three, it’s rare that you’re going to win the game.
- Martin St-Louis after the game against the Capitals
So far this season, the Canadiens have spent 10 minutes on the five-on-three, and they have only two goals to show for it. That’s much more time than any other team; the San Jose Sharks are second with 7:44 (during which they’ve scored four goals), and the Dallas Stars are third with 5:32 (during which they’ve scored two goals). Why do the other teams have less time at five-on-three? Because they convert on their opportunity. As simple as that.
The Columbus Blue Jackets lead the league in goals at five-on-three with four (with the above-mentioned Sharks), and they’ve only spent 3:25 skating with a two-man advantage. The Calgary Flames have scored three goals in 4:24, while the Los Angeles Kings have three goals in just 3:03.
Whichever way you look at it, the Canadiens’ two goals in over 10 minutes just isn’t enough. I can understand using Noah Dobson at the point to get that big slap shot. Still, given how few shots the unit generates, it would make more sense to have Hutson’s mobility and creativity to find the wingers who are playing nearer to the net.
With the standings being as tight as they are and the Canadiens having so few regulation wins, St-Louis’ men cannot afford to squander such prime scoring opportunities.
Yesterday, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman released the midseason update of the under-23 NHL players and prospects rankings. When he released the September edition, seven Montreal Canadiens were on the list. Fast forward four months, and there are now eight members of the Habs organization on the 137-player rankings: Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Alexander Zharovsky, Michael Hage, David Reinbacher, Zack Bolduc, and Oliver Kapanen. The 2025 second-round pick Zharovsky is the only new entry to the list.
Pronman’s rankings are divided into six tiers; the first one is for elite NHL players, tier two for NHL All-Stars, tier three for bubble NHL All-Stars and top of the lineup players, tier four for Top of the lineup players, tier five for bubble top and middle of the lineup players, and tier six for middle of the lineup players. Let’s review where each Hab stands.
Slafkovsky is the first player on the list and gets the seventh spot just like he did in September, but Pronman now has him in Tier three rather than Tier two, which is highly surprising given how much the big Slovak has improved in the first half of the season. What we’ve seen from him this season is a more complete and consistent player who now takes responsibility on his new line and is one of its driving forces, rather than a complement to his linemates. Perhaps the drop is due to his no longer being on the first line, but that would be a faulty conclusion, as his role is now larger.
Demidov is also in Tier two, just behind Slafkovsky in eighth place, a two-spot increase. Just like Slafkovsky, he’s dropped from Tier two to Tier three. Pronman still considers his skating below average despite the work the young Russian put in last summer and the change in his style, which is now much more fluid and efficient. He doesn’t have what the writer called an “awkward/knock-kneed skating stride” back in September. Given that the young Russian currently leads the rookie scoring race and just how spectacular his play has been, it’s surprising to see him go down a tier.
On any given night, the Juraj Slafkovsky - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov trio can look like the Habs 1st line
Hutson is the third player in the ranking, and he went from number 34 in September to number 14 in this edition, but he remains in Tier Four as a bubble NHL All-Star and top of the lineup player. While Pronman praises his offensive skills, he believes his defensive game holds him back in the rankings. Saying Hutson is small and will struggle for that reason is the easy way out. Anyone who has watched him play more than a game here and there can tell you that his defensive game has improved significantly. While the plus/minus is not the best stat around, the fact that he went from minus-two last season to plus-16 at this stage of his sophomore season should tell him something.
Newcomer Zharovsky is Montreal’s fourth player in the list in 39th place and lands in Tier Six as a bubble top and middle of the lineup player. Pronman rates his skating and compete as average, while calling his puck skills and hockey sense above average. He sees him as a slick winger with the hands, creativity, and offensive IQ of a legitimate NHL scoring forward. It’s hard to comment on this one, as we’ve seen very little of his game aside from highlights, but his KHL numbers are both impressive and intriguing.
Hage is fifth and rose from 131 to 51, a significant increase which is well deserved. Pronman notes a history of inconsistent efforts but says he has improved in that regard recently. Anyone who saw him play in the World Junior Championship will agree that the effort was always there and that he’s very creative going up the ice. While success in that tournament doesn’t necessarily mean big success in the NHL, it’s hard not to be excited by what he showed in Minnesota.
Defenseman Reinbacher ranks sixth among the Habs and fell from 44 to 85. His hockey sense rating has gone from above average to just average, and he hasn’t written a profile for the 21-year-old. In 27 games with the Rocket this season, the right-shot defenseman has put up 12 points, and he’s the fourth defenseman on the AHL team’s scoring ranking behind Adam Engstrom, William Trudeau and Marc Del Gaizo. The right-shot defenseman’s development has no doubt been hurt by all the injuries he’s suffered in the last couple of years, but that’s hopefully behind him now.
Winger Bolduc is now in 90th place, 10 ranks up from his September ranking. While his skating, puck skills, hockey sense, and compete are all listed as average, Pronman has his shot as elite. After the first half of the season, it feels like we’ve not seen enough from Bolduc, like there’s an unexplored level to his game that the Canadiens have not yet found a way to unlock.
Kapanen is the eighth Hab on the list, ranked 118, up from 139. Pronman has above-average puck skills, compete, and shot, with his hockey sense average and his skating below average. The Finn is currently fifth in rookie scoring this season with 27 points in 47 games, but he leads them all in goals with 16, an imposing number. Kapanen has excellent instincts on the ice and always seems to be in the right place to have scoring chances. He may not bury all his opportunities, but he still has an insane 18.3% shooting percentage, which, while really impressive, seems unsustainable. Still, I think Kapanen is just not getting enough respect for what he’s doing on the ice this season.
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Tuesday was essentially a tale of two games. The Canucks got caved in during the first two period but found a way to control play in the third. Despite the strong push at the end, the Senators still won the even-strength scoring chances battle 33-19 while also skating away having more even-strength high-danger scoring chances by a count of 15-12.
As for the heatmap, it provides a good visual as to why Vancouver struggled. Th Canucks could not protect the front of the net, which forced Kevin Lankinen to face 11 high-danger shots. Luckily, Lankinen was able to stop all 11, which is why Vancouver was able to stay in this game until the final whistle.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators, January 13, 2026, Natural Stat Trick
To wrap things up, the Canucks best trio was the Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson line. Not only did they score the only goal, but they held an 8-5 scoring chances advantage during their 9:37 together. This line continues to develop chemistry and has now put forward several strong performances for Vancouver over the past few weeks.
Jan 13, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a save on Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
The Canucks wrap up their six-game homestand on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus recently made a coaching change, with Rick Bowness taking over behind the bench. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT.
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Dante Fabbro(3), Charlie Coyle(8,9-ENG), Zach Werenski(17-PPG), and Boone Jenner(8-GWG) powered the CBJ offense, and Jet Greaves made 29 saves to beat the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
The Rick Bowness era has begun with a win.
The Blue Jackets jumped on the Flames quickly in the first period by scoring twice. But when the Flames scored in the dying seconds of the second period to tie the game, you could feel the energy get sucked out of Nationwide Arena.
They didn't quit though. Blue Jackets superstar Zach Werenski scored a power play goal with about 15 minutes to play to put Columbus back on top, but per the norm, it didn't last long. Mikael Backlund scored the Flames third power play goal of the night to tie the game yet again, this time at three. Another blown third period lead.
But Captain Boone Jenner would not be stopped on Tuesday night. Having already registered a fight, he would score what would end up being the game winner with 1:34 left in the game. He then recorded an assist on Charlie Coyle's empty net goal to record the rare Gordie Howe Hat Trick.
They do need to clean the penalty kill up though. They gave up three power play goals that almost cost them this win.
Bowness said of the win, "We asked them to compete and we did. We competed. We played very well. In the first 40 minutes, we weren't giving them anything 5-on-5. Clearly, the penalty kill is the one that set us back, so we'll work on that. We can fix that."
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
Columbus (1-1-0) and Calgary (1-1-0) concluded the season series with both teams winning their respective home contests. The home team has now won eight of the past nine games in the overall series.
With both teams scoring five goals in their respective victories, the winning team has now scored four or more goals in seven of the last 10 games of the series.
Both teams won their games by multiple tallies and have done so in five-straight meetings as well as in nine of the past 10 outings in the all-time series.
The Jackets won their second consecutive game and opened a stretch of seven of the next eight games at Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets scored first for the 26th time this season, 21st time at Nationwide Arena, and are 16-6-4 when doing so (8-4-1 at home).
Columbus head coach Rick Bowness earned the win in his first game behind the bench.
Final Stats
CBJ APP
Player Stats
Dante Fabbro scored his 3rd goal.
Charlie Coyle his 8th and 9th goals of the season. He also collected his 20th assist and had 7 shots on goal. He posted his third three-point performance of the season with two goals and an assist (2-1-3) and has goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season (3-1-4). He now sits two goals shy of 200 for his career (198-316-514, 996 GP).
Zach Werenski scored his 17th goal and had 2 assists. He also had 5 shots on goal. He posted his fifth three-point effort of the season with a goal and two assists. He has points in each of his past 15 contests at Nationwide Arena (11-18-289, 11 multi-point outings), for the second-longest home points streak in club history and trailing his 22-game streak from Nov. 1, 2024 – Feb. 22, 2025. He has notched 50 points for the third-straight campaign and became the fourth active U.S.-born defenseman with as many consecutive seasons (Adam Fox from 2021-22 to 2024-25; Quinn Hughes from 2021-22 to 2024-25; John Carlson from 2017-18 to 2019-20). Werenski improved his career mark against Calgary to 6-8-14 with five multi-point efforts in 16 career games, including 4-5-9 in his last seven games played and has 4-4-8 in his eight career home games with back-to-back multi-point performances at home vs. the Flames (2-3-5).
Boone Jenner scored his 8th goal, had two assists, and had a fight. He registered the first Gordie Howe hat trick of his NHL career tonight after scoring the game-winning goal with 1:34 remaining in the third period as well as assisting on Coyle’s empty net tally and earning a fighting major against Rasmus Andersson in the second period. His seventh multi-point effort of the season (1-1-2) also makes him one assist shy of 200 for his NHL career (207-199-406, 773 GP). He also became the third player in franchise history with 30 career game-winning goals, behind only Rick Nash (44) and Cam Atkinson (42)
Jake Christiansen picked up his 2nd assist.
Dmitri Voronkov recorded his 14th assist.
Adam Fantilli got his 17th assist. He also won 9/14 faceoffs.
Kirill Marchenko tallied his 22nd assist.
Kent Johnson set a season high with 20:55 time on ice.
Ivan Provorov had 6 shots on goal.
Team Stats
The Jackets power play went 1/4.
The Columbus PK couldn't make a stop, giving up 3 power play goals on three chances.
Columbus won 55.4% of the faceoffs - 36/65
The Blue Jackets had 21 hits.
Up Next: Columbus is back home to play the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
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After claiming a 6-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens were taking on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps have had the Habs’ number of late, but without Tom Wilson, Jacob Chychrun, Justin Sourdif and Pierre-Luc Dubois, the locals came out flat, so to speak.
Of course, the Caps still had Alexander Ovechkin, but the Great Eight is not as much of a threat without his proper supporting cast. Even on the power play, the sniper still just stands there waiting for the perfect feed, even though it’s clearly not coming. At times, the fans even booed their once-devastating man advantage. Still, thanks to a fantastic third frame, the Capitals came back from 0-2 to win 3-2 in overtime.
Brendan Gallagher has made the headlines recently, but not necessarily for the right reasons, as fans and media alike have started questioning whether he’ll remain in the lineup when the injured Habs are ready to return. In this game, however, he scored an important goal, not only because it gave the Canadiens a 2-0 lead, but because it was the 243rd of his career, which means he’s now tied with Mats Naslund for the 14th most goals scored while playing for the storied franchise.
Chose qu'on aime réentendre: «De Danault à Gallagher»
Of course, Gallagher needed 881 matches to reach the milestone while Nastlund only needed 617 games, but still, for a fifth-round pick to have that kind of career with the same franchise is quite a feat. Gallagher has earned everything he has done in his career, nothing was ever given to him.
Frankly Disappointing For Montembeault
If there remained any doubts about whether Samuel Montembeault was fully back, they should have been eclipsed by his performance tonight. Flawless through 40 minutes after having made 17 saves, the Canadiens’ goaltender was put through a real test in the third as we faced 16 shots. While he did allow two goals, they were both nice deflected shots from Ethan Frank, and neither can be held against the Habs’ goaltender.
Montembeault's puck tracking and rebound control were on point, and he played a calm, collected game despite mounting pressure, especially late in the game. Without his heroics, the Caps wouldn’t have needed the overtime period to seal the deal. Washington added another 10 shots in the extra frame, and the goaltender stood tall as captain Nick Suzuki was stuck in the box, but with 39 seconds left, Connor McMichael called game.
Without Guhle, But With Anderson
Since the game was the second part of a back-to-back, the Canadiens elected to give Kaiden Guhle a night off and to bring Jayden Struble back into the lineup. While the decision makes sense from a workload management standpoint for Guhle, it meant that Noah Dobson spent 28:37 on the ice and Mike Matheson 27:54. Meanwhile, Arber Xhekaj only saw 7:03 of action, the fact that he was in the penalty box for so long after getting 17 penalty minutes didn’t help his cause much, and Jayden Struble only played 9:43 after he looked a bit worse for wear following a hit.
In his first game in 13 days, Josh Anderson did well, scoring the Canadiens’ first goal as they were on the penalty kill.
While the Canadiens leave Washington with a point, they could definitely have used two, and sooner rather than later, they may start regretting not having many regulation wins, since it's the first tiebreaker if points are tied.
There are a plethora of NHL games between now and the Olympic break on Feb. 6, and there won't be a lot of time left to make deals when the NHL resumes action on Feb. 25 until the Trade Deadline of March 6.
Best of luck with your fantasy hockey trades this week.
TRADE FOR
Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs (100% rostered)
Matthews has been on a tear of late, reminiscent of previous seasons when he was a top-five fantasy forward in the NHL. Matthews has eight goals and six assists in nine games since the Christmas break, a far-cry better than his 14 goals and nine assists across 31 appearances before the break. Matthews has shown a renewed interest in playing at a top level, something that wasn't there earlier in the season.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Matthews and Connor Bedard for Noah Dobson and Kirill Marchenko. (This has to be a give-up trade in a dynasty pool, otherwise it makes absolutely no sense. Matthews and Bedard are far superior to Dobson and Marchenko in redraft leagues.)
Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights (66% rostered)
Hill has been out of action since Oct. 20 with a lower-body injury and could return to the lineup as early as Thursday at home versus Toronto. The Golden Knights have really missed his play, as the combination of Akira Schmid, Carter Hart (who is currently out of action with a lower-body injury) as well as Carl Lindbom in an occasional role, has not done the job this season in Hill's absence. Hill was the backbone of the Golden Knights in 2024-25, posting a 32-13-5 mark with a 2.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Anything close to those peripherals the rest of the way will go a long way to aiding the Golden Knights in winning the Pacific Division title.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Hill and Nico Hischier for Jake Allen and Jack Hughes. (When healthy, Hill is a much better goaltender than Allen, who shares the New Jersey net at best with Jacob Markstrom. While Hughes is a better offensive player than Hischier, Hughes is only averaging 1.0 points per game to Hischier's .76 points per contest.)
Rasmus Andersson, D, Flames (88% rostered)
Andersson is on his way out of Calgary as the pending UFA does not seem likely to re-sign with the Flames, and they will want to get something for their top defenseman, rather than keeping him and receiving nothing but a late-round pick in late June. Andersson is having a stellar season with 10 goals and 19 assists in 46 games, including four goals and 10 points on the power play. He'll likely go to a playoff contender who will have better scoring forwards on the power play, compared to the Flames.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Andersson for Bo Horvat. (Horvat is having a strong season with 21 goal and 33 points in 36 games, but he has missed 10 of the last 14 games and is currently out with a lower-body injury.)
TRADE AWAY
Tyler Bertuzzi, LW, Blackhawks (59% rostered)
Bertuzzi is headed for a career high in goals as he has 24 tallies in 43 games (his best was in 2021-22 when he managed 30 goals in 68 games for the Red Wings). He has been a 40-50 point player in the last two seasons, and you should take advantage of his playing alongside Bedard as well as his strong first half of the season, and get as much as possible for the 30-year-old winger.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Bertuzzi and J.T. Miller for John Gibson, Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner. (That's an awful lot to get for Bertuzzi and a slumping Miller, as Gibson is having a great rebound year in Detroit, Marner is still a star player in the NHL and Rielly is a serviceable defenseman in fantasy hockey.)
Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils, (71% rostered)
Hamilton's stock has fallen so much that he was actually a healthy scratch Jan. 11 in Winnipeg. He did rebound nicely the following night in Minnesota with a pair of assists, however, Hamilton only has five goals and seven assists in 41 appearances this season. His offensive play has dropped like a stone, and it appears that Hamilton is more than willing to forego his limited no-movement clause and find a home elsewhere in the NHL.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Hamilton and Brayden Point for Josh Morrissey and Elias Pettersson. (I would assume that the deal took place after Point suffered a lower-body injury Monday and is considered week-to-week. That makes the return on the Hamilton trade even better, as Morrissey is a stud defenseman while Pettersson has bounced back a bit this season and is showing signs of being a very good player once again.)
Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders (76% rostered)
Barzal has one goal and six assists in his last five games, giving him 37 points in 45 appearances this season. He had 20 points in 30 games last season while dealing with injuries but he seems to do a lot better with Bo Horvat out of the lineup, rather than in it. Barzal has two goals and 12 points in the 10 games Horvat has missed since Dec. 13, which does not bode well for when Horvat returns, likely next week, from a lower-body injury).
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Barzal, Gabriel Vilardi and Dylan Guenther for Trevor Zegras, Cole Caufield and Josh Doan. (It's a pretty even deal as Barzal, Vilardi and Guenther are good point producers, but so are Zegras, Caufield and Doan.)
During the Pittsburgh Penguins' six-game winning streak at the turn of the new year, they were finding the back of the net with regularity and scoring goals with ease.
Well, all of that has changed in the last three games.
Despite a clinical defensive effort - and another commendable goaltending effort, this time by Arturs Silovs - the Penguins were handed their third straight loss, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the shootout, 2-1. Egor Chinakhov scored for the Penguins in the shootout, while Gage Gonclaves and Nikita Kucherov capitalized for the Bolts to seal the win.
Throughout regulation, it was a battle of goaltending, as both Penguins' netminder Arturs Silovs and Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy kept everything tight. Both teams played pretty well defensively, limiting chances, but it felt like the Penguins had, perhaps, even more high-danger opportunities than the Lightning. Silovs ended up 30 for 31 on the evening, while Vasilevskiy was 26 for 27.
It was a scoreless game until the waning minutes of the third period, when J.J. Moser poked home a loose puck in the crease that Silovs couldn't handle to put Tampa Bay up, 1-0, with just under six minutes remaining in regulation. After that, the Penguins were getting a ton of chances, too, and they finally broke through with the goaltender pulled when Evgeni Malkin sniped one past Vasilevskiy to tie the game with 2:16 to go.
The overtime period was a nail-biter, too, as Pittsburgh controlled most of it and came close to ending it on a few occasions, but they couldn't finish. The Penguins went with Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby, and Chinakhov in their shootout lineup, but Chinakhov's lone goal was not enough to give them the two points.
As it stands, the Penguins still sit one point out of the final wild card spot in the East, as the Toronto Maple Leafs won on Tuesday. Even if they haven't gotten the results they've wanted in the last three games, they're generally happy with the way the team is playing, and they know they need to continue to create more offensive opportunity - even if the opposing goaltender was the main reason they couldn't follow through against the Bolts.
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:
- Chinakhov can really, really rip the puck. And, honestly, it's impressive.
Like Rakell, Chinakhov is, historically, proficient in the shootout, as he is a career 50 percent shooter in it. And when you see how he can shoot the puck, this is no surprise.
I continue to be impressed by this guy, and I'm eager to see him use that shot more at five-on-five. He and Malkin seem to be developing some chemistry.
And - aside from a bit of a lapse on Tampa's lone regulation goal - they did a pretty excellent job on Tuesday.
In general over the last couple of weeks, Kulak and Letang have been settling in as a pairing. I think this stretch with Kulak is the best Letang has looked all season, and they seem to feed off each other's strengths.
Karlsson's loss is s seismic one. He's been good on both special teams units this season, and he drives so much offense from the blue line that it's silly. Replacing him really isn't possible, so it's paramount that the entire defensive corps - but, especially, Letang and Kulak - step up in his absence and put their best game forward.
And Kulak thought - for the most part - they did against the Bolts.
- I'm not loving what I'm seeing from Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha in this last handful of games. I mentioned Sunday that moving Brazeau up with Crosby wouldn't be the worst thing, but with Bryan Rust back after a two-game absence - and the top line pretty much remaining a fixture - Dan Muse may have to consider some other options to get his middle-six going again, because the Penguins need offense.
The easy thing to do would be to reunite the "mutant line" of Brazeau, Mantha, and Malkin. But I do think it's a bit complicated because of the chemistry that Malkin and Chinakhov are building and because the second line has, arguably, been the Penguins' best in the last two games. Still, their third line has been somewhat ineffective, and that's a bit of a problem when the entire team's scoring has dried up.
I think, right now, that's the best solution. Reunite the big guys, and give Tommy Novak, Ben Kindel, and Chinakhov some runway - maybe sprinkled with a bit of Tristan Broz now and again. It can't hurt to try when the team has only mustered two goals in the past nine periods of regulation.
- This was not one of Crosby's better games. I think his line did okay for the most part, as they were generating chances and had a few nice looks. Rust looked good in his first game back, too.
But Crosby is being way, way too passive with the puck right now. There were a few instances on odd-man rushes Tuesday where there was a clear shot, and he tried to force a pass. And, on top of that, his passes were simply off all night long, and he lost a handle on the puck in the shootout.
Crosby has always gone through spells like this throughout his career. He always pulls out of it. But he really needs to get more pucks on net, and he needs to find a way to produce through the team's dry spell.
And, hey, the Penguins play the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, so that may be happening at just the right time.
- The Penguins started a grueling stretch against Tampa Bay because - including Tuesday's game - Pittsburgh plays six games in 10 days.
That's a lot of hockey in a short period of time.
I keep beating this drum, but the Penguins need to bank as many points as possible during this stretch, especially without their No. 1 defenseman. They need all the traction they can get heading into the Olympic break in a few weeks.
The St. Louis Blues announced during their 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday they signed defenseman Logan Mailloux to a one-year, one-way contract extension for $850,000.
Mailloux, 22, is in his first season with the Blues after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2025 for forward Zack Bolduc.
Mailloux (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) has played in 32 games this season and has two points (one goal, one assist).
Mailloux played 14:55 on Tuesday but played a season-high 20:01 on Saturday in a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, mostly due to the departure of Philip Broberg from that game that forced the Blues to play with five defensemen for the majority of the game.
"When I look at a guy like Mailloux, I thought last game might have been his best game of the year, poised with the puck, carrying of the puck and he got into a rhythm of the game because he played more minutes because of Broberg's unfortunate fall," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "... With all young players, the more ice time they get, the more comfortable they feel. It's true at every level. That being said, at this level, it's hard to earn more ice time. You have to earn it, because to earn more ice time without injuries, you're supplanting someone's minutes. That's an earned reward sat this level."
Overall, the Belle River, Ontario native has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 40 NHL regular-season games. Mailloux was originally drafted by the Canadiens in the first round (No. 31) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
"Some players come into the league, just like [Jimmy] Snuggerud did last year and boom, he assimilates it," Montgomery said. "And when we look at Snuggerud this year, it's been an adjustment because he's getting used to traveling in time zones, playing in different times zones, coming back, your maintenance, your recovery level, how do you recover at this level. Yeah, we fly in private jets, we stay in great hotels, but in college, he never gets out in his time zone except five games out of 36 a year, and you're seeing the same thing with [Otto] Stenberg, Dalibor Dvorsky and Mailloux. They're used to Eastern time zone in the American (Hockey) League the whole time. Now, they're balancing it. They're playing on Monday's, they're playing on Tuesday's, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday."
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It was Roman Josi that delivered in the clutch again, scoring the game winner for a second straight game.
Tuesday, the Predators captain scored from a wide angle in overtime as the Nashville Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, at Bridgestone Arena.
In addition to his game-winner, Josi had the game-tying goal in the third period, recording five points in two games. Steven Stamkos netted his 20th goal of the season and 602nd of his career, passing Jari Kurri for 21st on the all-time scoring list.
Erik Haula also found the back of the net in the second period.
Juuse Saros picked up his 18th win of the season, making 28 saves on 31 shots.
Here are three takeaways from the Predators thrilling victory over the Oilers.
Setting the tone
Jan 13, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) and Nashville Predators right wing Michael McCarron (47) exchange punches during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The last matchup between the Predators and Oilers was a 6-2 drubbing in Edmonton a week ago. Rematching on Tuesday, Nashville wanted to set the tone early.
Three seconds into the game, Michael McCarron dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse, the fourth time the pair have squared off, dating all the way back to juniors. McCarron got the best of him and quickly swung momentum in the Predators' favor.
"He (Nurse) challenged me, and I gave him one," McCarron said. "Not only for myself, but for a team, as well, it's a huge thing to show that we're here to play, and if I back down there, maybe their whole bench thinks that we're not here ready to play."
Right after the fight, Cole Smith got a great shot on net that nearly went in, all within the first minute of the game.
A little under three minutes into the game, Michael Bunting broke out the puck and swung a pass back to Stamkos in the high slot. Unable to find the open man, Stamkos let a shot go that went into the net.
It was the first time in 11 games that the Predators had not given up the first goal of the game.
"He (McCarron) got them (Predators) going, and our team fed off of it, and we got the lead," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. Credit to Big Mac."
Josi's hot streak continues
Roman Josi speaks to media following the Nashville Predators 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 13, 2025 at Bridgestone Arena. Jack Williams/The Hockey News
It was a similar conversation to Sunday, when Josi recorded three points, including the game winner, against the Washington Capitals. Josi's presence on the team is massive, and the offensive element to his game is starting to flare up.
Josi scored off a slap shot to tie things just beyond the halfway point of the third period. Brunette went as far as saying that the goal was more important than Josi's game-winner.
"As much as the overtime goal was big for us, the goal to make it 3-3 when we lost the momentum was arguably the play of the game," Brunette said. "It was a heck of a shot."
In overtime, Ryan O'Reilly lifted the puck into the neutral zone to get it in front of a streaking Josi. Tristian Jarry poked it away from Josi, but there wasn't enough momentum on the push to move the puck as it stopped in the left part of the slot.
Brady Skeji skated to it, and instead of shooting it, he made a pass to Josi in the left corner. He let a quick shot go that found the back of the net.
"I was a little nervous and it was tight (window)," Josi said. "I was tired and I didn't want to go back again. Skjeiy made a good play and I'm glad it went in."
Limiting McDavid, Draisaitl
Jan 13, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) skates past Nashville Predators left wing Cole Smith (36) and left wing Reid Schaefer (49) during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
While the Predators were able to limit Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they couldn't keep them off the board.
Draisaitl had three points (a goal and two assists), and now has 49 points (27 goals and 22 assists) in his last 19 games played against the Predators. McDavid had two assists, extending his point streak to 20 games.
Edmonton also executed on two of its four power plays on the night. McCarron even admitted that the Predators have struggled to figure out Edmonton's power play all season.
"They've (Edmonton) taken it to us over the past few years, as you guys know, who've been here, they seem to always play really, really good against us," McCarron said. "Their power play was awesome again tonight. We'll eventually learn how to play that power."
However, the Predators were able to shut down the Oilers' two superstars when it mattered most: 3-on-3 overtime.
With two defensemen on the ice, Nashville was able to overcome one of the biggest thorns in its side and pick up a massive win, closing out a homestand.
"The players they have are going to get their chances, but I felt like most stretches we played them well," Josi said. "McDavid had two points, so I guess that's a good night to keep him to two. It was a good win."
Up next: Nashville Predators (22-20-4, 5th Central) at Colorado Avalanche (33-4-8, 1st Central) on Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. CST at Ball Arena.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the New York Islanders 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Dylan DeMelo, Jonathan Toews and Josh Morrissey also scored for Winnipeg in its third straight win. Connor Hellebuyck finished with 23 saves.
Kyle MacLean, Emil Heineman, Anthony Duclair and Matthew Schaefer scored for the Islanders, who fell to 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. Ilya Sorokin finished with 17 saves.
DeMelo gave the Jets a 4-3 lead with 7:37 remaining in the second period as he scored on a screened shot from the blue line.
Lowry made it a two-goal lead with 20 seconds to go in the middle period as he deflected Neal Pionk’s point shot past Sorokin.
Schaefer scored with 46 seconds left in the third and the goalie pulled to get the Islanders within one.
Connor opened the scoring 4:20 into the game. After Alex Iafallo deflected Scheifele’s shot from the middle of the point, Connor pounced on the rebound and swept it past Sorokin.
Morrissey upped the lead to 2-0 at 5:41 of the second, with a shot through traffic.
Just 42 seconds later, Toews scored on the power play for a three-goal lead, slipping the rebound of Gabe Vilardi’s shot past Sorokin.
The Islanders then scored three times in 2:41 to tie it midway through the period.
Duclair converted a backward pass from the corner by Anders Lee at 7:40 to get New York on the scoreboard. Heineman then scored on a penalty shot to pull the Isles within one at 8:58. MacLean tied it from in front off a pass from Casey Cizikas with 9:39 left.
Up next
Islanders: At Edmonton on Thursday night in the fourth of a seven-game trip.
The four-game winning streak for the Detroit Red Wings was halted on Tuesday evening against a longtime Original Six rival.
The Boston Bruins broke what was a scoreless tie midway through the second period, and added another pair of goals in the third period en route to a 3-0 win over the Red Wings at TD Garden, in which they had a decided 40-24 advantage in total shots.
It was the second game in 24 hours for the Red Wings, who defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a 4-3 final score in overtime on Monday evening, during which the iconic No. 91 jersey number of Sergei Fedorov was officially retired.
Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman was sharp when he needed to be, stopping all 24 shots he faced from the Red Wings for his first shutout of the season. Meanwhile, Cam Talbot had a strong game of his own with 38 saves.
The Red Wings were a bit sluggish to start Tuesday's game, finding themselves outshot by a wide margin early on before eventually catching up by the end of the first period.
Midway through the second, Pavel Zacha broke the ice with his 14th goal of the season, giving Boston the 1-0 lead. They doubled the lead early in the third after Fraser Minten was left all alone at the side of the net and had an easy tap-in goal after taking a pass from Charlie McAvoy.
Just seconds after Dylan Larkin fired a shot off the post and with Talbot on the bench for an extra attacker late in regulation, the Bruins sealed the victory with an empty-net tally from Mark Kastelic.
With Detroit's regulation loss combined with the 11th straight victory by the Tampa Bay Lightning, it's the latter who now have a one-point lead for first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Red Wings will return home for two straight games, starting on Friday evening against the San Jose Sharks followed by late Sunday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators.
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