Category: Ice Hockey

The Minnesota Wild just keep finding ways to win.

Behind Matt Boldy's sixth career hat trick, three assists from Kirill Kaprizov and another strong performance from Jesper Wallstedt, the Wild defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The victory improved Minnesota's record to 14-3-4 through 21 games, giving the Wild 32 points and placing them second in the NHL standings. Minnesota is tied in points with the Carolina Hurricanes (15-3-2).

The Wild have now earned points in 10 consecutive games, going 8-0-2 during that stretch. They have also improved to 9-3-2 on the road this season.

But Thursday's victory was about more than just two points. Several Wild players continued to climb the franchise and NHL record books.

Boldy Continues Making Wild History

Boldy stole the spotlight Thursday with his second hat trick of the season and sixth of his NHL career.

The 25-year-old winger now ranks third in Wild franchise history in career hat tricks, trailing only Marian Gaborik (9) and Kaprizov (7).

According to NHL Stats, Boldy also became the fastest player in franchise history to record multiple hat tricks in a single season, accomplishing the feat in just 21 games.

BOLDY WITH THE HATTY 🎩👀

He has all 3 goals for the Wild who lead 3-2 😳 pic.twitter.com/o2iOjJAjgh

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 13, 2026

Gaborik previously held that distinction after recording his second hat trick of the 2002-03 season in his 22nd game.

Boldy also reached two additional franchise milestones Thursday.

His first goal of the night marked his 348th career point, moving him past Pierre-Marc Bouchard for ninth place on Minnesota's all-time scoring list.

Later, Boldy scored his 40th career power-play goal, passing Brian Rolston for seventh place in franchise history.

Minnesota now has three hat tricks this season, tied with Anaheim for the second-most in the NHL behind Florida's five.

Kaprizov Extends Point Streak to 10 Games

While Boldy provided the goals, Kaprizov continued his remarkable offensive production.

The Wild superstar recorded three assists Thursday, extending his point streak to 10 games.

Kaprizov has registered six goals and 12 assists for 18 points during that stretch.

It marks the second time in his NHL career that Kaprizov has recorded a point streak of at least 10 games. His previous career-best streak lasted 14 games during the 2022-23 season.

Matt Boldy’s eighth goal of the season breaks the ice for the Wild in Toronto 👊 pic.twitter.com/j1zD7EuFWV

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 13, 2026

Kaprizov became just the fifth player in Wild history to record multiple point streaks of at least 10 games, joining Mats Zuccarello (3), Mikael Granlund (2), Boldy (2) and Kevin Fiala (2).

Through 21 games this season, Kaprizov has recorded 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points.

He is averaging 1.67 points per game and continues to establish himself as one of the NHL's most productive offensive players.

Hughes Joins Elite NHL Company

Quinn Hughes also extended his point streak to 10 games Thursday, reaching another significant NHL milestone.

It marks the third time in Hughes' career that he has recorded a point streak of at least 10 games.

2ND OF THE GAME FOR MATT BOLDY and we're tied again in Toronto 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/lL5MH481Sj

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 13, 2026

According to NHL Stats, Hughes became just the ninth defenseman in NHL history to accomplish that feat.

He joins an exclusive group featuring Paul Coffey (11), Bobby Orr (7), Ray Bourque (6), Denis Potvin (4), Brian Leetch (4), Larry Robinson (4), Al MacInnis (3) and Phil Housley (3).

Hughes previously recorded an 11-game point streak during the 2025-26 season and another double-digit streak in 2023-24.

His continued production has been a major factor in Minnesota's success this season, particularly during the team's current 10-game point streak.

Wallstedt Keeps Winning

While Minnesota's offensive stars continue to produce, Wallstedt has provided stability in goal.

The 23-year-old netminder improved to 13-2-3 following Thursday's victory.

Wallstedt has emerged as a significant contributor to Minnesota's impressive start, helping the Wild remain among the NHL's top teams despite injuries throughout the lineup.

His performance has been particularly important with Filip Gustavsson sidelined.

Wild Among NHL's Best

Through 21 games, Minnesota has established itself as one of the league's top teams.

The Wild have collected 32 of a possible 42 points, earning 76.2 percent of the available points.

Their current 10-game point streak has helped them climb to second in the NHL standings, tied with Carolina in total points.

Minnesota has also earned points in 18 of its first 21 games, losing just three contests in regulation.

The Wild will look to continue their impressive run Saturday when they visit the Boston Bruins.

With Boldy scoring, Kaprizov and Hughes extending their point streaks, and Wallstedt continuing to win, Minnesota has plenty of reasons to feel confident about its start to the season.

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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Avalanche’s top two stars, forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, were ruled out after getting hurt in the second period of Colorado’s 4-3 overtime loss to Ottawa on Thursday night.

The team said both sustained lower-body injuries with coach Jared Bednar having no immediate update on their status. Bednar said the two will travel with the team but are uncertain to play for Colorado's game at Montreal on Saturday night.

MacKinnon, who’s 30 points in 19 games ranked fifth in the NHL entering Thursday, left with 8:15 remaining in the period. He went down to his knees holding his right hip after being shoved by Artem Zub while the two battled for the puck.

Makar left favoring his right leg in what appeared to be a non-contact injury. Makar is a two-time Norris Trophy-winner as the NHL’s top defenseman and entered Thursday ranking third among blue-liners with 23 points in 18 games.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

When Roman Josi assisted on Shane Wright's first goal with the Nashville Predators during the third period of last night's game against the Anaheim Ducks, he made history when he became the first Swiss player to record 800 career points in the NHL.

Josi, 36, has been the face of a generation for Swiss hockey fans. He's set a number of firsts as the first Swiss player to play 1,000 games in the NHL, the first Swiss player to record 500 assists, and of course, now he's the first Swiss player to ever record 800 career points in the NHL. Even more impressively, he did it as a defenseman. 

Many of those milestones also marked the same firsts for the Predators organization. Josi was the first player in Predators history to surpass 1,000 games played with the team and he's now the first player to record more than 800 points while wearing Predators Gold.

The coming generation of Swiss and Nashville-born hockey players will undoubtedly have one thing in common: they were all inspired by the Predators' captain Roman Josi.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — With Dylan Garand expected to start in goal against the Canucks on Friday night, the Rangers will have alternated netminders for four games. 

That kind of goaltending arrangement is normal for plenty of NHL teams, but the Blueshirts did not have that luxury for the first 17 games of the 2026-27 campaign as Joonas Korpisalo was sidelined with a foot infection from the start before Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending injury six games in. 

As a result, rookie goalie Garand was forced to appear in 12 consecutive games. 

The Rangers are fortunate to be out of that predicament now, but the team’s deployment of its two goaltenders going forward will be interesting to follow as Korpisalo ramps his game back up and Garand continues to settle into life as a full-time NHL goalie. 

“I think [the balance] is great,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after Korpisalo backstopped the Rangers to a 3-1 win in Calgary on Wednesday night. “I think both of these guys are giving us a chance to win right now. We’re getting solid goaltending, and they’re making timely saves for us. They’re giving us a chance to win. I think both of them are very capable. I think now that Korpi’s back in the mix, I just think it gives us the ability to share the workload. And I think the benefit of sharing the workload is potentially getting the best version of both guys because they’re both going to see action, but they’re both going to have the ability to recover. 

“They’ll get some quality reps with their goalie coach [Jeff Malcolm] that keeps their game sharp on the off days. I think it could be a real good tandem for us.” 

Through his first two games as a Ranger, Korpisalo has stopped 54 of the 58 shots he’s faced, including a sprawling, highlight-reel save on the Flames’ Zayne Parekh on Wednesday night. 

He’s posted a .931 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average, but Korpisalo said there are still aspects of his game he hopes to clean up. Winning, he said, has certainly helped his transition back into the lineup. 

“I think the last couple games has been really good for us,” Korpisalo said. “Especially, defensively. I saw the puck all night [Wednesday]. It’s fun to play behind.” 

Sean Durzi participated in Rangers practice Thursday in a red noncontact jersey again. It’s unlikely the 28-year-old defenseman will play against the Canucks. 

With one more game after the one in Vancouver before another extended break in the Blueshirts game schedule, Durzi could benefit from the long layover between games. Following a matchup with the Canadiens on Monday, the Rangers won’t return to game action until Nov. 22 against the Hurricanes.

The odds were stacked against Mason Marchment even making it to the NHL. The San Jose Sharks forward was undrafted and although he generated some interest from teams in the AHL once his junior career came to a close, he spent a couple of years in the AHL before he was signed to an NHL contract. Now, he's not only made it to the NHL, he's scored 100 goals at that level.

“It's special," Marchment said after scoring the milestone goal on Wednesday night. "My son was here today. Getting to score for him, it's pretty awesome. For me, especially when I was younger, never thinking I was going to play [in the NHL] to get 100 goals in the National League, it's pretty special.”

Looking at Marchment's career statistically, it makes sense why at one stage he never thought he'd make it to the NHL. First off, only 15% of players in the NHL last season were undrafted according to ESPN. On top of that, during his time with the Toronto Marlies, Marchment was also assigned to the ECHL which has similarly low odds. This season, of the 736 players on opening night rosters across the NHL, only 64 of them were ECHL alumni. That's less than 9% of the NHL.

Despite odds being stacked against him, Marchment grinded his way through the ranks of minor league hockey. After having success, including a Calder Cup, with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL, he finally caught the attention of the Toronto Maple Leafs who signed him to his first NHL contract in 2018. He made his NHL debut as a member of the Leafs during the 2019-20 season, but his first goal wouldn't come until the following season, when he was a member of the Florida Panthers. 

Since arriving in the NHL, he's had to move around quite a bit. From Florida, he went to Dallas, then Seattle and Columbus, and finally he found a home in San Jose this summer when he signed a long-term deal to return to the organization that his father, Bryan Marchment, had significant history with.

After spending the majority of his career with the percentages against him, now he has a massively positive one in his favor. Of the over 8,000 players to make an appearance in the NHL over the years, only 1,290 have been able to cross the 100-goal threshold in their career. Now, Marchment will forever be included in that exclusive club.

The Vancouver Canucks were once again active on the waiver wire, claiming defenceman Cameron Crotty from the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Listed at 6'3", 212 lbs, the right-shot defenceman has 11 games of NHL experience under his belt but has played 332 games in the AHL. During his career, Crotty has also worn a "C" as he was captain of the Iowa Wild during the 2024-25 season. 

Crotty has had an interesting few weeks, to say the least. He started the season with the Ottawa Senators before being claimed by Minnesota on October 29 and then again by Vancouver on November 10. As Crotty explained after practice on Thursday, his goal right now is to get up to speed as quickly as possible with the Canucks. 

"The last couple days have been quite a whirlwind for me," said Crotty. "A lot of new stuff, meeting the guys. It was a good practice. I like the fact that we kind of got right into it and a game tomorrow. So it's going to be a lot of learning for me quickly. But the guys seem great. Obviously, I have a little bit of familiarity with (Meriläinen), (Öhgren) and a couple guys. So that helps for sure."

Crotty does not play a complicated game. He is known as a defensive defenceman who plays with physicality. For Crotty, he is focused on just playing his game and trying to help the team in whatever way he can. 

"Meat-and-potatoes hockey. Just simple defensive side of the puck. I'm not going to be here to score goals and stuff like that, but just a simple, steady game and being hard to play against."

As for Vancouver's current situation, it does not bother Crotty. Instead, the right-shot defender is embracing the chance to play in the NHL. As Crotty explained, he is more focused on how he can help the team rather than where they currently sit in the standings. 

"For me, it's another opportunity in this league, and then obviously it turns into doing what I can to help. So obviously the record is what it is, but my approach is going to be the exact same, regardless of the record. Come in and be the best player, best teammate that I can be."

At this point, it is unclear when Crotty will make his Canucks debut. It is possible he could play on Friday against the New York Rangers, as he was paired with Jamie Oleksiak at Thursday's practice. While he may not play an exciting brand of hockey, Crotty's style of play has the potential to help stabilize Vancouver's blue line. 

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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The Avalanche and Ottawa Senators have something in common heading into Thursday night: both are sitting at 11-6-2. Colorado will have a chance to move to three straight wins when the two teams meet at Canadian Tire Centre, but Ottawa will be looking to make a statement of its own on home ice.

It’s an interesting spot for the Avalanche. They’ve been one of the better teams in this matchup over the years, winning seven of the last eight meetings and outscoring Ottawa 45-24. The Senators did get the last laugh, though, beating Colorado 5-2 on January 28. The Avs won’t need much reminding of how that one went.

Ottawa is coming off a 3-2 loss to Washington on Tuesday. The Senators had a 2-1 lead before the Capitals tied the game in the third and won it in overtime. Colorado, on the other hand, is coming off a 6-3 win over Toronto. 13 Avalanche players recorded a point in that game, and Gabriel Landeskog scored twice. More importantly, a win Thursday would give Colorado its third consecutive victory.

Colorado Avalanche

There are a few matchups worth watching. Nathan MacKinnon has given Ottawa plenty of trouble, scoring seven goals in his last eight games against the Senators. Cale Makar has 16 points in 11 career meetings with them, and Artturi Lehkonen has 20 points in 28 games. Lehkonen is also leading the Avalanche with 13 goals this season. MacKinnon has on,y scored one goal on the road this season, which might be contributing to those road slow starts for Colorado. No lineup changes are expected, though, defenseman Alex Gagne is an extra on the trip.

Projected Lineup

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas

Jaden Schwartz — Brock Nelson — T.J. Hughes

Gabriel Landeskog — Nazem Kadri — Nicolas Roy

Parker Kelly — Fedor Svechkov — Logan O’Connor

Brett Kulak — Cale Makar

Devon Toews — Sam Malinski

Noah Juulsen — Brent Burns

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa has its own offensive leaders to worry about. Tim Stutzle tops the Senators with 23 points, including 14 assists, while Drake Batherson is tied with him for the team lead in goals with nine. Shane Pinto has chipped in seven goals and 14 points.

Projected Lineup

Fabian Zetterlund — Tim Stutzle — Dylan Cozens

Philip Tomasino — Shane Pinto — Drake Batherson

Michael Amadio — Ridly Greig — Claude Giroux

Samuel Blais — Stephen Halliday — Hayden Hodgson

Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot — Jordan Spence

Tyler Kleven — Nikolas Matinpalo

Goaltenders

The goaltending matchup is another storyline. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start for Colorado, bringing a career 5-1-0 record against Ottawa into the game. His 2.85 goals-against average and .916 save percentage against the Senators are solid numbers, although this season has been more difficult. Wedgewood is 1-3-1 with a 4.02 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage.

Linus Ullmark is expected to return for Ottawa after being out since October 21. He was 7-1 with a .945 save percentage before the injury. He has also had decent numbers against Colorado in his career, going 2-1-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

The records say these teams are evenly matched, and Thursday should give us a better idea of where they stand against each other. Colorado has been rolling lately and has a chance to keep that going, but Ottawa already showed it can get the better of the Avalanche this season.

NOTE: Don’t forget to download the new SB Nation app for a more mobile-friendly way to follow tonight’s action and engage with Mile High Hockey’s match threads. Commenting and interacting with your communities is easier than ever before with the Game Chat feature. The app is currently available in the U.S. and Canada on iOS and Android devices.

The Senators will have a new look Thursday night when they host the Colorado Avalanche at Canadian Tire Centre.

The Sens (11-6-2) enter the game with 24 points, holding the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and tied with the Avalanche for tenth overall. Colorado has an identical record and point total, good for third in the Central Division.

The game marks the return of goalie Linus Ullmark, who will start for the Sens. He's been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 21 in a 5-1 win over Florida.

Thursday's matchup will also feature a milestone for defenceman Artem Zub, who's expected to play his 400th NHL game, all with the Senators.

The Senators will also debut their new black-and-gold Hometown Remix jerseys, which they'll wear nine times this season as part of an NHL-wide initiative involving all 32 teams.

The Senators won the last meeting between the two clubs, defeating Colorado 5-2 back in January. That was a measure of revenge for an 8-2 loss in Denver the previous week, the Sens' worst loss of the season. Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen combined to surrender eight goals on 34 shots that night.

Senators Line Combinations

Colorado's Projected Line Combinations (NHL.com)

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog – Nazem Kadri – Nicolas Roy
Jaden Schwartz – Brock Nelson – T.J. Hughes
Parker Kelly – Fedor Svechkov – Logan O’Connor

Brett Kulak – Cale Makar
Devon Toews – Sam Malinski
Noah Juulsen – Brent Burns

Goaltenders:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Looking to Bounce Back

This is game number 20 for the Senators who've collected 5 of a possible 6 points in their last 3 games. Their two-game winning streak ended Tuesday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. Before that, they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 and the Utah Mammoth 4-2.

Tim Stützle continues to lead the Senators offensively with 23 points in 19 games, including nine goals and 14 assists. Drake Batherson also has nine goals, while Dylan Cozens has seven goals and 13 points.

Michael Amadio has been another bright spot, putting up five goals and 11 points, many of which have come in big moments.

One area that's still sputtering is the power play, which is operating at just 12.7 per cent.

The State of Colorado

Colorado arrives riding a two-game winning streak, following a 4-0 shutout of the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday with a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

To no one's surprise, Nathan MacKinnon remains the Avalanche engine. He has 30 points in 19 games, including 10 goals and 20 assists.

Artturi Lehkonen leads Colorado with 13 goals, while Martin Necas has six goals and 18 points. As always, defenceman Cale Makar has been productive, recording 14 points so far.

Colorado's power play is clicking at 22.6 per cent, while Mackenzie Blackwood has handled most of the goaltending duties, going 10-3-1.

Senators Injuries

The Senators remain without several important players, and the injury list grew following Tuesday's game against Washington.

Nick Cousins suffered an upper-body injury after taking a violent but clean hit from former Senator Jakob Chychrun. Head coach Travis Green said Wednesday that Cousins is expected to miss at least seven to 10 days. Sammy Blais will take his spot on Thursday. They're also still without William Eklund, Warren Foegele, and Andre Burakovsky.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

Artem Zub will play his 400th NHL game Thursday night when the Senators host the Colorado Avalanche at Canadian Tire Centre. Every one of those games has been played in a Senators uniform.

For a player who arrived in North America without ever being drafted into the NHL, it's an impressive achievement, and one of the better personnel decisions made during Pierre Dorion's tenure as GM.

Zub was already 24 years old when the Senators signed him as an unrestricted free agent out of the KHL in May 2020. He had established himself as a solid defender with SKA St. Petersburg, but there was no guarantee his game would translate to the higher level of competition in the NHL.

Not only did Zub have to adjust to a better league, a new team, and a new country where he barely spoke the language, his first NHL season was also the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

That's a lot of adjusting. But 399 games later, it's safe to say he pulled it off.

Dorion and the Sens' scouting staff deserve credit for identifying that Zub could make this jump and convincing him to choose the Senators over other NHL opportunities. The former GM's fingerprints still remain all over the core of this club. Zub, Sanderson, Stutzle, Pinto, Batherson, Giroux, Halliday, Greig, Kleven, and Matinpalo all became Senators on Dorion's watch.

Now in his seventh season with Ottawa, Zub has become a mainstay. But he's also a UFA next summer, so GM Steve Staios has another important contract decision on his hands.

Zub has never been flashy, but he quietly put up 30 points last season, showing there's more to his game than just shutting guys down. He's also a valuable right-shot D and an ideal D partner for Sanderson.

So Zub will be looking for a major pay bump on his current $4.6 million salary. A deal approaching $7 million isn't out of the question, particularly if he reaches the open market.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday's milestone, Zub reflected on his time so far in Ottawa and the NHL.

"Yeah, you know, just a big pleasure to play here," Zub said. "Just happy to play in this league. You know, it's awesome."

Asked about the importance of being a good teammate, Zub chose to highlight the closeness of the room.

"I like our group. I think we're really tight," he said. "It's really important to support each other, off ice and on ice."

400 games after arriving in Ottawa, Zub has made the most of his opportunity and then some. Sens fans now hope his next headline is a new contract.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

Welcome to Atlantic Division Hockey, folks!

The Bruins and Canadiens renew acquaintances in their first match-up of the 2026-2027 season.

Both teams are near the top of the Atlantic Division, so this should be a good one.

Bruins! Canadiens! ON A THURSDAY IN NOVEMBER!

Discuss.

The deployment of young players is a hard part of coaching that is often overlooked.

Coaches need to find a balance between giving young players the ice time they need to learn and develop, without throwing them to the wolves and ruining their confidence.

That is the tightrope St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery is walking right now with 21-year-old Dalibor Dvorsky. 

Dvorsky's ice time has plummeted, with his two most recent contests showing 10:14 and 6:36 of ice time. Dvorsky has played in 18 games this season, recording four goals and five points. It hasn't been smooth sailing, and Dvorsky now finds himself on the wing.

There's lots to like about Dvorsky's game, including his shot and defensive awareness, but at times, he's been a non-factor. Some of that is attributed to his skating speed, a question mark that has surrounded him even before he was drafted. 

The Blues clearly believe there is another level Dvorsky can take his game to, and Montgomery is trying to help him find it.

“We believe in him," said Montgomery. "He's a big part of us … not only because he's a first-round pick, but he's a talented young man that we all enjoy coaching, he's a really good teammate, and it's just a matter of time."

Tynan Lawrence's Strong NCAA Start Makes Blues Pick Look Like An Early NHL Draft Selection HitTynan Lawrence is off to an electric start to the NCAA season and is quickly looking like an early NHL draft selection hit for the St. Louis Blues. His game continues to improve as he looks to take the next step.

If Dvorsky is unable to add speed to his game, he needs to find ways to be effective without it. It's not impossible, as players like Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar, and John Tavares have carved out Hall of Fame careers without being quick. That isn't to say Dvorsky can or can't reach that level, but rather to reiterate that quickness isn't the be-all and end-all. 

The Blues don't seem to think demoting Dvorsky to the AHL is the right move. He's shown that he is capable of dominating the AHL and that playing in a league below his level won't do him any good.

If his play continues to slide, it will be interesting to see whether anything changes. For now, the Blues coaching staff hopes to work out the issues from within. 

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The Buffalo Sabres have had a roller-coaster season thus far this year. They win a couple of games and make you think they’re a team approaching the Sabres team that dominated the league for most of the 2025-26 regular-season campaign, then they take one or two steps backward by losing two or three in a row. Being consistently above-average is their biggest challenge at the moment, and until that happens, we need to look at them with a skeptical eye and not be fooled by thinking they’re either elite or in serious trouble.

That said, Buffalo’s past two games is a sobering reminder of how far the Sabres have to go before they’re regarded as a truly dangerous squad. Because losing those two games – against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Tampa Bay Lightning – are an indication that this incarnation of the Sabres has multiple flaws that need addressing.

The losses to the Golden Knights and Lightning – by a combined score of 12-4 – demonstrate that Buffalo is in need of help at both ends of the rink. Indeed, the Sabres presently rank 20th in the NHL with a goals-for average of just 2.94, and their goals-against average of 3.56 ranks 27th in the league. And against Vegas and Tampa Bay, it didn’t matter whether it was Colten Ellis or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who was between the pipes for the Sabres – the end result was the same: Buffalo was thoroughly-outclassed by two veteran opponents who weren’t taking the Sabres lightly.

Meanwhile, Buffalo’s special teams have been abysmal this year, with their power-play currently ranked 29th in the NHL at an anemic 15.3 efficiency rate, and their penalty-kill ranked 26th-overall at a dismal 69.8 percent. The Sabres gave up two PP goals against the Bolts, while scoring only one man-advantage goal in that game. And against the Golden Knights, Buffalo surrendered a shorthanded marker in the first goal of the contest to set the tone in Vegas’ favor.

All-in-all, you can see why Sabres fans are clamoring for Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen to make a trade of consequence for his team. He’s got $3-million in salary cap space to work with right now, a number that rises to $11 million by this year’s NHL trade deadline on March 1. But if he waits too long to use that cap space, Kekalainen may find the Sabres well down in the Atlantic Division standings – not necessarily out of playoff contention, but nowhere near top spot in the division and with the home-ice advantage that comes with that lofty place in the Atlantic.

The Sabres have got a bit of a break in the schedule in the next five days, with tilts against the brutal Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers as well as the considerably tougher Dallas Stars in the middle of those two soft touches. But before too long, the road for Buffalo will get much tougher, with showdowns against the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and another game against the Lightning. Buffalo won’t see the Bolts again until games against them on Jan. 2 and April 5, so by then, the Sabres have every opportunity to be a more-cohesive unit.

But as it stands right now, Buffalo is in the second tier of teams – demonstrably better than sad-sack franchises, but clearly not in the same tier of the NHL’s true powerhouse teams. It’s a good news/bad news situation for the Sabres.

And while Buffalo fans shouldn’t be despondent over the state of the organization, the Sabres’ losses against the Lightning and Golden Knights are a clear indication of how far Buffalo has to go before they can be regarded as a legitimate threat to win a championship.

The Avalanche and Ottawa Senators have something in common heading into Thursday night: both are sitting at 11-6-2. Colorado will have a chance to move to three straight wins when the two teams meet at Canadian Tire Centre, but Ottawa will be looking to make a statement of its own on home ice.

It’s an interesting spot for the Avalanche. They’ve been one of the better teams in this matchup over the years, winning seven of the last eight meetings and outscoring Ottawa 45-24. The Senators did get the last laugh, though, beating Colorado 5-2 on January 28. The Avs won’t need much reminding of how that one went.

Ottawa is coming off a 3-2 loss to Washington on Tuesday. The Senators had a 2-1 lead before the Capitals tied the game in the third and won it in overtime. Colorado, on the other hand, is coming off a 6-3 win over Toronto. 13 Avalanche players recorded a point in that game, and Gabriel Landeskog scored twice. More importantly, a win Thursday would give Colorado its third consecutive victory.

Colorado Avalanche

There are a few matchups worth watching. Nathan MacKinnon has given Ottawa plenty of trouble, scoring seven goals in his last eight games against the Senators. Cale Makar has 16 points in 11 career meetings with them, and Artturi Lehkonen has 20 points in 28 games. Lehkonen is also leading the Avalanche with 13 goals this season. MacKinnon has on,y scored one goal on the road this season, which might be contributing to those road slow starts for Colorado. No lineup changes are expected, though, defenseman Alex Gagne is an extra on the trip.

Projected Lineup

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas

Jaden Schwartz — Brock Nelson — T.J. Hughes

Gabriel Landeskog — Nazem Kadri — Nicolas Roy

Parker Kelly — Fedor Svechkov — Logan O’Connor

Brett Kulak — Cale Makar

Devon Toews — Sam Malinski

Noah Juulsen — Brent Burns

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa has its own offensive leaders to worry about. Tim Stutzle tops the Senators with 23 points, including 14 assists, while Drake Batherson is tied with him for the team lead in goals with nine. Shane Pinto has chipped in seven goals and 14 points.

Projected Lineup

Fabian Zetterlund — Tim Stutzle — Dylan Cozens

Philip Tomasino — Shane Pinto — Drake Batherson

Michael Amadio — Ridly Greig — Claude Giroux

Samuel Blais — Stephen Halliday — Hayden Hodgson

Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot — Jordan Spence

Tyler Kleven — Nikolas Matinpalo

Goaltenders

The goaltending matchup is another storyline. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start for Colorado, bringing a career 5-1-0 record against Ottawa into the game. His 2.85 goals-against average and .916 save percentage against the Senators are solid numbers, although this season has been more difficult. Wedgewood is 1-3-1 with a 4.02 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage.

Linus Ullmark is expected to return for Ottawa after being out since October 21. He was 7-1 with a .945 save percentage before the injury. He has also had decent numbers against Colorado in his career, going 2-1-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

The records say these teams are evenly matched, and Thursday should give us a better idea of where they stand against each other. Colorado has been rolling lately and has a chance to keep that going, but Ottawa already showed it can get the better of the Avalanche this season.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala will make his season debut on Thursday night against the New York Islanders, playing for the first time since breaking his left leg at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Fiala was injured playing for Switzerland in a preliminary round game on February 13, causing him to miss the second half of the NHL season. He then missed training camp and the start of this season after undergoing a follow-up surgery in September.

The Kings are struggling to score, having been held to two goals or fewer in nine of their past 14 games. They are 0-8-1 in those contests and hope the return of Fiala could help address that lack of offense. Fiala had 18 goals and 22 assists in 56 games last season and is expected to play on the second line with center Quinton Byfield and forward Mats Zuccarello.

“Kevin’s been on the ice for a while now, and his game, his conditioning, his ability to create, it looks good to me out there,” coach Peter Laviolette said after practice Thursday.

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HELSINKI (AP) — Sebastian Aho scored twice in front of the home crowd and the Carolina Hurricanes opened the NHL’s Global Series in the Finnish capital with a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Left winger Taylor Hall celebrated his 1,000th NHL game in the reigning Stanley Cup champions' victorious return to Helsinki’s Veikkaus Arena after 16 years.

Carolina's Brandon Bussi stopped 12 shots.

Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist, and Aho's fellow Finn, defenseman Juuso Välimäki, also scored for the Hurricanes (15-3-2) who have won seven of their last eight games.

Logan Stankoven had two assists to extend his point streak to six and Jackson Blake got one to improve his career-high point streak to 10.

The dominant Hurricanes jumped to a 2-0 with the goals coming just 1:06 apart in the opening period.

Ehlers put them 1-0 up with 8:16 remaining with a wrist shot from the blue line. Home crowd hero Aho doubled the advantage on a power play moments later after he was fed at the side of the net by Blake. He made it 4-0 on a one-timer from the slot in the final period.

The Finnish scoring leader for the Hurricanes has three goals and seven points in the last three games. With his 321st career goal, Aho tied Olli Jokinen for the fourth place among Finnish players in NHL history.

Frederick Gaudreau scored the lone goal for Seattle (9-7-1) and Philipp Grubauer finished with 26 saves.

The 34-year-old Hall became the first player to skate his 1,000th game overseas. In his 17th NHL season, Hall has 305 goals and 488 assists for a total of 793 points.

The NHL has played games on the European continent as part of its efforts to grow the fan base in hockey-mad countries like Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Thursday's game was the 49th regular-season game outside North America, 12th in Finland and eighth in Helsinki. Only Stockholm and Prague have hosted more.

It was the first regular-season game outside North America for the Kraken, who became the 27th active franchise to do so.

Up next

The Hurricanes and Kraken will complete their two-game series in Helsinki on Saturday.

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