DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Kane became the highest-scoring United States-born player in NHL history in the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals, who got the decisive goal from Nic Dowd in a shootout on Thursday night.

Alex DeBrincat scored with 1:40 left and again with 51.1 seconds remaining, pulling the Red Wings into a 3-all tie after goaltender Josh Gibson went to the bench to add an extra skater. DeBrincat had some good fortune on the tying goal, dumping the puck and having it carom off the end boards and toward the crease, where it went off Charlie Lindgren and into the net.

After a scoreless overtime, Detroit’s Lucas Raymond started the shootout with a goal and Washington’s Dylan Strome matched it. Kane converted on Detroit’s second chance and Ryan Leonard scored for the Capitals.

After Dylan Larkin was denied, Dowd took advantage with the game-ending goal.

Strome scored a tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and Declan Chisholm made it a two-goal lead with 5:16 left, but the cushion wasn’t comfortable for the Capitals.

Dowd made it 1-0 early in the first period and Lindgren finished regulation with 17 saves. Gibson also stopped 17 shots.

Kane surpassed Mike Modano with an assist for his 1,375th point. He passed the puck from the boards to DeBrincat in the left circle, and DeBrincat set up Ben Chiarot for a tying goal from the point midway through the second period.

PENGUINS 6, BLACKHAWKS 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Egor Chinakhov and Anthony Mantha scored on rushes in a 31-second span in Pittsburgh’s four-goal second period, helping the Penguins beat Chicago for their fifth straight victory.

Connor Dewar scored twice, Ben Kindel and Ryan Shea added goals, and Arturs Silovs made 17 saves. Mantha, Shea and Noel Acciari each had two assists.

The Penguins had been off since sweeping a four-game trip with a victory over Vancouver on Sunday, with forward Bryan Rust starting a three-game suspension for a check to Canucks forward Brock Boeser’s head.

Connor Murphy and Connor Bedard scored for Chicago, and Soderblom stopped 38 shots in the first game of a back-to-back. The Blackhawks have lost four straight, falling 4-3 in a shootout in Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Kindel gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead at 5:54 of the second period. He came down the left side and beat Soderblom to the far side with a wrister.

Chinakhov slipped a shots between Arvid Soderblom’s leg pads with 4:30 left in the period, and Mantha also beat Soderblom through the legs with 3:59 to go. Shea capped the spree with 30 seconds left in the period, and Dewar added his second of the night with 6:01 left in the third.

ISLANDERS 2, RANGERS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Carson Soucy scored against the team that traded him 72 hours earlier, Matthew Schaefer got the 14th goal of his stellar rookie year and the New York Islanders defeated the Rangers.

Soucy became the first player to score for the Rangers and the Islanders at Madison Square Garden in the same season. The Islanders swept the back-to-back set between the crosstown rivals after winning 5-2 at home on Wednesday night.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 20 of 21 shots to pick up his 18th victory in 32 starts this season. Schaefer, the first pick in the draft last June, broke a tie with Hall of Famer Bobby Orr for the second-most goals by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.

Schaefer’s goal came 1 minute, 35 seconds after Soucy beat former teammate Jonathan Quick short side from a tight angle. Soucy was playing just his second game with the Islanders since they gave up a third-round pick to get him in just the fourth trade between the New York teams and first since 2010.

Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play and Quick allowed two goals on 21 shots in his eighth appearance in 12 games since Igor Shesterkin was sidelined because of a lower-body injury. The long-term absences of Shesterkin and top defenseman Adam Fox exacerbated what was already a rough season for the Rangers, who recently signaled they are beginning a retooling process.

SABRES 4, KINGS 1

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Alex Tuch had his fourth career hat trick to push his season goals total to 22, leading surging Buffalo to a victory over Los Angeles.

Alex Lyon made a season-high 37 saves for his 10th consecutive victory to break the franchise record set by Gerry Desjardins in December 1976.

Tuch reached 20-goal mark for the fourth straight season and fifth overall. Mattias Samuelsson also scored to help the Sabres win for the 20 time in 24 games.

Adrian Kempe scored for Los Angeles, and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves. The Kings had won three straight and earned points in a six in a row.

Tuch opened the scoring on a power play on a shot that went off Cody Ceci’s skate and past Kuemper at 7:14 of the first period. Samuelsson made it 2-0 with 8:43 left in the period.

Tuch’s second of the game made it 3-0. He deflected Bowen Byram’s shot at 6:29 of the second.

LIGHTNING 4, JETS 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Darren Raddysh and Yanni Gourde each had a goal and two assists to lead Tampa Bay to a victory over Winnipeg.

Nikita Kucherov scored his 27th goal on an empty-netter and added his 55th assist. Dominic James also scored for Tampa Bay, which improved to 16-1-1 in its past 18 games. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 shots to extend his streak without a regulation loss to 14 games (13-0-1).

Kyle Connor scored for Winnipeg, while Connor Hellebuyck finished with 33 saves.

The Lightning won their seventh consecutive home game.

BRUINS 6, FLYERS 3

BOSTON (AP) — Fraser Minten and Casey Mittelstadt each had a goal and two assists and Boston beat Philadelphia.

Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, Tanner Jeannot and Marat Khusnutdinov also scored for the Bruins, while Jeremy Swayman made 33 saves to win his seventh game in nine starts this month.

Travis Konecny netted his 21st goal for the Flyers. He nearly had another goal late in the second period but was credited with an assist after Nikita Grebenkin scored off the rebound. Matvei Michkov also scored on the power play for Philadelphia.

Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson was slow to leave the ice as the second period concluded and was ruled out with a lower-body injury. He made 15 saves while Dan Vladar made six saves in relief.

The Flyers fell behind by two goals after one period after Zacha and Arvidsson scored 42 seconds apart. After Minten went five-hole on Ersson to make it 3-0, Philadelphia scored at 2:27 of the second period when Konecny took advantage of a giveaway in front of Swayman and scored his fourth goal in two games.

CANADIENS 7, AVALANCHE 3

MONTREAL (AP) — Nick Suzuki scored power-play and short-handed goals and added an assist to help Montreal beat struggling Colorado.

The NHL-leading Avalanche have lost six of eight to fall to 35-8-9.

Noah Dobson opened the scoring just 56 seconds into the game. Jake Evans and Kirby Dach scored in a 40-second span late in the second period. Dach had his first first goal and point since returning from a 31-game absence Jan. 20.

Alexandre Carrier and Juraj Slafkovsky scored in the third period, and Jakub Dobes made 26 saves to improved to 7-0-1 in his last eight starts.

Brock Nelson, Joel Kiviranta and Ross Colton scored for Colorado. Scott Wedgewood stopped 21 shots.

HURRICANES 5, MAMMOTH 4

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Staal’s goal with 29.4 seconds left gave Carolina three goals in the final two minutes for a victory over Utah.

Andrei Svechnikov and Shayne Gostisbehere each had two goals and an assist for the Hurricanes, who stretched their points streak to six games. Brandon Bussi stopped 21 shots to become the first NHL goalie with 20 wins in his first 24 games.

Utah’s Kailer Yamamoto scored two goals for the first time in more than two years and added an assist. JJ Peterka and Michael Carcone also scored for the Mammoth, who concluded a 2-2-0 trip in their last road game until March. Jack McBain had two assists and Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves.

Svechnikov scored on a power play with the goalie pulled with 1:59 left, giving him eight goals in a six-game stretch. Just 32 seconds later, Gostisbehere, who had missed the previous five games with an injury, got the Hurricanes even.

The Mammoth lost for the second time in eight games.

DEVILS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the Devils a win over the Nashville after New Jersey’s Jack Hughes left the game in the first period and didn’t return.

Hischier’s slap shot from just beyond the left faceoff circle beat Nashville’s Justus Annunen high to the glove side for the winner. Dawson Mercer picked up the assist on Hischier’s eighth career overtime goal. Hischier leads the Devils with 18 goals and 23 assists in 54 games.

New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt tied the game at 2 midway through the third. Dougie Hamilton also scored for the Devils, who snapped a two-game skid. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves.

Hughes left the game after three shifts in the first period. The team did not announce any injury status for the 24-year-old center.

Hughes’ latest absence comes two weeks before the U.S. is set to play its first game at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Hughes, along with brother Quinn, is a first-time Olympian. The U.S. has two sets of brothers, with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk also on the team.

Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville, which lost its third straight. Annunen made 32 saves.

WILD 4, FLAMES 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Danila Yurov and Vinnie Hinostroza scored in the first period and Minnesota went on to beat Calgary.

Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov scored late in the third period, and Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves for the Wild, who are 5-1-1 in their past seven games.

Minnesota is tied with Tampa Bay for the second-most points in the NHL at 72. Colorado has 79 points.

Playing the only road game of their final nine contests before the Olympic break, the Flames got a third-period goal from Morgan Frost. Calgary dropped to 0-3-2 in its past five games. Devin Cooley stopped 20 shots.

Down by a pair of goals, Frost took a long outlet pass from Jonathan Huberdeau and beat Gustavsson with a low shot 5:49 into the final period.

Moments after Minnesota killed off a Quinn Hughes penalty less than three minutes later, Hughes nearly restored the Wild’s two-goal lead, but he was stopped by Cooley on a breakaway.

Boldy redirected a Kaprizov pass for a power-play goal with 2:43 left to secure the win. Kaprizov added an empty-net goal.

BLUES 5, PANTHERS 4

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jimmy Snuggerud scored on a power play with 7.6 seconds left to give St. Louis a victory over Florida, spoiling Matthew Tkachuk’s best game in his return from adductor muscle surgery.

Tkachuk, who grew up in St. Louis, scored his first two goals of the season and picked up his 400th career assist.

Jordan Kyrou had a goal and two assists to help St. Louis end a five-game losing streak. Jake Neighbours, Jonatan Berggren and Oskar Sundqvist also scored, and Joel Hofer made 17 saves.

Sam Reinhart added goal and an assist for two-time defending champion Florida. A.J. Greer also scored, and Daniil Tarasov made 26 saves as the Panthers lost their second straight.

OILERS 4, SHARKS 3, OT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman scored 1:06 into overtime after Evan Bouchard tied it with 59 seconds left in regulation as Edmonton stormed back from a three-goal deficit in the third period to beat San Jose.

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists and Connor McDavid also scored and assisted on Hyman’s winner for the Oilers, who trailed 3-0 after one period. Connor Ingram stopped 17 shots after a rough start.

Collin Graf, Adam Gaudette and Michael Misa had first-period goals for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves.

Edmonton began its comeback with Draisaitl’s 26th goal 1:34 into the third period. McDavid’s 34th goal with 3:05 left in the third made it 3-2.

Bouchard, who also had two assists, tied it at 3 when he blasted a shot from inside the blue line for his 15th goal.

KRAKEN 5, MAPLE LEAFS 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Shane Wright scored two goals and Seattle extended its winning streak to three games with a win over Toronto.

Brandon Montour and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken, who scored at least five goals in back-to-back games for the first time. Seattle, which beat Washington 5-1 on Tuesday, has won four of its last five games. Joey Daccord stopped 29 shots.

Nicholas Robertson and Morgan Rielly scored for Toronto, which slipped to 0-5-1 over its past six games.

Anthony Stolarz, making his second straight start in goal after missing two months with an upper body injury, allowed a goal on the opening shot for the second consecutive game and finished with 17 saves.

Wright, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, had the second multi-goal game of his career. He hadn’t scored in his last 13 games before netting his eighth and ninth of the season.

STARS 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, SO

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen scored in the shootout and Dallas escaped with a victory over Las Vegas after it blew a three-goal lead in the third period.

Vegas’ Mitch Marner forced overtime when he used his stick to keep the puck from leaving the offensive zone and then blasted a shot from the left point with 48.7 seconds left.

Mavrik Bourque scored twice for the Stars, who have won of their past five games. It was the first multigoal game for Bourque, whom the Stars drafted 30th overall in 2020.

The Stars also got goals from Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston, and Jamie Benn and Sam Steel each had two assists. Jake Oettinger finished with 17 saves.

Marner and Keegan Kolesar each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, Ivan Barbashev scored and Reilly Smith had a short-handed goal. Smith has 13 career short-handed goals for the Golden Knights, two off the franchise record set by William Karlsson.

CANUCKS 2, DUCKS 0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Nikita Tolopilo made 32 saves, Drew O’Connor opened the scoring with 9:42 left and Vancouver beat Anaheim.

Tolopilo was denied his first NHL shutout after missing the first 2:11 of the second period because of concussion protocol after he was run over by Ryan Poehling late in the first period.

Kevin Lankinen made one save before Tolopilo returned.

O’Connor scored on a one-timer off Jake DeBrusk’s pass. DeBrusk was playing his 600th NHL game.

Teddy Blueger put it away with a short-handed empty-netter with 28 seconds left.

Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for Anaheim.

Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Connor Dewar has been quite the find for the fourth line. 

His acquisition flew under the radar at the end of last season, but after a few games, you could easily tell why Kyle Dubas and the rest of the front office really liked him. Dewar is one of their top forecheckers, excels at winning battles along the boards, is defensively sound, and can chip in offensively. 

Dewar did all of those things well during Thursday's 6-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. His two goals helped propel the Penguins to their fifth-straight win overall, keeping them in second place heading into Saturday's game against the New York Rangers. 

Dewar's two goals give him 13 for the season, setting a new career high. Whenever the Penguins have needed a big goal from their bottom six, Dewar has been there to answer the call. 

His first goal tied the game in the first period, and the Penguins really needed that one since they were sluggish out of the gate. His second goal made it a 6-1 game late in the third period after the Penguins exploded for four goals in the second period. 

Connor Dewar scores AGAIN‼️

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to be handling their 6-1 deficit well 🤣 pic.twitter.com/qeOdpUkxfM

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 30, 2026

Dewar now has 21 points in 52 games and is one of 12 Penguins players who have 20+ points this season. 

He will try to add to his goal and point totals when the Penguins play the Rangers on Saturday.

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After having three days off between games, it may have been reasonable to expect a little bit of rust from the Pittsburgh Penguins when they took on the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday.

Well, that was somewhat true in this one. The Penguins had a slow, lethargic start to the first period, which is something that hasn’t happened much lately. But - as they have since the holiday break - they kept the game close and showed up big-time in the second period. 

And they absolutely took over from there. 

After surrendering the first one to Blackhawks’ defenseman Connor Murphy, the Penguins scored six consecutive goals - including four in the second period - to chase the Blackhawks out of their barn with a 6-2 victory. Pittsburgh was outshot 9-8 in the first period and outshot Chicago 36-11 for the rest of the game, putting forth a dominant effort to earn their league-best fifth-straight win. 

With the win, the Penguins kept pace with the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders - who sandwich them at first and third in the Metropolitan Division - since both teams also emerged victorious Thursday.

“I see it every day in practice. I believe in these guys and what they're capable of doing," head coach Dan Muse said. "And I've seen the work that they've put in... you feel good coming off a road trip like we just had, you feel good coming off this game, so it's not surprising that I believe in them.

"But, with all this being said, too, we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We've got to keep pushing and keep getting better"

Pittsburgh came out of the gate slow, and Murphy got on the board approaching the midway point of the first when Penguins’ goaltender Arturs Silovs was screened and impeded by his own blueliner in Kris Letang at the net front. However, they had a pretty quick response, as Connor Dewar registered his 11th of the season when he picked up the loose change and shot the puck from the low-slot area to tie the game. 

HOW DEW YOU LIKE THAT FOURTH LINE?! 💪 pic.twitter.com/zN4c4SV0na

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 30, 2026

And from the jump in the second period, the Penguins asserted themselves. Nearly six minutes in, Anthony Mantha found Ben Kindel breaking to the left circle in the offensive zone, and Kindel snapped the puck past goaltender Arvid Soderblom for his third goal in two games to make it 2-1. Then, later in the period, Penguins’ defenseman Parker Wotherspoon laid a big-time hit on Blackhawks’ forward Tyler Bertuzzi in the neutral zone, which freed up the puck for Evgeni Malkin. He skated it into the offensive zone and put a perfect spin-o-rama backhand pass on the tape of a breaking Egor Chinakhov, who deked his way to the net and beat Soderblom for Pittsburgh’s third goal.

TEENAGE TALENT. pic.twitter.com/UwKth573ca

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 30, 2026

And the Penguins weren’t done. Just 31 seconds later, Kindel threaded a pass to Mantha, who came through the middle on a breakaway and finished it off for his 17th of the season to put the Penguins up, 4-1. Ryan Shea added a one-time tally with just 30 seconds left in the middle frame - assisted by defenseman Ilya Solovyov, playing in his first game with the Penguins - to make it 5-1.

Fourteen minutes into the third, Dewar notched his second of the game in a scrappy net-front scramble that resulted in a post-goal scrum. Blackhawks star Connor Bedard fired a laser less than a minute later to cut into the Penguins’ lead, but it didn’t amount to anything, and the Penguins secured the 6-2 win.

“Everyone's working hard. It's hard to win in this league, and everyone understands that," Silovs said. "And I think that guys have been clicking really well on [their] lines to each other, so it's great to see that."

'Prove-It' Mindset Big Part Of Penguins' Success, IdentityThe Pittsburgh Penguins - individually and collectively - are forging an identity, in part, because of a "prove-it" mindset that has contributed to their success this season

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Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- I’m just going to put this out into the universe, even if it’s a bold statement. You know who Chinakhov very much reminds me of?

The last guy who donned No. 59 before him.

Look, I’m not saying he will produce to the level that Guentzel does. Chinakhov is a finisher, not so much a playmaker. But, like Guentzel, he has a quick, deceptive release, his puck skills are high-level, and he just always seems to be in the right spot. He knows how to expose the right areas of the ice and put himself in the right place at the right time, every time, in the offensive zone. And - unlike Guentzel - there is a defensive element and a speed element to his game. 

That’s six goals and eight points in 14 games with the Penguins, and he had three goals and six points in 29 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Penguins' Chinakhov May Be The Real DealThe Pittsburgh Penguins may have found a diamond in the rough in newly acquired winger Egor Chinakhov, who has a devastating wrist shot.

Well, thanks Columbus, and thank you, Kyle Dubas. I have no idea what was so amiss in Columbus - and I have no idea what Chinakhov’s Penguins’ career has in store for him - but this guy is a legitimate goal-scorer in the National Hockey League. I think, if paired with an elite playmaker - which the Penguins sure have - he can be a perennial 30-goal scorer, perhaps more.

- The third line produced three Penguins’ goals tonight and is really starting to hit its stride.

Kindel and Mantha are developing some legitimate chemistry, and Rutger McGroarty had himself a nice game after being recalled from the AHL as a complement to those guys, too. I love how you can always find McGroarty around the net. 

But Kindel and Mantha’s connection is starting to produce results, and Muse was complimentary of Mantha, as he had three points and once again showed some playmaking ability in tight areas.

“He's absolutely got the ability to do that," Muse said. "You see the shot, but he sees things well offensively, he can make those tight-area plays. Sometimes, because he's so big, you don't always see that kind of playmaking from players his size, but I think he's shown that over the course of the year. It doesn't come as a surprise there."

That line was humming all night long, and hopefully, they can continue to just keep climbing.

A BLAST FROM MO 💥 pic.twitter.com/8iwLDVkqnv

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 30, 2026

- I’ve said it a million times in the past few weeks, but the forward depth on this roster, when healthy, is a force to be reckoned with. There are few teams in the NHL with the four-line depth that the Penguins have. And so much of it has to do with the emergence of Kindel.

Mantha talked about the maturity that Kindel plays with at such a young age.

"He's learning quick," Mantha said. "If you compare his first couple of games to right now, I don't think it's the same player out there. And you see the confidence level on the ice right now that, maybe earlier in the season, you didn't quite see. And he's making plays, he's running the puck up, and, yeah... he's a smart kid, so he'll keep learning."

With the second and third lines rolling the way they are, it’s crazy that Sidney Crosby’s line almost feels like a secondary source of scoring at this point. And that’s quite the development, especially since they were, pretty much, the only source of scoring for two seasons prior.

This team’s forward group is legitimate. And it’s dangerous.

Penguins' Kindel Proves Importance To Lineup In Whirlwind Rookie SeasonPittsburgh Penguins' rookie center Ben Kindel is making his case as an important part of the NHL lineup this season - and he only figures to get better.

- It was nice to see Solovyov register his first point with the Penguins. He isn’t the fleetest of foot out there, but I thought he played a pretty steady game alongside Shea. And he doesn’t shy away from physicality. 

I’m not sure what the defensive rotation is going to look like with Jack St. Ivany on the shelf for the next two months. But I think he may have earned a few more looks with his play on Thursday.

- That Wotherspoon hit was something else. He has been a revelation for the Penguins this season - and continues to be - but his physicality is such an underrated and underappreciated part of his repertoire. 

Chinakhov is proving why people need to stop overvaluing draft picks.

Pens got clowned by many for giving up a 2nd and a 3rd. Those aren't even guaranteed to be NHL players, and even if they are, it could be 3-5 years.

Chinakhov has been amazing in PIT

pic.twitter.com/9PivOTJtuw

— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) January 30, 2026

This was a prime example of physicality directly translating to offense in transition. The Penguins have been missing this kind of physicality for many a year, and now, they have a couple of players who provide that. Solovyov had quite the hit on a first-period penalty kill, too, and Connor Clifton and Noel Acciari aren’t afraid to throw the body, either.

This is just a very different kind of energy and toolset that the Penguins have needed.

- Like Malkin, I think it’s safe to say Dewar has earned an extension. 

A fifth-round pick was all it took to acquire him last season. What a fourth-line player.

Penguins' Rust Suspended Three Games For Hit Against CanucksIt looks like the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will be without one of their top forwards for an upcoming crucial stretch of games.&nbsp;

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Every game counts in this part of the NHL season, especially for the Islanders, who are looking to strengthen their postseason positioning before the Winter Olympics break. 

So when they went to MSG to take on the rival Rangers on Thursday night, it was a bit disconcerting that the last-place team was outplaying them. Yes, the score was in a scoreless tie deep into the second period, but the Rangers were up on shots and the Islanders' offense could not get going. However, the Islanders found a spark in an unlikely place.

Carson Soucy, in his second game with the Islanders and having just three goals entering play after being traded from the Rangers earlier this week, scored at 17:18 of the second period, throwing up a prayer and squeaking it past Jonathan Quick stick side to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

Carson Soucy returns to MSG and scores the first goal of the game! pic.twitter.com/m9om9G7dIG

— Islanders Videos (@SNY_Islanders) January 30, 2026

"We had a message going into the second, want to get a little more pucks on net," Soucy said of his goal. "Start creating off the shot, whether it was rebound or whatever. Just got a fortunate bounce and it went in."

Soucy spent parts of two seasons with the Rangers after stops in Minnesota, Seattle and Vancouver, so he's used to joining new teams and facing old ones, so Thursday's game against the Blueshirts, while he admits was weird at first, was just like any other game.

"Like I’ve been saying, I just want to help this team win, no matter who it’s against," Soucy said. "Just happy to contribute. Want to help this team get two points, especially before the break here."

While Soucy downplays his goal, the score infused the team with new vigor. A little over a minute later, rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer scored his 14th goal of the season to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead, the difference in their 2-1 win. 

"It gets us pretty fired up," Schaefer said of Soucy's goal. "Soucy just getting traded from the Rangers, being a great guy off and on the ice...for him to get that goal, just a payback in a way. He gets traded and gets a goal against his old team. It’s pretty cool."

“Was happy for Carson. He’s been playing so well," Roy said of his new player. 

The acquisition of Soucy was just one of two deals made by Islanders GM Mathieu Darche this week, the other being Ondrej Palat from the Devils. Palat posted two points (one goal, one assist) in his debut with the Islanders on Wednesday, and now Soucy's goal kickstarted the victory on Thursday. In the first two games, both players have contributed to wins and Roy isn't surprised by it.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?" Roy said with a smirk. "They both play a role that we needed. Both guys are experienced and gives us that depth." 

“They’ve done a great job welcoming both of us in," Soucy said of how the Islanders have treated him and Palat. "Obviously, it's been a lot of fun. It's always interesting meeting a bunch of new teammates all at once. But yeah, they welcomed us in really well.”

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Things appeared bleak for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday evening, trailing 3-1 to the Washington Capitals with under two minutes remaining in regulation. 

The good news is that, thanks to a pair of goals from Alex DeBrincat, including a wild bounce off the glass to knot the score at 3–3, the Red Wings secured a valuable point in the standings.

The bad news is that the Capitals converted on all three shootout attempts, while Detroit went 2-for-3, resulting in a 4–3 loss.

Got a point in the shootout.

Next up: Colorado Saturday. pic.twitter.com/wBx41yAwUP

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 30, 2026

Patrick Kane did become the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, recording the 1,375th point of his NHL career with an assist on Ben Chiarot’s second-period goal.

Kane initially appeared to reach the milestone in the opening 20 minutes, picking up an assist on what would have been a power-play goal by Lucas Raymond. However, replays showed that Kane entered the offensive zone a fraction too early, and the goal was disallowed for offside.

Not long after Raymond's disallowed goal, the Capitals scored first thanks to the third goal of the season from Nic Dowd, who beat John Gibson with a low glove-side shot. 

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

Chiarot's goal midway through the second period knotted the score at 1-1, and was his first tally since signing a three-year contract extension earlier in the week. 

The Capitals took a 2-1 lead in the third period after Dylan Strome poked the puck away from Gibson's glove and wrapped it around into the net; the tally withstood a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. 

Washington then padded their lead after a deflection goal from Declan Chisholm, who was credited for his first goal of the season. 

DeBrincat scored the first of what would be two goals on the night at 18:20 of the third period with Gibson pulled. Then, at the 19:07 mark, his dump-in attempt deflected off the glass and somehow bounced into the net past a bewildered Charlie Lindgren.

Improbably, the Red Wings tied the game and secured at least one point on a night when the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens all won their respective games.

Following a scoreless overtime, Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane converted in the shootout for Detroit, though Dylan Larkin rang a shot off the crossbar. The Capitals scored on all three of their shootout attempts, including the game-deciding tally from Dowd.

The Red Wings will face the Colorado Avalanche at home on Saturday afternoon. 

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Twenty-four hours after the Islanders handed their honorary player of the game award, an Iron Man mask, to Ondrej Palat, it went to their other new acquisition, Carson Soucy.

For the defenseman who became the first player to cross the Rangers-Islanders divide via trade since Jyri Niemi did so in 2010, that capped what had to have been a pretty good 48 hours.

Soucy went from a team circling the drain to one in the midst of a playoff race, beat his old club twice and scored a goal against them at Madison Square Garden. Plus, he didn’t even need to find new living arrangements.

“Obviously, when you’re going against someone in your division, let alone your in-state rival, it’s nice to be on the winning side for the last two,” Soucy said after the Islanders capped a season-series sweep of the Rangers with a 2-1 victory. “Losing to these guys those first couple games kind of hurt.”

Soucy said Wednesday morning he didn’t know any players on the Islanders roster, just a couple of the athletic trainers who were in Vancouver and Minnesota with him. No matter, by Thursday night, the rest of the Islanders were talking about him as if he’d been with them the whole season.

“Soucy got us pretty fired up — just him getting traded from the Rangers, coming in, being a great guy on and off the ice,” Matthew Schaefer said. “So fun to meet him and ‘Latter. For him to get a goal, I think it’s kind of payback in a way: Once he gets traded and then he gets to score against this team, so it’s pretty cool.”

The Iron Man mask, which mostly functions as a good bit for social media, worked over the last two days as a good way for the Islanders to make their newest players feel like part of the team as well.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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“It’s great,” Soucy said. “Obviously, we just want to keep this going, but they’ve done a great job welcoming both of us in. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s always interesting meeting a bunch of new teammates all at once, but they’ve welcomed us in really well.”

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Max Shabanov drew back into the lineup with Casey Cizikas out due to illness. Kyle MacLean centered the fourth line in Cizikas’ absence, with Shabanov playing on the left wing.

The absence ended a streak of 161 consecutive games played for Cizikas, making Anders Lee the team’s current iron man with 136 in a row.

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Cal Ritchie remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

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Ilya Sorokin started in net 24 hours after David Rittich took the front end of the back-to-back, finishing the night with 20 saves.

The Florida Panthers lost a frustrating game on Thursday night in St Louis.

A late power play goal by the Blues after a questionable call on Niko Mikkola sent the home team to a last-second 5-4 victory over the Panthers.

Florida actually got things started early in the Blues Barn, and it was the Cats’ fourth line that once again provided a spark.

Sandis Vilmanis and Luke Kunin dug the puck free below the goal line and found A.J. Greer in front of the net.

Greer’s 11th tally of the season gave Florida a 1-0 lead at the 3:12 mark of the opening frame.

It didn’t take long for the Blues to take their first lead of the game, as Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou scoring a pair of quick goals just 3:05 apart.

A Sam Reinhart power play goal tied the game about 90 seconds later, but goals by Jonatan Berggen and Oskar Sundqvist late in the first and early in the second gave St. Louis a two-goal edge.

Hometown boy Matthew Tkachuk then took it upon himself to bring the Panthers back into the game, scoring his first two goals of the season less than two minutes apart to send the game to the third period tied at four.

That’s how the score would remain until the game’s final seconds.

With the teams already playing at 4-on-4, Mikkola was called for goalie interference on a play where he appeared to be pushed into Blue goalie Joel Hofer by Berggen.

Florida held strong as long as they could, but Jimmy Snuggerud scored on a one-timer with just 8.4 seconds on the clock.

On to the Jets.

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Photo caption: Jan 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) defends the net against St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) during the second period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

After a disappointing showing last night against the Ottawa Senators, in which Colorado lost by a final score of 5-2, the Avs came out flat once again on the second leg of a back-to-back. A 7-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens was tonight’s result. This was the third time in the month of January in which Colorado has lost by a final score of 7-3.

Let’s take a look at the action from tonight.

First Period

The Canadiens would get on the board first not even a minute into the game, as the Avs had a miscommunication on defense off a face-off, and Noah Dobson was left all alone to rip it past Scott Wedgewood on a sharp angle.

Fortunately for Colorado, Brock Nelson would tie it up for Colorado after that, though, as he made a great move to stick-handle into the offensive zone, and put a great shot past Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes.

Nick Suzuki would quickly give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead after that on the power play, as he wasn’t picked up in front of the Colorado net, and managed to bury a rebound past Wedgewood.

Colorado would then allow a short-handed goal while on the power play, as Suzuki managed to get into the Avs’ zone all alone behind the defense, and made no mistake. The Avalanche now lead the NHL with nine shorthanded goals against. It really punctuates how futile this power play truly is for Colorado.

Second Period

It was a fairly quiet second period until Jake Evans would make it 4-1 Montreal, as Wedgewood would misplay a puck behind his own net, resulting in essentially an empty net goal for Evans.

Kirby Dach would then get maybe a bit of a lucky one, as he tries to go for a wrap-around attempt, and the puck would bang off of Josh Manson’s skate, and into the back of the net. It really wasn’t Scott Wedgewood’s night.

Joel Kiviranta would manage to stop the bleeding for a moment after that, as he managed to get one back and make it 5-2. Were there signs of live for Colorado at this point with a period left to go?

Third Period

Ross Colton would make things interesting early on in the third period, as Val Nichushkin was able to find him right in front of the Montreal net, and Colton was able to put the puck past Dobes. It was Colton’s first goal scored since November.

Almost immediately after that, the Avs would give that goal right back, as Alexandre Carrier would finish a 2-on-1 play to make it 6-3 for Montreal. This goal was really the back breaker as it ended any sort of come back momentum Colorado had.

Another defensive breakdown would lead to Juraj Slafkovsky being left alone in front of the Avs’ net once again, and he deposited the puck into the back of an empty net, for your final score of 7-3.

Takeaways

It’s very clear that this team is ready for the break and just trying not to get hurt leading up to the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean this brand of hockey is any fun to watch, still. Similar to last night, nothing went right for Colorado. Passes weren’t connecting, you had a handful of bad defensive breakdowns that resulted in goals, you lost the special teams battle, and you lost it badly at that by giving up a shorthanded goal. On top of that, when you got even the slightest bit of life in the third period, you almost immediately gave it back, as I said, not a fun brand of hockey to watch whatsoever, especially when you know how good this team is. Hopefully, they can find something against Detroit and San Jose in their last three games before the NHL Olympic break.

Upcoming

Colorado wraps up their road trip against the Detroit Red Wings to begin a home-and-home on Saturday, January 31. Puck drop will be at 11 a.m. MT nationally televised on ABC.

DETROIT — Patrick Kane smiled. The wait was over.

Kane became the highest-scoring United States-born player in NHL history, passing Mike Modano with an assist for his 1,375th point on an assist Thursday night for the Detroit Red Wings against the Washington Capitals.

“It’s nice to have it over with in some ways and worry about the rest of the season,” Kane said after Washington’s 4-3 shootout win.

Kane passed the puck from the boards to Alex DeBrincat in the left circle, and DeBrincat set up Ben Chiarot for a tying goal from the point midway through the second period.

Kane flashed a grin and hugged Chiarot.

He was surrounded by teammates, including those who emptied the bench to join a brief celebration. As Kane skated away, the spotlight was put on him and he raised his stick to acknowledge the crowd while appearing to be on the verge of tears.

His likeness was shown on the videoboards at Little Caesars Arena with an American flag in the background and the number 1,375.

Modano held the mark for 18-plus years. Kane reached the milestone a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374, passing Phil Housley.

“I knew at an early age in your career you would be the one chasing this number down and here we are,” Modano said in a prerecorded message played on the videoboards. “Continue on and make this number harder for the next guy.”

Kane has been one of the faces of American hockey since getting taken with the first pick in the 2007 draft by Chicago. He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three times from 2010-15 as a co-headliner of one of the most successful runs since the league’s salary cap era began in ’05.

“When you think of USA Hockey, he’s one of the first players that comes to mind, if not the first player,” fellow American Jack Eichel said. “Such a great representation of USA Hockey and us Americans — something for a lot of the guys that came after him to strive to be, myself included.”

U.S.-born defenseman Charlie McAvoy recalled watching Kane on those long runs “do stuff that at the time people didn’t do.”

“His type of player just transcends now, when back then there wasn’t anybody that was really doing that,” U.S.-born defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “He changed the game of hockey. He’s an absolute legend. And it’s great that he’s an American.”

Earlier this month, Kane became the 50th player and fifth American to score 500 goals, following Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick and Joe Mullen. Brett Hull, a dual citizen who was born in Canada and played internationally for the U.S., had 741 goals and 1,391 points.

“He’s well on his way to being the best USA player of all time,” countryman Jack Hughes said.

Kane won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in ’07-08, the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013 and the Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP in 2015-16, when he also led the league in scoring.

“Such an iconic player, just played with such passion,” said Tage Thompson, who’s a first-time U.S. Olympian this year. “Very enthusiastic, loved scoring goals, loved making plays.”

Kane’s slick hands more than made up for him being on the smaller side at 5-foot-10 and under 180 pounds.

“He’s maybe got the best highlight reel of all time,” Hughes said. “Just as a kid, you watch all of his videos and everything, and you’re like, that’s the guy you want to be just because of how skilled he is.”

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored 42 seconds into overtime to give the Devils a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night after New Jersey’s Jack Hughes left the game in the first period and didn’t return.

Hischier’s slap shot from just beyond the left faceoff circle beat Nashville’s Justus Annunen high to the glove side for the winner. Dawson Mercer picked up the assist on Hischier’s eighth career overtime goal. Hischier leads the Devils with 18 goals and 23 assists in 54 games.

New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt tied the game at 2 midway through the third. Dougie Hamilton also scored for the Devils, who snapped a two-game skid. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves.

Hughes left the game after three shifts in the first period. The team did not announce any injury status for the 24-year-old center.

Hughes’ latest absence comes two weeks before the U.S. is set to play its first game at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Hughes, along with brother Quinn, is a first-time Olympian. The U.S. has two sets of brothers, with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk also on the team.

Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville, which lost its third straight. Annunen made 32 saves.

McCarron staked Nashville to an early lead with a goal five minutes into the first period. Hamilton tied it at 1 midway through the second, extending his points streak to nine games.

Forsberg gave the Predators the lead 1:34 into the third period. With the goal, Forsberg moves into sixth place for career NHL goals by a Swedish player with 338 scores in 833 games. He trails Mats Sundin (564), Daniel Alfredsson (444), Markus Nasland (395), Tomas Sandstrom (394), Daniel Sedin (393).

Bratt’s 13 goal of the season came on a Predators turnover, flipping a shot over Annunen to tie the game.

Up next

Predators: At the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Devils: At the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Kings (22-17-13) outshot the Buffalo Sabres (31-17-5) and had a lot of chances to make this a closer game, but a pair of unlucky calls against them and a strong night from Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon and forward Alex Tuch proved too much to overcome. 

Despite playing a much better second period after a poor first, LA was unable to dig itself out of the hole at KeyBank Center, falling 4-1 in Buffalo. 

Once again, struggling early on in regulation and falling in a 2-0 hole, doomed the Kings to make any run against the home team. 

Final from Buffalo. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/4weiKYZIZl

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 30, 2026

First Period: Sabres Capitalize

Buffalo struck first in the opening period. A pass from Ryan McLeod intended for Alex Tuch deflected off the Kings and slid past Darcy Kuemper for a fluky goal, giving the Sabres the early 1-0 lead. 

The Sabres added to that lead a few minutes later after a faceoff win. Matttias Samuelsson stepped from the point and beat Kuemper's glove, extending the lead 2-0 despite LA holding the edge in shots made through the first 20 minutes of regulation. 

Los Angeles had a lot of chances late in the period to score, but the defense from Lyon was excellent, with him on the crease for Buffalo, turning aside several chances the Kings had. 

Second Period: Controversial Call

The Kings appeared to get on board early in the second period when Alex Laferriere knocked off the puck past Lyon, cutting the deficit to one, but the goal was overturned after an extended review due to goalie interference between Corey Perry and Lyon. 

It was a big call: looking back on the play, it seemed the goalie had enough time to recover, but the call was upheld, and instead of 2-1, the score remained 2-0, and gave the Sabres a chance to extend it further in the second period.  

Laferriere has the puck in net for the Kings.

It's ruled a goal, but the officials huddle for an extended time and call it no goal for goalie interference after contact between Perry and Lyon.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) January 30, 2026

Moments later, Tuch finished from the slot off a point shot to extend the score 3-0 just like that, after the overturned goal from the Kings. 

Near the end of the second period, Los Angeles finally broke through on the power play when Kevin Fiala fed Adrian Kempe off the high deflection on the power play to score, cutting the deficit to 3-1. 

Juice gets one back on the power play! pic.twitter.com/SLGFkNj2Of

— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 30, 2026

Third Period: Buffalo Seals It

Down two entering the third, the Kings were desperate for a big play to get back in the game, but they never made it, as the Sabres' defense and goaltender made it tough for Los Angeles. 

The dagger came when Tuch converted on the empty-net goal, finishing with three goals on the night and torching the Kings' defense, winning 4-1. 

The Kings finished with a 38-32 advantage in shots and a 30-9 advantage in hits, but Buffalo made most of its opportunities on the Kings' 20 giveaways, which led to extended zone time for the Sabres to convert on offense. 

It was nice to see Kuemper play well tonight after missing the last game against the Detroit Red Wings, finishing with 28 saves despite giving up three goals. 

The biggest play was obviously the overturned goal at a critical moment on Laferriere's shot, who would've made it 2-1 in the second period, but instead it was 3-0 after two periods, and Los Angeles was never able to recover from then on. 

The Los Angeles Kings drop their first game in this six-game road trip and will look to clean up this loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at 9:30 P.M. PT

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There wasn’t much mystery to this one. The game was bad early, stayed bad, and only got uglier as the night wore on.

The Colorado Avalanche were handed a 7–3 loss by the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Bell Centre, as the NHL’s top team dropped its second straight game in as many nights and failed to find any sustained rhythm. Colorado has now lost six of its last eight and sits at 4-4-2 over its past 10 after opening the season at a record-setting pace.

Brock Nelson, Joel Kiviranta, and Ross Colton scored for Colorado. Scott Wedgewood, returning after time away following the birth of his second child, struggled in net, surrendering seven goals on 28 shots.

Nick Suzuki led the way for Montreal with two goals and an assist. Juraj Slafkovský, Kirby Dach, Alexandre Carrier, Jake Evans, and Noah Dobson also found the back of the net, while Ivan Demidov chipped in with two assists. Jakub Dobeš made 26 saves for the Canadiens.

Brock Nelson is RED HOT 🔥

He now has 14 goals in his last 15 games! pic.twitter.com/XmAzLOji5j

— NHL (@NHL) January 30, 2026

First Period

Montreal wasted no time setting the tone. Just 56 seconds into the game, Lane Hutson found Dobson in the left circle, and the defenseman blasted a one-timer past Wedgewood to open the scoring.

Colorado responded quickly. A little more than three minutes later, Nelson continued his torrid January by toe-dragging around Hutson and snapping a wrist shot cleanly into the net to tie the game. It marked his 28th goal of the season and underscored his status as one of the league’s hottest scorers this month.

The momentum didn’t last. After Keaton Middleton was whistled for cross-checking, Suzuki capitalized on the power play by burying a rebound that kicked off Wedgewood’s pad, restoring Montreal’s lead.

The Avalanche then compounded their problems. Josh Anderson was called for tripping Martin Nečas, but Colorado’s power play imploded when they surrendered their ninth shorthanded goal of the season. Kapanen cleared the puck directly to Suzuki, who broke in alone and beat Wedgewood with a forehand fake before sliding home the backhand to make it 3–1.

Second Period

The middle frame opened with Cole Caufield taking a high-sticking penalty on Artturi Lehkonen, drawing blood but only earning a minor. Colorado couldn’t convert, and moments later frustration mounted when Nathan MacKinnon was slashed on the hands without a call.

Soon after, Sam Malinski was sent off for an accidental high stick on Demidov. While Malinski immediately apologized, Slafkovský took exception, only to be met by Valeri Nichushkin, who stepped in and dropped him with a forearm.

Midway through the period, Sam Girard nearly sparked a comeback with a breakaway, but Dobeš shut the door with a brilliant pad save.

The game took a scary turn minutes later when Josh Manson crushed Kaiden Guhle along the boards after Guhle reached for a puck with his head down. Guhle stayed down in obvious pain. Zachary Bolduc confronted Manson, but neither dropped the gloves. After review, officials assessed no penalty.

Montreal quickly made Colorado pay. Evans extended the lead after Wedgewood mishandled the puck behind his net, allowing Evans to wrap it into an empty cage. Less than a minute later, Dach added another on a wraparound that slowly trickled across the line, pushing the lead to 5–1.

Colorado finally stopped the bleeding late in the period when Kiviranta jammed home a rebound from the left doorstep off an initial shot by Malinski with 1:54 remaining.

Third Period

The Avalanche showed some life to start the third, forcing turnovers and generating early chances. On one sequence, Cale Makar tried to set up MacKinnon for a tap-in at the back door, but the puck bounced awkwardly off his stick.

Colorado broke through at 4:38 when Nichushkin danced around defenders and found Colton behind the net. Colton snapped the puck past Dobeš, ending a 25-game scoreless drought and briefly cutting the deficit to two.

Any hope of a comeback vanished quickly. Just 67 seconds later, Montreal restored its four-goal cushion on a 2-on-1 rush. After a turnover in the defensive zone, Dach fed Suzuki, who drew both Makar and Nečas before sliding a pass to Carrier in the left circle for a wide-open finish.

Slafkovský delivered the final blow midway through the period. His initial shot sailed wide, but Wedgewood slid out of position while trying to disrupt Kapanen, inadvertently pushing the puck back to Slafkovský, who calmly buried it into the open net to seal a 7–3 result.

For Colorado, it was another discouraging night that raised more questions than answers as their early-season dominance continues to fade.

Next Game

The Avalanche (35-8-9) are back in action Saturday morning, visiting Patrick Kane and the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena for an 11:30 a.m. puck drop.

Within an hour after being drafted by the Islanders, Matthew Schaefer declared in an interview with former “Entourage” star Kevin Connolly, “We’re going to beat the Rangers every time we play them.”

Schaefer’s four-leg parlay cashed Thursday night, when he scored at Madison Square Garden to help the Islanders to a 2-1 defeat of the Rangers that marked their first time sweeping the season series since 2017-18.

“Getting drafted to this team, coming to play for the Islanders, I know there’s that big rivalry,” Schaefer said inside a packed visitors locker room after the fact. “Every game from here on out’s a playoff game, especially against the Rangers. It’s a big win for us.

“Like I said before, we want to beat them every time, and we want to keep doing that because I know it makes us happy, I know it makes our fans happy, and we get two points out of it.”

It’s the third time in the history of the rivalry that the Islanders have swept the season series, having also done so in 2015-16. It’s the first time they’ve won every game in regulation and the first time they’ve gone four full games against the Rangers without trailing.

That is sweet revenge after the Rangers swept the Islanders by a combined score of 23-5 a year ago, culminating in a 9-2 embarrassment at UBS Arena that marked a low point for the Isles.

“I think we owed them one,” captain Anders Lee said. “Last year didn’t go our way. I think we evened it up.”

Since then, it has been all Islanders, starting with the lottery balls dropping in perfect sequence for their 3.5 percent chance at winning the No. 1 overall pick, and the rights to draft Schaefer. Had they beaten the Rangers just once last season, the two teams’ lottery odds would have been reversed, and he might have been skating for the other team Thursday.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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Instead, Schaefer was making their lives miserable — and, in the latest ignominy in what has been a veritable parade of them for the Rangers, so too was Carson Soucy.

Soucy, who scored four goals in 62 games across parts of two seasons with the Blueshirts before being traded to the Island this week, was not acknowledged on the scoreboard in his return to the Garden. He served up some revenge by lighting the lamp in his second game as an Islander, squirting a shot from the left point through Jonathan Quick’s pads to open the scoring at 17:18 of the second period.

On a night in which it was all too evident that both teams had played 24 hours prior, that seemed to give the Islanders a bit of a jolt. Schaefer’s goal came under two minutes later, as the 18-year-old whipped in a shot that beat Quick short side through Simon Holmstrom’s screen.

His 14th goal of the season broke a tie with Bobby Orr for second on the all-time defenseman goal scoring list for 18-year-olds.

“Who’s that?” Schaefer joked about Orr, who made his debut 41 years before he was born.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

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The Rangers did not merely lie down from there. Mika Zibanejad’s one-timer from the left circle cut the lead to 2-1 early in the third period.

The game, which had been a dreary affair, creaked its way into life from there, and the Rangers were suddenly bearing down on Ilya Sorokin. The netminder twice stopped Gabe Perreault on grade A chances at the doorstep.

“It’s frustrating, for sure,” said J.T. Miller, having been the victim of Sorokin on a second-period slot one-timer and having drawn iron in the game’s opening minutes. “At some point, it’s hard to come up with answers other than put the puck in the net more often.”

The Islanders, who kept pace with the Penguins to stay tied on points — though behind on percentage — for second in the Metro, simply have more to play for than their counterparts right now. The most interesting thing happening for the last-place Rangers is up in Chris Drury’s box, as the team president and general manger tries to navigate a landing spot for Artemi Panarin.

On nights like this one, that seems to make all the difference.

“It was not our best game of the season, but that’s what good teams do,” coach Patrick Roy said. “They find ways to win.”

For a second straight game, the Nashville Predators failed to get through the first minute of overtime, falling to the New Jersey Devils, 3-2, on Thursday in extra time at the Prudential Center in Newark.

On Tuesday, the Predators dropped another 3-2 result in overtime as David Pastrnak scored 15 seconds into the period. 

The Predators have now lost five of their last six and three straight. 

Against New Jersey, after failing to connect on their chance in front of the Devils net, New Jersey broke the other way and saw captain Nico Hischier go bar down on Justus Annunen to end the game 42 seconds into overtime.

The Predators jumped ahead first as Michael McCarron scored in the first period, putting away the puck in a net-mouth scramble and giving Nashville a 1-0 lead. It was his third goal of the year. 

Jonathan Marchessault recorded the primary assist and now has three points in four games.

New Jersey's Dougie Hamilton scored the lone goal in the second period to knot the game up at two. 

Filip Forsberg gave the Predators the lead back off of his 20th goal of the season, scoring off a quick pass from Adam Wilsby.

With the goal, Forsberg became sixth all-time for career goals by a Swedish-born player, recording 338 and breaking a tie with Henrik Zetterberg. 

Halfway through the third, Jesper Bratt tied the game at three. Nashville did have a power play for 10 minutes, but failed to convert. 

Annunen made 32 saves on 35 shots in the result. Nashville was outshot, 35-29. 

The Predators drop their sixth overtime game of the season but earn a point in the effort, sitting at 54 total points.

They are three points outside of a Wild Card spot, but that gap will likely widen as the San Jose Sharks (57 points) have an early first-period lead on the Edmonton Oilers. 

The Predators will face the New York Islanders next on Saturday at 6 p.m. CST at UBS Arena. It will wrap up a three-game road trip as the Predators return to Nashville on Monday against the St. Louis Blues. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Carson Soucy scored against the team that traded him 72 hours earlier, Matthew Schaefer got the 14th goal of his stellar rookie year and the New York Islanders defeated the Rangers 2-1 on Thursday night.

Soucy became the first player to score for the Rangers and the Islanders at Madison Square Garden in the same season. The Islanders swept the back-to-back set between the crosstown rivals after winning 5-2 at home on Wednesday night.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 20 of 21 shots to pick up his 18th victory in 32 starts this season. Schaefer, the first pick in the draft last June, broke a tie with Hall of Famer Bobby Orr for the second-most goals by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.

Schaefer’s goal came 1 minute, 35 seconds after Soucy beat former teammate Jonathan Quick short side from a tight angle. Soucy was playing just his second game with the Islanders since they gave up a third-round pick to get him in just the fourth trade between the New York teams and first since 2010.

Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play and Quick allowed two goals on 21 shots in his eighth appearance in 12 games since Igor Shesterkin was sidelined because of a lower-body injury. The long-term absences of Shesterkin and top defenseman Adam Fox exacerbated what was already a rough season for the Rangers, who recently signaled they are beginning a retooling process.

In line with that, they began sitting leading scorer Artemi Panarin rather than risking an injury that could prevent trading him before the March 6 deadline. Panarin is a pending unrestricted free agent whom the Rangers informed they were not re-signing.

The Islanders, who have won three in a row as they aim to make the playoffs, were without fourth-line center Casey Cizikas because of illness. Maxim Shabanov took his spot in the lineup.

Up next

Islanders: Host Nashville on Saturday night.

Rangers: Visit Pittsburgh on Saturday.