LAS VEGAS -- Frolicking in the holiday spirit, with visions of Christmas-themed costumed fans inside T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights extended their point streak against the San Jose Sharks to 12 games with Tuesday night's 7-2 win.

Vegas took a 5-0 lead after one period and never looked back, as six different players found the back of the net before the holiday break.

It marked the first time since Feb. 27, 2025 that Vegas recorded five goals in a period and the third time the team has done it in the first period.

Mitch Marner scored twice, while captain Mark Stone, Colton Sissons, Reilly Smith, Brett Howden and former Shark Tomas Hertl also scored.

GOALS MUST BE ALWAYS 😃 pic.twitter.com/9x1cjSJp0I

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 24, 2025

Carter Hart continued his impressive start since making his debut with the Knights, stopping 21 shots to improve to 4-1-2.

The Golden Knights also extended their power-play goal streak to six games, as they now rank second in the league since Dec. 11 at 35% with a man advantage.

Vegas' five-goal barrage stretched across the opening stanza, from the 1:46 to the 18:34 marks, with Howden, Marner, Sissons, Hertl and Stone all scoring goals.

San Jose's Macklin Celebrini spoiled Hart's shutout bid midway through the second period, while Collin Graf added a score late in the third to provide the final margin.

Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 12 saves before turning the net over to Alex Nedeljkovic, who made seven saves.

KEY MOMENT

As much as the key moment could have been the moment the Sharks stepped off the team bus, it had to be the game-winner by Sissons, who made it 3-0 a little more than 11 minutes into the first period. Brandon Saad got things started when he grabbed a loose puck in the defensive end and backhanded it down ice to Keegan Kolesar, who skated to the doorstep before sending a pass across the crease for a one-timer tap-in from Sissons.

SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/0GXsz8B5oI

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 24, 2025

KEY STAT

13 of 20 ... In taking a 5-0 lead after the first period, 13 of Vegas' 20 skaters had at least one point - the most in a single period in franchise history - for a combined 14 points. The previous high was 11, which was reached on three occasions. Dorofeyev registered two points in the period with assists on Marner and Hertl's goals.

VEGAS FIVE-0 🎰😤 pic.twitter.com/au4Jr65Zea

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 24, 2025

WHAT A KNIGHT

Marner extended his point streak to three games and now has three goals in his last two games. It was his second two-goal game since joining the Knights, the first back on Oct. 18 against Calgary.

TOUCHDOWN VGK 🥵 pic.twitter.com/jLklobxnh3

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 24, 2025

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights continue their four-game homestand by hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 27.

Earlier this week, on 98,5 Sports, former Montreal Canadiens goalie coach Stephane Waite suggested that it would cause no harm if goaltender Jakub Dobes were sent down to the Laval Rocket.

He’s waiver exempt, so assigning him to the Rocket wouldn’t mean risking losing him, but I disagree that it would cause no harm. I understand that Dobes doesn’t have the “goaltender of the future” label that Jacob Fowler has, but that doesn’t mean that he should pay for Samuel Montembeault’s current issues.

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If you recall, Dobes was off to an excellent start to the season and was even in the conversation for the Calder Trophy early on. But then, despite Montembeault’s poor form, he kept getting starts over Dobes, who, based on performance, would have deserved to be between the pipes. It’s only after Martin St-Louis kept going back to his starter despite his struggles that Dobes appeared to be shaken up.

Sending him down to Laval would once again shake him. He doesn’t deserve to go down to the AHL. He hasn’t had the same issues Montembeault has had, and therefore, he should not go down. Doing that would only achieve one thing: shake him up once more and mess with his head.

Montembeault’s situation is delicate, there’s no denying that, but the NHL is a results business. If the netminder cannot handle internal competition, he won’t last much longer in the league. Granted, a trio of goaltenders is far from ideal, especially when two of them are rookies who need to play. But for me, Fowler is the one who should go down if the Canadiens feel that someone must.

Probably not surprising but hearing that some teams have checked in on Marc-Andre Fleury to see if there’s any chance at all he would consider playing again. Again not surprised teams with goalie needs would want to check on it.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 23, 2025

Waiving Montembeault would mean losing him. Struggles or not, a team would pick him up, hoping that a fresh start would sort him out. According to Pierre LeBrun, GMs are calling Marc-Andre Fleury to ask if he’d consider coming out of retirement; that shows how thin the goalie market is.

As good as Fowler has been so far, he’s still a bit green; this is his first professional season. The 21-year-old needs plenty of ice time, and there is no point in rushing him. No matter how he performs, the Canadiens won’t win the Stanley Cup this season. Leaving him to mature in the AHL only makes sense.

Finish the season with two goalies, and if Montembeault doesn’t find his game, consider moving on from him this summer. That would pave the way for Fowler to see enough action in the NHL. For now, though, let Dobes be; he shouldn’t have to pick up the tab, so to speak.

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For the second time in less than a week, the Florida Panthers entered the nightmares of the Carolina Hurricanes.

On Friday, Florida was down 3-0 to Carolina with less than 10 minutes to go before clawing their way back and earning an exhilarating 4-3 shootout victory.

Four nights later, this time up in Raleigh, the Panthers were down 2-0 entering the third period when they reeled off five unanswered goals to shock the Hurricanes again, skating to a resounding 5-2 win and entering the holiday break on a hell of a run.

Florida has now picked up victories in eight of their past 10 games and will enter the NHL’s holiday freeze sitting in a playoff spot with games in hand of many of the teams still ahead of them.

Let’s get to Tuesday’s takeaways.

MAURICE LETS ‘EM HAVE IT

With the Panthers down 2-0 late in the second period and not looking particularly good, Paul Maurice decided that was a good time to go a little nuclear on his team.

During his four seasons behind Florida’s bench, Maurice has gone this route less than a handful of times.

When he does, though, the team has always responded.

It’s usually something he saves for the playoffs, or when the postseason is a bit closer, but on this night, Mo gave it to his guys.

After the game, when Florida had just turned in a 5-0 third period, Maurice was quick to deflect any credit toward his players, despite the obvious connection to his tongue lashing on the bench.

The Florida Panthers' Head Coach Paul Maurice was giving the team an earful by the bench 👀#CarolinaCulture#TimeToHunt#NHLpic.twitter.com/hGBRmqqIQW

— Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) December 24, 2025

“It changed nothing,” Maurice said of his tirade. “That third period, the players, they handled all that. I was responsible for the first two, I didn't have my team ready to play tonight. Credit to them for understanding the importance that even if you're going to lose the game, you have to lose it a certain way, and we hadn't played the way we needed to play. I wasn't very good today, but fortunately, my players were…in the third.”

COMEBACK CATS DO IT AGAIN

There is just something about these Panthers and never giving up.

Maybe it’s Maurice.

Maybe it’s the leadership in the locker room.

Maybe it’s just a stockpiling of lucky breaks that will eventually even out (or perhaps this is the evening out after decades of despondence).

However you want to frame these things, no matter how many times the Panthers pull off one of these come-from-behind wins, they don’t get any less astounding.

Florida’s coach tried to make it make sense after Tuesday’s win.

“When you get on a roll in this league, emotion is such a huge part of it,” Maurice began. “A goal from the fourth line, right? Those guys work so hard, and they haven't had a lot to show for their hard work, so that had a lot to do with it. We played a third period in Colorado, we were down 5-1, and we were in one to say the least, but we played hard in that third period, and that started a four game winning streak for us. So it was really, really important, whether we won or lost the game, that we could find a way to right the ship and play a hard, smart third period. That was their task, and they accomplished it.”

CLIMBING BOB

Another game, another milestone for Sergei Bobrovsky.

Florida’s starting netminder won his sixth consecutive start on Tuesday. He’s allowed only 10 combined goals over his past five outings and enters the holiday break tied for the league lead in wins.

His latest victory was also the 445th of his career, moving Bob into a tie for eighth place on the all-time wins list with Terry Sawchuck.

Bobrovsky now trails seventh place Curtis Joseph by nine wins, and Henrik Lundqvist is only five ahead of that, so it’s conceivable that Bob moves into sixth place sometime this season.

Between the names he’s chasing and the legends he’s just passed, like tenth place Jacques Plante and eleventh place Tony Esposito, it’s beyond impressive what Bobrovsky is accomplishing in his career, while showing no signs of slowing up.

“The names that he's surrounded by are the names that I grew up as a kid, listening to my dad telling me about the greatest goalies that ever played, and Sergei Bobrovsky is now among those names,” Maurice said. “To get a chance to be a part of his career – I’ve got nothing to do with him stopping the puck, I'll be clear about that – but I get to be a part of it and get to know him a little bit, so it's a real honor for me to have worked, not worked with him, worked beside him, worked alongside Sergei, and watched his professionalism. It’s an honor.”

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Photo caption: Dec 23, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) celebrate their victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

Without having played a significant role so far this season, Philadelphia Flyers rookie Nikita Grebenkin has endeared himself to local fans with his personality and style of play. That reach, of course, extends far beyond his nascent NHL career.

Grebenkin, 22, has been playing pro hockey since the 2021-22 season having played 120 games across three seasons with KHL outfit Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Ex-Metallurg sports director Sergei Gomolyako, who knows the exciting Flyers rookie well, has expressed his support from across the pond, reflecting on his experiences with Grebenkin and backing him for further success in Philadelphia.

"I think Nikita will soon start scoring more goals and, accordingly, get more playing time. He's ready for the NHL and is proving he can play at a high level," Gomolyako was quoted as saying by Metaratings via Championat.

"I remember calling him to Metallurg last season, when he'd left for Toronto and was playing in the AHL. But Nikita made it clear right away that he intended to use his tremendous tenacity and desire to break through and play in the NHL. And I supported him in that endeavor. Now he's in Philadelphia, teamed with Michkov. Nikita has his role, even if he's currently playing on the fourth line, but that's for now. The guy's goal is not only to play consistently in the NHL but also to become the best hockey player in the league. And he'll work toward that, just like he did with us in Magnitogorsk."

Flyers Embrace Philosophy Change with Denver Barkey's NHL Debut, BreakoutLess than halfway through the 2025-26 season, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> are already icing a much different team than the one they started the year with.

Rick Tocchet's recent decisions to bench veterans Nick Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway has thrust Grebenkin back into the Flyers' lineup on a regular basis, and the Russian immediately took advantage of the extended opportunity with a decisive two-point (one goal, one assist) performance in a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.

Grebenkin's goal, a deflection of Emil Andrae's initial attempt, stood as the only goal between the two sides through the first two periods, and he would later earn a primary assist on Carl Grundstrom's third-period goal to put the Flyers up 2-0.

"Nikita is a great hockey player and a great person. He's a fun guy, a comedian, and the life of the team. I think he'll be just as effective there, despite the language barrier," Gomolyako continued. "He's a bright guy not only on the ice but also in interviews. So I'm keeping an eye on Nikita and I'm happy for his success. I hope he succeeds." 

After suffering four consecutive losses - one in overtime and three in the shootout - the Flyers, driven by Grebenkin and the new-look fourth line, head into the holiday break as winners of two straight, knocking off Vancouver and Chicago by a combined score of 8-3.

Ex-Flyers Coach John Tortorella Shuts Down Talk of NHL Return... For NowFormer <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> head coach John Tortorella isn't close to throwing in the towel on his coaching career, but the veteran bench boss was well prepared to say any talk of an NHL return right now is premature.

Earning Tocchet's trust has been a non-linear process for the affable winger, but the NHL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league.

What Grebenkin has done lately for the Flyers is help transform the fourth line into a playable unit, and that goes a long way for a Flyers team hoping to see the postseason for the first time since 2020.

For one last time before the Christmas break, the Montreal Canadiens were lacing up their skates to take on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. While some games are played with less intensity when everyone is looking forward to their time off, that wasn’t the case with this tilt. For a second time in a row between the two rivals, there was a fight right from puck drop and another one before the first frame was over.

The game also marked Phillip Danault’s debut with the Habs since he was (re)acquired from the Los Angeles Kings right before the Christmas roster freeze. Wearing his familiar number 24, the centerman looked right at home wearing the bleu, blanc, rouge.

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Fowler Spectacular

While the game started with a lot of intensity, the host still largely dominated the first frame, not only in shots but in the quality of shots and opportunities. Within 15 minutes, Boston had 14 shots, several of which were not easy to deal with.

Odd-man rushes, power play chances from in close, one-timers, Jacob Fowler faced it all. Even though the Bruins finished the first period with a 2-1 lead, Fowler’s heroics would have made the situation much more dire.

Ideally, the goals conceded wouldn’t have come when they did, just over a minute after the Habs had taken the lead and with 18 seconds left in the frame, but given that Fowler almost stood on his head all period long, he cannot be blamed.

Jacob *Wowler#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/kjyuiyP8pS

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 24, 2025

A Momentum Killer

After the Canadiens had tied up the game on a fantastic Ivan Demidov goal on a breakaway, Montreal thought it was about to get back in front when Boston was assessed a four-minute penalty for high-sticking.

... pic.twitter.com/UzMIDf4Jkv

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 24, 2025

Unfortunately for the Canadiens, it was not to be, as they failed to find the back of the net and created only one really menacing opportunity when Cole Caufield went in alone on Jeremy Swayman. Still, the masked man easily pushed aside his shot.

I cannot for the life of me understand why Demidov wasn’t on the first wave of the power play anymore, having given his spot to Zachary Bolduc. I imagine it’s to try and get the latter going while improving his chemistry with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but that can be done at even strength. In such a tight Eastern Conference race, it's imperative to capitalize on opportunities.

Demidov’s creativity is a tool which the Canadiens cannot afford to do without. Even though he was still on the second unit, his chemistry with Noah Dobson is nowhere near as good as what he has with Lane Hutson, and the sophomore blueliner looked like he missed him dearly at times.

Not scoring on that four-minute man advantage was an absolute momentum killer and something the Canadiens just couldn’t afford, had the Bruins continued playing well, of course.

The Elephant In The Room

Over the course of the last few games, the team’s dynamic duo, Caufield and Suzuki, have looked a bit off. Almost as if they had both lost a great deal of confidence. It was never as apparent as when the two escaped on an odd-man rush. The captain passed the puck to the sniper, who elected to send it back to him, something he wasn’t expecting, and the scoring chance died right there—neither actually looked like they wanted to shoot on that play.

Thankfully for Martin St-Louis, Boston decided to give Montreal another go on the power play, and things unravelled for them. An unsuccessful coach challenge brought about the first trip to the sin bin, but before it was even over, Tanner Jeannot took another minor for cross-checking. Minutes later, the hosts were also assessed a tripping call.

The result? Two power play goals, both of which came with Demidov on the ice with Caufield, Suzuki, and Slafkovsky. One was scored by Caufield, who put on quite a stickhandling display to fool Jeremy Swayman, and the other by Suzuki, who hit a home run, batting the puck mid-air. Hopefully, that might have been just what the doctor ordered for the two forwards.

DÉGUEUUUX

DISGUSTAANG#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/lWBLdnsdOS

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 24, 2025

In just over five minutes, the Habs scored four goals, two on the power play and two at even strength. It might have been a 6-2 win, but the score is misleading. As mentioned above, Fowler didn’t have it easy in the first frame, and he had a big hand in the win, but so did Hutson and Dobson with three assists each, while the captain got a goal and an assist.

The young netminder’s performance, which follows on from his first career shutout, won’t make life easy for the Canadiens’ organization; how could they send him down to the Laval Rocket after this?

With that win, the Canadiens climb up to second place in the Atlantic Division, but the win came at a cost, with Alexandre Texier leaving the game because of an upper-body injury. The Habs now have a much-deserved Christmas break, and they’ll get back on the ice on Saturday at 5:00 PM when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the traditional Florida trip over the holidays.

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To put it plainly, the Detroit Red Wings are getting far more than they would have ever expected out of rookie forward Emmitt Finnie so far in his rookie campaign.

Finnie, Detroit's seventh-round pick (201st overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, tallied his ninth goal on Tuesday evening as part of his club's 4-3 overtime win over the Dallas Stars at Little Caesars Arena, their ninth win in December. 

Finnie scored a power-play goal in the third period, knotting the score at 2-2.

9 on the season for Finnie! pic.twitter.com/8klNO9r9tB

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

The Red Wings would eventually need to rally back from a 3-2 deficit, which they did on consecutive goals from Dylan Larkin late in regulation and then in overtime. 

Larkin, who has skated alongside Finnie on the club's top line for much of the season, couldn't say enough of the impact that the rookie has had. 

“It's unbelievable, I’ve talked about him a lot, and I could talk about him all day if you guys allowed me,” Larkin said of his rookie linemate with a grin. “He's such a great kid, and playing with him the majority of the (year) up until Christmas, he's such a good linemate."

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

This February will mark the first time that NHL players have participated in Olympic competition, and Larkin is a major contender to be included on the Team USA roster as he was last February in the Four Nations Face-Off tournament. 

Larkin delivered a consequential endorsement of Finnie's style of play, saying that he would try and emulate that if he's ultimately chosen to represent the United States on the international stage. 

"If I was able to go to the Olympics and play on the wing, I would probably try to play like Emmitt Finnie," Larkin said. "I’d be a good supporting player who digs out pucks and gets them to guys, and goes to the hard areas. He's a special player, and a special guy.”

"It's a great story." 

Head coach Todd McLellan, who has been on the job in Detroit for exactly 363 days now, confirmed that Finnie has exceeded all expectations that the club could have had for him coming into the season. 

"I'd be flat out lying to you if I said, 'Hey, we put his name on the board, and we popped him into the lineup right there and never thought twice about playing him against the League's best,'" McLellan explained. "But as Dylan said, he's earned a seat at the table with his teammates and the coaching staff....just the way he carries himself. He's done a real good job." 

Finnie's nine goals are ranked third-most in the NHL among rookie players, trailing only Montreal Canadiens forward  Oliver Kapanen and Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke, who both have 11 goals each. 

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Sharks don't look like a playoff-caliber team after loss to Golden Knights originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

LAS VEGAS — Last Tuesday, the Sharks looked poised to make a playoff run.

Riding high off a historic 6-5 overtime comeback victory at the Pittsburgh Penguins, they stomped the Calgary Flames out in their first game back at home, 6-3.

Since then, the Sharks have gone on a streak, but not the one that they wanted. Instead, the 17-17-3 squad has lost three in a row.

“The two games before this, I thought we deserved to win, did some really good things and bad bounces went in our net, and that’s just how it goes sometimes,” alternate captain Tyler Toffoli said. “Tonight was not the case, and we just didn’t play good enough.”

That’s a fair assessment: San Jose was good enough to win against the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken to close the homestand. And it was the opposite of that against the Las Vegas Golden Knights in a 7-2 loss on Tuesday night.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

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January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.

With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.

“It's not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that's going to happen for everybody. So it's us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.

“I'm not worried. Like, I'm sure we're gonna get out of this. But it's not acceptable right now.”

Read more:Kings struggle to stop Blue Jackets on the power play in loss

And if it doesn't change right now, the rest of the season will be as cold as a winter frost for the Kings. 

It’s not just that the team is losing, but how it's losing that is most concerning. The Kings (15-12-9) are 31st in the 32-team NHL in scoring, 30th on the power play and have scored more than two goals just twice in 11 games this month. That’s negated a defense that is second in the league in goals allowed.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to make sense of things,” coach Jim Hiller said when asked to explain a slide that has dropped the Kings into the middle of the division standings. “We just feel like we haven't had a good run of games where we felt like, win or lose, we really like how we're playing.

“That's something that we'll keep driving towards. We just haven't had it yet.”

Last season, Hiller’s Kings tied franchise records for wins and points in the regular season and had the best home mark in team history. This season, they’re 4-8-4 at Crypto.com Arena, the second-worst home record in the Western Conference. And that has general manager Ken Holland answering questions about Hiller’s future behind the bench.

“I expect him to be here the rest of the season,” said Holland last week, not exactly a full-throated vote of confidence.

Yet for all their struggles, December has just been a continuation of the things that have plagued the Kings all season.

“We all have high expectations for ourselves,” Hiller said. “We just haven't hit our stride yet. That's the part that we're chasing. That's what we have to focus on. We have to hit that stride.

“It’s a difficult time right now, for sure.”

On Tuesday, Hiller tried to shake things up by mixing up his lines, most significantly pairing Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko with center Alex Turcotte. And while Fiala and Kuzmenko both responded with goals, they didn’t come until the Kraken had taken a 3-0 lead.

The first goal came from Jordan Eberle, who was left alone in front of the Kings’ net, giving him plenty of space to settle a pass from Matty Beniers before lifting the puck around goaltender Pheonix Copley and under the crossbar for his 13th goal of the season. It was the fourth power-play goal the Kings had allowed in the last two nights and the sixth in four games.

The Kraken doubled their lead on a quirky goal less than eight minutes later, with Copley misjudging a deflected shot from Seattle’s Frederick Gaudreau, allowing the puck to knuckle off his glove then trickle through his legs for the goal.

Ben Meyers extended Seattle’s lead to 3-0 with less than four minutes left in the second before the Kings finally got on the board with an unassisted goal from Fiala, his 13th of the season, 11 seconds later.

Now the Kings will have three days to think about that, although Fiala said he’d gotten over the game by the time he finished showering.

“If you win five in a row or lose five in a row or whatever, it's forgotten. It's in the past,” he said. “I think we take the good things with us and the bad things we hopefully analyze and get better at.”

For Hiller, the break couldn’t come at a better time. Or a worse time since the team’s current seven-game slump is its deepest since the winter of 2023-24. That one cost coach Todd McLellan his job.

“I hope the players are able to relax and refresh themselves,” Hiller said. “It's been from September till now, with the schedule and how busy it is. And 85% of our games, we’ve been playing within one goal.

“It's taxing physically and mentally. So I'm sure those guys need a break.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

CHICAGO - With a break looming, the Chicago Blackhawks welcomed in the Philadelphia Flyers for a tilt at the United Center on Tuesday night. 

Losers of six straight games, all in regulation, the Blackhawks entered this game in last place in the entire National Hockey League. A couple of key injuries are contributing to the struggles, but the Blackhawks are looking for a win in any way that they can get it. 

Without Connor Bedard and now Frank Nazar, the Blackhawks are a team struggling to gain the offensive zone cleanly, make plays offensively if they do find possession in the zone, and, of course, perhaps most important, score goals. 

By the time the game was half over, the Hawks were down 2-0 thanks to goals scored by Travis Konecny and Noah Cates. Going down 2-0 is never a recipe for success, but it gets even harder when the team down is already struggling to find the back of the net. 

With 1:30 remaining in the middle frame, however, Ryan Donato threw one into traffic, and it found twine. This 4-on-4 goal put the Blackhawks back within one heading into the third period. 

The confidence seemed to be back in their game during the third, as they controlled play for a large portion of it. They were never able to find the back of the net again, though, and a Flyers empty net goal sealed the deal. This 3-1 defeat is the Blackhawks' 7th straight loss. 

Spencer Knight did his job keeping the Blackhawks in it, but the team in front of him didn't provide enough on the scoresheet to make an impact. He finished the game with 23 saves on 25 shots. One of the goals he gave up was at even strength, and one was a power play goal. 

This was a much better game played for the Blackhawks as they defended better and didn't give up nearly as much as they did during their eastern Canadian road trip, but the slump continues due to poor execution on offense. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

a delivery just in time for the holidays📦 pic.twitter.com/1YZpwPo1bF

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 24, 2025

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks, along with the rest of the National Hockey League, will observe a three-day break on December 24th, 25th, and 26th. Action will resume on Saturday, December 27th. The Blackhawks will head down south to take on the Dallas Stars. 

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

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

In a season filled with scoring woes, the New York Rangers flipped the switch on Tuesday night, scoring five goals in the third period against the Washington Capitals, en route to a 7-3 win. 

Going into this matchup, the Rangers were coming off a 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators, where the team displayed a lack of pride, as Vincent Trocheck described it.

The first 20 minutes of play were relatively even with the Capitals holding a 6-5 edge in shots on net, but it was Taylor Raddysh who scored the only goal, which was his first goal since Oct. 30. 

“It's always in the back of your mind,” Raddysh said of his scoring drought. “You want to contribute as much as you can, whether it's offensively or defensively. For me, it has obviously been a few games since I scored my last one, so to get one there and right here before the break, just to kind of relax and get ready to go for the second half.”

In the second period, the Capitals provided some pushback and put the Blueshirts on their heels. 

With the score tied 1-1, Igor Shesterkin robbed Dylan Strome with an improbable glove save. However, after replay review, it was determined that Shesterkin’s glove was across the red line, so it was called a goal in what was a bizarre sequence. 

“Yeah that was pretty insane to even think he had a chance of making that save,” Raddysh said. “That's the only thing that sucks about cameras. You can't really hide from anything. That one, I guess, just crossed the line, but it was a heck of a save by him.”

During the middle frame, New York struggled to generate offense and was outplayed by the Capitals, who had a 15-5 edge in shots while dominating time of possession. 

If the Rangers were going to rally back in the nation’s capital, they would have to show pride and learn from their blunder in Nashville just two nights before. 

The Rangers truly put on a scoring barrage on display in the third period with the team scoring five unanswered goals from Raddysh, Alexis Lafrenière, Artemi Panarin, and two from Trocheck, including one empty-net goal.

J.T. Miller Placed On Injured ReserveThe New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> will be without their captain for at least the next few games, if not longer.&nbsp;

It felt like the floodgates broke wide open for the Rangers. As the goals continued to pile up, the Rangers began to play more loosely and with a newfound sense of confidence. 

It’s been a long and grueling stretch for the Rangers. They’ve played four games, and on top of it all, injuries and a highly contagious case of the flu have plagued this team. 

The Rangers showed their character in an identity defining period. Now it’s about maintaining this momentum and finding an element of consistency to their game moving forward. 

“I was happy for the players,” Mike Sullivan said. “They've worked so hard to try to generate more offense. It's nice to see the puck in the net for them. I thought we responded really well in the third obviously, just scored as many goals as we did…

“I was happy for our guys and proud of our guys for how we competed and just hung in there. I'm real happy for the players. I know that we've played a lot of hockey. We've dealt with whether it's illnesses or injuries, whatever it may be. These guys don't look for excuses. They're just trying to find ways to win every night. I'm happy for them that they were able to score some goals tonight.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday night against the New York Islanders.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Period 1:

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

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

Period 2:

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

What a BEAUTY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/aCdFAIW8e2

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 24, 2025

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

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

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

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 24, 2025

Period 3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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