Category: Ice Hockey

WASHINGTON — The parade of four-point games for the Islanders leading into the Olympic break started with a thud.

The Islanders rolled out new lines and new power-play units, but they produced the same disappearing forecheck and tailed off after the first period just like two nights earlier on Long Island. The result was a 4-1 defeat Monday night to the Capitals, who moved within two points of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Over 56 games, themes have emerged on nights where the Islanders don’t have it going, and they hit nearly all of them Monday. Too many one-and-done chances off the rush and too little time holding the puck in the offensive zone. Nothing on the power play. A couple of messy plays around the front of the net. It’s familiar by now, though it’s more than a little alarming to see it happen two games in a row.

Afterward, the Islanders went to the refrain that they’d played well and had plenty of chances, and the advanced stats backed them. The stats, though, didn’t quite capture the way the wind went out of their sails once they went 2-1 down early in the second period.

“For some reason it affected us,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Is it because we had a few good chances, didn’t score on those? Maybe that affected us as well. We had a couple breakaways where we could’ve got back in that game and their goalie made some good saves.”

Tuesday’s home match against the Penguins, who sit two points above the Islanders in the standings after losing to Ottawa on Monday, feels particularly important now. The Islanders can only afford so much slippage before Friday, when the three-week Olympic break begins and the NHL gets a chance to take a deep breath.

The Islanders had tossed away a 1-0 lead in the second period of this one, but with the score sitting at 2-1 Washington entering the third, things were far from over.

After the Islanders killed off two consecutive penalties, it looked like they might even have a chance to seize some momentum.

Instead, the Caps made it 3-1 after Nic Dowd threw a puck at the crease, which pinged off Tony DeAngelo before finding the back of the net at 8:48 of the period.

The Islanders did eventually have a semblance of a push, but it didn’t come until Roy emptied his net with over five minutes to go. By then, it was too little and too late — and John Carlson’s empty-netter extended Washington’s lead to 4-1 before the Isles could make a game of it.

“I thought, honestly, we played pretty well,” Bo Horvat, who had a pair of breakaways and converted neither, told The Post. “I thought we carried the play pretty much the majority of the game. Had a couple breaks. Just unfortunate for us tonight.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

Just like against the Predators on Saturday, the Islanders’ best moments of the game came at the start. That was when they were most active below the hashes, holding pucks in the zone and creating havoc. It paid off at 16:38 of the first when Tom Wilson’s pass from the corner went straight to Mathew Barzal’s stick, and Barzal promptly deposited the gift of a turnover into the Washington net.

The Capitals’ frustration didn’t last long though. Wilson fed Martin Fehérváry for the 1-1 goal 5:29 into the second with Aliaksei Protas screening, and just 31 seconds later, old friend Anthony Beauvillier took advantage of what looked like a complete breakdown around the net to stuff the puck in at the right post for a Washington lead.

In contrast, Roy was lamenting the lack of bodies toward the Capitals net, where Clay Stevenson was making just his third career NHL start.

“It’s on us to be better, get more around their net,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Try harder to get there.”

Again and again, Roy keeps changing the lines and again and again, the best Islanders trio is the only one staying intact: the fourth line of Marc Gatcomb, Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean.

The revamped top six that featured Barzal and Ondrej Palat on Bo Horvat’s wings with Jonathan Drouin centering Emil Heineman and Simon Holmstrom had its moments — enough of them for Roy to say he was happy with the lines after the game. Self-evidently, though, it wasn’t enough, and the same old problems aren’t going away for the Islanders.

Rather, it is more a question of whether they can work around them than whether they can solve them each night. If that doesn’t change soon, the Islanders won’t like the result.

In one month, the Rangers have spiraled from the thick of the playoff race to uncontested possession of the Eastern Conference basement, having won only three games since the final week of December.

They saw Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox go down with injuries.

They read Chris Drury’s latest letter.

They await the trade of Artemi Panarin.

It is a locker room filled with frustration, but also exuberance, attached to newly acquired defenseman Vincent Iorio.

After being waived for the second time in less than four months, the 23-year-old former second-round pick looked like there is nowhere he would rather be.

“Since I’ve been playing pro, I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs, but for me, just continue to have that positive mindset and just be the happy-go-lucky kid that I am,” Iorio said Monday, following his first practice with the Rangers. “I pride myself on smiling, coming to the rink every day and being happy and I’m gonna continue to do the same thing here.

“I’m just grateful. My parents, growing up, they really preached the 1 percent better each day and being happy with where you’re at in life. For me, playing this game is such a privilege. Playing in this league is such a privilege. Especially a team like New York.

“I was obviously really excited. This is such a storied franchise.”

Iorio, who was claimed off waivers Saturday from San Jose, is a low-risk move for a team in transition, looking to get younger.

Taken 55th overall by Washington in 2021, Iorio spent the majority of his first two professional seasons in the AHL, appearing in 123 games with Hershey, but just 10 with the Capitals.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

After being waived in October, the native of British Columbia appeared in 21 games with the Sharks, recording no goals, three assists and a minus-4 rating in 21 games.

“This team has such an amazing and skilled forward corps, so [I want to] distribute pucks to them and let them make plays,” Iorio said. “Just continue to play my game. I thought I did a good job with building on things in San Jose. I just [want] to break pucks out, play hard defensively, not try and do too much and just play simple.”

On Monday, the 6-foot-4 defenseman — who will be a restricted free agent after the season — saw his transition eased by the familiar faces of former teammates Braden Schneider (WHL) and Scott Morrow (Shattuck-St. Mary’s School).

Mike Sullivan saw potential.

“I thought he looked good today,” the Rangers coach said. “First time seeing him up close, he looks like he has decent puck skills, good size. I thought for the first practice, it’s not an easy thing just jumping into a brand new team like that, but I thought he executed pretty well in some of the drills that we were doing. Maybe the biggest thing that jumped out was maybe his ability to move the puck. That skill set will certainly help us.

“Obviously he’s young and has a lot of his career ahead of him. From that standpoint, it’s exciting when you can add younger players like that into the mix and we’ll see where it goes. He’s obviously a young guy that has been fairly sought after. I know his name has come up in a few discussions throughout the course of this season with our hockey operations and we’re looking forward to getting to know him and watching him up close.”

Third-string rookie goalie? No problem… for the Capitals. Clay Stevenson played just his second game this year, and while he didn’t get his first career shutout, he turned away 29 of 30 shots by the Islanders.

Bo Horvat still looks a bit rusty after missing some time due to injury; he had a lot of chances tonight but just was off the mark each time. Hopefully he’ll get on the board soon, since the power play could really use his shot.

It wasn’t a bad effort by the Islanders, but struggling to score more than one goal against this guy just isn’t going to cut it for a team that has some level of playoff ambitions.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

Early, David Rittich made a save on Ryan Leonard and took some extra contact and went down. Nic Dowd was called for slashing Rittich, sending the Islanders to the power play. That power play was not great, despite Patrick Roy putting Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Matthew Schaefer back together on PP1.

Schaefer took a holding penalty, and Horvat missed a shorthanded breakaway backhand, but the Islanders killed the penalty.

Rittich saved an Anthony Beauvillier breakaway, and then the Capitals gave the puck away to Barzal in the slot, and he made it 1-0 with his 15th of the season.

Ondrej Palat drew a slashing penalty on Tom Wilson with 19 seconds left in the period, and the Caps killed it in the second period. Palat, on PP1, nearly gave the puck away to Aliaksei Protas, but he couldn’t catch up to it.

Then, Martin Fehervary scored to tie the game, and just 30 seconds later, Beauvillier made it 2-1 quickly, two fairly soft goals given up by Rittich.

Bo Horvat shot wide on a breakaway chance and Simon Holmstrom hit the outside of the post, on the best opportunities to tie the game after the quick Capitals lead.

David Rittich made big saves on Wilson and Jakob Chychrun, and then Wilson laid a big open ice hit on Holmstrom, which got Scott Mayfield’s attention. Mayfield and Wilson fought, and Mayfield picked up an extra two minutes for “roughing” that seemed like a pseudo-instigator penalty even though Wilson was the one who dropped the gloves first after Mayfield came up to him.

Casey Cizikas had a good shorthanded chance on the kill, but with 10 seconds left, Carson Soucy took a high sticking penalty, giving the Capitals some 5 on 3 time and another power play.

After some dangerous moments, the Islanders killed both Mayfield and Soucy’s penalties. Any chance of a comeback seemed to deflate, though, when a Dowd pass bounced off Tony DeAngelo and past Rittich to make it 3-1.

Rittich was pulled for an extra skater with 5 minutes left, but John Carlson scored the empty netter with 2:25 left, giving the Capitals a 4-1 win.

Up Next

Tomorrow, the Islanders head back to UBS Arena to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, who currently occupy the second seed in the Metro Division, two points ahead of the Islanders. Feels like a big one for the season as we approach the Olympic break!

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jason Zucker broke a tie on a power play at 5:31 of the third period and he Buffalo Sabres beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-3 on Monday night.

The Sabres have won six of seven and took over the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They hold a 10-point lead over the Panthers. Florida, which has lost four straight, trails Boston by nine for the final playoff position with 27 games remaining.

Peyton Krebs had a goal and an two assists for the Sabres. Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, and Josh Doan also scored for Buffalo, with Rasmus Dahlin had two assists. Alex Lyon, who has won 11 of his past 12 starts, made 38 saves.

Sandis Vilmanis, Evan Rodrigues, and Uvis Balinskis scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky made 15 saves.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead early in the first period, but the Sabres scored the next three.

Florida, already playing without a number of its top forwards including captain Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, lost center Sam Bennett to an upper-body injury.

Bennett left the game after the first and did not return.

The Panthers scored 37 seconds in on a goal from Vilmanis, with Rodrigues making it 2-0 at 5:56 of the period.

Buffalo scored the next two to tie the score going into the second, first off a long wrist shot from Thompson, then off a goal from Kreps in front off the rush.

The Sabres led 3-2 at 5:44 of the second when Bobrovsky came 15 feet out to play the puck. Only Ryan McLeod beat the Florida goalie to it, and he found Benson in the slot for the easy goal.

The Panthers tied it late in the second on a power-play goal from Balinskis, but Buffalo took the lead back on a power-play of its own at 5:31 of the third when Zucker scored off a blind feed from Doan. Doan ended the scoring with a goal off a pass from Krebs with 2:1:9 remaining.

Sabres: At Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.

Panthers: Host Boston on Wednesday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

WASHINGTON (AP) — Martin Fehervary and Anthony Beauvillier scored 31 seconds apart in the second period, and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Monday night.

Clay Stevenson won his second straight game in goal for the Capitals, who pulled within two points of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Stevenson has been forced into action with Washington’s top two goalies — Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren — both injured.

This was Stevenson’s third NHL game.

Nic Dowd also scored for the Capitals in his 500th game with the franchise. John Carlson scored into an empty net with 2:25 to play on a shot that traveled almost the entire length of the ice.

New York led 1-0 after one period on a goal by Mathew Barzal. Tom Wilson’s errant pass from the corner in his own zone ended up on Barzal’s stick right in front of the net.

Wilson made up for that in the second, feeding Fehervary on a give-and-go, and the Washington defenseman tied the game. It was the fourth goal of the season for Fehervary, who is on Slovakia’s roster for this month’s Olympics.

Less than a minute later, Beauvillier jammed the puck past Islanders goalie David Rittich to the short side.

Dowd scored in the third when he sent the puck across the goal mouth toward Alex Ovechkin and it bounced in off Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

The Capitals have won three straight after going nearly two months without consecutive victories. Washington has points in five of its last six.

Up next

Islanders: Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

Capitals: Play at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

The Florida Panthers are going through some hard times right now.

Desperate for every point they can get in the standings, Florida dropped their fourth straight game on Monday night in Sunrise, a 5-3 affair to the Buffalo Sabres.

It didn’t take long for Florida to pick up the game’s opening goal, and it came off the stick of rookie Sandis Vilmanis.

Earning a start along with Cole Schwindt and A.J. Greer, Vilmanis jumped on the rebound of a Niko Mikkola point shot that hit Greer in the backside, corralling the puck and wiring a wrist shot over Alex Lyon’s glove at the 37-second mark.

The Cats weren’t done there.

After Sam Reinhart forced a turnover deep in the Sabres’ zone, Evan Rodrigues’ cross-crease pass attempt deflected past Lyon and into the net, making it 2-0 Florida before the game hit its first TV timeout.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, the lead did not stick.

A pair of quick goals by Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs brought Buffalo right back into the game after the first 20 minutes.

Buffalo took their first lead of the game immediately after killing off a delay of game penalty early in the second, with Zach Benson catching Sergei Bobrovsky out of position after taking a pass from Ryan McLeod, who had just come out of the penalty box and beat Bob to the puck in Florida’s zone.

Another power play for the Panthers would prove much more prosperous, with Reinhart finding Uvis Balinskis sneaking down from the point. His one-time snap shot beat Lyon over the glove, sending the game into the third period tied at three.

Buffalo took the lead back about five minutes into the final frame after an iffy hooking call on Cole Schwindt quickly led to the Sabres first power play goal of the game.

After a couple key penalty kills by Buffalo, they converted a 2-on-1 with just over two minutes to go to cement the victory for the visitors.

On to the Bruins.

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Photo caption: Feb 2, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) celebrates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Pregame

The Penguins go with the same lineup as last game with a change in goalies back to Arturs Silovs.

The visiting Ottawa Senators get some good news in the form of Thomas Chabot (game-time decision) is able to dress for this game.

First period

Thought the Penguins were cutting corners and falling into some bad habits early. One example early was Ryan Shea in the opening minute attempting to go up the wall to a covered players. It got picked off and a nice Ottawa passing play nearly led to a goal (and probably should have if the placement was elevated to where it should have been). They got away with it, thanks to the play of Silovs in the first 5-10 minutes, following some cross-ice passes and good looks by the Senators after the Pens either flew the zone or just weren’t quite as connected with their positioning and/or decision making with the puck.

The Pens’ style pays off when Parker Wotherspoon is able to make one of those long passes up to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin puts a centering pass in an area with Egor Chinakhov can take one touch and shoot. When Chinakhov shoots, he shoots hard. This one low past Linus Ullmark, 1-0 Pens.

Rickard Rakell sideswipes Ullmark to take a goalie interference penalty in another avoidable little moment of not quite being super-sharp. The hot Pittsburgh PK kills it off.

Ilya Solovyov is the next to go to the penalty box for getting a stick up, another kill for the Penguins.

First period comes to a close, Ottawa is up 13-7 in shots, Pittsburgh carries a 1-0 lead where it counts. More in the thoughts section, didn’t like this start for the Pens. Silovs was very good and they’re fortunate to be ahead at this point.

Second period

The sloppy play continues, Malkin fumbles a puck in front of his net and hands it over to Michael Amadio. Amadio quickly puts the puck glove side on Silovs and in. 1-1 game.

Still not going well, Shea coughing the puck up leads to Parker Wotherspoon cross-checking a guy. The refs call it to send Ottawa to their third power play of the night. Another kill, though the Sens are getting more and more zone time and opportunities.

Lines have changed, Anthony Mantha joins the Crosby/Rakell group, Justin Brazeau goes to play with Kindel/McGroatry. The Penguins finally get their first shot of the period with just over nine minutes to go.

Solovyov breaks his stick and fails to clear the zone in the last minute, then Connor Clifton takes another cross-checking penalty for Ottawa’s fourth power play in the game, compared to the zero for the Penguins. The buzzer sounds before too much can happen.

It’s been a sludge for the Penguins tonight. Only three shots on goal in the second period and just 10 for the game. It’s a tie game after 40 minutes.

Third period

The Pens deal with the 91 seconds of carryover power play time. It takes until 13:14 remaining for Ottawa to take the lead. Shea fails to get the puck deep and turns the puck over at the far blueline while the Pens are changing behind him. That gives Drake Batherson a clean breakaway, Silovs makes the first stop, the rebound is sitting right there for the second player on the scene to get to. Turns out it’s Tim Stutzle. 2-1 Ottawa.

The Pens finally find a response on the rare chance to get a puck to the net. It’s Shea again (he’s everywhere) taking a shot that hits off Tommy Novak in the crease. Novak is able to find the loose puck and tap it into the net. 2-2 game with 11:12 to go.

It takes until 9:09 left in the game for Pittsburgh to get their first power play of the night. The big group stays out the whole time without scoring.

Claude Giroux splits the defense, Erik Karlsson has to hack at him. That causes Giroux to fall and crash into Silovs and the net, the puck goes in during the continuation of play. It takes a long review and it’s ruled a good goal for the puck over the line before the net was off.

That explanation isn’t good enough for Dan Muse, so he challenges the play for goalie interference. Questionable at best considering the contact was clearly initiated by Karlsson. Challenge denied and the Pens get a penalty and a goal against out of the deal anyways.

Pittsburgh kills off the punishment penalty, Silovs is pulled with over 2 minutes to go to get to 6v5 grind time. About halfway through the timeout is used to give the top players a breather. Doesn’t work, time runs out on the comeback effort.

Some thoughts

• From the first period area, didn’t like the way the Penguins started this game. It was nice they scored first, the style was eye-catching. The players didn’t look as connected as they usually do to start breakouts in close support. They’re trying to stretch the ice more. It’s impossible to be sharp and have the details down every night, though I think we saw some of this against the Rangers too where some bad habits are starting to creep in. Once a team experiences success or gets on a winning streak it can be difficult to keep all those little details buttoned up. It’s a long stretch of hockey too, there’s no such thing as perfection but it can be alarming to see some of the finer points of their game erode away.
• Then again, it still means something to take advantage of those mistakes. Ottawa made one in the first period when Nick Jensen played too wide and let Chinakhov get inside of him. Didn’t take long for the puck to get on and off his stick and in the net.
• You can see why Ottawa is first in the league in 5v5 xGA and third best overall in fewest shots allowed per game. They hound opponents all over the ice, grinding them down and making everything earned then jump on turnovers and get right back on the attack. Not a lot of room out there against them.
• Ryan Shea was all over the place tonight. At one point he even skated the puck aggressive while shorthanded when he realized it was a forward in Dylan Cozens back playing defense. Some good moments, some not so good.
• Kinda crazy how the Pens just can’t draw a power play for the most part these days with just 19 power plays in the last eight games. They can’t complain too much, they barely had the puck enough and were chasing Ottawa around for most of the night, tough to get a call like that.
• We’ve had some Dan Muse headscratchers when it comes to challenging very questionable goalie interference penalties, this was another one. There was no universe where the refs where going to rule Giroux interfered with Silovs. Did the Penguins want the play to be a penalty on Karlsson and no goal? I don’t even think that’s possible. Not sure if Muse is being fed bad information by the video team or just out of tune with how NHL referees are going to rule on these types of plays, he’s now 0-5 in goalie interference challenges. Muse has made several calls where the chance of getting the call to go his way was going to be an extreme longshot. This review being the most questionable of them all so far. These things can happen with a rookie coach, though at this point of the season almost four months and 55 games in it would be nice to see smarter coaching inputs happening there.
• Bad game by the big guys, as it was for just about everyone besides Silovs. Malkin was turning pucks over, he did create a goal but his decision making was spotty all night. Crosby didn’t have so much as one shot attempt (let alone one on goal) and was forcing cross-ice passes in the last minute when it appeared he had a shooting lane — a telltale sign for the rare times that he is fighting things and mired a slump. Rakell wasn’t much more noticeable. Probably a good thing that Bryan Rust can play tomorrow back from his suspension, his presence will be needed.

Can’t win ‘em all, the Ottawa Senators have always been a tough matchup for the Pens, that continued again tonight. Pittsburgh was tied late but had difficulties all night in looking sharp and couldn’t find a way to win a seventh straight game. No shame in that, though they will need to put this one in the rearview mirror quickly with a matchup against the division-rival Islanders tomorrow night.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The New York Islanders dropped their second straight game, falling 4-1 to the Washington Capitals on Monday night.

David Rittich made 20 saves. Rookie Clay Stevenson made 29 saves.  

The Capitals are now two points back of the Islanders, who have one game in hand.

Here's how it happened: 

Mathew Barzal gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 16:38 of the first period after he got a gift from Tom Wilson:

Look what I found!

Barzal gives the #Isles a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/89VNAKjgGj

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) February 3, 2026

The Islanders failed to add to their lead and saw the Capitals take a 2-1 lead within a 31-second span in the second period.

First, it was Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary beating Rittich five-hole through a screen at 5:29 of the second before Beauvillier wrapped one past an out-of-position Rittich at the six-minute mark of the middle frame.

The Islanders, like we saw in the second period of their 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, struggled to do everything. Despite their breakout issues and neutral zone play, they garnered chances. 

Simon Holmstrom missed the net on a backhand semi-breakaway try before Horvat failed to score on his second breakway of the game, with Stevenson getting the shaft of his stick on a blocker-side try. 

At 8:46 of the second, Nic Dowd's backdoor pass banked off Tony DeAngelo's skate and in to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead. 

Roy pulled Rittich with 5:17 to go in the third, with John Carlson adding an empty-net tally at 17:35 for the 4-1 final. 

UP NEXT: The Islanders battle the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM. 

During this past off-season, former Montreal Canadiens forward Ryan Poehling was traded by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Anaheim Ducks in the deal that brought Trevor Zegras to Philly. While Poehling was not the big name in this trade, the 27-year-old forward has proven to be a solid addition to the Ducks' roster this season. 

In 48 games this season with the Ducks, Poehling has recorded five goals, 16 assists, 21 points, 56 blocks, and a plus-7 rating. However, the former Canadiens forward has only been heating up as the season continues to roll on for the Pacific Division club. 

In his last five games, Poehling has recorded two goals and five points. This included him recording a goal and an assist in the Ducks' most recent win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 1. 

Poehling will now be looking to stay hot as the Ducks aim to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Poehling was selected by the Canadiens with the 25th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The former Canadiens first-round pick went on to play three seasons with the Habs, where he had 13 goals, nine assists, 22 points, and 79 hits. This included him scoring a hat trick and scoring the shootout winner in his NHL debut with the Canadiens during the 2018-19 season against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have activated defenseman Ryan Graves from injured reserve.

Graves has not played for the Penguins since their Jan. 21 contest against the Calgary Flames with an upper-body injury. However, now that he has been activated off injured reserve, he is officially an option for the Penguins again. 

Graves has appeared in 19 games this season with Pittsburgh, where he has recorded one goal, 15 hits, 35 blocks, and a minus-2 rating. The 6-foot-5 defenseman also has two goals, seven assists, nine points, and a plus-6 rating in 13 games this season with the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

In 150 games over three seasons with the Penguins, Graves has recorded five goals, 14 assists, 19 points, 162 hits, 250 blocks, and a minus-7 rating. 

The Penguins have activated defenseman Ryan Graves from Injured Reserve. pic.twitter.com/HciVCyETTm

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 2, 2026

The Detroit Red Wings are navigating a mild slump after losing three straight games, and stretches like this often lead to deeper scrutiny of the roster. As the losses add up, certain concerns begin to surface, including the recent struggles of one of the team’s most encouraging young players.

Rookie forward Emmitt Finnie has hit a difficult patch after bursting onto the scene earlier this season. Finnie used his relentless work ethic to unexpectedly earn a spot on the opening-night roster and quickly became a fan favorite, drawing comparisons to a young Henrik Zetterberg, a seventh-round pick who worked his way into becoming an NHL mainstay.

While Finnie has maintained everyday status for much of the year, his recent lack of production has become harder to ignore. Finnie is currently mired in an 18-game goal drought and has recorded just two points during that stretch.

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

The skid contrasts sharply with his early-season performance, when he produced 19 points in his first 38 games, an impressive total for any rookie. What initially appeared to be a surprise breakout now looks more like the natural ups and downs of a first-year NHL player adjusting to the grind of a full season.

As a result, Finnie has seen his role reduced. His ice time has dipped, and he has been moved to the third line, where he can learn alongside veterans Mason Appleton and J.T. Compher. Even so, holding a third-line role on an NHL roster remains a significant achievement for a rookie, particularly one selected in the seventh round.

JVR from Finnie. 👌 pic.twitter.com/8XN8jPQjpi

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 23, 2026

While struggles are expected at this stage of his development, Finnie will eventually need to rediscover the spark that fueled his early success. The last thing Red Wings fans hope to see is a promising young player viewed as a short-term success story or sent down to the AHL if the slump continues, a situation that recently affected his former linemate Nate Danielson.

For now, Finnie’s story is still being written. How he responds to this stretch of adversity may play a major role in shaping both his rookie season and his future with the Red Wings.

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without two of their wingers on this current road trip. According to Head Coach Adam Foote, both Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander will not play in either game this week. The Canucks have two remaining games before the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be played against the Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Boeser not playing on the trip was already expected as he deals with an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old was hit in the head by Bryan Rust back on January 25, which resulted in the Pittsburgh Penguins forward receiving a three-game suspension. This season, Boeser has scored 12 goals while adding 25 points in 50 games. 

As for Höglander, he is dealing with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old last played on January 27 and has already missed significant time with injury this season. Höglander has only played 18 games this year, where he has collected two assists. 

Vancouver's last game before the 2026 Winter Olympics is on February 4 versus the Golden Knights. Those not heading to Italy will get two weeks off, with practice scheduled to begin on February 18. As for when the Canucks return to action, that will be on February 25 when the Winnipeg Jets visit Rogers Arena. 

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