OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in his first start for Ottawa since taking a leave of absence Dec. 28, Brady Tkachuk had a goal and two assists and the Senators beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Saturday night.
Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens scored his 100th NHL goal for Ottawa. The Senators have won three in a row.
Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves for New Jersey. The Devils have lost three of four.
The Devils were without Jack Hughes. He’s out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Up next
Devils: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Senators: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
The Florida Panthers came up short on Saturday in the first of a three-game homestand.
Playing just their third game in Sunrise over the past several weeks, Florida took a lead into the third period only to lose 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena.
Despite skating without key forwards Brad Marchand (undisclosed) and Anton Lundell (upper-body), Florida played a strong game during the opening periods and took an earned lead into the late stages of the contest.
That lead was off a snipe by young forward Eetu Luostarien that came moments after Florida came off the power play.
As Jets’ defenseman Logan Stanley was sprinting out of the penalty box after serving a two-minute minor for cross-checking Florida forward Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues corralled the puck at the blue line and fed an open Eetu in the right circle.
It didn’t take long for Luostarinen to wind up and fire a laser of a wrist shot past a screened Jets’ goalie Eric Comrie’s glove and into the net at the 14:40 mark of the first period.
Florida held onto that lead into the third period, and it wasn’t until nearly the halfway point of that final frame that Winnipeg finally was able to light the lamp.
After Gabe Vilardi made a couple nice moves to get to the Cats’ net, a streaking Cole Perfetti found a rebound and beat Sergei Borbovsky to knot the score at one at the 8:34 mark of the third period.
That’s how the score would remain until there was just 4:14 on the clock.
On what appeared to be a harmless zone entry, Winnipeg made a couple quick passes to completely bewilder the Panthers and take a 2-1 lead in the game’s final minutes.
It was a great passing sequence, with Gus Nyquist finding Kyle Connor entering the zone and then Connor going to the back of the crease where Mark Scheifele was waiting to slam home what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Photo caption: Jan 31, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Cole Perfetti (91) scores against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
The Islanders lost a frustrating game in regulation to the Nashville Predators, one they didn’t really deserve anything from, though the circumstances were still frustrating.
They blew an early 2-0 lead after looking pretty good in the first 10 minutes of the game, then were completely discombobulated the rest of the way, relying on Ilya Sorokin to keep them in it. Even with that, they also lost a 3-2 lead, had a goal overturned (and their coach’s challenge denied) for goalie interference on Anthony Duclair outside the crease, and gave up the game winner with just 1:14 left to play while the teams were at 4-on-4 following another head-scratching official’s ruling.
All that said, they’d have been lucky to get one point from this game and the 4-3 loss was warranted. You could argue they should’ve lost by much more — the Predators had a UBS record 22 shots in the second period alone — if only to make crystal clear they can’t get away with playing like this against non-Rangers-level foes.
To think, it all started out like it might be a fun night. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair were buzzing on their first shift and got the Isles on the board at 1:29 as Barzal batted a bouncing puck in at the back door.
Matthew Schaefer double the lead four minutes later when Ryan Pulock handled a difficult pass from Barzal but stumbled with it just long enough to draw the opposite side winger toward him. That left Schaefer wide open for a feed, and the 18-year-0ld drove down the left wing faceoff circle and picked his spot on Juuse Saros for his 15th(!) goal.
But the lead didn’t last, and once again the Isles special teams could not reverse the tide. Nashville got on the board at the midway point just six seconds after Adam Pelech went into the box for tripping, and the Preds added a tying goal three minutes later. As the Predators continued to push, the Isles looked lucky to escape the period tied.
Even moreso in the second, when J-G Pageau got them a brief lead scoring against the flow of play. He drove the slot and made a pass attempt for Anders Lee, who had fed him first. The pass was blocked, but it still sent all of the Predators, including Saros, the wrong way while Pageau picked up the rebound and slid it in.
Filip Forsberg tied it at 3-3 seven minutes later, and miraculously that was how things would stay until Roman Josi’s late dagger.
The Goalie Interference(?)
Patrick Roy, the veteran of 19 NHL sesons and 1,029 games, clearly doesn’t understand what counts a goalie interference in this league…and neither does anyone else. The officials aggressively called this one off rather than waiting for a Nashville challenge (Saros’ dramatic glove toss may have helped), so it was left for the Isles to challenge and note some things that we have heard are important: 1) Duclair wasn’t in the crease, 2) Saros initiated contact, with his teammate helping keep Duclair there, 3) Not even sure if that contact was what prevented Saros — who seemed more intent in coming out to push Duclair — from making a play on a shot from the other side.
New York loses their challenge on this play. Duclair interfered with Saros & prohibited him from making a save. pic.twitter.com/UVK5cJwx9U
But whatever. I’m kind of glad it happened in a game the Isles seemed intent to lose anyway. You can argue from the scoreboard that it cost them the game, but they still killed the ensuing penalty off and they were sabotaging themselves throughout, they would’ve still found a way to lose.
Roy said Saros deserved an Oscar for throwing blocker on goalie interference
With the Isles under a barrage and unable to connect passes, Roy had his line blender out and was trying all kinds of combos. Nothing seemed to right the ship.
Casey Cizikas did return to the lineup but Max Shabanov stayed in, replacing Jonathan Drouin who was officially listed as sick.
Is there any more pure joy on Bossy’s green earth than 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer celebrating a goal?
Can’t help thinking this one was a costly loss. Nashville is beatable, while the Penguins, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Canadiens all won tonight.
The Isles’ remaining schedule includes the back-to-back of Monday night in Washington and Tuesday back home vs. the Penguins, before they finish the pre-Olympic stretch Thursday in New Jersey.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 31: Sidney Crosby #87, Evgeni Malkin #71 and Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins watch the video board during the 10 year anniversary of the 2016 Stanley Cup winning team before the game against the New York Rangers during the at PPG PAINTS Arena on January 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It was an emotional day at PPG Paints Arena as a reunion of sorts was held for the Penguins’ 2016 Stanley Cup team.
A large chunk of the team’s roster from the 2016 Stanley Cup team was back in Pittsburgh to be honored and celebrated before the Penguins’ game against the New York Rangers.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby spoke at length about how it felt to be reunited with his teammates, saying that as you continue playing in your career, you tend to forget some of the big moments from the winning years, but that it was awesome to see everyone back in Pittsburgh.
As a tribute video to the team was playing in the arena, Crosby was visibly emotional on the ice.
Sidney Crosby has all the feels looking back at the 2016 @penguins team that won the #StanleyCup 🏆
“I just you know, obviously loved that group and it’s pretty special when you have that bond and you win together,” Crosby said to Kevin Weekes during an interview on the ice. “When you see them all here and you see some of those clips, it’s definitely emotional but it’s still awesome to see them.”
“We were hockey players, and that’s our goal, to win Stanley Cups,” Rust said. “To be able to do this, and do that with the group that we had and all the amazing memories, it brings back so many smiles. It brings back happy tears.”
Patric Hornqvist said he didn’t come back to town just for the ceremony, but to take a little walk down memory lane as well.
“We rented a car yesterday to drive around, see our old houses, where my kids went to school, and the grocery stores,” Hornqvist said. “We almost lived our old life for one day, not playing hockey, and then the same night, you meet these guys who are like family. When you win, that’s how close you get to each other.”
As for this year’s Penguins, Pittsburgh defeated the Rangers in a 6-5 barnburner of a game.
Pittsburgh has now won six straight games and are 7-0-2 in their last nine games with their last regulation loss coming on January 11.
The Penguins are back at home on Monday night as they host the Ottawa Senators and then hit the road to face the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres before the NHL’s Olympic break.
Timo Meier scored, and Jake Allen made 30 saves on 33 shots in the New Jersey Devils 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night.
New Jersey surrendered the game's opening goal for the 31st time this season. After the Devils failed to convert on two power play opportunities, Brady Tkachuk scored while Ottawa was on the man advantage at the 13:38 mark of the first period.
With 1:41 remaining in the period, Cody Glass won the offensive zone draw against Ridly Greig. The 26-year-old battled for the puck near Linus Ullmark's crease and passed it to Meier to tie the game entering the first intermission.
37 seconds into the third period, Jonas Siegenthaler was called for a hooking penalty, leading to the Senators scoring their second power play goal for a 2-1 lead. Ottawa went 2-for-3 on the man advantage, while the Devils couldn't convert on their five opportunities.
Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto scored the Senators' third and fourth goals in the final two minutes of regulation. Tkachuk finished the game with three points (one goal, two assists).
Jack Hughes was sidelined with a lower-body injury that he sustained against the Nashville Predators and is currently considered day-to-day.
The Devils will return to Newark and prepare to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday at Prudential Center.
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Captain Roman Josi scored his 200th career goal in the third period, snapping a tie and giving the Nashville Predators a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday at UBS Arena.
He is now the 24th defenseman all-time to surpass 200 career goals. Josi now has 10 goals and 23 assists on the year, recording a goal and an assist against the Islanders.
On the play, during 4-on-4 play, Josi took the puck up the ice into the Islanders' zone before backpedaling and then wristing a shot bardown on Ilya Sorokin for the lead with 1:14 left in the game.
The Predators gave up the first goal of the game 1:29 into the game off a shot from Matthew Barzal. It's the fifth time in the last six games that the Predators have fallen behind early.
The 2025 first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, scored his 15th goal of the season to double the Islanders' lead less than six minutes into the game.
Adam Pelech was called for tripping on Andreas Englund, putting the Predators on the power play halfway through the first period, and Filip Forsberg converted to get Nashville on the board.
About three minutes later, Matthew Wood scored his first goal since Dec. 6 to tie the game at two. Wood had his first multipoint game (one goal, one assist) since Dec. 11, when he had two assists in a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.
J.G. Pageau gave the Islanders back in the second period, but Forsberg would net his second goal of the game to tie things up at three. Forsberg now has 22 goals and 21 assists on the season.
New York believed it had scored the game-leading goal in the third period, but it was waived off due to goaltender interference. The Islanders challenged the call and lost.
Of note, defenseman Nick Blakenburg did not play due to illness and was ruled "day-to-day."
Nashville improves to 25-23-6 on the season and is within three points of a Wild Card spot. It will face the St. Louis Blues next on Monday at 7 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena.
NEW YORK (AP) — Roman Josi scored with 1:14 remaining in the game to lift the Nashville Predators past the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night.
Filip Forsberg scored twice for Nashville, while Matthew Wood added a goal and an assist as the Predators snapped a three-game losing streak. Juuse Saros finished with 27 saves including a point-blank stop on Emil Heineman in the closing seconds.
On his winner, Josi skated into the Islanders zone, circled back and fired a shot over the glove of Ilya Sorokin that made him the first defenseman in franchise history with 200 career NHL goals.
Mathew Barzal finished with a goal and an assist for the Islanders. Matthew Schaefer and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored but the Islanders’ three-game winning streak came to an end. Sorokin made 38 saves.
The Islanders jumped to an early 2-0 lead when Barzal and Schaefer scored 4:27 apart within the first six minutes of the first period.
Forsberg got the Predators on the board with a power-play goal, and Wood capitalized on an Islanders miscue 2:54 later to tie the game at 2-all with 6:07 remaining in the first period.
Pageau put the Islanders back in front at 7:21 of the second period, burying his own rebound, but Forsberg answered again later in the frame with his second goal of the night to knot the score at 3.
Up next
Predators: Host St. Louis Blues on Monday night.
Islanders: Visit Washington Capitals on Monday night.
The Islanders allow a goal during their Jan. 31 loss to the Predators.
The Islanders played a terrific six minutes Saturday night.
Unfortunately for them, there were 54 minutes left after that.
And for all of Ilya Sorokin’s heroics in net, the Islanders’ netminder couldn’t overcome the team in front of him Saturday night, as the Predators defeated the Isles 4-3 on Roman Josi’s late winner, snapping the home side’s nascent three-game winning streak.
Ilya Sorokin allows a goal during the Islanders’ 4-3 loss to the Predators on Jan. 31, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
“We didn’t regain the momentum and the game we wanted to play the rest of the way,” captain Anders Lee said. “We had a tough night, no doubt about it.”
The game was tied at three entering the final 20 minutes, but the writing was on the wall after the Predators had played up ice for the entire second period — which coach Patrick Roy called “probably our worst period of the year” after the game.
The Islanders were managing the puck poorly, struggling to break out and to clear out the area in front of Sorokin’s crease, essentially leaving the goaltender to fend for himself.
Given how well Sorokin — who had 38 saves on 42 shots — has played lately, it’s perhaps unsurprising that playing in such a way didn’t immediately doom the Islanders.
Tony DeAngelo did not leave much to interpretation in the second period, though, when he told the team’s radio broadcast, “We’re horrible tonight. This is a really bad game for us.”
Ironically, DeAngelo appeared to break the tie just 1:10 into the third, but his shot that found the back of the net was immediately called off for goaltender interference. The Islanders, believing that Anthony Duclair had contacted Juuse Saros outside of the crease, challenged the call but lost.
Matthew Schaefer scores a goal during the Islanders’ home loss to the Predators. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
“I think Saros did a pretty good job to sell it,” Roy said. “Threw the blocker and everything. Might have an Oscar for that one.”
The Islanders’ play in the third was at least better than the second, insofar as they weren’t bleeding chances throughout. But they remained sloppy with the puck and finally, it cost them.
With the teams skating at four-on-four, Ryan Pulock accidentally skated the puck out of the zone while trying to go across the blue line and was caught offside — somehow not the only time the Islanders committed that mindless error on Saturday.
Following the ensuing faceoff, Josi’s snipe beat Sorokin with 1:45 to go in the game, handing the Predators a 4-3 lead they took to the bank.
The Islanders immediately felt the standings consequences of the loss, with the Penguins pulling two points ahead thanks to their win over the Rangers and the Capitals within four after beating the Hurricanes. Having frittered this one away, they were left to ponder the wreckage.
“I think we could’ve done a better job using the middle,” Pelech said. “Felt like a lot of times we get past one guy and we just couldn’t make the next play. They came hard, but at the same time, we gotta communicate more. We have to execute.”
The Islanders fight for the puck during their Jan. 31 loss to the Predators. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
At the start of the night, the Islanders had a juiced-up home crowd believing they’d march to an easy win.
Mathew Barzal opened the scoring just 89 seconds into the game with a bizarre-looking goal that saw him hit Anthony Duclair’s rebound out of the air before the puck caromed off the post, off Juuse Saros and in.
The Islanders looked poised to blow out the Predators a few minutes later after Matthew Schaefer followed up a few dominant shifts with his 15th goal of the season, a laser from the left circle to make it 2-0.
As quickly as the momentum had built, it dissipated. Filip Forsberg pulled Nashville within 2-1 with a power-play goal at the 9:59 mark and just under three minutes later, Matthew Wood made Schaefer pay for a turnover behind his own net with a one-timer to tie the game.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s goal off the rush at 7:21 of the second put the Islanders back in front, but it was only a brief reprieve. Forsberg’s second goal of the night, a shot from the left post that sputtered over the line, was the only blemish on Sorokin’s record in an otherwise flawless second period.
The goaltender was the only thing keeping the Islanders in the game in the second, stopping 22 shots over 20 minutes including a terrific save on Michael Bunting in front.
“We weren’t clearing pucks. We weren’t getting the blocks we wanted. They played a good offensive game in the zone tonight,” Lee sad. “Over 60 minutes, it wore on us. We weren’t able to break it.”
Karlsson notched his 700th assist on Rickard Rakell's power play goal that made it 4-1 in the third period, becoming the 12th defenseman in NHL history to accomplish that feat. He's also the eighth-fastest defenseman to reach that milestone.
700 assists for EK65 👏
Karlsson becomes the 12th defenseman in NHL history - and eighth fastest (1,132 GP) - to reach the milestone. pic.twitter.com/RWz4nBaiXt
Karlsson is also only the second Swedish defenseman to hit 700 assists, joining Nicklas Lidstrom, who finished is career with 878.
Karlsson only needs 13 more assists to pass Scott Stevens for the 11th most assists among all defensemen in NHL history. He needs 43 more to move into the top 10 all-time.
The Penguins held on to beat the Rangers 6-5 on Saturday and have won six in a row heading into Monday's game against the Ottawa Senators.
Dan Muse and Mike Sullivan have the Penguins and Rangers trending in different directions.
PITTSBURGH — There is something perversely ironic about the current state of the Rangers and Penguins, after the two clubs swapped coaches this past summer.
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Serving as an assistant under Peter Laviolette in New York the previous two seasons, Dan Muse was charged with getting an older Penguins team back on track while general manager Kyle Dubas retools a roster that is bracing for life after the Big Three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Muse and the Penguins were sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division entering Saturday’s matchup with the Rangers.
The end of Pittsburgh’s three-season playoff drought is well within reach.
What a way to begin an NHL head coaching career.
Mike Sullivan reacts during the Rangers’ 6-5 road loss to the Penguins on Jan. 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh. AP
Mike Sullivan, who won two Stanley Cups and spent the past decade with the Penguins, was brought to New York to salvage the championship window.
A disagreement on the timeline back to success reportedly led to Sullivan’s departure from Pittsburgh, so joining a Rangers team that expected to be competitive was a preferable landing spot.
On the day the Penguins were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their 2016 Stanley Cup win, however, Sullivan came into PPG Paints Arena with the Rangers sitting in dead last in the Eastern Conference.
The start of his Rangers tenure certainly hasn’t gone the way he imagined, but the progress his former team has made hasn’t come as a shock.
“It doesn’t surprise me, because I think the core guys that have been here as long as they have, they’re a unique group,” Sullivan said Saturday, before the Rangers lost, 6-5, to the Penguins. “And although they are aging, there’s still elite-level play in their game. It’s driven by Sid, their captain. Does it surprise me? No, it doesn’t. I think they’ve done a great job as far as becoming a team, and some of the young guys they added, and some of the pieces they added along the way.
Dan Muse is pictured during the Penguins’ Jan. 29 game. AP
“When you look at the top line, they drive, they’re the heartbeat of the team and have been for a number of years. All the elements are in play. Their special teams have been really good. They’re getting saves. It’s a good recipe.”
The Rangers job now looks a lot different than it did just under four months ago.
It could be some time before the team starts experiencing consistent success again, and that’s not exactly what Sullivan signed up for.
He has already made it clear he is still coaching to win.
Sullivan is not a development coach, but he is a player’s coach.
Perhaps it could be beneficial for Sullivan to have this time to not only shape the organization’s youngsters into his system, but also foster the types of relationships that he has built his reputation on.
Considering the switch-up, there is understandably some doubt surrounding Sullivan’s fit for what’s ahead.
But he is the coach that president and general manager Chris Drury has wanted at the helm of his team.
One of the loudest criticisms of Sullivan’s tenure in Pittsburgh was his management of youth.
Though there really wasn’t much for him to work with back then.
An abundance of rookies have already infiltrated the Rangers lineup, some of whom Sullivan has entrusted more and more.
There is belief that Sullivan’s preexisting relationships with the Wilkes-Barre players who were promoted to the Penguins in 2016 played a major factor in the team’s ascension to Stanley Cup champions.
“We’ll explore our lineup for sure, and we’ll move people around,” Sullivan said when asked if he can experiment in ways he maybe wouldn’t have if the Rangers weren’t in their current situation. “We already have, and we’ll continue to do so based on what we see, and where we think we can put players in positions to be successful and give an opportunity to play to their strengths. That’s what we’re trying to do. Gabe Perreault is a perfect example right now, and the opportunity he’s getting in the position that he’s in. But he’s not the only one. There’s a number of them.
“We’re going to continue to try to get to know this group even more so than we know them now. We’ll continue to assess and we’ll continue to learn and grow together as a group, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Sullivan later added: “I’m going to do my best to meet those challenges to try to help this organization move forward.”
The New York Rangers’ 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon was emotional for Mike Sullivan.
As part of the ten-year anniversary celebration of the Penguins' 2016 Stanley Cup team, Sullivan attended an event with all of his former players on Friday night.
Ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup, the entire team was honored, including Sullivan, who received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh fans.
“It's a proud moment for me, I was really happy to get a chance to see some of those guys that I was fortunate enough to win a Stanley Cup with,” Sullivan said. “That group of players deserves to be celebrated. They were a great team. We were certainly proud of them. It was a privilege to coach them, and so it was a bit of an emotional moment.”
Sullivan coached the Penguins for 10 seasons, winning two Stanley Cups in the process.
However, over Sullivan’s final three seasons in Pittsburgh, the team failed to reach the playoffs. After the 2024-25 campaign, Sullivan and the Penguins parted ways with a fresh start clearly needed from both sides.
Sullivan left a Penguins team that was seemingly retooling and looking to get younger around its core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, while he joined a Rangers team still hoping to remain competitive following a disappointing season.
Ironically, it’s the Penguins, coached by former Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse, that find themselves in a playoff spot with an impressive 28-14-11 record, as they’ve managed to flip the script upon the departure of Sullivan.
“It doesn't surprise me because I think those core guys that have been here as long as they have, they're a unique group,” Sullivan said of the Penguins' success. “Although they are aging, they're still elite-level play in their game. It's driven by Sid, their captain.
“And so does it surprise me? No, it doesn't. I think they've done a great job as far as becoming a team, and some of the young guys they added, and some of the pieces they added along the way. When you look at the top line, they are the heartbeat of the team, and have been for a number of years. All the elements are in play. Their special teams have been really good. They're getting saves. It's a good recipe.”
On the other side of the coin, the Rangers currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 22-28-6 record. Instead of competing, Sullivan is now forced to navigate through yet another retooling situation with little to no hope of making the playoffs.
“I’m fine, it's a different challenge,” Sullivan said about how he is navigating through the Rangers’ struggles. “We're going to keep digging in here. We're going to try to rally around one another and control what we can, and we're going to try to win the game right in front of us. It's a different situation. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you otherwise, but I think our guys have done a good job in just trying to compartmentalize their emotions. When the puck drops, they try to do their best to compete and play the game the right way.”
The contrast between the two teams was on full display on Saturday afternoon.
The Rangers dug themselves into a 2-0 deficit less than 10 minutes into the game and were down 5-1 heading into the final period.
Through the first 40 minutes of the contest, the game was controlled by the Penguins, specifically indicative of their 10-2 edge in shots in the second period.
Despite a strong and valiant push by the Rangers in the final frame that saw them cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-5, it was simply too little too late, and the Blueshirts were unable to overcome their early woes.
This loss was yet another reality check for Sullivan, watching the Penguins thrive in his absence, as it certainly couldn’t have been easy for him.
Jan 19, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) during the third period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will miss at least four weeks with a fractured foot.
The club announced the extent of the injury on Saturday before the surging Penguins faced the New York Rangers. Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said Letang, who is in his 20th season, injured the foot during a 6-2 victory over Chicago on Thursday.
Letang’s absence comes with the Penguins surging into the Olympic break. Pittsburgh is 6-0-2 in its last eight games to move into second place in the Metropolitan Division.
The 38-year-old Letang has three goals and 22 assists in 50 games this season for the Penguins. He is currently three points shy of 800 for his career.
Letang’s injury comes at a potentially fortuitous time for Pittsburgh with the NHL set to take an extended break for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, which start next week. The Penguins not participating in the Olympics will be off from Feb. 6 to Feb. 25.
The San Jose Sharks are enduring a tough five-game road swing, finishing the Tour de Canada with back-to-back losses.
After falling to the Edmonton Oilers in overtime on Thursday, San Jose jumped out to two early leads against the Calgary Flames, only to have a late shorthanded goal by Joel Farabee swing the game in Calgary’s favor, giving the Flames a 3–2 victory at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
San Jose’s road trip continues with stops in Chicago and Colorado before the NHL takes an extended break for the Winter Olympics in Italy, marking the first time NHL players will participate since 2014.
The Sharks struck first when Will Smith converted a power-play tap-in at 3:11 of the first period, finishing a precise backdoor pass from Alexander Wennberg. Calgary responded later in the period when Morgan Frost jammed a loose puck past a scrambling San Jose defense while the Sharks were down two men.
San Jose regained the equalizer shortly after a power play that carried over from the first period expired. William Eklund drove to the net and poked a loose puck into the crease, where Adam Gaudette was waiting for a simple tap-in on the right side.
Calgary countered when Matvei Gridin, set up by a slick cross-ice feed from Frost, executed a fluid one-timer, beating Alex Nedeljkovic to his left.
The decisive moment came at 6:53 of the third period, when Farabee, shorthanded, swiped a backhand past Nedeljkovic to give the Flames their first lead and ultimately the win.
Nedeljkovic, who played very well and finished the night with 39 saves, briefly left the game with 3:15 remaining after taking a hard lower-body shot but returned following the injury scare. Despite his efforts between the pipes, the Sharks were a bit short.
Next Game
The Sharks have two games left on this road trip with the next one taking place on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. local time.
The Calgary Flames snapped their five-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon, edging the San Jose Sharks 3–2 in a tightly contested matinee at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Special teams, timely scoring, and a heavy shot advantage powered Calgary to the victory as they controlled long stretches of play and capitalized when it mattered most.
San Jose struck first on the power play, as Will Smith finished off a cross-seam feed from Alexander Wennberg, snapping the puck past Dustin Wolf to open the scoring.
Calgary answered with a man-advantage goal of their own. Matt Coronato’s shot produced a rebound, and Morgan Frost wasted no time ripping it past Alex Nedeljkovic to tie the game. After twenty minutes, the teams headed to the room deadlocked 1–1.
The Sharks came out strong in the middle frame, applying sustained pressure. Wolf made a pair of stops, but a loose rebound bounced into traffic and Adam Gaudette pounced, burying his 13th of the season to restore San Jose’s lead.
Calgary pushed back and found the equalizer thanks to Matvei Gridin. Set up by Frost at the top of the circle, Gridin blasted a one-timer past Nedeljkovic for his second career NHL goal, pulling the Flames even at 2–2 heading into the third.
The deciding moment came courtesy of a fortunate bounce shorthanded. A puck caromed off the end boards and landed on Joel Farabee’s stick, and the Flames winger made no mistake, finishing it off to give Calgary its first lead of the game.
From there, the Flames leaned on their shot volume and defensive structure to close it out, securing the 3–2 win.
Joel Farabee’s game-winner marked his third shorthanded goal of the season, moving him into a tie for second-most in the NHL. Calgary now sits tied for the league lead with seven shorthanded goals as a team.
2. Special Teams Tilt the Ice
Both clubs scored on the power play, but Calgary’s shorthanded strike proved to be the difference. Winning the special-teams battle ultimately decided a one-goal game.
3. Shot Volume Tells the Story
The Flames poured 42 shots on goal compared to San Jose’s 25, consistently generating pressure and wearing down the Sharks over sixty minutes.
