The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon. This matinee featured two teams trying to find their way closer to the playoff line in their respective conferences. For Chicago, this was an attempt to end a four-game losing streak. 

This was the third and final game of Chicago’s swing through eastern Canada. The first two against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens didn’t go well for the Blackhawks, and this Senators match followed suit. 

Despite finding ways to score four goals with Connor Bedard out of the lineup, they allowed six and were defeated 6-4. The team's defense and penalty killing were not good enough to win this game. 

Whether it's been goals waved off for both sides, bad defense in this one, or poor offensive play in the first two, this trip ending is great news for the Blackhawks coaches and players. 

Over the three games played on this trip, the Blackhawks saw there be seven goal challenges. These reviews have both helped them and hurt them, but it is a strange stat for a team begging for more offense. 

Now, they are losers of five straight games. They are closer to being at the bottom of the league standings than a playoff spot. They now only have one more chance to turn the ship back in the other direction before the break. 

Frank Nazar's Injury

The Chicago Blackhawks lost Frank Nazar in the first period of this game. He took a puck to the face and had a cut that looked pretty bad. 

Frank Nazar takes a puck to the chin/cheek area and heads immediately to the locker room. Looks like a pretty decent gash. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/V3Kfg1Vjt1

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 20, 2025

Nazar skated off on his own but did not return. Will this keep him out for even a game? That remains to be seen, but they could have used him in multiple ways in the final two periods. 

Nick Lardis' First Career NHL Goal

One positive from the game is the fact that Nick Lardis scored his first career NHL goal. He took a pass from Alex Vlasic and put it into the net on the backhand. To score his first in his home province of Ontario will be something that he remembers forever. 

BREAKING NEWS: Nick Lardis Scores First Career NHL Goal In His Home ProvinceChicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis scored his first career NHL goal.

Ilya Mikheyev's Impact

Ilya Mikheyev scored two goals in this game. Each of them played a role in the Blackhawks having a chance to win, despite the team ultimately coming up short. Mikheyev now has 11 goals in 18 career games against the Senators. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

what a shot🎯 pic.twitter.com/q616hGouzZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 20, 2025

a Burakovsky equalizer🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/7zbUObtoGy

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 20, 2025

forgive admin's mistake, this goal is Ilya Mikheyev's second of the game!👏 https://t.co/zOlEqEf9QQpic.twitter.com/y1WnqfOsVZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 20, 2025

if you need us we'll be watching this goal on repeat🤩 pic.twitter.com/vGZYtsggfs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 20, 2025

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

Next up for the Blackhawks is a return to Chicago to play the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center. This is their final match before the holiday break. This will be a late-start nationally televised (TNT) game. 

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While trailing 5-3 against the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis scored his first career NHL goal to bring his team back within one. 

Lardis was called up last week when Connor Bedard went down with an injury. He earned that opportunity based on the way he's played over the last two years. After a 71-goal season in the OHL last year and a point per game start to his AHL career this year, it was time. 

if you need us we'll be watching this goal on repeat🤩 pic.twitter.com/vGZYtsggfs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 20, 2025

Alex Vlasic made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone before throwing it back the other way. Lardis caught the puck and used a backhand to score the first of his NHL career. It was only a matter of time before Lardis reached this milestone, as he has been a great sniper at every level. 

Lardis' ice-time probably isn't what it needs to be for him to be successful long-term, but he made the most of it in this one.

Not only did he increase his team's chances of coming back in the hockey game, but he also did something that will allow him to focus solely on the game going forward. Now, he can concentrate on being the best player possible. Goals will come in bunches because of his talent.  

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The Detroit Red Wings have improved to 7-2-1 in their last 10 games thanks to their 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena. 

The win was especially special for the players, many of whom brought their moms along for the trip to the nation's capital. 

A MOMS TRIP WIN FOR YOUR #REDWINGS! pic.twitter.com/TspYP1wDjs

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 20, 2025

As of Saturday afternoon, the Red Wings further built upon their lead in the Atlantic Division, moving ahead of the Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins by three points each. 

The scoring was opened just 65 seconds after the opening face-off thanks to forward John Leonard, who was playing in his third game with the Red Wings since being called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Leonard's goal was his first with the Red Wings, as he signed with the club during the offseason and was the AHL's leading goal scorer at the time of his call-up earlier in the week. 

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The Red Wings then increased their lead to 4-0 by the midway point of the second period thanks to tallies from James van Riemsdyk, Elmer Soderblom, and Moritz Seider.

While the Capitals managed to cut Detroit's lead in half after goals from Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary, a would-be goal that would have cut the deficit to just one was waived off because of goaltender interference. 

Dylan Larkin then scored into the vacated Washington net late in regulation, sealing the victory. 

Goaltender John Gibson picked up his seventh straight win by making 24 saves, while his counterpart, Logan Thompson, made 36 saves.

Both teams will reconvene on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena. 

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The Ottawa Senators hope to continue climbing their way back toward playoff contention on Saturday afternoon as they host the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sens are coming off nice victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins (4-0) and Winnipeg Jets (3-2 OT).

The Hawks have lost four games in a row and will, again, be without centre Connor Bedard, who reportedly has a separated shoulder. The last time Bedard faced the Sens in October, he scored his first career NHL hat trick.

The injury news is better on the Senators' side as defenseman Thomas Chabot returns from an upper-body injury. 

Chabot was injured on November 11 in a game against the Dallas Stars, attempted a return 11 days later, and re-injured himself against the San Jose Sharks. His return will allow the Sens' blue line some relief, giving Jake Sanderson a little more time to catch his breath, slotting players in appropriate spots, and with Nikolas Matinpalo a healthy scratch, no defender has to play his wrong side.

Here are the Senators' projected line combinations on Saturday.

Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Fabian Zetterlund

David Perron -- Dylan Cozens -- Drake Batherson

Michael Amadio -- Ridly Greig -- Claude Giroux

Olle Lycksell -- Stephen Halliday -- Nick Cousins

Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen

Tyler Kleven -- Jordan Spence

Leevi Merilainen

Injured: Shane Pinto (lower body), Lars Eller (broken foot)

For a few years now, Alex Turcotte has never been close enough to see opportunity, never close enough to grab it with significant playing time on ice. Buried on the fourth line and seeing pretty inconsistent playing time on ice for years, the former No. 5 overall pick hasn't gotten what he expected. 

But that will all change now with Phillip Danault's departure. It's no longer about patience with Turcotte; it's now about whether all the waiting was worth it and whether he will now be a great player with an elevated role. 

Ken Holland's Latest Move May Force Him Into AnotherAfter Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland sent Phillip Danault back to the Montreal Canadiens, there will be a gaping hole down the middle when next season rolls around

The Door was never open

Even though people will say that Turcotte should have gotten more minutes and a bigger role because he was a top 5 draft pick back in 2019, the Kings still went with consistency and reliability over potential and projection. 

The Kings were deep down the middle for a few years now since before even drafting Turcotte and that's what they went with for the most part. Danault just had to be patient and ready for when his time will come and now the Kings are trusting him in this new role. 

Fourth-line minutes that only had him playing about 10 to 11 minutes a game on ice, and even this season saw a decrease in his minutes, with nine on the ice. Danault averaged the best numbers of his career last season with nine goals, 16 assists, and 25 points, but this year he's off to a slow start with a diminished role to start the season.

Breaching the Surface: Alex Turcotte and the Phillip Danault DilemmaTAMPA BAY, FL – In a place that has been a house of horrors for the Los Angeles Kings, the team was able to squeeze out a 2-1 win in sixty minutes of play, no more, no less, at Amalie Arena. For anyone following closely, that was the 23rd game this season for the Kings in which the game was decided by just one goal. Scaling down, it was also the fourth consecutive game the Kings were without defensive linchpin Phillip Danault, who has been battling the flu. In those four games, the Kings have been outscored at even strength 8-4.

Playing about nine minutes on ice this season, Turcotte only has two goals and six points in 30 games. Now, to be fair to Turcotte, he obviously hasn't given a fair shot at a big role on the ice, so it's hard to expect someone to be an elite player when they're playing just under 10 minutes a game on ice. 

But now the question is: will his numbers and play jump with a bigger role all of a sudden, coming in the middle of the season when the Kings are fighting for a playoff spot? Those questions can't be postponed anymore; they have to be answered, and they will when we see Turcotte playing on the third line with Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar. 

Alex Turcotte gave his thoughts on now moving up to the third line,

"Great opportunity for me.....I'll be ready for it. I'm confident in myself," Turcotte said. "Just going to go out there, work as hard as I can, do the best that I can, hopefully produce more and show them what I've got."

-

The Uncomfortable truth, he still might not be ready

Despite everything said, with Turcotte having solid numbers playing limited minutes, it's still unknown whether he will truly live up to playing significant minutes for a team looking to compete for the Stanley Cup. 

By moving Danault, the Kings are now also thin at center, and if Turcotte doesn't play up to his potential, that will become a problem. If that happens, the Kings will have to make another deal before the deadline to strengthen their depth at the center position for a player who can help them right away.

Now, this doesn't mean the Kings shouldn't give Turcotte a try; he should still be given this opportunity before any significant moves are made. The biggest gamble the Kings are making right now is betting that Turcotte's development can replace veteran dependability. Still, if that bet doesn't pay off quickly, they may be forced back into the market. 

A team that's looking to contend in the playoffs, especially this being Kopitar's final season in Los Angeles, they can't afford any weakness down the middle, particularly in a tough Western Conference where depth and matchups often decide playoff series. 

No more waiting

The 24-year-old has spent long enough playing in the shadows with a limited role; this is the moment every top prospect dreams of, works towards, and fears. And now, Turcotte has to decide what he's going to do with it in a big market playing for a franchise that's starving for a Stanley Cup on the biggest stage. 

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Jonathan Lekkerimäki is on a heater down in the AHL. The Vancouver Canucks forward has goals in five straight and has multi-point efforts in each of his last two outings. Overall, this year, Lekkerimäki has points in seven of his eight games, totalling 10 on the season. 

While Lekkerimäki's point totals are impressive, so is the number of shots he is getting on goal per game with the Abbotsford Canucks. Over his eight games, he has 38 shots, which averages out to 4.75 per game. Lekkerimäki has at least six shots in four games this year and recorded nine on December 14 against the Calgary Wranglers. 

One positive to note about Lekkerimäki is that his goals are not restricted to just the power play. He has only two power play goals so far this season, which shows that he can generate chances at even strength. At this point, it appears that Lekkerimäki is rounding out his game and looks more confident when the puck is on his stick than he did last year. 

Lekkerimäki is projected to play a significant role for Vancouver in the near future. The 21-year-old has a dynamic shot and has shown he can be a goal-scoring machine at the AHL level. The question now is whether Lekkerimäki can translate his success to the NHL, where he has just eight points in 32 games. 

One factor that could help Lekkerimäki once he is called up again is reuniting with Liam Öhgren. The duo played together both in Djurgårdens IF youth program and for Sweden internationally. If the two can continue to build their chemistry in the NHL, they could become a dynamic duo for the foreseeable future. 

As for Lekkerimäki's immediate future, he will most likely spend more time in the AHL. This is not a reflection of his recent play, but more due to the current construction of Vancouver's roster. If the Canucks start moving some unrestricted free agents and get picks and prospects back instead of roster players, it may open up a spot for Lekkerimäki to finish the year in the NHL. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will finish their two-game trip in Montreal against the Canadiens on Saturday night, hoping to snap their seven-game losing streak.

The losing streak reached seven after the Penguins got blanked by the Ottawa Senators 4-0 on Thursday night. The Penguins were lethargic all game and didn't really threaten the Senators with many prime scoring chances. They did have one goal called back for goaltender interference, but other than that, there wasn't much in the form of offensive creation.

They'll face a Canadiens team that is 18-12-4 and is coming off a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. The Canadiens beat the Penguins 4-2 back on Dec. 11 in Pittsburgh and will try to win the season series at home on Saturday before the two teams play again on Sunday in Pittsburgh. 

Penguins head coach Dan Muse is making some lineup changes after Thursday's 4-0 loss. Tommy Novak will be back on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust, while Rickard Rakell will center the second line. Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau will be Rakell's linemates.

The "kid" line will also be back, and Brett Kulak will be paired with Kris Letang on the second pair. Stuart Skinner is set to start in goal for the Penguins.

Sidney Crosby is also looking to make history since he's one point away from tying Mario Lemieux for the most points in the Penguins' franchise history and two away from breaking the record. 

Here are the full expected lines and pairs:

Forwards:

Novak-Crosby-Rust

Brazeau-Rakell-Mantha

Koivunen-Kindel-McGroarty

Dewar-Hayes-Acciari

Defensive pairs:

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Kulak-Letang

Shea-Clifton

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Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild's (21-9-5) is back in action today against the Edmonton Oilers (17-12-6) for a day game.

Here are today's news and notes for the game.

Minnesota is 64-33-10 all-time against the Oilers and 33-17-3 on home ice. The Wild’s 64 wins and 31 road wins all-time against the Oilers are its most against any team and the Wild’s 33 victories at home are the second-most against any franchise (COL, 35).

Connections:

President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin recorded 79 goals, 82 assists, 161 points and 354 PIM in 211 games with Edmonton in parts of four seasons.

Defenseman Jared Spurgeon is from Edmonton.

Forward Tyler Pitlick was selected by Edmonton in the second round (No. 31 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft and collected 11 goals, three assists and 14 points in 58 games across parts of three seasons (2013-15, 2016-17) with the club.

Stats:

Mats Zuccarello leads Minnesota with 28 points in 25 career contests vs. Edmonton. Newly acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes owns 27 points in 29 games against the Oilers and RW Vladimir Tarasenko leads the Wild in goals with 13. He has 23 points as well in 31 career games.

Filip Gustavsson starts for the Wild. He is 2-2-0 with a 4.41 GAA and a .880 SV% in four career starts vs. Edmonton.

Forward Connor McDavid (26 GP) is tied with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (40 GP) with 32 points against the Wild. Leon Draisaitl leads the team in goals with 16 and also has 31 points in 27 games against the Wild.

Calvin Pickard will start for Edmonton. He is 4-4-0 with a 2.58 GAA, a .917 SV% and one shutout in eight games (seven starts) against Minnesota.

Milestones:

Gustavsson posted his third shutout of the season against the Washington Capitals for his 14th of his career. He is one shy of tying Dwayne Roloson (15) for third most shutouts in franchise history.

Joel Eriksson Ek owns an active six-game point streak (4 goals & six assists), which is tied for the third longest of his career. He was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for the period ending 12/14 after collecting three goals and seven points to help the team to a 4-0-0 record.

Kirill Kaprizov is currently tied for second in franchise history with 145 power-play points (70-75=145).

Per NHL Stats, Kaprizov is the only player among all 32 NHL clubs to hold the franchise record (outright or tied) for all three scoring milestones: goal streak, assist streak and point streak.

Kaprizov and Matt Boldy can each extend their goal streaks to four games. There’s been one instance in Wild history of teammates with a simultaneous four-game goal streak: Pavol Demitraand Marian Gaborik from Feb. 10-18, 2007.  

Both Boldy and Kaprizov have 20 goals this season. They are the only team in the NHL to have multiple players hit that mark.

Records:

Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Minnesota is 20-5-0 in 25 games at Edmonton, including an eight-game win streak (2/21/13-1/31/17) – the longest road win streak in team history.

Minnesota has won six of its last eight games against Edmonton at Grand Casino Arena dating back to 10/22/19.

The Wild won 17 straight games against the Oilers in Saint Paul (2/25/07-10/13/11) - the longest home win streak against an opponent in franchise history.

Minnesota is 21-9-5 which is third in the Central Division and fourth in the NHL.

Minnesota is 7-2-1 in its last ten games and 18-3-2 since Nov 1. ranking first in the NHL in wins, points (38), team GAA (1.75) and team SV% (.940) while ranking second with a plus-34 goal differential in that span.

Minnesota has won six consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NHL, the team’s second-longest of the season.

Edmonton is 17-12-6 which is third in the Pacific Division and 15th in the NHL.

Edmonton is 7-2-1 in its last ten games and 12-8-3 since Nov 1. Ranks 12th in the NHL in that span. They have a 32.8 percent power play since then which ranks second in the NHL. Minnesota's PK (87.9) ranks second in the NHL since Nov 1.

Since Dec 1, the Oilers lead the NHL in goals scored with 38. The Wild are first in fewest Goals Allowed per game in that span.

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The Florida Panthers will look to run their season-long winning streak to five games when they complete the second leg of a back-to-back set on Saturday in Sunrise.

Fresh off Friday night’s exhilarating comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida will welcome the St. Louis Blues for their only visit to Amerant Bank Arena this season.

The Panthers have been playing some solid hockey over the past several weeks, and the results are showing in the standings.

Entering play Saturday, Florida had risen all the way to second place in the Atlantic Division, their 19-13-2 record good for 40 points.

There are actually three teams with 40 points in the division, but Florida has more regulation wins (16) than both Montreal (11) and Boston (14), and the Carts have also played one less game than the Bruins and the same amount as the Canadiens.

That’s what happens when you win four straight games and seven of eight in an extremely tightly packed Eastern Conference.

Now they’ll try to keep the good times rolling when they face former Bruins coach Jim Montgomery and the Blues.

To this point, the season has been a struggle for St. Louis.

The Blues have yet to recover from a 3-7-2 start, currently holding a 13-15-8 mark that has them three points back of San Jose for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

St. Louis arrives in South Florida with points in two straight (1-0-1) but only two wins over their past six games overall.

In goal, the expected matchup will be Joel Hofer for the Blues and Daniil Tarasov for Florida.

Hofer has received the bulk of the work for St. Louis of late, including each of their past two wins, while on the Florida side, starter Sergei Bobrovsky was in goal for the Cats’ epic comeback on Friday so it makes sense that Tarasov would get the nod on the second night of a back-to-back.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s battle with the Blues:

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer

Jesper Boqvist – Noah Gregor – Luke Kunin

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: Dec 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Noah Gregor (18) celebrates with goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) after the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Philadelphia Flyers have made a roster move ahead of their Dec. 20 contest against the New York Rangers. 

The Flyers have announced that they have recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, under emergency conditions. 

The Flyers calling up Kolosov is in response to goaltender Dan Vladar being out due to an upper-body injury. The Flyers announced that Vladar is currently considered day-to-day with his injury. 

Kolosov has made two appearances for the Flyers this season, where he has a 0-1-0 record, a .929 save percentage, and a 1.62 goals-against average. This is after he posted a 5-9-1 record, a .867 save percentage, and a 3.59 goals-against average in his first 17 NHL games this past season with the Flyers. 

Down in the AHL this season with the Phantoms, Kolosov has posted a 6-8-1 record, a .900 save percentage, a 2.77 goals-against average, and one shutout in 15 games. This is after he had a 5-6-1 record, a .884 save percentage, and a 3.11 goals-against average in 12 games for the Phantoms this past season. 

Kolosov was selected by the Flyers with the 78th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. 

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Kings moved on from center Phillip Danault in return for a second-round pick from the Montreal Canadiens, which the Columbus Blue Jackets own.

While it seems like the team and player were heading in this direction, this move by the Kings' GM, Ken Holland, may put them in a tough spot as soon as next season.

Danault wasn't all that effective this year. In 30 games, he had just five assists to show for it, with no goals and an average of 16:19 of ice time per game.

For the remainder of this campaign, the Kings should be able to hold down the fort to some degree with Anze Kopitar, Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte and Samuel Helenius down the middle.

However, with Kopitar retiring at the end of the season, they'll be thin at the center position if Holland doesn't add at some point, or if the Kings grow internally.

In a perfect world, Los Angeles would love to see Byfield become a true No. 1 center and for Turcotte, the fifth overall pick of the 2019 draft, to elevate into a top-six role. But the truth is, there's no certainty in that plan.

Breaching the Surface: Alex Turcotte and the Phillip Danault DilemmaTAMPA BAY, FL – In a place that has been a house of horrors for the Los Angeles Kings, the team was able to squeeze out a 2-1 win in sixty minutes of play, no more, no less, at Amalie Arena. For anyone following closely, that was the 23rd game this season for the Kings in which the game was decided by just one goal. Scaling down, it was also the fourth consecutive game the Kings were without defensive linchpin Phillip Danault, who has been battling the flu. In those four games, the Kings have been outscored at even strength 8-4.

Furthermore, Byfield and Turcotte's production this season hasn't proved that they're both ready for a heavier workload.

In addition, the Kings are in a mode to compete for the playoffs, with an intention of getting past the first round for the first time since they won their second-ever Stanley Cup in 2014. 

Shipping Danault to Montreal for a second-round pick doesn't feel like a move for a contending team, unless there is a plan to pivot off that trade. 

Holland has the assets to play with to look for another boost on the roster. 

With Danault's $5.5-million cap hit off the books, Los Angeles has $9.3 million in salary cap space. With that, the Kings have three first-round picks and four second-round picks for the next three drafts.

While Holland has suitable assets in his pocket, it won't be very simple to acquire a notable center in the trade market. 

Report: Three Kings Scouts Take In Maple Leafs and Blackhawks, Looking For Scoring WingerThe Fourth Period has reported that the Los Angeles Kings had three scouts watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Who could the Kings be looking at in terms of a scoring winger?

Danault, in the slow season he's had, and a relatively high cap hit in relation to his role, earned the Kings a second-rounder. That could be looked at as an overpay by the Canadiens.

That trade proves how middle-six centers are not easy to come by, and if they do become available, they come at a high price.

There are several questions surrounding the Kings' lineup after the changes that were made. Those questions could be answered over the next little while of action, whether the holes are effectively filled internally, or a run of poor performances that requires Holland to make an aggressive move.

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In a recent article for The Athletic, Jeremy Rutherford and Chris Johnston looked at eight St. Louis Blues who could be traded, with the Central Division club being open to making moves. One of the players discussed was forward Jake Neighbours. 

In the article, the Pittsburgh Penguins were named as a team that could have interest in Neighbours. 

If the Blues end up making Neighbours available for trade, it would make a lot of sense for the Penguins to make a push for him. At 23 years old, he would have the potential to be an excellent long-term fit on a retooling team on the Penguins. Furthermore, he would also help them immediately, which would be a good thing when noting that Pittsburgh is still in the playoff race even with their recent struggles. 

In 24 games so far this season with the Blues, Neighbours has recorded eight goals, seven assists, 15 points, and 64 hits. This is after he had 22 goals, 46 points, and 173 hits in 82 games this past season with the Blues. With numbers like these, he would give the Penguins an impactful power forward to work with in their top nine if acquired.

It will be interesting to see if the Penguins end up making a push for Neighbours, but the fit looks good on paper. 

Barkey impresses in NHL debut, but Flyers blow lead and suffer shootout loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — Denver Barkey didn’t look out of place Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

Not at all.

Playing his first career NHL game, Barkey made a major impact, but it was spoiled by a blown lead as the Flyers stumbled to the Rangers, 5-4, in a shootout.

The Flyers were on the power play for 2:51 minutes in overtime and failed to convert.

“You’ve got to come up with a goal for the team there,” Trevor Zegras said. “Just not good enough.”

Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored in the skills competition for New York. Zegras and Travis Konecny came up empty for the Flyers.

Rick Tocchet’s club scored two power play goals, an even strength goal and a shorthanded goal, all in the second period.

But the Flyers couldn’t nail down a 4-2 third-period lead. Mika Zibanejad tied the game for the Rangers with just 2:34 minutes left. It was a power play goal after Rasmus Ristolainen was penalized for hitting the puck over the glass.

“We’ve just got to learn how to handle pressure,” Tocchet said. “We knew at the beginning of the year it was something we were going to have to do. But we’ll take the point when we thought we should have had two.”

Zegras, Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett and Rodrigo Abols provided the Flyers’ markers. Abols’ tally came on the penalty kill as the Flyers were nursing a one-goal lead. Sanheim made a great play to find him.

In the third period, Sanheim was left bloodied after taking a puck to the face. The 29-year-old defenseman had to exit before eventually returning.

The Flyers (17-10-7) finished their road trip 1-1-2. They couldn’t rebound from a bad 5-3 loss Thursday night to the Sabres. But they avoided dropping consecutive games in regulation, something they’ve done just once this season (Nov. 1-2).

“We’re only just past a third of the way in, so there’s still lots of hockey to be played,” general manager Danny Briere said an hour before puck drop. “We saw last game, a little bit of a bump in the road in Buffalo, didn’t have our best game, it’s going to happen, there are going to be ups and downs. We’re trying to stay even-keeled as much as possible.”

The Rangers (18-15-4) improved to just 5-10-3 at home.

“Metro Division matchup, you obviously want to get as many points as you can and not give any up,” Tippett said. “It’s one point. We’d like to have two, but there are things to work on.”

• Barkey made his NHL debut after being called up Friday from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

“He won a lot of battles,” Tocchet said. “He’s a good player. I like him a lot.”

The 20-year-old’s parents and brother were in attendance after they arrived around 3 a.m. ET.

“I think there was a bunch of Toronto snow and their flight got delayed,” Barkey said, “but thankfully they’re here.”

In just a 23-second span of the second period, the winger picked up two assists as the Flyers flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Barkey had a primary helper on Sanheim’s game-tying power play goal before recording another one on Tippett’s go-ahead goal.

“A super skilled player,” Tippett said. “Brings a lot of energy.”

A little over three minutes later, Barkey drew a penalty and Zegras then padded the Flyers’ lead to 3-1 on the ensuing power play.

“I thought he was great,” Zegras said. “Obviously the offense was good, but he’s a really smart player, made a lot of plays, so I was very impressed.”

Not even three and a half minutes into the game, Barkey nearly scored his first goal. He had back-to-back looks right in front, but was denied by New York netminder Igor Shesterkin.

Barkey played on a line with Tippett and Sean Couturier. The 2023 third-rounder is just 5-foot-9 and around 170 to 175 pounds, but his hockey IQ and motor are excellent. He has opened eyes in Year 1 with the Phantoms.

“He came in, he played extremely well,” Briere said. “I think the biggest thing from the reports was his consistency. He was good night after night and has earned a look.”

Denver Barkey takes rookie lap ahead of his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden. Not a bad place to do it. pic.twitter.com/pW57G56uQE

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) December 20, 2025

• Samuel Ersson was in net for the Flyers as Dan Vladar missed the game with an upper-body injury.

The Flyers don’t believe the injury is serious. Briere even jokingly called it a “boo-boo.”

“He should be back, we hope, by Monday,” the Flyers’ GM said. “We don’t know for sure, but that’s what we’re hoping for.”

Ersson had 23 saves on 27 shots against the Rangers and wasn’t sharp in the third period.

Trocheck trickled one past him to make it 4-3. It was a shot that the 26-year-old goaltender knew he should have denied.

Panarin beat Ersson twice in regulation. He had the game-opening goal with 36 seconds left in the first period and then drew New York to within 3-2 during the second period before Abols scored at shorthanded.

Shesterkin stopped 28 of the Flyers’ 32 shots.

• The Flyers were also without key center Christian Dvorak. The 29-year-old is considered day to day with a lower-body injury.

“Just needs a few days,” Briere said. “He won’t be able to dress today, but we don’t expect him to miss, hopefully, no more than today.”

Garnet Hathaway was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.

It couldn’t have been an easy decision for Tocchet, even with the veteran winger’s drought offensively. Hathaway hasn’t recorded a point in 33 games.

“I think he’s had some tough moments, he’s trying to find his game,” Tocchet said. “But it’s not just him. He’s good when he plays with speed guys, so we’ve also got to help him, too.”

• The Flyers return home for a matchup Monday with the Canucks (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Tocchet came to the Flyers from Vancouver, where he spent parts of the last three seasons.