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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Period 1:

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

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

Period 2:

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

What a BEAUTY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/aCdFAIW8e2

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 24, 2025

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

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

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

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 24, 2025

Period 3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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In their final game before the Christmas break, the Detroit Red Wings made sure to send the sellout crowd at Little Caesars Arena home with some holiday cheer. 

The Red Wings twice came back from one-goal deficits against the Dallas Stars in the third period to cap the evening with an overtime goal from Dylan Larkin, securing a 4-3 victory and helping to pad their lead in the Atlantic Division standings.

WHAT A WIN IN HOCKEYTOWN! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/7bTPd6DYNo

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

Larkin, who netted the game-tying goal late in the third period, carried the puck in over the Dallas line and fired a wrist shot past goaltender Casey DeSmith, securing the extra point for the Red Wings.

How about a DBOSS OT GWG for Christmas?! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/NtkAkf7fzK

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

The Red Wings opened the scoring thanks to the ninth tally of the season from veteran James van Riemsdyk, who roofed a shot as he's done so many times in his career; the play was set up by a strong drive to the net from Michael Rasmussen. 

The Stars responded with goals in the second period by Roope Hints (power-play) and Jamie Benn, taking a 2-1 lead into the final frame. 

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Rookie Emmitt Finnie, who made the roster thanks to a strong showing in training camp and the preseason, continued his impressive first season by tying the game on the power play just 3:02 into the third period.

Time became a factor for Detroit after the Stars regained a one-goal lead on a power-play marker from Wyatt Johnston.

But, like Dallas, the Red Wings capitalized on their next five-on-four opportunity. Van Riemsdyk delivered a beautiful between-the-legs pass to Larkin, who was left unguarded in the slot, and he buried the game-tying goal at the 15:57 mark of the third period.

In overtime, Larkin scored what was his 20th goal of the campaign and his 11th career overtime game-winner.

Red Wings goaltender John Gibson won his eighth straight start, making 19 saves. DeSmith countered with 21 saves. 

Detroit will now be off through the Christmas break and will next play against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Dec. 27. 

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Raddysh and Alexis Lafreniere scored 66 seconds apart, part of a five-goal third period for the New York Rangers in a 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.

Raddysh scored twice against his former team, and Vincent Trocheck also had two goals. Will Cuylle and Artemi Panarin also scored for New York, which is 14-6-1 on the road this season and 5-10-3 at home.

John Carlson, Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas scored for the Capitals, who are 1-4-2 in their last seven games.

After the Rangers trailed 3-2 entering the third, Raddysh tied it when his backhand effort in close ended up behind goalie Logan Thompson with 11:50 to play. Just over a minute later, Panarin’s shot from near the blue line deflected in off Lafreniere.

Trocheck made it 5-3 with 6:17 left, and Panarin added a goal into an empty net. Then, with the goalie back in, Trocheck scored another.

Raddysh, who scored seven goals for the Capitals last season, received a message on the video board welcoming him back, then opened the scoring later in the first period. It was 1-all in the second when Strome scored after Igor Shesterkin nearly.

After a review, however, it was determined that the puck crossed the goal line, and the Capitals took a 2-1 lead.

Cuylle tied it later in the period, but Protas answered 57 seconds later.

Washington’s Ryan Leonard had two assists in his first game back from an upper-body injury. His face was bloodied on a check from Jacob Trouba in a Dec. 5 game at Anaheim.

Tom Wilson missed the game for the Capitals because of an illness. Rangers assistant coach David Quinn was not behind the bench, also because of an illness.

Up next

Rangers: At the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

Capitals: At the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Pelech scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and the New York Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Simon Holmstrom also scored for the Islanders and David Rittich stopped 28 shots as New York snapped a three-game skid before the NHL enters its three-day holiday break.

Brett Pesce scored for New Jersey in its second straight loss. Jacob Markstrom had 23 saves.

Islanders captain Anders Lee made a cross-ice pass to set up Holmstrom for a one-timer that went wide, and Pelech scored on the rebound with 1:15 remaining.

Holmstrom tied the score with 7:50 left in the second period after capitalizing on a miscue by Markstrom. The Devils’ goaltender left the crease to play the puck in the corner, but a miscommunication with Jonas Siegenthaler allowed the puck to squirt free, and Holmstrom scored into the open net.

Pesce opened the scoring with less than five minutes remaining in the first period with his first goal of the season in his 13th game.

Rittich made a key save on a breakaway by Jack Hughes midway through the second period, preventing New Jersey from extending its lead.

Up next

Devils: Host Washington on Saturday.

Islanders: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday.

The Florida Panthers played their final road game of the 2025 calendar year on Tuesday night in Raleigh.

For the second time in less than a week against Carolina, the Panthers erased a multi-goal third period deficit to pick up a resounding two points over the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, this time skating to a 5-2 victory at Lenovo Center.

It didn’t take long for Carolina to jump out to an early lead.

On a play that started behind the Hurricanes’ net, Joel Nystrom sent a pass about 150 feet down the ice to Sebastian Aho as he entered into Florida’a zone.

Aho stopped at the top of the right circle and dropped a pass to Eric Robinson, and his long wrist shot eluded Sergei Bobrovsky to give Carolina a 1-0 lead just 4:11 into the game.

Florida started the second period on a power play, but that ended up biting them in the backside.

Immediately after Carolina killed off the tripping penalty taken by Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal had the puck on his stick and sprung Svechnikov on a breakaway.

His five hole goal on Bobrovsky put the Hurricanes up 2-0 less than two minutes into the middle frame.

That would be the lead that Carolina carried into the final fame, which as it turns out, had them exactly where the Panthers wanted.

Cats defenseman Niko Mikkola got things started for Florida at the 3:53 mark when his long one-timer that came during a Panthers flurry in the Hurricanes end beat Frederik Andersen gloveside.

Just 2:24 later, a forced turnover by Aaron Ekblad led to Luke Kunin’s second goal of the season, and then exactly 43 seconds after that, a great feed from Sam Reinhart below the goal line found a cutting Anton Lundell, and just like that the Panthers led Carolina 3-2 with exactly 13 minutes to go.

They weren’t done there.

A nasty wrist shot by Sam Bennett from the right circle beat Andersen over the blocker gave the Panthers a two-goal lead just before the midway point of the third period.

Seth Jones capped off the amazing period by the Panthers with a power play goal, his sixth tally of the year, to give Florida a 5-2 lead with 4:39 on the clock.

While the comeback will get much of the attention, Bobrovsky come up with several massive saves that kept the game at 2-0, allowing Florida a chance to make their comeback.

Bob finished with 17 saves, including stops on all four of Carolina’s high danger shots.

Florida has now won eight of their past ten. Not too shabby.

On to the holiday break!

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Photo caption: Dec 23, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) skates with the puck against Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)