Category: Sports News

A chance to get back to .500 for the first time since the seventh game of the season, the St. Louis Blues put on a display once again that’s been an all-too-familiar theme this season.

Consistency is inconsistency for them, and it showed again against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday despite a recent stretch of better play.

The Lightning scored on the first shift of the game and were really never threatened despite putting up just 17 shots on goal in a rather easy 4-1 victory over the Blues at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Justin Faulk scored the lone Blues goal and Jordan Binnington, although he didn’t see a ton of work, was the victim of three deflected goals in the game as the Blues, who beat the Florida Panthers 6-2 to open the two-game swing, now head into the Christmas break at 14-16-8 after wrapping up a stretch of 11 games in 19 days; the Lightning are 20-13-3.

Let’s get into game observations:

* Another bad first shift to open a game – I’m not even going to go back over the 38 games the Blues have played, because there have been multiple occasions where they’ve either allowed a goal in the first minute of a period or last minute.

It’s part of the reason why this team’s record is what it is, but it happened exactly a week ago Monday, and it was the top line on the ice again not locked in and not ready to start a game.

It was the Nashville Predators that scored 27 seconds into what would be a 5-2 loss, and on Monday, it was the Lightning scoring 21 seconds in to grab a 1-0 lead, a deflection by Pontus Holmberg, and once again, it’s the opposition getting a puck in, and the Blues not outworking them to move out of the zone.

With a puck behind the net, it gets worked back to the right point along the wall that Darren Raddysh does just enough to keep it alive in the zone, and Cam Fowler is following Holmberg to the slot area but instead of getting a body on him or tying up his stick, he lifts his stick enough that Holmberg is able to redirect the puck past Binnington, who’s going from his left to right, and in:

Pontus sounds a quick horn 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ia2PQMymmt

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 23, 2025

The Lightning came right out and supported one another on the opening shift and it was a precursor of what was to come for 60 minutes in this game.

* A missed zone exit essentially ended the game – Down a goal, the Blues had life. When it was 2-0, the sense was the next goal would be the one that would determine if it would be a game or a rout.

When Faulk scored, it made it a game. Now the details would really need to be honed in on.

But that was exactly what didn’t happen when Logan Mailloux’s transition of a puck went right through Pavel Buchnevich for a turnover, Raddysh turned it into a quick shot to the goal that was tipped down and in by Anthony Cirelli at 8:01 of the second, or 1:18 after Faulk scored, to wipe out the momentum built and restore Tampa’s lead back to two at 3-1:

Another 🍎 for Raddy pic.twitter.com/oUX77LEeVS

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 23, 2025

It’s just an error that can’t happen there. And it was an outlet that wasn’t one that Buchnevich couldn’t handle. It was right there, and he didn’t handle it cleanly and seconds later, it’s 3-1.

But quite simply, good teams make that simple play. End of story. These simple blunders have happened far too often this season, and the way the Lightning were playing, it was going to be hard-pressed to try and overcome a second two-goal deficit.

* Faulk’s goal should have been the pivotal one to make it a game – The defenseman’s team-tying 10th goal came off a nice rush down the lefthand side by Tyler Tucker, who fed Otto Stenberg for a quick shot that Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped, but Tucker retrieved the loose puck and fed Faulk for the one-time rip from neat the Blue line at 6:43 of the second and made it a 2-1 game:

Justin Faulk has his 10th goal of the season already. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/6ZJMlQB1vP

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 23, 2025

The Blues came out with more juice in the second period and it showed with the momentum they thought they had gained, until the defensive zone blunder that wiped out that momentum quickly.

* Too many penalties/penalty kill slipping – In falling behind 2-0, the Blues were on the kill three times in the opening period, and Mailloux’s slashing penalty led to Raddysh’s goal that caromed off the shin of Faulk at 9:12:

Solid choice!https://t.co/4Mg41yZ39L

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 23, 2025

But the problem was the Blues’ penalty killers simply did not retrieve pucks. Tampa was able to retrieve shot attempts six(!) times and eventually, tired, weary legs will give way and when the puck for to Raddysh in the slot between the tops of the circles, his one-timer appeared to be going wide but caromed in off Faulk.

They would allow a second man-advantage goal in the third period from Oliver Bjorkstrand at 5:36 that made it 4-1 on a bad call on Mailloux for holding, but the PK has not allowed four goals the past three games and six in the past six.

And think of it, it could have been worse in the first had Binnington not robbed Declan Carlisle at 4:15 of an absolutely wide open net at the time:

This save was insane. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/cBVUmMnajb

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 23, 2025

That’s what I’m saying about Binnington, he didn’t see a lot of work, but the shots he saw were Grade A shots or deflections as a result of Tamps getting bodies to the net.

* When will the power play just shoot pucks? – The Blues came in 19th on the power play, which isn’t terrible but isn’t in the upper half of the league either.

They went 0-for-2 for the game and are now 2-for-19 the past seven games. And a large culprit, a lack of shooters on each unit. Seems the players on the ice want to pass pucks in instead of either funneling them to the net and simply being selfish and just unloading a shot.

The Blues came in averaging just over two shot attempts per power play and had just two shots on goal in two opportunities. Again, that simply won't cut it.

* The Blues not will be off for four days before playing again on Saturday, the start of four out of five home games against the Predators for the third time this month.

“We feel like we’re building as a team, we’re playing more consistent, but at the end of the day tonight we weren’t good enough.”

Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk and Jim Montgomery speak to the media after Monday’s game in Tampa. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/mTNENmUTJI

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 23, 2025

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Who could have guessed that all it was going to take for the Pittsburgh Penguins to climb their way out of an eight-game skid was a milestone, a shootout, and a dream?

Well, all of that came together in dramatic fashion Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens. Not only did they secure a much-needed win, their captain also made history with his biggest career accomplishment to date. 

The Penguins defeated the Canadiens, 4-3, in a dramatic shootout victory that was led by Arturs Silovs - who has, all season long, struggled immensely in shootouts, and sparked by Sidney Crosby, who accomplished a major feat early on in the game and set the tone for the remainder of it. 

With a first period goal - then a power play assist - Crosby tied then subesequently broke Mario Lemieux's all-time franchise record for points, earning his 1,723rd then his 1,724th. The crowd went berserk, the bench cleared to mob their captain, and the moment inspired this teammates the rest of way. 

Simply put, the Penguins refused to lose this hockey game. They could have. Several times. But they had every intention of winning it so they could finally break their skid and so that Crosby could actually enjoy his moment.

"That's a huge day for us, you know?" Silovs said. "Sid did an amazing job breaking a franchise record. Like, you don't see that every day. Fantastic player. And managing to win as a team effort, that's like a cherry on top. I think that's a great day to play hockey."

BREAKING: Sidney Crosby Breaks Mario Lemieux's Franchise Record To Become Penguins' All-Time Leader In PointsPittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby has broken a once-unbreakable Mario Lemieux franchise record

Montreal got off to a good start in this one, and Oliver Kapanen broke through first with his 11th goal of the season seven and a half minutes in to give the Habs a 1-0 lead. But, instead of reeling, the Penguins - and Crosby - answered back pretty much right away.

27 seconds after Kapanen's goal, the Penguins' first line - with Rickard Rakell back on it - was pushing in the offensive zone. Crosby took a shot at the net that ended up back on Erik Karlsson's stick at the point, and Karlsson recognized a wide-open Crosby in the low-slot area. He fed Crosby one of his patented shot-passes, and Crosby didn't miss on the redirection. 1-1, and Crosby tied Lemieux with his 20th goal of the season. 

And the big moment came a little less than five minutes later. 

Rookie forward Rutger McGroarty drew a tripping penalty on Adam Engstrom, and the Penguins headed to the power play. They got set up and in the offensive zone and were cycling, and Crosby slapped a puck toward the net from the left circle that hit Bryan Rust. The puck trickled over to Rakell on the other side of the blue paint, and he put it home - giving Crosby the secondary apple and the point that put him alone at the top of the Penguins' all-time scoring list. 

SIDNEY CROSBY HAS DONE IT! 🤯

HE NOW HAS THE MOST POINTS IN PENGUINS HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/OtFkG5odqe

— NHL (@NHL) December 22, 2025

"I think, in the moment, we were just trying to score," Rust said. "I saw Raks score, went to go celebrate with him, and then it kind of clicked. It's cool. Obviously, it's a humongous moment for him, for this organization, and I couldn't be happier for him."

Crosby knew it was only a matter of time before he reached the big moment, and it had certainly been challenging over the past handful of games. 

"It's kind of mixed emotions because that number, I've been hanging around," Crosby said. "The hockey gods made me earn it, I feel like, the last few games. But just to get the win, to get a win in a shootout, it all kind of lined up well tonight."

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.

Unfortunately, the Canadiens tied things up early in the second period courtesy of rookie Ivan Demidov, who registered his eighth goal of the season. There was some back-and-forth action to follow, and - just past the midway point of the period - Kris Letang was behind his own goal line, and he airmailed a Murphy dump to a breaking Noel Acciari in the offensive zone. From the left circle, Acciari sniped a top-shelf wrister past Habs' goalie Jakub Dobes to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead heading into the third. 

TOP SHELF WHERE MAMA HIDES THE COOKIES! 🍪 pic.twitter.com/0NimrMBXuB

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 22, 2025

The third period has been a nightmare for the Penguins of late, as they have surrendered more leads than they can count. It happened again on Sunday, as Noah Dobson put home a backhander from the slot to tie the game again. The Penguins - and Silovs - responded well, but neither team could finish. 

Then, in overtime - where the Penguins are 0-3 this season - Pittsburgh really tempted fate. Montreal controlled possession for nearly the entire extra frame and hit two posts, but Silovs also made some saves to keep the Penguins' hopes alive. Somehow, they escaped overtime only to go to a shootout, where things have been even worse this season.

The Penguins were 0-5 in shootouts going into this one. They had only three shootout goals on the season, and Silovs had only made one shootout save. The odds were stacked against them, and they certainly knew that. 

After Eighth Straight Loss, Where Do The Penguins Go From Here?The Pittsburgh Penguins are at a crossroads after their 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, which handed them their eighth straight loss. What's next for the organization?

So, in response, they changed things up. Instead of trotting out the standard shootout lineup of Bryan Rust, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang, they tried something else. They first sent out Kevin Hayes, who placed a soft shot over the right shoulder of Dobes and into the net. Then, Silovs made a save on Alexandre Texier. Crosby was stopped. Cole Caufield scored on Silovs.

And this is another area where the Penguins are sure glad to have Rakell back, as he has scored at over a 40 percent clip for his career in the shootout. Rakell came in slowly and meandered from the right side, dragging and showing forehand until the last second, when he deked backhand and found space between Dobes's right arm and his body to put it home. 

That's some smooth moves, Rickard Rakell! 😎 pic.twitter.com/0wvfWNqvoC

— NHL (@NHL) December 22, 2025

Silovs - with the game in his hands - was up to the task on Nick Suzuki, who he stymied with the left pad. He dropped to one knee and did an uppercut in celebration, and the Penguins' shootout curse was finally lifted. 

"It means a lot because we haven't done it yet," head coach Dan Muse said. "Honestly, you know, it's a matter of time. It's been a tough couple weeks. It's been tough, and you go back, and every game's been a little bit different. But it is. It just f---ing wears on you, and obviously, when you go through these types of stretches, that's just the reality of it. They're hard, and it's emotional.

"But these guys care. They care a lot. They want to win, and they're going to win. And, so, you have a stretch like this... I think it was only fitting that we kind of come out of a tough couple of weeks with a shootout win."

All in all, the win was a full-team effort. The Penguins, again, refused to lose this game, and they were able to give Crosby some space to celebrate his special night. 

The Penguins NEEDED Sunday's Win And They Got ItThe Pittsburgh Penguins needed a win in the most significant way, and they secured it.

But, most importantly, it's wins like this that can be a catalyst for a struggling team. Just as the loss that resulted from a shorthanded goal by the Anaheim Ducks with 0.1 seconds on the clock back on Dec. 9 could have defined their season, a cathartic win that came together the way it did on Sunday can also define a season. And the Penguins are hoping that it's the start of better days to come. 

"It's huge," Crosby said. "I mean, you look at how close the standings are, and those points are massive. So, hopefully this gets us over the hump."

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