Category: Sports News

Former Buffalo Sabres goalie Jonas Johansson had a tough night between the pipes for the Tampa Bay Lightning during their Nov. 16 matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. 

Johansson allowed five goals on 17 shots against the Canucks, which equates to a .706 save percentage on the night. After giving up an empty-netter during the third period, the Lightning ended up losing to the Canucks by a 6-2 final score. 

Johansson had his biggest struggles during the third period of this matchup, however. The former Sabres goalie allowed four third-period goals against the Canucks, with three coming in a span of 1:40. With this, it was undoubtedly a rough performance for the former Sabre. 

With this loss, Johansson now has a 3-2-0 record, a .890 save percentage, and a 3.26 goals-against average in six games so far this season with the Lightning. This is after he had a 9-6-3 record, a .895 save percentage, and a 3.13 goals-against average in 19 games for the Bolts in 2024-25. 

Boy, that escalated quickly 😳

The @Canucks have scored three times in 1:40! pic.twitter.com/vEeOtdqmT0

— NHL (@NHL) November 17, 2025

Johansson was selected by the Sabres with the 61st overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. In 13 games with the Sabres from 2019-20 to 2020-21, he posted a 1-8-2 record, a .888 save percentage, and a 3.40 goals-against average. 

As the Montreal Canadiens keep losing players to injury lately, a sizeable portion of the fan base wishes the organization would call up Florian Xhekaj. White, the 21-year-old, had a great training camp and stuck around until the very end; he hasn’t had a good start in the AHL.

This often happens to youngsters who thought they might make the big team, only to land back in the AHL. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a disappointment for them, and that’s understandable, but they’ve got to get over that hump.

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At rookie camp, Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent spoke about the youngest Xhekaj and said he wanted to get him to take the next step this season, after he put up 35 points, including 24 goals, last year.

In 15 games this season, he has only managed to gather four points (two goals and two assists) and has spent much of his time in the bottom six because things weren’t clicking. He did skate on the first line alongside Laurent Dauphin and Alex Belzile on Saturday’s game after Joshua Roy was called up, but that was the exception and not the rule.

Calling up Xhekaj, who had a good training camp despite a bad start to the season in the AHL, would be unfair to the other prospects plying their trade with the Rocket and would send the wrong message. Performance with the Rocket has got to mean something if you want to keep the kids motivated and engaged.

With both Roy and Jared Davidson now up with the Canadiens, Xhekaj will likely end up with more quality ice time, and it’s up to him to make the most of it. Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach are both set to miss significant time, and it’s not set in stone that Roy and Davidson will stay in the NHL for the duration. If they struggle to make an impact, the Habs’ brass could come knocking on the Rocket’s door again, and in case they do, Xhekaj must make the most of his increased role to earn his own opportunity.

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The biggest question facing Maxim Shabanov's return to the New York Islanders' lineup was where he'd play. 

Given the win streak and the strong play of the top nine, it seemed that the only spot for Shabanov to start would be on the fourth line. And that's exactly what happened on Sunday night against the Colorado Avalanche, skating alongside Calum Ritchie and Casey Cizikas. 

Ritchie, who had shown well defensively since being recalled, had not shown much offensively through his first eight games with the Islanders. 

EXCLUSIVE: Calum Ritchie Ready For First Islanders–Rangers Game With Brother In Attendance For First Time Rookie Ritchie faces his first Islanders-Rangers clash as his brother, a fellow hockey player, witnesses him in action for the very first time at the NHL level.

Could Shabanov's offensive instincts and skating help create more for Ritchie in the offensive zone?

While Ritchie didn't record a shot on goal in his 6:54 minutes, a line that eventually was taken out of the rotation with the Islanders in need of a goal -- Shabanov continued to play -- the fourth line played more in the offensive zone than they had previously. 

When he and Ritchie were on the ice (5:13), the Islanders owned a Corsi For% % of 77.78, holding the Avalanche to one shot -- that last goal -- garnering two shots of their own and two scoring chances. 

Despite missing 12 games due to an upper-body injury, Shabanov looked locked in. 

In 9:19 minutes, Shabanov recorded two shots on goal, with three individual scoring chances, two of which were considered high-danger. 

The goal they were on the ice for came in garbage time. 

"I thought he played well," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said of Shabanov. "With the type of injury he had, upper body injury, you're curious to see how someone's going to react to contact because you don't really get hit in the practices. So I thought he didn't shy away from any of that."

Roy was asked postgame how he saw Ritchie and Casey Cizikas feed off Shabanov?

"I thought they had good buzz," Roy said. "And, when they were out there, I thought that they possessed the puck. I thought they had a great game, the three together."

The Islanders' fourth line had an identity for ages and this current iteration of the bottom three has struggled to find their game consistently, regardless of who has been on the line. 

Every team is at their best when they can roll four lines and with Cizikas-Ritchie-Shabanov is the fastest version of this fourth line that we have seen so far. 

We'll see if Roy tweaks his lines ahead of their Tuesday night showdown with the Dallas Stars, but if not, look for that threesome, particularly Shabanov and Ritchie, to build on their performance against Colorado. 

Home ice DIS-ADVANTAGE continues to plague the Rangers and nobody has yet figured the how and why of it, although The Maven has a couple of clues: 

1. LAZINESS: How else can one explain being outshot 42-19 at home?

2. They got their dough, "No Trade" contracts. Why worry? 

Losing 2-1 to Detroit last night stretches the Rangers wretched MSG record to a Theater Of The Absurd 1-7-1.

And most embarrassing of all was that ancient Jonathan Quick was so superior in the Blueshirt nets, he was awarded second star of the game. He should have been the first star.

Or. as captain J.T. Miller put it, "Quickie was fantastic." Then, a pause and the Blueshirt understatement of the month: "We just didn't get into our game."

Late in the game. Detroit's Lucas Raymond put away the winner, circling the net from right to left and then emerging in front to find a wide opening as the New York defenders looked like they were at a downhome camp meeting.

Writing in The Post, Howie Kussoy put it best: "The Rangers looked like the team that got off to the worst start in franchise history."

Figuring out the Rangers home malaise would require about two dozen shrinks and five dozen Ouija Boards. But consider the following and why the New Yorkers should have won.

Once one of the NHL's most storied franchises, the Red Wings dismally have missed the playoffs an extraordinary nine successive seasons. 

Rangers Lose To Red Wings In Mike Sullivan's Absence Despite Heroic Performance From Jonathan QuickThe New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> faltered down the stretch, losing 2-1 to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night, which snapped a three-game winning streak.&nbsp;

A tenth is in the cards since the best GM Steve Yzerman has his players stuck with are two over-the-hill goaltenders, 32-year-old John Gibson and 38-year-old Cam Talbot. Credit

Talbot last night for doing what he had to do making 18 saves. Actually the really good news is that the Blueshirts have excelled on the road although this time they won't be facing  Humpty-Dumpty skaters.

The Blueshirts hit the road with games tomorrow in Vegas, Thursday in Colorado and Saturday at Salt Lake City, before returning Thanksgiving Eve against St. Louis.

"It's fair to say that such a road trip will be the first genuine test of how the Rangers can fare against elite teams like the Avs and Knights," says The Old Scout. "But so far, so good."

Good thing is that they're not home games!

The Detroit Red Wings' 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday night produced a viral moment after a late game empty net attempt by Detroit forward Mason Appleton sparked a chaotic scrum at Madison Square Garden.

Appleton, playing in just his 19th game with Detroit since being acquired earlier this season, tried to score into the empty net before time expired but his attempt came a few seconds too late. Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick did not appreciate the effort and immediately chased after Appleton from the bench. As the final horn sounded, both teams spilled onto the ice and collided in a massive scrum in the Rangers end with every player involved.

Some fans felt Quick overreacted given that only seconds remained and that Appleton was simply trying to finish the game for his team. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman weighed in on the confrontation and said he loved seeing that level of emotion.

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

"This isn't very 21st Century male of me, I think the league misses this stuff, I loved it," Friedman explained. He also spoke about Quick as a player and person at age 39, saying his longevity comes from more than talent alone. "I think the NHL would be better off if you had more guys like that, I loved it, I loved him charging off the bench like I don't even care who he plays for, it's got nothing to do with the teams. It's all about nope, not doing that, I loved it. Loved it. If every guy cared about their team as much as quick did there, the league would be a better place."

"Best Overall Team Game": Todd McLellan Loves What He Saw From Red Wings In 2-1 Win Following the Detroit Red Wings' 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday evening, head coach Todd McLellan said he believed it was their best overall team game of the season.

Beyond the chaos, Detroit earned a hard fought win. Lucas Raymond scored the game winning goal in the third period after Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring earlier. Goaltender Cam Talbot faced only 19 shots and stopped 18 thanks to strong defensive play in front of him. Quick was the busiest player on the ice, making 40 saves on 42 shots in an impressive effort that ultimately was not enough.

The Red Wings now head back to Detroit to get ready for Tuesday’s meeting with the Seattle Kraken.

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The Montreal Canadiens have made a roster move ahead of their Nov. 17 matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets, as defenseman Marc Del Gaizo has been recalled from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket. 

The Canadiens also confirmed that Del Gaizo will be joining the team for their matchup against the Blue Jackets. 

Del Gaizo has been called up to the NHL roster before, but he still has not made his Canadiens regular-season debut. Instead, he has played in 11 games this season with Laval, where he has recorded four assists, six penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating. 

Les Canadiens ont rappelé le défenseur Marc Del Gaizo du Rocket de Laval. Il rejoindra l'équipe à Columbus.

The Canadiens have recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from the Laval Rocket. He will join the team in Columbus. pic.twitter.com/0PDOiwcV3o

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 17, 2025

Del Gaizo has played in 55 career NHL games over two seasons, where he has posted two goals, 10 assists, 12 points, and a minus-1 rating. The majority of his NHL experience came this past season with the Nashville Predators, however, as he had two goals, seven assists, and nine points in 46 games with the Central Division club.