Category: Sports News

After blowing a 2-0 lead, the New York Islanders recovered to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout. David Rittich, in his fifth straight start, denied all three shots he faced in the shootout, with Bo Horvat scoring the shootout winner:

Winner, winner, 🐓dinner. ##isles win. Horvat SO winner🚨 pic.twitter.com/mDcaisRWc8

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) December 31, 2025

Here's how the game happened: 

After serving as a healthy scratch on Sunday, Calum Ritchie got off to a hot start. He scored the fifth goal of the season at 2:56 of the first period after a strong feed from Simon Holmstrom:

Cal Ritchie. 1-0 #Islespic.twitter.com/6G5SVz9cVX

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) December 31, 2025

Holmstrom has eight points (four goals, four assists) over his last nine games. 

Horvat doubled the Islanders' lead at 12:08 of the second, on the power play, after he rifled a Mathew Barzal feed from the bumper spot for his 21st of the season:

Horvat. 2-0 #Islespic.twitter.com/y1MJEv4P4i

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) December 31, 2025

On the goal, Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer recorded the secondary assist, becoming the youngest defensman in NHL history to reach that milestone at 18 years and 116 days:

But, then the Blackhawks came back to tie it. 

First, it was Teuvo Teravainen who beat Rittich short side off an offensive zone face-off win at 15:31 of the second:

NHL Nick Lardis is 🤌🔥🤩👏 pic.twitter.com/DPwwqktbVX

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 31, 2025

Then, with three seconds to play in the second, Nick Lardis scores while the Islanders were trying to kill off a double-minor high-sticking penalty to Bo Horvat:

when you realize you have 3 seconds left on the clock⏱️ pic.twitter.com/MgAtaZFsqx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 31, 2025

UP NEXT: The Islanders host the Utah Mammoth on New Year's Day at 3 PM ET. 

The Montreal Canadiens picked up a big 3-2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 30. With it, the Canadiens now have a 21-12-6 record and are three points ahead of the Panthers in the Atlantic Division standings. 

Noah Dobson certainly played a role in the Canadiens' win over the Panthers, as he had a strong night. The 25-year-old blueliner picked up two assists in the contest, with one coming from Nick Suzuki's overtime goal. 

This is just the latest strong game from Dobson, as he has been on fire as of late. Over his last four games, the right-shot defenseman has recorded two goals and eight points. With this, there is no question that he has been playing some great hockey for the Canadiens. 

Due to his hot stretch of play, Dobson now has seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points in 39 games so far this season with the Canadiens. With this, it is very clear that the 2018 first-round pick has been making a major impact for the Habs this season. Furthermore, the Canadiens' decision to acquire Dobson is only continuing to look better because of how well he is playing.

The Canadiens needed a highly impactful right-shot defenseman, and Dobson has been just that for them. It will be fascinating to see how he builds on his strong season from here, but the Canadiens clearly made the right call acquiring him from the New York Islanders this summer. 

Former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner had a tough start to his Pittsburgh Penguins tenure. The 27-year-old netminder lost each of his first three games with the Penguins and had a below .870 save percentage in each of them. 

While Skinner did not have the hottest of starts with the Penguins, it is fair to say that the former Oilers goalie has officially broken the ice with Pittsburgh.

During the Penguins' Dec. 30 contest against the Carolina Hurricanes, Skinner stepped up in a major way. The Edmonton, Alberta native stopped 27 out of 28 shots he faced against the Hurricanes, which equates to a .964 save percentage. With this strong performance, Skinner also picked up his first win as a member of the Penguins. 

Due to his excellent play between the pipes against the Hurricanes, Skinner was named the First Star of the Game. It is understandable, as he undoubtedly played a major role in the Penguins picking up two points against a very good Hurricanes club. 

With his strong game against the Hurricanes, Skinner now has a 1-3-0 record, a .869 save percentage, and a 3.36 goals-against average in four games with the Penguins since being traded by the Oilers. 

In 197 games over six seasons with the Oilers, Skinner posted a 109-62-18 record, a .904 save percentage, and a 2.74 goals-against average. 

ST. LOUIS – When Otto Stenberg was recalled by the St. Louis Blues from Springfield of the American Hockey League on Dec. 15, there was no guarantee how much, or how little, the first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft would play.

Or stay in St. Louis for his first NHL stint.

But there was a good scouting report by Blues coaches for the work that the 20-year-old had put in during training camp, that they were quite comfortable in utilizing the forward as much as possible, and in most situations.

He came up due to a rash of injuries among the forward group, and now that three of them (Alexey Toropchenko, Jordan Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud) have returned to the lineup, one had to wonder if Stenberg’s stint would be a short one.

But now that Pius Suter (high ankle sprain) is sidelined and will be reevaluated in four weeks, Stenberg’s tenure is likely to last at least that long. And the only reason we bring him up as a candidate to return to the AHL when numbers get crowded is due to his waiver-exempt status.

But Suter’s versatility of playing in a plethora of situations will be a challenge. However, Stenberg, who picked up an assist on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres setting up Brayden Schenn’s goal in the first period and now has four assists in his first six games of his NHL career, has made quite the favorable impression that coach Jim Montgomery has a trustworthy option to use in a lot of Suter’s spots.

“He continues on his path that he’s trending on, yeah, he’s going to get the opportunity because his stick is in the right position, he stops in the right spots, he doesn’t get below pucks,” Montgomery said of Stenberg. “He’s someone that’s developing that skill and that the coaches are seeing.”

It’s quite remarkable to see that Stenberg looks quite comfortable in his own skin at this level. He doesn’t look overwhelmed, he reads the game well, it’s not too fast for him, he’s not intimidated, and teammates are putting him in positions to succeed, and most importantly, vice versa.

It’s been mentioned enough that Stenberg doesn’t cheat the game, and his stick work may be some of the finest the Blues have on this current roster already.

“I think it's been when I got a bit older and started talking about those details with sticks and everything,” Stenberg said. “I would say the year after I got drafted, I talked a lot to ‘Steener’ in Sweden when he was the development guy there. He talked a lot about sticks and stuff. Maybe a little bit from there, I just think about it more. I would say like before that, I don’t think I ever think about how I should position my stick. Yeah, maybe start thinking about it more and more there and just try to read what the guy with the puck is going to do and then you can put your stick on your reads.”

Suter is one of the top penalty killers for the Blues, and when one talks of players with good stick positioning on the ice, on the penalty kill is essential, and Stenberg has already seen his ice time there increase.

“Yeah of course (it’s paid off),” Stenberg said. “(Steen) was a good player when he played. He had a lot of good things to tell me and even like last year and this year, we talked to all the development guys and coaches, they helped me with that and everything. It's good.”

Stenberg made his NHL debut Dec. 17 against the Winnipeg Jets and the Stenungsund, Sweden native, who started that game on the fourth line, has moved up and down and utilized wherever needed. His trust has not gone unnoticed, and that’s why he’s playing more up the lineup; he was on a line with fellow 2023 first-round pick Dalibor Dvorsky and 2022 first-round pick Snuggerud on Tuesday ahead of a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

“In the offensive zone, you’re not going to get caught on the wrong side of pucks,” Montgomery said of Stenberg. “Like if two guys are low, he’s not diving in as the third guy. I think there’s a lot more offensive upside to Stenberg as he continues to get comfortable at this level, but going back, I think he has a lot more similar details, penalty kill and in the D-zone as Suter does.”

That’s why he feels he can replace all those elements while Suter is out.

“Yeah, I think so,” Stenberg said. “Just continue to play my game and play the way I've played the last five games and try to play good in D-zone and start making more plays and doing more and more with the puck. Start in the right end and just play my game. I hope so.”

A great example of why his offense can come around the more repetitions he gets is after that nice touch pass to Schenn on his goal Monday, look where Stenberg immediately goes: right to the net waiting for that rebound:

For the second straight game, Brayden Schenn has the Blues' first goal. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/arjUrJzbyC

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 30, 2025

"In the beginning, you want to play good defense and show the coach that he can trust you,” Stenberg said. “After that, I think you can start to make more and more plays, but still be smart and make good plays. I can try more and more, some more offense, yeah.”

There was a play in the third period Monday when the Blues were down 3-2, and Stenberg and Robert Thomas nearly hooked up for what would have been a really nice tying goal that Stenberg just missed when Thomas tried to slide a pass to him on the left post.

"I would like him to be a little further wide," Montgomery said after the game. "When you drive back post, it means you're outside back post. It gives you more to shoot at, but I just like the fact that he jumped on a shorthanded situation. Thomas actually said, 'Hey, we're going to go for it here,' before they went out. And 'Tommer' made a great play, but if he's a little more backdoor, I think he has time to see it come through and then he's outside the goalie's pad, and that's something we'll continue to work on with everyone.

Including Stenberg, who once he develops those offensive instincts, he can ask himself if he can be a top six player.

“I hope so. That's the goal,” Stenberg said. “I think I've said it before, I think I can play a lot of different roles on a team. That's a good thing for me. I will play where the coach wants me and I think I can do well on every line.”

Blues At World Junior Championship 2026 (Dec. 29): Jiricek Scores Highlight-Reel, OT Winner For Czechia; Sweden Wins Again, Harenstam Gets BreatherDefenseman, 2024 first-round pick's between-the-legs goal draws jaw drops and open eyes from all parts

Colten Ellis Grateful For Time In St. Louis Blues Organization; Goalie Is Stoked To Be In NHL With Buffalo SabresGrateful for his Blues development, Ellis embraces his NHL opportunity, seizing his Sabres chance despite a recent injury setback. "When they told me I was going on waivers, I know that’s a process, I really didn’t know what to expect."

Another St. Louisan To Play Meaningful Game In Hometown For Sabres, Josh Dunne Joins Prestigious ListSabres forward hails from O'Fallon, Mo., has played here in past but only in preseason games

Suter Sidelined At Least Four Weeks With Ankle InjuryBlues center was hurt in third period of 3-2 win against Predators on Saturday despite returning to game

Blues Will Ride Whoever The Hot Goalie Is ... For NowJoel Hofer heats up, earning consecutive starts. The Blues are riding his hand, for now, as their goalie rotation shifts.

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Flyers pick up win No. 20 to give Tocchet victorious trip back to Vancouver originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

In Rick Tocchet’s return to Vancouver, British Columbia, the Flyers made him a winner as they beat the Canucks, 6-3, Tuesday night at Rogers Arena.

Noah Cates, Carl Grundstrom, Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink, Owen Tippett and Christian Dvorak all found the back of the net for the Flyers. The goals from Tippett and Dvorak were empty-netters.

Cates (one goal, one assist), Konecny (one goal, one assist), Brink (one goal, one assist), Matvei Michkov (two assists) and Trevor Zegras (two assists) had multi-point efforts.

The Flyers (20-11-7) picked up their 20th win in Game 38 of the season. It’s the quickest they’ve gotten to 20 wins since 2019-20, when they did it in 36 games. That season was the last time the team made the playoffs.

Tocchet’s club rebounded from a 4-1 loss Sunday night to the Kraken. The Flyers have dropped consecutive games in regulation only once under his guidance (Nov. 1-2).

Tocchet left Vancouver in the offseason before becoming the Flyers’ new head coach. He had spent parts of the last three seasons there, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2023-24.

The Flyers beat the Canucks (16-20-3) for the second time in a little over a week. They took care of Vancouver, 5-2, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in their final home game before the holiday break.

• Dan Vladar matched his career high with win No. 14.

The free-agent signing made 32 saves on 35 shots.

The Canucks’ third goal came with just 1:44 minutes left in the action while the Flyers had a commanding lead.

Vancouver netminder Thatcher Demko stopped 27 of the Flyers’ 31 shots.

On Brink’s goal early in the third period, Michkov skillfully executed a 2-on-1. It was a huge play because the Canucks had just trimmed the Flyers’ lead to 3-2.

• After a poor start in which they were thoroughly outplayed, the Flyers were able to tie things up at 1-1 thanks to Cates’ goal.

With around eight minutes left in the first period, Michkov made a nice play to set up a shot from Cates. Konecny had a good hit at the defensive blue line 15 seconds before the goal to help spring the Flyers.

The Flyers’ alternate captain really played like a leader. His hit seemed to stem the tide and he then buried his goal on a great second effort around the net to cushion the Flyers’ lead to 3-1 in the middle stanza.

• When Tyson Foerster went down at the start of this month with a season-ending injury, the big storyline was who would step up in his absence? Well, how about the guy that was called up for him?

That ended up being Grundstrom, who has played like he doesn’t want to go back down. The veteran winger has scored a goal in four straight games and has seven over 11 games since his call-up.

Grundstrom has really opened eyes in just 12 games with the Flyers. He had three goals in 56 games all of last season with the Sharks. The 28-year-old was placed on waivers and sent to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley after being acquired in the Ryan Ellis trade just four days before the season.

• The Flyers are right back at it Wednesday when they visit the Flames for a New Year’s Eve matchup (9:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned forward John Leonard to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on Tuesday. The move was widely anticipated, as Patrick Kane is set to return from injury, leaving limited roster spots available.

Leonard did everything he could to secure his place with the Red Wings, tallying four points in seven games, including a three-game point streak during his stint in Detroit. This marked Leonard’s first NHL action since the 2023-24 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Over parts of five NHL seasons, the 27-year-old has recorded 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 77 games.

Before being called up, Leonard was one of the most dangerous forwards in the AHL, racking up 19 goals and ten assists for 29 points in just 20 games with the Griffins this season. He is currently tied for eighth in league scoring, ranks second in goals, and leads the league in game-winning goals.

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

1:05 in, Leonard has his first as a Red Wing! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dcMD3pSKMb

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

Leonard’s stellar play earned him the AHL Player of the Month award for November, when he recorded 16 points in only ten games. A sixth-year professional, Leonard also made a significant impact in the postseason last year, helping the Charlotte Checkers reach the Calder Cup Finals with 14 points in 18 playoff games.

With Kane’s return, Leonard will now rejoin the Griffins, where he has continued to be a key offensive force and a player to watch for future NHL opportunities.

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For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.