For the first time in weeks, it felt like a winning result for the Pittsburgh Penguins was never really in doubt throughout the game. 

And it was certainly a performance that was much-needed.

On Monday, the Penguins made their way to Philadelphia and took care of business against the Flyers with a dominant 5-1 win. The Penguins largely outplayed the Flyers and were bailed out on a few good looks from the opposition by goaltender Tristan Jarry, who put up another outstanding performance, stopping 28 of 29 shots. 

The Flyers had some chances against in the first period, but Jarry came through. And the Penguins broke through on the scoreboard first when - who else - Sidney Crosby scored his 17th goal of the season at the midway point. 

If there was a time in this game where the Penguins played with fire, it was in the early part of the second period. Leading 1-0, Erik Karlsson took a tripping penalty to give the Flyers a power play, and Connor Clifton - back in the lineup for the first time in five games - took an interference penalty 43 seconds later to give Philadelphia the five-on-three for more than a minute.

In the waning seconds of the five-on-three, Tyson Foerster - who was injured shortly after on a shot attempt and did not return - scored to tie the game at 1-1, but before the goal, Kris Letang was called for high-sticking. So the Penguins had to kill off yet another five-on-three right after the goal.

And their penalty kill unit came through. Blake Lizotte, Erik Karlsson, and Parker Wotherspoon were particularly impressive on it, and by limiting the damage on that series of penalties, they were able to seize back the momentum they had prior to the penalties. 

November Penguins' Prospects Update: ForwardsIt's a new season, and&nbsp;<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects are off to a pretty good start this season.

From there, the Penguins completely took over the game. They got a power play shortly after the expiration of Letang's penalty, and Crosby came through with his second tally of the game on a beautiful passing play by Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust, who found Crosby in the slot. Rust added another power play goal - and his third point of the night - near the end of the middle frame on a snipe from the left circle. 

And, from there, the Penguins' pressure never wavered. The Flyers got some chances in the final frame, but their high-danger opportunities were limited by the Penguins' defense. And, when they did get some decent looks, Jarry was there to stop them.

Tommy Novak added his third goal of the season with a little more than six minutes to go - the Penguins' third power play goal of the night - and Kevin Hayes took a perfect stretch pass from Parker Wotherspoon on a breakaway, which he was able to capitalize on to score against his former team and send the Penguins home with the 5-1 win.

BIG HAYESY BRINGING YOU THE BIG MACS! pic.twitter.com/w2xMs4JjbV

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 2, 2025

After one of their worst efforts of the season Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins responded with one of the best of the season Monday.

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Here are a few takeaways from this one:

- It's beyond incredible how much Crosby absolutely terrorizes the Flyers. 

He has more goals (58), assists (78), and points (136) than anyone in NHL history against the Flyers. And you can always tell there's an extra jump in his step when the Penguins play their cross-state rivals, who he once admitted that he didn't like.

The crowd continues to boo him relentlessly, and he continues to score relentlessly. If Crosby played every game against the Flyers, he'd already have a few 200-point seasons under his belt. Probably.

- None of them had a point Monday, but the third line of Ben Kindel, Ville Koivunen, and Rutger McGroarty - recalled Monday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after recording four goals and seven points in five AHL games - was very good in this game. 

They seemed to be generating chances every time they touched the puck. Some rust was evident with McGroarty, as the puck rolled off his stick a few times. But he had some pretty instant chemistry with Kindel, Kindel already had chemistry with Koivunen, and McGroarty and Koivunen developed chemistry last season in WBS that was on display throughout the night.

In particular, I thought Koivunen had a very strong game. He came so, so close to scoring his first NHL goal yet again, and he actually had a wide-open two-on-one opportunity late in the third that he simply fanned on. 

Penguins Recall Two Players from Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonThe Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled two players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

If the "kid line" stays intact and plays the way it did Monday, they're going to be a lot of fun to watch - and they're going to put up some numbers down the road. 

And, don't worry, the goal will come for Koivunen, too. And given how snakebitten he is right now, it will probably be the flukiest goal in NHL history.

- Jarry is making a very good case right now to get the majority of the Penguins' starts. Arturs Silovs has struggled in his last two outings, both of which he needed pulled from. 

Of course, it's way too premature to write off Silovs. Prior to these last two games, he was very good for the most part. But Jarry is helping them win hockey games right now, and with a tough stretch ahead against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, the Dallas Stars on Sunday, and the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, he should get the net for most of the games for the time being.

The Penguins have a lot of goaltending depth, and Jarry knows it. It's nice to see him separating himself, especially after the season he had last year. 

November Penguins' Prospects Update: GoaltendersIt's a new season, and&nbsp;<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects are off to a pretty good start this season.

- Wotherspoon and Karlsson were phenomenal in this game. And, although their assists were gorgeous in this one, I'm speaking more so on the defensive side of things. 

Wotherspoon continues to be a steadying presence on the blue line, and his net-front defense was particularly good Monday. He uses his stick well, and he's not afraid to engage physically, either. He plays such a simple defensive game, and he has been a revelation on that first pairing.

And speaking of simplicity... what a difference a season and a new coaching staff have made for Karlsson. He's legitimately playing defense this season, and a large part of that has been about him simplifying as well. I think Wotherspoon has rubbed off on him a bit in that sense, but I also think he's also just playing within a system that makes a whole lot more sense for him.

He's also been stellar on the penalty kill, which was something almost foreign to him prior to this season. He joked with TSN Saturday that it took 17 years for a coach to figure out that he could kill penalties.

Well, Karlsson is killing penalties. And he's doing a heck of a job with it alongside his defense partner. The two of them have been outstanding for most of this season.

Penguins' Top Prospect Tied For First In NCAA In Points After Another Stellar GamePittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff had another outstanding weekend for Michigan.

- Hayes and Novak have been markedly better in this last handful of games. And, yes, the Penguins are definitely missing Rickard Rakell and Justin Brazeau. 

But they're both doing fine as placeholders and complementary pieces until those guys get back. 

I think the Penguins having an effective third line really makes a difference for the rest of the lineup because there is not as much raw pressure on those guys to perform. Neither of them are trying do too much, and they are benefitting from the Penguins being able to roll four lines.

I think they'll be fine enough to keep in those roles until Rakell and Brazeau return. Then, the lineup can go from there.

- There was a funny little moment post-whistle when Trevor Zegras confronted Penguins' physical defensive defenseman Connor Clifton and tried to fake him out a few times. 

The veteran in Clifton didn't budge. It was cringey yet very funny to watch.

Zegras was out here trying to pump fake Clifton into a penalty 😭 pic.twitter.com/V1eq3LE57M

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 2, 2025

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Tuesday night’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks has taken on added intrigue for the Colorado Avalanche, who return to Ball Arena navigating a wave of illness within the roster and the potential return of one of their marquee players.

Sickness Strikes Colorado

Captain Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Parker Kelly were all sidelined by illness on Monday and consequently absent from practice. MacKinnon, in particular, has been battling symptoms since Saturday, yet still took the ice—under clear physical duress—during Colorado’s 7–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Remarkably, he produced a three-point performance despite feeling unwell, a feat that underscores the extraordinary caliber of his talent. In today’s NHL, where the pace and physical demands are higher than ever, registering even a single point while sick is impressive; doing so three times borders on the exceptional.

You don’t think Landeskog wants a second Stanley Cup?? Watch this.
pic.twitter.com/tpn8XTEYD1

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) November 28, 2025

The Avalanche can only hope that MacKinnon recovers sufficiently to suit up on Tuesday, as his influence on this team is nothing short of indispensable. He currently leads the NHL in goals (20) and points (44), while his 24 assists rank second only to Connor McDavid’s 25. MacKinnon’s torrid pace has placed him firmly in contention for hockey’s rare “Triple Crown,” awarded to the player who finishes the season atop the league in goals, assists, and points. The feat has not been accomplished since 1996, when Mario Lemieux achieved it for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the year before his first retirement.

After a relatively modest start to the season, which included an unusual stretch of four disallowed goals, Landeskog has fully rediscovered his form during his first sustained period of consistent play in three years. Over his last nine games, he has recorded four goals and four assists, reaffirming his status as the emotional backbone of the Avalanche. His absence, should he be unable to play, would be felt as much on the bench as on the ice.

Parker Kelly, meanwhile, has been a welcome revelation. His energy, upbeat temperament, and unexpected aptitude for depth scoring, coupled with his well-known fondness for Taylor Swift’s Fate of Ophelia, have infused the lineup with a refreshing sense of vitality.

Yet the outlook is not wholly discouraging. There is a clear source of optimism: Valeri Nichushkin has removed his red non-contact sweater and participated fully in practice. According to head coach Jared Bednar, there is a chance he could return to the lineup on Tuesday night.

“He’s a possibility for tomorrow if he gets through today okay,” Bednar said.

Nichushkin Ready?

In a straightforward assessment, Nichushkin appeared solid in his return to full practice, although there were moments when he seemed slightly rigid. There may be some understandable hesitation about immediately restoring him to a full workload, yet it is evident that he is very close to returning to genuine game action, which is an encouraging development for the Avalanche.

Good morning from Family Sports Center. Valeri Nichushkin is no longer in a non-contact sweater!#goavsgo#avs@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/Va7GqG211q

— Ryan O'Hara (@OHaraSports) December 1, 2025

The 30-year-old Nichushkin had recorded five goals and seven assists for a total of 12 points in 17 games before sustaining a lower-body injury on November 6 during the Avalanche’s 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The injury occurred early in the third period after he blocked a shot, and he has since missed the last eight games.

Marty Necas and Brock Nelson going back to the fundamentals here early.

Nichushkin skates on by and Gavin Brindley is here as well.

Brindley still appears to be a ways away from returning. Still looks like he’s in clear discomfort.#goavsgo#avs@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/zDtc8iQIUz

— Ryan O'Hara (@OHaraSports) December 1, 2025

Regarding the rest of the injury report, Logan O’Connor remains sidelined with an undisclosed issue that is unrelated to the hip procedure he underwent for the second time during the offseason. Gavin Brindley, meanwhile, skated for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury against the New York Rangers on November 20. Known for his speed and explosive acceleration, Brindley was understandably far from his usual form during the session, indicating that he's likely a ways away from returning to action.

The NHL-leading Avalanche (18-1-6) will attempt to secure a second consecutive victory on Tuesday night when they face Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks (10-13-3), who enter the contest losers of their last two contests. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.

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In what should have been a great moment following a goal, the Philadelphia Flyers saw their emotions quickly fade after an injury occurred on the play.

On Monday night, early in the second period in the Flyers' game against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, Tyson Foerster dropped a bullet of a one-timer on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.

The problem, though, is that Foerster suffered a non-contact injury while taking the shot, crumbling to the ice favoring his right arm before scurrying off the ice down the tunnel in short order.

The 23-year-old had just scored his 10th goal of the season in just 21 games, but ended up throwing his gloves off in the tunnel in frustration.

Roughly 20 minutes after Foerster left the game, the Flyers announced that the winger would not return to Monday night's game with an upper-body injury.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Carter Hart Expected to Make NHL Return This WeekAccording to a report, former <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> goalie Carter Hart will make his return to the NHL and start for the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, marking his first dose of NHL action since January 2024.

If the key top-six forward is to miss any time, the Flyers did just make a roster spot by waiving and subsequently assigning defenseman Adam Ginning to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Considering the earlier talk about recalling Alex Bump from the minors, it would appear the former NCAA star is first in line to jump up to the NHL level in the wake of injury.

In 21 games this season, Foerster has 10 goals, three assists, and 13 points.

The 2025–26 season has not been kind to the Vancouver Canucks, but it’s been even less-so to their AHL-affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Abbotsford went through some pretty sizable changes to their roster during this off-season, moving on from Calder Cup Champions Artūrs Šilovs, Sammy Blais, Phil Di Giuseppe, Tristen Nielsen, Nate Smith, Christian Wolanin, Akito Hirose, Cole McWard, and more via trade and free agency. Fan-favourites Arshdeep Bains, Max Sasson, Linus Karlsson, Aatu Räty, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and more have earned themselves positions with the NHL club, while Guillaume Brisebois and Jett Woo have yet to return to their lineup due to injury. 

With all of this and more in mind, it’s not entirely shocking that Abbotsford currently sits at the bottom of the Pacific Division and near the bottom of the AHL entirely with a record of 4–13–3. The AHL Canucks have had to deal with injuries to not only their own lineup, but Vancouver’s as well (as the Canucks have also played a role in the depletion of Abbotsford’s roster). Here’s a bleak — but optimistic — recap of Abbotsford’s November. 

Stat Leaders 

Team Stats: 

Record: 4–13–3 (T-30th) 

Points%: 0.275% (31st) 

Goals-for: 38 (30th) 

Goals-against: 83 (32nd) 

PP%: 27.9% (4th) 

PK%: 67.7% (32nd) 

Points: 

Ben Berard: 5–7–12

Joseph LaBate: 6–4–10

Sawyer Mynio: 2–7–9

Nils Åman: 1–8–9

Ty Mueller: 3–5–8

Goaltenders: 

Jiří Patera: 2–2–1

Aku Koskenvuo: 1–2–0

Nikita Tolopilo: 1–3–1

C.J. Kier (EBUG): 0–0–0

Jonathan Lemieux: 0–0–1

Ty Young: 0–6–0

Storylines 

The Goaltending Conundrum  

Just as Vancouver had a goaltending conundrum at the start of November, so did Abbotsford. With Thatcher Demko unavailable for the Canucks’ back-to-back at the start of the month, Vancouver ended up recalling Patera under emergency conditions, leaving the AHL Canucks with only Young for their game against the Colorado Eagles on November 7th. As luck would have it, Young sustained an injury that night, resulting in Abbotsford being forced to dress Colorado’s emergency backup goaltender C.J. Kier. 

With Young out, Tolopilo still dealing with an injury, and Patera up with the Canucks, Abbotsford brought both Koskenvuo and Lemieux up from the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings. Interestingly enough, it was Koskenvuo who snapped Abbotsford’s 11-game losing streak in his AHL debut, stopping 33 of 36 shots put on him by the San Jose Barracuda. 

Home-Ice Woes 

Abbotsford has had the most difficult time winning on home-ice since the season started (wins have been hard to come by in general, but at home, they’ve been even more difficult to grab). In eight home games throughout the start to now, the AHL Canucks have only managed one win. They have yet to win at home in regulation. 

While at the newly-named Rogers Forum, Abbotsford has only managed to score 13 goals, averaging out to 1.625 goals scored per home game. They’ve been shut out twice when on home-ice and have scored two goals or less in one game six different times. When it comes to goals-against on home-ice, Abbotsford is tied with the Texas Stars for the fourth-most allowed (38). 

Despite the bleak stats, Abbotsford has one thing going for them while on home-ice — their power play. The AHL Canucks currently lead the AHL in power play percentage while at home with a whopping 42.1%, nearly 10% higher than the next team in this category. With that being said, Abbotsford has also been given the least power play opportunities in the AHL when on home-ice, as they have only received 19 but scored on eight of them. 

Sawyer Mynio Has Had A Solid Start

In times when the AHL Canucks were suffering from roster depletion, it was Mynio who stepped up and provided solid play. With Victor Mancini, Kirill Kudryavtsev, and Tom Willander all on Vancouver’s roster at one point this season, Mynio became the AHL Canucks’ most heavily relied-upon defenceman in both offensive and defensive scenarios (alongside Jimmy Schuldt). 

During this span of time, Mynio was tasked with quarterbacking Abbotsford’s power play while also playing on their penalty kill. All this has occurred while Mynio adjusts to playing on the right-side — a position at which Abbotsford’s depth was paper-thin. For a 20-year-old AHL rookie, Mynio’s accomplishments so far have been impressive, especially considering the circumstances surrounding his team. 

What’s Up With Danila Klimovich? 

Having won the Calder Cup back in June, expectations were mixed for an Abbotsford team that was expected to lose many of their top players to NHL call-ups. That’s one thing that has happened. 

Even so, there’s still one AHL Canuck whose fate remains a bit of a mystery. The 2025–26 season is Klimovich’s fifth in the AHL, as he made the jump to North American pro-hockey immediately after being drafted by Vancouver in 2021. Since then, Klimovich has yet to make his NHL debut, with his entry-level contract being prolonged with every year he spends without making it. 

Last season, Klimovich had looked as though he could be turning a corner after scoring a career-high 25 goals and 13 assists in 65 AHL games played. It was a solid message to send after struggling with injuries the season prior. However, throughout the first two months of the 2025–26 season, Klimovich only has two goals and two assists in 18 games played.

Consistency has been one of, if not the biggest caveat in Klimovich’s game in the past. It appears this could be an issue this season as well. He went scoreless in the first 17 games of the year for Abbotsford, but then exploded for a two-goal performance in their 5–2 win against the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday. While his lack of scoring consistency isn’t particularly for lack of effort, as he has the most shots on net of his team with 39, it’s something to keep an eye on from Klimovich as his fifth AHL season plays out. 

Up Next

After a November that only saw them return to Abbotsford for two homestands, the AHL Canucks will begin December with a four-game home stretch beginning tomorrow, December 2nd, with back-to-back matches against the Calgary Wranglers. They’ll also host their ever-popular Teddy Bear Toss on December 6th and their 5th Anniversary Game on December 7th, both against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The AHL Canucks will return to Abbotsford for one more homestand in December when they take on the Tucson Roadrunners on December 19th and 20th. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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