Worldwide Sports News

The Buffalo Sabres lost yet again Monday night in Calgary, falling in a 7-4 blowout to the Flames – one of the worst teams in the NHL The loss cemented Buffalo’s place as the worst team in the Eastern Conference with an 11-14-4 record. The Sabres are now four standings points behind the 14th and 15th-place teams in the East (the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators) – and those two teams have a game in hand on Buffalo. 

The future is looking bleak for this Sabres team, and by the time their current road trip ends on Sunday, Buffalo could have its Stanley Cup aspirations all but buried for the 15th straight season. So, the question becomes -- what’s next? 

To wit: Is Sabres ownership going to fire GM Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff, and start over for the umpteenth time? Will whomever is running things take a scalpel to the roster, or will they blow things and look at moving heretofore untouchables?

We’ve already gone on record stating that the Sabres should be ready to trade starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as soon as possible, but what about stars Tage Thompso, Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch, does anyone have the right to feel like they deserve to be untouchable? We’re not here to lay Buffalo’s struggles at the feet of any one player, but we’re also not here to absolve anyone of anything, either.

Slumping Sabres Should Be Trading This Goaltender As Soon As PossibleThe Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the standings yet again, and they need to start making trades. And there's one goalie in particular who they need to deal -- and they need to deal them now.

What do you think? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section. The commenters with the most intriguing trade proposals and thoughts on who is to blame for where Buffalo is in the standings could be used in a future THN.com Sabres column. 

But for now, it’s safe to say that Buffalo fans are enraged to the gills. Once again, the Sabres are proving that they don’t know how to win. And because of that fact, it’s time to take away the keys from Adams, and it’s time to make major roster moves to this Buffalo group. There can be no more excuses, only consequence

 

It was a play you don’t see very often in the National Hockey League.

In the first period of the Senators’ 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Canadian Tire Centre Tuesday night, winger Drake Batherson was down below the goal line, behind the Devils’ net, when the puck squirted toward him.

Instinctively, he tried to control the puck with his right skate. The puck then caromed off his blade toward the front of the net. However, because of where Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom was set up, the puck deflected off him and into the net.

Batherson and the Senators celebrated, but when the goal went to review, it was ruled that he had kicked the puck into New Jersey's net, or by letter of the law, he had "made a distinct kicking motion."

Drake Batherson went over to plead his case with Jamie McLennan after his goal was called off for kicking the puck 😂 pic.twitter.com/NqxAFnZpAS

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 10, 2025

Sens Nation cried foul from several perspectives.

First, and this is the most obvious point, they believed there was no distinct kicking motion at all. Batherson had only turned his skate and redirected the puck, which players are allowed to do, even when scoring goals.

Second, they argued it wasn’t an attempt to score. So even if there was a distinct kicking motion, those are allowed all over the ice, as long as you're not trying to score. It happens all the time, whether a player is passing to a teammate, or trying to clear the zone when they've lost their stick.

Batherson was down below the goal line, and it would have been an incredible display of mental processing and skill for him to be able to read the puck coming, know exactly where the goalie is, then intentionally punt a one timer in off Markstrom.

And every kicking motion has to have a follow through, right? Batherson somehow managed to pull this off without his skate ever moving in the goalie's direction. It only ever moved toward the area behind the net.

"If they see my soccer game off the ice, that would definitely have counted," Batherson told the media. "Because I couldn't try to do that if I wanted to, but it's the way it goes.

What do you think? Should Batherson’s goal have counted or not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

With Jason Zucker set to miss time due to injury, the Buffalo Sabres have now called up one of their promising forward prospects.

The Sabres have announced that they have recalled winger Isak Rosen from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. In addition Rosen was immediately put into the lineup for the Sabres against the Edmonton Oilers.

Seeing Rosen get another chance on the Sabres' roster is not surprising in the slightest. The 2021 first-round pick has been playing excellently down in the AHL with the Amerks this season, as he has posted nine goals, 10 assists, and 19 points in 13 games.

Rosen has also made an impact with the Sabres when called up to their NHL roster this season. In 10 games with the Sabres so far this season, he has recorded three goals, four assists, and seven points. Now, he will be looking to make an impact with the Sabres during his latest call-up to the NHL roster. 

In 25 career NHL games over three seasons, Rosen has posted three goals, five assists, and eight points. 

Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Bobby McMann will miss Thursday's game after being suspended.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety handed McMann a one-game suspension for high-sticking Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand on Monday. He'll forfeit $7,031.25 of salary, which goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

McMann originally received a match penalty with 17 minutes left in regulation. A match penalty goes to a player who deliberately attempts to injure or deliberately injures an opponent in any manner, according to the NHL rulebook. The player is automatically suspended until the league rules on the issue.

"McMann lifts his stick over his head to move it away from an approaching linesperson," said NHL Player Safety's video explanation. "After being shoved by Bjorkstrand, McMann brings the raised stick downward toward Bjorkstrand from a dangerous height, striking him in the head with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline."

The 29-year-old McMann was in full control of his stick and body at all times during the play, and he must show more control to ensure he doesn't strike the opponent's head when he brings down his stick, the department said.

"That's a tough one. It really is," Leafs coach Craig Berube told reporters post-game. "I mean, I got to look at it more closely, which I didn't."

Bobby McMann has been suspended for one game for high-sticking Oliver Bjorkstrand. pic.twitter.com/85puwPxd6g

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 9, 2025

Bjorkstrand played three shifts after the incident in Tampa Bay's 2-0 loss to Toronto and was back in action on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens.

This was the first instance of supplemental discipline for McMann in his 169-game NHL career. He has 43 career goals and 73 points, as well as three points in 13 playoff games.

This season, the undrafted right winger has eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 29 games.

His 30th game will have to wait until after Thursday's matchup against the San Jose Sharks. The Leafs are 18th in the NHL standings heading into Tuesday's action with 32 points, while the Sharks aren't far behind, with 31.

---

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.

Injured reserve has been an all-too-popular place for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. 

And, although they added a few players to the list on Tuesday, there is one key player who appears close to a return.

Penguins' top-line forward Rickard Rakell was cleared for contact and participated in Tuesday's morning skate. Although he is not in the lineup for the Penguins' matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, it's a good sign that he's not far off of a return.

Rakell was injured when a shot hit his left hand during an Oct. 25 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The broken hand required surgery, and he was expected to miss eight weeks. Right now, it has been six weeks since his initial injury, and there's a chance he might return before that two-month marker.

And the Penguins would certainly welcome his return right now. Not only does Rakell have three goals and eight points in nine games, the Penguins also placed Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte on IR Tuesday with week-to-week undisclosed injuries and recalled Danton Heinen and Sam Poulin from the AHL to take their place on the roster.

Penguins Call Up 2 Forwards As Injury Bug BitesThe Penguins have called up two forwards from the AHL.

When he's ready, Rakell's ability to play center might prove valuable without Malkin, as will the ability of others on the team - like Heinen - to switch between center and wing.

"It happens. It's part of the season," Muse said. "You deal with injuries, we've been dealing with it, and I think the entire league has. It's 'next guy up.' So, it was mentioned before, but we have a lot of guys there in [Wilkes-Barre/Scranton] that have been doing a great job, and there becomes opportunity. I think we also have it right now where there's different options in regards to guys that can play both center and wing. Some guys that have maybe been on the wing at different times will move over to center."

There is no exact timetable on a potential return for Rakell as of now. 

Penguins' Top Defensive Prospect Named To Team Canada's Preliminary World Junior RosterIt appears that at least two prospects from the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> could be headed to the World Junior Championship (WJC).&nbsp;

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!