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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Saying that the New York Rangers have had a subpar start to the season is an understatement.

The Blueshirts have a 13-12-2 record, and they sit 12th in the Eastern Conference. Rangers optimists will argue they're only one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second wild-card spot. However, the Penguins have three games in hand, so the Rangers have to hope that other teams ahead of them falter to climb back into a playoff position.

Unfortunately, the Rangers got bad news over the weekend when star defenseman Adam Fox was injured in a game Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fox was placed on long-term injured reserve with a shoulder injury that will sideline him from week to week. And the Rangers will be in tough to stabilize their play in their zone without Fox, who leads the team in average ice time at 23:50.

Fox and defense partner Vladislav Gavrikov are by far the most-used Rangers blueliners. Those two average more than four minutes per game more than Will Borgen and Braden Schneider. And Rangers coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged it won't be easy to simply slot in another D-man to replace the high-end performances the team has come to expect from Fox.

"Obviously, 'Foxy' is not an easy guy to replace for so many reasons," Sullivan said after practice Monday. "I'm stating the obvious when I say that, but we're going to put a game plan together based on the people that we have to try and set our group up for success."

That's far easier said than done. With 26 points in 27 games, Fox sits second in the NHL in points by a defenseman, ahead of everyone other than Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar. So while the Blueshirts will miss Fox's high panic threshold and elite ability to read plays in his own zone, his talent on offense will be missed the most.

Adam Fox Is A Huge Contributor To Rangers' Subpar Offense

The Rangers' goals-for average of 2.63 is the fifth-worst in the league right now, and three of the four teams below the Rangers in that department – the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames – are at the bottom of the NHL standings.

Thus, removing Fox's terrific offensive skills is going to hurt the Rangers badly – and that includes missing him as a key member of their power play. The next-highest scoring Rangers defenseman is Gavrikov, who has 11 points – less than half of what Fox has this year.

Having arguably the best goaltender in the NHL, star Igor Shesterkin, will help the Rangers on 'D.' The team allows only 2.63 goals against per game, which ranks tied for the fifth-fewest in the NHL.

The addition of Gavrikov has improved the Rangers' play in their own end, but on offense, Fox's contributions will be especially missed. There's no player Sullivan can insert into the lineup who will have a notable positive impact on offense the way Fox can be a difference-maker with the puck.

Fox's absence puts more pressure on the forwards to put up the points. Artemi Panarin was tied as the NHL's 10th-highest scorer in November, with 19 points in 15 games, and fellow forwards Mika Zibanejad, Will Cuylle and Vincent Trocheck recorded at least 10 points that month. They stepped up their games from October, when Fox led the way with nine points in 12 games and Panarin and Zibanejad hovered around half a point per game.

Rangers' Upcoming Opponents Include Top Scorers

Fox will miss at least 10 games and 24 days with his shoulder injury. Of their 10 opponents, only three rank in the top 10 for fewest goals against per game – the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers. But five of them rank in the top 10 for most goals-for per game – the Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks.

That means the Rangers' defense will face significant tests in limiting their opponents' scoring chances so that they can do enough on offense without one of their top producers.

It's unlikely the Rangers have enough depth to handle the test on defense without Fox.

You can ask veteran Rangers defensemen Borgen and Carson Soucy to eat more minutes in the wake of Fox's injury. You can ask youngsters Schneider and Scott Morrow to take advantage of the additional opportunities Fox's injury will provide to them. Considering the Rangers' defense pairs that don't involve Gavrikov or Fox have all been outchanced this season, according to moneypuck.com, they don't inspire much confidence.

Fox was in the midst of a bounce-back performance this season. He should be back by the Olympics, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan. But if the Rangers can't tread water without him, Fox's offensive resurgence will probably be for naught.

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