Three days into the new year, as the Ottawa Senators approach the midway point of the season, GM Steve Staios held a state-of-the-union address with the local media on Saturday morning.  

As the team got ready to host the Winnipeg Jets later in the day, Staios began with a prepared statement that described expectations being different this year, the incredible parity in the league, and that there is a lot to like about the "process-driven" way the club is playing this year.

But as former NFL head coach Bill Parcells once said, "You are what your record says you are." Silver linings and moral victories will only go so far with this hungry Ottawa fan base, which was hoping the club would take a step forward after making the playoffs last spring. Instead, the Senators will have to take some major steps forward in the second half just to replicate last season's success.

The Senators opened play on January 3rd near the bottom of the Eastern standings. Three points out of a wild card spot doesn't sound all that bad, but when you have seven teams ahead of you, someone is always going to be winning games to keep you stuck in the logjam. 

It's not unreasonable to suggest that it will take a five or six-game winning streak to break on through to the other side of this wild-card jungle. And if they manage to do it, they'll have to keep playing well consistently.

When asked about the team's lack of consistency this season, goaltending was the first thing Staios brought up.

"I don't know if it's been consistency in player effort," Staios told the media. "We live in reality, and there are a couple of areas of our game that aren't up to expectations. We can talk about goaltending, and if the goaltenders were in here right now, they would be honest that they haven't played up to expectations.

"I think the optimism comes from, over the last month or so, they have played to expectations. It wasn't the best of starts for them, but it had stabilized, and I would I would feel comfortable saying that it's going to continue to not only stabilize, but move in the right direction."

That's all well and good to say, but between having the worst save percentage in the NHL, combined with Linus Ullmark on indefinite personal leave, and their current two goalies with just 31 games of NHL experience between them, this all seems like the complete opposite of stability.

Staios was asked if he knew roughly when Ullmark might return.

"Well, Linus knows he's got our full support, and we're going to respect him by not having a comment on that situation. We have full belief in Linus, along with Leevi, who's a good young goaltender who continues to develop, along with our depth with Mads Sogaard and Hunter Shepard.

"We know what Linus is as a goaltender, and he knows what he is as a goaltender. But at this point in time, he has our full support, and we'll respect his privacy until we have him back.

"We'll give him the time afforded to make sure that things are in order."

When asked about the possibility of pulling the trigger on a deal to get more goaltending depth, Staios shoehorned Mads Sogaard into the discussion.

"Mads is continuing to develop and in the right spot right now where he's got the net in Belleville and getting getting that time. But he's always been a top prospect goaltender turning into a top pro prospect, on the cusp of getting an opportunity."

For now, though, Merilainen is the emergency plan A and has been since last summer. Staios is now executing what he believed was the very best plan available to him if something happened to Ullmark.

He believed it, knowing that Merilainen is the sixth-youngest goalie in the league; he believed it the day he let Anton Forsberg walk into free agency; and he believed it, knowing that Ullmark had never played more than 50 games in a season.

Now we're about to find out if he was right or not. 

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News-Ottawa

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An extremely difficult task awaits the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise.

Florida will look to avoid a third straight defeat when they host the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche at Amerant Bank Arena.

After marching through a strong stretch in December that saw the Panthers reel off wins in seven of eight, Florida has struggled of late.

Following the NHL’s annual holiday break around Christmas, the Panthers have lost three of four, including Friday’s Winter Classic at loanDepot Park.

Now they’ll try to right the ship against the top team in the league.

The Panthers were in Colorado a little less than a month ago, playing the second night of a back-to-back after winning in Utah the previous evening.

Several Panthers players said that was one of the toughest back-to-back sets they’d played due to the sudden changes in both time zone and elevation.

We’ll see if they can come up with a better effort on Sunday, after having a day off and being able to sleep in their own beds beforehand.

Florida defenseman Seth Jones left Friday’s Winter Classic with an upper-body injury and did not return, and his status for Sunday’s game remains unknown.

Jones took a deflected puck to the shoulder/collarbone area, but after the game Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said he didn’t think it was anything too serious.

Hopefully, for Florida’s sake, that means Jones will be good to go against Colorado.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Sunday’s meeting with the Avalanche:

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer

Jesper Boqvist – Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicks

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: Jan 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice looks on during the second period in the 2026 Winter Classic ice hockey game against the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park. (Rhona Wise-Imagn Images)

No team has beaten the Montreal Canadiens like the Dallas Stars did this season. On November 13, at the Bell Centre, Glen Gulutzan’s men put seven goals past the Canadiens’ goaltenders, five past Jakub Dobes in 40 minutes and two past Samuel Montembeault in the remaining 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Habs could get a single puck past backup goalie Casey De Smith. Yes, the Washington Capitals scored eight on the Tricolore a week later, but in that loss, the Habs at least managed to score four goals. On Sunday afternoon at the American Airlines Center, the Sainte-Flanelle will have a chance at redemption.

After being blanked by Jordan Bennington and the St. Louis Blues, Montreal will try to end its seven-game road trip on a high note with a win in Dallas. That’s no small task; however, the Stars have 57 points and are third in the standings, but they have lost their last two games and are 4-4-2 in their previous 10 games. The hosts have beaten the visitors seven times in the last 10 duels between the two sides, but the Canadiens won the earlier meeting in Dallas last January, 3-1, with Jakub Dobes in net.

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Martin St-Louis has yet to confirm who will start in net, but since the Canadiens returned from their Christmas break, he’s been alternating his goalies, and if he keeps it up, it would be Samuel Montembeault’s turn to step between the posts. The Becancour native has a good record against the Texans; in six games, he’s 2-2-1 with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Meanwhile, Jakub Dobes is 1-1-0 with a 3.61 GAA and a .870 SV, and Jacob Fowler has never taken them on.

At the other end of the ice, the starting goaltender hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Jake Oettinger has seen the lion’s share of the work this season, and since the Stars haven’t played in two days, he’ll be rested and ready if called upon. The American has a 5-2-0 record against the Habs with a 2.48 GAA and a .907 SV.

Meanwhile, DeSmith is 4-2-2 with a 2.07 GAA and a .930 SV%, but the Stars announced on Saturday that he was taking a personal leave of absence to address a family matter. As a result, they’ve recalled Farnham, Quebec native Remi Poirier from their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Drafted by Dallas in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, the 24-year-old has yet to play in the NHL, but he has an 8-10-5 record in the AHL with a 2.77 GAA and a .903 SV.

Up front, Nick Suzuki is the Canadiens’ most productive forward against the Stars with 14 points in just 11 games. Phillip Danault comes in second place with 13 points in 24 games, and Brendan Gallagher is third with seven points in 18 games. It’s worth noting that blueliner Noah Dobson has six points in just nine games and Cole Caufield five points in eight games. When the Habs lost 2-0 to the Blues, Ivan Demidov's five-game point streak ended; he had nine points over that span and will be looking to start another streak on Sunday.

As for the Stars, Matt Duchene has 22 points in 27 duels with the Habs, closely followed by Jamie Benn with 21 points in 23 duels and Mikko Rantanen, who’s a point-per-game player against Montreal with 16 points in as many games. A couple of top point producers for the Stars have been ignored for the Olympic rosters and will likely play with a chip on their shoulders as a result. Team Canada has decided to do without Wyatt Johnson, who has 46 points this season in 41 games, while Team USA has no room for Jason Robertson, the highest-scoring American in the league with 48 points in 41 games (including 24 goals).

To win, the Canadiens will need to play a disciplined game, since the Stars have the second-best power play in the league at 29.8% and the sixth-best penalty kill at 82.2%. Montreal also can’t afford to underperform in the second frame (the Habs have a minus-12 differential in the middle stanza), since Dallas is plus-nine in that period. Furthermore, the Stars are the third-highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 3.41 goals per game, so whoever is in net for the visitors will need to play well.

The game is set for 2:00 PM on Sunday, and you can catch it on Victory+, TSN2, and RDS. Jordan Samuels-Thomas and the always-entertaining Wes McCauley will be officiating, while Ben O’Quinn and CJ Murray will be the linemen. After the game, the Canadiens will fly back home and enjoy a much-deserved day off on Monday, before hitting the ice again in Brossard on Tuesday to start preparing for their Wednesday night tilt against the Calgary Flames.

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Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins. 

Despite the loss, the Canucks were the better team at even strength. Vancouver held a 27-22 scoring chances advantage and won the even-strength high-danger scoring chances 12-8. In the end, it was special teams that made the difference as the Bruins scored twice on the man advantage compared to one goal on six opportunities for the Canucks. 

As for the heatmap, Vancouver did a good job of protecting the front of the net, but still allowed two goals from in front of the crease. At the other end, the Canucks crashed the net all game, generating 11 high-danger shots on goal. Overall, it was a positive performance, but one that still resulted in a loss. 

To wrap things up, the Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson line were virtually unstoppable. During their 6:57 together, Vancouver held a 10-0 shots advantage and won the scoring chances battle 12-0. The trio also found the back of the net as Pettersson scored early in the second period. 

The Canucks start their Eastern road trip on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. These two teams met earlier this season, with Buffalo picking up a 3-2 victory. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT. 

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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The Columbus Blue Jackets are at home to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at Nationwide Arena.    

Pittsburgh Penguins - 19-12-9 - 46 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - 5th in the Metro

Columbus Blue Jackets - 18-16-6 - 42 Points - 5-5-0 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro  

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 18.4% - 21st in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 28th in the NHL
• Goals For - 119 - 21st in the NHL
• Goals Against - 131 - 22nd in the NHL

Penguins Stats

• Power Play - 29.6% - 3rd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 81.5% - 10th in the NHL
• Goals For - 129 - 11th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 122 - 16th in the NHL

Series History vs. ThePenguins

• Columbus is 19-31-9 all-time, and 13-12-4 at home vs. Pittsburgh.
• The Jackets are 5-5-1 in the last 11 against the Pens overall, and 4-6 in the last 10 at home.
• The Blue Jackets are 1-1 vs. Pittsburgh this season.

Who To Watch For ThePenguins

• Sidney Crosby leads the Pens with 23 goals and 45 points.
• Erik Karlsson leads Pittsburgh with 27 assists.
• Yegor Chinakhov is making his return to NWA after being traded to the Pens.
• Goalie Arturs Silovs is 7-5-6 with a SV% of .884. His last start was on January 1st.

CBJ Player Notes vs.Penguins

• Zach Werenski has a stat line of 5-10-14 in 23 career games against Pittsburgh.
• Boone Jenner has 14 points in 25 games.
• Charlie Coyle has 22 points in 36 games.
• Elvis Merzlikins has a career record of 2-2-0, with a SV% of .864 vs. Buffalo.

Injuries 

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 34 Games - IR - No timeline for a return.
• Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 2 Games - IR
• Miles Wood - Lower Body - IR - Week-to-week.
• Brendan Smith - Lower Body - Missed 1 Game IR - Week to week.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 90

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

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Former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan has found a new gig.

The 56-year-old is set to join Hockey Canada and lead a review of men's junior hockey within Ontario. Shanahan will look at developing the skills and character traits of hockey players, plus ensuring junior hockey in Ontario is athlete-centred and development-focused, before sharing his findings with a six-person committee.

Shanahan will also produce two public documents: "an interim paper that includes a framework for consulting with stakeholders in the coming weeks, and a final report with his recommendations later in 2026."

The committee Shanahan will report to consists of Craig Halpenny (Hockey Eastern Ontario president), Dean Filane (Hockey Northwestern Ontario president), Jeffrey Turner (chair of the Ontario Hockey Federation Board of Directors),  Jonathan Goldbloom (chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors), John Kastner (Hockey Canada board member), and Katherine Henderson (president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada).

"Playing hockey for Team Canada was one of the greatest honours of my career, so to work on this project with Hockey Canada and its three Ontario Members to help give back to the game in my home province is an opportunity that I am very grateful for," said Shanahan in the press release.

"Throughout this review, I’m looking forward to learning from those involved in junior hockey in Ontario and better understanding their visions for how we can build a stronger system for everyone participating in our great game."

Shanahan was the president of hockey operations for the Maple Leafs from 2014 to 2025. In that time, he contributed to getting the Maple Leafs back on track, with the team making the playoffs in all but two seasons (2015 and 2016).

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The Mimico, Ontario native also helped develop the relationship between the team and the alumni to what it is now. That included converting all honored numbers into retired numbers, plus the creation of Legends Row

Toronto parted ways with Shanahan following the 2024-25 season, which was his final season under contract as president of the Maple Leafs.

Before joining the Maple Leafs, Shanahan worked for five years within the NHL, which included three years as senior vice president of player safety. After departing Toronto, Shanahan reportedly took a job to join the NHL's hockey operations department.

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Shanahan never played for the Maple Leafs, but had major success as a player in hockey. He's part of the IIHF Triple Hold Club and has three Stanley Cups to his name, all with the Detroit Red Wings.

Through 1,524 games spent with the Devils, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, and New York Rangers, Shanahan has 656 goals and 698 assists for 1,354 points.

In the sixth game of a seven-game road trip, the Montreal Canadiens were taking on the St.Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon. Martin St-Louis’ men were attempting to get at least a point in an eight straight game, and they were hoping to bank on the hosts’ fatigue, as the Missouri outfit was playing in the second game of a back-to-back. Still, goaltender Jordan Binnington, who rode the pine on Friday night, was in great form.

On paper, the Habs were the better side with a 10-point lead over the Blues in the standings, but the game is played on the ice and not on paper, unfortunately for the Canadiens. The team that makes the most of its opportunities typically grabs the win, and that’s precisely what happened on Sunday.

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A System Not Suited To Binnington

The Canadiens’ coach often says that it’s essential to play the game that’s in front of you, and often for the Habs, that starts with a well-placed dump-in and effective forecheck, but against Binnington, that’s not a winning strategy.

While St. Louis’ netminder may not be having a great season, with a 7-10-6 record, a 3.56 goals-against average, and a.869 save percentage, he is still one of the best goaltenders in the league to handle the puck outside of his net. This is one of the reasons why Team Canada still picked him for the Olympics, despite his lukewarm performances this season.

If you put the puck deep against the Blues, Binnington comes out and assists his blueliners, effectively assuming the role of a third defenseman.

Furthermore, the masked man was in top form on Saturday, and even though the Canadiens had a lengthy five-on-three power play in the second frame, they couldn’t solve him. Montreal might have had a better chance of doing so had it used Lane Hutson on the two-man advantage instead of Noah Dobson. While the latter has been very productive lately, with more space on the ice, you need Hutson’s mobility and creativity to make the defensive unit move. Dobson’s rocket of a shot is more efficient when there’s a lot of circulation in front of the goalie. Saturday night’s win was Binnington’s first at home since November 28.

Costly Mistakes

While the Blues were 29th in the league before the game, they still have some very talented offensive players, and feeding them odd-man rushes is never a good idea. In the first frame, the hosts had four of those opportunities. They didn’t capitalize on them as Jacob Fowler stood tall, but it certainly helped them build some much-needed momentum.

In the second frame, on the power play, Hutson committed a turnover at center ice, and it led to yet another odd-man rush. The Blues didn’t miss on that one. Robert Thomas gave the host a 2-0 lead, which held through 60 minutes.

A Tough Game For Former Blues

Zachary Bolduc, who was acquired from the Blues last Summer, played a big part in his former team taking the lead in the first frame when he sent a hard pass off target to Jayden Struble; the puck ended up in the net seconds later.

As for Alexandre Texier, he had a golden opportunity in the first frame, alone in space, but he took so long to unleash a shot that the Blues had the time to not only pick his pocket but launch an attack the other way, with numbers.

For some reason, the execution was lacking tonight, and the Habs missed several opportunities with a wide-open net, something that’s always sure to bring its fair share of frustration. In Josh Anderson’s absence, Brendan Gallagher was skating on the third line alongside former linemate Phillip Danault and Bolduc, and he had six shots through 40 minutes. Still, he was unable to get the puck past Binnington, who signed a 2-0 shutout, his first in a year to the day. 

The Habs had no time to lick their wounds after the game as they needed to head straight to Texas, where they’ll take on the Dallas Stars on Sunday. They’ll try to avenge the 7-0 walloping the Stars handed them in November.

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