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It's become apparent that even making the 2026 Wild Card fraternity will be no easy task for the Rangers.

There are no more "Humpties" among the opposition. Meanwhile, the Rangers are solidifying with points in seven of their last eight games, but movement must continue forward.

In the past we always could count on Buffalo to be a goner by now; Columbus was no bargain and for the last three years – under coach Mike Sullivan – the Penguins were sliding around

OUT of contention when it counted. Sometimes even the Islanders faded in the stretch.

Last October the Sabres stumbled from the gate but looked better from last place. Pittsburgh has stunned everyone by catapulting into the higher reaches of the Met Division. New coach Dan Muse is responsible for that.

Ever the underdog, the Blue Jackets appear to have strengthened themselves and won't be dismissed from the battle.

Meanwhile, the Islanders with a new G.M. and some exciting kids – led by Dman Matthew Schaefer – rebound every time they appear doomed.

A Blueshirt Point Well-Taken While Blowing The DeuceGame by game, the Rangers are perfecting the art of blowing overtime contests. They get the point; but is THAT the point? Nay, I say.

But The Maven believes that the Rangers will prevail and are hangin' in even without power play quarterback Adam Fox. In fact they're doing better without Fox than with him in the lineup; and what does that tell you.

"This race looks like it could go down to the wire," predicts The Old Scout. "As usual, injuries will be a factor, not to mention how the assorted young studs come through – or don't – for their respective teams.

Conclusion: This could be one of the tightest races to the wire in NHL annals!

The Toronto Maple Leafs are making one lineup change ahead of their Monday-night matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Drawing in: Calle Jarnkrok. Coming out: Nick Robertson.

Toronto's coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, where the only goal they allowed came on the power play. Despite often having one of the best power plays in the NHL, the Lightning currently sit 24th in the league, operating at 15.9 percent.

Still, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube believes they're dangerous on the man advantage. And that's why he made the switch.

"It's a good power play over there," Berube said. "I just wanted an extra (penalty) killer in tonight. And that line with (Scott) Laughton, (Steven) Lorentz, and Jarnkrok, it's a good checking line for us, too. We'll need that."

Jarnkrok hasn't appeared in the Maple Leafs' lineup since Nov. 28, a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The 34-year-old has four goals in 18 games this season.

Robertson has appeared in all but one game for the Maple Leafs this season. The only time he's come out of the lineup was on Oct. 24 against the Buffalo Sabres. After that healthy scratch, Robertson went on a tear, scoring five goals and 10 points in his next 11 games.

Since then (his last nine games), the 24-year-old has just one goal.

'Wish We Found A Way To Get This For Him': Dennis Hildeby Shows Promise In Maple Leafs' Shootout Loss To CanadiensHildeby stopped 33 of 34 shots against in the shootout loss to the Canadiens.

Part of that drop-off has come because of Robertson's decrease in ice time. During the 11 games after being a healthy scratch, Robertson averaged 15:46 of ice time. However, in the next nine, when he registered just one point, the forward averaged 11:21 of time on ice.

"I talked to (Robertson) this morning," Berube said after Toronto's morning skate on Monday.

"He was playing in the top-six and doing a good job, but then you make changes. But I have all the confidence that he'll get it back. To me, he's lost a little bit of his jump and the tenacity he plays with. But at the same time, that's a little bit ice time and getting the opportunity, too."

Berube is making one more lineup change ahead of their matchup against the Lightning: Dakota Mermis re-enters the lineup, and Philippe Myers is being scratched. Below is the Maple Leafs' projected lineup vs. Tampa Bay, with puck drop slated for after 7:30 p.m. ET.

Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Max Domi
Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander
Dakota Joshua - Nicolas Roy - Bobby McMann
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Jarnkrok

Morgan Rielly - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jake McCabe - Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit - Dakota Mermis

Dennis Hildeby starts
Artur Akhtyamov

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The Winnipeg Jets have made a goaltending move, recalling goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and loaning Thomas Milic back to the Moose. The move comes as the Jets continue to navigate the absence of their reliable starter, Connor Hellebuyck, who remains sidelined with an injury.

DiVincentiis’ call-up was widely anticipated after a strong training camp and pre-season. He has been one of the AHL’s more consistent netminders this season, posting a 2.49 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage despite a 6-7-1 record with the Moose.

Milic, who was recently called up to make his NHL debut, saw action in a tough matchup against the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes. He started the game and kept Winnipeg competitive early, stopping 30 of 34 shots, but the Jets’ depth scoring issues mounted, increasing the pressure on the rookie. Milic later came in relief for current starter Eric Comrie twice, allowing two goals in each appearance while stopping 24 of 28 shots.

Comrie has shouldered the bulk of the goaltending duties since Hellebuyck’s injury, starting nine games with a 3-5-1 record, a 3.25 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. The team attempted to start him in both legs of a recent back-to-back, including Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, but he will now get a few days to rest.

The Jets could turn back to Comrie for Tuesday’s home matchup against the Dallas Stars, or they may give DiVincentiis a chance to make his NHL debut in a challenging matchup against one of the league’s top teams, similar to Milic’s recent debut. If Comrie starts Tuesday, DiVincentiis would likely debut later in the week, either Thursday at home versus the Boston Bruins or Saturday against the Washington Capitals.

With Hellebuyck sidelined, the Jets are hoping this goalie swap brings more stability between the pipes as they navigate a difficult stretch of the season.

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The “Trouba Train” is now a phrase that everyone who follows the NHL is familiar with. When it’s written or uttered, one thing is pictured: the now Anaheim Ducks defenseman delivering a bone-crunching, momentum-swinging hit on an opponent.

It’s drawn its fair share of scrutiny, as he often comes as close to the legality line as possible, sometimes crossing it, as he’s been suspended two times in his NHL career and fined four times by the NHL Department of Player Safety.

The latest appearance of the “Trouba Train” came on Friday night, when the defenseman delivered a hit on Washington Capitals rookie forward Ryan Leonard (20) behind the Ducks' net following a chip-and-chase.

Trouba catches Leonard with his head turned and looking down at the puck behind the net#FlyTogetherpic.twitter.com/lYtAGBkSMH

— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) December 6, 2025

Leonard was bleeding and injured after the hit and did not return to the game with an upper-body injury. He’s since been placed on IR and will be out for an “extended period of time,” according to Caps head coach Spencer Carbery.

After the game, Caps forward Tom Wilson offered his thoughts, revealing he attempted to get retribution for his injured rookie teammate.

“I saw it coming. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and the kid’s in a vulnerable spot,” Wilson said. “Obviously, Leno’s pretty banged up. I asked him (Trouba) to fight, and he said no, so we’ll leave it at that.”

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Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville wasn’t exactly asked for his opinion on the hit after the game, but was asked about his team’s response and praised them for not letting it get out of hand, as things have so many times in the NHL in the past when these situations occur.

“You don’t want to see anyone get hurt,” Quenneville said. “At the end of the day, I think that our response after the hit was in the right way.”

Their game against the Ducks on Friday was the Caps’ finale of a four-game road trip, after which they returned to DC to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. As mentioned, they’re one of the hottest (if not the hottest) teams in the NHL, registering points in their last eight games, winning seven of them.

Ryan Leonard (8th overall in 2023) seemed to be finding his footing (to say the least) in the NHL, as he entered Friday’s game with seven points (2-6=7) in his previous four games, including a four-point (2-2=4) game on Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks.

“Disappointing” is an understatement when it comes to a team losing a key player to their present and future. Carbery addressed the media on Sunday ahead of the Caps’ game against Columbus, reiterating his dislike of the hit and suggesting the NHL consider a rule change.

“Like I said the other night, I don’t like the hit,” Carbery said. “I understand the league’s stance and the refs’ stance on the hit. To me, we have to do something as a league. I don’t know where this goes; if anything, it’s just the head contact is the key, right? That’s the key to all of this, is the head contact, and whether he’s low, and he’s in a very, very vulnerable spot.

“You can look through the years at certain hits like this. When guys could hunt guys all over the ice. When you’re engaged, a majority of the time, when you’re wheeling the net, and you’ve got a defender on you and a forward’s walking up the half wall, happens a lot in games, and you’re about to pass it to the D, that winger can leave his coverage. His coverage is the D-man in most D-zone coverage. He can leave his coverage and go and hunt that puck that’s engaged, and he can blow him up every single time.

“Now, you’ve got to be careful with that if you make contact, but you could do it,” Carbery continued. “And it used to happen a lot more frequently, especially when there was more physicality in the game, more guys that weren’t as concerned with the puck in their shifts. So that’s the part that I don’t like. It looks old-school to me, of hunting a player who’s in a vulnerable spot. But I understand the league’s perspective on it and the actual hit itself.”

Some more angles of the Trouba hit on Leonard.

I think the argument is that looking from one angle contact maybe seems like shoulder to shoulder/upper chest. But can clearly see it's shoulder to head.

Leonard in a vulnerable spot. You don't hit there.pic.twitter.com/HY0hO0KVei

— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) December 6, 2025

(Author’s Opinion): Carbery’s stance is understandable, and one most coaches, organizations, and fans would have if their player were involved in such an event. However, it can be argued that Leonard wasn’t, in fact, engaged or being checked by the other Anaheim defender (Olen Zellweger) at the time of the hit. Leonard was already beyond Zellweger, slightly overskated a puck, and attempted a behind-the-back pass to a teammate cutting to the slot.

The NHL rule book suggests Trouba’s hit on Leonard is clean, within the rules, and undeserving of discipline. However, discourse will continue surrounding hits of this nature, as it’s truly unfortunate when they result in players, especially star players, missing significant time.

The original call on the ice was a five-minute major and was immediately reviewed by the on-ice officials. Trouba is no stranger to these instances and offered his thoughts when asked how he felt it was handled by the game’s officiating staff.

“It was probably the right way to go about it and make sure everything’s okay,” Trouba said after practice on Saturday. “I’d rather them call the five minutes and review it, and if it’s a clean hit, let’s all move on. It was a clean hit in the hockey game. If it’s a dirty hit, you have the opportunity to review it and make the correct call.”

Leonard has 18 points (7-11=18) in 29 games for Washington this season, and no further update has been given. He was spotted wearing a sling on his left arm following the Caps’ 2-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday.

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