DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have spent much of the season leaning on strong third periods to close out games. 

On Thursday night, that formula was contaminated. 

After a tightly played first 40 minutes, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled away in the third period, scoring three goals in 10 minutes and skating to a 7–3 win at Ball Arena. 

Owen Tippett recorded a hat trick as Philadelphia turned a one-goal game into a runaway finish. The Flyers scored six times on 19 shots against Mackenzie Blackwood and Colorado closed its season-long seven-game homestand with a 3-2-2 record.  

Matvei Michkov also scored twice for Philadelphia and goaltender Samuel Ersson made 32 saves to earn his eighth win of the season. 

Colorado goals came from Parker Kelly, Victor Olofsson, and Cale Makar. Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon each finished with two assists, but the Avalanche couldn’t recover from a difficult final frame. 

Colorado controlled play early but once again struggled to get the puck in the net. And the power play? It was non-existent once again. 

First Period 

The Avalanche generated momentum immediately, drawing a penalty just 45 seconds in when Travis Konecny was called for hooking MacKinnon. Despite several quality looks on the power play, Colorado failed to capitalize. 

Konecny exited the box shortly after and helped initiate a Flyers rush, carrying the puck through the neutral zone before dropping it back to defenseman Emil Andrae, who attempted to set up Michkov for a backdoor chance. The pass missed its target. 

Nearly five minutes into the period, Noah Cates was called for interference after knocking down Necas on the backcheck. The Avalanche again generated pressure but came away empty-handed. Even after the power play expired, Colorado maintained possession, only for Ersson to deny Gavin Brindley with a strong glove save, as he was falling down in the crease. 

Colorado avoided further damage with just under six minutes remaining when Christian Dvorak rang a shot off the post on a wide-open net. 

Despite outshooting Philadelphia 13–1 early, the Avalanche went into the intermission trailing 2–0. Tippett opened the scoring with a wrist shot past Blackwood with 4:58 left, and with under a minute remaining, Philadelphia worked the puck around the zone before Michkov found Denver Barkey, who beat Blackwood from the right circle. 

Second Period 

Colorado got on the board 7:17 into the second period. Jack Ahcan fired a shot from the point that produced a rebound, and Kelly finished it off with a backhand to make it a 2–1 game. 

Midway through the period, Brock Nelson nearly tied the game with a one-timer that sailed just wide of the net. 

Olofsson tied the game 3:12 later, taking a drop pass from MacKinnon and snapping a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot over Ersson’s glove for his 10th goal of the season. 

The tie lasted just 32 seconds. Bobby Brink capitalized on a defensive-zone turnover and poked the puck past Blackwood to restore Philadelphia’s lead. 

Colorado answered again just over a minute later. Makar took a pass from MacKinnon, skated past the defense, and fired a shot from the right circle into the upper-left corner to tie the game at three. 

Third Period 

Colorado was sloppy from the opening faceoff of the third period, and it quickly came back to bite them. Repeated puck mismanagement handed the Flyers momentum, and Philadelphia made the Avalanche pay. Owen Tippett scored his second of the night, followed by a Matvei Michkov tally, giving the Flyers a 5–3 cushion. 

The shots themselves weren’t overwhelming, but they beat Blackwood cleanly. Blackwood has now surrendered 11 goals over two games since returning from injured reserve. 

Colorado had chances to push back, starting with a power play after Emil Andrae tripped Zakhar Bardakov into the boards, but the Avalanche came up empty. Another man advantage followed when Barkey slashed Josh Manson, yet a costly offensive-zone turnover sprung Tippett on a breakaway. 

Tippett finished the play shorthanded to complete the hat trick, the second of his NHL career. 

Michkov added an empty-netter with 3:07 remaining to put the game away and seal the 7–3 final. 

Next Game

The Avalanche (34-6-9) are on the road for the next three games. They will the ice on Sunday to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (24-18-9) at Scotiabank Arena. It's an early one. Coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. 

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic James scored in the fifth round of a shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it 15 straight games without a regulation loss, outlasting the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday night.

Tampa Bay is on a 14-0-1 tear, winning three straight after a shootout loss a week ago in St. Louis. The Lighting are 32-13-4 overall.

Nikita Kucherov tied it at 1 late in the second period with his 25th goal of the season and also scored in the shootout. Gage Goncalves scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker to keep Tampa Bay alive and, after Oliver Moore failed for Chicago, James slipped the winner past Arvid Soderblom.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots for Tampa Bay.

Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Soderblom made 30 saves. Chicago had won two straight, beating Carolina 4-3 in shootout Friday night in Raleigh.

Andre Burakovsky nearly ended it for Chicago in overtime, but couldn’t get the puck in at the side of that net as it slid across the crease.

Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 13-2 in the second period and had a 21-6 overall advantage through 40 minutes. Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 6, MAPLE LEAFS 3

TORONTO (AP) — Mark Stone had two goals and an assist and Vegas beat the Maple Leafs in Mitch Marner’s emotional return to Toronto.

Jack Eichel Pavel Dorofeyev, Braeden Bowman and Keegan Kolesar also scored for Vegas. Adin Hill made 18 saves, and Ivan Barbashev had three assists.

Marner, who played nine seasons with the Maple Leafs before his long march out the door ended last summer, was booed every time he touched the puck.

John Tavares, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz stopped 25 shots in his return from an upper-body injury.

Playing in the second of a back-to-back, Vegas won for the first time in three contests following a seven-game winning streak, including a 6-5 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs last week.

Toronto has dropped three in a row and five of six.

STARS 3, BLUES 2

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored his 30th goal of the season with one minute to play to lift Dallas to a victory over St. Louis.

Robertson lifted the puck in from the right circle four seconds after Roope Hintz won a faceoff for the Stars, who have won two of their last three games following a three-game losing streak.

Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene scored power-play goals for the Stars, and Johnston also had an assist. Jake Oettinger made 20 saves.

Robertson is tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for second in the NHL in goals scored.

Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist and rookie Dalibor Dvorsky also scored for the Blues, who have lost eight consecutive road games, all in regulation, and are a league worst 7-15-3 away from home. Jordan Binnington stopped 16 shots, his record at Dallas dropping to 1-5-3.

FLYERS 7, AVALANCHE 3

DENVER (AP) — Owen Tippett had his second career hat trick and Philadelphia handed NHL-leading Colorado its fourth loss in five games.

Tippett opened the scoring in the first and struck twice in the third. He also had an assist. Matvei Michkov had two goals and an assist, Denver Barkey and Bobby Brink also scored and Samuel Ersson made 32 saves.

Philadelphia finished 2-0-1 on a three-game trip and spoiled the 25th reunion of Colorado’s 2001 Stanley Cup championship squad.

The Avalanche had 15 players from the title team on hand, including team president Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque, Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake. They watched Colorado suffer just its second home regulation loss of the season and finish 3-3-1 on its longest homestand of the season.

Tippett gave the Flyers a 4-3 lead 56 seconds into the third period. Just 1:04 later, Michkov deflected Emile Andrae’s shot over Mackenzie Blackwood’s shoulder. Tippett scored on a short-handed breakaway with 9:36 left to push his season goals total to 18.

Cale Makar, Parker Kelly and Victor Olofsson scored for Colorado, and Nathan MacKinnon had two assists to retake the NHL scoring lead with 87 points.

CAPITALS 3, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Hendrix Lapierre ended a 90-game goal drought, Alex Ovechkin had an empty-netter and Washington beat Calgary to end a four-game losing streak.

Aliaksei Protas also scored and Logan Thompson made 25 saves against his hometown town.

Morgan Frost scored for Calgary, and Devin Cooley stopped 35 shots. In the third, Cooley denied defenseman Jacob Chychrun’s lacrosse-style wraparound attempt on a power play.

Protas broke a tie at 7:35 of the third. When Cooley slid to his left to defend against Tom Wilson, a rebound squirted out to the Belarusian, who fired the puck into an open net.

Lapierre tied it at 1 at 6:33 of the second. John Carlson’s shot deflected off the leg of Yan Kuznetsov and onto Lapierre’s stick for the 23-year-old’s first goal since March 18, 2024, which also happened to be against Calgary. He has 10 career goals,

Calgary countered a Washington short-handed, odd-man rush with a power-play goal on the Flames’ next trip down the ice. Frost bear Thompson with a wrist shot below the goalie’s outstretched stick at 6:09 of the first.

DUCKS 4, KRAKEN 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Lukas Dostal made 21 saves and Anaheim beat Seattle for its sixth straight victory following a nine-game losing streak.

Ryan Poehling scored short-handed, Chris Kreider added a power-play goal and Pavel Mintyukov banked in a long empty-netter. The Ducks have three games left on a five-game trip they opened with a 2-1 shootout victory at NHL-leading Colorado on Wednesday night.

Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle in the third game of a six-game homestand. Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots, highlighted by a successful poke-check on Jansen Harkins’ penalty shot midway through the second.

Gauthier and Poehling gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead in the first period, with the Ducks outshooting the Kraken 13-2 in the opening 20 minutes.

SHARKS 3, RANGERS 1

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini had two goals to end his longest drought of the season, pacing San Jose to a win over New York.

Celebrini’s 25th and 26th goals of the season were his first since Jan. 7, a six-game stretch.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Celebrini had a chance for his third hat trick of the season but his shot in the third period was stopped by Rangers goalie Martin Spencer and the puck rolled slowly to the side of the net.

Pavol Regenda added his eighth goal for the Sharks while Will Smith and Collin Graf each had two assists. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves.

Sam Carrick had his second goal in six games for New York, which lost its third straight and is now 2-8-1 over its last 11 games.

DEVILS 5, CANUCKS 4

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Cody Glass had two goals and an assist, Lenni Hameenaho scored his first NHL goal and New Jersey beat Vancouver to extend its Western Canada winning streak to three.

Nico Hischier and Connor Brown also scored for New Jersey. Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves.

Linus Karlsson, Teddy Blueger, Zeev Buium and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver, and Kevin Lankinen stopped 19 shots.

New Jersey went 2 for 3 on the power play. The Canucks were 0 for 2 and have gone four games without a power-play goal.

Hameenaho scored on a goalmouth tap-in at 1:41 of the first.

In the second, Hischier and Glass made it 3-0 with goals 40 seconds apart. Six minutes later, Karlsson put the Canucks on the board.

Then with Conor Garland serving a double-minor for high-sticking Hischier, Blueger scored short-handed before Brown replied.

With 1:48 left in the second, Buium pulled the puck out of a crowd and found the net to cut it to 4-3.

In the third, Glass added his second of the night. Boeser scored with 1:12 remaining and Lankinen off for an extra attacker.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three in a row on their Western road trip. 

They started out by beating the Seattle Kraken 6-3 on Monday, then the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Wednesday, and the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Thursday. They were by far the better team in each game and won all three in different ways. 

On Monday, the depth really shone through with Connor Dewar scoring two goals, one of which was shorthanded. Brett Kulak, Justin Brazeau, Parker Wotherspoon, and Rickard Rakell also scored.

Wednesday's game against the Flames was a defensive clinic for the Penguins, limiting the Flames to only 19 shots and five high-danger chances at 5v5. Thursday saw the Penguins blitz former teammate Tristan Jarry with three goals in 37 seconds in the first period, and he could never recover. They also held Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to a combined zero points, which shows how well this team is humming right now. 

They have six games left before the Olympic break, and I can't stress enough how important they are for the Penguins. They're a chance for them to really solidify themselves in the top three of the Metropolitan Division, and four of them will be against teams not currently in playoff position. 

The first will be on Sunday against a Vancouver Canucks team that is simply going through it. They've only won five games at home this season and have the worst record in the NHL at 17-29-5. They've already traded Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood, and more moves should be on the way as we get closer to the trade deadline.

Next week, the Penguins will return home for two games against the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. The Blackhawks had a nice start to the season, but are 21-22-8 through 51 games. They've also given up the sixth-most scoring chances against and the most high-danger chances against at 5v5 this season. 

The Rangers are once again a mess after releasing another letter to their fans, explaining that they will be doing a retool since they're at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers have lost eight of their last nine games, including Friday's game against the San Jose Sharks, and are still without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin and star defenseman Adam Fox. 

The Penguins' final three games before the break will come against the Ottawa Senators, who have taken a really big step back this season, the New York Islanders, who are trying to catch them for second place in the Metropolitan Division, and the Buffalo Sabres, who have been on fire for the last month and a half. 

For whatever reason, the Senators have been a matchup nightmare for the Penguins over the past few seasons, with the Penguins losing eight of their last 10 against them. That said, the Senators have lost seven of their last 10 games and face an uphill climb for the rest of the season. 

That Islanders game on Long Island is a four-point game that could go a long way in the standings. This will be the second of three meetings between the Penguins and the Islanders this season, following the Penguins' 4-3 win in Pittsburgh on Oct. 9. It could also be a potential first-round preview, since the two teams are neck and neck in the standings. 

Takeaways: Penguins Make Statement With 6-2 Stomping Of OilersThe Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game when they ousted the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in commanding fashion - showing that there may just be something special about this team.

Finally, the Sabres have been a wagon as of late and have been a ton of fun to watch. Tage Thompson is especially doing his thing this year with 26 goals and 52 points in 50 games, and they've also gotten contributions from a lot of other players throughout their lineup, including Josh Doan, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Jack Quinn, and their goaltenders.

They're trying to end their long playoff drought since they haven't made the postseason since the 2010-11 season. 

A big run during these six games would give the Penguins even more breathing room in the standings since their March schedule is especially difficult. They'll be playing virtually every other day in that month, and against some of the top teams in the league. Let's see how these next couple of weeks go.

(Data via Natural Stat Trick). 

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Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has quite the track record of taking chances on players who fall out of favor or aren't given greater roles with other organizations. 

Last season, he took a chance on former Nashville Predators forward Philip Tomasino, surrendering only a fourth-round pick. Although that one didn't quite pan out for Pittsburgh - he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in December - others have, including the signings of Parker Wotherspoon, Justin Brazeau, and Anthony Mantha. So far, too, has the trade for Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak. 

And the latest example of a chance acquisition looking like a steal for Dubas is winger Egor Chinakhov, who the Penguins acquired for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick, and forward Danton Heinen from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29. The 24-year-old Russian winger had not seen eye-to-eye with then-head coach Dean Evason, but Dubas decided to take a chance on him.

Well, it looks like that gamble may very well pan out. And then some. 

Before joining the Penguins, Chinakhov had three goals and six points in 29 games for Columbus, largely playing fourth-line minutes and even finding himself a healthy scratch. Despite the potential of the 2020 first-round pick (21st overall), injuries and inconsistency threatened to derail what was supposed to be a pretty promising young player. Pittsburgh was a second-chance opportunity for Chinakhov to play to his strengths and skate in a role that could, potentially, help him rediscover his game. 

Since joining the Penguins? That's exactly what has happened.

In 12 games with Pittsburgh, Chinakhov already has five goals and six points, which amounts to a 34-goal, 41-point pace for an entire season. He's also seen an uptick in ice time, averaging 2:37 more than he did in Columbus, he's been seeing time on the Penguins' second power play unit, and he's held down a regular spot on the second line next to Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak. 

Chinakhov Trade Shows Penguins Are Starting To Shift GearsKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, and it could be a sign of things to come over the next several months.

Of course, there are many players who enjoy a post-trade boost. It happened last season with Tomasino, who registered three goals and four points in his first five games with the Penguins post-arrival. Given Chinakhov's issues with inconsistency, things could go sideways at any moment, and it shouldn't be all that surprising if they do.

But things feel different with Chinakhov. For one - unlike Tomasino and others who have been in a similar situation with the Penguins - he isn't a one-dimensional player.

His speed is just on the periphery of the top-10 in the league, according to NHL Edge data, and his max skating speed this season of 23.6 mph is in the league's 98th percentile. In addition, Chinakhov plays a 200-foot game, showing a conscientiousness in the defensive zone and an ability and willingness to backcheck. He is also lethal in the shootout - something the Penguins, 1-7 in shootouts this season, desperately need - as a career 57.1 percent finisher in them.

And then, there's his shot.

Chinakhov’s shot is absolutely lethal.

The man is blazing fast and just feels like he can score at any time. pic.twitter.com/HyLyDaH60E

— Penguins Jesus (@PenguinsJesus) January 22, 2026

No, this isn't just your above average shot in the National Hockey League. Chinakhov has a devastating wrister and quick, deceptive release that defies logic and seemingly breaks the sound barrier, as it has clocked as high as 99.03 mph this season and as high as 101.56 in his career - both of which are in the 99th percentile of the league. He has clocked the fourth-hardest shot by a forward this season and is right in the mix with the hardest-shooting defensemen in the league, who largely populate the hardest shot list. 

But the thing that's so impressive is that this is primarily Chinakhov's wrist shot. The vast majority of the league's hardest shots are slap shots, and that's not the case with his. In fact, every other shot in the league harder than his this season in the top-10 - and each shot by the three forwards ahead of him on the list - have been slap shots.

CHINNY MAKES IT A BLOWOUT 🚨

"That shot... it's just DIFFERENT." - @pbourque29pic.twitter.com/U6ZmLOLnh2

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 23, 2026

Chinakhov's lethal wrist shot is a rare gift, and it's not something that has been commonplace at all in this league. Many compare his wrist shot to Joe Sakic's, whose 625 career goals rank 17th all-time, and there have also been comparisons to former Penguin Alexei Kovalev, who also had a devastating, heavy wrister.

I have seen so many comparisons of Egor Chinakhov’s shot and release to Alexei Kovalev.

And I think I agree. pic.twitter.com/zonLMIbfKr

— Penguins Jesus (@PenguinsJesus) January 23, 2026

So why might Chinakhov be the real deal?

Well, it's quite simple. He a multifaceted player, he has already developed some very real chemistry with Malkin and Novak, and he has a finishing touch that simply cannot be taught. He could stand to work on his shot accuracy, but as long as he keeps firing pucks at the net, more than enough are bound to go in because of his shot.

And it helps to play with two guys who can distribute the puck the way that Malkin and Novak are capable of. All of his goals with the Penguins have been a result of his shot, and if anything, it might benefit him to venture to the danger areas and the net-front more in order to maximize his production.

In any case, there's a chance that Chinakhov may end up being a very, very good find for Dubas and for the Penguins. Obviously, there's no guarantee that he ends up a 30-plus goal-scorer, or even that he ends up being an impact top-six player for the Penguins.

But with the talent and the gift that Chinakhov possesses, it's really not hard to imagine him thriving in Pittsburgh and being an integral part of their stretch run to the playoffs.

Takeaways: Penguins Make Statement With 6-2 Stomping Of OilersThe Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game when they ousted the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday in commanding fashion - showing that there may just be something special about this team.

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The Calgary Flames couldn’t turn a strong start into two points, falling 3–1 to the Washington Capitals on Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Jonathan Huberdeau returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with a day-to-day injury, while Brayden Pachal drew in on the blue line and Hunter Brzustewicz watched from the press box. Devin Cooley got the nod in goal, entering the night riding a 3-0-1 stretch over his last four starts.

Calgary opened the scoring midway through the first period on the power play. Morgan Frost carried the puck over the blue line, drifted into the slot, and snapped a wrist shot past Logan Thompson for his 10th goal of the season. The Flames controlled much of the opening frame, outshooting Washington 16–8 and setting the pace early.

The Capitals answered in the second period, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce. John Carlson’s point shot deflected off traffic in front and landed on the stick of Hendrix Lapierre, who shoveled the puck past Cooley for his first goal in 91 NHL games, tying the contest 1–1.

The deadlock held into the third period before another bounce swung the game. A rebound found Aliaksei Protas in front, and he made no mistake, scoring his 17th of the season to give Washington a 2–1 lead midway through the final frame.

Tempers flared late in the third when Adam Klapka, while seated on the Flames bench, tapped Tom Wilson on the shoulder with his stick, sparking a heated exchange along the boards. Klapka was assessed a game misconduct, and Wilson later received one of his own after drawing the attention of the officials with continued antics.

Alex Ovechkin sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal in the final minutes as the Capitals skated away with a 3–1 victory.

Three Takeaways

1. Cooley continues to give Calgary a chance

Despite the loss, Devin Cooley was steady once again, making 35 saves. Coming in hot at 3-0-1, he faced several high-quality looks and kept the Flames within striking distance. The goaltending has been there consistently, but offensive support remains an issue.

2. Scoring woes persist

Calgary’s offence stalled yet again, marking the sixth loss in January in which the Flames were limited to a single goal. It was also their third straight one-goal performance that ended in defeat, underscoring an ongoing struggle to generate timely scoring.

3. Paying the price defensively

The Flames defence absorbed plenty of punishment. Mackenzie Weegar blocked a shot off the knee, while Zach Whitecloud took a hard shot to the body that sent him briefly to the locker room before returning. Calgary’s willingness to block shots remains commendable, but the physical toll continues to mount.