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With 2025 coming to a close, there is a lot to look forward to for the 2026 calendar year. 

And for Pittsburgh Penguins' players? There sure is a lot to build on. 

For some players, 2025 was a pretty successful year on the ice. Maybe they had the chance to find a bigger role and excel, maybe they broke some records, or maybe they got their first taste of the NHL and have continued to impress. And for others, things haven't gone as smoothly. Maybe they didn't perform to expectations, maybe they dealt with injuries, or maybe they fell short of some personal accomplishments or feats.

Whatever the case, it's about to be a new year, and it's never too late to start anew - or continue to improve. So, what should each Penguins' player resolve to accomplish in 2026?

Noel Acciari: Keep stocking up on Tylenol, Band-Aids, Ace Bandages, etc... because if he keeps playing the way he has been playing for the Penguins this season, he'll continue to need that stuff. 

Justin Brazeau: Remain healthy and maintain that shooting percentage of 28.6 in order to solidify a Rocket Richard campaign in 2026-27. And, hey, are we even joking around at this point?

Harrison Brunicke: Play in a lot of hockey games somewhere (doesn't matter where at this point!) for an extended period of time in order to work on the defensive zone shortcomings that need improvement. 

Yegor Chinakhov:Get along with the new coaching staff and score goals. A lot of goals. And, hey, playing a full season's worth of games would be swell, too!

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.

Connor Clifton: Have a chance to rediscover his game in a new opportunity with a new team.

Sidney Crosby: Playoffs. Playoffs. Playoffs. Playoffs. Playoffs. Olympic gold. Playoffs. Playoffs...

Connor Dewar: Earn a new contract, as a home has been found on the fourth line with Acciari and Blake Lizotte. Keeping up the better-than-expected offensive production is paramount, too. 

Filip Hallander: Get and stay healthy in order to separate himself from the intrasquad bottom-six competition. That defensive value has not gone unnoticed.

Kevin Hayes: Take a nice, long, hockey-related vacation in Tampa or somewhere else nice after the trade deadline. Preferably somewhere the Stanley Cup Playoffs are being played this season. 

Caleb Jones: Playing in some hockey games, period, would be nice. 

The Five Best On-Ice Moments For The Penguins In 20252025 is about to end, so let's look at the five best on-ice moments for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Erik Karlsson: Just make the playoffs in Pittsburgh once. Just once. It would make a trade feel a lot less sour and the Penguins' tenure feel more successful. Oh, and Olympic gold for Sweden. 

Ben Kindel: Get older. Maybe score a bit more? Is there really anything else at this point?

Ville Koivunen: To not be so unsure of himself. Stop hesitating, don't second guess, and just rip it!

Brett Kulak: Rediscover the 2024-25 form and become a rock-solid, steady defender... wherever the home ends up being post-deadline.

Kris Letang: Simplify and realize that he can still be effective even if his game has to evolve a little bit to fit his age. 

Blake Lizotte: Stay in the lineup at all costs and keep showing a high degree of importance to this team - or to another - to earn a nice new contract this summer. But, seriously, don't get hurt again. 

Blake Lizotte's Impending Return Can't Be Understated Enough Blake Lizotte's return will go under the radar to some, but it shouldn't.

Evgeni Malkin: If this is it, ride off into the sunset with a playoff berth, and, maybe, a Cinderella Stanley Cup run for a storybook ending. If not, same thing, of course... but be prepared for his role to potentially evolve in his next contract (in Pittsburgh, not Florida. Sorry, Florida).

Anthony Mantha: Simply be ready for anything. Keep scoring, and he'll find himself on a playoff contender post-deadline, whether that's in Pittsburgh or elsewhere. 

Rutger McGroarty: The flashes are there, as is the process. So just stick to it, and the puck will keep finding the back of the net - and he'll find himself in a top-six role at some point. 

Tommy Novak: Keep doing exactly what he's been doing for more than a month now. Show two-way prowess, versatility, and value as a top-nine player, and he'll never, ever exit the lineup.

Rickard Rakell: Injuries are tough, and coming back from them is even tougher. Making the Swedish Olympic roster may now be a longshot, but finding that goal-scoring touch again could end up making or breaking his future in Pittsburgh. Need to prove too valuable to move on from.

Bryan Rust: Improve his defensive game, which is something that used to be a strength. Could help prop up his case to remain in Pittsburgh, too, if the production can keep coming in tandem with that. 

Ryan Shea: It's been a good year. So, have an even better one! Show that the top-four stint in the first two months of the season wasn't a fluke and that the level of play is sustainable.

Arturs Silovs: Keep improving in shootouts and establish consistency at the NHL level. But, for real, those shootouts and breakaway situations are looking miles better than before!

Stuart Skinner: This is the time to prove himself worthy of a new contract as a starting goaltender somewhere this summer. Helping get this team to the playoffs down the stretch would certainly help his case.

Jack St. Ivany: No injuries! Two months last season, more than two months this season... no more, please.

Parker Wotherspoon: Top-four looks good, right? And being the ying to Erik Karlsson's yang is an even more impressive accomplishment! Just keep building a resume as a shutdown top-pairing defender... and the 2027 payday will come.

Egor Zamula:Hey, new guy! This left side is wide-open... so get re-established and vye for a permanent NHL roster spot next season. Use that size, hit some guys, show any kind of prowess at the net-front and in the defensive zone... and he's golden!

Penguins New Big Defender Could Be Nice SurpriseNew Penguins defenseman Egor Zamula has the potential to be a solid addition.

Dan Muse: Keep learning the ins and outs of coaching at the NHL level every day. He's got a lot of favor with the organization so far, so he needs to prove why he's the guy the Penguins can compete with.

Kyle Dubas: Stick to the plan... whatever that is. Even if it might not be quite what people think it is.

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2025 is set to come to an end tonight, and even though the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't have any playoff success again this year, there were still plenty of extraordinary on-ice moments. 

It's always special when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are on the ice together, considering how much that trio has accomplished over the last 20 seasons. 

With all of that in mind, let's look at the five best Penguins' on-ice moments from this year. 

Alex Nedeljkovic scores

Tristan Jarry made Penguins history by becoming the first goaltender to ever score for the franchise in 2023, and Alex Nedeljkovic became the second back on Jan. 17. 

The Penguins were beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 when Nedeljkovic played the puck behind the net and launched it all the way down the ice for his first goal. His teammates immediately mobbed him after leaping into the bench. 

🚨 ALEX NEDELJKOVIC JUST SCORED A GOALIE GOAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/kywcdyrW4b

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 18, 2025

Nedeljkovic also recorded an assist in this game, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to record a goal and an assist in the same game. 

The kids get their first NHL goals

The Penguins have gotten strong contributions from their kids throughout the year, making them more fun to watch. 

Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal on Apr. 3 against the St. Louis Blues after he was called back up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. McGroarty tied the game with 23.5 seconds left in the third with a great play in front of the net. Fellow rookie Ville Koivunen got the primary assist on the goal, which sent the game to overtime. 

Harrison Brunicke notched his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders on Oct. 9. He was coming down the middle in the offensive zone and buried a shot past Ilya Sorokin after Filip Hallander dished him the puck. 

Ben Kindel got his first NHL goal on Oct. 11 against the New York Rangers with a blistering shot past goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He has gone on to score seven more goals since then and has been fantastic in his first NHL season. 

Koivunen had been snakebitten to start his NHL career before finally scoring his first goal on Dec. 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He took a feed from Kris Letang and buried the puck into the back of the net. 

Letang notches his 600th assist

Letang hit a significant milestone on Oct. 21 against the Vancouver Canucks. In the Penguins' 5-1 win, which raised their record to 5-2-0 at the time, Letang notched his 600th assist. 

He's now the fourth active defenseman with 600 assists, joining Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Victor Hedman. Letang is also the 20th defenseman in NHL history to accomplish this feat. 

Letang is getting closer to another milestone: his 800th point. He's only nine points away from hitting it, and once he does, he will be the 20th defenseman ever to do it. 

Crosby passes Gretzky for PPG record

Alex Ovechkin wasn't the only one trying to break a Wayne Gretzky record this year. Crosby was tied with Gretzky for 19-point-per-game seasons and broke his record on Mar. 27 against the Sabres when he notched his 80th point. 

That point ensured that he would have his 20th point-per-game season in his 20th NHL season. He finished the season with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games. 

He already has 21 goals and 40 points in 38 games this season and will notch his 21st point-per-game season if he keeps producing at this pace. 

Penguins Trade Tomasino To Flyers For ZamulaThe Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers made a trade on Wednesday.

Crosby passes Lemieux in points

This had been slated to happen at some point this season, and Crosby finally did it on Dec. 21 against the Montreal Canadiens, his childhood team. He needed one point to tie Lemieux's franchise record in points and two to pass him, and accomplished both feats in the first period. 

His goal tied the record before his assist on Rickard Rakell's goal broke it, leading to his teammates mobbing him on the ice. Lemieux even had a beautiful message for Crosby after the latter broke his record. 

HISTORY FOR SID THE KID 👏

Crosby registers career point 1,724 to pass Lemieux for the all-time lead in Penguins history! 🐧 pic.twitter.com/FeVgDTFGKl

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 22, 2025

That assist got him to 1,724 points, good for eighth in NHL history. He's now up to 1,727 points and is 29 points away from passing Steve Yzerman for seventh on the all-time points list. He should be able to easily hit that mark in the second half of the 2025-26 season, assuming he stays healthy. 

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Flyers flat on New Year's Eve, suffer 5-1 loss to Flames originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers had a New Year’s Eve dud in Calgary, Alberta.

They were rolled by the Flames, 5-1, Wednesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Travis Konecny scored the club’s lone goal, which made it 2-1 near the midway mark of the game. But Calgary restored order with back-to-back power play goals before second intermission.

The Flyers (20-12-7) were held to one goal for the second time in three games since the holiday break. They were unable to build off their 6-3 win Tuesday night over the Canucks.

Since last season, the Flyers have gone just 3-13-3 in the second game of back-to-back sets (2-3-1 this season).

Rick Tocchet’s club was swept by the Flames (18-18-4) in the two-game regular-season series between the teams. Calgary beat the Flyers, 2-1, at Xfinity Mobile Arena toward the beginning of November when Aleksei Kolosov was in net.

• Samuel Ersson surrendered four or more goals for the sixth time in 15 starts.

He had 20 saves on 25 shots. The 26-year-old wasn’t sharp and the Flyers didn’t help with penalties.

The Flames answered Konecny’s goal with a 5-on-3 power play marker after Cam York was whistled for tripping and Christian Dvorak was hit with a high-sticking penalty four seconds later.

With 3:47 minutes left in the middle stanza, Jamie Drysdale put the puck over the glass and Calgary capitalized again on its man advantage. The Flames were then in full control and that didn’t change in the third period.

Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf faced 26 shots from the Flyers.

• For the 27th time, the Flyers fell down 1-0. They’ve done a good job at picking up points and being mostly competitive, but the slow starts have to be a tad concerning.

• Noah Juulsen saw his first game action in two and a half weeks as he entered the lineup for Emil Andrae.

Andrae’s absence was a healthy scratch, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. It was surprising because the Flyers were coming off a win in which Andrae was a plus-2 with four hits over 19:27 minutes.

We’ll see if the 23-year-old defenseman gets back in there against the Oilers.

• The Flyers open the 2026 calendar Saturday when they visit Connor McDavid and Edmonton (3:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

After falling behind early, the Nashville Predators scored four unanswered goals to sail past the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-2, on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. 

Among the comeback efforts, Steven Stamkos scored off a one-time shot on the power play for his 600th career goal. He joins Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby as the only three active NHL players with 600 career goals. 

On the season, Stamkos has 26 points (18 goals, eight assists) in 39 games. In the month of December, Stamkos has 14 points (11 goals, five assists) in 16 games. 

Nick Perbix netted his third goal of the season to get the Predators on the board, 2-1. Stamkos' one-time shot tied the game. Reid Schaefer gave Nashville their first lead of the game, tipping in a shot from Brady Skjei. 

Michael Bunting tipped in a shot from Nick Blankenburg on the power play to add insurance. It was Bunting's 10th of the year. 

Justus Annunen picked up his third win of the season and second straight, making 29 saves on 31 shots. 

With the win, Nashville moves to fourth place in the Central Division with 40 points and continues to chase down the San Jose Sharks for the final Wild Card spot, who defeated the Minnesota Wild in a shootout and now have 43 points. 

The Predators have a quick turnaround, facing the Kraken in Seattle on Thursday at 9 p.m. CST.