William Nylander will miss his third consecutive game on Thursday when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Arena.

Nylander took the ice early before his teammates held a full morning skate session. Based on what we observed, Nylander appeared to be exercising some caution. While he worked on stickhandling and skating drills, he did not push himself with any power skating or full-stride drills, suggesting he is not yet nearing a return.

“He skated a little bit today. I would say he's doubtful to practice with us tomorrow, but you never know,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Nylander. “If he comes in tomorrow and he's feeling like he wants to get on the ice with the team, hopefully that's true and he is feeling better, so we'll have to see”.

Nylander exited in the second period of the Maple Leafs’ 7-5 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday after a collision with Senators defenseman Artem Zub. This marks the second time he has missed games due to injury this season, a departure from the durability he has shown for most of his NHL career. Nylander previously missed three games in late October with a lower-body injury after being cross-checked by Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Zucker. The Swedish superstar also missed one game this season due to illness.

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Despite these absences, Nylander remains the club’s top scorer by a wide margin, tallying 41 points (17 goals and 27 assists) in 33 games. He leads the team’s next highest scorer, John Tavares, by five points.

The Leafs have managed to pick up three out of a possible four points without Nylander, including a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. While they played that contest without superstar Auston Matthews, he is expected to return for the game against Winnipeg after missing one game due to a lower-body injury sustained while blocking a shot against Detroit.

William Nylander To Miss Maple Leafs' Key Divisonal Matchup Against Red Wings, Easton Cowan Draws Back InThe Maple Leafs look to extend their winning streak against the Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings while navigating the absence of William Nylander and the return of rookie Easton Cowan to the lineup.

DENVER — It does not seem to matter which milestone he reaches or which summit he climbs—Nathan MacKinnon carries himself with a quiet, almost disarming humility.

He is a player who never assumed he would reach these heights, and on Monday night’s 6–1 win over the St. Louis Blues at Ball Arena, he added his name to one of the NHL’s most exclusive lists, becoming just the 114th player in league history to score 400 career goals.

In more than a century of hockey at its highest level, fewer than 9,000 individuals have ever appeared in an NHL game. Of them, only 114 have reached the 400-goal mark—a distinction that places MacKinnon in a group representing just over one percent of all players in league history.

MacKinnon’s Rise to Superstardom 

MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, just weeks after helping lead the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads to their first Memorial Cup championship. Despite missing time during the tournament, he finished as its leading scorer, recording seven goals and six assists in four games.

Despite entering the league amid tremendous fanfare, MacKinnon’s first four NHL seasons were far from earth-shattering. He wasn’t bad—he was solid—but he averaged roughly 52 points per season, a performance that was respectable yet unremarkable for a first overall pick. But MacKinnon grew restless with being average. He didn’t want to be good—he wanted to be super human.

And MacKinnon has done exactly that. Over the past nine seasons, he has risen to the upper echelon of NHL stardom, transforming from a player who struggled to reach a point-per-game pace into one of the league’s most consistent and prolific scorers, averaging over a point per game since the 2017–18 season.

He is a Stanley Cup champion, having hoisted hockey’s ultimate prize with the Avalanche in 2022, and he has been recognized individually as well: the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s most valuable player, and the Ted Lindsay Award, voted on by his fellow players as the NHL’s most outstanding performer.

And yet, even with a championship, league-wide honors, and a resume most players can only dream of, MacKinnon remains insatiable—hungry for more, driven by a desire to push past every milestone, every expectation, and redefine what is possible on the ice.

The Brains Behind the Resurgence

Marcin Goszczynski has been a key force behind MacKinnon’s relentless drive, guiding, challenging, and pushing him to elevate both his game—and his body—to new heights.

The 43-year-old is a performance and rehabilitation specialist who uses a blend of techniques to mobilize soft tissue, accelerate recovery, and help elite athletes perform at their peak.

His roster of clients reads like a who’s who of professional sport. Alongside MacKinnon and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Goszczynski helped a five-time major singles tennis champion overcome chronic shoulder issues in 2019, enabling her to mount one final competitive run before retirement. He has also worked with Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, who would go on to claim two Olympic gold medals.

By now, it’s clear that MacKinnon is the kind of player who prefers the spotlight to shine anywhere but on him. So when The Hockey News asked him—given that he never expected to reach this level of production early in his career—to name some of the inspirational figures who have helped him get to this point, he seemed momentarily taken aback. After a pause, Goszczynski was the first person to come to mind.

“There’s been a few people who have inspired me. The guy who’s with me every day, Marcin (Goszczynski), who gets my body going,” MacKinnon stated. “We do a lot of different, weird things together. I think he’s been the biggest thing for my career.”

“Obviously, there’s a lot of people—my parents, my sports psychologist, my wife (Charlotte), a lot of people. Like you said, I really didn’t ever expect to be here, but it’s fun, and obviously, I’m just trying to be the best player I can for this team. We got a Cup three years ago, and it’d be nice to get another one.”

Another Stanley Cup Run?!

With the Avalanche became the first NHL team to reach 30 wins this season, marking the third time in the past six campaigns that the Avalanche were the fastest team to hit the milestone (also in 2020–21 and 2021–22).

Historically, the fastest teams to reach 30 wins in NHL history are:

• 35 games — 1929–30 Boston Bruins
• 38 games — 2022–23 Boston Bruins
• 38 games — 1944–45 Montreal Canadiens
• 39 games — 2025–26 Colorado Avalanche
• 39 games — 2012–13 Chicago Blackhawks
• 39 games — 2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning

Statistically speaking, the Avalanche we’ve had the privilege of covering this season are one of the most dominant teams in the last century of the NHL. And considering how much faster the game has become, and how more skilled and versatile players are in every facet of play, their performance is all the more astounding—especially given the caliber of every player who steps onto the ice.

And MacKinnon isn’t just on pace for the best season of his career—he’s on pace for one of the most remarkable seasons in modern NHL history. The 30-year-old center projects to finish with 72 goals and 76 assists for 147 points.

No player has scored 70 or more goals in a season in more than three decades. The last to do it were Hockey Hall of Famers Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selänne, who each scored 76 goals for the Buffalo Sabres and the original Winnipeg Jets, respectively, during the 1992–93 season.

Nathan MacKinnon is delivering once-in-a-generation hockey, and even amid historic dominance, his eyes are fixed on one goal: winning another championship for the Avalanche.

The Montreal Canadiens picked up a big 3-2 overtime against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 30. It was a hard-fought victory for the Canadiens, as they were down 2-0 with five minutes left in the third before tying it up and winning the contest in overtime.

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki was undoubtedly a massive reason for the Habs' comeback win. The 26-year-old center tied the game up at the 18:38 mark of the third period to force overtime. Then, Suzuki followed that up by scoring the overtime winner on the power play to get Montreal two points. 

Now, due to his huge game, Suzuki has set a new Canadiens franchise record.

Suzuki picked up his 19th career overtime point as a member of the Canadiens with his game-winning goal against the Panthers. Due to this, he has now passed Howie Morenz with the most overtime points in Canadiens franchise history.

Suzuki setting this incredible franchise record shows just how clutch of a player he has been for the Canadiens. There is no question that the Habs are lucky to have him, and he is only continuing to get better as his career carries on. 

In 39 games so far this season with the Canadiens, Suzuki has posted 13 goals, 31 assists, 44 points, and a plus-13 rating. 

To kick off the 2026 portion of the season, the New York Islanders host the Utah Mammoth at 3 PM ET.  Here's three questions ahead of the game:

Is Ilya Sorokin ready to return?

After backing up the second leg of a back-to-back in Buffalo, Ilya Sorokin hasn’t been able to play, missing the last four games due to a lower-body injury. He is on Injured Reserve but is eligible to be activated whenever he’s ready to go. Initially, we were told this was a minor issue and that he was expected back after the Christmas break, but that wasn’t the case. Backup David Rittich has been dominant in his absence, going 3-1-0 over these last four games, but it seemed like fatigue was starting to set in over the last two outings — Rittich is a warrior and fought through it. It’s clear that the Islanders don’t trust third-string goaltender Marcus Hogberg, or they would have gone to him last weekend. Sorokin had been playing at a Vezina-caliber pace. The Islanders are clearly being very cautious with their star netminder.

Does Roy keep Barzal with Horvat?

With the Islanders wanting to get Calum Ritchie back at center, head coach Patrick Roy placed Mathew Barzal back with Horvat in their 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Their line wasn’t great, with just four shots on goal and four shots against in 15:01 minutes. The two looked dynamic at times, but they didn’t provide the spark Roy was probably looking for. After the game, Roy said they were okay and that he was going to have to watch film to determine if he was going to stick with the two. We know how good Barzal and Horvat can be together, and allowing Ritchie back at center paid off, with him scoring the opening goal and looking pretty good the entire night after sitting in the press box against Columbus on Sunday.

Does Marshall Warren remain in?

Rookie defenseman Marshall Warren has won the third-pairing, left-side defense role for now, but he’ll need to start earning Roy’s trust more if he wants to play more. On Tuesday, he sat out the final 14:34 of regulation and didn’t get any shifts in overtime. The lack of minutes at this position in the lineup has forced Adam Pelech and Matthew Schaefer to play heavier minutes — they’ve played them well — but it’s not an ideal situation by any means. Warren seems reliable out there, but if he’s not going to play a ton of minutes, does it make sense to get someone in there who can? He’s played under 10 minutes in two of his last three games. The only other option the Islanders have right now is Adam Boqvist, who has had a hard time playing the left side, his offside.

To kick off the 2026 portion of the season, the New York Islanders host the Utah Mammoth at 3 PM ET.  Here's three questions ahead of the game:

Is Ilya Sorokin ready to return?

After backing up the second leg of a back-to-back in Buffalo, Ilya Sorokin hasn’t been able to play, missing the last four games due to a lower-body injury. He is on Injured Reserve but is eligible to be activated whenever he’s ready to go. Initially, we were told this was a minor issue and that he was expected back after the Christmas break, but that wasn’t the case. Backup David Rittich has been dominant in his absence, going 3-1-0 over these last four games, but it seemed like fatigue was starting to set in over the last two outings — Rittich is a warrior and fought through it. It’s clear that the Islanders don’t trust third-string goaltender Marcus Hogberg, or they would have gone to him last weekend. Sorokin had been playing at a Vezina-caliber pace. The Islanders are clearly being very cautious with their star netminder.

Does Roy keep Barzal with Horvat?

With the Islanders wanting to get Calum Ritchie back at center, head coach Patrick Roy placed Mathew Barzal back with Horvat in their 3-2 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Their line wasn’t great, with just four shots on goal and four shots against in 15:01 minutes. The two looked dynamic at times, but they didn’t provide the spark Roy was probably looking for. After the game, Roy said they were okay and that he was going to have to watch film to determine if he was going to stick with the two. We know how good Barzal and Horvat can be together, and allowing Ritchie back at center paid off, with him scoring the opening goal and looking pretty good the entire night after sitting in the press box against Columbus on Sunday.

Does Marshall Warren remain in?

Rookie defenseman Marshall Warren has won the third-pairing, left-side defense role for now, but he’ll need to start earning Roy’s trust more if he wants to play more. On Tuesday, he sat out the final 14:34 of regulation and didn’t get any shifts in overtime. The lack of minutes at this position in the lineup has forced Adam Pelech and Matthew Schaefer to play heavier minutes — they’ve played them well — but it’s not an ideal situation by any means. Warren seems reliable out there, but if he’s not going to play a ton of minutes, does it make sense to get someone in there who can? He’s played under 10 minutes in two of his last three games. The only other option the Islanders have right now is Adam Boqvist, who has had a hard time playing the left side, his offside.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Ryan Greene is one of the club's many promising young players. The Blackhawks are hoping that the 22-year-old forward will be a very important part of their roster for many seasons. 

After appearing in his first two NHL games at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Greene is now in his first full season with the Blackhawks. Overall, it is fair to say that the 2022 second-round pick has been doing a solid job in his rookie year, as he has posted four goals, 10 assists, and 14 points in 39 games thus far with the Blackhawks. 

Yet, what's encouraging is that Greene is showing clear signs of improvement as the 2025-26 season rolls on. 

Greene has been heating up as of late for the Blackhawks, as he has recorded four assists over his last five games alone for Chicago. This included him having two assists in the Blackhawks' Dec. 20 matchup against the Ottawa Senators. 

The Blackhawks will now be hoping that Greene can continue to make an impact with his playmaking as the season rolls on. There is no question that the 6-foot-1 forward has the potential to become a very impactful player, and it will be fascinating to see what he can do from here.