The greatest goal scorer who has ever lived makes an appearance in Ottawa on Thursday afternoon. The Senators will host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (1 p.m.) in what will likely be one of his final appearances at Canadian Tire Centre, at least in theory.

He is 40 years old, after all.

But on New Year’s Day, there doesn’t seem to be much regard for “out with the old and in with the new.” Ovechkin has played in all 40 games this season and sits second in Capitals scoring with 34 points.

Leevi Merilainen, the Senators’ new starting goaltender for the foreseeable future, and also the man Ovechkin will be shooting on today, was still a toddler when Ovechkin was putting up 106 points in his rookie season 20 years ago.

As for the Senators, they’ll be looking to start the new year on a winning note. All of the goodwill generated by their recent four-game winning streak was undone by a three-game holiday skid against teams that were behind them in the standings.

Now, only the Columbus Blue Jackets trail Ottawa in the East, and the Senators are in danger of drifting too far away from the teams currently holding playoff positions. It seems like just five minutes ago Senators fans were chuckling at the state of the poor old Buffalo Sabres, but Buffalo has now won 10 straight games and holds the second wild-card spot, five points ahead of Ottawa.

The Senators are also seven points back of the top three teams in the Atlantic Division. Needless to say, with so many teams ahead of them, Ottawa needs to go on a run, and soon.

Ottawa had its way with Washington back on October 25, defeating the Capitals 7–1. Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each recorded two goals and two assists in that game. The Senators will also be getting Washington on short rest, although that didn’t seem to matter a lick against Columbus earlier this week.

Despite playing the second half of a back-to-back and enduring brutal travel conditions, the Blue Jackets embarrassed the Senators at home, 4–1, leading to Ottawa being booed off the ice. Head coach Travis Green called it one of the worst performances of the season. With a game set for 1 pm, just 13 hours after the new year clock struck midnight, the players who indulged should be easy to spot.

Tim Stützle has 17 points during his 10 game point streak and will look to continue that momentum. Tyler Kleven returns from injury and will skate in the bottom pairing with Jordan Spence.

The Capitals received good news on Wednesday when both Tom Wilson, their leading scorer, and goaltender Logan Thompson were named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster.

Washington is coming off a 6–3 victory over the New York Rangers on New Year's Eve, and Wilson showed exactly why he earned that selection. With the score tied 1–1, Wilson delivered a massive hit, scored the go-ahead goal on the same shift, and on the next shift got into a fight. Wilson finished the night with two goals, the third Gordie Howe hat trick of his career, and the 200th goal of his NHL career.

It’s easy to envision Wilson and Brady Tkachuk butting heads on Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, and potentially doing it again next month in Italy. 

Here are the projected lineups (subject to change) from NHL.com.

CAPITALS (21-14-5) at SENATORS (18-15-5), 1 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5

Capitals projected lineup

Connor McMichael -- Justin Sourdif -- Alex Ovechkin

Aliaksei Protas -- Dylan Strome -- Tom Wilson

Justin Leonard -- Nic Dowd -- Ethen Frank

Brandon Duhaime -- Hendrix Lapierre -- Anthony Beauvillier

Martin Fehervary -- John Carlson

Jakob Chychrun -- Matt Roy

Rasmus Sandin -- Dylan McIlrath

Logan Thompson

Charlie Lindgren

Injured: Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower body)

Senators projected lineup

Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Fabian Zetterlund

David Perron -- Dylan Cozens -- Drake Batherson

Michael Amadio -- Shane Pinto -- Claude Giroux

Ridly Greig -- Stephen Halliday -- Nick Cousins

Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen

Tyler Kleven -- Jordan Spence

Leevi Merilainen

Hunter Shepard

Scratched: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo

Injured: Lars Eller (broken foot)

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa

The NHL spotlight will be shining brightly on the Florida Panthers again this week.

It’s something the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions are probably getting used to.

On Friday, the Panthers will host the New York Rangers for the 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami.

It will be the southernmost outdoor game the NHL has hosted yet, featuring the league’s budding dynasty against one of its Original Six franchises celebrating its centennial.

It’s a big deal for the Panthers, who will be playing the first outdoor game in franchise history, while the Rangers will be playing in their sixth outdoor game and third Winter Classic.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the majority of Florida’s current roster has been acquired over the past several years, there are quite a few Panthers players who have previously participated in an NHL outdoor game.

Let’s go down the list and see how they all did, shall we?

We’ll start with Sergei Bobrovsky, who played in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park with the Philadelphia Flyers. He made 30 saves on 33 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

In 2017, Jeff Petry and the Montreal Canadiens faced off against the Ottawa Senators in the NHL100 Classic in 2017. Petry finished with two shots, two blocks, three hits, two giveaways, and a minus-2 on-ice rating in Montreal’s 3-0 loss to Ottawa at Lansdowne Park.

A pair of current Panthers were on the ice at Citi Field for the 2018 Winter Classic with the Buffalo Sabres.

Sam Reinhart scored a power play goal on two shots, adding a block and two hits, while Evan Rodrigues logged a pair of shots in Buffalo’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers.

The following year, a trio of Cats played in the 2019 Heritage Classic between the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets at Mosiac Park in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Suiting up for Calgary were Matthew Tkachuk (six shots) and Sam Benentt (one shot, two penalty minutes) while Dmitry Kulikov played for the Jets, finishing with a shot, two blocks five hits and a giveaway in Winnipeg’s 2-1 win.

Brad Marchand played in his first of three outdoor games during the 2019 Winter Classic when the Boston Bruins took down the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 at Notre Dame Stadium. He had a goal on five shots and two hits in the win.

Marchand also played at the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe, a 7-3 Boston win over the Flyers, and at the 2023 Winter Classic when Boston took down the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at Fenway Park.

In those two games, Marchand combined for three assists, four shots, two blocks and three hits.

Luke Kunin skated in the 2022 Stadium Series with the Nashville Predators, logging three hits in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium.

Also in 2022, Niko Mikkola picked up a pair of penalty minutes, three blocks and two hits for the St. Louis Blues in their 6-4 Winter Classic victory over the Minnesota Wild at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Skating with Marchand and the Bruins at the 2023 Winter Classic was Tomas Nosek, who recorded a shot and two hits. Nosek also played in the 2024 Stadium Series with the New Jersey Devils, logging a shot and two hits again, this time in a 6-3 win over the Flyers.

A.J Greer took part in the 2023 Heritage Classic between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers, picking up a goal, two blocks and three hits in a 5-2 Calgary defeat at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

The following year, Seth Jones and the Blackhawks hosted St. Louis for the second Winter Classic played at Wrigley Field. Jones logged an assist, four shots, a block and two hits as Chicago lost 6-2 to the Blues.

Current Panthers backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov had a great seat for last year’s Stadium Series matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium, serving as the backup for Elvis Merzlikins in the Jackets’ 5-3 win.

As for former Florida first round pick Mackie Samoskevich, while this will be the 23-year-old’s first NHL outdoor game, he did play in the 2024 Queen City Outdoor Classic with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He had a fun time at Truist Field in Charlotte, picking up the game-winning goal on two shots.

Now we can’t forget about Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.

He’s been a part of two Heritage Classic games, both with Winnipeg. He coached the Jets in their 3-0 loss to Edmonton in 2016 and then again when they defeated Calgary 2-1 in 2019.

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Photo caption: Jan 2, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) walks onto the ice before a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2023 Winter Classic ice hockey game at Fenway Park. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)

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.

TikTok · David AlterCheck out David Alter’s video.

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.