Ilya Sorokin will start again tonight as the Islanders host Barry’s Predators.

After starting what looked like another lost, tankable season, Nashville has rebounded a bit and is in shouting distance of the Western playoff wild card slots. But the odds are still slim and the question persists of whether they should dump assets like Ryan O’Reilly (still very useful) and Steven Stamkos (streaky, big-contract-laden) if they can.

Tonight is the return match of the opener from that big ol’ Western road trip, where the Isles fell annoyingly in a shootout.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• Preview before the preview: Mostly stats from the past week plus Predators notes. [Isles]
• Morning preview: Casey Cizikas will return from illness, likely pushing Max Shabanov back out and they hope adding energy that was missing in the second half of the sweep of the Rangers. Also: Calum Ritchie will not return before the Olympic break. [Isles]
• (Yester)day in Isles history: Bo Horvat acquired. [Isles]
• On Matthew Schaefer calling into WFAN to banter with Rangers grouch Boomer Esiason: [Newsday] Full audio in this reddidit thread. Gross: Schaefer still the talk of the town.

The most striking thing to me right now is Schaefer is so damn lovable that he adds fun to the rivalry but also takes some of the bite out of it, at this point. Like, the way he approaches it in a familial way makes it feel a little less vicious and kind of turns a mirror to the absurdity of us getting overly worked up about it. (This feeling will change with the first dirty hit or important meeting, if the latter ever happens again.)

Elsewhere

Just one game in the league last night, for some reason (after 15 Thursday and before 14 today). Columbus doubled the Blackhawks.

• Nikita Tolopilo was denied a shutout due to the weird rule for that and a concussion spotter. [TSN]
• Kris Letang will be out four weeks for the Penguins, good timing with the Olympics. [NHL]
• And Jack Hughes is still being evaluated after his latest malady. [NHL]
• But Linus Ullmark is set to return for the Senators. [Sportsnet]
• Bourne: Could the Leafs plummet so well that they keep the top-five-protected pick they sent to the Bruins last year? [Sportsnet]

The Detroit Red Wings kick off a two-game set Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche in what shapes up to be one of their toughest tests of the season. Based on the rest of their schedule, it may only be the start of a grueling stretch.

Holding onto a top-two position in the Atlantic Division has been a challenge for Detroit. The Red Wings are pushing for home-ice advantage in the playoffs and have played at a high level to protect their spot, but consistent play throughout the division has made it difficult to create separation in the standings.

As of Saturday, Detroit faces the most difficult remaining schedule in the NHL. The Avalanche are just the beginning. The Red Wings will also see the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, the red-hot Buffalo Sabres, the Utah Mammoth, and the Vegas Golden Knights. The road only gets harder with two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and three matchups against the Florida Panthers.

Protecting their place in the division will not be easy, as these upcoming games represent the most critical portion of the season. Detroit enters the stretch with a 32-17-6 record. Buffalo, Montreal, and Boston sit just three points behind and could overtake the Red Wings for second place at any time with a strong run. Florida also remains a factor. Despite dealing with injuries, the Panthers are eight points out of a playoff spot and are expected to push for one of the final postseason positions.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The race is shaping up to be tight down the stretch. Detroit will need to stay competitive in its toughest matchups while capitalizing on games against more vulnerable opponents.

That includes upcoming contests against the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, and Nashville Predators, along with two games each against the struggling Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils. The stretch concludes with three important games against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Red Wings have the roster capable of executing and securing a favorable playoff position. Avoiding a midseason slump will be crucial, as any misstep could open the door for a division rival to gain ground in an increasingly crowded Atlantic race.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will honor their 2016 Stanley Cup team during Saturday's game against the New York Rangers. 

Numerous members of that team will be inside PPG Paints Arena to be honored and watch the Penguins try to secure their sixth-straight victory.

The Penguins and Rangers have split the previous two meetings this season, both in October. The Penguins won 3-0 in New York, while the Rangers won 6-1 in Pittsburgh. 

A lot has changed since those two meetings. The Penguins are currently second in the Metropolitan Division, while the Rangers are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and will be a seller when the trade deadline rolls around. The Rangers have lost two in a row and eight of their last 10 games. 

Rangers forward Artemi Panarin is still being held out for roster management reasons, and they'll also be without defenseman Adam Fox and goaltender Igor Shesterkin for this game. Fox and Shesterkin are still recovering from their respective injuries. 

Despite playing on a bad team, Mika Zibanejad is having a good season for the Rangers, compiling 23 goals and 51 points in 54 games. JT Miller has 14 goals and 35 points in 46 games, and Vincent Trocheck, who is also on the trade block, has 11 goals and 33 points in 41 games. 

The Penguins will be without defenseman Kris Letang for Saturday's game and for at least the next four weeks after the team announced he fractured a bone in his foot. 

Evgeni Malkin is still questionable for the game after missing Friday's practice. Stuart Skinner is set to start in goal for the Penguins.

Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more! 

Many have wondered how the Colorado Avalanche would handle adversity after such a prolonged run of unrivaled success to start this season.

Adversity came in spades throughout January, but the Avalanche have one more chance to finish the month on a positive note, but they’ll have to do it against their longtime (and much improved) rival, the Detroit Red Wings.

Colorado Avalanche

Today’s game is the final game of a four game road trip, and the first of a home and home series with Detroit, who will fly out to Denver to wrap up the season series against the Avalanche on Monday night at Ball Arena. The Avalanche are coming off consecutive losses to the Ottawa Senators and Montréal Canadiens in consecutive nights, losing both games by a combined score of 12-5. The Avs looked limp and lifeless as Ottawa shelled Mackenzie Blackwood for five goals on Wednesday night, and Scott Wedgewood fared worse as Montréal pumped seven goals—including two from behind the goal line—behind him on Thursday.

Despite feeling his team put together a more competitive effort against Montréal than what they showed in Ottawa, head coach Jared Bednar noted the struggles that his team is having on both ends of the ice. “We’re having trouble putting the puck in the net; we’re having trouble keeping it out of our net right now, too […] It’s kind of tough sledding for us right now, but we’ve got to be a little better in some areas again than we were tonight.”

Brock Nelson has continued to shine bright for the Avs in the goal scoring department, scoring four goals in his last three games. His 28 goals rank second to League leader Nathan MacKinnon (38), and his 47 points are good for fourth place on the team. MacKinnon, however, has not scored a goal since January 19 against Washington. The goal scoring drought isn’t limited to just MacKinnon; Martin Nečas hasn’t scored since January 12 against Toronto.

When asked about the lack of production from both MacKinnon and Martin Nečas, Bednar said, “It’s not like they’re not doing some good things, because they did. They’re creating some chances; they’re not scoring on them like they normally would, right? Part of it is that, you’re going to finish off some of the chances, so I think they fall into that category.”

Currently, the Avs sport a 5-6-2 record for the month of January. Without a win today, the Avs will finish with a sub-500 record for a given calendar month since going 5-6-0 in October 2024. Despite their struggles this month, they still remain the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. With three games remaining on their schedule before the Olympic break, they’re not in any danger of losing much ground to the third second place Minnesota Wild or the Dallas Stars prior to heading to Italy.

The Avs have won three of their last four regular season games against Detroit, including the most recent matchup on March 25, 2025, by a 5-2 decision.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Victor Olofsson – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley
Zakhar Bardakov – Parker Kelly – Joel Kiviranta

Defense:
Sam Malinski – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Keaton Middleton – Sam Girard

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit currently sits in second place in the Atlantic Division standings, just two points shy of the first place Tampa Bay Lightning. Given the packed standings in the Eastern Conference, a playoff spot isn’t guaranteed at this point in the season, but Detroit’s chances of seeing their first playoff berth in nine seasons is looking more and more likely. With the franchise currently celebrating its centennial season, a return to the postseason would be a noteworthy accomplishment to commemorate the occasion.

Detroit has fared better than Colorado throughout the month of January overall, going 6-2-2 in their previous ten games. However, Detroit has lost two of their current three game home stand at Little Caesars Arena, losing 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday evening, and a 4-3 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Despite the loss, right winger Patrick Kane recorded his 1,375 point of his career to become the highest scoring American-born player in the NHL, surpassing one-time former Red Wing Mike Modano.

Alex DeBrincat currently leads Detroit in goals (30), and is one point shy of the team lead in overall points behind Lucas Raymond (58). Raymond also leads the team in assists (40). Team captain Dylan Larkin ranks second on the team behind DeBrincat in goals (25) and third in points (48).

Goaltender John Gibson, who was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks during the offseason, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in his first full season with Detroit. He currently has 21 wins on the season, the most he’s had since the 2018-2019 season (26), and setting a new career high in wins (Gibson won 31 games during the 2017-2018 season) isn’t out of the question, but if Detroit has its sights set on the postseason, Gibson’s career best will have to come this spring.

Detroit’s last victory over Colorado came on February 22, 2024, a 2-1 victory on an overtime goal from Kane.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Marco Kasper – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat – Andrew Copp – Patrick Kane
Emmitt Finnie – J.T. Compher – James van Riemsdyk
Elmer Söderblom – Michael Rasmussen – Mason Appleton

Defense:
Jacob Bernard-Docker – Moritz Seider
Axel Sandin-Pellikka – Ben Chiarot
Albert Johansson – Travis Hamonic

Between the Pipes:
John Gibson
Cam Talbot

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is back in the saddle.

As the Senators face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night (7:00 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre), Ullmark will play for the first time since December 27, when he stepped away from the team on a personal leave of absence to address his mental health concerns.

Ullmark was the first goalie off the ice at Saturday morning’s game-day skate, and Senators head coach Travis Green confirmed at his media availability that the 32-year-old veteran will get the start.

Ully’s got the net tonight! https://t.co/owbT7kltpzpic.twitter.com/r2CERUss8c

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 31, 2026

It's not technically a return to the lineup.

Ullmark actually rejoined the team six days ago, returning as the backup goaltender behind minor league goalie Mads Søgaard and then 37-year-old journeyman James Reimer for two of the Senators’ most impressive wins of the season: a 7–1 victory over Vegas on Sunday, followed by a 5–2 win against the top-ranked Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

Ullmark hasn't played since Dec 27 when he was pulled from a game against the Leafs. He'd later say he was having serious in-game anxiety issues that night. He says he called the players' assistance program right after the game and told them, "I'm f****d up. I need help."

The Sens also announced on Saturday that forward Stephen Halliday would be back after missing a game due to an upper-body injury. That meant Xavier Bourgault was sent back to Belleville.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News. Read more from The Hockey News Ottawa:

Linus Ullmark’s Former Goalie Coach Now Part Of Senators’ Coaching Picture
One-On-One With Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk
Next Level: Ridly Greig 'Does Whatever Needs To Be Done To Win'
Jake Sanderson's Blunt Goaltending Critique Hits Hard In Ottawa
Time Is Running Out For The Senators... And Steve Staios Knows It