After spending Wednesday afternoon bringing joy to kids around the Montreal Children’s hospitals, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to do the same for their fans at the Bell Centre. While the Canadiens’ home was like a fortress last season, this year the Sainte-Flanelle has really struggled at home, and it will need to address that if it wants any chance of making the playoffs.

The diminished Chicago Blackhawks were in town without the face of the franchise, Connor Bedard, and captain Nick Foligno, and while one might have thought it would have made the task easier, it wasn’t a walk in the park, and the Canadiens only managed to separate themselves in the third frame, on their way to a 4-1 win.

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Not A First Pairing

Granted, Mike Matheson’s absence hurts the Canadiens’ blueline, and so does Kaiden Guhle’s, but putting Jayden Struble on the first pairing with Noah Dobson seems like an unforced error to me. On the first goal of the game, Dobson gave the puck to Nazar, allowing the Hawks to counterattack while the Canadiens lost track of their defensive assignment. Struble struggled to defend effectively, as everything seemed to be moving a bit too fast for him.

Then, in the second period, Struble was easily beaten at the blueline, leaving Dobson to defend an odd-man rush, a play in which he took a tripping call after sliding down the middle, and his stick tripped Ryan Greene.

After 40 minutes of play, Struble had played 9:49 and committed two giveaways. Unlike Tuesday night, he wasn’t used on the penalty kill, even with Dobson in the box, as St-Louis preferred to use Arber Xhekaj.

In the end, Struble only spent another 35 seconds on the ice in the final frame, and as his presence alongside Dobson diminished, the veteran’s play improved.

About The Coaches Challenges

While the Canadiens had two goals waived off because of offside after a coach’s challenge, he’s still a fan of the possibility for the bench boss to appeal decisions:

I’m a big fan when it works for me. I believe that’s how it should be. We have rules, and we have the technology to apply them properly, so 95% of the time, the right call is made. They have the ability to check, of course, it’s annoying when you’re on the other side of it because you’re all happy, and then it’s deflating. It was a weird sequence on what would have been the third goal; there were two sequences. I only saw the first, and I thought we were fine, but when I looked back much further, the other play didn’t look fine.

- St-Louis on the coaches challenges

The fact that the Canadiens didn’t let the disappointment get to them tonight was a win in itself. For a young team, it can sometimes be hard to keep its emotions in check, but they did it admirably tonight, and they just kept on pushing even when they felt they should have had a bigger lead.

The Right Version Of Bolduc

It’s been almost a month since Zachary Bolduc was put on the first line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and while it’s taken some time for them to click, tonight, the best version of Bolduc turned up. Speaking about the winger, St-Louis said:

The way Boldy has evolved over the last month has allowed us to play inside that [Suzuki facing the tougher opponents].

- St-Louis on Bolduc

The two goals Bolduc scored tonight were his eighth and ninth on the season, but the first two he was able to put in at the Bell Centre. Given the Canadiens’ difficulties at home lately, getting better home performances from the youngster will certainly help. Named the first star of the game, the Trois-Rivieres native was beaming as he was interviewed on the ice at the end of the match.

All game long, he battled hard for space and came on the winning side of those battles as well. On the first goal, he had the right reflex to position himself in the high slot to receive the feed from Caufield, who was behind the goal line. Then, on the second one, he won the physical battle with Wyatt Kaiser. He got in front of him and, because of that, tipped the shot past Spencer Knight.

Il y prend goût

Tip drill ft. Boldy#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/ao7rJ0Ei6B

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 19, 2025

If Bolduc can keep performing like this, the Canadiens will end up having a very dangerous top-six, especially since Juraj Slafkovsky is really shining alongside Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.

In the end, Knight played a solid game, but he was tested so often by the Canadiens that something had to give. Montreal took 35 shots on net on Thursday night, something that’s almost unheard of from them this season, and it ended up being one of the keys to the game. Meanwhile, at the other end, Jakub Dobes was tested only 14 times, but he made the big saves when he needed to.

The Canadiens more than earned the day off announced after the game; they’ll get to recharge their batteries before taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins twice this weekend.

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Wyatt Johnston recorded a pair of goals as the Dallas Stars earned a 5–3 road win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.

Roope Hintz finished the game with one goal and one assist, while Justin Hryckowian and Jamie Benn also found the back of the net for Dallas, which improved to 23-7-5 on the season and has gone 3-2-0 over its last five contests. Esa Lindell and Mikko Rantanen each chipped in two assists, and Jake Oettinger anchored the victory with 34 saves.

San Jose was led by Collin Graf, who scored twice, and Shakir Mukhamadullin, who added a goal of his own. Macklin Celebrini contributed two assists for the Sharks, now 17-15-3, as their three-game winning streak came to an end. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots in defeat.

First Period

Dallas set the tone early and carried a 2–0 lead out of the opening period Hintz opened the scoring at 12:25 when he finished a feed from Rantanen, who threaded a pass from below the goal line to the front of the net. Hintz slipped his shot past Nedeljkovic’s right skate to give Dallas a 1–0 advantage.

San Jose thought it had an equalizer midway through the period when Zack Ostapchuk redirected a point shot past Oettinger. However, after a video review, the goal was overturned because Ostapchuk made contact with the puck above the crossbar.

Dallas capitalized shortly afterward. At 17:38, Johnston took a cross-ice pass from Miro Heiskanen and snapped a wrist shot from the slot over Nedeljkovic’s glove, doubling the Stars’ lead before the first intermission.

Second Period

The Sharks responded early in the second period to cut into the deficit. Just 1:43 in, Mukhamadullin fired a wrist shot from above the left circle that deflected off the skate of Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and slid through Oettinger’s pads, making it 2–1.

Dallas answered on the power play midway through the period. At 8:40, Johnston struck again, finishing a quick-touch sequence involving Hintz and Rantanen. Positioned in the low slot, Johnston snapped the puck over Nedeljkovic’s right shoulder to restore a two-goal cushion.

San Jose pulled back within one late in the period. At 16:44, Celebrini Graf in front of the net from the left corner. Graf’s initial attempt was stopped, but he stayed with the play and buried the rebound past Oettinger’s left pad.

The Stars regained momentum in the final minute of the period. With 43 seconds remaining, Nedeljkovic mishandled the puck behind his net, sending it directly to Justin Hryckowian in the right circle. Hryckowian immediately fired into the open net, giving Dallas a 4–2 lead heading into the third.

Third Period

San Jose made another push early in the third period. At 4:32, Graf scored his second goal of the night after taking a pass from Igor Chernyshov near the goal line. Crashing the net, Graf finished the play by slipping the puck five-hole on Oettinger to pull the Sharks within 4–3.

Despite the pressure, Dallas held firm defensively and relied on Oettinger, who finished the night with 34 saves. The Stars sealed the victory late when Jamie Benn scored into an empty net at 18:42, securing a 5–3 road win.

Next Game

The Sharks (17-15-3) take on the Seattle Kraken Friday night as they finish off a back-to-back at SAP Center. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. local time. 

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ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues were looking for several aspects in their game on the heels of a win on Wednesday night.

It was going to be tough on the second half of a back to back, but they managed to get a point. But one thing that remained consistent: they can’t get overtime right.

The Blues fell to 0-6 in the 3-on-3 competition when J.T. Miller scored at 2:21 of OT, and the New York Rangers rallied for a 2-1 win at Enterprise Center on Thursday.

Jonatan Berggren scored his first goal for the Blues (13-15-8), and Jordan Binnington had himself a really strong game, stopping 28 of 30 shots but picks up the OT loss.

Thursday’s loss comes on the heels of a 1-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.

Let’s dive into the game observations:

* The Blues just can’t solve OT – Not only are they now 0-6 in 3-on-3, but combine it with two shootout losses, it’s 0-for-8.

And this one started off as head-shaking as the others when the Blues won the face-off by Robert Thomas, who ultimately in his shift skates into the offensive zone along the right side, but for whatever reason, Pavel Buchnevich and Philip Broberg stayed behind leaving Thomas to go 1-on-3.

Why? Who knows. But that didn’t cost the Blues the game.

What did, again, though? Their inability to create and drive offense, and then ultimately, blown coverage at the other end.

“We’re not creating enough chances in 3-on-3 offensively,” St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery said, “and we have a lot of possession time, but when we turn it over, we are blowing covers. It’s man-on-man, it should be fairly simply to stay with your man when there’s 3-on-3 versus 5-on-5, but we’re getting beat to our net, we’re losing assignments, we’re getting slipped to the middle of the ice.”

On Miller’s goal, this one’s on Dalibor Dvorsky, who got puck-watching as Vincent Trocheck skated into the Blues’ zone between him and Colton Parayko, who had Trocheck sealed off.

Dvorsky’s man (Miller) was near the blue line, but as he slipped inside, Dvorsky turns around and loses his man off the wall, and Miller is able to get into the high slot and take Trocheck’s pass, beating Binnington to the stick side.

Binnington is screened by Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and teammate Pius Suter:

HE DOES IT AGAIN 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/FeZP0sZsjE

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 19, 2025

“The game-winning goal, the guy walks down the middle of the ice,” Montgomery said. “Someone lost his man on the boards. That’s what happened. It’s happened in at least four of the losses, and some of them have just been the other team making some high-end plays. We haven’t made those same plays.”

* Binnington gave the Blues a chance – This was Binnington’s first game action in a week, when he was pulled in a 7-2 loss to the Nashville Predators after the second period, more of a mercy pull than a poor play pull.

Joel Hofer started the past three games, including Wednesday, but this was a rock-solid performance in goal.

“I felt good,” Binnington said. ‘I was focused on my own process today and just doing my best to give the team the best chance to win. I felt good to get some work in these last couple of days and be back out there.”

Binnington had to keep his team in it right from the get-go when he kicked out the right pad on Conor Sheary just 16 seconds in. The Blues were not sharp the first two periods until picking it up in the third, but Binnington, who was only beat by a fortuitous bounce off the toe of Gabe Perreault at 6:02 of the second period that tied the game 1-1, gave his team a fighting chance.

“Yeah, it’s still hard. Still frustrating,” Binnington said. “I’ve got to stay with it.

“This one’s definitely frustrating, but we responded in the third period there. We’ve just got to keep building our game and playing the right way.”

The Blues are a league-worst 49 goals allowed in the second period, and if not for Binnington, it could have been worse.

“Binnington was excellent. He gave us an opportunity,” Montgomery said. “That second period, the only reason it’s 1-1 is because of ‘Binner.’”

* Blues simply don’t have finishers – It’s been an ongoing theme for the Blues: create chances, and a lot of them Grade A chances, but can’t finish.

It was a common theme once again Thursday.

We can talk all we want about Igor Shesterkin being in goal and you’re trying to be too fine, too precise in beating an elite style goalie, but this stuff has happened to average, mediocre tendy’s too.

And it was again an issue on Thursday.

And it’s top-end players – once again – that can’t hit the ocean from prime scoring areas.

Pavel Buchnevich had one early in the first period in Shesterkin’s grill, and missed the net. Brayden Schenn had one from the slot with acreage of space in the second period off a beautiful setup by Berggren and missed high. Philip Broberg walking down the slot with a puck and in the third period and firing it wide on the short side. Justin Faulk had another glorious chance in the second period and missing the net. Robert Thomas, who tied a career high with six shots on goal, was set up by Berggren in front in the third, but he actually put his shot on and it was stopped.

That’s the point. At the very least, force the goalie into a save. This group is notorious for not finishing, and there’s a reason why they’re dead-last in the league scoring 2.44 goals per game scoring 88 goals, which ranks 30th in the league.

The Blues have scored two or fewer goals in an astounding 20 of 36 games this season, and in eight of those, one or fewer.

“We had some point blank chances, the guys we want to have the point blank chances,” Montgomery said, sounding like a broken record this season. “Sometimes you try to be too perfect. ‘Buchy’ knows (Shesterkin) and he played with him. ‘Buchy’ had a lot of those opportunities and I think he tried to be too perfect, missed the net a couple times. That happens to you.”

The power play was a reason also, going 0-for-3 with four shots and it could have been more.

There's a reason why the leading goal scorers on this team have just eight, and let's put it into perspective here. The Blues' leading point producer is Thomas with 24 in 32 games. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers had two more points on Thursday to give him 22 the past eight games. EIGHT.

Enough said.

Nobody said you have to be Connor McDavid, but come on, the numbers are pretty staggering here.

* Blues might have something with Berggren, Stenberg – For the second straight night, two newbies were noticeable in a positive light.

Berggren and 2023 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) Otto Stenberg each had a nice, solid game.

Berggren played 16:55, including a shift in OT, and his goal was of elite form.

It gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 18:58 of the first period after he took a loose puck forced when Dvorsky turned Gavrikov over, then skating in from a sharp angle and beating Shesterkin with a small window off the bar on the short side:

Yeah, you're going to want to see this shot by Jonatan Berggren. 🎯

Wow, wow, wow. pic.twitter.com/cKBBm03D5F

— NHL (@NHL) December 19, 2025

“Lucky it went in and nice to get the first one pretty early,” Berggren said.

Montgomery liked Berggren’s game so much that he moved him to the top line with Thomas and Buchnevich, and the trio was creating.

“It looked really good in the third, and we’ll probably give it a look next game,” Montgomery said. ‘There’s a big difference when you start a game with people. There just is. Sometimes in games, you catch fire. To be able to sustain it, we’re going to see if we can sustain it, but it did look good.

“He’s been really good. Him and Stenberg both have been excellent. Just players that have really good brains, high skill level. Really fit in well with the way we want to play. They’ve really added a lot of speed and pace to playing fast, especially when we go north.”

Berggren played 12:45 on Wednesday in his Blues debut, and Stenberg followed his 13:38 of ice time with 15:12 on Thursday, also getting OT time.

This makes two games in a row when two new guys in the lineup are making a positive difference, and influence.

* Third period much better after not finding legs in first 40 – The Blues’ push came in the final period when they outshot the Rangers 11-4 and pressured in the offensive zone but not finding a way to beat Shesterkin.

It came after too many one-and-dones earlier in the game when pucks would get dumped in and little to no forecheck to follow.

“I think the first two periods was pretty average, kind of bad, but the third one was really good and we should have had two or three goals there,” Berggren said. “But back to back is always tough. Shows that we had some energy in the third.”

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It seems like these recaps for the Pittsburgh Penguins are starting to get a bit redundant. And well, that's probably because they are. 

Because, for the seventh straight game, we're talking about a Penguins' loss. 

After a messy losing effort against the Edmonton Oilers at home on Tuesday, the Penguins embarked on the first leg of their annual Dads Trip on Thursday to face the Ottawa Senators in hopes of snapping their six-game losing streak. But from the moment they took the ice, they looked like a team that wasn't ready to play.

The Penguins fell to Linus Ullmark and the Senators, 4-0, in one of their most listless efforts of the season to date. Ullmark stopped all 24 of the shots he faced, and Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 22 of 25 Senators' shots on goal. 

This was one of those games where it felt like the Penguins were never really in it. However, they certainly didn't get any help from the officiating from the jump, either. 

Early in the game, Arturs Silovs was called for a tripping penalty on a net-front opportunity from the Senators - a questionable call, as there's not much Silovs could have done there - and the Sens capitalized on the ensuing power play when Brady Tkachuk buried one a little more than two minutes into the game. The Penguins started to get a tiny fraction of momentum at the end of the first that they hoped to carry into the second.

And, well, they did have a nice first shift by the first line of Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust, and they were beginning to push a little bit. But a fortuitous bounce for Ottawa landed right by the net-front and next to David Perron, who put it past Silovs for his 800th career NHL point to make it 2-0 less than two minutes into the middle frame. Claude Giroux added another tally just three minutes later.

Then, in the third, the Penguins did start pushing a bit, and it resulted in a puck getting past Ullmark on a floater from Kris Letang at the point. However, the goal was waved off immediately on the ice, as the officials deemed that Rickard Rakell interefered with Ullmark. 

The Penguins challenged, and - well - it seemed like a good challenge. Rakell was being hauled down by Jake Sanderson at the net front and outside of the blue paint, and Sanderson's stick is the one that made contact with Ullmark. And the contact seemed to be initiated after the puck had already gotten behind Ullmark. 

However, the Penguins lost the challenge, the call on the ice stood, and they weren't able to recover. With around six minutes remaining in regulation, Silovs started skating to the Penguins' bench for the extra attacker while Ottawa was breaking out of the defensive zone. With no goaltender in the net - and Silovs desperately trying to get back to the net - Tkachuk buried his second of the game, and the Penguins went down with a whimper. 

Things didn't exactly go the Penguins' way Thursday. But they still couldn't find a way to respond to the adversity they faced, which is something they were doing at the beginning of the season. 

---

Here are some takeaways from this one:

- This is as uninspired a performance I've seen from the Penguins this season. And it was like that from the drop of the puck. 

Lately, the Penguins have gotten off to good starts in games. That wasn't the case Thursday. Ottawa was pressuring hard from the start of the first period, and they never really relented until a spell in the third period prior to the disallowed goal. The Penguins had no answer for the Senators' momentum, and it doomed them from the start. 

Simply put, the Penguins didn't come ready to play Thursday, and this is not ideal given the fact that they had lost six straight coming into this one and that they're falling in the standings. 

- Before getting to the negatives, I do want to point out that Parker Wotherspoon and Erik Karlsson - along with Rakell - were probably the Penguins' best players Tuesday. And they seemed to be the only ones really trying hard to seize momentum and get something going. 

Early on, there were a few shifts where they were doing everything they could to spark some offense. I didn't love their defensive play in the latter part of the game, pretty much like everyone else's. But I at least saw a concerted effort from those two in this one. 

- Now, let's get to the ugly. 

Although I wouldn't really pin any of the goals against on Silovs, this was his seventh straight loss. The good start to the season that he had seems like a distant memory, and he - like the rest of his team - cannot find any consistency right now. 

If the Penguins' season continues to go south, it wouldn't be the worst thing to keep him. But the Penguins also have two performing goaltenders in Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), and there's no point in blocking one of them at the NHL level if they show readiness. Which, they have up to this point. 

If there is one more iffy start from Silovs, I'd say were approaching decision time for the goaltending situation. 

- I said it after the last game, and I'll say it again: The Penguins need to split up Crosby and Rust. 

The effort is there for Rakell, even if the rust is evident. He's still playing decent defensive hockey in comparison to the other two, and his production is somewhat tethered to Crosby. But this line is so often caught flat-footed in their own zone that something needs to be tweaked. 

Give Rutger McGroarty or Ville Koivunen a few games with Crosby and Rakell, and give Rust some time with Ben Kindel. A shakeup like that could be beneficial for everyone, and having someone like Rust with Kindel and one of McGroarty or Koivunen could give that line a boost production-wise. 

- Again, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse. But Letang's defensive play continues to be a problem. He was beat one-on-one on several occasions Thursday - including on the play that led to the Silovs penalty - and it's happening with regularity. 

There is still some offensive value there, but he really, really needs a lesser role and a more stable partner. Ryan Shea has looked more like a third-pairing defenseman over the last several weeks, so I would give Brett Kulak a try alongside Letang. 

Try that first on the second pairing. And if that doesn't work? Well, I think it's probably time to look ahead a little bit because it's not like fellow right-siders Jack St. Ivany or Connor Clifton have shown much of anything, either. 

Harrison Brunicke was lent to Team Canada for the World Junior Championship (WJC), and the Penguins will have a decision to make on him prior to the conclusion of the tournament because Jan. 3 is their 40th game of the season. At that point, if Brunicke and Kindel are still on the NHL roster, they lose a year of restricted free agency. 

If things don't get any better with the Penguins' backend, there is no reason - purely from a hockey standpoint, anyway - not to give Brunicke some NHL runway for the rest of the season. The team's blue line is hardly playing much defense as is, so why not let the rookie show what he can do and make some mistakes along the way?

Truthfully, giving Brunicke those minutes can't look any worse than what Letang and several others have shown defensively this season. And, at the very least, Brunicke can skate and backcheck well.

After the WJC, split minutes between the second and third pairing so that Brunicke and Letang are playing about the same amount of minutes. If the Penguins continue trending downward, that's what I'd do, and I don't think it would be a particularly difficult decision, either. The Penguins are clearly hesitant about sending Brunicke back to junior hockey, so maybe they just shouldn't, and they can let him take his lumps at the NHL level. 

- At this point, I don't think Kevin Hayes and Danton Heinen are doing all that much to help this team win hockey games. Heinen did hit the iron a few times on Thursday, but his lack of experience at the center position is definitely showing. And with two centers in Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte still out, there are not many options on the roster as is. 

Well, I think it's about time that the Penguins consider making some changes to that NHL roster as is. 

Tristan Broz got one game earlier this season before being healthy scratched twice then sent back down, where he's continued to put up numbers. Avery Hayes supplies a brand of energy that the Penguins could use right now. Boko Imama certainly brings an energy to a lineup, too, and he's well-liked in the locker room.

Those three players should be on the first plane to Montreal, and the Penguins should cut ties with underperforming veterans who simply aren't getting the job done right now. There is too much dead weight on the roster, and the Penguins could use another center as well as more youth. 

This roster should not look the same come Saturday or Sunday. We'll see what happens - or if anything happens - in the coming days. The Penguins are falling fast, and they need to shake things up quickly if they are to salvage their season. 

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — J.T. Miller scored 2:21 into overtime and the New York Rangers beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Thursday night.

Rookie Gabe Perrault scored his first NHL goal for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin had 26 saves. New York had lost two straight and five of six (1-3-2).

Jonatan Berggren, claimed off waivers from Detroit earlier this week, scored for St. Louis, which has lost four of six. (2-3-1). Jordan Binnington finished with 28 saves.

Miller was open in the slot and delivered the decisive goal as New York snapped a five-game losing streak in St. Louis.

Shesterkin ended a 12-game stretch in which he had allowed multiple goals in each game. His last game allowing only one goal came Nov. 15 in a shootout victory against Columbus.

Berggren skated along the goal line and beat Shesterkin on a sharp angle over his left shoulder with 1:02 left in the first period. Rookie Dalibor Dvorsky got the assist after poking the puck away from Vladislav Gavrikov to set up the scoring chance.

The Rangers responded at 6:02 of the second, when Perrault deflected a Will Cuylle's wrist shot past Binnington on the power play. It was the first game for Perrault, a 2023 first-round pick and the son of former NHL All-Star Yanic Perrault, since being called up from the minors in a bid to spark a scuffling offense that had been shut out twice in its previous four games.

For the second straight game, New York was without one of its top scoring threats. Artemi Panarin, tied for the team lead with 11 goals, was scratched due to an illness.

Mika Zibanejad, who also has 11 goals, returned to the lineup after being scratched in the Rangers' 3-0 loss to Vancouver as discipline for missing a team meeting.

Up Next

Rangers: Host Philadelphia on Saturday.

Blues: Play at Florida on Saturday to start a two-game trip.

Tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-13-3), Los Angeles (15-10-9) leaned on its defense, physical play, strong goaltending from Anton Forsberg, and Adrian Kempe's pair of goals to snap the Kings' four-game losing streak. 

Tampa Bay struck first on their only power play on the night after a cross-checking penalty called on Kempe, giving Tampa the early 1-0 lead in the first period. But, Kempe made up for his early play by scoring two second-period goals, which proved to be the difference tonight in Tampa, shutting down the Lightning's top 10 offense, despite the Kings being outshot 32-20. 

TWO POINTS IN TAMPA! pic.twitter.com/dWH2Nd7qkg

— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 19, 2025

Lightning Strike First 

The opening period was fast, physical, and chaotic, with both teams trading hits and giveaways, especially the Kings, who ended the night with 20 giveaways. Tampa Bay scored its only goal of the game midway through the first period after the Kings were called for a penalty. 

Oliver Bjorkstrand was able to convert for the Lightning in the power play, finding his own rebound in front and slipping the puck through the net. Despite the goal from Tampa Bay, Forsberg did a terrific job anchoring the defense, saving 31 shots and giving up just one goal. 

The Lightning also had a chance to extend their lead 2-0 to end the first period, but the goal was shut down by Forsberg after Dominic James came very close to expanding Tampa's lead. 

Kempe Takes Over In the Second

Los Angeles flipped the script to begin the second period with Kempe leading the charge. 

The Kings tied the game five minutes into the period with Kempe scoring on the rush, beating Andrei Vasilevskiy from the high slot through traffic with Tampa Bay unable to close the shooting lane. 

Off the goal from Kempe, Anze Kopitar assisted it, marking his 200th career point in the month of December, only the second skater to record 200 or more career points in multiple calendar months, joining Marcel Dionne. 

Anze Kopitar's assist tonight is his 200th career point (66-134=200) in the month of December, marking his third different calendar month with 200 points (235 in March; 200 in February). He is joined by Marcel Dionne has the only two skaters in @LAKings history with 200+ career… pic.twitter.com/zEP7hUp9O7

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) December 19, 2025

Over 10 minutes later, Kempe delivered the decisive moment. A turnover by Pontus Holmberg helped Kempe break through the ice on a clean breakaway. The Kings winger surged past Tampa Bay's defenders, stayed patient, and snapped the shot past Vasilevskiy to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. 

Kings Clamp Down Late

The third period belonged to Forsberg and the defense he played on the Lightning. Tampa Bay wasn't giving up at all, pushing hard and putting pressure on Forsberg, but he stood tall and stopped every shot that came at him. 

It was a crucial game for Los Angeles because of everything they've gone through during their four-game losing streak, including players getting frustrated, coaching problems, and ongoing discussions about roster changes. 

But the Kings can play like this on any given night, so it's not a surprise; it's just a question of whether Los Angeles can stay consistent, rather than be a roller coaster ride as they've been throughout this season. 

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 Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Thursday night. They were not beaten by a slim margin, either. The final score was 4-1, but the game wasn't even that close based on how each team played. 

Chicago was outshot 35-15. One of Montreal's goals was an empty netter, so Spencer Knight made 31 saves on 34 shots. He was excellent, but even he couldn't overcome the lackluster performance that the team put forth in front of him. 

This game was tied 1-1 after two, despite how badly they were outperformed. The third period got away from them on the scoreboard, and that's now four straight regulation losses for Chicago. 

After the game, Jeff Blashill was not quick to torch his team. He said that they had a chance to win after two but blamed the bad third period for the loss. In a vacuum, he is correct because of the scoreboard, but the team had not played well and was bailed out by the goalie through the first 40 minutes. 

There were three goals waved off in this one, so the score could have been even worse for the Blackhawks if the video replay coaches had a bad night. One was a Chicago goal canceled for goalie interference, and two for Montreal due to off-sides. 

Despite the bad loss, Knight isn't the only Blackhawks player who is going to walk away with something positive about their game. Frank Nazar scored Chicago's only goal, and it was a big one for him personally. 

This was Nazar's first goal in 21 games. It was on October 28th when Nazar last scored for the Blackhawks. When he skated to the Blackhawks bench after claiming the goal, he made the gesture of getting the monkey off his back. 

Now that Nazar has this goal drought behind him, especially without Connor Bedard for a little while longer, he is going to be relied on to step up. The Blackhawks are sliding, and someone must take control offensively. Nazar is the most likely to do that due to his skill. 

When asked about Nazar after the game, Blashill said that he continued to discuss the process with his young forward. He said that playing the right way would eventually lead to his offense coming back. He was right. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

28 ➡️ 48 ➡️ 91 ➡️ 🚨 pic.twitter.com/sTKoEI6vcW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 19, 2025

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

Next for Chicago is the final game of this eastern Canadian road trip. They will finish off on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. This matinee matchup will be at 2 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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.

With the Buffalo Sabres struggling again this season, they should be open to the idea of shaking up their roster. When looking at their current group, it is fair to argue that they could use another skilled forward. 

Yet, with the Sabres being at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings right now, they should not be looking to bring in rentals. Instead, their targets should be players who have multiple years left on their deals and can make a long-term impact for them. 

When looking at trade candidates with term, one player who stands out as a potential fit for the Sabres is Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett. 

Tippett would be far more than just a rental for the Sabres if acquires, as he has a $6.2 million cap hit until the end of the 2031-32. With this, he would have the potential to be a big part of the Sabres' roster for a long time if acquired.

If the Sabres landed Tippett from the Flyers, they would be getting a 26-year-old forward who would slot nicely in their top nine and on their power play. The 2017 first-round pick has appeared in 32 games so far this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded nine goals, 11 assists, and 20 points. He also scored at least 20 goals in each of his previous three seasons, including a career-high 28 goals in 2023-24. 

With all of this, Tippett could be a very interesting player for the Sabres to add if the Flyers make him available near the trade deadline. 

Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella isn't close to throwing in the towel on his coaching career, but the veteran bench boss was well prepared to say any talk of an NHL return right now is premature.

Tortorella, 67, is without a job at the start of a season for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when he was between jobs after spending six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

With the Blue Jackets, of course, Tortorella worked closely with GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who just took over the Buffalo Sabres in the wake of Kevyn Adams's firing.

Longtime NHL head coach Lindy Ruff is back with the Sabres for his second stint, but there are no guarantees that arrangement remains in place with the Sabres sitting last in the Eastern Conference with a 14-14-2 record and just 32 points while playing the Flyers at the time of this writing.

As such, Tortorella, now an analyst with ESPN for the time being, was asked by reporter Emily Kaplan if he had gotten any calls from his old friend Kekalainen, which he vehemently denied in classic Tortorella fashion.

Ex-Flyers Coach John Tortorella Recounts Golden Matvei Michkov StoryTortorella dished on Michkov's surprising but enthusiastic penalty box strategy, which goes to show how well the two understood each other while they were together on the Flyers.

"No, I have not, Emily," Tortorella was quoted as saying to Kaplan by Mike Harrington of Buffalo News. "Don't even start."

Tortorella is live in-studio covering the Flyers-Sabres game on Thursday night and offered commentary, in his own way, on some things the Sabres players are doing, what they aren't doing, and how they can respond to their GM's dismissal.

One thing is for sure, though: the connection to Kekalainen and the success those two men had in Columbus with talents like Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Zach Werenski, and even Seth Jones, is an obvious link.

Plus, Tortorella kicked off his NHL coaching career with the Sabres, serving as an assistant coach for the franchise from 1989-90 to 1994-95 before taking over as the head coach of the AHL Rochester Americans for two seasons.

Matvei Michkov Says He Was 'Very Upset' When Flyers Fired John TortorellaThe relationship between star <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> rookie Matvei Michkov and fired head coach John Tortorella was much better than many have made it out to be.

Tortorella, of course, has been out of work since being fired by the Flyers on March 27, though he is on the United States' staff for the 2026 Winter Olympics - a team that could feature Flyers star Trevor Zegras.

A return to an NHL bench doesn't appear to be imminent just yet, but don't be surprised to see Tortorella back coaching at some point this season.