DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including his 400th career goal, and Valeri Nichushkin netted his second NHL hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-1 on Wednesday night for their ninth straight win.

MacKinnon became the third player in franchise history to reach 400 goals and first to score them all for the Avalanche. Joe Sakic had 625 goals, the first 233 coming with the Quebec Nordiques before the team moved to Colorado. Michel Goulet is second in club history with 456, all for Quebec.

MacKinnon, who added two assists, leads the NHL with 34 goals. His 70 points were tied with Edmonton star Connor McDavid for most in the league.

Nichushkin scored twice during a four-goal barrage in the first 4:39 of the game and finished with three goals. Brock Nelson scored later on a power play for Colorado, and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 12 shots.

Colorado has won 15 straight at home, where it is 17-0-2, and has just two regulation losses (30-2-7) this season. The Avalanche’s 69 points tied the 1929-30 Boston Bruins for the most through 39 games.

Jordan Binnington allowed four goals on the first eight shots he faced and finished with 37 saves. Dalibor Dvorsky scored for St. Louis, which has dropped two straight. The Blues’ 13 shots on goal were a season low.

Nichushkin made it 1-0 a minute in, and MacKinnon scored his first of the game at 3:13. Nichushkin got his second of the night 13 seconds later, and MacKinnon’s slap shot 1:13 after that capped the early scoring.

It was the fastest four goals to start a game in franchise history and third in NHL history.

Nelson, who got his 300th career assist on Nichushkin’s first goal, scored midway through the game. Nichushkin scored 1:34 after Dvorsky spoiled Blackwood’s shutout bid with his sixth of the season.

Up next

Blues: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.

Avalanche: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including his 400th career goal, and Valeri Nichushkin netted his second NHL hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-1 on Wednesday night for their ninth straight win.

MacKinnon became the third player in franchise history to reach 400 goals and first to score them all for the Avalanche. Joe Sakic had 625 goals, the first 233 coming with the Quebec Nordiques before the team moved to Colorado. Michel Goulet is second in club history with 456, all for Quebec.

MacKinnon, who added two assists, leads the NHL with 34 goals. His 70 points were tied with Edmonton star Connor McDavid for most in the league.

Nichushkin scored twice during a four-goal barrage in the first 4:39 of the game and finished with three goals. Brock Nelson scored later on a power play for Colorado, and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 12 shots.

Colorado has won 15 straight at home, where it is 17-0-2, and has just two regulation losses (30-2-7) this season. The Avalanche’s 69 points tied the 1929-30 Boston Bruins for the most through 39 games.

Jordan Binnington allowed four goals on the first eight shots he faced and finished with 37 saves. Dalibor Dvorsky scored for St. Louis, which has dropped two straight. The Blues’ 13 shots on goal were a season low.

Nichushkin made it 1-0 a minute in, and MacKinnon scored his first of the game at 3:13. Nichushkin got his second of the night 13 seconds later, and MacKinnon’s slap shot 1:13 after that capped the early scoring.

It was the fastest four goals to start a game in franchise history and third in NHL history.

Nelson, who got his 300th career assist on Nichushkin’s first goal, scored midway through the game. Nichushkin scored 1:34 after Dvorsky spoiled Blackwood’s shutout bid with his sixth of the season.

Up next

Blues: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.

Avalanche: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Steven Stamkos scored his 600th career goal and the Nashville Predators beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Wednesday.

The Predators, in the middle of a season-long seven-game road trip, won for the 12th time in 17 games, including the third of their first four on the trip.

The win put the Predators (18-17-4) above .500 for the first time since Oct. 16, just five games into the season, when they were 2-1-2.

Vegas, meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Knights closed their four-game homestand with a 1-2-1 mark.

Now in his 18th season, Stamkos scored his 18th of the season and ninth against the Golden Knights since they entered the league in 2017. The game-tying goal was part of an unanswered three-goal spurt over five minutes that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead for the Predators.

Nick Perbix, Reid Schaefer and Michael Bunting also scored for the Predators. Justus Annunen made 29 saves.

Former Knight Erik Haula, who is two games shy of skating in his 800th game, registered the 200th assist of his career on Bunting’s goal.

Mark Stone, who earlier in the day was named to Canada’s Olympic roster, scored his 10th goal of the season, while Ben Hutton added his sixth for the Knights. Akira Schmid stopped 15 shots before being pulled late in the third period for an extra skater.

Vegas forward Mitch Marner and defenseman Shea Theodore were also named to Canada’s team. All three of the Knights represented their homeland in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

Up next

Nashville: Visits Seattle on Thursday.

Vegas: Visits St. Louis on Friday.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Steven Stamkos scored his 600th career goal and the Nashville Predators beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Wednesday.

The Predators, in the middle of a season-long seven-game road trip, won for the 12th time in 17 games, including the third of their first four on the trip.

The win put the Predators (18-17-4) above .500 for the first time since Oct. 16, just five games into the season, when they were 2-1-2.

Vegas, meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Knights closed their four-game homestand with a 1-2-1 mark.

Now in his 18th season, Stamkos scored his 18th of the season and ninth against the Golden Knights since they entered the league in 2017. The game-tying goal was part of an unanswered three-goal spurt over five minutes that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead for the Predators.

Nick Perbix, Reid Schaefer and Michael Bunting also scored for the Predators. Justus Annunen made 29 saves.

Former Knight Erik Haula, who is two games shy of skating in his 800th game, registered the 200th assist of his career on Bunting’s goal.

Mark Stone, who earlier in the day was named to Canada’s Olympic roster, scored his 10th goal of the season, while Ben Hutton added his sixth for the Knights. Akira Schmid stopped 15 shots before being pulled late in the third period for an extra skater.

Vegas forward Mitch Marner and defenseman Shea Theodore were also named to Canada’s team. All three of the Knights represented their homeland in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

Up next

Nashville: Visits Seattle on Thursday.

Vegas: Visits St. Louis on Friday.

Nick Suzuki got a power-play goal 3:24 into overtime, and the Montreal Canadiens rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to stun the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Suzuki also scored late in regulation to tie the game for the Canadiens, who improved to 6-1-3 in their last 10 games. Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal.

Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, but Marchand was called for roughing 1:27 into overtime — giving Montreal a 4-on-3 advantage.

The Panthers paid tribute to Marchand’s 1,000th career point in a pregame ceremony. Marchand got the milestone point in mid-November, but chose this game — against Montreal, one of his longtime rivals when he was with Boston and a team coached by one of his idols, Martin St. Louis — for the formal celebration.

The game was scoreless after two periods, just the 11th such game in the NHL this season and the first for both the Panthers and the Canadiens. And it was the first time a Florida-Montreal matchup saw no goals in the first 40 minutes of action since Feb. 14, 2013 — a contest that ended up as a 1-0 road win for the Canadiens.

But the final 10 minutes were wild.

Marchand opened the scoring at 10:18 and Reinhart connected with 4:59 left to put Florida up 2-0. Back came Montreal, with Caufield scoring 32 seconds after Reinhart’s goal and then Suzuki tying it up with 1:22 remaining.

It was the final game of 2025 for both teams. Montreal’s 21 wins going into New Year’s Day are its most since having 21 wins at this point during the 2018-19 season. And Florida — which has played in each of the last three Stanley Cup Finals, winning the last two titles — played its 106th game of the year, the third straight year in which the Panthers have topped 100 games.

Up next

Canadiens: Visit Carolina on Thursday.

Panthers: Host the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at Miami on Friday.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Matthew Tkachuk played hockey on Sunday, which was a jolt of long-awaited good news for the Florida Panthers.

How long it’ll take him to go from the practice rink to the game rink remains unclear.

Wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, Tkachuk practiced Sunday for the first time this season and more than four months after he had surgery to repair a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.

Tkachuk has not played since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, when the Panthers clinched their second consecutive title by again topping the Edmonton Oilers. He went through the summer trying to rehab — but eventually decided that he needed the surgery knowing it would cost him the first few months of the season.

The wait isn’t over. But it’s close.

“He looks awesome,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “Good to see him back out there. He brought us some energy today, that’s for sure.”

Now the waiting game shifts to when Tkachuk will play a game. Florida plays host to Washington on Monday and Montreal on Tuesday, then will be the home team for the NHL Winter Classic at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark against the New York Rangers on Friday.

The Panthers are scheduled to practice at the ballpark on Thursday. Other than morning skates, that will be their next practice. And there’s no guarantee that Tkachuk will play Friday. Florida is not going to rush it just for him to be part of an event.

“There’s a whole bunch of things he’s got to get through. The question is, is there enough time,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He might be healthy enough or close to enough that he could play, but we’re not guessing on this. ... As much as we like the spectacle of it and we’d love for him to be a part of it — it would be great for the game to see him out there — the Florida Panthers need him healthy for the rest of the year.”

After the Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup in June, Tkachuk revealed that he had sustained the injuries while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tkachuk had 23 points — eight goals and 15 assists — in 23 playoff games, including seven points in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s expected to address reporters later this week and indicated after the practice Sunday that all went well with the workout.

The Panthers have been without a slew of key players all season, including captain Aleksander Barkov. They entered Sunday tied for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, only five points out of the lead in the Atlantic Division.

Florida has gone through this season with the expectation that Tkachuk would be back on a “December-ish” timeline. He has said he wants to play in the Winter Classic, the Panthers’ first outdoor game, and for Team USA at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

“We will enjoy the talent upgrade,” Maurice said. “He’s a great player. But it’s the personality more. He’s chirping on the ice, right? He’s giving it to guys. They’re laughing. He’s bringing a little joy to everyone. He’s funny on the bench. He has an incredible emotional IQ in terms of the game of hockey. When nothing needs to happen, he doesn’t do anything. When something needs to happen, he figures out the right way.”

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record and Rickard Rakell had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Sunday night to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Crosby, who began the night one point behind Lemieux, broke the mark in the first period with a goal and an assist and now has 645 goals and 1,079 assists for 1,724 points in 1,387 games. He also moved past Lemieux for the eighth-most points in NHL history.

Crosby, who has 20 goals this season, achieved his 18th 20-goal season. Only six players in NHL history have more. Rakell had a goal and an assist in regulation and Noel Acciari also scored for the Penguins.

Arturs Silovs had 23 saves for his first win since Nov. 6 against Washington. Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson scored for the Canadiens, who saw a brief two-game win streak end.

Montreal is 4-1-2 since a 6-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Dec. 9. Jakub Dobes had 28 saves. Kevin Hayes also scored for the Penguins in the shootout and Cole Caulfield tallied for the Canadiens.

After Rakell gave Pittsburgh the lead in the third round, Silovs denied Nick Suzuki on Montreal's last attempt.

Pittsburgh, which is 1-4-4 in its last nine games, rebounded from consecutive shutout losses at Ottawa on Thursday and Montreal on Saturday. The Penguins won their first shootout this season.

Phillip Danault, who was traded to Montreal from Los Angeles on Friday, didn’t play on Sunday and is expected to play on Tuesday at Boston.

Pittsburgh led 3-2 entering the third period, but Dobson tied it with a backhand from the slot. Crosby tipped Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 7:58 of the first period for a goal to tie the game and the record.

Crosby then broke the mark with 7:20 left in the period when his shot on a power play hit Bryan Rust and Rakell tapped the rebound behind Dobes.

Crosby also passed Phil Esposito 449 for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history. He also tied Adam Oates for the eighth-most assists in NHL history in the first period.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Continue a seven-game road trip at Boston on Tuesday.

Penguins: Visit Toronto on Tuesday.

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record and Rickard Rakell had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Sunday night to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Crosby, who began the night one point behind Lemieux, broke the mark in the first period with a goal and an assist and now has 645 goals and 1,079 assists for 1,724 points in 1,387 games. He also moved past Lemieux for the eighth-most points in NHL history.

Crosby, who has 20 goals this season, achieved his 18th 20-goal season. Only six players in NHL history have more. Rakell had a goal and an assist in regulation and Noel Acciari also scored for the Penguins.

Arturs Silovs had 23 saves for his first win since Nov. 6 against Washington. Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson scored for the Canadiens, who saw a brief two-game win streak end.

Montreal is 4-1-2 since a 6-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Dec. 9. Jakub Dobes had 28 saves. Kevin Hayes also scored for the Penguins in the shootout and Cole Caulfield tallied for the Canadiens.

After Rakell gave Pittsburgh the lead in the third round, Silovs denied Nick Suzuki on Montreal's last attempt.

Pittsburgh, which is 1-4-4 in its last nine games, rebounded from consecutive shutout losses at Ottawa on Thursday and Montreal on Saturday. The Penguins won their first shootout this season.

Phillip Danault, who was traded to Montreal from Los Angeles on Friday, didn’t play on Sunday and is expected to play on Tuesday at Boston.

Pittsburgh led 3-2 entering the third period, but Dobson tied it with a backhand from the slot. Crosby tipped Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 7:58 of the first period for a goal to tie the game and the record.

Crosby then broke the mark with 7:20 left in the period when his shot on a power play hit Bryan Rust and Rakell tapped the rebound behind Dobes.

Crosby also passed Phil Esposito 449 for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history. He also tied Adam Oates for the eighth-most assists in NHL history in the first period.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Continue a seven-game road trip at Boston on Tuesday.

Penguins: Visit Toronto on Tuesday.

PITTSBURGH — As far as Sidney Crosby is concerned, Mario Lemieux still is No. 1 in his book.

But now, Lemieux officially is No. 2.

Crosby broke Lemieux’s franchise scoring record with a goal and an assist in the first period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens.

“I don’t think you can put a stat line or a number on what he means to this team and to hockey, so yeah, in my mind, he’s still No. 1,” Crosby said.

Crosby, who began the night one point behind Lemieux, now has 645 goals and 1,079 assists for 1,724 points in 1,387 games. It also moved him past Lemieux for the eighth-most points in NHL history.

Crosby tipped Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 7:58 of the first period for a goal to tie the record. He then broke the mark with 7:20 left in the period when his shot on a power play hit Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell tapped the rebound behind Jakub Dobes.

Crosby, Rust and Rakell embraced behind the net after the goal and the Penguins spilled over the bench to congratulate their captain. Later in the period, a 30-second video message recorded by Lemieux congratulating Crosby on the accomplishment was played.

“I knew when we played together in 2005 that you were going to be a very special player and accomplish a lot of great things in your career,” Lemieux said in the message. “Here we are 20 years later, you’re now one of the best to ever play the game.”

A hush fell over the arena as fans intently listened to Lemieux’s message.

“Seeing the crowd go quiet when Mario’s message come on, that was pretty special,” Crosby said. “If you don’t understand the impact he’s had here and you were here tonight, I think you understand it a little bit better given how quiet it got.”

Lemieux, the Hall of Famer, who also owned the franchise following his second retirement, became the Penguins’ all-time points leader, surpassing then-assistant coach Rick Kehoe on Jan. 20, 1989, when Crosby was 17 months old. Lemieux, who was in the lineup when Crosby recorded his first NHL point, finished his career with 1,723 points in 915 games.

“I have so much appreciation for having the opportunity to play with him, live with him and learn from him,” said Crosby, who lived with Lemieux and his family early in his career. “You grow up watching him, you never expect you’re going to make it to the NHL let alone play with him. He was a big part of helping me out and a huge influence on me.”

Crosby, the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, is the seventh outright all-time points leader in 58 years of the franchise’s history and the ninth active player to lead a franchise in points. Crosby previously broke Lemieux’s record for most assists in franchise history last Dec. 29 against the New York Islanders. Crosby is 45 goals behind Lemieux’s franchise record of 690.

Crosby now is third on the NHL’s all-time points list with a single franchise, behind only Steve Yzerman (1,755) and Gordie Howe (1,809), both with Detroit.

Crosby also passed Phil Esposito (449) for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history. He also tied Adam Oates for the eighth-most assists in NHL history in the first period. Crosby, who has 20 goals this season, achieved his 18th 20-goal season. Only six players in NHL history have more.

The biggest number was Lemieux’ franchise scoring record.

“Having an opportunity to play on the same line and connect on a few goals … those are things that I’ll always remember,” Crosby said. “The impact he’s had on me, this team and hockey in general is pretty amazing.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Newly hired Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has wasted little time reshaping the team’s front office by hiring former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn to his staff.

The hirings, announced by the team on Sunday, come in Kekalainen’s first week on the job, and a day after he fired assistant GM Jason Karmanos. Kekalainen took over on Monday in replacing Kevyn Adams, who was fired with the Sabres already in jeopardy of extending their NHL-record playoff drought to a 15th consecutive season.

”(They) bring a wealth of unique experience and perspective,” said Kekalainen, the former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager, who spent the previous six-plus months as a senior advisor in Buffalo. “Adding both to an already strong group adds versatility and helps us continue to build a well-rounded hockey operations staff.”

Bergevin fills the associate GM position, and will serve as Kekalainen’s top adviser. He joins the Sabres after spending parts of the past five seasons as a senior adviser with the Los Angeles Kings.

The 60-year-old Bergevin most notably oversaw the Canadiens from 2012-21, over which Montreal made six playoff appearances, including a five-game series loss to Tampa Bay in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. He previously worked in player personnel and scouting roles with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Marc has firsthand experience as an NHL general manager and a track record as a strong talent evaluator,” Kekalainen said. “His insight will be invaluable as we continue to identify and develop talent throughout the organization.”

Flynn was named assistant GM and previously worked under Kekalainen with the Blue Jackets specializing in salary cap management, statistical research and strategic planning. Flynn’s role will be similar in Buffalo.

“I know that his attention to detail and nuanced understanding of league processes will help to enhance how we support our broader organization,” Kekalainen said.

Flynn’s responsibilities are similar to that of Buffalo’s current assistant GM Mark Jakubowski. With Karmanos’ departure, Jakubowski’s duties will likely shift more to overseeing the Buffalo’s American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester, New York.

Kekalainen has also retained Sabres assistant GM Jerry Forton, who serves as the team’s chief amateur scout.