NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 13, 2026
The Red Wings honor Sergei Fedorov, the Lightning extend their win streak to 10 games, while the Maple Leafs’ points streak hits double digits, Oilers captain Connor McDavid extends his points streak to 19 games, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: On the night the Detroit Red Wings retired Sergei Fedorov’s number 91, they nipped the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on an overtime goal by Andrew Copp. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and two assists as the Red Wings opened a 3-0 lead, but the Hurricanes forced overtime on goals by Jackson Blake, Seth Jarvis, and Shayne Gostisbehere. The Red Wings (28-15-4) hold first place in the Atlantic Division with 60 points. The Hurricanes (28-14-4) also have 60 points, but hold first place in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand over the Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 (NHL.com).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings retired Fedorov’s number in a classy pregame ceremony. He thanked the team and their fans, singling out the Illich family, former Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman, former captain Steve Yzerman, and his “Russian Five” Red Wings teammates, including Vladimir Konstantinov, who attended the ceremony along with Yzerman.
Fedorov admitted he made “a huge mistake” for leaving Detroit as a free agent in 2003. However, he said that the decision also set him on the path toward meeting his wife, Karina, who attended the ceremony with their two children.
One of the greatest two-way players in NHL history, Fedorov was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. This retirement of his number by the Red Wings was long overdue, reflecting the tension between the Illich family and Fedorov that led to his departure. Thankfully, time heals all wounds, and Fedorov received this well-deserved honor from the team with which he’d had his greatest success.
The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their win streak to 10 games with a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist to push his multipoint streak to nine games for the 28-13-3 Lightning. Christian Dvorak replied for the Flyers (22-14-8), who are winless in their last three games (0-2-1).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning head coach Jon Cooper became the second-fastest coach in NHL history to reach the 600-win plateau. The only head coach to reach it faster was Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman. It was a costly win for Cooper and his team as center Brayden Point left the game with an apparent knee injury. There was no postgame update on his status.
An overtime goal by William Nylander lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 4-3, snapping the latter’s home win streak at 17 games. Nylander and Auston Matthews each had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs (23-15-7) as they extended their points streak to 10 games (8-0-2). Nathan MacKinnon had three assists for the Avalanche (33-4-8) as they remain in first place in the overall standings with 74 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leafs winger Nick Robertson left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid collected two assists to extend his points streak to a career-high 19 games in a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Evan Bouchard scored twice and collected an assist for the 23-16-7 Oilers. Tyler Bertuzzi scored for the Blackhawks, who slipped to 19-20-7.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid became the fifth player in NHL history to record 10 straight 50-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Dale Hawerchuk (all with 13 seasons), and Bernie Federko (10). Meanwhile, the Oilers signed forward Quinn Hutson to a two-year, $1.75 million contract extension.
Blackhawks center Connor Bedard missed this game with an illness, and winger Teuvo Teravainen left the game after the first period for undisclosed reasons.
The Dallas Stars defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1. Jason Robertson snapped a 1-1 tie while Sam Steel and Esa Lindell each had two assists for the Stars, who improved to 27-10-9. Quinton Byfield tallied for the 19-16-10 Kings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars captain Jamie Benn returned to action after missing three games with an injured nose.
Florida Panthers winger A.J. Greer scored two goals in a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Verhaeghe had three assists for the 24-18-3 Panthers. Jacob Bryson, Zach Benson, and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres. (24-16-4).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the 1,900th career game for Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. Scotty Bowman is the all-time leader with 2,141, followed by Panthers bench boss Paul Maurice with 1,975. Speaking of the Sabres, they will host the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26 and 27.
The New Jersey Devils got two goals within 21 seconds by Jesper Bratt to beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2. Ondrej Palat also scored twice for the Devils (23-21-2), and Dougie Hamilton had two assists in his return to the lineup as their club snapped a four-game losing skid. Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno replied for the 26-12-9 Wild.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hamilton was a healthy scratch from Sunday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, prompting trade rumors as his agent said his client was willing to expand his 10-team trade list to facilitate a deal that benefits both sides. I’ll have the latest Hamilton trade speculation in today’s Rumor Mill.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier scored twice within 20 seconds in a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov each had three points for the 26-14-6 Canadiens. Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo stopped 35 shots as his club is 0-5-2 in its last seven games.
The Seattle Kraken scored four straight goals to double up the New York Rangers 4-2. Berkly Catton snapped a 2-2 tie as the Kraken (21-15-8) are 9-1-2 in their last 12 games. Mika Zibanejad and Sam Carrick scored for the Rangers, who slipped to 20-21-6 and have one win in their last eight games (1-5-2).
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl, Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson, and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak are the league’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 11, 2026.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets fired head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy. Veteran NHL coach Rick Bowness takes over as bench boss for the remainder of the season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets are struggling this season to build on their promising 2024-25 performance. Mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and seven points out of a wildcard berth, they’re hoping that the coaching change will vault them back into playoff contention.
Bowness is expected to be in this role for the remainder of the season, as management will search for a full-time replacement in the offseason.
DAILY FACEOFF: The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are “pleased” with the progress of rink construction for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. They expect the work necessary to address the remaining issues will be completed in time for the men’s hockey tournament.
DAILY FACEOFF: Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson could miss the remainder of this season with a lower-body injury. He’s been ruled out for the Winter Olympics, and it’s unlikely he’ll return when the league resumes play following the Olympic break.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators signed goaltender James Reimer to a one-year contract.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins signed forward Blake Lizotte to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $2.25 million.
RG.ORG: A heart condition has forced former NHL coach Gerard Gallant to step down from his role as head coach of the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons. He’s been away from the club since Dec. 30.
Ingram is looking like the goalie I was hoping for when the Oilers acquired him. Last night was looking like one of those games where the Oilers were going to get goalied again. Knight was standing on his head the whole first period. The difference was Ingram was able to make the saves when the Oilers needed him to.
The Oilers goaltending is finally looking stable.
Thanks for jinxing the Oiler tending KevJam!
Ingram is a good story, Mean Gene did an interview with him and his dad after the game last night as it is the father’s trip.
Skinner has been playing well of late in Pittsburgh as well, 4 straight games only giving up a goal. Good for him, as that trade had to be tough for a local boy.
Still don’t like that deal by the Oil, I think they would be just as well off with Skinner and Ingram. Pickard was the guy who has struggled this year, as did the Oil’s team defense, like it has at the start of every season it seems. But whatever, hopefully Jarry can stay healthy and get into a groove.
Wake up the Kracken?
You have to love those good old hardworking Sask. boys.
I love Skinner and I’m glad he’s doing well in Pittsburgh.
This whole time I was asking why make a trade when you have Ingram. All you have to do is look at his past seasons with Arizona to know that he’s a good goalie. It’s hard for a player who’s used to playing in the NHL to play in the AHL. In the minors the game is so unstructured compared to the NHL. Especially for a player who hadn’t played since February and missed all of training camp.
The combination of Ingram and Skinner would have been a really strong goalie tandem.
Mean Gene still needs sunscreen.
I really think Skinner was moved because he, the organization and dressing room needed a change and he is a UFA next season.
I think the rough start pretty much had mngt unanimous that he was not going to be re upped. It wasn’t all his fault but a lot of it was.
Ingram though, looking like the goalie we all hoped he could be for us. And Jarry looked good as well.
With the state of goaltending around the league you should be able to get a return of sorts for Pickard rather than losing him on waivers. I dont like the idea of carrying 3 goalies, especially when it has been made quite clear who number 3 is.
Very, very happy with that performance by the Leafs last night. All you can do is just hold on and freakin’ pray when MacKinnon and Necas hit the ice. It’s unbelievable to watch those two zip around.
Glad to hear the NHL and the NHLPA are satisfied with the Olympic rink, but from a fan’s perspective the in-person experience looks like it will be substandard. I mean, have you seen the “Jumbotron”? It’s seriously hard to believe. Oh well, not like I will be there. 🙂