NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 20, 2026
Milestone performances by Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews is welcomed back to Chicago, Matthew Tkachuk returns to action, the Canucks trade Kiefer Sherwood to the Sharks, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPPING MONDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals and collected an assist to reach 1,100 career NHL regular-season points in a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Martin Necas and Victor Olofsson each had two points for the 34-5-8 Avalanche, who lead the league with 76 points. Ethen Frank had a goal and an assist for the Capitals (24-20-6), who’ve lost three straight games.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon is the second player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to reach 1,100 points. Joe Sakic is the franchise leader with 1,641 points. Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin suffered minor injuries in a car accident while driving to the game. He was held out for precautionary reasons.
Speaking of the Capitals, they have reportedly opened contract discussions with John Carlsson. The long-time Capitals defenseman is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby played his 1,400th career NHL regular-season game as his club defeated the Seattle Kraken 6-3. Crosby, Anthony Mantha, and Blake Lizotte each had two assists while Connor Dewar tallied twice for the Penguins (23-14-11). Ben Meyers had a goal and an assist for the struggling Kraken (21-18-9) as they are 1-4-2 in their last seven games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby is the 45th player in league history to reach 1,400 games. He remains the Penguins’ leader in that category.
The Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Winnipeg Jets 2-0. Spencer Knight earned the shutout with 32 saves while Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard scored for the 19-22-7 Blackhawks. Jets center Jonathan Toews received a lengthy standing ovation from Chicago fans as he made his former team for the first time since staging his comeback this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Toews spent 15 seasons with the Blackhawks from 2007-08 to 2022-23, spending 14 of those seasons as captain. He was one of the greatest players in franchise history, leading them to three Stanley Cups. That standing ovation during the TV timeout lasted almost five minutes.
San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 35 shots in a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov each collected two assists for the Sharks, who improved to 25-20-3. Eetu Luostarinen replied for the 25-20-3 Panthers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was held scoreless in his season debut. He’d been sidelined by surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia on Aug. 22. Meanwhile, the Panthers placed defenseman Seth Jones (upper body) on long-term injury reserve.
Earlier in the day, the Sharks acquired Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks. Details and analysis of the trade are below in the Headlines section.
The Carolina Hurricanes nipped the Buffalo Sabres 2-1. Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist, Sebastian Aho collected two assists, and Seth Jarvis scored the winning goal for the Hurricanes (31-15-4), as they hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 66 points. Rasmus Dahlin had the only goal for the 26-17-5 Sabres.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes forward Eric Robinson left this game in the first period with an apparent injury to his left shoulder.
Minnesota Wild winger Marcus Foligno tallied his first career NHL hat trick in a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vladimir Tarasenko had two goals and an assist for the Wild (28-13-9). Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist for the 24-17-8 Maple Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reports the Maple Leafs have opened contract extension talks with winger Bobby McMann, who is UFA-eligible this summer.
The New York Islanders held off the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Anthony Duclair tallied two goals, Matthew Schaefer and Bo Horvat each had two assists, and Ilya Sorokin turned aside 29 shots for the Islanders (27-17-5). Kevin Lankinen stopped 28 shots for the Canucks (16-28-5), whose 11-game winless skid equals the franchise mark.
Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny tallied both of his club’s goals in a 2-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, snapping a six-game winless skid (0-5-1). Samuel Ersson made 24 saves for the 23-17-8 Flyers. Tomas Hertl replied for the Golden Knights (24-12-12), who remain in first place in the Pacific Division with 60 points.
An overtime goal by Simon Nemec lifted the New Jersey Devils over the Calgary Flames 2-1. Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils (25-22-2). Nazem Kadri scored for the 21-23-5 Flames.
Anaheim Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier scored twice on his 22nd birthday in a 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Lukas Dostal stopped 19 shots for the 25-21-3 Ducks, who picked up their fourth straight win. Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games for the 21-23-6 Rangers.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson, Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, and Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka are the league’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 18, 2026.
THE PROVINCE/SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Vancouver Canucks traded winger Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks on Monday in exchange for minor league defenseman Cole Clayton, a second-round pick in 2026, and a second-rounder in 2027.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sherwood was a frequent subject of trade speculation since November. The 30-year-old winger could reach a career-best 30 goals and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
It was rumored that the Canucks were seeking a first-round pick as part of the return for Sherwood. However, a pair of second-rounders isn’t bad for a physical middle-six forward whose production could decline after this season. The Canucks can use these picks to bolster their prospect pipeline or as trade chips to acquire more immediate roster help.
The rebuilding Sharks have been sellers in recent years. Led by young superstar Macklin Celebrini, they’ve exceeded expectations this season, jockeying for a wild-card berth in the Western Conference. Adding a rental player such as Sherwood indicates that management wants to help them clinch a berth. If he fits well within their roster, they could sign him to an extension.
Sherwood is a nice pick up for the Sharks. Would have loved him in Oiler silks.
How about that goalie fight lol. Nonsense but still fun to see whennit happens.
So lets just say that the Sharks get the 8th spot in the playoffs….then what?
You gotta admire Doug Armstrong for being savvy enough to say, “we’re probably not gonna make the playoffs, and if we squeak in, we get Colorado”…
Like with Montreal last season, it’s a good experience for a young team whose rebuild is ahead of schedule. It givse the players confidence, knowing that management has confidence in them. Even if they get eliminated in the first round, it provides those younger guys with a taste of the postseason, especially the difference in the level of play. And for a team that last saw the playoffs seven years ago, it’s good for the fanbase too.
Armstrong’s Blues, meanwhile, are in a different phase. They’re attempting to retool/transition/rebuild on the fly, or whatever they want to call what they’re doing. Basically, they’re trying to move on from a veteran core toward young talent. He knows where his team is right now. The Blues have been out of a playoff berth for most of this season, whereas the Sharks are in serious contention for a wildcard spot.
Ask that question to the 2012 LA Kings or the 2006 Edmonton Oilers. Both teams ended up meeting the Presidant’s Trophy winners in the first round and beating them on their way to the Stanley Cup final.
Starsfan – i don’t understand the comment. I suppose you are saying the blues are waving a white flag on the season but I dont understand the inclusion of the Sharks in that comp.
Sharks are in contention for 3rd spot in the Pacific. But even if they were WC 2 and drew the Avs then they play them. Even if they were outted in 4 they get the revenue from playoff games, experience for the youngsters, and promise for fans of the org and players for more next season…including being more attractive to UFAs showing that that the Sharks turned a corner.
We have seen massive upsets by underdogs in years past, why couldn’t the Sharks pull off the unimaginable? Its why we play games.
The difference between the Sharks and Blues (and others) is the Sharks have Celebrini. The guy is a game changer, elite, and only going to get better. That type of #1C is what can separate the contenders from the pretenders. They were lucky enough to pick first the year he was in the draft.
They also have guys like Misa, Eklund, Will Smith, Dickenson all of whom will keep improving. Many more 1st and 2nd round picks throughout their pipeline. Some/many of those guys will contribute to the NHL roster in the next few years. They have 2 more firsts this year.
Celebrini has changed this team, and their expectations for the short term and they are loaded with young talent for the long term. Time to give these boys a taste of the playoffs, where they will likely fail. But I get it, all part of growing up.
finally a silly trade…..Sharks will regret that one.
two seconds and an undrafted AHL d-man? That is far from the rumored asking of a 1st round pick plus IMO.
This is a good deal for the Sharks. A 1st may have been an overpay. But with the strong group of prospects and young players they have, they could well afford to trade two 2nds. Sherwood brings depth scoring and it’s far from unlikely that he’ll extend in San Jose.
Howard ,Toffoli should be a good influence on Sherwood. You need some old vets to show the young guns how it goes!
Man, I’m so jazzed about the Sharks. With Desjarnais back, adding another physical defenseman would be awesome. It’s so much fun watching them, and I agree with posters here that Celebrini has really got this team going, not to mention all the other young guys. This team is only going to get better and better.
I love Vinny Desharnais, I was so disappointed when he left the Oilers and signed in Vancouver.
He must of felt so good after laying out Tkachuk last night. Shoulder to chest then back to ice. I can’t watch that hit enough. LOL