NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 29, 2026
A record-tying hat trick performance by Flyers winger Travis Konecny, Ondrej Palat has a multipoint effort in his first game with the Islanders, Rangers star Artemi Panarin will be held for roster management purposes, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny tallied a record-tying hat trick in a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sean Monahan snapped a 3-3 tie while Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who picked up their third straight win and improved to 25-20-7. Flyers goalie Dan Vladar stopped 26 shots as the Flyers (24-19-9) dropped their second straight contest.
Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Konecny’s hat trick is the 29th since January 1, tying the league record set in December 1985 for the most in a calendar month. Meanwhile, Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury.
Ondrej Palat had a goal and an assist in his first game with the New York Islanders in a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Simon Holmstrom had a goal and two assists, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (29-19-5), who acquired Palat from the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 27. Mika Zibanejad and Taylor Raddysh replied for the fading Rangers (22-26-6), who have three wins in their last 15 games (3-10-2).
The Ottawa Senators upset the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist while James Reimer turned aside 16 shots for the Senators, who have won two straight games and improved to 25-21-7. Valeri Nichushkin and Parker Kelly replied for the Avalanche (35-7-9), who hold first place in the overall standings with 79 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators did a fine job neutralizing high-scoring Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas. Meanwhile, the Avs are slumping a bit after dominating the league for most of this season, sporting a record of 2-3-2 in their last seven contests.
HEADLINES
TSN: Artemi Panarin has played his final game with the New York Rangers. The club held the 34-year-old winger out of Wednesday’s game against the New York Islanders for “roster management purposes”. He is not expected to play again before the upcoming Olympic break (Feb. 4-22).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That means Panarin has given the Rangers a list of acceptable trade destinations and could be moved soon. He has a full no-movement, giving him full control over where he goes. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the playmaking winger seeks a contract extension before signing off on a deal.
I’ll have more on this in today’s Rumors update.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed defenseman Ben Chiarot to a three-year contract worth an average annual value of $3.85 million. That represents a $1 million pay cut for the 34-year-old blueliner.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chiarot was willing to take the reduction in pay to stay in Motown. After nine long years of rebuilding, the Wings have finally broken through as a playoff contender, jockeying for first place in the Eastern Conference. Chiarot served as a mentor to Moritz Seider and is now in the same role with rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
CALGARY SUN: Flames winger Blake Coleman has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since Jan. 8. He’s not expected to return to the lineup until after the upcoming Olympic break next month.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues forwards Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) are listed as day-to-day.
PUCKPEDIA: The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved sidelined forward Dakota Joshua and defenseman Chris Tanev to long-term injury reserve.
TSN: Washington Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime was fined $2,500 by the league for unsportsmanlike conduct during Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens fired goaltending coach Eric Raymond, promoting Marco Marciano from their AHL affiliate in Laval into that role.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens goalie tandem of Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes struggled at times this season, especially Montembeault. However, his performance improved for several games following a conditioning stint in Laval with Marciano, who also tutored Dobes during his tenure with Laval last season. Marciano has also done good work with promising Habs goalie prospect Jacob Fowler.
Watching that Ottawa-Colorado game last night I couldn’t help but get the impression that the Avalanche were looking ahead just a bit to tonight’s higher-profile game in Montreal, figuring perhaps that this was going to be a given 2 points by choosing to start back-up Blackwood in nets and saving Wedgewood for tonight.
But as the game wore on, and the Senators seemed determined to keep up their relentless fore-checking for once throughout the game, you could see the frustration building on the Avs’ bench. Even so, I fully expected them to charge back in the 3rd and take command of the game. But while they did pick up the pace, the Senators checking kept their scoring chances to a minimum, and when it was over, their shots on Reimer totalled 18. For a team that leads the league in average shots on goal per game with 34.4, and goals scored per game of 4.4, that’s uncharacteristic.
For Ottawa, in that one game at least it looked like it has finally sunk in that, in order to climb out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves and get back into a playoff spot, they are going to have to play like that every game. Against all opposition, including their next game which is at home Saturday against the low-scoring Devils. – one of 3 teams they passed in the Conference standings with that win last night (the others were Toronto and Washington, 2 of 4 Eastern teams really struggling of late – over their past 10 the Leafs are 3-5-2; Capitals 3-6-1; Flyers 2-7-1; Rangers 2-8-0.
To catch and pass Columbus (7-3-0), Florida (6-4-0) and NYI (5-4-1), however, there can be no relapse by Ottawa in total game effort from here to the end.
Revisiting the Shane Pinto discussion yesterday, his value – in addition to having career 82-game averages of 21 goals 22 assists playing mostly 3rd/4th line minutes – also lies in his fierce two-way game. In his total time on the ice last night of 16:51, he caused several turnovers and, lined up against the MacKinnon line, held the Avs star C to 0 points and all of 1 shot on goal. Not many have done that so far this season.
On many other teams he’d be at least a 2nd line C. Which is why – if they ever did think of dealing him – the return would HAVE to be a top young winger with term and/or a 1st round pick.
The Sens late season charge is starting George!!
Last night was the blueprint. Holding the Avs down like that is exactly how they need to play. They deserved the win, and they can start stacking them if they keep it up. Question is have they left themselves enough runway.
It’s what the Oil have done down the stretch each of the last 2 seasons, still waiting in Edmonton for that to happen this year. Maybe they think they can flip the switch for the playoffs. Maybe they’re right? I don’t think it usually works that way.
My B’s have tightened it up defensively for the most part of late. Stacking wins again. Should I start believing?
It’s go time, cream should start rising, it has with Utah in the West too.
There will be players injured in the Olympics, and obviously they will be good & important players. That will have an impact on a couple teams.
Pinto’s is worth a bunch. He ain’t moving unless the Sens get it.
George, I do have to agree, Pinton had a great night and so did the rest of the team. You could tell this was a payback game. Absolutely dominated the Avs for most of the game and only team to hold them under 20 shots this year. The frustration is there because the analytics show this team should be top in the league, but this year they. Just seem to be fighting things, mostly goaltending. But like I alluded to yesterday, careless defensive giveaways, like Jensen gaff leading to the Avs first goal.
I guess we’ll see if the team can rally around these big wins. They have some divisional games coming up that are must wins.
I’ll give Calgary Pinto, and Boucher and maybe throw in Jorian Donovan or Lassi (I’m going home again) Thompson.
I’ll take Weegar and Vegas’ 1st round pick please.
Pinto is way to valuable for Weager alone. Who figures to be Jensen 2.0–good for a year then painfully showing age.
George. I was not expecting that display last night from the Sens. Once again, like the Vegas game…..it’s puck possession time. It’s like they’re playing football. If WE have the puck (ball) they don’t have it. Even if they aren’t scoring. They still have it. There were never long stretches of time when the Avs possessed the puck.
Ray, the Bruins have shown – both offensively and defensively – that they belong in the playoff grouping, and I doubt they are suddenly going to revert last season’s mediocrity. The one cautionary note lays in the fact that they and Detroit have played the most games so far (54) and that, because things are so tight in the East, teams behind them like Pittsburgh (2 points back and with 3 games in hand), NYI (also 2 back and a game in hand) and Florida (6 back and 2 in hand) could conceivably pass or catch up to them at some point) while those tied with them in points (Montreal with a game in hand and Buffalo with 2 games in hand), pull further away. What the Bruins can’t do in that event is panic. Just continue to play the way they have and they’ll be fine.
As for Ottawa, Ray, Owen and Dark G, as I say, with back-to-back wins over leading West teams like Vegas and Colorado, they now know they can beat anyone … with a total 60-minute team two-way effort and at least decently consistent goaltending. The acid test to that end could well be Ullmark’s performance Saturday at home against the Devils. He has to show he is back in form with their next two after that being a back-to-back in Pittsburgh against a resurgent Penguins team and the next night in Carolina. Be interesting to see which goalie plays against Pittsburgh and which of the two against Carolina. Both will require another solid, 60-minute – and penalty-free or close to it – attention to cutting down scoring chances.
I agree George. The season rests on Ullmark. He needs to be the goalie the Sens signed. He spent have to stellar, just hover around the .900 mark.
I don’t know Dark G. I think I have to eat my words from yesterday. Pinto is integral to this team. He is our shut down C. Cozens has also shown some great chemistry with Brady and Greig. Spence is looking better and better, but the second line RD will be the position of need going forward and obviously a solid back up
George , solid effort from Ottawa. One key point from last night is zero power plays for the Avs.
Ottawa needs to insert Matinpalo back in the line up and sit Jensen, especially against quicker teams. I give the man credit for grinding through his injury rehab but he is not the same player who started the season in Ottawa last year.
Fergy22, yeah, seeing Jensen out there does make one nervous … but on the other it has also resulted in Chabot recognizing Jensen’s difficulties and so paying attention to not getting caught out of position.
Again, would a 32 y/o Weegar be an improvement over a 35 y/o Jensen trying to play through the effects of hip surgert? Absolutely. But not at the expense of Pinto.
As I posted to What the heck late yesterday, age does take it’s toll, and not only will Weegar be 37 y/o when his deal expires, assuming he would waive his NMC to join Ottawa in the first place he would probably want to carry that NMC with him, and as he does get older and maybe starts to lose some of his effectiveness, Ottawa could do nothing but live with it to 2031.
Habs’ only way to improve their goaltending is through a trade.
There are really no better options available in the trade market. And if there were the cost would be prohibitive. The Habs will have to ride it out with what they have. Hopefully the new goalie coach will be able to help straighten out Monty’s game and his confidence . I’m confident Fowler will become a true #1 goalie but he’s better off getting lots of playing time in the AHL at this time.
Howard, of the 8 teams in the East currently holding down a playoff position, the only two I can see as potentially catchable from here to the end are Montreal (due solely to inconsistent goaltending) and the NYI (due to being the 3rd lowest goal-scoring team in the East with 155 – only the NYR (145) and the Devils (141) have scored fewer. On the other hand, the Islanders are the 2nd hardest to score against in the East, having yielded just 148, with only Tampa giving up less (130). But they’ll likely have to win a lot of 2-1, 3-2-type games.
As to which teams could possibly catch them, I would have to say Florida, currently 4 points back of 8th-place NYI and 6 back of 5th-place Montreal, and with a game in hand on each, is a prime candidate. The other – and hugely contingent upon solving their own goaltending inconsistencies – could be Ottawa, currently one of the top goal-scoring teams in the East with 179, tied with Tampa and Buffalo, and just 1 back of each of Carolina, Montreal and Boston.
There’s lots of hockey left imo. I think with the Olympics and with the condensed schedule health is going to matter. Some teams have lots of players heading over seas, so if a big injury happens that could play a factor. But I agree, Montreals goaltending could be a factor. I also think Boston is not set in stone either, but unfortunately the sens don’t play them again. Still lots of hockey to be played.
GeorgeO if I could have you step away from a great Sens win I have a question for you.Boston has Torontos first round pick and I have heard it is Top 5 and in another publication says it’s top 10 protected. What does that actually mean or when would the Bruins get that pick that they are owed. Your Sens can recoup your first round pick from Boston if you consider trading Pinto for a package including one of their first round pick?