NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 29, 2025

by | Dec 29, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 29, 2025

Recapping Sunday’s action, plus the latest on Senators goalie Linus Ullmark, Blues winger Jordan Kyrou, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Justin Brazeau tallied his first career NHL hat trick in a 7-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Bryan Rust scored two goals, and Ryan Shea collected three assists for the Penguins, who improved to 16-12-9. Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno scored in his first game since being sidelined for 19 games with an injured hand, but his club (14-18-6) has dropped seven of its last eight contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blackhawks were struggling before centers Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar were sidelined by injuries, but their absence accelerated their slide in the standings. Speaking of Nazar, he was placed on injured reserve with a facial injury and is expected to be out for another three weeks.

An overtime goal by Simon Edvinsson lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Moritz Seider and Mason Appleton also scored, and Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots for the Red Wings (23-14-3), who sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with 49 points. Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson replied for the Leafs (17-15-6), who got a 33-save performance from Dennis Hildeby.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Edvinsson earned praise from his teammates when he “rose from the dead” after being injured by a John Tavares shot while killing a penalty in the second period. He and Seider are among the best defense pairings in the league this season.

The Maple Leafs played without winger William Nylander, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and questionable for Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov tallied twice in regulation, and Gage Goncalves scored the shootout winner to nip the Montreal Canadiens 5-4. It was the Lightning’s fourth straight win, improving their record to 22-13-3. The Canadiens (20-12-6) overcame a 4-1 deficit in the third period as Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel returned to action after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Earlier in the day, the Lightning made a minor trade, shipping forward Boris Katchouk to the Minnesota Wild for forward Michael Milne.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko, and Cole Sillinger gave the Columbus Blue Jackets a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. Marchenko finished the game with two goals while Sean Monahan and Denton Mateychuk each had two assists for the 16-15-6 Blue Jackets. Max Shabonov and Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders (21-14-4).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Things got ugly early in the second period when Blue Jackets winger Mason Marchment clipped Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer by sticking out his right leg, prompting Isles forward Mathew Barzal to slash Marchment’s right foot with his stick. That earned Barzal a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, and he could face supplemental discipline by the league’s department of player safety. Marchment received two minutes for tripping Schaefer, who was uninjured on the play.

Before this game, the Blue Jackets placed defenseman Zach Werenski (lower body) on injured reserve and activated forward Mathieu Olivier off the IR list.

The Seattle Kraken defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. Eeli Tolvanen scored two goals and picked up an assist while Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves for the 16-14-6 Kraken, who extended their win streak to four games. Carl Grundstrom replied for the Flyers (19-11-7).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kraken activated winger Jared McCann off injured reserve for this game. Defenseman Vince Dunn also returned to action after missing their previous game with an upper-body injury. Both were held scoreless in this contest.

IN OTHER NEWS…

OTTAWA SUN: Senators starting goaltender Linus Ullmark is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. There is no timetable for his return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sun’s Bruce Garrioch observed that this season has been a difficult one for Ullmark, with a 2.95 goals-against average and a save percentage of .881. He noted that Ullmark was pulled from Saturday’s 7-5 loss to the Maple Leafs after giving up four goals on 14 shots.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues winger Jordan Kyrou has been activated off IR after missing nine games with a lower-body injury. They also activated winger Jimmy Snuggerud, who underwent wrist surgery earlier in the month.

SPORTSNET: The NHL’s department of player safety fined Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell $5,000.00 for high-sticking Lightning winger Jake Guentzel, and fined Lightning forward Scott Sabourin $2,081.23 for slashing Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola. Both incidents occurred during Saturday’s game between the two clubs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s been a tough weekend for Sabourin. In addition to his fine, he was knocked to the ice by a punch from Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj during a fight between the two on Sunday. Sabourin left that game and didn’t return.

TSN: Penguins forward Danton Heinen and Edmonton Oilers forward Noah Philp are among six players placed on waivers on Sunday.

PUCKPEDIA: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Yegor Zamula has changed agents. He’s in the final season of a two-year contract with a cap hit of $1.7 million, but he could be willing to terminate that deal to sign with another NHL club for less money.

RDS: Former NHL forward Guy Chouinard passed away on Sunday at age 69.

Chouinard spent 10 seasons in the NHL from 1974-75 to 1983-84, beginning with the Atlanta Flames and following them to Calgary in 1980. He spent nine of his 10 seasons with the Flames organization, with his best season being his 50-goal, 107-point performance in the 1978-79 season. In 578 regular-season games, Chouinard had 205 goals and 370 assists for 575 points, along with 37 points in 46 playoff contests.

Following his playing days, Chouinard became a coach in the QMJHL, finishing third all-time in wins among that league’s coaches with 569. He was inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame in 2005.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Chouinard’s family, friends, teammates, and his former QMJHL players.










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – December 28, 2025

by | Dec 28, 2025

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – December 28, 2025

The holiday roster freeze has ended, but the rumor mill didn’t sleep during that period. Check out the latest on Auston Matthews and Marc-Andre Fleury, plus updates on the Flames in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

THE LATEST ON THE MAPLE LEAFS

On Dec. 22, SPORTSNET’s Nick Kypreos said he believed that the Toronto Maple Leafs could talk with Auston Matthews next summer about a possible trade.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

Matthews is under contract with the Maple Leafs through 2027-28. Kypreos acknowledged that Matthews’ no-movement clause means it would be a joint effort between the player and management to find a suitable destination if one side or the other believes it’s time for a change. He felt that this would also be a move that occurs in the summer rather than during the season.

Despite the recent drop-off in Matthews’ performance, Kypreos doesn’t think that it’s permanent. He suggested that other clubs could share that view, speculating the Los Angeles Kings could see the Maple Leafs center as a replacement for the retiring Anze Kopitar.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings would undoubtedly be interested in Matthews if he became available next summer, and they have the cap space to absorb his $13.25 million average annual value for the next two seasons.

However, the Kings could lack the assets the Leafs would want in return. They’d want a good young center as part of the deal, meaning they will likely ask for Quinton Byfield. They’ll also want a first-round pick and a couple of other pieces as well.

The Kings wouldn’t be the only club getting into the bidding. Unless they are willing to include Byfield, they might not win a bidding war over other teams that Matthews might consider acceptable trade destinations.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that former NHL head coach Peter DeBoer reached out to Maple Leafs bench boss Craig Berube to address recent rumors suggesting he could replace him.

DeBoer sent a note to Berube telling him to ignore the speculation. He stated that he hasn’t been in discussions with the Maple Leafs and isn’t taking his job.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A classy move by DeBoer, who knows what it’s like to deal with speculation about being fired. He’s currently serving as an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

COULD A TEAM TEMPT MARC-ANDRE FLEURY OUT OF RETIREMENT?

BLEACHER REPORT: Frank Seravalli suggested the Edmonton Oilers should try to coax goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury out of retirement.

The 40-year-old netminder hung up his pads at the end of the 2024-25 playoffs following a 21-season NHL career. Seravalli noted that Fleury recently played in an outdoor game in Aspen, CO, with some NHL alumni, and before that, took some shots with some Minnesota Wild extras. He also played one period of a preseason game with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a way of bringing his long NHL career full circle.

Seravalli isn’t entirely convinced that Fleury is done, but admitted it would take a special circumstance or situation to convince the future Hall of Famer to come out of retirement.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports some teams have checked in with Fleury to see if there’s any chance he’d consider coming out of retirement. LeBrun isn’t surprised that teams with goalie needs would look into Fleury’s availability.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports he’s heard that Fleury is open to the right opportunity for a comeback. He thinks the Oilers could be a team to watch, especially after the Tristan Jarry trade, pointing out that Jarry and Fleury were former teammates in Pittsburgh.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It says something about the lack of quality goaltenders in the trade market when teams are checking with a recently retired netminder, especially what that goalie was in a backup role last season.

Fleury was asked about whether he’d reconsider retirement after his brief preseason appearance with the Penguins in September. “I am tired. My hip is sore,” he replied, prompting Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe of The Athletic to proclaim that Fleury’s career is over.

Some clubs with shaky goalie depth could be calling Fleury’s agent to see if his client might consider a comeback. The Oilers could be among them, but they’re likely to stick with backup Calvin Pickard and call-up Connor Ingram until Jarry returns from injury, which could take about the same amount of time that Fleury would need to get up to NHL speed if he were pondering a return.

By the way, Fleury and Jarry weren’t teammates for long in Pittsburgh. The latter played only one game with the Penguins during the former’s final season.

THE LATEST FLAMES SPECULATION

VICTORY PLUS: Before the holiday roster freeze, Frank Servalli reported there’s been “a lot of tire-kicking” on Rasmus Andersson. The 29-year-old Calgary Flames defenseman is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Servalli acknowledged that the Flames received an increase in calls about Andersson following the Quinn Hughes trade earlier this month. He believes the interest in the Flames blueliner is genuine, but teams aren’t ready yet to start making offers, especially when they don’t know if he’s willing to consider a contract extension.

Andersson isn’t the only player on the Flames drawing attention in the trade market. According to Seravalli, his sources claim 20 clubs have expressed interest in Blake Coleman. The 34-year-old winger is signed through 2026-27 with an AAV of $4.9 million and a 10-team no-trade clause.

Servalli said the Flames aren’t in a rush to move Coleman. He believes it will take “something good” to tempt them into moving the veteran winger.

Coleman is a Dallas native, which had Seravalli musing over the possibility of the Dallas Stars attempting to acquire Coleman and Andersson. However, he doubted they had sufficient trade assets to pull that off, suggesting they would likely target Andersson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames clawed their way out of the bottom of the Western Conference standings to within five points of a wildcard playoff berth. If they fail to gain more ground, they’ll likely be sellers by the March trade deadline, or before the Olympic break in February.

However, if they keep rising in the standings, management might be less inclined to sell, preferring instead to keep Andersson as their own rental for the playoffs.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 28, 2025

by | Dec 28, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 28, 2025

Recapping Saturday’s action and the most notable headlines during the holiday break in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SATURDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, and also scored the winning goal in the shootout, as the league-leading Colorado Avalanche nipped the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5. Martin Necas scored twice, and Sam Malinski collected three assists for the 28-2-7 Avalanche, who sit atop the overall standings with 63 points. Alexander Holtz and Noah Hanifin each had two points for the Golden Knights (17-8-11), who hold first place in the Pacific Division with 45 points.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon continues to lead the league with 31 goals, but now sits second in points (64) to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (68).

Speaking of McDavid, he scored to extend his points streak to 12 games, but his Edmonton Oilers fell 3-2 to the Calgary Flames. Dustin Wolf stopped 29 shots while Yegor Sharangovich, Ryan Lomberg, and Blake Coleman scored for the 16-18-4 Flames. Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers (19-14-6).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other Oilers news, they reached a mutual agreement with David Tomasek to terminate his contract to enable the 29-year-old forward to return to Europe. He had five points in 22 games this season.

Los Angeles Kings forward Alex Laferriere tallied his first career NHL hat trick to lead his club over the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 6-1. Anze Kopitar collected three assists for the Kings, who improved to 16-12-9. Mason McTavish replied for the Ducks (21-15-2), who have dropped six of their last eight games (2-5-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks forward Ross Johnston was fined over $2,800.00 by the league’s department of player safety last week for roughing Seattle Kraken forward Tye Kartye

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to seven games in a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Rookie winger Igor Chernyshov scored his first NHL goal, and William Eklund also had a goal and an assist for the 18-17-3 Sharks, who snapped a three-game losing skid. Conor Garland and Filip Hronek each had two points, and Marco Rossi netted his first goal for the Canucks, who slipped to 15-19-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Celebrini’s goal was his 20th of the season. He’s well ahead of last season’s pace, when he finished with 25 in 70 games. The Sharks played without forward Will Smith, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Canucks center Elias Pettersson returned to action after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.

The Tampa Bay Lightning doubled up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Nikita Kucherov scored two goals, and Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside 24 shots as the Lightning picked up their third straight win, improving their record to 21-13-3. Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand replied for the 20-15-5 Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Lightning announced the signing of defenseman J.J. Moser to an eight-year, $54-million contract extension. The annual average value is $6.75 million, which is double his current AAV of $3.375 million. Moser has played well for the Lightning since joining them in a trade from Utah in the summer of 2024. He has 12 points in 34 games this season with a plus/minus of plus-24, logging over 21 minutes per game.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson had a goal and two assists as his club beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 to pick up their eighth straight win. Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, and Peyton Krebs each had two points for the surging Sabres (19-14-4). David Pastrnak scored for the 20-18-1 Bruins, who have dropped five straight games (0-4-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins forward Tanner Jeannot missed this game with an undisclosed injury.

The Minnesota Wild downed the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 4-3. Matt Boldy scored two goals (including the winner in overtime), while Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes each picked up three points for the 23-10-6 Wild. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist for the struggling Jets (15-17-4), who are winless in their last five contests (0-2-3).

Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies each had three points in a 7-5 win over the Ottawa Senators. Max Domi collected three assists for the Maple Leafs (17-15-5). Claude Giroux, Jordan Spence, and Stephen Halliday each had two points for the 18-14-5 Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Giroux played in his 1,300th career NHL regular-season game. Meanwhile, Maple Leafs forward William Nylander left this game with a lower-body injury in the second period, but he will be traveling with the Leafs to Detroit for Sunday’s game against the Red Wings.

Last week was a busy one for the Maple Leafs. They fired Marc Savard as their power-play coach, replacing him with Steve Sullivan. The club has no plans to replace general manager Brad Treliving or head coach Craig Berube. They also welcomed back defenseman Chris Tanev, who’d been sidelined since Nov. 1 with an upper-body injury.

The New York Islanders got a 27-save shutout from David Rittich to blank the New York Rangers 2-0. Anders Lee and Simon Holmstrom were the goal scorers as the Islanders improved to 21-13-4 on the season. Igor Shesterkin stopped 24 of 25 shots for the 19-17-4 Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rittich got the call as Islanders starter Ilya Sorokin is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Isles center Bo Horvat returned to action after missing five games. Meanwhile, Rangers captain J.T. Miller missed this game as he was placed on IR last week.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and two assists in a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Hurricanes ended a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) and improved to 23-11-3, leading the Eastern Conference with 49 points. Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp scored for the 22-14-3 Red Wings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes played without forward Seth Jarvis and defenseman Jaccob Slavin. Both are listed as week-to-week with upper-body injuries.

An overtime goal by Jakob Chychrun gave the Washington Capitals a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Aliaksei Protas had a goal and two assists, and Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist for the Capitals (20-13-5) as they ended a three-game losing skid. Jesper Bratt tallied twice for the 20-16-2 Devils, who are winless in their last three (0-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals forward Ryan Leonard was activated off IR on Dec. 23.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Tyler Bertuzzi tallied twice, and Nick Lardis scored the shootout winner in a 4-3 upset of the Dallas Stars. Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves for the 14-17-6 Blackhawks, who ended a six-game losing streak. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists for the Stars (25-7-7) as their points streak extended to six games (4-0-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was fined over $2,600.00 last week for cross-checking Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle.

The St. Louis Blues beat the Nashville Predators 3-2, ending the latter’s three-game win streak. Pavel Buchnevich scored two goals, and Robert Thomas collected two assists for the 15-16-8 Blues. Tyson Jose and Fedor Svechkov replied for the Predators (16-17-4).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: On Dec. 23, Predators forward Steven Stamkos played in his 1,200th career NHL regular-season game.

IN OTHER NEWS…

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens center Jake Evans will be sidelined for four to six weeks with an injured left knee. Goaltender Sam Montembeault has been recalled from his conditioning stint in Laval. Rookie netminder Jacob Fowler gets the start on Sunday against the Lightning.

TSN: Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour underwent hand surgery last week and is out for four weeks.

TSN: The ECHL has a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA) to end a two-day-old strike by the players.










Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

by | Dec 23, 2025

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

I’m taking my annual Christmas break from Tuesday, December 23, to Saturday, December 27. The next update to this site will be Sunday, December 28—my thanks to all of you who follow and support this site. I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a Happy Holiday season. 

 

Happyholidays Christmastree GIFfrom Happyholidays GIFs










NHL Rumor Mill – December 22, 2025

by | Dec 22, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – December 22, 2025

Check out the latest speculation on the Avalanche, Islanders, and Kings in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE DENVER POST: Corey Masisak believes the first-overall Colorado Avalanche will “almost certainly” add another defenseman before the March 6 trade deadline. However, adding a third-line center is a more pressing need.

The Avalanche could stick with Ross Colton in that role. Bednar recently praised Colton’s efforts in his first game in that role. They could stick with him if the cost of finding other options proves expensive.

Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (NHL Images).

Masisak suggested former Colorado centers such as Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames as possibilities. However, the cost for both makes them unlikely trade targets for the Avalanche.

Other options include Alexander Wennberg of the San Jose Sharks, Jason Dickinson of the Chicago Blackhawks, and former Av Charlie Coyle of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: O’Reilly reportedly isn’t considering a trade at this time. Kadri’s contract and the Flames’ asking price are too expensive. The Sharks won’t part with Wennberg if they remain in playoff contention.

Dickinson and Coyle could be more affordable if the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets go into sell mode. However, the Avs could be forced to overpay if other clubs get into the bidding, and they’ve already sacrificed future assets in recent years.

NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears believes the Islanders have a steady, left-shot defenseman and a top-six winger near the top of their Christmas wish list to replace sidelined blueliner Alexander Romanov and winger Kyle Palmieri.

If the Islanders become buyers, they could get salary-cap relief by placing Romanov and Palmieri on long-term injury reserve. San Jose Jose Sharks defensemen Mario Ferraro and former Islander Nick Leddy could be blueline targets, while Kiefer Sherwood of the Vancouver Canucks or Matias Maccelli of the Toronto Maple Leafs might make sense as a replacement for Palmieri.

Sears doesn’t see general manager Mathieu Darche parting with a first-round pick to get any of those players.

For now, it’s too early to tell which path Darche might choose. Sears noted that a couple of bad weeks could knock them out of playoff contention in the tightly packed Eastern Conference.

If Darche buys early, he could be parting with future assets that he’ll need to recoup if things go sideways. If he waits too long, he’ll end up in sell mode with UFA-eligible forwards Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Darche will remain patient for now, especially given how few sellers there are in the trade market. The Isles’ performance in January will likely determine which path he takes, especially if more teams become sellers.

The Sharks aren’t likely to part with Ferraro and Leddy if they remain in playoff contention. Sherwood is available, but the Canucks’ asking price could be too high for Darche. Maccelli should be an affordable addition, but his struggles this season don’t make him an enticing trade target.

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens believes the Los Angeles Kings have more work to do after trading center Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. He noted they didn’t get a roster player back in the deal, and the club continues to struggle offensively.

Stephens pointed out that the draft pick they got in the Danault deal would look good if the Kings were rebuilding. However, the club is built to win right now, and they still believe they can reach the playoffs and make some noise.

That second-round pick will only be valuable if it can be turned into a player (like Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators or Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues) who makes the Kings better.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings GM Ken Holland probably isn’t done making moves. Stephens pointed out that they shed Danault’s $5.5 million cap hit for this season and next, giving the Kings $9.2 million in current cap space, and a projected deadline cap space of $26 million.

As mentioned earlier, O’Reilly isn’t prepared to consider a trade right now. Meanwhile, the Blues intend to seek full value for any player they trade, meaning they’ll want a young NHL player for Schenn instead of draft picks.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 22, 2025

by | Dec 22, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 22, 2025

Sidney Crosby surpasses Mario Lemieux as the Penguins’ all-time points leader, Oilers captain Connor McDavid overtakes Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon for the lead in the scoring race, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Sidney Crosby scored and collected an assist to surpass Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ all-time points leader (1,724) in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Rickard Rakell also had a goal and an assist and tallied the game-winner as the Penguins (15-11-9) ended an eight-game winless skid (0-4-4). Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, and Juraj Slafkovsky each had two points for the 19-12-5 Canadiens.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby also moved past Lemieux into eighth place among the NHL’s all-time points leaders. He needs 32 points to surpass Steve Yzerman (1,755) for seventh. Crosby now needs 46 goals to break Lemieux’s all-time franchise goals record of 690.

Lemieux applauded Crosby’s achievement in a 30-second video message that was played later in the first period. Crosby was humble after the game, praising Lemieux for what he’s done for the Penguins. “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 No. 1,” Crosby said.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens announced goaltender Sam Montembeault will rejoin the roster ahead of next Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Montembeault was loaned to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Laval last week on a conditioning stint.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored for the fourth straight game and collected two assists as his club held off the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 4-3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tallied twice and collected an assist, and Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman each had two points for the 18-13-6 Oilers, who’ve won seven of their last 10 games. Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin each had three points for the Golden Knights (16-8-10), who are winless in their last three games (0-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid has overtaken Nathan MacKinnon, sitting in first place in the scoring race with 62 points, one ahead of the Colorado Avalanche center.

Oilers forward Trent Frederic was a healthy scratch from this game. The club also announced that goaltender Tristan Jarry will be out for two weeks with an injury, and activated winger Jack Roslovic from long-term injury reserve.

Speaking of MacKinnon, he scored twice to become the first player to reach 30 goals this season in a 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Cale Makar and Brock Nelson each had a goal and two assists for the 26-2-7 Avalanche, who’ve won five straight games and remain in first place in the overall standings with 59 points. Ryan Hartman replied for the Wild (22-10-5) as their seven-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon had led the points race for weeks and seemed poised to run away with the Art Ross Trophy. McDavid’s surge in recent weeks indicates this could be an exciting race over the second half of the season.

An overtime goal by Moritz Seider lifted the Detroit Red Wings over the Washington Capitals 3-2. Cam Talbot made 31 saves for the Red Wings (21-13-3), as they hold first place in the Atlantic Division with 45 points. Ethen Frank scored both goals for the 19-12-5 Capitals, who have two wins in their last seven contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings forward Patrick Kane missed his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss Tuesday’s match against the Dallas Stars. Meanwhile, the Wings removed Mason Appleton from injured reserve after a 10-game absence.

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Boston Bruins 6-2. Fabian Zetterlund scored two goals and picked up an assist while Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and two assists for the Senators (18-13-4), as they collected their fourth straight win. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha tallied for the 20-16-1 Bruins, who are 1-3-1 in their last five contests.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 26 shots as his club extended its win streak to six games with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Josh Norris, Zach Benson, and Peyton Krebs scored for the 17-14-4 Sabres. Jack Hughes scored for the Devils (20-15-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Hughes’ first game since missing 18 games with an injured hand. Speaking of the Sabres, it has been confirmed that they’ve added Marc Bergevin as associate general manager and Josh Flynn as assistant GM.

Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg scored to extend his points streak to eight games as his club nipped the New York Rangers 2-1. Steven Stamkos also scored for the Predators (15-16-4), who have won five of their last seven contests. Jonny Brodzinski replied for the 18-16-4 Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers were without team captain J.T. Miller, who is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

The Dallas Stars picked up their fourth straight win by downing the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1. Jake Oettinger made 27 saves, and Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist for the 25-7-5 Stars. Scott Laughton scored for the Maple Leafs (15-15-5), who have lost four of their last five games.

An overtime goal by Clayton Keller gave the Utah Mammoth a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Keller and Mikhail Sergachev each finished with two points for the Mammoth, who improved to 18-17-3. Kyle Connor scored two goals for the (15-17-3) Jets, who have three wins in their last 16 games.