ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues will have to play without another injured forward for the foreseeable future.

Pius Suter is the latest to hit the injury list after the Blues (15-16-8), who host the red-hot Buffalo Sabres (19-14-4) on Monday (7 p.m.; FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM). The forward will be reevaluated in four weeks with a right high ankle sprain sustained in the third period of a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday after getting an MRI on Sunday.

Suter, who has seven goals and seven assists in 37 games this season, did not practice on Sunday.

It means Robby Fabbri will go back into the lineup in Suter’s spot after being a healthy scratch on Saturday. Also, Mathieu Joseph will re-enter the lineup on the fourth line, and go in for Jonatan Berggren.

But what the Blues will miss in Suter is a plethora of things.

“We haven’t had enough forwards grab and taking ownership of being reliable, trustworthy and really good at their habits and details defensively, and that’s why you see different people in there in different games, because when guys are on their details, they get that opportunity and there’s an opportunity for people to grab that,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “We have certain players we know are going to be there, but it’s not like we have two lines of it, and that’s up to the players to grab it. It’s very similar to the discussion we had yesterday about coming into our lineup and who does. We don’t want guys to come out of the lineup, and when you go into the lineup, it’s up to you to be really good at those habits and details so that we don’t take you out. That’s for everybody.”

Could Otto Stenberg, a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, be the guy to replace Suter’s wealth and many things be brings to the game? We’ll have more on that in an upcoming story.

- - -

The Blues will look to derail the Sabres express. In winning eight in a row, the Sabres, who lost 3-0 to the Blues in early November, have scored three or more goals in each game and won four of them by multiple goals, four of them by one goal, outscoring their opponents 25-15.

“It’s a lot different. Just their confidence, their swagger, you could see it,” Montgomery said of the Sabres. “They expect to score goals, they are scoring goals, they’re scoring gritty goals at the net front now besides the skill level that they have, and they have skill on three lines. That’s why your details and in the D-zone off the rush have to be good. And I think that if our details are good there, we’re going to get opportunities going the other way. And then it’s up to us. Last game we were 8-2 in odd-man rushes for. You keep getting those numbers and we get better at executing off the rush, we’re going to start scoring a lot more goals. It’s up to us to be really good at those odd-man rushes.”

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said in beating the Blues, there are several key factors.

“I think the numbers say they’re a great team to get interior shots too so we can’t let pucks go through us,” Ruff said. “I think their speed is evident. Their ‘D’ get up ice. Similar to us, our ‘D’ are heavily involved, their ‘D’ are heavily involved. We’ve got to make sure we don’t turn it into a track meet, that we’re weary of their guys coming.”

The Blues have another opportunity here to get to the .500 mark with a win.

“I think results are secondary right now to our process,” Montgomery said. “I talk about habits and details a lot and our process, the things that we believe in, winning the net fronts, winning special teams, winning the Grade A chances. There’s a lot of things, details that go into those major part of the process, and if we continue to be better at those things in the process, the results will take care of themselves. I’ve always believed that, and I will always believe that as I am a coach.”

- - -

It will be another homecoming for a St. Louis kid playing in the NHL when O’Fallon’s own Josh Dunne, who previously played in two preseason games in St. Louis with the Columbus Blue Jackets, will make his first regular-season appearance here tonight with the Sabres.

I’ll have more on Dunne’s return to St. Louis later, and also got a chance to catch up with goalie Colten Ellis and get his thoughts in being waived by the Blues and what it means to be in the NHL and have this opportunity.

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Otto Stenberg-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Robby Fabbri-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jimmy Snuggerud

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Mathieu Joseph

Philip Broberg-Colton Parayko

Tyler Tucker-Justin Faulk

Cam Fowler-Logan Mailloux

Joel Hofer will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Jonatan Berggren and Matthew Kessel. Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain), Pius Suter (high ankle sprain), Nathan Walker (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (upper body) are out.

- - -

Sabres Projected Lineup:

Peyton Krebs-Tage Thompson-Josh Doan

Noah Ostlund-Josh Norris-Alex Tuch

Zach Benson-Ryan McLeod-Jack Quinn

Jordan Greenway-Josh Dunne-Beck Malenstyn

Mattias Samuelsson-Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power-Michael Kesselring

Bowen Byram-Zach Metsa

Alex Lyon will start in goal; Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Isak Rosen and Jacob Bryson. Tyson Kozak (upper body), Conor Timmins (broken leg), Jason Zucker (upper and lower body), Colten Ellis (concussion), Jiri Kulich (blood clot) and Justin Danforth (lower body) are all out.

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The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night at the United Center. It was a 7-3 blowout that ended any goodwill earned in their Saturday night shootout win over the Dallas Stars. 

After giving up four goals on seven shots, Spencer Knight was pulled. The team didn't get the spark that Jeff Blashill was looking for offensively, so he put Knight back in for the third. 

Penguins Skate Out Of Chicago With 7-3 Victory Over BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks were run out of their own building by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night.

After the game, Blashill didn't sound like the head coach of a team that was just blown out in the second half of a back-to-back yet again. Instead, he sounded like a coach who was satisfied with the effort and process. 

‘‘It was a night their chances went in, in the first, and our chances didn’t,’’ Blashill said. ‘‘Then you’re just digging yourself out of a hole that’s difficult to dig out of." 

Spencer Knight was leaky, and the Blackhawks did have a couple of chances in the first minute of regulation. Blashill, based on his words, thinks that if Knight was as sharp as he's been this year, and maybe they buried one of their earlier chances, that the game would have gone much differently. 

‘‘We probably had more quality chances than we did last night, especially in that first part," Blashill said. "We probably gave up similar stuff. Theirs went in, and ours didn’t. That’s hockey.’’

The fact of the matter is that it's another four-plus goal defeat that came on the second leg of a back-to-back situation. They are 0-4 in those games, and all of them have been by four or more. They allowed seven or more in three of them. With eight more of these remaining, including this upcoming weekend, it is worth analyzing. 

Wyatt Kaiser and Nick Foligno spoke after the loss, and each of them tried to diagnose what the problem is. If they knew for sure, they would have corrected it already, which is a common answer when an NHL player is asked how something can be fixed. 

Even after tough losses, and this has been said a lot so far in 2025-26, Jeff Blashill is not going to get up to the podium and blast his players unless there is a serious problem. He believes in them up and down the lineup. 

 ‘‘I like who they are as people. I like who they are as competitors. I like who they are as hockey players. And I like the potential in the group, even for the rest of this season." 

It is going to be a tough run of hockey. They don't have Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar right now due to injury, and that makes it harder to win. However, sticking to the process that allowed them to have success earlier in the season will do them good down the stretch as they try to come out of this slump. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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In the battle of Florida, once again, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning hashed out their anger towards each other through fights and extracurricular activities.

Ultimately, the Lightning left with the two points, defeating the Panthers 4-2. The Panthers took an early lead with an Eetu Luostarinen goal, but three unanswered goals by the Lightning were enough to secure the victory. 

Unsurprisingly, the game was marked by penalties, with two resulting in fines. Anton Lundell was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for high-sticking Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel. Coincidentally,  Scott Sabourin has been fined $2,018.23, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Florida’s Niko Mikkola. 

The Panthers had 10 power play opportunities, converting just one. The Lightning had six but failed to score. In the end, the Panthers were given 49 penalty minutes. The Lightning were handed 85 penalty minutes. 

Prior to the game, the Panthers and Lightning were warned by the NHL to keep the fights and altercations clean. The NHL Department of Player Safety felt that none of the altercations needed supplementary discipline, and no suspensions were handed out. 

The Panthers and Lightning have met three times this season, with one more game set for Feb. 5 in Tampa. The Panthers have won just one of three matchups this season. 

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Macklin Celebrini recorded his 20th goal of the season and added an assist as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6–3 on Saturday night at Rogers Arena.

The North Vancouver native continued his strong run of form, extending his point streak to seven games with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) over that span. Celebrini has also been a consistent thorn in Vancouver’s side, registering at least one point in all five games he has played against the Canucks this season.

Igor Chernyshov scored the first NHL goal of his career and added an assist, while Collin Graf found the back of the net for a fourth consecutive game. Yaroslav Askarov turned aside 24 shots as the San Jose Sharks (18-17-3) snapped a three-game losing streak.

For Vancouver, Conor Garland and Filip Hronek each recorded two assists, and Thatcher Demko finished with 32 saves. The Canucks (15-19-3), who entered the game off a strong 4-1-0 road trip prior to the Christmas break, continued to struggle at Rogers Arena, where they have managed just four wins all season (4-11-1).

Ryan Reaves opened the scoring at 6:13 of the first period, snapping a 24-game goal drought by jamming home a loose puck behind Demko as the goaltender lunged to smother it with his blocker, giving the Sharks a 1–0 lead.

John Klingberg doubled the lead at 7:55, firing a point shot through heavy traffic after Celebrini won a clean offensive-zone faceoff back to the blue line.

Vancouver answered on the power play at 10:04, with Linus Karlsson finishing a backdoor tap-in off a crisp feed from Conor Garland to cut the deficit to 2–1.

The Sharks restored their two-goal cushion at 12:38 of the second period. Thatcher Demko denied Celebrini’s one-timer, but the rebound ricocheted off William Eklund at the top of the crease before Canucks center Marco Rossi inadvertently knocked the puck into his own net, resulting in Eklund being credited with the goal.

Rossi made amends early in the third period, scoring just 36 seconds in to cut the deficit to 3–2 by snapping a loose puck from the slot that glanced off Askarov’s blocker and in. It marked his first goal in six games since being acquired from the Minnesota Wild in the Dec. 12 trade that sent defenseman Quinn Hughes the other way.

Vancouver nearly pulled even moments later, successfully killing off a lengthy 5-on-3 for 52 seconds, but San Jose capitalized before the advantage expired. With nine seconds remaining on the second penalty, Chernyshov restored the two-goal cushion at 4:47, quickly snapping a feed from Adam Gaudette past Thatcher Demko after finding open space at the top of the crease. The goal was the first of Chernyshov’s NHL career, coming in just his fifth game.

The Canucks stayed within striking distance when Drew O’Connor scored short-handed on a 2-on-1 at 10:43, wiring a wrist shot to make it 4–3. Any momentum was short-lived, however, as Celebrini answered at 16:20, hammering a one-timer off a Chernyshov feed for his 20th goal of the season and a 5–3 Sharks lead.

While most of the Sharks arrived from San Jose earlier that day, Celebrini enjoyed a familiar setting in Vancouver, skating in the same building where he spent much of his childhood alongside his brother Aiden, now a Canucks defense prospect. With family in attendance following the holidays, the moment carried added significance for the North Vancouver native.

Chernyshov continued his strong start, now totaling five points in five games while spending most of his time alongside Celebrini. His size, puck protection, and instincts around the net have quickly translated to the NHL level, earning him trust in prime offensive situations.

Graf sealed the deal with an empty-net goal at 16:55, his fifth tally in four games, completing a 6–3 victory that featured goals from six different Sharks. The balanced scoring underscored San Jose’s depth, a key ingredient for sustained success.

Celebrini wasn’t the only Shark enjoying a homecoming. Defenseman Vincent Lori, a native of nearby Coquitlam, picked up an assist on Ryan Reaves’ opening goal and heard his name announced in the arena where he once skated as a child. With dozens of family members and friends in attendance, the night marked a fitting full-circle moment in his young NHL career.

While Montreal Canadiens’ fans have long identified Jacob Fowler as the goaltender of the future, most didn’t expect him to get a chance to show what he could do in the NHL this season. The Habs’ woes in net have forced the organization to do something to right the ship, and calling up Fowler from the Laval Rocket before sending Samuel Montembeault down for a conditioning stint was the chosen course of action.

The Habs played the move down, saying it was always the plan to see what Fowler could do this season, but given his performance in net, he has yet to be sent down to the AHL, despite Montembeault being back with the team.

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While there’s enough pressure on a young goaltender in the Montreal market as it is, it’s hard not to draw a comparison between the Boston College alums and the winningest goaltender in Canadiens’ history, Carey Price. The way he handles himself on the ice, always calm and collected, in a perfect position to be square to the shot, and making saves look effortless, is very Price-like, but the comparison doesn’t stop there.

Before Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, RDS showed a comparison between the two masked men’s stats in the first five games of their careers, and the numbers are eerily similar. In five games, both had a 3-1-1 record and faced the same number of shots (146) while surrendering the same number of goals (12). Their goals-against average was different because Price spent 308:57 in the net while Fowler spent 300:33, meaning the former had a 2,33 GAA while the latter had a 2.40 GAA, but both had a .918 save percentage.

The most significant difference between their records is that Fowler had a shutout in his fourth game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Price notched his first in his 23rd game on February 16, 2007, against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Before graduating to the NHL, Price had only played 12 regular-season games with the Hamilton Bulldogs (the Canadiens’ farm team at the time) and 22 playoff games, leading his team to the Calder Cup. As things stand, Fowler has played eight playoff games with the Rocket and 18 regular-season tilts, for a total of 26 games, while Price has played 34 games in the lower league.

Could the Canadiens decide that Fowler has spent enough time in the AHL? I honestly didn’t think so, but the numbers RDS put forward really make you think. I still believe he could benefit from more seasoning in the AHL, but if Montembeault plays and fails to show he has his game back, the Habs should keep the youngster in the NHL. They want to win and make the playoffs this season, and that won’t happen with shaky goaltending.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on the road to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 PM.  

Ottawa Senators - 18-14-5 - 41 Points - 5-4-1 in the last 10 - 6th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 16-15-6 - 38 Points - 3-6-1 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro  

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.8% - 14th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 74.8% - 29th in the NHL
• Goals For - 108- 20th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 126 - 24th in the NHL

Senators Stats

• Power Play - 25.8% - 4th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 70.6% - 32nd in the NHL
• Goals For - 121 - 11th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 120 - 20th in the NHL

Series History vs. The Senators

• Columbus is 19-21-2-3 all-time, and 7-13-11 in Ottawa.
• The CBJ are 3-6-1 in the last 10 vs. the Sens.
• The Blue Jackets lost to the Senators on December 11th 6-3.

Who To Watch For The Senators

• Tim Stützle leads the Sens with 19 goals and 40 points.
• Drake Batherson leads Ottawa with 22 assists.
• Leevi Meriläinen is 4-6-0 with a SV% of .874. He last played in the December 27th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Senators

• Mason Marchment has 4 points in 7 games against Ottawa.
• Boone Jenner has 15 points in 27 games.
• Charlie Coyle has 19 points in 31 career games against vs. the Senators.

Injuries 

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 29 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
• Zach Werenski - Lower Body - Missed 2 Games
• Isac Lundeström - Lower Body - Missed 1 Game

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 76

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Bob Wischusen will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 THE FAN, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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DETROIT — The Toronto Maple Leafs have picked up five points out of a possible six in their last three games. Given how poor the results have been for the club this season, that should be a reason for optimism. However, a win against the top team in the Atlantic Division would have been far more satisfying. Instead, Toronto had to settle for a 3-2 overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings, despite holding the lead twice.

After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the second period thanks to a power-play goal from Matthew Knies, the Maple Leafs were about a minute away from entering the second intermission with the lead. That changed when an extended shift in the offensive zone by Detroit led to a Moritz Seider point shot that tied the game with 58 seconds remaining in the frame.

“I thought that in the second period we turned a couple pucks over in the neutral zone and a couple in our D-zone where we just got to make simpler plays,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube lamented. “And then we get extended in our zone and they ended up scoring”.

Defenseman Jake McCabe was on the ice for 1:47 before Seider’s goal, highlighting the difficulty the team faced in getting the puck out of harm's way.

In the third period, Nick Robertson reclaimed the lead for Toronto with a solid wrist shot that beat Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot. But just 23 seconds later, Mason Appleton caught the Leafs off guard, blowing past Troy Stecher and the Toronto defense. While Leafs forward Nicolas Roy called for an offside on the play, the Leafs ultimately did not challenge the goal.

M🎯 #LGRWpic.twitter.com/sjOCw3G28P

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 29, 2025

Despite the loss, there were bright spots for Toronto. A struggling power play that previously resulted in the dismissal of assistant coach Marc Savard has suddenly turned around, producing three goals in the last two games. Dennis Hildeby was also solid in net making 31 saves on 34 shots, giving the club further confidence to utilize him while managing Joseph Woll’s workload during the absence of Anthony Stolarz due to a mysterious upper-body injury.

But the Leafs were still not good enough at 5-on-5 when it mattered. They sat back when they had the lead, and it burned them.

Matthew Knies scores a PP goal in back-to-back games for the first time in his career#LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/iyttsHlrAO

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 29, 2025

“We obviously are going to find ourselves in a lot of these hockey games, especially within the division,” Maple Leafs forward John Tavares said. “We’ve got to stay with it and find a way to come out on the right side of it. We'll take the point and build on some of the good things, clean up our neutral zone—especially in the third period—and look toward a big week ahead”.

Again just too much sitting back for the Leafs. This game was there for them after a great start. @MoneyPuckdotcompic.twitter.com/knGXI8hZ44

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) December 29, 2025

While the Leafs have played with a better sense of urgency coming off the break, questions remain as to whether they are currently good enough. The Red Wings demonstrated what can happen when young, promising talent comes together. For the Leafs, the path forward requires being a better team, one step at a time.

Kirill Marchenko(12,13), Ivan Provorov(5), and Cole Sillinger(4-EN) scored the goals for Columbus, while Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots in a 4-2 Blue Jackets win on Sunday night. 

The Jackets scored three late goals in the third period to pull out the victory, something they're not used to doing. 

This game pretty much had it all. From a called back goal (controversial) to an allowed goal (also controversial), to multiple major penalties being reviewed, and everything in between. 

The Islanders' first goal was ruled a goal after it hit Max Shabanov in the knee, which then went into the net. A couple months ago, a puck that hit Dmitri Voronkov in the chest and went in, was ruled no goal because it was deflected in off of a body part. People weren't sure why this one was able to stand, while others, like Voronkov's was negated. I don't think anyone understands officiating in the NHL. 

Meanwhile, the Jackets had a goal called back because they claimed the goalie was pushed. The replay wasn't exactly clear, so it was upheld. The Blue Jackets had a similar play ruled against them, even though Jet Greaves was spun around by an opponent's stick, thus sending the puck into the net. 

And now for the chaos. 

It all started when the Jackets Mason Marchment went in to make a hit on the rookie Matthew Schaefer. When Marchment got close, Schaefer did a little dip and made it look like Marchment hit him high. Had Schaefer stood his ground, it would've been a normal hockey play. Instead, Marchment was called for roughing. From that point on, you just knew that the Islanders were going to take some shots at Marchment even though it was a clean play. 

Just over a minute into the second period, Marchment and Schaefer again came together. Like magnets, both players seemed to be attracted to one another, this time near center ice. In what originally looked like a knee-on-knee hit and ruled a major penalty, it was determined that it was NOT a knee shot and ruled a common trip. Just after the play, the Islanders Mathew Barzal took a baseball swing at Mason Marchment's feet and made contact with the top of his foot. Barzal was given a game misconduct, and the Jackets were given a power play. Islanders players and their fans were not happy, but it was the correct call. 

Watch the video below and see the still photo and draw your own conclusions. 

Marchment tripped Schaefer and Barzal was NOT having it slashing him in response.

CHAOS in Columbus right now. pic.twitter.com/8AiarchwXN

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 28, 2025

The game would calm down after that chaos, but not without the drama at the end. The Blue Jackets served up a little payback by scoring late goals to send the sellout crowd at Nationwide home happy on a warm Sunday night. 

Columbus is usually on the wrong end of teams scoring three goals in three minutes late in the third period, but they cranked up the intensity in this one and beat the second-place Islanders. 

And now for the fun stuff. The post-game quotes. 

Mason Marchment on the second period chaos, "I'm kind of used to it by now. It's part of my game to try to get in the other teams' head a little bit. You know, I was never trying to hurt (Schaefer) there in the middle, just get in his way. Probably not smart by me."

Islanders Head Coach Patick Roy, "We thought it was a knee-on-knee. We're never going to blame a teammate going and trying to defend a teammate [...] I like the response by Barzy."

Dean Evason was asked after the game if he was surprised at Barzal's response, “I don’t know. I used to see that a lot.”

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Kirill Marchenko scored two goals and had 5 shots.
• Ivan Provorov scored a goal and played 26:56.
• Cole Sillinger scored a goal and played only 8:11.
• Denton Mateychuk had two assists and played 26:28.
• Sean Monahan had two assists.
• Mason Marchment recorded an assist and was a plus-3. He also had 6 PIMs.
• Adam Fantilli had a assist and 8 shots.
• Damon Severson had an assist.
• Jet Greaves made 24 saves.

Team Stats

• The Jackets' power play went 0/4.
• The Columbus PK stopped both of the Islanders power plays.
• Columbus won 44.1% of the faceoffs - 26/59
• The Blue Jackets had 25 hits.

Up Next: The Blue Jackets play the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 PM in Ottawa. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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The Florida Panthers will kick off a challenging back-to-back set on Monday night in Sunrise.

After dropping a tightly contested matchup to their rivals to the north on Saturday – a 4-2 road win for Tampa Bay – Florida will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens at Amerant Bank Arena in a 24-hour span.

The Capitals arrive in South Florida feeling good, coming out of the break with a 4-3 overtime win in New Jersey.

Prior to the victory, the Caps had lost six of their past seven, a stretch that took them from first place with a three-point lead in the Metropolitan Division on Dec. 7 to the first Wild Card spot and one point north of the playoff line on Dec. 23.

Most fans would probably be surprised to learn that the player leading the Capitals in both goals and points this season is not Alex Ovechkin, but actually gritty forward Tom Wilson.

Entering play Monday, Wilson has racked up 17 goals and 34 points through 37 games, putting him on pace to potentially break the career marks he set last season (33 goals and 65 points in 81 games).

Ovechkin, for what it’s worth, is only two goals (15) and one point (33) behind Wilson for the team lead in both categories.

As for Florida, they received a jolt of positive news on Sunday when All-Star forward Matthew Tkachuk joined the team for his first practice of the season.

Tkachuk has been recovering from offseason surgery for a torn adductor and sports hernia, and while he probably won’t be playing in either of the back-to-back games, just his presence at a formal practice means that he’s getting very close to making his season debut.

This will be the second of three regular season meetings between the Cats and Caps.

Florida defeated the Capitals 6-3 back on Nov. 13, a game that Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen logged three points apiece and Daniil Tarasov made 37 saves to pick up his first win as a Panther.

It’s possible Tarasov gets the nod again for the Cats, as Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice will likely start each of his goaltenders for the back-to-back set.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Monday’s matchup with the Capitals:

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer

Jesper Boqvist – Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicks

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: Nov 13, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) moves the puck against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Martin St-Louis wondered on Sunday morning if it was an advantage for his Montreal Canadiens that their host, the Tampa Bay Lightning, had played the night before. Usually, yes, it would have been, but after returning from the Christmas break, the bench boss was concerned that his players might need some time to shake off the rust. It wasn’t the case, though. The Habs hit the ground running and played a nearly perfect first frame, but as has often been the case this season, it was in the second frame that they came undone.

Montreal dominated the first 20 minutes in puck possession and shots, but it just wasn’t able to capitalize on three power play opportunities; that’s the kind of mistake that eats at you, at your confidence and plays on your mind for the rest of the game.

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Staying In Control For 60 Minutes

Given the fact that the Habs dominated the play early on, they probably felt they should have been in the lead when Ivan Demidov’s stick broke for the second time of the game, which allowed the Lightning to send Nikita Kucherov on a breakaway and, of course, to take a 1-0 lead.

The frustration was evident when Alexandre Texier took a silly penalty in the offensive zone less than 40 seconds after the locals had taken the lead. Thankfully for Texier, the Bolts were unable to capitalize on the opportunity, but it still gave Jon Cooper’s team some momentum back.

The second goal also came from a Canadiens’ mistake/stroke of bad luck when Juraj Slafkovsky tried to launch Josh Anderson on a breakaway but hit the linesman with his pass, and the puck bounced straight to the Lightning, who made the most of the odd-man rush.

Luck had no part in Nick Paul’s goal, however, as he just blew by Phillip Danault to evade his coverage and score on a rebound. Down 3-0 after 35 minutes, the Canadiens were clearly feeling hard done by, while the Lightning were entirely in control.

Gun Shy

It’s been discussed multiple times since the start of the season: the Canadiens need to shoot more. Spending six minutes on the power play and just generating three shots is inexcusable. A goal’s a goal, no matter how pretty the build-up was; there is no point in looking for the perfect play, you need to get the little piece of vulcanized rubber past the goal line by whatever means necessary.

In the third frame, the Habs took 16 shots on net and, unsurprisingly, scored four goals: no shots, no goals; plenty of shots, plenty of goals.

The Kids Line

The first line might be struggling since Slafkovsky has been moved to the second line, but the new unit he forms with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov was the sole reason the Canadiens clawed their way back into this game.

Slafkovsky and Kapanen both had five shots in the game, while the Russian rookie had three (those three all had eight shot attempts, but some were missed or blocked). What’s most impressive is the chemistry between the three, which is getting increasingly better. The ease with which they go from the attack to the defence and back is fantastic; they flip the switch incredibly quickly, and the opponent isn’t always ready for it.

The patience they’ve displayed on a couple of plays was just as impressive. On the Canadiens’ second goal, as soon as the Lightning turned the puck over, Slafkovsky called for the puck even though he was far behind. Kapanen understood that meant put it in space for me when you get to the blueline, and that’s precisely what he did. The power forward collected it, skated in and picked his spot before unleashing a hard wrister, which turned the tide.

Ce trio à nouveau

The kid line strikes again#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/41mTZED32I

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 29, 2025

A goal wasn’t enough for the Slovak, though; he also got the buzzer beater that sent the game to overtime with less than four seconds left in the frame, thanks to a perfectly timed feed from Demidov that he one-timed past Jonas Johansson.

4-4!!!

JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY, TIE GAME#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Acsy5Bs21s

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 29, 2025

Slafkovsky finished the game with two goals and an assist, and he now has a five-game point streak going. Demidov had a goal and an assist, giving him a three-point lead in the rookie scoring race. As for Kapanen, he only got an assist, but he’s no passenger on that line.

When the Canadiens manage to have that same level of effort for 60 minutes, they’ll be quite a force to be reckoned with. While this wasn’t Jacob Fowler’s best game, he gave up four goals on 22 shots for just an .818 save percentage; he couldn’t be faulted on most of the goals. Will the Canadiens use this loss as a reason to send him back down to Laval? I’d be surprised since the loss wasn’t really on him, and I’d wait to see how Samuel Montembeault does in his first game back before making a change to the roster.

The Canadiens will play their next game on Tuesday, taking on the Florida Panthers at 7:00 PM.

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