Brewin Flames

Game # 39 Bos 3 Avs 4 SO Nichushkin scores only goal in shootout, Avalanche beat Bruins 4-3 Updated: Jan 9, 2024, 01:07 am DENVER -- — Valeri Nichushkin scored the only goal in the shootout, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night. The first five shooters couldn’t convert but Nichushkin beat Jeremy Swayman with a shot under his glove. Colorado bounced back from an 8-4 loss to Florida on Saturday to win for the fifth time in six games. “From start to finish that’s probably one of our most complete games of the year,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Just the way we played, competed, took care of the puck — it was a really good hockey game.” Sam Malinski, Mikko Rantanen and Logan O’Connor had goals and Alexandar Georgiev had 23 saves through overtime and three more in the shootout for the Avalanche. “Anytime you’re able to contribute to a big win it feels good,” said Malinski, who was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL to replace Josh Manson (undisclosed) in the lineup. “Considering it’s my first game back it makes a little bit more special.” Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to continue his dominant play in Denver, where he has 16 goals and 29 assists. He has registered at least one point in all 22 home games this season and is one shy of tying Joe Sakic for the longest home point streak in franchise history. Brad Marchand had two goals, John Beecher also scored and Swayman stopped 33 shots for Boston, which opened a four-game road trip with a loss. Defenseman Brandon Carlo left the game early in the second with an upper-body injury. Coach Jim Montgomery had no update on Carlo’s condition after the game. The Bruins had a chance to win it in overtime when they got a 4-on-3 power play but couldn’t get one by Georgiev. “Unfortunately we couldn’t get that second point,” Marchand said. “We kind of squandered the power play in overtime so we need to be better there in those opportunities to close out games.” Malinski got his second goal of the season when his shot from the point at 17:56 of the second beat Swayman to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead. “He’s played really well when he’s been with us,” Bednar said of the rookie, who played in his 15th game Monday night. “We have a couple of (defensemen) out of the lineup now so he’ll be here for a little bit.” Marchand’s second of the night and 17th of the season at 5:46 of the third tied it again. The teams traded power-play goals in the first period. Boston scored first on Marchand’s goal midway through the frame but Rantanen tied it at 16:13. O’Connor scored an unassisted goal off of a turnover just 2:23 into the second period but Beecher tied it 2 when he knocked in a rebound at 10:05 of the second. “The puck squirted out to me and I just wanted to get it off my tape quick,” O’Connor said of his sixth goal of the season. Colorado was without forward Miles Wood (illness) for the second straight game. Jason Polin was recalled from the Eagles and made his NHL debut.

Flyers send American prospect Gauthier to Ducks for Drysdale, second-round pick Jamie Drysdale - The Canadian Press TSN.ca Staff Published Jan 08, 2024 at 07:22 PM ET Share More options The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenceman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round draft pick in exchange for forward Cutter Gauthier. More to follow.

SMH.... Half the cap tied up in 4 players, and everyone of them is over paid. None the less, with that garbage netminding, they still are not going anywhere.

Maple Leafs give William Nylander team-record $92M contract William Nylander isn't going anywhere. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Monday an eight-year, $92 million contract extension with their top-line winger. The deal, which includes a full no-movement clause for its duration, kicks in next season and will keep Nylander with the club through 2032. It also marks the richest total value contract Toronto has ever offered to a player. Nylander, 27, was drafted eighth overall by the Maple Leafs in 2014 and has produced 198 goals and 484 points through 558 NHL games to date. This season has been among Nylander's best, including a franchise-record 17-game point streak to open the season, in which Nylander put up 12 goals and 27 points. He's currently fifth overall in NHL scoring with 21 goals and 54 points in 37 games. Now that Nylander's deal is done, the Leafs have officially invested more than $40 million of cap space in four players next season -- Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and John Tavares. Nylander and Leafs' general manager Brad Treliving will be available on Monday afternoon to speak on the long-term pact.

Games played on 1/7/24 Yotes Jack McBain vs Jets Adam Lowry Winner ?

Game # 40 Flames 3 Hawks 4 Blackwell helps the Blackhawks beat the Flames 4-3 in first game without Bedard ByAP Updated: Jan 7, 2024, 06:57 pm CHICAGO -- — Back at home after a disastrous trip, the depleted Chicago Blackhawks desperately needed an encouraging performance. With Colin Blackwell leading the way, they got one. Blackwell had two goals and an assist, and Chicago beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Sunday in the Blackhawks' first game since Connor Bedard was sidelined by a broken jaw. “I think you can create a storyline for each game and each part of the season,” Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy said, “and for us, I think that's a great way to go at it now, is realizing we have a lot of guys out and for everyone to come and band together quick and win games by work ethic, really.” Nikita Zaitsev added a goal and an assist for last-place Chicago, which had dropped five in a row and seven of eight overall. Philipp Kurashev also scored, and Petr Mrazek made 28 saves. Bedard’s jaw was fractured when the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft was hit by New Jersey defenseman Brendan Smith during Friday night's 4-2 loss to the Devils. Chicago then lost Nick Foligno when he broke a finger on his left hand in a fight with Smith. Nazem Kadri had two goals for Calgary, which closed out a 2-2-0 road trip after losing 3-2 at Philadelphia on Saturday. Andrew Mangiapane also scored, and Jonathan Huberdeau had two assists. “Not good enough," Flames forward Mikael Backlund said. "If we want to be a playoff team, that’s a game we’ve got to win, find a way to win. Yeah, it wasn’t good enough.” Blackwell scored the first goal of the game with a well-placed wrist shot 4:32 into the first period. He made it 4-2 with a power-play goal with 5:23 left, beating Dan Vladar on the goaltender's glove side. “A lot of guys stepped up today and I thought we had a great team effort,” Blackwell said. “When you do the little things like that and we get good special teams, we come out with a victory.” Calgary got one back on Kadri's 13th of the season with 4:41 remaining, but Chicago held on in the final minutes. “Today not the best," Kadri said. “Obviously walking out of here, .500 road trip, which is OK, but we felt like it could have been better.” Each team had to deal with an unfortunate deflection in the second period. Calgary took a 2-1 lead at 3:26 when Mangiapane's power-play shot from the side banked in off Murphy's right skate. Mangiapane was credited with his eighth goal of the season. After Kurashev tied it with his eighth, Zaitsev's big slap shot from beyond the right circle went in off the right skate of Flames defenseman Nick DeSimone for a 3-2 lead with 5:11 left in the period. It was Zaitsev's second goal. With nine players on injured reserve, including eight forwards, the Blackhawks went with seven defensemen against the Flames. There has been no word on how long Bedard and Foligno will be out. The 18-year-old Bedard was off to an impressive start in his first season, leading the Blackhawks with 15 goals and 18 assists. “Still just evaluating how he's doing and settling down,” coach Luke Richardson said. “We know there's a jaw fracture, but it's swollen so I think the doctors are just giving it a few days to see how it settles.” Richardson inserted Zach Sanford into the lineup after the veteran forward was claimed off waivers from Arizona on Saturday, but Rem Pitlick had some travel issues after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh.

Games played on 1/6/24 Flames Elias Lindholm vs Flyers Joel Farabee Winner ?

Game # 38 Bos 7 TB 3 Trent Frederic scores 2 goals, David Pastrnak gets 24th as Bruins beat Lightning 7-3 Updated: Jan 6, 2024, 10:24 pm BOSTON -- — Trent Frederic scored two goals, David Pastrnak added his team-leading 24th and the Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3 on Saturday night. Charlie McAvoy, Morgan Geekie, Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk also scored for Boston, which has won five of its last six games. Hampus Lindholm and Matt Poitras each had two assists, and Linus Ullmark made 23 saves. The loss spoiled Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper’s chance to become the 29th coach to reach 500 NHL wins for at least one game. Brayden Point scored two goals and Nikita Kucherov had a goal with two assists for the Lightning, who have dropped four of six. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 shots. After the Bruins gave up Point’s goal 21 seconds into the game, Frederic tied it with his power-play score at 4:42. The Bruins forward got a pass in the slot, quickly shifted from his backhand to forehand and shoveled it over Vasilevskiy’s right pad. “I think his confidence has increased his poise with the puck, and he's got tremendous hands," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of Frederic. “In practice he's scores more than anyone except for (Pastrnak).” Seconds after Frederic’s hard check sent Emil Martinsen Lilleberg into the side boards and brought a loud roar from the TD Garden crowd, McAvoy’s goal pushed Boston ahead 2-1 with 5:04 left in the first when his wrister from the right point deflected off Point’s stick and sailed over Vasilevskiy. Frederic added his second early into the second period, scoring off his own rebound when it caromed in off the back of Vasilevskiy’s right pad to make it 3-1. “A lot of that is confidence,” Fredric said of his 12 goals this season. “I don't think it's something that I haven't had, it's just having that confidence to look up to have the puck on certain parts of you stick.” Tampa Bay sliced it to 3-2 on Kuchreov’s hustle goal before Pavel Zacha sent Pastrnak in on a semi-breakaway. The Bruins’ star forward fired a wrister past Vasilevskiy’s glove to restore the two-goal lead, then pumped his left fist as he was gliding on one knee celebrating along the boards. Point’s second cut the Lightning's deficit to one again late in the second when he scored off a cross-ice feed from Kucherov, but Geekie made it 5-3 at 1:35 of the third. “Penalties hurt us early, took a little wind out of our sails and we kind of got ourselves back,” Cooper said. “Weird game. A lot of weird pucks going in the net. ... The bottom line is a 4-3 game going into the third and they took advantage of their three shots.” DeBrusk’s empty-net short-handed score sealed it with 3:26 to play, and Coyle scored his 14th just 40 seconds later. Copper was whistled for a misconduct when he was screaming at the referees after Frederic’s second goal.

Game # 39 Flames 2 Flyers 3 Travis Konecny scores short-handed goal as Philadelphia Flyers top the Calgary Flames 3-2 ByAP Updated: Jan 6, 2024, 05:20 pm PHILADELPHIA -- — Travis Konecny snapped a third-period tie with a short-handed goal, and the Philadelphia Flyers stopped a four-game slide with a spirited 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Morgan Frost had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia, which had dropped six of seven overall. Sean Couturier also scored, and Carter Hart made 22 saves. Konecny, the Flyers' All-Star representative, snapped a wrist shot past Flames goalie Jakob Markstrom on a breakaway 2:27 into the final period. It was his NHL-best fifth short-handed goal and No. 21 on the season overall. The Flyers lead the NHL with 10 short-handed goals this season. “What’s nice is we’re getting these chances but we’re not necessarily cheating for them,” said Couturier, who is also a big part of the Flyers' penalty kill. “They’re just sort of presenting themselves. With the speed (Konecny) and (Scott Laughton) have they can jump all over loose pucks and create offense. “What’s even better is we’re not just scoring on those penalties, but we’re killing them. Getting an extra one is a bonus, and that’s probably the difference tonight.” Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary, which had won three in a row. Markstrom made 39 saves. The Flames had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the second, but the Flyers came back each time. “The first period was OK but then I thought the second and third, we got outworked,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “They were the better team. Jakob was the only reason the game was close.” Frost was standing by the far post for a tap-in of a Sean Walker shot at 4:15. Couturier knocked home a rebound of a Frost shot at 16:06, tying at 2 with his 10th goal of the season. Frost was scratched by Flyers coach John Tortorella for the team’s previous game. He asked Tortorella for a sitdown on Thursday and the two hashed out some differences, creating common ground and getting Frost back in the lineup. “I had some things that I wanted to get off my chest,” Frost said. “It was a good back and forth. I want to be in the lineup, obviously. I think I should be in the lineup. It’s kind of a wake-up call when you get pulled out like that.” Calgary thought it had tied the game with six minutes to play, but the goal was waved off when Connor Zary was whistled for an interference penalty for dumping Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler to the ice. The game got a bit chippy in the second period as the teams combined for 30 minutes in penalties. There was a fight between two top-line forwards, Joel Farabee for Philadelphia and Elias Lindholm for the Flames. The Flyers celebrated the birthday of their late founder, Hockey Hall of Famer Ed Snider, throughout the game. Dozens of alumni were in attendance and new Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker dropped the ceremonial first puck with three of Snider’s children present for the festivities. “The kind of game, the style of game it was, I feel like he had us playing that way up there,” Tortorella said, extending his hands and moving his fingers as if to indicate a puppeteer.

3rd period... Big save by Markstrom on coots early.... Sweet Shorty by TK, under the armpit on give the flyers the lead.... Zary with a bone head brain fart to give the flyers another PP.... Big scrum to end this game... Flyers quietly put up over 40 shots in this one. Time for steelers football, meaningless game for the ravens

2nd period... Huberdeau pots one early, gets # 6 on the season, good for him, cause he's been absolute trash this year... Frost evens it up with his # 6....maybe torts should sit him more often I notice alot of Joel music played during stoppages....seems silly since he's a long island gent. Weegar and coots trade goals to make it a 2-2 game. Garbage hit by Greer, then Farabee gives Lindholm a smackdown....

If i may jump in.... Pre game.... Happy Birthday Mr. Snyder. Bobby Clarke looks like he could still go Lauren Hart, is she the flyers reg anthem singer ? She sort of sucks, was all over the place. 1st period.... Hart making big saves early till the flyers got going. Flames PP sucks, no finish went 0-2 Music maestro playing "man in the box" is always a great thing. 8-9 shot advantage for the flyers, but both hart and markstrom have in stellar thus far.

Yep....good clean hit, bad result. Out 4-6 weeks, there goes the calder.

NEW YORK — During preseason games, Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann noticed cries of, “Let’s go, Rangers!” between verses of the national anthem. But they were scattered and soft — nothing compared to the succinct, forceful chant he heard when the song played in a full arena on Thursday. “The whole building is screaming it,” he said following his NHL debut, a 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. “It’s pretty special.” As he stood on the bench, soaking in those cheers moments before puck drop, it hit him. He was in the NHL. Shortly before the anthem, Othmann skated onto the ice alone for warmups and took the traditional rookie lap. When the rest of the Rangers joined, defenseman Braden Schneider gave the newcomer an encouraging stick tap, and Othmann stayed on the ice for almost the entire warmup period. His parents, grandparents and sister caught flights in time to make it to the game, and he spotted them cheering during warmups. He stopped from time to time, looking around Madison Square Garden as he prepared for a moment he long dreamed about. “I worked 20 years for this,” said the forward, who turns 21 on Friday. “Good early birthday present for tomorrow.” Playing third-line left wing, Othmann showed offensive instincts early, putting three shots on net in the first period. His best scoring opportunity came in the second period, when Nick Bonino found him alone in front of the net. Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek cut off Othmann’s angle and made the save, but Bonino and Othmann nearly connected for another goal that same shift. When Chicago managed to get the puck out of the Rangers’ offensive zone, the New York fans recognized the flurry of chances with a small round of applause. “I think I did a good job creating,” Othmann said. “Obviously, I want to create more, but our line played well. We tried to stay out of our own end most of the game. The chances I created were good and positive, so it’s a good confidence-builder going forward.” Coach Peter Laviolette liked what he saw and rewarded his play in the third period, temporarily moving him to the top line while Blake Wheeler was in the penalty box for fighting Jarred Tinordi. Othmann was pleasantly surprised at the opportunity but thought he handled it well. First-liners Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider are always in the right spots, he said, so playing with them felt easy. Othmann finished the night with 12:26 of ice time. He wasn’t on the ice for any goals for or against, but had five shots and added three hits. His line with Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski played 8:13 together at five-on-five, and the Rangers had 81.54 percent of the expected goals share during that stretch. “I noticed him all night,” Laviolette said. “His speed and his skill, his ability to create probably at least a half a dozen chances at the net, some good scoring chances. … He played a good game.” Othmann has 23 points in 28 AHL games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, and he found out before practice Wednesday that the Rangers were bringing him up. He should get a somewhat extended look at the NHL level while Tyler Pitlick (week-to-week) recovers from a lower-body injury. In August, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranked Othmann the No. 5 prospect in the Rangers pipeline, writing that he plays with a high compete level and has an above average shot. “He’s a highly physical and competitive forward who can frustrate opponents,” Pronman wrote. “His skating isn’t the best, but his compete should allow him to have NHL success as a second-line wing.” One pro scout who has seen Othmann play with Hartford said he’s had a great start to the season and called him a “very good prospect.” “(He) has shown very good offensive instincts and the ability to make plays and score at the AHL level,” the scout said. “His play without (and) away from the puck can be better, but he will play harder and differently in the NHL.” Othmann had familiar faces on the ice during his debut. He played with both Chicago forward Connor Bedard and defenseman Kevin Korchinski at last year’s world juniors, during which he scored six points in seven games for Canada and had two assists in the gold-medal game against Czechia. Both young Blackhawks praised his role in their country’s tournament victory. “That’s the player that wins you games,” said Korchinski, who received a friendly stick tap from Othmann during the game. “He competes out there, gets in front of the net (and) has a high-end shot.” Othmann is even more familiar with Bedard, the Calder Trophy frontrunner. The two won gold at two world juniors tournaments (2023 and 2022), as well as the 2021 under-18 championships. Bedard, who sent Othmann a congratulatory text Wednesday evening, remembers his former teammate laying a massive hit on an opponent their first game together and being both surprised and impressed. It showed he was more than just a goal-scorer. “Overall, he’s really physical and good in all areas, along with his offensive abilities,” Bedard said. “It’s fun to see those guys that kind of do it all.” That’s what he tried to bring in his debut. “I was a bit nervous my first couple shifts, but Jonny and (Bonino) did a great job calming me down,” Othmann said. Everyone was great today leading up to the game and even during the game, so I just wanted to have fun, enjoy the moment. You only get your first game once.”

Games played on 1/5/24 Hawks Alex Vlasic vs Devils Nathan Bastain Winner ? Hawks Nick Foligno vs Devils Brendan Smith Winner ?

World Junior Championship roundup: U.S. tops Sweden for gold Lightning prospect Howard scores twice in win; Czechia rallies in 3rd period against Finland for bronze © (Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/TT via AP)/TT News Agency via AP) ByNHL.com @NHLdotcom 4:27 PM Friday was the final day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was held at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. United States 6, Sweden 2 -- Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lighting) scored two goals in the second period to lead the United States to the gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. to its first tournament championship since 2021. Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets) had a goal and two assists, and Zeev Buium (2024 NHL Draft eligible) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) scored. Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) had two assists, and Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) made 24 saves. It was the sixth championship in for the U.S. in the past 20 years (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021). In the first 27 years of the WJC, dating to 1977, the U.S. had won three medals: silver in 1997 and bronze in 1986 and 1992. Howard also was one of 11 U.S. players that skated Friday that had lost to Sweden in the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship gold-medal game. Also playing in that game were forwards McGroarty, Leonard, Smith, Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues), Frank Nazar (Chicago Blackhawks) and Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets), and defensemen Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens), Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) and Seamus Casey (New Jersey Devils). Otto Stenberg (St. Louis Blues) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) scored for Sweden, which was trying to win its first WJC gold since 2012. Hugo Havelid (2024 draft eligible) made 20 saves. Howard gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead at 9:24 of the second period when he raced past Sweden defenseman Tom Willander (Vancouver Canucks) to reach a long pass up the wall by Drew Fortescue (New York Rangers), cut to the net and beat Havelid with a backhander from the crease. Howard made it 3-1 at 14:19 when his sharp-angle shot went off Havelid's right skate and into the net. It was his seventh goal, tied with Lekkerimaki for the tournament lead. Czechia 8, Finland 5: Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) scored at 18:19 of the third period and Czechia rallied against Finland in the bronze-medal game at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden on Friday. Ondrej Becher (2024 draft eligible) had a hat trick and two assists for Czechia, which scored six straight goals after trailing 5-2 late in the second period. Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres) had two goals and two assists for Czechia, which lost 5-2 to Sweden in the semifinals Thursday. Hamara also had two assists, Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues) had a goal and an assist, and Matyas Melovsky (2024 draft eligible) had three assists. Jakub Vondras (Carolina Hurricanes) made 17 saves on 20 shots after replacing Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes), who allowed two goals on three shots and was replaced 7:43 into the first period. Becher started the turnaround when he scored a short-handed goal at 19:05 of the second period to make it 5-3. "It was really good for us that we scored that goal," Hamara said. "It's better to go to the third period just two goals [down] rather than three." Kulich's second power-play goal of the game made it 5-4 at 4:41 of the third, and Becher scored on the rebound of a Kulich shot to tie the game 5-5 at 18:04. Hamara scored the winner on a shot from the left point after a face-off win on the left side of the Finland zone. "We had a face-off play that didn't work out," Hamara said. "Jiri just passed it to me and the only thing I saw was net so I just tried to shoot it there and it went through." Dominik Rymon (18:52) and Becher (18:54) added empty-net goals two seconds apart for Czechia to set a tournament record for fastest two goals. Czechia, which won the silver medal at the 2023 WJC, has finished in the top three at the WJC in consecutive years for the first time since it won consecutive tournaments in 2000 and 2001. Lenni Hameenaho (New Jersey Devils) scored two goals for Finland, which lost 3-2 to the United States in the semifinals Thursday. Jani Nyman (Seattle Kraken) had a goal and an assist, and Konsta Helenius (2024 draft eligible) and Rasmus Kumpulainen (Minnesota Wild) also scored. Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 23 saves. Finland finished in fourth after a fifth-place finish at the 2023 WJC.

Games played on 1/4/24 NYR Blake Wheeler vs Hawks Jarred Tinordi Winner ? Wild Pat Maroon vs Bolts Austin Watson Winner ?

Game # 38 Flames 6 Preds 3 Flames score 4 goals in 1st, beat Predators 6-3 for 3rd straight win ByAP Updated: Jan 4, 2024, 11:23 pm NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Connor Zary, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson and Yegor Sharangovich each had a goal and an assist in the Calgary Flames’ 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Nazem Kadri and Noah Hanifin also scored and Dan Vladar made 30 saves in the Flames’ third straight victory. “We want to gain a little bit of traction with stringing points together,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “It becomes important. That next game now becomes the most important game of the year for us.” Filip Forsberg, Colton Sissons and Michael McCarron scored and Juuse Saros made 21 saves for Nashville. The Predators had won two in a row. “A lot of sloppy hockey, a lot of slow-twitch thinking and playing, and not ready to start,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “I don’t think we did anything very well.” The teams combined for six goals in a wild opening period. Calgary struck first, with Zary and Coleman scoring 27 seconds apart at 4:45 and 5:12. “We came out pretty hard and we kind of took control of the game,” Zary said. “We got the lead and we were able to play with the lead. That’s something we want to do more of.” Zary’s goal came on the power play. Calgary entered Thursday with the NHL’s 30th-ranked power play, clicking at just 12%. Forsberg halved the Flames’ lead at 6:09 with his team-leading 19th goal. Just prior to the game, Forsberg was named an All Star for the second time in his career. “It was definitely not good enough and I think we got what we deserved,” Forsberg said. Sissons’ goal with 4:10 remaining in the first was his 12th of the season, equaling his total from last season. He scored a career-high 15 goals in 2018-19. Andersson scored with 1:16 remaining in the first with the teams skating 4-on-4 to send the Flames to the intermission up 4-2. Entering Thursday, Calgary’s opponents had outscored them 42-29 in the first period. “We knew it was a matter of time we’d start scoring first,” Coleman said. “It’s a lot easier to win on the road if you can get up early.” After posting a shutout Tuesday night against Chicago, Saros struggled early, allowing four goals on 11 shots against in the first period. Hanifin got the only goal of the middle frame on a tap in with 1.6 seconds remaining. Saros stopped 14 of 15 shots faced in the second. He was replaced by Kevin Lankinen to start the third. Lankinen made 13 saves in relief. McCarron scored a long-range goal at 2:15 of the third when his attempted dump-in went off Vladar’s blocker and into the net.

Game # 37 Bos 5 Pens 6 Crosby's power-play goal in 3rd period sends Penguins to 6-5 win over Bruins ByAP Updated: Jan 4, 2024, 11:09 pm BOSTON -- — Sidney Crosby scored on the power play to snap a third-period tie and added two assists, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Crosby’s goal at 11:19 broke a 5-all deadlock and halted a four-game winning streak for the first-place Bruins, who rallied from three down to tie it. The Penguins also got goals from Drew O’Connor, Ryan Graves, Jake Guentzel, Lars Eller and Jeff Carter. Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves. “We were probably a little hesitant and allowing them to come at us, but I thought we did a good job staying on our toes for the most part. That’s what got us the lead in the first place,” Crosby said after Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five games. Brad Marchand scored twice for the Bruins, and David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie both finished with a goal and two assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 29 shots. “We were getting plenty of offense. We didn’t have to force it. Unfortunately, our game management cost us the game,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “We believed we would come back to win. You want to have that spirit, but we need more players to rise up to the occasion.” The game started with a back-and-forth flourish as the teams combined for five goals in the first eight minutes. Boston opened the scoring 41 seconds in as Marchand won a 1-on-1 battle in front of Nedeljkovic after Pastrnak fired a wrist shot. The Penguins got the next two goals from O’Connor and Graves before Pastrnak collected his second point of the period on his 23rd goal of the season. Guentzel capped the wild start by putting Pittsburgh back in front. The forward converted a long pass from Kris Letang, with Crosby credited for his second assist of the first period. “Weird start, but some games happen like that. You’ve got to be able to handle it,” Crosby said. “The momentum swung a couple of times. It was one of those games where the last goal is going to win and we got the last one.” After eight scoreless minutes, the Penguins grabbed a two-goal advantage at 15:58 when Eller sizzled one past Swayman from a tough angle. Despite allowing four goals on 16 shots in the first, Swayman was back in net at the onset of the second period. He allowed another point-blank rebound goal to Carter that increased Pittsburgh’s lead to three at 6:38. Boston got one back as Pastrnak’s 30th assist of the season saw him zip a pass to Geekie, who waited for the lane to open up before beating Nedeljkovic. “We definitely had our chances. Couple of bad bounces, but that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Geekie said after Pittsburgh outshot Boston 35-29. From the high slot, Jake DeBrusk added to the scoring spree and trimmed Boston’s deficit to a single goal entering the final period. Marchand’s second goal was Boston’s first short-handed this season as he fired one past the blocker to tie the game at 5 early in the third. “There was some good and some bad. I liked our intensity and the way we battled back,” Marchand said. “Obviously, there are some plays we need to clean up and be better at.” Before the game, the NHL announced that Crosby and Pastrnak will represent their Eastern Conference teams at next month’s All-Star Game in Toronto. It’s the 10th career honor of Crosby’s brilliant career, while Pastrnak earned his fourth selection.

Othmann says NHL debut for Rangers ‘going to be fun’ No. 16 pick in 2021 NHL Draft to face Bedard, Blackhawks; injured Kakko skates for New York © Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images ByDan Rosen @drosennhl NHL.com Senior Writer 12:16 PM GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Brennan Othmann will make his NHL debut for the New York Rangers against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, MSG), skating opposite two-time World Junior Championship teammate Connor Bedard. Othmann, the No. 16 pick by the Rangers in the 2021 NHL Draft, was recalled Wednesday from Hartford of the American Hockey League, where the 20-year-old had 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) and a team-high 95 shots on goal in 28 games. He will skate on New York's third line with Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski, who was on Otthmann's line in Hartford before he was recalled to New York on Nov. 28. Othmann will replace Tyler Pitlick, who is week to week with a lower-body injury. "Just a lot of excitement," Othmann said after New York's morning skate. "Obviously, first NHL game and you want to do well but at the same time you're just happy that you're getting that shot to play. I'm just going to be excited to go out there and play and take the regular-season MSG crowd in. It's going to be fun." Othmann said he was told he was being recalled before Hartford's practice Wednesday. He participated in practice, joking that it was a power-play practice but that because he was leaving he had to be on the penalty kill and he was "a bit lost there." He called his parents, Gerry and Paige, after practice. They were scheduled to fly to New York from Toronto on Thursday morning. "I told my parents on the way home yesterday from the rink and they were pretty ecstatic and they're a bit emotional," Othmann said. Othmann scored Hartford's first two goals of the season in a 3-2 shootout win against Providence on Oct. 13. He said he feels his game has progressed since, particularly with the smaller details such as stick and body positioning in the defensive zone. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Othmann was recommended by Hartford's coaching staff. "From what I understood from management, talking to Hartford, his game, he was playing well," Laviolette said. "When I spoke with Brennan he made a point to say he is getting coached up every day with video and he was really learning. If you're willing to accept and learn from what you do out on the ice you can really become better. You can take that information and improve your game. That's the process that was happening. We're in need of a player. It seems like the right time, the right fit." In addition, forward Kaapo Kakko participated in the Rangers morning skate Thursday wearing a red no-contact jersey. It's the first time he has skated with the team since he sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 27. Laviolette said Kakko will travel with the Rangers for their game at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The No. 2 pick by the Rangers in 2019 NHL Draft, who has three points (two goals, one assist) in 20 games, is not ready to return. "I think the next step in the progression is to start skating with us, and he was at that point to join us so it's great to have him out there," Laviolette said. "He looks good. He's moving well. That's all positive stuff."

Flames are not exactly lighting up the scoreboard either...

Games played on 1/3/24 Leafs Bobby McMann vs Ducks Ilya Lyubushkin Winner ?

Games played on 1/2/24 Hawks Nick Folign vs Preds Jeremy Lauzon Winner ? Fla Gusyav Forsling vs Yotes Jason Zucker Winner ? LA Andreas Englund vs Leafs Simon Benoit Winner ?

Game # 37 Flames 3 Wild 1 Mangiapane, Huberdeau score as Flames beat Wild 3-1 ByAP Updated: Jan 2, 2024, 11:28 pm ST. PAUL, Minn. -- — Andrew Mangiapane and Jonathan Huberdeau scored first-period goals for Calgary, and Blake Coleman added an empty-netter as the Flames held on to beat the short-handed Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Tuesday night. Jacob Markstrom made 28 saves in net to earn the win. Mangiapane’s seventh goal of the season opened the scoring at 11:40 of the first period. The third-line winger redirected a shot from Rasmus Andersson and bounced the puck past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for a 1-0 lead. Huberdeau made it 2-0 with 23.1 seconds remaining in the first period. He cut toward the net and fired a back-hand shot past Fleury for his fifth of the season. It was Huberdeau’s first goal since Nov. 20 and just his second point in the last 14 games. “That one obviously felt good, and especially to finish it off with a win,” Huberdeau said. “I think lately, we’ve been playing better, so I think it was good to get chemistry on our line too.” After the game, Huberdeau said assistant coach Marc Savard deserved some credit for taping Huberdeau's stick the past two games. Huberdeau had an assist on Sunday against Philadelphia before Tuesday's goal that ended an 18-game goal drought. Minnesota remains without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who was injured Saturday against Winnipeg. Goalie Filip Gustavsson and forward Vinni Lettieri were both placed on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, meaning they’ll each miss at least a week. Wild forward Marcus Foligno missed his first game of the season Tuesday with a lower-body injury and was replaced in the lineup by Sammy Walker. Markstrom wasn't tested much in the first two periods, facing a total of 12 shots through two. But the Flames goalie stopped all 17 Wild shots he faced in the third period to help Calgary hold on for a win. In six games since returning from an injury, Markstrom is 4-2-0 and has allowed 11 total goals in those six games. “He’s been excellent," said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. "He was our best player by far tonight. We’re going to need him to continue to be.” Pat Maroon put the Wild on the board with his first goal since Nov. 30 to make it 2-1. Maroon tapped in the rebound from a Nic Petan shot past Markstrom at the 9:28 mark of the second period. Fleury stopped 30 shots in the loss, two days after playing in his 1,000th career NHL game. Minnesota has lost three straight. The Wild were outshot 13-7 in the first period. “I thought the second and third period we dictated the game and gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” said Minnesota head coach John Hynes. “Tonight the puck didn’t go in for us. I thought their goaltender was excellent.” Coleman's empty-netter, his 14th goal of the season, came with 56.7 seconds remaining after the Wild pulled Fleury. Tuesday marked the first of a four-game road trip for Calgary. The Flames now have a stretch of three games in four days beginning Thursday.