Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 raised to the rafters at Little Caesars Arena
The Red Wings honored Sergei Fedorov on Monday with a jersey retirement celebration at LCA.
After seven straight wins, Western Michigan made a big jump in the national polls.
The defending champion Broncos leaped to No. 3 in the USCHO poll, moving up three spots from last week.
Michigan, Wisconsin, WMU, Michigan State and North Dakota were the top five in the USCHO poll, while WMU and MSU swapped places in the USA Hockey rankings.
The Broncos (16-6-0) extended its win streak to seven on Saturday with a 6-2 win over No. 7 Denver.
Owen Michaels and William Whitelaw each had two goals and goalie Hampton Slukynsky tied a career-high with 35 saves.
The Broncos are off until Jan. 23-24 when they play on the road against Minnesota Duluth.
Sabres to host draft in June
Buffalo, N.Y. – The Buffalo Sabres will host the NHL draft in June, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday, with highly prized prospect Gavin McKenna as the centerpiece of the event.
Bettman made the announcement while joined by Sabres executives, including team owner Terry Pegula, during a news conference before Buffalo’s home game against the Florida Panthers.
“This is a great sports town, a great hockey market. The reception we get here is always terrific,” Bettman said. “Fans are knowledgeable and passionate. We’ve got a great organization with great ownership. All the factors that you would take into account, the boxes are checked in a first-class way.”
The two-day draft was already set for June 26-27, with the league going with a decentralized format for a second straight year. The format features prospects and their families attending the draft, while teams make the picks from their home markets.
The draft in Buffalo will be held at the Sabres home arena, KeyBank Center. That’s a switch from last year, when the two-day event was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Buffalo has also been home to the NHL’s annual pre-draft combine since 2015, and will once again host the league’s top prospects this spring.
This will mark the fourth time the Sabres host the draft – the second-most by any NHL team behind only Montreal’s 27. Buffalo most recently held the event in 2016, when Auston Matthews was selected No. 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This time, all eyes will be on McKenna, the Penn State freshman forward who has long been projected to be the 2026 draft’s No. 1 pick.
The draft announcement coincided with NHL Central Scouting releasing its mid-season rankings of prospects with McKenna topping the list of North American prospects, ahead of North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff. Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg tops the list of international players.
The 18-year-old McKenna is from Whitehorse, Yukon, and made a major splash this summer when he elected to leave the Canadian Hockey League after two-plus seasons in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and make the jump to Happy Valley. The move south came in the first offseason after the NCAA lifted its longtime ban in making CHL players eligible to compete at the college ranks.
McKenna has been labeled a “generational talent,” and regarded as the 2026 draft’s top prospect since 2024.
McKenna ranks fourth on the Nittany Lions and seventh among NCAA freshmen with four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 18 games.
The college ranks are considered more challenging because a majority of players are 19 and older, as opposed to the CHL where the age range is 16 to 20.
Pegula is a Penn State alum, and donated more than $100 million to help launch the Nittany Lions men’s and women’s hockey program in 2013, which included the construction of a new arena that bears his name.
“When we opened the arena, I remember part of my speech was maybe someday the next Sidney Crosby will come out of this arena,” Pegula said, referring to the Penguins captain. “So I don’t know where Gavin’s going to get drafted. I’m not making any predictions. But he’s a great young player and it’s nice to prospects like that starting to come out of Central PA.”
As a member of Canada’s bronze medal-winning team at the recent world junior championships, McKenna finished the tournament second with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games.
McKenna thrived at Medicine Hat, where he had 91 goals and 198 assists for 289 points in 158 career games. Last season, he failed to register a point in just four outings, while closing the year with a 45-game point streak in which McKenna combined for 32 goals and 100 points.
Monday NHL
Seattle 4, (at) N.Y. Rangers 2: Shane Wright scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the Seattle Kraken rallied from two goals down.
Eeli Tolvanen, Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann also scored for the Kraken, and Philipp Grubauer had 19 saves. Seattle won for the ninth time in 12 games (9-1-2).
Mika Zibanejad and Sam Carrick scored for the Rangers, and Jonathan Quick finished with 25 saves. New York lost for the seventh time in eight games (1-5-2) and fell to 5-12-4 at Madison Square Garden this season.
Florida 4, (at) Buffalo 3: Anton Lundell scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and A.J. Greer scored twice as Florida beat Buffalo.
Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers, who posted consecutive wins after opening a six-game trip with two loss. The close out the road trip with games at Carolina (Friday) and Washington (Saturday). Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves.
Jacob Bryson, Zach Benson and Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres, who lost for just the second time in the past 15 games. Colten Ellis made 28 saves.
Tampa Bay 5, (at) Philadelphia 1: Brandon Hagel, Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and an assist as Tampa Bay notched their 10th consecutive victory with a win over Philadelphia.
It was also the 600th regular-season win for Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper. Coming in his 1,005th game, he reached the milestone behind only Scotty Bowman, who got there in three fewer games.
Hagel and Brayden Point scored power-play goals as the Lightning won in Philadelphia for the second time in 48 hours. The Lightning have a 10-game winning streak for the fourth time in team history and the first time since a franchise-record 11-game streak in February 2020.
(At) Montreal 6, Vancouver 3: Mike Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky scored goals 37 seconds apart to start the third period, propelling Montreal to a win over the last-place Vancouver.
Alexandre Carrier scored twice in a 20-second span in the second period for Montreal, which rebounded from a 4-0 home-ice loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Noah Dobson and Oliver Kapanen also scored in the Canadiens’ fourth straight win over the Canucks.
New Jersey 5, (at) Minnesota 2: Jesper Bratt and Ondrej Palat each scored twice and New Jersey beat Minnesota to snap a four-game skid.
Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, and Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton each had two assists. Jacob Markstrom finished with 20 saves.
Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno scored for the Wild, and Jesper Wallstedt had 24 saves. Minnesota lost in regulation for just the second time in 10 games (4-2-4) and third in the last 18 (11-3-4).
Edmonton 4, (at) Chicago 1: Connor McDavid extended his career-high point streak to 19 games, helping Edmonton beat the short-handed Chicago.
Evan Bouchard had two goals and an assist as the Oilers won for the third time in four games. Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman also scored, and Connor Ingram made 29 saves.
Chicago played without center Connor Bedard, who was scratched because of an illness. Tyler Bertuzzi scored his team-best 24th goal for Chicago in the opener of a four-game homestand. Spencer Knight stopped 33 shots.
Dallas 3, (at) L.A. Kings 1: Jason Robertson scored late in the third period, Wyatt Johnston scored his 25th goal of the season, and Dallas defeated Los Angeles.
Matt Duchene added an empty-net goal with 17.4 to go, and the Stars have won two of three following a season-worst six-game winless streak.
Quinton Byfield scored on the power play and Darcy Kuemper made 15 saves for the Kings, who have dropped three of four.
Toronto 4, (at) Colorado 3 (OT): William Nylander scored 3:59 into overtime and Toronto Maple beat Colorado to snap the Avalanche’s 17-game home win streak.
Auston Matthews, Easton Cowan and Bobby McMann also added goals as the Maple Leafs improved to 8-0-2 over their last 10 games.
Cale Makar, Brock Nelson and Martin Necas scored for Colorado, while Nathan MacKinnon finished with three assists. MacKinnon nearly had the winner in OT, but his shot rang off the crossbar.
Panthers’ Tkachuk gets his wish
Coral Gables, Fla. – Matthew Tkachuk wants to watch the Miami Hurricanes play for the College Football Playoff national championship. Thing is, he and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have a home game that night.
Problem solved, sort of.
The start time of Florida’s game against San Jose on Jan. 19 has been moved up to 6 p.m., one hour ahead of the previously scheduled puck drop in Sunrise. The NHL announced the change on Monday.
The CFP title game between Miami and Indiana down the road in Miami Gardens is set to start shortly after 7:30 p.m., so the Panthers-Sharks game could end around the time the Hurricanes and Hoosiers are starting the second quarter.
“I think some guys are trying to get our game pushed up a little bit, so we can watch it,” Tkachuk said last week, even before Miami (13-2, No. 10 CFP) clinched its spot in the championship game against Indiana (15-0, No. 1 CFP).
Their efforts were successful.
Tkachuk has become a Miami fan in his time with the Panthers, even indicating in recent weeks that he’d like to see the Hurricanes’ hockey program – a club sport – become a varsity offering. He also was a huge hit earlier this season as a guest commentator on ESPN’s “College GameDay” broadcast from the school’s campus.
Tkachuk has also gotten to know some members of Miami’s football program. And after helping the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last three seasons, along with winning the last two Cup titles, he knows what it means to South Florida when teams go on championship runs.
“I think they’re trying to make South Florida ‘Titletown,’” Tkachuk said. “So, it’d be pretty cool if they can do it.”
NHL, NHLPA pleased with Olympic test
New York – The NHL and NHL Players’ Association said in a joint statement Monday they are pleased that test events at the new hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Olympics were “a good trial run and provided important insight into the current status” of construction.
League and union officials were present at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena over the weekend, as organizers put on games to test the ice surface while the process of finishing locker rooms and other facilities continues. Play is set to begin on the women’s side Feb. 5 and the men’s side Feb. 11.
“While challenges are inherent with new ice and a still-under-construction venue, we expect that the work necessary to address all remaining issues will continue around the clock,” they said in a statement said. “The NHL and NHLPA will continue to monitor the situation, standing ready to consult and advise on the work being done to ensure that the local organizing committee, the IOC, and the IIHF deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world’s best players.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the the test events went OK, from the reports he received, while acknowledging there is still more to be finished.
“There are still challenges because the building is still under construction and the ice is new,” Bettman said in Buffalo, New York, where he was to announce the Sabres are hosting the draft there in June. “We’ve been assured that, or we expect, that everything that needs to be done on a timely basis will get done. But, as you know, it’s not our event. We’re invited guests. But we’ve offered to help and consult and advise as they feel they need and would be appropriate because we do have a little bit of expertise in that area.”
Officials in Milan, including International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif, recently expressed confidence that NHL players will participate next month as scheduled. Concerns were mounting given that the rink had not yet been completed less than month before the start of the Games.
Bettman believes he’ll have a better idea of where things stand in Milan once he arrives.
“It’s always been important for our players to play best on best at the Olympics,” Bettman said. “That’s why we agreed to take the break and have them go. In the final analysis, that question has to get answered by the IOC and the IIHF.”
Local schedules
Monday
▶ Red Wings 4, Hurricanes 3 (OT)
Tuesday
▶ Red Wings at Boston, 7:30
▶ Grand Rapids at Milwaukee, 8
Wednesday
▶ NTDP 17 at Youngstown, 7:05
Thursday
▶ Michigan State at Wisconsin, 9
▶ All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena, 7
Friday
▶ San Jose at Red Wings, 7
▶ Rockford at Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Michigan at Minnesota, 8
▶ Michigan State at Wisconsin, 8
▶ Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 7:07
Saturday
▶ Ottawa at Red Wings, 5
▶ Milwaukee at Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Michigan at Minnesota, 7
▶ Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 6:07
▶ Green Bay at NTDP U17, 7
Sunday
▶ Green Bay at NTDP U18, 4
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Local schedules
Friday
▶ Texas 2, Grand Rapids 0
▶ Michigan 5, Notre Dame 2
▶ Michigan State 6, Ohio State 2
▶ Western Michigan 4, Denver 1
▶ Michigan Tech 5, Bemidji State 2
▶ Northern Michigan 3, Augustana 0
▶ NTDP U18 7, Adrian College 1
▶ Dubuque 8, NTDP U17 1
Saturday
▶ Red Wings at Montreal, 7
▶ Notre Dame at Michigan, 7
▶ Michigan State at Ohio State, 5
▶ Western Michigan at Denver, 8
▶ Michigan Tech at Bemidji State, 7:07
▶ Augustana at Northern Michigan, 6:07
▶ Trine University at NTDP U18, 7
▶ NTDP U17 at Dubuque, 8:05
Monday
▶ Carolina at Red Wings, 7
Tuesday, Jan. 13
▶ Red Wings at Boston, 7:30
▶ Grand Rapids at Milwaukee, 8
Wednesday, Jan. 14
▶ NTDP 17 at Youngstown, 7:05
Thursday, Jan. 15
▶ Michigan State at Wisconsin, 9
Friday, Jan. 16
▶ San Jose at Red Wings, 7
▶ Rockford at Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Michigan at Minnesota, 8
▶ Michigan State at Wisconsin, 8
▶ Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 7:07
Saturday, Jan. 17
▶ Ottawa at Red Wings, 5
▶ Milwaukee at Grand Rapids, 7
▶ Michigan at Minnesota, 7
▶ Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 6:07
▶ Green Bay at NTDP U17, 7
Sunday, Jan. 18
▶ Green Bay at NTDP U18, 4
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