The Tampa Bay Lightning did many, many things well in their 2-0 loss to the Toronto Maples Leafs. They did the things that usually lead to wins. The only thing they didn’t do was score a goal. For the second straight game, Jonas Johansson did his job as he allowed just one goal, and for the second straight game he wasn’t rewarded for his efforts. Despite a valiant charge in the third period, the Lightning couldn’t equalize, and a late empty-net goal sealed their fate.
It was a solid start...
I originally wrote the title of Saturday's article about Steve Oleksy as a joke because I couldn't see any way that Oleksy was trying to come back to hockey after walking away in 2023. As you can see to the left, that comeback ended two days and two games after signing a deal with the Icemen as Jacksonville released Oleksy on Sunday before heading to Atlanta for the third game in three days against the Gladiators. And with that, it's back to family life for Steve, it seems.
After Jacksonvil...
The Philadelphia Flyers capped off their Monday night by making a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning and it featured two young AHL defensemen moving around the Eastern Conference.
Announced by the team, the Flyers have traded 22-year-old defenseman Ethan Samson to the Lightning for also 22-year-old defenseman Roman Schmidt. Both defensemen are right handed but bring a whole lot of different energy to the ice.
TRADE ALERT: We have acquired defenseman Roman Schmidt from Tampa Bay in ex...
“The first 20 minutes are as good as we could have played. The only thing is we didn’t get a goal. I think we needed to get that first one to let a little of the pressure off. We turned a couple of pucks over there in the second early, and we got away from […]
The post Toronto Marlies suffer weekend sweep at hands of Grand Rapids appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Will the least injured team please hobble to the ice.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to carry on without their starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The team announced on Monday, Vasilevskiy has been placed on the injured reserve, , and at this time, his injury is a complete mystery. The Russian netminder last played on Dec.2 against the New York Islanders when he allowed two goals. He's since been ruled day-to-day and then missed games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Islanders on Saturday, and will miss his third in a row against ...
The Colorado Avalanche are off to one of the best starts in NHL history, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. While their roster may be stacked, there are gaps, and look for management to try and upgrade ahead of the trade deadline, as the Avs are all-in this season. On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff Live , Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports joined the program to discuss what could be coming from the Avs this season on the trade market: How much do you just want to stick with this g...
It appears at least one Edmonton Oilers’ prospect will participate in the 2026 World Juniors. Toward the end of November, Team Germany released their preliminary roster for the coming tournament. Oilers’ fourth-round pick, David Lewandowski, was on the roster and is expected to make the team. Die Mannschaft um U20-Bundestrainer Tobias Abstreiter startet in wenigen…
Grace is back with another episode, and some major news to talk about. First, the Mets have made a few moves, trading longtime Met Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien, which is sad from an emotional standpoint but makes sense from a baseball perspective. Then they signed Devin WIlliams, a very good move […]
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman started a fire storm between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers, after confirming the Oilers did indeed reach out to the Penguins regarding goaltender Tristan Jarry. While talks certainly took place, it doesn't sound like anything was accomplished, and according to reporters following the team, don't expect to see a move coming later this season. Josh Yohe of The Athletic is own of the Penguins most in-tuned beat reporters, and Rossi shed some light on wh...
Ohio State entered the Big Ten Championship with momentum and a chance to solidify the top seed in the College Football Playoff, but a 13–10 loss to Indiana exposed familiar issues that resurfaced at the worst possible time. In a game defined by defense, field position, and missed offensive opportunities, the Buckeyes struggled to generate […]
Atlanta has made a move just before Week 15 to add to a moribund receiving corps, claiming former Green Bay Packer Malik Heath off waivers. In a corresponding move, they released lightly used safety Jordan Fuller. The 25-year-old Heath is an interesting flier for a team as receiver-starved as Atlanta. The former undrafted free agent […]
Out of the National Hockey League now for over two years, Milan Lucic is finally nearing a contract to return to play, but it will be in a surprising destination not exactly known as a hockey hotbed: The U.K. Sounds like Milan Lucic is taking his game overseas. I'm hearing he's signing with a club in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. — David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) December 8, 2025 Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has reported that Lucic will be signing in the UK's Elite Ice Hoc...
The Edmonton Oilers’ search for a goaltender nearly landed them Tristan Jarry netminder. But while rumours have swirled that the deal would send Stuart Skinner the other way, that doesn’t appear to be the case. In fact, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Oilers have been looking to pair…
The New York Jets have been eliminated from the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season. You know what the Jets haven’t done even once in those 15 years? They’ve never made the first pick in the NFL Draft. In fact, they haven’t made the first pick in the NFL Draft since 1996 when the franchise […]
On Monday afternoon the Blackhawks assigned defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Landon Slaggert to the Rockford IceHogs.
The Blackhawks did not call anyone up.
The move leaves the Blackhawks with six defensemen on their NHL roster, which means they’ll go back to skating 12 forwards. Which, with Slaggert going to Rockford, also means Sam Lafferty will draw into the lineup until Nick Foligno returns from injury.
Reset time
I advocated for Slaggert to go to Rockford earlier ...
Following a dreadful pair of games over the weekend, the Blackhawks made a couple of roster moves that have seemed increasingly likely over the last few weeks.
On Monday, the Blackhawks announced that Landon Slaggert and Sam Rinzel have both been sent to the Rockford IceHogs.
The Blackhawks have sent Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert down to Rockford. Slaggert was expected. Rinzel wasn't. But this does feel like the right time for a confidence reset for him. — Ben Pope (@BenPopeCS...
Despite their rollercoaster of a season to date, the Maple Leafs could pull within two points of the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a regulation win over the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at Scotiabank Arena (7:30 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime). Game Day Quotes Victor Hedman on the challenge presented by the Leafs: They’re […]
The post Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning – Game #29 Projected Lines, Preview & TV Info appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Successful teams in the NHL, obviously, need to win more than they lose. That’s how they climb up in the standings. However, it starts by limiting the losing streaks and that’s something the San Jose Sharks have figured out how to do early in this 2025-26 season. Other than that tough start that began with two tough losses that could have been wins if the puck had bounced just a little differently, the Sharks have figured out how to haul themselves up after a loss or two and right the ship. Th...
Tuesday’s NHL matchup between the Colorado Avalanche (21-2-6) and the Nashville Predators (10-14-4) at Bridgestone Arena sees the Avalanche as heavy road favorites (-239 moneyline odds to win) against the Predators (+195). The game begins at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
You can watch the Predators-Avalanche matchup on TNT.
Avalanche vs. Predators Game Info & Odds
When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 9:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel: TNT
Live Stream: Fubo
Where: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenne...
Tuesday’s NHL matchup between the Dallas Stars (20-5-5) and the Winnipeg Jets (14-13-1) at Canada Life Centre sees the Stars as road favorites (-135 moneyline odds to win) against the Jets (+114). The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Tune in to ESPN+ to take in the action as the Stars and Jets meet.
Stars vs. Jets Game Info & Odds
When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN+
Live Stream: ESPN+
Where: Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Favorite: Stars (...
Tuesday will feature an NHL outing between the home favorite Ottawa Senators (13-11-4, -136 on the moneyline to win) and the New Jersey Devils (16-12-1, +115 moneyline odds) at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
The Senators-Devils matchup can be watched on ESPN+, so tune in to catch the action.
Senators vs. Devils Game Info & Odds
When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN+
Live Stream: Fubo
Live Stream: ESPN+
Where: Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario
Favorite: Sena...
When discussing underrated players, you often hear names like Aleksander Barkov (who is so commonly referred to as underrated that he can’t possibly be underrated), Sebastian Aho, Gustav Forsling, etc. While those players certainly deserve credit, Joel Eriksson Ek is also deserving of the title....
It took longer than they wanted, but the Edmonton Oilers seem to have found their collective stride. A mixture of rest, practice time and increased attention to detail has led to three wins in their last four games and improvements in every area of their game. Edmonton scored first in only nine of its first…
Given the Maple Leafs’ underwhelming possession metrics over 100 games into his coaching tenure, it’s interesting to revisit Craig Berube’s comments about puck possession when he was first hired in Toronto: Berube: “In St. Louis, we were one of the highest puck-possession teams in the league. We were a great forechecking team. You have to […]
The post The structural issues driving the Maple Leafs’ five-on-five possession problems appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .