Story Archive

The Utah Hockey Club converted two power play goals Wednesday night at Delta Center, but that's not the story. Teams score on the man advantage all the time. The story is HOW they scored them, and what it reveals about a power play unit that entered this season as one of the NHL's most frustrating e

Three goals in eight minutes and forty-four seconds. And a perfect illustration of why the Pittsburgh Penguins' veteran experience might be about to become irrelevant against the NHL's fastest teams.

When a team's offensive identity becomes heavily tilted toward special teams production, it raises questions about sustainable scoring depth during playoff hockey.

Most defensemen who fire 207 shots are hunting personal glory. Darren Raddysh is hunting something else entirely.

Tyson Foerster scored the decisive shootout goal Monday night at Wells Fargo Center, lifting the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in a game that showcased Philadelphia's ability to overcome territorial disadvantages. The Flyers needed a skills competition to beat Car

How do you lose a game where you score three goals and your opponent manages just two?

The Erik Cernak who scored at 15:53 of the second period Tuesday night isn't the same Erik Cernak who spent six seasons as Victor Hedman's stay-at-home partner. This version carries the puck up ice himself, joins the rush, and scores goals that matter in tight games.

What happens when a team 30 points out of playoff contention plays competitive hockey against the Western Conference's second seed for 60 minutes?

The Buffalo Sabres scored five unanswered goals Tuesday night at United Center after falling behind early, winning 5-1 and exposing the fundamental gap between a playoff-bound team and one finishing at the bottom of the Central Division. Ryan Greene found the net at 3:58 of the first period while Ch

Between Ivan Barbashev's goal at 0:31 and Rasmus Andersson's at 3:37 of the third period, something broke in Winnipeg's defensive structure that no amount of late-game scoring could repair. Two goals in 3:06 of game time that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-1 hole. Two tactical decisions by the coachi

The St. Louis Blues entered Tuesday night's game at Enterprise Center and delivered a convincing 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild, showcasing the kind of balanced offensive attack that has kept them competitive throughout an inconsistent season. While Minnesota generated more shots, St. Louis con

The Edmonton Oilers played their most complete defensive game of the season Monday night - strong shot blocking, solid penalty kill, Connor Ingram's goaltending - and still lost 2-1 in a shootout to Colorado, which reveals more about the gap between these teams than any blowout defeat.

Two goals in a crucial late-season game should be cause for celebration in San Jose, but Macklin Celebrini's season-long shooting variance tells a different story about the San Jose Sharks' playoff hopes.

Macklin Celebrini takes 3.5 shots per game and scores on one every sixth attempt, which either makes him the luckiest player alive or the smartest.

The Los Angeles Kings blocked 18 shots Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena. The Seattle Kraken blocked 11. In most NHL games, that seven-shot differential in defensive sacrifice tells you which team was more committed to protecting their goaltender. Instead, the Kings' 5-3 victory revealed somethi

Jordan Martinook has more assists in his last 15 games than he had in his previous 40. That's not a typo. The Carolina Hurricanes forward who built his reputation on hits and blocked shots just recorded his second multi-assist game in three contests, setting up both Jordan Staal's first-period goal

The Philadelphia Flyers entered Saturday night's game against the Winnipeg Jets needing points in their playoff push. What followed was a 7-1 victory at Canada Life Centre that demonstrated how quickly momentum can build into systematic dominance. Philadelphia scored seven goals while limiting Winni

The Calgary Flames blocked 17 shots Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena. The Seattle Kraken blocked 11. In most NHL games, that six-shot differential in defensive sacrifice tells you which team was more committed to protecting their goaltender. Instead, Calgary's 4-1 loss revealed how a team can

For 100 years, hockey coaches preached that winning faceoffs wins games. Control the dot, control the puck, control the outcome. Then Friday night happened at Scotiabank Arena, where the Toronto Maple Leafs won 66.1% of their draws against the Florida Panthers and lost 6-2 anyway.

Columbus Blue Jackets outshot Montreal Canadiens 33-22 at the Bell Centre but somehow made it look like they were playing from behind all night. They surrendered more hits and generally looked like the inferior team for long stretches against a Montreal squad that controlled play for extended period

The Colorado Avalanche have the best record in the Western Conference, Nathan MacKinnon is having an MVP season, and they just lost to the Pacific Division's third-place team in overtime at home - so why should Avalanche fans be concerned about what they just watched?

In 65 minutes of NHL hockey between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks, penalties were called but the game still showcased everything wrong with modern tactical hockey. The officials issued six total penalties across both teams, yet the style of play remained frustratingly conservative throug

At 15:03 of the third period, Thomas Novak had Sidney Crosby's old office to himself, Logan Thompson beaten, and the net half-empty.

The Columbus Blue Jackets generated 27 shots against the Boston Bruins on Sunday night at Nationwide Arena. They controlled territorial play for most of 60 minutes. They created more scoring chances, won more puck battles, and dictated the pace of play. And with 18 minutes left in the third period,

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 in every meaningful category except the one that will matter most in two weeks: special teams discipline and execution. While both teams took three penalties each, Montreal converted once on their power play opportunities but never truly str

With 1:42 left in overtime, Nico Hischier received a pass from Jack Hughes at the top of the right circle, took two strides toward the net, and buried the game-winner. The New Jersey Devils escaped with a 4-3 victory, but the goal itself tells a more troubling story about the Ottawa Senators' defens

How does a defenseman produce two points in under 15 minutes? The math doesn't compute at first glance. Brayden Pachal logged just 14:15 of ice time in Calgary Flames' 4-1 victory over Utah, yet somehow managed to factor into two of Calgary's four goals. One goal, one assist, minimal minutes.

Jake DeBrusk scored a power-play goal in the first period against Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. He added an assist on Marco Rossi's power-play goal in overtime. By most measures, this looked like a productive night from Vancouver's biggest trade deadline acquisition.

Jake Oettinger has a .900 save percentage. In most NHL conversations, that number gets filed under "adequate but uninspiring." But I keep staring at his 34-12-6 record through 53 games, and something doesn't add up with the conventional wisdom.

Cole Caufield finished the 2025-2026 season with 51 goals and 88 points across 80 games, establishing himself as one of the NHL's most dangerous offensive weapons. His 20.5% shooting percentage represents the kind of efficiency that forces opposing defenses into impossible tactical decisions.

Why did Minnesota Wild coaching staff give Michael McCarron meaningful ice time in what should have been a signature win against a desperate Nashville Predators team?

The penalty situation from Saturday night's 2-0 Dallas Stars victory over the New York Rangers at American Airlines Center tells a story about disciplined play. Both teams avoided penalties entirely, with neither Dallas nor New York taking a single infraction during the contest. But the most reveali

Dylan Larkin won 19 of 27 faceoffs Friday night, yet the Detroit Red Wings still allowed more expected goals than they generated in a 4-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Which raises the question: does winning draws matter if you can't win the shifts that follow?

The penalty kill execution from Saturday night's 3-0 Ottawa Senators victory over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena demonstrated the difference between teams that capitalize on opportunities and those that squander them. Ridly Greig scored shorthanded at 13:06 of the first period, turning what sho

The goaltending battle Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena told a story that neither the Los Angeles Kings nor Edmonton Oilers expected to write. Los Angeles's netminder stopped all 27 shots he faced for a perfect 100% save percentage. Edmonton's goalie managed 20 saves on 21 attempts for 95.2%. In m

Something doesn't add up in Chicago. The Blackhawks fired 35 shots at the St. Louis Blues goaltending. They put Connor Bedard on the ice with six shots of his own. They gave Alex Frondell opportunities to contribute. They generated enough offense to challenge most NHL teams.

The Boston Bruins won 63.4% of their faceoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night. They controlled the dot better than any team has against Tampa Bay all season. And it didn't matter one bit.

The shot totals from Saturday night's 6-3 Washington Capitals victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena tell the complete story. Washington outshot Pittsburgh 31-12 - a dominant territorial performance that turned defensive structure into offensive opportunity and overwhelmed Pittsbur

What if the stat that makes Ilya Sorokin look superhuman is actually an indictment of everything happening in front of him?

MacKenzie Weegar once averaged higher shot volumes during his time in Florida. This season with Utah Hockey Club, his offensive production has shifted toward playmaking rather than shooting. The decline isn't necessarily age-related decline. It's tactical design, and the patterns suggest Utah's syst