The Week Ahead: Christmas Break

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! The NHL takes a three-day pause over the Christmas break, so there are only games Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As seen below, Colorado and Seattle only play once this week, so it's a good idea to bench your Avalanche and Kraken players, with the exceptions of superstars Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar.

All statistics are through Saturday's games unless otherwise noted.  

WEEK OF DECEMBER 23-29

3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vegas, Washington

2 Games –Calgary, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Utah, Vancouver, Winnipeg

1 Game – Colorado, Seattle

Detroit plays all three games at home.

Montreal, Philadelphia and Washington play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week: @ Vegas, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Edmonton

Tired: @ Vegas (Monday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Ducks have been using Jackson LaCombe to quarterback the top power play...He has been hot of late as he has two goals and five points in his last four games, giving the defenseman six goals and 11 points in 24 appearances...Leo Carlsson scored Friday and picked up his first point since Nov. 22, but to be fair, he missed six games with an upper-body injury.

BOSTON

Games this week: vs. Washington, @ Columbus, vs. Columbus

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Washington (Monday)

Notes: The Bruins play a home-and-home series versus Columbus...Look for Nikita Zadorov and/or Mark Kastelic to be involved if there are any fisticuffs...David Pastrnak has four goals and 11 points in his last nine games...After going seven games without a point, Elias Lindholm has two goals and four points in his last three games...Morgan Geekie has four goals and six points in his last seven games.

BUFFALO

Games this week: @ New York Islanders, vs. Chicago, @ St. Louis

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Sabres have lost 12 straight games heading into action Saturday...Rasmus Dahlin (back) returned to action Friday after missing seven games...He has six goals and 19 points in 26 games this season...Owen Power has seven points in his last seven games...Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch lead the Sabres with 25 points apiece...Jason Zucker has been a pleasant surprise this season with eight goals and 22 points in 34 appearances.

CALGARY

Games this week: @ San Jose, @ Vegas

Tired: @ Vegas (Sunday)

Rested: @ San Jose (Saturday)

Notes: The Flames are lacking in offense as Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 12 goals and 23 points in 33 outings...MacKenzie Weegar is pointless in his last six games...Nazem Kadri had goals in four straight games before he was stopped Dec. 19 against Ottawa...Blake Coleman has a five-game point streak, giving him eight goals and 17 points this season...He has little chance of surpassing his career year last season in which he had 30 goals and 54 points in 78 games.

CAROLINA

Games this week: @ Nashville, @ New Jersey, vs. New Jersey

Tired: @ Nashville (Friday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Hurricanes play a home-and-home series versus New Jersey this week...They really don't have anyone who likes to mix things up as Andrei Svechnikov leads the team with 30 PIM in 32 games...Martin Necas continues to impress this season with 44 points this season, good for a tie for seventh spot in NHL scoring...Shayne Gostisbehere has 27 points this season, good for fifth overall among blueliners.

CHICAGO  

Games this week: @ Minnesota, @ Buffalo, vs. Dallas

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Blackhawks got Seth Jones back Saturday after he missed 16 games with a right foot injury...Connor Bedard had a three-point game Saturday, giving him five goals and 14 points in his last 13 games...Petr Mrazek also returned Saturday after missing a couple of weeks with a groin injury...Chicago had won three games in a row and moved out of the basement in the NHL standings before Saturday's 6-4 loss to Calgary.

COLORADO

Games this week: @ Utah

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Avalanche added much needed secondary scoring in mid-November when Valeri Nichushkin returned from suspension and Artturi Lehkonen (who returned November 5) came back from a shoulder injury...Nichushkin has 10 goals and five assists in 18 games while Lehkonen has 10 goals and 16 points in 23 games...The duo have taken a lot of pressure off Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen up front.

COLUMBUS

Games this week: vs. Montreal, vs. Boston, @ Boston  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Blue Jackets face the Bruins twice in 24 hours, so look for Mathieu Olivier to add to his penalty minute total if there is any rough stuff...Kirill Marchenko has been hot of late with two goals and five assists in his last five games. He leads the Blue Jackets with 34 points in 34 games. He also has 10 power play points this season...Boone Jenner has missed the entire season after undergoing shoulder surgery at the start of the season. He has resumed skating but is still 2-3 months away from returning.

DALLAS

Games this week: @ Utah, vs. Minnesota, @ Chicago  

Tired: None

Rested: @ Utah (Monday)

Notes: The Stars need Jason Robertson to play like he did the last two seasons offensively. Robertson had 189 points in 164 games in his last two years, but has only 22 points in 32 contests this season...Roope Hintz is coming around as he has four goals and one assist in his last six games...Miro Heiskanen took a Matt Rempe elbow to his head Friday, but seems to be okay.

DETROIT

Games this week: vs. St. Louis, vs. Toronto, vs. Washington   

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Lucas Raymond has taken his game to another level this season and leads the Red Wings with 33 points, seven better than Dylan Larkin...Vladimir Tarasenko has disappointed with only four goals and 12 points in 31 games...Simon Edvinsson is out of action with an upper-body injury. He could return Friday against Toronto.

EDMONTON

Games this week: @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Oilers get a nice five-day break from the ice as they don't play until Saturday...The Oilers fired 43 shots on Yaroslav Askarov on Saturday but needed a last-minute goal from Mattias Ekholm and an overtime winner from Leon Draisaitl to escape with a 3-2 victory...Zach Hyman has nine goals and 11 points in eight games since returning from an undisclosed injury that kept him off the ice for five games. It's far better than his start in which he had three goals and eight points in his first 20 games.

FLORIDA

Games this week: vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Sam Bennett is well on his way to a career year in 2024-25...The 28-year-old, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has 13 goals, 14 assists, 72 hits and 88 shots on goal in just 32 games. His career best is 49 points set in the 2021-22 campaign...Aaron Ekblad has a goal and five points in his last three games...The defenseman is quarterbacking the power play and has two goals and 17 helpers in 34 appearances, one point better than last season, when he played in 51 contests.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week

vs. Edmonton, vs. Philadelphia

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

Warren Foegele has two goals and five points in his last four games, giving the veteran 18 points this season...He had a career high 41 points last season in Edmonton and is on pace to exceed that mark...Darcy Kuemper is 4-0-2 since returning from an undisclosed injury that cost him eight games...Quinton Byfield scored his sixth of the season Saturday and has three goals and an assist in his last four outings.

MINNESOTA

Games this week: vs. Chicago, @ Dallas, vs Ottawa  

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Ottawa (Sunday)

Notes: The Wild could have some goaltending woes this week, if Filip Gustavsson (lower body) is unable to return...Marc-Andre Fleury will share the net with Jesper Wallstedt and while both are okay, Gustavsson has been a top-five NHL goaltender in 2024-25...Joel Eriksson Ek has started skating after suffering a lower-body injury Dec. 3 and could return this week after missing nine games.

MONTREAL

Games this week: @ Columbus, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canadiens picked up Alexandre Carrier from Nashville this week for Justin Barron...Patrik Laine set an NHL record with eight power play goals in his first nine games with a team...Juraj Slafkovsky has been a disappointment thus far this season. He had 20 goals and 50 points as a 19-year-old last season with the Habs, but has only four goals and 18 points in 30 games this season.

NASHVILLE

Games this week: vs. Carolina, @ St. Louis

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Carolina (Monday)

Notes: The Predators continue to languish at the bottom of NHL in scoring, as they've found the back of the net only 79 times in 34 games...Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault were expected to provide a lot of scoring when they both signed in the offseason as free agents...Stamkos has only nine goals and 19 points in 34 games (after three seasons with at least 81 points), while Marchessault has 10 goals and 21 points in 34 contests. Marchessault has been heating up with five goals and eight points on his current six-game point streak.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week: vs. New York Rangers, vs. Carolina, @ Carolina

Tired: None

Rested: vs. New York Rangers (Monday)

Notes: The Devils play a home-and-home series with the Hurricanes...Expect to see Brenden Dillon and/or Johnny Kovacevic to be in the middle of things if tempers flare between both sides...Stefan Noesen has two goals in his last three games, giving the 31-year-old 15 goals this season. That's a career high...It's beginning to look like Dawson Mercer's breakout campaign in 2022-23 was a one-off...He has only seven goals and 16 points in 36 games after he had 27 goals and 56 points as a 21-year-old, two seasons ago.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week: vs. Buffalo. vs. Pittsburgh, @ Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Islanders face the Penguins twice this week...If there are any fisticuffs, look for Scott Mayfield to do some damage, though he has only 21 PIM in 33 games...Isaiah George scored his first career NHL goal Saturday in front of family and friends in Toronto...Mathew Barzal returned to action Sunday after missing 21 games with an upper-body injury...He's failed to pick up a point in all three games during the past week.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week: @ New Jersey, @ Tampa Bay

Tired: @ New Jersey (Monday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Rangers finally won a game as they defeated Dallas 3-1 on Friday...They dealt Kaapo Kakko to Seattle for Will Borgen and a couple of draft picks in 2025...Artemi Panarin returned to action Friday after missing a pair of games with an upper-body injury and garnered an assist...Will Cuylle continues to impress as he has 11 goals and 24 points in 32 games with limited action on the power play.

OTTAWA 

Games this week: @ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Senators are in the midst of a nine-game road trip as the World Junior Championship are being held in Ottawa...They do get to go home for Christmas, but are back on the road starting Saturday in Winnipeg...Linus Ullmark has been white-hot of late, winning his last seven starts while allowing only seven goals on 210 shots (.967 save percentage). It looks like the Senators have finally found their No. 1 goaltender.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week: @ Pittsburgh, @ Anaheim, @ Los Angeles

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Matvei Michkov saw his 10-game point streak come to an end Dec. 12 and has not picked up a point in his last five games, while going minus-8 in his last four games...Morgan Frost had a pair of goals Saturday, giving him six on the year...Samuel Ersson has struggled since returning to action Dec. 8. He is 1-3-0, allowing 15 goals on only 87 shots heading into action Saturday.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week: vs. Philadelphia, @ New York Islanders, vs. New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Penguins play a home-and-home series against the Islanders after the Christmas break...If there is no goodwill between the two teams, expect to see Marcus Pettersson involved in the rough stuff. Both team's penalty minute leaders have only 21 minutes in the sin bin...Owen Pickering suffered an upper-body injury Saturday and did not return...Tristan Jarry has started six of the Penguins' last seven games.

SAN JOSE

Games this week: @ Vancouver, vs. Vegas, vs. Calgary

Tired: vs. Calgary (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Sharks recalled their goalie of the future this week, Yaroslav Askarov, as Vitek Vanecek is out 2-3 weeks with an upper-body injury...Askarov was sensational Saturday in Edmonton as he turned aside 41 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss...Alexandar Georgiev will provide a veteran presence for Askarov when needed, but the Sharks should let Askarov run with the No. 1 job immediately...William Eklund snapped a six-game goalless drought Thursday with his sixth of the season. 

SEATTLE

Games this week: @ Vancouver

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Kraken play only once this week...Seattle made a great pickup this week when they acquired Kaapo Kakko from the Rangers for defenseman Will Borgen and a pair of 2025 Draft picks...Kakko was selected second overall in 2019 and while he had a tough time cracking the Rangers top-six, he will have a great opportunity with Seattle...Vince Dunn is without a point in his last three games, after picking up three goals and seven points in his previous six matches, ahead of Saturday's late game.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week: @ Detroit, vs. Nashville, vs. Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Robert Thomas saw his seven-game point streak (four goals, nine assists) snap Dec. 17...Jordan Kyrou saw his five-game goal-scoring streak end Thursday. He has 14 goals and 28 points in 35 games this season...Dylan Holloway is pointless in his last six games. The former Oiler has 10 goals and 19 points, career-bests for the 23-year-old.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week: @ Florida, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Brayden Point has a seven-game point streak in which he has had three four-point games...Point has five goals and 17 points during the streak, giving him 21 goals and 38 points in only 26 appearances...Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 49 points in 28 games as he is looking good to crack the 100-point mark for the third straight season...Andrei Vasilevskiy has won three straight games, upping his record to 15-9-1 with a pair of shutouts and a 2.38 GAA.

TORONTO

Games this week: vs. Winnipeg, @ Detroit, vs. Washington

Tired: vs. Washington (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Maple Leafs lost Auston Matthews once again with what I think is a back injury...He missed Saturday's game against the Islanders and is questionable Monday versus Winnipeg after he was hurt Friday in Buffalo...Matt Murray picked up his first NHL start in 628 days in Buffalo and while he did get the win, the Maple Leafs shipped him back to the Marlies on Saturday in what likely was a move to prevent him from being placed on waivers once Anthony Stolarz is ready to return.

UTAH

Games this week: vs. Dallas, vs. Colorado

Tired: vs. Dallas (Monday)

Rested: None

Notes: Dylan Guenther had a pair of goals Friday and is on a four-game goal-scoring streak, as well as seven-game point streak...Guenther has 16 goals and 32 points in 32 games as he is only three points away from tying his career-best 35 points, set last season...The 21-year-old is finally comfortable in the NHL and has seven goals and 15 points on the power play...Logan Cooley is third in points on Utah with seven goals and 22 helpers, two points in arrears of Clayton Keller.

VANCOUVER

Games this week: vs. San Jose, vs. Seattle

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canucks are two different teams at home and on the road...While most teams play much better in front of their home crowd, the Canucks are 6-7-4 heading into action Saturday, while they are 10-3-2 on the road...Quinn Hughes has eight goals and 40 points and is well ahead of second place Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland in the Vancouver scoring race...Thatcher Demko has allowed only four goals on 62 shots in his last two games after giving up nine goals on 53 shots in his first two NHL appearances of the season.

VEGAS

Games this week: vs. Anaheim, @ San Jose, vs. Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Anaheim (Monday), vs. Calgary (Sunday)

Notes: The Golden Knights are the rested team in their last two games of the week...Shea Theodore has continued to excel this season with four goals and 23 assists in 31 games...He has taken over from Alex Pietrangelo as their go-to defenseman offensively and is quarterbacking the first power play with Pietrangelo heading up the second unit.

WASHINGTON

Games this week: @ Boston, @ Toronto, @ Detroit

Tired: @ Boston (Monday)

Rested: @ Toronto (Saturday)

Notes: The Capitals are expected to get Alex Ovechkin (broken fibula) back in time for Friday's tilt in Toronto. Ovechkin was leading the NHL in goals at the time of his injury Nov. 18 with 15 goals in 18 games...He has missed the last 14 games and should reunite with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas on the top line...Connor McMichael snapped a five-game goalless drought Friday with his 16th of the season. That's just two goals shy of his career-best 18 goals set last season in 80 games.

WINNIPEG

Games this week: @ Toronto, vs. Ottawa

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Jets continue to roll along as they have won three of their last four games...They shut out division rival Minnesota on Saturday as Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots in a 5-0 win...Cole Perfetti had a pair of goals and an assist in the win over the Wild, giving him eight goals and 23 points in 35 outings...Josh Morrissey has three goals and 31 points in 35 games this season, including 15 points with the man-advantage.