The Week Ahead: Final Week Before 4 Nations Face-Off

This is the last week of NHL hockey for 12 days as the league will head to Boston and Montreal for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Enjoy the tournament as there have not been a lot of opportunities over the last eight seasons to see best-on-best hockey.

All statistics are through Saturday's games, save for the Detroit-Calgary clash.  

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 3-9

4 Games – Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Utah

3 Games – Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas, Washington

2 Games – Anaheim, Buffalo, Detroit, Winnipeg

Ottawa plays all four games on the road.

Calgary, Los Angeles, San Jose and St. Louis play three games at home.

Colorado, Dallas, Toronto and Utah play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week vs. Los Angeles, @ Los Angeles

Tired: None

Rested: @ Los Angeles (Saturday)

Notes: Mason McTavish has been on a tear of late with six goals and an assist in his last five games...He has done extraordinarily well considering he is centering the third line...Leo Carlsson has only one goal and two assists in his last 14 games. The second overall pick in 2023, Carlsson has taken a step backwards with 16 points in 45 games, after generating 17 goals and 29 points in 55 appearances as an 18-year-old.

BOSTON

Games this week vs. Minnesota, @ New York Rangers, vs. Vegas

Tired: @ New York Rangers (Wednesday)

Rested: None

Notes: Charlie McAvoy returned to action Thursday after missing seven games with an upper-body injury...Hampus Lindholm (lower body) likely won't return to the lineup this week, instead, he should be ready to go following the 4 Nations Face-Off...Jeremy Swayman evened his record at 17-17-4 with a nice effort Saturday, stopping 22 shots in a 6-3 win over the Rangers.

BUFFALO

Games this week vs. Columbus, @ Nashville

Tired: None

Rested: @ Nashville (Saturday)

Notes: The Sabres are in negotiations with Bowen Byram and Jason Zucker as far as contract extensions are concerned. Byram will be a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of the season while Zucker will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA)...Jiri Kulich continues to impress as the 20-year-old. He has four goals and seven points in his last five games. It certainly helps playing on the top line, alongside Tage Thompson.

CALGARY

Games this week vs. Toronto, vs. Colorado, vs. Seattle

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Flames and Flyers pulled off a big deal Thursday as Calgary acquired Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Flyers, giving Philadelphia Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, a second-round pick in 2025 and a 2028 seventh-round selection...Frost is slated to start on the first power-play unit after he managed a goal and six helpers with the man advantage on the Flyers. Dustin Wolf was 7-3-0 in January, turning aside 270 out of 293 shots (.922 save percentage).

CAROLINA

Games this week @ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota, vs. Utah

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Andrei Svechnikov is out of action with an upper-body injury. He had five goals and six assists in 15 January games...Mikko Rantanen has only one goal and one assist in four games with the Hurricanes after managing 25 goals and 64 points in 49 games with the Avalanche this season...Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov have shared the net since Andersen's return on Jan. 20. Andersen had a couple of rough starts, giving up seven goals on 47 shots in his first two games back, but he shut out the Rangers in New York on Tuesday, stopping 22 shots.

CHICAGO  

Games this week vs. Edmonton, vs. Nashville, @ St. Louis

Tired: @ St. Louis (Saturday)

Rested: vs. Edmonton (Wednesday)

Notes: The Blackhawks play three games in four nights...Look for Petr Mrazek to play twice with Arvid Soderblom getting one start...Seth Jones still has plenty of length on his eight-year contract (six-plus seasons remaining) but he could draw plenty of interest ahead of the trade deadline. Jones has a no-movement clause, but he could be interested in playing for a contender. Jones saw his seven-game point streak come to an end Saturday.

COLORADO

Games this week @ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton

Tired: @ Edmonton (Friday)

Rested: None

Notes: Colorado plays three games in four nights in Western Canada...Mackenzie Blackwood should get a pair of starts with Scott Wedgewood playing once...Sam Malinski has not had a point in his last 13 games...Nathan MacKinnon continues to lead the NHL in points with 79...Martin Necas has a goal and four assists in four games as a member of the Avalanche, while Jack Drury has a pair of assists.

COLUMBUS

Games this week @ Buffalo, vs. Utah, vs. New York Rangers

Tired: None

Rested: vs. New York Rangers (Saturday)

Notes: The Blue Jackets currently hold a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after winning their last three games in a row...James van Riemsdyk has two goals and five points in his last five games...Adam Fantilli had a great month of January, recording eight goals and seven assists in 14 games. The Blue Jackets should leave him centering the top line, even when Sean Monahan returns from a wrist injury.

DALLAS

Games this week @ Anaheim, @ Los Angeles, @ San Jose  

Tired: @ San Jose (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Stars are in California for all three games this week...It was a busy week for the Stars, who lost Miro Heiskanen for a while with a knee injury and lost Nils Lundkvist for the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery Friday...They dealt a first-round and conditional third-round pick in 2025 to San Jose for Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci...Mason Marchment could return from a face injury at the end of the week.

DETROIT

Games this week @ Seattle, vs. Tampa Bay   

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Patrick Kane remains out of the Detroit lineup with an upper-body injury. He has missed the last five games and is expected to return this week...Marco Kasper was selected eighth overall in 2022 and has come into his own this season. He has been especially hot of late with seven goals and five assists in his last 11 games. He has thrived on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

EDMONTON

Games this week @ St. Louis, @ Chicago, vs. Colorado

Tired: @ Chicago (Wednesday)

Rested: vs. Colorado (Friday)

Notes: The Oilers play three games in four nights...Stuart Skinner is expected to start twice with Calvin Pickard playing once...Leon Draisaitl leads the NHL in goals with 36...It's hard to believe that Connor McDavid led the league two seasons ago with 64 goals and has only 21 goals in 47 games this season...John Klingberg made his season debut Thursday and was a -1 with one shot on goal in 16:39 of ice time. More telling was that the offensive defenseman saw no power play time, though he did play 27 seconds on the power play Saturday versus the Maple Leafs.

FLORIDA

Games this week: @ Washington, @ St. Louis, vs. Ottawa

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Panthers have had Spencer Knight and Sergei Bobrovsky share the net of late and it has benefitted Bobrovsky, who is 4-0-0 since Jan. 21, turning aside 102 out of 107 shots (.953 save percentage). The improvement gives Bobrovsky a 22-11-2 mark with a 2.67 GAA and a .902 save percentage...Sam Reinhart hit the 30-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season and his 57 points in 53 appearances puts him on pace for his second-best season in his 11-year NHL career.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week vs. Montreal, vs. Dallas, vs. Anaheim

Tired: vs. Anaheim (Saturday)

Rested: vs. Montreal (Wednesday)

Notes: The Kings play three contests in four nights...Darcy Kuemper should get two starts while David Rittich starts once...Drew Doughty returned to the lineup this week after missing the opening 47 games of the season with an ankle injury...Brandt Clarke was a healthy scratch in Doughty's first two games of the season, but he is not on the trade block as the Kings have no interest in trading the eighth pick in the 2021 Draft.

MINNESOTA

Games this week @ Boston, vs. Carolina, vs. New York Islanders  

Tired: None

Rested: vs. New York Islanders (Saturday)

Notes: Kirill Kaprizov underwent surgery this week to repair a lingering lower-body injury...Kaprizov will miss at least four weeks after missing 12 games after Christmas with the same injury. He has 23 goals and 52 points in just 37 outings this season. While many thought he was the early favorite for the Hart Trophy, this injury will stop all that talk...Marc-Andre Fleury shut out the Canadiens on Thursday and became the first goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout as a teenager, in his 20s, 30s and 40s.

MONTREAL

Games this week @ San Jose, @ Los Angeles, vs. New Jersey, vs. Tampa Bay

Tired: @ Los Angeles (Wednesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Canadiens play a pair of back-to-back games this week...Look for Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault to share the crease...Cole Caufield had a good month of January, potting six goals and adding seven assists in 14 contests...Nick Suzuki had four goals and 11 assists in January, giving the center 15 goals and 51 points in 51 games...Lane Hutson should garner plenty of Calder Trophy consideration as the 20-year-old has 39 points in 51 contests.

NASHVILLE

Games this week vs. Ottawa, @ Chicago, vs. Buffalo

Tired: vs. Buffalo (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Predators have lost four games in a row...Steven Stamkos is pointless in his last four games...Filip Forsberg is without a point in his last three games after striking for 19 points during his 10-game point streak. Forsberg's hot stretch has him at 18 goals and 49 points in 51 appearances...Keep an eye on Fedor Svechkov. The 21-year-old was selected in the opening round of the 2021 Draft – 19th overall. He has six goals and three assists in 22 games with three goals and two assists occurring over the last seven outings.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week @ Pittsburgh, vs. Vegas, @ Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Jack Hughes has five points in his last four games, giving him 20 goals and 60 points in 53 games...He leads the Devils in points, two ahead of Jesper Bratt...Timo Meier is starting to get hot. The 28-year-old has points in each of his last four games, scoring once and adding five assists. He is up to 15 goals and 37 points in 52 games and has improved his plus/minus from a -28 last season to a +13 in 2024-25.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week vs. Vegas, @ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: @ Minnesota (Saturday)

Notes: The Islanders sent prospect Isaiah George to the AHL Friday after they claimed Adam Boqvist off waivers from Florida...Boqvist tallied his third of the season Saturday in a win over Tampa Bay...The Islanders have won seven games in a row to get back into the playoff picture...Tony DeAngelo scored his first of the season Saturday with the overtime winner versus the Lightning.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week vs. Boston, vs. Pittsburgh, @ Columbus

Tired: @ Columbus (Saturday)

Rested: vs. Boston (Wednesday)

Notes: The Rangers finally acquired J.T. Miller from Vancouver on Friday night. Also headed to the Rangers were Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington, while Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, a first and conditional third-round pick in 2025 were sent to the Canucks...Miller returns to the Rangers after a six-year absence. He had a pair of goals Saturday in a 6-3 loss to the Bruins, giving the center 11 goals and 37 points in 41 games.

OTTAWA 

Games this week @ Nashville, @ Tampa Bay, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida

Tired: @ Tampa Bay (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Senators play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Look for Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark (if healthy) to each play twice this week...Leevi Merilainen is making things difficult for Ottawa. The netminder is 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and a .925 save percentage across 12 starts, after Saturday's 6-0 shutout over the Wild...The Senators play a rare doubleheader in Tampa Bay this week. If tempers flare, look for Brady Tkachuk and/or Nick Cousins to add to their penalty minute totals.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week @ Utah, vs. Washington, vs. Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Pittsburgh (Saturday)

Notes: The Flyers picked up Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2025 second-round selection and a 2028 seventh-round pick for Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost...Owen Tippett (undisclosed) is expected to return this week after missing two games. He has 14 goals and 30 points in 52 games and has been a bit of a disappointment after a solid 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaign in which he had 49 and 53 points respectively.  

PITTSBURGH

Games this week vs. New Jersey, @ New York Rangers, @ Philadelphia

Tired: @ Philadelphia (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Penguins are building up their capital as far as draft picks are concerned. They dealt Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor to Vancouver on Friday, receiving Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais and a prospect general manager Kyle Dubas considered taking in the first round in June, Melvin Fernstrom. They also received a conditional first-round pick (top-13 protected from the Rangers), otherwise it will transfer to 2026. Dubas has 30 draft picks in the next three seasons after the Penguins had only 25 in their previous five years. 

SAN JOSE

Games this week vs. Montreal, vs. Vancouver, vs. Dallas

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Dallas (Saturday)

Notes: The Sharks picked up a first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in 2025 from Dallas as Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci went the other way...The Sharks continue to rebuild, but they have plenty of great pieces in Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Yaroslav Askarov – all young and talented...Smith has a six-game point streak, giving the 19-year-old eight goals and 22 points in 46 games.

SEATTLE

Games this week vs. Detroit, vs. Toronto, @ Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Kraken lost Yanni Gourde for an additional 5-7 weeks after he underwent sports hernia surgery Friday. That could hurt the Kraken's chances at trading the sought-after forward, as the NHL trade deadline is less than five weeks away on March 7...Shane Wright is on a four-game point streak with a goal and three assists. He has nine goals and 26 points over 50 games this season...Matty Beniers continues to slog along this season with only 11 goals and 29 points through 53 games. He had a big rookie season in 2022-23 with 57 points but slumped to only 37 points last season.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week vs. Edmonton, vs. Florida, vs. Chicago

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Chicago (Saturday)

Notes: The Blues and Brandon Saad mutually agreed to terminate his contract after he passed through unconditional waivers Thursday...Philip Broberg's season has been a bit disappointing. He was drafted eighth overall in 2019 by the Oilers and signed an offer sheet with the Blues in the offseason that was not matched by Edmonton. It was thought that Broberg's offensive skills would shine with St. Louis, but that has not been the case as he has only three goals and 15 points in 39 games this season.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week vs. Ottawa, vs. Ottawa, @ Detroit, @ Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Ottawa (Tuesday)

Notes: The Lightning play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Andrei Vasilevskiy should get three starts with Jonas Johansson playing once...The Lightning take on Ottawa for a pair of home games this week. If there are any fisticuffs, look for Emil Lilleberg, who has six majors, to get involved...Nick Paul has 14 goals and 28 points through 45 games this season. He had 14 power-play points last season but has only five in 2024-25.

TORONTO

Games this week @ Calgary, @ Seattle, @ Vancouver

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Maple Leafs are having trouble finding the back of the net...They have scored only one goal in each of their last three games before striking for four goals in Edmonton on Saturday...Matthew Knies (upper body) and John Tavares (lower body) returned to action Saturday after missing two and six games respectively...Anthony Stolarz (knee) was placed on long-term injured reserve on Jan. 25, but he is eligible to return at any time. He could be back this week.

UTAH

Games this week vs. Philadelphia, @ Columbus, @ Carolina, @ Washington

Tired: @ Washington (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: Utah plays three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram are expected to share the net...Utah suffered another huge blow to their offense as Logan Cooley is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. He will be re-evaluated after the 4 Nations Face-Off is completed, which is still another three weeks away from its conclusion. Cooley has 15 goals and 28 assists in 50 games...Dylan Guenther has missed 11 games but could return this week from a lower-body injury.

VANCOUVER

Games this week vs. Colorado, @ San Jose, vs. Toronto

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canucks finally traded J.T. Miller to the Rangers, along with Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a protected first-round pick in 2025. They then swapped the first-round pick to Pittsburgh, throwing in Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais and prospect Melvin Fernstrom for blueliner Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor...Quinn Hughes continues to have an outstanding season with 14 goals and 59 points in just 47 games. He is on pace for 98 points this season, despite missing four games earlier in the season.

VEGAS

Games this week @ New York Islanders, @ New Jersey, @ Boston

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Golden Knights made a nice pickup this week when they signed Brandon Saad to a one-year contract for the remainder of the season...Tomas Hertl has been red-hot of late with nine goals and six assists in his last 11 games. The 31-year-old has 20 goals and 41 points in 52 games, fourth in points on the Golden Knights...Alex Pietrangelo will not play for Canada at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off and should be fresher once the NHL returns to action Feb. 22.

WASHINGTON

Games this week vs. Florida, @ Philadelphia, vs. Utah

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Utah (Sunday)

Notes: The Capitals made a great move this week inking goaltender Logan Thompson to a six-year contract extension. Thompson has been sensational this season, going 23-2-4 with a 2.15 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He is battling Connor Hellebuyck for the Vezina Trophy, though Thompson is at a disadvantage as he has been sharing the net with Charlie Lindgren while Hellebuyck is the undisputed No. 1 goaltender in Winnipeg.

WINNIPEG

Games this week vs. Carolina, vs. New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Jets continue to get outstanding production out of their top line as Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi continue to light it up this season...The Jets are the highest-scoring team in the NHL and with Connor Hellebuyck starring in net once again, it's easy to see why Winnipeg is atop the NHL standings...Josh Morrissey has points in four of his last eight games but still has 46 points in 54 outings.