Josh Wegman

Monday night's clash in Edmonton marks the Oilers and Panthers' first meeting since Florida's victory in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.Based on his own experience of losing against the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Cup Final, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk is expecting the Oilers to bring their best."I was pretty angry playing against Vegas the first time last year," Tkachuk said, per Jameson Olive of the team's website. "There was nothing you could do about the year before, but they took away your dream, basically."Tkachuk added: "I expect tonight will be a very, very intense game."The Oilers have been playing some of their best hockey of late, winning five games in a row and eight of their last nine.Oilers forward Connor Brown tried to downplay the significance of the meeting, but he acknowledged the intensity will be ramped up."It's a regular-season game in the middle of December, so it's not as though it's some type of rematch for the Stanley Cup or anything," Brown said, per NHL's Derek Van Diest. "But with that being said, it's going to be on everybody's minds on both teams. We're all going to be aware of that elephant in the room and I think the intensity and the energy will be up for sure."Oilers captain Connor McDavid noted that, even though the two teams are in separate conferences and have undergone change, a rivalry has brewed after seven straight clashes last spring."We played them however many months ago, seven times in a row you're going to form a rivalry," McDavid said. "It wasn't that long ago. That being said, it's a new year, a lot of turnover on both teams and we'll see, hopefully we'll get a big win tonight."

Maple Leafs send Minten down to AHL

The Calgary Flames rewarded defenseman Brayden Pachal with a two-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $1.1875 million, the team announced Tuesday.He was set to become a restricted free agent at season's end. He'll be unrestricted when the contract expires in 2027.Pachal, 25, has recorded a goal and an assist in 31 games with the Flames this season. The stay-at-home, 6-foot-2 blue-liner has averaged 14:31 per contest.The Flames claimed the right-shot defenseman off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023-24.

Anthony Stolarz's injury is worse than initially feared.The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender will undergo surgery to remove a loose body in his knee and miss four-to-six weeks, general manager Brad Trelviing announced Tuesday, per TSN. Treliving added that while an MRI revealed no structural damage, the loose body looks like a "little pebble."Stolarz suffered the injury Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. He was deemed day-to-day on Friday.The 30-year-old journeyman has been exceptional for the Maple Leafs this season, leading all NHL goaltenders with a .927 save percentage in 17 appearances.The Maple Leafs signed Stolarz as a free agent to a two-year, $5-million deal in the offseason.Joseph Woll is expected to handle the bulk of the starts with Stolarz sidelined.

Kakko feels like Rangers' scapegoat after scratch: 'Easy to pick a young guy'

The Carolina Hurricanes are eyeing a trio of goaltenders to fortify their depth between the pipes.Ottawa's Anton Forsberg, Utah's Karel Vejmelka, and Calgary's Dan Vladar are on Carolina's radar, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. However, none of those teams are in sell mode yet and might not be at all depending on how their seasons go, LeBrun notes. All three goalies are pending unrestricted free agents.Forsberg has posted an .889 save percentage in 11 games with the Senators this campaign as Linus Ullmark's backup. The 32-year-old journeyman previously spent time in Raleigh during in 2019-20.Vejmelka has emerged as Utah's starter this season, registering a sparkling .915 save percentage in 17 appearances.Vladar has struggled with an .885 save percentage in 16 games while sharing the Flames' crease with Dustin Wolf.The Canes also reportedly spoke to the Anaheim Ducks about John Gibson after missing out on Mackenzie Blackwood, who was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 9.Pyotr Kochetkov has struggled with an .895 save percentage in 18 games as Carolina's No. 1 goalie this season. Veteran netminder Frederik Andersen hasn't played since October and was given an eight-week timeline after undergoing knee surgery in late November.

The NHL fined San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky $25,000 for inappropriate conduct during the team's 4-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.

The Winnipeg Jets signed prospect Kevin He to an entry-level deal Tuesday, making him the first Chinese-born player ever to sign an NHL contract, the team announced.

Justin Schultz announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday following a career that spanned 745 games over 12 seasons and included a pair of Stanley Cups.The 34-year-old went unsigned as a free agent this past offseason. He eventually joined HC Lugano of the Swiss League.Schultz played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Seattle Kraken during his career. He found his greatest success with the Pens, where he was a part of back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.The second of those two championships was the pinnacle of Schultz's career. He tallied a career-high 51 points during the regular season and, with Kris Letang injured for the playoffs, stepped up in a huge way, tallying 13 points in 21 postseason games while quarterbacking the top power-play unit.Schultz was drafted in the second round by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008. However, after a storied NCAA career at Wisconsin, where he was a two-time All-American, he and the Ducks failed to agree on a contract. Following a heavy recruitment process, he signed with the Oilers.Schultz finishes his career with 71 goals and 253 assists. He played his last season with the Kraken in 2023-24.The Kelowna, British Columbia native also represented Canada on the international stage at the 2013 World Championship.

Report: Klingberg hoping to resume NHL career in early 2025