Hockey headlines for December 22, 2023

Friday, December 22, 2023

Forget the final score, Vancouver is first in the NHL (Vancouver Province)
Avs roar back to beat Ottawa behind Nathan MacKinnon’s record four goals (Denver Post)
Alex Ovechkin’s goal drought ends with an OT winner in Columbus (Washington Post)
Sidney Crosby’s shootout winner snaps the Penguins’ long losing skid against the Hurricanes (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Did dazzling 69-second outburst save Edmonton Oilers season? (Edmonton Sun)
'We won't forget it.' Maple Leafs goaltending hits nine-year low in Buffalo meltdown (Toronto Star)
Nick Paul scores with 1:13 left, Lightning top NHL-best Golden Knights (Tampa Bay Times)
Samuel Girard returns to Avalanche after time in players’ assistance program (Denver Post)
Inside T-Mobile Park, preparation for 2024 Winter Classic running smoothly (Seattle Times)
Your primer for hockey’s upcoming World Junior Championship, which has more to offer than just Matt Poitras (Boston Globe)
Marner, Benson glad to join Canada's cheering section during world juniors (Toronto Sun)
Philip Tomasino's two goals lead Predators; Saros moves up wins list (The Tennessean)
Joel Hofer, Pavel Buchnevich lead Blues to rebound win over Panthers (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Kirill Kaprizov’s second OT winner in as many games lifts Wild past Montreal (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Flames blank Ducks, extend win streak (Calgary Sun)
Devils look lifeless in another brutal loss to Oilers (NJ.com)
Sharks unable to slow down Coyotes, now on longest losing streak since start of season (San Jose Mercury News)
Flyers’ point streak ends with 4-2 loss to Nashville Predators (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Washington Capitals down Columbus Blue Jackets in OT after Elvis Merzlikins boils over (Columbus Dispatch)
Canadiens' losing streak in Minnesota continues with a 4-3 loss in OT (Montreal Gazette)
Ducks rookie Leo Carlsson injured in shutout loss to Flames (Orange County Register)
Goalie Juuse Saros passes Tomas Vokoun, moves to second on Nashville Predators' all-time wins list (The Tennessean)
Predators' Yakov Trenin ejected for hit on Flyers' Morgan Frost (The Tennessean)
Flames’ DeSimone delivers warm-and-fuzzy moment with first NHL goal (Calgary Sun)
Lightning’s Mikhail Sergachev out against Golden Knights, day to day (Tampa Bay Times)
Former Penguins forward Jordan Staal remains stout defensively with Hurricanes (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on aftermath of Devon Toews’ criticism: “He’s not wrong” (Denver Post)
There is a plan, things are fine, says Andrei Kuzmenko's agent (Vancouver Province)
Rangers have turned into one of NHL elite's teams (New York Newsday)
Isles' blown leads have led to an abundance of OT losses (New York Newsday)
Struggling Red Wings might need help on the blue line (MLive.com)
Jets top trio taking charge (Winnipeg Free Press)
Flyers eyeing holiday break to get players like Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim some rest (Philadelphia Inquirer)
After self-study, Blues defenseman Marco Scandella looking to be more aggressive (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
With Anton Lundell still out of lineup, Panthers lean on one of their newcomers to fill void (Miami Herald)
Jets' Mark Scheifele would rather keep playing as Christmas break nears (Winnipeg Sun)
Devils’ Timo Meier opens up about woeful 2023-24 season: ‘Definitely not happy with my play’ (NJ.com)
A talk and some time watching from afar helped Kevin Shattenkirk rediscover his game with the Bruins (Boston Globe)
Islanders’ Hudson Fasching strong play likely will delay Identity Line reunion (New York Post)
Need for speed: How Flames rookie Connor Zary readied for his NHL breakthrough (Calgary Sun)
Blackhawks’ Wyatt Kaiser focusing on playing more efficient defense after brief AHL stint (Chicago Sun-Times)
Meet the artist behind Jake Oettinger’s and Scott Wedgewood’s eye-popping goalie masks (Dallas Morning News)