Hockey headlines for December 29, 2023

Friday, December 29, 2023

Flyers kick off Western road trip with 4-1 win over Vancouver Canucks (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Too late to save Woodcroft, but Oilers find redemption in San Jose (Edmonton Sun)
Latest Canadiens' comeback falls short in 5-3 loss to Hurricanes (Montreal Gazette)
Two Blues prospects notch hat tricks during third day of World Junior Championship (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Canadiens goalie prospect Jacob Fowler gets first win at world juniors (Montreal Gazette)
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski out 'week-to-week' with leg injury (Columbus Dispatch)
Lawsuit alleges Kraken violated Metropolitans trademark with Winter Classic jerseys (Seattle Times)
Mark Giordano’s return will be a much-needed boost to Maple Leafs blue line (Globe & Mail)
Kraken players compare notes as Winter Classic comes to town (Seattle Times)
Torts hockey wins the day, again (Vancouver Province)
Sharks rookie goalie put in difficult spot in first NHL start (San Jose Mercury News)
Despite key injuries, Wild have been NHL's hottest team (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Bottom’s up: Calgary Flames bringing an upside-down roster into 2024 (Calgary Sun)
Healthier Ducks roster regains some of its offensive firepower (Los Angeles Daily News)
Red Wings seek ways to win low-scoring games, not rely heavily on offense (MLive.com)
Will Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev return this weekend? (Tampa Bay Times)
Varlamov misses practice, exposing Isles' biggest weakness (New York Newsday)
Rangers get injured captain Trouba back for Florida trip (New York Newsday)
Petr Mrazek’s steadiness is valuable for Blackhawks’ defensemen (Chicago Sun-Times)
As Maple Leafs seek consistency, Samsonov gets another shot in net (Toronto Sun)
A more relaxed, confident Joel Hofer has found his stride in goal for the Blues (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang's record-setting game was 'pretty cool' (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Flames put Huberdeau back on line with Lindholm, Sharangovich (Calgary Sun)
Jake Guentzel’s strong start for Penguins ‘incredibly impressive’ in light of offseason surgery (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Connor McMichael shifts to the top line as the Caps shake things up again (Washington Post)
Red hot Drake: Getting to 'dirty areas' key for Ottawa Senators winger Batherson (Ottawa Sun)
Penguins forward Rickard Rakell beginning to find goals in different ways (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
With two-assist game vs. Stars, Scott Perunovich finds offensive production he's been looking for (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Sabres' decision to waive Tyson Jost raises more questions about roster-building strategy (Buffalo News)
Devils send 2023 playoff hero to AHL (NJ.com)
Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, Jakub Lauko needed to be rescued from an elevator on Christmas Night (Boston Globe)
Wild prank war: Marc-Andre Fleury vs. Brandon Duhaime (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Four years after retiring, Roberto Luongo showed he can still handle a Panthers practice (Miami Herald)