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Alex Tuch’s hat trick leads Sabres to victory over Blackhawks

Buffalo Sabres (NHL)

Alex Tuch’s third career hat trick helped the Buffalo Sabres secure a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozens each contributed a goal and an assist, Rasmus Dahlin added two assists, and Zach Benson scored for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves on 17 shots to earn his 10th win in 25 starts this season.

After a tough 13-game winless streak (0-10-3), the Sabres have bounced back, outscoring opponents 13-3 in their last two wins.

Tyler Bertuzzi and Seth Jones scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost three straight. Chicago is 1-10-1 in its last 12 road games.

Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek gave up four goals on 11 shots and was replaced by Arvid Soderblom, who saved 22 of 24 shots in the final two periods.

Buffalo scored four goals in the first period, starting with Benson’s tip-in goal at 9:51. Tuch added another tip-in at 12:23, and Quinn scored just 15 seconds later.

This was Buffalo’s second-fastest pair of goals this season, with Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka scoring 11 seconds apart in a 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 3.

Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar participates in the team’s NHL hockey camp

A turnover by Connor Bedard led to another Sabres goal 42 seconds before the first intermission. Quinn grabbed the puck and passed it to Cozens, who finished it off to make it 4-0.

Bertuzzi scored the Blackhawks’ first goal in the second period. Jones added another for Chicago at 3:06 of the third, with an assist from Pat Maroon’s fake shot.

Just as the Blackhawks started gaining momentum, Tuch scored again at 5:48 of the third, beating Soderblom with a low-angle shot.

Tuch completed his hat trick at 15:06 of the final frame. He stole the puck from Alex Vlasic at the Sabres’ blue line, raced into the Chicago zone, and scored on a breakaway.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Blue Jackets dominate Bruins in opening game of home-and-home series

Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins

The Columbus Blue Jackets dominated the Boston Bruins with a 6-2 win in the first game of their home-and-home series on Friday night, thanks to a strong four-goal second period. They went 3-for-3 on the power play.

Dmitri Voronkov scored twice and added an assist, all in the second period, while Sean Monahan also netted two goals. Columbus scored three times in just 2:47 to break a 1-1 tie after the first period.

Kirill Marchenko had a goal and two assists, extending his point streak to seven games. Adam Fantilli also scored, and Zach Werenski had a career-high four assists. Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves, helping the Blue Jackets improve to 3-0-1 in their last four games.

For the Bruins, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle each scored, and Joonas Korpisalo made 27 saves in the loss. The Bruins had been unbeaten in their last five games (4-0-1).

Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets

Fantilli started the Blue Jackets’ scoring burst in the second period, getting a pass from Voronkov and scoring at 7:00. They went up 3-1 at 8:13 when Monahan scored after a rebound from Dante Fabbro’s shot.

Voronkov then scored two power-play goals. The first came at 9:47, finishing a pass from Kent Johnson, and the second came with 45.7 seconds left in the period, tapping in a shot from Marchenko to make it 5-1.

Marchenko scored early in the third period, converting a rebound into a 6-1 lead. Monahan added another power-play goal at 11:29.

The Bruins tied the game at 1-1 in the first period when Zacha scored from a pass by David Pastrnak after a turnover behind the net.

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Mitch Marner’s hat trick leads Maple Leafs to victory over Red Wings

Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

Mitch Marner scored a hat trick with three consecutive goals in the first two periods, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. This was Marner’s third career hat trick, and he had previously scored four goals against Detroit on February 26, 2022.

David Kampf scored his first goal of the season in his 500th career game. Nicholas Robertson also scored, and John Tavares contributed two assists. Joseph Woll made 23 saves in goal as Toronto secured their second win in three games against Detroit, with one more meeting between the teams left this season.

Todd McLellan, who was hired as the Red Wings’ new head coach on Thursday to replace Derek Lalonde, had a rough start with the loss. Detroit’s Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson scored, but the team has now lost four straight games. Goalies Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon combined for 18 saves in the defeat.

Detroit Red Wings (NHL)

Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs missed his third straight game due to an upper-body injury.

Kampf opened the scoring at 2:29 in the first period, capitalizing on a Red Wings turnover. Marner then scored his first goal of the game at 8:16, converting a rebound with a pass from Tavares. Marner added his second goal with 31.8 seconds left in the first period, assisted by Nylander and Tavares.

Marner completed his hat trick with 3:37 remaining in the second period, redirecting a shot from Ekman-Larsson past Talbot. Robertson added a goal with just 1.2 seconds left in the second period, assisted by Domi and McMann.

Raymond and Edvinsson scored for Detroit in the third period, but it wasn’t enough to recover from the Maple Leafs’ strong start

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NHL (National Hockey League)

The holiday break came at a good time for the Kraken, who now prepare to face the Canucks

Seattle Kraken (NHL)

The Seattle Kraken were not shocked by the tough stretch they had before the holiday break.

The team entered the break on a five-game losing streak, tied with San Jose for the longest in the league. The Kraken will start the second half of the season on Saturday afternoon against their biggest rival, the Vancouver Canucks. This will be the first of four meetings between the two teams.

“A lot’s been said,” said first-year Kraken coach Dan Bylsma. “There’s a lot of searching from the group, from the guys, going on. We didn’t want to use the last two games as throwaway and get to the break. We wanted some growth as a team.”

He added that he was happy with the effort in a 5-2 loss at Colorado.

“The four-day break we have to take as a break, both mentally (and physically), get away from the game a little bit, come back after Christmas and be ready to go,” Bylsma said.

Kaapo Kakko, a new forward for the Kraken who scored a goal at Colorado, was looking forward to the break for a different reason — the chance to practice with his new team. Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, was traded to Seattle on Dec. 18 from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and two draft picks.

“I think for me and for the team, it’s a much-needed break coming up, but especially for me,” Kakko said. “It’s been only three games in four days.

It will be a good thing to have a good couple of practices to kind of know how we’re gonna play. We watched some videos. The coaches have been great in telling me what to do. But practices are when you can really learn what to do.”

The Canucks were close to facing a similar situation to the Kraken before the holiday break, but they managed to defeat San Jose 4-3 on Monday to end a three-game losing streak (0-1-2).

Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes – Vancouver Canucks

“I’m glad we could get the two points. I thought (we were) clearly invested right from the start of the game and (now we can) enjoy the next couple days,” said Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, who had two assists to bring his team-leading total to 42 points this season (eight goals, 34 assists).

“The break is coming up at a fortunate time … just recover and regroup, and we’ll see what’s going on after that.”

Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson ended a six-game pointless streak by scoring two goals just 44 seconds apart late in the second period. He left early in the third period with an injury.

“He got banged up,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “I think it was in the second period. He tried it one shift. We have the break. I don’t think it’s too bad.”

Tocchet said he was happy to see Pettersson end his pointless streak.

“Hopefully that will kick start him,” Tocchet said. “I liked his celebration. It was nice to see him scoring and get excited. I think the fans like to see that, too.”

Pettersson’s teammates were also happy for him.

“He’s too good. He’s going to break out at some point,” Hughes said. “I’m glad he was able to do that (Monday) and hopefully for him, he can enjoy the next couple days like all of us and regroup and get ready to go.”

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Leafs’ Auston Matthews (upper body) sidelined for at least 2 more games

Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their captain, Auston Matthews, for at least two more games as he recovers from an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com on Friday.

Matthews, 27, has missed the last two games and will also sit out Friday’s game against Detroit and Saturday’s home game against Washington.

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said Matthews “is doing better,” but did not provide further details about the injury. Another update is expected on Saturday.

Matthews last played in Toronto’s 6-3 victory at Buffalo on Friday, where he scored a goal in 19:18 of ice time, despite taking two big hits, including a cross-check from Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert.

This injury has kept Matthews out for 11 of the Maple Leafs’ 35 games this season. He missed nine games in November due to a separate upper-body issue. Berube mentioned that Matthews’ current injury is slightly related to the previous one.

Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

Matthews has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) this season, ranking fourth on the team. He led the NHL with a career-high 69 goals last season and is aiming for his sixth straight 40-goal season.

The 27-year-old has scored the most goals in the NHL (379) since being drafted by Toronto in 2016.

The Maple Leafs won seven of the nine games they played without Matthews earlier this season and have a 42-22-2 all-time record when he’s absent.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Senators, Jets aim to continue strong play after holiday break

Ottawa Senators (NHL)

Two of the NHL’s top-performing teams will meet on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators face the Winnipeg Jets.

The Senators had their six-game winning streak snapped in their last game, a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. However, the bigger concern following the loss was the health of goalie Linus Ullmark, who left the game with an upper-body injury.

“His back tightened up, so I felt it was best that he came out,” coach Travis Green said after the game.

The Senators confirmed Friday that Ullmark would not join the team on their five-game road trip starting Saturday and ending Jan. 7 in Detroit.

Before Sunday’s game, Ullmark had been outstanding with a 7-0-0 record, a .967 save percentage, and a 0.99 goals-against average over his previous seven starts.

Without Ullmark, the Senators may turn to Leevi Merilainen, who won his third career game by beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 21, before replacing Ullmark in the Edmonton game.

Veteran goalie Anton Forsberg, who has been out since Dec. 8 due to a lower-body injury, will travel with the team.

This game is important for the Senators as it is the fifth game in their season-long nine-game road trip. They are currently in a playoff spot for the first time since 2016-17, following the NHL’s three-day Christmas break.

Winnipeg Jets (NHL)

Winnipeg, on the other hand, has been strong in goal as well. The Jets are 5-1-1 in their last seven games and have not allowed more than three goals in any of those contests.

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been exceptional, earning four shutouts and ranking at the top of the league with a 2.07 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.

The Jets’ offense has also been productive, scoring four or more goals in six of their last nine games. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are tied for the league lead in goals with 21 each.

“When your top guys can do that, it gets the opposition on their heels a little bit,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel about his top line of Scheifele, Connor, and Gabriel Vilardi.

The Jets have a strong 12-3-1 record at home and have won four straight games against the Senators, though Ottawa did beat them 3-2 in Winnipeg on March 30.

Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey ranks third among all defensemen with 30 assists in 36 games, while Senators forward Tim Stutzle is aiming for 40 points, having already earned 39 in his first 34 games.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Rising Penguins set to face struggling Islanders

Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)

The Pittsburgh Penguins showed over the four weeks leading up to the NHL’s holiday break that their most successful era might not be over just yet.

In contrast, the New York Islanders have not given much evidence that they can extend the team’s most successful run in decades.

The two teams, heading in different directions, will face off Saturday night when the Penguins visit the Islanders in Elmont, N.Y., to start a home-and-home series.

Both teams played on Monday night, with the Penguins continuing their strong play with a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Islanders were beaten 7-1 by the Buffalo Sabres.

The win was the ninth in the last 13 games (9-3-1) for Pittsburgh, who since Thanksgiving has risen to fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and is just one point behind the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Their surge began on Nov. 27 when they were last in the Metropolitan and five points out of a wild-card spot after a 5-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

The Penguins have scored five or more goals in seven of their last 13 games, after struggling to score four or fewer goals in 18 consecutive games prior to the win over the Canucks.

Key players Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, who were all part of the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2016 and 2017, have scored 17 goals since Nov. 27. The trio had just 12 goals in the team’s first 23 games.

New York Islanders (NHL)

Sidney Crosby, a three-time Cup champion, has 16 assists in the last 13 games after having just 13 assists in the first 23 games.

“I think you learn a lot about your group when you struggle and you get to a bit of a funk — can you bring yourself back out of it?” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said during a broadcast on Monday. “I think we obviously dug in, starting with that game against Vancouver. I’m proud of the group for the way they responded.”

The Islanders had the full holiday break to reflect on their latest disappointing loss. On Monday, they allowed a season-high number of goals when the Sabres took a 5-0 lead on their way to ending their 13-game losing streak.

The loss continued a tough season for the Islanders, who fell to last place in the Metropolitan Division with the defeat. Despite this, New York still has 11 players remaining from the teams that made back-to-back trips to the league semifinals in 2020 and 2021.

The Islanders also have 17 players left from squads that overcame slow starts in each of the previous two seasons to make the playoffs. However, they are running out of time to make a similar comeback.

The Islanders are currently five points behind the final wild-card spot and have only won back-to-back games twice. They are 6-10-4 against the 15 teams that were outside playoff spots as of Friday.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Islanders center Bo Horvat said on Monday. “It’s not going to be an easy run. It’s not going to be an easy road to get back to where we want to get, but we have no one to blame but ourselves. We put ourselves in this situation, obviously.”

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Rangers return from break looking to bounce back, set to face Lightning

New York Rangers (NHL)

The New York Rangers will play their second game of a three-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. They likely did not travel in the best mood after a difficult stretch before the Christmas break.

Last season’s Eastern Conference runners-up were doing well after a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 19, bringing their record to 12-4-1. Since then, the Rangers have gone into a 4-13-0 slump, with poor performances and an offense that has struggled, dropping them out of playoff contention.

In the past 17 games, all ending in regulation, the Rangers have been outscored 61-35 by their opponents.

In their last game before the break, the Rangers were shut out 5-0 by the Devils in the Hudson River Rivalry. During the game, the Devils showed footage of Rangers fans booing New Jersey’s selection of Jack Hughes in the 2019 draft, which allowed New York to take Kaapo Kakko with the next pick.

Kakko was traded to the Seattle Kraken last week, and the camera showed a smiling Hughes on the Devils’ bench.

Rangers general manager Chris Drury said after trading captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 7, “I’m not opposed to making more changes…But big picture, the team has been through a lot the last couple of weeks. We’d like to let the dust settle a little bit.”

The Rangers have a tough stretch ahead, with eight of their next nine games against teams currently in playoff spots.

Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)

Artemi Panarin leads New York with 15 goals and 37 points, but other key players have struggled. Chris Kreider, with 11 goals and just one assist, was scratched against New Jersey, sparking trade rumors. Mika Zibanejad has only six goals and practiced with the top power-play unit on Friday.

In contrast, the Lightning ended their break on a high note, bouncing back from a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers with a 4-0 shutout win on the road, with backup goaltender Jonas Johansson making 36 saves.

Tampa Bay had suffered a tough loss on Sunday, with Florida scoring a power-play goal and two short-handed goals during the same penalty kill. But Johansson’s strong performance helped them recover, stopping nine power-play shots for his fourth career shutout.

Coach Jon Cooper praised Johansson’s play, saying, “He has a unique gift of being able to hang in there and not play seven or 10 games and give you a good one. Those guys are hard to find.” Johansson is 4-1-1 this season with a .902 save percentage in seven appearances. Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning’s starting goaltender, is expected to start against New York.

Nikita Kucherov reached a team-high 50 points with a goal on Monday, continuing his hot streak with 21 points in his last 10 of 11 games.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Kings return home to take on hot Oilers

Edmonton Oilers (NHL)

The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the past five and a half weeks. After the holiday break, they will look to continue their success when they play the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Back on Nov. 18, the Oilers were 9-8-2 after a 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. They bounced back the next night with a 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators, starting their current 12-3-0 run. Most recently, they’ve won three straight games, including a 3-1 victory against the Senators on Sunday.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” goalie Stuart Skinner said after the win. “We’re finding ways to win games. We don’t want to lose two in a row, and we’ve been doing a pretty good job of that lately. I think the way we’ve been playing in all ends of the ice has been pretty consistent.”

Earlier in the season, the Oilers scored 2.63 goals per game and allowed 3.16 goals. Since Nov. 19, they’ve flipped the script, averaging 4.07 goals while allowing just 2.33 per game. Their special teams have also improved, with the power play rising from 16.3 percent efficiency to 28.2 percent and the penalty kill from 67.4 percent to 86.7 percent.

Zach Hyman has been a key part of the Oilers’ success. The 32-year-old has scored seven goals in a six-game streak and has 10 goals in nine games since returning from injury on Dec. 5.

Los Angeles Kings players react after a goal in the 2nd period

“When you’re feeling good, things are easier, things slow down,” he said. “When you’re not feeling good, everything seems fast. … So much of hockey and sports are results-driven. And when you’re not getting the results, you know that it’s about the process and about getting your looks and getting your chances and being around it.”

The Kings, on the other hand, are starting a five-game homestand after a tough road trip. They lost back-to-back games to end a seven-game trip that lasted 13 days.

Los Angeles has had some struggles lately, winning only two of their last six games (2-2-2), but they are just one point behind the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division.

“It’s a pretty good trip,” coach Jim Hiller said. “We would have liked points out of (a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday), but the trip itself was good. We played some pretty good hockey.”

The Kings hope their strong home record can help them bounce back. They’ve been one of the best home teams, going 10-2-1 in 13 games, including five straight wins at home. Their last home loss came on Nov. 20 against Buffalo.

Defenseman Mikey Anderson has stepped up in the absence of Drew Doughty, playing a career-high 22:43 minutes per game, more than a minute higher than his previous best.

“What an engine and he’s really taking a step,” Hiller said. “We’ve talked about that more than once. He’s a really important player for us.”

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Flyers focus on improving defense against the Ducks

Philadelphia Flyers topped the visiting Detroit Red Wings

Both the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks have had several days to reflect on their most recent loss.

After the holiday break, both teams are set to face off on Saturday in Anaheim.

Philadelphia has struggled recently, losing four of their last five games, including a tough 7-3 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first game of a six-game road trip. The Flyers allowed four goals in the first period and couldn’t recover against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

“We’ve had some slow starts,” Flyers winger Noah Cates said. “But when we do (the right things), we’re really hard to play against.”

During their current 1-4-0 stretch, coach John Tortorella’s team has given up 28 goals.

“It was a little bit of everything,” Tortorella said. “We get back, we try to get better.”

One player who needs to improve is rookie Matvei Michkov, who hasn’t scored in eight straight games and has not recorded a point in the last six. He also has a minus-11 rating in his last five games.

“‘Mich’ has leveled off,” Tortorella said. “It’s been a bit of a struggle for him. He was a very important part of giving us life on the power play. He continues to work at it.”

Michkov and the Flyers will look for a more consistent performance against a Ducks team that has also faced its share of challenges this season.

Anaheim Ducks (NHL)

Anaheim has lost two of its last three games. In the one win during that stretch, the Ducks had to come from behind, rallying from a 4-2 deficit in the third period to beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-4 in a shootout.

However, the momentum from that victory didn’t carry over into Monday’s 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, marking the Ducks’ seventh loss in 10 games (3-6-1).

“I love the effort. I thought we competed hard,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said.

The Ducks have struggled offensively, ranking last in the league with just 82 goals this season. Only two other teams have scored fewer than 90 goals as of Friday, the Nashville Predators (84) and Detroit Red Wings (88).

While the Flyers have scored a decent 108 goals, they have allowed 130, which ranks as the third-highest total in the NHL as of Friday.

The Ducks, on the other hand, have given up 103 goals, putting them in the middle of the pack. The strength of their defense has been goaltenders John Gibson and Lukas Dostal, though Gibson had to leave Monday’s game early after taking a high stick near his eye.

Despite this, the Ducks fought hard before Dostal gave up two goals in the final 11 minutes.

“The effort was there. We were battling until the end,” veteran defenseman Radko Gudas said. “The boys left everything out there. We gave it our all. Unfortunately, we had some costly mistakes, and they made us pay. They’re an experienced team, and they made us pay for those mistakes we made in the third.”

This will be the first meeting between the Flyers and Ducks this season. The teams will face each other again in Philadelphia on January 11.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Capitals’ star Alex Ovechkin practices, targets Saturday return

Washington Capitals- Alex Ovechkin

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin practiced with his usual linemates on Friday and could return to play on Saturday when the team faces the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to ESPN.

Ovechkin, who fractured his left fibula in a collision with Utah forward Jack McBain on November 18, practiced alongside center Dylan Strome and winger Aliaksei Protas and took part in power-play drills during Friday’s session.

A final decision about his return will be made on Saturday. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said he wants to see how Ovechkin responds to a full practice but mentioned that the 39-year-old captain is “trending the right way.”

The Capitals were in second place in the Eastern Conference as of Friday, having won 10 of the 15 games Ovechkin has missed—his longest absence due to injury in his career. His previous longest break was six games with an upper-body injury from November 4-14, 2009.

Alex Ovechkin scores his second goal in the 3rd period

Before the injury, Ovechkin was on a hot streak, scoring two goals in the game against Utah and recording 13 goals in his last 11 games. He was leading the league with 15 goals in 18 games when he got hurt.

His chase for the all-time goal-scoring record was put on hold. With 868 career goals, Ovechkin needs 27 more to pass Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

Ovechkin already holds NHL records for career power-play goals (316) and shots on goal (6,690) after 1,444 games. In his 20 seasons in the NHL, the three-time Hart Trophy winner has missed only 50 games due to injury.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Panthers are refreshed and prepared to bounce back against the Canadiens

Florida Panthers (NHL)

The Florida Panthers are like many other NHL teams. The Christmas break came at a perfect time for them.

The Panthers hope that the four days off gave their players enough time to reset as they prepare for their game on Saturday afternoon against the Montreal Canadiens in Sunrise, Fla.

“We need these four days bad,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. “Between guys with the flu and a bunch of guys that played not at 100 percent, I think most of them will get right back to good.”

The most important concern is the health of Matthew Tkachuk, who had to be helped off the ice late in the first period after taking a hard hit to his right knee.

He wasn’t on the ice to start the second period, but he returned a few minutes later at the start of a 5-on-3 power play and finished the game.

“It’s because he knows,” Maurice said. “Because he knew that he wasn’t the only guy in the training room at that point and we couldn’t afford to lose two or three guys at once.”

Maurice also mentioned that Tkachuk likely understood the game was being closely officiated and that teammates would be in the penalty box as well.

“Matthew’s got a great emotional feel for the game about what needs to happen next,” Maurice said. “He just knew that we needed him back. He wasn’t at 100 percent, obviously.”

Montreal Canadiens celebrates a goal

On the other hand, Montreal was trying to extend its longest winning streak of the season to four games but lost 5-4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday after giving up the last two goals in the third period.

“It’s hard to win in this league,” Montreal center Jake Evans said. “You’ve got to play three full periods.”

The Canadiens are also concerned about forward Patrik Laine, who didn’t return for the second period after taking a few big hits in the first, with the biggest one coming from defenseman Dante Fabbro at 14:08. Laine played only two more shifts after that hit.

Montreal will now face five straight road games after the Christmas break.

The Canadiens will play back-to-back afternoon games against the Panthers and Lightning before flying west to play the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. They will then travel to Chicago on Friday and Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche the next night.

The Canadiens are seven points behind the final wild-card spot in the West, so they need to collect points on this road trip.

“We’re trying to get back into the playoffs,” Evans said.

The Panthers, however, have four consecutive home games after the Christmas break, following a stretch where they played eight of their first 11 games this month on the road.

“The four days (off) will be great for this team,” Maurice said. “It was our third home game this month and still a little traveling here from the start of the season, and I thought it showed (against the Lightning). Not so much the will, just the ability to push through.”