The Week Ahead: Leafs Have Goaltending Woes

It's a fairly busy week in the NHL, as 12 teams play four games, while only the New York Rangers and Washington play twice. Bench most of your Rangers and Capitals, with the exceptions of Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and Artemi Panarin. You could also play Jakob Chychrun and Dylan Strome.

All stats are through Saturday night unless otherwise noted.

WEEK OF DECEMBER 8-14

4 Games – Buffalo, Carolina, Detroit, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Utah

3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York Islanders, Ottawa, San Jose, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas, Winnipeg

2 Games – New York Rangers, Washington

Buffalo, Detroit and Tampa Bay play four games on the road.

Pittsburgh plays four games at home.

Anaheim, Florida, San Jose and Vegas play three games on the road.

Minnesota, New Jersey, the New York Islanders, Philadelphia, Seattle, Toronto, Utah and Winnipeg play three games at home.

ANAHEIM

Games this week

@ Pittsburgh, @ New York Islanders, @ New Jersey

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

Beckett Sennecke had a goal and an assist Friday to give him 22 points and the NHL lead among all rookies... The Ducks hope that this is their final week without the services of goaltender Lukas Dostal, who is out with an upper-body injury. Complicating matters is the fact that Petr Mrazek also suffered a lower-body injury Nov. 30 and is out 2-3 weeks, leaving the goaltending this week in the hands of Ville Husso and Vyacheslav Buteyets.

BOSTON

Games this week

@ St. Louis, @ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: @ Minnesota (Sunday)

Notes

David Pastrnak remains out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury. He has missed five games and while he skated prior to practice Friday, he could be out of action for a while longer... Morgan Geekie is second in goal scoring in the NHL with 22, two behind Nathan MacKinnon. Geekie leads the Bruins in points as well with 32, three better than Pastrnak... Jeremy Swayman has really turned around his season. He was a below-average netminder last season but is 12-7-0 with a 2.70 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 2025-26.

BUFFALO

Games this week

@ Calgary, @ Edmonton, @ Vancouver, @ Seattle

Tired: @ Edmonton (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Sabres play all four games on the road this week, including three games in four nights... Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen should get at least two starts with Colten Ellis and/or Alex Lyon also seeing action... Josh Norris returned to action with a bang this week, scoring twice and adding three assists in three contests... Owen Power has gone 11 games without a point and only has two goals and seven points in 27 appearances.

CALGARY

Games this week

vs. Buffalo, vs. Detroit, @ Los Angeles

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Flames have won two in a row and are 6-2-1 in their last nine games to climb out of the Western Conference basement... Dustin Wolf regained his form this past week and has a pair of wins, allowing only one goal on 55 shots... Rasmus Andersson has three goals and 11 assists in his last 11 games, giving him 20 points in 30 games. He is second in Calgary scoring, three points in arrears of Nazem Kadri.

CAROLINA

Games this week

vs. Columbus, @ Washington, @ Philadelphia, vs. Philadelphia

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Hurricanes play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week... Look for Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi to share the crease... The Hurricanes play the Flyers in a home-and-home matchup, so look for K'Andre Miller to be in the middle of the commotion, if there are any fireworks... Jackson Blake snapped a six-game scoring drought with a pair of goals and an assist Saturday. He has eight goals and 18 points.  

CHICAGO  

Games this week

vs. New York Rangers, @ St. Louis, vs. Detroit

Tired: vs. Detroit (Saturday)

Rested: @ St. Louis (Friday)

Notes

Chicago plays three games in four nights... Spencer Knight should get a pair of starts with Arvid Soderblom playing once. Knight gave up six goals on 32 shots Saturday in a loss to Los Angeles but is still 9-6-5 with a 2.65 GAA and a .914 save percentage. He has been one of the top goaltenders this season in the NHL... Tyler Bertuzzi continues to impress this season with 14 goals and 24 points in 25 appearances.

COLORADO

Games this week

@ Nashville, vs. Florida, vs. Nashville

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Florida (Thursday)

Notes

The Avalanche play a pair of games against Nashville this week... Should there be any fisticuffs, look for Josh Manson to be involved... Valeri Nichushkin returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. He scored in his second game back and has six goals and 13 points in 19 games... Nathan MacKinnon continues to lead the NHL in scoring with 48 points and a plus-35 rating.

COLUMBUS

Games this week

@ Carolina, vs. Ottawa, vs. Vegas  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Blue Jackets are once again led in scoring by defenseman Zach Werenski. Werenski has points in 11 of his last 12 games and has 19 points in the dozen contests... I've been impressed with the offensive talent of Denton Mateychuk. The defenseman has six goals and 12 points this season, including a power-play goal, though he is only averaging nine seconds of power-play time per game this season... Elvis Merzlikins gave up seven goals on 40 shots in an overtime loss to Florida on Saturday.

DALLAS

Games this week

@ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota, vs. Florida  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Stars suffered a major blow this past week when Tyler Seguin was lost for the season with a knee injury... Lian Bichsel (lower body) was also placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 30 after undergoing surgery this week... Jason Robertson continues to score, as he has 15 goals and 13 assists in 18 games since Nov. 1... Jake Oettinger has won five in a row, allowing nine goals on 138 shots... Mikko Rantanen continues to lead the NHL with 65 PIM. Add in his 38 points in 29 games and the Finn could end up with the best fantasy season of his career. He had 55 goals, 50 assists and 82 PIM in 2022-23.

DETROIT

Games this week

@ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton, @ Chicago

Tired: @ Edmonton (Thursday)

Rested: @ Chicago (Saturday)

Notes

The Red Wings play all four games on the road, including three games in four nights... Cam Talbot and John Gibson will likely split the net this week... Patrick Kane is heating up. The veteran forward has two goals and six points in his last four games and has 14 points in his last 13 appearances, dating back to Nov. 13... Rookie Emmitt Finnie is still seeing first-line action and potted his sixth goal of the season Saturday.

EDMONTON

Games this week

vs. Buffalo, vs. Detroit, @ Toronto, @ Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Buffalo (Tuesday), vs. Detroit (Thursday)

Notes

The Oilers play three games in four nights as part of a four-game week... Stuart Skinner should get three starts with Calvin Pickard playing once... Elliotte Friedman noted during the second intermission of Hockey Night in Canada that the Oilers are interested in Tristan Jarry. A deal could be difficult though, as the Penguins are not interested in retaining any salary and the Oilers are up against the salary cap.

FLORIDA

Games this week

@ Utah, @ Colorado, @ Dallas

Tired: @ Colorado (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Panthers play three games in four nights... Sergei Bobrovsky should get two start with Daniil Tarasov playing once. Bobrovsky has really struggled this season, posting an 11-8-1 record with a 2.98 GAA and an .881 save percentage, which is 61st in the NHL... Sam Bennett had a goal and three assists Saturday versus Columbus, giving him two goals and eight points in his last four games. He got off to a bad start with nine points in his first 23 appearances.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week

@ Utah, @ Seattle, vs. Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Kings have been great on the road this season, going 9-2-4. Unfortunately, the team is only 4-6-3 at home, even after a 6-0 shutout over Chicago on Saturday... Brandt Clarke was a stud Saturday, scoring twice. The defenseman has five goals and nine assists in 28 games... Drew Doughty returned to the lineup Thursday after missing seven games with a lower-body injury. He had a pair of assists Saturday, giving him 10 points in 21 appearances.

MINNESOTA

Games this week

@ Seattle, vs. Dallas, vs. Ottawa, vs. Boston

Tired: vs. Boston (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Wild play four games this week including three in four nights... Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt should share the crease. Wallstedt was on an unbelievable run until he allowed four goals on 20 shots in a 4-2 loss in Vancouver on Saturday. Prior to that, he had won seven games in a row with four shutouts. Wallstedt is 8-1-2 with a 1.95 GAA and a .936 save percentage... Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist Saturday, boosting his points total to 12 in 14 games.

MONTREAL

Games this week

vs. Tampa Bay, @ Pittsburgh, @ New York Rangers, vs. Edmonton

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Tampa Bay (Tuesday)

Notes

The Canadiens play four games this week including three games in four nights... Look for Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes to share the net this week... Cole Caufield has a 10-game scoring streak, currently the longest in the NHL. He has three goals and nine helpers during the streak, giving him 15 goals and 30 points in 27 outings... Rookie Ivan Demidov has only six goals, but has 15 assists in 27 games and is second in rookie scoring with 21 points.

NASHVILLE

Games this week

vs. Colorado, vs. St. Louis, @ Colorado

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Predators play a pair of games against Colorado this week, so look for Michael McCarron to be in the middle of things if tempers flare... Rookie Ozzy Wiesblatt (upper body) is out 8-10 weeks following collisions with Carter Verhaeghe and McCarron in the opening period Thursday... The Predators could be on the verge of dealing Steven Stamkos and/or Ryan O'Reilly as they are 31st in the NHL standings.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week

@ Ottawa, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Anaheim, vs. Vancouver

Tired: vs. Vancouver (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Devils play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen should share the net... Jack Hughes (finger surgery) is still a month away from returning to action... Timo Meier scored his 11th of the season Saturday in a 4-1 loss to Boston, giving him 23 points in 29 appearances... Stefan Noesen has only two assists in his last 19 games, despite seeing plenty of time on the top line.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week

vs. Vegas, vs. Anaheim, vs. Tampa Bay

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Islanders are home for all three games this week... Selecting Matthew Schaefer first overall in the 2025 Draft has changed the thinking of the organization away from a total rebuild. He looks to be the runaway winner of the Calder Trophy with eight goals and 20 points in 29 games, including four goals and nine points on the power play. The 18-year-old has averaged almost 23:30 of ice time, and his play has made the Noah Dobson trade with Montreal look even better. The Islanders picked up Emil Heineman in the trade, plus a pair of first-round picks in 2025 which they used to select Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. The future looks bright on Long Island.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week

@ Chicago, vs. Montreal

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

Adam Fox is week-to-week with an upper-body injury... The Rangers are going with five forwards on the top power play with Fox out of the lineup... The Rangers recalled Jaroslav Chmelar and reassigned Brennan Othmann to the minors Saturday. Perhaps Othmann needs a change of scenery, as the Rangers do not seem interested in giving their 2021 first-round pick (16th overall) a chance to play at the NHL level.

OTTAWA 

Games this week

vs. New Jersey, @ Columbus, @ Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Senators are floundering, as they have lost two straight and are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games... Tim Stutzle has only one assist in his last five games... Jake Sanderson saw his five-game point streak come to an end Saturday. Sanderson has six goals and 23 points in 28 games and is poised to break his career-high 57 points set last season... Shane Pinto is out at least a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week

vs. San Jose, vs. Vegas, vs. Carolina, @ Carolina

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Flyers play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week... Dan Vladar should play at least twice and possibly three times with Samuel Ersson playing the remainder... The Flyers received a mighty blow to their playoff hopes when Tyson Foerster suffered an upper-body injury that will keep him sidelined for 2-3 months. Foerster had 10 goals in 21 games before the injury and likely will be out until after the Olympic break.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week

vs. Anaheim, vs. Montreal, vs. San Jose, vs. Utah

Tired: vs. Utah (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Penguins play all four games at home this week including three games in four nights... Tristan Jarry will get two starts and maybe three with Arturs Silovs playing the remainder of the contests... Thomas Novak has a goal and five points in his last four games... Sidney Crosby has had only one 50-goal season, potting 51 in the 2009-10 campaign as a 22-year-old. He is on pace to do it again this season though at the age of 38, as he has 18 goals in 26 matches.

SAN JOSE

Games this week

@ Philadelphia, @ Toronto, @ Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Sharks got Jeff Skinner back Friday after he missed 10 games with a lower-body injury... Michael Misa (lower body) was loaned to AHL San Jose on Wednesday for a conditioning stint. He has been out since Nov. 1 and if he doesn't return to the Sharks, he will be loaned to Team Canada for the World Junior tournament... Dmitry Orlov has 16 assists in 29 games, including seven on the power play.

SEATTLE

Games this week

vs. Minnesota, vs. Los Angeles, @ Utah, vs. Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Kraken have been let down in net of late by Joey Daccord. He has lost his last four straight games, allowing 16 goals on only 85 shots... Vince Dunn has been a very good offensive defenseman during his four years with the Kraken. He has slumped of late though, with a goal and an assist in his last nine games. He is a good buy-low candidate at this time... Shane Wright continues to see bottom-six minutes. The fourth pick in the 2022 Draft, Wright has five goals and 12 points in 26 games.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week

vs. Boston, @ Nashville, vs. Chicago

Tired: vs. Chicago (Friday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Blues play three games in four nights... Look for Jordan Binnington to play twice with Joel Hofer picking up one start... Jordan Kyrou suffered a lower-body injury Saturday and could be questionable for this week's action... Robert Thomas has struggled this season with 17 points in 25 games after picking up over 80 points in each of the last two seasons.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week

@ Toronto, @ Montreal, @ New Jersey, @ New York Islanders

Tired: @ Montreal (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes

The Lightning play all four games on the road, including three games in four nights... Andrei Vasilevskiy (if healthy) should get three starts with Jonas Johansson picking up one. Vasilevskiy has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury... Victor Hedman (undisclosed) returned to action Saturday after missing 12 games... Nikita Kucherov missed Saturday's tilt versus the Islanders and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

TORONTO

Games this week

vs. Tampa Bay, vs. San Jose, vs. Edmonton

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Maple Leafs have been getting outstanding offensive production from defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The 34-year-old Swede had his nine-game point streak (three goals and seven assists) snapped Tuesday in Florida. He has four goals and 20 points in 28 games... The Leafs are in serious trouble in net as both Anthony Stolarz (upper body) and Joseph Woll (lower body) are on injured reserve and are not expected to play this week. Dennis Hildeby, who has only 14 career NHL games on his resume, and Artur Akhtyamov, who has zero, are the next men up in the crease.

UTAH

Games this week

vs. Los Angeles, vs. Florida, vs. Seattle, @ Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: @ Pittsburgh (Sunday)

Notes

The Mammoth play three games in four nights, as part of their four-game week... Karel Vejmelka should get at least two starts and possibly three, while Vitek Vanecek will pick up the remaining starts... Logan Cooley was injured last week when he had a knee-on-knee collision against the Blues. Cooley played the next two games, but was scratched Saturday in Calgary with a lower-body injury. You have to wonder if he is still hurting.

VANCOUVER

Games this week

vs. Detroit, vs. Buffalo, @ New Jersey

Tired:  None

Rested: @ New Jersey (Sunday)

Notes

The Canucks lost Elias Pettersson to an upper-body injury prior to Saturday's game versus Minnesota... Aatu Raty stepped up with a pair of goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory... Brock Boeser is slumping. The winger has a goal and an assist in his last nine games... Evander Kane (forearm laceration) returned from a one-game absence and had an assist. Kane has two goals and four assists in his last eight games.  

VEGAS

Games this week

@ New York Islanders, @ Philadelphia, @ Columbus

Tired: None

Rested: None

Carter Hart returned to the NHL for the first time in 23 months Tuesday, stopping 27 shots in a 4-3 win. Hart suffered a lower-body injury that forced him to sit out Friday, but should still see plenty of playing time once he returns, at least until Adin Hill returns from a lower-body injury... Braeden Bowman is seeing first-line action with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev and has five goals and nine points in 12 appearances.  

WASHINGTON  

Games this week

vs. Carolina, @ Winnipeg

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

John Carlson (upper body) could return to action this week. The defenseman has six goals and 23 points in 26 appearances, after missing the last two games... Justin Sourdif was elevated to the second line, between Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson... Wilson is having a tremendous start to his season. The 31-year-old has 11 goals and eight assists in 18 games since the beginning of November... Anthony Beauvillier continues to see first-line action despite having just six goals and four assists in 29 contests.

WINNIPEG

Games this week

vs. Dallas, vs. Boston, vs. Washington

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes

The Jets really miss Connor Hellebuyck (knee surgery) as their goaltending has been less than stellar, to put it politely, since he went down a month ago... Gabriel Vilardi has seven goals and four assists in his last nine games... Jonathan Toews is not the offensive player he was with Chicago. While that shouldn't be expected at the age of 37 and after taking two years off, he has only one goal and one assist in his last 16 games.