New York Rangers dominate 2026 Winter Classic: The Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 5-1 in the historic outdoor game at loanDepot Park in Miami—the southernmost regular-season NHL game ever. Mika Zibanejad recorded the first hat trick in Winter Classic history and added two assists for five points. Alexis Lafrenière continued his strong play in outdoor games.

Seattle Kraken edge Nashville Predators in shootout: Matty Beniers sealed the win with a highlight-reel shootout goal, earning two crucial points for Seattle.

Minnesota Wild crush Anaheim Ducks: The Wild won convincingly, with Quinn Hughes notching a franchise-record four assists (the first defenseman with multiple 4-assist games for different teams in one season). Danila Yurov scored twice, extending Minnesota’s dominance over Anaheim (20 wins in last 21 meetings).

Other recent highlights: Montreal Canadiens started 2026 with a 7-5 win over Carolina Hurricanes; Auston Matthews returned strong for Toronto.

World Junior Championship 2026 (Quarterfinals Complete)

Big upset: Finland stunned the United States in overtime, eliminating the defending champions. Arttu Valila scored the game-winner.

Semifinal matchups set (Sunday)

Canada vs. Czechia

Finland vs. Sweden (assumed based on advancements)

The tournament, hosted in Minneapolis/St. Paul, continues toward the gold medal game on January 5.

2026 Olympics Prep

Rosters continue to roll out for the men’s tournament (NHL players returning for the first time since 2014):

Canada, Sweden, Finland, and USA have announced strong lineups, featuring stars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews.
Notable discussions around snubs and surprises across teams.

Hockey is heating up post-holidays with the Olympic break approaching in February! For visuals from the Winter Classic or World Juniors highlights: