Recap of NHL from 12 December 2025

The Mammoth and Blues each skated to wins in closely contested games on Friday as Utah’s Dylan Guenther rose to the occasion for his club once again. His eight go-ahead goals are tied for the third most among all players this season.
* The Wild acquired Quinn Hughes from the Canucks, who will become the first Norris Trophy winner to play for the franchise. Hughes and Minnesota general manager, Bill Guerin, will also collaborate with Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 after the Orlando, Fla., native was one of the first six players named to the country’s preliminary roster.

* Connor McDavid, who has shone in his hometown at both the professional and international level, returns to Scotiabank Arena as part of a four-game Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. On Friday, Edmonton traded for goaltender Tristan Jarry, who spent four seasons playing for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and backstopped them to a WHL championship and Memorial Cup in 2013-14.

CENTRAL DIVISION CLUBS EARN WINS IN CLOSELY CONTESTED GAMES

The Mammoth (15-15-3, 33 points) and Blues (12-14-7, 31 points) each edged out a tightly contested victory during Friday’s two-pack of NHL action and moved closer to the playoff line in the Western Conference, where six teams are separated by four points.

* Mason Marchment scored twice for the Kraken, including a game-tying goal in the third period, but Dylan Guenther responded roughly five minutes later with his eighth go-ahead goal of the season to help Utah improve to 2-0-0 in home games against Seattle. Guenther’s eight go-ahead goals are tied with Morgan Geekie and Seth Jarvis for the third most among all players this season, behind Cole Caufield (10) and Bo Horvat (9).

* Connor Bedard (0-2—2) factored on two Blackhawks goals en route to his 40th career multi-point game, but Robert Thomas (0-2—2) also collected two assists – including a helper on the game-winning goal – as the Blues improved to 8-2-0 in their past 10 home games against their longtime rival. Overall, Thomas (19-61—80) became the ninth player in franchise history to factor on 80 career game-winning goals.

FAMILIAR FACES ONTO NEW PLACES TO START THE WEEKEND

The Wild acquired Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, while the Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin from the Penguins in exchange for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.

* Hughes, named captain of the Canucks in 2023-24, joins the Wild with 61-371—432 (459 GP; 0.94 P/GP) in his career since debuting in 2018-19 and owns the second-highest points per game among defensemen during that span (min. 5 GP) behind only Cale Makar (1.09 P/GP). The two-time NHL All-Star also owns a Norris Trophy (2023-24) on his resume and shares the distinction as the second-fastest American defenseman in League history to reach 400 career points (also Gary Suter: 421 GP), behind Brian Leetch (380 GP). Overall, Hughes will be the first Norris winner to play for the Wild.

* Jarry, who leaves Pittsburgh with the longest shutout sequence in Penguins history and the only goaltender in franchise history to score a goal, returns to the city of Edmonton after backstopping the Oil Kings to the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions and a Memorial Cup in 2013-14. Fast forward to 2025-26 and Jarry ranks eighth in high-danger save percentage (.848) among goaltenders to face 100 or more high-danger shots prior to the trade.

QUICK CLICKS

* Ducks’ Cutter Gauthier goes deep at MLB Network’s Studio 42

* Colton Parayko a steady force for Blues despite goal drought this season
* Heritage Classic in 2026 will celebrate Jets 2.0, Mark Chipman says
* NHL Power Players youth advisory board announced for 7th season
* NHL STREET will try to break Guiness World Records for largest one-day championship in Florida

SATURDAY’S Schedule HEADLINED BY FOUR HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA GAMES
Saturday’s 13-game slate is highlighted by four Hockey Night in Canada contests, including an Original Six matchup at Madison Square Garden and a showdown between two superstars at Scotiabank Arena.

* Nick Suzuki and the Canadiens are pitted against Artemi Panarin and the Rangers in one of two Original Six matchups Saturday. Suzuki has found the back of the net in each of his last four contests versus New York dating to Oct. 22, 2024, and can become the first Montreal player in nearly 43 years with a five-game goal streak against the Rangers (Steve Shutt: 5 GP from Oct. 25, 1981 – Jan. 27, 1983).

* Connor McDavid and the Oilers (3-0-1 since Dec. 4) put their four-game point streak on the line when they visit Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs (4-0-2 since Nov. 29). McDavid (1.52 P/GP) and Matthews (0.63 G/GP), who played together with Team North America during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, are the active leaders in career points and goals per game, respectively, and rank among the top three in NHL history for each category (min. 500 GP).

* Alex Ovechkin can add to his highest career goal total against one franchise when the Capitals clash with Mark Scheifele and the Jets, who look to snap a three-game slide. Ovechkin has 58 career tallies versus Winnipeg (including 30 from when the club was known as the Atlanta Thrashers) and can become the first player to score his 60th goal against a single franchise since Jaromir Jagr (March 1, 2012 vs. NYI).

* Nazem Kadri and the Flames can record their fourth win in five games when they face Anze Kopitar and the Kings during a Pacific Division duel. Kopitar needs six points to reach 1,300 in his career and tie longtime Calgary captain Jarome Iginla on the NHL’s all-time list as well as 14 to dethrone Marcel Dionne (1,307) for the most in franchise history.

* Saturday is set to feature several more head-to-head games between No. 1 picks including Macklin Celebrini visiting Sidney Crosby during one of two matinees on Sportsnet, Connor Bedard hosting Patrick Kane in the latter’s return to United Center as well as Steven Stamkos following up his four-goal night against Art Ross Trophy race leader Nathan MacKinnon. Crosby has 1,497 career points as a captain and can become the third player in NHL history with 1,500 while donning the “C” after Wayne Gretzky (1,731) and Steve Yzerman (1,537).

McDAVID’S COMMUNITY EFFORTS HIGHLIGHTED AHEAD OF GAME IN HOMETOWN

Connor McDavid will be making his return to Toronto, just over 30 miles from where he grew up playing minor hockey. McDavid’s impact on the game of hockey has gone well beyond the ice and into the Edmonton community, starting with the bond he created with Oilers superfan Ben Stelter.