Which NHL coach is on the hottest seat right now?
Is it Andrew Brunette? In his third year coaching the Nashville Predators, Brunette's team just can't find chemistry, despite having some terrific players on the roster.
Is it Lindy Ruff? After Kevyn Adams was fired as Buffalo Sabres GM, social media ran rampant about the possibility of new GM Jarmo Kekalainen making a change behind the bench, possibly even looking toward a certain ESPN analyst to fill the role. But the Sabres have won five straight and are deflecting that talk right now (winning cures everything, after all).
Then, there's Toronto.
The Maple Leafs are struggling; there's no question. After finishing first in the Atlantic Division last season, they're near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, with 35 points through 34 games. They have allowed 113 goals, the 12th most in the league, and more surprisingly, have scored 108 goals themselves; that's good for 15th in the NHL but much lower than their expected output (especially compared to recent seasons). The loss of Mitch Marner has certainly played a part.
But after a particularly stinging loss against the Predators, the postgame quotes painted quite an interesting picture.
"Yeah, it is. It's mental, for sure. We've got to get through it," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told reporters. "We've got to get over that. We've got to make better decisions throughout the game."
But then there's this from captain Auston Matthews: "I think mentally we're fine. I thought tonight, as s----y as it is losing, I thought the process was better. I thought we had good energy all night. And even though you're leaving the rink upset, not getting out of any points in tonight's game, I think just the process that we had throughout is something that we can take and move forward."
Are the coach and his players not on the same page?
Two quotes a fired coach does not make, but in a hockey-crazed market like Toronto, they will certainly get people asking more questions. The spotlight is simply brighter and the leeway a bit shorter.
The Leafs have lost two in a row; what if the streak reaches five? Of course, the Leafs have been hit by the injury bug -- but many other teams have, too. Toronto will be an interesting team to keep an eye on in the next few weeks, especially after the holiday roster freeze lifts.
Jump ahead:
Games of the week
What I loved this weekend
Hart Trophy candidates
Social post of the week
Stick taps
MONDAY
Vancouver
Canucks at
Philadelphia
Flyers
7:30 ET | NHL Network
Philly has lost four of its past five, including to the Rangers at MSG where the home team can't buy a win this season. They face Vancouver, a team with an infusion of young talent from the Quinn Hughes trade. I'm interested to see how they jell and develop (before the next inevitable veteran trade).
TUESDAY
Nashville
Predators at
Minnesota
Wild
8 ET | ESPN+/Hulu
Speaking of Hughes, he has a goal and two assists in four games with Minnesota so far, looking dangerous with Brock Faber as the Wild's top defensive pairing. Maybe we can get Nick Saban to join during the intermissions since he just bought a minority stake in the Predators. Hey, a guy can dream!
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
The NHL's holiday break! Enjoy the time with your families.
SATURDAY
New York
Rangers at
New York
Islanders
6 ET | ESPN+
The Colorado Avalanche-Vegas Golden Knights game has a lot of fire power, and Colorado still has just two regulation losses through 34 games. They are appointment viewing so long as they keep pace for the NHL season points record, which they are on pace to break.
But I like the Rangers on Long Island to face the Isles. The Blueshirts are lights-out away from home, but it will feel like a home game with the amount of Rangers fans at UBS Arena for the game. We will see how the Rangers respond to a choppy stretch that included a home win against the Flyers but also losses to Vancouver, Anaheim and Chicago.
SUNDAY
Montreal
Canadiens at
Tampa Bay
Lightning
5 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Phillip Danault is back with the Canadiens -- will the pizza tradition continue if they make the playoffs?
The Bolts have regressed after a hot start in late October and November; they are 3-6-1 in their past 10. Both teams are dealing with injuries. Both teams have a very viable shot of being playoff teams in an Eastern Conference that is starting to see a little separation after they were superglued together by the end of November.
What I loved this weekend
The Habs have had a goaltending conundrum this season, eventually calling up Jacob Fowler to alleviate the concerns of the play of Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes. The 21-year-old rookie, who played his college hockey at Boston College, earned a shutout in the fourth start of his NHL career, stopping all 31 shots the Pittsburgh Penguins sent towards goal. Fowler became the youngest Canadiens goalie with a clean sheet since Carey Price in 2007-08.
Speaking of young achievements on the Canadiens, Lane Hutson became the fourth fastest American defenseman to reach 100 career points (119th game), behind only Mark Howe (94), Brian Leetch (102) and Phil Housley (106).
And speaking of the Penguins, I generally love the concept of "no lead is safe," but we've had two examples that won't exactly fill the respective fan bases' hearts with joy. Last weekend, Pittsburgh became the first team in NHL history to squander multiple three-plus-goal leads in the third period in the same season. This weekend, the Hurricanes made it back-to-back games saying goodbye to three-goal leads then losing. Ouch.
Hart Trophy candidates if the season ended today
Uh oh, Avs fans ... here comes Connor McDavid!
Here I was thinking that Nathan MacKinnon would lead the way for the rest of the season while sleeping on McDavid ... you just can't do that! McDavid and MacKinnon are tied atop the points race, so they both get a Hart Trophy nod this week. Nate is on a seven-game point streak, with six points in his last three games. Connor, meanwhile, is on a nifty nine-game heater and has seven points in his past three games. This one could flip-flop like a pancake on a skillet for the rest of the season.
For that third spot, we're taking a one-week hiatus from pushing the "goalie for Hart" narrative. Macklin Celebrini continues to shine bright like a diamond, on a team that is battling for a wild-card spot. So it's the Return of the Mack for a Hart Trophy nod this week from me -- Celebrini has 10 points in his past four games.
Social media post of the weekend
One of the most popular, fun and inventive hockey creators out there is Pavel Barber.
In the clip below, he flips a puck in the air and picks up a baseball bat to hit a home run. Is there anything this guy can't do on the ice? (Bonus points for the GO Train speeding by as he does it; great catch.)
Stick taps
I have a few this week. First, stick taps to one of the greatest American hockey players of all time, Hilary Knight, who announced that the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics will be her last. Knight has played 105 international games across Olympic games and World championships, winning Olympic Gold and 10 World championships (no big deal). She was a great analyst to work with at ESPN -- we hosted a couple Stanley Cup Final pregame shows for international markets together.
Stick taps to Auston Matthews, who recently said that he wishes there was a season two of "The Acolyte" (same, Auston, same).
Stick taps to anniversaries! Dec. 19 marked 46 years since ESPN aired its very first NHL game, the Hartford Whalers vs. the Washington Capitals at the Springfield Civic Center. The graphics from that game are peak retro!
