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Thursday night’s NHL slate delivered comeback wins, milestone moments, and major scoring swings—everything bettors watch for. Auston Matthews lifted Toronto with a hat trick, while Tampa Bay pulled off another dramatic third-period rally to stay red-hot. Pittsburgh needed overtime, Montreal outpaced Carolina in a 12-goal shootout, and Utah embarrassed the Islanders behind a breakout hat trick. For bettors, it was a slate driven by momentum shifts, goal flurries, and a few brutal beats.
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Vancouver Canucks
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Seattle Kraken
Anaheim Ducks
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Minnesota Wild
Florida Panthers
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New York Rangers
Open
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Jan 02, 2026 20:10 EST
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Score
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-1.50 +165
Spread
+1.50 -200
o+5.50-110
Total
u+5.50-110
-161
Moneyline
+130
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Top NHL Takeaways
- Auston Matthews’ hat trick sealed Toronto’s rally from 4-1 down to snap Winnipeg’s long losing skid.
- Tampa Bay scored three times in the final 3:19 to stun the Kings and extend their win streak to six.
- Utah tied its season-high with seven goals despite just 21 shots in a rout of the Islanders.
- Pittsburgh got it done in OT behind Crosby and Letang as the Red Wings forced a push but couldn’t close.
- Montreal’s offense exploded for seven goals in a high-variance win over Carolina.
- Chicago held off Dallas late, cashing as a sizable underdog and picking up just its second win in 10.
NHL Game Recaps
Momentum shifts, late goals, and hat tricks defined the action. Here’s how each game unfolded—with angles that mattered most for bettors.
Jets vs Maple Leafs Recap: Maple Leafs win 6-5
Auston Matthews registered a hat trick and added an assist to lift Toronto past Winnipeg in a wild back-and-forth game.
Down 4-1 midway through the second, the Leafs stormed back with three unanswered. After the Jets retook the lead, Matthews buried the winner at 15:38 of the third. Winnipeg’s slide continues—now 0-5-3 in their last eight.
Red Wings vs Penguins Recap: Penguins win 4-3 (OT)
Kris Letang scored just 58 seconds into overtime in his 1,200th career game to give Pittsburgh the win. Sidney Crosby was everywhere, scoring twice and assisting on the winner.
Detroit clawed back twice to force OT but couldn’t finish. Karlsson’s two assists pushed him to 900 career points—14th all-time among defensemen.
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Islanders vs Mammoth Recap: Mammoth win 7-2
Dylan Guenther tallied his first NHL hat trick, and Utah buried the Islanders despite taking just 21 shots.
New York lost leading scorer Bo Horvat to injury in the third and gave up their most goals since April. Utah continues to capitalize on limited chances with clinical finishing.
Lightning vs Kings Recap: Lightning win 5-3
Tampa Bay scored three goals in the final 3:19, including the go-ahead tally from Gage Goncalves and an empty-netter from Nikita Kucherov.
LA led most of the night but collapsed late. Cirelli and Kucherov both finished with multi-point games as the Bolts extended their streak to six.
Capitals vs Senators Recap: Senators win 4-3
Fabian Zetterlund scored the winner with 2:22 left to break a tie and give Ottawa a much-needed win after three straight losses.
Tom Wilson stayed hot for Washington, but Ottawa’s top line generated consistent chances late. Chabot’s setup on the game-winner was a key sequence.
Canadiens vs Hurricanes Recap: Canadiens win 7-5
Montreal came back from a 3-1 hole behind quick goals from Caufield and Anderson in the second period.
Lane Hutson, Slafkovsky, and Suzuki all contributed in a high-tempo, high-scoring environment. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho had five points but still left empty-handed as Montreal’s scoring depth broke through.
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Stars vs Blackhawks Recap: Blackhawks win 4-3
Ilya Mikheyev scored twice and Spencer Knight made 22 saves to help Chicago edge Dallas.
The Stars had their chances but couldn’t stop the Blackhawks’ power-play. Dallas’ four-game losing streak continues, and they’ve now lost back-to-back one-goal games.
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