Colorado Avalanche

NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup: Jets, Oilers & Senators

NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup (Feb 8), Jets win eighth in a row, Oilers lose to the Avalanche, Senators Shane Pinto won’t play tonight again

by
Old Prof
February 8, 2025

Welcome to today’s NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup (February 8). Each day, we’ll bring you three key NHL stories. Here, you can stay updated on the latest team wins and losses, trade talk, and player news from around the NHL.

In today’s roundup, the Winnipeg Jets won their eighth straight game against the New York Islanders last night. The Colorado Avalanche, led by newcomer Martin Necas, scored late to take home a win over the Edmonton Oilers. And, the Ottawa Senators are short a key player in Shane Pinto as they meet the Florida Panthers tonight.

Jets Win Eighth Straight, Defeat Islanders 4-3

Gabriel Vilardi scored twice to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders last night. Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves to help lead his Jets to win their eighth straight. Interestingly, Hellebuyck’s 176th career home win tied Mike Richter for the fifth most by an American goaltender.

Hellebuyck is heading to the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA. Luke Fox asked in his column for Sportsnet, who pointed out the star goalie has struggled come April. “Will Hellebuyck’s ability to take Winnipeg deep be viewed differently if he backstops Team USA to victory?”

Avalanche Edge Oilers 5-4 with Martin Necas’ Game-Winner

Martin Necas has started hot with his new team. Last night, he scored a late goal to help his Colorado Avalanche win a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Also, Nathan MacKinnon put up four points for the Avalanche, extending his NHL-leading point total to 87. Cale Makar also scored twice, including one short-handed marker. Makar is only a single point shy of 400 in his career (108 goals, 291 assists in 372 games played).

Cale Makar Colorado Avalanche defenseman — Cale Makar, of the Colorado Avalanche defenseman

This was a game with not much defense and it looked like two teams ready for a break. The Oilers had some costly turnovers, and there were four goals in a span of under three minutes in the first period.

Shane Pinto Out for the Second Straight Game with Injury

Shane Pinto will miss tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers because of an upper-body injury. On the season, Pinto has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 46 games. The Senators plan to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen against Florida for tonight’s game.

Rantanen Out for Hurricanes

Mikko Rantanen will also miss Saturday’s game for the Carolina Hurricanes due to an injury. Frank Seravalli writes, “Doesn’t sound like the 4 Nations is in jeopardy for forward Mikko Rantanen, but still going through the evaluation process as he sits out today’s game for Carolina.”