Friday night in the NHL was a total fever dream. If you were looking for tight, defensive battles, you basically picked the wrong night to check the scoreboard. We saw a team get absolutely dismantled in Raleigh, a historic winning streak come to a grinding halt in a shootout, and a rookie making a massive name for himself in the bright lights of Los Angeles.
Honestly, the nhl last night scores tell a story of a league that is currently wide open. We're at that point in the season—mid-January—where the "dog days" usually kick in, but nobody told these teams. Between the high-scoring blowouts and the desperate goaltending, the intensity felt more like April than January.
The Hurricanes Just Put on a Clinic
Let's talk about the Lenovo Center. The Carolina Hurricanes didn't just win; they essentially held a masterclass at the expense of the Florida Panthers. A 9-1 final score is the kind of result that makes you do a double-take. It wasn't just one guy, either. Nikolaj Ehlers was all over the ice, netting a hat trick and adding an assist for a four-point night.
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Taylor Hall looked like his vintage self, potting two goals. Even Mark Jankowski got in on the action with three points. It was 4-1 after the first, and honestly, it felt over then. By the time the third period rolled around, it was just a matter of how high the score would go. Brandon Bussi got the start and basically had the best seat in the house for the offensive explosion.
St. Louis Plays Spoiler to the Streak
Over at the Enterprise Center, the vibes were completely different. The Tampa Bay Lightning rolled into town with an 11-game winning streak on the line, trying to set a new franchise record. They hadn't lost since mid-December. But the St. Louis Blues had other plans.
The Blues actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Jake Neighbours and Nick Bjugstad scoring just 30 seconds apart. Tampa, being Tampa, roared back. Nikita Kucherov is playing like a man possessed lately, and he notched a power-play goal before assisting on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s equalizer just a minute later.
It went to a shootout, and that's where things got weird. St. Louis had been 0-8 in overtime or shootouts this year. Statistically, they were due for a disaster. Instead, Jordan Kyrou pulled off a nasty backhand move to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. Joel Hofer then stood tall, stopping Kucherov to seal the 3-2 win. Streak over.
Freeway Faceoff Drama
The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks met for the first chapter of a back-to-back "Freeway Faceoff," and it lived up to the name. The Kings were up 2-0 midway through the second, thanks to Joel Armia and Quinton Byfield. You’d think they’d cruise from there.
Nope.
Ryan Strome scored his first goal in a month to cut the lead. Then, Tim Washe—an undrafted 24-year-old playing in just his sixth NHL game—found a rebound off the boards and tucked it in for his first career goal. It was a "welcome to the show" moment that changed the entire energy of the building.
The Ducks ended up winning 3-2 in a shootout. Beckett Sennecke, the rookie everyone is watching, had two assists in regulation and then scored in the shootout. Mason McTavish ended it with his signature deliberate style. The Ducks have now won two straight after a brutal nine-game skid.
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Other Scores You Might Have Missed
While those three games stole the headlines, the rest of the league was busy, too.
- Detroit Red Wings 4, San Jose Sharks 2: The Wings are keepin' things steady in the Atlantic. They're sitting right there with Tampa and Montreal in a massive logjam for playoff positioning.
- Nashville Predators 7, Colorado Avalanche 3: This one was a shocker. Colorado usually dominates at Ball Arena, but the Preds just poured it on. Seven goals against an Avalanche defense is rare, but Nashville’s depth really showed up.
- AHL/Junior Updates: If you follow the pipeline, it was a wild night there, too. Kitchener put up 7 goals in the OHL, and Wenatchee went off for 9 in the WHL. Clearly, nobody wanted to play defense on Friday.
Why These Scores Matter for the Standings
Looking at the nhl last night scores, the Atlantic Division is becoming a complete nightmare for coaches. Tampa Bay (61 points) and Detroit (60 points) are neck-and-neck. The Sabres and Bruins are right behind them with 56. Every single point in these January games is going to be the difference between a home-ice advantage and watching the playoffs from a golf course.
In the Metro, Carolina’s blowout win keeps them firmly in the top spot with 60 points. They are the "cream of the crop" right now. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils are sitting at 50 points, six back from a wild-card spot. They’ve got a massive game against those same Hurricanes tonight, and you’ve gotta think they’re watching that 9-1 scoreline with a bit of nerves.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're tracking your fantasy team or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on these three things over the next week:
- Ride the Hot Hand in St. Louis: Joel Hofer is proving he can handle the pressure. If you're in a fantasy league and need a goalie, he’s showing he can shut down even the highest-octane offenses.
- The Sabres' Surge: Buffalo has won 8 of their last 10. Tage Thompson just hit the 200-goal milestone and is playing some of the best hockey of his career. They play Minnesota today—expect a high-scoring affair.
- Olympic Watch: With the Milano Cortina 2026 Games approaching, every injury matters. Leo Carlsson’s thigh injury and Erik Karlsson’s lower-body issues are huge storylines to track. Teams are going to be very cautious with their stars over the next three weeks.
The NHL schedule doesn't slow down. Today features a massive slate including Edmonton at Vancouver and Toronto at Winnipeg. If last night was any indication, keep your eyes on the scoreboard, because the goals are coming fast and frequent right now.