The men’s hockey team at the University of Michigan stayed in the top spot in both national polls on Monday, followed by North Dakota, Michigan State, Denver and Western Michigan.
The Wolverines received all 50 first-place votes in the uscho.com poll and all 34 first-place votes in the USA Hockey NCAA Div. 1 men’s hockey poll.
Advertisement
More: Michigan to play Ohio State for Big Ten hockey title; how to get tickets
The Wolverines will face Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament final at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor on Saturday at 8 p.m
Michigan (28-7-1) advanced with a 5-2 win over Penn State at Yost on Saturday. Ohio State upset Michigan State, 3-2, in overtime at Munn Ice Arena In East Lansing.
Michigan rallies together before the start of the annual Duel in the D hockey game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University at Little Caesars Arena, in Detroit, February 7, 2026.
Canton’s Cotter scores OT winner
Paul Cotter (Canton) scored with seven seconds remaining in overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Monday in Newark, N.J.
Three seconds before Cotter’s tally, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy fired a shot that deflected off both goalie Jacob Markstrom and the goalpost. The Devils quickly moved the puck back up ice after the near-miss, resulting in a breakaway for Cotter and his first career overtime winner.
Advertisement
Cotter scored another goal in regulation, while Jack Hughes had three assists for New Jersey and surpassed the 400-point career milestone. Connor Brown had a goal and an assist, and Jesper Bratt also scored for the Devils.
Markstrom stopped 19 of 22 shots to earn his 20th win in 38 games this season.
The Devils are 6-2-0 in their last eight games, but still 11 points behind the Bruins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card slot.
Boston is 5-3-4 in its last 12 games, without any back-to-back wins in that inconsistent stretch.
David Pastrnak had two goals and Pavel Zacha also tallied for the Bruins. Goalie Joonas Korpisalo stopped 30 of 34 shots. Boston will be in Detroit Saturday night (8 p.m., ABC).
Advertisement
Sabres’ road success to be challenged
Holding a four-point lead in the Atlantic Division with just 15 games remaining, the Buffalo Sabres are in good shape to snap a well-documented 14-year playoff drought.
But a challenging four-game Western trip that begins Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights has the potential to be a stumbling block.
The Sabres also will visit Anaheim, which held a one-point lead over Vegas in a tight Pacific Division race entering Monday, as well as San Jose and Los Angeles, two teams in a dogfight to make the playoffs.
“It’s a tough trip in regards that you’re going to play four games in six nights,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said before a long flight to Las Vegas after Monday’s practice. “You’ve got to be ready, because this time of year every team is looking to stay where they’re at, or looking to climb the standings. And every team we’re playing is right there in the thick of it, so it’s gonna be a heck of a road trip.”
Advertisement
The good news is that Buffalo has excelled on the road since a 4-3 overtime win at Edmonton on Dec. 9, going 17-2-1 in its last 20 road games. Goaltender Alex Lyon has won nine straight road starts, two off the NHL record held by Devan Dubnyk (2014-15) and Evgeni Nabokov (2009-10).
“We have a lot more confidence, obviously,” Ruff said. “We’ve played well on the road. We’ve been able to hang around in tight games and find ways to win. We’ve been able to push through when the game is tied in the third, we’ve been able to come back (after) a poor first period or poor start to the game. I think the group believes that even if things haven’t gone your way early on, you can still battle back.”
Buffalo is 9-1-0 over its last 10 games following a 4-1-0 homestand, with the lone loss coming 2-1 to Washington on Thursday. The Sabres bounced back for a 3-2 shootout win over Toronto on Saturday to improve to 4-0 in shootouts.
“I think sometimes when you play five games in a row at home, and you’ve had success and a couple of huge emotional games, and everybody’s trying to tell you how good you are, it’s time to go on the road for a couple,” Ruff joked.
Advertisement
World Cup of Hockey to return in 2028
The 2028 World Cup of Hockey will be staged in the Canadian province of Alberta, with games in Calgary and Edmonton, as well as in Prague in the Czech Republic, the National Hockey League (NHL) said on Monday.
The tournament will feature eight teams and 17 games over 13 days in February 2028, with Calgary and Prague each hosting six round-robin games and one elimination match, while Edmonton will stage the semi-finals and the championship game.
“We think all three cities are going to do great things for this event,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told a press conference.
Advertisement
“We believe this will be a huge success… highlighting the best-on-best that we believe is the best of any sport with the world’s greatest athletes.”
Calgary’s Scotia Place, a new state-of-the-art arena expected to open for the 2027-28 NHL season, will be among the venues alongside Prague’s O2 Arena and Rogers Place in Edmonton.
The event will mark the fourth edition of the NHL-run international tournament and the first since 2016, when Canada defeated Team Europe in the final in Toronto.
The World Cup of Hockey is organised by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association and features national teams made up primarily of NHL players, though non-league players will also be eligible to participate.
Advertisement
The NHL schedule during the 2027-28 season will pause for 17 days to accommodate the competition and allow participating players time to return to their clubs afterward.
The tournament is part of the league’s renewed push for regular best-on-best international competition, which has also included the return of NHL players to the Olympic stage at the Milano Cortina Games after a 12-year absence.
“It is a great day for hockey,” NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said.
“When you look at what’s been accomplished over the last two years; the 4 Nations tournament, NHL players returning to the Olympics in Milan this February, and now the World Cup of Hockey… it’s great for our players, our fans and the growth of the game.”
Advertisement
NTDP’s military appreciation weekend
USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program will host the 15th annual military and veterans appreciation weekend Friday and Saturday at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
Team USA will face the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks to celebrate local veterans, active-duty military members, first responders, law enforcement and their families.
Players will wear special military-inspired jerseys to be auctioned online. Proceeds from the jersey auction will benefit Folds of Honor Motor City, an organization dedicated to providing educational scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled service members.
Advertisement
Friday night’s game will include a special appearance by the Michigan Flight Museum’s Tribute Rosies and recognition of American Legion honorees.
Saturday night will feature a tribute to several World War II veterans. Honored guests include original Rosie the Riveters Fran Masters (104), Delphine Klaput (101) and Virginia Rusch (101), along with World War II veterans Ray Hiatt (101), William Neu (101), George Leland (101) and Elmer Knox (101).
Local schedules
Monday
▶ Red Wings 5, Flames 2
Advertisement
Thursday
▶ Montreal at Red Wings, 7
Friday
▶ Grand Rapids at Rockford, 8
▶ Waterloo at NTDP U18, 7
▶ NTDP U17 at Omaha, 7
Saturday
▶ Boston at Red Wings, 8
▶ Grand Rapids at Milwaukee, 7
▶ Ohio State at Michigan, 8
▶ Waterloo at NTDP U18, 7
▶ NTDP U17 at Omaha, 7
Sunday
▶ Grand Rapids at Rockford, 5
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Hockey roundup: Michigan tops both national polls; Canton’s Cotter scores in OT
