Published on: February 25, 2026, 01:28h. 

Updated on: February 25, 2026, 01:29h.

• NHL action resumes following Olympic hiatus
• Pittsburgh Penguins face a four-week absence of Sidney Crosby due to a lower body injury sustained during the Olympics
• Colorado Avalanche emerge as top contenders to clinch the Stanley Cup

The NHL schedule is set to accelerate now that the fortnight Olympic hiatus has concluded. Teams will be racing towards the March 6 trade deadline and the regular season finale on April 16.

Crosby Set to Miss Minimum of Four Weeks

The Eastern Conference is tightly packed, with only nine points differentiating the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning from the eighth-place New York Islanders. Conversely, the Western Conference appears more dominant, with the Colorado Avalanche leading at 83 points—five points ahead of the second-place Minnesota Wild and 20 points above the eighth-place Anaheim Ducks.

Today’s major news for NHL bettors comes from Pittsburgh regarding Sidney Crosby. The injury he sustained during the Olympics, where he endeavored to return for the gold medal matchup against the United States but was ultimately sidelined, is more severe than initially thought. He has now been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. Crosby, boasting 27 goals and 59 points before the break, is a key offensive player for the Penguins.

Brian Burke, a former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, likened his team’s dramatic fall in the 2011-12 season from 4th to 13th place in the Eastern Conference—a dip that resulted in missing the playoffs—to “an 18-wheeler tumbling off a cliff.”

Stars Lose Rantanen as Well

Could the Penguins face a similar fate, given they haven’t made the playoffs since the 2021-22 season? Their current record stands at 29-15-12, placing them second in the tightly contested Metropolitan Division.

Tomorrow, the Penguins will host the New Jersey Devils to resume action.

Another pivotal loss occurs for the Dallas Stars, with Mikko Rantanen also set to miss considerable time due to a lower body injury from the Olympics, mirroring Crosby’s situation. Coach Glen Gulutzan informed the media that he anticipates Rantanen’s return before the playoff season; however, the team will reevaluate his condition in two weeks.

Upcoming Trade Deadline Approaches

“I had expected this based on reports from the Olympics,” Gulutzan shared with the Associated Press. “It’s not the best news, but it’s the reality we must face.”

Today’s betting odds indicate significant changes for Stanley Cup contenders at BetMGM: the Avalanche have shortened from +800 to +225, while the Lightning have shifted from +1500 to +500. The Carolina Hurricanes moved from +900 to +700, and the Vegas Golden Knights from +1200 to +900. Top ticket sales include the Avalanche (14.8%), Golden Knights (7.9%), and Hurricanes (7.0%), with the highest handle also favoring the Avalanche (19.7%), followed by the Oilers (8.4%) and Hurricanes (7.7%). The biggest liabilities fall on the San Jose Sharks, Penguins, and Seattle Kraken.

The Lightning are currently favored to emerge from the Eastern Conference at +210. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings gather the highest ticket percentage at 15.3%, and the Lightning lead in handle percentage at 14.8%. In the Western Conference, Colorado tops the field at +140, capturing the highest ticket percentage at 25.8% and handle at 26.3%.