DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin played for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night for the first time since asking for a trade, getting stripped of the captaincy, reporting to training camp, missing the start of the season because of injury and getting booed by home fans during introductions prior to their first game.
The crowd booed Larkin when he touched the puck for the first time on his opening shift. Larkin was then slow to get back defensively, and Ottawa's Tim Stützle scored off the rush less than three minutes in.
Coach Todd McLellan said following the morning skate that Larkin would play against the unbeaten Senators as long as the 30-year-old center was cleared by doctors. Larkin was activated off injured reserve prior to taking the ice for pregame warmups.
Larkin is a Michigan native who has played his entire NHL career with Detroit, which last made the playoffs in his rookie season a decade ago. That is the longest active drought of any of the league's 32 teams.
Fans at the home opener taped over Larkin's name with such things as “Loser," “Traitor” and “Leavin" and at times chanted, “Sell the team."
Larkin initially last spring gave the Red Wings only three destinations he'd accept a trade to — Florida, Minnesota and Vegas — before reportedly adding more possibilities in recent weeks.
A lengthy road trip against strong opponents like these — beginning with the defending Stanley Cup Champions, no less — is sure to put Vancouver through a grind.
For Jake DeBrusk, who is just coming off a case of the flu that saw him sit out of Saturday’s 4–1 win against the Calgary Flames and Sunday’s 3–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, this task will be even more difficult.
Tuesday morning’s practice ahead of Vancouver’s flight to Raleigh was DeBrusk’s first time practicing with the full team since skating as an extra on Friday ahead of the weekend games. On Saturday, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra revealed that DeBrusk was out with the flu.
On Tuesday, DeBrusk revealed that his illness had actually begun much earlier than Saturday.
“I initially felt it, actually, the day of the game in Edmonton,” he said in a media availability. “It was a long off-season, long year. You obviously want to play in the first game and the home-opener, but I think obviously the medical staff stepped in. They did their job and they told me that I probably should take some time off.”
In his first practice back with the team, DeBrusk was noticeably a little hoarser than usual, but still managed to emit energy.
Fittingly, in his first practice back, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra had the players bag-skate to end things off. It was a good test of the lungs for the Canucks winger, but also served as a reminder of what state he’ll need to be in to play in Vancouver’s next game.
“I was able to do it, which is great. But I’ve obviously got to test the lungs. That’s the biggest thing right now. It was obviously an air-conditioned building. It sounds like a simple thing, but I feel [it] as soon as I walk in here. So I’ve got to go through it. If I want to play in the next game, I have to do these steps.”
Because of the fact that he’s missed half of Vancouver’s games throughout the start of the regular season — and had to deal with symptoms during the other two — the forward noted that it feels like he has yet to actually start the season. With that, comes those first-day-back feelings of excitement.
“I’m starting off at zero, so it’s been positive. Obviously the last two days I’ve been doing kind of nothing. But to be able to skate today, see the guys, it gives you energy, feeling for them. Everyone’s in a good mood, and it’s nice to be back in the room.”
Vancouver’s first game of their six-game road trip takes place against the Hurricanes on Thursday at 4:00 pm PT.
Sep 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) looks on against the Seattle Kraken during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
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Semyon Varlamov goes for the miracle tonight, starting an NHL game at age 38 and for the first time in two years following two partial knee replacements.
“You ask everyone and they had the same feeling, he gave that vibe that, ‘I’m going to do it, I’ll be the first one in history to ever do it,’” Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau said after the morning skate. “I think we all felt it. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but to see the commitment and the determination that he had in his eyes, it was fun to watch. It was fun to be part of that journey…”
He’ll do it in the New York teams’ first rivalry meeting of the season, with the host Rangers already off to a 3-1 start while the Islanders (1-1) have only played twice.
#Isles at practice Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri Schenn-Ritchie-Eklund Duclair-Pageau-Holmstrom Palat-Ciikas-Maccelli Extra: MacLean Pelech-Schaefer Romanov-Pulock Stanley-DeAngelo Extras: Kessel, Mayfield Sorokin (starter's net) Varlamov
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The winless Philadelphia Flyers have signed gritty winger Michael Bunting in the hopes that he can give them a spark following some alarming early season struggles.
General manager Daniel Briere announced the agreement Tuesday in the aftermath of a 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday night. Bunting’s contract is worth a prorated $1.2 million after he went unsigned over the summer as an unrestricted free agent.
It was not immediately clear how soon the 31-year-old would be able to join the team. Philadelphia next plays at Ottawa on Thursday night.
The Flyers have been outscored 17-5 through four games. Opponents have attempted 246 shots to their 122, a margin of minus-124 that is by far the worst in the NHL, with San Jose next at minus-53.
Bunting is an aggressive energy player who has had a scoring touch over his career and brings some much-needed toughness to the situation. He is a veteran of 432 games, counting the playoffs, since making his debut in the league in 2018 and spent last season with Nashville and Dallas.
Philadelphia is his seventh NHL organization after previously spending time with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Australia all-rounder fails to overcome abdominal strain
Cooper Connolly or Nic Maddinson in contention for No 5 spot
Cameron Green is out of the first Test against South Africa and won’t bowl in the series after succumbing to an abdominal strain.
Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Tuesday in Durban that Green had failed to overcome the injury, which he suffered in the final ODI last week.
Through the first three games of the Winnipeg Jets' season, 18-year-old rookie Viggo Björck has had a mixed start to his NHL career. Heavily doubted when he entered his first NHL action, the youngster has seen both highs and lows so far.
Over three games, Björck has yet to record a point. He has four shots on net, a minus-one rating and a questionable minor penalty in Winnipeg's 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. He has won just under 26 percent of his faceoffs and is averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time a night, with his season high coming in the opener, when he played just shy of 16 minutes.
Under the hood, however, the numbers are more encouraging. Björck has 29 speed bursts between 18 and 20 miles per hour, which ranks in the 91st percentile in the league and shows his skating is well above average.
The Swedish import has also been getting himself into scoring position, with three of his four shots on goal coming in high-danger situations, a mark that ranks in the 88th percentile of the NHL. That suggests his first career goal should come sooner rather than later.
His hardest shot of the season so far clocked in at 77.01 miles per hour, which lands just above league average in the 55th percentile, another sign that his tools are on display early.
While fans hoped Björck would immediately seize a top-six role, his early numbers sit closer to league average than above it, and he may settle into more of a middle-six role for now.
Still, indicators like his high-danger chances point toward a breakout game coming soon, and it could arrive as early as Wednesday night in a massive matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.
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The team announced on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that an MRI confirmed Hukporti suffered a torn right Achilles tendon less than five minutes into the 76ers' exhibition game against the New York Knicks a day earlier. The 7-footer is scheduled to undergo surgery, and ESPN reported the injury is expected to be season-ending for Hukporti.
Ariel Hukporti injury: How it impacts LeBron James, 76ers
The loss of Hukporti is a blow to the Sixers' depth at center, a position that is likely to draw scrutiny given Joel Embiid's injury history and the urgency to win a championship with LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and this star-studded Philadelphia roster.
Embiid hasn't appeared in more than 40 games since the 2022-23 season and his projected back-up, Adem Bona, is also dealing with a foot injury and has yet to participate in team workouts this preseason. Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-5 center who Philadelphia signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, is also sidelined and will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, according to the team.
Hukporti, 24, signed a one-year, $3.4-million contract to join the 76ers after winning an NBA championship with the Knicks. He played sparingly in New York, but the Sixers viewed him as a developmental piece who could compete for frontcourt minutes, particularly during games in which Embiid doesn't play.
The Sixers are eligible to apply for and get awarded a $1.7 million disabled player exception (half of Hukporti's 2026-27 salary), according to ESPN. Philadelphia opens its regular season against the Knicks on Oct. 20.
Ariel Hukporti stats
Hukporti appeared in 54 regular-season games for the Knicks during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while averaging less than 10 minutes per game.
Cameron Green will miss the opening Test of the highly-anticipated series against South Africa beginning on Friday in Durban due to injury in a significant blow for Australia.
Captain Shreyas Iyer struck his maiden T20 international century to lead India to a convincing eight-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening match on Tuesday.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 30: The sneakers worn by Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Senators couldn't have asked for much more from the first two games of their season... except maybe a little better luck on the injury front.
The Senators will take a 2-0 record into Detroit on Tuesday night after an extremely efficient 4-1 road victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday. Tim Stützle led the way with two goals and an assist, but for the second straight game, the Sens win came with an injury concern involving one of their most important players.
This time it was Linus Ullmark.
Drake Batherson talked about the Senators 2-0 start on Monday night (Senators YouTube).
For a good portion of Tuesday, it appeared Ullmark might be available to back up Samuel Ersson against the Red Wings. However, at approximately 2 p.m., the Senators announced they had recalled goaltender Jonas Johansson from Belleville and defenseman Jorian Donovan had been returned to the AHL.
That doesn't necessarily mean Ullmark's injury is more serious than initially believed. With Ersson already expected to start the second half of the back-to-back, recalling Johansson also ensures recovery time for Ullmark in that they don't even have the option to use him off the bench on Tuesday.
Ullmark left Monday's game after the second period following a collision in his crease. Sens captain Thomas Chabot tackled J.J. Peterka as the Boston forward drove toward the net, sending Peterka sliding hard into Ullmark.
Ersson replaced Ullmark for the third period.
As for the rest of the lineup on Tuesday, the Sens didn't have a morning skate, but we know that winger Ridly Greig will return from his two game suspension. In all likelihood, Hayden Hodgson will come out.
The least disruptive strategy would be Greig taking Foegele's spot while Foegele takes Hodgson's spot. But Travis Green will meet with the media before game time and his strategy is the only one that matters.
Sens Lineup (from Monday night)
William Eklund -- Dylan Cozens -- Fabian Zetterlund Warren Foegele -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson Michael Amadio -- Shane Pinto -- Claude Giroux Nick Cousins -- Stephen Halliday -- Hayden Hodgson
Thomas Chabot -- Jordan Spence Tyler Kleven -- Carter Yakemchuk Cameron Crotty -- Nikolas Matinpalo
Samuel Ersson Jonas Johansson
Along with Ullmark, Sens will remain without two of their top three defencemen in Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.
Stalled in Motor City
While the Sens arrive in Detroit undefeated, things have become uncomfortable very quickly for the Red Wings.
Detroit, which holds the copyright to name Hockeytown, also holds the record for longest active NHL playoff drought at 10 years. They opened the season with consecutive losses and scoring just two goals. The good news for the Wings is that former captain Dylan Larkin appears poised to make his season debut Tuesday.
“It looks that way right now,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “He’s got one more hurdle to cross. Still on IR, so the doctor will look at him here, and if he’s clear, he’s playing, and if he isn’t, then he won’t.”
Larkin centred a line with Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson at Tuesday's morning skate and also worked on Detroit's first power-play unit.
The Red Wings could certainly use the offence, but Larkin's return also brings one of Detroit's biggest offseason storylines back to centre stage.
Larkin requested a trade during the offseason, and the Red Wings subsequently stripped him of the captaincy. During player introductions before Detroit's home opener, Larkin was greeted by why widespread boos from the home crowd.
That wasn't the only message Red Wings fans delivered.
“Sell the team” chants could also be heard during the game as frustration surrounding the club spilled into the stands.
And Larkin isn't the only major player involved in an uncomfortable situation with the team.
Defenceman Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned and won't be in the lineup again on Tuesday. The restricted free agent has returned home to Sweden after requesting a trade, reportedly unhappy with how contract negotiations have unfolded. Detroit still hopes to sign him to a long-term contract.
Wings Lineup
Viktor Arvidsson -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond Michael Brandsegg-Nygard -- Emmitt Finnie -- Alex DeBrincat Michael Rasmussen -- Andrew Copp -- Keegan Kolesar Nate Danielson -- Carter Mazur
Albert Johansson -- Moritz Seider Anton Johansson -- Justin Faulk Ben Chiarot -- Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Andreas Englund
John Gibson Daniil Tarasov
Scratched: William Wallinder
Injured: Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper body), Marco Kasper (upper body), J.T. Compher (undisclosed), Mason Appleton (undisclosed)
By Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. For more articles like this click one of the THN.com/Ottawa headlines below:
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 5: Ariel Hukporti #55 of the Philadelphia 76ers boxes out during the game against the New York Knicks during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 5, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Sixers’ preseason opener was the textbook definition of a glass-half-full, glass-half-empty night.
The glass-half-full: Jaylen Brown scored 22 points in 15 minutes. VJ Edgecombe couldn’t buy a bucket from deep, but he chipped in a well-rounded 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds in only 20 minutes of action. Even Jabari Walker shined with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
The glass-half-empty: The Sixers’ depth at backup center behind Joel Embiid, which already looked flimsy with Adem Bona nursing a foot injury, took another major hit when Ariel Hukporti went down with a torn Achilles only five minutes into the game.
The Sixers spent part of their bi-annual exception to sign Hukporti to a one-year, $3.4 million contract this offseason. Losing him is a blow on multiple fronts, particularly since they don’t have an easy way to replace him.
The Sixers do still have one open standard roster spot, but they’re hard-capped at the $209.0 million first apron. They’re only $1.8 million below that line at the moment, which means they don’t have enough room under the first apron for a veteran-minimum contract for anyone with even a single year of NBA experience. If they wanted to sign someone now, it would have to be an undrafted rookie free agent. That’s not exactly what the doctor ordered for the win-now Sixers.
Minimum contracts begin to prorate downward once the regular season begins, so the Sixers will be able to fill that last roster spot with a free-agent signing starting on Dec. 3. However, they might prefer to keep that spot open until the trade deadline to give themselves some additional flexibility for an in-season addition.
If so, they’ll need to explore alternate ways to replace Hukporti for now.
The easiest would be a two-way contract. The Sixers still have one open two-way spot, and they have 7’6″ center Tacko Fall in training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal. However, Fall is currently nursing a hip strain and is not expected to be reevaluated until mid-October, so he might not be ready for opening night, either.
As other teams begin to trim down their rosters to the 15-man regular-season limit, the Sixers could look to poach someone who gets waived. Their pro scouting department should be working overtime for the next few weeks as they figure out how best to fill that open two-way spot heading into the season.
The Sixers could also explore a trade for a backup big, although their options are fairly limited in that regard for now. Anyone whom they signed this summer is not eligible to be traded until at least Dec. 15 (including Hukporti), so their best options would be moving Dominick Barlow ($3.4 million), Walker ($2.6 million) or Justin Edwards ($2.4 million). They can take more salary than they send out in a trade since they’re under the first apron, but they can’t exceed the first apron under any circumstance. (What are the odds they could pry Jay Huff’s $2.7 million contract away from the Indiana Pacers…?)
If Hukporti is confirmed to be out for the season, the Sixers could apply for a Disabled Player Exception, although it wouldn’t do them much good. It would be worth 50% of Hukporti’s contract, or $1.7 million, which means they could only use it to sign an undrafted rookie free agent or a prorated veteran-minimum deal. If they wanted to use it as a trade exception instead, they couldn’t take back more than $1.8 million (the value of the Disabled Player Exception plus $100,000).
Lastly, they could waive Walker, who has only $250,000 of his $2.6 million contract guaranteed until Jan. 10. If they waive him and sign someone else to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal in his place, they’d add about $100,000 to their books in total, but they’d still be $1.7 million below the first apron. That would leave them enough flexibility to still add someone else mid-season on a prorated minimum contract, although they’d have to wait until roughly mid-December to do so.
To put it lightly, the Sixers don’t have a ton of great options to replace Hukporti right now. If Bona hasn’t recovered from his foot injury by opening night, the Sixers will not have a single healthy backup center behind Embiid. Perhaps they plug the gap with a two-way signee, but they’ll otherwise have to experiment with small-ball 5 looks until Bona returns.
In the games that Embiid sits out, the Sixers’ center rotation is even more of a question mark moving forward. Bona and Hukporti figured to split a majority of the minutes on those nights, but that’s no longer on the table. Head coach Nick Nurse will need to break out his mad-scientist cap and figure out a way to patch a center rotation together. Barlow, Walker and Dean Wade all might wind up playing some minutes at the 5.
Hukporti’s injury is by no means a death knell to the Sixers’ title chances this year, but it shouldn’t be downplayed, either. Until the Sixers figure out a way to patch that hole in their rotation, they’ll be vulnerable in the frontcourt, particularly given Embiid’s lengthy injury history.
A former Pittsburgh Penguins forward is available for the taking.
According to PuckPedia, former Penguins forward Jansen Harkins has been placed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Harkins has appeared in one game this season with the Lightning, where he has recorded five hits and a minus-1 rating. This is after he had three goals, eight points, and 113 hits in 44 games with the Anaheim Ducks during this past season.
The Penguins claimed Harkins off waivers ahead of the 2023-24 season from the Winnipeg Jets. From there, he played in 45 games with the Penguins during the 2023-24 campaign, where he posted zero goals, four assists, 74 hits, and a minus-4 rating.
Harkins also played in 14 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2023-24 season. During them, he recorded five goals, seven assists, 12 points, and a minus-1 rating.
Harkins' time with the Penguins ended during the 2024 NHL off-season when he signed a two-year contract with the Ducks in free agency.
It will now be interesting to see if another team claims the former Penguins forward off waivers from here. Teams looking for more forward depth and grit could consider taking a chance on him.
The Buffalo Sabres continue their five-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, coming off a 4-3 comeback victory over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild are without one of their best defensemen, Brock Faber, but have started the season 2-0 with wins over Boston and Nashville.
The Sabres held an optional morning skate on Tuesday morning, and had a couple injured players on the ice for the first time. Winger Jason Zucker, still recovering from off-season core muscle surgery and is a couple weeks away, and goalie Alex Lyon, who suffered a shoulder injury against Detroit during the preseason, took part wearing gray non-contact jerseys.
"(It was) kind of one of those situations where you don't really know, and then it's obviously disappointing to miss any amount of time." Lyon said. yeah, "We've got a lot of games, a lot of good teams coming up, and this early in the season, your mindset's so fresh that not even thinking about the amount of games or who the opponent is, you're just excited to play. "
Colten Ellis was once again in the starter’s net and will make his first start of the season on the one-year anniversary of being claimed off of waivers from St. Louis, and the only lineup change that appears to be in the offing is veteran Justin Danforth starting in place of Sam Carrick.
The Wild’s visit marks the return of the Foligno brothers, Nick and Marcus, to their birthplace. Marcus is playing his 10th season in Minnesota after starting his career and playing six years in Buffalo. Nick has played nearly 1300 games for six clubs, and joined the Wild at the trade deadline after spending three seasons in Chicago.
"I coached Marcus. I think it was my last year or my second-to-last year here." Ruff said. family. "For those two guys to come back and play in the building, and their dad played a good part of his career here. It's just a great hockey family."
