Well, the Pittsburgh Penguins are down to their final pre-season game, and given that Friday's practice has been narrowed down to one session - and the AHL opens its pre-season on Saturday - it's safe to assume that yet another small wave of roster cuts is coming in the next 24 hours.

Not every prospect will be cut quite yet, as injuries and veteran rules for the pre-season have resulted in necessity to keep a few extra bodies for the team's final pre-season tilt against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. 

However, when the rest of the roster is trimmed down to 23 or less, there is one name that absolutely deserves to be left on it. 

And that's defenseman Owen Pickering. 

Pickering, 22, has been put through the wringer in the past 24 months. After an impressive start to the 2024-25 season, his play began to wane a little bit, and he was ultimately sent back down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins after 25 games. He was called on again after an early-season injury to Caleb Jones last season, but he only stayed for four games after a less-than-ideal showing. 

He didn't see another NHL game during the 2025-26 season, but by all accounts - including the accounts of GM Kyle Dubas, director of player development Tom Kostopoulos, and WBS assistant GM Amanda Kessel - Pickering experienced substantial growth in the latter half of the AHL season. He developed more consistency in his game and finally became the steady, shutdown blueliner the organization hoped he would be. This continued into the Calder Cup Playoffs, when he played on an injured foot.

Pickering finished the AHL season with seven goals and 28 points - as well as a plus-16 - in 68 regular season games, and he got better and better as the season progressed and the stakes rose. 

Is It Finally Owen Pickering's Chance To Stick With Penguins?Pickering, one of the Penguins' best defensive prospects, still has a chance to be a long-term solution on Pittsburgh's blue line.

So, he came into training camp this season with the same purpose as everyone else in the locker room: To earn a spot on the NHL roster. After all, Dubas has said in the past that young guys would have to earn spots but that veterans would also have to earn keeping them.

"If [the young guys] continue to push all the way - and it's very clear that they should be on the team - they'll make the team, and we'll deal with whatever the ripple effects of those are on some of the more veteran guys," Dubas said in his pre-season press conference prior to the 2025-26 season.

In that same presser, he added: "The message to the veteran guys is that, with where we're at, the young guys are coming, they're going to get opportunity, they're going to have to earn everything... but it's been very clear to them what the expectation is. And it's up to them to hold onto their jobs and hold onto their spots and their places with the Penguins and in the NHL."

Flash forward a year later, and Pickering has certainly earned it with his camp.

Not only does he look like a different player than the one who stepped foot into camp last season, he looks confident and poised. He's finally learned how to utilize his 6-foot-5, 213-pound frame to his advantage, using his long reach to disrupt plays and being hard to move at the net-front and in positional battles along the walls and in mid-ice.

His skating has vastly improved, and he actually looks relatively fast out there. His gap control is remarkably better, as is his defensive posture. He's making the right decisions. He's making good defensive reads. He knows when to join the play and when to stay back. He's not getting beat to pucks nor beat in many puck battles.

Credit where it is due, Owen Pickering is looking very solid and sound out there. He has been very noticeable with making well timed, smart defensive plays. I like what I have seen so far.

— Matt Meagher (@Flux_cc) September 21, 2026

By almost all accounts, he looks NHL-ready right now. Even if Harrison Brunicke - his regular defense partner this pre-season - has had a nice camp, Pickering has had a better one.

Kaedan Korczak has looked perfectly fine in game action and in practices. Pickering has looked better.

Declan Carlile has shown his knack for physicality, which is a good trait to have, and he's been good defensively in his one pre-season game and alongside Erik Karlsson in practices. Pickering, though, has been better all-around.

Ilya Solovyov has put together a great camp, has improved his footspeed marginally, and excels on breakouts and in defensive positioning as usual. Pickering has, at least, equaled his camp.

Who Will Win Penguins' Final Forward Spots?With injuries on the front end piling up, NHL opportunity has been opened for some of the Penguins' promising young players.

And herein lies the problem: Pickering has outperformed presumed NHL regulars during this camp, even if the others have been fine. He has made himself stand out among them. But, there is a decent chance he will not be on this roster, barring injuries, when the season opens against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sept. 30.

Even assistant GM Jason Spezza's words regarding the youth push at the dawn of this year's camp sounded a fair bit different than Dubas's words one year ago — even if prospects like Pickering are a year older and a year better.

"What we would love to see is for the young guys to really push their way in," Spezza said on Sept. 18. "Everybody always wants finality at the end of training camp, that, 'This is the team. This is what it's going to be all year.' And I think there's going to be plenty of opportunity for young guys to establish themselves as NHL players as the year goes on. Whether that's on opening day or not, that will kind of sort itself out here over the next couple of weeks.

"We know we want to inject youth into the lineup. We know we have to. But, we have to make sure we do it when the guys are ready and when they're going to help the team."

'It's New For All Of Us': Penguins Presented With New Challenges In Shortened Training CampPittsburgh, like all other NHL teams, are navigating fresh pre-season rules with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Well, it appears a guy has proven he's ready, he's deserving, and that his play will probably help the team. So, what's next? What happens when a guy like Pickering - who happens to be waivers-exempt and who happens to be glued to Brunicke as if they're bound for the top pairing in WBS - exceeds expectations and outplays some of the guys who are supposed to be on the roster?

Yes, situations change. At this time last year, the Penguins were talking about rebuilding, not about making the playoffs again. Sure, it's not the worst thing in the world if Pickering and Brunicke begin the season in the AHL, getting top-pairing minutes, being deployed in key situations, and setting themselves up to be the first call-ups when injuries inevitably occur. No, the training camp roster is not the whole-year roster, and Pickering will most certainly have some opportunities this season. Exercising patience is equally as important as showing urgency with development.

But that's not the issue here. The problem is the precedent it sets for Pickering and the rest of the young players who truly do earn spots but fail to make the team: If they put everything they have on the line, perform at a high level, and are told they can earn or overtake spots but then don't get rewarded by actually securing those spots, what is the point of all of it?

OWEN PICKERING pic.twitter.com/xa86UudaCw

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 9, 2025

Yes, players have to earn their spots, and yes, they have to overtake NHL players and placeholders in order to do so. But, if and when they actually do it, it's important for their development and for their psyche to be rewarded for those efforts. It's one thing to hand players spots when they haven't necessarily taken them with authority, but it's another thing to prevent deserving players from the NHL roster because of logistics like contracts, acquisition cost, NHL seniority, and waivers eligibility.

Because, if they're not rewarded - and that starts to become a theme - that could foster frustration and feelings of resentment, which is not something you want from your more promising young talent. The worst possible outcome for this organization is the possibility of deserving younger players wanting out because they don't feel they have a legitimate path.

Not every young player has been good enough in this year's training camp to force the organization's hand and actually take an opportunity. But Pickering has earned a spot on the NHL roster this season - from the start - because his performance has said so. The Penguins have an opportunity to show their young players that the door is, in fact, open to them if they actually go out and accomplish the tall task of stripping a spot in the NHL lineup from someone else. 

With Pickering, let's see if they take it. If they don't, the potential ripple effects for other cases of similarity might leave a sour taste in the mouths of the very players the future of the franchise is supposed to start with.

Opinion: If Penguins Are To Let Youth Shine, They Need To Make Some RoomIf the Penguins walk into the season with their roster as currenty constructed, it leaves no room for some of their NHL-ready youth to have a chance at establishing themselves in the NHL.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil is dealing with another injury after a fluke collision during a Thursday, Sept. 24 preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Chytil was forechecking in the first period when his skate blade got tangled with the skate of referee Riley Brace. Chytil went crashing into the boards shoulder first and appeared to hit his head on the ice. Brace also went flying.

Both got up, Brace slowly, though Chytil later went to the dressing room. The Canucks announced that Chytil wouldn't return to the game, and coach Manny Malhotra told reporters after the game that the forward is being evaluated for a shoulder injury.

Here's what to know about the injury to Vancouver's Filip Chytil:

Filip Chytil and referee Riley Brace clip each other in the corner. Scary moment, but both appear to be fine. #Canuckspic.twitter.com/7D9oDY5oeE

— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) September 25, 2026

Filip Chytil injury update

Chytil left the bench for the dressing room and didn't return.

"It's never good to see a guy leave the game," Malhotra said. "We're having his shoulder looked at and we'll know more (Friday) after the imaging."

Filip Chytil injury history

Chytil has been limited to 27 games over the past two seasons and to 10 games in 2023-24 because of injuries. He has suffered multiple concussions and dealt with migraines. He also suffered a facial fracture when hit by a puck in practice last season.

He was part of the return when the New York Rangers acquired J.T. Miller from the Canucks in January 2025.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Filip Chytil injury update after Canucks forward, referee collide

The Chicago Blackhawks paid a visit to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Blues in their third preseason game of the year. They decided to bring a mix of their NHL lineup and AHL players for this one. That includes Patrick Kane, who played in his first and only exhibition game. 

It wasn't a great game for the Chicago Blackhawks. They lost 1-0, and it would have been worse if it weren't for Arvid Soderblom. Chicago's goalie made 35 saves on 36 shots. The only goal he allowed was an early 3rd period tally to Calle Rosen. 

Rosen's goal was the result of a Blackhawks turnover. Connor McMichael and Pavel Buchnevich made a nice play and then found Calle Rosen, who blasted it past Soderblom. 

If Arvid Soderblom can play the way he did in this one and in the first preseason game he played, he will earn the full-time backup role and be more than competent throughout the year. Soderblom playing well behind Spencer Knight will be one of the keys to the team taking a jump in the standings. 

Patrick Kane and his line with Frank Nazar and Roman Kantserov had some nice moments, but they were never able to solve Jordan Binnington. If this group stays together, they will produce in the regular season, but they are still working off some rust. 

On the other hand, the rest of the lines were not at their best. Specifically, Anton Frondell's line with Nick Lardis and Ryan Greene was suspect. It's not a likely trio when things start to count, but those three individuals will all admit they have to be better. 

During the 3rd period, Blackhawks prospect AJ Spellacy was ejected with a game misconduct (and a five-minute major) due to a headbutt. We'll find out later if the league is going to take a look at it. 

Once again, Kevin Korchinski was one of the better-looking defensemen on the team. If he isn't one of the seven who make the team out of camp, he probably never had a chance to begin with. Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov haven't been bad by any means, but it's hard to say they've been better than Korchinski. 

Did the management group learn anything from this game that will impact their roster decisions? It's hard to say because the Blackhawks were outplayed for most of the night, but Soderblom and Korchinski didn't hurt their cases. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

The Chicago Blackhawks did not score a goal in this game. 

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will wrap up the preseason with one final home exhibition game on Saturday night. This will mostly be an NHL-loaded lineup, with the exception of Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks are saving that excitement for the home opener. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras was the first preseason victim of the NHL's version of the tuck rule.

Zegras was given a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game in the Flyers' 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night for “improperly wearing equipment.”

Zegras' fashion faux pas was having his jersey tucked into the back of his pants.

The NHL is cracking down this season on how players wear equipment, including jerseys, neck guards, visors and helmets.

Jerseys are required to be untucked at the start of a player’s shift and a warning is expected to be given before a penalty is assessed.

“My jersey was tucked in before the shift,” Zegras said. “So after a warning, they said that's an automatic penalty. I started the game obviously with it tucked because that's how I usually play.”

According to the NHL website scoutingtherefs.com, the last tucked jersey penalties on record came in 2013.

Zegras signed a four-year extension with the Flyers in the offseason with an average annual value of $9.125 million. Zegras had a career-high 26 goals and 67 points last season, the second most on the team. He added two goals and four assists in the playoffs.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Regulation

The New Jersey Devils struck first when Vladislav Kolyachonok drew a penalty a little under nine minutes into the game, bringing the power play out. The Devils set up on the right side with Lenni Hameenaho working the wall, and he set up Seamus Casey for a point shot that was deflected over Joonas Korpisalo by Stefan Noesen for the first goal of the game! Noesen, who has been fighting for a roster spot, got off to a good start in making his case tonight.

In the second period, Amadeus Lombardi was checked in open ice by Marc Del Gaizo, and Marc McLaughlin came to Lombardi’s immediate defense. On the replay, it looked like Del Gaizo mostly got Lombardi’s head with the elbow, but the Devils naturally got the extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for McLaughlin’s instigation. The Devils killed the penalty, and Colin White had a great shorthanded chance early in the penalty kill that helped set the tone for the two minutes. Not too long after the penalty expired, Ben Steeves drew a tripping call, sending Cole Beaudoin to the box and the Rangers to another kill of their own. The Devils did not do as well here as their first opportunity.

A few minutes after Seamus Casey hurt himself throwing what looked to be a poor hip check attempt at the blueline, Ethan Edwards expanded the Devils lead with an outstanding one-timer from the faceoff circle! Putting the team up two, Edwards read the cycle very well and skated low for the pass from Matyas Melovsky, wiring the puck off the iron and into the net.

A little over three minutes into the third, the Rangers finally got on the board. Gabriel Perreault went to whip a pass around through the slot, but the puck bounced off Matthew Robertson’s skate, Will Cuylle’s hip, and past Nico Daws. The first goal against was a fluke play, but the second was tough. The Devils were down on a delayed penalty that they somehow didn’t touch up, maybe, and Daws was beat at the side of the net with the extra man on when he dove over the puck, allowing Anton Blidh to tap it in.

At the halfway point of the period, the Devils ran themselves into trouble with lazy cycling. When Topias Vilen was taken into the boards int he offensive zone, Colin White was left alone with Matt Rempe in Nico Daws’s crease, and Vladislav Kolyachonok came rushing down to prevent a pass across to Will Cuylle, deflecting the puck into the net and giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead. Scott Morrow got the credit for the goal.

With just over three minutes to play, Stefan Noesen backhanded the puck from the end boards to Jesper Boqvist at the side of the net, and Boqvist rang the puck off Korpisalo’s shoulder and the crossbar. After the Rangers iced the puck, the Devils pulled Nico Daws. The Boqvist-Lombardi-Noesen line stayed out quite awhile with Hameenaho, with Noesen continuing to make good plays on the wall to keep possession. The puck eventually got out to Amadeus Lombardi, who caught the Rangers tired and lapsing. As he was being hooked and slashed, Lombardi took the puck around and beat Korpisalo five hole, tying the game with 1:44 to play!

Overtime/Shootout

The Devils started overtime with Lombardi with Matyas Melovsky and Vladislav Kolyachonok, facing off against Noah Laba, Gabriel Perreault, and Scott Morrow. The Devils took possession off the draw, and Lombardi skated up ice into the Rangers’ defensive zone before retreating for a second attempt. On the second, Lombardi turned from his backhand and took a weak shot on goal, giving the Rangers possession. Laba drew a slash by Lombardi at the other end, hitting the hands as Daws saved an easy shot from Laba. The Rangers kept their original three with Cuylle on the ice, while the Devils killed with McLaughlin, Edwards, and Silaev. After the first minute was killed, Ethan Edwards found Noesen with a long pass for a one-on-one. Noesen turned wide on the chance to kill time behind the Rangers’ net rather than take a shot, eventually losing possession to a third Ranger. The Devils killed the penalty.

At four-on-four, Ben Steeves set Lombardi up for what would have been a two-on-one tap-in, but the pass was just a bit too hard for Lombardi to redirect into the net, and play went back to three-on-three for the final 38 seconds before the game went to a shootout.

Lenni Hameenaho shot first. Hameenaho went wide and slow, but could not pick the five-hole.

Gabriel Perreault followed for New York. He approached with more pace, but Daws brought the right leg down over the slide shot.

Topias Vilen somewhat bizarrely went second for New Jersey and was stuffed on the lower pad.

Will Cuylle went second for New York and rang a shot in off the bar.

With the Devils needing to score, Amadeus Lombardi got up. He went wide and slow, and was denied by a shoulder save.

The Game Stats: The NHL.com Game Summary | The NHL.com Event Summary | The NHL.com Play by Play Log | The NHL.com Shot Summary | The Natural Stat Trick Game Stats

A Difficult Night to Evaluate for Daws

Nico Daws allowed three goals on 23 shots tonight. In total, he faced 3.12 expected goals against. So, in strictly mathematical terms, Daws played a fine game despite a not-so-fine .870 save percentage. But we have to look at things a little more deeply than that: I was hoping that the Rangers playing more NHLers might mean he faced 25, 30, or even 35 shots, but the Devils really shut the Rangers down early. And once the Rangers did break through in the third period, these were the shots that beat Daws:

• A pass across the middle of the slot that was deflected by a skate towards the net, where it deflected off another player’s leg and into the net
• A tap-in after the Devils’ defense broke down against an extra attacker — Daws could have had this, but he dove over the puck when Glenn Gawdin had the puck at the side of the net, leaving the puck in the crease for Blidh to score.
• An own-goal by Vladislav Kolyachonok when Scott Morrow used a largely uncontested screen in Matt Rempe (“covered” by Colin White) to slide a pass across to Will Cuylle. The pass did not make it through, and it’s hard to tell whether Cuylle even could have scored on it had Kolyachonok not done it for him.

I remain disappointed that the Rangers did not dress many NHLers tonight, because I wanted Daws to be tested and not beaten by AHL-level team breakdowns.

Noesen, Lombardi, and Boqvist

I think that all of Stefan Noesen, Amadeus Lombardi, and Jesper Boqvist showed again tonight that they belong in the NHL. This makes the above point really annoying to me, as one of them could still be waived if David Rittich makes the opening night roster. Noesen scored a power play goal. Lombardi scored the game-tying goal. Boqvist was very active on the ice and continued to skate very well. But ultimately, from a polish standpoint, I still think that Stefan Noesen plays the best NHL hockey of those three. At the very least, he played the cleanest hockey. His passing decisions were good, his puck management decisions were good, and there were times the other two were a little more lacking. Lombardi had a bad shot and bad penalty in overtime, while Boqvist made a terrible pass to center ice from the offensive zone (during the four-on-four sequence) that almost led to a chance against in overtime. By comparison, I trust Noesen to play a responsible game while still sneakily creating chances below the goal line and getting out to the front of the net to deflect pucks past the goalie.

Noesen led the team with 0.52 individual expected goals, while Boqvist had 0.25 and Lombardi had 0.24. While Noesen does not have the best physical tools at his age, everyone could stand to learn a lot from how little waste there is in his game. He takes good, direct routes on the ice, still managing to get to pucks when he needs to. This is the Noesen way: move the puck up, get it below the net, and screen for point shots if the play by the net isn’t there. It’s a very efficient model of high-danger offense.

Casey’s Injury and Other Notables

Seamus Casey is hurt again. He has only played 75 games over his first two professional seasons, but he threw a bad check attempt at the blueline and hurt himself tonight. Given the early reports from Sheldon Keefe, it is not looking good for him.

I admittedly find myself frustrated here. I believed a couple years ago that Casey could be a big part of the Devils’ future, but he simply gets hurt too easily. I struggle to fathom how anyone could have promoted, say, moving on from Dougie Hamilton over the last several months because the Devils have Casey. It sucks: he looks good on the ice, but he just cannot stay on it. Maybe defense just wasn’t the right position for him if he can’t hit on a zone entry without getting hurt. And I’ll say again: it sucks. You could really see how much worse the team played after he left the game.

Since Casey can now no longer make the opening night roster, it frees up the seventh defensive position. After tonight’s game, I would give the edge to Ethan Edwards. Edwards was all over the ice tonight, and probably underutilized in overtime if I were to be honest. I have no clue how Kolyachonok, who has been more limited with the puck, got out there first. Anton Silaev would be my close second. His skating ability is unreal for a guy his size, but I still would not play him in the NHL unless I was certain he was getting top four minutes. I have less of a problem with sitting Edwards for a game or three between some third-pairing opportunities.

Matyas Melovsky was also outstanding for the Devils tonight. When compared to the other AHL centers in this game in Colin White and Marc McLaughlin, Melovsky is head and shoulders above the competition. If the Devils ever need a center call-up this year, Melovsky has to be the guy over the other two. White has his moments, but I still struggle to see what McLaughlin offers other than replaceable penalty killing. Melovsky can actually create with the puck and do so consistently while making good decisions in all three zones. I don’t see a path for him right now, and I’ve never been disappointed by him before, but this was another good mark for him.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of tonight’s game? Do you think some of these guys will get back out there for the final preseason game on the Island? What do you think of the roster decisions? What do you think of Casey’s injury? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

To satisfy their long-suffering fan base, the Buffalo Sabres need to build on their pretty terrific 2025-26 season, in which they won the Atlantic Division, beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of their Stanley Cup playoff series before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round. 

Here at TheHockeyNews.com, we’re analyzing the Sabres’ Eastern Conference foes in a series called “Know Your Enemy”. As part of this annual web series, we’re focusing on how Buffalo fared against each East team, and how they’ll probably fare against the 15 other Eastern teams in the East this season. In this file, we’re turning the spotlight on the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Penguins are still built around their aging core, and for good reason – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Erik Karlsson are all still delivering the goods. But they’re all much closer to the end of their careers than they are to the beginning of it. And the Penguins are desperate to get back into the playoffs and not waste another year of Crosby and Malkin’s career.

If healthy, the Pens have the high-end skill to be back in the playoff picture -- but they probably won't stay high in the Metropolitan Division standings and will instead be battling for a wild card berth.

With that said, here’s this columnist’s perspective on how the Penguins shape up as a  Sabres opponent this season:

BUFFALO SABRES VS. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

NEW PENGUINS PLAYERS: Andrei Kuzmenko (RW), Nick Robertson (LW), Hendrix Lapierre (LW), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D), David Gustafsson (LW), Kaedan Korczak (D) 

2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-0, Penguins 2-1-0

2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: November 27 at Buffalo; December 22 at Pittsburgh; March 2 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? Every time you look at the Penguins, you cannot escape looking at their core talents’ advanced age, and wonder how much gas Pens icons Crosby, Malkin, Karlsson and Kris Letang have left in their competitive tank. Crosby is now 39 years old. Malkin 40. Letang is 39, and Letang is the youngest of the group at…36 years old,

This Pens team is trying to soak every last drop of juice they can get out of their players — and given that they finished second in the Metropolitan Division last year, the Penguins got above-average performances from their core.

All this is to say the Sabres have to stomp the Penguins into the ground, because there’s going to be an air of urgency for Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas to use whatever cap space he has left – and he does have $10.9-million to spend. So help is coming for Pittsburgh, and that help will make it harder for Buffalo to deal with.

The Sabres take on the Penguins twice in a three-week period starting in late-November. That should juice up the bad feelings the two teams have for one another. But after that, Buffalo and Pittsburgh won’t play again for about three months – more than enough time for them to make significant acquisitions that could hurt or help their bottom line.

Will the Sabres take care of business against the Penguins? We believe they will. Pittsburgh’s core talent is defying their age, but the Sabres are deeper than the Pens, their goaltending is better than the Pens’ goaltending, and they should be taking advantage of Pittsburgh core’s advanced age.

It’s always going to be tough when you have not just one, and not just two – but four players en route to the Hockey Hall of Fame who are on your opponent’s roster. And you’re going to have to operate at your level best if you want to beat them. That’s where Buffalo is with Pittsburgh, and that’s why it’s crucial the Sabres put a foot down on them and earn the full six standings points.

Seeing the Penguins now mean you you're looking at surefire Hall-of-Famers near the end of their incredible careers. Thus, if the Penguins are coming to your town, you need to see them while you can. And if you’re a Sabres fan, you know Buffalo could be fighting the Penguins tooth-and-nail for a wild-card playoff berth.

Ultimately, the Sabres underwhelmed against Pittsburgh last year. And they need to turn around those results and get beyond the Pens in the NHL’s regular-season standings. A playoff spot is not assured for the Penguins, and if the Pens are winning with Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson, the Sabres need to figure out ways to turn the tables on them and lock up a playoff spot.

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It may have only been an exhibition contest, but Thursday evening's tilt between the Detroit Red Wings and the divisional rival Buffalo Sabres had a playoff-like intensity to it. 

Multiple skirmishes broke out, including a bout featuring Red Wings sniper Alex DeBrincat against Buffalo's Trevor Kuntar. All in all, it was the Red Wings and DeBrincat who got the last laugh.

DeBrincat's power-played goal at 33 seconds of overtime gave the Red Wings a 3-2 victory, improving their preseason record to 2-0-1 with one game remaining. 

Alex DeBrincat wins it in overtime. 🚨 😼#LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/JjfHrX0g6d

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 25, 2026

OT W!

Final preseason game is Saturday night! pic.twitter.com/J7kEKlfLBg

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 25, 2026

It was the Sabres who got the scoring started courtesy of Kuntar, who took advantage of a defensive miscue midway through the opening period and beat goaltender Daniil Tarasov with a quick snapshot past the glove.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka responded with a power-play goal for his second tally in as many games, knotting the score at 1-1; Anton Johansson picked up his fifth assist in two games. 

Buffalo then re-took the lead early in the second period after Jiri Kulich's shot on a two-on-one rush squeaked through Tarasov, barely crossing the goal line. 

Early in the third period, an on-ice melee broke out after Detroit’s Moritz Seider leveled Kuntar; DeBrincat soon dropped the gloves with him, landing multiple punches and continuing to go after Kuntar even after referee Mike Sullivan attempted to separate the two.

Alex DeBrincat drops the gloves against Trevor Kuntar, who moments earlier, was rocked by Moritz Seider. #LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/riPrCSP6MW

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 25, 2026

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Detroit tied the game just before the halfway point of the third period when Sheldon Dries redirected Jacob Bryson’s shot past goaltender Colton Ellis. Ellis had replaced former Red Wings netminder Alex Lyon in the first period after Lyon left the game with an injury.

Buffalo’s Gavin McCarthy was called for holding at 18:41 of the third period, setting the stage for DeBrincat’s overtime winner.

"Confidence Is High": Emmitt Finnie Eager To Begin Sophomore Season With Red Wings Detroit Red Wings 2023 seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie, who played all 82 regular-season games in 2025-26, is feeling confident ahead of his sophomore NHL campaign.

Tarasov played the entire game for the Red Wings, making 17 saves on 19 shots.

Before leaving the game, Lyon, who spent two seasons in Detroit from 2023 through 2025, stopped seven of the eight shots he faced. Ellis finished with 16 saves on 18 shots.

The Red Wings will conclude the exhibition portion of their schedule on Saturday evening against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Caesars Arena. 

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In their first action of the preseason, several key Philadelphia Flyers got their reps in against an undermanned Boston Bruins team, gutting out a 2-0 shutout win.

Stars like Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov made their preseason debuts, as did workhorses Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen. Michkov was the star of the show on Thursday night, scoring his first goal of the preseason and generally looking like a potential star-caliber player while paired with Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak.

Zegras won 6 of 17 faceoffs (35.3%) but otherwise looked his usual self, setting up teammates, latching onto and making creative passes, and adding underrated defensive value with tidy stick work.

Zegras, however, did get tagged for an unusual penalty midway through the second period, and it almost got the Flyers in trouble, especially after Jett Luchanko took a penalty of his own to put the Flyers down on a 5-on-3.

Something you don't see every day: an improper wearing of equipment penalty, which Zegras admitted after the game he was initially warned about his tucked jersey before ultimately getting whistled for the penalty for a second infraction.

"They told us, in all fairness, two, three weeks ago. I didn't even think about it," head coach Rick Tocchet said of the penalty. "Then he came over and explained 'Hey, Trevor's got a warning.' I don't know what Trevor did with it. . . he obviously can't do it anymore. He's gotta put a tie down, because regular season starts, we can't have a penalty like that for a tucked jersey."

No harm, no foul, of course, as the Flyers held down the fort in the second period despite the Bruins out-shooting them 14-7.

Early in the third period, surging prospect Cole Knuble doubled the Flyers' lead to 2-0, crashing the crease and poking home a loose puck.

The play all started with Jett Luchanko, who received a pass from Jacob Gaucher and powered his way to the net despite heavy objection from a Bruins defender. Knuble did the rest, and Luchanko earned his third assist in as many preseason games.

"Yeah, I think we've played now, probably four games together, preseason, rookie camp, so building some chemistry there," Knuble said of his budding partnership with Luchanko. "He's fun to play with. He's so fast, creates turnovers. Just an easy guy to play with."

New Flyers goalie Joseph Woll, who is filling in for an injured Dan Vladar, stopped all 28 shots he faced from the Bruins to earn the shutout

"He looks big in net. I mean, he made some really good saves. There was some, especially in the second, they had a couple power plays. We were down to five 'D', and they were coming on," Tocchet remarked. "And then he made some really good saves. Solid, really solid goalie."

Defenseman Simon Benoit dropped the gloves with Bruins winger Brian Halonen and handily won the fight with a takedown.

Flyers notes

Nikita Grebenkin played 12:40 in his first game for the Flyers since March. "It's nice to get him that game so he can kind of feel it out there," Tocchet said of Grebenkin.

Grebenkin played on a line with captain Sean Couturier and newcomer Noel Acciari, a potential preview of the Flyers' fourth line for opening night.

Defenseman Helge Grans was forced to exit due to a lower-body injury after just 1:29 of ice time, forcing the Flyers to play the rest of the game with five defensemen. Grans picked up the secondary assist on Michkov's opening goal.

The Flyers will play their last preseason game on Saturday, hosting the Washington Capitals at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 5 p.m.