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In the 2023-24 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished with a 38-32-12 record, good for 88 points. 

They missed the playoffs by three points, and a big reason for it was their power play, which ranked 30th in the league at 15.3%. It was a stagnant unit that overpassed, never went to the net, could barely gain the zone, and never had a shoot-first mentality. The power play went through a 0-for-37 slump during the season, which was insane considering the amount of firepower that the Penguins had (and still have to this day). 

The unit's failures cost assistant coach Todd Reirden his job, and David Quinn was brought in before last season to fix a broken unit. He did a great job with it, helping the Penguins finish with the sixth-best power play at 25.8% last season. They missed the playoffs by more than three points, but got back to basics on the power play. The zone entries were cleaned up. A net-front presence was established. They weren't playing patty-cake at the blue line. They had a shoot-first mentality. 

All of those qualities have been turned up several notches to start the 2025-26 season as the Penguins currently have the top power play in the league at 35.9%. The unit went 3/5 against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, and it could've gone 4/5 or even 5/5 after spending a ton of time in the offensive zone. 

One of the biggest reasons for the PP's hot start is because of assistant coach Todd Nelson. Nelson joined the Penguins' coaching staff under head coach Dan Muse during the offseason after Quinn followed former Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to New York. Nelson wants his players to zip the puck around with authority and keep penalty killers guessing, and both features have been on display throughout the first month of the season. 

If you go back to the first power play goal on Thursday, the Penguins moved the puck beautifully through the offensive zone before Ben Kindel delivered a gorgeous cross-ice pass to Sidney Crosby. It caught the Capitals completely off guard. 

Things you love to see: Sidney Crosby scoring against the Capitals 💪 pic.twitter.com/LmfUiXdmSb

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 7, 2025

Another example of these qualities in action came during the Penguins' game against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 23. They had some great puck movement before Crosby finished off a beautiful tic-tac-toe play near the goal line. The Panthers didn't see it coming.

Tic, tac, toe.

That's another power-play goal! pic.twitter.com/BsH4RFATfT

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 24, 2025

Crosby is super thrilled with the work that Nelson has put in on the PP.

"I think it has changed a little bit, just based on injuries, so I think it's about everybody being on the same page, being organized, and executing," Crosby said after Friday's practice. "For the most part, you don't want to change your game plan night-to-night, so I think that we're pretty consistent in how we want to approach it, and there are always little tweaks, depending on who you play, but I think it's been pretty clear as far as the mindset of the group. That has a lot to do with the way they are structuring it and organizing it, and it's up to the guys to go out there and execute."

Penguins Overcome Another Blown Lead, Take Down Washington CapitalsFor the first 20 minutes of their Thursday matchup - and first of the season - against the Washington Capitals, the way the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> were dominating was quite similar to what they did to the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> for the first 40 minutes of a <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-suffer-epic-third-period-collapse-fall-to-leafs-4-3">heartbreaking 4-3 loss on Monday.</a>

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While Bryan Rust's process hasn't always been there in all situations this season, he scored a beauty of a PP goal on Thursday, which turned out to be the game-winner. It came off a ridiculous feed from Evgeni Malkin, who has eight assists and nine points on the man-advantage. 

Rust echoed a lot of what Crosby said about Nelson after practice, including calling Nelson "awesome." 

"Todd's been awesome," Rust said. "He's given us a blueprint on kinda what to do and I think he's also given us the leeway to kinda play with a little bit of a creativity, which I think, there's obviously a fine line of getting too out of control, but I think we're in a good spot right now and we're trying to continue to keep getting better and keep on building."

The Penguins' PP is going to face tougher penalty kills this season, including on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, who rank sixth in PK percentage, but as long as that unit keeps every PK guessing and on their toes, it's going to be really hard to stop. 

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The Detroit Red Wings returned home to the friendly confines of Little Caesars Arena after a winning road swing hoping to earn some valuable points in the standings.

While the Red Wings generated several prime scoring chances against the visiting New York Rangers, they were ultimately unable to capitalize. The Rangers, on the other hand, made the most of their opportunities, scoring twice in the third period on their way to a 4-1 victory.

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XBack here Sunday vs. Chicago.

The Rangers, who have a stunning 0-5-1 record on home ice, improved to 7-1-1 away from Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Red Wings have now dropped consecutive games and are 9-6 through the first 14 games of their centennial campaign. 

New York struck first in the opening 20 minutes, as Will Cuylle beat Cam Talbot with a quick shot at 6:46 of the opening period while the Rangers enjoyed the man-advantage.

The Red Wings then drew even thanks to J.T. Compher's third goal of the season, as he took a pass behind the net from Mason Appleton and beat the crouched Jonathan Quick by going upstairs. 

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From that point on, Quick shut the door on the Red Wings and was even the beneficiary of a nanosecond of hesitation from a future Hall of Famer.

Not long after the Rangers took a 2-1 lead after Northville, Mich. native Noah Laba scored, Quick had a clearing attempt batted down by Patrick Kane, who had a gaping net to shoot at. Instead, the paddle of Quick's stick prevented Kane from getting a shot off as both Carson Soucy and Braden Schneider both rushed to the aid of their goaltender. 

Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) on XJONATHAN QUICK MISPLAYED THE PUCK, AND PATRICK KANE HAD THE EMPTY NET BUT COULDN'T BURY IT 😭😵

It was Kane's first game back in the lineup since he was injured on Oct. 17 against the Tampa Bay Lightning; he had missed nine straight contests. 

The Red Wings also had a prime scoring chances early in the third period as Compher raced in on a two-on-one rush and attempted to pick the corner, only to have his shot somehow deflected by the outside cuff of Quick's glove. 

New York then added a pair of insurance goals from Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, the latter of which followed a Detroit defensive lapse. 

Talbot finished with 22 saves, while Quick turned back the clock with his performance, making 32 saves. 

The Red Wings will have to have a short memory, as they'll host the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon. 

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NEW YORK (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist, and the Minnesota Wild beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Friday night.

Vinnie Hinostraza, Danila Yurov, Brock Faber and Marco Rossi also scored for Minnesota in its third win in four games. Jesper Wallstedt finished with 25 saves.

Emil Heineman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders and David Rittich had 21 saves as New York lost its second straight and snapped a three-game point streak (2-0-1).

Kaprizov scored on a give-and-go with Mats Zuccarello to push the Wild’s lead to 5-2 at 8:33 of the third period. It was Kaprizov’s ninth goal of the season.

Trailing 2-0 after 20 minutes, the Islanders got on the board at 4:38 of the second as Heineman got a pass from Bo Horvat in the right circle and beat Wallstedt for his sixth.

Faber restored the Wild’s two-goal lead 1:18 later as he got the puck in the high slot after Matt Boldy’s wraparound try and put it past Rittich.

Rossi pushed the lead to 4-1 as he skated in on Rittich and beat him into the top right corner at 9:05.

Pageau pulled New York back within two, skating in on Wallstedt and tucking it past the goalie on the right side with 1:09 left in the second.

Hinostraza gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 7:24 of the first, deflecting a pass from Jonas Brodin past Rittich from the right doorstep.

Yurov doubled the lead with 7:28 remaining in the opening period as he took several whacks at a loose puck in front.

Up next

Wild: Host Calgary on Sunday to open a five-game homestand.

Islanders: At New York Rangers on Saturday to open a seven-game trip.

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–3 in a shootout last night, but for one player, it was more than just another game - it was a mini-reunion and a taste of home.

Devils rookie Arseny Gritsyuk was reunited with his friend Ivan Demidov before the matchup. The two played together last season with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), before Demidov made the jump to the NHL to join the Canadiens.

Gritsyuk told NHL.com that when he traveled from Russia to New Jersey this offseason, he stopped in Montreal to visit his old teammate.

“He told me you need to always be stronger — like always, always be ready for the hit,” Gritsyuk said of the advice Demidov shared with him to NHL.com.

The two have stayed in touch as Demidov adjusted to his first NHL season and Gritsyuk prepared for his own North American debut.

“I talked to him after Montreal lost in the playoffs,” Gritsyuk said to NHL.com. “I called him for a lot of details. He said it’s always a challenging game — every game. There’s always pressure, not much time. And the micro-battles are so important. When you go back for the puck — body check, body check, body check.”

Ahead of the game, Gritsyuk posted on his Telegram channel, Grit’s Diary, that he had invited Demidov over for dinner.

He shared a photo of the two with the caption:

Gritsyuk’s Telegram – @arsenigritsyuk81

“It was my turn to receive guests — for example, today Vanya Demidov stopped by 🤝 We had a delicious meal, chatted, and just had a great time. 😇 See you on the ice, brother 🤙”

Gritsyuk has mentioned having dinners with several familiar Russian faces during his first 14 NHL games and was happy to return the favor by hosting Demidov ahead of their matchup in Newark.

In the game, Demidov logged 10:27 of ice time, finishing with no points and two penalty minutes, while Gritsyuk played 15:29 and recorded two shots on goal.

As Gritsyuk navigates his rookie season and Demidov continues his sophomore campaign, the two continue to lean on each other for advice, familiarity, and friendship, both on and off the ice.

The Philadelphia Flyers have generally rolled with the same lineup over the last few games, but their latest transaction indicates that may not be the case for long.

On Friday, the Flyers announced that they had recalled forward Carl Grundstrom, acquired in the Ryan Ellis trade, and sent Aleksei Kolosov back to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

That move comes on the heels of a separate switch that saw goalie Sam Ersson come off injured reserve and center Jacob Gaucher head back to the Phantoms.

The key here, though, is that Gaucher had originally been called up by the Flyers because the team needed a right-shot center.

Grundstrom, 27, is neither a right-shot forward nor a center, and he gives the Flyers 13 forwards on their active roster with Tyson Foerster still on injured reserve.

NHL Insider 'Can See' Flyers, Trevor Zegras Contract Extension Talks StartingNHL insider Elliotte Friedman is beginning to "wonder" about contract extension talks between the Flyers and Trevor Zegras.

The Flyers also, however, have eight defensemen, which is not a particularly common denomination around the NHL.

Grundstrom's sudden addition to the NHL roster, and replacing Gaucher, especially, has created some questions that will be solved sooner or later.

For instance, eccentric rookie forward Nikita Grebenkin has played fewer than 10 minutes in three of his last five games, and veteran tough guy Nick Deslauriers just played a season-high 10:01 in his sixth appearance of the season in Thursday night's 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators.

One of Deslauriers or Grebenkin could come out of the lineup for Grundstrom if the Swede is to draw in at some point, especially given that Rodrigo Abols appears to have the fourth-line center role on lock.

And, if and when Foerster does return, the Flyers will need to send another player down to the AHL.

Unheralded Flyers Defenseman Quietly Playing Like One of NHL's BestPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York has been more dominant this season than anyone had imagined.

Would Grundstrom head back to the Phantoms so soon, sticking around for just a cup of coffee? Or will the Flyers decide they've had enough of the eight-defenseman rotation on the blueline?

Adam Ginning has played just one game since Oct. 16, and Emil Andrae appears to have usurped Egor Zamula's place in the lineup with his transitional skills outweighing his lack of size.

No matter the outcome, the Flyers are almost inevitably heading towards some kind of further change to the lineup and roster, which could some as soon as the end of the weekend.

The Vancouver Canucks are 15 games into the 2025–26 season. While they most recently went 2–1–0 on their Central Division road trip, they suffered a difficult 5–2 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks last night, giving them a losing record yet again. Here’s how they’re performing compared to the rest of the NHL. 

Team Stats 

Vancouver’s recent stretch of play has skidded them into the bottom-half of the NHL in all of their team stats. Their lone stat still near the middle of the pack is their power play (19.2%). Their two lowest are their work in the faceoff dot (45.5%) and their infamous penalty kill (68%), which has allowed a goal against in each of the past four games. 

Individual Skaters

Despite some difficult numbers on offence, the Canucks nearly lead the NHL in two categories thanks to efforts from two individual players. Filip Hronek is currently third in the NHL in TOI with 370:19 minutes played since the start of the season (partially in-part due to filling in for an injured Quinn Hughes). On the other hand, Kiefer Sherwood is second in the NHL in hits with 67. This is not the only stat that Sherwood leads his team in, as he is also the Canucks’ leading scorer right now with nine goals (tied for eighth in the NHL). 

Goaltenders

Again, due to the amount of games played over Kevin Lankinen, Thatcher Demko leads the Canucks in all stat categories for goaltenders. Of all goalies who have played a minimum of three games this season, Demko’s SV% (.911) and GAA (2.57) are towards the middle of the league. He has faced the 10th-most high-danger shots and has a SV% of .857 in these circumstances. Demko is currently taking time to rest, resulting in the team calling up goaltender Jiří Patera from Abbotsford in the event he is unable to play this weekend. 

The Canucks continue their current homestand with a back-to-back this weekend against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche. They take on the Winnipeg Jets next Tuesday before heading back on the road for an Eastern Conference road trip kicked off with a stop in Carolina to face the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

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There have been some collective weights lifted off the shoulders of a pair of key Detroit Red Wings players in the last several games. 

Late last month on Oct. 25, forward Alex DeBrincat sniped home his first goal of the season, ending a goalless streak that included several Grade-A chances that he was robbed of by opposition goaltenders along with more than a few hit posts.

He's since scored three more goals, increasing his total to four. 

Forward Marco Kasper, who traditionally plays alongside DeBrincat, got the monkey off his back by scoring twice as part of the Red Wings' 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 30.

For Kasper, it was the first time that he'd lit the lamp since scoring against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 11.

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The

Naturally, that goal scoring feeling came rushing back to Kasper after he tipped Axel Sandin-Pellikka's shot past Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper. 

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XMARCO PPG!

"It feels good to score," Kasper said on Friday. "It's always a relief to score again, and you just always want to chase this feeling."

"It all starts with playing good, sound game overall and competing hard," he continued.

Kasper would cap a beautiful three-way passing play between Alex DeBrincat, Mason Appleton, and himself in the third period against the Kings for his second tally of the night: 

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XBINGO BANGO WHAT A PLAY 93 → 22 → 92

The second half of last season was a true breakout for Kasper, who earned a call up to the Red Wings in late October and never looked back. While he got off to a bit of a slower beginning to his NHL journey, he began to thrive once Todd McLellan was hired in late December. 

From January 10 through the end of the season, Kasper led all NHL rookies with 17 goals. In that span, he also ranked fifth overall in total rookie scoring.

“I think Marco’s playing harder,” McLellan said following the win over the Kings. “The second goal, he’s going to the net, he’s stopping in the paint. So he’s a competitive individual that has put some pressure on himself. Maybe this will really get him going, but we’re counting on him, and we forget he’s like 20, 21 years old. You’d think he was 27 the way he played last year.”

The Red Wings are also set to welcome Patrick Kane back into the lineup after he missed the previous nine games with an upper-body injury.

"It's huge to get him back, just his experience and his skills on the power play," Kasper said. "It'll be fun to have him back out there."

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Former Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane had a strong start to the 2025-26 season. In his first five games of the season with the Detroit Red Wings, he recorded two goals, three assists, and five points.

Unfortunately for Kane, his hot start to the year had to be paused due to an upper-body injury. Now, after missing each of the Red Wings' last nine games, Kane is set to return to the lineup for the Atlantic Division club against the New York Rangers on Nov. 7. 

This is undoubtedly good news for the Red Wings, as Kane is a very important part of their forward group. Furthermore, No. 88 returning to the lineup should help the Red Wings' chances of keeping their good start to the season going. 

The Blackhawks will soon be seeing Kane, too, as they will be facing off against the Red Wings on Nov. 9. 

In 1,161 games with the Blackhawks over 16 seasons, Kane recorded 446 goals, 779 assists, 1,225 points, and a plus-20 rating. He also posted 52 goals, 80 assists, and 132 points in 136 playoff games for the Blackhawks, where he won the Stanley Cup three times.