The Chicago Blackhawks are now through four games. The first two came on the road against the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, followed by the next two at home against the Montreal Canadiens and Utah Mammoth. Chicago is 1-2-1 with 3 standings points.

One thing that is evident through the first four games is that the Blackhawks are going to be involved in a lot more games. All four were either a Blackhawks win or losses by one goal. They are fast, have more skill, and play hard for Jeff Blashill. 

There were some things that we learned about the team during the first two road games. Now that they have played two at home, we know even more about them. These are the three things that the first homestand of 2025-26 told us about the Blackhawks:

Ilya Mikheyev can impact games

Chicago Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev is not a star player, but he did score a cool 20 goals in 2024-25. With no power play time, that is an impressive total. 

Coming into this year, it was fair to wonder how he would follow that up. So far, he’s been an impactful player all over the ice once again, which was evident in the two home games. 

In the home opener against Montreal, the Blackhawks found themselves on the penalty kill 10 times. They killed off eight of them, which is a great job by those units. Mikheyev is one of the key pieces to that success, as he was all over the ice during those kills. 

As a result of his work on the PK, and how frequently it was needed, he hardly had any even strength ice time. That’s the kind of warrior that helps build great cultures in the NHL. 

Two days later, when hosting the Mammoth, Mikheyev was rewarded with two goals. One was a beautiful effort to drive the net, and the other was an empty-netter. After the sacrifices he made against Montreal, he deserved to be on the scoresheet more than once a day later. 

Having bottom-six forwards who can do it all for your team is important. Right now, Ilya Mikheyev is a proven player who can impact games. His work on this homestand is a great sign that it will continue. 

Developing a "killer instinct" is a must

In the first game of the homestand, the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, the Blackhawks allowed the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. They were that close to at least getting a point, and giving themselves a chance to win in overtime. 

Once the game was over, Nick Foligno talked about developing a killer instinct. That is something that has lacked in recent years. The Blackhawks have become known for blowing leads late or letting their opponent find a way to win in the final minutes. 

One game later against the Mammoth, they did the opposite. Once Andre Burakovsky gave them a 2-1 lead, they did not allow Utah to get it tied. Instead, they threw one into the empty net and won 3-1 for their first victory of the season. 

Like Foligno said, having that "killer instinct" can be the key to winning hockey games. One game after talking about it, the team showed signs of improvement in that area. Seeing that become more of a trend is a must this year if they want to take a step as a group. 

Spencer Knight may be a high-end NHL starting goalie

Spencer Knight was a first-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers in 2019. Being selected so high is rare for a goalie, but Knight had the pedigree to live up to it. 

After some struggles on and off the ice in Florida, along with some flashes of incredible play, the Panthers included him in the trade to get Seth Jones. With Sergei Bobrovsky as their main man in net, they were able to make that deal to get another solid defenseman. 

With the Chicago Blackhawks, Knight is getting the opportunity he deserves to be a number one in the NHL. He got himself off to a good start when he came over at the end of last season, but he's gone to another level to start this year. 

Knight played both games at home and allowed only four total goals. His goals against average currently sits at 2.35 while his save percentage is .920. Knowing his team is outshot in every game, these stats look even better. 

The first game of the season on the road wouldn't have been close without Knight's brilliance. He came home and started both games, and his team had a shot to win each because of him. 

Is he going to compete for Vezina Trophies or lead them to deep playoff runs? That remains to be seen. All we know is that he dominated this homestand and looks like he may be a high-end NHL goalie.

If Knight can continue saving 81 of every 88 shots, the Blackhawks will be more than pleased.

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

It was a very relaxed and pleased Montreal Canadiens owner who met the Montreal media before his team’s home opener. You could tell by his demeanor that with the Lane Hutson contract and the Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes extensions signed, a weight had been taken off his shoulders.

Although it was not complicated to put pen to paper with the duo of executives who both wanted to continue working on the rebuild they had started together, it was essential to do so. While there was still plenty of time left to get contract extensions done since their current deal took them to the end of the season, it made sense to do it now, especially with the outside interest Gorton was receiving in the last couple of years. His promotion to the rank of president of hockey operations had nothing to do with a fear of seeing him jump ship; he told Molson time and time again that he was happy in Montreal and wanted to stay. It was essentially done to reflect today’s reality in the NHL.

Canadiens: Three Takeaways As Demidov Shines In Home Opener Win
Canadiens: Star Prospect Is Aware Of What It Takes To Be A Center
Canadiens Sign Hughes & Gorton To Five-Year Extensions

Molson spoke candidly about what the pair has achieved since he hired them late in 2021 for Gorton and early in 2022 for Hughes, when he was asked what their best move had been so far, though he replied:

It starts all the way up. After hiring Jeff, it was a coup to hire Kent, and then Martin St-Louis. We also made some trades to acquire first-round picks, which helped us build for the future. These trades have already borne fruit or will bear fruit in the future. It’s a lot of things; it’s all part of the plan.

- Molson on Hughes and Gorton's best move

It was a coincidence that both the Hutson deal and those two happened in such a short period of time, but these deals had been reached a little bit before Hutson’s, which came together last weekend. Understandably, the player extension was announced first, but once that was done, there was no reason to delay the announcement further.

The owner had a little laugh when he was asked if the team architects had followed the players’ lead and left some money on the table, before adding he was more than happy to pay them. It’s been a while since the general feeling has been so positive after the signature of an executive in Montreal. The last time a hire or contract extension in the front office was so well-received was when the organization appointed Chantal Machabee as the vice president of communications.

Nearly four years after Molson decided to bet on Jeff Gorton, an anglophone, to spearhead his rebuild, a move that was criticized by some, it’s safe to say that he has won his gamble. The Canadiens haven’t won anything yet, but they seem well on their way, and the business is thriving.

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Aside from two empty net goals in the third period, the Nashville Predators' defense struggled to support goalie Justus Annunen in their 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. 

On four of the five goals scored with Annunen in the net, the goalie had little to no support from the Predators' defense in limiting the Maple Leafs' scoring chances. 

"We probably weren't all that sharp around the front of the net," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "Those stick battles weren't quite to our standard. A little bit slow early." 

The first goal was more so on Annunen as a long shot from the point by Jake McCabe zipped through traffic, hit the right post and went in. 

The second goal was where the Predators lack of defense started showing.

On a rush into the Predators' zone, the Maple Leafs were able to get two players past the Predators' defense and Ozzy Weisblatt on the right side. That allowed William Nylander to make a cross-ice pass to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who tapped it in for the goal. 

Nashville came back to tie the game in the second period, before Toronto took the lead off a goal from John Tavares, who scored from his knees right in front of Annunen. Roman Josi pressured Tavaraes into falling, but he had two Predator defenders on him when he had scored.

Josi also had an opportunity to clear the puck out of the crease before Tavares had scored. 

The third goal saw Bobby McMann get in front of the Predators' defense, fire a shot, get his own rebound and put it away to make it 4-3. On the goal, it had looked like Brady Skjei and Cole Smith had given up on the play before McMann fired the second shot. 

The fourth goal saw the Predators turn the puck over in the neutral zone and get caught too high, allowing the Maple Leafs to go on a 2-on-1. 

Justin Barron missed on the diving poke check, and the Predators had a little bit of a window to possibly break up the goal as Matthew Knies went for the extra pass back to Auston Matthews. Jonathan Marchessault got back, but not in time to prevent the easy tap-in goal from Matthews.

The Maple Leafs scored three of their five goals, with Annunen in the net, from below the face-off circles, meaning that they had no issue getting to the net. They also had 12 high danger chances. 

Outside of the goals, the shot totals, face-off battles, hits and even penalty minutes were all pretty even. If Nashville's defense had tightened up around the net, this could've been a different result. 

The lapse also exposes just how critical Juuse Saros has been in the first three games of the season. Not only has the Predators' starter made 89 saves on 94 shots, but he has kept the Predators in all three of their games. 

In Nashville's first two games, the team struggled in the second period, and it was Saros who allowed the Predators to have a chance to win to the end. Putting Annunen, the backup, in the net shows that the defense can't constantly rely on Saros to bail them out. 

Just under two weeks after announcing his retirement from the NHL, a former Philadelphia Flyers fan-favorite, of sorts, has resurfaced with an unsurprising new job in hockey.

On Tuesday, it was announced that former Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson, who retired after 17 NHL seasons on Oct. 1, had taken a position with ESPN, serving as an NHL analyst for the network.

Johnson, 37, will join his former Flyers coach, John Tortorella, as an analyst on the network, appearing alongside other media personalities like Kevin Weekes, Blake Bolden, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Ray Ferraro, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, T.J. Oshie, P.K. Subban, and Dave Jackson

The Flyers defenseman of two seasons, of course, played against the likes of Oshie, Weekes, and Subban at the NHL level, and should fit in on television without missing a beat.

"As a kid I idolized Thorne, Clement, Melrose, Levy & Buccigross. To call games with some of them on @espn is going to be surreal," Johnson posted to his X account after the news broke. "Can’t wait, let’s go!"

Emil Andrae Emerges As Real Solution to Flyers' Defensive CarouselUnsurprisingly, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> may have finally stumbled on an answer to their defensive woes, even if it's only temporary.

Johnson played parts of two seasons in Philadelphia with the Flyers, scoring three goals, three assists, and six points in 39 games.

The former Stanley Cup champion endeared himself to fans with his thoughtful praise of the Flyers organization and the city of Philadelphia, goofy antics behind the camera that made it into digital media content, and leadership for the young Flyers - specifically Jett Luchanko, who briefly lived with Johnson last season.

The Montreal Canadiens have a knack for making home openers memorable. No one does ceremonies quite like the Habs, and when you have to combine a home opener with a tribute to one of the best goaltenders in their history together, you’re in for a rollercoaster of emotions. They began with the tribute as Bob Gainey read an excerpt from The Game, one of the best hockey books ever written, penned by Dryden. There were several video highlights from the masked man's short but impressive career before the Jumbotron showed his teammates from the 70s, all standing behind the bench, looking up to the rafters. The emotion was palpable, and the crowd broke into one of the most heartfelt Ole. Ole, Ole ever heard.

Canadiens New Forward Is Thriving Big Time
Canadiens: Star Prospect Is Aware Of What It Takes To Be A Center
Canadiens: More Than Just A Contract

The show then entered act two as the personnel was introduced. Martin St-Louis received an ovation that might have been louder than any he had in his playing days, and it was clear it touched him. Asked about it after the game, the coach said:

It was flattering. I appreciate the love I get from the fans, and I love them just as much. I’m proud to be behind the bench, I grew up here, I was a Habs’ fan, I love the fans and I know that when I talk to you, you give me the platform to speak to the fans, whether it’s a good or a bad question, you’re giving me a platform to communicate with our fans and I don’t take it lightly. I try to earn respect every day.

-

The players were then all introduced on the ice to the song of their own choosing, but the crowd was so vocal that it was almost impossible to recognize the tunes. Putting the title of each song would have been a nice touch, but that’s my sole criticism. Otherwise, the Canadiens pulled off another grand ceremony and it was the perfect prelude to the game against the Seattle Kraken.

St-Louis The Teacher

The Habs had an optional skate on game day, but the coach was fully dialed in. He spent a few minutes by the board talking to Ivan Demidov and demonstrating a play. Less than 12 hours later, the young Russian put the teachings to use and replicated what his coach had shown him to set up the game's first goal.

He put on the brakes in a hurry and saw acres of space, which made it child’s play for him on his strong side to send a picture-perfect pass to Alex Newhook by the side of the net. It might have been the Newfoundlander’s easiest goal ever; all he had to do was tap the puck in, and he netted a goal on the 300th game of his career.

You're going to want to see this pass from Ivan Demidov 👀 pic.twitter.com/1wUG9WrcjP

— NHL (@NHL) October 14, 2025

Asked if he cooked up that goal at the morning skate, the bench boss remained humble:

I didn’t necessarily draw it, but for a lefty, the area below the circles on the right is what I call the playmaking corner. For a righty, it would be on the other side. It’s crucial that when you’re in that spot, as much as possible, when you’re below the dot, that you bring the puck to your forehand quickly. Higher than that, you can keep it on your backhand, but the minute you get below, everything else will open up, if you understand that it’s your playmaking corner. We use him [Demidov] a lot there on the power play, so it’s essential that he has his puck on his forehand as much as possible so that he can send the pucks where the guys are open. If it’s not on the forehand quick enough, you’re going to miss some windows, and those windows are short.

-

On Predictability

The coach has spoken at length since the start of camp about the need for his players to be predictable, not for the opponents, of course, but to their linemates. Sometimes, that takes time to happen, chemistry isn’t an instant receipe and in the second frame, twice the Zack Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher line was unable to exit their own zone because they didn’t anticipate what their linemate would do, it could have been minor, but it led to a tripping call on Mike Matheson which resulted in the Kraken’s power play goal.

Predictability is not easy for players who possess a very high hockey IQ and creativity, such as Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, for instance. They are so shifty and deceptive that they can create opportunities out of thin air, and that’s hard to predict. Whenever they are on the ice together, however, they don’t appear to catch each other off guard. There’s some definite chemistry there, which comes easier because both are so talented individually. One day, we may even see them on the same power play…

It Was A Rough Outing For Samuel Montembeault

Being a goaltender is not an easy task, especially not on a rebuilding team that likes to attack a lot, but tonight, Samuel Montembeault had a rough night. He gave up four goals on 22 shots, giving him a save percentage of just .818. In the third frame, he allowed two goals on just six shots, including one on a shot from far out that wasn’t deflected at all.

Later in the frame, when Alex Carrier drew a penalty, the goalie failed to notice and wasn’t coming out of his net for the extra man. It didn’t matter in the end as the Habs were able to equalize, but it was far from ideal.

Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney was in the house tonight, on scouting duty for Team Canada in preparation for the Milano Cortina Olympics. I can’t imagine that Montembeault is pleased with what he showed.

Overall, it was an entertaining night at the Bell Center with Demidov shining bright with two points, including the game-tying goal late in the third frame, and Cole Caufield sending everyone home happy with a beautiful game-winner in overtime. With this 5-4 OT win, the Canadiens are now 3-1-0 and have caught up to the Florida Panthers and the Bruins atop the Atlantic division with six points. Montreal will hold its practice at the Bell Centre this morning as its team picture day, and St-Louis and co. will play their next game on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.

Demidov brakes, passes to Newhook who scores on a tap in. This morning St-Louis was discussing that play with Demidov at practice 1-0 MTL #GoHabsGo@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/UXsPIwIWSL

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) October 14, 2025

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Let the hunt begin!

On Wednesday, October 15th, Upper Deck releases the first installment of its flagship product, as 2025-26 Series One hits the shelves. 

Series One and Two are highly anticipated due to the coveted Young Guns that are released within the set. These are considered the "main rookie card" for each play, and are highly collectible. 

The Young Guns set includes a 50-player checklist each year, and here is a list of the top-five players to chase in Series One. 

1. Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens. 

Habs fans call him the 'Demi-God', and the demand for his marquee rookie card from Series One flagship will be high. The Russian rookie burst onto the scene late last year and played the final two games of the regular season for Montreal, finishing with a goal and an assist, while adding two more points in five playoff games. He is projected to be a top-six star in Montreal, and already has three points in four games ahead of the Series 1 release (Oct. 15th, 2025).

2. Jimmy Snuggerud, St Louis Blues.

Snuggerud was a first-round draft pick of the Blues in 2022. He played the final seven games of the 2024-25 season, scoring a goal with three helpers in those games. He also added two goals and two assists in the Blues' seven-game playoff series against Winnipeg. The 21-year-old forward is off to a hot start this season as well, with two goals and three points in the team's first three games before the release of his Young Guns. 

3. Ryan Leonard, Washington Capitals.

Leonard had a great NCAA collegiate career, notching 61 goals across two seasons with Boston College. He also captained Team USA's U20 team at last year's World Junior Championships, where he tallied five goals and five assists in 10 games. He's gotten off to a slower start at the NHL level with just two goals in his first 14 games, but the scoring abilities are off the charts, and he's expected to be a big-time piece of the post-Ovechkin puzzle in Washington once '8' hangs them up. 

4. Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames.

It's not too often a rookie defenseman creates buzz around the NHL, but Parekh scored in his NHL debut in the Flames' final game of the 2024-25 season. He's yet to find the scoresheet early in 2025, but has impressed with his smooth skating and playmaking abilities. He filled the scoresheet in the OHL, putting up 87 goals and 240 points in 177 games at the junior level. It's that level of production that has scouts and fans excited about what he could develop into, given the recent trend of young puck-movers putting up strong production from the back-end. 

5. Sam Rinzel, Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks have two young blue liners featured in Series One, but it's Rinzel that I believe will have the most hobby relevance. He was a 2022 first-round draft pick of the Hawks, but played two years of collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota, scoring 60 points in 79 games at that level. Rinzel then debuted for the Hawks late last season, collecting five assists in nine games. The young defender has just one goal so far in four games this season, but he is a member of the Hawks' top power-play unit, so I'd expect him to produce once that young group gets going. 

Below is the full checklist of 2025-26 Series One Young Guns class: 

201 Artyom Levshunov, Chicago Blackhawks

202 Gabe Perreault, New York Rangers

203 Olivier Rodrigue, Edmonton Oilers

204 Carter Mazur, Detroit Red Wings

205 Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens

206 Tim Washe, Anaheim Ducks

207 Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues

208 Jack Finley, Tampa Bay Lightning

209 Jani Nyman, Seattle Kraken

210 Karsen Dorwart, Philadelphia Flyers

211 Riley Duran, Boston Bruins

212 Ozzy Wiesblatt, Nashville Predators

213 Luca Cagnoni, San Jose Sharks

214 Ryan Suzuki, Carolina Hurricanes

215 Sam Morton, Calgary Flames

216 Oliver Moore, Chicago Blackhawks

217 Rodrigo Abols, Philadelphia Flyers

218 Colton Dach, Chicago Blackhawks

219 Noah Ostlund, Buffalo Sabres

220 Niklas Kokko, Seattle Kraken

221 Nikita Tolopilo, Vancouver Canucks

222 Michael Callahan, Boston Bruins

223 Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

224 Quinn Hutson, Edmonton Oilers

225 Jacob Gaucher, Philadelphia Flyers

226 Dalibor Dvorsky, St. Louis Blues

227 Owen Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets

228 Matthew Wood, Nashville Predators

229 Donovan Sebrango, Ottawa Senators

230 Jacob Melanson, Seattle Kraken

231 Marc Gatcomb, New York Islanders

232 Ian Moore, Anaheim Ducks

233 Ville Koivunen, Pittsburgh Penguins

234 Dominik Shine, Detroit Red Wings

235 Rory Kerins, Calgary Flames

236 Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames

237 Joakim Kemell, Nashville Predators

238 Ryan Leonard, Washington Capitals

239 Matthew Robertson, New York Rangers

240 Ethen Frank, Washington Capitals

241 Jacob Quillan, Toronto Maple Leafs

242 Cam Lund, San Jose Sharks

243 Justin Robidas, Carolina Hurricanes

244 Jakub Skarek, New York Islanders

245 Victor Ostman, Seattle Kraken

246 Parker Ford, Winnipeg Jets

247 Skyler Brind’Amour, Carolina Hurricanes

248 Sam Rinzel, Chicago Blackhawks

249 Dylan Duke, Tampa Bay Lightning

250 Ivan Demidov/Artyom Levshunov CL, Montreal/Chicago Canadiens/Blackhawks.

Starting to skid.

The Calgary Flames (1–3–0) dropped their third straight game Tuesday night, falling 4–2 to the Vegas Golden Knights (2–0–2) at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary built a 2–0 lead early but couldn’t hold off a Vegas rally that saw the defending champs score four unanswered goals.

Mikael Backlund opened the scoring with his first of the season, finishing off a slick setup from MacKenzie Weegar, who disguised his slap pass perfectly to freeze Adin Hill. Blake Coleman added another late in the first, jumping on a turnover and wiring a shot over Hill’s shoulder to make it 2–0.

But Vegas — as they’ve done all season — stormed back. Jack Eichel scored twice, Kaedan Korczak added another from the slot, and Tomas Hertl sealed it with an empty-netter as the Golden Knights continued their early-season trend of comeback victories.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. Kadri Line Creating Momentum

The trio of Matt Coronato, Nazem Kadri, and Matvei Gridin was one of the Flames’ bright spots. The line was active all night, driving play with speed and creativity. Kadri’s veteran poise blended nicely with Coronato’s offensive instincts and Gridin’s youthful energy, giving Calgary consistent offensive-zone time. 

2. Third Period Continues to Frustrate Flames

It’s becoming a worrying pattern — the inability to protect leads. The Flames have now surrendered multiple third-period goals in three straight games: four to the Vancouver Canucks, two to the St. Louis Blues, and another two against Vegas. Tuesday’s collapse came despite a strong start and a solid first 40 minutes. Until Calgary can lock things down defensively in crunch time, wins will continue to slip away.

3. Zary’s Development Path Getting a Test

Connor Zary is currently being tested in a fourth-line centre role — not a natural fit for his offensive skillset. Still, he was taking offensive-zone draws late in the game, suggesting the coaching staff is pushing him to take big offensive draws while also rounding out his defensive game. It’s a learning curve for the young forward, but one that could pay dividends if he transitions into a full-time top-six centre down the road.

The Flames will look to rebound quickly as they face the Utah Mammoth tomorrow night.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby continues to climb the all-time ranks in several categories this season. 

Crosby came into Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks tied for ninth for the most assists in NHL history with 1,063, and is now ninth by himself after getting the secondary assist on Rickard Rakell's goal in the first period. Crosby now has 1,064 assists and is 15 assists away from tying Adam Oates for eighth on the all-time list. 

ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR SID 🙌

Sidney Crosby now sits ninth all-time in career assists! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/LFajBR8rD6

— NHL (@NHL) October 15, 2025

Crosby has a legit chance to pass Jaromir Jagr on the all-time assists list, who finished his NHL career with 1,155. The former came into this game with two points in three games and now has his third point to start the year.

He'll try to get his fourth later in this game or on Thursday when the Penguins travel to Los Angeles to take on the Kings.  

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It appears that one of the top prospects for the Pittsburgh Penguins will see his first game as a healthy scratch Tuesday.

Head coach Dan Muse said that 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke will not play against the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday as part of the development plan the team has laid out for him. 

Muse mentioned that these planned scratches are part of the team's process for both Brunicke and fellow teenage rookie Ben Kindel, who is just 18 years old and was drafted 11th overall by the Penguins this summer. 

"We're looking at what's best for him and his development," Muse said. "It's all part of a plan for them laid out by management and the coaching staff. They're in a different position because of their age, and we want to put them in the best position to succeed."

It's Only Been Three Games. But Kindel And Brunicke Should Be In Pittsburgh To Stay.Going into Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp this season, it's safe to say that most folks did not have 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel making the NHL roster out of the gate.

Brunicke registered his first NHL goal on Thursday in a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders and has one point in three NHL games to start his career. Kindel has the same exact stat line, as he scored his first NHL goal Saturday against the New York Rangers, which is his lone point on the season so far.

In the first three games this season, Brunicke worked on the third defensive pairing with Caleb Jones, and Kindel has been centering the third line. Kindel is expected to play against Anaheim.

Penguins At Ducks Preview: Penguins Looking To Bounce Back After Saturday's LossThe Pittsburgh Penguins will start their run through California on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks. 

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Sometimes, an NHL team needs their goaltender to be the best player on the ice. For Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot, that was exactly the case on Monday afternoon against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Talbot backstopped the Red Wings to their second consecutive victory over the Maple Leafs with a spectacular 38-save performance, singlehandedly keeping Detroit alive in their contest that saw Toronto largely dominate play. 

By the time everything was said and done, the Maple Leafs had a 40-15 advantage in shots, but it was the Red Wings who secured the two points in the standings thanks to a 3-2 final score. 

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

“I felt good from the get-go," Talbot explained of his performance. "Made a couple big stops early and confidence grows, especially after last game. I’m just trying to make the saves I’m supposed to make and give our team a chance to win. I feel like I was able to do that tonight.”

Talbot made 20 saves on the 23 shots he faced as part of Detroit's 6-3 victory over the Maple Leafs at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday evening, which was his first start of the new campaign. 

He likely earned himself another start with his clutch play in both games.

The Red Wings struck first thanks to a first period power-play goal from Dylan Larkin, and later increased that lead to 2-0 in the third period thanks to a strong power move to the net by first-year Detroit forward James van Riemsdyk, who was making his Red Wings debut. 

While the Maple Leafs managed to pull even with goals from Matthew Knies and Calle Jarnkrok, the Red Wings stunned the crowd at Scotiabank Arena with the game-winner from another first-year Red Wings forward, Mason Appleton, with just 45 seconds left in regulation. 

It was Appleton who took teammate Lucas Raymond's spot on the top line after the latter departed the contest following a heavy hit into the boards from Toronto's Chris Tanev. 

"That's A Good Sign": Red Wings Find Positives In Win Despite Being Outshot Getting outshot by a 40-15 margin and constantly getting hemmed into their defensive zone wasn't the strategy for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings">Detroit Red Wings </a>on Monday afternoon, and yet things still worked out for them thanks to a superhuman performance from goaltender Cam Talbot.&nbsp;

Talbot highlighted how other Detroit players stepped up in the absence of Raymond, which, combined with his 38 saves, resulted in Detroit's victory. 

“We’ve put together a couple good ones here, and we knew this was going to be a tough one and that we were going to need everybody," Talbot said. "You lose Ray at some point during the game, and other guys have to step up.

"You throw Apps on that top line, and he buries a big one for us with 45 seconds left. That’s how good teams win hockey games, and we had contributions from everyone tonight.”

"We gave up a two-goal lead and didn’t quit. It didn’t look like we were real polished, but we didn’t quit. That’s a good sign.”

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Oct 14, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron (47) celebrates with forward Cole Smith (36) after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

After a 4-1 victory in Ottawa against the Senators Monday afternoon, the Nashville Predators faced their first test of finishing a back-to-back on the road.

Tuesday night, the Preds traveled to Toronto for the second of a four-game swing through Canada. They fought hard, but came up short in a 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Tavares, Bobby McMann, Auston Matthews (2) and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs.

Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, Roman Josi and Nick Perbix tallied the Preds' goals.

HAULLLLAAAAAAAA pic.twitter.com/HEhtxpURC7

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 15, 2025

The Maple Leafs were coming off two consecutive losses to the Detroit Red Wings, and took out their frustrations on the Predators. They built a 2-0 lead before the Preds roared back early in the second with two goals in 44 seconds to tie the score.

The Leafs answered with three goals of their own and staved off a spirited comeback by the Predators, who suffered their first loss in regulation and fall to 2-1-1 for the season.

Preds head coach Andrew Brunette scratched Brady Martin for the second game in a row. He told reporters earlier in the day this was part of Martin’s development plan.

With Martin sitting, Tyson Jost skated on a line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. Ozzy Wiesblatt made his season debut and collected two assists on the night.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

The Preds Showed A Lot Of Heart

Toronto was desperate to play well in front of the home crowd, and showed it in the opening period.

The Preds couldn’t register a shot through the first six minutes, but finally began narrowing the gap and ended the frame with eight shots to Toronto’s nine. Problem was, two of the Leafs’ shots went into the net, and built a 2-0 lead.

The second period saw the Preds outshoot the Leafs 14-6, with McCarron and Haula bringing them even 2-2 with goals just 44 seconds apart.

Once again, Toronto refused to give in, and the Preds found themselves sinking in quicksand despite showing grit throughout the game.

The two teams traded a total of four goals in the final four minutes of the game. The Preds tallied eight goals in their first two road games, twice the number they scored in the first two home games combined. They left Toronto without a win, but didn't allow the Leafs to run away from them.

Big Juice Was Outdueled

It was a battle of the backup goalies, with Justus Annunen getting his first start of the young season. Cayden Primeau was in net for the Leafs.

It was Primeau who came out on top, stopping 22 of 26 shots. Annunen saved 18 of 23 Leafs shots.

While Annunen kept the game from getting completely out of hand, he was out of position on McMann’s goal after Brady Skjei made a great defensive play on the initial shot. That gave the Leafs their two-goal lead back after the Predators had worked hard to get back in the game.

Juuse Saros has been virtually unstoppable through his first three games, posting a 2-0-1 with a 1.64 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. No one is expecting Annunen to be Saros's equal, and the No. 1 guy has to be rested once in a while.

One game is too small a sample size to judge, but Big Juice will need to have some big games to keep hopes of a turnaround season alive for the Preds.

The Power Play Has Lost Power

Stop us if you’ve read this before: the Preds’ power play was stalled again.

The unit seems to be more inclined to pass rather than take a shoot-first approach. They’re failing to get penetration and find consistent chances to score.

Nashville came into the game a paltry 1-for-15 with the man advantage, an Tuesday did nothing to raise that percentage. They didn't have as many opportunities as they did against the Sens the day before, but failed in both their tries against the Leafs.

The penalty-kill unit didn’t have to work as hard, either, compared to the penalty fest in Ottawa. They successfully killed off both penalties and are now 11-of-12 through four games.

Their only blemish on the young season came Monday against Ottawa, when they gave up an empty-net goal on a 6-on-4. Otherwise, they are perfect in 5-on-4.

While it may seem a little much to pronounce an NHL team's fourth game of the season a must-win game, considering the start the Buffalo Sabres have gotten out to this season -- losing all three games and generating only two goals in that span -- it's safe to say the Sabres desperately need a win when they take on the Ottawa Senators Wednesday in Buffalo.

That said, the Senators also need a win in a bad way. Ottawa has dropped its past two games, losing to the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators.  So if the Sabres think the Sens will be a soft touch for them, they should think again. The injury-rattled Senators still could put a-hurtin' on the Sabres, and if that's what happens, Buffalo will be pointless in the first five percent of the season. And at that point, the vultures will start to stretch their muscles and prepare to encircle the Sabres.

There has to be a legitimate change for the Sabres -- an urgency -- or it won't matter who's next up in their schedule. The results are going to remain the same, and the anger of Buffalo fans is going to surge. You can only listen to the same skipping record before madness sets in, and that's where Sabres fans are at right now.

It's fine and dandy if you're part of a moderately-successful NHL team and you're asking fans for their patience as the team navigates through a tough stretch. But when it's been nothing but tough stretches for the past 14 years when there's been not a single Stanley Cup playoff game that included the Sabres, you'll have to forgive Buffalo fans if they're testy with the organization.

More Misery For Sabres As Buffalo Loses Third Straight Game To Start New SeasonAny way you want to frame it, losing three straight games to start the season is a disaster for the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres' third straight defeat came Monday at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche -- a legitimate Stanley Cup frontrunner -- and once again, offense was a problem for Buffalo.

The Sabres are in show-don't-tell territory, and they'll be in that territory until they string together not just a solid week, and not just a solid month or two, bu rather a solid season. Until then, fans and pundits will be in the right to question their direction. 

You can't spell goodwill without "will", and Buffalo has run out of goodwill as they've shown they don't have the will to deliver a playoff season to Western New York. Well, maybe talent also has something to do with that result. But no amount of excuses will change the mood around the Sabres if they can't pull out of this early tailspin. They have to come through with some wins, or deal with the consequences.

Injury-Plagued Sabres Having Worst-Case-Scenario Start To SeasonThe news from Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was about as bad as it can get for a hockey team -- Buffalo's first-line center, Josh Norris, will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future after being injured in the Sabres' first game of the season Thursday.

Only sustained success from now through mid-April will keep the buzzards at bay in Buffalo. If not, it's going to make the '25-26 season agonizingly-long for the Sabres.

Adrian Kempe, who is one of the biggest names to be a UFA at the end of this season, is still without a contract extension.

Kempe currently earns a $5.5-million cap hit, but it’s expected that the Swedish right winger will receive a healthy increase in salary on his next deal. This is his final season of his four-year, $5.5-million contract that he signed in the 2022 off-season.

The Los Angeles Kings and GM Ken Holland are under some pressure to bang out a new contract for Kempe, the team’s leading scorer after the first four games of the season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided the latest reports during The Fan hockey Show about the negotiations between the Kings’ front office and Kempe’s representation.

Friedman said that there was a pause in negotiations between the two parties, but talks should start up again soon.

According to the Sportsnet insider, there was a bit of a gap between Kempe and the Kings. In terms of money and average annual value, it seemed that Los Angeles was at the $9 million AAV mark, while the player was around the $10 million AAV area.

However, since then, the Winnipeg Jets signed left winger Kyle Connor, the Edmonton Oilers signed center Connor McDavid, and the Minnesota Wild signed Kirill Kaprizov to the richest contract in NHL history.

With all that to consider, it’s understandable that the asking price has gone up in the meantime. 

Furthermore, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported earlier in the month that Toronto Maple Leafs right winger William Nylander is a contract comparable to Kempe’s situation.

Nylander currently earns $11.5 million against the salary cap, and that will continue for the next seven seasons, including this campaign.

Despite the current gap between the team and player, Friedman said he believes that Kempe wants to remain a member of the Kings.

Kings 2025-26 Player Preview: Adrian KempeAs the 2025-26 season approaches, one thing that will continue to follow the Los Angeles Kings around, until it is completed, is the pending contract situation for star forward, Adrian Kempe.

With that said, Kempe holds all the leverage in these negotiations as one of the most important players on the Kings’ roster. 

The 29-year-old has led Los Angeles in scoring for the last two seasons. In addition, he’s scored 35-plus goals in three of the last four campaigns, including a 41-goal season in 2022-23.

It’s tough to say that the Kings are a better team without Kempe in the lineup, and that leads Friedman to believe that it’s in Holland’s best interest to get this deal done on the first chance he gets.

With the return of Tyler Kleven on Monday afternoon, the Ottawa Senators suddenly found themselves carrying eight defensemen on their NHL roster, and that was one too many for their liking. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the team has opted to place Donovan Sebrango on waivers as of Tuesday.

Sebrango had served as Kleven’s direct replacement in the Senators’ first two games down in Florida, but with Kleven now healthy, it appears the Sens have decided to send Sebrango back to Belleville of the American Hockey League, where he’s spent most of the past two seasons. His two games with Ottawa over the past week have now doubled his career games played total at the NHL level. He made his NHL debut with the Sens back in January.

Behind Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, and Kleven, Sebrango is generally seen as the next man up on the left side of the organization's depth chart. That much was made clear in the first two games of the season.

But he may soon have some competition. The Sens recently strengthened the left side of the B-Sens blue line by signing free agent Scott Harrington to a two-year AHL deal. Harrington brings more than 250 games of NHL experience. Everyone else on the left side in Belleville, and we'll include Sebrango's four games of NHL experience, have combined for four games of NHL experience.

If Sebrango clears waivers and reports to Belleville, head coach David Bell will suddenly have his own left side surplus on the back end. In Ottawa, the Sens appear to favour one extra defenseman and one extra forward.

Drake Batherson is set to be activated from injured reserve in time for Wednesday night’s road game against the Buffalo Sabres. So he'll likely be replaced on the IR by Brady Tkachuk after the captain suffered a right-hand or wrist injury during Monday’s home opener. The Sens are saying Tkachuk might be out for a month or more and haven't ruled out surgery.

Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk Likely To Miss A Month Of Action (At Least)Following an uninspiring 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on Saturday, Ottawa Senators fans were hoping for an inspiring bounce-back performance in the team's home opener on Monday afternoon.

Sebrango was acquired by the Senators in July 2023 as part of the Alex DeBrincat trade. DeBrincat was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Sebrango, Dominik Kubalik, a conditional first-round pick, and Detroit’s 2024 fourth-round selection. That first-round pick was later part of the trade package sent to Boston for goalie Linus Ullmark.

Still just 23, Sebrango—a former World Junior player with Team Canada—could draw interest from other NHL teams on the waiver wire. The Ottawa-born defenseman likely has a soft spot for his hometown club, but with three quality left-shot defensemen under contract for at least the next two seasons, his path to full-time NHL status appears blocked for the foreseeable future.

More Sens Headlines at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators Site:
Tkachuk Injured As Senators Drop Home Opener To Nashville
Another Tough Break For Former Senator Josh Norris
Senators Injuries: Kleven And Batherson Provide Health Updates
Yakemchuk Reflects On Playing First Pro Game Saturday
Senators Mauled By Florida 6-2, Penalty Killing Struggles Continue
Jordan Spence: A Healthy Scratch For Sens Season Opener