One of the most highly discussed draft picks in recent Detroit Red Wings history is Michael Rasmussen, selected ninth overall at the 2017 NHL Draft.
The six-foot-six forward was taken after producing very solid numbers in the Western Hockey League with the Tri-City Americans, where he returned for another season after being drafted.
Detroit fans became even more excited a year later. During the 2018-19 season, Rasmussen didn't just make the jump to pro hockey, he made it to the NHL. He played three games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, scoring a pair of goals, before spending most of the season with the big club.
In his first season with the Red Wings, the Surrey, B.C. native finished with 18 points in 62 games, a respectable total for a youngster. Little has changed in his production since as Rasmussen has settled in as a 20- to 30-point depth forward and has never reached the upside Detroit hoped for.
Last season, he finished with 14 points in 64 games while dealing with injuries and being a healthy scratch at times. He entered this season already in a scoring drought that dated back to last January, and he heads into Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils riding a 30-game point drought.
Rasmussen has now played eight seasons in the NHL, all with the Red Wings, and has recorded 66 goals and 88 assists for 154 points in 459 games. That raises a question under the team's new management direction of should Detroit try to move Rasmussen and see if he can thrive elsewhere? With so many young players in the minors deserving a chance at an NHL role, is he worth keeping on the main roster?
Rasmussen will be a free agent at the end of next season, so he still has plenty of time to make a case to be brought back. But if the drought continues, the question will only get louder of when will the Red Wings come to a decision on the former top ten pick?
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Bruce Cassidy has won a Stanley Cup, been fired and watched another NHL hiring cycle pass without finding his way back behind a bench. For now, he's found a way to keep coaching while he waits for the next opportunity.
Cassidy is working with Canada's women's national team ahead of the World Championship in Denmark this November. It's a new experience for the veteran coach, but the day-to-day work is familiar: watching video, preparing practices and helping players improve.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, Cassidy discussed his work with Hockey Canada, the possibility of returning to the NHL and what he's taken away from his time outside the league.
Hockey Canada named Cassidy a special adviser to general manager Danièle Sauvageau last month. He's since been helping head coach Kori Cheverie as the team prepares for the tournament.
The opportunity has given Cassidy a reason to stay in his coaching routine, even if the setting is different from what he's used to.
“Just trying to stay in a routine, so to speak,” Cassidy told LeBrun. “Great people here. This opportunity came up, and it's really helped fill that void.”
There's also been more time for family. Cassidy has been able to watch his 16-year-old son play hockey on weekends, a change of pace after years spent managing the demands of an NHL season.
His long-term plans, though, haven't changed. Cassidy wants another NHL job, and he remains under contract with Vegas through June 30, 2027. Any team interested in speaking with him would need permission from the Golden Knights.
Until something opens up, Cassidy has time to think about what he'd bring to his next team — and what he might do differently.
“I've always thought I'm a pretty direct coach,” he said. “I hold people accountable, and my teams play a certain way. But I think it's always about how you message.”
That question of communication has taken on added importance since Cassidy led Vegas to the Stanley Cup in 2023. Keeping a team at championship level is one challenge; figuring out how to deliver that message after the group falls short is another.
Cassidy said he spent time reflecting on how he handled that balance during his final seasons with the Golden Knights.
His next NHL job could still be some time away. In the meantime, the Team Canada assignment gives him a chance to keep coaching, learn in a different environment and be ready when the next call comes.
Owen Power leads the Sabres in defensive scoring with seven points
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings
Forwards
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Josh Doan
Zach Benson - Noah Ostlund - Jack Quinn
Jiri Kulich - Josh Norris - Konsta Helenius
Ryan McLeod - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn
Ex. Justin Danforth
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Zach Metsa
Olen Zellweger - Owen Power
Dennis Gilbert - Louis Crevier
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Notes
Buffalo has earned a win in two of its last three games against Montreal.
The Sabres have earned more wins against the Canadiens (138) than any other opponent in franchise history. Buffalo has converted on three of its last eight power-play opportunities (37.5 percent), including at least one power-play goal in each of the team’s last two games.
A power-play goal tonight would mark the first time the Sabres have earned a power-play goal streak of three or more games since Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, 2026 (six games).
Owen Power has posted seven points (1+6) in Buffalo’s first six games. A point in tonight’s game would make him the first Sabres defenseman since Rasmus Dahlin (Oct. 13 to 27, 2022; 5+4) to record eight or more points in their first seven games of a season. Power (26:07) ranks seventh in time on ice per game among all NHL skaters.
Tage Thompson has registered 23 points (12+11) in 20 career games against Montreal, including seven points (3+4) in his last three games against the Canadiens. An assist in today’s game would make Thompson the first Sabres forward to record an assist streak of four or more games against Montreal since Jack Eichel from Nov. 8, 2018 to Oct. 9, 2019 (3+7).
Josh Norris has totaled eight points (3+6) in his last eight games against the Canadiens.
Tonight’s game will mark his first regular-season game against Montreal as a member of the Sabres.
Jiri Kulich is riding a three-game point streak against the Canadiens (2+1).
Tonight’s game concludes Buffalo’s 1st of 14 back-to-back sets in 2026-27, which opened with a 5-3 win vs. Florida yesterday afternoon.
Tuesday is the NHL's Frozen Frenzy, meaning all 32 teams will be in action throughout the day. The NHL has done this for the last three seasons and is doing it again this year.
The Penguins will face a Blackhawks team that has really struggled to start the year. They are 1-5-0 and have been outscored 26-12 in those six games. Defenseman Bowen Byram has also been rough to start his Blackhawks tenure after they acquired him during the offseason.
However, they'll get major help on Tuesday, as star forward Connor Bedard returns from offseason shoulder surgery. He's their best player by far and finished the 2025-26 season with 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games.
Forward Anton Frondell has been their best player to start the season, compiling one goal and four points in six games. This is his first full NHL season after making his debut last year, and he already looks the part.
Goaltender Spencer Knight is expected to start in goal for the Blackhawks, and he's coming off a stellar 2025-26 campaign. He saved 10.9 goals above expected, good for 14th among all NHL goaltenders last year, and finished with a .902 save percentage. The fact that he put up those numbers on one of the league's worst defensive teams is staggering.
As for the Penguins, Sergei Murashov will start in goal after having the night off on Saturday. He's been electric in his first two starts this year, posting a .938 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average.
Andrei Kuzmenko is expected to play after sitting out the previous two games. He'll likely start on the third line with Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen.
Here's a look at the full expected lines and pairs:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Kuzmenko-Kindel-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson
Defense
Carlile-Karlsson
Girard-Korczak
Stastney-Letang
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
With his return, he is slotted back into his usual spot, centering the second line between Easton Cowan and William Nylander. Nick Paul filled that void against the Avalanche, recording a couple of assists on the night.
At morning skate in Salt Lake City, Tavares also got his spot on the top power-play unit back as the net-front presence. When he was unavailable against Colorado, rookie Gavin McKenna took that spot and made an immediate impact, recording a primary assist on Toronto's first power-play goal from Nylander and making an impressive backcheck that sparked Auston Matthews' goal.
Despite not giving the 18-year-old a longer look with the top unit on the man advantage, Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller recognizes the effect that McKenna had with the team's superstars.
"Gavin did a good job, and you know, just like other situations in the game, Gavin will get put in and then pulled back a little bit," Hiller said after Tuesday's morning skate.
Given the early influence he had on the top unit on Saturday, questions have arisen about whether McKenna should remain on the top unit and Tavares should stick to the second unit upon his return.
"We're talking with John Tavares, it's a pretty easy decision to get John back in there," Hiller revealed. "He's had a great career. Still a great goal scorer. So that wasn't a hard one at all."
In five games played, Tavares has one goal and three points, including a point on the power play. McKenna has one goal and four points in six games this season, also with one power-play point to his name.
As a team, the Maple Leafs are tied for sixth in the NHL in power-play percentage, along with the New York Rangers. Toronto has executed at 26.3 percent, scoring five goals on 19 opportunities with the man advantage.
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Former Senators first-rounder Stefan Noesen is back in the NHL after being recalled by the New Jersey Devils on Monday. The news comes three days after clearing waivers and his surprising demotion to the minors.
The Devils recalled the 33-year-old winger from the AHL's Utica Comets after placing Connor Brown, another former Senator, on injured reserve. Noesen did not suit up against the Senators, who defeated the Devils 4-1 on Monday evening.
Steve Warne describes the Senators amped up commitment to defensive structure this season.
Noesen's demotion last week came as a surprise, considering he had spent the previous four seasons as a full-time NHL player. After appearing in New Jersey's first two games this season, Noesen was placed on waivers, went unclaimed, and was assigned to Utica on Friday.
His fortunes have changed considerably over the past two years.
In 2024-25, Noesen enjoyed the finest season of his NHL career, scoring 22 goals and collecting 41 points in 78 games with the Devils.
But injuries then derailed his 2025-26 season. After missing the start of the season with a groin injury, Noesen later underwent knee surgery and finished the year with just three goals and seven points in 38 games.
Despite never wearing the centurion crest, Noesen has an interesting connection to Sens’ history.
He was one of three players selected by the Senators in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, joining Mika Zibanejad (sixth overall) and Matt Puempel (24th overall). Noesen was selected 21st overall with the pick Ottawa acquired from Nashville in the Mike Fisher trade.
Noesen never played a regular-season game for the Senators because, in July 2013, they traded him to the Anaheim Ducks as part of the Bobby Ryan deal. That deal came shortly after longtime Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson departed for Detroit.
More than 13 years after that trade, Noesen is still trying to extend his NHL career, and Monday's recall gives him another chance to do just that.
On Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks made it official that Connor Bedard is returning. He will be in the lineup when they take the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the United Center on Tuesday night.
Bedard missed all of training camp, the preseason, and the first 6 regular-season games as he worked his way back from shoulder surgery. A lot of work was put in for him to return this quickly, as the July diagnosis had him coming back in mid-November.
To make room for Bedard on the roster, they had to send someone down to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Instead of putting someone on waivers and taking that type of chance, they sent Nick Lardis down.
Lardis was outstanding in camp and in the preseason, but it has been a tough six games for him. Playing a handful of games for the IceHogs could be good for him, if that's the route that they go. He already has experience scoring lots of goals down there, and it helped him have a strong showing when he was called up to the NHL last year.
When Frank Nazar returns from suspension, there will be even less room in the forward room, but they likely won't keep Dominic Toninato up long beyond that. They chose him over Lardis because Toninato can play center with Nazar out.
There is the possibility of more injuries to follow for others, and Lardis is at the top of the call-up list once again. If Lardis shows he is ready for a call-up before it becomes a necessity, the Blackhawks have proven that they won't hesitate, either.
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Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar has a pretty good reason to miss a hockey game.
As first reported by Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, Makar will miss Tuesday night's game against the Dallas Stars as his wife, Tracy, has gone into labor and is expected to give birth at any moment to their twins.
According to The Denver Post's Corey Masisak, the Avs will move forward with 11 forwards and seven defenseman for the game.
Makar’s absence comes as the Avalanche defenseman continues another impressive start to the season, recording three goals and four assists for seven points through five games.
The 27-year-old is one of Colorado’s most important players, serving as the centerpiece of the team’s blue line and a major contributor offensively.
Cale Makar is going to be a father!
Makar married Tracy in 2024, and the couple is now preparing for a major milestone off the ice as they await the arrival of their child.
The news comes amid a major period for Makar, who recently agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension with the Avalanche. The deal carries an average annual value of $20.4 million and is set to begin in the 2027-28 season, making Makar the NHL’s highest-paid player.
Makar has established himself as one of the league’s premier defensemen since making his NHL debut in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has won two Norris Trophies as the NHL’s best defenseman and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy during Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship run.
For now, the Avalanche will have to manage without their top defenseman while Makar focuses on his growing family. The team has not announced how long he could be unavailable or whether he will miss additional games.
With seven points already this season, Makar’s on-ice production will be difficult to replace, but Tuesday’s absence puts family first.
Given the Avalanche play the Stars again Wednesday evening at Ball Arena, there is a possibility he may not be available for that game, either.
Head Coach Jared Bednar informed reporters that they would take monitor Makar's status day-by-day.
Congratulations to the Makar family. Puck drop from American Airlines Center is at 6:30 pm. local time.
During this past off-season, Stuart Skinner's time with the Pittsburgh Penguins ended when he signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets in free agency.
With the Penguins having multiple young goalies, it was not too surprising to see Skinner sign elsewhere this summer. Now, as the Connor Hellebuyck trade request drama continues, Skinner is impressing early on for the Jets.
In three games so far this season with the Jets, Skinner has a 2-0-1 record, a 2.62 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. With numbers like these, the former Penguins goalie has been a nice surprise for the Jets early on as Hellebuyck continues to sit out.
Skinner was also very good for the Jets in his most recent appearance on Oct. 7 against the Colorado. During the matchup, the former Penguins goalie stopped 32 out of his 34 shots. This was after he made 34 saves on 36 shots against the Detroit Red Wings in his previous appearance.
It will now be interesting to see if Skinner can keep this kind of play up for the Jets this season. If the former Penguins netminder does, Winnipeg could surprise a lot of people this campaign.
Skinner was acquired by the Penguins from the Edmonton Oilers last season. In 27 games for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, he posted a 12-9-5 record, an .885 save percentage, and a 2.99 goals-against average.
The morning after Nico Sturm's scary head injury, the Minnesota Wild announced a roster move. Sturm has been placed on the injured reserve.
In addition to the move, the Wild recalled forward Justin Kirkland from the Iowa Wild to replace Sturm on the roster. Minnesota already has Tyler Pitlick up so now John Hynes can decide between the two for who plays.
Kirikland, 29, has recorded two assists in four AHL games with Iowa this season. He recorded one goal and one assist in 20 NHL games with the Calgary Flames last year.
Sturm, 31, was hit in the head in Monday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights by a puck. It hit around the same spot that left Brock Faber with a skull fracture and a timeline that is indefinite.
“Very, very scary,” goalie Jesper Wallstedt said after Monday's game. “Obviously, we’ve seen what it could do. We don’t know what the situation is like, if it’s the same or worse or not as bad. Obviously, I wish Nico is doing good and doing well, and it’s not that bad. But very, very scary, and obviously you get flashbacks to the preseason game when that happened to Brock. Hopefully, it’s not like that, but obviously very hard to see.”
Sturm was taken to a local hospital by ambulance and per a source, he was stable sitting in the back drinking water. Michael McCarron also stated he was able to see Sturm during intermission and said he was looking okay.
Hynes didn't have an update after the game but said Sturm obviously wouldn’t be on the team’s plane to Winnipeg for tonight's Tuesday night game.
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The Ottawa Senators have an impressive 5-1-0 record right now and are at the top of the Atlantic Division.
A big reason for the Senators' strong start to the season is because of former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Ullmark has been excellent for the Senators early on this season. In five games so far, he has a 5-0-0 record, a 1.27 goals-against average, and a .948 save percentage. The former Sabres goalie is also showing no signs of slowing down, either. He stopped 29 out of 30 shots he faced against the New Jersey Devils in his most recent appearance on Sunday.
With the way Ullmark is playing right now, he is showing signs of his previous Vezina Trophy form. If the former Sabres goalie continues to play this well, the Senators should be in very good shape during this season.
Ullmark was selected by the Sabres in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, 163rd overall. In six seasons with the Sabres from 2015-16 to 2020-21, he posted a 50-47-13 record, a .912 save percentage, and a 2.78 goals-against average.
With key forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand injured, the Florida Panthers can ill afford to lose anyone else.
On Monday, goaltender Jacob Markstrom exited a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in the first period. Akira Schmid replaced him, and after the game, coach Paul Maurice stated that Markstrom was not injured and that he had just "tightened up."
“It just tightened up so we pulled him,” said Maurice. “We’ll see. There’s no injury there we don’t think that we can’t deal with, just standard stuff.”
While that is positive news, it means Schmid will play nearly both halves of a back-to-back.
Additionally, the Panthers have recalled goaltender Cooper Black from the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, who will likely back up Schmid.
Black has started the season solidly for the Checkers, posting a .906 save percentage in two games, winning one and losing another. Last season, Black played 42 games, posted a .903 SP, and won 25.
Black hasn't played in an NHL game yet, but the 25-year-old is trending in the right direction, and the team rates him highly. The Panthers signed Black to a two-year, two-way deal this off-season. When the deal expires, the 6-foot-8 goaltender will become an unrestricted free agent, but for now, the Panthers hope to keep developing him in the AHL.
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The
start of a three-game road trip will being a new set of challenges
for the St. Louis Blues, who open against the Ottawa Senators from
Canadian Tire Center in Kanata, Ontario at 6:30 p.m. (Blue Note+,
ESPN 101.1-FM) on NHL’s Frozen Frenzy where all 32 years are in
action.
The
teams have a lot of numbers they’d like to improve in, but for the
Blues, it’s been a strong start, especially on the penalty kill
under new assistant coach Greg Cronin with a 14-for-15 start (93.3
percent), which is good for fourth in the NHL while overall, allowing
3.20 goals-per game which is overinflated by the 6-1 debacle loss to
the Colorado Avalanche.
“Incredibly
happy with our D-zone coverage and our tracking, very happy with our
D-corps and their aggressiveness, 200-foot hockey,” Blues coach Jim
Montgomery said Monday. ‘Too inconsistent with our offensive habits
of having someone at the net and having two on the inside. Our
reloads have been inconsistent, which has led to less O-zone time as
well and PK, very good; PP, not good enough. Goaltending has been
good.
“I
think our defensive sticks are vastly improved. We cause way more
turnovers on forecheck, D-zone coverage, neutral zone. It’s been an
emphasis of the staff, but again, a lot of that PK credit goes to
Greg Cronin. He was brought here to improve our defensive habits and
so far, he’s done an excellent job in it, and I know it’s a small
sample size, but our players like the way we’re penalty-killing.
They like the aggressiveness of it.”
The
power play is 29th at 9.3 percent, which is just 1-for-11, also under
a new assistant coach in Vinny Prospal.
On
Monday, the Blues ran Adam Jiricek at the point on one unit, with
Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway on the flanks, Jake Neighbours on
the bumper and Jimmy Snuggerud at the net front, while Cam Fowler ran
the other point along with Connor McMichael and Mason McTavish on the
flanks, Pavel Buchnevich in the bumper and Dalibor Dvorsky at the net
front.
“It’s
good to give penalty kills different looks and obviously we weren’t
generating much previously,” Montgomery said. “Our last game on
the power play, we only had one opportunity, but the chances were
significantly better and the puck movement was better.”
The
idea now is to draw more power play chances, with the team only
averaging just over two per game.
-
- -
More
to Saturday’s win included the fight Ross Johnston had with Blue
Jackets enforcer Mathieu Olivier, one of the tougher customers in the
league:
It
came in the first minute of the second period with the Blues down 2-0
and now showing much jump.
Johnston
gave his teammates no indication it was coming and feels it’s
probably better that way.
“The
game happens so fast,” Johnston said. “So many things can lead to
certain things. I’m not necessarily a premeditated person. I’d be
lying to you if I said I wasn’t thinking about it. I think you’re
pretty aware of who every team has, so on, so forth. I don’t talk
it up, I don’t brush it up. You brush it off when it goes wrong and
doesn’t look good if you talk about it and it goes well, it still
doesn’t look good. I don’t talk about it, things can happen in a
game and it can come out of nowhere. Let things fall is what I’m
trying to say.
“(Olivier’s)
tough. He’s as tough as they come. He plays the game the right way,
plays the game honest and plays a lot. I’ve got a lot of respect
for a guy like that.”
Montgomery
said he had no idea it was coming.
“I
don’t know him well enough to know that yet, and it’s great to
see,” he
said.
“I know I don’t want that job.”
Part
of the job Montgomery did say he likes is Johnston’s ability to
talk on the bench and on the ice that seems to spark his teammates.
“I
don’t know, you get comfortable the older you get maybe,”
Johnston said. “The teams I’ve been on, you see how they had
success and you see certain plays that have success. I think I’ve
seen both sides of that. I think being able to watch the game and
seeing little plays, maybe give little IQ’s to help the team out,
especially when it’s not going well is maybe where it stems from.
Just trying to be a little bit vocal and if it gets too quiet, talk
to the boys, keep everything light. We’ve been in every game we’ve
played so far (except Colorado). Just got to keep rolling the way we
have been.”
Peterson
is expected to move into the lineup for Zach Dean.
Also,
Joel Hofer is expected to start in goal.
-
- -
Blues
Projected Lineup:
Dylan
Holloway-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud
Connor
McMichael-Mason McTavish-Jonatan Berggren
Jake
Neighbours-Dalibor Dvorsky-Pavel Buchnevich
Ross
Johnston-Pius Suter-Dylan Peterson
Philip
Broberg-Adam Jiricek
Justin
Barron-Colton Parayko
Cam
Fowler-Brandon Carlo
Joel
Hofer is projected to start in goal; Jordan
Binnington would be the backup.
Healthy
scratches could include Zach Dean and Theo Lindstein. Alexey Toropchenko
(upper body), Tyler Tucker (knee), Logan Mailloux (hand) and Dillon
Dube (neck) are out.
-
- -
Senators
Projected Lineup:
Warren
Foegele-Tim Stutzle-Drake Batherson
Andre
Burakovsky-Dylan Cozens-Ridly Greig
Michael
Amadio-Shane Pinto-Claude Giroux
Fabian
Zetterlund-Stephen Halliday-Nick Cousins
Thomas
Chabot-Jordan Spence
Tyler
Kleven-Carter Yakemchuk
Hoyt
Stanley-Jorian
Donovan
Samuel
Ersson is projected to start in goal; Linus Ullmark would be the
backup.
Healthy
scratches could include Hayden Hodgson. Jake Sanderson (undisclosed),
Artem Zub (knee), William Eklund (ankle), Kurtis MacDermid (upper
body) and Cameron Crotty (illness) are out. Nikolas Mantipalo (upper
body) departed
Monday night’s game and is questionable.
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The Chicago Blackhawks (1-5-0) will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-1) for Tuesday night action at the United Center. Three of the game’s greatest of all time, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Patrick Kane, are going to share the ice once again.
The Blackhawks are coming off a terrible loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Penguins earned a big shootout win over the Dallas Stars last time out. In most years, a Tuesday night in October between two teams from the opposite conference won’t build too much excitement. However, this is a special scenario.
For one, this game is going to be a part of the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy. Starting at 5 PM CT, every team in the NHL will play with staggered start times. The Blackhawks are right in the middle of it with their game against the Penguins.
🚨NHL #FrozenFrenzy is tomorrow with all 32 teams in action!
🏒5p | The Point | ESPN2, ESPN+ 🏒6p | ESPN tripleheader begins 🏒6:15p | Start of 13 games on Power Play | ESPN+ 🏒7p | Frozen Frenzy whip-around show | ESPN2, Disney+, ESPN+
The Pittsburgh Penguins overachieved in 2025-26, and they are trying to do so again in 2026-27. With their core aging, the rest of the group is young and trying to establish themselves in the NHL.
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Kuzmenko-Kindel-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson
Carlile-Karlsson
Girard-Korczak
Stastney-Letang
Andrei Kuzmenko was not in the lineup last game due to injury, but you can expect him back against the Hawks. If he does, in fact, play, the second line with Novak and Malkin is where he’ll slot in.
Former Blackhawks defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk will not be on the early part of Pittsburgh’s trip due to injury, so he won’t have a chance to skate in the building where he won a Stanley Cup.
Even in the year 2026, most of what Pittsburgh does goes through Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. They also have Erik Karlsson now, who is an older player in the league but still borderline elite.
Although Malkin doesn’t play center as much anymore, he is still incredibly effective when it comes to helping drive a line offensively. Between him and Crosby, Blackhawks defenders will have their hands full.
Whether it’s Arturs Silovs or Sergei Murashov in net, the Penguins could use an upgrade. However, these guys are capable of making saves as long as the team in front back-checks hard, breaks the puck out, and doesn’t make bad turnovers.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks are going to, at long last, have Connor Bedard back in the lineup. He has spent the off-season, training camp, and the first couple of weeks of the season recovering from shoulder surgery that he had early in the summer.
Now, after intense dedication to working his way back, he is going to get in the lineup to try to help his team win. With him centering the top line, this is what the Hawks will look like:
Kantserov-Bedard-Kane
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen
Smith-Greene-Greenway
Moore-Toninato-Donato
Byram-Levshunov
Vlasic-Cole
Kaiser-Rinzel
Knight
Nick Lardis is going to be the healthy scratch, with Connor Bedard coming back. With Frank Nazar out due to a suspension, they are keeping Dominic Toninato up to play center. When Nazar returns, Toninato will return to the Rockford IceHogs. Whether Lardis stays as the healthy scratch with both Bedard and Nazar in the lineup remains to be seen.
Spencer Knight is projected to start for Chicago. He comes in with a 1-3-0 record, a 3.80 goals-against average, and an .885 save percentage. Those brutal numbers are more on his team’s defense in front of him, but even he would admit that there is another level he can get to. If he reaches that level soon, his numbers will start to be more on par with his career totals.
Bedard's First Game As Captain, Playing Alongside Patrick Kane
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can stream it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT.
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Carter Hart has been a thorn in the Colorado Avalanche’s side before, helping the Vegas Golden Knights sweep Colorado in the Western Conference Final. But his latest outing was one he would probably like to forget, and it could open the door for Adin Hill to get another start.
Hart gave up three goals in just over five minutes during Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Matt Boldy, Maxim Shabanov and Danila Yurov all scored in the first period, putting Vegas in an early hole.
Hart settled down after that, stopping the rest of the shots he faced. Vegas also made a push late in the game, with goals from Rasmus Andersson and William Karlsson cutting Minnesota’s lead to 3-2. However, Joel Eriksson Ek’s empty-net goal ended any hopes of a comeback.
Nazem Kadri speaks to the media following practice on Monday.
Hart finished with 24 saves on 27 shots, dropping to 3-2-0 in five starts this season. It was his second loss of the campaign and the second time in five appearances he has allowed more than two goals.
Adin Hill could get the chance to take over Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. According to reports, Hill is the likely starter as Vegas plays the second game of a back-to-back. Hart could return Thursday against the Calgary Flames.
For the Golden Knights, the priority is getting more consistent play in net. Both goaltenders have shown they can bounce back from rough starts, but Vegas cannot afford to keep digging itself into early holes.
And for Avalanche fans, Hart’s recent struggles are probably exciting to some degree, albeit it would be nice if that were to occur while both teams were facing off against one another.
The Golden Knights have eliminated the Avalanche in each of their last two playoff meetings, including a six-game series in 2021, when Colorado entered the postseason as the Presidents’ Trophy winners. If these rivals meet again in the playoffs, hopefully the Avalanche can turn the tables this time around.
