Controversial penalty call or no controversial penalty call, the Philadelphia Flyers need to take care of themselves and their own issues, which plagued them for a second game in a row.

For starters, the Flyers were heavily out-chanced once again, and while they are playing against superior opponents in Carolina and Florida, that's setting the bar pretty low for a team aspiring to get to that level soon.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers generated just 2.14 expected goals at 5-on-5 to the Hurricanes' 3.24.

They did, however, almost come away with a win against the Hurricanes on Saturday night in a tough building, but Travis Sanheim, who scored the game-tying goal, was flagged for goalie interference on Bobby Brink's overtime winner, wiping away a 4-3 win.

Instead, Seth Jarvis went down and stole a 4-3 win for the Hurricanes.

The problem is that the Flyers probably should have won before that, having held 1-0 and 2-1 leads thanks to the efforts of Brink and Owen Tippett.

Brink's second period goal was also aided by Nikita Grebenkin, who earned his first NHL point on the play.

Through two games, Matvei Michkov just doesn't look like the same player who threatened to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie a season ago, and that's with two different line combinations.

Flyers Underwhelm in Loss to Panthers, But An Unlikely Hero EmergesThe Philadelphia Flyers suffered a rather uneventful 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in their season opener Thursday night, and it was a performance fans aren't going to want to see often.

Michkov, 20, played just 13:27 against the Hurricanes on Saturday night, didn't play in the 3-on-3 overtime period, and took a roughing penalty whilst standing up for Travis Konecny after the latter absorbed a massive hit from William Carrier.

Simply put, Michkov is the franchise player. He needs to get going (and probably will at some point), but the Flyers have little chance of winning consistently until he does.

To that point, the defensive depth continues to be a major pain point, as Adam Ginning, Egor Zamula, and Noah Juulsen have been borderline unplayable early on in Rick Tocchet's tenure as head coach.

Yes, Cam York is banged up, and yes, Rasmus Ristolainen won't be back for at least a few more weeks, but the Flyers ought to be weighing up some trades to but the issue to bed for good.

I'd be shocked if Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae, and/or Helge Grans don't see NHL games this season. At some point, it gets to a point, and the Flyers would be doing a disservice to themselves if the issue is extrapolated beyond October.

On a more positive note, Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko looked alright in their season debuts. While it's not quite enough, giving those two eight minutes a night is more productive and beneficial than giving it to Rodrigo Abols and Nick Deslauriers.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Pitches Shutout in AHL DebutIn his first ever AHL game, this recently traded former Philadelphia Flyers goalie earned an impressive shutout.

Grebenkin, Luchanko, and Garnet Hathaway each had positive Corsi and scoring chance shares, but were unfortunate to be out-scored 1-0 at 5-on-5. It's something to build on, and it should give Tocchet something to think about going forward, especially given the nature of their test against Carolina.

But, again, until the Flyers can get some forward lines going, they aren't going to go very far at all. Travis Konecny has just two shots on goal in two games and is averaging just 16 minutes a night, while Michkov is down at 14.

Trevor Zegras earned his first Flyers point against the Hurricanes on Saturday night, and a reunion with Michkov could do the trick - defense be damned. For what it's worth, for much of training camp and the preseason, the defense wasn't all that good anyway. What difference does it make?

Tocchet and Co. will have some decisions to make ahead of the Flyers' home opener against the Panthers on Monday night, starting with the line combinations. The good news, however, is that they were closer on Saturday than they were on Thursday night.

It was a good opening week of the season for the Florida Panthers.

After picking up a pair of one-goal victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers to kick off their 2025-26 campaign, Florida welcomed the Ottawa Senators to Sunrise on Saturday and earned a resounding 6-2 victory over their divisional rivals.

Despite going into the season without several key players due to injury, the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions have continued humming along, playing their physically challenging brand of hockey while receiving contributions from up and down the lineup.

Florida has also gotten off to an excellent start on special teams. We’ll see if all this success can continue once they hit the road next week. 

For now, let’s get to the takeaways from Florida capping off a perfect 3-0-0 homestand:

POWER PLAY SUCCESS

The Panthers have scored power play goals in all three of their games so far this season.

Overall, they’ve cashed in five times out of 12 opportunities, good for a 41.7% success rate that will be incredibly difficult to sustain over the course of an entire season.

All kidding aside, there are several reasons why Florida’s power play has been so formidable, as they can throw two very unique units at you that each feature some potent offensive players.

They're also keeping things relatively simple and leaning on the foundational pieces they began installing early in training camp. 

“We’re not overcomplicating it,” said Panthers defenseman Seth Jones. “Obviously we have new units this year, so we did a lot of work in the preseason to try to get everyone in the right spots and everyone understand what the plays are, and just being direct. It really ties into our five-on-five game, there's nothing crazy about it.”

STEADY ON PK

Just as Florida’s power play has been a major source of strength, their penalty kill has been equally reliable.

Through three games, the Panthers’ PK has killed off each of the seven power plays its been called upon to extinguish, allowing only seven total shots against while down a man. 

As Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice pointed out, this year’s killers have done well to replicate the success they found last season and, similarly to what Jones said about the power play, are doing so by keeping things simple.

“I don't think that they've changed much,” Maurice said. “We look a little different on it because of the personnel that's out, but the structure of it (looks the same). Those defensemen have done a really fine job of being able to play off of different forwards, and we've run a lot of different combinations. The D have done a nice job in that structure.”

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL OVER

Florida has scored 11 goals over their three wins, with nine different players lighting the lamp.

The overall points have been spread evenly throughout the lineup as well.

Four of Florida’s defenseman have multiple points (Seth Jones, Jeff Petry and Gus Forsling each have two assists), and representatives from all four of the Panthers forward lines have scored goals.

“It's going to be the critical piece,” Maurice said of the team’s depth scoring. “We going to have more nights of two and three (goals), like the first two games, than we will like tonight, so you need to have as many people as you can coming to the rink believing they can get score, that they have that positive feel. I think each line has generated enough that they're feeling positive about their game, so they don't really need to change it.”

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Photo caption: Oct 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Mackie Samoskevich (11) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up their season-opening two-game road trip on Saturday when they traveled to take on the San Jose Sharks after Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

Heading into this game, one of the biggest stories was the debut of Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson, long-time friend, teammate, and opponent of Ducks’ star rookie Beckett Sennecke.

Lines and pairs for the Ducks remained mostly the same from the game before, with the only change coming in the form of Nikita Nesterenko slotting in for Sam Colangelo on the fourth line.

This was a wild game from start to finish with mental lapses, shoddy defensive habits, electrifying offensive sequences, and questionable goaltending on both ends.

Petr Mrazek got his first start as a member of the Anaheim Ducks and saved 17 of 23 shots.

Mrazek was opposed by Sharks star rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov, who was making his season debut as well. Askarov stopped 36 of the whopping 43 shots he faced in this one.

Here are my notes from this game:

Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke showed new layers of technical proficiency unseen before at any level from him (at least by me). He was a pest on the forecheck, getting quick sticks on retrieving defenders, and showed a high motor, not giving up on plays that seemingly moved past him.

The stick lift on Gauthier’s first goal won’t count on a scoresheet, but it was instrumental to that tally and an example of Sennecke’s anticipation and manipulation skills and unexpected involvement in plays in every zone. His net front game was surprisingly proficient for a player who typically operates more on the perimeter before attacking the middle. He was more than willing to mix it up and take a beating to get to the tight areas of the ice.

Sennecke only had one or two “rookie plays” where he was outmuscled or failed to advance a puck on a breakout, but those plays are to be expected. Overall, it was an extremely refined performance for being just his second professional hockey game.

Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider-These are a pair of players one would expect detail-oriented performances from, and they delivered. Granlund’s supportive instincts allow him to gain possession, while his IQ and vision lead to his ability to manipulate the on-puck defender and cleverly find moving teammates throughout his team’s offensive structure.

In a completely different style from Granlund’s, Kreider is a small-area master. He instinctively knows when to stop rimming pucks or feint a stop and allow them to pass through him to a teammate. He knows how goalies are trying to see pucks around him when he’s screening and when to let plays breathe a bit so he can pounce on a loose puck or broken play in front. “Savvy veteran” is the phrase that came to mind when analyzing these two in this game.

Defensive Details-It’s been made clear by head coach Joel Quenneville and the players from training camp until now that the goal of their defensive systems is to kill plays with quick secondary pressure. There’s still work to be done when it comes to how that pressure engages, how the tertiary pressure reacts, and how to minimize damage when the first two waves fail, because it will happen every so often.

Those areas are where the Ducks struggled in this game. A strong-side defenseman (Radko Gudas) pinches in the neutral zone, and the supporting forward (Mason McTavish) leaves too big a gap, which led to the Sharks’ first goal. Five players are caught on the ice for a minute and a half, and the weak-side winger (Cutter Gauthier) doesn’t or can’t stay with his activated point man (Mario Ferraro) on the Sharks’ third goal. Those small details are, in theory, easy to clean up, but they can lead to quick goals if not refined.

McTavish, Gauthier, and Gudas all played very well aside from those instances.

With the puck, the Ducks did well to maintain possession and create consistent, dangerous chances from all four lines and all three pairs. They were smart on forechecks and communicated well on breakouts and regroups to build plays up ice.

The Ducks will return home to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for their home opener on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. PST.

The Edmonton Oilers hosted the Vancouver Canucks in their second game of the 2025-26 season and final home game before heading out on their first road trip of the season. Following a frustrating loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday, the team needed to show up for 60 minutes to pull out a win over the Canucks, which included Evander Kane on their roster. 

Kane said before the game, “We’ve gotten off to a good start through training camp and a nice win at home the other night. Want to follow it up with a tough opponent in Edmonton.” The Oilers certainly didn't want that to happen. They didn't let it.

Calvin Pickard was solid in goal, despite only facing 15 shots, but the Oilers were buzzing for a full three periods, outshooting the Canucks 37-15 to take the 3-1 win.

This felt like the effort level of a team readying for the playoffs. Thatcher Demko was incredible for the Canucks, but the Oilers kept pushing. Pickard said, "We didn't stray away from the gameplan, we didn't cheat for offense. We earned that win. We play that game over and over, we're gonna win pretty much every time."

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The First Period:

Pickard made a solid save on the first shift to get him into the game. That was all it seemed to take to wake Edmonton up, as the Oilers tilted the ice for the first three minutes after that. A couple of nice down-low passes created some good chances. The Oilers were outshooting the Canucks early, and very few whistles got the two teams to the halfway point of the period quickly.

The first pop from the Rogers Place crowd came when Alec Regula put a puck on net, and it went in off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The officials ruled it a high stick, questioning if it hit Darnell Nurse on the way to the net. Unfortunately for the Oilers, it did, and the goal was taken off the board. 

The top line was buzzing and drew a penalty when Derek Forbort got called for holding. David Tomasek got three good looks on the power play, but the Oilers couldn't cash in. Edmonton continued to pepper Thatcher Demko with shots, but the Canucks' goalie looked good and was the early story of the game. 

Evander Kane took a two-minute minor for high-sticking. Once again, Tomasek got at least two more looks on this power play, and again, didn't cash. While it likely felt frustrating not to have been able to finish on his multiple chances, it's clear the Oilers are feeding him on the man advantage and feel it's just a matter of when, not if. The question becomes how patient the coaching staff will be as opportunities arise without results. Is it bad luck, or is the finish not there?

Draisaitl was asked about the power play after the game and said they felt like they should scored a few more. When asked about Tomasek, he responded, "He's just really smart. I think offensively, he knows the reads, he knows where to pop into holes... It's just a matter of time."

Kris Knoblauch said after the game that all he can do is tell Tomasek to keep trying, that eventually those looks are going to go in. 

With 27 seconds left in the Canucks' penalty, Trent Frederic took a tripping penalty. A couple of weird plays, one where Mangiapane almost scored on his own net, went without a resulting disaster. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the period. If not for Demko, it could have easily been a two or three-goal lead for the Oilers. 

Second Period:

The Canucks opened the second period on the power play, but the Oilers’ penalty kill held strong. Vancouver kept up some pressure afterward, yet Edmonton soon pushed back and tilted the ice the other way for several minutes.

Leon Draisaitl fired up the crowd with a massive hit on Tyler Myers, who later answered back with a hard check on Trent Frederic. The Oilers drew another penalty soon after, as Kiefer Sherwood went off for tripping.

Edmonton couldn’t convert on the ensuing power play, but moments later a slick passing sequence set up Noah Philp, who buried his first NHL goal to make it 1–0. Philp’s linemates, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin, showed some promising early chemistry on the play.

Not long after, Evander Kane pushed Alec Regula dangerously into the boards, drawing the ire of Darnell Nurse. The two tangled but stopped short of dropping the gloves, each receiving two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Fans voiced their displeasure at the lack of a boarding call.

During the ensuing 4-on-4, the Oilers capitalized on a Canucks turnover — Andrew Mangiapane picked off a pass, walked in alone, and beat Demko low to make it 2–0 Edmonton.

By the end of the second period, the Oilers held a commanding 28–9 edge in shots.

Third Period:

The Canucks generated the first few chances early in the third, and Brock Boeser made one count — spinning at the faceoff circle and firing a shot that found its way past Calvin Pickard. That brought Vancouver within one, but it was as close as they would get.

The Oilers regrouped and established some offensive zone time. Vancouver was whistled for delay of game, giving Edmonton another power play. Although this man advantage wasn’t as crisp as earlier ones, the Oilers still created quality chances late in it — including a prime look for Leon Draisaitl at the doorstep, where Thatcher Demko made a spectacular save.

Moments later, the Oilers were pinned in their own zone but caught a break when the Canucks took a tripping penalty.

Tempers flared when Evander Kane delivered a heavy hit on Alec Regula behind the net, leading to a retaliatory penalty on Noah Philp.

This was a dominant effort from the Oilers, a significant bounce-back game after the disappointing end to their loss to Calgary. Draisaitl said after the game that they played "a good 30" in game one, but this was a much better effort for the full 60. "I thought we were the better team, played really well, had our legs. We're going to be a hard team to beat when we consistently find a way to play like that." 

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The Chicago Blackhawks made it home for their home opener on Saturday night. They took on the Montreal Canadiens in what was the first game of their centennial celebration. 

The Blackhawks fell to the Canadiens by giving up a goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. This goal broke a 2-2 tie and ended Chicago’s chance at its first win of the season. 

The goal was a Juraj Slafkovsky redirection of a point shot that beat Spencer Knight. The young Blackhawks got a little bit frantic in the final minute of the game, and it bit them. 

Chicago's two goals were positive in the fact that two young core pieces scored them. Their first was the first in the career of defenseman Sam Rinzel. Frank Nazar won a faceoff back to Teuvo Teravainen, who tapped it to Rinzel with an open lane to the net. He didn't miss. 

Blackhawks: Sam Rinzel Has His First Career NHL GoalNot long after Cole Caufield had a Montreal Canadiens goal stand after being reviewed for a high stick, the Blackhawks tied the game thanks to a goal scored by Sam Rinzel. 

Chicago's second goal was a Frank Nazar shot on the power play that deflected in the net off of Connor Bedard. These two are forming decent chemistry with the man-advantage. Down the middle, based on the way the early stages of the season are going for these two players, the Blackhawks are forming a great two-headed monster. 

One of the main storylines from the game was the penalty trouble that the Blackhawks found themselves in. The Blackhawks accumulated a total of 39 penalty minutes. Montreal had 10 power plays. They converted on two of them, which played a role in the outcome of the game. 

After the match against the Bruins earlier in the week, the Blackhawks talked about standing up for each other, but they got a little ahead of themselves in this game. 

Due to being on the penalty kill for almost one full period worth of time, they were never able to get in a true offensive rhythm. Some penalty killers didn't get enough ice at 5-on-5, and some non-killers weren't able to stay on the ice with offensive momentum for long enough to make an impact.

After the game was over, head coach Jeff Blashill talked about some of these issues and how they affected the team as a whole. 

"That's a really, really hard game to get any rhythm going. Blashill said. "Certain guys are playing so many minutes. Anybody who killed was playing so many minutes, and then you're trying to get some of the guys that don't kill you back in their rhythm in minutes." 

It makes sense when you think about it from a deployment standpoint. It's hard to do anything with consistency when you're marching to the penalty box like that. It has been over a decade since the Blackhawks last gave their opponent double-digit power plays. That must be cleaned up going forward. 

To their credit, the penalty kill units did well based on the situation. They don't love giving up two power-play goals, but when you kill off eight others, it is a win. The fact is that they gave the rest of the team a chance to win. 

Chicago is still working on putting teams away late in hockey games. Giving up a heartbreaker with 15 seconds left adds to the list of games that this young core has lost in the final minutes. 

"You have to have the mindset of not just being okay with being in the game," Captain Nick Foligno said. "You've got to find a way to step on their throats for lack of a better word and find a way to get that done like [Montreal] did tonight, right? So that mentality has to now shift from 'hey, we're becoming a good team' to 'no, we are a good team'. We have to believe that and put it into our practice."

As a guy who has been a captain for multiple NHL franchises and a general leader for others, Foligno knows the ups and downs of an NHL clubhouse. This Blackhawks team is getting better, and it shows when you watch. The results aren't showing up in the standings just yet. 

Chicago's next chance will come on Monday night when they will host the Utah Mammoth at the United Center. 

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

Connor Hellebuyck has dominated the regular season, racking up back-to-back Vezina Trophy wins, but others like Sergei Bobrovsky, Andre Vasilevskiy, and Igor Shesterkin have proven to be at their best in the playoffs, unlike Hellebuyck. Which goaltender do you think is the best in the NHL?

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Whenever the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars face off, it's going to be one hell of a game, and this one doesn't disappoint. After numerous lead changes and an eventful overtime, the Stars won 5-4 in the shootout.

The majority of the first period belonged to the Colorado Avalanche, with plenty of chances, scoring opportunities, and shots off the post. Lian Bichsel takes the first penalty of the game for hooking, but the Avalanche fails to capitalize on it. Through the first ten minutes, the Avalanche outshot the Stars 9-1. The Stars get their first power play of the game when Josh Manson is called for hooking, but they don't capitalize.

Thomas Harley is called for cross-checking, but the Avalanche, after numerous great chances, can't capitalize. With under two minutes remaining, Mikko Rantanen finds the trailing Harley, who blasts it past Scott Wedgwood to open the scoring and end the first period 1-0 Stars.

A much more eventful period than the first, and the action starts just one minute in as Rantanen is called for high-sticking. The Avalanche fails to capitalize on the power play. It's Martin Necas shortly after, who receives a nice pass from MacKinnon to bury it and ties the game 1-1. Ross Colton rocks Miro Heiskanen, and Justin Hryckowian steps up for his teammate to fight him. No instigator penalty is called, and both head to the bench.

Victor Oloffson drives hard to the net and opens up a great rebound opportunity for Gavin Brindley, who buries the chance to score his first career NHL goal and give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Cale Makar is called for tripping, but the Avalanche penalty kill does a great job, especially Josh Manson, with a big glove save when Wedgewood is caught out of his crease.

FIRST NHL GOAL FOR GAVIN BRINDLEY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/fO6eA2kFqd

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 12, 2025

Though it's Nathan Bastian shortly after the Avalanche have a defensive breakdown in their zone, and he bats in a rebound to tie the game 2-2. With under two minutes left, Harley sends a shot from the blueline, and it's Jason Robertson who redirects it and tips it in to give the Stars a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.

Thirty seconds into the period, Artturi Lehkonen tips in MacKinnon's rebound and ties the game 3-3. It's not tied long as Wyatt Johnston on the breakaway beats Wedgwood to regain the lead for the Stars, 4-3. Ilya Lybushkin is called for high-sticking and is upgraded to a double minor, sending the Avalanche to the power play.

The Stars do a good job of killing most of the power play, but it's Necas who finds MacKinnon for the one-timer to tie the game up once again, 4-4. After that goal, the Avalanche really found their footing, generating numerous chances, but Oettinger has been on top of his game, keeping the game tied and sending it to overtime.

MacKinnon ties it up 4-4, Brent Burns gets an assist on it for his 1,500th career game. #GoAvsGo

— Stefano Rubino (@StefanoFRubino1) October 12, 2025

Both teams get plenty of chances, but it's Oettinger making more crucial saves to force the game into a shootout. However, it's the Stars who come up with the extra point and win in the shootout, 5-4.

Insider Doubts Colorado Avalanche Will Hold Onto Martin NečasA big issue the Colorado Avalanche face this season is that Martin Necas and his expiring contract this summer set him up to be an unrestricted free agent. The Avalanche have been in this position before, last season, and their experience with trying to re-sign Mikko Rantanen ultimately led to trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes and acquiring Necas in a package deal. While Necas might not command the same extension price that Rantanen received from the Dallas Stars after being traded from the Hurricanes, an insider speculates that he would be “shocked” if the Avalanche agreed to extend Necas. Colorado Avalanche to Revive Nordiques Look as Teased Third JerseyThe Colorado Avalanche have posted on X of what could be the third jerseys they will use this season, the Quebec Nordiques jerseys that was used before they relocated to Denver Colorado

Struggles on the power play and a lack of possession in overtime hampered the Nashville Predators, who fell to the Utah Mammoth, 3-2, on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

The Predators were 0-for-5 on the power play and did not have a single rush in the 3-on-3 overtime period. Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula found the back of the net in regulation, and Brady Martin recorded his first NHL point on an assist. 

"We had momentum most of the night, did a lot of really good things, probably deserved a better fate," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. 

Nashville failed to find the back of the net in the third period and Utah converted in the final three minutes of the game to tie things up. Dylan Guenther scored the Mammoth's overtime winner. 

Here are three takeaways from the Predators first loss of the regular season. 

Predators were dominated in overtime

Dylan Guenther plays OT hero!!! pic.twitter.com/dA4PqHH0wW

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 12, 2025

The Mammoth set the tone of what overtime would look like with eight seconds left in regulation. Instead of making one last push, one of their players went deep into their own zone and held the puck for those final seconds. 

In overtime, the Predators couldn't put together a single rush as Utah dominated the possession game. Even when Sean Durzi came off the ice after falling hard on his shoulder, and it was 3-on-2 for a few seconds, the Mammoth still managed to keep the Predators off the puck. 

"We got a little bit, a little bit passive," Brunette said on the Predators effort in overtime.
"Obviously, they're the highly skilled team and they're a fast team. When you lose the open draw, against them, it's going to be hard to get it back." 

Utah cycled through the Predators' own zone constantly before Guenther was able to find a gap, get goalie Juuse Saros down and score on his backhand to end the game. 

Overtime losses are nothing new to Nashville as it lost eight games last year in extra time and won just four in the five-minute period. The loss to the Mammoth shows that the Predators need to clean up their 3-on-3 game. 

Power play continues to struggle 

It's only two games into the season, but the Predators are 1-for-9 on the power play, for an execution rate of 11%. On Saturday, they had five opportunities on the man advantage and could not convert. 

After not converting on their fifth opportunity of the night in the third period, Utah responded minutes later to tie the game. 

"In the last period, we gave them too many looks," Roman Josi said. "After they scored, I thought we had some good looks, but we couldn't get a goal." 

The first unit is loaded with the Predators' top players in Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly. Still, the group looks unorganized when thrown into action. 

"As a power play, we have to put the game away," Josi said. "We had five power plays, but I thought 5-on-5 we played pretty well." 

Stamkos has been used as the trigger player on the right circle, but the Predators are struggling to get the puck to him. Shots are coming from the point and from the slot, but it appears the unit is struggling to establish a consistent flow. 

It looked like the Predators had finally converted on the power play early in the third period as Josi scored blocker side. Upon review, it was determined that he was offside, and the goal was called back. 

The Predators' lone power play goal this season was off a low-to-high pass from Forsberg to O'Reilly, and O'Reilly had some impressive stick-handling skills to finish it off. It was more of an individual effort than something that could be credited to the unit. 

In general, a lot of the Predators' shots against the Mammoth came from in the slot and below the circles. 

Predators found ways to score in low-offensive game

There were 45 combined shots in Friday's game, with Utah owning the 23-22 edge. The Predators didn't eclipse 10 shots in either of the three periods. On the other side of the ice, Utah had only three shots in the second period. 

Nashville's shot total on Saturday was 10 lower than Thursday's total of 32 shots. 

While Forsberg's goal in the first period was off a turnover and a strong shot from the right side, the second goal was scored by Erik Haula in a net-mouth scramble. Luke Evangelista lobbed a shot toward the net, the puck fell in the paint and Haula tapped it in. 

Haula's conversion also came in another slow second period, which mirrored the pace of play in the second period of Thursday's game. 

"We played well enough to win the game, but we kind of took our foot off the gas there," Haula said. "They were able to tie the game and in overtime it's kind of a coin toss. They got the extra [point] today, but lots of good today." 

Nashville's penalty killing effort remained perfect as it killed off all of Utah's power plays. The Predators' offense is still finding its identity, but is finding ways to put the puck in the net. 

Seeing Utah come back late and close out in overtime, a strong offensive push is likely needed from the Predators. 

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins were set to square off against the New York Rangers for the second time in three games to start the season. They got the best of Mike Sullivan's Rangers the first time around in a 3-0 opening night shutout.

This game - even if it started out pretty promising - did not have the same result.

Trailing just 1-0 after the first period on a shorthanded goal by Mika Zibanejad and outshooting the Rangers, 9-4, the Penguins opened up the second period strong, as Ben Kindel scored his first career NHL goal to tie the game. But the Penguins allowed five unanswered goals to the Rangers and were defeated by a score of 6-1.

Even after Adam Fox scored to put the Rangers back in front, 2-1, the Penguins didn't lose much momentum. However, it all seemed to go downhill after a missed holding call that saw Penguins' forward Bryan Rust - who returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the first two games to injury - get hauled to the ice, and then a subsequent hooking penalty by Kindel resulted in a Rangers' power play goal by Will Cuylle.

"Got on the wrong side of the puck, kind of a lazy penalty in the o-zone," Kindel said. "So, something I definitely want back and will definitely learn from it. I can't be costing my team like that. They scored a big goal on the power play there, and it kind of changed the momentum of the game, so just going to learn from those things."

From there, New York took over. And, unfortunately, the special teams woes didn't end there for the Penguins.

With less than five minutes to go in the second, the Penguins took a bench penalty for Too Many Men, and Fox lit the lamp for the second time in the game to put the Rangers up, 4-1. In the third period, Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh added goals for the Rangers, and they walked out winners. 

Penguins' Top Forward Prospect Ben Kindel Records First Career NHL GoalJust one game after Pittsburgh Penguins' 19-year-old defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke tallied his first goal in the National Hockey League on a beauty of a wrist shot off the rush, the other teenager on the Penguins' roster did the same thing. 

When Rust was asked what went wrong in the second period and on special teams, he chalked it up to the Penguins' lack of response in the detail of their game.

"We didn't handle it well," Rust said. "We let in one goal there, and I just think we just kind of lost our details on both the kill and the PP." 

It wasn't a pretty one, but there were some positives and negatives. Here are some thoughts and observations:

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- There were few standout players in this game after the first 20 minutes of play, but I do want to start with Connor Dewar. He did not register a goal, but he tied for the team lead in shot attempts and was very noticeable.

In the first period, he generated a few scoring chances on his own. On one occasion, he forced a turnover at center ice and brought the puck into the offensive zone himself, skating around a defender before getting a shot off. He was cycling well down low, good on forecheck as per usual, and finding the net-front with regularity. 

I quite liked Dewar's game in the pre-season, and that has - so far - carried into the regular season.

- Probably the player who stood out positively the most in this game, however, was Filip Hallander. 

He was everywhere. The 25-year-old forward was generating chances down low for his linemates, crashing the net, using his vision and playmaking skills to find the open man and get creative. The puck just kept finding him, and he kept delivering on creating space and generating chances. 

Youth Movement Cultivating Fresh Identity For PenguinsOn Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke became the first teenager to score a goal for the Penguins since Daniel Sprong in 2015.

If anyone else deserved a goal Saturday, it was Hallander. He's one of the hardest workers on this team, and if he keeps playing like this, that hard work is going to be rewarded.

- Speaking of deserving goals, what else can I say about Kindel and Harrison Brunicke?

Kindel did take that hooking penalty in the second period, but - that aside - he turned in another solid performance. His goal was a thing of beauty, as it certainly isn't easy to snipe a longer-range wrister past one of the best goaltenders in the league in Igor Shesterkin. And, not only that, Kindel also capitalized off of a neutral zone turnover by the Rangers, and he carried the puck into the zone and scored off the rush.

His 200-foot game is really showing up for the Penguins, and he continues to get better. 

"The offensive side, I think it's been there pretty consistently," head coach Dan Muse said. "This guy has got a lot of poise with the puck, puts himself in great areas, then defensively, I think it's an area he's continued to get better. He's young. There's going to be the details of the game, there's going to be little things that constantly are coming up, as they should, and I think it's just going to be good for just continuing to learn the game at this level.

"It's different. This is the highest league in the world. So, while there's been a lot of good, there's also plenty of learning that should be taking place and will be taking place."

Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) on XTAKE A BOW, KID 🙌

As far as Brunicke, it wasn't a flawless game, but it was another good one. And there was a moment when the 19-year-old stood up for a teammate, too.

Near the end of the second period, Rangers' rookie forward Noah Laba took Penguins' forward Blake Lizotte down against the boards in front of the Rangers' bench. Brunicke took exception and went after Laba, which did make the Penguins shorthanded again to start the third period. 

However, the gesture didn't go unnoticed by teammates.

"It's huge. That kid is out there defending his teammate," Rust said. "He isn't scared to go in there. He isn't scared to do something for the team, and I think that takes a lot of character."

They're both supremely talented players with elite hockey sense, and the returns in production are already starting to show. If they keep this up, they need to stay. Period. They're getting better with each and every game, and they've earned it up to this point. 

- Onward to the negative, I have not been particularly inspired by the play of Caleb Jones through three games. He is, by far, recording the lowest ice time per game among Penguins' defensemen, and, speed aside, he just isn't bringing much.

Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton - both right-shot defensemen - worked a bit on their off-sides during the pre-season, and they have both played their off-sides at some point. It's probably about time to give one of those guys a game, anyway. The left side could benefit from some experimentation. 

- Kris Letang was injured during this game and only played one shift in the third period. Muse said Letang is being evaluated for an injury, but he did not specify the type. 

This will be an interesting situation to monitor, especially since the Penguin head out West next week. If he goes to injured reserve, the Penguins already have eight defensemen, and - as mentioned before - they have two right-shot defensemen who have been scratched for the first three games. 

My feeling is that they may end up recalling a forward instead of another d-man, should Letang be out longer-term.

Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) on X#LetsGoPens    head coach Dan Muse said defenseman Kris Letang is being evaluated for an injury.

- After two outstanding games, Erik Karlsson was not particularly good in this one. Like everyone else, he started out well in the first 20 - aside from failing to take away the pass on the shorthanded two-on-one that led to Zibanejad's goal - and fell apart afterwards. 

He wasn't even credited with any giveaways in this game. It just looked like the life got sucked out of him in the second, and he began to get more hesitant with the puck, along with the rest of his teammates.

- On a positive note, it was a warm reception for Sullivan in Pittsburgh. The Penguins showed a nice tribute on the video board during the first TV timeout, and he received a standing ovation.

Sullivan has never been known to show emotion, but he got a little teary-eyed while this was happening. As the winningest coach in franchise history - and after 10 years in Pittsburgh - he deserved the ovation that he got. 

Really nice tribute by the Penguins and by the Pittsburgh faithful. 

Mike Sullivan's Time In Pittsburgh Deserves To Be CelebratedIf folks have been keeping tabs on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last year and a half, they very well know that the organization is going through a plethora of change.

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ST. PAUL, Minn - In his second career regular season game, Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium recorded his first career NHL goal on the power play in the third period.

The Wild had four power-play goals in a 7-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Buium had made a few mistakes on the power play earlier in the game like entering the zone and miss passes but he continued to get more comfortable as the game went on and picked up two points.

On the Wild's seventh power play of the game, Buium picked up his first NHL goal off a nice feed from Joel Eriksson Ek, who had two assists on the power play in the loss.

GRAB THAT PUCK 🫵

Zeev Buium buries his first NHL goal! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/9AB5MQ3iw1

— NHL (@NHL) October 12, 2025

"Yeah, I think it's frustrating. Obviously, scoring feels really good and getting that first one, but at the end of the day you want to compete, and you want to win," Buium said. "They had some crazy bounces but yeah, can't sit on it. Just move on."

Buium, 19, was the Wild's 12th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft. He debuted in the playoffs for the Wild last year and had one assist in four games. It came on a Kirill Kaprizov goal.

The 6-foot defenseman added another point on the power play on Kaprizov's goal in the loss to Columbus. He has one goal and one assist on the year, all on the power play.

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- Wild Place Nico Sturm On Injured Reserve.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Aliaksei Protas had two goals and an assist, and the Washington Capitals beat New York 4-2 on Saturday night, spoiling the Islanders’ home opener.

Martin Fehervary and Ryan Leonard also scored for Washington. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun had two assists and Alex Ovechkin added one, and goalie Logan Thompson finished with 34 saves to help the Capitals rebound from a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in their season opener earlier this week.

Matthew Schaefer, the top overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, got his first career goal for the Islanders, and Anthony Duclair also scored. Ilya Sorokin had 25 saves as New York fell to 0-2.

Fehervary got the Capitals on the scoreboard 1:50 into the game, and Protas made it 2-0 with 6:08 remaining in the first as Chychrun intercepted a pass by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and found Protas in the slot.

Leonard made it 3-0 when his shot deflected off Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield and past Sorokin at 9:50 of the second period.

Protas struck again with 4:30 left in the middle period after the Islanders’ Tony DeAngelo turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, leading to a breakaway that the Capitals’ forward finished for his second of the night.

Duclair scored a power-play goa with 1:09 left in the second before Sorotkin denied Protas a hat trick with a sprawling save at the buzzer to keep it 4-1 heading into the third.

Schaefer dove at a loose puck during a scramble in front to cut the deficit to two early at 4:28 of the third for his first NHL goal. Washington challenged the play for goaltender interference but the goal was upheld after a review.

Up next

Capitals: visit the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Islanders: host Winnipeg on Monday.

The New Jersey Devils celebrated their first victory of the 2025-26 season at Benchmark International Arena, as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3. It was New Jersey's first victory in Tampa since March of 2023. 

Timo Meier, Connor Brown (x2), Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 14 saves on 17 shots for a .824 save percentage. Yanni Gourde, Ryan McDonagh, and Darren Raddysh scored for Tampa. 
"I liked all four lines today," head coach Sheldon Keefe told NJD.TV. "The way that they worked and competed. Some lines scored, some lines didn't, but just the way that everybody competed and defended against really good players."

Meier opened the scoring at 8:33, finding a loose puck during a scramble in front of Tampa's net. Less than two minutes later, Brown scored the first goal of his Devils career with a tip-in from a pass from Arseny Gritsyuk. The young Russian celebrated his first career NHL point in his second game.  

Hischier extended New Jersey's lead to 3-0 as his wrist shot beat opposing goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The captain finished the first period with two points. It marked the captain's 98th career multi-point game, which passed Zach Parise for the 11th most multi-point games earned in franchise history. Jack Hughes and Bobby Holik are tied for the 10th most at 100 games.

The Lightning got on the board on their fifth shot at 7:31 of the second period. Tampa took advantage of a three-on-one with Gourde scoring his first goal of the season.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh scored the Lightning's second goal of the night in the final minutes of the second period. 

In the final frame, with Jonas Siegenthaler in the penatly box for tripping Pontus Holmberg, Bratt scored shorthanded for his second goal of the season. It marked his 450th career point. 

Brown scored his second of the game at 6:29 of the third period. Gritsyuk picked up his second assist while Simon Nemec earned his first assist of the 2025-26 campaign. 

"He plays with a lot of speed," Brown told NJD.TV or Gritsyuk. "I think I play with a lot of speed, so I think we are able to turn the corner pretty quick, like on that first goal. On that second goal, he was able to back the D off, so I can come underneath. He is a really good player, so it is going to be fun." 

Raddysh scored a late goal for the Lightning, but the home team was unable to mount a late comeback, dropping their second straight game at home. 

The Devils were without veteran winger Evgenii Dadonov, who is currently sidelined with a fracture in his hand. He will not play for the remainder of the club's current road trip. Zack MacEwen made his Devils debut, playing 7:12. He was credited with two shots on goal, one blocked shot, and one hit. 

The Devils' next game is scheduled for Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

The Mental Side of the Game: Devils Players & Mental Skills Coach Andy Swärd Take You Behind the Scenes

Hischier's Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He's Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily

The Detroit Red Wings were still smarting from their frustrating 5-1 loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, and wanted to avoid falling into the same bad habits that plagued them throughout that game when the Toronto Maple Leafs came to town for a Saturday night matchup.

Detroit picked up their first win of the season in comeback fashion, winning by a 6-3 final score and improving their record to 1-1-0 in front of another rocking atmosphere at Little Caesars Arena.

 

#REDWINGS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/WEQL13Soqh

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 12, 2025

The game included multiple dueling chants between Red Wings fans and the thousands of Maple Leafs faithful who were in attendance.

It was an ominous beginning for the Red Wings, as the Maple Leafs scored on their first shot of the game (Calle Jarnkrok) and added a second goal minutes later (Nicolas Roy) to take a 2-0 lead.

However, just when it seemed like it was going to be the same story for the Red Wings as it was on Thursday, they managed to turn the tables. 

Goals from Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond knotted the score for the Red Wings in the game's middle frame, giving Detroit newfound life. 

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

Shortly afterward, Patrick Kane took a nifty cross-ice pass from teammate Alex DeBrincat and roofed a one-timer past a sprawling Anthony Stolarz, who had made several top-notch saves during the first period, to give Detroit their first lead of the night. 

While the Maple Leafs managed to re-tie the same early in the third period thanks to a Max Domi goal, Raymond restored the lead by burying a power-play goal just under four minutes later. It was also a milestone marker, giving him 100 career goals. 

Raymond gets career goal 100! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/YtyA71ofpe

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 12, 2025

Detroit then sealed the victory with a pair of empty net goals from Simon Edvinsson and Andrew Copp. Goaltender Cam Talbot, who made 20 saves on the 23 shots he faced in his first start of the season, picked up an assist on Edvinsson's goal.

The Red Wings and Maple Leafs will renew acquaintances with the second in their home-and-home series on Monday afternoon in Toronto.

Fans should note that the start of the game has been re-scheduled to 2:00 p.m. ET.

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The New York Rangers flipped the script against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night as they came away with a 6-1 victory. 

During their opening-night game, the Rangers were booed off the ice after a lackluster performance against this very same Penguins team. 

On Saturday, the Rangers brought a totally new energy to Pittsburgh. 

This game was also personal for Mike Sullivan, who was making his first return to Pittsburgh after coaching the Penguins for 10 years. 

The Penguins honored Mike Sullivan with a tribute video and a standing ovation, which he admitted was overwhelmingly emotional.

“It’s emotional, It means a lot,” Sullivan said. “I’m grateful for everything that we accomplished here during my time. I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach here in Pittsburgh for 10 years, and I’m so grateful to the group of players who performed the way they did and allowed us to have that success that we had. When you watch a tribute like that, which I was very appreciative of the Penguins, it brings back a flood of emotions.”

Despite an up-and-down first period, Mika Zibanejad capitalized on a shorthanded opportunity for a goal, and the Rangers led 1-0 after 20 minutes. 

The penalty kill was a strong point for the Rangers, as they successfully killed off four power plays. 

In the second period, the Rangers took full control of the contest. 

It was the Rangers’ special teams play that stood out. The Blueshirts scored two power-play goals in the middle frame, one from Will Cuylle and another from Adam Fox, who found the back of the net twice on the night. 

“I think the PK (penalty kill) was really good,” Fox said. “We didn’t give up too many Grade A chances. The power play started off slow, but once our unit simplified, we just tried to get shoot and recover. Sometimes on power play, it is puck luck too, just shoot a puck at the net.”

New York’s fourth line of Adam Edström, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe were all over the ice and arguably the team’s most productive line.

On top of Rempe's goal in the third period, the fourth line generated multiple high-quality scoring chances and spent a vast majority of their time in the offensive zone. 

Vincent Trocheck Expected To Miss Time With Injury, Resulting In Major Changes To Rangers' LineupVincent Trocheck is expected to miss some time for the New York Rangers. 

This is a trio that was exciting to watch last year and continue to show how impactful they could be. 

“I thought they (fourth line) were awesome tonight,” Adam Fox said. “They made a big difference to turn the tide for us.”

Noah Laba also had his most impressive performance of his young NHL career. 

The 22-year-old forward played a hard-nosed game, which helped translate to offense. He continues to prove his worth at the highest level of competition. 

His play ultimately led to the stat sheet as Laba recorded two assists, his first NHL points. 

“I think Laba is getting better with every game that he plays,” said Sullivan. “Obviously, his size, his speed, his shooting ability, his strength, on the goal we scored in the second period was a great example of it.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Sunday night against the Washington Capitals.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Fox scored twice and added an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Penguins 6-1 on Saturday night to give new coach Mike Sullivan a victory in his return to Pittsburgh.

Sullivan, who coached the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, was back for the first time since parting ways with the team in April. Pittsburgh spoiled Sullivan’s debut with the Rangers by winning the season opener 3-0 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, but New York exacted a measure of revenge on Saturday.

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal, his 251st goal with the Rangers, surpassing Mark Messier for the eighth-most in franchise history. Will Cuylle added a power-play goal, and Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh also scored for New York, which announced on Saturday that center Vincent Trocheck — a Pittsburgh native — is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves for the Rangers.

Ben Kindel scored his first NHL goal and Bryan Rust returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup after missing the first two games of the season because of a lower-body injury. The Penguins lost for the first time under new coach Dan Muse, a Rangers assistant from 2023-25.

Arturs Silovs stopped 24 shots after shutting out the Rangers on Tuesday.

Sullivan, in addition to his back-to-back championships, had 409 wins with Pittsburgh in 753 games, both team records.

Zibanejad scored at 7:40 of the first period, 23 seconds after a tribute video was played to honor Sullivan. It was Zibanejad’s 12th short-handed goal with the Rangers, tied for fifth-most in franchise history.

New York took command in the second with three goals and a 14-3 advantage in shots.

Fox helped the Rangers regain the lead, 2-1, just 3:02 after Kindel scored. Cuylle made it 3-1 when he tapped in a pass from Conor Sheary, who also won back-to-back championships with Pittsburgh.

Fox scored his second goal from the point five seconds into a power play as the Rangers opened a 4-1 lead.

Up next

Rangers: Host Washington on Sunday night.

Penguins: Open a three-game Western road trip Tuesday at Anaheim.