The Vancouver Canucks (2-2-0) kick off a six-game road trip on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes (2-1-1). This matchup will be a tough test for Vancouver as they battle the reigning 2026 Stanley Cup champions. Last year, Carolina swept the season series, picking up wins in both matchups.
Thursday will be a good test for this young Canucks team. While the Hurricanes have not had the best start to the campaign, they know how to win and play a very structured game. Vancouver needs a strong first period; otherwise, they may not be able to recover against Carolina's shutdown system.
If the Canucks want to skate out with two points, they need production from the power play. The Hurricanes' penalty kill is currently operating at 89.5% and was virtually unbeatable during last year's Stanley Cup run. Vancouver has had some success so far this season with the man advantage but will need a big performance on Thursday night.
Players To Watch:
Jake DeBrusk:
After dealing with an illness, Jake DeBrusk is projected to return to the lineup on Thursday. He was skating on the first line at practice on Wednesday and was back in his spot on the first-unit power play. Now that DeBrusk is healthy, he will need to start producing both at even strength and with the man advantage.
Taylor Hall:
Taylor Hall has been a thorn in the Canucks' side for the last 17 years. The 34-year-old has 42 points in 44 games against Vancouver, which included a point in each game last season. With two goals so far this year, the Canucks will need to keep their eyes on Hall whenever he is on the ice.
Vancouver Canucks (2–2–0):
Paul Cotter: 4–2–6
Elias Pettersson: 2–4–6
Filip Hronek: 0–5–5
Marco Rossi: 3–1–4
Liam Öhgren: 1–3–4
Goaltenders:
Kevin Lankinen: 1–2–0
Leevi Meriläinen: 1–0–0
Carolina Hurricanes (2-1-1):
Sebastian Aho: 4-3-7
Andrei Svechnikov: 1-3-4
Jackson Blake: 0-3-3
Taylor Hall: 2-0-2
Mark Jankowski: 1-1-2
Goaltenders:
Brandon Bussi: 1-1-1
Pyotr Kochetkov: 1-0-0
Game Information:
Start time: 4:00 pm PT
Venue: Lenovo Center
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Nov 14, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) and Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) battle over the puck during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Travis Sanheim #6 and Dan Vladar #80 of the Philadelphia Flyers defend their goal against Filip Hallander #11 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Jason Spezza shed some light on the decision making around yesterday’s trade that sent forward Filip Hallander to Edmonton in exchange for defenseman Spencer Stastney.
“We had to make a move due to our depth at forward and by looking at past performances and future potential. Filip was the player we determined as expendable,” Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza wrote in an e-mail to local outlets. “In our trade discussions, the Oilers had interest in Filip, while we had interest in Stastney.”
Spezza’s use of the word ‘expendable’ surely isn’t intended to be as harsh as it comes off in reading, but it’s pretty much on the money. Hallander is 26-years old, he’s only played 17 career NHL games for one reason or another due to injuries, leaving for Sweden and a blood clot issue. He’s got one 5v5 goal in those 17 games (scored last week against the Flyers in a blowout win against a team playing awfully poorly). He’s done well to show gradual improvements yet at the same time has a very low ceiling of a fourth line, PK winger who never has been a high-end skater or shown a lot of dynamic skill. By rule those players are as expendable as it gets.
It’s clear to see that this trade was a problem solver for both Pittsburgh and Edmonton. The Penguins had (and, let’s face it still have) too many forwards. Hallander earned a spot with a strong training camp, yet if it weren’t for injuries/absences to Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel and Andrei Kuzmenko, this type of decision would have had to be made earlier. It wouldn’t have been a great idea or beneficial to risk Hallander on waivers and see him depart for nothing.
The Oilers faced a similar quandary in reverse, having too many defensemen and needing to add a forward. Stastney, a player they acquired for a third round pick less than a year ago, ended up on the outside looking in this year as the team’s eighth defenseman following some off-season adds on the blueline — not dissimilar to how acquiring forwards like Kuzmenko, Nick Robertson and Hendrix Lapierre pushed Hallander further towards the margins in Pittsburgh.
So instead of playing waiver roulette and giving the other 30 teams a chance to pluck the players away for nothing, the Pens and Oil struck a deal that works for both. The dots were there to be connected, as we wrote about over the summer that the situation and a possibility made sense for these teams to work together in this fashion.
Spezza also talked about what Pittsburgh liked about their new player.
“Stastney is a great skating defenseman (who) is at his best when he is asserting himself defensively and offensively, using his legs, retrieving pucks and moving pucks into the forwards’ hands,” Spezza wrote. “Stastney adds to our depth as a left-shot defenseman (who) has experience playing on the left or right side, and he will be competing with our existing defensemen for ice time.”
Stastney checks a lot of the boxes that Dubas likes in players. That profile of defender: plus skater, puck mover, not a huge emphasis on size is a hallmark of what he often goes after.
Beyond that, Stastney is 26-years old, has no contractual commitment after this year and has lacked opportunity in other spots. That’s a lot of boxes to check off for similar players like Parker Wotherspoon, Ryan Shea and Declan Carlile that the Pens have employed recently.
Defensive depth is a necessary thing. Pittsburgh has three defenders in their lineup over the age of 35. They have another, Sam Girard, who has averaged missing 19 games over the prior three seasons. Adding another layer before having to go into the AHL and call-up players who might not be ready (especially on the left side) is always a welcome addition.
The other interesting item is that this trade hasn’t truly solved Pittsburgh’s issue in totality, since they are navigating staying under 23 players now that many of the camp injuries are returning to play. Does adding Stastney mean eventually pushing Ilya Solovyov off the roster, perhaps as soon as when Andrei Kuzmenko’s non-roster status expires on Sunday? What will become of Elmer Soderblom, now scratched in three-straight games? Just how safe is Ville Koivunen’s spot on the team? There are still more questions than answers for what direction they will take in the days to come but this first trade of the year starts to right-size the balance of the forward/defenseman split for the roster a little bit. If the team gets back to health this won’t be the only transaction to ease to logjam of forwards.
In an interesting move that led to them replacing youth and flair with experience and sandpaper, the Philadelphia Flyers signed veteran free agent winger Michael Bunting to a one-year contract on Tuesday. Such a signing has its benefits, but it's fair to wonder if the Flyers got the right guy.
Four games into the season, Bunting isn't the only experienced winger with an established history of some scoring upside out there.
The Flyers likely chose the 31-year-old because of his physicality and ability to play the agitator role as a complementary forward, but in terms of pure skill and scoring upside, well, there's more out there.
All-Star sniper and two-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko remains without a contract through the early stages of the 2026-27 season, and he's the only free agent forward remaining who scored at least 20 goals and 40 points last season.
In 75 games with the Minnesota Wild, Tarasenko, 34, scored 23 goals, 24 assists, and 47 points on a team with winning aspirations, rebounding nicely from a bad season with Detroit that saw him score just 11 times in 80 games in 2024-25.
Indeed, the Russian sharpshooter is no longer the player he was at the peak of his career with the St. Louis Blues, but his stints with Minnesota, Florida, and even the New York Rangers have proven that Tarasenko can, at a minimum, still bang 'em in for a contender in a middle-six role.
On top of his obvious scoring upside, Tarasenko won cups with Florida in 2024 and St. Louis in 2019, and his 132 playoff games and two rings are something the Flyers have placed a premium on in the past when adding to their young team.
Remember, at the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Flyers traded what ended up being the 109th overall pick for an Erik Johnson well past his best playing days, then re-signed him in the offseason.
In the 2023 offseason, the Flyers had brought in Marc Staal, who was fresh off a Cup Final appearance with Florida, the second of his career.
The Flyers moved away from that approach last season and it paid off with their first playoff appearance since 2020, but the bottom appears to have completely fallen out this season, for whatever reason.
The Flyers have scored just five goals in four games this season, and only the rebuilding Calgary Flames (three in three) have been worse.
Defense has never been his thing, but Vladimir Tarasenko can still score at a high level. (Photo: HockeyStats.com)
On top of his skill and experience, Tarasenko would be an excellent mentor for young Russian talents Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin, who are still cutting their teeth at the NHL level.
Oh, and 75 of Tarasenko's 327 regular season goals have come on the power play, which would surely be a boon for a Flyers power play that has sputtered to an 0-11 start while also allowing a short-handed goal.
Bunting's not half-bad either, with 36 of his 109 goals coming on the power play, but a much larger portion of his goals have come on the man advantage (33% vs. 23%) compared to Tarasenko.
As a not-as-naturally-skilled player, the Flyers may not be able to lift Bunting to his full scoring potential with their woeful power play units, and there is an element of concern given that the two-time 20-goal-scorer ended last season with just one goal in his last 14 games, including his lone playoff appearance.
In any event, Tarasenko, like Bunting, has been without a new team this long for a reason, though it's fair to wonder if Tarasenko would have been a better fit for the offense-needy Flyers.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 7: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals battles for a puck against Hendrix Lapierre #22 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during a game at Capital One Arena on September 25, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
A slow start on Wednesday night saw the Pittsburgh fall into a 4-1 that they almost clawed back from but ultimately fell short in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals in D.C. Bryan Rust made his season debut after battling injury and scored his first of the season while Tommy Novak and Nick Robertson tallied the other Penguin markers in the loss. [Pensburgh]
Pens Points…
Something was going to have to give when it came to the Penguins logjam at forward and a domino fell on Wednesday with Kyle Dubas dealing Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Spencer Stastney. [Pensburgh]
In a related move to the Hallander trade, the Penguins activated Bryan Rust from injured reserve after missing the first three games of the season and made his debut against the Washington Capitals last night. [Trib Live]
Coming off their best season in over a decade, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins began their 2026-27 campaign over the weekend with a pair of losses, one in overtime, to Springfield and Hershey respectively. [Pensburgh]
Declan Carlile received only a single NCAA scholarship offer coming out of junior hockey. After three seasons at Merrimack College then battling through the minors to make the NHL, Carlile now finds himself skating on the Penguins top defensive pairing. [PPG]
Matt Dumba has called it a career after 13 NHL seasons with five different clubs. Dumba played his final career NHL game on December 7th of last season as a member of the Penguins. His final professional game came with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL. [Trib Live]
Andrei Kuzmenko was granted non-roster status by the NHL as he continues to work back from missing time following the death of his father. He will work to get back in game shape at practice with the team but will not play any earlier than Saturday against Dallas. [Sportsnet Pittsburgh]
NHL News and Notes…
Alexander Ovechkin says he doesn’t want a farewell tour for his final season but he’s surely going to get a warm reception when he plays his final game at various arenas around the league. His last time on the ice at PPG Paints Arena will come on March 13th with his final home game in D.C. set for April 4th. [RMNB]
Coming off a season ending injury in 2025-26, New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov will be sidelined for another whole season as he recovers from a torn ACL that will take 6-8 months of healing following surgery. [NHL]
The Islanders are home Thursday to host the Chicago Blackhawks, who have exceeded preseason expectations by winning one of their first four games. They are also celebrating the UFA signing of legendary Ranger and Red Wing Patrick Kane.
The injury news for Alex Romanov is worst-case scenario: ACL tear, surely out for the season for the second consecutive year. [LHH]
That’s gonna test the Isles depth, again. I mean, Carson Soucy isn’t walking through that door. [Newsday]
Unrelated, but promising: The Isles reached an ELC with 2026 pick Vladimir Dravecky, the Slovakian-born, Sweden-experienced OHLer. (You should pronounce it “Druh-VETS-ky” to impress your spouse.) [Isles]
Ovechkin’s sons Sergei and Ilya handled the task of announcing their father onto the ice, and the Russian star received a standing ovation before the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Wednesday night.
“It was pretty cool moment,” Ovechkin said. “Huge crowd, kids announce my name. It was a special moment.”
The NHL’s career leader in goals did not add to his total of 929 on Wednesday. In fact, Ovechkin wasn’t even on the ice during an extended period at the end when the Penguins had their goalie pulled. This was the 101st meeting between Ovechkin and Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby, including playoffs. Neither managed a point, only the 11th time that’s happened, according to Sportradar.
Crosby actually finished with a minus-4 after being on the ice for all four of Washington’s even-strength goals.
The Capitals have assembled a roster with plenty of depth, to the point where Ovechkin no longer needs to play every second of Washington’s power-play time.
Alex Ovechkin’s sons Sergei and Ilya introduced him at his final home opener before the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3.
“I’m not going to say that he doesn’t want to be out there,” coach Spencer Carbery said.
“But he also is understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish as a team, and the great players that he has around him.”
Washington’s one power-play goal on the night was scored by Ryan Leonard — from the left circle where Ovechkin so often sets up.
The 41-year-old Ovechkin announced earlier this week that this would be his final season. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Make no mistake, though. Ovechkin was still the center of attention. When the whole roster was introduced one by one, he was last, with his kids doing the honor.
“I had no idea any of that was happening,” Carbery said. “I think they nailed that moment. Special for I think everybody in the building.”
Ovechkin had two shots on goal, and he was on the ice when Anthony Beauvillier gave Washington a 1-0 lead 23 seconds into the game.
“It’s been such an incredible journey. Cool to see his kids down there,” said Tom Wilson, who had a goal and two assists for the Caps.
“He’s a legend in this city, so I think everyone had a big smile. You get chills watching him come out.”
To conclude their opening three-game stretch against Stanley Cup contenders to begin their 2026-27 campaign, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night at Honda Center in a rematch of their first-round series of the 2026 playoffs.
Edmonton has had a high-event start to their season, entering with a 2-0-1 record and having already scored 18 goals through three games and allowed 13.
Nikita Klepov (15th overall in 2026) made his NHL debut for the Ducks in this game. He was slotted in on the third line alongside Ryan Poehling and Nikita Nesterenko. That remains the only lineup change for Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville through three games.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Greer-Carlsson-Gauthier
Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke
Nesterenko-Poehling-Klepov
Malott-Washe-Colangelo
LaCombe-Luneau
Mintyukov-Mitchell
Hinds-Warren
Lukas Dostal got the start in net for Anaheim and stopped 12 of 17 shots before he was pulled after two periods. Ville Husso played the third period for the Ducks in relief and stopped the only two shots he faced. In Edmonton’s crease stood Devon Levi, who saved 28 of 30.
Game Notes
This game started out all Anaheim and all penalties in the first period, as they took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Edmonton came screaming back in the second, scoring five unanswered. The third period consisted of the Oilers halting the pace of the game with high flips out of the defensive zone and a passive neutral zone forecheck to ice the game.
Breakouts: Anaheim has perhaps the most unproven blueline in the NHL. While stylistically, they fit what the coaching staff is trying to accomplish on the ice, their inexperience shows up on occasion in areas that are only improved by repetition with said situations.
Ducks’ defensemen have increased their success rate of boxing out, tying up sticks, and clearing rebounds; areas that have plagued them in the past. What’s costing them presently is first passes out of the zone and second touches up ice that need to lead to more exits than battles.
Though defensemen aren’t directly turning pucks over to heavy F1 and F2 forechecks often, they are rimming more pucks than desired, which leads to broken exit sequences against aggressive-pinching defensemen. When pucks find their way into neutral ice, too often plays are broken and the ensuing transition defense leaves much to be desired, as their decision-making, communication, and sorting against a quick-up, transition offense led to multiple goals in this game.
Power Play: Anaheim’s top unit is white hot to start this season and was the reason they got out to their early lead in this game. Their breakouts and entries have been increasingly creative and precise, utilizing, whether with trailers or leading the rush, the two puck-carrying forwards criss-crossing with speed through the neutral zone.
Once set up, puck movement and player movement through the zone are crisp and decisive, with intricate knowledge of where teammates are and are going to be. They are manufacturing second-chance opportunities by winning pucks back along the perimeter and capitalizing on killers now out of position.
Lukas Dostal: Dostal wasn’t at his best in this game, nor was he at his worst, and he certainly wasn’t the largest contributing factor to his team’s defeat in this game. Of the five goals he allowed, two were screened shots off the stick of one of the heaviest-shooting defensemen in NHL history (Evan Bouchard), a vintage Connor McDavid play setting up Kasperi Kapanen with masterful deception, a breakaway, and a McDavid shot from the top of the circle off the rush.
The only goal he undoubtedly could and should have stopped was the final, as it was from distance, didn’t change direction, and snuck through his arm and body. The point shots will be quibbled over, but they were either heavily screened and/or changed direction on their way to the net.
The Ducks will hit the road for a brief two-game Canadian road trip, starting with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday at 5 pm PST.
Days after being placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames, Connor Zary has cleared and joined the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, practicing with the team on Wednesday.
The Flames’ first-round pick, 24th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, appeared calm and composed when he spoke with the media. Still, Zary admitted the news caught him off guard, and he isn’t exactly happy about being sent down.
“I was pretty surprised, I’m not going to sit here and lie,” said Zary. “ I just got a phone call that said I was going on waivers and, obviously, it’s not something you really expect a couple games into the season, but it’s something you spend 24 hours thinking of and sitting with and then you try and get back to work.”
"I think the human part gets lost in it a lot, and to know that you are still a good person when you're going through something bad is big for me."
Connor Zary spoke with the media after skating with the Wranglers this morning. pic.twitter.com/8IJuYkb2oR
“It sucks, right, there’s no sugar coating it, you’re just sitting there by yourself on your couch for 24 hours - that feels like five days -where you’re just waiting to hear anything and everything about what’s happening with your life. For sure, it sucks.”
At Wednesday’s practice, Zary skated alongside Dryden Hunt and William Stromgren. While the circumstances aren’t ideal, he said he’s looking forward to playing with his new linemates and getting back to enjoying the game.
Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images
For Zary, the immediate priority is simple: get back to work.
“It hurts, definitely, at the start and then you kind of just got to put your head down and go to work,” said Zary. “For me I think it’s just trying to do the right things coming down here, enjoying the game and having fun with these guys.”
As for whether he expects to eventually return to the Flames, Zary wasn’t making any predictions. That decision is out of his hands, and his focus is on controlling what he can.
“I think that’s up to them,” said Zary. “I’m here to just do what I can do as a player. I want to play hockey.”
“That’s not really my focus right now,” he added. “I think it’s just to take it day by day and do my thing.”
He opened this season with one assist through two games but was a healthy scratch for Calgary’s second game.
Now, he’s back with the Wranglers, where he spent parts of three seasons, with an opportunity to reset his game and rebuild some of the confidence that made him one of Calgary’s most intriguing young players in the first place.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Evan Bouchard had two goals and an assist to become the second defenseman in NHL history with at least six goals through the first four games of a season, and the Edmonton Oilers used a five-goal second period to beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Wednesday night.
Bouchard has a league-leading six goals through four games. Harry Cameron had eight goals in four games for the Toronto Arenas during the NHL's inaugural season in 1917-18.
Leon Draisaitl had four assists, Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin also scored, and the Oilers overcame a sluggish start to win their third straight game. Devon Levi made 28 saves.
Beckett Sennecke had two power-play goals and Leo Carlsson had two assists, but the Ducks lost for the first time in three games. Lukas Dostal made 12 saves, stopping just six of 11 shots in the decisive middle period before being replaced to start the third. Ville Husso made two saves in relief.
Bouchard scored twice in the second period, sparking Edmonton’s rally by cutting it to 2-1 11 seconds into the frame on a long wrist shot through traffic. He put the Oilers in front 3-2 on a one-timer from Draisaitl with 5:48 to go.
Bouchard is the fifth defenseman in league history with at least 10 points through the first four games of a season. The feat was last accomplished by Morgan Rielly in 2018-19 for the Maple Leafs.
McDavid capped off the five-goal outburst by netting his third goal and 12th point of the season with 51.7 left during 4-on-4 play.
After scoring one power-play goal in 82 games as a rookie, Sennecke found the back of the net twice on the man-advantage in the first period.
Ducks winger Nikita Klepov, the No. 15 pick in the 2026 draft, made his NHL debut and became the youngest player in franchise history at 18 years, 102 days old.
And, akin to their loss Monday, their sloppy, dysfunctional start was too much to overcome.
The Capitals defeated the Penguins, 5-3, in what was a remarkably sloppy defensive effort from the visiting club. Pittsburgh brought it to within one by the end of the second period, but they were ultimately unable to undo their own mistakes from the first half of the game.
Arturs Silovs stopped 22 of 27 Washington shots on goal, and Logan Thompson went 27-for-30 for the Capitals in net.
Just 23 seconds into the game, former Penguin Anthony Beauvillier found himself on a breakaway, and he converted on it to give Washington the early 1-0 lead. However, Bryan Rust - fresh off injured reserve and playing in his first game of the season - had the equalizer just 56 seconds later after a nice play in the neutral zone by Kindel got him the puck and allowed him to make his patented power move to the net.
But, then, the mistakes really started to pile up.
Nearing the 12-minute mark of the opening frame, Kris Letang found himself with the puck on the right wall in the defensive zone. He softly played the puck down the wall and behind the net, where Pierre Luc-Dubois was waiting for it. Dubois swiftly got the puck into the slot, where Tom Wilson was set up and made it 2-1.
The mishaps carried into the third. Less than five minutes in, Hendrix Lapierre played the puck down the wall again in the defensive zone, and Arturs Silovs went back to retrieve it with a few Capitals gaining on him. Declan Carlile was beat to the puck by Alex Tuch, and the puck squirted over to Wilson, who was able to scoop up the puck before either Penguin could get to it and slip it to Dubois in the slot, returning the favor from the second goal to give the Caps the 3-1 lead.
Almost 10 minutes later, the Penguins were pressuring in the offensive zone, and Carlile made an ill-advised cross-ice pass attempt in the direction of Erik Karlsson on the offensive blue line. Tuch intercepted it and went in on a breakaway, beating Silovs to make it 4-1.
The Penguins would not go quietly, though, and seemed to wake up after the fourth goal. Less than a minute after Tuch's goal, Egor Chinakhov and Evgeni Malkin found themselves on a two-on-one due to a neutral zone breakdown by the Caps, and Malkin hit the crossbar on off a feed from Chinakhov. The puck bounced into the slot area, where Tommy Novak was waiting for it to cut the deficit to two with his third of the season.
Then, with only two minutes left in the second, Nick Robertson - playing on a fourth line with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar - deflected a Kaedan Korczak shot while getting cross-checked to the ice, and it snuck past Thompson to bring Pittsburgh to within one.
Even with the Caps beginning to make a lot of defensive mistakes of their own - surrendering a few breakaways to the Penguins, too - they were able to seal the victory on a power play goal by Ryan Leonard less than four minutes into the period, which came after a few shorthanded chances from the Penguins.
Despite ending the first period with just four shots on goal to the Capitals' 14, Pittsburgh ended up outshooting Washington at the end of it. If not for such glaring mistakes, the game likely has a different result.
"We've got to manage the game better," head coach Dan Muse said after the loss. "We've got to manage momentum."
- The Penguins could, rather easily, be 4-0 right now if they weren't so busy beating themselves.
They're a better team than the Jets, but a sloppy, lackluster effort with far too many careless plays led to a 3-2 regulation loss. They're probably a pretty even matchup with the Caps, and they quite literally handed them three goals they wouldn't otherwise have had.
Simply put, they need to be smarter with the puck. There are way too many critical giveaways in their own zone and in the neutral zone and way too many odd-man breaks happening, and if they expect to win games this season, they need to cut down on the mistakes.
Mistakes happen every game for every team, but the Penguins are rolling the dice far too much and leaving their goaltenders out to dry.
- This was a particularly brutal game for Penguins' blueliners not named Sam Girard and Kaedan Korczak.
Letang's turnover preceding the second goal was putrid. There are many other choices he could have made with the puck there, but he chose to softly send it down the right wall and right to Dubois, who fed it on a silver platter to Wilson in the slot.
Then, some kind of miscommunication between Carlile and Silovs led directly to the third goal. Then, Carlile handed Tuch the keys to the fourth goal. Silovs appeared to be screened on the final goal, but the optics on it weren't great.
Karlsson was giving the puck away with frequency again, too, even if none of his plays resulted in goals against. Same with Trevor van Riemsdyk, who looked lost most of the evening.
It's early in the season, and sloppiness is to be expected. However, the Penguins' blue line needs to clean things up and get accustomed to one another sooner rather than later.
- Sidney Crosby does not look himself. He was a minus-5 in this one.
Yes, a minus-5. He was on the ice for all five Capitals' goals.
He and Rakell have been slower starters in the last couple of years. So, just four games in, it's not yet time to raise alarm bells.
However, he is not only ineffective offensively at five-on-five right now, he is also costing them on the defensive side of the puck. His dip in footspeed is rather noticeable this season, and Rickard Rakell's lack of speed on his line isn't helping matters, either.
Crosby and Rakell have, historically, been very good together. I liked what I saw from Robertson in training camp and in the first couple of games on that line as a complement, but that experiment was ended quickly. By the second period in the Caps' game, Rust was back up on the first line with Crosby and Rakell, and it was status quo.
Even if the Penguins have a ton of depth - and, contrary to national narratives, the Penguins are not even close to entirely reliant on Crosby for offense - it's going to become a legitimate problem if this first line doesn't start producing for a plethora of reasons. I'd give it a few games, and I'd shift things back to what was intended early on.
But they need to get going soon. The Penguins have scored 19 goals this season - and Crosby and Rakell have zero of them. That's not ideal at all.
I'd really like to see the Penguins give their originally intended lines, minus Kuzmenko, another look Friday:
- Speaking of which, there is far too much lineup shuffling happening right now.
I actually did a bit of a 180 on this in the middle of the game. Most of the time, when lines aren't producing, it makes sense to change things around. I said the Penguins should have a short leash with the first line.
I take that back. I think a lot of their issues the last two games have been a result of players not having ample time to gel together. It's difficult to build chemistry when you're constantly playing with different people.
I'd like to see the Penguins revert to the original forward lines they had built during training camp in their next tilt on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, with the lone exception being Ville Koivunen subbing in for Andrei Kuzmenko, who is on non-roster leave from the Penguins:
Chemistry needs time to build. Muse clearly had a vision for these lines during camp, and they weren't given much runway with all the lineup shuffling and personnel rotations.
So, give them some time. Robertson has three goals in four games and has produced more than Crosby and Rakell. Rust and Kindel have looked good in the little time they've spent together.
The Penguins have a lot of depth. But it's still important for them to find the right combinations for that depth, and the only way to figure those things out is to allow guys room to gel.
- On a positive note, Kindel is far and away the best player for the Penguins right now.
Novak and Robertson have been quite good up to this point as well. But Kindel has been doing it all. He has more speed than he did last season. His increased size is evident in how hard it is to knock him off the puck. He's making highly cerebral plays and reads. He looks excellent on the penalty kill and in all three zones. He's effective on the power play.
This kid is 19. He's playing like a ten-year veteran, and his offensive ceiling gets higher by the game. Kindel has two goals and four points in three games, and the pace, honestly, looks pretty sustainable, especially if he's glued to a scorer like Rust.
Point-per-game is not out of the question, and him being this team's best player going forward may not be hyperbole. He looks like a first-line center with the way he's playing. Right now.
He is going to be a special player for the Penguins. Underestimate him at your peril.
- Lastly, Kindel needs to be out in six-on-five situations. At this juncture, having Letang, Karlsson, Crosby, Malkin, Rust, and Rakell all out there is malpractice.
Kindel, their best player in the present, needs to be on the ice when the stakes are highest. I'd throw Novak out there, too. They've earned those opportunities.
WINNIPEG, CANADA - OCTOBER 7: Cole Perfetti #91 of the Winnipeg Jets watches as the puck gets behind goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood #39 of the Colorado Avalanche for a second period goal at the Canada Life Centre on October 7, 2026 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It’s no longer preseason but the Colorado Avalanche had another date with the Winnipeg Jets in Manitoba. What looked like fun early on settled into a battle in which the Avalanche lost in the final minute as the Jets secured a 3-2 victory on a second Kyle Connor goal on the evening.
The Game
It was a quiet start to the game with a scoreless first period with each team trading fruitless power plays. Colorado found some momentum in the second half of the frame, though, as they ended up with a 17-6 shot advantage at the first intermission. We had a Cale Makar moment early on as well. He recorded the hardest shot of the season thus far of 101.9 mph in the period.
101.9 mph 🤯
Cale Makar has recorded the hardest shot of the 2026-27 season so far, setting a personal best in the process. #NHLStatspic.twitter.com/9frieuYTDt
Scoring would emerge in the second frame as each team found the back of the net. To start, Jaden Schwartz netted his first in an Avalanche sweater as Fedor Svechkov picked up his first point with the club as well. But Winnipeg answered back just over a minute later with Kyle Connor getting a puck through traffic on Mackenzie Blackwood, which has been one area of weakness thus far this season.
That hot start the Avalanche enjoyed lost steam as by the end of the second period as Winnipeg gained a lead when a puck deflected off Cole Perfetti and into the net. Suddenly the Avalanche were looking at their first deficit of the year heading into the third period down 2-1.
The third period was another tight contest with Winnipeg limiting Colorado’s chances. The Jets got a power play and couldn’t cash it which gave the Avalanche a little jolt. It was the third line who evened the score, this time Svechkov the beneficiary of a pass from Schwartz and the Russian was found alone at the net front and chipped the puck past Jets netminder Stuart Skinner. It looked like this game was headed to overtime but Kyle Connor had other ideas and buried a rush chance for his second score of the contest with just a minute left on the clock and Winnipeg secured a 3-2 win to keep them unbeaten in regulation.
Takeaways
Zach L’Heureux made his Avalanche debut and his game was as advertised through some hard-nosed and energetic play though he played some modest minutes. With just 8:22 time on ice the 23-year-old forward provided three shots on goal and five hits, setting the stage for more to come.
It was also great to see newcomers Jaden Schwartz and Fedor Svechkov find some chemistry and convert on a couple of goals, which would be the entirety of Colorado’s production this evening. The first two lines were jumbled as they weren’t clicking, however. Brock Nelson had a tough night defensively but so did Gabe Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen as they were shuffled around.
Upcoming
This first back-to-back of the season sends the Avalanche to Calgary to finish out their brief two-game road trip. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. MT on Thursday, October 8th.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 7: Alex Tuch #89 of the Washington Capitals recovers a puck after a blocked shot by Trevor van Riemsdyk #57 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during a game at Capital One Arena on September 25, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
Bryan Rust is able to make his season debut and the Penguins flip Hendrix Lapierre and Nick Robertson between lines for some new looks. Arturs Silovs in net for this one.
Fireworks aplenty early on. On the very first shift, Trevor van Riemsdyk gets in trouble with a bouncing puck and turns it over to Dylan Strome. Strome springs Anthony Beauvillier on a breakaway. 1-0 Washington just 23 seconds into the game on the first shot.
The Penguins get in on the action and score on their first shot at the 1:19 mark. Ben Kindel gets in the zone and feeds Rust, it doesn’t take the veteran long to make his classic power move to the net. Puck goes off Logan Thompson and trickles in to tie the game at 1-1.
Pittsburgh gets into penalty trouble, Ville Koivunen goes to the box first on a tripping call. Nick Robertson soon joins him for clearing the puck over the glass to give the Caps 44 seconds of a 5v3 advantage. van Riemsdyk steps up with some nice shot blocks and the Pens escape the danger.
Not for long, though. Kris Letang collects a puck in his zone and reverses it back behind the net. Turns out to be a bad decision since only Pierre-Luc Dubois is back there. Dubois feeds the puck out front and it’s a 2-1 game.
The Penguins get the next power play, doesn’t go very well. The Caps get two rushes up the ice, the Pens don’t really get much out of it for themselves.
Period comes to an end, shots are 14-4 WSH, though it’s a bit more respectable for 9-4 at even strength. Shot attempts are even uglier at 34-11. Pittsburgh getting mostly outworked and bit by defensive breakdowns in the early going.
Second period
Silovs decides he wants to get in on the costly turnover gambit and his stray behind the net goes straight to the Caps. Declan Carlile doesn’t help the cause by spectating and blocking the goalie’s path back to the crease. Good grief. Tom Wilson returns the favor from the last goal and sets up Dubois to make it a 3-1 game.
The Pens got a strong shift of possession and chances out of their first line, wiped away by a brutal cross-ice pass by Carlile that was easily picked off and turned into a 2-on-0 rush. Wilson set up Alex Tuch and there’s not much a goalie can do about that. 4-1 Washington.
Pittsburgh’s second line comes through to stem the tide of the developing blowout. Egor Chinakhov made a nice pass to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin hits the post, Thompson and the Caps’ defense are all out of sorts. Tommy Novak pounces on the rebound and puts it in the net. 4-2.
The fourth line gets in the act next. Kaeden Korczak puts a shot towards the net that Robertson make a beautiful tip on. Robertson had to eat a cross-check in the back for his troubles, which worked out nicely. 4-3 game all of a sudden.
Robertson draws a penalty to really open the door, a goal doesn’t come before intermission stops the play.
As usual, no PIT-WSH game is ever truly completely safe for either team. In the ‘two things can be true category’, the Penguins are playing damaging hockey in a self-inflicted way, and yet they find themselves only down by one shot on the road in a game that they have not been very sharp in.
Third period
The Pens can’t score on the carryover power play, then van Riemsdyk goes to the box for a blatant hooking call to prevent a scoring chance. Pittsburgh almost kills it off but Ryan Leonard fires a wrist shot by Silovs at the end of penalty time. Washington’s lead is 5-3.
SOUND THE SIRENS! 🚨
Ryan Leonard gives the @Capitals a two-goal lead with a SNIPE!
Blake Lizotte is the next to head to the penalty box, it’s killed and Lizotte steps back onto the ice sprung on a breakaway that Thompson stops.
The game takes an ugly turn, Dubois puts Carlile into the boards head first, opening up Carlile with some blood. The Pens get a power play and come up empty on it.
Silovs is lifted for the extra skater with plenty of time since the team needs to find two goals. They’re kept mostly to the perimeter and the clock runs out.
Some thoughts
Kindel has replaced Chinakhov on the top power play. Might be for the best, Chinakhov was looking a little lost in space as a left handed shot setting up mostly on the left side.
Rough first period for Letang, 10+ years ago he might have had a chance to cut off Beauvillier on the first goal, tough ask either way for an opponent hitting the seam in full stride when the defenseman positions so wide in the first place. The play on the second goal was even worse, basically deserving an assist on that one.
Easy to beat up on Letang though, each of the first four Washington goals was started or aided by a major miscue of puck management by the Penguins from players all over the lineup. Carlile’s activity on the third and fourth goals against were just as egregious. They’re their own worst enemy right now and most teams are going to accept the gift and make you pay. That’s pretty much the long and short of it right now. These Penguin games are just a race to see whether or not they can out-score the issues they directly create for themselves.
Rust was the only Penguin forward to register a shot in the first period. At least he scored. By midway in the second period the Pens got an offensive zone faceoff and had Rust back on the top line with Crosby and Rakell. Can’t say that was surprising or unwarranted.
As Bob Grove pointed out, Crosby went 6-1 in the faceoff circle in the first period, everyone else on the team was 3-11. Pittsburgh entered the night 27th in the young season in faceoffs (45.5%). Without Crosby (55.7% entering the night), they’d be even further down the list.
Robertson was all over the place. Now a fourth liner, he might be killing more penalties but he’ll need to avoid putting the puck over the glass. Then he scores a goal and draws a penalty late in the second period. Good stuff from a player who got demoted in lines to make an impact.
Another positive so far: Malkin’s passing in this one. He’s mostly a playmaker and chance creator for others at this point of his career and is starting to stand out with that generation.
Mostly though, just negative right now. The mistakes are too numerous and too glaring to expect a positive result at the end of the night. The Pens had a shot with a couple of breakaways and power plays late yet they couldn’t make it happen.
This one is out of the way, the team moves on with a meeting in Columbus on Friday night.
New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) scores a hat trick goal during the third period of a game against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.
The first goal in Alexis Lafrenière’s eventual hat trick Tuesday showcased what the Rangers have known, the offensive flashes they’ve always tried to make sustainable with the No. 1 pick in 2020.
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But the final two, which occurred 32 seconds apart in the third period of their 5-2 win, captured another step for Lafrenière. His defensive game has earned the trust of head coach Mike Sullivan in 5-on-6 situations — when opponents have their goaltender pulled while trailing late — recently, and during the past two wins, Lafrenière has rewarded that belief.
“It means a lot,” Lafrenière said postgame of Sullivan’s trust in those situations. “You always want to be out there late in games, either when you’re down one, up one, whatever it is.”
That serves as another layer of the phrase Sullivan used Monday, when he said that Lafrenière — after a strong finish last year to a 24-goal, 57-point campaign — still has “untapped potential.” There’s more that the Rangers coaching staff will “try to pull out of him,” Sullivan said.
New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) scores a hat trick goal during the third period of a game against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The offensive potential has always been evident with Lafrenière. That was the case again Tuesday, when Mika Zibanejad slid a pass to him from his knees early in the second period and Lafrenière ripped a shot past Semyon Varlamov, off the crossbar and in. Those moments have been fleeting for most of his Blueshirts career, but Sullivan stuck by his top line of Lafrenière, Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault early in the season in hopes of capturing what made them the Rangers’ most dynamic group to end 2024-25. Their production Tuesday, which helped extend their winning streak to four games, was another sign that Sullivan’s strategy has started to pay off.
But then there’s the 5-on-6. The late-game situations. The chance that Sullivan described as an earned responsibility. He flipped the pair of pucks into the Islanders net after the Rangers cleared their zone, and with just over 40 seconds remaining Sunday, Lafrenière blocked a shot by Utah’s Dylan Guenther before drawing a penalty. Through five games, he sits in a tie for third in the NHL with four penalties drawn.
“We think that he’s a guy that’s very capable there, so we’re challenging him there to bring a defensive conscience in those situations — and he gets rewarded with some empty-net opportunities,” Sullivan said postgame Tuesday. “We’re not just handing that stuff to [Lafrenière]. We think he’s earned that, and that’s why we’ve given him that opportunity. … His complete game on both sides of the puck continues to grow and develop.”
Rangers legend Mark Messier dished out plenty of praise for 18-year-old defenseman Alberts Smits — the No. 5 overall pick in June’s draft who proceeded to make the opening night lineup — during the second intermission Tuesday.
“He’s played four games in the National Hockey League,” Messier, now an NHL analyst, said on ESPN, “and he’s looked like he’s playing 400 games in the National Hockey League. His nuances and the subtleties of his game are unparalleled for anybody I’ve seen play this position. … He’s not gonna be on the highlight offensive reels there, but this is the kind of guy you win Stanley Cups with because he does all the subtleties — he’s a shutdown defenseman that’s only 18 years old.”
The Colorado Avalanche did just about everything but finish on Tuesday night.
Colorado outshot Winnipeg 34-19, generated sustained pressure throughout the game and erased two separate deficits, but Kyle Connor’s second goal of the night with one minute remaining lifted the Jets to a 3-2 victory at Canada Life Centre.
Jaden Schwartz and Fedor Svechkov each recorded a goal and an assist for Colorado, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 16 of 19 shots. Stuart Skinner was the difference for Winnipeg, turning aside 32 of 34 shots in an outstanding performance.
The loss drops Colorado to 1-5 in its last six road games against the Jets at Canada Life Centre.
Cale Makar following a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues.
First Period
Colorado pressed on the gas early—and when we say gas, we mean literally. Cale Makar tattooed a slap shot from the point at 101.9 mph, but Skinner came up with a big save to keep the game scoreless.
More than six minutes into the period, Colorado started creating quality chances. Brock Nelson, a finalist for the Selke Trophy last season as the NHL’s best two-way forward, stripped the puck from Winnipeg forward Cole Perfetti, dangled around a defender and fed Nazem Kadri for a one-timer from the right circle. Skinner, however, made the save in the breadbasket.
Near the halfway point of the period, the Avalanche earned their first power play of the night after Dylan Samberg was called for hooking Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado failed to convert, but spent much of the man advantage in the offensive zone as Skinner continued to impress between the pipes.
With about eight minutes remaining, Colorado continued to press. After Nathan MacKinnon won an offensive-zone faceoff, Kadri wasted no time firing a quick shot on net, but Skinner came up with another sharp blocker save to keep the game scoreless.
Colorado went on its first penalty kill with just under three minutes remaining after Fedor Svechkov was called for delay of game after shooting the puck out of play. Svechkov was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Jack Drury to the Nashville Predators.
The Avalanche killed the penalty, and the first period ended in a 0-0 tie.
Second Period
Jaden Schwartz broke the tie 2:51 into the period when he pounced on a puck the Jets mishandled in front of their net. He stepped into the loose puck and fired it past Skinner to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.
Colorado goal!
Scored by Jaden Schwartz with 17:09 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Fedor Svechkov and Brent Burns.
The advantage didn’t last long, as Kyle Connor scored off a deflection to tie the game at one. It was his fourth goal of the season and the 14th of his career against the Avalanche.
With just under six minutes remaining in the period, Devon Toews stepped into a one-timer, but Skinner came up with the pad save. At that point, Colorado had outshot Winnipeg 27-12.
The Jets regained the lead with 1:44 remaining when Cole Perfetti redirected a shot with his left skate, sending the puck through Blackwood’s five-hole to make it 2-1. It was Perfetti’s third goal of the season, extending his goal streak to three games, and the fourth of his career against Colorado.
Despite trailing after 40 minutes, the Avalanche held a commanding 27-17 edge in shots.
Jets star Josh Morrissey also suffered an upper-body injury, possibly to his wrist, late in the period and did not return.
Third Period
Colorado found itself shorthanded during another critical stretch when Brock Nelson was assessed a cross-checking penalty at 8:19 after sending Jets defenseman Jack St. Ivany into the end boards.
The Avalanche killed off the penalty and eventually found their equalizer with 7:25 remaining.
Svechkov jumped on a loose puck in front of the net following a shot from Brett Kulak and poked it past Skinner for his first goal as an Avalanche and the 13th of his NHL career. Schwartz picked up an assist on the play.
With one minute remaining, Connor struck again on an odd-man rush. Mark Scheifele fed him a perfect pass in the low slot, and Connor fired it past Blackwood’s left pad to put Winnipeg back in front 3-2.
The Avalanche pushed for another equalizer but couldn’t find one, falling by a 3-2 final despite holding a 34-19 advantage in shots.
Colorado will look to bounce back Thursday against the Calgary Flames at the legendary Saddledome. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. local time, with Scott Wedgewood slated to make his first start of the season.
The phrasing, in the middle of a preseason broadcast interview, was notable from Tye Kartye.
It would’ve been understandable if he wanted to prove the Kraken wrong, and publicly stated as such, after the organization who inked him to an entry-level deal as an undrafted forward — and then watched him get named the AHL’s top rookie and climb his way to the NHL — dumped him on waivers in February.
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But, Kartye said that night during the intermission interview, he wanted to prove the Rangers right for taking a chance on him instead of proving Seattle wrong.
Head coach Mike Sullivan called him a “dog on a bone on the puck,” and Kartye’s ability to win possession — something shaping his game since juniors — has allowed him to seamlessly mesh with Pavel Dorofeyev, their $77 million offseason splash, and J.T. Miller.
“When it happened,” Kartye told The Post on Monday of getting waived, “I kinda move from the last team that I was on and I focus on the team that I’m on now — and doing everything that I can to be successful here and help the team win here.”
He opened training camp last month on the fourth line, producing a goal in multiple training camp scrimmages and flashing his offensive instincts again in the final exhibition — when he sent a shot past the Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov.
Then, during the win in Detroit last week, Sullivan swapped Kartye and Oliver Bjorkstrand, attempting to ignite his second line with the speed and tenacity of Kartye.
Tye Kartye skates up ice during the Rangers’ win over the Islanders on Oct. 6, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
They’ve become the Rangers’ top forward combination in terms of expected goals for percentage (69.79), according to Evolving-Hockey, and sit 10th leaguewide among forward lines with at least 20 minutes together. Kartye doesn’t want to change his identity, either.
He’s relied on it since his first year in juniors with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, when he went from not making the team to trying to carve out a role — with his goal totals climbing from four to 25 and then 45 in his three seasons there.
The Greyhounds worked to enhance his shot, Jamie Tardif, a former Greyhounds assistant and an assistant with AHL Hartford from 2022 through last season, told The Post.
They helped it become one that could thrive in tight and high-danger areas of the ice. And along the way, Kartye developed the type of game that “can move up and down your lineup,” Tardif said.
“Whether Tye’s on a top line or a fourth line, his role and his identity as a player does not change,” Tardif said. “So everyday, Tye is a very predictable hockey player. … To me, it’s no secret why he’s in that role, he’s in the top six, because he’s predictable, he’s dependable and guys want to play with him.”
Across three years with the Kraken, Kartye skated in 180 games and collected 20 goals and 41 points while also getting his first taste of postseason hockey during the 2023 playoffs.
Tye Kartye (right) battles Matthew Schaefer for the puck during the Rangers’ win over the Islanders. NHLI via Getty Images
He went from undrafted to one of the sport’s biggest stages before, less than three years after those playoff games, hitting waivers in the middle of February with his hockey career again uncertain.
Then the Rangers gave him a fresh start. As a restricted free agent in the offseason, Kartye’s opportunity to be in the top six also doubles as an audition to play his way into the future of the organization.
Kartye likely won’t recapture the 40-goal output from his final year of juniors. He might not score with the same consistency as he did in those scrimmages and exhibitions, either.
But the Blueshirts don’t need that from him. They just need the version of Kartye that prompted Sullivan’s first tweak of the top six this season in the first place. The puck pursuit. The forecheck. The under-the-radar variables that, in turn, can help unlock the rest of the line.
“Without a doubt, we always have conversations with players like that that get moved up the lineup,” Sullivan said Monday. “ ‘Don’t change your game just because you moved up the lineup. You got moved up the lineup because of the game that you’re playing. Bring that element to the line, and everything will work.’ ”
