The New York Rangers lost 5-4 to the New York Islanders on Thursday night in their third preseason game, but that wasn’t the main story. 

Mike Sullivan played many of his veteran players while slipping the young prospects into the mix. 

Gabe Perreault was featured on the first line alongside J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, which was a big test for him. 

Through the first two preseason games, Perreault scored two goals, and he’s had a strong performance through training camp thus far. 

It was no different for Perreault on Thursday night. The 20-year-old forward stood out playing with Miller and Zibanejad, as he did not shy away from this big opportunity he was given. 

“We’ve talked a lot about Gabe. He's a real exciting player for us,” Sullivan said. “I said the other day that he’s an NHL player in the making and I still believe that. I think he’s a real talented guy. I think he’s going to have a really successful career in this league. I think there are areas where he can improve and get better. That’s going to set himself up for success. We’ve got to help him get stronger, but that’s just a matter of time. He’s a really exciting player for us.”

Brennan Othmann is a player who’s had an up-and-down training camp, but was able to bounce back in a big way in the Rangers’ third preseason game.

Sullivan entrusted Othmann to play with Alexis Lafrenière and Vincent Trocheck. On that line, Othmann definitely appeared to look more confident and generated some offensive chances. 

The highlight of the night for Othmann came when he ripped a shot on the power play for a goal, giving him a much-needed confidence booster. 

“Otter has shown glimpses of brilliance,” Sullivan said. “He can really shoot the puck, you saw it tonight. We would like to see him get into the battles a little bit more, play in traffic, going toward the traffic as opposed to maybe moving away from it. We think he’s capable of playing that game, but that’s a conversation that we’ve had with him here through the first part of the training camp, just trying to define expectations.”

Arguably, the biggest surprise of this training camp and preseason has been the play of Noah Laba. 

The 6-foot-2 center has a lot of potential, and he’s really shown it over these past few weeks. 

Laba’s physical style of play, on top of his sneaky offensive skillsets, makes him a player who can really play up and down the lineup. 

Mike. Sullivan Had One Request Of John Tortorella Ahead Of The 4 Nations Face-Off From one New York Rangers head coach to another, Mike Sullivan and John Tortorella seem to have a strong relationship. 

The 22-year-old forward continued his impressive play on Thursday night, and even caught the attention of the already established veteran players. 

“Labs has kind of come out of nowhere and really stood out, in my opinion,” Vincent Trocheck said. “He’s making it tough on these guys to make decisions on the roster for opening night.”

Brett Berard has also built on the progress he made last season for the Rangers, showing promise both through training camp and the preseason. 

The 23-year-old forward scored a goal in the first period of this preseason game and he continues to make it harder and harder for the Rangers to send him down to the American Hockey League.

On the defensive side, Scott Morrow has played in every preseason game so far and he’s been given a major responsibility, quarterbacking the second-unit of the power play. 

Morrow’s speed and offensive attributes continue to look impressive. He is certainly a defenseman who has a lot of upside as shown since the start of rookie camp. 

While not all of these young prospects will ultimately make the Rangers’ opening-night roster, it’s a positive sign to see them thriving in these sorts of situations, a possible good omen for the future. 

"We're excited about some of these players, some of these young players that are potentially knocking on the door, that could break through,” Sullivan said. That's what this preseason is all about, just trying to find out what we have. We'll try to make the best decisions for the team as we go here.”

Visiting NHL players who have played games in the city of Pittsburgh since 2005 will soon be getting a tad bit richer. 

According to a report by NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has deemed the 3 percent Pa. Usage Fee unconstitutional. The Pa. Usage Fee is a type of "jock tax" - a common tax assessed to visitors of a city who earn income while they're in it.

In Pittsburgh's case, the city had assessed a 3 percent tax to non-resident athletes and entertainers who performed at public stadiums. According to WTAE Pittsburgh, the tax has contributed to more than $2.6 million in city revenue in just the year 2025, highlighting the scale of the expected annual revenue lost for Pittsburgh - and the expectation that the deficit will be will be passed on to residents.

Among the appellees were the NHL Player's Association, New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, and former Pittsburgh Penguin Scott Wilson. According to Seravalli's report, refunds will be assessed to visiting players who paid the tax for every road game in Pittsburgh. 

News: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that the PA Usage Fee (a jock tax in Pittsburgh) is unconstitutional.#NHLPA and Kyle Palmieri were named among the appellees. Key text: Pittsburgh could not justify why they were taxing nonresident athletes and entertainers more… pic.twitter.com/ZKMmCy5tqc

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 25, 2025

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While it may have only been the second pre-season game, the Detroit Red Wings played as if they were in mid-season form took control over the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena, handily winning not only on the scoreboard but on the shot counter. 

By the time it was all said and done, the Red Wings improved to 2-0 in pre-season play with a 5-2 victory, which included a 40-18 shots advantage.

That’s a 5-2 @DetroitRedWings win. 🐙#LGRWpic.twitter.com/XOiVCrnYIL

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 26, 2025

Detroit iced a roster that was a mixture of established players who will be on the team this season along with several names hoping to earn a coveted roster spot. It was also the first of two scheduled pre-season games against Buffalo before the regular season begins on Oct. 9. 

Newcomer Mason Appleton began the scoring for the Red Wings early in the opening frame, scoring shorthanded after Andrew Copp stole the puck from Sabres goaltender Alexandar Georgiev at the side of the net. 

Mason Appleton tallies one short-handed! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/xDtr4c5JvQ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 25, 2025

Just moments later, the Sabres would knot the score courtesy of Noah Östlund, who beat goaltender Cam Talbot with a one-timed shot.

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Pacing the scoring for the Red Wings the rest of the way were Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Andrew Copp, Moritz Seider, and Dylan Larkin; Brandsegg-Nygård's goal in the opening frame was on the power-play.

Andrew Copp goes to the net and bats the puck out of the air past Georgiev off a Lucas Raymond rebound, opening up a 5-2 @DetroitRedWings lead. 🚨 #LGRWpic.twitter.com/7wv7couyub

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 26, 2025

Josh Doan, the son of former Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan, scored in the second period for the Sabres. 

Goaltender Cam Talbot stopped two of the eight shots that he faced before being replaced as planned midway through the contest by Michal Postava; he stopped all 10 shots the Sabres fired his way. 

Postava, who joined the Red Wings during the offseason after backstopping Brno Kometa to the Czech Extraliga championship in 2024-25 and is expected to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins, looked poised and confident in net in what was his first unofficial competition against NHL players on the smaller North American-sized ice surface. 

He was also particularly strong in the shootout that followed the contest. 

With the victory, the Red Wings are undefeated in pre-season play with a perfect 2-0 record. They'll put the winning streak to the test on Friday evening when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road at PPG Paints Arena (7:00 p.m. ET, NHL Network). 

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It's been almost three months since the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Benjamin Kindel with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

Kindel was one of the top players in the entire CHL last year, finishing with 35 goals and 99 points in 64 games with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. He's a really underrated goal scorer and has great vision in the offensive zone, but the best aspect of his game is his hockey IQ. He's always out-thinking the opposition while he's on the ice and is always in the right position. 

He got to play in the Penguins' first two preseason games and was noticeable in both. He showcased his skating during Monday's game against the Montreal Canadiens and got a few good chances against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, including a breakaway, but couldn't find the back of the net. 

Even though Kindel is expected to play for the Hitmen again this season, he may have earned himself another preseason game after his efforts on Wednesday. He's also really enjoying training camp thus far and found the first skate last Thursday to be "very competitive."

"Yeah, first day, I think it's a great environment," Kindel said. "A lot of great leaders and older guys showing the young guys how to work, and I think it was a very competitive first skate, and it was a lot of fun."

Kindel isn't the only player to describe this year's camp as competitive. Just ask Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

"I thought the pace of practice was really good, and a lot of competition within that, so that's what you expect from training camp," Crosby said after the September 18 practice. 

Kindel is also super impressed with Muse and the rest of the Penguins' coaching staff. 

Training Camp Proves Penguins Have More Talent Than You RealizeWhen Kyle Dubas took over as president of hockey operations - and, eventually, general manager - of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2023, the prospect pool looked quite different than it does now. 

"I'm really excited to continue working with them. They seem like great coaches and great people. They want to see all of us do our best, and try and get the best out of all of us, so I'm really excited to keep working with them," Kindel said. 

Kindel will be at Penguins' training camp for another practice on Friday as they get set for back-to-back preseason games. He won't be in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, which could be a sign that he will play on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

It would be pretty big for Kindel to play in that game since it's expected that a lot of the Penguins' top players will play due to Marc-Andre Fleury's return. Kindel may not be ready for the NHL yet, but his time is coming. 

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When Kyle Dubas took over as president of hockey operations - and, eventually, general manager - of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2023, the prospect pool looked quite different than it does now. 

In 2022-23, the organization's top prospects consisted of names such as Owen Pickering, Joel Blomqvist, Sam Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and Filip Hallander. Fast forward two years, and all of thise names remain - but, arguably, not one of them is a top-five prospect in the pipeline.

The truth is that - in two short years - Dubas has done quite a lot of work to rebuild that pipeline. And that much is certainly evident if you've been taking in any of the 2025 pre-season action.

Through two pre-season games and four full practice days, there are several guys beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack - and most of them aren't among the group of aforementioned players. In fact, Pickering and Hallander are the only ones with, presumably, a likely shot at the NHL roster come puck drop on Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

The others with a good shot at the roster? That would include guys like Ville Koivunen, acquired by Dubas prior to the 2024 trade deadline from the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the package for Jake Guentzel. Guys like Harrison Brunicke - also part of the package in the form of the conditional first-round pick that turned out to be a second - who was selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024. And Rutger McGroarty - currently out indefinitely with an upper-body injury - who was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for then-top prospect Brayden Yager.

There's also Avery Hayes, who - undrafted - was brought into the organization on an AHL contract prior to the 2023-24 season and has done nothing but raise his stock ever since. Even 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel has made a strong impression in camp up to this point, and he just turned 18 in April. 

For Penguins' Prospect, Training Camp Is A Family Reunion - And An OpportunityOn Jun. 28, something pretty special happened for Pittsburgh Penguins' forward prospect Avery Hayes. 

There are some pre-Dubas remnants in the mix, too. Forward Tristan Broz - selected 58th overall in 2022 - is making a strong case for himself, as his two-way play and ability to put the puck in the net are earning him more and more opportunities within camp. And goaltender Sergei Murashov, 21 - also drafted in 2022 (118th overall) dominated the ECHL and the AHL last season and continues to put up strong performances in the pre-season. 

Even in that case, though, it's not just about the drafting side of things. It's also about the development side of things. It's been widely chronicled how much the Penguins' scouting and development staff has expanded both under Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and under Dubas. The Penguins' organization has broadened its reach by sheer numbers from increased investment, and it has allowed them to become more individualized in their approach to prospect development. 

And it has certainly paid off, because even if the Penguins still lack that superstar, franchise-altering center or bona fide No. 1 defenseman in their organization, they seem to have a lot of potential in terms of the complementary pieces. 

Koivunen and Kindel have point-per-game potential at the NHL level, and they - along with McGroarty - certainly project to be top-six forwards. Broz, Hayes, and Filip Hallander could have ceilings as middle-six forwards and are probably, at worst, effective bottom-six players. Pickering should be a top-four defenseman in the NHL, and Brunicke certainly has the talent and potential to be a top-pairing blueliner. There are also other promising defensive prospects - Emil Pieniniemi, in particular, comes to mind - who should be NHL regulars. 

And Murashov, with all of his quickness, athleticism, cool confidence, and calm demeanor, seems to be the real deal and certainly has the best potential out of their pool of goaltenders to be a franchise guy for the Penguins in the future, however volatile the goaltending position can be at times. Dubas and the Penguins still very much believe in Blomqvist's potential, too.

Pre-season Offers Sneak Peek At Potential Future Defensive PairingWhen in the early stages of NHL training camp, it's not often wise to read into too much.

Perhaps the most intriguing part is that the pipeline doesn't end there. It still has guys like Poulin and Puustinen, and there are some players - such as 2025 picks Bill Zonnon (22nd overall), Will Horcoff (24th overall), and Quinn Beachesne - who are farther away from making an impact but certainly have the potential to. 

The Penguins' organization is proving that effective drafting and development matters. Of course, all of these players need to play regularly at the NHL level before any kind of final say can be had on what the future could look like. But, at the very least, the Penguins have a whole lot more "potential" impact players than they did two years ago.

This group of players - all near-NHL-ready - are giving fans in Pittsburgh some hope for the future, and for good reason. If the Penguins can draft or acquire that franchise-altering center in the summer of 2026, maybe the "hopeful future" isn't as far away as it seems.

And Dubas and his staff deserve a little bit of credit for that even becoming a possibility in the first place.

Penguins Send Promising Defensive Prospect Back To OHLThe Pittsburgh Penguins made another cut on Thursday, assigning defensive prospect Quinn Beauchesne to the OHL's Guelph Storm.

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Now that we are in late September, the 2025-26 NHL regular season is almost here. While this is the case, there are still some players who hit the free-agent market this summer who have yet to be signed. One of them is former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman T.J. Brodie.

Brodie became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this off-season after the Blackhawks decided to buy him out of the final year of his two-year, $7.5 million contract. Now, nearly four months after officially becoming a UFA, Brodie has yet to find a home for the season. He also has not signed a professional tryout (PTO) with the preseason going on. 

Brodie appeared in 54 games this past season with the Blackhawks, where he recorded two goals, eight assists, 10 points, 58 blocks, and a minus-18 rating. This was after he posted one goal, 26 points, 159 blocks, and a plus-17 rating in 78 games duirng the 2023-24 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Teams looking for more experience on their blueline could consider taking a chance on Brodie as a depth defenseman, but time will tell what happens on that front. In 962 career NHL games over 15 seasons split between the Calgary Flames, Maple Leafs, and Blackhawks, Brodie has recorded 58 goals, 300 assists, 358 points, and a plus-66 rating. 

The Buffalo Sabres are going to have a tough time contending for a Stanley Cup wild card position this year. But when this writer submitted his pre-season predictions for the Atlantic Division, he had the Sabres in…sixth place in the Atlantic, ahead of only the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. And while it pains us to predict more misery ahead for long-suffering Sabres fans, we wouldn’t be telling it like it is if we told you Buffalo wasn’t going to be picked as a playoff team by most pundits. They won’t be.

In many ways, this is only fair. When you as an organization that’s enduring a 14-year drought without playoff hockey, you’re not going to get the benefit of the doubt in predictions. You’re going to have to prove you’re worthy of the expectations of you. You’re going to have to earn praise, not expect it.

While there is the possibility that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams’ blueprint for success is going to pan out in Buffalo’s favor, you have to ask yourself – which team in the Atlantic will the Sabres unseat as a playoff team?

Will it be the Toronto Maple Leafs? Highly unlikely. Same goes for the defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers, or the Tampa Bay Lightning? Can’t see it happening. The upstart Montreal Canadiens or Ottawa Senators? More likely than the other three teams we’ve talked about in this paragraph, but still, the odds are in those teams’ favor. 

So it will not only take the Sabres making a dramatic improvement, but an unexpected step back from a team more proven than Buffalo is, for the Sabres to make the playoffs this season. That’s not an anti-Sabres message. That’s a realistic approximation of the situation. The odds will be against Buffalo, and that’s just something the Sabres will have to deal with all season long.

Sabres Set To Play One Of Most Pressure-Packed Seasons In Team History -- Can They Finally End Playoff Drought?The NHL’s 2025-26 season is nearly here, and the Buffalo Sabres are being cautiously optimistic about their chances of ending a 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought. You don’t see Sabres GM Kevyn Adams, coach Lindy Ruff or Buffalo’s players making grand pronouncements guaranteeing the Sabres will make the playoffs. Nobody under the Sabres’ umbrella will be handing out dressing room white-board material to their opponents in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.

In fact, good teams that have changed their narrative have used their status as an underdog as motivation. And if that’s what it takes to stimulate the Sabres into making it into the playoffs this year, then, you’re welcome for the motivation.

The Sabres are under no illusions about the high degree of difficulty of the task ahead of them this year. They know most people aren’t picking them to end their playoff drought. But optimists will say Buffalo has a clean slate with a new experiment in dressing room chemistry, and stranger things have happened than the Sabres being a playoff team this season. 

Sabres 2025-26 Player Expectations: Will We See A Major Improvement In Play From New First-Line Winger Benson?We’ve nearly made it to the start of the NHL’s 2025-26 regular season, and here on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’ve worked our way through our player-by-player series in which we analyze expectations for each Buffalo player this coming year.

You never know for sure until you play the games, right? That has to be a key message for this Buffalo team. They can play free and loose knowing people are expecting very little of them. They can be a little indignant about it, as a matter of fact. Whatever attitude gets them into the playoffs will be fine by Sabres fans, and low external expectations could turn into a positive. 

The Philadelphia Flyers had a pretty busy off-season, as the Metropolitan Division club brought in multiple new players. Among their newcomers is Christian Dvorak, as the Flyers signed the 29-year-old forward to a one-year, $5.4 million contract in free agency.

While Dvorak may not be the flashiest of players, the potential for him to be a strong addition to the Flyers' roster is certainly there.

By signing Dvorak, the Flyers have brought in a veteran two-way forward who should improve their top nine. His versatility also makes him an interesting addition, as he is able to play on both the power play and penalty kill if needed. Thus, he will be a player who comes in handy for the Flyers, as he can work in multiple situations.

Dvorak spent this past season with the Montreal Canadiens, where he put together a bounce-back year. In 82 games with the Canadiens during the 2024-25 season, he recorded 12 goals, 21 assists, and 33 points. He has also recorded at least 30 points in six out of his nine NHL seasons, so he undoubtedly has the potential to give the Flyers decent secondary offensive production.

Overall, there is no real harm in the Flyers signing Dvorak for the season. It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season he puts together for Philly in 2025-26 from here.

When the Ottawa Senators signed Lars Eller this summer, GM Steve Staios knew he'd landed another well-regarded, steady NHL veteran for his collection. Eller has long been respected around the league as a reliable, detail-oriented forward capable of playing in the bottom-six forward group, bringing veteran poise and Stanley Cup-winning experience.

But when training camp opened earlier this month, Eller wasn’t available, still recovering from off-season abdominal surgery. The absence was frustrating for a player who was, no doubt, anxious to show his new team that there are plenty of miles left on that 36-year-old body of his.

Now, on day eight of camp on Thursday, Eller was finally skating with his new teammates at 100 percent and participated fully in all drills for the first time as a Senator.

“It felt great,” Eller said after his first full session with the team. “I’ve been missing getting some contact and getting up to speed, so I’ve been slowly ramping up to this point today, and it was good to be out there with the guys and actually participating 100 percent. It’s never fun watching on the sidelines, so a good step forward today, and I feel good about where I’m at at this stage.”

Eller is generally seen as the Sens' probable replacement for Adam Gaudette, who mainly played at fourth-line center last season and posted a career-high 19 goals. After Gaudette signed with the San Jose Sharks over the summer, Eller isn't likely to come in now and replicate that number of goals, but in fairness, if Gaudette had stayed, he probably wouldn't have either. Meanwhile, Eller is bigger and faster and will probably produce just as many points.

Oh, yes. And Eller also brings the tasty intangible of another Cup ring into the room.

Now that he's feeling better, the next challenge for Eller is not just getting his fitness up, but also mastering Ottawa’s systems and tactics, and the finer details of how the team wants to play.

“Yeah, the last couple of days we’ve been going over some video, watching, but the best thing is going out there and learning the systems by doing it and maybe making some adjustments along the way,” Eller said. “So now we’re getting up to that point where I can participate in the drills and learn by doing. They’ve been good at communicating with me and taking the time I need to get up to speed with things. I’m sure we’re going to be doing more of that the next week or so.”

As for when Sens fans might see him in a game, Eller says there’s no firm date circled.

“I think this step right now is you want to be fully participating in practice, which was the first day today, and you probably need a little more of that before you play in a game.

"We haven’t put a timetable on that, but it’s probably not too far away.”

While the timing remains uncertain, what is clear is Eller’s impression of his new teammates — and his role in helping them take the next step.

“Young and hungry, determined, they’re passionate and they’re willing to learn and put in the work so there’s a good energy in the room, I would say,” Eller said. “I just look forward to being a part of that, helping where I can, and trying to get the best out of our young players, make the next step, and I try to set the bar for all of those things as a veteran player. I pull everybody in the same direction.”

For the Senators, having Eller healthy and fully up to speed will be a welcome addition. The guy is a proven commodity who knows how to win and how to lead. Those are nice assets for a team with bigger goals now than just making the playoffs.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers have a plan for how he wants to utilize Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. 

Over the past two seasons, Quick has provided a steady backup presence for Shesterkin, helping revive his NHL career. 

Since Quick’s arrival, Shesterkin started 55 games during the 2023-24 season and 61 games during the 2024-25 season. 

Meanwhile, Quick started 27 games during the 2023-24 campaign and 24 games during the 2024-25 campaign.  

With Sullivan entering New York, will he balance out these two goalies’ workload in the same manner that Peter Laviolette did?

Sullivan emphasized the importance of utilizing both goalies in order to get the most out of them. 

He also understands that the NHL is changing in terms of balancing out workloads between two goalies, and Sullivan is prepared to adapt to that new mantra. 

“We have an idea of what the workload should be in order to set up both guys for success,” Sullivan said. “Here's what I'll tell you, in today's game, it's hard to go wire-to-wire with one goaltender. The second goalie is required. 

Mike Sullivan Intends To Build Similar Relationship With J.T. Miller As He Built With Sidney Crosby For ten years, Mike Sullivan had Sidney Crosby as his captain with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“We think in Shesty and Quickie, we’ve got two really solid guys. I think they can be complementary with one another. We're going to try to set both guys up for success, because ultimately that sets the Rangers up for success… I think for those reasons, it makes sense to make sure we have an eye on the workload and we manage it appropriately.”

For years, Sullivan had to deal with faulty goaltending play with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but with Shesterkin and Quick by his side, he shouldn’t have to worry about that issue any longer.

ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild (1-0-1) is back in action tonight for its first preseason game at home and the first unofficial game in the new Grand Casino Arena. They play host to the Dallas Stars (2-0-0).

Minnesota is bring a pretty heavy NHL lineup with some normal line combinations that we could see to start the season so it will be interesting to follow as preseason continues.

Jesper Wallstedt will get the start tonight and play in two periods for Minnesota. Samuel Hlavaj will get the third period. Casey DeSmith is projected to start for the Stars as they aren't bringing any of their big guns to town.

Wild Projected Lines

Kirill Kaprizov - Marco Rossi - Matt Boldy

Liam Ohgren - Danila Yurov - Vladimir Tarasenko

Ben Jones - Hunter Haight - Vinnie Hinostroza

Riley Heidt - Bradley Marek - Brett Leason

Defense:

Zeev Buium - Brock Faber

Jake Middleton - David Jiricek

Jack Johnson - Ben Gleason

Starting Goaltender: Jesper Wallstedt

Scratched: Elliot Desnoyers, Mike Koster

Stars Projected Lines

Adam Erne - Wyatt Johnston - Mavrik Bourque

Oscar Bäck - Radek Faksa - Colin Blackwell

Antonio Stranges - Justin Hryckowian - Nathan Bastian

Angus MacDonnell - Arttu Hyry - Jack Becker

Defense:

Lian Bichsel - Ilya Lyubushkin

Vladislav Kolyachonok - Alex Petrovic

Tristian Bertucci - Christian Kyrou

Starting Goaltender: Casey DeSmith

Scratched: None

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As the Detroit Red Wings celebrate their centennial season in the National Hockey League, their goal remains the same - it's time to bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Little Caesars Arena for the first time. 

Dylan Larkin, who is entering his 11th season in the NHL, was only a rookie in 2015-16 when the Red Wings last earned a postseason berth in what was the second-to-last campaign played at historic Joe Louis Arena. 

A new wave of Red Wings talent has emerged in recent years led by Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, two of the most impactful Draft selections of general manager Steve Yzerman's tenure. 

Earlier in the week, forward Andrew Copp said that he feels the time is now for the Red Wings to make the playoffs, a sentiment echoed by Seider.

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

"Obviously, we have to come out ready with a good start and do everything that's in our power to get there," Seider said following Thursday's practice. "Other than that, eventually you have to put it out there to hopefully achieve it. It should be our goal to get into the playoffs for the first time in a very long time." 

Looking too far ahead in one's season can ultimately prove to be a distraction from the immediate task at hand for the Red Wings, which is getting off to a better star this season than they did last season.

"We have to take it step by step and not look too far ahead, just focus on the pre-season games and get off to a good start with Todd (McLellan) here," Seider said. "We'll see how the season goes."

Seider, who will be playing in his fifth NHL campaign, believes that his first Training Camp under McLellan was more detail oriented. 

"It's Time": Dylan Larkin Lays Out Clear Goal For Red WingsThe city of Detroit hasn't hosted a Stanley Cup Playoff game since April 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena, who at that time were overseen by general manager Steve Yzerman.

"I think that we've always had good camps, we were always really prepared," he said of his previous Training Camps from 2021 through 2024. "Maybe it was a bit more demanding and a bit louder. Todd takes his time to really detail it out there, and I think he does a really good job with it. I think we're really prepared." 

Unlike many NHL players who stay engaged by watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs even though their team isn't participating, Seider isn't one of them. 

"I'm not a huge fan of it -  the anger and bitterness sits a little bit, I don't really want to watch anything," he said of watching the playoffs from home. "It's kind of my way to go about it." 

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Flyers evaluate plenty of bubble players in preseason loss to Capitals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

HERSHEY, Pa. — The Flyers’ roster evaluation picked up Thursday night as the team suffered a 5-1 preseason loss to the Capitals at Giant Center, the home of Washington’s AHL affiliate.

Jacob Gaucher provided the Flyers’ lone goal, which whittled the Capitals’ lead to 3-1 in the second period.

But Washington countered with a goal just 1:07 minutes into the third period and later added one more for good measure.

“I don’t know if there are any guys that played well,” Rick Tocchet said. “That’s OK, though. Third game, two-, three-hour bus ride. There are some factors to it. I’ll probably have to give these guys off the ice tomorrow, to give them some rest. It was just a tough night for a lot of guys. That’s going to happen.”

Tocchet’s club is 1-2-0 in the preseason with four games to go.

“You hit the wall,” Tocchet said. “It’s my job to help the team out a little bit, so I think I’ll have to keep them off the ice tomorrow.”

Nice crowd in Hershey for Flyers-Capitals preseason game. pic.twitter.com/zH4ct0eVBf

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 25, 2025

• Rodrigo Abols knows that stringing together consistent performances will be his ticket to staying with the Flyers.

Tocchet and management decided to make Abols the only skater to play in all three preseason games so far. The head coach definitely wanted to see if the big forward could sustain his effectiveness from a strong opener.

“There’s some good stuff there,” Tocchet said. “I think there are things to work with going forward.”

The 29-year-old continued to make his case for the season-opening roster. In the second period, Abols and Nicolas Deslauriers had a hard-working shift pay off on Gaucher’s goal.

“You could feel it, I’m not going to lie, you could feel it was the third game in five nights,” Abols said. “But I think that’s where I’ve got to learn to pick my spots and put myself in good positions — not cheat for offense, not get stuck out there. But I think I managed that pretty well.”

Derek Souders/NBC Sports Philadelphia

• The Flyers dressed Alex Bump, Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko, three of their top young roster hopefuls.

Bump saw a showcase with Travis Konecny and Noah Cates. He nearly made the Capitals pay for a turnover in the first period when he rung iron on a blast.

But the 21-year-old winger was unable to crack the scoresheet. Grebenkin and Luchanko couldn’t get much going offensively on the Flyers’ second line.

“It’s hard to evaluate, I think the overall team looked really tired,” Tocchet said. “We looked tired tonight, you could tell. Even, like, a six-foot pass was tough for us tonight. We’ve got to just stick with it and we’ve got to refresh it a little bit.”

• Dan Vladar, the club’s goaltending addition this offseason, saw his first preseason action with the Flyers.

The 28-year-old played the first period and converted eight saves on nine shots. He did a nice job tracking pucks through traffic.

The goal he allowed was on a Washington power play after Noah Juulsen, who’s trying to win a job on defense, was whistled for kneeing. The shot was a laser from the circle by Andrew Cristall.

Aleksei Kolosov, who has played in all three exhibition games, stopped 16 of 20 shots over the final two periods. The Capitals’ third goal was a leaky one for Kolosov as a loose puck snuck through his legs.

Washington’s fourth marker came at shorthanded. Jack Nesbitt had a turnover near the Flyers’ offensive blue line that led directly to Connor McMichael’s breakaway tally.

The 23-year-old Kolosov entered with 27 saves on 30 shots through his first two preseason outings.

• A lot of bubble defensemen suited up for the Flyers.

Helge Grans was one of them and had a tough moment in rush coverage during the second period. Ivan Miroshnichenko beat Grans to the outside on his way to the net for the Capitals’ 2-0 goal.

Dennis Gilbert had a painful blocked shot in the second period. He has played the part when it comes to a reliable sixth or seventh defenseman.

Adam Ginning committed a first-period penalty but also made a heads-up defensive play not long after to help prevent a goal. He picked up an assist on Gaucher’s goal.

• The Flyers trimmed their roster to 42 players with 10 cuts Thursday afternoon.

Oscar Eklind was placed on waivers for the purpose of reporting to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Samu Tuomaala, Massimo Rizzo, Tucker Roberston, Cooper Marody, Garrett Wilson, Zayde Wisdom, Sawyer Boulton, Keith Petruzzelli and Yaniv Perets were sent to the Phantoms.

• The Flyers are back in preseason action Saturday when they host the Bruins at 5 p.m. ET.

The Seattle Kraken defeated an Edmonton Oilers roster that featured Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and starting goaltender Stuart Skinner 4-1 in their third pre-season game. 

The Kraken got the scoring started in the first period despite minimal efforts on goal, but they never felt like the game was ever getting away from them.

Jagger Firkus tapped in a power play goal on a rebound, and Logan Morrison scored his first of the pre-season, before Ben Meyers and Jani Nyman scored insurance markers in the third period. Joey Daccord and Nikke Kokko turned away 24 of the 25 shots they faced.

Here are three standout performers from last night's win:

Tyson Jugnauth

The 21-year-old blueliner took part in his first pre-season game of the season and fit in perfectly. He recorded 18:13 of ice time, and despite not recording any points, Jugnauth looked comfortable with the puck on his stick and in the defensive zone.

His defensive skills were put to the test on several occasions, including defending consecutive 2-on-1s that featured McDavid, the world's best hockey player. Jugnauth stayed calm and composed, deflecting a pass by Draisaitl intended for McDavid and then later forcing Ekholm into a weak shot and negating any passing lane to send the puck to McDavid. 

In the third period, Jugnauth defended a 3-on-1, once again deflecting a pass before the Oilers could get off a Grade A chance. 

Jugnauth, AGAIN! This time, it's a 3-on-1, and he breaks it up! #SeaKrakenhttps://t.co/mzZ8UXnAAZpic.twitter.com/VDDW4bKSsQ

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 25, 2025

Jagger Firkus

Firkus is a point producer, and he has been throughout his entire junior career and in the early stages of his pro career. Last night, we got a glimpse of how Firkus can leave his imprint on hockey games. 

The power play goal capped off the strong performance, but the 21-year-old was making nifty passes and was eager to get the puck into high-danger scoring areas. He finished the game with a goal and three shots on target in 14:39 of ice time. 

Ben Meyers and Logan Morrison

Meyers and Morrison each finished with a goal and an assist in last night's game, and the duo looked like they fit in at the NHL level. They each filled the score sheet and were effective offensive chance creators throughout the game. 

Meyers finished with two shots on goal, four hits and two blocks in 17:10 of ice time, while Morrison put up three shots on goal, one hit and one block in 13:21 of ice time. Meyers and Morrison are likely on the outside looking in for an NHL roster spot, but with the injuries the Kraken are facing, the pair have moved up the depth chart and could be one of the first names called up from the AHL to start the season. 

Honorable mention to Oscar Fisker Molgaard, who has come as advertised in his first two pre-season games. The 20-year-old has two assists, but his attention to detail and defensive acumen have been noticeable.  If he can carry the momentum into the start of the AHL season, Fisker Molgaard could see some NHL action towards the tail end of the season. 

Several Kraken Prospects Shine In Pre-Season Opener Against CanucksThe Seattle Kraken kicked off the beginning of pre-season with a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks, dressing several NHL players and top prospects.