The Chicago Blackhawks put a mostly NHL lineup out to play the St. Louis Blues in the final preseason game. At the United Center, the Blackhawks defeated the Blues 3-2.
Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the game thanks to goals scored by Anton Frondell, Ian Cole, and Roman Kantserov. The Blues later added two goals of their own but were unable to tie it.
Frondell's goal was proof that they can rely on him to score goals from dangerous areas because of his shot. The puck popped to him in the middle of the ice, and he blasted it home.
The Cole goal came after the Blackhawks killed a 5-on-3. He came out of the box at the perfect time to be fed for a breakaway, and he did not miss. Cole is not relied on for offense anywhere he goes in the NHL, but anything he can bring will be welcomed.
To go up 3-0, Kantserov's goal was a sight to see. He caught the puck on the backhand and lifted it neatly to the top shelf for his first NHL preseason goal. Seeing Kantserov score goals like that is important for the Blackhawks' long-term quest to become a winning team.
Although the Blackhawks allowed the Blues to get back into it with a late-game goal to put themselves back within one, they put together a solid effort in their final tune-up before the games begin for real. 2 of their 3 goals also came from young players that they are relying on to develop into stars.
Chicago was outshot 31-22 by St. Louis. Spencer Knight made 29 saves on 31 shots. He appears to be ready to continue his role as the team's number one guy.
There were plenty of penalty minutes in the game as the Blues ended with 27 to the Hawks' 17. Even in the preseason, these two teams have no love lost. When St. Louis returns to the United Center for Chicago's home opener, it will be interesting to see how physical a game it is.
All in all, it was a solid camp and preseason for the Blackhawks. There were good moments in games, and battles ensued within the group competing for lineup spots. Before Tuesday, the Blackhawks will make decisions on what came of it all.
The Chicago Blackhawks are done with all four preseason games now. Next up is their regular-season opener. This will come on the opening night of the entire season, as the Blackhawks are the nightcap. They will start on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights next Tuesday night.
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It’s safe to say the Senators leaned heavily on their power play Saturday night.
They faced the Montreal Canadiens in a pair of split-squad games to round out their 2026 preseason schedule, defeating the Canadiens 4-3 in Ottawa with what was essentially their main group, while their second group fell 4-2 in Montreal against a lineup that was much closer to the Habs’ full-strength roster.
Of the six goals the Senators scored in the two games on the night, all six came with the man advantage.
Travis Green is asked Saturday after Jake Sanderson leaving the game in his preseason debut.
In Ottawa, the Senators had eight power-play opportunities and capitalized on four of them. In Montreal, they had five chances and scored twice.
Injuries
The bigger concern for the Senators, however, is the injury bug. Of course it is.
Jake Sanderson had been dealing with a minor injury throughout camp and finally made his preseason debut in Ottawa but left the game halfway through. Head coach Travis Green described the move as precautionary and said Sanderson should be ready for opening night.
Andre Burakovsky also left the game after a hit in the third period. Green had no update on him.
The game in Montreal also brought some bad news. Sens prospect Adam Nemec left the game with an upper-body injury after Florian Xhekaj drove him hard and awkwardly face first into the glass. Nemec was just hours away from his probable return to junior where he’s expected to have a big OHL season.
The Game in Montreal
As for the scoring, the Senators got goals in Montreal from Philip Tomasino and Tyler Boucher.
Tomasino patiently drifted into the slot before ripping a gorgeous shot into the top corner over Jacob Fowler. Boucher then showed off an equally impressive release, ripping a one-timer off a pass from Xavier Bourgault. Sam Ersson allowed 4 goals on 26 shots.
One of the most notable moments in the game was a fierce, bomb-filled tilt between six-foot-seven, 225 pound Djibril Touré and six-foot-five, 220 pound Tyler Thorpe. Touré absorbed some jarring upper cuts to the chin but then came back with a medley of left hands that landed.
The Montreal game also featured both Suzukis, as Nick faced his younger brother Ryan off the opening faceoff. Ryan is expected to be a key player for Belleville this season.
The Game in Ottawa
Veteran Claude Giroux continued what has been an excellent preseason with another strong performance, recording a goal and two assists. Drake Batherson and William Eklund also found the back of the net.
Burakovsky chipped in with a couple of assists, while Linus Ullmark stopped 20 of 23 shots from the Canadiens. Thomas Chabot was back in the lineup after missing time while his wife gave birth to a baby girl.
Final Cuts by Monday at 5pm
The Senators finish the preseason at 1-3-1 and now have a little more time to get healthy before their opener on October 3. The Canadiens, meanwhile, have only a couple of days before opening the regular season on September 29.
Final roster cuts must be made by Monday at 5 p.m. and they aren’t nearly as predictable as they were at the start of camp. Artem Zub remains out after trying to rehab a lower-body injury for the past five months, and his status has become a legitimate concern.
Warren Foegele and Kurtis McDermid are also out, while Ridly Greig still has to serve the remaining two games of his suspension stemming from last year’s playoff series against Carolina, when he punched Sean Walker during a scrum between whistles.
Shane Pinto is also a concern for the moment. Green said Pinto “came in sore” after Wednesday’s loss in Toronto. He hasn’t practiced since then and missed Saturday’s game. And then you had Sanderson and Burakovsky leave the finale early on Saturday.
As a result, there are suddenly all kinds of NHL opportunities opening up in Ottawa that at the beginning of training camp, few people expected. So the Senators have some difficult decisions to make.
Meanwhile, the NHL preseason may have been shortened this year, but somehow, in these parts, it still felt too long.
The San Jose Sharks were back in action on Saturday night, as they closed out the preseason on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks were defeated by the Golden Knights in a shootout at home earlier this week, so they were looking for revenge in the dress rehearsal for the regular season which saw both teams ice the majority of their NHL lineups, including the Sharks' new captain Macklin Celebrini.
Michael Kesselring blocked a Jack Eichel shot in the first period that appeared to leave him a little shaken up, but he didn't miss a shift. The Golden Knights were controlling play for the most part in the first half of the opening frame. Tyler Toffoli took the first penalty of the night when he tripped Brett Howden, giving the Golden Knights a power play with just over eight minutes remaining in the period. Askarov came up big for the Sharks on the penalty kill, helping the team survive the disadvantage.
Collin Graf had a breakaway attempt late in the period, but lost the puck due to the defensive play of Jeremy Lauzon.
Macklin Celebrini drew a hooking penalty when he was wrapped up by Mitch Marner with less than two minutes remaining in the first period, giving the Sharks their first power play of the night. Dmitry Orlov gave the Sharks the lead with just 40 seconds remaining in the frame, even though the game to this point had been widely controlled by Vegas.
The period wasn't over yet though, as Zack Ostapchuk was called for holding on Eichel in the neutral zone with just under 28 seconds remaining. The Sharks' penalty kill would continue to start the second period though, as they survived the remainder of the first.
The Golden Knights maintained heavy pressure for the remainder of the power play, but the Sharks were ultimately able to kill it off. Shortly afterwards, the Sharks were back on special teams, though this time they had the man advantage after Braeden Bowman was penalized for tripping Mason Marchment. Jacob Trouba had one play that was somewhat concerning on the breakout from the defensive zone, taking the puck through Askarov's blue paint with a defender attacking him. If he had lost the puck, it could have been disastrous. The Sharks were unable to convert on the power play, dropping to 50% efficiency on the night.
Captain Macklin scored his first goal with the "C" on his chest in the second period, shooting the puck over Carter Hart's blocker to extend the Sharks' lead to 2-0, despite trailing in shots 15-4.
Orlov gave the Golden Knights another power play opportunity late in the period, when he was penalized for hooking Jack Eichel. This time, Vegas cashed in on their opportunity and Tomas Hertl tapped in a loose puck in the crease, making it a 2-1 game. The Golden Knights' power play didn't get any time to rest either, as Marchment was called for slashing on the ensuing faceoff.
The Sharks killed off the penalty and maintained their lead heading into the second intermission.
Less than a minute into the final period, Celebrini took a high sticking penalty after he caught Ivan Barbashev up high, giving Vegas another power play opportunity. The Sharks were able to kill it off once again though, improving to 3-for-4 on the night. Moments after the penalty came off the board though, Nic Dowd tied things up as Vegas had a 3-on-2 rush.
The Sharks got a power play when Brett Howden got a four-minute double minor for cross-checking. At the same time, Kiefer Sherwood was called for roughing following a scrum. The Sharks were unable to convert on the man advantage.
Marchment restored the Sharks' lead halfway through the period, ripping a shot from inside of the faceoff circle to make it a 3-2 hockey game. Askarov made a big save with just over six and a half minutes remaining to help the Sharks' keep their lead.
A minute and a half later, Michael Misa broke Vegas's H(e)art by doubling the Sharks' lead with a glove-side shot from the faceoff dot.
Sam Dickinson tried to get involved with the offense by joining the rush with roughly three minutes remaining, but was denied by Hart. It was definitely a good attempt from a player who has struggled to this point in the preseason.
The Golden Knights were unable to score after pulling their goaltender, giving the Sharks a 4-2 victory to close out the preseason.
With pre-season games officially concluded and regular season rosters due at 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 28, the Pittsburgh Penguins and 31 other NHL teams will soon make final decisions regarding their NHL squads.
The situation for the Penguins has quickly become complicated on the forward front, as injuries are already piling up. Blake Lizotte, Oliver Okuliar, and Ben Kindel are week-to-week, while Justin Brazeau and Bryan Rust - injured in Pittsburgh's final pre-season game, a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres - are still being evaluated. On the blue line, Ryan Graves is also day-to-day and being further evaluated.
Prior to the plethora of injuries, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Pittsburgh would end up keeping 14 forwards and seven defensemen on their NHL roster at the end of camp. However, with less certainty regarding personnel on the forward front, there's no guarantee that they won't elect to keep eight defensemen instead.
And, right now, the Penguins have eight defensemen left on their roster — including 20-year-old Harrison Brunicke.
After a tumultuous first nine NHL games early last season, Brunicke dealt with a good deal of situational adversity while 19 and still ineligible for the AHL. He went on a five-game AHL conditioning stint later in the fall before heading off to the World Junior Championship to represent Team Canada. After a somewhat pedestrian showing there, he was sent back to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL for the remainder of the season, posting 24 points in 24 games before joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after Kamloops was eliminated from the playoffs.
There, he really took off. In 11 AHL regular season games, he had one goal and eight points and was a plus-8, but Brunicke was one of the team's very best players in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Playing top-pairing minutes and in all situations, he recorded two goals and seven points in 15 games along with a plus-four, and he was a force in all three zones.
Fast forward to this year's training camp, and Brunicke looks like a much-improved player who makes much better decisions. The problem is that the Penguins appear to be pretty set on their NHL blue line, as they have rolled with Declan Carlile and Erik Karlsson on the top pairing, Sam Girard and Kaedan Korczak on the second, and Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kris Letang on the third. Left blueliner Ilya Solovyov also appears primed to make the roster.
On the surface, it would seem logical to send Brunicke back to the AHL to get some runway next to Owen Pickering - his defensive partner through most of camp - on WBS's top pairing. Assuming he picks up where he left off, it wouldn't be long before he earned the call again, and it could help him start strong and start confident.
However, one big factor brings a good bit of complication to deciding Brunicke's fate out of camp: the uncertainty around Karlsson's situation.
Karlsson, 36, is entering the final season of his eight-year contract that the Penguins pay out $10 million for. Earlier in training camp, Karlsson confirmed that there have been no discussions regarding an extension with the team up to this point and that he's comfortable seeing where things go with the team to start the season before coming to a decision.
While that makes perfect sense in Karlsson's situation - and the Penguins' situation - it makes things a bit tricky for decisions regarding Brunicke.
No matter where things land regarding Brunicke, he's not far off. His Calder Cup Playoffs showed that, if he's not NHL-ready at this point, he's just about as close to it as he can be.
With a near-guarantee of inconsistent playing time at the NHL level out the gate, starting him in the AHL seems to make sense. But, should Karlsson decide mid-season he does not plan to re-sign with the team, GM and POHO Kyle Dubas will almost certainly look to deal Karlsson before this year's trade deadline.
If that happens? Barring catastrophic AHL results, Brunicke likely gets his ticket to full-time NHL minutes. But, if he spends most of the season in the AHL leading up to a Karlsson trade, would they be setting him up for failure in that scenario with the expectation to play full-time top-four minutes with little NHL experience?
That, right there, is where things get tricky. Yes, he can get full, first-pairing minutes in WBS. But, if he remains with the NHL club, there could be a way to ease him into a full-time role in preparation for the possibility that Karlsson may be departing mid-season.
Because, if Karlsson is dealt - and, assuming the Penguins do not acquire another right defenseman to replace him - who fills his role post-departure?
Letang is probably beyond the point in his career where he can handle top-pairing minutes on a regular basis. Korczak could, potentially, fill that role temporarily, but since he is a more shutdown defender, who drives offense from the blue line? Is Girard capable of being a top-pairing offensive defenseman alongside Korczak in that scenario?
It might actually serve the Penguins, and Brunicke, better to try executing some kind of three-way rotation between him, Letang, and Korczak just to see what Brunicke can offer at the NHL level and how the others respond, too. Letang could probably benefit from some load management. Korczak is a relative unknown in terms of how he'll gel with Pittsburgh.
This way, Brunicke can get some needed NHL runway, continue to learn NHL habits, and take as much as he can from veterans like Karlsson and Letang as he slowly transitions to full-time at the highest level. It's safe to assume that the main reason Karlsson would want out is if Pittsburgh is out of the playoff picture, so if that's the case, the Penguins would face a "sink or swim" scenario with Brunicke if he spends most of the season in the AHL instead.
There is not really an easy answer when it comes to how the Penguins should handle Brunicke's situation, but the good thing is that he's AHL-eligible this time around. If he would start the season with the NHL team and struggle in his minutes, they can re-assign him. If he excels, he can make some decisions tough for management once the roster begins to get healthier.
But, if he starts in the AHL and stays there through at least mid-season, the Penguins would be at the mercy of banking on a player being able to make the jump entirely if their best defenseman decides to leave Pittsburgh.
The Karlsson question could be the one thing that keeps Brunicke around to begin the NHL season. Thrusting Brunicke into a top-four role - or even regular NHL minutes, period - if he isn't quite ready for it could be detrimental to his development.
Regardless, this coming season will be a critical one for Brunicke, who is the Penguins' most promising defensive prospect. They very much believe that Brunicke will be a key part of their future on the blue line, so getting his development right is paramount.
Well, if the pre-season is any indication, the Pittsburgh Penguins would finish the regular season 84-0 if they played the Buffalo Sabres in every game.
On Saturday, the Penguins concluded their four-game pre-season with a 3-1 win over the Sabres, giving them an even 2-2 split ahead of the regular season. Both wins came against Buffalo, and both wins came in pretty resounding fashion, too.
The score in this one actually could have swung more in Pittsburgh's favor, too, if not for two lost challenges.
Crosby opened the scoring in this one nine minutes into the first period when Tommy Novak fed him the puck in the neutral zone. Crosby broke down the left side, winded up for a slap shot and rocketed it top-shelf past Sabres' goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead.
Just two minutes later, Ville Koivunen finished a nice behind-the-net play from Bryan Rust, working hard at the net-front to poke it past Luukkonen on the backhand to make it 2-0. The Penguins had chances to add on early in the second period, but things didn't go their way.
First, Evgeni Malkin put a rebound in at the net-front, but minimal contact with Luukkonen - outside the blue paint - resulted in an overturn for goaltender interference after a challenge by Buffalo. A few minutes later, Rickard Rakell put home a rebound after a hard shot by Robertson, but it was called back after an offside challenge.
Still, that did not deter the Penguins, or Silovs, from coming away victorious. They combined to play a nice shutdown brand of hockey for the remainder of the game, even with a power play goal by Ryan McLeod cutting the advantage to 2-1 during the third period.
To seal the deal, Trevor van Riemsdyk disrupted a pass and stole the puck down low in the defensive zone during the five-on-six situation near the end of regulation, and he flipped it up ice for an isolated Rakell to retrieve below the goal line at the other end. He put one on a platter for Robertson at the net-front, and he redirected it in the net for the empty-net goal.
Here are some observations from the Penguins' final dress rehearsal:
- I said it on socials at least five times, and I'll say it here: Koivunen was great in this game.
He was making quick decisions. Driving the net. Effective on the forecheck. Showing 200-foot awareness. Good in transition. Winning puck battles. You name it, he was doing it.
This is the version of Koivunen that the Penguins got at the end of the 2024-25 season, when he registered seven points in his first eight NHL games. He looked like a natural on the third line with Bryan Rust and Hendrix Lapierre for a while until Rust went down, and then Filip Hallander fit right in, too.
If they can keep getting this version of Koivunen - and he can build on this performance - that eight-year contract will quickly look like a bargain.
- Speaking of Rust, he left during the second period and did not return. I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. The Penguins did not offer an update on his status after the game, as he is still being evaluated.
If Rust is out for any period of time, he joins Ben Kindel - who is now week-to-week - Blake Lizotte, Justin Brazeau, Oliver Okuliar, and Andrei Kuzmenko, who is with family in Russia after the tragic death of his father.
That's not great news for a Penguins' team that is trying to win hockey games. However, it could open up opportunity for some others.
- And those others? Filip Hallander, Rutger McGroarty and Tristan Broz.
All of them were noticeable in this one. Before Rust went down, this trio made up the fourth line, and they were generating a fair amount of chances. McGroarty was a puck magnet all night long, and he had several chances and was consistently creating offense. Hallander showcased his hockey sense in all three zones, while Broz, as usual, played a cerebral, responsible game on both sides of the puck.
Roster decisions will need to be made in the coming days, and a lot of those decisions will hinge on whoever ends up on injured reserve to start the season. Hallander is probably a lock at this point, and it looks like Koivunen might earn a spot, but there's a chance both McGroarty and Broz could make the cut if the roster space is available.
- This was a strong performance from Silovs, who really needed a bounce-back after allowing seven goals against Detroit. He was all out of sorts in that game, and in this one, he was locked in for the full 60. He made several nice stops on high-danger chances, including a breakaway and a few two-on-ones.
Silovs can be hot and cold, but hopefully this outing can get him going to start the season on a high note.
- The first line was dominant in this game, and I really like what I'm seeing from Robertson with Rakell and Crosby. The sequence that led to the Rakell non-goal was a beauty from all three, as Robertson beat a Sabre to the puck and got it down low, Crosby did his usual outstanding work down low to get the puck back to Robertson in the left circle, Robertson slammed a shot to force a rebound, and Rakell - as he often is - was in the right spot at the right time.
That goal wasn't the only example of the trio working harmoniously, as the same was the case on Robertson's empty-net goal mentioned earlier. It happened at varying times throughout the game, too.
When (or if) this lineup is ever healthy, man, is it deep. If the first line can pick up even more momentum heading into the season, they're going to be a handful for opposing teams. Robertson's speed and forechecking bring a lot to the line, Crosby is Crosby, and Rakell's instincts and raw puck skills make for a dangerous combo.
- After the first period of play, the blue line was pretty solid. These are likely the three pairings we will see to begin the season, and each pairing had its small moments.
But, by and large, they did a nice job limiting Buffalo's high-danger opportunities and did their part in not really allowing them to sustain possession in the offensive zone. van Riemsdyk and Letang - on the third pairing together - were especially better as the game went on, and Letang made a few nice stick plays to thwart opportunities.
It will be interesting to see how the defensive minutes are distributed and how the rotation will work, especially if they opt to keep eight defensemen.
- One of the most impressive things about last year's Penguins was how aggressive they came out of the gate to get ahead and how hard they were to play against in third periods when holding a lead.
It's amazing what Dan Muse and the rest of the coaching staff has done to make this team buy into shutdown-style play late in games when they're leading. Buffalo had some chances throughout the game, but Pittsburgh limited them to four shots on goal in the final frame.
If they play this way with leads the entire season - and, especially if their offense can repeat what it did in 2025-26 - this team should have no problem making the playoffs unless their goaltending really, really falters.
If Saturday's preseason finale was any indication of the team's preparedness ahead of the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers ought to hope they got the last of their unsightly mistakes out of their system before the games start to matter.
Despite dressing effectively their entire opening night lineup, the Flyers lost 5-1 on Saturday night to a Capitals team dressing a roster comprised entirely of AHL veterans, prospects, and one NHL-caliber goalie in Charlie Lindgren.
The Flyers dominated the run of play the way they should have, out-shooting the Capitals 33-13 through the first two periods, and taking a 1-0 lead through Jamie Drysdale just 31 seconds into the second period.
At the same time, the power play went 0-for-4, including a four-minute double minor, and a few second-period mistakes blew up badly in the Flyers' faces.
First, goalie Aleksei Kolosov mishandled a puck at the side of his net, and defenseman David Jiricek, who Kolosov had his back to, had already begun skating away in anticipation of a breakout.
Kolosov lost the puck, though, and the play came around to Jiricek's side, where Andrew Cristall was able to fumble the puck into the net despite Jiricek's best efforts to try and cover for Kolosov.
Jiricek and Kolosov were at the scene of the crime a second time just three minutes later. Nick Seeler and Jiricek miscommunicated who would play the loose puck, and while Seeler took it and attempted to skate away, he deferred immediately to Jiricek, who tried to awkwardly backhand out of pressure.
Unfortunately for him and the Flyers, the blind pass went right to Maxim Schafer, who inexplicably beat Kolosov on the short side on a one-timer.
Just over halfway through the third period, Jiricek's high-stick on Cristall put the Capitals on the power play, with Ethen Frank beating Kolosov on the short side again immediately after the faceoff.
Jiricek was mostly at fault for the second goal as he made a foolish play under pressure, but the first was on Kolosov, and the third was on him for taking the penalty and the penalty kill (and Kolosov) for failing to come through.
Comparatively, Tyson Foerster and Porter Martone took tripping and roughing penalties, respectively, but the spotlight wasn't on them, and the pucks didn't go in with them in the box.
For Jiricek, it was a rough night compounded by a series of unfortunate plays, but this is part of the development process for the former No. 6 overall pick and the Flyers, who went out of their way to get him via trade.
"Yeah, he had a tough night," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of Jiricek after the game. "Three or four guys had a tough night. But, being a pro, you gotta bounce back. We'll get to it, get some video, make him understand some things. I mean, you're going to have a tough night. You just got to make sure you stay consistent."
Seeler, Jiricek, and Matvei Michkov all finished with -3 ratings on the night for the Flyers.
Capitals forwards Theodor Niederbach and Lynden Lakovic punched shots by Kolosov in the third period to put the Capitals up 5-1, allowing the undermanned squad to run away with this game in stunning fashion.
"That wasn't a great effort by us tonight. I think we let it get away from us, and could have definitely made it look a little less ugly," Flyers forward Owen Tippett said after the game. "But we're super confident, especially coming off the year we had last year, and morale's high. We've had a good camp and it's great to be back with all the guys."
The Flyers will practice again on Sunday and Tuesday before their regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., and then it's officially go time.
“I’m actually glad we lost 5-1. It’s a little humbling, which is good for us," Tocchet said. "Sometimes you’re not as good as you think you are.”
When the Islanders’ prospects reported to Northwell Health Ice Center two weeks ago Friday, Victor Eklund’s chances of making the NHL roster depended on doing everything right.
He checked every box. He stood out at every opportunity. And while Mathew Barzal’s injury didn’t hurt his chances, the Islanders would be hard-pressed to send him away now, no matter what.
While nothing is official yet, the 19-year-old Eklund’s presence in the lineup for Saturday’s preseason finale/dress rehearsal tells you all you need to know. Unless something changes in the final hours, he will be on this team. He deserves to be on this team.
“My expectation is that I work as hard as I can,” Eklund said after his first practice of rookie camp. “Give myself a shot at the team this year. Whatever happens, I want to make sure I’m giving 100 percent.”
Victor Eklund skates with the puck during an Islanders training camp practice at the Northwell Health Ice Center on Sept. 17, 2026 in East Meadow, N.Y. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I’m still trying to work as hard as I can,” he said. “Just do my thing out there in the game and hopefully it goes well.”
Bo Horvat, though, seemed to tip the Islanders’ hand.
“He’s been great. He’s getting better and better as the camp’s gone on,” Horvat said. “I think he’s gonna start getting more comfortable as the games go on too.”
The best news the Islanders have had over the past few weeks is that every single one of the prospects they view as integral to their future put forth terrific training camps.
Cal Ritchie put in a summer of hard work, and looked the part, making the Islanders believe he is ready to be the second-line center on Wednesday night in Toronto and for as long as it takes for Barzal to return.
Kashawn Aitcheson and Cole Eiserman both stuck with the NHL group through the last round of cuts, looking more like players who could be called up at some point soon than guys who need a year of AHL seasoning.
Victor Eklund carries the puck while being chased by Cole Beaudoin during the Rangers’ preseason loss to the Islanders on Sept. 22, 2026. Getty Images
Eiserman looked highly engaged and showed huge improvement away from the puck. Aitcheson was noticeable in every game, a physical force in the making.
And Eklund, the one with the most pressure and the most to prove, looked in command with the puck on his stick, was in the right places when it wasn’t and was ready for the physicality of an NHL training camp.
He was undeniable. A spot on the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Emil Heineman appears to be his for now. And if he keeps it up, that may soon be a spot in the top six.
This Islanders roster will face an uphill climb to compete this season. The star power of Ilya Sorokin and Matthew Schaefer, plus Pete DeBoer’s system overhaul, will need to paper over a lot of flaws in a group that doesn’t have much offensive firepower.
This is the waiting game that Darche chose to play this summer, giving the kids a year to bake while being ready to pounce with a war chest of dollars in 2027.
Eklund won’t change that, but he can give credence to it. The Islanders are banking on him to be part of a core that includes Ritchie, Aitcheson, Eiserman and, of course, Matthew Schaefer — who at 19 has graduated from prospect to superstar.
They don’t know exactly what Eklund will be yet. But all signs look good.
“Obviously he’s not the biggest guy but he makes up for it in his compete,” Horvat said. “His ability to do whatever it takes to stay not only in the lineup but wherever it takes to win.
“He’s gonna be a really good player for a long time here. We’re excited to have him.”
The arrival of Pavel Dorofeyev already included plenty of expectations. There were the first- and third-round picks this year that the Rangers sent back to the Golden Knights; the top 10 protected first-rounder in 2026; and the seven-year deal with an average annual value of $11 million.
But Dorofeyev, the left-handed forward who said he was comfortable skating on both wings and has featured on the right side of J.T. Miller in both of his preseason games, didn’t sound fazed about any of the stakes that’ll come into focus when the season begins Tuesday night in Boston. His potential was on display with a goal and three points in two preseason games.
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“It doesn’t matter if it’s big contract or small,” Dorofeyev told The Post following the Rangers’ morning skate Friday. “I’m not gonna change my game, or I’m not gonna change myself. All I’ll do is just gonna work hard and enjoy the game and not try and focus on points and other stuff.”
Dorofeyev added a pair of assists in Friday’s exhibition — a 6-1 Rangers victory, after flashing his trademark shot release Tuesday when he scored against the Islanders. While stuck in a cluster of traffic around the crease in the first period, Dorofeyev took possession and tried to maneuver around Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov before the puck slid to Oliver Bjorkstrand for the Blueshirts’ first goal. In the third period, Dorofeyev kept the puck in at the blue line before the sequence eventually ended with Mika Zibanejad’s power-play goal.
That, more than anything, was the space where the Rangers could potentially benefit most from the arrival of Dorofeyev. Their power play — already a strength — added Dorofeyev’s 20 goals with the man advantage from last season, which anchored his 37 total from 2025-26. Over the last two seasons, the 25-year-old collected 72 total goals.
Pavel Dorofeyev looks to shoot the puck during the Rangers’ preseason loss to the Islanders on Sept. 22, 2026 at Madison Square Garden. Getty Images
But everything will flip to the regular season for Dorofeyev, who has skated on a line with Miller and Bjorkstrand throughout training camp, and the Blueshirts on Tuesday. All the potential with his release — something that he said has been a strength since he started listening to everyone who told him he had a good shot — and his presence will fade, with the need for tangible results to emerge.
His flashes from the preseason captured that it might be a seamless process for him.
“Just trying to be consistent as much as I can and be good for the team,” Dorfeyev said.
Pavel Dorofeyev skates with the puck during the Rangers’ preseason loss to the Islanders on Sept. 22, 2026. Getty Images
The Rangers didn’t make any of their final roster calls Saturday as the group of NHL players on waivers didn’t include any of the possible Blueshirts names, according to PuckPedia. Rookie Alberts Smits, Matthew Robertson and Scott Morrow are competing for spots as the final defensemen. Matt Rempe, Taylor Raddysh and Jaroslav Chmelar are all in contention for the final forward spots. And Joonas Korpisalo and Dylan Garand, who each logged a full preseason game, are battling for the role of backing up Igor Shesterkin.
Robertson, Morrow, Rempe, Raddysh, Korpisalo and Garand would all need to clear waivers before joining AHL Harford.
The Predators claimed defenseman William Trudeau — acquired from the Canadiens in the Brett Berard trade — off waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman. Trudeau, a 6-foot-1 prospect, is 23 years old and a former fourth-round pick. … Forwards Glenn Gawdin and Anton Blidh, as well as defenseman Marc Del Gaizo, cleared waivers and were assigned to the Wolf Pack.
Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Flyers made headlines for perhaps the wrong reasons when, despite defeating the Boston Bruins 2-0 in the preseason, Trevor Zegras was whistled for a highly unusual penalty.
Halfway through the game, Zegras, 25, had his number called for a penalty immediately after a Flyers offensive zone faceoff, which was explained by the officials only as "improper wearing of equipment".
As we came to find shortly thereafter, the actual foul Zegras committed was having his jersey tucked in his pants, and a penalty was assessed following a prior warning from the officials earlier in the game.
Both Zegras and head coach Rick Tocchet were very matter-of-fact about the incident after the game, with Tocchet muting his displeasure and saying "we can't have a penalty like that" when the regular season starts.
But, that's all water under the bridge... for now, and the Flyers, as well as some Flyers fans, decided to have some fun with it ahead of Saturday's preseason finale against the Washington Capitals.
For pregame warmups, the Flyers emerged from their locker room with mostly everyone tucking their jersey in their pants, including Porter Martone, captain Sean Couturier, Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale.
The Flyers tucked in their jerseys for warmups after Trevor Zegras was penalized for tucking his jersey last game 😂 pic.twitter.com/JOxPTLj9nd
A Flyers fan seated near the glass was also spotted with a plain sign that read, "I have my jersey tucked for you, Z!"
Tocchet admitted after Thursday night's game against Boston that the Flyers were warned weeks in advance of the NHL's stricter enforcement of the jersey tuck rule, and Zegras just so happened to end up as the first example tagged by the league's iron fist.
Players will invariably have their jerseys ride up their backs and behind their pants during game action, but the rule is that they cannot start their shifts that way, as good or bad a rule as it may be.
The rules are the rules and Zegras broke 'em, but the Flyers got their fun out of it in the end.
The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Friday that they had signed goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov to a two-year contract extensions, tying him to the organization through the 2028-29 season.
"I very happy," Kochetkov told The Hockey News. "It was long talks about contract and I'm very happy to be done. Now I can focus just only on hockey. I very happy."
According to Kochetkov, contract negotiations began soon after the end of the season and so it was a long process in terms of finding the right term and dollar amount.
"Lots of options," Kochetkov said.
However, he and the team found that sweet spot last week and after shaking hands on the deal, Kochetkov's representation ironed out the remainder of the details, eventually finalizing it all on Thursday.
"Agent call me after game against Nashville and say 'We good,'" Kochetkov recalled.
The Russian netminder is heading into his fifth season as a full-time NHLer, but the first one where he could potentially be the team's number one option.
With the departure of Frederik Andersen in the offseason, Carolina no longer has a proven veteran and so the crease is completely up for grabs between Kochetkov and second-year NHLer Brandon Bussi.
And given what we've seen from him throughout his career, allowing Kochetkov to not stress over playing for a contract may be the best thing for a goaltender that has routinely struggled with the mental side of the game.
However, Kochetkov has been vocal about how he's approaching this season with a different mindset than previous ones.
"After last season, I never think about 'I want this many games,' or stuff like that," Kochetkov said. "I just try and think about practice, recovery and next day. Nothing more because all my career, I looked too far every time. At first, I want to go to the NHL. After that it's I want to be first goalie, I want to play more, blah, blah. When you're older and you see a little bit of a different angle of your life and your game, now I just want to be excited for what I do and play games. That's what I think about."
Kochetkov has been away from NHL hockey for quite a while after undergoing hip surgery back in December, but now with two preseason games under his belt, he feels he's getting closer to his level.
In those two games, Kochetkov saw 61 shots, allowing 10 past him, five in each game.
In talking about his play, the Russian goalie was honest about where he feels his game is at.
"Tough to say," Kochetkov said when asked about how he felt about his game. "I don't want to talk about excuses or anything like that. First game, I feel like it was good. Second game, a little bit feels tough the first half of the game. Just need to find my game. Need a little bit of time to find what I do. I no want talking about [the fact that it's been a] long time no play. It's true. Just now, preseason done and I want play real game and see how is it. I think need a couple games and then all good."
To be fair to him, he hadn't played in an NHL game in over nine months before those showings and the most decorated defender in front of him in those games too had been Mike Reilly.
I thought he showed well the athleticism and anticipation that makes him such a high-ceiling netminder and he had really strong periods of play.
But for him, it's about finding more consistency and not having those lapses in play.
"With PK, I do feel he has the ability to be an elite goalie in this league," said Canes goalie coach Paul Schonfelder to team reporter Walt Ruff. "I see the talent. But with that being said, it is his third or fourth full year here, and now it’s time to take the bull by the horns. He’s going to get his chance to come in, and we have an idea of what he can do, but he’s got to take advantage of the opportunity that he has with it being just him and Bus here and really grab hold of it.”
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Egor Chinakhov takes the first penalty of the game, Pittsburgh kills it off and has a fun Novak-Crosby-Malkin line coming after the PK. It works out, Crosby gets into space and fires a slapshot right under the bar. 1-0.
Not long after that the Pens double their lead. Bryan Rust drives to the net and the puck goes to the mixer out front. Hendrix Lapierre chops at it, no dice. Ville Koivunen gets a hack from in front and it pops into the net. 2-0.
The Penguins appeared to score twice in the second period but both goals got taken away after review from Buffalo challenges. Evgeni Malkin scored but there was goalie interference to wipe it away. Then the first line of Crosby, Robertson and Rakell made a nice play with Rakell scoring but Crosby was offside for the entry.
Bryan Rust pulls up 20 seconds into a shift and leaves the ice and game. The Pens quickly announce he will be out for the rest of the game.
Silovs looks a lot better than his first preseason game, and that combined with the Buffalo review team keeps the score the same in the middle frame. Shots are 20-16 BUF through 40 minutes.
Third period
Malkin takes a penalty, the Sabres get their first goal on the power play on a lateral pass that changes the angle on Silovs enough to beat him.
The Sabres pull the goalie late and that makes it easy for Nick Robertson to knock in a pass from Rakell to set the final at 3-1.
Some thoughts
Rust’s status matters more than anything seen this game. Gotta agree with Rod Brind’Amour that the preseason is meaningless and ought to be abolished. The Pens have lost all of Blake Lizotte, Ben Kindel, Justin Brazeau and now maybe Rust over items that didn’t count in front of stands that were 1/5 full at most. What are we even doing here?
Crosby was perfectly pedestrian in his first preseason game but looked very much like Sidney Crosby today. Take that, father time!
If I had to choose the players most likely to surprise the average Joe or wildly exceed expectations this season my choices would be Nick Robertson and Declan Carlile. Robertson is just a flat out good little player. Carlile looks like the best parts of Ryan Shea and Parker Wotherspoon with his size, skating and calmness handling the puck.
Night and day performance for Silovs compared to his first exhibition outing where he gave up seven goals on not very many shots. The rebound issue was better, he looked more engaged and was plenty effective. He’s a goalie with some ups and downs, all signs pointing up going into the regular season after today’s impressive performance. Don’t blame anyone for wondering just exactly what will be next though, given his variability that has been on display in the past week.
Really liked how Rutger McGroarty played today. Not sure that is going to tip the balance for him actually making the team out of camp, but he looks like he’s ready to play in the NHL when he needs to be called upon. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t look like that is happening right away.
Koivunen is a tough player to analyze. There’s something about either his stance or the way he’s hunched over and his skating that makes him look awkward. However, he was effective today. He’s not an aesthetically pleasing player to the eye, relative to the absolute smoothness and way most NHL players naturally carry themselves the way he operates with a hitch in his skating stands out. If he can hack it, he can hack it but there’s something odd in his game. Nice to see him get rewarded at the net with a goal, he did that a lot last year and the pucks weren’t going in. Hopefully that’s a boost to the confidence and can fuel him for this season.
It almost defies reason but somehow Lapierre only won 2/18 faceoffs today. Crosby only took 17 himself. You won’t see those splits repeated in the next game when it counts.
Similarly, Korczak and Girard skated over 20 minutes today. Karlsson played less than that. Makes it tough to assign too much value to what it means about the Girard-Korczak paired being labeled the second group. We’ll believe that when it’s seen that they play more than Kris Letang during the season.
And now, it’s time for the season. It was a quick preseason slate but it feels pretty long after seeing Rust join the other players in the injury bay. Hopefully it will be more precautionary than anything else, either way the Pens will have to open the regular season on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
The Flyers wrapped up the preseason Saturday night with a 5-1 loss to the Capitals at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Jamie Drysdale scored the club’s lone goal. It gave the Flyers a 1-0 second-period lead, which lasted for only 4:01 minutes.
“Ugly, that’s the only way to talk about that game,” Drysdale said. “It was bad, but that’s not how we’re going to play hockey. That’s just not a winning brand, whichever way you chop it up. We’ll be better.”
Rick Tocchet’s club outshot Washington 37-24 on the night.
“We had a bunch of chances, we don’t score,” Tocchet said. “Then all of a sudden they get a couple. Every time they shot, they scored. And then guys get frustrated. I’m actually glad we lost 5-1. It’s a little humbling, which is good for us. … Sometimes you’re not as good as you think you are.”
“I don’t think that was a great effort by us tonight,” Owen Tippett said. “I think we let it get away from us. We could have definitely made it look a little less ugly. But we’re super confident, especially coming off the year we had last year. Morale is high, we’ve had a good camp and it’s great to be back with all the guys.”
• Aleksei Kolosov was not sharp in net. The 24-year-old prospect surrendered the five goals on 24 shots.
The fourth came early in the third period on a stoppable shot from Theodor Niederbach.
The Flyers gave up three goals in the second period.
At first intermission, Danny Briere said he thought David Jiricek “played OK” in training camp and the preseason.
“He didn’t get beat by anyone to lose his job,” the Flyers’ general manager said. … “He’s going to start on the roster and it’s going to be up to him to show us that he deserves the minutes and he deserves to stay in the lineup.”
The 22-year-old defenseman had a rough second period. He committed a turnover that led directly to the Capitals’ go-ahead 2-1 goal from Maxim Schafer. Under five minutes later, Washington scored on a power play after Jiricek was whistled for high-sticking. He finished as a minus-3.
“He had a tough night,” Tocchet said. “Three or four guys had a tough night, but being a pro, you’ve got to bounce back. We’ll get to him, get some video, make him understand some things. You’re going to have a tough night. You’ve just got to make sure you stay consistent.”
Jiricek, a product of last season’s Bobby Brink trade, is no longer exempt from waivers. That likely factored into the Flyers’ decision to keep him on the big club’s roster right now. He’ll have pressure to show he’s ready to help the Flyers on the power play and that he won’t be a liability defensively.
• The Flyers went 0 for 4 on the power play.
They had eight minutes of power play time in the first period, but couldn’t convert. They did have some good looks, though.
“We’ve got to bury,” Drysdale said. “Honestly, we had a lot of looks. It’s just putting the puck in the net. That’s kind of all we’ve got to focus on now.”
• Briere had good news on Dan Vladar’s upper-body injury. He said the goaltender’s status looks “very promising” and that Vladar “should be ready” for the regular-season opener.
“He probably could have played if we played the regular season tonight,” Briere said. “But we just wanted to play it safe and let him get as close to 100 percent for the start of the regular season.”
“He’s going to miss a little bit of time,” Briere said. “It shouldn’t be too, too long. I don’t know if he’s going to be ready for the first game. If not, it shouldn’t be very long after that.”
The Flyers’ season-opening roster is pretty much set. Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko were among the team’s cuts Friday. Both prospects had strong performances and should have big roles with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
“You’re in a situation where there are not many jobs open,” Tocchet said Saturday morning. “But that doesn’t mean they’re not pushing, that doesn’t mean something can’t happen in a week. You have to be ready. They obviously had a really good camp, I thought both had very good camps. I mean, Cole is pushing people.”
• The Flyers are scheduled to practice Sunday and Tuesday before hosting the Penguins in the opener Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7:30 p.m. ET/TNT).
Flyers Pregame Live will be on NBC Sports Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. ET.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 05: Alex Lyon #34 of the Buffalo Sabres makes the save against Rutger McGroarty #2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period of an NHL game on February 05, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Talk about the last preseason game with Pens fans here!
The game will be broadcast locally on Sportsnet Pittsburgh+ and MSG-B in the respective local areas for Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Nationally, it will be carried on NHL Network. It will be available via audio on the internet/radio from 105.9 The X.
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues kept their depth forwards in tact on Saturday.
The team assigned Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker and Jack Finley to Springfield of the American Hockey League after none of the three were claimed on waivers.
Each was exposed on Friday after not being on the ice, while Zach Dean and Dillon Dube were, indicating that those two won out the battle for the 13th and 14th forward slots, something that should become a formality when NHL rosters are due to be reported to the league by 4 p.m. (CT) on Monday.
The training camp is now down to 25 and the Blues have to make two more transactions, and those are expected to be goalie Georgii Romanov, who will back up Joel Hofer against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, will go on waivers Sunday for the purpose of getting him to the Thunderbirds, and with Calle Rosen still with the big club, it is expected that Tyler Tucker is likely headed to injured reserve with a tweaked right knee.
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A former Colorado Avalanche defenseman could be running out of chances to stick in the NHL.
Caleb Jones, the younger brother of Stanley Cup champion Seth Jones, was placed on waivers Saturday by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the intention of reassigning him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 29-year-old has appeared in just 13 NHL games over the past two seasons, splitting that time between the Los Angeles Kings and Penguins. Jones played seven games for Pittsburgh last season, recording one assist.
Now, his NHL future is once again uncertain.
Jones began his professional career in the Edmonton Oilers organization after being selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. After several seasons developing between the Western Hockey League and AHL, he earned his first NHL opportunity in December 2018, making his debut with Edmonton against the Philadelphia Flyers.
He eventually moved on from Edmonton in 2021, when the Oilers traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the deal that brought veteran defenseman Duncan Keith to Edmonton.
After two seasons in Chicago, Jones signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023. He never played a regular-season game for Carolina, though, as the Hurricanes traded him to Colorado on Oct. 10, 2023, in exchange for forward Callahan Burke.
Jones had already been assigned to the Colorado Eagles before the trade and eventually made his way into the Avalanche lineup. He appeared in 25 games for Colorado during the 2023-24 season, recording five assists.
That proved to be his only season in burgundy and blue.
Jones left Colorado as a free agent the following summer and signed with the Kings. He appeared in six NHL games with Los Angeles during the 2024-25 season but went scoreless and spent most of the campaign with the Ontario Reign.
Pittsburgh then gave Jones another opportunity, signing him to a two-year, $1.8 million contract in July 2025.
That deal has not gone as planned. Jones was suspended for 20 games without pay in February 2026 for violating the NHL and NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He has since bounced between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Now, the Penguins are looking to send him back to the AHL once again.
