Sep 30, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Jaden Schwartz (71) and center Nathan MacKinnon (29) after the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice in a four-goal second period and capped his night with a rare fight, and the Colorado Avalanche opened the season with an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Hours before the game, Colorado coach Jared Bednar was given a four-year contract extension. Bednar, who led Colorado to the 2022 Stanley Cup title, was in the final year of his current contract. The extension ended speculation on his future after being swept by Vegas in the Western Conference finals last spring.
“I didn’t want him to go through the whole year and have those distractions of being asked that same question, especially as the year goes on,” Avs president and general manager Joe Sakic said before Wednesday night’s game.
Artturi Lehkonen had two goals, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assist and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for Colorado, which scored four times on the power play and allowed two short-handed goals.
MacKinnon, who had a career-high 53 goals last season, scored on a 5-on-3 just 23 seconds into the second period and gave the Avs a 4-2 lead with his second at 8:33.
The 2024 MVP, whose last fight was four years ago, dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clark with Colorado leading 6-4 late in the third. Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog scored less than a minute later and Lehkonen iced it with his second 1:03 later.
Trevor Moore, Joel Armia and Brian Dumoulin scored for Los Angeles, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots.
Nelson and Kelly scored in the first period to give the Avs a 2-1 lead, and Moore and Armia had goals in the second period for the Kings.
Artemi Panarin scored on a delayed penalty midway through the third.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates a goal against Dan Vladar #80 of the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Evgeni Malkin, Hendrix Lapierre and Filip Hallander scored in the second period and Arturs Silovs stopped 19 shots to help the Pittsburgh Penguins steamroll the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday night.
Silovs posted his third career shutout in his 57th start. Nick Robertson scored two goals and Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov also scored for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby added an assist.
The Penguins’ season ended on the same Philadelphia ice in April when the Flyers won a first-round playoff series in six games.
The Flyers left the clincher to a roaring ovation on Cam York’s winner. Five months later, the Flyers were soundly booed off the ice – reaching a crescendo after the second period – and the opening night festivities were spoiled for a team trying to become a force in the Eastern Conference.
The Penguins are trying to run it back at least one more time between the longtime core of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Malkin signed a one-year deal to remain in Pittsburgh, and the hope is there’s enough magic left to help put the Penguins in position to win a playoff series for the first time in nearly a decade.
The 40-year-old Malkin ripped a one-timer from the slot early in the second period for the 3-0 lead that also gave him 100 career points against the Flyers. He became the sixth player with at least 100 points against the Flyers. Crosby’s assist on Robertson’s game-opening goal extended his record with 140 career points against Philly.
The Penguins scored five goals on their first 18 shots against Dan Vladar. Vladar didn’t play a full period in the preseason as he battled an unspecified injury, and with the Flyers in the first game of a back-to-back set, he was left in the game to take the beating.
Vladar knocked Robertson’s second goal of the game into the net with the back of his skate in a gaffe that made it 6-0.
Up next
Penguins play their home opener Saturday against Montreal.
The preseason auditions are over. Now it counts for Maxim Shabanov.
The Minnesota Wild will open the 2026-27 regular season Thursday night against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and Shabanov will be one of the more intriguing players to watch as Minnesota begins a new season.
After signing with the Wild during the offseason, Shabanov spent much of training camp getting an opportunity alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov.
Now comes his first chance to show what that combination can do when the games count.
Shabanov steadily improved throughout training camp and started to look increasingly comfortable as the preseason progressed.
"He got better and better as the game went," Wild head coach John Hynes said during the preseason. "I think overall in camp, he's gotten better and better. He understands kind of what's going on."
Shabanov also found the back of the net during the preseason while creating several other scoring opportunities.
The 25-year-old made it clear during camp that the opportunity to play alongside Kaprizov is something he wants to earn.
"He a good player," Shabanov said of Kaprizov. "I happy to play with him. I need try everyday work to play with him. Such a good guy and good skill."
Shabanov also said one of the reasons he chose Minnesota was the opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup.
"It's a good team," Shabanov said. "This team have chance to win [Stanley] Cup and I want help team win a Cup."
Thursday represents the first real test.
Playing alongside Kaprizov comes with an obvious opportunity, but Shabanov will have to show he can complement one of the NHL's top offensive players once the pace and intensity increase in the regular season.
Watch how involved Shabanov is in creating offense, whether he can get himself into scoring areas and, perhaps most importantly, whether he can make plays with Kaprizov rather than simply looking to get him the puck.
Minnesota entered training camp with openings higher in its lineup following significant turnover on the wings during the offseason. Shabanov was given an opportunity to seize one of those spots and did enough throughout camp to remain there entering the regular season.
Now he gets the chance to prove he belongs.
The Wild won't learn everything about Shabanov from one night in Nashville. But after weeks of practices and preseason games, Thursday provides the first meaningful look at what Minnesota might have in its new winger.
And that makes Maxim Shabanov the Wild player to watch in Game 1.
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Sep 29, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) and Chicago Blackhawks right wing Roman Kantservo (80) face off during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Trim-Imagn Images
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists to reach 701 career points, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 in their season opener Tuesday night.
Victor Olofsson notched Vegas’ first goal of the season, rookie Trevor Connelly scored in his NHL debut and Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone added goals as Ryan Craig earned his first victory as the Golden Knights’ head coach. Carter Hart made 24 saves.
Jordan Greenway and Patrick Kane scored for Chicago, and Spencer Knight stopped 32 shots.
Kane marked his return to the franchise he helped lead to three Stanley Cup championships with a third-period goal, but Chicago couldn’t complete the comeback.
Craig took over after six seasons as a Vegas assistant and three coaching its AHL affiliate in Henderson. He inherited a veteran team that reached last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
Vegas got scoring from five players after trading Pavel Dorofeyev, its leading goal scorer last season with 37, including 20 on the man advantage.
Olofsson opened the scoring midway through the first period when his power-play wrist shot found the top shelf from the far side.
Connelly doubled the lead when he flipped a rebound over Knight’s pads.
Greenway scored late in the second when his shot from the right circle flew past Hart, cutting Vegas’ lead to 2-1.
Kane trimmed the deficit to one early in the third with a slick backhand, but Hanifin answered shortly thereafter to restore the two-goal cushion.
Stone’s empty-netter provided the final margin.
Chicago opened without Connor Bedard, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and isn’t expected back until late October at the earliest.
DETROIT (AP) — Simon Edvinsson remained unsigned as a restricted free agent the day before the Detroit Red Wings were to open the season at home against the New York Rangers.
Edvinsson did not skate with the Red Wings on Thursday, but the 23-year-old defenseman was seen training with a team in his native Sweden on Wednesday.
“The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives," interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said earlier in the week.
Edvinsson had nine goals and 25 points in 72 games last year, his second full season in the NHL. Detroit drafted him No. 6 overall in 2021 and he has 19 career goals and 60 points in 175 games.
Dylan Larkin, meanwhile, is still in limbo heading into Friday night's opener.
Larkin asked for a trade in the offseason with the franchise mired in a decade-long playoff drought. After he was not traded, the team stripped him of his captaincy. Larkin has been limited during training camp after saying he got hurt working out.
He has five seasons left on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in 2023. That deal includes a no-trade clause and he initially told the Red Wings he would only accept a move to Florida, Minnesota or Las Vegas. Larkin recently declined to share which teams he’s willing to be traded to.
He has played his entire NHL career in Detroit, which took the former Michigan star with No. 15 draft pick in 2014. Larkin ranks 10th in franchise history in scoring with 643 points. Larkin was an important role player for the United States when it won the Olympic gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games in February.
Andre Burakovsky was looking like one of the more encouraging developments of Ottawa Senators training camp.
But now the familiar question surrounding the talented winger has surfaced again: Can he stay healthy?
Burakovsky suffered an upper-body injury Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a cross-check in the back near the boards. He was in the process of trying to reverse the puck and Arber Xhekaj checked him head first into the boards then fell on him.
Burakovsky was asked at the start of training camp about his second half slump in Chicago last season (Senators YouTube)..
Burakovsky hasn't been back on the ice since.
On Wednesday, Senators head coach Travis Green confirmed that Burakovsky isn't likely to play in the regular season opener in Toronto on Saturday.
“He still hasn't skated. Upper body. I don't expect him to play on the weekend,” Green said.
Burakovsky joins Artem Zub as players who won't be ready to start the season. Green sounded more hopeful about Jake Sanderson's status, though he didn't skate on Wednesday.
It's unfortunate timing for Burakovsky, who had been very noticeable throughout training camp and the preseason.
At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Burakovsky's size and skating ability stood out, and he appeared to be comfortably tracking toward a spot in the top six. That's exactly what the Senators were hoping for when they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in June for a sixth-round draft pick.
At his best, Burakovsky has shown he's a guy who can produce at a top-six level.
His finest NHL season came with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22, when he established career highs with 22 goals and 61 points in 80 games before helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup. The previous two seasons, he produced 45 points in 58 games and 44 points in 53 games.
Even his first season in Seattle started well. Burakovsky had 39 points in 49 games and was leading the Kraken in scoring when a groin injury in February ended his season. He suffered setbacks during his rehab and eventually required surgery.
Unfortunately, injuries have been a recurring theme in his career.
Early the following season, Burakovsky required surgery after suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers and was projected to miss six to eight weeks.
Even in his early days with Washington, he missed significant time with injuries to both hands, including a fractured thumb that required surgery, and also underwent another procedure after being injured during the 2018 playoffs.
Burakovsky has been healthier over the past two seasons. He played 79 games for Seattle in 2024-25 and 75 for Chicago last season, producing 11 goals and 33 points for the Blackhawks.
Last November, he missed five games after taking a brutal hit to the head from Seattle's Ryan Lindgren. But that didn't slow down his production in the first half of the season. By Jan. 7, he had 29 points in 38 games. But in the second half? Crickets. Even while playing consistently with Connor Bedard, he had only 4 points in the final 32 games.
The Hawks stuck with him on the top line because their analytics said, despite his slump, he was producing chances. But at some point, the simple goals and assist totals override everything else, which is part of why the Hawks were willing to move him for just a sixth rounder.
When Burakovsky showed up in Ottawa for camp last month, he looked like he might be in the process of rediscovering his first half magic of last season. Instead, he rediscovered the injury bug.
Believe Burakovsky was injured after taking this hit from Xhekaj, who then fell on top of him. Didn't return and isn't skating today. #GoSensGo
It's bad timing for the Sens, and bad timing for Burakovsky.
The 31-year-old is entering the final season of the five-year, $27.5-million contract he signed with Seattle in 2022 and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. With salaries escalating around the NHL, a healthy and productive season could put him in position for another big payday.
There is still plenty of time for that to happen.
But after an encouraging start to his first training camp in Ottawa, already being shut down by injury before the Sens play their first regular-season game is not the ideal start.
Jesper Wallstedt doesn't sound like a goaltender lacking confidence entering his second full NHL season.
The Minnesota Wild open its 2026-27 season Thursday night against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and Wallstedt enters the year in a much different position than he did 12 months ago.
After putting together one of the best rookie seasons by a goaltender in franchise history, Wallstedt will be counted on heavily early in the season with Filip Gustavsson sidelined.
And Wallstedt likes where he's at.
"I'm happy I got here early," Wallstedt said during training camp. "Got to spend a lot of time with Freddy and all the guys. Kind of made it my own little training camp, made it a little longer.
"Still played two exhibition games and feel like I'm in a great spot. I love where my game is at. So, just very excited, very pumped to finally start playing in some important games again."
The 23-year-old went 18-9-6 with a .916 save percentage and four shutouts last season. His 18 victories set a Wild franchise record for wins by a rookie goaltender in a single season.
Perhaps even more impressive was how Wallstedt performed against the NHL's better teams.
He posted a .931 save percentage against teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the best mark in the NHL among goaltenders who appeared in at least 10 games against playoff teams.
Wallstedt also finished second in the NHL with a .916 save percentage overall and tied for third with four shutouts.
Now comes the next challenge.
Gustavsson will begin the season on injured reserve after undergoing hip surgery, leaving Wallstedt and veteran Calvin Pickard as Minnesota's two healthy NHL goaltenders to begin the year.
It means the Wild will need Wallstedt to carry a larger workload earlier than initially anticipated.
But unlike a year ago, when Wallstedt was still trying to establish himself as a full-time NHL goaltender, he enters this season with 18 wins and a full rookie campaign behind him.
He also had an extended runway into the season after arriving in Minnesota early and getting additional work before playing twice during the preseason.
For Wallstedt, the preseason was about getting himself ready for when the games actually mattered. Now they do.
Minnesota begins its season Thursday night in Nashville, kicking off an 84-game schedule and Wallstedt's second full season in the NHL.
And after what he accomplished as a rookie, the Wild may need his sophomore season to begin right where his first one ended.
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After traveling across the country this week, the Florida Panthers are set to take the ice for their second game of the season.
Fresh off an exciting 1-0 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida is in northern California looking to ruin their second home opener of the week when they face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.
It’s a good thing the Panthers are a team that likes being on the road, because they’re going to log plenty of miles over the first few weeks of the season.
Only three of Florida’s first 13 games take place at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
The Panthers will also get a good test when they face the young and hungry Sharks.
San Jose missed the playoffs by only four points last season and are poised to break back into the big dance this year, led by their young superstar captain Macklin Celebrini.
The Sharks will provide a much different challenge for Florida than what they faced on Tuesday in Carolina.
Speaking after the Panthers practiced at the Sharks’ facility on Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice discussed what he’s aiming to accomplish in terms of preparation.
“That’s the great test, because we’re going to go from a wing lock, man-to-man team to a trapping zone team, so it’s more Western Conference style,” Maurice said. “And then how do we apply our game to that, that’s a great challenge. It’s not easy to do, to switch like this, but it’s a great and valuable lesson. (San Jose has) lots of speed, an awful lot of skill, and I really like the additions to made to the weight of their team, so it’ll be a good one tomorrow.”
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s swim with the Sharks:
Brady Tkachuk – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
Photo caption: Nov 8, 2025; San Jose, California, USA;FloridaPantherscenter Carter Verhaeghe (23) shoots against the San JoseSharksduring the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. (Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shoots and scores a goal against Dan Vladar #80 of the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is never too much talent.
There are never too many players.
Especially too many useful players, or good players.
Among the talking points surrounding the 2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the biggest was the number of forwards they have that are capable of playing in the NHL, and just what in the heck they are going to do with all of them. There was always going to be the possibility that some NHL-caliber players are going to be forced into AHL duty just based on a numbers game. Perhaps some young players.
The Penguins found that out going into the 2026-27 season opener when Ben Kindel, Bryan Rust and Justin Brazeau were all absent due to injuries, and after Andrei Kuzmenko had to travel back home. That is four NHL-caliber forwards. That is also four pretty good NHL-caliber forwards. It is, quite literally, your entire third line, and what could be a really good third line.
That opened the door for a lot of players that may not have been in the opening night lineup.
Maybe even Elmer Soderblom depending on what role you see for him vs. Justin Brazeau (I would go with Soderblom, but we can discuss that at another time).
Opportunity knocked for them, and they answered. Significantly in a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
There is no better example of that than the makeshift third line of Koivunen, Lapierre and Hallander. Statistically speaking, they were the Penguins best line of the night. Each player scored a goal. The Penguins outscored the Flyers 3-0 when that trio was on the ice. They had a 96.8 expected goal share. On a night where the Penguins came out the Flyers in waves and completely dominated every aspect of the game, and in every situation, those three stood out.
In Hallander’s case, it’s just an incredible story because there was good reason to believe his career might be over. But he worked his way back, earned an opportunity, and ran with it.
In Lapierre’s case, it’s encouraging because he is one of those early-to-mid-20s forwards the Penguins keep gambling on in the hopes they can catch lightning in a bottle. Lapierre had fantastic defensive and possession metrics this past season with the Washington Capitals, and delivered on that with a goal and an assist.
In Koivunen’s case, it is really encouraging because all of the possession numbers and analytics that have defined his young NHL career were still there (a great combination with Lapierre), while he also did something he has not yet done a lot of — he finished a prime scoring chance. I still think a lot of his problems at the NHL level come from a lack of confidence at times. There is always that split second of hesitation when he is in a good spot with the puck. It either leads to a blocked or deflected shot, or an easier save for the goalie. Having a couple of pucks go in the net for him early on might really spark something for him.
That is the hope, anyway.
It was also a big night for a lot new players that knew they were going to get opportunities, and simply took advantage of them.
Nicholas Robertson is another one of the younger players acquired in a trade that the Penguins are hoping can break out offensively. He looked incredible on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, immediately scoring two goals.
Defenseman Kaedan Korczak, who always excelled in smaller roles in Vegas, showed up and played a rock solid game with Sam Girard and contributed two assists.
It is only one game. There are still 83 more games to go, and at some point some of the flaws this team has are going to surface and show themselves a little bit. But it is still an extremely deep team at forward, and a team that has a lot of options. And that is only going to be a positive. Not just because it gives you playable options when you need them, but because competition makes people better, and makes your team better. You can not just throw young players into the lineup “because it is time to get young” when they have not earned it, or are not ready for it. That does not help development of the player or the team. Create competition. Create incentive. Make people earn it.
You saw a lot of that play out on Wednesday night. It is just the start of the season. It is still an encouraging start of the season.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to kick off the 2026-27 season tonight at Nationwide Arena against the Buffalo Sabres.
The CBJ have lost four straight season openers. They last won at home against the Arizona Coyotes in 2021. The Sabres have lost three straight.
Their all-time record is 9-14-2 in season openers and 3-6-2 in home season openers.
Buffalo Sabres - 2025-26 - 50-23-9 - 109 Points - Won the Atlantic Division
Columbus Blue Jackets - 2025-26 - 40-30-12 - 92 Points - Finished 5th in the Metro
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
Columbus has won three-straight games vs. Bualo at Nationwide Arena.
CBJ and Buffalo have combined for 60 shots or more in eight of the last 10 games of the series.
The Blue Jackets have not surrendered a power play goal in the past eight games of the series (18-of-18, penalty killing).
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Adam Fantilli, who signed a six-year contract with Columbus on Sept. 24, was second on the club in goals scored (24) during the 2025-26 season.
Zach Werenski captured the 2025-26 James Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman and was named to the First All-Star Team after notching 22-59-81 in 75 contests. He ranked second in the NHL in TOI (26:37) and second among league defensemen in scoring and third in goals.
Blue Jackets Stats - 2025-26
Power Play - 19.0% - 22nd in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 27th in the NHL
Goals For - 245 - 17th in the NHL
Goals Against - 249 - 22nd in the NHL
Sabres Stats - 2025-26
Power Play - 19.5% - 21st in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 81.9% - 4th in the NHL
Goals For - 283 - 5th in the NHL
Goals Against - 240 - 10th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheSabres
The Blue Jackets are 14-8-1 at Nationwide Arena and 29-17-1 overall vs. Buffalo.
Columbus has won three-straight games vs. Buffalo at Nationwide Arena.
The Jackets went 2-1-0 in 2025-26 against the Sabres.
The Blue Jackets have picked up four wins against the Sabres over the past two seasons (4-2-0).
Who To Watch For TheSabres
Tage Thompson had 40 goals and 81 points last season.
Rasmus Dahlin had 55 assists and 74 points.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 22-9-0 with a SV% of .909 last season.
CBJ Player Notes vsSabres
Jet Greaves has a 3-1-0 record with a .926 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average in four career games vs. Buffalo.
Sean Monahan has 9-15-24 in 26 career games vs. the Sabres.
Matthew Knies posted 1-6-7 in 11 career games vs. Buffalo with points in three-straight.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand
Damon Severson - Shoulder Surgery
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR
Mikael Pyyhtia - Lower Body Injury
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 0
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight at 7 PM.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs earned their first win of the 2026-27 season with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday. This result on the second night of a back-to-back at Scotiabank Arena is Jim Hiller's first win as the Maple Leafs' head coach.
It was a much cleaner performance compared to Toronto's season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, when they lost 3-2 at home.
With that said, here are the four main takeaways from the Maple Leafs' first win of the campaign.
Anthony Stolarz Looks Sharp
Goaltender Anthony Stolarz made his first start of the season for the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
There was a lot for him to prove going into this season, given the numbers he produced last year. He posted an .893 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average, which was a significant decrease from the .926 SP and 2.14 GAA he registered in his first year with the team, 2024-25.
Against the Islanders, Stolarz stopped 26 of 27 shots, getting a .963 SP. That's the best the 32-year-old has performed, statistically, since recording a .966 on Oct. 16 of last year.
"It was good," Stolarz said of his first performance of the season. "I think it's a great feeling and something for our team to grow on and expand on, and continue to work forward. Obviously, you want to win the first one last night, but to come out the way we did and respond the way we did was extremely encouraging for sure.
"The guys did a great job of boxing guys out. Let me see the first shot. Obviously, we knew that they have a lot of skilled defensemen who they like to pound the puck. So it's kind of up to me just to smother that rebound. And obviously, we did a great job blocking shots, getting sticks in lanes. And if you do that consistently as a team, you're going to come out on top most times," he added.
If it wasn't for Stolarz's spectacular outing, Easton Cowan certainly would've been the star of this contest. The 21-year-old was noticeable all game long and contributed to both of Toronto's goals. He recorded an assist on Colton Sisson's first goal of the game and scored on the power play, which turned out to be the game-winning goal for the Leafs.
"He was feeling it tonight," Sissons said of Cowan. "Just a dynamic player. He has the puck on his stick a lot and makes a lot of good plays. So really blessed to be playing with him right now.
Cowan and the third line with Sissons and Nick Paul were arguably the best line in the game against the Islanders, and probably for the Leafs against the Canadiens in the first game, too. There's lots of positivity surrounding that trio in terms of their play, effectiveness, and early chemistry.
"Sky's the limit with that kid," Sissons said. "Yeah, he's got all the potential in the world."
Aside from Jack Roslovic's power-play assist on Cowan's goal, among Maple Leafs forwards, the third-liners were the only ones on the scoresheet, with Cowan's two points, Sissons' goal, and an assist from Paul.
Outside of producing offense, that trio were great at keeping possession in the offensive zone, executing low cycles, and they were very responsible in their own zone as well.
The right-handed blueliner was all over the place on Tuesday, giving the puck away five times on his own, and was on the ice for all three goals. On Wednesday, it was a much cleaner performance from him, Rielly, and the D-corps as a whole.
The entire Maple Leafs defense only gave up the puck a collective four times against New York, and not one Toronto D-man had more than one giveaway.
That pair didn't set the game on fire and dominate, but it was good that they were a little quieter. That means there was less of an issue breaking out the puck, and very few breakdowns in their own zone.
And to add to that, Rielly got an assist on a pretty impressive play on the power play.
"What a play by Morgan," Hiller recalled of Toronto's second goal of the night. The 32-year-old picked off a clearance from the Islanders' penalty kill, controlled it at the blueline, and was able to make a play that led to Cowan's goal.
The Maple Leafs killed all four power plays that came the Islanders' way. Toronto did a great job of obviously keeping the puck out of the net, but also limiting dangerous chances when New York had the man-advantage.
The Isles were held to just three high-danger chances on the power play, according to Natural Stat Trick. Among the forwards, the Leafs' penalty kill was led by Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, playing 3:52 and 3:43 of ice time shorthanded, respectively. Duhaime had three blocks in this game, more than any Islander.
"When you kill them all off, you give yourselves a pretty good chance to win a hockey game," Sissons said, who had 2:33 of ice time on the PK. "And yeah, it was sharp. Obviously, not a lot of time to kind of work out your system and work out some of the kinks. So it's been big thus far."
The efforts of defensemen Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev can't be ignored either, as they combined for a total of eight blocks, and each led the team in time on the penalty kill in this contest.
So far, Toronto is six-for-six in killing penalties after two games this season.
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Lotta chaos around our net, just sayin’. | Getty Images
The Islanders and Maple Leafs treated us to a savagely uninteresting Isles 2-1 loss in Toronto to open the season, and one can only hope it’s not a harbinger, like one hopes the AI swarms don’t escape the lab and kill us all.
Victor Eklund played his second NHL game, so that was neat, and he got his first NHL penalty by crosschecking John Tavares on his butt, so that was funny, but the Leafs scored what proved to be the winner late on the ensuing power play, so that was not.
The Isles had a bit of jump early in the opening period, with Toronto playing on back-to-back nights, but penalty trouble and chaotic defensive zone chasing killed that vibe. After a series of dangerous chances on Ilya Sorokin both at 5-on-5 and the Leafs power play, the Isles were trailing 2-0 by the 12:00 mark. They didn’t rally a promising response until well into the third. Their special teams, a long-running thorn, were no help.
Other than Matthew Schaefer skating like the wind, the lone highlight was Emil Heineman outracing William Nylander on a shorthanded break to convert Bo Horvat’s pass and make it look close. There was also one line mix late, with Anthony Duclair being promoted while Matias Maccelli ended on the Casey Cizikas-Ondrej Palat line, aka This Thing That Should Not Be line.
They’ll learn, they’ll “tighten things up,” they’ll get better at what Pete DeBoer wants them to do, they had a short training camp, and it’s just one, opening game. Yada yada, etc. For three hours of your life on what is supposed to be an exciting night, however, it was not fun, not at all. The home opener Saturday provides an opportunity for redemption and renewal.
Brendan Burke reaches a decade as voice of the Islanders. (Although he was on national duty last night.) [Newsday]
Elsewhere
Wednesday’s scores included
Our Saturday opponent has a grizzled mentor and a delayed up-and-comer in the crease. [NHL]
I confess I will root for Amadeus and his whole amusingly named family. [NHL]
After giving up six goals in their opener, Mike Babcock says the Oilers have “serious work to do.” At least when all else fails, they can fall back on Tristan Jarry. [NHL]
Five young players poised for breakouts. [Sportsnet]
William Karlsson signed a two-year extension to keep him in Vegas until they ship him out for the latest sexy trade target. [NHL]
Matt Duchene, starting on the injured list, has gotta be the oldest 34-year-old out there. [Sportsnet]
Tee-hee-hee J.T. Miller thinks he will lead a revival in Manhattan. [NHL]
Reliving a Flames-Ducks melee from 2001 that involved former Islanders Craig Berube (suspended) and Greg Gilbert (as coach, also suspended). The video montage is a beauty. [Sportsnet]
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal with Filip Hallander #11, Kaedan Korczak #6 and Samuel Girard #49 during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s hard to draw up a much better start to the season than what the Pittsburgh Penguins had on Wednesday night with a 7-0 beatdown of the rival Philadelphia Flyers on the road. Nick Robertson scored twice for the Penguins and Filip Hallander recorded three points in the blowout victory. In goal, Artur Silvos recorded his second opening night shutout in as many seasons to backstop the win. [Pensburgh]
Pens Points…
Top goal scorer? Breakout player? Playoffs? Those are all predictions to be made for the Penguins as the 2026-27 begins. Egor Chinakhov is a popular pick to lead the Penguins in goal scoring while seeing the Penguins back in the playoffs feels like a 50-50 toss up. [Pensburgh]
For the past few seasons, the Penguins fan base has been waiting for an inevitable youth movement to arrive. While the prospect pool is being refilled by Kyle Dubas, many of those young players have yet to breakthrough. This needs to be the season where it starts to happen. [PPG]
After being acquired in the offseason, David Gustafsson made the Penguins opening night roster. That was no guarantee when he came to Pittsburgh, so he’s going to relish any time he gets to spend in the NHL this season, no matter how long or short the stint may be. [Trib Live]
Set to play in his 22nd NHL season, Sidney Crosby will make history as the longest tenured Pittsburgh athlete of all time, surpassing Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates whom he previously shared the title with at 21 seasons in black and gold. [The Athletic $$]
Another all time mark Crosby is set to break this season is being the longest tenured captain in NHL history. This season will mark No. 20 for Crosby with the “C” on his chest, surpassing Steve Yzerman. [Daily Faceoff]
NHL News and Notes…
Casey DeSmith has been a reliable backup for the Dallas Stars in recent seasons and will continue in that role for at least the next two after he agreed to a contract extension with the team on Wednesday. [NHL]
After missing the entirety of the Washington Capitals preseason slate with a lower body injury, Alexander Ovechkin expects to be ready for action when the team opens its season on Friday night. [NHL]
On the 592nd Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams speak with colleague Kurt Badenhausen about his latest list of NHL franchise valuations, the league’s looming expansion, and why the biggest-market teams tend to struggle to win Stanley Cup titles.
The Toronto Maple Leafs ($4.8 billion) are the most valuable franchise in the NHL, followed by the New York Rangers ($4.15 billion), Montreal Canadiens ($3.8 billion), Los Angeles Kings ($3.33 billion) and Boston Bruins ($3.31 billion). The Columbus Blue Jackets ($1.5 billion) rank 32nd.
The hosts break down the numbers, including a surge for Sun Belt franchises like the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers, both of which have won recent championships. Those teams have better weather, and some are in states without income taxes, which many think helps them attract talent to their rosters.
Now the league is looking to expand in the American South, something that would have sounded insane a decade ago, when all the expansion conversations seemed focused around putting second teams in Quebec or Ontario or other cold-weather places. The get-in price for this round of NHL expansion, which will likely start in Texas, is probably around $2.5 billion.
They close by diving into the economics of expansion vs. relocation. At $2.5 billion, interested parties could likely buy a number of different existing NHL teams, which have infrastructure already in place. The hosts talk about why that is, how relocation fees help rebalance the calculus, and also why this conversation is different in some other leagues that are expanding, like the NBA, NWSL and WNBA.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
The Sharks have a lot of eyes on them to start the 2026-27 NHL season. After extending their franchise superstar Macklin Celebrini, expectations are high for a team that hasn’t made the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2019.
With a bunch of returning personalities, the team camaraderie is at an all-time high. Whether that chemistry will translate onto the ice remains to be seen.
“Going into last year, there weren’t as many outside expectations,” right wing Collin Graf told NBC Sports California’s Natalie Noury at Sharks Media Day. “I think that now everyone is looking towards the playoffs, and that’s our goal in the locker room, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Graf has been influential in the rebuild over the last three seasons. Graf has 26 goals in 121 games played, and looks to build on an already impressive career.
Coach Ryan Warsofsky has proven he is the best fit for guiding this young team. Warsofsky agreed to a multi-year contract extension on the first day of training camp, before his third season at the helm.
“There are certainly things that we need to do better than we did last year,” Warsofsky admitted to Noury. “We’re going to stick to our process and be where our feet are.”
Celebrini is on his way to becoming the face of the NHL after putting up unreal numbers in his first two seasons. The 20-year-old already has 70 goals and 108 assists in his young career.
“We all have the same goal in mind, which is to make the playoffs,” Celebrini told Noury. “We’ve been out of it for the last seven years, so our whole group is motivated to get back there.”
The Sharks were four points out of a wild-card spot last season. Celebrini and company want to solidify their spot in the West, so it doesn’t have to come down to needing help from other teams when making the postseason.
“I think we just have to be ready to go,” center Will Smith told Noury. “We struggled at the start of the year … that can ruin the first month. The first five games are big, but we’ve got to worry about the first one.”
If the Sharks can come out hot and make a statement to the league, there’s no telling how far this team can go once the playoffs roll around.
