McLellan told reporters that interim general manager Shawn Horcoff would explain why. No update was given as of 1 p.m. ET. The Red Wings' home game begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Larkin, 30, had missed Wednesday's practice, but the team later said it was a maintenance day.
The center had requested a trade following the end of last season after the Red Wings' playoff drought hit 10 seasons, though he hasn't revealed his reason.
He agreed to report to training camp but was stripped of his captaincy. He missed the start of camp with an injury and was booed by fans during introductions at the home opener. But he has played since returning from the injury and has six points in 10 games.
Larkin, who originally had the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights on his trade list, has expanded that list to 10 teams.
That includes the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. ESPN reported on Oct. 20 that the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Utah Mammoth were added to the list.
Without much surprise, Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell were among the Penguins' players on Kypreos' trade board. It is understandable, as both players have been in the rumor mill for a while.
Yet, Kypreos also included a new Penguins forward on his trade board: Justin Brazeau.
"Big and strong with a set of hands, Pittsburgh will try to sell Brazeau off based on the production he had during the first half of last season. With so many prospects in the system, look for the Penguins to potentially use him as a trade chip, though he needs to get healthy first. Brazeau has not played a game this season," Kypreos wrote.
Brazeau has not been discussed very often as a trade candidate. Yet, with the Penguins having a surplus of NHL forwards and Brazeau being in the final year of his contract, it is fair to wonder about his future in Pittsburgh.
Brazeau was recently activated off injured reserve and assigned on a conditioning loan to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. With this, the big winger is inching closer to returning for the NHL club.
Brazeau could generate some interest from teams looking to boost their forward group. When playing at his best, he has shown that he can be a solid power forward. This was certainly the case last season, as he set career highs with 17 goals, 17 assists, and 34 points in 64 games for Pittsburgh.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Penguins end up moving Brazeau at some point this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks are already involved in trade rumors. 18 teams had scouting representatives at the United Center for Chicago’s match vs the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, and a total of 25 teams out of 32 have been there since Sunday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Frank Seravalli has reported that the Blackhawks are looking to add a big scoring winger during all of this as well, which has added to the rumor mill.
Kyle Davidson has been actively looking for "shoot-first, scoring wingers with size." If the Blackhawks slide continues, "count on something bigger perhaps in the works." pic.twitter.com/zIOZngJ5aS
The conversation around a trade like that includes centers like Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Teams around the league want centers, which is an area where the Blackhawks have a surplus. There is development left to go for most of Chicago's young centers, but the upside is there to intrigue teams.
Rumors of Teuvo Teravainen and Kevin Korchinski being moved have also swirled. With the Blackhawks being 4-8-0 through their first 12 games of the season, it isn’t surprising to hear these names in the rumor mill as the team looks to shake things up before going the route of firing anyone.
If Moore and Nazar both stick with Chicago in the long term, one of them is likely going to have to make a full-time transition to the wing, and neither would say that is their first choice of position.
In the case of Kevin Korchinski, he is a young defenseman who doesn't get the playing time he needs in order to further his development. Sending him to the AHL would require waivers, and the Blackhawks would almost certainly lose him for nothing.
As for Teravainen, it would depend on another team taking him at this stage of his career. He went from being a healthy scratch on opening night to running their top power-play unit in the absence of Bowen Byram, which does give him value. On a contender, he'd make a wonderful secondary playmaker in the middle of a lineup.
Anything can happen, as it is all just rumors right now, but there can be fire where there is smoke in the NHL. Connor Hellebuyck was already traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils. Next is almost certainly going to be Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings. After that, the trade market may open up in a big way.
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It didn't take long for former Winnipeg Jets defenceman Jack St. Ivany to make an impression with his new club.
Just four days after being claimed off waivers by the Washington Capitals, the 27-year-old recorded two assists and earned third-star honours in his Washington debut Wednesday night, helping the Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today
St. Ivany made his presence felt almost immediately, picking up a helper on Alex Tuch's opening goal just 1:50 into the first period. He added another assist later in the contest, finishing with two points, a plus-two rating and 14:44 of ice time.
The performance came less than a week after the Jets placed the 6-foot-4 blueliner on waivers Friday, with Washington claiming him the following afternoon.
Winnipeg had acquired St. Ivany from the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 29 in exchange for forward David Gustafsson. He appeared in four games with the Jets to begin the 2026-27 season, recording no points, six hits and five blocked shots while averaging 13:31 of ice time.
He joins Johnathan Kovacevic, Eric Comrie, Luca Sbisa, Jansen Harkins and Declan Chisholm as players the Jets have lost via Waivers since returning to Winnipeg.
The California native had previously spent parts of three NHL seasons with Pittsburgh, including a career-best seven-assist campaign over 20 games in 2025-26.
Washington's decision to claim St. Ivany came as the Capitals dealt with injuries on their blueline, including the absence of Vincent Desharnais, who is recovering from an appendectomy, Rasmus Sandin and Winnipegger Dylan McIlrath.
St. Ivany was paired with rookie Cole Hutson for Wednesday's matchup, giving Washington another right-shot option on defence.
Originally selected by Philadelphia in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, St. Ivany enjoyed his memorable Capitals debut against the very organization that drafted him.
With two assists in his first appearance, St. Ivany has already surpassed his offensive production from four games with Winnipeg this season, making an immediate case for an extended opportunity in Washington's lineup.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) looks on during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers on October 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Over the past couple of years, defenseman Kris Letang seemed to be the one member of the Pittsburgh Penguins big-three that had slowed down the most. Not only in terms of offensive production, but just general, overall impact. Father time was catching up, and the adjustment to that did not seem to be going well. There were even more signs of that over the first couple of games of the 2026-27 season.
But over the past couple of weeks there are some encouraging signs that maybe Letang still has some game left, and that maybe he is adjusting to his new limitations and what he can and can not do.
That has especially been the case since he has not been paired up with Trevor van Riemsdyk, an early-season pairing that just did not seem to click the way the Penguins might have hoped.
While Letang has not really made a significant contribution offensively with just six asssists (and zero goals), his defensive impacts have been shockingly strong.
When he has been on the ice during 5-on-5 play, the Penguins have allowed just four goals in 198 minutes of hockey, and only 1.96 expected goals per 60 minutes.
That expected goal number is the lowest among the team’s defensemen (minimum 100 minutes played), and the third-lowest of any player on the team (trailing only forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte).
Among 186 defensemen across the NHL, it is 11th.
Those are promising numbers. The Penguins do have an extremely high save percentage with Letang on the ice (over .940) which is probably not a sustainable number, so there might be some additional goals against to come his way just through some regression, but the fact there are not a lot of chances being allowed is an encouraging sign that could help mitigate that somewhat.
It is also eye-opening how much more effective he has been paired with literally any other defenseman on the roster outside of van Riemsdyk.
There are some small sample sizes here with each of these pairings, but the overall performance is pretty consistent among the pairings.
Pairing
Minutes Played
GF
GA
xGF/60
xGA/60
xGF%
Kris Letang-Trevor van Riemsdyk
57.57
1
1
2.32
3.39
40.7
Kris Letang-Spencer Stastney
53.52
1
0
2.70
1.03
72.3
Kris Letang-Ilya Solovyov
36.58
1
0
1.61
1.49
51.9
Kris Letang-Sam Girard
16.27
0
2
3.23
1.59
67.0
Kris Letang-Declan Carlile
16.16
1
1
5.12
1.59
76.2
I am going to chalk this up to three things that are likely working in harmony here to produce these results.
Early season small sample size noise that is, to some degree, driven by on-ice save percentage. You can’t just ignore that possibility, especially given the larger sampling of of performance we have had from him over the previous year or two. Even though there have not been a lot of chances against, some of those pucks that are getting through to the goalies are going to find their way in the back of the net at some point. The expected goal against numbers are highly encouraging, but I think we do need to see more of that over an extended period of time before we can say for certain that it’s a for-real improvement.
Less is more. And by that I mean, less ice-time. A smaller role. He is averaging just a little more than 20 minutes of ice-time per game, which is the lowest number since his rookie season. Even as recently as two years ago the Penguins were asking him to play 23 minutes per game. In the first half of the 2025-26 season, that number was still up in the 22-23 minute per game range. He’s a borderline Hockey Hall of Famer. He has had the best career of any defenseman in a Penguins uniform. He’s been great for a long, long time. But at some point you are not capable of playing that sort of role anymore. Everybody needs to adjust to that. He needed to adjust his game. The Penguins needed to adjust their expectations and role for him.
Just getting him with the right partner. Or in this case, not putting him with the wrong partner. I liked the idea of signing van Riemsdyk in free agency because he has been such a solid defender throughout his career. Nothing flashy; just steady. But even when Letang was at his peak and one of the best skaters in the league, he never, ever, at any point, played well next to defenders like van Riemsdyk. The Brooks Orpik-Rob Scuderi pairings never worked well. The idea of putting him with “a safety net” never played out. He was always at his best next to players that could skate well, move the puck, and could complement his style of play. Stastney, Solovyov, Girard and even Carlile to some extent are significantly better at playing that style of game than van Riemsdyk is.
If nothing else, it is an encouraging development to see from a player that the Penguins are going to need to play well. Let’s see how it plays out.
Washigton Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin is starting slowly in his 22nd and final season. The Colorado Avalanche haven't shown last season's dominance and the Pennsylvania teams have struggled, along with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram. Plus, there's no contract extension for Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Is it time to hit the panic button? USA TODAY takes a look.
Alex Ovechkin showing his age?
Ovechkin, 41, entered this season needing 11 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record of 1,016 combined regular season and playoff goals. He needed five assists to break Nicklas Backstrom's team record of 762 career assists. But he's at one goal and three assists after 11 games, the worst start of his career.
A couple things have been working against Ovechkin. He was injured heading into training camp and the Capitals' offseason acquisitions have cut into his ice time. He's no longer playing all two minutes of the power play and is averaging a career-low 13:47 per game. According to NHL Edge, his hardest shot is down 4 mph from last season and his fastest skating speed is down 2 mph. He's on pace for a career-low 122 shots.
Ovechkin has a history of starting slowly, so it's a matter of waiting to see if he'll break out again.
Colorado Avalanche off to slower start
The Avalanche were sitting at 6-5-1 heading into Wednesday's game after winning the 2025-26 Presidents' Trophy.
They are built around Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas but they dealt away some of their depth before giving Makar a record contract extension.
Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury were traded. The Avalanche signed free agent Jaden Schwartz, who had six points in his first four games before going without a point in his next five games.
MacKinnon, Makar and Necas are doing their part, but they'll need more depth scoring to push for another division title. They got a start on Wednesday, Oct. 28, when Schwartz, Parker Kelly, Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog joined MacKinnon in scoring in a 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils.
But slow starts leave the Penguins and Flyers at 14th and 16th, respectively, in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers were sunk by a team-worst 0-6-3 start in which they struggled to score. Penguins forwards Andrei Kuzmenko (death of his father) and Ben Kindel (vasovagal episode) have missed time.
One highlight for the Flyers is that Matvei Michkov, who struggled last season, has picked up nine goals in October.
Blackhawks' Bowen Byram has disappointing start
Byram was stuck behind Makar and Rasmus Dahlin early in his career, and the Blackhawks made a big bet he'd be a productive No. 1 defenseman if given the opporunity.
The Blackhawks sent the fourth overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for Byram and gave him a $12.5 million-a-year contract extension.
But Byram has one point in six games and is a minus-7. Several things have worked against him. The Blackhawks were without injured top player Connor Bedard at the beginning of the season and Byram missed a game to fly home for the birth of his twins. He played one game with Bedard, picking up his lone point, then has been out with an upper-body injury. He's considered day to day.
Quinn Hughes hasn't signed extension
The Minnesota defenseman is off to another tremendous season, but he has yet to agree to a contract extension in the final year of his contract. He gave a positive update recently.
"My two feet are planted in Minnesota and, you know, something could happen soon. I'm not really too sure," he told reporters on Oct. 24. "I'm really enjoying playing here."
GM Bill Guerin addressed Hughes' contract situation Wednesday on "The Chad Hartman Show," saying he hasn't talked to Hughes' agents recently.
“There’s nothing really to talk about right now," he said. "What am I going to do? Like going, ‘Please, please, please, please.' This is a unique situation. I think Quinn needs to wrap his head around a couple things. ... Quinn's situation will resolve itself at some point in time. This does not keep me awake at night."
Guerin said there's no date for Hughes to sign or for the GM to consider other options.
"At some point in time, I'll have to try to figure things out and see what's best for the team," he said. "I know one thing for sure. Having Quinn on our team is what's best for the team. ... I don't know what's gong to happen. I don't know what I'm going to do."
Tonight’s matchup between the Vancouver Canucks (3–10–1) and San Jose Sharks (6–6–1) will feature the tale of two rebuilds. Vancouver, obviously just entering theirs, comes into tonight’s match riding the high of a 6–5 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, which saw them end a 10-game losing streak that started on October 4. The Sharks, who seem to have put their rebuild in the rear-view, have something to prove heading into tonight’s matchup, as they were shut out by the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and have dropped their past two.
The Canucks team that enters SAP Center for tonight’s matchup is undoubtedly at the beginning of their rebuild. They have their young talent in players like Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, though most of the recent high-end prospects they’ve acquired are still developing in other leagues. From both a team and individual perspective, there’s still lots of room to grow.
San Jose, on the other hand, boasts a lineup that has seen their fair share of losing seasons and been rewarded greatly for it. Four of their current rostered players — Will Smith (4th-overall, 2023), Macklin Celebrini (1st-overall, 2024), Michael Misa (2nd-overall, 2025), and Ivar Stenberg (2nd-overall, 2026) — were picked within the top-five of the four most recent NHL Entry Drafts. While they’re still a young team, it’s clear their contention window is just beginning to open.
Players To Watch:
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Jonathan Lekkerimäki was one of the Canucks’ strongest players on Tuesday night, scoring his team’s fourth and fifth goals with less than four minutes in regulation to earn the tie and send the game to overtime. His effort in the win propelled him to a tie for second on his team in points with 12. Given his performance on Tuesday, which saw him skate in a career-high of 19:55 minutes, it will be interesting to see if Lekkerimäki ends up being rewarded with an increased role or a boost in ice time compared to his averages on the season.
Ivar Stenberg
Tonight’s matchup will provide the Canucks with a first NHL-look at the second-overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. While he’s still only 19, Stenberg appears to be fitting into the NHL well. His three goals and six assists currently tie him with Tyler Toffoli for second on their team in points. He also sits tied for second in the NHL’s rookie scoring race for points, with only Gavin McKenna ranking ahead of him.
Vancouver Canucks (3–10–1):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 4–11–15
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 6–6–12
Brock Boeser: 4–8–12
Filip Hronek: 1–9–10
Linus Karlsson: 3–6–9
Goaltenders:
Leevi Meriläinen: 2–3–1
Kevin Lankinen: 1–7–0
San Jose Sharks (6–6–1):
Points:
Macklin Celebrini: 5–10–15
Tyler Toffoli: 4–5–9
Ivar Stenberg: 3–6–9
Will Smith: 4–4–8
Jacob Trouba: 2–6–8
Goaltenders:
Alex Nedeljkovic: 3–1–1
Yaroslav Askarov: 3–5–0
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: SAP Center
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Apr 11, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov (9) and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) battle for control of the puck during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at 7:00 PM.
Carolina Hurricanes- 10-2-2 - 22 Points - Won 2- 1st in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets - 5-5-0 - 8 Points - Won 2 - 7th in the Metro
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Matthew Knies has 1-4-5 in 9 career GP and has 2 multi-point efforts in his last 3 games against Carolina (1-3-4).
Charlie Coyle has posted 5-8-13 in 27career games and notched a four-point effort last season on Mar. 17 with 1-3-4 against Carolina at Nationwide Arena.
Adam Fantilli has 1-4-5 in nine career games, with two multi-point efforts in his past five contests against the Hurricanes (1-4-5).
Sean Monahan has 6-12-18 in 23 career GP, with assists in three of his last five meetings (0-5-5) and points in six of his past nine contests against Carolina (1-7-8).
Valeri Nichushkin has 5-7-12 with four multipoint efforts in 13 career games, including points in four of the past five contests (4-3-7).
Zach Werenski has 6-12-18 in 35 career GP with assists in six of the last nine games against the Hurricanes (2-7-9).
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 11.1% - 30th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 72.7% - 23rd in the NHL
Goals For - 25 - 32nd in the NHL
Goals Against - 33 - 6th in the NHL
HurricanesStats
Power Play - 23.5% - 10th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 83.3% - 11th in the NHL
Goals For - 53 - 4th in the NHL
Goals Against - 33 - 5th in the NHL
Series History vs.Hurricanes
The Blue Jackets are 30-33-0-5 overall, and 13-18-0-3 on the road in Carolina.
Columbus went 1-3-0 in 2025-26.
The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings and 13 of the last 16 dating back to Feb. 25, 2022.
The winning team has scored four-plus goals in each of the past nine contests (including SO goals) and in 17 of the past 19 since Oct. 23, 2021.
The winning team has won by three or more goals in eight of the past 10 meetings of the series.
The teams have combined for six-plus goals in 10 of the last 14 overall games of the series.
Who To Watch For TheHurricanes
Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in Goals(8), assists(11), and points (19).
Logan Stankoven has 8 goals and 11 points.
Pyotr Kochetchov is 8-0-0 with a a SV% of .918. He's won 8 straight games.
Brandon Bussi is 2-2-2 and his last start was on 10-22.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 10 Games Missed
Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 10 Games Missed - Lightly skating. Could return soon
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 33
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
TV: CBJHN - Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo. DirecTV Ch. 660 (streaming), 660-1 (satellite). U-Verse (1735/735)
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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 14: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles against Mikhail Sergachev #98 of the Utah Mammoth at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Utah Mammoth (8-5-0, 16 points, 2nd place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-1, 11 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and Utah16, broadcast in Canada on SN and TVA, streaming for out of market at ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are hitting the road Saturday for a game against the Montreal Canadiens before returning home next week for a Tuesday game against the Vegas Golden Knights and Thursday game against the Boston Bruins.
Opponent Track: This is the first matchup of a six-game road trip for the Mammoth, which most recently conceded a 3-1 loss to the visiting Minnesota Wild. After starting the season 7-3, Utah hasn’t won in regulation since beating the Penguins back on Oct. 19 (they’re 1-2-0 with an overtime victory since).
Season Series: This will mark the last time the Penguins see the Mammoth this regular season. Pittsburgh is looking to spit the series for a second straight year.
Hidden Stat: Two fights took place in a 90-second span of the Mammoth’s Tuesday loss to the Wild, a game that marked the first Utah game in history featuring three fights. The Mammoth now lead the league with eight fights in 13 games this season.
Potential scratches: John Marino (week-to-week), Daniil But, Artem Duda
Injured Reserve: Michael Carcone (upper body), Maverick Lamoureux
Former Penguins defenseman John Marino is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Liam O’Brien could be making his season debut against the Penguins after appearing in his first game of the campaign against the Wild. He was one of three players who dropped the gloves Tuesday against the Wild.
Special teams notes
The Mammoth have seen very different results from their different special teams through this early stretch of the season.
Utah is heading into the matchup ranked 29th in the league with a 67.4 percent penalty kill success rate.
Head coach André Tourigny said after his team gave up two power-play goals against in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss his team learning more “discipline” would be key going forward.
The Mammoth are meanwhile overall averaging 3.62 goals per game, a number that is good for the sixth-most in the NHL and that has been inflated by the team’s success on the power play.
Utah ranks second in the NHL with a 34.8 percent power play success rate, although the unit went 0-for-4 Tuesday against the Wild. Nick Schmaltz’s five man-advantage goals in 13 games are still tied for the second most in the NHL.
On the other hand, the Mammoth are tied with the Penguins and two other teams for 11th in 5v5 scoring. Utah is also looking for a rebound performance offensively after being most recently held to just one extra-attacker goal in the final two minutes of regulation in their loss to the Wild.
The Mammoth rank third in the NHL with a 54.8 percent face-off rate so far this season, while the Penguins rank 30th after going 45.6 from the dot. Vincent Trocheck has won an impressive 62.8 percent of his face-offs over this early stretch.
Mikhail Sergachev, who is tied with Clayton Keller for the points lead in Utah, is riding a five-game point streak (1-5—6) into tonight’s matchup. Logan Cooley meanwhile has three goals in two games.
Goaltending uncertainty
It hasn’t been a particularly strong start to the season for either Mammoth goaltender. Only the Vancouver Canucks have recorded a lower team save percentage than Utah’s mark of .866. Both Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa rank bottom-11 in the league (out of 71 goaltenders) in goals saved above expected, per HockeyStats.com.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said last week the Mammoth are not “sold on Karel Vejmelka being the No. 1” who could lead his team on a playoff run (h/t NHL Rumor Report), although Tourigny said after the Tuesday loss to the Wild he felt Vejmelka was “back on track.”
Utah was tied to an interest in Connor Hellebuyck before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a haul including four players and two draft picks. How Vejmelka performs as this early stretch of the season continues could impact whether the Mammoth eventually take a swing at upgrading their goaltending ahead of the deadline.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Hendrix Lapierre – Ville Koivunen
The Penguins could be getting a few players back from health issues after their four-day break. Sam Girard and Egor Chinakhov are back at practice after missing three and two games, respectively. Ben Kindel looks ready to slot back into the lineup for the first time since the Penguins’ last game against the Mammoth.
It's important for Ben Kindel to shift his focus ahead after what he experienced last week.
"I'm definitely not dwelling on anything or have anything holding me back coming into this weekend."
More roster updates: Rutger McGroarty was absent from Wednesday’s session and could be a scratch. Avery Hayes and Chase Pietila were re-assigned to the AHL on Wednesday. Justin Brazeau has also been sent to Wilkes/Barre on a conditioning stint after getting activated from IR, while Elmer Soderblom replaced him on the list.
Forward Justin Brazeau has been activated from Injured Reserve and assigned to @WBSPenguins (AHL) on a conditioning loan.
Forward Elmer Soderblom has been placed on IR.
Forward Avery Hayes and defenseman Chase Pietila have been re-assigned to WBS. pic.twitter.com/JIjtKM9eXM
The Penguins were running a top power-play unit of Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Ville Koivunen, Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell, while slotting Chinakhov and Kindel alongside Andrei Kuzmenko, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin on the second unit at Wednesday’s practice.
It’s fair to say that Jacob Fowler has taken the NHL by storm since being called up from the Laval Rocket. The rookie netminder has gone 6-1-0 since then, including two shutouts and six straight wins. He became just the third Montreal Canadiens goaltender to record at least six consecutive wins before turning 22, after Rogie Vachon and Patrick Roy.
Fowler has also become a road warrior; in three road games, he ranks third in the league in both goals-against average (0.67) and save percentage (.980). Only Colten Ellis, who has played one game, and Jake Oettinger, who has played three games, have better numbers. As things stand, he has well and truly grabbed the number-one role with the Canadiens, and make no mistake: the only reason Jakub Fowler is getting the start on Thursday is that he’s been sitting for over a week. When the Sainte-Flanelle takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Mecca of hockey on Saturday night, Fowler will be back between the posts.
Many have earmarked him as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, but few expected him to climb that high, that fast. Dobes himself may be wondering how he went from leading the team to the Eastern Conference Final last season to getting a front-row seat so quickly, but it’s a results-based business, and the Americans’ recent work speaks for itself.
One man may not be all that surprised, though. After Fowler’s stellar shutout performance against the St. Louis Blues, an excerpt from the team’s 2023 draft documentary started circulating on social media, featuring then-amateur scout Billy Ryan explaining to the Canadiens’ extended brain trust why they need to select Fowler in no uncertain terms.
It’s a good thing the Habs hired Ryan in August 2022 to run their amateur scouting department in the USA, but the Canadiens didn't update their website to include him until April 12, 2023 and back then he was simply listed as a scout, but that appears to have been an oversight which was fixed in mid-July 2023. It means that he hadn’t even been in the role for a full year when he defended his stance on Fowler in front of a room full of people.
Fast forward three years, and the Canadiens must be oh so very glad they not only hired Ryan, a former amateur scout with the Florida Panthers for seven seasons, but also listened to him back then. Five netminders were picked before Fowler in 2023: Adam Gajan, Michael Hrabal, Trey Augustine, Carson Bjarnason and Damian Clara. Clara and Bjarnason are in the AHL; Gajan is in the ECHL; Augustine and Hrabal are in their first full AHL season. Fowler is ahead of the curve and slowly but surely making his way into early Calder Trophy discussions.
ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 9: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins pressures Cam Fowler #17 of the St. Louis Blues on December 9, 2025 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Alexis R. Knight/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 8 PM
Where: Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO
How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Opposing perspective: RIP St. Louis Game Time
Know your enemy
5-6-1, 11PTS, 6th in the Central Division
Mason McTavish: 6G-4A-10PTS; Dylan Holloway: 3G-7A-10PTS; Jimmy Snuggerud: 6G-2A-8PTS
Joel Hofer: 4-3-1, 2.40 GAA, .917 save percentage
Game notes
The Bruins continue their mini road trip (road outing? road excursion?) in Missouri, facing the St. Louis Blues. I will not dwell on it, but I don’t think I will ever get over the Bruins losing a Stanley Cup Final to Jordan Binnington.
Anyways, enough about my 2019 trauma. The Bruins played an OK game in Carolina on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t enough to beat a top-tier Hurricanes team. The Blues are decidedly not top tier, caught somewhere between a full rebuild (i.e. trade Robert Thomas) and a retool (i.e. I don’t know). They have some good young players in guys like Mason McTavish and Jimmy Snuggerud, but still seem to be going in two directions at once.
Speaking of McTavish, he has been worth the price for St. Louis thus far. Acquired from Anaheim around the time of June’s draft, McTavish leads the Blues in points and is tied for the team lead in goals.
Speaking of speaking of things, the Blues also traded for a familiar face over the summer: Brandon Carlo! Carlo was a good soldier for the B’s and I feel bad for turning him into The Artist Who Turned Into Fraser Minten, but…it’s Mintenmania Time now. Carlo has featured in all 12 games for the Blues, averaging a little over 17 minutes TOI.
The Blues have lost two games in a row, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying last time out. They lost to Montreal 2-0 on Tuesday in a game that saw Jacob Fowler make 46 saves and, per our friends at EOTP, steal a win for the Habs. Olé.
Prior to those two losses, St. Louis won two games in a row, including a 6-2 win over Vegas, so there’s some firepower there.
In what can only be perceived as an act of aggression against me personally, the Blues will wear their 2019 alternate jerseys tonight. I’m not sure if I’m more mad about the Bruins shooting directly into Binnington’s chest in Game 7 or that 2019 jerseys can now be considered alternate/vintage.
While Jeremy Swayman was excellent against Carolina, I’d imagine we see Michael DiPietro tonight. He has actually faced the Blues before, dropping a 3-1 decision back in 2022. This means nothing at all, but I included it anyways.
The Bruins could use a bounceback game from their first line tonight, after that top trio was relatively invisible in Raleigh. I did not see if Seabass#8 made another David Pastrnak comment, but let’s assume they did and the good vibes are back on.
The New Jersey Devils were already playing well before adding the best goalie in the league, the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes are on a roll and Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is on fire. Meanwhile, a couple of goalies have outperformed the No. 1 netminders on their teams.
Here's a look at strong starts that we're starting to believe:
New Jersey Devils can return to playoffs
USA TODAY had the Devils returning to the playoffs after an off year, with concerns expressed about whether their goaltending would be strong enough.
His arrival allows Jake Allen to return to backup status and Hellebuyck is active with the puck, helping the Devils' high-flying attack.
Mehta also beefed up the forward group and Luke Evangelista has been productive. Arseny Gritsyuk is thriving on the top line. And more important, Jack Hughes (outside some more lost teeth) has been healthy this season.
Carolina Hurricanes can repeat
The true answer will be told in April and beyond, but the Hurricanes are off to a strong start. Jackson Blake is continuing the run he had in the playoffs, they're getting scoring up and down the lineup and they survived injuries to Seth Jarvis (since returned) and Jordan Staal.
He has 36 points in his first 13 games, which puts him on pace for the league's first 200-point season since Wayne Gretzky in the 1980s. Even if he doesn't do that, he has a solid chance to break his career best of 153 points in 2022-23.
What's contributing to his torrid pace? Previous Oilers coaches usually played him with Leon Draisaitl as a nuclear option if the team was trailing and needed a boost. First-year Oilers coach Mike Babcock has kept the two together and used Vasily Podkolzin as the third forward on the line. That trio, along with defenseman Evan Bouchard, has made the Edmonton power play lethal.
McDavid has set an NHL record with his season-opening 13-game assist streak. He and Draisaitl reportedly pushed for Babcock and it's paying off.
Jacob Fowler is rookie of the year material, maybe more
The Montreal Canadiens goalie started the season in the American Hockey League but was called up when Sam Montembeault was injured. His arrival coincided with a slow start by 2026 playoff hero Jakub Dobes. Coach Martin St. Louis is riding the hot hand. Fowler started and won the Heritage Classic and had a 46-save shutout of the St. Louis Blues. Fowler was a standout at Boston College and in the AHL, so his early NHL success is a follow to that. He leads the league in Moneypuck's goals saved above expected and will be in the mix for the Vezina Trophy if this continues.
Fowler joins Kochetkov and the Calgary Flames' Devin Cooley in pushing themselves into stints as No. 1 goalies, though Cooley left Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 19: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) controls the puck while being defended by Utah Mammoth left wing Daniil But (50) during an NHL between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Utah Mammoth on October 19, 2026 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. (Photo by Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It was a much needed four day break for a battered Pittsburgh Penguins team, but now the schedule resumes and it wastes no time throwing the team right back into the fight with another matchup against the Utah Mammoth, the same team that just beat up on the Penguins 11 days ago to close out a rather forgettable Western Conference road trip.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.
Pens Points…
Trade rumors never cease in the NHL and one Penguin keeps popping up as a possible name of interest for teams. Despite his slow start to the season, Rickard Rakell remains a hot topic of conversation in the rumor mill as some teams reportedly may be inquiring on his services. [Pensburgh]
October is coming to a close and many Penguins prospects are already more than a month into the seasons depending on where they play. This month brought the arrival of college hockey, adding more prospects to the mix, some of which are already scorching hot. [Pensburgh]
A flurry of roster moves were made by the Penguins on Wednesday ahead of their game against Utah. Justin Brazeau has been activated from IR while Elmer Soderblom heads there. Avery Hayes and Chase Pietila were both sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as well. [The Hockey News]
Justin Brazeau was one of the early season surprises for the Penguins last season, but so far this season, he has yet to make an appearance for the team. Sidelined by injury since the start, Brazeau is now healthy and ready to lace them up whenever he number gets called. [Trib Live]
Another injured player who seems to be close to a return is defenseman Sam Girard. Though he never went to injured reserve, Girard has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. [Trib Live]
Nobody was happier to see Ben Kindel back at practice this week than Kindel himself. After suffering a medical episode on the team’s flight home from Salt Lake City, Kindel has been recovering in Pittsburgh and looks to be on track to return sooner rather than later. [Trib Live]
As per tradition, the Penguins players and their loved ones went all out to celebrate Halloween this year. Evgeni Malkin ironically went as a NASA astronaut (IYKYK) while Bryan Rust showed his dad side by dressing up as Bert from Sesame Street. [Penguins]
NHL News and Notes…
It was a long road back to the NHL for Semyon Varlamov, but after nearly two years away from the game battling injuries, the long time Russian netminder recorded his first win since November 2024 earlier this week and was mobbed by his teammates on the ice. [NHL]
It’s no secret that the NHL salary is projected to keep rising to historic heights in the coming years, but exactly how high it will go has not yet been determined. It’s already projected to be $113.5 million next season, with no signs of that pace slowing down. [Sportsnet]
The Islanders conclude their road trip in Minnesota, where it seems they used to have lots of roots. But now Anders Lee is with the Mormons, Brock Nelson is with the alpinemen, and Nick Leddy is…reaching a Zen state in a body of water somewhere, surely.
To repeat the approach in Dallas: The Wild are good and the Isles are trying to be. It comes in fits and starts. They had their moments in Dallas but ultimately couldn’t keep up. They had a great start in Nashville and then blew it, needing a rare shootout sweep to secure the second point.
The Wild are tied with their long-time alpine nemeses for the top of the West, 14 games in. By my math, that means they have 70 games to go, which was a full NHL season once upon a time.
DENVER — Jared Bednar has said he wants self-motivating individuals, players who know what the team needs without a daily push from their coach.
After a frustrating loss in Nashville, the Colorado Avalanche gave him a good example of that Tuesday night, erupting for a four-goal third period in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Colorado looked more comfortable offensively, and five different players scored. Even before the third-period surge, Bednar liked what he saw. He called the second his favorite offensive period the team has played this season, despite Colorado scoring just once.
Nazem Kadri following the win.
“I think the growth for me was there was a simplicity to our offense,” Bednar said. “It was highly effective, and it’s not just because it was the Devils, but in the way they play, I think it’s repeatable, regardless of your opponent.”
Bednar had referenced Bill Belichick's philosophy of wanting “self-motivated individuals” after practice Tuesday, saying his veteran players already know what the Avalanche should look like when they're playing well. Tuesday, they didn't seem to need much convincing.
Gabriel Landeskog tied the game with a power play goal in the second period. Colorado then killed a New Jersey 5-on-3 to start the third, and Kadri gave the Avalanche the lead at 2:45 by putting away a rebound off a Nicolas Roy shot.
Parker Kelly made it 3-1 just 62 seconds later. MacKinnon and Jaden Schwartz followed with goals 30 seconds apart, turning a close game into a comfortable lead. Connor Brown scored twice for New Jersey, but the Avalanche had already done the damage.
"It was great. It felt like that's the way it should be. Thought our line was great to night. It takes three guys on a line and two d-men to work... that's the recipe for success"
Parker Kelly picked up his 2nd goal of the year, and the game winner in COL's 5-2 win over NJ pic.twitter.com/zGrnwAwAqq
“I think it’s definitely a complete game from us,” Bednar said. The coach has seen his team put together good stretches this season, but wanted to see that level of play carry through a full game.
Kelly, who scored 21 goals last season, had a goal and an assist against New Jersey. He credited his linemates and the defensemen behind them for making the line effective.
“It takes three guys on the line and two D-men to make things work,” Kelly said. “And I thought when we were out there, it was a great five-man unit.”
There was a little payback in the win, too. When Colorado and New Jersey met on Oct. 20, the Avalanche were playing the second half of a back-to-back after losing to Philadelphia the night before. The Devils took advantage that time.
“They took advantage of us on a back-to-back, so it was nice to, you know, give them the favor back and take advantage of them when they’re on a back-to-back, right?” Kelly said.
The Avalanche were coming off a 6-2 loss to Nashville, so a response was needed. Kelly said the players felt they had been controlling the game against New Jersey for a while before the goals started coming.
“Everyone in the room here felt pretty confident that we’d been owning the game for a bit,” Kelly said. “And if we just stuck to it, you know, things are gonna start going our way.”
That's how the third period played out. Colorado stayed with its game, got the key stop on the 5-on-3 and took advantage of its chances. Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 15 saves, while Jake Allen stopped 36 shots for New Jersey.
“Everyone can leave the rink today feeling good about their game,” Kelly said.
The win gives Bednar something to point to when he talks about trusting his veteran group to recognize what needs to change. The Avalanche didn't need a complicated answer after Nashville. They needed to play better, and against New Jersey, they did. Whether they can keep that going is the bigger question.
