The Vegas Golden Knights might be the most resilient team in hockey. Their style of play stays consistent despite no matter the circumstances— it doesn’t matter if they’re up by two or down by three. And when they are down by three, they put their heads down and chip away at their opponent’s lead. 

That’s exactly what they did on Monday. After the Minnesota Wild took advantage of a stretch of bad play in the first period, the Golden Knights found themselves in a 3-0 hole for the second time in their last three games. 

On Thursday, the Golden Knights snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. But tonight, they didn’t have another multi-goal comeback in them.

This team never throws in the towel, so they clawed their way back and made things interesting. The Golden Knights outshot the Wild 12-6 in the third period, but failed to find the equalizer and ultimately fell 4-2 after the Wild hit the empty net. 

“They can be [a frustrating team to play against],” said defenseman Brayden McNabb following the loss. “They’re well structured. If we’re on our game, we can break them down. We saw that through stretches in this game. It’s just a matter of staying with it when things aren’t going your way, and not snowballing to three goals in 10 minutes.”

1. Clash of the Titans 

Special teams often dictate the outcome of a hockey game, and this one was no different. Heading into tonight’s game, both the Wild’s power play and penalty kill ranked third in the league; the Golden Knights had the third-ranked power play and the 16th-ranked penalty kill.

To say that the Wild won the special teams battle would be an understatement. It wasn’t even close. They converted on their only power play opportunity of the game, and their penalty kill was perfect against five Golden Knights power play opportunities.

“We had some chances,” said William Karlsson following the loss. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t break it down and get the puck behind the goalie.”

It wasn’t just that the Golden Knights couldn’t score on the power play— they also gave the Wild shorthanded opportunities. When the Golden Knights were on the power play, high-danger scoring chances were 4-2 in favor of Minnesota. 

“They won the special teams battle,” said Brayden McNabb postgame. “We like our PK, and we have faith in our PK and our power play. It just wasn’t our night.”

2. Stop the Bleeding

All things considered, the Golden Knights played a solid game on Monday. It’s hard to say that a goaltender played well while letting in three goals, but Carter Hart did. The Golden Knights were without Parker Wotherspoon tonight due to an upper-body injury, but Dylan Coghlan played very well in his season debut. And their first six games of the season suggest that tonight’s special teams struggles are almost certainly an outlier.

The problem was that the Golden Knights allowed the Wild to score three times in five minutes and seven seconds.

“We have to manage it better and stop the bleeding,” said William Karlsson. “At the end of the day, it’s just one goal. We’ve got to have the mindset of trying to take back momentum and get some o-zone time.”

“Those six minutes cost us,” agreed head coach Ryan Craig following the 4-3 loss. “I didn’t love our composure right at that point, but it doesn’t concern me. I think it’s just that we have to be fully aware of it a little bit quicker to get it back at that point.”

3. The Golden Lining

When you look up and down the lineup, the Golden Knights have no shortage of offensive talent. It’s rare for them to have any trouble generating chances. There are nights, however, where they just can’t convert on those chances.

Sometimes they run into a hot goaltender. Sometimes they get unlucky. Sometimes it just isn’t their night. 

It doesn’t always matter if those chances result in goals, especially not this early in the season. What matters is that the Golden Knights are consistently creating high-danger scoring chances. 

The Golden Knights’ second line, composed of Brett Howden, William Karlsson, and Mitch Marner, is usually responsible for generating much of their 5-on-5 offense. That was certainly the case tonight— that line outshot their opponents 9-5 and created four high-danger scoring chances while allowing only one. They’ve struggled to consistently convert on those chances, but as the season progresses, that becomes less and less of an issue. 

Last Thursday, Brett Howden got off the schneid. Tonight, it was William Karlsson’s turn to score his first of the season.

“I saw their D was kind of low in our zone, so I figured maybe I could beat him up the ice,” said Karlsson following the 4-2 loss. “Mitch got it up to Howie, and then Howie with the nice little sauce. Then you just have to shoot it.”

Six minutes. That's all it took to undo an otherwise promising start for the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.

The Minnesota Wild scored three goals in a 5:07 span late in the first period, and the Golden Knights couldn't overcome the deficit in a 4-2 loss to the Wild at Grand Casino Arena.

The defeat snapped Vegas' four-game winning streak despite a third-period push that brought the Golden Knights within one goal.

"I liked our start. I thought we were ready to play," Vegas coach Ryan Craig said. "Six minutes cost us."

Matt Boldy opened the scoring at 11:50, followed by Maxim Shabanov's power-play goal at 14:32 and Danila Yurov's tally at 16:57.

Rasmus Andersson put Vegas on the board at 2:37 of the second period with his first goal of the season.

STARE DOWN ALERT 🚨👁️ pic.twitter.com/ui5jqgpXCX

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 13, 2026

William Karlsson cut the deficit to 3-2 at 9:25 of the third, finishing a two-on-one rush after Mitch Marner moved the puck to Brett Howden, who delivered a pass across to Karlsson.

YEEHAW 🤠 pic.twitter.com/EHGXMPY0LD

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 13, 2026

"We have to manage it better, stop the bleeding," Karlsson said of Minnesota's first-period surge. "At the end of the day it's just one goal, and we got to have the mindset of trying to take back the momentum."

The Golden Knights generated several late opportunities, but Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt preserved the lead before Joel Eriksson Ek added an empty-net goal.

"We're a resilient group," defenseman Brayden McNabb said. "But we don't want to get in the habit of always trying to come back. We want to play with the lead."

KEY MOMENT: Wild Trifecta

Minnesota's three-goal explosion during a 5:07 stretch of the opening period changed the complexion of the game.

Craig pointed to a broken stick in front of the net, a power-play goal and a defensive breakdown as the sequence that ultimately decided the outcome.

"I didn't love our composure, I guess, right at that point," Craig said. "But it doesn't concern me. I think we just have to be fully aware of it."

KEY STAT: 0 For 3

Vegas failed to convert on three power-play opportunities, while Minnesota capitalized on one of its chances with the man advantage.

"We had some looks," Craig said. "Didn't go for us tonight. I thought the guys stayed with it, and we generated some looks."

WHAT A KNIGHT: William Karlsson

The veteran center scored his first goal of the season, using his speed to create a two-on-one opportunity before finishing Howden's pass.

"I saw their D was kind of low in our zone, so I figured maybe I can beat him up the ice," Karlsson said. "Mitch got it up to Howie and then Howie with a nice little sauce, and you just have to shoot it in."

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights complete their first back-to-back of the season Tuesday when they visit the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Craig welcomed the quick turnaround after Monday's defeat.

"I'm happy we're playing again tomorrow night," Craig said. "We'll get to work."

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) shoots against Minnesota Wild forward Danila Yurov (22) in the first period at Grand Casino Arena.

The New Jersey Devils fell to the Ottawa Senators, 4-1, at Prudential Center on Monday night. Despite an effective penalty kill, the Devils struggled to generate offense, with their lone goal from Arseny Gritsyuk scored in the third period.

Brenden Dillon was assessed an interference penalty against former Devil Fabian Zetterlund with 12:24 remaining in the first period. Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce, Cody Glass, and Dawson Mercer began the penalty kill before Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Evan Rodrigues, and Nico Hischier took over. The Devils successfully limited the Senators to just one shot during their power play.

Later in the period, Anthony Mantha received a five-minute major for boarding Ottawa defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo. Matinpalo was evaluated by a trainer on the ice before eventually heading down the tunnel. New Jersey's penalty kill once again rose to the occasion, allowing only two shots during the extended advantage.

Through 20 minutes, Ottawa held a 7-4 edge in shots, but neither team found the back of the net.

The Senators broke the deadlock just nine seconds into the second period, scoring on their eighth shot of the game. Shane Pinto recorded his first goal of the season to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the fifth consecutive game in which New Jersey surrendered the opening goal.

Five minutes into the period, Amadeus Lombardi was called for slashing Stephen Halliday. The Devils' penalty kill continued to keep the game within reach, but another infraction proved costly.

Luke Evangelista took New Jersey's fifth penalty of the game with 11 minutes remaining in the middle frame. With 1:37 left on the ensuing penalty kill, Halliday doubled Ottawa's advantage, making it 2-0.

The Devils struggled to turn their defensive effort into offensive production in the third period. Around the halfway mark of the frame, New Jersey outshot Ottawa 6-0, but Ullmark stood tall to preserve the Senators' lead.

Ottawa then extended its advantage to 3-0 on its first shot of the period, with Tim Stützle scoring his fifth goal of the season.

New Jersey appeared to get on the scoreboard when Jesper Boqvist found the net, but the goal was overturned following a review for goaltender interference.

The Devils finally broke through at 14:59 of the third period. Gritsyuk fired a wrist shot from between the circles for his first goal of the season, cutting Ottawa's lead to 3-1. Jack Hughes recorded the primary assist, extending his point streak to three games.

Any hopes of a late comeback were extinguished when Tyler Kleven scored an empty-net goal at 17:53, sealing the Senators' 4-1 victory.

The Devils will look to regroup and find a way to generate more consistent offense in their next outing on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. 

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Tim Stützle had a goal and an assist, Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday scored and the Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Monday night to keep their hot start going.

Linus Ullmark stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced, allowing just a goal to Arseny Gritsyuk with five minutes left. After a tumultuous summer that included trading captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida, the Senators have won five of their first six games, despite missing a handful of key players to injuries.

Their depth took another hit when defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo was injured in the first period. Matinpalo went head first into the boards when he was boarded by New Jersey’s Anthony Mantha.

Matinpalo received medical attention and did not return, ruled out with what the team called an upper-body injury.

Ottawa was already thin on the blue line with Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub sidelined. And forward William Eklund is out for what coach Travis Green estimated to be an extended period of time because of an injured left ankle.

Green’s team has made up for those absences with timely scoring and fast-paced play. The breakthrough at the Devils came 9 seconds into the second period when Pinto scored his first goal of the season, beating Nico Daws (16 saves) off the rush following a pass from Michael Amadio.

Halliday scored on the power play midway through the second when he was left open in front by Brett Pesce losing his footing. That was the Senators finally taking advantage of the Devils parading to the penalty box after failing to score on Mantha’s 5-minute major earlier.

SABRES 5, PANTHERS 3

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Noah Ostlund scored the go-ahead goal on the power play 7:15 into the third period, and Buffalo defeated Florida in an outing both teams lost key players to injury.

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin scored his second goal of the season before not returning after sustaining an upper-body injury early in the second period.

Meantime, Panthers starting goalie Jacob Markstrom did not return after allowing two goals on 11 shots in the first period. He was replaced by Akira Schmid, who finished allowing three goals on 21 shots.

Buffalo also got goals from Tage Thompson, Josh Doan and Ryan McLeod in an outing the Sabres never trailed.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed one goal on 14 shots for the win in a backup role. He entered 6:25 into the second period after starter Colten Ellis allowed two goals on nine shots. Ellis was pulled after Sam Reinhart tied the game at 2 by poking in a loose puck that dribbled into the crease behind the goalie.

Reinhart scored twice and Anton Lundell also had a goal. Brady Tkachuk got his first point with the Panthers as he assisted on Reinhart’s second goal.

WILD 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Max Shabanov scored on a power play during a three-goal first period as Minnesota held on to beat Vegas behind another strong special teams performance.

Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov also scored early for the Wild, who outshot the Golden Knights 23-11 over the first two periods — including 6-1 while short-handed.

Rasmus Andersson had a goal in the second and William Karlsson scored midway through the third period to bring Vegas within one, but the Wild defense locked in after that. Joel Eriksson Ek added an empty-netter with 1:22 left.

The Wild killed all five penalties against them and are 21 for 22 this season, the best penalty kill rate in the NHL. Their power play also leads the league at 7 for 17.

Jesper Wallstedt, who has played all six games in goal for the Wild, made 21 saves.

Carter Hart stopped 24 shots for the Golden Knights, who fell behind 3-0 in the first period for the second time in three games.

The Wild tied a franchise record with a power-play goal in six consecutive games to start the season when Shabanov’s shot bounced off Hurt’s blocker with Eriksson Ek running interference at the crease.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their defensemen for a little while.

The Penguins announced on Monday that Trevor van Riemsdyk has been placed on injured reserve. He got hurt during Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and missed Saturday's game against the Dallas Stars.

Penguins head coach Dan Muse confirmed on Monday that TVR won't travel with the team for the start of their upcoming four-game road trip, but he could meet them later on. 

Pens HCDM:
- Kuzmenko was a “full participant, looked good” - need to have conversations about whether or not he’s available tomorrow.
- van Riemsdyk (lower-body) will not start the trip with the team, but not ruling out joining team during trip
- No status change on Brazeau pic.twitter.com/6O7fClxy9c

— Josh Getzoff (@JG_PxP) October 12, 2026

TVR spent the first five games paired with Kris Letang and had a solid first three games before really struggling in Washington and Columbus. He has no points in five games.

The Penguins signed van Riemsdyk to a two-year contract when free agency opened on July 1 after he spent the last six seasons with the Capitals. 

Spencer Stastney replaced TVR in the lineup on Saturday and is slated to fill in until TVR's ready to return.

The Penguins will start their trip on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop will be at 8 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

All Times EDT

Tuesday, Oct. 13

MLB - Playoffs

American League Championship Series - Game 2

Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 8 p.m.

NBA - Preseason

Cleveland at Orlando, 7 p.m.

New York at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Golden State at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m.

Portland at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

NHL

New Jersey at Detroit, 6 p.m.

Florida at Columbus, 6:15 p.m.

Buffalo at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.

Washington at Carolina, 6:45 p.m.

Seattle at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Tampa Bay at N.Y. Rangers, 7:15 p.m.

St. Louis at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Vancouver at N.Y. Islanders, 7:45 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Minnesota at Winnipeg, 8:15 p.m.

Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Vegas at Nashville, 8:45 p.m.

Toronto at Utah, 9 p.m.

Calgary at Anaheim, 9:45 p.m.

Edmonton at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Boston at San Jose, 11 p.m.

_____

The hot start continues for Linus Ullmark, Tim Stützle and the Ottawa Senators.

Ullmark ran his personal record to 5-0 as the Senators (5-1-0) defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 at Prudential Center in Newark. Tim Stützle had a goal and an assist and now has 10 points in his first six games.

Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday each scored in the second period, which was all the scoring the Sens needed, as Ullmark made 29 saves for the win. 

As has so often been the case this season, the victory came with a price, as Nikolas Matinpalo was hurt in the first period on a hit from behind. The Sens played the final 50 minutes of this game with just five D.

The Devils (2-3-0) came out looking to intimidate early, with veteran defenceman Brendan Dillon running around in the opening minutes.

Then came the nasty hit from behind by Anthony Mantha on Matinpalo.

Mantha got a five-minute major for boarding, giving the Senators a chance to take control of the game. But their struggling power play failed to capitalize.

The Senators wasted little time breaking the scoreless tie in the second period.

Just nine seconds after the opening faceoff, Pinto scored his first goal of the season, with Michael Amadio and Claude Giroux picking up the assists.

The Sens doubled their lead at 8:40 when Halliday scored his second of the season, finishing off a play set up nicely by Stützle. Brett Pesce blew a tire, giving Halliday, on a holiday Monday, the gift of all the time he needed to pick his spot.

It was a welcome bit of success for a struggling Sens power play that went 1 for 5.

The Devils pushed back in the middle frame, outshooting the Sens 12-10, but their high-danger chances were limited.

By the end of the second period, the Senators had also outhit the Devils 14-9, showing they were more than willing to push back on the Devils' early physicality.

The Senators tried to park the bus in the third period and were badly outshot in the period 14-3, but it worked out. The Sens didn't get their first shot on goal until midway through the period, and it was Stützle with a perfect tip-in off a Thomas Chabot slap shot.

The Devils didn't give up, though. They thought they'd gotten on the board, but their goal was overturned following a successful Ottawa challenge for goaltender interference. That was a gutsy call by the Sens, who were only up by two and risked giving the Devils a power play if the challenge was unsuccessful. But that paid off, too.

The Devils finally did get on the board on a goal by Arseny Gritsyuk, who ruined the Ullmark shutout bid, but that's as close as they would get.

The Senators had three tries at an empty net, including one by Ullmark, before Tyler Kleven put one in to seal the deal.

With Matinpalo going down, this is the fourth win this season that's been blemished by an injury concern. The others were Jake Sanderson on opening night in Toronto, Ullmark in Boston, and William Eklund against the Flyers. Best guess on Matinpalo's injury is a concussion after the side of his head struck the boards first.

On the bright side, the Sens are now 5-1 to start a season for the first time since the 2007-08 season. They'll head back home now to face the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

As the worst offensive team in the NHL on a goals-per-game basis, the Philadelphia Flyers desperately need to find ways to add offense to the struggling group, and they have yet to really do that.

After signing Michael Bunting to a one-year contract, the Flyers sent prospect Alex Bump back to the AHL after he went without a point in his first three games of the season.

Bump, however, scored in his first game back with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, then added a goal and an assist in his second game back.

Despite that, the 22-year-old will remain in the AHL for the time being, as the Flyers instead decided to call up veteran Jack Studnicka, with Carl Grundstrom being re-assigned to the Phantoms.

Studnicka, 27, gives the 0-5-2 Flyers an additional right-handed center option to complement Noel Acciari, but he was held off the scoresheet entirely in 19 games with the Florida Panthers last year.

He does have a goal and two assists in three games with the Phantoms, but if the Flyers were really looking for offense, they would have turned to Bump, who made the team out of training camp and has consistently drawn rave reviews for his shot and willingness to make individual plays by leveraging his skills with the puck.

Flyers Reportedly Not Considering Coaching Change, Rick Tocchet Not 'In Trouble'According to a report, Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet is not on the hot seat amid the team's seven-game losing streak to open the season.

Instead, the Flyers have gone with the older, more experienced Studnicka, who played 52 games for Rick Tocchet's Vancouver Canucks between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

And, despite the familiarity with Tocchet, Studnicka didn't even survive Tocchet's first full season in Vancouver, having been traded to San Jose for Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick on Dec. 15, 2023.

Whether it's positional versatility, familiarity, or veteran leadership, the Flyers find themselves still looking for the wrong things, even from their in-house AHL call-ups.

Even Oliver Bonk, who can chip in some offense from time to time, got pressed into top-pair action next to Travis Sanheim against Carolina on Sunday night, and it went about as poorly as could be.

If the Flyers were looking for some defensive stability with Rasmus Ristolainen out, Bonk, at his age, was never going to provide it.

If the Flyers are looking for more offense with Travis Konecny out, Studnicka is never going to provide it, while Bump continues to wait in the wings for his next opportunity.

The first tweak to the Rangers power-play unit this season — at least for one night — involved their splash from the summer. 

On the same night head coach Mike Sullivan bumped Pavel Dorofeyev to the first line in search of more 5-on-5 production from his top six, he also dropped Dorofeyev — acquired from the Golden Knights in June and then inked to a $77 million contract — to the second power-play unit for the third period of their 6-2 win over the Canucks on Sunday.

He has collected just one goal and a pair of assists through the opening seven games after recording 72 goals the past two seasons.

Gabe Perreault took Dorofeyev’s spot with the top unit and assisted on Alexis Lafrenière’s goal during the Blueshirts’ lone chance with the man advantage during the final frame. 

“I thought Pav was fighting it a little,” Sullivan said postgame Sunday, “and sometimes, players have those nights. We thought we’d make a little tweak and see if we could get it going a little bit, and obviously, Gabe was a part of the goal, so we were happy about that. 

“But it was just situationally based on how we thought guys were going throughout the course of the night.” 

From the first power-play drill of training camp, when the Blueshirts began working on special teams during the condensed preseason, their top unit consisted of Dorofeyev, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, J.T. Miller and Lafrenière.

Perreault, who spent time on the top power-play line last year and finished with six points with the man advantage in 2025-26, opened the year on the second unit.

And Sullivan, after the top unit generated just one goal through the first five games, had said Thursday that they planned to be patient and let the group work through early growing pains. 

The next wrinkle with the power play, which entered play Monday still ranked No. 7 in the NHL with a 26.3 percent success rate, will involve whether that change was temporary or for longer than one night.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS

Dorofeyev, who tallied 20 power-play goals last year, was signed to enhance that unit, to give the Rangers another one-timer alongside Zibanejad.

But so far, he has just six shots on goal across nearly 22 minutes of power-play ice time. 

Lafrenière was named the NHL’s third star of the week after collecting five goals and two assists across the Rangers’ three games.

He leads the Blueshirts in both categories, and his latest goal unfolded on the power play Sunday night — when he sent a pass from Perreault near the net past Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen. 

He also added an assist in the first period, sending a pass to Tye Kartye that led to the Rangers taking a 1-0 lead just 27 seconds into the game.

Lafrenière became the second Blueshirts player to pick up a weekly award in the opening two weeks of the season, joining goaltender Igor Shesterkin — who sustained a season-ending right knee injury last week. 

The Rangers have only trailed after three periods through their opening seven games. … Liam Greentree, who was the prospect returning to the Rangers in the Artemi Panarin trade last season, scored in consecutive games for AHL Hartford over the weekend to mark the first professional goals of the 20-year-old’s career.

ST. PAUL, Minn. —  You could hear a pin drop in Grand Casino Arena during the first period of Monday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights after another Minnesota Wild player was struck in the head by a hockey puck.

The first time it happened was in the Wild's final preseason game against the Dallas Stars when Brock Faber was hit in the head by Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen's shot.

On Monday, in the first period, Nico Sturm was struck in the head by Jared Spurgeon's point shot.

The veteran forward instantly went down holding his head while head athletic trainer John Worley rushed on the ice.

After being on the ice for a minute, Sturm was helped up by Michael McCarron and Worley and escorted off the ice into the locker room.

Nico Sturm had to leave the game after taking a puck to the head.

The Wild have already lost Brock Faber for an extended period after he took a puck to the head and fractured his skull. pic.twitter.com/epPbsEzJlK

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 13, 2026

Sturm, 31, was playing in his third game of the season for the Wild. The 6-foot-3 center has played in 383 career NHL games.

Obviously, a scary scene for Wild fans and the Wild, considering the status of Faber after he was hit in almost the same spot, just on the other side of the head.

*** This story will be updated when more news comes.

Update: Sturm ruled out for rest of the game with an upper-body injury.

Update 2: According to a source, Sturm was stable and on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance in Grand Casino Arena.

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Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas is well-known for targeting players who haven't been given a chance to blossom elsewhere and who could benefit from a change-of-scenery.

And he executed a trade Monday that fits that mold. 

The Penguins acquired left defenseman Ryan Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch. Jones, 29, had appeared in four games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins of the AHL this season, totaling three assists, while Laatsch, 24, was previously assigned to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, whose home opener is set for Oct. 17. 

The departure of both opened up two NHL contract slots for the Penguins, one of which is now occupied by Johnson, who is signed for two more years at $875,000.

Johnson, 25, was selected 31st overall by the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound blueliner has not yet seen a large NHL sample, appearing in just six NHL games in the past two seasons and 47 games total in his career, with seven assists that all came during his rookie season in 2023-24. 

Aside from those three games last season, Johnson spent the season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, recording five goals and 19 points to go along with a minus-12 in 56 games. In four games with Rochester this season, he had no points. 

Top Prospects Shine in Two Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Blowout Wins This WeekendWilkes-Barre/Scranton notched two big wins this weekend, both thanks to strong performances from top prospects.

The trade helped to not only clear contract space - the Penguins now have 47 of 50 slots full, according to Puckpedia - it also helped clear a little bit of the left defensive logjam at the minor league level. The WBS Penguins had the recently waived Ilya Solovyov, Jake Livanavage, Owen Pickering, Maleek McGowan, and Jones on the roster, and Laatsch was blocked from the AHL roster as a result. 

As of now, Johnson is not part of Pittsburgh's NHL active roster, and it's unclear where he will be assigned. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was placed on injured reserve Monday, and he is not making the Penguins' four-game road trip that starts Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The team has not ruled out van Riemsdyk joining the team for the back part of the road trip.

They have also not ruled out calling on another defenseman to take van Riemsdyk's place, as his IR designation leaves the NHL club with just six active defensemen. Pittsburgh only has 21 players on its active roster, with one of those slots expected to be occupied by forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who currently has non-roster status but was a full participant in practice Monday. 

Penguins Notebook: Andrei Kuzmenko Nears Return To LineupThe Pittsburgh Penguins returned to practice on Monday and have a new-look third line again.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

One prospect that has been making some noise in the AHL this year is Ty Mueller. Through four games, the 23-year-old has four goals along with an assist. Mueller not only leads the team in points but also plays a role in all situations for the Abbotsford Canucks. 

The big question when it comes to prospects like Mueller revolves around their full-time arrival in the NHL. He has played eight games for the Vancouver Canucks so far in his career, but has yet to receive an extended look with the team. With Vancouver currently in a rebuild and Mueller's early production, now could be the perfect time to see what Mueller can do at the NHL level. 

 There are a few things working in Mueller's favour. One is his familiarity with both Ryan Johnson and Manny Malhotra. It was clear, based on deployment over the last two years, that Malhotra trusts Mueller, which could help the center ease his way into life at the NHL level. 

Another revolves around the way Mueller plays. In his limited time at the NHL level, he hasn't been a defensive liability and has shown a willingness to get pucks on net. Mueller was also decent in the NHL when it came to faceoffs last year, as he won 11 of his 21 draws. 

As for the call-up itself, a few things need to happen first. Either the Canucks need to trade a few players away and ensure that the piece coming back will not take up an NHL roster spot. There is also a chance the team is hit by the injury bug, but that could lead to only a temporary call-up. 

The other issue Mueller may run into is Johnson's plan regarding younger players. Vancouver's GM has made it very clear he does not want younger players bouncing between the NHL and the AHL. This means that if Johnson and his staff aren't fully ready to bring Mueller up full-time, other players could get the call-up first. 

Finally, this is a contract year for Mueller. While he will still be a restricted free agent, the organization needs to decide if he is part of the future at the NHL level. While Mueller's play in the AHL has been impressive, the only way to truly find out where he is in his development is by giving him a run of games in the NHL. 

Ultimately, Mueller deserves a chance to show what he can do in the NHL. He has developed well in the AHL and, with 14 shots in four games this year, is showing the offensive side of his game. With the Canucks currently in a rebuild, now is the opportunity to see if Mueller can have success at the NHL level. 

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The Montreal Canadiens are giving one of their prospects another chance on their NHL roster.

The Canadiens have announced that they have recalled forward Owen Beck from the AHL's Laval Rocket. 

Beck has appeared in four games this season with the Rocket, where he has one assist, two penalty minutes, and a plus-1 rating. This is after he had 13 goals, 33 points, and a plus-6 rating in 58 games with the Rocket during the 2025-26 campaign.

Beck also played in 15 games last season for Montreal, posting one goal, six penalty minutes, 24 hits a plus-4 rating. 

Beck will now be aiming to impress after landing this latest opportunity on the Canadiens' roster. While the 22-year-old forward has yet to break out, the potential for him to emerge as a solid defensive forward in the NHL is there.

In 28 career NHL games over three seasons, Beck has recorded one goal, one assist, 47 hits, and a plus-1 rating. It will be intriguing to see what he can do after being called up to Montreal's roster again. 

An ol’ 2-for-1 trade. The Penguins have sent a pair of minor league defensemen to Buffalo for a former first round pick.

Johnson, 25, was taken with the 31st pick back in the 2019 draft. He’s got 47 career NHL games under his belt, though the majority of that was in 2023-24 and he’s been mostly in the AHL ever since, playing only three NHL games in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. So far this season, it’s been all AHL time for Johnson. The 6’1”, 195 left shot defender spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota prior to that. Johnson has a contract through the 2027-28 season.

In exchange, Pittsburgh does a little house cleaning to drop two players and get down to 48 contracts of the 50 they are allotted per year. The Pens traded Caleb Jones, who cleared waivers weeks ago. Jones has played four games with AHL Wilkes-Barre, recording all three of his assists on the season in the same game. The 29-year old played seven NHL games with the Pens last season before a pair of long-term injuries and the rare suspension for  violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program ended his season last year.

Laatsch was a seventh round draft pick in 2021, the lanky defender spent four seasons in Wisconsin then spent most of his rookie season in 2025-26 with ECHL Wheeling, with 10 games played in the AHL. He’s yet to play this season and was only going to be a swing ECHL/AHL type of depth option in the organization.

Overall, this deal helps right size the numbers for the Pens at the minor league level. The team had all of Ilya Solovyov, Jones, Owen Pickering, Jake Livanavage, Laatsch and AHL contracted Maleek McGowan as left shots fighting for time in Wilkes-Barre. Paring down the numbers should help ease the block in the future for that spot.

Beyond that, time will tell if this deal has any NHL impact. Johnson might draw some intrigue as a former first round pick and member of the US National Development team but his career track has been spinning its wheels for a while. Even if he’s nothing more than deep depth, that’s the only place what Pittsburgh gave up would be this season anyways. Mostly a minor deal, helps restock the numbers a bit but does give the Pens a chance to take a look at a former first round pick to see what might come of playing in a new organization.

The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to practice on Monday after notching a 2-1 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak that began last Monday against the Winnipeg Jets and lasted for almost a week. The Penguins needed it in the worst way since they weren't defending well and looked lethargic. 

They played excellent defense, got great goaltending from Arturs Silovs, and the shooters (Ben Kindel, Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell) finally did well in a shootout. 

Monday's practice saw Muse tinker with the third line some more. Ben Kindel has had a rotating cast of wingers to start the season, and that likely won't change when the Penguins head to the "Windy City" to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Kindel was skating on a line with Ville Koivunen and Andrei Kuzmenko during practice. Koivunen was a healthy scratch on Saturday, while Kuzmenko sat out the last two games since he's obviously going through a lot. 

Here were the full practice lines and pairs:

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Kuzmenko-Kindel-Koivunen

Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson

Defensive pairs

Carlile-Karlsson

Girard-Korczak

Stastney-Letang

Based on these combinations, it appears Hendrix Lapierre and Elmer Soderblom will be the odd ones out at the start of this four-game road trip.

Lapierre's scratch makes sense because, aside from that first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he's been a bit of a non-factor. It wouldn't hurt to sit him for a game or two so he can work on a few things. 

As for Soderblom, this one's a bit more surprising, especially since he played super well against the Stars on Saturday. He was great along the walls and was one of the Penguins' best forecheckers behind the net. He deserves to get more runway on that line, but the staff doesn't see it that way right now. 

Spencer Stastney will be in the lineup for a little bit since Trevor van Riemsdyk is not going on the trip. Stastney was solid in his Penguins debut on Saturday and showcased some good speed and defensive ability in his own end. 

He was a good fit with Kris Letang, so it'll be interesting to see if that can continue this week. 

Puck drop for Tuesday's Penguins-Blackhawks game will be at 8 p.m. ET. 

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