NEWS & NOTES 

Old Friend Kirill Marchenko Can Expect Very Loud Boo's TonightTHN-Columbus Poll - Will You Be Booing Kirill Marchenko?

The next question is: How will the CBJ faithful treat Marchenko when he's introduced and when he's on the ice? I'm guessing very loud boos. He'll smile and act like it doesn't bother him, of course, but deep down, Kirill Marchenko loves to be loved, so this might affect him a tad. 

Why Blue Jackets' Matthew Knies Could Bounce Back vs. Maple LeafsMatthew Knies is set to face off against his former team on Tuesday and a bounce-back game could be on the way.

Knies is entering this game in the middle of a cold streak. After starting the season with two goals and two assists in his first two games, he has gone five straight games without a point. Thus, the Blue Jackets forward is due for a bounce-back game, and it would not be surprising if it happens against the Maple Leafs.

Dmitri Voronkov Trade Scenarios: Calgary FlamesWith the rumors that the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> are <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/latest-news/report-blue-jackets-power-forward-available-for-trade">shopping Dmitri Voronkov</a>, we thought we'd go ahead and rip the band-aid off and start looking at possible teams to trade him to and the returns. 

CALGARY FLAMES RECEIVE:

• Dmitri Voronkov (LW/C - $4.175M Cap Hit, Expiring 2027)  

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS RECEIVE:

• Connor Zary (FWD - RFA at end of season)2027
• 3rd-Round Draft Pick

You Can't Have It Both Ways, Or Can You? The NHL's Double Standard On Booing Returning PlayersThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> and their fans welcomed Kirill Marchenko back into Nationwide Arena this past Tuesday. 

Some even questioned whether or not they should be booing at all. They said that even though he asked out, it was the team's fault for him wanting out. Fair, but he still refused to re-sign here. Most fans, however, said he would get booed for asking out and not even giving the Jackets a chance to sign him. 

Dmitri Voronkov Trade Scenarios: St. Louis Blues With the rumors that the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> are <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/latest-news/report-blue-jackets-power-forward-available-for-trade">shopping Dmitri Voronkov</a>, we thought we'd go ahead and rip the band-aid off and start looking at possible teams to trade him to and the returns. 

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS RECEIVE:

• Alexey Toropchenko (RW/LW - $2.5M Cap Hit through 2027-28)

• 2027 2nd-Round Draft Pick

ST. LOUIS BLUES RECEIVE:

• Dmitri Voronkov (LW/C - $4.175M Cap Hit through 2026-27)

Metro Division Foe To Land Superstar Goalie Connor HellebuyckThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> are already in a tough division, and the way this year has started, it's going to get even tougher. 

The Blue Jackets will now have to contend with Connor Hellebuyck, Brandon Bussi, Pyotr Kochetkov, Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov, Charlie Lindgren, Logan Thompson, and, when he's healthy, Igor Shesterkin. 

GAME PREVIEWS & RECAPS

Columbus Blue Jackets (6 pts) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (10 pts) Game PreviewThe <a href="http://thn.com/columbus" target="_blank">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> are back at home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at 7:00 PM.     

Series History vs. TheMaple Leafs     

• The Blue Jackets are 23-20-1-1 overall, and 10-11-0-1 at home vs. Toronto.
• The Jackets have earned points in seven of their last nine matchups against the Maple Leafs (6-2-1).
• The Blue Jackets have won three of the last four matchups at Nationwide Arena in the series, outscoring the Maple Leafs by six goals (19-12).

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Toronto Maple LeafsThe Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at 7:00 PM.

Toronto's Second Period Onslaught Dooms Columbus, Marchenko Scores In Return To Nationwide ArenaThe Blue Jackets are now 3-5 this season.

Jake Christiansen(1) and Charlie Coyle(1) scored the goals for Columbus in a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Jet Greaves had a bad night and only stopped 14 of 19 Leafs shots. He was pulled for Cam Talbot, who gave up a goal on 3 shots. 

Columbus Blue Jackets (6 pts) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (16 pts) Game PreviewThe Blue Jackets are 7-6-1 overall, and 4-3-1 at home vs. Vegas.

Series History vs. TheGolden Knights      

• The Blue Jackets are 7-6-1 overall, and 4-3-1 at home vs. Vegas.
• Columbus went 0-2-0 in 2025-26. 
• The home team has recorded points in eight of the past 10 meetings (6-2-2).

Columbus Blue Jackets Lines, Defensive Pairings, & Scratches For Tonight's Game vs. Vegas Golden KnightsThe Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 7:00 PM.

Adam Fantilli's OT Winner Busts Losing Streak, Sends Vegas To Third Straight LossThe Blue Jackets' record now sits at 4-5.

Denton Mateychuk(2) opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets, and Adam Fantilli(3-PP-GWG) finished off the Vegas Golden Knights just 59 seconds into the OT period to send the VGK home with a third straight loss. The win by Columbus also stops a 2-game losing streak.

Goalie Cam Talbot played exceptionally well, picking up his second win of the season by stopping 26 of 27 shots from the high-powered VGK. 

Columbus was able to keep up with the Golden Knights for the most part and was able to grind out the win.

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. 

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The Rangers are adding goalie depth, signing James Reimer to a one-year deal. 

Reimer recently joined the organization on an AHL tryout as the Blueshirts looked to bring in more experience at the position after losing All-Star starter Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the season. 

The veteran stopped all 35 shots he faced, recording a shutout in his lone appearance with Hartford. 

Now Reimer receives an opportunity in the pros, looking to provide some relief for rookie Dylan Garand, who has seemingly hit a wall after starting each of the last seven games.  

Garand's allowed five goals in back-to-back contests, both of which resulted in losses. 

As for Reimer, the 38-year-old last appeared in the NHL last season, recording a 2.42 GAA and .886 save percentage across 14 appearances with the Senators. 

He's also spent time with the Maple Leafs, Panthers, Hurricanes, Sharks, Red Wings, Ducks, and Sabres over the course of his 16-year NHL career.  

As part of the fanfare that comes with hosting an outdoor game, the city of Winnipeg hosted an old-timer’s game between the former Montreal Canadiens and the former Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Center on Saturday night. With nothing but pride and bragging rights on the line, fans who made it to the game got a good show and didn’t regret it.

The Habs alumni, coached by former blueliner and now media personality P.K. Subban, won 7-4 over the Jets alumni. The bench boss had plenty of talent to draw on, with Paul Byron, David Desharnais, Guillaume Latendresse, and Andrei Markov lacing them up for the Sainte-Flanelle. In net, Montreal chose the 2011 playoff hero, Jaroslav Halak, and Yan Danis, and it proved a winning formula.

Game 11 – Canadiens vs. Jets: Taking It Outside
Canadiens Alumni Kick Off Heritage Classic Celebrations
Canadiens: Let The Dominoes Fall

Desharnais, who spent part of 10 NHL seasons in the Canadiens’ organization, led the charge with four points in a 7-4 triumph, a total matched by linemate Guillaume Latendresse on a line completed by Erik Cole. The big number 84 scored a brace like Byron, while Desharnais, David Savard and Cole also found the back of the net, with the latter scoring on an empty net.

Meanwhile, Ron Hainsey, Mark Stuart, Anthony Peluso and Blake Wheeler beat the Canadiens’ goaltenders, but it wasn't enough to give the home side a win. Andrew Hutchinson and Jason Kasdorf were the locals’ netminders.

With that game in the books, the two NHL teams can now get down to business at Princess Auto Stadium. The Jets will try to right the ship after four straight losses, while the Canadiens will try to build momentum after returning to winning ways Friday night. The puck drops at 7:00 PM for a game that will hopefully live up to its Heritage Classic billing.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

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The Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a victory at home on Friday, are back on the road!

Tonight, they’ll take on the Nashville Predators in a matchup featuring some very familiar faces wearing opposing colors.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avs defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 on Friday night, snapping a two game losing streak. Nathan MacKinnon, who had been held off the scoresheet during the team’s back-to-back road games, led the way with a four point effort (1G/3A). Artturi Lehkonen scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season, which stood as the game-winner, and Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside thirty-one of thirty-four shots to pick up his fifth win of the season.

Friday’s game also marked the return of Logan O’Connor to the lineup. O’Connor, who had missed the first ten games of the season with injury, skated on a line with Parker Kelly and Taylor Makar, who had been called up from Loveland earlier in the day.

In comments on Saturday, head coach Jared Bednar again highlighted the progress his team has made and the hurdles of putting together a complete effort from start to finish. “Leading into those two games [on the road], I was starting to like where our game was coming. It was just a matter of putting together a full sixty. We went the other way, and then last night, I felt that was probably, like, as close as we could get to a full sixty even with the disruption of flow with all the penalties in the second period.”

Bednar also stated on Saturday that Nicolas Roy would accompany the team to Nashville, although he’s considered “questionable but doubtful” for playing on Sunday. As for the injured Zachary L’Heureux, he’s still considered “week-to-week”, but no timetable exists for his return. Taylor Makar also will be on the road trip.

MacKinnon still leads all skaters in points (20) and assists (13), and trails Lehkonen for the team lead in goals (7). Fedor Svechkov, who was drafted by Nashville in 2021, played the previous two seasons with the Predators before being acquired by the Avs, along with L’Heureux, during the offseason.

The Avs split the season series against Nashville last season, with both teams splitting victories at home and on the road.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Nazem Kadri
Jaden Schwartz – Fedor Svechkov – T.J. Hughes
Logan O’Connor – Parker Kelly – Taylor Makar

Defense:
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski
Josh Manson – Brent Burns

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Nashville Predators

A decade ago, Nashville was at the height of its powers as a Stanley Cup contender. They made their first (and so far, only) appearance in the Stanley Cup Final back in 2017, only to lose to the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Since then, Nashville has only advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs once, lost in the first round four times, and missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons. With general manager Barry Trotz stepping down at the end of last season, the organization wanted someone that had prior success in reshaping a roster into a legitimate playoff threat.

On June 02, they had their man: Chris MacFarland, who spent the previous four seasons as Colorado’s general manager, was brought in as Nashville’s general manager and president of hockey operations. On June 05, former Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake was hired on as vice president of hockey operations. With both men having had success in Colorado at the executive and player levels now in place, a very busy summer was about to start in Smashville.

Nashville acquired left wing Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch from Colorado in exchange for Nashville’s third round pick in this year’s draft, Colorado’s own third round pick in the 2027 draft, and goaltender Magnus Chrona on June 16. Eight days later, Nashville acquired center Jack Drury from Colorado along with left wing Chase Bradley and Colorado’s third round pick in 2029 in exchange for left wing Zachary L’Heureux and center Fedor Svechkov.

Drury signed a five year, $22.5 million dollar contract extension on June 29. That same day, Nashville traded Colorado’s 2029 third round pick it had acquired in the Drury deal to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for left wing Nils Höglander. Prior to the start of free agency, center Adam Enstrom was acquired from the New York Rangers on June 27 in exchange for center Massimo Rizzo and Edmonton’s fifth round pick in 2029.

As free agency began, MacFarland set his sights on another Central Division rival. On July 01, he acquired right wing Mavrik Bourque and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Nashville’s 2027 second round pick and Vegas’ third round pick in 2028. Three days later, Bourque signed a six-year, $33 million dollar contract with Nashville.

Despite their refreshed roster, Nashville has gotten off to a decidedly lukewarm start, sporting a 3-3-4 record through their first ten games of the season. However, they’ve also lost five of their previous six games, with their most recent loss coming last night in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. With goaltender Juuse Saros starting in goal against Pittsburgh, goaltender Justus Annunen will likely get the call against his former club, who will be well rested and ready when the teams take the ice tonight.

Steven Stamkos leads all Nashville skaters in points (11) and goals (5), captain Roman Josi leads the team in assists (8). Nicolas Hague leads all Nashville skaters in penalty minutes (13). Saros is credited with all three of Nashville’s wins this season. Annunen has played only one game this season with Nashville, having spent some time on injured reserve earlier this season.

Despite this game having all the markings of a schedule loss for Nashville, a win tonight could pull them one point behind Colorado in the Central Division standings.

Tonight’s game marks the beginning of a five game home stand at Bridgestone Arena, and their start of their four game series with Colorado.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Matthew Wood
Filip Forsberg – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault
Daemon Hunt – Alex Kerfoot – Nils Höglander
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom

Defense:
Roman Josi – Adam Wilsby
Nicolas Hague – Jayden Struble
Brady Skjei – Reid Schaefer

Between the Pipes:
Justus Annunen
Juuse Saros

Denton Mateychuk(2) opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets, and Adam Fantilli(3-PP-GWG) finished off the Vegas Golden Knights just 59 seconds into the OT period to send the VGK home with a third straight loss. The win by Columbus also stops a 2-game losing streak.

Goalie Cam Talbot played exceptionally well, picking up his second win of the season by stopping 26 of 27 shots from the high-powered VGK. 

Columbus was able to keep up with the Golden Knights for the most part and was able to grind out the win.

Keep an eye out for those types of wins going forward. 

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus improved to 3-0 this season when playing past regulation (all at Nationwide Arena).
• With last night's win at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets have now earned points in six of their nine (5-3-1) franchise home games against the Golden Knights.
• The home team improved to 7-2-2 in the last 11 games of the series after last night's overtime win by the Jackets.
• Columbus scored first for the sixth time this season after netting the opener at 11:51 into the game. It’s the fifth straight time at Nationwide Arena that the club has scored the first goal of the game.
• Last night's game was the third instance (second at Nationwide Arena) that the game was decided past regulation in the all-time series between the clubs.  Columbus improved to 2-1 in the extra frame after tonight’s overtime win (MR: Jan. 30, 2025, 2-1 OTW at VGK).

Final Stats

Player Stats & Notes

• Denton Mateychuk scored his 2nd goal and had 6 blocks. He leads CBJ defensemen in goals in 2026-27. He is now tied with John Carlson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Mattias Samuelsson for seventh among NHL defensemen in even-strength goals since the beginning of 2025-26 (14).
• Adam Fantilli scored his 3rd goal and only won 28.6% of his faceoffs. He scored the third overtime game-winning goal of his NHL career and his seventh game-winner overall last night. He has tallied goals in two of the past three contests overall (2-0-2). 
• Kent Johnson picked up his 2nd and 3rd assists of the season. He tallied his first multi-assist game of the season with two helpers last night to give him 3-2-5 in his last six games played this season. He has notched points in five of the seven games played at Nationwide Arena in 2026-27 (3-3-6). He extended his point streak against Vegas to three straight games (1-3-4) and has 1-4-5 in five career matchups.
• Val Nichushkin recorded his 4th assist. He has posted helpers in three of the past four home games this season (0-3-3). He improved to 6-5-11 in 25 career games against Vegas, with 4-3-7 in his past eight contests against the Golden Knights.
• Charlie Coyle got his 7th assist. He has points in back-to-back games (1-1-2) as well as points in five of his past six contests this season (1-4-5). He improved to 5-8-13 in 18 career games against Vegas, including 1-4-5 in his last six matchups.
• Zach Werenski had 3 shot and 2 blocks. 
• Cam Talbot stopped 26 of 27 shots, including 2 shorthanded.

Team Stats 

• The Jackets went 1/3 on the power play. 
• The Columbus PK stopped the only power play Vegas had. 
• Columbus won 54.7% of the faceoffs - 35/64
• The Blue Jackets had 26 hits and 14 blocks.

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. 

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Utah Mammoth fans might be feeling the same way Dmitri Simashev felt after scoring the overtime winner on Saturday. Feeling like they were sleeping.

A dramatic 5-4 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had recently crushed the Vegas Golden Knights and were reeling after a bad loss to the Colorado Avalanche, sent an electric Delta Center crowd home happy. However, don’t forget it didn’t look like it was going to end that way in the first period.

The very first goal went to Jake Guentzel, but he wasn’t the last player to touch the puck before it went into the back of the net. It was Nate Schmidt who put the puck in his own net. The Lightning scored two more goals going into the last couple of minutes of the first period to put the Mammoth in a hole.

The third goal by the Lightning, scored by Brayden Point, ended up being assisted on by Nikita Kucherov, giving him the point needed to pass Steven Stamkos to become the Lightning’s all-time leader in points.

Luckily, Dylan Guenther scored off his iconic one-timer on the power play right before the period ended, setting up a massive second period. The power play for the Mammoth keeps producing well, scoring on one of their three opportunities. The penalty kill did give up one goal on three opportunities, not an offensive number like in prior games.

🗣️Gunner goes top shelf on the power play! pic.twitter.com/UsrnTOsyi0

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026

Ironically, the Mikhail Sergachev trade played a big role in this game. The defenseman got his first-ever point against his former team, assisting on Guenther’s goal. On the flip side, Conor Geekie scored to start the second period, once again putting the Mammoth in a hole.

That’s where the tide started to turn. A shot from MacKenzie Weegar bounced off Anthony Cirelli and then off Anders Lee’s stick to get the Mammoth within one.

“When we scored that goal, we felt that we were alive. It's coming,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Obviously, the fourth goal was a tying goal, a big goal. But from there, I felt we got this. You will never be perfect, but we were a really good team at that point.” 

We have to talk about the third line of Lee, Barrett Hayton, and future NHL 2027 All-Star Kailer Yamamoto. Once again, this line was the best line of the game for the Mammoth. Every time they were on the ice, they had some sort of impact.

Each member of the line had a point on Saturday. Lee got his goal, and Hayton got an assist on the overtime winner. Meanwhile, Yamamoto retained his point-per-game pace by scoring the first goal on a great individual effort to race up the ice and put the puck into the back of the net. There is no debate at this point that Yamamoto should be in the lineup every game from this point on.

Hot. Yam. 🍠🔥 pic.twitter.com/P8abctWxVH

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026

“We go to work,” Lee said. “We put the puck in, we're smart with it, and we got a little bite. I think we won a lot of battles tonight. Hayts and Yamo were great, up and down the ice and in the corners. We were able to create a lot from that, and that's kind of been our identity as a line, and I think we played to that very well tonight.”

Let’s talk about Karel Vejmelka. There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the Mammoth’s goaltending and how questionable it’s been. That talk has only picked up with the recent Connor Hellebuyck deal. Vejmelka’s stats have been awful, and his play wasn’t great on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.

To start this one, that play wasn’t much better. He gave up some goals that he can’t give up, looking at the Pontus Holmberg one in particular. However, as the game continued, he settled in. Vejmelka made some good saves in the third period and a massive one in overtime as Sergachev gave up the puck in the middle of the ice. The goalie finished with a .906 save percentage. While improvements still need to be made, you saw the player who has been big for the Mammoth the past two seasons in the second half of this game.

“Veg had a tough stretch, and you start the game that way, and then they score three goals in the first period,” Tourigny said. “He showed a lot of character bouncing back and coming up big like he did at the end of the game and making big saves in overtime and in the third. Really proud of him, really proud for him. I think we all know how much he cares and how much the team means to him, so to see him bounce back and come up big in key moments and help us to get the two points was huge.”

However, the biggest story of Saturday night was Simashev. The defenseman has had a really strong start to the season and it continued against the Lightning as he scored his first goal of his NHL career off a shot from the top of the faceoff circle.

First @NHL goal for Sima!!! 👏

Simashev ties the game. pic.twitter.com/1oHa5qhYFr

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026

Simashev didn’t have to wait long for NHL career goal number two. He was deployed in overtime and on a two-on-one opportunity with Hayton; the defenseman put the puck home for the game-winner.

“I feel amazing,” Simashev said. “I scored in overtime in the KHL, and it was kind of the same thing. I scored my first goal the game before and then the second in overtime. But I mean, I didn’t expect to play in overtime, to be honest. I was just so happy when we scored the goal; that’s all my feelings right now.”

HAVE A NIGHT, SIMA! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ymqUa4IQGa

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026

In both of those goals, you saw the Simashev who played with the Tucson Roadrunners last season. He was jumping forward towards the net to make offensive plays, something he hesitated to do at times in the NHL. If he has truly found that same game he had last season in the American Hockey League, the rest of the NHL needs to watch out.

Just like their game on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, this wasn’t a pretty win. The first half of the game saw some bad play from a variety of players on the team. However, as time went on, the Mammoth, just like their goaltender, settled in and played like the team we saw earlier this season.

The defenseman who scored his first two NHL goals on Saturday has won a pro championship before. He knows sometimes good teams can play badly. However, it’s about the way that team can bounce back in intermissions and after games and leave the worst in the past.

“I think that starts from the locker room, from the energy you have before the game and between the periods,” Simashev said. “I think obviously the character in the third period and overtime. That’s the main thing. I played in the KHL and won the championship, and I just want to say character is the most important thing.”

There are still issues with the Mammoth. A 5-4 overtime win won’t fix that. However, this is a great way to start winning back the confidence of fans the team might’ve lost over the past couple of games, and it’s a great way to give the locker room motivation to finish out October with two more wins and continue those winning ways into November.

“We stuck to our plan and got to our game, and we really got to it in the third,” Lee said. “We put ourselves in a great position by clawing back before that. Just proud of the group that we settled in and didn't get away from what we needed to do tonight. At the end of the day, when you do that overtime, it gives you an opportunity to win a game.”

The Mammoth will play the Minnesota Wild next on Tuesday. The Wild are 7-3-2 this season and are coming off a 5-1 win over the Kraken. They’ll play the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday before heading to Salt Lake City.

The Calgary Flames extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Wearing their 2004 tribute jerseys, the Flames delivered a performance that fit the occasion, earning their first win over Detroit since 2022 while continuing to build some momentum.

Calgary opened the scoring late in the first period when Adam Klapka worked the puck out of the corner and found Joel Farabee in front. Farabee made no mistake, one-timing the pass past Detroit goaltender John Gibson to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

Detroit responded early in the second period. Following an offensive-zone faceoff, Andrew Copp found a loose puck in the scramble and swatted it through Devin Cooley’s legs to tie the game at one.

The Flames regained the lead on the power play, with rookie defenceman Zayne Parekh making his mark. Parekh fired a wrist shot from the blue line that found its way past Gibson off a deflection off the goaltender’s pad, giving Calgary a 2-1 advantage with his first goal of the season.

Ryan Strome extended the lead shortly afterward. Morgan Frost found Strome in the middle of the ice, and the veteran forward snapped a shot past Gibson to make it 3-1.

Calgary wasn’t finished. Late in the second period, Matvei Gridin capped off another successful power play by one-timing a pass from Farabee into the net. The goal gave the Flames a three-goal cushion heading into the third period.

With the special teams delivering and Cooley continuing to find ways to win, Calgary took care of business in the final frame to secure its third consecutive victory.

Three Takeaways

1. The power play delivered when it mattered

Calgary went 2-for-2 with the man advantage, getting goals from two of its young players in Parekh and Gridin. Both goals helped swing the momentum in the Flames’ favour, and the ability to capitalize on special teams continues to be an encouraging sign. If Calgary can consistently get this kind of production from its power play, it will give the team another reliable way to win games.

2. Cooley keeps stacking wins

Devin Cooley picked up his third consecutive victory between the pipes. He wasn’t overly tested against Detroit, but he remained composed and gave the Flames a steady presence in net. Goaltending isn’t always about making highlight-reel saves. Sometimes, it’s about keeping things simple, making the stops you’re supposed to make and allowing the team in front of you to play with confidence. Cooley continues to do that.

3. Farabee leads the offensive charge

Farabee finished with a goal and two assists for a three-point night, providing one of his strongest offensive performances in a Flames uniform. He opened the scoring, set up Gridin’s power-play goal and played a key role in Calgary’s offensive attack. His ability to contribute as both a finisher and a playmaker gives the Flames another valuable option as they look to keep their momentum going.

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This wasn't how the Detroit Red Wings wanted to remember their final trip to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

Coming into the contest with a six-game point streak on the line, the Red Wings saw it come to a close with a 4-1 setback against the Flames, who had lost six of their first seven games of the season. 

Road trip wraps up Monday in Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/KChnZBzTRS

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 25, 2026

With the setback, the Red Wings fell to 4-4-3 on the campaign, and 1-1-1 through the first three games of their four-game Western Conference road swing. 

Special teams did the Red Wings no favors, as they were unable to convert on either of their power play chances, while allowing the Flames to score twice with the man advantage. 

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It was the Flames who struck first late in the opening 20 minutes of play, as Joel Farabee was left wide open at the side of the net and one-timed a feed from Adam Klapka past a sprawling John Gibson, giving Calgary the advantage.

The Red Wings appeared to gain some momentum early in the middle frame when Andrew Copp knotted the score with his second goal of the season, only to lose it when the Flames struck on the power play as Zayne Parekh scored his first goal of 2026-27.

Detroit nearly tied the score shortly afterward when Alex DeBrincat, who took the penalty that lead to Parekh's go-ahead goal, partially broke in alone on Flames goaltender Devin Cooley, but had his backhand attempt denied.

Calgary then took a two-goal lead less than 90 seconds apart; Ryan Strome scored his second of the season, followed by a power play goal from Matvei Gridin with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård in the box for delay of game. 

Gibson took the loss with 21 saves on 25 shots, while Cooley made 28 saves.

The Red Wings will wrap up their road trip with a stop against former head coach Mike Babcock and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday evening at Rogers Place. 

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OTTAWA — For new Rangers forward Luke Glendening, the start to this season has been a journey. 

Needing a professional tryout to stick around the NHL for the second straight October, Glendening skated with the Lightning’s third group in training camp that mostly featured prospects and AHL-bound players. 

The 37-year-old veteran of 934 games said skating with the youngsters was fun, noting that it “reinvigorated” him to see them experience their first NHL camps amid his 14th. 

Glendening made it sound like the PTO with the Lightning was more of a favor. He had been working out in Tampa Bay all summer, and the organization knew he intended to continue playing in the NHL, so head coach Jon Cooper told him they had an extra spot. 

When he was released at the end of September, the Michigan native continued training in the Sunshine State while he waited for his next opportunity. 

“I went from playing dress-up and Barbies to playing in the National Hockey League,” Glendening said before making his Rangers debut in Saturday’s loss to the Senators, referring to the time spent with daughters Riggsy, 3, and Ada Grace, 1. “So it’s a wild ride.” 

Saturday night’s matchup was really the first game in which Glendening was eligible to play. 

The Blueshirts sent Justin Dowling, who filled in at fourth-line center the previous four games, back to Hartford after practice Friday. Glendening slotted into that spot Saturday after turning his midseason PTO into a one-year, $850,000 deal (league minimum) just before the Rangers game in Toronto on Thursday. 

Glendening has now played for six teams over his NHL career. 

“These guys have been rolling along pretty well,” he said. “I’m not a big piece, I’m just trying to fit in and do what I’m asked to do. I keep using this word, but it’s true: Every day in this league is a blessing, and I’m just so thankful for another one.” 

Dylan Garand stopped 17 of 22 shots faced in his seventh consecutive start Saturday night. 

“We’ve looked at the schedule, so we know where we’re at,” head coach Mike Sullivan said when asked Friday about the rookie goalie’s workload. “We’ve looked at the body of work. The number of games that he’s played. We look at what we have moving forward and we’re going to try to make decisions accordingly. We’re well aware of what his workload is and where he’s at. 

“We talk with him daily, our coaching staff and in particular Jeff Malcolm, our goalie coach, who I think has a real good feel for Dylan and where he’s at. I speak to Dylan also as far as how he feels, and so we’re aware of what his workload is. Do we anticipate moving forward giving him some rest? Yes.” 

Sullivan called Matthew Robertson’s late-night recall Friday “more the business side of it” and “making sure we’re prepared for any scenario.” 

While Sean Durzi missed his second straight practice for what the team described as “maintenance,” the 28-year-old defenseman participated in an optional morning skate and ultimately played against the Senators. 

Shuffling the lines a bit by the second period, Sullivan replaced Pavel Dorofeyev with Oliver Bjorkstrand on the second line. 

Dorofeyev scored his third goal of the season to pull the Rangers within one with 4:28 left in regulation, but the Russian sharpshooter still is struggling to make his mark on games. 

“This is what I said to him this morning; I had a conversation with him,” Sullivan said after the loss. “Pav’s had a lot of chances. He’s hit a lot of posts. If a certain percentage of the ones that hit the posts have gone in the net, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. That’s the nature of hockey. If he wasn’t getting the chances, it would be a different conversation. He got a nice goal tonight. It’s a goal scorer’s goal. We’re hoping that might get him going.”

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins put forth their best effort of the season in a 4-0 shutout win over the Florida Panthers, as they were clicking on all cylinders for a full 60 minutes. They hoped that game could help right the ship after a poor road trip that saw four straight losses. 

And they certainly delivered in the follow-up performance Saturday.

The Penguins bested the Nashville Predators, 3-2, on a late comeback goal by Rickard Rakell and a snipe by Ville Koivunen in overtime to give them their second-straight win in what was a great team effort. Goaltender Arturs Silovs started his third straight game and stopped 24 of 26 Nashville shots on goal. 

It was good to see Rakell get on the board, especially since it was just his second goal of the season and because he had two breakaway opportunities to score earlier. 

“It felt so good," Rakell said. "The amount of looks I had – first off, in this game – my teammates setting me up for all these chances, it definitely feels good to put one in. It felt like that gave us a lot of momentum going into overtime, and it was a great job by Ville to find the back of the net there.”

The game started out pretty sloppy and choppy for both teams, with not a ton of time and space to work with, especially in the neutral zone. That said, the Penguins still carried most of the play in the first period, but unfortunately, a floating puck in the goal crease hit Steven Stamkos's stick and went in to give Nashville a 1-0 lead midway through the opening frame. 

But the Penguins had a quick answer in the second. 

Just 18 seconds in, Elmer Soderblom picked off a puck from behind the net and forced it to Dewar low in the right circle, and he was able to outwork his opponent and corral the puck to set up a shot and put it past Saros to tie things at 1-1. For a good chunk of the second period, the Penguins were dominating play. 

DEW YOU LIKE THIS?! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ddKU9HkOUo

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 25, 2026

However, a defensive breakdown in coverage led to a second goal by Nashville. After a faceoff win, defenseman Jayden Struble took a pass from Nils Hoglander, and he was left uncovered in the right circle. He picked his spot and blew one by Silovs to restore the Nashville lead.

Silovs made some big saves at the end of the second and into the third - and the Preds almost got on the board in the final second of the middle frame, but the puck didn't cross the goal line in time - and, in the latter stages of the third period, the Penguins got some legitimate momentum. 

During the 6-on-5, the Penguins were cycling the puck in the offensive zone, and Sidney Crosby had the puck in the right circle. He threaded a perfect pass through several sticks over to Rickard Rakell on the left side, and Rakell one-timed it home to tie the game with a minute and six seconds left in regulation.

RICKARD RAKELL, FOLKS 🙌 pic.twitter.com/70JxmeLSVm

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 25, 2026

Then, in overtime, the Penguins pretty much held the puck the entire time. With 1:16 remaining on the clock, Ville Koivunen got the puck in the slot area, and he made a little stutter step move around a defender to give himself prime real estate in the slot. He sniped a shot past the glove side of Saros, and the Penguins went home with a much-deserved two points. 

VILLE VILLE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/w39dWp2LGD

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 25, 2026

"We get back off that road trip, and everybody is obviously disappointed in the results," head coach Dan Muse said. "We're disappointed in terms of the consistency of play... I look at it as an opportunity for us to, you know, how can we come together? How can we, you know, be able to maybe come out of this thing better than when you go into it?

"So, you have a stretch of games you don't like, it's a choice: You can feel bad for yourself, you can start to kind of just do your own thing. People can be on their own page or you can come together. We needed to play a better brand of hockey. We still have things to clean up, but I think these last two games have been a step in the right direction."

Penguins Place Girard On IR, Recall HayesThe Penguins continue to get hit by the injury bug, placing yet another player on injured reserve Saturday with a few more expected out of Saturday's game versus Nashville.

Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- This was a really chippy game for both teams. Sticks were getting in every lane, offensive zone time wasn't sustained, pucks were jumping off of sticks, and both defenses played a pretty tight game for the most part.  

That said, there were portions of this game that the Penguins just took over. And it felt like they were the much better team. 

This happened in the first part of the second period. It happened in the latter part of the third period. For portions of the first period. The Penguins outshot the Predators, 37-26, and it felt like it. 

There were still a few too many high-danger opportunities against. But, almost every time, Silovs was there to answer the call. Overall, this was a great performance by the Penguins, and it would have been a disappointment if they didn't get at least a point out of it. 

- Speaking of Silovs, this is two really, really good performances from him in a row.

He's played in three straight games, and he seems to be developing a little bit more consistency that has been lacking in the past. There were several huge saves he made in this game to keep the Penguins in it, but one in particular during the second period gave his team a wave of momentum.

The Predators exposed the Penguins on a 2-on-1 opportunity, and Steven Stamkos found Ryan O'Reilly with a wicked dish pass. O'Reilly didn't get all of it, but he, seemingly, got enough — that is, until Silovs went cross-crease right-to-left and made a ridiculous glove save.

ARTY! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/Ddm9F4GEl5

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 25, 2026

Obviously, Sergei Murashov is going to get his fair share of starts, and there's a good chance that, with two young goaltenders, the Penguins are simply going to ride the hot hand. But if Silovs can continue to pile on starts, it will do wonders for his confidence in developing consistency as an NHL starter.

- During the first period, Crosby was approaching the offensive zone, and the linesman went to signal the play onside. He waved his arm and clotheslined Crosby, knocking him to the ice.

Crosby took a linesman's arm to the face 😬 pic.twitter.com/jD7FrKRHRq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 25, 2026

Crosby was fine, but he did step out of the faceoff in place of Blake Lizotte for a brief moment. 

- What a pass that was by Crosby on Rakell's tying goal. He managed to make that pass and elude three or four sticks in the process. That was a vintage Crosby play. 

And we need to see more of it. 

Rakell has been playing much better hockey the past few games and was just snakebitten. Crosby, however, has yet to find his hallmark consistency that has defined his NHL career.

Tommy Novak has had a nice start to the season, but he's not the right fit for that first line. It needs young, fresh legs. Some speed, or even just some youth, would do.

Throw Avery Hayes or Rutger McGroarty up there. Even Koivunen. Try Robertson again. Because, at five-on-five, the first line is a problem right now. Even though Rakell had some chances, he's a slow skater, and Crosby has lost a step, too. 

They could use some forechecking legs on that line and a guy who will crash the net. 

Takeaways: Penguins Deliver Near-Perfect 60-Minute Effort In 4-0 Win Over Panthers To Snap Four-Game Losing StreakAfter a disastrous, winless four-game Western road trip, the Penguins put together their best effort of the season Thursday against Florida.

- Soderblom's play down low on Dewar's goal was excellent, and that goal in general was a hard-earned one on both the distribution side of it and the scoring side of it.

I really do think Soderblom makes that fourth line better. The other two guys on it - Dewar and Nick Robertson - certainly have to stay in the lineup as well, but I'm truly not sure who comes out when guys start to get healthy. 

- The second line of Koivunen, Hendrix Lapierre, and Hayes was buzzing all night long. 

Hayes fit right in on that line in his first NHL action of the season, and one game into the 2026-27 NHL season for him, it's clear as day that this guy is an NHL player. His forechecking is relentless. He drives the net. And, as Muse said later, he's got that "dog on a bone" mentality. 

"Maybe just the experience of getting to know him last year and over the training camp this year, just knowing the type of game that he's capable of playing, that kind of dog on a bone type of game, just hunting pucks and getting in there," Muse said. "But he's also a guy who can find space well offensively."

I think Hayes is the perfect hybrid of Bryan Rust and former Penguin and Stanley Cup champion Max Talbot. 

And Koivunen and Lapierre are developing some legitimate chemistry, as was Malkin with them Thursday. I keep saying it, but Koivunen is playing some very good hockey right now. He looks confident with the puck, and his puck protection skills have vastly improved. Some actual NHL runway in the top-six, as well as some confidence, has done wonders for him in recent games. 

"I think it's a little bit of both," Koivunen said. "Like, [confidence] in yourself a lot, and I want to make plays with the puck."

Muse sees the progress Koivunen is making at the NHL level.

"Koivy's playing really good hockey," Muse said. "I think we've seen that from him, you know, for a number of games. I think his game's just continuing to take steps. So, I think, sometimes with guys, too, it's just a matter of getting, you know, the more time that you get, you need those opportunities to be able to stack some things and stack some games. I think you've seen that now with Koivy."

Former Penguins Defenseman Claimed Off Waivers By Big RivalThis former Penguins defenseman has been claimed off waivers.

- This was not a particularly strong game from the top pairing of Spencer Stastney and Erik Karlsson, who actually have been pretty good together in the last couple of games. They were all over the place, as Stastney blew coverage on Struble's goal, and Karlsson blew coverage on the almost-goal at the end of the second. 

But the most glaring issue in Saturday's game was the power play. That unit just looks dead in the water right now and, once it finally enters the zone cleanly, just passes along the perimeter and is far too stagnant. 

They're missing five regulars on their power play right now, so that's a factor. But, hey, at least Robertson - their co-leader in goals this season with six - got to see some power play time as a result.

Not to throw a cliche in here, but at this point, I think Crosby needs some young, fresh energy on his line.

Throw Hayes or McGroarty up there. Try Robertson again. Even Koivunen.

Novak's fine, but he isn't the fastest. Rakell is slow. They need some youth and/or speed up there https://t.co/LlFiCRSBhg

— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) October 25, 2026

- The Penguins have a rare big break in their schedule and do not play until Thursday, when the Utah Mammoth come to Pittsburgh to complete the season series between the teams. 

Given how short training camp was - and given how many injured players the Penguins have - I think these days will do them some good, especially since they will have three full practice days. Evgeni Malkin was out with an illness in this one, Egor Chinakhov is day-to-day, and Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel, and Sam Girard were all put on injured reserve within the last few days, and they're all starters.

But it's hard to deny the way this team plays when some of its best players go down and the young players actually get a look.

At some point, the youth movement is going to need to happen. Hayes belongs in the NHL. So does McGroarty, so does Koivunen, and so does Soderblom. There's a different kind of energy - a fresh energy - around this team with these guys on it, and the bond between them is palpable. 

These last two games were a stepping stone. But it will be interesting to see how the Penguins handle decision-making for their roster should they string together some wins with the lineup they have. 

Tough decisions loom. I honestly have no clue what to expect. 

Dubas: Ben Kindel Had 'Vasovagal Episode' On Team PlanePittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas cleared up what happened during Ben Kindel's medical episode on the team plane Tuesday, which prompted an emergency landing and required hospitalization.

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ST. LOUIS – Hello humble pie. Welcome to St. Louis, courtesy of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The defending Stanley Cup champions doled out plenty of it to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, winning 4-0 and abruptly ending another modest two-game streak for the Blues (5-5-1), who just can’t seem to win three straight games on a consistent basis.

When the Blues took down the other Stanley Cup finalist on Thursday, the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights 6-2, it was a good measuring stick to learn who they are, what they are and how they want to play.

They came out of it wanting to be a more relentless team to play against on a daily basis, but when it comes to relentlessness, the Hurricanes (9-2-2) are the gold standard, and it showed here at Enterprise Center.

“Very humbling,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “Also, (a) tutorial by the Stanley Cup champions about how to play to who you are no matter the score. They were as committed in the third period up 3-0, up 4-0 as they were at the start of the game. It’s an opportunity for us … it’s hard work, but that hard work becomes who you are when you do it every day and in practice and it translates. That’s what we’re trying to grow and grow into. Unfortunately, we expected early in the year with a lot of new faces and I don’t want to say young team because I don’t even know where we are in the scope of ages in the league. … It’s humbling when you see it happen to everyone in our lineup. They stick-check pucks, they go through arms, they’re above us, so that’s an elite team in the league, if not the elite team in the league, and that’s what we’ve got to work towards every day, and we’ll get there.”

The learning lesson from this result is?

“Just grow, learn,” Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. “That’s the standard of the NHL. We played one of the other standards the other night and had a really good game and beat them 6-2. Obviously you’d like to be able to rinse, repeat, come back tonight and beat another really good team. But there’s a lot of humbling nights in this league and a lot of learning lessons and we have one tonight. Nobody’s going to hang their head over it, show up for practice tomorrow, get better and continue to move forward.”

Let’s delve into the game itself …

* Failed early opportunities set the tone – The Blues actually came out of the gates looking like they were going to pick up where they left off Thursday.

They were attacking and pressuring, kind of like the Canes do to teams, and Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud each had Grade A scoring opportunities to get the Blues off and running but were stopped by Pyotr Kochetkov.

The Blues had a 4-1 shots on goal advantage and conceivably could have had a 2-0 lead.

“Right off the bat, I’m pretty sure we had a few good chances and even throughout the second, I think we had a breakaway, we had some good chances ourselves,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. “That’s just a part of it. We definitely had our chances, but just kind of got to build and learn, make sure that we continue to push forward.”

Connor McMichael did have a breakaway to begin the second period, in the first couple minutes, of a 0-0 game but was also stopped. Holloway also had another great chance but was poke-checked by Kochetkov before toe-picking and colliding with the goalie.

But as Montgomery said, the game was already slipping away from the Blues.

“I thought it got away in the first, the last half of the first,” Montgomery said. “They just kept playing the same way. I thought the first 10 minutes, I really liked the way we played. They just maintained it (and) we didn’t. And the second period is what happens. Their consistency to who they are and how they play in all three zones. It wears you down and it may look like the second period because that’s where they really did break away on us, but it starts in the first period.”

Was Carolina taking that away from the Blues or did they just get away from it themselves?

“I think it’s a combination,” Montgomery said. “They maintain it because that’s who they are. We’re not at that level yet of being able to maintain it. It’s more mental than physical and some of it is just we fall off because what happens is teams break your spirit. A team like that does.

“When the Blues won that Stanley Cup, that’s what they did that year. I coached against them, it was impressive. It was like, ‘Wow.’ I remember the game in January, they were on a 10-game (winning) streak. We actually won it, but the first period, if it wasn’t for our goalie, it would have been over, but then we were able to match it, and that’s what we’re going to have to do. We’re going to have to find that consistency level. It doesn’t take long to get it, but it’s doing it every day.”

* Canes struck fast and closed this out – Once McMichael didn’t convert his opportunity to give the Blues a lead, Carolina said enough was enough.

Sean Walker and Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s goals 20 seconds apart at 4:45 and 5:05 of the second period made it 2-0. One was on a delayed penalty – although the puck could have been blown dead prior to it – and the other came off a forecheck battle won out on rookie Adam Jiricek and lost coverage by Justin Barron (we’ll get to that below) and as Carolina’s game was growing, the Blues’ was faltering away due to the relentless pressure.

“That’s the standard. We knew that coming in,” Neighbours said. “Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still really hard to play against. They play a very structured game. They’re very predictable to each other and they do it at a very high level. You can learn a lot from a team like that.”

* Stankoven goal was final nail – The Blues were down 2-0 and power plays were obviously going to be hard to come by, but when they were given one courtesy of Carolina having too many men on the ice at 11:24 of the second, it was a chance to get back into the game, and the Blues’ power play was hot coming in with a goal in five straight (6-for-17).

It never happened despite a could looks, and when Barron had his pocket picked by Seth Jarvis, the Carolina forward sprung Stankoven for a breakaway that he sniped at 13:35 to make it 3-0.

“That’s a good team. They play hard obviously. There’s no surprise,” Parayko said. “That’s why they’re a good team and they always are competitive and obviously last year they won it all. They compete hard, they play man to man, they’re tight on everyone all over the ice. Obviously take a lot of time and space away.

“They just take away time and space. I feel like they’re on top of players a lot. … They’re obviously good at what they’re doing.”

* Relentless is Carolina’s standard – The Hurricanes always looked like they had 10 skaters on the ice with their speed and tenacity. It’s in all three zones, and the Blues just simply didn’t handle it well enough as the game wore on, and it was evident on the stat sheet, and as Montgomery noted, the Hurricanes played to the same standard up 3-0 in the third period that grew to 4-0 on Nikolaj Ehlers’ power-play goal at 4:30.

“I don’t think it’s pace, I don’t think we have a problem keeping up with them,” Neighbours said. “It’s just more the competitive edge that they have, their ability to win battles in all areas of the ice and just how they’re on top of you at all times. It’s something that early in my career, I still admire about that team. They give you no time and space, they’re over top of every check all over the ice and it’s almost a man-on-man system from our end all the way to theirs. They do it very well and there’s a lot to learn.”

* Montgomery loading up with Broberg, Parayko – Carolina’s top two lines are very lethal, and even though Barron was coming off a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) against Vegas, Montgomery went with his bread-and-butter defensemen in Broberg and Parayko to face the Sebastian Aho line along with Cam Fowler and Brandon Carlo to fend for the Stankoven line, leaving Barron and Jiricek – two right-handers – to fend for the third pair, and it was that one that was left exposed on the Hurricanes’ second goal.

“I wanted to have those guys out, and I wanted to have Carlo and 17 (Fowler) out against their second line,” Montgomery said. ‘There’s a drop in their third- and fourth-line. Not in work ethic but in play-making ability and goal-scoring ability.”

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The New York Rangers couldn’t overcome their blunderous start on Saturday night, leading to a 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

The Rangers were coming off a 5-4 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a performance Mike Sullivan described as “uncharacteristic” due to the Rangers’ lack of defensive structure.

That performance carried into the start of Saturday night's game, as the Blueshirts gave up two goals less than 10 minutes into the contest, with poor defensive play in their own zone and failures to break out the puck at the forefront of the team’s struggles.

“I would have liked to have hoped that we were ready from the drop of the puck,” Sullivan said. “We weren't overly excited about our overall team effort in our last game also. Give them (the Senators) credit, they started well.”

By about the middle of the second period, the Rangers found themselves in a 4-1 deficit, with seemingly little hope to cling onto.

However, the Rangers made a late-period push, powered by Sullivan’s line changes. Oliver Bjorkstrand was put on a line with Tye Kartye and J.T. Miller, while Pavel Dorofeyev was switched onto Will Cuylle and Noah Laba’s line, with Eeli Tolvanen playing on the fourth line.

“I thought it changed the momentum for sure. When I made the switch, we scored right away, and I thought it changed the momentum of the game from our standpoint,” Sullivan said about the impact of the line changes. “I think from that point on it felt like we started to get some juice, and so I just didn't think we had enough going, and so we decided to tweak some lines to see what we could get.”

Bjorkstrand, who’s been utilized in both a top-six and bottom-six role to start the season, made an instant impact after Sullivan’s line changes, assisting on J.T. Miller’s goal in the second period.

Dorofeyev had just two goals in 12 games leading into Saturday night, and he remained snake-bitten despite moving between the two top-six lines and holding a role on the first power-play unit.

For the first time this season, Dorofeyev scored one of his signature goals, snapping the puck top shelf past Jonas Johansson in the third period.

“This is what I said to him this morning, I had a conversation with him. Pav's had a lot of chances,” Sullivan said. “He's hit a lot of posts. If a certain percentage of the ones that hit the posts have gone in the net, we wouldn't be having this conversation. That's the nature of hockey. If he wasn't getting the chances, it would be a different conversation. He got a nice goal tonight. It's a goal scorer's goal. We're hoping that might get him going.”

The Rangers managed to cut Ottawa’s lead to one goal twice and played their best period of the game in the final frame, tilting the ice into the Senators’ zone and generating numerous high-quality scoring chances, but they failed to rally back.

Through their two-game road trip, in which the Rangers went 0-2, they went away from their well-structured defensive identity that had galvanized this team to a hot 7-3-1 start to the season.

“I think the moral of the story is some of the looks they got were still too high quality for me,” Sullivan said. “That might be a similarity to Toronto, and we just gave them too much off the rush tonight.”

The Rangers will now look to bounce back at home, where they've started a perfect 6-0, as they host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.

Drake Batherson recorded the third hat trick of his NHL career on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Rangers 7-4 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Batherson scored twice in the first two periods before completing his hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final minute. He also assisted on Dylan Cozens' first goal of the season.

Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson and Michael Amadio had the other goals for the Senators, who bounced back from Thursday night's 6-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. 

The Senators were without starting goaltender Linus Ullmark, who suffered an injury during Wednesday's emotional 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. With rest not being a factor, it was interesting to see Belleville goaltender Jonas Johansson get his first start as a Senators ahead of Sam Ersson.

The Rangers were also missing their number-one netminder, Igor Shesterkin, who is out for the season.

Batherson probably lost some sleep Thursday night after being robbed of a prime scoring opportunity by San Jose goalie Yaroslav Askarov.

Five minutes into Saturday's game, he found himself with almost the same opportunity from the same spot on the ice. This time, Batherson made no mistake, giving the Sens a 1-0 lead.

Just 32 seconds later, Stützle doubled the lead. Sprinting away from a sluggish backcheck by J.T. Miller, Stützle finished off a gorgeous lateral pass through the blue paint from Fabian Zetterlund.

Early in the second, Batherson struck again. After a Cozens shot from the slot, the rebound bounced right to Batherson, who buried it to make it 3-0.

But the Rangers didn't go quietly.

Will Cuylle got New York on the board at 10:07 as the Senators' power play surrendered its third shorthanded goal in two games. A Cozens giveaway sent the Rangers away on a 2-on-1, and Cuylle ripped a shot past Johansson.

Cozens made amends shortly afterward, restoring the Senators' three-goal lead with his first goal of the season.

But the Rangers scored twice before the second intermission. Miller struck at 12:54, and Alexis Lafrenière followed at 19:34, suddenly making it a 4-3 game heading into the third.

The Senators had watched a comfortable three-goal lead shrink to one in less than 10 minutes. And they were under siege for much of the third period.

Sanderson finally gave the Senators some short-lived breathing room at 13:08, swatting home a rebound with his backhand to make it 5-3. Amadio and Ridly Greig did some excellent work to set that one up.

Pavel Dorofeyev answered for the Rangers just over two minutes later, with a one timer from long distance that fooled Johansson, once again cutting the deficit to one.

Amadio then delivered a huge insurance goal at 18:47. With the Rangers' net empty, Sanderson missed a 200-foot shot, but Amadio got the jump on everyone to negate the icing and tucked in the loose puck after it banked off the end boards.

Batherson completed his hat trick in weird fashion with another empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining. In the Sens' zone, he blocked a shot from the point that hit his shin pad and travelled 170 feet in the other direction right into the empty cage.

Batherson finished with three goals and an assist, while Sanderson had a goal and two helpers. Cozens also enjoyed a three-point night with a goal and two assists.

The Rangers outshot the Senators on the night, 28-24. It was a bend-don't-break kind of night but the club found a way to secure two important points.

And for Batherson, the Senators' highest-paid player, it was another memorable night in a Senators uniform.

At 8-4 on the young season, the Sens now head west for a five-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Vegas.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Leo Carlsson scored a goal and set up the game-winner against the team that tried to sign him away from Anaheim last summer, as the Ducks overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 on Saturday.

Philadelphia signed Carlsson to a five-year, $80 million offer sheet as a restricted free agent last July, only to have the Ducks match it and retain him. He scored the Ducks’ first goal at 8:38 of the second period on a pass from Cutter Gauthier, who continued to hear vitriolic chants from Philadelphia fans for forcing his way out of Philadelphia three years ago.

Carlsson later assisted on a power-play goal by Beckett Sennecke in the third period, firing a pass toward the net that Sennecke tipped past Flyers goalie Joseph Woll.

Carlsson leads the Ducks in scoring with 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists).

A.J. Greer, Judd Caulfield, and Tristan Luneau also scored for Anaheim, and Lukas Dostal made 28 saves to snap the Ducks’ five-game losing streak.

DEVILS 3, KINGS 1

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Brett Pesce scored the go-ahead goal and Jake Allen made 12 saves as New Jersey beat Los Angeles for their third straight win.

Anthony Mantha and Artemy Gritsyuk also scored for the Devils, who also beat Colorado and Anaheim on their current homestand. New Jersey has won five of six. Allen improved to 5-2-0 this season.

Scott Laughton scored for Los Angeles, which saw its two-game winning streak snapped. Forsberg made 23 saves.

Pesce beat goaltender Anton Forsberg at 8:08 of the third period after the defenseman found a clear lane through traffic in the Los Angeles zone. Luke Evangelista and Gritsyuk assisted on Pesce’s first goal this season.

Before the game, the Devils introduced newly acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The 33-year-old Hellebuyck won 345 games in 11 seasons with Winnipeg and is a three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy.

HURRICANES 4, BLUES 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season and 12th in the NHL in Carolina's victory over St. Louis.

Kochetkov has won all seven of his starts this season, giving him the NHL’s longest active winning streak and moving him one away from Frederik Andersen’s franchise-record streak to open the 2021-22 season.

Sean Walker, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers scored to help Carolina improve to 9-2-2.

Joel Hofer stopped 35 shots for St. Louis. The Blues were held scoreless for the first time this season.

CAPITALS 4, SABRES 3, OT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Tuch scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, to lead Washington to a win over Buffalo.

Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves for the Capitals.

Tuch, opened the scoring for Washington when a pass bounced off Tage Thompson’s stick and into his own net. Strome scored 2:59 into the second period, then once more with 2:36 left in the period.

The veteran winger was acquired this summer by the Capitals from the Sabres via sign-and-trade. He signed an eight-year, $84 million deal to help bolster the Capitals’ offense.

Jack Quinn and Josh Doan scored early for Buffalo to put the visitors up by two early. The Capitals’ offense found its footing, though, and turned up the pressure on the Sabres’ defense to gain the lead in the second period, only to have Noah Ostlund tie it once again 2:20 into the third period. The game remained tied through the remainder of the third period, despite multiple power play opportunities and scoring chances for both teams.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 30 saves for the Sabres.

BLUE JACKETS 2, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1, OT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Adam Fantilli scored on a power play 59 seconds into overtime and Columbus beat Vegas, sending the Golden Knights to their third straight loss.

Columbus had its first power-play goal since the opener, snapping an 0-for-22 drought.

Denton Mateychuk also scored and Cam Talbot stopped 26 shots for Columbus, which has won two of its last six games. The Blue Jackets improved to 3-0 in games that have gone beyond regulation.

Tomas Hertl scored for Vegas and Carter Hart stopped 18 shots.

BRUINS 6, SHARKS 4

BOSTON (AP) — James Hagens and David Pastrnak scored in a 40-second span in the third period, and Boston extended their points streak to eight games with a victory over San Jose.

Casey Mittelstadt, Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and Will Morgan also scored for the Bruins, who have won seven of their past eight. Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves for his seventh victory.

Michael Misa, Kiefer Sherwood, Dmitry Orlov and Will Smith scored for San Jose, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves. The Sharks had won two in a row.

PENGUINS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ville Koivunen scored at 3:44 of overtime and Pittsburgh rallied to beat Nashville.

Koivunen beat Juuse Saros with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle.

Rickard Rakell scored the tying goal for Pittsburgh with 1:06 to play in regulation on a cross-ice pass from Sidney Crosby. It was Crosby’s 1,111th career assist, tying Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque for the most with one franchise.

Connor Dewar also scored for the Penguins, who have points in 10 straight and 23 of their last 27 games against Nashville dating to Oct. 21, 2010.

Arturs Silovs stopped 24 shots. The Penguins, who were playing without Evgeni Malkin (illness) and Egor Chinakhov (lower body), have won two straight following a four-game losing streak. Chinakhov has missed four of the last five games.

Steven Stamkos and Jayden Struble scored for Nashville. Stamkos is two goals from passing Dino Ciccarelli for 19th place in NHL history.

SENATORS 7, RANGERS 4

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Drake Batherson had three goals and an assist and Ottawa outscored New York.

Jake Sanderson’s first of the season proved to be the winner and Michael Amadio added an empty-netter. Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens also scored and Jonas Johansson stopped 24 shots in his Ottawa debut.

Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller, Alexis Lafreniere and Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Rangers. Dylan Garand made 17 saves.

MAPLE LEAFS 7, OILERS 2

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — William Nylander scored twice to reach 300 NHL goals, Anthony Stolarz made 30 saves and Toronto routed Edmonton.

Jack Roslovic, Auston Matthews, Troy Stecher, Zack MacEwen and Vinni Lettieri also scored for the Maple Leafs. They have won four straight to improve to 7-4-2.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice for the Oilers to push his NHL-leading total to 12.

Connor McDavid had two assists to extend his season-opening points streak to 11 games — giving him an incredible 33 points in 11 games.

MAMMOTH 5, LIGHTNING 4, OT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) —Dmitri Simashev scored his second goal of the game at 1:44 of overtime as Utah beat Tampa Bay.

Simashev’s first goal tied the game at 4-4 with 2:28 remaining in the second period.

Nikita Kucherov became Tampa Bay’s franchise leader in points when he assisted on Brayden Point’s goal with 7:18 remaining in the first period. That put him at 1,138 career points, one more than former teammate Steven Stamkos, who had held the record since April 2022.

Kucherov has played his entire career with Tampa Bay, starting in 2013.

Kailer Yamamoto, Dylan Guenther and Anders Lee also scored for the Mammoth. Vincent Trocheck had two assists, while Clayton Keller, Andrew Peeke, Mackenzie Weegar and Sergachev each recorded one assist.

WILD 5, KRAKEN 1

SEATTLE (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored 26 seconds into the game and Minnesota defeated Seattle.

Blake Coleman scored twice and Olli Maatta and Joel Eriksson Ek scored 1:27 apart to help the Wild (7-3-2) return to the win column after consecutive losses. Jesper Wallstedt made 22 saves in his 11th start of the season.

Berkly Catton had the only goal for the Kraken (7-4-1). Joey Daccord stopped 31 shots in his fourth consecutive start conceding at least three goals.

FLAMES 4, RED WINGS 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Joel Farabee had a goal and two assists and surging Calgary made it three straight victories with a win over Detroit.

Making his third straight start, Devin Cooley continued his hot play with 28 saves to improve to 3-2. He has stopped 100 of 104 shots over his three-game winning streak.

Zayne Parekh, Ryan Strome and Matvei Gridin, who also had an assist, rounded out the scoring for Calgary (4-6-0). Matt Coronato had two assists.

Farabee has a four-game points streak and leads the club with nine points in 10 games.

Andrew Copp had the lone goal for Detroit (4-4-3). The Red Wings lost in regulation for the first time in seven games.

John Gibson stopped 21 shots for Detroit.