Category: Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey News

Posted on

Blackhawks Hold On And Beat Blues 4-2 In Patrick Kane's Return

On Tuesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks made their highly anticipated return to the United Center for their first home game of the 2026-27 season. That meant that Patrick Kane made his return in a Blackhawks sweater after a handful of seasons away. 

With some of his former mates in the building, specifically Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Hjalmarsson, there was an extra sense of excitement in the crowd. The 0-3-0 start on the road didn't keep anyone from bringing the energy. 

The opponent, the St. Louis Blues, entered Chicago with a 1-1-0 record to start the season, and they had the plan of matching the intensity that the Blackhawks were naturally going to bring. 

Before the games began, player intros were a bit more special than in other years. Patrick Kane was given a warm welcome with an intro video, special effects on the ice, and a standing ovation from the crowd that was blistering. 

After the game started, for a while, it was more of the same for the Blackhawks. There were problems connecting on passes in all three zones, sloppy play defensively, and no finish to their game offensively. 

Eventually, the Blues took the lead with a goal scored by Mason McTavish. This came at 15:38 in the first period, and the Blues held that lead through the first intermission. 

Early in the second, the Blues scored again, but the goal was waved off for offside. That seemed to give the Blackhawks some juice. From there, they started to play their game. At 5:40 of the middle frame, Sam Rinzel scored by cleaning up Frank Nazar's rebound garbage. 

Exactly two minutes of game clock later, at 7:40, Anton Frondell scored his first goal of the season. This goal was Frondell taking advantage of a brilliant play by Artyom Levshunov, who split the defense and made a brilliant pass. 

The 2-1 lead held for Chicago through the second intermission. Holding onto leads that they built for themselves in the third period was a major issue in 2025-26, and this was their chance to put a stop to that early in the year. 

The Blackhawks, who held the Blues off the board for the first 18 minutes of the final frame, had to face a penalty kill late. With 2:23 left, Roman Kantserov took a tripping penalty. The Blackhawks had to make a final push to kill the penalty if they wanted to win in regulation. 

With the net empty, Cole Smith scored his first goal with the Blackhawks to make it 3-1. That felt like a secured victory for Chicago, but the Blues kept their goaltender out of the net and got it back to make it 3-2. 

Instead of letting the lead slip away, however, Frank Nazar added another empty-net goal, and the Blackhawks secured a 4-2 victory on Patrick Kane night. 

Now, the Blackhawks have a win to build on. From the time they scored their first goal of the game, they played much better than they had in the first three games. They overcame the tough start to the game and found a way. The Hawks would like to clean up that goal that was scored by St. Louis with under a minute left, but it was a work in progress that they can build on. 

Injury Update

Teuvo Teravainen left the game and did not return. Jeff Blashill confirmed after the game that he will not travel for thier next game. Beyond that, it is unknown at this time. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will hit the road again for one. It's back east they go as they will face the New York Islanders on Thursday night. 

Image

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

Ryan O'Reilly Hits Major Milestone Against Hometown Maple Leafs

Although Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs is one that the Nashville Predators will likely want to forget as soon as possible, one player will certainly remember it. Ryan O'Reilly recorded his 900th career point in the second period when he assisted on Steven Stamkos's second goal of the evening. 

O'Reilly, a player often known for his two-way style of play, may not be known as a prolific scorer. With that being said, he has played 1,236 career games in the NHL and during that time he's recorded an impressive 900 points (328 goals and 572 assists).

Currently in his fourth season in Nashville, O'Reilly registered 198 of his points in Predators Gold. He scored the most points as a member of the St. Louis Blues, picking up 269 across five seasons. He also had stints with the Colorado Avalanche (the team that drafted him back in 2009), the Buffalo Sabres, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

O'Reilly's future in Nashville is currently up in the air, as he's in the final year of his current contract and at 35 years of age, he's running out of time to win a second Stanley Cup.

Posted on

Owen Power lifts Sabres past Wild 3-2 in overtime after 2-goal comeback

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Owen Power scored 4:22 into overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund tied the game by scoring six minutes apart in the third period. Colten Ellis stopped 18 shots, including three in overtime, and Buffalo (2-1) won its second straight game when trailing entering the third.

The Sabres overcame a 3-2 deficit in a 4-3 home-opening win over Chicago on Saturday night.

Danila Yurov and Maxim Shabanov scored 1:45 apart to stake Minnesota to a 2-0 lead with 4:22 left in the second period. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 shots, including his glove save of Thompson’s shot from the slot with 3:28 left in regulation.

Power’s goal came after Thompson shot wide on a drive to the net. Jiri Kulich, who scored the decisive goal against Chicago, collected the puck and fed Power, who snapped in the puck inside the left post.

Minnesota blew an opportunity to open a season 3-0 for the first time since 2021-22 and sixth time in franchise history.

Thompson’s goal was also his 400th career point with Buffalo. He became one of nine Sabres and the first since Thomas Vanek to reach the 400-point plateau in 491 or fewer games.

Ellis, Buffalo’s third-string goalie, made his season debut, with co-starter Alex Lyon still recovering from a shoulder injury.

RED WINGS 5, SENATORS 3

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored in his first game since asking for a trade, helping Detroit to a win over Ottawa.

Larkin was initially booed by the home crowd when he touched the puck on his first shift. The boos turned to cheers when he scored in the 13th minute, giving Detroit a lead it never relinquished.

Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Justin Faulk and Viktor Arvidsson added goals for Detroit. John Gibson made 22 saves.

Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and William Eklund scored for the Senators, who had won their first two games. Samuel Ersson had 31 saves.

DeBrincat opened his scoring in the first with a wrist shot 3:16 into the period, assisted by Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur. He added a power-play empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining in the third. DeBrincat also had an assist.

Larkin remains in limbo several months after his trade request became public. He was stripped of the captaincy, reported to training camp despite being injured, missed the start of the season because of injury and received a frosty reaction from home fans during introductions prior to their first game last week.

MAMMOTH 5, DEVILS 3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nick Schmaltz scored his NHL-best fifth goal of the season, and Utah relied on its proficient power play to beat New Jersey.

Clayton Keller, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Mammoth, and Mikhail Sergachev had three assists to surpass 300 for his career before leaving the game when he took a puck to the back of the helmet late in the second period.

Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play and has scored on 8 of 13 opportunities this season with the man advantage, including Keller’s goal in the first period and Schmaltz’s go-ahead tally midway through the second that made it 3-2.

Luke Evangelista scored twice for New Jersey and Jesper Boqvist had the other goal.

The Mammoth beat the Devils for the first time, having gone 0-4 in the franchise’s previous two seasons.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for Utah, and New Jersey’s Jake Allen made 26 saves.

MAPLE LEAFS 5, PREDATORS 4, OT

TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews scored with 14 seconds left in overtime and had three assists in regulation and Toronto erased a three-goal deficit in a win over Nashville.

William Nylander, No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna — with his first as a professional — John Tavares and Jack Roslovic had the other goals for Toronto, which got 21 saves from Anthony Stolarz.

McKenna also picked up an assist on Tavares’ goal for his first NHL point. Nylander chipped in two assists and Roslovic added one.

Steven Stamkos scored twice for Nashville to move into 17th place on the NHL’s career goals list, while Nils Hoglander also scored twice. Filip Forsberg had two assists and Juuse Saros made 33 stops.

Stamkos opened the scoring at 7:13 of the first period on a power play. Nashville doubled its lead at 9:08 when Hoglander collected a rebound off the end boards and slotted it home before making it 3-0 at 3:03 of the second on another tap-in.

Tavares got Toronto going off the rush at 4:56 of the middle period and Nylander connected on a man advantage at 6:58 to make it 3-2. Stamkos scored his second to restore a two-goal lead at 13:30, but McKenna scored his first NHL goal 61 seconds later.

Roslovic tied things at 8:54 of the third.

Stamkos broke a tie with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla on the league’s career scoring list with his first-period goal — the 626th of his career — before adding another in the second. Dave Andreychuk is 16th in NHL history with 640 career goals.

RANGERS 5, ISLANDERS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexis Lafrenière recorded a hat trick, with two goals into an empty net, and had an assist as the New York Rangers extended their winning streak to four by defeating the crosstown rival Islanders.

The Rangers are unbeaten since getting shut out in their opener a week ago at Boston. They’re 3-0 at home, a year since losing their first seven games at Madison Square Garden last season.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, and Mika Zibanejad finished with three assists. Igor Shesterkin made 17 saves for the victory but had his point streak from an assist Sunday and his goalie goal Thursday end at two.

The Rangers didn’t get a shot until 6:40 in, but Bjorkstrand scored on it for his first goal with his new team. He and Lafrenière took advantage of the Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov showing some rust in his first game in 676 days.

Varlamov was playing in the NHL for the first time since Nov. 29, 2024, completing his comeback from undergoing double partial knee replacement surgeries. He allowed three goals on 22 shots.

Captain Bo Horvat and young forward Calum Ritchie scored for the Islanders, while reigning rookie-of-the-year defenseman Matthew Schaefer hit the post twice among his 12 shot attempts.

HURRICANES 6, CANADIENS 4

MONTREAL (AP) — Taylor Hall scored twice as Carolina beat Montreal in its home opener.

Sebastian Aho added a goal and two assists, while Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski had a goal and an assist each.

Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal and Brandon Bussi stopped 16 shots in the rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final.

Zachary Bolduc scored twice, Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist, and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for Montreal. Alexandre Texier and Chris Krieder had two assists apiece, while Jakub Dobes made 28 saves.

The Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre for their first regular-season home game since falling to the Hurricanes in the third round. Carolina eliminated Montreal in five games before going on to win the Stanley Cup over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The teams combined for five goals in the opening 13 minutes. Hall opened the scoring 2:25 into the first period, deflecting Jackson Blake’s shot after Slafkovsky turned the puck over in front of his own net.

Posted on

Devils' rally falls short in 5-3 loss to Mammoth

Nick Schmaltz scored his NHL-best fifth goal of the season, and the Utah Mammoth relied on their proficient power play to beat the New Jersey Devils, 5-3, on Tuesday night.

Clayton Keller, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Mammoth, and Mikhail Sergachev had three assists to surpass 300 for his career before leaving the game when he took a puck to the back of the helmet late in the second period.

Utah went 2-for-4 on the power play and has scored on 8 of 13 opportunities this season with the man advantage, including Keller’s goal in the first period and Schmaltz’s go-ahead tally midway through the second that made it 3-2.

Luke Evangelista scored twice for New Jersey, and Jesper Boqvist had the other goal.

The Mammoth beat the Devils for the first time, having gone 0-for-4 in the franchise’s previous two seasons.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for Utah, and New Jersey’s Jake Allen made 26 saves.

Sergachev reached 300 assists with his second of the game, on Weegar’s goal early in the second period. The 28-year-old Russian defenseman reached the milestone in his 634th NHL game.

He also assisted on Schmaltz’s goal for his seventh career four-assist game and fourth in his last 32 contests.

Schmaltz had two assists, the second on Trocheck’s goal that made it 5-3 with 3:08 remaining.

New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler left with an injury early in the third period.

Up next

Mammoth: At Boston on Thursday.

Devils: Host Vancouver on Saturday.

Posted on

Penguins Notebook: Bryan Rust Nears His Return To The Lineup

The Pittsburgh Penguins held a practice inside the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Tuesday after suffering their first loss of the season to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. 

The Penguins didn't play well in that game, but they quickly got back on the ice and put it behind them. All expected players were on the ice, and Bryan Rust joined them, getting closer to returning.

Rust has been week-to-week with an injury that he suffered in the Penguins' final pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres. He's been skating with the team in morning skates, but fully participated in Tuesday's practice. 

He skated on the third line with Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen, while also participated in special teams drills. 

Penguins head coach Dan Muse confirmed after practice that they still need to have some conversations before Rust can make his season debut. 

"Still need to have some conversations, but it was good to have him out there," Muse said.

Here were the forward lines and defensive pairs: 

Forwards

Lapierre-Crosby-Rakell

Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin

Koivunen-Kindel-Rust

Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson

Defensive pairs

Carlile-Karlsson

Girard-Korczak

van Riemsdyk-Letang

The defensive pairings remain unchanged, but Muse is already trying new combinations, including Hendrix Lapierre on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. 

Lapierre will face his former team, the Washington Capitals, on Wednesday and is excited for the challenge. He also can't wait to face Alex Ovechkin after the latter announced on Monday that this will be his final NHL season.

"Like the rest of the team, it's going to be pretty special," Lapierre said after practice. "I played with him for a couple of years, and it was a pleasure; it was an honor. Really, truly had a great time there and playing with them, and he's a great leader. Again, it's gonna be a little weird tomorrow, but I'm super excited. He's had a heck of a career, as you guys know, and to be able to play against him in his final year is gonna be special, so it should be a really good game."

Wednesday will be the first of four matchups between the Penguins and Capitals this year. The Penguins are 2-1-0 through three games, while the Capitals are 1-1-0 through two games. 

Puck drop for Wednesday's game will be at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

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

Posted on

Dylan Larkin Scores, Named 1st Star In Season Debut During 5-3 Red Wings Win

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Former Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin made sure his season debut was a memorable one.

Despite being booed repeatedly when he first hit the ice and touched the puck during his opening shift, Larkin quickly turned many of those boos into cheers. He scored in the first period and added an assist in the Red Wings' 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena.

Larkin, who missed all of Training Camp and the preseason, along with the first two games of the regular season, was named the game's first star.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings were playing without forwards J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper, and Mason Appleton, along with unsigned RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson; William Wallinder made his NHL debut on the blue line and skated in 9:07 of ice time. 

The Senators struck first as Tim Stutzle beat John Gibson with a quick shot at the 2:44 mark of the first period, only to have Alex DeBrincat respond 32 seconds later with his first goal of the season.

Just after their power-play expired, the Red Wings took their first lead of the season thanks to Larkin, who buried a centering feed from Viktor Arvidsson at 13:14. 

Just 2:01 into the second period, Arvidsson scored his second goal in as many games, burying a rebound of Larkin's chance past Senators goalie Samuel Ersson.

Justin Faulk then added a highlight-reel tally minutes later, weaving his way through multiple Ottawa players and beating Ersson up high while falling to the ice. 

Not long afterward, Ottawa began making a game of it thanks to a power-play tally from Drake Batherson, which would eventually be followed by a goal from William Eklund midway through the third period. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Image

However, despite pulling Ersson, the Senators weren't able to come up with the equalizer. DeBrincat added his second of the game into the empty net with 50 seconds left in regulation, sealing Detroit's win. 

Gibson finished the contest with 21 saves for Detroit, while Ersson made 31 saves. 

There were multiple fights that broke out at the end of the second period, as DeBrincat squared off with Shane Pinto, Ben Chiarot against Ridley Greig, and Emmitt Finnie against Jordan Spence.

Ironically, despite his fight, Finnie wasn't penalized, meaning that it won't go into the books as his first official bout in the NHL. 

The Red Wings are back in action on Friday against the visiting Seattle Kraken at Little Caesars Arena. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

Image

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

Taylor Hall scores 2 as Hurricanes beat Canadiens 6-4 in Montreal's home opener

MONTREAL (AP) — Taylor Hall scored twice as the Carolina Hurricanes beat Montreal 6-4 in the Canadiens' home opener on Tuesday night.

Sebastian Aho added a goal and two assists, while Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski had a goal and an assist each.

Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal and Brandon Bussi stopped 16 shots in the rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference final.

Zachary Bolduc scored twice, Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist, and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for Montreal. Alexandre Texier and Chris Krieder had two assists apiece, while Jakub Dobes made 28 saves.

The Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre for their first regular-season home game since falling to the Hurricanes in the third round. Carolina eliminated Montreal in five games before going on to win the Stanley Cup over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The teams combined for five goals in the opening 13 minutes. Hall opened the scoring 2:25 into the first period, deflecting Jackson Blake’s shot after Slafkovsky turned the puck over in front of his own net.

Bolduc evened the score at 3:23, corralling a rebound and shoveling a backhand into the top corner. Suzuki put Montreal in front 64 seconds later with a snap shot over Bussi’s left shoulder, but Robinson tied it at 9:22 when Jalen Chatfield’s point shot deflected off him and past Dobes.

Bolduc gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead at 12:54, scoring his second of the night on the power play.

The lead held until Aho, also with the man advantage, slid a shot through Dobes’ pads 3:56 into the second. Jankowski capitalized on Noah Dobson’s giveaway to give Carolina the lead at 13:24, then Hall made it 5-3 at 12:21 in the third.

Slafkovsky jumped on a rebound to pull one back with 3:04 remaining before Svechnikov’s empty-netter.

Ivan Demidov missed the game after the Canadiens announced he would be sidelined two to four weeks with a lower-body injury.

Up next

Hurricanes: Host Vancouver on Thursday.

Canadiens: Host Nashville on Thursday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Posted on

Alexis Lafreniere's hat trick lifts Rangers to 5-2 win over Islanders

The Rangers emerged victorious in the 2026-27 NHL season's first Battle of New York, beating division rival Islanders, 5-2, behind a hat trick from Alexis Lafreniere and a two-goal outing from right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand. The win marked their fourth straight.

Here are some takeaways...

 — The Rangers didn't land a single shot on goal until almost seven minutes into the game, but when they finally did, they made it count. After chasing the puck-wielding sophomore Islanders defender Matthew Schafer into the boards,Lafrenierelost his balance, but not before managing to slide the puck backward as Bjorkstrand calmlyskated into the right dot. Bjorkstrand reacted instantly, scooping up the pass and rifling a shot above Isles goalie Semoyn Varlamov's left shoulder, giving the home team the early lead with his first goal as a Ranger.

— The first period wound down without another score, marking the fifth straight game in which the Rangers have not allowed a first-period goal, but it was far from quiet. The rivals combined for five penalties across the latter 13 minutes of the frame, including matching penalties for fighting drawn by Rangers captain J.T. Miller and Islander Brayden Schenn. In the final two minutes of the game, Islander Simon Holstrom was helped off the ice after taking a puck to the face on a shot from Sean Durzi.

— The Rangers got off to a much faster start in the second, doubling their lead just 25 seconds into the middle period as Lafreniere sent the puck bardown, but the Islanders retaliated soon after, evening the score with two quick tallies of their own. 

The Islanders first found the back of the net on their fourth power play of the evening. Captain Bo Horvat caught a cross-ice pass sent by Matias Maccelli through traffic and smoothly shoved it in top shelf. Two minutes later, Schenn sent a pass through traffic to the slot, where 21-year-old Calum Ritchier waited unprotected. Ritchie dragged the puck toward the net, drew Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin out of the net, then slid the puck behind a sprawling Shesterkin's skate to bring the Islanders up to speed.

— The Blueshirts ended the period with a one-goal edge thanks, once again, to Bjorkstrand, who received a cross-ice pass from Gabe Perreault in the waning seconds of a power play and walked it two strides toward the net before letting loose for his second of the night. The outing marks Bjorkstrand's 22nd-career multi-goal game. 

— Lafreniere scored the game's only third-period goals, finding the empty net twice in the final two minutes of the contest for his third career hat trick.

— Just three days after making his AHL debut, twenty-year-old center Cole Beaudoin skated in his first NHL contest Tuesday night after the Rangers placed Joseph Veleno, who sustained a lower-body injury in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth, on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon. Beaudoin finished the game without a point but with a plus-1 rating, one block, and three hits. He won an even 50 percent of his faceoffs, tied for third-best on the team with Noah Laba.

The Rangers acquired Beaudoin, along with 27-year-old bluelinerDurziand a 2027 third-round draft pick, in the trade that sent veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth. He began the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' AHL affiliate, and quickly found his stride. Across his two games in Hartford, Beaudoin contributed to more than half of the Wolf Pack's eight goals so far this season, recording a team-leading five points (1 goal, four assists) and propelling them to the top of the Atlantic Division (though they're knotted with the Springfield Thunderbirds, who are also 2-0).

— Making his first NHL appearance in 676 days, Varlamovmade 19 stops on 22 shots in the loss. 

The 38-year-old missed most of the 2024-25 campaign and all of last year due to two partial knee replacements in November 2024 and 22 months of extensive rehab. Heading into the matchup, Varlamov was 5-1-0 with the Islanders at MSG, posting a .950 save percentage, a 1.55 goals-against average, and four shutouts. He's now 10-4-1 in the arena across his 18 years as an NHL goalie.

— Shesterkin finished the game with an .895 save percentage.

—The rivals next go head-to-head Dec. 20, this time in Isles territory at UBS Arena.

Highlights

What's next

The Rangers get two days off before facing the Washington Capitals on the road Friday at 7 p.m. The Islanders are set to host the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday at 7:30.

Posted on

Matthews scores OT winner, McKenna gets his first NHL goal, as Maple Leafs beat Predators 5-4

TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews scored with 14 seconds left in overtime and had three assists in regulation and the Toronto Maple Leafs erased a three-goal deficit in a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

William Nylander, No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna — with his first as a professional — John Tavares and Jack Roslovic had the other goals for Toronto, which got 21 saves from Anthony Stolarz.

McKenna also picked up an assist on Tavares’ goal for his first NHL point. Nylander chipped in two assists and Roslovic added one.

Steven Stamkos scored twice for Nashville to move into 17th place on the NHL’s career goals list, while Nils Hoglander also scored twice. Filip Forsberg had two assists and Juuse Saros made 33 stops.

Stamkos opened the scoring at 7:13 of the first period on a power play. Nashville doubled its lead at 9:08 when Hoglander collected a rebound off the end boards and slotted it home before making it 3-0 at 3:03 of the second on another tap-in.

Tavares got Toronto going off the rush at 4:56 of the middle period and Nylander connected on a man advantage at 6:58 to make it 3-2. Stamkos scored his second to restore a two-goal lead at 13:30, but McKenna scored his first NHL goal 61 seconds later.

Roslovic tied things at 8:54 of the third.

Stamkos broke a tie with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla on the league’s career scoring list with his first-period goal — the 626th of his career — before adding another in the second. Dave Andreychuk is 16th in NHL history with 640 career goals.

Stamkos became the third active player to score 100 game-opening goals in his career. Alex Ovechkin leads with 154 followed by Sidney Crosby at 127.

Up next

Predators: At Montreal on Thursday.

Maple Leafs: At Vegas on Thursday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Posted on

Nick Schmaltz scores NHL-best 5th goal and Mammoth beat Devils 5-3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nick Schmaltz scored his NHL-best fifth goal of the season, and the Utah Mammoth relied on their proficient power play to beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Clayton Keller, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Mammoth, and Mikhail Sergachev had three assists to surpass 300 for his career before leaving the game when he took a puck to the back of the helmet late in the second period.

Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play and has scored on 8 of 13 opportunities this season with the man advantage, including Keller's goal in the first period and Schmaltz's go-ahead tally midway through the second that made it 3-2.

Luke Evangelista scored twice for New Jersey and Jesper Boqvist had the other goal.

The Mammoth beat the Devils for the first time, having gone 0-4 in the franchise's previous two seasons.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for Utah, and New Jersey's Jake Allen made 26 saves.

Sergachev reached 300 assists with his second of the game, on Weegar's goal early in the second period. The 28-year-old Russian defenseman reached the milestone in his 634th NHL game.

He also assisted on Schmaltz's goal for his seventh career four-assist game and fourth in his last 32 contests.

Schmaltz had two assists, the second on Trocheck's goal that made it 5-3 with 3:08 remaining.

New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler left with an injury early in the third period.

Up next

Mammoth: At Boston on Thursday.

Devils: Host Vancouver on Saturday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Posted on

Larkin scores in return to lineup as Red Wings deal Senators 1st loss of the season 5-3

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored in his first game since asking for a trade, helping the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Larkin was initially booed by the home crowd when he touched the puck on his first shift. The boos turned to cheers when he scored in the 13th minute, giving Detroit a lead it never relinquished. He also set up a goal early in the second.

Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Justin Faulk and Viktor Arvidsson added goals for Detroit. John Gibson made 22 saves.

Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and William Eklund scored for the Senators, who had won their first two games. Samuel Ersson had 31 saves.

DeBrincat opened his scoring in the first with a wrist shot 3:16 into the period, assisted by Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur. He added a power-play empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining in the third. DeBrincat also had an assist.

Larkin remains in limbo several months after his trade request became public. He was stripped of the captaincy, reported to training camp despite being injured, missed the start of the season because of injury and received a frosty reaction from home fans during introductions prior to their first game last week.

Ersson started for Ottawa after entering in relief of injured No. 1 goaltender Linus Ullmark for the third period Monday night in Boston. Ullmark did not dress, and the Senators called up Jonas Johansson from Belleville of the American Hockey League to back up.

Ridly Greig made his season debut for Ottawa and finished with an assist. Greig served a two-game suspension at the start of the season that he received for roughing during the Senators’ final playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Greig was banned for sucker punching Carolina defenseman Sean Walker in the second period of Ottawa’s 4-2 loss on April 25.

Up next

Senators: Host Philadelphia on Thursday.

Red Wings: Host Seattle on Friday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Posted on

Top draft pick Gavin McKenna picks up first NHL goal, assist for Toronto against Predators

TORONTO (AP) — No. 1 draft pick Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

McKenna scored on Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros in the second period of his fourth professional game. The 18-year-old took a pass from Auston Matthews, beat Saros with a high shot and then dropped to one knee in celebration at Scotiabank Arena.

McKenna also had an assist on Toronto’s first goal by William Nylander for his first NHL point.

The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring, and beat the draft lottery odds by winning the right to select McKenna with the first overall selection in June.

The Yukon native who played college hockey at Penn State was just one of a number of new faces to arrive in Toronto during the off season. The Maple Leafs added goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenseman Darren Raddysh before the club acquired winger Kirill Marchenko a day before its regular-season opener.

McKenna, who tore up the Canadian Hockey League before spending 2025-26 in the NCAA, entered play averaging 14 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time with three shots on target and a minus-3 rating through three games.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Posted on

Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov out 6-8 weeks with lower-body injury

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will be out six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury after being hurt in their second game back from a season-long absence.

The Panthers coach Paul Maurice announced the diagnosis on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Barkov went down awkwardly on his left leg during a board battle in the second period against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 1. He got up and limped to the dressing room, throwing off his glove in anger.

Barkov had missed the entire 2025-26 season after suffering injuries to his ACL and MCL in his right knee during training camp and having surgery.

Barkov is a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward, including during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The Panthers won the Stanley Cup in both of those seasons.

His injury last season was one of many that derailed the Panthers as they missed the playoffs after three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov out 6-8 weeks with lower-body injury

Posted on

Insider Keeping Rumored Oilers Trade Target a Secret

TSN insider Darren Dreger was a guest on The Nielson Show and dropped an interesting bit of news that has fans of the Edmonton Oilers guessing. He suggested GM Stan Bowman was in detailed talks with another NHL team from the Eastern Conference and is the frontrunner on someone, but he wouldn't say who. 

Dreger noted, "I'm not gonna mention the player's name because I know it, and I don't think that would be fair to the process" started Dreger. Then he got into a bit more detail.

"A young forward, a young center potentially, with plenty of upside, plenty of room to grow, and plenty to prove at the NHL level. I know it's a conversation the Oilers have had for a number of weeks with a team in the Eastern Conference. I don't want Oilers fans to get too over the top. We're talking about a guy who's still trying to prove his NHL value at this point."

He finished with, "I just know that Edmonton was considered to be a front-runner in trade conversation with this team about this Eastern Conference player."

Dreger said he was purposely being vague because he also didn't want to derail it from the kid's perspective. "If he needs a change of scenery and he might have a good landing place in Edmonton, then so be it."

The Oilers still want to make sure that they get a good look at the young pieces they already have and want to be sure they understand the value of what they already have in house. Mike Babcock has elluded to trying to find players on several occassions. 

Perhaps this deal never goes down, but if Edmonton doesn't feel like they have their own solutions, could this deal happen?

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Posted on

Dylan Larkin plays his first game for the Red Wings since asking for a trade

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin played for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night for the first time since asking for a trade, getting stripped of the captaincy, reporting to training camp, missing the start of the season because of injury and getting booed by home fans during introductions prior to their first game.

The crowd booed Larkin when he touched the puck for the first time on his opening shift. Larkin was then slow to get back defensively, and Ottawa's Tim Stützle scored off the rush less than three minutes in.

Larkin remains in limbo several months after his trade request became public and Detroit’s longtime general manager, Steve Yzerman, was abruptly moved out of that role in mid-July. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff said Larkin was injured in off-ice training and would miss the start of camp.

Coach Todd McLellan said following the morning skate that Larkin would play against the unbeaten Senators as long as the 30-year-old center was cleared by doctors. Larkin was activated off injured reserve prior to taking the ice for pregame warmups.

Larkin is a Michigan native who has played his entire NHL career with Detroit, which last made the playoffs in his rookie season a decade ago. That is the longest active drought of any of the league's 32 teams.

Fans at the home opener taped over Larkin's name with such things as “Loser," “Traitor” and “Leavin" and at times chanted, “Sell the team."

Larkin initially last spring gave the Red Wings only three destinations he'd accept a trade to — Florida, Minnesota and Vegas — before reportedly adding more possibilities in recent weeks.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here