Category: Ice Hockey

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna turned heads when he decided not to take optional skate ahead of his NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 29.

It's highly unusual for a player stepping into an occasion of that magnitude not to take the optional skate to prepare for the big day.

Some thought it was great, including head coach Jim Hiller and defenseman Chris Tanev, who said McKenna had some "swag" making that decision.

The 18-year-old later revealed that his decision not to go out for the optional morning skate before the first game of the 2026-27 season "wasn't a swagger thing."

"Usually I (do) morning skates," McKenna said after Friday's practice. "But with a back-to-back, it was my first game, I wanted to be rested. So yeah, it wasn't a swagger thing. It was just trying to keep my body fresh."

'Wasn't A Swagger Thing': Maple Leafs Rookie Gavin McKenna Explains Why He Missed Morning Skate Before NHL DebutToronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna explains that his decision to miss the optional morning skate ahead of his NHL debut on Tuesday "wasn't a swagger thing."

TSN's Darren Dreger further reported on that and why McKenna didn't skate the morning of the biggest game in his early NHL career. He said that the Maple Leafs are managing the youngster.

"It just boils down to the fact he's 18," Dreger said on Early Trading. Rest and recovery is important in that off-ice management."

Along with the abundance of additions to player personnel this off-season, the organization also hired Andy O'Brien as the team's VP of sport performance. O'Brien is one of the sport's greatest experts when it comes to recovery, fitness, training, etc.

Dreger added that the element of sports science has grown to be so important in this day's NHL, and that's definitely in focus for how McKenna has been managed so far.

Nick Paul Looks To Bounce Back Healthy With Maple Leafs And With Andy O’Brien In His CornerA fully healthy wrist, a new club and a new regimen are some of the things Nick Paul is betting on for a return to form.

Missing the morning skate of his debut grabbed attention, but so did his decision to miss Sunday's optional skills practice. It wasn't a critically important session for the players and the team, but it's worth noting that the entire top line for the Maple Leafs, which included Auston Matthews, Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic, was on the ice, but none of the second line was. 

But again, that's reportedly a decision by the team's management in an effort to keep McKenna fresh as he continues to chase his first point and goal in the NHL.

#Leafs attending optional skills practice today: Oct. 4

Auston Matthews
Kirill Marchenko
Jack Roslovic
Dakota Joshua
Easton Cowan
Nick Paul
Teddy Blueger
Bo Groulx
Zack MacEwen
Troy Stecher
Chris Tanev
Nick Blankenburg
Brendan Bonnello (EBUG) pic.twitter.com/HpQk8r9NvT

— Andre Leal (@leal_andre19) October 4, 2026

"If he was given the option, given a choice, Gavin McKenna would be out there with Auston Matthews and everyone else who opted to take the skate. But this is the Maple Leafs just trying to manage their asset here."

It's worth noting that while there's the belief that an 18-year-old shouldn't require extra rest to remain fresh given his young age, the fact is, from a sports science perspective, it's actually very common for young athletes to suffer muscle injuries from heavy workload, overuse, repetitive stress and lack of recovery.

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The Minnesota Wild  (2-0-0) will turn to Jesper Wallstedt once again when they face the Buffalo Sabres (1-1-0) on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center.

Wallstedt will make his third consecutive start to open the season, while Colten Ellis will get the start for Buffalo. The Wild enter the matchup 2-0-0, while the Sabres are 1-1-0. 

Wallstedt couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the season.

The 23-year-old has won each of his first two starts while posting a 1.01 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. He has stopped 45 of the 47 shots he has faced.

Wallstedt opened the season by turning aside 19 of 20 shots in Minnesota’s 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. He followed that performance by stopping 26 of 27 shots in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

His strong start has helped Minnesota outscore its opponents 7-2 through two games. 

With Filip Gustavsson sidelined following offseason hip surgery, Wallstedt has been handed an early opportunity to take control of the Wild’s crease. So far, he has done exactly that.

Buffalo will counter with Ellis, who will make his first appearance of the 2026-27 season.

The 26-year-old went 8-4-2 with a 2.90 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 16 appearances last season. He also recorded the first shutout of his NHL career.

Ellis has already seen the Wild once in his career and came away with the victory.

He stopped 22 of 24 shots in Buffalo’s 3-2 shootout win over Minnesota on Nov. 29, 2025. Ellis then stopped two of the Wild’s four shootout attempts to secure the win. 

Tuesday’s matchup therefore features a goaltender trying to continue one of the NHL’s best starts against another making his season debut.

Wallstedt will look to make it three wins in three starts and keep the Wild perfect, while Ellis will try to replicate the success he had against Minnesota last season.

Puck drop between the Wild and Sabres is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at KeyBank Center.

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The Montreal Canadiens are set to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes for the third game of their regular season on Tuesday.

The Canadiens will be hoping to bounce back after losing in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 6-5 final score in their last game.

However, as the Canadiens prepare for their game against the Hurricanes, they have announced some rough injury news regarding star winger Ivan Demidov. 

The Canadiens have announced that Demidov will be out for the next two to four weeks due to an upper-body injury.

With Demidov being one of the Canadiens' most important forwards, it is undoubtedly bad news that he is going to miss multiple weeks. Yet, Montreal will now need to adjust without the 20-year-old forward in their lineup for the time being. 

In two games this season for the Canadiens, Demidov has posted one goal and one assist. This is after he recorded 19 goals, 43 assists, and 62 points in 82 games for the Canadiens during this past season.

It will now be interesting to see how the Canadiens perform without Demidov in their lineup from here. 

NEW YORK, NY -- New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov is expected to make his first NHL start since Nov. 29, 2024, when he takes the crease against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

He did not take part in the Islanders' morning skate as he took his option. Ilya Sorokin and emergency backup netminder Tom Sullivan hit the ice this morning. 

Varlamov, 38, has missed the last year and a half while recovering from two partial knee replacements. 

With one season left on his $2.75 million-per-year contract, the grizzled veteran wasn't ready to hang up his skates, undergoing grueling physical therapy after a risky surgery to return to NHL form.

In two preseason games, Varlamov turned aside x of x. He backed up starting netminder Ilya Sorokin in the Islanders' 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last Wednesday and their 6-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. 

Varlamov has owned the Rangers at MSG over his career:

Varlamov’s numbers AT MSG vs. #NYR :

Career (14 GP): 10-3-1, 2.29 GAA, .928 SV%, 4 SO.

414 saves on 446 shots.

With #Isles  (6 GP): 5-1-0, 1.55 GAA, .950 SV%, 4 SO.

172 saves on 181 shots.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 5, 2026

Puck drop between the Islanders and Rangers comes your way at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. 

Let’s talk about some first impressions from the 2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins.

After playing a nearly flawless 60 minutes in the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins won a 6-5 overtime game against the Montreal Canadiens that saw them let a 5-1 slip away, and then played what was easily their sloppiest and ugliest game of the season on Monday night in a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

It has only been three games.

Everybody’s story for the 2026-27 season is still in it prologue, especially as everybody tries to deal with the shortened preseason and training camp. It is going to make one of the noisiest and most random parts of the season even noisier and more random. But it is still a first impression, and sometimes a first impression can tell you a lot.

So let’s look at three things to like so far from the Penguins, and three things to not like so far.

Things to like so far

• You should like Ben Kindel’s start. Not only in the sense that he looks bigger, stronger and faster, but also with the way he looks offensively. He has played two games, he has scored two goals, both of them by going to the front of the net and getting his stick on the puck, and added an assist. We know he can shoot, we know he can skate, and we know he can see the ice. But if he is going to start scoring dirty goals from the front of the net you are really going to have something here. His play to set up Declan Carlile on Monday night was also one of the bright spots in the game for the Penguins. He knew exactly what he was doing with that puck, and where he was going with it, before he even had it. As promising as all of that is, I thought one of his best plays over the first two games was a scoring chance he generated on the penalty kill in his first game against the Canadiens. It did not result in a goal, but it showed off the speed and strength we have been hearing about all training camp. We know he is an NHL player. The question is the upside and how good of an NHL player he can be. We might be underselling it.
• You should like Declan Carlile’s start. Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea were very pleasant surprises for the 2025-26 Penguins, and when they let Shea go without even so much as a serious offer, and then traded Wotherspoon for Kaedan Korczak, there was some confusion, and maybe even concern among Penguins fans. I still like Korczak (even with an up-and-down start), but I really liked the Carlile signing and saw him as not only a potential Wotherspoon replacement, but perhaps even an upgrade next to Erik Karlsson. While I do not expect offense to be a big part of his game, already scoring two goals and adding two more assists in three games is an unexpected surge offensively. He has, quite literally, already set a new career high in scoring. And both goals were fantastic shots as well. I still wouldn’t expect big offensive numbers this season from him, but I do expect a good player.
• You should like Evgeni Malkin’s start. He did not have a great game on Monday, but who did other than Kindel and, for the most part, Sergei Murashov? He did, however, have two outstanding games against Philadelphia and Montreal to start the season. I do not know how he is going to hold up over 84 games and what the April version of Malkin will look like, but through the first week of the season there is still some juice to squeeze here.

Things to not like so far

• You should not like seven third period goals against in two games. I realize it might be a little odd to put a defensemen in the “things to like” category given some of the goal prevention issues over the past two games, but I’m not going to put that entirely on just the defense. It has been a very collective effort across the board, and continuing what was a big problem a year ago. The good news? They mostly figured it out last season as the season went on. Right now it’s been four shaky periods (the third period against Montreal, and the bad game against Winnipeg). The positives have still outweighed the negatives. But the negatives are something we saw a little too much of a season ago.
• You should not like Connor Dewar’s start. Since being acquired at the 2024-25 NHL Trade Deadline, Dewar has been a very pleasant surprise as a fourth-line forward and penalty killer, and even played his way into a contract extension. It was justified given his play. But the past two games have been shaky for him in terms of making simple plays with the puck, and the type of plays you should be counting on him to make in tough, defensive situations. He has had some egregious turnovers in the defensive zone. I understand the Penguins probably want him in the lineup due to his penalty killing, but given the forward depth they have accumulated, including players that are more than capable of playing a fourth-line role when everybody is healthy (Hendrix Lapierre, Elmer Soderblom) he should not have a lock on a lineup spot every night.
• You should not like how the Penguins power play responded to an aggressive penalty kill. This is not a commentary on the power play’s overall performance through three games, because they scored four goals in the first two games. This is simply related to how they looked on Monday night against a Winnipeg penalty kill that was extremely aggressive and did not give them any room to operate or set up. Even when the Penguins power play is going well it has always been vulnerable to chances against, and can at times look a little sloppy. That is especially true against teams that do not just passively sit back and let them set up. Winnipeg’s two PK’s on Monday were highlighted by an aggressiveness they did not see from Philadelphia and Montreal, and the Penguins did not seem to know how to handle it. Maybe it was just an extension of the sloppy game they played. Maybe it is a thing other teams will try to exploit. Either way, it was something that stood out to me.

During the off-season, Ilya Mikheyev's time with the Chicago Blackhawks officially came to an end when he signed a four-year, $15.4 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in free agency.

Now, the former Blackhawks forward is already making an impact with the Lightning early on this season.

During the Lightning's Monday game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Mikheyev scored a goal and recorded an assist. He recorded the primary assist on Pontus Holmberg's game-winning goal for Tampa and then scored to give the Lightning a 3-1 lead. 

Seeing Mikheyev having a good start with the Lightning is not too surprising. He was an effective player during his time with the Blackhawks and should be a nice pickup for the Lightning. 

In 157 games over two seasons with the Blackhawks from 2024-25 to 2025-26, Mikheyev posted 38 goals, 32 assists, 70 points, and a plus-6 rating. This included him recording a career high 36 points in 77 games last season for Chicago. 

Penguins rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov got philosophical after making his first start of the season in Monday’s 3-2 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Jets.

“There’s a saying in Russian, ‘Morning is wiser than evening,’” Murashov told reporters after the game. “So, just take a good sleep, rest, and calmly think about that tomorrow, so we can get better from this game.”

When about adjusting from playing most of last season in the AHL to starting this season in Pittsburgh, Murashov said, “Well, puck is the same size, net is the same size.”

Sergei Murashov spoke after his first game of the season

"Every kid dreams of getting [to the NHL], and you just appreciate every day here." pic.twitter.com/eD5JgZIDjt

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 6, 2026

The Penguins’ hopes of having Murashov as a full-time NHL option this season may have been bolstered by his performance Monday night.

The team took a 1-0 lead on a Ben Kindel goal early in the second period in large part because of Murashov’s efforts to save Pittsburgh from paying for their defensive lapses in the first part of the game.

That included a stretch where the Penguins were outshot 9-1 in the final six minutes of the first period.

“I thought that we were not on point and he made some huge saves to weather some storms there,” Muse told reporters in his postgame press conference.

Murashov showed off his athleticism during that early stretch of the game by lunging across the crease for some Marc-Andre Fleury-esque saves.

Sergei Murashov with a BEAUTY of a save 🙅‍♂️

Stream exclusively on Sportsnet+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/t8lSF3arNR

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 6, 2026

Sergei Murashov showing off that athleticism early with these saves 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Vn1G6RIRYu

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 6, 2026

Murashov finished out his season debut having stopped 31 of 34 shots against. The first two Jets goals ricocheted off Penguins defenders in front of the net shortly before going in. Cole Perfetti then beat Murashov on a one-timer for the game winner.

they scored a goal 🙁

WE SCORED A GOAL EIGHT SECONDS LATER!!! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ExUxorbiL8

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 6, 2026

Multiple Penguins players credited Murashov with keeping his team in the game long enough to pull the goalie and launch a final 6-on-5 attack in the closing seconds.

“He kept us in it all night,” Declan Carlile said.

Ben Kindel said, “He kept us in the game. It’s always reassuring to have a guy that’s going to battle for you and keep you in the game no matter what.”

Murashov already proved he can shine at the AHL level, where he recorded a dominant 2.20 GAA and .919 save percentage last season. The Penguins will hope Monday’s performance is the first step toward replicating that success at the next level.

This likely won’t be the last game this week in which Murashov sees playing time. After playing in the Washington Capitals’ home opener this Wednesday, the Penguins are scheduled for a back-to-back at the Columbus Blue Jackets and against the visiting Dallas Stars.

Murashov will be expected to start either Friday in Columbus or at home this Saturday as Dan Muse works on splitting the workload between Arturs Silovs and who the Penguins are seemingly hoping will be their goaltender of the future.

Bruins must let Hagens, young players play through mistakes originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Growing pains are part of the normal development process for any young NHL player, and that was evident during the Bruins’ ugly 4-1 loss to the Senators at TD Garden on Monday night.

It was a tough night for the whole team. They weren’t ready to play and lacked the level of energy and execution needed to keep up with a hard-playing and skilled Senators team.

But it was a particularly difficult game for several of the Bruins’ young players, including rookie forward James Hagens.

Hagens did score the Bruins’ only goal in third period, giving him two tallies in four games. But he also was on the ice for two goals against, and a couple of his mistakes led to those Senators goals.

An unsuccessful backhand pass intended for David Pastrnak in the second period resulted in Tim Stutzle stealing possession of the puck. Stutzle fed a pass to Drake Batherson, who scored on a breakaway to give Ottawa a 3-0 lead.

Defence 👉 Offence 💪#GoSensGopic.twitter.com/URdnmy2Hvm

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 6, 2026

Hagens also couldn’t clear a puck later in the second period, and seconds after, the puck ended up in the back of the Bruins’ net as Michael Amadio scored from in close.

The Senators led the Bruins 14-6 in shot attempts, 7-2 in shots on net, 7-4 in scoring chances and 2-1 in goals during Hagens’ 11:31 of even-strength ice time last night, per Natural Stat Trick.

To his credit, Hagens took full accountability after the game.

“I was a big reason for a couple of those goals going in,” Hagens told reporters. “I have to be a lot better. That was unacceptable on my end. It’s tough. You want to be able to play really well and get that win.”

Hagens wasn’t alone, to be clear.

Similar to Hagens, young players including forwards Matt Poitras and Fraser Minten, as well as defenseman Frederic Brunet, all had good, bad and ugly moments versus the Senators. Hagens and Poitras each took minor penalties in a seven-second span in the first period that gave Ottawa a lengthy 5-on-3 power play, although the Bruins penalty kill stepped up and didn’t allow a goal.

Unlike some previous Bruins head coaches, Marco Sturm sounds committed to giving these rookies the opportunity to learn and improve without the fear of being benched or sent to Providence after a few errors.

“Yes, (Hagens) probably had a tough night like anyone else,” Sturm told reporters postgame. “But I won’t blame him. He’s a kid who needs to learn. I think our top guys, games like this, they have to be in charge. I can’t ask for James Hagens to take charge. Yes, he needs to be better. But overall as a group, we’ve just got to help those kids out. The kids have to play better as well. I won’t blame my young guys for that. They’re kids. They need to learn the hard way sometimes. But they need help, and that’s all of us.”

Even though it was a frustrating night for these young players, the Bruins have to let them make mistakes and learn from them. And it’s certainly better to do that now early in the season as opposed to later in the campaign when the playoff race heats up.

These aren’t mid-level prospects, either. Hagens is an elite prospect and was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Minten was just signed to a seven-year extension and could be a solid No. 2 center sooner rather than later. These players will be — in an ideal world for the Bruins — core players for the franchise moving forward. The B’s also need these players to make a meaningful impact this season if they’re going to earn a playoff berth.

It’s a lot to ask of a 19-year-old Hagens and a 22-year-old Minten, but there are reasons to be optimistic they’ll rise to the challenge. That process also will include plenty of mistakes, and it’ll be up to the Bruins’ veterans to help the team overcome them. That didn’t happen Monday night. Many of the veteran players, including David Pastrnak, also played poorly.

Three intriguing players hit the NHL waiver wire on Monday. While most of social media focused on forward Connor Zary, the two defensemen available make the most sense when it comes to the Vancouver Canucks. Those defenders are 27-year-old Brayden Pachal and 25-year-old Matthew Robertson. 

Starting with Pachal, he was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames. Listed at 6'2", 202 lbs, the right-shot defenceman has played 177 games split between the Flames and the Vegas Golden Knights. Over his career, Pachal has recorded 28 points along with 194 penalty minutes. 

Claiming Pachal would add some extra toughness to the roster, as he does have 406 career hits. It would also let the Canucks send Victor Mancini down to the Abbotsford Canucks, since the NHL squad would have an extra experienced defender they wouldn't need to worry about losing development time by serving as a healthy scratch. Finally, acquiring Pachal would be a homecoming of sorts for the player, as he spent his first two seasons in the WHL with the Victoria Royals. 

As for Robertson, he has spent his entire career with the New York Rangers. Listed at 6'4, 218 lbs, the left-shot defender has recorded 18 points in 74 career games. Robertson is also known as a physical defenceman, recording 107 hits in 72 games last season. 

There are advantages to picking Robertson over Pachal. The biggest is that he is younger and has a higher pedigree as a second-round pick from 2019. Robertson has also been tested as a top-four defender at the NHL level, as he averaged 17:24 of ice time per night in 2025-26. 

Ultimately, Ryan Johnson should consider claiming either Pachal or Robertson. Both would provide the team with additional depth on the blue line, which is something every team in the league needs. Even if they serve as a seventh or eighth defenseman, either would be a smart claim by Vancouver, which will remain at the top of the waiver wire until the end of the month. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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On Monday, NHL legend Alex Ovechkin announced that this will be his last season in the NHL before retirement, meaning that the Philadelphia Flyers will stake claim to an honor nobody else can.

Ovechkin, 41, will face the Flyers for perhaps the final time in his NHL career on April 10, 2027, when the Washington Capitals sniper visits Philadelphia in the last game of the 2026-27 regular season for both teams.

Of course, the Capitals and the Flyers could always meet in the playoffs at some point, though the way the Flyers have played to start their season, that seems pretty unlikely.

But, if the Flyers don't give any other reason for excitement in Game 84, true hockey fans will turn up to see the send-off for The Great 8, the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history with the all-time record of 929 goals and counting.

"It's sad, but it is what it is. We have an unbelievable team for this year and 82 games left. Let's make the playoffs, let's have fun and enjoy the moment," Ovechkin said, addressing his teammates in the locker room in a video posted by the Capitals on social media.

Averaging an NHL career low 13:10 of ice time through Washington's first two games, Ovechkin has one assist and one shot on goal thus far, taking a backseat to newcomers like Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch as the Capitals aim to make his last season count.

Ovechkin's impact against the Flyers

It goes almost without saying that Ovechkin has long been a thorn in the side of the Flyers during a storied NHL career that has spanned 22 seasons and 1,575 regular season games and counting.

Fifty-four of Ovechkin's 929 career goals have come against the Flyers, according to Statmuse, and the star Russian winger owns 86 points in 82 career games against Philadelphia overall.

Flyers captain Sean Couturier and Ovechkin have played each other 50 times over their respective careers, with Couturier scoring 13 goals, 20 assists, and 30 points in those games, while Ovechkin posted 28 goals, 14 assists, and 43 points.

Another blast from the past: Flyers GM Danny Briere played Ovechkin in the regular season 29 times, scoring 10 goals, 12 assists, and 22 points in those games, whereas his Capitals counterpart potted 22 goals, 13 assists, and 35 points.

The playoffs were a different story, though, as Briere produced six goals, five assists and 11 points to Ovechkin's four goals, five assists, and nine points in seven games, when the Flyers went the distance to defeat the Capitals in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs.

As long as physical health allows, Briere will be in the house as Couturier and the Flyers welcome Ovechkin to Philly for one last regular season game.

On Monday, Washington Capitals legend Alexander Ovechkin announced that the 2026-27 season will be his last one in the NHL. After 22 years on this side of the pond, the Great 8 didn’t say he would retire, just that it would be his last year in the NHL. In other words, he’ll likely head home and spend some time in the KHL, as so many Russians do when Father Time catches up to them.

Tournée d’adieu pour Alexander Ovechkin ⬇️ https://t.co/OjJkLOOpD7

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 5, 2026

At 41, the Capitals captain isn't as productive as he once was, but he remains a legend of the game and the all-time leading goal scorer. Once, people wondered whether he could beat Wayne Gretzky’s regular-season goal total of 894, and he did in 2024-25. He could still beat Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record. The Canadian has 1,016 goals if you include the playoffs, whereas the Russian has 1,006. It would take a fantastic postseason for the Caps, but it’s far from impossible. When Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2017-18, he scored 15 goals in 24 games.

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As things stand, Ovechkin has 929 goals and 759 assists for 1688 points. In 22 seasons, he has faced the Montreal Canadiens 63 times, scoring 44 goals and adding 32 assists for 76 points. He's been a thorn in the Habs’ side over the years, and it’s fair to say the Sainte-Flanelle won’t miss him.

Fans may miss him, though, because he remains an impressive player to watch on the ice; who doesn’t remember his breakaway challenge at the All-Star Game in Montreal in 2009? The Tricolore will face him three times this season; the first two duels will be in Washington on October 14 and January 19, and once in Montreal on February 13, at 1:00 PM. As always on Superbowl weekend, the Bell Centre will host a couple of matinee games, and if you’ve yet to see Ovechkin play in person, this will be your very last chance to watch him take on the Habs. If your kid has never seen him play, there’s your chance.

Right now, very few tickets remain for that game, and the cheapest one is at $269. Secondary-market prices will likely rocket up. Still, Canadiens fans will no doubt salute the end of Ovechkin’s career beautifully in February, and it will be yet another marquee moment at the Bell Centre.

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On Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins surrendered three third period goals to squander a 5-1 lead, but they were ultimately able to recover and win in overtime. On Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, the Penguins allowed another three goals in the final frame to once again give up a lead they began the period with, instead this time around, they were unable to bounce back, and as a result, dropped their first game of the season in a 3-2 home loss. [Pensburgh]

Pens Points…

It’s the first full week of the 2026-27 NHL season and the Penguins have four games on the schedule, including their first back-to-back set coming on Friday/Saturday. This week also features a pair of games against Metro opponents in Washington and Columbus. [Pensburgh]

You can read more about it below, but Alexander Ovechkin announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. Having been his chief rival for more than two decades, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby shared their thoughts on the announcement with the media. [Pensburgh]

The rivalry between the Penguins and Capitals was already well established before Crosby and Ovechkin came into the league, but their own personal rivalry just added to the intensity when the two teams met, and now they will get one final go around this season. [Penguins]

So much of Crosby’s career has been defined by his rivalry with Ovechkin, that when Ovie retires, there will seem like a piece of Sid is missing as well for however long he continues playing. [The Athletic $$]

A new season brings some new menu items available for fans to purchase at PPG Paints Arena and there will be plenty to choose from and try out during your visit. [PPG]

Coming into the season, all you had to do was look at the Penguins roster and you could see they had an abundance of forwards under contract and not nearly enough room to fit them all. That depth is vital in an NHL season, but it still takes some managing to make sure you have the right fit. [The Athletic $$]

NHL News and Notes…

This season will mark the final season for Alexander Ovechkin who announced he will be retiring at the end of 2026-27 after a 22-year career. His final regular season home game will fittingly come against the Penguins in April. [NHL]

It’s the first “Three Stars of the Week” of the NHL season and Igor Shesterkin leads the way following two wins in three starts to go along with a goal of his own and an assist. Joining Shesterkin among the honorees is Evan Bouchard and Paul Cotter who lit up the box score early in the season. [NHL]

The Islanders are in action tonight against a Rangers team that is unfortunately off to a pretty good start, let by Igor Shesterkin’s goal and assist.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• Practice notes from Monday. [Isles]
• Prospect Report: Luca Romano, Kamil Bednarik and other cool names. [Isles]
• One of these days, and maybe it’s today, Semyon Varlamov will make his first start in two years. He’s savoring every moment. [Newsday | Post]
• Island Ice podcast: early season thoughts and a chat with J-G Pageau. [Newsday]
• Logan Stanley is getting used to traffic, the price of coffee and the welcoming Islanders organization. [Post]
• Dan and Mike check in with the first Islanders Anxiety since real games began and yes, there is Master Leaf Theatre. [LHH]

Islanders looking to keep to rest plan for Ilya Sorokin

Lee settling in with Mammoth, already making impact on young roster | NHL.com

Vincent Trocheck, Anders Lee back in New York playing for Utah Mammoth

Former Mets, Islanders broadcaster Howie Rose gets tribute at UBS Arena during Isles' home opener

Elsewhere

• Yikes, Macklin Celebrini has some sort of injury. [Sportsnet]
• The PA was not having any of Gary Bettman complaining about no-trade clauses. [Sportsnet | Athletic]
• In a shock to no one, this will be Putin puppet Alex Ovechkin’s final season. He’s no Jagr! [NHL]

Don’t like this, not one bit:

Rangers defeat Mammoth for third win in four days | NHL.com

Alfredsson ‘emotional’ seeing Senators again as Maple Leafs associate coach | NHL.com

Sunday Overreactions: Canucks' Pettersson boosting trade value

good morning everyone!

October has begun and you know what that means: It’s the beginning of the NHL season!

And I can say that, after seven or so years, the San Jose Sharks might be near the end of a dark, dark tunnel.

The Sharks haven’t made the playoffs since 2019, when they gambled it all only to come up short.

Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier and Logan Couture: They’re all gone.

The Sharks spent the last few years in the bottom of the league. But now we’ve got a new-look team fronted by Hart Trophy contender Macklin Celebrini, and Will Smith is another exciting player.

I think the big question for the Sharks is how Yaroslav Askarov will do in the goal. He’s a young goalie and was entrusted with the position last year.

Also, can we please take a moment to remember how great the Shark Tank is?

The Sharks swimming in the water is a magnificent detail. I can’t look away. #SJSharkspic.twitter.com/RsHMpo6sw6

— Annie Moore (@SanJosAnnie) October 4, 2026

The San Jose Sharks have the greatest entrance in professional hockey – and much better than the Medieval Knights rip-off they feature in Las Vegas. These are ice hockey players entering the Shark Tank through a shark!

And what’s that? A bunch of sharks swimming underneath the tank? That’s one intimidating environment. This is a playoff hockey arena.

I really believe this is the year the Sharks make it back to the playoffs. I’ve waited a very long time to see them play meaningful hockey again. I can’t wait.

COYS(harks)!

Fitzie’s track of the day: BLACKOUT, by TURNSTILE

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “Tottenham’s NFL boost – How much transfer cash they get and injury curse strikes again”

BBC: “England’s greatest international? Kane is now a serious contender”

Sharks Hockey Digest: “Sharks’ New On-Ice Graphics Are Making Waves”

After suffering yet another loss, a 4-1 decision at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night, the Philadelphia Flyers are officially having a historically bad start to their 2026-27 season.

The Lightning out-shot the Flyers 36-14 in their dominant win, putting the Flyers in some, well, pretty bad company through their first four games of the season.

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's broadcast team, only the 1970-71 Buffalo Sabres (-104) have had a worse shot on goal differential than the Flyers (-82) through the first four games of a season in NHL history.

The next two teams behind the Flyers were the 1991-92 Edmonton Oilers at -81, and the 2010-11 Anaheim Ducks at -80. In other words, it's been 16 years since the NHL has seen one of its teams outclassed by its opponents so badly to start a season.

Much like the games against Carolina and New Jersey, the Flyers looked like they might have had just enough juice to steal a point (or two), as a wonky deflection goal credited to Tyson Foerster pulled the Flyers within a goal, trailing 2-1 just under halfway through the second period.

That second period was the Flyers' best of the game, as they were outshot 10-3 and 15-4 in the first and third periods, respectively. Playing a few minutes of cohesive hockey isn't going to take any team, let alone the Flyers, very far.

Brayden Point opened the scoring for the Lightning on a deflection after beating Trevor Zegras on a faceoff in Zegras's defensive zone, and Pontus Holmberg gave the Lightning a 2-0 lead just 17 seconds into the second period with Cam York slipping up in the neutral zone.

The Flyers went 0-for-3 on the power play, though Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras believed it was fine after the Carolina game because they generated "looks" and just didn't execute.

Flyers Need Big Simon Edvinsson Trade to Shake Up Slumping RosterWith Simon Edvinsson looking for a trade, the Philadelphia Flyers have the perfect opportunity to right the ship and change the narrative.

In a game where a Nikita Kucherov-led power play also went 0-for-3, special teams could have made the difference, but the Flyers had no spark or killer instinct to make it happen.

Some of that falls on coaching, yes, but pro athletes have to be natural competitors. Very few have looked the part four games into the season, giving away cheap standings points to Eastern Conference teams looking to make the playoffs.

The Lightning ended the game with exactly three minutes left, as David Jiricek made an ill-advised pass under pressure to turn the puck over, then got overzealous trying to defend Holmberg when Cam York was behind him in support.

Ilya Mikheyev scored the eventual wraparound after an awkward scramble, even with Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier in strong position to erase Jiricek's pair of mistakes defending Vladar's crease.

No matter, though, because even if the Flyers survived and were able to pull the extra attacker to go 6-on-5 down 2-1, they probably wouldn't have scored anyway. Their power play and poise with the puck have given us no reason to believe otherwise.

Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet dropped a rather damning quote on his team in his postgame media availability, claiming, "This team is way too comfortable and they did not compete tonight."

It's the fourth game of the year, and we're questioning compete level, team mentality, and readiness to play.

If this downward spiral continues, it will be interesting to see where things go from here.