Nashville Predators (1-1-1, in the Central Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (1-1-1, in the Atlantic Division)

Montreal, Quebec; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Nashville Predators after Zachary Bolduc's two-goal game against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Canadiens' 6-4 loss.

Montreal had a 48-24-10 record overall and a 26-19-4 record at home last season. The Canadiens had a 23.1% power play success rate last season, scoring 56 goals on 242 chances.

Nashville had a 38-34-10 record overall and a 17-17-7 record on the road last season. The Predators scored 242 total goals a season ago, averaging 3.0 per game on 27.8 shots per game.

INJURIES: Canadiens: Oliver Kapanen: day to day (lower-body), Kaiden Guhle: out (groin), Ivan Demidov: out (lower-body), Lucas Condotta: out (undisclosed), Bryce Pickford: out (undisclosed).

Predators: Justus Annunen: out (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Chicago Blackhawks (1-3, in the Central Division) vs. New York Islanders (1-2, in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks will attempt to end a three-game road slide when they visit the New York Islanders.

New York went 43-34-5 overall and 22-17-2 in home games last season. The Islanders averaged 3.0 power-play chances per game last season, and converted on 16.5% (40 total power-play goals).

Chicago went 29-39-14 overall and 15-20-6 in road games a season ago. The Blackhawks scored 40 power-play goals last season on 236 chances for a 17.0% success rate.

INJURIES: Islanders: Mathew Barzal: out (knee), Alexander Romanov: day to day (undisclosed).

Blackhawks: Andrew Mangiapane: out (lower-body), Teuvo Teravainen: day to day (undisclosed), Ryan Ellis: out for season (back), Connor Bedard: out (shoulder).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The New York Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 on Tuesday night, marking their fourth straight win.

After a grueling five games in eight nights, the Rangers have come away with an impressive 4-1 record to kick off the 2026-27 season.

"We just went through a pretty tough stretch, five games in eight nights against some pretty good teams, and these guys, they're competing hard,” Mike Sullivan said. 

On Tuesday night, the Rangers’ recipe to success was more or less the same, with a more structured brand of hockey at both ends of the ice at the forefront. 

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday night’s game for the Blueshirts: 

Cole Beaudoin Makes NHL Debut: 

With Joe Veleno placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, the Rangers recalled Cole Beaudoin from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

The Blueshirts acquired Beaudoin as part of the trade that sent Vincent Trocheck to the Mammoth, and while the 2024 first-round pick wasn’t necessarily expected to be pushed up to the NHL this early, his hot start in Hartford, in which he recorded five points in two games, led to the call-up.

“This is something I’ve worked for as a little kid, a dream come true,” Beaudoin said. “Playing my first NHL game and just all the hours put into this, and all the coaching staff, my parents, my brothers, just pushing me, helping me to get to this point. It means a lot that they were able to be here again tonight.”

Beaudoin was noticeably aggressive on the forecheck and in the offensive zone, as he was able to use his 6-foot-2 frame to his advantage, keeping plays alive and playing a physical brand of hockey. 

The 20-year-old forward’s reliable two-way game gave Sullivan the confidence to put him in some defensive situations, specifically taking defensive-zone draws.

“I thought we were good on the forecheck which caused some of those chances in the offensive zone,” Beaudoin said. “Then in the D-zone when we were there, I thought we were pretty sound. So I thought we did a good job and played our game, played our role.”

Beaudoin played 9:57 minutes while recording a 54.5% faceoff win percentage. 

Oliver Bjorkstrand Provides Offensive Spark:

When the Rangers signed Oliver Bjorkstrand to a one-year, $4.5 million contract during the offseason, the expectation was that he would give the team a much-needed offensive boost. 

On Tuesday night, Bjorkstrand scored two goals, finding the back of the net for the first time as a member of the Rangers.

Throughout the entirety of training camp and to start the season, Bjorkstrand was playing on a line with J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev, slotted into a prominent top-six role. 

However, Bjorkstrand has been demoted to the fourth line over the past couple of games, raising questions about what his overall role will actually look like. 

Sullivan didn’t view this change as a demotion, and he envisions Bjorkstrand being utilized in a multitude of ways moving forward.

“That's one of the things that we felt we could do for our team is score goals, regardless of where we put him in the lineup. He's shown an ability to score goals in this league,” Sullivan said. “We felt like adding him as part of our 12 would potentially boost our offense… 

“I would imagine throughout the rest of the season, he's probably a guy we're going to move around because he's fairly versatile. So he may go up and down lines depending on what the needs are at the time. So he's a valuable player for us. He had a great night for us.”

Alexis Lafrenière Continues To Expand Game:

Alexis Lafrenière recorded a hat trick against the Islanders with two empty-net goals. The main takeaway wasn’t that he completed the hat trick, but why he was on the ice for those empty net goals in the first place. 

Since Sullivan’s arrival last season, we’ve seen Lafrenière embrace playing a hard-nosed and physical brand of hockey. 

While he may have been known for being a flashy offensive player when originally coming into the NHL, Lafrenière's game has evolved, and he’s now a multidimensional player to the point where Sullivan trusts him on the ice in 6-on-5 situations.

“If you notice, we are using him on 5-on-6. That’s a responsibility, that's a privilege. We think that he’s a guy that’s very capable there and we’re challenging him there to bring a defensive conscientious in those situations, and he gets rewarded with empty-net opportunities. We;re ot just handing this stuff to Laf. He’s earned that, and that’s why we've given him that opportunity. His overall game, his complete game on both sides of the puck continues to grow and develop.”

From an offensive standpoint, the 24-year-old forward has looked comfortable playing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault, as he continues to flash off his high potential. 

"His ceiling, I don't think he's touched it yet,” Zibanejad said of Lafrenière.

Rangers Keep Up Structured Defensive Hockey:

Outside of maybe goaltending, the Rangers’ biggest key to their recent success has to be the way that they’ve been able to defend. 

Similar to their previous three wins, the Rangers held a one-goal lead heading into the third period against the Islanders, and put on a valiant defensive effort in front of Igor Shesterkin to come out with the victory. 

The Blueshirts gave up a season-low of 19 shots on Tuesday night, and the Islanders only squeaked out five shots in the final frame, indicative of the Rangers’ evolving defensive-team game.

Oliver Bjorkstrand Sees Rangers As Chance To Bounce Back From A Season He Describes As Not His BestAmong the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a>' offseason additions, Oliver Bjorkstrand may be the one that slid under the radar.

“We really liked our third period,” Zibanejad said. “I think the team game has been great, and that’s a good sign… I think we just keep playing. We don’t back off. I think we're confident in our game and what we're capable of doing.”

It’s not just the way the Rangers are defending, but it’s sticking true to their system and continuing to play loose and aggressive even when trying to maintain a lead. 

“We’re not sitting back trying to defend leads. We’re playing hard, playing on our toes, but we’re doing it responsibility,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s a great sign for us the way we’re competing in the third periods as well. I’m proud of the guys.”

Tomas Hertl had two goals and three assists, Jack Eichel added a goal and two assists, and the Vegas Golden Knights rolled past the Seattle Kraken, 6-2, Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena.

Victor Olofsson scored twice and Mark Stone had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, who swept their two-game road trip through Vancouver and Seattle. Carter Hart stopped 24 shots.

"Continuing to build our game," Golden Knights coach Ryan Craig said. "I like the way that we stayed with the game. I like the way we stuck together. Just a real good victory from Carter all the way out."

Olofsson opened the scoring at 13:02 of the first period. Seattle challenged the goal, but the call stood, putting Vegas on the power play because of the unsuccessful challenge. Hertl capitalized at 15:58 to make it 2-0.

VIC IS ICY WITH IT 🥶 pic.twitter.com/YbyP7IY9bJ

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 7, 2026

Vegas then turned what could have been an opening for Seattle into the game’s defining sequence early in the second.

The Golden Knights began the period shorthanded, but Hart made two saves before Stone scored on a 2-on-1 at 1:43 for a 3-0 advantage.

"I thought we got some momentum from those two kills," Eichel said. "Tons of credit to the penalty kill. And Hartsy made some big saves as well, key times of the game."

Jack of all Aces 🎰 pic.twitter.com/5yYDMpPT83

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 7, 2026

Olofsson scored his second of the night at 13:07, and Eichel made it 5-0 with 31 seconds remaining in the second. Eichel finished with three points, giving him nine through four games while extending his season-opening point streak to four games.

Seattle’s Shane Wright spoiled Hart’s shutout at 4:52 of the third.

The game turned physical later in the period. Stone fought Brandon Montour and completed a Gordie Howe hat trick, while Marc Gatcomb later dropped the gloves with Ryan Winterton after Winterton hit Trevor Connelly.

Hertl scored his second power-play goal of the game during the third period, completing his five-point night.

FOUR point knight for FOURTY EIGHT 🐢😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/NvoYWyMpdl

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 7, 2026

Olofsson left the game following a third-period hit and was being evaluated afterward, according to Craig.

"We never want to see anyone leave like that," Craig said. "Oly’s been off to a great start for us."

Vegas also continued its remarkable success in Seattle, improving to 6-0-3 at Climate Pledge Arena, one of only three active NHL buildings in which the Golden Knights have never lost in regulation.

With this win, Climate Pledge Arena remains one of the three active buildings in which VGK have never lost in regulation.

SAP Center: 16-0-3
Climate Pledge Arena: 6-0-3
Prudential Center: 5-0-3

— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 7, 2026

KEY MOMENT - The Kill

The penalty kill to open the second period. Leading 2-0, Vegas began the period shorthanded. Hart made two saves before Stone converted a 2-on-1 for a shorthanded goal at 1:43. Instead of Seattle cutting into the deficit, the Golden Knights stretched their lead to three.

Craig said Vegas "found a way to get the kill and a shorthanded goal in the second one to stretch the lead."

KEY STAT - VGK Power

The Golden Knights have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their first four games for the first time in franchise history. Hertl scored twice with the man advantage Tuesday.

WHAT A KNIGHT - Mark Stone

The captain delivered a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, an assist and a fight, while his shorthanded goal early in the second period gave him 400 points as a Golden Knight. Stone later dropped the gloves with Montour during a heated third period, providing another example of the leadership his teammates repeatedly praised afterward.

"Good job by our captain," Craig said. "Part of the reason he wears the letter he wears on his chest. He stepped up to the challenge there and answered the bell."

Jack Eichel simply called him “our leader.”

400 POINTS AS A GOLDEN KNIGHT FOR MARK STONE‼️
FIRST SHORTY OF THE SEASON 🚨 pic.twitter.com/NlrNeAg2ce

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 7, 2026

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights return home for their next game at T-Mobile Arena.

PHOTO CAPTION

Seattle Kraken defenseman Cale Fleury (8) reaches for the puck played by Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena.

Before the first home game of their upcoming 60th anniversary year Tuesday, the Kings honored their past by unveiling a modest Hall of Fame on the concourse of Crypto.com Arena.

An hour later, this season’s Kings took the ice and made some history of their own, though not the kind they had hoped for, falling to the Florida Panthers 2-1 to open a season with three consecutive losses for the first time since 2020.

For Peter Laviolette, the history was even more unwanted since the team’s 0-2-1 start makes him the first Kings coach to go winless in his first three games since Robbie Ftorek in 1987.

Laviolette was a 23-year-old defenseman with the U.S. national team then. He would go on to win 934 NHL games as a coach, the most ever for an American, but he has yet to add to that total with the Kings. It didn’t help that two of the first three games with his new franchise came against Colorado and Florida, popular picks to finish the season in the Stanley Cup Final.

Read more:The Kings at 60: From 4,000 empty seats to a $3.33-billion NHL franchise

And it doesn’t get any easier, with the Kings’ next two games against the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

Still, Laviolette was accepting no moral victories Tuesday for just keeping the game close.

“I’m more in the business of winning hockey games. I don’t think there’s any consolation in a 2-1 loss,” he said. “We could have done better with regard to execution, on how we move the puck or how we attack. We turned it over too much in our end. We turned it over too much in the neutral zone.”

The Kings took the lead before the first intermission Tuesday when Alex Laferriere pounced on the rebound of an Erik Haula shot and put it into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Florida took a pair of penalties before the period ended, giving the Kings a two-man advantage and a chance to add to their lead. But they managed to do nothing on the power-play and immediately gave up a goal after it when Florida defenseman Seth Jones scored off a rush 3:49 into the second period.

“Momentum kind of shifted on us when we couldn’t really get that PP going,” captain Drew Doughty said.

“Any given moment inside of a game can give energy or take energy,” Laviolette said. “Obviously when you get that opportunity, you’re looking to create a bigger lead. That didn’t happen. So that pulls it away a little bit.”

Florida, playing for the second time without injured captain Aleksander Barkov, who is out six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury, suffered another massive loss when Brad Marchand skated into the right post after taking a high stick from Clarke with 52 seconds left in the second period.

Marchand’s left knee appeared to bend awkwardly when he hit the post and he had to be helped off the ice and to the locker room. He did not come back — nor did the Kings, with Matthew Tkachuk turning a Clarke giveaway at center ice into the go-ahead goal with 8:40 remaining.

When Laviolette joined the team in June he became the Kings’ fourth coach in 28 months. He has been tasked with reorienting the team, moving away from its conservative defensive-first approach to an aggressive attacking style, with defensemen often joining the rush.

So far, it has yielded mixed results. Although the Kings, one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL last season, are still looking for a win, they’ve scored nine goals in three games and they’ve gotten seven points from their defensemen. But they’ve also given up 15 goals and struggled on special teams, scoring just twice on 12 power plays.

“I didn’t think we played poorly. And I know we’ve lost three now,” Doughty said. “But I’m still confident in what we’re building, and I think we’ve been playing better each game.

“With new coaches, we’re getting new systems and stuff and I think we’ve adjusted to them pretty well. But there’s still room for improvement. And when we really get those down pat, I think we’re going to be a very, very good team.”

Until then, the Kings may continue making an unwanted kind of history; they haven’t opened a season with four straight losses this century.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Drew Doughty has only known one thing in his career.

The Los Angeles Kings.

Doughty, 36, is in his first season serving as the captain of the Kings and shared a heartfelt, two-page letter he wrote to the team’s former captain and the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky.

“Dear Mr. Gretzky, my name is Drew. I am 5 years old. I played hockey this year for the London Red Circle Raiders in the mite division,” Doughty wrote. “It was my 2nd year of hockey. Last year I scored 6 goals all year. This year I got 93 goals.”

As Doughty’s five-year-old self was writing to his hockey hero, he revealed that his coaches didn’t keep score, but the parents attending the games did.

Doughty went on to tell Gretzky that he is his favorite hockey player, and that the Kings were his “favourite team,” in true Canadian spelling.

“My mommy says I used to cry to stay up late and watch hockey when I was two years old.”

In the letter, Doughty asked Gretzky if he could do him a favor and say hi to then-Kings goalie Kelly Hrudley.

At the end of the letter, he went on to congratulate Gretzky on reaching his 2,500th NHL point and gave him a fun fact.

“Also my grandma was at Parkwood Hospital in London [Ontario]. She said one of her nurses went to your wedding,” Doughty wrote.

For Doughty, life has come full circle as he’s had a 19-year career in the NHL with the Kings, and will likely play the rest of his career with the franchise.

Doughty has put together a Hall of Fame resume in his career, being known as one of the top defensemen for the last two decades, while having won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2016.

He also helped the franchise he grew up admiring win two Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014. During their 2012 title run, Doughty had four goals in the playoffs and collected 16 points with 12 assists.

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. 

Welcome home 88🥹 pic.twitter.com/fM0fCnKBvG

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) October 7, 2026

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

SAM RINZEL CONVERTS ON THE POWER PLAY TO TIE IT AT 1 🚨 pic.twitter.com/BpyZurVl0L

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) October 7, 2026

LEVSHUNOV ➡️ FRONDELL

BLACKHAWKS LEAD 2-1🍿 pic.twitter.com/CEMSlF2HqT

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) October 7, 2026

GOAL: Cole Smith buries a shorthanded empty-netter to make it 3-1. pic.twitter.com/8k3RHSJcn9

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 7, 2026

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. 

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

#REDWINGS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/cWO4oVnKXF

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 7, 2026

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.

Tuesday night stars⭐️ pic.twitter.com/XX7xVYEASO

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 7, 2026

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. 

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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.

Chaos breaks out at the end of the second period; Alex DeBrincat fought Shane Pinto, Ben Chiarot fought Ridley Greig, while Emmitt Finnie fought Jordan Spence. Dylan Larkin was involved, though he didn’t drop the gloves. #LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/VVkaNqrW9u

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) October 7, 2026

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. 

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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

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

Oliver Bjorkstrand opens the scoring! https://t.co/qFCp9Ln1oq

— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 6, 2026

JT Miller and Brayden Schenn drop the gloves https://t.co/TOl4RHzlNr

— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 7, 2026

Mika finds Laffy from a knee! https://t.co/dBcgkOu04o

— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 7, 2026

Bo Horvat cuts it to 2-1! https://t.co/vFbTmXNww7

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 7, 2026

CAL RITCHIE! The Isles even it at 2-2! https://t.co/jPKddDKidf

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 7, 2026

Perreault to Bjorkstrand for his second of the game! https://t.co/TsnCKb7KvI

— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 7, 2026

Laffy with the hatty! https://t.co/IbhBgaG2Ng

— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 7, 2026

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.

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