The day after Ottawa's pro football team ended their long winless streak, Sens fans would rather not see another winless team end its drought on Saturday night.

After the Redblacks snapped their 0-16 start with a dramatic, last-second 40-39 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night, the Senators are in Philadelphia to face the winless Flyers.

The Flyers will hit the 10-game mark of their season on Saturday night, and they're still looking for their first victory. At 0-6-3, Philadelphia has endured a miserable start, one that's already set a franchise record for the longest winless streak to open a season.

And the pressure is mounting on head coach Rick Tocchet.

After guiding the Flyers to their first playoff appearance in six years last season, nobody would have expected the 2024 NHL Coach of the Year to be feeling the heat this early. But that's what happens when a team opens with nine straight losses.

The Flyers' biggest problem has been their offence. They've scored just 11 goals in nine games, making it awfully difficult to win regardless of how well the defence or goaltenders perform.

Despite their record, the Flyers will be a desperate team on Saturday, and earlier this month, they gave the Senators all they could handle. But the Sens eked out a 2-1 win at Canadian Tire Centre on October 8.

Carter Yakemchuk scored the winner on a third-period power play in that game, blasting home a one-timer to break a 1-1 tie. It was also the game in which William Eklund suffered his ankle injury. He'll be out 10-12 weeks after surgery this week.

The Flyers' latest disappointment came Thursday night in Detroit, where they fell 2-1 to the Red Wings. 

The Senators enter the game with a 6-2-0 record after Thursday's 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.

Long Island native Shane Pinto scored the only goal of the shootout, while Linus Ullmark continued his outstanding start to the season, improving to 6-0-0. The victory was a welcome response to Tuesday's ugly 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

The Senators welcomed back defenceman Artem Zub, who made his season debut after missing the opening seven games with an injury. They'll now get another healthy body back on the blue line with Nikolas Matinpalo returning from an upper body injury.

But they remain without Jake Sanderson (lower body) and as long as they keep banking wins, they can afford to be conservative with his return to play. Sanderson has already reinjured himself twice this season, once in the preseason finale and again in the season opener. 

The Flyers may be without some key players too. Forward Owen Tippett has an upper-body injury and did not take the morning skate. Tocchet says he's a game time decision. Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York were also absent so they're likely not ready to return.

Ottawa's Oliver Bonk, son of former Senator Radek Bonk, will play in his fifth career NHL game, paired with Canadian Olympian Travis Sanheim.

Here's how Philly lined things up at practice, as per Jordan Hall NBCS Philadelphia.:

Zegras-Dvorak-Foerster
Barkey-Couturier-Bunting
Martone-Cates-Michkov
Wilson-Studnicka-Acciari

Sanheim-Bonk
Seeler-Drysdale
Benoit-Jiricek

Vladar
Woll

Here's how the Senators will line up their men:

Halliday-Stützle-Batherson
Burakovsky-Cozens-Giroux
Cousins-Pinto-Amadio
Foegele-Greig-Zetterlund

Chabot-Zub
Kleven-Spence
Matinpalo-Yakemchuk

Ullmark
Ersson

Game time at Xfinity Mobile Arena is 7:00 p.m.

The Redblacks finally shook off their drought at home on Friday. The Senators would like to prevent the Flyers from producing a similar story 24 hours later.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story first appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa. For more Senators coverage from THN Ottawa's Steve Warne, click one of the headlines below:

Brady Tkachuk Calls Panthers Fans "The Best in the NHL"

Brady Tkachuk Calls Panthers Fans "The NHL's Best," Just Days Before His Ottawa ReturnThe former Senators captain has put up back-to-back hat tricks, and his post-game comments that Florida has the NHL's best fans won't make next week's return to Ottawa any friendlier.

Sens Nation Podcast: Halliday Gets Chance On Senators Top Line
Report: Former Senators Forward David Perron Signs On For A 20th NHL Season
Inside the Senators' Gamble on Samuel Ersson, And Why They Believe It Can Work

Besides Nathan MacKinnon, there is one other member of the Colorado Avalanche’s 2013 draft class still currently on a NHL roster, which may come as a surprise. The unfortunate season ending injury to New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin meant that Spencer Martin was recalled from the minors to serve as Dylan Garand’s backup until further notice. There are a couple other former Avalanche draft picks and prospects appearing in net around the league, namely Nashville’s Justus Annunen and Minnesota’s Calvin Pickard, but Martin’s connection to the Avalanche has likely long since faded from memory.

Drafted in the third round in 2013 at 63rd overall, Martin was considered somewhat a top prospect as an acquisition by the Avalanche organization. After finishing his junior career with the Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL, Martin began his Entry Level Contract with Colorado in 2015 and spent a total of four seasons in their minor league system. Appearances wee mostly with the affiliate San Antonio Rampage but also as a member the 2018-19 inaugural Colorado Eagles’ AHL season in which at one point Martin recorded an astonishing 68-save shutout. Highlights during his tenure also included an appearance at the AHL All-Star game in 2017 as well as three games with the Avalanche in that fateful 2016-17 season.

At the conclusion of the 2018-19 season the Avalanche chose not to extend Martin his qualifying offer which made him a free agent but he wasn’t on the market long as the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to a one-year two-way NHL contract. He would earn two more one-year contracts with the club though the netminder would never make an appearance in the NHL with the Lightning.

Before that third contract started, Tampa Bay traded Martin to Vancouver in the summer of 2021 for future considerations but it was the move he needed to get back to the NHL. On January 21, 2022, exactly five years to the day after his NHL debut with Colorado, Martin received his first opportunity to start in Vancouver and then a week later earned his first NHL win making 33 saves in a 5-1 victory over Winnipeg. At the end of the 2021-22 season Vancouver gave Martin a two-year one-way contract extension worth $1.53 million and he started 27 games in the 2022-23 campaign with a 11-15-1 record.

In the second year of that contract, however, Martin found himself on the move again first getting claimed on waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the start of the 2023-24 season where he started ten games and accumulated a 3-8-1 record. The Carolina Hurricanes subsequently claimed Martin in January of 2024 on waivers as well and he then started six games for them with a 4-1-1 record. The Hurricanes decided to keep Martin around for another year in the 2024-25 season signing him to a $775k contract as he then split the season between Carolina, accumulating another seven NHL games and a 3-4-1 record, and the rest of the time with their AHL affiliate in Chicago.

Have a night, Spencer Martin! 🌀

That's his first career @pepsi shutout! pic.twitter.com/iBvgEdKUbV

— NHL (@NHL) November 17, 2024

The fall of 2025 brought a new challenge as Martin decided to play overseas for the first time in his career and signed a contract with CSKA in the KHL. He enjoyed a hot start there and over 14 starts compiled a 5-6-2 record, two shutouts and a .905 save percentage with a 2.69 Goal Against Average. That caught the attention of the New York Rangers who signed Martin to a two-year one-way contract worth $1.625 million to finish out the rest of the 2025-26 season. He made four starts in January of 2026 with an 1-4-0 record and he is currently playing out the second year of that deal.

Spencer Martin, in just his 2nd KHL start, makes 18 saves and records his first career KHL shutout for CSKA.

What an addition he has been. Now 2-0.🔥 pic.twitter.com/LY8wftOgA6

— Jeremy Garrett HNH (@HockeyNewsHub) September 10, 2025

Now currently with the New York Rangers while the organization sorts their depth in net for the rest of the year, Martin made his first appearance this season in mop-up duty in a 7-1 defeat to New Jersey a couple nights ago. In that game Martin gave up three goals on 18 shots but didn’t take the loss. Should the Rangers make an acquisition or when veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo gets healthy, Martin then surely would go back to the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL but for now he has a place in the Big Apple under the bright lights.

"It's exciting to get here and be a part of this"

Spencer Martin on joining the Rangers: pic.twitter.com/YkBNPMyO8c

— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) January 7, 2026

It’s been a long career for Spencer Martin spanning six NHL organizations, numerous minor league stints and even a couple months in the KHL. It takes a lot to earn the reputation as an insurance option in net even if he never established himself as a true NHL goaltender with career statistics of a 25-33-8 record, .881 save percentage and 3.60 GAA. The 31-year-old has been a steady presence in the minors with a 117-106-34 record, .903 save percentage and 2.87 GAA in the AHL, which is likely why NHL organizations want him as goaltending depth in their system. The fact that an Avalanche draftee is making NHL appearances 13 years later is worth spotlighting and all the best to Martin whether or not he is called upon for the Rangers this season.

A former Utah Mammoth and Tucson Roadrunners defenseman has exchanged his hockey stick for a whistle to officially begin his officiating career.

Kevin Connauton officiated his first pro game on Friday, reffing the New Mexico Goatheads’ inaugural game against the Idaho Steelheads. The Steelheads ended up winning 4-1, spoiling the ECHL’s newest franchise’s first-ever game. 

Connauton helped call 14 penalties during the game; seven were against the Goatheads. Ironically enough, coaching them was Zach Stortini, Connauton’s former assistant coach during his time with the Roadrunners. Playing on the Steelheads was the defenseman's former teammate, Anson Thornton.

During his career, Connauton played three seasons with the Roadrunners, totaling 88 games during that span and producing 25 points. While he never played a game with the Mammoth, he received three NHL call-ups during his two seasons with the organization. 

In total, Connauton played 360 NHL games for the Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars. He also played 471 AHL games.

Connauton never officially announced his retirement. However, after a final game with the Roadrunners, in which he took the opening faceoff as a defenseman and skated around the rink postgame with his family, it was perceived as such.

Over the summer, Connauton began his officiating career by heading to Prague to take part in the British Columbia Hockey League’s officiating combine. He also attended the NHL’s officiating combine in Buffalo.

The New York Islanders dealt with a tough, frustrating 2-1 shootout loss against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer benched Cal Ritchie, Anthony Duclair, and Matthew Kessel for the back half of the third period, setting the tone and discipline line for the season.

Pete DeBoer Teaching Islanders Mandatory Lesson In Accountability Early In First SeasonThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders">New York Islanders</a> continued their inconsistency on Thursday in Canada's capital, as the Ottawa Senators knocked off the Islanders <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/long-island-native-shane-pinto-senators-beat-islanders-2-1-in-shootout">2-1 in a shootout</a>.

Following the loss, benchings, and postgame criticism, DeBoer's made lineup changes for Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

DeBoer also shook up his forward group, including Bo Horvat's line despite another strong showing.

Ilya Sorokin starts in net after having Thursday off against the Senators.

Islanders' Expected Lines (via New York Islanders):

Matias Maccell - Bo Horvat - Simon Holmstrom

Brayden Schenn - Cal Ritchie - Victor Eklund

Emil Heineman - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Anthony Duclair

Ondrej Palat - Casey Cizikas - Kyle Palmieri

Defense:

Logan Stanley - Matthew Schaefer

Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock

Matt Kessel - Tony DeAngelo

Starting Goalie:

Ilya Sorokin.

Daniel Jacob’s first year at the helm of the Laval Rocket could be challenging, since some of his best players are now with the big club, but after five games, the Montreal Canadiens’ farm team sits atop the North Division, the Eastern Conference, and third overall in the league.

Friday night’s game didn’t start the way Jacob planned, as his men fell behind 4-0 25 minutes in, but the coach stuck to his guns and kept Kaapo Kahkonen in net. Kasper Halttunen had himself a night for the Belleville Senators, completing his hat trick with the Sens’ fourth goal at 5:15 of the second frame, but it was the local fan’s last opportunity to celebrate.

Game 8 – Canadiens vs. Sabres: St-Louis’ Choice
Slafkovsky Misses Practice In Wake Of Wilson Hit
Canadiens Guhle Has Made A Big Difference

Offseason acquisition Sasha Pastujov put the Rocket on the scoreboard at 11:26 of the second stanza on a Luke Mittelstadt assist, but Laval couldn’t get anything else past Jonas Johansson before the frame ended.

The Rocket rolled up its sleeve and put on its working boots ahead of the third, and it managed to equalize thanks to Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, and Filip Mesar. With the two teams deadlocked at 4-4, they headed to overtime, and Mittelstadt delivered the coup de grâce at 4:45 of the extra frame.

The 23-year-old blueliner was named the second star of the game after scoring a goal and recording two assists. With 10 points in just five games, Mittelstadt leads all players in the AHL and is fourth in assists with seven. The defenseman caught some eyes at the Canadiens’ training camp, and despite the logjam on the left side of defense, he looks like a player who could see some NHL action. At 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, he’s not exactly big or heavy, but he skates fluidly, has a great transition game, and has strong puck control.

He’s a big part of the Rocket’s success this season despite being without Florian Xhekaj, Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, and even David Reinbacher, who was recalled this week and missed his first AHL game on Friday. When Bryce Pickford is done rehabbing from shoulder surgery, he’ll make a strong team even stronger.

The Rocket will be back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Utica Comets in New York. The hosts have only played three games so far this season, and they’ve won them all. They should be an interesting challenge for Laval.

---

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Less than three weeks into the campaign, the Philadelphia Flyers (0-6-3) may be playing for their season, and getting their first win won't be an easy task having to host the red-hot Ottawa Senators (6-2-0) at the Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

If they can't get it done, well, they'll be on the wrong side of NHL history with a 10-game losing streak to start the season.

Of course, these two teams already played once this season, with the Senators escaping with a narrow 2-1 win over the Flyers last Thursday.

The Senators lost top winger William Eklund to a lower-body injury in that game, and it was recently announced that Eklund will be out for 10-12 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery.

So, Ottawa will be without one of their most talented players, but so will the Flyers, who incidentally lost Travis Konecny to an injury in last week's game as well, even though he toughed it out and played the full game.

In addition to Konecny, the Flyers are still without defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York, pending an official status update from the Flyers and/or head coach Rick Tocchet.

Assuming the Flyers make no further roster moves, they will face the Senators on Saturday with an unchanged lineup yet again.

Flyers lines vs. Senators

Trevor Zegras - Sean Couturier - Owen Tippett

Denver Barkey - Christian Dvorak - Tyson Foerster

Porter Martone - Noah Cates - Matvei Michkov

Michael Bunting - Jack Studnicka - Noel Acciari

Travis Sanheim - Oliver Bonk

Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale

Simon Benoit - David Jiricek

Dan Vladar (S), Joseph Woll

Senators lines for Flyers game

Stephen Halliday - Tim Stutzle - Drake Batherson

Andre Burakovsky - Dylan Cozens - Claude Giroux

Nick Cousins - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio

Warren Foegele - Ridly Greig - Fabian Zetterlund

Thomas Chabot - Artem Zub

Tyler Kleven - Carter Yakemchuk

Cameron Crotty - Jordan Spence

Linus Ullmark (S), Sam Ersson

Flyers special teams

Power play: 2-for-26, 7.7% (31st)

Penalty kill: 29-for-35, 82.9% (13th)

Senators special teams

Power play: 5-for-37, 13.5% (28th)

Penalty kill: 25-for-31, 80.6% (16th)

How to watch the Flyers game

Saturday night's Flyers game can be found on NBC Sports Philadelphia, TVAS-D, and Sportsnet 1.

Flyers player to watch

Jamie Drysdale has been unusually quiet this season, having not recorded a single point in his nine games played thus far. He's also second on the team in average ice time, getting 22:06 a night, even with David Jiricek overtaking him on the top power play unit.

The Flyers have placed an emphasis on defensemen jumping up into the play in recent games, with Travis Sanheim and Oliver Bonk making impacts in that aspect in the game against Seattle on Tuesday night.

The 24-year-old Drysdale has just nine shots on goal in nine games this season, but scored a career-high eight goals on 101 shots in 78 games last year.

Like Sanheim and Bonk, the Flyers badly need Drysdale (and Jiricek) to begin getting involved, too, otherwise they will continue to be one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL.

The New York Islanders have had what can only be described as a frustrating start, opening the year 3-3-1.

Moreover, the Islanders have alternated wins and losses through their first seven games of the year.

Already, there's trends forming that the Islanders will have to address to gain more consistency throughout their game.

First, one key is scoring first. The Islanders are 3-0-1 when they score first, with Thursday's loss to Ottawa representing the first time they've lost after scoring first. They still collected a point.

When they allow the first goal, the Islanders are 0-3-0, and have been outscored 12-6 in those three games.

Through three games, chasing games has not been conducive to success in any way. The Islanders are, to their core, a defensive-minded team.

They do not do nearly as well when they've got to chase the game and open up their own play to chase offense.

Playing from ahead, however, allows the Islanders to be stingier defensively, and more selective of when to fly forward for rush chances and try to overload their opponents.

A lot of people have pointed to special teams as a reason for New York's futility. While it's certainly been far from perfect, the Islanders' special teams units have done their job through seven games.

In each of their three regulation losses, the Islanders' special teams units have contributed at least one goal.

Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom the Islanders play for a second time on Saturday night, the Islanders allowed one Toronto power play goal, but Emil Heineman scored a short-handed goal.

The Islanders' power play went 0-4 in the one-goal loss, so that was certainly a notable area for improvement.

New York's next game was a 6-0 rout of the New Jersey Devils, and the Islanders scored on the power play, going 1/3 in the win.

Next, the New York Rangers scored a power-play goal in a 5-2 win over the Islanders, but the Islanders also scored one. Nobody could pin that game on the Islanders' special teams, either.

The Islanders scored a power play goal for a third-straight game against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 4-1 win, a game that Bo Horvat opened up with a power play goal.

Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bolts went just 1-for-5 on the man advantage. The Islanders went 1-for-2, but still lost 5-3. 

The Islanders won the special teams battle, but lost the game.

In the Islanders' next game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Islanders lost the special teams battle to the Canucks, but found a way to win 3-2 over Vancouver.

Finally, back to the Thursday, neither New York nor Ottawa struck on the power play in the tight shootout loss.

There's no clear trend through seven games about the special teams units, one way or another. New York's been above or at league average on the powerplay, a massive improvement from recent years.

Through seven games, the Islanders have yet to record a point if they've trailed at any point in the game.

That is, by far, the headline through their first seven games, entering a Saturday night game against the Maple Leafs. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the New York Rangers tonight at 7:00 PM.   

New York Rangers - 6-3-0 - 12 Points - Lost 2 - 2nd in the Metro

Columbus Blue Jackets - 2-3-0 - 4 Points - Lost 2 - 7th in the Metro

Teams Notes Per CBJ PR

• The winning team has scored four-plus goals (including SO goals) 11 times in the last 13 outings overall and in 15 of the last 18 games of the series dating back to Oct. 29, 2021.
• The Jackets have a 24.0 percent power play percentage in the last nine games at Nationwide Arena in the series (6-of-25).

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Conor Garland has scored in each of his last two games against New York (2-0-2) and has 7-2-9 in 14 career contests vs. the club.
• Matthew Knies has collected points in five of his six career games vs. the Rangers (3-2-5).
• Sean Monahan has tallied 5-9-14 in 20 career games vs. New York, with points in five of his last six contests (3-3-6).
• Damon Severson has notched 5-18-23 in 48 career GP against New York, with points in back-to-back games against the club (1-2-3) and has points in seven of his past 10 meetings (1-6-7).
• Zach Werenski has recorded 3-19-22with 5 multi-point efforts in 28 career games against New York, who notched 0-3-3 last time out on Mar. 19, 2026, and has 0-7-7 in his past five matchups.

Blue Jackets Stats 

• Power Play - 16.7% - 23rd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 61.1% - 30th in the NHL
• Goals For - 15 - 29th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 21 - 15th in the NHL   

Rangers Stats 

• Power Play - 22.2% - 10th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 92.9% - 3rd in the NHL
• Goals For - 28 - 7th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 21 - 11th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheRangers

• The Blue Jackets are 26-24-1-7 Overall, and 15-16-0-2 at Nationwide Arena vs. New York. 
• Columbus has earned points in eight of the last 11 meetings against the New York Rangers (5-3-3).
• CBJ have gone 24-of-28 (85.7 pct.) on the penalty kill in the last 12 contests of the series.
• The last matchup between teams oin Mar. 19, 2026 saw 11 combined penalties, the most in the series since 14 recorded on Oct. 24, 2008.

Who To Watch For TheRangers

• Alex Lafreniere leads the Rangers with 7 goals and 11 points. 
• Adam Fox leads NYR with 9 assists. 
• Goalie Dylan Garand is 3-2-0 with a SV% of .915. 

Injured Reserve & Other Injuries

• Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 5 Games Missed
• Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 5 Games Missed
• Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 5 Games Missed

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 19

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

TV: CBJHN (Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo)   

Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the New York Rangers tonight at 7:00 PM.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned forward Dakota Joshua to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a long-term injured reserve conditioning loan, according to the American Hockey League transactions log.

The move, reported Friday, signals progress for the 30-year-old after he opened the 2026-27 season on LTIR with an abdominal/core muscle injury he had been dealing with since the offseason. Joshua participated in training camp but was never able to progress the injury to a point where he could be effective in game action. He was listed as day-to-day early in camp, then week-to-week, before the club formally placed him on LTIR on Sept. 30 alongside Max Domi. That designation requires a projected absence of at least 10 games and 24 days and provided the Leafs with temporary cap flexibility while Joshua recovered.

The earliest Joshua could come off LTIR to be in a Leafs lineup would be Oct. 22 when the club hosts the New York Rangers.

Under the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, an LTIR conditioning loan is distinct from a standard conditioning loan. A regular conditioning loan (CBA Section 13.8) cannot exceed 14 consecutive days, requires the player’s consent, and keeps the player on the NHL roster and payroll while the Commissioner retains the right to investigate any potential circumvention of waivers or the cap. For players already on the bona fide long-term injury/illness exception, the conditioning loan is shorter and more targeted: it is limited to a maximum of six days or three games (whichever comes first), again requires the player’s agreement, and is intended solely to assess fitness to return. The club and player can mutually agree to extend it for up to two additional games. 

Joshua is in the third year of the four-year, $13 million contract ($3.25 million AAV) he signed with the Vancouver Canucks in June 2024. The deal runs through 2027-28, when he will become an unrestricted free agent, and includes a modified no-trade clause. The Leafs acquired him from Vancouver on July 17, 2025, in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick, a low-cost addition of physical depth after he had been a Leafs fifth-round selection in 2014 before his rights were moved to St. Louis without him ever signing in Toronto.

Dakota Joshua goes Zadorov for his hit on John Tavares 💥🤛
pic.twitter.com/n4OsW90g1s

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 25, 2026

His injury history has limited his availability since the extension. In 2024-25 with the Canucks he missed the start of the season after surgery for testicular cancer and later dealt with a leg injury, finishing with 14 points in 57 games. Last season, his first in Toronto, he recorded 10 goals and 18 points in 55 games while averaging just over 12 minutes a night. A lacerated kidney in late December cost him 19 contests, and he also sat out the final four games of the regular season with an upper-body issue.

Getting into AHL games will give the Leafs a clearer read on whether the core injury has healed enough for Joshua to return to his physical, forechecking style and contribute in a bottom-six role. With the club already navigating other injuries and a rebuilt supporting cast under coach Jim Hiller, a successful stint could accelerate his activation once the medical staff clears him.

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Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-1, 7 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division) @ Vegas Golden Knights (7-2-0, 14 points, 1st place Pacific Division)

When: 10 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and SCRIPPS, streaming for out of market at ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The road trip continues Monday in Salt Lake City. The Penguins then have two days off before returning to Pittsburgh for a three-game homestand, starting Thursday against the Florida Panthers.

Opponent Track: The Pens are about to take on one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The Golden Knights have won six of their last seven games, most recently including consecutive wins over the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames in which the team outscored their opponents by a total of 11-4.

Season Series: The Penguins won’t have to wait long for another meeting with the Golden Knights, which are coming to Pittsburgh Nov. 3.

Hidden Stat: Only the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers have spent a higher percentage of their game time in the offensive zone than the Golden Knights so far this season, according to NHL Edge.

Hidden Stat II: The Penguins haven’t won on the road against the Golden Knights since January 2022, when Jason Zucker, Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel led the Pens to a comeback victory.

Getting to know the Golden Knights

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone

Brett Howden – William Karlsson – Mitch Marner

Trevor Connelly – Tomas Hertl – Raphael Lavoie

Braeden Bowman – Nic Dowd – Marc Gatcomb

DEFENSEMEN

Brayden McNabb / Shea Theodore

Jeremy Lauzon / Rasmus Andersson

Noah Hanifin / Dylan Coghlan

Goalies: Carter Hart, Adin Hill

Potential scratches: Ville Heinola, Parker Wotherspoon (week-to-week, upper body)

Injured Reserve: Victor Olofsson

Season-ending LTIR: Alex Pietrangelo

• Parker Wotherspoon won’t be reuniting with his former teammates tonight. The Golden Knights announced Monday the defenseman is week-to-week with an upper body injury after starting the season on the team’s second pairing alongside Rasmus Andersson.
• The Golden Knights’ top power play unit of Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Tomas Herl and Shea Theodore has been dangerous so far this season. Vegas is one of seven NHL teams that has converted on more than 25 percent of their power play opportunities so far this season.
• Carter Hart has made the bulk of starts for the Golden Knights so far this season. After a rocky 18-game campaign last season he has a .911 save percentage and 2.35 GAA through six appearances in net.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Mark Stone is heading into tonight fresh off a natural hat trick in the third period of the Golden Knights’ win over the Flames. He has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his first nine games of the season.

ANOTHER HAT TRICK AROUND THE NHL TONIGHT, COURTESY OF MARK STONE ‼️ pic.twitter.com/q1D2bi3Um9

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 16, 2026

• Jack Eichel is second only to Connor McDavid for the NHL production lead with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) through nine games. His latest tally was a shorthanded strike against the Flames.

King of the Kill 👑 pic.twitter.com/O1NzYLrzbl

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 16, 2026

• The Penguins will need to be alert early. Brett Howden scored the eighth-fastest goal in Golden Knights history when he opened scoring just 25 seconds into Thursday’s game.

START 👏 US 👏 OFF 👏 HOWIE 👏 pic.twitter.com/LOOCRG7D9y

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 16, 2026

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Ville Koivunen – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Nick Robertson

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Elmer Soderblom

DEFENSEMEN

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak

Spencer Stastney / Kris Letang

Goalies: Sergei Murashov (Arturs Silovs started Friday)

Potential Scratches: Hendrix Lapierre, Ryan Johnson, Egor Chinakhov (?)

IR: Ryan Graves, Justin Brazeau, Trevor van Riemsdyk

• Sidney Crosby made NHL history in Friday night’s loss with his 1,110th career assist.

87 keeps climbing 🍎

Sidney Crosby moves into sole possession of 7th place in NHL history with his 1,110th career assist. pic.twitter.com/kKpnF2nWhj

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 17, 2026

• Egor Chinakhov was a late scratch ahead of Friday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins said he’s being evaluated for a lower-body injury. If he can’t skate tonight, Ville Koivunen could slot into the lineup again in his place.
• Sergei Murashov is likely slated for the start tonight after Arturs Silovs made 27 saves on 32 shots from the Avalanche.

Darren Raddysh logged a team-high 27:09 of ice time, recorded an assist on Kirill Marchenko’s power-play goal and posted a game-high plus-3 rating in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at Scotiabank Arena.

The numbers reflect a promising individual night for the 30-year-old defenceman, who finished with three shots on goal, three blocked shots, one hit and a power-play assist while skating 31 shifts. Raddysh was on the ice for Marchenko’s first goal at 13:10 of the opening period, when he and John Tavares set up the right winger’s finish that gave Toronto a 2-1 lead. That assist extended Raddysh’s point total to four in eight games this season.

Yet the Leafs (3-3-2) could not hold a 4-2 advantage heading into the third period. Buffalo (4-3-1) scored twice in a span of just over two minutes to tie the game before Owen Power won it at 3:14 of overtime on a feed from Jack Quinn. Toronto managed only four shots in the third period after generating 15 and 11 in the first two frames, respectively. Overall, the Sabres outshot the Leafs 35-30.

Raddysh told The Hockey News after the game Thursday that the Leafs felt good entering the final regulation period after controlling play and forcing turnovers earlier.

“I just think we sat back a little bit. They’re a good rush team and take great chances from our mistakes. And I think when we saw that in the third period there, we just kind of sat back and let them come at us.”

Kirill Marchenko goes BETWEEN THE LEGS to score for the Leafs! pic.twitter.com/J30tXlOg2n

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 15, 2026

He described the shift in approach as the difference between the first 40 minutes and the third.

“We made a mistake by sitting back. We just can’t give them an inch, and we kind of gave it to them. The first two periods, we played in their end, made them make the mistakes and give us the puck, and we kind of did that in the third period for them.”

Prior to the third, Raddysh felt the Leafs’ defensive structure was effective when they stayed aggressive and used their skating.

“Just trying to get up in the rush, trying to move our feet and defend with our feet and be skating,” he said. “We did that good. They were turning the pucks over to us and flipping them out to us, and we were just going right back at them.”

HOW COULD YOU EVER DOUBT THE SABRES DOWN TWO HEADING INTO THE THIRD PERIOD

MATTIAS SAMUELSSON IS THE GREATEST GOAL SCORER WE'VE EVER SEEN

WHAT A RUSH

WE HAVE A TIE GAME

WHAT A SHOT

DON'T LET HIM CHARGE UP pic.twitter.com/KRLxcSSGfw

— Crossing Swords ⚔️ (@CrossSwordsPod) October 16, 2026

Raddysh’s comments about sitting back in the third period certainly reflect what was seen on the ice as many fans and observers of the Leafs saw the same thing. But at least Raddysh, Toronto’s most prized defensive acquisition in the offseason, had an effective game. With ongoing uncertainty on the back end in the wake of Chris Tanev’s downgrade of an upper-body injury to a week-to-week timeline, getting the most from Raddysh will be key to helping the Leafs improve in many aspects on the ice. 

“Not the result we wanted, but learn from your mistakes and get better for next game,” he said.

The Leafs host the New York Islanders on Saturday.

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Through nine games, the Philadelphia Flyers are the worst offensive team in the NHL, but the good news is that they could get a big boost from their top prospects if and when they deem necessary. 

As we have been harping on for the better part of two weeks, the Flyers at least partially put themselves in this position by their own doing.

Top winger prospect Alex Bump was a healthy scratch just four games into the season, and soon after he was replaced by veteran Michael Bunting on the NHL roster.

Bunting, in five games, has no points, four penalty minutes, and just six shots on goal as the fourth line continues to flounder.

Meanwhile, Bump, since being sent down, has recorded a goal in each of the four games he's played in for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Overall, the 22-year-old has five goals, two assists, and seven points in four AHL games this season, and is quickly proving to the Flyers that his demotion was a mistake.

Surging alongside Bump is 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko, who did not make the Flyers' NHL roster out of training camp for the first time in three seasons since being drafted.

Jett Luchanko taking a major leap?

The 20-year-old is quickly finding his groove in his first professional season, having already tallied a goal - his first as a professional player - and five assists in six games for the Phantoms.

In 14 AHL games across parts of two seasons, Luchanko has a goal, eight assists, and nine points, and that doesn't include the six points he recorded in seven Calder Cup playoff games in 2025.

Overall, Luchanko has 15 points in 21 games at the AHL level and, well, he might very well end up being one of those players who excels more at the pro level than the junior level because of the differences in how the game is played.

Indeed, Luchanko is not an offensively-oriented high-wire act, but he brings hockey IQ, superb attention to detail, speed, and playmaking to the table at his best. And, with years of the Flyers hammering the point home, it looks like the former 13th overall pick is finally taking initiative to shoot the puck, too.

There is a case to be made that, maybe the Flyers shouldn't break up a good thing with the Phantoms and instead just take their licks with the players they have for now.

Bump, Luchanko, and Cole Knuble have all played well early in the season, and the older prospects, like Hunter McDonald and Jacob Gaucher, have complemented them in kind.

The Flyers also learned last year that weakening the farm team too fast can have consequences, as the Phantoms crashed and burned out of playoff contention without Bump and Denver Barkey, combined with a slew of injuries that depleted them further.

At the same time, the Flyers called up Oliver Bonk and immediately thrust him into top-pair duties, and now it doesn't look like the 21-year-old will be returning to the AHL level any time soon.

It's a tough judgment call for the Flyers to make, as they generally prefer to let their young players to develop at an appropriate pace.

In Bonk's case, he proved and has continued to prove that he is ready for the NHL level, and it is now a matter of when, and not if, Bump and Luchanko do the same.

The Islanders are back in Toronto for the second and final time in this young season,

The Leafs are coming off a loss where they benched their first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, for reasons Justin Bourne is not feeling. Kirill Marchenko had a hat trick playing with John Tavares, who left the game with an injury after a collision with an anti-robot machine.

Your First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• Previewing tonight. [Isles]
• Pete DeBoer discussed his meritocracy and in-game demotions for Cal Ritchie and Anthony Duclair: “The players make those decisions for me.” [Post | THN]
• Five early questions for the Isles, including what the hell can be expected of Mat Barzal. [Newsday]
• Semyon Varlamov did his job the other night, but the team couldn’t hold up their end. [Post]
• Island Ice podcast with Andrew Gross: The ups and downs that are sure to continue, plus Logan Stanley. [Newsday]

Elsewhere

• Well-traveled former Islanders coach Rick Bowness has the cantankerous old-man thing going early and hard with the Blue Jackets, who he says should be embaraassed for their poor defensive play thus far. “I’m not a babysitter. I’m too old to be a babysitter for these guys.” [NHL | Sportsnet]
• Former Blue, Oiler, Penguin, Duck, Blue, Golden Knight, Blue, Senator, Red Wing, and Senator David Perron has signed with the Stars for his 20th season. [NHL]
• The Oilers are off to a great star that will ultimately be undone by their goaltending, but Mike Babcock admitted to playing his top stars too much during their loss to the Mammoth. [Sportsnet]
• On the winless Kings and Flyers, Sidney Crosby on pace for only 48 points, and more. [Sportsnet]

The Saturday afternoon game between the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals should be a fun one with plenty of offense. The Capitals are coming off a game where they scored five goals, while the Devils are coming off two games where they combined for 12 goals. 

It’s also a game that, like the one against the New York Rangers the other night, will say a lot about where the Devils stand in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils are 4-3 and look like a middle-of-the-pack team, but a win against the Capitals proves they can beat anyone in their division. 

The Capitals are also a prime example for many teams of how it’s possible, with the right moves and patience, to retool on the fly. To remain competitive, turn over the roster, and not move on from the core. The Devils are hopeful they can do the same, at least after the first offseason of general manager Sunny Mehta’s tenure. 

Capitals Took Some Swings To Revitalize Their Core

In the 2022 offseason, the Capitals took a chance on Dylan Strome. He was a good but not great player with the Chicago Blackhawks, someone they didn’t see as part of their plans. The Capitals saw him as a late-bloomer who still had his best in front of him. 

Two years later, the Capitals made a move for Pierre-Luc Dubois, a 25-year-old center who previously played on three teams. That same offseason, the Capitals made a move for Jakob Chychrun, hoping he’d hit his stride in Washington. 

The Devils Reconfigured Lines Work & Might Change The Season’s Outlook The Devils saw their offense explode in recent games and it comes after some adjustments from head coach Sheldon Keefe. Not only do the lines work, but they might also change the outlook for the season.

All three moves worked out and gave the Capitals a new core to build around. Strome was a point-per-game player in 2024-25, while Chychrun became the scoring defenseman to take the offense to another level. 

Fast forward, and the Capitals rolled the dice with a busy summer, acquiring Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner, and Jordan Kyrou. To varying degrees, all three moves are paying off and turning the Capitals into a Cup contender. 

Mehta took similar swings this summer. Luke Evangelista is at a similar point in his career as Strome was when he joined the Capitals. Declan Chisholm, like Dubois, saw multiple teams move on from him before he ended up with the Devils. Mehta hopes these players become key parts of the Devils this season.

Which Slumping Devils Must Step Up Offensively?The Devils have seen a handful of key players struggle to find their footing offensively, and they need them to deliver to turn this team into a competitive, playoff-caliber one.

It will take time before the Devils find out if the swings paid off. There’s plenty of hope that it will, with the new players fitting in with the core so far. Moreover, there’s a chance some of them become building blocks for the future, whether it’s Evangelista or Amadeus Lombardi, who has shown flashes as a depth forward. 

Finding Depth 

The biggest difference between the Capitals and the Devils recently is the depth. The Devils might have just as good, if not better, a core than the Capitals, considering Alexander Ovechkin is in the twilight of his career. It’s the production that comes from the bottom six and the second or third pair that made the difference. 

Like the offseason moves, the Capitals slowly added depth to their roster. Matt Roy isn’t a household name, but a key part of their defense. Likewise, a handful of the prospects initially filled in but slowly worked their way up in the lineup. 

Red Wings & Senators Are Prime Examples Of Significance In Ownership: Devils Can Take NoteThe Devils play the Senators and the Red Wings on back-to-back nights, and both teams remind us that good ownership makes all the difference.

The Devils are still searching for depth. The recent games suggest they’ve found it, whether it’s Anthony Mantha and Evan Rodrigues leading the third pair or Johnathan Kovacevic and Brenden Dillon rounding out the defense. The Devils have won three of their past four and look like a complete team, something they want to see throughout the season. 

Adding Young NHLers Through The Pipeline

For years, the Capitals have had a strong farm system thanks to their American Hockey League team, the Hershey Bears. The Bears are one of the few independently owned teams in the AHL and focus on winning first and developing second. It’s a contrast to the rest of the league, but it created a culture that helped prospects develop. 

It all came together with the Capitals' turnaround. It started with depth players joining the NHL roster, whether it was Ethan Frank or Ivan Miroshnichenko. Now, they have some high-end prospects joining the team, including Ilya Protas, who is a middle-six center, and Andrew Cristall, who is an exciting winger who is still developing with the Bears. 

It’s unlikely Mehta wants the same thing with the Utica Comets, where the AHL team’s primary focus is winning. However, he wants something similar to what the Florida Panthers had with the Charlotte Checkers: a winning culture that helped the players develop and join the NHL team ready to go. 

A hot start from the Comets is a promising sign that a winning culture is being developed. It’s allowing the prospects to take strides forward, whether it’s defenseman Anton Silaev or 22-year-old forward Lenni Hämeenaho, who has a team-leading five points in three games. It’s a bright spot for the Devils, who hope to have the reinforcements soon enough.

Boston Bruins (6-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Los Angeles Kings (0-3-2, in the Pacific Division)

Los Angeles; Saturday, 9 p.m. EDT

LINE: Kings -138, Bruins +113; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Kings take on the Boston Bruins as losers of five straight games.

Los Angeles is 0-3-2 overall and 0-2-0 in home games. The Kings have given up 21 goals while scoring 11 for a -10 scoring differential.

Boston has gone 3-1-0 in road games and 6-2 overall. The Bruins have a +12 scoring differential, with 30 total goals scored and 18 given up.

Saturday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season.

INJURIES: Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Mats Zuccarello: out (undisclosed), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed), Alex Turcotte: out (undisclosed).

Bruins: None listed.

___

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