Harold Griffin, guitarist and songwriter for Long Island-based punk band Koyo, helps us kick off Season 6 of Weird Islanders by talking about distinguished defenseman Dennis Seidenberg’s odd path to the team.
Seidenberg was both unlikely and perfect for the Islanders at the same time. A Stanley Cup champion in Boston and as solid and respected a player on the ice as you’ll find anywhere, he suddenly found himself bought out of his contract at 34-years old. After a great showing for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, GM Garth Snow signed Seidenberg to a one-year contract just before training camp, one of the most Islanders-esque moves we’ve ever seen. It turns out the big German still had a lot in the tank and provided the young team with the same steady play he was already known for. Although injuries derailed his second season with the club, he found a new and very important role in a longstanding Islanders lineage: as landlord to one of the team’s up-and-coming stars.
Harold talks to us about how Long Island, the Islanders and sports have shaped him and his band, Koyo. We reminisce about Seidenberg’s short Islanders tenure, his surprisingly sick stat line of that first season, the Isles’ connections to the Bruins and the “New York Saints” spring of a few seasons later, and how Seidenberg has become one of the most Long Island-Weird Islanders ever. We also sneak a surprise extra Weird Islander in there, who even more surprisingly comes up again in our next episode!
Thanks again to Harold for coming on. We also have a Weird Islanders Extra! bonus episode where he tells us about getting harassed by Canadians for wearing Islanders gear on stage and other observations from rock n’ roll touring. Check out Koyo on YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp or wherever you get your music and see them on tour starting this December at Warsaw in Brooklyn.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL
Seidenberg’s first NHL goal came in his first NHL season for the Flyers against the team they would eventually trade him to, the Coyotes.
After stops in Carolina and Florida, he landed in Boston and had some great moments for the Bruins including this loooooong distance goal against Ottawa. One might say he specialized in goals from embarrassingly far away.
He didn’t score often for the Isles but it was possible. This was a nice one in a heartbreaker against the Habs at Barclays Center.
But the injuries became too much and a comeback for the 2018-19 season had to be shut down. He officially retired in October of 2019 (this article ignores his seasons spent on Long Island, naturally).
Seidenberg’s greatest contribution to the Islanders will always be acting as Mat Barzal’s landlord, a team tradition that continues to this day.
What makes a “Weird Islander?”
We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:
Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.
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More reports surfaced Thursday on the Detroit Red Wings and the offers they have received for restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, as many as ten teams have contacted Detroit about the 23-year-old Swedish blueliner, who was the sixth overall pick in 2021. The Boston Bruins are among the clubs that have reached out.
LeBrun noted, as most reports have so far, that Detroit's preference is to re-sign Edvinsson. He added that the Red Wings have become flexible on term and are willing to offer whatever length Edvinsson prefers. The main obstacle is the annual cap hit, with LeBrun saying there is still "a sizeable gap" between the two sides.
David Pagnotta reported that several other teams have also inquired in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators.
It remains to be seen whether a deal can get done, but the longer Detroit waits, the more costly it could become to bring Edvinsson back. If a worthwhile offer lands on general manager Shawn Horcoff's desk, it could also push Detroit to move the defenseman.
Edvinsson is coming off a disappointing second season in which he recorded 25 points in 72 games, down from 31 points as a rookie, when he was expected to take a step forward.
The market may be anchored by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium, who signed an eight-year deal carrying an annual cap hit of $9.38 million. That contract should be viewed as the baseline for Edvinsson's next deal, though the Red Wings may be trying to push back against it.
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LAS VEGAS — Sergei Bobrovsky did the job a team asks of its starting goalie on a night the scoreboard got away. He stopped 40 of 43 shots, held a three-goal lead that had already evaporated, and got the Toronto Maple Leafs to overtime and a shootout. Trevor Connelly finished it anyway. The rookie beat Bobrovsky with a backhand in the fifth round, and the Vegas Golden Knights completed a comeback from 3-0 for a 4-3 shootout win Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.
Toronto leaves with a point and a 2-2-1 record. Vegas is 4-1-0. The Leafs were outshot 43-24, including 21-8 in the second period, and at five-on-five controlled only 42.7 percent of the shot attempts and 29.8 percent of the expected goals, 1.33 to 3.14, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. High-danger chances were 12-5 Vegas.
"It turned on Stone's goal late in the first," the Leafs head coach said. "We're in an offensive-zone faceoff. We're up 3-0. It's a tight game, playing pretty well to that point. And then we make a couple mistakes, and they score. And then we take a penalty, and all of a sudden the momentum shifts a little bit."
The lead had come in a rush. Jack Roslovic opened the scoring 34 seconds in, on his 600th career game and for his 300th career point, beating Adin Hill from the goal line with Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko assisting. Easton Cowan made it 2-0 at 3:20 on a breakaway set up by Chris Tanev. Nick Paul scored at 8:37, from Darren Raddysh and Gavin McKenna, and Toronto had three before the period was half over. Hill faced nine shots in the first and stopped six.
Mark Stone's slap shot at 17:36, from Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, started the climb back. Brett Howden cut it to 3-2 at 1:12 of the second, deflecting a Mitch Marner pass. Eichel tied it at 3:58 on a penalty shot after Morgan Rielly was called for tripping on a breakaway. Vegas did not score again until the shootout. It spent most of the middle 20 minutes looking as if it would.
"We just stopped playing direct, turned some pucks over coming out of our end in the neutral and sort of fed their transition game," Tanev said. "They're in Game 7 of the Cup Final last year for a reason. They're very well structured. It's amazing how players' cycles can take over a game, and he had the puck a lot, especially in the second period. Great start. Third was better for us. But sort of the last five, seven minutes of the first and the second period, we need to be better and help out Bob."
The penalty count made the territorial problem worse. Toronto took four minors, Gavin McKenna for hooking late in the first, Oliver Ekman-Larsson twice in the second, Bo Groulx for holding in the third, plus Rielly's penalty shot. Vegas had one, Mark Stone for slashing McKenna late in the second. The Leafs killed all four power plays. They did not look comfortable doing it.
"They have a good power play. We had a tough time," Hiller said. "We were desperate. We did a good job with it, but a tough time clearing it down the ice and getting fresh guys out there. So that was a tough second period, no matter how you slice it. But I give the guys credit. After two, in fact, we survived, in large part due to Bob. I thought we came back out in the third and actually played pretty well."
Tanev saw the same sequence from the kill.
"Good for the most part. We had that one really long shift. Bob made an amazing save and bailed us out," he said. "For the most part good. We still have some areas where we want to work on, but against a really good power play, so we'll take that."
He also tied the special-teams load to the momentum Stone's goal had already started.
Vegas goal!
Scored by Mark Stone with 02:24 left in the 1st. Assisted by Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev.
"When we take five penalties and they maybe have one, their skilled guys start to feel the puck. They get energized and sort of get them into the game as well."
The third period was quieter. Toronto was outshot 11-4, then 4-3 in overtime, and neither team scored. Faceoffs were a rare edge all night, 37-for-62, with Matthews at 71.4 percent. Hits went 27-13 to Vegas. Hill finished with 21 saves. Bobrovsky's .930 was the reason 3-3 still existed at the end of 65 minutes.
"He got us a point, for the most part. He gave us a chance to win, and ultimately, in the end, he probably got us a point, right? That's what great goalies do," Hiller said. "The nights when you're off a little bit, like we were in the second particularly, he was able to hold it for us. You need those saves, and you don't get them. They could have got three or four, and the game's over."
Cowan, who was on the ice for long stretches against Eichel's line, landed in the same place. "He kept us in the game for sure, especially that second period. So he was great all night." Tanev wanted the win that those saves had made available. "Huge saves, and he gave us a chance to win in overtime and the shootout. Obviously, we want to get a win for him badly."
The top six never settled into that kind of stability. The groups drawn up before the game were Marchenko with Matthews and Roslovic, and Cowan with John Tavares and William Nylander. Shift data told a different story. McKenna, Paul and Colton Sissons were the only forward trio used as a unit for a long stretch, about 8:12. Matthews spent 7:43 with Nylander and Roslovic and 6:42 with Marchenko and Roslovic. Cowan split time between Marchenko and Tavares (4:25) and Nylander and Tavares (3:50). The Matthews-Nylander-Roslovic look was out-attempted 13-7. The original first line was even at 7-7 and produced Roslovic's goal.
Hiller did not pretend the shuffling was a finished plan, as he’s still trying to find out what his top-six should look like.
"I would say, yeah, consistency across three players," he said, asked what he is still looking for in the top six. "Some players have been pretty consistent night after night, but as three at the same time, we're still looking for that."
Moving Nylander up was a spark attempt, that wasn’t exclusive to this game, but it clearly didn’t work.
"Just wasn't going very well at that point. So just something different. Try to change the vibe a little bit at different times,” Hiller said.
"I felt okay. First, not that good, and second, obviously there's a lot of penalties and stuff, so hard to get into it. That's how you get it. Sometimes you've got to learn to adjust and play. I thought the third was a bit better, but I would like to capitalize on some chances."
McKenna's night was the assist, a hooking minor, and a shootout miss on Toronto’s fourth attempt. Hiller said the attempt had been scheduled, not a low-pressure afterthought.
"He's good at shootouts, so didn't get it tonight, but he'll score plenty in his career."
McKenna has yet to be called on for 3-on-3 duty in Toronto’s two overtime games this season, but Hiller said it’s coming.
"He was up a couple different times, and situations kind of change themselves. He'll get out there sooner or later. If you ask him, I've probably called him three different times. But for whatever reasons, he hasn't been able to get out there."
Oliver Ekman-Larsson did not finish the night after a hit from Vegas’ Jeremy Lauzon, late in the third period.
"I think he's okay. I don't have an update on him. I've just heard a little bit, so I can't give you much on that."
He was clearer on the hit that took the defenceman out.
"I think there could have been a call." No explanation followed on the ice.
The Maple Leafs picked up a point in the standings but Bobrovsky is still searching for his first win for Toronto.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home tonight after a 5-day break to play the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena.
Pittsburgh Penguins - 2-2-0 - 4 Points - Lost 2 - 4th in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets - 1-1-0 - 2 Points - Lost 1 - 5th in the Metro
Team Notes Per CBJ PR
The Blue Jackets have played a league-low 2 games so far this season, and haven't played since October 3rd.
This is the first of two back-to-backs this month as they travel to St. Louis on Saturday.
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Charlie Coyle has tallied 7-15-22 with four multi-point efforts in 38 career GP against Pittsburgh and has points in seven of his last nine games (3-5-8).
Conor Garland has picked up 3-4-7 in 13 career matchups vs. Pittsburgh with points in three of his past four matchups (1-2-3).
Sean Monahan has collected 6-9-15 in 27 career games against the Penguins, with points in four of his last five games (1-4-5) and 3-6-9 in his last 11 overall.
Dmitri Voronkov has tallied 6-1-7 in 11 career contests against Pittsburgh, with all points in his last seven games.
Zach Werenski has earned 6-12-18 in 25 career games vs. Pittsburgh, including points in three consecutive contests (2-3-5), as well as having 4-6-10 in his last eight matchups against the Penguins.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 40.0 - 2nd in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 66.7% - 26th in the NHL
Goals For - 7 - 10th in the NHL
Goals Against - 7 - 5th in the NHL
Penguins Stats
Power Play - 30.8% - 10th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 90.0% - 6th in the NHL
Goals For - 18 - 3rd in the NHL
Goals Against - 13 - 25th in the NHL
Series History vs. ThePenguins
The Blue Jackets are 13-11-6 at home against Pittsburgh, and 20-30-11 all-time.
Columbus went 2-0-2 in 2025-26.
Columbus has earned points in four consecutive games against Pittsburgh (2-0-2), tying for the longest run of that kind in franchise history (2nd instance, other: 2/17/01 - 12/31/03, 2-0-2).
The Jackets have earned points in seven of the past eight games (5-1-2) and have earned points in nine of the last 13 contests in the overall series (6-4-3).
15 of the last 17 games in the overall series have seen the winning team score 4-plus goals (including SO goals).
Who To Watch For ThePenguins
Tommy Novak leads the team with 5 points.
Sidney Crosby has 0 goals and 2 assists.
Erik Karlsson leads the Pens with 4 assists.
Artūrs Šilovs is 2-1 with an .859 SV%.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 2 Games Missed
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 2 Games Missed
Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 2 Games Missed
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 10
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 Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at 7 PM.
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Although they played their best game of the season overall, the Philadelphia Flyers' best still wasn't good enough, losing 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night and dropping their fifth straight game.
Now 0-3-2, the Flyers will face the Boston Bruins in Boston on Saturday afternoon, and if they can't win that one, they will return home Sunday still winless. And on Sunday, they host Carolina... again.
The schedule isn't getting any easier for the juiceless Flyers, who were shut out at 5-on-5 for the second time already this season. In five games, the Flyers have scored just four times at 5-on-5, and the five teams tied with them (Calgary, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Columbus) have all played four games or fewer.
Nick Cousins got the Senators on the board following the expiry of an Ottawa power play, deflecting a Tyler Kleven shot past Joseph Woll after beating Cam York to the front of the net. Despite the fortunate bounce, the Flyers actually out-shot the Senators 11-8 in the opening frame.
The Flyers repeated the feat in the second period, out-shooting their opponents 11-9 with Matvei Michkov tucking in a loose Trevor Zegras rebound on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.
In the third period, the Senators punched back with a 9-7 shots advantage, which is generous to the Flyers, who generated the bulk of their offense trying to tie the game in the dying few minutes.
Carter Yakemchuk scored the game-winning goal for the Senators in a dark twist of irony, as Michael Bunting, the player signed to give the Flyers a spark, took the penalty that gave the Senators their fifth power play opportunity of the night, and one they didn't squander, in his first game action of the season.
So, while the Flyers finally didn't get crushed by their opponents in the run of play, it shouldn't be celebrated as progress or a building block. That's the expectation every night for all 84 games.
That's how the Flyers got in this mess, with conversations about "compete" and complacency a week into the 2026-27 campaign.
Stats dump and line changes
Matvei Michkov is the only Flyers player with multiple goals this season, and now he's playing center on the power play, too. (Photo: Eric Hartline, Imagn Images)
I was a bit surprised to see David Jiricek move up to the second pairing next to York after his high-profile backbreaker against Tampa Bay on Monday night, but he handled the added responsibility, including time on PP1, very well.
Jiricek recorded two shots on goal and played 18:25 (third to only Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale). According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers out-shot the Senators with Jiricek on the ice at 5-on-5 in terms of attempts, unblocked attempts, and shots on goal, though scoring chances were 6-5 in Ottawa's favor.
With York on the ice at 5-on-5, though, scoring chances were 10-3 in Ottawa's favor. The 25-year-old's uncharacteristically poor play at both ends of the ice has dragged down his defense partners early on this season.
Matvei Michkov took over as the de facto center on PP1, winning four of seven faceoffs (57.1%) in place of Trevor Zegras.
There was once a time in the not-so-distant past that the Flyers refused to have the two on the same power play, and now Michkov has wrested another job from Zegras just five games into the season.
Tyson Foerster has just two goals, his only two points, in his last 15 games, including the playoffs. He is a -8 in that span.
Porter Martone has been held off the scoresheet through his first five games this season, though it's worth noting he's averaging just 12:55 of ice time a game.
Comparatively, Martone averaged 17:02 in his nine regular season games with the Flyers at the end of last season, and 16:48 in the playoffs.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Alex Tuch #89 of the Washington Capitals scores a goal on goalie Arturs Silovs #37 of the Pittsburgh Penguins a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at Capital One Arena on October 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
After the Penguins traded forward Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Spencer Stastney on Wednesday, assistant general manager Jason Spezza said Hallander was considered “expendable” based on past performance and future potential, while Stastney, 26, brings versatility and mobility to Pittsburgh’s defense corps. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins have several early-season concerns after four games, including a slow start from Sidney Crosby, inconsistent goaltending from Arturs Silovs and costly defensive mistakes. Is now the time to press the panic button? [PensBurgh]
Prospect Atley Calvert’s versatility and steady development with the team’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, have earned him a two-year entry-level NHL contract. The 22-year-old undrafted forward recorded 38 points in 70 regular-season games last season and added six points in 15 playoff games, including filling in at center when needed. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Three Canadian provinces — Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia — are staying on daylight saving time year-round, creating unusual NHL game start times this season. The change means the Calgary Flames have eight games scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. local time and the Edmonton Oilers have seven, while the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks also face schedule adjustments that could affect players’ routines and fans’ watching habits. [Associated Press]
At least 10 teams have expressed interest in acquiring Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. [TSN]
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand is considered week-to-week with a leg injury, adding to Florida’s injury concerns after captain Aleksander Barkov was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a leg injury. [Associated Press via Sportsnet]
Nashville Predators (2-1-1, in the Central Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (3-1, in the Atlantic Division)
Ottawa, Ontario; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Nashville Predators visit the Ottawa Senators after Adam Edstrom scored two goals in the Predators' 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Ottawa went 44-27-11 overall and 23-14-6 in home games last season. The Senators allowed 3.0 goals per game while scoring 3.4 last season.
Nashville had a 38-34-10 record overall and a 17-17-7 record on the road last season. The Predators committed 309 total penalties last season, averaging 3.8 per game and serving 8.8 penalty minutes per game.
INJURIES: Senators: Artem Zub: out (knee), Jake Sanderson: day to day (lower-body), William Eklund: day to day (lower body), Cameron Crotty: day to day (illness), Andre Burakovsky: out (upper-body), Kurtis MacDermid: out (undisclosed).
Predators: Justus Annunen: out (undisclosed).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Los Angeles Kings (0-2-1, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (4-1, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Saturday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Los Angeles Kings after the Golden Knights took down the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout.
Vegas had a 39-26-17 record overall while going 19-7-6 against opponents from the Pacific Division last season. The Golden Knights gave up 3.0 goals per game while scoring 3.2 last season.
Los Angeles has gone 0-2-1 overall with a 0-0-1 record in Pacific Division games. The Kings have given up 15 goals while scoring nine for a -6 scoring differential.
The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: Raphael Lavoie: day to day (undisclosed), Ben Hemmerling: out (undisclosed), Lukas Cormier: out (undisclosed), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).
Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-1, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (1-4, in the Central Division)
Chicago; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes aim to keep their three-game win streak alive when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago has a 1-4 record overall and a 1-0-0 record on its home ice. The Blackhawks are eighth in NHL play serving 11.0 penalty minutes per game.
Carolina is 3-1-1 overall and 2-0-0 on the road. The Hurricanes rank fifth in NHL play with 18 total goals (averaging 3.6 per game).
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
INJURIES: Blackhawks: Andrew Mangiapane: out (lower-body), Teuvo Teravainen: day to day (undisclosed), Ryan Ellis: out for season (back), Connor Bedard: out (shoulder).
Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis: out (shoulder).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The last three games that the Vegas Golden Knights have met the Toronto Maple Leafs have been must-see television. A lot has been made of the fact that the announced attendance for Thursday’s Golden Knights home game was nearly 1,400 tickets short of a sellout. It’s a shame, really, because the people who might’ve sat in those 1,390 unsold seats missed one heck of a hockey game.
Tonight’s matchup had everything you could ask for. Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill had an in-game redemption arc, allowing three goals on the first seven he faced before stopping the next 18. Former Maple Leaf Mitch Marner made a great play that led to the Golden Knights’ second goal of the game. Jack Eichel even converted on the honest-to-god penalty shot that he was awarded.
But that’s not all. There was also a thrilling full five minutes of overtime. And in the ensuing shootout, a young Golden Knight got his first taste of how great it can feel to play hero in an NHL game.
Of course, none of this would be the case if not for the Golden Knights’ first successful multi-goal comeback of the season.
This team knows how to take a punch, and although falling behind 3-0 just 8:37 into the first period is one hell of an uppercut, the Golden Knights are nothing if not resilient. They simply tightened things up, put their heads down, and began to chip away at Toronto’s lead.
“Obviously not the start we wanted to have,” said Mitch Marner following the 4-3 shootout win. “But like last year, we’re a resilient team. We stay with it. We have a lot of confidence in our game throughout 60 minutes, and I thought we did a great job of that.”
“I like that we picked each other up,” agreed head coach Ryan Craig. “I like that we stayed with it, individually and as a team. I don’t like going down 3-0, but there’s something to be said for how we stuck together.”
1. An Up-Hill Climb
Things didn’t look great for Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill when Jack Roslovic scored on the Maple Leafs’ first shot of the game just 34 seconds into the first period. The outlook didn’t look any better when Easton Cowan doubled Toronto’s lead on their fifth shot, and it looked pretty bleak when Nick Paul made it 3-0 on the Maple Leafs’ seventh shot.
After that, Hill looked pretty exceptional. He didn’t allow another goal and went all-out to stop the next 18 shots he faced.
“I loved everybody’s response, including Adin Hill’s,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 4-3 win. “I thought as our team got better, Hilly got better. He made some big saves in the second period there as we were pushing, and then allowed us to get it to overtime and then the shootout.”
Hill also stopped four of the five shots he faced in the shootout en route to his second win of the season.
“Hiller’s so calm and confident in himself, regardless of what happens before,” said Mitch Marner. “You saw that tonight; he just stayed with it. We have a lot of trust in either of our goalies, and when we needed him, he made some big saves.”
2. The Kids Are Alright
Despite having a roster chock-full of some of the league’s best offensive talent, Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig sent 23-year-old Braeden Bowman over the boards first in his first NHL shootout. Three shooters later, Craig deployed 20-year-old Trevor Connelly.
They were the only two Golden Knights to convert, with Connelly’s goal standing as the game-winner.
“Oh, it’s awesome. It’s super cool for us. I think he kind of knows our ins and outs from Henderson, so I think it was super cool for him to put us both out there,” said Connelly of the opportunity following the win. “It just kind of shows the confidence that the group and the coaching staff has in us. This is such a tight group, and we all have each other’s backs, and all have trust in each other.”
“I’m comfortable enough [putting Bowman and Connelly out in the shootout] when we have NHL games on the line,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 4-3 win. “There’s a lot of trust in all of our players… We saw Bowman do it in the preseason, and Trevor as well. I’ve seen them do that at the American Hockey League level. And at that point, it’s a one-on-one with the goalie. I thought those guys did a real good job… Nice for those guys to contribute.”
3. The Mitch is Back
Despite what the box score might suggest, the Golden Knights’ second line of William Karlsson, Mitch Marner, and Brett Howden has been pretty dangerous offensively. In 38 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, Howden-Karlsson-Marner have generated 1.9 expected goals while allowing only 1.2 expected goals against.
Up until now, however, they’ve struggled to capitalize on those scoring chances.
“I’m sure everyone just looks at the score sheet and thinks that because we’re not scoring or doing anything,” said Marner following Thursday’s 4-3 shootout win. “But I think our line has done a lot of good things in these games. We haven’t been rewarded for it. We were tonight, which is great, and hopefully it gets things going for us a little more.”
The second line struggled at the start of tonight’s game, as did most of the team, and were on the ice for the first two Maple Leafs goals. After that, they were off to the races, holding a 17-12 edge in shots and scoring Vegas’ second goal of the night.
“They scored a real big goal for us tonight off a nice rush entry,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “They’ve done a lot of good things through the first five games… The message to them is to stay with it. Everything gets magnified at the start of the year. When you look at the stat sheet, and you’re four games in, that’s what happens at this time of year. If this is January, and they’re going through something like that, we’re probably not talking about it or looking at it in the same way.
“My message to those guys is, you’re helping us win hockey games,” Craig finished. “Stay with it. Your time will come.”
LAS VEGAS -- A three-goal deficit gave way to a rookie's shootout winner and a veteran goaltender's recovery Thursday night.
Trevor Connelly scored in the fifth round of the shootout, and Adin Hill stopped John Tavares to complete the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-3 comeback victory over the Toronto Maple Leafsat T-Mobile Arena.
Vegas improved to 4-1-0 with its third consecutive win.
"I think as a group, we just came together and kind of took over the game by our style of hockey," Connelly said.
Toronto built a 3-0 lead in the opening 8:37 before Mark Stone scored late in the first period. Brett Howden converted Mitch Marner's gem early in the second, and Jack Eichel tied it on a penalty shot at 3:58.
Eichel added an assist, extending his point-and-assist streak to five games and bringing his season total to 12 points.
Hill made 21 saves and denied four of five shootout attempts. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 40 shots for Toronto.
Braeden Bowman also scored for Vegas in the shootout, while Kirill Marchenko provided Toronto's lone conversion.
KEY MOMENT: Connelly's Game Winner
With the shootout tied after four rounds, Connelly delivered the breakthrough, beating Bobrovsky with a backhand-forehand move in the fifth round. The rookie leaned on a finish he had rehearsed rather than changing his approach under pressure.
"That's a move that I've kind of been doing in practice a bit, and it's seemed to work a lot," Connelly said. "So kind of just trusted what's been working in practice."
Hill then stopped Tavares to secure Vegas' third straight victory and complete the comeback.
KEY STAT: Shots Aplenty, But No PP
Vegas outshot Toronto 36-15 after the first period, including a 21-8 advantage in the second as the Knights erased the remaining two-goal deficit. They maintained that pressure with an 11-4 edge in the third and finished ahead 43-24 overall, forcing Bobrovsky to make 40 saves.
The comeback also came without a power-play goal: Vegas went 0-for-4 after converting in each of its first four games. Howden's even-strength goal and Eichel's penalty-shot finish supplied the second-period scoring that brought Vegas level.
WHAT A KNIGHT: Adin Hill.
After surrendering three goals in the opening 8:37, Hill held Toronto scoreless for the rest of regulation and overtime. His shootout stops included a glove save on William Nylander and a game-ending stop on Tavares. Marner praised Hill's composure after the early goals and emphasized his teammates' confidence in him.
"I feel like Hilly's so calm and confident himself, regardless of what happens before, so you see that tonight," Marner said. "Just stayed with it. We have a lot of trust in either of those boys in net. So, when we needed him massively, he made some big saves."
UP NEXT
Vegas hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) stops a shot from Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) during a shootout at T-Mobile Arena.
ST.
LOUIS – You hear the term that pucks eventually start to go into
the net when you’re doing other good things on the ice.
The
St. Louis Blues are doing a lot of good things; they just aren’t
completing the finished product. That finished product is scoring,
and in the early part of the NHL season when goals seem to be going
in by the bushel, the Blues can’t buy goals.
It
cost them again on Thursday
when they created plenty of scoring opportunities, led twice but
ultimately fell to the San Jose Sharks, 3-2 in overtime, at
Enterprise Center on Thursday.
The
Blues fell to 1-2-1 on the season and are off to the kind of slower
start that they were looking to avoid, losing their third in a row
after a season-opening 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars.
To
the game and the pivotal points …
*
Blues’ top line is doing them no favors right now – Robert
Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud created ample
opportunities, probably more so than they have in the previous four
games this season.
The
puck is simply not going into the net for them. No better examples
were when Thomas pulled a puck into the slot and rang the post in a
2-2 game, and then he had the winning goal on his stick – also in
the slot – and a yawning, empty cage staring at him, only to see
San Jose’s Kiefer Sherwood get a stick on the shot attempt and push
it over the bar.
So
when they’re not scoring, they sure as heck better be good
defensively, but that wasn’t the case on San Jose’s tying goal by
Collin Graf at 6:05
of the third period that tied the game 2-2.
In
the shift, Thomas lost the puck twice, Pavel Buchnevich – who had
taken Snuggerud’s spot on the shift – lost it a third time,
Holloway wasn’t hard enough on a puck in the righthand corner that
Sam Dickinson threw into the crease area before it caromed off Adam
Jiricek right to Graf in the slot.
“You’re
up 2-1 and you’re towards the end of a shift, pucks go deep and you
just keep grinding them down,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said.
‘You keep your shifts short, you keep staying on top of them. I use
the term when you’re up by a goal in the third period, you skate
‘em into the ground, and that means you never stop checking. You
can only do that if you’re maintaining short shifts and you’re
playing north.”
The
line on Thursday generated 15 shot attempts (five on net) but Thomas
(three) and Snuggerud (five) missed the net a combined eight times.
You’d
be concerned if they weren’t generating, but when you’re paid to
score and you’re not, then other areas of the game need to be up to
par and when you’re giving up without putting away, then it
continues to be a concern.
“In
this league, they want to be putting the puck in the back of the net
and I thought they did a lot of great things really well, and as long
as they’re creating chances, they’re eventually going to drop,”
said
Blues forward Connor McMichael.
‘I’ve seen it many times from them.”
*
Generating
chances plus finishing chances isn’t equaling out – For all the
chances the Blues are generating, the finished product just isn’t
equating.
When
they led early in the hockey game on a beautiful give-and-go sequence
between McMichael and Mason McTavish (more on them below), there were
ample opportunities to extend that lead with several quality scoring
chances.
The
Blues outshot the Sharks, who were thoroughly beaten 5-0 on Monday
against the Dallas Stars, 11-3 in the first period but led by just
one goal thanks to a lack of finishing again.
“I
thought for the majority of the game, our process was really good,”
Montgomery
said.
‘Right now, if we fell out of a boat and we were trying to score a
goal, we would not hit the ocean, and it’s causing problems.
There’s frustration coming because we’re not scoring, and it’s
hard to stick with the process when you’re getting frustrated. We
just have to keep working. I thought in the third period we came out
and again we started to dictate play really well, and we were
dictating play and even though we ended up shorthanded, we get that
great goal shorthanded; our penalty kill’s been really good so far
this year.
“I
thought we were in complete control of the game and we need to be
comfortable winning 2-1. It’s like we want to try and win 3-, 4-1.
It’s mistakes we made that allowed them to score that second goal
and you end up in overtime and anything can happen in 3-on-3 hockey.
Unfortunately we were on the wrong end of it.”
In
a time when scoring is way up because of the shortened training camp
and only four preseason games, the Blues have scored a grand total of
nine goals (including two empty-netters) in four games.
“I
think we were the better team for most of the game,” McMichael
said.
“We kind of just got up by one and kept falling asleep and let them
back into the game and that’s the type of stuff that hurts you in
this league.
We’ve got to tighten that up.
“…
I
think we’re generating chances. I think we’d obviously like to
see a couple more go into the back of the net, but that’s not
really an excuse. We’ve got to find a way to win those 2-1 games
when we’re not scoring as many as we would like to. It’s just
something where we’re going to have to go to the drawing board and
get better from.”
Montgomery
said, “In
three of our four games, I’m not positive of this one yet, but I’m
assuming we have more Grade A chances 5-on-5. This would be three out
of four. So our process of what we believe in, getting more Grade A
chances of winning the net front battles, which we’re doing
consistently again this year; the only game that we haven’t done
those things is the Colorado game and as you would have guessed, but
besides that, there’s a lot of positives that are coming. The fact
that we’re not scoring is causing the results to be magnified in
the wrong direction. If we are a process-oriented team, we look at
what the numbers are telling us, and in practice, our players need to
bear down and score goals. Scoring’s a habit just like skating fast
and stopping and starting and creating good habits, screening the
goalie. Those are things we’ve got to bury. I think we missed a
couple open nets tonight and you think, ‘Oh jeez, they just got
their stick on it,’ but if you do it in practice, then it just
becomes natural. You try to bury the puck right through the net, make
a hole in the net like
Brett Hull would.”
In that case, if you're the better team in three of four games, you can't be losing to the woeful Chicago Blackhawks (4-2 on Tuesday) without Connor Bedard, and you can't be losing Thursday when the Sharks were playing without their rising star and captain, Macklin Celebrini.
*
Moral
victories don’t count – Montgomery saying the Blues have been the
better team in three of their first four games, he isn’t off one
iota. But the bottom line is they have three of a possible eight
points. If you’re the better team in three of the first four games,
that’s not good enough then.
“It
was a hard-fought game I think by both teams,” said
Blues defenseman Cam Fowler, who had a had strong game playing 22:43.
“I certainly think we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the
game. Only coming away with one point is disappointing, but there’s
a lot that we can build off of as well, some points that we can work
on moving forward and getting ready for Saturday.”
*
McMichael-McTavish-Berggren
line continues to flourish – One of the biggest questions coming in
was would the Blues have ample enough support from the second line
this season to balance out the scoring.
Who
would have thought that just four games in, there would be no worry
regarding the McTavish line and plenty to worry about with the Thomas
line?
McMichael’s
goal came as a result of Berggren disrupting the play in the neutral
zone near the Blues’ bench, McMichael skating in with speed, and he
and McTavish doing the rest for a backdoor tap-in:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Connor McMichael with 16:08 left in the 1st. Assisted by Mason McTavish and Jonatan Berggren.
“Yes
and Berggren. Berggren’s playing really well,” Montgomery said.
‘Ever since we put Berggren up with those two, that line’s been
our best line for two games in a row, generating the most chances,
controlling the game, making solid plays coming out of the D-zone and
leading to really good O-zone play. Very happy with that chemistry on
that line right now.”
McMichael
said, “I
think (the
chemistry’s)
been really good. It’s been easy for me, to be honest. Coming to
the Blues at the same time as (McTavish),
it’s been like a breath of fresh air having another guy in the same
scenario as me. We’ve been bouncing a lot of things off of each
other and just looking to keep that rolling.”
McMichael
is a point-per-game player (two goals, two assists) so far, and
McTavish has two goals and an assist, and Berggren picked up his
first point Thursday.
*
Penalty kill continues to shine, leads to a shorthanded goal – At
the start of the third period, the Blues had 1:56 to kill off a
Brandon Carlo delay of game minor.
It
came at a crucial time in a 1-1 game. Kill it, then settle in and try
to win the game.
Who
would have imagined a shorthanded goal to put the Blues ahead? But
that’s what Dillon Dube did when he made it 2-1 at 1:39 of the
third period off a 2-on-1 rush with Buchnevich, then keeping the puck
and beating Alex Nedeljkovic into the top right corner:
But I'd like to see saves on the first Sharks goal scored by Tyler Toffoli and you could make the case that even on Darnell Nurse's overtime goal, it wasn't an overly aggressive or pinpoint accuracy shot, more so right through Hofer.
It's hard to put much on the goaltending, but in those moments, one could make the case for a little more.
*
Individual standouts – Including Fowler, who we mentioned, Colton
Parayko looks really confident right now jumping into the offense and
looking to create havoc in the O-zone.
Parayko,
who passed Barret Jackman into sole possession of second place for
all-time games played in Blues history (804), played
23:23.
Philip
Broberg (24:25) had a really solid game as well, also jumping into
the rush and attacking when the situations arose.
Pius
Suter, who had a really solid shorthanded shift who finished with
11:13 of ice time, played well, as did Carlo (18:38 ice time).
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It was a night to remember for Jonathan Costagna, even if the Calgary Flames would rather forget the final result.
The Flames fell 7-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, but the game marked a significant milestone for the 21-year-old forward, who made his NHL debut against a lineup featuring some of the league’s biggest stars, including Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Recently recalled from the Calgary Wranglers, Costagna took his rookie lap during warmups before getting his first taste of NHL action. It was a moment he had been encouraged to appreciate, knowing there would only be one first game.
“Before the game everyone was telling me to soak it in, you can only do it once, and I tried to do that as much as possible,” said Costagna. “When you get into the game it gets pretty intense out there and I can look back on it and say I’m really grateful for it and (I’m) just looking forward to what’s next.”
Seeing the opposition up close for the first time brought its own challenges, but Costagna felt he handled the moment well.
“Warmups is the first time where you look across from you and you see these guys and it could get a little intimidating, but I feel like I did a pretty good job handling that stress, because at the end of the day I want to win, and that’s what I tried to contribute (to) out there tonight.”
Rather than letting the names across from him become a distraction, the rookie focused on competing and trusting his game.
“I was taking it out there against some veterans today,” said Costagna. “You try to go into it with an ‘I’m going to beat you’ mindset and I feel like I did that pretty well all night, considering a lot of the guys I’m playing against were in the league for a long time now.”
The night also brought Costagna his first NHL point, coming on a play that showcased the speed and finishing ability of fellow forward Adam Klapka.
Costagna chipped the puck out of the defensive zone and onto Klapka’s stick. The 6-foot-8 forward took over from there, driving into the offensive zone, toe-dragging around a defenceman and firing a wrist shot past the goaltender.
Watching the play develop, Costagna could barely hide his excitement as Klapka finished the sequence.
“That was crazy,” he chuckled, reminiscing about watching Klapka. “Really happy that he did that, obviously, I didn’t have to do much for it, to get that off my back is really cool, but kudos to him that was unbelievable.”
While the result wasn’t what Calgary wanted, Costagna now has his first NHL game - and point - behind him. The experience should provide something to build on as he looks to establish himself at the highest level.
With his debut out of the way, the next question is what comes next for the young forward. The Flames are back in action Saturday, when we’ll see whether Costagna gets another opportunity to build on his NHL debut.
CALGARY, CANADA - OCTOBER 08: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates his second period goal against the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 08, 2026 in Calgary, Alberta. (Photo by Leah Hennel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Avalanche didn’t exactly come flying out of the gate Thursday night, but once they found their game, the Calgary Flames had a tough time keeping up.
Coming off a frustrating 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, the Avs responded with a 7-3 win in Calgary, using a big second period to take control and hand the Flames their fourth straight loss to start the season.
Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Jaden Schwartz each scored twice, while Nathan MacKinnon put up three points. Brett Kulak added two assists, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 shots to pick up the win despite some shaky defensive play in front of him.
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Avs found their offense when they needed it.
First Period
The first period was a bit of a mess for Colorado.
A couple of turnovers in their own zone gave Calgary some dangerous chances, and Wedgewood had to bail his teammates out more than once. One of his biggest saves came on a shorthanded breakaway by Joel Farabee after Colorado’s power play got off to a rough start.
The Flames were generating more pressure early, outshooting Colorado 5-2 midway through the period. The Avs weren’t doing themselves any favors with the puck, either, struggling to put together much of anything offensively.
Eventually, though, they found a breakthrough.
With just over five minutes left in the period, Cale Makar found Toews in the low slot, and the defenseman redirected the puck past Flames netminder Devin Cooley to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.
That was a nice change of pace for Toews, who didn’t score his first goal last season until Colorado’s 25th game. This time, he got on the board in Game 4.
Calgary answered before the period was over. Adam Klapka made a slick move around Josh Manson before firing a wrist shot off the post and into the net to tie things up at 1-1.
Toews took a penalty late in the period, sending the Avs into the intermission with some penalty-killing work ahead of them and plenty to clean up.
Second Period
Colorado came out looking like a much different team in the second period.
After killing off the carryover penalty, the Avs got right back to work, and Toews struck again. This time, he fired from just inside the blue line, sending the puck through traffic and past Cooley to put Colorado back in front.
Then Makar got in on the fun.
MacKinnon sprung him with a pass, and Makar used his speed to blow past the Calgary defense before beating Cooley with a shot to make it 3-1.
MacKinnon got one of his own shortly afterward, finishing a feed from Zachary L’Heureux to stretch Colorado’s lead to three. The Avs kept the pressure on, turning what had been a tight game into a much more comfortable one.
L’Heureux also brought some extra energy to the night, dropping the gloves with Matt Coronato late in the period. The forward was playing in just his second straight game after missing Colorado’s first two contests with a lower-body injury.
The Avs headed into the third with a 4-1 lead, having found their offensive rhythm and put Calgary on its heels.
Third Period
Any thoughts of a Calgary comeback took a hit pretty quickly in the third.
Makar scored again early in the period, pouncing on a loose puck after a pass from Nazem Kadri deflected off MacKinnon. He made no mistake, burying it to give Colorado a 5-1 advantage.
Schwartz followed less than a minute later, getting to a loose puck in the slot and firing it past Cooley to make it 6-1.
Calgary managed to respond with goals from Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl, cutting the deficit to 6-3 and briefly making things a little more interesting.
But the Avs had an answer of their own.
Schwartz scored his second of the night just over a minute after Bahl’s goal, taking a backhand feed from Fedor Svechkov and beating Cooley from a sharp angle. It was Schwartz’s third goal in the span of about 24 hours, following his goal in Wednesday’s loss to Winnipeg.
That pretty much wrapped things up.
Colorado scored six times over the final 40 minutes, turning an uneven start into a convincing 7-3 road win.
A Much-Needed Response
After letting a winnable game slip away against Winnipeg, the Avs got the offensive bounce-back they needed. Toews and Makar each had two-goal nights, MacKinnon continued to produce, and Schwartz made an immediate impact with another pair of goals.
There are still some defensive issues to sort out. The early turnovers and Calgary’s three goals are reminders that Colorado can’t afford to get quite so loose against tougher opponents.
Still, putting seven goals on the board on the road is a pretty good way to respond to a disappointing loss.
Upcoming
The Avalanche will look to carry that momentum home when they face Gavin McKenna and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Ball Arena on Saturday, October 10. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Cale Makar had two goals and an assist, Devon Toews and Jaden Schwartz also each scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche beat the winless Calgary Flames 7-3 on Thursday night.
Nathan MacKinnon scored and had two assists as Colorado (3-1-0) bounced back from a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg on Wednesday night.
Scott Wedgewood, making his season debut, had 26 saves to win in his 200th career NHL game.
Adam Klapka, Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl scored for Calgary (0-4-0), the only NHL team yet to record a point this season. The Flames have been outscored 23-6 for a league-worst minus-17 goal differential.
Flames goalie Devin Cooley made 23 stops.
Tied 1-1 after the first period, Colorado scored three times in less than five minutes in the second. The Avalanche tacked on two more goals early in the third period.
