Category: NHL

Vegas Golden Knights - 8-4-0 - 16 Points - Lost 2 - 2nd in the Pacific

Columbus Blue Jackets - 3-5-0 - 6 Points - Lost 2 - 8th in the Metro

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Teams have split the season series in five out of the eight seasonal matchups since the 2017-18 campaign (DNP in 2020-21).
• Kent Johnson scored in three straight games from Oct. 10-17 (3-0-3), tying his single-season career-long (3-0-3 from Oct. 22-25, 2022). He leads the team in goals, while also ranking third in shots on goal (20) and fourth in points with 4-1-5 in eight games. During the 2025-26campaign, he had not scored his fourth goal of the season until Jan. 8, 2026 (42nd game).
• Cole Sillinger, ranks second-T on the team in points (3-3-6 in 8 GP), had his three-  game point streak snapped on Oct. 17 after scoring in each of his previous two games and posting his first multi-assist outing of the season on Oct. 9 vs. Pittsburgh (0-2-2). He set single-season career highs in assists, points (tied), and games played in 2025-26 with 8-25-33 in 81 GP.

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Valeri Nichushkin has posted 4-2-6 in his past 7 games against Vegas while notching 6-4-10 in 24 career matchups.
• Charlie Coyle has registered 5-7-12 in 17 career games against Vegas, with 1-3-4 in his last five matchups against the club, as well as posting 2-6-8 in 10 career games when playing on home ice.
• Conor Garland has tallied 7-12-19 with four multi-point performances in 28 career matchups against the Golden Knights, including assists in back-to-back games (0-2-2).
• Matthew Knies has notched all career points in the form of multi- assist outings (0-2-2) in his last two games against the club (six career GP).
• Cole Sillinger has collected 4-2-6 in nine career games against Vegas, with points in two of his past three contests overall (1-1-2).
• Zach Werenski has 1-9-10 in 14 career GP against Vegas, including assists in seven of his past eight matchups overall (0-8-8). He has tallied 1-3-4 in seven home contests when playing at Nationwide Arena.

Blue Jackets Stats 

• Power Play - 8.7% - 32nd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 67.9% - 25th in the NHL
• Goals For - 19 - 32nd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 29 - 11th in the NHL   

Golden Knights Stats 

• Power Play - 25.0% - 9th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 96.4% - 1st in the NHL
• Goals For - 45 - 3rd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 36 - 26th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheGolden Knights      

• The Blue Jackets are 7-6-1 overall, and 4-3-1 at home vs. Vegas.
• Columbus went 0-2-0 in 2025-26. 
• The home team has recorded points in eight of the past 10 meetings (6-2-2).

Who To Watch For TheGolden Knights     

• Mark Stone leads the VGK with 8 goals.
• Jack Eichel leads the team with 13 assist and 19 points. 
• Goalie Carter Hart is 4-3-0 with a SV% of .888%. His last start was on 10-20.
• Adin Hill is 4-1-0 with a SV% of .882%. His last start was on 10-22. 

Injured Reserve & Other Injuries

• Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 8 Games Missed - Skating and could return next week. 
• Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 8 Games Missed
• Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 8 Games Missed - Lightly skating.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 28

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 Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 7:00 PM.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.

Let us know what you think below.

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

The New York Islanders had the day off on Friday, following a 3-2 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night inside UBS Arena.

The Islanders have a practice Saturday, one of just eight teams to have Saturday off before hitting the road for a week-long road trip.

However, their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Hammers, played a game Friday night against the Laval Rocket.

Laval entered winning six straight games, and extended that to seven straight with a 4-2 win over Hamilton on Saturday, with final goal coming with Hamilton's net empty.

Hamilton showed some guts Friday, erasing a 2-0 deficit in the second period.

Veteran forward Matt Luff stuffed one in on a rebound.

Later in the period, rookie forward Quinn Finley finished off a 3-on-2 rush with a slick feed across looking for Matthew Highmore, but it banked off a defender and in.

#Isles#HammerTime
Isles Prospect Quinn Finley scores his first professional goal! @TheElmonterspic.twitter.com/RptR9SWT58

— Kenny Kaminsky (@KennyKaminsky) October 24, 2026

That goal marked Finley's first career goal at the professional level.

Finley, who the Islanders drafted in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft, turned pro following the end of his collegiate season last year.

However, Finley missed the last slice of that season, and was not ready for contact at any of training camp this past fall.

As a result, Finley worked his up to game shape a little slower than everyone else before making his debut last week on October 16, posting one assist in a loss to the Rochester Americans.

The Islanders have belief Finley can become a top-nine forward in the NHL with an elite scoring touch.

Friday night shows just how good he can be in an attacking situation. The way he opened his body up for the pass, turned, and gave the goalie the eyes of a shot before wiring a pass fooled everyone. 

It won't hold up as the prettiest goal of his career, but it's an excellent first-career goal.

Finley has one goal and one assist through his first four AHL games. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 7:00 PM.  

Vegas Golden Knights - 8-4-0 - 16 Points - Lost 2 - 2nd in the Pacific

Columbus Blue Jackets - 3-5-0 - 6 Points - Lost 2 - 8th in the Metro

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Teams have split the season series in five out of the eight seasonal matchups since the 2017-18 campaign (DNP in 2020-21).
• Kent Johnson scored in three straight games from Oct. 10-17 (3-0-3), tying his single-season career-long (3-0-3 from Oct. 22-25, 2022). He leads the team in goals, while also ranking third in shots on goal (20) and fourth in points with 4-1-5 in eight games. During the 2025-26campaign, he had not scored his fourth goal of the season until Jan. 8, 2026 (42nd game).
• Cole Sillinger, ranks second-T on the team in points (3-3-6 in 8 GP), had his three-  game point streak snapped on Oct. 17 after scoring in each of his previous two games and posting his first multi-assist outing of the season on Oct. 9 vs. Pittsburgh (0-2-2). He set single-season career highs in assists, points (tied), and games played in 2025-26 with 8-25-33 in 81 GP.

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Valeri Nichushkin has posted 4-2-6 in his past 7 games against Vegas while notching 6-4-10 in 24 career matchups.
• Charlie Coyle has registered 5-7-12 in 17 career games against Vegas, with 1-3-4 in his last five matchups against the club, as well as posting 2-6-8 in 10 career games when playing on home ice.
• Conor Garland has tallied 7-12-19 with four multi-point performances in 28 career matchups against the Golden Knights, including assists in back-to-back games (0-2-2).
• Matthew Knies has notched all career points in the form of multi- assist outings (0-2-2) in his last two games against the club (six career GP).
• Cole Sillinger has collected 4-2-6 in nine career games against Vegas, with points in two of his past three contests overall (1-1-2).
• Zach Werenski has 1-9-10 in 14 career GP against Vegas, including assists in seven of his past eight matchups overall (0-8-8). He has tallied 1-3-4 in seven home contests when playing at Nationwide Arena.

Blue Jackets Stats 

• Power Play - 8.7% - 32nd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 67.9% - 25th in the NHL
• Goals For - 19 - 32nd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 29 - 11th in the NHL   

Golden Knights Stats 

• Power Play - 25.0% - 9th in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 96.4% - 1st in the NHL
• Goals For - 45 - 3rd in the NHL
• Goals Against - 36 - 26th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheGolden Knights      

• The Blue Jackets are 7-6-1 overall, and 4-3-1 at home vs. Vegas.
• Columbus went 0-2-0 in 2025-26. 
• The home team has recorded points in eight of the past 10 meetings (6-2-2).

Who To Watch For TheGolden Knights     

• Mark Stone leads the VGK with 8 goals.
• Jack Eichel leads the team with 13 assist and 19 points. 
• Goalie Carter Hart is 4-3-0 with a SV% of .888%. His last start was on 10-20.
• Adin Hill is 4-1-0 with a SV% of .882%. His last start was on 10-22. 

Injured Reserve & Other Injuries

• Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 8 Games Missed - Skating and could return next week. 
• Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 8 Games Missed
• Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 8 Games Missed - Lightly skating.

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 28

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 Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 7:00 PM.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.

Let us know what you think below.

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

Welcome to this edition of The Hockey News' Vancouver Canucks Mailbag. In this series, we answer your questions about what is going on with the Canucks. In this article, we answer questions about the rough start to the season, which players might eventually be on the move and more. 

Is There Some Deal With The Canucks And Ticket Brokers Like Vegas Used To Do So That Attendance Stays High? It Makes No Sense That We Are Outdrawing The Oilers.

The way NHL attendance is tracked can be misleading. Teams can say a game is sold out, yet there are plenty of open seats. This is because NHL teams track tickets distributed rather than counting how many people walk through the doors. 

In Vancouver's case, the Canucks are averaging 17,454 in attendance this season, which is 92.3%. That number includes tickets sold plus any given away through promotional means or charitable donations. As for your second question, I don't have a good answer for the reason, but I can tell you that the Edmonton Oilers have a smaller arena, and their average capacity percentage is 93.8%. 

Will the Canucks Make A Trade Before American Thanksgiving/Who Do You Think We Lose At The Deadline And What Do You Think We Get?

I am going to combine these two because they cover a similar point. The first part is no, I do not believe Ryan Johnson will make another trade before November 26. In fact, I would not be surprised if another trade happens before the calendar flips to 2027. 

As for potential trades, players who could be on the move include Paul Cotter, Drew O'Connor and Filip Chytil. If Vancouver can move at least two of these pending unrestricted free agents and walk away with two top-64 picks in the next few drafts, plus two additional picks, this trade deadline should be considered a success. 

How Do The Canucks Meaningfully Improve? Feels Like A .200 Is A Little Low When The Next Worst Teams Are In The .300 Range?

Vancouver's .208 points percentage through 12 games is much lower than anyone expected. Unfortunately, that is what happens when a team picks up just one point over nine games. That being said, it is way too early in the campaign to be looking at points percentage, for the simple fact that the percentage can swing drastically if the Canucks pick up two wins in a row. 

As for the improvement, that is going to take time. The players are still learning Manny Malhotra's system and will face uphill battles every night. Vancouver will need their goaltenders to steal some games, but if they keep the effort level high, which has been the case most nights, they should be able to get their points percentage up before the 25-game mark. 

Which Elias Pettersson Is The Team MVP So Far This Season?  

The battle between the Petterssons for Team MVP has been intriguing to watch this year. Elias Pettersson, the forward, is on the way to "being back", while Pettersson, the defenceman, has stepped his game up to another level. 12 games in, it is safe to say that the MVP battle looks like a three-player race between the Petterssons and goaltender Leevi Meriläinen. 

Out of the two Petterssons, I would lean more toward the forward as Team MVP. He is at a point-per-game rate, is playing physically, and has taken the most faceoffs in the entire NHL. That being said, the real MVP this year has been the fans who continue not just to tune in or attend games, but passionately discuss this team daily. 

Do You See Meriläinen As A Goalie Of The Future For The Team, Or Is He More Of A Stopgap Measure While Demko Is Out?  

Meriläinen has been sensational this year so far. He has kept the Canucks in games and is showing why he was considered the top-drafted goaltending prospect a few years ago. Based on his play, he deserves to be Vancouver's starter, as he is currently giving the team the best chance to end this losing streak. 

As for the future, it is very hard to project what will happen after this season. There are a ton of questions surrounding Thatcher Demko's future, as well as Kevin Lankinen's. That being said, Meriläinen could very well be the goaltender of the future, especially as the team waits for goaltenders Ty Young and Alexei Medvedev to develop. 

Good, Bad Or Both, What’s Been Most Surprising About The Canucks So Far This Season?

Let's start with the bad and get it out of the way. The most surprising thing has been the regression in Filip Hronek's game. He has become so reliable over the last few years that his current level of play should be considered concerning. 

As for the good, it has to be the play of Pettersson, the defenceman. After what was a tough year under Adam Foote, D-Petey has emerged this season as one of, if not the Canucks best players. So far, Pettersson has shown he can be a reliable player in his own zone and could be setting himself up for a massive contract extension this off-season. 

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

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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

Who: Nashville Predators (3-3-3, 9 points, 7th Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (4-6-1, 9 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division)

When: 7:00 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 Penguins have a rare stretch of four days off before returning Thursday for another home game, this time against the Utah Mammoth.

Opponent Track: The Predators have lost four of their last five games in a 1-2-2 stretch that included two shootout defeats. The Preds most recently conceded a 6-0 shootout at the Boston Bruins.

Season Series: The Penguins and Predators will meet again next month during a November 21 game in Nashville.

Hidden Stat: The Penguins are heading into tonight’s matchup on a nine-game point streak against the Predators, having gone 7-0-2 against Nashville in a stretch dating back to April 2022.

Getting to know the Predators

Projected lines (based on Friday’s practice)

FORWARDS

Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Matthew Wood

Filip Forsberg – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault

Ross Colton – Alex Kerfoot – Nils Hoglander

Reid Schaefer – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom

DEFENSEMEN

Roman Josi / Adam Wilsby

Nicolas Hague / Jayden Struble

Brady Skjei / Nick Perbix

Goalies: Juuse Saros, Justus Annunen

Potential scratches: Jack Ahcan, Nick Perbix, Vitali Pinchuk, Ilya Lyubushkin

Injured Reserve: William Trudeau (upper body, week-to-week)

• Juuse Saros sat out his second game of the season in the shutout loss to the Bruins, so he might be getting the call against the Penguins. He is 4-6-1 with a .914 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average in 13 career games against the Pens.

The Predators are coming out of what coach Andrew Brunette called his team’s “worst effort of the year by far” in their 6-0 loss to the Bruins. He had some harsh words for his players after Thursday’s loss, per NHL.com’s Joe McDonald:

“We need a few more guys playing hockey. We had too many passengers tonight and probably almost all of them. It’s disappointing. We knew coming in this is a big stretch of hockey, a big month for our group. We knew that, but we forgot to play hockey tonight.”

It’s early, but Nashville’s 3-3-3 start is underwhelming for a team that had the goal of retooling into a contender this summer after Chris MacFarland was hired to succeed Barry Trotz as the team’s general manager in June. Longtime Predator Filip Forsberg called MacFarland’s hiring “a breath of fresh air” after the GM started off his tenure by making nine trades in five months, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.

A few key aspects of the Predators remained the same this offseason, however. Brunette, who has led the Predators to a 118-111-26 record across parts of four seasons, is still in place as head coach. And the team’s veteran core of Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly is back for another run together.

Whether these four players, who currently sit atop the Predators production leaderboard, remain in Nashville this season looks like a similar situation to that of players like Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson in Pittsburgh— should the team drop out of postseason contention entirely, they could potentially be on the trade block this winter.

O’Reilly is a pending UFA next season. Incumbent 42-goal scorer Stamkos has two years remaining on his deal, although he said last season there was “zero” chance he would waive his full no-movement clause for a trade. The Predators may need to prove they can compete for a higher spot in the Central Division in order to keep either from becoming the subject of trade rumors down the stretch of the season.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Stamkos, who is 29 goals behind Sidney Crosby for the second-most among active players, is two power play goals shy of tying Phil Esposito’s career mark of 246 for the sixth most in NHL history. He has tied for the team lead with four goals in nine games, including a 6-on-5 buzzer-beater in what was ultimately a shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks last week.

STEVEN STAMKOS BUZZER BEATER!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MV9vRcGUU9

— NHL (@NHL) October 16, 2026

Speaking of the power play, the Penguins will have plenty of motivation not to take any unnecessary penalties tonight. The Predators rank fourth in the NHL with a 28.6 scoring rate on the man advantage. The penalty kill is also humming along at an 83.3 success rate, which ties with the Penguins for seventh-best in the league.

That hasn’t been enough to cover for the team’s struggles at even strength. The Preds have tallied an NHL-low 10 goals at 5v5 through their first nine games of the season.

The Predators could prevent a good test for a Penguins defense that is coming off one of the unit’s stronger performances of the season against the Panthers. The Pens are looking to improve at even strength after having allowed the fifth-most 5v5 goals against in the NHL with 26 through 11 games.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell

Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Evgeni Malkin (?)

Andrei Kuzmenko – Blake Lizotte – Rutger McGroarty

Elmer Soderblom – Connor Dewar – Nick Robertson

DEFENSEMEN

Spencer Stastney / Erik Karlsson

Declan Carlile / Kaeden Korczak

Ilya Solovyov / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

Potential Scratches: Sam Girard (day to day), Egor Chinakhov (day to day, lower body), Chase Pietila, Avery Hayes (?)

IR: Ryan Graves, Justin Brazeau, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Bryan Rust (lower body), Ben Kindel

• Neither Egor Chinakhov (lower body) nor Evgeni Malkin (illness) participated in Friday’s practice. It looks like Rutger McGroarty saw some power play time in Malkin’s absence:

With Evgeni Malkin out sick today and Egor Chinakhov missing practice with a lower-body injury, the second power play group looks a little different.

PP1: Karlsson, Crosby, Rakell, Novak, Koivunen

PP2: Letang, Lapierre, Kuzmenko, McGroarty, Robertson pic.twitter.com/SiDxI14wa7

— King Jemison (@king_jemison) October 23, 2026

• After shuffling the lines ahead of Thursday’s shoutout of the Florida Panthers, the Penguins might be forced to make some more changes should Malkin need more time to recover despite seeing some early chemistry between him and Hendrix Lapierre on the second line.
• On that note, Avery Hayes was scratched from the Wilkes-Barre/Penguins’ Friday lineup. Coach Kirk MacDonald said after the game Hayes had been called up to Pittsburgh, per Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis. Hayes has yet to make his season debut after appearing in 16 games of the Penguins’ 2025-26 campaign.

As the Colorado Avalanche returned home in search of a win, they hosted the always formidable opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the hosts who got the scoring started early and often in a 6-3 Avalanche win.

The Game

Opening the game the Lightning had a few dangerous shots in the Avalanche zone but it was the home team who got on the board first. On their first shot on goal, Devon Toews converted for Colorado on a back door feed from Martin Nečas. Jaden Schwartz appeared to get Colorado’s second goal on a deflected rebound he apparently kicked in but it was waived off. Not to worry, the Avalanche got it back minutes later on the power play. TJ Hughes found Nazem Kadri in the slot for the 2-0 lead, and that’s how the first period would end.

That score didn’t last long after the puck dropped on the second period as Fedor Svechkov finished off a rush chance just 24 seconds in to give Colorado a three goal lead. Near the halfway mark of the period, the Lightning finally answered back on a power play goal from Jake Guentzel who found the puck on the backdoor after it bounced off of Brock Nelson. Soon after, Artturi Lehkonen got in on the fun and restored the three goal lead once again. By this point Colorado got into a bit of penalty trouble and Jake Guentzel scored right as the power play expired. Jared Bednar challenged for a high stick but lost and the goal stood as did the 4-2 score at the end of 40 minutes of play.

To start the third period Nathan MacKinnon got his moment to celebrate as his goal put Colorado up 5-2. The Lightning tried to make it interesting on a goal from former Colorado Eagles and Utah Grizzlies defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous who was found uncovered in the slot but shortly after Martin Nečas scored into the empty net to get Colorado back on top 6-3. Despite getting outshot 34-24, it was a good bounce back win for the Avalanche who enjoyed the comforts of home to come out on top.

Takeaways

Logan O’Connor entered the lineup and played in first game of the 2026-27 season and played just under 15 minutes. He brought the physicality while getting his game up to speed. Taylor Makar also made his sesson debut for the Avalanche after getting called up this morning. He played eight minutes and took a minor penalty, one of which gave the Lightning five power plays this evening.

While it seemed the top line would take charge on leading in this game, especially after crafting the game’s opening score, but it was the third line of Svechkov, Schwartz and Hughes who left an impression in this much-needed win. They contributed to the goals which broke the game open and have settled in together as a line.

Upcoming

A quick trip to meet with Chris MacFarland’s new-look Nashville Predators on Sunday, October 25th. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. MT.

DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and three assists, Nazem Kadri scored his first goal of the season and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 on Friday night.

Devon Toews, Fedor Svechkov, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas also scored as Colorado rebounded from back-to-back road losses. Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves.

Jake Guentzel scored twice and Charle-Edouard D’Astous added another for the Lightning, who saw their three-game winning streak halted. Nikita Kucherov was held in check and remains a goal or assist away from becoming the franchise’s career points leader. He has 1,137 points and is tied with Steven Stamkos.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 of 23 shots, including one off the mask on MacKinnon’s liner.

Guentzel’s goal with 42.7 seconds left in the second period made it 4-2. The Avalanche unsuccessfully challenged the play for a missed stoppage. The Lightning went on the power play but couldn’t score. They struggled on the power play all evening.

MacKinnon’s goal with 15:42 remaining gave Colorado a 5-2 cushion. Necas sealed it with a late empty-net tally.

Logan O’Connor returned to the lineup after missing the start of the season with a lower-body injury. He recently lost his father, Myles, a former NHL defenseman, at age 59.

The game featured the league’s currently longest-tenured coaches in Jon Cooper and Jared Bednar. Cooper took over the Lightning in March 2013 and has won two Stanley Cups. Bednar was hired by Colorado in August 2016 and captured one Cup — in 2022 over the Lightning.

CANADIENS 4, BLACKHAWKS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Evans scored twice and assisted on Kaiden Guhle’s goal and Montreal beat Chicago.

Evans’ third point, a feed to Guhle with 1:34 left in the second period, matched his career high. Montreal is 4-1-1 in its last six games, while Chicago has dropped two straight and four of its last six.

A wide-open game tightened up late in the first period, which worked to Montreal’s advantage. Chicago opened the scoring on Connor Bedard’s second goal of the season 4:23 in, but the Canadiens began to control the play, and by mid-period were limiting Chicago’s chances.

Jacob Fowler, who made 20 saves, was lightly tested the rest of the game despite five Chicago power plays, and needed to make only three saves in the final period.

Evans’ first goal of the game and season tied it with 2:31 left in the first. His second, a wrist shot over goalie Spencer Knight’s stick side with the Canadiens skating short-handed, gave Montreal a 2-1 lead 7:51 into the second period.

Guhle also beat Knight on the stick side, his shot from the left point screened by Josh Anderson.

Mike Matheson added an empty-net goal with 2:38 remaining.

Knight stopped 24 shots.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks returned to the ice for game action on Friday night for the first time in 6 days. This long time spent idle gave the Blackhawks time to practice and rest in preparation for the rest of the long season. 

In their black alternate sweaters for the first time in 2026-27, the Hawks played host to the Montreal Canadiens. Right off the bat, the Blackhawks looked like the team that had lots of rest going in. After getting through the first shift of the game, where Montreal controlled the puck, the Blackhawks started to take control for a while. 

At 4:23 of the first period, Connor Bedard scored to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. Patrick Kane made a heads-up play in the neutral zone to feed Bedard for a rush. The Blackhawks' captain didn't miss with a snipe. 

Between the Hawks being off for 6 days and them being shut out by the Dallas Stars in their most recent game, that was the first goal they scored in over a week of real time. 

Later in the first period, Jake Evans scored to tie the game at 1. Former Blackhawks 3rd overall pick Kirby Dach made the play to set up the tying goal, Evans' first of the season. That 1-1 tie made its way into the first intermission. 

In the second period, the Blackhawks had a couple of power-play chances early. They've been using 5 forwards with the man advantage with Bowen Byram out, and it hasn't been working. Without a defenseman out there, they are prone to giving up shorthanded opportunities. 

One of those short-handed chances came back to bite them, as Jake Evans scored his second of the game after the Hawks allowed another odd-man rush. This goal gave the Habs a 2-1 lead - their first of the game. 

In the third period, there were chances for both sides, but the only goal scored was an empty-netter for Montreal. The 4-1 score held as the final, as the Blackhawks skated off with another lackluster loss to a better team. 

Spencer Knight made 24 saves on 27 shots. He would always say that he should have every save, but that is far from true. Between short-handed chances galore and lackluster effort at even strength in the second half of the game, it would be hard for any goalie to win. If the Blackhawks want to keep this two-game losing streak from getting ugly, they must be better at protecting the house. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

WHAT A SHOT 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Fw5L8mIT0J

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 24, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will welcome the Florida Panthers on Sunday for their 11th game of the season. This will be Chicago's 5th game out of 7 straight at home. 

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

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ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues recalled defenseman Quinton Burns from Springfield of the American Hockey League late Friday night.

The 21-year-old, a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, played in seven games for the Thunderbirds this season and had one assist and 29 penalty minutes.

After Theo Lindstein was sent down to Springfield on Thursday night, the Blues were left with six healthy defensemen, and although it is not likely that Burns makes his NHL debut on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes, it gives the team an extra blue liner while in the midst of a five-game homestand, and it will be Burns' first taste of NHL life during the season.

The Smiths Falls, Ontario native has six assists and 121 penalty minutes in 38 AHL regular-season games.

Lindstein played for the Thunderbirds on Friday in their 3-2 loss to Charlotte.

"He’s a big part of what we want to do and we have guys playing really well," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said about Lindstein. "So this is an opportunity for him to go get some game action so when he gets back up here, it hasn’t been a week like it was the last game he played. He’s just going to come back in here and get in the lineup and take someone’s job."

With St. Louis Blues Fourth Line, There's Always One Constant: Pius Suter, Who Leads By Example In Every Sense Of The WordVeteran center has played with multiple partners on forward line, continues to be glue that held it together through injury, shufflingJustin Barron's Fit With St. Louis Blues As Good As It Gets. "I Just Wanted To Come In, Obviously A Little Bit Of A Clean Slate"Defenseman puts up career-high four points with goal, three assists in 6-2 win over Vegas, taking advantage of opportunity given to 2020 first-round pick after being waived by Predators in late SeptemberDalibor Dvorsky's Ice Time Down Early In The Season; 2023 First-Round Pick Looking to Earn Time Back: "... Doing The Stuff Offensively"Center has lost roughly two minutes average per game to start this season; numbers don't indicate a dip in play, being more impactful something coaching staff wants to see more of

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DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are making their chances count and keeping Tampa Bay at arm’s length. Colorado took a 4-2 lead into the second intermission, answering the Lightning’s push with timely goals from Fedor Svechkov and Artturi Lehkonen, while Jake Guentzel scored twice on the power play to keep Tampa within striking distance. The Lightning lead 27-17 in shots on goal, but the Avalanche have made the most of their opportunities.

First Period

Martin Necas found Devon Toews in front of the net just 68 seconds into the game, with Nathan MacKinnon picking up the assist to give Colorado an early lead.

Jaden Schwartz appeared to tie the game nearly five minutes in, but the goal was waved off after he kicked the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood. Colorado capitalized shortly after, scoring on the power play at 5:52 with Brandon Hagel in the box for tripping. Nazem Kadri buried a pass from T.J. Hughes in the low slot to double the lead.

Tampa had its chances, controlling possession at times and forcing Colorado’s defense to scramble around its own net. The Lightning also kept the Avalanche’s top line on the ice for extended shifts and tested Blackwood with a flurry of shots, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Despite being outshot 12-9, Colorado took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

Second Period

Fedor Svechkov made it 3-0 just 24 seconds into the period, knocking in his own rebound past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Svechkov appeared to be looking for T.J. Hughes at the backdoor, but after Vasilevskiy poke-checked the puck, the rebound fell right back to Svechkov, who finished the play.

Logan O’Connor, playing for the first time this season after recovering from a lower-body injury and dealing with the loss of his father, was called for a two-minute goaltender interference penalty. Vasilevskiy had left his crease to make a save near the backdoor, and O’Connor, closing in quickly, had little time to avoid the collision. Colorado killed off the penalty.

Tampa later earned a 4-on-3 power play after Taylor Makar tripped Conor Geekie. Following the whistle, Sam Malinski cross-checked Dominic James, sparking a brief scuffle along the boards. Both players received roughing minors. On the ensuing power play, Jake Guentzel cut into Colorado’s lead, punching in a rebound off a one-timer from Charle-Edouard D’Astous.

After Colorado killed off a tripping penalty to Lehkonen with 7:10 remaining, the winger got his own goal back. MacKinnon set him up in the low slot, and Lehkonen buried his ninth goal in 11 games to restore the Avalanche’s three-goal cushion at 4-1.

Unlike in their previous two games, the Avalanche were making their chances count while doing a better job defensively and breaking up Tampa’s plays.

Colorado was called for too many men on the ice with less than three minutes remaining, and Tampa struck again on the power play. Brayden Point fed Guentzel at the doorstep for his second goal of the night, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

The Avalanche challenged the goal, arguing that the puck had hit the upper netting before crossing the line. After an extensive review, officials determined the puck had hit the glass, not the netting, and the goal stood.

Through 40 minutes, Colorado held a 4-2 lead, but Tampa continued to pour on the pressure, building a 27-17 advantage in shots on goal.

OTTAWA — After Connor Hellebuyck was traded to the Devils on Friday, the Metropolitan Division is officially a gauntlet of goaltending. 

The deal — which features Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command, a 2027 seventh-round pick and a 2029 second-rounder as the return for the longtime Jets goalie — puts arguably the three best goaltenders in the world in the tri-state area. 

Teams will have to face Igor Shesterkin (when he returns from injury next season), Ilya Sorokin and Hellebuyck during the New York-New Jersey swing. 

The Capitals also have Logan Thompson, a goalie with a career .911 save percentage, manning their net. 

“I mean, Sorokin, Hellebuyck, Shesterkin, it’s a lot of good goalie [play],” Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said after practice at Canadian Tire Centre on Friday. “There’s a lot of good goalies. It’s going to challenge our shooters.” 

Since the 2020-21 season, when Sorokin made his NHL debut, the three tri-state netminders round out the top four save percentages in the league among goaltenders with at least 150 games played over that span. 

Though Shesterkin leads the pack with a .916 save percentage, which is tied with Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark, Hellebuyck and Sorokin are tied with the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy at .915. 

The Rangers’ No. 1 goalie, who is out for the season with a knee injury he sustained in the club’s’ sixth game, has the best goals against average of the trio since 2020-21 at 2.51. 

Hellebuyck (2.55) has a slight edge over Sorokin (2.58) in that category. 

The Hellebuyck-to-New Jersey trade was a blockbuster that finally ended the 33-year-old’s saga in Winnipeg. 

After missing the playoffs last season, Hellebuyck requested a trade out of Winnipeg despite five seasons remaining on his contract. The Jets, Hellebuyck and his agent made it public at the end of August. 

His refusal to report to training camp, however, led to a team-imposed suspension. 

Crowned the best goaltender in the world as he accepted his Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Milan in February, Hellebuyck is now bringing his talents to the East Coast. 

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For the second straight practice, Sean Durzi did not participate for what the Rangers are describing as “maintenance” purposes. 

Asked if there was concern about the 28-year-old defenseman not being able to play Saturday against the Senators, Sullivan did not offer much. 

“I don’t know. He’s got a maintenance day right now,” he said. “We’ll see how he is, and we’ll make a decision.” 

Matthew Robertson was recalled from Hartford late Friday night, which gives the Rangers two extra defensemen in case Durzi is unavailable.

Late in the third period in Monday’s win over the Ducks, Durzi blocked a shot that hit his hand. It’s unclear if there’s any correlation between the play and his maintenance days, but Durzi notably didn’t log any shorthanded minutes in Toronto on Thursday. 

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After turning a professional tryout agreement into a one-year contract, Luke Glendening is eligible to make his Rangers debut any game now. Sullivan wouldn’t commit to when that would be. 

“We’re taking each day as it comes,” he said. “You know, see how he feels, and then we’ll make decisions game by game here. But we feel like he’s getting closer.” 

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Eeli Tolvanen did not participate in practice Friday for personal reasons.

DENVER — Taylor Makar has been recalled to the Colorado Avalanche as the team prepares to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

Makar has gotten off to a strong start with the Colorado Eagles, recording three goals and one assist in six games this season. In 12 NHL appearances last season, Makar has yet to record a point. 

The 25-year-old forward was selected by Colorado in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft and spent four seasons playing college hockey, including three years at UMass Amherst before transferring to the University of Maine.

In his final season at Maine, Makar recorded 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points in 38 games. He also put up 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists) in 52 games with the Eagles last season.

The Avalanche are expected to dress 12 forwards against Tampa Bay after frequently using an 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup this season due to injuries to Nicolas Roy, Logan O’Connor and Zach L’Heureux.

O’Connor is set to return to the lineup Friday, while Gavin Brindley, who has played in each of Colorado’s last four games, is heading back to the minors.

The Avalanche (5-4-1) will face a Lightning team (6-2) coming off a 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Vegas, of course, was the team that swept Colorado out of the Western Conference Final back in May.

The Avalanche return to Denver after a disappointing road trip that saw them drop consecutive games. Colorado fell 3-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers, who entered the matchup with just one win on the season, before losing 4-3 to the New Jersey Devils. The Avalanche trailed 4-1 in that game before Artturi Lehkonen scored twice late, but New Jersey had controlled much of the matchup.

Head coach Jared Bednar didn’t mince words when discussing his team’s performance, telling Altitude Sports Radio that they were “two of the worst games I’ve seen our team play in years.”

Colorado will look to turn things around Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Taylor Makar could provide a fresh face in the lineup. The forward is off to a strong start with the Colorado Eagles, recording three goals and an assist in six games, and will look to carry that production over as he searches for his first career NHL goal.

The Pittsburgh Penguins reshaped their blue line this summer, making a few moves to give the defense corps an entirely new look. 

And one of the casualties of that reshaping became a bit of a casualty with his new team, too.

On Friday, the Winnipeg Jets placed former Penguins' defenseman Jack St. Ivany on waivers. The 6-foot-4, 197-pound blueliner was dealt to the Jets this summer in exchange for forward David Gustafsson, who is currently playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins, Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate. 

In four games with Winnipeg this season, St. Ivany has no points, is a minus-1, and has averaged 13:31 of ice time per game. 

St. Ivany, 27, was a fourth-round pick (112th overall) of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018. He signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in the summer of 2022, and his play for WBS that season and in his 14 NHL games during the 2023-24 season - particularly, on the defensive side of the puck - earned him a three-year contract worth $850,000 annually with Pittsburgh. 

The next two seasons didn't fare quite as well for St. Ivany at the NHL level, and as a result, he was between the NHL and AHL levels from 2024-2026 before he was traded to Winnipeg. In 57 career NHL games, St. Ivany has amassed nine assists. 

The Jets also traded superstar netminder Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils Friday for a return involving forward Dawson Mercer and 2026 first-round pick Alexander Command.

Takeaways: Penguins Deliver Near-Perfect 60-Minute Effort In 4-0 Win Over Panthers To Snap Four-Game Losing StreakAfter a disastrous, winless four-game Western road trip, the Penguins put together their best effort of the season Thursday against Florida.

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The Buffalo Sabres, losers of three of their last four games and tied with Montreal at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, head out on a four game road trip, starting with their first meeting with former teammate Alex Tuch in Washington on Saturday. The club will then head west for a swing through California to finish out the month of October against San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles, but they could be without one of their key youngsters.

Forward Jiri Kulich was struck by a puck at the start of practice at KeyBank Center on Friday. The 22-year-old was bloodied and helped off the ice. 

"(It) didn't  look  good.  I  don't  have  an  update,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after practice. “We'll  get (an update)  as  soon  as  he's  been  evaluated, but  he's  at  the  doctor  now."  

The 22-year-old has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in eight games. Kulich had his minutes limited in training camp after missing most of last season with a blood clot issue and has missed two of Buffalo’s 10 games, including last week’s 5-4 overtime win over Toronto because of precautionary reasons

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Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

#Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff on Jiri Kulich getting injured at practice "(it)didn't look good. I don't have an update....he's been evaluated. pic.twitter.com/N6mLwDL467

— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) October 23, 2026

In other Atlantic Division injury news, Canadiens center Nick Suzuki is expected to be out two-to-four weeks with a hand injury. The Habs are tied with the Sabres at 10 points after losing to San Jose 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday, and have been looking to add a second line center since last season. The Suzuki injury leaves Montreal stretched thin even more up the middle, with Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach likely have to move up into top six roles. 

The Ottawa Senators got defenseman Jake Sanderson back against Florida on Wednesday, but lost former Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark to a groin injury in the third period. Ullmark was place on injured reserve on Thursday, but it is unknown how long he will be out. 

The Sabres will have to keep pace in the competitive Atlantic playing on the road the rest of the month, as they trail first place Boston by seven points, and a cluster of three teams (Tampa Bay, Ottawa, and Toronto) at 14 points.     

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

On Friday morning, before the Winnipeg Jets traded Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils, sources told The Hockey News that the New York Islanders could serve as a third team in a potential Hellebuyck deal, depending on the destination.

The Jets have also been scouting the Islanders over the last few games. 

Ultimately, New Jersey and Winnipeg completed the blockbuster without needing a third team to asbord salary or take on player for roster purposes. 

However, had Hellebuyck landed elsewhere, a third-party facilitator may have been necessary. 

The deal: Winnipeg traded Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils for forward Dawson Mercer, injured forward Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, 2026 first-round pick Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick. 

Division Rival Lands Superstar Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck In Blockbuster TradeThe New York Islanders woke up third in the Metropolitan Division, with the fifth-best playoff odds in the Eastern Conference, per Moneypuck.com.

The Islanders, off to a 5-3-2 start through 10 games, are missing that elusive goal scorer and still have questions about their defense. 

General manager Mathieu Darche currently has $1.986 million in available space, but the Islanders can create additional flexibility by moving on from injured defenseman Alexander Romanov. 

Under the new CBA, the Islanders could receive up to $3.97 million in relief by placing Romanov on LTIR. They also have the option to place him on Season-Ending LTIR, which would give them $6.25 million in relief, but he'd be ruled out of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs if the Islanders qualified. 

Darche has been involved in the trade market this season but has yet to take part.