Category: NHL

Joel Quenneville had one mission when he took over as coach of the Ducks last year: get them back to the playoffs.

He did much better than that. The Ducks scored a franchise-record 273 goals, spent much of the season atop the Pacific Division and knocked off the powerful Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights, the eventual conference champions, in the second round.

All of which raises a question for Quenneville and the Ducks coming off a summer of upheaval and turnover: What can they do for an encore?

“Expectations are going to be higher across the board,” said Quenneville, whose team opens the season Friday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. “That’s healthy. But at the same time, it’s an everyday thing that that challenge is going to be out there.”

Read more:Ducks sign Cutter Gauthier to a six-year, $81-million contract

Before Quenneville arrived, the Ducks stumbled through a franchise-record seven straight losing seasons. Now many of the players in his locker room are thinking beyond just making the postseason.

“The culture change, we can really feel it,” goaltender Lukas Dostal said. “What we did last year, obviously we want to improve and move even further.

“You don’t play hockey to just think like ‘OK, we want to make the playoffs.’ You want to go as far as possible. So the sky’s the limit. I really trust this team.”

“At the end of the day, you want to win a Stanley Cup,” added new captain Mikael Granlund. “You have to have that one goal. We’re going to do everything we can to be better than last year.”

Many Ducks are certainly going to be better paid than last year. General manager Pat Verbeek had no choice but to overspend on center Leo Carlsson, signing him to a five-year, $90-million contract after the Flyers offered Carlsson the same deal. The 21-year-old, who had a career-high 29 goals and 38 assists last season, is the NHL’s highest-paid player this season.

Verbeek also re-signed restricted free agents Cutter Gauthier, (six years, $81 million) and Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $36 million) and gave center Tim Washe a $9-million contract extension. Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points last season.

“It’s a sign you’re doing something correctly,” Quenneville said of his players being rewarded. “But at the same time, I don’t think we change too much our demands. They know we work on a meritocracy and the better you do, the more you’re going to play.”

All that spending left the team with nothing to offer veteran winger Chris Kreider, who was released this summer, joining an exodus that included key defensemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas, Olen Zellweger and Jacob Trouba.

The Ducks will also be without forward Troy Terry, who averaged 24 goals over the past five seasons, until well into the winter as he recovers from hip surgery.

As a result, the Ducks start with several new pieces up front and thin experience on the blue line, which isn’t a good look for a team that gave up 288 goals last season, fourth-most in the NHL.

Despite the additions of veterans A.J. Greer, a Stanley Cup winner in Florida who was acquired to add a physical presence in the attack, and Nick Jensen, 36, who was signed to stabilize the defense, the Ducks will once again have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. But Quenneville has a history of turning young teams into champions. Nineteen years ago he took over a Chicago Blackhawks team that was the youngest in the league and led it to the conference final. A year later that team captured the Stanley Cup, the first of three Quenneville won in Chicago.

For the Ducks to match that, their summer additions will have to add up to more than the subtractions. And the investment Verbeek made in Carlsson, Gauthier and Mintyukov will have to pay off. What’s certain, however, is after last season’s breakthrough, the Ducks won’t be sneaking up on anyone.

“We made it a little harder for ourselves,” Washe said. “We’ve got a little target on our back.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Peter Laviolette Era begins for the Kings on Wednesday when the coach steps behind the bench for the first time before their season opener against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.

“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”

Not all of the changes are positive, however.

For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.

Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.

Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.

For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.

“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”

In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.

“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.

“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”

Read more:'Nobody was cooler' than former Kings coach and beloved broadcaster Barry Melrose, who sold the U.S. on hockey

Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.

Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.

If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Peter Laviolette Era begins for the Kings on Wednesday when the coach steps behind the bench for the first time before their season opener against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.

“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”

Not all of the changes are positive, however.

For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.

Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.

Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.

For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.

“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”

In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.

“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.

“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”

Read more:'Nobody was cooler' than former Kings coach and beloved broadcaster Barry Melrose, who sold the U.S. on hockey

Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.

Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.

If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
 
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard 
D Jake Livanavage
D Owen Pickering
D Chase Pietila
G Cam Johnson
 
Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to WBS.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 26, 2026

That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

—

It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.

Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.

There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust*
Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

–

That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.

The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
 
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard 
D Jake Livanavage
D Owen Pickering
D Chase Pietila
G Cam Johnson
 
Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to WBS.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 26, 2026

That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

—

It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.

Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.

There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust*
Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

–

That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.

Las Vegas, N.V.– Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks 25-5 after the first 40 minutes, the Vegas Golden Knightsentered the third period trailing 2-1. They tied it up 3:18 into the third, but in the end, the Golden Knights only scored two goals on 29 shots, and ultimately fell 4-2 to the Sharks in the preseason finale.

Them’s the breaks.

For the 10th time in franchise history, the Golden Knights do not go undefeated in the preseason. Maybe next year.

But they got what they wanted out of it. They won three of their four preseason games, and the veterans got to get their feet wet. And, most importantly, they escaped the preseason completely unscathed. There was a moment of concern in the third period when Jeremy Lauzon went down hard after blocking a shot, but in true Jeremy Lauzon fashion, he didn’t miss a shift.

Ryan Craig said it best: “I really liked our first 40. And, uh, we got out healthy in the third.”

1. Defense Wins Championships

With guys like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner on the roster, the Golden Knights have a lot of offensive talent. However, at their core, they are a defense-first team. They always have been, and they probably always will be. 

“Vegas has always been one of the best defensive teams,” said Tomáš Hertl postgame. “We did the same thing [tonight]. We kept them to the outside, didn’t allow many shots.”

Tonight was no exception– the Golden Knights allowed just two shots in the first period, and three in the second. They allowed more shots in the third period– 12 in total– but very few were dangerous. The Golden Knights allowed only five high-danger scoring chances throughout 60 minutes, and generated 10.

2. Right Recipe, Wrong Results

Although the Golden Knights didn’t win tonight, they feel like they have a winning recipe. They did a lot of things well both defensively and offensively, and the general feeling is that, if they play that way all season, they’ll come out on the right side more times than not.

“We did a really good job of putting pucks behind their D,” said Nic Dowd postgame. “When we had opportunities to make plays through the neutral zone, we did. We hung on the pucks in the neutral zone and put pucks into good areas, and we were getting them back. And, you know, the best recipe is to go play in the ozone. 

“And line changes,” Dowd continued. “Like, we out-changed them multiple times. We had one-to-two minute shifts in the ozone. Pucks didn’t go in, but that’s just how it works in the NHL. At times, those are going to go in, and maybe you win the game 4 or 5 to 1, 5 to 2. We didn’t tonight. But again, I think we have a lot of good things to build on.”

For the most part, the Golden Knights played well tonight. They made very few defensive mistakes, and though they didn’t convert on many of their scoring chances, they had no problem generating them.

“We had a lot of looks,” said Tomáš Hertl following the loss. “If we bury a couple of them, it goes the other way. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”

3. Next One Counts

Most teams don’t go undefeated in the preseason. Sure, some do– the 2015-16 Colorado Avalanche and the 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes, for example– but preseason is all about teaching moments.

“I actually thought we did a lot of really good things today,” said Nic Dowd following the loss. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but the good thing about that is that those are learning opportunities, right?”

The Golden Knights veterans have played in the last two preseason games, and they look ready to go. They’ve shaken off the rust and improved in the areas they wanted to.

“The things we wanted to clean up or see improvement on, especially through 40 minutes today, I thought we did,” said head coach Ryan Craig postgame. “I thought our defending, our checking habits, our break outs, all those things that we touched on yesterday, were good. And it led to the o-zone and to the offensive chances that we created. I thought those things were a real positive as we move forward here.”

The NHL season kicks off for real on Tuesday when the Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. PST.

Las Vegas, N.V.– Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks 25-5 after the first 40 minutes, the Vegas Golden Knightsentered the third period trailing 2-1. They tied it up 3:18 into the third, but in the end, the Golden Knights only scored two goals on 29 shots, and ultimately fell 4-2 to the Sharks in the preseason finale.

Them’s the breaks.

For the 10th time in franchise history, the Golden Knights do not go undefeated in the preseason. Maybe next year.

But they got what they wanted out of it. They won three of their four preseason games, and the veterans got to get their feet wet. And, most importantly, they escaped the preseason completely unscathed. There was a moment of concern in the third period when Jeremy Lauzon went down hard after blocking a shot, but in true Jeremy Lauzon fashion, he didn’t miss a shift.

Ryan Craig said it best: “I really liked our first 40. And, uh, we got out healthy in the third.”

1. Defense Wins Championships

With guys like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner on the roster, the Golden Knights have a lot of offensive talent. However, at their core, they are a defense-first team. They always have been, and they probably always will be. 

“Vegas has always been one of the best defensive teams,” said Tomáš Hertl postgame. “We did the same thing [tonight]. We kept them to the outside, didn’t allow many shots.”

Tonight was no exception– the Golden Knights allowed just two shots in the first period, and three in the second. They allowed more shots in the third period– 12 in total– but very few were dangerous. The Golden Knights allowed only five high-danger scoring chances throughout 60 minutes, and generated 10.

2. Right Recipe, Wrong Results

Although the Golden Knights didn’t win tonight, they feel like they have a winning recipe. They did a lot of things well both defensively and offensively, and the general feeling is that, if they play that way all season, they’ll come out on the right side more times than not.

“We did a really good job of putting pucks behind their D,” said Nic Dowd postgame. “When we had opportunities to make plays through the neutral zone, we did. We hung on the pucks in the neutral zone and put pucks into good areas, and we were getting them back. And, you know, the best recipe is to go play in the ozone. 

“And line changes,” Dowd continued. “Like, we out-changed them multiple times. We had one-to-two minute shifts in the ozone. Pucks didn’t go in, but that’s just how it works in the NHL. At times, those are going to go in, and maybe you win the game 4 or 5 to 1, 5 to 2. We didn’t tonight. But again, I think we have a lot of good things to build on.”

For the most part, the Golden Knights played well tonight. They made very few defensive mistakes, and though they didn’t convert on many of their scoring chances, they had no problem generating them.

“We had a lot of looks,” said Tomáš Hertl following the loss. “If we bury a couple of them, it goes the other way. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”

3. Next One Counts

Most teams don’t go undefeated in the preseason. Sure, some do– the 2015-16 Colorado Avalanche and the 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes, for example– but preseason is all about teaching moments.

“I actually thought we did a lot of really good things today,” said Nic Dowd following the loss. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but the good thing about that is that those are learning opportunities, right?”

The Golden Knights veterans have played in the last two preseason games, and they look ready to go. They’ve shaken off the rust and improved in the areas they wanted to.

“The things we wanted to clean up or see improvement on, especially through 40 minutes today, I thought we did,” said head coach Ryan Craig postgame. “I thought our defending, our checking habits, our break outs, all those things that we touched on yesterday, were good. And it led to the o-zone and to the offensive chances that we created. I thought those things were a real positive as we move forward here.”

The NHL season kicks off for real on Tuesday when the Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. PST.

The Chicago Blackhawks put a mostly NHL lineup out to play the St. Louis Blues in the final preseason game. At the United Center, the Blackhawks defeated the Blues 3-2. 

Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the game thanks to goals scored by Anton Frondell, Ian Cole, and Roman Kantserov. The Blues later added two goals of their own but were unable to tie it. 

Frondell's goal was proof that they can rely on him to score goals from dangerous areas because of his shot. The puck popped to him in the middle of the ice, and he blasted it home. 

The Cole goal came after the Blackhawks killed a 5-on-3. He came out of the box at the perfect time to be fed for a breakaway, and he did not miss. Cole is not relied on for offense anywhere he goes in the NHL, but anything he can bring will be welcomed. 

To go up 3-0, Kantserov's goal was a sight to see. He caught the puck on the backhand and lifted it neatly to the top shelf for his first NHL preseason goal. Seeing Kantserov score goals like that is important for the Blackhawks' long-term quest to become a winning team. 

Although the Blackhawks allowed the Blues to get back into it with a late-game goal to put themselves back within one, they put together a solid effort in their final tune-up before the games begin for real. 2 of their 3 goals also came from young players that they are relying on to develop into stars. 

Chicago was outshot 31-22 by St. Louis. Spencer Knight made 29 saves on 31 shots. He appears to be ready to continue his role as the team's number one guy. 

There were plenty of penalty minutes in the game as the Blues ended with 27 to the Hawks' 17. Even in the preseason, these two teams have no love lost. When St. Louis returns to the United Center for Chicago's home opener, it will be interesting to see how physical a game it is. 

All in all, it was a solid camp and preseason for the Blackhawks. There were good moments in games, and battles ensued within the group competing for lineup spots. Before Tuesday, the Blackhawks will make decisions on what came of it all. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

FRONDEEZY GOOOOOOOOAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/hCjMvcp95z

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 26, 2026

what a BEAUTY from Ian Cole 🤩 pic.twitter.com/eQAQZOehUv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 27, 2026

OUR ROMAN EMPIRE ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/dQ2jKupHWZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 27, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks are done with all four preseason games now. Next up is their regular-season opener. This will come on the opening night of the entire season, as the Blackhawks are the nightcap. They will start on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights next Tuesday night. 

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

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.

It’s safe to say the Senators leaned heavily on their power play Saturday night.

They faced the Montreal Canadiens in a pair of split-squad games to round out their 2026 preseason schedule, defeating the Canadiens 4-3 in Ottawa with what was essentially their main group, while their second group fell 4-2 in Montreal against a lineup that was much closer to the Habs’ full-strength roster.

Of the six goals the Senators scored in the two games on the night, all six came with the man advantage.

In Ottawa, the Senators had eight power-play opportunities and capitalized on four of them. In Montreal, they had five chances and scored twice. 

Injuries

The bigger concern for the Senators, however, is the injury bug. Of course it is.

Jake Sanderson had been dealing with a minor injury throughout camp and finally made his preseason debut in Ottawa but left the game halfway through. Head coach Travis Green described the move as precautionary and said Sanderson should be ready for opening night. 

Andre Burakovsky also left the game after a hit in the third period. Green had no update on him.

The game in Montreal also brought some bad news. Sens prospect Adam Nemec left the game with an upper-body injury after Florian Xhekaj drove him hard and awkwardly face first into the glass. Nemec was just hours away from his probable return to junior where he’s expected to have a big OHL season.

The Game in Montreal

As for the scoring, the Senators got goals in Montreal from Philip Tomasino and Tyler Boucher.

Tomasino patiently drifted into the slot before ripping a gorgeous shot into the top corner over Jacob Fowler. Boucher then showed off an equally impressive release, ripping a one-timer off a pass from Xavier Bourgault. Sam Ersson allowed 4 goals on 26 shots.

One of the most notable moments in the game was a fierce, bomb-filled tilt between six-foot-seven, 225 pound Djibril Touré and six-foot-five, 220 pound Tyler Thorpe. Touré absorbed some jarring upper cuts to the chin but then came back with a medley of left hands that landed.

The Montreal game also featured both Suzukis, as Nick faced his younger brother Ryan off the opening faceoff. Ryan is expected to be a key player for Belleville this season.

The Game in Ottawa

Veteran Claude Giroux continued what has been an excellent preseason with another strong performance, recording a goal and two assists. Drake Batherson and William Eklund also found the back of the net.

Burakovsky chipped in with a couple of assists, while Linus Ullmark stopped 20 of 23 shots from the Canadiens. Thomas Chabot was back in the lineup after missing time while his wife gave birth to a baby girl.

Final Cuts by Monday at 5pm

The Senators finish the preseason at 1-3-1 and now have a little more time to get healthy before their opener on October 3. The Canadiens, meanwhile, have only a couple of days before opening the regular season on September 29.

Final roster cuts must be made by Monday at 5 p.m. and they aren’t nearly as predictable as they were at the start of camp. Artem Zub remains out after trying to rehab a lower-body injury for the past five months, and his status has become a legitimate concern.

Warren Foegele and Kurtis McDermid are also out, while Ridly Greig still has to serve the remaining two games of his suspension stemming from last year’s playoff series against Carolina, when he punched Sean Walker during a scrum between whistles.

Shane Pinto is also a concern for the moment. Green said Pinto “came in sore” after Wednesday’s loss in Toronto. He hasn’t practiced since then and missed Saturday’s game. And then you had Sanderson and Burakovsky leave the finale early on Saturday.

As a result, there are suddenly all kinds of NHL opportunities opening up in Ottawa that at the beginning of training camp, few people expected. So the Senators have some difficult decisions to make.

Meanwhile, the NHL preseason may have been shortened this year, but somehow, in these parts, it still felt too long.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

The San Jose Sharks were back in action on Saturday night, as they closed out the preseason on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks were defeated by the Golden Knights in a shootout at home earlier this week, so they were looking for revenge in the dress rehearsal for the regular season which saw both teams ice the majority of their NHL lineups, including the Sharks' new captain Macklin Celebrini.

Michael Kesselring blocked a Jack Eichel shot in the first period that appeared to leave him a little shaken up, but he didn't miss a shift. The Golden Knights were controlling play for the most part in the first half of the opening frame. Tyler Toffoli took the first penalty of the night when he tripped Brett Howden, giving the Golden Knights a power play with just over eight minutes remaining in the period. Askarov came up big for the Sharks on the penalty kill, helping the team survive the disadvantage. 

Collin Graf had a breakaway attempt late in the period, but lost the puck due to the defensive play of Jeremy Lauzon.

Macklin Celebrini drew a hooking penalty when he was wrapped up by Mitch Marner with less than two minutes remaining in the first period, giving the Sharks their first power play of the night. Dmitry Orlov gave the Sharks the lead with just 40 seconds remaining in the frame, even though the game to this point had been widely controlled by Vegas. 

The period wasn't over yet though, as Zack Ostapchuk was called for holding on Eichel in the neutral zone with just under 28 seconds remaining. The Sharks' penalty kill would continue to start the second period though, as they survived the remainder of the first.

The Golden Knights maintained heavy pressure for the remainder of the power play, but the Sharks were ultimately able to kill it off. Shortly afterwards, the Sharks were back on special teams, though this time they had the man advantage after Braeden Bowman was penalized for tripping Mason Marchment. Jacob Trouba had one play that was somewhat concerning on the breakout from the defensive zone, taking the puck through Askarov's blue paint with a defender attacking him. If he had lost the puck, it could have been disastrous. The Sharks were unable to convert on the power play, dropping to 50% efficiency on the night. 

Captain Macklin scored his first goal with the "C" on his chest in the second period, shooting the puck over Carter Hart's blocker to extend the Sharks' lead to 2-0, despite trailing in shots 15-4.

Orlov gave the Golden Knights another power play opportunity late in the period, when he was penalized for hooking Jack Eichel. This time, Vegas cashed in on their opportunity and Tomas Hertl tapped in a loose puck in the crease, making it a 2-1 game. The Golden Knights' power play didn't get any time to rest either, as Marchment was called for slashing on the ensuing faceoff. 

The Sharks killed off the penalty and maintained their lead heading into the second intermission.

Less than a minute into the final period, Celebrini took a high sticking penalty after he caught Ivan Barbashev up high, giving Vegas another power play opportunity. The Sharks were able to kill it off once again though, improving to 3-for-4 on the night. Moments after the penalty came off the board though, Nic Dowd tied things up as Vegas had a 3-on-2 rush. 

The Sharks got a power play when Brett Howden got a four-minute double minor for cross-checking. At the same time, Kiefer Sherwood was called for roughing following a scrum. The Sharks were unable to convert on the man advantage.

Marchment restored the Sharks' lead halfway through the period, ripping a shot from inside of the faceoff circle to make it a 3-2 hockey game. Askarov made a big save with just over six and a half minutes remaining to help the Sharks' keep their lead.

A minute and a half later, Michael Misa broke Vegas's H(e)art by doubling the Sharks' lead with a glove-side shot from the faceoff dot. 

Sam Dickinson tried to get involved with the offense by joining the rush with roughly three minutes remaining, but was denied by Hart. It was definitely a good attempt from a player who has struggled to this point in the preseason. 

The Golden Knights were unable to score after pulling their goaltender, giving the Sharks a 4-2 victory to close out the preseason.

The last question remaining with the Islanders’ forward lines was who they would surround Casey Cizikas with, and based on Saturday’s preseason finale, that appears to have been answered. 

After waiving Mitchell Chaffee earlier in the day, the Islanders had Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair on their game roster against the Devils.

Though the 11-and-7 configuration in the Islanders’ 4-1 preseason loss to the Devils made for some inconsistent line combinations, indications are Palat and Duclair will form the fourth line with Cizikas on Wednesday night in Toronto, with Kyle MacLean looking likely to be the extra forward. 

It is not, on paper, a trio that looks like an easy fit together, with Cizikas very much a straight-line player, Duclair a skill-first winger with speed and the 35-year-old Palat still trying to prove he can conjure some of what made him such an effective player when the Lightning were winning Stanley Cups. 

“We all bring something different to the table, which is nice, and it’s a lot about communication,” Cizikas said before Saturday’s exhibition game. “It’s a lot about understanding each other and each other’s games.” 

With coach Pete DeBoer hoping to find some secondary scoring the Islanders lacked last season, it might be the Islanders’ best shot of a fourth line that can put the puck in the net. Duclair hasn’t found a consistent scoring touch since signing here in 2024, but has a history of 20-goal seasons the Isles are still hoping to tap into. 

“He’s got a nose for the net and he’s as slick as anybody with that puck,” Cizikas said. “So we’re gonna try to do everything we can to get him the puck and get him in positions where he’s able to get an opportunity.” 

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The Islanders lined up with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their preseason finale, holding out Matthew Schaefer (upper body) and Brayden Schenn (lower body) after both had “tweaks,” in DeBoer’s words. 

DeBoer said neither is a concern for Wednesday, with the decision to hold them out purely precautionary. 

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DeBoer called Mathew Barzal (left kneecap) day to day, but would not confirm whether he is skating. 

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The Islanders made a series of cuts before Saturday’s game, sending Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov, Matthew Highmore and Marshall Warren to AHL Hamilton while putting Chaffee, Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Daylan Kuefler and Matt Luff on waivers. 

While Engvall is in Hamilton, his $3 million cap hit becomes $1.775 million.

The last question remaining with the Islanders’ forward lines was who they would surround Casey Cizikas with, and based on Saturday’s preseason finale, that appears to have been answered. 

After waiving Mitchell Chaffee earlier in the day, the Islanders had Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair on their game roster against the Devils.

Though the 11-and-7 configuration in the Islanders’ 4-1 preseason loss to the Devils made for some inconsistent line combinations, indications are Palat and Duclair will form the fourth line with Cizikas on Wednesday night in Toronto, with Kyle MacLean looking likely to be the extra forward. 

It is not, on paper, a trio that looks like an easy fit together, with Cizikas very much a straight-line player, Duclair a skill-first winger with speed and the 35-year-old Palat still trying to prove he can conjure some of what made him such an effective player when the Lightning were winning Stanley Cups. 

“We all bring something different to the table, which is nice, and it’s a lot about communication,” Cizikas said before Saturday’s exhibition game. “It’s a lot about understanding each other and each other’s games.” 

With coach Pete DeBoer hoping to find some secondary scoring the Islanders lacked last season, it might be the Islanders’ best shot of a fourth line that can put the puck in the net. Duclair hasn’t found a consistent scoring touch since signing here in 2024, but has a history of 20-goal seasons the Isles are still hoping to tap into. 

“He’s got a nose for the net and he’s as slick as anybody with that puck,” Cizikas said. “So we’re gonna try to do everything we can to get him the puck and get him in positions where he’s able to get an opportunity.” 

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The Islanders lined up with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their preseason finale, holding out Matthew Schaefer (upper body) and Brayden Schenn (lower body) after both had “tweaks,” in DeBoer’s words. 

DeBoer said neither is a concern for Wednesday, with the decision to hold them out purely precautionary. 

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DeBoer called Mathew Barzal (left kneecap) day to day, but would not confirm whether he is skating. 

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The Islanders made a series of cuts before Saturday’s game, sending Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov, Matthew Highmore and Marshall Warren to AHL Hamilton while putting Chaffee, Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Daylan Kuefler and Matt Luff on waivers. 

While Engvall is in Hamilton, his $3 million cap hit becomes $1.775 million.

With pre-season games officially concluded and regular season rosters due at 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 28, the Pittsburgh Penguins and 31 other NHL teams will soon make final decisions regarding their NHL squads. 

The situation for the Penguins has quickly become complicated on the forward front, as injuries are already piling up. Blake Lizotte, Oliver Okuliar, and Ben Kindel are week-to-week, while Justin Brazeau and Bryan Rust - injured in Pittsburgh's final pre-season game, a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres - are still being evaluated. On the blue line, Ryan Graves is also day-to-day and being further evaluated.

Prior to the plethora of injuries, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Pittsburgh would end up keeping 14 forwards and seven defensemen on their NHL roster at the end of camp. However, with less certainty regarding personnel on the forward front, there's no guarantee that they won't elect to keep eight defensemen instead.

And, right now, the Penguins have eight defensemen left on their roster — including 20-year-old Harrison Brunicke.

After a tumultuous first nine NHL games early last season, Brunicke dealt with a good deal of situational adversity while 19 and still ineligible for the AHL. He went on a five-game AHL conditioning stint later in the fall before heading off to the World Junior Championship to represent Team Canada. After a somewhat pedestrian showing there, he was sent back to the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL for the remainder of the season, posting 24 points in 24 games before joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after Kamloops was eliminated from the playoffs.

There, he really took off. In 11 AHL regular season games, he had one goal and eight points and was a plus-8, but Brunicke was one of the team's very best players in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Playing top-pairing minutes and in all situations, he recorded two goals and seven points in 15 games along with a plus-four, and he was a force in all three zones. 

Fast forward to this year's training camp, and Brunicke looks like a much-improved player who makes much better decisions. The problem is that the Penguins appear to be pretty set on their NHL blue line, as they have rolled with Declan Carlile and Erik Karlsson on the top pairing, Sam Girard and Kaedan Korczak on the second, and Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kris Letang on the third. Left blueliner Ilya Solovyov also appears primed to make the roster.

Pre-season: Penguins Defeat Sabres, 3-1, To Close Out Pre-season With SplitPittsburgh defeated Buffalo for the second time this pre-season to close out their schedule prior to the regular season

On the surface, it would seem logical to send Brunicke back to the AHL to get some runway next to Owen Pickering - his defensive partner through most of camp - on WBS's top pairing. Assuming he picks up where he left off, it wouldn't be long before he earned the call again, and it could help him start strong and start confident. 

However, one big factor brings a good bit of complication to deciding Brunicke's fate out of camp: the uncertainty around Karlsson's situation. 

Karlsson, 36, is entering the final season of his eight-year contract that the Penguins pay out $10 million for. Earlier in training camp, Karlsson confirmed that there have been no discussions regarding an extension with the team up to this point and that he's comfortable seeing where things go with the team to start the season before coming to a decision.

While that makes perfect sense in Karlsson's situation - and the Penguins' situation - it makes things a bit tricky for decisions regarding Brunicke. 

No matter where things land regarding Brunicke, he's not far off. His Calder Cup Playoffs showed that, if he's not NHL-ready at this point, he's just about as close to it as he can be. 

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With a near-guarantee of inconsistent playing time at the NHL level out the gate, starting him in the AHL seems to make sense. But, should Karlsson decide mid-season he does not plan to re-sign with the team, GM and POHO Kyle Dubas will almost certainly look to deal Karlsson before this year's trade deadline.

If that happens? Barring catastrophic AHL results, Brunicke likely gets his ticket to full-time NHL minutes. But, if he spends most of the season in the AHL leading up to a Karlsson trade, would they be setting him up for failure in that scenario with the expectation to play full-time top-four minutes with little NHL experience?

That, right there, is where things get tricky. Yes, he can get full, first-pairing minutes in WBS. But, if he remains with the NHL club, there could be a way to ease him into a full-time role in preparation for the possibility that Karlsson may be departing mid-season.

Because, if Karlsson is dealt - and, assuming the Penguins do not acquire another right defenseman to replace him - who fills his role post-departure?

Letang is probably beyond the point in his career where he can handle top-pairing minutes on a regular basis. Korczak could, potentially, fill that role temporarily, but since he is a more shutdown defender, who drives offense from the blue line? Is Girard capable of being a top-pairing offensive defenseman alongside Korczak in that scenario?

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It might actually serve the Penguins, and Brunicke, better to try executing some kind of three-way rotation between him, Letang, and Korczak just to see what Brunicke can offer at the NHL level and how the others respond, too. Letang could probably benefit from some load management. Korczak is a relative unknown in terms of how he'll gel with Pittsburgh. 

This way, Brunicke can get some needed NHL runway, continue to learn NHL habits, and take as much as he can from veterans like Karlsson and Letang as he slowly transitions to full-time at the highest level. It's safe to assume that the main reason Karlsson would want out is if Pittsburgh is out of the playoff picture, so if that's the case, the Penguins would face a "sink or swim" scenario with Brunicke if he spends most of the season in the AHL instead.

There is not really an easy answer when it comes to how the Penguins should handle Brunicke's situation, but the good thing is that he's AHL-eligible this time around. If he would start the season with the NHL team and struggle in his minutes, they can re-assign him. If he excels, he can make some decisions tough for management once the roster begins to get healthier. 

But, if he starts in the AHL and stays there through at least mid-season, the Penguins would be at the mercy of banking on a player being able to make the jump entirely if their best defenseman decides to leave Pittsburgh.

The Karlsson question could be the one thing that keeps Brunicke around to begin the NHL season. Thrusting Brunicke into a top-four role - or even regular NHL minutes, period - if he isn't quite ready for it could be detrimental to his development.

Regardless, this coming season will be a critical one for Brunicke, who is the Penguins' most promising defensive prospect. They very much believe that Brunicke will be a key part of their future on the blue line, so getting his development right is paramount.

Penguins Star Defenseman Makes New NHL Trade BoardCould the Penguins end up trading Erik Karlsson this season?

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Well, if the pre-season is any indication, the Pittsburgh Penguins would finish the regular season 84-0 if they played the Buffalo Sabres in every game. 

On Saturday, the Penguins concluded their four-game pre-season with a 3-1 win over the Sabres, giving them an even 2-2 split ahead of the regular season. Both wins came against Buffalo, and both wins came in pretty resounding fashion, too.

Arturs Silovs was spectacular in this one - a nice comeback performance after a rough go in a 7-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday - with a 23-for-24 effort, and Sidney Crosby, Ville Koivunen and Nick Robertson potted goals for the Penguins.

The score in this one actually could have swung more in Pittsburgh's favor, too, if not for two lost challenges. 

Crosby opened the scoring in this one nine minutes into the first period when Tommy Novak fed him the puck in the neutral zone. Crosby broke down the left side, winded up for a slap shot and rocketed it top-shelf past Sabres' goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead. 

Sidney Crosby slap shot? We love to see it. pic.twitter.com/58fRVsPtaf

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 26, 2026

Just two minutes later, Ville Koivunen finished a nice behind-the-net play from Bryan Rust, working hard at the net-front to poke it past Luukkonen on the backhand to make it 2-0. The Penguins had chances to add on early in the second period, but things didn't go their way.

Another one, thank you ✅ pic.twitter.com/lqHjd576NU

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 26, 2026

First, Evgeni Malkin put a rebound in at the net-front, but minimal contact with Luukkonen - outside the blue paint - resulted in an overturn for goaltender interference after a challenge by Buffalo. A few minutes later, Rickard Rakell put home a rebound after a hard shot by Robertson, but it was called back after an offside challenge. 

Still, that did not deter the Penguins, or Silovs, from coming away victorious. They combined to play a nice shutdown brand of hockey for the remainder of the game, even with a power play goal by Ryan McLeod cutting the advantage to 2-1 during the third period. 

To seal the deal, Trevor van Riemsdyk disrupted a pass and stole the puck down low in the defensive zone during the five-on-six situation near the end of regulation, and he flipped it up ice for an isolated Rakell to retrieve below the goal line at the other end. He put one on a platter for Robertson at the net-front, and he redirected it in the net for the empty-net goal.

NICK ROBERTSON SCORES ON THE EMPTY NET !! pic.twitter.com/Of1ZiRz4XO

— pei ⭐️ (@sidcrosism) September 26, 2026

Here are some observations from the Penguins' final dress rehearsal:

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- I said it on socials at least five times, and I'll say it here: Koivunen was great in this game.

He was making quick decisions. Driving the net. Effective on the forecheck. Showing 200-foot awareness. Good in transition. Winning puck battles. You name it, he was doing it. 

This is the version of Koivunen that the Penguins got at the end of the 2024-25 season, when he registered seven points in his first eight NHL games. He looked like a natural on the third line with Bryan Rust and Hendrix Lapierre for a while until Rust went down, and then Filip Hallander fit right in, too.

If they can keep getting this version of Koivunen - and he can build on this performance - that eight-year contract will quickly look like a bargain.

- Speaking of Rust, he left during the second period and did not return. I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. The Penguins did not offer an update on his status after the game, as he is still being evaluated.

If Rust is out for any period of time, he joins Ben Kindel - who is now week-to-week - Blake Lizotte, Justin Brazeau, Oliver Okuliar, and Andrei Kuzmenko, who is with family in Russia after the tragic death of his father.

That's not great news for a Penguins' team that is trying to win hockey games. However, it could open up opportunity for some others.

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- And those others? Filip Hallander, Rutger McGroarty and Tristan Broz.

All of them were noticeable in this one. Before Rust went down, this trio made up the fourth line, and they were generating a fair amount of chances. McGroarty was a puck magnet all night long, and he had several chances and was consistently creating offense. Hallander showcased his hockey sense in all three zones, while Broz, as usual, played a cerebral, responsible game on both sides of the puck.

Roster decisions will need to be made in the coming days, and a lot of those decisions will hinge on whoever ends up on injured reserve to start the season. Hallander is probably a lock at this point, and it looks like Koivunen might earn a spot, but there's a chance both McGroarty and Broz could make the cut if the roster space is available.

- This was a strong performance from Silovs, who really needed a bounce-back after allowing seven goals against Detroit. He was all out of sorts in that game, and in this one, he was locked in for the full 60. He made several nice stops on high-danger chances, including a breakaway and a few two-on-ones.

Silovs can be hot and cold, but hopefully this outing can get him going to start the season on a high note. 

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- The first line was dominant in this game, and I really like what I'm seeing from Robertson with Rakell and Crosby. The sequence that led to the Rakell non-goal was a beauty from all three, as Robertson beat a Sabre to the puck and got it down low, Crosby did his usual outstanding work down low to get the puck back to Robertson in the left circle, Robertson slammed a shot to force a rebound, and Rakell - as he often is - was in the right spot at the right time.

That goal wasn't the only example of the trio working harmoniously, as the same was the case on Robertson's empty-net goal mentioned earlier. It happened at varying times throughout the game, too.

When (or if) this lineup is ever healthy, man, is it deep. If the first line can pick up even more momentum heading into the season, they're going to be a handful for opposing teams. Robertson's speed and forechecking bring a lot to the line, Crosby is Crosby, and Rakell's instincts and raw puck skills make for a dangerous combo. 

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- After the first period of play, the blue line was pretty solid. These are likely the three pairings we will see to begin the season, and each pairing had its small moments. 

But, by and large, they did a nice job limiting Buffalo's high-danger opportunities and did their part in not really allowing them to sustain possession in the offensive zone. van Riemsdyk and Letang - on the third pairing together - were especially better as the game went on, and Letang made a few nice stick plays to thwart opportunities.

It will be interesting to see how the defensive minutes are distributed and how the rotation will work, especially if they opt to keep eight defensemen. 

- One of the most impressive things about last year's Penguins was how aggressive they came out of the gate to get ahead and how hard they were to play against in third periods when holding a lead. 

It's amazing what Dan Muse and the rest of the coaching staff has done to make this team buy into shutdown-style play late in games when they're leading. Buffalo had some chances throughout the game, but Pittsburgh limited them to four shots on goal in the final frame. 

If they play this way with leads the entire season - and, especially if their offense can repeat what it did in 2025-26 - this team should have no problem making the playoffs unless their goaltending really, really falters. 

Former Penguins Forward Placed On Waivers By New TeamThis former Penguins forward has been waived by his new team.

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If Saturday's preseason finale was any indication of the team's preparedness ahead of the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers ought to hope they got the last of their unsightly mistakes out of their system before the games start to matter.

Despite dressing effectively their entire opening night lineup, the Flyers lost 5-1 on Saturday night to a Capitals team dressing a roster comprised entirely of AHL veterans, prospects, and one NHL-caliber goalie in Charlie Lindgren.

The Flyers dominated the run of play the way they should have, out-shooting the Capitals 33-13 through the first two periods, and taking a 1-0 lead through Jamie Drysdale just 31 seconds into the second period.

At the same time, the power play went 0-for-4, including a four-minute double minor, and a few second-period mistakes blew up badly in the Flyers' faces.

First, goalie Aleksei Kolosov mishandled a puck at the side of his net, and defenseman David Jiricek, who Kolosov had his back to, had already begun skating away in anticipation of a breakout.

Kolosov lost the puck, though, and the play came around to Jiricek's side, where Andrew Cristall was able to fumble the puck into the net despite Jiricek's best efforts to try and cover for Kolosov.

Jiricek and Kolosov were at the scene of the crime a second time just three minutes later. Nick Seeler and Jiricek miscommunicated who would play the loose puck, and while Seeler took it and attempted to skate away, he deferred immediately to Jiricek, who tried to awkwardly backhand out of pressure.

Unfortunately for him and the Flyers, the blind pass went right to Maxim Schafer, who inexplicably beat Kolosov on the short side on a one-timer.

Just over halfway through the third period, Jiricek's high-stick on Cristall put the Capitals on the power play, with Ethen Frank beating Kolosov on the short side again immediately after the faceoff.

Jiricek was mostly at fault for the second goal as he made a foolish play under pressure, but the first was on Kolosov, and the third was on him for taking the penalty and the penalty kill (and Kolosov) for failing to come through.

Comparatively, Tyson Foerster and Porter Martone took tripping and roughing penalties, respectively, but the spotlight wasn't on them, and the pucks didn't go in with them in the box.

For Jiricek, it was a rough night compounded by a series of unfortunate plays, but this is part of the development process for the former No. 6 overall pick and the Flyers, who went out of their way to get him via trade.

"Yeah, he had a tough night," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of Jiricek after the game. "Three or four guys had a tough night. But, being a pro, you gotta bounce back. We'll get to it, get some video, make him understand some things. I mean, you're going to have a tough night. You just got to make sure you stay consistent."

Seeler, Jiricek, and Matvei Michkov all finished with -3 ratings on the night for the Flyers.

Capitals forwards Theodor Niederbach and Lynden Lakovic punched shots by Kolosov in the third period to put the Capitals up 5-1, allowing the undermanned squad to run away with this game in stunning fashion.

"That wasn't a great effort by us tonight. I think we let it get away from us, and could have definitely made it look a little less ugly," Flyers forward Owen Tippett said after the game. "But we're super confident, especially coming off the year we had last year, and morale's high. We've had a good camp and it's great to be back with all the guys."

The Flyers will practice again on Sunday and Tuesday before their regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., and then it's officially go time.

“I’m actually glad we lost 5-1. It’s a little humbling, which is good for us," Tocchet said. "Sometimes you’re not as good as you think you are.”