Alexey Toropchenko is the latest St. Louis Blues players to join the list of the wounded.
The Blues announced on Sunday that the forward will be re-evaluated in six weeks after suffering an upper-body injury in the Blues’ 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.
Toropchenko was injured when he was pushed from behind by Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel and sandwiched between Bichsel and Tyler Seguin behind the Blues net in the first period before skating off and leaving the game.
Toropchenko, 27, joins defensemen Tyler Tucker (knee) and Logan Mailloux (hand) on the injured list. Tucker is also on a six-week re-evaluation timeline, Mailloux was given an eight-week re-evaluation timeline.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Blues (1-1-0) have not recalled a forward from Springfield of the American Hockey League. Dillon Dube and Zach Dean were the extra forwards on the roster when the season opened and each played on Saturday in a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Blues play Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks to conclude a season-opening three-game road trip before the home opener Thursday against the San Jose Sharks.
The Montreal Canadiens are already without one regular defenseman in Kaiden Guhle, but on Saturday night, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they might have lost right-shot blueliner Alexandre Carrier. Early in the second frame, the diminutive defenseman fell awkwardly into the boards, back and neck first, after battling with Egor Chinakhov. The defenseman tried to keep playing, but he eventually left the game.
The Canadiens have a day off on Sunday, so we likely won’t have an update on Carrier, but if he misses time, Adam Engstrom should integrate into the lineup. While the Swede isn’t a right-shot defenseman, he played on his off-side last season in the AHL and made the team out of camp, so it wouldn’t make sense to recall David Reinbacher because he’s a righty and keep Engstrom as a healthy scratch.
That doesn't mean the Austrian blueliner won’t be called up; the Canadiens do need an extra defenseman. However, since they are entering a four-game homestand and Laval is so close to Montreal, they may not need to call anyone up yet. However, the Laval Rocket’s next game is on Saturday, October 10, meaning Reinbacher could conceivably join the Canadiens in practice this week without missing a game in the AHL.
The Canadiens’ defense corps also didn’t look great on Saturday. Mike Matheson had an awful game; Arber Xhekaj made a soft backhand pass in the neutral zone that directly led to one of the Pens’ goals; Jayden Struble’s coverage was awful, which led to another goal that was mercifully taken away by a coach's challenge for offside.
That said, Matheson plays too big a role to be scratched, and St-Louis wouldn’t even consider it. Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson are just as solid in the chairs. The question then becomes: did either Xhekaj or Struble play badly enough to deserve to be scratched in the home opener? I don’t believe so.
If Carrier cannot play, it stands to reason that Engstrom would be dressed, having watched the last two games from the press gallery. If Reinbacher is called up, he’ll have to wait his turn.
Pete DeBoer is a veteran coach so he’ll surely temper enthusiasm after two games, but he’s got to feel at least a fraction of the joy Islanders fans experienced from a proper home opener romp over a rival.
The Islanders’ 6-0 win over the Devils Saturday night had a little of everything: Ilya Sorokin’s 30th shutout, goal and assist contributions from all over the roster, first NHL point and first NHL goal by Victor Eklund in front of his mom, special teams contributions, and another Matthew Schaefer highlight to set up the 3-0 goal that set the night on course for a homecoming party.
Whatever directions this season takes, nights like that are essential, and the perfect tonic after the bland opener in Toronto.
Islanders News
A special, meaningful birthday night for Eklund and fam. [Newsday]
Takeaways: DeBoer liked the depth and balance. Includes video of fans singing “Happy Birthday” to Eklund after his interview with Shannon Hogan. [Isles]
Sorokin got the new post-game hero award, a canoe paddle, while Casey Cizikas got the orange hard hat. [Isles]
Matthew Schaefer continues to enjoy life at the Martins as uncle and babysitter. Piece from Compton includes some Barzal-with-Seidenberg and Tavares-with-the-Weights tales, too. [NHL]
Elsewhere
With some injuries up front, the Oilers are shopping for some forward depth. [Sportsnet] We’ve got a couple with cup-winning pedigree…
It’s somehow getting even uglier in Detroit, where unsigned former first-round pick Simon Edvinsson now reportedly prefers a trade. Feels like that franchise needs another Jimmy Devellano to come to the rescue them from another Dead Wings era. [Sportsnet]
Aleksander Barkov’s latest injury looks long term, but they hope not season-ending. [NHL | Sportsnet]
R.I.P. Lyle Odelein, former Canadien and Devil, among others, including the Blue Jackets’ first captain. [Sportsnet]
The Blackhawks big-ticket acquisition Bowen Byram will miss his team’s return to Buffalo. [TSN]
Mario Lemieux was part of the Penguins’ 60th anniversary celebration, which is maybe news since he’s supposedly been in and out and in and out with the ownership and management. [NHL]
The Sharsk arrived to their home opener in old cars. [NHL]
DENVER — Artturi Lehkonen is giving the Avalanche plenty to think about in a contract year.
Three goals in the first two games of his 10th NHL season certainly don't hurt.
Lehkonen is in the final year of the five-year, $22.5 million contract he signed with Colorado in July 2022, just after helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup. He doesn't have a deal for next season, but this is hardly the first time Lehkonen has given Colorado a reason to want him around.
Cale Makar speaks to the media post-game, which included comments on Artturi Lehkonen
He scored the overtime winner against Edmonton in Game 4 of the 2022 Western Conference Final to send the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup Final. Two weeks later, he scored again in Game 6 against Tampa Bay, this time to clinch the Stanley Cup. A year earlier, while with Montreal, he scored the overtime winner against Vegas that sent the Canadiens to the Final.
That's been Lehkonen's thing for a long time. Put him in an important game and, more often than not, he finds a way to matter.
Now he's started this season with three goals in two games, the best two-game start of his career.
So is there something different about him?
Colorado's soon-to-be $20.4 million defenseman doesn't see a huge change.
“I don’t know if he’s playing with a different edge,” Cale Makar told The Hockey News. “I think that’s always just Art.
“The puck’s found his stick the last few games, and he’s doing a great job of knocking it down. But little intangibles in his game are the things that make him special, and when he does those super well, he’s getting rewarded right now.”
Those are the parts of Lehkonen's game that can get lost when the goals start piling up. He's not going to cheat for offense. He's going to the net. He's going to battle for pucks. He'll take the hit to make the play. And when he gets a chance, he's usually willing to put himself in a place where the play might hurt a little.
Jared Bednar used a different word for it.
“Relentless.”
“The things that we liked in the first game, they were multiplied in this one.”
The Avalanche coach said Lehkonen’s work ethic and competitiveness are about as consistent as anything he sees from a player in the league. The difference early this season is that Lehkonen looks sharp all over the ice.
“He looks sharp early (on) both sides of the puck,” Bednar said. “He’s getting great touches on the puck to put it in areas for his teammates.
He’s getting to the net, something he has always done well. And two games in, Bednar thinks Lehkonen already looks like he’s been playing for much longer.
“He’s always gone to the net hard,” he continued. “He just looks like he’s in midseason form already.”
That’s probably the most interesting part of Lehkonen’s start. The scoring rate is new. The way he’s getting those goals isn’t.
And that’s where the contract situation becomes interesting.
The Avalanche know what Lehkonen is. They know what he has meant to them in the biggest games, and they know what he brings on the nights when he doesn't score. They also know there have been stretches when injuries have kept him out, including the shoulder surgery he underwent in 2024.
Lehkonen, meanwhile, doesn't seem particularly interested in turning any of that into a personal campaign.
During training camp, The Hockey News asked how he manages to get himself ready for those moments when the game is on the line.
His answer was about as Lehkonen as it gets.
“I don’t know, it’s... Just trying to find that being in the right place at the right time, I guess.”
That's it.
No talk about having another gear. No explanation for why he seems to find himself around the puck when the game is on the line. Just being in the right place at the right time.
It's also a pretty good reflection of how Lehkonen approaches the rest of his game. He doesn't seem overly concerned with whether his name is the one getting talked about. He just wants to do his job, and that happens to fit pretty well with the way the Avalanche want to play.
There's a lot of talent in Colorado's lineup, but the team has always put a premium on players who are willing to do the less glamorous work, too. Lehkonen has never needed to be the star of the show to have an impact on it.
Maybe that's why Makar doesn't see a different edge from him now.
Maybe it's why Bednar already thinks he's in midseason form.
And maybe it's why, with a contract decision looming, the Avalanche have plenty to think about.
Because Lehkonen isn't trying to convince anyone he's a different player.
After two lower-body injuries in quick succession during the preseason, Philadelphia Flyers forward Denver Barkey is finally on the mend and trending towards a return on the team's upcoming three-game road trip.
Barkey, 21, first suffered a lower-body injury during the preseason against the Washington Capitals, and after missing a few days, returned to practice. While getting in a session wearing a no-contact jersey, Barkey tweaked his injury again, restarting the timer and putting him back on the shelf.
The young Flyers forward had been skating wearing the yellow no-contact jersey in recent days, but on Sunday afternoon's practice, Barkey traded in the yellow sweater for a regular orange one, signaling the next step in his recovery and road back to the lineup.
After Sunday's practice, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged that Barkey could be an option for the road trip ahead, which starts on Monday night against Tampa Bay.
"Yeah, I think he'd be an option," Tocchet said of Barkey. "Like, I don't know if it's next game or whatever, but I think he's coming in a situation where he's an option."
With Barkey starting the season on injured reserve, the Flyers allocated the roster spot created by that designation to veteran enforcer Garrett Wilson, who signed a one-year contract with the Flyers last week, making him an available to dress and play for the NHL club if and when needed.
Carl Grundstrom, who cleared waivers at the end of training camp, went unclaimed and has remained with the team, bouncing up and down the lineup as a complementary checking winger.
It is currently too early to tell which player comes out of the lineup, and what roster moves are made, to activate Barkey and get him back on the ice, though the Flyers have flexibility when the time comes.
Barkey scored five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points in 43 regular season games for the Flyers last year in his first season of professional hockey, averaging 13:24 for the eventual playoff team.
The Buffalo Sabres unveiled their 2025-26 Atlantic Division banner before their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, something that young forward Jiri Kulich did not contribute a lot towards. In the second game of the season, the youngster made his first mark by scoring the game-winner in the Sabres 4-3 comeback win over the Hawks at KeyBank Center.
The 22-year-old Czech was filling in for the injured Josh Norris after he suffered an injury on opening night, but that opportunity lasted until November, when his season ended due to blood clot issues.
"I'm so happy for him. He was so frustrated late last year and watching us in the playoffs, and not being able to be part of it, and he was getting his career underway in the last 20 games of the year before." Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said "(It was) a huge setback. He spent a lot of time this summer trying to get his body and just his hockey back in the right place..... I think he embraces the fact that he's playing right now. That i t could have gone any direction."
Kulich has been used in a limited role during training camp, but the Sabres are depending on him and a number of their young players to take a step this season with Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram elsewhere, and Jason Zucker out injured. The Sabres, through two games, have received some contributions from rookie Konsta Helenius (1 goal) and Noah Ostlund (2 assists) against Columbus, but most of the scoring has come from members of the veteran core group.
Jack Quinn scored for the second time in as many games, while Tage Thompson, Mattas Samuelsson, and Rasmus Dahlin have each scored. For the Sabres to be able to continue on the positive track laid out last season by snapping their 15-year playoff drought, they will need to have their young forwards to provide enough secondary offense to take some of the burden off their core players.
Buffalo continues their five-game homestand on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
The NHL trade market has another notable name to keep an eye on.
On Saturday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings restricted free agent defenseman "prefers" to be traded from the Original Six club. However, Friedman also noted that the Red Wings have told teams that they are still looking to re-sign Edvinsson despite the young blueliner wanting a move.
With Edvinsson being a young defenseman with good upside, it is fair to wonder if the Canadiens could consider kicking tires on him. It would not hurt for them to add a top-four young defenseman like Edvinsson, and he could be a perfect fit on their roster as they look to be top contenders this season.
Edvinsson appeared in 72 games last season with the Red Wings, where he posted nine goals, 25 points, 94 hits, 148 blocks, and a plus-12 rating. This was after he had seven goals, 31 points, 86 hits, and 144 blocks in 78 games for Detroit in 2024-25. With numbers like these, he has shown promise early on in his NHL career and would be an intriguing player for Montreal to add to their roster.
Edvinsson's size also adds to his appeal, as he is 6-foot-6. It is a never bad thing to have a big blueliner who is good at moving the puck.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if Montreal kicks tires on Edvinsson.
There were 21 goaltenders selected in the 2014 NHL Draft, including Sorokin's good pal, New York Rangers backstop Igor Shesterkin (No. 118), who sits with 22 shutouts.
Former Columbus Blue Jackets and now Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (No. 76) ran ks third with 12 while Islanders third-string netminder Vitek Vanecek (No. 39) with 11.
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (No. 36) sits with 10 to round out the top-five.
Sorokin, the Vezina Trophy runner-up to Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy last season, led the NHL with seven shutouts. He also led the NHL in 2022-23 with six shutouts.
He came close to leading the league in 2021-22, with seven, but then Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom led the way with nine.
Last season, Sorokin passed Islanders great Chico Resch (25 shutouts) to sit atop the franchise leader board.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour found himself in the spotlight after winning the Stanley Cup in 2026 and going shirtless during the championship celebrations. Through that, he found a fan in “Wake Up Later, Carolina” host Judith Retana in what was an awkward moment on the show this week.
During the weekday morning show on CBS 17, Retana was asked about the physically fit coach and gave a response that raised eyebrows and awkward laughs from her coworkers.
“Have I seen the coach Rachel? You know I’ve seen the coach. You know I have my little crush on Rod Brind’Amour,” Retana said. “I respect his wife. I’m sure they have a good thing going there but I’ll be waiting in the wings in case anything goes awry. I’m no stranger to dating married men.”
A disclaimer popped up on the screen after that statement, reading “Clarification: *previously* married men as in divorced or separated.”
On Sunday afternoon, the video was taken down from Retana’s Facebook account, which has since been made priavte or deleted. Her personal Instagram account has also been turned private.
“Wake Up Later Carolina” host Judith Retana reveals her fandom for Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. Facebook @JudithRetanaNews
“Or men with children. I don’t mind any of that baggage. It’s not really baggage for me, it’s a built-in family,” Retana went on.
CBS 17 meteorologist Rachel Duensing responded: “Judith….girl.”
“You know I didn’t become a fan until kind of the playoff season,” Retana continued.
“I don’t know if you should be airing that out,” Duensing added.
Fellow “Wake Up Later” host Bill Young went on to say “A fan from here down” while motioning from his neck down.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” he quickly said. “I mean that’s where he got all the attention.”
“This is where Rachel gets uncomfortable,” Retana said.
“I’m just listening. I’m just listening,” Duensing concluded.
A shirtless Rod Brind’Amour holds the Stanley Cup during the Hurricanes’ locker room celebration in Las Vegas on June 14, 2026. NHLI via Getty ImagesCarolina Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour raises the Stanley Cup in the locker room after winning the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NHLI via Getty Images
During celebrations in the locker room, the 55-year-old coach stepped into the middle of the room and a player partially opened his shirt. He went on to take off his shirt and toss it away to reveal the physique that earned him the nickname “Rod the Bod.”
Brind’Amour is currently in his second marriage after divorcing Kelle Sullivan Gardner, who he shares three children with — daughter Briley and sons Skyler and Reece.
After his divorce in 2004, he later married Amy Biedenbach in July 2010. The two had son Brooks in 2011.
Rod Brind’Amour, the newest member of the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame, his wife Amy, and children Briley, Skyler, Reece, and Brooks watch as his Hall of Fame banner is unfurled, Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. NHLI via Getty Images
The Hurricanes clinched their victory in a 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6, earning the franchise’s second championship and first since 2006.
Brind’Amour captained the 2006 team and with the win, he became the seventh person in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with the same franchise as both a player and a head coach.
“It’s just as awesome, but as a player it was a little different because I worked and dreamt of winning the Cup my whole life, so that was like a piano came off my back,” Brind’Amour after the win. “This time around, I wanted — it was for the group. I wanted them to feel what it’s like.”
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin has rightfully been ranked among the best players in the NHL.
The Hockey News' Adam Proteau ranked Shesterkin as the 51st player in the NHL in his top 80 NHL player rankings list for The Hockey News' main site.
"As a Vezina Trophy winner, the 30-year-old Shesterkin doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone – although he might have something to prove in the playoffs. But if you examine Shesterkin’s career numbers, you’ll see his consistency is outstanding," Proteau wrote.
Seeing Shesterkin be ranked among the best players in the NHL is not difficult to understand in the slightest. He is easily one of the NHL's best goaltenders, after all.
Shesterkin has had a strong start to the 2026-27 season, as he has a .935 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against average in two games. With this, the 30-year-old is certainly playing well right now.
It will now be interesting to see how Shesterkin performs as the 2026-27 season rolls on. If the Rangers hope to get back into the playoffs this season, they are going to need Shesterkin to be on his A-game. He is their biggest X-factor.
The Chicago Blackhawks' loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night was a sad ending to what is now an 0-3-0 road trip to begin the season. Before they even hit the United Center ice for the first time, they are in a hole that will be incredibly hard to dig out of.
Is it time to panic? Absolutely not. It also sounds like the team as a whole is not even close to panicking yet, either, but they do acknowledge that things have to get cleaned up sooner rather than later. You can't make the playoffs in October, but you can certainly miss them.
"I don't think we're worried about the record," head coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's all about process. I've talked about that from the start with our group. That process is way better. Let's build on the process. You can't take one step forward and two steps back. That's not always going to show in wins and losses. Over the long period of time, if the process is good, the wins will follow."
One part of that process must be doing a better job of protecting the goaltenders. The Blackhawks have hung out their guy in the crease to dry in all three games so far.
In game one, Spencer Knight faced 36 shots. In game two, Arvid Soderblom faced 32. In game three, back to Knight, he faced 32 as well. In the first game, the Blackhawks had 26 of their own shots, but a lowly 15 in each of the next two. That's not even close to an even distribution. There has been significantly more pressure on their goaltenders than on the opponent's.
With that kind of workload, it is impossible for any goalie to win consistently in today's NHL. Both Blackhawks netminders, especially Knight, can steal a game here and there, but it can't be expected every game.
Let's use the Buffalo game as an example. The Blackhawks went up 2-0 early, but they allowed the Sabres to dominate possession, offensive zone time, and shots on goal in the process of gaining that lead. It was only a matter of time before the Sabres evened things up. Spencer Knight was only able to do so much before they finally got one past him.
Shot suppression and backchecking are the hardest things for a young team to master, but they have to step up and be better in that regard as early as their next game. If there isn't an improvement, they will continue to lose in the fashion that they have.
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The 2026–27 season only started last week, and already, the Vancouver Canucks are taking part in the second-half of their first back-to-back. After winning 4–1 against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, Vancouver is back with a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights tonight. Vegas suffered a 4–3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
Saturday saw Vancouver put together a solid team effort. Not only did they find the back of the net four different times (three times at even-strength), they also stepped-up to defend one-another, from Luke Schenn dropping the gloves to Brendan Gallagher mucking it up with Jacob Middleton. While all of Vancouver’s games have had a lighter air about them so far to start 2026–27, Saturday’s game seemed to show best how tight the team has gotten.
While the vibes have sure been high, Vancouver will face their toughest test of the early season when they face Vegas tonight. Having made it to Game 6 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, Vegas is a strong team both offensively and defensively. Adding to this is the fact that Vancouver is coming off a back-to-back, while Vegas has had the extra day of rest. For a team like Vancouver, still on track to re-build despite their strong start to the season, tonight’s game will be about sticking to their game-plan regardless of what happens on the scoreboard.
Players To Watch:
Elias Pettersson
The Elias Pettersson that has taken to the ice for the 2026–27 season has looked very different from the player seen the past couple of seasons. Pettersson has played with an added bite to his game through the first three games, currently standing as the NHL’s hits leader with 16. He’s also recorded two goals and three assists in this span, which is tied for his team’s lead in total points. Scoresheet aside, the level of engagement Pettersson has shown to start the year has been nothing but positive.
Jack Eichel
On top of leading his team with five points through Vegas’ first two games of the 2026–27 season, Eichel also recently hit the 700-point mark through his NHL career. As the Golden Knights’ top-line centre, it’ll be interesting to see who Vancouver matches up against Eichel, as the forward is strong on the puck both offensively and defensively.
Vancouver Canucks (2–1–0):
Points:
Paul Cotter: 3–2–5
Elias Pettersson: 2–3–5
Marco Rossi: 3–1–4
Liam Öhgren: 1–3–4
Filip Hronek: 0–4–4
Goaltenders:
Kevin Lankinen: 1–1–0
Leevi Meriläinen: 1–0–0
Vegas Golden Knights (1–1–0):
Points:
Jack Eichel: 1–4–5
Shea Theodore: 1–2–3
Brayden McNabb: 0–3–3
Victor Olofsson: 1–1–2
Ivan Barbashev: 0–2–2
Goaltenders:
Carter Hart: 1–1–0
Adin Hill: 0–0–0
Game Information:
Start time: 6:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Apr 7, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) battles with Vegas Golden Knights forward Cole Smith (22) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 03: Jared Spurgeon #46 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins with teammate Marcus Foligno #17 in the third period during the home opener at Grand Casino Arena on October 03, 2026 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Bruins 4-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Playing their second game in 24 hours, the Bruins got off to a flying start when Tanner Jeannot scored less than two minutes into the game.
Unfortunately, that was about as good as things would get for the visitors.
Minnesota would score twice in each of the final two periods to pull away from the B’s, skating to a 4-1 win.
Michael DiPietro took the loss in his first NHL start in more than four years, making 26 saves.
Jeannot’s goal came after a hard-working shift from his line, as he collected a Connor Clifton point shot and beat Jesper Wallstedt to make it 1-0 Bruins.
Kirill Kaprizov got the Wild on the board with a power play goal six minutes into the second period, as the Bruins made a somewhat poor choice and left him all alone at the top of the crease. 1-1 game.
The Wild got a fortuitous bounce to start the third, with Jared Spurgeon’s shot deflecting off of Nikita Zadorov and past DiPietro to make it 3-1 Wild.
The Bruins didn’t exactly roll over, landing 13 shots on goal in the third period, but ultimately, they couldn’t cash in.
Kaprizov would add an empty-netter to seal the deal.
Bruins lose, 4-1.
Game notes
You could be forgiven for considering this a scheduled loss, given the strength of the opponent, the back-to-back games, and the fact that we’re less than a week into the season. However, the Bruins played a decent enough game overall and were very much “in it.” It would very much be a stretch to say they deserved more from this game, but a few moments shifted the momentum in Minnesota’s favor.
One of those moments was the deflection on the Spurgeon goal, which is one of those “what are you gonna do?” goals that happens several times a season. The more back-breaking moment was the Hughes goal, as that came with the Bruins just one second away from killing nearly two full minutes of a Minnesota 5-on-3 power play. If you make that kill, it’s a 1-1 game and momentum is on your side; instead, the Wild took the lead and never really looked back.
Speaking of special teams, the Bruins were let down by their power play in this game, going 0-for-3 on the man advantage. That included nearly four consecutive minutes of power play time midway through the third period, when Minnesota took a minor, killed it off, then took another minor about 30 seconds later. The Wild, meanwhile, scored two of their three non-ENGs on the power play.
On the season, the B’s are 0-for-6 on the man advantage. Not exactly time to panic quite yet, but not ideal either.
David Pastrnak remains without a goal on the season, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying on Saturday night: the Bruins captain landed five shots on goal and played 21:02, second-most on the B’s behind Hampus Lindholm.
The Bruins will return home to host the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at 7:30 PM.
After spending nearly three months on the free agent market, former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the New York Islanders in late September.
Now, Stanley is already making an impact with the Islanders. This is because the former Sabres blueliner put together a solid game for New York against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Stanley recorded two assists in the Islanders' 6-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. With this, the former Sabres blueliner chipped in some solid offense for his new club.
Stanley will now be looking to continue this kind of play for the Islanders as the season rolls on. The former Sabres defenseman showed last season that he has the potential to provide some offense from the point in addition to his toughness, so it will be intriguing to see if he can again for New York this season.
Stanley was acquired by the Sabres from the Winnipeg Jets ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. In 17 games with the Sabres following the move, he posted five assists, 14 hits, 29 penalty minutes, and a plus-5 rating. This was after he had nine goals, 21 points, 96 hits, and 99 penalty minutes in 59 games for the Jets before the trade in 2025-26.
The Montreal Canadiens were back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pennsylvania. Martin St-Louis’ men started better than they did in Toronto on Tuesday, with Cole Caufield quickly putting them ahead, but momentum shifted after the hosts scored their first power-play goal.
The 6-5 scoreline may make it seem like a tough night at the office for Jakub Dobes, but while there’s one goal he most likely would like to have back, a comedy of errors unfolded in front of him for much of the game.
While Mike Matheson is often the defenseman the coach trusts the most, he seemed to labor throughout the game. The momentum flipped when he was sent off for interfering with Sidney Crosby in the first frame. One could argue the Penguins captain should have gotten a penalty for roughing, given how he reacted, but most of the Canadiens’ woes were self-inflicted.
Then, the veteran didn’t close down Declan Carlile on the Pens’ second goal and was dispossessed twice on the fourth. He was also on the ice for the Pens’ last two goals, but he wasn’t responsible for either. The Pointe-Claire native had a very rough night.
There’s Something About The Second
Both teams were tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes, but once again, the Canadiens went for a nap in the second frame, leaving Dobes to fend for himself. The Pens put 15 shots on net in the period, while the Canadiens could muster only seven. Granted, Dobes could have had better rebound control, but with the panic around the net, it can’t have been easy to keep a cool head.
St-Louis often says that his players’ intentions were good, but that wasn’t the case tonight. The Habs made so many lazy plays and bad reads that they asked for trouble. They didn't keep it simple or play it safe in any of the three zones, but the neutral-zone turnovers really were their undoing. The coach summed it up best when he said:
We shot ourselves in the foot throughout the second. […] I’m pleased with the fight back in the third; we managed to get a point out of the game, but I don’t think we deserved two.
- St-Louis on his team's performance
We’ve heard time and again that the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Habs in the Eastern Conference Final because Rod Brind’Amour’s side plays a detailed game, but playing 60 minutes isn't a detail; it’s a minimum requirement.
First Line On A Desperate Mission
If the first line didn’t have a good game Tuesday night, the Nick Suzuki and Caufield duo seemed everywhere tonight. Caufield scored the first goal of the game, Suzuki scored the goal that gave the Canadiens a bit of hope in the dying minutes of the second, and Caufield scored Montreal’s first goal in the third frame. Montreal scored its last two lamplighters with six players on the ice, but Suzuki got the primary assist on both.
Caufield finished with a plus-3 rating while Suzuki was plus-4, and the captain was also named the second star of the game with a goal and three assists, but he clearly wasn’t pleased in his post-game presser. The points that really matter are the two that were on the line Saturday night, and Montreal lost one.
Since 2024-2025, the Canadiens have the most comeback wins in the league with 48, which is quite impressive. However, the truth is: they need comeback wins because they consistently dig themselves into huge holes.
Quick Shots
Chris Kreider scored his first goal as a Hab tonight, with a one-timer from his office in traffic. He finished the game with two points and had a good night overall.
Alexandre Carrier left the game after a bad fall in the first frame; his back was slammed awkwardly into the boards, and while he kept going for a bit, he had to call it a night.
The Canadiens have a day off on Sunday, but chances are the coaches will be very busy, not only watching what happened during the game but also trying to finally find a way to get a full 60-minute effort out of this team.
