CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 09: Spencer Knight #30 of the Chicago Blackhawks makes a save against Eric Robinson #50 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at the United Center on April 09, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes are aiming to make it four wins in a row as they continue to bounce back brilliantly from a pair of season-opening defeats with a showdown against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
After drubbing the Vancouver Canucks by a 7-2 margin on home ice Thursday, the Hurricanes will get a crack at another one of the lower-tier teams in the Western Conference.
The Blackhawks had their sights set on making real progress toward being competitive in their rebuild this season, as general manager Kyle Davidson made a splash in landing defenseman Bowen Byram in a sign-and-trade. But an offseason injury has held 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard out for the first portion of the year, and Chicago has instead gotten off to a 1-4-0 spot that has them in the familiar spot of being last in the Central Division.
The Blackhawks are coming off of a 4-1 loss on Long Island on Thursday, and they’re led in points by the skilled young Swedish forward Anton Frondell, with four.
On the Canes’ side of things, the top guns are really humming right now. Sebastian Aho is up to eight points in five games, and Andrei Svechnikov and Jackson Blake are both over or at a point-per-game pace. Logan Stankoven’s four goals in five games aren’t too shabby, either.
In the last five seasons, Carolina owns a 9-0-1 record against the Blackhawks, who have not notched a regulation victory over the Hurricanes since the two teams were in the same division during the re-worked, pandemic-shortened 2021 regular season, when the two sides squared off eight times.
It will most likely be Brandon Bussi between the pipes for Rod Brind’Amour after Pyotr Kochetkov picked up the win against the Canucks.
Saturday is the first half of a back-to-back for Carolina, so it’s a virtual certainty that the goalie that doesn’t go tonight will get the nod in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Here’s how to check out the action…
Time: 7 PM Eastern
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
TV: Hurricanes Hockey Network. Hanna Yates and Shane Willis handle the pregame duties at 6:30, and then Mike Maniscalco handles play-by-play with Tripp Tracy providing color—we’re still waiting for the NHL and DirectTV to work out whatever it is holding up them getting this channel on there.
Streaming Video:Hurricanes Hockey Network on Prime Video in the Hurricanes Footprint. Outside you’ll need to use the ESPN app and have at least an ESPN Select subscription, which comes with ESPN Ultimate.
Radio: The pregame Storm Watch with Adam Gold on 99.9 The Fan starts at 6:30 PM, At 7 PM the Hurricanes Radio Network (consisting of 99.9, 730 The Game in Charlotte, ESPN New Bern 107.5/1490, and ESPN Greenville 107.5/1570) will pick up the Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy HHN simulcast.
New Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Cam Talbot beat the Pittsburgh Penguins last night in a shootout to pick up his first win in Union Blue.
But he also set two NHL records.
With the start, he became the first NHL goalie to play for nine different NHL teams. He's played for Edmonton, NYR, Detroit, Minnesota, LA, Ottawa, Calgary, Philadelphia, and now Columbus,
With the win, Talbot became the first NHL goaltender to win a game with nine different teams. Yes, NINE different teams. Some people look at this record and think he's bad. I look at this record and see longevity. Will he be able to keep it up this season? Time will tell.
He also became the oldest goalie in Blue Jackets history to record a win with the franchise, surpassing Fredrik Norrena by almost five years.
His career record is now 279-204-53.
Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at 7 PM.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the road for their first game away from NWA this season and will take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at 7 PM.
St. Louis Blues - 1-2-1 - 3 Points - OTL 1 - 7th in the Central
Columbus Blue Jackets - 2-1-0 - 4 Points - Won 1 - 5th in the Metro
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Sean Monahan has a 6-game point streak (2-7-9) against the Blues and has notched 10-11-21 in 29 career GP vs. STL.
Emil Andrae has 0-3-3 in four career games vs. St. Louis, with all points in his last two matchups, including a two-assist effort last time out at the Enterprise Center.
Adam Fantilli has notched 3-1-4 with points in four of five career games against St. Louis, including points in both road contests (1-1-2).
Dmitri Voronkov has 3-4-7 in six career GP, with points in 5 of his 6 career matchups with two multi-point efforts.
Zach Werenski has posted 3-8-11 in 17 career GP, notched 1-2-3 last season, and has collected 1-5-6 in the last 5 matchups overall.
Greaves has a career 4-0-0 record against the Blues, while stopping 139-of-147 shots against for a .946 SV% and 2.00 GAA.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 22.2% - 15th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 72.7% - 23rd in the NHL
Goals For - 10 - 28th in the NHL
Goals Against - 9 - 8th in the NHL
BluesStats
Power Play - 10.0% - 24th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 92.9% - 4th in the NHL
Goals For - 9 - 26th in the NHL
Goals Against - 13 - 15th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheBlues
The Blue Jackets are 39-42-3-13 Overall and 14-26-1-8 at St. Louis.
Columbus went 2-0-0 in 2025-26.
Columbus has won six consecutive games against St. Louis since Dec. 8, 2023, outscoring the Blues 22-12 and sweeping the past three season series.
The Jackets have earned three straight wins at Enterprise Center and have picked up points in seven of the past 11 in St. Louis (5-4-2).
The Blue Jackets have gone 13-7-2 against the Blues since the 2014-15 season, earning points in 15 of the past 22 in the series.
Who To Watch For TheBlues
Connor McMichael leads the Blues with 2-2-4.
Mason McTavish has 2 goals and 3 points.
Jordan Binnington is 0-1-0 with a SV% of .833.
Joel Hofer is 1-1-1 with a SV% of .930.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 3 Games Missed
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 3 Games Missed
Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 3 Games Missed
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 13
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
TV: CBJHN (Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo)
Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at 7 PM.
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After 13 seasons in the NHL, former Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.
Dumba, 32, announced his retirement Friday, bringing an end to a career that included 748 NHL games with the Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins.
While his playing career took him to several different cities over the past few seasons, Minnesota has always held a special place in Dumba's life. Now, with his playing days behind him, the former Wild defenseman has returned to the place where it all began.
For Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, having his longtime friend and former teammate back in Minnesota means a lot.
"Yeah, we're still very close right now," Spurgeon said. "I still remember the first road trips rooming with him. We've had a great friendship from the day he walked in here. So to see him up there and living here and putting his roots back here is awesome."
Dumba spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with Minnesota, appearing in 598 games and recording 79 goals and 157 assists for 236 points. During that stretch, he became a familiar presence on the Wild's blue line, helping the organization reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs eight times.
During those eight years in the playoffs, Dumba recorded five goals, ten assists, 15 points, 73 blocked shots and 104 hits in 49 games.
But Dumba's impact in Minnesota extended well beyond what he accomplished on the ice.
During the 2019-20 season, Dumba received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and makes a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.
His connection to Minnesota has remained strong even after leaving the organization following the 2022-23 season.
Dumba returned to Grand Casino Arena earlier this month to deliver the ceremonial "Let's Play Hockey" call ahead of the Wild's home opener against the Boston Bruins.
For Spurgeon, seeing his former teammate back in a Wild jersey was a reminder of the years they spent together.
"We see him outside the rink a lot as well, but see him back in that jersey it feels right," Spurgeon said.
The two defensemen spent a decade together in Minnesota, developing a friendship that has continued long after their time as teammates ended.
Now, with Dumba settling back into Minnesota, Spurgeon and other members of the organization will have more opportunities to see him away from the rink.
And although Dumba's NHL career has officially come to a close, Spurgeon believes the next chapter of his life will be just as meaningful because of the person he is.
"Yeah, for sure," Spurgeon said when asked about Dumba's next chapter. "I think you can see just the energy he has, and just the joy he brings people around him. He's a very special person."
Nov 27, 2018; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise (11) celebrates his goal with forward Nino Niederreiter (22), defenseman Matt Dumba (24), and defenseman Jared Spurgeon (46) in the second period against Phoenix Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
Dumba finishes his NHL career with 85 goals, 176 assists and 261 points in 748 regular-season games.
The numbers tell the story of a lengthy NHL career, but in Minnesota, his legacy stretches beyond goals, assists and games played.
For 10 seasons, Dumba was part of the Wild's identity, both on the ice and in the community. And while he may no longer be wearing a Wild jersey on game nights, his connection to the organization and the people inside it remains.
After stops in Arizona, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh, Dumba's hockey career has come full circle.
He's back home in Minnesota.
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Nick Blankenburg could make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut against the Avalanche on Saturday at Ball Arena.
Blankenburg hasn’t played in any of Toronto’s first five games this season. It’s still unknown if he’ll be in the lineup against his former team.
The Maple Leafs signed him to a one-year, $1.4 million contract on Sept. 27 after bringing him in on a professional tryout. Blankenburg earned the deal after putting together the best offensive season of his NHL career.
Colorado acquired the right-handed defenseman at last season’s trade deadline to add depth to its blue line for the playoff push. He played 12 regular-season games with the Avalanche, scoring twice and adding an assist. He also appeared in five playoff games.
Blankenburg’s biggest moment in Colorado came in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Minnesota Wild. He scored his first career playoff goal with his parents watching from the stands, giving him a memorable moment during his short time with the Avalanche.
Colorado ultimately decided not to bring him back in free agency and signed Noah Juulsen, who has appeared in three of Colorado's four games this season, including on Thursday when the Avalanche defeated the Flames 7-3 on the road, as Sam Malinski was benched by head coach Jared Bednar reportedly due to poor play.
Blankenburg moved on to Toronto after finishing the 2025-26 season with eight goals and 16 assists between the Predators and Avalanche. Both totals were career highs.
He has appeared in 178 NHL games, recording 18 goals and 40 assists.
Blankenburg now has a chance to get his season started with Toronto. If he plays Saturday, he’ll do it against the team that acquired him at the trade deadline last season and gave him an opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup.
Thursday's game kicks off at 5 p.m. from Ball Arena.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 28: Tommy Novak #18 of the Pittsburgh Penguins moves much against Lian Bichsel #6 of the Dallas Stars at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 28, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Dallas Stars (2-2-0, 4 points, 6th place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-1, 5 points, 4th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally televised and streamed on Prime Video and SportsNet Pittsburgh, streaming for out of market at ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins get two days off after this weekend’s back-to-back before beginning a four-game road trip, which starts Tuesday in Chicago and continues Friday in Denver and Saturday in Las Vegas.
Opponent Track: The Stars were outscored 6-1 in a pair of season-opening losses against the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators, but bounced back by outscoring opponents 9-0 in wins over the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres.
Season Series: The Penguins lost both games in this season series last year, starting with a December shootout loss and ending with a 6-3 home defeat in late March.
Hidden Stat: The Stars have scored nine straight unanswered goals over their last two games. They could set a franchise record if they manage to score five more without allowing a response, per NHL Stats.
Getting to know the Stars
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Sam Steel – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Jamie Benn
Justin Hryckowian – Arttu Hyry – Tyler Seguin
Oskar Back – Radek Faksa – Colin Blackwell
DEFENSEMEN
Esa Lindell / Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley / Nils Lundkvist
Lian Bichsel / Tyler Myers
Goalies: Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith
Potential scratches: Kyle Capobianco, Joel Kiviranta
Injured Reserve: Matt Duchene
Joel Kiviranta is sitting out the Stars’ two-game road trip with a lower-body injury. The Stars called up Colin Blackwell from the AHL to slot in on the fourth line in his absence.
Jake Oettinger started the Stars’ season opener, during which he allowed two goals on 22 shots in the shutout loss. He’s been perfect since then after stopping 39 consecutive shots against the Sharks and Sabres. The Stars have two days off after tonight’s matchup before a back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche, so Oettinger could potentially get a third straight start tonight.
Stars first-line winger Mikko Rantanen is heating up. He scored a highlight-reel goal against the Sharks before recording the first four-point night (1-3—4) of his regular-season Stars career in his team’s Thursday night win over the Sabres.
The Stars’ power play, which had struggled through the first three games of the season, broke through Thursday when Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz finished off a passing play against the Sabres.
Another aspect that started clicking for the Stars recently is the addition of Sam Steel, a player Stars coach Glen Gulutzan has described as a “utility knife,” to the top line. He scored his first goal of the season Thursday against the Sabres.
The Penguins defense could be tested tonight with limiting some of their quickest opponents yet. Rantanen said after the Stars’ Thursday win he felt the key to his team’s recent victory streak was better skating.
“We had our legs again, I think that’s the key,” Rantanen said, per NHL.com’s Heather Engel. “Playing well, you need to skate well, and I think the last two games we’ve been playing really fast.”
And now for the Pens
Projected lines (based on Friday’s lineup)
FORWARDS
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Hendrix Lapierre – Ben Kindel – Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Nick Robertson
DEFENSEMEN
Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang
Goalies: Arturs Silovs (Sergei Murashov started last night)
Ilya Solovyov was listed as a scratch for Friday’s game against the Blue Jackets despite being waived earlier that day. So was newcomer Spencer Stastney, who joined the Penguins Friday but did not play against the Blue Jackets. Muse indicated he could still potentially draw into the defensive lineup going forward.
Bryan Rust moved back up on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell ahead of Friday’s game. This line often got hemmed into their own zone Friday and found themselves on the ice for both of the Blue Jackets’ regulation goals, although Rust also scored for the Pens.
Arturs Silovs is in line to start Saturday. Sergei Murashov is in line for some well-deserved rest after weathering 45 shots on goal in Friday’s 3-2 shootout loss.
The Hamilton Hammers will be without 22-year-old defenseman Isaiah George for the foreseeable future after he sustained an apparent upper-body injury in their 5-4 shootout loss against the Toronto Marlies.
"He'll be out for a bit," Hammers head coach Jay McKee said postgame.
Since joining the Islanders organization in 2024-25, George has struggled to stay healthy, dealing with multiple injuries seemingly every season.
In 2024-25, George played 33 NHL games, but halfway through the season, he sustained a concussion after a reverse hit from Max Domi's elbow. When he returned, he struggled to regain his effectiveness.
Then, in 2025-26, when defenseman Alexander Romanov went down with a few injuries, the Islanders couldn't recall George because he was injured on both occasions. That led to the Islanders ultimately having to acquire Carson Soucy to fill the hole.
The Islanders began this season with tremendous depth, particularly on the left side.
But just a month into this season, they've lost Romanov to a torn right ACL, and now George goes down as well.
That means Long Island native Marshall Warren is now the No. 1 left-side defenseman in the system.
The Islanders currently have right-shot defenseman Matt Kessel at seventh defenseman, with Scott Mayfield expected to start for a second straight game.
The best ability is availability and it's just been tough sledding for George, who is now in the final season of his three-year entry-level deal.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar has been suspended for two games by NHL Player Safety for his illegal check to the head on New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat at 18:27 of the third period in Thursday's 4-1 Islanders victory:
Horvat was forced to go down the tunnel, likely due to concussion protocol. He was still being evaluated when we spoke with head coach Pete DeBoer on Friday morning.
Through four games this season, Horvat has four goals and one assist.
The Philadelphia Flyers enter their sixth game of the season carrying an 0-3-2 record, and they are the last team in the Eastern Conference without a win. Things won't get any easier on Saturday afternoon, as they'll face a 3-2-0 Boston Bruins team at TD Garden at 1 p.m. in their first midday game of the season.
On Thursday, the Flyers played their best game of the season against Ottawa, though the bar, at this point, is pretty low for that standard.
Matvei Michkov scored the Flyers' first power play goal of the season, and new free agent signing Michael Bunting made his Flyers debut, though he took the penalty the Senators would score on to tally the game-winning goal in the 2-1 defeat of Philadelphia.
With Joseph Woll getting the start on Thursday night, it is likely Dan Vladar's turn to tend goal for the Flyers as head coach Rick Tocchet and Co. look to rotate their goalies on this back-to-back; the Flyers will come home to host Carolina on Sunday night.
Veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen accompanied the team for this three-game road trip, but it's currently unclear if he'll return for Saturday afternoon's game against the Bruins.
If not, the Flyers are in action again on Sunday night and Tuesday night.
In any event, this is clearly the Flyers' first must-win game of the season, especially with so many players struggling at the moment. If they lose six in a row, well, they'll have lost their last 10 games dating back to last season's playoffs, and this season's playoffs will begin to look like a pipe dream.
Flyers lines vs. Bruins
Travis Konecny - Sean Couturier - Porter Martone
Trevor Zegras - Christian Dvorak - Owen Tippett
Tyson Foerster - Denver Barkey - Matvei Michkov
Michael Bunting - Noah Cates - Noel Acciari
Travis Sanheim - Jamie Drysdale
Cam York - David Jiricek
Nick Seeler - Simon Benoit
Dan Vladar (S), Joseph Woll
Bruins lines for Flyers game
Morgan Geekie - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
Marat Khusnutdinov - Fraser Minten - J.J. Peterka
Casey Mittelstadt - Elias Lindholm - James Hagens
Tanner Jeannot - Matt Poitras - Mark Kastelic
Hampus Lindholm - Will Borden
Nikita Zadorov - Connor Clifton
Frederic Brunet - Mason Lohrei
Flyers special teams
Power play: 1-for-15, 6.7% (29th)
Penalty kill: 15-for-20, 75% (22nd)
Bruins special teams
Power play: 3-for-14, 21.4% (16th)
Penalty kill: 15-for-18, 83.3% (14th)
How to watch the Flyers game
Saturday afternoon's Flyers game can be found on NHL Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NESN, Sportsnet East, and TVAS. 97.5 The Fanatic will have the radio broadcast.
Flyers player to watch
Porter Martone has not had an easy go at the start of his first professional season, but he's too smart and talented to stay quiet for this long.
Martone was dragging his teammates into the fight against Tampa Bay on Monday night, though he finished the game without a shot on goal, the third such instance for him this season.
The 19-year-old scored his first NHL goal, an overtime winner, against the Bruins back on April 5, in addition to his assist on Christian Dvorak's tuck to open the scoring.
The Flyers haven't quite depended on Martone so much as, say, Tyson Foerster, and his flying under the radar might create the opportunity for him to do some damage against the Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
Damn, Igor Shesterkin had to be helped off the ice. That could be bad news for the Smurfs. Captain J.T. Miller said it’s awful and a shock to the team. [NHL | Sportsnet]
For their first road trip of the 2026-27 season, the Anaheim Ducks set out for a brief two-game-in-two-days trip to Canada to face the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, followed by the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
After winning their first two games of the season, the Ducks suffered their first loss at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
The opposing Jets entered the game undefeated in regulation, with a surprising 3-0-1 record on the season. They were without star defenseman Josh Morrissey in this game, who is listed as “day-to-day” with an upper body injury.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville shuffled several of his lines and pairs, as he’s want to do after losses, and especially losses where multiple lines need a jolt. The only forward line to remain intact from Wednesday was the fourth line and the only defense pair untouched was the middle pair.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Sennecke-Carlsson-Colangelo
Gauthier-Granlund-Nesterenko
Killorn-Poehling-Greer
Malott-Washe-Caulfield
LaCombe-Warren
Mintyukov-Mitchell
Hinds-Luneau
Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks for the fourth time in four games to open the season and stopped 15 of 16 shots. He was opposed by Clay Stevenson in the Winnipeg crease, who saved 12 of 16.
This was far and away the Ducks’ tightest-checking, low-event game of the season and likely such in recent memory. However, it was less sloppy and more efficient an effort, as they were opportunistic on the rush, where all five of their goals were scored, and they allowed virtually no inside looks for Winnipeg and cleared any second-chance opportunities.
Game Notes
Fourth Line: Scoring two of the Ducks’ five goals was their consistent fourth line. They did everything expected of a modern NHL fourth line in this game: provided energy, displayed responsible defense, pressured heavily on the forecheck, etc.
However, when they won possession of the puck, they operated like an excellent top-nine line in this game. They were reading how plays were breaking, carried pucks smartly and skillfully through neutral ice with speed, and revealed a finishing quality that’s rare among players in their roles.
Washe was disruptive on the defensive end and drove cycles, Mallot showed surprising IQ, speed, and vision with the puck on his stick, and Caulfield made stickhandles and passes under opposing sticks all game.
The Ducks needed to find depth scoring from somewhere, and the fourth line, the last place one would expect to find it, delivered masterfully.
Noah Warren: Warren finished the Ducks’ game against the Oilers alongside star defenseman Jackson LaCombe, where he played the entirety of this game. He logged 24:12 TOI, including 5:16 on the penalty kill, where he was a significant contributor to the Ducks killing all four penalties they took.
Warren didn’t miss a beat with his promotion, and provided not only “stay at home” support for LaCombe, but he proved remarkably effective with his mobility, more akin to a modern-day shutdown defenseman. As mentioned, he covered a lot of ice on the defensive side of the puck with his stride and reach, greatly and rapidly minimizing time and space for his opponent.
Even on the occasional misread, he recovered remarkably well and was able to disrupt multiple attacks singlehandedly. His puck-moving was simple, but effective, as he was equal parts careful and decisive.
Breakouts: As a whole, the Ducks breakouts were much more simplified in this game. Defensemen weren’t quick to settle for rimming pucks to open half walls. Instead, if they were unable to make a tape-to-tape outlet, they resorted to high flips or glass-chips into neutral ice, so as to punt an ensuing battle to neutral instead of deep in the defensive zone.
Forwards, especially lower in the lineup, were similarly elementary with their second touches and more willing to chase down and pressure opponents who attained possession.
Beckett Sennecke: Sennecke’s 365-day evolution from turnover-prone rookie to bona fide play-driving sophomore will go a long way toward mitigating what the Ducks’ depth chart lost over the offseason. One of his biggest strengths coming out of junior was his ability to read how pucks bounce out of battles and how to manufacture puck touches for himself at full speed.
He’s translating that element of his game seamlessly just 86 games into his career. He’s understanding his limitations at the NHL level, limiting his propensity for risky plays. Sennecke is attacking the game rather than letting it come to him and operating at breakneck speed. He’s singlehandedly dictating the flow of play and not only reading and manipulating single defenders one-on-one, but entire opposing defensive structures. He’s playing like a true superstar winger four games into this young season.
The Ducks will have a quick turnaround, as they’ll travel to Calgary to face the Flames on Saturday at 7 pm PST.
After two poor efforts against the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals, it was reasonable to assume that the Pittsburgh Penguins might bring their A-game Friday against an opponent they've historically gotten the best of.
But whatever is the exact opposite of an A-game is what ended up translating on the ice for the vast majority of the game.
The Penguins fought their way back from a 2-0 deficit against the Columbus Blue Jackets to force overtime and a shootout, but the Jackets ultimately prevailed, 3-2, to cap off what was a dominant effort from them. Columbus outshot the Penguins by a wide margin, 45-22, and the Penguins compiled most of their shots in the third period.
Sergei Murashov was outstanding for Pittsburgh, stopping 43 of 45 shots on goal.
From the jump, the Penguins could not get much generated. Columbus was skating circles around them, and it culminated when Damon Severson scored to give the Jackets a 1-0 lead midway through the first period.
For much of the second period, it was the same song and dance. Pittsburgh was disjointed, and Columbus kept taking advantage of that with sustained zone time. Mathieu Olivier made it 2-0 with eight and a half to go in the middle frame, and the Penguins got a late goal from Bryan Rust - his patented power move around a defender and across the net-front - to cut the deficit to one.
Stepping in and stepping up 💪
Bryan Rust has his second goal in as many games after making his season debut. pic.twitter.com/qXJ9Ce4F8e
Then, considering how things went in the first 40 minutes, Pittsburgh was much better in the third.
A little more than three minutes into the final frame, the Penguins' first line was pressuring in the offensive zone. A fresh Evgeni Malkin crashed the net, and Erik Karlsson sent a shot in his vicinity that may or may not have hit Rickard Rakell on the way in. Malkin poke the puck through the five-hole of Jackets' netminder Cam Talbot, and the game was suddenly tied.
Murashov worked hard to get the game to overtime, stopping 40 of 42 shots in regulation. However, a back-and-forth overtime was not enough, and a shootout was forced - which has, in recent years, not been good news for the Penguins.
None of Rakell, Egor Chinakhov, or Ben Kindel managed to score on Talbot, but Columbus's first by Kent Johnson beat Murashov to give Columbus the win. That gives the Penguins their 15th shootout loss in their last 18.
- There is nothing good to say about the first two periods of this game for the Penguins.
They had three shots in the first period. By the end of the second period, they had six. Even with the goal by Rust toward the end of the second, the Penguins were still sloppy for the rest of the period.
Fast starts were a trademark for the Penguins last season and in the first two games of this season against the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens. In the last three, the Penguins were plain lethargic to start, and they've had a hard time coming back from that.
It bears repeating, but this team just looks so disjointed for large stretches right now. Maybe that's due to a shortened camp and so many new faces, maybe not.
But it's something they need to correct quickly.
- That said, the one guy on the ice - aside from Kindel, who has been excellent - actually looking pretty good through the two games he's played in is Rust.
It was pointed out by many that Rust had an extra step in training camp this year. It was noticeable, and he was far and away one of the standout players in camp before yet another injury plagued him to start the season.
Rust looks like he's carried that momentum into the regular season. His speed has seen a resurgence, and he's a difference-maker in this lineup right now.
The Penguins sorely missed him. He needs to stay healthy for a variety of reasons.
- Someone I'd like to see more from is Chinakhov. He did have two of the Penguins' three shots in the first period, but it feels as though Malkin and Tommy Novak have been able to generate offense more consistently than Chinakhov up to this point.
He's very close. Once he breaks through and rips one, it feels like the floodgates will open.
But, in general, the Penguins need more from their top-six as a whole, especially the first line. It was another rough night for Sidney Crosby and Rakell.
- I haven't been overly impressed with Hendrix Lapierre in these last couple of games.
Like everyone else, he was shot out of a cannon to start the season. Since the Montreal game, though, I think he's looked very much like a fourth-liner.
I'd like to see Robertson elevated back up in the lineup, and perhaps, Elmer Soderblom get a game in place of Lapierre on the fourth line. The Penguins could use Soderblom's size and forechecking right now, and Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar, and Soderblom were a tried and true combination in the stretch run last season.
- It's hard to be overly critical of the defensive pairings - Sam Girard and Kaedan Korczak have, by far, been the best pairing for the Penguins so far - because there are three new guys on it, and it's going to take some time for things to gel.
But this is a third-straight less-than-pedestrian effort from the Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kris Letang pairing.
I believe there's another level to both of these guys. They played well in the first two games of the season, along with most of the rest of the Penguins. But if they are unable to find another level in the next handful of games, I don't think load management, at the very least, should be out of the question.
The Penguins have Spencer Stastney, and they have two very capable young defenders in Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke down at the AHL level. Of course, waivers and other roster moves would have to be made in order for the latter two to make the jump, but it will be interesting to monitor how those two are doing in comparison to the bottom pairing on the NHL club.
- The single-biggest story of this game was Murashov. And, boy, was he magnificent.
His performance through the end of overtime gives him a .938 save percentage through two starts on the season - the eighth-best mark in the NHL. Many of those saves were ten-bell saves, too, including one nearing the end of regulation on a Zach Werenski chance.
This guy is so far beyond his age when it comes to poise and confidence, and his quickness is effortless. The ease and speed at which he gets post-to-post, left-to-right, and up-and-down is insanely quick, and his anticipation and reads are phenomenal.
Arturs Silovs has mostly been fine to start the season, and given that the Penguins play a back-to-back, he will get the net Saturday against the Dallas Stars. But, right now - unless Silovs puts forth an effort against Dallas akin to his playoff performance last season - Murashov is quickly separating himself as the team's No. 1.
There is something different about this guy. This was a statement game from the rookie who looks absolutely nothing like a rookie out there, and it's something for Murashov to continue building on as the Penguins navigate a tough Western road trip starting Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Boone Jenner’s goal in the second period proved to be the winner as the Washington Capitals beat the Rangers 3-1 on Friday night after New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin had to be helped from the ice after being injured.
Jenner scored on a wrist shot that made it a 2-1 game with 2:22 remaining in the second period. Tom Wilson and Timothy Liljegren also scored for the Capitals. Logan Thompson made 21 saves.
Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers.
Dylan Garand made 11 saves for the Rangers after entering the game for the injured Shesterkin, who had 13 saves.
Shesterkin had to be helped off the ice after an awkward fall into his own net. He came well out of his crease to challenge a shooter and fell as he scrambled back to the net midway through the second period. The 30-year-old Russian caught his skate on the post as he slid back into the crease and collapsed into the net.
Shesterkin lay on the ice for several minutes holding his right knee as he received medical attention. He did not put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice by teammates.
KRAKEN 6, RED WINGS 3
DETROIT (AP) — Frederick Gaudreau scored twice, Ben Myers had a goal and two assists and Seattle had a four-goal second period in a victory over Detroit.
Philipp Grubauer made 38 saves in Seattle’s first regulation victory in Detroit.
The fans at Little Caesars Arena’s chant of “Sell The Team! Sell The Team!” got louder and louder as the game drifted to a finish.
Detroit dominated early, putting eight shots on goal in the first seven minutes, but Grubauer made several tough saves.
The Red Wings were more successful with the man advantage, taking the lead at 9:19 when Viktor Arvidsson tapped the puck across the line after Grubauer didn’t cleanly handle Lucas Raymond’s shot. Arvidsson has power-play goals in each of Detroit’s last three games.
Seattle was being outshot 16-3 before Berkly Catton took a pass from Kaapo Kakko, drove to the net and put a backhander over Gibson’s pad.
Detroit defenseman William Wallinder made it 2-1 at 4:00 of the second with his first NHL goal, but the Kraken answered with three goals on their next four shots to take a two-goal lead.
Gaudreau got the first and third goals, both off passes from Ryan Winterton. Mackie Samoskevich scored the middle goal at 6:59 after Wallinder’s turnover.
BLUE JACKETS 3, PENGUINS 2, SO
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kent Johnson scored the only goal in a shootout to lift Columbus over Pittsburgh.
Damon Severson had a goal and an assist for Columbus. Mathieu Olivier also scored, and Cole Sillinger added two assists.
Cam Talbot made 20 saves and denied all three Pittsburgh attempts in the shootout.
Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins, who have dropped three straight games since winning their first two this season. Malkin tied it 2-all at 3:19 of the third period.
Johnson beat Sergei Murashov with a snap shot to begin the shootout.
Murashov stopped 43 shots in regulation.
The Blue Jackets outshot the Penguins 45-22 and won 66.7% of the faceoffs. Columbus outhit Pittsburgh 21-9.
The Penguins blocked 20 shots.
DUCKS 5, JETS 1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Rookie Judd Caulfield scored his first NHL goal and added an assist to help Anaheim beat Winnipeg for its first regulation loss of the season.
Tim Washe and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist, and Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko also scored to help the Ducks improve to 3-1-0.
Lukas Dostal stopped 15 shots or Anaheim, allowing only Kyle Conner’s goal.
After the Jets trimmed it to 3-1 midway through the third period, Granlund sunk Winnipeg’s hopes with a goal with 5:54 remaining.
Conner, who was playing in his 700th NHL game, pulled the Jets to 3-1 when Mark Scheifele sent him in alone on Dostal for his sixth goal of the season.
Clay Stevenson made 12 saves for Winnipeg. The Jets are 3-1-1.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Rookie Judd Caulfield scored his first NHL goal and added an assist to help the Anaheim Ducks beat Winnipeg 5-1 on Friday night for the Jets' first regulation loss of the season.
Tim Washe and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist, and Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko also scored to help the Ducks improve to 3-1-0.
Dostal stopped 15 shots or Anaheim, allowing only Kyle Conner's goal.
After the Jets trimmed it to 3-1 midway through the third period, Granlund sunk Winnipeg’s hopes with a goal with 5:54 remaining.
Conner, who was playing in his 700th NHL game, pulled the Jets to 3-1 when Mark Scheifele sent him in alone on Lukas Dostal for his sixth goal of the season.
Clay Stevenson made 12 saves for Winnipeg. The Jets are 3-1-1.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cam Talbot became the first NHL goalie to win a game with nine different teams by stopping 20 shots in the Columbus Blue Jackets' 3-2 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
In his first season with Columbus, Talbot stopped all three of Chicago's shots in the shootout to surpass the previous record set by Curtis McElhinney, Sean Burke and Ron Tugnutt.
Talbot, in his 13th NHL season, has won games with the New York Rangers, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Calgary, Minnesota, Ottawa, Detroit and the Los Angeles Kings.
