Lotta chaos around our net, just sayin’. | Getty Images
The Islanders and Maple Leafs treated us to a savagely uninteresting Isles 2-1 loss in Toronto to open the season, and one can only hope it’s not a harbinger, like one hopes the AI swarms don’t escape the lab and kill us all.
Victor Eklund played his second NHL game, so that was neat, and he got his first NHL penalty by crosschecking John Tavares on his butt, so that was funny, but the Leafs scored what proved to be the winner late on the ensuing power play, so that was not.
The Isles had a bit of jump early in the opening period, with Toronto playing on back-to-back nights, but penalty trouble and chaotic defensive zone chasing killed that vibe. After a series of dangerous chances on Ilya Sorokin both at 5-on-5 and the Leafs power play, the Isles were trailing 2-0 by the 12:00 mark. They didn’t rally a promising response until well into the third. Their special teams, a long-running thorn, were no help.
Other than Matthew Schaefer skating like the wind, the lone highlight was Emil Heineman outracing William Nylander on a shorthanded break to convert Bo Horvat’s pass and make it look close. There was also one line mix late, with Anthony Duclair being promoted while Matias Maccelli ended on the Casey Cizikas-Ondrej Palat line, aka This Thing That Should Not Be line.
They’ll learn, they’ll “tighten things up,” they’ll get better at what Pete DeBoer wants them to do, they had a short training camp, and it’s just one, opening game. Yada yada, etc. For three hours of your life on what is supposed to be an exciting night, however, it was not fun, not at all. The home opener Saturday provides an opportunity for redemption and renewal.
Brendan Burke reaches a decade as voice of the Islanders. (Although he was on national duty last night.) [Newsday]
Elsewhere
Wednesday’s scores included
Our Saturday opponent has a grizzled mentor and a delayed up-and-comer in the crease. [NHL]
I confess I will root for Amadeus and his whole amusingly named family. [NHL]
After giving up six goals in their opener, Mike Babcock says the Oilers have “serious work to do.” At least when all else fails, they can fall back on Tristan Jarry. [NHL]
Five young players poised for breakouts. [Sportsnet]
William Karlsson signed a two-year extension to keep him in Vegas until they ship him out for the latest sexy trade target. [NHL]
Matt Duchene, starting on the injured list, has gotta be the oldest 34-year-old out there. [Sportsnet]
Tee-hee-hee J.T. Miller thinks he will lead a revival in Manhattan. [NHL]
Reliving a Flames-Ducks melee from 2001 that involved former Islanders Craig Berube (suspended) and Greg Gilbert (as coach, also suspended). The video montage is a beauty. [Sportsnet]
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal with Filip Hallander #11, Kaedan Korczak #6 and Samuel Girard #49 during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s hard to draw up a much better start to the season than what the Pittsburgh Penguins had on Wednesday night with a 7-0 beatdown of the rival Philadelphia Flyers on the road. Nick Robertson scored twice for the Penguins and Filip Hallander recorded three points in the blowout victory. In goal, Artur Silvos recorded his second opening night shutout in as many seasons to backstop the win. [Pensburgh]
Pens Points…
Top goal scorer? Breakout player? Playoffs? Those are all predictions to be made for the Penguins as the 2026-27 begins. Egor Chinakhov is a popular pick to lead the Penguins in goal scoring while seeing the Penguins back in the playoffs feels like a 50-50 toss up. [Pensburgh]
For the past few seasons, the Penguins fan base has been waiting for an inevitable youth movement to arrive. While the prospect pool is being refilled by Kyle Dubas, many of those young players have yet to breakthrough. This needs to be the season where it starts to happen. [PPG]
After being acquired in the offseason, David Gustafsson made the Penguins opening night roster. That was no guarantee when he came to Pittsburgh, so he’s going to relish any time he gets to spend in the NHL this season, no matter how long or short the stint may be. [Trib Live]
Set to play in his 22nd NHL season, Sidney Crosby will make history as the longest tenured Pittsburgh athlete of all time, surpassing Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates whom he previously shared the title with at 21 seasons in black and gold. [The Athletic $$]
Another all time mark Crosby is set to break this season is being the longest tenured captain in NHL history. This season will mark No. 20 for Crosby with the “C” on his chest, surpassing Steve Yzerman. [Daily Faceoff]
NHL News and Notes…
Casey DeSmith has been a reliable backup for the Dallas Stars in recent seasons and will continue in that role for at least the next two after he agreed to a contract extension with the team on Wednesday. [NHL]
After missing the entirety of the Washington Capitals preseason slate with a lower body injury, Alexander Ovechkin expects to be ready for action when the team opens its season on Friday night. [NHL]
On the 592nd Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams speak with colleague Kurt Badenhausen about his latest list of NHL franchise valuations, the league’s looming expansion, and why the biggest-market teams tend to struggle to win Stanley Cup titles.
The Toronto Maple Leafs ($4.8 billion) are the most valuable franchise in the NHL, followed by the New York Rangers ($4.15 billion), Montreal Canadiens ($3.8 billion), Los Angeles Kings ($3.33 billion) and Boston Bruins ($3.31 billion). The Columbus Blue Jackets ($1.5 billion) rank 32nd.
The hosts break down the numbers, including a surge for Sun Belt franchises like the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers, both of which have won recent championships. Those teams have better weather, and some are in states without income taxes, which many think helps them attract talent to their rosters.
Now the league is looking to expand in the American South, something that would have sounded insane a decade ago, when all the expansion conversations seemed focused around putting second teams in Quebec or Ontario or other cold-weather places. The get-in price for this round of NHL expansion, which will likely start in Texas, is probably around $2.5 billion.
They close by diving into the economics of expansion vs. relocation. At $2.5 billion, interested parties could likely buy a number of different existing NHL teams, which have infrastructure already in place. The hosts talk about why that is, how relocation fees help rebalance the calculus, and also why this conversation is different in some other leagues that are expanding, like the NBA, NWSL and WNBA.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 30: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche throws his helmet during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on September 30, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
For the first game out of 84 in the 2026-27 season the Colorado Avalanche hosted the LA Kings at Ball Arena and it won’t soon be forgotten. A 8-4 rout of the Kings saw multiple power play and shorthanded goals against for Colorado and even a Nathan MacKinnon fight.
The Game
Believe it or not but the power play got the Avalanche on the board first, however in pure hilarious fashion it was the second unit that got the job done. Brock Nelson deflected a rebound off of Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper’s mask and into the net. The Kings then got their own power play and didn’t score on it but seemed to give them momentum. After a couple big saves from Mackenzie Blackwood and good pings, Los Angeles finally broke through. It was defenseman Brian Dumoulin who got a shot through traffic to even the score. The next Kings power play didn’t go well either but Parker Kelly got a strike on a breakaway just after the penalty expired to put Colorado up by one heading into the first intermission.
A five-on-three for Colorado carried over into the second frane and the boys in burgundy made it count as Nathan MacKinnon lit the lamp just 23 seconds into the period. Just one minute later, though, Joel Armia got one back for the Kings shorthanded when he beat Blackwood from distance. At 3-2 was the closest the Kings got because the Avalanche added two more scores in the second period. First, again from MacKinnon and then Nic Roy. On the latter goal Jaden Schwartz was lying open the crease making contact with Kuemper but the Kings didn’t even try to challenge the goal so Colorado was up 5-3 at that point.
But, not so fast. Los Angeles got their second shorthanded goal of the period when Trevor Moore put a snipe on Blackwood. The Avalanche responded when the second power play unit was put back on the ice to finish out the man advantage and Artturi Lehkonen converted from the slot. So the Avalanche were back up by three with a 6-3 score going into the second intermission.
On a particularly bad shift for Josh Manson halfway through the third period where he lost the puck leading to extended offensive zone time for Los Angeles and then took a penalty, it was Artemi Panarin who scored from distance through traffic on the delayed penalty to put the fourth Kings goal on the board.
If ten goals wasn’t exciting enough, there was a Nathan MacKinnon fight against Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke. The Avalanche superstar was the instigator and even landed a few rights in the process. There was still ten minutes to go after the brawl and Gabe Landeskog scored his first goal of the season on rebound after Cale Makar drove to the net. For the eighth and final tally Lehkonen got another power play goal with the second unit and the game finally arrived at a 8-4 Avalanche final.
Takeaways
There was just about everything in this game from good and bad goaltending, power play goals galore and even a couple shorties. It showed the sloppy nature of this game that counted for the first time in September in Avalanche history. There will be a lot of days off this month to tighten up some mistakes and mishaps while building on early successes.
Special teams were certainly special this evening. On one hand the Avalanche got four power play goals, yet gave up two shorthanded. The first unit only converted on a five-on-three and the second unit carried the load with a trio of their own. Two functional power play groups would be ideal but how long is it going to last before just heavily favoring the first unit again?
Upcoming
One more game at home against the St. Louis Blues starting at 7 p.m. MT on Saturday, October 3rd.
Even late in the preseason, once it became an open secret that he’d made the team, Eklund didn’t let himself get caught up in it.
So when he was told he’d be with the Islanders as they opened the season on Wednesday here in Toronto with a 2-1 loss to the Leafs, he felt the full weight of the accomplishment.
Rookie Victor Eklund moves the puck up ice during the Islanders’ 2-1 season-opening loss to the Maple Leafs on Sept. 30, 2026 in Toronto. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
“It was kind of a shock,” Eklund told The Post. “I just tried to play to my best every day. I didn’t feel like I was safe at any time.”
Ironic, given that less than an hour before that conversation, general manager Mathieu Darche had described the decision by calling it the obvious thing to do.
But while Eklund came into camp as an underdog to make the roster, his inclusion was the obvious move by the end of it. His play, combined with the spot opened up by Mat Barzal’s injury, made it so.
Eklund ultimately skated 11:38 in his first meaningful NHL minutes — his debut last year came in a meaningless Game 82 — getting thrown straight into the fire as Toronto coach Jim Hiller matched his top line of Auston Matthews, Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic with Eklund’s line.
Unsurprisingly given that context, it took him some time to look comfortable, and Eklund sat the final 7:34 as Pete DeBoer cut down his bench. The Islanders’ coach, though, still had good things to say about the rookie’s performance.
“I thought he got better as the game went on,” DeBoer said. “… He had a couple looks too. He could’ve scored. I had no problem with his game at all.”
Mat Barzal (left kneecap) has made “really, really good progress,” according to general manager Mathieu Darche, and is expected to begin skating “early next week at the latest.”
Darche indicated the Islanders “took a step back” from the original timeline, which indicated Barzal would begin skating now, but continued to project optimism.
Once Barzal does start skating, the next step is to make sure his knee still has no inflammation, and the Islanders can move forward from there.
Long Island resident Nick Leopard, the founder and CEO of Accordion, an AI-focused financial consulting firm is the lead investor of the group that bought a 15 percent share in the team, The Post confirmed.
According to Sports Business Journal, which first reported Leopard’s identity, both he and David Shuman, whose minority stake was announced by the Islanders in late August, have been approved by the NHL.
Wednesday's game also matched the Penguins' largest margin of victory against the Flyers. Per Bob Grove, the only other time they beat them 7-0 was in 1988.
14 of the Penguins' 18 skates registered at least one point in Wednesday's victory. Goaltender Arturs Silovs also recorded a shutout in his season debut for a second-straight season. He made the saves he needed to make and looked very calm in the crease.
It was everything the Penguins wanted in their first game of the year, and they'll try to keep the good vibes rolling when the Montreal Canadiens come to Pittsburgh for the home opener on Saturday.
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 3-2 final score in their season opener on Tuesday.
Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes played a big role in Montreal's win, as he stopped 26 out of 28 shots. With this, he finished the contest with an impressive .929 save percentage.
With how well Dobes has started this season, could be on his way to an even better 2026-27 campaign? The possibility should not be ruled out.
As well as Dobes played last season, it is important to note that it was also his first full NHL campaign. Due to this, it is fair to wonder if he could hit a new level with the Canadiens now that he is more adjusted to the NHL level.
In 43 regular-season games during the 2025-26 season, Dobes posted a 29-10-4 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.78 goals-against average. He also had a .908 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average in 19 playoff games for Montreal last spring. With this, the 25-year-old has shown a lot of promise, and it will be interesting to see what he does for an encore in 2026-27.
DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, dropped the gloves with Brandt Clarke and helped lead the Colorado Avalanche to an emphatic 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on opening night at Ball Arena.
The reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner made his presence felt in just about every way possible. He scored 23 seconds into the second period, added another goal later in the frame and then, with Colorado protecting a three-goal lead in the third, squared up with Clarke in a fight that sent both players to the penalty box.
“It’s an intense game, and obviously he didn’t say a great word to me, so I didn’t like the word,” MacKinnon said afterward. “Yeah, we fought.”
Nathan MacKinnon following a night that included two goals and some fisticuffs.
MacKinnon said he initiated the challenge, pointing to the way Clarke plays as part of the reason tensions boiled over.
“He plays hard, he gets under guys’ skin,” MacKinnon said. “He’s a really good defenseman. But sometimes when you play like that, you have to fight sometimes.”
It was an eventful opening night for more than just MacKinnon.
Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, while Brock Nelson recorded a goal and two assists in his Colorado debut. Parker Kelly, Nicolas Roy and Gabriel Landeskog also found the back of the net, and MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 27 of 31 shots in his Avalanche debut.
Colorado's power play went 4-for-5 on the night, while Darcy Kuemper struggled at the other end, allowing eight goals on 29 shots for a .724 save percentage.
First Period
The opening draw of the 2026-27 season was won by the Avalanche. After briefly losing possession, MacKinnon drove the puck down the ice and fired the game's first shot, which Kuemper easily gathered.
Colorado generated a quality opportunity nearly three minutes into the game when Nazem Kadri gained control along the left wing and carried the puck into the offensive zone before finding an open Nicolas Roy. Roy closed in on Kuemper, but the 2024-25 Vezina Trophy finalist turned aside the high-danger chance with a blocker save.
The Avalanche were awarded their first power play of the season when Kings forward Andre Lee shot the puck out of play for a delay-of-game penalty. For the first time this season, Avalanche fans got a look at the supposedly new-and-improved power play.
Colorado opened the scoring at 6:33 when Brock Nelson capitalized on a broken play. Jaden Schwartz's pass was initially intended for Artturi Lehkonen, but the puck deflected off his stick and landed perfectly for Nelson, who was waiting in the slot. The veteran forward snapped it past Kuemper just inside the left post for his first goal of the season.
Just past the halfway mark, Colorado went to its first penalty kill of the season after Schwartz was whistled for hooking.
With nearly nine minutes remaining in the period, Los Angeles had a golden opportunity to tie the game when Adrian Kempe — the Kings' leading scorer last season — unloaded a blistering one-timer from the low slot. But MacKenzie Blackwood was up to the task, making a spectacular save to keep Colorado ahead 1-0.
The Avalanche successfully killed off the penalty, starting the season a perfect 1-for-1 on both the power play and penalty kill.
Los Angeles eventually broke through with 4:46 remaining. Brian Dumoulin took a drop pass from Alex Laferriere and fired a shot through a maze of bodies in front of Blackwood, beating the goaltender to tie the game 1-1.
Devon Toews was sent to the penalty box for holding with roughly four minutes remaining after Joel Armia slashed his stick out of his hands. Toews responded by shoving Armia, but it was the Avalanche defenseman who ultimately received the penalty.
Just three seconds after the penalty expired, Parker Kelly restored Colorado's lead.
Fresh off a career-high 21-goal season, the 27-year-old forward took a pass from Josh Manson and fired a wrist shot that deflected off Kuemper and into the net with 2:02 remaining. It was Kelly's first goal of the season, and fittingly, Taylor Swift's “The Fate of Ophelia” began playing over the loudspeakers inside Ball Arena immediately afterward.
Adrian Kempe and Kings captain Drew Doughty were both penalized late in the period, with Kempe called for tripping Schwartz and Doughty assessed a cross-checking penalty against T.J. Hughes. The penalty came just moments after Hughes, making his professional debut, was denied by Kuemper on a rebound opportunity.
After 20 minutes, the Avalanche held a 2-1 lead despite Los Angeles holding a 13-10 advantage in shots on net.
Second Period
The Avalanche began the period with 1:12 remaining on a 5-on-3 power play. And, much like their first man advantage of the night, they wasted little time converting.
MacKinnon made it a 3-1 game just 23 seconds into the period, giving Colorado its second power-play goal of the night and his first of the season.
The Kings answered with a strike of their own. Moments after T.J. Hughes had the puck picked off by Joel Armia, the Kings forward snapped a wrist shot past Blackwood to cut Colorado's lead to 3-2.
At 8:33, MacKinnon scored his second goal of the night on a scintillating sequence. It started when Brent Burns connected with Martin Necas near center ice. Necas, coming off his first 100-point season, carried the puck up the ice, evaded a check and left a pass for MacKinnon, who skated into the zone before ripping a wrist shot past Kuemper to restore Colorado's two-goal advantage.
Hughes was sent to the penalty box with 7:36 remaining after being assessed a roughing penalty against Brandt Clarke. The call came moments after Clarke took Cale Makar down from behind during a breakaway attempt.
Nicolas Roy then scored his first goal of the season with just over three minutes remaining on a wild sequence in front of the Kings' net. Kuemper sprawled across the crease attempting to make a save, while Schwartz ended up down inside the blue paint after being shoved from behind by Dumoulin. The goal stood after Los Angeles opted not to challenge for goaltender interference, giving Colorado a 5-2 lead.
The Kings answered shortly afterward when Trevor Moore beat Blackwood with a wrist shot while shorthanded, cutting the Avalanche's lead to 5-3 on what appeared to be a soft goal.
After Joel Edmundson was called for slashing MacKinnon, the Avalanche went back to the power play and converted for the third time on the night. Lehkonen one-timed a pass from the slot off a slick feed from Nelson, restoring Colorado's three-goal cushion at 6-3.
The Avalanche carried that 6-3 lead into the second intermission.
Third Period
Artemi Panarin cut Colorado's lead to 6-4 with 8:09 remaining after Alex Turcotte slipped behind the Avalanche defense and screened Blackwood. Panarin found the loose puck and beat Blackwood five-hole to bring the Kings within two.
Just over a minute later, MacKinnon and Clarke dropped the gloves.
MacKinnon landed a pair of right hands before sending Clarke to the ice. After winning the fight, MacKinnon picked up his helmet and chucked it across the ice as he headed to the penalty box.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog answered for Colorado, scoring on a backhand to restore the Avalanche's three-goal lead at 7-4. Turcotte was subsequently assessed a tripping penalty, giving Colorado an opportunity to go a perfect 4-for-4 on the power play.
After an offseason filled with hope and hype, the Philadelphia Flyers could not have suffered through a more nightmarish loss to start their 2026-27 season if they tried.
On Wednesday night, the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins marched into Xfinity Mobile Arena and smashed the Flyers, winning by an eye-watering 7-0 margin. Nick Robertson opened the scoring with a redirection, and Ville Koivunen doubled the Penguins' lead to 2-0 on a breakaway, taking advantage of a poor line change from the Flyers.
After getting out-shot 11-5 in the first period and trailing 2-0, the hope was that the Flyers would respond in a meaningful fashion in the second period, but things just snowballed from there.
An exasperated Rick Tocchet said after the game that he didn't know if the Flyers won a battle, and the effort and score reflected that assessment.
Evgeni Malkin, Filip Hallander, and Hendrix Lapierre all scored for the Penguins in the span of 5:20 to put the Penguins up 5-0, and the Flyers carrying a 26-12 shots on goal deficit.
"That's a team that didn't want to be engaged," Tocchet said of the Flyers. "As much defensively as offensively."
Discipline was an issue for the Flyers, too, as Porter Martone, Nick Seeler, and Travis Konecny all took needless penalties starting their own altercations unprovoked.
The Flyers hung Dan Vladar out to dry against the Penguins. (Photo: Eric Hartline, Imagn Images)
Ultimately, the Penguins were 2-for-4 on the power play while also scoring shorthanded, and the Flyers went 0-for-3. On paper, that's hardly the difference in a 7-0 loss, but the Flyers failed to build and maintain any momentum, and special teams once again were a piece of that equation.
By the time Robertson and Egor Chinakhov scored the sixth and seventh goals for the Penguins, the Flyers already looked wholly disinterested in finishing out the game, and they looked very much like the team that got smoked 5-1 by the Washington Capitals' prospects and depth AHLers in the preseason finale.
After the game, Flyers captains Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim resisted definitively answering questions about complacency and preparedness, though after an abhorrent effort such as the one put forth Wednesday night at a home opener, it's fair to wonder.
"Once we're out there, we gotta bring a compete level a lot higher, win more one-on-one battles, and not rely on our skill," Couturier said. "We know we got talent in this locker room, but [if] we're not gonna win battles and support each other, that talent's not gonna bring us too far."
"I don't have an answer," Tocchet said matter-of-factly. "They out-coached us tonight, they out-played us, they did everything better than us tonight."
Sanheim was quick to point out that the Flyers play again on Thursday night, representing an opportunity to flush this one straight away.
"We got a game tomorrow night. We can bounce back and forget about this, and if we do that, everyone won't remember," Sanheim assessed.
The Flyers' next opponents will be the New Jersey Devils, who have their home opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
That's a faster, more skilled team that won't be banged up like the Penguins, who were without Ben Kindel, Bryan Rust, and Andrei Kuzmenko (personal) on Wednesday night.
"If we play like this tomorrow with a team like Jersey, it's going to be even worse, so we got to be careful," Tocchet said.
TORONTO (AP) — Easton Cowan had a goal and an assist in the first period and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Wednesday night for their first victory under coach Jim Hiller.
The Maple Leafs rebounded from a 3-2 home loss to Montreal in their opener Tuesday night, spoiling the Islanders’ first game of the season.
Colton Sissons also scored for Toronto, and Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves.
Emil Heineman scored in the third period for New York. Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots.
Sissons redirected his first goal for Toronto at 7:14 of the first period off Nick Paul’s setup. Cowan then shoveled home a power-play rebound with 8:05 left in the period.
Reunited with fellow netminder Sergei Bobrovsky after winning the Stanley Cup together with Florida in 2024, Stolarz was perfect until Heineman scored short-handed with 5:51 left.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Evgeni Malkin, Hendrix Lapierre and Filip Hallander scored in the second period and Arturs Silovs stopped 19 shots to help the Pittsburgh Penguins steamroll the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday night.
Silovs posted his third career shutout in his 57th start. Nick Robertson scored two goals and Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov also scored for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby added an assist.
The Penguins’ season ended on the same Philadelphia ice in April when the Flyers won a first-round playoff series in six games.
The Flyers left the clincher to a roaring ovation on Cam York’s winner. Five months later, the Flyers were soundly booed off the ice – reaching a crescendo after the second period – and the opening night festivities were spoiled for a team trying to become a force in the Eastern Conference.
The Penguins are trying to run it back at least one more time between the longtime core of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Malkin signed a one-year deal to remain in Pittsburgh, and the hope is there’s enough magic left to help put the Penguins in position to win a playoff series for the first time in nearly a decade.
The 40-year-old Malkin ripped a one-timer from the slot early in the second period for the 3-0 lead that also gave him 100 career points against the Flyers. He became the sixth player with at least 100 points against the Flyers. Crosby’s assist on Robertson’s game-opening goal extended his record with 140 career points against Philly.
MAPLE LEAFS 2, ISLANDERS 1
TORONTO (AP) — Easton Cowan had a goal and an assist in the first period and Toronto beat New York for its first victory under coach Jim Hiller.
The Maple Leafs rebounded from a 3-2 home loss to Montreal in their opener Tuesday night, spoiling the Islanders’ first game of the season.
Colton Sissons also scored for Toronto, and Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves.
Emil Heineman scored in the third period for New York. Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots.
Sissons redirected his first goal for Toronto at 7:14 of the first period off Nick Paul’s setup. Cowan then shoveled home a power-play rebound with 8:05 left in the period.
Reunited with fellow netminder Sergei Bobrovsky after winning the Stanley Cup together with Florida in 2024, Stolarz was perfect until Heineman scored short-handed with 5:51 left.
Colton Sissons #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates after scoring his first goal.
TORONTO — The Islanders, as close to a whole product as they can get while Mat Barzal is hurt, looked like a better, faster, more competitive team on Wednesday night than they had in a preseason that verged on alarming.
Just not better, faster or competitive enough to come away with two points.
For the fifth time in six years, the Islanders started their season with a defeat, falling to the Maple Leafs 2-1, opening 2026-27 with a performance that had a lot of fight and not enough finish.
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin makes a save as Auston Matthews (34) stands in front during the Islanders’ 2-1 season-opening loss to the Maple Leafs on Sept. 30 2026 in Toronto. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP
“We all have more to give, especially me,” Matthew Schaefer said. “And I think we’re gonna learn from it.”
It wasn’t all bad at Scotiabank Arena. But — ironically given his own framing — the good for the Islanders almost exclusively came when Schaefer was on the ice, and that is a problem anyone could have predicted.
Schaefer, who was part of the headline bill against this year’s No. 1 overall Gavin McKenna, picked up right where he left off last season, his adjustment to the right side looking far more seamless than McKenna’s to the NHL.
Adam Pelech and Schaefer aside, though, the other two defense pairs looked like they were still getting their sea legs.
Matthew Schaefer skates with the puck as Bo Groulx defends during the Islanders’ loss to the Maple Leafs. Getty ImagesCasey Cizikas (53 and Nick Paul (20) battle for the puck during the Islanders’ opening-night loss to the Maple Leafs. NHLI via Getty Images
As was the case in preseason, the Alexander Romanov-Ryan Pulock pair looked rocky. Logan Stanley, making his Islanders debut alongside Tony DeAngelo, seemed to still be getting his bearings — and was victimized on the Leafs’ opening goal, when Colton Sissons beat him to Nick Paul’s feed for a successful redirection.
Five minutes after Sissons opened the scoring, the Leafs doubled their lead on the power play. Morgan Rielly batted the puck to keep it in off Ryan Pulock’s clearing attempt and Easton Cowan cleaned up the garbage on the ensuing blast from Jack Roslovic.
The Islanders were cleaner defensively after that, but the damage had been done. And offensively, it took them far too much time to get going.
Colton Sissons celebrates after scoring a goal on Ilya Sorokin during the Islanders’ loss to the Maple Leafs. NHLI via Getty Images
“I think we can get some more pucks [in front],” Pulock told The Post. “I think we can get some more traffic there. I think in today’s game, in this league, it’s hard to beat a goalie when he sees the puck.”
Leafs coach Jim Hiller threw a huge test at Victor Eklund right away, matching Auston Matthews’ line against the rookie’s trio that included JG Pageau and Emil Heineman.
That made for an underwhelming night for Eklund, though, as coach Pete DeBoer said, he grew into the game. He was also far from the only one.
The second line was barely noticeable aside from Cal Ritchie’s struggles, and by late in the second period, DeBoer had moved Anthony Duclair — perhaps the Islanders’ best offensive forward on the night — into Matias Maccelli’s spot, demoting the latter to the fourth line.
Shortly thereafter, DeBoer put the entire lineup in the blender, hoping to spark them in the third period. Ironically, when the Islanders did get on the board, it was shorthanded, with Emil Heineman finishing off a 2-on-1 rush with Bo Horvat at 14:09 of the third.
Cutting the deficit to 2-1 with nearly six minutes to go gave the Islanders the opportunity they’d been looking for all night. But they couldn’t use it to squeeze out a point.
Adam Pelech (3) and Gavin McKenna (92) battle for the puck during the Islanders’ loss to the Maple Leafs. NHLI via Getty Images
There were stretches, amid a game that wasn’t all that open, where the Islanders created extended pressure and forced Anthony Stolarz into action. Duclair, specifically, looked like the best version of himself, and had the Islanders’ best chance of the night when he skated across the crease and forced Stolarz to stretch all the way out to make a save in the third.
While the power play looked just as bad as it did last season, with an 0-for-4 performance that made it culpable, you could at least squint at parts of the 5-on-5 game and see building blocks.
“Work in progress,” DeBoer said of his team’s 5-on-4 game.
Beat reporter Stefen Rosner contributed to this story
TORONTO -- The New York Islanders (0-1-0) got their season off on the wrong footing, falling 2-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs (1-1-0) on Wednesday night inside Scotiabank Arena
Their power play went 0-for-4, including two opportunities in the third period, while the penalty kill went 3-for-4, with a third-period shorthanded goal from Emil Heineman. Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves in the defeat.
The game began with a flurry of chances for the Islanders. New York started hot against the Leafs, who had played the night before, starting their season with a back-to-back.
But, despite the early chances, Toronto struck first with a Colton Sissons redirection.
The lack of rebound support for Sorokin there is a big problem, and is an area of concern that Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer called out during the preseason as an issue
During that period, Anthony Duclair got bumped up to the second line, with Pete DeBoer sending former Leafs forward Matias Maccelli to the fourth line.
DeBoer jumbled more lines later, reuniting Heineman with Bo Horvat to no avail.
The Islanders' offense came up short, peppering 27 shots but scoring just once on a shorthanded jailbreak from Horvat and Heineman.
Up next for the Islanders: The Islanders host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET for their home opener.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates a goal against Dan Vladar #80 of the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pregame
Blake Lizotte is able to come off IR and play tonight, so the Pens have this lineup.
Great opening 20 for the Penguins, they are all over the puck and spend most of the time out of their own end. Philadelphia doesn’t even manage a shot on goal over about the last 12:25 minutes of the period.
Nick Robertson scores the first goal of the season, the play happens before that. Rasmus Ristolainen stepped up and delivered a big open ice hit to Sidney Crosby. Crosby popped up and kept going, eventually getting the puck from Trevor van Riemsdyk and feeding Kris Letang. Letang did a masterful job to show shot until passing down for Robertson to tip the puck in. 1-0 Pens.
Sid gets POPPED, but the Pens score shortly after to silence the Philly crowd 💥🚨 pic.twitter.com/T75lzhCreG
The Penguins get the first power play of the game, no dice.
Later, several Flyers decided it was a good time for a line change, which it wasn’t since Sam Girard had the puck. Heads up play by Ville Koivunen to recognize what was developing and get to the middle of the ice. Girard’s pass was on the money and Koivunen’s go-to backhand deke to the five hole beats Dan Vladar.
Very clean start to the season with a couple of goals and not giving up a lot to the Flyers’ offense. Shots are 12-5, any time the period ends to the wondrous sounds of Flyer fans booing is a good one.
Second period
The Flyers have used intermission well to regroup, as you know Rick Tocchet would. They look more coherent at the start of the second, even though the bottom would drop out for them soon enough.
Porter Martone cross-checks Hendrix Lapierre after the whistle, and whaddya know, the refs call it. The power play looks disjointed until late in it Evgeni Malkin works a give-and-go with Lapierre. Lapierre’s return pass is quickly put on net by Malkin and it finds room up top. 3-0.
There’s no mercy tonight, Lapierre’s all over the puck again skating around the offensive end, he wheels all around the net and gives a pass to Girard. Girard gets the puck to the net, the rebound drops for Filip Hallander to slide into the net. 5-0 game.
Robertson finished a pretty standard looking check and that became a bridge to far for the frustrated Flyers who weren’t able to get much going. Three Flyers dogpile Robertson, the Pens jump in there to help out, Pittsburgh ends up shorthanded as a result, which to be fair was something of a boarding by Robertson to kick off the sequence before the disproportionate but expected overreaction. Penalty killed.
Period ends and we’re treated to that delightful noise of boos from the crowd. They certainly didn’t have anything to cheer about to this point.
Third period
Carlile goes to the penalty box for interference, the Flyers power play makes it really easy to kill off.
Connor Dewar gets a penalty and the Pittsburgh PK gets on the board. Robertson gets on the ice with the PK group, thanks to Dewar being in the box in the first place, and makes the most of it. Robertson’s shot is deflected to the end wall, the bounce off it hits Vladar’s skate and redirects in the net. (Where was this in April???) 6-0.
Late in the game, Travis Konecny does what he does to take a run at Girard up high and takes a penalty. The Pens put out their top power play players, probably more out of the opportunity to get them work so early in the season more than a response to the unseemly play. It works just the same as a satisfying FAFO type of moment for Konecny and the Flyers when Egor Chinakhov tips in an Erik Karlsson point shot. Chili goal, 7-0.
It’s low-hanging fruit to point it out the obvious in a big win where everyone has their good moments and 14 players picked up at least a point – but man it stood out for how well the new additions performed. One of the newbies figured into the first six goals scored. Lapierre scored a goal and added an assist. Robertson did what he does and put the puck in the back of the net. Twice. Korczak and Carlile played quiet (as they should) but perfectly competently. van Riemsdyk made a subtle but important play in puck support to start the sequence of the first goal. He is a solid player that stops a lot with his positioning and stick. Korczak was activated and moving all around the offensive zone, picking up two assists. It’s only one of 84 but safe to say the newcomers fit right in and helped the cause.
Girard was noticeably very good too. He was knocking pucks down, his vision and puck moving was on display early. Good to see a strong start for him in his first full year with the Penguins with two assists and even better skating and game control.
Speaking of strong starts, it’s possible no one needed the confidence boost of a goal more than Koivunen. The lift from scoring can be very real, he showed what he did best on that play by using his hockey IQ to recognize an opportunity, then converted with a skilled move. Good stuff from him, hopefully it will go a long way towards helping him to raise his game.
Lapierre had some of that confidence on display in the second period, helping to lead that makeshift group. You wouldn’t know that from watching. Hallander was lucky not to get called for slashing on the fourth goal where the refs didn’t see him take the stick out of an opponent’s hand but was rewarded from the front of the net with a beautifully ugly goal. Nice reward for him working back from the uncertainty of blood clots last year. Koivunen got his goal as mentioned above, Lapierre’s speed and puck skills was the straw strirring the drink.
Penguin playoff nemesis Dan Vladar picked up a minor injury early in the week, at this point surely there’s going to be a lot of talk in Flyer world about whether or not he should have been playing tonight. He wasn’t outright bad but wasn’t sharp like he was in the spring on some of those goals against. Compounding the issue is that the Flyers play again tomorrow night, so making a goalie change wasn’t really something they wanted to do. Amazingly enough, Vladar made a couple of really good saves too at times, this game legitimately could have easily ended up with a more lopsided score.
On the other side, Arty Silovs would sign up for a lot more nights like this. At one point in the third period the Pens had blocked almost as many shots (10) as the Flyers had shots on goal (12). Most of that was done with active sticks deflecting pucks away from the net. A lot of that was the new influence with Korczak and van Riemsdyk credited with two blocked shots a piece. Felt like more by both of them. Either way, Silovs barely needed to break a sweat in this one, the number of quality chances he saw was low. He handled everything with ease.
Had a note written out that about the only thing for the Pens that they didn’t quite get up and running today was Chinakhov. Then he scored a late power play goal, so that thought gets deleted real quick and remove all the nitpicking. Everyone ate tonight, both power play groups scored. The PK killed off everything and scored. The goalie was fine with what he had to do. The new players showed exactly why the team wanted them. What more can you say?
Second straight opening night shutout win for Dan Muse (and Silovs too for that matter). The Pens beat the Rangers 3-0 to kick-off last season. That game was a lot more competitive and sealed with two empty net goals. Tonight was much more of a statement and essentially over by early in the second period.
Can’t win ‘em all if you don’t get the first one. That aside, almost a picture perfect opening night for the Pens. They looked ready to play and ran all over their opponent. Considering that opponent, it doesn’t get much better than that. Great opening statement, we’ll see how the Pens follow it up in their next game on Saturday night.
The defensive pairing that began the Rangers season opener in the spotlight because of Alberts Smits’ debut ended up back in it by the final minutes with Braden Schneider’s blunder.
As the three Blueshirts forwards changed late in the third period of their 3-0 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday, Schneider ended up alone on the rush and got burned by a JJ Peterka deke that went between the defenseman’s legs.
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Peterka ripped a shot past Igor Shesterkin, and 52 seconds after Boston broke a scoreless tie, the Bruins doubled their lead — with Schneider’s gaffe emerging as one of the lasting images of the night.
“You get that shift and you get caught out there a little too long,” Schneider told The Post on Wednesday after the Rangers practiced in Tarrytown. “I get caught with a bad gap, and, I mean, I made a bad read. Not much you can do. He made a good play and just try to move on from it.”
It marked a rough start to a critical campaign for Schneider, who was a restricted free agent at the end of last season and returned to the Rangers on a one-year deal.
Next summer, he’ll likely be in the same position again, and he expressed a desire to move past his individual woes last season — when he was thrust into a larger role with Adam Fox’s injury and ended up being on the ice for a Blueshirts-worst 63 goals at 5-on-5 — in an interview with The Post’s Mollie Walker on Tuesday.
But the Schneider and Smits pairing will continue to face plenty of critique.
Braden Schneider looks to take the puck away from James Hagens during the first period of the Rangers’ opening-night road loss to the Bruins at TD Garden in Boston. Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
For Schneider, it’ll revolve around his Rangers future still being uncertain.
And for Smits, who skated 16:54 while recording two hits, a blocked shot and a pair of giveaways, it’ll be for gauging whether the 18-year-old and No. 5 overall pick in June’s draft encounters any growing pains.
“I thought when the game started, it was happening fast for him out there,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of Smits, “but I thought as the game went on he settled down. … I think when he gets himself in trouble is when he tries to do a little bit too much. Try to make a soft play to the middle, and that’s where sometimes you gotta make a simple play.
“But I think as a young player, you’re gonna make those type of mistakes — and you’ll learn through those experiences, and our job is to try to help him do that.”
Defenseman Vincent Iorio, who was day to day with a lower-body injury, was assigned to AHL Hartford after clearing waivers.
That’ll give the Wolf Pack a blue line that includes Iorio, Urho Vaakanainen, Marc Del Gaizo, Dennis Cholowski and Drew Fortescue — a collection of players with 497 combined NHL games between the regular season and playoffs.
When asked about the Rangers having a stretch of five games in eight days to open the season following a condensed training camp, and whether that’s a good thing, Sullivan said, “I’ll tell you after the five games.”
“If we can build some momentum and have some success,” Sullivan said, “we’re gonna like it, right? … I think it’s good in a way that it gets you in the routine right away. You start playing games, and it’s hard to simulate that type of competitive action in a practice environment. With a shortened training camp, I think it will give us an opportunity to build more of a conditioning — a fitness foundation for game situations.”
