Category: NHL

It was not always pretty, but the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to at least get something out of this past week by taking three out of four points against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars on Friday and Saturday.

Even though the week got off to a bad start with back-to-back losses against the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals, there were times where you could get a glimpse of what this team is capable of when they really start playing their game.

After no-showing the first 25 minutes against the Capitals, I thought they mostly carried the play over the remainder of that game. The numbers largely backed that up. Capitals goalie Logan Thompson was simply amazing.

After no-showing the first 40 minutes against Columbus, they at least rallied on the scoreboard and put together a passable third period. Not great. Maybe not particularly good. But passable.

The game against Dallas on Saturday was probably their best game of the season when you take into account the quality of the opponent (one of the best teams in the NHL), the fact they were playing a rested team on the second half of a back-to-back with travel, and the way they completely locked everything down and played a mostly clean, solid game. It was not the most exciting game they have played so far this season, but that is probably what they needed.

Now it is time for a new week with three more games and the start of a very difficult road trip.

The big questions that need answered this week:

• How the lineup continues to shake out. Ville Koivunen sat on Saturday with Elmer Soderblom taking his place. I have been higher on Koivunen so far than most, but will that lineup change continue?
• Andrei Kuzmenko figures to return soon. Who comes out for him? Is it Soderblom and Koivunen?
• Is Nicholas Robertson going to stay on the fourth line with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar? He deserves a higher spot in the lineup given the way he has played, but that line has also been dominant together, accounting for a 2-0 goals advantage, a 66.1 percent expected goal share in 23 minutes of 5-on-5 ice-time, and doing all of that despite having only one offensive zone start to 18 defensive zone starts.
• Will the top line ever get going as constructed? It has objectively been the worst of their lines right now, with each of the other three all putting together strong shifts, creating chances, and creating goals. The first line is not doing any of that, despite getting mostly all offensive zone starts.
• How will the goalie rotation play out, and how much Sergei Murashov will we see vs. Arturs Silovs? Both goalies had really great games this past week.

As for the games ahead…

Things start on Tuesday night with the road trip beginning against the Chicago Blackhawks.

You do not want to take anything for granted at the NHL level, and there is no such thing as a “should win” game, but this is a game you really want to win. Especially given the rest of the road trip. Chicago is still one of the youngest teams in the league as part of its rebuild, but it is also, by every objective measure, still one of the worst teams in the league by a very significant margin.

They have been lousy so far.

They enter Tuesday’s game with a 1-5 record, have been outscored by a 26-12 margin, and have managed only a 38.8 expected goal share during 5-on-5 play. The San Jose Sharks (31.5 percent) and Philadelphia Flyers (30.4 percent) are the only two teams with a worse mark.

There is not a lot of experience here, and there is still some doubt as to when Connor Bedard will return to the lineup. It is possible he plays Tuesday to make his 2026-27 season debut against the Penguins, but that is still not yet known.

Bottom line: This team stinks, at least by NHL standards. It does not do anything well, and even with a lot good, young, talented players on the roster, they are at times overmatched and clearly flawed. Bowen Byram has also had a miserable start to the season after Chicago traded the No. 4 and 45 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft for him, and then gave him $12.5 million per season over the next six years.

You really want to win this game. It is not getting any easier after this.

The road trip continues on Friday with the first half of a back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche.

Colorado will be coming off two consecutive games against Dallas before playing the Penguins, but it has won three of its first five games to start the season. As expected, the offense has been nearly unstoppable. Colorado has already scored 24 goals in five games, including three different games with six goals or more.

This is going to be one of the biggest challenges yet for a Penguins defense that has struggled through the first two weeks. Whichever goalie starts this game is also going to have to put a lot of important work in.

Nathan MacKinnon already has 10 points in the first five games, while defenseman Cale Makar is already up to seven points.

The Penguins then have to play 24 hours later against another Western Conference Stanley Cup contender in the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vegas will be rested in that game as the Penguins travel into Vegas after playing the day before, and that is only going to add to the challenge. The Golden Knights enter the week having won five of their first six games, and their stars are shining already. Jack Eichel has 12 points in his first six games, while Mark Stone already has seven points. Mitch Marner, Victor Olofsson and Tomas Hertl all have five points each.

The one thing that might work in the Penguins favor in these two games is the fact both Colorado and Vegas have had some early goaltending issues. The Penguins forward depth might be able to exploit that a little bit.

The Penguins only managed to get three out of a possible eight points this past week, and this week is going to be an even bigger challenge given the opponents. You really want to get those two points in Chicago on Tuesday night. From there, you just have to hope to find a way to get two more the rest of the week. Whether that is splitting the back-to-back, or finding a way to get at least one point in each of the Colorado and Vegas games, you would really like to find a way to hang with these teams. The game against Dallas looked like an encouraging step in that regard. Now they have to build on it.

Colorado Avalanche News

• The Colorado Avalanche can no longer afford to ignore Mackenzie Blackwood’s struggles, especially when the team can rely on Scott Wedgewood. [The Hockey News]

• Avalanche’s Trent Miner clears waivers and is sent to Loveland. [Pro Hockey Rumors]

• Calgary retail guru and former NHLer Myles O’Connor, father of Logan O’Connor, dies suddenly at 59. [Calgary Herald]

• Coach Jared Bednar calls out players after loss to Leafs. [Sports Illustrated]

News Around the League

• Winnipeg Jets fan tracks Hellebuyck’s lost salary with ‘funny, informative’ site. [Global News]

• Shesterkin out for season for Rangers with lower-body injury. [NHL]

• Panthers’ Brad Marchand to miss six weeks with injury. [Sportsnet]

• Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin caught off guard by Montreal fan’s chants “we want Larkin”. [TSN]

• Ottawa Senators’ Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle to assist CHEO. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Melanson diagnosed with vascular aneurysm, out indefinitely for Kraken. [NHL]

• Family of Hamilton-born hockey player Matthew Mayich says new university review into his collapse falls short. [CBC]

• Hockey N.S. launches pilot program to teach young players about consent, hazing. [Global News]

After Jacob Fowler’s heroics in the Montreal Canadiens' shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, the young netminder was named the game's first star, and after a live interview on Sportsnet, he was made available to the media in the dressing room. He faced a barrage of questions about the game, the shootout, and his position in the organization. The pack of journalists moved on to the next player; we chose to talk to him about something a little different. 

Last week, we published an article about Fowler’s new mask and wanted to get his thoughts on it and tell him how honored Diane Bibaud was by his gesture. The Florida native explained:

Yeah, I mean, I always look for kind of different ways to honor the organization, but when they [Sylabrush’s Sylvie Marsolais and Alexandre Mathys] had the idea to put her on the side of the mask and do a little tribute to her, I saw it and immediately said that was an incredible thought, and I’m happy she likes it; I was hoping she did.

Could The Canadiens And The Rangers Help Each Other?
Fowler Shines and Bolduc Put The Game Away Netting The Canadiens Two Much-Needed Points.
Canadiens Power Play Worryingly Inefficient

Interestingly, after we published our article about the mask last week, Curtis Cook, the Buffalo Sabres arena organist, shared it on X and said it was cool that Fowler did it. The masked man had a good laugh when we told him about that and joked:

Maybe Buffalo’s feeling a little jealous now, their guys need to do it too.

- Challenge extended as a certain How I Met Your Mother character would say...

Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler honored organist Diane Bibaud by including her on his mask this year. How cool! https://t.co/3YbqrVZgVs

— Curtis Cook (@sabresorgan) October 9, 2026

Will Alex Lyon or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen rise to the challenge, or will Fowler’s gesture remain one of a kind across the league? Time will tell...

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The New York Rangers have been one of the surprising teams early in the 2026-27 NHL season and now they have to overcome a devastating blow.

Goalie Igor Shesterkin, a Vezina Trophy winner, has been ruled out for the season after suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 9.

With backup Joonas Korpisalo also hurt, the goaltending duties now fall to Dylan Garand, who had been scheduled to start a fifth season in the American Hockey League.

So far so good. He stopped 19 of 21 shots against the Vancouver Canucks in his first game as the No. 1 goalie. That follows a shutout in his earlier start, and the Rangers sit second in the Metropolitan Division.

Here are the USA TODAY's NHL power rankings nearly two weeks into the 2026-27 season (number is parentheses is change from preseason power rankings):

32. Calgary Flames (-1)

The Flames are in a rebuild, but they are off to a disastrous start, being outscored 27-8 in their first five games. They waived Connor Zary.

31. Philadelphia Flyers (-10)

The Flyers (0-5-2) have lost their first seven games for the first time in franchise history. They're dealing with some injuries (Travis Konecny, Rasmus Ristolainen), but are also getting burned by giveaways. They have added free agent Michael Bunting.

30. Chicago Blackhawks (-1)

The Blackhawks' 1-5 record is a combination of facing tough opponents while also missing captain Connor Bedard. He's practicing in a regular jersey as he works to come back from offseason shoulder surgery.

29. Detroit Red Wings (-3)

Dylan Larkin was booed heavily when introduced in the opener amid his trade request then heard "We want Larkin" chants in Montreal. Meanwhile, defenseman Simon Edvinsson headed to Sweden while awaiting a contract resolution.

28. Los Angeles Kings (-4)

Offseason acquisition Mats Zuccarello is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. He had one assist in three games for the winless Kings.

27. Vancouver Canucks (+5)

The Canucks have jumped from 31st in goals last season to ninth this season. But coach Manny Malhota will have to work on the defensive side. They've given up four or more goals five times, including a 9-7 loss.

26. Buffalo Sabres (-15)

The Sabres haven't made up for departed free agent Alex Tuch's scoring touch. Zach Benson, who was going to help after a strong playoffs, has one assist in his first five games.

25. New York Islanders (0)

Ilya Sorokin is off to a strong start with a 1.77 goals-against average. The team lost defenseman Alexander Romanov to an ACL injury but report progress on injured Mathew Barzal.

24. Columbus Blue Jackets (-2)

The Blue Jackets are going without a captain to start the season, when it appeared that Zach Werenski could get the role. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is averaging a league-best 29:35 in ice time this season.

23. Nashville Predators (-4)

The Predators have made things interesting, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to the Canadiens but also blowing 2-0 and 3-0 leads in losses.

22. Pittsburgh Penguins (-7)

Sidney Crosby had no goals this season. He had no points and was a minus-4 in his meeting with Alex Ovechkin.

21. St. Louis Blues (-6)

Newcomers Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael have been productive with two goals and two assists each in five games.

20. Montreal Canadiens (-13)

Playoff hero Jakub Dobes has a 4.43 goals-against average and .856 save percentage. The Canadiens have called up Jacob Fowler, who had a shutout in his last start.

19. New Jersey Devils (-5)

The Devils have fared well against bottom-rung teams but were blown out by the Islanders and lost to the Mammoth.

18. Toronto Maple Leafs (0)

No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna went without a point in his first three games but has four in his last three games. William Nylander has been strong, including five points in his last game.

17. Dallas Stars (-13)

Goalie Jake Oettinger has been impressive with a 0.74 goals-against average and has given up one goal in his last three games.

16. San Jose Sharks (-1)

Macklin Celebrini missed two games with a lower-body injury. The Sharks went 1-1 in his absence and he scored in his return to give him six points in three games.

15. Florida Panthers (-12)

The Panthers, dealing with injuries to captain Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, lost a home opener for the first time in eight years. The injuries will keep those players out at least six weeks, but that's less than the situation originally looked.

14. Winnipeg Jets (+14)

The Jets were getting decent goaltending in the absence of award-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck (trade request). Waiver pickup Clay Stevenson had a shutout but lost 5-1 in his last game.

13. Seattle Kraken (+17)

The Kraken are getting scoring up and down the lineup as they jumped to No. 3 in scoring after being in the bottom five last season. Fourth-liners Frederick Gaudreau, Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton have combined for 13 points in the last two games.

12. Ottawa Senators (+15)

The Senators are surviving the trade of Brady Tkachuk. Now they must deal with an ankle injury to William Eklund, the team's top offseason acquisition who's out "for an extended period of time."

11. Minnesota Wild (-6)

Defenseman Quinn Hughes doesn't have a contract extension, but he's continuing to make his case for a huge payday with a five-game point streak and 27:31 in average ice time.

10. Utah Mammoth (0)

The Mammoth have the league's best power play at 40 percent. Nick Schmaltz has four power-play goals and Dylan Guenther has three. Guenther and Clayton Keller have six points each with the man advantage.

9. Washington Capitals (-3)

All-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin has announced this is his final season. He needs 10 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record of 1,016 combined regular season/playoff goals after scoring in his fifth game of the season.

8. Colorado Avalanche (-7)

The Avalanche are dominating on offense with a league-best 5.20 goals per game. But their defensive play has been inconsistent as they blew a 3-0 lead against the Maple Leafs.

7. Boston Bruins (+6)

The Bruins rebounded from a loss to the Senators with routs of the Mammoth and Flyers. And now they're getting Charlie McAvoy back from his six-game suspension.

6. Anaheim Ducks (+17)

Leo Carlsson is leading the team in scoring after getting a then-record contract and newly named captain Mikael Granlund ranks second.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning (+3)

Defenseman Victor Hedman, who missed much of last season for personal reasons., is averaging 14 minutes a game this season. He picked up his first point of the season in his fifth game. Free agent signee is averaging nearly 20 minutes and has four points.

4. New York Rangers (+16)

The Shesterkin news has dominated recently, but another big story is a breakout for Alexis Lafreniere. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick is averaging more than a point a game, aided by a four-point game. He has never topped 57 points in his career.

3. Vegas Golden Knights (+9)

Center Jack Eichel is off to a MVP-caliber start with 12 points in his first six games. His closest teammate is five points back.

2. Edmonton Oilers (+7)

Defenseman Evan Bouchard is among the early Norris Trophy candidates. He was the first defenseman in NHL history to score five points in his opener and had eight points after two games. His six goals are tied for the overall league lead.

1. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)

The defending champions have won five in a row since losing their first two. They're getting balanced scoring. First-liner Sebastian Aho has six goals in his last six games and fourth-liner Mark Jankowski is on a four-game goal streak.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings: Rangers surprise, Flyers disappoint early

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

Defenseman Spencer Stastney made his Pittsburgh debut Saturday in a 3-2 shootout win over the Dallas Stars, just days after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade for forward Filip Hallander. The 26-year-old played alongside Kris Letang and earned praise from coach Dan Muse for his skating, anticipation and ability to adjust quickly to a new team. [Trib Live]

The Penguins assigned defenseman Ilya Solovyov to its AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, on Saturday afternoon after going unclaimed on waivers. [Trib Live]

Mathew Dumba, who spent last season with the Penguins, but the bulk of his professional career with the Minnesota Wild, has announced his retirement from the NHL. [CBS News Minnesota]

News and notes from around the NHL…

The New York Rangers are preparing to move forward without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who will miss the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury. Rookie Dylan Garand is primed to take on an expanded role despite limited NHL experience. [NHL]

The Carolina Hurricanes remain open to bringing back restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin, despite his absence from training camp amid a contract dispute. [Sportsnet]

New Jersey Devils forward Evan Rodrigues has been fined $5,000 for high-sticking Vancouver Canucks forward Marco Rossi in Saturday’s 4-1 win. [TSN]

Vancouver Canucks (2-5, in the Pacific Division) vs. New York Islanders (2-3, in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Tuesday, 7:45 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vancouver Canucks enter the matchup against the New York Islanders as losers of four in a row.

New York has a 2-1-0 record at home and a 2-3 record overall. The Islanders serve 13.4 penalty minutes per game to rank eighth in NHL play.

Vancouver has a 1-3-0 record in road games and a 2-5 record overall. The Canucks are 1-4-0 in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.

Tuesday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season.

INJURIES: Islanders: Mathew Barzal: out (knee), Alexander Romanov: out (acl).

Canucks: Thatcher Demko: out (hip), Akil Thomas: out (undisclosed), Filip Chytil: out (shoulder), Mackenzie MacEachern: out (undisclosed), Jack Thompson: out (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost their first two games of the 2026-27 season before quickly putting those losses behind them this weekend. 

They earned their first win on Saturday, crushing the Hartford Wolf Pack 7-1, and it was the Bill Zonnon show. Zonnon scored twice in the second period and added an assist in the win. 

He made that first goal happen, leading the rush early in the second period before collecting the puck behind the net and stuffing it home. 

Billy Z collects and cashes in! pic.twitter.com/DPvgFdndFM

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 10, 2026

Zonnon's second goal came from the net-front when he banged home a rebound off a pass from Mikhail Ilyin along the left well. 

Atley Calvert, Avery Hayes, Tanner Howe, Mikhail Ilyin, and Owen Pickering also scored in the win. 

The fun continued on Sunday with a 6-2 win for WBS over the Providence Bruins. Zonnon notched his third goal of the season less than a minute into the middle frame. He came streaking down the left side and fired an absolute laser past the Bruins goaltender. 

Zonnon has three goals and five points in four games.

Billy Z’s got his third goal in 2 games! pic.twitter.com/UZZVUaV0ue

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 11, 2026

Phil Kemp, Tristan Broz, Oliver Okuliar, and Rutger McGroarty (two goals) also scored for WBS in this game. 

Speaking of McGroarty, he was fantastic in this game, adding two assists to his two goals. He saw the ice extremely well, and forechecked his butt off. His second goal was a thing of beauty: he took a lead pass on the left side and made a gorgeous forehand-to-backhand move before elevating the puck to the top shelf of the net. 

RUT AGAIN pic.twitter.com/BDem7317ZK

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 11, 2026

McGroarty may not be with the NHL club right now, but there will come a time when he is needed this season. When that happens, he'll do everything he can to make sure he never goes back down to the AHL. 

WBS is now 2-1-1-0 and will play the Cleveland Monsters in their next two games this Friday and Saturday. 

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It's no mystery to anyone that the NHL's Department of Player Safety has a long history of inconsistency when it comes to handing out discipline to players. 

And, on Saturday, a former Pittsburgh Penguin was involved in a play that many thought was suspension-worthy.

New Jersey Devils forward Evan Rodrigues - who played for the Penguins from 2019-2022 - was approaching the faceoff dot with Vancouver Canucks center Marco Rossi during the Saturday tilt between the teams. Prior to the draw at center ice, Rossi gave Rodrigues a nudge on the shoulder with his right hand, and in response, Rodrigues speared Rossi in the throat.

On Sunday, the Department of Player Safety fined the 33-year-old Rodrigues $5,000, which is the maximum allowable under the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). He received a spearing penalty on the initial play, but upon review, it was reduced to a double-minor.

The video shows Rodrigues making a distinct spearing motion right at Rossi's throat, which is why many thought both the double-minor and the $5,000 fine was not nearly enough. However, on the other side of the spectrum, some thought Rossi went down rather easily.

Evan Rodrigues has received the maximum $5,000 fine allowed under the CBA for this high-sticking play on Marco Rossi. pic.twitter.com/G0Bg0zK6bD

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 11, 2026

At the end of the day, though, there is a precedent for intentional stick plays with the intent to injure. For example, Penguins' forward Evgeni Malkin received a four-game suspension during the 2021-22 season for a cross-check to the face of Nashville Predators' defenseman Mark Borowiecki, and he was assessed a five-game suspension last season for a slash to the face of Rasmus Dahlin. 

Although those cross-checks and slashes may appear more violent - and they were - spears have a history of automatic punishment because of the intentionality behind them. For example, defenseman Tony DeAngelo and forward Brad Marchand have both been suspended for spears in the past, and neither were to the neck or head of an opponent.

Was the double-minor and the fine was enough for Rodrigues, or should it have been more than that? How much did Rossi's reaction affect the ruling? Join The Pittsburgh Penguins Roundtable Community and leave a comment to join the discussion. 

Former Penguins Defenseman Retires After 13 NHL SeasonsThis former Penguins defenseman is calling it a career.

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What started as an opportunity for the Philadelphia Flyers to change the narrative on their awful season ended in brief but noticeable chants for the club to fire head coach Rick Tocchet, following an uninspired 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that set a most undesirable franchise record.

Now 0-5-2 with no silver lining or signs of hope, Tocchet's Flyers are now winless through their first seven games of the season, marking the first such instance in franchise history.

This would be a different story, contextually, if the Flyers kept each of those seven losses close, but the two overtime losses are disservices to how badly New Jersey and Carolina outplayed them in those games.

The reality is that, outside of the 2-1 loss to Ottawa on Thursday night, the Flyers have been smacked around the rink on a nightly basis. Effort and "compete" have been constant talking points discussed by the players, Tocchet, and even general manager Danny Briere himself.

That shouldn't happen two weeks into a season, if at all, and it follows a season where the Flyers made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

As much blame as the players should get, as the ones playing the game, equal blame should fall on the shoulders of the coaching staff and front office.

For instance, prospect defenseman Oliver Bonk, who played on Saturday night for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, was called up and immediately pressed to action, getting a jarring wake-up call having to play against the Hurricanes on Sunday.

Placed on the top defense pairing next to Travis Sanheim, the pair was torched for three of the Hurricanes' four goals, with Bonk also getting whistled for two penalties in the first period.

With Helge Grans still on the roster, it was just plain unnecessary to throw Bonk to the wolves in the manner the Flyers did, even if they do feel he deserves to play games for them going forward.

David Jiricek had given the power play some spark, aiding the team to man-advantage goals in two straight games, but the Flyers again went 0-for-3 against the Hurricanes. The Flyers make scoring goals in the NHL look like a miraculous feat, and their defending and shot suppression are virtually non-existent.

Outside of Joseph Woll, who was in net for all four Hurricanes goals on Sunday, there is not a single bright spot for the Flyers through their first seven games, and that is not hyperbole.

At some point, the Flyers are going to feel even more pressure to make a significant, meaningful change that goes beyond the faint "Fire Tocchet" chants heard hurtling down from the few remaining fans in the building on Sunday night.

Flyers fans are chanting "Fire Tocchet" as the arena is clearing out.

— Haley Taylor Simon (@Haleytsimon) October 12, 2026

Signing Michael Bunting to play him 11:39 a game isn't one of those moves, but it is a move that took NHL reps away from a young Alex Bump, who is supposed to be an important prospect for this team.

And Bump has two goals and an assist in his two games for the Phantoms since returning to the AHL, for what that's worth.

Somehow, some way, the Flyers have to do something, because carrying on like this clearly is not working.

If they don't, they'll subject their building block veterans and youngsters to another losing, meaningless season, which will assuredly have downstream effects when it comes to wanting to compete for a Stanley Cup in the future.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jared McCann broke a tie with 5:27 left and the Seattle Kraken overcame NHL career leader Alex Ovechkin’s first goal of the season to beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Sunday night.

Jordan Eberle, Frederick Gaudreau, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Winterton also scored to help the Kraken improve to 4-2-0. Joey Daccord stopped 33 shots.

On the deciding goal, McCann cut to the middle and beat goalie Logan Thompson on a quick shot. Ryan Winterton iced it with 2:40 left.

Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner also scored for Washington as the Capitals dropped to 3-2-0. Thompson made 22 saves.

After back-to-back penalty kills, Seattle got off to a quick start, with Kakko sneaking in a rebound just 6:06 minutes into the game.

The Capitals responded with two goals in a 5:06 span. First, Kyrou buried a cross-ice feed from Cole Hutson for his first with Washington. Then, after a strong forecheck and forced turnover from brothers Aliaksei and Ilya Protas, Ovechkin got the puck alone in front and sniped a quick shot past Daccord for his 930th NHL goal.

RANGERS 6, CANUCKS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Ty Kartye and Will Cuylle scored two goals each and Dylan Garand made 19 saves as New York beat Vancouver in their first game since losing goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the season with a knee injury.

Kartye snapped a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the game at 18:25 of the second period and the Rangers went on to win their fourth straight at home to start the season.

Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault also scored for the Rangers, while J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad each had two assists.

Kartye opened the scoring 27 seconds into the contest. Vancouver’s Jake DeBrusk tied it at 17:04 of the first before Cuylle put New York ahead with his first at 2:09 of the second.

Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson scored short-handed at 16:56 of the second to tie the contest again before Kartye’s go-ahead goal.

Lafreniere extended New York’s lead to 4-2 with his team-leading fifth of the season on the power play at 1:04 of the third. Perreault made it 5-2 at 5:57. Cuylle scored again with less than five minutes to play.

HURRICANES 4, FLYERS 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and an assist and Carolina beat Philadelphia, handing the Flyers their franchise-record seventh straight loss to open the season.

Flyers rookie defenseman Oliver Bonk had a rough second period in his season debut and was a factor in three Carolina goals.

Svecnhikov scored his fourth goal of the season at 10:16 of the second period to open the scoring. Bonk turned it over to former Flyer Sean Walker at the blue line, and Walker fed Svechnikov, who skated into the slot and snapped a wrister past goalie Joseph Woll.

Aho fed a pass through Bonk, who turned around at the side of his own net, to another former Flyer, Shayne Gostisbehere, who banged home his second goal of the season to make it 2-0. Both of Gostisbehere’s goals this season have come against his former team.

Aho later netted his sixth goal of the season on a pass from William Carrier. Svechnikov stripped Own Tippett in the neutral zone and fed Carrier, who blew past Bonk and slid the pass to Aho, who had an open net to shoot and score the Hurricanes’ third goal.

There is something to be said about the way the Rangers have responded in the face of adversity so far this season. 

Last season’s Blueshirts crumbled nearly every time a game got hard, revealing a debilitating mental fragility in the wake of any game-tying goals against, erroneous officiating or their own costly turnovers. 

So far in this new campaign, however, the Rangers have done just the opposite. 

After hearing the most devastating injury news possible about star goalie Igor Shesterkin, who will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, these Rangers took a 6-2 win over the struggling Canucks despite giving up an equalizing short-handed goal late in the second period. 

“This is a situation I feel like not a lot needs to be said,” captain J.T. Miller said Sunday morning. “Everybody in here knows what needs to be done. Everybody’s got to pull a little more weight around here. I said the other night: [Shesterkin] is one of the pillars of our organization and this hockey team and a leader for us. It’s devastating to lose a guy like him, outside of how elite he is as a goalie. … There’s a lot to be pulled from every guy in here right now to make up for what we’re losing.” 

It’s been a couple of years since the Rangers were described as resilient, but there have been flashes of the trait this season. 

After the Rangers gave up two second-period goals to tie the Oct. 6 game against the Islanders, Mika Zibanejad said it himself that last year’s team probably would’ve collapsed in that position. 

Not this time. Not this year. Not if the Rangers and their intentions for the season have anything to say about it. 

Similarly to that Isles game last week, the effort by the Rangers never faltered after the momentum swung in favor of the Canucks following a short-handed goal from Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson. In fact, the home team was able to respond before the period was even over, just as it did against the Islanders. 

It would’ve flatlined the Rangers in the past, but Tye Kartye recorded his second goal of the night off a beautiful shot from the left circle to regain a 3-2 lead for his team. 

“I think there’s a maturity to this group,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the win. “I think these guys, they haven’t lost any level of enthusiasm. I think they believe in the team game that we’re trying to build here.” 

Rookie goalie Dylan Garand, who took the ice as the Rangers starting goalie for the foreseeable future, rebounded as well. Stopping 19 of the 21 shots he faced, Garand has limited every opposing team he’s faced to two goals or fewer over his six NHL games. 

The Rangers scored three more times in the third period while limiting the visitors to just four shots on goal, continuing a trend of dominance in third periods that’s beginning to develop. 

“I feel like all the games we’ve been playing a pretty good 60 minutes, for the most part,” said Will Cuylle, who scored his first two goals of the season. “I feel like it helps, too, that’s the first first-period goal we’ve given up all year.” 

Birthday boy Alexis Lafrenière, who turned 25, kicked off his new second-line assignment with a slick pass in the neutral zone to spring Miller for a partial 2-on-1 opportunity with Kartye. Miller extended his point streak to four games (one goal, four assists) as Kartye buried the rebound off his shot to put the Rangers up 27 seconds into the game. 

Sullivan said he was hesitant to swap Lafrenière and Pavel Dorofeyev since both lines in the top six have looked good so far, but the Kartye-Miller-Dorofeyev unit wasn’t finding the back of the net. 

“It seemed to work on the very first shift,” Sullivan said with a smile. “I think when you look at the growth of Laf’s game, Laf is creating offense in numerous ways now. He’s multidimensional. He creates off the rush. You can see what he does off the rush. But his down-low game and hanging on pucks and creating offense from below the goal line, I think that aspect of his game has really grown.” 

The Vancouver Canucks fell 6-2 to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Jake DeBrusk scored his third of the season while defenceman Elias Pettersson found the back of the net shorthanded. As for Kevin Lankinen, he allowed six goals on 25 shots and finished the night with a save percentage of .760. 

Sunday's matchup was close until the third period. New York scored three times in the final frame, which pushed their one-goal lead at the second intermission into a four-goal advantage. Ultimately, the Canucks looked like they ran out of gas in the third, as they were outshot 10-4 in the final frame by the Rangers. 

"Obviously, when you start a game down 1-0 30 seconds in, it is not an ideal start," said Manny Malhotra post-game. "The resiliency we showed throughout the course of the period just to get ourselves back into it. In the second, I felt we started to swing the momentum at them. Just didn't sustain it long enough to have a lasting impact."

The biggest storyline from this game was the play of Lankinen. He allowed six goals for the third time this year and was caught out of position several times. Even though this team is in a rebuild where wins and losses are not the most important thing, this team needs to get better goaltending from Lankinen so they do not have to try to outscore their issues on a nightly basis. 

This game was not all doom and gloom, as Pettersson, or D-Petey, had a strong performance. He was tied for the team lead with four hits and, as mentioned, scored shorthanded. Pettersson looks to be taking positive steps from a development perspective, which is good news for the rebuild. 

As for the other feel-good story, Guillaume Brisebois returned to the NHL for the first time since January 11, 2025. The 29-year-old was able to fill the stat sheet as he recorded two shots, two hits, a blocked shot and a penalty. Although he struggled defensively at times, it is nice to see Brisebois getting chances in the NHL after all the injuries he's dealt with over the years. 

Ultimately, there are plenty of learning lessons Manny Malhotra and his staff can take away from this game. Vancouver's defensive coverage was all over the place at times while the team failed to create any form of pushback in the third period. With three more games on this road trip, the Canucks will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid a lengthy losing streak. 

Stats and Facts:

• Defenceman Elias Pettersson records his first career shorthand goal
• Canucks are the first team this year to allow 30 goals against
• Vancouver has been outscored 17-5 through three games of this current six-game road trip
• Elias Pettersson and Elias Pettersson led the Canucks in hits with four each

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

00:27- NYR: Tye Kartye (1) from J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafrenière

17:04- VAN: Jake DeBrusk (3) from Jonathan Lekkerimäki

2nd Period:

2:09- NYR: Will Cuylle (1) from Noah Laba

16:56- VAN: Elias Pettersson (2) from Brendan Gallagher and Drew O'Connor (SHG)

18:25- NYR: Tye Kartye (2) from J.T. Miller and Vladislav Gavrikov

3rd Period:

1:04- NYR: Alexis Lafrenière (5) from Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad (PPG)

5:57- NYR: Gabe Perreault (3) from Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad

15;22- NYR: Will Cuylle (2) from Eeli Tolvanen and Braden Schneider

Up Next: 

Vancouver Canucks @ New York Islanders, October 13, 4:45 pm PT

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In their first five games of the NHL’s 2026-27 season, the Buffalo Sabres have lost three games – all in regulation time – by a combined score of 14-4. And in their past two games – both defeats at the hands of the Dallas Stars and Utah Mammoth – the Sabres have been outscored 8-1. It doesn’t take an advanced analytics expert to recognize that Buffalo’s offense is not getting the job done in the ‘O’ zone.

And if you go through the list of the Sabres’ point producers, you see very quickly that a slew of veterans need to ratchet up their offensive numbers, and they need to do it in a hurry.

For instance: star center Josh Norris has exactly one point in five games. So does center Ryan McLeod, and so does star winger Zach Benson. These three players combined to produce 131 points in 190 games last season, so they’re clearly capable of generating more offense.

But Norris, Benson and McLeod at least have gotten onto the scoresheet in one game this season. You can’t say the same for Josh Doan, Justin Danforth and Olen Zellweger. Danforth and Zellweger haven’t played the full five games, but Doan in particular has been a significant disappointment. We’re talking about a 21-year-old player who had a breakout year for the Sabres last season, posting 25 goals and 52 points in 82 games. So having no points in five games is a major problem for Doan.

It’s no wonder, then, that Buffalo has the sixth-worst offense in the league thus far this year, averaging only 2.20 goals-for per game. Lindy Ruff can’t hop over the boards and produce goals and assists to help the Sabres’ goaltending – and you’d better believe Buffalo’s goalies need all the help they can get.

The Sabres have to figure out a way to produce points, but they won’t come easy. In fact, Buffalo’s next four games come against strong teams – the Montreal Canadiens (twice), Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. Those teams aren’t registered charities, so the Sabres will be up against it trying to drum up offense.

Granted, we’re still talking about a small sample size here. There’s plenty of time for Buffalo to start posting more offense. But if the aforementioned Sabres players fail to get on the scoresheet sometime soon, the repercussions are going to be dramatic.

Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen can’t allow his team to backslide to the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings. So if the Sabres continue to struggle on offense, a notable roster shakeup could be very soon to follow.

Cole Beaudoin skated in his third professional hockey game in three days against the Canucks on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. 

Amid Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury, the Rangers sent Beaudoin to Hartford and recalled Juuso Parssinen on Saturday to maximize their long-term injured reserve pool. Assigning Parssinen to the Rangers roster over Beaudoin added $308,000 to their cap and brought the organization closer to its optimal LTIR capture. 

The new paper transactions rule in the collective bargaining agreement requires players sent down to appear in one game before they are eligible for a recall. 

Beaudoin only took one shift for Hartford on Saturday night, but evidently it was part of the game plan. 

“He played very little,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of Beaudoin before the Rangers beat the Canucks 6-2 at Madison Square Garden. “He’s a young guy. He has tons of energy. He didn’t play very much [Saturday] night, so that was by design. Cole’s a good player. He’s played very well for Hartford to this point. He’s deserving of the opportunity he has with us. We like his potential and where it could go. 

“He’s a young guy; he’s going to make mistakes along the way, but we’ll help him through that process. Overall, we really like his game.” 

The 20-year-old Beaudoin appeared unfazed by his fluctuation between the AHL and NHL. 

Describing the back-and-forth as “crazy,” Beaudoin said he was happy to be back with the varsity group and that he is trying to enjoy the process of it all. He once again centered the Rangers fourth line between Jaroslav Chmelar and Oliver Bjorkstrand. 

In his second NHL game Friday in Washington, the Ottawa native had a “Welcome to the NHL” moment. 

Beaudoin committed the turnover along the wall in the defensive zone that led to Boone Jenner’s game-winning goal in a 3-1 Capitals victory. 

“It’s obviously tough,” he said of the sequence. “You never want to do that, obviously. Coming in your second NHL game, and then you do that, you feel bad for the group and [I] felt really bad, but going out in the third, just kind of trying to wash it down and still have confidence in myself to make plays. 

“Obviously, it’s an unfortunate bounce there, but I have confidence in myself to make plays and know that I’m capable of playing at this level.” 

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The six goals the Rangers scored Sunday night marked a season high. 

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Registering his 287th career power-play point — and his 250th as a Ranger — with an assist on Alexis Lafrenière’s second-period score, Mika Zibanejad became the third Rangers skater in franchise history to do so. 

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The Rangers are scheduled for a day off Monday before returning to game action Tuesday against the Lightning at home.