The Chicago Blackhawks (2-5-0) are set to host the Winnipeg Jets (4-1-1) at the United Center on Thursday night. This will be the third game at home in a row for Chicago, as they look to improve on their 2-1 home record early in the year. 

Winnipeg will be the second division rival to visit the United Center in the early going, and they are off to a much better season than anybody anticipated. It will be a tough match for the young Blackhawks, but not one that they see as an impossible feat. 

Scouting Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Jets won't have Jonathan Toews in their lineup, as he famously retired after his one season playing for the hometown team. He has mostly been with the Blackhawks since his short stint in Winnipeg. 

Toews' absence is not the reason that most saw the Jets as a non-playoff team coming into the year, however. It isn't only their lackluster season that they had a year ago, either. They are without superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck. 

Hellebuyck, who is one of the greatest goalies of all time, has requested a trade and is refusing to report to the Jets. He was respectful and private about the situation at first, but he felt the need to go public with it ahead of training camp starting. 

Instead of letting this adversity get to them, the Jets have come out incredibly strong to begin the year. Is it possible that the wheels fall off at some point? Certainly. However, nobody told the players who did report that they must have a bad year. 

Connor - Scheifele - Perfetti

Niederreiter - Björck - Vilardi

Rosén - Lowry - Iafallo

Namestnikov - Barron - Koepke

Samberg - DeMelo

Ferraro - Pionk

Fleury - Bauer

Skinner

Stevenson

Mark Scheifele, Cole Perfetti, and Kyle Connor are the usual suspects when it comes to their most dangerous players, but there are a couple of other faces involved that have been helping them get the job done. 

A guy to keep an eye on is Viggo Björck, who was selected 8th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Some people had him as an option for the Blackhawks at 4th overall before they traded it to the Buffalo Sabres in the Bowen Byram deal. 

Björck doesn't have an NHL point yet in six games, but it's coming soon. In this game, he'll be on a good second line with experienced veterans against a Blackhawks team that has been known to give up some chances.

Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg's most dynamic defenseman, is not expected to play after missing the last couple of games. He is an important piece for the Jets, but he is dealing with a wrist issue that has hindered him. As of now, consider him week-to-week. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are going to be without Bowen Byram in this game. He is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Frank Nazar is back after serving a two-game suspension, which will get him right back into the mix as a center on the team. 

Kantserov-Bedard-Kane

Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen

Moore-Nazar-Donato

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Del Mastro-Levshunov

Vlasic-Cole

Kaiser-Rinzel

Knight

Nazar is notably not in the top six. While he was out, Anton Frondell was magnificent with Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen. Also, Connor Bedard came back, so this will be the first game with both Bedard and Nazar in the lineup. 

With Oliver Moore and Ryan Donato (who was fabulous against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday), this trio could give the Blackhawks the much-needed depth they were anticipating before the season began. Dominic Toninato is coming out of the lineup in favor of Nazar, and the fourth line will remain exactly the same. 

Bedard sticks with Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov. At even strength and on the power play, this trio got the job done against the Penguins. 

Frondell's line saw a lot of Crosby last time out, and now they have the challenge of dealing with Mark Scheifele, who is also an incredible two-way center. Blashill will try to match those lines up a lot as the home coach. 

With Byram out, Ethan Del Mastro is expected to draw in his place on the top pair with Artyom Levshunov. If Levshunov can keep up his much-improved play, especially in the offensive zone, they won't miss a beat. The other two pairs remain the same, which is what a team wants when one guy goes out for whatever reason. 

A defenseman will not take Byram's spot on the power play. They are going to go with five forwards on the top unit whenever they draw a penalty and play 5-on-4, which is becoming a trend in the NHL lately. 

Teuvo Teravainen, who is coming off his best game of the season, will quarterback the top unit. It's a lefty with experience running a man-advantage group, and a chance for Teravainen to continue feeling good about his offensive game. This move gives them the best chance to carry on the momentum that the top unit built in the win over Pittsburgh. 

Spencer Knight will start again, making it his third straight. This breaks the mold of Arvid Soderblom going in every Thursday game, but the Blackhawks do consider Knight the number one who will play when they feel he is rested enough. 

How To Watch

You can hear the game locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. You can see it locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can stream it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT. 

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

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The Detroit Red Wings made a major move on Wednesday, officially inking forward Alex DeBrincat to a seven-year, $91 million extension, taking care of one of the most important matters of business they were facing.

However, there still remain multiple other issues that remain unsolved, the most pressing of which is the status of unsigned RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson.

Edvinsson, who completed his three-year entry-level deal, is in the midst of a stalemate with the Red Wings despite reporting to Training Camp without a contract; Edvinsson returned to his native Sweden, reportedly frustrated with the lack of progress on an extension. 

However, the Swedish blue liner has since returned to North America, but as of now, there haven't been any reports of the two sides bridging their gap. 

Interim Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff, who held a media availability session in the wake of DeBrincat's extension on Wednesday, made it clear that he has "no intention" of trading Edvinsson despite the defenseman's alleged preference to be moved. 

As far as what kind of deal that Horcoff prefers to ink Edvinsson to, he indicated that they have to be open-minded to all possibilities. 

“I think we’re open to anything,” Horcoff said. “I think the details of it we’ll still keep to ourselves, but again, when you’re trying to sign a player, you have to be open-minded to kind of all options. And we certainly are.”

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Horcoff also reiterated in no uncertain terms that the preference of the club, who selected Edvinsson with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, is to get him signed. 

"I think Simon is someone that’s very hard to come by," Horcoff said. "We’ve spent a lot of time developing him, we drafted him. And again, he’s a player that we value here, that I value especially, and I know everyone in that locker room does as well." 

Captain Cat? Newly-Extended Alex DeBrincat Says Wearing 'C' Would Be “An Honor”Newly extended Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat has taken on a leadership role since arriving in 2023, and there remains the possibility of him receiving a formal leadership role by wearing a letter on his jersey.

So far in his NHL career, Edvinsson has skated in 175 games, and has tallied 19 goals with 41 assists, while racking up 158 penalty minutes.

His size and reach make him a valuable commodity for the Red Wings - and naturally, there are plenty of other NHL teams that would line up to acquire him if given the chance. 

The Red Wings have until December 1 to extend Edvinsson, as they still own his rights as an RFA; otherwise, he'll be ineligible to play in 2026-27. 

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Matias Maccelli will start the New York Islanders' game against the Ottawa Senators on the top line alongside Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri. That's how the Islanders ended their Tuesday night on Long Island with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Morning Skate Lines per New York Islanders: 

Matias Maccelli – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri  

Brayden Schenn – Cal Ritchie – Victor Eklund 

Ondřej Palát – JG Pageau – Anthony Duclair  

Emil Heineman – Casey Cizikas – Simon Holmström  

Logan Stanley – Matthew Schaefer  

Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock  

Matt Kessel – Tony DeAngelo  

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin

The 26-year-old recorded his first goal as an Islander while also earning the primary assist on Kyle Palmieri's go-ahead tally at the 5:38 mark of the third period:

“Maccelli started on the fourth line, and he was buzzing, so we moved him up, and he created the winning goal," Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer said on Tuesday night. "

Maccelli takes Emil Heineman's spot up there, with the Swedish forward skating alongside Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom on their fourth line. 

The 26-year-old, whom the Islanders signed July 1, is riding a four-game point streak into Thursday's game, with a goal and four assists over that span. He was held scoreless in the Islanders' season-opening 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and in their home-opening 6-0 win over the New Jersey Devils a few days later at UBS Arena. 

The Islanders didn't change any other lines, including the defense, as they'll keep Matt Kessel in there for a second straight game. He recorded a point in 13:51 minutes of ice time, earning the primary assist on Palmieri's opening goal on Tuesday. 

Semyon Varlamov will make his second start of the season: 

Varlamov to make second start of the season.

Thought he was off his angle a few times vs. #NYR.

Still looking to find his game after so much time away. Reps is the only way to do that. #Isles have to tighten their game up a bit. https://t.co/k1jn1JQqSz

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 15, 2026

Puck drop comes your way at 7 PM ET on MSGSN. 

If there was any positive to take out of the Pittsburgh Penguins game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, it is the fact Sidney Crosby scored two goals. They were not only his first two goals of the season, they were quite honestly the first time that the captain really made a noticeable impact on a game this season.

It has not only been a shockingly quiet start for him, it has been a disturbingly quiet start for the entire first line. Even after Bryan Rust was put back into his usual spot alongside Crosby and Rickard Rakell, the line just isn’t moving the needle.

Objectively speaking, it’s been the Penguins’ least productive line combination this season, and it really hasn’t been close.

• Crosby, Rakell and Rust have played 35 minutes together so far this season across four games.
• The Penguins are being outscored by a 3-2 margin in those minutes, and getting absolutely crushed defensively despite that trio getting the heaviest offensive zone start usage on the team (23 offensive zone starts for that group; only three defensive zone starts).
• When none of those three are on the ice together, the Penguins are outscoring teams by a 10-6 margin, while their expected goal share nearly doubles, going from 34.9 percent up to 59.4 percent.

Individually, Crosby had zero goals and two assists in his first six games before scoring the two in Chicago.

Rakell has zero goals and only two assists in his first seven games.

Rust has two goals in four games.

In the cases of Crosby and Rakell, slow starts to a season are not something that is totally out of the ordinary.

This isn’t even the worst seven-game start to a season for either player in their careers. It’s not even Rakell’s worst start as a Penguins player.

Crosby had one goal in seven games to open his season two years ago. In 2021-22 he had two points in seven games. He had three points early in 2015-16 through seven games.

Sometimes it takes these guys a little bit to get rolling.

At least in Crosby’s case, I am not quite ready to say he has completely lost it offensively.

Having said that, these guys are 39, 34 and 33 years old. There can not be an older top line anywhere in the NHL, and while Crosby might still have some offensive juice to his game that is just waiting to be unlocked this season, there is going to come a point where both Rust and Rakell do start to slow down. Every player ages differently, and every “decline” portion of a career is going to look differently. A declining Crosby is still going to be really productive because he’s starting from a much higher level and is a superior talent. When an all-time great starts to slow down they’re still going to put up a lot of points. They might go from 100 or 90 points to 60 or 70 points. Still useful. Still productive. When a second-tier player starts to decline, that looks a lot different just based on where they’re starting from.

It’s also why I wrote back in the summer that I feel like teams probably were not as eager to trade for players like Rakell and Rust given their ages and the term remaining on their deals. At some point they’re going to lose a little bit, and when they lose a little bit it’s a big problem.

Are we at that point yet?

It’s too soon to tell.

But what concerns me more than the lack of actual goal production from that trio, is the fact they are also just simply getting outplayed and not taking advantage of their situations. The Penguins are doing everything they can to put them into offensive spot, and they are not only not scoring, they are giving up way more than they are generating from a chance perspective.

It seems like every time they are on the ice they are pinned back in their own zone and on their heels defending.

And it’s usually not going well.

The results aren’t great. Neither is the process.

The only time the Crosby-Rakell duo looked good, and produced good results, was over the first two-plus games when they had Nicholas Robertson on their wing.

Just look at how much better that trio was (small sample size warning) vs. the other versions of that top line (also small sample size warning).

Line Combination	Minutes Played	GF	GA	GF/60	GA/60	GF%	xGF/60	xGA/60	xGF%
Crosby-Rakell-Robertson	32.30	3	1	5.54	1.85	75.0	5.40	3.00	64.3
Crosby-Rakell-Rust	35.40	2	3	3.36	5.04	40.0	2.07	3.85	34.9
Crosby-Rakell-Lapierre	6.50	0	2	0.00	17.40	0.0	2.56	8.31	23.5

It creates a couple of interesting questions and situations.

I get why the Penguins went back to the old trusted formula up front. It has worked well in the past, and all three players have a track record of success. You don’t want to overreact to early season noise and small sample sizes. There is a chance, and maybe even a good chance, they get it together and start producing more.

But even if that happens, that line has had some increasingly hard-to-ignore defensive issues over the past few years that are getting more concerning.

Are you going to get enough offense from them to make up for that?

The other question: Do you ever give Robertson a chance on that line again? That game against Winnipeg, and specifically that turnover from Robertson that led to a goal against, seemed to be the only margin for error he had in that spot.

On one hand, the Robertson-Blake Lizotte-Connor Dewar line has been absolutely sensational in the few games they have played together. They are outplaying every line they go up against, and are doing so in some of the toughest minutes a line could get. They are also getting more ice-time with each passing game. It might be the fourth line on the lineup sheet, but over the past two games there has been very little difference in terms of how many minutes each line is getting. In a couple of those games, the Robertson-Lizotte-Dewar line was actually third out of the four lines in terms of 5-on-5 minutes.

If it is working, and it is producing results, do you really want to break that up?

But on the other hand, is it more important to have a good fourth line, or is it more important to try and give your top line a spark?

How much longer do you wait? Will the top-line break through and start producing more and give the Penguins the type of balance and depth that made them so good a year ago?

That brings up an interesting point I saw my good friend Dan Hopper make about a week ago: The narrative around the 2025-26 Penguins was that Sidney Crosby dragged a bad roster into the playoffs, willing them back into contention. It made for a good narrative, but it was not close to the reality of the situation that was actually unfolding on the ice. Crosby was simply a really good player, on a really good team, that had a lot of really good depth. The Penguins’ play when Crosby was not on the ice, and especially when he was out of the lineup entirely, illustrated that.

Crosby had better, more impactful years than last year and it didn’t produce a playoff result because the rest of the team wasn’t any good.

Last year’s team was pretty good, whether it was intended to be or not. That was the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.

That’s the new reality that you have to expect with a 39-year-old No. 1 center and captain. He might still be really good. But he’s not going to carry them the way he used to.

But they still need him, and his line, to be good to make it all work given the minutes they are still getting. So far, they have not been getting that from them. Right now it is arguably one of the things that is holding them back the most.

The Robertson line has been really good. The Kindel line has been really good. The Malkin line has been a little up-and-down, but for the most part, has been very solid.

The first line has simply been the weakness.

Getting that line going, whether through patience and letting them work through their early slumps, or by shaking things back up and giving them a different look, has to be a priority right now.

The Florida Panthers received a welcomed sight when they hit the ice for Thursday’s morning skate.

Back in South Florida after a quick road back-to-back earlier this week, the Cats’ were out at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale gearing up for their game that night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Joining the team for their morning skate was starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

It was on Monday in Buffalo when Markstrom started the game, but after stopping 9 of 11 shots during the first period, he did not return for the second or third.

Backup Akira Schmid played well in Markstrom’s stead, doing his best to hold down the fort in Buffalo before picking up a gutsy win the following night in Columbus.

For the game against the Blue Jackets, Florida called up goaltender Cooper Black from AHL Charlotte to serve as Schmid’s backup.

That’s how Florida’s goalie tandem will remain for at least the next couple games.

Speaking after the morning skate, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that both Markstrom and injured defenseman Radko Gudas could return for Tuesday’s game in Ottawa, if not sooner.

“Both are making improvements,” Maurice said. “Jake was back on the ice, Radko might get to a point where he can play Saturday, but we’ve got three days on the other side of it so it may just make more sense to get him right. He’s purely day-to-day, he’s walking around, he’s fine, he’ll be on the ice soon. We would expect both of them to be able to play in Ottawa.”

Schmid was named the starting goaltender against Vancouver, and it’s likely he’ll remain between the pipes when Florida hosts the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night in Sunrise.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s contest with the Canucks:

Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Reinhart – Lars Eller

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis

Boko Imama – Sam Lafferty – Garnet Hathaway

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Dmitry Kulikov – Uvis Balinskis

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The New York Rangers suffered a huge blow when superstar goaltender Igor Shesterkin went down with a serious injury, sidelining him for the rest of the season. With that, the Rangers are scrambling for depth in goal, especially after having a very good start to the year with a 6-2-0 record.

Rangers GM Chris Drury has looked to the Toronto Maple Leafs to help bandage New York's goaltending situation. Even with Shesterkin out, Joonas Korpisalo is also out of the picture for the next few weeks.

As a result, TSN's NHL insider Darren Dreger hinted on the Ray and Dregs Podcast that the Rangers have poked around Anthony Stolarz.

"I think they've actually kicked tires on Anthony Stolarz," Dreger said on Wednesday's episode when discussing the Rangers' goaltending options.

In the meantime, the Blueshirts have had no choice but to rely on Dylan Garand, and he's stood tall for the Rangers with a 4-1-0 record, a .951 save percentage and a shutout. Regardless, the 24-year-old Garand only has seven total games of NHL experience, and the hot hand can only last so long.

Stolarz is Toronto's backup netminder behind Sergei Bobrovsky, and his new contract just took effect this season. Stolarz is on a four-year agreement at $3.75 million per season and has a 16-team no-trade list on his deal.

Second-Period Rush Goals, Anthony Stolarz Struggles Doom Maple Leafs in UtahA four-goal second period and five rush tallies proved too steep a hill to climb for Anthony Stolarz and the Maple Leafs, rendering a furious third-period rally moot in Salt Lake City.

The 32-year-old started in the Maple Leafs' last game against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday in their 5-4 loss. That was Stolarz's first loss of the campaign, after winning his first two starts against the New York Islanders and Nashville Predators.

In total, the New Jersey native has registered an .875 SP and a 3.32 goals-against average for Toronto.

Last year, Stolarz posted an .893 SP and a 3.28 GAA over 26 games. The year before that was one of the best of his NHL career, recording a .926 SP and a 2.14 GAA, which is where Stolarz earned his current contract.

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Coming off a loss in Chicago to open their first major road trip of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins will now continue heading west and climb to a mile above sea level for a meeting with the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night to open a back-to-back set that will conclude on Saturday in Las Vegas against the defending Western Conference champion Golden Knights. The Penguins will then wrap up the trip with a stop in Salt Lake City to exchange pleasantries with the Mammoth.

Pens Points…

Tuesday night will not be remembered longingly by Sergei Murashov after his performance against the Chicago Blackhawks. His late game gaffe cost the Penguins at least a point, but those type of mistakes are commonplace for young goaltenders entering the league. [Pensburgh]

Coming off a forgettable start to the season, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were looking to make amends in their second weekend of action and they did so in a big way, outscoring the opposition 13-3 in blowout road victories over Hartford and Providence. [Pensburgh]

It doesn’t matter what contract Ville Koivunen signed over the summer, his roster spot is not guaranteed and he’s well aware of that. Every night will still be an audition for Koivunen with plenty of players ready and waiting to take his spot at any moment. [Trib Live]

Forward depth will not be an issue for the Penguins this season, having already traded one forward to ease some of the log jam. By adding Ryan Johnson from Buffalo, the Penguins added depth to the blue line which is never a bad thing over the course of a long season. [Penguins]

NHL News and Notes…

Simon Edvinsson and the Detroit Red Wings remain at an impasse, with the former having lodged a trade request away from the team. Despite the current status of the situation, the Red Wings remain steadfast and have no plans on moving the young defenseman. [NHL]

In a unique bit of hockey history, the Tkachuk brothers teamed up for an NHL first on Tuesday night. Brady Tkachuk scored a natural hat trick against the Columbus Blue Jackets with brother Matthew assisting on all three tallies, the first time that has happened in the NHL. [On Tap Sportsnet]

A whopping 320 NHL players currently have a No Trade Clause attached to their current contracts. That works out to roughly 60% of the league’s rostered players who are eligible for the NTC distinction and it’s a number that just keeps growing every year. [The Athletic $$]

The Islanders begin a short Ontario road trip with a visit to Ottawa tonight, followed by a second visit to Toronto on Saturday. The Senators are without Brady Tkachuk (who had a hat trick the other night) due to classic Sibling Envy. Speaking of brothers, they’re also without Eklund the Lesser after a foot/ankle injury.

But they still have red jerseys of their own, at least some nights.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• When will the Islanders grasp Pete DeBoer’s system? (And what is that system? And do they even have the horses to…?) [Newsday]
• Kyle Palmieri’s teammates were very happy for his two-goal burst on his long comeback from injury. [Post]
• Palmieri knows how lucky he is to be back at his age, especially after watching Alex Romanov go down yet again. [NHL]
• The Islanders made things difficult for themselves agains the Canucks. They should really try to not do that against bad teams. [Newsday]
• The Skinny: “Schaefer is also the youngest defenseman (and third-youngest player) in NHL history with an assist in each of the season’s first four home games. Wayne Gretzky and Sam Gagner also did in four straight games, but neither earned an assist in their fifth game. The record for a teenager is 10 games, set by Ron Francis.” [Isles]
• The Swedish Meatball and Palmieri received the team’s post-game locker room awards. [Isles]
• Give us your personal info and we’ll let you do some Bo Horvat trivia. [Isles]

Elsewhere

• Behind the new official full-time EBUGs, which DeBoer says sounds like a pretty good gig. [Sportsnet]
• Struggling teams and their panic meter: it’s kind of wild and tremendously funny that the Flyers are still winless. [Sportsnet]
• Who says the Red Wings are a sinking ship? Alex DeBrincat just signed on for seven more years and $91 million. [NHL]
• They say they aren’t trading unsigned Simon Edvinsson, either. [TSN]
• Brady Tkachuks’ hat trick was the “first natural hat trick with all three assisted by a brother” in NHL history. Not even the Stastnys, apparently… [Athletic]
• In which the Tkachuks sing about how nice it is to play with each other, and seem to suggest all the Hughes should gather in Minnesota. [Athletic]
• The Hurricanes are dealing with some injuries, first Jordan Staal for two months and now Taylor Hall, too. [Sportsnet]
• Where is Connor Hellebuyck headed, and when? [Sportsnet]
• Speaking of whom, this is mostly just meaningless early-season power rankings, but “Over the last five years, only one goalie has saved more goals above expected than Sorokin and he’s currently sitting at home.” [Athletic]
• Not sure why the NHLPA even needs to defend no-trade clauses that were freely negotiated, but here we are. [Sportsnet]
• Faust Arp Aatu Raty is on waivers with the intention of an AHL assignment. [Sportsnet]

DENVER — The NHL can’t seem to go a season without confusing its fans with controversial officiating decisions, and Wednesday night’s disallowed goal in the Colorado Avalanche’s loss to the Dallas Stars is the latest example of a league struggling to define—and consistently enforce—its own rules.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scored Wednesday night, but he also had a goal taken away in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena. During the first period, Jaden Schwartz ripped a one-timer that bounced off Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith’s pads before deflecting off Landeskog just below his right knee and into the net.

NHL replay officials in Toronto overturned the goal, ruling that Landeskog had directed the puck into the net with a distinct kicking motion.

First and foremost, this was a poor call by the officials. It’s not difficult to dissect the ruling and question the reasoning behind it. The definition of distinct is unmistakable or readily discernible. If the kicking motion was so distinct, why did it take so long to make the call? Why did it require an extended review of the replay?

Clearly, the call wasn’t as unmistakable as the rule’s wording suggests. If officials need that much time to scrutinize the footage, perhaps the motion wasn’t nearly as distinct as they ultimately determined.

After reviewing the replay several times, Landeskog’s skate does move forward. But is that really a kicking motion? Not necessarily. You have to consider the play in real time. How else was Landeskog supposed to react?

The game is faster than ever, and the players are more skilled than ever. Everything happens in a split second, leaving little time to process what’s happening, let alone consciously decide how to redirect a puck. Do we really think Landeskog had time to calculate some Jackie Chan-style maneuver to kick the puck into the net? Of course not. He was reacting to a play unfolding in front of him.

Landeskog himself seemed to share that frustration. When asked whether he felt the call was fair, the Avalanche captain pointed to the difference between watching the play in slow motion and seeing it unfold in real time.

“If you watch it in real speed, there’s no chance I can react to that and kick that puck,” Landeskog explained. “When you watch a slow-mo, it looks like a kick motion, maybe. But if you’re watching real time, there’s just, like, I have it lifted already, and I go to plant it, to skate.”

Landeskog acknowledged that the decision had been made and that it wasn’t the first time a goal had been overturned, nor would it likely be the last. Still, his explanation gets to the heart of the controversy: a movement that might look intentional in slow motion can appear entirely different at full speed.

That’s what makes this call so frustrating. There’s a difference between a player deliberately kicking a puck into the net and a puck deflecting off a skate as a player reacts instinctively. If the NHL wants to disallow goals in these situations, the distinction needs to be clearer. Otherwise, we’re left debating the same subjective interpretations that have plagued the league for years.

Maybe the NHL needs to rethink the wording of the rule. Perhaps it should remove the word distinct and simply refer to a kicking motion. At least then, the argument would be more straightforward. Landeskog’s skate moves forward as the puck makes contact just below his knee. You can make a case that there was a kicking motion, even if I disagree with the decision to overturn the goal.

But the word distinct matters. It implies something clear, obvious and unmistakable. And after watching the replay, I don’t believe the evidence meets that standard. What stands out most isn't the clarity of the kicking motion, but the inconsistency with which these types of plays seem to be judged across the NHL.

And I guarantee we’ll see another controversy like this soon. Much like goaltender interference, the distinct kicking motion could become another source of frustration for players, coaches and fans who are left wondering what the rule actually means from one game to the next.

Now, before this turns into an exercise in making excuses for the Avalanche, let’s give credit where it’s due: Wednesday night was an incredible game. Both teams played well, and Colorado and Dallas had plenty of opportunities to add to the score. Did the disallowed goal mathematically affect the final result? Of course. A goal changes the circumstances of a game, and nobody can say with certainty how things would have unfolded if it had counted.

But that doesn’t mean the call alone decided the outcome. Both teams contributed to a competitive game that ultimately went to a shootout, and either side could have found another way to win.

That’s precisely why the officiating deserves scrutiny on its own merits. This isn’t about pretending the Avalanche played a perfect game or suggesting that one decision explains everything. It’s about asking whether the NHL got a crucial call right and whether its rules are being applied consistently.

The NHL needs to be more transparent about how these decisions are made. Explain the standard. Show fans how the rule is being interpreted. Establish consistency so that players and teams know what to expect.

Because if a goal can be overturned based on a motion that remains debatable even after repeated reviews, then the league has a problem that goes beyond one game.

In my view, this was not the right call. And if the NHL doesn’t do a better job of clarifying and consistently enforcing the rule, it’s only a matter of time before we’re having this same conversation again.

Tonight, the Colorado Avalanche took on the Dallas Stars for the second night of a back-to-back, and ultimately lost 3-2 in a shootout. It was a wild ride which saw two Avalanche goals called back, another shorthanded goal given up and another game against Dallas decided in a shootout.

Let’s take a look at all the action from tonight.

First Period

It initially looked like Colorado had scored at two different points, but one goal was called back due to being offside, and the other one was called back for the puck being kicked into the back of the net. Jaden Schwartz converted on another beautiful setup from Fedor Svechkov but it didn’t count, then the refs decided Gabe Landeskog kicked the puck. Therefore the first period would end in a scoreless tie and the Avalanche held a slight 9-7 shot advantage.

Second Period

After the first intermission the Avs finally got on the board (officially), with a goal that counted from Landeskog, who was able to put a great tip on the puck to deflect it past Dallas netminder Casey DeSmith for the 1-0 lead.

That was not all the scoring as Dallas would tie the game at 1-1 late into the second period, with a shot from Miro Heiskanen who was completely uncovered and beat Scott Wedgewood cleanly. Thus, setting up a big third period to come.

Third Period

The Avalanche had four power play chances in this game but Stars would take the lead early into the third period with a breakaway short-handed goal from Arttu Hyry, making it 2-1 in Dallas’ favor.

Brock Nelson was able to tie it up in regulation, as he was able to find the puck right near the goal, and put it past DeSmith to make it 2-2, and we would head to overtime after that.

Overtime & Shootout

Neither team would ultimately score in overtime with it being incredibly low event and the Stars getting the only shot on goal in the five minute period. Therefore a shootout was needed. First Jason Robertson converted on Scott Wedgewood but Nazem Kadri tied it up. Nathan MacKinnon couldn’t score as the last shooter in the third round but then Roope Hintz was able to get one in the fourth round and Dallas would take this game in the shootout by a score of 3-2.

Takeaways

Honestly, after a frustrating game (to say the least) like this, I’ll more than happily take a point. Coming out of a back-to-back with 3/4 points is good work, in my opinion, and if you were to tell me that would be the outcome at the beginning of this back-to-back, I would have been more than happy to hear that. Now, that doesn’t change that there were still some frustrations during the game, despite the overall outcome. Obviously, the two overturned goals were frustrating, and the special teams were also incredibly frustrating to watch tonight.

Giving up a shorthanded goal is not at all what you want to see, and yes, it’s early in the season; we’re at game seven right now, but I feel like something still needs to be done, and quickly considering that was the third shorthanded goal given up already. We were in this boat last season watching the power play, and we’re already back here early in the season. On a much more positive side, this was a game where the second line looked really solid; obviously, Landeskog had the first goal of the game, and Nelson was the one to tie the game up in the third period after the Stars scored a shorthanded goal. There was a ton of line blending as Bednar continues to try and find a top six mix that can consistently generate offense.

For those keeping tabs on the roster, Cale Makar did play after his wife delivered twin boys this morning. Nic Roy was a surprise scratch and the team said he’s healing with a lower-body injury. Zach L’Heureux is also still out with an upper-body injury. Gavin Brindley was recalled and the Avalanche still only had 11 forwards to dress. More roster news should be forthcoming in the coming days,

Upcoming

Next, the Avalanche welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to town on Friday, October 16. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. MT.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Tuch scored twice and added an assist and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Jordan Kyrou had a goal and assist, Justin Holl and Ivan Miroshnichenko also scored and Charlie Lindgren stopped 26 shots to help the Capitals snap a two-game losing streak.

Josh Anderson scored twice and Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki added goals for the Canadiens.

Montreal got off to a quick start when Anderson, alone at the net front, buried a feed from Alex Newhook 4:56 into play. Minutes later, Kryou responded, cutting to the middle before rifling a quick shot past Jakub Dobes.

Roughly halfway through the first, Montreal regained the lead, as Hutson, playing against younger brother Cole for the first time, beat Charlie Lindgren on a quick shot from the slot. With 25 seconds to go in the period, the Capitals tied it 2 on a power play. Ivan Miroshnichenko’s backdoor feed to Tuch went off Anderson’s stick and in.

Washington took a 3-2 lead 6:16 into the second period, when Tuch had a short-handed goal. Anderson tied it again from close range.

Justin Holl broke the tie with 7:31 minutes to go, beating Dobes on a point shot through traffic. Tuch added an insurance goal minutes later for his fifth of the season.

STARS 3, AVALANCHE 2, SO

DENVER )(AP) — Roope Hintz scored in the fourth round of the shootout and Dallas beat Colorado in a game where the Avalanche had two early goals disallowed.

Hintz sent a wrist shot past Scott Wedgewood. Casey DeSmith secured the win by stopping Brock Nelson.

Miro Heiskanen and Arttu Hyry scored for the Stars, who split a back-to back set of games with the Avalanche. They lost 3-2 at home the night before.

Hyry nearly won it in overtime but sent a bouncing puck off the post. Hyry’s short-handed tally off a steal against Cale Makar gave the Stars a 2-1 lead early in the third period before Nelson tied it with 11:39 left.

The Avalanche had quite a night of disallowed goals and close calls. Jaden Schwartz saw his score overturned in the first period after the Stars successfully challenged for offsides. Later in the period, Gabriel Landeskog’s goal was taken off the board when it was ruled the captain made a kicking motion to knock in the puck.

In the third, Gavin Brindley thought he scored and even began celebrating with teammates. But the officials never ruled it a goal and replays showed it glanced off both posts and didn’t go into the net.

Three days after the Pittsburgh Penguins put together their best performance of the season against the Dallas Stars, they dropped an absolute dud against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

They had another slow start, allowing a goal less than a minute into the first period before rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov allowed a backbreaking goal with 4:18 left in the third period. The Penguins had rallied from two goals down to tie the game in the third before losing 5-3. 

There were a couple of positives to take from the game (like Sidney Crosby's performance), but there were also plenty of negatives, including Rickard Rakell's continued slow start.

Rakell has played in all seven games to start the year, but has only two points (all assists). To make matters worse, he hasn't come close to scoring and has been a net negative each time he's on the ice. He's not doing anything offensively or defensively, whether it's at 5v5 or on the power play. 

Rakell has notoriously been a slow starter throughout his career, but he's never looked this bad to start a season since becoming a Penguin. Because of this, it makes the most sense to move him further down the lineup and promote someone else to the top line.

For example, Nick Robertson scored his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday and has done most of his damage in a fourth-line role. He should get another crack on the top line with Crosby and Rust, especially since Crosby and Robertson showed at least a little bit of chemistry at the start of the year. 

You could move Rakell down to the third line to play with Ben Kindel, who's had a rotating cast of linemates at the start of the season. It'd be a fascinating fit, but it could jump-start Rakell since Kindel won't be afraid to let him rip the puck. 

Takeaways: Defense, Goaltending Falter In Penguins' 5-3 Loss To BlackhawksThe Pittsburgh Penguins delivered a questionable effort against the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday in response to a near-flawless performance Saturday.

The fourth line could then feature Elmer Soderblom with Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte. The staff needs to give Soderblom more looks, especially after he played so well against the Stars on Saturday. 

This would make the Penguins' lineup a bit more balanced, and it would still give Rakell a chance to rebound. He won't have to play almost 20 minutes a night like he's playing right now. 

Now, if Rakell's play doesn't rebound after a demotion, then the Penguins have a bigger problem on their hands. 

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All Times EDT

Thursday, Oct. 15

NFL

Seattle at Denver, 8:15 p.m.

MLB - Playoffs

American League Championship Series - Game 3

Tampa Bay at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

National League Championship Series - Game 4

Milwaukee at L.A. Dodgers, 8 p.m.

NBA - Preseason

Toronto at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

NHL

Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Florida, 7 p.m.

Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

San Jose at Nashville, 8 p.m.

St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Winnipeg at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Utah at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

Calgary at Vegas, 10 p.m.

_____

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have battled overturned goals, a flurry of penalties and a costly turnover, but they refuse to go away quietly against the Dallas Stars.

After Gabriel Landeskog finally put Colorado on the board in the second period, Dallas answered through Miro Heiskanen before Arttu Hyry capitalized on a Cale Makar turnover to give the Stars a 2-1 lead early in the third. But Brock Nelson came through with a timely rebound goal at 8:21, tying the game at 2 and reigniting the crowd as the third period continues at Ball Arena.

First Period

Colorado appeared to get off to a quick start when Jaden Schwartz buried a rebound just 1:55 into the game off an initial shot from Fedor Svechkov. However, Dallas challenged the play for offsides, and the goal was overturned.

The Avalanche soon found themselves shorthanded after Brent Burns was called for tripping Colin Blackwell. Colorado’s penalty kill came through, keeping the game scoreless.

Things got chippy at the 7:24 mark when Jamie Benn reached down and pulled Artturi Lehkonen’s helmet off during a battle along the boards. The officials caught the move, sending Benn to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Colorado nearly paid for it anyway. Dallas turned the early stages of the power play into a 2-on-2 rush, with Arttu Hyry closing in on Scott Wedgewood, but the Avalanche goaltender shut the door with a glove save.

Colorado thought it had finally found the back of the net again moments later. Schwartz fired a one-timer that bounced off Casey DeSmith’s pads, and Gabriel Landeskog knocked in the rebound off his right skate. The officials ruled that Landeskog kicked the puck in, wiping away Colorado’s second goal of the period before the midway point.

The penalties continued when Brett Kulak dropped Tyler Seguin following a post-whistle slash, earning a roughing minor. Colorado killed that one off as well, then nearly took the lead when Sam Malinski fired a wrist shot through traffic, only for DeSmith to come up with a glove save.

Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen gave Colorado another power-play opportunity with a tripping penalty on Nathan MacKinnon with 5:50 remaining. The Avalanche couldn’t capitalize, but another penalty followed when Mikko Rantanen tripped Malinski after the two exchanged cross-checks.

Colorado finished the period scoreless, with 17 seconds remaining on Rantanen’s penalty.

Second Period

The Avalanche finally broke through at 4:55 of the second period, and it was a well-worked goal.

Malinski kept the puck alive at the point before sliding it over to Nazem Kadri, who found Landeskog in front of the net. The Colorado captain redirected the pass past DeSmith to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.

After having two goals overturned in the opening period, Colorado finally had one that counted. The Avalanche now have the lead as the second period continues.

Dallas tied it with less than five minutes to go in the period after former Av Mikko Rantanen fed Miro Heiskanen, who snuck into the zone undetected in the low slot, with a one-timer that sizzled by Wedgewood.

We entered the third period with a tie game. 

Third Period

After Rantanen committed his second penalty of the game early in the third after tripping Nazem Kadri, Cale Makar made a $20.4 million turnover as he was stripped of the puck by Arttu Hyru, who beat Wedgewood on the breakaway to give Dallas a 2-1 lead.

And Gavin Brindley had everyone fooled. He fired what appeared to be a goal, but it rang off the post as 18,000 fans roared only for reality to strike moments later when no celebratory goal horn ensued.

Colorado's luck finally turned around at the 8:21 mark when Brock Nelson was just in the right place at the right time to capitalize on a rebound off a howitzer one-timer from Artturi Lehkonen and knocked in the rebound to tie the game at 2. Credit goes to Nazem Kadri as well, who took a big hit along the boards as he got the pass of to Lehkonen. 

The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled winger Bradly Nadeau from the Chicago Wolves.

The move comes on the heels of yet another injury to the Hurricanes' forward group, with winger Taylor Hall leaving Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury.

Hall joins Jordan Staal (who'll be out 1-2 months with a partial calf tear) and Seth Jarvis (nearing a return from offseason shoulder surgery) on the injured list, leaving the team without three of their top-nine players.

Nadeau, 21, has appeared in 15 total NHL games, registering three goals and four assists in that span.

The 2023 first-round pick has been a prolific goal scorer throughout every step in his career, having scored over 60 goals in the AHL across the past two seasons.

Beyond the scoring touch though, Nadeau has continued to grow his game, focusing more on his two-way play and his physicality.

While he didn't make the team out of training camp, he was one of the final cuts and he looks ready to be an NHL regular. The only roadblock was the Hurricanes depth, but this could be the opportunity he needs to prove himself.

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