PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 24: Arturs Silovs #37 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save during the second period against the Nashville Predators at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It’s still a few days before we see the Pittsburgh Penguins back in action, but after looking at the injury list, no one will be complaining about the team getting an extra few days off to rest and recover. Bodies have been dropping all over for the Penguins as of late, and the less games they have to play while some of these guys heal up then it’s all for the better. In the meantime, fans will have to sit tight and hope once the Penguins do return to action on Thursday, some help arrives in the form of fresh bodies.
Pens Points…
Coming off a few tough weeks of hockey to begin the season, the Penguins are granted some much needed rest this week, getting four days off with only a pair of contests on the schedule later in the week. Adding to that, when action does resume, reinforcements could be coming as well. [Pensburgh]
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Rickard Rakell with only two goals to his name through the first 12 games. Saturday against Nashville was easily Rakell’s best game of the season to date and the kind of game the Penguins will need more out of their top line winger. [Pensburgh]
An array of injuries up and down the Penguins roster has opened opportunities for players being called up to make an impression. Although he’s waiting for his NHL debut, defenseman Chase Pietila is hoping to make the most of his time with the big club. [Trib Live]
NHL News and Notes…
An Edmonton Oiler not named Connor McDavid is the NHL’s First Star of the Week for the latest edition of the weekly honors. Leon Draisaitl went 6-3-9 for the Oilers this week to take home the top spot. Joining Draisaitl among the honorees were goaltenders Devin Cooley and Jacob Fowler. [NHL]
Connor Hellebuyck was granted his wish and has been traded away by the Winnipeg Jets. Now with his new team in New Jersey, Hellebuyck is back on the ice and ready to debut for the Devils, but the exact date for his big moment remains up in the air. [NHL]
The Detroit Red Wings wrapped up their four-game road trip Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers by giving Michal Postava the start in net after calling him up from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins due to an injury to Daniil Tarasov.
It was proven to be the correct choice.
Making his first NHL start, Postava turned aside 25 shots in both regulation and overtime before staring down Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the shootout, denying all three and securing a 4-3 comeback victory for his club.
In doing so, he became the third goaltender over the last 25 years of Red Wings history to win his first NHL start, joining Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek.
Following the game, it felt as though he was a youngster again.
"It's amazing, I feel like a kid," Postava said afterward. "I just watch all the NHL games when I was young. I just, I don't expect that one day, I'd be one day in the net and win the game. I'm just so happy."
Speaking in a heavy Czech accent reminiscent of former Red Wings goaltender and fellow Czech native Dominik Hasek, Postava said his main goal was to enjoy the experience and help his teammates.
"Just go to enjoy the game and help the guys, make some saves," he said.
Former Oilers head coach Todd McLellan, who gave Postava the starting responsibilities against the high-powered Edmonton offense, said that the performance of the young goaltender was indicitive of how he's played with the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.
"We had a pretty good idea that Postava was what we saw tonight, and he was outstanding last year; the start to the season was really good," he said.
Of course, the preseason schedule for 2026-27 shrunk to just four games, meaning that a young player like Postava wouldn't have as much of a chance to show what he could do at the NHL level.
But that hasn't stopped the Red Wings from expressing confidence in his abiliites, which he's already put on full display in Grand Rapids and now has done so in the NHL.
"Unfortunately, the way the exhibition schedule is set up now, these goaltenders don't get a lot of runway, which I think sucks for them - but yeah, we've liked him all along, and he's continued to work," McLellan continued. "The goaltending coaches are very confident in him. So are the players."
The Red Wings got goals in regulation from Viktor Arvidsson, Emmitt Finnie, and the game-tying marker from Dylan Larkin with 1:17 left while Postava was pulled for an extra attacker.
They'll return home to face the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, who now have former Red Wings forward Patrick Kane back in the fold, at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday evening.
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Los Angeles Kings (3-5-2, in the Pacific Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (3-8, in the Central Division)
Chicago; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Kings -123, Blackhawks +101; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Los Angeles Kings after losing three in a row.
Chicago is 3-4-0 at home and 3-8 overall. The Blackhawks have gone 1-3-0 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.
Los Angeles has a 2-2-2 record in road games and a 3-5-2 record overall. The Kings have gone 1-1-2 in one-goal games.
The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.
INJURIES: Blackhawks: Ryan Ellis: out for season (back), Bowen Byram: day to day (upper-body).
Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Quinton Byfield: day to day (upper body), Mats Zuccarello: out (upper-body), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed), Alex Turcotte: out (undisclosed).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Lucas Raymond scored the only goal of the shootout and had a pair of assists in regulation as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Monday night.
Viktor Arvidsson, Emmitt Finnie and Dylan Larkin scored in regulation for the Red Wings, who went 2-1-1 on a four-game road trip.
Michal Postava made 25 stops in regulation and three more in the shootout to earn the win in his first career start. The 24-year-old undrafted netminder from Czechia was appearing in his second career game, after replacing John Gibson in the third period of a 5-2 win against Vancouver last Thursday.
Vasily Podkolzin, Isaac Howard and Colton Dach scored for the Oilers, who have lost two straight as well as forward Zach Hyman to what looked to be a concussion.
Tristan Jarry made 26 saves for Edmonton.
Connor McDavid had an assist to extend his season-starting points streak to 12 games, now with an NHL-best 34 points. He set a team record for most points before Nov. 1, and also matched the longest season-opening assist streak in NHL history, matching Sebastian Aho, Ken Linseman and Wayne Gretzky.
Detroit fell behind three times and tied the game for a third time with 1:17 remaining in the third and their goalie pulled as a bouncing puck came to Larkin in front and he shoveled in his second of the season.
Up next
Red Wings: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.
Oilers: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
New York Rangers goaltender James Reimer reacts after allowing a goal in the first period during an NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.
The Rangers got off to such strong starts at the beginning of the season that the team didn’t give up a single first-period goal until their seventh game.
Over their past seven contests, however, the Blueshirts have allowed a combined nine first-period goals while scoring only five. The high level of energy they had at puck drop earlier this season has steadily slipped, most recently resulting in a two-goal deficit by the first intermission on the way to a 6-3 loss to the Kings on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
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“The biggest thing for me was I didn’t love the start,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the loss. “I just didn’t think, from a mindset standpoint, I don’t think we had enough guys that were ready to play from the drop of the puck. So we’ve got to fix that fast. The onus is on each individual to get himself ready for when the puck drops. It wasn’t everybody, but we just didn’t have enough.”
After giving up two goals on the first two shots he faced, veteran goalie James Reimer heard sarcastic applause from the MSG crowd for making his first save in a red, white and blue sweater.
The very first Kings goal came off a Drew Doughty leading feed to Taylor Ward, who split Rangers defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson for a breakaway goal.
Sullivan ended up splitting Durzi and Pettersson later in the game after they were on for the Kings second goal as well.
New York Rangers goaltender James Reimer reacts after allowing a goal in the first period during an NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Durzi took some shifts next to Alberts Smits, while Pettersson skated alongside Braden Schneider.
“It was an accumulation of events over time,” Sullivan said of what led to the decision. “We felt as a coaching staff, for the first probably seven or eight games, Marcus and Durz were a pretty solid pair for us. They get hard minutes, they get a lot of D-zone starts against top players. That pair has been pretty solid for us. I think the last five or six it’s been a little bit of a struggle for them, for whatever reason. Durz is battling through some stuff physically and I’m sure that might be part of it.
“But we just felt to affect a little bit of change, maybe we’ll split the pairs and see what we get. It wasn’t a reaction to the game tonight, it was an accumulation of events over the course of the last probably four or five games.”
“I really enjoyed being here,” said Laviolette, who is now head coach of the Kings. “I love being at Madison Square Garden. I mean, the New York fans were just awesome. I can’t tell you how many times I was around the country and somebody would come up to me and say, ‘I’m the biggest Rangers fan ever.’ And I’m like, ‘They’re all the biggest Rangers fans ever.’ And I think they are. They talk about the history of how their grandfather took them to a game like 50 years ago, and they’re 60 years old and now they’re taking their grandkids. Because it’s been around for 100 years, you get stories like that. “You can feel the passion from the people and the fans, and it’s pretty cool to be in a city like this. It’s one of the greatest cities in the country. It’s a huge sports market. It’s Madison Square Garden. It’s the New York Rangers. There was a lot of things that I loved about being here and part of New York.”
Adam Fox skated in his 500th NHL game and extended his home point streak to seven straight games (one goal, eight assists).
The reality without Igor Shesterkin is beginning to dawn on the New York Rangers. That harsh reality was made even more apparent after their 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
In the wake of Shesterkin’s season-ending injury, Garand had started in seven consecutive games, and while he began without a hitch, the cracks in his game were becoming increasingly evident, as he gave up a total of 10 goals through the Rangers’ most recent two-game road trip.
Sullivan noted that he was mindful of Garand’s workload, as Garand had only started in three NHL games prior to this season, but was the team’s best option in net with both Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo injured.
Korpisalo resumed skating on Sunday, but it’s still unclear when he’ll be able to return from a lower-body injury that has kept him out for multiple weeks.
In an attempt to give Garand a rest, the Rangers signed veteran goaltender James Reimer to a one-year, $850,000 contract and started him on Monday night against the Kings.
The gamble on Reimer did not go as planned. The 38-year-old goaltender gave up three goals on just eight shots and was pulled for Garand after the first period.
Mike Sullivan took accountability for throwing Reimer into a situation that he wasn't necessarily prepared for.
“Let's just acknowledge we're in a difficult circumstance when our top two goalies are injured. We're trying to find a way to shore this thing up as best we can,” Sullivan said. “I think Dylan has given us some really good games. His workload is mounting. For Reims, to come in the way he has in short order and come into a game like this, it's not an easy challenge. It's a tough challenge and I just felt like the way the game was going, I just felt like maybe Reims needs a little bit more preparation before we put him in that circumstance. I put him in a tough spot. That's on me.”
In relief of Reimer, Garand was forced to jump into action and made 15 saves on 17 shots, but was unable to change the momentum of the game.
Due to the Rangers’ lack of goaltending depth behind Garand at the moment, he’s been put into a difficult spot, not only presiding over the starting goaltending position but also taking on a heavy workload that is both physically and mentally taxing for any goalie, let alone one with very minimal NHL experience.
New York’s most recent skid, in which they’ve lost three consecutive games, cannot entirely be blamed on their goaltending play, though.
To start the season, the Rangers played a highly structured defensive brand of hockey that helped translate to an impressive 7-3 start to the season.
Recently, the Blueshirts have strayed away from the identity that they prided themselves on, giving up more high-danger scoring chances and struggling to play a tight defensive game over the course of their past few games.
“The last little stretch here has been trending the wrong way,” J.T. Miller said. “We need to go back to playing to our identity. We're playing the opposite of that right now. We're making it too easy. We're lacking physicality.”
The Rangers are not an overly dynamic offensive team, which is why they are not built to win in the high-scoring affairs they’ve found themselves in recently or come back from multi-goal deficits.
A key to the Rangers’ success to start the season was the way they were able to capture an early lead and protect it by effectively playing a strong shutdown defensive style.
However, they’ve recently put themselves in deficits, largely due to their faulty defensive play, and have had to chase the game, losing their identity in the process.
“I think our guys have played really well with the lead throughout the course of this early part of the season,” Sullivan said. “There's no doubt that that has been in fact the case. If you get down multiple goals in the game, it's hard because then you're chasing it… I think we've given up multiple goals and that's a challenge because now you're digging out of the hole, and that's tough.”
All of these issues go back to the root problem of Shesterkin’s absence.
The Rangers’ entire identity and style of play center around Shesterkin, whom Sullivan described as “arguably our best player.”
“When you look at the makeup of our group, we have an elite goalie in Shesty, and if we build a good team, solid team game in front of him, defend hard, we are going to be in a lot of hockey games,” Sullivan said after the Rangers’ Oct. 4 win over the Utah Mammoth.
Over the years, many of the Blueshirts’ flaws have been covered up by Shesterkin, but without him, the team’s weaknesses are only magnified.
These recent struggles have been a combination of the Rangers failing to put together a consistent defensive effort and their goaltending problems without Shesterkin catching up to them.
The Rangers won’t play again until Sunday, giving the team a much-needed rest and reset as they look to overcome this skid and get back on track.
The way Detroit Red Wings goaltender Michal Postava stared down two of the NHL's best forwards, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, made you think he'd done this more than a few times already.
Postava, in his first NHL start, helped backstop the Red Wings in a 4-3 shootout comeback win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place, earning his first NHL victory.
After making 25 saves in regulation and overtime, including a game-saving stop in the waning seconds of OT on defenseman Evan Bouchard, Postava denied McDavid, Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the shootout, capping the final save with an emphatic fist pump in celebration as he was surrounded by his teammates.
The Oilers struck first thanks to a fortunate bounce off the skate of Vasily Podkolzin, who was credited with his eighth goal of the season in the game's opening period.
Former Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson, who played one season in Edmonton in 2024-25, knotted the score at 1-1 with his fifth goal of the campaign, converting on the power play with a one-timed shot past goaltender Tristan Jarry off a feed from Lucas Raymond.
The Oilers and Red Wings traded goals 30 seconds apart in the early goings of the third period, as Emmitt Finnie responded a half minute after former Michigan State Spartan Isaac Howard gave Edmonton the lead.
It appeared as though Edmonton had scored the game-winning goal late in the frame after Colton Dach deflected a shot from Ryan Shea past Postava, who was soon pulled for an extra attacker.
Instead, it was Dylan Larkin who buried a loose puck past Jarry from the top of the crease with 1:17 left in regulation, knotting the score at 3-3.
Following a scoreless overtime, Lucas Raymond was the only shootout goal scorer, ensuring Detroit got the extra point in the standings.
While Postava made 25 saves for his first NHL win, Jarry stopped 26 Detroit shots.
The Red Wings, who finished their four-game road swing with a 2-1-1 record, return home to face former teammate Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday evening at Little Caesars Arena.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Drew Doughty had a goal and two assists, and Artemi Panarin added a power-play goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Monday night.
The Kings won for the third time in their last four games — all on the road — after going winless over their first six games of the season.
Los Angeles jumped on New York early, chasing goaltender James Reimer after one period. Reimer was pulled in his Rangers debut after allowing three goals on eight shots. Reimer played just one previous game this fall, a 35-save shutout in the American Hockey League on Saturday night, before signing an NHL contract for the rest of the season.
Taylor Ward opened the scoring 1:15 into the game on the Kings’ first shot. Brandt Clarke made it 2-0 at 4:52 of the first, tipping in a rebound off Joel Armia’s slap shot.
J.T. Miller got New York on the board when a Tye Kartye slap shot deflected off his skate and past Darcy Kuemper.
Mikey Anderson and Taylor Ward added second-period goals for the Kings before Adam Fox cut the deficit to 5-2 on the power play with 6:55 to play in the second. Kartye got the Rangers within two at 16:08 of the third period, before Joel Edmundson scored in an empty net for his first goal of the season for Los Angeles.
Kuemper made 23 saves to pick up his third win of the season. After replacing Reimer, Dylan Garand stopped 15 of the 17 shots he faced.
FLAMES 5, MAPLE LEAFS 2
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matvei Gridin scored twice as surging Calgary made it four straight wins with a victory over Toronto.
Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary, while Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil added empty-netters. Farabee, who also had an assist, and Matt Coronato, who had a pair of assists, extended their point streaks to five games.
Easton Cowan and William Nylander scored for the Leafs, whose four-game win streak came to an end. Auston Matthews had an assist on Nylander’s goal for his 800th NHL point. He is the fastest player in Leafs history to reach that milestone and the second-fastest U.S.-born player to reach 800 career points, doing so in 703 games.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matvei Gridin scored twice as the surging Calgary Flames made it four straight wins with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.
Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary, while Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil added empty-netters. Farabee, who also had an assist, and Matt Coronato, who had a pair of assists, extended their point streaks to five games.
Easton Cowan and William Nylander scored for the Leafs, whose four-game win streak came to an end. Auston Matthews had an assist on Nylander’s goal for his 800th NHL point. He is the fastest player in Leafs history to reach that milestone and the second-fastest U.S.-born player to reach 800 career points, doing so in 703 games.
Devin Cooley made 26 stops to improve to 4-2-0.
Sergei Bobrovsky had 29 saves for Toronto.
Calgary grabbed control of the game midway through the first period on goals less than two minutes apart by Gridin and Backlund. Backlund returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury.
Gridin’s first goal at 10:05 came from a sharp angle off the left wing when he picked the top corner on Bobrovsky’s short side.
Gridin’s second of the night was scored on the power play 25 seconds into the second period. It was another top corner snipe, this one over Bobrovsky’s other shoulder.
Toronto's Kirill Marchenko (lower body) left the game early in the second period after he went into the boards awkwardly after a hit from Yegor Sharangovich.
Calgary beat Toronto for the first time since Feb. 10, 2022. The Leafs had won the last eight meetings. It was Toronto’s longest active winning streak against any opponent.
Up next
Maple Leafs: Visit the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Flames: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
That statement acutely reflects the Rangers’ current predicament in goal after the recently signed veteran goalie James Reimer gave up three goals on eight shots to start a 6-3 thrashing by the Kings on Monday night that ended the Blueshirts’ undefeated streak at Madison Square Garden.
“Let’s just acknowledge we’re in a difficult circumstance when our top two goalies are injured,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the loss. “We’re trying to find a way to shore this thing up as best we can. I think Dylan has given us some really good games. His workload is mounting. For Reims, to come in the way he has in short order and come into a game like this, it’s not an easy challenge.
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“It’s a tough challenge and I just felt like the way the game was going, I just felt like maybe Reims needs a little bit more preparation before we put him in that circumstance. I put him in a tough spot. That’s on me.”
Earlier in the day, Sullivan acknowledged how much the organization has asked of Dylan Garand in recent weeks.
Garand had started the previous seven games, appearing in eight in a row dating back to when the rookie netminder relieved Igor Shesterkin after the star goalie suffered his season-ending knee injury in Washington.
Signing Reimer, who was on a professional tryout with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, was meant to give Garand a reprieve.
And yet, there was Garand replacing Reimer at the start of the second period with the Rangers trailing 3-1.
The 38-year-old Reimer was slow to react in his first NHL game of the season, giving up goals on each of the first two shots he faced. And when the Rangers finally started to catch some momentum following J.T. Miller’s fourth goal of the season, Reimer couldn’t track a one-timer from Drew Doughty at the top of the zone and his team lost any push it had just as quickly as it started.
Pulling Reimer early and attempting to salvage the game fell on a Rangers team that was already reeling.
A cold Garand had to face a Kings power play almost immediately, and former Ranger Artemi Panarin was right there to deliver a 4-1 dagger. Garand ultimately gave up two goals on the 17 shots he faced in his fifth regulation loss of the season.
Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (9) reacts after the Kings score a goal in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Despite flashes of No. 1 goalie potential from Garand, the jury is still out on if he’s a seasonlong solution for the Rangers.
The fact that Korpisalo, who has been on injured reserve with a foot infection, as confirmed by The Post, is considered a potential saving grace is a telling sign of the current state of the Rangers goaltending depth.
Given a four-week timeline Oct. 10, Korpisalo is projected to return around Nov. 7 as the Rangers begin their four-game swing in Seattle and Western Canada. Sullivan said Korpisalo skated for the first couple of times in recent days and is “making progress.”
Still, the 32-year-old goalie hasn’t cracked a .900 save percentage in a single season since the 2022-23 campaign.
New York Rangers goaltender James Reimer reacts after allowing a goal in the first period during an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Rangers are naturally looking to see what Korpisalo can do when he’s ready, especially since president and general manager Chris Drury sent Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round pick to Boston to bring him to New York.
But for the first time in a long time, goaltending may be a big problem for the Blueshirts.
The five-day break in the game schedule couldn’t be coming at a better time. Not only will Garand be able to rest up, but the Rangers will be one week closer to getting another option in net.
“It’s been a lot of hockey for us players, I can’t imagine for a goalie being out there all 60 minutes,” Will Cuylle said. “Obviously, he’s stepped up big time. Kind of a whirlwind of emotions for him probably with the scenario, but he stepped up and he’s a hardworking kid. I think he’s doing great and we got tons of faith in him.”
The Los Angeles Kings celebrate a goal as New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand looks dejected during the second period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
While management dreamed of using the impending cap relief from Shesterkin’s eventual season-ending LTIR designation to bolster other areas of the lineup, goaltending may need to take precedence if it becomes a consistent issue.
Although the Rangers’ steadily deteriorating defensive structure isn’t inspiring much confidence at the moment that such a move would even be worth it.
The Rangers lost to a Kings team that won its first two games of the season just last week after going 0-4-2 to start.
In ex-Rangers coach Peter Laviolette’s first time back at MSG since taking over behind the Kings bench, Los Angeles jumped on the home team early.
New York Rangers goaltender James Reimer reacts on the bench during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. The Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers 6-3. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Rangers’ effort wasn’t at the level it’s been for a majority of this season, but repeatedly being burned by saveable shots made finding any rhythm impossible. It resulted in the Blueshirts giving up five goals or more for a third consecutive contest as they fell to 7-6-1 on the season.
“When we’re disconnected, this is kind of what it looks like,” Mika Zibanejad said. “We’re late everywhere. We don’t close. It’s impossible to close, too, and get help when we’re that spread out. Now we have a bit of a break here, and we’ve just got to swallow this one and reset.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Drew Doughty had a goal and two assists, and Artemi Panarin added a power-play goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Monday night.
The Kings won for the third time in their last four games — all on the road — after going winless over their first six games of the season.
Los Angeles jumped on New York early, chasing goaltender James Reimer after one period. Reimer was pulled in his Rangers debut after allowing three goals on eight shots. Reimer played just one previous game this fall, a 35-save shutout in the American Hockey League on Saturday night, before signing an NHL contract for the rest of the season.
Taylor Ward opened the scoring 1:15 into the game on the Kings’ first shot. Brandt Clarke made it 2-0 at 4:52 of the first, tipping in a rebound off Joel Armia's slap shot.
J.T. Miller got New York on the board when a Tye Kartye slap shot deflected off his skate and past Darcy Kuemper.
Mikey Anderson and Taylor Ward added second-period goals for the Kings before Adam Fox cut the deficit to 5-2 on the power play with 6:55 to play in the second. Kartye got the Rangers within two at 16:08 of the third period, before Joel Edmundson scored in an empty net for his first goal of the season for Los Angeles.
Kuemper made 23 saves to pick up his third win of the season. After replacing Reimer, Dylan Garand stopped 15 of the 17 shots he faced.
A moment of silence was held prior to puck drop for 1970s and ’80s Rangers fan favorite Ron Duguay, who died last week.
NEW YORK (AP) — Drew Doughty had a goal and two assists, and Artemi Panarin added a power-play goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Monday night.
The Kings won for the third time in their last four games — all on the road — after going winless over their first six games of the season.
Los Angeles jumped on New York early, chasing goaltender James Reimer after one period. Reimer was pulled in his Rangers debut after allowing three goals on eight shots. Reimer played just one previous game this fall, a 35-save shutout in the American Hockey League on Saturday night, before signing an NHL contract for the rest of the season.
Taylor Ward opened the scoring 1:15 into the game on the Kings’ first shot. Brandt Clarke made it 2-0 at 4:52 of the first, tipping in a rebound off Joel Armia's slap shot.
J.T. Miller got New York on the board when a Tye Kartye slap shot deflected off his skate and past Darcy Kuemper.
Mikey Anderson and Ward added second-period goals for the Kings before Adam Fox cut the deficit to 5-2 on the power play with 6:55 to play in the second. Kartye got the Rangers within two at 16:08 of the third period, before Joel Edmundson scored in an empty net for his first goal of the season for Los Angeles.
Kuemper made 23 saves to pick up his third win of the season. After replacing Reimer, Dylan Garand stopped 15 of the 17 shots he faced.
A moment of silence was held prior to puck drop for 1970s and ’80s Rangers fan favorite Ron Duguay, who died last week.
Up Next
Kings: At Chicago on Tuesday night.
Rangers: Host Edmonton on Sunday night.
Highlights
J.T. Miller gets the Rangers on the board! https://t.co/ZmQR7YPT29
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Kessel (4) controls the puck in front of Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) during the third period of an NHL hockey game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three goals should be enough for the Islanders to win on a given night, Pete DeBoer said, but there are two issues with that.
First, the Islanders are falling short of three goals per game. And second, while it might be true that three goals gives you a good chance every night, it leaves little margin for error.
So, how to address a 5-on-5 offense that’s lagged behind, even while the Islanders rank eighth in high-danger chances per 60 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick? It’s not a straightforward answer for a team that, simultaneously, feels it is due for better puck luck and that it has a lot of runway to improve.
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Kessel (4) controls the puck in front of Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) during the third period of an NHL hockey game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“There’s always teams at the end of the year that, that gap [between chances and goals] never closes,” DeBoer said after his team held a detail-oriented practice Monday in Nashville, where they’ll face the Predators Tuesday night. “But you can’t coach the puck into the net. I think our idea here is that we continue to tilt the ice, if we continue to win that battle, if we continue to put up those underlying numbers, then we’ll score enough.”
The Islanders probably can expect some positive regression; after all, Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Stars was only their 11th game of the season, and the sloppy performance in Dallas was an outlier.
Still, a note of caution on taking the high-danger chance number as gospel: the expected goals models at both Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey have the Islanders offense much lower-rated at 5-on-5, 17th and 19th, respectively. They haven’t generated many looks in the home plate area around the net, and they know that their offense needs improvement.
“Sometimes just isn’t sharp enough,” Emil Heineman told The Post. “Passes or whatever it is, it’s not crisp, or maybe we’ve been talking a lot to hold onto the puck a little bit more in the O-zone. Not just send it and [make] hope plays. Stuff like that.”
Much of what the Islanders have done well has been without the puck. Sunday aside, their defense and neutral-zone structure have been excellent, leading to a consistent ice tilt in their favor and, in turn, scoring chances.
Even if they’re never going to be a scoring-rich team, that can be enough on a lot of nights. Especially given that the power play has largely cooperated so far.
Emil Heineman (51) of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
“We’re creating a lot of good offense. It’s just a matter of it going in for us and obviously, us bearing down in front of the net,” Bo Horvat told The Post. “Capitalizing on our opportunities is gonna be big for us. For the most part, we’re doing a good job of creating. Last game wasn’t our best and we know that.”
If the Islanders aren’t retrieving pucks, winning battles along the walls and generating a consistent forecheck, offensive issues that can get pushed below the surface otherwise start to bubble up.
That was evident Sunday, when the Islanders were held to just seven high-danger chances at 5-on-5 and never generated pressure for more than a shift at a time.
Given the lack of high-end scorers on their roster, the Islanders need their offense to be based on constant pressure that wears teams down. Creating that was much of the focus Monday, with a practice that seemed based largely on scenarios they struggled with in Dallas.
“It’s looking for the right thing but also being in support of each other,” Kyle Palmieri told The Post. “Knowing where your outs are. When you have the opportunity to keep plays alive, sometimes when you get them trying to break out, it keeps [the other team] out of their structure, too. It’s a process that we’ve been building.”
When Pittsburgh Penguins' defenseman Chase Pietila was around the age of 10 and beginning his road to professional hockey in Michigan, he was choosing his future career path and making friends with some of his very first teammates.
One of those teammates, as it turns out, was another kid aged 10-ish named Rutger McGroarty.
Back then, both played for Honeybaked and overlapped time on the same team in the Detroit area, and they went on to face each other as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program throughout junior hockey.
Now, they're playing in the same organization and sitting in the same locker room suiting up for the same NHL team.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s amazing," Pietila said. "It’s crazy just to see things go full-circle. You know, my first year in AAA, like, when I was really trying to say, like, “Ok, I really like hockey,” he was one of my first teammates. So, being able to play against him when he was at the program and I was in junior, and then never played against him in college, but then to meet here at the pro level, it’s super cool, and he’s an amazing guy.
"He’s a great friend. So, it makes it easy having him here. I always have someone to talk to, someone to ask questions. It’s been great.”
Of course, a lot has happened in the time since Pietila and McGroarty were teammates as kids. McGroarty went on to play for the University of Michigan and subsequently got drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, while Pietila played collegiate hockey at Michigan Tech, was selected 111th overall by the Penguins in 2024, and earned CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year honors for his 2024-25 NCAA campaign.
Both also experienced a pretty long Calder Cup Playoff run for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins in 2026. Pietila, 22, learned a lot from that experience.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound right blueliner has always taken pride in the defensive side of his game, as he's solid and steady in his own zone and isn't afraid to play a physical brand of hockey. But from college, to the ECHL, to the AHL, and now to the NHL, he has come to understand that, in order to stick at the NHL level, versatility is paramount.
So, he has been working to add more offensive dimension to his repertoire.
"I’ll always say that my game starts from the net out, but being able to add offense and kind of be able to add to that part of my game will make me more valuable," Pietila said. "So, just working with all the skills coaches here, they’ve been great. Just trying to add more versatility to my game goes a long way."
And while that versatility is key, perhaps the most important lesson he learned during his first full AHL season last year and throughout the 14 games he played in the Calder Cup Playoffs is that consistency matters.
“I mean, it’s obviously the best league in the world," Pietila said. "[Consistency is] one of the things that I really tried to focus on last year that I struggled with a little bit, just being consistent and doing it day in and day out - practice, games, everything.
"If you want to play with the best, you have to be able to do it every day. So, I think that’s the biggest thing I’m trying to do and work on.”
Pietila is in the second season of the three-year entry-level contract he signed prior to the 2025-26 season, and he was recalled by the Penguins Saturday due to injuries piling up on both the forward front and the defensive unit at the NHL level. It has been a bit of a whirlwind, as has navigating fatherhood for the first time right when he is on the borderline of the NHL.
Luckily, sleep has not yet been an issue with his newborn son, but notwithstanding, there has been a lot of change. Something that has brought comfort, though, is the fact that, when he looks around the Penguins' locker room right now, there are some familiar faces in his old friend McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Sergei Murashov, and Ville Koivunen.
At the NHL level, the Penguins are in a bit of a transitional period with their roster. They have held onto some veterans but understand the need to inject youth.
Pietila knows firsthand how close this group of young players is and that the organization is largely counting on them to make somr degree of impact on the future.
He is the only one of the five to have not played an NHL game yet, but he hopes to be part of the group for a long time.
“I think it just helps with the youth that we have. We’re all similar ages and stuff, so we all like the same things," Pietila said. "Going to battle for one another for so long and just having that long of a playoff run, that just builds bonds you’ll never forget.
"So, being able to watch them succeed and being able to succeed with them is pretty special. It’s really fun, and we’re all enjoying it.”
