As a team, the Vegas Golden Knights feel they can come back from any deficit. However, they’d rather not, because they’re one of the best teams in the league at defending a lead. On Tuesday, they entered the third period up 3-2 over the Nashville Predators, and they made the most of it.
When teams have the lead, they tend to sit back and focus on defending their net. Tonight, the Golden Knights did none of that. Instead, they attacked in waves and continuously looked to extend their lead.
“Real good third period, obviously,” said defenseman Noah Hanifin following the 5-2 win. “Hiller made some huge saves for us that gave us some momentum. And the penalty came up big in a few different areas of the game.”
“I think the best part was coming out of the 3rd, not taking our foot off the gas, and bringing our game to another level,” said Brett Howden. “It’s tough on a back-to-back sometimes, but I thought we put the pedal down and did a good job of finishing it off the right way.”
1. Bandaid
It’s still early in the season, but thus far, there have been stretches where the Golden Knights have struggled to stop the bleeding. Last night, the Golden Knights took a penalty two minutes and 45 seconds after allowing the first goal of the game. Their penalty kill, which had previously been so strong, crumbled under pressure. The two-goal deficit quickly turned into three, and that hole proved to be too deep.
Tonight, they found themselves in a very similar situation when Brett Howden took a penalty just 41 seconds after the Golden Knights conceded the first goal of the game.
This time, the Golden Knights’ penalty kill came through. Following a strong kill, Raphael Lavoie took it the other way and fed Tomáš Hertl for the equalizer.
“That’s something we talked about this morning,” said Rasmus Andersson following the win. “We can’t let it snowball, right? If we let in one, then we can’t let in the second or third right after. Tommy comes up with a huge 1-1 goal there, and gives us a little bit of momentum.”
2. Momentum Killer
The penalty kill wasn’t just crucial in stopping the bleeding; it also swung momentum in the first period. Funnily enough, the Golden Knights generated quite a bit of offense from their penalty kill, including their second goal of the night.
“We scored right after two penalty kills,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “When you do the job on the kill and then get that response, it can be deflating to a team.”
Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Predators boasted the league’s fourth-ranked power play. But tonight, the Golden Knights won the special-teams battle, going 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
“The penalty kill was huge,” said Noah Hanifin. “And they’ve got a good power play over there. But we stuck with it and got a couple goals shortly after the kill. Building momentum, that’s what it’s all about. When you’re on the penalty kill, you’re making sure you’re giving your team some momentum. I thought the group did that tonight, and it paid off for us.”
3. Offense From Defense
With the likes of Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone, the Golden Knights have a pretty lethal forward group. But when they’re really humming, the defense is chipping in offensively. That happened tonight, and the defense combined for five points.
Rasmus Andersson led the way with two assists, one coming on William Karlsson’s game-winning goal. Brayden McNabb and Noah Hanifin each recorded a primary assist, and Dylan Coghlan provided an assist as well.
The defensemen didn’t just contribute offensively— they did so at key moments in the game. Just as Ivan Barbashev’s holding penalty expired, Jack Eichel found Brayden McNabb in transition. McNabb carried the puck up ice and fed Eichel as the center drove the net. Eichel redirected it past Juuse Saros, and the Golden Knights took their first lead of the night.
Noah Hanifin’s contribution, too, came when the Golden Knights needed it most. They led 3-2, but the Predators were pushing for the equalizer early in the third period. The Golden Knights responded with a good shift in the offensive zone, and Hanifin capped it off by finding Trevor Connelly all alone for a one-timer.
“You know, sometimes, when you’re in those tight games, you tend to [take your foot off the gas],“ said Noah Hanifin following the 5-2 win. “I thought we did a good job staying on our toes, getting after them, playing in the offensive zone and generating some good looks. It was a really good third period for us.”
The Calgary Flames finally have a win to their name.
After opening the season with five straight losses, the Flames picked up their first victory of the season with a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Tuesday night.
It was a much-needed response from Calgary, which showed a noticeable improvement in its overall game. The Flames generated consistent offensive pressure, outshot Anaheim and did a better job limiting the Ducks’ chances at five-on-five.
Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Adam Klapka opened the scoring in the first period, Aydar Suniev continued his strong start since being recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, and Martin Pospisil scored the late go-ahead goal to secure the win.
The Flames also had to overcome a difficult stretch in the opening period after Anaheim capitalized on its opportunities to take the lead.
Calgary got off to a strong start, opening the scoring at 8:32 of the first period. After establishing a forecheck and creating pressure in the offensive zone, Klapka collected the puck in the high slot and beat Lukas Dostal with a hard wrist shot for his second goal of the season.
The Ducks responded at 12:09 during a four-on-four sequence. Beckett Sennecke picked off Simon Nemec at the Anaheim blue line and broke in alone on Dustin Wolf. Using his speed, Sennecke moved from backhand to forehand before beating Wolf to tie the game 1-1.
Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Anaheim took the lead less than two minutes later on the power play. Leo Carlsson received a pass from Mikael Granlund, skated into the hash marks and picked the top corner over Wolf at 14:05. The goal was Carlsson’s second of the season and gave the Ducks a 2-1 advantage.
Despite surrendering two goals in the opening period, Calgary responded with a much stronger second frame.
The Flames generated several quality chances during a five-on-three power play but couldn’t find the equalizer. However, they capitalized shortly after Anaheim returned to full strength.
Calgary continued to dictate the pace, outshooting Anaheim 21-8 at that point in the game. The physicality also picked up midway through the period, with Klapka and Jeff Malott dropping the gloves.
Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The teams remained tied heading into the third period, setting the stage for a late breakthrough from the visitors.
Pospisil provided the decisive moment at 15:37. The forward carried the puck into the offensive zone with speed, drove wide and sent a low shot through Dostal’s five-hole to give Calgary a 3-2 lead.
Yegor Sharangovich added an empty net goal as the Flames held on, closing out the victory and putting an end to their winless start.
Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Three Takeaways
1. Penalties nearly cost the Flames early
Calgary’s opening goal gave the team an early boost, but three first-period penalties disrupted its momentum and allowed Anaheim to take control of the scoreboard.
The Ducks made the Flames pay, tying the game during a four-on-four sequence before taking the lead on the power play.
Special teams remain an important area for Calgary to clean up. The improved effort at five-on-five was encouraging, but the Flames cannot afford to give opponents repeated opportunities to swing games in their favour.
The difference on Tuesday was that Calgary responded instead of letting the early deficit dictate the rest of the night.
The young forward scored his second career NHL goal, finishing a pass from Strome with a quick one-timer to bring Calgary level in the second period.
Since being recalled from the Wranglers, Suniev has recorded two goals and an assist in three games. He has shown an ability to get his shot off quickly and put himself in dangerous scoring areas, giving Calgary another option offensively.
The early production is encouraging, particularly for a team searching for more consistent offence. Suniev is making a strong case for an extended look with the big club.
3. Adam Klapka brings plenty of bite to the lineup
Klapka made his presence felt throughout the night.
The forward opened the scoring with a strong shot from the high slot and added another physical element by dropping the gloves with Malott in the second period.
Entering the game among the league leaders in penalty minutes, Klapka continues to bring a combination of size, physicality and offensive ability to Calgary’s lineup.
His willingness to get involved physically gives the Flames an edge, but his opening goal was another reminder that he can contribute beyond his imposing presence.
For a Calgary team looking to establish its identity after a difficult start, Klapka is bringing plenty of energy to the lineup.
The Vegas Golden Knights turned a tightly contested game into a convincing victory Tuesday night, scoring three unanswered goals over the final two periods to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-2 at Bridgestone Arena.
Playing their second road game in as many nights, the Golden Knights rebounded from Monday's loss at Minnesota with goals from five different players and a third-period performance that impressed coach Ryan Craig.
"I thought everybody to a man was ready to play, especially our goaltender early with the early penalty kills and the penalty-shot save," Craig said. "But I think our best period for me was the third period. I thought we came up with the right intensity to try to finish off a game, and we did."
William Karlsson broke a 2-2 tie with 2:16 remaining in the second period before Trevor Connelly and Brett Howden scored 95 seconds apart early in the third to put the game away.
Ryan O'Reilly opened the scoring for Nashville at 3:55 of the first period before Tomas Hertl answered at 6:46 and Jack Eichel gave Vegas a 2-1 lead at 12:48.
Adam Edstrom tied the game with a shorthanded goal at 8:45 of the second period, but Karlsson restored the Golden Knights' advantage at 17:44.
Vegas seized control in the third, with Connelly scoring at 4:49 and Howden following at 6:24.
"I think the best part was coming out in the third and not taking our foot off the gas and kind of bringing our game to another level," Howden said. "I thought we put the pedal down and did a good job of finishing it off the right way."
Adin Hill made 25 saves, including a first-period penalty-shot stop, while Vegas demonstrated the offensive balance Craig believes will be critical throughout the season.
"Depth. That's what it is," Craig said. "We were able to play four lines. The game dictated that quite a bit, which is good for a hockey club, especially on a back-to-back early in the year."
Karlsson's goal at 17:44 of the second period broke a 2-2 tie after Nashville had gained momentum with a shorthanded equalizer. His second goal in as many games restored Vegas' lead and set the stage for its decisive third-period performance.
KEY STAT: Five of 'em
Five different Golden Knights scored, and 12 players registered at least one point. Vegas also received 25 saves from Hill, including a first-period penalty-shot stop that helped prevent Nashville from building an early advantage.
It took a bit longer than he likely wanted, but San Jose Sharks rookie Ivar Stenberg has scored a goal in the National Hockey League.
On Tuesday night, as Nikita Zadorov of the Boston Bruins sat in the penalty box, Macklin Celebrini had a perfectly placed pass into the crease. Stenberg then tipped it past Jeremy Swayman. Immediately, you could see the weight lifted off of Stenberg's shoulders as he looked to the sky in celebration.
Not only is this a very important milestone for Stenberg, his first goal came at an important time. It tied the game between the Sharks and Bruins at 2-2.
The second overall selection in this summer's 2026 NHL Draft, Stenberg is the second player in his draft class to score a goal. Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first to do so and currently has two goals in his rookie season.
Stenberg now has three points in six games to start his NHL career, but with the sixth game still in progress at the time of writing, he has time to add to that total.
Want
to watch the perfect road game, or as near a perfect road game as an
NHL team can play, look no further than the St. Louis Blues and their
7-2
beatdown
over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre
In Kanata, Ontario on Tuesday, ending
Ottawa’s three-game winning streak.
Forget
that they scored a season-high seven goals for the game; it was the
way they did it.
So
lets get into how they did it and what proved to be pivotal.
*
Penalty kill continues to flourish – OK,
I had this as the top reason why the Blues (3-2-1) won in the fashion
in which they did despite
allowing that Fabian Zetterburg meaningless power-play goal with 1:27
to play in what was a 7-1 blowout.
I
know that unit on the ice (Pius Suter, Jonatan Berggren, Colton
Parayko and Justin Barron) won’t like it, but that’s alright. The
Sens, who were 5-1-0 on the season, crafted that one well.
But
that unit was so good again early on in killing three penalties to
get to 17-for-18 to start the season (they’re 17-for-19 now) and
it’s the aggressive nature in which those skaters are doing it.
Assistant
coach Greg Cronin has -- particularly the forwards -- on the ice,
whether it’s Suter, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Berggren, Jake
Neighbours or whoever it may be with sticks in lanes taking away the
open areas of the ice when teams are in the zone, but the Blues are
taking away time and space so much, they’re doing to teams what
teams have done to their power play: get on top of the puck handlers
and forcing quick decisions, and it’s working.
Oh,
and on this night, Suter set the tone after what I felt like was a
bad call on Cam Fowler with a shorthanded goal at 14:28 of the first
period to make it 1-0:
Short-handed goal for St. Louis!
Scored by Pius Suter with 05:32 left in the 1st. Assisted by Colton Parayko and Pavel Buchnevich.
At
the time, it gave the penalty kill a 2-1 advantage on goals over the
Blues’ power play.
*
Huge response after an Ottawa goal – This
to me was the goal of the game for the Blues because the Senators,
who won 4-1 at the New Jersey Devils on Monday, started to find some
footing.
Claude
Giroux scored at 17:52 of the second to cut the Blues’ lead to 2-1
and make this an interesting third period of what they thought would
be at least a one-shot deficit. And it was a goal that I thought
Blues defenseman Brandon Carlo played well; it was just some bad luck
that after taking the red-hot Tim Stutzle with him behind the net,
the puck hit the side of the goal and Stutzle was alert in getting to
his feet and finding a seam to Giroux coming down the interior of the
right circle and beating Joel Hofer with a really good shot.
But
Mason McTavish and the second line had a response 33 seconds later to
restore the lead to 3-1 at 18:25 that broke out into a 3-on-2 where
all three on that line (with Connor McMichael and Berggren) all
touched the puck, and how about Berggren being able to control this
McTavish pass with his skate and being able to get it to his stick
and finding McTavish in the crease for the contested finish:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Mason McTavish with 01:35 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Jonatan Berggren and Connor McMichael.
*
Dylan Peterson fit in, in his first NHL game – Welcome
to the big show, and it was a successful game for the third-round
pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Peterson,
who was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League on
Sunday, played just 8:57, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but he
had four of the team’s 18 hits, played physical throughout, started
the process of Suter’s second goal of the game on the forecheck by
separating the puck in the right hand corner that made it 4-1 at 7:54
of the third period:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Pius Suter with 12:06 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Ross Johnston and Brandon Carlo.
And
to top it off, he had his first NHL fight and it was a doozy with
fellow Senators rookie Jorian Donovan at 14:52 of the third with his parents and three sisters among a plethora of family and friends in attendance:
There
was good chemistry on that line with Suter and Ross Johnston, who
picked up his first point with the Blues on Suter’s third-period
goal.
*
Doesn’t Colton Parayko look good? -- It’s
been a terrific start to the season for ‘Colt55,’ and when you’re
seeing him skate with the puck like that, with such confidence, you
know things are going good.
Parayko
got the assist on Suter’s shorthanded goal with the aggressiveness
of checking the puck off two Senators skaters, then starting the
breakout and saucing a puck to Suter to finish, then he started the
breakout that led to the 3-on-2 for McTavish’s goal late in the
second period.
Parayko,
who played 19:33 in the game, has skated well playing with Justin
Barron the past couple games, then locked it down with Philip Broberg
in the third period.
He’s
a big reason why the Blues’ defensive numbers through six games
look so good right now. Some of the metrics don’t read it, but the
eye test does, and No. 55 is passing them in the early going so far.
*
McTavish looks like the real deal (so far), so
does McMichael; that line with Berggren looks really good
– McTavish
and McMichael were off-season acquisitions to help balance out the
top six and alleviate some of the pressure out on the Dylan
Holloway-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud top line.
The
line combined for six points (two goals, four assists) in the game
and since Jim Montgomery moved Berggren up there, that line has been
on fire.
Sure
it’s early, but McTavish, who has four goals and three assists in
six games, is on pace for 98 points (56 goals, 42 assists) in an
84-game season, and McMichael, who had two assists in the game and
has two goals and four assists in six games, is on pace for 84 points
(28 goals, 56 assists) over the course of an 84-game season.
As
a Blues fan, you’ll take this return – or anything close to it –
when these respective trades were made this past summer.
McTavish
finished this dart of a one-timer on the power play at 15:33
of the third period for a 6-1 lead as part of three goals in a span
of 1:44:
Power play goal for St. Louis!
Scored by Mason McTavish with 04:27 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Connor McMichael and Pavel Buchnevich.
*
Pius Suter is so valuable in all facets – This
guy may be the most trusted, reliable player the Blues have, and
that’s no exaggeration.
The
coaching staff is so comfortable putting the 30-year-old on the ice
in all facets, whether it’s on the PK, in 5-on-5 situations late in
games protecting leads, and this season, he’s centering the fourth
line, and the guy probably deserves to be higher up in the lineup.
Suter
had two goals and an assist, was a plus-3 and won eight of his 11
face-offs in 15:21 of ice time and did such a good job of helping set
the tone with two tough guys as his linemates in the game.
To
be honest with you, I thought that Suter, who is in the final year of
his two-year, $8.25 million contract, could be prime trade bait at
some point this season, and he still could, but if the Blues are
anywhere in the playoff chase or in a playoff position as the season
progresses, I’m finding a way to keep him if I’m GM Alex Steen.
Where
can you find such a multi-faceted skater like this that can be
utilized in so many different situations? They’re hard to find, and
unless Suter would out-price himself to remain in St. Louis, I think
you have to find a way to keep this guy.
He’s
a huge reason why your penalty kill is currently tied for sixth in
the league, and when you have such a trustworthy player like this,
you find ways to keep them.
His
game tonight arguably was the the best all-around game by any of the
Blues.
*
Jiricek finally finds paydirt – It was coming. If you watched this
game, it had all the earmarks that somehow, the 2024 first-round pick
would find his way onto the scoresheet, whether scoring or assisting.
Jiricek
had himself another solid game, making good, smart decisions on the
ice, proper reads, effective pinches and he read the play well when
he scored his first NHL goal at 16:32 of the third to make it a 7-1
game to finish as a plus-2 in 15:04 of ice time with five shot
attempts (three on goal) and a blocked shot:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Adam Jiricek with 03:28 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Pius Suter and Mason McTavish.
He
also made a nice recovery after initially getting beat down the
lefthand side that turned the puck back and got the Blues going the
other way before Neighbours scored his first of the game in the
second period.
But
Neighbours set the tone with his solid check on Stutzle behind the
net in the second period, and when he’s that engaging, it leads to
other areas of his game, and his dad Ed apparently approved too:
Neighbours
was a plus-2 in 16:05 of ice time with three shots on goal, two hits
and three blocked shots.
*
Pavel Buchnevich looks sharp, and it’s one side of the puck that’s
leading to it – Buchnevich had three assists in the game giving him
four points the past two games, and I’ve always felt like if his
defensive game – like it was on Tuesday again – is noticeable and
on par, it fuels his offense.
He’s
part of that PK group that was engaging at the start and it helped
kickstart his playmaking abilities in this game.
*
Blues again took advantage of a team on second of back-to-back games
– When
teams are traveling, like the Senators did after playing in New
Jersey on Monday, you want to get them to retrieve pucks and go the
length of the ice.
The
Blues did a good job of keeping pucks alive in the offensive zone and
forcing the Senators to defend, hence only allowing 17 shots on goal,
and not getting hemmed in themselves.
They
chipped pucks and used the forecheck to win the possession battle and
not give the Senators any time and space.
They did the same thing to the Columbus Blue Jackets -- finally -- in the final two periods on Saturday in a 5-3 win.
All
in all, a truly solid performance by plenty of skaters, including
Barron, who played 18:28 and was a plus-2 with two hits and three of
the Blues’ 18 blocked shots.
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It seemed like a natural starting point to build for the Penguins, who had struggled to find consistency in the early going.
But they reverted right back to square one in their follow-up performance Tuesday.
The Penguins visited the Chicago Blackhawks and walked away with a 5-3 loss despite coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period. A late goal allowed by Sergei Murashov - one that he would certainly want back - forced a six-on-five situation for the Penguins at the end, where Tyleer Bertuzzi scored an empty-net goal to seal the win.
The Penguins were up to no good in the opening minute of the game yet again, which is becoming an unfortunate recurring theme for them. Defenseman Declan Carlile turned the puck over from below his own goal line, feeding a puck directly to the Hawks that resulted in a Teuvo Teravainen goal just 28 seconds into regulation.
Pittsburgh responded six minutes later, though, when captain Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell found themselves on a two-on-one. Crosby rifled the puck past Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight for his long-awaited first of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
However, Roman Kantserov scored a power play goal near the end of the first period to restore the Blackhawks' lead, and he scored another goal midway through the second period to put Chicago up by two.
When all seemed to be going downhill for Pittsburgh, the fourth line of Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar, and Nick Robertson created a chance off the rush in the offensive zone. Robertson finished the job to score his team-leading fourth goal for the Penguins at the end of the middle frame to bring the Penguins to within one.
Midway through the third, the captain answered the bell again when he picked up some loose change at the net front to tie the score at 3-3. But, unfortunately, with a little more than four minutes left in regulation, Teravainen had the puck along the left wall just above the goal line in the offensive zone, and he threw it toward the net.
The puck unexpectedly trickled past Murashov, giving the Blackhawks the late lead and deflating the Penguins of any kind of life they had.
It's hard to fault the penalty kill too much, as the Penguins allowed just their second power play goal of the season against the Hawks. But Pittsburgh's power play was 0-for-4, and minus the third opportunity, it looked like it was 0-for-4, which occurred against one of the worst penalty kills in the league.
Special teams was a huge reason the Penguins made the playoffs last season. The PK is keeping up, but the power play looks lost. Zone entries and faceoffs have been an issue, but so has personnel.
They need to switch things up, and I think it starts with moving Malkin back to the second unit, when the power play was more effective. It's hard to keep Egor Chinakhov off that first unit, and Rickard Rakell is struggling enough that he can afford to be bumped down, too.
They need more guys willing to just rip the puck - other than Erik Karlsson, that is, as he took about five consecutive one-timers on the third power play and missed the net about seven times. He showed up, at least
- If it seems like I'm bringing up Robertson in a whole lot of recaps, it's because I am. He's been really, really good for the Penguins up to this point, and it's not often you see a team's leading goal-scorer on the fourth line.
While the goal total speaks to Robertson's work ethic and the season he's had so far, it's not ideal for, again, your team's leading goal-scorer, to be on the fourth line. Maybe this is less of an issue with a team like the Penguins, who roll four lines.
But the top-six has two guys with three goals, two guys with two (both of Crosby's came in this one), two guys with one, and a guy with zero. At the end of the day, that's not encouraging, especially when the two guys with three goals, Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin, have one goal between them in the last three games.
Simply put, the top-six needs to produce more, and in particular, the first line. There were some encouraging signs from Crosby in this game, but neither Rust or Rakell are meshing with Crosby like they usually do.
As a whole, the top-six needs to get going. I know the fourth line has been spectacular, but it's a combination Dan Muse could always put back together down the line. Right now, Robertson needs to be playing in the top-six.
- Another player who needs to get going is Egor Chinakhov. This is something that was brought up in a recent recap, but it feels like he is so close to scoring yet so far at the same time.
He had a one-timer hit above 96 mph on the radar gun that he missed the net on in this one. He had a breakaway opportunity that he just missed as well. He has had some chances, but he is missing the net with frustrating frequency right now.
In addition, the chemistry that was so evident with Novak and Malkin last season isn't really there to start this season.
If I'm the coaching staff, I consider bumping both Chinakhov and Rickard Rakell - two goal-scorers struggling to score - to the third line with Ben Kindel for a bit. Elevate Robertson and Andrei Kuzmenko. Give Elmer Soderblom another look:
Chinakhov and Rakell have combined for just one singular goal in eight games this season, and the one goal was scored by Chinakhov in game one. The Penguins need more from them, and they need more from them sooner rather than later.
- Murashov's fourth goal was not a good one. It's a play that he would want back, and it's a save he should have had.
That said, I think some folks need to pump the brakes on expectations for the 22-year-old netminder with eight games of NHL experience.
Young goaltenders are going to give up bad goals. Elite goaltenders are going to give up bad goals. And, sometimes, those bad goals will come at bad times. There is a difference between wanting or needing a save in a particular situation and it being unnacceptable that a save isn't made in that situation.
Murashov should not have allowed that goal. But he should be allowed to surrender a bad goal or have a bad game as a young goaltender finding his NHL footing and as a guy whose team has not played well in front of him once this season.
Expecting perfection - or, even, expecting that goaltenders won't allow any goals they should have - is a perfect way to set a young netminder up for failure.
His team needed a save there, but he also needed his team to be better the rest of the night. Neither happened. That goal is an easier pill to swallow if the stakes weren't that high to begin with due to poor play from the rest of the team preceding it.
- Carlile has endured a rough couple of games. He coughed up the puck in a bad turnover on Chicago's first goal, and oftentimes, he finds himself playing like a forward.
This is not a slight to Carlile, but there is a difference between Erik Karlsson jumping up on a play and Carlile doing so. I think Carlile commits a bit too much offensively for the relative level of offensive talent he has, and it gets him in trouble sometimes.
On a pairing with Karlsson, being too active can hurt more than help. He just needs to learn when to pick his spots better. And he also needs to have more awareness below the goal line in his own zone.
He blocks a ton of shots, is mobile, and is physical. He's at his best when playing to his strengths and not trying to force plays.
- A small yet relatively significant bright spot in this game was Crosby.
He needed those two goals. It was only a matter of time before the captain broke through, and he finally did, which should, hopefully, get him going a bit.
I thought his line was a bit better tonight, but it could still use more speed, which is why I'd like to see Robertson reunited with Crosby. If Sid has finally found his legs, and Robertson and Rust can provide some speed on his wings, it could make for a lethal combination.
- The Penguins next have the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights back-to-back Friday and Saturday. Needless to say, they are not the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Penguins tend to find a way to elevate against better competition, so hopefully, they can find another level like they did against the Stars Saturday. But they need to start beating some of the teams they should be beating, like the Hawks.
Half the points on this tough Western road swing would be a good aim for the Penguins. Winning at least one of these games feels important.
DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 13: Martin Necas #88 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period at American Airlines Center on October 13, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was the first meeting of the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars of the 2026-27 season, and the fierce rivalry and tension did not disappoint!
The Dallas Stars made things interesting in the third period, but an explosive second period from Martin Necas and a solid outing from Mackenzie Blackwood made the difference.
The game started with both the Stars and Avalanche gauging each other, but halfway through the frame, Artturi Lehkonen got the scoring started. A point shot caught traffic in front, and Lehky worked hard in the slot, backhanding one through Jake Oettinger at 11:32.
Things got a bit chippy toward the end of the opening frame when Noah Juulsen took a hit from Radek Faksa. Fedor Svechkov took exception and quickly challenged Faksa to a fight. In a controversial call, the refs issued Svechkov an instigating penalty, giving the Stars a power play.
The Stars capitalized and got a bit of luck when Tyler Seguin’s centering attempt went in off an Avalanche skate. That brought things to a late first-period tie, one goal apiece.
Second Period
The second frame got even rowdier, but the Avalanche cashed in on the chaos and started a Marty Party in the middle frame.
First, Necas slammed home a one-timer on a feed from Nathan MacKinnon to make it 2-1 Avalanche at 3:05 in the second period.
We then saw Nathan MacKinnon in his second fight of the first six games of the season, but this time he was caught on the button and left the ice bleeding. He still ended the fight sprawling on top of Roope Hintz. I’m speculating, but I’d bet that tussle stems from MacKinnon and Hintz’ past. MacKinnon returned for his next shift without question.
Later in the frame, the Avalanche would earn a 5-on-3 after Malinski was cross-checked and MacKinnon was tripped. Once again, Martin Necas scored when Landeskog collected a net-front rebound and backhanded a pass to Marty, who had nothing but net to aim at. Just like that, the Avalanche led 3-1 at 16:14 in the second frame.
It wouldn’t be a game against the Dallas Stars without a little anxiety, so the Stars brought it to a one-goal game just 3:17 into the third period. This time, Roope Hintz let his game do the talking, scoring a timely goal with help from Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen.
That set up a contentious, heart-rate-spiking rest of the third period as the Avalanche were tested more than once as time wound down. Fortunately for Avalanche fans, Colorado’s players sold out left and right to block the puck and protect their one-goal lead, and their efforts secured a 3-2 win.
Takeaways
This was a big game for the Colorado Avalanche and an even bigger game for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. He passed the test tonight, getting the stops Bednar called for after their loss to Toronto. This is the type of performance that could propel Blackwood’s season and confidence. The team in front of him wasn’t perfect, so Blackwood had to step up, and he did.
Martin Necas was on a mission tonight, and his two goals dictated the outcome. MacKinnon and Lehkonen were going too. All in all, aside from a few breakdowns, the Avalanche played a solid game, with a competitive level we haven’t seen too often so far. Stealing one in Dallas without Cale Makar is impressive.
I guess Nathan MacKinnon is a goon now, with a fight in Colorado’s two biggest games so far.
I, for one, love seeing Nate chuck ’em but naturally worry about him sustaining an injury in the process. He was bloodied tonight, but it’s kinda weird if Nate’s nose isn’t bleeding by the end of the game.
Nathan MacKinnon mentioned finding ways to enjoy the regular season more at camp and now he’s fought twice in six games. Do with that what you will. #GoAvsGo | @MileHighHockey
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — William Karlsson scored for the second straight game to put Vegas ahead, and the Golden Knights beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Playing a night after losing 4-2 at Minnesota to stop a four-game skid, the Golden Knights (6-2) improved to 3-1 on the road this season.
Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Trevor Connelly and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill made 25 saves.
Hill stopped a penalty shot from Jack Drury in the first period after Nic Dowd was penalized for holding on a breakaway.
Adam Edstrom had his first career short-handed goal and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, who lost in regulation for the first time since their season opener against the Wild. Juuse Saros stopped 20 shots.
At 8:45 of the second, Edstrom had a breakaway with Nashville a man down but initially couldn't get a shot off with Eichel in pursuit. But he maintained control of the puck behind the net and guided it past Hill to tie the game at 2-all.
Karlsson restored the Golden Knights' lead at 17:44 of the second with a snap shot to the top corner of the net, and goals by Connelly and Howden about 1 1/2 minutes apart in the third gave Vegas a three-goal advantage.
DALLAS (AP) — Martin Necas scored two goals, including a 5-on-3 score, and the short-handed Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Tuesday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Artturi Lehkonen also scored for the Avalanche, while Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves after allowing five goals on Saturday against Toronto. Nathan MacKinnon had two assists, giving him 12 points.
The Avalanche opened with 11 forwards and six defensemen when forward Zachary L’Heureux was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Colorado then played almost 17 minutes with 10 forwards when Fedor Svechkov drew a two-minute instigator penalty, five minutes for fighting and 10 more for misconduct. MacKinnon was also off the bench for more than seven minutes in the second after he fought Roope Hintz — who had his first NHL fight — and went to the locker room for facial repairs.
Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist, and Hintz also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots after allowing three goals in his previous four games, and Miro Heiskanen had two assists.
Colorado came in leading the NHL with 5.2 goals per game, while Dallas had a league-best 1.38 goals-against average.
Necas gave the Avs a 2-1 lead early in the second period and then doubled the lead with four seconds left in the 29-second, two-man advantage.
Seguin’s goal, tying the score late in the first period, was Dallas’ first home power-play goal in eight tries.
Cale Makar, the Avalanche’s two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, didn’t make the trip with his wife expecting twins.
Stars forward Wyatt Johnston sat out with an illness after playing in all 395 games, regular season and playoffs, since he made the team in 2022. The Stars played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Up next
The teams will meet again on Wednesday in Denver, where the Stars swept two meetings last season in shootouts.
The Chicago Blackhawks were a part of the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday night. All 32 teams played in 16 games with staggered starts from 5 PM until the early hours of the morning.
Chicago welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third United Center game of the young 2026-27 season. In addition to being a special night because of the Frozen Frenzy, it had extra-special meaning for the Blackhawks as well.
This game was the season debut of Connor Bedard, who skated in his first game as captain. It was also his first game with Patrick Kane. With this, there was extra buzz in the building.
Once the game started, it didn’t take the Blackhawks long to get on the board. Just 28 seconds into the game, Teuvo Teravainen made it 1-0. Tyler Bertuzzi and Anton Frondell were hard on the forecheck, and Frondell found Teravainen for a point-blank chance that he didn’t miss.
For a while, the Penguins started to take over the game. Eventually, Sidney Crosby scored with a snipe on the rush. His first of the season tied the game at 1.
Late in the first period, with Chicago on the power play, Roman Kantserov gave the Blackhawks their lead back. He put home a goal after receiving a one-touch pass from Connor Bedard, who collected his first point of the season there. Bowen Byram also earned an assist, as he found Bedard for the setup.
Whether it’s Kantserov, Bowen Byram, or Patrick Kane, who passed it to Byram, Bedard makes everyone on that unit better. That 2-1 lead stuck with Chicago through the first intermission.
At 10:32 in the middle frame, Kantserov added his second goal of the game. He tapped home a nifty centering feed from Artyom Levshunov, who has been really good in the offensive zone in the season's early stages.
Kane collected the secondary assist on this one, and that tied him with Phil Housley for the most assists by an American-born NHL player (894). This new-look top line with Bedard back in the mix is clicking, and it’s only been one game.
Before the second ended, Pittsburgh added another to get back within one. Nick Robertson scored a strange one as he put it in the net, but it came out the back of the bottom, causing some confusion. After a review, it was clearly a goal. This 3-2 Chicago lead held through the second intermission.
In the 3rd period, the expected push from the Pittsburgh Penguins came. Sidney Crosby’s second of the game tied it up at 9:17. At that point, the game could have gone in any direction.
However, Teuvo Teravainen had a bit of puck luck that saved the day for the Blackhawks. He threw an innocent floater on net, and it somehow went in through the paraphernalia of goaltender Sergei Murashov.
After Tyler Bertuzzi tapped a great spin-o-rama pass from Anton Frondell into the empty net, Chicago took a 5-3 lead, and that held as the final score.
Winning Bedard's first game back was big for the group, as they now improve to 2-5-0 through their first 7 games. It hasn't been a pretty start, but they are 2-1 at home and 1-0 with Bedard back in the lineup.
It's clear that Bedard changes the entire outlook of their game. He played a key role in making the power play look better; his line was strong at even strength, and everyone below his trio in the lineup had an extra step because they were slotted into positions where they were better suited.
The Chicago Blackhawks will play at home again on Thursday. It's another divisional battle as the Winnipeg Jets are coming to town. This is another good test for Chicago against a team that came in with low expectations but is off to a grand start (4-1-1).
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WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Cole Perfetti scored a pair of goals, Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Perfetti opened the scoring with his fourth of the season just 1:50 into the game. He added another late in the second period on the power play, converting a pass from Gabriel Vilardi in the slot.
Promoted to the top line with Scheifele and Kyle Connor, the trio combined for seven points against the Wild. Connor had a goal and assist. Connor now has goals in three straight games and in five of six games this season.
Perfetti now has five goals this season. Last season, the Jets winger needed 40 games to score five times.
Cole Koepke also scored for Winnipeg, which finished a three-game homestand 2-1.
Stuart Skinner made 19 saves and has yet to lose in regulation this season, with a 3-0-1 record.
Kirill Kaprizov scored both goals for the Wild, who were playing the second of back-to-back games after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night. Calvin Pickard stopped 20 shots. Kaprizov’s two goals gives him the NHL lead, with eight. Quinn Hughes’ assist extended his point streak to seven games. He has two goals and eight assists in that span.
Winnipeg went 1 for 2 on the power play, while Minnesota was 0 for 2.
Winnipeg never trailed in the game, taking 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads.
The Philadelphia Flyers looked as much like a real hockey team as they have all season, and despite an encouraging comeback that saw them erase a 2-0 deficit, they sputtered out, ultimately falling 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken in shootout fashion.
Kraken forward Bobby McMann opened the scoring on a pop fly in close proximity to Dan Vladar, swatting home on the power play on an opportunity generated by a Jack Studnicka tripping penalty.
The penalties and an overall lack of discipline in all facets have plagued the Flyers throughout their eight-game winless start, and Studnicka and Michael Bunting, players brought in by the Flyers to provide a spark, took penalties that led to goals in the last week.
Just under halfway through the second period, the Kraken doubled their lead to 2-0 on a Ville Ottavainen wrist shot through some heavy traffic, which was again produced by a series of unavoidable mistakes.
David Jiricek was forced to ice the puck on a long line change, and the Kraken proceeded to cycle the puck around the Flyers' defensive zone until Ottavainen's long-range shot through traffic beat Vladar.
After some taunting and back and forth between Trevor Zegras and Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, the Flyers finally caught some life in the third period.
After diving to break up a 2-on-1, rookie defenseman Oliver Bonk raced up the left wing before dishing a backhand pass through the middle of the ice. Tyson Foerster dummied the pass, which allowed Christian Dvorak to slam home the puck at the back door for an easy Flyers goal to make it a 2-1 game.
Zegras would get his revenge on Grubauer a short time later, rifling a shot into the top left corner to tie the game after a tremendous solo rush from Travis Sanheim during a 4-on-4 sequence.
"It is what it is," Zegras sheepishly said of his kerfuffle with the Seattle goalie after the game, visibly dismayed with an eighth consecutive loss.
The Flyers squandered a promising overtime period, taking a lazy too many men penalty to put the Kraken on the power play for two minutes of the final 2:39.
Soon after, the shootout required 10 shooters to decide the victor, with Matvei Michkov the lone scorer with the Flyers.
Matty Beniers and Bobby McMann each scored for the Kraken despite some phenomenal efforts from Vladar, which included a marvelous glove save on Mackie Samoskevich.
"He's been solid every time he starts. There's a couple of bouncy goals this year that he's really upset about," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of Vladar after the shootout loss. "We're not blaming the goalies. To be honest, they've been terrific for us this year."
With the loss, Vladar dropped to 0-3-1 on the season, though his GAA and save percentage improved to 4.21 and .875, respectively.
The Flyers will practice at 12 p.m. at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. on Wednesday before facing the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 13: Roman Kantserov #80 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at United Center on October 13, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pregame
Andrei Kuzmenko returns and Sergei Murashov gets the start for the Penguins.
Chicago scores right out the gates 28 seconds in. Declan Carlile gets pressured and passes the puck to the Blackhawks after a bad bounce. A quick pass gets Teuvo Teravainen in front of the net and the Finn finishes. 1-0
The Penguins get it back, it’s a good time for Sidney Crosby’s first goal of the year. This time it’s pressure by Bryan Rust along the wall that creates a turnover and the puck spits back to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson quickly feeds Crosby and the Pens have a 2-on-1. Crosby looks off the pass and calls his own number, blistering a shot past the far side of Spencer Knight. 1-1 game.
Pittsburgh earns the first minor penalty, they barely hold possession of it in the Chicago zone.
Kris Letang takes the first Pittsburgh penalty, the Blackhawks capitalize. After some nice puck movement, Bedard makes a little touch pass to Roman Kantserov who quickly fires it by Murashov. 2-1.
The Pens get another shot at their power play deep into the period. It’s awful.
Shots are 9-7 CHI after 20 minutes. The difference so far is the powerplays, the Blackhawks got one, made it look clinical and scored. The Penguins had two and it was nothing but odious, they’re behind by a goal as a result.
Second period
Nothing on the short carryover power play for the Pens, Nick Robertson draws them another. This one at least spends its time in the right end, think I counted six Erik Karlsson shots wide or blocked or redirected from in front wide, but at this point that’s an improvement.
Kantersov scores his second of the night. Carlile employs a man-concept and skates away from the net marking Patrick Kane. Ville Koivunen isn’t on the same page and doesn’t stick with the pointman, Artyom Levshunov and he gets a ton of space. That leaves Ben Kindel in front of the net to defend and Kantersov is strong enough on his stick to fight him off, with the incoming pass from the outside coming in with no resistance since Carlile has left his spot and Koivunen . 3-1 CHI.
Pittsburgh claws back within a goal, Blake Lizotte shoots on a 2-on-1 rush, he doesn’t score but makes a key play when Knight goes to cover the puck Lizotte beats him there and bumps the puck back out. It finds Robertson and he’s got an easy finish for his fourth goal of the season. 3-2 game.
There was some confusion, but after a quick review… PENGUINS GOAL
Shots end up 19-15 PIT after two, and they’re well out in front on shot attempts 42-22. However, Chicago clings to the special teams edge and that is still resulting in a one-goal advantage for them at the second intermission.
Third period
Kaeden Korczak gets caught on the mic yelling a bad word after getting slashed, the refs heed his pain and send the Pens to a fourth power play of the night. Doesn’t work but they don’t lose momentum on it. A bit later on an improvised line, Crosby is out with fourth liners. Connor Dewar works in and takes a shot, Knight leaves an atrocious rebound that Crosby is able to corral and calmly move to his forehand and tuck into the net. 3-3 game.
Egor Chinakhov takes an interference call and Chicago gets a second crack at the power play. The Blackhawks look surgical with their passing but Patrick Kane can’t convert on the best chance they get.
Chicago pulls ahead with 4:18 to play. Teravainen strikes again, from all the way against the left wall. Murashov wasn’t square or set for that angle and the puck sneaks by him. 4-3.
Pittsburgh pulls the goalie for a last push, it doesn’t work out. Tyler Bertuzzi taps in an empty netter with nine seconds to go. 5-3.
Some thoughts
Great to see Crosby get on the board with his first goal of the year, then add another for good measure. Plenty written (including here) about whether or not to keep the top line together, we saw some pretty good evidence of why it remained together. Rust didn’t get an assist on the play but started the sequence with quality board work. Frequent Crosby collaborator Karlsson made a beauty of a pass and the captain took it from there.
Recurring note: move the ‘Consecutive games where Nick Robertson has drawn a penalty’ board up to three. His speed forces opponents to take him down. Then he scored a team-leading fourth goal. Why is this guy on the fourth line? (It is a good fourth line and they play a fair share, but still!)
Too bad those penalties only draw a power play for Pittsburgh. Now up to 0-for-16 in the last five games. Completely disconnected now, if it’s not a lost faceoff it’s the inability to gain the zone with possession, if it’s not that it’s an ill-advised pass that sends it back to square one. Ugly stuff.
Pittsburgh could take notes from looking no further than the video Chicago’s power play, which was dreadful coming into tonight, but then again they didn’t have Bedard until today. The Blackhawks’ point guy was creeping to the tops of the circles at time, common on a 5v3 but rare to shrink the ice that much and put so much pressure on a PK. They got setup and their passing had a purpose to look for back door plays and set up dangerous players on their shooting sides (Bedard on the left, Kane on the right). It was a thing of beauty.
Power play ends up 0/4 on the night and the PK gives up a goal. Team ends up behind by one goal (pre-EN goal). Tale as old as time. Identifying the issue (and it’s clearly on the power play side) is the easy part.
If you had a dime for every 2-on-1 rush in this game you wouldn’t be able to retire but you would have enough change to buy something out of a vending machine. (Do vending machines still exist? Or even accept cash? These are the intrusive thoughts when games are played outside of the Eastern time zone). Neither team was exactly sharp to details or keeping their defensive structure in close order with all the odd man rushes flying around at both sides of the rink.
One player not all that involved in the rush offense: Chinakhov. It was off the charts good last year when the sun was shining and all was well, seemingly to vanish for the start of this season. Naturally, as this thought comes into mind during the second intermission, Chinakhov did get a rush shot immediately on his first shift of the third period, for his first and only shot on goal of the game. Ideally there’s more to come there.
Which I guess a hallmark of this Pens team that is starting to develop is they’ll mostly play to the level of the competition. They were strong, sharp, focused against what they knew would be a tough Dallas team last game. Tonight, they surely had to know Chicago isn’t exactly a powerhouse, and wouldn’t you know some details slip and the overall effort/performance left a lot to be desired. This theory will get put to the test in coming games with tough matchups ahead against Colorado and Vegas, but hey, maybe the Pens will be ready to meet the challenge. Based on the past couple of games that wouldn’t be shocking.
Still don’t know what Carlile was thinking staying with Kane and abandoning the net. Kindel in front of the net will draw the kneejerk, base reaction but Carlile + Koivunen not being on the same page is the troubling pressure point in that play. Plenty to still iron out in that department.
A couple of different things can be true, while the Penguins didn’t particularly play a great game, they found themselves tied with under five minutes to play in regulation. Murashov, on a night where Moneypuck had his xGA just under two, can’t really be faulted for any of the first three goals. But an NHL goalie has to stop what held up as a game winner 100 times out of a 100 for a team to have a fighting shot, especially that late in a tie game. Bad goals are a part of the learning curve and growing pains a team signs up for when they go with a 22-year old in net at this level, occasionally that type of thing happens. Murashov earned the team a point they didn’t deserve in his last start in Columbus, tonight he might have cost them at least one. So it goes, onto the next.
And onto the next indeed. The degree of difficulty ramps up on the next leg of the road trip, Pittsburgh will need to be better almost from top to bottom in their next game against Colorado. On the bright side, at least Crosby showed he’s back on track
Throughout the month of November, the NHL, NHLPA and the V Foundation are set to team up for the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign once again. While each team will host a day dedicated to Hockey Fights Cancer, they're going to be spread out throughout the season, although most of them are in the month of November.
Among the teams hosting their Hockey Fights Cancer night next month are the San Jose Sharks. On November 15, the Sharks will help raise awareness and raise funds for the initiative as they play the Nashville Predators.
According to the NHL, since partnering with the V Foundation and AstraZeneca, the initiative has raised more than $21.3 million in just three seasons.
Almost everyone has somebody in their lives who has been impacted by the effects of cancer and the NHL has consistently been trying to do their part in fighting the terrible disease since founding Hockey Fights Cancer alongside the NHLPA back in 1998. For more information, visit HockeyFightsCancer.com.
The Senators had plenty working against them on Tuesday night, and the St. Louis Blues took full advantage.
Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Pius Suter each scored twice as the Blues (3-2-1) defeated the Senators 7-2 at Canadian Tire Centre, handing the Sens (5-2-0) their second loss of the young NHL season.
The Sens were playing their second game in as many nights after defeating the Devils 4-1 in New Jersey on Monday.
They were also without three regular defencemen, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub and Nikolas Matinpalo, leaving the club with a makeshift blue line. In fact, three of their six defencemen (Carter Yakemchuk, Hoyt Stanley and Jorian Donovan) entered Tuesday's game with 10 or fewer games of NHL regular season experience.
With starting goaltender Linus Ullmark getting the night off, Samuel Ersson was given the assignment in goal. But the Senators' new backup struggled on the night, allowing seven goals on 26 shots and finishing with a .731 save percentage. By the end, a smattering of Sens fans gave him some sarcastic applause on a basic save.
Down 2-0 in the second period, the Senators got a nice goal from veteran Claude Giroux, who converted a feed from Tim Stützle with a well-placed wrist shot to cut the lead in half. But McTavish, the Carp native, restored the two-goal lead just 33 seconds later.
It was all Blues after that.
Giroux also added an assist on Fabian Zetterlund's first goal of the season in the final couple of minutes, long after the outcome had been settled.
Suter, who had two goals and an assist for St. Louis, has an interesting connection to the Senators' organization.
Back in 2017, four years before making his NHL debut, the Swiss forward attended Ottawa's rookie camp and performed well enough to earn an invitation to the team's main training camp, but he didn't make the club.
Nearly a decade later, and a couple of weeks before Halloween, Suter came back to haunt Ottawa and helped the Blues score a one-sided win. He was the one who got the offensive ball rolling, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first period.
The Sens entered the game riding the momentum of a 5-1 start, but this just in: nobody maintains an .833 points percentage forever. They were due for a night like this, especially with a tough schedule, injuries on defence and an off night in goal.
The Senators will now have a day to regroup before returning to action Thursday night when they host the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
