Category: NHL

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

In case, somehow, you missed it:

Intro presser:

On the Hellebuyck acquisition: “The fit seems obvious. New Jersey has been one of the NHL’s best defensive teams this season by every metric, except for goals against. Hellebuyck, meanwhile, has spent more than a decade establishing himself as the league’s most consistent performer at the position. But dig a little deeper into the numbers, and there’s reason to believe this could be an even better match than it appears on the surface. Perhaps Hellebuyck’s most valuable trait, especially in the eyes of Devils general manager Sunny Mehta, is his unmatched consistency.” [The Athletic ($)]

“If the Devils are serious about reuniting the three Hughes brothers over the next year, whether via trade or free agency, Mehta made the ultimate chess move. As of now, after checking in again this week, Hughes remains undecided on his future. He hasn’t told the Wild he won’t extend. However, he also hasn’t told them he will. He’s undecided, period.” [The Athletic ($)]

“By all accounts, this is the best goalie the Devils have had since Martin Brodeur. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. As of today, the Devils rank 29th in the league in GSAx, with a blasphemously poor -5.8 in just ten games. Nico Daws and Jake Allen combined to put together some solid performances but have largely been subpar in the aggregate.” [Infernal Access ($)]

“Connor Hellebuyck is coming off a down season, but he should still be a sizable upgrade for the New Jersey Devils.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Arseny Gritsyuk extended his goal streak to five games, as the Devils took a 3-1 win over the Kings on Saturday. [Devils NHL]

Hockey Links

Alexander Nikishin signs a one-year deal:

The Rangers sign some goalie help:

“The boys are fighting. According to the NHL, there has been an uptick in on-ice fisticuffs this season. Through 120 games, there were 34 games with one or more fights. That’s up over last season (25) and the 2024-25 season (26).” [ESPN]

A great moment:

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

Penguins forward Hendrix Lapierre is making the most of his opportunity on a line with Ville Koivunen and Evgeni Malkin after spending a recent stretch of games as a healthy scratch. [Trib Live]

Forward Rickard Rakell knows he needs to produce more offensively after a slow start to the season. The veteran winger said he has been generating scoring chances but struggling to finish, while general manager Kyle Dubas expressed confidence that Rakell will break through as he continues to play alongside Sidney Crosby and on the top power-play unit. [Trib Live]

Forward Justin Brazeau is getting closer to returning from a lower-body injury that has kept him out since the preseason. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL…

The New York Rangers signed veteran goaltender James Reimer to a one-year contract Sunday, adding depth after starter Igor Shesterkin was ruled out for the season with a lower-body injury. [NHL]

The Carolina Hurricanes made an aggressive push to acquire then-Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, even exploring trades for forwards on other teams that they could then flip to Winnipeg, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. [Sportsnet]

Speaking of the Hurricanes, the team announced the signing of defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year, $3 million contract, ending a contract impasse between the player and team. [TSN]

Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes hinted that a decision about his long-term future with the team could be coming soon, saying he is enjoying his time in Minnesota and believes the team has the potential to contend for a Stanley Cup. [TSN]

The Islanders were leaky all over in Dallas, almost like they have a declining defense outside of Matthew Schaefer.

The 6-3 loss to the Stars was not surprising overall, but it did end a modest points streak and exposed some holes that Pete DeBeor has been working to cover.

Islanders News

• It was six past Ilya Sorokin, though DeBoer said it was more about the defensive lapses. [LHH | Newsday]
• DeBoer is focused on the process, not necessarily the points. (Last night was bad in both categories.) [Newsday]
• The Post says the team speed was a key deficiency; Brayden Schenn says they have lots to clean up. [Post]
• Takeaways: a “winnable” game thrown away with continued mistakes. [Isles]

Elsewhere

• Sunny Mehta’s sudden urgency helped push the Connor Hellebuyck saga to conclusion before it got even more awkward. [Athletic]
• Speaking of holdouts, Alexander Nikishin came to realize he has no leverage, settles for a one-year deal with the Hurricanes. [NHL]
• Our next opponent in Nashville just knocked off the Avalanche with two goals from Steve Stamkos, four points from Ryan O’Reilly. [NHL]
• The Kraken will miss Jared McCann for 8-10 weeks. [Sportsnet]
• The Blue Jackets are forever cursed and screwed, can they possibly convince Zach Werenski to stay? [Sportsnet]
• James Reimer rides again, in Manhattan at age 38. Spencer Martin’s career .881 wasn’t doing it for them. [NHL]
• The Jets lost the Heritage Classic but made a show of it by mounting a comeback. [NHL]
• More than you’d ever want to know about the Connor Hellebuyck trade. [Sportsnet]
• Quinn Hughes was booed in his return to Vancouver, but he picked up his 500th point. Max Shabanov scored, too. [NHL]
• CRISIS?! Gavin McKenna played only two shifts in the third period, OMG let’s call his agent to see if he’s okay with that… [Athletic]

Montreal Canadiens (6-3-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. St. Louis Blues (5-5-1, in the Central Division)

St. Louis; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues play the Montreal Canadiens in a non-conference matchup.

St. Louis has a 5-5-1 record overall and a 3-1-1 record on its home ice. The Blues have gone 4-1-0 in games they score at least three goals.

Montreal has gone 2-1-1 on the road and 6-3-2 overall. The Canadiens are 2-2-2 when they commit more penalties than their opponent.

Tuesday's game is the first time these teams match up this season.

INJURIES: Blues: Adam Jecho: out (personal), Torey Krug: out (ankle), Ross Johnston: out (lower body), Alexey Toropchenko: out (upper-body), Tyler Tucker: out (knee), Dillon Dube: out (neck), Logan Mailloux: out (hand).

Canadiens: Ivan Demidov: out (lower-body), Lucas Condotta: out (undisclosed), Nick Suzuki: out (upper body), Bryce Pickford: out (undisclosed), Samuel Montembeault: out (lower-body).

___

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

Ottawa Senators (8-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (8-4-1, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights will try to end a three-game losing streak when they take on the Ottawa Senators.

Vegas has an 8-4-1 record overall and a 5-2-0 record in home games. The Golden Knights are sixth in league play with 46 total goals (averaging 3.5 per game).

Ottawa is 3-2-0 on the road and 8-4 overall. The Senators have committed 59 total penalties (4.9 per game) to rank second in league play.

The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone has eight goals and seven assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has five goals and eight assists over the past 10 games.

Claude Giroux has two goals and six assists for the Senators. Drake Batherson has six goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 6-3-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.5 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

Senators: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.1 assists, 4.9 penalties and 11.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: Mitch Marner: out (personal), Parker Wotherspoon: out (upper body), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).

Senators: Linus Ullmark: out (lower body), William Eklund: out (ankle), Thomas Chabot: out (undisclosed).

___

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

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored twice and the Dallas Stars had a three-goal third period in a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Sunday night.

Robertson’s breakaway at 9:45 of the third period came five minutes after Wyatt Johnston’s tiebreaker. Mikko Rantanen added a goal four minutes after Robertson with his team-high sixth goal of the season.

Tyler Seguin and Justin Hryckowian also scored for the Stars, who have won five consecutive games. Jake Oettinger made 16 saves.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn scored for the Islanders, who erased three one-goal deficits only to lose two straight (0-1-1) for the first time this season. Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 shots allowing a season high in goals.

Johnston scored from the slot 4:10 into the final period on a feed from Nils Lundqvist. After scoring a career-most 45 goals last season, Johnston has goals in consecutive games after going goalless in his first seven outings.

PANTHERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Lars Eller’s first goal of the season, with 2:23 left in the third period, lifted Florida to a win over Chicago.

Eller beat Spencer Knight with a high shot just inside the left post as he raced down right wing and took advantage of Chicago line change. Matthew Tkachuk and Sandis Vilmanis also scored for Florida, which ended two-game losing streak.

Roman Kantserov and Ryan Greene connected for Chicago, which has dropped three straight.

Akira Schmid made 19 saves, while Knight stopped 29 shots.

The Blackhawks failed to score on seven power-play chances, including two brief 5-on-3 advantages, lowering their NHL-worst conversion rate to 8.33%.

CANADIENS 2, JETS 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jacob Fowler made 33 saves and Montreal held off Winnipeg in the NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle scored and Cole Caufield had two assists to help Montreal improve to 6-3-2. The Canadiens opened a four-game trip Friday night with a 4-1 victory over Chicago. Fowler has won his last five starts.

Isak Rosen scored for Winnipeg with 4:46 remaining at home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots for the Jets (4-4-3).

The Jets became just the second Canadian team after Edmonton to host two outdoor games. The Jets also were blanked 3-0 by the Oilers in the first one, but spoiled Calgary’s 2019 outdoor game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, with a 2-1 overtime win.

It was Winnipeg’s first game since trading franchise goalier Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Dawson Mercer, who headlined the return from the Devils, had two shots and one blocked shot in 15:22 of ice time.

PREDATORS 6, AVALANCHE 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly had two goals and two assists, Steven Stamkos added two goals and an assist and Nashville beat Colorado.

Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists, and Jack Drury also scored for the Predators, who had lost their previous two. Justus Annunen made 19 saves for his first victory of the season.

Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews scored and Scott Wedgewood made 29 saves for Colorado, losers of three of four.

Nashville converted on four of seven opportunities on the power play in the game, including both of O’Reilly’s goals. The Predators had just one opportunity with the man advantage in each of their previous three games.

Forsberg scored the game’s first goal at 4:01 of the opening period.

With the Predators on the power play, Stamkos blocked an attempted clear and the puck went to Roman Josi, who sent a pass to Forsberg, who beat Wedgewood with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Josi had three assists.

WILD 4, CANUCKS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in his return to Rogers Arena in Minnesota's victory over the Canucks.

Traded to Minnesota in December, Hughes was booed throughout the night.

He scored on a power player midway through the second period to make it 3-0, and set up Kirill Kaprizov’s NHL-leading 13th goal early in the third for a 4-0 advantage. In 13 games this season, Hughes has three goals and 13 assists.

Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes played 6 1/2 seasons in Vancouver before the blockbuster trade sent him to Minnesota. The deal saw Vancouver acquire Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

Kaprizov and Maxim Shabanov also each had a goal and assist, and Bobby Brink scored.

Calvin Pickard made 15 saves as the Wild improved to 8-3-2, following up a 5-1 victory over the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday.

Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver. Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots.

Vancouver dropped to 2-10-1 with its 10th straight loss.

Hughes became the second-fastest American defenseman to reach 500 NHL points, achieving the feat in 520 games. Brian Leetch hit the milestone in 496 games with the New York Rangers.

_____

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in his return to Rogers Arena in the Minnesota Wild’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks on Sunday night.

Traded to Minnesota in December, Hughes was booed throughout the night.

He scored on a power player midway through the second period to make it 3-0, and set up Kirill Kaprizov’s NHL-leading 13th goal early in the third for a 4-0 advantage. In 13 games this season, Hughes has three goals and 13 assists.

Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes played 6 1/2 seasons in Vancouver before the blockbuster trade sent him to Minnesota. The deal saw Vancouver acquire Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

Kaprizov and Maxim Shabanov also each had a goal and assist, and Bobby Brink scored.

Calvin Pickard made 15 saves as the Wild improved to 8-3-2, following up a 5-1 victory over the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday.

Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver. Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots.

Vancouver dropped to 2-10-1 with its 10th straight loss.

Hughes became the second-fastest American defenseman to reach 500 NHL points, achieving the feat in 520 games. Brian Leetch hit the milestone in 496 games with the New York Rangers.

Up next

Wild: At Utah on Tuesday night.

Canucks: At Anaheim on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The next test for the Rangers’ perfect home record — the next possibility to play spoiler to a start nearing the point of being a historic one — will involve a pair of Garden returns. 

Former head coach Peter Laviolette, who led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy and the Eastern Conference finals in 2023-24 before getting fired one year later, is nine games into his first season as head coach of the Kings and will return to the Garden for the first time since his exit. And Artemi Panarin, the star who was dealt last year before the Olympic roster freeze and made his return in March, will play his second game back at the Garden as a member of the Kings. 

Laviolette’s 114-point campaign with the Blueshirts was followed up by an 85-point one, and the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2024-25. He helped them set records for points and wins (55) during that first year, bringing the franchise to the cusp of a return to the sport’s ultimate stage — while becoming the first coach in NHL history to guide six different teams to the playoffs — before a collapse followed the next season. 

But in the offseason, the Kings reunited Laviolette with Panarin, who had his best individual season under the coach in 2023-24 with 120 points (49 goals, 71 assists). When Panarin was dealt to Los Angeles last year in exchange for Liam Greentree and a third-round pick, he left Broadway in ninth place all time for most points by a Ranger (607), eighth all time for most assists (401) and first for points-per-game (1.26). 

The Kings struggled to start the season and have collected just two wins, but in an overtime win against the Islanders last week, Panarin scored a pair of goals and is already up to six goals and nine points. In a way, that’ll turn Monday into a reminder of what could’ve been for the Rangers if they didn’t fall to the Panthers in the 2024 conference finals — and if their longtime core didn’t take a major step back the following season. 

The Rangers have already won six games at the Garden while managing just one victory and three points on the road, and they entered play Sunday with the most goals per game (4.83) and the second-most total goals (29) at home this season. With a win, the Rangers will open a season with seven consecutive home wins for the first time since an eight-game streak in 1990-91. 

The Kings — now led by Laviolette and Panarin — will test that and have a chance to end that run. 

“We’re trying to build a team game that sets the group up for success regardless of where we play it,” head coach Mike Sullivan said Sunday of the Rangers’ home success and road struggles, “and we’re trying to dictate the terms of how we play the game every single night — regardless of which rink we play it in. And so it’s not like we have a game plan for home and a game plan for the road.” 

“And so obviously our guys have played extremely well at home, and we’ve had some success, which is great, and we gotta continue to build on that.” 

Defenseman Adam Fox will skate in his 500th career game Monday. … Mats Zuccarello, who spent parts of nine seasons with the Rangers from 2010-19, has one assist through five games in his first season with the Kings.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A chorus of boos echoed through Rogers Arena as Quinn Hughes stepped on the ice for warmups Sunday night. They never stopped.

The former Vancouver captain was back for the first time since being traded to Minnesota in December. He had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in the Wild’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks.

Hughes scored off a rebound on a power player midway through the second period to make it 3-0, and set up Kirill Kaprizov's NHL-leading 13th goal early in the third for a 4-0 advantage. In 13 games this season, Hughes has three goals and 13 assists.

Hundreds of people — many clad in Canucks jerseys emblazoned with Hughes’ name and No. 43 — stood around the glass ahead of warmups, hoping to get a glimpse of the star American defenseman. One held a sign reading “And I thought I had commitment issues.”

More boos rained down when Hughes’ name was mentioned on the big screen ahead of puck drop.

Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes played 6 1/2 seasons in Vancouver before the blockbuster trade sent him to Minnesota.

The deal saw Vancouver acquire Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft.

Patrik Allvin, then Vancouver’s general manager, said Hughes had made it clear he was unlikely to sign a long-term extension with the Canucks following the expiration of the six-year, $47.1 million deal he signed in October 2021.

In 2024, Hughes won the Norris Trophy — awarded annually to the league’s top defenseman — after helping Vancouver win a Pacific Division title and make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Hughes became the second-fastest American defenseman to reach 500 NHL points, achieving the feat in 520 games. Brian Leetch hit the milestone in 496 games with the New York Rangers.

___ See AP’s full NHL coverage here

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jacob Fowler made 33 saves and the Montreal Canadiens held off the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Sunday night in the NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle scored and Cole Caufield had two assists to help Montreal improve to 6-3-2. The Canadiens opened a four-game trip Friday night with a 4-1 victory over Chicago. Fowler has won his last five starts.

Isak Rosen scored for Winnipeg with 4:46 remaining at home of the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots for the Jets (4-4-3).

The Jets became just the second Canadian team after Edmonton to host two outdoor games. The Jets also were blanked 3-0 by the Oilers in the first one, but spoiled Calgary’s 2019 outdoor game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, with a 2-1 overtime win.

It was Winnipeg’s first game since trading franchise goalier Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Dawson Mercer, who headlined the return from the Devils, had two shots and one blocked shot in 15:22 of ice time.

Up next

Canadiens: At St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Jets: Host Florida on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Maybe it's time to keep hockey at the rink downtown.

Ten years after their 3-0 shutout loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field, the Winnipeg Jets nearly found a way to repeat some not-so-favourable history. Save for a late-third period goal from Isak Rosen, the Jets nearly pitched another donut at home outside.

Ultimately, Winnipeg dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting Montreal Canadiens from Princess Auto Stadium in the 2026 Heritage Classic on Sunday evening.

“It was a spectacular spectacle," captain Adam Lowry said of the event. "It takes you back to youth hockey, it takes you back to growing up when you fell in love with the game. Obviously a disappointing result, but I thought the NHL and Winnipeg fans did a great job making it another great event.”

The Jets had 10 years to figure it out, but were unable to find a win outside. At least this time around they got a goal... Maybe, just maybe, hockey at the football field isn't in the cards for Winnipeg.

And after a 4-1-1 start, the Jets have now lost five-straight games and six of their last seven. 

On Sunday, Montreal came out as the quicker team off the opening puck drop, and put up the first three shots on goal. But the visitors slowed down as the period wore on. The Jets had two quality chances on a mid-period power play but failed to capitalize. 

The Habs' best chance in the frame came off an Alex Newhook breakaway, but the Canadiens' forward completely missed the net on his chance. 

Thanks to their push near the end of the frame, the Jets actually pulled ahead 10-8 on the shot chart through 20 minutes of play.

The middle stanza began right where it left off for Montreal. This time it was Cole Caufield who missed the net on an early-period breakaway feed from Juraj Slafkovsky. 

But the visitors' luck finally struck as defensive phenom Lane Hutson found the first goal of the game on a net-front tap-in, bringing the red clad visiting fans to their collective feet within the stadium. The goal from Hutson knotted the shots up at elevens.

Kaiden Guhle doubled Montreal's lead on a long-range shot from the point, which once again tied the shot totals at 13s. The goal came at 11:04 of the period, given the Jets roughly half a game to find two goals.

“It was a pretty cool experience," said new guy, Dawson Mercer. "Definitely a weird situation to be thrown into but honestly a pretty special one that I’ll cherish. Obviously, the outcome is not what we wanted, but overall nice to get going with the guys right away, and then build off it from here.”

Despite a decent first period, the Jets were slow, uncreative and not particularly precise through 40 minutes of play. On top of that, Winnipeg was the only team to have been awarded a power play through the second period - and they were given two. They didn't do much on either opportunity. 

The teams exchanged chances in the third, with Isak Rosen finding his first of the season off a cross-ice feed from Gabe Vilardi. The goal gave life to the home crowd of 32,343, as Winnipeg pulled within one with 4:24 to play. 

So, after 115 minutes of goalless hockey at their stadium, the Jets finally woke up.

Then, with 1:32 to play, Josh Anderson took a tripping penalty, sending Winnipeg to its fourth power play of the day. But once again the Jets had no gas in the tank with the man advantage. 

And for the second time in 3,654 days, the Jets were outscored in a home Heritage Classic. They made their way back to their makeshift dressing room losers by way of a 2-1 final.

Skinner turned aside 19 of the 21 shots fired his way by Montreal, while Jacob Fowler made 34 stops on the 35 shots he faced on the night. Winnipeg finished 0/4 on the power play, with Montreal successfully killing each penalty it took. 

Next up for Winnipeg is a Tuesday night affair with the Florida Panthers from Canada Life Centre, before the Jets hit the road for four-straight through next week.

Former Buffalo Sabres goalie James Reimer is officially set to play his 17th season in the NHL.

This is because the former Sabres goalie has signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the New York Rangers for the 2026-27 season.

Reimer landing this contract from the Rangers comes after he signed a PTO with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He impressed during his PTO with Hartford, as he put together a 35-save shutout against the Providence Bruins during his lone start with the AHL club on Oct. 23.

With that, it is entirely understandable that the Rangers have signed Reimer. They needed another goalie with Igor Shesterkin done for the season and Joonas Korpisalo out multiple weeks. Now, Reimer will give New York a veteran to back up rookie Dylan Garand for the time being. 

Reimer appeared in 14 games last season with the Ottawa Senators, where he recorded a 7-4-2 record, an .886 save percentage, and a 2.42 goal-against average. This was after he had a 10-8-2 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.90 goals-against average in 22 games with the Sabres during the 2024-25 season. 

Welcome to New York!

We've agreed to terms with goaltender James Reimer on a one-year contract → https://t.co/9qLdwDgffipic.twitter.com/TPtRliCHaQ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 25, 2026

The Florida Panthers picked up a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller played a major role in the Panthers' victory, as he had a clutch moment.

At the 17:37 mark of the third period, Eller scored his first goal as a Panther to give Florida their 3-2 lead. With this, the former Canadiens forward scored the Panthers' game-winning goal to get them two points. 

Eller's goal was a good one, too, as he beat Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight with a perfectly placed wrist shot on the rush. 

With this goal, Eller now has six points in 12 games this season with the Panthers. This was after the former Canadiens forward posted five goals and 15 points in 68 games last season with the Ottawa Senators.

The Panthers signed Eller to a one-year, $850,000 contract in free agency this offseason. So far, the move is benefiting the Panthers early on. Now, the former Habs center will be aiming to keep this kind of play up from here. 

Eller spent six seasons with the Canadiens from 2010-11 to 2015-16, where he posted 71 goals, 83 assists, and 154 points.

The Islanders hung with the Stars in Dallas for two periods, erasing three one-goal deficits before Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson pulled the Stars away with two goals in a 5:35 span early in the third period.

Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn got the Islanders goals to tie the game at various points, following frustrating sequences or bad bounces that put the Isles in a hole. They showed defensive cracks all night that the Stars consistently exploited.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

The Stars got on the board after the Islanders were buzzing in the Dallas zone and Jake Oettinger was without his stick. That made it sting all the more that Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were allowed to counter the other way with a 2-on-1. Seguin shot instead of passing back, and I’m still not sure how his shot found a hole in Ilya Sorokin.

After Schaefer tied it on a rush and neat short-side shot over Oettinger, Schenn coughed up the puck behind the Islanders net to allow Robertson to come around and score point blank for his first of two goals on the night.

And after Kyle Palmieri tied it early in the second on the rebound of a heavy bounce off the end boards, the Stars got a similar bounce to allow Justin Hryckowian to regain the lead, 3-2, on a power play with Logan Stanley in the box.

Schenn’s equalizer on a nice feed from Anthony Duclair from behind the net, with 2:15 left in the middle period, was the last of the Isles’ scoring.

They went into the third on a high note after that equalizer, but again the Stars exposed and took advantage of them. What started as an odd-man rush became good zone possession that got the Islanders mixed up, allowing Johnston a free look in the slot to give the Stars the lead and ultimate game winner.

Then Robertson got his second of the game on a clearcut breakaway, with Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo in no position to prevent him after Bo Horvat was stripped while trying to split the Stars D.

Mikko Rantanen, who didn’t have Alex Romanov to shove into the boards this meeting, finished things off at 13:02.

Up Next

The road trip continues Tuesday night in Nashville, with a similar .500-ish team in the Predators.

The long process is finally over, the Carolina Hurricanes finally were able to get Alexander Nikishin to agree to a contract. The deal will pay the defenseman $3 million for the 2026-27 season and it is just for a single season.

This is considerably less then what Nikishin originally wanted, (reportedly $8 to 9 million annually). It is also much less than the offer that the Canes supposedly, originally put on the table, a long term deal worth $6 million a year. (This is an unconfirmed rumor)

All the rumors mean nothing at this point. For all we know, the Canes could have originally offered $3 million a year and stayed hard on that number. They had no reason to offer more, since the team held all the cards. And that would make a valid reason for the defenseman to hold out, at least for a short time anyway.

But with the success of the team right now, along with the quality of work from Mike Reilly and Juuso Valimaki, the team certainly had no incentive to offer more.

So here we are. Will the Russian play with 100% effort when called upon? His future pay will depend upon it.

Will the coaching staff even give him a chance? Will they play him at all? Will they tell him to rehab and get in game shape in Chicago? At this point he is an asset, at least he is under contract. But if he plays and improves, he could become a more valuable asset.

Not that it mattered in the past with Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The coaching staff didn’t try to improve his value with some playing time last season. Keep in mind that the only reason Kotkaniemi is playing now is because of injury and they need him. Otherwise, he would probably still be sitting in the pressbox, behind Nicolas Deslauries on the depth chart. His value as an asset is certainly much higher now than it was when the season started.

People are frustrated with Nikishin but before everyone gives up on him, there are a few things to remember.

He has good size, has a long reach, and breaks up plays with his stick well.

He has the hardest slap shot on the team, which is valuable on the powerplay.

He had the highest number of hits per 60 minutes played on the blueline last season. He came in third of the top six defensemen with blocked shots per 60 minutes played. He was not a pylon out there.

Even though some folk discount the value of the plus/minus stat, he had the best plus/minus on the team, at least showing that he was not the weakest link on the defense.

He was selected to the NHL’s all rookie team, so some people around the league thought he was pretty good.

There is no reason to believe that he will not improve the above numbers, given a chance and more minutes. If that happens in Carolina, we will see.

Here is the team’s press release:

RALEIGH, NC – Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Nikishin $3 million for the 2026-27 season. 

“We’re glad that Alexander is returning to our group,” said Tulsky. “This has been a long process, but we look forward to him re-entering our locker room ready to contribute with the Hurricanes, as he did during a Stanley Cup championship season last year.”

About Alexander Nikishin:

• The 25-year-old was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2025-26, after ranking second among NHL rookie defensemen in goals (11) and points (33) and tied for second in assists (22).
• Led rookie NHL defensemen and ranked second among all rookie skaters in plus/minus (+18) during the 2025-26 season.
• Appeared in 17 playoff games for the Hurricanes in 2026, earning one assist and helping Carolina capture the Stanley Cup.
• Spent six season the KHL with Spartak Moskva and SKA St. Petersburg prior to joining the Hurricanes, totaling 177 points (54g, 123a) and 166 penalty minutes in 288 regular-season games.
• Established a record for single-season scoring by a Russian-born KHL defenseman in 2022-23, leading all KHL defensemen with 55 points (11g, 44a) in 65 games, and then broke his own record the following season, again leading all KHL defensemen with 56 points (17g, 39a) in 67 contests.
• Was the youngest player representing Russia at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, capturing a silver medal.
• Selected by the Hurricanes in the third round, 69^th overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft.