The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 3-2 final score in their season opener on Tuesday.

Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes played a big role in Montreal's win, as he stopped 26 out of 28 shots. With this, he finished the contest with an impressive .929 save percentage. 

With how well Dobes has started this season, could be on his way to an even better 2026-27 campaign? The possibility should not be ruled out. 

As well as Dobes played last season, it is important to note that it was also his first full NHL campaign. Due to this, it is fair to wonder if he could hit a new level with the Canadiens now that he is more adjusted to the NHL level.

In 43 regular-season games during the 2025-26 season, Dobes posted a 29-10-4 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.78 goals-against average. He also had a .908 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average in 19 playoff games for Montreal last spring. With this, the 25-year-old has shown a lot of promise, and it will be interesting to see what he does for an encore in 2026-27. 

After an offseason filled with hope and hype, the Philadelphia Flyers could not have suffered through a more nightmarish loss to start their 2026-27 season if they tried.

On Wednesday night, the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins marched into Xfinity Mobile Arena and smashed the Flyers, winning by an eye-watering 7-0 margin. Nick Robertson opened the scoring with a redirection, and Ville Koivunen doubled the Penguins' lead to 2-0 on a breakaway, taking advantage of a poor line change from the Flyers.

After getting out-shot 11-5 in the first period and trailing 2-0, the hope was that the Flyers would respond in a meaningful fashion in the second period, but things just snowballed from there.

An exasperated Rick Tocchet said after the game that he didn't know if the Flyers won a battle, and the effort and score reflected that assessment.

Evgeni Malkin, Filip Hallander, and Hendrix Lapierre all scored for the Penguins in the span of 5:20 to put the Penguins up 5-0, and the Flyers carrying a 26-12 shots on goal deficit.

"That's a team that didn't want to be engaged," Tocchet said of the Flyers. "As much defensively as offensively."

Discipline was an issue for the Flyers, too, as Porter Martone, Nick Seeler, and Travis Konecny all took needless penalties starting their own altercations unprovoked.

Ultimately, the Penguins were 2-for-4 on the power play while also scoring shorthanded, and the Flyers went 0-for-3. On paper, that's hardly the difference in a 7-0 loss, but the Flyers failed to build and maintain any momentum, and special teams once again were a piece of that equation.

By the time Robertson and Egor Chinakhov scored the sixth and seventh goals for the Penguins, the Flyers already looked wholly disinterested in finishing out the game, and they looked very much like the team that got smoked 5-1 by the Washington Capitals' prospects and depth AHLers in the preseason finale.

After the game, Flyers captains Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim resisted definitively answering questions about complacency and preparedness, though after an abhorrent effort such as the one put forth Wednesday night at a home opener, it's fair to wonder.

"Once we're out there, we gotta bring a compete level a lot higher, win more one-on-one battles, and not rely on our skill," Couturier said. "We know we got talent in this locker room, but [if] we're not gonna win battles and support each other, that talent's not gonna bring us too far."

"I don't have an answer," Tocchet said matter-of-factly. "They out-coached us tonight, they out-played us, they did everything better than us tonight."

Sanheim was quick to point out that the Flyers play again on Thursday night, representing an opportunity to flush this one straight away.

"We got a game tomorrow night. We can bounce back and forget about this, and if we do that, everyone won't remember," Sanheim assessed.

The Flyers' next opponents will be the New Jersey Devils, who have their home opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.

That's a faster, more skilled team that won't be banged up like the Penguins, who were without Ben Kindel, Bryan Rust, and Andrei Kuzmenko (personal) on Wednesday night.

"If we play like this tomorrow with a team like Jersey, it's going to be even worse, so we got to be careful," Tocchet said.

TORONTO (AP) — Easton Cowan had a goal and an assist in the first period and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Wednesday night for their first victory under coach Jim Hiller.

The Maple Leafs rebounded from a 3-2 home loss to Montreal in their opener Tuesday night, spoiling the Islanders’ first game of the season.

Colton Sissons also scored for Toronto, and Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves.

Emil Heineman scored in the third period for New York. Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots.

Sissons redirected his first goal for Toronto at 7:14 of the first period off Nick Paul’s setup. Cowan then shoveled home a power-play rebound with 8:05 left in the period.

Reunited with fellow netminder Sergei Bobrovsky after winning the Stanley Cup together with Florida in 2024, Stolarz was perfect until Heineman scored short-handed with 5:51 left.

Up next

Islanders: Host New Jersey on Saturday night.

Maple Leafs: Host Ottawa on Saturday night.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Evgeni Malkin, Hendrix Lapierre and Filip Hallander scored in the second period and Arturs Silovs stopped 19 shots to help the Pittsburgh Penguins steamroll the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday night.

Silovs posted his third career shutout in his 57th start. Nick Robertson scored two goals and Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov also scored for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby added an assist.

The Penguins’ season ended on the same Philadelphia ice in April when the Flyers won a first-round playoff series in six games.

The Flyers left the clincher to a roaring ovation on Cam York’s winner. Five months later, the Flyers were soundly booed off the ice – reaching a crescendo after the second period – and the opening night festivities were spoiled for a team trying to become a force in the Eastern Conference.

The Penguins are trying to run it back at least one more time between the longtime core of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Malkin signed a one-year deal to remain in Pittsburgh, and the hope is there’s enough magic left to help put the Penguins in position to win a playoff series for the first time in nearly a decade.

The 40-year-old Malkin ripped a one-timer from the slot early in the second period for the 3-0 lead that also gave him 100 career points against the Flyers. He became the sixth player with at least 100 points against the Flyers. Crosby’s assist on Robertson’s game-opening goal extended his record with 140 career points against Philly.

MAPLE LEAFS 2, ISLANDERS 1

TORONTO (AP) — Easton Cowan had a goal and an assist in the first period and Toronto beat New York for its first victory under coach Jim Hiller.

The Maple Leafs rebounded from a 3-2 home loss to Montreal in their opener Tuesday night, spoiling the Islanders’ first game of the season.

Colton Sissons also scored for Toronto, and Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves.

Emil Heineman scored in the third period for New York. Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots.

Sissons redirected his first goal for Toronto at 7:14 of the first period off Nick Paul’s setup. Cowan then shoveled home a power-play rebound with 8:05 left in the period.

Reunited with fellow netminder Sergei Bobrovsky after winning the Stanley Cup together with Florida in 2024, Stolarz was perfect until Heineman scored short-handed with 5:51 left.

Beat reporter Stefen Rosner contributed to this story 

TORONTO -- The New York Islanders (0-1-0) got their season off on the wrong footing, falling 2-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs (1-1-0) on Wednesday night inside Scotiabank Arena

Their power play went 0-for-4, including two opportunities in the third period, while the penalty kill went 3-for-4, with a third-period shorthanded goal from Emil Heineman. Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves in the defeat.

The game began with a flurry of chances for the Islanders. New York started hot against the Leafs, who had played the night before, starting their season with a back-to-back.

But, despite the early chances, Toronto struck first with a Colton Sissons redirection.

COLTON SISSONS' FIRST AS A MAPLE LEAF! 🍁 pic.twitter.com/LV6Zcohsf4

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 1, 2026

That was just the Leafs second shot of the game, with the opportunity coming off a Tony DeAngelo turnover. 

Then, at 11:55 of the second period, the Maple Leafs doubled their lead when Easton Cowan buried a rebound on the power play to make it a 2-0 game:

FIRST 'YEEEHAWWW' OF THE SEASON! pic.twitter.com/ZMiTJSvFRH

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 1, 2026

The lack of rebound support for Sorokin there is a big problem, and is an area of concern that Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer called out during the preseason as an issue 

During that period, Anthony Duclair got bumped up to the second line, with Pete DeBoer sending former Leafs forward Matias Maccelli to the fourth line. 

DeBoer jumbled more lines later, reuniting Heineman with Bo Horvat to no avail.

The Islanders' offense came up short, peppering 27 shots but scoring just once on a shorthanded jailbreak from Horvat and Heineman.

Up next for the Islanders: The Islanders host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET for their home opener.

Pregame

Blake Lizotte is able to come off IR and play tonight, so the Pens have this lineup.

Tonight's lines 👇 pic.twitter.com/cGvb2nQ4G9

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 30, 2026

First period

Great opening 20 for the Penguins, they are all over the puck and spend most of the time out of their own end. Philadelphia doesn’t even manage a shot on goal over about the last 12:25 minutes of the period.

Nick Robertson scores the first goal of the season, the play happens before that. Rasmus Ristolainen stepped up and delivered a big open ice hit to Sidney Crosby. Crosby popped up and kept going, eventually getting the puck from Trevor van Riemsdyk and feeding Kris Letang. Letang did a masterful job to show shot until passing down for Robertson to tip the puck in. 1-0 Pens.

Sid gets POPPED, but the Pens score shortly after to silence the Philly crowd 💥🚨 pic.twitter.com/T75lzhCreG

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 30, 2026

The Penguins get the first power play of the game, no dice.

Later, several Flyers decided it was a good time for a line change, which it wasn’t since Sam Girard had the puck. Heads up play by Ville Koivunen to recognize what was developing and get to the middle of the ice. Girard’s pass was on the money and Koivunen’s go-to backhand deke to the five hole beats Dan Vladar.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR VILLE 👏 pic.twitter.com/DGe3lxXaAz

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

Very clean start to the season with a couple of goals and not giving up a lot to the Flyers’ offense. Shots are 12-5, any time the period ends to the wondrous sounds of Flyer fans booing is a good one.

Second period

The Flyers have used intermission well to regroup, as you know Rick Tocchet would. They look more coherent at the start of the second, even though the bottom would drop out for them soon enough.

Porter Martone cross-checks Hendrix Lapierre after the whistle, and whaddya know, the refs call it. The power play looks disjointed until late in it Evgeni Malkin works a give-and-go with Lapierre. Lapierre’s return pass is quickly put on net by Malkin and it finds room up top. 3-0.

Evgeni Malkin with a SNIPE for his first of the season 🎯 pic.twitter.com/un041DTdpE

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 1, 2026

The pedal stays down, Lapierre gets open space and jumps up the ice. He blisters a shot short-side on Vladar. 4-0.

Welcome to the Penguins, Hendrix! 🐧 pic.twitter.com/r0EBmh0ulj

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

There’s no mercy tonight, Lapierre’s all over the puck again skating around the offensive end, he wheels all around the net and gives a pass to Girard. Girard gets the puck to the net, the rebound drops for Filip Hallander to slide into the net. 5-0 game.

FILIP FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET 👏 pic.twitter.com/uKUZH4b5YE

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

Robertson finished a pretty standard looking check and that became a bridge to far for the frustrated Flyers who weren’t able to get much going. Three Flyers dogpile Robertson, the Pens jump in there to help out, Pittsburgh ends up shorthanded as a result, which to be fair was something of a boarding by Robertson to kick off the sequence before the disproportionate but expected overreaction. Penalty killed.

Period ends and we’re treated to that delightful noise of boos from the crowd. They certainly didn’t have anything to cheer about to this point.

Third period

Carlile goes to the penalty box for interference, the Flyers power play makes it really easy to kill off.

Connor Dewar gets a penalty and the Pittsburgh PK gets on the board. Robertson gets on the ice with the PK group, thanks to Dewar being in the box in the first place, and makes the most of it. Robertson’s shot is deflected to the end wall, the bounce off it hits Vladar’s skate and redirects in the net. (Where was this in April???) 6-0.

TOUCHDOWN!!! pic.twitter.com/pbQ7Pf0Ews

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

Late in the game, Travis Konecny does what he does to take a run at Girard up high and takes a penalty. The Pens put out their top power play players, probably more out of the opportunity to get them work so early in the season more than a response to the unseemly play. It works just the same as a satisfying FAFO type of moment for Konecny and the Flyers when Egor Chinakhov tips in an Erik Karlsson point shot. Chili goal, 7-0.

I mean, why not get Egor Chinakhov in the action! Penguins up 7-0! pic.twitter.com/fxUI9gMoFj

— Jet (@_jetgaming) October 1, 2026

Some thoughts

• It’s low-hanging fruit to point it out the obvious in a big win where everyone has their good moments and 14 players picked up at least a point – but man it stood out for how well the new additions performed. One of the newbies figured into the first six goals scored. Lapierre scored a goal and added an assist. Robertson did what he does and put the puck in the back of the net. Twice. Korczak and Carlile played quiet (as they should) but perfectly competently. van Riemsdyk made a subtle but important play in puck support to start the sequence of the first goal. He is a solid player that stops a lot with his positioning and stick. Korczak was activated and moving all around the offensive zone, picking up two assists. It’s only one of 84 but safe to say the newcomers fit right in and helped the cause.
• Girard was noticeably very good too. He was knocking pucks down, his vision and puck moving was on display early. Good to see a strong start for him in his first full year with the Penguins with two assists and even better skating and game control.
• Speaking of strong starts, it’s possible no one needed the confidence boost of a goal more than Koivunen. The lift from scoring can be very real, he showed what he did best on that play by using his hockey IQ to recognize an opportunity, then converted with a skilled move. Good stuff from him, hopefully it will go a long way towards helping him to raise his game.
• Lapierre had some of that confidence on display in the second period, helping to lead that makeshift group. You wouldn’t know that from watching. Hallander was lucky not to get called for slashing on the fourth goal where the refs didn’t see him take the stick out of an opponent’s hand but was rewarded from the front of the net with a beautifully ugly goal. Nice reward for him working back from the uncertainty of blood clots last year. Koivunen got his goal as mentioned above, Lapierre’s speed and puck skills was the straw strirring the drink.
• Penguin playoff nemesis Dan Vladar picked up a minor injury early in the week, at this point surely there’s going to be a lot of talk in Flyer world about whether or not he should have been playing tonight. He wasn’t outright bad but wasn’t sharp like he was in the spring on some of those goals against. Compounding the issue is that the Flyers play again tomorrow night, so making a goalie change wasn’t really something they wanted to do. Amazingly enough, Vladar made a couple of really good saves too at times, this game legitimately could have easily ended up with a more lopsided score.
• On the other side, Arty Silovs would sign up for a lot more nights like this. At one point in the third period the Pens had blocked almost as many shots (10) as the Flyers had shots on goal (12). Most of that was done with active sticks deflecting pucks away from the net. A lot of that was the new influence with Korczak and van Riemsdyk credited with two blocked shots a piece. Felt like more by both of them. Either way, Silovs barely needed to break a sweat in this one, the number of quality chances he saw was low. He handled everything with ease.
• Had a note written out that about the only thing for the Pens that they didn’t quite get up and running today was Chinakhov. Then he scored a late power play goal, so that thought gets deleted real quick and remove all the nitpicking. Everyone ate tonight, both power play groups scored. The PK killed off everything and scored. The goalie was fine with what he had to do. The new players showed exactly why the team wanted them. What more can you say?
• Second straight opening night shutout win for Dan Muse (and Silovs too for that matter). The Pens beat the Rangers 3-0 to kick-off last season. That game was a lot more competitive and sealed with two empty net goals. Tonight was much more of a statement and essentially over by early in the second period.

Can’t win ‘em all if you don’t get the first one. That aside, almost a picture perfect opening night for the Pens. They looked ready to play and ran all over their opponent. Considering that opponent, it doesn’t get much better than that. Great opening statement, we’ll see how the Pens follow it up in their next game on Saturday night.

The NHL debut of Alberts Šmits went as most do for any rookie.

Throughout training camp and the preseason, Šmits was consistent and reliable, playing a steady game while not looking to be overwhelmed, which ultimately helped him earn a spot on the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster. 

In the first period of Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Bruins, the 18-year-old went through the typical rookie experience, with the game moving quickly and him being forced to adapt to the pace of NHL play on the fly.

At first, Šmits struggled specifically in his own zone, as he was critical of himself when speaking with the media after the game.

"I just gotta make better decisions at some points,” Šmits said. “I made a couple plays that weren't there, and I would like to take those back. But I think the best thing I can do right now is just think about it, learn from it, and move on and try to not make the same mistakes in the future."

Over the course of the night, Šmits settled into the game and looked much more comfortable with the speed of play. 

Mike Sullivan wasn’t overly concerned with Šmits’ shaky start to his NHL debut, and he was impressed with the way he responded as the night progressed.

“I’m sure there were some anxious moments for him,” Sullivan said of Šmits. “I thought when the game started, it was happening fast out there for him, but I thought as the game went on, he settled down. I think his size, his reach, the way he leans on people, his ability to defend, his mobility, I think all of that is evident. 

“I think when he gets himself in trouble is when he tries to do a little bit too much and try to make a soft play to the middle. That’s when you need to make a simple play. I think as a young player, you are going to make those types of mistakes and you’ll learn through those experiences, and our job is to try and help him do that.”

Šmits ended the game playing 16:54 minutes, while recording one block, two hits, and two giveaways.

One of the Original Misfits is sticking around.

William Karlsson has been a fixture throughout all 10 years of Vegas Golden Knights hockey, from the franchise’s unforgettable expansion-draft beginnings to a Stanley Cup championship and everything that followed. On Wednesday, the Golden Knights made sure that chapter will continue.

Vegas signed Karlsson to a two-year contract extension worth $6.75 million annually, keeping the veteran center under contract through the 2028-29 season.

Karlsson, 33, was entering the final season of the eight-year, $47.2 million contract he signed with the Golden Knights in 2019. Instead of allowing one of the most recognizable players from the franchise’s inaugural roster to hit free agency, Vegas opted to keep him around for two more seasons.

The extension also takes care of one of the most important pieces of business remaining on the Golden Knights’ offseason agenda.

Vegas extended captain Mark Stone to a two-year deal on Sept. 12, and Karlsson was among the team’s most notable remaining contract situations. The Golden Knights now have four pending unrestricted free agents: forwards Victor Olofsson and Nic Dowd, defenseman Parker Wotherspoon and goaltender Carter Hart.

Few players are more closely tied to the Golden Knights’ history than Karlsson.

Selected from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2017 expansion draft, Karlsson quickly became one of the faces of a franchise that shocked the hockey world during its inaugural season. He has remained a key part of Vegas ever since, helping the Golden Knights go from an expansion team to Stanley Cup champions in just six seasons.

Karlsson has appeared in 570 regular-season games with Vegas, scoring 191 goals and 238 assists for 429 points.

Now, with a new contract in place and a surgically repaired wrist, Karlsson gets two more seasons to add to a Vegas legacy that began on Day 1.

The wait is finally over: Kings hockey is back. The NHL season officially started yesterday. The Kings are looking to start their 2026-27 NHL season on the right path as they take on the team that eliminated them in the playoffs last season, the Colorado Avalanche. The Kings will face the Avalanche at 10:00 PM EST. 

Projected Kings Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Kings:

Artemi Panarin - Quinton Byfield - Adrian Kempe

Mats Zuccarello - Alex Turcotte - Alex Laferriere

Trevor Moore - Erik Haula - Scott Laughton

Andre Lee - Samuel Helenius - Joel Armia 

Brian Dumoulin - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci

Darcy Kuemper

Anton Forsberg

Projected Avalanche Lines

Here are the projected lines for the Avalanche: 

Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas

Gabriel Landeskog - Brock Nelson - Nazem Kadri

Jaden Schwartz - Fedor Svechkov - T.J. Hughes

Parker Kelly - Nicolas Roy

Devon Toews - Cale Makar

Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski

Josh Manson - Brent Burns

Noah Juulsen

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Game Notes

The Kings will be without Kevin Fiala due to his leg surgery. The Kings have also scratched Corey Perry and Erik Gustafsson in tonight's matchup. The Avalanche will dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen tonight. The Avalanche will also be without Logan O’Connor (lower body) and Zachary L’Heureux (lower body). 

The projected starting goaltenders tonight are Darcy Kuemper for the Kings and Mackenzie Blackwood for the Avalanche. This will also be the first regular-season game with Peter Laviolette as their head coach. This is game 1 of 84, so the Kings are looking to start the 2026-27 NHL season with a win. 

The Kings' defence will need to be cautious against this Avalanche team, which averaged 3.63 goals per game and allowed the fewest goals in the NHL at 2.40 per game. While the Kings' defence ranked 7th in the NHL last season, their offence needed a big spark. 

In Game 1, expect the Kings to play better on offence and run a new scheme under new head coach Peter Laviolette. 

Happy new season! Talk about the game with Pens fans here!

The Buffalo Sabres are set to start the 2026-27 season, but it will be difficult to improve on their 2025-26 campaign – one in which they finished first in the Atlantic Division in the regular-season before beating the Boston Bruins in the first round of their Stanley Cup playoff series.

Here at TheHockeyNews.com, in an off-season series, we’re analyzing the Sabres’ Eastern Conference opponents in a series titled “Know Your Enemy”. In this series, we’re breaking down how Buffalo fared against each East team last year, and how they’re likely to fare against those teams this year. And in this final file in the series, we’re focusing on the Washington Capitals. 

The Capitals had an excellent off-season, adding a slew of veterans to reload for a playoff push. Here’s this columnist’s perspective on how the Sabres will fare against Washington in 2026-27:

BUFFALO SABRES VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS

NEW CAPITALS PLAYERS: Alex Tuch (RW), Jordan Kyrou (RW), Boone Jenner (C), Vincent Desharnais (D)

2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-0, Capitals 2-0-1

2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: October 24 at Washington; November 19 at Washington; March 18 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Sabres didn’t have much success against the Capitals last season, and there’s good news and bad news in that regard: the good news is that Buffalo won’t see the same Washington roster this season. But the bad news is that the new-look Caps are going to be even more of a problem for the Sabres.

Remember, even though Washington missed the playoffs last season, they only were a few points out of a wild card spot. So when you take the core of the Capitals – Alexander Ovechkin, Logan Thompson, Jakob Chychrun, Tom Wilson – and you add to it four very capable newcomers in trades and free-agency, you’re going to have a Capitals team capable of doing a lot of damage.

The first of those four Caps newcomers is extremely familiar to Sabres fans – power forward Tuch, who left Buffalo behind for a lucrative payday in D.C.. But Sabres fans won’t be able to let Tuch know how they feel about him until close to the end of the regular season. Buffalo will take on the Capitals twice earlier in the year, but both of those games will be in Washington. 

By that point, the Sabres will have bigger fish to fry than to worry about sticking it to Tuch. And in that third and final game, one or both of the Capitals and Sabres could be fighting it out for a wild card berth. 

The Capitals will be bolstered by Tuch, Jenner, Kyrou and Desharnais, so Buffalo will have its hands full in each game they play against Washington. But the Sabres can send a message to Tuch — that he made a major mistake by leaving Buffalo – by defeating the Caps and proving to Sabres fans that they can take on above-average teams and humble them. 

Washington could challenge the Carolina Hurricanes for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. So the Sabres know they’re going to face a serious challenge from the Capitals. And the way Buffalo responds to that challenge will help shape the way their 2026-27 season unfolds.

A piece of good news came out of the Florida Panthers practice on Wednesday in San Jose.

One day after picking up a victory in their first game of the season, the Panthers were back on the ice for practice at Sharks Ice, the San Jose Sharks training facility, ahead of their game on Thursday.

On the ice for a portion of Florida’s time at Sharks Ice was forward Brad Marchand.

Marchand has been out since having a procedure last month, one that was expected to keep him out until sometime in November.

At least that was the initial diagnosis, which Panthers head coach Paul Maurice and general manager Bill Zito shared with the media several weeks ago.

In the time since, Marchand has been spotted on the ice several times.

Mostly he’s been working with coaches and forward Jonah Gadjovich, who is also on Injured Reserve and out indefinitely.

Marchand is on the road trip with his Panthers teammates, though, and after skating on Wednesday, his head coach provided an update on how the veteran forward is recovering from the injury.

“He’s probably further ahead than we thought,” Maurice said. “The window is still there, but he survived a Patric Hornqvist skate the other day and not too many healthy people can do that, so I don’t know where he’s at, but I think he’s closer to the end of the month.”

Video of Marchand at Wednesday's practice can be seen below:

Adding Marchand to Florida’s lineup will only boost what some consider the deepest forward group in the NHL.

Last season, Marchand’s first full campaign with the Panthers, he led the team offensively in goals and points until injuries began catching up to him in February and March. He finished with 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games.

When he returns, it’s expected that Marchand re-joins a forward line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, but that’s assuming there are no other changes to the lineup between now and then.

We’ll see how things play out, but Florida’s embarrassment of riches that is their depth will only grow stronger when Marchand gets back in the band.

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Season-opening cheers turn into boos as Flyers get blown out by Penguins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rick Tocchet felt the Flyers were humbled in their preseason finale.

Four days later, they were served a much bigger slice of humble pie. It came on opening night, in a game that counted, in front of a packed crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The Flyers commenced the 2026-27 season with an embarrassing, 7-0 loss Wednesday night to the Penguins.

“That was about as ugly as it could have gotten,” Travis Sanheim said. “The fortunate thing is it’s Game 1 and we’ve got 83 more of these and we’re playing again tomorrow night.”

In this same building not even five months ago, the Flyers received a standing ovation after their promising run to the second round of the playoffs came to an end. On Wednesday night, they were booed. Heavily.

And it was warranted.

“At some point, we’ve got to learn here, we’ve got to wake up,” Sean Couturier said. “The last exhibition game we played, it was the same way. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, it’s training camp, we’re going to ease our way into the season.’ But we’ve got to wake up here.

“I mean, there’s no panic, nothing, but obviously we’ve got to realize that we’re not that good, what happened last year is last year and we’ve got to move on. It’s a fresh year and we’ve got to get back to outworking teams and trying to get points.”

Pittsburgh finished off the eye-sore with a power play goal.

“There were alarming things out there,” Tocchet said. “We honestly didn’t win a battle.”

The Flyers dropped to 0-2-0 in season openers under Tocchet.

“They outcoached us tonight, they outplayed us,” Tocchet said. “They did everything better than us tonight.”

The Penguins got some early revenge on the Flyers. The opener was a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff matchup. The Flyers won the physical and feisty series in six games.

The Flyers face Pittsburgh three more times this season.

• Dan Vladar did not look like himself. Perhaps there was some rust.

The 29-year-old goaltender saw only one abbreviated period of preseason action because of an upper-body injury. Ideally, he would have played five periods before the real thing.

“He hasn’t had a preseason,” Tocchet said. “He wants to battle and stay in there. That’s what I thought.”

Pittsburgh’s sixth goal was salt in the wound. It came on the Flyers’ power play in the third period when Nick Robertson had a shot go off the boards and then Vladar’s skate.

But this loss wasn’t squarely on Vladar’s shoulders. The Flyers didn’t help him whatsoever. And they knew he barely had a preseason. They gave up 38 shots.

The Penguins flipped the game upside down in the second period by ripping off three goals over a span of 4:40 minutes.

Evgeni Malkin padded the lead to 3-0 with a power play blast. Hendrix Lapierre made it 4-0 on a wide-open look after Jamie Drysdale lost a puck battle in the neutral zone. The boos really came down after Filip Hallander batted home a loose puck, making it 5-0 with about half of the game still left to be played.

“When we were down 4-0, even some plays we were making, just disturbing plays,” Tocchet said. “Obviously we’ve got to figure this out quickly. Since I’ve been here, it’s the worst D-zone I’ve ever seen.”

The Flyers were not sharp at all in the first period. They couldn’t connect on passes and their last shot came with 12:25 minutes left in the period.

They had a poor line change, which resulted in Pittsburgh’s second goal. Rasmus Ristolainen, Porter Martone and Owen Tippett all came off. Trevor Zegras was in the process of changing, but had to circle back. Ville Koivunen capitalized, taking a pass and going down broadway to beat Vladar on a nifty move.

The Penguins’ onslaught started 7:26 minutes into the action. Ristolainen elicited a roar from the crowd when he leveled Sidney Crosby in the defensive zone, but Pittsburgh kept possession and scored 15 seconds later. Crosby picked up a secondary assist on the play as Robertson snuck one past Vladar with a deflection.

Penguins netminder Arturs Silovs stopped all 19 of the Flyers’ shots.

• The Flyers were not a high-end scoring team last season and their offense dried up badly later in the playoffs.

They couldn’t generate much at all Wednesday night.

“That’s a team that didn’t want to be engaged tonight, as much as defensively and offensively,” Tocchet said. “Like, hold onto a puck. We just kept throwing pucks and giving it away.”

The Flyers’ power play went 0 for 3. The club entered the opener with the NHL’s worst power play percentage over the past five seasons combined.

• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu).

The Chicago Blackhawks went with Andrew Mangiapane over Teuvo Teravainen in the first game of the regular season after the two battled for playing time during training camp. It came somewhat as a surprise that Teravainen was in that position based on the career he's had, but Jeff Blashill is committed to playing the lineup that he thinks has the best chance to win. 

The Blackhawks had a tough loss to open their season against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, but they didn't lose just the game. They also lost Mangiapane, who played one shift in the second period before leaving the game due to injury. 

After the game was over, Jeff Blashill told reporters that Mangiapane was going to miss the rest of the road trip (Thursday vs Utah, Saturday vs Buffalo). His status beyond that is unclear. 

On Wednesday, Mangiapane returned to Chicago, where he would be evaluated further. Whether he is able to play in Chicago's home opener on October 6th still remains to be seen, but he won't be with the team for the next handful of days. 

During their practice on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, ahead of their game against the Utah Mammoth, Teravainen was inserted into the line rushes with nobody rotating in for him. He skated on the second line's left wing with Roman Kantserov in the middle and Nick Lardis on the right. 

Teravainen was unable to lock himself into the opening-night lineup with his play during camp and the preseason, but he has been gifted another golden opportunity. It's on him to run with it. 

The lines were probably going in the blender anyway, but the addition of Teravainen is part of a very interesting shakeup. The top line will feature Patrick Kane and Tyler Bertuzzi on the wings, with Anton Frondell in the middle. 

Kane played much better once placed with Tyler Bertuzzi in Tuesday night's loss, and Blashill is keeping them together for now. For Anton Frondell, this is a great opportunity early in the year to get going. 

With another injury or illness for the rest of the road trip, the Blackhawks would likely just dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. They have 8 blue-liners on the roster, which is why there isn't an extra forward besides Teravainen, with Mangiapane leaving. 

If at any point they have to make a call-up, you'd think that Landon Slaggert is the first option, with Dominic Toninato in the mix as well. There are also AJ Spellacy and Sacha Boisvert down in Rockford waiting for their chance to become NHL regulars. 

Jeff Blashill and Kyle Davidson are likely not thrilled that there is already an injury to keep an eye on, but that is the nature of hockey. Connor Bedard will be back before long, which will add an elite talent to the forward group. When that happens, everyone will slot down into more fitting roles, which will make everyone better. A guy like Teuvo Teravainen has until then to keep himself dressed in the lineup. 

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A former Montreal Canadiens goalie is officially available for the taking.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Carolina Hurricanes have placed former Canadiens goalie Cayden Primeau on waivers.

With Primeau being placed on waivers, any interested teams can claim him. However, if he clears waivers unclaimed, Carolina will then be able to assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. 

Teams looking for goalie depth could consider taking a chance on Primeau. Yet, it would also be understandable if he clears waivers, as he has struggled to break out at the NHL level. 

Primeau spent most of last season in the AHL with the Wolves. In 39 games with the AHL club, he posted a 21-11-7 record, a .916 save percentage, and a 2.41 goals-against average. He also played in three games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2025-26, posting a 2-1-0 record, an .838 save percentage, and a 4.30 goals-against average. 

Primeau was selected by the Canadiens in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 199th overall. In 55 games over six seasons with Montreal from 2019-20 to 2024-25, he had a 13-24-7 record, an .884 save percentage, and a 3.69 goals-against average.