Category: NHL

On Saturday afternoon, Winnipeg Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury suffered a lower body injury after blocking a shot from Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe.

Fleury left the ice in the second period and did not return to the game, eventually taking a twirl on the ice following the second intermission, but did not come back out on the ice with his teammates  for the third period.

Head coach Scott Arniel spoke after the game, indicating that Kempe's shot hit Fleury in the knee.

“Yeah, he got hit with that shot. He’s pretty sore," Arniel said. "It caught him on the side of the knee cap. He’ll wake up (Sunday) and we’ll see how he is, see how he’s doing.” 

Unfortunately, Sunday did not seem to bring much relief, as Fleury was absent from the Jets' skate. In a corresponding move, Winnipeg recalled fellow blueliner Kale Clague from the Manitoba Moose. 

This move will likely serve as a precautionary one for the sake of the team's seventh defender - to which Clague will surely slot in. 

Colin Miller - who sat out the first two games as the No. 7 defenceman - is expected to pair with fellow veteran blueliner Luke Schenn on the team's third grouping.

Clague, the former Brandon Wheat Kings star, has bounced between the NHL and AHL over the past five years since being drafted in the second round by the Kings in 2016. He signed a one-year deal for the league minimum with Winnipeg this offseason.

Currently down second pair defenceman Dylan Samberg, Winnipeg will now miss Fleury's smooth skating abilities as he recovers from the knee injury, but will have Clague as an option to fill in on the two game road trip through New York and Philadelphia, should Fleury miss time.  

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 1 day until opening night at Nationwide Arena. 

Let's take a look at who wore 1 and where they are now.

Jean-François Labbé - 2002 - Undrafted out of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Jean-François Labbé played in 14 games with the Blue Jackets over the course of two seasons. He went 3-5 with an .890 SV%. He spent the bulk of his time playing in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch. 

He left North America in 2003 for Russia. He then played in Germany and Poland before returning to Canada in 2009. After playing a season for Sherbrooke Saint-François in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, he would retire. 

Labbé was primarily an AHL goalie, playing in a total of 261 games. He had a record of 131-97-25 and had 13 shutouts. He has won numerous awards in the AHL, including Best Goaltender and Most Valuable Player. For his efforts, Labbé was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2016.

After retiring, he moved into coaching, where he was either a head coach or a goaltending coach at different stops. 

Tomáš Pöpperle - 2007 - Drafted by Columbus in 2005. 

Pöpperle played two games for Columbus in 06-07, which were the only two NHL games of his career, both of which were in relief. His SV% was .929% and he had a GAA of 1.35.

He played 66 AHL games for the Syracuse Crunch before returning to Europe. He last played in 23-24 in Germany's second tier. 

Steve Mason - 2009-2013 - Drafted by Columbus in 2006. 

Mason won 96 games for Columbus in his career. His win total is second to only Sergei Bobrovsky. His 19 shutouts are also second, while he played 13,138:02 of TOI, which is third. His GAA is fourth in team history, while his save % is fifth. 

After he was traded to Philadelphia, he played four years for the Flyers before spending a season with the Winnipeg organization. After suffering two concussions and a serious knee injury, Mason wouldn't play again and would retire. 

Mason started his career with a bang, winning the 08-09 Calder Trophy and being named to the NHL's all-rookie team. He was also named an NHL all-star during his rookie year, to go along with his NHL second-team honors. 

Mason was traded to the Flyers on April 3, 2013, in exchange for goaltender Michael Leighton and a 2015 third-round draft pick. In Philly, he would finish with a record of 104-78-36.

Mason, while playing for Canada at the U20 World Junior Championships, went 5-0 with a SV% of .951 and won tournament MVP, best goaltender, and was an all-star. 

Oh, what could have been. 

There is one day left until opening day at Nationwide Arena. 

The Jackets go into the home opener having split their first two games on the road against Nashville and Minnesota. Kirill Marchenko and Elvis Merzļikins were the stars for Columbus on Saturday night to beat the Wild in what felt like a must-win, just two days into the season. 

Let us know what you think below.

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The Chicago Blackhawks had a party at the United Center to kick off their year-long centennial celebration. It started with a red carpet entrance into the building for over 50 alumni and the entire Chicago Blackhawks roster. 

After the red carpet event was over, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that former TV play-by-play announcer Pat Foley and former NHL forward Jeremy Roenick have been named team ambassadors. They join Chris Chelios, Troy Murray, and Denis Savard in this role. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xjoin us in welcoming Jeremy Roenick and Pat Foley as Blackhawks Ambassadors, alongside Chris Chelios, Troy Murray and Denis Savard! we’re thrilled to have them be part of our Ambassador program to help celebrate 100 years of Blackhawks hockey and grow the game in Chicago👏

After warmups, a ceremony to celebrate 100 years of hockey in Chicago was led by Foley. All of the alumni and the current team were on the ice to take in the ceremony. 

"100 years ago, the best game in the world came to the greatest city in the world," Pat Foley said during his speech. 

The Blackhawks then unveiled their Centennial season banner, which now hangs in the rafters alongside the six Stanley Cup banners. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xa special banner for 100 years of Blackhawks hockey🥲 p.s. we miss you @muzz19❤️Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on X100 years of Windy City hockey🏙️

Jim Cornelison followed the ceremony with his rendition of "O Canada" and "The Star Spangled Banner" alongside organist Carrie Marcotte. By the end of that, the United Center was incredibly loud and ready for hockey. 

The game didn't go as planned for the Blackhawks, as they allowed the Montreal Canadiens to score the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation.

Blackhawks Allow Game-Winning Goal With 15 Seconds Left, Lose 3-2 To CanadiensThe Chicago Blackhawks made it home for their home opener on Saturday night. They took on the Montreal Canadiens in what was the first game of their centennial celebration. 

It was a hard game that ended in heartbreak, but the celebration was everything a fan could have asked for. Now, they will begin moving through the different eras of Blackhawks hockey, which will take them all the way through the season. Attending games at the United Center is a must in 2025-26. 

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

Heading into the 2025-26 season, goaltending was perceived to be the biggest weakness of the Philadelphia Flyers, but so far, it's actually been their greatest strength.

Prized free agent signing Dan Vladar kept the Flyers in the game all night in their first game of the year against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, racking up an impressive 32 saves on 34 shots (.941) after, somewhat surprisingly, starting ahead of Sam Ersson.

Ersson got his chance on Saturday night, though, and while his 35 saves on 39 shots and .897 save percentage weren't quite as impressive, he did more than enough to give the Flyers a chance to win the game against the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes.

At the time of this writing, according to Moneypuck, Ersson (1.87) and Vladar (1.00) are 11th and 14th in the NHL in goals saved above expected.

Sure, it's only been two games, and one for each goalie, but the Flyers were handily outplayed in both while icing a more than depleted defense.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Pitches Shutout in AHL DebutIn his first ever AHL game, this recently traded former Philadelphia Flyers goalie earned an impressive shutout.

So, despite that, the Flyers are actually tied with the Hurricanes for 12th in the NHL with a team GAA of 2.89, and they've faced 28 more shots on goal.

This is all to say that the Flyers' goalies came to play to start the season, and it's on them to continue these types of performances. The onus is on the Flyers, too, to protect them with a better defense and some goal support.

Ersson and Vladar have always been capable, but it's been a matter of consistency for both players in their NHL careers.

It's fair to say that both Ersson and Vladar were the Flyers' best players in their respective first starts of the season, and that's not something anybody expected to say after matchups with Florida and Carolina.

ELMONT, NY -- After becoming the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a point in his NHL debut on Thursday, New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer made history again on Saturday night.

Islanders No. 1 Pick Matthew Schaefer Becomes Youngest Defenseman To Record Point In NHL DebutPITTSBURGH, PA -- During the New York Islanders’ season opener on Thursday, 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL point, marking an early milestone for the young defenseman. 

At 4:28 of the third period, Schaefer came diving into the low slot like New York Giants running back Cam Skataboo, using one hand to jam the puck over Logan Thompson's right pad to send UBS Arena into an absolute frenzy:

Schaefer has done it. What a moment. #Islespic.twitter.com/esAuoAzd10

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) October 12, 2025

Schaefer became the youngest player, at 18 years and 36 days, to play over 25 minutes in a game, logging 26:04.

The record was previously held by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, who played 25:39 at 18 years and 118 days, per Stathead.com. 

Not only did he lead the Islanders, but he played the most minutes of anyone else in the game. 

Schaefer only played 17 games last season with the OHL's Erie Otters due to mono and a broken clavicle. So, how does head coach Patrick Roy balance playing Schaefer big minutes for someone hasn't played much hockey over the last year?

"Sorry, I don't look at what happened last year. I'm focusing on what I see right now and what I see right now is a guy that's capable of handling those minutes," Roy said. "We're going to be there for him. Whatever he needs, we'll take care of him. I'm not balancing anything right now. He forced me to play him. We're going to give it to him."

While the Detroit Red Wings found themselves trailing by a 2-0 score in the opening 20 minutes of play of Saturday evening's game against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, they put in the work to make sure they didn't suffer the same fate as their disappointing 5-1 setback on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. 

The Red Wings roared back to life in the second period, scoring three times to take the lead, followed by another go-ahead goal in the third period shortly after Toronto re-tied the score en route to a 6-3 victory, their first of their centennial campaign. 

The fingerprints of Lucas Raymond were all over the win, as he scored not only the game-tying goal in the second period, but also the third period go-ahead marker that ultimately stood up as the game-winner. 

Raymond's second goal was also a milestone tally, as it was the 100th of his NHL career - not a bad way to start a season in which he was named one of two alternate team captains. 

Raymond gets career goal 100! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/YtyA71ofpe

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 12, 2025

Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, who scored Detroit's initial go-ahead goal in the second period, had no shortage of praise for Raymond in the dressing room following the game.

"I think he's just progressing every day, every game. Each year I've been here, he just gets better and better," Kane said of Raymond. "The thing you love about him is that he wants to be the best. He puts the work in, whether its during practice or off the ice. He's always finding ways to better himself, so he's been really impressive since I've been here." 

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Raymond said that while he wasn't initially aware that his second goal was his 100th career tally, it's always fun to light the lamp and he has no intention of slowing down. 

"It's fun, obviously. I didn't know about it, but it's cool, you know. You don't take that stuff for granted, and it's always fun to score. I'd like to keep that going." 

When asked what he thinks of such high praise from a bonafide Hall of Fame player like Kane, Raymond instead talked about what Kane's presence and leadership means to the club as a whole.

"It's fun, Kaner is huge for us, not just the stuff everyone sees on the ice but off the ice with his leadership," he said. "It's fun to see the work he puts in every day, and it's great for young guys to come in and just be able to watch a guy like that. I remember when he came in, that was what stood out for me right away." 

Last season, Raymond established a new career-high in points with 80, a number he could very well blow past this campaign. 

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In Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens winger Zack Bolduc scored another goal, giving him three goals in as many games since he started playing for the Tricolore. He won’t keep up that torrid pace all season long, but he nonetheless became just the 6th player to score in his first three games with the Habs in the NHL. Who were the other five? Joe Malone (1917), Leo Gravel (1946), Brian Bellows (1992), Pierre Turgeon (1995), and Yannic Perreault (2001) (TSN’s Statscenter).

If we go back to the last season, he scored 16 goals in 29 games. Projected over the course of 82 games, that’s a 45-goal-per-season pace. That’s hardly likely to remain the case, but it nevertheless shows great scoring instinct. What’s even better is the fact that he scored his goal from the front of the net in a spot where players usually are covered closely. The 22-year-old has a knack for getting his stick free.

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According to the NHL Stats account on X, Bolduc is also climbing up the longest goal road streak to start a season with the Canadiens. Since 1967-68, the longest such streak belongs to Cole Caufield and Steve Shutt, who both had four, with his third on Saturday. Bolduc joined Tomas Plekanec (who had done it twice), Lucien Deblois, Guy Lafleur (who had done it three times), and Yvan Cournoyer. Will he join Caufield and Shutt? We’ll know when the Canadiens get back on the road with a game against the Calgary Flames on October 22.

Saturday night’s game was Bolduc’s 100th in the NHL, and he now has 27 goals and 22 assists for a total of 49 points. The Quebecer was picked 17th overall at the 2021 draft, and it’s starting to be rather obvious why. In his first season with the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL, he scored 29 points in just 27 games. Then, in his second season with the Quebec Remparts, he recorded 99 points in 65 games, followed by 110 points in 61 games.

That kind of productivity doesn’t always translate to the NHL, but so far, so good for the youngster whom the team named player of the game Saturday night. Giving him the “player of the game sunglasses,” veteran defenseman Mike Matheson called him “the pride of Quebec,” and judging by the activity on social media, that’s quite accurate.

---

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Oct 11, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates goal with center Brady Martin (44) against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

There’s something to be said for chemistry when it comes to putting a successful line on the ice. It’s an intangible that isn’t automatic and often takes a bit of tinkering with various combinations of players before results are achieved.

Although the Nashville Predators came away disappointed after falling 3-2 to the Utah Mammoth in overtime Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena, the top line has stood out in the first two games of the young regular season.

Throughout training camp, the pre-season and the first two games of the regular season, the Predators’ top line of Filip Forsberg, Brady Martin and Ryan O’Reilly have developed both chemistry and results.

A small sample size, to be sure, but the top line has factored in both of the Predators’ regular-season games.

In Saturday night’s overtime loss, Forsberg scored the goal that tied the game 1-1 after Logan Cooley got Utah on the board first with a shot from the left side at 2:21 of the first period.

Martin earned his first NHL point in his second game with a crafty assist on Forsberg’s tally.

That first @NHL point feeling 🤩

Brady Martin gets his first NHL point with an assist on Fil Forsberg's goal! pic.twitter.com/Z5iwj4YCwe

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 12, 2025

At the 12:37 mark of the first period, Forsberg took advantage of a turnover from the offensive blueline, used Mammoth defenseman John Marino as a screen along the left boards and fired in a wrister past goalie Karel Vejmelka to tie the game.

On the play, Martin poke-checked the puck off Marino’s stick, allowing Forsberg to retrieve it and work his magic.

"Yeah, I've definitely been looking for (that first point)," Martin said after the loss. "To finally get it is great, it feels amazing. Wish we'd gotten the win tonight, but it is what it is."

At 18 years and 209 days, Martin became the second-youngest player in Predators history at the time of his first career NHL point behind Scott Hartnell on Oct. 24, 2000 (18 years, 189 days).

With his goal, Forsberg is just one shy of becoming the first player in Preds history to record 50 multi-point games during his career.

In Nashville’s 2-1 season-opening victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Forsberg assisted on O’Reilly’s game-winning goal. With that helper, Forsberg became only the fifth player in NHL history to register a point in 10 or more consecutive opening games.

Having an uber-talented young player like Martin flanked by two veterans the caliber of Forsberg and O’Reilly has paid major dividends for the Predators’ top line in the first two games. The three have worked together almost since the beginning of camp, and Martin has especially benefited from the combination.

Martin logged 12:44 of ice time against Columbus Thursday in his NHL debut. Most of that time was spent getting comfortable playing at a faster pace than what he experienced in the pre-season.

“It was pretty electric in the building (Thursday night),” Martin said following his debut. “So, to get the first one under my belt, and hopefully many more to come, is a lot of fun.”

Martin had 10:40 of TOI on Saturday. The Predators have seven more games to decide whether to keep him on the roster or send him back to juniors after nine games. The points will come, but it’s his instincts and getting to pucks like the play on Saturday that will make it difficult for the Preds’ brass to take him off the roster.

As for Forsberg and O’Reilly, they have a combined three points between them in the first two games. Martin's presence seems to have injected his linemates with some much-needed energy.

Forsberg led the Preds in scoring with 76 points last season, a 20-point margin over the team's second-leading scorer, Jonathan Marchessault.

O'Reilly had 53 points in 2024-25. Martin may not be an elite center yet, but is showing signs of developing into one. Whether he stays the rest of the season will certainly have a bearing on how the line as a whole will continue to come together.

The Predators (1-0-1) embark on a four-game road trip through Canada that kicks off with a Monday afternoon game in Ottawa against the Senators.

It was a good opening week of the season for the Florida Panthers.

After picking up a pair of one-goal victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers to kick off their 2025-26 campaign, Florida welcomed the Ottawa Senators to Sunrise on Saturday and earned a resounding 6-2 victory over their divisional rivals.

Despite going into the season without several key players due to injury, the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions have continued humming along, playing their physically challenging brand of hockey while receiving contributions from up and down the lineup.

Florida has also gotten off to an excellent start on special teams. We’ll see if all this success can continue once they hit the road next week. 

For now, let’s get to the takeaways from Florida capping off a perfect 3-0-0 homestand:

POWER PLAY SUCCESS

The Panthers have scored power play goals in all three of their games so far this season.

Overall, they’ve cashed in five times out of 12 opportunities, good for a 41.7% success rate that will be incredibly difficult to sustain over the course of an entire season.

All kidding aside, there are several reasons why Florida’s power play has been so formidable, as they can throw two very unique units at you that each feature some potent offensive players.

They're also keeping things relatively simple and leaning on the foundational pieces they began installing early in training camp. 

“We’re not overcomplicating it,” said Panthers defenseman Seth Jones. “Obviously we have new units this year, so we did a lot of work in the preseason to try to get everyone in the right spots and everyone understand what the plays are, and just being direct. It really ties into our five-on-five game, there's nothing crazy about it.”

STEADY ON PK

Just as Florida’s power play has been a major source of strength, their penalty kill has been equally reliable.

Through three games, the Panthers’ PK has killed off each of the seven power plays its been called upon to extinguish, allowing only seven total shots against while down a man. 

As Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice pointed out, this year’s killers have done well to replicate the success they found last season and, similarly to what Jones said about the power play, are doing so by keeping things simple.

“I don't think that they've changed much,” Maurice said. “We look a little different on it because of the personnel that's out, but the structure of it (looks the same). Those defensemen have done a really fine job of being able to play off of different forwards, and we've run a lot of different combinations. The D have done a nice job in that structure.”

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL OVER

Florida has scored 11 goals over their three wins, with nine different players lighting the lamp.

The overall points have been spread evenly throughout the lineup as well.

Four of Florida’s defenseman have multiple points (Seth Jones, Jeff Petry and Gus Forsling each have two assists), and representatives from all four of the Panthers forward lines have scored goals.

“It's going to be the critical piece,” Maurice said of the team’s depth scoring. “We going to have more nights of two and three (goals), like the first two games, than we will like tonight, so you need to have as many people as you can coming to the rink believing they can get score, that they have that positive feel. I think each line has generated enough that they're feeling positive about their game, so they don't really need to change it.”

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Photo caption: Oct 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Mackie Samoskevich (11) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Controversial penalty call or no controversial penalty call, the Philadelphia Flyers need to take care of themselves and their own issues, which plagued them for a second game in a row.

For starters, the Flyers were heavily out-chanced once again, and while they are playing against superior opponents in Carolina and Florida, that's setting the bar pretty low for a team aspiring to get to that level soon.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers generated just 2.14 expected goals at 5-on-5 to the Hurricanes' 3.24.

They did, however, almost come away with a win against the Hurricanes on Saturday night in a tough building, but Travis Sanheim, who scored the game-tying goal, was flagged for goalie interference on Bobby Brink's overtime winner, wiping away a 4-3 win.

Instead, Seth Jarvis went down and stole a 4-3 win for the Hurricanes.

The problem is that the Flyers probably should have won before that, having held 1-0 and 2-1 leads thanks to the efforts of Brink and Owen Tippett.

Brink's second period goal was also aided by Nikita Grebenkin, who earned his first NHL point on the play.

Through two games, Matvei Michkov just doesn't look like the same player who threatened to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie a season ago, and that's with two different line combinations.

Flyers Underwhelm in Loss to Panthers, But An Unlikely Hero EmergesThe Philadelphia Flyers suffered a rather uneventful 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in their season opener Thursday night, and it was a performance fans aren't going to want to see often.

Michkov, 20, played just 13:27 against the Hurricanes on Saturday night, didn't play in the 3-on-3 overtime period, and took a roughing penalty whilst standing up for Travis Konecny after the latter absorbed a massive hit from William Carrier.

Simply put, Michkov is the franchise player. He needs to get going (and probably will at some point), but the Flyers have little chance of winning consistently until he does.

To that point, the defensive depth continues to be a major pain point, as Adam Ginning, Egor Zamula, and Noah Juulsen have been borderline unplayable early on in Rick Tocchet's tenure as head coach.

Yes, Cam York is banged up, and yes, Rasmus Ristolainen won't be back for at least a few more weeks, but the Flyers ought to be weighing up some trades to but the issue to bed for good.

I'd be shocked if Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae, and/or Helge Grans don't see NHL games this season. At some point, it gets to a point, and the Flyers would be doing a disservice to themselves if the issue is extrapolated beyond October.

On a more positive note, Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko looked alright in their season debuts. While it's not quite enough, giving those two eight minutes a night is more productive and beneficial than giving it to Rodrigo Abols and Nick Deslauriers.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Pitches Shutout in AHL DebutIn his first ever AHL game, this recently traded former Philadelphia Flyers goalie earned an impressive shutout.

Grebenkin, Luchanko, and Garnet Hathaway each had positive Corsi and scoring chance shares, but were unfortunate to be out-scored 1-0 at 5-on-5. It's something to build on, and it should give Tocchet something to think about going forward, especially given the nature of their test against Carolina.

But, again, until the Flyers can get some forward lines going, they aren't going to go very far at all. Travis Konecny has just two shots on goal in two games and is averaging just 16 minutes a night, while Michkov is down at 14.

Trevor Zegras earned his first Flyers point against the Hurricanes on Saturday night, and a reunion with Michkov could do the trick - defense be damned. For what it's worth, for much of training camp and the preseason, the defense wasn't all that good anyway. What difference does it make?

Tocchet and Co. will have some decisions to make ahead of the Flyers' home opener against the Panthers on Monday night, starting with the line combinations. The good news, however, is that they were closer on Saturday than they were on Thursday night.

The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up their season-opening two-game road trip on Saturday when they traveled to take on the San Jose Sharks after Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

Heading into this game, one of the biggest stories was the debut of Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson, long-time friend, teammate, and opponent of Ducks’ star rookie Beckett Sennecke.

Lines and pairs for the Ducks remained mostly the same from the game before, with the only change coming in the form of Nikita Nesterenko slotting in for Sam Colangelo on the fourth line.

This was a wild game from start to finish with mental lapses, shoddy defensive habits, electrifying offensive sequences, and questionable goaltending on both ends.

Petr Mrazek got his first start as a member of the Anaheim Ducks and saved 17 of 23 shots.

Mrazek was opposed by Sharks star rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov, who was making his season debut as well. Askarov stopped 36 of the whopping 43 shots he faced in this one.

Here are my notes from this game:

Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke showed new layers of technical proficiency unseen before at any level from him (at least by me). He was a pest on the forecheck, getting quick sticks on retrieving defenders, and showed a high motor, not giving up on plays that seemingly moved past him.

The stick lift on Gauthier’s first goal won’t count on a scoresheet, but it was instrumental to that tally and an example of Sennecke’s anticipation and manipulation skills and unexpected involvement in plays in every zone. His net front game was surprisingly proficient for a player who typically operates more on the perimeter before attacking the middle. He was more than willing to mix it up and take a beating to get to the tight areas of the ice.

Sennecke only had one or two “rookie plays” where he was outmuscled or failed to advance a puck on a breakout, but those plays are to be expected. Overall, it was an extremely refined performance for being just his second professional hockey game.

Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider-These are a pair of players one would expect detail-oriented performances from, and they delivered. Granlund’s supportive instincts allow him to gain possession, while his IQ and vision lead to his ability to manipulate the on-puck defender and cleverly find moving teammates throughout his team’s offensive structure.

In a completely different style from Granlund’s, Kreider is a small-area master. He instinctively knows when to stop rimming pucks or feint a stop and allow them to pass through him to a teammate. He knows how goalies are trying to see pucks around him when he’s screening and when to let plays breathe a bit so he can pounce on a loose puck or broken play in front. “Savvy veteran” is the phrase that came to mind when analyzing these two in this game.

Defensive Details-It’s been made clear by head coach Joel Quenneville and the players from training camp until now that the goal of their defensive systems is to kill plays with quick secondary pressure. There’s still work to be done when it comes to how that pressure engages, how the tertiary pressure reacts, and how to minimize damage when the first two waves fail, because it will happen every so often.

Those areas are where the Ducks struggled in this game. A strong-side defenseman (Radko Gudas) pinches in the neutral zone, and the supporting forward (Mason McTavish) leaves too big a gap, which led to the Sharks’ first goal. Five players are caught on the ice for a minute and a half, and the weak-side winger (Cutter Gauthier) doesn’t or can’t stay with his activated point man (Mario Ferraro) on the Sharks’ third goal. Those small details are, in theory, easy to clean up, but they can lead to quick goals if not refined.

McTavish, Gauthier, and Gudas all played very well aside from those instances.

With the puck, the Ducks did well to maintain possession and create consistent, dangerous chances from all four lines and all three pairs. They were smart on forechecks and communicated well on breakouts and regroups to build plays up ice.

The Ducks will return home to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for their home opener on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. PST.

The Edmonton Oilers hosted the Vancouver Canucks in their second game of the 2025-26 season and final home game before heading out on their first road trip of the season. Following a frustrating loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday, the team needed to show up for 60 minutes to pull out a win over the Canucks, which included Evander Kane on their roster. 

Kane said before the game, “We’ve gotten off to a good start through training camp and a nice win at home the other night. Want to follow it up with a tough opponent in Edmonton.” The Oilers certainly didn't want that to happen. They didn't let it.

Calvin Pickard was solid in goal, despite only facing 15 shots, but the Oilers were buzzing for a full three periods, outshooting the Canucks 37-15 to take the 3-1 win.

This felt like the effort level of a team readying for the playoffs. Thatcher Demko was incredible for the Canucks, but the Oilers kept pushing. Pickard said, "We didn't stray away from the gameplan, we didn't cheat for offense. We earned that win. We play that game over and over, we're gonna win pretty much every time."

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The First Period:

Pickard made a solid save on the first shift to get him into the game. That was all it seemed to take to wake Edmonton up, as the Oilers tilted the ice for the first three minutes after that. A couple of nice down-low passes created some good chances. The Oilers were outshooting the Canucks early, and very few whistles got the two teams to the halfway point of the period quickly.

The first pop from the Rogers Place crowd came when Alec Regula put a puck on net, and it went in off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The officials ruled it a high stick, questioning if it hit Darnell Nurse on the way to the net. Unfortunately for the Oilers, it did, and the goal was taken off the board. 

The top line was buzzing and drew a penalty when Derek Forbort got called for holding. David Tomasek got three good looks on the power play, but the Oilers couldn't cash in. Edmonton continued to pepper Thatcher Demko with shots, but the Canucks' goalie looked good and was the early story of the game. 

Evander Kane took a two-minute minor for high-sticking. Once again, Tomasek got at least two more looks on this power play, and again, didn't cash. While it likely felt frustrating not to have been able to finish on his multiple chances, it's clear the Oilers are feeding him on the man advantage and feel it's just a matter of when, not if. The question becomes how patient the coaching staff will be as opportunities arise without results. Is it bad luck, or is the finish not there?

Draisaitl was asked about the power play after the game and said they felt like they should scored a few more. When asked about Tomasek, he responded, "He's just really smart. I think offensively, he knows the reads, he knows where to pop into holes... It's just a matter of time."

Kris Knoblauch said after the game that all he can do is tell Tomasek to keep trying, that eventually those looks are going to go in. 

With 27 seconds left in the Canucks' penalty, Trent Frederic took a tripping penalty. A couple of weird plays, one where Mangiapane almost scored on his own net, went without a resulting disaster. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the period. If not for Demko, it could have easily been a two or three-goal lead for the Oilers. 

Second Period:

The Canucks opened the second period on the power play, but the Oilers’ penalty kill held strong. Vancouver kept up some pressure afterward, yet Edmonton soon pushed back and tilted the ice the other way for several minutes.

Leon Draisaitl fired up the crowd with a massive hit on Tyler Myers, who later answered back with a hard check on Trent Frederic. The Oilers drew another penalty soon after, as Kiefer Sherwood went off for tripping.

Edmonton couldn’t convert on the ensuing power play, but moments later a slick passing sequence set up Noah Philp, who buried his first NHL goal to make it 1–0. Philp’s linemates, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin, showed some promising early chemistry on the play.

Not long after, Evander Kane pushed Alec Regula dangerously into the boards, drawing the ire of Darnell Nurse. The two tangled but stopped short of dropping the gloves, each receiving two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Fans voiced their displeasure at the lack of a boarding call.

During the ensuing 4-on-4, the Oilers capitalized on a Canucks turnover — Andrew Mangiapane picked off a pass, walked in alone, and beat Demko low to make it 2–0 Edmonton.

By the end of the second period, the Oilers held a commanding 28–9 edge in shots.

Third Period:

The Canucks generated the first few chances early in the third, and Brock Boeser made one count — spinning at the faceoff circle and firing a shot that found its way past Calvin Pickard. That brought Vancouver within one, but it was as close as they would get.

The Oilers regrouped and established some offensive zone time. Vancouver was whistled for delay of game, giving Edmonton another power play. Although this man advantage wasn’t as crisp as earlier ones, the Oilers still created quality chances late in it — including a prime look for Leon Draisaitl at the doorstep, where Thatcher Demko made a spectacular save.

Moments later, the Oilers were pinned in their own zone but caught a break when the Canucks took a tripping penalty.

Tempers flared when Evander Kane delivered a heavy hit on Alec Regula behind the net, leading to a retaliatory penalty on Noah Philp.

This was a dominant effort from the Oilers, a significant bounce-back game after the disappointing end to their loss to Calgary. Draisaitl said after the game that they played "a good 30" in game one, but this was a much better effort for the full 60. "I thought we were the better team, played really well, had our legs. We're going to be a hard team to beat when we consistently find a way to play like that." 

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The Chicago Blackhawks made it home for their home opener on Saturday night. They took on the Montreal Canadiens in what was the first game of their centennial celebration. 

The Blackhawks fell to the Canadiens by giving up a goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. This goal broke a 2-2 tie and ended Chicago’s chance at its first win of the season. 

The goal was a Juraj Slafkovsky redirection of a point shot that beat Spencer Knight. The young Blackhawks got a little bit frantic in the final minute of the game, and it bit them. 

Chicago's two goals were positive in the fact that two young core pieces scored them. Their first was the first in the career of defenseman Sam Rinzel. Frank Nazar won a faceoff back to Teuvo Teravainen, who tapped it to Rinzel with an open lane to the net. He didn't miss. 

Blackhawks: Sam Rinzel Has His First Career NHL GoalNot long after Cole Caufield had a Montreal Canadiens goal stand after being reviewed for a high stick, the Blackhawks tied the game thanks to a goal scored by Sam Rinzel. 

Chicago's second goal was a Frank Nazar shot on the power play that deflected in the net off of Connor Bedard. These two are forming decent chemistry with the man-advantage. Down the middle, based on the way the early stages of the season are going for these two players, the Blackhawks are forming a great two-headed monster. 

One of the main storylines from the game was the penalty trouble that the Blackhawks found themselves in. The Blackhawks accumulated a total of 39 penalty minutes. Montreal had 10 power plays. They converted on two of them, which played a role in the outcome of the game. 

After the match against the Bruins earlier in the week, the Blackhawks talked about standing up for each other, but they got a little ahead of themselves in this game. 

Due to being on the penalty kill for almost one full period worth of time, they were never able to get in a true offensive rhythm. Some penalty killers didn't get enough ice at 5-on-5, and some non-killers weren't able to stay on the ice with offensive momentum for long enough to make an impact.

After the game was over, head coach Jeff Blashill talked about some of these issues and how they affected the team as a whole. 

"That's a really, really hard game to get any rhythm going. Blashill said. "Certain guys are playing so many minutes. Anybody who killed was playing so many minutes, and then you're trying to get some of the guys that don't kill you back in their rhythm in minutes." 

It makes sense when you think about it from a deployment standpoint. It's hard to do anything with consistency when you're marching to the penalty box like that. It has been over a decade since the Blackhawks last gave their opponent double-digit power plays. That must be cleaned up going forward. 

To their credit, the penalty kill units did well based on the situation. They don't love giving up two power-play goals, but when you kill off eight others, it is a win. The fact is that they gave the rest of the team a chance to win. 

Chicago is still working on putting teams away late in hockey games. Giving up a heartbreaker with 15 seconds left adds to the list of games that this young core has lost in the final minutes. 

"You have to have the mindset of not just being okay with being in the game," Captain Nick Foligno said. "You've got to find a way to step on their throats for lack of a better word and find a way to get that done like [Montreal] did tonight, right? So that mentality has to now shift from 'hey, we're becoming a good team' to 'no, we are a good team'. We have to believe that and put it into our practice."

As a guy who has been a captain for multiple NHL franchises and a general leader for others, Foligno knows the ups and downs of an NHL clubhouse. This Blackhawks team is getting better, and it shows when you watch. The results aren't showing up in the standings just yet. 

Chicago's next chance will come on Monday night when they will host the Utah Mammoth at the United Center. 

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