The Montreal Canadiens were back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pennsylvania. Martin St-Louis’ men started better than they did in Toronto on Tuesday, with Cole Caufield quickly putting them ahead, but momentum shifted after the hosts scored their first power-play goal.

The 6-5 scoreline may make it seem like a tough night at the office for Jakub Dobes, but while there’s one goal he most likely would like to have back, a comedy of errors unfolded in front of him for much of the game.

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Matheson Will Want To Forget That One

While Mike Matheson is often the defenseman the coach trusts the most, he seemed to labor throughout the game. The momentum flipped when he was sent off for interfering with Sidney Crosby in the first frame. One could argue the Penguins captain should have gotten a penalty for roughing, given how he reacted, but most of the Canadiens’ woes were self-inflicted.

Former teammates Sidney Crosby and Mike Matheson get into it 😯 pic.twitter.com/CUkU7o7918

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 3, 2026

Then, the veteran didn’t close down Declan Carlile on the Pens’ second goal and was dispossessed twice on the fourth. He was also on the ice for the Pens’ last two goals, but he wasn’t responsible for either. The Pointe-Claire native had a very rough night. 

There’s Something About The Second

Both teams were tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes, but once again, the Canadiens went for a nap in the second frame, leaving Dobes to fend for himself. The Pens put 15 shots on net in the period, while the Canadiens could muster only seven. Granted, Dobes could have had better rebound control, but with the panic around the net, it can’t have been easy to keep a cool head.

St-Louis often says that his players’ intentions were good, but that wasn’t the case tonight. The Habs made so many lazy plays and bad reads that they asked for trouble. They didn't keep it simple or play it safe in any of the three zones, but the neutral-zone turnovers really were their undoing. The coach summed it up best when he said:

We shot ourselves in the foot throughout the second. […] I’m pleased with the fight back in the third; we managed to get a point out of the game, but I don’t think we deserved two.

- St-Louis on his team's performance

We’ve heard time and again that the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Habs in the Eastern Conference Final because Rod Brind’Amour’s side plays a detailed game, but playing 60 minutes isn't a detail; it’s a minimum requirement. 

First Line On A Desperate Mission

If the first line didn’t have a good game Tuesday night, the Nick Suzuki and Caufield duo seemed everywhere tonight. Caufield scored the first goal of the game, Suzuki scored the goal that gave the Canadiens a bit of hope in the dying minutes of the second, and Caufield scored Montreal’s first goal in the third frame. Montreal scored its last two lamplighters with six players on the ice, but Suzuki got the primary assist on both.

Caufield finished with a plus-3 rating while Suzuki was plus-4, and the captain was also named the second star of the game with a goal and three assists, but he clearly wasn’t pleased in his post-game presser. The points that really matter are the two that were on the line Saturday night, and Montreal lost one.

FOUR UNANSWERED FROM THE HABS 🚨

IVAN DEMIDOV TIES IT IN THE FINAL MINUTE! pic.twitter.com/ipDGUdYxpo

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 4, 2026

Since 2024-2025, the Canadiens have the most comeback wins in the league with 48, which is quite impressive. However, the truth is: they need comeback wins because they consistently dig themselves into huge holes.

Quick Shots

Chris Kreider scored his first goal as a Hab tonight, with a one-timer from his office in traffic. He finished the game with two points and had a good night overall.

Alexandre Carrier left the game after a bad fall in the first frame; his back was slammed awkwardly into the boards, and while he kept going for a bit, he had to call it a night.

The Canadiens have a day off on Sunday, but chances are the coaches will be very busy, not only watching what happened during the game but also trying to finally find a way to get a full 60-minute effort out of this team.

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If anything has become clear from the team's first three games of the season, it's that the Philadelphia Flyers are nowhere near ready to begin their ascent to the status of perennial playoff team.

In three consecutive games - all losses - the Flyers have been handily outplayed and out-shot by divisional opponents, and they generally look like a team that met each other for the first time right before puck drop.

It hasn't been all doom and gloom, of course, as Joseph Woll has been a real bright spot for the Flyers, and Matvei Michkov looked more like his usual self on Saturday night against Carolina after being reunited with Travis Konecny.

The talent remains in place, but the Flyers have objectively regressed and look completely overmatched. That falls on the coaching staff, but it's up to the players, too, to get ready and stay ready. By now, that should be a given for anyone who isn't a rookie.

"Other teams are going through the same thing," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of the shortened training camp and lack of practice time after Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina.

"Developing your game doesn't start, like September, and ends in June. It's through the summer. Hopefully, we had some guys working on their game, because the execution is really bad. It really is."

The Flyers are a young team with playoff aspirations, but all the good will they built last year with a fanbase that has been more than patient could quickly evaporate entirely if this skid continues.

The slumping roster would benefit from an infusion of talent that never came in the offseason, and perhaps more importantly, a kick in the pants to get the season going in the right direction after dropping cheap points to division rivals early on.

Flyers' opportunity for Simon Edvinsson trade

On Saturday, while the Flyers were playing the Hurricanes, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that RFA Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson now prefers a trade away from the team with his contract situation lingering into the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

"The team and the agents are not talking, but there is word today around the league that unsigned Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson prefers a trade from the Red Wings. He went to camp with no contract. On the eve of the season, he went back to Sweden, where's skating now," Friedman said on Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines" segment.

"Now, I understand the Red Wings have made it clear to other teams that their priority is still to sign him. That is their No. 1 goal, but apparently his frustration at the entire situation has led him to indicate he would prefer a trade."

With all their struggles, this should be music to the Flyers' ears.

Before and during the offseason, the Flyers made clear their desire to make an upgrade on defense, though nothing ultimately came to fruition.

The Leo Carlsson offer sheet saga came and went to no avail, and that was it for the Flyers' offseason.

Now, though, the Flyers have an opportunity to take advantage of the Red Wings' plight, upgrade their defense, and take the big swing all in one go, proving to concerned Flyers fans that they won't stand idle amid a dreary start.

Edvinsson, 23, is a 6-foot-6 former No. 6 overall pick who has scored 16 goals and 56 points over the last two seasons, emerging as a top-pair complement to Moritz Seider on the Red Wings.

The hulking Swede can do a bit of everything in the vein of someone like Travis Sanheim, and his combination of size, youth, and ability makes him everything the Flyers would want in an addition to their defense.

Throughout their first three games, the Flyers have been bleeding scoring chances, and the injury to Rasmus Ristolainen may motivate the front office to bolster their defense before things get even uglier on the backend.

Players like Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale are all without trade protection, and the Flyers have plenty of draft picks and prospects they can use in a deal, too, even though the Red Wings have reportedly been looking for assets that can benefit them now.

The Flyers have a myriad of options available to them, in any case, and this is the perfect opportunity to shake the complacency label and take action while sending a strong message to the rest of the group.

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered their second loss of the regular season, a 3-2 defeat to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.

Toronto had a solid performance, especially offensively in the second period, putting up 14 shots to Ottawa's four in that middle frame. There were also some moments on the power play during the game where the Maple Leafs looked very threatening and converted on one of the four opportunities they had in the outing.

The power-play marker, scored in the second period, was by Kirill Marchenko, netting his first goal since being traded to the Maple Leafs.

In addition to his goal, the Russian also took two minor penalties. One was a slashing minor in the first period, and the other was a high-sticking penalty on Senators center Tim Stutzle in the third.

The second penalty was deemed slightly controversial, given Stutzle's reputation for embellishment in the NHL. Leafs captain Auston Matthews made a diving motion with his hand after the penalty was called, giving his opinion on a decision that tilted momentum in Ottawa's favor.

Auston Matthews hit the dive emote after Tim Stützle was flopping like a fish 💀

100% justified reaction

🎥: @Sportsnet#leafspic.twitter.com/E6if2q8WCW

— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) October 4, 2026

"I don't know, I mean, the refs obviously see what they see, and it's a quick game, and you have to respect that," Matthews said of the call after the game. "But I think we could definitely do a better job just with our sticks there. And it's like a high-sticking penalty, tripping penalty, just being better with our sticks."

Marchenko began his post-game media availability by apologizing for taking that penalty. Ottawa didn't officially score a power-play goal from that penalty, but they did score as the penalty expired, with Toronto essentially still having four players on the ice.

"My penalty, I apoligize for that," he said.

In terms of the decision, the left winger doesn't totally agree with the call. And while he doesn't agree with the ruling that was enforced on the ice, he says it's not an excuse and takes responsibility for his undisciplined actions.

"Actually, I don't see anything," Marchenko said of the high-sticking penalty on Stutzle. "Battle on the puck. I think it's just put his stick and my stick touch his face and he's kind of like dive, not dive. I don't want to say anything about it, but yeah, it's penalty. Penalty is penalty and it's on me. I can play better next time on this moment, but yeah, what I can do, just try to win the pucks."

'Doesn't Matter For Me': Maple Leafs Kirill Marchenko Has No Problem On Off-Wing And Power-Play Bumper PositionsKirill Marchenko has been pencilled in as the left winger on the top line for the Toronto Maple Leafs, even though he's been a right winger thus far in his NHL career for the most part. However, he has stressed that it doesn't matter to him where he plays, and this is why.

Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said he wasn't pleased, not by the decisions of the officials, but by the number of penalties his team took. He noted specifically that the two late in the game, one by Marchenko and the other by Jack Roslovic, really hurt the team.

"Some careless penalties," the bench boss noted. "I thought the two penalties in the third period really hurt us. Just took our momentum away a little bit, gave them some life, and they pushed hard."

Particularly on the Marchenko penalty, "I haven't looked at it that closely," Hiller said. "But it's a stick battle. A stick comes up. It's, you know, it's a penalty. That's just the way it works. Got to keep your stick down."

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Just two games into the San Jose Sharks' new season, the long familiar "Beat LA" chants were being belted out at the SAP Center as they hosted the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. 

The extracurricular activities didn't take long to begin, as Macklin Celebrini went after Adrian Kempe after the first whistle when the Kings forward ran into the net, narrowly missing a collision with Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov. The Sharks got the first power play when the Kings' captain, Drew Doughty sat for cross-checking. The Sharks' power play started off strong, but were unable to convert before the veteran defenseman exited the penalty box. 

The Sharks had a couple of scares around the middle of the period, as Igor Chernyshov got some attention from training staff after a hard pass from Darnell Nurse caught him in the skate, leading to some clear pain. Doughty then collided with Askarov after being hooked by Nolan Allan, leading to a Sharks penalty kill. The Kings took advantage of the extra man and Kempe scored the opening goal. 

The Sharks were unable to find an equalizer before the first period expired, but they did get a power play to start the second period as Alex Laferriere was called for roughing at the very end of the first frame. 

Just like the Kings did in the first period, the Sharks took advantage of the power play and rookie Ivar Stenberg picked up his first career point. Stenberg found Toffoli on a cross-crease pass that he easily slipped past Anton Forsberg to tie the game at 1-1.

Sharks Highlight Reel: Stenberg Gets First Point in Spectacular FashionThe San Jose Sharks entered the second period of Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings trailing 1-0 after Adrian Kempe scored his first of the season to put their arch enemies ahead. 

The Sharks then took the lead just eight seconds before the official halfway point of the game, as Kiefer Sherwood ripped a shot from the slot past Forsberg for his first goal of the season moments after intercepting a pass. Nolan Allan scored his first goal as a Shark on the rush at 12:32 in the second period, doubling the team in teal's lead and giving the fans their beloved tacos from Taco Bell. 

With just over a minute remaining in the second period, the Kings started cycling the puck as there was a delayed penalty on Celebrini for slashing. It led to quite a few chances for the Kings before the Sharks were able to touch the puck, including a shot that hit the inside of the post. Ultimately, the Sharks were able to survive the unofficial penalty kill and Celebrini went into the penalty box with just over 30 seconds remaining in the period to start the official power play for Los Angeles. With 1.3 seconds remaining in the frame, Quinton Byfield sniped his first goal of the season to bring the Kings within a single goal heading into the final 20 minutes of play.

The Sharks doubled their lead when Igor Chernyshov scored his first goal of the season off of a nice breakout pass by Tyler Toffoli, making it a 4-2 game. While there's quite a bit of criticism of Toffoli's speed on social media, this play showed exactly why Ryan Warsofsky likes to keep him with the speedy youngsters. He placed a pass perfectly allowing Chernyshov to beat the defense.

Collin Graf skated to the penalty box at 7:42 in the third period after he tripped up the veteran Corey Perry, who seemed to go down a little easily. The Sharks' penalty kill was successful this time around and prevented a power play goal for the first time in the game. Prior to this, the Kings were two-for-two on the power play. 

At 10:21 in the third period, Erik Haula scored his first of the season to bring the Kings within a goal once again. Then, Artemi Panarin scored his second goal of the campaign to tie things up with five minutes remaining. For the second time in two games, the Sharks weren't able to maintain a lead to close out a game in regulation.

For the second time in two games, the Sharks blew a third period lead and the game went to overtime. Once again, they had a young player serve as an overtime hero though, as this time it was Igor Chernyshov with his second goal of the night who secured a victory for the Sharks and improved their record to 2-0-0.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Leevi Merilainen made 23 saves in his first start for Vancouver and the Canucks had a four-goal third period in a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.

Liam Ohgren celebrated his 100th NHL game by scoring a goal and assisting on defenseman Elias Pettersson’s winner.

Drew O’Connor and Aatu Raty also scored, and defenseman Tom Willander and center Linus Karlsson each had two assists.

Matt Coronato had a power-play goal for Calgary, and Devin Cooley made 22 saves. The Flames are 0-2.

Pettersson made it 2-1 at 9:04 of the third period. He took a pass from Ohgren and lifted a backhander past Cooley’s glove.

Up next

Flames: At Seattle on Sunday night.

Canucks: Host Vegas on Sunday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jiri Kulich scored with 6:40 left and the Sabres overcame a two-goal deficit to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in Buffalo’s home-opener on Saturday night.

For Kulich, the goal was his first in nearly a calendar year, and after the 22-year-old missed the final 70 games of last season due to blood clot issues. Rasmus Dahlin tied the game 6:10 into the third period, and Jack Quinn and Tage Thompson also scored for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 12 saves.

Oliver Moore, Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for the Blackhawks, who dropped to 0-3 following road losses at Vegas and Utah. Spencer Knight stopped 24 shots. Chicago squandered a 2-0 first-period lead and a 3-2 lead entering the third.

Kulich’s goal came after he missed the net on a chance from in close. Thompson recovered the puck behind the net and fed Owen Power in the right circle. Power then set up Kulich to the left of the net, from where he beat Knight.

The Sabres have won seven straight over Chicago and are 10-0-1 since a 4-1 loss on Nov. 17, 2019.

SENATORS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2

TORONTO (AP) — Stephen Halliday broke a tie at 9:46 of the third period, Linus Ullmark made 27 saves and Ottawa opened the season with a victory over Toronto.

Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist in his first game as captain, and Michael Amadio provided the rest of the offense for Ottawa. Claude Giroux added two assists.

Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko scored for Toronto, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots. The Maple Leafs are 1-2.

LIGHTNING 3, CAPITALS 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves, Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Conor Geekie scored in the first period and Tampa Bay won their home opener with a victory over Washington.

Brandon Hagel had two assists for the Lightning, and Jake Guentzel scored into an empty net and had an assist. Tampa Bay opened play Thursday night in New York with a 5-1 loss to the Rangers.

Charlie Lindgren finished with 27 saves for Washington. Justin Sourdif scored for the Capitals.

HURRICANES 3, FLYERS 2, OT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sebastian Aho scored a pair of goals and assisted on Shayne Gostisbehere’s overtime winner as Carolina beat Philadelphia.

Gostisbehere, a former Flyer, scored on the power play, firing a slap shot past Philadelphia goalie Joseph Woll 2:51 into the extra period.

Aho scored 10 seconds into the game on a pass from behind the net by William Carrier. He tied the score 2-2 in the third period with a power-play goal on a one-timer from Nikolai Ehlers. Pyotr Kochetkov had 16 saves.

The win was the Hurricanes’ first of the season after the Stanley Cup champions opened with a pair of losses, but it also matched an NHL record. It was the ninth consecutive season the Hurricanes have won their road opener, tying a mark set by the Flyers from 1980 through 1988. Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour became the first coach to win nine consecutive road openers.

Philadelphia dropped its third straight game to start the season for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

PENGUINS 6, CANADIENS 5, OT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tommy Novak scored his second goal of the game in overtime to give Pittsburgh a victory over Montreal.

Novak converted a 2-on-1 from Evgeni Malkin at 1:33 of overtime, as Pittsburgh recovered after allowing a four-goal lead in the second period slip away.

Malkin scored a power-play goal and had two assists. He recorded his 1,411th point, passing Dale Hawerchuk for 22nd place in NHL history.

Ben Kindel was activated from injured reserve and scored a power-play goal, while Sam Girard and Declan Carlile also scored for Pittsburgh.

Sidney Crosby had an assist, the 1,109th of his career, which tied Hall of Fame forward Joe Thornton for seventh-most in NHL history.

Arturs Silovs stopped 20 shots.

MAMMOTH 4, BLUE JACKETS 1

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Nick Schmaltz had two goals and Utah scored three times on the power play to beat Columbus for its second straight victory to open the season.

Mikhail Sergachev and Dylan Guenther each scored power-play goals. Sergachev added an assist and Guenther and Logan Cooley each had two assists. Sebastian Cossa stopped 15 shots in his Utah debut.

Clayton Keller had two assists to reach 600 NHL career points. He has two goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 17 career games against the Blue Jackets and four assists this season.

Kent Johnson scored for Columbus, and Jet Greaves stopped 21 shots. Matthew Knies had an assist, giving him four points in his first two games with the Blue Jackets.

OLERS 3, KRAKEN 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist to give him nine points through three games as Edmonton beat SeattlE.

Owen Michaels and Leon Draisaitl also scored for the Oilers (2-0-1). Devon Levi made 19 stops to earn the win in the Oilers’ net.

Bobby McMann had the lone goal for the Kraken (1-1-0). Philipp Grubauer recorded 22 saves for Seattle.

After McMann made it a 1-1 game 9:06 into the second period, it was Draisaitl who eventually broke the deadlock.

Draisaitl scored with 2:27 left in regulation, with McDavid adding an empty-netter with 1:05 remaining.

Edmonton has gone 15-4-1 against the Kraken, including winning eight of nine meetings at home.

ISLANDERS 6, DEVILS 0

NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin made 36 saves for his 30th career shutout in a win over New Jersey.

Simon Holmstrom, Brayden Schenn, Bo Horvat, Viktor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas scored for the Islanders, who won their home opener after losing in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Matthew Schaefer, named the youngest assistant captain in Islanders history on Tuesday, had two assists.

Nico Daws made 26 saves for New Jersey, which lost for the first time this season after beating the Philadelphia Flyers in its opener.

PREDATORS 2, STARS 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos and Nils Hoglander scored power-play goals in the first period, Juuse Saros made 29 saves and the Nashville Predators beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Saturday night.

The Predators are 1-1 on the season.

One night after a season-opening shutout loss at home to St. Louis, the Stars wasted no time finding the back of the net Saturday.

Heiskanen scored 47 seconds after the opening faceoff with a wrist shot from the right circle.

Stamkos made it 1-1 at 4:46 of the first. It was career goal 625 for Stamkos, tying him with Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic for 17th on the NHL’s career goals list.

WILD 4, BRUINS 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored twice, Jesper Wallstedt made 26 saves, and Minnesota beat Boston.

Quinn Hughes had a goal and assist, and Jared Spurgeon also scored.

With the win, Minnesota improved to 18-4-4 in home openers and its .769 points percentage in those games is second-best in the NHL to Vegas, which is at .850 while going 8-1-1.

Tanner Jeannot scored for Boston, which won 4-3 in overtime at Winnipeg Friday, and allowed just three goals in winning its first two games.

Michael DiPietro made 26 saves for the Bruins in his third career start and first since Jan. 23, 2022, with Vancouver. The 2025-26 American Hockey League MVP with Providence, he led the league with 34 wins, a 1.91 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.

AVALANCHE 6, BLUES 1

DENVER (AP) — Nicolas Roy and Martin Necas scored 23 seconds apart in a four-goal second period, and Colorado beat St. Louis.

Necas, who finished with two goals and an assist, is off to a fast start with two goals and two assists after notching the first 100-point season of his career in 2025-26.

Nathan MacKinnon continued his hot start with three assists and has five points in the first two games, both blowouts by Colorado. MacKinnon, last year’s Rocket Richard winner with 53 goals, scored two goals in the 8-4 win over Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Necas and Cale Makar, who signed an eight-year, $163.2 million extension that kicks in next season, scored in the first period and the Avs blew it open in the second.

Josh Manson scored at 5:38, Artturi Lehkonen stole St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington’s clearing pass and knocked it into the empty net six minutes later, and then Roy and Necas put it away with goals in the final 1:58.

CANUCKS 4, FLAMES 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Leevi Merilainen made 23 saves in his first start for Vancouver and the Canucks had a four-goal third period in a victory over Calgary.

Liam Ohgren celebrated his 100th NHL game by scoring a goal and assisting on defenseman Elias Pettersson’s winner.

Drew O’Connor and Aatu Raty also scored, and defenseman Tom Willander and center Linus Karlsson each had two assists.

Matt Coronato had a power-play goal for Calgary, and Devin Cooley made 22 saves. The Flames are 0-2.

SHARKS 5, KINGS 4, OT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Igor Chernyshov scored his second goal of the game with 1:42 remaining in overtime and San Jose beat Los Angeles for their second straight win to open the season.

The Kings rallied from two goals down in the third to tie the game and controlled play for most of the overtime. But San Jose came out on top when Chernyshov beat Anton Forsberg on a one-timer off a pass from Macklin Celebrini, who has five assists in two games.

After not getting a win in the first five games the past four seasons, the Sharks have back-to-back overtime wins to begin this season after beating Florida 4-3 in the opener Thursday night.

Tyler Toffoli, Kiefer Sherwood and Nolan Allan also scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 31 saves.

____

One would like to think that wasn’t a predictable result coming into a second of a back-to-back when the mighty Colorado Avalanche is waiting for you, but unfortunately for the St. Louis Blues, it was worse than one could imagine.

The Avalanche quickly and efficiently doused the Blues’ hopes of what looked like a mountainous task of trying to win two games in 24 hours against the Dallas Stars, which they did, and then the Avalanche by burying St. Louis, 6-1, at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday night.

Yeah, it was that kind of a game.

After a very impressive 4-0 win in Dallas on Friday, the Blues (1-1-0) couldn’t afford to fuel the feeding frenzy that the Avalanche (2-0-0) can bring on a nightly basis, and they did just that.

As for the game, well … where to begin?

* Needed a strong start – The Avalanche, fresh off also pasting the Los Angeles Kings, 8-4, have been sitting around for two days at home waiting for the Blues, who got into Denver late off their win Friday. They were fresh, they were amped up, they were ready.

Jim Montgomery knew what was coming, so he moved some parts around, including putting his top defensive players (Philip Broberg and Colton Parayko together) and wanted to have his top line (Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud) against Colorado’s top line featuring Nathan MacKinnon and top defensive pair, including Cale Makar, who will next season be the NHL’s highest paid player at $20.4 million average annual value.

Quite the opposite happened.

Makar and Martin Necas scored goals in the opening 20 minutes, and both came against the Blues’ D-pair and top line. And let’s face it, if not for Jordan Binnington in that first period in which the Blues were outshot 15-4, it could have been 4-, or 5-0.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Cale Makar with 15:51 left in the 1st. Assisted by Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon.

COL: 1 | STL: 0#STLvsCOL#GoAvsGo#StlBluespic.twitter.com/lsyvyyUbJw

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 4, 2026

Colorado goal!

Scored by Martin Necas with 06:48 left in the 1st. Assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen.

COL: 2 | STL: 0#STLvsCOL#GoAvsGo#StlBluespic.twitter.com/R7QPgfGCAI

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 4, 2026

* It really unraveled in the second – The Blues probably would have felt better about themselves entering the second had Robert Thomas, whose turnover led to the Avs’ second goal by Necas, converted late in the first but instead hit the post. Regardless, they did have some decent legs and rushes to begin the period.

But when Josh Manson’s one-timer from near the blue line deflected past Binnington off Jonatan Berggren’s stick at 5:38, it led to more mistakes in which the talented Avs will make you pay for.

And things didn’t get better for Binnington, who allowed six goals on 36 shots on the night when Artturi Lehkonen intercepted a mid-air clearance and made it 4-0 at 11:40, then Nicolas Roy and Necas scored twice late in the second period 23 seconds apart and it was all over but the shouting at 6-0.

Roy’s goal came off a failed clearing attempt and Necas converted when a rimmed puck eluded Binnington behind the net.

The Avs scored four times on just seven shots that period.

* Dvorsky two in two – Sure, the game was well out of reach (6-0), but the Blues needed to play the third period like it was 0-0, show some fight and spunk.

Dvorsky’s goal at 2:34 of the third came off a hustle forecheck by himself and Berggren to help create the turnover back to the left point, where Theo Lindstein throws it towards the net. Yes, there was a bit of a break when the puck was mishandled by Manson right to Dvorsky, but he made no mistake in whipping his backhand past Mackenzie Blackwood:

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Dalibor Dvorsky with 17:26 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Theo Lindstein.

COL: 6 | STL: 1#STLvsCOL#GoAvsGo#StlBluespic.twitter.com/d8EylkgGNU

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 4, 2026

* Penalty kill continues to shine to start – The Avs pumped four man-advantage goals past the Kings in their opener and we all know the Stars were one of the top power-play units in the NHL last season.

After going 4-for-4 on the PK Friday, the Blues followed it up with another 4-for-4 effort to begin the season 8-for-8 on a unit that was 25th (76.7 percent) in the league last season.

As for the power play, well, there will be better days. There better be if this team is to make the necessary jump in the standings; that side again didn’t generate much, going 0-for-2 after going 0-for-4 Friday, and in the two opportunities Saturday, it was problematic getting set up in the zone again and losing the offensive zone draw.

"We made a lot of mistakes today, but we've got to learn from it and just keep going."

Hear from Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko and Jim Montgomery following a loss to Colorado. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/dCXwF90FnI

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 4, 2026

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The San Jose Sharks entered the second period of Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings trailing 1-0 after Adrian Kempe scored his first of the season to put their arch enemies ahead. 

The Sharks started the second frame on the power play as Alex Laferriere sat in the penalty box for roughing due to a scrum after the horn sounded to end the first period. Just 12 seconds before the penalty was set to expire, Macklin Celebrini passed the puck to Stenberg who was skating into the faceoff circle. Stenberg then rocketed a cross-crease pass from the faceoff dot to Tyler Toffoli who easily tapped the puck past a hopeless Anton Forsberg.

Tic-Tac-Tie game! 👏#TurnItAllTealpic.twitter.com/7GwBHv5NPn

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 4, 2026

Stenberg, the Sharks' second overall selection in this summer's NHL Draft, is the second player to hit an important milestone this season. In the opener against the Florida Panthers, 21-year-old defenseman Luca Cagnoni scored the overtime winner which was his first career goal at the NHL level. Stenberg's hunt for his first NHL goal continues for the time being, but at the time of writing, there's still half a hockey game to go. If he finds the back of the net against the Kings, this story will be updated.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin made 36 saves for his 30th career shutout in a 6-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Simon Holmstrom, Brayden Schenn, Bo Horvat, Viktor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas scored for the Islanders, who won their home opener after losing in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Matthew Schaefer, named the youngest assistant captain in Islanders history on Tuesday, had two assists.

Nico Daws made 26 saves for New Jersey, which lost for the first time this season after beating the Philadelphia Flyers in its opener.

Holmstrom and Schenn scored 1:28 apart to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead five minutes into the second period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau slid the puck past Jonas Siegenthaler’s outstretched stick to set up Holmstrom.

Schaefer set up Horvat on the power play to cap the Islanders’ three-goal second period. Horvat was named the 16th captain in franchise history on Sept. 14.

Eklund, selected by the Islanders with the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NHL draft, set up Schenn’s goal in the second period before scoring his first NHL goal midway through the third. Cal Ritchie assisted on Eklund’s goal.

Palat scored 42 seconds later, finishing a pass from Cizikas to make it 5-0.

Cizikas added a short-handed goal to make it 6-0.

Up next

Devils: Host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.

Islanders: Visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

It’s nights like these, where Matthew Schaefer is flying and the crowd is booming and the power play is actually functioning, where you can see the vision. All that promise. All that passion. And at the end of it, a beaming Victor Eklund scoring his first NHL goal and hearing the crowd serenade him with “Happy Birthday” on the night he turned 20. 

“Don’t know the word, but some tears come,” Eklund, still on cloud nine, said in the dressing room. “I was so happy.” 

The Islanders, for much of training camp, looked like a team that is still on its way to the launchpad. Maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. Two games isn’t much to judge on, and one rollicking 6-0 win in the home opener even less. 

What Saturday night does affirm is that there is so much potential, even if the bigger-picture timeline is unclear. Everyone knows that, of course, but stating it like a slogan in preseason is a different thing from seeing it play out in the regular season. 

How many nights like this can the Islanders have this year? Put away the question for the time being and focus on Saturday, where Eklund’s goal and assist underlined an all-around performance from the Islanders. 

“I think the fans are so excited and they should be,” Bo Horvat told The Post. “A lot of young talent and good hockey players. To be received like that and play as well as we did in front of the home crowd definitely feels great.” 

The line blender on which Pete DeBoer hit puree after Wednesday night turned up something good. Simon Holmstrom, JG Pageau and Anthony Duclair fit like a glove. Emil Heineman complemented Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri well. Ondrej Palat, quietly, has had an excellent start to the season on a resurgent fourth line, and Eklund never looked out of place in the top six. 

“He’s always in the right spot defensively,” DeBoer said. “He’s got real good attention to detail for a young player. Pretty rare to have that. You know the offense is there and that’s going to grow as he gets older and stronger and gets more minutes, all those things. But to have that foundation that you can play him and not have to worry about getting him off the ice against Jack Hughes tonight is important.” 

Hughes and the Devils — who lost 9-0 on Long Island last season — were left with verbal shoulder shrugs. Sheldon Keefe told reporters it felt like his team was playing preseason hockey and the Islanders were in February. 

The flurry of goals started by Eklund at 11:32 of the third that made it 4-0 before Palat scored less than a minute later — Casey Cizikas scored the last goal of the night shorthanded in the final minutes — only put an exclamation mark on an evening in which the Islanders were, in Keefe’s words, “on another level.” 

The Islanders were equal to the speed and physicality of a Devils side that figures to challenge for the Metropolitan Division. They got to the net, and it paid off against a shaky Nico Daws. 

Schaefer, who drew the biggest cheer of introductions and heard his name chanted by the UBS crowd within 90 seconds of puck drop, set up two of the Islanders’ three second-period goals, breaking the game open with a superb piece of hand-eye coordination. Schaefer swatted the puck out of the air to keep it in and then sent a cross-ice pass to Bo Horvat below the right dot to make it 3-0 12:08 into the third. 

It was Horvat’s 100th goal with the Islanders, his 200th point with the Islanders and the first power play goal of the season for a club that desperately needs a five-on-four boost. Indeed, after a miserable first outing, the Islanders’ power-play units threatened repeatedly before Horvat finally hit pay dirt. 

Before that, Eklund notched his first assist of the season after snagging Schaefer’s rebound off the boards and feeding Brayden Schenn from just behind the net. 

That doubled a lead which Holmstrom had opened at 3:32 of the second, finishing a rush with Pageau to score the year’s first goal at UBS. 

The Devils couldn’t say they were terribly outplayed. The match was up-and-down for stretches, with high-danger chances and expected goals close to even for much of the night. Ilya Sorokin, who finished a 37-save shutout, was a difference-maker, especially on the penalty kill, but the Islanders never left him to fend for himself. 

“It promotes a belief in what you’re doing,” DeBoer said. “If you don’t win games then it’s hard to build that.”

The Chicago Blackhawks came into Saturday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres feeling down about themselves. They started the season 0-2-0 and were outscored 11-2 in those games. In this match against Buffalo, Chicago came in with a somewhat different look.

In addition to changing up the forward lines, Bowen Byram had to step away from the team to deal with a family matter. In his place, along with a healthy scratch for Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro stepped in. 

It started well on the scoreboard for the Blackhawks. Ryan Donato opened the scoring as he sniped one home after receiving a brilliant centering pass from Alex Vlasic. Under 5 minutes later, Tyler Bertuzzi made it 2-0.

The Bertuzzi goal was a tic-tac-toe play. Bertuzzi was the beneficiary of some magnificent passing from Anton Frondell and Teuvo Teravainen. Frondell, in particular, displayed some of the skill that made him a third overall pick. 

Although the Blackhawks had a 2-0 lead, it didn’t feel safe because of how things were going in their defensive zone. Some of the issues from the first two games were on display. 

Eventually, and you could feel it coming, Buffalo broke through. Jack Quinn beat Spencer Knight, who could only do so much while standing on his head. The Blackhawks took that 2-1 lead into the first intermission, but Buffalo came out hot again in the second. 

At 5:41 of the middle frame, Tage Thompson deflected a Louis Crevier shot to tie the game at 2. Crevier, a former Chicago Blackhawk, brought his ability to sneak shots of all kinds through traffic and onto the net. This one was a light wrist shot that Thompson was able to redirect. 

More than the other games, however, the Blackhawks continued to show some fight. Before the second period was over, Anton Frondell and Oliver Moore made a great play together to get the latter his first goal of the season. Once again, Frondell displayed some of his playmaking ability. Alex Vlasic also earned his second assist of the game on this goal. 

After going into the third period down 3-2, the Sabres were not going away without a push. It paid off for them at 6:10 of the third period when Peyton Krebs fed Rasmus Dahlin, who joined the rush from the back end and beat Spencer Knight with a snipe. 

At 13:20, Buffalo earned their first lead of the night when Jiri Kulich’s high-effort sequence led to his first goal of the season. It also stood as the game-winner as Buffalo skated away with the 4-3 victory. 

It was a slightly better offensive effort from the Blackhawks as they put up three goals and had some good chances, but they still managed to have just 15 shots on goal. That's not going to cut it. 

It's even worse knowing that they allowed 28 shots, with a lot of dangerous chances against Spencer Knight. The goalie would tell you he needs to be better, but that would be him saying the respectful thing. There is only so much he can do. 

Although it felt like a more competitive effort for the Blackhawks, none of their defensive woes were improved upon, and they did a lot of skating around their own zone. The goaltender is never going to have a great night in terms of keeping every puck out of the net when that's the case. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

DO NAT(o) try to stop him ‼️ pic.twitter.com/N6v2wWlQTq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 3, 2026

Anton? Bert? another goal for the Hawks!! https://t.co/e0E4sTyxDNpic.twitter.com/lwspraw5RQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 3, 2026

moore of this 🤌 https://t.co/bUVeeRLUfupic.twitter.com/JBhlLdJLNV

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 4, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks are now going to return to Chicago ahead of their 2026-27 home opener. Their opponent will be the St. Louis Blues. Of course, the story of the night will be Patrick Kane's first game back in Chicago as a member of the Blackhawks. 

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

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DENVER — The Avalanche didn’t waste much time making their presence felt Saturday night. After a sluggish opening 36 seconds, Colorado found its legs, controlled the play and turned a pair of Grade-A chances into a two-goal lead before the first intermission.

First Period

The start of the game was a little dull, with three icing calls in the opening 36 seconds of play.

Colorado soon began generating some high-danger opportunities, including a rebound chance for Jaden Schwartz, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. But Jordan Binnington stretched across the crease and made the splits to eliminate the threat.

Cale Makar opened the scoring 4:10 into the first period with his first goal of the season. Martin Necas took a pass from Nathan MacKinnon in the low slot and closed in on Binnington before deftly flipping the puck across to Makar at the doorstep. Binnington was too late getting across with a diving attempt as Makar buried the chance to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.

The Blues nearly answered around the eight-minute mark when Dalibor Dvorsky set up Jonatan Berggren for a dangerous chance from the slot. The left side of the net was open, but Makar tied up Berggren as he tried to get his shot away, preventing what could have been a golden opportunity.

Colorado then earned its first power play of the night after St. Louis forward Zach Dean was called for slashing T.J. Hughes. After going 4-for-5 with the man advantage on opening night, however, the Avalanche couldn’t convert on their first opportunity against the Blues.

Necas doubled Colorado’s lead with 6:48 remaining in the period after the Blues turned the puck over in their own zone. MacKinnon recovered the puck and quickly slid a pass to Necas in the low slot, where he snapped a shot past Binnington to make it 2-0.

Second Period

Josh Manson tripled the lead at the 5:38 mark of the second period with a one-timer blast off a feed from Nic Roy from the point that bounced off Binnington's stick and in to make it 3-0.

During the subsequent sequence, Roy went to the box for slashing, and the PK unit got their first taste of action. They survived the test and the game returned to even strength. Halfway through the second period, shot were 17-9 in favor of Colorado.

Nicolas Roy made it 5-0 with 1:58 left in the period after he sizzled a wrist shot by Binnington. And apparently the latter didn't learn his lesson the previous time as he attempted to play the puck behind the net again, leaving the net completely exposed. MacKinnon beat him to the puck, and passed it to Necas in the low slot and he came up with one of the easiest goals of his career to put a six spot on the scoreboard. 

Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes has scored his first-career goal in the AHL as a member of the Abbotsford Canucks against the Calgary Wranglers. The goal was scored at the 16:16 mark of the third-period en route to a 4-2 win for the Wranglers in the second-half of a back-to-back. 

COOTES’ FIRST AHL GOAL! pic.twitter.com/CP05og517g

— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) October 4, 2026

Cootes scored his first AHL goal in his second official AHL game. During his AHL debut on October 2, he was placed on a line with Ben Berard and Bennett Schimek, with the trio remaining together when Cootes' goal was scored. 

After being drafted 15th-overall by the Canucks in 2025, Cootes made Vancouver's 2025-26 opening-night roster out of training camp but returned to the WHL for his final season, registering 24 goals and 39 assists in 45 games with both the Seattle Thunderbirds and Prince Albert Raiders. He posted 23 points in 20 playoff games with the Raiders. 

During the 2026-27 pre-season, Cootes skated on Vancouver's top-line in two games, centring their fourth-line in one, scoring a goal and two assists in that span of time. Before the Canucks' final pre-season game, he was re-assigned to Abbotsford. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Lyle Odelein, a Stanley Cup-winning defenseman with the Canadiens and the first captain in Blue Jackets history, died on Friday.

He was 58.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that he died after suffering a heart attack.

Odelein played 1,056 games across his 16-year NHL career, putting up 252 points (50 goals, 202 assists) while spending time with the Canadiens, Devils, Coyotes, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Stars, Panthers and Penguins.

The native of Saskatchewan was drafted by the Canadiens in the seventh round of the 1986 NHL Draft and spent his first seven seasons in Montreal, helping the club win its most recent Stanley Cup in 1993.

Following a three-year stint with the Devils and a half season in Phoenix, Odelein was chosen by the Blue Jackets in the 2000 expansion draft and became the first captain in the team’s history.

“The Columbus Blue Jackets are deeply saddened by the passing of Lyle Odelin,” the team said in a statement on Saturday. “Lyle is a significant part of our history, serving as our first captain and helping us celebrate our 25th season last March. He left an indelible mark on our organization and community.

“On the ice, Lyle was a fierce competitor and Stanley Cup champion. Off the ice, he was warm, kind, and quick with a smile and kind word. He was a friend to all who knew him and will be sorely missed. Our sincerest thoughts and condolences go out to his wife, Laurel, his children, family and many friends. Rest in peace, Odie.”

Odelin retired from the NHL following the 2005-06 season.

He suffered from a major health scare in 2018, being placed in a medically induced coma after being pricked by cactus needles during a golf outing in Arizona.

Odelin then experienced a slow road to recovery and was paralyzed from the neck down. He was unable to speak upon exiting the coma. Later that year, Odelin regained his speech and was able to walk with a cane for the Canadiens’ celebration of their ’93 Stanley Cup.

“I don’t remember a lot because I was in a coma and paralyzed from my neck down,” Odelein said at the ceremony. “There’s stuff that I didn’t even know that they were doing and neither did my wife, actually. It was really hard. Now I’m walking around with a cane and stuff, but things are going really, really well.

“It’s unbelievable. I can tell you one thing, there is a God. I had a five percent chance to live and if it wasn’t for my wife, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Less than a week into the NHL season, and there are already some interesting situations to monitor regarding players across the league.

Of course, one of the most prominent is that of former Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade during the summer and started the season on injured reserve. At Detroit's home opener Friday, Larkin was introduced to a less-than-pleased crowd, who booed him relentlessly and chased him back into the locker room. 

But Larkin is not the only Red Wings player in a tough situation with the organization. So, too, is 23-year-old left defenseman Simon Edvinsson.

Edvinsson was selected sixth overall by Detroit in 2021, and he is currently a restriced free agent without a new contract. The towering 6-foot-6, 222-pound Swedish blueliner registered nine goals and 25 points in 72 games last season and was a staple on the Red Wings' top defensive pairing alongside Moritz Seider. 

Well, feelings between Edvinsson and Detroit seem to be souring. 

The big defenseman is back overseas and training in Sweden, which says a lot about where things are with contract negotiations. And, according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, Edvinsson would prefer to be traded out of Detroit rather than extend. 

BREAKING: Simon Edvinsson prefers to be traded out of Detroit, per @FriedgeHNIC. pic.twitter.com/lyyrAENEIn

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) October 4, 2026

If this is the case, the Pittsburgh Penguins might just have a perfect trade target.

For one, the organization's right-side prospect pool is a bit more promising, as Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding, and Chase Pietila all look like they could be NHL players in the pretty near-term. They also have Quinn Beauchesne as a farther-out option. 

They do have some options on the left side, as Owen Pickering and Jake Livanavage are also on the brink of NHL minutes, and Peyton Kettles, Tomas Galvas, and Parker von Richter probably need a bit more time to marinate. However, unlike Brunicke on the right side, they don't necessarily have a surefire top-four blueliner on the left side, and defensemen as big yet mobile as Edvinsson are hard to find. 

Yes, Edvinsson is far from a finished product. His production has been respectable through parts of four NHL seasons, as he has 19 goals and 60 points in 175 career NHL games, but there are still some inconsistencies for him to work out on the defensive side of the puck. He also has a higher offensive ceiling to reach.

NHL Insider Reports Simon Edvinsson Prefers Trade Out of Detroit After Contract StalemateFrustrated by a bridge-deal offer and seeking long-term security, the Swedish blueliner is eyeing an exit as Detroit’s front office refuses to meet his $70 million demands.

But, he's big. He's physical. He's a solid two-way option capable of playing a shutdown brand. He's adapting his game to his frame and also getting stronger at the net-front. He would immediately be an upgrade on their left side, and he would immediately make the Penguins a better team.

Plus, given Pittsburgh's growing reputation as a place where disgruntled or misplaced players can go to thrive, it stands to reason that Edvinsson could unlock an even higher level to his game than he has up to this point in his career. The Penguins have already seen a transformation in Erik Karlsson under head coach Dan Muse's staff, Sam Girard is off to a great start this season, and Parker Wotherspoon - dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights this summer for Kaedan Korczak - had a breakout season with the Penguins in 2025-26 at the age of 28 and is now a top-four shutdown defenseman. 

Edvinsson could be the perfect complement for a player like Brunicke, whose development will be key for the Penguins moving forward. Brunicke is a highly mobile defender who loves to jump up on the play, and Edvinsson is capable of making calculated decisions when it comes to an offensive-oriented partner, as he has that experience with Seider. 

Penguins Assign Forward To Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonThe Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned Rutger McGroarty to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

As a big, top-four left defender, Edvinsson surely won't come cheap, even if he's an RFA and wants out. The Red Wings hold all the cards, and they will want NHL talent in return - whether that's more help up front, a replacement of sorts on the blue line, or both.

If the Penguins wait things out a bit, maybe Girard makes himself a valuable trade commodity. They also have Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, both 30-goal wingers who could help Detroit up front.

It's also worth noting that Detroit's interim general manager is Shawn Horcoff - father of Penguins' top forward prospect Will Horcoff, who has enjoyed a successful run in his young career at the University of Michigan so far. Detroit also has two of the Plante brothers, while the Penguins have the third and oldest, Zam, in their system.

Edvinsson is going to cost a whole lot, but it's a gamble worth looking into for the Penguins. If they can nail down young, top-four options on both the left and the right side for the foreseeable future, that would go a long way toward their goal of becoming a sustainable Stanley Cup contender for the years beyond Sidney Crosby.

Of note, no formal trade request has been submitted by Edvinsson up to this point.

Trade Talk Around Dylan Larkin Intensifies After Opening Night Boos, Capitals Emerge With Intriguing OfferA hostile homecoming fuels rumors of the captain’s exit as Washington weighs a blockbuster swap for Dylan Strome to bolster Alex Ovechkin’s final Stanley Cup charge.

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