DENVER — William Nylander authored a five-point masterpiece and Sergei Bobrovsky secured his first win as a Maple Leaf as the Toronto Maple Leafs weathered a second-period storm at Ball Arena and beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 on Saturday night.

Nylander finished with two goals and three assists, tying a career high in points. Auston Matthews added two goals and two assists. Nick Blankenburg scored on his first shift of the season in his first appearance as a Leaf, Easton Cowan scored, and Bobrovsky stopped 30 of 33 shots. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice for Colorado, which lost its first home game of the season.

The Leafs improved to 3-2-1 and collected three of a possible four points on a tough back-to-back western swing against the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado. They now head into a day off with a statement road victory against a Stanley Cup contender, even as concern lingers over the status of defenseman Chris Tanev, who left the game in the first period and did not return.

“I liked the first (period), and I like the third,” head coach Jim Hiller said. “They had a couple of rush chances in the first, second period got a little crazy, but what a response in the third period. And even after Vegas, we were able to get it done tonight.”

Nylander’s Masterclass Starts Away From the Puck

Nylander’s night was defined by more than just the points. Hiller pointed specifically to the work that set up the opening goal, when Blankenburg scored 3:03 into the game on a feed from Nylander and Nick Paul.

“Well, he was skating. I think must have been the first goal. So he makes the nice pass to Blankenburg. Back it up ten seconds. He's in on the forecheck. He wins a puck battle. That sets the whole thing up, and then he's allowed to get the opportunity to make the next play because he made the first one. Skating on the forecheck, winning a battle,” Hiller said.

Nylander later scored a power-play goal at 6:53 of the second on a setup from Gavin McKenna and Matthews, then tied the game at 16:47 of the second. His three assists tied a career high in a game. Matthews, who scored the eventual game-winner on the power play in the third and added an empty-netter, was effusive.

Power play goal for Toronto!

Scored by William Nylander with 13:07 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Gavin McKenna and Auston Matthews.

COL: 2 | TOR: 2#TORvsCOL#GoAvsGo#PassionNeverSleepspic.twitter.com/QP2gdArsm3

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 11, 2026

“Yeah, he was great. I mean, I thought he was just skating all over the puck, making plays. You know, beautiful pass on that power play to me, and he was just all over it tonight. One of those games where it just seemed like he had the puck on his stick a lot, and he was making things happen,” Matthews said.

Nylander himself kept it simple: 

“I don't know. I was just going out there playing, you know. I got some really nice passes. Able to score those two goals. I think the power play was great.”

Bobrovsky Earns His First Win Under Heavy Fire

Bobrovsky faced 33 shots, including 13 in the second period when the game turned chaotic. Colorado outshot Toronto 33-23 overall and held a territorial edge for long stretches, particularly at even strength in the middle frame. Yet Bobrovsky, who had been left without a win despite strong showings earlier in the trip, delivered the performance the Leafs needed.

“Those last two games, a lot of work for him, and I guess that's just classic Bob, right? That's why he's here. He just has a way to settle everybody down. Such a calm demeanor, and he made some great saves,” Hiller said.

Matthews noted the team’s early-season struggles in front of the netminder: 

“We haven't been good enough in front of him in his first couple of starts, and he's had to come up big and hasn't gotten rewarded for it. So, I mean, I would have loved to see him get a win earlier, but obviously coming into this building against this opponent, he was huge for us tonight.”

Career win No. 457 for Sergei Bobrovsky and his first as a Toronto Maple Leaf 🫂 pic.twitter.com/s010b3VtZa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 11, 2026

The starting goaltender was a question given Bobrovsky’s 40-save performance in a shootout loss against the Golden Knights on Thursday. But Bobrovsky, who has a reputation for wanting to have the net, doesn’t mind being busy.

“I like it. I like the workload. I do like it. It's been great,” Bobrovsky said. “I had a good amount of work in Vegas, and I really feel good. Playing is fun in the NHL. You live in a dream. So every day is a paradise to be in this league.”

Tanev Injury Casts a Shadow

Chris Tanev left the game and did not return. Hiller had no immediate update.

“We had lots going on here, so I haven't talked to really anybody about him. And we'll probably know more tomorrow or the next day. Tomorrow's a day off (Sunday), so maybe a couple days,” the coach said.

Tanev was seen around the locker room after the game talking to teammates but there was very little to extrapolate from that. 

Blankenburg, who played more than expected in his season debut, described Tanev as “kind of the anchor of the back end for those first couple games, just shut down defensively, him and (McCabe).”

Given Tanev’s injury history, the uncertainty will dominate the immediate aftermath in Toronto. Hiller praised the remaining defensemen for bending but not breaking: 

“I thought that D corps battled. It was tough in D zone at times, but those guys did a really good job, just bending but not breaking.”

Blankenburg’s Instant Impact

Blankenburg, returning against his former club, scored 3:03 into the game on his first shift of the season. Nylander set him up after winning a puck battle on the forecheck.

“I think obviously the first time you get into a game in the year, you're a little bit nervous, but I think it's a good kind of nervous, like excited. So to get one there in the first shift definitely felt nice,” Blankenburg said. “I kind of took a weight off my shoulders and just kind of go all time and play.”

He acknowledged the wait had been familiar:

“I've done this so many times before in my career. I feel like every year in my four-year career so far, it's been like out of the lineup, wait. ... I just kept telling myself leading up to this, like, I've been in this situation before, and every time I've been able to handle it.”

Power play goal for Toronto!

Scored by Nick Blankenburg with 16:57 left in the 1st. Assisted by William Nylander and Nick Paul.

COL: 0 | TOR: 1#TORvsCOL#GoAvsGo#PassionNeverSleepspic.twitter.com/5vbEEaSNBH

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 10, 2026

His teammates were thrilled.

“Blank’s the man,” Matthews said, praising the first-year Leaf’s vibe in the room, as well as his personality and work ethic.

“He roofed that thing. That was how many seconds into his first shift? Was it his first shift? That's awesome,” Nylander said with a big grin.

McKenna’s Seamless Addition to the Top Power Play

With John Tavares not available after becoming a father for the fourth time, 18-year-old Gavin McKenna earned time on the top power-play unit and delivered the setup on Nylander’s power-play goal. Both Matthews and Nylander highlighted his vision.

“Yeah, it's pretty seamless. I mean, he's elite, super skilled and smart, and made a beautiful play there on the first power play goal to Willy,” Matthews said. “He just has such a good IQ and can see the play kind of developing before it happens.”

Nylander called the pass “unbelievable.” 

The GREAT pass by McKenna and then the SILKY mitts in close by Willy, WHATTA GOAL 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/GnFlfFcJaM

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 11, 2026

Hiller noted McKenna’s progression against elite competition on consecutive nights: 

“Just seems to be every game he's taking steps. Just play Vegas and Colorado, and you're a young guy at 18 years old to play those two games back to back. It's pretty impressive. And he's dynamic.”

Toward the end of the game, McKenna had been promoted to the top line for some shifts.

“He's playing good. You know what I mean? We're not just giving that to him. He's earned that.”

Containing MacKinnon and the Checking Line’s Role

MacKinnon scored twice in the first period and finished with eight shots. Matthews described the challenge directly: 

“He's one of the best in the world. It's always a really tough, tough challenge. I mean, he's a really hard guy to contain. He's explosive. He possesses so much power when he skates and when he moves. And when he's on the ice, you've got to have a bit of a group effort to kind of contain him because he's too good one-on-one.”

Hiller adjusted in the third by matching the checking line of Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, and Brandon Duhaime against Colorado’s top unit at five-on-five.

“Well, in the third period, we really tried to get (Colton) Sissons, (Teddy) Blueger and (Brandon) Duhaime against them. So, if you check that, I think we got, outside of the power plays and stuff, we really were able to five-on-five match them up and get our matchup. And I thought those three in particular did a great job in the third period,” Hiller said.

Blankenburg credited Bobrovsky first when asked about limiting MacKinnon: 

“I mean, I'd say first thought would just be Bob (Bobrovsky). Bob's been great for us all year. I think, yeah, just obviously he's such a special player just trying to limit his time and space.”

A Measuring-Stick Result

The three points from the Vegas-Colorado swing give Hiller’s group early validation against two Western Conference heavyweights. The Leafs alternated wins and losses to open the season and now sit with a road win in Denver that required goaltending, special teams, and a composed final period after the second-period mess.

“I thought we did a good job weathering the storm,” Matthews said. “Sometimes you've just got to weather the storm, bend, don't break. Just grind out a win, and I thought we did that tonight.”

See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Vegas Golden Knights (5-1, in the Pacific Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (3-1-1, in the Central Division)

Saint Paul, Minnesota; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights visit the Minnesota Wild after the Golden Knights took down the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 in overtime.

Minnesota has a 1-0-0 record in home games and a 3-1-1 record overall. The Wild have a +six scoring differential, with 15 total goals scored and nine given up.

Vegas is 5-1 overall and 2-0-0 on the road. The Golden Knights have a 4-1-0 record in games their opponents serve more penalty minutes.

The teams meet Monday for the first time this season.

INJURIES: Wild: Filip Gustavsson: out (hip), Nick Foligno: out (upper body), Olli Maatta: day to day (lower body), Zach Bogosian: day to day (lower body), Marcus Foligno: day to day (lower body), Brock Faber: out (skull).

Golden Knights: Ben Hemmerling: out (undisclosed), Lukas Cormier: out (undisclosed), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).

___

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

Las Vegas, N.V.– When I spoke to James Neal on Thursday, the original Golden Misfit repeatedly used the word “fun” to describe the Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural season. In fact, Neal said that season was the most fun year of his hockey career. So, it’s pretty ironic that the game celebrating the ninth anniversary of that 2017-18 team was slow, boring, and not very fun at all.

Actually, maybe it was fitting– this game was a nice callback to the first playoff series that the Golden Knights ever played, which was also against the Los Angeles Kings. There wasn’t much offense to be found in that four-game series; there were only 10 total goals.

On a night celebrating the original Golden Knights team, it didn’t really matter how ugly the game was. What mattered was that in the end, they came out on top. 

“There was a lot of back and forth,” said Shea Theodore following the Golden Knights’ 2-1 overtime win. “You know, I didn’t think there was a ton of action, but it’s good to get the win, especially in overtime.”

1. Big Time Kill

Historically, the Golden Knights aren’t an undisciplined team. Tonight, however, they took two back-to-back penalties in the first period, which gave the Kings a full minute and 31 seconds of 5-on-3. With Nic Dowd and Brayden McNabb– two of the Golden Knights’ best penalty killers– both in the box, things didn’t look great for the home team.

The Kings only managed two shots on goal.

“I liked their compete,” said goaltender Carter Hart following the win. “They got in lanes and tied up sticks, so [the Kings] weren’t getting second opportunities, and got a lot of big clears. Our PK's been solid.”

After LA’s power play expired, the Golden Knights looked like the more inspired team. For the rest of the night, they collectively outshot the Kings 27-19.

“[The 5-on-3 kill] energized us,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “I thought the building got alive after that. Our guys did a real good job, and our game kind of took off there. I liked our start; we just ended up getting a couple penalties. But Carter came up big when we needed him to make a save.

“I liked our pressure,” Craig continued. “I liked how those guys that were on the ice closed and didn’t allow them to reset the puck. So for me, it was a huge moment of the game and gave us a chance for our power play to take advantage.”

2. If You’re a Goaltender…

It’s still early in the season, but so far the Golden Knights have enjoyed solid performances in net from both goaltenders. Tonight, goaltender Carter Hart earned third star of the game after stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced.

“It’s our expectation with both of [our goaltenders],” said head coach Ryan Craig. “Tonight, Carter, right from the start, including during the 5-on-3 kill, was consistent. I thought he saw the puck well. He let the game come to him. They didn’t have much there in the 2nd period, and sometimes you can get chasing the game, looking to get involved. He was ready when we needed him in the third.”

You can tell when a team isn’t confident playing in front of their goaltender. For the Golden Knights, that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

“We have so much confidence in our goalies,” said Mitch Marner following the win. “And they have so much confidence in themselves, no matter what happens in small moments.”

3. KillaTrav? Nah, KillaTrev

Not many 20-year-old rookies find themselves on the top power play unit with only six NHL games under their belt. But with Victor Olofsson sidelined with an injury, Trevor Connelly is getting the opportunity of a lifetime on the top power play unit. 

​​“It’s a shooter spot because of how our power play is set up,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “You can’t defer in that spot. Trevor can make plays— we’ve seen it a few times. That’s what we wanted to continue to do. Those four guys support him 100% with what he’s doing there. 

“He can’t just be a shooter,” Craig continued. “We have to recover pucks and look to attack. 
Yes, it’s all most likely going to run through Jack as we start a power play, Jack and Mitch. But where it goes from there, and off puck recovery, your second-chance opportunities… Trevor’s got to attack, right? 
From the weak side, we don’t necessarily just need to reset it back to the other side. We can attack, and he can make plays off that side.”

Two nights ago, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky sprawled out to deny Connelly his first NHL power play goal. Tonight, Connelly converted on a very similar play.

“I loved [seeing] it,” said Mitch Marner following the 2-1 win. “I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with him. Super great kid. He loves the game and has so much fun out there… He’s a great hockey player. You see his hockey sense out there. He just reads the plays so well. He makes so many great offensive plays, and he’s really building his defensive game as well.

“It’s been great to see, and he’s only going to get better,” Marner finished. “If he’s got questions to ask, I’ll answer them, and always try to help him out.”

To wrap up their brief early-season Canadian road trip, the Anaheim Ducks were hosted by the Calgary Flames on Saturday evening in Calgary. 

The Ducks entered Saturday with a 3-1-0 record and a day removed from defeating the previously undefeated Winnipeg Jets on Friday by a score of 5-1.

Their opponent in this game entered having lost all four of their games to open the season in regulation by a combined score of 23-6.

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-1 Win over the Jets

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-2 Loss to the Oilers

Having made seemingly successful wholesale changes to his depth chart ahead of their game against the Jets, Joel Quenneville only made one change in this game: inserting Frank Vatrano onto the listed third line in place of AJ Greer. 

Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game: 

Sennecke-Carlsson-Colangelo

Nesterenko-Granlund-Gauthier

Vatrano-Poehling-Killorn

Malott-Washe-Caulfield

LaCombe-Warren

Mintyukov-Mitchell

Hinds-Luneau

Ville Husso got his first start of the year. His first action of the year came in relief in the third period of the Ducks’ loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, where he stopped both shots he faced. In this one, he saved 27 of 29 shots. Opposing Husso in Calgary’s crease was Dustin Wolf, who stopped 24 of 28. 

This was a costly two points for the Ducks, who had to play without star forward Cutter Gauthier for the final 50 minutes of the hockey game, after he left for the locker room with an upper-body injury. 

Center Ryan Poehling scored the game-winning goal, shorthanded, with 14:25 remaining in the game, but after the puck went into the net, he was tripped, and he crashed into the post, right leg first. He was helped off the ice by the training staff and did not return. 

Game Notes

The Ducks played the majority of this game with 11 forwards and the last 14 minutes with ten. Jackson LaCombe was seemingly benched for the final ten minutes of the second period, so for that stretch, they relied on just five defensemen. 

Calgary was by far the fresher and hungrier team of the two, as they were physical from puck-drop, orchestrated lengthy offensive zone sequences, and generated scoring chances off Anaheim’s mistakes. Fortunately for the Ducks, their talent won out, and Ville Husso made numerous difficult saves when the Flames were pressing.

Jackson LaCombe: As mentioned, LaCombe sat for ten minutes to end the second period. He carried the highest percentage of responsibility on Calgary’s first goal, finding himself too aggressive and deep in the offensive zone when the Flames had clear possession, moving up ice. A lackadaisical effort led to a second puck crossing the Ducks’ goal line, but it was called back, and the play was ruled offside. 

He notched his first goal of the season early in this game, but the Ducks will need a more dogged effort from their No.1 defenseman when they’re facing adversity and up against stiffer competition. 

Breakouts: After seemingly solving their d-zone exit issues during their last game against Winnipeg, the Ducks again struggled to get pucks into neutral ice from their end. Defensemen did well to draw forecheckers low before sending pucks to their outlets, but those second touches out of the zone were often bobbled or turned over, leading to several extended cycle sequences. 

Frank Vatrano: Vatrano was reinserted into the Ducks lineup and put forth an effortful performance, highlighted by a significant goal late in the first period to give his club a 2-1 lead. He was impactful on the forecheck, finished his hits, and, as displayed by his tally, he battled hard in the small, dangerous areas of the ice. 

Due to the injuries sustained, his ice time was limited as he was often the odd-man out of the 11-forward rotation. However, he was rewarded with three big shifts in the final five minutes of the game when Calgary was pushing to tie. 

Tristan Luneau: With LaCombe sitting for so long, Luneau was the Ducks’ de facto top defenseman in this game, as he led the team in TOI (23:42) and received heavy defensive minutes, not starting a single shift in the offensive zone. Though there were a few instances of hurried retrievals and outlets, he did well to dictate play from the backend and handled his assignments well in the defensive zone. 

The Ducks will travel home to Southern California, where they’ll host this same Flames team on Tuesday at 6:45 pm PST. 

What's the Plan for Ducks Rookie Nikita Klepov?

Takeaways from the Ducks 3-2 OT Win over the Panthers

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 Win over the Golden Knights

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, back on the crease, delivered one of his best games in a long time, posting his best season performance with several big saves against the Vegas Golden Knights and easing pressure on the Kings' defense. 

The 36-year-old posted 30 saves on 32 shots on Saturday night, anchoring LA's defense on the road against a Western Conference opponent. But it still wasn't enough to give the Kings their first road win of the season in a tough environment. 

Final from Overtime in Las Vegas. @twilio | #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/zOHOoZonP2

— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 11, 2026

The Kings have now started the season off 0-2-2 for the first time in franchise history. Somehow, though, even though they played arguably their best against a quality team, this loss feels much harder to swallow given how close the match came down.

By all means, this was a very winnable game for the visiting team; despite never leading, the Kings were in position to take the lead, especially with Kuemper's crease play giving the offense plenty of chances to take over.  

The game was tied 1-1 after 40 minutes, thanks to Kuemper's strong goaltending, and Artemi Panarin tied the score with a power-play goal in the second period. 

Right on target 🎯 pic.twitter.com/339MeftN5V

— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 11, 2026

The final period mirrored the opening, with both teams struggling to score and their defenses tightening to stretch the game as long as possible. LA was doing a solid job on the rush, especially on the 3-on-2 break-up, with Drew Doughty stopping a dangerous situation. 

Neither team could control the game or take the lead in the third period to break the tie. For the second time this season, the Kings were headed to extra periods in T-Mobile Arena. 

In overtime, back-to-back plays by Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfeild looked like they would lead to a game-winning goal and head home, but a big save by Knights goaltender Carter Hart kept the home team alive. 

All those chances, the door was left open for the home team to convert, and they did. Off the faceoff, Mitch Marner spotted the traffic and nailed a shot down the middle, converting on the Knights' power play and finishing 2/3. 

After the game, winner Kuemper, who left it all on the ice, walked off, disappointed, shrugging in disbelief after his best game of the season. 

“We hate losing. We want to win. We've got to use that feeling the right way, find that extra level to be difference makers to find wins, Kuemper said after another close loss.’’

A disappointing season last year and an ugly start to this one, despite playing better tonight, have turned up the volume about ownership and whether this team should move towards rebuilding rather than staying in the middle for the last 10 years already.

Despite the defense playing its best this season, holding Vegas to a season-low two goals, the Kings' offense let them down, especially in the final period, after the defense made quality saves and stops; they failed to capitalize. 

While the Kings played another close one and looked like they wanted it more, the box score didn't show it. They once again struggled on the power play, finishing 1-for-3 and scoring just one goal in their second straight game. 

The positive takeaway from this game was that Kuemper looked excellent on the road against the Knights. If he continues this play, all LA needs to do is work on their offense, and the team will be fine. 

Los Angeles returns to Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers beginning their two-game homestand at 7:30 PM PT. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

LAS VEGAS — On a night celebrating the players who helped introduce NHL hockey to Las Vegas, a rookie scored the Golden Knights' first goal.

Trevor Connelly scored on the power play early in the second period, but Artemi Panarin answered with a power-play goal of his own, leaving Vegas and the Los Angeles Kings tied 1-1 through two periods Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas led 23-13 in shots through 40 minutes. Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves for Los Angeles, while Carter Hart stopped 12 shots for the Golden Knights.

The evening began with members of the Original Misfits taking part in Fan Fest before joining former coach Gerard Gallant on The Fortress. Fan favorite Ryan Reaves cranked the siren as Vegas celebrated the ninth anniversary of its first home game during the franchise’s 10th season.

Once the puck dropped, Hart and Kuemper delivered early highlights, making big saves to keep the first period scoreless. Vegas also navigated overlapping penalties from Brayden McNabb and Nic Dowd, giving Los Angeles an extended two-man advantage.

Connelly broke through at 2:37 of the second period after Mitch Marner moved the puck down to Mark Stone, who tapped it across the crease for the rookie to punch home for his second goal of the season.

Vegas entered the night 5-for-20 on the power play against the NHL’s second-worst penalty kill. Connelly’s goal left Los Angeles with six power-play goals allowed on eight road opportunities.

The SoCal kid scores on the SoCal hockey team 🦅 pic.twitter.com/4GSAew3w1c

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 11, 2026

Connelly became the third Golden Knight to score on the man advantage this season, joining Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson.

Stone’s assist extended his point streak to four games, giving the captain points in five of Vegas’ first six contests. He now has 35 points in 36 career games against Los Angeles.

Panarin tied the game at 6:21 of the second with Jeremy Lauzon serving a tripping penalty. Adrian Kempe and Brandt Clarke assisted on Panarin’s third goal of the season, which extended his point streak against Vegas to six games.

Connelly and Marc Gatcomb each had five shots through two periods to lead Vegas. Panarin paced Los Angeles with four.

The Kings also marked two milestones. Drew Doughty played in his 1,283rd NHL game, tying Ken Daneyko for 24th among defensemen. Peter Laviolette coached his 1,598th game, matching Ken Hitchcock for eighth all-time.

This is a developing story and will be updated following the game with the final result and postgame reaction.

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) battle for the puck in the first period at T-Mobile Arena.

The Pittsburgh Penguins knew they needed to notch a win Saturday against the Dallas Stars in the second game of a back-to-back.

They had three straight losses, and they weren't just losses, they were ugly ones. Nothing was going right for them, there was no cohesion, and they were fresh off a 3-2 shootout loss Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets that left a sour taste in their mouths. 

And they put together the exact kind of response game they needed.

The Penguins defeated the Stars, 2-1, in a shootout effort that saw three Penguins put the puck in the back of the net. Arturs Silovs, the goaltender of record for the Penguins, made some huge saves late in the game and on the penalty kill, stopping 24 of 25 Dallas shots and delivering a nice follow-up to a 43-save performance by Sergei Murashov Friday.

The game was very low-event. But, given, how things had gone recently, that was probably the best thing for this team. 

"The game last night was a little tough on everybody," defenseman Sam Girard said. "Playing in your zone, it's not fun and makes us a little more tired as well. But, it's the past, and I feel like we played our game tonight. And we still have some stuff to build from the game tonight."

The first 40 minutes came and went with no score, and both teams - aside from a defensive miscue that turned into a breakaway opportunity by Wyatt Johnston right at the beginnning of the game - were up to the task defensively.

But, in the back half of the second period, the Penguins started to get some offensive momentum. They began the third period with a 50-29 advantage in shot attempts, and two minutes in, they finally broke through on the scoresheet.

Pittsburgh's fourth line was breaking into the offensive zone, and Connor Dewar was the mail carrier. He opted to carry the puck across the slot, and he snuck a backhand that somehow went top-shelf and found its way over Stars' netminder Jake Oettinger to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

DEW YOU SEE WHAT I SEE⁉️ pic.twitter.com/ZP6rtpcAwG

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2026

The Penguins had the better of the play for the majority of the rest of the game, but with Oettinger pulled and with just 30 seconds left in regulation, Tyler Seguin deflected a Jason Robertson shot from the left point to tie the game. Pittsburgh controlled the puck for almost the entire overtime period, too, but they couldn't convert, and it forced a shootout.

Ben Kindel kicked things off and beat Oettinger for his third shootout goal in four career attempts. Robertson missed for Dallas, then Sidney Crosby - who was left out of the shootout lineup Friday - netted one to give Pittsburgh the two-point advantage. 

However, two consecutive tallies by Seguin and Johnston - and a post by Egor Chinakhov - knotted it up. Pittsburgh's fourth shooter, Rickard Rakell, put one top-shelf to best Oettinger, and Silovs made a save on Mikko Rantanen to end it and send the Penguins home with the win. 

🚨 Full shootout recap 🚨 pic.twitter.com/wMaXlJ9Sgq

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2026

After a disastrous game against the Blue Jackets, it sure felt good for them to put together the all-around effort they did Saturday against a top team in the league. 

"We knew we needed to respond," head coach Dan Muse said. "It’s an emotional game, and so, it is a quick turnaround. In one sense, you're excited that you get to be playing again the next night, especially coming off a game that you know there's a lot we knew we could be better at. But it's a credit to them. It's not always the case.

"It shows where this group is that we can come together and find a way to just dig in and play a better brand of hockey, which is what I thought we did today."

Takeaways: Murashov Bright Spot Against Blue Jackets In Penguins' Third-Straight LossThe Pittsburgh Penguins brought their worst in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. but their rookie goaltender almost singlehandedly earned them a point.

---

Here are some thoughts from this one:

- I'll start with the one glaring negative from this game since there was far more positive and much more to talk about on that end.

I don't know what is going on with Rakell right now, but whatever it is, it isn't good. In fact, it's borderline unplayable. He's mishandling passes, he's passing pucks right to opposing players, he can't get his shot off properly, and it's plain to see he's overthinking just about every decision he's making out there.

Rakell has always been a slow starter, so this is nothing new. And he tends to stick out like a sore thumb when he isn't playing well. Honestly, I thought he was the only Penguins' player who was still noticeably off his game against Dallas.

If this continues, I don't think dropping him in the lineup to take some of the pressure off would be the worst thing. Nick Robertson can easily bump up, and he could have the opportunity to slot alongside Ben Kindel, who has been excellent and probably would benefit from having a true goal-scorer on his line. 

"It comes down to business and trying to play a good game."

Nick Robertson with @KatieFlorio before "The Robertson Bowl", pt. 9 ⚔️

In 8 prior head-to-head clases, Nick leads Jason with 5 wins to Jason's 3 👀 pic.twitter.com/D5yrMEbcwF

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 10, 2026

- Speaking of, what an effort this was from Pittsburgh's fourth line of Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Robertson. 

I still believe that Robertson should probably be playing higher in the lineup, but there's no denying that he complements that line well and brings a more offensive element to it, especially in terms of puck skills. And that, combined with Dewar and Lizotte's tenacity as well as his own, made for a dominant recipe.

Despite taking no offensive zone draws in comparison to six in the defensive zone and two in the neutral zone, that line outchanced Dallas 14-to-7 when it was on the ice. 

And that speaks to what they bring as a unit. When asked what Robertson specifically brings to that line, Muse's answer was simple.

"I think basically the same thing the other two guys do," he smiled. "Just relentless work ethic, detailed defensively. They make it really hard on whoever they're playing against, and they just don't quit. Like, they don't quit on like plays, they don't quit on anything. As soon as a puck does turn over, they're right above it all the time. They just play the game with detail and tenacity. The line was awesome tonight. They were really good."

He also addressed how impressive their work was despite the defensive zone starts.

"It is a lot of D-zone starts, and sometimes if it's an O-zone faceoff, I'm taking them off the ice, and that's tough," Muse said. "They worked hard to get us there, but that also just shows these guys are selfless, and I think they take a lot of pride in what they do.

"So, for them to have that impact on the defensive side, and then also contribute offensively, which they had a number of chances – these guys, they're skilled players as well. It was great to see them get rewarded. I thought that line was awesome tonight."

That they were. They were the Penguins' best line Saturday.

Penguins Waive Big Defenseman As New Blueliner Joins Team In ColumbusThe Penguins sent Ilya Solovyov to the waiver wire in anticipation of some roster moves Friday.

- Elmer Soderblom slotted in for Ville Koivunen in this game, and I thought he made a difference. He's very good with the puck and excels along the walls, which is something the Penguins have been missing on their forecheck. 

I think he earned a stay in the lineup with his play. I'd probably put Koivunen back in for Hendrix Lapierre when the Penguins play the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday to kick off a four-game Western road swing - as I think Koivunen has earned playing time - but Soderblom should remain.

He's literally such a large human that he can just overpower guys in puck battles and around the net. I think the Penguins could use more of that. 

- The penalty kill continues to be excellent for the Penguins. They have allowed just one goal on 17 opportunities so far this season, which is good for a 94.1 percent rate and second in the league. 

Special teams was a strength for the Penguins last season, and the power play still needs to catch up to the PK in terms of efficiency. But, right now, they're gelling as a unit. 

"I feel like everybody's on the same page, everybody's ready to sacrifice their body to block some shots and be in the lanes," Girard said. "A lot of games are decided on the power play or on the PK in the NHL, so we're going to have to keep going like we've been doing and make sure we're blocking some shots, we're in the lane and we get the puck out."

'I Feel Pretty Good Right Now': Penguins' Koivunen Building Confidence In Season's EarlygoingPittsburgh Penguins' forward Ville Koivunen signed an unexpected eight-year, $32 million contract this summer and has looked good early this season.

- Defenseman Spencer Stastney, who was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday for forward Filip Hallander, suited up for the first time with Pittsburgh in place of veteran Trevor van Riemsdyk. 

And, honestly, it was a good first showing for him. He can certainly move out there, and he seems to have pretty good instincts on both sides of the puck. He also paired well with Kris Letang.

Stastney, 26, was in and out of the lineup and up and down between the NHL and AHL in Edmonton. He's just happy to get a chance to play in Pittsburgh, and for a first showing, it was largely good things.

“It’s always a matter of fighting to stay in and try to do my best," Stastney said. "So, no matter what, I’m just going to keep a smile on my face and keep working. I’m just happy to be in."

I'm curious to see how the Penguins handle their defensive rotation moving forward. They are paying van Riemsdyk $4 million for each of the next two years, so I imagine he'll still play in a good chunk of games, at least to start.

Penguins Acquire Spencer Stastney From Edmonton Oilers for Filip HallanderThe Pittsburgh Penguins cleared up their forward logjam Wednesday by sending Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers

- Good on Silovs for following up Murashov's performance from Friday.

There is a lot of talk, already, about Murashov being the real deal. And, by the looks of things, he just might be. But Silovs tends to put together games like these when he knows there's a target on his back, and he earned himself more starts with his performance against the Stars, just like Murashov did.

We'll see how this rotation shakes out over the long-term. For now, I won't be surprised to see Muse go exactly 50/50 until one of them truly separates himself over a larger sample size.

Welcome to the Arty Party 🎉 pic.twitter.com/CPdmrGc2i8

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2026

- Finally, I want to shout out Evgeni Malkin. Because, man, was he shot out of a cannon Saturday.

In the past couple of seasons, Malkin has had his legs early. That's been the case again so far this season. His line outchanced Dallas 11-to-5 and skated circles around the offensive zone on a few occasions. They're also so dangerous on the rush, and Egor Chinakhov had himself a nice performance, too, despite not showing up on the scoresheet.

But Malkin's defensive play so far this season - and dating back to last season - is truly something else. And, I mean that literally, because it's not something we saw much from him earlier on in his career. 

There was a play in the third period around the eight-minute mark when Dallas appeared to have an odd-man break. Roope Hintz saw Jamie Benn breaking down the right side all alone, and he attempted a pass. Malkin came out of nowhere on the backcheck to disrupt the pass with his stick, thwarting a golden opportunity for Benn.

The 40-year-old who far too many in the 412 area code didn't want back has been one of their best players so far this season, as he is the team's co-leader in goals (3) and points (5). And I've never seen Malkin give so much effort in all three zones.

This guy is out there to prove something, and he's proving that he still very much belongs on this team and playing the game of hockey for a 21st NHL season. Shifting to the wing has done wonders for his game. 

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!  

The Colorado Avalanche returned to Ball Arena in downtown Denver, CO, to face the Toronto Maple Leafs. Colorado came in riding the high of a 7-3 thumping of the Calgary Flames. The Leafs blew a three-goal lead and fell to the Vegas Golden Knights last time out.

Early magic from Nathan MacKinnon and a solid shot share had Avalanche fans feeling another high-scoring win was on the table.

Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and the Toronto Maple Leafs had other plans.

First Period

Remember Nick Blankenburg? He reminded the Avalanche early in the first when Nylander drew a delayed penalty, letting Blankenburg crash the net. A well-placed cross-ice pass found Nick, who fired it past MacKenzie Blackwood on Toronto’s first shot. Not an ideal start for Colorado, they fell behind 1-0 just three minutes in.

Colorado responded well with some chances that culminated in Nathan MacKinnon single-handedly willing the puck into the net through Sergie Bobrovsky’s five-hole. MacKinnon’s explosiveness was on full display as he blew past four Leafs and stuffed the puck between Bobrovsky’s legs before the goalie could react, tying the game 1-1 at 10:46.

The Dogg goes the distance. pic.twitter.com/OLG3JBLBEe

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 11, 2026

MacKinnon wasn’t done with his first-period showcase, as he potted another on a tremendous solo effort and shot. He hit the brakes, spun away from the boards, created space in the high slot, and fired it home, giving the Avalanche a 2-1 lead at 15:14.

Wheels, shoots, AND SCORES 🚨 pic.twitter.com/vhG3gwvJIT

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 10, 2026

Second Period

The second frame is where things really began to slip for the Avalanche, starting with a William Nylander power-play goal. Somehow, the Avalanche left Nylander wide open at the doorstep, giving him space for his forehand-backhand move. Blackwood was completely down and out after the move, giving up two goals on 9 shots on goal at 6:53 in the second period. Things were tied at two-a-side.

See you next week.

📰: https://t.co/B7x081fsU4pic.twitter.com/ARZKfI4Y9e

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 11, 2026

Brock Nelson should be proud of the goal that restored Colorado’s one-goal lead, as his repeated attempts to gather and fire the puck in front paid off on his third shot. At 12:35 in the second, Nelson won the puck in the corner and shot; it was jarred loose. He gathered a rebound and shot again, and on the third attempt, it went into the top corner. The Avalanche took a 3-2 Lead on the bounceback.

Nelson wasn't giving up on that one 💪 pic.twitter.com/sSIbHheYCz

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 11, 2026

Willy got loose on the Avalanche again at 16:47 in the second when Brett Kulak’s clearing attempt was kept in, leading to a Nylander shot from the high slot that went right through a sprawling MacKinnon and MacKenzie Blackwood. Toronto regained the 3-2 lead on their 11th framed shot of the evening.

Toronto’s 12th shot on goal went in as well, with Easton Cowan firing a one-timer into the net on a feed from Auston Matthews at 17:33. That’s right, just 46 seconds after Nylander’s goal, Auston Matthews’ second assist and Nylander’s 4th point of the night gave Toronto the 4-3 lead in Colorado.

Third Period

Toronto led the rest of the way, with Matthews adding two goals to his two assists, first on the power play. Wouldn’t you know it, Willy Nylander got a 5th point at 12:02 in the third, with a secondary assist from Kirill Marchenko. The Leafs took a commanding 5-3 third-period lead.

Matthews’ second goal of the final period was an empty-net, unassisted goal as the Avalanche fell to the Leafs 6-3 on home ice.

Takeaways

Listen, it’s just game five and only their second loss of the season, but I’m a little concerned about Colorado’s style of play. It feels like the Avalanche have been too unsettled defensively. I was hoping we’d see a commitment to defensive hockey this season, and Colorado’s defensive lapses (though few) typically lead to high-danger chances. I do think they limited the shots and could have gotten a better performance in net to support their efforts.

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Colorado Avalanche on 2026-10-10: pic.twitter.com/wgp1Lw5kjk

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 11, 2026

People will likely talk about it over the weekend and heading into Colorado’s Tuesday game with the rival Dallas Stars, but MacKenzie Blackwood wasn’t statistically good this evening. I hope I did a good enough job explaining Toronto’s goals, because Blackwood’s numbers deserve some context. Many of Toronto’s goals came on wide-open looks for one reason or another, including defensive lapses. Unfortunately, the numbers are bad enough that context likely won’t do much to ease fans’ or Blackwood’s minds.

Coach Bednar's assessment of Mackenzie Blackwood tonight:

"He needs to give us a save… I can't blame him for any of the goals. None. But if you're giving up 4 shots in a period and 3 goals, you'd like him to make a save in some of those. I'm sure he feels the same way."

— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) October 11, 2026

Nathan MacKinnon is on a mission and, in my opinion, has been Colorado’s best player every game so far. Not saying others haven’t been good, but what we are watching Nathan MacKinnon do right now is very impressive.

Up Next

As previously mentioned, the Colorado Avalanche will meet the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.

BOSTON (AP) — Fraser Minten had a goal and two assists, Pavel Zacha scored his first goal of the season and the Boston Bruins beat the struggling Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Saturday.

Mason Lohrei, Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt also scored for Boston (4-2), which won its second straight game.

Starting for the fifth time in the Bruins’ first six games, Jeremy Swayman faced just three shots in the opening 30 minutes and finished with 14 saves. His bid for his second shutout of the season was spoiled when Porter Martone had a power-play goal 6:32 into the final period. Swayman won his 136th game, tying Andy Moog for eighth on Boston’s all-time list.

Dan Vladar made 27 saves for the Flyers (0-4-2), who are the Eastern Conference’s only winless team.

DEVILS 4, CANUCKS 1

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier scored two goals and added an assist while Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist in New Jersey’ win over Vancouver.

Jack Hughes contributed two assists and Jake Allen, playing in his 500th career game, made 20 saves.

Linus Karlsson scored for Vancouver, who have lost three straight games while getting outscored 14-5. Leevi Merilainen made 31 saves.

Hischier’s first goal was his 200th for New Jersey in 613 games, becoming the fifth Swiss player to reach that mark and the second fastest among that group. His linemate, Timo Meier, scored 200 goals in 569 games.

Bratt and Hischier each scored power-play goals in the second period to put the Devils ahead 4-1.

OILERS 3, SHARKS 1

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Connor McDavid recorded his 13th point of the season and 10th assist as Edmonton beat San Jose for their fourth straight win.

Vasily Podkolzin scored his fifth goal while Mattias Ekholm and Alex Formenton also scored for Edmonton. Tristan Jarry stopped 19 shots.

Macklin Celebrini returned to the lineup for San Jose after missing two games with a lower-body injury. The Sharks captain scored his first goal of the season midway through the third period.

Ekholm opened the scoring at 12:37 of the first period. Podkolzin extended Edmonton’s lead 3:13 into the third, with McDavid recording the assist. He moved ahead of Jack Eichel for the league lead in points and assists.

Formenton made it 3-0 on a backhand shot about two minutes later.

Celebrini got San Jose on the board midway through the third period, but the Sharks could not complete the comeback.

Yaroslav Askarov made 17 saves for San Jose.

WILD 4, PANTHERS 1

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov had three goals and an assist, Matt Boldy scored his first goal of the season in the game’s first minute, and Minnesota spoiled Florida’s home opener by beating the Panthers.

Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt continued his hot start, stopping 29 shots. Wallstedt has been in net for all five of Minnesota’s games so far, going 3-1-1 with a .936 save percentage and a stingy goals-against average of just 1.78.

Boldy gave the Wild the lead 53 seconds into the game. Kaprizov made it 2-0 with 13:42 left in the opening period, added his second 5 minutes into the middle frame, and finished his hat trick on an empty-netter with 1:04 left.

MAMMOTH 4, SABRES 1

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — John Marino, Anders Lee and Kailer Yamamoto each had a goal and an assist to help Utah beat Buffalo.

Nick Schmaltz also scored, and Barrett Hayton had two assists.

Karel Vejmelka made 23 saves as the Mammoth bounced back from a 6-1 loss in Boston on Thursday night to win for the third time on a five-game trip.

Tage Thompson had a goal for the Sabres in their second straight loss at home. Colten Ellis stopped 26 shots.

Schmaltz and Lee scored 2:01 apart late in the second period to give the Mammoth a two-goal lead.

Thompson’s goal at 8:00 into the game was Buffalo’s first on the power play this season.

Yamamoto, making his season debut, tied it just past the midway point of the first period. Yamamoto entered the lineup in place of forward Michael Carcone, who is listed as week to week with an upper-body injury.

CANADIENS 1, RED WINGS 0, OT

MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored in the sixth round of a shootout, Jacob Fowler made 30 saves and Montreal beat Detroit.

After Bolduc beat Daniil Tarasov through the pads for the first score in the tiebreaker, Fowler stopped Nate Danielson.

Montreal ended a three-game losing streak to improve to 2-2-1. It won for first time on home ice in three outings this season.

Fowler had his second career shutout for the Canadiens. The 21-year-old was making his second straight start for Montreal after being recalled from the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

Tarasov made 30 saves in his first start for the Red Wings.

SENATORS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Shane Pinto scored the shootout winner to give the Ottawa a victory over Nashville.

Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson — who tied it with 2:23 left in the third period — scored for the Senators (4-1-0). Linus Ullmark turned away 16 shots.

Jonathan Marchessault and Ross Colton scored for Nashville (2-1-2), while Matt Murray made 18 stops.

The Predators took a delay-of-game penalty for a puck over glass with 13 seconds remaining in regulation providing the Senators the perfect opportunity, but a stagnant power play was unable to capitalize. Ottawa went 1 for 6 with the man advantage.

PENGUINS 2, STARS 1, SO

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rickard Rakell scored the deciding goal in the shootout and Pittsburgh beat Dallas.

Arturs Silovs stopped Mikko Rantanen in the shootout to help Pittsburgh snap a three-game losing streak. Sidney Crosby and Ben Kindel also scored in the shootout for the Penguins, who lost in a shootout at Columbus on Friday.

Connor Dewar scored in regulation for Pittsburgh and Silovs stopped 24 shots.

Jake Oettinger stopped 20 shots for the Stars.

Oettinger, coming off back-to-back shutouts against San Jose and Buffalo, set the longest shutout streak of his career at 188:52. It’s the third-longest shutout streak in franchise history.

HURRICANES 5, BLACKHAWKS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Jackson Blake and Jordan Martinook had a goal and an assist each and Carolina beat Chicago.

Mark Jankowski, Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions who won their fourth in a row and outplayed the Blackhawks, outshooting them 39-26 and winning the majority of the faceoffs.

Beginning with Jankowski’s breakaway score in the final minute of the first period, Carolina scored three goals in a span of 4:25. A short-handed goal by Aho and an even-strength goal by Blake within 1:19 of each other early in the second period gave Carolina a 3-0 lead.

Chicago’s Roman Kantserov scored his first NHL goal 4:40 into the second period, briefly drawing the Blackhawks within two goals. Hall’s goal 1:25 later gave Carolina a 4-1 lead. Martinook beat Spencer Knight on a slot backhand five minutes into the third period.

Oliver Moore scored Chicago’s second goal with 5:46 to play.

BLUES 5, BLUE JACKETS 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice and Dylan Holloway had three assists as St. Louis beat Columbus.

Making his second start of the season, Jordan Binnington stopped 20 shots. In his first game, Binnington allowed six goals in a loss at Colorado.

St. Louis (2-2-1) snapped a three-game losing streak. The Blues had lost their previous six games against the Blue Jackets (2-2-0).

Jet Graeves recorded 24 saves for Columbus.

On a delayed penalty, Jonatan Berggren scored the go-ahead goal at 9:33 in the third period. Greaves stopped a Mason McTavish shot but Berggren was there to put back the rebound.

Pavel Buchnevich added an empty-net goal at 19:17.

MAPLE LEAFS 6, AVALANCHE 3

DENVER (AP) — William Nylander and Easton Cowan scored 46 seconds apart late in the second period and Toronto beat Colorado.

Nylander finished with two goals and had a career-high three assists to finish with five points, also tying a career high. Auston Matthews had two goals and two assists for Toronto, which has alternated wins and losses to start the season.

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice for Colorado, which suffered its first loss in three home games. Brock Nelson also scored and Mackenzie Blackwood had 16 saves in his first setback of the season. The Avs finished 0 of 5 on the power play, which included eight seconds of a 5 on 3 early in the second period.

After Nick Blankenburg gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead 3:03 into the game, MacKinnon’s bull-rush through the Toronto defense tied it midway through the first. He gave Colorado the lead with his second of the night at 15:14.

Nylander tied it 19 seconds after Jaden Schwartz took high-sticking minor early in the second, the first power-play goal the Avs allowed this season. Brock Nelson scored off his own rebound later in the period to give Colorado a 3-2 lead before the Maple Leafs grabbed control in the second.

LIGHTNING 5, ISLANDERS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored two goals with less than two minutes to play to complete his hat trick and Tampa Bay extended their winning streak to four games with a victory over New York.

Hagel, who also had an assist, scored the go-ahead goal with 1:44 remaining and an empty-net goal 21 seconds later.

Jake Guentzel scored twice for Tampa Bay, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves and the Lightning won the first half of their brief two-game New York road trip.

Tony DeAngelo, Matthew Schaefer and Brayden Schenn scored for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin finished with 21 saves.

_____

The Senators went more than 22 minutes without a shot on goal on Saturday night, but somehow managed to find a way to pull out a 3-2 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators at Canadian Tire Centre.

Drake Batherson played the hero in regulation, scoring with just 1:23 remaining with Linus Ullmark on the bench for an extra attacker. Tim Stützle, who had already scored the Sens'  first goal of the night, picked up an assist on the equalizer before adding a goal in the shootout.

He's off a fabulous start with 8 points in five games, good for ninth in the league, as of this writing.

Shane Pinto eventually delivered the shootout winner as the Senators improved to 4-1 on the young season.

It certainly wasn't a Rembrandt, especially through the first half of the game, when the Senators struggled to generate much of anything.

Nashville opened the scoring at 8:50 of the first period when Ross Colton beat Ullmark for his first goal of the season. It was a fortunate bounce off a skate that skipped right on to Colton's tape. Ullmark couldn't get over to his left in time to stop the wrist shot that went over his head.

The Predators doubled their lead at 13:10 when Jonathan Marchessault scored his first of the year on the power play. He beat Ullmark from a bad angle between the legs, but coverage-wise, he had way more room to operate than he should have.

The Sens managed just four shots on goal in the opening period and went through an incredible stretch of more than 22 minutes without a single shot.

But the Senators finally broke through at 9:29 of the second when Stützle scored his fourth goal of the season on the power play on a perfect feed from Dylan Cozens, cutting Nashville's lead to 2-1.

Despite their struggles, the Senators were still within striking distance in the third, but with things looking bleak late, they made their final push count.

With Ullmark on the bench for an extra attacker, Batherson scored his third goal of the season at 18:37 of the third period, tying the game at 2. At the right point, Stützle had no shooting lane, but he did have Shane Pinto in the slot.

He ripped a hard pass at him and Pinto redirected it. It would have gone wide, but Batherson was standing at the left post and it went in off his leg.

It was a fine rescue for a Sens team that had spent much of the night struggling to create anything.

Overtime gave the Sens a fantastic opportunity to complete the comeback on a four-on-three power play. But the best OT scoring opportunity came immediately after the Nashville penalty expired.

Roman Josi stepped out of the box and found himself on a breakaway, but Ullmark came up with a huge save, turning aside a wrist shot to keep the Sens alive.

That set the stage for the shootout, where Ryan O'Reilly scored for Nashville to give them a 1-0 lead.

Stützle answered for the Senators to tie it, Pinto gave them the lead, and Ullmark stopped Steven Stamkos on the Preds last gasp to secure the win.

Ullmark finished with 16 saves on 18 shots, while Nashville goaltender Matt Murray (not that Matt Murray) stopped 18 of the Sens' 20 shots.

Both teams finished 1-for-6 on the power play, a sluggish 16.7 percent success rate. 

This was the kind of close game in the past that the Senators would oftenlet get away from them. But they managed to turn what was shaping up to be a frustrating evening into their fourth victory in five games.

It definitely wasn't pretty, but as they say, there's no room for description on the scoresheet.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Despite another strong performance, including an impressive debut from goaltender Daniil Tarasov, the Detroit Red Wings couldn't find the back of the net Saturday night.

The Montreal Canadiens escaped with a 1-0 shootout victory at Bell Centre after Zachary Bolduc scored the only goal in the sixth round.

Final in the shootout. pic.twitter.com/Z77yo0VF6k

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 11, 2026

Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler stopped all 30 shots he faced through regulation and overtime before denying all six Red Wings attempts in the shootout, turning aside Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Viktor Arvidsson, Dylan Larkin, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Nate Danielson. 

Tarasov, making his first start with the Red Wings, was equally impressive, stopping 30 shots in regulation and overtime.

The Red Wings, playing their first game away from Little Caesars Arena this season and their second in 24 hours, were once again heavily shorthanded up front because of the absences of Marco Kasper, J.T. Compher, and Mason Appleton.

Additionally, defenseman Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Detroit received a trio of breaks during the contest, as three would-be goals by the Canadiens would be overturned, including a snipe from Bolduc in overtime that was called back for offside. 

Todd McLellan: Brandsegg-Nygård's Playing Style A Good Example For Others Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan noted that the playing style of Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is what several other players on the roster could be emulating.

Unfortunately for the Red Wings, it's the second time that they've been shut out through the first five games of the 2026-27 campaign. 

The Red Wings will return home for another trio of games in downtown Detroit, starting Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored in the sixth round of a shootout, Jacob Fowler made 30 saves and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 on Saturday night.

After Bolduc beat Daniil Tarasov through the pads for the first score in the tiebreaker, Fowler stopped Nate Danielson.

Montreal ended a three-game losing streak to improve to 2-2-1. It won for first time on home ice in three outings this season.

Fowler had his second career shutout for the Canadiens. The 21-year-old was making his second straight start for Montreal after being recalled from the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

Tarasov made 30 saves in his first start for the Red Wings.

Detroit (1-3-1), playing in its first road game of the season, dropped its second game in two nights after falling 6-3 to the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.

Cole Caufield’s shot 1:16 into the game was deemed not to have crossed the goal line, while Bolduc’s second-period goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference by Jake Evans on Tarasov. A third apparent Montreal goal, this one courtesy of Alexandre Texier, was called back for offside midway through overtime.

In addition to cheering on the home team, Canadiens fans spent much of the game showing their appreciation for Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin. The crowd repeatedly broke into chants of “We want Larkin! We want Larkin!” in a bid to persuade the American to make Montreal his next destination. The former Red Wings captain requested a trade out of Detroit this past offseason.

Up next

Red Wings: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: Host Buffalo on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The Islanders liked the direction in which they were trending over the season’s first four games. 

Until Saturday, though, they had not been tested against a true contender. 

Now they have, and while the Islanders can be happy with pieces of their game, the overall results won’t be to their liking. 

The Lightning were faster and smarter. Mostly, Tampa Bay played a more complete 60 minutes than the Islanders in beating them 5-3 at UBS Arena on the back of Brandon Hagel’s hat trick. 

“Just didn’t show up quite on time,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “But when we did show up, we went nose to nose with them.” 

Want to know why it’s so important to take care of business on nights like Thursday against Chicago or this coming Tuesday against Vancouver? Saturday is why. 

It is a testament to their resilience as well as their penalty-killing on a night when the Islanders spent more than seven minutes in the box that they entered the late stages of the game still very much in it. 

As has been the case a few times early this season, the Islanders grew into the game as it went on, finally starting to apply pressure and take away Andrei Vasilevskiy’s eyes in the second period. That resulted in Tony DeAngelo’s goal that made it 2-1, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s that made it 3-2 at 11:41 of the period may have been more about Matthew Schaefer’s supreme skill.

Schaefer walked the line, deked Anthony Cirelli clean and let loose a shot that Pageau tipped past Vasilevskiy before an emphatic celebration.

At that point, Schaefer started to take over the game. His skill on the puck helped set up the game-tying goal with seven seconds left in the second period, as a juggling keep-in led to Brayden Schenn getting to Kyle Palmieri’s pass across, with Erik Cernak’s stick giving a last touch on the way into the net. 

That gave way to a rollicking third, by far the most entertaining hockey the Islanders have played this season: end-to-end, physical, breathless. 

With under two minutes to go, it was still deadlocked at 3-3, but the Lightning again had started to tilt the ice. It didn’t take a long offensive-zone shift to take the lead, though: Hagel beat Ilya Sorokin clean on an innocuous-looking shot from the right circle with 1:44 to go and then completed his hat trick into an empty net just 21 seconds later. 

“We passed quite a few of the tests in my mind of how we have to play,” DeBoer said. “You just have to do it for 60 minutes. You can’t spot a team like that two goals.” 

The details and ethic that DeBoer is trying, bit by bit, to instill in this team have long since been perfected by Jon Cooper’s squad. There were stretches during which the Islanders looked on Tampa’s level, but also, over 60 minutes — and particularly the first 20 — too many when they did not. 

Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, once a shutdown top pair in back-to-back conference finals against this team, epitomized it more than anyone. The duo, reunited in the wake of Alexander Romanov’s ACL tear, was badly victimized by Hagel, who skated through both of them to make it 2-0 Tampa late in the first, then a second time by Jake Guentzel, who was left free near the crease to score the Lightning’s third on the power play. 

“The start, it’s just unacceptable,” Pelech told The Post. “Partially on me. I was on for a couple goals they scored in the first period. Better execution, I think more intensity of battles, winning more battles, committing more to the way we have to play to be successful right off the bat.” 

The puck management, an issue on which DeBoer has harped over the last few days, was an issue too, particularly early in the game as the Islanders breakouts consistently were stymied by their own decision-making. 

Two things that seem contradictory but are not: It is an unequivocal positive that the Islanders got better throughout the game, and it is unacceptable — perhaps game-losing — that they took 25 or so minutes to look like they were in it. 

“We’re gonna get better,” Schaefer said. “We’re gonna have a better start, hopefully, next time and keep it going throughout the game.”

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Shane Pinto scored the shootout winner to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.

Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson — who tied it with 2:23 left in the third period — scored for the Senators (4-1-0). Linus Ullmark turned away 16 shots.

Jonathan Marchessault and Ross Colton scored for Nashville (2-1-2), while Matt Murray made 18 stops.

The Predators took a delay-of-game penalty for a puck over glass with 13 seconds remaining in regulation providing the Senators the perfect opportunity, but a stagnant power play was unable to capitalize. Ottawa went 1 for 6 with the man advantage.

The game ended a three-game Eastern Canada trip for the Predators.

Defenseman Jayden Struble made his Nashville debut. He was acquired Friday from the Montreal Canadiens.

Up next

Predators: Host Vegas on Tuesday night.

Senators: At New Jersey on Monday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The Chicago Blackhawks were blown out at home by the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, it was always an uphill climb with the defending Stanley Cup champions in town for battle, but the Blackhawks didn't have much of a chance. 

After a lackluster first period, they were down 1-0. At that point, they likely felt good about being down by only one. Before the second period was four minutes old, however, the Hurricanes added two more to take a 3-0 lead.

At that point, with the way the Blackhawks were defending and the difficulties they had exiting the defensive zone when they did have the puck, it felt like a lead that they couldn't come back from. 

Shortly after that, however, the Blackhawks did get themselves on the board. Roman Kantserov earned himself a breakaway and used his speed to create separation before scoring his first career NHL goal. The former KHL superstar is officially on the board. 

The good vibes following Kantserov's goal were short-lived, however, as former Blackhawk Taylor Hall scored less than two minutes after that. Four goals were scored between the two teams in five minutes. 

At 5:00 of the third period, the Hurricanes made it 5-1 to give it that blowout feeling. Oliver Moore's late goal was a nifty play by him, but it doesn't erase the feeling that the Blackhawks were run out of their own building by the champs. 

The Blackhawks were outshot 39-26 in the loss. They came on a bit stronger late in the third, but it was well below the standard of a winning team over the course of 60 minutes. 

Roman Kantserov scored Chicago's first goal of the game, but he was also their best forward by far. It wasn't great defensively for any of their forwards, including Kantserov, but he was able to generate some offense. 

It's been a tough start to the season for Nick Lardis, but he improved in this game as well. Without Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar in the lineup, it's going to be hard for these guys to carry the weight, but being ready for their return is important. 

On defense, four of the six players had lousy performances. The middle pair with Alex Vlasic and Ian Cole were solid, however. So far, they've been the best duo created by Jeff Blashill so far this year.  

Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro have spent all but one game in the press box, but it might be time to start rotating them in. If Bowen Byram, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Wyatt Kaiser continue to rack up games like that, Blashill won't have a choice. 

This game was proof that the Blackhawks are nowhere near any of the top teams in the NHL. There were already suspicions of that reality after playing the Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo Sabres, and Utah Mammoth, but the sample size is starting to get bigger. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

screaming, crying, Roman's first rookie goal 😭 pic.twitter.com/V5BD6v7b3b

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2026

👁️ don't blink 👁️ https://t.co/SczSzzxYdkpic.twitter.com/eRL8JaMgOs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks have only played two of their six games at the United Center. However, they are staring down another six straight at home following this loss to Carolina. Next up is a match against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. 

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

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.