MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 31: Sergei Murashov (1) of the Pittsburgh Penguins waits for play to begin during the first period of the NHL game between the Pittsburg Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens on October 31, 2026, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning…
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Erik Christensen said he is at peace being remembered as a shootout specialist, a reputation he developed during his NHL career, with the Albertan converting 52.7% of his career shootout attempts, including 14 of 23 with Pittsburgh. Speaking with Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, Christensen reflected on his time with the Penguins and the unique role that helped make him one of the league’s most successful shootout performers. [Trib Live]
As rookie goalie Sergei Murashov finds his footing in the NHL, Murashov has publicly thanked Calgary Flames goalie Devin Cooley for sharing his perspective on the mental side of playing the position, saying Cooley’s comments have genuinely helped him. [PensBurgh]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said he is willing to keep star defenseman Quinn Hughes beyond the March 1 NHL trade deadline even if the team has not reached a contract extension with him. [TSN]
The NHL will explore new replay-assist technology to help officials make more accurate calls, including a system that could quickly relay information from the league’s situation room without requiring lengthy video reviews. [Sportsnet]
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has scored just one goal through 15 games in his 22nd and final NHL season, marking the slowest start of his career. His reduced production comes as Washington has added more offensive talent and scaled back his playing time and power-play role, though coach Spencer Carbery said Ovechkin understands the changes and is focused on helping the team win. [Sportsnet]
New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said concerns about his family’s safety and uncertainty surrounding his career contributed to his decision to request a trade from the Winnipeg Jets. The 33-year-old said incidents involving his family, which went beyond online death threats, ultimately made him feel a change was necessary. [NHL]
Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has not decided whether Russia will be allowed to compete in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, describing the situation as a “wait-and-see” process. [NHL]
Montreal Canadiens (11-3-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Boston Bruins (13-4-1, in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins take on the Montreal Canadiens with a four win streak on the line.
Boston has gone 13-4-1 overall with a 1-1-0 record against the Atlantic Division. The Bruins have given up 41 goals while scoring 67 for a +26 scoring differential.
Montreal is 5-0-0 against the Atlantic Division and 11-3-4 overall. The Canadiens have an 8-2-3 record when scoring at least three goals.
The matchup Thursday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak has scored eight goals with 16 assists for the Bruins. Charlie McAvoy has eight assists over the past 10 games.
Nicholas Suzuki has seven goals and nine assists for the Canadiens. Cole Caufield has six goals and five assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 7-2-1, averaging 3.7 goals, 5.8 assists, 4.9 penalties and 14.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game.
Canadiens: 7-0-3, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.2 assists, five penalties and 11.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Bruins: James Hagens: out (back).
Canadiens: Mike Matheson: out (lower body), Jake Evans: day to day (hand), Ivan Demidov: out (lower-body), Lucas Condotta: out (undisclosed), Bryce Pickford: out (undisclosed), Samuel Montembeault: out (lower-body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery wanted to see his team play faster in the offensive zone, wanted to see more assertion with the puck, being able to retrieve it and make opposing defenders work harder to get the puck.
It’s part of what’s been hampering the team in losing three straight (0-2-1) heading into a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
It wasn’t easy in the end, but the Blues were able to end their mini slide while extending Detroit’s losing streak to four in a row with a 3-2 win at Enterprise Center on Tuesday.
Jimmy Snuggerud’s team-leading 10th goal of the season late in the third period proved to be the difference; he also had an assist. Pius Suter and Justin Barron each scored, and Joel Hofer made 30 saves for the Blues, who got back to .500 at 8-8-2.
Let’s look at the key moments from the Blues’ fifth win in eight home games (5-2-1).
* That’s how the Blues need to play, at least the first two periods. Can they now sustain it? – The Blues talked about possessing more pucks, winning more battles, winning the net front, making the opposition defend more. Those were all evident signs in the first period.
Had it not been for Detroit goalie John Gibson robbing former Red Wings draft pick Jonatan Berggren with the paddle early in the period and a couple other key saves, it could have been a comfortable lead for St. Louis.
Yeah, the Blues made a mistake by icing the puck late in the period (Cam Fowler). Yes, they didn’t win the D-zone face-off, and yes, the Red Wings grabbed a 1-0 lead on Andrew Copp’s redirection of a Ben Chiarot left point shot with 12.3 seconds left in the period.
Late period goals like that tend to deflate teams, but the Blues felt good about the way they were playing.
“That was the messaging between periods is that we thought we had a really good period,” Montgomery said. ‘We were playing north, we were playing vertical. We weren’t passing up shots, we were getting to hard areas and we felt it was just a matter of time before it would come and the Suter line started off the second period with great fashion. Another rimmed puck to a forecheck, a couple bodies out, then we cycle it and then we get it to the crease and we bang home a puck.
“I really liked the way we started the game, I thought our first 40 minutes might have been our best first 40 minutes of the year.”
The Blues had a good start to the hockey game on Saturday too in a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators but this time, stuck with it.
“I think we were from the get-go we were moving our legs, getting pucks, shooting pucks deep and kind of rolled them,” Suter said. “I think it was one of our best games regarding that. I think we had a lot of O-zone time and that tired them out and at the end of shifts, get some chances.
“I think we felt good about our first until that goal. I think we played them down low and did a good job on the blue lines and obviously just keep going at them and get two goals quickly, that was a nice reward to the play we played in the first.”
Barron added, “I thought that was probably one of our better games in terms of starts and first periods. Obviously they got one at the end of the first period there, but I liked the way we responded at the start of the second. We got right back to kind of how we finished the first period.”
“We knew if played like that for a full 60 minutes, we were going to have success. I thought we did a good job of just buying into that tonight.”
* Two quick goals reward for solid first period – And with that, the Blues were rewarded quickly, with goals by Suter and Barron 1:57 apart to forge ahead 2-1.
Suter struck 37 seconds into the second after his linemates Alexey Toropchenko and specifically, Ross Johnston, won a wall battle, got the puck down low to Toropchenko, and the forward moved it towards the net and put a puck through the crease for Suter to finish on the backside for his 100th NHL goal and 200th point:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Pius Suter with 19:23 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Alexey Toropchenko and Brandon Carlo.
“You always try and get something going,” Suter said. “Get pucks back and then hold the line and low-to-high and just get them on net, especially our line. Ross is such a big presence in front of the net. He makes the other guys try to move him and so we always have somebody at the net.”
Montgomery has been utilizing Suter’s line to begin periods more frequently here. Why?
“They’ve given us an identity of playing to how we want to play,” Montgomery said. ‘They go out and play a simple game and they execute it well and it’s a great illustration to the next lines that are coming up that this is how we go wave after wave.”
Suter said, “I think the last few games have been kind of what we want to do. It gets the team some momentum and start the period right and set the tone a little bit and I think we are kind of finding that groove a little bit.”
* Barron keeps earning his wings – The defenseman, claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators, continues to shine.
His goal came as a result of him jumping into a rush for a 3-on-2 and finishing off the arm and leg of Gibson at 2:34 to make it 2-1, converting a Robert Thomas pass:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Justin Barron with 17:26 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud.
“I just saw we had numbers,” Barron said. “I thought we did a good job killing plays in the D-zone tonight. It just allows us to get into our rush game. I saw numbers, tried to drive the middle lane and ‘Tommer’ made a great play into the middle and put one on net.”
Barron now has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 15 Blues games after just nine assists in 52 games with the Predators last season. His fit with a team that likes to play aggressively with its defensemen has been a perfect fit.
“He’s done it long enough to think this is the best version of him,” Montgomery said of Barron. “He wasn’t a first-round pick by mistake. That’s clear by his talent, and now he’s just putting it all together and it’s awesome watching someone blossom like that. Again, great job by our pro scouts.”
Barron has done such a solid job. So solid that the team assigned first-round picks Theo Lindstein and Adam Jiricek to Springfield of the American Hockey league.
“I just came in and tried to make the most of my opportunity,” Barron said. “’Lindy’ and ‘Jiri’ are great players and I’m sure they’ll be back at some point. I thought they both played good at the start of the year. They’re obviously young with a ton of talent. I’m sure they’ll be back up.”
And Barron, who’s predominantly been playing with Colton Parayko, is getting acclimated on his off side on the left.
“It’s a little bit different in the D-zone getting passes,” Barron said. “You tend to look across ice instead of up the ice first and there’s a little bit of a bling spot there, but that’s something I’ve been working on. I think in the offensive zone, it’s nice being on your one-sider time. It’s great for early positioning in the offensive zone as well.”
* Hofer stood tall – As the goalie said, he wasn’t too busy for 40 minutes having faced only 12 shots, but down a goal, the Red Wings pushed and prodded to the tune of 20 shots in the third period, and Hofer had to stop 19 of them.
“Not a lot of action (in the first two periods), to finally get some shots and feel the pressure a little bit, but it was obviously good the way we played,” Hofer said. “It was a huge win for us.
“It can be tough for sure. Obviously the handles help me stay in the game and just stay present, but obviously they’re going to get a push at some point. I just tried to stay ready for that.”
Hofer is now 7-5-1 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.
“He was standing tall,” Suter said. ‘They threw some pucks in his feet and I also think they did a good job, the defensemen, and forwards to kind of box the guys out to make sure those couple pucks that lay there and we got enough sticks on it so they can’t put it in. Obviously a good win by us.”
Hofer had a nervy moment at 8:37 of the third during Detroit’s lone power play when the Red Wings sent multiple bodies to the net and a play was close enough for a lengthy delay before the call on the ice stood in a 2-1 game,
“It was a long delay,” Hofer said. “From the replay that I saw, I didn’t think that it was a goal, but yeah, I wasn’t really thinking too much to be honest.
“I honestly thought it went in (at first), to be honest, but I was more like they kind of pushed my leg in, so I was like, ‘It’s not going to count regardless,’ but it obviously didn’t go in, which was nice.”
* Thomas line very noticeable – Thomas, Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway need to impact games more regularly, and this was the right way Tuesday.
They helped account for two of the three goals, including Snuggerud’s game-winner when he made a defensive play that started a rush.
Sure, it was a fortuitous bounce when Holloway’s pass was deflected right to Gibson, but the veteran goalie swatted it into Snuggerud’s path, off his skates and into the net at 15:58 to seal what would be a one-goal win. But Snuggerud made the play defensively, joined the rush with his skating and kept moving his feet. It made it 3-1 at the time:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Jimmy Snuggerud with 04:02 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Dylan Holloway.
The line had 12 shots on goal, including seven by Holloway, who was robbed at one point by Gibson.
“They had two goals in the game and I thought they were really dynamic tonight,” Montgomery said. ‘But I thought they played fast, I thought they played north. At the end of the second, there’s a chance where Thomas could have carried that puck in, but he just chips it into the goal line, we go forecheck it and we draw a penalty the last minute. That’s the way we have to keep playing and we’re going to keep rewarding ourselves if we keep playing that way.
“hey pushed, they were down, they pushed, I thought we took our foot off the pedal, but we managed the puck well. We kept making them come against pressure. That’s why we extended the lead.”
* Mailloux helps stabilize the D – Logan Mailloux returned for the first time and made his season debut after missing 17 games with a broken right hand.
By playing with Philip Broberg and playing 18:09, it allowed Barron and Parayko to play together as well as veterans Fowler and Brandon Carlo.
“I thought he looked great,” Barron said of Mailloux, his former teammate with Laval of the AHL. “For missing some time, I thought he played really well. I got to play with him in Laval for a little while. It was a lot of fun. He’s a great teammate, a great player.”
* Admiration for WWII veteran – This is a salute to Mr. Bob Schultz, a World War 2 Marine who dropped the ceremonial first puck prior to Tuesday's game and doing it at the age of 104 on Salute to Military Night. That's amazing:
104 year old WWII veteran Bob Schultz drops the ceremonial first puck with Robert Thomas and Justin Faulk on Salute to Military Night #stlbluespic.twitter.com/Aboprn0jac
"I want to start off by recognizing what I think is a true hero," Montgomery said starting off his press conference. "I'm glad our players got off the bench to recognize Mr. Schultz, the World War 2 hero. I think that's inspirational, and I love the ovation our crowd gave him."
A great moment from the Greatest Generation.
We were extremely honored to have Bob Schultz, a 104-year-old World War II veteran and retired Marine, join us for the ceremonial puck drop. After the ceremony, the entire team lined up to shake his hand and say thank you.
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Dvorsky, who has five points (four goals, one assist) in 18 games this season, played just 6:36 and didn't see the ice again after the 13:48 mark of the second period, playing just nine shifts.
"Just to play faster, play with more conviction," St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery on what he wants to see. "He's not played to the standard that we want our players to play with and when that happens, you risk the chance of being sat, and that's what happened. It's part of everyone's career. It happens to everybody."
Dvorsky had started the season as the team's third-line center but of late, has been playing on the wing with Connor McMichael at center and Pavel Buchnevich on right wing.
He's scored in two of the past five games but his average ice time on the season is 11:48, down from 14:20 last season and played just nine shifts in the game Tuesday (three in the second), but the Blues believe they can still develop the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
"He's a good hockey player. We all know that. We've all seen it," Montgomery said. "There's a big reason why we believe he's a huge part of our future here is because he's an outstanding young man, he's great to coach with. He's really good to deal with and he wants to be a hockey player. It's going to come. Sometimes it just doesn't happen as quickly as we all want it to."
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There are many reasons the Penguins have begun the season 6-10-2, and there isn't really a "fix-all" solution to their woes. However, the power play and, arguably, lineup deployment have been part of the puzzle.
And it appears they may address at least one of those things heading into their Wednesday tilt against the San Jose Sharks to close out their three-game California road trip.
During Tuesday's practice in Anaheim, the Penguins debuted new-look line combinations for the bottom-nine while keeping the top line of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Rickard Rakell intact. Rutger McGroarty, recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) ahead of Sunday's loss to the Ducks, was taking line rushes alongside Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar on the fourth line, while Tommy Novak took the place of Hendrix Lapierre as third-line center between Ville Koivunen and Justin Brazeau.
And taking Novak's place on the second line next to Egor Chinakhov and Ben Kindel? The team's co-leader in goals alongside Novak, Nick Robertson.
Robertson, 25, has seven goals and no assists on the season. Yes, he's a shoot-first player, which is understandable when considering the shot he has: his hardest shot of the season came in at 88.08 mph, which is in the 84th percentile of the league.
But a likely part of the reason he hasn't registered more assists is that he hasn't been deployed with other players who can finish.
He began the season on Crosby's line and remained there for two and a half games before being relegated to lower in the lineup. He's been a fixture on the fourth line next to Dewar and Lizotte for a few weeks now as well as a staple on their penalty kill without Bryan Rust, who will be out another four-plus weeks with a lower-body injury. Dewar has only two goals and five points in 18 games, while Lizotte has no goals and five assists.
He has seen next to no power play tiime despite having a career-high in average minutes per game with 13:01. Robertson is also riding a career-high shooting percentage at 20.6 percent, which may not be sustainable.
His speed, his forechecking, and his shot are reason enough to keep him deployed with higher-skill players who have the ability to both distribute him the puck and finish plays that he sets up. In addition, Robertson's two-way game has blossomed in Pittsburgh in a way that it hadn't during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Player card for Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Nick Robertson per hockeystatcards.com
And further advanced stats don't lie, either. According to data from Natural Stat Trick, among Penguins' forwards this season, Robertson has the highest expected goals share (GF%) at 58.77 percent, the highest scoring chances for share (SCF%) at 61.73 percent, and the highest high-danger chances for share (HDCF%) at 60 percent. And this is despite being on the ice for only 18 offensive zone draws this season in comparison to 57 neutral zone starts and 55 defensive zone starts.
So, what this says is that Robertson is doing a whole lot to drive offense and be a difference-maker on both sides of the puck despite having a limited role with the Penguins so far. If he has the chance to play alongside more skilled offensive players - like Chinakhov and Kindel - he should, hypothetically, only be able to build on those numbers.
"He's scored a chunk of goals for us," head coach Dan Muse said following Tuesday's practice. "He's shown the ability to create offense. He drives a lot of things just with his work and tenacity. He can put that line, whoever he's playing with, in good offensive situations. So, something to look at."
In fact, it's a bit of a head-scratcher that he was taken out of a top-six role and even more of a head-scratcher that he is not part of either power play unit. Robertson is currently on a 33-goal pace, which would shatter his previous career-high of 16 set last season, and he's accomplished that while largely being underutilized in a bottom-line role.
Should these line combinations stick against the Sharks, it will be interesting to see how Robertson handles his new assignment. Kindel's distribution skills, vision, and improved speed should help set up more high-danger scoring opportunities for him, while Chinakhov's speed and finishing ability should open up an opportunity for him to pile on more production. Hopefully, they can help spark a seemingly dead-in-the-water Penguins' team.
Regardless, Robertson is having a wildly underrated and impressive season for the Penguins, and a promotion is not only well-deserved at this point, it's also baffling that a demotion ever occurred in the first place.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Dawson Mercer and Kyle Connor each scored twice to lead the Winnipeg Jets to an emotional 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
The game marked the return of former Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to Winnipeg for the first time since his trade to the Devils, although he did not play. Instead, Jake Allen started in net and stopped 21 shots for New Jersey.
Former Devils netminder Nico Daws made 19 saves for Winnipeg.
Cody Glass and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils.
The victory extended Winnipeg’s win streak to four games, and halted New Jersey’s at five games.
After Mercer gave the Jets a 3-2 lead on the power play at 11:58 of the third period, Connor sealed the outcome with an unassisted empty-net goal.
The Devils, who trailed 2-0 after the first period, tied the game in the second period with a pair of goals 44 seconds apart. Bratt scored at 1:14 on a setup from Arseny Gritsyuk from behind the net. Jack Hughes also assisted to extend his point streak to six games.
Glass tied the game at 1:58 when he deflected Jonathan Kovacevic’s shot past Daws.
Connor scored during a two-man advantage at 15:06 of the first period when he deflected Cole Perfetti’s pass past Allen. Mark Scheifele also assisted, moving him into a second-place tie with Dale Hawerchuk in assists in franchise history with 550.
AVALANCHE 6, MAPLE LEAFS 3
TORONTO (AP) — Gabriel Landeskog scored his second goal of the game early in the third period to put Colorado ahead for good in a win over Toronto.
Devon Toews, with a goal and an assist, Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas in an empty net also scored for Colorado. Cale Makar added two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves.
Darren Raddysh and Easton Cowan, with a goal and an assist each, and Jack Roslovic scored for Toronto, which has lost four games in a row and dropped six of its last seven.
Sergei Bobrovksy finished with 22 stops.
The 38-year-old goaltender — a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top netminder — has allowed three goals or more in 12 of his 13 starts since signing in free agency July 1.
Landeskog scored the go-ahead goal at 5:02 of the third, just 51 seconds after Roslovic tied the score 3-3.
Raddysh’s blast that gave Toronto a 1-0 lead was clocked at 92.89 miles per hour — the fourth fastest shot to result in a goal across the league this season, according to the NHL.
CAPITALS 3, SENATORS 2, OT
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Cole Hutson’s goal 74 seconds into overtime, set up by Alex Ovechkin, gave Washington to a win over Ottawa.
The Capitals overcame a horrid second period in which they allowed two goals and trailed 2-1.
Matt Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for the Capitals (10-6-0). Logan Thompson made 23 saves.
Ridly Greig and Hayden Hodgson scored for the Senators (11-6-2). Samuel Ersson stopped 14 shots.
Outshot 17-2 in the second period, Washington went more than 20 minutes before registering its next shot in the third period.
The Capitals showed life on the power play and maintained control after it expired and capitalized with Hutson finding Dubois at the side of the net for a wide-open shot to tie it at 2 at 12:31 of the third.
Ersson made a big save on Jack St. Ivany with four minutes remaining to keep the game tied.
With 2:57 remaining Jakob Chychrun leveled a huge hit on Nick Cousins, but no penalty was called. Cousins needed help getting off the ice.
WILD 2, CANADIENS 1, OT
MONTREAL (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored on a power play in the opening minute of overtime and Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves as Minnesota beat Montreal after Carey Price was inducted into the team’s ring of honor.
Bobby Brink scored in regulation for Minnesota (13-3-4). Kaprizov scored on a one-timer on the power play 21 seconds into the extra period for his 17th goal of the season.
Canadiens forward Cole Caufield was penalized for slashing as Quinn Hughes’ stick broke in the corner, sending Minnesota on the power play with 56 seconds remaining in regulation.
Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal (11-3-4), which extended its streak without a regulation loss to 11 games (8-0-3). Jacob Fowler stopped 22 shots.
Suzuki tied the game with a wild goal at 18:22 in the third period. With the goalie pulled, Caufield’s sharp-angled shot ricocheted off Wallstedt — twice — and the post before landing in the crease before Suzuki jammed it through a crowd.
After two periods without a goal, Brink broke the deadlock 2:53 into the third when he beat Fowler with a shot to the glove side on a breakaway.
PANTHERS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sam Bennett scored twice, and Florida snapped a two-game skid with a win over Columbus.
Florida notched its 12th victory in the last 13 games against the Blue Jackets.
Lars Eller and Sam Reinhart also scored. Aaron Ekblad had three assists, and Anton Lundell added two assists. Jacob Markstrom stopped 37 shots for Florida, which improved to 6-0-0 when leading after two periods.
Ivan Provorov scored for the Blue Jackets. Cam Talbot stopped 24 shots.
Bennett opened the scoring with a power-play goal off the rush at the two-minute mark of the second period, giving Florida a power-play goal in seven of its last eight games.
Eller made it 2-0 at 4:17 before Provorov cut that lead in half with 20 seconds left in the period.
Bennett restored the two-goal lead at 14:29 of the third. Matthew Tkachuk’s assist was his team-leading 23rd and extended both his assist and point streaks to five games.
BLUES 3, RED WINGS 2
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist and his score in the third period was the winner as St. Louis beat Detroit.
Snuggerud scored on a deflection with 4:02 left. Dylan Holloway got an assist on the go-ahead goal. Pius Suter and Justin Barron also scored for the Blues, who snapped a three-game skid. St. Louis had lost five of its last seven games before Tuesday.
Moritz Seider and Andrew Copp scored for the Red Wings, who dropped their fifth straight and lost for the fifth time in six games.
Joel Hofer stopped 30 shots in the win for the Blues.
John Gibson, back in the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury in a game against Tampa Bay on Nov. 3, had 30 saves for the Red Wings.
PREDATORS 3, KINGS 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Filip Forsberg scored two goals, Juuse Saros made 30 saves in his 28th career shutout and Nashville extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Los Angeles.
Nils Hoglander had two assists and Adam Wilsby got an empty-net goal in the Predators’ opener of a five-game West Coast road trip. Saros finished his first shutout of the season with 13 saves in the third period against the Kings’ improved effort.
Anton Forsberg stopped 27 shots for the Kings, who were shut out for the first time this season. Los Angeles dropped to 2-3-0 on its seven-game homestand with back-to-back losses.
Nashville scored early in the first period when Hoglander controlled a blue-line turnover by Brian Dumoulin and eventually made a backhand pass through defenseman Cody Ceci’s legs to Filip Forsberg for his sixth goal.
Filip Forsberg scored again in the second when Hoglander flipped the puck to him from the boards for an awkward shot that surprised Anton Forsberg.
After a slow offensive start to the season, Filip Forsberg has six goals in his last eight games, including two multigoal games in the past two weeks.
The Ottawa Senators' 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre was overshadowed by a devastating hit on Nick Cousins from former Senator Jakob Chychrun.
With about three minutes remaining in regulation, Cousins was trying to control the puck in his own zone when it became tangled in his skates. Focused on recovering possession, he never saw Chychrun coming.
The Capitals defenceman delivered a thunderous bodycheck that sent Cousins flying. The Senators forward absorbed the blow from Chychrun, and the back of his head then struck the glass. At that point, he appeared to lose consciousness before then landing face-first on the ice.
I've covered this league for a long time and I don't think I've ever seen another hit quite like it.
Cousins was down on the ice for a couple of minutes and slowly left the ice under his own power, but with plenty of assistance and concern from trainers and teammates.
Chychrun originally got a major, but after video review, they decided he wouldn't be penalized.
That had many Ottawa fans upset, and their frustration grew two minutes later. They had to watch Fabian Zetterlund go to the box with under a minute left in regulation in a tie game for the horrifying sin of putting the puck over the glass.
Many fans had to be thinking about the play that just left a player injured on the ice and somehow it's flipping a puck over the glass that the NHL has zero tolerance for.
Fans of all teams took to social media to argue the case. Was it a clean hit or a dirty one?
There's no question the collision was violent and hard to watch, but that doesn't necessarily make it illegal.
The important question is whether Cousins' head was the main point of contact and whether that contact was avoidable. Depending on the slow motion angle you look at, you can probably talk yourself into either verdict.
The fact of the matter is this. If a player as big as Chychrun comes to hit you, shoulder to chest, and you have no idea he's coming, it's like getting hit by a bus. Every part of your body is going to react violently to that kind of impact, including your head. That doesn't necessarily mean the head was the initial point of contact.
Chychrun doesn't have a history of being a dirty player and while it might not seem like it from the result, he appears to let up before contact. You can see from the snow flying up from his skate blades that he was putting the brakes on.
Cousins was vulnerable, struggling to regain control of the puck with his head down. But it's still a violent game and being in a vulnerable position doesn't make you ineligible to be checked.
On the other hand, the NHL has made it clear that players delivering hits have a responsibility to avoid illegal contact with an opponent's head.
It seemed like an aggressive choice by Chychrun to be pinching on that play. It's a 2-2 game with 3 minutes left as Cousins starts to break out. Based on the game circumstances, that's not the ideal time for a defenseman to make a deep pinch like that.
But Chychrun read the play and saw that the Senators had four players down near their own goal line, and realized he could jump up and pressure Cousins without taking an unnecessary risk.
The fact that no penalty was called doesn't settle the debate. The NHL's Department of Player Safety can still review hits after games and issue supplemental discipline.
Sens fans are also debating whether someone should have immediately fought Chychrun, which is the kind of thing you see all the time after much lesser hits than this one.
But what isn't debatable is the frightening result. Cousins' health is the biggest thing right now, far bigger than any hockey debate.
After the game, Travis Green provided a succinct update to reporters.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist and his score in the third period was the winner as the St. Louis Blues beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Snuggerud scored on a deflection with 4:02 left. Dylan Holloway got an assist on the go-ahead goal. Pius Suter and Justin Barron also scored for the Blues, who snapped a three-game skid. St. Louis had lost five of its last seven games before Tuesday.
Moritz Seider and Andrew Copp scored for the Red Wings, who dropped their fifth straight and lost for the fifth time in six games.
Joel Hofer stopped 30 shots in the win for the Blues.
John Gibson, back in the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury in a game against Tampa Bay on Nov. 3, had 30 saves for the Red Wings.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Dawson Mercer and Kyle Connor each scored twice to lead the Winnipeg Jets to an emotional 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
The game marked the return of former Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to Winnipeg for the first time since his trade to the Devils, although he did not play. Instead, Jake Allen started in net and stopped 21 shots for New Jersey.
Former Devils netminder Nico Daws made 19 saves for Winnipeg.
Cody Glass and Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils.
The victory extended Winnipeg’s win streak to four games, and halted New Jersey’s at five games.
After Mercer gave the Jets a 3-2 lead on the power play at 11:58 of the third period, Connor sealed the outcome with an unassisted empty-net goal.
The Devils, who trailed 2-0 after the first period, tied the game in the second period with a pair of goals 44 seconds apart. Bratt scored at 1:14 on a setup from Arseny Gritsyuk from behind the net. Jack Hughes also assisted to extend his point streak to six games.
Glass tied the game at 1:58 when he deflected Jonathan Kovacevic’s shot past Daws.
Connor scored during a two-man advantage at 15:06 of the first period when he deflected Cole Perfetti’s pass past Allen. Mark Scheifele also assisted, moving him into a second-place tie with Dale Hawerchuk in assists in franchise history with 550.
Mercer opened the scoring at 7:54 when his snap shot from the faceoff circle beat Allen.
The Jets came out energized by the crowd booing and taunting Hellebuyck to express their anger and jumped to a 2-0 lead.
It took the Devils 13 minutes before they got a shot on net in the third period.
Up next
Devils: Host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.
MONTREAL (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored on a power play in the opening minute of overtime and Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves as the Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Tuesday night after Carey Price was inducted into the team's ring of honor.
Bobby Brink scored in regulation for Minnesota (13-3-4). Kaprizov scored on a one-timer on the power play 21 seconds into the extra period for his 17th goal of the season.
Canadiens forward Cole Caufield was penalized for slashing as Quinn Hughes’ stick broke in the corner, sending Minnesota on the power play with 56 seconds remaining in regulation.
Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal (11-3-4), which extended its streak without a regulation loss to 11 games (8-0-3). Jacob Fowler stopped 22 shots.
Suzuki tied the game with a wild goal at 18:22 in the third period. With the goalie pulled, Caufield’s sharp-angled shot ricocheted off Wallstedt — twice — and the post before landing in the crease before Suzuki jammed it through a crowd.
After two periods without a goal, Brink broke the deadlock 2:53 into the third when he beat Fowler with a shot to the glove side on a breakaway.
The 25-year-old capitalized on a turnover from Canadiens forward Josh Anderson, who came off the bench and bobbled the puck onto Brink’s stick after Montreal had spent a long stretch in Minnesota’s zone.
The game had been a goalie duel up to that point, with both Wallstedt and Fowler making their best impression of Price in the mid-2010s at the Bell Centre.
Newhook appeared to open the scoring on the power play with seven minutes left in the first period when he beat Wallstedt, but failed to beat the post. Defying all laws of physics, his shot struck the crossbar, rolled along it, then hit the post and bounced out.
Price received a nearly four-minute ovation before puck drop, as fans serenaded him with a blend of “Ca-rey! Ca-rey!” and “Olé, Olé” chants. The former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner – and the Canadiens’ all-time wins leader (361) – was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Toronto.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Cole Hutson’s goal 74 seconds into overtime, set up by Alex Ovechkin, gave the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
The Capitals overcame a horrid second period in which they allowed two goals and trailed 2-1.
Matt Roy and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for the Capitals (10-6-0). Logan Thompson made 23 saves.
Ridly Greig and Hayden Hodgson scored for the Senators (11-6-2). Samuel Ersson stopped 14 shots.
Outshot 17-2 in the second period, Washington went more than 20 minutes before registering its next shot in the third period.
The Capitals showed life on the power play and maintained control after it expired and capitalized with Hutson finding Dubois at the side of the net for a wide-open shot to tie it at 2 at 12:31 of the third.
Ersson made a big save on Jack St. Ivany with four minutes remaining to keep the game tied.
With 2:57 remaining Jakob Chychrun leveled a huge hit on Nick Cousins, but no penalty was called. Cousins needed help getting off the ice.
Down 1-0 after the first, the Senators scored twice to lead 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Thomas Chabot set up both goals for the Senators.
On the first, Chabot kept the puck in at the blue line and fed Michael Amadio, who quickly passed it back. Chabot then found Greig in the slot, where he beat Thompson off his backhand.
Ottawa took the lead late in the period when Chabot took a pass from Stephen Halliday and put the puck through Chychrun’s legs to Hodgson for his first of the season.
The Capitals opened the scoring just 35 seconds into the game when Roy took a pass from Chychrun and fired a slap shot past Ersson for his first of the season.
Ryan Leonard played his 100th NHL game Tuesday. He has 26 goals and joins Alex Ovechkin (64), Alexander Semin (39), Dmitri Khristich (38) and Peter Bondra (29) as one of only five Capitals since 1990 to score 25 or more goals in their first 100 games.
Up next
Capitals: At the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Senators: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
From the moment he stepped onto the ice for warm-ups to the drop of the puck in Winnipeg’s 4-2 win, the fans inside Canada Life Centre on Tuesday gave Hellebuyck a piece of their minds following the American goaltender’s trade request, which ended with his move to the Devils on Oct. 23.
Loud boos greeted Hellebuyck when he took the ice for warmups prior to the Devils’ loss. The derision included a number of colorful chants in his direction.
The jilted fans chanted “Helle sucks!” and “coward” at him while he went through his pregame routine on the ice.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Connor Hellebuyck warms up before an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP
While it wasn’t quite the vitriolic or comical reception that John Tavares received when he returned to Long Island for the first time after leaving the Islanders to sign with the Maple Leafs in 2018, Hellebuyck’s welcome was far from warm.
When the game started, Jets fans chanted, “Where is Connor?” 20 seconds into the opening period.
Dawson Mercer scored 7:54 into the first period against the Devils — Mercer was part of the trade that sent Hellebuyck to New Jersey — and later Jets fans chanted, “Pull your goalie.”
Social media posts also showed fans with signs directed toward Hellebuyck, with some of them reading, “Softer Than Charmin” and “Playoff Pylon.”
Ahead of the game, Hellebuyck spoke with reporters and indicated that it was alleged threats to his family that ultimately led to his desire to leave Winnipeg, which had selected him 130th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and where he later made his NHL debut on Nov. 27, 2015.
Winnipeg Jets fans arrive for an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils in Winnipeg on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via APWinnipeg Jets fans watch warmups before an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP
“I’ve been very connected with this community, and I’ve loved my time here, but there are a few moments that I don’t want to see happen again,” Hellebuyck told reporters. “It is more than just online death threats, and I’m going to ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy. I won’t go deeper than that.
“There was more that made me and my family uncomfortable on top of some uncertainty with my career. I felt that a change of scenery was what was best.”
The Jets, after their win, trolled the Devils a bit more in reference to New Jersey general manager Sunny Mehta’s statement earlier this week that said Hellebuyck wouldn’t be playing Tuesday because it gave the team a “reduction in our expected win probability.”
“Expected Win Probability 100%,” the Jets wrote on X.
TORONTO (AP) — Gabriel Landeskog scored his second goal of the game early in the third period to put the Colorado Avalanche ahead for good in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Devon Toews, with a goal and an assist, Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas in an empty net also scored for Colorado. Cale Makar added two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves.
Darren Raddysh and Easton Cowan, with a goal and an assist each, and Jack Roslovic scored for Toronto, which has lost four games in a row and dropped six of its last seven.
Sergei Bobrovksy finished with 22 stops.
The 38-year-old goaltender — a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top netminder — has allowed three goals or more in 12 of his 13 starts since signing in free agency July 1.
Landeskog scored the go-ahead goal at 5:02 of the third, just 51 seconds after Roslovic tied the score 3-3.
Raddysh’s blast that gave Toronto a 1-0 lead was clocked at 92.89 miles per hour — the fourth fastest shot to result in a goal across the league this season, according to the NHL.
Roslovic (lower-body injury) and shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev (load management) returned to the Toronto lineup after sitting out Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Morgan Rielly (lower-body injury) joined a long list of players receiving treatment in the trainer’s room. The veteran blueliner is listed as day-to-day, while center Colton Sissons (lower-body injury) is week-to-week. Kirill Marchenko (lower body) along with Marshall Rifai (lower body) and Nick Blankenburg (upper body) also remain sidelined and week-to-week.
Makar left Sunday’s practice in Denver with an unspecified injury, but took part in Colorado’s morning skate and declared himself ready for Tuesday.
The Senators' two-game winning streak ended Tuesday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre. Cole Hutson scored the winner in overtime and added an assist for the Capitals.
Ridly Greig and Hayden Hodgson replied for the Senators, who carried a 2-1 lead into the third period. The loss snapped Samuel Ersson's three-game winning streak, as the Sens outshot the Capitals 25-17.
It took the Capitals just 35 seconds to get on the board. Former Senator Jakob Chychrun sent a D-to-D pass to Matt Roy, who ripped home a long slap shot to give Washington a 1-0 lead.
That lead stood for more than 30 minutes until Greig evened the score at 11:05 of the second period. Greig finished off a beautiful passing play with Thomas Chabot and Michael Amadio, slipping a slick backhand into the net from the slot.
With under four minutes to play in the second, the go-ahead goal came from an unlikely source as Hayden Hodgson put the Sens ahead 2-1.
From behind the Senators' net, Jordan Spence launched a long pass to Stephen Halliday at the far blue line. Halliday left it for Chabot, and as Capitals defenceman Matt Roy lost his footing, Chabot slid the puck over to Hodgson, who ripped home a snap shot like a seasoned goal scorer.
But it was just the second goal of Hodgson's NHL career and his first since his rookie season in 2021-22.
The lead held until the 12:31 mark of the third period, when Pierre-Luc Dubois tied the game with a one-timer off a beautiful feed from Hutson.
The Senators caught a break a short time later when Washington's Jack St. Ivany appeared to have an open net to shoot at, but he was off balance and couldn't get a clean shot away.
With about three minutes remaining in regulation, Nick Cousins left the game following a devastating hit from Chychrun.
As Cousins gathered the puck in his own zone, it became tangled in his skates, and he didn't see Chychrun closing in. The former Senators defenceman delivered a crushing hit that sent Cousins flying. Cousins appeared to lose consciousness before landing face-first on the ice.
Chychrun was not penalized on the play.
With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Fabian Zetterlund was assessed a delay-of-game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass. The penalty carried into overtime, and shortly after it expired, Hutson moved in from the right point and ripped home the winner.
With Alex Tuch and Jake Sanderson completely screening him, Ersson leaned to his left to try and get eyes on the shooter, just in time for Hutson to beat Ersson to the right.
The Senators fall to 11-6-2 on the season and will host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
There are a whole lot of Pittsburgh Penguins' faithful clamoring for the organization to begin selling off some of its longer-tenured veterans for assets given the team's 6-10-2 start to the 2026-27 season.
It appears that the Penguins may have tried to make a move. But, according to a former NHL player on one of the most prominent NHL podcasts, the player in question said 'no thanks.'
"I heard a rumor that Rakell turned down a trade to go to Chicago, and that's why they brought up - who is the kid they brought up? - [Rutger] McGroarty," Yandle said.
Keith Yandle - Spittin Chiclets - #Blackhawks & #LetsGoPens : Actually, I heard a rumor that Rakell turned down a trade to go to Chicago. And that's why they brought up, who is the kid they brought up, McGroarty. - 11/10 #NHLpic.twitter.com/M3FvcOX0RJ
Rakell, 33, has six goals and 10 points in 18 games this season. He has two seasons, counting this one, left on his six-year contract that pays him $5 million annually and that includes an eight-team no-trade list.
Of course, this rumor must be taken with a grain of salt. The McGroarty recall was in response to forward Ville Koivunen being day-to-day with a lower-body injury and the team needing another healthy forward on their road trip, so it's unlikely that a potential Rakell trade to Chicago would have been the reason McGroarty was brought aboard.
Also, Rakell's eight-team no-trade list was, presumably, already submitted, as his name has been in rumor circles dating back to the summer and beyond. If this was the case, GM and POHO Kyle Dubas probably would not have even entertained the Blackhawks as legitimate contenders to land him no matter what they were willing to give up.
If the Penguins are open for business, as reported by Elliotte Friedman Saturday, that would make some sense. But Dubas is still at the mercy of no-trade and no-movement clauses with pretty much all of his veteran players except for forward Bryan Rust, who is currently on injured reserve and is expected to miss at least four more weeks.
The rumor, up to this point, has not been substantiated or confirmed by other insiders or sources.
