The Philadelphia Flyers have finally remembered how to win a hockey game, so the Colorado Avalanche won’t be facing a winless team on Monday after all. That’s one storyline off the table, but Philly still has plenty to prove.

After taking care of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 win at Ball Arena on Friday, the Avalanche are heading to Xfinity Mobile Arena to face the Flyers, who entered the weekend still searching for their first win of the season. Philadelphia finally got it done Saturday, beating the Ottawa Senators 3-1 at home to improve to 1-6-3. Better late than never, right?

One win doesn’t exactly erase what’s been a rough start for Philadelphia.

Through 10 games, the Flyers have surrendered 34 goals, tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the most allowed among Eastern Conference teams. The difference? Buffalo has scored 27 goals of its own, while the Flyers have managed just 14—the fewest in the Eastern Conference. Scoring goals apparently isn’t high on Philadelphia’s list of priorities right now.

A few teams around the league have been even worse defensively. The Chicago Blackhawks have allowed 36 goals, the Calgary Flames have given up 37, and the Vancouver Canucks have surrendered a whopping 45. That leaves Philadelphia tied for the fourth-most goals allowed in the NHL. Not exactly the kind of company you want to keep.

Meanwhile, Colorado has looked far more comfortable on both ends of the ice. The Avalanche enter Monday’s matchup with a 5-2-1 record, 36 goals scored, and 27 allowed. Only the Vegas Golden Knights (42) and Edmonton Oilers (37) have scored more than Colorado this season. Vegas has already played 10 games, while the Oilers have also had more opportunities to pad their totals. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes have scored 36 goals as well, though they’ve also played 10 games.

All things considered, the Avs are off to a pretty solid start.

MacKinnon and Lehkonen Are Running the Show

Here’s a stat that might surprise you heading into Monday’s game: Nathan MacKinnon isn’t the Avalanche’s outright leader in goals. Technically, he is—but he has company.

Through eight games, MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen are tied with eight goals apiece. Apparently, scoring goals is more fun when you have someone to share the spotlight with.

Philadelphia has lost four of its last five matchups against Colorado, although the Flyers did win the most recent meeting, a 7-3 blowout at Ball Arena on January 23. The last time these teams met in Philadelphia was December 7, 2025, when Colorado escaped with a 3-2 victory.

MacKinnon has six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 22 career games against the Flyers. He’s been particularly productive lately, recording three goals and six assists for nine points in his last five games against Philadelphia. The catch? He hasn’t scored a goal in either of the teams’ last two meetings. He did, however, dish out two assists in that January 23 matchup.

Lehkonen has scored four career goals against Philadelphia. The last time he found the back of the net against the Flyers was during his first season with Colorado, about six months after the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022. So, yeah, it’s been a minute.

Cale Makar has also made his presence felt against Philadelphia, tallying three goals and three assists in his last five games against the Flyers.

Then there’s Martin Necas, whose goal total against Philadelphia might not jump off the page, but whose playmaking certainly does. He has 17 points in 20 career games against the Flyers, with 14 of those coming from assists. Clearly, he’s found a few ways to make himself useful against this team.

There's another reason for Avalanche fans to be optimistic heading into Monday's matchup: the power play may finally be finding its groove under new assistant coach Brett McLean.

Colorado scored a power play goal against Pittsburgh on Friday, offering an early glimpse of what this unit could look like under new guidance. It's only one goal, so nobody's handing out trophies just yet, but Monday presents another opportunity to show that a coaching change might have been exactly what this group needed. If the Avs can keep producing with the man advantage against Philadelphia, that early progress could start looking like something more than a one-game flash.

Blackwood Could Have a Field Day

Mackenzie Blackwood will likely get the start in net for Colorado, and if there’s a matchup tailor-made for him to put on a show, this might be it.

Blackwood took the loss in Colorado’s 7-3 defeat against Philadelphia in January, but his career numbers against the Flyers tell a much different story. In 16 games, he’s posted an 11-3-2 record, a 2.48 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage.

Not too shabby.

He’s also coming in hot, having won his last two starts while posting a .929 save percentage. If he can keep that momentum going against a Philadelphia team that has struggled mightily to score, the Avalanche could be in for a comfortable night.

Of course, hockey has a funny way of making things complicated when they should be simple. Still, Blackwood has plenty of history against the Flyers from his days with the New Jersey Devils, and he’ll have a good opportunity to build on an already impressive record against them.

Can the Flyers Actually Score?

Matvei Michkov leads Philadelphia with four goals and one assist for five points through 10 games. Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras are next, each with two goals and two assists for four points.

That’s not exactly an intimidating offensive leaderboard, especially when you consider Colorado has already scored 36 goals this season.

Dan Vladar will likely get the start in net for Philadelphia. He hasn’t faced Colorado as a Flyer, but he’s familiar with the Avalanche from his four seasons with the Calgary Flames. In six career games against Colorado with Calgary, Vladar went 2-4 with a 3.88 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage.

Those numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence against an Avalanche offense that’s been lighting up the scoreboard. If Philadelphia wants to make this a competitive game, Vladar may need to stand on his head—and the Flyers will need to give him a little more help than they have over the first 10 games.

The Avalanche have the offensive firepower, the goaltending matchup looks favorable, and Philadelphia is still trying to figure out how to score consistently. The Flyers may have finally gotten that first win out of the way, but they’ll need a whole lot more than one victory to keep pace with Colorado.

Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time on Monday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Tampa Bay Lightning (6-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (8-2, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Tampa Bay Lightning as winners of three games in a row.

Vegas has an 8-2 record overall and a 5-1-0 record in home games. The Golden Knights have a 7-1-0 record when scoring three or more goals.

Tampa Bay has a 1-2-0 record on the road and a 6-2 record overall. The Lightning are 6-0-0 in games they score at least three goals.

Tuesday's game is the first time these teams meet this season.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: Parker Wotherspoon: out (upper body), Lukas Cormier: out (undisclosed), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).

Lightning: Yanni Gourde: out (hip).

___

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

Los Angeles Kings (0-4-2, in the Pacific Division) vs. Washington Capitals (5-3, in the Metropolitan Division)

Washington; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Kings, on a six-game losing streak, play the Washington Capitals.

Washington has a 4-1-0 record in home games and a 5-3 record overall. The Capitals rank ninth in NHL play with 39 total penalties (averaging 4.9 per game).

Los Angeles has gone 0-1-2 on the road and 0-4-2 overall. The Kings are 0-3-0 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.

The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.

INJURIES: Capitals: Justin Sourdif: out (illness), Rasmus Sandin: out (knee), Patrick Thomas: out (upper-body), Pierre-Luc Dubois: out (illness), Matt Roy: out (lower body).

Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Mats Zuccarello: out (undisclosed), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed), Alex Turcotte: out (undisclosed).

___

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov broke a second-period tie with his NHL-leading 10th goal, Jesper Wallstedt stopped 13 shots and the Minnesota Wild beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Sunday night.

Danila Yurov also scored to help the Central Division-leading Wild improve to 6-2-1.

Adam Fantilli scored for Columbus. Cam Talbot made 32 saves.

Kaprizov broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal at 3:06 of the second, beating Talbot over the shoulder from the bottom of the left faceoff circle.

Both goalies stood tall early in the first period. Wallstedt denied Connor Garland on a breakaway two minutes into the game. Then Talbot made three saves as the Blue Jackets killed off a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:52.

Minnesota got on the board late in the first period. Yakov Trenin scooped up a turnover at the Columbus blue line, beat a defender on the way to the net, then feathered a pass across the slot where Yurov was waiting to tap it in.

FLAMES 3, HURRICANES 2

CALGARY. Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal with 4:28 left and Calgary ended Carolina’s seven-game winning streak, beating the defending champions for their second victory of the season.

Morgan Frost set up the winning goal after scoring on a power play in the second period. Matvei Gridin also scored, and Devin Cooley made 34 saves to help Calgary improve to 2-6-0.

On the deciding play, Frost sent a saucer pass across the slot to Sharangovich, who one-timed it as soon as the puck landed on his stick and picked the top corner, sending goalie Brandon Bussi’s water bottle flying.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield scored for Carolina, and Bussi made 31 saves. The Hurricanes dropped do 7-2-1.

_____

CALGARY. Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal with 4:28 left and the Calgary Flames ended Carolina's seven-game winning streak, beating the defending champion Hurricanes 3-2 on Saturday night for their second victory of the season.

Morgan Frost set up the winning goal after scoring on a power play in the second period. Matvei Gridin also scored, and Devin Cooley made 34 saves to help Calgary improve to 2-6-0.

On the deciding play, Frost sent a saucer pass across the slot to Sharangovich, who one-timed it as soon as the puck landed on his stick and picked the top corner, sending goalie Brandon Bussi’s water bottle flying.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield scored for Carolina, and Bussi made 31 saves. The Hurricanes dropped do 7-2-1.

Up next

Hurricanes: At Vancouver on Tuesday night.

Flames: Host Minnesota on Thursday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild center Danila Yurov is beginning to find his offensive game, and head coach John Hynes believes the 22-year-old has the potential to become an important piece of the organization’s future.

Yurov scored his third goal in his last four games during Minnesota’s 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, continuing an impressive offensive stretch for the former first-round pick.

But following the victory, Hynes made it clear that Yurov’s contributions extend well beyond his recent scoring success.

In fact, the Wild coach believes Yurov has the potential to become a first- or second-line center in the NHL.

“The puck pressure, the reads, the hockey sense with Yurov are, even last year, they’re, like I keep talking to him, he’s going to be a top-two line center the way that he thinks the game, sees the game,” Hynes said.

“Now, we’re starting to see his skating, his confidence, his offensive instincts, on top of his hockey smarts and acumen without the puck, which is excellent.”

It’s a significant endorsement from Hynes, particularly considering the attention surrounding Yurov’s future in Minnesota.

The 24th overall selection from the 2022 NHL Draft has been mentioned in trade speculation involving Detroit Red Wings former captain Dylan Larkin, an established NHL center who could immediately strengthen Minnesota’s lineup.

While there’s no indication a trade involving Yurov is imminent, his recent emergence presents an interesting situation for the Wild.

Minnesota has been looking for additional help down the middle, but one of its youngest centers is beginning to show why the organization invested a first-round selection in him.

And according to Hynes, the development taking place goes much deeper than the scoresheet.

Yurov’s Development Goes Beyond Scoring

WILD SCORE FIRST! 💥

Yakov Trenin makes a nice move to find a wide open Danila Yurov for the finish.

(🎥: Wild+) pic.twitter.com/w0cpPbwW0j

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 18, 2026

One of the biggest challenges for young centers transitioning to the NHL is learning how to handle the responsibilities that come with the position.

It’s not simply about generating offense. Centers are expected to support their defensemen, win puck battles, make responsible decisions through the neutral zone and contribute in all three zones.

For Yurov, those details have been among the strongest parts of his game.

Hynes has repeatedly praised the young Russian’s hockey intelligence and ability to read plays, qualities that have helped him earn additional responsibilities despite his limited NHL experience.

That includes time on the penalty kill, where Hynes believes Yurov has already established himself as a reliable option.

“He’s been excellent on the penalty kill,” Hynes said.

It’s an encouraging sign for a player whose offensive abilities were a major part of his appeal when Minnesota selected him in the first round.

While Yurov’s recent goals have attracted attention, his ability to contribute without the puck could ultimately determine how quickly he develops into the top-six center Hynes envisions.

And another important part of that development is taking place in the faceoff circle.

Former NHL Center Derek Stepan Helping Yurov

Yurov has been working with former NHL center Derek Stepan to improve his faceoff ability, something Hynes specifically highlighted following Sunday’s victory.

“The faceoffs, he was over 50% on the faceoff circle. He’s been working with [Derek Stepan]. He puts time and effort into it,” Hynes said.

Stepan, a native of Hastings, Minnesota, brings extensive NHL experience to the process. The former center played 890 regular-season games across 13 NHL seasons, recording 182 goals, 333 assists and 515 points.

He also appeared in 120 Stanley Cup playoff games, contributing 20 goals, 35 assists and 55 points.

Throughout his career, Stepan established himself as a dependable NHL center who understood the responsibilities of playing in the middle of the ice.

That experience provides Yurov with an opportunity to learn from someone who spent more than a decade competing against some of the league’s best players.

Faceoffs are particularly important for a young center looking to earn more ice time and responsibility. Winning draws can help a team establish possession, relieve pressure in the defensive zone and create offensive opportunities immediately following a faceoff.

For a player like Yurov, improving in that area could make him a more complete option for Minnesota’s coaching staff. His work with Stepan also demonstrates the commitment Hynes has noticed throughout his development.

Yurov isn’t simply relying on his natural offensive talent. He’s putting in additional work to improve the details necessary to become an everyday NHL center.

So far, it has paid off. He had the lowest faceoff percentage in the NHL last season for centermen who took at least 742 draws (39.2 percent). He's at 56.6 percent this season.

An Interesting Decision Could Be Ahead For Minnesota

TRENIN ➡️ SHABANOV ➡️ YUROV 🚨 pic.twitter.com/wdFEZhZDwI

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) October 16, 2026

Yurov’s recent emergence comes at an interesting time for the Wild.

Minnesota has been linked to Detroit's Dylan Larkin in trade speculation as the organization continues looking for ways to strengthen its center depth.

Larkin would provide the Wild with an established top-six center capable of making an immediate impact. However, acquiring a player of his caliber could require Minnesota to part with valuable young assets, potentially including Yurov.

And that’s where Hynes’ comments become particularly interesting.

The Wild are reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring an established center, yet their own head coach believes one of their young players has the potential to develop into a first- or second-line center himself.

At 22 years old, Yurov is still in the early stages of his NHL career. There will undoubtedly be growing pains, and a four-game scoring stretch doesn’t guarantee he’ll reach the ceiling Hynes envisions.

But his recent production, defensive awareness, penalty-killing contributions and continued improvement in the faceoff circle suggest his development is moving in the right direction.

“So, it’s nice to see, particularly early in the season to see him get on the scoresheet, get some confidence that way because there’s so many things that are trending in the right direction with him, and that’s certainly one of them,” Hynes said.

For Minnesota, the challenge is balancing the desire to improve immediately with the potential of its young players.

Larkin could provide an immediate solution down the middle, but Yurov is beginning to demonstrate why he could eventually become part of that solution himself.

And when a head coach publicly projects a 22-year-old as a future top-two-line center, it raises an important question about how much the organization should be willing to sacrifice to acquire an established one.

For now, Yurov continues to make his case on the ice.

With three goals in his last four games and increasing trust from Minnesota’s coaching staff, the young Russian is giving the Wild plenty to consider as they evaluate both their present needs and their future down the middle.

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With some injuries piling up on the left side of the blue line, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a roster move Sunday to give them another body for the last leg of their current Western road swing.

The Penguins recalled defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins, and on the same day, re-assigned newly acquired blueliner Ryan Johnson to WBS.

These moves come a day after defenseman Sam Girard was injured during the second period of the Penguins' 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, when Girard was tripped by Vegas forward Brett Howden and flew awkwardly into the bottom of the wall shoulder-first.

In addition, Trevor van Riemsdyk is still working out in Pittsburgh and rehabbing from a lower-body injury. He is currently on injured reserve. 

Penguins Complete Trade With Sabres To Acquire Former First-Round PickThe Pittsburgh Penguins addressed their defensive logjam at the minor league level with a blue line swap involving the Buffalo Sabres Monday

Solovyov, 26, began the season on the Penguins' NHL roster. After failing to appear in a game, the Penguins waived him on Oct. 9 in hopes that he would pass through waivers and join WBS to have an opportunity to be in the lineup every night. In three games for WBS, Solovyov had one assist and was a plus-6, largely playing top-pairing minutes with right defenseman Harrison Brunicke. 

The 6-foot-3, 229-pound defenseman was traded to Pittsburgh during the second half last season and appeared in 14 games, registering five points to go along with a plus-1.

Johnson, 25, is a former first-round pick (31st overall in 2019) who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 12. He has yet to appear in an NHL game this season, and he has seven assists in 47 games across three season, all of which were accrued in 41 games during his rookie season in 2023-24.

Report: Penguins Are Willing To Deal Veterans. What Does That Mean?According to a new report Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins and GM Kyle Dubas are ready to open the doors for a youth movement.

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

The Buffalo Sabres had a tough test Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, but they ultimately fell to the Habs in a 4-3 overtime win for Montreal. The ‘loser’ point was beneficial to the Sabres, but against arguably the Atlantic Division’s top team, Buffalo had an opportunity to send a shot across the bow to the Canadiens, and they failed to do so.

The Sabres are by no means a perfect team, but they are very much a work-in-progress. You might say the same about every team, but Buffalo’s pressure is different in that their15-year Stanley Cup playoff drought ended last season, and they now have to take the next step forward – and that’s getting beyond the second round next spring.

But what the Sabres really need to do – something they owe their loyal, long-suffering  fans – is pull off a blockbuster trade involving one player or another.

Could that be current Winnipeg Jets malcontent goalie Connor Hellebuyck? It could be. Could it be Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin? Highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Or could there be a star player who suddenly appears on the trade block? That’s the most-likely development for Buffalo. 

The Sabres have $1.8-million in salary cap space, so if they are going to acquire a name-brand player with a high salary, they’re going to have to move out money, either in the blockbuster trade, or in a subsequent move. But the other thing Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen could use in a blockbuster swap is his first-round draft picks. The Sabres have all of their first-rounders in the next three drafts, so peeling off one of them wouldn’t hurt a win-now team like Buffalo.

The Sabres don’t need any high-end talent on ‘D, but their current goaltending setup doesn’t inspire much confidence. Veterans Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have sub-.900 save percentages, and that’s why Buffalo has been linked to Hellebuyck. But the other area Buffalo could target is their top-six group of forwards. If the Toronto Maple Leafs had the assets to acquire star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Sabres have enough trade capital to pick up a similar type of player.

Kekalainen has yet to orchestrate a blockbuster move of any sort in his one year (approximately) running the team. The truth is, Buffalo played so well that Kekalainen didn’t have an acute problem to deal with. But now that the Sabres have settled in a little bit, they could significantly shift the balance of power by bringing in a Grade-A talent.

You can give a player like Ryan McLeod his due for being an above-average NHL talent, but is he a star? No. And that’s what Buffalo needs – star power. That’s what Buffalo fans deserve – a player who can impose their will on games and electrify long-suffering Sabres fans. Some of Buffalo’s youngsters could evolve into superstars some day down the line. But in this moment in the Sabres’ competitive cycle, they need to be swinging for the fences on the trade market.

Sometimes, you never know what players come available. And if Kekalainen shakes the trees in the coming weeks and months, a high-end player could fall into Buffalo’s lap. The Sabres have every reason to bring in a star-caliber player, and if Kekalainen can acquire a top forward or goalie, that could prove to be the final piece of Buffalo’s championship puzzle.

Even though the Philadelphia Flyers are badly hurting due to injuries, especially at forward, they just created some intrigue by cutting loose more healthy bodies than they replace them with. 

On Sunday, shortly after the conclusion of the Flyers' practice session, head coach Rick Tocchet revealed that forwards Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier are game-time decisions ahead of Monday night's game against the Colorado Avalanche.

They join a growing list of Flyers players ailing and out of the lineup, with Travis Konecny, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Owen Tippett all injured at the moment as well.

Later Sunday, the Flyers placed York on injured reserve, creating a free roster space, while sending forward Jack Studnicka and defenseman Helge Grans to the AHL.

The only corresponding move the Flyers made was calling up defenseman Hunter McDonald, a 6-foot-4, 240 pound defenseman who made his NHL debut last season against Montreal, recording an assist, a +3 rating, and four penalty minutes.

With the 24-year-old McDonald now on the roster, the Flyers still have two free roster spots available for use, though it's curious that they haven't made use of them just yet.

For instance, in Studnicka's case, the journeyman had recently overtaken the fourth-line center position with Couturier moving up higher in the lineup, as the Flyers preferred Studnicka at center over the versatile Noel Acciari.

Including Tippett, Foerster, and Couturier, the Flyers have 12 forwards on their roster, and they would assuredly need to call up at least one forward to help close the gap.

What are the Flyers' options?

Perhaps Travis Konecny, who is now eligible to return from injured reserve after missing seven days of action, is ready to hit the ice, though he wasn't spotted at practice on Sunday.

If needed, players like Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump are candidates to be called up by the Flyers, though, again, it's interesting they haven't already done so.

Bump, 22, would be especially interesting given that he has seven goals in five AHL games this season, including an overtime winner on Saturday night.

It's no secret the Flyers are starved for offense, and Bump would easily be the most deserving candidate for a call-up amongst the forwards.

Luchanko, with six points in six games, has been no slouch either, but the Flyers may prefer their top center prospect to have more development time in the AHL rather than serve as a band-aid solution for a rash of injuries for a game or two.

As for someone like Carl Grundstrom, the Swede was unavailable for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms due to personal reasons on Saturday night, so he might not be an option for the Flyers at the moment.

Other veterans in the AHL, like Nolan Foote and Danila Klimovich, are banged up and likely unavailable, too.

Also of note, the NHL no longer allows paper transactions, so Studnicka must return to the AHL and report for at least one game before he returns to the NHL; the Flyers can't assess Tippett, Foerster, and Couturier and then decide that they need Studnicka back for the Avalanche game.

This latest roster move from the Flyers is clearly a precursor to something more, though it is just unclear what that is at this time.

It didn’t take long for Alberts Smits to provide a glimpse of what Mike Sullivan had hinted at. 

Late in the first period Thursday, less than a minute before the Devils goal that began the Rangers’ unraveling at Prudential Center, Smits slammed his stick on the ice four times from the left circle. As play cycled behind the net, Smits knew he had an open shooting lane. Alexis Lafrenière slid the puck over. And Smits, the No. 5 pick in June’s draft, sent a shot toward the net around traffic that Nico Daws turned aside. 

So much of Smits’ acclimation to the NHL, as a rookie who skated on the third pair from the first day of training camp and never looked back, has revolved around the defensive layers. But the Rangers also think he has “an offensive dimension to his game that might be untapped,” Sullivan said. 

There have been flashes through 10 games, even as Smits has yet to log a point — and, entering Monday’s game against the Ducks, remains the last Blueshirts regular without one. But the Rangers, who remain impressed with how he has performed with inevitable growing pains and mistakes mixed in, think that part of his game will eventually emerge too. 

“I think the offense is gonna come,” Smits said Thursday. “Just gotta take care of the defense first. So that’s what I’m focusing on right now.” 

Smits, who recorded a pair of assists with Latvia across four games at the Winter Olympics while stringing together six goals and 13 points in 38 games with Finland’s Jukurit last year, picked up his first unofficial point in the preseason — sending a nifty pass toward the slot that Taylor Raddysh deflected into the net. Sullivan has continually raved about Smits’ passing and physical poise, about how he doesn’t look like an 18-year-old on the ice, and that served as a tangible example in a game setting. 

The Rangers have waited for the first instance of that in the regular season. They entered play Sunday with 20 points — two goals and 18 assists — from defensemen this season, tied for the eighth most in the NHL, according to StatMuse, but have gotten 19 of those from their top four and the 20th via an assist from Braden Schneider. There hasn’t necessarily been a drop-off with Smits, though. Smits rank second on the Blueshirts in expected goals per 60 minutes (0.22) behind just Adam Fox this season, per MoneyPuck, and when Smits was on the ice Saturday, the Rangers carried an expected goals for percentage of 82.94, which marked the highest rate on the team, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Blueshirts also had a team-best expected goals against number (0.25) during Smits’ shifts in the team’s 1-0 overtime loss in Columbus too. 

Smits was on the ice for the Blue Jackets’ winning goal at 4-on-4 in overtime — unable to disrupt a pass fully in the neutral zone and unable to get his stick on two others in the Blueshirts end before Kent Johnson’s winner — and only logged five shifts after the second period. 

Part of the ice time issue, Sullivan said, stemmed from the Rangers being on the power play three times in the final frame. He has yet to carve out a role on either special teams unit, limiting his availability, and Smits skated just 14:46 — the lowest number among Rangers defenseman by over four minutes — in Columbus. 

“That’s [assistant coach David Quinn’s] call back there,” Sullivan said of Smits’ limited shifts in the third. “He’s running the defense.” 

The sentiment echoed by the Rangers since the start of training camp hasn’t strayed from Smits looking like he belongs. Sullivan reiterated that again Thursday, labeling miscues as “mistakes of enthusiasm.” 

Smits, when asked about evaluating his game so far, said Thursday that he has continued to try and get better each game, to stay on the right development track. The Rangers have given him the runway for that, opting for Smits’ upside over more experienced left-handed defensemen such as Matthew Robertson or Urho Vaakanainen. They embraced the potential for growing pains and learning curves that’d inevitably follow. 

“The biggest challenge [for young defensemen] is the reads,” Sullivan said. “When to be aggressive. When to cut your losses, stay inside the dots, manage the dots, let the play come to you a little bit. That’s the hardest part, I think, of playing defense in this league, and that’s, I think, Smitty’s challenge moving forward. But we love his aggression.” 

The defensive play, for the most part, has transferred to the regular season. The offense, for now at least, remains a work in progress from a production standpoint, with Sullivan believing that the Rangers — over time — could unlock more.

Marcus Pettersson knows Mike Sullivan’s structure and philosophy better than most with the Rangers, since the defenseman spent parts of seven seasons with the Penguins from December 2018 through February 2025 after Sullivan had already arrived and won a pair of Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh.

And in the early portion of this season, Pettersson has noticed this iteration of the Rangers starting to adopt a similar identity to what those Penguins teams had with Sullivan as head coach, he told The Post before a 1-0 loss to the Blue Jackets in overtime where the Blueshirts largely flashed the same principles of checking and forechecking while earning their 13th point of the young season.

“[Identity is] always the word on people’s mouths, I feel like, early in the year where it’s — some teams find it early, some teams are searching for that identity,” Pettersson, who was acquired in exchange for a top-10 protected first-round pick in the 2030 draft, said Saturday. “I think when you look throughout our lineup, our system and everything, I think everybody’s really bought in so far this season. … We’re a really good checking team. I feel like, and if we can do that well, it’s gonna be tough to beat us every night.”

With five years remaining on his contract, Pettersson, 30, will likely be part of shaping the Rangers blue line into the future, and outside of a pair of giveaways in Saturday’s game, he’s mostly been impressive with Sean Durzi on a revamped second pairing. Pettersson has collected a pair of assists offensively too while settling into a critical role on the Blueshirts penalty-kill unit.

His current group of Rangers teammates, who are now 6-3-1 through their opening 10 games, and his former Penguins teams contained different types of players, he said, but there are still some similarities in how they play. They both had centers who could read the game. They both had speed. They both paired that with checking that in turn has allowed the Blueshirts to create opportunities for their most dynamic players.

They’ve learned how Sullivan wants to play away from the puck, Pettersson said, and have witnessed how that ultimately creates offense. Defensively, he added, both teams understood what puck movement means too.

“It doesn’t mean that you’re highlight reel, doing spin-o-rama, wheeling outside the zone every shift,” Pettersson said. “It’s effective puck moving where you get the pucks to our game-breakers up there.”

The power play was supposed to be a definitive strength of the Rangers this season, but instead, through their opening 10 games, their other special teams unit has emerged as one of the league’s best — and that, given their reliance on 24-year-old goaltender Dylan Garand with Igor Shesterkin out for the season, has been crucial.

In their 1-0 loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Rangers killed all three of their penalties, including one by Will Cuylle at the end of regulation that forced them to operate at 4-on-3 for the first 1:27 of overtime.

They entered play Sunday with a unit that has killed all but two of their 31 penalties, hasn’t allowed a goal on the road and sat in a tie for the second-best success rate in the NHL at 93.5 percent — which is even with the Hurricanes and trails just the Maple Leafs’ 96.4 percent.

“They’ve been aggressive,” Sullivan said. “There’s been a lot of collective effort when they are aggressive. It’s cooperative pressure. … They’re doing a lot of the little things, the thankless jobs. They’re winning faceoffs, they’re getting clears, they’re blocking shots, but they’re making good reads.”

Last week, the Buffalo Sabres traded defenseman Ryan Johnson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for blueliners Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch. 

Now, after one week on Pittsburgh's NHL roster, he is heading back to the AHL. This is because the Penguins have announced that they have assigned Johnson to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

While Johnson was on the Penguins' NHL roster before this demotion, he has not made his debut for Pittsburgh. Instead, he was scratched while on Pittsburgh's roster. Now, with him being sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he will get back into game action. 

Johnson appeared in four AHL games with the Rochester Americans this season before being traded to the Penguins. This was after he had five goals and 19 points in 56 games with Rochester this past season. 

Johnson was selected by the Sabres in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, 31st overall. In 47 games over three seasons with Buffalo from 2023-24 to 2025-26, he posted seven assists and a plus-1 rating. 

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime by a 5-4 final score in their most recent game on Saturday. 

Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc contributed in Montreal's win, as he scored a power-play goal at the 11:45 mark of the first period to tie the game up at 1-1. 

With this goal, Bolduc now has four goals to go along with six points in eight games so far this season with the Canadiens. He is also on a hot streak right now, as he has recorded a point in each of his last three games.

With the way Bolduc is playing right now, he is showing clear signs of being ready to break out for the Canadiens. The young forward putting up strong offensive numbers like this at the start of the season is very encouraging. Now, he will be aiming to keep it from here for Montreal.

If Bolduc can continue to chip in offensively while making an impact with his physicality, it would be huge for the Canadiens. At just 23 years old, there is reason to believe that he has not hit his full ceiling yet. Due to this, he will be a very interesting player to keep watching as the season carries on. 

It’s not breaking news that Ondrej Palat struggled when he got to Long Island last season. And it was understandable to assume, at age 35, that this season wouldn’t be much different for a player who had taken a step back during his tenure as a New Jersey Devil.

The Islanders’ win Saturday night over the Maple Leafs, though, was the latest and most emphatic piece of evidence that no such thing is happening.

Palat had arguably his best game as an Islander in the 4-1 victory, despite not making it onto the scoresheet. The Islanders were up ice on nearly every one of his shifts. He won battles and played nearly perfectly on breakouts and in his own end. In his 13:01 of ice time, the Islanders out-attempted Toronto by an absurd 19-1 margin, per Natural Stat Trick’s count.

“He’s been great all year,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think he’s come back with something to prove. I think from training camp, he’s been engaged and ready. He wants more. If anything it’s on me to give him a little bit more than what he’s even got so far. He’s been that good.”

Of course, the opportunity for more minutes may become something like a necessity. Palat has been on the Islanders fourth line for six of eight games, but would be an obvious candidate to move up in the lineup should Calum Ritchie or Matias Maccelli miss time with lower-body injuries sustained Saturday night.

While he’s unlikely to fill the Islanders’ scoring gaps, Palat’s two-way play and forechecking make him a positive force.

“We all knew he had game left in him,” Kyle Palmieri told The Post. “I think he just came into camp with a clear mind and was ready to go. It’s awesome to see.”

Palmieri, who was rehabbing an injury when Palat was dealt to the Islanders last season, noticed at the start of camp that he was in “great shape” — something Palat has credited to changes in his offseason routine, while declining to get into specifics.

“I know what kind of an impact play he can make. I watched firsthand what he was like in Tampa. Saw his years in Jersey. I thought he’s a guy you always see on the ice, you always notice,” Palmieri said. “I think the impact he’s making this year is a really positive thing for our group. Hopefully he continues to be that.”

Throughout their history, the Vegas Golden Knights have earned a reputation as a team willing to do whatever it takes in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. The organization prioritizes winning above all, and they’re unafraid to sacrifice futures to accomplish their goals.

In nine years, the Golden Knights have won one Stanley Cup and reached two additional Stanley Cup Finals. However, that perpetual excellence came with a cost; they sacrificed almost all of their futures to remain in win-now mode.

Only one notable prospect remained in the organization as the Golden Knights mortgaged their future: Trevor Connelly, the 24th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Very few players in the league are truly untouchable, but the organization never hid how highly they valued Connelly, a California-born playmaking winger with talent for days. They saw something special in him, and their belief never wavered.

“Trevor is different from any player in our organization,” said Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon at the start of training camp. “Elite hockey sense, elite talent. What he did last year in the American Hockey League as a 19-year-old… his ceiling is tremendously high.”

Now, their belief is paying off. The 20-year-old rookie scored just 15:22 into his NHL debut— a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks— and never looked back.

After 10 games, Connelly is emerging as a potential dark horse for the Calder Trophy. He leads all rookies in goals (4) and points (7), all while averaging just 13 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time a night. Connelly is a regular on the third line with Tomáš Hertl and Raphael Lavoie, and was recently elevated to the top power play unit. 

It’s still early in the season, and Connelly could come back down to earth. He is a first-year player, and the NHL’s grueling schedule and constant physicality have worn rookies down in the past.

However, nothing about Connelly’s game suggests that his hot start is unsustainable. His defensive game improves every game, and he’s not cheating for offense. He has a great shot, and he’s shown he can drive play. He can even score against some of the greatest players in the game– on Saturday, he read and intercepted Sidney Crosby’s pass, went back the other way, and scored an unassisted goal.

Penguins have a rush, but Trevor Connelly reads Sidney Crosby like a book, picks him off, takes it back the other way, and goes top-shelf with Kaedan Korczak draped all over him.

4-1, Golden Knights

pic.twitter.com/9FWLgYMoGA

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) October 18, 2026

Connelly is a rare talent, and everyone can see it. His teammates have nothing but great things to say about the talented young rookie.

“I have such confidence in him,” said Mitch Marner. “He’s such a good player. You see it daily, just the plays he makes, those little three-foot plays… 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.”

“I think he’s got incredible edge work and high-end skill,” said Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. “He’s done a really good job adapting to the game. He’s a competitive little guy. He’s only gonna get bigger as time moves on as well, so he’s just gonna be more and more effective.”