DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored twice and the Dallas Stars had a three-goal third period in a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Sunday night.
Robertson’s breakaway at 9:45 of the third period came five minutes after Wyatt Johnston’s tiebreaker. Mikko Rantanen added a goal four minutes after Robertson with his team-high sixth goal of the season.
Tyler Seguin and Justin Hryckowian also scored for the Stars, who have won five consecutive games. Jake Oettinger made 16 saves.
Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn scored for the Islanders, who erased three one-goal deficits only to lose two straight (0-1-1) for the first time this season. Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 shots allowing a season high in goals.
Johnston scored from the slot 4:10 into the final period on a feed from Nils Lundqvist. After scoring a career-most 45 goals last season, Johnston has goals in consecutive games after going goalless in his first seven outings.
Sunday marked the Dallas return of Pete DeBoer, who took over the Islanders with four games to play last season. DeBoer was fired by the Stars in June 2025 after losing in the conference finals in each of his three Dallas seasons.
The Stars have 20 straight penalty kills through its last five games, three on Sunday.
The game was Dallas’ third in a six-game homestand and began a three-game Central Division trip for New York.
Hryckowian’s younger brother, Dylan, and fellow forward Matthew Seminoff made their NHL debuts on Dallas’ fourth line. The brothers were in the starting lineup.
Here is an update on former Sabres players with Central Division clubs:
Bowen Byram - Chicago
The Stanley Cup winner had a career-high 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) last season with the Sabres, but after he informed Buffalo he would not be signing an extension, GM Jarmo Kekalainen dealt him to the Hawks for the #4 overall pick (Daxon Rudolph), Louis Crevier, and a 2nd round pick (which was converted into Olen Zellweger).
Byram signed a six-year, $75 million extension with Chicago, and assumed a heavy workload of nearly 25 minutes a night. In six games, he has one assist, is a -7, and has been out since October 13th with an upper-body injury.
Tyler Myers - Dallas
The 36-year-old former Calder Trophy winner is playing a shutdown depth role with his fourth NHL club after being dealt from Vancouver to the Stars last March. In 10 games, Myers has no points and is averaging just under 15 minutes per night.
Marcus Foligno - Minnesota
The 35-year-old, along with older brother Nick, played against the Sabres on October 6, but suffered a mid-body injury in the Wild’s next game against Tampa Bay on October 8 and was placed on injured reserve.
Owen Power has picked up the offensive slack after the departure of Bowen Byram
Ryan O’Reilly - Nashville
The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner is in the final year of a four-year contract with the Predators, where he has scored 20 or more goals every season in Music City. In 10 games, he has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists). GM Chris McFarland has been active since taking over from Barry Trotz this summer, and if his club drops out of playoff competition, O’Reilly will likely be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market before the deadline.
Isak Rosen - Winnipeg
The 2021 first-rounder was sent to the Jets last March in a deal for Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, after three solid seasons in AHL Rochester, but never really getting a serious opportunity with the Sabres. In 31 games at the end of last season and this year, the 23-year-old winger has four points (3 goals, 1 assist).
DALLAS — That will put a damper on the Islanders’ fledgling momentum.
It’s not merely that the Stars snapped their five-game points streak here at American Airlines Center on Sunday night, beating the Islanders 6-3. It’s that the how of it included so many reminders of the Islanders’ limitations.
Namely, their speed, or lack thereof. The Islanders have shown they can play around it — indeed, they did at points Sunday — but doing so requires impeccable detail and decision-making up and down the lineup. When pieces are off, when they are playing one of the league’s faster teams or both, as was the case here, it is so much harder to get away with.
Jake Oettinger (29) of the Dallas Stars tends goal against the New York Islanders at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Dallas. NHLI via Getty Images
“The lesson in that,” coach Pete DeBoer said after his Dallas homecoming was spoiled, “is we can’t play that game against good teams.”
The Stars could get pucks behind Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock and then beat them to it. They could handle dump-ins from the Islanders’ workmanlike third and fourth lines with ease, moving the puck out before the Islanders could start their forecheck. Jason Robertson can capitalize on a split second of indecision from Brayden Schenn behind his own net and turn it into a goal.
Put all that together and you have a steep uphill climb for the Islanders to stay in a game.
“[The Stars] have great gaps, great reloads,” Schenn told The Post. “They take away the middle of the ice. … And then when we put it in, forwards weren’t getting first touches and forechecks, allowing them to break out a little cleaner than obviously we wanted to. We have lots to clean up and focus on.”
To their credit, the Islanders stayed in the game, at least for a time. They fought back down 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 to go into the last 20 minutes tied 3-3 after Schenn deposited Anthony Duclair’s feed from behind the net past Jake Oettinger at 17:45 of the second.
Tony DeAngelo (77) of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
What they couldn’t do, though, was change the tide of the game. And when the current picked up, the Islanders were carried right along with it.
So 4:10 into the third, Wyatt Johnston gave Dallas its fourth lead of the night, getting open in the slot after the Islanders overcommitted to the strong side of the ice and burying one.
This time, the Islanders didn’t have the immediate answer. Robertson floated behind Pelech and was sprung by Tyler Seguin’s pass before scoring to make it 5-3.
New York Islanders goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin (30) celebrates a goal against the Dallas Stars during an NHL hockey game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
Ilya Sorokin, who gave up six or more goals just twice last season, finished with stops on just 32 of the 38 shots he saw, albeit without impressive defense in front of him. DeBoer said he never considered giving Sorokin the hook, saying it was more on the defense in front of him.
Nevertheless, by the end of the night, pockets of the crowd chanted “Otter’s better.”
Matthew Schaefer (48) of the New York Islanders celebrates a goal with teammates against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Dallas. NHLI via Getty ImagesDallas Stars center Justin Hryckowian (49) celebrates after scoring with teammates Wyatt Johnston (53), Jason Robertson (21) and Mikko Rantanen (96) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Dallas. AP Photo/LM Otero
“Tough game,” Sorokin told The Post. “We should be better in D zone, and [I] should be better in net, my [positioning]. Tough game. Should make a good review and get ready for next game.”
At so many different points before the Islanders fell apart, they were on their heels.
They didn’t record a shot for more than seven minutes to start the game. When they did notch a dangerous chance, the Stars came down the other end, and Seguin scored on the rush. There wasn’t much forecheck to speak of; rather, it was the Stars who were consistently able to get pucks in deep and get to work.
Still, the Islanders found ways to stay in it. Matthew Schaefer turned on the jets and blew past Johnston to tie the game at one, and Palmieri made an excellent play on his backhand to tie it 2-2. Schenn atoned for his earlier error to make it a 3-3 game, but in the third, the duct-tape-and-glue approach with which they’d kept it together all night caught up with them.
“We weren’t great,” DeBoer said. “It was Game 11, it’s the first night I felt we didn’t have great legs, great juice.”
DALLAS, TX -- The New York Islanders (5-4-2) were caught playing Dallas Stars hockey, losing 6-3 on Sunday night to Pete DeBoer's old squad.
The Islanders's five-game point streak (3-0-2) turns into a two-game slide with two games left on this road trip.
Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves on 38 shots in the loss.
Here's how it happened:
After the Islanders couldn't score on Oettinger despite a flurry of chances, Tyler Seguin beat Sorokin with a sharp-angle shot on a 2-on-1 at 11:31 of the first, giving Dallas a 1-0 lead.
The Islanders answered courtesy of Matthew Schaefer at 4-on-4 as he beat Oettinger blocker side off the rush at 13:43 to sit with the second most goals all time by a teenager with 26:
But, less than a minute later, Brayden Schenn turned the puck over, leading to Jason Robertson having time and space to take the puck from behind the net to the low slot and roof one glove side on Sorokin:
Those lively boards giveth and taketh, as after Thomas Harley's power-play slapper missed the net, the puck came flying back toward the low slot where Justin Hryckowian, out of the air, beat Sorokin at 10:52 to give the Stars a 3-2 lead:
But, the Islanders evened things up at 17:45 of the second when Anthony Duclair won a board battle on the forecheck before finding a cutting Schenn in the low slot for a finish blocker side on Oettinger to tie the game at 3-3:
The back-and-forth continued as the Stars got back on top 4-3 at 4:10 of the third period after Nils Lundqvist found Johnston wide open in the slot before he roofed one glove side on Sorokin:
The Stars added another two, with Robertson adding his second of the game at 9:45 and Mikko Rantanen potting one at 13:02 of the third for the 6-3 final.
UP NEXT: The Islanders face the Nashville Predators at 8 PM ET on Tuesday
When the Colorado Avalanche dropped two straight games on their previous road trip, head coach Jared Bednar called them “two of the worst games I've seen our team play in years.”You might as well have billed Sunday's game in Nashville as “Hold My Beer.”
The Avalanche turned in a putrid effort from start to finish, getting hammered 6-2 by the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Colorado was sloppy with the puck, undisciplined, and completely ineffective on special teams, allowing four power-play goals while failing to record a single shot on net during three of its four power plays.
Former Av Ryan O'Reilly scored twice, Filip Forsberg added his 21st career goal against Colorado, and Steven Stamkos found the net twice as Nashville took full advantage of the Avs' mistakes.
Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews scored for Colorado, but their goals did little to change the story of the night. Justus Annunen, who was traded to Nashville for Scott Wedgewood, stopped 17 of 19 shots to earn the win, while Wedgewood made 28 saves on 34 shots for the Avalanche. It was a rough night all around for Colorado, which never really looked in control.
First Period
The Predators came out flying, putting Colorado on its heels early and taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
Filip Forsberg opened the scoring on the power play after Parker Kelly was called for hooking. It was Forsberg's 21st career goal against the Avalanche, and he made it count by giving Nashville an early lead.
Steven Stamkos doubled the advantage on a close play that needed a video review to confirm the puck had crossed the goal line. Just like that, Colorado was down two before it could find much of a rhythm.
The Avalanche's top line of Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Martin Necas generated some pressure late in the period, but couldn't get the bounces they needed. Colorado managed just eight shots in the opening frame, four of them from Lehkonen.
The bigger problem was how the Avs were getting in their own way. Misfired passes, careless turnovers, and sloppy puck management made it tough to build any sustained offense. It was the kind of road period that leaves a team chasing the game before it's even had a chance to settle in.
Second Period
If Colorado was hoping to reset in the second, that plan didn't last long.
Bad clears, miscommunication, and turnovers continued to give Nashville chances, including a few odd-man rushes that forced Scott Wedgewood to bail out his teammates. He came up with several saves, including one against Brent Burns, who was playing in his 1,019th consecutive NHL game at age 41.
The Avalanche couldn't get much going on their own power play, either. They failed to register a shot on one man advantage, and Sam Malinski was later called for too many men on the ice, adding another mistake to an already frustrating night.
Things got chippy when Necas tangled with Jordan Struble after the Predators defenseman jabbed at him following a whistle. Necas responded with a slash, and the two started mixing it up along the boards before captain Gabriel Landeskog joined the scrum. Necas and Struble were sent off for roughing, while Malinski's penalty left Colorado shorthanded.
Nashville made the most of it. O'Reilly was left alone in the low slot and buried the puck to make it 3-0, giving the Predators their second power-play goal of the night.
The Avs had a chance to respond when Roman Josi was called for slashing MacKinnon, but Colorado couldn't get anything going and remained scoreless on its first three power plays. Parker Kelly later dropped the gloves with Struble and quickly took him down, providing one of the few moments of fight from Colorado on a night when the scoreboard was getting ugly.
After an exhausting shift that left the Avalanche scrambling, former Av Jack Drury — dealt away in the offseason — beat Wedgewood with a backhand to push Nashville's lead to 4-0.
Colorado was already struggling to keep up, and the penalties kept coming. Brock Nelson was called for interference, and another breakdown in the defensive zone gave O'Reilly room to strike again on the power play. His second goal of the night made it 5-1 and marked Nashville's third power-play goal.
At this point, the Avalanche looked like Survivor contestants caught in a hurricane, scrambling to stay afloat while the Predators kept piling on.
Lehkonen finally got Colorado on the board, continuing his hot stretch with his 10th goal in 12 games. It gave the Avs a little life, but Nashville still had control of the game heading into the third.
Third Period
Colorado finally managed to record a shot on the power play after O'Reilly was called for hhooking. Moments later, Nazem Kadri was penalized for tripping Adam Wilsby, but the Avalanche found the net anyway.
Malinski threaded a pass to Devon Toews, whose shot hit the post and bounced past Annunen. The goal cut Nashville's lead to 5-2 and briefly gave Colorado something to build on.
Any momentum didn't last long.
Brent Burns and Logan O'Connor took consecutive penalties, putting the Avalanche in a difficult spot once again. Colorado's parade to the penalty box had reached eight minor penalties, and Nashville was handed a five-on-three power play.
Wedgewood took a shot off his mask and struggled to get back into position. Stamkos was waiting with an open net and made no mistake, scoring his second goal of the night to restore Nashville's four-goal cushion at 6-2.
That was effectively the end of it. The Avalanche had no answer for Nashville's power play, couldn't clean up the mistakes that kept putting them in trouble, and never found a way to make the game competitive.
The Avalanche gave up four power-play goals, took eight minor penalties, and spent most of the night chasing the game. If Bednar thought the last two road games were among the worst he'd seen in years, Sunday's showing in Nashville gave him another one to consider.
The Vancouver Canucks have placed former San Jose Sharks defenseman Jack Thompson on waivers with the intent of reassigning him to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.
Thompson, a former Tampa Bay Lightning third-round selection in 2020, was originally acquired by the Sharks as a part of the trade that sent Anthony Duclair to Tampa back in 2024. During his time in teal, the now 24-year-old defenseman played 33 games at the NHL level while spending the rest of his stint in the Bay Area with the San Jose Barracuda.
During his time with the Sharks, Thompson had 10 points (four goals and six assists). Meanwhile, he played 85 games with the Barracuda and registered a total of 35 points in 85 games.
Eventually, the Sharks opted to trade Thompson in a one-for-one deal that saw Jett Woo coming to the Bay Area in an attempt to bolster the Barracuda's blue line with a veteran presence.
Thompson, who has spent the entirety of his time in the Canucks organization in the NHL, missed training camp and the start of the 2026-27 season due to an injury. Now that he's ready to go, the Canucks are sending him back to Abbotsford, assuming he's able to clear waivers.
DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored twice and the Dallas Stars had a three-goal third period in a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Sunday night.
Robertson’s breakaway at 9:45 of the third period came five minutes after Wyatt Johnston’s tiebreaker. Mikko Rantanen added a goal four minutes after Robertson with his team-high sixth goal of the season.
Tyler Seguin and Justin Hryckowian also scored for the Stars, who have won five consecutive games. Jake Oettinger made 16 saves.
Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn scored for the Islanders, who erased three one-goal deficits only to lose two straight (0-1-1) for the first time this season. Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 shots allowing a season high in goals.
Johnston scored from the slot 4:10 into the final period on a feed from Nils Lundqvist. After scoring a career-most 45 goals last season, Johnston has goals in consecutive games after going goalless in his first seven outings.
Sunday marked the Dallas return of Pete DeBoer, who took over the Islanders with four games to play last season. DeBoer was fired by the Stars in June 2025 after losing in the conference finals in each of his three Dallas seasons.
The Stars have 20 straight penalty kills through its last five games, three on Sunday.
The game was Dallas’ third in a six-game homestand and began a three-game Central Division trip for New York.
Hryckowian’s younger brother, Dylan, and fellow forward Matthew Seminoff made their NHL debuts on Dallas' fourth line. The brothers were in the starting lineup.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Florida Panthers at the United Center for a Sunday afternoon matinee. With the Panthers being one of the elite teams in the NHL based on their pedigree, the Blackhawks knew they would have to match that level of play for 60 minutes if they were going to have a chance.
The Blackhawks are in the middle of a run against many of the league's top teams. Jeff Blashill spoke before the game about how this is a good thing for his young group as they work towards becoming a winner themselves.
The Blackhawks are currently a team that gets off to a great start early in the game and lets it fall apart shortly after taking a lead. Well, this game had a similar start.
The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead at 2:34 of the first period. Kevin Korchinski, who was inserted into the lineup for this game, threw one towards the net that was batted out of midair to Ryan Greene, whose first of the year gave the Blackhawks the lead.
When the first period was over, however, it was 2-1 Panthers thanks to goals scored by Sandis Vilmanis and Matthew Tkachuk. Once again, the Blackhawks couldn't get out of the first period with the lead after going up 1-0.
Unlike most games so far this season, however, the Blackhawks didn't totally fall apart in the second period. After being blown out on the shot clock in the first period (15-6), they kept it even at 9 apiece in the second.
The Blackhawks also scored the only goal of the middle frame. Roman Kantserov scored on a low shot immediately after receiving a pass from Patrick Kane. Connor Bedard also collected an assist on the goal. That 2-2 score held through the second intermission.
In the third period, the Panthers began with the advantage in terms of overall play, but they were unable to break through before the Blackhawks started to find their legs. An unfortunate line change, however, allowed Lars Eller to skate in and snipe one past Spencer Knight with 2:23 remaining.
The Blackhawks desperately tried to tie it with Knight on the bench for the extra attacker, but they were unable to get it done. The 3-2 score held as the final.
The power play (and special teams in general) were the biggest issue for the Blackhawks in this game. They went a stunning 0/7 with the man advantage and allowed 1 power-play goal to Florida on their 4 tries.
If the Blackhawks converted on just one of their chances, they would have at minimum earned 1 standings point in the game. Instead, their league-worst power play got even worse, and they got nothing in the standings. For a team that has trouble scoring as it is, missing this many times on the power play is going to sink them even further.
The Chicago Blackhawks will end their 7-game homestand on Tuesday. They will welcome the Los Angeles Kings to the United Center. After that, they will hit the road for two games against the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins.
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The Florida Panthers got off the schneid on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.
Fresh off a pair of frustrating, multi-goal defeats, the Panthers earned themselves a gritty 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
It wasn’t a great start for Florida, as the Cats were bogged down in their own zone during the early minutes of the game.
Chicago was able to capitalize when Ryan Greene finished off a quick play that saw a point shot by Kevin Korchinski go wide, but Andrew Mangiapane was below the goal line and quickly popped the puck to a wide-open Greene in the slot.
Just like that, it was 1-0 Blackhawks at the 2:34 mark.
That was apparently the wakeup call that Florida needed.
After a few strong shifts by the Panthers to change the momentum, Sandis Vilmanis pounced on a Sam Reinhart rebound to knot the score at one about four minutes later.
Florida then pulled off a couple strong penalty kills, including an extended 5-on-3, before Seth Jones fired a shot from distance that hit off Matthew Tkachuk’s body and went into the net, giving the Panthers their first lead of the day.
A tally by Roman Kantserov, the only goal scored in the second period, would send the game into the final frame knotted up at two.
That’s how the score would remain until the game’s final minutes.
Catching Chicago in a bad line change, Aaron Ekbald found Lars Eller all alone at the Blackhawks’ blue line with nobody in a red sweater anywhere close to him.
Eller walked in all alone on Spencer Knight and fired a shot from the right circle that sailed past Knight’s blocker and into the far side of the net with just 2:23 remaining.
Lars Eller with the LATE goal as the Hawks were changing for the lead 🚨
A few big saves by Akira Schmid later and Florida was back on the winning side of things.
Schmid came up huge throughout the game, but he came up with several crucial stops during the third period, including a couple breakaways and a big blocker stop on Patrick Kane in the final seconds.
He finished the game with 20 saves, including stops on eight of the nine high danger shots he faced, according to Natural Stat Trick.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year, $3 million contract to end a contract stalemate with a restricted free agent yet to play this season.
The reigning Stanley Cup champions announced the deal Sunday, coming after Nikishin's name had been mentioned as a potential trade candidate as he sat out to start the year.
“We’re glad that Alexander is returning to our group,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said in a statement. “This has been a long process, but we look forward to him re-entering our locker room ready to contribute with the Hurricanes, as he did during a Stanley Cup championship season last year.”
The 25-year-old Nikishin was a third-round pick in the 2020 draft and had been considered a prized prospect. He made his NHL debut when he was pressed into duty due to injuries in the 2025 playoffs, which ended with a loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Nikishin played 81 regular-season games last year and posted 11 goals, 22 assists and a plus-18 rating. He worked as a third-pairing defenseman while appearing in 17 of 19 postseason games as the Hurricanes won their second Cup, the other coming in 2006.
The Vegas Golden Knights are coming home with a three-game losing streak and a growing list of questions about how quickly they can rediscover the habits that fueled their strong start.
Vegas has surrendered 14 goals during the skid, following consecutive 6-2 losses to Tampa Bay and St. Louis, and Saturday’s 2-1 overtime defeat at Columbus.
But the latest setback offered a different concern. After struggling to keep opponents off the scoreboard, the Golden Knights tightened things considerably and still couldn’t generate enough offense to finish the job.
At 8-4-1, Vegas has room to correct its course. With two home games ahead, beginning Tuesday against Ottawa, three storylines deserve the closest attention.
1. Can Vegas make its defensive improvement stick?
Saturday represented progress after two games in which defensive breakdowns repeatedly became goals.
Carter Hart stopped 18 shots, and Vegas limited Columbus to one regulation goal. That gave the Golden Knights a foundation they badly needed after allowing six goals in consecutive outings.
The challenge now is making that structure repeatable.
Following the loss in St. Louis, coach Ryan Craig addressed hesitation when players had opportunities to pressure the puck.
“When you have a chance to close, we want you to go,” Craig said. “The four other guys are reading off you.”
That connection is essential. When one player pressures and the others hesitate, passing lanes open and opponents gain space to attack.
Coming home should give Vegas an opportunity to reinforce those reads through practice and familiar routines. The next step is carrying Saturday’s tighter coverage into another complete game while maintaining enough pressure to force opponents into mistakes.
One improved defensive performance offers encouragement. Consecutive performances would provide stronger evidence that the correction is taking hold.
2. When will the penalty kill stop deciding games?
The Golden Knights survived regulation Saturday, but their penalty kill couldn’t survive overtime.
Adam Fantilli’s power-play winner extended a troubling stretch: Vegas has allowed a power-play goal in five consecutive games.
That leaves almost no margin when the offense stalls.
The overtime situation was especially unforgiving, with Shea Theodore serving a holding penalty and Columbus enjoying a four-on-three advantage. Still, the larger issue extends beyond one penalty or one coverage decision.
Vegas needs cleaner clears, coordinated pressure and fewer opportunities
for opponents to establish possession and move the puck through dangerous areas.
Discipline matters, too. A struggling penalty kill becomes an even greater liability when it must repeatedly protect a tie or preserve a narrow lead.
For a team trying to regain control of games, special teams must become a source of stability. Right now, opponents believe one opportunity can change the outcome.
3. Can the offense recover without sacrificing structure?
Vegas has scored five goals in its three losses, a sharp drop from the 17 it scored during its preceding three-game winning streak.
Tomas Hertl supplied Saturday’s lone goal by finishing a rebound. That sequence offered a useful reminder of where offense can come from when cleaner opportunities disappear: traffic, second chances and persistence around the crease.
Mitch Marner missed both road games while staying in Las Vegas for his child's birth. His availability will be worth monitoring, but the offense is spread throughout the lineup.
The Golden Knights need more sustained possessions and more players arriving in scoring areas together.
They also must resist forcing plays simply because goals have become harder to find. That approach risks reopening the defensive problems they began addressing in Columbus.
The opportunity at home is straightforward: build on the improved defending, repair the penalty kill and generate offense that doesn’t depend on trading chances.
THIS WEEK
Tuesday vs. Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Vegas opens its two-game homestand against an Ottawa team coming off a seven-goal performance against the Rangers, including a Drake Batherson hat trick. Containing Batherson and Tim Stutzle will test whether the Golden Knights can build on their improved defensive effort in Columbus.
Friday vs. New Jersey Devils, 3 p.m.
The Nevada Day matinee brings a Devils team bolstered by Connor Hellebuyck, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner New Jersey acquired from Winnipeg. If Hellebuyck gets the start, Vegas will need traffic, rebounds and sustained pressure to challenge him. With Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt driving New Jersey’s attack, the Golden Knights must generate those chances without exposing themselves defensively.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) picks up a loose puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Nationwide Arena.
Talk about an exciting weekend! The New Jersey Devils kicked it off with the Connor Hellebuyck blockbuster trade. The big news was on everyone’s mind heading into Saturday afternoon’s game and following the 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
“There should be a lot of noise about it. It's a huge splash for our team, our market,” Jack Hughes stated after the Devils' third win in a row. The Hellebuyck deal is where this week’s Devils Notebook begins. With a few days to process the trade, it’s a good time ot look at some lessons and takeaways from the deal for both the Devils, the Winnipeg Jets, and the NHL.
5 Lessons From The Connor Hellebuyck Trade
1. The best time to trade a player is early; the value only goes down from there. The analogy is a car: once it’s purchased, the value is at its highest. In the Jets’ case, they had offers when the draft took place.
There were reports that the Buffalo Sabres wanted to acquire Hellebuyck, and other teams were willing to move top draft picks to make the deal happen. Instead, the Jets waited, hoping the trade request from their goaltender would subside and that a better offer would come later.
Weeks turned into months, and the Heritage Classic, combined with a team-imposed suspension ending, put an official clock on this trade. The Jets had to get it done this weekend. Devils' general manager, Sunny Mehta, made his offer to acquire Hellebuyck at a time when he knew the Jets were desperate to get a deal done.
The return for many hockey fans appears underwhelming. The Devils gave up Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command, and two future draft picks. However, none of the draft picks were first-rounders, and Mercer is the only NHL-ready skater in the return.
The problem for the Jets is that their hands were tied. Hellebuyck had a no-trade clause and could pick his destination. Moreover, they had to trade him, and the rest of the league knew it.
That said, GM Kevyn Chevedeyoff waited until the last minute, even though he had better offers earlier. Many people would criticize Jim Rutherford for making trades well before deadlines, whether it was the Bo Horvat or Quinn Hughes deals. However, that approach gave the Vancouver Canucks the best possible offers, and when the best offer is on the table, it’s best not to wait.
2. Eventually, every GM must make a big swing to take a good team and put it over the hump. Mehta is coming over from the Florida Panthers, who were known for their aggressive approach under GM Bill Zito. Only three players on the back-to-back Cup-winning teams were drafted and developed by the team (Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Anton Lundell). The rest were signed in free agency or added in trades.
Zito’s early years as the Panthers team builder featured under-the-radar trades that turned into home runs. The Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett trades came at a low cost and gave them two top-six forwards. However, Zito had to take the big swing to turn the Panthers into a Cup contender.
That swing was Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers gave up a lot to get him, sending MacKenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames. However, the Tkachuk move changed the team and built it for Cup runs.
Eric Tulsky operated the same way when he took over as the Carolina Hurricanes GM. His big swing was the Mikko Rantanen trade, yet what made that move more impressive is that he realized it wouldn’t work out and flipped the star to the Dallas Stars for Logan Stankoven, who became an integral part of the 2026 Cup-winning team (interestingly, the Rantanen addition also gave the Hurricanes Taylor Hall, who was also a pivotal part of the playoff run).
Sure, these trades can backfire. Nobody wants to be the GM who trades away Nick Suzuki for Max Pacioretty, yet everyone wants to be the Vegas Golden Knights, who made that deal along with the Jack Eichel and Mark Stone trades to build the 2023 Cup team.
Mehta is operating the same way but at a higher speed. He made his safe bets early on in his tenure, acquiring Amadeus Lombardi, Luke Evangelista, and a handful of depth players with upside in the offseason. Now, he’s ready to take swings. Hellebuyck is the big one who takes a Devils team that’s 7-4 and puts them in the contention conversation.
3. Great teams can never have enough depth. When Mehta took over the Devils, it was a priority to add depth both on the NHL roster and at the American Hockey League level. Having the extra players helps when the injuries pile up, but also allows a GM to make a trade and not worry about the fallout.
Mehta moved Mercer, a valuable middle-six winger, in the Hellebuyck trade. Yet he had the luxury of trading him because Evangelista, Anthony Mantha, and Jesper Boqvist, three players he acquired this summer, were playing a similar role and could fill that void.
While it’s tough to trade Daws, a goaltender who was developed in the Devils farm system, the move was possible because of the Rémi Poirier waiver claim. If Hellebuyck isn’t ready for a few weeks, Jake Allen can take on the majority of the workload while Poirier can start a game or two.
Adding depth also adds resources to the team. The Devils were in a better position to make this trade now than they were at the draft because of all the moves Mehta made.
4. Goaltending doesn’t make the biggest difference, but it makes enough of a difference. The conversation around the Devils and goaltending after the trade was whether Hellebuyck adds enough value to make a difference. Does any goaltender move the needle enough to turn a team into a Stanley Cup contender? The recent Cup winners, notably the Hurricanes and Golden Knights, proved that a team doesn’t need to spend big on the position or have a clear-cut number one to win it all.
Mehta, who comes from an analytical background, addressed this topic at Hellebuyck’s introductory press conference. “I think that the spread is narrower than most people think, but that doesn't mean the spread is zero at all,” he stated regarding the impact of elite goaltending.
It’s worth adding that the position is tougher to predict. So, why make a move for a goaltender when the deal can flop? If the goaltending position is tricky to predict, where do you want to bet? You want to bet on a person that has a large sample size of excellent results who's on a good cap hit. That's literally the three things that hit with Connor,” Mehta added.
A great goaltender might add a few wins or steal a few games. Similarly, the gap between good and great coaching might be a game or two. However, that’s the difference between making and missing the playoffs. More importantly, a game or two can be the difference between winning a series or two. With Hellebuyck in the net, the Devils have enough of an edge over their division rivals to make the playoffs. If he plays at a high level, they might have the advantage over any team in a playoff series. And that’s a strong enough argument for Mehta to make this trade.
5. One move in a vacuum might not work out, but if it opens the door for other star players, then it makes the initial deal worthwhile. The John Tavares contract, for example, wasn’t a great one for the Toronto Maple Leafs, arguably an overpay. That said, that deal convinced other star players to join the Maple Leafs and, more importantly, convinced the young core at the time that they were building something special (even if they didn’t in the end).
A more relevant example to the Devils is the Sergei Bobrovsky contract. When the Panthers signed the goaltender, it was viewed as a terrible deal that was sure to age poorly. However, that contract was the first move to build them into a contender. By signing a star goaltender, it convinced other players that they were willing to buy in and make a push for a Cup.
The Devils made a handful of moves to convince Hellebuyck to lift his no-trade clause and join them. The direction that the team is heading in convinced him that they are trending in the right direction.
Likewise, the Hellebuyck trade sends a message to the room that this front office is willing to go all in. It also sends the message to players on other teams that the Devils are making a push to win a Cup, and it’s a place worth signing in free agency or waiving a no-trade clause to join.
Can Mehta Acquire Dylan Larkin? Don’t Put It Past Him!
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported this week that Dylan Larkin expanded his trade list to include 10 teams. Larkin has a no-trade clause, but with the Detroit Red Wings refusing to move him, he’s willing to open up the list to teams that can make a favorable offer. The Devils were one of the teams on that list.
Even after acquiring Hellebuyck, there’s always room for improvement, and the Devils are far from finished. “We're never done. We're never done, but I'm excited about the roster, and you guys know that; we talked about that in training camp,” Mehta stated after the Hellebuyck addition.
At first, it seems unlikely that the Devils can make this trade. After all, other teams have more assets to move. However, the Devils have everything in place to make a trade happen, notably because of the depth they’ve stocked up on this offseason.
If the Red Wings want young NHL-ready players, the Devils can offer Arseny Gritsyuk or Luke Evangelista. If they want prospects, the Devils have Anton Silaev and Lenni Hämeenaho in their system. They also have two 2027 first-round picks.
In short, Mehta has enough to put together a strong package. The asking price for top-six centers is usually three pieces, and while the Red Wings will want more for Larkin, they might settle for that price.
Larkin, at first glance, isn’t the player that the Devils need. They are set up in the middle with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. However, he’s a versatile forward who can play anywhere in the lineup and impact the game in different ways. Adding him gives the Devils forward unit another dimension.
Cynically, it’s easy to look at the Devils and think that they are trying to assemble the USA Olympic super team (minus the Tkachuk brothers). Why stop at Hellebuyck or Larkin? They might as well add Zack Werenski at the trade deadline, especially if the Columbus Blue Jackets are sellers. Plus, they can sign Quinn Hughes in the offseason.
That said, Larkin might become Mehta’s next target. And as Mehta has shown, when he has a target, he’s willing to make the right offer to get it done.
Now Is A Good Time To Hit The Road
The Devils haven’t had a real road trip yet this season. They’ve played three of their first 11 games on the road, but the rest of their games have been at Prudential Center. This week, they have a back-to-back against the Dallas Stars (Oct. 27) and Colorado Avalanche (Oct. 28) before wrapping things up against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 30.
“It’s actually great that we have a road trip. We haven't really had an actual trip yet, so I think it's good for our group,” Jake Allen mentioned after the third consecutive home game. It’s good for teams who need a “simple road game,” which typically happens when teams have minimal practice time. It also helps teams that are playing the right way, as they can build a hot streak.
It’s specifically beneficial for the Devils, who are looking to bond as a team, especially now that Hellebuyck is joining them. “I remember coming here when I got traded, and we went right on the trip, and I thought it was great for me,” Allen added. Allen, like Hellebuyck, is a veteran goaltender who needed time with the team both on and off the ice. A road trip provides it.
“Perfect timing to get on the road. We've accomplished what we needed to here on this home stand. Our game's in a really good place right now,” Brenden Dillon stated. It’s a good time for the Devils to build on their hot streak and move up in the standings.
The question many fans have is whether Hellebuyck will start a game on the upcoming road trip. Hellebuyck is ready to go, something he told Mehta the moment the trade was official, and he confirmed during his introductory presser. It speaks to his competitive drive. However, it’s still up in the air, and the Devils will figure it out as things play out.
Quick Hits
Dillon couldn’t stop beaming and holding back his excitement when talking about Hellebuyck. The two were teammates in Winnipeg and knew each other well, allowing him to help with the move. “I think my wife's texted his wife about places to live and not to live, where to where to go. He's got two kids right around my two. So, it'll be great,” Dillon noted.
Both players are at a similar point in their careers. Both Dillon and Hellebuyck are in their 30s, have families, and are looking to win a Cup before retiring and settling down.
While the media was waiting to speak to Sheldon Keefe in his pregame availability against the Kings, I asked Amanda Stein, the Devils team reporter and media aficionado for the past decade, if Hellebuyck was the best goaltender she’s covered. Before joining the Devils beat, she covered the Montreal Canadiens, so Carey Price was the best goaltender she’s covered.
Seconds later, a handful of reporters were debating which goaltender was better and who was the greatest of all time. Is Carey Price in the top 10? What about Marc-Andre Fleury? It was a fun moment before everyone gathered around Keefe to discuss Hellebuyck and the state of the Devils.
Arseny Gritsyuk scored on an empty net in Saturday’s 3-1 win to extend his scoring streak to five games. He now leads the Devils with six goals on the season. The Devils were hoping for a breakout season from Gritsyuk, and so far, he’s delivered.
After acquiring Hellebuyck, Mehta admitted it was exciting to get the deal done. “Yeah, it's exciting. They're all exciting, though. Every trade we make, every transaction, every signing, every contract, everything. It's why I love this job. It's, you know, I love it. I love the action,” Mehta noted. It’s the feeling that the Devils, the fans, and everyone in between have right now. It’s an exciting time for the Devils!
What’s on your mind from the past week? What will you keep an eye on in the upcoming matchups? Comment below!
As the Philadelphia Flyers eagerly anticipate the return of numerous injured veterans, another roster move has been made, freeing up a spot in the lineup if needed.
On Sunday, the Flyers announced that forward Jacob Gaucher has been re-assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he'll get back to playing in a top-line role next to top center prospect Jett Luchanko.
With Gaucher off the NHL roster, the Flyers have exactly one spot available on their 23-man roster, with key veterans Travis Konecny, Cam York, and Owen Tippett candidates to be activated from injured reserve to fill the spot.
Konecny, 29, is yet to resume skating and has been out for the Flyers since Oct. 8. The Flyers' two-time 30-goal-scorer is likely at least a week or two away from a return at this point.
As for York, though, the 25-year-old has returned to full participation in practice for the Flyers, skating on a defense pair with Rasmus Ristolainen during Friday's session at the Flyers Training Center.
Ristolainen, of course, made his return against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday afternoon, playing for the first time sinec Oct. 3.
Tippett has been considered day-to-day by the Flyers since suffering an upper-body injury in a game against Detroit on Oct. 15, and given that Gaucher, a forward, is the latest to leave the club, it certainly seems as though Tippett is next in line to come back from injury.
Tippett, 27, has been dealing with his injury for some time now, according to head coach Rick Tocchet, and the speedster finally got to a point where it was better to sit out and rest, having absorbed a heavy check from defenseman Moritz Seider in the Detroit game.
Of note, Gaucher served as the Flyers' fourth-line center for Saturday's game against Anaheim, slotting in between Denver Barkey and rookie winger Cole Knuble.
Previously, Gaucher had played wing next to Sean Couturier and Michael Bunting for the Flyers, though lines have regularly been in flux with the team's nine-game winless start, followed by a three-game win streak.
Although Tippett has largely struggled for the Flyers this season, scoring just one goal, one assist, and two points in nine games, his presence will surely be welcomed back by a Flyers team that has been featuring Noel Acciari in a top-six role as of late.
Tippett has scored at least 27 goals for the Flyers in three of the last four seasons, and if he can get going again, the Flyers will be much more likely to dig themselves out of the Eastern Conference's basement going forward.
The Colorado Avalanche will take on the Nashville Predators Sunday evening at Bridgestone Arena, and two familiar faces will be waiting on the other side.
Ross Colton and Jack Drury are set to face their former team for the first time since leaving Colorado in the offseason.
Neither departure was exactly simple. Colton was traded to Nashville alongside goaltender Isak Posch in a cost-cutting move that brought goaltender Magnus Chrona and two draft picks back to Colorado. Drury, meanwhile, was dealt with forward Chase Bradley and a draft pick in exchange for Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux. Drury’s situation was a little more complicated, as the restricted free agent turned down multiple contract offers, leaving Colorado with limited options.
Nathan MacKinnon following Colorado's 6-3 win over Tampa.
Still, both players left their mark on the Avalanche. Drury was a reliable fourth-line center who brought defensive responsibility and consistency, while Colton provided a physical edge and timely scoring. After a disappointing regular season that saw him benched for Colorado’s first two playoff games, Colton found his game again and delivered some much-needed bite when the stakes were highest. Unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough to save the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche from a second-round sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Colton finished his Colorado tenure with 42 goals and 51 assists in 214 regular-season games, adding three goals and six assists in 23 playoff appearances. Drury, who arrived in Colorado as part of the Mikko Rantanen trade with Carolina, recorded 15 goals and 21 assists in 115 regular-season games. He also chipped in four goals and three assists in 20 playoff games, including a huge goal in Game 3 against Vegas that gave Colorado a 3-0 lead before the Avs let the game slip away late.
Now, both will get their first crack at their former club in Predators colors.
Avalanche Looking to Keep the Offense Rolling
Nashville enters Sunday’s matchup at 3-3-4 through 10 games, while Colorado is looking to build on Friday’s 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning after dropping its previous two contests.
And yes, Artturi Lehkonen — not Nathan MacKinnon — leads the Avalanche in goals. Lehkonen has found the net nine times in 11 games, while MacKinnon continues to do MacKinnon things with seven goals and 13 assists for a team-high 20 points.
MacKinnon has two goals and four assists in his last five games against Nashville, while Martin Necas has recorded one goal and two assists over his last five meetings with the Predators. Lehkonen, meanwhile, has been a thorn in Nashville’s side throughout his career, piling up seven goals and seven assists against the Predators.
For Nashville, former Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly is coming off a hat trick against Colorado in the teams’ most recent meeting on January 16. Filip Forsberg has scored 20 career goals against the Avs in 43 games, including three in his last five, while Steven Stamkos has 12 goals against Colorado in 31 career matchups.
So, if the Avalanche defense was hoping for a quiet night, that probably isn’t happening.
A Goaltending Reunion, Too
The expected matchup in net is Scott Wedgewood against Justus Annunen, adding another layer of intrigue to an already familiar-feeling game.
The two goaltenders were traded for one another in a series of moves following Colorado’s acquisition of Mackenzie Blackwood in exchange for Alexandar Georgiev. Now, they’ll face off against their former organizations, with both looking to make their old teams regret letting them go.
Wedgewood has posted a 2.23 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in seven career games against Nashville, giving Colorado a steady option between the pipes. Annunen, meanwhile, lost his only career appearance against the Avalanche despite turning in a respectable .925 save percentage.
With former teammates on both sides, a couple of familiar goal scorers and a goaltending matchup with a little extra history, Sunday’s game has plenty of potential storylines.
The puck drops at 6 p.m. local time from Bridgestone Arena. And for Colton and Drury, it’s their first chance to show the Avalanche exactly what they’re missing.
The Buffalo Sabres have continued to put forth incomplete efforts this season, that is costing them valuable points in the standings. The Sabres have dug themselves early holes in most of their first 11 games, but the club uncharacteristically took an early lead, before squandering it in the second period in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday.
Former Sabre Alex Tuch scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with 1:18 remaining in overtime, to hand Buffalo their third straight loss. Jack Quinn and Josh Doan staked Buffalo to a 2-0 lead, but Tuch and Dylan Strome erased that lead, and Strome scored his second of the game to give Washington the lead after 40 minutes. Noah Ostlund tied the contest in the third, but the Sabres were outshot in the game 34-21.
“When you play against your former team…you always want to score. To be able to get the game-winner was pretty special.”
"There were mistakes by both teams. They capitalized on a couple of ours, and I thought we could have capitalized on a couple of theirs late," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. " I thought we possessed it for a while (in overtime).. We just didn't make the right decision on a couple plays. I thought we could have, tried to get some subtle picks in. The play on the goal, we're still in man-on-man coverage, and one of our forwards let go.
Tuch, who leads the Capitals with seven goals, got a fortunate bounce off of a Buffalo player past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen late in the first, and scored from the slot to give Washington the win.
"I thought (Alex) played well. I guess you'd have to say (he was)) pretty fortunate on the first one." Ruff said. " I think he had one or two looks in the game, but I thought he played well. I just expected him to play well, and I thought he did."
The Sabres were without forward Jiri Kulich, but Ruff indicated that he was feeling better after getting hit with a puck in the face at practice on Friday. The 22-year-old is hoping to join the club for the California leg of their four-game road swing, but will have to pass tests in Buffalo before reuniting with his teammates. The head coach also indicated that with Alex Lyon still not ready to play, backup Colten Ellis will see action in one of the three games against San Jose, Anaheim or Los Angeles.
