Nick Schmaltz scores NHL-best 5th goal and Mammoth beat Devils 5-3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nick Schmaltz scored his NHL-best fifth goal of the season, and the Utah Mammoth relied on their proficient power play to beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Clayton Keller, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Mammoth, and Mikhail Sergachev had three assists to surpass 300 for his career before leaving the game when he took a puck to the back of the helmet late in the second period.

Utah went 2 for 4 on the power play and has scored on 8 of 13 opportunities this season with the man advantage, including Keller's goal in the first period and Schmaltz's go-ahead tally midway through the second that made it 3-2.

Luke Evangelista scored twice for New Jersey and Jesper Boqvist had the other goal.

The Mammoth beat the Devils for the first time, having gone 0-4 in the franchise's previous two seasons.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots for Utah, and New Jersey's Jake Allen made 26 saves.

Sergachev reached 300 assists with his second of the game, on Weegar's goal early in the second period. The 28-year-old Russian defenseman reached the milestone in his 634th NHL game.

He also assisted on Schmaltz's goal for his seventh career four-assist game and fourth in his last 32 contests.

Schmaltz had two assists, the second on Trocheck's goal that made it 5-3 with 3:08 remaining.

New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler left with an injury early in the third period.

Up next

Mammoth: At Boston on Thursday.

Devils: Host Vancouver on Saturday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Larkin scores in return to lineup as Red Wings deal Senators 1st loss of the season 5-3

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin scored in his first game since asking for a trade, helping the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Larkin was initially booed by the home crowd when he touched the puck on his first shift. The boos turned to cheers when he scored in the 13th minute, giving Detroit a lead it never relinquished. He also set up a goal early in the second.

Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Justin Faulk and Viktor Arvidsson added goals for Detroit. John Gibson made 22 saves.

Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and William Eklund scored for the Senators, who had won their first two games. Samuel Ersson had 31 saves.

DeBrincat opened his scoring in the first with a wrist shot 3:16 into the period, assisted by Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur. He added a power-play empty-netter with 50 seconds remaining in the third. DeBrincat also had an assist.

Larkin remains in limbo several months after his trade request became public. He was stripped of the captaincy, reported to training camp despite being injured, missed the start of the season because of injury and received a frosty reaction from home fans during introductions prior to their first game last week.

Ersson started for Ottawa after entering in relief of injured No. 1 goaltender Linus Ullmark for the third period Monday night in Boston. Ullmark did not dress, and the Senators called up Jonas Johansson from Belleville of the American Hockey League to back up.

Ridly Greig made his season debut for Ottawa and finished with an assist. Greig served a two-game suspension at the start of the season that he received for roughing during the Senators’ final playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Greig was banned for sucker punching Carolina defenseman Sean Walker in the second period of Ottawa’s 4-2 loss on April 25.

Up next

Senators: Host Philadelphia on Thursday.

Red Wings: Host Seattle on Friday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Top draft pick Gavin McKenna picks up first NHL goal, assist for Toronto against Predators

TORONTO (AP) — No. 1 draft pick Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

McKenna scored on Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros in the second period of his fourth professional game. The 18-year-old took a pass from Auston Matthews, beat Saros with a high shot and then dropped to one knee in celebration at Scotiabank Arena.

McKenna also had an assist on Toronto’s first goal by William Nylander for his first NHL point.

The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring, and beat the draft lottery odds by winning the right to select McKenna with the first overall selection in June.

The Yukon native who played college hockey at Penn State was just one of a number of new faces to arrive in Toronto during the off season. The Maple Leafs added goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenseman Darren Raddysh before the club acquired winger Kirill Marchenko a day before its regular-season opener.

McKenna, who tore up the Canadian Hockey League before spending 2025-26 in the NCAA, entered play averaging 14 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time with three shots on target and a minus-3 rating through three games.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov out 6-8 weeks with lower-body injury

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will be out six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury after being hurt in their second game back from a season-long absence.

The Panthers coach Paul Maurice announced the diagnosis on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Barkov went down awkwardly on his left leg during a board battle in the second period against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 1. He got up and limped to the dressing room, throwing off his glove in anger.

Barkov had missed the entire 2025-26 season after suffering injuries to his ACL and MCL in his right knee during training camp and having surgery.

Barkov is a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward, including during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The Panthers won the Stanley Cup in both of those seasons.

His injury last season was one of many that derailed the Panthers as they missed the playoffs after three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov out 6-8 weeks with lower-body injury

Insider Keeping Rumored Oilers Trade Target a Secret

TSN insider Darren Dreger was a guest on The Nielson Show and dropped an interesting bit of news that has fans of the Edmonton Oilers guessing. He suggested GM Stan Bowman was in detailed talks with another NHL team from the Eastern Conference and is the frontrunner on someone, but he wouldn't say who. 

Dreger noted, "I'm not gonna mention the player's name because I know it, and I don't think that would be fair to the process" started Dreger. Then he got into a bit more detail.

"A young forward, a young center potentially, with plenty of upside, plenty of room to grow, and plenty to prove at the NHL level. I know it's a conversation the Oilers have had for a number of weeks with a team in the Eastern Conference. I don't want Oilers fans to get too over the top. We're talking about a guy who's still trying to prove his NHL value at this point."

He finished with, "I just know that Edmonton was considered to be a front-runner in trade conversation with this team about this Eastern Conference player."

Dreger said he was purposely being vague because he also didn't want to derail it from the kid's perspective. "If he needs a change of scenery and he might have a good landing place in Edmonton, then so be it."

The Oilers still want to make sure that they get a good look at the young pieces they already have and want to be sure they understand the value of what they already have in house. Mike Babcock has elluded to trying to find players on several occassions. 

Perhaps this deal never goes down, but if Edmonton doesn't feel like they have their own solutions, could this deal happen?

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Dylan Larkin plays his first game for the Red Wings since asking for a trade

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Larkin played for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night for the first time since asking for a trade, getting stripped of the captaincy, reporting to training camp, missing the start of the season because of injury and getting booed by home fans during introductions prior to their first game.

The crowd booed Larkin when he touched the puck for the first time on his opening shift. Larkin was then slow to get back defensively, and Ottawa's Tim Stützle scored off the rush less than three minutes in.

Larkin remains in limbo several months after his trade request became public and Detroit’s longtime general manager, Steve Yzerman, was abruptly moved out of that role in mid-July. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff said Larkin was injured in off-ice training and would miss the start of camp.

Coach Todd McLellan said following the morning skate that Larkin would play against the unbeaten Senators as long as the 30-year-old center was cleared by doctors. Larkin was activated off injured reserve prior to taking the ice for pregame warmups.

Larkin is a Michigan native who has played his entire NHL career with Detroit, which last made the playoffs in his rookie season a decade ago. That is the longest active drought of any of the league's 32 teams.

Fans at the home opener taped over Larkin's name with such things as “Loser," “Traitor” and “Leavin" and at times chanted, “Sell the team."

Larkin initially last spring gave the Red Wings only three destinations he'd accept a trade to — Florida, Minnesota and Vegas — before reportedly adding more possibilities in recent weeks.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Canucks’ Tough Road-Trip Test Will Be Even Tougher For Jake DeBrusk

The Vancouver Canucks are about to embark on one of their most physically-daunting road trips of the 2026–27 season. Only four games into the regular-season, Vancouver’s upcoming trip will see the team play the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning all before October 20. 

A lengthy road trip against strong opponents like these — beginning with the defending Stanley Cup Champions, no less — is sure to put Vancouver through a grind. 

For Jake DeBrusk, who is just coming off a case of the flu that saw him sit out of Saturday’s 4–1 win against the Calgary Flames and Sunday’s 3–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, this task will be even more difficult. 

Tuesday morning’s practice ahead of Vancouver’s flight to Raleigh was DeBrusk’s first time practicing with the full team since skating as an extra on Friday ahead of the weekend games. On Saturday, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra revealed that DeBrusk was out with the flu. 

On Tuesday, DeBrusk revealed that his illness had actually begun much earlier than Saturday. 

“I initially felt it, actually, the day of the game in Edmonton,” he said in a media availability. “It was a long off-season, long year. You obviously want to play in the first game and the home-opener, but I think obviously the medical staff stepped in. They did their job and they told me that I probably should take some time off.” 

In his first practice back with the team, DeBrusk was noticeably a little hoarser than usual, but still managed to emit energy. 

Fittingly, in his first practice back, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra had the players bag-skate to end things off. It was a good test of the lungs for the Canucks winger, but also served as a reminder of what state he’ll need to be in to play in Vancouver’s next game. 

“I was able to do it, which is great. But I’ve obviously got to test the lungs. That’s the biggest thing right now. It was obviously an air-conditioned building. It sounds like a simple thing, but I feel [it] as soon as I walk in here. So I’ve got to go through it. If I want to play in the next game, I have to do these steps.” 

Because of the fact that he’s missed half of Vancouver’s games throughout the start of the regular season — and had to deal with symptoms during the other two — the forward noted that it feels like he has yet to actually start the season. With that, comes those first-day-back feelings of excitement. 

“I’m starting off at zero, so it’s been positive. Obviously the last two days I’ve been doing kind of nothing. But to be able to skate today, see the guys, it gives you energy, feeling for them. Everyone’s in a good mood, and it’s nice to be back in the room.” 

Vancouver’s first game of their six-game road trip takes place against the Hurricanes on Thursday at 4:00 pm PT. 

Sep 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) looks on against the Seattle Kraken during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
Sep 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) looks on against the Seattle Kraken during the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

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Islanders at Rangers game thread: Varlamov returns

Bend those knees. | Getty Images

Semyon Varlamov goes for the miracle tonight, starting an NHL game at age 38 and for the first time in two years following two partial knee replacements.

“You ask everyone and they had the same feeling, he gave that vibe that, ‘I’m going to do it, I’ll be the first one in history to ever do it,’” Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau said after the morning skate. “I think we all felt it. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but to see the commitment and the determination that he had in his eyes, it was fun to watch. It was fun to be part of that journey…”

He’ll do it in the New York teams’ first rivalry meeting of the season, with the host Rangers already off to a 3-1 start while the Islanders (1-1) have only played twice.

This is our in-game discussion thread. Don’t hurt a knee.

Winless Flyers sign Michael Bunting to a contract for the rest of the season

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The winless Philadelphia Flyers have signed gritty winger Michael Bunting in the hopes that he can give them a spark following some alarming early season struggles.

General manager Daniel Briere announced the agreement Tuesday in the aftermath of a 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday night. Bunting’s contract is worth a prorated $1.2 million after he went unsigned over the summer as an unrestricted free agent.

It was not immediately clear how soon the 31-year-old would be able to join the team. Philadelphia next plays at Ottawa on Thursday night.

The Flyers have been outscored 17-5 through four games. Opponents have attempted 246 shots to their 122, a margin of minus-124 that is by far the worst in the NHL, with San Jose next at minus-53.

Bunting is an aggressive energy player who has had a scoring touch over his career and brings some much-needed toughness to the situation. He is a veteran of 432 games, counting the playoffs, since making his debut in the league in 2018 and spent last season with Nashville and Dallas.

Philadelphia is his seventh NHL organization after previously spending time with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina and Pittsburgh.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Jets' Viggo Björck Shows Promise Through Underlying Stats Despite Slow Start on Scoresheet

Through the first three games of the Winnipeg Jets' season, 18-year-old rookie Viggo Björck has had a mixed start to his NHL career. Heavily doubted when he entered his first NHL action, the youngster has seen both highs and lows so far.

Over three games, Björck has yet to record a point. He has four shots on net, a minus-one rating and a questionable minor penalty in Winnipeg's 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. He has won just under 26 percent of his faceoffs and is averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time a night, with his season high coming in the opener, when he played just shy of 16 minutes.

Under the hood, however, the numbers are more encouraging. Björck has 29 speed bursts between 18 and 20 miles per hour, which ranks in the 91st percentile in the league and shows his skating is well above average. 

The Swedish import has also been getting himself into scoring position, with three of his four shots on goal coming in high-danger situations, a mark that ranks in the 88th percentile of the NHL. That suggests his first career goal should come sooner rather than later.

His hardest shot of the season so far clocked in at 77.01 miles per hour, which lands just above league average in the 55th percentile, another sign that his tools are on display early.

While fans hoped Björck would immediately seize a top-six role, his early numbers sit closer to league average than above it, and he may settle into more of a middle-six role for now. 

Still, indicators like his high-danger chances point toward a breakout game coming soon, and it could arrive as early as Wednesday night in a massive matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

Image

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It's Only October, But Things Are Already Getting Ugly In Detroit

The Senators couldn't have asked for much more from the first two games of their season... except maybe a little better luck on the injury front.

The Senators will take a 2-0 record into Detroit on Tuesday night after an extremely efficient 4-1 road victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday. Tim Stützle led the way with two goals and an assist, but for the second straight game, the Sens win came with an injury concern involving one of their most important players.

This time it was Linus Ullmark.

Drake Batherson talked about the Senators 2-0 start on Monday night (Senators YouTube).

For a good portion of Tuesday, it appeared Ullmark might be available to back up Samuel Ersson against the Red Wings. However, at approximately 2 p.m., the Senators announced they had recalled goaltender Jonas Johansson from Belleville and defenseman Jorian Donovan had been returned to the AHL.

That doesn't necessarily mean Ullmark's injury is more serious than initially believed. With Ersson already expected to start the second half of the back-to-back, recalling Johansson also ensures recovery time for Ullmark in that they don't even have the option to use him off the bench on Tuesday. 

Ullmark left Monday's game after the second period following a collision in his crease. Sens captain Thomas Chabot tackled J.J. Peterka as the Boston forward drove toward the net, sending Peterka sliding hard into Ullmark.

Ersson replaced Ullmark for the third period.

As for the rest of the lineup on Tuesday, the Sens didn't have a morning skate, but we know that winger Ridly Greig will return from his two game suspension. In all likelihood, Hayden Hodgson will come out.

The least disruptive strategy would be Greig taking Foegele's spot while Foegele takes Hodgson's spot. But Travis Green will meet with the media before game time and his strategy is the only one that matters.

Sens Lineup (from Monday night)

William Eklund -- Dylan Cozens -- Fabian Zetterlund
Warren Foegele -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio -- Shane Pinto -- Claude Giroux
Nick Cousins -- Stephen Halliday -- Hayden Hodgson

Thomas Chabot -- Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven -- Carter Yakemchuk
Cameron Crotty -- Nikolas Matinpalo

Samuel Ersson
Jonas Johansson

Along with Ullmark, Sens will remain without two of their top three defencemen in Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.

Stalled in Motor City

While the Sens arrive in Detroit undefeated, things have become uncomfortable very quickly for the Red Wings.

Detroit, which holds the copyright to name Hockeytown, also holds the record for longest active NHL playoff drought at 10 years. They opened the season with consecutive losses and scoring just two goals. The good news for the Wings is that former captain Dylan Larkin appears poised to make his season debut Tuesday.

“It looks that way right now,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “He’s got one more hurdle to cross. Still on IR, so the doctor will look at him here, and if he’s clear, he’s playing, and if he isn’t, then he won’t.”

Larkin centred a line with Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson at Tuesday's morning skate and also worked on Detroit's first power-play unit.

The Red Wings could certainly use the offence, but Larkin's return also brings one of Detroit's biggest offseason storylines back to centre stage.

Larkin requested a trade during the offseason, and the Red Wings subsequently stripped him of the captaincy. During player introductions before Detroit's home opener, Larkin was greeted by why widespread boos from the home crowd.

That wasn't the only message Red Wings fans delivered.

“Sell the team” chants could also be heard during the game as frustration surrounding the club spilled into the stands.

And Larkin isn't the only major player involved in an uncomfortable situation with the team.

Defenceman Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned and won't be in the lineup again on Tuesday. The restricted free agent has returned home to Sweden after requesting a trade, reportedly unhappy with how contract negotiations have unfolded. Detroit still hopes to sign him to a long-term contract.

Wings Lineup

Viktor Arvidsson -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard -- Emmitt Finnie -- Alex DeBrincat
Michael Rasmussen -- Andrew Copp -- Keegan Kolesar
Nate Danielson -- Carter Mazur

Albert Johansson -- Moritz Seider
Anton Johansson -- Justin Faulk
Ben Chiarot -- Axel Sandin-Pellikka

Andreas Englund

John Gibson
Daniil Tarasov

Scratched: William Wallinder

Injured: Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper body), Marco Kasper (upper body), J.T. Compher (undisclosed), Mason Appleton (undisclosed)

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. For more articles like this click one of the THN.com/Ottawa headlines below: 

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Former Penguins Forward Placed On Waivers By New Team

A former Pittsburgh Penguins forward is available for the taking.

According to PuckPedia, former Penguins forward Jansen Harkins has been placed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Harkins has appeared in one game this season with the Lightning, where he has recorded five hits and a minus-1 rating. This is after he had three goals, eight points, and 113 hits in 44 games with the Anaheim Ducks during this past season. 

The Penguins claimed Harkins off waivers ahead of the 2023-24 season from the Winnipeg Jets. From there, he played in 45 games with the Penguins during the 2023-24 campaign, where he posted zero goals, four assists, 74 hits, and a minus-4 rating. 

Harkins also played in 14 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2023-24 season. During them, he recorded five goals, seven assists, 12 points, and a minus-1 rating.

Harkins' time with the Penguins ended during the 2024 NHL off-season when he signed a two-year contract with the Ducks in free agency.

It will now be interesting to see if another team claims the former Penguins forward off waivers from here. Teams looking for more forward depth and grit could consider taking a chance on him.

Zucker, Lyon Practice, Sabres Take On Wild’s Buffalo Brothers

The Buffalo Sabres continue their five-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, coming off a 4-3 comeback victory over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild are without one of their best defensemen, Brock Faber, but have started the season 2-0 with wins over Boston and Nashville. 

The Sabres held an optional morning skate on Tuesday morning, and had a couple injured players on the ice for the first time. Winger Jason Zucker, still recovering from off-season core muscle surgery and is a couple weeks away, and goalie Alex Lyon, who suffered a shoulder injury against Detroit during the preseason, took part wearing gray non-contact jerseys.   

"(It was) kind  of  one  of  those  situations  where  you  don't  really  know,  and  then  it's  obviously  disappointing  to  miss  any  amount  of  time." Lyon said. yeah, "We've  got  a  lot  of  games,  a  lot  of  good  teams  coming  up,  and  this  early  in  the  season, your  mindset's  so  fresh  that  not  even  thinking  about  the  amount  of  games  or  who  the  opponent  is,  you're  just  excited  to  play. "

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

Sabres sign Noah Ostlund to long-term extension

Colten Ellis was once again in the starter’s net and will make his first start of the season on the one-year anniversary of being claimed off of waivers from St. Louis, and the only lineup change that appears to be in the offing is veteran Justin Danforth starting in place of Sam Carrick.

The Wild’s visit marks the return of the Foligno brothers, Nick and Marcus, to their birthplace. Marcus is playing his 10th season in Minnesota after starting his career and playing six years in Buffalo. Nick has played nearly 1300 games for six clubs, and joined the Wild at the trade deadline after spending three seasons in Chicago. 

"I  coached  Marcus.  I  think it  was  my  last  year  or  my second-to-last year  here." Ruff said. family. "For  those  two  guys  to  come  back  and play  in  the  building,  and  their  dad  played  a  good  part  of  his  career  here. It's just  a  great  hockey  family."

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

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Panthers Will Look To Get Special Teams Going As Season Opening Road Trip Concludes In Los Angeles

The Florida Panthers will play in their fourth straight home opener on Tuesday night.

Florida’s season-opening four-game road trip will come to an end, finally, when they visit the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

Through their first two road games, the Kings have had a hard time keeping the puck out of the net this season.

While it’s a good thing to have scored eight goals in only two games, the Kings have also been outscored by five despite the offensive output.

They’ll turn back to Darcy Kuemper between the pipes on Thursday, giving him a chance to bounce back after an extremely forgettable Opening Night in Colorado.

Kuemper surrendered seven goals to the Avalanche on just 29 shots last Wednesday night, so he’ll certainly be looking to rebound and get his season off on the right track.

Florida, meanwhile, leads all NHL teams that have played at least three games by allowing only one goal at 5-on-5.

They’ve allowed four goals while shorthanded, with a paltry 71.4% success rate on their penalty kill so far on 14 attempts. Clearly that is an area they’ll look to clean up, starting in Los Angeles.

For those who may be wondering, the Kings have gone 2-for-7 on the power play so far this season, good for a 28.6% success rate, ranking them ninth in the league. Florida sits in 22nd with just one power play goal in 17 attempts.

The only teams below the Panthers are ones who have yet to score a power play goal this season.

Florida won both games against the Kings last season, including a 5-2 victory in Los Angeles last November.

Brad Marchand scored twice that night, while Niko Mikkola added a pair of assists in the win.

Both will be counted on for Florida in their return to LA.

Marchand is coming off his regular season debut on Sunday in Anaheim, a game in which he was critical of himself despite scoring a game-tying goal late in the third period.

Mikkola, who will be skating in his 400th NHL game on Tuesday, has yet to find the scoresheet this season, but he and defensive partner Seth Jones have provided excellent shutdown defense at even strength so far this season.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Tuesday’s tilt with the Kings:

Brady Tkachuk – Sam Reinhart – Brad Marchand

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis

Boko Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway

Gus Forsling – Dmitry Kulikov

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Radko Gudas

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Photo caption: Sep 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA;FloridaPanthersleft wing Brady Tkachuk (8) passes during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

Hurricanes @ Canadiens: Preview and Game Thread

MONTREAL, CANADA - MAY 27: Logan Stankoven #22 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre on May 27, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Carolina Hurricanes are getting set for their fourth game of the season, and it promises to be another doozy, as they will pay a visit to the Bell Centre to take on the Montreal Canadiens in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final.

The contest is set for a 7:00 PM puck drop, as both teams will be looking to puck up their second victory of their respective seasons.

The Canadiens enter a game that both their players and fans will surely be revved up for at 1-0-1 following a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on opening night and a wild 6-5 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last Saturday.

Montreal’s star forwards are off to hot starts, as Nick Suzuki has four points on a goal and three assists, while Cole Caufield has already found the back of the net twice. Jakub Dobes was spectacular against Toronto, but faltered against the Pens. He’s rocking a .862 save percentage and 4.05 goals against average, and he’s set to get the nod between the pipes for the third consecutive contest.

Carolina will turn to Brandon Bussi, who was not a factor in last year’s playoff series between the two squads. Bussi has manned the net for both of the Canes’ losses to start the year, as he was excellent against the Florida Panthers before faltering in a big way last Friday against the Washington Capitals.

Sebastian Aho, long a thorn in the side of the Habs, has been pretty much the lone bright spot for Carolina so far offensively. The veteran center has four points on three goals and an assists, and he tallied both of the team’s goals in regulation in Philadelphia on Saturday to help key their first win, which came in overtime thanks to a winner from Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Canes recalled Jusso Valimaki from AHL Chicago, but based on the lineup at the morning skate, Mike Reilly will continue to hold down the sixth defenseman spot after drawing into the lineup for the Flyers game.

You can watch the game on Prime Video, Spectrum Cable, or Fubo. Listen as always on 99.9 The Fan.