The Senators improved to 3-1-0 on the young season thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in their home opener on Thursday night. Carter Yakemchuk's power-play one-timer in the third period stood up as the game-winning goal.

Once again, as has been the case in all three of their wins this season, the victory was bittersweet thanks to another injury.

This time, it was newcomer William Eklund who went down with a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return. Eklund took a clean hit from Flyers defenceman Simon Benoit and had to be helped off the ice, unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Eklund appeared to jam his skate awkwardly into the base of the boards, with the toe of his skate moving upward as if the skate had come off. That makes you think right away that something very bad happened to the ankle or achilles.

William Eklund leaves the game with a lower-body injury after taking a hit from Simon Benoit. pic.twitter.com/i6P9Fj164E

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 8, 2026

But Travis Green had no update on Eklund after the game.

The Senators also lost key players to injury in their first two wins of the season. Jake Sanderson was hurt in Toronto and still isn't skating with the team, while Linus Ullmark was injured in Boston on Monday.

Fortunately, Ullmark was able to return to action Thursday night against the Flyers, stopping 28 of 29 shots. The one goal he allowed was an absolute stinker, but nobody in Ottawa is going to complain about a .966 save percentage on the night.

The Senators opened the scoring midway through the first period when Nick Cousins tipped home a shot from Tyler Kleven.

That lead held up until early in the second, when Matvei Michkov scored one of the easiest goals he'll ever get.

On a Philadelphia power play, Trevor Zegras fired a shot from the top of the circle that Ullmark appeared to see all the way. Somehow, the puck trickled right through him and sat in the crease, fat and juicy, waiting for Michkov to swat it home.

That set the stage for Yakemchuk, who delivered the biggest goal of the night with under seven minutes remaining in regulation.

Claude Giroux made a pass to the rookie defenceman that was perfectly paced and placed for a one-timer. Yakemchuk absolutely blasted it past Joseph Woll for what proved to be the game-winner. While there are certainly still defensive warts that will improve with time, Yakemchuk's cannon of a shot makes him a nice new weapon on the power play.

The Flyers then had the Senators under siege in the final couple of minutes. But the Sens held them off, surviving the late pressure and hanging on for the win.

“You knew Philly was going to play a hell of a game tonight,” Green said. “I thought they did. It was just a greasy, greasy game that had a lot of intensity to it, and we wanted to win that.”

Hoyt Stanley was just happy to be there, making his NHL debut for the Senators as a last-minute call-up from Belleville. Cam Crotty took the morning skate but was under the weather and did not dress.

The Senators officially went 1-for-5 on the power play, although you could make the argument it was more like 2-for-5. Cousins' first-period goal came just four seconds after Travis Sanheim's tripping penalty expired, before the Flyers defenceman had a chance to get back into the play.

Through five games, the Flyers are now 0-3-2 on the year and have scored a grand total of six goals.

After playing their first three games on the road, the Senators can look forward to a little more home cooking. Including Thursday, they're now in a stretch where they play seven of nine games at Canadian Tire Centre, with their next game coming Saturday night at 7 p.m. against the Nashville Predators.

Nashville will arrive in Ottawa fresh off a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, despite being badly outshot 34-20.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

On Aug. 6, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a move that no one really saw coming.

No, they didn't land a superstar winger who was the subject of rumors all summer long. No, they didn't re-sign their 39-year-old captain and NHL legend. And, no, they didn't make a splash. But they did take a big gamble on a young player with little NHL experience and not a ton to show for that experience up to that point. 

And, in the earlygoing of the 2026-27 season, that gamble has begun to show early signs of positivity.

On that day in August, the Penguins signed young forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract. Many in Pittsburgh reacted to the news with some degree of shock, as Koivunen had played in only 47 NHL games with two goals and 14 points. 

Sure, the average annual value of $4 million isn't seismic - especially with the salary cap going up substantially - but the term was a head-scratcher for some. That said, Koivunen already has a goal and two points in three games this season and has remained in the NHL lineup despite the vast forward depth the Penguins possess, which is a testament to his play up to this point.

"I feel like [I'm making] good plays with the puck and making some plays," Koivunen said. "Maybe last game wasn't too good, but wasn't too bad, either. So, I feel pretty good right now."

It's been well-documented how hard Koivunen worked this summer to add weight and get stronger. The Penguins wanted to see him be tougher to knock off of pucks and better along the walls, which are both areas of his game that have seen some noticeable improvement in the first three games he's played this season. 

Penguins Re-sign Ville Koivunen To Eight-Year ContractThe Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed Ville Koivunen to a huge contract on Thursday.

He's no longer getting rid of pucks to avoid contact or to make plays hastily. He knows he has the ability and the physical attributes to be able to carry and protect the puck with authority.

"I feel like I'm stronger and I can keep the puck, hold onto pucks more," Koivunen said. "So, yeah, it feels like it's translated to the ice.

"I think I feel more confident. I'm more confident on the boards, and I don't have to get rid of the puck if I have it there and I feel the pressure. So, that's a thing where, right now, I feel better on the walls."

The 23-year-old isn't the only one who has a higher degree of belief in his play at the NHL level.

Going into a shortened training camp this season, young players, in particular, got the short end of the stick because they had far less runway to prove themselves and stand out to the coaching staff. Koivunen's play in the pre-season games - as well as some injuries to NHL regulars - earned him a spot on the opening night roster.

What a disgusting goal by Ville Koivunen. Totally deked Vladar out of his jockstrap.

THAT is the player the Pens are expecting. Love to see it pic.twitter.com/F2KtsES1Xp

— ryan 🛸 (@OTCellyy) October 1, 2026

He played in the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers and scored an impressive breakaway goal in a 7-0 rout that night. He was scratched in the second game of the season but has played in the last two, registering an assist.

Prior to Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals, a tough roster decision had to be made in order to activate Bryan Rust from injured reserve, as the roster was at full capacity. While many were quick to point out that Koivunen's eight-year term likely makes him waivers-proof, there is always a small risk of an NHL GM taking a gamble as big as the one Kyle Dubas took when he signed Koivunen. 

As it turns out, the Penguins dealt forward Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Spencer Stastney prior to that game, and forward Andrei Kuzmenko - who suddenly lost his father a few weeks ago - was granted non-roster designation by the league. 

Andrei Kuzmenko Granted Non-roster Leave By NHLThe NHL has granted Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko non-roster leave.

From the vantage point of head coach Dan Muse, who had Koivunen remain in line rushes and on the power play during practice Tuesday when talk was rampant, the young forward has earned a stay in the lineup through performance. 

"He's played well," Muse said. "Honestly, I think, for him, coming off of that Philly game, I can't really think of a harder conversation that I've had to have, in recent memory, at least.

"Ville put in the work this summer. I mean, you go back to that last exhibition game, he scores a breakaway goal there in Philly, he has an assist [against Winnipeg], he's making plays, he's stronger, he's done the things that were asked of him, and he's produced on the ice. So, it's a credit to him and the work he's put in. It's good to see."

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

Koivunen is cognizant of an entirely new set of expectations now that he has already broken through to the NHL level and signed a long-term commitment with the Penguins. At this point, it's not just about making the NHL and simply sticking at this level, it's about how he can be a difference-maker and show that the team's investment in him was worth the gamble.

He knows that he has been given a chance to show what he is capable of and how he can help the NHL team moving forward, and he plans to continue taking advantage of that opportunity.

"Everyone wants to play well, everyone wants to stay up and play here and play your game in the NHL. I think that's what everyone wants to do," Koivunen said. "I do feel like you get chances here for young guys, and that's good.

"I think it's just work hard and play my game. I know my strengths, use them, and that's pretty much what it is. Just work hard and try to be a better version of yourself every day. It makes you go a long way."

Takeaways: Mistakes Difference In Penguins' 5-3 Loss To CapitalsA turnover-heavy effort ultimately doomed the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday as they fell to 2-2 on the season.

---

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The Calgary Flames showed signs of improvement Thursday night but couldn’t keep pace with the Colorado Avalanche, falling 7-3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The game featured a pair of familiar faces returning to Calgary in Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar. Makar grew up in Calgary, while Kadri spent multiple seasons with the Flames before being traded to Colorado.

Calgary also welcomed two new faces to the lineup. Jonathan Costagna made his NHL debut, while Aydar Suniev appeared in his first game of the season after being recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Devin Cooley got the start in net.

Colorado opened the scoring late in the first period when Makar found Devon Toews beside the crease. Toews redirected the puck past Cooley to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.

Adam Klapka provided an immediate response for Calgary at 17:30 with an impressive individual effort. The forward carried the puck into Colorado’s zone, toe-dragged around Josh Manson and fired a wrist shot past Scott Wedgewood to tie the game 1-1.

It was Klapka’s first goal of the season, while Costagna picked up his first NHL point with the secondary assist.

The Avalanche took control in the second period, starting with Toews’ second goal of the night at 6:45. His point shot found its way through traffic and past a screened Cooley to restore Colorado’s lead.

Makar extended the advantage moments later, beating Cooley with a quick wrist shot between the goaltender’s glove and body. The Colorado defenceman’s second point of the night made it 3-1.

The Flames continued to struggle defensively as Colorado maintained pressure in the offensive zone. Nathan MacKinnon capitalized at 11:39, blasting a one-timer past Cooley off a feed from Zachary L’Heureux to push the lead to 4-1.

Frustration began to show as Matt Coronato and L’Heureux exchanged words before dropping the gloves for a brief but spirited fight along the boards.

Colorado continued to pull away in the third period. Makar completed his two-goal night with a shot from the high slot that found the top of the net, making it 5-1. MacKinnon and Kadri picked up the assists.

The Avalanche added another when T.J. Hughes found Jaden Schwartz in front of the net. Schwartz finished the play by roofing the puck past Cooley to make it 6-1.

Calgary responded with a pair of goals of its own. Mikael Backlund finished a give-and-go with Ryan Strome at 7:17, cutting the deficit to four.

Kevin Bahl followed at 8:28, putting a shot toward the net that deflected past Wedgewood off a body in front. Suddenly, the Flames had scored twice in just over a minute to make it 6-3.

Any hopes of building further momentum were short-lived. On the next shift, Schwartz sent the puck toward the net, where it deflected off Jake Middleton and past Cooley to restore Colorado’s four-goal advantage.

The Avalanche held on for the 7-3 win, leaving Calgary with another difficult result despite a more competitive start and a late offensive push.

Three Takeaways

1. A better response, but defensive issues remain

The Flames showed more life against a difficult opponent and found ways to generate offence, particularly in the first and third periods. However, Colorado took advantage of defensive breakdowns and sustained offensive-zone pressure to create separation. Calgary’s late push was encouraging, but it came after the game had largely been decided.

2. Adam Klapka makes his presence felt

Klapka was one of Calgary’s most effective players on the night. His first goal of the season was a highlight-reel effort, showcasing his speed, puck control and finishing ability. He also brought a physical presence and remained engaged throughout the game. His performance made a strong case for a larger role as the night progressed.

3. Costagna gets his first NHL point

Costagna’s NHL debut was a milestone in an otherwise difficult night for the Flames. After taking part in his rookie lap during warmups, the rookie forward recorded his first career NHL point by assisting on Klapka’s first-period goal.

The Islanders dispatched the Blackhawks, as well they should, to even their record at 2-2 on the young season.

The 4-1 final turned in the second period when the Isles got two goals in quick succession, converting some counterattacks against a loose Blackhawks team defense.

Bo Horvat had two goals, a power play one to open scoring and an empty netter to finish it, while Emil Heineman scored with a rifle aided by a Horvat screen, and Anthony Duclair got on the board after a snuffed partial breakaway led to an amusingly insightful setup from Logan Stanley, who paired with Matthew Schaefer in the wake of Alex Romanov’s season-ending injury.

Stanley has four assists in four games after signing at the conclusion of preseason; things can be weird this early in the year.

[Game center | Game summary | Event summary | Natural Stat Trick]

The run of play wasn’t that lopsided overall, but the Isles’ quick pair in the middle period put things fairly out of reach. Ilya Sorokin was there when needed, and the Blackhawks don’t have many guns to ever make you too nervous that the Isles might blow it.

Shenanigans began on the final goal, when Frank Nazar bizarrely went for a shoulder check to the head of Horvat as the Islanders captain released his empty net shot from the Isles zone. After the dust settled with a match penalty to Nazar — and an enraged J-G Pageau taking on Tyler Bertuzzi — more theater erupted when someone by the ethnically confused name of Wyatt Kaiser took a shot at Emil Heineman, which drew objection from Duclair.

Kaiser and Duclair drew matching roughing penalties, and the rest of the game was a formality.

Horvat was sent to the dressing room for evaluation, but I (not a doctor) thought he looked fine and it was just a spotter precaution.

Up Next

The Islanders host the Lightning on Saturday, a 7:30 EDT start.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Logan Stankoven had a natural hat trick for his first career three-goal game, and the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes won at home in their third try this season, 7-2 over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

Stankoven scored twice in the second period and again in the third to extend Carolina’s lead from 4-1 to 7-1. His goals came short-handed, on a power play and at even strength, giving him 100 career points. He secured the hat trick with 8:24 remaining.

Andrei Svechnikov had two first-period goals on power plays and K’Andre Miller and Mark Jankowski also scored for the Hurricanes, who have a three-game winning streak. Walker had four assists, while Shayne Gostisbehere, Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall added two assists apiece. Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves.

Jake DeBrusk scored both goals for the Canucks in their first stop of a six-game trip. Elias Pettersson had two assists. Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen stopped 12 of 18 shots in two periods before Leevi Merilainen played the third, making 14 saves.

The Hurricanes never led in either of their first two home games last week before posting three goals in the opening 10 minutes Thursday.

STARS 4, SABRES 0

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jake Oettinger made 26 saves for his second straight shutout, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists and Dallas beat Buffalo.

Oettinger has 18 career shutouts. He stopped 13 shots Monday night in a 5-0 home victory over San Jose.

Jason Robertson, Sam Steel and Roope Hintz also scored to help Dallas win its second in a row after two opening losses. Wyatt Johnston had three assists.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 14 shots for Buffalo. The Sabres had won the first two games of a five-game homestand.

Robertson scored at 9:03 of the first period and the Stars added three more in the second. Sam Steel connected on a snap shot at 9:36, Rantanen scored on a backhander with 6:03 left and Roope put in a snapper on a power play with 4:26 remaining.

LIGHTNING 3, WILD 2

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Defenseman John Carlson scored twice for his 11th career multi-goal game, Nikita Kucherov had two assists and Dennis Hildeby made 34 saves in Tampa Bay's victory over Minnesota.

Anthony Cirelli also scored to help Tampa Bay win its third straight game.

Quinn Hughes scored and assisted on Blake Coleman’s power-play goal for Minnesota. Jesper Wallstedt finished with 32 saves.

Cirelli opened the scoring for the Lightning, getting his stick on Erik Cernak’s shot for a deflection past Wallstedt at 5:26 of the first period. Carlson scored 36 seconds later with a wrist shot from the right point.

Hughes cut the Wild deficit to 2-1 at the 2:32 mark with a wrist shot through traffic. Jared Spurgeon, who picked up an assist on the goal, and Hughes both matched a franchise record for defensemen by scoring a point in four consecutive games to start the season, tying Ryan Suter, who did it twice.

Carlson regained the two-goal lead with a one-timer off a Kucherov pass at 4:55 to snap an 0-for-14 power-play drought to start the season. Coleman answered with a power-play goal off the rush with 5:59 left in second.

BRUINS 6, MAMMOTH 1

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his first two goals of the season and added two assists as Boston routed Utah.

Matthew Poitras, Casey Mittelstadt, Mason Lohrei and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins, who led 3-0 after one period and 6-0 after two. Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves.

Pastrnak scored his first goal with 5:38 left in the first period on a power-play wrist shot, assisted by Frederic Brunet and Geekie. He tacked on a power-play slap shot 4:40 into the second period, assisted by Geekie and Hampus Lindholm.

Jack McBain scored for the Mammoth midway through the third period to spoil Swayman’s shutout bid.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 11 of 14 shots he faced before he was replaced by Sebastian Cossa, who made five saves for the Mammoth.

The Bruins scored three power-play goals, while the Mammoth went scoreless on the power play. The Bruins blocked 23 shots in the win.

SENATORS 2, FLYERS 1

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Carter Yakemchuk broke a tie on a power play with 6:59 left and Ottawa held on to beat winless Philadelphia.

Nick Cousins opened the scoring for Ottawa at midway through the first period. Matvei Michkov tied it in a power play at 7:46 of the second.

Linus Ullmark made 29 saves to help the Senators improve to 3-1-0.

Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots for Philadelphia. The Flyers are 0-3-2.

Michael Bunting made his Flyers debut after signing with the team Tuesday and Ottawa defenseman Hoyt Stanley made his NHL debut.

PREDATORS 5, CANADIENS 2

MONTREAL (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly scored the go-ahead goal with 3:16 remaining, and Nashville rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Montreal.

The veteran redirected a point shot from Roman Josi on the power play, 59 seconds after Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson tripped Steven Stamkos in the neutral zone.

Adam Edstrom added a pair of empty-net goals for Nashville, which was outshot 34-18.

Alexander Kerfoot and Matthew Wood also scored for the Predators, while Juuse Saros made 32 saves. Stamkos had two assists.

Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook scored for Montreal, which extended its winless streak to three games. Jacob Fowler stopped 15 shots in his first start of the season.

Montreal ended a streak of five straight wins against Nashville dating to March 5, 2024.

ISLANDERS 4, BLACKHAWKS 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored twice and New York beat Chicago.

Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves as the Islanders won for the second time in three games. Emil Heineman and Anthony Duclair also scored for New York, and defenseman Logan Stanley had two assists.

Frank Nazar scored for Chicago, which lost for the fourth time in five games to begin the season. Arvid Soderblom finished with 15 saves.

Horvat opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the final minute of the first period. Matthew Schaefer fired a slap shot from the point and the Islanders captain buried the rebound.

Heineman wired a wrist shot past Soderblom 6:44 into the second to double the lead.

Stanley found Duclair alone near the back post at 9:38 for his first goal of the season, making it 3-0.

Nazar spoiled Sorokin’s shutout bid with 2:32 remaining in the third.

Horvat added his second goal of the game into an empty net with 1:33 left to complete the scoring.

SHARKS 3, BLUES 2, OT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Darnell Nurse scored 1:03 into overtime and San Jose beat St. Louis.

Tyler Toffoli and Collin Graf also scored, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 shots for San Jose (3-1-0), which has secured each of its three wins in overtime.

Sharks captain Macklin Celebrini missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.

Connor McMichael and Dillon Dubé each scored and Joel Hofer made 24 saves for St. Louis (1-2-1), which has lost three straight.

Nurse, who was acquired from Edmonton on July 1, deposited a feed from Ivar Stenberg between Hofer’s legs for his first goal with the Sharks.

Graf scored on a one-timer 6:05 into the third period to tie the game at 2-2 after Dubé skated down the left wing from his own blue line along to score a short-handed goal 1:39 into the third to put St. Louis ahead.

It was Dubé’s first goal after missing 2 1/2 seasons since scoring on Nov. 16, 2023 for Calgary against Vancouver.

After Patrick Kane's return to Chicago on Tuesday night, the vibes were high. The team finally won their first of the season, and it was a restart of sorts. After one at home, they had to hit the road, which was a spot for a letdown.

People are going to look at the box score and see that the Chicago Blackhawks lost 4-1 to the New York Islanders and think it was just another ugly loss. However, that doesn't tell the whole story. 

The Blackhawks have had some ugly road losses so far this season, but this wasn't one of them. They actually played the Islanders well, especially being away from the United Center. 

Chicago led in shots on goal, including at even strength, and was simply beaten by Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin. The all-star goalie is off to a tremendous start, and he had another stellar performance on Thursday night against the Blackhawks. 

It would have been a shutout for Sorokin, but Frank Nazar beat him once late in the third period after Patrick Kane found him with a great pass. Normally, if you play the way the Blackhawks did in this one, you win. 

Before Nazar scored the goal to get the Blackhawks on the board, it was a 3-0 lead for the Islanders. Bo Horvat scored with a minute left in the first period, and two goals in roughly three minutes early in the second period put the Blackhawks in a hole they were unable to dig out of. Horvat's second goal of the game was an empty-netter to seal it. 

Arvid Soderblom was in net for Chicago. He would tell you that he needs to be better, but it's hard to place it completely on him. The goalie on the other side was a wall, and that changed the outcome of the game. The Islanders' skaters, in turn, capitalized on their chances when they were there. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

BANG 💥 pic.twitter.com/lwA2M7i4hu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 9, 2026

Frank Nazar Penalty

Not only did Frank Nazar score a goal, but he found himself at the center of controversy at the end of the game. He earned a five-minute major and a 10-minute misconduct for his hit on Bo Horvat at 18:27 in the third. Only time will tell if he gets a call from the league. 

Frank Nazar delivers a hit on Bo Horvat, and he immediately felt bad about it judging by his reaction.

The officials reviewed it and called it a major penalty. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/QYw46hJVcb

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 9, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks are headed back home after this one-off in New York. They will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center on Saturday night. 

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

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The San Jose Sharks were on national broadcast for the first time this season on Thursday as they visited the St. Louis Blues. Much to the chagrin of the Sharks, and likely ESPN, Macklin Celebrini was unavailable for the second straight game as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury.

The Blues got out to an early lead as Connor McMichael continued his hot start to the season, scoring his second goal of the season for his fourth point in his four games. St. Louis continued applying considerable pressure on Alex Nedeljkovic following the goal. 

Michael Kesselring took the first penalty of the night at 7:28 in the first period when he cross-checked Blues forward Jimmy Snuggerud. The Sharks penalty kill held strong, holding the Blues without a shot during their first power play opportunity. 

The Sharks got their first chance on the power play at 10:30 in the period, as Adam Jiricek tripped up Collin Graf. The Blues killed off the penalty.

Cam Fowler nearly doubled the Blues' lead with a wrist shot from the point, but his shot was just off-target as it hit the post after a Dylan Holloway deflection.

The game would remain 1-0 heading into the first intermission, but the Sharks were being outshot 11-3 which showed how one-sided the first 20 minutes were. 

The Sharks got another man advantage at 6:39 in the second period, when Blues netminder Joel Hofer took down Michael Misa along the side of the Blues net. The penalty was served by Snuggerud.

Shortly after the penalty expired, Tyler Toffoli scored his second of the season, while being cross-checked by Colton Parayko, to make it 1-1 right before the halfway point in the game.

Joel Hofer denied Luca Cagnoni on what seemed like a sure-fire goal 14 minutes into the period, keeping things deadlocked. Moments after that, Alexander Wennberg drew a slashing penalty that caused Fowler to go to the penalty box as the Sharks got another opportunity on the power play. 

The Blues nearly scored a short-handed goal late in the power play, but Dillon Dube wasn't able to control the puck. The Sharks' man advantage ended early as Ivar Stenberg was called for a slashing penalty of his own with seven seconds remaining. The Sharks were once again able to kill off the Blues' shortened power play.

Former Anaheim Duck Mason McTavish nearly restored the Blues' lead late in the period, but his one-handed shot attempt was denied by Michael Kesselring. Seconds later, the Blues were awarded a delay of game penalty, as Brandon Carlo shot the puck out of play.

Dube got his short-handed goal in the third period, giving the Blues their second lead of the night while Carlo sat in the penalty box. 

Collin Graf's first goal of the season tied things up once again, off of a nice feed by a pinching Sam Dickinson. 

Kiefer Sherwood kept the game tied by deflecting the puck over the net with just over a minute remaining in regulation, denying a clear-cut goal. 60 seconds later, the game went into overtime. 

Ivar Stenberg found Darnell Nurse in quite a bit of space just over a minute into overtime and the veteran defenseman scored his first goal in teal to secure a 3-2 win.

The regular-season marathon that extends this year to 84 games calls for a whole lot of otherwise forgettable nights when anything less than consistently taking care of business can get teams in trouble come crunch time. 

Thursday at UBS Arena was one of them, and so credit the Islanders for a straightforward and businesslike 4-1 win over the Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks in which Alexander Romanov’s absence was blunted by a clean defensive effort. 

The revamped pairs, with Logan Stanley to Matthew Schaefer’s left, Scott Mayfield inserted into the lineup on Tony DeAngelo’s right and the Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock duo reunited for the first time since last November, put in a good night of work against a Chicago side that is now 1-4-0 as its long rebuild trudges on. It wasn’t the most entertaining 60 minutes, but in lieu of high-event hockey it was the second win of two for Ilya Sorokin in which the netminder could credit his defense without it feeling forced. 

“I liked how we defended,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “Maysy came in, gave us some solid minutes. I thought it was Tony DeAngelo’s best game he played [so far] this year. I thought it was Pulock’s best game so far. I thought Stan was excellent. Schaefer and Pelly are consistently excellent every night.” 

At this early stage of the year, the Islanders look like a team whose ability to prevent goals or not will be its defining factor on most nights. There have been stretches of every game so far when the breakouts aren’t going and two or more forward lines have looked disconnected. When the Islanders can make those minutes just as frustrating for the opposition as for themselves, they’re in good shape. 

That’s what they did to the Blackhawks for much of Thursday. 

“With this team, obviously a younger team but very hungry, young legs,” Anthony Duclair said, “gotta make sure we take away time and space, especially in the neutral zone. We clogged up the neutral zone pretty good.” 

Bo Horvat put the Islanders on the board with a power-play goal in the last minute of the first, but it was Pelech, turning over Oliver Moore at the defensive blue line, who started the game’s decisive sequence. 

Emil Heineman, the trailer on the Islanders’ ensuing rush, buried one past Arvid Soderblom to double the lead. Another quick breakout sequence in the form of Schaefer’s chip off the wall to Duclair led to their third less than three minutes later after Stanley’s no-look pass found Duclair below the right circle. 

Just 22 seconds before the night’s halfway mark, that made it 3-0, and while the Blackhawks might have stopped the rest of it from becoming academic — 3-0 with 30 minutes to go hardly spells game over — that was not within the visitor’s remit. By the time Frank Nazar’s blast broke Sorokin’s shutout at six-on-five, there was just 2:32 to go, rendering it too little and too late. 

The closest thing to a snag came from Nazar a minute later on a play that ended in Bo Horvat’s empty-net goal, as the winger drove his shoulder into Horvat’s head as the puck was released, prompting a scrum that ended in major penalties on both sides. 

Horvat was still being evaluated, most likely for a concussion, after the game, DeBoer said. Heineman went as far as to call the hit “a cheap shot.” 

“You don’t like that hit,” DeBoer said. “Especially at that time of the game and who it’s on.” 

Still, this wasn’t much harder than it needed to be, and you would have to stretch back to before the current building was open to find an Islanders team that didn’t trend towards the opposite. 

“I told the group after, we’re getting a little bit better every night out,” DeBoer said. “That’s the goal.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored twice and the New York Islanders beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1, on Thursday night.

Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves as the Islanders won for the second time in three games. Emil Heineman and Anthony Duclair also scored for New York, and defenseman Logan Stanley had two assists.

Frank Nazar scored for Chicago, which lost for the fourth time in five games to begin the season. Arvid Soderblom finished with 15 saves.

Horvat opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the final minute of the first period. Matthew Schaefer fired a slap shot from the point and the Islanders captain buried the rebound.

Heineman wired a wrist shot past Soderblom 6:44 into the second to double the lead.

Stanley found Duclair alone near the back post at 9:38 for his first goal of the season, making it 3-0.

Nazar spoiled Sorokin’s shutout bid with 2:32 remaining in the third.

Horvat added his second goal of the game into an empty net with 1:33 left to complete the scoring.

Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov, who left Tuesday night's 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers, will miss the rest of the regular season with a torn ACL in his right knee.

Up next

Blackhawks: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Islanders: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Highlights

Bo Horvat’s third of the season! https://t.co/IkK7d5hRhc

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 9, 2026

Emil Heineman makes it 2-0! https://t.co/kmbZVLumeO

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 9, 2026

Anthony Duclair gets it back and makes it 3-0! https://t.co/0YpjKeHVS4

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 9, 2026

Bo Horvat scores on an empty netter and gets a cheap shot from Frank Nazar in the process https://t.co/cfphxnyjcg

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 9, 2026

MONTREAL (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly scored the go-ahead goal with 3:16 remaining, and the Nashville Predators rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Thursday night.

The veteran redirected a point shot from Roman Josi on the power play, 59 seconds after Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson tripped Steven Stamkos in the neutral zone.

Adam Edstrom added a pair of empty-net goals for Nashville, which was outshot 34-18.

Alexander Kerfoot and Matthew Wood also scored for the Predators, while Juuse Saros made 32 saves. Stamkos had two assists.

Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook scored for Montreal, which extended its winless streak to three games. Jacob Fowler stopped 15 shots in his first start of the season.

Montreal ended a streak of five straight wins against Nashville dating to March 5, 2024.

After a scoreless first period, Suzuki opened the scoring for Montreal 3:12 into the second during four-on-four play. He collected a loose puck amid a scramble in front of the net and slid a backhander between Saros’ legs for his third goal of the season.

Newhook doubled Montreal’s lead at 8:50, finishing off Josh Anderson’s feed after minutes of sustained pressure in Nashville’s zone.

Kerfoot scored with 4:54 remaining in the period, redirecting Adam Wilsby’s point shot past Fowler on the glove side.

Wood tied the game on the power play with 32 seconds left in the period.

Up next

Predators: At Ottawa on Saturday.

Canadiens: Host Detroit on Saturday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Carter Yakemchuk broke a tie on a power play with 6:59 left and the Ottawa Senators held on to beat the winless Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Thursday night.

Nick Cousins opened the scoring for Ottawa at midway through the first period. Matvei Michkov tied it in a power play at 7:46 of the second.

Linus Ullmark made 29 saves to help the Senators improve to 3-1-0.

Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots for Philadelphia. The Flyers are 0-3-2.

Michael Bunting made his Flyers debut after signing with the team Tuesday and Ottawa defenseman Hoyt Stanley made his NHL debut.

Up next

Flyers: At Boston on Saturday.

Senators: Host Nashville on Saturday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his first two goals of the season and added two assists as the Boston Bruins routed the Utah Mammoth 6-1 in Thursday night.

Matthew Poitras, Casey Mittelstadt, Mason Lohrei and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins, who led 3-0 after one period and 6-0 after two. Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves.

Pastrnak scored his first goal with 5:38 left in the first period on a power-play wrist shot, assisted by Frederic Brunet and Geekie. He tacked on a power-play slap shot 4:40 into the second period, assisted by Geekie and Hampus Lindholm.

Jack McBain scored for the Mammoth midway through the third period to spoil Swayman's shutout bid.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 11 of 14 shots he faced before he was replaced by Sebastian Cossa, who made five saves for the Mammoth.

The Bruins scored three power-play goals, while the Mammoth went scoreless on the power play. The Bruins blocked 23 shots in the win.

Up next

Utah: Visits the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Boston: Hosts the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

___

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

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The Colorado Avalanche stumbled out of the gate, but once they found their footing, the Calgary Flames had no answer.

After a sloppy opening period filled with defensive-zone turnovers and timely saves from Scott Wedgewood, the Avalanche erupted for three unanswered goals in the second period to turn a 1-1 deadlock into a commanding 4-1 lead. Devon Toews led the charge with his second goal of the night, while Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon joined the scoring frenzy as Colorado seized control heading into the final 20 minutes.

First Period

Colorado got off to a shaky start after a defensive-zone turnover led to a dangerous rush chance for Calgary, but Scott Wedgewood was up to the task, denying Mikael Backlund on back-to-back opportunities.

The Flames handed the Avalanche their first power play at 6:23 after being caught with too many men on the ice. Aydar Suniev, appearing in just his eighth career NHL game, served the bench minor.

However, Colorado's power play got off to a rocky start when another costly turnover sent Joel Farabee in alone on a shorthanded breakaway. Wedgewood came up big once again, flashing the glove to rob Farabee and keep Calgary off the board.

At the midway point of the period, the Avalanche looked flat. Calgary held a 5-2 edge in shots, and Colorado struggled to establish any sustained offensive pressure. It's hard to build momentum when you're constantly coughing up the puck in your own zone.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Devon Toews with 04:06 left in the 1st. Assisted by Cale Makar and Brock Nelson.

CGY: 0 | COL: 1#COLvsCGY#Flames#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/gDqT8QKfFY

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 9, 2026

Despite those early struggles, the Avalanche broke through with 5:06 remaining in the period. Cale Makar found Devon Toews all alone in the soft ice of the low slot, where he redirected the puck past Flames netminder Devin Cooley, who had left the left side of the net wide open.

It was Toews' first goal of the season, coming just four games into the campaign. By comparison, he didn't find the back of the net until Colorado's 25th game last season.

Calgary didn't take long to respond.

With 2:30 remaining, Adam Klapka pulled off a slick toe drag around Josh Manson before unleashing a blistering wrist shot that rang off the left post and into the net, tying the game at 1-1.

Toews was sent to the penalty box with less than a minute remaining after tripping Yegor Sharangovich, giving Calgary a power play that carried into the second period.

Both teams headed to the dressing room deadlocked at one after an opening period in which Wedgewood's timely saves helped the Avalanche overcome an otherwise sloppy start.

Second Period

After a sluggish opening 20 minutes, the Avalanche flipped the script in the second period, finding their offensive rhythm and wasting little time taking control of the game.

After needing 25 games to score his first goal last season, Devon Toews already has two in just four games this time around. He netted his second of the night after taking a pass from Noah Juulsen and firing a shot from just inside the blue line that sailed through a screen set by Zach L'Heureux and past Cooley, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Devon Toews with 13:15 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Noah Juulsen and Parker Kelly.

CGY: 1 | COL: 2#COLvsCGY#Flames#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/axDTgxMjeh

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 9, 2026

Less than three minutes later, Nathan MacKinnon sprung a streaking Cale Makar, who blew past the Calgary defense with a burst of speed as he crossed the blue line. Closing in on Cooley, Makar unleashed a blistering wrist shot that beat the Flames netminder to double Colorado's lead.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Cale Makar with 10:44 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Brett Kulak.

CGY: 1 | COL: 3#COLvsCGY#Flames#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/b8OdSAaCNP

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 9, 2026

The onslaught continued just over two minutes later when MacKinnon hammered home a one-timer off a slick feed from L'Heureux, extending Colorado's lead to 4-1. It was MacKinnon's third goal in four games, while L'Heureux picked up his second point of the night.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Nathan MacKinnon with 08:21 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Zachary L'Heureux.

CGY: 1 | COL: 4#COLvsCGY#Flames#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/CSSehVg4bY

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 9, 2026

What had been a frustrating opening period quickly turned into a showcase of Colorado's offensive firepower, with the Avalanche capitalizing on their opportunities and putting Calgary firmly on its heels.

Parker Kelly was penalized for interference with 22 seconds left in the frame. 

Colorado entered the third period with a commanding 4-1 lead, just 20 minutes away from bouncing back from Wednesday's tough 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Third Period

Cale Makar has made a habit of unleashing highlight-reel slap shots this season, and 5:35 into the third period was no exception. After Nazem Kadri's pass deflected off Nathan MacKinnon's stick, Makar pounced on the loose puck and hammered it home to extend Colorado's lead to 5-1.

Less than a minute later, Jaden Schwartz scored for the second straight game to make it 6-1. After attempting to redirect a point shot from Brett Kulak, T.J. Hughes reacted quickly to the loose puck and slipped a pass to Schwartz in the slot, where he blasted it past Cooley.

Calgary answered shortly afterward when Mikael Backlund redirected a shot past Wedgewood off the rush, cutting Colorado's lead to 6-2.

The Flames continued to chip away at Colorado's lead just 1:11 later when Yegor Sharangovich threaded a cross-ice pass to Kevin Bahl, who ripped a shot past Wedgewood and into the top corner to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Colorado apparently took exception to Calgary's quick scoring burst and wasted little time responding. Just 1:13 later, offseason acquisition Jaden Schwartz struck again, netting his second goal of the night and third in the last 24 hours after also finding the back of the net in Wednesday's loss to Winnipeg.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jake Oettinger made 26 saves for his second straight shutout, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists and the Dallas Stars beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Thursday night.

Oettinger has 18 career shutouts. He stopped 13 shots Monday night in a 5-0 home victory over San Jose.

Jason Robertson, Sam Steel and Roope Hintz also scored to help Dallas win its second in a row after two opening losses. Wyatt Johnston had three assists.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 14 shots for Buffalo. The Sabres had won the first two games of a five-game homestand.

Robertson scored at 9:03 of the first period and the Stars added three more in the second. Sam Steel connected on a snap shot at 9:36, Rantanen scored on a backhander with 6:03 left and Roope put in a snapper on a power play with 4:26 remaining.

Up next

Stars: At Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Sabres: Host Utah on Saturday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Nobody arrives in Las Vegas by accident. Some come chasing a jackpot, some come running from a bad streak, and a few come because there’s simply nowhere left to go. The inaugural Golden Knights were all three: a roster of strangers dealt a fresh hand in a city built on second chances.

With the exception of Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, who previously played together in Florida, the inaugural Golden Knights team was one full of strangers in a strange land, a land that had never had a major professional sports team to call its own.

When they arrived in Vegas, those inaugural Golden Knights all had one thing in common: on paper, they were a collection of spare parts that 30 other teams had cast aside and given up on. 

Back in 2017, James Neal jokingly referred to the team as the “Golden Misfits.” But that nickname took on a life of its own, serving as a rallying cry that turned strangers into brothers.

He loves that it’s still in circulation.

“Yeah, I definitely still get a kick out of hearing it,” Neal laughed. “Hearing it just brings back a lot of really good memories of all the guys getting together. [We hadn’t] been in a situation like that ever really… You kind of had a fresh start after coming from a position or a team that wasn’t too fond of you, or you kind of felt like they gave up on you. So it was kind of a fitting name at the time. It was kind of a joke that turned into something where we kind of put our backs against the wall, and went out there, and played for, and became proud of.”

You might not remember this, but the Golden Knights weren’t supposed to be good that year. They were supposed to be pretty bad, actually. Broadcasters and analysts projected that they’d finish as a lottery team. 

“I just went in with an open mind,” Neal said. “I didn’t put any crazy expectations on it; I just wanted to go in and enjoy it. For me, it was a contract year, and it was kind of like, you know, they’re gonna stack up on some older guys, and they’re gonna trade us because we weren’t going to be that good. So there were just a lot of different things going through my mind coming into it.”

Neal was fresh off hand surgery after a tough loss in the Stanley Cup Final, and he couldn’t take part in training camp. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he’d be ready for the first game of the regular season. But when the season began, he was in the lineup.

“I sure am glad that I was healthy enough and ready to go for game one, because it was a fun, fun first game,” said Neal. “ I think those first two games in Dallas and Arizona kind of set the tone for how our season was going to go.”

Of course, Neal didn’t just play in that first game in Dallas. He also scored the Golden Knights’ first goal, cementing his legacy in franchise history and ensuring he’d be the answer to trivia questions for years to come.

“It’s really cool,” he admitted. “It’s definitely something I talk about and joke about to people. It’s something I’m very proud of. In the moment, in the game, you don’t realize how you’re going to look back on things… It was pretty surreal, and a really cool moment. And after I scored that goal, I’ll never forget going back to the bench and just seeing the excitement on the guys’ faces. Guys were just so excited and so fired up, for our team, for us, just for each other.”

The players’ excitement for each other didn’t waver as the year went on. That year, the “Golden Misfits” proved that they were far more than the sum of other teams’ parts. Their regular-season record of 51-24-7 was the best of any NHL expansion team, and it was enough to finish first in the Pacific Division.

Of course, it helped that many of those Misfits enjoyed career years. William Karlsson scored 43 goals, a single-season record that still stands 10 years later. Jonathan Marchessault recorded 75 points. Reilly Smith hit 60 points. And at age 33, Marc-André Fleury recorded 29 wins and an average save percentage of .927, which was, at that time, a career-best. 

“Everyone was so excited for each other,” said Neal.

Neal attributes some of that historic success to Gerard Gallant, the first head coach of the Golden Knights.

“The way he brought us in, and the way we went to practice every day, it was pretty simple,” Neal said. “It was ‘play hard, work hard for each other, and the rest will kind of take care of itself ’… And if you do that, good things are going to happen, for yourself and for your teammates and for your team.”

Neal said he’d always remember the passion with which the city of Las Vegas embraced their first major professional sports team.

“The way the city embraced us, the fan support… And then the rink, going into T-Mobile every night, the place was rocking,” he said. “You couldn’t get more energy and more excitement out of a rink than we did at T-Mobile.

“You didn’t realize how many people were from Las Vegas, didn’t realize how many people were dying for a sports team to root for,” Neal continued. “They were kind of dying to grasp onto a team that was theirs. And for the Golden Knights to be the first team to come there, I think everyone kind of grasped onto us. And then for us to have success and do what we did just kind of made it even better. And we hit the ground running, and it was fun.”

That inaugural season was a whirlwind. It was historic. It was a year of redemption. 

But like Neal kept repeating, most of all– and most importantly– that year was fun. For many of the players, that inaugural season was about falling back in love with the game they played as kids.

“I just remember going to the rink excited every day, going to the rink with a smile on my face, and having fun,” Neal said. “Yeah, it was just a whole different atmosphere. I think guys were used to kind of going to the rink, you know, maybe pissed off or not in the best moods. And it was kind of a complete 180 for everybody.

“It was a special year all around,” he continued. “Everybody just became so close so fast; right from the first get-together, we all went out, had dinner, and kind of got right to it. From the first win all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, it was just an enjoyable year… Every day, we just enjoyed each other.

“And I think if you ask all the guys the same question, what was their favorite year playing hockey, I would say 95% of them would say the first year with Vegas.”

Saturday will be the 10th anniversary of the first Golden Knights home game. To celebrate, they’re going all-out in true Vegas fashion. The Welcome to Impossible Weekend festivities begin at 11 a.m. on Friday with a free autograph session during the team’s practice at City National Arena. 

Fans will also have another chance to get autographs from members of the inaugural team at Fan Fest, which runs from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday before the Golden Knights’ home game against the Los Angeles Kings.

James Neal is one of the players returning to Las Vegas for the festivities. The others? Well, you’ll have to wait and see.

“First off, I can’t believe it’s already been 10 years. That flew by,” Neal chuckled. “I’m just looking forward to coming back and seeing old faces. I know that Turk, our coach, is coming… I was excited to hear that he was coming back because of the role that he played in bringing the guys together right from the start; I was excited to see that. And getting on the group text and shooting guys messages and seeing everybody excited to come back was pretty cool. I’m really looking forward to it.”