The Vancouver Canucks (3-11-1) return from a two-game road trip on Saturday to face the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-6-2). Vancouver enters this game after losing its last matchup, while the Maple Leafs have fallen in two straight games. Last year, Toronto won the season series as they picked up victories in both games.
Every year, the night against the Maple Leafs is one of the most electric at Rogers Arena. There are usually challenging chants, with fans from Toronto filling a good portion of the stands. Add in the fact that some fans will be in costume to celebrate Halloween, and Saturday's game could be one of the most exciting games to experience in terms of atmosphere this season.
As for on the ice, the Canucks can't afford another sloppy third period. Vancouver looked in control on Thursday night before once again collapsing in the final frame. If the Canucks can establish a lead after 40 minutes, they need to keep their foot on the gas until the final horn sounds.
Players To Watch:
Tom Willander:
Tom Willander continues to develop into a solid defender. The 21-year-old leads the team in even-strength ice time and recorded three shots on goal in Thursday's loss. It appears that Willander has earned the trust of the coaching staff and is projected to see plenty of ice time against the Maple Leafs.
Gavin McKenna:
Fans in Vancouver will catch a glimpse of what almost was as Gavin McKenna hits the ice at Rogers Arena for the first time. The 2026 first-overall pick is having a solid start to his NHL career with 11 points through his first 15 games. Currently skating on Toronto's first line, McKenna will make the Canucks pay if they give him time and space with the puck.
Vancouver Canucks (3–11–1):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 4–12–16
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 6–6–12
Brock Boeser: 4–8–12
Filip Hronek: 1–10–11
Linus Karlsson: 3–6–9
Goaltenders:
Leevi Meriläinen: 2–4–1
Kevin Lankinen: 1–7–0
Toronto Maple Leafs (7-6-2)
Points:
Auston Matthews: 10-13-23
William Nylander: 9-10-19
Jack Roslovic: 6-9-15
Kirill Marchenko: 6-8-14
Easton Cowan: 6-8-14
Goaltenders:
Anthony Stolarz: 4-1-0
Sergei Bobrovsky: 3-5-2
Game Information:
Start time: 4:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk (74) handles the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - DECEMBER 20: Jacob Fowler #32 of the Montréal Canadiens makes a save against Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of a game at Bell Centre on December 20, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Reuben Polansky-Shapiro/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-2, 12 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division) @ Montreal Canadiens (8-3-2, 18 points, 2nd place Atlantic Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Broadcast in Canada on SNE, SN1 and TVAS and locally on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are back home next week for a Tuesday matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights and Thursday game against the Boston Bruins. The Pens then hit the road for a West Coast swing that starts next weekend with a back-to-back in Los Angeles and Anaheim.
Opponent Track: The Canadiens are riding a four-game win streak into Saturday despite losing captain Nick Suzuki to injury ahead of their recent road trip. The Habs have outscored opponents 13-4 over that away stretch, which was capped off Thursday by a 5-2 win at the Dallas Stars.
Season Series: The Penguins started out the season series earlier this month by blowing a four-goal lead before Tommy Novak scored in overtime to salvage a 6-5 win in Montreal. These two teams will meet for a final time this season Jan. 9 in Pittsburgh.
Hidden Stat: The Canadiens are on the longest win streak in the NHL thanks to their 4-0-0 run through their recent road trip.
Getting to know the Canadiens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Cole Caufield – Alex Newhook – Juraj Slafkovsky
Chris Kreider – Oliver Kapanen – Josh Anderson
Zack Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier
Florian Xhekaj – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
DEFENSEMEN
Lane Hutson / Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle / Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj / Adam Engstrom
Goalies: Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler
Potential scratches: Mike Matheson (day to day)
Injured Reserve: Ivan Demidov, Sam Montembeault, Nick Suzuki
The Canadiens announced last week Suzuki would miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. Star winger Ivan Demidov is toward the latter end of his own two-to-four week injury timeline, while former Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson missed the Habs’ last game with a lower-body injury.
Jakub Dobes was the star of the Canadiens’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, but he struggled to start the season before bouncing back in Thursday’s win in Dallas. It’s been Jacob Fowler who has stepped up most for the Canadiens, and given that Dobes started against the Stars it could be Fowler back in net against the Pens.
Alex Newhook, who has replaced Suzuki as the Habs’ first-line center in the short term, is coming off his most productive game of the season following a two-goal outing in Dallas.
Cole Caufield is another player who’s stepped up amid the Canadiens’ current injury absences. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn reported Caufield has gone from a 22.6 percent contested lose puck recovery rate, a number at which he’s spent most of his career, to ranking fifth in the NHL by recovering 44 percent of his contested loose puck battles so far.
One thing the Canadiens haven’t been able to figure out with Suzuki and Demidov is their power play, which has sunk to 31st in the league after converting on just 10.3 percent of opportunities so far this season. The Penguins will hope to take advantage of that as one of five teams with multiple shorthanded goals so far this season.
Habs keep leads, Pens blow them
The Penguins could learn something from how the Canadiens reacted to failing to close out games earlier this season.
The Habs were struggling with blown leads early this fall, most recently in an Oct. 20 loss during which the Canadiens gave up a two-goal third-period advantage in an overtime defeat by the San Jose Sharks.
The Canadiens responded by claiming four straight regulation wins and successfully weathering multiple late comeback attempts on their recent road trip.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Hendrix Lapierre – Ville Koivunen
The Penguins stuck with their same lines in Friday’s practice following Thursday’s late-game collapse against the Mammoth.
Erik Karlsson (949 career points) is one point away from tying Brent Burns for a spot on the NHL’s list top-10 list of most productive defensemen.
Sidney Crosby (1,111 career assists) is one assist away from passing the Boston Bruins’ Ray Bourque for the most helpers with a single team in NHL history.
The Montreal Canadiens will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time this season, and this time, they’ll hope to do it right. In the second game of the season, the Habs dug themselves into a 5-1 hole before mounting an impressive comeback, only to lose in overtime. The goal came on an odd-man rush sparked by a bad line change.
While the Canadiens are on a four-game winning streak, the Penguins are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and are currently 14th in the Eastern Conference. Still, the Pens have won eight out of the last 10 games between the two teams, including the last two duels.
At the time of writing, it is unclear who will be in net for the Canadiens. Will Jakub Dobes get a chance to avenge his early-October loss, or will Jacob Fowler be back after a night off in Dallas? Dobes played very well on Thursday, but Fowler feels like he's earned the right to be in net Saturday night; he’s still hot and only sat to let the Czech netminder get some action. Fowler is 2-0-0 against the Pens with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Meanwhile, Dobes has a 0-0-2 against the visitors with a 4.35 GAA and an .852 SV.
As for the Penguins, Arturs Silovs has a 2-0-0 record against the Habs with a 3.79 GAA and a .840 SV, hardly impressive numbers, but he still won his two games. It’s a different story for Sergei Murashov; the 22-year-old has only nine NHL games to his name and has never faced the Canadiens.
Chris Kreider is the Canadiens’ highest scorer against Dan Muse’s men; he has put up 40 points against them in 48 games. Captain Nick Suzuki is a distant second with 17 points in 19 duels, but he’s still out of the lineup. Alternate captain Josh Anderson is next with 12 points in 30 tilts. It remains to be seen whether Mike Matheson (11 points in 23 games against the visitors) will be back in the lineup after missing Thursday night’s game with a mysterious lower-body injury; chances are he won’t, since he needed further evaluation. There are still no words on Samuel Montembeault and Ivan Demidov. The former should be back by now, according to the initial timeframe, while the latter should be nearing a return.
Unsurprisingly, Crosby is the Pens’ most productive player against the Habs with 73 points in 56 games, followed by Evgeny Malkin, who’s on 67 points in 53 games. Erik Karlsson comes in third with 46 points in 56 games, just ahead of Kris Letang, who has 43 points in 51 games. The Pens are still without Bryan Rusk, Elmer Soderblom, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, who are all injured.
The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on TVA Sports in French and Sportsnet in English. Kendrick Nicholson and Pierre Lambert will ref the game, while Andrew Smith and Jeremy Faucher will be the linesmen. If you are heading to the Bell Centre, don't forget to dress up; that's the only way to enjoy Halloween in the Mecca of hockey.
The Chicago Blackhawks (4-9-0) are in a bad way. They are 0-5-0 on the road, and they face another tough test against the Boston Bruins (9-4-1) at TD Garden. This will be the second of two straight road games before they return home for a game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Right now, the Blackhawks face multiple issues. For one, they can’t score goals. They are dead last in the league with 27. Connor McDavid has more assists than the Blackhawks have goals. Under no circumstances should that stat ever be true, but it is.
Chicago also struggles defensively. They have allowed 48 goals this season, which gives them a -21 goal differential. When they don’t have the puck, they spend significant portions of the time hemmed in their own defensive zone. They mostly find it very hard to gain possession back, and when they do, it can be a major struggle to break out.
Sometimes things are better when they are against a lesser opponent, but the Bruins are one of those top teams capable of making things very difficult. Their forecheck is as relentless as anyone that the Blackhawks have played so far.
Scouting Boston
The Boston Bruins had mixed expectations coming into 2026-27. Some thought they could build on their rebound season a year ago, and some predicted regression. Well, those who were on the side of the Bruins having a good year are off to a good start. The Bruins roll 4 lines that all contribute and matter to the overall attack. However, they also have a superstar scorer to be that “game breaker,” in David Pastrnak.
Peterka-Zacha-Pastrnak
Khusnutdinov-Minten-Geekie
Mittelstadt-Lindholm-Hagens
Jeannot-Poitras-Kastelic
Lindholm-McAvoy
Zadorov-Borgen
Lohrei-Clifton
Swayman
DiPietro
The Bruins have a few other good, established forwards in JJ Peterka, Pavel Zacha, and Morgan Geekie, among others, but they also have their fair share of young players who have hit the ground running. Examples include Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, James Hagens, and Matthew Poitras.
On defense, Charlie McAvoy is their Olympic-caliber number one who contributes to their success at even strength and on special teams. Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov lead the depth from there. When they’re at their best, it’s a goalie-friendly team, so both Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro are in a good situation.
In the case of Swayman, however, we are talking about a Vezina-caliber superstar. He can steal games if the Bruins have a weaker day. For the Blackhawks, who have a hard time scoring as is, beating either netminder would be a tremendous challenge.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, but they also allow goals at a high clip. Is it the lineups or is it the systems? One way or another, we will find out this season.
On offense, everything they do goes through Connor Bedard. He is their best player, and he brings a high level of play regardless of what his teammates are doing. It won’t be until some of his peers start to break out that their overall attack is good enough to win.
Kantserov-Bedard-Teräväinen
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Donato
Moore-Nazar-Kane
Smith-Greene-Greenway
Vlasic-Cole
Kaiser-Levshunov
Korchinski-Rinzel
Soderblom
There is a chance that Bowen Byram returns from injury. If that were the case, expect Kevin Korchinski to come out. Even if Byram can’t go, it would not be a surprise if Jeff Blashill goes to Ethan Del Mastro for a game, either.
If the Blackhawks don’t start Arvid Soderblom, it would be very surprising. It’s been over 20 days since his last appearance, and Spencer Knight has started for 8 straight games. Even with it being the excellent Boston Bruins, it’s time for Soderblom to get a look.
These lines and defense pairs are from their last time out in Detroit. We won’t know any more details until warmups. When the lineup and how they strategize their lines are revealed, an update will be posted here.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can stream it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 12:00 PM CT.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
Everything was going great for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night until it wasn't.
WBS was up 3-1 on the Utica Comets in the second period before the Comets scored two goals in eight seconds to tie it. The score stayed the same until late in the third period, when Dmitry Osipov scored the game-winning goal with 30.8 seconds left.
The game looked like it was going to OT before Osipov scored to make it 4-3. WBS pulled goaltender Joel Blomqvist and tried to find the equalizer, but ran out of time.
Melvin Fernstrom, Avery Hayes, and Bill Zonnon scored for the Penguins in this game. Hayes continues to torture the AHL and now has six goals and 10 points in seven games.
His goal on Friday came while the Penguins were shorthanded and it was an absolute laser.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Anton Lundell had a hat trick, Seth Jones capped a record-setting month with a goal and two assists, and the Florida Panthers topped the reeling Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Friday night for their sixth win in eight games.
Jones finished October with 18 points — two goals and 16 assists — to break the record for most points by a Florida defenseman in any month. Keith Yandle had 17 points for the Panthers in March 2018.
Sam Reinhart also scored for Florida.
Kyle Connor had his team-best 11th goal for Winnipeg, which dropped both ends of a home-and-home with Florida this week and is winless in its last eight games — going 0-6-2 in that span. Morgan Barron had his first goal of the season midway through the third to get the Jets to 3-2, but Lundell’s second of the night restored Florida’s two-goal edge.
Lundell finished off the hat trick — Florida’s fifth already this season — with an empty-netter with 1:39 left.
Akira Schmid stopped 22 shots for Florida, which remains without standout forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand because of injuries. Both resumed skating this week; Marchand could be back in about three weeks and Barkov in about four, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
Florida’s Bokondji Imama and Winnipeg’s Tyrel Bauer brawled just 2:04 into the game, a reenactment of sorts of their still-talked-about fight in the AHL in 2024. They went at it for more than a minute Friday and — similar to what happened at the end of their fight two years ago — shared a respectful nod toward the other when it was over.
DEVILS 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots, Arseny Gritsyuk and Jack Hughes each scored twice and New Jersey beat Vegas.
Hellebuyck, who spent his first 11 seasons in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, had his second win since the Devils acquired him Oct. 23. The three-time Vezina Trophy also was in goal Tuesday night in Dallas in a 5-1 win.
Gritsyuk has scored at least a goal in six of the last eight games and has 10 points during the stretch. Luke Hughes also scored for New Jersey. The Devils improved to 10-1-0 when the Hughes brothers score in the same game.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Golden Knights, and Adin Hill stopped 26 shots.
Luke Hughes got things going early in the first when he rifled a one-timer from the top of the left circle past Hill.
Stone tied it when he deflected Mitch Marner’s blast from the point past Hellebuyck. Barbashev gave the Knights a 2-1 lead moments later when he tapped Marner’s pass home after a picture-perfect cross-crease pass.
The lead didn’t last one minute, as Gritsyuk took advantage of a turnover and sniped Hill top shelf from the left circle.
Jack Hughes put New Jersey back in front when he stole the puck from Jack Eichel in the neutral zone, then passed it to himself through Stone’s legs before beating Hill.
FLAMES 6, KRAKEN 2
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matt Coronato had a career-high four points with a goal and three assists to lead Calgary over Seattle.
Joel Farabee added a goal and two assists as the Flames won their fifth straight home game. Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each provided a goal and an assist. Aydar Suniev and Ryan Strome also scored for Calgary.
Freddy Gaudreau got his team-leading seventh goal and Mackie Samoskevich also scored for the Kraken, who twice beat Calgary 6-1 during the opening week of the season.
Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, making his first start since Oct. 15, stopped 20 shots to improve to 2-4-0.
Philipp Grubauer started for the Kraken but was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Joey Daccord made 11 saves in relief.
Mikael Backlund’s assist on Farabee’s goal gave him 610 points (234 goals, 376 assists). That moved Backlund ahead of Johnny Gaudreau into sole possession of fifth place on Calgary’s career scoring list. He is six points behind Joe Nieuwendyk for fourth.
Las Vegas, N.V.— When the Vegas Golden Knights took the ice on Friday at T-Mobile Arena, they did so dressed to the nines in their road whites for their annual Nevada Day game. They played well for much of the first period and even led 2-1. But as the first period drew to a close, a recurring problem reared its ugly head.
The New Jersey Devils came to town high on the acquisition of Connor Hellebuyck. They were already an excellent team, and adding a Vezina-winning goaltender makes them even more dangerous. But on Friday, the Golden Knights once again dug their own grave and fell victim to self-inflicted injuries in an ugly 5-2 loss that detracted from how incredible they looked in their road whites.
“I think our execution for the last 10 days hasn’t been at the level we needed it to be,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 5-2 loss. “For me, it’s an opportunity for us to continue to push through, right? Are we gonna stay together? Are we gonna continue to do the right things, to work on our execution?
“By that, I mean, support the puck, be in the right areas, help ourselves with that,” Craig continued. “Execution, sometimes, a lot of times, comes down to decision making. And sometimes our execution can be lacking if we’re jamming pucks into there, if the support’s not there, if we’re not in the right areas. It’s not necessarily just the guy with the puck. These are things we’ll look at.”
1. The Iron Knight
Although the Golden Knights didn’t get the result they wanted today, one silver lining is worth mentioning. Brayden McNabb– the all-time leader for games played in a Golden Knights jersey with 662– skated in his 900th career game today.
McNabb’s style of play isn’t easy. He has recorded 1,681 blocked shots and thrown 2,053 hits over his 15-year NHL career. Nothing is guaranteed in life, and players who do their team’s dirty work to the extent that McNabb does don’t often reach 900 career games.
“He means everything [to the team],” said Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev. “He’s been here since day one, and he’s been in the league for many years. He’s a huge part of our team. He’s a leader; when I came here, he helped a lot. I think he still helps a lot of guys. He takes care of the defensemen. He’s just a great player— he blocks shots and just does everything right for our team.”
“He’s been a leader here from the start,” agreed McNabb’s defensive partner Shea Theodore. “He plays a good, hard game. To watch him play in his 900th… It doesn’t go unnoticed, the hard work that he puts in. Good for him.”
2. The Well’s Run Dry
This Golden Knights team is stacked from top to bottom with offensive talent, and they have been for quite some time. However, over the past few years, when they’ve gone through rough patches, it always seems to come back to an inability to consistently finish their chances.
The offensive scoring drought has come back with a vengeance over the past five games. The Golden Knights have a 1-3-1 record and have scored only 11 goals, two of which were empty-net goals in a 4-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators. Just six of those 11 goals have come at 5-on-5.
“I wouldn’t say we’re concerned,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig after the 5-2 loss. “We’re creating opportunities. We haven’t finished as well, and we haven’t played with the lead as much as we did earlier. Those things, I think, force you to squeeze your stick a little bit. We shouldn’t be concerned about that part of our game, because when we do manage the puck, and we do check, we create opportunities that, if we create enough of them, they’re gonna go in.
“We were up 2-1 at the 18-minute mark of the first period,” Craig finished. “Our guys responded to the first [Devils goal] to get two. We’re in a position there. We just have to stay with it.”
3. A New Devil on the Shoulder
The Golden Knights aren’t too worried about their finishing struggles because they have a much bigger issue at hand. Over the past five games, their losses have been in no small part due to poor puck management.
“There are other parts of our game that we have to work on,” said Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore after today’s 5-2 loss. “It starts defensively. You can’t give up five and expect to win.”
Ten days ago, they kicked off this bad stretch with a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay where four Lightning goals came directly off of turnovers. Everyone on this team is aware of the issue, and they’ve repeatedly mentioned that they need to manage the puck better. But for some reason, the problem persists.
“We didn’t help ourselves. It starts with our puck play and turnovers,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “The first two [Devils goals] are turnovers… We’ve just got to be better.”
“We just weren’t good enough,” agreed Theodore. “Our execution wasn’t there, our physicality wasn’t there. We weren’t really getting on the forecheck, and we had too many turnovers. Overall, we have to be better.”
For the second time in the young NHL season, the Florida Panthers have won three games in a row.
Florida jumped out a 2-0 lead and never looked back, taking down the Winnipeg Jets for the second time this week, this time by a final score of 5-2.
The first score of the game came the same way Florida has scored many of their goals lately; on the power play.
After a strong sequence of passing to set themselves up in Winnipeg’s zone, the puck found its way to Sam Reinhart along the goal line to the right of Nico Daws.
When no Jets player came to Reinhart, he calmly took a step above the goal line, changed the angle of his shot and fired the puck past Daws, who was down in the RVH covering the near post.
Florida took the 1-0 lead into the second period, where they quickly added to their advantage.
This time it was Anton Lundell, walking into the Jets’ zone and sending a long wrist shot past Daws, who was being screened by Eetu Luostarinen.
The two-goal lead didn’t last long for Florida, though.
A questionable call on a delay of game penalty taken by Dmitry Kulikov was challenged by Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, and replay appeared to show the puck hitting off Cole Koepke’s stick, but after a long review, officials came on the mic and announced the call was confirmed.
To their credit, Florida nearly pulled off a kill of the full two-minute 5-on-3, but Kyle Connor snuck a shot over Akira Schmid’s glove to put the Jets on the scoreboard.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to restore their two-goal advantage, and they did it with another power play goal.
Defenseman Seth Jones continued his torrid start to the season by firing a laser of a wrist shot from between the circles that beat Daws with 4:36 left in the middle frame.
Seth Jones now all alone in 3rd place among NHL defensemen in scoring with 18 points. pic.twitter.com/91aSdMX2JS
Despite the Jets adding a third period goal to cut Florida’s lead back to one, the Panthers kept their skate on the gas and picked up another crucial insurance goal.
Florida’s fourth goal came at even strength, with Lundell popping home a Lars Eller rebound to give the Cats a 4-2 lead with 6:27 to go.
For Lundell, it was his second goal of the night and third of the season, ending a six-game scoring drought.
But he wasn’t done there.
With Daws on the Winnipeg bench for an extra attacker, Lundell scored from about 150 feet away to log the first hat trick of his career.
ANOTHER HATTY IN FLORIDA 🎩
Anton Lundell gets his third of the game and that is now FIVE hatty's this season for the Panthers 😳 pic.twitter.com/YoBeFwrbSK
Photo caption: Oct 30, 2026; Sunrise,Florida, USA;FloridaPantherscenter Anton Lundell (15) celebrates with goaltender Akira Schmid (40) after the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 30: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils scores a goal against Adin Hill #33 of the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at T-Mobile Arena on October 30, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
First Period
The New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights started this evening’s game a bit slowly, feeling each other out for a few shifts without a shot on goal. This all changed when the third line hit the ice after the five-minute mark, with Jesper Boqvist making moves through the neutral zone to set his team up. The Devils got the puck low in the zone after Boqvist’s continued his hard work, allowing Anthony Mantha to win the puck on the wall. Mantha took the puck around the net and picked Luke Hughes up cutting down, feeding him a one-timer chance. And he scored! The Devils took a 1-0 lead again before Connor Hellebuyck had even touched a shot.
A couple minutes later, Noah Hanifin took a rare illegal equipment penalty when a puck off Arseny Gritsyuk’s stick broke his. Hanifin immediately played the puck with his shaft, perhaps not realizing the blade had popped off. The first unit of the power play had a rather strong shift, with Adin Hill robbing Nico Hischier in front early before stopping a Jack Hughes one-timer at the end of their shift. The second unit got 42 seconds to work with after the following faceoff, but they did not generate anything in their time.
Towards the end of the period, Luke Evangelista took a tripping penalty on Mitch Marner. This one hurt them. Glass won the draw, but Mark Stone got to the puck first and sent it to the point before redirecting the shot past Hellebuyck. It was a high deflection that was set to go wide before Stone tapped it to make it 1-1.
Right after the goal against, Connor Hellebuyck made a huge glove save on Tomas Hertl after Jesper Boqvist made a careless turnover in the defensive zone. The Devils would not learn. Hischier and Meier both went to block a shot from the point, forcing Dougie Hamilton to cover two Knights in front. He couldn’t get across to stop a shot from Ivan Barbashev, and the Knights took a 2-1 lead.
The Golden Knights would return the defensive favor. The Knights were skating like a school of fish, all in the same spot as Bratt and Hughes were sprung on a rush. The Knights blocked the initial chance, but Arseny Gritsyuk was left all alone with too much time, sniping a shot past Adin Hill to tie the game back up.
Second Period
The Devils went back to the power play early in the second period when Marner went to the box for crosschecking. The power play struggled a bit again, but Timo Meier had a chance at the end when he shot on Hill from the side of the cage.
Jack Hughes got going after the man advantage, though. Jack Hughes took the puck away at center ice and went into the offensive zone, dancing around Mark Stone and putting the puck through Stone’s legs, beating Adin Hill in a beautiful move! The Devils retook the lead just 3:49 into the period! Thankfully, Braeden Bowman allowed the Devils to keep the lead when he had a wide open net and shot the puck straight through the crease a few minutes later.
Adin Hill made the save of the game a bit past halfway through the period after he came out to stop a Dougie Hamilton wrist shot. Well out of the crease, Hill had to scramble when Jack Hughes got the puck back in the left faceoff dot and fired on the open net. Hill went old-school, cartwheeling and making a shoulder save on Jack.
The Devils shut the Knights down from there on. By the end of the period, the Devils were outshooting Vegas at one point by a near-two-to-one margin, but this wasn’t the team’s highlight of the second half of this period. Right after the Hischier line flubbed a three-on-two with a bad pass to a trailing Dougie Hamilton, the Hughes line came on. Arseny Gritsyuk, not to be so easily outdone by his linemate, came down with a head of steam and backhanded a shot on Hill. Before the Knights could react, Gritsyuk backhanded his rebound through to make it 4-2!
Third Period
The New Jersey Devils nearly got their fifth of the game less than three minutes into the final period when Amadeus Lombardi beat his man on the rush and sent a pass across for Cody Glass. The pass was just a touch too late, as Glass came crashing down on Hill, forcing the puck to sail the net.
A bit past the halfway point, there was a shaky moment for the Devils when Jonas Siegenthaler fell flat on the ice in a two-on-two, forcing Dougie Hamilton to defend the net alone. Ivan Barbashev got a nice shot off, but Hellebuyck came up with a mask save to keep it out. Play continued, and Jack Hughes made a perfectly time intervention in the slot to stop a wide-open scoring chance later in the sequence.
As the period came to its final minutes, the Devils continued to enforce their defensive will on the Golden Knights. After Luke Hughes caused a stoppage by losing an edge and taking the net off the moorings, the Knights pulled Hill for a six-on-five. On Vegas’ 20th shot of the game, Connor Hellebuyck made a cool glove save. After the following stoppage, the Devils continually disrupted the Knights’ puck movement. Doug Hamilton (this is what I’m starting to call him sometimes when he makes big defensive plays) saw a loose puck in the crease and cleared it up the wall, forcing Vegas back to their defensive zone for a breakout. Unfortunately for them, they passed right to Jack Hughes in the neutral zone, who came in and backhanded the empty net goal to ice the game.
To be honest, I was not very big on the defensive effort that the Devils were giving in the first period. It felt like, once the Knights got one chance, the Devils just started forcing things out on the ice. That familiar sinking feeling came to me when Barbashev scored Vegas’ second goal of that period, as I wondered whether the Devils would have a good response in the second period.
As it turned out, we would not have to wait, for Arseny Gritsyuk was there to tie the game before the first intermission struck.
From then on, the Devils looked like a completely different team — the one that had a big winning streak through that Dallas game. What was a collection of individual efforts at the end of the first period turned into true team defense, and Vegas just looked like they were deflating with each passing minute. This is what these Devils can do to good teams: how many Eastern teams are going out west and putting up 16 shots in the second period?
And once the Devils went up multiple goals, they went into shutdown mode. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Golden Knights had nine shot attempts in the third period. If you are wondering if you read that right, and if I typed that correctly, never fear: these Devils are a team that truly know how to shut a game down.
Moving On
After the Devils’ three-day Halloween break, the team is going to take Edmonton on at home on Tuesday night. It is an ESPN+ game, so it is technically a national game without a local broadcast. Aside from the Devils’ two games against Colorado, this is going to be their best test yet: Edmonton is 9-2-2 right now, and they are playing two-way hockey for seemingly the first time in forever.
Given the way the Devils played tonight, I feel good about the coming matchup. The Devils are a team that can handle top matchups, and their offense is clicking at a blistering rate: they have not scored fewer than two goals since October 17 against the Capitals, and they have scored four or more in four of their last six games.
Believing in Keefe’s Style
While last season left a difficult taste in a lot of our mouths, it is really good to see the team executing what looks like the Sheldon Keefe gameplan with increasing efficiency. I don’t think that everyone was at their best tonight by any means, but it’s a lot easier to hide those warts when the team sticks together and frustrates the opposition. So while there are some lingering areas to improve in, such as special teams, I am personally back to feeling confident in the team before the puck drops each night.
I would think that Connor Hellebuyck is feeling pretty good about the defense he’s seeing in front of him, too! Through two games, Hellebuyck has only had to face 39 shots. That’s good — he’s going to need that rest for Tuesday night.
Until then…
Your Thoughts
What did you think of tonight’s game? Did you feel good about the Devils’ effort? What did you think of the highlight reel goals? Which was your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading.
LAS VEGAS --- The Vegas Golden Knights had the lead, the momentum and an opportunity to build on their previous victory.
Instead, turnovers and defensive breakdowns turned a promising start into another frustrating finish.
Jack Hughes scored twice, including a dazzling go-ahead goal in the second period, and Arseny Gritsyuk added two goals as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Golden Knights 5-2 on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.
Luke Hughes also scored for the Devils.
The loss spoiled Brayden McNabb’s 900th NHL game, a milestone for the original Golden Knight who assisted on Ivan Barbashev’s first-period goal.
Mark Stone and Barbashev scored for Vegas, which led 2-1 before Gritsyuk tied the game late in the first period.
The Golden Knights waste no time on the power play ⏱️
The Devils took control in the second, while Connor Hellebuyck finished with 19 saves. Adin Hill stopped 26 shots for Vegas.
“We didn’t help ourselves tonight,” Golden Knights coach Ryan Craig said. “Now, New Jersey is a good team and capitalizes on that. It starts with our puck play and turnovers, and then when we didn’t have it, I didn’t think we checked well enough tonight.”
Defenseman Shea Theodore echoed those concerns.
“Our execution wasn’t there. Our physicality wasn’t there,” Theodore said. “We weren’t really getting on the forecheck, getting too many turnovers.”
KEY MOMENT: Hughes Turns Turnover Into Highlight-Reel Goal
Jack Hughes made the Golden Knights’ defense look downright foolish with a spectacular individual effort that broke a 2-2 tie in the second period.
Hughes stripped Jack Eichel of the puck in the neutral zone, accelerated toward the Vegas defense, slipped the puck through Stone’s legs to himself and beat Hill.
The sequence exposed the Golden Knights’ poor puck management and defensive positioning in a matter of seconds.
Gritsyuk subsequently extended New Jersey’s lead before Hughes added an empty-netter.
“We just gave them too much space,” Barbashev said of the Devils’ top line.
KEY STAT: Six Goals at Five-on-Five in Five Games
Vegas has scored just 11 goals over its past five games, including only six at five-on-five, an alarming slowdown for a team that entered Friday with three players - Eichel, Stone and Mitch Marner - combining for 49 points.
The Golden Knights managed only 21 shots against Hellebuyck, struggling to generate sustained pressure after the opening period.
“We didn’t test him enough,” Craig said. “He saw a lot of those pucks. … Just wasn’t enough consistency.”
Craig also acknowledged that execution has slipped over the past 10 days, with poor decision-making and inadequate puck support contributing to the team’s struggles.
WHAT A KNIGHT: Ivan Barbashev
Barbashev provided one of Vegas’ few offensive highlights, finishing a slick first-period passing sequence with Marner and McNabb to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead.
The goal was Barbashev’s second of the season after entering Friday with 10 points through 14 games. His offensive contributions have remained valuable, but his postgame assessment was particularly revealing.
“I think it’s, to be honest, just on us,” Barbashev said. “We didn’t play well enough today. There’s been some good moments in the first period, but that was it. I think they just shut us down in the second and third.”
Absolute dimes from Brayden McNabb and Mitch Marner and Ivan Barbashev gets a nice easy tap in.
The Golden Knights open a four-game road trip Monday in Boston, hoping to correct the defensive lapses and inconsistent execution that have plagued them.
Craig said the team would practice Saturday before heading east, emphasizing the importance of staying together.
“Are we going to stay together?” Craig asked. “Are we going to continue to do the right things to work on our execution?”
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) reaches for the puck with his stick against the New Jersey Devils during the second period at T-Mobile Arena.
Matthew Schaefer, Bo Horvat, Simon Holmstrom, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn of the New York Islanders celebrate a goal, Oct. 29, 2026, in Saint Paul, Minn.
As a reward for their valiant effort Thursday in Minnesota to knock off the Western Conference leader in points, the Islanders next host back-to-back dates with the league’s two leaders in points percentage. Before the reigning champions come to UBS Arena late next week, they’ll start with Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Saturday afternoon.
Such is the relentlessness of an NHL season, but as three-game homestands go, the Oilers, Hurricanes and Devils — the latter having added all-world goaltender Connor Hellebuyck last week to level up a notch — is about as tough a week as any team could face.
The Islanders have gotten points in seven of their last eight and kept their game at a high level despite an injury pile-up, with Ryan Pulock added Thursday. The last two of those matches, which came on the road at Nashville and Minnesota, were two of their most convincing 60 minutes.
Scott Mayfield, Anthony Duclair and teammates celebrate with Ilya Sorokin after Matthew Schaefer’s overtime goal in Saint Paul, Minn., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It is as if the hockey gods laughed and told the Islanders to go prove it some more.
“I think we just gotta keep it rolling,” Matthew Schaefer said after scoring the overtime winner to down the Wild in St. Paul, Minn. “Learn from this road trip and keep going.”
Easier said than done, of course.
If Pulock is unable to go Saturday, as expected, the Islanders likely will insert Matt Kessel into the lineup. They had not called anyone up as of Friday afternoon, an indication they could start the homestand with just 12 healthy forwards and six healthy defensemen on their roster.
The reason to believe they can get away with it against some of the league’s best offenses, starting with the McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard-led Oilers —whose 9-2-2 start has established them as Stanley Cup contenders under coach Mike Babcock — lies in the way the Islanders have embraced Pete DeBoer’s system.
“I think it starts with our leaders in here,” defenseman Logan Stanley said. “You look at a guy like Bo Horvat, Brayden Schenn, [Kyle Palmieri]. They’re playing the right way. When guys see that, it forces them to play the right way too. Pete’s got a great system in place for us. When those guys lead the way, everyone follows.”
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, left, celebrates with center Jean-Gabriel Pageau after scoring an overtime goal, Oct. 29, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. AP Photo/Abbie Parr
While the Islanders held their own Thursday against what has statistically been the best forward line in hockey — Minnesota’s trio of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy — Edmonton’s top line of McDavid, Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin has averaged a ridiculous 6.04 goals per 60 minutes, with McDavid on a record-torching 232-point pace.
Another juicy Saturday subplot: After Schaefer got the better of Quinn Hughes on Thursday, how will he fare against Bouchard, the clubhouse leader for the Norris Trophy right now? With the Islanders at home, it’s likely DeBoer will want Schaefer matched up against Bouchard and the Oilers top line as much as possible.
Matthew Schaefer, Bo Horvat, Simon Holmstrom, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn of the New York Islanders celebrate a goal, Oct. 29, 2026, in Saint Paul, Minn. NHLI via Getty Images
Reigning champion Carolina is not loaded with superstars in the same way, but the Hurricanes’ pressure-heavy system has given the Islanders fits in recent years — the Hurricanes swept the season series last year, including a 4-3 win in Raleigh, N.C., that prompted general manager Mathieu Darche to swap Patrick Roy for DeBoer behind the bench.
Now the Islanders have a style they’re starting to believe in the same way as Rod Brind’Amour’s club.
“When we’re in those systems playing Islanders hockey, no one can play against us,” Schaefer said Thursday. “It’s tough to play against. It frustrates the other team. So I think we just stuck to our game there [against the Wild] from start to finish. We played some good hockey.”
Keep on doing it at home and the rest of the league might stop and take notice.
With nearly $13 million in cap space already in the bank, the Philadelphia Flyers have the ability and long-term flexibility to go out and sign any top NHL player when the time comes, but it takes two to tango.
That much has been true on both sides of the coin for the Flyers this year. The Flyers, of course, signed Leo Carlsson to a $90 million offer sheet with an $18 million AAV in the summer, and conversely, Dylan Larkin refuses to add Philadelphia to his list of approved trade destinations.
The good news is that another superstar forward could shake loose: on Friday, it was revealed that Nikita Kucherov had requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The bad news is that ensuing reporting indirectly indicates the Flyers aren't going to be a fit when it comes down to it.
"Negotiations between the Lightning and Nikita Kucherov’s camp remained far apart. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is due for potentially double his $9.5 million AAV," ESPN NHL insider Emily Kaplan reported Friday night. "Kucherov let his teammates know of his decision today. He has a modified no trade clause, which allows him to give a list of 10 approved teams."
The kicker is that, even with his trade protection, Kucherov has an idea of where he wants to go, and that will deter teams, such as the Flyers, from paying major assets for a player who won't re-sign with them.
Of course, the Flyers are winless in 12 of their first 15 games this season, so while they might be able to satisfy Kucherov's financial wishes, they are a massive downgrade from the Lightning in their current state on the ice.
And speaking of on the ice, their roster construction won't be up to par, either.
Added Kaplan: "Believe Kucherov has his eyes set on playing with another one of the league's top superstars and has a few players/teams in mind. We’ll see what moves the Lightning can, or are willing to, pull off."
To be frank, the Flyers very clearly do not have one of the NHL's top superstars. Unless Kucherov is chasing strictly money, the Flyers don't have much they can offer, and even then, teams with similar amounts of cap space, namely Carolina, can make a competitive offer in the same vein.
The closest thing the Flyers have to a superstar is 21-year-old winger Matvei Michkov, who plays the same position as Kucherov with a near-identical style of play.
Kucherov, who is now 33, would surely inhibit Michkov's growth by stepping into a featured role at 5-on-5 and on the power play - the exact kind of move the Flyers should be avoiding in the position they're in.
Considering everything - age, salary demands, competitive aspirations, and star teammates - the Flyers are plainly not a fit for Kucherov.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots, Arseny Gritsyuk and Jack Hughes each scored twice and the New Jersey Devils beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 on Friday.
Hellebuyck, who spent his first 11 seasons in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, had his second win since the Devils acquired him Oct. 23. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner was also in goal Tuesday night in Dallas in a 5-1 win.
Gritsyuk has scored at least a goal in six of the last eight games and has 10 points during the stretch. Luke Hughes also scored for New Jersey. The Devils improved to 10-1-0 when the Hughes brothers score in the same game.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Golden Knights, and Adin Hill stopped 26 shots.
Luke Hughes got things going early in the first when he rifled a one-timer from the top of the left circle past Hill.
Stone tied it when he deflected Mitch Marner’s blast from the point past Hellebuyck. Barbashev gave the Knights a 2-1 lead moments later when he tapped Marner’s pass home after a picture-perfect cross-crease pass.
The lead didn’t last one minute, as Gritsyuk took advantage of a turnover and sniped Hill top shelf from the left circle.
Jack Hughes put New Jersey back in front when he stole the puck from Jack Eichel in the neutral zone, then passed it to himself through Stone’s legs before beating Hill.
Gritsyuk scored his second goal by backhanding his rebound after Hill blocked his first attempt.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ottawa Senators forward Hayden Hodgson has been suspended two games for charging and boarding Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke.
The 30-year-old playing his 24th game in the league lined up Clarke from several strides away and drove his opponent’s head into the glass midway through the teams’ game Thursday night in LA. Hodgson was given a five-minute major penalty for boarding and ejected with a game misconduct.
Clarke did not return but was on the ice for practice Friday.
Hodgson was fined $2,018, the maximum allowed under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, in October 2025 for boarding Montreal's Alex Newhook in a preseason game. He has a long history of suspensions — 20 games worth — in the American Hockey League for elbowing and other offenses over the past five seasons.
He’ll forfeit $8,763 in salary as a result of the suspension. He'll miss games Saturday at San Jose and Sunday at Anaheim. He's eligible to return Wednesday at Buffalo.
The Senators recalled wingers Xavier Bourgault and Philip Tomasino from Belleville of the AHL.
New York Rangers goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) plays during the first period of an NHL preseason game against the New Jersey Devils, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.
Goalie Joonas Korpisalo rejoined the Rangers for practice Friday for the first time since contracting a foot infection at the beginning of the season.
Access the Rangers beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting withMollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.
Participating for around 30 minutes, Korpisalo saw plenty of shots and got some work in before heading off the ice a bit earlier than the rest of the team. The 32-year-old only just resumed skating last weekend, to put his abbreviated practice in perspective.
“It’s a big step for Korpy,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after practice. “He’s still under the guise of the workload management with our medical department, so it was by design he didn’t stay the whole time out there today. It’s a big step for him, joining the team.”
Shortly after the Rangers put Korpisalo on injured reserve, the Finn was given a four-week timeline to return.
New York Rangers goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) plays during the first period of an NHL preseason game against the New Jersey Devils, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If he’s on schedule, Korpisalo could play his first game of the season as soon as the Rangers’ upcoming road trip to Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Once Korpisalo makes his Blueshirts debut, he will have played for five NHL organizations.
Eeli Tolvanan again did not participate in practice due to personal reasons.
After missing Tuesday’s practice due to an upper-body injury, goalie James Reimer returned to the ice as well.
Among defense pairs who have logged at least 150 minutes of five-on-five ice time entering Friday’s slate of games, Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov’s 11.01 expected goals is the fifth best in the NHL. The only duos they trail are the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield (14.71), the Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore (13.72), the Mammoth’s MacKenzie Weegar and Mikhail Sergachev (11.62) and the Devils’ Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler (11.41).
The Wolf Pack named Marc Del Gaizo the 16th captain in franchise history earlier this week.
Since signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Rangers in July, Del Gaizo has skated on Hartford’s top pair.
Forwards Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling and Glenn Gawdin were also named alternate captains. The plan is for the trio to rotate wearing the ‘A’ during the season.
