DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Thomas Harley scored with 0.2 seconds left in the first period and Arttu Hyry added an empty-netter with 0.3 left in the game as the Dallas Stars beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night.

Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Stars, who broke a two-game losing streak during which they never led to finish a season-long six-game homestand 4-2-0.

Defenseman Damon Severson scored and Jet Greaves stopped 14 shots for the Blue Jackets, who dropped the last two games of a three-game road trip.

Jake Oettinger, fifth in the NHL with a 1.69 goals-against average going into play, stopped 25 of 26 shots to bounce back after allowing seven goals in his two previous outings.

Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen had two assists.

Harley whistled a shot from the left half wall into a sliver of space between Greaves’ right skate and the post for his first goal of the season to give the Stars a 2-0 lead.

Rantanen had opened the scoring 33 seconds into a power play at 2:16 of the first period after Greaves was called for delay of game. Rantanen tapped in a cross-crease, backhand pass from Wyatt Johnston for his team-high seventh goal.

Severson scored at 6:21 of the third, about four minutes after the Stars successfully challenged a Jackets goal by Valeri Nichushkin for offside.

Dallas killed Columbus’ one power play, running its top-ranked penalty kill to 28 straight successful dating to Oct. 13.

Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov made his season debut after being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 1. Columbus used 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Two of Dallas’ wins on the homestand came against the Stars’ two previous coaches — Columbus’ Rick Bowness and Pete DeBoer of the New York Islanders.

The teams will play their other inter-conference game next Thursday at Columbus.

Up next

Blue Jackets: Host Colorado on Tuesday.

Stars: Visit Washington on Tuesday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche turned a strong start into a statement performance Friday night at Ball Arena, overwhelming the Calgary Flames 5-2 behind two goals from Artturi Lehkonen, a four-assist performance from Cale Makar and a balanced offensive attack.

The victory came with one anxious moment, as Brock Nelson left the ice after taking a puck to the ear in the second period before returning to the bench ahead of the third.

Lehkonen scored twice to extend his team-leading goal total to 12, while Makar recorded four assists and Devon Toews added two. Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Nelson also scored for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 25 shots to earn the victory. For Calgary, Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil provided the goals, while Arsenii Sergeev made 29 saves.

First Period

The opening period featured a measured pace as both teams looked to establish their offensive rhythm.

Cale Makar, affectionately known as “Slim Shimmy” here at The Hockey News, put his signature moves on display early, dancing across the ice before unleashing a wrist shot that Calgary goaltender Arsenii Sergeev gloved down.

Just past the midway point, T.J. Hughes was taken down by Calgary defenseman Yan Kuznetsov on a breakaway. Avalanche fans were left frustrated when no penalty was called. The reaction intensified after the replay showed Kuznetsov wrapping his left arm around Hughes and grabbing him before bringing him to the ice.

Nathan MacKinnon opens the scoring with his ninth of the year 🐕

📺: Flames vs. Avalanche LIVE on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/RGyEEHI2g2

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 1, 2026

About a minute later, Colorado defenseman Noah Juulsen, filling in for the injured Josh Manson, delivered a thunderous hit on Calgary forward Aydar Suniev along the boards. Suniev struggled to get back to his feet and fell again while attempting to regain his balance.

Nathan MacKinnon broke the scoreless tie with 5:47 remaining in the period. After Makar and Martin Necas attempted to connect on an offensive opportunity, the puck found its way to MacKinnon, who wasted little time snapping it past Sergeev to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.

The goal was MacKinnon’s ninth of the season, his 21st career tally against Calgary and his eighth in his last eight games against the Flames.

Mackenzie Blackwood then delivered a highlight-reel save of his own. Facing a 2-on-1 rush, Blackwood sprawled across the crease, split his pads and flashed the leather to rob Matt Coronato with a spectacular glove save.

Colorado carried its 1-0 advantage into the first intermission while holding a 9-6 edge in shots on goal.

Second Period

Calgary forward Ryan Strome was penalized for high-sticking less than a minute into the second period, giving Colorado its first power play of the night.

The Avalanche wasted little time capitalizing.

At 2:37, Martin Necas blasted a one-timer from the slot off a perfectly placed pass from Nazem Kadri, doubling Colorado’s advantage to 2-0.

Just over three minutes later, Lehkonen extended the lead. After evading a stick check, he received a pass from Makar at the bumper position and fired a wrist shot underneath Sergeev’s pads at 5:48. The goal was Lehkonen’s 11th of the season, moving him into the team lead.

Brock Nelson made it 4-0 with a terrific individual effort. Gabriel Landeskog initially tried to connect with Nelson, but Calgary defenseman Zach Whitecloud deflected the pass. Nelson stayed with the play, tracked the puck and managed to tip it out of midair past Sergeev.

Calgary finally broke through with 9:10 remaining in the period. A defensive-zone turnover by Kadri gave the Flames an opportunity, and Joel Farabee made Colorado pay, one-timing a pass from the bumper position past Blackwood to cut the deficit to 4-1.

The goal was followed by a frightening moment for the Avalanche.

Nelson took a shot to the ear and immediately went down to the ice. He remained on one knee for several minutes before eventually making his way off the ice and heading down the tunnel. His status was initially uncertain, leaving Colorado fans concerned about the veteran forward.

Scary moment for Brock Nelson as he takes a shot to the side of the head. He has gone down the tunnel #Avs#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/P99WJyv9r1

— Hockey Mountain High (@HockeyMtnHighCO) November 1, 2026

The Avalanche entered the second intermission with a commanding 4-1 lead and a 24-14 advantage in shots on goal.

Third Period

Nelson’s return to the bench before the start of the third period provided a welcome sight for Colorado. Although his status remained a concern, seeing him back with his teammates offered some reassurance.

Calgary wasted little time trying to make things interesting.

Martin Pospisil scored from the doorstep at 1:58 after receiving a pass from Strome, who found him alone in front of Blackwood. The goal cut Colorado’s lead to 4-2 and briefly shifted the momentum toward the Flames.

Lehkonen quickly restored order.

Just 2:10 after Pospisil’s goal, the Finnish forward redirected a point-blank shot from Makar past Sergeev to make it 5-2. It was Lehkonen’s second goal of the night and his 12th of the season, extending his team lead.

Colorado had an opportunity to add to its advantage with approximately six minutes remaining when Kuznetsov was assessed a four-minute double minor for high-sticking Fedor Svechkov. The infraction drew blood, resulting in the extended penalty.

Despite having four minutes with the man advantage, the Avalanche could not convert on the power play. Calgary successfully killed off the penalty, preventing Colorado from adding to its lead.

Blackwood and the Colorado defense held firm the rest of the way, preserving the three-goal cushion.

Another night, another loss for the Vancouver Canucks as they fell 4-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Brock Boeser scored on the power play while Max Sasson picked up his fourth goal of the campaign in the loss. In net was Leevi Meriläinen, who stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced. 

The Canucks once again struggled to put forth a full 60-minute effort. While Vancouver had a strong first period, their play in the second was the difference as Toronto outshot them 13-6 and outscored the team 2-0. With the defeat, the Canucks are now 1-11-1 over their last 13 games and have been outscored 57-30. 

"I thought the first period, we played great, and second period we defensively weren't as sharp as the first period," said Brock Boeser post-game. "They have too many good players over there. You could see them get their chances, their looks, and they tilted the ice, and they had momentum. We were kind of just sitting back and couldn't find our way out of it, and gave up a couple that cost us."

Unlike some losses this season, this game can't be blamed on a lack of effort. While Vancouver struggled in the second, they played a strong game but couldn't find a way to equalize in the third. Post-game, Head Coach Manny Malhotra spoke about where his team is in terms of playing the style of game he wants. 

"Getting closer," said Malhotra. "It's not close to where we need to be or need to get to, but there is progress. And it's frustrating as we talk about these games after loss after loss. But we do see improvement in different areas of our game, and it's just tough to see those when there's no correlation to wins." 

Saturday's matchup was also Jacob Quillan's first in a Canucks uniform. The 24-year-old was acquired earlier this month from the Maple Leafs and called up on Friday after Filip Chytil was placed on IR. In the end, Quillan logged 11:58 of ice time, recording one shot, one hit, and winning four of his nine faceoffs. 

"It was good to get the first opportunity against them, said Quillan post-game. "Not really playing for revenge or anything. Just fresh start with this organization, and glad to be here as they wanted me here. So I'm thankful to play for them." 

Finally, the biggest positive of the night was arguably the penalty kill. Vancouver went a perfect two for two and killed off 1:08 of five-on-three time. Considering all the issues the penalty kill has had this year, tonight should be viewed as a step in the right direction. 

Ultimately, this loss was similar to others suffered this season. The Canucks played well for a good portion of the game, but eventually lost due to a lack of execution and a poor stretch of play. In the end, Saturday was yet another tank-friendly game at Rogers Arena as Vancouver came close, yet still skated away with a loss. 

Stats and Facts:

• Elias Pettersson's six-game point streak comes to an end
• Filip Hronek led all players in ice time with 26:57
• Paul Cotter led the Canucks with four hits
• Vancouver won just 39% of the faceoffs

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

1:23- TOR: William Nylander (10) from Nick Paul and Jake McCabe

10:30- VAN: Brock Boeser (5) from Filip Hronek and Jonathan Lekkerimäki (PPG)

2nd Period:

3:47- TOR: Auston Matthews (11) from Darren Raddysh and Jack Roslovic

12:34- TOR: Zack MacEwen (2) from Morgan Rielly and Teddy Blueger

3rd Period:

9:27- VAN: Max Sasson (4) from Brendan Gallagher

18:23- TOR: Teddy Blueger (2) from William Nylander and Anthony Stolarz (ENG)

Up Next:

Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks, November 3, 7:00 pm PCT

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The Penguins fell 5-4 in regulation in Montreal on Saturday night. Sidney Crosby scored a late goal, his third point of the night, late in the third period to bring the Penguins within one goal but the team couldn’t find one more goal to tie the game and fell in regulation.

Here are the highlights from the game

MONTREAL (AP) — Josh Anderson had two goals and an assist and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on Saturday night for their fifth straight victory.

Chris Kreider added a one goal and an assist, and Oliver Kapanen and Alexandre Texier also scored as Montreal (9-3-2) returned home from an undefeated four-game Western trip. Lane Hutson had two assists.

Jacob Fowler made 25 saves and became the third Canadiens rookie goalie in the past 40 years to win seven consecutive games.

Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh, and Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell each had a goal and an assist. Sergei Murashov stopped 22 shots.

Anderson gave Montreal a two-goal lead with 6:54 left on a deflection. Crosby pulled one back with 3:11 remaining with Murashov off for an extra attacker.

Earlier, with his 1,112th career assist, Crosby passed Boston Bruins great Ray Bourque for the most with one franchise in NHL history. The 39-year-old center also tied Marcel Dionne for sixth on the scoring list with 1,771.

Up next

Penguins: Host Vegas on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: Host Winnipeg on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Like the St. Louis Blues did with Otto Stenberg, they have reassigned Quinton Burns to the AHL following a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

The Blues were resilient against the Red Wings coming back from a two-goal defecit to win. The Blues scored three unanswered goals in the third period, with the winner coming off the stick of Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, his first goal of his NHL career.

With the win, the Blues now have a 7-6-1 record, good enough for 15 points and fifth place in the Central Division.  

Prior to the game, the Blues recalled Theo Lindstein from the AHL to replace an injured Colton Parayko. Lindstein logged 10:14 of ice time, finishing as a minus-2. 

In his call-up, Burns did not play in any NHL games and has yet to dress for any. He has featured in pre-season games. This year he skated in two games. In the AHL this season, the 21-year-old has recorded one assist in seven games. 

This is his second season in the AHL, as he split most of his rookie season between the ECHL and AHL.

Burns is a 6-foot-2, 194-pound left-handed defenseman whom the Blues drafted in the third round (74th overall) in the 2023 NHL draft. Burns is a native of Smith Falls, Ont. 

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The Detroit Red Wings got more tricks than treats on Halloween afternoon at Little Caesars Arena, watching their 4-2 third-period lead over the St. Louis Blues disappear and become a 5-4 regulation loss. 

It was a disappointing finish for the Red Wings, who appeared to have the game well in hand.

However, it will have to serve as a hard lesson moving forward, one that head coach Todd McLellan felt began to take shape in the second period rather than the third by committing turnovers in the neutral zone. 

"We played a little sloppier than I would like, but we have jobs to do based on our neutral zone; we didn’t get it done,” said McLellan afterward. “So now, they've got momentum coming out of the gate - then we get into the third. We have rules for back-checking and sort-outs, we didn’t follow them, we give up a goal. A transition play for the fourth one, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me at all."

“And the last one, you’re going to give something like that, where Anton (Johansson) goes to knock the puck down, and no one knows where it is, taking (Andreas) Englund to the corner. All of a sudden, they’ve shot in a deflection. So for me, we got sloppy.

The intent was still there, but the execution and the details in it weren't, and we paid the price."

As things were unraveling in the third period, McLellan indicated that the communication level on the bench was at a high level and that there was frustration amongst the players. 

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"It's good," he said of the bench communication. "They were frustrated and a little bit pissed off, but there is talk there. I'm not losing my marbles, and I should be, but I believe in what the group can do, and fix this. So, there is talk, and there is communication, and some frustration." 

Red Wings Suffer Spooky Halloween Collapse, Lose 5-4 To Blues The Detroit Red Wings suffered a third period collapse against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 5-4 final after leading 4-2.

That frustration was on full display in the dressing room afterward, as forward Keegan Kolesar, who scored his first goal since being acquired by the Red Wings over the summer, said that losing after blowing a two-goal lead is going to sting. 

“We should have come away with the win," Kolesar said. "Just got to sit with this the rest of the day and we’ll sit with it until the next game. And it’s not a good feeling.”

The Red Wings will face two straight divisional opponents on the road with matchups against the Lightning and Panthers before returning home to host the Golden Knights. 

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Superstar right winger Nikita Kucherov has requested a trade out of the Tampa Bay Lightning, reported on Friday. Though Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said they "unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita," the reigning Hart Trophy winner has a 10-team trade list in any way the situation plays out. Regardless of BriseBois' intention not to trade him, Kucherov's camp made it clear that he wouldn't be re-signing with the club, and he's in the final year of his contract.

"More than the money, I think that the reason we're here today has been the pace of the negotiations, or lack thereof," Elliotte Friedman said of the Lightning's urgency to re-sign Kucherov, and the main reason for his trade request.

On Sportsnet's 'Saturday Headlines' segment with Friedman, he further reported that of the Canadian teams that could be on his 10-team trade list, he'd be open to joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as the Montreal Canadiens.

"I do believe that if Tampa was going to trade him, and Montreal and Toronto could come up with a package that Tampa would like, those are two teams, among many, he would consider," he said.

Kucherov's expiring deal carries a $9.5-million salary cap hit. And beyond his pending UFA status, he's expected to earn north of $18 million per season on his next deal.

Kucherov, 33, has been one of the league's top players of the past several years, winning two Hart Trophies, three Art Ross Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and a pair of Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay.

He has six 100-point seasons in his career, marking at least 110 points in the last four straight years. He also has over 1,100 career points in the NHL and is fourth all-time in scoring among Russian-born players.

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DENVER — For Mackenzie Blackwood, the expectations in Colorado have never really been a secret.

The Avalanche wanted him to establish himself as their starting goaltender, and this season, he’s beginning to look the part.

Blackwood enters Saturday night’s matchup against the Calgary Flames having won four of his last five starts, posting a 2.40 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage over that stretch. More importantly, he’s beginning to show the consistency Colorado has been waiting to see.

Mackenzie Blackwood has now won 4 of his last 5 games started and has not pitched a SV% below .909 in any of the wins.

Last 5 GP:

W - 20 SV (.909 SV%) - tonight
W - 31 SV (.912)
L - 21 SV (.875)
W - 30 SV (.938)
W - 24 SV (.923) https://t.co/iJ4x5FNzlfpic.twitter.com/MVa69oearh

— Beebs Bondy (@Beebsbondy) October 29, 2026

It hasn’t always been that way.

After a difficult outing against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 10, when he surrendered five goals on 22 shots, including three on four shots in the second period, Blackwood has been excellent. That performance has become something of an outlier, as the 29-year-old has responded with some of his best hockey of the season.

There were signs last season that Blackwood was capable of this kind of play. After undergoing offseason surgery to repair a lower-body injury, he began the season on injured reserve and missed all of training camp and the preseason. When he returned, finding consistency wasn’t easy. He struggled at times before beginning to turn things around in November.

Then he made history.

On Nov. 26, 2025, Blackwood became the seventh goaltender in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to record consecutive shutouts. He joined an exclusive group that included Patrick Roy, Clint Malarchuk, David Aebischer, Pavel Francouz, Darcy Kuemper and Justus Annunen after blanking the Nashville Predators 3-0 and the San Jose Sharks 6-0 in back-to-back games.

BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS FOR MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD!#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/UejKFjyhNj

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 2, 2025

It was an impressive stretch, but one that didn’t necessarily signal a smooth path forward. Another lower-body injury sidelined Blackwood a month later, and his play continued to fluctuate throughout the season. There were nights when he looked nearly unbeatable and others when he struggled to find his footing.

Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood made the most of his opportunities.

When Blackwood was unavailable, Wedgewood stepped in and delivered a remarkable season, finishing 31-6-6 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. His performance gave Colorado a level of stability in net that was difficult to overlook, particularly with Blackwood still trying to put everything together.

The two goaltenders ultimately shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals during the regular season.

Blackwood got another opportunity to show what he could do in the postseason. After struggling in the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, he was given the start in Game 4 with Colorado facing elimination. He stopped 24 of 26 shots, but the Avalanche fell 2-1, ending their season as Vegas advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, where it lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.

Even through Blackwood’s ups and downs, head coach Jared Bednar maintained that his best hockey was still ahead of him.

There was another level to Blackwood’s game that Bednar believed he hadn’t reached yet. Colorado had seen glimpses of it, but the organization needed to see more than flashes.

That became an expectation heading into this season. Since the start of training camp, Bednar has made it clear that the Avalanche wanted Blackwood to establish himself as the starter and run with the opportunity.

It was a reasonable expectation, but not necessarily an easy one to meet with Wedgewood coming off such a strong season. Wedgewood had established himself as more than a capable backup, and Colorado had two goaltenders coming off a season in which both played significant roles in the team’s success.

Still, there’s a reason the Avalanche made the financial commitment they did to Blackwood. At $5.25 million annually, compared to Wedgewood’s $2.5 million, Colorado needs Blackwood to be more than just one half of a tandem. They need him to establish himself as the guy they can lean on.

So far, he’s doing exactly that.

Bednar acknowledged that Blackwood has been solid throughout the season, pointing to the Toronto game as the one outing where he felt the goaltender could have been better. But he was equally quick to point out how Blackwood responded.

Blackwood starts…LOC out tonight and Juulsen will get the minutes of Manson. Coach says he trusts him and he knows what’s up. pic.twitter.com/IimHrv0GW6

— Marc Moser TV (@RadioMoser) October 31, 2026

“I think Blackie’s been solid all year," he stated Saturday morning at morning skate. "I think he probably should have been better and it could have been better was the Toronto game.  We didn’t give up a ton of chances, but the ones we did were grade-A’s, and they put them in the back of the net, and they were opportunistic, and we weren’t good enough in front of him, and then he bounced right back and his next couple starts were outstanding.”

Bednar also acknowledged that the Avalanche will need both goaltenders, particularly with a back-to-back on the schedule on the horizon on 11/2 and 11/3 when Colorado faces the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wedgewood’s workload has looked a little different from last season, but the coach remains confident in what he can provide when called upon.

“So I like what he’s been doing so far and we’ve had a pretty, you know, at times pretty easy schedule like right now. And then we got a back-to-back coming, so we need both guys, but he’s been handling it great. I think Wedge on the same note is, you know, it’s a little bit different form from last year, but he’s used to it from his whole career and I expect him to be able to go in and give us a real good game here on the road as well.”

For now, Blackwood is doing what Colorado asked of him. The Avalanche have known what he’s capable of for some time. They’ve seen the shutouts, the stretches of brilliance and the performances that made Bednar believe there was another level to his game.

What they’ve been waiting for is consistency.

Blackwood is beginning to provide it, and if he can sustain this level of play, Colorado may finally get the kind of separation in its crease that it envisioned when it made him its starting goaltender.

Saturday’s matchup against Calgary presents another opportunity to keep building on that.

Even if he's had a bit of a slow start to the season, Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby is still climbing the ranks of NHL history.

And he has just broken another NHL record.

With an assist on an Erik Karlsson power play goal during the first period of Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, Crosby broke the NHL record for most assists with a single franchise at 1,112. He passed Ray Bourque with the assist. 

Later in the game, he also added another helper in the form of a secondary assist on a goal by linemate Tommy Novak. 

Crosby, 39, has spent all 22 seasons of his NHL career with Pittsburgh. In that time, he has amassed 657 and 1,770 points, which puts him one point shy of tying Marcel Dionne for the sixth-most points in NHL history. Last season, Crosby surpassed franchise icon Mario Lemieux for the most points in franchise history, with Lemieux holding the previous record at 1,723. 

He is also just 28 points shy of tying Ron Francis for the fifth-most points in NHL history. 

In 14 games to open the 2026-27 campaign, Crosby has three goals and nine points. As of now, he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. 

'We Have To Be A Team That's Harder To Play Against': Penguins Look To Turn Page After Tough LossThe Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to regroup after their tough 4-3 overtime loss to Utah on Thursday.

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The Buffalo Sabres are enjoying their current three-game win streak, a streak that included a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings Saturday afternoon. But before Sabres fans get too giddy, we have to point out the fact that Buffalo’s win streak has come against three teams that, frankly, aren’t very good – at least, at the moment.

The streak began with a 2-0 shutout of the San Jose Sharks, a thoroughly-mediocre team that has a 7-7-1 record and an offense that ranks 26th in the league at an average of just 2.67 goals-for per game. Somehow, despite having one of the most highly-regarded collections of young talent in the league, the Sharks are a Jekyll-and-Hyde team that hasn’t had a win streak or a losing streak of more than two games. So while it was nice to see goalie Colten Ellis thrive with a shutout, it’s hardly a momentous achievement to beat San Jose.

Similarly, Buffalo’s second win in their current streak also came against a club – the Anaheim Ducks – that isn’t on anyone’s list of the better teams in the league right now. The Ducks currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference with a 5-7-1 record that includes a 3-6-1 mark in their past 10 games. Anaheim is the NHL’s second-worst offensive team (averaging 3.85 goals-against per game), and so it’s no impressive feat for the Sabres to stick them for seven goals in a 7-6 win. Don’t get it twisted – Buffalo’s anemic offense needs all the confidence it can get, but the Sabres’ defense against the Ducks left much to be desired.

Finally, there’s Saturday’s win over the lowly Kings. Buffalo nearly blew a 2-0 lead before a third-period marker gave them a narrow win. But this is L.A. we’re talking about – a squad that’s been arguably the NHL’s most disappointing team this season. The loss to the Sabres dropped the Kings’ record to 4-7-2, and it dropped Los Angeles’ home record to 1-4-0. Again, while Buffalo will certainly be happy with the two standings points they earned Saturday, there are still some signs of trouble with this team.

We’ll have a better indication of the kind of team the Sabres are in their next half-dozen contests. Four of those six games will be against strong teams – the Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars – so the degree of difficulty is going to rise considerably. And the other two games in their next six will be against the sub-par Columbus Blue Jackets and abysmal Chicago Blackhawks. And that means Buffalo will need to take care of business against weak teams and raise their compete level against powerful ones.

It’s Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s job to produce consistent efforts from his group, and thus far this season, he hasn’t succeeded in that regard. But there’s no time like the present to change that. And the way Buffalo performs in the next two weeks will be the best indicator of what the Sabres are made of.

There may be another long win streak ahead for Buffalo, but we haven’t seen them win more than three in a row – and we have seen them lose three straight, in the games immediately preceding their current win streak. It’s a long season, and there are going to be highs and lows for every team. But the Sabres’ current streak of victories isn’t wowing anyone who’s really paying attention. 

And until they demonstrate they can impose their will on teams that are actually relevant, Buffalo will remain firmly in the league’s mid-tier.

For the first time in twenty-four years, the Colorado Avalanche are hosting a game on Halloween!

Tonight will be a rematch against the Calgary Flames, who have been heating up of late with five wins in their previous six games.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche, looking more Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde, defeated the visiting New Jersey Devils by a 5-2 decision on Wednesday night, avenging their loss at the Prudential Center eight nights earlier. New Jersey, playing the second half of a back-to-back series, started goaltender Jake Allen, who gave up five goals on forty-five shots. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped twenty of twenty-two shots for his sixth win of the season.

Nicolas Roy, who had missed the previous six games with injury, returned to the lineup, registering an assist on Nazem Kadri’s go-ahead goal in the second period. Defenseman Josh Manson, however, did not finish the game. Head coach Jared Bednar announced yesterday that Manson would miss eight weeks with an ankle injury.

Manson’s absence paves the way for increased usage for defenseman Noah Juulsen. Juulsen has played eight games for Colorado this season.

It’s likely that Blackwood closes out the home stand, saving Scott Wedgewood for next week. They kick off another back-to-back pair of road games on Monday in Chicago before heading to Columbus.

MacKinnon still leads all skaters in points (22) and assists (14). Artturi Lehkonen leads the team in goals (10).

A win tonight pulls the Avs within one point of second-place Utah in the Central Division standings. The Avs won the opening game of the season series against Calgary on October 08.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Nicolas Roy
Jaden Schwartz – Nazem Kadri – T.J. Hughes
Parker Kelly – Fedor Svechkov – Gavin Brindley

Defense:
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski
Noah Juulsen – Brent Burns

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Calgary Flames

Calgary’s start to the season was anything but hot: they lost six of their first seven games of the season, including the previously-mentioned 7-3 loss on home ice to Colorado on October 08. During their most recent four game homestand, however, things started to heat up. Thanks to stellar play by goaltender Devin Cooley, Calgary swept all four games, which featured victories over Minnesota, Toronto, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Unfortunately, Cooley’s heater came to an abrupt end this past Wednesday after sustaining an injury from a collision with Edmonton’s Colton Dach. Calgary wound up losing by a 4-0 decision, but rebounded last night on home ice with a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Goaltender Dustin Wolf recorded his first win in over two weeks, saving twenty-five of twenty-seven shots against.

Calgary, who has been without left wing Jonathan Huberdeau after he underwent hip resurfacing surgery last season, is seeing injuries continue to pile up. Left wing Samuel Honzek, who last played against Colorado, is listed as week-to-week. Brennan Othmann also was injured during the Edmonton game after a fight with Ty Emberson.

With Cooley also listed as week-to-week, goaltender Arsenii Sergeev has been called up from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to back up Wolf. Maxim Tsyplakov, who had been a healthy scratch for Calgary’s previous five games, returned to the lineup against Seattle.

Joel Farabee and Matt Coronato lead all Calgary skaters in points (14). Rookie Matvei Gridin leads the team in goals (5), while Coronato leads the team in assists (11). Right wing Adam Klapka leads all Calgary skaters in penalty minutes (37), second only to Ottawa’s Nick Cousins (42) across the League.

Tonight’s game marks the start of a three game road trip for Calgary, and is their only visit to Denver. They return home to start a three game homestand on Thursday.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Joel Farabee – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato
Aydar Suniev – Morgan Frost – Yegor Sharangovich
Matvei Gridin – Martin Pospíšil – Ryan Strome
Maxim Tsyplakov – Jonathan Castagna – Adam Klapka

Defense:
Kevin Bahl – Šimon Nemec
Jake Middleton – Zach Whitecloud
Yan Kuznetsov – Zayne Parekh

Between the Pipes:
Arsenii Sergeev

NOTE: Don’t forget to download the new SB Nation app for a more mobile-friendly way to follow tonight’s action and engage with Mile High Hockey’s match threads. Commenting and interacting with your communities is easier than ever before with the Game Chat feature. The app is currently available in the U.S. and Canada on iOS and Android devices.

BOSTON (AP) — Elias Lindholm scored in overtime as the Bruins rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to top the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 and extend Boston’s home winning streak to five games.

Mason Lohrei scored to pull Boston within a goal and Morgan Geekie’s second goal of the season with 12 seconds left in the third period sent the game into overtime.

Ryan Greene and Connor Bedard scored in the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks took a 4-2 lead. Anton Frondell had his second career two-goal game for Chicago.

The Blackhawks came into the game with the worst power play in the NHL, converting on 4 of 40 opportunities and were 0 for 11 on the power play on the road. However, it took Frondell just 11 seconds to give Chicago the lead after Will Borgen was whistled for a delay-of-game penalty.

Goaltender Michael DiPietro kept Boston in the game with key saves as the Bruins were outshot 28-13 in the first two periods. He stopped a Bedard shot from the slot with 2:09 left in the first period. Geekie, who hasn’t scored in his previous nine games, hit a shot off the post late in the first period.

David Pastrnak scored on a breakaway in the first period for his 428th career goal, passing Patrice Bergeron and moving into sole possession of third place on the Bruins’ career goal-scoring list. Casey Mittelstadt and Mason Lohrei also scored for the Bruins.

OILERS 4, ISLANDERS 0

NEW YORK (AP) — Connor McDavid extended his NHL-record season-opening assist streak to 14 games by setting up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ second goal, and Edmonton opened their road trip by beating New York.

Nugent-Hopkins scored on a power play in the third period to give McDavid his league-best 29th assist. McDavid has a big lead in points with 37 and is on pace for more than 200.

Longtime running mate Leon Draisaitl recorded a pair of assists, including a perfect skate-to-stick exchange that led to Vasily Podkolzin putting the puck into a wide open net. Ilya Sorokin similarly had little chance on Nugent-Hopkins’ shot from point-blank range off a feed from Kasperi Kapanen 68 seconds earlier.

Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry stopped all 18 shots he faced for a second consecutive shutout, and Jason Dickinson scored into an empty net to seal the victory. The Oilers have won 10 of their first 14 games this season, their first with Mike Babcock as coach.

Despite 20 saves from Sorokin, the Islanders’ winning streak ended at two games, with top defenseman Matthew Schaefer getting whistled for two of the team’s five minor penalties. Forward Emil Heineman was ejected less than 2 1/2 minutes in for a knee-on-knee hit that injured Isaac Howard, who put no weight on his left leg as he was helped off the ice and did not return.

PREDATORS 5, LIGHTNING 4, SO

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos scored the tying goal in regulation and the only goal of the shootout to lead Nashville to a victory over Tampa Bay.

Reid Schaefer, Adam Edstrom and Jayden Struble also scored and Justus Annunen made 22 saves in regulation and overtime for the Predators, who had lost two straight. Filip Forsberg and Nick Perbix each had a pair of assists.

Just one day after reportedly asking to be traded, Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov had three assists. John Carlson had a goal and an assist, Jake Guentzel, Victor Hedman and Conor Geekie also scored and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves for the Lightning, losers of three of four.

Nashville had lost their first five games that had extended past regulation this season before Saturday.

Stamkos, the former Lightning captain, made it 4-4 with a power-play goal at 7:27 of the third.

It was the 246th power-play goal of Stamkos’ career, tying him with Phil Esposito for sixth in NHL history.

BLUES 5, RED WINGS 4

DETROIT (AP) — Aleksanteri Kaskimaki scored his first career NHL goal to cap St. Louis' rally from a two-goal, third-period deficit in a victory over Detroit.

Kaskimaki tapped in an Alexey Toropchenko pass with 6:45 remaining to complete the comeback after Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Barron scored earlier in the period. The 22-year-old from Finland was playing in his 11th NHL game.

Jimmy Snuggerud scored his team-high eighth goal and Dalibor Dvorsky added the Blues’ other goal. Joel Hofer made 24 saves in the opener of St. Louis’ four-game road trip.

Lucas Raymond had a goal and an assist to lead the Red Wings. J.T. Compher and Keegan Kolesar scored the first goals of the season for Detroit. Kolesar’s goal was his first point in 14 games since he was acquired from Vegas in an offseason trade.

Emmitt Finnie added a power-play goal for the Red Wings, while John Gibson made 10 saves.

SABRES 3, KINGS 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tage Thompson scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 6:20 remaining, and Buffalo beat Los Angeles to extend their road point streak to seven games.

Jack Quinn had a goal and an assist, Zach Benson and Rasmus Dahlin each had two assists, and the Sabres won their third straight overall. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves.

Corey Perry had a power-play goal, Andre Lee also scored and Anton Forsberg stopped 28 shots for the Kings.

Thompson put the Sabres back in front on a one-timer off a pass from Quinn on a power play at 13:40 of the third period. Buffalo had controlled long stretches of the game before allowing the Kings to get back into it by taking some unnecessary penalties.

Buffalo controlled the first period but only led 1-0 on Quinn’s eighth goal when he scored on a power play at 6:35.

Even with Los Angeles gaining momentum in the second half of the second period, the Sabres made it 2-0 on Thompson’s ninth with 4:22 left.

SENATORS 5, SHARKS 1

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Tim Stützle and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and an assist and Ottawa defeated San Jose.

The Senators snapped a two-game skid and matched the franchise record for October victories with their ninth, equaling the mark set in 2007-08. Ottawa lost the first two games of a five-game trip that continues in Anaheim on Sunday.

Drake Batherson, Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa, while Samuel Ersson made 21 saves.

Michael Misa scored the lone goal for the Sharks and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 30 shots.

Ottawa broke open a 1-1 game with three second-period goals. Batherson put the Senators ahead at 5:04 before Stützle and Greig scored 1:23 apart midway through the stanza.

Cozens opened the scoring at 13:25 of the first period, and Misa tied it at 16:06 with his third goal of the season.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Tim Stützle and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and an assist and the Ottawa Senators defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-1 on Saturday.

The Senators snapped a two-game skid and matched the franchise record for October victories with their ninth, equaling the mark set in 2007-08. Ottawa lost the first two games of a five-game trip that continues in Anaheim on Sunday.

Drake Batherson, Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto also scored for Ottawa, while Samuel Ersson made 21 saves.

Michael Misa scored the lone goal for the Sharks and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 30 shots.

Ottawa broke open a 1-1 game with three second-period goals. Batherson put the Senators ahead at 5:04 before Stützle and Greig scored 1:23 apart midway through the stanza.

Cozens opened the scoring at 13:25 of the first period, and Misa tied it at 16:06 with his third goal of the season.

Stützle finished October with nine goals and 12 assists, extending his franchise record for points in the month to 21. He finished one goal shy of Bob Kudelski’s team October record, established in 1993.

Batherson extended his point streak to seven games, scoring his ninth goal of the season. Cozens scored for the third time in two games after scoring twice in Thursday’s 6-5 overtime loss at Los Angeles.

Ersson earned his first victory of the season after entering 0-3-1. Ottawa has been without injured goaltender Linus Ullmark.

The Senators improved to 9-5-1 and split the two-game season series after losing 6-2 at home on Oct. 22.

San Jose fell to 7-7-1 and lost for the third time in four games.

Up next

Senators: At Anaheim on Sunday night.

Sharks: Host Flames on Monday night.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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