NHL News
The Islanders host the Vancouver Canucks in their best chance of the season to get back to .500, briefly.
Ilya Sorokin is set to get the start against a team that is struggling.
It will be another Meeting of the Schenns, brothers who’ve combined to play over 2,200 NHL regular season games and each get their name on the Stanley Cup.
This is our game thread. Don’t jinx it.
Zegras mixes it up, winless Flyers drop eighth straight with shootout loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers showed some fight Tuesday night by erasing a 2-0 deficit in the third period.
But it wasn’t enough for their first win. The club lost to the Kraken, 3-2, in a shootout at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The Flyers’ dreadful losing streak hit eight games two nights after the team set the franchise record for the longest skid to start a season.
Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras tied things up for the Flyers in the final stanza.
“Honestly throughout the whole game I thought we had better energy,” Travis Sanheim said. “It just seemed like we had some more jump playing more of the style that we need to play to win in this league. It was nice to get rewarded in the third. It would have been nice to finish it off in the shootout.”
Seattle won it thanks to Bobby McMann and Matty Beniers delivering in the five-round shootout. Matvei Michkov was the Flyers’ lone scorer in the skills competition.
In overtime, the Flyers had to kill off a penalty for too many men on the ice.
Rick Tocchet’s club is now 0-5-3 and has been outscored 30-10 (excluding the shootout goal). Last season, Tocchet’s first as the team’s head coach, the Flyers were 4-3-1 through eight games and had scored 22 goals.
“This is something to build on,” Tocchet said of his team’s effort in the shootout loss. “I know it’s the moral victory thing, but it is, it’s something to build on.”
The Flyers see the Kraken (5-2-0) again Dec. 29 in Seattle.
• Dan Vladar was fantastic, turning away 29 of 31 shots. He deserved a win.
He stopped three of the Kraken’s five shootout attempts.
The 29-year-old made a huge save just nine seconds after Zegras tied the game. He also tallied an assist on Dvorak’s goal.
Vladar denied Jordan Eberle on a penalty shot 6:23 minutes into the second period. It was an excellent stop with his right leg pad to keep the Flyers’ deficit at 1-0.
“He has been solid every time he starts,” Tocchet said. “There were a couple of bouncy goals this year that he’s really upset about, but we’re not blaming the goalies. They’ve been terrific for us this year.”
Philipp Grubauer stopped 24 of the Flyers’ 26 shots.
Zegras had a couple of heated confrontations with the Seattle netminder.
With six minutes left in the second period, Zegras was whistled for slashing as the Flyers’ forward tried to dislodge a puck from under Grubauer. The goaltender then went after Zegras, who was being held by some of the Kraken’s skaters.
After Zegras exited the penalty box, he put a shot on Grubauer, who snagged it with his glove. Once the play was whistled dead, Grubauer rolled the puck to Zegras, who then flipped it back at the goalie. As they came together, Grubauer gave Zegras a two-arm shove.
“When stuff happens like that on the ice, maybe the fans get into it a little bit more and the guys respond from that,” Zegras said. “I think maybe we just need a little bit more of that in our DNA going forward.”
Both players were hit with penalties — Zegras for unsportsmanlike conduct and Grubauer for roughing.
But Zegras got some payback in the third period. With the action at 4-on-4, he scored off a great play by Sanheim.
Grubauer, though, finished with the win. Zegras, Tyson Foerster, Porter Martone and Denver Barkey couldn’t score on him in the shootout.
“I like the way we played tonight, we played hard,” Zegras said. “We got pucks to the net, bodies to the net. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get it done in the shootout.”
• Jack Studnicka, a forward who was called up Monday, didn’t have a good start to his Flyers debut.
The 27-year-old committed a first-period tripping penalty that led to McMann’s game-opening power play goal 7:57 minutes into the action. The Flyers had a solid start, but the penalty ultimately put them in an early hole. And with that came the pressure because confidence has been hard to come by for the Flyers.
The Flyers had their own power play opportunity later in the period. They didn’t record a shot and the fans let them know.
In the second period, Ville Ottavainen cushioned Seattle’s lead to 2-0.
• Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York skated Tuesday morning under the watch of assistant coach Todd Reirden.
As Ristolainen performed his conditioning work at the end, the defenseman was without a stick. He has missed the last five games after taking a shot to his left hand.
York, recovering from an upper-body injury, missed his third straight game and has been considered day to day.
Travis Konecny also missed his third straight game. The alternate captain has a lower-body injury after taking a check to his right leg last Thursday night.
Konecny is eligible to come off injured reserve Saturday, but we’ll see if he’s actually cleared to return then.
• The Flyers practice Wednesday before flying to Detroit for a matchup Thursday with the Red Wings (7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu).
Kevin Lankinen's start to the 2026-27 season has given the Vancouver Canucks some reasons for concern. Losing games was always going to be part of the rebuild. Too often, Vancouver is buried early and spends the night chasing.
The early scoring outbursts were fun, but Vancouver doesn't have the offensive firepower to trade goals with opponents every night. They need tighter defence, cleaner exits and harder forechecking. That's where Lankinen needs to help. There are going to be defensive breakdowns with this group, but a few timely saves can keep the Canucks from spending the rest of the night chasing the game.
The numbers haven't been pretty. Six appearances, 29 goals against. A 6.88 goals-against average and .786 save percentage tell the story. Dan Brousseau of Ocelot Analytics measured him at minus-10.7 goals saved above expected. That was the lowest mark through six appearances in Brousseau's sample of 479 goalie seasons since 2020-21.
It wasn't always like this for Lankinen. Back in 2024-25, he broke a road record when he went 10-0 in his first 10 road games. He ended up playing 51 games that season and finished with a .902 save percentage. That figure dropped to .875 last year. This October, he allowed eight against the Edmonton Oilers and six each against the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers.
The Edmonton game showed why the discussion can't end with his save percentage. Lankinen was pulled after eight goals on 20 shots, yet Manny Malhotra pointed to the breakaways and dangerous chances the Canucks had surrendered. The defence was poor. Lankinen still needed to stop more.
There are three defencemen under 23 in the picture: Zeev Buium, Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson. Pettersson has had encouraging moments, but the group is still learning. The veterans haven't provided much relief. Luke Schenn was a healthy scratch against Carolina, Jamie Oleksiak sat against the Rangers, and Filip Hronek has been below his usual standard.
The recent four-game losing streak was ugly: 20 goals against and only seven for Vancouver. Scoring chances favoured the opposition 109-63, including a 45-27 margin on high-danger looks. The penalty kill hasn't offered much help, either, sitting last in the NHL at roughly 52 percent after conceding 12 goals. A goalie is supposed to be his team's best penalty killer, but there are four skaters who have to win battles and take away passing lanes first. Neither part has worked well enough.
Paul Cotter and Max Sasson have shown how a hard forecheck can turn a loose puck into offence. Vancouver needs more of that pace across its lineup. Without it, the Canucks get stuck defending, and the deficits pile up. They were down 3-0 inside 10 minutes against Carolina. There aren't many ways for this roster to recover from that kind of start.
The Canucks committed five years and $22.5 million to Lankinen with Thatcher Demko still expected to be their No. 1. With Demko injured, Lankinen is once again carrying a bigger load. But 51 appearances didn't stop him from playing well in 2024-25, so the workload only explains so much.
Leevi Meriläinen has given Vancouver another reference point. His first four appearances produced a .929 save percentage. He's stopped 68 of 69 shots at 5-on-5, good for .986 in that situation. Against Calgary, he turned aside 23 of 24 shots in a 4-1 win.
Malhotra has liked how composed Meriläinen looks, especially when the Canucks need a stop. Four appearances aren't enough to declare him the better option, and the two goalies haven't faced identical workloads or opponents. Still, when another goaltender can keep Vancouver competitive behind much of the same defence, it's difficult to blame all of Lankinen's struggles on the players in front of him.
The Canucks can accept losses during a rebuild, but not this many goals against. Repeated blowouts can hurt a young team's confidence. Lankinen can't fix the breakouts or penalty kill alone, but he needs to start making more of the saves that kept Vancouver competitive when Demko was out two seasons ago. This can't continue much longer. If things don't improve, Meriläinen could soon get the green light for a string of starts.
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The Buffalo Sabres pulled back to a .500 record with a 5-3 victory over the Florida Panthers in the finale of their five-game homestand on Monday, but lost team captain Rasmus Dahlin in the second period with an unspecified upper body injury. Dahlin scored a power-play goal in the first to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead, but on an offensive zone faceoff early in the middle frame, injured himself winding up for a slapshot on Panthers goalie Akira Schmid.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game that Dahlin was considered day-to-day, and ruled him out of Tuesday’s first encounter with the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, saying that he would receive treatment from the club’s medical staff in Buffalo and avoid getting on an airplane. The Sabres play the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Thursday, which means he possibly could join the club for their first meeting with their closest geographic rival.
Other Sabres Stories
Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL
The Sabres on Tuesday announced that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to October 1, when he played in the season-opening 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The move allows the Sabres to recall defenseman Dennis Gilbert from AHL Rochester without having to make another move to open up a roster spot. Grzelcyk could be eligible to return to the lineup as soon as Thursday if Dahlin cannot play in Toronto.
Buffalo made another roster move involving a blueliner on Monday, trading Amerks defenseman Ryan Johnson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for minor leaguers Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch. Johnson was a 2019 first round pick of the Sabres who signed with them in 2023 after four years at the University of Minnesota. The 25-year-old played 47 games over four seasons with Buffalo and went unclaimed on waivers after training camp last month.
Jones, 29, is the brother of Florida Panthers blueliner Seth and has played 255 career NHL games with five clubs.
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One of the most highly discussed draft picks in recent Detroit Red Wings history is Michael Rasmussen, selected ninth overall at the 2017 NHL Draft.
The six-foot-six forward was taken after producing very solid numbers in the Western Hockey League with the Tri-City Americans, where he returned for another season after being drafted.
Detroit fans became even more excited a year later. During the 2018-19 season, Rasmussen didn't just make the jump to pro hockey, he made it to the NHL. He played three games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, scoring a pair of goals, before spending most of the season with the big club.
In his first season with the Red Wings, the Surrey, B.C. native finished with 18 points in 62 games, a respectable total for a youngster. Little has changed in his production since as Rasmussen has settled in as a 20- to 30-point depth forward and has never reached the upside Detroit hoped for.
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Last season, he finished with 14 points in 64 games while dealing with injuries and being a healthy scratch at times. He entered this season already in a scoring drought that dated back to last January, and he heads into Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils riding a 30-game point drought.
Rasmussen has now played eight seasons in the NHL, all with the Red Wings, and has recorded 66 goals and 88 assists for 154 points in 459 games. That raises a question under the team's new management direction of should Detroit try to move Rasmussen and see if he can thrive elsewhere? With so many young players in the minors deserving a chance at an NHL role, is he worth keeping on the main roster?
Rasmussen will be a free agent at the end of next season, so he still has plenty of time to make a case to be brought back. But if the drought continues, the question will only get louder of when will the Red Wings come to a decision on the former top ten pick?
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Bruce Cassidy has won a Stanley Cup, been fired and watched another NHL hiring cycle pass without finding his way back behind a bench. For now, he's found a way to keep coaching while he waits for the next opportunity.
Cassidy is working with Canada's women's national team ahead of the World Championship in Denmark this November. It's a new experience for the veteran coach, but the day-to-day work is familiar: watching video, preparing practices and helping players improve.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, Cassidy discussed his work with Hockey Canada, the possibility of returning to the NHL and what he's taken away from his time outside the league.
Hockey Canada named Cassidy a special adviser to general manager Danièle Sauvageau last month. He's since been helping head coach Kori Cheverie as the team prepares for the tournament.
The opportunity has given Cassidy a reason to stay in his coaching routine, even if the setting is different from what he's used to.
“Just trying to stay in a routine, so to speak,” Cassidy told LeBrun. “Great people here. This opportunity came up, and it's really helped fill that void.”
There's also been more time for family. Cassidy has been able to watch his 16-year-old son play hockey on weekends, a change of pace after years spent managing the demands of an NHL season.
His long-term plans, though, haven't changed. Cassidy wants another NHL job, and he remains under contract with Vegas through June 30, 2027. Any team interested in speaking with him would need permission from the Golden Knights.
Until something opens up, Cassidy has time to think about what he'd bring to his next team — and what he might do differently.
“I've always thought I'm a pretty direct coach,” he said. “I hold people accountable, and my teams play a certain way. But I think it's always about how you message.”
That question of communication has taken on added importance since Cassidy led Vegas to the Stanley Cup in 2023. Keeping a team at championship level is one challenge; figuring out how to deliver that message after the group falls short is another.
Cassidy said he spent time reflecting on how he handled that balance during his final seasons with the Golden Knights.
His next NHL job could still be some time away. In the meantime, the Team Canada assignment gives him a chance to keep coaching, learn in a different environment and be ready when the next call comes.
Game 7 - 10/13/26 - 6:30 pm at Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec
Buffalo – 3-3-0 | - 6 points – 5th place in the Atlantic Division
Montreal – 2-2-1 | - 5 points – 7th place in the Atlantic Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 13.6% (25th)
Penalty Kill – 60.0% (30th)
Montreal
Power Play – 5.9% (32nd)
Penalty Kill - 76.2% (21st)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 6 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS
Owen Power: 6 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 6 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 PTS
Montreal
Nick Suzuki: 5 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 7 PTS
Chris Kreider: 5 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS
Lane Hutson: 5 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2-2-0, 3.67 GAA, .812 Sv %)
Montreal – Jacob Fowler (1-1-0, 1.46 GAA, .938 Sv %)
Other Sabres Stories
Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings
Forwards
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Josh Doan
Zach Benson - Noah Ostlund - Jack Quinn
Jiri Kulich - Josh Norris - Konsta Helenius
Ryan McLeod - Sam Carrick - Beck Malenstyn
Ex. Justin Danforth
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Zach Metsa
Olen Zellweger - Owen Power
Dennis Gilbert - Louis Crevier
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Notes
Buffalo has earned a win in two of its last three games against Montreal.
The Sabres have earned more wins against the Canadiens (138) than any other opponent in franchise history. Buffalo has converted on three of its last eight power-play opportunities (37.5 percent), including at least one power-play goal in each of the team’s last two games.
A power-play goal tonight would mark the first time the Sabres have earned a power-play goal streak of three or more games since Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, 2026 (six games).
Owen Power has posted seven points (1+6) in Buffalo’s first six games. A point in tonight’s game would make him the first Sabres defenseman since Rasmus Dahlin (Oct. 13 to 27, 2022; 5+4) to record eight or more points in their first seven games of a season. Power (26:07) ranks seventh in time on ice per game among all NHL skaters.
Tage Thompson has registered 23 points (12+11) in 20 career games against Montreal, including seven points (3+4) in his last three games against the Canadiens. An assist in today’s game would make Thompson the first Sabres forward to record an assist streak of four or more games against Montreal since Jack Eichel from Nov. 8, 2018 to Oct. 9, 2019 (3+7).
Josh Norris has totaled eight points (3+6) in his last eight games against the Canadiens.
Tonight’s game will mark his first regular-season game against Montreal as a member of the Sabres.
Jiri Kulich is riding a three-game point streak against the Canadiens (2+1).
Tonight’s game concludes Buffalo’s 1st of 14 back-to-back sets in 2026-27, which opened with a 5-3 win vs. Florida yesterday afternoon.
Injuries
Matt Grzelcyk (IR - undisclosed)
Rasmus Dahlin (day-to-day - upper body)
Alex Lyon (upper body)
Conor Timmins (lower body; injured reserve)
Jason Zucker (sports hernia; injured reserve)
Topias Leinonen (lower body; injured reserve)
Jack Rathbone (lower body; injured reserve)
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will start their four-game road trip on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Tuesday is the NHL's Frozen Frenzy, meaning all 32 teams will be in action throughout the day. The NHL has done this for the last three seasons and is doing it again this year.
The Penguins will face a Blackhawks team that has really struggled to start the year. They are 1-5-0 and have been outscored 26-12 in those six games. Defenseman Bowen Byram has also been rough to start his Blackhawks tenure after they acquired him during the offseason.
However, they'll get major help on Tuesday, as star forward Connor Bedard returns from offseason shoulder surgery. He's their best player by far and finished the 2025-26 season with 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games.
Forward Anton Frondell has been their best player to start the season, compiling one goal and four points in six games. This is his first full NHL season after making his debut last year, and he already looks the part.
Goaltender Spencer Knight is expected to start in goal for the Blackhawks, and he's coming off a stellar 2025-26 campaign. He saved 10.9 goals above expected, good for 14th among all NHL goaltenders last year, and finished with a .902 save percentage. The fact that he put up those numbers on one of the league's worst defensive teams is staggering.
As for the Penguins, Sergei Murashov will start in goal after having the night off on Saturday. He's been electric in his first two starts this year, posting a .938 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average.
Andrei Kuzmenko is expected to play after sitting out the previous two games. He'll likely start on the third line with Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen.
Here's a look at the full expected lines and pairs:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Kuzmenko-Kindel-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson
Defense
Carlile-Karlsson
Girard-Korczak
Stastney-Letang
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
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Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares will be returning to the lineup for the team's game against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday. He missed Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche due to the birth of his fourth child, Tucker.
With his return, he is slotted back into his usual spot, centering the second line between Easton Cowan and William Nylander. Nick Paul filled that void against the Avalanche, recording a couple of assists on the night.
At morning skate in Salt Lake City, Tavares also got his spot on the top power-play unit back as the net-front presence. When he was unavailable against Colorado, rookie Gavin McKenna took that spot and made an immediate impact, recording a primary assist on Toronto's first power-play goal from Nylander and making an impressive backcheck that sparked Auston Matthews' goal.
Despite not giving the 18-year-old a longer look with the top unit on the man advantage, Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller recognizes the effect that McKenna had with the team's superstars.
Report: Maple Leafs Will Continue To Look Internally To Manage Injuries, But Defense Upgrades Possible In The FutureWith Chris Tanev's injury timeline unknown after he was sidelined on Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to handle it internally. But down the road, that could be a different story."Gavin did a good job, and you know, just like other situations in the game, Gavin will get put in and then pulled back a little bit," Hiller said after Tuesday's morning skate.
Given the early influence he had on the top unit on Saturday, questions have arisen about whether McKenna should remain on the top unit and Tavares should stick to the second unit upon his return.
"We're talking with John Tavares, it's a pretty easy decision to get John back in there," Hiller revealed. "He's had a great career. Still a great goal scorer. So that wasn't a hard one at all."
Maple Leafs' Gavin McKenna Reveals Another Strength To His Game, Breaking NHL Speed Records Among 18-Year-OldsToronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna is known for his playmaking ability in his young NHL career. But just five games into this season, he showed everyone that he has another dimension to his game, breaking speed records among 18-year-olds.In five games played, Tavares has one goal and three points, including a point on the power play. McKenna has one goal and four points in six games this season, also with one power-play point to his name.
As a team, the Maple Leafs are tied for sixth in the NHL in power-play percentage, along with the New York Rangers. Toronto has executed at 26.3 percent, scoring five goals on 19 opportunities with the man advantage.
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Former Senators first-rounder Stefan Noesen is back in the NHL after being recalled by the New Jersey Devils on Monday. The news comes three days after clearing waivers and his surprising demotion to the minors.
The Devils recalled the 33-year-old winger from the AHL's Utica Comets after placing Connor Brown, another former Senator, on injured reserve. Noesen did not suit up against the Senators, who defeated the Devils 4-1 on Monday evening.
Noesen's demotion last week came as a surprise, considering he had spent the previous four seasons as a full-time NHL player. After appearing in New Jersey's first two games this season, Noesen was placed on waivers, went unclaimed, and was assigned to Utica on Friday.
His fortunes have changed considerably over the past two years.
In 2024-25, Noesen enjoyed the finest season of his NHL career, scoring 22 goals and collecting 41 points in 78 games with the Devils.
But injuries then derailed his 2025-26 season. After missing the start of the season with a groin injury, Noesen later underwent knee surgery and finished the year with just three goals and seven points in 38 games.
Despite never wearing the centurion crest, Noesen has an interesting connection to Sens’ history.
He was one of three players selected by the Senators in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, joining Mika Zibanejad (sixth overall) and Matt Puempel (24th overall). Noesen was selected 21st overall with the pick Ottawa acquired from Nashville in the Mike Fisher trade.
Noesen never played a regular-season game for the Senators because, in July 2013, they traded him to the Anaheim Ducks as part of the Bobby Ryan deal. That deal came shortly after longtime Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson departed for Detroit.
More than 13 years after that trade, Noesen is still trying to extend his NHL career, and Monday's recall gives him another chance to do just that.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
On Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks made it official that Connor Bedard is returning. He will be in the lineup when they take the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the United Center on Tuesday night.
Bedard missed all of training camp, the preseason, and the first 6 regular-season games as he worked his way back from shoulder surgery. A lot of work was put in for him to return this quickly, as the July diagnosis had him coming back in mid-November.
To make room for Bedard on the roster, they had to send someone down to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Instead of putting someone on waivers and taking that type of chance, they sent Nick Lardis down.
Lardis was outstanding in camp and in the preseason, but it has been a tough six games for him. Playing a handful of games for the IceHogs could be good for him, if that's the route that they go. He already has experience scoring lots of goals down there, and it helped him have a strong showing when he was called up to the NHL last year.
When Frank Nazar returns from suspension, there will be even less room in the forward room, but they likely won't keep Dominic Toninato up long beyond that. They chose him over Lardis because Toninato can play center with Nazar out.
There is the possibility of more injuries to follow for others, and Lardis is at the top of the call-up list once again. If Lardis shows he is ready for a call-up before it becomes a necessity, the Blackhawks have proven that they won't hesitate, either.
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Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar has a pretty good reason to miss a hockey game.
As first reported by Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, Makar will miss Tuesday night's game against the Dallas Stars as his wife, Tracy, has gone into labor and is expected to give birth at any moment to their twins.
According to The Denver Post's Corey Masisak, the Avs will move forward with 11 forwards and seven defenseman for the game.
Makar’s absence comes as the Avalanche defenseman continues another impressive start to the season, recording three goals and four assists for seven points through five games.
The 27-year-old is one of Colorado’s most important players, serving as the centerpiece of the team’s blue line and a major contributor offensively.
Makar married Tracy in 2024, and the couple is now preparing for a major milestone off the ice as they await the arrival of their child.
The news comes amid a major period for Makar, who recently agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension with the Avalanche. The deal carries an average annual value of $20.4 million and is set to begin in the 2027-28 season, making Makar the NHL’s highest-paid player.
Makar has established himself as one of the league’s premier defensemen since making his NHL debut in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has won two Norris Trophies as the NHL’s best defenseman and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy during Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship run.
For now, the Avalanche will have to manage without their top defenseman while Makar focuses on his growing family. The team has not announced how long he could be unavailable or whether he will miss additional games.
With seven points already this season, Makar’s on-ice production will be difficult to replace, but Tuesday’s absence puts family first.
Given the Avalanche play the Stars again Wednesday evening at Ball Arena, there is a possibility he may not be available for that game, either.
Head Coach Jared Bednar informed reporters that they would take monitor Makar's status day-by-day.
Congratulations to the Makar family. Puck drop from American Airlines Center is at 6:30 pm. local time.
During this past off-season, Stuart Skinner's time with the Pittsburgh Penguins ended when he signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets in free agency.
With the Penguins having multiple young goalies, it was not too surprising to see Skinner sign elsewhere this summer. Now, as the Connor Hellebuyck trade request drama continues, Skinner is impressing early on for the Jets.
In three games so far this season with the Jets, Skinner has a 2-0-1 record, a 2.62 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. With numbers like these, the former Penguins goalie has been a nice surprise for the Jets early on as Hellebuyck continues to sit out.
Skinner was also very good for the Jets in his most recent appearance on Oct. 7 against the Colorado. During the matchup, the former Penguins goalie stopped 32 out of his 34 shots. This was after he made 34 saves on 36 shots against the Detroit Red Wings in his previous appearance.
It will now be interesting to see if Skinner can keep this kind of play up for the Jets this season. If the former Penguins netminder does, Winnipeg could surprise a lot of people this campaign.
Skinner was acquired by the Penguins from the Edmonton Oilers last season. In 27 games for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, he posted a 12-9-5 record, an .885 save percentage, and a 2.99 goals-against average.
The morning after Nico Sturm's scary head injury, the Minnesota Wild announced a roster move. Sturm has been placed on the injured reserve.
In addition to the move, the Wild recalled forward Justin Kirkland from the Iowa Wild to replace Sturm on the roster. Minnesota already has Tyler Pitlick up so now John Hynes can decide between the two for who plays.
Kirikland, 29, has recorded two assists in four AHL games with Iowa this season. He recorded one goal and one assist in 20 NHL games with the Calgary Flames last year.
Sturm, 31, was hit in the head in Monday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights by a puck. It hit around the same spot that left Brock Faber with a skull fracture and a timeline that is indefinite.
“Very, very scary,” goalie Jesper Wallstedt said after Monday's game. “Obviously, we’ve seen what it could do. We don’t know what the situation is like, if it’s the same or worse or not as bad. Obviously, I wish Nico is doing good and doing well, and it’s not that bad. But very, very scary, and obviously you get flashbacks to the preseason game when that happened to Brock. Hopefully, it’s not like that, but obviously very hard to see.”
Sturm was taken to a local hospital by ambulance and per a source, he was stable sitting in the back drinking water. Michael McCarron also stated he was able to see Sturm during intermission and said he was looking okay.
Hynes didn't have an update after the game but said Sturm obviously wouldn’t be on the team’s plane to Winnipeg for tonight's Tuesday night game.
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The Ottawa Senators have an impressive 5-1-0 record right now and are at the top of the Atlantic Division.
A big reason for the Senators' strong start to the season is because of former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Ullmark has been excellent for the Senators early on this season. In five games so far, he has a 5-0-0 record, a 1.27 goals-against average, and a .948 save percentage. The former Sabres goalie is also showing no signs of slowing down, either. He stopped 29 out of 30 shots he faced against the New Jersey Devils in his most recent appearance on Sunday.
With the way Ullmark is playing right now, he is showing signs of his previous Vezina Trophy form. If the former Sabres goalie continues to play this well, the Senators should be in very good shape during this season.
Ullmark was selected by the Sabres in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, 163rd overall. In six seasons with the Sabres from 2015-16 to 2020-21, he posted a 50-47-13 record, a .912 save percentage, and a 2.78 goals-against average.