Bernard-Docker has yet to play a game this season for the Red Wings due to falling down on their depth chart. Thus, it is not necessarily surprising to see the former Sabres defenseman now hitting the waiver wire.
Teams looking for more defensive depth could consider taking a chance on Bernard-Docker with a waiver claim. However, if he clears waivers, the Red Wings will then be able to assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Bernard-Docker appeared in 63 games during this past season with the Red Wings, where he posted one goal, four assists, five points, and 25 penalty minutes.
The Sabres acquired Bernard-Docker during the 2024-25 season from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Dylan Cozens-Josh Norris blockbuster. However, his time with the Sabres was short, as he left the team that following off-season. In 15 games with the Sabres during the 2024-25 season after being acquired from Ottawa, he posted one goal, four points, nine hits, and a plus-3 rating.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Leonard scored a highlight-reel goal and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner also scored and Vincent Desharnais had two assists for the Capitals, who have won back-to-back games.
Arsenal Gritsyuk and Timo Meier scored for the Devils, who dropped to 4-4-0 to open the season.
The Devils got on the board first roughly halfway through the first period, when Gritsyuk beat Logan Thompson through traffic at the end of New Jersey’s second power play of the period.
With 3:18 to go in the first, though, Leonard would even the score and change the momentum with his spectacular goal. In the final seconds of Washington’s power play, Leonard took the puck up ice himself, going coast to coast before beating Luke Hughes, cutting to the inside and deking out Jake Allen for his third goal of the season.
From there, the Capitals took over the game, starting with back-to-back goals in a span of 4 minutes, 46 seconds to open the second period. First, Protas buried a cross-zone feed from Alex Ovechkin to give Washington the 2-1 lead. Then, Strome finished off a passing play from Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou to put Washington up by two.
Later in the frame, Jenner tucked in a point drive that bounced to the front for his fourth goal in five games, extending the lead to 4-1 going into the third.
New Jersey pushed hard in the third and pulled within two late when Meier scored with 18.4 seconds to go in regulation, but otherwise, Thompson shut them down with 29 saves on 31 shots to secure the win for the Capitals.
Allen had 21 saves in the loss for New Jersey.
Up next
Capitals: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Devils: Return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
The New Jersey Devils suffered a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena. The club dropped to a 4-4-0 record.
Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier scored, while goaltender Jake Allen made 21 saves on 25 shots. The two teams will meet again on Nov. 12, 2026.
Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 10:04 in the first period, one second after the Devils' power play expired. Dawson Mercer and Stefan Noesen assisted on the goal, with each extending their point streak to three games.
Before the first period ended, the Capitals tied the game on the power play when Ryan Leonard’s wrist shot beat Jake Allen. Washington’s goaltender, Logan Thompson, picked up an assist on the play.
A little over a minute into the second period, Washington took the lead when Ilya Protasscored his first of the 2026-27 season. With his assist, Alex Ovechkin earned his 93rd career point against New Jersey.
Dylan Strome extended the Capitals' lead to 3-1 within the first five minutes of the second period. Newcomers Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou earned the assists. Another addition, Boone Jenner, extended Washington’s lead to 4-1 after 40 minutes.
In the third period, New Jersey outshot Washington 17-5 and scored on the power play in the final minute of regulation. Timo Meier scored his first of the season, and Gritsyuk collected his second point of the afternoon. After 60 minutes, Thompson picked up his fifth career win over the Devils.
The team was without Luke Evangelista (illness) and Connor Brown (lower-body injury). Defenseman Brenden Dillon served as a healthy scratch for the third straight game.
The Devils return home to prepare for a three-game homestand hosting the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings. The schedule doesn’t get easier from there, as the team will be on the road the following week to face the Dallas Stars, Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Ryan Leonard scored a highlight-reel goal and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner also scored and Vincent Desharnais had two assists for the Capitals, who have won back-to-back games.
Arsenal Gritsyuk and Timo Meier scored for the Devils, who dropped to 4-4-0 to open the season.
The Devils got on the board first roughly halfway through the first period, when Gritsyuk beat Logan Thompson through traffic at the end of New Jersey’s second power play of the period.
With 3:18 to go in the first, though, Leonard would even the score and change the momentum with his spectacular goal. In the final seconds of Washington’s power play, Leonard took the puck up ice himself, going coast to coast before beating Luke Hughes, cutting to the inside and deking out Jake Allen for his third goal of the season.
From there, the Capitals took over the game, starting with back-to-back goals in a span of 4 minutes, 46 seconds to open the second period. First, Protas buried a cross-zone feed from Alex Ovechkin to give Washington the 2-1 lead. Then, Strome finished off a passing play from Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou to put Washington up by two.
Later in the frame, Jenner tucked in a point drive that bounced to the front for his fourth goal in five games, extending the lead to 4-1 going into the third.
New Jersey pushed hard in the third and pulled within two late when Meier scored with 18.4 seconds to go in regulation, but otherwise, Thompson shut them down with 29 saves on 31 shots to secure the win for the Capitals.
Allen had 21 saves in the loss for New Jersey.
Up next
Capitals: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Devils: Return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
The day after Ottawa's pro football team ended their long winless streak, Sens fans would rather not see another winless team end its drought on Saturday night.
After the Redblacks snapped their 0-16 start with a dramatic, last-second 40-39 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night, the Senators are in Philadelphia to face the winless Flyers.
The Flyers will hit the 10-game mark of their season on Saturday night, and they're still looking for their first victory. At 0-6-3, Philadelphia has endured a miserable start, one that's already set a franchise record for the longest winless streak to open a season.
And the pressure is mounting on head coach Rick Tocchet.
After guiding the Flyers to their first playoff appearance in six years last season, nobody would have expected the 2024 NHL Coach of the Year to be feeling the heat this early. But that's what happens when a team opens with nine straight losses.
The Flyers' biggest problem has been their offence. They've scored just 11 goals in nine games, making it awfully difficult to win regardless of how well the defence or goaltenders perform.
Despite their record, the Flyers will be a desperate team on Saturday, and earlier this month, they gave the Senators all they could handle. But the Sens eked out a 2-1 win at Canadian Tire Centre on October 8.
Carter Yakemchuk scored the winner on a third-period power play in that game, blasting home a one-timer to break a 1-1 tie. It was also the game in which William Eklund suffered his ankle injury. He'll be out 10-12 weeks after surgery this week.
The Flyers' latest disappointment came Thursday night in Detroit, where they fell 2-1 to the Red Wings.
The Senators enter the game with a 6-2-0 record after Thursday's 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.
Long Island native Shane Pinto scored the only goal of the shootout, while Linus Ullmark continued his outstanding start to the season, improving to 6-0-0. The victory was a welcome response to Tuesday's ugly 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
The Senators welcomed back defenceman Artem Zub, who made his season debut after missing the opening seven games with an injury. They'll now get another healthy body back on the blue line with Nikolas Matinpalo returning from an upper body injury.
But they remain without Jake Sanderson (lower body) and as long as they keep banking wins, they can afford to be conservative with his return to play. Sanderson has already reinjured himself twice this season, once in the preseason finale and again in the season opener.
The Flyers may be without some key players too. Forward Owen Tippett has an upper-body injury and did not take the morning skate. Tocchet says he's a game time decision. Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York were also absent so they're likely not ready to return.
Ottawa's Oliver Bonk, son of former Senator Radek Bonk, will play in his fifth career NHL game, paired with Canadian Olympian Travis Sanheim.
Here's how Philly lined things up at practice, as per Jordan Hall NBCS Philadelphia.:
The Redblacks finally shook off their drought at home on Friday. The Senators would like to prevent the Flyers from producing a similar story 24 hours later.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
This story first appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa. For more Senators coverage from THN Ottawa's Steve Warne, click one of the headlines below:
ELMONT, NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Spencer Martin #41 of the New York Rangers makes a third period save against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on January 28, 2026 in Elmont, New York. The Islanders defeated the Rangers 5-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Besides Nathan MacKinnon, there is one other member of the Colorado Avalanche’s 2013 draft class still currently on a NHL roster, which may come as a surprise. The unfortunate season ending injury to New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin meant that Spencer Martin was recalled from the minors to serve as Dylan Garand’s backup until further notice. There are a couple other former Avalanche draft picks and prospects appearing in net around the league, namely Nashville’s Justus Annunen and Minnesota’s Calvin Pickard, but Martin’s connection to the Avalanche has likely long since faded from memory.
Drafted in the third round in 2013 at 63rd overall, Martin was considered somewhat a top prospect as an acquisition by the Avalanche organization. After finishing his junior career with the Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL, Martin began his Entry Level Contract with Colorado in 2015 and spent a total of four seasons in their minor league system. Appearances wee mostly with the affiliate San Antonio Rampage but also as a member the 2018-19 inaugural Colorado Eagles’ AHL season in which at one point Martin recorded an astonishing 68-save shutout. Highlights during his tenure also included an appearance at the AHL All-Star game in 2017 as well as three games with the Avalanche in that fateful 2016-17 season.
At the conclusion of the 2018-19 season the Avalanche chose not to extend Martin his qualifying offer which made him a free agent but he wasn’t on the market long as the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to a one-year two-way NHL contract. He would earn two more one-year contracts with the club though the netminder would never make an appearance in the NHL with the Lightning.
Before that third contract started, Tampa Bay traded Martin to Vancouver in the summer of 2021 for future considerations but it was the move he needed to get back to the NHL. On January 21, 2022, exactly five years to the day after his NHL debut with Colorado, Martin received his first opportunity to start in Vancouver and then a week later earned his first NHL win making 33 saves in a 5-1 victory over Winnipeg. At the end of the 2021-22 season Vancouver gave Martin a two-year one-way contract extension worth $1.53 million and he started 27 games in the 2022-23 campaign with a 11-15-1 record.
In the second year of that contract, however, Martin found himself on the move again first getting claimed on waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the start of the 2023-24 season where he started ten games and accumulated a 3-8-1 record. The Carolina Hurricanes subsequently claimed Martin in January of 2024 on waivers as well and he then started six games for them with a 4-1-1 record. The Hurricanes decided to keep Martin around for another year in the 2024-25 season signing him to a $775k contract as he then split the season between Carolina, accumulating another seven NHL games and a 3-4-1 record, and the rest of the time with their AHL affiliate in Chicago.
The fall of 2025 brought a new challenge as Martin decided to play overseas for the first time in his career and signed a contract with CSKA in the KHL. He enjoyed a hot start there and over 14 starts compiled a 5-6-2 record, two shutouts and a .905 save percentage with a 2.69 Goal Against Average. That caught the attention of the New York Rangers who signed Martin to a two-year one-way contract worth $1.625 million to finish out the rest of the 2025-26 season. He made four starts in January of 2026 with an 1-4-0 record and he is currently playing out the second year of that deal.
Spencer Martin, in just his 2nd KHL start, makes 18 saves and records his first career KHL shutout for CSKA.
Now currently with the New York Rangers while the organization sorts their depth in net for the rest of the year, Martin made his first appearance this season in mop-up duty in a 7-1 defeat to New Jersey a couple nights ago. In that game Martin gave up three goals on 18 shots but didn’t take the loss. Should the Rangers make an acquisition or when veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo gets healthy, Martin then surely would go back to the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL but for now he has a place in the Big Apple under the bright lights.
It’s been a long career for Spencer Martin spanning six NHL organizations, numerous minor league stints and even a couple months in the KHL. It takes a lot to earn the reputation as an insurance option in net even if he never established himself as a true NHL goaltender with career statistics of a 25-33-8 record, .881 save percentage and 3.60 GAA. The 31-year-old has been a steady presence in the minors with a 117-106-34 record, .903 save percentage and 2.87 GAA in the AHL, which is likely why NHL organizations want him as goaltending depth in their system. The fact that an Avalanche draftee is making NHL appearances 13 years later is worth spotlighting and all the best to Martin whether or not he is called upon for the Rangers this season.
A former Utah Mammoth and Tucson Roadrunners defenseman has exchanged his hockey stick for a whistle to officially begin his officiating career.
Kevin Connauton officiated his first pro game on Friday, reffing the New Mexico Goatheads’ inaugural game against the Idaho Steelheads. The Steelheads ended up winning 4-1, spoiling the ECHL’s newest franchise’s first-ever game.
Connauton helped call 14 penalties during the game; seven were against the Goatheads. Ironically enough, coaching them was Zach Stortini, Connauton’s former assistant coach during his time with the Roadrunners. Playing on the Steelheads was the defenseman's former teammate, Anson Thornton.
During his career, Connauton played three seasons with the Roadrunners, totaling 88 games during that span and producing 25 points. While he never played a game with the Mammoth, he received three NHL call-ups during his two seasons with the organization.
In total, Connauton played 360 NHL games for the Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars. He also played 471 AHL games.
Connauton never officially announced his retirement. However, after a final game with the Roadrunners, in which he took the opening faceoff as a defenseman and skated around the rink postgame with his family, it was perceived as such.
Over the summer, Connauton began his officiating career by heading to Prague to take part in the British Columbia Hockey League’s officiating combine. He also attended the NHL’s officiating combine in Buffalo.
Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer benched Cal Ritchie, Anthony Duclair, and Matthew Kessel for the back half of the third period, setting the tone and discipline line for the season.
Daniel Jacob’s first year at the helm of the Laval Rocket could be challenging, since some of his best players are now with the big club, but after five games, the Montreal Canadiens’ farm team sits atop the North Division, the Eastern Conference, and third overall in the league.
Friday night’s game didn’t start the way Jacob planned, as his men fell behind 4-0 25 minutes in, but the coach stuck to his guns and kept Kaapo Kahkonen in net. Kasper Halttunen had himself a night for the Belleville Senators, completing his hat trick with the Sens’ fourth goal at 5:15 of the second frame, but it was the local fan’s last opportunity to celebrate.
Offseason acquisition Sasha Pastujov put the Rocket on the scoreboard at 11:26 of the second stanza on a Luke Mittelstadt assist, but Laval couldn’t get anything else past Jonas Johansson before the frame ended.
The Rocket rolled up its sleeve and put on its working boots ahead of the third, and it managed to equalize thanks to Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, and Filip Mesar. With the two teams deadlocked at 4-4, they headed to overtime, and Mittelstadt delivered the coup de grâce at 4:45 of the extra frame.
The 23-year-old blueliner was named the second star of the game after scoring a goal and recording two assists. With 10 points in just five games, Mittelstadt leads all players in the AHL and is fourth in assists with seven. The defenseman caught some eyes at the Canadiens’ training camp, and despite the logjam on the left side of defense, he looks like a player who could see some NHL action. At 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, he’s not exactly big or heavy, but he skates fluidly, has a great transition game, and has strong puck control.
He’s a big part of the Rocket’s success this season despite being without Florian Xhekaj, Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler, and even David Reinbacher, who was recalled this week and missed his first AHL game on Friday. When Bryce Pickford is done rehabbing from shoulder surgery, he’ll make a strong team even stronger.
The Rocket will be back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Utica Comets in New York. The hosts have only played three games so far this season, and they’ve won them all. They should be an interesting challenge for Laval.
Less than three weeks into the campaign, the Philadelphia Flyers (0-6-3) may be playing for their season, and getting their first win won't be an easy task having to host the red-hot Ottawa Senators (6-2-0) at the Xfinity Mobile Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.
If they can't get it done, well, they'll be on the wrong side of NHL history with a 10-game losing streak to start the season.
Of course, these two teams already played once this season, with the Senators escaping with a narrow 2-1 win over the Flyers last Thursday.
The Senators lost top winger William Eklund to a lower-body injury in that game, and it was recently announced that Eklund will be out for 10-12 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery.
So, Ottawa will be without one of their most talented players, but so will the Flyers, who incidentally lost Travis Konecny to an injury in last week's game as well, even though he toughed it out and played the full game.
In addition to Konecny, the Flyers are still without defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York, pending an official status update from the Flyers and/or head coach Rick Tocchet.
Assuming the Flyers make no further roster moves, they will face the Senators on Saturday with an unchanged lineup yet again.
Saturday night's Flyers game can be found on NBC Sports Philadelphia, TVAS-D, and Sportsnet 1.
Flyers player to watch
Jamie Drysdale has been unusually quiet this season, having not recorded a single point in his nine games played thus far. He's also second on the team in average ice time, getting 22:06 a night, even with David Jiricek overtaking him on the top power play unit.
The Flyers have placed an emphasis on defensemen jumping up into the play in recent games, with Travis Sanheim and Oliver Bonk making impacts in that aspect in the game against Seattle on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old Drysdale has just nine shots on goal in nine games this season, but scored a career-high eight goals on 101 shots in 78 games last year.
Like Sanheim and Bonk, the Flyers badly need Drysdale (and Jiricek) to begin getting involved, too, otherwise they will continue to be one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL.
The New York Islanders have had what can only be described as a frustrating start, opening the year 3-3-1.
Moreover, the Islanders have alternated wins and losses through their first seven games of the year.
Already, there's trends forming that the Islanders will have to address to gain more consistency throughout their game.
First, one key is scoring first. The Islanders are 3-0-1 when they score first, with Thursday's loss to Ottawa representing the first time they've lost after scoring first. They still collected a point.
When they allow the first goal, the Islanders are 0-3-0, and have been outscored 12-6 in those three games.
Through three games, chasing games has not been conducive to success in any way. The Islanders are, to their core, a defensive-minded team.
They do not do nearly as well when they've got to chase the game and open up their own play to chase offense.
Playing from ahead, however, allows the Islanders to be stingier defensively, and more selective of when to fly forward for rush chances and try to overload their opponents.
A lot of people have pointed to special teams as a reason for New York's futility. While it's certainly been far from perfect, the Islanders' special teams units have done their job through seven games.
In each of their three regulation losses, the Islanders' special teams units have contributed at least one goal.
Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom the Islanders play for a second time on Saturday night, the Islanders allowed one Toronto power play goal, but Emil Heineman scored a short-handed goal.
The Islanders' power play went 0-4 in the one-goal loss, so that was certainly a notable area for improvement.
New York's next game was a 6-0 rout of the New Jersey Devils, and the Islanders scored on the power play, going 1/3 in the win.
Next, the New York Rangers scored a power-play goal in a 5-2 win over the Islanders, but the Islanders also scored one. Nobody could pin that game on the Islanders' special teams, either.
The Islanders scored a power play goal for a third-straight game against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 4-1 win, a game that Bo Horvat opened up with a power play goal.
Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bolts went just 1-for-5 on the man advantage. The Islanders went 1-for-2, but still lost 5-3.
The Islanders won the special teams battle, but lost the game.
In the Islanders' next game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Islanders lost the special teams battle to the Canucks, but found a way to win 3-2 over Vancouver.
Finally, back to the Thursday, neither New York nor Ottawa struck on the power play in the tight shootout loss.
There's no clear trend through seven games about the special teams units, one way or another. New York's been above or at league average on the powerplay, a massive improvement from recent years.
Through seven games, the Islanders have yet to record a point if they've trailed at any point in the game.
That is, by far, the headline through their first seven games, entering a Saturday night game against the Maple Leafs.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to face the New York Rangers tonight at 7:00 PM.
New York Rangers - 6-3-0 - 12 Points - Lost 2 - 2nd in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets - 2-3-0 - 4 Points - Lost 2 - 7th in the Metro
Teams Notes Per CBJ PR
The winning team has scored four-plus goals (including SO goals) 11 times in the last 13 outings overall and in 15 of the last 18 games of the series dating back to Oct. 29, 2021.
The Jackets have a 24.0 percent power play percentage in the last nine games at Nationwide Arena in the series (6-of-25).
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Conor Garland has scored in each of his last two games against New York (2-0-2) and has 7-2-9 in 14 career contests vs. the club.
Matthew Knies has collected points in five of his six career games vs. the Rangers (3-2-5).
Sean Monahan has tallied 5-9-14 in 20 career games vs. New York, with points in five of his last six contests (3-3-6).
Damon Severson has notched 5-18-23 in 48 career GP against New York, with points in back-to-back games against the club (1-2-3) and has points in seven of his past 10 meetings (1-6-7).
Zach Werenski has recorded 3-19-22with 5 multi-point efforts in 28 career games against New York, who notched 0-3-3 last time out on Mar. 19, 2026, and has 0-7-7 in his past five matchups.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 16.7% - 23rd in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 61.1% - 30th in the NHL
Goals For - 15 - 29th in the NHL
Goals Against - 21 - 15th in the NHL
RangersStats
Power Play - 22.2% - 10th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 92.9% - 3rd in the NHL
Goals For - 28 - 7th in the NHL
Goals Against - 21 - 11th in the NHL
Series History vs. TheRangers
The Blue Jackets are 26-24-1-7 Overall, and 15-16-0-2 at Nationwide Arena vs. New York.
Columbus has earned points in eight of the last 11 meetings against the New York Rangers (5-3-3).
CBJ have gone 24-of-28 (85.7 pct.) on the penalty kill in the last 12 contests of the series.
The last matchup between teams oin Mar. 19, 2026 saw 11 combined penalties, the most in the series since 14 recorded on Oct. 24, 2008.
Who To Watch For TheRangers
Alex Lafreniere leads the Rangers with 7 goals and 11 points.
Adam Fox leads NYR with 9 assists.
Goalie Dylan Garand is 3-2-0 with a SV% of .915.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 5 Games Missed
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 5 Games Missed
Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 5 Games Missed
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 19
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
TV: CBJHN (Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo)
Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the New York Rangers tonight at 7:00 PM.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned forward Dakota Joshua to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a long-term injured reserve conditioning loan, according to the American Hockey League transactions log.
The move, reported Friday, signals progress for the 30-year-old after he opened the 2026-27 season on LTIR with an abdominal/core muscle injury he had been dealing with since the offseason. Joshua participated in training camp but was never able to progress the injury to a point where he could be effective in game action. He was listed as day-to-day early in camp, then week-to-week, before the club formally placed him on LTIR on Sept. 30 alongside Max Domi. That designation requires a projected absence of at least 10 games and 24 days and provided the Leafs with temporary cap flexibility while Joshua recovered.
The earliest Joshua could come off LTIR to be in a Leafs lineup would be Oct. 22 when the club hosts the New York Rangers.
Under the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, an LTIR conditioning loan is distinct from a standard conditioning loan. A regular conditioning loan (CBA Section 13.8) cannot exceed 14 consecutive days, requires the player’s consent, and keeps the player on the NHL roster and payroll while the Commissioner retains the right to investigate any potential circumvention of waivers or the cap. For players already on the bona fide long-term injury/illness exception, the conditioning loan is shorter and more targeted: it is limited to a maximum of six days or three games (whichever comes first), again requires the player’s agreement, and is intended solely to assess fitness to return. The club and player can mutually agree to extend it for up to two additional games.
His injury history has limited his availability since the extension. In 2024-25 with the Canucks he missed the start of the season after surgery for testicular cancer and later dealt with a leg injury, finishing with 14 points in 57 games. Last season, his first in Toronto, he recorded 10 goals and 18 points in 55 games while averaging just over 12 minutes a night. A lacerated kidney in late December cost him 19 contests, and he also sat out the final four games of the regular season with an upper-body issue.
Getting into AHL games will give the Leafs a clearer read on whether the core injury has healed enough for Joshua to return to his physical, forechecking style and contribute in a bottom-six role. With the club already navigating other injuries and a rebuilt supporting cast under coach Jim Hiller, a successful stint could accelerate his activation once the medical staff clears him.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 12: Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins blocks a shot by Jack Eichel #9 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on March 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-1, 7 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division) @ Vegas Golden Knights (7-2-0, 14 points, 1st place Pacific Division)
When: 10 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and SCRIPPS, streaming for out of market at ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The road trip continues Monday in Salt Lake City. The Penguins then have two days off before returning to Pittsburgh for a three-game homestand, starting Thursday against the Florida Panthers.
Opponent Track: The Pens are about to take on one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The Golden Knights have won six of their last seven games, most recently including consecutive wins over the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames in which the team outscored their opponents by a total of 11-4.
Season Series: The Penguins won’t have to wait long for another meeting with the Golden Knights, which are coming to Pittsburgh Nov. 3.
Hidden Stat: Only the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers have spent a higher percentage of their game time in the offensive zone than the Golden Knights so far this season, according to NHL Edge.
Hidden Stat II: The Penguins haven’t won on the road against the Golden Knights since January 2022, when Jason Zucker, Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel led the Pens to a comeback victory.
Getting to know the Golden Knights
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Brett Howden – William Karlsson – Mitch Marner
Trevor Connelly – Tomas Hertl – Raphael Lavoie
Braeden Bowman – Nic Dowd – Marc Gatcomb
DEFENSEMEN
Brayden McNabb / Shea Theodore
Jeremy Lauzon / Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin / Dylan Coghlan
Goalies: Carter Hart, Adin Hill
Potential scratches: Ville Heinola, Parker Wotherspoon (week-to-week, upper body)
Injured Reserve: Victor Olofsson
Season-ending LTIR: Alex Pietrangelo
Parker Wotherspoon won’t be reuniting with his former teammates tonight. The Golden Knights announced Monday the defenseman is week-to-week with an upper body injury after starting the season on the team’s second pairing alongside Rasmus Andersson.
The Golden Knights’ top power play unit of Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Tomas Herl and Shea Theodore has been dangerous so far this season. Vegas is one of seven NHL teams that has converted on more than 25 percent of their power play opportunities so far this season.
Carter Hart has made the bulk of starts for the Golden Knights so far this season. After a rocky 18-game campaign last season he has a .911 save percentage and 2.35 GAA through six appearances in net.
Mark Stone is heading into tonight fresh off a natural hat trick in the third period of the Golden Knights’ win over the Flames. He has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his first nine games of the season.
Jack Eichel is second only to Connor McDavid for the NHL production lead with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) through nine games. His latest tally was a shorthanded strike against the Flames.
The Penguins will need to be alert early. Brett Howden scored the eighth-fastest goal in Golden Knights history when he opened scoring just 25 seconds into Thursday’s game.
Egor Chinakhov was a late scratch ahead of Friday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Penguins said he’s being evaluated for a lower-body injury. If he can’t skate tonight, Ville Koivunen could slot into the lineup again in his place.
Sergei Murashov is likely slated for the start tonight after Arturs Silovs made 27 saves on 32 shots from the Avalanche.
The numbers reflect a promising individual night for the 30-year-old defenceman, who finished with three shots on goal, three blocked shots, one hit and a power-play assist while skating 31 shifts. Raddysh was on the ice for Marchenko’s first goal at 13:10 of the opening period, when he and John Tavares set up the right winger’s finish that gave Toronto a 2-1 lead. That assist extended Raddysh’s point total to four in eight games this season.
Yet the Leafs (3-3-2) could not hold a 4-2 advantage heading into the third period. Buffalo (4-3-1) scored twice in a span of just over two minutes to tie the game before Owen Power won it at 3:14 of overtime on a feed from Jack Quinn. Toronto managed only four shots in the third period after generating 15 and 11 in the first two frames, respectively. Overall, the Sabres outshot the Leafs 35-30.
Raddysh told The Hockey News after the game Thursday that the Leafs felt good entering the final regulation period after controlling play and forcing turnovers earlier.
“I just think we sat back a little bit. They’re a good rush team and take great chances from our mistakes. And I think when we saw that in the third period there, we just kind of sat back and let them come at us.”
He described the shift in approach as the difference between the first 40 minutes and the third.
“We made a mistake by sitting back. We just can’t give them an inch, and we kind of gave it to them. The first two periods, we played in their end, made them make the mistakes and give us the puck, and we kind of did that in the third period for them.”
Prior to the third, Raddysh felt the Leafs’ defensive structure was effective when they stayed aggressive and used their skating.
“Just trying to get up in the rush, trying to move our feet and defend with our feet and be skating,” he said. “We did that good. They were turning the pucks over to us and flipping them out to us, and we were just going right back at them.”
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“Not the result we wanted, but learn from your mistakes and get better for next game,” he said.
The Leafs host the New York Islanders on Saturday.
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