Category: NHL

The Montreal Canadiens players might have a day off Sunday. Still, the Habs brass will be busy making the decisions that will ultimately shape the Sainte-Flanelle’s roster for opening night on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. By 5 PM Monday, the team must submit its final 23-man, cap-compliant roster. Cap compliance won’t be an issue, but which players will make the roster?

22 players have NHL contracts, which means that, on paper, unless Kent Hughes finds a way to make room, only one extra player can get a spot. It would be surprising to see the Canadiens waive a player to make room for another; Hughes isn't in the business of losing assets for nothing, even ones that have decreased in value.

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On Saturday night, Florian Xhekaj played yet another strong game against the Ottawa Senators, skating on a line with Owen Beck and Tyler Thorpe. The younger Xhekaj landed six of the 15 hits the Canadiens gave on the night, including a bone-crushing one that sent Adam Nemec back to the room and ended his worknight after a minute and 39 seconds of action. The Habs’ forward was sent to the box for two minutes for interference, a questionable call based on the result rather than the hit itself.

Xhekaj wasn’t on the ice when Djibril Toure landed a big hit that Alex Newhook felt to his core. Josh Anderson flew to the rescue, but in his eagerness, he flew in, threw his gloves off, lost his balance, and found himself pinned to the ice by Toure. As the Sens 6-foot-7 defenseman was heading to the penalty box, Xhekaj came over to have a word, no doubt telling him he had noted his number. Ultimately, he didn’t follow through on that promise, though, with the Canadiens tying the game and then taking the lead; it wasn’t the right time to get into a tussle, and the winger recognized that, which will no doubt earn him points with coach Martin St-Louis.

All through camp, Xhekaj has performed the same way with remarkable consistency, which didn’t go unnoticed by the coach:

He certainly doesn’t have an identity problem. He knows what he is and what he brings, and he brought it with consistency throughout camp.

- St-Louis on Xhekaj

As for Xhekaj himself, he feels he did everything he could to earn a spot:

I think I did almost everything I could to show them what I can do out there and how I play. So, yeah, I think I did everything.

- Xhekaj on his performance at camp

On the eve of his third professional season, there is no doubt that this has been Xhekaj’s strongest showing. At camp in 2025, he put on so much weight that it felt like he wasn’t fast enough anymore, but this time around, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he looks like he's found his sweet spot. He’s heavy enough to bring a big physical game, and he’s strong enough to do it with pace and create opportunities by separating his man from the puck on the forecheck.

Xhekaj has shown exactly what he is and how useful he can be. The Canadiens have long needed more sandpaper up front, a line like the New York Islanders had with Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck. Xhekaj could help the Canadiens get there; he could be the first part of an identity line, but for that to happen, the Habs would need to have room.

As things stand, and with Kaiden Guhle’s injury, it stands to reason that the 23rd man will be a defenseman, more than likely David Reinbacher. It’s a shame for Xhekaj; he’s right when he says he’s done everything he could. The rest is not in his hands; it’s in Hughes’ hands. I have no doubt Xhekaj has had a better camp than Kirby Dach, but the latter has an NHL contract, and it’s hard to imagine Hughes putting him on waivers, considering what he had to give to acquire him in 2022.

Still, if Xhekaj doesn’t have a spot on the roster for opening night, it shouldn’t be long before he does. An injury, a trade- things happen during the season, and he should be the first forward recalled should the need arise.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting closer to finalizing their 23-man roster. 

They made three more cuts on Sunday, sending forward Bill Zonnon, defenseman Harrison Brunicke, and goaltender Joel Blomqvist to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

None of these moves should surprise anyone, since they were all expected to start the season in the AHL. They all had great camps, but there's simply no room for them on the NHL roster right now. 

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
 
F Bill Zonnon
D Harrison Brunicke
G Joel Blomqvist

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 27, 2026

That said, there's a good chance you'll see all three of them in the NHL at some point this year. The Penguins already have a ton of injuries to begin the season and could have others pop up during the year. 

Brunicke figures to play with Owen Pickering to begin the year in WBS, while Zonnon will play in the top nine. Blomqvist will be the starting goaltender after serving as the 1B behind Sergei Murashov last year.

Speaking of Murashov, he has made the NHL roster and will be behind Arturs Silovs to start the 2026-27 season.

The Penguins will open the regular season on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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The Islanders brought in a towering defenseman days before their season opener.

They signed Logan Stanley to a one-year contract, the team announced on Sunday.

Isaiah George was sent down to AHL Hamilton after a rough training camp, meaning the Islanders needed to sign a left-handed defenseman.

They found one in the 6-foot-7 Stanley.

The No. 18-overall pick in 2016, Stanley, 28, recorded 26 points (nine goals and 17 assists) with the Jets and Sabres last year.

The Jets traded him to the Sabres ahead of the deadline last year, though he was scratched for the Sabres’ final four playoff games.

The Islanders also sent Kashawn Aitcheson and Cole Eiserman to AHL Hamilton, while Vitek Vanecek was placed on waivers for purpose of assignment.

They open up their season on Wednesday against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

The New York Islanders' preseason is over, and with it, the team has made its final cuts ahead of the roster deadline tomorrow evening at 5 o'clock.

The team announced it assigned Kashawn Aitcheson, Cole Eiserman, and Isaiah George to Hamilton while the team announced its intentions to place goaltender Vitek Vanecek on waivers at 2 o'clock this afternoon.

Additionally, the Islanders announced they've defenseman Logan Stanley to a one-year contract.

Stanley, 28, is a 6'7 monster-sized defenseman who at his best plays a mean, tough game with a heavy shot that creates offense.

Last season, Stanley posted 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 76 regular-season games split between the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets.

The trade to Buffalo was seen as big get for the Sabres at the time, but it became apparent Stanley didn't fit well into Buffalo's system, so they wound up mostly keeping him as the team's seventh defenseman, which hurt Stanley's stock heading into free agency.

Stefen Rosner reports there'd been back-and-forth between the Islanders and Stanley's camp, but the Islanders held out to give George the job, making it entirely his to lose.

Re Logan Stanley/#Isles:

There have been talks throughout the summer between Stanley's camp and the club but NYI was hoping that George would have won that spot.

Was his spot to lose and he ultimately lost it.

Stanley is 6'7, 231 lbs.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 27, 2026

As it turns out, George did lose the roster spot. The 2022 fourth-round pick will now report to Hamilton, where all he can do is work exceptionally hard to try and earn another look.

Aitcheson, meanwhile, looked incredible throughout camp, but just needs some minor league experience before going all the way into the deep end.

Next season, if all goes to plan, Malte Gustafsson will be in North America with the Islanders competing for a job, too. 

Stanley's deal being a one-year deal gives the Islanders incredible flexibility for next year and even this year, if it doesn't well or Aitcheson forces his way up this season.

The Islanders practice Sunday morning, and it's expected Stanley will be there. What this means for New York's opening lineup remains unclear for now.

Joel Quenneville had one mission when he took over as coach of the Ducks last year: get them back to the playoffs.

He did much better than that. The Ducks scored a franchise-record 273 goals, spent much of the season atop the Pacific Division and knocked off the powerful Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights, the eventual conference champions, in the second round.

All of which raises a question for Quenneville and the Ducks coming off a summer of upheaval and turnover: What can they do for an encore?

“Expectations are going to be higher across the board,” said Quenneville, whose team opens the season Friday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. “That’s healthy. But at the same time, it’s an everyday thing that that challenge is going to be out there.”

Read more:Ducks sign Cutter Gauthier to a six-year, $81-million contract

Before Quenneville arrived, the Ducks stumbled through a franchise-record seven straight losing seasons. Now many of the players in his locker room are thinking beyond just making the postseason.

“The culture change, we can really feel it,” goaltender Lukas Dostal said. “What we did last year, obviously we want to improve and move even further.

“You don’t play hockey to just think like ‘OK, we want to make the playoffs.’ You want to go as far as possible. So the sky’s the limit. I really trust this team.”

“At the end of the day, you want to win a Stanley Cup,” added new captain Mikael Granlund. “You have to have that one goal. We’re going to do everything we can to be better than last year.”

Many Ducks are certainly going to be better paid than last year. General manager Pat Verbeek had no choice but to overspend on center Leo Carlsson, signing him to a five-year, $90-million contract after the Flyers offered Carlsson the same deal. The 21-year-old, who had a career-high 29 goals and 38 assists last season, is the NHL’s highest-paid player this season.

Verbeek also re-signed restricted free agents Cutter Gauthier, (six years, $81 million) and Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $36 million) and gave center Tim Washe a $9-million contract extension. Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points last season.

“It’s a sign you’re doing something correctly,” Quenneville said of his players being rewarded. “But at the same time, I don’t think we change too much our demands. They know we work on a meritocracy and the better you do, the more you’re going to play.”

All that spending left the team with nothing to offer veteran winger Chris Kreider, who was released this summer, joining an exodus that included key defensemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas, Olen Zellweger and Jacob Trouba.

The Ducks will also be without forward Troy Terry, who averaged 24 goals over the past five seasons, until well into the winter as he recovers from hip surgery.

As a result, the Ducks start with several new pieces up front and thin experience on the blue line, which isn’t a good look for a team that gave up 288 goals last season, fourth-most in the NHL.

Despite the additions of veterans A.J. Greer, a Stanley Cup winner in Florida who was acquired to add a physical presence in the attack, and Nick Jensen, 36, who was signed to stabilize the defense, the Ducks will once again have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. But Quenneville has a history of turning young teams into champions. Nineteen years ago he took over a Chicago Blackhawks team that was the youngest in the league and led it to the conference final. A year later that team captured the Stanley Cup, the first of three Quenneville won in Chicago.

For the Ducks to match that, their summer additions will have to add up to more than the subtractions. And the investment Verbeek made in Carlsson, Gauthier and Mintyukov will have to pay off. What’s certain, however, is after last season’s breakthrough, the Ducks won’t be sneaking up on anyone.

“We made it a little harder for ourselves,” Washe said. “We’ve got a little target on our back.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Peter Laviolette Era begins for the Kings on Wednesday when the coach steps behind the bench for the first time before their season opener against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.

“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”

Not all of the changes are positive, however.

For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.

Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.

Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.

For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.

“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”

In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.

“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.

“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”

Read more:'Nobody was cooler' than former Kings coach and beloved broadcaster Barry Melrose, who sold the U.S. on hockey

Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.

Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.

If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Peter Laviolette Era begins for the Kings on Wednesday when the coach steps behind the bench for the first time before their season opener against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.

“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”

Not all of the changes are positive, however.

For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.

Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.

Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.

For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.

“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”

In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.

“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.

“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”

Read more:'Nobody was cooler' than former Kings coach and beloved broadcaster Barry Melrose, who sold the U.S. on hockey

Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.

Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.

If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
 
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard 
D Jake Livanavage
D Owen Pickering
D Chase Pietila
G Cam Johnson
 
Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to WBS.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 26, 2026

That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

—

It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.

Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.

There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust*
Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

–

That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.

The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
 
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard 
D Jake Livanavage
D Owen Pickering
D Chase Pietila
G Cam Johnson
 
Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to WBS.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 26, 2026

That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

—

It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.

Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.

There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust*
Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom

Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov

–

That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.

Las Vegas, N.V.– Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks 25-5 after the first 40 minutes, the Vegas Golden Knightsentered the third period trailing 2-1. They tied it up 3:18 into the third, but in the end, the Golden Knights only scored two goals on 29 shots, and ultimately fell 4-2 to the Sharks in the preseason finale.

Them’s the breaks.

For the 10th time in franchise history, the Golden Knights do not go undefeated in the preseason. Maybe next year.

But they got what they wanted out of it. They won three of their four preseason games, and the veterans got to get their feet wet. And, most importantly, they escaped the preseason completely unscathed. There was a moment of concern in the third period when Jeremy Lauzon went down hard after blocking a shot, but in true Jeremy Lauzon fashion, he didn’t miss a shift.

Ryan Craig said it best: “I really liked our first 40. And, uh, we got out healthy in the third.”

1. Defense Wins Championships

With guys like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner on the roster, the Golden Knights have a lot of offensive talent. However, at their core, they are a defense-first team. They always have been, and they probably always will be. 

“Vegas has always been one of the best defensive teams,” said Tomáš Hertl postgame. “We did the same thing [tonight]. We kept them to the outside, didn’t allow many shots.”

Tonight was no exception– the Golden Knights allowed just two shots in the first period, and three in the second. They allowed more shots in the third period– 12 in total– but very few were dangerous. The Golden Knights allowed only five high-danger scoring chances throughout 60 minutes, and generated 10.

2. Right Recipe, Wrong Results

Although the Golden Knights didn’t win tonight, they feel like they have a winning recipe. They did a lot of things well both defensively and offensively, and the general feeling is that, if they play that way all season, they’ll come out on the right side more times than not.

“We did a really good job of putting pucks behind their D,” said Nic Dowd postgame. “When we had opportunities to make plays through the neutral zone, we did. We hung on the pucks in the neutral zone and put pucks into good areas, and we were getting them back. And, you know, the best recipe is to go play in the ozone. 

“And line changes,” Dowd continued. “Like, we out-changed them multiple times. We had one-to-two minute shifts in the ozone. Pucks didn’t go in, but that’s just how it works in the NHL. At times, those are going to go in, and maybe you win the game 4 or 5 to 1, 5 to 2. We didn’t tonight. But again, I think we have a lot of good things to build on.”

For the most part, the Golden Knights played well tonight. They made very few defensive mistakes, and though they didn’t convert on many of their scoring chances, they had no problem generating them.

“We had a lot of looks,” said Tomáš Hertl following the loss. “If we bury a couple of them, it goes the other way. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”

3. Next One Counts

Most teams don’t go undefeated in the preseason. Sure, some do– the 2015-16 Colorado Avalanche and the 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes, for example– but preseason is all about teaching moments.

“I actually thought we did a lot of really good things today,” said Nic Dowd following the loss. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but the good thing about that is that those are learning opportunities, right?”

The Golden Knights veterans have played in the last two preseason games, and they look ready to go. They’ve shaken off the rust and improved in the areas they wanted to.

“The things we wanted to clean up or see improvement on, especially through 40 minutes today, I thought we did,” said head coach Ryan Craig postgame. “I thought our defending, our checking habits, our break outs, all those things that we touched on yesterday, were good. And it led to the o-zone and to the offensive chances that we created. I thought those things were a real positive as we move forward here.”

The NHL season kicks off for real on Tuesday when the Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. PST.

Las Vegas, N.V.– Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks 25-5 after the first 40 minutes, the Vegas Golden Knightsentered the third period trailing 2-1. They tied it up 3:18 into the third, but in the end, the Golden Knights only scored two goals on 29 shots, and ultimately fell 4-2 to the Sharks in the preseason finale.

Them’s the breaks.

For the 10th time in franchise history, the Golden Knights do not go undefeated in the preseason. Maybe next year.

But they got what they wanted out of it. They won three of their four preseason games, and the veterans got to get their feet wet. And, most importantly, they escaped the preseason completely unscathed. There was a moment of concern in the third period when Jeremy Lauzon went down hard after blocking a shot, but in true Jeremy Lauzon fashion, he didn’t miss a shift.

Ryan Craig said it best: “I really liked our first 40. And, uh, we got out healthy in the third.”

1. Defense Wins Championships

With guys like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner on the roster, the Golden Knights have a lot of offensive talent. However, at their core, they are a defense-first team. They always have been, and they probably always will be. 

“Vegas has always been one of the best defensive teams,” said Tomáš Hertl postgame. “We did the same thing [tonight]. We kept them to the outside, didn’t allow many shots.”

Tonight was no exception– the Golden Knights allowed just two shots in the first period, and three in the second. They allowed more shots in the third period– 12 in total– but very few were dangerous. The Golden Knights allowed only five high-danger scoring chances throughout 60 minutes, and generated 10.

2. Right Recipe, Wrong Results

Although the Golden Knights didn’t win tonight, they feel like they have a winning recipe. They did a lot of things well both defensively and offensively, and the general feeling is that, if they play that way all season, they’ll come out on the right side more times than not.

“We did a really good job of putting pucks behind their D,” said Nic Dowd postgame. “When we had opportunities to make plays through the neutral zone, we did. We hung on the pucks in the neutral zone and put pucks into good areas, and we were getting them back. And, you know, the best recipe is to go play in the ozone. 

“And line changes,” Dowd continued. “Like, we out-changed them multiple times. We had one-to-two minute shifts in the ozone. Pucks didn’t go in, but that’s just how it works in the NHL. At times, those are going to go in, and maybe you win the game 4 or 5 to 1, 5 to 2. We didn’t tonight. But again, I think we have a lot of good things to build on.”

For the most part, the Golden Knights played well tonight. They made very few defensive mistakes, and though they didn’t convert on many of their scoring chances, they had no problem generating them.

“We had a lot of looks,” said Tomáš Hertl following the loss. “If we bury a couple of them, it goes the other way. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”

3. Next One Counts

Most teams don’t go undefeated in the preseason. Sure, some do– the 2015-16 Colorado Avalanche and the 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes, for example– but preseason is all about teaching moments.

“I actually thought we did a lot of really good things today,” said Nic Dowd following the loss. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but the good thing about that is that those are learning opportunities, right?”

The Golden Knights veterans have played in the last two preseason games, and they look ready to go. They’ve shaken off the rust and improved in the areas they wanted to.

“The things we wanted to clean up or see improvement on, especially through 40 minutes today, I thought we did,” said head coach Ryan Craig postgame. “I thought our defending, our checking habits, our break outs, all those things that we touched on yesterday, were good. And it led to the o-zone and to the offensive chances that we created. I thought those things were a real positive as we move forward here.”

The NHL season kicks off for real on Tuesday when the Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. PST.

The Chicago Blackhawks put a mostly NHL lineup out to play the St. Louis Blues in the final preseason game. At the United Center, the Blackhawks defeated the Blues 3-2. 

Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the game thanks to goals scored by Anton Frondell, Ian Cole, and Roman Kantserov. The Blues later added two goals of their own but were unable to tie it. 

Frondell's goal was proof that they can rely on him to score goals from dangerous areas because of his shot. The puck popped to him in the middle of the ice, and he blasted it home. 

The Cole goal came after the Blackhawks killed a 5-on-3. He came out of the box at the perfect time to be fed for a breakaway, and he did not miss. Cole is not relied on for offense anywhere he goes in the NHL, but anything he can bring will be welcomed. 

To go up 3-0, Kantserov's goal was a sight to see. He caught the puck on the backhand and lifted it neatly to the top shelf for his first NHL preseason goal. Seeing Kantserov score goals like that is important for the Blackhawks' long-term quest to become a winning team. 

Although the Blackhawks allowed the Blues to get back into it with a late-game goal to put themselves back within one, they put together a solid effort in their final tune-up before the games begin for real. 2 of their 3 goals also came from young players that they are relying on to develop into stars. 

Chicago was outshot 31-22 by St. Louis. Spencer Knight made 29 saves on 31 shots. He appears to be ready to continue his role as the team's number one guy. 

There were plenty of penalty minutes in the game as the Blues ended with 27 to the Hawks' 17. Even in the preseason, these two teams have no love lost. When St. Louis returns to the United Center for Chicago's home opener, it will be interesting to see how physical a game it is. 

All in all, it was a solid camp and preseason for the Blackhawks. There were good moments in games, and battles ensued within the group competing for lineup spots. Before Tuesday, the Blackhawks will make decisions on what came of it all. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

FRONDEEZY GOOOOOOOOAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/hCjMvcp95z

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 26, 2026

what a BEAUTY from Ian Cole 🤩 pic.twitter.com/eQAQZOehUv

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 27, 2026

OUR ROMAN EMPIRE ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/dQ2jKupHWZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 27, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks are done with all four preseason games now. Next up is their regular-season opener. This will come on the opening night of the entire season, as the Blackhawks are the nightcap. They will start on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights next Tuesday night. 

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

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It’s safe to say the Senators leaned heavily on their power play Saturday night.

They faced the Montreal Canadiens in a pair of split-squad games to round out their 2026 preseason schedule, defeating the Canadiens 4-3 in Ottawa with what was essentially their main group, while their second group fell 4-2 in Montreal against a lineup that was much closer to the Habs’ full-strength roster.

Of the six goals the Senators scored in the two games on the night, all six came with the man advantage.

In Ottawa, the Senators had eight power-play opportunities and capitalized on four of them. In Montreal, they had five chances and scored twice. 

Injuries

The bigger concern for the Senators, however, is the injury bug. Of course it is.

Jake Sanderson had been dealing with a minor injury throughout camp and finally made his preseason debut in Ottawa but left the game halfway through. Head coach Travis Green described the move as precautionary and said Sanderson should be ready for opening night. 

Andre Burakovsky also left the game after a hit in the third period. Green had no update on him.

The game in Montreal also brought some bad news. Sens prospect Adam Nemec left the game with an upper-body injury after Florian Xhekaj drove him hard and awkwardly face first into the glass. Nemec was just hours away from his probable return to junior where he’s expected to have a big OHL season.

The Game in Montreal

As for the scoring, the Senators got goals in Montreal from Philip Tomasino and Tyler Boucher.

Tomasino patiently drifted into the slot before ripping a gorgeous shot into the top corner over Jacob Fowler. Boucher then showed off an equally impressive release, ripping a one-timer off a pass from Xavier Bourgault. Sam Ersson allowed 4 goals on 26 shots.

One of the most notable moments in the game was a fierce, bomb-filled tilt between six-foot-seven, 225 pound Djibril Touré and six-foot-five, 220 pound Tyler Thorpe. Touré absorbed some jarring upper cuts to the chin but then came back with a medley of left hands that landed.

The Montreal game also featured both Suzukis, as Nick faced his younger brother Ryan off the opening faceoff. Ryan is expected to be a key player for Belleville this season.

The Game in Ottawa

Veteran Claude Giroux continued what has been an excellent preseason with another strong performance, recording a goal and two assists. Drake Batherson and William Eklund also found the back of the net.

Burakovsky chipped in with a couple of assists, while Linus Ullmark stopped 20 of 23 shots from the Canadiens. Thomas Chabot was back in the lineup after missing time while his wife gave birth to a baby girl.

Final Cuts by Monday at 5pm

The Senators finish the preseason at 1-3-1 and now have a little more time to get healthy before their opener on October 3. The Canadiens, meanwhile, have only a couple of days before opening the regular season on September 29.

Final roster cuts must be made by Monday at 5 p.m. and they aren’t nearly as predictable as they were at the start of camp. Artem Zub remains out after trying to rehab a lower-body injury for the past five months, and his status has become a legitimate concern.

Warren Foegele and Kurtis McDermid are also out, while Ridly Greig still has to serve the remaining two games of his suspension stemming from last year’s playoff series against Carolina, when he punched Sean Walker during a scrum between whistles.

Shane Pinto is also a concern for the moment. Green said Pinto “came in sore” after Wednesday’s loss in Toronto. He hasn’t practiced since then and missed Saturday’s game. And then you had Sanderson and Burakovsky leave the finale early on Saturday.

As a result, there are suddenly all kinds of NHL opportunities opening up in Ottawa that at the beginning of training camp, few people expected. So the Senators have some difficult decisions to make.

Meanwhile, the NHL preseason may have been shortened this year, but somehow, in these parts, it still felt too long.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

The San Jose Sharks were back in action on Saturday night, as they closed out the preseason on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks were defeated by the Golden Knights in a shootout at home earlier this week, so they were looking for revenge in the dress rehearsal for the regular season which saw both teams ice the majority of their NHL lineups, including the Sharks' new captain Macklin Celebrini.

Michael Kesselring blocked a Jack Eichel shot in the first period that appeared to leave him a little shaken up, but he didn't miss a shift. The Golden Knights were controlling play for the most part in the first half of the opening frame. Tyler Toffoli took the first penalty of the night when he tripped Brett Howden, giving the Golden Knights a power play with just over eight minutes remaining in the period. Askarov came up big for the Sharks on the penalty kill, helping the team survive the disadvantage. 

Collin Graf had a breakaway attempt late in the period, but lost the puck due to the defensive play of Jeremy Lauzon.

Macklin Celebrini drew a hooking penalty when he was wrapped up by Mitch Marner with less than two minutes remaining in the first period, giving the Sharks their first power play of the night. Dmitry Orlov gave the Sharks the lead with just 40 seconds remaining in the frame, even though the game to this point had been widely controlled by Vegas. 

The period wasn't over yet though, as Zack Ostapchuk was called for holding on Eichel in the neutral zone with just under 28 seconds remaining. The Sharks' penalty kill would continue to start the second period though, as they survived the remainder of the first.

The Golden Knights maintained heavy pressure for the remainder of the power play, but the Sharks were ultimately able to kill it off. Shortly afterwards, the Sharks were back on special teams, though this time they had the man advantage after Braeden Bowman was penalized for tripping Mason Marchment. Jacob Trouba had one play that was somewhat concerning on the breakout from the defensive zone, taking the puck through Askarov's blue paint with a defender attacking him. If he had lost the puck, it could have been disastrous. The Sharks were unable to convert on the power play, dropping to 50% efficiency on the night. 

Captain Macklin scored his first goal with the "C" on his chest in the second period, shooting the puck over Carter Hart's blocker to extend the Sharks' lead to 2-0, despite trailing in shots 15-4.

Orlov gave the Golden Knights another power play opportunity late in the period, when he was penalized for hooking Jack Eichel. This time, Vegas cashed in on their opportunity and Tomas Hertl tapped in a loose puck in the crease, making it a 2-1 game. The Golden Knights' power play didn't get any time to rest either, as Marchment was called for slashing on the ensuing faceoff. 

The Sharks killed off the penalty and maintained their lead heading into the second intermission.

Less than a minute into the final period, Celebrini took a high sticking penalty after he caught Ivan Barbashev up high, giving Vegas another power play opportunity. The Sharks were able to kill it off once again though, improving to 3-for-4 on the night. Moments after the penalty came off the board though, Nic Dowd tied things up as Vegas had a 3-on-2 rush. 

The Sharks got a power play when Brett Howden got a four-minute double minor for cross-checking. At the same time, Kiefer Sherwood was called for roughing following a scrum. The Sharks were unable to convert on the man advantage.

Marchment restored the Sharks' lead halfway through the period, ripping a shot from inside of the faceoff circle to make it a 3-2 hockey game. Askarov made a big save with just over six and a half minutes remaining to help the Sharks' keep their lead.

A minute and a half later, Michael Misa broke Vegas's H(e)art by doubling the Sharks' lead with a glove-side shot from the faceoff dot. 

Sam Dickinson tried to get involved with the offense by joining the rush with roughly three minutes remaining, but was denied by Hart. It was definitely a good attempt from a player who has struggled to this point in the preseason. 

The Golden Knights were unable to score after pulling their goaltender, giving the Sharks a 4-2 victory to close out the preseason.

The last question remaining with the Islanders’ forward lines was who they would surround Casey Cizikas with, and based on Saturday’s preseason finale, that appears to have been answered. 

After waiving Mitchell Chaffee earlier in the day, the Islanders had Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair on their game roster against the Devils.

Though the 11-and-7 configuration in the Islanders’ 4-1 preseason loss to the Devils made for some inconsistent line combinations, indications are Palat and Duclair will form the fourth line with Cizikas on Wednesday night in Toronto, with Kyle MacLean looking likely to be the extra forward. 

It is not, on paper, a trio that looks like an easy fit together, with Cizikas very much a straight-line player, Duclair a skill-first winger with speed and the 35-year-old Palat still trying to prove he can conjure some of what made him such an effective player when the Lightning were winning Stanley Cups. 

“We all bring something different to the table, which is nice, and it’s a lot about communication,” Cizikas said before Saturday’s exhibition game. “It’s a lot about understanding each other and each other’s games.” 

With coach Pete DeBoer hoping to find some secondary scoring the Islanders lacked last season, it might be the Islanders’ best shot of a fourth line that can put the puck in the net. Duclair hasn’t found a consistent scoring touch since signing here in 2024, but has a history of 20-goal seasons the Isles are still hoping to tap into. 

“He’s got a nose for the net and he’s as slick as anybody with that puck,” Cizikas said. “So we’re gonna try to do everything we can to get him the puck and get him in positions where he’s able to get an opportunity.” 

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The Islanders lined up with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their preseason finale, holding out Matthew Schaefer (upper body) and Brayden Schenn (lower body) after both had “tweaks,” in DeBoer’s words. 

DeBoer said neither is a concern for Wednesday, with the decision to hold them out purely precautionary. 

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DeBoer called Mathew Barzal (left kneecap) day to day, but would not confirm whether he is skating. 

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The Islanders made a series of cuts before Saturday’s game, sending Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov, Matthew Highmore and Marshall Warren to AHL Hamilton while putting Chaffee, Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Daylan Kuefler and Matt Luff on waivers. 

While Engvall is in Hamilton, his $3 million cap hit becomes $1.775 million.