Washington Capitals rookie Andrew Cristall was kicked out of a Monday, Sept. 21 preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers after forcefully retaliating for a hit on his teammate.
Philadelphia defenseman Hunter McDonald had delivered a hard but clean hit into the boards on Washington forward Ryan Leonard. Cristall skated up and delivered a cross-check to the face of McDonald, sending him to the ice. Cristall tried cross-checking McDonald again before being intercepted by Flyers players as tempers flared.
Cristall went to the penalty box and was tossed after receiving a cross-checking major and a game misconduct, ending his night. McDonald and Leonard stayed in the game.
This is the cross-checking major for Andrew Cristall, who also got a game misconduct. Got McDonald in the neck.
“His heart’s in the right place," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said, per The Hockey News. "He’s trying to stick up for one of his brothers. He’s trying to do the right thing. … You just try want to try to do that as clean as you can in those moments.”
Cristall was drafted in 2023 by the Capitals and played last season in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where Monday's game was held.
Leonard, entering his second full season in the NHL, recently signed an eight-year extension with a $10.5 million average.
NHL preseason injury updates
Flyers forward Denver Barkey left Monday's game with a lower-body injury. ... Pittsburgh's Ben Kindel (lower body) left the preseason game against Buffalo. ... Columbus defenseman Dante Fabbro suffered an upper-body injury against Detroit. ... Rangers prospect Adam Sykora limped off the ice after being checked against the Devils.
This will be the second of four preseason games after the Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in their preseason opener on Monday.
Like Monday's game, Tuesday's contest will feature a mix of veterans and younger players. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be in the lineup, as will Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck.
Here's the full lineup:
Forwards
Rutger McGroarty
Nick Robertson
Tommy Novak
Bill Zonnon
Liam Ruck
Ville Koivunen
Egor Chinakhov
Rickard Rakell
Mikhail Ilyin
Evgeni Malkin
Markus Ruck
Atley Calvert
Sidney Crosby
Defensemen
Kaedan Korczak
Ilya Solovyov
Tomas Galvas
Sam Girard
Finn Harding
Phil Kemp
Declan Carlile
Goaltenders
Taylor Gauthier
Arturs Silovs
This could be our first glimpse of Robertson playing on the top line with Crosby and Rakell. Robertson has been with them throughout camp and has looked very comfortable.
The same applies to Girard and Korczak on the same defensive pair, since they've played together during camp.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Elmer Soderblom (25) skates against Buffalo Sabres defenseman Liam Valente (28) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres on September 21, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Lineup
The Penguins have a decent enough lineup for the first preseason game. Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel and Kris Letang are among the skaters dressed. Sergei Mursahov gets the start, with the plan to sub him out about halfway through to get Joel Blomqvist some game minutes too.
Not much to say about the visiting Sabres lineup, very much a ‘first game of the year on the road’ bare bones lineup offering. In fact, head coach Lindy Ruff doesn’t even show up, gotta love NHL preseason!
All in all, a pretty quiet period to start the season. Ryan Graves takes the first penalty of the year, the Pens kill it off. Interestingly, Kindel takes the first PK shift – which might suggest an expanding role now that it’s known that Blake Lizotte will be on the shelf for a while.
Pittsburgh scores first, Andrei Kuzmenko starts the play from his own end, Bryan Rust is the one that really makes it happen skating the puck through the zone and drawing the attention of the defenders. Connor Dewar slips into the play, Rust hits him with a pass and Dewar doesn’t mess around with a quick shot through traffic that avoids everything until it hits the back of the net.
Kindel doesn’t return to the bench after the first period, he did block a fairly weak looking shot in the leg/foot late in the period. No reason to push anything in the preseason, hopefully it’s just precautionary in nature.
Rust hit a crossbar early, a little later after a great shift by the Pens, Hendrix Lapierre whiffed on a shot all alone from in front of the net that gently hit the far post and stayed out.
Near the midpoint of the period, Murashov apparently keeps the puck out of the net in a scramble. Owen Pickering hustles back after taking an awkward push legs-first into the wall to help out.
Honestly, don’t see how that puck stayed out at the very end of the sequence, but hey, it’s preseason. Worthy of the good effort.
Pittsburgh gets their first power play with 9:30 to play in the period, they also get a new goalie as Murashov rotates out (as planned) and Blomqvist gets in the crease for the second half of the game.
First power play group is Rust, Kuzmenko, Broz, Lapierre and Letang. Lapierre is the beneficiary of Kindel’s absence.
Justin Brazeau goes down painfully on the second power play group, had his feet taken out and a heavy spill into the boards. Leads to a 32 second 5v3. A bunch of quick passes and Rust makes the Sabres pay. 2-0
Avery Hayes answered that a few minutes later, firing a spinning shot to the top shelf after he stole the puck, just seconds before the end of the period. 3-1 after two periods.
Lapierre springs Hallander for a great look on the rush, puck is stopped and then Brazeau trips a Sabre 200 feet from his net. Whoops. Pittsburgh kills off the penalty.
The rest of the period is definitely a period of preseason hockey. Buffalo pulls the goalie with about 3 minutes left. Soderblom scores on the empty net to make it 4-1.
Some other thoughts
Overall, as with any preseason game, there was a mix of positives and negatives. Nothing overwhelming in either direction but some notable items could include: Lapierre won 4/5 of his first period faceoffs, got a power play assist and very much should have scored a goal. Soderblom recorded a game-high four hits and the ENG. Hallander was strong on the puck and had five shots on goal.
On the minus side, Graves still looks as brutal as ever. He surrendered a shot on the rush where the shooter curled the puck back and used Graves as a screen, always dangerous. The penalty he took was unnecessary. Chasing players into the corner to support a partner and leaving the front of the net open. Low percentage passes turning into icing. It does look like he’s playing noticeably more physical than usual, but hardly any more effective in this look.
Also didn’t really think Broz had that eye-popping of a game. Nothing necessarily bad, but he’s a guy who needs to stand out (as he did in the exhibition games last year). Wasn’t on display tonight. Just one night, but something to note considering how some of the other fringe players were more visible.
And, of course, this could be bullet point number one but the biggest potential outcome of the game would be if Kindel misses time with the regular season starting on the 30th. He looked really good early, arguably the most visible and best player for the Pens. He won 6/7 faceoffs, drove all the way to the net for a couple of potential scoring chances, he was playing very well. Hopefully the injury is nothing, otherwise the center position for the start of the season becomes less than ideal in a hurry.
Was very surprised to see Pickering and Brazeau both continue to play after their respective spills into the boards. Brazeau even banged his stick in the wall in anger while coming off, typically a tell that some damage has been done. Fortunately that wasn’t the case.
Murashov wasn’t asked to do a lot but performed well. He was square to shooters, absorbed pucks without giving up rebounds and had a sharp night stopping all 13 shots he saw.
For his part, Blomqvist was OK. Got beat once while killing a penalty on a nice shot, not much of a demerit there. Otherwise was fine. As tends to be the case between the two goalies, Blomqvist was pretty good but Murashov was a tick better than him on this night, very much in-line with their past.
Avery Hayes has a lot of Tyler Kennedy in him, and I mean that in a very complimentary way. Small right handed forward with a good motor and never misses an opportunity to put the puck on the net (7 shot attempts). The lineup may be too crowded still for him to find a spot coming out of camp (though at this rate of injury and near injury, a couple more games remain to carve out more teammates..), but surely Hayes is looking at a mid-season callup and chance to play a lot of NHL games this season if he keeps going like he has been.
Unremarkably fine debut for the Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kris Letang pair. That’s not a dig, just not much to say. The Sabres didn’t bring a lot to measure up against them, they didn’t do anything to catch the eye in a negative way, regardless.
There’s an adrmiable simplicity to Kuzmenko’s game. He’s going to get to the front of the net, then he’s going to see what happens. Maybe he gets a pass coming in. Maybe he can knock loose a puck. He’s got a booming shot too but overall he’s a guy who knows where to go to score goals in the NHL.
Bryan Rust looks ready for another year to keep on going. A nice goal, an even better primary assist and another assist on the ENG made for a perfectly expected debut as the most accomplished forward on the ice tonight for either team. Wouldn’t expect anything less than a very strong showing and Rust definitely came through.
The Pens are right back at it tomorrow night, with even more star power for a lineup that will include Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and the Ruck twins. We’ll wait for that and hopefully a positive injury update on Kindel as the page turns away from the first preseason game of the year.
The Buffalo Sabres were eerily silent over the summer, in spite of losing a few key pieces from the club that made the playoffs, won the Atlantic Division, and advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. GM Jarmo Kekalainen is currently betting on youngsters such as Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund, Zach Benson, Jack Quinn and Jiri Kulich to improve on their production to make up for the 44 goals lost by the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram.
The club currently has just over $4 million in available cap space entering the season, leaving Kekalainen the flexibility to jump on an evolving situation with another NHL club. The Sabres have long been connected to Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but the odds of their obtaining the multi-Vezina Trophy winner have decreased since the draft, mostly due to goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s trade protection kicking in.
There has been no chatter connecting Buffalo to Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (since they are not on his three-team trade list, and since the Sabres are loaded with players who can play up the middle), or to RFA blueliners Simon Edvinsson(DET) or Alexander Nikishin(CAR), but an opportunity for Kekalainen could present itself based on the current situation with the Columbus Blue Jackets and RFA center Adam Fantilli.
Where will the Sabres turn if they struggle offensively after the departure of Alex Tuch?
The 21-year-old is coming off second straight 50+ point season and is looking to follow the trend of youngsters making big money out of their entry-level deal. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast,
Fantilli is looking for a big raise on a long-term deal, which could be in the neighborhood of the $13.5 million that Anaheim paid 41-goal winger Cutter Gauthier last week.
Once Columbus gets Fantilli signed, GM Don Waddell will have to plan accordingly to manage his salary cap, which could mean moving a player out. Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko is someone Kekalainen drafted as GM in Columbus and is entering the final year of his three-year bridge deal at a $3.85 million AAV. The 25-year-old has exceeded the 20-goal mark each year, with a career-high 31 goals in 2024-25.
Marchenko indicated during the summer that he would not be staying with the Blue Jackets past the remaining two years of control (he is eligible for arbitration next summer), but with him on an undervalued cap hit, Waddell has to calculate whether he can afford to re-sign the winger, if he is open to signing an extension, or his goal is to walk to unrestricted free agency in 2028.
Montreal was rumored to be a potential destination, but the signing of veteran Chris Kreider may have made that less likely. The Sabres may need to add a scorer to replace Tuch’s production if their young players cannot fill the gap, but that is a move that will most likely be made by both clubs at the halfway mark of the season, when each team knows more about their respective situations.
The Colorado Avalanche couldn’t overcome a sluggish start Monday night, falling 3-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre in their second preseason game.
Gabriel Vilardi led Winnipeg offensively with a goal and two assists, while Josh Morrissey added two assists. Stuart Skinner stopped 31 of Colorado’s 32 shots to help the Jets secure the victory.
Georgii Merkulov scored Colorado’s lone goal, with Fabian Lysell picking up an assist. Scott Wedgewood stopped 13 of 14 shots before giving way to Ilya Nabokov, who allowed two goals on five shots in relief.
The result was the exact opposite of what occurred in Colorado’s first preseason game Sunday, when the Avalanche defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1. Colorado was outshot in that contest, but Monday brought a different story: The Avalanche held a commanding 32-19 edge in shots against Winnipeg and still came away on the wrong side of the score.
If there was one familiar theme, however, it was the power play. Colorado went 0-for-3 with the man advantage, an all-too-familiar struggle that plagued the Avalanche throughout last season and remains an area in need of improvement.
First Period
The Jets earned the game’s first power play when Brett Kulak was whistled for hooking just past the midway point of the opening period.
The ensuing man advantage put Colorado’s penalty kill under pressure as Winnipeg peppered Wedgewood with shots, but the Avalanche held firm. Alex Gagne got in front of one attempt, while Parker Kelly blocked two more, including one that shattered his stick on impact. Both players showed the kind of willingness to sacrifice their bodies typically associated with playoff hockey, helping Colorado weather what was otherwise a dangerous power play from the Jets.
The Avalanche’s play began to unravel, however, as the period wore on. Colorado struggled to win defensive-zone faceoffs, chased the puck around its own end and committed several dangerous turnovers and errant passes in front of Wedgewood. The mistakes forced the goaltender to work far harder than necessary, leaving him to make saves from awkward angles while dealing with a steady barrage of shots.
Noah Juulsen provided another bright spot defensively, using his stick effectively to deflect passes and poke pucks away to disrupt Winnipeg’s offensive possessions. He also had a few questionable passes that created unnecessary danger, but his ability to break up plays helped Colorado limit some of the Jets’ opportunities.
Eventually, the pressure caught up with Colorado.
With 1:05 remaining in the period, Vilardi found space in the slot and ripped a one-timer past Wedgewood, giving Winnipeg a 1-0 lead and capping a rough stretch for the Avalanche in their own zone.
Winnipeg finished the opening period with a 9-4 advantage in shots, leaving Colorado with plenty to clean up heading into the second.
Second Period
The Avalanche began the second period trailing by a goal, but there was no shortage of offensive activity.
Gagne generated Colorado’s first significant chance of the period with a sharp wrist shot, but Skinner snared it with his glove and appeared to have a few words for the forward after the whistle.
Colorado soon went to the power play when Winnipeg forward Davis Burnside was called for hooking. Instead of establishing sustained pressure in the offensive zone, however, the Avalanche found themselves on their heels. Cole Koepke forced a turnover that sent Winnipeg the other way, and the Jets quickly generated three shots on Wedgewood before Colorado could regain control. The veteran netminder turned aside all three to keep the Avalanche within one.
The physicality then escalated, resulting in matching minor penalties for both teams. Lysell was whistled for cross-checking Mario Ferraro twice in the back, something Ferraro clearly took exception to. Moments later, after Vladislav Namestnikov was leveled by Gustav Stjernberg at the blue line, Namestnikov came to Lysell’s defense and roughed him up. Both players were sent to the penalty box.
That created a brief stretch of 4-on-4 hockey before Winnipeg was called for too many men on the ice, sending Colorado back to the power play.
On the ensuing advantage, Adam Beckman one-timed a pass from the right circle, but Skinner turned it aside as the Winnipeg goaltender continued to put together a strong outing.
With just under four minutes remaining in the period, Colorado continued searching for a way to break through. Sam Malinski created an opportunity off a faceoff win, dancing across the blue line before snapping a wrist shot toward the net. Skinner was square to the attempt and easily swallowed it.
The Jets eventually doubled their lead late in the period when Mark Scheifele threaded a perfect backhand pass to Cole Perfetti at the backdoor. Perfetti made no mistake, finishing the play with a slick wrist shot to put Winnipeg ahead 2-0.
Third Period
Lysell was sent to the penalty box early in the third period for roughing up Jets defenseman Henry Thrun, who voiced his displeasure as the forward headed to the box, prompting officials to step in and separate the two.
The Avalanche briefly appeared to get on the board when Gustav Stjernberg unleashed a shot from the point that found its way past Skinner. However, the Jets challenged the play for goaltender interference and won after it was determined that Fedor Svechkov interfered with the goaltender. Replay showed Svechkov battling Dylan DeMelo for position in the crease before making contact with Skinner’s glove.
The goal was ultimately overturned, and Winnipeg quickly responded at the other end. DeMelo fired a precise wrist shot over Nabokov’s glove to extend the Jets’ lead to 3-0.
Merkulov, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with Colorado in the offseason, finally got the Avalanche on the board with 5:26 remaining in regulation, jamming home a rebound that Skinner thought he had covered to cut the deficit to two.
Lysell, who picked up the assist on the goal, joined the Avalanche from Boston in the offseason trade that sent Ivan Ivan to the Bruins, giving Colorado another young forward to work into its lineup.
The Avalanche went back to the power play late after Perfetti was called for tripping and generated several looks around the Winnipeg net, but Skinner continued to deny them. Colorado couldn’t find another goal, and the Jets held on for a 3-1 victory.
The Avalanche showed signs of life throughout the third period, creating several opportunities and finally breaking through for a goal, but unfortunately, it was too little, too late. Colorado couldn’t find a way past Skinner again, as the Winnipeg goaltender stood tall when the Avalanche needed a second goal. When Skinner is playing at the top of his game, he remains one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, and he showed exactly why Monday night.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 5: Rasmus Dahlin #26 of the Buffalo Sabres skates with the puck against Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period during the game at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Talk about the preseason game with Pens fans here!
Game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh locally (and ESPN+ out of market) and is available via audio on the internet/radio from 105.9 The X.
After an intense few days on the ice, the Vancouver Canucks have wrapped up their 2026 training camp. The four days in Penticton featured plenty of battle drills and a first-hand look into how Manny Malhotra and his coaching staff plan on running the team. Overall, there were a number of intriguing moments, including when Malhotra and his staff joined the players for conditioning skates after practice was complete.
This year's camp was Malhotra's first as an NHL head coach. The 46-year-old was vocal throughout the four days and kept everyone on the same page. After the final on-ice session, Malhotra met with the media to share his thoughts on training camp in Penticton.
"I was really happy with the progress of camp from having gone through all the preparation work and watching videos and analyzing everything and wanting to structure practices a certain way," said Malhotra. "I feel like we executed the days the way we wanted it to. The guys were very adaptable. They picked up on all the concepts really quickly, and just even that game group. Skating, traveling, playing, traveling, skating again. They did an outstanding job of just not feeding into any excuse, and they just got the work done."
The organization has a very different vibe than in previous years. One example is the players' commitment level, as almost the entire team was in Vancouver for informal skates at the beginning of September. As Malhotra explained, the early preparation paid off as players were ready to go once training camp began.
"I think even just coming into it, they had a much better sense of urgency, knowing that they didn't have three or four exhibition games to get up and going. Just talking to them prior to camp, they had made the decision to come in early September to get those skates in and get those touches in, and it was noticeable. There was no delay out there. When I asked them to push and step on the gas, they did so. They responded well to the way practice is supposed to look."
Another big difference this year is the messaging from Malhotra, as well as the Sedins and Ryan Johnson. There is a real emphasis on ensuring that the team is hard to play against, regardless of the final score. When asked about the group's buy-in, Malhotra was happy to report that everyone appears to be on the same page.
"Very much so. Just in terms of the effort level, each guy pushing the next to do better and want to get better. Even in those corrective situations, when we're talking to guys, they're very receptive to the teaching and the corrections, and they want to get better. So from that standpoint, it's been really good as well."
Training camp also served as a learning opportunity for Malhotra. While he has attended plenty in during his career, this was the first time he was in charge of an NHL camp. As Malhotra explained, he is proud of the way training camp was run this year.
"When you look back on it, after each day, after each session, you kind of analyze how the drills went, how you could tweak them a little bit, timing-wise. Overall, yeah, it was a good experience. Having put everything together, realizing how much detail goes into every step, and obviously managing the number of bodies that we had, putting together game groups and practice groups, and trying to get every topic touched on was a pretty tall task, but our staff did a really good job of preparing for that in all aspects."
With training camp now complete, the Canucks head back to Rogers Arena as they prepare for the 2026-27 season. The next nine days will be busy as Vancouver plays three pre-season games and makes more roster cuts leading up to September 29. If training camp was any indication, Malhotra will have his players ready to go when they open the campaign against the Edmonton Oilers.
Manny Malhotra at Vancouver Canucks Training Camp (Photo Credit: Adam Kierszenblat/The Hockey News)
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While the San Jose Sharks have yet to make any cuts to their training camp roster, teams around the league are getting straight to business. On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks placed former Sharks defenseman Derrick Pouliot on waivers with the intent of sending him to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
The eighth-overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, there were once high hopes for Pouliot to be a game-changer at the NHL level. By the time he joined the Sharks organization for the 2022-23 season, those hopes had all been dashed and he had been solidified as a regular in the AHL and as a depth defenseman at the NHL level. He spent just one season in the Sharks organization, appearing in eight NHL games and registering two assists. He also played 37 games at the AHL level, recording 25 points from the blue line.
Pouliot had one more brief NHL stint after leaving the Sharks, appearing in five games for the Dallas Stars in the following season, but since then, he's been strictly playing at the AHL level. After time with the Syracuse Crunch and Hartford Wolf Pack, he's now rejoining the IceHogs for the second straight season.
Raphaël Lavoie’s push for an NHL roster spot has hit a temporary pause after the Vegas Golden Knights forward suffered an injury during the preseason.
Lavoie is considered day-to-day, with Vegas not disclosing the nature of the issue, according to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 25-year-old was injured during Saturday’s 4-2 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
The setback comes at an important time for Lavoie, who is looking to turn another dominant season in the American Hockey League into a more permanent NHL opportunity. He scored 30 goals and 56 points in just 45 regular-season games for the Henderson Silver Knights in 2025-26, continuing to show the offensive ability that made him a second-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2019.
Lavoie has now recorded 83 points in 87 games with Henderson, including 47 goals and 36 assists. That production has yet to translate consistently at the NHL level, however, as he has appeared in 10 games with Vegas without registering a point.
There is also a roster complication working against Lavoie. If the Golden Knights ultimately decide to send him back to Henderson, the forward would first have to clear waivers.
Lavoie’s journey to Vegas has been a long one. He played his junior hockey with the Halifax Mooseheads and Chicoutimi Saguenéens before Edmonton selected him 38th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. After signing his entry-level contract in 2020, he spent time in Sweden and eventually began establishing himself in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors.
He made his NHL debut with Edmonton in November 2023 before his career took an unusual turn the following year. Vegas claimed him off waivers in October 2024, only for Edmonton to reclaim him days later. The Oilers waived him again almost immediately, allowing Vegas to claim him for a second time.
Lavoie eventually made his Golden Knights debut in January 2025. Now, after another impressive season in Henderson and a new one-year contract, he is trying to prove he can become more than an AHL scoring threat.
That opportunity will have to wait until he is healthy enough to return to the ice.
Two Atlantic Division rivals will renew hostilities on a new battleground Monday night.
The Senators will open their brief preseason against the Montreal Canadiens in the annual Kraft Hockeyville game at Colisée Vidéotron in Trois-Rivières. Face-off is at 7 pm on Sportsnet One and TVA Sports.
The Senators arrive to sign autographs Monday morning ahead of the Kraft Hockeyville game.
Although the matchup is officially listed as a neutral-site game, the Senators are under no illusions about where the crowd's loyalties will lie. Fans were invited to Monday morning’s practice, where a sea of red, white and blue greeted the Canadiens with chants of “Go Habs Go” before the home side had even taken the ice.
Last year’s memorable 5-0 preseason loss to Montreal was also played on supposedly neutral ground, and in another Quebec Videotron building. That one took place at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, where the crowd was also heavily behind the Canadiens.
It was a miserable night for the Senators all around. Beyond being shut out, they were drawn into several scraps that helped the two teams combine for 150 penalty minutes. Arber and Florian Xhekaj were at the centre of it all, with each Montreal brother fighting twice.
Three days later, Ottawa traded Zack MacEwen to the New Jersey Devils for heavyweight Kurtis MacDermid, adding one of the NHL’s most established enforcers.
MacDermid will not be available for Monday’s rematch, but that probably won't stop the two teams from being disagreeable.
The lineups should also help raise the competitive level. Based on the game-day skates, both teams are expected to dress a pile of established NHL players.
Trios des #Sens à l'entraînement à Trois-Rivières :
The Senators will counter with a veteran-heavy lineup featuring Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, Jake Sanderson, Jordan Spence and their most notable off-season additions. Tim Stützle skated as an extra and won't play. Thomas Chabot and Linus Ullmark both stayed back in Ottawa.
Montreal’s group includes Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and both Xhekaj brothers
Today's lineup for the Habs: Caufield-Suzuki-Newhook Slafkovsky-Kapanen-Demidov Bolduc-Dach-Texier Berard-Xhekaj-Pastujov
Monday will provide the first game action in a Senators uniform for William Eklund. He is expected to skate on the left side of Cozens, opposite his close friend and former San Jose teammate Fabian Zetterlund.
Head coach Travis Green has kept the trio together throughout training camp, but Monday will provide the first meaningful opportunity to see whether their apparent chemistry carries over from practices and scrimmages.
According to Senators' host Jackson Starr, Andre Burakovsky, another new addition, is expected to play with Stephen Halliday and Batherson.
Samuel Blais will also make his Senators debut in familiar surroundings after signing as a free agent this summer. Blais had 5 points in 13 games for the Canadiens last season and 38 points in 35 games for their AHL team in Laval.
Samuel Ersson is expected to wear the Sens jersey for the first time in a game after being acquired from Toronto during the off-season. Leevi Meriläinen and prospect Jackson Parsons were the other goaltenders on the ice Monday morning.
It may be only the first game of a very short preseason, but there should be no shortage of reasons to watch. And if the past two preseasons are any indication, the “friendly” part of this exhibition game may not last very long.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest THN Ottawa headlines below:
HERSHEY, Pa. — With an inexperienced lineup Monday night in their preseason opener, the Flyers suffered a 5-2 loss to the Capitals at Giant Center, the home of Washington’s AHL affiliate.
The loss will actually sting a bit if Denver Barkey has to miss time after exiting the game early. More on that below.
Jack Studnicka and Cole Knuble provided the Flyers’ goals.
“I thought Cole Knuble was flying out there,” Rick Tocchet said. “Studnicka was skating well. A couple of guys like that caught my eye.”
The majority of the club’s regulars were not on the trip.
• Barkey took the opening shift of the second period before quickly departing.
The 21-year-old forward didn’t return to the game because of a lower-body injury. Tocchet didn’t have an update on him after the game.
Barkey appeared to be in some discomfort after taking a hit along the side boards from Martin Fehervary with about four and a half minutes left during the first period.
He was the Flyers’ first-line center Monday night, playing between Zach Aston-Reese and Porter Martone. Barkey entered training camp poised for a season-opening lineup spot. We’ll see if this changes things.
The 22-year-old forward also had a goal in his one rookie game. He has been a riser in the club’s system. The 2023 fourth-rounder is set for his first full season of pro hockey and could be knocking on the Flyers’ door.
“I came here to make an impact,” Knuble said. “I just try to bring compete, a good attitude every skate. It’s going well.”
Jett Luchanko showed some flashes of his speed and collected an assist. He can be an effective guy on the penalty kill. But the Flyers will look for more of his offense to come out this season.
“He’s fine, he was good tonight,” Tocchet said. “I wasn’t really worried about the score and stuff, but there are just certain concepts that we really want to attack. The one thing is, you guys know me, I hate giving up the middle of the ice or the weak side. So that’s something we’ll clean up as the camp goes on.”
With under two minutes left in the second period, the Flyers made a poor line change that led to the Capitals’ go-ahead 3-2 goal. Dylan Strome took advantage of the Grade A look on Woll.
Ryan Leonard, who was taken one pick after Matvei Michkov in 2023, sent a laser past Woll with 41 seconds to go before first intermission. The goal handed the Flyers a 2-1 deficit. They had a 1-0 lead just 2:42 minutes into the action when Studnicka scored a power play goal.
But Washington answered with a 5-on-3 power play goal that Woll nearly prevented.
“It was a pretty cool experience, I enjoyed wearing the new colors,” Woll said. “It was a pretty good atmosphere out there. The game didn’t go our way, but it’s the first of many here and I thought there were a lot of good things.”
The Flyers believe the 28-year-old will give them more stability at the backup spot behind Dan Vladar.
“He can carry the load and he’s an intelligent goalie,” Tocchet said Monday morning. “Even just on the puck handles, he’s going to help our goalie handles tremendously. Because some of the system stuff we do, we’re going to need the goalie to handle the puck a lot. I think we were just OK last year in that. I think that will help us break out the puck better and he can do that.”
Carson Bjarnason took over at the start of the third period and allowed two goals on eight shots.
• None of the Flyers’ defensemen really stood out.
The club’s sixth defensive spot is up for grabs between guys like Simon Benoit, David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk.
All three played Monday night. Bonk had an assist, but nobody really separated themselves.
“There’s some good stuff and some stuff that they’ve got to clean up,” Tocchet said of the Flyers’ defense. “Just things under pressure, don’t get yourself boxed in. Sometimes you play Washington, they have three or four guys back. I think the D has got to skate with it; a lot of times we were passing it instead of skating with it. Those are things that as camp goes on, you’ll start to get used to.”
• The Flyers are right back at it Tuesday when they visit the Bruins (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
The game group has an optional skate at 9:30 a.m. ET in Voorhees, New Jersey. The non-game group will practice at 11:30 a.m. ET and 12:05 p.m. ET.
Shortly after the end of his Pittsburgh Penguins' tenure, a former NHL forward has decided to call it a career.
After playing in just five KHL games and registering no points to begin the 2026-27 season, former Penguins' forward Kevin Hayes announced his retirement from professional hockey. The 34-year-old center signed a free agent deal with KHL team Ak Bars Kazan this offseason after failing to secure an NHL contract in light of his previous seven-year deal expiring at the end of last season.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Hayes registered 185 goals and 446 points in 805 career NHL games, including 17 goals and 31 points in 92 games with the Penguins from 2024-26.
After 861 games in NHL and 5 games in KHL, Kevin Hayes 🇺🇸 announced his retirement.
"I have decided to end my hockey career. I can no longer play at the level I am capable of because my body does not allow me to perform at my best. And I cannot accept not being in top form." pic.twitter.com/ItcQb18FA0
"I have decided to end my hockey career," Hayes said in a statement. "I can no longer play at the level I am capable of because my body does not allow me to perform at my best. And I cannot accept not being in top form."
Throughout his Penguins' tenure - and especially during the 2025-26 season in which Pittsburgh made the playoffs - Hayes often found himself on the outside looking in, frequently a healthy scratch and playing in just 28 games last season. He was acquired on Jun. 29, 2024, along with a second-round pick and 50 percent retention by his previous team in the Philadelphia Flyers, from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for future considerations.
Although the former All-Star could not get the on-ice results he wanted in Pittsburgh, he was a revered teammate and was loved by just about every guy in the locker room.
"Oh, he was an amazing person. Obviously, an amazing teammate," defenseman Kris Letang told Pittsburgh media after Monday's morning skate ahead of the team's first pre-season tilt. "A guy that everybody wants to hang around. He loves talking, loved to be in the dressing room. And just the stories after stories, it's just fun to be around him."
Hayes began his NHL career with the New York Rangers during the 2014-15 season and spent parts of five seasons there before being dealt to the Winnipeg Jets during the 2018-19 campaign. He was traded to Philadelphia the summer after and signed his seven-year extension worth $7.14 million per year there, and he was an All-Star in a career-best 2022-23 season. He spent one season in St. Louis after yet another trade before coming to Pittsburgh.
And he left an impression on just about everyone in the room, including the coaching staff - especially given his situation in Pittsburgh.
"What an incredible career," head coach Dan Muse said after Monday's skate. "What an incredible person, too. There's certain people that will always stand out in your mind when you're a coach, and he's definitely going to be one that I remember throughout the rest of my career.
"Just the way he handled himself last year, the teammate that he is, the person that he is. It was a real honor just to be around him for a year."
The Vegas Golden Knights have begun trimming their training camp roster, sending 12 players to Henderson for the start of AHL camp while returning four more to their respective junior clubs.
Brandon Hickey, Lucas Johansen, Jett Jones, Jordan Gustafson, Riley McKay, Samuel Mayer, Pavel Moysevich, Bronson Ride, Shane Smith, Sloan Stanick, Trent Swick and Alex Tracy have been assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights.
Dylan Allie, Matthew Minchak, Conor Walton and Vann Williamson have also been returned to their respective junior teams for the start of the season.
The moves leave Vegas with 51 players remaining in camp as the organization continues narrowing its roster ahead of the regular season.
The Golden Knights still have 29 forwards in camp, including established NHL veterans, offseason additions and prospects competing for roster spots. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev and Mitch Marner headline the group, while Nic Dowd and Victor Olofsson are among the notable additions still in camp.
Vegas also has 17 defensemen remaining, led by Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb. Younger players including Lukas Cormier, Viliam Kmec and Antti Tuomisto remain in the mix.
The goaltending group has been reduced to four: Carter Hart, Adin Hill, Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead.
Vegas will continue evaluating its remaining players throughout the preseason. The Golden Knights are scheduled to practice Monday at City National Arena before traveling to San Jose on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. PT matchup with the Sharks.
The team will then return home for preseason games against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday and the Sharks on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
With the first round of cuts complete, Vegas has taken another step toward assembling the roster that will open the 2026-27 season.
Were there any cuts that surprised you or caught you off guard?
On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks made some decisions on roster cuts during training camp. 9 of their players have been sent to the Rockford IceHogs to begin AHL camp.
The following players were loaned to the IceHogs:
F Gavin Hayes
F Paul Ludwinski
F Samuel Savoie
D Ashton Cumby
D Jake Furlong
D Taige Harding
G Stanislav Berezhnoy
G Adam Gajan
There is also defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald, who was released from his NHL PTO so he can be sent to Rockford as well. All 9 of these guys are going to be regulars in the IceHogs lineup as they look to further their pro careers. On paper, it is shaping up to be a playoff-caliber AHL squad.
Chicago’s camp roster is now down to 38 players. That includes 24 forwards, 11 defensemen, and 3 goalies. The Hawks will use an all-NHL lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, but they have options for the final two preseason games - a home-and-home series with the St. Louis Blues.
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