NEW YORK (AP) — William Carrier scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 5-3 on Thursday night.
Logan Stankoven, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina, which won for the fourth time in five games. Sebastian Aho had two assists, and Brandon Bussi finished with 24 saves. Jalen Chatfield added an empty-net goal in the final minute of the third.
Brayden Schenn had a goal and an assist, and Mitchell Chaffee and Viktor Eklund also scored for the Islanders, who lost their second straight game. Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves.
Aho fired a shot from the left wall, and Carrier buried the rebound with 5:08 remaining in regulation.
The Hurricanes jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first 3:20, scoring on two of their first three shots.
Carolina took advantage of a New York miscue when forwards Anthony Duclair and Jean-Gabriel Pageau over-skated a bouncing puck, and Stankoven sent a wrist shot between Varlamov’s pads. Jackson Blake extended his point streak to eight games with the primary assist on the opening goal.
Matthew Schaefer tried to keep a play alive in the offensive zone late in a shift and was caught up ice. Jordan Martinook found Kotkaniemi behind the Islanders defense for an easy redirection 3:20 into the first to give Carolina a 2-0 lead.
New York responded with two goals in the first 5:44 of the second, tying the game.
Chaffee redirected Schaefer’s shot from the point for his first of the season, and Schenn converted a wraparound just over two minutes later to tie it.
Sixty seconds later, Svechnikov finished a feed from Aho to put Carolina in front.
Eklund answered with a one-timer from the slot with less than three minutes remaining in the period to even the score at 3.
The Islanders signed veteran defenseman Ben Hutton to a one-year contract Thursday. Hutton, 33, had joined New York on a professional tryout Monday after recording 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 55 games with the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
The Islanders overcame a horrible start to make it a game, a winnable game even, against the defending Cup champion Hurricanes, but in the end mistakes killed them on the way to a loss
The Islanders hadn’t been in action for five days and looked it when the Canes pounced to a 2-0 lead in the first 3:20. They steadily got their bearings and though they hit the first intermission still trailing by two, they got two quick ones to make it a game again in the first six minutes of the second.
After trading goals once more, things looked possibly headed to overtime until William Carrier outmuscled J-G Pageau for a rebound to score the winner with 5:08 to go.
Varly: Semyon Varlamov had a solid game facing Carolina’s trademark shot barrage, stopping 34. With Varly pulled for a sixth attacker, the Islanders had a decent chance to get set up but the refs errantly whistled play down for what they thought was too many men. Though the refs mitigated the error by not calling a penalty, that added to the frustration the Isles felt for the refs and the setting on through the final horn.
6-on-5: With Varlamov pulled, Jordan Martinook lost a stick but the Isles let an even better opportunity slip away as the bouncing puck eluded Brayden Schenn, who was checked out of the play by the stickless Martinook, while Jalen Chatfield chopped the puck the length of the rink and into the empty net.
Special teams: The Islanders’ power play was its usual mess on its four missed opportunities, but the penalty kill held up its end. Neither Brayden Schenn (who had a nice wraparound goal) nor Adam Pelech liked their tacky yet justifiable penalty calls, but their kill of Pelech’s penalty late in the second and at the beginning of the third — right after Victor Eklund tied the game at 3-3 — was huge.
The difference: At least, of course, until Carrier’s goal made it moot. Varlamov gloved the point shot through traffic, but Pageau was slow to react in a stick battle with Carrier, who beat Pageau and then Varlamov for his first of the season.
On balance, with the mistakes the Isles made, a regulation loss was the deserved result. But it stings more since the Isles erased their bad start and hung with the champs all game.
Up Next
After that bizarre November layoff in an 84-game season, the Islanders host the streaking Devils on Saturday before hitting the road for the California triangle.
Roster notes: Will Ben Hutton make an appearance? The Isles announced his signing before the game, though he did not play. They did not need all 10 days of the PTO to decide he needs to figure in their blueline depth.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Ilya Mikheyev scored twice to back Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday night to remain perfect at home this season.
Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh also scored. Vasilevskiy made 24 saves, allowing only Roman Kantserov's goal with 49 seconds left.
The Lightning are 8-0-0 at home and 10-3-2 overall, while the Blackhawks are 0-7-1 on the road and 4-12-1 overall.
Arvid Soderblom stopped 31 shots for Chicago.
Hedman opened the scoring on a power play at 4:12 of the first period. The defenseman has four goals this season.
Mikheyev connected with 1:38 in the opening period.
McDonagh scored on a slap shot at 2:38 of the third, and Mikheyev added his second of the game and fourth of the season on a tip at 5:07.
Up next
Blackhawks: At Carolina on Saturday night.
Lightning: At Minnesota on Saturday night to open four-game trip.
PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 5: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins battles for the puck against Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins get Evgeni Malkin back from injury and scratch Andrei Kuzmenko. Arturs Silovs gets the start.
The Bruins are the better team early, with it looking like David Pastrnak is in full ownership of the puck. It takes the Penguins nine minutes to get a shot on goal, which at least also comes with a goal. Justin Brazeau finds a soft spot to sit down in, Hendrix Lapierre finds Brazeau with a pass and the big man quickly whips the puck into the net. 1-0.
Scoring that early goal has the effect of kicking a hornet’s nest based on Boston’s response with three goals before the whistle. First up, the Bruins win a wall battle and the puck gets down low to Pastrnak. You could tell he was on the cusp of scoring or setting up a goal all night, and he does the latter with a beautiful sauce pass that Pavel Zacha elevates to the top of the net. 1-1.
A little later, Boston wins another puck battle, this time after a faceoff. They get the puck back to Frederic Brunet at the point and he puts a shot on net that Mark Kastelic expertly deflects down and to the other side of the net from where the puck was tracking. Bruins pull ahead 2-1.
Self-inflicted damage pops up for the third goal. Erik Karlsson tries to pass the puck right through Elias Lindholm, which Lindholm easily accepts the gift and is able to score on the forehand. Woof. 3-1.
To make matters worse, Sidney Crosby took a routine looking slash to the arm and immediately skated off the ice and walked right to the lockerroom about ten seconds before this goal. Earlier, Declan Carlile was injured when a Pastrnak shot attempt hit him somewhere around the jaw or chin.
Not great stuff for the Pens early on. Shots are 10-5 Boston.
Second period
Whatever was said in the intermission was effective for Pittsburgh, they play much better and start getting a lot of shots and chances. One such chance is turned into a goal when Nick Robertson tips a Kaedan Korczak shot in. 3-2 game.
It’s also helpful that Crosby and Carlile are able to return for the second period, which is perhaps more surprising for the latter considering he blocked a shot with his head.
The Pens keep pushing, the offensive machine Korczak almost helps generate another goal but the deflection goes off the post. Pittsburgh has all the momentum and just when it looks like they might tie it up, Boston gets a 2-on-1 rush and Zacha scores again. JJ Peterka sets Zacha up and it’s another great pass and shot combo directly to the top of the net and now 4-2. Crosby screams a vulgarity in frustration.
It doesn’t get any better, Ville Koivunen is the next to try a low-percentage pass, to predictable results. The Bruins pick it off and quickly spring Morgan Geekie on a clear breakaway. 5-2.
The shame is it actually looked like the Pens for a while were in serious contention to make it a 3-3 game for a while there. Turns out, that is not the direction this game took. Boston up 5-2.
Third period
Not too much really going on, a Penguin falls down and Boston is off a on a 2-on-1. Fraser Minten called his own number and ripped a wrister far-side on Silovs. 6-2.
Both teams play out the stretch, Boston is coasting and Crosby almost sets up Ben Kindel for a goal but the teenager hits the post hard since there will be no nice things for the Penguins on this night. Clock drains away to 0.
Some thoughts
The Penguins had their hands full tonight, as I’m sure we all figured that they would. Sam Girard and Erik Karlsson were hanging on for dear life and loosing grip against the Pastrnak line (it’s a rough watch for both of them on the first and fourth Boston goal). Beyond that, it might have been Kuraly, Kastelic and Jeannot on the fourth line that was even harder to handle with their size and physicality.
One player who is really coming into his own right now is Korczak. Two assists for the second game in a row puts him up to 10 on the year. Nothing overwhelming but good things are happening with him on the ice and the puck on his stick, which you can’t really say about too many players on the team these days.
While staying briefly positive, it was good to see Brazeau hit the back of the net and get on the board in only his second game of the season. Getting some secondary scoring would be a nice new layer for the team’s attack if he can keep it going.
Zacha is a player who always sneaks onto our annual summer Penguin killer list, he did some damage to start making his case for next year already by scoring two goals tonight. I don’t know if it’s even realized that since 2021-22, the players with more total points vs. PIT go Kreider (25), McDavid (24), Kucherov (23) then Zacha tied with MacKinnon with 22. I forgot myself for the preview this morning to point out Zacha’s propensity for production. Both his goals were supreme class starting with the setups made to him and then perfect shots. If he played against the whole league the way he does against the Pens, Zacha would be a superstar.
Can’t really say much about Silovs tonight, he didn’t have a chance. No goalie anywhere would be able to keep the score down in front of a team that is giving up so many easy and clean looks to the opposition. No point to even analyze the goaltending in this one when he was so hung out to dry.
You could sum this game up by a play in the third period when Lapierre got the puck on a 2-on-1. It was looking promising, not that the result was going to change with the score already at 6-2. But Lapierre couldn’t get a shot or pass away, Brunet a third pair defender ended up working hard to get back pressure and disrupt the play. The Bruins scored, what three or four goals on odd-man rushes and no Penguin was able to do the same. In a nutshell that tells the tale of each team’s drive/ability/determination whatever word you want to use there.
Normally a note here would point out that going out on the road, like the Pens now will do, could be a galvanizing type of bonding experience to turn things around. Then you remember their last Western swing ended up being an 0-4-0 trip. (On the bright side, at least they’re going to play three teams that are not above .500 this time around..)
Speaking of that, what are the odds of a players’ only meeting happening? Has to be pretty high, for having so many older and veteran players it sure seems like the right time now to shut the doors, yell and scream a little and let everyone vent it out and hopefully turn a fresh page.
It’s only early November but it sure feels like this is going to be the longest season in a while to endure. Boston out-classed the Penguins, which is one thing. Persistent mistakes and misplays are not going away, perhaps only increasing, which is a troubling sign for this team.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj scored his first goal of the 2026-27 season against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night.
It was a nice goal from Xhekaj, too, as he beat Mammoth goalie Sebastian Cossa top shelf with a beautiful one-timer slap shot from the point.
With this goal, Xhekaj is now at the top of the NHL with an impressive stat.
According to NHL Public Relations, Xhekaj has now recorded this season's hardest shot that resulted in a goal. Xhekaj's shot with his goal was 97.22 MPH, which is simply excellent.
After scoring a goal like this, it is clear that Xhekaj should be looking to shoot the puck more from the point. This was undoubtedly a nice goal from the 25-year-old defenseman.
In 245 career NHL games, Xhekaj has now recorded 11 goals and 35 points. The big blueliner may not be known as an offensive defenseman, but he certainly showed with this goal that he can shoot.
It will now be interesting to see how Xhekaj builds off this great goal for the Canadiens from here.
Ben Hutton of the Ottawa Senators skates with the puck in a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, Sept. 26, 2026.
The Islanders signed Ben Hutton to a one-year deal Thursday, days after signing the defenseman to a professional tryout contract and hours before facing the Hurricanes at UBS Arena.
Given that Hutton wasn’t needed in the lineup for the 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes, the timing of the announcement was curious. Nevertheless, it is another option in coach Pete DeBoer’s holster for an injury-plagued defense.
Hutton, per PuckPedia, is on a prorated $900,000 salary.
The Senators’ Ben Hutton skates with the puck in a preseason game against the Canadiens on Sept. 26, 2026 in Montreal. Getty Images
For two consecutive games, the Islanders have gone with a two-righty bottom pair of Matt Kessel and Scott Mayfield. Hutton, a lefty, would rebalance things.
“You’re just trying to get him up to speed,” DeBoer said Thursday morning. “He hasn’t taken any real reps with NHL players since training camp. It’s a tough ask to come in midseason like that.
“He’s excited to be here. I think he’s excited to be around the group. You can tell he wants to play hockey. No one likes sitting at home. I can see his enthusiasm about being back in a team environment again. Every day, we’re just trying to get him back up to speed so that, when we do get a chance to look at him, we give him a fair chance.”
That chance may come awfully quickly.
For all the attention and anxiety over the Islanders’ remade power play, which has lately fallen back to earth, it’s their penalty kill that might deserve some plaudits.
Entering Thursday’s game, in which the PK was 2-for-2, the Islanders ranked top five in the league with a whopping 86 percent success rate on the penalty kill, even while taking Matthew Schaefer out of the PK rotation to conserve his minutes and even with injury hits to Ryan Pulock and Alexander Romanov, two defenders prominent in DeBoer’s PK plans.
“Not just the defensemen; I think our group of penalty killers is really good, and they have a history of being good here,” DeBoer said. “If you look back even last year and previous years, some teams are built to have really good power plays, some teams are built to have good penalty kills. And if you can get both, then you’re in a good spot.”
The Islanders debuted their Hometown Remix Fisherman jerseys Thursday. It’s the second time this decade they’ve brought back the infamous design, the first one during the 2022-23 season.
Semyon Varlamov started in net against Carolina, making it a 50-50 split between him and Ilya Sorokin over the past six games. Sorokin has started 10 of the Islanders’ first 15, on pace for roughly 56 starts of 84 games should the current trend hold. Varlamov made 34 saves on 38 shot attempts.
Mathew Barzal (left knee), Pulock (upper body) and Matias Maccelli (lower body) all took part in an optional Islanders morning skate while wearing red noncontact jerseys.
Pete DeBoer saw it first with Joe Thornton when he was in San Jose, then with Joe Pavelski while in Dallas. Now, it is 35-year-old Brayden Schenn on Long Island playing the role, “on the back nine” of his career, of a leading voice and mentor in the dressing room, while maintaining a high level of play in his own right.
“He recognizes he was brought in here as much for his intangibles as what he brings on the ice,” DeBoer said Thursday before Schenn scored a goal and had an assist in the Islanders’ 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes. “I think he understands that. I think he’s taken that piece of it and really embraced it.”
Indeed, as much as Schenn struggled last season upon arriving as the Islanders’ big-ticket acquisition at the trade deadline, one wonders if general manager Mathieu Darche is itching to find the nearest microphone and declare, “I told you so.”
Brayden Schenn dives for a puck near defenseman Mikey Anderson during the Islanders’ loss to the Kings on Oct. 22, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Schenn not only has stepped seamlessly into a leadership role in the Islanders dressing room, he is centering a trio with Emil Heineman and Victor Eklund that’s been the club’s most consistent line of late.
The difference between walking in midseason when cracks were already starting to form in the Islanders foundation and getting to participate in building the foundation from training camp onwards has been massive. Schenn has four goals and five assists through 14 games, has fit like a glove in DeBoer’s system and when asked about all of this Thursday morning, sheepishly replied, “I hate talking about myself.”
That is, of course, exactly how the Islanders want their older, example-setting veterans to respond to such a question. Schenn did acquiesce to explaining the added comfort he has with the Islanders now, as opposed to when he arrived in March.
“I would say it’s just everything. It’s not one thing,” he said. “You can’t pinpoint one thing and say that’s why. I think it’s, one, coming here, gotta prove yourself every single day in this league. You get a great opportunity to play with great linemates. The organization and the guys in the locker room have been awesome to us since Day 1 we’ve been here. So as you get more comfortable around the room, being around people, it just allows you to be yourself a little more. I still feel like I got better.”
Knowing his teammates and having training camp to develop chemistry makes a huge difference, as has DeBoer’s presence behind the bench.
Los Angeles defenseman Brian Dumoulin and center Brayden Schenn battle for possession on Oct. 22, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“I really enjoy playing for Pete. He’s a smart coach,” Schenn said. “I’ve learned a lot from him. Very good systematically, defensively. With a coach like that, as long as you’re bringing your effort within the system each night, he’s gonna reward the guys who want to do that. I think as a group, as a whole, we have a bunch of guys with complete buy-in who’ve realistically given ourselves a chance in every game.”
DeBoer took notice on a recent off day when he and the injured players were the only people at the facility. When DeBoer left, Schenn pulled in with his car.
“I’m sure he got his kids off to school and headed to the rink after that,” DeBoer said. “You can tell the guys who just love the process of it. He’s one of those guys.”
Indeed, DeBoer added that Schenn has the qualities of a future head coach. Heineman, his linemate, sounded similar notes.
“He [had been] been a captain [in St. Louis] for a long time. It shows on how he acts as a human being in the locker room and on the ice,” Heineman told The Post. “… You can tell right away he has a lot of experience in the league. He’s won [a Stanley Cup]. He knows what it takes.”
NEW YORK — The Flyers relinquished a third-period lead Thursday night and fell to the Rangers, 3-2, at Madison Square Garden.
Rick Tocchet’s club couldn’t nail down a 2-1 advantage.
“That’s inexcusable,” the Flyers’ head coach said. “Being up 2-1 and then you give them those goals we gave, it’s inexcusable.”
The Flyers gave up a game-tying power play goal with 6:08 minutes left. Denver Barkey was in the penalty box for slashing.
Tye Kartye scored New York’s game-winner with 4:39 minutes to go. Jamie Drysdale and Travis Sanheim were both checking up ice on the opposite side. The Flyers’ fourth line was out there. Sean Couturier got caught in the neutral zone, which left Kartye open through the middle.
“We’ve got to reload,” Tocchet said. “If you’re not going to score on your chances — we had breakaways and stuff — when you’re up 2-1, you’ve got to protect the interior of the ice. For whatever reason, when pressure hits us, we forget that.
“You’ve got to protect the interior of the ice. If something bad happens, you give them the outside stuff. It’s something that we’re going to have to continue to preach and go through this. Winning hockey is protect the middle of the ice. And we just gave them two plays in the middle of the ice. Even on the penalty, we can’t let people get to the interior.”
Simon Benoit and Noel Acciari found the back of the net for the Flyers. The goals came in the second period as the Flyers erased a 1-0 deficit.
“I think the third period, we were a little bit more on our heels than we were in the other two periods,” Acciari said. “I think we were trying to defend a lead rather than just play the game and do what made us successful during the other periods.”
The Flyers have lost five of their last six games (1-4-1) and 14 of 18 on the season (4-10-4). They own a minus-21 goal differential (excluding the shootout) and have scored just 2.17 goals per game.
On Thursday night, they were opening a five-game road trip that has them away from home until next Sunday.
“We know we have it in this room, we’ve shown it in periods,” Acciari said. “We’ve just got to, as a group, find a way to bring it for all three periods.”
This was the first of four meetings between the Flyers and Rangers (9-7-1).
“For a while, I thought we were in control of the game,” Tocchet said. “And then all of a sudden, they make a push and that’s when we really have got to dig in. You’ve got to protect the middle of the ice, that’s just Hockey 101 for me.”
• Joseph Woll denied 25 of 28 shots.
The 28-year-old was making his first start in a little over a week.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored New York’s game-tying power play goal. Woll had kept the Rangers off the board for a while until then.
“They’re down, they’re obviously going to push,” Sanheim said. “They get a break on a power play where the puck bounces to the guy in the middle and he makes a good shot. It’s what we do after that that’s kind of frustrating. You hate to give that next one up, you’d like to lock it down and at least get it to overtime and get a point out of it. Lesson learned and we’ll move forward.”
New York struck first just 4:39 minutes into the action on a double deflection. Gabe Perreault got a piece of J.T. Miller’s redirection. The Flyers had gotten stuck in the defensive zone and the Rangers made them pay.
New York rookie netminder Dylan Garand stopped 23 of the Flyers’ 25 shots.
Benoit was the unlikely spark for the Flyers. The 28-year-old defenseman scored just his seventh career NHL goal to tie the game at 1-1.
Just under two minutes later, the Flyers took the lead. Drysdale showed great mobility at the blue line to help set up Acciari’s goal. Barkey had the primary assist with good composure and vision around the net.
• Cole Knuble centered the Flyers’ second line.
Tocchet wanted to move him from the wing to the middle for some added speed.
At morning skate, Knuble was working on faceoffs with Acciari and Couturier. The 22-year-old rookie went 0 for 5 in the dot against the Rangers. But he did some good things.
Cole Knuble, who is playing center tonight, going over faceoffs with Sean Couturier. pic.twitter.com/EMCPYabTYA
The Buffalo Sabres returned home after a successful road trip with a 2-1 loss to the division-rival Ottawa Senators in the opener of a four-game homestand on Wednesday. If you look at the overall NHL standings, the Sabres are ranked 16th, which is slightly below expectations for a club that came within one goal of making the Eastern Conference Final, but their 7-5-3 record has them tied with Detroit in the basement of the Atlantic Division standings.
Just over a month into the regular season, every team in the Atlantic is over .500, and the margin between first place Boston and the Sabres/Red Wings is six points. With a .567 winning percentage, Buffalo would be in fifth place in the Metropolitan, tied for fifth in the Central, and in fourth place in the Pacific.
Injuries and absences have been a factor with many of the clubs in the division. Montreal has been without captain Nick Suzuki for more than two weeks, Ottawa has been without former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark for the same, Florida has been without Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand for all but two games, Toronto are without center John Tavares and winger Kirill Marchenko, and Detroit is without RFA blueliner Simon Edvinsson and former captain Dylan Larkin, but the Sabres have been relatively healthy, other than a three-game upper body tweak to Rasmus Dahlin.
Can the Sabres find their mojo after a sluggish start of the season?
The Boston Bruins are proving that last year’s playoff berth was not a fluke, as they currently lead the division with an 11-4-1 record, and two clubs (Toronto and Florida) that missed the postseason by a wide margin, have thus far shown that they are improved and capable of competing for a playoff spot.
The issues with the Sabres are simple. They have not shown the same level of consistency, and same attention to defensive detail they displayed last season. Their offense is not as dependable without Alex Tuch, and the young forwards who they were relying on to pick up the slack, have not done so. The goaltending, primarily Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, has been spotty, and without Alex Lyon they have been forced to rely more on Colten Ellis.
Buffalo is just a few points out of a playoff spot, so their sluggishness out of the gate is not fatal, but it is a legitimate cause for concern.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 08: Pavel Zacha #18 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his first period goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 8, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Welcome to Thursday Night Hockey, folks!
After an exciting win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, the Bruins will travel to Pennsylvania for a meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins aren’t off to the best start, but they’ve still got plenty of talent, so this should be a good game.
The Buffalo Sabres seemed to find their stride on their four-game road trip, earning seven of a possible eight points with an overtime loss to Washington and three victories over San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles, but that success did not translate in the opening of their four-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators.
The Sabres looked sharp wearing their new “Hometown Remix” jerseys, but did not play as they appeared, managing only 25 shots on Senators backup Samuel Ersson and one goal on a Peyton Krebs deflection of a Tage Thompson late in the second period. Buffalo relied on a strong performance by goalie Colten Ellis, but defensive lapses led to Shane Pinto’s tying goal and Michael Amadio’s game-winner with 3:09 left.
"I can sum it up this way: I thought we got outskated, I thought that we got outworked. We gave up six or seven odd-numbered rushes and the game-winning goal was an odd-numbered rush," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. “sure. " I thought we weren't skating well, some of the puck play wasn't very good. I'm not going to sit here and making excuses. We weren't good enough. (Ottawa) won more puck battles. They created more odd-numbered situations. They were smarter than us."
Is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen still the Sabres goalie of the future?
The Sabres have earned points in seven of their eight games on the road (4-1-3) and are averaging 3.63 goals per game (8th in the NHL), but on home ice, where teams need to have success to make the playoffs, they are under .500 and are averaging 2.14 goals per game (27th in the NHL).
"We talked this morning about being better in this building. We won't better, and I think with three minutes left, we've taken a lot of pride in not giving up something like that when points mean big points, and you give up an odd-man rush again." Ruff said. “had "When we started getting a little bit going, it was more, net- front battles. You win a puck battle, you come off the wall, you're going to get some type of chance if you make the right play. I just feel that we didn't win enough battles."
The loss leaves the Sabres tied for the bottom spot in the Atlantic with 17 points and the second-worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference (-7), but the bigger concern is their lack of scoring. Tage Thompson (10 goals) and Jack Quinn (8 goals) account for 40% of the club’s offense.
Other than Noah Ostlund, no one has tallied more than three goals, which brings into focus the failure of GM Jarmo Kekalainen to address the offensive gap created by the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, and why the Sabres are reportedly on the hunt for scoring help.
A former Buffalo Sabres goalie is available for the taking on the waiver wire.
This is because former Sabres goalie James Reimer has been placed on waivers by the New York Rangers, as reported by The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.
Reimer signed a one-year contract with the Rangers late last month. Now, less than two weeks after signing with the Rangers, the former Sabres goalie has already been placed on waivers.
Reimer being placed on waivers come with Rangers goalie Joonas Korpisalo nearing his return from injury.
Reimer made one appearance for the Rangers on Oct. 26 against the Los Angeles Kings, and it was a nightmare. The former Sabres goalie allowed three goals on just eight shots in the first period before being pulled by the Blueshirts.
Reimer appeared in 22 games with the Sabres during the 2024-25 season. During them, he posted a 10-8-2 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.90 goals-against average.
This would be Reimer's lone season with the Sabres, as they opted not to re-sign him during the 2025 off-season.
The Chicago Blackhawks (4-11-1) are coming off another horrific loss. On Wednesday night, they were defeated on national television by the Florida Panthers. This will be their first back-to-back situation of the season.
Not only did they lose, but the NHL on TNT crew carved them up in front of the entire hockey-watching community in the United States. Now, they are playing a team equally as good in what promises to be a very tough environment.
Scouting Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Lightning (9-3-2) are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League right now, especially with that record. However, they are one of the teams in the NHL that is going through incredible turmoil that they did not see coming entering the season.
Last week, news broke that Nikita Kucherov informed the Lightning that he has no intention of signing an extension after this season, and his preference is to be traded. He will not miss games for them, however, due to the situation.
Kucherov is one of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League. In addition to winning the Stanley Cup twice, with four appearances in the Final, he has won the Hart Trophy 2 times, the Art Ross Trophy 3 times, and has been an All Star 7 times. In 893 career games, Kucherov has 405 goals, 739 assists, and 1144 points.
At 33 years old, it’s more than conceivable that he has 5 to 6 more years of being an incredible producer of offense. Kucherov was never the fastest player who uses his speed to dominate; it’s all about his brain and how he sees the game. That ability is not going away any time soon. It’s not like the Lightning lack talent around Kucherov, either.
Guentzel - Point - Kucherov
Hagel - Cirelli - Goncalves
Mikheyev - James - Holmberg
Viel - Geekie
Moser - Crozier
McDonagh - Cernak
Hedman - Carlson
D’Astous
Vasilevskiy
Hildeby
At forward, Braden Point, Jake Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, and Brandon Hagel are all above-average, Olympian type of players. Again, there is no shortage of skill around Kucherov. The situation is not his issue. Feeling disrespected is his issue.
One of Tampa’s depth pieces may be familiar to Blackhawks fans, as they now have Ilya Mikheyev, who was an outstanding forward during his time in Chicago. Proving himself as a great 5-on-5 contributor and penalty-kill savant earned him a nice contract with Tampa.
Whether it’s JJ Moser, Ryan McDonagh, or Victor Hedman, the Lightning have a strong left defense. Whether it's the future Hall of Famer Andrei Vasilevskiy in net or backup Dennis Hildeby, they play well enough in front of them to make it easier for them to play their position.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks got a good game out of Frank Nazar on Wednesday. He scored two goals in the loss, both coming in the third period. If he can start turning up the heat offensively, the Blackhawks will have a much better chance of coming out of their funk.
Kantserov-Bedard-Bertuzzi
Moore-Nazar-Donato
Smith-Frondell-Teravainen
Mangiapane/Boucher-Greene-Greenway
Vlasic-Cole
Kaiser-Levshunov
Del Mastro/Rinzel/Korchinski
Soderblom
Knight
We are learning fast that this group was built with a flawed philosophy. For one, not enough veterans are key players on the team. All 4 centers are 23 or younger, and only Connor Bedard is advanced enough to be considered a true center at this time.
Patrick Kane is out with an injury and should be back soon, but other veteran forwards like Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Ryan Donato are not helping the young guys take steps with their own play.
On defense, it's a mess. Bowen Byram is still out. Ian Cole is a veteran, but he isn't at the top of his game like he once was, and the rest of the group is right around college age.
During warmups, we'll find out who the scratches are. The lines above have projections with certain players who may be rotated in. This post will be updated with answers. Unless Jeff Blashill goes back to Knight for the second evening in a row, Arvid Soderblom should make his 4th start of the season.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can stream it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 6:00 PM CT.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 26: Nathan MacKinnon #29, Gabriel Landeskog #92 and Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche react after the team's 2-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 26, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Denver, CO — The final horn rang as I waited with members of the media to enter the room for the scrum after Colorado’s 5-2 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils. As the wait dragged on, I thought about the three goals that had happened since I moved from the press box to the locker room line.
Nathan MacKinnon added another page to his book of patented speed-burst, net-driving goals, Jaden Schwartz hammered home a rebound, and the Avalanche gave up another goal to Connor Brown.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t think Nathan MacKinnon had his best game that night, but it’s hard to say after he beat two defenders and Devils goalie Jake Allen in highlight fashion on the way to victory.
For much of the contest, the team still felt a bit disjointed. We saw errant passes, one-and-done offensive possessions, breakdowns, and yet another shorthanded goal against.
I felt the Avalanche might fall into yet another game where they outshot their opponent but still lost. Something Avalanche fans have seen time and time again.
Instead, the Avalanche gained a bit of steam while the Devils hit a wall in the second of a back-to-back. Gabe Landeskog and the second power-play unit tied it at one goal apiece, and Nic Roy made a beautiful pass to Nazem Kadri, who gave the Avalanche a lead that they wouldn’t give up.
Now, make no mistake: the shot log showed the Avalanche were getting more shots on net and, in general, controlling play, but that control and effort weren’t translating into scoreboard results, which, given the earlier struggles, was a bit concerning.
My train of thought was interrupted as the press door opened for the locker room scrum, but I ended up thinking about the question: will the Avalanche see this as a good all-around performance, or another mediocre night that benefited from a tired NJ team?
When questions came to Gabe Landeskog, who wore the player-of-the-game chain (a blinged-out chain with an Avalanche pendant), I got the sense the win eased some of the anxiety and that the captain was overall happy with their performance.
“I thought it was great,” Landeskog mentioned. “We didn’t get rewarded until the third period, but I thought we did a good job of sticking with it.” Colorado’s recent struggles were clearly top of mind. “We wanted to make sure we just bounced back and played our game…”
The scrum then moved to Nazem Kadri, who stood at his stall for questions. “I think a lot of guys have chemistry in here.” Naz mentioned, when asked about the chemistry he seemed to have with Nic Roy on his goal, “I think that’s a great part of our team,” he added.
Parker Kelly was the subject of the final player availability and was asked what was said between the second and third period to inspire the comeback victory, “Nothing really; just stick with it. I think everyone in the room here felt pretty confident that we’d been owning the game for a bit, and if we just stuck to it, things were gonna start going our way.” When asked if he saw this victory as a get-right-win, “Yeah, for sure, I think everyone can leave the rink today feeling good about their game.”
Press members then made the trek from the locker room back to the press lounge where Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar sat comfortably waiting for us to get started.
When asked about what changed between phases of the game, Bednar said, “I liked our first period, actually. We didn’t create as much in the first offensively, but on the defensive side I thought we were really good.” Bednar saw strong defensive effort for 40 minutes.
So what in the world was I picking up on regarding this contest? I was half expecting more of a “yeah we got the win, but it’s still not good enough,” and instead I got, “That was our best 60 minutes of hockey all year.”
Well, I think it’s important to consider how the victory frames successes, delegitimizes criticism, and whether that’s always appropriate. Part of what I just said is common sense, but I am a detail-oriented guy, and that approach leaves me a bit confused at times, since the details suggest not much has been solved for Colorado.
A whopping 20 giveaways against the Devils in a victory is four more than the 16 everyone was up in arms about against the Flyers in defeat.
A 50% power play is great, but the context- the first unit giving up a shorthanded goal and the second unit breaking through- isn’t as uplifting. That’s a net-zero advantage, as far as I’m concerned.
Moreover, in the days since the presser I just detailed, the Avalanche have fallen right back into their road woes, going down 2-0 to the lowly Blackhawks before staging a comeback. Then they got right back to it against Columbus, who dominated the Avs from start to finish.
The underlying metrics suggest my eyes may have been fooled by Nathan MacKinnon, who had a strong 5-on-5 expected goals percentage (73.57%) and the best 5-on-5 Corsi percentage (80.56%) among Avalanche skaters that night against the Devils.
Still, I stand behind my eye-test observations of Nathan MacKinnon, who is undoubtedly one of the most talented hockey players in the world. That fact shouldn’t make him immune to criticism, and I haven’t seen as much consistency in the effort department as I’m used to.
Keep in mind that I’ve seen Nathan MacKinnon play on just about every stage there is, from the Olympic Gold Medal Game or Stanley Cup Clincher to game 14 of the regular season. The version of Nate that the Avalanche have seen so far this year can always affect a game, but doesn’t always seem engaged in doing so.
Of course he won’t skate in game 14 of the regular season as he does in the gold medal game, but the gap between those two versions of Nate feels too large right now.
Nathan MacKinnon has 27 points in the 16 games played so far, which is elite-level production. It’s hard to admonish someone with that stat line, but in more than half of Colorado’s seven losses, MacKinnon has been held pointless.
I understand a matured MacKinnon has no need to will his team to victory this early in the season, but this is the same group that harkened back to “good habits” and didn’t flip the switch while chasing a Presidents’ Trophy last season. MacKinnon also said something at training camp that has stuck with me ever since: “We have to find ways to make the regular season enjoyable.”
So what is this team’s identity in the here and now?
Are they going with the 2025-26 Vegas approach, taking it easy in 2026 so they have the legs in 2027, or does the expectation never change because they have to build on good habits?
It’s time for the Avalanche to pick a lane, as it feels like we have learned nothing about them in terms of the big-picture concerns we may have. They still fall behind early, still give up short-handed goals, and still don’t start on time.
They outscored their problems against a tired New Jersey squad, and did the same against a lesser Blackhawks team. It was tough to get more than seven against the Blue Jackets, though.
I’m curious to see what sort of shake ups we see after #Avs head coach Jared Bednar mentioned “changing his approach” as it pertained to ice time.
These are the groupings we grown accustomed to:  LEHKONEN — MACKINNON — NECAS LANDESKOG — KADRI — ROY SCHWARTZ — NELSON —…
In my first installment of ‘Readin the Room,’ I mentioned that at camp the Avalanche were jovial, with little tension or panic in the room. I ended that work with “let’s see how that changes throughout the season,” and well, as we sit today, it’s gotten a bit tighter around the collar.
Conversations with other press members have shifted from critiquing little things to contemplating philosophical approaches and taking turns answering the question, “what’s going on with this team?”
If this article feels slow to get to you folks, it’s because I thought about not posting it at all after the Avs won two straight. I thought to myself, Adrian, you are getting caught up in the short-term results; just let it go.
Well, I tried to let this article go, but once I heard Jared Bednar say, “We’re a fifth of the way through the year now, so now I have to change my approach,” on the heels of an embarrassing 7-2 defeat, in talks with Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette, I had to fire it off.
Clearly Bednar is seeing a bit of what I’m talking about as well.
Wedgewood had a "shit" night. Jared Bednar wasn't about to put it all on his goalie, though.
He's seen this far too often early on from his #GoAvsGo.
"It's hot, cold, hot, cold right now, so it's about consistency. Now I have to change my approach."https://t.co/jFr0gP1k2p
On Altitude Sports Radio, Jared Bednar elaborated on his quote with this: “Well, it just means I can’t be too patient on the bench if I notice a player, a line, a D pair, a defenseman, like if we’re not going on a certain night and I know we’re not going, I can’t be too patient and keep playing guys to see if they’re going to come around because the results aren’t coming with it, you know what I mean?”
After last night's 7-2 loss, Coach Bednar said he needs to change his approach to distributing ice time.
What does that mean, exactly?
"If we're not going on a certain night…I can't be too patient & keep playing guys to see if they're going to come around."#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/diUUVx2yIU
— 92.5 FM – Denver's Altitude Sports Radio (@AltitudeSR) November 4, 2026
It sounds like the leash is shortening, and that we may see more obvious benching and demotion-style usage if things don’t start to turn around soon.
We will see exactly what that looks like tonight against the Nashville Predators back on home ice.
Let us know what you think of the Colorado Avalanche’s current state in the comments!
Schenn
