Category: NHL

After opening their first road trip of the season with back-to-back wins, the Colorado Avalanche (4–0–1) return home for a one-off at Ball Arena on Saturday to face the Boston Bruins (3–2). 

Bruins Coming in Cold 

Meanwhile, Boston is coming off a 6–5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights—a game defined by wild momentum swings, including a three-goal second period for Vegas, as both teams seemed allergic to playing defense. Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman surrendered six goals and will get the night off against Colorado. Instead, Joonas Korpisalo will get the start; he owns a 5–3 career record against the Avalanche. 

The Bruins opened the season with three straight wins, but their recent defensive lapses have been glaring—allowing 11 goals over their last two outings. Their structure has looked increasingly disjointed, particularly in transition, where turnovers and blown coverages have led to extended shifts in their own zone. If they hope to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat, they’ll have to tighten up defensively. 

Avalanche On Fire 

Scott Wedgewood has started every game in Mackenzie Blackwood’s absence and currently owns a career-best 1.58 goals-against average. As of publication, Trent Miner—who has served as the backup while Blackwood has been sidelined but has yet to appear in a game this season—has not been formally reassigned to the Colorado Eagles. This raises a few intriguing possibilities: Colorado could give Miner a start before sending him down, or they might lean on Wedgewood again despite it being his sixth straight appearance, which seems less than ideal. Of course, there’s also the chance Blackwood makes an earlier-than-expected return to the crease, which would give the Avalanche a timely boost in net. According to The Hockey News, Blackwood's conditioning stint with the Eagles, the Avs' AHL affiliate, ended on Friday. 

On Thursday, Valeri Nichushkin scored twice for his first multi-goal game of the season, and Wedgewood stopped 22 of 23 shots to lead the Avalanche to a 4–1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cale Makar found the back of the net in his 400th NHL game, becoming the first player to score in their 400th professional game since Jared Spurgeon accomplished the feat for the Minnesota Wild on December 22, 2016, in a 4–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. 

Nathan MacKinnon was held off the scoresheet for the first time this season, but he’s remained the driving force behind Colorado’s attack alongside Martin Nečas. The MacKinnon–Nečas duo has been the most dynamic one-two punch in the league through the early stretch, combining for seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points over five games. The third Avalanche player maintaining a point-per-game pace is Makar, who has recorded two goals and five assists over the same five-game stretch. Martin Nečas is currently in a five-way tie for second in league scoring with nine points, while Nathan MacKinnon sits in a two-way tie for third with eight points. 

Bruins Top Players 

David Pastrňák leads the Bruins with six points, ranking tied for first in both goals (2) and assists (4).  

Elias Lindholm is tied for the team lead in goals (2), ranks second in points (5), and is third in assists (3).  

Pavel Zacha shares the team lead in assists (4), sits second in points (5), and is tied for seventh in goals (1). 

If the Avalanche hope to navigate this game successfully, they must stay composed, particularly when moving the puck up ice. Recent contests have shown that in high-pressure moments, leaders like Pastrňák are unafraid to put everything on the line—illustrated by the massive hit he delivered on Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov late in Monday’s 4–3 loss. Hockey remains an inherently dangerous sport, and the last thing Colorado needs is another injury that sidelines one of its key stars. 

Goaltender Stats 

In Korpisalo’s most recent start against the Avalanche last season, he stopped 25 shots to back the Bruins to a 5–3 victory. Colorado’s goals came from Ross Colton, Makar, and Rantanen, who has since moved on from the team. 

Wedgewood’s last outing against Boston, in January, saw him make 14 saves in a 3–1 loss—a game that also marked the Avalanche debuts of Nečas and Jack Drury following Rantanen’s trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Blackwood has not faced the Bruins since November 30, 2023, when he was with the San Jose Sharks. Despite turning aside 37 shots, he was tagged with a 3–0 loss. 

Miner has only two NHL starts to his name, neither of which came against Boston. 

The Game 

Who will emerge victorious? We’ll find out at 7 p.m. local time when the Bruins face off against the Avalanche at Ball Arena. You can catch the game on Altitude or KTVD (My20).  

The Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders meet on Saturday afternoon (3 pm, TSN 5, RDS) at Canadian Tire Centre, with both clubs feeling a little lighter after shaking off three-game losing skids on Thursday night.

Linus Ullmark’s excellent 30-save performance helped the Senators (2-3) beat the Seattle Kraken 4–3 in a shootout. The Islanders (1-3) earned their first win of the season, a 4–2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, led by a hat trick from Bo Horvat.

The Sens went 1-2 against the Islanders last season, and Saturday’s starting goalie, Ilya Sorokin, has had their number. He’s 4-0-1 lifetime against the Senators with a 1.97 GAA and a .942 save percentage. That said, he's off to a slow start this season with an 0-3-0 mark, a 4.18 GAA, and an .854 save percentage. David Rittich got the Isles win on Thursday. Ullmark is a good bet to go again for Ottawa.

Schaefer’s Strong Start

After the Islanders finished with 82 points last season, and ahead of nine other teams, the NHL bestowed the number one overall pick on them, thanks to the league’s silly draft lottery rules.

They used that pick to draft defenseman Matthew Schaefer first overall in June, and his early reviews have been excellent. Schaefer has four points in four games, and considering that he just turned 18 last month, his early poise has been incredible, and his average ice time of 21:53 leads all Islander defensemen.

This will be Schaefer’s first game back in Ottawa since the World Juniors, when he broke his collarbone in a game against Latvia, ending his season on December 27.

Notables

The game also marks a homecoming for J.G. Pageau, an Ottawa native and fan favourite during his time with the Senators.  It's hard to believe he's already in the final year of that six-year, 30-million-dollar deal has signed after the Sens traded him to the Islanders. He was mentioned in trade rumours over the summer and, depending on how the Islanders are doing, could be a trade chip at the deadline. Former Senator Anthony Duclair also returns for the Isles.

For the Sens, one of the season’s best storylines so far has been the quick start of Shane Pinto. The 24-year-old centre is in a contract year and has picked the perfect time to break out, scoring six goals in his first five games — good for a share of the NHL goal-scoring lead.

Sens fans have long known about Pinto’s potential, but he’s never scored more than 21 goals in a season before. As the Sens continue to juggle in the absence of Brady Tkachuk, it's getting harder and harder to identify Pinto as the club's third-line centre. Based on ice time, he's been their clear number two behind Tim Stutzle.

Senators Remain Loyal To Struggling Penalty Kill FormationWith the second-worst PK in the league, is it time for the Senators to switch away from their diamond formation?

Projected Lineups

From NHL.com — subject to change

Ottawa Senators

Forwards

Ridly Greig – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
Michael Amadio – Shane Pinto – Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson
Nick Cousins – Lars Eller – Arthur Kaliyev

Defense

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence

Goaltenders

Linus Ullmark
Leevi Meriläinen

Scratched: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo

New York Islanders

Forwards

Anthony Duclair – Mathew Barzal – Kyle Palmieri
Jonathan Drouin – Bo Horvat – Emil Heineman
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Maxim Shabanov
Simon Holmstrom – Casey Cizikas – Kyle MacLean

Defense

Matthew Schaefer – Scott Mayfield
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov – Tony DeAngelo

Goaltenders

Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich

Scratched: Marc Gatcomb, Adam Boqvist, Maxim Tsyplakov Injured: Pierre Engvall (hip surgery), Semyon Varlamov (knee surgery), Ethan Bear (upper body)

Romanov missed Friday’s practice and may be replaced by Boqvist.

Face off is 3 pm, TSN 5, RDS.

Prior to the game, the Sens are running with an Oktoberfest theme for fans starting at noon. Calendars, hand-drawn by Claude Giroux's son, Gavin, will be on sale in support of CHEO.

My guy🥹🥰 I’ve been adoring his annual calendars for three years now! I’m so excited to share this one with all of you! Even happier to be giving back in such a fun and special way. Gavy bear, don’t ever change 🫶🏼 @28CGirouxhttps://t.co/Pf4dUCS8Te

— Ryanne Giroux (@ryannegiroux) October 17, 2025

More Sens headlines at the Hockey News Ottawa:
Senators Send Swedish Winger Down To The Minors on Friday
Tkachuk Has Successful Thumb Surgery And Will Miss 6-8 Weeks
Sens Call Up Kaliyev As Tkachuk Goes On IR
Senators Suffer Discouraging 8-4 Loss At Buffalo
Senators Lose Sebrango, Claimed Off Waivers By Florida
An Early Glance At The Senators' Goaltending Pipeline

The Winnipeg Jets return home after a quick two-game road stint in which they won both games against the Flyers and Islanders with their matchup against the Nashville Predators on Saturday setting them up for their first four-game winning streak of the season. 

Since dropping their season opener against the Stars, the Jets have outscored their next three opponents 13 to six with consecutive five-goal performances heading into their matchup with Nashville. They will do their best to hold off a Predators team that is desperately looking for a win after dropping two straight with ten goals allowed. 

The Jets will look to respond with their deadly top line duo of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, who have a combined eight goals through four games.  The Predators will look to respond with their own top line duo of snipers in Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg, who are both searching for their second goal of the season. 

Scheifele Ties Franchise Points Record as Jets Power Past Flyers 5–2Scheifele etched his name in history, netting two goals to match the franchise points record and spearhead the Jets' decisive 5-2 win over the Flyers.

Lineup Storylines

The ace up the sleeve of the Jets as of late has been fourth line center Morgan Barron, who's having the best start to a season of his career with goals in all but one of Winnipeg's four games. Barron's also added a pair of assists to bring his season point total to five through four games, ranking him ahead of any Predators players and in line with superstars like Adrian Kempe, Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane among others as of today. Morgan will play against his brother in the contest as Justin Barron is on Nashville's third defense pairing. 

They would like the same level of production out of their big ticket free agent signing with Jonathan Toews, who has just one assist that came on the power play, a -1 rating and six penalty minutes with over 17 minutes of average ice-time per game. The team would like to see more out of the three-time Stanley Cup champion and he'll face a tough matchup against one of the league's best goaltenders in Nashville's Juuse Saros. 

For the Predators, their youth movement has been flying under everyone's radar. While hockey fans like to talk about the Montreal Canadiens or the Detroit Red Wings, Nashville has one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Their forward group features several players aged 24 or younger, including second-line forwards Fedor Svechkov and Luke Evangelista, as well as fourth-line winger Ozzy Wiesblatt while on defense, Adam Wilsby joins star blueliner Roman Josi on the top pairing. 

This young core doesn’t even account for injured prospect Matthew Wood or 18-year-old Brady Martin, the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, who has already logged NHL minutes just months after being selected. The kids will have something to prove and Winnipeg will need to stay on their toes for a very different looking Nashville team. 

Moose Head East for First Road Trip of the Season to Face Griffins in Three-Game SetMoose embark on their inaugural road trip facing the Griffins. Key prospects and a strong team dynamic aim for a winning start against a formidable opponent.

Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)

WPG ML (-182) | NSH ML (+150)

WPG -1.5 (+135) | NSH +1.5 (-161)

O/U 5.5 Goals

These two clubs have split their last eight matchups with four wins a piece but the outlier trend in the series of games was the amount that were low-scoring and this goes back further into the history of their rivalry. In 12 of their last 19 matchups, they've totaled five or fewer goals and this is largely because of the outstanding netminders and defense cores both teams have. Winnipeg has the back-to-back Vezina trophy winner and reigning league MVP in net with Connor Hellebuyck but Nashville also has one of the most elite goaltenders in the league with Juuse Saros. 

Not to mention both sides top defense with the Jets rolling out notable names like Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk while the Predators respond with Roman Josi and Brady Skjei. Because of this, it's very difficult to find almost any one on either team that excels in this matchup with the only answer being Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. 

Winnipeg's dynamic duo have been boom or bust in this matchup with Connor and Scheifele recording 27 and 26 points respectively over their last 25 games versus Nashville but this has come in large chunks. Connor for example, has gone without a point in 11 of those 25 games with his numbers being pushed up thanks to eight multi-point performances. If the duo find the scoresheet, it'll likely be more than once if at all. 

Goalie Matchup

Winnipeg: Connor Hellebuyck Expected (VS NSH: 17-9-2 record, 2.42 GAA, .927 SV% in 29 Games)

Nashville: Juuse Saros Expected (VS WPG: 8-8-4 record, 2.50 GAA, .921 SV% in 20 Games) 

Swedish defenseman Oliver Kylington, 28, has signed a one-year contract with Djurgården IF, the Stockholm-based SHL team announced on Saturday.

Born and raised in Stockholm, Kylington returns to Djurgården after a 13-year absense and 10 seasons in the NHL.

“I’m looking forward to playing in front of the fans here at Hovet - it’s something I've thought about for a long time,” Kylington said, referring to Djurgården’s long-time home rink. “I’ve only seen it from the stands, so now it’ll be fun to get a feel for it and be able to give back.”

“Oliver is a Stockholm guy who has played ten seasons in North America and who is coming back home to Stockholm to play where he belongs,” said Djurgården sports director Niklas Wikegård. “He is a fundamentally skilled, experienced and very talented player with great international credentials.”

After a 31-point season in 2021-22, Kylington was rewarded with a new contract but missed then missed the entire 2022-23 season despite no apparent physical ailments. In August 2023, he finally spoke out about his mental health troubles.

Oliver Kylington on mental health and signing with Colorado: “I don’t need any more distractions in my life”After nine seasons of highs and lows in the organization of the Calgary Flames – the team that drafted him – Swedish defenseman Oliver&nbsp;Kylington, an unrestricted free agent, signed&nbsp;a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. In <a href="https://hockeynews.se/nyheter/har-brutit-med-sin-familj-ingen-relation">a recent interview with Swedish media outlet HockeyNews.se</a>, he spoke about his decision, his history of struggles with mental health and his family, and where he is now.

An unrestricted free agent in 2024, Kylington signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. After being limited to just 13 games due to injuries, he was traded in March 2025 to the Anaheim Ducks, where he finished the season.

All told, Kylington recorded 60 points and 60 penalty minutes in 220 NHL regular-season games. He also recorded three points in 12 games for Calgary in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Kylington went to the Carolina Hurricanes training camp on a PTO this year, but was cut near the end of the preseason. He then returned to Stockholm, where he was reportedly skating with Djurgården’s junior team, while rumors swirled of his imminent signing with the SHL team.

Blackhawks’ Anton Frondell Reflects on Red-Hot Start<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks">Chicago Blackhawks</a>&nbsp;prospect Anton Frondell is off to an impressive start in the SHL. He has taken the league by storm with his blend of skill and imposing size. In his first 10 games, he has recorded six goals and eight points. Frondell spoke with Swedish outlet TV4 about his strong start ahead of last weekend’s matchup with Leksand.

“He will contribute and be an important piece for us,” Wikegård continued. “Then, just like with all other players who come from North American hockey, it’s about patience. Even though Oliver is Swedish, it will be an adjustment for him. But he is a very exciting player that we welcome here to Djurgården as part of our common journey.”

Kylington joins a Djurgården team that has seven wins and five losses in its first 12 SHL games of the season, good for 21 points and fifth place in the 14-team circuit.

The team’s roster includes goaltender Magnus Hellberg, defenseman Gustav Lindström, and forwards Marcus Krüger, Jacob Josefson, Charles Hudon, Jesse Ylönen and Joe Snively. It also includes top NHL prospects Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund – first-round draft picks of the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders, respectively – top 2025 draft prospects Viggo Björk and Marcus Nordmark, and former prospect Emilio Pettersen.

Charles Hudon Signs In Sweden, Joins Frondell & EklundCanadian forward Charles Hudon, 31, has signed a two-year contract with Djurgården IF, the Stockholm-based SHL club announced on Wednesday.

The Chicago Blackhawks came into Friday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks on a bad streak against them. Chicago hasn’t beaten Vancouver since November 2021. They also haven’t beaten them at the United Center since November of 2019. 

That streak will live on for the Blackhawks. They were defeated in a shootout 3-2. Vancouver’s Brock Boeser scored the winner in the fourth frame, as all seven shooters before him missed. 

Spencer Knight, once again, was the star in this one. He made 30 saves on 32 shots in regulation and saved three out of four shots in the shootout. It’s not like the offense was terrible; Kevin Lankinen was good in Vancouver’s net as well, but they weren’t able to get Knight just one more goal. 

Although the Blackhawks have clearly been a better team so far this season, things would feel a lot more bleak without Spencer Knight. He made some marvelous saves on Friday night. 

Chicago allowed Vancouver to erase a 2-0 lead that they had built up with goals scored by Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi. The 2-2 tie went all the way through the second intermission. 

This game was not without controversy. With 5:12 remaining in the third period, Tyler Bertuzzi appeared to score again, but the goal was waved off due to goalie interference. It is hard to pinpoint what was seen on that review because it didn’t appear that the goaltender was kept from making a save. Going on to drop the game is a shootout is a tough result after this unlucky break.

 "I won't comment because I'll probably get fined," Tyler Bertuzzi said on the call after the game. "I think it was not that great of a call."

Although it seemed to stick with them for the rest of the game, Jeff Blashill must get his guys to move on from the bad call. They were unable to beat Vancouver, but there will be more opportunities.

At 2-2-2, the Blackhawks are having a respectable start. The right skaters are playing well, the defense is taking steps forward, and they have a star in the net right now. 

Another home game awaits. Joel Quenneville and the Ahaneim Ducks will return to the United Center on Sunday for some evening hockey to end the weekend. Both teams could see this as a measuring stick. 

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

Martin St-Louis and the Montreal Canadiens will be aiming for a fifth win in a row when they host the struggling New York Rangers at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. The Blueshirts have had a tough time this season; they’ve got a 2-3-1 record, and they were shut out in their first three home games. They’re coming to town with a four-game losing streak and will be hoping that, just like last season, the Habs can be just what the doctor ordered.

Last November, they were on a five-game losing streak when the Canadiens visited Madison Square Garden, and they were able to bounce back with a 5-4 win, scoring the game-winning goal with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. The Tricolore really struggled against the Rangers last season. In October, it was them who made them hit rock bottom when they lost 7-2 at the Bell Centre, in front of the 1970s team that was being honoured that night, which would have been Ken Dryden’s last appearance in a Canadiens’ ceremony.

Canadiens: Montembeault Entertains Fans On His Day Off
Canadiens: St-Louis Opens Up On Morning TV
Canadiens: St-Louis’ Big Dilemma

The Habs’ sole win over the Rags last season came in January when they beat them 5-4 in an overtime thriller. Given the Canadiens’ flair for the spectacular this season, that kind of outcome is not out of the realm of possibilities.

The starters have yet to be confirmed for the game, but it would be a shock if Samuel Montembeault weren’t back in net for the home team. The number one is not having a great start to the season and currently has a 0.870 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average, but it’s Saturday night, and logic dictates that the coach will give his number one a chance to bounce back. The Becancour native has faced them eight times in his career and has a 4-3-1 record with a 4.04 GAA and a .880 SV. As for Dobes, he only faced them once, in that 5-4 overtime win last season, which gives him a 3.79 GAA and a .857 SV.

As for the Rangers, their ace, Igor Shesterkin, has faced Montreal six times and has a 5-1-0 record, with a 1.99 GAA and a .931 SV%. As for backup Jonathan Quick, he has a 9-4-2 record against Montreal with a 2.51 GAA and a .914 SV. It’s fair to say that whoever’s in net for New York will present an interesting challenge.

The visitors made some moves this offseason, which included the trade of a player that has been hated in Montreal since that collision with Carey Price in 2014, Chris Kreider. Promising young defenseman K’Andre Miller was also sent packing for two draft picks and Scott Morrow. Coach Mike Sullivan was hired, Vladislav Gavrikov was signed to a seven-year, $49 million contract, and J.T. Miller was named captain. Artemi Panarin is still with the team, but he’s entering the last year of his contract, and it’s far from certain he’ll want to extend. The 32-year-old is playing the seventh year of the $81.5 million contract he was signed to by Jeff Gorton, back in his Rangers days.

Considering they have Matt Rempe in the lineup, it will be interesting to see what St. St-Louis decides to put Arber Xhekaj back in the lineup. From one standpoint, it would make sense, but on the other hand, Jayden Struble had a great game on Thursday night and doesn’t deserve to be taken out of the lineup. If Kaiden Guhle is unable to play, the bench boss may not have to make such a tough choice.

In the last 10 duels between the two teams, the Canadiens have been able to grab four wins, but they’ve only won one of the previous five. The Habs will need to keep a close eye on Panarin, who has seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 23 career games when skating against Montreal. As for newly minted captain Miller, he has 28 points in 36 duels, while blueliner Adam Fox has 17 points in 14 games. Mika Zibanejad has also always been a threat against the Habs with 28 points in 38 games.

As for the Canadiens, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield lead the team in scoring this season with seven points each, and they’ve always been productive against the Blueshirts. The Former has 11 points in 15 duels, while the latter has nine points in 10 meetings. Noah Dobson, who has faced the Rangers 23 times, has 13 assists against them but has never been able to find the back of the net. As for veteran Brendan Gallagher, he has 15 points in 29 games.

The Habs will be holding a morning skate at 10:30 which is when we'll get an indication of what the lineup will look like and if Guhle will be able to play, he left the last game and looked like he was in real pain on the bench.  Edit: The decisions were made for St-Louis, Guhle is out (4 to 6 weeks lower bidy) allowing Xhekaj to come back in and both Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach are out (evaluated daily) and will be replaced by Joe Veleno and  Owen Beck.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and this will be the Canadiens' second-to-last home game before heading out west for a four-game road trip. Before hitting the road, they’ll take on the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

---

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

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New York Islanders top prospect Calum Ritchie skated in his first AHL game of his career on Friday night when the Bridgeport Islanders hosted the Providence Bruins.

The game didn't go the way Bridgeport planned, falling 5-2 after starting the season 2-0-1-0 but Ritchie did find the back of the net after a nifty toe-drag following a net-crash play before the halfway mark of the first period to get his team on the board:

Let's watch Ritchie's first goal of the season again...🤩 pic.twitter.com/oUBnD0qQj8

— Bridgeport Islanders (@AHLIslanders) October 17, 2025

Ritchie is likely to be the first call-up by the Islanders this season given how well he showed in training camp. The only reason why Ritchie didn't make the Islanders is because he needs to develop as a top-six center, not as a bottom-six, extra person on what's a much deeper NHL squad than Long Island has been used to, when it comes to talent. 

While Ritchie will learn a lot under Bridgeport head coach Rocky Thompson, he should dominate the AHL. And he's off to a good start with a goal in game one.

Prospect Matthew Maggio, a grinder with a strong set of hands and offensive instincts, is currently skating on the fourth line for Thompson but saw minutes on the second power-play unit. 

That's where he scored his first goal of the season on Friday night, making it 5-2:

After a strong camp with the @NYIslanders Matthew Maggio gets er goin’ on the PP for his 1st of the season for @AHLIslanders
pic.twitter.com/LNP5H0YeH4

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) October 18, 2025

Like many prospects in 2024-25, Maggio's development stalled due to coaching failure and attention to the AHL team by the man in charge. 

He's one of a handful of prospects who are trying to showcase to GM Mathieu Darche that he can be someone who is part of the big squad at some point down the line.

Bridgeport returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 18, as they host the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Penguins at 7 PM ET. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning into Nationwide Arena tonight. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning might be coming into Columbus at just the right time for the sluggish CBJ. Tampa is 1-2-2 on the season and has lost its last two games in overtime, including last night in Detroit. 

Superstar Nikita Kucherov did not play last night due to illness, and as of this morning, his availability is unknown. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy started and lost the game against the Red Wings, so we can assume the start will go to Jonas Johansson, who has actually been the better of the two goalies so far this season. If Kucherov and Vasilevskiy both don't go for the Lightning, the Blue Jackets will have dodged a massive bullet. 

The Blue Jackets have their own issues, though, with scoring being one of them. Outside of the Wild game, the CBJ have struggled to score, but with Tampa struggling to keep pucks out of their net, this could be the game needed for Columbus to break out. The Blue Jackets typically play very well against the Bolts at home, so this could be the right time to take on Tampa.

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 9.1% - 30th in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 53.3% - 32nd in NHL
• Goals For - 11 - 23rd in NHL / 2.75 per game
• Goals Against - 13 - 5th in NHL / 3.25 per game

Lightning Stats

• Power Play - 23.1 - 10th in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 89.5 10th in NHL
• Goals For - 13 - 20th in NHL / 3.25 per game
• Goals Against - 16 - 25th in NHL / 4.0 per game

Series History vs. Lightning

• Columbus is 16-29-1-6 all-time, and 11-12-1-2 at home vs. the Bolts.
• The Jackets are 5-4-2 in the last 11 games vs. Tampa at home.
• The CBJ went 1-2-0 against the Lightning last season.

Who To Watch For The Lighting

• Nikita Kucherov has 47 points in 30 career games against the Jackets. He did not play on Friday night due to illness, and his status is questionable for Saturday.
• Jake Guentzel leads the team with 4 assists and 5 points.
• Jonas Johansson is 1-0 with a SV% of .909% this season.
• Andrei Vasilevskiy is 0-2-1 with an .870 SV%. He started on Friday, so it's assumed he will not play tonight.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Lightning

• Zach Werenski has 20 points in 24 career games against the Lightning.
• Boone Jenner has 12 points in 28 games vs. Tampa Bay.
• Sean Monahan has 15 points in 19 games against the Bolts.

Injuries - None on IR

• Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body
• Miles Wood - Upper Body

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 3

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 93.3 The Bus, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

Let us know what you think below.

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Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 3-2 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. 

The analytics for this game were very odd, to say the least. At even strength, the Blackhawks held a 15-11 high-danger scoring chances advantage while the Canucks won the scoring chances battle 23-22. Both teams also scored once at even strength, with Vancouver holding an xGF% of 42.78%. 

Moving over to the heatmap, the Canucks did a good job of crashing the net. Both of their goals were scored from high-danger shots, with Vancouver generating a total of 18 in all situations. As for the Canucks defensive structure, Kevin Lankinen faced 12 high danger shots stopping 10 in the victory. 

Lastly, as for forward lines, only one trio finished with an xGF% above 35%. That line was Jake DeBrusk, Filip Chytil and Brock Boeser, who recorded an xGF% of 79.19 in 11:16 together. The trio also had a scoring chances advantage of 6-2 while winning the high-danger scoring chances battle 5-1. 

Vancouver will play in their third game in four straight days on Sunday in an early-morning tilt with the Washington Capitals. The Canucks won their last matchup against the Capitals by a score of 2–1, during which defenceman Elias Pettersson made his NHL debut. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 am PT and will be available on Sportsnet. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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It’s been a rough week on the road for the Florida Panthers, who have yet to win a game after starting the season with three straight victories in their home barn.

They’ll be back on the ice going for the first road victory Saturday afternoon when they travel to Buffalo for a matinee with the Sabers.

As many expected, and as Buffalo fans feared, it’s been another rough start to a season for the Sabres.

They opened the year with three straight losses by a combined score of 10-2 before picking up their first win on Wednesday night, an 8-4 thumping of the Ottawa Senators.

With Florida anxious to get back on the right side of a game result, they will likely turn back to Sergei Bobrovsky in goal after giving him two of the past three starts off.

Bobrovsky has won each of his past three appearances against the Sabres, and in 26 career games, Bob holds s 16-7-2 record against Buffalo along with a tidy .916 save percentage.

Another thing to keep an eye on will be how Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice manages his forward lines.

Over the past couple games, we’ve seen several changes after there were none during Florida’s first four outings.

Don’t be surprised to see Maurice go back to what worked well for the Cats early in the season, though with Maruice, there’s just as good of a chance that we’ll see brand new forward lines, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

With the 1 p.m. puck drop, there won’t be any morning skates for either squad, so pregame warmups will be the first place we’ll see what Maurice has cooked up.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s matinee in Buffalo:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist

A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: Oct 16, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Florida Panthers center Evan Rodrigues (17) celebrates his goal against the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center. (Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have started off their California road swing even at 1-1 so far, and they will look to come out with a winning record when they face the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. 

And, as has been customary up to this point in the season, it appears more lineup tweaks may be on the horizon. 

With teenage rookies Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel getting the occasional lineup scratches for developmental purposes, both the defense corps and the forward unit is seeing changes game-in and game-out. Both rookies appear slated to be in the lineup Saturday.

During Friday's team practice in Los Angeles, these are the lines and pairings that the Penguins rolled with:

Forwards
Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha - Evgeni Malkin - Justin Brazeau
Tommy Novak - Ben Kindel - Filip Hallander
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Extra: Philip Tomasino

Despite Healthy Scratches, 'Development Plan' Could Be Good Sign For Two Top Penguins' ProspectsEven if the Penguins sideline top prospects Brunicke and Kindel for "development," this strategic move signals a long-term commitment - possibly defying expectations of a return to juniors for both players.

Defensemen
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea - Kris Letang
Caleb Jones - Harrison Brunicke
Extras: Connor Clifton, Matt Dumba

Goaltenders
Arturs Silovs
Tristan Jarry

It's unclear who will get the starting nod in goal against the Sharks. But, with Kindel in, Tomasino appears to be out, and with Brunicke in for a second consecutive game, Clifton and Dumba appear to be the odd men out on the blue line again.

Both Clifton and Dumba have appeared in only one of the five games for the Penguins this season, which was a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

Should Silovs Be The Penguins' Starting Goaltender?Heading into the 2025-26 season, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' head coach said Dan Muse that he didn't have a concrete plan for the goaltending split between Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs.&nbsp;

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Other notes:

- Assuming both Brunicke, 19, and Kindel, 18, play Saturday in San Jose, they will both be suiting up for their fifth game with the Penguins. Since both of them are juniors-eligible, they can play in up to nine NHL games before the first year of their respective three-year entry-level contracts kick in.

It's unclear what the long-term plan is for either player this season, but if they're in the lineup Saturday, they will only have four games left before some tough decisions need to be made by management.

- Kevin Hayes - who has been out since training camp with an upper-body injury - did make the Western trip with the Penguins but has yet to take line rushes with the team at practice.

In order to activate Hayes from injured reserve and place him on the NHL roster, the Penguins would have to clear a roster spot, as they are already at full 23-man capacity.

How 3 Former Penguins Are Performing With Their New Teams In 2025-26A couple of former Pittsburgh Penguins players from last season are off to solid starts this year, while another is looking to shrug off a slow start.

- Pittsburgh could face former Penguins' netminder Alex Nedeljkovic for the first time since his trade to San Jose over the summer. In 76 games with the Penguins, Nedeljkovic went 32-22-12 with two shutouts, an .898 save percentage, and three points - including a goal.

In two games with San Jose this season, Nedeljkovic is 0-1-1 with an .878 save percentage and 4.45 goals-against average.

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Heading into the 2025-26 season, Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach said Dan Muse that he didn't have a concrete plan for the goaltending split between Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs. 

Of course, it's early in the season, and both goaltenders have had some strong moments and some not-so-great ones. But one of the netminders is beginning to separate himself a bit, even if only in the slightest. 

The 24-year-old Silovs was traded to Pittsburgh this summer from the Vancouver Canucks, and he was coming off a 2024-25 AHL season that ended with an astounding Calder Cup run and a playoff MVP award - a run that included a 16-7 record and .931 save percentage with five shutouts.

He also represented Team Latvia for two straight World Championships in 2022 and 2023, posting save percentages of .952 and .921, respectively. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound goaltender had struggled at the NHL level during the regular season prior to his Penguins' stint, but he did help the Canucks during their playoff run in 2023-24, playing in 10 games despite what little NHL experience he had at that point - nine games, to be exact.

Now, he finds himself in a pretty decent spot for the Penguins so far. Silovs did suffer a pedestrian 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Oct. 11, but his other two starts have been impressive.

He earned the nod on opening night for the Penguins against the Rangers, and with 25 saves, he earned his first career NHL regular season shutout in a 3-0 win. Then, on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings, he rebounded from a bit of a rocky start and stopped 30 of 32 Kings' shots to help earn the Penguins a 4-2 win, even as there were stretches of play when he had to make a lot of tough saves in a short amount of time.

Canucks Artūrs Šilovs Named AHL Playoffs MVPAbbotsford Canucks goaltender Artūrs Šilovs has been named MVP of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. The 24-year-old became the first goaltender in over a decade to capture the&nbsp;Jack A. Butterfield Trophy, and now joins an exclusive list which includes Robin Lehner,&nbsp;Michal Neuvirth and Carey Price.&nbsp;Šilovs picked up 16 wins during the post-season, while five shutouts were one short of the all-time record for a single playoff run.&nbsp;

On the season so far, Silovs owns a .908 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average - and he only seems to be getting more comfortable between the pipes for Pittsburgh. The poise and confidence that Silovs has despite only 22 games of regular-season NHL experience isn't something that comes so easily for young netminders.

And Muse believes his high-stakes experience - NHL or not - has a lot to do with that.

"He's gained some really good experiences in his career so far, and he's obviously still a relatively young guy," Muse said. "I think those things, they seem to all kind of stack up. To have that run that he had last year, and then to have the playoffs before, and then you also look at some of the different experiences that he's had in international play... you look at it and see he's not that old. He's got all these things already, and you own those now. You own those experiences, and you carry them with you."

Artūrs Šilovs Shuts Out J.T. Miller And Carson Soucy In Battle Of Former Canucks To Start 2025–26 NHL SeasonWhile the current <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks">Vancouver Canucks</a> prepare for their season-opener on October 9, some former Canucks started their 2025–26 season off with a matchup against former teammates. In the second game of the NHL’s opening night, former Canuck Artūrs Šilovs and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> shut out J.T. Miller, Carson Soucy, and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">New York Rangers</a> by a score of 3–0. All three players started the 2024–25 season on Vancouver’s opening night roster and all ended up on different teams via trade.&nbsp;

Silovs has a track record of showing up in big games, but he has yet to find consistency on a regular basis. Should he be given the runway in Pittsburgh this season to prove he can?

Given the Penguins' situation, there's no reason he shouldn't be given that runway.

Jarry, 30, has had some good moments so far in the young season as well. But - with 295 NHL games under his belt already - it's safe to say that the Penguins already know what they're getting in Jarry. He has a career .909 save percentage and is a two-time All-Star, but, unfortunately, he simply hasn't been able to find enough consistency throughout his career. 

Six years younger, Silovs never really got the runway to prove he could be a long-term solution for the Canucks, either. With Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen in the picture, he was never going to have a long leash to be able to prove himself at the NHL level.

Now, he has a chance to do that in Pittsburgh. With the goaltending picture pretty much wide-open - and, potentially, a large piece of the Penguins' future at the position in Sergei Murashov already putting up numbers this season in the AHL - Silovs has a head start on everyone else, including Murashov and Joel Blomqvist, who is on the shelf with a lowe-body injury.

The Penguins have already shown that they're not afraid to take the necessary steps to make way for deserving youth on the roster - even if that means making difficult decisions with veterans. Therefore, Muse and the Penguins should give Silovs the reigns - at least for now - and afford him the opportunity to be a starting solution for the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

Only time will tell if he can continue to build on his success at the AHL and international levels. But the only way to find out is by giving him the games, and that's exactly what the Penguins need to do.

Rookie Comes Through Shorthanded, Propels Penguins Past Kings, 3-2<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookies have certainly been making their mark in the earlygoing of the 2025-26 season.

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Change is inevitable each NHL trade deadline and offseason, even for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are going through a rebuild. 

They didn't make any significant trades at the deadline or signings during free agency, but that was their intention. They moved out some of their pending free agents for more draft picks and signed a few players to short-term contracts. They want to get back to contention as urgently as possible, but are making sure they do it right and don't take any shortcuts. 

With all of that in mind, let's look at a few former Penguins players who were on last year's team and see how they're doing on their new teams to start the 2025-26 season.

Alex Nedeljkovic

Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas felt it was time to shake up the crease a little bit when the season ended. He traded Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks on July 1 for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Nedeljkovic spent two seasons with the Penguins, playing in 38 games each. 

As expected, his results were mixed. There were times when he'd give them quality starts, and others when he'd look out to lunch. One of his quality starts came on January 17 of this year against the Buffalo Sabres when he became the second goaltender in the Penguins' franchise history to score a goal. He also had a .952 save percentage and made 40 saves on 42 shots. It was one of the highlights of the 2024-25 Penguins' season before they ultimately missed the playoffs for a third-straight season. 

Fast forward to the 2025-26 season, and Nedeljkovic has struggled in his two starts with the Sharks. He has a 0-1-1 record with a 4.45 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage. His goals saved above expected is also -2.6. 

He started in the Sharks' first game of the season, and it looked like he was going to help them win against the Vegas Golden Knights until he made two huge blunders. The first one came late in the third period after it looked like Sharks forward William Eklund was going to put the game away with an empty net goal. He had multiple chances to score, but couldn't find the back of the net. 

Those missed chances led to Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel scoring from the red line off a very innocent shot. It took a weird bounce, and Nedeljkovic completely misplayed it.

Just confirming this actually happened 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/4Sy0tIe2za

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 10, 2025

Things went from bad to worse for Nedeljkovic in overtime when he came all the way out of his crease to the blue line. He was trying to play the puck when he messed it up, leading to the game-winner by Reilly Smith.

unbelievable. Alex Nedeljkovic has had a nightmare finish. pic.twitter.com/RqACtJFNsA

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 10, 2025

The Sharks are still looking for their first win of this season, and they'll have a chance to get it on Saturday against the Penguins. Nedeljkovic will likely start in that game since fellow goaltender Yaroslav Askarov played on Friday. 

Anthony Beauvillier

The Penguins traded Beauvillier to the Washington Capitals for a 2025 second-round pick at last season's trade deadline. It came after Beauvillier compiled 13 goals and 20 points in 63 games as a Penguin. 

Beauvillier was a solid depth piece for the Capitals down the stretch and into the playoffs. They liked his play enough that they opted to re-sign him to a two-year $5.5 million contract in early July. They let him test free agency before bringing him back. 

His solid play with Washington has carried over into this season. He already has one goal and two points in the Capitals' first five games. That goal came against the New York Rangers in the Capitals' third game of the season on October 12. It was a really nice redirect off a nice feed from Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. 

Anthony Beauvillier gets the icebreaker! 🙌 #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/u6HQYrDDjw

— NHL (@NHL) October 13, 2025

The Capitals are off to a 4-1-0 start to the season after beating the Minnesota Wild on Friday night. 

Rookie Comes Through Shorthanded, Propels Penguins Past Kings, 3-2<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookies have certainly been making their mark in the earlygoing of the 2025-26 season.

Michael Bunting

Bunting is in his first full season with the Nashville Predators after they acquired him from the Penguins for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn before last season's trade deadline.  The Penguins later traded Schenn to the Winnipeg Jets since he wanted to play in the playoffs. 

Bunting played in 18 games for the Predators last season, compiling five goals and nine points. He has played in all five of their games this season and has one goal and two points. He scored the first Predators goal of the 2025-26 season against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 9. 

The Predators won that game 2-1 to start the season with a 1-0 record, but are now 2-1-2 after losing to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. 

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