Although they played their best game of the season overall, the Philadelphia Flyers' best still wasn't good enough, losing 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night and dropping their fifth straight game.

Now 0-3-2, the Flyers will face the Boston Bruins in Boston on Saturday afternoon, and if they can't win that one, they will return home Sunday still winless. And on Sunday, they host Carolina... again.

The schedule isn't getting any easier for the juiceless Flyers, who were shut out at 5-on-5 for the second time already this season. In five games, the Flyers have scored just four times at 5-on-5, and the five teams tied with them (Calgary, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Columbus) have all played four games or fewer.

Nick Cousins got the Senators on the board following the expiry of an Ottawa power play, deflecting a Tyler Kleven shot past Joseph Woll after beating Cam York to the front of the net. Despite the fortunate bounce, the Flyers actually out-shot the Senators 11-8 in the opening frame.

The Flyers repeated the feat in the second period, out-shooting their opponents 11-9 with Matvei Michkov tucking in a loose Trevor Zegras rebound on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.

In the third period, the Senators punched back with a 9-7 shots advantage, which is generous to the Flyers, who generated the bulk of their offense trying to tie the game in the dying few minutes.

Carter Yakemchuk scored the game-winning goal for the Senators in a dark twist of irony, as Michael Bunting, the player signed to give the Flyers a spark, took the penalty that gave the Senators their fifth power play opportunity of the night, and one they didn't squander, in his first game action of the season.

So, while the Flyers finally didn't get crushed by their opponents in the run of play, it shouldn't be celebrated as progress or a building block. That's the expectation every night for all 84 games.

That's how the Flyers got in this mess, with conversations about "compete" and complacency a week into the 2026-27 campaign.

Stats dump and line changes

I was a bit surprised to see David Jiricek move up to the second pairing next to York after his high-profile backbreaker against Tampa Bay on Monday night, but he handled the added responsibility, including time on PP1, very well.

Jiricek recorded two shots on goal and played 18:25 (third to only Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale). According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers out-shot the Senators with Jiricek on the ice at 5-on-5 in terms of attempts, unblocked attempts, and shots on goal, though scoring chances were 6-5 in Ottawa's favor.

With York on the ice at 5-on-5, though, scoring chances were 10-3 in Ottawa's favor. The 25-year-old's uncharacteristically poor play at both ends of the ice has dragged down his defense partners early on this season.

Matvei Michkov took over as the de facto center on PP1, winning four of seven faceoffs (57.1%) in place of Trevor Zegras.

There was once a time in the not-so-distant past that the Flyers refused to have the two on the same power play, and now Michkov has wrested another job from Zegras just five games into the season.

Tyson Foerster has just two goals, his only two points, in his last 15 games, including the playoffs. He is a -8 in that span.

Porter Martone has been held off the scoresheet through his first five games this season, though it's worth noting he's averaging just 12:55 of ice time a game.

Comparatively, Martone averaged 17:02 in his nine regular season games with the Flyers at the end of last season, and 16:48 in the playoffs.

Wild stat shows how Sharks have excelled in overtime games in recent seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Sharks improved to 3-1 to start the 2026 NHL season after a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. And for the third time this season, the win came in overtime. The Sharks have dominated in overtime in recent seasons. They have been so dominant that they now lead the entire NHL with 13 overtime wins dating back to the start of last season.

Kings of overtime 👑

With tonight's win, the San Jose Sharks have an NHL-leading 13 OT wins since the start of last season.

All 3 wins this season have been in OT. pic.twitter.com/4hx8fMj5cR

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 9, 2026

The Sharks got the season started off with a bang, beating the Florida Panthers 4-3 thanks to a game-winning goal from Luca Cagnoni. The next game, a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings, Igor Chernyshov found the net in overtime to help the Sharks improve to 2-0.

The Sharks lost their first game of the season to the Dallas Stars but bounced back in their most recent contest, getting the overtime win over the Blues thanks to a Darnell Nurse game-winning goal. Even without star Macklin Celebrini, who has missed the last two games with an unspecified lower-body injury, the Sharks have found ways to win.

San Jose faces a tough slate of games for the rest of the month, facing the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins at home before going on the road for six straight games from Oct. 15-Oct. 24. But for a Sharks team hungry to make the playoffs after coming up just short last season, these next few games are the perfect test to see what kind of team they are.

The Sharks revamped their roster this offseason, acquiring players like Nurse via trade and signing free agents such as forward Mason Marchment and defenseman Jacob Trouba, and entered the season with high expectations.

The last time the team made the playoffs was in 2018-19, where they made it to the Western Conference Finals. Now, with a roster full of young stars, the team hopes that this season can be the start of perennial hockey success in San Jose.

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…

After the Penguins traded forward Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Spencer Stastney on Wednesday, assistant general manager Jason Spezza said Hallander was considered “expendable” based on past performance and future potential, while Stastney, 26, brings versatility and mobility to Pittsburgh’s defense corps. [PensBurgh]

The Penguins have several early-season concerns after four games, including a slow start from Sidney Crosby, inconsistent goaltending from Arturs Silovs and costly defensive mistakes. Is now the time to press the panic button? [PensBurgh]

Prospect Atley Calvert’s versatility and steady development with the team’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, have earned him a two-year entry-level NHL contract. The 22-year-old undrafted forward recorded 38 points in 70 regular-season games last season and added six points in 15 playoff games, including filling in at center when needed. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL…

Three Canadian provinces — Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia — are staying on daylight saving time year-round, creating unusual NHL game start times this season. The change means the Calgary Flames have eight games scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. local time and the Edmonton Oilers have seven, while the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks also face schedule adjustments that could affect players’ routines and fans’ watching habits. [Associated Press]

At least 10 teams have expressed interest in acquiring Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. [TSN]

Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand is considered week-to-week with a leg injury, adding to Florida’s injury concerns after captain Aleksander Barkov was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a leg injury. [Associated Press via Sportsnet]

Nashville Predators (2-1-1, in the Central Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (3-1, in the Atlantic Division)

Ottawa, Ontario; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Nashville Predators visit the Ottawa Senators after Adam Edstrom scored two goals in the Predators' 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.

Ottawa went 44-27-11 overall and 23-14-6 in home games last season. The Senators allowed 3.0 goals per game while scoring 3.4 last season.

Nashville had a 38-34-10 record overall and a 17-17-7 record on the road last season. The Predators committed 309 total penalties last season, averaging 3.8 per game and serving 8.8 penalty minutes per game.

INJURIES: Senators: Artem Zub: out (knee), Jake Sanderson: day to day (lower-body), William Eklund: day to day (lower body), Cameron Crotty: day to day (illness), Andre Burakovsky: out (upper-body), Kurtis MacDermid: out (undisclosed).

Predators: Justus Annunen: out (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Los Angeles Kings (0-2-1, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (4-1, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Saturday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Los Angeles Kings after the Golden Knights took down the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout.

Vegas had a 39-26-17 record overall while going 19-7-6 against opponents from the Pacific Division last season. The Golden Knights gave up 3.0 goals per game while scoring 3.2 last season.

Los Angeles has gone 0-2-1 overall with a 0-0-1 record in Pacific Division games. The Kings have given up 15 goals while scoring nine for a -6 scoring differential.

The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: Raphael Lavoie: day to day (undisclosed), Ben Hemmerling: out (undisclosed), Lukas Cormier: out (undisclosed), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).

Kings: Jakub Dvorak: out (upper-body), Kevin Fiala: out (leg), Jan Jenik: out (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-1, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (1-4, in the Central Division)

Chicago; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes aim to keep their three-game win streak alive when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago has a 1-4 record overall and a 1-0-0 record on its home ice. The Blackhawks are eighth in NHL play serving 11.0 penalty minutes per game.

Carolina is 3-1-1 overall and 2-0-0 on the road. The Hurricanes rank fifth in NHL play with 18 total goals (averaging 3.6 per game).

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

INJURIES: Blackhawks: Andrew Mangiapane: out (lower-body), Teuvo Teravainen: day to day (undisclosed), Ryan Ellis: out for season (back), Connor Bedard: out (shoulder).

Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis: out (shoulder).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The last three games that the Vegas Golden Knights have met the Toronto Maple Leafs have been must-see television. A lot has been made of the fact that the announced attendance for Thursday’s Golden Knights home game was nearly 1,400 tickets short of a sellout. It’s a shame, really, because the people who might’ve sat in those 1,390 unsold seats missed one heck of a hockey game.

Tonight’s matchup had everything you could ask for. Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill had an in-game redemption arc, allowing three goals on the first seven he faced before stopping the next 18. Former Maple Leaf Mitch Marner made a great play that led to the Golden Knights’ second goal of the game. Jack Eichel even converted on the honest-to-god penalty shot that he was awarded.

But that’s not all. There was also a thrilling full five minutes of overtime. And in the ensuing shootout, a young Golden Knight got his first taste of how great it can feel to play hero in an NHL game.

Of course, none of this would be the case if not for the Golden Knights’ first successful multi-goal comeback of the season. 

This team knows how to take a punch, and although falling behind 3-0 just 8:37 into the first period is one hell of an uppercut, the Golden Knights are nothing if not resilient. They simply tightened things up, put their heads down, and began to chip away at Toronto’s lead.

“Obviously not the start we wanted to have,” said Mitch Marner following the 4-3 shootout win. “But like last year, we’re a resilient team. We stay with it. We have a lot of confidence in our game throughout 60 minutes, and I thought we did a great job of that.”

“I like that we picked each other up,” agreed head coach Ryan Craig. “I like that we stayed with it, individually and as a team. I don’t like going down 3-0, but there’s something to be said for how we stuck together.”

1. An Up-Hill Climb

Things didn’t look great for Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill when Jack Roslovic scored on the Maple Leafs’ first shot of the game just 34 seconds into the first period. The outlook didn’t look any better when Easton Cowan doubled Toronto’s lead on their fifth shot, and it looked pretty bleak when Nick Paul made it 3-0 on the Maple Leafs’ seventh shot.

After that, Hill looked pretty exceptional. He didn’t allow another goal and went all-out to stop the next 18 shots he faced. 

“I loved everybody’s response, including Adin Hill’s,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 4-3 win. “I thought as our team got better, Hilly got better. He made some big saves in the second period there as we were pushing, and then allowed us to get it to overtime and then the shootout.”

Hill also stopped four of the five shots he faced in the shootout en route to his second win of the season.

“Hiller’s so calm and confident in himself, regardless of what happens before,” said Mitch Marner. “You saw that tonight; he just stayed with it. We have a lot of trust in either of our goalies, and when we needed him, he made some big saves.”

2. The Kids Are Alright 

Despite having a roster chock-full of some of the league’s best offensive talent, Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig sent 23-year-old Braeden Bowman over the boards first in his first NHL shootout. Three shooters later, Craig deployed 20-year-old Trevor Connelly.

They were the only two Golden Knights to convert, with Connelly’s goal standing as the game-winner.

“Oh, it’s awesome. It’s super cool for us. I think he kind of knows our ins and outs from Henderson, so I think it was super cool for him to put us both out there,” said Connelly of the opportunity following the win. “It just kind of shows the confidence that the group and the coaching staff has in us. This is such a tight group, and we all have each other’s backs, and all have trust in each other.”

“I’m comfortable enough [putting Bowman and Connelly out in the shootout] when we have NHL games on the line,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 4-3 win. “There’s a lot of trust in all of our players… We saw Bowman do it in the preseason, and Trevor as well. I’ve seen them do that at the American Hockey League level. And at that point, it’s a one-on-one with the goalie. I thought those guys did a real good job… Nice for those guys to contribute.”

3. The Mitch is Back

Despite what the box score might suggest, the Golden Knights’ second line of William Karlsson, Mitch Marner, and Brett Howden has been pretty dangerous offensively. In 38 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, Howden-Karlsson-Marner have generated 1.9 expected goals while allowing only 1.2 expected goals against. 

Up until now, however, they’ve struggled to capitalize on those scoring chances. 

“I’m sure everyone just looks at the score sheet and thinks that because we’re not scoring or doing anything,” said Marner following Thursday’s 4-3 shootout win. “But I think our line has done a lot of good things in these games. We haven’t been rewarded for it. We were tonight, which is great, and hopefully it gets things going for us a little more.”

The second line struggled at the start of tonight’s game, as did most of the team, and were on the ice for the first two Maple Leafs goals. After that, they were off to the races, holding a 17-12 edge in shots and scoring Vegas’ second goal of the night.

“They scored a real big goal for us tonight off a nice rush entry,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “They’ve done a lot of good things through the first five games… The message to them is to stay with it. Everything gets magnified at the start of the year. When you look at the stat sheet, and you’re four games in, that’s what happens at this time of year. If this is January, and they’re going through something like that, we’re probably not talking about it or looking at it in the same way. 


“My message to those guys is, you’re helping us win hockey games,” Craig finished. “Stay with it. Your time will come.”

LAS VEGAS -- A three-goal deficit gave way to a rookie's shootout winner and a veteran goaltender's recovery Thursday night.

Trevor Connelly scored in the fifth round of the shootout, and Adin Hill stopped John Tavares to complete the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-3 comeback victory over the Toronto Maple Leafsat T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas improved to 4-1-0 with its third consecutive win.

The kids are alright 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/GrI3uxCeub

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 9, 2026

"I think as a group, we just came together and kind of took over the game by our style of hockey," Connelly said.

Toronto built a 3-0 lead in the opening 8:37 before Mark Stone scored late in the first period. Brett Howden converted Mitch Marner's gem early in the second, and Jack Eichel tied it on a penalty shot at 3:58.

Jack Eichel ties the game for the @GoldenKnights on the penalty shot! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/HUnDNo1BbT

— NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2026

Eichel added an assist, extending his point-and-assist streak to five games and bringing his season total to 12 points.

Hill made 21 saves and denied four of five shootout attempts. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 40 shots for Toronto.

Braeden Bowman also scored for Vegas in the shootout, while Kirill Marchenko provided Toronto's lone conversion.

KEY MOMENT: Connelly's Game Winner

With the shootout tied after four rounds, Connelly delivered the breakthrough, beating Bobrovsky with a backhand-forehand move in the fifth round. The rookie leaned on a finish he had rehearsed rather than changing his approach under pressure.

"That's a move that I've kind of been doing in practice a bit, and it's seemed to work a lot," Connelly said. "So kind of just trusted what's been working in practice."

Hill then stopped Tavares to secure Vegas' third straight victory and complete the comeback.

KEY STAT: Shots Aplenty, But No PP

Vegas outshot Toronto 36-15 after the first period, including a 21-8 advantage in the second as the Knights erased the remaining two-goal deficit. They maintained that pressure with an 11-4 edge in the third and finished ahead 43-24 overall, forcing Bobrovsky to make 40 saves.

The comeback also came without a power-play goal: Vegas went 0-for-4 after converting in each of its first four games. Howden's even-strength goal and Eichel's penalty-shot finish supplied the second-period scoring that brought Vegas level.

WHAT A KNIGHT: Adin Hill.

After surrendering three goals in the opening 8:37, Hill held Toronto scoreless for the rest of regulation and overtime. His shootout stops included a glove save on William Nylander and a game-ending stop on Tavares. Marner praised Hill's composure after the early goals and emphasized his teammates' confidence in him.

"I feel like Hilly's so calm and confident himself, regardless of what happens before, so you see that tonight," Marner said. "Just stayed with it. We have a lot of trust in either of those boys in net. So, when we needed him massively, he made some big saves."

UP NEXT

Vegas hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) stops a shot from Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) during a shootout at T-Mobile Arena.

ST. LOUIS – You hear the term that pucks eventually start to go into the net when you’re doing other good things on the ice.

The St. Louis Blues are doing a lot of good things; they just aren’t completing the finished product. That finished product is scoring, and in the early part of the NHL season when goals seem to be going in by the bushel, the Blues can’t buy goals.

It cost them again on Thursday when they created plenty of scoring opportunities, led twice but ultimately fell to the San Jose Sharks, 3-2 in overtime, at Enterprise Center on Thursday.

The Blues fell to 1-2-1 on the season and are off to the kind of slower start that they were looking to avoid, losing their third in a row after a season-opening 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars.

To the game and the pivotal points …

* Blues’ top line is doing them no favors right now – Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud created ample opportunities, probably more so than they have in the previous four games this season.

The puck is simply not going into the net for them. No better examples were when Thomas pulled a puck into the slot and rang the post in a 2-2 game, and then he had the winning goal on his stick – also in the slot – and a yawning, empty cage staring at him, only to see San Jose’s Kiefer Sherwood get a stick on the shot attempt and push it over the bar.

So when they’re not scoring, they sure as heck better be good defensively, but that wasn’t the case on San Jose’s tying goal by Collin Graf at 6:05 of the third period that tied the game 2-2.

In the shift, Thomas lost the puck twice, Pavel Buchnevich – who had taken Snuggerud’s spot on the shift – lost it a third time, Holloway wasn’t hard enough on a puck in the righthand corner that Sam Dickinson threw into the crease area before it caromed off Adam Jiricek right to Graf in the slot.

“You’re up 2-1 and you’re towards the end of a shift, pucks go deep and you just keep grinding them down,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. ‘You keep your shifts short, you keep staying on top of them. I use the term when you’re up by a goal in the third period, you skate ‘em into the ground, and that means you never stop checking. You can only do that if you’re maintaining short shifts and you’re playing north.”

The line on Thursday generated 15 shot attempts (five on net) but Thomas (three) and Snuggerud (five) missed the net a combined eight times.

You’d be concerned if they weren’t generating, but when you’re paid to score and you’re not, then other areas of the game need to be up to par and when you’re giving up without putting away, then it continues to be a concern.

“In this league, they want to be putting the puck in the back of the net and I thought they did a lot of great things really well, and as long as they’re creating chances, they’re eventually going to drop,” said Blues forward Connor McMichael. ‘I’ve seen it many times from them.”

* Generating chances plus finishing chances isn’t equaling out – For all the chances the Blues are generating, the finished product just isn’t equating.

When they led early in the hockey game on a beautiful give-and-go sequence between McMichael and Mason McTavish (more on them below), there were ample opportunities to extend that lead with several quality scoring chances.

The Blues outshot the Sharks, who were thoroughly beaten 5-0 on Monday against the Dallas Stars, 11-3 in the first period but led by just one goal thanks to a lack of finishing again.

“I thought for the majority of the game, our process was really good,” Montgomery said. ‘Right now, if we fell out of a boat and we were trying to score a goal, we would not hit the ocean, and it’s causing problems. There’s frustration coming because we’re not scoring, and it’s hard to stick with the process when you’re getting frustrated. We just have to keep working. I thought in the third period we came out and again we started to dictate play really well, and we were dictating play and even though we ended up shorthanded, we get that great goal shorthanded; our penalty kill’s been really good so far this year.

“I thought we were in complete control of the game and we need to be comfortable winning 2-1. It’s like we want to try and win 3-, 4-1. It’s mistakes we made that allowed them to score that second goal and you end up in overtime and anything can happen in 3-on-3 hockey. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end of it.”

In a time when scoring is way up because of the shortened training camp and only four preseason games, the Blues have scored a grand total of nine goals (including two empty-netters) in four games.

“I think we were the better team for most of the game,” McMichael said. “We kind of just got up by one and kept falling asleep and let them back into the game and that’s the type of stuff that hurts you in this league. We’ve got to tighten that up.

“… I think we’re generating chances. I think we’d obviously like to see a couple more go into the back of the net, but that’s not really an excuse. We’ve got to find a way to win those 2-1 games when we’re not scoring as many as we would like to. It’s just something where we’re going to have to go to the drawing board and get better from.”

Montgomery said, “In three of our four games, I’m not positive of this one yet, but I’m assuming we have more Grade A chances 5-on-5. This would be three out of four. So our process of what we believe in, getting more Grade A chances of winning the net front battles, which we’re doing consistently again this year; the only game that we haven’t done those things is the Colorado game and as you would have guessed, but besides that, there’s a lot of positives that are coming. The fact that we’re not scoring is causing the results to be magnified in the wrong direction. If we are a process-oriented team, we look at what the numbers are telling us, and in practice, our players need to bear down and score goals. Scoring’s a habit just like skating fast and stopping and starting and creating good habits, screening the goalie. Those are things we’ve got to bury. I think we missed a couple open nets tonight and you think, ‘Oh jeez, they just got their stick on it,’ but if you do it in practice, then it just becomes natural. You try to bury the puck right through the net, make a hole in the net like Brett Hull would.”

In that case, if you're the better team in three of four games, you can't be losing to the woeful Chicago Blackhawks (4-2 on Tuesday) without Connor Bedard, and you can't be losing Thursday when the Sharks were playing without their rising star and captain, Macklin Celebrini.

* Moral victories don’t count – Montgomery saying the Blues have been the better team in three of their first four games, he isn’t off one iota. But the bottom line is they have three of a possible eight points. If you’re the better team in three of the first four games, that’s not good enough then.

“It was a hard-fought game I think by both teams,” said Blues defenseman Cam Fowler, who had a had strong game playing 22:43. “I certainly think we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. Only coming away with one point is disappointing, but there’s a lot that we can build off of as well, some points that we can work on moving forward and getting ready for Saturday.”

* McMichael-McTavish-Berggren line continues to flourish – One of the biggest questions coming in was would the Blues have ample enough support from the second line this season to balance out the scoring.

Who would have thought that just four games in, there would be no worry regarding the McTavish line and plenty to worry about with the Thomas line?

McMichael’s goal came as a result of Berggren disrupting the play in the neutral zone near the Blues’ bench, McMichael skating in with speed, and he and McTavish doing the rest for a backdoor tap-in:

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Connor McMichael with 16:08 left in the 1st. Assisted by Mason McTavish and Jonatan Berggren.

STL: 1 | SJS: 0#SJSvsSTL#StlBlues#TurnItAllTealpic.twitter.com/zTdDJfHLyz

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 9, 2026

“Yes and Berggren. Berggren’s playing really well,” Montgomery said. ‘Ever since we put Berggren up with those two, that line’s been our best line for two games in a row, generating the most chances, controlling the game, making solid plays coming out of the D-zone and leading to really good O-zone play. Very happy with that chemistry on that line right now.”

McMichael said, “I think (the chemistry’s) been really good. It’s been easy for me, to be honest. Coming to the Blues at the same time as (McTavish), it’s been like a breath of fresh air having another guy in the same scenario as me. We’ve been bouncing a lot of things off of each other and just looking to keep that rolling.”

McMichael is a point-per-game player (two goals, two assists) so far, and McTavish has two goals and an assist, and Berggren picked up his first point Thursday.

* Penalty kill continues to shine, leads to a shorthanded goal – At the start of the third period, the Blues had 1:56 to kill off a Brandon Carlo delay of game minor.

It came at a crucial time in a 1-1 game. Kill it, then settle in and try to win the game.

Who would have imagined a shorthanded goal to put the Blues ahead? But that’s what Dillon Dube did when he made it 2-1 at 1:39 of the third period off a 2-on-1 rush with Buchnevich, then keeping the puck and beating Alex Nedeljkovic into the top right corner:

Short-handed goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Dillon Dube with 18:21 left in the 3rd.

STL: 2 | SJS: 1#SJSvsSTL#StlBlues#TurnItAllTealpic.twitter.com/A2fqfJK7Wa

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 9, 2026

* Were there enough saves? – One would say yes, especially when Joel Hofer made this amazing save on Luca Cagnoni in the second period:

HOLY JOEL HOFER! 🧱

What a save by the @StLouisBlues netminder! pic.twitter.com/CUSEK1BPx8

— NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2026

But I'd like to see saves on the first Sharks goal scored by Tyler Toffoli and you could make the case that even on Darnell Nurse's overtime goal, it wasn't an overly aggressive or pinpoint accuracy shot, more so right through Hofer. 

It's hard to put much on the goaltending, but in those moments, one could make the case for a little more.

* Individual standouts – Including Fowler, who we mentioned, Colton Parayko looks really confident right now jumping into the offense and looking to create havoc in the O-zone.

Parayko, who passed Barret Jackman into sole possession of second place for all-time games played in Blues history (804), played 23:23.

Philip Broberg (24:25) had a really solid game as well, also jumping into the rush and attacking when the situations arose.

Pius Suter, who had a really solid shorthanded shift who finished with 11:13 of ice time, played well, as did Carlo (18:38 ice time).

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It was a night to remember for Jonathan Costagna, even if the Calgary Flames would rather forget the final result.

The Flames fell 7-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, but the game marked a significant milestone for the 21-year-old forward, who made his NHL debut against a lineup featuring some of the league’s biggest stars, including Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Recently recalled from the Calgary Wranglers, Costagna took his rookie lap during warmups before getting his first taste of NHL action. It was a moment he had been encouraged to appreciate, knowing there would only be one first game.

“Before the game everyone was telling me to soak it in, you can only do it once, and I tried to do that as much as possible,” said Costagna. “When you get into the game it gets pretty intense out there and I can look back on it and say I’m really grateful for it and (I’m) just looking forward to what’s next.”

Rookie lap for Jonathan Costagna! 🔥#NHLdebut#Flames@TheHockeyNewspic.twitter.com/dOC5VF6KtX

— Bryan Wilson (@BryanWilsonHKY) October 9, 2026

Seeing the opposition up close for the first time brought its own challenges, but Costagna felt he handled the moment well.

“Warmups is the first time where you look across from you and you see these guys and it could get a little intimidating, but I feel like I did a pretty good job handling that stress, because at the end of the day I want to win, and that’s what I tried to contribute (to) out there tonight.”

Costagna also found himself in the middle of some tough matchups. Playing down the middle, he faced experienced NHL centres, including MacKinnon and former Flame Nazem Kadri.

"I can look back on it and say I'm really grateful for it. Just looking forward to what's next."

Jonathan Castagna reflects on his NHL debut at the 'Dome. pic.twitter.com/m7WwP5l99Y

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 9, 2026

Rather than letting the names across from him become a distraction, the rookie focused on competing and trusting his game.

“I was taking it out there against some veterans today,” said Costagna. “You try to go into it with an ‘I’m going to beat you’ mindset and I feel like I did that pretty well all night, considering a lot of the guys I’m playing against were in the league for a long time now.”

The night also brought Costagna his first NHL point, coming on a play that showcased the speed and finishing ability of fellow forward Adam Klapka.

Atta boy, George 👏 pic.twitter.com/GprldDzWzz

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 9, 2026

Costagna chipped the puck out of the defensive zone and onto Klapka’s stick. The 6-foot-8 forward took over from there, driving into the offensive zone, toe-dragging around a defenceman and firing a wrist shot past the goaltender.

Watching the play develop, Costagna could barely hide his excitement as Klapka finished the sequence.

“That was crazy,” he chuckled, reminiscing about watching Klapka. “Really happy that he did that, obviously, I didn’t have to do much for it, to get that off my back is really cool, but kudos to him that was unbelievable.”

While the result wasn’t what Calgary wanted, Costagna now has his first NHL game - and point - behind him. The experience should provide something to build on as he looks to establish himself at the highest level.

With his debut out of the way, the next question is what comes next for the young forward. The Flames are back in action Saturday, when we’ll see whether Costagna gets another opportunity to build on his NHL debut.

The Colorado Avalanche didn’t exactly come flying out of the gate Thursday night, but once they found their game, the Calgary Flames had a tough time keeping up.

Coming off a frustrating 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, the Avs responded with a 7-3 win in Calgary, using a big second period to take control and hand the Flames their fourth straight loss to start the season.

Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Jaden Schwartz each scored twice, while Nathan MacKinnon put up three points. Brett Kulak added two assists, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 shots to pick up the win despite some shaky defensive play in front of him.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Avs found their offense when they needed it.

First Period

The first period was a bit of a mess for Colorado.

A couple of turnovers in their own zone gave Calgary some dangerous chances, and Wedgewood had to bail his teammates out more than once. One of his biggest saves came on a shorthanded breakaway by Joel Farabee after Colorado’s power play got off to a rough start.

The Flames were generating more pressure early, outshooting Colorado 5-2 midway through the period. The Avs weren’t doing themselves any favors with the puck, either, struggling to put together much of anything offensively.

Eventually, though, they found a breakthrough.

With just over five minutes left in the period, Cale Makar found Toews in the low slot, and the defenseman redirected the puck past Flames netminder Devin Cooley to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.

That was a nice change of pace for Toews, who didn’t score his first goal last season until Colorado’s 25th game. This time, he got on the board in Game 4.

Calgary answered before the period was over. Adam Klapka made a slick move around Josh Manson before firing a wrist shot off the post and into the net to tie things up at 1-1.

Toews took a penalty late in the period, sending the Avs into the intermission with some penalty-killing work ahead of them and plenty to clean up.

Second Period

Colorado came out looking like a much different team in the second period.

After killing off the carryover penalty, the Avs got right back to work, and Toews struck again. This time, he fired from just inside the blue line, sending the puck through traffic and past Cooley to put Colorado back in front.

Then Makar got in on the fun.

MacKinnon sprung him with a pass, and Makar used his speed to blow past the Calgary defense before beating Cooley with a shot to make it 3-1.

MacKinnon got one of his own shortly afterward, finishing a feed from Zachary L’Heureux to stretch Colorado’s lead to three. The Avs kept the pressure on, turning what had been a tight game into a much more comfortable one.

L’Heureux also brought some extra energy to the night, dropping the gloves with Matt Coronato late in the period. The forward was playing in just his second straight game after missing Colorado’s first two contests with a lower-body injury.

The Avs headed into the third with a 4-1 lead, having found their offensive rhythm and put Calgary on its heels.

Third Period

Any thoughts of a Calgary comeback took a hit pretty quickly in the third.

Makar scored again early in the period, pouncing on a loose puck after a pass from Nazem Kadri deflected off MacKinnon. He made no mistake, burying it to give Colorado a 5-1 advantage.

Schwartz followed less than a minute later, getting to a loose puck in the slot and firing it past Cooley to make it 6-1.

Calgary managed to respond with goals from Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl, cutting the deficit to 6-3 and briefly making things a little more interesting.

But the Avs had an answer of their own.

Schwartz scored his second of the night just over a minute after Bahl’s goal, taking a backhand feed from Fedor Svechkov and beating Cooley from a sharp angle. It was Schwartz’s third goal in the span of about 24 hours, following his goal in Wednesday’s loss to Winnipeg.

That pretty much wrapped things up.

Colorado scored six times over the final 40 minutes, turning an uneven start into a convincing 7-3 road win.

A Much-Needed Response

After letting a winnable game slip away against Winnipeg, the Avs got the offensive bounce-back they needed. Toews and Makar each had two-goal nights, MacKinnon continued to produce, and Schwartz made an immediate impact with another pair of goals.

There are still some defensive issues to sort out. The early turnovers and Calgary’s three goals are reminders that Colorado can’t afford to get quite so loose against tougher opponents.

Still, putting seven goals on the board on the road is a pretty good way to respond to a disappointing loss.

Upcoming

The Avalanche will look to carry that momentum home when they face Gavin McKenna and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Ball Arena on Saturday, October 10. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Cale Makar had two goals and an assist, Devon Toews and Jaden Schwartz also each scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche beat the winless Calgary Flames 7-3 on Thursday night.

Nathan MacKinnon scored and had two assists as Colorado (3-1-0) bounced back from a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg on Wednesday night.

Scott Wedgewood, making his season debut, had 26 saves to win in his 200th career NHL game.

Adam Klapka, Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl scored for Calgary (0-4-0), the only NHL team yet to record a point this season. The Flames have been outscored 23-6 for a league-worst minus-17 goal differential.

Flames goalie Devin Cooley made 23 stops.

Tied 1-1 after the first period, Colorado scored three times in less than five minutes in the second. The Avalanche tacked on two more goals early in the third period.

Up next

Avalanche: Host Toronto on Saturday night.

Flames: Host Anaheim on Saturday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The Senators improved to 3-1-0 on the young season thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in their home opener on Thursday night. Carter Yakemchuk's power-play one-timer in the third period stood up as the game-winning goal.

Once again, as has been the case in all three of their wins this season, the victory was bittersweet thanks to another injury.

This time, it was newcomer William Eklund who went down with a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return. Eklund took a clean hit from Flyers defenceman Simon Benoit and had to be helped off the ice, unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Eklund appeared to jam his skate awkwardly into the base of the boards, with the toe of his skate moving upward as if the skate had come off. That makes you think right away that something very bad happened to the ankle or achilles.

William Eklund leaves the game with a lower-body injury after taking a hit from Simon Benoit. pic.twitter.com/i6P9Fj164E

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 8, 2026

But Travis Green had no update on Eklund after the game.

The Senators also lost key players to injury in their first two wins of the season. Jake Sanderson was hurt in Toronto and still isn't skating with the team, while Linus Ullmark was injured in Boston on Monday.

Fortunately, Ullmark was able to return to action Thursday night against the Flyers, stopping 28 of 29 shots. The one goal he allowed was an absolute stinker, but nobody in Ottawa is going to complain about a .966 save percentage on the night.

The Senators opened the scoring midway through the first period when Nick Cousins tipped home a shot from Tyler Kleven.

That lead held up until early in the second, when Matvei Michkov scored one of the easiest goals he'll ever get.

On a Philadelphia power play, Trevor Zegras fired a shot from the top of the circle that Ullmark appeared to see all the way. Somehow, the puck trickled right through him and sat in the crease, fat and juicy, waiting for Michkov to swat it home.

That set the stage for Yakemchuk, who delivered the biggest goal of the night with under seven minutes remaining in regulation.

Claude Giroux made a pass to the rookie defenceman that was perfectly paced and placed for a one-timer. Yakemchuk absolutely blasted it past Joseph Woll for what proved to be the game-winner. While there are certainly still defensive warts that will improve with time, Yakemchuk's cannon of a shot makes him a nice new weapon on the power play.

The Flyers then had the Senators under siege in the final couple of minutes. But the Sens held them off, surviving the late pressure and hanging on for the win.

“You knew Philly was going to play a hell of a game tonight,” Green said. “I thought they did. It was just a greasy, greasy game that had a lot of intensity to it, and we wanted to win that.”

Hoyt Stanley was just happy to be there, making his NHL debut for the Senators as a last-minute call-up from Belleville. Cam Crotty took the morning skate but was under the weather and did not dress.

The Senators officially went 1-for-5 on the power play, although you could make the argument it was more like 2-for-5. Cousins' first-period goal came just four seconds after Travis Sanheim's tripping penalty expired, before the Flyers defenceman had a chance to get back into the play.

Through five games, the Flyers are now 0-3-2 on the year and have scored a grand total of six goals.

After playing their first three games on the road, the Senators can look forward to a little more home cooking. Including Thursday, they're now in a stretch where they play seven of nine games at Canadian Tire Centre, with their next game coming Saturday night at 7 p.m. against the Nashville Predators.

Nashville will arrive in Ottawa fresh off a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, despite being badly outshot 34-20.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

On Aug. 6, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a move that no one really saw coming.

No, they didn't land a superstar winger who was the subject of rumors all summer long. No, they didn't re-sign their 39-year-old captain and NHL legend. And, no, they didn't make a splash. But they did take a big gamble on a young player with little NHL experience and not a ton to show for that experience up to that point. 

And, in the earlygoing of the 2026-27 season, that gamble has begun to show early signs of positivity.

On that day in August, the Penguins signed young forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract. Many in Pittsburgh reacted to the news with some degree of shock, as Koivunen had played in only 47 NHL games with two goals and 14 points. 

Sure, the average annual value of $4 million isn't seismic - especially with the salary cap going up substantially - but the term was a head-scratcher for some. That said, Koivunen already has a goal and two points in three games this season and has remained in the NHL lineup despite the vast forward depth the Penguins possess, which is a testament to his play up to this point.

"I feel like [I'm making] good plays with the puck and making some plays," Koivunen said. "Maybe last game wasn't too good, but wasn't too bad, either. So, I feel pretty good right now."

It's been well-documented how hard Koivunen worked this summer to add weight and get stronger. The Penguins wanted to see him be tougher to knock off of pucks and better along the walls, which are both areas of his game that have seen some noticeable improvement in the first three games he's played this season. 

Penguins Re-sign Ville Koivunen To Eight-Year ContractThe Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed Ville Koivunen to a huge contract on Thursday.

He's no longer getting rid of pucks to avoid contact or to make plays hastily. He knows he has the ability and the physical attributes to be able to carry and protect the puck with authority.

"I feel like I'm stronger and I can keep the puck, hold onto pucks more," Koivunen said. "So, yeah, it feels like it's translated to the ice.

"I think I feel more confident. I'm more confident on the boards, and I don't have to get rid of the puck if I have it there and I feel the pressure. So, that's a thing where, right now, I feel better on the walls."

The 23-year-old isn't the only one who has a higher degree of belief in his play at the NHL level.

Going into a shortened training camp this season, young players, in particular, got the short end of the stick because they had far less runway to prove themselves and stand out to the coaching staff. Koivunen's play in the pre-season games - as well as some injuries to NHL regulars - earned him a spot on the opening night roster.

What a disgusting goal by Ville Koivunen. Totally deked Vladar out of his jockstrap.

THAT is the player the Pens are expecting. Love to see it pic.twitter.com/F2KtsES1Xp

— ryan 🛸 (@OTCellyy) October 1, 2026

He played in the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers and scored an impressive breakaway goal in a 7-0 rout that night. He was scratched in the second game of the season but has played in the last two, registering an assist.

Prior to Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals, a tough roster decision had to be made in order to activate Bryan Rust from injured reserve, as the roster was at full capacity. While many were quick to point out that Koivunen's eight-year term likely makes him waivers-proof, there is always a small risk of an NHL GM taking a gamble as big as the one Kyle Dubas took when he signed Koivunen. 

As it turns out, the Penguins dealt forward Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Spencer Stastney prior to that game, and forward Andrei Kuzmenko - who suddenly lost his father a few weeks ago - was granted non-roster designation by the league. 

Andrei Kuzmenko Granted Non-roster Leave By NHLThe NHL has granted Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko non-roster leave.

From the vantage point of head coach Dan Muse, who had Koivunen remain in line rushes and on the power play during practice Tuesday when talk was rampant, the young forward has earned a stay in the lineup through performance. 

"He's played well," Muse said. "Honestly, I think, for him, coming off of that Philly game, I can't really think of a harder conversation that I've had to have, in recent memory, at least.

"Ville put in the work this summer. I mean, you go back to that last exhibition game, he scores a breakaway goal there in Philly, he has an assist [against Winnipeg], he's making plays, he's stronger, he's done the things that were asked of him, and he's produced on the ice. So, it's a credit to him and the work he's put in. It's good to see."

Penguins Acquire Spencer Stastney From Edmonton Oilers for Filip HallanderThe Pittsburgh Penguins cleared up their forward logjam Wednesday by sending Filip Hallander to the Edmonton Oilers

Koivunen is cognizant of an entirely new set of expectations now that he has already broken through to the NHL level and signed a long-term commitment with the Penguins. At this point, it's not just about making the NHL and simply sticking at this level, it's about how he can be a difference-maker and show that the team's investment in him was worth the gamble.

He knows that he has been given a chance to show what he is capable of and how he can help the NHL team moving forward, and he plans to continue taking advantage of that opportunity.

"Everyone wants to play well, everyone wants to stay up and play here and play your game in the NHL. I think that's what everyone wants to do," Koivunen said. "I do feel like you get chances here for young guys, and that's good.

"I think it's just work hard and play my game. I know my strengths, use them, and that's pretty much what it is. Just work hard and try to be a better version of yourself every day. It makes you go a long way."

Takeaways: Mistakes Difference In Penguins' 5-3 Loss To CapitalsA turnover-heavy effort ultimately doomed the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday as they fell to 2-2 on the season.

---

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The Calgary Flames showed signs of improvement Thursday night but couldn’t keep pace with the Colorado Avalanche, falling 7-3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The game featured a pair of familiar faces returning to Calgary in Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar. Makar grew up in Calgary, while Kadri spent multiple seasons with the Flames before being traded to Colorado.

Calgary also welcomed two new faces to the lineup. Jonathan Costagna made his NHL debut, while Aydar Suniev appeared in his first game of the season after being recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Devin Cooley got the start in net.

Colorado opened the scoring late in the first period when Makar found Devon Toews beside the crease. Toews redirected the puck past Cooley to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.

Adam Klapka provided an immediate response for Calgary at 17:30 with an impressive individual effort. The forward carried the puck into Colorado’s zone, toe-dragged around Josh Manson and fired a wrist shot past Scott Wedgewood to tie the game 1-1.

It was Klapka’s first goal of the season, while Costagna picked up his first NHL point with the secondary assist.

The Avalanche took control in the second period, starting with Toews’ second goal of the night at 6:45. His point shot found its way through traffic and past a screened Cooley to restore Colorado’s lead.

Makar extended the advantage moments later, beating Cooley with a quick wrist shot between the goaltender’s glove and body. The Colorado defenceman’s second point of the night made it 3-1.

The Flames continued to struggle defensively as Colorado maintained pressure in the offensive zone. Nathan MacKinnon capitalized at 11:39, blasting a one-timer past Cooley off a feed from Zachary L’Heureux to push the lead to 4-1.

Frustration began to show as Matt Coronato and L’Heureux exchanged words before dropping the gloves for a brief but spirited fight along the boards.

Colorado continued to pull away in the third period. Makar completed his two-goal night with a shot from the high slot that found the top of the net, making it 5-1. MacKinnon and Kadri picked up the assists.

The Avalanche added another when T.J. Hughes found Jaden Schwartz in front of the net. Schwartz finished the play by roofing the puck past Cooley to make it 6-1.

Calgary responded with a pair of goals of its own. Mikael Backlund finished a give-and-go with Ryan Strome at 7:17, cutting the deficit to four.

Kevin Bahl followed at 8:28, putting a shot toward the net that deflected past Wedgewood off a body in front. Suddenly, the Flames had scored twice in just over a minute to make it 6-3.

Any hopes of building further momentum were short-lived. On the next shift, Schwartz sent the puck toward the net, where it deflected off Jake Middleton and past Cooley to restore Colorado’s four-goal advantage.

The Avalanche held on for the 7-3 win, leaving Calgary with another difficult result despite a more competitive start and a late offensive push.

Three Takeaways

1. A better response, but defensive issues remain

The Flames showed more life against a difficult opponent and found ways to generate offence, particularly in the first and third periods. However, Colorado took advantage of defensive breakdowns and sustained offensive-zone pressure to create separation. Calgary’s late push was encouraging, but it came after the game had largely been decided.

2. Adam Klapka makes his presence felt

Klapka was one of Calgary’s most effective players on the night. His first goal of the season was a highlight-reel effort, showcasing his speed, puck control and finishing ability. He also brought a physical presence and remained engaged throughout the game. His performance made a strong case for a larger role as the night progressed.

3. Costagna gets his first NHL point

Costagna’s NHL debut was a milestone in an otherwise difficult night for the Flames. After taking part in his rookie lap during warmups, the rookie forward recorded his first career NHL point by assisting on Klapka’s first-period goal.