Category: Ice Hockey

The Senators had no shortage of injuries on their blue line last season.

At one point, it forced them to bring up two rookies on the same night. Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan both jumped in a car and drove all night to make their NHL debuts in an important game in Detroit back in March.

The injury bug didn't let up in the postseason either as both Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson were knocked out of their first-round loss to Carolina

As they prepare for their second night of preseason action, Sanderson and Zub are both unavailable again.

The circumstances are different. Sanderson missed the end of the first-round playoff series against Carolina with a concussion, but head coach Travis Green described the current issue keeping him out of Wednesday’s games as minor.

Zub's injury is a much bigger deal.

He's still recovering from the injury he suffered in Game 1 against the Hurricanes, and Green said he now does not expect the defenceman to be ready for the start of the regular season.

To make matters worse, Jordan Spence and Jorian Donovan are also unavailable Wednesday, so the Sens need all hands on deck for their split-squad games against Toronto. 

The Senators opened their preseason Monday with a 3–2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. On Wednesday, they’ll divide the roster between Canadian Tire Centre and Scotiabank Arena, with both games against the Maple Leafs starting at 7 p.m.

In Ottawa, William Eklund, Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund remained together at the morning skate. Stephen Halliday centred Claude Giroux and Nick Cousins, while Ridly Greig skated between Sammy Blais and Tyler Boucher. Blake Montgomery, Ryan Suzuki and Xavier Bourgault made up the fourth line.

Thomas Chabot was paired with Hoyt Stanley on defence, with Ben Hutton alongside Cameron Crotty and Tomas Hamara alongside Djibril Touré.

Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson were the goaltenders in the home group. Chabot will play, but he's on standby and could leav at any moment to be with his wife Marion, who's expecting their first child any day now.

In Toronto, Tim Stützle centred Andre Burakovsky and Drake Batherson. Shane Pinto skated between Philip Tomasino and Michael Amadio, with the remaining lines featuring Luke Ellinas, Eskild Bakke Olsen and Kasper Halttunen, and Oskar Petterson, Philippe Daoust and Hayden Hodgson.

Tyler Kleven and Carter Yakemchuk were paired on defence, as were Samuel Bolduc and Nikolas Matinpalo, and Scott Harrington and Christian Kyrou. Leevi Meriläinen and Jackson Parsons were the goaltenders in that group.

Zub’s absence, however long it will be, creates an opening on the right side of the Sens defence and another opportunity for the 20-year-old Yakemchuk to make his case. He has had some uneven moments in camp, but the numbers suggest he'll begin the year in Ottawa.

The Senators will split into two groups again on Saturday for simultaneous games against Montreal, bringing their five-game preseason to a close. Wednesday will give Green a look at how some of his lower-end players handle bigger minutes and, as opportunity knocks, which defensemen will respond best.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Following their 7-4 preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday evening, the Detroit Red Wings returned to the ice Wednesday morning at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.

Joining them for the first time this fall was former captain Dylan Larkin, who had missed Training Camp and the first two exhibition games while recovering from an off-ice injury sustained shortly before Camp began. 

Dylan Larkin is back on the ice. #LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/huSRuQ9zxP

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 23, 2026

Larkin, who participated in multiple drills with his teammates, isn't ready to return to game action just yet, but has made strides forward in the eyes of head coach Todd McLellan. 

Dylan Larkin taking part in board battle drills pic.twitter.com/ExonN6X6xg

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 23, 2026

"Progress, simple as that," McLellan said following the skate. "He's been able to progress enough off the ice in the workout room. The trainers felt good (enough) to let him go. He stayed out for the whole practice; I thought it would be just a portion of it." 

"Good progress." 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Head coach Todd McLellan confirmed that Larkin would not play in Detroit's home preseason opener on Thursday evening against the Buffalo Sabres, but that there was "a chance" that he could play on Saturday in their preseason finale. 

“There's a chance, we’ve got to be smart with it, but there’s a chance,” McLellan said. “I don’t know what the odds are, but there is a chance.”

Larkin, who reached the 30-goal plateau for the fifth straight campaign in 2025-26, sent shockwaves throughout the organization and fan base when he requested a trade over the summer despite having five years left on his contract.

Former GM Steve Yzerman confirmed shortly after the NHL Draft in late June that Larkin had requested a move, but noted there were no guarantees the request would be granted. 

Todd McLellan: Larkin Must Heal, Edvinsson Situation ‘Business Side’Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan provided updates on injured forward Dylan Larkin, while pointing out Simon Edvinsson's contract situation is out of his control.

Nearly three months later, Larkin remains with the Red Wings, albeit without the captaincy he'd held since early 2021 as the official successor to Henrik Zetterberg. 

During a press conference last week alongside interim GM Shawn Horcoff, Larkin explained he wasn't ready to reveal why he asked for a trade or whether he still wanted to move on. 

Following their final pair of preseason games, the Red Wings open the regular season at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2 against the visiting New York Rangers. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Minnesota Wild have begun to reduce their roster, making five cuts.

The organization announced they have assigned defensemen Stevie Leskovar and Jack Peart and goaltender Chase Wutzke to the Iowa Wild, while releasing defenseman Mike Koster and goaltender William Rousseau from their professional tryouts.

Koster and Rousseau will report to Iowa Wild training camp.

Leskovar is a 6-foot-3, 22-year-old left-handed defenseman. The Wild drafted him in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2024 NHL draft. Leskovar has played six AHL games, spending most of the 2025-26 season in the ECHL.

Peart is also a 23-year-old defenseman, but he stands 5-foot-10 and was drafted in the second round (54th overall) of the 2024 draft. He enters his third full season in the AHL, recently posting four goals and 15 points in 61 games. 

Wutzke was also drafted in the 2024 draft, selected in the fifth round (142nd overall). He enters his first full AHL season after playing 47 games in the WHL last year. He played one AHL game last year and six ECHL games to end the 2025-26 season. 

Charlie Stramel, Hunter Haight Face Final Audition As Wild Take On StarsTop prospects Charlie Stramel and Hunter Haight get one last preseason opportunity to impress the Wild as Minnesota takes on the Stars tonight in Dallas.

Koster, a 25-year-old defenseman, now joins the Iowa Wild training camp and was originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019. The 25-year-old played 13 games in the AHL last year with Iowa, but skated in 38 games in the ECHL. 

Rousseau also split time between the AHL and ECHL last year, predominantly playing in the ECHL. The 23-year-old goalie was undrafted and signed after completing a career in the QMJHL. 

---

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced their roster for Thursday's pre-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This will be the third of four pre-season games after the Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in their pre-season opener on Monday and lost to the Detroit Red Wings 7-4 on Tuesday. 

Thursday's lineup features many players fighting for roster spots and the top prospects in the system.

Here's the full lineup:

Forwards

Rutger McGroarty

Filip Hallander

David Gustafsson

Connor Dewar

Bill Zonnon

Elmer Soderblom

Tristan Broz

Liam Ruck

Tanner Howe

Ville Koivunen

Mikhail Ilyin 

Markus Ruck 

Atley Calvert

Avery Hayes

Defensemen 

Jake Livanavage

Ilya Solovyov

Ryan Graves

Owen Pickering

Chase Pietila

Harrison Brunicke

Caleb Jones

Goaltenders 

Sergei Murashov

Collin Delia

---

Murashov will likely play at least half the game, and he may play the entire game. He's trying to lock up his roster spot before next Wednesday's season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

It'll be good to see the Ruck Twins for at least one more preseason game before they head back to Medicine Hat. They played extremely well on Tuesday against the Red Wings. 

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET and you can listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

The Oilers’ controversial hiring of Mike Babcock as head coach this offseason sent waves through the NHL.

And Hockey Hall of Famer and former Oilers captain Mark Messier, who spent 12 years and won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton, made clear he’s among the critics of the move.

On ESPN’s NHL opening night media call, Messier said he didn’t understand the move at all.

“I am absolutely shocked they hired him,” Messier said. “I’m absolutely shocked from the stories that I heard from very good, reputable, character people about the way they were treated. It’s been no secret…Maybe the game has changed, and that’s the way it’s going. Great. I don’t know. It certainly wasn’t like that.”

“I think there has to be a separation of powers on the structural level of any team…The leadership of your team have to protect the players inside the dressing room,” he continued. “How can you do that when you’re directly involved with the decisions they’re making at the management level and hiring of the management and coaches? I don’t understand it.”

Babcock’s last head coaching job in 2023 with the Blue Jackets ended without him coaching a single game. He resigned from Columbus after allegations of inappropriate behavior by several players led to an investigation by the NHL Players’ Association.

And prior to Columbus, Babcock was under fire as head coach of the Maple Leafs. During the 2016-17 season, he told then-rookie Mitch Marner to rank his teammates based on their work ethic. Babcock then shared this with the team.

Marner’s teammates stood behind Marner and directed their anger at the “list incident” toward Babcock.

Messier explained his biggest concern with the Babcock hire.

“I just don’t know, if it does go bad and players are having difficulties, who do they turn to? Because if they turn to the leadership, the leadership is management,” Messier said. “There’s no separation there. I am just horrified about the whole thing, to be honest with you. I could go on and on and on, but I think you get my point.”

The NHL conducted an investigation into Babcock’s past coaching stints before clearing him for hire. The Oilers made the decision official on June 23.

The NHLPA, after the league’s investigation said there wasn’t a “current basis” to stop Babcock from being employed.

“While we found the allegations of Mike Babcock’s conduct as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coach very concerning, the League has decided that there is no current basis on which to restrict his employment,” it said. “Moving forward, we expect that Mr. Babcock will uphold the high standards required of NHL head coaches.”

The Vegas Golden Knights are getting closer to their regular-season roster, and another round of cuts has brought their training camp group down to 28 players.

Vegas assigned nine players to AHL Henderson on Wednesday, while five others were placed on waivers with the intention of joining the Silver Knights. Three more players remain sidelined with injuries, and another five prospects are headed back to junior hockey as the Golden Knights continue to shape their roster for the 2026-27 season.

The nine players assigned directly to Henderson are Mathieu Cataford, Jackson Hallum, Viliam Kmec, Carl Lindbom, Mitch McLain, Matyas Sapovaliv, Tuomas Uronen, Alex Weiermair and Cameron Whitehead.

Five players — Jeremy Davies, Jakub Demek, Joe Fleming, Adam Ginning and Jaycob Megna — were placed on waivers. Assuming they clear, they can join Henderson for the start of the AHL season.

Vegas will also be without Ben Hemmerling, Lukas Cormier and Kai Uchacz for the time being. All three remain listed as week-to-week with injuries.

Meanwhile, five players are headed back to their respective junior clubs for the start of the 2026-27 season: Sean Burick, Will McLaughlin, Mateo Nobert, Noel Pakarinen and Jonah Sivertson.

That leaves 28 players still with the Golden Knights as preseason winds down.

Golden Knights Forwards

The 16 forwards remaining in camp, listed alphabetically by last name:

• Ivan Barbashev
• Braeden Bowman
• Trevor Connelly
• Nic Dowd
• Jack Eichel
• Marc Gatcomb
• Tomas Hertl
• Alexander Holtz
• Brett Howden
• William Karlsson
• Tanner Laczynski
• Raphael Lavoie
• Mitch Marner
• Victor Olofsson
• Jonas Rondbjerg
• Mark Stone

Golden Knights Defensemen

Ten defensemen remain in the mix:

• Rasmus Andersson
• Dylan Coghlan
• Noah Hanifin
• Ville Heinola
• Jeremy Lauzon
• Brayden McNabb
• Juho Piiparinen
• Antti Tuomisto
• Parker Wotherspoon
• Shea Theodore

Golden Knights Goaltenders

Two goaltenders remain:

• Carter Hart
• Adin Hill

The Golden Knights will get another look at their remaining group Thursday night when they return to T-Mobile Arena for a preseason matchup against the Utah Mammoth. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.

Vegas will close out its preseason schedule Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

Here are the players the Penguins are bringing to Columbus for their preseason game tomorrow night.

From the team:

Below is the Penguins’ lineup for Thursday night’s preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET, and fans can tune in to the game on the Penguins’ official flagship radio station, 105.9 ‘The X’.

FORWARDS

2 – Rutger McGroarty
11 – Filip Hallander
13 – David Gustafsson
19 – Connor Dewar
23 – Bill Zonnon
25 – Elmer Soderblom
26 – Tristan Broz
34 – Liam Ruck
40 – Tanner Howe
41 – Ville Koivunen
70 – Mikhail Ilyin
80 – Markus Ruck
84 – Atley Calvert
85 – Avery Hayes

DEFENSE

4 – Jake Livanavage
7 – Ilya Solovyov
27 – Ryan Graves
38 – Owen Pickering
44 – Chase Pietila
45 – Harrison Brunicke
82 – Caleb Jones 

GOALIES

1 – Sergei Murashov
39 – Collin Delia

The final preseason game will be played Saturday in Buffalo. The new rules dictate that NHL veterans with 100+ games can appear in a maximum of two games, thus why most of the major players on the team aren’t playing in Columbus and presumably will go Saturday night instead. That means Connor Dewar and Elmer Soderblom won’t be playing in the finale, should they play again.

A goalie decision for the starter hasn’t been announced but it stands to reason the team might ramp Sergei Murashov into playing the full 60 minutes, as Arturs Silovs did last night. Delia joins him as an option as a pro tryout.

Otherwise, the majority of the lineup is composed of players that need a good game to stay on the radar, like Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty. Ville Koivunen, who missed his planned preseason debut with an injury, has been listed here again. The push for those players to make a case at a roster spot will be one of the key focuses as the team gets to hold them up against players like Dewar, Soderblom and Filip Hallander to get a look at some down-the-lineup options on the same night against the same competition.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues trimmed their training camp roster by seven down to 32 by assigning six players to Springfield of the American Hockey League.

The Blues assigned forwards Justin Carbonneau and Nikita Susuev, defensemen Quinton Burns, Arseni Koromyslov, and Colin Ralph and goalie Will Cranley. 

Also, forward Felix Trudeau has reported to Springfield to continue rehabilitation for an upper-body injury that he sustained while playing in a two-game prospect set recently against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blues have two more preseason games remaining before the regular season opens Oct. 2 against the Dallas Stars and will continue it when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Enterprise Center before playing the Blackhawks on Saturday in Chicago. 

Thursday's game will be broadcast on Matrix Midwest (Spectrum Ch. 186, DISH Ch. 31, Over-the-Air Ch. 32.2, 32.3) and available to stream for free on both stlouisblues.com and the Blues app. The broadcast and stream will carry the same territorial restrictions as a normal regular-season broadcast. Fans can visit the “Where to Watch” page on the Blues website to find out if their zip code is included in the broadcast territory.

St. Louis Blues Introduce Blue Note+ As Exclusive Multimedia Network For TelecastsBlue Note+ will be available on Spectrum and streaming on Prime Video; negotiations continue with additional cable, satellite and other providers'It Was A Dream Come True To Play My First Couple Of NHL Games. ... Now it's a new season, you're starting from zero and you're here to take a spot.'Theo Lindstein's start to his NHL career has been better than advertised; the 21-year-old is guarded about things though. He understands he's only scratching the surface, there's plenty more to learnSt. Louis Blues' Tyler Tucker Injures Knee, Will Be Re-Evaluated In A Couple DaysDefenseman will be out more than day to day

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Colorado Avalanche are trimming their blue line as training camp winds down.

Colorado placed defensemen Christian Wolanin and Domenick Fensore on waivers Wednesday afternoon, putting both players in position to be claimed by any of the NHL’s other 31 teams over the next 24 hours. Assuming they clear, both are expected to be assigned to the Colorado Eagles.

For the Avalanche, the move is part of the final roster shuffle before the regular season. Both defensemen signed one-year, two-way contracts with Colorado this summer and were brought in to provide organizational depth.

The 31-year-old Wolanin has spent most of his career bouncing between the NHL and AHL. The 2015 fourth-round pick has appeared in 79 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues, recording six goals and 23 points. He hasn't played in an NHL game since appearing in 16 games for Vancouver during the 2022-23 season.

The bulk of Wolanin's production has come in the AHL. He put up 55 points in just 49 games with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2022-23 and followed that with another productive season before recording 31 points in 53 games with the Providence Bruins last year.

Fensore, meanwhile, is still trying to establish himself as an NHL regular. The 25-year-old defenseman was selected 90th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019 NHL Draft and has appeared in just three NHL games. He spent last season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, where he led the team's defensemen with 35 points in 60 games.

Both players now have to wait and see whether another NHL team makes a claim. If they go unclaimed, they'll continue their seasons with the Eagles, remaining available as potential call-up options for Colorado when injuries or roster needs arise.

The Avalanche are set to play in their third of four preseason matchups on Saturday when they face the Winnipeg Jets at Ball Arena. Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed a couple of defensemen on waivers on Wednesday. The minor-league blueliners include Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis, who were placed on the wire, according to PuckPedia.

This can be viewed as the first batch of roster cuts, in terms of personnel to make the NHL lineup. McWard and Mermis have been waived because Toronto is trimming the roster as the 2026-27 campaign approaches.

There are also two players who don't feature in either split-squad roster for Wednesday's pre-season contest against the Ottawa Senators.

Since joining the NHL in 2022-23 as an undrafted player, McWard has only played a total of nine NHL games. Last year, he made just one appearance with the New York Islanders and 63 games with the Bridgeport Islanders in the AHL.

The 25-year-old defenseman was signed to a two-year contract by the Maple Leafs, earning $875,000 per season against the salary cap.

Maple Leafs Unveil Rosters For Final Pre-Season Split-Squad Game Against SenatorsThe Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their rosters for both the final pre-season games against the Ottawa Senators in a split-squad affair for Wednesday night.

As for Mermis, he has several more NHL games under his belt, featuring a total of 89 across parts of nine seasons in the league. In the past two years, he played 14 games for Toronto, scoring one goal last season in 11 contests.

Last year, Mermis played a key role in the Toronto Marlies taking home the AHL's Calder Cup. He featured in all 24 playoff games for the Marlies and recorded 10 assists.

Toronto signed Mermis back in July 2024. In the 2024-25 season, they lost him on waivers to the Utah Mammoth, but claimed him back later in the year.

Both Mermis and McWard have been paired together in Group 2 of the Maple Leafs' training camp so far. They are anticipated to be the third pairing with the Marlies, based on how they lined up in the lead-up days to the regular season.

See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source

---

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

After their second preseason game and reaching the halfway point of training camp, the Philadelphia Flyers have made a few more cuts as their final roster begins to take shape.

Several notable prospects, like Brek Liske and Maksim Sokolovskii, for example, were sent back to junior hockey as part of the first round of cuts.

Now, it is time for some veterans and newcomers to join them, as the Flyers have clearly established which players are battling for ice time and a roster spot.

On Wednesday, it was revealed by PuckPedia that the Flyers had placed six veterans on waivers: defenseman Cam Dineen, and forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Nolan Foote, Carl Grundstrom, Jack Studnicka, and Danila Klimovich.

Of the six, Grundstrom is the biggest surprise given that he has practiced in an NHL-facing role throughout training camp, but the Flyers could also be making this move now for the sake of roster flexibility going forward.

Should Grundstrom clear waivers now, he will not have to clear waivers again until he plays in 10 regular season games or spends 30 days on the NHL roster, whichever comes first.

This would give the Flyers insurance in case Denver Barkey (lower-body) is not back by the time the regular season starts, or in the event Nikita Grebenkin (upper-body) is not yet ready for game action.

Remember, Grebenkin has not played a competitive game since March, has yet to appear in a preseason game, and spent the early portion of training camp in a yellow non-contact jersey.

Now is the time for Grebenkin to begin ramping up, though runway is short with the regular season opener just one week away now.

As for the other players, it is clear they will just be depth options over the course of the season.

Studnicka had some moments, but that was about it from the rest of the group. Klimovich was at fault for one of the Boston Bruins' goals in Tuesday night's loss.

The remaining forwards competing for roster spots on the Flyers currently include Grundstrom, Jacob Gaucher, Jett Luchanko, Cole Knuble, Grebenkin, and Riley Thompson.

The San Jose Sharks are continuing to trim down their training camp roster as we've now passed the midway point of preseason. While the majority of cuts were unsurprising, there is one that stood out a bit more than the rest.

Ethan Cardwell was one of three players placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the American Hockey League, along with Tye Felhaber and Libor Hajek. Cardwell has the highest chance of being claimed of the three, as he could potentially fill a fourth line role at the NHL level for a team with a shortage of quality depth. Given his usage in preseason, it seemed that he was in contention for an NHL job this time around, but it appears that management has seen enough.

The Sharks reassigned five forwards: Andre Gasseau, Samuel Huo, Donovan Houle, Anthony Vincent, and Carson Wetsch. Four defensemen were also sent to join the Barracuda: Roland McKeown, Mack Oliphant, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, and Phillip Sinn. Last but not least, goaltender Matt Davis was also reassigned to the AHL.

With the Sharks' training camp roster currently sitting at 36 players, we're going to see quite a few more cuts in the coming days, with the next batch likely coming after tomorrow night's game against the Anaheim Ducks.

On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were back on the SAP Center's ice for the first time since April as they hosted the Vegas Golden Knights for their first home preseason game of the 2026-27 season.

In the opening moments, Dmitri Orlov showed some signs of summer rust as he gave the Golden Knights a prime scoring chance with a turnover in the neutral zone. On the other end of spectrum, Ethan Cardwell continued to show why he is in the battle for an NHL job as he had a phenomenal first shift starting with maintaining possession in the defensive zone and ended with a shot on goal.

A broken stick gave the Sharks' fourth line a decent chance roughly five minutes into the game, as the Golden Knights' pass was off line and landed directly on the blade of Patrick Giles, although nothing came of it. 

Alex Wennberg caught a puck up high on his birthday, causing a whistle with 12:59 remaining in the first. Nolan Allan then went on to make his presence felt with a huge old-school body check on Alexander Holtz.

In the middle of the period, the combination of Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov seemed to be thriving, as they were generating some solid changes in transition. Patrick Giles on the other hand had a dangerous giveaway behind the Sharks' net, but he immediately made up for it with a massive hit just a second later. 

Luca Cagnoni almost connected with Misa for a deflection in front of the net at one stage but it bounced off the post, then moments later, the young defenseman hit the pipe on his own shot.

After 20 minutes of play, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 but the Sharks had generated some quality scoring chances.

Collin Graf appeared to have an equipment issue right off the draw to start the second period, causing the Sharks' lines to be jumbled for a bit while he got his skate blades replaced on the bench. 

The Sharks somehow didn't score a goal with 11:36 remaining in the middle frame. A sprawled out Carter Hart was able to deny a backhand chance by Stenberg, that should've found the back of the net. A minute later, Yaroslav Askarov had a bit of showmanship himself, raising his glove up in the face of Jonas Rondbjerg after a glove save. 

The second period seemed to fly by with few specific notable moments. Luca Cagnoni and the aforementioned Askarov were definitely the standouts of the period, as Askarov appeared to have much more confidence. Cagnoni also had quite a bit of confidence and was timing his pinches from the blue line perfectly and helping generate offense from the blue line, even if the Sharks had yet to score in the "Power Bite Farewell Tour."

Michael Misa finally broke the deadlock, and officially got the previously mentioned Farewell Tour underway, when he scored a power play goal 4:16 into the third period. The power play had generated quite a few chances, but one finally made its way past Hart. The Sharks' lead didn't last long though, as Alex Holtz tied it up for the Golden Knights four minutes later. 

Cagnoni got outmuscled heavily in front of his own net around the midway point of the period by Jakub Demek. Given Demek's seven-inch height advantage and 32 pounds on Cagnoni, it's not unexpected, but does show one of the Sharks' defenseman's biggest flaws. With his stature, he's going to be pushed around fairly regularly by bigger opposition and there's obviously nothing that can really be done about that. 

Tyler Toffoli and Igor Chernyshov had an opportunity to restore the Sharks' lead on a nice give-and-go passing play, but despite Hart being out of position, Toffoli got the shot off too late and put it in the side of the net rather than scoring. 

The game remained tied throughout the rest of the third period and went into overtime. Despite quite a few chances for both sides, neither team scored in the 3-on-3 period and the game went to a shootout. 

The Sharks ultimately went on to fall in the shootout, losing to the Golden Knights 2-1.

Isaac Howard played more than 17 minutes for the Edmonton Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night and finished the night with no shots in a 2-1 overtime win.

But hey, wasn't it just a few days ago that Mike Babcock was saying he didn't particularly like Howard's game?

Howard has spent training camp trying to carve out a spot on this roster having already played a year in Bakersfield. He has talked about improving the details, becoming a more mature player and taking his offseason training seriously. One preseason game drew criticism from his new coach, and another gave him very little opportunity to show the offensive game that got him here.

Maybe everyone can relax a little bit.

“It was just a gritty game. There wasn't a ton of chances either way. I think we just stuck with it,” Howard said. “I didn't think there was a ton going on that game. It was just a simple game.”

That's preseason hockey sometimes.

The Oilers and Jets combined for 41 shots, of which Howard had none, and Viljami Marjala ultimately scored the overtime winner. Howard did, however, spend the night playing with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.

“When you're used to playing in a different league and you have the puck all the time — then you get out here and you never get the puck — for young guys, it can be frustrating,” Babcock said. “Then you try to do too much instead of just doing your job and check it back. You're going to get a chance, then you’ve got to make it count.

Oilers Bubble Players Impress In Tight Preseason Win Over JetsViljami Marjala’s overtime heroics and standout defensive performances from Atro Leppänen and Damien Carfagna force tough roster decisions as Edmonton’s youth depth shines against the Jets.

“It's just a growing experience for Howie.”

Let's be real here, Howard is 22 years old and committed to being a full-time NHL player. Every now and then, he's going to have games Babcock likes, games he doesn't like and probably a few where there isn't enough happening to have much of an opinion either way.

That's why taking individual preseason performances too seriously gets a little silly.

Howard didn't lose his chance to play in the NHL when Babcock said he didn't like his first preseason game, nor did he secure one Tuesday night either. Babcock's comments about Howard have largely centred around that process of getting to know your players and where they are best suited to play within your lineup.

Howard can shoot, score, make plays with the puck, and he's more mature about the defensive side of his game as well. Zach Hyman said during camp that nobody around the Oilers is particularly concerned about those parts of his game, with the focus instead going toward his physical play, forechecking and the details required to play in the NHL.

Mike Babcocks First Look At The OilersMike Babcock was pretty clear when he said he needed to see the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers#google_vignette">Edmonton Oilers</a> on the ice before he knew what he had, and Saturday's 5-2 preseason win over the Winnipeg Jets gave him his first game with the group.

Preseason creates too much noise every September, probably because of the size of camp when it starts compared to when it ends and the expectations fans have for every player. A young player has a bad night and suddenly his roster chances are questioned. He plays well two nights later and everyone starts pencilling him into the opening-night lineup.

Howard's camp hasn't really changed that much.

He came into it with an opportunity to make the Oilers, and he still has one. Babcock has found parts of his game he wants improved, Howard has acknowledged the details he needs to work on, and Edmonton still has time before it has to make a final decision.

The Oilers plan to dress a largely AHL lineup Thursday in Vancouver before using something close to their opening-night roster Saturday against Calgary. Howard will get his answer soon enough.

Until then, one preseason game is still one preseason game, even when the head coach doesn't particularly like it.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Alberts Smits is doing everything he can to make sure that he sticks with the Rangers to start the season. 

While the team has emphasized that their main focus will be on his long-term development, they are giving him every opportunity to earn himself a spot. 

Smits has been tremendous throughout rookie and training camp, and he carried that right into his first preseason showing Tuesday night against the Islanders. 

“I thought he played really well,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. 

The youngster looked more than comfortable skating in his first unofficial NHL game, holding his own across 15:31 of ice time against the crosstown rivals. 

He even found his way onto the scorers’ sheet for the first time with a blocked shot, a pair of hits, and a beauty of an assist on the Rangers’ third goal of the night. 

Though it was just one game, Sullivan was again left impressed by the d-man’s play. 

“We’re really encouraged by what we’ve seen from him,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges for young players is the physical size and strength of the guys in this league, and you can see it, he’s a man as an 18-year-old. 

"He’s big and strong, he has the ability to battle on pucks -- he’s big enough and strong enough to compete in this league -- that’s one challenge I think he’s already met during his brief time with us.”

The high praise and quick success certainly doesn’t come as a surprise, as Smits was viewed by many around the game as one of the most NHL-ready prospects in this draft class. 

If he continues to show he’s good enough, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be skating alongside Braden Schneider on the Rangers’ third defensive pairing come Opening Night in Boston.