Category: Ice Hockey

The Islanders’ first crack a lineup without Alexander Romanov came with a reshuffling instead of a call-up. 

Coach Pete DeBoer kept Matthew Schaefer on the right and inserted Scott Mayfield into the lineup for Thursday’s match against the Blackhawks at UBS, moving Logan Stanley to the top pair alongside Schaefer and Tony DeAngelo to his off side on Mayfield’s left. 

Those were the first and third pairs; the second featured the reunion of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock. 

“We’re gonna start this way, and we’ll see,” DeBoer said. “And then from there, nothing’s set in stone. We might move guys around, so I think probably a lot like our line combinations, I’m not married to anything. But I think the initial thought was, we’ve got puck movers with guys that think defense first.” 

With Romanov likely to miss the entire season after tearing his ACL in Tuesday’s loss to the Rangers, it’s a safe bet this is only the first attempt at sorting out the defense pairs. It’s instructive, though, that DeBoer kept Schaefer on the right, which Schaefer said came after a conversation between the two. 

That is another sign in a series of them that the organization might see Schaefer as a long-term option on the right — which would be a way of balancing out a lefty-heavy pool of defensemen both on the roster and in the prospect pipeline. 

“Of course [DeBoer’s] gonna talk [to me] and see what I feel comfortable with,” Schaefer said. “At the end of the day, I like just being on the ice. If it’s left, if it’s right, whatever makes the boat go faster. It’s gonna be awesome.” 

DeBoer, for his part, said he’s comfortable with Schaefer anywhere — so much so that he can build the rest of the lineup first and then insert the defenseman on whichever side is needed. 

With Schaefer on the right and Romanov done for the year, the left side has quickly become much thinner than it looked just a few weeks ago, a fact underscored by Stanley playing on the top pair so soon after signing. 

DeBoer and teammates alike used words such as “devastating” in relation to Romanov, who was just three games into his return from shoulder surgery and now needs to spend another season rehabbing. 

“I just feel awful for him,” Bo Horvat said. “It’s been two tough years for him in that sense. I just feel sick for him. I know how hard he worked in the summertime to get back into the shape that he’s in, and he looked great. A couple games in, I’m heartbroken for him.” 

For Mayfield, this is also a critical chance to earn back a lineup spot he failed to defend in training camp, resulting in three consecutive healthy scratches to start the season. 

The veteran defenseman might be called into action on the penalty kill as well, should DeBoer want to continue keeping Schaefer off the 4-on-5 unit in an attempt to keep the 19-year-old’s minutes at least somewhat in check. 

“Obviously not playing, all you want to do is be out there with the guys and be competing,” Mayfield said. “Excited to be out there tonight.” 

A strong showing right away would do a lot for Mayfield given there is plenty of internal competition. Matt Kessel, another righty, is on the roster too. Isaiah George and Kashawn Aitcheson, both lefties, are in AHL Hamilton but could be in line for call-ups should a need arise. 

“What I like about [Mayfield], he didn’t pout about the situation,” DeBoer said. “He handled it like a pro. He’s got great leadership, and he worked hard. Now, he’s got an opportunity to get back in. That’s all part of hockey, it’s how you respond to adversity.”

It's cozy season.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the NHL partnered with PacSun and The Wild Collective to release a 15-piece women's merchandise collection. The items available are boxy T-shirts ($45), longsleeve polos ($65) and fleece hoodies ($90) from the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals.

Instead of going the stereotypical "pink it and shrink it" route, the pieces utilize the team colors and embrace the current trend of oversized silhouettes. The hoodies are especially of note, as the logos and wordmarks are the same color as the base, giving fans a fashion-forward monochromatic look.

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The Wild Collective brand is founded by Whitney Bansin and has been licensing sports apparel for nearly a decade. She got her first sports gig with the Vegas Golden Knights when the team debuted in Sin City in 2017. The brand has since worked with the NFL, NBA and WNBA and has partnerships with Target and Anthropologie.

"It was through that initial collection with the Golden Knights that really just sparked it all," she told NBC's 3 News in Las Vegas. "I had no intention of going down the sports route. I had no intention of getting every league and doing programs for everyone. That was just not in the forefront. I just wanted to make cool stuff that people in Vegas could wear to these games."

The NHL collection continues the growing movement to invest in women's merchandise that reflects a diversity of style and taste. Jasmine Maietta founded Round21 in 2020 to bring together sports and art with an emphasis on women. Kiya Tomlin and Kristin Juszczyk have been creating women's merchandise for NFL fans for several years. Juszczyk went viral in 2024 when Taylor Swift wore a jersey jacket she designed. Her OffSeason brand now creates merchandise for multiple sports entities, including the WNBA and Formula 1.

The world of hockey is also embracing women fans and players like never before. On Thursday, the Professional Women's Hockey League revealed the jerseys and color combinations for its four expansion teams. The league, which will have 12 teams, will host its first All-Star event in March in Toronto.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See new NHL women's merch for Red Wings, Ducks, Avs that's not pink

Sharks overcome ‘adversity' in OT road win vs. Blues without Macklin Celebrini originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Sharks have what it takes to be a winning NHL team, and they showed Thursday that they can be one no matter who’s on the ice.

In the midst of some early season adversity, San Jose defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime at Enterprise Center, spoiling their opponent’s home opener and grabbing a gutsy win without injured superstar Macklin Celebrini.

Darnell Nurse scored his first goal in a Sharks uniform to give San Jose the victory — their third win of the 2026-27 NHL season, all of which have come in OT.

The Sharks, battling without their captain, beat the odds on the road in a back-and-forth bout that ended in glory on the national stage.

“It’s a totally different season for us,” Tyler Toffoli told ESPN’s Kevin Weekes during second intermission. “There’s a lot more expectations for us coming into the season, and obviously with Mack going down, missing a couple games here. Hopefully he’s not out for too long, but a little adversity for us, and we’ve got to show that we can play without him for right now.”

Thursday’s contest marked the second consecutive game Celebrini has missed as he deals with a lower-body injury the Sharks are labeling as day-to-day. Celebrini participated in morning skate Thursday but wasn’t on the ice for warmups, though Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters earlier this week the ailment isn’t anything new, and the team has been managing it before his late scratch before Monday’s loss.

“It’s a good test for everybody to step up,” Toffoli told Weekes.

The Sharks did just that against the Blues, with Toffoli leading the charge from the jump. After Connor McMichael put St. Louis ahead 1-0 with a first-period goal, Toffoli answered back with a game-tying wrister in the second that served as the first sign of life from San Jose.

After Dillon Dube scored to push the Blues back ahead in the third period, Collin Graf made it 2-2 with his first goal of the year before Nurse called game in OT.

Toffoli led the Sharks with two points on the night thanks to his assist on Graf’s goal, and Alex Nedeljkovic had a stellar game in net with 24 saves — 10 in the first period alone.

“I think first off, Ned was huge for us in the first period,” Nurse told ESPN after the win. “He made some big, timely saves. I mean, he did it throughout the game, but in that first period, he held that one. And obviously, we had gone through not having our captain last game. You don’t want to have [Celebrini] out, but you’ve got to pick it up by committee. …

“[The Blues] came out hard, and we responded really well. This is a young group, a hungry group, and a very, very exciting group to play with. So this was a big win for us.”

It’s safe to say Nurse is enjoying his new home with San Jose after joining Team Teal in an offseason trade. He certainly won the hearts of Sharks fans with his game-winner Thursday, and now the team will head back to SAP Center to face off against Nurse’s former team, the Edmonton Oilers, on Saturday.

And whether or not Celebrini is back on the ice, the Sharks have shown they’re more than up to the challenge.

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The Buffalo Sabres take on the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center on Thursday in the third game of their five-game homestand, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen getting the start in goal after backup Colten Ellis started and won 3-2 in overtime over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. 

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff made line changes in the third period to provide a spark, and kept those combos at practice on Wednesday, with Jiri Kulich and Peyton Krebs skating with Tage Thompson, and Josh Norris moving down in the lineup. 

Injured veterans Jason Zucker and goalie Alex Lyon were on the ice on Thursday for an optional morning skate. 

Lyon spoke to the media on Tuesday, and Zucker followed suit on Thursday, providing an update on his status of recovery from core muscle surgery, saying that things are on track and progressing, but there is no specific timeline for when he will be able to return.   

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Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

" I'm  progressing,  making  sure  that  it's  getting  strong  enough,  going  up  the  way  it  needs  to.  I  feel  good  on  the  ice, feels  where  it  needs  to  be.” Zucker said. “We're  making  sure  that  we are sticking  to  the  timeline  and  the  plan  that  we  put  together,  and  then, we  have  some  stuff  in  the  back  of  our  mind  that  we're  looking  at,  but  it's  a  very  soft  date  at  this  point." 

The 34-year-old winger had 24 goals last season, but missed 20 games, and struggled to score at a similar rate in the playoffs. Zucker did not have surgery until early August, which kept him out of training camp and the exhibition schedule, but indicated that as much as he wants to get back in the lineup, he knows that he has to be at full strength to avoid re-injury.

"Luckily  or  unluckily.... I've  done  this  far  too  many  times  throughout  my  career. I  know  that  rushing  it  never  works  out  in  your  favor.  You're  always  going  to  come  back.  You're  going  to  feel  it  within  a  couple  of  games.  You're  going  to  go  backwards," Zucker said.  "It's  just  kind  of  understanding  that  it's  part  of  the  healing  process.  You  need  to stick  to  the  timeline  and  make  sure  that  it's  100% T here's  certain  things  you  can  play  through  at  80 or  90%.  Then there's  other  things, t ypically post-surgeries,  you  have  to  get  back  to  100%  before  you're  going  to  come  back  and  play." 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

Nick Foligno will join the Minnesota Wild's injury list, as coach John Hynes confirmed today that the veteran forward will miss tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury.

Foligno is considered day-to-day, and the team hopes he can return to the lineup on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Foligno played just 3:29 before exiting in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres. In three games this season, Foligno has scored one goal and fired three shots on goal. 

The 38-year-old dealt with injury issues last season during his split season between the Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks.

In wake of Foligno's absence, Hynes has altered his lines.

Marcus Foligno will move onto the third line with Ryan Hartman and Bobby Brink. Yakov Trenin will slide down to the fourth line with Michael McCarron and Nico Sturm, who is entering the lineup in place of Foligno.

Yesterday, the Wild recalled 34-year-old right-handed forward Tyler Pitlick from the AHL. He’ll serve as the 13th forward until Foligno returns or if another injury occurs. 

Up against the Lightning tonight, the Wild will have to slow down Nikita Kucherov, who has potted one goal and racked up four points in three games. The Wild will avoid 2025-26 Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, but they will face Dennis Hildeby, a 6-foot-6, 25-year-old Swedish netminder who has played 26 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

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A familiar face from the Colorado Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship run is facing an extended absence after a hard hit left Detroit Red Wings forward J.T. Compher sidelined.

Compher was injured Sunday during Detroit’s 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets after being driven into the boards by Jets defenseman Tyrel Bauer in the first period. He did not return to the game, and the collision was followed by a fight between Bauer and Red Wings defenseman Keegan Kolesar.

While that altercation quickly drew attention, Detroit’s bigger concern was the health of Compher. Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan had no significant update Wednesday, saying Compher was not skating and remained day-to-day. The Red Wings have since placed him on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least 10 games.

For Avalanche fans, Compher’s absence is an opportunity to remember just how valuable he was during Colorado’s championship years.

Selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Compher did not make his NHL debut until March 2, 2017, when he suited up for the Avalanche. He went on to spend parts of seven seasons in Colorado, appearing in 423 regular-season games and recording 88 goals and 106 assists for 194 points.

But Compher’s impact went beyond his regular-season production. During Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, he became one of the team’s most reliable depth contributors. He appeared in all 20 playoff games, scoring five goals and adding three assists.

Those eight points only tell part of the story. Compher consistently delivered timely goals and important plays throughout Colorado’s run to the championship, establishing himself as one of the roster’s most dependable depth pieces.

After the 2023 season, Compher left Colorado in free agency and signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract with Detroit. He has not replicated the success he enjoyed with the Avalanche, but his contributions to Colorado’s championship run remain an important part of his legacy.

Now, the Red Wings will have to move forward without him as they await further clarity on his injury.

The Vegas Golden Knights could see a slightly different-looking Toronto Maple Leafs lineup when the two teams meet Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Toronto used its morning skate to make some adjustments up front, with the biggest changes coming in the middle six. The Maple Leafs arrive in Vegas with a 2-2-0 record, while the Golden Knights have opened the season 3-1-0.

As reported by Andre Leal of The Hockey News, rookie Gavin McKenna is expected to return to the third line with Nick Paul and Colton Sissons. McKenna spent time alongside John Tavares and William Nylander during Toronto’s overtime victory over Nashville.

Easton Cowan is now projected to occupy the left-wing spot on the second line with Tavares and Nylander. Toronto’s first and fourth lines are otherwise unchanged, while the defensive pairings are also expected to remain intact.

The adjustments follow a wild 5-4 overtime win over the Predators, when Toronto coach Jim Hiller shuffled his forward combinations throughout the game. McKenna made headlines by scoring his first NHL goal, finishing a play set up by Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic.

Toronto is also expected to change goaltenders.

Sergei Bobrovsky, who won two Stanley Cups as a member of the Florida Panthers is projected to get the start against Vegas after Anthony Stolarz handled the crease against Nashville. Bobrovsky, who struggled in his final year by the beach, is still looking for his first victory as a Maple Leaf after beginning the season 0-2-0, with a .887 save percentage and 3.06 goals-against average.

His career numbers against Vegas are considerably stronger. Bobrovsky is 8-3-0 in 11 appearances against the Golden Knights, posting a .913 save percentage and 2.40 GAA.

Vegas is expected to counter with Adin Hill, who will make his second start of the season after stopping 18 of 20 shots in a 3-2 win over Vancouver.

The Golden Knights will also welcome Raphael Lavoie into the lineup for the first time this season. He’ll replace Victor Olofsson, who was injured in Vegas’ most recent game against Seattle. Olofsson’s absence is a notable one after he opened the season with four goals in the Golden Knights’ first four games.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Hockey fans across North America may have to be night owls at points this season to see their team play, thanks to a move by three Canadian provinces to stay on daylight saving time.

Alberta, home of the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, Manitoba with the Winnipeg Jets and British Columbia with the Vancouver Canucks decided not to move clocks back an hour in November and ahead in March, a shift that throws a few wrinkles into an NHL schedule that is driven by media rights holders.

“It’s out of our control,” Calgary president and chief executive officer Robert Hayes told the Canadian Press. “I’ve always said in my business career, ‘Let’s focus on the things we can control,’ and we can’t control that. A decision was made by the province ... and decisions were made by others that this is the time we’re going to start hockey games.”

For the Flames, that means the puck will drop at 9 p.m. local time for eight games, including two at home (Dec. 26 and Jan. 16).

“Professional athletes got to do what we got to do to get ready,” said Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “There’s caffeine out there.”

Edmonton has seven games starting at 9 p.m. Defenseman Jake Walman doesn't think he will have as many family members watching at home, while teammate Trent Frederic expects to adjust his sleep routine to go to bed, nap and eat lunch later than normal.

“The naps are big, or at least they are for myself," Frederic said. "A lot of times after games, the later games, you’re going to bed late, you’re still wired, so it’s just important to kind of stick with getting the good naps.”

Manitoba announced its decision on Sept. 17, the same day players hit the ice for NHL training camps. The next day, the NHL issued changes to a dozen Winnipeg Jets home games, pushing them back an hour, but none later than 7:30 p.m. local time. Manitoba will be on the same time as Toronto on Nov. 1.

The Canucks have some quirky road puck drops, including one trip in January with five different start times ranging from noon to 6 p.m.

"It’s going to be different,” winger Brendan Gallagher said. “It’s something that we’ve never really been through. Even having an 8 p.m. game to start the season, a little bit different, but we’ll get used to it.

At the Stanley Cup Final in June, Commissioner Gary Bettman joked that nobody asked the league what it thought about the time zone changes.

“Not that they should have, but we’ll deal with it,” Bettman said, foreshadowing the impact on some start times for Canada's Western Conference teams. “We’ll deal with just as we deal with whatever things come our way that we don’t get to control.”

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

After losing to the Connor Bedard-less Chicago Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues could face the Macklin Celebrini-less San Jose Sharks.

Celebrini was a late scratch on Monday against the Dallas Stars, where the Sharks lost 5-0, and tonight, Celebrini's participation is in jeopardy.

The 20-year-old captain did partake in the optional skate this morning, but his status for tonight's game against the Blues is a game-time decision. Celebrini did not participate in any of the previous two team practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

It's an encouraging sign for the Sharks, but nothing is definitive yet.

As for the Blues, taking on a Celebrini-less Sharks is a much more favorable matchup, but if Tuesday's loss to the Blackhawks proves anything, it's that any NHL team can beat another on any given night. 

The Blackhawks hosted the Blues with a 0-3-0 record and 15 goals against, but they limited the Blues to just two goals and 27 shots. 

The Sharks have a 2-1-0 record, but they are allowing four goals a game and 29 shots. Despite off-season blueline additions, they remain vulnerable defensively.

Can Blues' Robert Thomas Breakout Against the Struggling Blackhawks?Robert Thomas is yet to produce a point through the first two games, but with a matchup against the struggling Chicago Blackhawks, can the St. Louis Blues captain break out?

Without Celebrini, they are also vulnerable offensively. Against the Stars, the Sharks mustered just 13 shots on goal. Even without Celebrini, the Sharks still boast a forward group of Will Smith, Michael Misa, Ivar Stenberg, Igor Chernyshov, Colin Graf, and other veterans, so it's no free pass.

The Blues are still looking to get some players going, notably the top line of Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Jimmy Snuggerud. They'll convert chances soon, and tonight against the Sharks is another opportunity to do so. 

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up for their first game on the road this season, meeting the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. At morning skate at T-Mobile Arena, the Maple Leafs revealed their projected lineup to kick off this road trip.

Toronto flies into Nevada with a 2-2-0 record, while Vegas owns a 3-1-0 record across the first four games of the season.

The forward group will see a minor change with the middle six. 

The last game for the Leafs was a 5-4 dramatic overtime win against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. In that contest, there were several lines that were shuffled, including the moment Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal, assisted by Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic. Typically, he's slotted on the left wing of John Tavares and William Nylander.

In the third period, the rookie dropped to the third line with Nick Paul and Colton Sissons. As a result, Easton Cowan got a shot with Tavares, with Kirill Marchenko getting a look on that line too. That left Nylander with Matthews and Roslovic, leaving head coach Jim Hiller with plenty of options to deploy his squad.

Those changes from Tuesday make a small feature in Toronto's projected lineup for it's contest against Vegas.

Leafs lines during morning skate Oct 8/26

Marchenko-Matthews-Roslovic
Cowan-Tavares-Nylander
McKenna-Paul-Sissons
Duhaime-Blueger-Groulx
Extra: McEwen

McCabe-Tanev
Rielly-Raddysh
OEL-Stecher
Extra: Blankenburg.

Bobrovsky
Stolarz@Ozoon_CApic.twitter.com/qOUy5sbn0n

— David Alter (@davidalter) October 8, 2026

McKenna was skating on the third line with Paul and Sissons, with Cowan up on the second line as the left winger alongside Tavares and Nylander.

Hiller said after morning skate that he really liked the way the team finished the game against Nashville, and that would include where Cowan and McKenna were playing in the lineup.

"They finished that. Gavin finished with those guys. We liked how we finished the game, so it's just kind of easy for us," he said. "It was a good night in the end, so why change it?"

Cowan had a hot start to the season, scoring a goal and three points in his first pair of games. Hiller admitted that he probably hasn't played him as much as he deserves, so he's interested to see how he'll perform with more responsibility with Tavares and Nylander on his line.

"I thought he started really strong, and then I probably haven't played him as much," Hiller said. "He probably probably deserved a little bit more ice time. So, we'll give him another crack. He'll get a little more tonight, probably with (Tavares) and (Nylander). So, we'll see. We'll see where he takes it."

Toronto's fourth line and the first line remain the usual trio, and the defense pairs are the same, too.

In terms of goaltending, Anthony Stolarz was the Maple Leafs' starter against the Predators. Before that game, when Hiller said that he'd be the starting goaltender, he said that they had a goaltending rotation plan.

'It Was His Turn': Anthony Stolarz Is Starting Against Predators, The Maple Leafs' Road 'Plan' For Goaltending RotationToronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz will start against the Nashville Predators. With that, head coach Jim Hiller reveals he has a "plan" for his goaltending rotation.

Based on morning skate, Sergei Bobrovsky is projected to start for the Maple Leafs against the Golden Knights. The veteran netminder is still looking to earn his first win for Toronto, having lost his first two games and averaging an .887 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average.

Bobrovsky is 8-3-0 against Vegas in his career, averaging a .913 SP and a 2.40 GAA across those 11 outings.

For special teams, Toronto's power-play formation and layout is the same as it was against the Predators.

Leafs PP Units Oct. 8/26

Raddysh
Nylander-Marchenko-Matthews
Tavares

Rielly
Roslovic-Paul-McKenna
Cowan@Ozoon_CApic.twitter.com/XbFAoBhBLh

— David Alter (@davidalter) October 8, 2026

Regarding the Golden Knights, they had their morning skate and laid out their lineup against the Maple Leafs.

Victor Olofsson not on the ice this morning, so here are the lines ahead of tonight’s game with Toronto:

Barbashev-Eichel-Stone
Howden-Karlsson-Marner
Connelly-Hertl-Lavoie
Gatcomb-Dowd-Bowman

McNabb-Theodore
Wotherspoon-Andersson
Lauzon-Hanifin#VegasBorn | @FOX5Vegaspic.twitter.com/BARf1ChO2N

— Vince Sapienza (@VinceSapienza) October 8, 2026

Victor Olofsson was injured in Vegas' last game on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken, and won't be in the lineup against Toronto. So Raphael Lavoie is making his season debut for the Knights in Olofsson's place.

In the crease, Adin Hill gets his second start of the season. He earned a win in his first start in a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, where he posted a .900 save percentage, stopping 18 of 20 shots on goal.

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Today we celebrate the anniversary of one of the oldest and most popular traditions involving the Florida Panthers and their fans.

If you’re an NHL fan and are familiar with the Panthers, odds are you’ve heard of their victory tradition.

After every one of the team’s victories, Panthers fans celebrate by throwing plastic rats on the ice.

It’s something that started 31 years ago, all the way back on Oct. 8, 1995.

On that Sunday night, a few hours after Dan Marino broke Fran Tarkenton’s NFL career completions record at Joe Robbie Stadium, the Panthers hosted the Calgary Flames for their home opener at Miami Arena.

Surely there were a few South Florida sports fans who attended both games, which sure sounds like a fun way to spend a Sunday.

As the Panthers were preparing to take the ice that night, something happened in the locker room that would impact the franchise for decades to come.

A few minutes before puck drop, a live rat emerged in the dressing room and scurried across the floor, startling the majority of the players who were getting dressed.

One player, however, was not fazed by the furry rodent, and that was forward Scott Mellanby.

While many players jumped on chairs or moved away from the rat, Mellanby grabbed his stick and one-timed the gnawing pest across the room and into a wall, killing it instantly.

The story could have stopped there and it would’ve just been a fun story to hear on podcasts 30 years later, but then Mellanby went out with that same stick and scored a pair of goals while helping Florida to a 4-3 victory over the Flames.

After the game, to put a bow on the night and giving fans something to think about, Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck referred to Mellanby’s heroic efforts on and off the ice that night as a “Rat Trick.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Fans quickly picked up on the comment and began throwing plastic rats on the ice after Panthers goals.

For the rat-throwing tradition, the timing couldn’t have been better.

Florida was playing in just the team’s third season of existence, but they were about to embark on an incredible journey.

After making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the Panthers went on a Cinderella march all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

During the improbable playoff run, the throwing of the rats took on a life of its own, to the point where the Panthers had to employ several people whose job was to go on the ice after goals and clean up all the rats as quickly as they could.

There would be delays lasting several minutes after Florida scored on home ice, which ultimately led to the NHL changing its rules and threatening home teams with delay of game penalties if fans consistently threw items which caused a delay.

That’s when the tradition changed from after every goal to after every win.

To this day, Panthers fans still throw rats after every home win, and you’ll even see a few sprinkled on the ice for some of Florida’s road victories.

It’s a tradition as random as it is awesome, and one that Panthers fans have long embraced as their own.

Over the past few seasons, some of the Panthers players have even gotten in on the fun.

During Florida’s last run to the Stanley Cup in 2025, former Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues began shooting rats at Brad Marchand as the team exited the ice after a win.

KATIE ENGLESON on Instagram5,603 likes: "Favorite part of every postgame celebration. Evan Rodrig...

Marchand, a new Panthers player at the time, would collect the rats and bring them home to his kids.

Because what young children don’t want a few plastic rats to play with, am I right?

So wherever you are today, take a moment to think about a few things.

Think about Scott Mellany scoring two goals with a stick that still had rat hair stuck to the tape.

Think about a group of arena workers dressed as exterminators while using buckets and squeegees to collect thousands of rats off the ice.

Thank about Brad Marchand giving his children a thrill by bringing them home a handful of rats.

Think about a decades-long tradition that has survived the test of time despite being on one of the NHL’s most unsuccessful franchises (which was true until around seven years ago).

And if you have a chance, think about finding a plastic rat and throwing it at your TV, or on your living room floor, or wherever you are when you watch Panthers games.

Go Cats Go?

More like, Go Rats Go.

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Continuing their road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, searching for their first win of the young 2026-27 season amid an 0-2-2 start.

Desperation is, or at least should be, beginning to creep in for the Flyers, who barely look the part of a cohesive hockey team through the first handful of games leading to their winless start.

The Flyers are the last remaining team in the Eastern Conference without a win this season.

New free agent signing Michael Bunting, who is replacing Alex Bump on the NHL roster, is set to make his Flyers debut against the Senators on Thursday night, with head coach Rick Tocchet also shaking the lines up in a major way.

Goalie Joseph Woll will make his third start of the season after Dan Vladar started Monday night against Tampa Bay.

Woll has been one of the best goalies in the NHL early on in the season, surging to a 2.87 GAA and .929 save percentage in his two starts - both overtime losses.

Flyers lines vs. Senators

via The Inquirer's Gabriella Carroll in Ottawa

Travis Konecny - Sean Couturier - Porter Martone

Trevor Zegras - Christian Dvorak - Owen Tippett

Tyson Foerster - Denver Barkey - Matvei Michkov

Michael Bunting - Noah Cates - Noel Acciari

Travis Sanheim - Jamie Drysdale

Cam York - David Jiricek

Nick Seeler - Simon Benoit

Joseph Woll (S), Dan Vladar

Senators lines for Flyers game

William Eklund - Tim Stutzle - Drake Batherson

Ridly Greig - Dylan Cozens - Fabian Zetterlund

Michael Amadio - Shane Pinto - Claude Giroux

Warren Foegele - Stephen Halliday - Nick Cousins

Thomas Chabot - Jordan Spence

Tyler Kleven - Carter Yakemchuk

Cameron Crotty - Nikolas Matinpalo

Flyers special teams

Power play: 0-for-11, 0.0% (31st)

Penalty kill: 11-for-15, 73.3% (22nd)

Senators special teams

Power play: 1-for-13, 7.7% (25th)

Penalty kill: 10-for-13, 76.9% (18th)

How to watch the Flyers game

Thursday night's Flyers game can be found on RDSI, TSN5, and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Flyers player to watch

Defenseman David Jiricek has earned his way into a top-four role for the Flyers after a strong game against Tampa Bay, even if his high-profile turnover that effectively ended the game painted his performance in a dour light.

Rasmus Ristolainen is on the road trip for the Flyers but appears questionable at best, leaving the Flyers and Tocchet to rely on Jiricek and Travis Sanheim with Cam York and Jamie Drysdale badly struggling.

According to Gabriella Carroll, Jiricek is now quarterbacking the top power play unit in addition to moving up next to York, giving the former No. 6 overall pick his best opportunity yet to make a strong impression in a Flyers uniform.

Remember, Jiricek is still just 22 years old and on his third team, so it will take some time for him to settle in, get comfortable, find his reads in the system, and slow down the pace of play the NHL level.

He's already an all-star caliber player at the AHL level, but it's now up to Jiricek and the Flyers to bridge the gap to the big leagues and get the player to his full potential, or somewhere close to it.

The Chicago Blackhawks (1-3-0), after just one game at home, are heading back east for one against the New York Islanders (1-2-0). This is a one-game trip. 

The Blackhawks are heading into this match after their first win of the season, a home opener on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues.

Following the win, the vibes surrounding the team are trending up. They didn't win by playing poorly and capitalizing on chances; it was a strong, gritty win they can build on. They weren't flawless, but it was a massive improvement over their first three games. 

Scouting New York

The New York Islanders had a surprising start to last season, but ultimately failed to make it to the playoffs. Now, they are going to be a competitive team, but they are not seen as a playoff lock at this point in time. 

Everything that the Islanders do starts and ends with Matthew Schaefer, the defenseman they took with the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He has been even better than advertised, showing signs of an elite two-way defenseman. There is a chance that he is considered one of the five best at that position by the end of the season, if he isn't already.

Schaefer will be relied on even more, as Alexander Romanov is going to be out for the season with an injury. They are going to try to manage Schaefer's minutes as much as they can, including keeping him off the penalty kill as much as they can, but it will be harder with Romanov out. 

Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri

Schenn-Ritchie-Eklund

Holmstrom-Pageau-Duclair

Palat-Cizikas-Maccelli

Stanley-Schaefer

Pelech-Pulock

DeAngelo-Mayfield

Sorokin

Bo Horvat is the leader of this group and will be the driver of offense without Mat Barzal in the lineup due to a short-term injury. It's not the deepest lineup in the league, but they have already shown the ability to be hard on the forecheck, strong defensively, and give high effort on every shift. 

Ilya Sorokin will start in goal for New York. The 31-year-old star goalie is 1-1-0 with a .968 save percentage, a 1.02 goals-against average, and a shutout. He is already on track to have another one of those elite seasons where he competes for the Vezina Trophy. 

A couple of keys for the Blackhawks to beat Sorokin: they must take his eyes away, find a way to beat him a few times, and keep the Islanders from scoring too many goals to overcome. In his career against the Blackhawks, Sorokin is 4-2-1 with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are going to be without Teuvo Teravainen in this game against the Islanders. His status for Saturday remains unclear, but they called up Dominic Toninato and put Andrew Mangiapane on injured reserve to make room as a result of Teravainen's injury. 

The lines had to be changed up as a result, and they will look as follows: 

Moore-Nazar-Kane

Bertuzzi-Frondell-Kantserov

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Donato-Toninato-Lardis

Byram-Levshunov

Vlasic-Cole

Kaiser-Rinzel

It is still unclear who will start against the Islanders in net. Spencer Knight is 3-0-0 in his career against New York with a .908 save percentage, while Arvid Soderblom is 0-2-0 with a .925 save percentage. Either choice makes sense. 

With Teravainen out and Toninato in, the latter will take the spot of the fourth-line center. Ryan Greene will slot up, while Oliver Moore will move to the wing and play on the top line with Frank Nazar and Patrick Kane. 

Anton Frondell is a player to keep an eye on in this game. He's been Chicago's best forward so far this season, as he leads all NHL rookies in assists (3) and points (4). Frondell also made his NHL debut late last season against the Islanders, picking up his first career NHL point with an assist. 

Frondell is not the only player with fond memories of playing the Islanders. Against the Islanders, Patrick Kane has 11 career points in 11 career games, Nick Lardis has two goals and two assists in two games, and Alex Vlasic has five assists in his four meetings. 

If the Blackhawks are going to turn their home opening win into a streak, some of these big career performances against the Islanders must continue. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 6:30 PM CT. 

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

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The emergence of Alberts Šmits benefits the New York Rangers’ present and future.

The one silver lining of the Rangers’ abysmal 2025-26 season, in which they finished last in the Eastern Conference, is that they landed the fifth-overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

With that selection, they had a number of different directions they could have gone in, but they decided to draft Šmits, who was touted as the most pro-ready defenseman in the draft class.

The expectation going into the season was that the 18-year-old defenseman would start the year playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, but that wasn’t his plan. 

Šmits stood out throughout the team’s two-week shortened training camp and the preseason, as he earned a spot on the Rangers’ opening-night roster, something he wasn't surprised about in the slightest.

“Yeah, obviously,” Šmits said of whether he expected to make the team. “That’s why I came here.” 

After five games, the Rangers currently hold a 4-1 record, and Šmits has played a large part in the team’s recent success.

For a rookie, Šmits is playing beyond his years, as his high hockey IQ and understanding of the game have been evident in his play.

A lot of that comfort comes from Šmits’ experience playing in the Finnish Hockey League and representing Latvia at the Olympics and World Championship, where he faced off against NHL players.

“I have been in this situation before when you come into the new team and you got to prove yourself,” Šmits said. “I think also the organization has helped me a lot. They’re doing a great job helping me adapt as fast as I can. I'm trying to do my best here to adapt to the game and bring my best performance every night.”

Mike Sullivan has preached adding more balance to the lineup and to their defensive core that was heavily anchored by Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, lacking the necessary balance.

To go along with the Rangers’ newly-established second pairing of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, Šmits and Braden Schneider have formed a strong third defensive pairing for the Rangers, helping further strengthen the team’s balanced attack. 

“I think it’s been pretty good,” Sullivan said of the Šmits-Schneider pairing. “I think those guys have worked well together. Scneids is such a great person, he’s a good partner for Smitty to have. Coming back to the bench, having conversations on the bench. We think that pair is only getting better.”

Even through his first few NHL games, Sullivan has not been sheltering Šmits, made evident by his average of 14:50 minutes of ice time per game.

The 2026 fifth overall pick looks comfortable in all situations. He’s defending well in his own zone, with his physical brand of hockey at the forefront while he uses his long reach and quick mobility to make plays.

It’s not always flashy with Šmits, but he’s reliable defensively and isn’t prone to making many mistakes. Those attributes should only continue to grow stronger as the season moves along, given his quick adjustment to the NHL thus far.

“Every game I spend out there, I’m getting more confident,” Šmits said. “I think I just gotta keep going in the right direction and we will see where time takes me.”