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Recap: Blackwood and Necas propel Colorado’s 3-2 victory in Dallas

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 13: Martin Necas #88 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period at American Airlines Center on October 13, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It was the first meeting of the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars of the 2026-27 season, and the fierce rivalry and tension did not disappoint!

The Dallas Stars made things interesting in the third period, but an explosive second period from Martin Necas and a solid outing from Mackenzie Blackwood made the difference.

First Period

The game started with both the Stars and Avalanche gauging each other, but halfway through the frame, Artturi Lehkonen got the scoring started. A point shot caught traffic in front, and Lehky worked hard in the slot, backhanding one through Jake Oettinger at 11:32.

Things got a bit chippy toward the end of the opening frame when Noah Juulsen took a hit from Radek Faksa. Fedor Svechkov took exception and quickly challenged Faksa to a fight. In a controversial call, the refs issued Svechkov an instigating penalty, giving the Stars a power play.

The Stars capitalized and got a bit of luck when Tyler Seguin’s centering attempt went in off an Avalanche skate. That brought things to a late first-period tie, one goal apiece.

Second Period

The second frame got even rowdier, but the Avalanche cashed in on the chaos and started a Marty Party in the middle frame.

First, Necas slammed home a one-timer on a feed from Nathan MacKinnon to make it 2-1 Avalanche at 3:05 in the second period.

We then saw Nathan MacKinnon in his second fight of the first six games of the season, but this time he was caught on the button and left the ice bleeding. He still ended the fight sprawling on top of Roope Hintz. I’m speculating, but I’d bet that tussle stems from MacKinnon and Hintz’ past. MacKinnon returned for his next shift without question.

Later in the frame, the Avalanche would earn a 5-on-3 after Malinski was cross-checked and MacKinnon was tripped. Once again, Martin Necas scored when Landeskog collected a net-front rebound and backhanded a pass to Marty, who had nothing but net to aim at. Just like that, the Avalanche led 3-1 at 16:14 in the second frame.

Third Period

It wouldn’t be a game against the Dallas Stars without a little anxiety, so the Stars brought it to a one-goal game just 3:17 into the third period. This time, Roope Hintz let his game do the talking, scoring a timely goal with help from Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen.

That set up a contentious, heart-rate-spiking rest of the third period as the Avalanche were tested more than once as time wound down. Fortunately for Avalanche fans, Colorado’s players sold out left and right to block the puck and protect their one-goal lead, and their efforts secured a 3-2 win.

Takeaways

This was a big game for the Colorado Avalanche and an even bigger game for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. He passed the test tonight, getting the stops Bednar called for after their loss to Toronto. This is the type of performance that could propel Blackwood’s season and confidence. The team in front of him wasn’t perfect, so Blackwood had to step up, and he did.

Martin Necas was on a mission tonight, and his two goals dictated the outcome. MacKinnon and Lehkonen were going too. All in all, aside from a few breakdowns, the Avalanche played a solid game, with a competitive level we haven’t seen too often so far. Stealing one in Dallas without Cale Makar is impressive.

I guess Nathan MacKinnon is a goon now, with a fight in Colorado’s two biggest games so far.

I, for one, love seeing Nate chuck ’em but naturally worry about him sustaining an injury in the process. He was bloodied tonight, but it’s kinda weird if Nate’s nose isn’t bleeding by the end of the game.

Up Next

The Avalanche will take a quick flight back to Denver and prepare for their second back-to-back with Dallas tomorrow night on home ice at Ball Arena!

Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments!

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William Karlsson has go-ahead goal and Golden Knights beat Predators 5-2 for 3-1 road record

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — William Karlsson scored for the second straight game to put Vegas ahead, and the Golden Knights beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Playing a night after losing 4-2 at Minnesota to stop a four-game skid, the Golden Knights (6-2) improved to 3-1 on the road this season.

Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Trevor Connelly and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill made 25 saves.

Hill stopped a penalty shot from Jack Drury in the first period after Nic Dowd was penalized for holding on a breakaway.

Adam Edstrom had his first career short-handed goal and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, who lost in regulation for the first time since their season opener against the Wild. Juuse Saros stopped 20 shots.

At 8:45 of the second, Edstrom had a breakaway with Nashville a man down but initially couldn't get a shot off with Eichel in pursuit. But he maintained control of the puck behind the net and guided it past Hill to tie the game at 2-all.

Karlsson restored the Golden Knights' lead at 17:44 of the second with a snap shot to the top corner of the net, and goals by Connelly and Howden about 1 1/2 minutes apart in the third gave Vegas a three-goal advantage.

Up next

Golden Knights: Host Calgary on Thursday.

Predators: Host San Jose on Thursday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Martin Necas has 2 goals to lead the short-handed Avs past the Stars, 3-2

DALLAS (AP) — Martin Necas scored two goals, including a 5-on-3 score, and the short-handed Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Tuesday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Artturi Lehkonen also scored for the Avalanche, while Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves after allowing five goals on Saturday against Toronto. Nathan MacKinnon had two assists, giving him 12 points.

The Avalanche opened with 11 forwards and six defensemen when forward Zachary L’Heureux was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Colorado then played almost 17 minutes with 10 forwards when Fedor Svechkov drew a two-minute instigator penalty, five minutes for fighting and 10 more for misconduct. MacKinnon was also off the bench for more than seven minutes in the second after he fought Roope Hintz — who had his first NHL fight — and went to the locker room for facial repairs.

Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist, and Hintz also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots after allowing three goals in his previous four games, and Miro Heiskanen had two assists.

Colorado came in leading the NHL with 5.2 goals per game, while Dallas had a league-best 1.38 goals-against average.

Necas gave the Avs a 2-1 lead early in the second period and then doubled the lead with four seconds left in the 29-second, two-man advantage.

Seguin’s goal, tying the score late in the first period, was Dallas’ first home power-play goal in eight tries.

Cale Makar, the Avalanche’s two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, didn’t make the trip with his wife expecting twins.

Stars forward Wyatt Johnston sat out with an illness after playing in all 395 games, regular season and playoffs, since he made the team in 2022. The Stars played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Up next

The teams will meet again on Wednesday in Denver, where the Stars swept two meetings last season in shootouts.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Blackhawks Hang On And Win 5-3 In Connor Bedard's Return To Lineup

The Chicago Blackhawks were a part of the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy on Tuesday night. All 32 teams played in 16 games with staggered starts from 5 PM until the early hours of the morning. 

Chicago welcomed the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third United Center game of the young 2026-27 season. In addition to being a special night because of the Frozen Frenzy, it had extra-special meaning for the Blackhawks as well.

This game was the season debut of Connor Bedard, who skated in his first game as captain. It was also his first game with Patrick Kane. With this, there was extra buzz in the building. 

Once the game started, it didn’t take the Blackhawks long to get on the board. Just 28 seconds into the game, Teuvo Teravainen made it 1-0. Tyler Bertuzzi and Anton Frondell were hard on the forecheck, and Frondell found Teravainen for a point-blank chance that he didn’t miss. 

For a while, the Penguins started to take over the game. Eventually, Sidney Crosby scored with a snipe on the rush. His first of the season tied the game at 1. 

Late in the first period, with Chicago on the power play, Roman Kantserov gave the Blackhawks their lead back. He put home a goal after receiving a one-touch pass from Connor Bedard, who collected his first point of the season there. Bowen Byram also earned an assist, as he found Bedard for the setup. 

Whether it’s Kantserov, Bowen Byram, or Patrick Kane, who passed it to Byram, Bedard makes everyone on that unit better. That 2-1 lead stuck with Chicago through the first intermission. 

At 10:32 in the middle frame, Kantserov added his second goal of the game. He tapped home a nifty centering feed from Artyom Levshunov, who has been really good in the offensive zone in the season's early stages. 

Kane collected the secondary assist on this one, and that tied him with Phil Housley for the most assists by an American-born NHL player (894). This new-look top line with Bedard back in the mix is clicking, and it’s only been one game. 

Before the second ended, Pittsburgh added another to get back within one. Nick Robertson scored a strange one as he put it in the net, but it came out the back of the bottom, causing some confusion. After a review, it was clearly a goal. This 3-2 Chicago lead held through the second intermission. 

In the 3rd period, the expected push from the Pittsburgh Penguins came. Sidney Crosby’s second of the game tied it up at 9:17. At that point, the game could have gone in any direction. 

However, Teuvo Teravainen had a bit of puck luck that saved the day for the Blackhawks. He threw an innocent floater on net, and it somehow went in through the paraphernalia of goaltender Sergei Murashov. 

After Tyler Bertuzzi tapped a great spin-o-rama pass from Anton Frondell into the empty net, Chicago took a 5-3 lead, and that held as the final score. 

Winning Bedard's first game back was big for the group, as they now improve to 2-5-0 through their first 7 games. It hasn't been a pretty start, but they are 2-1 at home and 1-0 with Bedard back in the lineup. 

It's clear that Bedard changes the entire outlook of their game. He played a key role in making the power play look better; his line was strong at even strength, and everyone below his trio in the lineup had an extra step because they were slotted into positions where they were better suited. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will play at home again on Thursday. It's another divisional battle as the Winnipeg Jets are coming to town. This is another good test for Chicago against a team that came in with low expectations but is off to a grand start (4-1-1). 

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Jets beat the Wild 5-2 as Cole Perfetti scores 2 goals

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Cole Perfetti scored a pair of goals, Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Perfetti opened the scoring with his fourth of the season just 1:50 into the game. He added another late in the second period on the power play, converting a pass from Gabriel Vilardi in the slot.

Promoted to the top line with Scheifele and Kyle Connor, the trio combined for seven points against the Wild. Connor had a goal and assist. Connor now has goals in three straight games and in five of six games this season.

Perfetti now has five goals this season. Last season, the Jets winger needed 40 games to score five times.

Cole Koepke also scored for Winnipeg, which finished a three-game homestand 2-1.

Stuart Skinner made 19 saves and has yet to lose in regulation this season, with a 3-0-1 record.

Kirill Kaprizov scored both goals for the Wild, who were playing the second of back-to-back games after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night. Calvin Pickard stopped 20 shots. Kaprizov’s two goals gives him the NHL lead, with eight. Quinn Hughes’ assist extended his point streak to seven games. He has two goals and eight assists in that span.

Winnipeg went 1 for 2 on the power play, while Minnesota was 0 for 2.

Winnipeg never trailed in the game, taking 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads.

Up next

Wild: Host St. Louis on Thursday night.

Jets: At Chicago on Thursday night.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Flyers Lose 8th Straight Despite Best Efforts as Spiral Continues

The Philadelphia Flyers looked as much like a real hockey team as they have all season, and despite an encouraging comeback that saw them erase a 2-0 deficit, they sputtered out, ultimately falling 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken in shootout fashion.

Kraken forward Bobby McMann opened the scoring on a pop fly in close proximity to Dan Vladar, swatting home on the power play on an opportunity generated by a Jack Studnicka tripping penalty.

The penalties and an overall lack of discipline in all facets have plagued the Flyers throughout their eight-game winless start, and Studnicka and Michael Bunting, players brought in by the Flyers to provide a spark, took penalties that led to goals in the last week.

Just under halfway through the second period, the Kraken doubled their lead to 2-0 on a Ville Ottavainen wrist shot through some heavy traffic, which was again produced by a series of unavoidable mistakes.

David Jiricek was forced to ice the puck on a long line change, and the Kraken proceeded to cycle the puck around the Flyers' defensive zone until Ottavainen's long-range shot through traffic beat Vladar.

After some taunting and back and forth between Trevor Zegras and Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, the Flyers finally caught some life in the third period.

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After diving to break up a 2-on-1, rookie defenseman Oliver Bonk raced up the left wing before dishing a backhand pass through the middle of the ice. Tyson Foerster dummied the pass, which allowed Christian Dvorak to slam home the puck at the back door for an easy Flyers goal to make it a 2-1 game.

Zegras would get his revenge on Grubauer a short time later, rifling a shot into the top left corner to tie the game after a tremendous solo rush from Travis Sanheim during a 4-on-4 sequence.

"It is what it is," Zegras sheepishly said of his kerfuffle with the Seattle goalie after the game, visibly dismayed with an eighth consecutive loss.

The Flyers squandered a promising overtime period, taking a lazy too many men penalty to put the Kraken on the power play for two minutes of the final 2:39.

Soon after, the shootout required 10 shooters to decide the victor, with Matvei Michkov the lone scorer with the Flyers.

Matty Beniers and Bobby McMann each scored for the Kraken despite some phenomenal efforts from Vladar, which included a marvelous glove save on Mackie Samoskevich.

"He's been solid every time he starts. There's a couple of bouncy goals this year that he's really upset about," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of Vladar after the shootout loss. "We're not blaming the goalies. To be honest, they've been terrific for us this year."

With the loss, Vladar dropped to 0-3-1 on the season, though his GAA and save percentage improved to 4.21 and .875, respectively.

The Flyers will practice at 12 p.m. at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. on Wednesday before facing the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night.

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Penguins/Blackhawks Recap: Crosby scores twice but power play rotten in 5-3 loss

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 13: Roman Kantserov #80 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at United Center on October 13, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pregame

Andrei Kuzmenko returns and Sergei Murashov gets the start for the Penguins.

Chicago is happy to welcome their new captain, Conor Bedard, for his first game of the season tonight against the Penguins.

First period

Chicago scores right out the gates 28 seconds in. Declan Carlile gets pressured and passes the puck to the Blackhawks after a bad bounce. A quick pass gets Teuvo Teravainen in front of the net and the Finn finishes. 1-0

The Penguins get it back, it’s a good time for Sidney Crosby’s first goal of the year. This time it’s pressure by Bryan Rust along the wall that creates a turnover and the puck spits back to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson quickly feeds Crosby and the Pens have a 2-on-1. Crosby looks off the pass and calls his own number, blistering a shot past the far side of Spencer Knight. 1-1 game.

Pittsburgh earns the first minor penalty, they barely hold possession of it in the Chicago zone.

Kris Letang takes the first Pittsburgh penalty, the Blackhawks capitalize. After some nice puck movement, Bedard makes a little touch pass to Roman Kantserov who quickly fires it by Murashov. 2-1.

The Pens get another shot at their power play deep into the period. It’s awful.

Shots are 9-7 CHI after 20 minutes. The difference so far is the powerplays, the Blackhawks got one, made it look clinical and scored. The Penguins had two and it was nothing but odious, they’re behind by a goal as a result.

Second period

Nothing on the short carryover power play for the Pens, Nick Robertson draws them another. This one at least spends its time in the right end, think I counted six Erik Karlsson shots wide or blocked or redirected from in front wide, but at this point that’s an improvement.

Kantersov scores his second of the night. Carlile employs a man-concept and skates away from the net marking Patrick Kane. Ville Koivunen isn’t on the same page and doesn’t stick with the pointman, Artyom Levshunov and he gets a ton of space. That leaves Ben Kindel in front of the net to defend and Kantersov is strong enough on his stick to fight him off, with the incoming pass from the outside coming in with no resistance since Carlile has left his spot and Koivunen . 3-1 CHI.

Pittsburgh claws back within a goal, Blake Lizotte shoots on a 2-on-1 rush, he doesn’t score but makes a key play when Knight goes to cover the puck Lizotte beats him there and bumps the puck back out. It finds Robertson and he’s got an easy finish for his fourth goal of the season. 3-2 game.

Shots end up 19-15 PIT after two, and they’re well out in front on shot attempts 42-22. However, Chicago clings to the special teams edge and that is still resulting in a one-goal advantage for them at the second intermission.

Third period

Kaeden Korczak gets caught on the mic yelling a bad word after getting slashed, the refs heed his pain and send the Pens to a fourth power play of the night. Doesn’t work but they don’t lose momentum on it. A bit later on an improvised line, Crosby is out with fourth liners. Connor Dewar works in and takes a shot, Knight leaves an atrocious rebound that Crosby is able to corral and calmly move to his forehand and tuck into the net. 3-3 game.

Egor Chinakhov takes an interference call and Chicago gets a second crack at the power play. The Blackhawks look surgical with their passing but Patrick Kane can’t convert on the best chance they get.

Chicago pulls ahead with 4:18 to play. Teravainen strikes again, from all the way against the left wall. Murashov wasn’t square or set for that angle and the puck sneaks by him. 4-3.

Pittsburgh pulls the goalie for a last push, it doesn’t work out. Tyler Bertuzzi taps in an empty netter with nine seconds to go. 5-3.

Some thoughts

  • Great to see Crosby get on the board with his first goal of the year, then add another for good measure. Plenty written (including here) about whether or not to keep the top line together, we saw some pretty good evidence of why it remained together. Rust didn’t get an assist on the play but started the sequence with quality board work. Frequent Crosby collaborator Karlsson made a beauty of a pass and the captain took it from there.
  • Recurring note: move the ‘Consecutive games where Nick Robertson has drawn a penalty’ board up to three. His speed forces opponents to take him down. Then he scored a team-leading fourth goal. Why is this guy on the fourth line? (It is a good fourth line and they play a fair share, but still!)
  • Too bad those penalties only draw a power play for Pittsburgh. Now up to 0-for-16 in the last five games. Completely disconnected now, if it’s not a lost faceoff it’s the inability to gain the zone with possession, if it’s not that it’s an ill-advised pass that sends it back to square one. Ugly stuff.
  • Pittsburgh could take notes from looking no further than the video Chicago’s power play, which was dreadful coming into tonight, but then again they didn’t have Bedard until today. The Blackhawks’ point guy was creeping to the tops of the circles at time, common on a 5v3 but rare to shrink the ice that much and put so much pressure on a PK. They got setup and their passing had a purpose to look for back door plays and set up dangerous players on their shooting sides (Bedard on the left, Kane on the right). It was a thing of beauty.
  • Power play ends up 0/4 on the night and the PK gives up a goal. Team ends up behind by one goal (pre-EN goal). Tale as old as time. Identifying the issue (and it’s clearly on the power play side) is the easy part.
  • If you had a dime for every 2-on-1 rush in this game you wouldn’t be able to retire but you would have enough change to buy something out of a vending machine. (Do vending machines still exist? Or even accept cash? These are the intrusive thoughts when games are played outside of the Eastern time zone). Neither team was exactly sharp to details or keeping their defensive structure in close order with all the odd man rushes flying around at both sides of the rink.
  • One player not all that involved in the rush offense: Chinakhov. It was off the charts good last year when the sun was shining and all was well, seemingly to vanish for the start of this season. Naturally, as this thought comes into mind during the second intermission, Chinakhov did get a rush shot immediately on his first shift of the third period, for his first and only shot on goal of the game. Ideally there’s more to come there.
  • Which I guess a hallmark of this Pens team that is starting to develop is they’ll mostly play to the level of the competition. They were strong, sharp, focused against what they knew would be a tough Dallas team last game. Tonight, they surely had to know Chicago isn’t exactly a powerhouse, and wouldn’t you know some details slip and the overall effort/performance left a lot to be desired. This theory will get put to the test in coming games with tough matchups ahead against Colorado and Vegas, but hey, maybe the Pens will be ready to meet the challenge. Based on the past couple of games that wouldn’t be shocking.
  • Still don’t know what Carlile was thinking staying with Kane and abandoning the net. Kindel in front of the net will draw the kneejerk, base reaction but Carlile + Koivunen not being on the same page is the troubling pressure point in that play. Plenty to still iron out in that department.
  • A couple of different things can be true, while the Penguins didn’t particularly play a great game, they found themselves tied with under five minutes to play in regulation. Murashov, on a night where Moneypuck had his xGA just under two, can’t really be faulted for any of the first three goals. But an NHL goalie has to stop what held up as a game winner 100 times out of a 100 for a team to have a fighting shot, especially that late in a tie game. Bad goals are a part of the learning curve and growing pains a team signs up for when they go with a 22-year old in net at this level, occasionally that type of thing happens. Murashov earned the team a point they didn’t deserve in his last start in Columbus, tonight he might have cost them at least one. So it goes, onto the next.

And onto the next indeed. The degree of difficulty ramps up on the next leg of the road trip, Pittsburgh will need to be better almost from top to bottom in their next game against Colorado. On the bright side, at least Crosby showed he’s back on track

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Islanders slip past Canucks thanks to Kyle Palmieri’s two-goal night

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Kyle Palmieri, who later scored the game-winning goal, celebrates after scoring on Leevi Merilainen during the first period of the Islanders' 3-2 win over the Canucks on Oct. 13 2026 at UBS Arena, Image 2 shows Ilya Sorokin makes one of his 23 saves in the Islanders' win over the Canucks

Say this for Pete DeBoer’s Islanders: They are not playing down to their opposition. 

It wasn’t as easy as their win over the Blackhawks that started this homestand, but the Islanders ended it by taking care of business with a 3-2 victory over the Canucks on Tuesday night, with a pair of goals from Kyle Palmieri pulling them back to .500. 

“We went into that third period knowing the recipe, and I think we put a ton of pressure on them in the third,” Palmieri said. “ … I thought as a team we went out there and every line was rolling and tilting the ice in our favor.” 

Kyle Palmieri, who later scored the game-winning goal, celebrates after scoring on Leevi Merilainen during the first period of the Islanders’ 3-2 win over the Canucks on Oct. 13, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post

DeBoer’s team played structured and effective hockey, surviving a shaky second period to regain control in the decisive third. That is as it should be against Vancouver, which has won just two of its first eight games and looks set for a miserable season. 

A hallmark of Islanders teams in recent years, though, has been struggling to put away or routinely beat teams just like that. The Islanders, for better or worse, had a tendency to play to their opponent’s level. 

At least so far this year — and this is where the obligatory “it’s early” caveat goes — that hasn’t been the case. Which, if DeBoer can turn it into a hallmark, will be critical to keeping the Islanders in the playoff race. 

This wasn’t a perfect 60 minutes, but the third period was as clinical of hockey as the Islanders have played this season. They did, though, have to survive the second to get there. Max Sasson seemed to zap the Islanders’ momentum at 7:52 of the second, cutting a 2-0 lead in half by blasting a rolling puck past Ilya Sorokin. 

Suddenly, the Islanders were losing battles, they were on their heels and you could feel the equalizer coming as soon as Palmieri tripped Liam Ohrgren late in the second. Not only did Brock Boeser tie it up with a one-timer from the slot, but the Islanders ended the second with another needless penalty after Tony DeAngelo took exception to a Sasson check that came after the horn. 

It was a gut-check moment for a team whose habit in the past would have been to let things spiral from there. Instead, they killed off DeAngelo’s penalty and — sparked, unsurprisingly, by Matthew Schaefer — found their game again. 

Kyle Palmieri and teammate Bo Horvat get into a scuffle with some Vancouver players late in the third period of the Islanders’ win over the Canucks. Robert Sabo for New York Post

“We learned through the first two periods what worked for us, what didn’t,” DeBoer said. “And then the third, we deserved to win that game with how we played in the third period.” 

Twice in the third period’s first six minutes, Schaefer’s play with the puck led to extended pressure in the Canucks’ zone. On the second of those, after Schaefer had two shots saved, Palmieri got one to go for his second goal of the evening. 

After the top line had gone scoreless through the season’s first five games, getting two goals from it at 5-on-5 — the second of which came after Matias Maccelli swapped places with Emil Heineman amid a superb evening from Maccelli — is just what the Islanders needed. 

Ilya Sorokin makes one of his 23 saves in the Islanders’ win over the Canucks. Robert Sabo for New York Post

For the remainder, they were relentless in possession, their retrievals and forechecking near-dominant at points. Right when the Canucks started to push with a few minutes to go, and looked ready to pull Leevi Merilainen, Heineman drew a penalty on Zeev Buium that kept the Islanders in the driver’s seat when they should have been frantically defending at 5-on-6. 

“I’ve always believed the best defense when you have a lead is to keep the puck in the other team’s end,” DeBoer said. “They can’t score from 200 feet away. So I think that was our goal and I actually liked our grind in the third period.” 

“We spent a lot of time in the other team’s end. We didn’t throw pucks away. We weren’t impatient.” 

Maccelli had driven play early in the night as part of a fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom — who moved down from the third line, swapping places with Ondrej Palat. At 15:50 of a dominant first for the Islanders, Maccelli ripped one from the left circle for the 2-0 goal, the feed coming from Schaefer. 

“You finally see one go in, it boosts your confidence. Puck just all of a sudden starts following you out there,” Maccelli said. “It feels really good.” 

That was just 53 seconds after the Islanders had scored first on Palmieri’s tip-in of Matt Kessel’s point shot. It was his first goal since Nov. 18, 2025, just 10 days before he tore his ACL. 

New York Islanders center Kyle Palmieri (21) scores during the first period against the Vancouver Canucks. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Fitting, then, that he ended with the game-winner too.

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Sharks to Host Hockey Fights Cancer Night on November 15

Throughout the month of November, the NHL, NHLPA and the V Foundation are set to team up for the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign once again. While each team will host a day dedicated to Hockey Fights Cancer, they're going to be spread out throughout the season, although most of them are in the month of November. 

Among the teams hosting their Hockey Fights Cancer night next month are the San Jose Sharks. On November 15, the Sharks will help raise awareness and raise funds for the initiative as they play the Nashville Predators.  

According to the NHL, since partnering with the V Foundation and AstraZeneca, the initiative has raised more than $21.3 million in just three seasons.

Almost everyone has somebody in their lives who has been impacted by the effects of cancer and the NHL has consistently been trying to do their part in fighting the terrible disease since founding Hockey Fights Cancer alongside the NHLPA back in 1998. For more information, visit HockeyFightsCancer.com.

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Senators' Hot Start Hits A Sour Note Against Blues

The Senators had plenty working against them on Tuesday night, and the St. Louis Blues took full advantage.

Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Pius Suter each scored twice as the Blues (3-2-1) defeated the Senators 7-2 at Canadian Tire Centre, handing the Sens (5-2-0) their second loss of the young NHL season.

The Sens were playing their second game in as many nights after defeating the Devils 4-1 in New Jersey on Monday.

They were also without three regular defencemen, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub and Nikolas Matinpalo, leaving the club with a makeshift blue line. In fact, three of their six defencemen (Carter Yakemchuk, Hoyt Stanley and Jorian Donovan) entered Tuesday's game with 10 or fewer games of NHL regular season experience.

With starting goaltender Linus Ullmark getting the night off, Samuel Ersson was given the assignment in goal. But the Senators' new backup struggled on the night, allowing seven goals on 26 shots and finishing with a .731 save percentage. By the end, a smattering of Sens fans gave him some sarcastic applause on a basic save.

Down 2-0 in the second period, the Senators got a nice goal from veteran Claude Giroux, who converted a feed from Tim Stützle with a well-placed wrist shot to cut the lead in half. But McTavish, the Carp native, restored the two-goal lead just 33 seconds later.

It was all Blues after that.

Giroux also added an assist on Fabian Zetterlund's first goal of the season in the final couple of minutes, long after the outcome had been settled.

Suter, who had two goals and an assist for St. Louis, has an interesting connection to the Senators' organization.

Back in 2017, four years before making his NHL debut, the Swiss forward attended Ottawa's rookie camp and performed well enough to earn an invitation to the team's main training camp, but he didn't make the club.

Nearly a decade later, and a couple of weeks before Halloween, Suter came back to haunt Ottawa and helped the Blues score a one-sided win. He was the one who got the offensive ball rolling, opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal in the first period.

The Sens entered the game riding the momentum of a 5-1 start, but this just in: nobody maintains an .833 points percentage forever. They were due for a night like this, especially with a tough schedule, injuries on defence and an off night in goal.

The Senators will now have a day to regroup before returning to action Thursday night when they host the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Islanders complete positive homestand with 3-2 win over Canucks

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, with all three wins coming at UBS Arena.

Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which has lost five straight since opening the season 2-1. Leevi Merilainen stopped 35 shots.

Maccelli assisted on Palmieri’s goal at 5:38 of the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie.

Signed as a free agent after playing for Toronto last season, Maccelli freed up space with a stutter-step move and beat Merilainen late in the first period to make it 2-0. Palmieri had opened the scoring 53 seconds earlier.

Boeser’s power-play goal with 1:05 left in the second period tied the game at 2-all. It was the 80th of his career with the man advantage, fifth most in franchise history.

Up next

Canucks: At Florida on Thursday.

Islanders: At Ottawa on Thursday.

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Canucks’ Losing Streak Hits Five After 3–2 Loss To The New York Islanders

The Vancouver Canucks’ losing streak has officially hit five games after their 3–2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored Vancouver’s two goals tonight, while Leevi Meriläinen was strong in net, making 35 stops on 38 shots faced. 

Vancouver actually didn’t look terrible during the first period, but a couple of quick goals on bad turnovers put them down 2–0 by the end of the frame. The Islanders’ first goal saw the puck go past a couple of Canucks before making its way towards the net, appearing to bounce off both Tom Willander and then Kyle Palmieri before beating Meriläinen. Zeev Buium, who played on Vancouver’s third-pairing tonight, coughed the puck up to Matthew Schaefer on New York’s second goal, with the Islanders defenceman threading it over to goal-scorer Matias Maccelli. 

The Canucks debuted a somewhat new-look power play unit tonight as well. Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who has been playing well throughout the start of the 2026–27 season, was bumped up to Vancouver’s top-unit and made an impact immediately. The forward was only a short distance away from scoring Vancouver’s first goal of the game as he ripped a shot past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin, though the puck hit the crossbar and flew out of bounds.  

An overlapping penalty-kill put Vancouver down a player to start the second period. Despite killing the penalty, the Canucks found themselves contained within their own zone for the first half of their period. This resulted in long shifts, such as two-minute sequences for Willander and Jamie Oleksiak, due to Vancouver not being able to break the puck out. 

One break-out sequence started by the line of Lekkerimäki, Elias Pettersson, and Jake DeBrusk gave Vancouver some much-needed O-zone time. The break-in triggered a line change for both benches, which the oncoming Sasson and Arshdeep Bains capitalized on to give the Canucks their first goal. 

Things seemed to switch up after Sasson’s goal — and Vancouver’s second penalty kill of the night shortly after — as it was the Canucks’ turn to put together more O-zone time. They were able to utilize their momentum to get extended looks in the Islanders’ zone, one of which resulted in Liam Öhgren drawing a penalty on Palmieri. On the ensuing man-advantage, Boeser scored his 80th-career power-play goal to take sole-possession of fifth-all time in franchise history. 

Just like at the start of the second period, the Islanders made a strong push for offence to start the third, with this paying off in the form of a second goal for Palmieri. Once the final few minutes of the period emerged, Vancouver pressed to try and score the game-tying goal, but a hooking call on Buium put the Canucks down a player and ultimately neutralized their attempt at going 6-on-5.   

To give credit where credit is due, however, Vancouver kept things interesting right until the end. Even with Buium in the box, the Canucks killed the majority of their penalty before drawing a penalty themselves and playing 5-on-4 with Meriläinen on the bench. All in all, Vancouver put up a fair comeback effort but were unable to fully secure the win. 

Oct 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) skates with the puck past New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) in the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tom Willander (5) skates with the puck past New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) in the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Stats and Facts: 

  • Canucks record first-ever loss at UBS Arena 
  • Leevi Meriläinen’s personal shutout streak against the Islanders ends at 74:57 minutes 
  • The Canucks go perfect on the penalty-kill for the first time in a single game this season 
  • Filip Hronek has recorded a point in all games played (7) against the Islanders as a member of the Canucks 

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

14:57 - NYI: Kyle Palmieri (1) from Matt Kessel and Bo Horvat 

15:50 - NYI: Matias Maccelli (1) from Matthew Schaefer 

2nd Period: 

7:52 - VAN: Max Sasson (2) from Arshdeep Bains and Jamie Oleksiak 

18:55 - VAN: Brock Boeser (2) from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (PPG) 

3rd Period: 

5:38 - NYI: Kyle Palmieri (2) from Matias Maccelli and Matthew Schaefer 

Up Next: 

Vancouver Canucks @ Florida Panthers, October 15, 4:00 pm PT 

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Suter, Neighbours and McTavish score 2 each as the Blues rout the Senators 7-2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Pius Suter, Jake Neighbours and Mason McTavish each had a pair of goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Adam Jiricek also scored for the Blues, Pavel Buchnevich had three assists and Joel Hofer stopped 15 shots.

Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Senators, whose three game win streak came to an end. Samuel Ersson, making his second start for Ottawa, made 19 saves.

Ottawa was playing the second game of a back-to-back, coming off a 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

The Blues took a 4-1 lead midway through the third when Suter beat Ersson short side from a sharp angle. Neighbours scored his second off a snap shot, McTavish scored on the power play, and Jiricek scored his first career goal to round out the scoring.

Zetterlund added a late power-play goal to make it 7-2.

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead midway through the second when Neighbours stepped in with a shot from the top of the slot and wristed a shot through traffic to beat Ersson glove side.

Giroux cut the lead in half with 2:08 remaining in the second on a feed from Tim Stutzle, but the Blues responded 33 seconds later. Some poor defensive zone coverage allowed McTavish to get a shot past Ersson from the top of the crease.

The Blues opened the scoring at 14:28 of the first period with a short-handed goal. Colton Parayko won a battle along the boards and found Suter with some open space and he beat Ersson blocker side.

With his second-period goal, Giroux recorded his 1,170th career point, tying Bobby Hull for 59th on the NHL’s career scoring list.

Up next

Blues: At Minnesota on Thursday.

Senators: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Kyle Palmieri scores twice as Islanders beat Canucks 3-2

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Matias Maccelli added his first goal for New York and the Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders, who have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, with all three wins coming at UBS Arena.

Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored for Vancouver, which has lost five straight since opening the season 2-1. Leevi Merilainen stopped 35 shots.

Maccelli assisted on Palmieri's goal at 5:38 of the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie.

Signed as a free agent after playing for Toronto last season, Maccelli freed up space with a stutter-step move and beat Merilainen late in the first period to make it 2-0. Palmieri had opened the scoring 53 seconds earlier.

Boeser's power-play goal with 1:05 left in the second period tied the game at 2-all. It was the 80th of his career with the man advantage, fifth most in franchise history.

Up next

Canucks: At Florida on Thursday.

Islanders: At Ottawa on Thursday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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Zachary Bolduc scores decisive goal in shootout for 2nd straight game as Canadiens beat Sabres 4-3

MONTREAL (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored the decisive goal in a shootout for the second straight game, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 after blowing a two-goal lead Tuesday night.

Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist for Montreal. Josh Anderson also scored, and Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists.

Jacob Fowler made 14 saves in his third consecutive start after stopping 30 shots in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Detroit, which was decided by Bolduc's goal in the sixth shootout round.

Olen Zellweger had two goals and Josh Norris also scored for Buffalo as the teams met for the first time since the Canadiens eliminated the Sabres in the second round of last season's playoffs.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots, and Beck Malenstyn and Mattias Samuelsson had two assists apiece.

The Sabres scored twice in 61 seconds to erase a two-goal lead and tie the score at 3-3 at 5:25 of the third period. Norris bounced a point shot off defenseman Adam Engstrom before Zellweger converted his second with a wrist shot through a crowd.

In the shootout, Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored for Montreal. Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo, but Jack Quinn missed to open the door for Bolduc.

Zellweger opened the scoring on the game’s first shot when his point attempt hit Engstrom and bounced into the net.

Hutson answered with a wrist shot past a screened Luukkonen on a 5-on-3 power play to tie the game at 14:28 of the first period. Caufield then one-timed a pass from Slafkovsky to give Montreal a 2-1 lead early in the second.

Hutson showcased his skill again late in the second, stickhandling in from the blue line before sliding a no-look backhand pass to Anderson, who fired into the open net with 50 seconds remaining in the period.

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin did not travel to Montreal after appearing to hurt his lower back in Monday’s 5-3 win over Florida. Zellweger stepped into Buffalo’s top pairing and scored his first goals since being acquired by Buffalo last summer.

Up next

Sabres: At Toronto on Thursday.

Canadiens: At Washington on Wednesday.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here