Category: Ice Hockey

It hasn’t always been easy for Arber Xhekaj to not only get into the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup but also to get some playing time once in it. In fact, in the last playoffs, after playing the seven games of the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he only saw five games of action against the Buffalo Sabres and none in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Worse, in his last playoff game against Buffalo, he got only 1:52 of ice time, so it was hardly surprising that it took him some time to sign a new contract with the Habs. At 25, he needs to think about his future and establish himself as an NHL regular.

On Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he played on the third pairing with Jayden Struble and got 12:20 of ice time, including 1:29 on the penalty kill. He hadn’t seen that much action since the last regular-season game, when Noah Dobson was unavailable and Kaiden Guhle was being rested. As for the penalty kill, that was very out of the ordinary for him, and Derek Lalonde now being in charge of that aspect of the game may explain why he's getting that new opportunity.

Canadiens’ St-Louis Appears On New Podcast
New Canadiens Season Means Big Ad Campaigns
Canadiens: Anderson Must Be Signed To A New Contract, But It Can’t Be A Big One

In his 16 shifts, the 6-foot-4 and 240-pound blueliner didn’t land a single hit. The occasion didn’t present itself, and he didn’t go on the ice seeking the big hits. Xhekaj kept things simple and made the low-risk play whenever he was on the ice. At one point, first-overall pick Gavin McKenna pressured him in his own end, but Xhekaj turned the other way and easily escaped the highly touted prospect.

In the second frame, Brandon Duhaime rocked him with a big hit behind the Canadiens’ net, and he ended up down on the ice. Once upon a time, he would have gotten up and tried to avenge the hit right away, but he didn’t. He got back up and got right back to the task at hand: defending. The Habs led 2-1 at that point, and there was no time for extracurriculars. 

It wasn’t a spectacular game for Xhekaj and he didn’t even come close to dropping his gloves, there was one sequence during which Nick Suzuki was sent down to the ice after the play had been whistled and he looked frustrated, but Xhekaj was on the bench. The camera cut to hit, looking on intently and most probably noting the number of the guilty party, but with the Canadiens up by two goals at that point in the final frame, it wasn’t time to start anything up and he didn’t. The gritty blueliner has learned to pick his moments which can only help him stay in the lineup.

Of course, when Guhle is healthy, he’ll get back in the lineup and that means that one of Struble or Xhekaj will have to come out. It’s still early, but one game in, Xhekaj has the upper hand. If he can make himself useful enough on the penalty kill, that could be a deciding factor. Of course, there’s also the matter of Adam Engstrom. St-Louis said he was kept with the big club because he’s ready for the NHL. That’s just one more body to get into the lineup. The team won’t want him to sit for too long and once Guhle return, it will be interesting to see if the team decides to keep eight defensemen on the roster. Right now, they’ve also got 14 forwards which has allowed Florian Xhekaj to remain with the big club, but when Oliver Kapenen is ready to reintegrate the lineup, that will be two forwards to sit. When Guhle’s back, the Habs won’t be able to keep 14 forwards and 8 defensemen. Someone will have to go down.

For the sake of the older Xhekaj, Engstrom would be better. He’s still waiver-exempt, and it would make the blueline less busy. If that happens, it will mean Stuble and Xhekaj have won their three-way battle with the young Swede, at least for now. Up front, there’s no denying that the Canadiens could use some grit, especially when they take on teams who play a physical style of play, such as the Florida Panthers, who now have the Tkachuk brothers in their lineup, but the first duel between the two sides will only take place in early December.

---

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

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

The preseason auditions are over. Now it counts for Maxim Shabanov.

The Minnesota Wild will open the 2026-27 regular season Thursday night against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and Shabanov will be one of the more intriguing players to watch as Minnesota begins a new season.

After signing with the Wild during the offseason, Shabanov spent much of training camp getting an opportunity alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov.

Now comes his first chance to show what that combination can do when the games count.

Shabanov steadily improved throughout training camp and started to look increasingly comfortable as the preseason progressed.

"He got better and better as the game went," Wild head coach John Hynes said during the preseason. "I think overall in camp, he's gotten better and better. He understands kind of what's going on."

Shabanov also found the back of the net during the preseason while creating several other scoring opportunities.

The 25-year-old made it clear during camp that the opportunity to play alongside Kaprizov is something he wants to earn.

"He a good player," Shabanov said of Kaprizov. "I happy to play with him. I need try everyday work to play with him. Such a good guy and good skill."

Shabanov also said one of the reasons he chose Minnesota was the opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup.

"It's a good team," Shabanov said. "This team have chance to win [Stanley] Cup and I want help team win a Cup."

Thursday represents the first real test.

Playing alongside Kaprizov comes with an obvious opportunity, but Shabanov will have to show he can complement one of the NHL's top offensive players once the pace and intensity increase in the regular season.

Wild Teammate Sees ‘A Little Bit Of Kucherov’ In Maxim ShabanovYakov Trenin sees “a little bit of Kucherov” in Maxim Shabanov, who believes the Wild can contend for the Stanley Cup and is working to earn an opportunity alongside Kirill Kaprizov.

Watch how involved Shabanov is in creating offense, whether he can get himself into scoring areas and, perhaps most importantly, whether he can make plays with Kaprizov rather than simply looking to get him the puck.

Minnesota entered training camp with openings higher in its lineup following significant turnover on the wings during the offseason. Shabanov was given an opportunity to seize one of those spots and did enough throughout camp to remain there entering the regular season.

Now he gets the chance to prove he belongs.

The Wild won't learn everything about Shabanov from one night in Nashville. But after weeks of practices and preseason games, Thursday provides the first meaningful look at what Minnesota might have in its new winger.

And that makes Maxim Shabanov the Wild player to watch in Game 1.

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.

DETROIT (AP) — Simon Edvinsson remained unsigned as a restricted free agent the day before the Detroit Red Wings were to open the season at home against the New York Rangers.

Edvinsson did not skate with the Red Wings on Thursday, but the 23-year-old defenseman was seen training with a team in his native Sweden on Wednesday.

“The organization will continue conversations with Simon and his representatives," interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said earlier in the week.

Edvinsson had nine goals and 25 points in 72 games last year, his second full season in the NHL. Detroit drafted him No. 6 overall in 2021 and he has 19 career goals and 60 points in 175 games.

Dylan Larkin, meanwhile, is still in limbo heading into Friday night's opener.

Larkin asked for a trade in the offseason with the franchise mired in a decade-long playoff drought. After he was not traded, the team stripped him of his captaincy. Larkin has been limited during training camp after saying he got hurt working out.

He has five seasons left on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in 2023. That deal includes a no-trade clause and he initially told the Red Wings he would only accept a move to Florida, Minnesota or Las Vegas. Larkin recently declined to share which teams he’s willing to be traded to.

He has played his entire NHL career in Detroit, which took the former Michigan star with No. 15 draft pick in 2014. Larkin ranks 10th in franchise history in scoring with 643 points. Larkin was an important role player for the United States when it won the Olympic gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games in February.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Andre Burakovsky was looking like one of the more encouraging developments of Ottawa Senators training camp.

But now the familiar question surrounding the talented winger has surfaced again: Can he stay healthy?

Burakovsky suffered an upper-body injury Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a cross-check in the back near the boards. He was in the process of trying to reverse the puck and Arber Xhekaj checked him head first into the boards then fell on him.

Burakovsky hasn't been back on the ice since.

On Wednesday, Senators head coach Travis Green confirmed that Burakovsky isn't likely to play in the regular season opener in Toronto on Saturday.

“He still hasn't skated. Upper body. I don't expect him to play on the weekend,” Green said.

Burakovsky joins Artem Zub as players who won't be ready to start the season. Green sounded more hopeful about Jake Sanderson's status, though he didn't skate on Wednesday.

It's unfortunate timing for Burakovsky, who had been very noticeable throughout training camp and the preseason.

At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Burakovsky's size and skating ability stood out, and he appeared to be comfortably tracking toward a spot in the top six. That's exactly what the Senators were hoping for when they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in June for a sixth-round draft pick.

At his best, Burakovsky has shown he's a guy who can produce at a top-six level.

His finest NHL season came with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22, when he established career highs with 22 goals and 61 points in 80 games before helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup. The previous two seasons, he produced 45 points in 58 games and 44 points in 53 games.

Even his first season in Seattle started well. Burakovsky had 39 points in 49 games and was leading the Kraken in scoring when a groin injury in February ended his season. He suffered setbacks during his rehab and eventually required surgery.

Unfortunately, injuries have been a recurring theme in his career.

Early the following season, Burakovsky required surgery after suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers and was projected to miss six to eight weeks.

Even in his early days with Washington, he missed significant time with injuries to both hands, including a fractured thumb that required surgery, and also underwent another procedure after being injured during the 2018 playoffs.

Burakovsky has been healthier over the past two seasons. He played 79 games for Seattle in 2024-25 and 75 for Chicago last season, producing 11 goals and 33 points for the Blackhawks.

Last November, he missed five games after taking a brutal hit to the head from Seattle's Ryan Lindgren. But that didn't slow down his production in the first half of the season. By Jan. 7, he had 29 points in 38 games. But in the second half? Crickets. Even while playing consistently with Connor Bedard, he had only 4 points in the final 32 games.

The Hawks stuck with him on the top line because their analytics said, despite his slump, he was producing chances. But at some point, the simple goals and assist totals override everything else, which is part of why the Hawks were willing to move him for just a sixth rounder.

When Burakovsky showed up in Ottawa for camp last month, he looked like he might be in the process of rediscovering his first half magic of last season. Instead, he rediscovered the injury bug.

Believe Burakovsky was injured after taking this hit from Xhekaj, who then fell on top of him. Didn't return and isn't skating today. #GoSensGo

Really sucks if he misses time. Maybe my biggest standout from the pre-season and quickly became a big part of their top six. https://t.co/iBvQ10KSUVpic.twitter.com/VebDr7dPaP

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) September 28, 2026

It's bad timing for the Sens, and bad timing for Burakovsky.

The 31-year-old is entering the final season of the five-year, $27.5-million contract he signed with Seattle in 2022 and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. With salaries escalating around the NHL, a healthy and productive season could put him in position for another big payday.

There is still plenty of time for that to happen.

But after an encouraging start to his first training camp in Ottawa, already being shut down by injury before the Sens play their first regular-season game is not the ideal start.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For more from THN Ottawa, click one of the headlines below:

Hoyt Stanley's Surprising Selection To Senators' 23 Man Roster
Thomas Chabot Named Captain Of The Ottawa Senators
Steve Staios Provides Latest Injury Updates, Weighs In On Yakemchuk Readiness

Jesper Wallstedt doesn't sound like a goaltender lacking confidence entering his second full NHL season.

The Minnesota Wild open its 2026-27 season Thursday night against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and Wallstedt enters the year in a much different position than he did 12 months ago.

After putting together one of the best rookie seasons by a goaltender in franchise history, Wallstedt will be counted on heavily early in the season with Filip Gustavsson sidelined.

And Wallstedt likes where he's at.

"I'm happy I got here early," Wallstedt said during training camp. "Got to spend a lot of time with Freddy and all the guys. Kind of made it my own little training camp, made it a little longer.

"Still played two exhibition games and feel like I'm in a great spot. I love where my game is at. So, just very excited, very pumped to finally start playing in some important games again."

The 23-year-old went 18-9-6 with a .916 save percentage and four shutouts last season. His 18 victories set a Wild franchise record for wins by a rookie goaltender in a single season.

Perhaps even more impressive was how Wallstedt performed against the NHL's better teams.

He posted a .931 save percentage against teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the best mark in the NHL among goaltenders who appeared in at least 10 games against playoff teams.

Wallstedt also finished second in the NHL with a .916 save percentage overall and tied for third with four shutouts.

Now comes the next challenge.

Gustavsson will begin the season on injured reserve after undergoing hip surgery, leaving Wallstedt and veteran Calvin Pickard as Minnesota's two healthy NHL goaltenders to begin the year.

It means the Wild will need Wallstedt to carry a larger workload earlier than initially anticipated.

But unlike a year ago, when Wallstedt was still trying to establish himself as a full-time NHL goaltender, he enters this season with 18 wins and a full rookie campaign behind him.

He also had an extended runway into the season after arriving in Minnesota early and getting additional work before playing twice during the preseason.

For Wallstedt, the preseason was about getting himself ready for when the games actually mattered. Now they do.

Minnesota begins its season Thursday night in Nashville, kicking off an 84-game schedule and Wallstedt's second full season in the NHL.

And after what he accomplished as a rookie, the Wild may need his sophomore season to begin right where his first one ended.

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 traveling across the country this week, the Florida Panthers are set to take the ice for their second game of the season.

Fresh off an exciting 1-0 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida is in northern California looking to ruin their second home opener of the week when they face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.

It’s a good thing the Panthers are a team that likes being on the road, because they’re going to log plenty of miles over the first few weeks of the season.

Only three of Florida’s first 13 games take place at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

The Panthers will also get a good test when they face the young and hungry Sharks.

San Jose missed the playoffs by only four points last season and are poised to break back into the big dance this year, led by their young superstar captain Macklin Celebrini.

The Sharks will provide a much different challenge for Florida than what they faced on Tuesday in Carolina.

Speaking after the Panthers practiced at the Sharks’ facility on Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice discussed what he’s aiming to accomplish in terms of preparation.

“That’s the great test, because we’re going to go from a wing lock, man-to-man team to a trapping zone team, so it’s more Western Conference style,” Maurice said. “And then how do we apply our game to that, that’s a great challenge. It’s not easy to do, to switch like this, but it’s a great and valuable lesson. (San Jose has) lots of speed, an awful lot of skill, and I really like the additions to made to the weight of their team, so it’ll be a good one tomorrow.”

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s swim with the Sharks:

Brady Tkachuk – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis

Boko Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Brad Marchand Practices With Panthers In San Jose, May Return To Lineup Sooner Than Anticipated

Florida Panthers' Penalty Kill Was Great, Power Play Was Poor In Opening Game Of 2026-27 NHL Season

Advanced Metrics Show Panthers' New Fourth Line Performed Well During First Game Of Season

Jacob Markstrom Shines In Panthers Debut, Florida Opens Season With 1-0 Overtime Win At Carolina

Florida Places Jonah Gadjovich On Injured/Non Roster To Start 2026-27 NHL Season

Florida Panthers Assigned A Slew Of Players To The Charlotte Checkers

Photo caption: Nov 8, 2025; San Jose, California, USA;FloridaPantherscenter Carter Verhaeghe (23) shoots against the San JoseSharksduring the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. (Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)

There is never too much talent.

There are never too many players.

Especially too many useful players, or good players.

Among the talking points surrounding the 2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the biggest was the number of forwards they have that are capable of playing in the NHL, and just what in the heck they are going to do with all of them. There was always going to be the possibility that some NHL-caliber players are going to be forced into AHL duty just based on a numbers game. Perhaps some young players.

The thing is, weird stuff happens in the NHL. Sometimes people get hurt. Sometimes people are not available. That is where that depth really starts to matter.

The Penguins found that out going into the 2026-27 season opener when Ben Kindel, Bryan Rust and Justin Brazeau were all absent due to injuries, and after Andrei Kuzmenko had to travel back home. That is four NHL-caliber forwards. That is also four pretty good NHL-caliber forwards. It is, quite literally, your entire third line, and what could be a really good third line.

That opened the door for a lot of players that may not have been in the opening night lineup.

Ville Koivunen, the new $32 million man.

Hendrix Lapierre.

Fillip Hallander.

Maybe even Elmer Soderblom depending on what role you see for him vs. Justin Brazeau (I would go with Soderblom, but we can discuss that at another time).

Opportunity knocked for them, and they answered. Significantly in a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

There is no better example of that than the makeshift third line of Koivunen, Lapierre and Hallander. Statistically speaking, they were the Penguins best line of the night. Each player scored a goal. The Penguins outscored the Flyers 3-0 when that trio was on the ice. They had a 96.8 expected goal share. On a night where the Penguins came out the Flyers in waves and completely dominated every aspect of the game, and in every situation, those three stood out.

In Hallander’s case, it’s just an incredible story because there was good reason to believe his career might be over. But he worked his way back, earned an opportunity, and ran with it.

In Lapierre’s case, it’s encouraging because he is one of those early-to-mid-20s forwards the Penguins keep gambling on in the hopes they can catch lightning in a bottle. Lapierre had fantastic defensive and possession metrics this past season with the Washington Capitals, and delivered on that with a goal and an assist.

In Koivunen’s case, it is really encouraging because all of the possession numbers and analytics that have defined his young NHL career were still there (a great combination with Lapierre), while he also did something he has not yet done a lot of — he finished a prime scoring chance. I still think a lot of his problems at the NHL level come from a lack of confidence at times. There is always that split second of hesitation when he is in a good spot with the puck. It either leads to a blocked or deflected shot, or an easier save for the goalie. Having a couple of pucks go in the net for him early on might really spark something for him.

That is the hope, anyway.

It was also a big night for a lot new players that knew they were going to get opportunities, and simply took advantage of them.

Nicholas Robertson is another one of the younger players acquired in a trade that the Penguins are hoping can break out offensively. He looked incredible on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, immediately scoring two goals.

Defenseman Kaedan Korczak, who always excelled in smaller roles in Vegas, showed up and played a rock solid game with Sam Girard and contributed two assists.

It is only one game. There are still 83 more games to go, and at some point some of the flaws this team has are going to surface and show themselves a little bit. But it is still an extremely deep team at forward, and a team that has a lot of options. And that is only going to be a positive. Not just because it gives you playable options when you need them, but because competition makes people better, and makes your team better. You can not just throw young players into the lineup “because it is time to get young” when they have not earned it, or are not ready for it. That does not help development of the player or the team. Create competition. Create incentive. Make people earn it.

You saw a lot of that play out on Wednesday night. It is just the start of the season. It is still an encouraging start of the season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back at home to kick off the 2026-27 season tonight at Nationwide Arena against the Buffalo Sabres. 

The CBJ have lost four straight season openers. They last won at home against the Arizona Coyotes in 2021. The Sabres have lost three straight. 

Their all-time record is 9-14-2 in season openers and 3-6-2 in home season openers. 

Buffalo Sabres - 2025-26 - 50-23-9 - 109 Points - Won the Atlantic Division

Columbus Blue Jackets - 2025-26 - 40-30-12 - 92 Points - Finished 5th in the Metro

Team Notes Per CBJ PR

• Columbus has won three-straight games vs. Bualo at Nationwide Arena.
• CBJ and Buffalo have combined for 60 shots or more in eight of the last 10 games of the series.
• The Blue Jackets have not surrendered a power play goal in the past eight games of the series (18-of-18, penalty killing).

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

• Adam Fantilli, who signed a six-year contract with Columbus on Sept. 24, was second on the club in goals scored (24) during the 2025-26 season.
• Zach Werenski captured the 2025-26 James Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman and was named to the First All-Star Team after notching 22-59-81 in 75 contests. He ranked second in the NHL in TOI (26:37) and second among league defensemen in scoring and third in goals.

Blue Jackets Stats - 2025-26

• Power Play - 19.0% - 22nd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 27th in the NHL
• Goals For - 245 - 17th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 249 - 22nd in the NHL   

Sabres Stats - 2025-26

• Power Play - 19.5% - 21st in the NHL
• Penalty Kill - 81.9% - 4th in the NHL
• Goals For - 283 - 5th in the NHL
• Goals Against - 240 - 10th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheSabres

• The Blue Jackets are 14-8-1 at Nationwide Arena and 29-17-1 overall vs. Buffalo.

• Columbus has won three-straight games vs. Buffalo at Nationwide Arena.
• The Jackets went 2-1-0 in 2025-26 against the Sabres. 
• The Blue Jackets have picked up four wins against the Sabres over the past two seasons (4-2-0).

Who To Watch For TheSabres

• Tage Thompson had 40 goals and 81 points last season.
• Rasmus Dahlin had 55 assists and 74 points. 
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 22-9-0 with a SV% of .909 last season. 

CBJ Player Notes vsSabres

• Jet Greaves has a 3-1-0 record with a .926 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average in four career games vs. Buffalo. 
• Sean Monahan has 9-15-24 in 26 career games vs. the Sabres.
• Matthew Knies posted 1-6-7 in 11 career games vs. Buffalo with points in three-straight. 

Injured Reserve & Other Injuries

• Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand
• Damon Severson - Shoulder Surgery
• Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR
• Mikael Pyyhtia - Lower Body Injury

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 0

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.   

Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight at 7 PM.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.

Let us know what you think below.

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. Share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.

The Toronto Maple Leafs earned their first win of the 2026-27 season with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday. This result on the second night of a back-to-back at Scotiabank Arena is Jim Hiller's first win as the Maple Leafs' head coach.

It was a much cleaner performance compared to Toronto's season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, when they lost 3-2 at home.

With that said, here are the four main takeaways from the Maple Leafs' first win of the campaign.

Anthony Stolarz Looks Sharp

Goaltender Anthony Stolarz made his first start of the season for the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. 

There was a lot for him to prove going into this season, given the numbers he produced last year. He posted an .893 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average, which was a significant decrease from the .926 SP and 2.14 GAA he registered in his first year with the team, 2024-25.

Against the Islanders, Stolarz stopped 26 of 27 shots, getting a .963 SP. That's the best the 32-year-old has performed, statistically, since recording a .966 on Oct. 16 of last year.

"It was good," Stolarz said of his first performance of the season. "I think it's a great feeling and something for our team to grow on and expand on, and continue to work forward. Obviously, you want to win the first one last night, but to come out the way we did and respond the way we did was extremely encouraging for sure.

"The guys did a great job of boxing guys out. Let me see the first shot. Obviously, we knew that they have a lot of skilled defensemen who they like to pound the puck. So it's kind of up to me just to smother that rebound. And obviously, we did a great job blocking shots, getting sticks in lanes. And if you do that consistently as a team, you're going to come out on top most times," he added.

'We're Blessed With A Lot Of Good Depth': Maple Leafs' GM John Chayka Sets Roster For 2026-27 NHL SeasonThe Toronto Maple Leafs go into the 2026-27 NHL season with a tremendous amount of depth, with extra skaters or contributors down in the AHL. John Chayka speaks about what he likes about his roster.

Easton Cowan And The Third Line

If it wasn't for Stolarz's spectacular outing, Easton Cowan certainly would've been the star of this contest. The 21-year-old was noticeable all game long and contributed to both of Toronto's goals. He recorded an assist on Colton Sisson's first goal of the game and scored on the power play, which turned out to be the game-winning goal for the Leafs.

"He was feeling it tonight," Sissons said of Cowan. "Just a dynamic player. He has the puck on his stick a lot and makes a lot of good plays. So really blessed to be playing with him right now.

Cowan and the third line with Sissons and Nick Paul were arguably the best line in the game against the Islanders, and probably for the Leafs against the Canadiens in the first game, too. There's lots of positivity surrounding that trio in terms of their play, effectiveness, and early chemistry.

"Sky's the limit with that kid," Sissons said. "Yeah, he's got all the potential in the world."

Aside from Jack Roslovic's power-play assist on Cowan's goal, among Maple Leafs forwards, the third-liners were the only ones on the scoresheet, with Cowan's two points, Sissons' goal, and an assist from Paul.

Outside of producing offense, that trio were great at keeping possession in the offensive zone, executing low cycles, and they were very responsible in their own zone as well.

'He Was A Puck Hound': Maple Leafs' Jim Hiller With High Praise On Easton Cowan, Reveals Standouts For First Day Of CampToronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller was pleased with how his group performed on the first day of training camp. He revealed who his standouts were, including some high praise for Easton Cowan.

Darren Raddysh And Morgan Rielly Positively Quiet

The defense pairing of Darren Raddysh and Morgan Rielly didn't start off so hot in the season opener against the Habs. But against the Isles, they looked a little more composed, especially Raddysh.

The right-handed blueliner was all over the place on Tuesday, giving the puck away five times on his own, and was on the ice for all three goals. On Wednesday, it was a much cleaner performance from him, Rielly, and the D-corps as a whole. 

The entire Maple Leafs defense only gave up the puck a collective four times against New York, and not one Toronto D-man had more than one giveaway.

'It's Not Hard': Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly Doesn't See Issue With Offensive Tendencies With D-Partner Darren RaddyshThere is room for improvement from the Toronto Maple Leafs' pairing of Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh. But there is no panic regarding the offensive tendencies of the two blueliners.

That pair didn't set the game on fire and dominate, but it was good that they were a little quieter. That means there was less of an issue breaking out the puck, and very few breakdowns in their own zone.

And to add to that, Rielly got an assist on a pretty impressive play on the power play.

"What a play by Morgan," Hiller recalled of Toronto's second goal of the night. The 32-year-old picked off a clearance from the Islanders' penalty kill, controlled it at the blueline, and was able to make a play that led to Cowan's goal.

COWBOY CLEAN UP! 🤠 pic.twitter.com/t2jDWNtlr6

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 1, 2026

Penalty Killing A Strength Early

The Maple Leafs killed all four power plays that came the Islanders' way. Toronto did a great job of obviously keeping the puck out of the net, but also limiting dangerous chances when New York had the man-advantage.

The Isles were held to just three high-danger chances on the power play, according to Natural Stat Trick. Among the forwards, the Leafs' penalty kill was led by Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, playing 3:52 and 3:43 of ice time shorthanded, respectively. Duhaime had three blocks in this game, more than any Islander.

"When you kill them all off, you give yourselves a pretty good chance to win a hockey game," Sissons said, who had 2:33 of ice time on the PK. "And yeah, it was sharp. Obviously, not a lot of time to kind of work out your system and work out some of the kinks. So it's been big thus far."

The efforts of defensemen Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev can't be ignored either, as they combined for a total of eight blocks, and each led the team in time on the penalty kill in this contest.

So far, Toronto is six-for-six in killing penalties after two games this 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.

It’s hard to draw up a much better start to the season than what the Pittsburgh Penguins had on Wednesday night with a 7-0 beatdown of the rival Philadelphia Flyers on the road. Nick Robertson scored twice for the Penguins and Filip Hallander recorded three points in the blowout victory. In goal, Artur Silvos recorded his second opening night shutout in as many seasons to backstop the win. [Pensburgh]

Pens Points…

Top goal scorer? Breakout player? Playoffs? Those are all predictions to be made for the Penguins as the 2026-27 begins. Egor Chinakhov is a popular pick to lead the Penguins in goal scoring while seeing the Penguins back in the playoffs feels like a 50-50 toss up. [Pensburgh]

For the past few seasons, the Penguins fan base has been waiting for an inevitable youth movement to arrive. While the prospect pool is being refilled by Kyle Dubas, many of those young players have yet to breakthrough. This needs to be the season where it starts to happen. [PPG]

After being acquired in the offseason, David Gustafsson made the Penguins opening night roster. That was no guarantee when he came to Pittsburgh, so he’s going to relish any time he gets to spend in the NHL this season, no matter how long or short the stint may be. [Trib Live]

Set to play in his 22nd NHL season, Sidney Crosby will make history as the longest tenured Pittsburgh athlete of all time, surpassing Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates whom he previously shared the title with at 21 seasons in black and gold. [The Athletic $$]

Another all time mark Crosby is set to break this season is being the longest tenured captain in NHL history. This season will mark No. 20 for Crosby with the “C” on his chest, surpassing Steve Yzerman. [Daily Faceoff]

NHL News and Notes…

Casey DeSmith has been a reliable backup for the Dallas Stars in recent seasons and will continue in that role for at least the next two after he agreed to a contract extension with the team on Wednesday. [NHL]

After missing the entirety of the Washington Capitals preseason slate with a lower body injury, Alexander Ovechkin expects to be ready for action when the team opens its season on Friday night. [NHL]

The Islanders and Maple Leafs treated us to a savagely uninteresting Isles 2-1 loss in Toronto to open the season, and one can only hope it’s not a harbinger, like one hopes the AI swarms don’t escape the lab and kill us all.

Victor Eklund played his second NHL game, so that was neat, and he got his first NHL penalty by crosschecking John Tavares on his butt, so that was funny, but the Leafs scored what proved to be the winner late on the ensuing power play, so that was not.

The Isles had a bit of jump early in the opening period, with Toronto playing on back-to-back nights, but penalty trouble and chaotic defensive zone chasing killed that vibe. After a series of dangerous chances on Ilya Sorokin both at 5-on-5 and the Leafs power play, the Isles were trailing 2-0 by the 12:00 mark. They didn’t rally a promising response until well into the third. Their special teams, a long-running thorn, were no help.

Other than Matthew Schaefer skating like the wind, the lone highlight was Emil Heineman outracing William Nylander on a shorthanded break to convert Bo Horvat’s pass and make it look close. There was also one line mix late, with Anthony Duclair being promoted while Matias Maccelli ended on the Casey Cizikas-Ondrej Palat line, aka This Thing That Should Not Be line.

[Game center | Game summary | Event summary | Natural Stat Trick]

They’ll learn, they’ll “tighten things up,” they’ll get better at what Pete DeBoer wants them to do, they had a short training camp, and it’s just one, opening game. Yada yada, etc. For three hours of your life on what is supposed to be an exciting night, however, it was not fun, not at all. The home opener Saturday provides an opportunity for redemption and renewal.

Islanders News

• About last night: NHL | Newsday | Post | CP
• Brendan Burke reaches a decade as voice of the Islanders. (Although he was on national duty last night.) [Newsday]

Elsewhere

Wednesday’s scores included

• Our Saturday opponent has a grizzled mentor and a delayed up-and-comer in the crease. [NHL]
• I confess I will root for Amadeus and his whole amusingly named family. [NHL]
• After giving up six goals in their opener, Mike Babcock says the Oilers have “serious work to do.” At least when all else fails, they can fall back on Tristan Jarry. [NHL]
• Five young players poised for breakouts. [Sportsnet]
• William Karlsson signed a two-year extension to keep him in Vegas until they ship him out for the latest sexy trade target. [NHL]
• Matt Duchene, starting on the injured list, has gotta be the oldest 34-year-old out there. [Sportsnet]
• Tee-hee-hee J.T. Miller thinks he will lead a revival in Manhattan. [NHL]
• Reliving a Flames-Ducks melee from 2001 that involved former Islanders Craig Berube (suspended) and Greg Gilbert (as coach, also suspended). The video montage is a beauty. [Sportsnet]

Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.