Category: Ice Hockey

The Vancouver Canucks are about to embark on one of their most physically-daunting road trips of the 2026–27 season. Only four games into the regular-season, Vancouver’s upcoming trip will see the team play the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning all before October 20. 

A lengthy road trip against strong opponents like these — beginning with the defending Stanley Cup Champions, no less — is sure to put Vancouver through a grind. 

For Jake DeBrusk, who is just coming off a case of the flu that saw him sit out of Saturday’s 4–1 win against the Calgary Flames and Sunday’s 3–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, this task will be even more difficult. 

Tuesday morning’s practice ahead of Vancouver’s flight to Raleigh was DeBrusk’s first time practicing with the full team since skating as an extra on Friday ahead of the weekend games. On Saturday, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra revealed that DeBrusk was out with the flu. 

On Tuesday, DeBrusk revealed that his illness had actually begun much earlier than Saturday. 

“I initially felt it, actually, the day of the game in Edmonton,” he said in a media availability. “It was a long off-season, long year. You obviously want to play in the first game and the home-opener, but I think obviously the medical staff stepped in. They did their job and they told me that I probably should take some time off.” 

In his first practice back with the team, DeBrusk was noticeably a little hoarser than usual, but still managed to emit energy. 

Fittingly, in his first practice back, Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra had the players bag-skate to end things off. It was a good test of the lungs for the Canucks winger, but also served as a reminder of what state he’ll need to be in to play in Vancouver’s next game. 

“I was able to do it, which is great. But I’ve obviously got to test the lungs. That’s the biggest thing right now. It was obviously an air-conditioned building. It sounds like a simple thing, but I feel [it] as soon as I walk in here. So I’ve got to go through it. If I want to play in the next game, I have to do these steps.” 

Because of the fact that he’s missed half of Vancouver’s games throughout the start of the regular season — and had to deal with symptoms during the other two — the forward noted that it feels like he has yet to actually start the season. With that, comes those first-day-back feelings of excitement. 

“I’m starting off at zero, so it’s been positive. Obviously the last two days I’ve been doing kind of nothing. But to be able to skate today, see the guys, it gives you energy, feeling for them. Everyone’s in a good mood, and it’s nice to be back in the room.” 

Vancouver’s first game of their six-game road trip takes place against the Hurricanes on Thursday at 4:00 pm PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Canucks’ Jake DeBrusk & Manny Malhotra React To Paul Cotter Being Named NHL Third Star Of The Week

Why The Canucks Should Claim Either Pachal Or Robertson Off The Waiver Wire

Canucks Forward Paul Cotter Named NHL’s Third Star Of The Week

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.

Semyon Varlamov goes for the miracle tonight, starting an NHL game at age 38 and for the first time in two years following two partial knee replacements.

“You ask everyone and they had the same feeling, he gave that vibe that, ‘I’m going to do it, I’ll be the first one in history to ever do it,’” Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau said after the morning skate. “I think we all felt it. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but to see the commitment and the determination that he had in his eyes, it was fun to watch. It was fun to be part of that journey…”

Varlamov to make first NHL start since 2024 with Islanders | NHL.com

He’ll do it in the New York teams’ first rivalry meeting of the season, with the host Rangers already off to a 3-1 start while the Islanders (1-1) have only played twice.

#Isles at practice
Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri
Schenn-Ritchie-Eklund
Duclair-Pageau-Holmstrom
Palat-Ciikas-Maccelli
Extra: MacLean
Pelech-Schaefer
Romanov-Pulock
Stanley-DeAngelo
Extras: Kessel, Mayfield
Sorokin (starter's net)
Varlamov

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) October 5, 2026

This is our in-game discussion thread. Don’t hurt a knee.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The winless Philadelphia Flyers have signed gritty winger Michael Bunting in the hopes that he can give them a spark following some alarming early season struggles.

General manager Daniel Briere announced the agreement Tuesday in the aftermath of a 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday night. Bunting’s contract is worth a prorated $1.2 million after he went unsigned over the summer as an unrestricted free agent.

It was not immediately clear how soon the 31-year-old would be able to join the team. Philadelphia next plays at Ottawa on Thursday night.

The Flyers have been outscored 17-5 through four games. Opponents have attempted 246 shots to their 122, a margin of minus-124 that is by far the worst in the NHL, with San Jose next at minus-53.

Bunting is an aggressive energy player who has had a scoring touch over his career and brings some much-needed toughness to the situation. He is a veteran of 432 games, counting the playoffs, since making his debut in the league in 2018 and spent last season with Nashville and Dallas.

Philadelphia is his seventh NHL organization after previously spending time with Arizona, Toronto, Carolina and Pittsburgh.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Through the first three games of the Winnipeg Jets' season, 18-year-old rookie Viggo Björck has had a mixed start to his NHL career. Heavily doubted when he entered his first NHL action, the youngster has seen both highs and lows so far.

Over three games, Björck has yet to record a point. He has four shots on net, a minus-one rating and a questionable minor penalty in Winnipeg's 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. He has won just under 26 percent of his faceoffs and is averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time a night, with his season high coming in the opener, when he played just shy of 16 minutes.

Under the hood, however, the numbers are more encouraging. Björck has 29 speed bursts between 18 and 20 miles per hour, which ranks in the 91st percentile in the league and shows his skating is well above average. 

The Swedish import has also been getting himself into scoring position, with three of his four shots on goal coming in high-danger situations, a mark that ranks in the 88th percentile of the NHL. That suggests his first career goal should come sooner rather than later.

Viggo Björck was THIS close to scoring his first goal in his first game 😮‍💨🤏#Jetspic.twitter.com/RIv3bqJo67

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 3, 2026

His hardest shot of the season so far clocked in at 77.01 miles per hour, which lands just above league average in the 55th percentile, another sign that his tools are on display early.

While fans hoped Björck would immediately seize a top-six role, his early numbers sit closer to league average than above it, and he may settle into more of a middle-six role for now. 

Still, indicators like his high-danger chances point toward a breakout game coming soon, and it could arrive as early as Wednesday night in a massive matchup against the Colorado Avalanche.

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

The Senators couldn't have asked for much more from the first two games of their season... except maybe a little better luck on the injury front.

The Senators will take a 2-0 record into Detroit on Tuesday night after an extremely efficient 4-1 road victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday. Tim Stützle led the way with two goals and an assist, but for the second straight game, the Sens win came with an injury concern involving one of their most important players.

This time it was Linus Ullmark.

For a good portion of Tuesday, it appeared Ullmark might be available to back up Samuel Ersson against the Red Wings. However, at approximately 2 p.m., the Senators announced they had recalled goaltender Jonas Johansson from Belleville and defenseman Jorian Donovan had been returned to the AHL.

That doesn't necessarily mean Ullmark's injury is more serious than initially believed. With Ersson already expected to start the second half of the back-to-back, recalling Johansson also ensures recovery time for Ullmark in that they don't even have the option to use him off the bench on Tuesday. 

Ullmark left Monday's game after the second period following a collision in his crease. Sens captain Thomas Chabot tackled J.J. Peterka as the Boston forward drove toward the net, sending Peterka sliding hard into Ullmark.

Ersson replaced Ullmark for the third period.

As for the rest of the lineup on Tuesday, the Sens didn't have a morning skate, but we know that winger Ridly Greig will return from his two game suspension. In all likelihood, Hayden Hodgson will come out.

The least disruptive strategy would be Greig taking Foegele's spot while Foegele takes Hodgson's spot. But Travis Green will meet with the media before game time and his strategy is the only one that matters.

Sens Lineup (from Monday night)

William Eklund -- Dylan Cozens -- Fabian Zetterlund
Warren Foegele -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio -- Shane Pinto -- Claude Giroux
Nick Cousins -- Stephen Halliday -- Hayden Hodgson

Thomas Chabot -- Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven -- Carter Yakemchuk
Cameron Crotty -- Nikolas Matinpalo

Samuel Ersson
Jonas Johansson

Along with Ullmark, Sens will remain without two of their top three defencemen in Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.

Stalled in Motor City

While the Sens arrive in Detroit undefeated, things have become uncomfortable very quickly for the Red Wings.

Detroit, which holds the copyright to name Hockeytown, also holds the record for longest active NHL playoff drought at 10 years. They opened the season with consecutive losses and scoring just two goals. The good news for the Wings is that former captain Dylan Larkin appears poised to make his season debut Tuesday.

“It looks that way right now,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “He’s got one more hurdle to cross. Still on IR, so the doctor will look at him here, and if he’s clear, he’s playing, and if he isn’t, then he won’t.”

Larkin centred a line with Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson at Tuesday's morning skate and also worked on Detroit's first power-play unit.

The Red Wings could certainly use the offence, but Larkin's return also brings one of Detroit's biggest offseason storylines back to centre stage.

Larkin requested a trade during the offseason, and the Red Wings subsequently stripped him of the captaincy. During player introductions before Detroit's home opener, Larkin was greeted by why widespread boos from the home crowd.

That wasn't the only message Red Wings fans delivered.

“Sell the team” chants could also be heard during the game as frustration surrounding the club spilled into the stands.

And Larkin isn't the only major player involved in an uncomfortable situation with the team.

Defenceman Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned and won't be in the lineup again on Tuesday. The restricted free agent has returned home to Sweden after requesting a trade, reportedly unhappy with how contract negotiations have unfolded. Detroit still hopes to sign him to a long-term contract.

Wings Lineup

Viktor Arvidsson -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard -- Emmitt Finnie -- Alex DeBrincat
Michael Rasmussen -- Andrew Copp -- Keegan Kolesar
Nate Danielson -- Carter Mazur

Albert Johansson -- Moritz Seider
Anton Johansson -- Justin Faulk
Ben Chiarot -- Axel Sandin-Pellikka

Andreas Englund

John Gibson
Daniil Tarasov

Scratched: William Wallinder

Injured: Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper body), Marco Kasper (upper body), J.T. Compher (undisclosed), Mason Appleton (undisclosed)

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. For more articles like this click one of the THN.com/Ottawa headlines below: 

Senators Beat Bruins, But Now Face Another Key Injury Concern
Sens Nation Podcast: Senators Lose Sanderson Again
Full Circle: Senators Quietly Reunite With Their Former First-Round Pick

A former Pittsburgh Penguins forward is available for the taking.

According to PuckPedia, former Penguins forward Jansen Harkins has been placed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Harkins has appeared in one game this season with the Lightning, where he has recorded five hits and a minus-1 rating. This is after he had three goals, eight points, and 113 hits in 44 games with the Anaheim Ducks during this past season. 

The Penguins claimed Harkins off waivers ahead of the 2023-24 season from the Winnipeg Jets. From there, he played in 45 games with the Penguins during the 2023-24 campaign, where he posted zero goals, four assists, 74 hits, and a minus-4 rating. 

Harkins also played in 14 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2023-24 season. During them, he recorded five goals, seven assists, 12 points, and a minus-1 rating.

Harkins' time with the Penguins ended during the 2024 NHL off-season when he signed a two-year contract with the Ducks in free agency.

It will now be interesting to see if another team claims the former Penguins forward off waivers from here. Teams looking for more forward depth and grit could consider taking a chance on him.

The Buffalo Sabres continue their five-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, coming off a 4-3 comeback victory over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild are without one of their best defensemen, Brock Faber, but have started the season 2-0 with wins over Boston and Nashville. 

The Sabres held an optional morning skate on Tuesday morning, and had a couple injured players on the ice for the first time. Winger Jason Zucker, still recovering from off-season core muscle surgery and is a couple weeks away, and goalie Alex Lyon, who suffered a shoulder injury against Detroit during the preseason, took part wearing gray non-contact jerseys.   

"(It was) kind  of  one  of  those  situations  where  you  don't  really  know,  and  then  it's  obviously  disappointing  to  miss  any  amount  of  time." Lyon said. yeah, "We've  got  a  lot  of  games,  a  lot  of  good  teams  coming  up,  and  this  early  in  the  season, your  mindset's  so  fresh  that  not  even  thinking  about  the  amount  of  games  or  who  the  opponent  is,  you're  just  excited  to  play. "

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

Colten Ellis was once again in the starter’s net and will make his first start of the season on the one-year anniversary of being claimed off of waivers from St. Louis, and the only lineup change that appears to be in the offing is veteran Justin Danforth starting in place of Sam Carrick.

The Wild’s visit marks the return of the Foligno brothers, Nick and Marcus, to their birthplace. Marcus is playing his 10th season in Minnesota after starting his career and playing six years in Buffalo. Nick has played nearly 1300 games for six clubs, and joined the Wild at the trade deadline after spending three seasons in Chicago. 

"I  coached  Marcus.  I  think it  was  my  last  year  or  my second-to-last year  here." Ruff said. family. "For  those  two  guys  to  come  back  and play  in  the  building,  and  their  dad  played  a  good  part  of  his  career  here. It's just  a  great  hockey  family."

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

The Florida Panthers will play in their fourth straight home opener on Tuesday night.

Florida’s season-opening four-game road trip will come to an end, finally, when they visit the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

Through their first two road games, the Kings have had a hard time keeping the puck out of the net this season.

While it’s a good thing to have scored eight goals in only two games, the Kings have also been outscored by five despite the offensive output.

They’ll turn back to Darcy Kuemper between the pipes on Thursday, giving him a chance to bounce back after an extremely forgettable Opening Night in Colorado.

Kuemper surrendered seven goals to the Avalanche on just 29 shots last Wednesday night, so he’ll certainly be looking to rebound and get his season off on the right track.

Florida, meanwhile, leads all NHL teams that have played at least three games by allowing only one goal at 5-on-5.

They’ve allowed four goals while shorthanded, with a paltry 71.4% success rate on their penalty kill so far on 14 attempts. Clearly that is an area they’ll look to clean up, starting in Los Angeles.

For those who may be wondering, the Kings have gone 2-for-7 on the power play so far this season, good for a 28.6% success rate, ranking them ninth in the league. Florida sits in 22nd with just one power play goal in 17 attempts.

The only teams below the Panthers are ones who have yet to score a power play goal this season.

Florida won both games against the Kings last season, including a 5-2 victory in Los Angeles last November.

Brad Marchand scored twice that night, while Niko Mikkola added a pair of assists in the win.

Both will be counted on for Florida in their return to LA.

Marchand is coming off his regular season debut on Sunday in Anaheim, a game in which he was critical of himself despite scoring a game-tying goal late in the third period.

Mikkola, who will be skating in his 400th NHL game on Tuesday, has yet to find the scoresheet this season, but he and defensive partner Seth Jones have provided excellent shutdown defense at even strength so far this season.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Tuesday’s tilt with the Kings:

Brady Tkachuk – Sam Reinhart – Brad Marchand

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis

Boko Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway

Gus Forsling – Dmitry Kulikov

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Uvis Balinskis – Radko Gudas

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

'It's Really A Different Look,' Panthers' Sam Reinhart Discusses Moving To Center In Aleksander Barkov's Absence

Brad Marchand Calls Season Debut 'A Rude Awakening' Despite Scoring Late Game-Tying Goal In Anaheim

What Could Aleksander Barkov's Injury Mean For The Panthers' Playoff Chances, Trade Activity?

Panthers Announced Brad Marchand Will Return Against Ducks; Gustav Forsling Considered A Game-Time Decision

Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov To Have MRI Done After Sustaining An Apparent Lower-Body Injury

Photo caption: Sep 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA;FloridaPanthersleft wing Brady Tkachuk (8) passes during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes are getting set for their fourth game of the season, and it promises to be another doozy, as they will pay a visit to the Bell Centre to take on the Montreal Canadiens in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final.

The contest is set for a 7:00 PM puck drop, as both teams will be looking to puck up their second victory of their respective seasons.

The Canadiens enter a game that both their players and fans will surely be revved up for at 1-0-1 following a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on opening night and a wild 6-5 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last Saturday.

Montreal’s star forwards are off to hot starts, as Nick Suzuki has four points on a goal and three assists, while Cole Caufield has already found the back of the net twice. Jakub Dobes was spectacular against Toronto, but faltered against the Pens. He’s rocking a .862 save percentage and 4.05 goals against average, and he’s set to get the nod between the pipes for the third consecutive contest.

Carolina will turn to Brandon Bussi, who was not a factor in last year’s playoff series between the two squads. Bussi has manned the net for both of the Canes’ losses to start the year, as he was excellent against the Florida Panthers before faltering in a big way last Friday against the Washington Capitals.

Sebastian Aho, long a thorn in the side of the Habs, has been pretty much the lone bright spot for Carolina so far offensively. The veteran center has four points on three goals and an assists, and he tallied both of the team’s goals in regulation in Philadelphia on Saturday to help key their first win, which came in overtime thanks to a winner from Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Canes recalled Jusso Valimaki from AHL Chicago, but based on the lineup at the morning skate, Mike Reilly will continue to hold down the sixth defenseman spot after drawing into the lineup for the Flyers game.

Brandon Bussi was the first goalie off the ice this morning for the #Canes in Montreal.

The lineup in front of him is expected to remain the same as it was for Saturday's victory in Philadelphia.

Juuso Valimaki, who was recalled from Chicago (AHL) last night, is with the team.… pic.twitter.com/b6iM7Pq2bF

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) October 6, 2026

You can watch the game on Prime Video, Spectrum Cable, or Fubo. Listen as always on 99.9 The Fan.

Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna turned heads when he decided not to take optional skate ahead of his NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 29.

It's highly unusual for a player stepping into an occasion of that magnitude not to take the optional skate to prepare for the big day.

Some thought it was great, including head coach Jim Hiller and defenseman Chris Tanev, who said McKenna had some "swag" making that decision.

The 18-year-old later revealed that his decision not to go out for the optional morning skate before the first game of the 2026-27 season "wasn't a swagger thing."

"Usually I (do) morning skates," McKenna said after Friday's practice. "But with a back-to-back, it was my first game, I wanted to be rested. So yeah, it wasn't a swagger thing. It was just trying to keep my body fresh."

'Wasn't A Swagger Thing': Maple Leafs Rookie Gavin McKenna Explains Why He Missed Morning Skate Before NHL DebutToronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna explains that his decision to miss the optional morning skate ahead of his NHL debut on Tuesday "wasn't a swagger thing."

TSN's Darren Dreger further reported on that and why McKenna didn't skate the morning of the biggest game in his early NHL career. He said that the Maple Leafs are managing the youngster.

"It just boils down to the fact he's 18," Dreger said on Early Trading. Rest and recovery is important in that off-ice management."

Along with the abundance of additions to player personnel this off-season, the organization also hired Andy O'Brien as the team's VP of sport performance. O'Brien is one of the sport's greatest experts when it comes to recovery, fitness, training, etc.

Dreger added that the element of sports science has grown to be so important in this day's NHL, and that's definitely in focus for how McKenna has been managed so far.

Nick Paul Looks To Bounce Back Healthy With Maple Leafs And With Andy O’Brien In His CornerA fully healthy wrist, a new club and a new regimen are some of the things Nick Paul is betting on for a return to form.

Missing the morning skate of his debut grabbed attention, but so did his decision to miss Sunday's optional skills practice. It wasn't a critically important session for the players and the team, but it's worth noting that the entire top line for the Maple Leafs, which included Auston Matthews, Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic, was on the ice, but none of the second line was. 

But again, that's reportedly a decision by the team's management in an effort to keep McKenna fresh as he continues to chase his first point and goal in the NHL.

#Leafs attending optional skills practice today: Oct. 4

Auston Matthews
Kirill Marchenko
Jack Roslovic
Dakota Joshua
Easton Cowan
Nick Paul
Teddy Blueger
Bo Groulx
Zack MacEwen
Troy Stecher
Chris Tanev
Nick Blankenburg
Brendan Bonnello (EBUG) pic.twitter.com/HpQk8r9NvT

— Andre Leal (@leal_andre19) October 4, 2026

"If he was given the option, given a choice, Gavin McKenna would be out there with Auston Matthews and everyone else who opted to take the skate. But this is the Maple Leafs just trying to manage their asset here."

It's worth noting that while there's the belief that an 18-year-old shouldn't require extra rest to remain fresh given his young age, the fact is, from a sports science perspective, it's actually very common for young athletes to suffer muscle injuries from heavy workload, overuse, repetitive stress and lack of recovery.

---

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

The Minnesota Wild  (2-0-0) will turn to Jesper Wallstedt once again when they face the Buffalo Sabres (1-1-0) on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center.

Wallstedt will make his third consecutive start to open the season, while Colten Ellis will get the start for Buffalo. The Wild enter the matchup 2-0-0, while the Sabres are 1-1-0. 

Wallstedt couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the season.

The 23-year-old has won each of his first two starts while posting a 1.01 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. He has stopped 45 of the 47 shots he has faced.

Wallstedt opened the season by turning aside 19 of 20 shots in Minnesota’s 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. He followed that performance by stopping 26 of 27 shots in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

His strong start has helped Minnesota outscore its opponents 7-2 through two games. 

With Filip Gustavsson sidelined following offseason hip surgery, Wallstedt has been handed an early opportunity to take control of the Wild’s crease. So far, he has done exactly that.

Buffalo will counter with Ellis, who will make his first appearance of the 2026-27 season.

The 26-year-old went 8-4-2 with a 2.90 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 16 appearances last season. He also recorded the first shutout of his NHL career.

Ellis has already seen the Wild once in his career and came away with the victory.

He stopped 22 of 24 shots in Buffalo’s 3-2 shootout win over Minnesota on Nov. 29, 2025. Ellis then stopped two of the Wild’s four shootout attempts to secure the win. 

Tuesday’s matchup therefore features a goaltender trying to continue one of the NHL’s best starts against another making his season debut.

Wallstedt will look to make it three wins in three starts and keep the Wild perfect, while Ellis will try to replicate the success he had against Minnesota last season.

Puck drop between the Wild and Sabres is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at KeyBank Center.

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.

The Montreal Canadiens are set to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes for the third game of their regular season on Tuesday.

The Canadiens will be hoping to bounce back after losing in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 6-5 final score in their last game.

However, as the Canadiens prepare for their game against the Hurricanes, they have announced some rough injury news regarding star winger Ivan Demidov. 

The Canadiens have announced that Demidov will be out for the next two to four weeks due to an upper-body injury.

With Demidov being one of the Canadiens' most important forwards, it is undoubtedly bad news that he is going to miss multiple weeks. Yet, Montreal will now need to adjust without the 20-year-old forward in their lineup for the time being. 

In two games this season for the Canadiens, Demidov has posted one goal and one assist. This is after he recorded 19 goals, 43 assists, and 62 points in 82 games for the Canadiens during this past season.

It will now be interesting to see how the Canadiens perform without Demidov in their lineup from here. 

NEW YORK, NY -- New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov is expected to make his first NHL start since Nov. 29, 2024, when he takes the crease against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

He did not take part in the Islanders' morning skate as he took his option. Ilya Sorokin and emergency backup netminder Tom Sullivan hit the ice this morning. 

Varlamov, 38, has missed the last year and a half while recovering from two partial knee replacements. 

With one season left on his $2.75 million-per-year contract, the grizzled veteran wasn't ready to hang up his skates, undergoing grueling physical therapy after a risky surgery to return to NHL form.

In two preseason games, Varlamov turned aside x of x. He backed up starting netminder Ilya Sorokin in the Islanders' 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last Wednesday and their 6-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. 

Varlamov has owned the Rangers at MSG over his career:

Varlamov’s numbers AT MSG vs. #NYR :

Career (14 GP): 10-3-1, 2.29 GAA, .928 SV%, 4 SO.

414 saves on 446 shots.

With #Isles  (6 GP): 5-1-0, 1.55 GAA, .950 SV%, 4 SO.

172 saves on 181 shots.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 5, 2026

Puck drop between the Islanders and Rangers comes your way at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. 

Let’s talk about some first impressions from the 2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins.

After playing a nearly flawless 60 minutes in the season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins won a 6-5 overtime game against the Montreal Canadiens that saw them let a 5-1 slip away, and then played what was easily their sloppiest and ugliest game of the season on Monday night in a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

It has only been three games.

Everybody’s story for the 2026-27 season is still in it prologue, especially as everybody tries to deal with the shortened preseason and training camp. It is going to make one of the noisiest and most random parts of the season even noisier and more random. But it is still a first impression, and sometimes a first impression can tell you a lot.

So let’s look at three things to like so far from the Penguins, and three things to not like so far.

Things to like so far

• You should like Ben Kindel’s start. Not only in the sense that he looks bigger, stronger and faster, but also with the way he looks offensively. He has played two games, he has scored two goals, both of them by going to the front of the net and getting his stick on the puck, and added an assist. We know he can shoot, we know he can skate, and we know he can see the ice. But if he is going to start scoring dirty goals from the front of the net you are really going to have something here. His play to set up Declan Carlile on Monday night was also one of the bright spots in the game for the Penguins. He knew exactly what he was doing with that puck, and where he was going with it, before he even had it. As promising as all of that is, I thought one of his best plays over the first two games was a scoring chance he generated on the penalty kill in his first game against the Canadiens. It did not result in a goal, but it showed off the speed and strength we have been hearing about all training camp. We know he is an NHL player. The question is the upside and how good of an NHL player he can be. We might be underselling it.
• You should like Declan Carlile’s start. Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea were very pleasant surprises for the 2025-26 Penguins, and when they let Shea go without even so much as a serious offer, and then traded Wotherspoon for Kaedan Korczak, there was some confusion, and maybe even concern among Penguins fans. I still like Korczak (even with an up-and-down start), but I really liked the Carlile signing and saw him as not only a potential Wotherspoon replacement, but perhaps even an upgrade next to Erik Karlsson. While I do not expect offense to be a big part of his game, already scoring two goals and adding two more assists in three games is an unexpected surge offensively. He has, quite literally, already set a new career high in scoring. And both goals were fantastic shots as well. I still wouldn’t expect big offensive numbers this season from him, but I do expect a good player.
• You should like Evgeni Malkin’s start. He did not have a great game on Monday, but who did other than Kindel and, for the most part, Sergei Murashov? He did, however, have two outstanding games against Philadelphia and Montreal to start the season. I do not know how he is going to hold up over 84 games and what the April version of Malkin will look like, but through the first week of the season there is still some juice to squeeze here.

Things to not like so far

• You should not like seven third period goals against in two games. I realize it might be a little odd to put a defensemen in the “things to like” category given some of the goal prevention issues over the past two games, but I’m not going to put that entirely on just the defense. It has been a very collective effort across the board, and continuing what was a big problem a year ago. The good news? They mostly figured it out last season as the season went on. Right now it’s been four shaky periods (the third period against Montreal, and the bad game against Winnipeg). The positives have still outweighed the negatives. But the negatives are something we saw a little too much of a season ago.
• You should not like Connor Dewar’s start. Since being acquired at the 2024-25 NHL Trade Deadline, Dewar has been a very pleasant surprise as a fourth-line forward and penalty killer, and even played his way into a contract extension. It was justified given his play. But the past two games have been shaky for him in terms of making simple plays with the puck, and the type of plays you should be counting on him to make in tough, defensive situations. He has had some egregious turnovers in the defensive zone. I understand the Penguins probably want him in the lineup due to his penalty killing, but given the forward depth they have accumulated, including players that are more than capable of playing a fourth-line role when everybody is healthy (Hendrix Lapierre, Elmer Soderblom) he should not have a lock on a lineup spot every night.
• You should not like how the Penguins power play responded to an aggressive penalty kill. This is not a commentary on the power play’s overall performance through three games, because they scored four goals in the first two games. This is simply related to how they looked on Monday night against a Winnipeg penalty kill that was extremely aggressive and did not give them any room to operate or set up. Even when the Penguins power play is going well it has always been vulnerable to chances against, and can at times look a little sloppy. That is especially true against teams that do not just passively sit back and let them set up. Winnipeg’s two PK’s on Monday were highlighted by an aggressiveness they did not see from Philadelphia and Montreal, and the Penguins did not seem to know how to handle it. Maybe it was just an extension of the sloppy game they played. Maybe it is a thing other teams will try to exploit. Either way, it was something that stood out to me.

Flyers sign Bunting as team looks for jolt amid sluggish start originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If the Flyers wanted to wake up their underperforming team, they’ll try to do it with Michael Bunting.

The Flyers signed the veteran winger to a one-year, $1.2 million contract Tuesday.

This could be a message of sorts to the club’s roster. The Flyers are off to an 0-2-2 start in which they’ve been outshot a staggering 158-77. Their forwards have produced just three goals.

When Bunting is at his best, he’s playing with some bite and providing secondary scoring. The Flyers will be the 31-year-old’s seventh NHL team.

To make room for Bunting, we’ll see if the Flyers decide to put Garrett Wilson on waivers for the purpose of sending him to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Carl Grundstrom could also be an option; he already cleared waivers last month. What about Alex Bump? The young winger was a healthy scratch Monday night and the Flyers don’t want young players sitting for too long, so keep an eye on him, as well.

Last season, Bunting put up 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 74 games between the Predators and Stars.

Rick Tocchet knows him a little bit from their days with the Coyotes. Bunting played 26 games for Arizona over two seasons when Tocchet was the head coach.

Bunting’s best season came with the Maple Leafs in 2021-22. He recorded 23 goals, 63 points and a plus-27 rating. He had 23 goals for Toronto the next season, too.

In 16 career games against the Flyers, Bunting has scored five goals and collected six assists.

It’s uncertain when he’ll make his Flyers debut. The team will have to get him up to speed. The Flyers play Thursday on the road against the Senators (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). Then they have a back-to-back set when they visit the Bruins on Saturday (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and host the Hurricanes on Sunday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).