The Pittsburgh Penguins will face another tough test against one of the NHL's best teams on Halloween night.
They'll play the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre and will try to end the Habs' four-game winning streak. The Canadiens have only allowed four goals during this streak and are 8-3-2 overall.
Forward Cole Caufield has been electric to start the season, compiling eight goals and 12 points in 13 games. Nick Suzuki is also tied for the team lead in points with 12, but will be out for this game. It's a big deal because he's one of the league's best players and can shut down each team's top line.
Defenseman Lane Hutson does it all and is one of the best at his position. He has three goals and 11 points in 13 games and can take your breath away with his skating.
Don't forget about forward Juraj Slafkovsky, either. He's a fantastic player, and it doesn't take much to get him going.
Goaltender Jacob Fowler will start for the Habs and he's been on fire lately. He leads the NHL with 10.1 goals saved above expected and is 6-1-0 with a .942 save percentage to start the season.
As for the Penguins, Sergei Murashov will start in goal, and it will be his first start in two weeks. Arturs Silovs has been fantastic since Murashov last started, but there's no reason to overwork him.
Murashov has been patient and has had an opportunity work on certain things at practice. It's also a big game. Let's see what he can do.
Here's a look at the expected lines and pairs:
Forwards
Novak-Crosby-Rakell
Chinakhov-Kindel-Malkin
Kuzmenko-Lapierre-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson
Defense
Stastney-Karlsson
Girard-Korczak
Carlile-Letang
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
The Buffalo Sabres finish up their four-game road swing in Los Angeles, in an afternoon tilt against the Kings, who with a 4-6-2 record reside near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Buffalo is coming off a pair of victories against the young San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, and faces a Los Angeles roster that has the oldest average age in the NHL.
In the aftermath of the Connor Hellebuyck melodrama, the focus of chatter throughout the NHL has shifted to a pair of the Sabres Atlantic Division foes, the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Wings have had an issue with former captain Dylan Larkin and defenseman Simon Edvinsson since the summer, but they were paralyzed after the firing of GM Steve Yzerman and the promotion of assistant GM Shawn Horcoff to interim GM.
Larkin, unlike Hellebuyck, reported to training camp and played 10 games after recovering from an injury, but earlier this week, the 30-year-old informed the Wings that he would no longer play for them and would await a trade, for which Detroit suspended him without pay.
The Red Wings and Dylan Larkin will be going their separate ways.
The Sabres, according to both Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, have expressed interest in Tage Thompson’s Team USA teammates, but Larkin at this point is not willing to expand his trade list to include Buffalo or the Montreal Canadiens. The Wings also face a staring contest with RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who has to be signed by December 1 or he cannot play for Detroit or any other NHL club this season.
On Friday, a shock wave hit the league, as reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov revealed that he will not be signing a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning and that he has requested a trade. Lightning GM Julien Brisebois’ reaction to the announcement was that he did not intend to trade the franchise’s leading scorer, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Both situations will have a detrimental effect on a pair of the Sabres divisional foes, as moves such as this rarely result in the club moving a core player for equal value. Trading Larkin and Edvinsson, the Wings top center and one of their top pairing defensemen, could force Detroit into a second rebuild in less than a decade, similar to what the Sabres were forced into when Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and others asked out of Buffalo.
With Kucherov, the ultimatum could be a tactical move made by the 33-year-old and agent Dan Milstein to force a trade and go to another team to get the payday he is looking for. If Brisebois is true to his word and keeps Kucherov for the rest of the season as an own rental, the reign of the Lightning as a top three club in the Atlantic the last decade is likely over.
The Vancouver Canucks are 15 games into their 2026–27 season and currently sport a record of 3–11–1. Their next game takes place today, on Halloween, when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the spirit of Halloween, here’s a little Canucks-related Trick-or-Treat game.
The game works as so: each prompt includes two statements about the 2026–27 Canucks — one a trick (more of a negative stat), and one a treat (a more-positive stat). Only one of the statements is true.
Continue reading for some Canucks trick-or-treat.
Trick-Or-Treat: The Canucks Are Currently Within The Bottom-Half Of The NHL In 5-On-5 Scoring (Trick), Or The Top-Half Of The NHL In Overall Goals-For (Treat).
Treat. Surprisingly enough, despite their recent struggles on offence, the Canucks still sit within the top-half of the league in goals-for at 5-on-5 with 28. Their 28 5-on-5 goals-for currently ties them with the Montréal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres for the 14th-most in the league. Vancouver sits higher-up on the list in overall goals-for with a total of 45 on the season, which puts them at 11th in the NHL.
Trick. The Canucks’ current PDO rating of 1.002 is lower than all four teams listed. The Rangers currently lead this particular group with a rating of 1.014, followed by Canadiens with 1.008, St. Louis Blues with 1.006, and the Predators with 1.005. Teams currently below the Canucks include the Dallas Stars (0.998), Tampa Bay Lightning (0.990), and Utah Mammoth (0.897).
Trick-Or-Treat: The Canucks Do (Trick) Or Do Not (Treat) Have The Lowest Overall Shots-For In The NHL.
Treat. Vancouver is currently not dead-last in the NHL in overall shots-for. That said, they’re not terribly far off. Their 316 shots-for currently ranks 30th in the league in this category, with only the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets (281) recording less than them.
Trick-Or-Treat: No Abbotsford Canuck Has Scored Five Goals To Start The Season (Trick), Or Three Are Averaging A Point Per Game (Treat).
Treat. Two members of the Abbotsford Canucks have scored five or more goals through the team’s first nine games of the season — Ty Mueller (6) and Jacob Quillan (5). Three AHL Canucks are currently averaging exactly one point per game. Mueller has the team’s lead in points with 10 in 10 games, while 2025 first-round pick Braeden Cootes, who is currently out due to a lower body injury, has put together three goals and three assists in six games. Defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev has six assists in five games played, giving him the team’s highest points per game (1.20) thus far.
Trick-Or-Treat: Vancouver’s Combined SV% Is Lower (Trick) Or Higher (Treat) Than .860%.
Trick. The Canucks’ current SV% sits at the bottom of the NHL, with Vancouver logging a collective percentage of .859% — barely under .860%. Kevin Lankinen currently sports a .812 SV%, while Leevi Meriläinen’s has dipped to .898%. Other notable goaltenders around the league with a SV% of under .900% include Maple Leafs goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (.885%), Karel Vejmelka of the Mammoth (.881%), and 2026 Stanley Cup winner Brandon Bussi (.865%).
Trick-Or-Treat: Which Home Record Was Better Through 15 Games — The 2025–26 Canucks (Trick) Or 2026–27 Canucks (Treat)?
Trick. Understandably, the 2025–26 Canucks had the better home record through their first 15 games of their season, playing six of their matchups at home and logging a record of 2–4–0. That said, they only registered one more home win than this year’s team after 15 games, with the 2026–27 team putting up a record of 1–5–0.
Oct 29, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Liam Ohgren (92) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
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Shane Pinto says the Sens need to find a way to bring Thursday's third period performance into their game in San Jose on Saturday afternoon (Senators YouTube).
Foegele suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and is expected to miss an extended period. Burakovsky was injured in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, while Hodgson received his suspension for a vicious hit on Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke.
The three absences left the Senators with just 10 available forwards, forcing them to turn to Belleville for reinforcements.
Tomasino brings considerable NHL experience to the lineup. The former Nashville Predators first-round pick has played more than 200 NHL games and has been producing offensively in Belleville, collecting 11 points in 10 games this season.
Bourgault, a former first-round selection of the Edmonton Oilers, has also been off to a strong start with nine points.
Senators Looking to End First Losing Streak
For the first time this season, the Senators find themselves on a losing streak, although Thursday's thrilling comeback in Los Angeles provided at least one encouraging sign.
It was a remarkable comeback that salvaged a valuable point from a game that appeared completely lost.
Still, the Senators have some defensive issues to address. Since losing starting goaltender Linus Ullmark to injury, they've surrendered 20 goals in four games. Granted, four of those were empty net goals against, but that still tracks to a goals against average of 4.00 in game since Ullmark was hurt.
The Senators enter Saturday's game with an 8-5-1 record, good for third place in the Atlantic Division. They'll be looking to turn the momentum from Thursday's comeback into a much-needed victory.
Cozens Rounding Into Form
Saturday's game will also be an opportunity for Dylan Cozens to continue his success against the Sharks.
Cozens has 11 points in 11 career games against San Jose, including five goals.
He's also picked it up after a sluggish start. After just three points in his first 11 games, he now has five in his last three.
Shark Week
San Jose enters Saturday's game with a 7-6-1 record, good for fourth place in the Pacific Division, with a 5-3-0 home record.
The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 comeback victory over the Vancouver Canucks and have already enjoyed success against the Senators this season.
The teams met just nine days ago, with San Jose winning 6-2. The result included two empty net goals in a game the Sens dominated for long stretches but couldn't score.
Macklin Celebrini continues to lead the Sharks offensively with 16 points, while Will Smith has six goals on the season.
The Senators have historically enjoyed success against San Jose, holding a 24-19-4-2 record in the all-time series.
Modest as it is, the Sens are on their first losing slide of the season, but they still haven't lost back to back games in regulation. They would like to steady the ship before heading to Anaheim for Sunday night's game.
But much of that will depend on one of their backup goalies stepping up. The disparity between Ullmark and his backups so far borders on the outrageous.
Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The plan was for Jacob Fowler to storm in and take the Montreal Canadiens’ starting job this year. Despite a good training camp, the Florida native was sent down to the Laval Rocket, a victim of the circumstances and the fact that he is in the second year of his ELC and doesn't need to clear waivers. Little did he know, though, that he would only have time to play two games with the Rocket before Samuel Montembeault got injured at practice on the eve of his first game of the season. His call-up came at a time when Jakub Dobes was having a crisis of confidence of sorts and not playing his best hockey, giving Fowler a golden opportunity, which he grabbed with both hands.
Since joining the Habs this season, Fowler has a 6-1-0 record, a 1.54 goals-against average (fourth among all goalies and second among masked men who have played at least five games), and a .942 save percentage (second among all netminders). Those are fantastic numbers, but a deeper look at his game with NHL Edge shows his season start is even more impressive.
At 5-on-5, he has a .939 SV, the fourth-highest total in the league, which isn’t surprising given how confident the Canadiens are playing with the Florida native in net. It feels like the Habs believe they’ve got nothing to fear when he’s backstopping them. A looser team means a better team, even if the Sainte-Flanelle is currently playing without important players like Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov.
The Canadiens’ keeper leads the league in mid-range save percentage this year with an impressive .982 and ranks fourth in high-danger save percentage at .885 among goaltenders who have played at least six games this season. In his 46-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues, he saved an incredible 18 high-danger opportunities; that’s the most among all goaltenders in a single game this season.
The Habs penalty kill has been impressive of late, and Fowler is a big part of it. When the Tricolore is down a man, he has a .950 SV, fourth-best in the league.
Those are impressive numbers, and if the youngster stays the course, he will no doubt receive votes for the Calder Trophy. As things stand, Toronto Maple Leafs’ Gavin McKenna leads the rookies in scoring with 11 points in 15 games, but Boston Bruins’ James Hagen is hot on his tail with 10 points in 14 games, and two other players have nine points (Vegas Golden Knights’ Trevor Connelly and San Jose Sharks' Ivar Stenberg). McKenna isn’t running away with it.
In the year Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy, he scored 66 points in 82 games, and the runner-up was goaltender Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames, who posted a 20-16-8 record, a 2.64 GAA, and a .910 SV. The last goaltender to win the Calder was Steve Masson in 2008-09, when he posted a 33-22-7 record, a 2.29 GAA, and a .916 SV. Fowler currently eclipses those stats, and he’s miles ahead of the other rookie netminders. The New York Rangers’ Dylan Garland ranks second in GAA (2.69) and SV (.899). Granted, it’s still early, but if nobody separates themselves from the lot among the skaters and Fowler holds the starting job in Montreal and leads the team to the playoffs, he’ll be a serious contender.
CALGARY, CANADA - OCTOBER 08: Morgan Frost #16 of the Calgary Flames and Brett Kulak #27 of the Colorado Avalanche battle for the puck during the third period at the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 08, 2026 in Calgary, Alberta. (Photo by Leah Hennel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the first time in twenty-four years, the Colorado Avalanche are hosting a game on Halloween!
Tonight will be a rematch against the Calgary Flames, who have been heating up of late with five wins in their previous six games.
Colorado Avalanche (7-5-1)
The Opponent: Calgary Flames (6-7-0)
Time: 8:00 P.M. MDT/10:00 P.M. EDT
Watch: ALT, ALT+ (Avalanche Local Broadcast Area), ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (Outside Regional Broadcast Area – US), SN, SN+ (Canadian National Broadcast)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
In their previous outing the Avalanche, looking more Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde, defeated the visiting New Jersey Devils by a 5-2 decision on Wednesday night, avenging their loss at the Prudential Center eight nights earlier. New Jersey, playing in the second game of a back-to-back series, started goaltender Jake Allen (newly-acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck played the previous evening in Dallas, earning his first win with New Jersey), who gave up five goals on forty-five shots. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped twenty of twenty-two shots for his sixth win of the season.
Nicolas Roy, who had missed the previous six games with injury, returned to the lineup, registering an assist on Nazem Kadri’s go-ahead goal in the second period. Defenseman Josh Manson, however, did not finish the game. Head coach Jared Bednar announced yesterday that Manson would miss eight weeks with an ankle injury.
Manson’s absence paves the way for increased usage for defenseman Noah Juulsen. Juulsen, who has played eight games for Colorado this season, has made a surprising but positive impression with Bednar.
“I love his attitude,” Bednar said to reporters Friday. “He wants to do anything he can to help. He’s a real positive guy, and he’s played great for us, so, yeah, we’re going to need him, obviously, with [Manson] being out for eight weeks.
“It’s nice to have. We’ve had a lot of years here where we’ve just had six ‘D’ here, and our seventh is a recall guy, and it’s nice to have him here because he’s with our group every day, you know? There’s no bringing guys up to speed, he just jumps right in and continues to play well.”
It’s likely that Blackwood closes out the home stand and Wedgewood starts when the Avs go on the road next week. They kick off another back-to-back pair of road games on Monday in Chicago before heading to Columbus the following day.
MacKinnon still leads all skaters in points (22) and assists (14). Artturi Lehkonen leads the team in goals (10).
A win tonight can pull the Avs within one point of second-place Utah (who won’t play until Sunday) in the Central Division standings. The Avs won the opening game of the season series against Calgary on October 08.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Gabe Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Nicolas Roy Jaden Schwartz – Nazem Kadri – T.J. Hughes Parker Kelly – Fedor Svechkov – Logan O’Connor
Defense: Devon Toews – Cale Makar Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski Noah Juulsen – Brent Burns
Between the Pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood Scott Wedgewood
Calgary Flames
Calgary’s start to the season was anything but hot: they lost six of their first seven games of the season, including a 7-3 loss on home ice to Colorado on October 08. During their most recent four game homestand, however, things started to heat up. Thanks to stellar play by goaltender Devin Cooley, Calgary swept all four games, which featured victories over Minnesota, Toronto, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
Unfortunately, Cooley’s heater came to an abrupt end this past Wednesday after sustaining an injury from a collision with Edmonton’s Colton Dach. Calgary wound up losing by a 4-0 decision, but rebounded last night on home ice with a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Goaltender Dustin Wolf recorded his first win in over two weeks, saving twenty-five of twenty-seven shots against.
Calgary, who has been without left wing Jonathan Huberdeau after he underwent hip resurfacing surgery last season, is seeing the injuries continue to pile up. Left wing Samuel Honzek, who last played against Colorado, is listed as week-to-week. Brennan Othmann also was injured during the Edmonton game after a fight with Ty Emberson.
With Cooley also listed as week-to-week, goaltender Arsenii Sergeev has been called up from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to back up Wolf. Maxim Tsyplakov, who had been a healthy scratch for Calgary’s previous five games, returned to the lineup against Seattle.
With Wolf playing on Friday, signs point to Sergeev making his first start of the season tonight. Sergeev has only one prior NHL start in his career, a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on April 16 last season.
When asked last night how much confidence he might have in Sergeev’s abilities to step up while on the road, head coach Ryan Huska said, “He did a really good job last year when he came up and played a game for us. He made a lot of saves that he probably shouldn’t have made, so I have a lot of confidence in his ability.”
Joel Farabee and Matt Coronato lead all Calgary skaters in points (14). Rookie Matvei Gridin leads the team in goals (5), while Coronato leads the team in assists (11). Right wing Adam Klapka leads all Calgary skaters in penalty minutes (37), second only to Ottawa’s Nick Cousins (42) across the League.
Tonight’s game is the start of a three game road trip for Calgary, and marks their only visit to Denver. They return home to the Saddledome for a three game homestand on Thursday.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Joel Farabee – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato Aydar Suniev – Morgan Frost – Yegor Sharangovich Matvei Gridin – Martin Pospíšil – Ryan Strome Maxim Tsyplakov – Jonathan Castagna – Adam Klapka
Defense: Kevin Bahl – Šimon Nemec Jake Middleton – Zach Whitecloud Yan Kuznetsov – Zayne Parekh
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to face the Dallas Stars tonight at 8:00 PM.
Dallas Stars- 7-5-1 - 15 Points - Won 2- 4th in the Central
Columbus Blue Jackets - 5-6-0 - 10 Points - Lost 1 - 7th in the Metro
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Zach Werenski has notched 5-8-13 in 21 career GP with the game winning goal in the last outing against the Stars.
Sean Monahan has notched 6-12-18 in 29 career games with an assist in his most recent outing at Dallas.
Kent Johnson has tallied 2-4-6 in 7 career contests vs. the Stars, including assists in three consecutive outings at Dallas (1-3-4).
Conor Garland has posted 5-13-18 in 19 career games against the Stars, including points in six of his last seven contests at American Airlines Center (3-7-10).
Charlie Coyle has posted 5-14-19 in 40 career outings vs. Dallas, including points in his past two games at American Airlines Center (1-1-2).
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 11.1% - 30th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 74.3% - 22nd in the NHL
Goals For - 27 - 32nd in the NHL
Goals Against - 36 - 7th in the NHL
StarsStats
Power Play - 20.0% - 18th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 93.5% - 1st in the NHL
Goals For - 34 - 26th in the NHL
Goals Against - 29 - 1st in the NHL
Series History vs.Stars
The Blue Jackets are 35-36-0-7 overall, and 16-20-0-2 on the road in Dallas.
Columbus went 2-0-0 in 2025-26.
Columbus has won three straight games in the series, outscoring Dallas 12-5 since Feb. 25, 2025.
The Jackets have won two of their last four games at American Airlines Center.
The winning team has won by multiple goals in six of the last seven meetings of the series, including three by three or more goals.
The winning team scored five or more goals in five consecutive meetings before the Blue Jackets earned a 1-0 shutout victory in the most recent matchup on Jan. 22, 2026.
CBJ have killed off all seven Stars power play chances over the win streak and have denied Dallas on 24-of-25 opportunities in the past 14 meetings since Mar. 13, 2021 (96.0 pct.).
The club has also killed 36 of 38 Stars power-play chances in the past 14 games at Dallas since Jan. 6, 2015 (94.7 pct.).
Who To Watch For TheStars
Mikko Rantanen leads the Stars with 6 goals, 10 assists, and 16 points.
Jason Robertson has 5 goals and 13 points.
Jake Oettinger is 6-3-1 with a SV% of .917. His last start was on 10-29.
Casey DeSmith is 1-2-0 with his last start being on 10-27.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 11 Games Missed
Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 11 Games Missed - Lightly skating. Could return soon
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 35
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.
TV: CBJHN - Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo. DirecTV Ch. 660 (streaming), 660-1 (satellite). U-Verse (1735/735)
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The Vancouver Canucks (3-11-1) return from a two-game road trip on Saturday to face the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-6-2). Vancouver enters this game after losing its last matchup, while the Maple Leafs have fallen in two straight games. Last year, Toronto won the season series as they picked up victories in both games.
Every year, the night against the Maple Leafs is one of the most electric at Rogers Arena. There are usually challenging chants, with fans from Toronto filling a good portion of the stands. Add in the fact that some fans will be in costume to celebrate Halloween, and Saturday's game could be one of the most exciting games to experience in terms of atmosphere this season.
As for on the ice, the Canucks can't afford another sloppy third period. Vancouver looked in control on Thursday night before once again collapsing in the final frame. If the Canucks can establish a lead after 40 minutes, they need to keep their foot on the gas until the final horn sounds.
Players To Watch:
Tom Willander:
Tom Willander continues to develop into a solid defender. The 21-year-old leads the team in even-strength ice time and recorded three shots on goal in Thursday's loss. It appears that Willander has earned the trust of the coaching staff and is projected to see plenty of ice time against the Maple Leafs.
Gavin McKenna:
Fans in Vancouver will catch a glimpse of what almost was as Gavin McKenna hits the ice at Rogers Arena for the first time. The 2026 first-overall pick is having a solid start to his NHL career with 11 points through his first 15 games. Currently skating on Toronto's first line, McKenna will make the Canucks pay if they give him time and space with the puck.
Vancouver Canucks (3–11–1):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 4–12–16
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 6–6–12
Brock Boeser: 4–8–12
Filip Hronek: 1–10–11
Linus Karlsson: 3–6–9
Goaltenders:
Leevi Meriläinen: 2–4–1
Kevin Lankinen: 1–7–0
Toronto Maple Leafs (7-6-2)
Points:
Auston Matthews: 10-13-23
William Nylander: 9-10-19
Jack Roslovic: 6-9-15
Kirill Marchenko: 6-8-14
Easton Cowan: 6-8-14
Goaltenders:
Anthony Stolarz: 4-1-0
Sergei Bobrovsky: 3-5-2
Game Information:
Start time: 4:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk (74) handles the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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.
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.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - DECEMBER 20: Jacob Fowler #32 of the Montréal Canadiens makes a save against Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of a game at Bell Centre on December 20, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Reuben Polansky-Shapiro/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-2, 12 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division) @ Montreal Canadiens (8-3-2, 18 points, 2nd place Atlantic Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Broadcast in Canada on SNE, SN1 and TVAS and locally on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are back home next week for a Tuesday matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights and Thursday game against the Boston Bruins. The Pens then hit the road for a West Coast swing that starts next weekend with a back-to-back in Los Angeles and Anaheim.
Opponent Track: The Canadiens are riding a four-game win streak into Saturday despite losing captain Nick Suzuki to injury ahead of their recent road trip. The Habs have outscored opponents 13-4 over that away stretch, which was capped off Thursday by a 5-2 win at the Dallas Stars.
Season Series: The Penguins started out the season series earlier this month by blowing a four-goal lead before Tommy Novak scored in overtime to salvage a 6-5 win in Montreal. These two teams will meet for a final time this season Jan. 9 in Pittsburgh.
Hidden Stat: The Canadiens are on the longest win streak in the NHL thanks to their 4-0-0 run through their recent road trip.
Getting to know the Canadiens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Cole Caufield – Alex Newhook – Juraj Slafkovsky
Chris Kreider – Oliver Kapanen – Josh Anderson
Zack Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier
Florian Xhekaj – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
DEFENSEMEN
Lane Hutson / Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle / Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj / Adam Engstrom
Goalies: Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler
Potential scratches: Mike Matheson (day to day)
Injured Reserve: Ivan Demidov, Sam Montembeault, Nick Suzuki
The Canadiens announced last week Suzuki would miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. Star winger Ivan Demidov is toward the latter end of his own two-to-four week injury timeline, while former Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson missed the Habs’ last game with a lower-body injury.
Jakub Dobes was the star of the Canadiens’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, but he struggled to start the season before bouncing back in Thursday’s win in Dallas. It’s been Jacob Fowler who has stepped up most for the Canadiens, and given that Dobes started against the Stars it could be Fowler back in net against the Pens.
Alex Newhook, who has replaced Suzuki as the Habs’ first-line center in the short term, is coming off his most productive game of the season following a two-goal outing in Dallas.
Cole Caufield is another player who’s stepped up amid the Canadiens’ current injury absences. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn reported Caufield has gone from a 22.6 percent contested lose puck recovery rate, a number at which he’s spent most of his career, to ranking fifth in the NHL by recovering 44 percent of his contested loose puck battles so far.
One thing the Canadiens haven’t been able to figure out with Suzuki and Demidov is their power play, which has sunk to 31st in the league after converting on just 10.3 percent of opportunities so far this season. The Penguins will hope to take advantage of that as one of five teams with multiple shorthanded goals so far this season.
Habs keep leads, Pens blow them
The Penguins could learn something from how the Canadiens reacted to failing to close out games earlier this season.
The Habs were struggling with blown leads early this fall, most recently in an Oct. 20 loss during which the Canadiens gave up a two-goal third-period advantage in an overtime defeat by the San Jose Sharks.
The Canadiens responded by claiming four straight regulation wins and successfully weathering multiple late comeback attempts on their recent road trip.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Hendrix Lapierre – Ville Koivunen
The Penguins stuck with their same lines in Friday’s practice following Thursday’s late-game collapse against the Mammoth.
Erik Karlsson (949 career points) is one point away from tying Brent Burns for a spot on the NHL’s list top-10 list of most productive defensemen.
Sidney Crosby (1,111 career assists) is one assist away from passing the Boston Bruins’ Ray Bourque for the most helpers with a single team in NHL history.
The Montreal Canadiens will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time this season, and this time, they’ll hope to do it right. In the second game of the season, the Habs dug themselves into a 5-1 hole before mounting an impressive comeback, only to lose in overtime. The goal came on an odd-man rush sparked by a bad line change.
While the Canadiens are on a four-game winning streak, the Penguins are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and are currently 14th in the Eastern Conference. Still, the Pens have won eight out of the last 10 games between the two teams, including the last two duels.
At the time of writing, it is unclear who will be in net for the Canadiens. Will Jakub Dobes get a chance to avenge his early-October loss, or will Jacob Fowler be back after a night off in Dallas? Dobes played very well on Thursday, but Fowler feels like he's earned the right to be in net Saturday night; he’s still hot and only sat to let the Czech netminder get some action. Fowler is 2-0-0 against the Pens with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Meanwhile, Dobes has a 0-0-2 against the visitors with a 4.35 GAA and an .852 SV.
As for the Penguins, Arturs Silovs has a 2-0-0 record against the Habs with a 3.79 GAA and a .840 SV, hardly impressive numbers, but he still won his two games. It’s a different story for Sergei Murashov; the 22-year-old has only nine NHL games to his name and has never faced the Canadiens.
Chris Kreider is the Canadiens’ highest scorer against Dan Muse’s men; he has put up 40 points against them in 48 games. Captain Nick Suzuki is a distant second with 17 points in 19 duels, but he’s still out of the lineup. Alternate captain Josh Anderson is next with 12 points in 30 tilts. It remains to be seen whether Mike Matheson (11 points in 23 games against the visitors) will be back in the lineup after missing Thursday night’s game with a mysterious lower-body injury; chances are he won’t, since he needed further evaluation. There are still no words on Samuel Montembeault and Ivan Demidov. The former should be back by now, according to the initial timeframe, while the latter should be nearing a return.
Unsurprisingly, Crosby is the Pens’ most productive player against the Habs with 73 points in 56 games, followed by Evgeny Malkin, who’s on 67 points in 53 games. Erik Karlsson comes in third with 46 points in 56 games, just ahead of Kris Letang, who has 43 points in 51 games. The Pens are still without Bryan Rusk, Elmer Soderblom, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, who are all injured.
The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on TVA Sports in French and Sportsnet in English. Kendrick Nicholson and Pierre Lambert will ref the game, while Andrew Smith and Jeremy Faucher will be the linesmen. If you are heading to the Bell Centre, don't forget to dress up; that's the only way to enjoy Halloween in the Mecca of hockey.
The Chicago Blackhawks (4-9-0) are in a bad way. They are 0-5-0 on the road, and they face another tough test against the Boston Bruins (9-4-1) at TD Garden. This will be the second of two straight road games before they return home for a game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Right now, the Blackhawks face multiple issues. For one, they can’t score goals. They are dead last in the league with 27. Connor McDavid has more assists than the Blackhawks have goals. Under no circumstances should that stat ever be true, but it is.
Chicago also struggles defensively. They have allowed 48 goals this season, which gives them a -21 goal differential. When they don’t have the puck, they spend significant portions of the time hemmed in their own defensive zone. They mostly find it very hard to gain possession back, and when they do, it can be a major struggle to break out.
Sometimes things are better when they are against a lesser opponent, but the Bruins are one of those top teams capable of making things very difficult. Their forecheck is as relentless as anyone that the Blackhawks have played so far.
Scouting Boston
The Boston Bruins had mixed expectations coming into 2026-27. Some thought they could build on their rebound season a year ago, and some predicted regression. Well, those who were on the side of the Bruins having a good year are off to a good start. The Bruins roll 4 lines that all contribute and matter to the overall attack. However, they also have a superstar scorer to be that “game breaker,” in David Pastrnak.
Peterka-Zacha-Pastrnak
Khusnutdinov-Minten-Geekie
Mittelstadt-Lindholm-Hagens
Jeannot-Poitras-Kastelic
Lindholm-McAvoy
Zadorov-Borgen
Lohrei-Clifton
Swayman
DiPietro
The Bruins have a few other good, established forwards in JJ Peterka, Pavel Zacha, and Morgan Geekie, among others, but they also have their fair share of young players who have hit the ground running. Examples include Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, James Hagens, and Matthew Poitras.
On defense, Charlie McAvoy is their Olympic-caliber number one who contributes to their success at even strength and on special teams. Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov lead the depth from there. When they’re at their best, it’s a goalie-friendly team, so both Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro are in a good situation.
In the case of Swayman, however, we are talking about a Vezina-caliber superstar. He can steal games if the Bruins have a weaker day. For the Blackhawks, who have a hard time scoring as is, beating either netminder would be a tremendous challenge.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, but they also allow goals at a high clip. Is it the lineups or is it the systems? One way or another, we will find out this season.
On offense, everything they do goes through Connor Bedard. He is their best player, and he brings a high level of play regardless of what his teammates are doing. It won’t be until some of his peers start to break out that their overall attack is good enough to win.
Kantserov-Bedard-Teräväinen
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Donato
Moore-Nazar-Kane
Smith-Greene-Greenway
Vlasic-Cole
Kaiser-Levshunov
Korchinski-Rinzel
Soderblom
There is a chance that Bowen Byram returns from injury. If that were the case, expect Kevin Korchinski to come out. Even if Byram can’t go, it would not be a surprise if Jeff Blashill goes to Ethan Del Mastro for a game, either.
If the Blackhawks don’t start Arvid Soderblom, it would be very surprising. It’s been over 20 days since his last appearance, and Spencer Knight has started for 8 straight games. Even with it being the excellent Boston Bruins, it’s time for Soderblom to get a look.
These lines and defense pairs are from their last time out in Detroit. We won’t know any more details until warmups. When the lineup and how they strategize their lines are revealed, an update will be posted here.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can stream it on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 12:00 PM CT.
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Everything was going great for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night until it wasn't.
WBS was up 3-1 on the Utica Comets in the second period before the Comets scored two goals in eight seconds to tie it. The score stayed the same until late in the third period, when Dmitry Osipov scored the game-winning goal with 30.8 seconds left.
The game looked like it was going to OT before Osipov scored to make it 4-3. WBS pulled goaltender Joel Blomqvist and tried to find the equalizer, but ran out of time.
Melvin Fernstrom, Avery Hayes, and Bill Zonnon scored for the Penguins in this game. Hayes continues to torture the AHL and now has six goals and 10 points in seven games.
His goal on Friday came while the Penguins were shorthanded and it was an absolute laser.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Anton Lundell had a hat trick, Seth Jones capped a record-setting month with a goal and two assists, and the Florida Panthers topped the reeling Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Friday night for their sixth win in eight games.
Jones finished October with 18 points — two goals and 16 assists — to break the record for most points by a Florida defenseman in any month. Keith Yandle had 17 points for the Panthers in March 2018.
Sam Reinhart also scored for Florida.
Kyle Connor had his team-best 11th goal for Winnipeg, which dropped both ends of a home-and-home with Florida this week and is winless in its last eight games — going 0-6-2 in that span. Morgan Barron had his first goal of the season midway through the third to get the Jets to 3-2, but Lundell’s second of the night restored Florida’s two-goal edge.
Lundell finished off the hat trick — Florida’s fifth already this season — with an empty-netter with 1:39 left.
Akira Schmid stopped 22 shots for Florida, which remains without standout forwards Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand because of injuries. Both resumed skating this week; Marchand could be back in about three weeks and Barkov in about four, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
Florida’s Bokondji Imama and Winnipeg’s Tyrel Bauer brawled just 2:04 into the game, a reenactment of sorts of their still-talked-about fight in the AHL in 2024. They went at it for more than a minute Friday and — similar to what happened at the end of their fight two years ago — shared a respectful nod toward the other when it was over.
DEVILS 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots, Arseny Gritsyuk and Jack Hughes each scored twice and New Jersey beat Vegas.
Hellebuyck, who spent his first 11 seasons in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, had his second win since the Devils acquired him Oct. 23. The three-time Vezina Trophy also was in goal Tuesday night in Dallas in a 5-1 win.
Gritsyuk has scored at least a goal in six of the last eight games and has 10 points during the stretch. Luke Hughes also scored for New Jersey. The Devils improved to 10-1-0 when the Hughes brothers score in the same game.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Golden Knights, and Adin Hill stopped 26 shots.
Luke Hughes got things going early in the first when he rifled a one-timer from the top of the left circle past Hill.
Stone tied it when he deflected Mitch Marner’s blast from the point past Hellebuyck. Barbashev gave the Knights a 2-1 lead moments later when he tapped Marner’s pass home after a picture-perfect cross-crease pass.
The lead didn’t last one minute, as Gritsyuk took advantage of a turnover and sniped Hill top shelf from the left circle.
Jack Hughes put New Jersey back in front when he stole the puck from Jack Eichel in the neutral zone, then passed it to himself through Stone’s legs before beating Hill.
FLAMES 6, KRAKEN 2
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matt Coronato had a career-high four points with a goal and three assists to lead Calgary over Seattle.
Joel Farabee added a goal and two assists as the Flames won their fifth straight home game. Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each provided a goal and an assist. Aydar Suniev and Ryan Strome also scored for Calgary.
Freddy Gaudreau got his team-leading seventh goal and Mackie Samoskevich also scored for the Kraken, who twice beat Calgary 6-1 during the opening week of the season.
Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, making his first start since Oct. 15, stopped 20 shots to improve to 2-4-0.
Philipp Grubauer started for the Kraken but was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Joey Daccord made 11 saves in relief.
Mikael Backlund’s assist on Farabee’s goal gave him 610 points (234 goals, 376 assists). That moved Backlund ahead of Johnny Gaudreau into sole possession of fifth place on Calgary’s career scoring list. He is six points behind Joe Nieuwendyk for fourth.
Las Vegas, N.V.— When the Vegas Golden Knights took the ice on Friday at T-Mobile Arena, they did so dressed to the nines in their road whites for their annual Nevada Day game. They played well for much of the first period and even led 2-1. But as the first period drew to a close, a recurring problem reared its ugly head.
The New Jersey Devils came to town high on the acquisition of Connor Hellebuyck. They were already an excellent team, and adding a Vezina-winning goaltender makes them even more dangerous. But on Friday, the Golden Knights once again dug their own grave and fell victim to self-inflicted injuries in an ugly 5-2 loss that detracted from how incredible they looked in their road whites.
“I think our execution for the last 10 days hasn’t been at the level we needed it to be,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the 5-2 loss. “For me, it’s an opportunity for us to continue to push through, right? Are we gonna stay together? Are we gonna continue to do the right things, to work on our execution?
“By that, I mean, support the puck, be in the right areas, help ourselves with that,” Craig continued. “Execution, sometimes, a lot of times, comes down to decision making. And sometimes our execution can be lacking if we’re jamming pucks into there, if the support’s not there, if we’re not in the right areas. It’s not necessarily just the guy with the puck. These are things we’ll look at.”
1. The Iron Knight
Although the Golden Knights didn’t get the result they wanted today, one silver lining is worth mentioning. Brayden McNabb– the all-time leader for games played in a Golden Knights jersey with 662– skated in his 900th career game today.
McNabb’s style of play isn’t easy. He has recorded 1,681 blocked shots and thrown 2,053 hits over his 15-year NHL career. Nothing is guaranteed in life, and players who do their team’s dirty work to the extent that McNabb does don’t often reach 900 career games.
“He means everything [to the team],” said Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev. “He’s been here since day one, and he’s been in the league for many years. He’s a huge part of our team. He’s a leader; when I came here, he helped a lot. I think he still helps a lot of guys. He takes care of the defensemen. He’s just a great player— he blocks shots and just does everything right for our team.”
“He’s been a leader here from the start,” agreed McNabb’s defensive partner Shea Theodore. “He plays a good, hard game. To watch him play in his 900th… It doesn’t go unnoticed, the hard work that he puts in. Good for him.”
2. The Well’s Run Dry
This Golden Knights team is stacked from top to bottom with offensive talent, and they have been for quite some time. However, over the past few years, when they’ve gone through rough patches, it always seems to come back to an inability to consistently finish their chances.
The offensive scoring drought has come back with a vengeance over the past five games. The Golden Knights have a 1-3-1 record and have scored only 11 goals, two of which were empty-net goals in a 4-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators. Just six of those 11 goals have come at 5-on-5.
“I wouldn’t say we’re concerned,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig after the 5-2 loss. “We’re creating opportunities. We haven’t finished as well, and we haven’t played with the lead as much as we did earlier. Those things, I think, force you to squeeze your stick a little bit. We shouldn’t be concerned about that part of our game, because when we do manage the puck, and we do check, we create opportunities that, if we create enough of them, they’re gonna go in.
“We were up 2-1 at the 18-minute mark of the first period,” Craig finished. “Our guys responded to the first [Devils goal] to get two. We’re in a position there. We just have to stay with it.”
3. A New Devil on the Shoulder
The Golden Knights aren’t too worried about their finishing struggles because they have a much bigger issue at hand. Over the past five games, their losses have been in no small part due to poor puck management.
“There are other parts of our game that we have to work on,” said Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore after today’s 5-2 loss. “It starts defensively. You can’t give up five and expect to win.”
Ten days ago, they kicked off this bad stretch with a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay where four Lightning goals came directly off of turnovers. Everyone on this team is aware of the issue, and they’ve repeatedly mentioned that they need to manage the puck better. But for some reason, the problem persists.
“We didn’t help ourselves. It starts with our puck play and turnovers,” said head coach Ryan Craig. “The first two [Devils goals] are turnovers… We’ve just got to be better.”
“We just weren’t good enough,” agreed Theodore. “Our execution wasn’t there, our physicality wasn’t there. We weren’t really getting on the forecheck, and we had too many turnovers. Overall, we have to be better.”
For the second time in the young NHL season, the Florida Panthers have won three games in a row.
Florida jumped out a 2-0 lead and never looked back, taking down the Winnipeg Jets for the second time this week, this time by a final score of 5-2.
The first score of the game came the same way Florida has scored many of their goals lately; on the power play.
After a strong sequence of passing to set themselves up in Winnipeg’s zone, the puck found its way to Sam Reinhart along the goal line to the right of Nico Daws.
When no Jets player came to Reinhart, he calmly took a step above the goal line, changed the angle of his shot and fired the puck past Daws, who was down in the RVH covering the near post.
Florida took the 1-0 lead into the second period, where they quickly added to their advantage.
This time it was Anton Lundell, walking into the Jets’ zone and sending a long wrist shot past Daws, who was being screened by Eetu Luostarinen.
The two-goal lead didn’t last long for Florida, though.
A questionable call on a delay of game penalty taken by Dmitry Kulikov was challenged by Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, and replay appeared to show the puck hitting off Cole Koepke’s stick, but after a long review, officials came on the mic and announced the call was confirmed.
To their credit, Florida nearly pulled off a kill of the full two-minute 5-on-3, but Kyle Connor snuck a shot over Akira Schmid’s glove to put the Jets on the scoreboard.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to restore their two-goal advantage, and they did it with another power play goal.
Defenseman Seth Jones continued his torrid start to the season by firing a laser of a wrist shot from between the circles that beat Daws with 4:36 left in the middle frame.
Seth Jones now all alone in 3rd place among NHL defensemen in scoring with 18 points. pic.twitter.com/91aSdMX2JS
Despite the Jets adding a third period goal to cut Florida’s lead back to one, the Panthers kept their skate on the gas and picked up another crucial insurance goal.
Florida’s fourth goal came at even strength, with Lundell popping home a Lars Eller rebound to give the Cats a 4-2 lead with 6:27 to go.
For Lundell, it was his second goal of the night and third of the season, ending a six-game scoring drought.
But he wasn’t done there.
With Daws on the Winnipeg bench for an extra attacker, Lundell scored from about 150 feet away to log the first hat trick of his career.
ANOTHER HATTY IN FLORIDA 🎩
Anton Lundell gets his third of the game and that is now FIVE hatty's this season for the Panthers 😳 pic.twitter.com/YoBeFwrbSK
Photo caption: Oct 30, 2026; Sunrise,Florida, USA;FloridaPantherscenter Anton Lundell (15) celebrates with goaltender Akira Schmid (40) after the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
