Bouchard scores in OT to lift the Oilers past the Wild, 4-3

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Evan Bouchard scored on a power play at 3:32 of overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

Connor McDavid set up Bouchard's goal for his third assist of the game, pushing his NHL-leading points total to 26 and extending his season-opening points streak to nine games.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice, Mathieu Joseph also connected and Devon Levi made 27 saves. The Oilers (7-1-1) have won two in a row and seven of eight.

Joel Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman scored for Minnesota (6-2-2), and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 28 shots. Kaprizov leads the NHL with 11 goals.

Kaprizov and Hartman scored in the third period as Minnesota overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime.

Up next

Wild: At Calgary on Thursday night.

Oilers: Host Carolina on Thursday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Chisholm’s power-play winner lifts Devils past Avalanche 4-3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Declan Chisholm scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and Jake Allen made 31 saves as the New Jersey Devils beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Chisholm scored his first goal for the Devils at 12:33 on a power play, putting New Jersey in front to stay after the teams traded goals in the first.

Luke Evangelista, Arseny Gritsyuk and Jesper Boqvist also scored for the Devils, who recovered from a 4-2 loss at Washington in their previous game.

The 34-year-old Allen, honored before puck drop for playing his 500th career game earlier this month, improved to 4-2-0.

Gabriel Landeskog scored and Artturi Lehkonen added two late goals for the Avalanche, who lost for the third time in four games. Colorado was beaten 3-2 at Philadelphia on Monday.

Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood made 37 saves against his former team. He entered 5-0-0 with a 1.52 goals-against average versus the Devils.

Evangelista opened the scoring at 6:40 of the first with his third goal.

Landeskog tied it at 14:32 with his fourth of the season. The Avalanche captain missed more than three seasons following major right knee surgery. He returned to score 14 goals in 60 games last season.

Gritsyuk’s fourth goal came at 4:39 of the third. Boqvist scored an empty-netter at 16:05 to make it 4-1.

Lehkonen scored at 16:46, then added his team-leading eighth goal with 3.5 seconds left.

New Jersey won for the fourth time in six home games.

ISLANDERS 3, DUCKS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Ondrej Palat, Viktor Eklund and Simon Holmstrom scored first-period goals and New York beat Anaheim for its second straight victory.

Ilya Sorokin made 15 saves to help the Islanders improve to 3-0-1 in their last four games.

Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn scored for Anaheim, which lost its fourth straight game. Lukas Dostal finished with 22 saves.

Palat opened the scoring with 6:21 left in the first period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau found Palat streaking toward the net, and the forward fired a wrist shot past Dostal.

Eklund doubled the lead less than three minutes later. Emil Heineman floated a wrist shot from the blue line, and Eklund corralled the loose puck and buried it for his second goal of the season.

Vatrano pulled the Ducks within a goal 49 seconds later, lifting a backhander past Sorokin off a feed from A.J. Greer.

Holmstrom restored New York’s two-goal advantage with a power-play goal with 1:18 left in the first, deflecting Mathew Schaefer’s shot from the point past Dostal.

KINGS 5, CAPITALS 2

WASHINGTON (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored twice and Los Angeles got its first win of the season, rallying from an early deficit to beat Washington.

Artemi Panarin, Erik Gustafsson and Scott Laughton also scored for Los Angeles (1-4-2), and former Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves.

Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson scored for the Capitals, who took a 2-0 lead in the first period but were held scoreless for the final 41:25. Washington’s Logan Thompson stopped 21 shots.

The Kings, who came in having scored just four goals over their previous four games and 12 goals through six games, lost second-line center Quinton Byfield to an upper-body injury in the first period. He played just 2:44.

Hutson put the Capitals ahead 2-0 on the power play with 1:25 left in the first, but Kempe found the net less than a minute later and Panarin scored 2 seconds before the intermission.

Gustafsson put the Kings ahead at 7:28 of the third on the power play. Kempe scored his second goal midway through the third, and Laughton added an empty-netter that gave the Kings their highest-scoring game of the season.

MAPLE LEAFS 6, BLUE JACKETS 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist in his 700th NHL game and the Toronto Maple Leafs scored four straight goals in the second period to beat Columbus for its second road victory of the season.

Easton Cowan and Jack Roslovic each had a goal and two assists, William Nylander had a goal and an assist, and Morgan Rielly added three assists. Kirill Marchenko and Marshall Rifai also scored, and Anthony Stolarz stopped 33 shots for the Maple Leafs.

Jake Christiansen and Charlie Coyle scored for the Blue Jackets. They have been outscored 15-3 in the second period through eight games and lost for the fourth time in five games.

Jet Greaves stopped 14 shots before being pulled in the second period after allowing his fifth goal. Cam Talbot stopped two of the three shots he faced in relief.

SHARKS 4, CANADIENS 3, OT

MONTREAL (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored his second goal of the game on a power play at 2:13 of overtime to give San Jose a victory over Montreal.

Celebrini fired a one-timer into the top-left corner after goalie Jakub Dobes was called for interference on Colin Graf.

Celebrini added an assist and Tyler Toffoli and Michael Misa also scored to help San Jose (5-4-1) rebound from a 3-1 loss to Toronto on Monday night.

Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 31 shots.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist each as Montreal (4-3-2) surrendered a two-goal advantage for the fourth time this season. Dobes made 26 saves.

Misa, who hit the post earlier in the period, cut into the Canadiens’ lead at 5:36 in the third, finishing a feed from Kiefer Sherwood after Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson turned the puck over.

Toffoli tied it with 8:51 remaining in regulation when he buried Celebrini’s pass on the power play with Arber Xhekaj in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct.

BLUES 2, JETS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Philip Broberg scored on a power play at 8:47 of the third period to break a tie in St. Louis's victory over Winnipeg.

Robert Thomas set up Broberg’s slapper from the middle of the ice above the faceoff circles. Thomas has 332 career assists, one short of matching Brian Sutter for fourth on the Blues’ list.

Broberg also assisted on Jimmy Snuggerud’s first-period goal, and Joel Hofer stopped 32 shots as the Blues opened a five-game homestand. Snuggerud has five goals this season.

St. Louis snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-4-1.

Cole Perfetti tied it at 1 for Winnipeg at 32 seconds of the third with his sixth goal of the season.

Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for the Jets.

STARS 3, BRUINS 2, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Mikko Rantanen scored in overtime to complete a hat trick, and Dallas beat Boston to snap its five-game winning streak.

It was the 11th career three-goal game for Rantanen and his first in the regular season since joining the Stars in a trade during the 2024-25 season. He became the fourth Stars player with an overtime hat trick since the team moved to Dallas for the 1993-94 season.

Rantanen got his first goal early in the second period to tie the game at 1-all, and he tied it again in the third. His winner came on the power play at 3:52 of overtime when he did some nifty stick work in close and fired a shot past the left shoulder of Jeremy Swayman, who earlier in the extra period stopped Wyatt Johnston on two breakaway attempts 10 seconds apart and finished with 22 saves.

Jake Oettinger stopped 18 shots for Dallas (5-3-1) in its third straight win.

Matthew Poitras and James Hagens scored for the Bruins (7-2-1), who concluded their Western Conference trip at 3-0-1. Boston went 0 for 4 on the power play against Dallas, which came in allowing an NHL-best 1.5 goals per game and had the fourth-best penalty kill in the league. The Stars have allowed one power-play goal on opponents’ last 25 chances.

OILERS 4, WILD 3, OT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Evan Bouchard scored on a power play at 3:32 of overtime to give Edmonton a victory over Minnesota.

Connor McDavid set up Bouchard’s goal for his third assist of the game, pushing his NHL-leading points total to 26 and extending his season-opening points streak to nine games.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice, Mathieu Joseph also connected and Devon Levi made 27 saves. The Oilers (7-1-1) have won two in a row and seven of eight.

Joel Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman scored for Minnesota (6-2-2), and Jesper Wallstedt stopped 28 shots. Kaprizov leads the NHL with 11 goals.

Kaprizov and Hartman scored in the third period as Minnesota overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime.

HURRICANES 6, CANUCKS 3

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each scored twice and had an assist and Carolina beat Vancouver to take the NHL points lead and hand the Canucks their eighth straight loss.

Nicolas Deslauriers also had two goals for the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes (8-2-1). Jackson Blake added three assists, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 14 shots, They rebounded from a 3-2 loss at Calgary on Sunday night.

Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks (2-8-1).

Leevi Merilainen provided a bright spot for Vancouver with 38 saves. He stopped Sebastian Aho on a penalty shot in the second period after Canucks center Elias Pettersson was caught throwing his stick.

KRAKEN 4, RED WINGS 3, SO

SEATTLE (AP) — Freddy Gaudreau and Bobby McMann scored for Seattle in a shootout as it defeated Detroit after blowing a three-goal lead in the third period.

Mackie Samoskevich, Ryker Evans and Brandon Montour scored in the first two periods for Seattle, which improved to 6-3-1. Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves in regulation and then denied Dylan Larkin to end the shootout.

Viktor Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond scored 59 seconds apart for Detroit (3-3-3), and Alex DeBrincat tied the game on a power play with 17 seconds left in the third. Daniil Tarasov stopped 24 shots.

Samoskevich opened the scoring 6:45 into the first period.

Overlapping too-many-men and delay-of-game penalties by Detroit gave Seattle a two-man advantage early in the second. Evans doubled the Kraken’s lead with a power-play goal at 3:22 after the first penalty expired. The defenseman scored from alone in front of the net after Michael Rasmussen turned over the puck along the boards.

Montour scored his first goal of the season with 3:59 remaining in the second. He returned to action after missing one game with a lower-body injury.

Detroit got going late. The Red Wings took 13 shots in the third period after mustering only 11 in the first two. Arvidsson spoiled Grubauer’s shutout bid 6:25 into the third, and Raymond scored his first goal of the season at 7:24 on a power play.

DeBrincat tied it with his sixth goal of the season.

LIGHTNING 6, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Anthony Cirelli scored twice, Nikita Kucherov had three points to tie Tampa Bay’s career scoring record, and the Lightning extended their strong start by beating Vegas.

The Lightning (7-2) are off to their best start since opening 7-1-1 in 2020-21, when they repeated as Stanley Cup champions.

Vegas had won seven of eight.

Kucherov has at least one point in all 15 games he’s played against the Golden Knights. That ranks behind only Mario Lemieux (26 games against Calgary) and Tomas Sandstrom (17 games against Tampa Bay) among players who scored in every game against an opponent. Connor McDavid had a 17-game streak against New Jersey that ended in January.

With a goal and two assists, Kucherov increased his total to 1,137 career points, pulling even with former teammate Steven Stamkos for the club record.

Brandon Hagel, John Carlson and Victor Hedman also scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots.

Ivan Barbashev scored his first goal of the season for the Golden Knights, and Mark Stone got his fifth in three games. Carter Hart made 15 saves on 21 shots.

Recap: Bruins fizzle out down the stretch, lose to Dallas in OT

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Dallas Stars is congratulated by Miro Heiskanen #4 following a goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period at American Airlines Center on October 20, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Mikko Rantanen finished off a hat trick with the game-winning goal 3:52 into overtime, helping the Stars to a come-from-behind, 3-2 OT win over the Bruins.

Rantanen’s winner came on the power play, with the B’s around 30 seconds away from successfully killing a slashing penalty on Pavel Zacha.

The Bruins got goals from Matthew Poitras and James Hagens, while Jeremy Swayman recorded 22 saves in defeat.

The B’s had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in this game, but seemed to run out of gas and ideas down the stretch.

The loss is the B’s first in more than two weeks and sees them end their road trip with a 3-0-1 record.

To the highlights!

After the B’s forced a turnover, Frederic Brunet threaded a perfect pass through to Poitras, who didn’t miss to make it 1-0 Bruins early in the first.

Speaking of turnovers, the Bruins managed to give the puck away about five times in five seconds, the last of which ended up on the stick of Rantanen. He followed his own shot to make it a 1-1 game early in the second period.

Five minutes after the Rantanen goal, Hagens beat Miro Heiskanen to the top of the crease and tapped home a great pass from Casey Mittelstadt to make it 2-1 Bruins.

The Stars began to tilt the ice in their favor in the third period, and they finally got what felt like an inevitable goal with around six minutes left. Rantanen was the beneficiary of a deflected puck, and he wasted no time firing it on net. 2-2 game.

The B’s were bady outplayed in the last five minutes of regulation and played a dreadful overtime (save for Swayman, who was great) that was capped by (guess who) Rantanen, who finished a standout night with a hat trick winner.

In the words of Jack Edwards, “a torture chamber goal.”

Bruins lose in OT, 3-2 final.

Game notes

  • You can’t help but feel for Swayman, as he made two OT breakaway saves on Wyatt Johnston only to find Rantanen alone at the top of his crease for the winner. NOT IDEAL. Swayman’s play helped extend overtime by a minute or two, and his ability to hang in there in the third period helped the Bruins at least earn a point.
  • While the B’s had some impressive passages of play in this game, they spent pretty much the last 25 minutes holding on for dear life. Dallas tying the game in the third period felt like an inevitability.
  • To illustrate the point above: the Bruins went the final 13ish minutes of regulation and all of overtime without recording a shot on goal. To be frank, I’m not sure I really remember them coming all that close to even attempting a shot on goal during that stretch.
  • The power play went back to being a sore spot for the Bruins, as they went 0-for-4 on the night. They weren’t without their chances and Jake Oettinger made a couple of big stops, particularly in the second period, but this was one of those games where a PPG would have gone a long way and the B’s couldn’t muster one.
  • It was a night to forget for David Pastrnak. He finished without a shot on goal (a rarity for Pastrnak), though it wasn’t for a lack of attempts. His misplay of the puck/a bad bounce at the attacking blue line led to Johnston’s first breakaway in OT and was essentially the beginning of the wheels really falling off. This certainly isn’t meant to suggest Pastrnak lost the game for the B’s, just that it wasn’t his night.
  • If you were looking at this game as a measuring-stick game against a legitimate Cup contender, there are positives to take away from it. For example, the youths (Hagens, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Fraser Minten, in particular) had stretches of play where their speed and tenacity gave Dallas trouble, the B’s had a handful of occasions where the speed and crispness (for lack of a better word) of their breakouts caught Dallas by surprise, etc.
  • Having said that, this game also illustrates what can happen when you get a little too passive/tentative against a good team. There seemed to be a point where the B’s decided they had to circle the wagons and hunker down instead of push back, and that rarely goes well. I don’t think this was an intentional strategy on Sturm’s part, just that Dallas started skating downhill and the B’s couldn’t muster a response. Live and learn.
  • You’re likely not feeling charitable at the moment, but going 3-0-1 on this road trip is a great result for the B’s. Maybe you will feel better in the morning. If not, that’s fine too.

The B’s will head back to the East Coast (best coast) Tuesday night and will host the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on Thursday night.

Mikko Rantanen's overtime hat trick gives the Stars a 3-2 win over the Bruins

DALLAS (AP) — Mikko Rantanen scored in overtime to complete a hat trick, and the Dallas Stars beat Boston 3-2 on Tuesday night to snap the Bruins' five-game winning streak.

It was the 11th career three-goal game for Rantanen and his first in the regular season since joining the Stars in a trade during the 2024-25 season. He became the fourth Stars player with an overtime hat trick since the team moved to Dallas for the 1993-94 season.

Rantanen got his first goal early in the second period to tie the game at 1-all, and he tied it again in the third. His winner came on the power play at 3:52 of overtime when he did some nifty stick work in close and fired a shot past the left shoulder of Jeremy Swayman, who earlier in the extra period stopped Wyatt Johnston on two breakaway attempts 10 seconds apart and finished with 22 saves.

Jake Oettinger stopped 18 shots for Dallas (5-3-1) in its third straight win.

Matthew Poitras and James Hagens scored for the Bruins (7-2-1), who concluded their Western Conference trip at 3-0-1. Boston went 0 for 4 on the power play against Dallas, which came in allowing an NHL-best 1.5 goals per game and had the fourth-best penalty kill in the league. The Stars have allowed one power-play goal on opponents' last 25 chances.

Roope Hintz had a shot from in close deflect off the leg of Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, and the loose puck ricocheted directly to Rantanen, who poked it past Swayman with 6:22 left in regulation to tie it at 2-all.

Up next

Bruins: Host Nashville on Thursday.

Stars: Host Winnipeg on Thursday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Broberg breaks tie on 3rd-period power play, Blues top Jets 2-1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Philip Broberg scored on a power play at 8:47 of the third period to break a tie in the St. Louis Blues' 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.

Robert Thomas set up Broberg's slapper from the middle of the ice above the faceoff circles. Thomas has 332 career assists, one short of matching Brian Sutter for fourth on the Blues’ list.

Broberg also assisted on Jimmy Snuggerud’s first-period goal, and Joel Hofer stopped 32 shots as the Blues opened a five-game homestand. Snuggerud has five goals this season.

St. Louis snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-4-1.

Cole Perfetti tied it at 1 for Winnipeg at 32 seconds of the third with his sixth goal of the season.

Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for the Jets.

Up next

Jets: At Dallas on Thursday night.

Blues: Host Vegas on Thursday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Islanders 3, Ducks 2: After a scare, opportunity taken

Give us all the lovely Swedes. | NHLI via Getty Images

The Islanders won their second game in a row for the first time in this young season, casting aside their injury woes for a night and beating a team they probably needed to.

The 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks was made mostly comfortable by holding a two-goal lead for most of the game, though at 3-1 they missed a chance to finish the game with the empty net, and that nearly came back to bite them.

With under three minutes to go and a sixth attacker in effect, Alex Killorn converted a Leo Carlsson pass — the $90 million man’s ninth assist — to cut the Isles lead to 3-2 and make things nerve wracking. The Ducks also hit the post in the dying seconds, but tragedy was averted.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

Ilya Sorokin only needed 15 saves for the win, but some of them were critical and one of them was outstanding and led to the Isles’ first goal. The Isles went the other way, benefited from a fortunate bounce in the neutral zone, and three rejuvenated old men combined on a pretty play to open scoring at 13:39 of the first: Anthony Duclair with the nifty slip pass to J-G Pageau, who delivered a cross slot feed to Ondrej Palat, who settled a bouncing puck to beat Lukas Dostal.

Is…is Palat good again? At least for the moment, yes.

The Isles doubled their lead five minutes later. After a Matt Kessel pinch, Victor Eklund got up from losing a size mismatch battle in the corner and sprinted to the net to backhand a rebound of a point shot for his second NHL goal.

The Ducks got one back quickly from Frank Vatrano, who was back from doing a thing in Jersey, but Simon Holmstrom restored the two-goal lead before the end of the period. He tipped in a Matthew Schaefer point shot on the power play, Schaefer’s eighth assist of the season.

The second period was scoreless and low event (outside of a fight from Mitchell Chaffee in his Isles debut) the third period even less so. Pete DeBoer’s dream of a smothering, frustrating team defense may be sinking in.

Up Next

The other LA team, the one-win Kings, are in town on Thursday.

Celebrini scores his 2nd goal of the game on an OT power play to lift the Sharks past the Canadiens

MONTREAL (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored his second goal of the game on a power play at 2:13 of overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Celebrini fired a one-timer into the top-left corner after goalie Jakub Dobes was called for interference on Colin Graf.

Celebrini added an assist and Tyler Toffoli and Michael Misa also scored to help San Jose (5-4-1) rebound from a 3-1 loss to Toronto on Monday night.

Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 31 shots.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist each as Montreal (4-3-2) surrendered a two-goal advantage for the fourth time this season. Dobes made 26 saves.

Misa, who hit the post earlier in the period, cut into the Canadiens' lead at 5:36 in the third, finishing a feed from Kiefer Sherwood after Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson turned the puck over.

Toffoli tied it with 8:51 remaining in regulation when he buried Celebrini's pass on the power play with Arber Xhekaj in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Sharks: At Ottawa on Thursday night.

Canadiens: At Chicago on Friday night.

___

See AP's full NHL coverage here

Devils outlast late rally from Avalanche, win second straight at home

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Declan Chisholm scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and Jake Allen made 31 saves as the New Jersey Devils beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Chisholm scored his first goal for the Devils at 12:33 on a power play, putting New Jersey in front to stay after the teams traded goals in the first.

Luke Evangelista, Arseny Gritsyuk and Jesper Boqvist also scored for the Devils, who recovered from a 4-2 loss at Washington in their previous game.

The 34-year-old Allen, honored before puck drop for playing his 500th career game earlier this month, improved to 4-2-0.

Gabriel Landeskog scored and Artturi Lehkonen added two late goals for the Avalanche, who lost for the third time in four games. Colorado was beaten 3-2 at Philadelphia on Monday.

Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood made 37 saves against his former team. He entered 5-0-0 with a 1.52 goals-against average versus the Devils.

Evangelista opened the scoring at 6:40 of the first with his third goal.

Landeskog tied it at 14:32 with his fourth of the season. The Avalanche captain missed more than three seasons following major right knee surgery. He returned to score 14 goals in 60 games last season.

Gritsyuk’s fourth goal came at 4:39 of the third. Boqvist scored an empty-netter at 16:05 to make it 4-1.

Lehkonen scored at 16:46, then added his team-leading eighth goal with 3.5 seconds left.

New Jersey won for the fourth time in six home games.

Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns played his 1,015th consecutive game. The 41-year-old is 49 games from tying Phil Kessel for the NHL ironman record. Burns has played 1,589 career games.

Up next

Avalanche: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday.

Devils: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Islanders play most complete game of season in win over Ducks

Ondrej Palat celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game in the first period of the Islanders' 3-2 win over the Ducks on Oct. 20, 2026 at UBS Arena.
Ondrej Palat celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game in the first period of the Islanders' 3-2 win over the Ducks on Oct. 20, 2026 at UBS Arena.

Here is how the Islanders can survive whatever injuries come: Play like they did Tuesday.

Play territorial, tight hockey, hound the puck relentlessly and outwork teams that are still easing into the season. Play with intensity and emotion, make quick, crisp, correct decisions with the puck. Do all of that and the players who are missing from the lineup will not be so front of mind.

Do all of that, and there will be a lot more games like Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Anaheim, in which the Islanders played their most complete 60 minutes of the season to improve their record to 5-3-1 with the hapless Kings coming into town Thursday.

“I think what guys really respect and are buying into this team is everyone has a role and everyone feels important,” Brayden Schenn told The Post. “[Coach Pete DeBoer] plays everyone. And it’s a tight defensive system where we know if we play that way, we give ourselves a chance to win every night with the goalies we have. So far it’s looking pretty good.”

Ondrej Palat celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game in the first period of the Islanders’ 3-2 win over the Ducks on Oct. 20, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post

This was a near-perfect showcase of how the Islanders can make it through the next few weeks, and really, much longer than that. The philosophy showcased Tuesday would be the right one even if Mat Barzal, Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli received clean bills of health tomorrow.

The Islanders weren’t perfect, and missed chances to put away Anaheim in the second period, but they were hardworking and, mostly, smart with the puck.

They owned the neutral zone, suffocating Anaheim for shifts at a time. They backchecked. They looked all game like the faster team, despite being the far older team — a sign of preparedness if there ever was one.

“Other than sticking the puck in the net, we probably couldn’t have done much more,” DeBoer said. “We did let them hang around because of our lack of finish. That was the only issue I had with the game.”

Indeed, despite their efforts, the Islanders held a 3-1 lead late into the third, owning the puck while failing to tack on a needed insurance goal.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s short-handed attempt that drew iron came closest, but even as the Islanders rarely looked troubled — the Ducks had just two shots on net in the third period when they emptied their net with 3:32 to go — they were playing with fire.

Alex Killorn’s one-timer in the slot threatened to make them pay for it, with Anaheim pulling back to 3-2 at 6-on-5 with 2:40 to go. The Islanders needed to scramble to hang on with Anaheim’s net empty, and though they did so successfully, that may serve as a warning of sorts.

Ilya Sorokin defends the net during the Islanders’ win over the Ducks. Robert Sabo for New York Post

Still, it does nothing to erase what was, in sum, a terrific performance.

“We know that’s the way we need to play to be successful,” Ryan Pulock told The Post. “From training camp it’s been something we’ve been trying to build. I think we’re giving ourselves a chance every night to win just from playing good defense. That leads to offense.”

The four goals in the first period had all come in a 5:05-long flurry, starting with Ondrej Palat burying Pageau’s feed off the rush. Victor Eklund doubled the Islanders lead off Emil Heineman’s rebound before Frank Vatrano pulled one back for the Ducks, having been lost in the crease by Tony DeAngelo.

The Islanders got their third on the power play with Matthew Schaefer’s bullet from the top of the zone that was tipped in by Simon Holmstrom, denying No. 48 his first goal of the season, albeit happily so.

Kyle MacLean and Mitchell Chaffee, the two injury-induced additions to the lineup, both had solid nights on the fourth line with Casey Cizikas. Chaffee dropped gloves with A.J. Greer, the latter challenging him after a legal hit on Vatrano along the boards.

While DeAngelo had a few too many questionable decisions in his own end, there was little overall to nitpick in the Islanders’ play. Adam Pelech and Pulock had one of their better games as a pair. Schaefer was impeccable. Matt Kessel had his best game of the season. All four lines contributed.

Simon Holmstrom scores a goal on Ville Husso during the Islanders’ win over the Ducks. Robert Sabo for New York Post

This was, in whole, the closest the Islanders have come to DeBoer’s vision of what they can be.

“I think you see it right now,” Schenn said. “It’s reloads, it’s defense. It’s taking away the middle of the ice, playing the right way. Taking care of pucks. The little details and habits of the game that ultimately win you hockey games.”

Islanders defeat Ducks, 3-2, for first back-to-back win of the season

NEW YORK (AP) — Ondrej Palat, Viktor Eklund and Simon Holmstrom scored first-period goals and the New York Islanders beat the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, on Tuesday night for their second-straight victory.

Ilya Sorokin made 15 saves to help the Islanders improve to 3-0-1 in their last four games.

Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn scored for Anaheim, which lost its fourth-straight game. Lukas Dostal finished with 22 saves.

Palat opened the scoring with 6:21 left in the first period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau found Palat streaking toward the net, and the forward fired a wrist shot past Dostal.

Eklund doubled the lead less than three minutes later. Emil Heineman floated a wrist shot from the blue line, and Eklund corralled the loose puck and buried it for his second goal of the season.

Vatrano pulled the Ducks within a goal 49 seconds later, lifting a backhander past Sorokin off a feed from A.J. Greer.

Holmstrom restored New York’s two-goal advantage with a power-play goal with 1:18 left in the first, deflecting Mathew Schaefer’s shot from the point past Dostal.

Killorn pulled Anaheim within a goal with 2:40 remaining in the third.

Up next

Ducks: At New Jersey Thursday night.

Islanders: Host Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Dylan Larkin Adds Three Teams to Trade List including Hurricanes, Mammoth

On Tuesday night, Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin reportedly expanded his trade list to ten teams, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

The teams already known to be on Larkin's list were the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. Three new clubs have now been added, and some of them are surprising.

The first is the Utah Mammoth, who have been one of the league's hottest teams, opening the season with wins in seven of their first ten games. The second is the Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions. The third is the New Jersey Devils, perhaps the most intriguing addition.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Larkin has said he wants to compete for a Stanley Cup, but he is reportedly interested only in joining an American market. That restriction leaves one notable team off the list in the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal is coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and has the assets to facilitate a deal, yet it remains absent from Larkin's list.

On the ice, Larkin returned to the Detroit lineup and made an immediate impact, recording a goal and an assist in a multi-point game. His production has cooled since, with one assist and no goals over his last five games.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

Image

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.

Should Sabres Lose Out On Hellebuyck Sweepstakes, Here's Who They Should Acquire For Net Upgrade

Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

For this column, we’re going to construct a potential reality for you: first, let’s presume the Buffalo Sabres don’t wind up winning the sweepstakes for disgruntled Winnipeg Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The Sabres are reported to have interest in Hellebuyck, and really, who can blame them? We’re talking about a Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s most valuable regular-season player and a Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie. If you’re a team like the Sabres who could be seeking an upgrade in net, there may be no better upgrade than Hellebuyck.

But just because you want your first choice between the pipes, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. So let’s also presume another team outbids Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen for Hellebuyck’s services. If that turns out to be true, will Buffalo just ride out the season with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon as their three-headed goalie monster? Given that Luukkonen currently has a .860 save percentage, and Ellis has an .864 SP, that doesn’t sound like the best solution for the Sabres.

(And yes, we’ve heard Kekalainen speak of his confidence in his current goalies. What should we expect him to say – that he sees what the rest of us see, which is that there are definitely better options for the Sabres in net? He’d be sabotaging every shred of leverage he’d need to consummate a trade for a goalie. So let’s go forward with the understanding that Buffalo will still pursue a goalie.)

So, we’re proposing a different target if the Sabres don’t land Hellebuyck: Minnesota Wild veteran Filip Gustavsson. Of course, the 28-year-old Gustavsson has yet to play a game this season as he recovers from off-season hip surgery. But with young netminder Jesper Wallstedt currently thriving for the Wild, Gustavsson is likely to be the best available goalie after Hellebuyck.

Indeed, Gustavsson would be a major upgrade for the Sabres. He’s a workhorse who’s averaged 51 appearances per year in the past three seasons. He’s averaged a .911 SP in 219 career regular-season NHL games, and he’s averaged a 2.67 GAA in that span. And perhaps the best part – he’s in the first year of a five-year contract extension paying him $6.8-million per season. That’s the type of cost-certain asset that would allow Buffalo to spend in other areas.

The Wild aren’t simply going to hand Gustavsson to the Sabres. They’ll have to pony up something of value, but that’s Kekalainen’s job – he has to figure out how to sell Gustavsson on Buffalo as a team, and he’s got to sell Minnesota counterpart Bill Guerin on dealing Gustavsson to the Sabres.

That said, we see plenty of value in Gustavsson. He signed his contract extension before Wallstedt established himself as the Wild’s starter, and he no doubt is a proud veteran who doesn’t want to be relegated to the bench as Wallstedt’s understudy. In Buffalo, he’d be the clear-cut No. 1, and he’d be in that role for the long-term.

Thus, if you’re a Sabres fan and Buffalo fails to acquire Hellebuyck, don’t be despondent – there are other options out there. And from this writer’s point-of-view, the best goalie option probably available via trade – at least, right now – is most definitely Gustavsson.

Scott Wedgewood Stands Tall as Avalanche Drown in Devils’ Shot Barrage

Scott Wedgewood has done everything in his power to keep the Avalanche in the game, but Colorado’s defensive breakdowns and lack of offensive production have left it chasing New Jersey through 40 minutes.

Gabe Landeskog’s first-period equalizer briefly erased an early deficit, but an unfortunate own goal from Brock Nelson put the Devils back in front, leaving the Avalanche trailing 2-1 while being outshot 32-13 heading into the third period.

First Period

The Avalanche were outplayed, outshot and on their heels for much of the opening period, but Gabe Landeskog ensured they had something to show for it on the scoreboard. Despite surrendering 14 shots and managing just four of their own, Colorado escaped the first 20 minutes tied 1-1 with the New Jersey Devils, thanks to Landeskog’s late equalizer.

The defensive issues that plagued Colorado against the Flyers carried over into its matchup with the Devils. New Jersey came out flying, recording seven shots on goal in the opening five minutes while the Avalanche failed to register a single shot of their own.

Nathan MacKinnon endured a difficult start as well, getting knocked to the ice in his own defensive zone by Devils forward Dawson Mercer while away from the puck. Despite what appeared to be a clear interference penalty, no call was made.

New Jersey broke the deadlock at 6:40, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by Colorado. MacKinnon was unable to corral a loose puck in the defensive zone, allowing the Devils to regain possession. The puck eventually found Luke Evangelista, who fired it past Scott Wedgewood to give New Jersey an early 1-0 lead.

Landeskog responded with 5:28 remaining in the period, bringing the Avalanche back even. Cale Makar shook off a defender before slipping a backhanded pass to Landeskog at the top of the right circle. Landeskog fired on goal and buried his own rebound to tie the game at 1-1.

Colorado’s defensive struggles continued late in the frame when Artturi Lehkonen was called for delay of game after shooting the puck over the glass with 1:38 remaining. The Devils immediately pressured the Avalanche net, crashing the crease and forcing Wedgewood to come up with several difficult stops to keep the game tied.

After 20 minutes, the score remained 1-1, but the shots on goal told a different story. New Jersey held a commanding 14-4 advantage, leaving Colorado with plenty to clean up heading into the second period.

Second Period

The second period brought more of the same, with Colorado struggling to generate offense as New Jersey continued to dictate the pace and pile up scoring chances.

Seven minutes into the period, the Devils held an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal, keeping Wedgewood under relentless pressure. The Avalanche netminder stood tall, turning aside one shot after another to prevent New Jersey from extending its lead.

As the period approached its midpoint, Parker Kelly provided a rare spark for Colorado. Coming off the bench, Kelly drove hard to the net and attempted to slip a puck past Devils goaltender Jake Allen with one hand, but Allen turned him away.

New Jersey eventually regained the lead with 7:29 remaining in the period, though the goal came on an unfortunate bounce for Colorado. Declan Chisholm unleashed a slap shot from the point that deflected off Brock Nelson and into the Avalanche net, giving the Devils a 2-1 advantage.

Colorado struggled to mount a meaningful response as the period wound down, leaving Wedgewood with little margin for error despite his strong performance between the pipes.

After 40 minutes, New Jersey held a 2-1 lead and a staggering 32-13 advantage in shots on goal. Wedgewood has kept the Avalanche within striking distance, but Colorado will need a much stronger third period offensively and a significant improvement defensively to avoid letting this one slip away.

Third Period

The Avalanche came out with more life to start the third, generating a flurry of chances. Martin Necas tested Jake Allen with a backhand before setting up a one-timer that led to a rebound opportunity for Nathan MacKinnon. Cale Makar even dove into the crease trying to jam the loose puck home, but Colorado couldn’t find the finish.

That brief burst of hope was cute while it lasted. Arseny Gritsyuk then picked MacKinnon’s pocket, skated past Necas, shrugged off Devon Toews, and buried a backhand past Scott Wedgewood to make it 3-1. A defensive disaster from start to finish, and another reminder that New Jersey had no intention of letting Colorado back into the game.

The Avalanche finally earned their first power play of the night with 11:17 remaining after Evan Rodrigues was called for hooking Gabriel Landeskog, giving Colorado a chance to claw its way back into the game.

Image

Mammoth Give Top Blueline Prospect His First NHL Call-up

The Utah Mammoth have called a player up from the AHL for the first time this season, and it’s one of their top defensive prospects.

On Tuesday, the team recalled Artem Duda from the Tucson Roadrunners. The defenseman has three points in six games with the Roadrunners this season. He is tied with Zac Jones for the team lead in points among defensemen. Duda is also a plus-six, the best plus-minus rating on the team.

This is Duda’s first-ever NHL call-up. He was originally drafted in the second round in 2022 by the Arizona Coyotes. Last season, Duda only played 27 games, producing 13 points before suffering a season-ending injury that resulted in knee surgery.

However, the defenseman worked hard over the summer to regain strength in his leg before having an impressive rookie camp and a very solid training camp. He was one of the final cuts, alongside Ben McCartney, as the Mammoth sent him down right before the season started.

Duda has mentioned that he has never felt better, and early results have shown that he’s not lying.

“I feel like I’m the strongest person I’ve ever been,” Duda said. “Everything is good. The knee is good. I’m skating and playing physically. I just have to keep going like that.”

The Mammoth are currently starting to deal with injuries. John Marino did not play in Monday’s game vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, forcing Nick DeSimone to sub in his place. Michael Carcone was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with an upper-body injury. The forward has not played since Oct. 8 in a game against the Boston Bruins.

It’s unclear if Duda will actually play in his first NHL game during this call-up. Last season, the Mammoth called up Maksymilian Szuber, Kevin Connauton, Scott Perunovich, Dmitri Simashev, and Maveric Lamoureux throughout the season. Only the latter two names appeared in games with the Mammoth.

Duda is also ineligible for waivers, meaning he doesn’t have to clear them to be returned to the Roadrunners, which could mean a quick return to the AHL if needed. It could be a reason why the Mammoth opted to call him up over someone like Jones, who has to clear waivers. 

The Roadrunners will likely play their first two games without Duda this weekend as they travel to Nevada to play the Henderson Silver Knights. They have options to fill that void with Cal Thomas and Brandon Holt, both deserving of the opportunity to play.

The Mammoth will play their next game on Thursday as they travel to Climate Pledge Arena to take on the Seattle Kraken.

Carter Hart Looks to Keep Red-Hot Golden Knights Rolling Against Lightning

Carter Hart will look to keep the Vegas Golden Knights rolling when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, with the red-hot club riding high after a 6-2 rout of Pittsburgh and sitting at 8-2 on the season.

Vegas has been getting production from all over its lineup, and that was on full display against the Penguins on Saturday. Mark Stone led the way with a goal and two assists, while rookie Trevor Connelly chipped in a goal and an assist. Defensemen Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore also found the back of the net, and Brett Howden added an empty-net goal.

Jack Eichel picked up two assists in his 700th NHL game, while Mitch Marner also finished with a pair of helpers. The balanced scoring has helped the Golden Knights build momentum early in the season, with different players stepping up on a nightly basis.

Hart is expected to get the nod against Tampa Bay and will look to build on his work so far this season. The goaltender has a 3-2-0 record through five appearances with Vegas, along with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

He was also in net for the Golden Knights' recent 6-2 win over Calgary, stopping 28 shots to help the team secure another comfortable result. Hart will now have a chance to keep things going against a Lightning squad that could present a tougher test.

Vegas has received strong play from Adin Hill as well. Hill stopped 22 shots against Pittsburgh to improve to 4-0, giving the Golden Knights another reliable option in goal as they navigate the early part of the schedule.

The offense has been clicking, but the matchup with Tampa Bay will require Vegas to stay sharp defensively and avoid giving the opposition easy chances. Hart's performance could be an important factor if the Lightning manage to put pressure on the Golden Knights' end.

With an 8-2 record and confidence building throughout the lineup, Vegas will try to extend its strong run on home ice. Hart, meanwhile, has an opportunity to add another win and continue establishing himself as a dependable part of the team's goaltending rotation.

Image