Category: Ice Hockey

CALGARY — The Toronto Maple Leafs close their final regular-season visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday before the Calgary Flames move into a new arena next season right across the street. The building’s history produced a range of reactions from the group Sunday, from personal childhood memories to complete indifference.

William Nylander, who was born in Calgary while his father, Michael, played for the Flames, has a long connection.

“It’ll be a fun one,” Nylander said. “This building’s got some character. I mean, I was here when I was born watching my dad play, so it’s been a long time, and I think the new one will be really nice, but it’ll be a fun, exciting last game.” 

Coach Jim Hiller played his first NHL game in the Saddledome in 1992. He remembered the era when the Saddledome and Joe Louis Arena were regarded as the league’s nicest buildings. 

“It was roughly a new building back then,” he recalled.

Darren Raddysh noted the distinctive architecture. 

“I scored a goal last year, when we were here, but other than that, not too many memories,” Raddysh said about his time while with the Tampa Bay Lightning. “We only came out here once a year but the history of this building is pretty cool and just to see the iconic saddle is really special when you come here. Just driving by the new rink today, it’ll be pretty cool once that’s open.”

Nylander’s brother, Alex, is spending a lot of time in the building. After signing with the Calgary Flames last year, the younger Nylander is back with the Flames’ AHL club that just so happens to share the same building.

There are sure to be a lot of Maple Leafs fans on hand for the final Toronto game. Leafs fans traveled well to Toronto’s 7-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The Leafs have won a season-high four consecutive games.

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Quinn Hughes reached one of the biggest milestones of his NHL career Sunday night, and he did it in the building where it all began.

The Minnesota Wild (8-3-2) defenseman scored his 500th career NHL point in his first game back at Rogers Arena since being traded by the Vancouver Canucks in December. Hughes finished with a goal and an assist in Minnesota's 4-2 victory over his former team.

With the milestone, Hughes became the second-fastest American-born defenseman in NHL history to reach 500 career points, accomplishing the feat in just 520 games.

Only Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch reached the mark faster among American-born blueliners, doing so in 496 games.

Hughes also became the seventh-fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach the milestone, further establishing himself among the league's most productive defensemen.

But the circumstances surrounding his historic night made the accomplishment even more memorable.

Hughes spent the first six-plus seasons of his NHL career in Vancouver after the Canucks selected him seventh overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. During that time, he developed into one of the NHL's premier offensive defensemen, won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24 and served as Vancouver's captain.

That chapter ended on Dec. 12, 2025, when the Canucks traded Hughes to Minnesota in exchange for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round draft pick.

Sunday marked his first game back in Vancouver since the blockbuster trade. The reception was mixed.

Hughes was booed throughout the night whenever he touched the puck, although the former Canucks captain received cheers during a first-period video tribute recognizing his accomplishments with the organization.

Despite the emotional circumstances, Hughes delivered one of his most memorable performances of the season.

'My Two Feet Are Planted In Minnesota': Quinn Hughes Opens Up About Future With WildQuinn Hughes offered an intriguing update on his future with the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, saying he "wouldn't be surprised if something happens soon."

With Minnesota leading 2-0 in the second period, Hughes scored on the power play at 12:55 after moving behind the Vancouver net and finding Joel Eriksson Ek in front.

Eriksson Ek's initial attempt was stopped, but Hughes continued around the net and finished the rebound to extend Minnesota's lead to three goals.

The goal was his third of the season and the 500th point of his NHL career.

Hughes added another point early in the third period when he sent Kirill Kaprizov in alone on a breakaway. Kaprizov converted for his NHL-leading 13th goal of the season, giving Hughes his 501st career point.

The 27-year-old now has 69 goals and 432 assists in 520 career NHL games.

For Hughes, returning to Vancouver also meant revisiting the organization and fanbase that helped shape his career.

"The passion with the fanbase is what makes it special to play here," Hughes told reporters in Vancouver following the game. "So for me, it was cool to be back here, and exciting. And I'm glad we got the win."

500th point for Quinny 👏 pic.twitter.com/1Gjdb2wDOJ

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 26, 2026

Hughes has continued producing at an elite offensive pace since joining Minnesota.

Through the Wild's first 13 games of the 2026-27 season, he has recorded three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. He has registered at least one point in 11 of those 13 contests.

Minnesota improved to 8-3-2 with Sunday's victory, completing a successful back-to-back after defeating the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Saturday.

Hughes left Vancouver with another milestone to add to his already impressive career.

And while his first return to Rogers Arena came wearing a different sweater, it was another reminder of the offensive talent that made him one of the most accomplished defensemen in Canucks history.

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Colorado Avalanche News

• T.J. Hughes is quickly adjusting to the NHL, earning praise from Nathan MacKinnon and Jared Bednar for his work ethic, hockey IQ, and ability to turn lessons into results. [The Hockey News]

• What an NHL expansion draft could mean for the Colorado Avalanche. With a potential NHL expansion team on the rise, it’s time to take a quick look at the rules of what an expansion draft could look like based on past occurrences. [Sports Illustrated]
• Avalanche prospect Egor Shilov putting together a solid season in the QMJHL. [Mile High Sticking]

News Around the League

• What we learned from Connor Hellebuyck’s first weekend with the Devils. [Sportsnet]

• Hurricanes, D Nikishin end stalemate with one-year contract. [TSN]
• NHL, Rogers need to figure out, together, how to make more games accessible. [Toronto Sun]

• McCann out 10 weeks for Kraken. [NHL]

• Connor McDavid is off to a historic start. Could some of Gretzky’s records fall this season? [CBC]

• Senators rout Panthers in Brady Tkachuk’s hostile return to Ottawa, fans chant some NSFW things, and some PG ones including “You eat crayons” and “You can’t read”. [The Score]

• Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki out 2-4 weeks with upper-body injury. [ESPN]

Rookie James Hagens has been everything Bruins need… and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

James Hagens is the Boston Bruins’ youngest player at just 19 years old. And through the first 12 games of the 2026-27 NHL season, the rookie forward is proving to be one of the team’s most important players, too.

Hagens has given the Bruins everything they’ve needed and more so far.

Let’s start with his offensive production.

Hagens picked up an assist on Casey Mittelstadt’s goal that opened the scoring in Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks at TD Garden. He gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead in the third period by cashing in on a loose puck in the crease. The goal came just 40 seconds after David Pastrnak tied the score. The Garden crowd went crazy after Hagens’ go-ahead tally.

Hagens is tied for the NHL lead in rookie scoring with nine points (four goals, five assists). He has tallied at least one point in seven of his 12 games. He’s posting these numbers with third-line ice time and without being on the top power-play unit.

The speed and playmaking ability he has displayed at 5-on-5 and the power play has been impressive. The Bruins desperately needed to add high-end offensive talent to their roster after scoring just 1.25 goals over the final four games of their first-round playoff series loss to the Buffalo Sabres last season. Hagens is helping give the Bruins an offensive jolt, and he’s doing it in ways not often seen by a teenage rookie.

Three of his four goals have come within seven feet of the net. He has no fear driving hard to the net and battling taller, bigger and stronger defensemen. Hagens fights for good position and often gets the prime real estate around the crease. One great example came in last week’s overtime loss to the Dallas Stars.

Hagens beat Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen to the net and deflected a Mittelstadt pass past Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger to give Boston a lead in the second period.

“He’s smart. He’s obviously not a big guy, but for his age, he’s very smart around the net, and even the goal in Dallas, that’s even more impressive than today, I feel like, with outmuscling the D over there,” David Pastrnak told reporters after Saturday’s win. “Like I said, fun to watch and seeing him every game being more comfortable and it’s up to us to push him and be here for him and help him every day.”

For years, the Bruins have not gotten inside ice enough. Hagens is helping to turn the tide in that regard. Hagens has been a high-end skill guy at every level he’s played. He’ll be that in the NHL, too. But to score consistently at this level, you have to be willing to pay the price and battle in the tough areas of the ice.

“We’re pushing him pretty hard, getting more to the paint and getting more to the inside,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said after the win vs. the Sharks. “That’s where you score the goals. Good for him that he realized that. Look at his four goals he scored, right? Good for him just listening and taking it really seriously.”

Hagens is showing his toughness in other ways, too.

He leads all NHL forwards, not just rookies, with 16 blocked shots. His willingness to put his body on the line and thwart potential scoring chances is admirable. It’s a great example of how he’s doing all the little things to make an impact.

“It’s definitely something that I try to take pride in,” Hagens told reporters last week when asked about blocking shots. “It’s just the d-zone, and when a guy is getting ready to shoot, if that’s your guy, you’re going to make sure that you’re in the shooting lane.”

There are still a ton of games left in Hagens’ rookie season. There will likely be a few tough stretches, like any other rookie goes through. But the early results from his first full NHL campaign have been fantastic.

The Bruins didn’t get lucky in the 2025 or 2026 draft lotteries. In fact, they were very unlucky in those two instances.

But Hagens falling all the way to No. 7 in 2025 — when he was projected to go No. 1 overall early in his draft year — was a pretty massive stroke of luck for the Bruins that should benefit the franchise for a long, long time.

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

In case, somehow, you missed it:

Intro presser:

On the Hellebuyck acquisition: “The fit seems obvious. New Jersey has been one of the NHL’s best defensive teams this season by every metric, except for goals against. Hellebuyck, meanwhile, has spent more than a decade establishing himself as the league’s most consistent performer at the position. But dig a little deeper into the numbers, and there’s reason to believe this could be an even better match than it appears on the surface. Perhaps Hellebuyck’s most valuable trait, especially in the eyes of Devils general manager Sunny Mehta, is his unmatched consistency.” [The Athletic ($)]

“If the Devils are serious about reuniting the three Hughes brothers over the next year, whether via trade or free agency, Mehta made the ultimate chess move. As of now, after checking in again this week, Hughes remains undecided on his future. He hasn’t told the Wild he won’t extend. However, he also hasn’t told them he will. He’s undecided, period.” [The Athletic ($)]

“By all accounts, this is the best goalie the Devils have had since Martin Brodeur. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. As of today, the Devils rank 29th in the league in GSAx, with a blasphemously poor -5.8 in just ten games. Nico Daws and Jake Allen combined to put together some solid performances but have largely been subpar in the aggregate.” [Infernal Access ($)]

“Connor Hellebuyck is coming off a down season, but he should still be a sizable upgrade for the New Jersey Devils.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]

Arseny Gritsyuk extended his goal streak to five games, as the Devils took a 3-1 win over the Kings on Saturday. [Devils NHL]

Hockey Links

Alexander Nikishin signs a one-year deal:

The Rangers sign some goalie help:

“The boys are fighting. According to the NHL, there has been an uptick in on-ice fisticuffs this season. Through 120 games, there were 34 games with one or more fights. That’s up over last season (25) and the 2024-25 season (26).” [ESPN]

A great moment:

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

Penguins forward Hendrix Lapierre is making the most of his opportunity on a line with Ville Koivunen and Evgeni Malkin after spending a recent stretch of games as a healthy scratch. [Trib Live]

Forward Rickard Rakell knows he needs to produce more offensively after a slow start to the season. The veteran winger said he has been generating scoring chances but struggling to finish, while general manager Kyle Dubas expressed confidence that Rakell will break through as he continues to play alongside Sidney Crosby and on the top power-play unit. [Trib Live]

Forward Justin Brazeau is getting closer to returning from a lower-body injury that has kept him out since the preseason. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL…

The New York Rangers signed veteran goaltender James Reimer to a one-year contract Sunday, adding depth after starter Igor Shesterkin was ruled out for the season with a lower-body injury. [NHL]

The Carolina Hurricanes made an aggressive push to acquire then-Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, even exploring trades for forwards on other teams that they could then flip to Winnipeg, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. [Sportsnet]

Speaking of the Hurricanes, the team announced the signing of defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year, $3 million contract, ending a contract impasse between the player and team. [TSN]

Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes hinted that a decision about his long-term future with the team could be coming soon, saying he is enjoying his time in Minnesota and believes the team has the potential to contend for a Stanley Cup. [TSN]

The Islanders were leaky all over in Dallas, almost like they have a declining defense outside of Matthew Schaefer.

The 6-3 loss to the Stars was not surprising overall, but it did end a modest points streak and exposed some holes that Pete DeBeor has been working to cover.

Islanders News

• It was six past Ilya Sorokin, though DeBoer said it was more about the defensive lapses. [LHH | Newsday]
• DeBoer is focused on the process, not necessarily the points. (Last night was bad in both categories.) [Newsday]
• The Post says the team speed was a key deficiency; Brayden Schenn says they have lots to clean up. [Post]
• Takeaways: a “winnable” game thrown away with continued mistakes. [Isles]

Elsewhere

• Sunny Mehta’s sudden urgency helped push the Connor Hellebuyck saga to conclusion before it got even more awkward. [Athletic]
• Speaking of holdouts, Alexander Nikishin came to realize he has no leverage, settles for a one-year deal with the Hurricanes. [NHL]
• Our next opponent in Nashville just knocked off the Avalanche with two goals from Steve Stamkos, four points from Ryan O’Reilly. [NHL]
• The Kraken will miss Jared McCann for 8-10 weeks. [Sportsnet]
• The Blue Jackets are forever cursed and screwed, can they possibly convince Zach Werenski to stay? [Sportsnet]
• James Reimer rides again, in Manhattan at age 38. Spencer Martin’s career .881 wasn’t doing it for them. [NHL]
• The Jets lost the Heritage Classic but made a show of it by mounting a comeback. [NHL]
• More than you’d ever want to know about the Connor Hellebuyck trade. [Sportsnet]
• Quinn Hughes was booed in his return to Vancouver, but he picked up his 500th point. Max Shabanov scored, too. [NHL]
• CRISIS?! Gavin McKenna played only two shifts in the third period, OMG let’s call his agent to see if he’s okay with that… [Athletic]

Montreal Canadiens (6-3-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. St. Louis Blues (5-5-1, in the Central Division)

St. Louis; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues play the Montreal Canadiens in a non-conference matchup.

St. Louis has a 5-5-1 record overall and a 3-1-1 record on its home ice. The Blues have gone 4-1-0 in games they score at least three goals.

Montreal has gone 2-1-1 on the road and 6-3-2 overall. The Canadiens are 2-2-2 when they commit more penalties than their opponent.

Tuesday's game is the first time these teams match up this season.

INJURIES: Blues: Adam Jecho: out (personal), Torey Krug: out (ankle), Ross Johnston: out (lower body), Alexey Toropchenko: out (upper-body), Tyler Tucker: out (knee), Dillon Dube: out (neck), Logan Mailloux: out (hand).

Canadiens: Ivan Demidov: out (lower-body), Lucas Condotta: out (undisclosed), Nick Suzuki: out (upper body), Bryce Pickford: out (undisclosed), Samuel Montembeault: out (lower-body).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Ottawa Senators (8-4, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (8-4-1, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights will try to end a three-game losing streak when they take on the Ottawa Senators.

Vegas has an 8-4-1 record overall and a 5-2-0 record in home games. The Golden Knights are sixth in league play with 46 total goals (averaging 3.5 per game).

Ottawa is 3-2-0 on the road and 8-4 overall. The Senators have committed 59 total penalties (4.9 per game) to rank second in league play.

The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone has eight goals and seven assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has five goals and eight assists over the past 10 games.

Claude Giroux has two goals and six assists for the Senators. Drake Batherson has six goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 6-3-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.5 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

Senators: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.1 assists, 4.9 penalties and 11.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: Mitch Marner: out (personal), Parker Wotherspoon: out (upper body), Victor Olofsson: out (undisclosed), Kai Uchacz: out (undisclosed).

Senators: Linus Ullmark: out (lower body), William Eklund: out (ankle), Thomas Chabot: out (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Robertson scored twice and the Dallas Stars had a three-goal third period in a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Sunday night.

Robertson’s breakaway at 9:45 of the third period came five minutes after Wyatt Johnston’s tiebreaker. Mikko Rantanen added a goal four minutes after Robertson with his team-high sixth goal of the season.

Tyler Seguin and Justin Hryckowian also scored for the Stars, who have won five consecutive games. Jake Oettinger made 16 saves.

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn scored for the Islanders, who erased three one-goal deficits only to lose two straight (0-1-1) for the first time this season. Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 shots allowing a season high in goals.

Johnston scored from the slot 4:10 into the final period on a feed from Nils Lundqvist. After scoring a career-most 45 goals last season, Johnston has goals in consecutive games after going goalless in his first seven outings.

PANTHERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Lars Eller’s first goal of the season, with 2:23 left in the third period, lifted Florida to a win over Chicago.

Eller beat Spencer Knight with a high shot just inside the left post as he raced down right wing and took advantage of Chicago line change. Matthew Tkachuk and Sandis Vilmanis also scored for Florida, which ended two-game losing streak.

Roman Kantserov and Ryan Greene connected for Chicago, which has dropped three straight.

Akira Schmid made 19 saves, while Knight stopped 29 shots.

The Blackhawks failed to score on seven power-play chances, including two brief 5-on-3 advantages, lowering their NHL-worst conversion rate to 8.33%.

CANADIENS 2, JETS 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jacob Fowler made 33 saves and Montreal held off Winnipeg in the NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle scored and Cole Caufield had two assists to help Montreal improve to 6-3-2. The Canadiens opened a four-game trip Friday night with a 4-1 victory over Chicago. Fowler has won his last five starts.

Isak Rosen scored for Winnipeg with 4:46 remaining at home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots for the Jets (4-4-3).

The Jets became just the second Canadian team after Edmonton to host two outdoor games. The Jets also were blanked 3-0 by the Oilers in the first one, but spoiled Calgary’s 2019 outdoor game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, with a 2-1 overtime win.

It was Winnipeg’s first game since trading franchise goalier Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Dawson Mercer, who headlined the return from the Devils, had two shots and one blocked shot in 15:22 of ice time.

PREDATORS 6, AVALANCHE 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly had two goals and two assists, Steven Stamkos added two goals and an assist and Nashville beat Colorado.

Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists, and Jack Drury also scored for the Predators, who had lost their previous two. Justus Annunen made 19 saves for his first victory of the season.

Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews scored and Scott Wedgewood made 29 saves for Colorado, losers of three of four.

Nashville converted on four of seven opportunities on the power play in the game, including both of O’Reilly’s goals. The Predators had just one opportunity with the man advantage in each of their previous three games.

Forsberg scored the game’s first goal at 4:01 of the opening period.

With the Predators on the power play, Stamkos blocked an attempted clear and the puck went to Roman Josi, who sent a pass to Forsberg, who beat Wedgewood with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Josi had three assists.

WILD 4, CANUCKS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in his return to Rogers Arena in Minnesota's victory over the Canucks.

Traded to Minnesota in December, Hughes was booed throughout the night.

He scored on a power player midway through the second period to make it 3-0, and set up Kirill Kaprizov’s NHL-leading 13th goal early in the third for a 4-0 advantage. In 13 games this season, Hughes has three goals and 13 assists.

Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes played 6 1/2 seasons in Vancouver before the blockbuster trade sent him to Minnesota. The deal saw Vancouver acquire Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

Kaprizov and Maxim Shabanov also each had a goal and assist, and Bobby Brink scored.

Calvin Pickard made 15 saves as the Wild improved to 8-3-2, following up a 5-1 victory over the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday.

Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver. Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots.

Vancouver dropped to 2-10-1 with its 10th straight loss.

Hughes became the second-fastest American defenseman to reach 500 NHL points, achieving the feat in 520 games. Brian Leetch hit the milestone in 496 games with the New York Rangers.

_____

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Former Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in his return to Rogers Arena in the Minnesota Wild’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks on Sunday night.

Traded to Minnesota in December, Hughes was booed throughout the night.

He scored on a power player midway through the second period to make it 3-0, and set up Kirill Kaprizov’s NHL-leading 13th goal early in the third for a 4-0 advantage. In 13 games this season, Hughes has three goals and 13 assists.

Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes played 6 1/2 seasons in Vancouver before the blockbuster trade sent him to Minnesota. The deal saw Vancouver acquire Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

Kaprizov and Maxim Shabanov also each had a goal and assist, and Bobby Brink scored.

Calvin Pickard made 15 saves as the Wild improved to 8-3-2, following up a 5-1 victory over the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday.

Max Sasson and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver. Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots.

Vancouver dropped to 2-10-1 with its 10th straight loss.

Hughes became the second-fastest American defenseman to reach 500 NHL points, achieving the feat in 520 games. Brian Leetch hit the milestone in 496 games with the New York Rangers.

Up next

Wild: At Utah on Tuesday night.

Canucks: At Anaheim on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The next test for the Rangers’ perfect home record — the next possibility to play spoiler to a start nearing the point of being a historic one — will involve a pair of Garden returns. 

Former head coach Peter Laviolette, who led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy and the Eastern Conference finals in 2023-24 before getting fired one year later, is nine games into his first season as head coach of the Kings and will return to the Garden for the first time since his exit. And Artemi Panarin, the star who was dealt last year before the Olympic roster freeze and made his return in March, will play his second game back at the Garden as a member of the Kings. 

Laviolette’s 114-point campaign with the Blueshirts was followed up by an 85-point one, and the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2024-25. He helped them set records for points and wins (55) during that first year, bringing the franchise to the cusp of a return to the sport’s ultimate stage — while becoming the first coach in NHL history to guide six different teams to the playoffs — before a collapse followed the next season. 

But in the offseason, the Kings reunited Laviolette with Panarin, who had his best individual season under the coach in 2023-24 with 120 points (49 goals, 71 assists). When Panarin was dealt to Los Angeles last year in exchange for Liam Greentree and a third-round pick, he left Broadway in ninth place all time for most points by a Ranger (607), eighth all time for most assists (401) and first for points-per-game (1.26). 

The Kings struggled to start the season and have collected just two wins, but in an overtime win against the Islanders last week, Panarin scored a pair of goals and is already up to six goals and nine points. In a way, that’ll turn Monday into a reminder of what could’ve been for the Rangers if they didn’t fall to the Panthers in the 2024 conference finals — and if their longtime core didn’t take a major step back the following season. 

The Rangers have already won six games at the Garden while managing just one victory and three points on the road, and they entered play Sunday with the most goals per game (4.83) and the second-most total goals (29) at home this season. With a win, the Rangers will open a season with seven consecutive home wins for the first time since an eight-game streak in 1990-91. 

The Kings — now led by Laviolette and Panarin — will test that and have a chance to end that run. 

“We’re trying to build a team game that sets the group up for success regardless of where we play it,” head coach Mike Sullivan said Sunday of the Rangers’ home success and road struggles, “and we’re trying to dictate the terms of how we play the game every single night — regardless of which rink we play it in. And so it’s not like we have a game plan for home and a game plan for the road.” 

“And so obviously our guys have played extremely well at home, and we’ve had some success, which is great, and we gotta continue to build on that.” 

Defenseman Adam Fox will skate in his 500th career game Monday. … Mats Zuccarello, who spent parts of nine seasons with the Rangers from 2010-19, has one assist through five games in his first season with the Kings.

It's no secret that the Ville Koivunen contract took basically everybody by surprise this summer. 

Heck, fans had to read the Pittsburgh Penguins' announcement of the eight-year contract multiple times to make sure it wasn't coming from a fake account.

The deal showed that the team believed in him, and after an up-and-down first few games, Koivunen has been really good for the last week and a half. It looked like he was going to be scratched during the Penguins' recent four-game road trip until Egor Chinakhov got banged up. 

From then on, Koivunen has looked confident every time he's stepped onto the ice and has been a great fit in the top six.

He had a great assist on Evgeni Malkin's opening goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 16, then got a couple of quality chances against the Vegas Golden Knights the following night. Even though most Penguins players looked dreadful in that game, Koivunen was one of the bright spots. 

Koivunen then carried that play over into the first two games of this three-game home stand. It started on Thursday against the Florida Panthers when he delivered a perfect pass to Hendrix Lapierre, who made it 2-0 in the second period. 

He continued his strong play against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, scoring his first overtime goal to lift the Penguins to a 3-2 win. With less than 1:30 to go in OT, Koivunen corralled a puck from Lapierre at the right circle, lost it for a split second, then regained control, stepped into the slot, and fired a great shot to win the game.

VILLE KOIVUNEN IS THE HERO IN OVERTIME 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/rwxrE0EPvo

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 25, 2026

He's more of a playmaker and has shown great vision lately, but he's also made nice strides with his release. He's also been better along the walls and around the net. 

Penguins head coach Dan Muse spoke glowingly about Koivunen's performance after Saturday's game. 

"Koivy's playing really good hockey," Muse said. "I think we've seen that from him, you know, for a number of games. I think his game's just continuing to take steps. So, I think, sometimes with guys, too, it's just a matter of getting, you know, the more time that you get, you need those opportunities to be able to stack some things and stack some games. I think you've seen that now with Koivy."

Penguins Notebook: Brazeau Returns To Team's On-Ice Practice; Injury Updates; High-Energy SessionThe Penguins held a high-spirited split practice Sunday that featured full participation from some injured players.

I know Malkin didn't play on Saturday because of an illness, but when he's played with Koivunen this year, things have gone pretty well. Koivunen has skated with Malkin in nine games this season, and when they're on the ice together, the Penguins are controlling 57% of the shot attempts, 52.5% of the scoring chances, and 65% of the high-danger chances. 

Once Malkin is back from his illness, I'd give Koivunen more minutes with him to see what he does. Yes, other injured players are set to return soon, but Koivunen deserves more runway in the top six with the way he's playing. 

If he keeps it up, it will likely only mean good things for the Penguins. 

(Data via Natural Stat Trick). 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A chorus of boos echoed through Rogers Arena as Quinn Hughes stepped on the ice for warmups Sunday night. They never stopped.

The former Vancouver captain was back for the first time since being traded to Minnesota in December. He had a goal to reach 500 NHL points and added an assist in the Wild’s 4-2 victory over the Canucks.

Hughes scored off a rebound on a power player midway through the second period to make it 3-0, and set up Kirill Kaprizov's NHL-leading 13th goal early in the third for a 4-0 advantage. In 13 games this season, Hughes has three goals and 13 assists.

Hundreds of people — many clad in Canucks jerseys emblazoned with Hughes’ name and No. 43 — stood around the glass ahead of warmups, hoping to get a glimpse of the star American defenseman. One held a sign reading “And I thought I had commitment issues.”

More boos rained down when Hughes’ name was mentioned on the big screen ahead of puck drop.

Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes played 6 1/2 seasons in Vancouver before the blockbuster trade sent him to Minnesota.

The deal saw Vancouver acquire Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft.

Patrik Allvin, then Vancouver’s general manager, said Hughes had made it clear he was unlikely to sign a long-term extension with the Canucks following the expiration of the six-year, $47.1 million deal he signed in October 2021.

In 2024, Hughes won the Norris Trophy — awarded annually to the league’s top defenseman — after helping Vancouver win a Pacific Division title and make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Hughes became the second-fastest American defenseman to reach 500 NHL points, achieving the feat in 520 games. Brian Leetch hit the milestone in 496 games with the New York Rangers.

___ See AP’s full NHL coverage here

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jacob Fowler made 33 saves and the Montreal Canadiens held off the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Sunday night in the NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle scored and Cole Caufield had two assists to help Montreal improve to 6-3-2. The Canadiens opened a four-game trip Friday night with a 4-1 victory over Chicago. Fowler has won his last five starts.

Isak Rosen scored for Winnipeg with 4:46 remaining at home of the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots for the Jets (4-4-3).

The Jets became just the second Canadian team after Edmonton to host two outdoor games. The Jets also were blanked 3-0 by the Oilers in the first one, but spoiled Calgary’s 2019 outdoor game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, with a 2-1 overtime win.

It was Winnipeg’s first game since trading franchise goalier Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Dawson Mercer, who headlined the return from the Devils, had two shots and one blocked shot in 15:22 of ice time.

Up next

Canadiens: At St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Jets: Host Florida on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here