MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 31: Sidney Crosby (87) of the Pittsburgh Penguins stands in front of Jacob Fowler (32) of the Montréal Canadiens during the second period of the NHL game between the Pittsburg Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens on October 31, 2026, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled with inconsistency in the first month of the 2026-27 season, with defensive breakdowns and costly turnovers undermining an otherwise decent offense. [Trib Live]
In transactional news, the Penguins assigned forward Rutger McGroarty to the AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, on Sunday. [Trib Live]
Defenseman Spencer Stastney’s move from forward to defense during his youth hockey career helped put him on the path to the NHL. The 26-year-old has built his game around skating, defensive awareness and quick puck movement, giving Pittsburgh another option on its blue line. [Trib Live]
More history for the captain: Sidney Crosby set an NHL record for the most regular-season assists with a single franchise during Saturday’s game against the Canadiens, recording his 1,112th assist with Pittsburgh on a power-play goal by Erik Karlsson. [KDKA]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov would consider the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens as potential trade destinations after informing the team he does not intend to re-sign and wants to be traded. [Sportsnet]
The Seattle Kraken traded forward Shane Wright, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matthew Wood on Sunday in a one-for-one swap. [TSN]
Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel said he is not concerned about his job security despite the team’s nine-game losing streak, which continued Sunday with a 7-0 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes. [NHL]
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid became the fastest player in NHL history to record 30 assists in a season, reaching the milestone in 15 games with a second-period assist on Evan Bouchard’s power-play goal against the New York Rangers on Sunday. [Sportsnet]
To close out a three-game homestand, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Ottawa Senators on Sunday evening at Honda Center.
The Ducks were spiraling heading into this game, as in their two most-recent games, they saw multiple-goal leads evaporate in each game. They only accumulated one of a possible four standings points despite scoring 11 goals between the two games.
The Sens were on the second game of a back-to-back to close out their California trip, as they defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-1 on Saturday and lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings 6-5 on Thursday.
The Ducks made a few roster moves between their last game on Thursday and this one on Sunday. They sent prospect Nikita Klepov back to the OHL to rejoin the Saginaw Spirit for the remainder of the season, recalled goaltender Laurent Brossoit, placed defenseman Nick Jensen on waivers before sending him to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, and activated defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (lower body) from IR.
Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Killorn-Carlsson-Caulfield
Gauthier-Granlund-Sennecke
Greer-Washe-Colangelo
Malott-McQueen-Nesterenko
LaCombe-Helleson
Mitchell-Luneau
Mintyukov-Warren
In a surprising decision, Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville elected to start Brossoit in this game against the Sens. He stopped 20 of 23 shots. He was opposed by Jonas Johansson in the Ottawa crease, who saved 27 of 33.
“As a team, we can’t be satisfied with our recent record and in the way we’ve lost some games here,” Quenneville said after the game. “I thought tonight, the effort, the enthusiasm on the bench there, the response down 3-0, it wasn’t a great setting on the bench, but I think everybody hung in there.”
Game Notes
After a mistake-filled opening 20 minutes from the Ducks, where the Sens got out to a 3-0 lead, the remainder of the game felt completely in Anaheim’s control. A switch was seemingly flipped during the first intermission; glaring defensive mistakes in coverage and against the rush were eliminated, and the Ducks capitalized on special teams.
Laurent Brossoit: The first two goals allowed by Brossoit were questionable, and if he wasn’t able to straighten out his game quickly, the Ducks’ eventual comeback may not have been possible. Both came off of shots from the faceoff dots and beat him on the far side. The first was ruled to have been tipped by Philip Tomasino in front, so there was likely nothing Brossoit could have done differently. The second was off the stick of a streaking Claude Giroux on the rush a short amount of time after, and was one Brossoit likely wants back.
He allowed one more goal on a breakaway, but after the first intermission, Brossoit was perfect. He made difficult saves appear easy, was smart on his angles, and achieved something to which Dostal has struggled through his career thus far: fought through layered screens multiple times and swallowed perimeter shots.
Brossoit will join the Ducks on their upcoming three-game Western Canada road trip.
Power Play: After a brief recess, the Ducks’ power play has returned as their bread-and-butter method to produce instant offense. They scored four goals on five attempts, and their top unit continues to add wrinkles and dimensions to their in-zone schemes.
The four forwards (Sennecke, Granlund, Carlsson, Gauthier) are incredibly fluid, specifically the latter three, constantly interchanging positions with one another, running give-and-gos from the wall, and now they’re identifying Gauthier roving from bumper to the bottom of the right circle, feeding him with seam passes.
Penalty Kill: The Ducks’ penalty kill was overshadowed, but comparably impressive in this game. Travis Mitchell and Pavel Mintyukov erased net-front attackers, and the addition of Leo Carlsson to the PK brought elements of length and skill, allowing them to actually maintain possession for 10-15 seconds at a time despite the man-disadvantage.
Rush Defense (early): Dating back to their most recent loss to the Buffalo Sabres, it seems teams have identified that the Ducks’ weak-side defensemen on the rush shadow the weak-side attacking winger as they cut from the wall to the middle of the ice, exposing a streaking forward behind him, along the boards, as showcased by Giroux’s aforementioned goal.
As the game progressed, Anaheim seemingly adjusted, and that lane to the far wall was no longer available for the puck-carrying defenseman due to a combination of recognition of backchecking numbers and slightly more conservative gap work.
Judd Caulfield: Caulfield was a small-area and net-front menace in this game. The tenacity displayed on his first goal and hand-eye on his second was more-than-vaguely reminiscent to the recent Ducks forward Chris Kreider. Caulfield is adapting to the pace Leo Carlsson plays at and is adjusting to how battles are won at the NHL level.
On 50/50 pucks, he tied up his defender early and only released when it was clear he would be first to it. He used his length and strength to protect, and he utilized his outs when they were identified.
Tristan Luneau: With LaCombe receiving the Tim Stutzle matchup and the Sens still icing a deep roster, Luneau was mostly matched up against Shane Pinto’s line, and was arguably as impactful as LaCombe, especially when paired with Pavel Mintyukov following the first period.
Luneau continues to develop his angling prowess and eliminates time and space along the defensive blueline in an instant. His offensive blueline work is one of his most effective offensive elements, as he is constantly in motion, explosive, has his head up, and puts perfect weight on shots for tips and/or around screens.
Pavel Mintykov: Mintyukov had a difficult opening few minutes in his return to action. After he settled in, and especially after being paired with Luneau, he was his typical disruptive self in the neutral zone and pinching down the offensive wall. He encouragingly attempted to activate and involve himself low in the offensive zone on the cycle, and after Ottawa’s first goal, he consistently boxed out and battled in front of Brossoit, not allowing second-chance opportunities.
Roger McQueen: McQueen is getting tangibly and intangibly better and more comfortable with each passing game. He’s wasting fewer strides, providing smart and quick support in d-zone coverage, and is in good positions for breakout sequences. Offensively, he remains a plus forechecker, less pucks are bouncing off of his stick, he’s diagnosing quicker and with more poise, and continues to experiment and identify what works in various situations.
The Ducks will open their Western Canada trip on Tuesday, when they’ll travel to BC to take on the Vancouver Canucks.
Given all of the injuries the Pittsburgh Penguins have dealt with so far this season, it comes as no surprise that there has been a ton of roster movement.
And they made another move Sunday.
The Penguins re-assigned forward Rutger McGroarty to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins, their AHL affiliate. McGroarty, 22, had been kept on the NHL roster as an extra forward for Thursday's game against the Utah Mammoth and for Saturday's road tilt against thhe Montreal Canadiens, although he did not appear in either game.
McGroarty suited up for WBS on Sunday, when the Penguins defeated the Hershey Bears, 5-0, registering a goal in the contest.
The 22-year-old forward was recalled by the Penguins on Oct. 22 after Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel were both placed on injured reserve. Rust will be out for six weeks retroactive to that date, while Kindel has since returned after experiencing a vasovagal episode on the team plane Oct. 20.
McGroarty has played in only two NHL games this season and has registered no points. He made the NHL roster out of training camp but did not appear in game action before being sent back, instead playing in two games after Rust and Kindel were placed on IR. He has four goals and nine points in 34 career NHL games.
In seven games for WBS this season, McGroarty has recorded five goals and 10 points.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins responded in a big way on Sunday after blowing Friday's game against Utica.
Despite getting badly outshot, WBS blitzed Hershey 5-0 and is back in the win column. Melvin Fernstrom got things started with a sick highlight-reel goal in the first period.
Fernstrom went right through two Hershey players and went forehand-to-backhand for a sick goal.
The party was just getting started for the Penguins as Bill Zonnon scored later in the period to make it 2-0. He went to the net and stuffed the puck home, doubling the Penguins' lead. It's his second goal in as many games, and he now has five to start the season.
Zonnon's net-front game is one of the most underrated aspects of his play, and it won't be long before he makes his NHL debut.
Jake Livanavage unleashed a heck of a shot early in the second period that hit Rutger McGroarty on the way in, making it 3-0. Livanavage has been off to a strong start, compiling two goals and eight points in his first nine AHL games.
He was signed at the end of the 2025-26 season, and the NHL club hopes he can develop into an everyday NHL defenseman.
Mikhail Ilyin made it 4-0 at the end of the second period before Rafael Harvey-Pinard made it 5-0 early in the third period. WBS ran out the rest of the clock to earn the shutout win, improving to 5-4-1-0 to start the year.
Goaltender Taylor Gauthier earned a 43-save shutout and is now 4-1 to start the year with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He has more than earned this opportunity in WBS and is making the most of it.
WBS will now have a few days off before playing a road back-to-back against the Charlotte Checkers on Friday and Saturday.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Pyotr Kochetkov’s 26-save shutout gave him 10 straight victories to begin the season, Sean Walker scored two goals, and Carolina beat the Winnipeg.
Kochetkov became the third goalie in NHL history to start a season at 10-0.
Sebastian Aho, Juuso Valimaki, Logan Stankoven, Mark Jankowski and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored for the Hurricanes, who’ve won four in a row. Stankoven, Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere all had two assists.
Kochetkov tied Carey Price’s 10-win mark with Montreal from 10 years ago for the second-longest season-opening streak.
Only Jack Campbell holds a longer season-beginning mark with 11 consecutive victories for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020-21.
Kochetkov’s second shutout of the season pushed his career total to 13 in 135 games.
The Jets have lost nine games in a row (0-7-2). Stuart Skinner, who made 12 saves, was pulled after allowing the fifth goal. Clay Stevenson stopped 13 shots in relief.
OILERS 4, RANGERS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Connor McDavid scored a goal and extended his NHL record season-opening assists streak to 15 games, powering the Edmonton Oilers past the New York Rangers 4-1 on Sunday.
On his first shift, McDavid added to his highlight reel and showed why he is considered the best hockey player in the world. He banked the puck off the boards to himself, shifted into another gear, blew past defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and beat Dylan Garand.
The goal 50 seconds in broke a tie with two Hall of Famers: the 418th of his career passed Glenn Anderson for the fourth most in franchise history, and his eighth in the first minute of a game put him past Mark Messier for the most with the Oilers. McDavid is the fastest player in league history to 30 assists, leads all scorers with 39 points and is on pace to join Wayne Gretzky as the only players to reach 200 in a season.
Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists to join Bobby Orr, Al MacInnis and Denis Potvin as the only defensemen with 25-plus points in his first 15 games. Journeyman goaltender Matt Tomkins, making his first start for Edmonton and seventh in the NHL, backstopped the team to its third consecutive victory by making some important saves among his 27.
WILD 5, CAPITALS 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Quinn Hughes and Michael McCarron scored in the first 5:27 for Minnesota, and the Wild held on for a victory over Washington.
Justin Sourdif scored the only goal for Washington in the dying seconds of the second period, but the Capitals’ three-game winning streak came to an end during this visit by the Central Division-leading Wild.
Maxim Shabanov’s power-play goal with 2:23 left in the third restored a two-goal margin, and Kirill Kaprizov added an empty-netter for his 500th career point and league-leading 15th goal of the season.
With 24.9 seconds left and the goalie back in, Danila Yurov scored one more for Minnesota.
Washington had scored at least four goals in five of its previous six games, but the Capitals ran into a stingy Minnesota team and goalie Jesper Wallstedt. The Wild permitted two goals or fewer for the fifth time in six games.
FLYERS 6, MAMMOTH 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Travis Konecny scored a goal and assisted on another in his first game since missing more than three weeks with an injury as Philadelphia beat Utah.
Konecny, who missed 10 games with a lower-body injury, scored his first goal of the season at 1:06 of the second period, banking a shot off Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka to put Philadelphia up 2-1.
He later set up Christian Dvorak for a one-timer from the high slot to extend the lead to 4-1. Konecny also set the tone with his physical play, finishing with four hits. Owen Tippett, who missed the last six games with an upper body injury, also returned to the lineup for Philadelphia.
Matvei Michkov scored the Flyers’ first goal, snapping a shot past Vejmelka for his 10th of the season. He became the first Flyer to score 10 goals in his first 17 games of a season since Konecny did it in 2023.
Dvorak and Noah Cates also finished with a goal and an assist each. Oliver Bonk added a goal for Philadelphia and Dan Vladar made 19 saves as the Flyers snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1).
DUCKS 6, SENATORS 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Cutter Gauthier had his second career hat trick, scoring the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and Anaheim overcame a three-goal deficit to beat Ottawa.
Judd Caulfield scored twice, rookie Roger McQueen added another and Leo Carlsson had three assists to help the Ducks win for the second time in nine games. Anaheim went 4 for 5 on the power play.
Laurent Brossoit made 20 saves in his Anaheim debut. Brossoit played his second NHL game in three seasons after being recalled from San Diego of the AHL on Saturday.
Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist as the Senators lost for the third time on a five-game trip. Thomas Chabot and Michael Amadio also scored first-period goals while Jonas Johansson made 27 saves.
After the Ducks rallied to tie it at 3 in the second period, they took advantage of a two-man advantage at 1:50 of the third when Gauthier scored from a sharp angle past Johansson. While still on a man advantage, Gauthier scored 36 seconds later for a two-goal cushion.
Right before the start of this season, former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron placed on waivers by the Nashville Predators and claimed by the St. Louis Blues.
Barron being placed on waivers came after he had nine assists in 52 games during the 2025-26 season with the Predators. Overall, he had a quiet campaign last year, but he is now impressing after getting this fresh start with the Blues.
In 11 games this season with the Blues, Barron has also recorded two goals, six assists, eight points, and a plus-6 rating. With numbers like these, the former Canadiens defenseman is providing a new amount of offense for the Blues early on this season.
Barron is not showing signs of slowing down right now, either. He has recorded two goals and seven points over his last five games for St. Louis. This included him putting together a four-point game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 23.
With this, it is clear that Barron is fitting in very nicely with the Blues. It will be interesting to see if the former Canadiens defenseman can keep this kind of play up from here.
In 109 games over four seasons with the Canadiens from 2021-22 to 2024-25, Barron recorded 13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points, and a minus-11 rating.
This was the kind of game that puts the big picture in perspective.
The Rangers aren’t in the same class as the Oilers, a fact made abundantly clear in a 4-1 loss to the Western Conference leaders Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. Forget class: The disparity in the two clubs’ brand of hockey exemplified just how far the Blueshirts have veered from the cohesive team game needed to break into the playoffs.
Here was an Edmonton team competing on the second night of a back-to-back slate with a 32-year-old goaltender in net who hadn’t played in the NHL in over 2 ¹/₂ years.
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The Rangers, on the other hand, were coming off a five-day break in game action — albeit without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin and second-pair defenseman Sean Durzi.
And yet, the Oilers operated as an effective five-man unit from start to finish while the home team struggled to counter.
Dylan Garand put the loss entirely on himself in his postgame media scrum, an admirable declaration from the rookie goalie but not a completely accurate assessment.
“I just felt like I was overthinking a little bit there,” Garand said of getting blitzed by Connor McDavid less than a minute into the game. “Honestly, I felt really, really good in the second 30 minutes, and I thought my first 30 minutes was awful. Honestly, inexcusable. Let the guys down. Pretty disappointing, put that loss on me.”
It’s certainly not groundbreaking to say that Edmonton has way more firepower and talent than the Rangers. Prior to the Rangers win in Edmonton last season, the Oilers had won four straight meetings dating to December 2023.
The circumstances surrounding this matchup, however, exposed how little such factors matter when the match boils down to a sizable gap in the two teams’ games.
New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan reacts on the bench during an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in New York. Jason Szenes for NY Post
Edmonton owned the neutral zone Sunday night, turning turnovers into offense and wreaking havoc at the blue line to disrupt whatever the Rangers were attempting when they had the puck.
The Oilers essentially cruised to their 11th the win of the season, improving to 7-0 on the road and 11-2-2 overall.
Limited to five shots on goal in the first period, the Rangers faced a two-goal deficit for the third straight game.
New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (10) controls the puck during the third period against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at Madison Square Garden. Jason Szenes for NY Post
The Rangers were painfully aware of their need to start Sunday’s game on time, especially given their performance in the past handful of first periods and their five-day break from game action.
It took only one shift from McDavid to recognize that the Rangers were not ready.
Flying down the right side of the rink with the kind of speed only No. 97 has, McDavid whizzed right around Vladislav Gavrikov and chipped the puck by Garand just 50 seconds into the game.
New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) defends the net against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Jason Szenes for NY Post
Though it was Garand’s introduction to the best player in the world, in his 10th consecutive game, the 24-year-old netminder reacted a second late just under 5 ¹/₂ minutes later. A turnaround shot from Colton Dach beat Garand five-hole to put the Oilers up 2-0 just 6:19 after the puck was dropped.
“I don’t think the start was terrible by any stretch,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “Just from an energy standpoint or even a momentum standpoint, I felt like the guys had the right intentions. The first goal is a tough one. McDavid is a unique player. [When] he ramps up speed like that, he’s hard to stop.”
After Evan Bouchard’s first goal was overturned for goalie interference in the opening 20 minutes, the Oilers defenseman scored on the power play nearly halfway through the middle frame.
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates on the bench with teammates after scoring against the New York Rangers, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in New York. Jason Szenes for NY Post
The Rangers might have started putting the puck on net more as the game went on, but it was hardly enough to combat the Oilers’ consistent level of play.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored another goal — his fourth in 15 contests — in a game that already felt out of hand.
The most noticeable moment of the night for J.T. Miller was when the captain’s frustrations boiled over as he slammed his stick against the boards while going for a change.
The Rangers took ill-advised penalties at horrible times, either negating a power play or giving Edmonton a two-man advantage.
It was the kind of in-game recipe that wouldn’t produce success against most NHL teams, let alone against against one with the Stanley Cup aspirations of this Oilers team.
The Rangers couldn’t appear further from that realm, skating off the Garden ice with their four-game losing streak in tow.
On Saturday afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, failing to protect a two-goal third-period lead against the St. Louis Blues.
The Red Wings, who led 4-2 near the midway point of the game's final frame, took their foot off the gas, and the Blues took full advantage with three unanswered tallies - including two in 18 seconds - en route to a 5-4 win.
Making matters even more disappointing is that the Red Wings had held St. Louis at bay for much of the game, limiting them to only a single shot on goal during the first period.
But despite his goals-against average and save percentage taking a hit after allowing five goals on just 15 shots, goaltender John Gibson shouldn't be blamed for the loss, according to head coach Todd McLellan.
"First one, no chance," McLellan said, recapping the goals scored by the Blues. "Second one was off the back post on the rim, really no chance. Two lasers from the hashmarks, one was a one-timer, and the last one was a tip-in.
You can look at five (goals) on 15 (shots against), and it's not going to show up really well in his numbers column," McLellan said. "You know, maybe get one of them. But don't pin that on John Gibson by any means."
Gibson was beaten cleanly by both Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Barron in the third period, both of whom fired blasts past his blocker; the game-winning goal just 18 seconds after Barron tied the game was deflected by Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who was credited for his first NHL goal.
Last season, Gibson experienced a sluggish start in what was his first campaign with the Red Wings before going on an absolute heater in December, putting himself in the conversation for the Vezina Trophy.
So far this season, the veteran goaltender whom Detroit acquired last summer from the Anaheim Ducks has gone 4-5-1 with a 3.37 goals-against average and a .860 save percentage.
Right now, the Red Wings hope that they'll soon start seeing the version of Gibson from large portions of last season, during which he was one of the best players at the position in the NHL.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Connor McDavid scored a goal and extended his NHL record season-opening assists streak to 15 games, powering the Edmonton Oilers past the Rangers, 4-1, on Sunday.
On his first shift, McDavid added to his highlight reel and showed why he is considered the best hockey player in the world. He banked the puck off the boards to himself, shifted into another gear, blew past Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and beat Dylan Garand.
The goal 50 seconds in broke a tie with two Hall of Famers: the 418th of his career passed Glenn Anderson for the fourth most in franchise history, and his eighth in the first minute of a game put him past Mark Messier for the most with the Oilers. McDavid is the fastest player in league history to 30 assists, leads all scorers with 39 points and is on pace to join Wayne Gretzky as the only players to reach 200 in a season.
Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists to join Bobby Orr, Al MacInnis and Denis Potvin as the only defensemen with 25-plus points in his first 15 games. Journeyman goaltender Matt Tomkins, making his first start for Edmonton and seventh in the NHL, backstopped the team to its third consecutive victory by making some important saves among his 28.
Colton Dach had two goals, including an empty-netter with 39.4 seconds left to seal it. The Oilers are 7-0 on the road.
Garand allowed three goals on 24 shots in his ninth consecutive appearance since Igor Shesterkin went down with a right knee injury. Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Rangers, who have lost four in a row and six of their past seven after a strong start.
MONTREAL, CANADA- OCTOBER 31: Josh Anderson #17 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates after a goal during the second period of the NHL regular season game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre on October 31, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Dan Muse had a couple of quotes after Pittsburgh’s loss last night to Montreal that had more defensive lapses and errors that could pretty well describe the Penguins’ month of October.
“Hockey is a game of mistakes, so mistakes are going to happen. But in terms of them being able to get two quick ones, or even sometimes just shifts with multiple chances back-to-back, we need to be better at just kind of controlling that,” Muse said.
“Guys are getting clean looks there at the net, and second opportunities around the net. Those things are preventable,” Muse said. “So again, breakdowns, mistakes are going to happen, breakdowns are going to happen. It’s just happening too much. Got to correct it.”
Whether or not the Penguins have the talent and ability to correct those issues for a prolonged period is becoming more unlikely. They’ve righted the ship for small periods of time – like a recent three-game stretch from Oct 22-29 where they only surrendered six total goals. On either sides of that stretch, however, they’ve regularly been giving up 4-5 goals per game and that’s just no way to live in the NHL.
As such, it’s starting to get late early for the Pens. As of last night they were 14th out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference – and the bad news is a team with a .607 points% (Buffalo, with 17 points in 14 games) is sitting below the playoff line currently. Pittsburgh only has 12 points in 14 games.
Let’s take a look at the division and see how things went in the past week for the teams in the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina (2-0-0): This doesn’t even count the 7-0 whopping the Hurricanes put on Winnipeg today. Safe to say as now winners of 12 of their first 16 games this season – and more importantly only two regulation losses – there is no Stanley Cup hangover to be found.
New Jersey (2-1-1): Connor Hellebuyck won both of his appearances with New Jersey, giving up only three goals along the way. Goaltending has been a major factor holding this team back over the last handful of years and that issue appears to have been resolved.
Washington (2-0-0): Good week for the Caps, who pulled off a changing of the guard. They have an Alex with 10 goals in 12 games, but now that is Alex Tuch. Ovechkin only has one goal in his first 12 games and has receded in his final season as a bit player as others have been brought into do the heavy lifting.
NY Islanders (2-2-0): A bit of smoke and mirrors for the Isles – they lost their two games by a combined 10-3 score on the week and managed to pull off OT and SO wins in the close games. Quite to their character of hanging around, they’re finding ways to get some results- aided in no small part by the cheat code that is Matthew Schaefer playing a full five minutes of OT in one game, then scoring the GWG in the other.
NY Rangers (0-1-0): It was a good time for the Rangers to only play one game in a week, where they gave up six goals and lost. NYR has given up 5+ goals in four of their last six games as they navigate life without their franchise goalie, this week will test them with four games (and Connor McDavid surely licking his chops to get after them today).
Pittsburgh (0-1-1): Nothing is coming easy for the Pens right now. Both games played were fairly frenetic and in a see-saw fashion with plenty of chances at both ends of the ice. But they’re not outscoring their problems that much so far this year, in part because as Muse mentioned above – they have way too many issues.
Columbus (1-2-0): The Blue Jackets found a way to beat Philadelphia in OT early in the week, then lost a one-goal game to Carolina and lost by two to Dallas after a late ENG. Goal scoring later on against those tough teams was a problem, only three combined goals in two games isn’t going to parlay well into earning positive results.
Philadelphia (0-1-1): If misery loves company, the commonwealth of PA is in the same boat hockey-wise on the Eastern and Western side. The Flyers won all three of their games on the season so far a little streak from Oct 17-21, then have lost their next three.
The Buffalo Sabres return home to start a four-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, and they made a roster move to send a former Sens blueliner back to their AHL affiliate. Defenseman Dennis Gilbert was called up after veteran Matt Grzelcyk went on injured reserve, but with the Sabres returning home, they demoted the veteran to the Rochester Americans on Sunday.
The Buffalo native posted two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in five games since being recalled earlier this month, and played in the 7-6 win over Anaheim on Thursday. Both Grzelcyk and Conor Timmins have been out with lower body injuries, so it is possible that one or both are close to returning to the lineup.
Owen Power leads the Sabres in defensive scoring with 11 points
In former Sabres news, Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov was fined $5,000 for a sucker punch of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic on Saturday. Zadorov was assessed a pair of minor penalties for roughing as well as a 10-minute misconduct. The former Buffalo first rounder leads the NHL with 47 penalty minutes this season. Another former Sabre, Dylan Cozens had a goal and an assist in the Ottawa Senators 5-1 win in San Jose over the Sharks on Saturday.
In AHL news, the Rochester Americans beat Lehigh Valley 6-3 at Blue Cross Arena on Friday. Jake Richard scored his third of the season, and Matthew Peca had a goal and two assists for the Amerks, who are 5-4-1 this season, and on fifth place in the North Division.
In case the Connor Hellebuyck news wasn’t crazy enough, the trade drama around the NHL got a little spicier this week. Dylan Larkin is demanding his way out of Detroit and will no longer play with the team in hopes of a trade. Then there was the bomb of the weekend: Tampa Bay Lightning star and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov wants out after the season and prefers a trade.
This has the league on notice, and many teams are preparing for a busy trade season (in case the offseason wasn’t busy enough). Which teams can land Larkin? Who can get Kucherov if he’s available for a trade? Who can sign Kucherov to a long-term deal if he’s asking to be the highest-paid forward in the game?
The New Jersey Devils are right in the mix. A Kucherov move is unlikely, but a Larkin trade is within reason, especially since Mehta proved he’s willing to make a big trade, with Hellebuyck being a case in point.
The Devils will have some competition in the Larkin sweepstakes. 10 teams are on his trade list, plus the Montreal Canadiens, who aren’t on his list, have enough assets to fill a void at center if he changes his mind. So, it’s a tough trade to pull off and where this week’s Devils Notebook begins.
Can The Devils Give The Red Wings The Best Larkin Offer?
Larkin is willing to lift his no-trade clause to join 10 teams. That list includes the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Capitals. Plus, the Montreal Canadiens, who aren’t on Larkin’s list, have enough to offer if he changes his mind and will heavily pursue the top-six center.
The Avalanche, Golden Knights, Lightning, Panthers, and Stars don’t have enough to convince interim GM Shawn Horcoff. So, that whittles down the list to six teams. Which one can make the best offer? Let’s start with what the Devils can put together.
Devils Offer: Anton Silaev, Cody Glass & A 2027 First
Anton Silaev is the difference-maker in any Devils offer. He’s the young defenseman the Red Wings would want who can eventually develop into a shutdown option, much like Simon Edvinsson is now. If the Devils don’t want to move Silaev, they must consider a young NHLer on the roster. Someone like Arseny Gritsyuk checks off that box, but considering the season he’s having, it’s unlikely Mehta moves him. So, the prospect defenseman and one of the two first-round picks, plus Cody Glass as a placeholder at center, make the most sense.
Carolina Hurricanes: Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger-Sorum & A 2028 first
The Hurricanes have prospects on top of prospects who are in the American Hockey League but have no path to the NHL roster because of their depth. It gives them the luxury of emptying the prospect pool to make this trade work. The Hurricanes also have a spare first-round pick from the Mikko Rantanen trade that they can offer to sweeten the offer.
Minnesota Wild: Danila Yurov, Ryan Hartman & 2027 First
Danila Yurov can swing this trade. He’s a young center developing into a building block. It’s something the Red Wings want, and the question from the Wild side is whether they want to move one of the few future pieces in their system. They don’t have much, so it seems necessary to fill the center need.
Montreal Canadiens: Michael Hage, Oliver Kapanen & Adam Engstrom
The Canadiens are another team with prospects on top of prospects and can put together one of the best offers, if not the best. Michael Hage and Oliver Kapanen give the Red Wings two young centers to build around, while Adam Engstrom is a defenseman who fills a void. The only holdup is Larkin, who doesn’t have the Canadiens on his list.
Utah Mammoth: Caleb Desnoyers or Dmitri Simashev
The Mammoth have three big-name prospects they might eventually slip for a star player. Caleb Desnoyers might be enough to get this deal done as a young center with high upside. Otherwise, Tij Iginla is a top winger in their system, while Dmitry Simashev is already on the NHL roster and a stay-at-home defenseman the Red Wings would want.
Washington Capitals: Andrew Cristall, Ivan Miroshnichenko & a 2027 First
The Capitals are another team with a surplus of prospects, specifically at wing, that they can move in an intriguing package for Larkin. The Red Wings want centers, and both Protas brothers check that box, but it’s doubtful the Capitals will move either. That said, Andrew Cristall is a high-upside player, especially on the offensive end, who can allow them to pull off this trade.
Which Offer Would The Red Wings Take?
The Canadiens have the best offer on the table, while the Mammoth have the best prospect to offer, whether it’s Desnoyers or Iginla. However, the complete package that is the best offer is the Hurricanes deal. It includes two high-end prospects and a first-round pick. Plus, if the Hurricanes want to up the ante, they can add defenseman Charles Alexis-Legeault to the deal, another prospect who is blocked from joining the NHL roster.
The Devils are close. They have a good offer. That said, they can’t make the best one. They can also add a piece or two to one-up the other teams. However, from Mehta’s perspective, it’s better to keep his offer on the table and not overpay for Larkin. His offer would still get a move done, but it’s unlikely it’s the one the Red Wings will choose.
The Devils Have A Goal Chase Developing Between Hischier & Gritsyuk: Who Wins It?
Much like a home run chase, the Devils have a goal-scoring chase developing one month into the season. It’s the best type of competition, a healthy one that helps the Devils win games.
There’s Nico Hischier, the veteran with seven goals, four on the power play (the rest of the team has three on the man advantage). He took the team lead when he found the back of the net twice against the Colorado Avalanche.
Then there’s the newcomer, the challenger of the group. Arseny Gritsyuk retook the lead from Hischier with his two-goal night against the Vegas Golden Knights. He has eight on the season and is showing how good he is on the Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt line.
Speaking of Hughes, he’s hot on Gritsyuk and Hischier’s heels with six goals. Plus, he has the team lead in points with 16 in 14 games, making him the only point-per-game player on the Devils.
Who will win this race? The safe bet is Hischier, the veteran known for his ability to consistently find the back of the net. However, don’t put it past Gritsyuk to have a breakout year.
With the way Gritsyuk has developed with the Devils, the 25-year-old winger is poised for a big payday when his contract is up. The good news is that Mehta has time with Gritsyuk on a three-year deal with a $3.2 million average annual value.
Quick Hits
Kucherov asked for a trade this week, and it drew mixed reactions around the hockey world. The Lightning don’t want to trade him, and there’s a chance they keep him all season, knowing he still gives them a good chance to win the Cup. Yet, there’s also a chance he joins a contender as a rental and then signs a lucrative deal in the offseason.
This will impact the Devils if he’s traded to a team in the Metropolitan Division, and the three teams to watch are the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals. The Capitals particularly have a sentimental value for Kucherov if he wants to play alongside Ovechkin in his final NHL teams. If he is traded to any of those teams, it makes for a fun division chase.
Speaking of the division, the first month is a good enough sample size to see how it’s shaping up. While a team can’t win a championship in the first month, they can certainly lose one, and a slow start can doom a team for the rest of the season. That looks to be the case with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils have left those teams in the dust and now are fighting at the top with the Hurricanes, while the Capitals, Rangers, and New York Islanders will be hot on their heels.
The Devils are back home this week and continuing their Western Conference swing. They host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and then the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Nov. 5, before heading back on the road for the weekend.
The Oilers are an interesting team for the Devils because it’s a true test for Hellebuyck. He’s easing his way into the starting goaltending role but hasn’t faced a tough offense, certainly not the league-best one that averages 4.21 goals per game. If Hellebuyck stops the Oilers, it’s proof the Devils need that he’s ready for the full workload and can carry them to a great season.
Speaking of Hellebuyck, the Devils did a good job easing him into NHL action. He only faced 18 shots against the Dallas Stars and 21 against the Vegas Golden Knights. With the way the defense is playing, Hellebuyck can fully acclimate after missing training camp.
The Devils traded Rémi Poirier to the Capitals for a seventh-round pick. With the Hellebuyck acquisition, there wasn’t a path for Poirier on the NHL roster, and a trade gives him a chance to start on the Capitals. The big thing for the Devils is that Mehta claimed him off waivers and managed to add a draft pick at the end of the day. It’s another future piece he’s adding that he can eventually use to make another trade, which would surprise nobody if he did.
The Buffalo Sabres did what they needed to do on the California leg of their four-game road swing. After an overtime loss to Washington, Buffalo swept the Golden State, shutting out the San Jose Sharks, winning a wild 7-6 affair in Anaheim, and breaking out the broom with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings Saturday.
Buffalo’s top two snipers accounted for all three tallies, with Jack Quinn notching his eighth of the season, and Tage Thompson scoring his club-leading ninth and 10th goals of the year; the latter snapping a 2-2 tie late in the third. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves for his first win in over two weeks, and the victory moved the Sabres to 7-4-3 (17 points) on the season.
“(It was) a good road trip, we played some good hockey. There’s areas we still want to improve, but there were a lot of good things. The power play got a couple big goals.” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “You look at the power play. the zone time, our entries. The loose-puck recovery by Östlund on the goal tonight was huge. The play that Quinn made to find (Tage). You put the work in, and we’re starting to see results.”
Earning seven of a possible eight points helped the Sabres rebound at the end of a mediocre first month. Buffalo has 17 points, just four behind first place Boston in the Atlantic Division and two behind third place Ottawa. With the exception of the Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, who are 11-2-2 (24 points), there are a dozen teams in the East within six points of each other.
That fact puts more importance on the Sabres compiling points when they return home for a four game homestand, starting with the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (6) pursues a loose puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Toronto.
You could have been excused for thinking it was a harbinger of a good diagnosis for Ryan Pulock that the Islanders sent down Isaiah George Sunday morning, 24 hours after bringing the defenseman up.
Instead, it might have been merely to get George some game action, with AHL Hamilton playing twice before the Islanders next take the ice on Thursday against Carolina.
That is because Pulock, the Islanders announced, will miss the next 2-4 weeks with the upper-body injury sustained in Thursday night’s win over the Wild.
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (6) pursues a loose puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Toronto. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
You can add that to the pile of injuries the Islanders are currently dealing with: Matias Maccelli, Calum Ritchie, Mathew Barzal and Alexander Romanov. Maccelli, of the four — or now, five — is believed closest to a return. The winger is currently skating on his own and had the shortest timeline of anyone to begin with.
Barzal is the only other one who has begun skating, but his timeline continues to be indefinite.
As for Pulock, he left Thursday’s game after taking a hit from Blake Coleman that didn’t appear a particularly noteworthy play in the moment. He had shoulder surgery in the offseason, but it’s not clear whether this is related.
The Islanders played Saturday with George as the extra; Matt Kessel was inserted into the lineup on the third pair with Scott Mayfield, while Logan Stanley was put onto a tandem with Tony DeAngelo and Matthew Schaefer played on the right of Adam Pelech.
The results were fairly mixed, albeit in a game where Schaefer and Pelech had to deal with the nightmare matchup of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — leaving the Islanders on their back foot in a 4-0 loss to the Oilers in which they generated no meaningful offense.
Kessel and Mayfield, at least, had fairly positive numbers, and were the only pair that wasn’t on the ice for a goal against.
The four days between games — with the Islanders taking Sunday and Monday off — are a chance for the club to take a catch its breath, get a little healthier and perhaps see if a move can be made to alleviate its roster crunch.
The lack of notification from NHL Player Safety regarding Emil Heineman’s knee-to-knee hit that got him ejected one shift into Saturday’s match was at least a positive in that regard.
“We got time here to reset,” DeBoer said after Saturday’s game. “We haven’t come up with a plan yet but we’ll make sure we use that time properly.”
Over the last couple of days, more reports have emerged from around the hockey world on the state of the trade situation with Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin.
The most notable came this past Saturday on Rogers Saturday Night Hockey, during his Saturday Headlines segment, when Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman explained that with some teams showing little interest, Larkin's ten-team trade list may be altered, with some teams removed in favor of other interested parties.
Reports have suggested that a large number of the teams on the list are either not interested in Larkin or not believed to be in range to get him, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. That could open the door for other reportedly interested teams, like the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues, to get their offers in front of Larkin.
"Some teams like Florida and Vegas, even Colorado, it's very hard to see anything like that happening if not impossible, I do think it's possible [he] may take some teams off or possibly even add some," Friedman explained.
"He has a 10 team trade list; I think over the next 24 to 48 hours, it's possible we see that trade list altered."
"I think over the next 24-48 hours it's possible we see that trade list altered."
On Saturday Headlines, @FriedgeHNIC reports that Dylan Larkin's current list of teams he would approve a trade with could change. pic.twitter.com/NmQZw6g9xi
The changes could put further pressure on the teams reportedly most interested in the 30-year-old forward to improve their offers, like the Minnesota Wild and the Washington Capitals.
According to reports from both Friedman and The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, the Capitals have started to push for Larkin, with former 2024 third-round pick Ilya Protas expected to be the main piece in the return package. The Belarusian winger isn't a center like Detroit is reportedly looking for, but he has shown promise, with nine points through his first 16 NHL games.
Friedman also reported last Friday on Sportsnet that the Wild have an offer on the table that Minnesota believes is its best, one that "beats...any other team Larkin is willing to go to."
The offer is reportedly centered around young forward and former first-round pick Danila Yurov, along with multiple first-round picks. Friedman said he believes Larkin is aware of some of the offers, and his working theory is that Larkin is sitting out of the Red Wings lineup because he believes acceptable offers are on the table and interim general manager Shawn Horcoff has yet to pull the trigger.
With pressure continuing to mount and potential changes coming to Larkin's trade list, the end of the trade saga may be within reach, allowing the Red Wings to start turning their attention elsewhere.
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