Category: Ice Hockey

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Seven-hundred and twelve long, testing days later, Semyon Varlamov skated off the ice Tuesday evening with an NHL victory in hand.

The last one, all the way back on Nov. 14, 2024 in Vancouver, was under a different coach and a different general manager and with a roster that included current Islanders front office advisor Matt Martin. Varlamov got hurt at the end of that month.

Since then, he’s undergone two partial knee replacements, months of endless rehab and faced the near-universal expectation that his career was over.

So, yes, there’s plenty to unpack about the Islanders’ 4-3 win over the Predators, and all of that is going to need to wait a beat. It’s hard to speak definitively about these things, but Varlamov is almost certainly the first professional athlete to return to play after such serious procedures.

Earning a win — and Varlamov did earn it on Tuesday, making 20 saves and playing the most confident, controlled game of the four he’s started so far this season — is an awesome achievement in the word’s most literal sense.

“A year ago, to be honest with you, I didn’t see this coming,” Varlamov said in the dressing room, after every single one of his teammates spilled off the bench to envelop him in hugs after Bo Horvat’s shootout winner. “It was such a grind the last two years to get to this point where you have an opportunity to play and compete at the highest level in the world.

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity again. And then just wanted to thank everybody who was involved in the rehab and the surgery and everything and just very, very proud of everybody.”

Much as Varlamov would probably like for everyone to stop treating his every start like a big deal, he could admit that this one was special. Even as he’d played well in losses to the Senators and Kings, he’d wondered when the first win would come.

The Islanders had put a lot of faith in him. General manager Mathieu Darche said that after watching Varlamov put everything into his rehab last season, “there’s no way I could not have given him a chance.” The Islanders signed Vitek Vanecek as insurance but after Varlamov made two AHL starts at the end of last season, Darche planned as if he would be the backup. Varlamov wanted to — still wants to — prove him and the rest of the organization right.

“Discussions in the summer, I don’t think anyone was sure [about it],” coach Pete DeBoer said. “It was such an unheard-of comeback, with what he had gone through. That was the reason we signed the goaltending depth we did, because I don’t think anyone was sure until he got to camp and started to play and you talked to him after he scrimmaged or played and had no ill effects and there was no swelling.

“None of us went into camp with an easy feeling that we were gonna have him for the whole season. We really weren’t sure what we were gonna get.”

DeBoer admitted that it took until Varlamov made it through his first regular-season game, and came in the next day reporting no complications, for him to fully believe this would work.

“There’s nothing like live bullets like that,” DeBoer said. “That’s when I started to feel comfortable that he could actually do this.”

It’s only a month in. But so far, Varlamov is holding up his end of the bargain, with admirers across the organization and around the league. Darche, speaking after the game Tuesday, said Avalanche GM Joe Sakic had passed on good wishes to Varlamov on Monday. Barry Trotz, working in Nashville as a senior advisor, had too when he caught up with the Islanders following their morning skate.

“If someone would have scored five goals tonight, the guys would have been happier that Varly got the win,” Darche said. “I’m so happy for him.”

Varlamov, not usually an emotional person, couldn’t help but feel the love.

“Everybody who supported me through the last two years, I know it’s been a long journey to come back and win the first game,” he said. “I’m just very humbled and very thankful.”

New Jersey gave the Stars Hell(ebuyck). 

Connor Hellebuyck made his Devils debut in Dallas on Tuesday, just days after the Devils pulled off the blockbuster trade to acquire the Olympic gold medal-winning goaltender and end a long-running standoff with the Jets, from whom he requested a trade. 

New Jersey easily dispatched the Stars 5-1, as Hellebuyck made 16 saves, only allowing a second-period goal.

Tuesday’s game with the Stars was Hellebuyck’s first start in an NHL game since April 13, 2026 — the final regular-season game for Winnipeg during the 2025-26 season — and kickstarted a new era in the Garden State.

Hellebuyck made six saves in the first period during his Devils debut as his new team jumped out to a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

“It was a lot of fun. I thought the guys in front of me just played a perfect game for me to get acclimated,” Hellebuyck said after the win. “Low amount of shots, blocking everything, keeping everything to the outside. Letting me see things, letting me touch the puck a lot. I have to work through a little bit of the rust, but I just thought it was a perfect gam top to bottom.”

Nico Hischier scored twice, and Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes added a goal and an assist each for the Devils, who won their fourth straight.

Hellebuyck is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, but he had not played in an NHL game amid the standoff with the Jets. 

The American netminder made his trade request public in late August, even though he had five seasons left on his contract. He did not report for training last month. 

The Jets suspended him for not appearing at camp. 

Following his first practice with the Devils on Monday, Hellebuyck said that he was “really looking forward to this day for a while now” and that “it felt good getting acclimated with a new group and having some fun out there.”

“I’m just really excited to play hockey again,” Hellebuyck said. “That was the hardest part about all of this, wanting to go back and not being able to.”

The Devils ended Tuesday night in second place in the Metropolitan Division.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat scored in a shootout to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Horvat, Anthony Duclair and Brayden Schenn scored in regulation for New York. Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves and denied both Nashville attempts in the shootout to record his first win since Nov. 14, 2024.

Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist, Alexander Kerfoot and Ryan O’Reilly scored and Juuse Saros made 25 saves for Nashville, which fell to 0-5 in games that have extended beyond regulation this season.

The Islanders led 3-0 early in the second before the Predators drew even.

Duclair scored at 3:07 of the opening period and Schenn followed at 8:07 of the first. The goal was the 300th of Schenn’s career.

Horvat’s goal at 1:08 of the second came on a one-timer off of a cross-ice pass from Matthew Schaefer, who has points in five straight games.

The Islanders had lost their previous seven games at Nashville, with their last victory coming on Oct. 28, 2017.

Forsberg got Nashville on the scoreboard at 9:42 of the second with a power-play goal.

After scoring just one goal in the first 10 games of the season, Forsberg, the Predators’ career goals leader, has goals in two straight.

Kerfoot drew Nashville within a goal at 13:02 of the second, converting the rebound of a shot by Nils Hoglander.

O'Reilly tied it at 4:16 of the third, tapping in a loose puck sitting in the crease. He has three goals in his last two games.

Up next

Islanders: Visit Minnesota on Thursday.

Predators: Host Washington on Thursday.

Nearly two years since his last official victory and two partial knee replacements later, Semyon Varlamov added regular season win number 290 to his NHL career in the most surprising of places, as the Islanders prevailed in Nashville via shootout after the open play portion of the game finished 3-3.

Not as dramatic but every bit as satisfying, the Islanders hadn’t won in Nashville since well before Varlamov joined them: that was in 2017, when John Tavares (who scored a hat trick) was captain and Doug Weight was coach.

The Islanders blew a 3-0 lead in the latter half of the second period and early part of the third, then hung on with a gutsy defensive and goaltending effort to force OT. Varlamov turned away both shots he faced (well, one was a smart pokecheck on Ryan O’Reilly, the other was a shot wide), while Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat each cashed in theirs.

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

It was a nice start for the Islanders in a penalty-heavy first period. Anthony Duclair got them on the board with some smart play at 4-on-4, leading a rush with J-G Pageau and getting inside his man to redirect Pageau’s pass in from just above the crease.

That gave the Isles a 1-0 lead at 3:07, and five minutes later they doubled it after some nice if chaotic work around the Predators’ zone, Brayden Schenn ultimately slipping a loose puck in after he fumbled his initial shot. Whatever works.

The Islanders picked up where they left off to start the second period, with a really impressive shift among Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair. They cycled and moved to space in an impressive enough display that MSG gave Josh Bailey a whole segment about it during the intermission. Horvat finished with a one-timer off a beautifully threaded cross-slot pass from Matthew Schaefer.

Just 1:08 into the middle frame with a 3-0 lead, it looked like it might be a cruise of a night for the Islanders. But they let the Predators back in.

A penalty and then careless moves got them in trouble. Nashville scored two goals in a 3:20 span, including one on the power play, and then nearly got an equalizer when Ryan O’Reilly had daylight on a point-blank chance but put his shot off the outside of the post.

The Islanders settled and also slowed things down a bit after that five-minute spiral, and they were able to steer the game to the second intermission without further damage.

Alas, that just delayed the inevitable. The Predators had the better of play to open the third, and even when the Islanders interrupted that with a decent forecheck that drew a penalty committed against a hard-working Victor Eklund, the Islanders power play fizzled.

Ryan O’Reilly came out of the box to create a chance and then soon finished off the garbage on a shot that Varlamov stopped but let squeak behind him, much like the Predators’ second goal, to tie it at 3-3 just 4:16 into the third.

That’s not meant as a critique of Varlamov’s play, at most a sign of rust, or just the bounces. Because overall, Varlamov was alive and making some excellent saves during sustained stretches of Nashville pressure. And that continued as the Predators tasted blood, and scared us all with their fifth power play of the night.

After that power play ended, the Predators kept the pressure up, and nearly took advantage when Casey Cizikas had to flee to the bench after losing his helmet on a desperate defensive play. But Adam Pelech blocked the shot from the slot, and Cizikas’ replacement, the reborn Ondrej Palat, earned himself an outstanding chance with a power move down the left wing that forced a great save from Jussi Saros.

The Isles did not see another great chance as they survived, really just survived, to get to overtime. O’Reilly, Steven Stamkos and Mavrick Bourque continued to torment them. Simon Holmstrom was part of one decent counterattack sequence to relieve the pressure, but otherwise it was the Islanders Pelech-blocking Nashville shots left and right. What was once a potential 3-0 cruise for the Islanders felt like a relief just to get a regulation point.

Overtime

OT was a little different. The Predators won the opening faceoff, but after the Isles won back possession, Schaefer drew a penalty. With Varlamov off for an extra attacker during the delayed penalty, the Islanders were smart and patient moving the puck around and creating looks for a 1:45 of bonus 4-on-3.

On the actual power play, the Islanders kept possession (as well they should, 4-on-3) but never really mounted an additional threat. At the end, Schaefer had to sprint back to spoil a breakaway for Filip Forsberg as he came out of the box — this after Schaefer had played the entire overtime period.

A shootout seemed the perfectly appropriate way to end this. And after it was done, his teammates mobbed Varlamov, all jumping up and down in a huddle by the Isles goal to celebrate his long road back.

Up Next

The Central tour continues and concludes Thursday in Minnesota.

DALLAS (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced to win his New Jersey debut, Nico Hischier scored two goals, and the Devils beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Hellebuyck, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, started four days after being traded by the Winnipeg Jets following his suspension for failing to report to training camp. It was his first win since April 9 at St. Louis, 3-2.

The Hughes brothers, Jack and Luke, and Jesper Boqvist, also scored for the Devils, who have won four consecutive games.

Justin Hryckowian scored for the Stars, who had a five-game winning streak snapped. Casey DeSmith, making his third start of the season, made 22 saves after allowing only two goals in each of his previous outings.

The five goals are the season high against Dallas, which went into play leading the NHL with a 1.68 goals-against average.

Hischier, the team captain in his 10th season with New Jersey, provided a 2-0 lead at 2:41 of the first period and 38 seconds into the second. Dallas’ challenge for goaltender interference against Timo Meier on the first goal was denied. Hischier has a team-high seven goals and two two-goal games.

Boqvist made it 3-0 midway through the second. After Hryckowian’s deflection pulled Dallas back within two goals at 16:08 of the second, Luke Hughes answered 28 seconds later.

The Stars’ second-ranked penalty kill went 3 for 3 for 22 consecutive successful kills over six games.

The game was Dallas’ fourth in a season-long six-game homestand and began a road back-to-back for New Jersey.

Stars defenseman Kyle Capobianco was helped off the ice five minutes into the third period with an apparent leg injury and didn’t return.

Up next

Devils: Visit Colorado on Wednesday night.

Stars: Host Montreal on Thursday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

On the night where Connor Hellebuyck picked up his first victory in the New Jersey Devils' red and black (a 5-1 win), the Winnipeg Jets gave up five goals in a lopsided 5-1 game of their own against to the visiting Florida Panthers. 

The Jets played some extremely uninspiring hockey, took sloppy penalties and gave up three goals in the first period - all key pieces to their loss to old friend Paul Maurice and his new-look Tkachuk-filled Panthers on Tuesday.

And despite there being multiple very willing heavyweight opponents in the Florida lineup, Tyrel Bauer didn't even drop the mitts. 

Winnipeg has now lost six-straight games and seven of its last eight outings. 

Things do not get any better for the Jets either, who now head out on the road for tests against Eastern Conference juggernauts in Tampa Bay, Florida (again), Montreal (again) and Carolina over the next week. 

“Well, go and get the next one," Dylan DeMelo said post-game.

"We’ve got to move on and be ready for a very strong Tampa team, and be ready right from the get-go. That's all we can do, we’ve got to try to learn from our mistakes here and see where we can be better at. But our focus now has to be on the game in Tampa.”

What is currently a six-game losing streak very well could turn into a run of 10-straight, should the favourites come out on top.

Head coach Scott Arniel also very well could hear his name called by GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, signalling the conclusion of his time atop the bench. 

Yes, it has been that bad. 

Winnipeg's power play went 0/2 on the night, dropping its lowly total to 2/26 in its current dry spell. While Forida managed three goals on the man advantage on Tuesday.

Matthew Tkachuk collected four points, brother Brady had three, while defenceman Seth Jones had three assists in the first period alone for Florida.

Winnipeg got its lone goal off the stick of Adam Lowry, who nearly didn't score. In fact, his pick-pocket play off the stick of goaltender Akira Scmid wasn't originally ruled a goal on the ice, but an NHL-initiated review halted play, to which the Jets' captain was able to celebrate his second goal of the season late in the middle stanza. 

“Unfortunately, we didn’t use it as a good reset," Lowry said of the last two games at home. "The first period, just mental errors. Reads, assignments, penalty kill. We give up three goals in three minutes and obviously, you have to give them credit. They did some right things, but we kind of fed all of that offence for them and kind of continue that in the second and the third. A lot of shooting ourselves in the foot right now. 

Florida scored three times in the first period and added singles in the second and third frames.

Clay Stevenson was lit up five times on 24 Panthers shots, while Schmid turned aside 24 of the 25 pucks sent his way by Winnipeg.

"Whenever you're not getting goals, and not generating the offence that we want, there's some things that we can do better, exactly what those things are, I'm not fully sure, but I think it's just, it's an array of things," DeMelo reflected.

"Full five man units out there trying to do the right things, and I’m sure we'll turn it around. But, we’ve got to stay with it and stay together and not go off script, or iso-ball it. We’ve got to continue to do it together, and do the right things, and that's the only way to turn it around.”

The Jets will now look to turn things around on a gruelling road trip, as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers again, the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes, before returning home to face Vancouver next week. 

The Florida Panthers put an exclamation point on their four-game road trip thanks to a big win on Tuesday night.

Florida jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the first period and never looked back, wrapping up their roadie with a resounding 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.

A pair of early penalties by the Jets helped propel Florida to a quick multi-goal lead.

First, it was Carter Verhaeghe on the power play, jumping on a loose puck after two quick attempts at the net by Brady Tkachuk and Seth Jones, both of whom ended up with assists on the game’s opening goal.

Carter Verhaeghe scores on the doorstep! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/fYx3jPpQtC

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 28, 2026

Just 75 seconds later, Niko Mikkola’s long wrist shot deflected off Jets’ defenseman Mario Ferraro’s stick and into the net, quickly doubling Florida’s lead.

They weren’t done there.

A second power play came for the Panthers just over a minute later when Winnipeg was called for too many men, and once again it would be Verhaeghe who capitalized.

Coming down with the puck from the point, Verhaeghe sent the puck down to Brady for a quick back-and-forth, clearing up room to walk into a wrist shot that beat Clay Stevenson to give Florida a commanding 3-0 lead.

Verhaeghe gets his second and the Panthers lead by three! 😳#Jetspic.twitter.com/h4WIOExchi

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 28, 2026

Jones and Matthew Tkachuk continued their respective hot starts to the season as Jones assisted on all three goals and Tkachuk helped on two.

The game’s next two goals both came with Florida on the power play about midway through the second period.

First, Adam Lowry scored after catching Akira Schmid out of the net, a goal that was not called initially on the ice, but later deemed true after a video review showed the puck completely crossing the line despite a valiant effort by Schmid to get back in the net.

Fortunately for the Panthers, they remained on the power play and quickly regained their three goal advantage.

A pretty passing play saw the puck go from Matthew Tkachuk to younger brother Brady to Sam Reinhart in the slot in the blink of an eye, and Reinhart knew what to do from there.

His sixth goal of the season put Florida ahead 4-1, a lead they took into the final frame.

The Tkachuk brothers teamed up for an even strength goal with just under eight minutes to go, as Brady reached out and with one hand on his stick, deflected a pass from Matthew over Stevenson’s glove to give the Cats a commanding 5-1 lead.

A Tkachuk to Tkachuk BEAUTY as Brady scores it 1 handed! 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/XycGxUnZLu

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 28, 2026

For Matthew, his four-assist evening gave him 20 points in 13 games so far this year, while Brady is now up to 15 points over his past eight games after logging a goal and two helpers on Tuesday.

Next up for Florida will be three straight games at home, starting on Friday night with a rematch against Winnipeg.

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Photo caption: Oct 27, 2026; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN;FloridaPantherscenter Carter Verhaeghe (23) celebrates a goal against the Winnipeg Jets withFloridaPantherscenter Sam Reinhart (13) in the first period at Canada Life Centre. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

DALLAS (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced to win his New Jersey debut, Nico Hischier scored two goals, and the Devils beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Hellebuyck, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner, started four days after being traded by the Winnipeg Jets following his suspension for failing to report to training camp. It was his first win since April 9 at St. Louis, 3-2.

The Hughes brothers, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes, as well as Jesper Boqvist, also scored for the Devils, who have won four consecutive games.

Justin Hryckowian scored for the Stars, who had a five-game winning streak snapped. Casey DeSmith, making his third start of the season, made 22 saves after allowing only two goals in each of his previous outings.

The five goals are the season high against Dallas, which went into play leading the NHL with a 1.68 goals-against average.

Hischier, the team captain in his 10th season with New Jersey, provided a 2-0 lead at 2:41 of the first period and 38 seconds into the second. Dallas’ challenge for goaltender interference against Timo Meier on the first goal was denied. Hischier has a team-high seven goals and two two-goal games.

Boqvist made it 3-0 midway through the second. After Hryckowian’s deflection pulled Dallas back within two goals at 16:08 of the second, Luke Hughes answered 28 seconds later.

The Stars’ second-ranked penalty kill went 3 for 3 for 22 consecutive successful kills over six games.

The game was Dallas’ fourth in a season-long six-game homestand and began a road back-to-back for New Jersey.

Stars defenseman Kyle Capobianco was helped off the ice five minutes into the third period with an apparent leg injury and didn’t return.

Up next

Devils: Visit Colorado on Wednesday night

Stars: Host Montreal on Thursday night

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks had one final home game at the United Center to close out a seven-game homestand. This time, they welcomed the Los Angeles Kings, who played one night prior - a win at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. 

The Blackhawks lost two straight games heading into this one against the Kings, but they came in with fresher legs, hoping to finally break out of the slump. The Kings are close to the Blackhawks in the standings, which is a change from the recent run of Stanley Cup contenders on the opposite bench, but every team in the NHL presents a challenge. 

The game started extremely poorly for the Chicago Blackhawks. Not only did they give up the first goal of the game, but there was also a long sequence to open the game where they were simply buried in their own end. Breaking pucks out of their own end has been a serious problem for them all season, and it was on full display in the first half of the opening frame. 

About halfway through, something changed for them. They started forechecking strongly, creating turnovers in their own end when the Kings tried to break out, and actually looked like a hockey team with the ability to generate chances. 

Chicago did not score a goal and was down 1-0 going into the first intermission, but the way the period ended made you believe that they were going to have a much better effort for the rest of the game. 

In the second period, the Blackhawks looked much better overall. The play was much more even from start to finish, but the important part for them was the fact that they tied the game. After a power play that had some good looks ended, they drew another one quickly, and got it done this time. 

Roman Kantserov took a nice centering feed from Connor Bedard and tied the game. This was Chicago's first power-play goal in a while, a marker they definitely needed. In this league, you have to score power-play goals to be successful, and it allowed them to tie it here. The 1-1 tie held through the second intermission. 

To begin the 3rd, the Blackhawks had to kill off a carry-over penalty from the end of the second period, and they did so with style. The PK as a whole is starting to round into form. 

At 7:17 of the final frame, Patrick Kane made a pass to Frank Nazar, who made a nifty move to slide one to Wyatt Kaiser, who scored his first goal of the season. This goal that gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead fired up Kaiser, as they team entered the final stages of the game with a chance to win. 

The 2-1 score held as the final for the Blackhawks, who improve their record to 4-8-0. Their 7-game homestand ends on a high note as they are going to hit the road for the first time in a long time. 

Spencer Knight made the start for Chicago, his 7th in a row, and 10th out of 12 games. To say he was excellent in this one would be an understatement. He made 25 saves on 26 shots, including some high-danger chances in the first period while the Blackhawks were trapped in their own zone. If he doesn't hold it down during that time, there is no way they win this game. 

The Blackhawks preach a lot about the process. Well, if their process from this game continues, they will start to win a lot more. The first five minutes were ugly, and they rebounded to find their legs, and skate out of town with two points. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

no. 80 lights the lamp! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BGTdRqAGIx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 28, 2026

"let's GOOOOOOO" - #️⃣4️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/80fxdeWt9k

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 28, 2026

The Chicago Blackhawks 

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will now hit the road. They will make their way to Michigan for their one visit to Little Caesars Arena, where they will take on the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. On Saturday, it will be a matinee game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart was ruled out for Oct. 27's game against the Ottawa Senators, with the goalie exiting during the morning skate on Tuesday.

Hart, who seemingly suffered a lower body injury, appeared to have a limp, per The Hockey News' Hannah Kirkell.

REQUIRED READING: NHL power rankings: Connor McDavid on fire; Devils land Connor Hellebuyck

Vegas coach Ryan Craig confirmed Hart would miss the Golden Knights' home game and Adin Hill would start in his place. Hart has a 2.76 goals against average in this fledgling season and an .889 save percentage.

Craig would not provide further updates.

Carter Hart injury update

Hart exited the morning skate on Oct. 27 with what appeared to be a lower body injury, as he moved with a noticeable limp.

It is unknown what the extent of Hart's injury is.

Adin Hill stats

Hill has played five games this season, posting a 2.96 goals against average and a save percentage of .882.

The Golden Knights are 4-1 in his starts.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carter Hart injury update: Golden Knights goalie out after leaving morning skate

There must have been so many days when the NHL felt so far away. There must have been so many nights when Dylan Garand felt like his time would never come. 

But just one month after the 24-year-old was sent down to begin his fifth straight season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Garand’s lifelong dream has been granted — and twisted by necessity. 

The rookie has played in each of the Rangers’ nine games since Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending injury, including Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Kings, when Garand played more than 38 minutes in relief of the struggling and debuting James Reimer. 

“It’s been challenging,” Garand said following Tuesday’s practice. “There’s so many games. You play a game and almost the next day you gotta get ready for another game, so it’s almost a never-ending thing. That’s something that I’m learning and going through now. I’m just trying to handle it the best that I can. 

“I think I played nine games in 18 days, so that’s quite a bit. It’s definitely the first time I’ve ever gone through it. I’m definitely trying to embrace that challenge and work my hardest every day. … It’s gonna be good for me in my career moving forward.” 

Garand, who entered the season with just three career NHL appearances, initially exceeded expectations when he stepped in for Shesterkin, going 4-1-1 in his first six starts while boasting a .929 save percentage and 1.85 goals against average. 

But the former fourth-round pick has allowed five goals in each of his past two starts — and two more goals Monday — as the Rangers (7-6-1) have dropped five of their past six games. 

Garand entered Tuesday ranked 15th in the league in goals against average (2.69) and 21st in save percentage (.899). 

“It’s a little frustrating [because] my work ethic and my compete-[level] is there,” Garand said. “I’m really trying hard. I’m just making a couple mental errors and mental mistakes by not executing at the level I know I’m capable of … you look at the last three weeks, I’ve played some really good hockey. 

“I think the last couple games, I don’t really love my execution. I think I could’ve been a little better, but it’s part of it. I’m trying to be ready for every opportunity in every game that’s coming.” 

Head coach Mike Sullivan acknowledges how much the team has asked of a goalie with such limited experience, noting that Garand will benefit from the team’s current five-day break more than any other player. 

Soon, Garand’s workload may decrease significantly, with Joonas Korpisalo expected to return from injury in the next week or two. 

Soon enough, Garand may be wondering when his next opportunity will come. 

The next start can’t come soon enough. 

“Playing in the NHL you gotta zoom out a little bit and never take it for granted and enjoy it, and I do,” Garand said. “I enjoy playing and going to battle with the guys in this room every night. The last week or so we haven’t been playing our best and that’s disappointing, but I have full trust in this group and in myself.”

After finishing the 2025-26 season at the top of the Atlantic Division, the Buffalo Sabres are having a tough start to this campaign.

At the time of this writing, the Sabres are sporting a 4-4-3 record and have lost each of their last three games. With this, they are also at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings.

Now, as the Sabres continue to struggle early on, they are reportedly looking to upgrade their roster.

According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the Sabres are looking to bring in another scoring winger to their roster. 

"Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen is believed to be exploring the trade market for some additional goalscoring, TFP’s David Pagnotta reported on TSN 690 in Montreal during his weekly Tuesday appearance," The Fourth Period wrote. 

With the Sabres moving on from Alex Tuch through a big sign-and-trade with the Washington Capitals this off-season, it makes sense that they are looking to add another forward to their roster. The Sabres could use another skilled winger to solidify their top nine.  

The Fourth Period did not specify any specific wingers who the Sabres are looking at, but there are some intriguing names in the rumor mill right now.

The Athletic's Chris Johnston recently included wingers like Jake DeBrusk (Vancouver Canucks), Rickard Rakell (Pittsburgh Penguins), Dmitri Voronkov (Columbus Blue Jackets), and Ivan Miroshnichenko (Washington Capitals) on his latest trade board. 

Other wingers who could be interesting players for the Sabres to pursue are Brock Boeser (Canucks), Bryan Rust (Penguins), and Joel Farabee (Calgary Flames).

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Sabres can strike a deal for a new winger soon. 

As if Senators fans needed another reason to dislike Brady Tkachuk, Sens owner Michael Andlauer just gave them one.

During an appearance on the Coming in Hot podcast on Tuesday morning, Andlauer discussed Tkachuk's return to Ottawa and dropped a nugget that's sure to irritate Sens fans even further.

When Tkachuk faced the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre last Wednesday, this time as a member of the Florida Panthers, he was booed relentlessly from the pregame warmup until he left the game with a double minor penalty late in the third period.

We knew the fans would be furious with Tkachuk, but even the players seemed extra ticked off. He was their captain, the guy who talked about winning Cups here someday and went around scolding people for daring to question his commitment to Ottawa. 

Then he asked for a trade with two years still remaining on his contract.

The hostility surrounding Tkachuk's return was greater on the ice than most people expected. And now we may have another reason why.

According to Andlauer, when Tkachuk opened the scoring in the first period, he had the nerve to skate past the Senators' bench, chirping the teammates he'd left behind and bragging about his scoring prowess.

"Some things never change, eh boys?"

That's what Andlauer says Tkachuk told the Senators' bench.

If Tkachuk ever had any respect for his former teammates, he'd go into this game feeling some remorse about the way he ended things, which doesn't mean playing the game any differently than he normally does. But after you've let your teammates down so profoundly, trying to dunk in their face in your first game back is as about as tone-deaf as it gets.

As we know now, the Senators had the last laugh. Hell, they're still laughing a week later. They trampled Tkachuk's new team and no returning player has ever had a rougher welcome home.

"I don't think that (comment) motivated our players much," Andlauer said sarcastically, with a smile.

The Senators scored five unanswered goals to win 5-1.

In fairness, Tkachuk's comment wasn't totally off-base. He was still out there taking undisciplined penalties while grotesquely gnawing away at his mouthguard like a dog with a chew toy.

Some things never change.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

The Chicago Blackhawks are off to a lousy start in 2026-27. They came in with the expectation that young players would take a step forward and that they'd be playing more meaningful games in March. 

They weren't unrealistic and saying it's playoffs or bust, but they wanted to stay much closer to the playoff line as the season moved along. 

That isn't trending to be the case for the Blackhawks after about a month of the season. They are already well below .500 and are more points out of the playoffs than they are in the standings. That's never a good sign, even early. 

When that is the case, teams start to look ahead to the upcoming draft. The Blackhawks would never admit it, but they are trending towards having another top pick. In 2022, they picked 7th. In 2023, they picked 1st. In 2024, they picked 2nd. In 2025, they picked 3rd. In 2026, they had the 4th overall pick but traded it. There have also been other first-round picks sprinkled in there from trades. 

On Monday, NHL Central Scouting revealed its preliminary rankings for the 2027 NHL Draft. If the season continues on its current path, the Blackhawks will make it a 5th straight year with a top-5 pick. 

You can see the prospect ranking from NHL Central Scouting here. The most notable name here that you will see as many people's projected number one is Michigan defenseman Landon Dupont. If the Blackhawks were to win the 2027 NHL Draft Lottery, they would absolutely consider him. 

Highly anticipated prospect Landon DuPont was among players to earn an A rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list for the 2027 #NHLDraft.

Full list: https://t.co/0ajUwo44vPpic.twitter.com/nDCxpqdDyy

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 26, 2026

Other prospects include Nazar Privalov, Alexis Joseph, Sergei Skvortsov, and Carter Meyer, among others. All of them have an A grade, which means that they are receiving a first-round grade. B grades are for second and third-round grades; C grades are for fourth and fifth-round grades, and W grades for for sixth and seventh round grades. LV means "limited viewing", which means that the league's scouts would like to view the player before giving him a grade. 

Of the A-grade players, 21 are forwards, 5 are defensemen, and 1 is a goalie. That is a drastic difference from the preliminary ranking of the 2026 class, which had 15 forwards, 10 defensemen, and no goalies. 

The goaltender is Vilmer Salen Forsberg, who currently plays for the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs. It is unlikely that the Blackhawks will draft a goalie high due to having Spencer Knight and Drew Commesso in the mix, but they do have some recent ties to Brantford when it comes to drafting. 

Only time will tell how these projections play out as the season goes along. For the Blackhawks, they would prefer to not be thinking about the draft so soon, but their performance isn't doing them any favors. At some point, the losing will force the reality that one of these top prospects will be a possibility. 

With NHL Central Scouting releasing its preliminary list of players to watch from the 2027 draft class, @theTonyFerrari breaks down some of the noteworthy names and where they currently stand among this crop of talent: https://t.co/ougXG50TMi

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) October 26, 2026

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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What we learned as Sharks can't reward Yaroslav Askarov's stout night vs. Sabres originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

The San Jose Sharks just can’t score at 5-on-5.

And when their power play fails, like it did on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres, it’s a 2-0 loss.

Here are three takeaways from tonight:

Life Apart for WillMack?

For Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, there’s life apart from each other. WillMack were split up for the first time this season, aside from the two games that Celebrini was hurt earlier this year.

Celebrini, put in perhaps more of a primary shooting role because of his more pass-first linemates Collin Graf and Ivar Stenberg, registered three 5-on-5 shots. He had just one in his last two games combined and zero against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, with both contests coming on the heels of Igor Chernyshov’s injury.

That’s not normal for the usually shot-happy Celebrini, who hasn’t been held to zero 5-on-5 shots in consecutive games since his rookie campaign in February 2025.

So it’s good to see him shoot more. Celebrini also fed Graf in the blue paint for what looked like an open-net goal, but Graf couldn’t quite elevate the shot about Colten Ellis’s left pad.

Meanwhile, Smith didn’t play as much — his 16:20 time on ice was on the lower side — but he was part of one of the Sharks’ more dangerous 5-on-5 sequences tonight. Smith picked up a Mason Marchment pass that was behind him in the slot, calmly turned around instead of forcing a weak shot toward the net and passed it back to Michael Misa. Misa and Michael Kesselring pounded the net in tight for three shot attempts, with a couple of them blocked.

Smith benefiting from less attention away from the Celebrini line and being the offensive engine of a more sheltered line isn’t a bad thing for a Sharks squad that sorely needs an offensive lift from anywhere.

And Warsofsky can reunite Celebrini and Smith late in the game, whenever he needs more of an offensive push.

Askarov Heating Up

Yaroslav Askarov is heating up.

Oct. 19 at the Toronto Maple Leafs (.935 save percentage) and Oct. 22 at the Ottawa Senators (.953), Askarov’s last two games, marked the first time since last calendar year — Dec. 16 and 20 (.900 versus the Calgary Flames and .903 versus the Seattle Kraken) — that Askarov had a .900 save percentage or better in consecutive games.

Tonight, Askarov posted 38-of-39 stops.

The last time that Askarov had three straight games with a .900 or better save percentage? You’ll have to go back to his November hot streak last year, when he went 8-2-0 with a .947 mark. From November 1-23, for eight consecutive consecutive contests, Askarov peeled off a .900 or better save percentage.

That will be tough for Askarov to match, but the Sharks will take it.

Punchless Without the Power Play?

The Sharks entered tonight 30th in the NHL with 1.69 5-on-5 Goals per 60. In contrast, their power play was sixth in the league, but it went 0-for-3.

They’re now 31st in the NHL in 5-on-5 scoring — their 1.55 Goals per 60 only above the Philadelphia Flyers’ 1.36.

Of greater concern, San Jose isn’t generating enough chances, but they also are giving up too many. Per Natural Stat Trick, Buffalo out-chanced them 15-10 at 5-on-5 High-Danger.

The Sharks did pick it up after a first period where they were bullied net-front, another area of concern heading into tonight. But overall, they did not play a game that was deserving of a win.

Trouba Takes the “A”

With Alex Wennberg out with a week-to-week upper-body injury, the Sharks needed a new alternate captain.

Jacob Trouba, who captained the New York Rangers from 2022 to 2025, was a natural choice to take Wennberg’s spot.

Good Call?

Last time in this space, I complained about the Sharks overusing their playoff introduction. That’s the slow descent of the Shark Head, accompanied by the clanging of Hans Zimmer’s “Do You Think I’m Saxon?”. It’s truly one of the classic intros in hockey.

The Sharks used it on opening night (that’s special), the next home against the Los Angeles Kings (still opening weekend, I guess?), and after a couple games on the road, a week later against the Edmonton Oilers.

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