Category: Ice Hockey

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

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

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

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

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

PANTHERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2

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

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

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

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

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

CANADIENS 2, JETS 1

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

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

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

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

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

PREDATORS 6, AVALANCHE 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Josi had three assists.

WILD 4, CANUCKS 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_____

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up next

Wild: At Utah on Tuesday night.

Canucks: At Anaheim on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 25, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Data via Natural Stat Trick). 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___ See AP’s full NHL coverage here

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

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

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

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

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

Up next

Canadiens: At St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Jets: Host Florida on Tuesday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Maybe it's time to keep hockey at the rink downtown.

Ten years after their 3-0 shutout loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field, the Winnipeg Jets nearly found a way to repeat some not-so-favourable history. Save for a late-third period goal from Isak Rosen, the Jets nearly pitched another donut at home outside.

Ultimately, Winnipeg dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting Montreal Canadiens from Princess Auto Stadium in the 2026 Heritage Classic on Sunday evening.

“It was a spectacular spectacle," captain Adam Lowry said of the event. "It takes you back to youth hockey, it takes you back to growing up when you fell in love with the game. Obviously a disappointing result, but I thought the NHL and Winnipeg fans did a great job making it another great event.”

The Jets had 10 years to figure it out, but were unable to find a win outside. At least this time around they got a goal... Maybe, just maybe, hockey at the football field isn't in the cards for Winnipeg.

And after a 4-1-1 start, the Jets have now lost five-straight games and six of their last seven. 

On Sunday, Montreal came out as the quicker team off the opening puck drop, and put up the first three shots on goal. But the visitors slowed down as the period wore on. The Jets had two quality chances on a mid-period power play but failed to capitalize. 

The Habs' best chance in the frame came off an Alex Newhook breakaway, but the Canadiens' forward completely missed the net on his chance. 

Thanks to their push near the end of the frame, the Jets actually pulled ahead 10-8 on the shot chart through 20 minutes of play.

The middle stanza began right where it left off for Montreal. This time it was Cole Caufield who missed the net on an early-period breakaway feed from Juraj Slafkovsky. 

But the visitors' luck finally struck as defensive phenom Lane Hutson found the first goal of the game on a net-front tap-in, bringing the red clad visiting fans to their collective feet within the stadium. The goal from Hutson knotted the shots up at elevens.

Kaiden Guhle doubled Montreal's lead on a long-range shot from the point, which once again tied the shot totals at 13s. The goal came at 11:04 of the period, given the Jets roughly half a game to find two goals.

“It was a pretty cool experience," said new guy, Dawson Mercer. "Definitely a weird situation to be thrown into but honestly a pretty special one that I’ll cherish. Obviously, the outcome is not what we wanted, but overall nice to get going with the guys right away, and then build off it from here.”

Despite a decent first period, the Jets were slow, uncreative and not particularly precise through 40 minutes of play. On top of that, Winnipeg was the only team to have been awarded a power play through the second period - and they were given two. They didn't do much on either opportunity. 

The teams exchanged chances in the third, with Isak Rosen finding his first of the season off a cross-ice feed from Gabe Vilardi. The goal gave life to the home crowd of 32,343, as Winnipeg pulled within one with 4:24 to play. 

So, after 115 minutes of goalless hockey at their stadium, the Jets finally woke up.

Then, with 1:32 to play, Josh Anderson took a tripping penalty, sending Winnipeg to its fourth power play of the day. But once again the Jets had no gas in the tank with the man advantage. 

And for the second time in 3,654 days, the Jets were outscored in a home Heritage Classic. They made their way back to their makeshift dressing room losers by way of a 2-1 final.

Skinner turned aside 19 of the 21 shots fired his way by Montreal, while Jacob Fowler made 34 stops on the 35 shots he faced on the night. Winnipeg finished 0/4 on the power play, with Montreal successfully killing each penalty it took. 

Next up for Winnipeg is a Tuesday night affair with the Florida Panthers from Canada Life Centre, before the Jets hit the road for four-straight through next week.

Former Buffalo Sabres goalie James Reimer is officially set to play his 17th season in the NHL.

This is because the former Sabres goalie has signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the New York Rangers for the 2026-27 season.

Reimer landing this contract from the Rangers comes after he signed a PTO with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He impressed during his PTO with Hartford, as he put together a 35-save shutout against the Providence Bruins during his lone start with the AHL club on Oct. 23.

With that, it is entirely understandable that the Rangers have signed Reimer. They needed another goalie with Igor Shesterkin done for the season and Joonas Korpisalo out multiple weeks. Now, Reimer will give New York a veteran to back up rookie Dylan Garand for the time being. 

Reimer appeared in 14 games last season with the Ottawa Senators, where he recorded a 7-4-2 record, an .886 save percentage, and a 2.42 goal-against average. This was after he had a 10-8-2 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 2.90 goals-against average in 22 games with the Sabres during the 2024-25 season. 

Welcome to New York!

We've agreed to terms with goaltender James Reimer on a one-year contract → https://t.co/9qLdwDgffipic.twitter.com/TPtRliCHaQ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 25, 2026

The Florida Panthers picked up a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller played a major role in the Panthers' victory, as he had a clutch moment.

At the 17:37 mark of the third period, Eller scored his first goal as a Panther to give Florida their 3-2 lead. With this, the former Canadiens forward scored the Panthers' game-winning goal to get them two points. 

Eller's goal was a good one, too, as he beat Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight with a perfectly placed wrist shot on the rush. 

With this goal, Eller now has six points in 12 games this season with the Panthers. This was after the former Canadiens forward posted five goals and 15 points in 68 games last season with the Ottawa Senators.

The Panthers signed Eller to a one-year, $850,000 contract in free agency this offseason. So far, the move is benefiting the Panthers early on. Now, the former Habs center will be aiming to keep this kind of play up from here. 

Eller spent six seasons with the Canadiens from 2010-11 to 2015-16, where he posted 71 goals, 83 assists, and 154 points.

The Islanders hung with the Stars in Dallas for two periods, erasing three one-goal deficits before Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson pulled the Stars away with two goals in a 5:35 span early in the third period.

Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri and Brayden Schenn got the Islanders goals to tie the game at various points, following frustrating sequences or bad bounces that put the Isles in a hole. They showed defensive cracks all night that the Stars consistently exploited.

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

The Stars got on the board after the Islanders were buzzing in the Dallas zone and Jake Oettinger was without his stick. That made it sting all the more that Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were allowed to counter the other way with a 2-on-1. Seguin shot instead of passing back, and I’m still not sure how his shot found a hole in Ilya Sorokin.

After Schaefer tied it on a rush and neat short-side shot over Oettinger, Schenn coughed up the puck behind the Islanders net to allow Robertson to come around and score point blank for his first of two goals on the night.

And after Kyle Palmieri tied it early in the second on the rebound of a heavy bounce off the end boards, the Stars got a similar bounce to allow Justin Hryckowian to regain the lead, 3-2, on a power play with Logan Stanley in the box.

Schenn’s equalizer on a nice feed from Anthony Duclair from behind the net, with 2:15 left in the middle period, was the last of the Isles’ scoring.

They went into the third on a high note after that equalizer, but again the Stars exposed and took advantage of them. What started as an odd-man rush became good zone possession that got the Islanders mixed up, allowing Johnston a free look in the slot to give the Stars the lead and ultimate game winner.

Then Robertson got his second of the game on a clearcut breakaway, with Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo in no position to prevent him after Bo Horvat was stripped while trying to split the Stars D.

Mikko Rantanen, who didn’t have Alex Romanov to shove into the boards this meeting, finished things off at 13:02.

Up Next

The road trip continues Tuesday night in Nashville, with a similar .500-ish team in the Predators.

The long process is finally over, the Carolina Hurricanes finally were able to get Alexander Nikishin to agree to a contract. The deal will pay the defenseman $3 million for the 2026-27 season and it is just for a single season.

This is considerably less then what Nikishin originally wanted, (reportedly $8 to 9 million annually). It is also much less than the offer that the Canes supposedly, originally put on the table, a long term deal worth $6 million a year. (This is an unconfirmed rumor)

All the rumors mean nothing at this point. For all we know, the Canes could have originally offered $3 million a year and stayed hard on that number. They had no reason to offer more, since the team held all the cards. And that would make a valid reason for the defenseman to hold out, at least for a short time anyway.

But with the success of the team right now, along with the quality of work from Mike Reilly and Juuso Valimaki, the team certainly had no incentive to offer more.

So here we are. Will the Russian play with 100% effort when called upon? His future pay will depend upon it.

Will the coaching staff even give him a chance? Will they play him at all? Will they tell him to rehab and get in game shape in Chicago? At this point he is an asset, at least he is under contract. But if he plays and improves, he could become a more valuable asset.

Not that it mattered in the past with Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The coaching staff didn’t try to improve his value with some playing time last season. Keep in mind that the only reason Kotkaniemi is playing now is because of injury and they need him. Otherwise, he would probably still be sitting in the pressbox, behind Nicolas Deslauries on the depth chart. His value as an asset is certainly much higher now than it was when the season started.

People are frustrated with Nikishin but before everyone gives up on him, there are a few things to remember.

He has good size, has a long reach, and breaks up plays with his stick well.

He has the hardest slap shot on the team, which is valuable on the powerplay.

He had the highest number of hits per 60 minutes played on the blueline last season. He came in third of the top six defensemen with blocked shots per 60 minutes played. He was not a pylon out there.

Even though some folk discount the value of the plus/minus stat, he had the best plus/minus on the team, at least showing that he was not the weakest link on the defense.

He was selected to the NHL’s all rookie team, so some people around the league thought he was pretty good.

There is no reason to believe that he will not improve the above numbers, given a chance and more minutes. If that happens in Carolina, we will see.

Here is the team’s press release:

RALEIGH, NC – Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Nikishin $3 million for the 2026-27 season. 

“We’re glad that Alexander is returning to our group,” said Tulsky. “This has been a long process, but we look forward to him re-entering our locker room ready to contribute with the Hurricanes, as he did during a Stanley Cup championship season last year.”

About Alexander Nikishin:

• The 25-year-old was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2025-26, after ranking second among NHL rookie defensemen in goals (11) and points (33) and tied for second in assists (22).
• Led rookie NHL defensemen and ranked second among all rookie skaters in plus/minus (+18) during the 2025-26 season.
• Appeared in 17 playoff games for the Hurricanes in 2026, earning one assist and helping Carolina capture the Stanley Cup.
• Spent six season the KHL with Spartak Moskva and SKA St. Petersburg prior to joining the Hurricanes, totaling 177 points (54g, 123a) and 166 penalty minutes in 288 regular-season games.
• Established a record for single-season scoring by a Russian-born KHL defenseman in 2022-23, leading all KHL defensemen with 55 points (11g, 44a) in 65 games, and then broke his own record the following season, again leading all KHL defensemen with 56 points (17g, 39a) in 67 contests.
• Was the youngest player representing Russia at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, capturing a silver medal.
• Selected by the Hurricanes in the third round, 69^th overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft.

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday marked the Dallas return of Pete DeBoer, who took over the Islanders with four games to play last season. DeBoer was fired by the Stars in June 2025 after losing in the conference finals in each of his three Dallas seasons.

The Stars have 20 straight penalty kills through its last five games, three on Sunday.

The game was Dallas’ third in a six-game homestand and began a three-game Central Division trip for New York.

Hryckowian’s younger brother, Dylan, and fellow forward Matthew Seminoff made their NHL debuts on Dallas’ fourth line. The brothers were in the starting lineup.

Up next

Islanders: At Nashville on Tuesday night.

Stars: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Here is an update on former Sabres players with Central Division clubs:

Bowen Byram - Chicago

The Stanley Cup winner had a career-high 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) last season with the Sabres, but after he informed Buffalo he would not be signing an extension, GM Jarmo Kekalainen dealt him to the Hawks for the #4 overall pick (Daxon Rudolph), Louis Crevier, and a 2nd round pick (which was converted into Olen Zellweger). 

Byram signed a six-year, $75 million extension with Chicago, and assumed a heavy workload of nearly 25 minutes a night. In six games, he has one assist, is a -7, and has been out since October 13th with an upper-body injury. 

Tyler Myers - Dallas 

The 36-year-old former Calder Trophy winner is playing a shutdown depth role with his fourth NHL club after being dealt from Vancouver to the Stars last March. In 10 games, Myers has no points and is averaging just under 15 minutes per night.  

Marcus Foligno - Minnesota

The 35-year-old, along with older brother Nick, played against the Sabres on October 6, but suffered a mid-body injury in the Wild’s next game against Tampa Bay on October 8 and was placed on injured reserve. 

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL  

Ryan O’Reilly - Nashville 

The 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner is in the final year of a four-year contract with the Predators, where he has scored 20 or more goals every season in Music City. In 10 games, he has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists). GM Chris McFarland has been active since taking over from Barry Trotz this summer, and if his club drops out of playoff competition, O’Reilly will likely be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market before the deadline.  

Isak Rosen - Winnipeg

The 2021 first-rounder was sent to the Jets last March in a deal for Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, after three solid seasons in AHL Rochester, but never really getting a serious opportunity with the Sabres. In 31 games at the end of last season and this year, the 23-year-old winger has four points (3 goals, 1 assist). 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

DALLAS — That will put a damper on the Islanders’ fledgling momentum. 

It’s not merely that the Stars snapped their five-game points streak here at American Airlines Center on Sunday night, beating the Islanders 6-3. It’s that the how of it included so many reminders of the Islanders’ limitations. 

Namely, their speed, or lack thereof. The Islanders have shown they can play around it — indeed, they did at points Sunday — but doing so requires impeccable detail and decision-making up and down the lineup. When pieces are off, when they are playing one of the league’s faster teams or both, as was the case here, it is so much harder to get away with. 

“The lesson in that,” coach Pete DeBoer said after his Dallas homecoming was spoiled, “is we can’t play that game against good teams.” 

The Stars could get pucks behind Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock and then beat them to it. They could handle dump-ins from the Islanders’ workmanlike third and fourth lines with ease, moving the puck out before the Islanders could start their forecheck. Jason Robertson can capitalize on a split second of indecision from Brayden Schenn behind his own net and turn it into a goal. 

Put all that together and you have a steep uphill climb for the Islanders to stay in a game. 

“[The Stars] have great gaps, great reloads,” Schenn told The Post. “They take away the middle of the ice. … And then when we put it in, forwards weren’t getting first touches and forechecks, allowing them to break out a little cleaner than obviously we wanted to. We have lots to clean up and focus on.” 

To their credit, the Islanders stayed in the game, at least for a time. They fought back down 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 to go into the last 20 minutes tied 3-3 after Schenn deposited Anthony Duclair’s feed from behind the net past Jake Oettinger at 17:45 of the second. 

What they couldn’t do, though, was change the tide of the game. And when the current picked up, the Islanders were carried right along with it. 

So 4:10 into the third, Wyatt Johnston gave Dallas its fourth lead of the night, getting open in the slot after the Islanders overcommitted to the strong side of the ice and burying one. 

This time, the Islanders didn’t have the immediate answer. Robertson floated behind Pelech and was sprung by Tyler Seguin’s pass before scoring to make it 5-3. 

Adding insult to injury, Mikko Rantanen — the arch-villain last time the Islanders played here — made it 6-3 mere minutes later. 

Ilya Sorokin, who gave up six or more goals just twice last season, finished with stops on just 32 of the 38 shots he saw, albeit without impressive defense in front of him. DeBoer said he never considered giving Sorokin the hook, saying it was more on the defense in front of him. 

Nevertheless, by the end of the night, pockets of the crowd chanted “Otter’s better.” 

“Tough game,” Sorokin told The Post. “We should be better in D zone, and [I] should be better in net, my [positioning]. Tough game. Should make a good review and get ready for next game.” 

At so many different points before the Islanders fell apart, they were on their heels. 

They didn’t record a shot for more than seven minutes to start the game. When they did notch a dangerous chance, the Stars came down the other end, and Seguin scored on the rush. There wasn’t much forecheck to speak of; rather, it was the Stars who were consistently able to get pucks in deep and get to work. 

Still, the Islanders found ways to stay in it. Matthew Schaefer turned on the jets and blew past Johnston to tie the game at one, and Palmieri made an excellent play on his backhand to tie it 2-2. Schenn atoned for his earlier error to make it a 3-3 game, but in the third, the duct-tape-and-glue approach with which they’d kept it together all night caught up with them. 

“We weren’t great,” DeBoer said. “It was Game 11, it’s the first night I felt we didn’t have great legs, great juice.”

DALLAS, TX -- The New York Islanders (5-4-2) were caught playing Dallas Stars hockey, losing 6-3 on Sunday night to Pete DeBoer's old squad. 

The Islanders's five-game point streak (3-0-2) turns into a two-game slide with two games left on this road trip. 

Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves on 38 shots in the loss. 

Here's how it happened:

After the Islanders couldn't score on Oettinger despite a flurry of chances, Tyler Seguin beat Sorokin with a sharp-angle shot on a 2-on-1 at 11:31 of the first, giving Dallas a 1-0 lead.

Benn to Seguin never gets old 🚨 pic.twitter.com/WDxRXzmdxJ

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 25, 2026

The Islanders answered courtesy of Matthew Schaefer at 4-on-4 as he beat Oettinger blocker side off the rush at 13:43 to sit with the second most goals all time by a teenager with 26:

What a goal by Matthew Schaefer. pic.twitter.com/8Y3nveBUrs

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 25, 2026

But, less than a minute later, Brayden Schenn turned the puck over, leading to Jason Robertson having time and space to take the puck from behind the net to the low slot and roof one glove side on Sorokin:

Defense ➡️ offense pic.twitter.com/xfA45xg3rg

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 25, 2026

Lively boards got the game evened up at 2-2 after Kyle Palmieri banked home a Ryan Pulock missed shot at 4:01 of the second period:

Palms ties this game up! pic.twitter.com/kyj5Xn0pA9

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 25, 2026

Those lively boards giveth and taketh, as after Thomas Harley's power-play slapper missed the net, the puck came flying back toward the low slot where Justin Hryckowian, out of the air, beat Sorokin at 10:52 to give the Stars a 3-2 lead:

Good bounce, good finish pic.twitter.com/f3xIB5Wjfd

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 25, 2026

But, the Islanders evened things up at 17:45 of the second when Anthony Duclair won a board battle on the forecheck before finding a cutting Schenn in the low slot for a finish blocker side on Oettinger to tie the game at 3-3: 

Duclair ➡️ Schenn ➡️ 🚨 pic.twitter.com/nf1Y2ybf7l

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 25, 2026

The back-and-forth continued as the Stars got back on top 4-3 at 4:10 of the third period after Nils Lundqvist found Johnston wide open in the slot before he roofed one glove side on Sorokin:

ZING 🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/N7CJra6ceP

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 26, 2026

The Stars added another two, with Robertson adding his second of the game at 9:45 and Mikko Rantanen potting one at 13:02 of the third for the 6-3 final.

UP NEXT: The Islanders face the Nashville Predators at 8 PM ET on Tuesday