Category: Ice Hockey

Isaac Howard needs to go to the AHL. Not because he's a bad player. Not because he doesn't have a future in Edmonton. But because the best thing for his development right now is getting consistent minutes in Bakersfield rather than sitting in the press box or playing eight minutes a night in a bottom-six role he's not ready for.

The Oilers made the decision to keep Howard on the opening night roster, which was understandable given his college production and the hole left by Zach Hyman's injury. But a few games in, it's becoming clear that Howard isn't quite ready for the NHL grind. Early observations showed him looking "a little behind the play," which isn't a knock on his talent—it's just the reality of jumping straight from college hockey to the NHL without any professional seasoning.

The longer the Oilers wait to send him down, the harder it becomes. Waiting until mid-season to make that decision risks damaging Howard's confidence. Right now, a move to the AHL can be framed as part of the development plan. Three months from now, after he's been a healthy scratch for weeks or struggled through inconsistent ice time, it starts to feel like a demotion driven by failure rather than development strategy.

In Bakersfield, Howard could play 20 minutes a night. He could be in all situations—power play, penalty kill, late-game scenarios. He could make mistakes and learn from them without those mistakes costing the Oilers points in a tight playoff race. He could adjust to the speed and physicality of professional hockey against AHL competition before being asked to handle NHL-level pressure.

Compare Howard's situation to Matt Savoie. Savoie already played a full season in the AHL, putting up 54 points in 66 games with Bakersfield. He learned the professional game. He figured out how to produce consistently over an 82-game schedule. He showed he could handle penalty-killing responsibilities. That preparation is why Savoie looks more ready for NHL duty right now—he's already done the developmental work that Howard still needs.

Howard jumped straight from college to the NHL, and that's a massive leap. The longest season he's played is 37 games at Michigan State. He's never experienced the grind of professional hockey, never learned how to manage his body and energy over a long season, never faced the night-to-night consistency requirements of the pro game. Those lessons are better learned in the AHL where he can play through mistakes rather than watching from the press box.

Results and Takeaways: Oilers Fail To Buckle Down In Loss To DevilsThe Edmonton Oilers were looking to rebound from a brutal performance versus the New York Islanders and pick up a win in New Jersey.

The other reality is roster composition. Zach Hyman is expected back in early November. When he returns, the Oilers' forward group gets even more crowded. Where does Howard fit when Hyman is back and healthy? He's already competing for ice time now. Add Hyman back into the mix, and Howard's minutes shrink even further—or disappear entirely.

Sending Howard to the AHL now, before Hyman returns, allows the organization to frame it as a proactive development decision rather than a reaction to roster crunch. It preserves Howard's confidence by making the move before he's had weeks of sitting out or playing minimal minutes. It gives him a clear path forward: go dominate in Bakersfield, show you're ready, and earn your way back up.

There's no shame in spending time in the AHL for a 21-year-old who's never played professional hockey. Every player's development path is different. Some guys can jump straight from college to the NHL and thrive. Others need that intermediate step to adjust. Howard looks like he needs that step, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Reasonable Expectation For Savoie and Howard Moving ForwardIsaac Howard and Matt Savoie are generating buzz in Edmonton, and with good reason. <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers#google_vignette">The Oilers</a> need them to contribute this season. But let's be realistic about what "contribute" actually means for two 21-year-olds making the jump to full-time NHL duty.

The risk of keeping him in Edmonton is wasting a year of development. If Howard spends this season bouncing between the press box and playing eight minutes a night in a fourth-line role, what does he actually learn? How does he develop his offensive game when he's not getting opportunities to make plays? How does his confidence survive watching from the stands while the team wins or loses without him?

In Bakersfield, Howard can be the guy. He can play top-line minutes. He can be on the ice in key situations. He can work on the parts of his game that need refinement—the positioning, the pace, the defensive responsibility—without the pressure of every mistake being magnified in the NHL spotlight. That's how you develop offensive players. You give them ice time and opportunity to figure it out.

Matt Savoie's success right now is proof that the AHL development path works. He didn't skip that step. He went to Bakersfield, dominated, learned the pro game, and came back ready. Howard deserves the same opportunity.

Did The Oilers Dodge A Bullet With Carter Hart?Carter Hart signed a professional tryout with the Vegas Golden Knights today, and the timing couldn't be more telling. He won't be eligible to suit up until December 1st due to disciplinary measures from the league. And yet, Vegas is betting on a goaltender who hasn't played meaningful hockey in nearly two years to potentially solve their crease issues.

The Oilers should send Isaac Howard to Bakersfield now. Not as a punishment. Not as a demotion. But as a development decision that gives him the best chance to become the player everyone believes he can be. Let him play 20 minutes a night. Let him make mistakes and learn from them. Let him build confidence by producing at the AHL level before being asked to contribute in the NHL.

Sooner rather than later. Before confidence becomes an issue. Before Hyman returns and makes the roster decision even more complicated. Before sitting in the press box becomes the norm rather than the exception. Send him down now, let him develop properly, and bring him back when he's actually ready.

That's what's best for Isaac Howard. That's what's best for the Oilers.

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There isn’t much to excited about around the Florida Panthers these days.

On Saturday, Florida dropped their fourth straight outing on their current five-game road trip, a 3-0 blanking by former Panthers goalie Alex Lyon and the Buffalo Sabres.

One of the more memorable moments from the game, as there weren’t many from a Panthers perspective, came courtesy of Brad Marchand and Rasmus Dahlin.

About midway through the second period, Dahlin came up behind Marchand and gave him a cross-check to the lower back.

Marchand responded by chasing down Dahlin and checking him to the ice, proceeding to pummel him while the young defenseman ducked for cover.

After a few seconds, Marchand was pulled off Dahlin, but not without taking a souvenir with him.

As Marchand entered Florida’s penalty box he had Dahlin’s helmet in his hands, and he quickly started ripping it apart, piece by piece, before tossing the damaged bucket back on the ice.

It was a classic Marchand moment, and he was doing it at a time where it made sense to try and fire up his teammates.

You can check out the full exchange in the video below:

Dahlin gave Marchand a crosscheck in the back, and when Marchand got an opportunity, he gave it right back, threw some punches and then destroyed Dahlin's helmet 🤣 #LetsGoBuffalo#TimeToHuntpic.twitter.com/ZJnIuB5oBY

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 18, 2025

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Photo caption: Oct 18, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) gets held back by the linesman during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

The Ottawa Senators blew three different leads on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 5–4 decision to the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.  The Islanders were outshot on the day, 33-23, and their first lead of the afternoon didn't come until just over a minute left in regulation when Anders Lee snapped a 4-4 draw.

In what looked like a harmless retrieval in his own end, newcomer Jordan Spence failed to protect the puck at all. Lee chased him down, easily stole the puck, walked in on Linus Ullmark, then with almost nothing to shoot at, Lee spun around and crammed it between the goaltender's pads for the game winner.

The Senators surrendered leads of 2–0, 3–2, and 4–3 in this one. Tim Stützle, Drake Batherson, and Thomas Chabot helped lead the Sens offense with two points each. 

Ottawa opened the scoring on the power play when David Perron’s wrist shot from the top of the left circle trickled through Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin. It was the first time this season the Senators scored first in a game.

But that was only possible because of Ullmark’s incredible save early in the first period.

Ottawa native J.G. Pageau had a nearly open net to shoot at, but Ullmark stretched over with the paddle of his stick and made a fabulous save to keep the game scoreless.

The Senators ran into penalty trouble at the end of the first following back-to-back penalties by Nick Cousins and Artem Zub. That gave the Islanders a lengthy 5-on-3 opportunity—but the Senators’ much-maligned penalty kill took care of business. Zub even had a great chance when he jumped out of the penalty box, leading a 2-on-1 up the ice with Ridly Greig, but neither man could capitalize on the shot or the juicy rebound.

Ullmark was on his game again, at least in the early going, stopping Bo Horvat on a clear breakaway attempt. 

Just over five minutes into the second, with Ullmark on the bench during a delayed penalty, Shane Pinto one-timed one past Sorokin to make it 2-0 Ottawa. The goal was Pinto's NHL-leading seventh of the year. He now has more goals in the first six games of a season than any Senator in history.

But less than five minutes later, the 2-0 lead was gone, erased by two quick goals by Emil Heineman and Bo Horvat. Horvat's goal was partially the result of a bad Ottawa line change.

The back-and-forth continued at the end of the second period. Tim Stützle's wrist shot finished off a nice passing play with Drake Batherson and Nick Jensen to make it 3-2 Ottawa. A minute later, Max Shabanov tied it for the Islanders, and a minute after that, Dylan Cozens restored the lead. 

Pinto had another prime scoring chance early in the third period but was taken down on a breakaway by Matthew Schaefer. Pinto crashed hard into the goalpost but was able to get up and take the resulting penalty shot.

He aimed low glove side — a spot he admitted on Thursday is his go-to move in shootouts — but Sorokin read it perfectly and made the stop.

Moments later, the Islanders tied the game for the third time, as Matt Barzal went end to end, then dropped a pass to Kyle Palmieri, who fired a wrist shot past Ullmark. The score stayed tied at 4 until Lee put it away with 1:03 to go.

Sens' head coach Travis Green spoke calmly after the game but he was probably as critical of his team as he's been in a long time.

"Disappointing," head coach Travis Green said. "For starters, I thought our game got too loose when we had the lead, and a lot of things that we took pride in last year, we weren't good in tonight. 

"We're on the wrong side of the puck, we're not making hard plays. It's loose plays, loose passes, losing puck battles in certain areas of the rink, joining the rush when maybe there's no time to join, different things like that. Or trying to make a play inside the blue line when it's not the time or place or you have the lead. You (need to) keep making a team come 200 feet and create offense with your forecheck. That's when we're a good hockey team.

Green then went to the silver linings playbook for a moment. For example, the much maligned penalty kill went 3 for 3 on the day. But the book then closed up pretty quickly.

"We did a lot of good things tonight. I think we created 18 to 20 chances, five on five, but I thought our mindset was a little bit loose, and we should have closed that game out. It's probably a different story if we get into overtime.

"It hurts that we didn't get a point tonight, and I think our game's a little sloppy right now."

The Senators drop to 2-4 on the young season and have some time to work on some thing at practice. They're now off until Tuesday, when they host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

More Sens headlines at the Hockey News Ottawa:
Senators Send Swedish Winger Down To The Minors on Friday
Tkachuk Has Successful Thumb Surgery And Will Miss 6-8 Weeks
Sens Call Up Kaliyev As Tkachuk Goes On IR
Senators Suffer Discouraging 8-4 Loss At Buffalo
Senators Lose Sebrango, Claimed Off Waivers By Florida
An Early Glance At The Senators' Goaltending Pipeline

The Vancouver Canucks are officially at the five-game mark of the 2025-26 season. Overall, it has been a mixed bag when it comes to results as Vancouver is 3-2-0 to start the year. As for some team leaders, Brock Boeser, Filip Chytil and Kiefer Sherwood each have three goals, while Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes lead the team with four points. 

One good way of evaluating the Canucks start is by using NHL EDGE. Some of the stats kept by the NHL that are available to the public include skater speed, shot location and zone time. Here is a look at where Vancouver ranks as of October 18, 2025.

Starting with shot location, the Canucks rank 17th overall with 36 high-danger shots. As for their best category, that would be mid-ranger shots, which Vancouver has generated 43 of. Lastly, the Canucks have recorded 28 long-range shots, which ranks 14th overall. 

As for goal placement, Vancouver ranks fourth in high-danger goals with nine. They also rank 17th in mid-range goals with four but have yet to record a long-range goal. Overall, the Canucks have scored 15 times this season, which ranks tied for 11th in the NHL. 

Moving over to zone time, Vancouver's best category is offensive zone time, where their 41.2% ranks 17th. Their second-best category is the defensive zone, where their 42.2% ranks 22nd. As for the natural zone, the Canucks have spent 16.6% of their puck possession around center ice, which ranks 30th in the NHL. 

As for speed bursts, Vancouver ranks 23rd overall with four bursts over 22+ MPH. The four players who have hit over 22 MPH are Tyler Myers, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland and Max Sasson. Unsurprisingly, Sasson has the fastest clocked speed this season at 22.60 versus the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Shifting over to shot speed, the Canucks have an average shot speed of 59.75 MPH, which ranks 13th in the NHL. This year's shot speed leader is Quinn Hughes, who fired a shot at 95.04 MPH versus the Dallas Stars. Only Brock has recorded a shot over 90 MPH, which was clocked at 90.33 against the Calgary Flames. 

Moving over to individuals, it is not surprising that few have skated more miles than Hughes. So far, he has skated 19.97 miles, which is an average of 9.00 per 60 minutes. Hughes' most logged miles in a game are 4.42, while his top period was measured at 1.55 miles. 

Looking at goaltending, Thatcher Demko ranks in the top 10 for both high-danger shots saved and faced. His 29 saves are tied for fifth while his 32 shots faced is tied for eight. Demko also has a save percentage above .900 in each of his three games, which is tied for third in the NHL. 

As for Kevin Lankinen, he has faced 20 high-danger shots so far this year. That is the most from any area, with long-range ranking second at 17. Lankinen has also recorded a five-on-five save percentage of over .900 in both his starts, with his .962 against the Blackhawks leading the way. 

Lastly, Vancouver does have one league leader according to NHL EDGE. So far this season, Jake DeBrusk has 11 high-danger shots, which is tied with Stars forward Jason Robertson. DeBrusk and Robertson are the only players with double-digit high-danger shots, while six others are tied for third with nine. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Mike Sullivan is set to go head-to-head against Martin St. Louis in what should be an entertaining coaching chess match when the New York Rangers take on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Over the years, Sullivan has had different experiences with St. Louis. Sullivan coached against St. Louis when he was a player and now in his new role as head coach of the Canadiens. 

What many people may not actually remember is that when Sullivan was an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2007 to 2009 under John Tortorella, he had the distinct opportunity to coach St. Louis. 

During his experience coaching St. Louis, Sullivan got to see his intelligence and love for hockey from a personal standpoint. 

While St. Louis’ rise to coaching fame may surprise some people, Sullivan knew he always had it in him to take this extraordinary step from playing to coaching.

“I'm not surprised one bit,” Sullivan said of if he’s surprised that St. Louis has become a successful NHL coach. “I coached against him, and I coached with him. I coached Marty for a few years, got to know him extremely well. Doesn't surprise me one bit the success he's having. He loves hockey. He's a student of the game, always has been. 

“He had an insatiable appetite to be the best as a player. Was always engaged in the learning process, whether it be video and things of that nature, so it doesn't surprise me one bit. He was a terrific player. He was an even better person to coach.”

As a player, St. Louis was electric, putting his speed and hockey IQ on full display. He runs the Canadiens in a similar fashion. 

Scott Morrow Reflects On Training Camp And Opportunity Currently In Front Of Him With The Rangers With the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> dealing with a couple of injuries on the back end, the team called up Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.&nbsp;

The Habs play an up-tempo, exhilarating style of hockey. It’s partly due to electrifying young talent, including Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hudson, but it’s also due to what St. Louis provides as a coach and the system he has implemented.

Since St. Louis took over as the Canadiens’ head coach in 2022, he has helped the franchise navigate through a difficult rebuild, while assisting in changing the culture in Montreal. 

Maybe the Rangers aren’t quite in a rebuild, but Sullivan will look to follow in St. Louis’ footsteps in changing the culture in New York and helping the Blueshirts find a new identity.

In a move that will invariably stir up controversy, the Philadelphia Flyers and head coach Rick Tocchet have decided to put Jett Luchanko in the press box ahead of the team's first matchup with top defense prospect Zeev Buium.

The two 19-year-olds, of course, will be superimposed for the rest of their careers by fans and draft analysts alike.

Notoriously, the Flyers had traded down one spot from 12 to 13 at the 2024 NHL Draft, allowing the Wild to move up and draft the undersized but wildly skilled Buium. The Flyers, extra third-round pick in hand, went with Luchanko one pick later.

That move threw significant flak at the Flyers, as the team opted to go with positional need over another undersized defenseman, citing the presences of Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae on the defense already.

Of course, Andrae could be traded for his lack of size and fit with the Flyers' philosophies, while Drysdale, for all his talents, has one point in four games this season.

The 6-foot Buium is still learning the ropes as he goes along, but he's already up to one goal, four assists, and five points in five games with the Wild - all of which have come on the power play.

Aleksei Kolosov Reintroduces Himself to Top of Flyers Prospect PipelineThis top Flyers goalie prospect is kicking off his comeback tour with some stellar play and a commanding shutout, and now we can officially consider him back on the radar.

It goes without saying that the -7 rating is lackluster, but Buium is already playing 20:51 a night in his nascent NHL career. A coach like John Hynes trusting him like that speaks volumes.

As for Luchanko, the speedy center is still without his first professional goal, and has yet to record a point in his first seven NHL games.

The 2024 first-round pick isn't exactly being placed in a position to succeed playing on the fourth line with fellow rookie Nikita Grebenkin and Garnet Hathaway, but the current results are what they are.

Buium has already emerged as a power play specialist, if nothing else, for the Wild, while the Flyers are still deciding what to do with their young prospect in Luchanko on a daily basis.

With Luchanko (and Grebenkin) getting pulled from the lineup, the Flyers announced Saturday that veterans Nick Deslauriers and Rodrigo Abols will enter the lineup.

Additionally, Egor Zamula replaces Adam Ginning on defense.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri scored in the third period to help the New York Islanders top the Ottawa Senators 5-4 on Saturday.

Bo Horvat, Max Shabanov and Emil Heineman also scored for New York in its second consecutive win. Lee added two assists, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 shots.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist for Ottawa, which dropped to 1-1 on a four-game homestand. Shane Pinto scored his seventh goal this season, and Linus Ullmark made 18 saves.

David Perron put Ottawa in front with a power-play goal with 2:59 left in the opening period, and Dylan Cozens gave the Senators a 4-3 lead with his third goal with 1:13 to go in the second.

But Mathew Barzal set up Palmieri for the tying goal 6:00 into the third. Lee made it 5-4 with 1:03 remaining, beating Ullmark for his first goal of the season.

Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, picked up an assist on Shabanov’s goal in the second. He has one goal and four assists during a five-game point streak.

Up next

Both teams are at home on Tuesday night. The Islanders take on the San Jose Sharks, and the Senators face the Edmonton Oilers.

Flyers come from behind to win low-scoring game in overtime originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers did just enough offensively to rally for a 2-1 overtime win Saturday night over the Wild at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Noah Cates buried the winner in OT.

Owen Tippett tied the game in the final stanza with his third marker of the season. From under the goal line, Tippett banked a low shot off Minnesota netminder Jesper Wallstedt.

After that goal, Rick Tocchet moved Tippett up to Matvei Michkov’s spot on Sean Couturier’s line. Tippett was rolling and Tocchet shortened his bench a good bit.

“We just needed some energy,” Tocchet said. “… I went with the nine [forwards], I thought we started to come. That’s what happens sometimes.”

The Flyers needed a jolt offensively and Tippett provided it with his powerful skating. Tocchet called Tippett the Flyers’ most dynamic play-driver so far.

“He’s the fastest skater ever,” Trevor Zegras said. “It’s awesome. I’ve never played with a guy that has that much speed. He does some wild stuff sometimes. I think he did like a spin-o-rama in the third period. I was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ Somebody so big that skates that fast. It’s fun to watch.”

Through five games, the Flyers (2-2-1) have scored 13 goals, two of which have come on an empty net. But they’ve defended and have gotten some quality goaltending.

The Wild (2-3-1) didn’t have the benefit of a day off like the Flyers did Friday. Minnesota played last night on the road against the Capitals and lost, 5-1, in a game that it was outshot 45-14.

• Everyone knew this opening stretch would be tough for the Flyers when the schedule came out in July.

The Flyers faced the two-time defending champion Panthers twice, a Hurricanes team that has made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, a Jets team that won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and Wild a team that went to the playoffs last season.

• Dan Vladar continued his promising start to the season, converting 15 saves on 16 shots.

The free-agent addition has denied 71 of 76 shots through three games with the Flyers.

Vladimir Tarasenko opened the scoring Saturday night by blasting one past Vladar early in the second period. The Flyers used a coach’s challenge on the goal, claiming Minnesota was offside. But Tocchet and his staff came up empty, which put the Flyers at shorthanded.

Thirty-nine seconds after the Flyers killed off the penalty, Tippett was whistled for tripping. The Flyers killed that one off, too, but the penalties really stalled them offensively as they were forced to defend a lot.

Wallstedt stopped 19 of the Flyers’ 21 shots on the night.

• Tocchet didn’t like his team’s start two nights ago when the Flyers were flat in a 5-2 loss to the Jets.

“Arriving on time with your identity, which we didn’t,” the head coach said Saturday morning. “So that’s going to be a work in progress.

“We’ve got to get to our game right from after the national anthem; not after 20 minutes.”

The Flyers had a better first period against Minnesota. They dictated play more, but didn’t have anything to show for it. However, the Wild had just three shots.

The Flyers, though, followed it up with a poor second period. They were outshot 8-5 in the middle stanza.

• Nicolas Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno dropped the gloves 1:56 minutes into the action.

Two former teammates that can chuck ’em.

• Tocchet went with a more experienced look up front as Deslauriers and Rodrigo Abols drew into the lineup for Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko.

On the back end, Egor Zamula played in place of Adam Ginning, who sat for the first time this season.

• The Flyers wrap up their four-game homestand Monday when they welcome the Kraken (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Flyers come from behind to win low-scoring game in overtime originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers did just enough offensively to rally for a 2-1 overtime win Saturday night over the Wild at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Noah Cates buried the winner in OT.

Owen Tippett tied the game in the final stanza with his third marker of the season. From under the goal line, Tippett banked a low shot off Minnesota netminder Jesper Wallstedt.

“We knew we were in the game all along,” Tippett said. “Low-event game, low-shot game and we were just waiting for one to break through.”

After that goal, Rick Tocchet moved Tippett up to Matvei Michkov’s spot on Sean Couturier’s line. Tippett was rolling and Tocchet shortened his bench a good bit.

“We just needed some energy,” Tocchet said. … “I went with the nine [forwards], I thought we started to come. That’s what happens sometimes.”

The Flyers needed a jolt offensively and Tippett provided it with his powerful skating. Tocchet called Tippett the Flyers’ most dynamic play-driver so far.

“He’s the fastest skater ever,” Trevor Zegras said. “It’s awesome. I’ve never played with a guy that has that much speed. He does some wild stuff sometimes. I think he did like a spin-o-rama in the third period. I was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ Somebody so big that skates that fast. It’s fun to watch.”

Through five games, the Flyers (2-2-1) have scored 13 goals, two of which have come on an empty net. But they’ve defended and have gotten some quality goaltending.

The Wild (2-3-1) didn’t have the benefit of a day off like the Flyers did Friday. Minnesota played last night on the road against the Capitals and lost, 5-1, in a game that it was outshot 45-14.

“We had a day off yesterday, so we were not tired,” Zegras said. “We knew that this was a back-to-back for them, so we tried to stick to the game plan and make it as hard for them as possible.”

• Everyone knew this opening stretch would be tough for the Flyers when the schedule came out in July.

The Flyers faced the two-time defending champion Panthers twice, a Hurricanes team that has made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, a Jets team that won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and a Wild team that went to the playoffs last season.

Tocchet’s club was able to pick up at least a point in three of those five games.

• Dan Vladar continued his promising start to the season, converting 15 saves on 16 shots.

“I thought tonight we were structurally good and obviously Vladdy was fantastic,” Nick Seeler said. “I think those are things to build on.”

The free-agent addition has denied 71 of 76 shots through three games with the Flyers.

“Just a real confident, solid goalie,” Tocchet said. “He comes by the bench, cheers the guys on. He has really done a nice job for us.”

Vladimir Tarasenko opened the scoring Saturday night by blasting one past Vladar early in the second period. The Flyers used a coach’s challenge on the goal, claiming Minnesota was offside. But Tocchet and his staff came up empty, which put the Flyers at shorthanded.

Thirty-nine seconds after the Flyers killed off the penalty, Tippett was whistled for tripping. The Flyers killed that one off, too, but the penalties really stalled them offensively as they were forced to defend a lot.

“I thought we did a good job, that’s a good hockey team over there,” Seeler said. “It’s nice to hold them to that many shots and play good defensively.”

Wallstedt stopped 19 of the Flyers’ 21 shots.

• Tocchet didn’t like his team’s start two nights ago when the Flyers were flat in a 5-2 loss to the Jets.

“Arriving on time with your identity, which we didn’t,” the head coach said Saturday morning. “So that’s going to be a work in progress.

“We’ve got to get to our game right from after the national anthem; not after 20 minutes.”

The Flyers had a better first period against the Wild. They dictated play more, but didn’t have anything to show for it. However, Minnesota had just three shots.

The Flyers, though, followed it up with a poor second period. They were outshot 8-5 in the middle stanza.

“We fought in the third and fought in OT,” Cates said. “If we just stay consistent and play north, we can take down a lot of good teams.”

• Nicolas Deslauriers and Marcus Foligno dropped the gloves 1:56 minutes into the action.

Two former teammates that can chuck ’em.

• Tocchet went with a more experienced look up front as Deslauriers and Rodrigo Abols drew into the lineup for Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko.

On the back end, Egor Zamula played in place of Adam Ginning, who sat for the first time this season.

• The Flyers wrap up their four-game homestand Monday when they welcome the Kraken (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

After an eye-opening training camp, a top Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltending prospect is enjoying a hot start to his AHL season.

21-year-old netminder Sergei Murashov - selected in the fourth round (118th overall) by the Penguins in 2022 - seems to be carrying over his dominance from the pre-season and from last season. After a 5-2 win by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins over Hartford on Friday, Murashov is 2-0 with a .944 save percentage and a 1.50 goals-against average so far on the young season.

The promising goaltender continues to turn heads after an NHL pre-season in which he was - across the board - the Penguins' best goaltender. He went 2-0-1 and owned a .935 save percentage and 1.71 goals-against average in three appearances, which led all Penguins' goaltenders with multiple appearances in pre-season play.

And dominance is a trend that has followed Murashov throughout his professional career. He broke WBS's rookie record for consecutive wins last season with 11, and he had a .922 save percentage across 26 appearances in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers last season as well. In addition, he never posted a save percentage below .925 in the KHL prior to arriving in North America last season.

As is the case with every other player in the Penguins' organization, it's very early in the season. However, Murashov appears as though he has not skipped a beat this season, and if he continues his high level of play in the AHL, Pittsburgh may very well see him sometime this season - especially with the goaltending battle at the NHL level wide open this season.

Should Silovs Be The Penguins' Starting Goaltender?Heading into the 2025-26 season, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' head coach said Dan Muse that he didn't have a concrete plan for the goaltending split between Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs.&nbsp;

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The recent struggles of Florida Panthers continued on Saturday in Buffalo.

Florida entered the game having scored just four goals over their past three games, all losses, and things didn’t get much better against the Sabres.

Florida put up 32 shots on goal, but they were all stopped by former Cats goaltender Alex Lyon as the Panthers dropped their fourth straight outings by a 3-0 final score.

This one didn’t have much to write home about from a Panthers perspective.

Niko Mikkola left the game early in the second period and did not return. The team ruled him out for the game due to an upper-body injury.

It may or may not have been from an incident in which Mikkola was tied up with Sabres forward Tyson Kozak and ended up faceplanting on the ice.

Niko Mikkola gets tangled up with Tyson Kozak and slams his face on the ice 😬🤕 pic.twitter.com/GhLYzE4cIS

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 18, 2025

Afterwards, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice did not have anything to update on Mikkola’s status.

The Panthers are off on Monday so there won’t be any updates until the team’s morning skate on Tuesday in Boston.

We'll see if the Cats can salvage any points out of this disaster of a road trip before they return home for a matchup with Pittsburgh on Thursday night. 

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Photo caption: Oct 18, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) dives to try and make a save on Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the second period at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

The Vancouver Canucks recent dominance over the Chicago Blackhawks can now be considered historic. With the Canucks' 3-2 shootout victory over the Blackhawks, Vancouver has now won 11 straight against Chicago, dating back to January 31, 2022. The Canucks have also set a new franchise record as their seven straight victories against the Blackhawks on the road surpassed he previous record. 

Prior to Friday's win, Vancouver's longest road winning streak against a single opponent was a three-way tie. The Canucks had two separate six-game road winning streaks against the San Jose Sharks, as well as one against Chicago. The two win streaks against San Jose occurred from November 7, 2013, to March 31, 2016 and January 29, 2020, to November 3, 2023.

As for the current 11-game win streak against the Blackhawks, that is tied for the longest win streak against a single opponent in franchise history. Vancouver also has 11 game win streaks against the Toronto Maple Leafs (January 10, 2006 to November 2, 2013) and the Sharks (January 18, 2020 to November 20, 2023). The Canucks will have a chance to establish a new franchise record on November 5 when Chicago visits Rogers Arena for the only time this season. 

Lastly, Vancouver's 11-game win streak against the Blackhawks is the fourth-longest active win streak against a single opponent in the NHL. The current record is held by the Nashville Predators, who have won 14 straight against San Jose. As for second place, that is held by the Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche, who have both beaten the Sharks 12 times in a row. 

The Canucks will play their third game in four straight days on Sunday in an early-morning tilt with the Washington Capitals. Vancouver won their last matchup against the Capitals by a score of 2–1, during which defenceman Elias Pettersson made his NHL debut. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 am PT and will be available on Sportsnet. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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A former New Jersey Devils forward has hit the waiver wire. 

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed former Devils forward Joey Anderson on waivers. 

Anderson kicked off his career with the Devils, as the Metropolitan Division club selected him with the 73rd overall pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. From there, Anderson played his first two NHL seasons with the Devils from 2018-19 to 2019-20, where he posted eight goals, five assists, 13 points, 58 hits, and a minus-6 rating in 52 games. 

Anderson's time with the Devils ended when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2020 NHL off-season in exchange for forward Andreas Johnsson. 

Anderson is currently in his fourth season with the Blackhawks organization. In 18 games with the Blackhawks this past season, the former Devils forward posted one assist and a minus-2 rating. He also played in 33 games this past season with the Blackhawks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, where he posted 17 goals and 27 points.  

The Pittsburgh Penguins will wrap up their annual California trip in San Jose on Saturday night. 

The Penguins are fresh off a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and are 3-2-0 heading into this game. They were down 2-0 entering the second period before scoring four unanswered goals in the final 40 minutes. Filip Hallander's first career NHL goal in the third period ended up being the game-winner. 

That win over the Kings snapped a two-game losing streak since the Penguins started the road trip with a loss in Anaheim against the Ducks. They will face a winless Sharks team (0-2-2) on Saturday night, after the latter lost to the Utah Mammoth on Friday night.

Yaroslav Askarov started in goal for the Sharks on Friday, so there's a good chance former Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic will be in the net on Saturday. 

The Penguins held a practice in Los Angeles on Friday before flying to San Jose, and based on the lines, it appears that Benjamin Kindel will be back in the lineup and Philip Tomasino will be scratched. 

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Mantha-Malkin-Brazeau

Novak-Kindel-Hallander

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari 

Defensemen

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Shea-Letang

Jones-Brunicke

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Tristan Jarry was the first goaltender off during Saturday's morning skate, a sign that he will be in goal for the Penguins. Assuming he gets the nod, this will be his third start of the year. 

Puck drop for this game will be at 10 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also tune into the game on the Penguins' flagship station, 105.9 'The X.' 

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