Is it time to panic, yet?

That was the question following the fourth straight loss by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Eighteen games in, the Leafs have won eight games, which matches their fewest number of wins to start a season since drafting Auston Matthews in 2016. That they accomplished this unflattering feat with one of the most favourable schedules in NHL has to be concerning.

After all, 13 of Toronto’s 18 games have been played at home. Only four of their opponents so far this season (Montreal, New Jersey, Carolina and Los Angeles) made the playoffs last year. And yet, following Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings, the Leafs find themselves in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that even with Matthews out of the lineup with a lower-body injury and both of their goalies currently unavailable, the Leafs are only four points out of first place.

In other words, there's no reason to panic — yet.

“Panic’s never going to help,” said coach Craig Berube. “But there is a level of urgency, for sure. It’s been there for a minutes. But I’m not going to panic. That doesn’t help anything or anybody.”

Give it a couple of more weeks and Berube might feel different.

'Maybe End The Season': Maple Leafs Fans Sound The Alarm After Matthews' Injury And Another LossThe Toronto Maple Leafs allowed 15 goals in their last three games, and Auston Matthews' status is uncertain after suffering a lower-body injury. Some fans are already bringing up tanking.

After all, U.S. Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) has long been the barometer for predicting whether teams will make the playoffs. Last year, only three teams that were out of a playoff spot by the holiday weekend ended up qualifying for the post-season.

Toronto was not one of those teams. By Thanksgiving last year, the team was in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 13-7-2 record. The Leafs ended up winning their division. But that team had Mitch Marner. That team also had a defensive identity, which along with their 100-point winger, who was traded to Vegas in the summer, appears to have vanished this season.

This year’s Leafs lack confidence and structure. They turnover too many pucks. They give up too many shots, too many odd-man rushes and far too many goals — especially in the second period, where Toronto has now given up 27 goals this season, the second most behind the Edmonton Oilers, who've given up 29.

It’s their second year playing under Berube, but it looks like he and his system were implemented less than a month ago.

The Leafs' offense is ranked fourth with 3.61 goals per game, which according to William Nylander is a positive because "scoring goals (is) that's harder." But they're also averaging the most goals-against (3.83 per game) and the fifth-most shots (31.2 per game). On Thursday, Toronto gave up a 2-0 lead in the second period, and a 3-2 lead in the third period, after being outshot 37-15 in a game that they never deserved to be leading in the first place.

'That Doesn't Help Anything Or Anybody': Maple Leafs Not Hitting The Panic Button Yet Despite Four Straight LossesThe <a href="https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-tor/2025/11/13/2025020269">Toronto Maple Leafs got ahead of the L.A. Kings</a> early on Thursday night, yet they didn't finish the game on the winning end.

"We got the lead in the third and I thought we sat back a little too much," said Berube. "You know, again, just advancing that puck up the ice with speed, jumping, getting the holes. It's confidence for me a little bit, and puck play. Like, you know, the plays are there. We're just not making them and just not seeing it well enough right now, but we've got to pick up our pace. We've got to be more confident in those plays. To me, that's the difference in the game."

One month in, Toronto, which has made the playoffs in each of the past nine seasons, doesn’t look like a playoff team. Instead, they look like that team that won eight games in 2016-17, back when Matthews, Marner and William Nylander were rookies and the Leafs hadn't figured out how good they were supposed to be.

Why this team, which is older and more experienced, hasn't figured that part is might be the most confusing aspect of this season so far.

“I don’t think you go out and expect anything,” said John Tavares, who had a pair of goals against the Kings on Thursday. “I think you have to go out there and earn it. I think with the team we have, a veteran team, we know we haven’t been to the level that we expect on a consistent basis. We have to work our way through it. Obviously, it’s been a battle for us … things are only getting tougher and tougher within our own division, within the league.”

Well, before things get tougher, they get easier. Or, at least, it should be easier.

The Leafs have five more games before U.S. Thanksgiving. Three of them are against teams that did not make the playoffs last year.

If that's not enough to get the Leafs into a temporary playoff spot, then they probably don't deserve to be in one in the first place.

“There’s lots of hockey left,” said Tavares. “But that doesn’t mean that you don’t take any game for granted. They all mean the same. But obviously, the more games that go by there’s less runway.

“We still have more than half the season to go — we’re not even at the quarter mark yet.”

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Very quietly, the fourth line of the Philadelphia Flyers has not been good for much of anything this season, but, fortunately for them, reinforcements are now expected to become available.

On Thursday afternoon, Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf, who was previously suspended without pay for not playing for the AHL Toronto Marlies, was placed on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract with the team.

The two sides ultimately reached an amicable agreement, and Kampf, 30, is expected to become a free agent after clearing waivers at 2 p.m. EST on Friday.

Kampf's $2.4 million cap hit for two more seasons, on top of not being on the Maple Leafs' NHL roster, likely put teams off from making a trade offer for his services, but, assuming he signs a minimum contract somewhere for one season, that issue is gone at the snap of a finger.

As for the Flyers, they have not gotten much from centers Jacob Gaucher and Rodrigo Abols this season, and Abols, in his most recent game for the team against the Edmonton Oilers, lost all five of his faceoffs and played just 6:21.

Flyers Player Development Taking Sour Turn, Sluggish Performances Piling UpThe Philadelphia Flyers must find more ways to put their core players in positions to succeed now and in the future.

It has become clear that Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet has little faith in this particular unit, which makes it an equally unfit environment to throw a young player, like Nikita Grebenkin, into.

The good news is that, according to Daily Faceoff NHL insider Anthony Di Marco "it sounds like" the Flyers have interest in a terminated Kampf at a "low-dollar value."

"Wonder about PHI here. They could use an upgrade at 4C and it sounds like they have interest in Kampf at a low dollar value," Di Marco posted on his X account in response to Kampf's placement on waivers Thursday.

As for the kind of player the 6-foot-2 center is, he has historically been a reliable fourth-line pivot who has shown capable of scoring an appropriate amount of points relative to his role.

For instance, in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Kampf scored 11 and seven goals and 26 and 27 points, respectively.

In addition to just the raw stats, Kampf is, according to last season's NHL EDGE data, a slightly above-average skater, ranking in the 57th percentile for max skating speed, and that comes while spending 5% more time in the defensive zone than league average.

Oh, and the majority of Kampf's shots on goal came from the low slot. The dirty areas are key for Tocchet, and that will do it.

At his very best, in the aforementioned 2021-22 season, Kampf's defensive metrics ranked towards the top of the NHL at his position.

The Czech forward was, and still is, a stout penalty-killer, reliable at even strength in matchup situations, and even got some bounces offensively, scoring and generating more than what was expected.

While the last two seasons, of course, have not gone according to plan for Kampf and the Maple Leafs, the veteran center still represents an obvious and sizeable upgrade down the middle for the Flyers.

Free agent addition Christian Dvorak was widely expected to fill that role, but, to this point, is playing more positionally-versatile minutes in the top-nine forward group than just about anybody thought.

Of course, Jett Luchanko's objective regression from last season did not help matters, so the Flyers were left with Abols, Gaucher, and a seemingly never-ending puzzle.

Kampf is sure to have offers from plenty of Stanley Cup contenders, but the Flyers would be foolish not to at least buy a ticket to the raffle.

After a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to bounce back with a win against the Dallas Stars, but Glenn Gulutzan’s men had other plans. The Habs played a good first frame and put plenty of shots on net in the first 20 minutes, but things unravelled afterwards.

More than the outcome, though, what this game is likely to be remembered for is the gruesome injury sustained by Alex Newhook and how it became a turning point in this tilt. Hopefully, for Martin St-Louis and his men, it doesn’t become a turning point for the season.

Canadiens: Kent Hughes Inquires About Big Forward
Canadiens: Dobes Speaks To The Media
Ex-Canadiens Goalie Having Good Start To Season

The Crash

It was 2-0 early in the second frame when Newhook fell feet-first into the board, making his knee bend in a way no knee should ever bend. This is a really tough break for the Newfoundlander, who was easily playing his best hockey since being acquired by the Canadiens. In 16 games, he had racked up six goals and six assists.

If the Canadiens haven’t suffered too much from injuries since the start of the season, this one is likely to hurt. Not just because of Newhook’s production, but also because he had become an essential member of the team’s penalty kill. Of course, sniper Patrik Laine was also injured just five games in, but he was only playing on the fourth line and the second power-play unit. Newhook had started to develop an excellent chemistry with linemates Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.

If the start of the season had made it seem like Kent Hughes might not have needed to get a center as a matter of urgency, this injury is likely to change that state of affairs. Don’t expect the Canadiens’ GM to pull the trigger on a deal in a panic, though; that’s not his type.

#Habs Alex Newhook injury - Nov 13 - YouTube

Odd-Man Chances Galore

After 40 minutes, the Stars had a 5-0 lead after taking just 13 shots, but it should be noted that they were slicing the Canadiens’ defence left, right and center, creating many odd-man opportunities for themselves.

The most blatant example came on Dallas’ third goal, when Lane Hutson pinched to create some attack, and nobody covered for him. Juraj Slafkovsky skated to the bench for a change while Tyler Seguin was skating away to face Jakub Dobes on a breakaway, and a second later it was 3-0.

It’s also fair to say that Dobes wasn’t playing his best hockey either, and it wasn’t shocking to see Samuel Montembeault turn up to start the third frame. Nor was it that Dallas scored on its first shot against him; things weren’t going well for the Canadiens. Asked about why he replaced Dobes to start the third, St-Louis replied:

I mean, you always worry when you pull, but I felt it was the right thing to do at the time, you know, but I’m not worried about their confidence [the goalies], they’ll be fine.

-

Interestingly, St-Louis went from talking about Dobes to both of his goaltenders there, without anyone even mentioning Montembeault. As things stand, it looks like the Canadiens now have two goaltenders struggling to find their game, rather than just one. Putting Dobes on the shelf when he was playing lights-out might have been an error.

What’s Next?

It took some time for the bench boss to appear before the press tonight, but it wasn’t because he needed to calm down. St-Louis explained that, with Newhook still being evaluated, they needed to make some decisions. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it’s clear the Habs will be recalling someone from the Laval Rocket, and that Newhook will miss some time.

What’s worse, though, is the fact that it won’t just be a matter of recalling a player and having him take Newhook’s spot; the coaches will need to go back to the drawing board to find some new working combinations.

Watch this space later today to know who’s practicing with the team in Brossard and if we get some clues about some potential new lines.

The Habs will now need to swiftly move on and prepare to host the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at the Bell Centre before heading to Columbus for an away game on Monday. It would certainly help matters if the power play could start clicking again. The man-advantage has failed to score in its last 10 opportunities, and the Canadiens have now been scored on 12 times without being able to answer. There’s plenty of work ahead for St-Louis and co.

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It was a fun Thursday night at the local hockey barn in Sunrise.

Playing their first home game in several weeks, the Florida Panthers put up a six-spot on the Washington Capitals, skating to a resounding 6-3 win on a night full of milestones.

Usually, when a team returns from a long road trip, the first game on home ice can be a difficult one to win.

Despite Florida falling behind during the first period, they were quick to bounce back, and once they did, they never looked back.

It was a great way for the Cats to kick off their extended stretch in South Florida, where they will play 11 of 12 at Amerant Bank Arena over the next few weeks.

Let’s get to Thursday’s takeaways:

POWER PLAY HEATING UP

When the Panthers wrapped up their recent road trip with a big victory in Las Vegas, it was a power play goal by Sam Reinhart that served as the game-winner.

Afterwards, Maurice said that it was an important goal for the power play, as the unit could use some good fortune to hopefully get it going.

Well, for at least one more game, the Cats are in fact building on their success.

They scored twice more on the man advantage during Thursday’s win over the Capitals, logging eight shots while on the power play.

“The last couple of games look quite a bit different,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “It feels different. It's faster, and because it's faster, there's more options, so we're working off both sides. It's trending in the right way.”

FIRST WIN FOR TARASOV

It took a few starts, but Florida’s new goaltender Daniil Tarasov finally picked up his first victory in a Panthers sweater.

And boy, did he earn it.

Tarasov finished the game with 37 saves, including on 10 of the whopping 12 high danger shots sent his way by the Capitals.

It also helps that Florida scored as many goals for Tarasov on Thursday (6) that they had in his previous four starts combined.

“I think that could be a really good thing for him, right? The adversity that you face, having to grind, winning against a real good team on a big shot night, so he didn't luck into it. It’s the first night we scored some goals for him, so we think there's more wins in him.”

A NIGHT OF MILESTONES

Brad Marchand wasn’t Florida’s only player to reach a significant milestone on Thursday night.

In addition to Marchand logging his 1,000th NHL point and Tarasov picking up his first win, Seth Jones scored his 100th goal, Evan Rodrigues scored his 100th goal and Gus Forsling picked up his 200th NHL point.

To say there was a lot of noise coming from Florida’s locker room after the game ended would be a gross understatement.

“There's a bigger cheer (after the game), everybody gets to celebrate it together on a win,” Maurice said. “I guess if you have that many guys have milestones, you're probably going to win the game.”

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Photo caption: Nov 13, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers players celebrate in center ice the 1000th career point by Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) against the Washington Capitals during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Simon Nemec scored his first career hat trick on Wednesday night, setting both a personal and a franchise record. ​

The 21-year-old, drafted second overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2022, has 35 points—9 goals, 26 assists—in 104 games.

This season, he has stepped up amid injuries. ​Nemec’s three goals in one game included the overtime winner, marking his first career hat trick and multi-goal performance. ​With these three goals on Wednesday night and one against the New York Islanders on November 10th, Nemec has now scored four goals in his last two games. ​

His hat trick made him the third defenseman in Devils history to score a hat trick. ​

Nemec became the sixth player in Devils history to finish a hat trick with an overtime game-winner.

He is the youngest defenseman in the NHL to score a hat trick and an overtime winner in the same game. ​

Nemec's record-setting night didn't stop there. ​

He's the eighth NHL defenseman to record a hat trick with an overtime goal, and the sixth Devils defenseman with a multi-goal game at 21 or younger. ​

He’s the youngest Devil with a hat trick since Dawson Mercer (April 4, 2023), and the youngest Devils defenseman with a multi-goal game since Damon Severson (Oct. 16, 2014).

​After such a remarkable night, Nemec spoke with NHL.com. ​

“I was never like a shooter or a scoring guy,” Nemec said. “So, yeah, I’m glad for that. But obviously, a great team win. We were down like three times, and we won. That’s good.”

His impact did not go unnoticed by his teammates. ​

“He was waiting for it with his stick,” Goaltender Jacob Markstrom said to NHL.com. “He was wide open, so a little soft pass. He had to wait for it a little bit. It was his night tonight. Huge game for him, and (to) top it off with an OT hat trick is huge.”​

Across three NHL seasons, Nemec has improved each year, earning a career-high four goals already in the Devils' 17 games this season. ​

With injuries to veteran defensemen, younger players like Nemec have stepped up to fill the void.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe praised Nemec’s performance. ​

“He showed the forwards how to do it,” head coach Sheldon Keefe joked to NHL.com. “All three goals he’s in forward positioning and finishing. But good on him for finding those spots and finishing. We worked this morning about activating our D and getting our defense involved, and he certainly was paying attention.”​

The Devils beat the Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime, securing their seventh straight win over Chicago. ​

The Devils are 12-4-1, and Nemec is having his best season yet.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Arseny Gritsyuk saw a career high of 20:39 of ice time on Wednesday in the New Jersey Devils' 4-3 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks.​

A hat trick from 21-year-old defenseman Simon Nemec, combined with shifts in the top two lines, propelled the Devils to their 12th win of the season. The team currently leads the Metropolitan Division with a record of 12-4-1. ​

Prior to the win, it was announced that head coach Sheldon Keefe would be shuffling the top two lines in search of a spark. ​

Devils Make Changes To Forward Lines Ahead of Game vs. Blackhawks - Community PostThe&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/players/devils-noesen-shares-insight-into-playing-with-hughes-bratt">New Jersey Devils</a>&nbsp;have made tweaks to their lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks">Chicago Blackhawks</a>, with head coach Sheldon Keefe using the <a href="https://x.com/amandacstein/status/1988671029175333221">following forward lines</a>.&nbsp;

As a result, Keefe went with the following lines: ​

Arseny Gritsyuk - Jack Hughes - Dawson Mercer

Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt

Ondrej Palat - Cody Glass - Stefan Noesen

Paul Cotter - Luke Glendening - Zack MacEwen

Keefe explained the change was necessary to improve offensive chemistry.
"It has been too long now. Both those lines haven't really connected offensively," Keefe told NJD.TV. "I think it is time. A little bit of a different look for us."​

Gristyuk, playing alongside Jack Hughes and Dawson Mercer, recorded three shots on net during his 25 shifts and left Chicago with one assist, contributing to the team's overtime win. ​

After the game, Gristyuk reflected on his performance in a Telegram message.

“We beat Chicago on the road today in overtime.🔥 I played today in this line, I can say with the best players of their year: Hughes (America) Mercer (Canada). It seemed to work out well. It so happened that two players from our team got injured in the first period and we played two periods with three attacking lines. I haven't felt such pleasant fatigue in a long time. In short, I had a blast. Tomorrow I'm thinking of visiting a sauna in Chicago. I'll be in touch.👋Have a good start of the day everyone, I'm off to bed.🤙🤝” 

​In his career-high NHL minutes, Gritsyuk felt exhausted but productive, as all three linemates left the game with at least one point. ​

Jack Hughes finished with two assists, Dawson Mercer scored one goal, and Arseny Gritsyuk ended the night with one assist and three shots on goal. ​

The team now prepares for its matchup against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. 

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The Buffalo Sabres lost their most recent game – a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Thursday.’Once again, the Sabres got stomped, and Thursday’s loss to the Avs came one day after their loss to the Utah Mammoth.

That 5-2 loss to Utah was particularly stinging for Buffalo’s fan base, as Utah got a goal and an assist coming from former Sabre J.J. Peterka. The goal was Peterka’s fifth of the season and the 12th point of the year, and you’d better believe it felt good to stick it to his former team.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Sabres got hammered in Colorado. And that latest loss has Buffalo once again at the bottom of the standings. The loss to the Avs was Buffalo’s fifth in a row – with their last four losses all coming in regulation time – and the Sabres have now lost eight of their past nine games.

Needless to say, this is just beyond the pale for this Buffalo team. You are what your record says you are, and unfortunately for Buffalo fans, this is a 5-8-4 Sabres team. 

There’s no sugar-coating it – the Sabres are demonstrably terrible. There is no quality depth on this Buffalo team. There is no quality defense on this team. And there are no goalies on this team who can consistently steal games for Buffalo.

Sabres Heading Into Brutal Stretch That Could Bury Their Playoff HopesA brutal four-game stretch looms for the Sabres this week. Facing above-average NHL teams including the Avalanche and Oilers, Buffalo's playoff hopes hang in the balance.

So, who pays the price for the Sabres’ latest swoon? You’d have to think both GM Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff pay the price by losing their jobs. That’s just a given at this stage. But when it comes to the roster, we’d say only forward Tage Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin aren’t going to be traded. Otherwise, just about every Sabres players could be moved.

This latest losing skid is exactly what Buffalo was hoping to avoid. The fact Sabres players couldn’t do so is an indictment of the organization, the coaching staff, and the players themselves. And now that it looks like there will be no playoff hockey in Buffalo for the 15th straight season, somebody needs to be accountable for it.

That means the end of the line for Adams and Ruff, two longtime Buffalo residents who, for one reason or another, could never get the job done. They had good intentions, of course. But this isn’t the National Good Intentions League. This is the National Hockey League, and the Sabres just aren’t very good at hockey.

Sabres Must Get Out Of Losing Spiral, Or Deal With The ConsequencesThe Sabres' losing streak is threatening their playoff hopes. Can Buffalo finally break the cycle before time runs out on their post-season dreams?

The status quo is a non-starter for this Buffalo team. Change has to come for the Sabres, and change has to come now. This Sabres squad simply doesn’t have what it takes to consistently win games, and until such time as a page is turned on this terrible era for the franchise, the losing and suffering is going to continue.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The Los Angeles Kings picked up where they began in this six-game road trip, continuing their impressive run away from home, rallying from a 2-0 hole to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in Overtime on Thursday afternoon. 

In what might go down as one of their grittiest wins of the season so far, the Kings once again are showing why they're slowly becoming one of the toughest road teams to beat in 2025. 

LA Kings (@LAKings) on X📰 LA Team Beats Toronto Team in Extra Time in Toronto 📰

Maple Leafs Jump Ahead

The Kings went down early, trailing 2-0, after a couple of costly turnovers and other bad moments that wound up in their net. The Kings would eventually settle in and tie the score 2-2 in the second period after a pair of goals from Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala. 

Kings Respond

But the Maple Leafs weren’t done. John Tavares would strike again, scoring his second goal of the game, giving Toronto back the lead 3-2 heading into the third. Even with the Maple Leafs leading, the Kings kept battling and weren’t phased at all by playing in Toronto. 

Statement Road Win

The fight would pay off in the third period with Alex Laffarie deflecting a point shot from Brandt Clarke into the net of the final period, tying the game 3-3 and forcing overtime. In the extra period, Drew Doughty fed a perfect pass to Quinton Byfield, who buried the goal to seal the 4-3 victory 35 seconds in overtime for Los Angeles. 

LA Kings (@LAKings) on XLAFFY CALLS TIE

The win was special because the Kings never bowed to the Maple Leafs in a challenging environment. It was also great to see Los Angeles record their road point streak for the ninth straight game, being the fifth time in the last 20 seasons that the Kings have achieved this feat. 

12 games (11-0-1) in 2023-24

10 games (8-0-2) in 2021-22

10 games (8-0-2) in 2013-14

9 games (6-0-3) in 2010-11

The victory improves the Kings to (9-5-4) and gives them an impressive road record at (8-1-2). Coach Jim Hiller said after the game that he’s "really proud" of how the team played tonight.

"I think we've found a little bit of our rhythm and now we're in a good place.”

The message is clear for the Kings: they’ve found their confidence, and it keeps growing more by the day, especially away from home, where they continue to score points at an elite rate. 

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a short-handed goal at 3:02 of overtime, and the New York Islanders beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Thursday night for their third straight win.

Matthew Schaefer had a goal and an assist, and Mathew Barzal and Emil Heineman also scored for New York. Bo Horvat and Jonathan Drouin each had two assists and Ilya Sorokin stopped 26 shots as the Islanders improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

Shea Theodore, Thomas Hertl and Reilly Smith scored for Vegas, which lost its fourth straight (0-2-2) and seventh in its last nine (2-4-3). Akira Schmid finished with 20 saves.

On a delayed penalty for too many men on the Islanders, Sorokin denied a driving attempt by Jack Eichel, and Hertl’s try on the rebound went off the crossbar.

After the penalty was called, Pageau got the puck after a draw in the Islanders’ zone, skated up the ice and fired a shot past Schmid from the right circle for the win.

Barzal tied it 3-3 with a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Schaefer with 2:37 remaining.

The Golden Knights had taken the lead with three straight goals after falling behind 2-0 in the first period.

Theodore got the Golden Knights on the board with 1:04 left in the second. Theodore cut through several players, went in on Sorokin and sent the puck as he fell down. Sorokin appeared to deny the attempt but Theodore’s loose stick pushed the puck across the line.

Hertl tied it at 8:23 of the third as he scored on the rebound of Jack Eichel’s shot during a delayed penalty.

Smith put the Golden Knights ahead 2:22 later, scoring from the right side on a sharp angle near the goal line.

Heineman gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead with 5:57 left in the first as he scored from the top of the right circle.

Schaefer doubled the lead with a power-play goal on a long shot from the point through traffic with 2:01 to go in the opening period.

Up next

Islanders: At Utah on Friday night.

Golden Knights: At St. Louis on Saturday night.

DENVER — Martin Nečas recorded two goals and two assists to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 6–3 victory at Ball Arena on Thursday night, securing their fifth consecutive win while sending the Buffalo Sabres to their fifth straight loss. 

Nathan MacKinnon picked up an assist to extend his point streak to 11 games (eight goals, 15 assists), while Gabriel Landeskog netted the 250th goal of his NHL career and Gavin Brindley contributed a goal and an assist for the Avalanche (12–1–5). Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 19 shots in the win. 

NHL (@NHL) on X52 SECONDS IN ⏰ Martin Necas makes it look so easy!

For the Sabres, former Colorado defenseman Bowen Byram found the scoresheet, while Tage Thompson contributed a goal and an assist. Jordan Greenway added a tally of his own for Buffalo (5-8-4), a club mired in a five-game skid and losers in eight of their last nine. 

Goaltender Alex Lyon surrendered two goals on three shots before being pulled at 6:10 of the opening period in favor of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who steadied the net with 26 saves in relief.

Nečas delivered a four-point performance in response to consecutive outings that head coach Jared Bednar characterized as below his usual standard. 

"I thought Marty had a really nice bounce back game," he stated. "He's had, not from a lack of effort, but probably not his most detailed last couple of games. He had a meeting this morning with (Dave Hakstol) and looked at some things; he was better tonight, and he found the back of the net a couple of times, so a big performance by him to get back on track."

First Period 

Just 52 seconds into the game, Cale Makar spotted Nečas streaking down the middle and sent him on a breakaway. Nečas buried a top-shelf wrister past Lyon to give Colorado an early 1–0 lead. 

A short time later, Buffalo’s Beck Malenstyn got into it with a couple of Avs, but the confrontation cooled quickly once Landeskog grabbed hold of his helmet and ripped it off. Officials stepped in, and no penalties were issued. 

At 6:10 of the period, the Avs extended the lead to 2–0 when Artturi Lehkonen punched in a rebound off a Sam Malinski shot. 

Following the second goal, the Sabres pulled Lyon in favor of Luukkonen. 

Buffalo answered not long after, capitalizing when Blackwood mishandled a cover attempt, allowing former Av Byram to score against his old team. 

Two minutes later, Colorado struck again to make it 3–1. Brindley fed Ross Colton at the blue line, and Colton redirected the puck to Brock Nelson, who quickly snapped a wrist shot over Luukkonen’s right shoulder to restore the two-goal cushion. 

Nearly four minutes after that, the Avs got caught napping. Buffalo’s Owen Power lofted the puck into Colorado’s defensive zone, and Jordan Greenway hustled to win the race, batting it out of the air past Blackwood to cut the deficit back to one. 

Late in the period, Landeskog scored off a rebound, but the goal was waved off after officials ruled that Jack Drury had committed goaltender interference on the play. 

Second Period 

Early in the second period, Josh Manson one-timed a shot from the point off a pass from Brent Burns, but Luukkonen slid to his right to make the save. 

Colorado went on the penalty kill at 6:30 after Landeskog was called for tripping Byram. Once the Avs killed it off, the Sabres took their turn in the box after Owen Power tripped Necas along the boards. The Avs immediately turned on the jets off the rush on the ensuing power play, with MacKinnon carrying the puck up ice and snapping a quick shot, only for Luukkonen to snag it with the glove. 

MacKinnon headed to the box moments later after falling and swinging his stick into Byram’s knees, drawing a slashing call. The Sabres capitalized on the power play when Thompson blasted a one-timer off a feed from Isak Rosen past an outstretched Blackwood. 

Gavin Brindley, the young phenom, came up big once again, giving the Avs a 4–3 lead with 3:22 left in the period. He took a pass from Manson and fired a wrister that beat Luukkonen blocker-side, sending the home crowd into pure jubilation. 

Third Period 

The Avalanche opened the final period on the power play after Tyson Kozak was assessed a high-sticking minor on Ross Colton. No blood was drawn, so the call remained a standard two-minute infraction. Colorado’s top unit generated several high-quality chances, but Luukkonen stood tall, turning away each attempt with poised, technical efficiency. 

Moments later, Sam Girard—making his first appearance in 15 games following an upper-body injury—nearly authored a storybook return. He fired a shot from the left circle toward a wide-open net, only for Luukkonen to sprawl across the crease and deflect it in a highlight-reel save that ultimately rang off the post. 

Meanwhile, Taylor Makar, younger brother of Cale, delivered a performance well beyond what might be expected less than 24 hours after being recalled from the Colorado Eagles. Though Luukkonen denied his scoring attempts, Makar was a persistent presence in the Sabres’ zone, applying sustained, intelligent pressure and consistently driving play in Colorado’s favor. 

Nečas scored his second of the night with 3:07 when he one-timed a shot in the slot from MacKinnon to give the Avalanche a 5-3 lead. Landeskog subsequently added an empty-net goal with less than two minutes to go in regulation to seal a 6-3 win for the Avalanche, although it appeared Nečas was going to go for the hat trick, he instead put his team first and served up a freebie for the captain to get him on the board.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

On Thursday, the Winnipeg Jets fell 5–3 to the Seattle Kraken, marking their fourth loss in five games as the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners continue to navigate unfamiliar territory.

Winnipeg led on three separate occasions but couldn’t find the insurance goals needed to put Seattle away. The Kraken relentlessly pushed back, scoring three times in the third period to take control. Still, there were bright spots for the Jets. Alex Iafallo scored for the second straight game after a brief point drought, and his goal also gave captain Adam Lowry his first point of the season thanks to a sharp setup. Mark Scheifele did his part with a goal, an assist, and a drawn penalty as he tried to spark a comeback, but it ultimately wasn’t enough.

Newest Injury Report Brings Encouraging News For JetsThe Winnipeg Jets announced Thursday that Dylan Samberg and Gustav Nyquist are back ahead of Thursday's matchup versus the Seattle Kraken.

The game started off as a defensive slugfest as both sides are known for their elite defense with the Jets finally cracking the mold and getting the first goal on the board half-way through the first. After a clean breakout of their end, Winnipeg found themselves with a four-on-two odd man rush with Alex Iafallo rushing towards the netfront. Jets captain Adam Lowry holds the puck until just the right moment and fires through a pass that re-directs off Iafallo and goes in for the go-ahead goal for Winnipeg. 

Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) on XChemistry levels are off the chart 📈🤩

The Kraken were anxious to even up the score and applied an aggressive forecheck that the Jets weren't ready for. After battling for the puck in the boards, Jaden Schwartz regains possession for the Kraken by pressuring the Jets defense. Schwartz gets the puck back along the board with Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko making sure to get in front of the net for a chance. The former second overall pick by the Rangers gets in position and tips a Schwartz shot past Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck for the tying goal. 

Things were tied after the first but the Jets lethal top line didn't waste long to make their presence felt. Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele found room behind the Seattle defense and opened up for a breakaway as defenseman Neal Pionk, hit him with a perfect breakout pass for a solo chance. Scheifele buries the shot to put the Jets back up. 

The Kraken weren't done there as they again fought back four minutes later to tie things up. Seattle kept the puck in Winnipeg's end for a lengthy possession and their chance came when Kraken forward Ryan Winterton worked the puck to infront of the Jets net and with a few bounces found Vince Dunn's stick. The Seattle defenseman was able to get enough of it to direct the puck past Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck to tie the game at two goals a piece.

Each side battled hard for the win, and the intensity showed on special teams as both traded power-play goals. The Jets closed out the second period with a strong cycle that left star winger Kyle Connor open in the high slot for a one-timer, and he made no mistake, beating Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer.

Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) on XKYLE CONNOR on the POWER PLAY 😏

Seattle came out energized after killing another penalty early in the third. They turned that momentum into a response on their next power-play opportunity, setting up a play eerily similar to Winnipeg’s goal. Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen ripped a one-timer from nearly the same spot Connor had scored from, snapping it past Hellebuyck to tie the game for the third time and keep the Kraken within striking distance.

The momentum was firmly on Seattle's side following some scrums that energized the home crowd. Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo tries to keep up with Seattle's Jordan Eberle but the former first overall pick freed himself up for a perfectly-timed cross crease pass from Kraken center Matty Beniers for the Kraken's fourth goal on the night and giving them their first lead. Eberle sealed the win with an empty-netter for his second goal of the night, as he and Matty Beniers combined to torch the Jets on the final two tallies. Winnipeg’s last-minute push couldn’t overcome the resulting two-goal deficit. 

Without a goal on Thursday, Nyquist has failed to score in his first 12 games of the season, marking his slowest start of his career, tying his longest goal drought to begin a season since his rookie year in 2011-12.  Winnipeg's Tanner Pearson also continue his scoring drought, now at 13 games with many fans wondering if he'll continue to hold his spot in the lineup moving forward. 

Moose Battle Back From Two-Goal Deficit To Edge IceHogsShots denied, comeback ignited. Moose shock IceHogs with stunning shorthanded and power-play goals to secure a dramatic victory.

The Jets will look to rebound Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada when playing the Calgary Flames in an all-Canadian clash that fans won't want to miss. The matchup will be the last stop of Winnipeg's lengthy five-game road trip and will see them return home to play the Columbus Blue Jackets next Tuesday. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Boston Bruins’ seven-game winning streak started after a 7-2 loss in Ottawa on October 27th and that's where it went to die as well. The Senators once again blew an early 2-0 lead, but this time, thanks to a pair of late goals from Tim Stützle, they recovered to defeat the Bruins 5-3 at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.

With the victory, the Senators improved their record to 9-5-4, good for a three-way tie for top spot in the Atlantic with Boston and Montreal. The Canadiens were clobbered by Dallas on Thursday night 7-0 but still hold the edge by virtue of playing one fewer game than the Senators.

To recap, for all the anxiety and so-called troubling moments in the first month, no one in the Atlantic Division has more points than the Ottawa Senators. Stützle ended the night with two goals and an assist, Leevi Meriläinen made 18 saves for the Senators, and Michael Amadio extended his points streak to six games.

Claude Giroux got the game started with a power play goal less than 2 minutes into the game. The Senators created some space for themselves with some excellent passing just prior to the goal. Finally, Giroux one-timed a cross-ice pass from Stutzle to give the Senators a 1-0 lead.

Dylan Cozens made it 2-0 at the end of the period with another one-timer. Fabian Zetterlund outmuscled his man behind the Boston net and hit Cozens all alone in the high slot area.

Boston pushed back in the second on Morgan Geekie’s 12th goal of the season, which would be the only goal of the second period.

Just over a minute into the third, Shane Pinto scored his ninth goal of the season. On the day of his new four-year extension, Pinto ends his nine-game goalless drought.

After starting the year going scoreless in the team’s first seven games, Amadio has now put up a point in nine of his 11 games since. His assist tonight was a perfect saucer pass to Shane Pinto, who redirected it into the net. It was a fine gift to Pinto for signing his new four-year extension earlier in the day.

The Senators seemed to be in good shape at that point at 3-1, but their lead would last barely four minutes. With the Bruins on the power play, David Pastrnak appeared to cut into the lead with his 11th goal of the year, but it was overturned on an offside challenge. On the same power play, though, Pastrnak got one that counted to cut the lead to 3-2.

Less than 2 minutes later, former Senator Mark Kastelic tied the game, chipping a puck past Meriläinen.

That's when Stützle went to work. His hard wrist shot on a perfect pass from Drake Batherson gave Ottawa a 4-3 lead with under 6 minutes to play, and then Stützle put the contest to bed with an empty-net goal. As with the Pastrnak situation, Stützle had a chance at a do-over: Stützle hit the post on an empty-net try but then scored for real to ice the game.

The Sens limp out of this one with more injury concerns on the blue line. Already without Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson played the second half of the game with a sore hand after blocking a shot. And Nick Jensen, who's barely a month into his comeback from hip resurfacing surgery, hobbled off the ice at the end of the second and did not return.

Head coach Travis Green had no update on Jensen's status. If Jensen and Chabot both can't go on Saturday, this may create an opportunity for top prospect Carter Yakemchuk.

The Senators have now only lost once in regulation in their last 12 games, but their schedule now gets a bit quirky. The Sens have only one game in the next week and it happens on Saturday at home against the Los Angeles Kings. Then the club is off until next Thursday when they begin a long seven-game road trip. Saturday's game against the Kings will be their last home game until December 4th.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

On Friday, the 2025-26 NHL Global Series kicks off. 

And so will a key stretch of games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The team is currently 9-5-3 with 21 points, which is good enough for third in the Metropolitan Division standings and sixth in the Eastern Conference. Other teams in the division and in the conference have finally caught up to the Penguins in games played, and it seems everyone is one a somewhat level playing field.

And that's part of what makes this upcoming stretch of games for the Penguins so important. 

The Penguins will play two games against the Nashville Predators in Sweden on Friday and Sunday before they come home to face off against the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 21 in the first of a back-to-back. They play the Seattle Kraken - who have enjoyed a surprising start to the season at 8-4-5 - before playing games in succession against the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning, all teams outside of the current playoff picture. 

But, from there, the gauntlet starts - and it doesn't really get any easier for the rest of the season since the schedule is more condensed because of the Olympic break. Starting Dec. 7 until the holiday break beginning on Dec. 24, the Penguins play 10 games in 17 days, and seven of those teams are in the playoff picture. One of the teams that isn't, too, is the Edmonton Oilers, who the Penguins have struggled mightily against in the last several seasons.

Suffice to say, banking points in this stretch is critical for the Penguins - and they understand that the Global Series isn't just a nice week-and-a-half vacation for them. It's stretches like this that a team looks back on at the end of the season - playoffs or not - and realizes the importance of the points they did or didn't accrue.

What To Know: NHL Global Series Feat. The Pittsburgh Penguins And Nashville PredatorsThe 2025-26 NHL Global Series is finally here, and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> and <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators">Nashville Predators</a> are gearing up for their two-game set at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

"At the end of the day, we're here for two games, four big points," forward Kevin Hayes said. "No matter where you're playing, you want to set yourself up for later down the line this season. Starting this morning - starting last night - it's kind of back to business, and when the puck drops, you're going for two points."

With eight of the next nine opponents outside of the playoff picture, it's easy to simply expect results, too. But given their most recent five-game set - when they lost four out of five games despite outplaying opponents for most of that stretch - they still need to play a full 60 minutes of hockey in each of these games to bank the points and give themselves some padding heading into a really tough stretch of the season. 

And that stretch doesn't get any easier after the holidays, either. Pittsburgh will play 20 games in 40 days, and - just like everyone else - they return from the near-three-week Olympic break in February to a crazy schedule ending the season, which involves 19 games in 34 days by the end of March. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Nashville Predators Preview: Lineup Changes, Where To WatchThe Pittsburgh Penguins will try to end their two-game losing streak on Friday.

If the Penguins can manage at least three points in Sweden and approximately 12 of 18 possible points in these nine games, that's a win. They need to keep pace with a Metropolitan Division that has struggled a bit in the earlygoing but is beginning to pick up some steam - especially in the wild card picture, where three Metro teams in the New York Rangers, Flyers, and Blue Jackets are within one point of a playoff spot and have been playing some good hockey as of late. 

Last year, a 1-3-1 stretch coming into this road trip may have left the team disheartened. But, this year, things are different - and there is a belief in the locker room that the group can keep this thing going in a positive direction and steer toward its first playoff berth in four years. 

"Last year, I felt like goals would go in, and we were like, 'Oh no, here we go, not again.' And, this year, I feel like whether we're winning or losing, it's the same belief until the final second of the game," Hayes said. "I've only been in two games. But just watching from up top and seeing the vibe in the locker room, that's what it kind of feels like."

Penguins' Fast Start Has Erik Karlsson's Fingerprints All Over ItErik Karlsson is off to an outstanding start to the 2025-26 season and is a big reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins are in a playoff spot.

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LAS VEGAS --New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored at 17:59 of the first period on the power play to give his team a 2-0 lead. His sixth goal of the season has him tied with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar for the league lead in goals among defensemen.

 

Matthew Schaefer takes advantage of Jack Eichel losing his stick killing a penalty, and fires a laser guided bullet for a #Isles 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/wiZf581UJq

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 14, 2025

Through his first 17 career games -- with two periods to go in Game No. 17 -- Schaefer has 13 points, with six goals and seven assists. 

Of Schaefer's six goals, four have come on the power play, as he's been instrumental in the club's improved power play. 

An 18-Year-Old's First Trip To VegasIslanders rookie Matthew Schaefer discusses his first long NHL road trip, a new card game he learned, and what he expects against Vegas in an exclusive one-on-one.

Schaefer is now tied with Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov for most points by a rookie this season. His four power-play goals through his first 17 NHL games tie Bryan Trottier as the only players in franchise history to accomplish that feat. 

His four power-play goals also doubles Noah Dobson's power-play production from 2023-2025. 

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Coming into Thursday evening's game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Detroit Red Wings had scored a combined two goals in their last three games, all regulation losses. 

There was no better opportunity to break out of their funk against a high-flying opponent, and they made the most of it by finding the back of the net six times as part of their 6-3 victory at Little Caesars Arena. 

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on X#REDWINGS WIN!!! #LGRW

Perhaps just as significant was the Red Wings breaking out of their special teams woes, scoring twice with the man advantage while also keeping the Ducks off the scoresheet while they were shorthanded.

With the win, the Red Wings improved their record to 10-7 and moved back to within two points for top spot in the Atlantic Division. 

Following a scoreless opening 20 minutes of play, the Red Wings struck first after defenseman Moritz Seider beat goaltender Lukas Dostal with a seeing-eye shot from the point. 

Both teams would go back and forth from that point on, as the Ducks knotted the score thanks to a goal from Cutter Gauthier.

Detroit's Michael Rasmussen, who has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season, scored a highlight-worthy goal as he fired a blistering shot past Dostal, only to have Chris Kreider respond for the Ducks soon afterward. 

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Not even 60 seconds later, rookie defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka restored the lead with his second goal of the season. 

Just 50 seconds into the third period, Alex DeBrincat deflected a Seider shot past Dostal on the power-play, giving Detroit their first two-goal lead of the evening.

While the Ducks managed to make things close thanks to a deflection tally from Mikael Granlund, Detroit once again went up by two after Dylan Larkin converted on a two-on-none rush with Lucas Raymond. 

DeBrincat then added an empty net goal for his second tally of the game, sealing the victory. 

Red Wings goaltender John Gibson, who was making his second start of the season against his former Ducks teammates, made several key saves in the first period during the scoreless tie.

After making 15 saves, Gibson was replaced by Cam Talbot for the third period. He had been hit in the mask twice by shots and also fell to the ice late in the second period after being sideswiped by a Ducks player.

There was no official explanation for Gibson's departure, but head coach Todd McLellan confirmed following the game that it was an upper-body issue; he didn't elaborate further. 

The Red Wings will be back on home ice on Saturday evening for a tilt against the Buffalo Sabres, who had beaten them in regulation last month. 

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