ELMONT, NY -- During the New York Islanders’ home opener on Saturday, 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL goal, adding to his early milestones.
Down 4-1 to the Washington Capitals, the Islanders went to the power play at 16:41 of the third period, needing a spark.
After Kyle Palmieri was robbed at the doorstep, a scramble ensued, and the loose puck went to Schaefer. The 18-year-old defenseman chopped it by Capitals goalie Logan Thompson to cut the deficit to 4-2 and add to his early accomplishments:
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery challenged for a hand pass following a timeout, but the goal stood after a lengthy review, much to the delight of a roaring UBS Arena.
Schaefer scored his first assist and point in the Islanders’ first game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
In the second period of Saturday's game against the New York Rangers, top forward prospect Ben Kindel took a puck in the neutral zone down to the right circle, where he sniped a long-range wrist shot past Rangers' netminder Igor Shesterkin - one of the league's best goaltenders - for his first career NHL goal.
Kindel, 18, was selected by the Penguins in the first round (11th overall) of the 2025 NHL Netry Draft. The 5-foot-11 forward made himself stand out more and more as the pre-season went on, and as a result - along with Brunicke - he made the NHL roster out of training camp.
During Tuesday's season-opening 3-0 win over the Rangers in New York, Kindel and Brunicke became the first pair of teenagers to debut together for the Penguins since Kris Letang and Jordan Staal in 2006. They are both eligible to be sent back to their respective junior teams this season, and year one of their entry-level contracts would kick in should they remain in Pittsburgh for more than nine games.
Kindel was one of three first-round selections by the Penguins this summer, with the others being Bill Zonnon (22nd overall) and Will Horcoff (24th overall). In 65 games for the Calgary Hitmen last season, Kindel recorded 35 goals and 99 points.
DETROIT — The Toronto Maple Leafs may be without the services of another one of their depth forwards in the near future.
Steven Lorentz left midway through the first period of the club's game against the Detroit Red Wings after he was hit up high in the middle of the ice by Detroit defenseman Ben Chiarot.
The departure of Lorentz in the game forced the Leafs to shuffle up their fourth line, which had scored twice in the first period, once with William Nylander substituting for the injured forward.
The Leafs confirmed Lorentz sustained an upper-body injury and would not return.
Maple Leafs F Steven Lorentz will not return to tonight’s game (upper body).
Before that contest, Easton Cowan had been affixed to a line with Lorentz and Laughton. If Lorentz is out for any extended period of time, that could make way for Cowan to finally make his NHL debut on Monday against the Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena.
“(Norris is) going to miss a significant amount of time," Ruff told media Saturday, adding "I don’t know what that amount is for sure...It’s an upper-body (injury), it’s not related to anything he has had in the past.”
With the injury to Norris -- and the injury to presumptive first-line left winger Zach Benson, the Sabres' first line is now star right winger Tage Thompson and...21-year-old center Jiri Kulich, and left winger Jason Zucker. Kulich has 64 games of NHL experience under his belt, while Zucker is 33 years old, and he's a clearly not-ideal top-line talent.
So let's run that by you again: Kulich, centering Zucker and Thompson. Does that sound like a line you'd expect to see on a top NHL team? Does that sound like a line to rival that of a true Stanley Cup frontrunner? To ask those questions is to answer them. There's really no comparing the Sabres as-currently-is to a real playoff contender.
It all feels like the worst-case scenario arrived in Buffalo, and it arrived far sooner than even the most cynical may have expected. And now, unless the Sabres' vast collection of young players steps up, Buffalo's playoff aspirations could go up in smoke in a hurry.
This isn't to say the Sabres can't overcome adversity. That does happen, now and again, at the NHL level. There are always teams that face adversity and find a way to do great things in spite of it. But the point is that people's suspicions in any one team are valid until such time as the team proves they're worthy of respect. And that just hasn't happened with Buffalo in the past 14 years.
Maybe there's a world in which Kulich steps up and finds a great fit alongside Thompson. Maybe Zucker plays younger than his age and scores between 25-30 goals. Maybe Thompson puts the team on his back in a way he hasn't before.
That's all within the realm of possibility. But the realm of probability is something altogether different. And without Norris in the lineup night-in and night-out, the probability the Sabres can string together enough wins to stay in playoff contention long enough until such time as Norris returns to action is not something that shoul encourage Buffalo fans to be optimistic.
The truth is that the Sabres have absorbed a massive blow to their playoff hopes, literaqlly in the first game of the season. It really feels like things couldn't have gone worrse for Buffalo. And in the immediate days and weeks ahead, the Sabres will either demonstrate why they're a different (read: better) team than the ones they've been in their playoff drought, or whether they're the same franchise that has come to be known as perennial disappointments.
Brady Martin is officially on an NHL scoresheet, recording an assist on Filip Forsberg's goal in the first period of the Nashville Predators game against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.
The goal tied the game, 1-1.
Martin poked the puck off of defenseman John Marino's stick up the right boards, which Forsberg picked up. He was able to maneuver around Marino on the right boards before firing a shot that beat goalie Karel Vejmelka blocker side.
This is just Martin's second NHL game, as he made his debut in the Predators' 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. He is still centering the Predators' first line with Ryan O'Reilly and Forsberg on the wings.
Additionally, everyone on that first line has recorded a point this season. Forsberg and O'Reilly combined for the game winning goal on the power play on Thursday.
Martin debuted with the Predators at 18 years, 208 days old, making him the second youngest player in Predators franchise history to make their NHL debut.
He follows Scott Harnell, who was 18 years, 171 days when he played his first NHL game on Oct. 6, 2000, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Marting was drafted by the Predators fifth overall out of Sault St. Marie (OHL) in June. This is Nashville's highest draft pick since 2013, when it drafted defenseman Seth Jones with the fourth overall pick.
Not long after Cole Caufield had a Montreal Canadiens goal stand after being reviewed for a high stick, the Blackhawks tied the game thanks to a goal scored by Sam Rinzel.
In his 12th NHL game, Rinzel's goal is the first of his National Hockey League career. It couldn't have been a better-looking snipe for his first.
Frank Nazar won the faceoff back to Teuvo Teravainen, who slid it to Rinzel before he ripped it home. The goal tied the game for the Blackhawks at the time.
The Blackhawks are hoping that this is the first of many for Rinzel, who now has six points over his first 12 career games. That kind of pace would make him the clear-cut number one defenseman on the team, especially if he keeps up his very good defensive play.
Just when it looked like the Flyers had win No. 1 of the Rick Tocchet era Saturday night, it was taken away from them.
Bobby Brink had a goal in overtime wiped off the board by video review, which deemed that Travis Sanheim interfered with Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen (more on this below). Carolina scored just 37 seconds after the Flyers celebrated what they thought was a victory instead turn into a 4-3 loss at Lenovo Center.
Seth Jarvis buried the Hurricanes’ OT winner with 17 seconds left.
Brink, Sanheim and Owen Tippett provided the Flyers’ goals.
Noah Cates’ line with Brink and Tyson Foerster was very good again. The trio had a great shift that led to Sanheim’s game-tying goal with four minutes remaining in regulation.
The Flyers are 0-1-1 under Tocchet. The last time the Flyers dropped their first two games of a season was 2015-16, when that team also started 0-1-1.
Tocchet’s club has had a stiff schedule. The Flyers visited the two-time defending champion Panthers on opening night and then faced a Carolina team that has made the playoffs in seven straight seasons.
The Flyers have lost 14 of their last 16 games against the Hurricanes (2-9-5). Saturday night was their first of four matchups this season with Carolina, which is off to a 2-0-0 start.
• Sanheim was making a play to the net when he clipped Andersen on Brink’s overturned goal.
Andersen was in his crease but did appear to create some of the contact. It didn’t matter, though.
“Video review determined Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim impaired Frederik Andersen’s ability to play his position in the crease prior to Bobby Brink’s goal. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 69.1 which states, in part, ‘Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal.'”
• Matvei Michkov didn’t see the ice in overtime, which was an interesting call considering the 20-year-old scored three OT winners last season as a rookie.
But Michkov definitely didn’t have his best game in regulation, while the Flyers had some other forwards playing well. You can bet that Michkov will get his looks in overtime this season.
Ersson made some tough and timely saves, stopping 35 of 39 shots.
The Hurricanes took advantage of transition opportunities and scored all three of their regulation goals in the second period.
Carolina grabbed its first lead of the game at 3-2 when it forechecked the Flyers’ top line and third defensive pair. Jordan Staal finished the sequence as Noah Juulsen and Adam Ginning couldn’t break up the play.
Ersson was excellent in the first period, making 15 saves and giving the Flyers an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead on Tippett’s goal with 22 seconds left before intermission.
Andersen denied 20 of the Flyers’ 23 shots.
• Nikita Grebenkin made his Flyers debut and picked up his first career NHL point with an assist.
The 22-year-old winger showed what he can do when he’s in the lineup. He popped offensively and really hunted the puck. That’s what’s pretty intriguing about him is that he can play down in the lineup because of his competitiveness.
He didn’t look out of place at all in a fourth-line role. And he has the ability to climb into the top six.
Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko entered the lineup for Nicolas Deslauriers and Rodrigo Abols. Luchanko was on the fourth line with Grebenkin and Garnet Hathaway.
On the Hurricanes’ game-tying 2-2 goal, Luchanko had an offensive-zone turnover that sprung Carolina the other way. Taylor Hall scored on the rush.
• Tippett didn’t have a power play goal all of last season. He already has one two games into this season.
The 26-year-old is a player the Flyers believe Tocchet can unleash.
“He has played, he has seen the game from all angles, he has been around the league coaching for a while,” Tippett said last month about his new head coach. “I’m excited to continue to work with him and see what he challenges me with.”
The Florida Panthers paid tribute to one of their former Stanley Cup Champions.
On Saturday, Florida welcomed the Ottawa Senators to Sunrise.
Current Senators forward Nick Cousins spent two seasons with the Panthers, from 2022 to 2024.
Both years, the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final, claiming victory during their second trip.
Cousins played a total of 33 games during those two playoff runs, contributing two goals and eight points while racking up 36 penalty minutes.
His biggest postseason moment with the Cats came during the second round in 2023, when Cousins scored the overtime winner in Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs that sent the Panthers to the Eastern Conference Final.
During his time with the Panthers, Cousins value to the team went well beyong his on-ice contributions.
Over the past several seasons, Florida has cultivated one of the best, tightknit locker rooms in the NHL, and Cousins was a big part of growing that camaraderie.
Cousins, along with former Panthers Ryan Lomberg and Brandon Montour, were some of the most vocal guys in that room and helped create the vibe that remains incredibly strong in South Florida.
During the first TV timeout on Saturday, the Panthers played a tribute video for Cousins on the scoreboard above the ice.
Cousins stood up and saluted the crowd as they gave him a loud ovation, then turned toward the Panthers bench and gave his former teammates a nod.
You can check out the tribute video, and Cousins' reaction, in the X post below:
If folks have been keeping tabs on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last year and a half, they very well know that the organization is going through a plethora of change.
The roster is going younger. There has been a shift from laying everything on the line for playoff contention to rebuilding.
But perhaps the most prominent shift was the coaching change made this summer.
Dan Muse was in, and former head coach Mike Sullivan was out. The irony of it all was that Sullivan faced his former team on opening night, as he is now at the helm for the New York Rangers. Muse did, too, as he was formerly an assistant with the Rangers.
And now, just four days later, Sullivan is already back in Pittsburgh for the first time since switching sides, as the Rangers and Penguins square off again Saturday night.
Many among the Penguins' faithful believed Sullivan was past his shelf life in Pittsburgh by the time he and the team mutually agreed to part ways at the end of April. And, maybe that's true. But none of that diminishes what Sullivan accomplished during his 10 years in Pittsburgh.
Sullivan was first called upon in Pittsburgh on Dec. 12, 2015, when then-Penguins' coach Mike Johnston was fired and Sullivan was the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). He helped turn the tide for a struggling Penguins' team and led them to the franchise's fourth Stanley Cup championship in 2016, and he coached them right back to another Cup in 2017.
There was so much success so immediately - and Sullivan's Penguins were such a breath of fresh air in comparison to the Johnston-era Penguins - that there was a sense of inevitability when it came to Sullivan and the Penguins being synonymous for a long time.
But the COVID-19 pandemic, first-round playoff exits, and - eventually - missed playoff appearances altogether served as reminders that the team and its coach were still human and that nothing is permanent. Fans grew tired of the same old same, and, too, of Sullivan himself.
There are a lot of narratives still swirling about Sullivan and his supposed failure to ice young players, even if the young talent - for the most part - simply wasn't in the pipeline for most of his tenure. There are narratives about him losing the room, which is something we may never truly know.
However, tonight, none of that matters. All that matters is what Sullivan accomplished as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which includes two Stanley Cup championships and his 409 regular season wins, which is the most by any coach in Penguins' history.
Saturday, he deserves to be celebrated for that. Not for his shortcomings.
It’s quite something to be an NHLer who has played 1,500 games. It’s even more impressive to do it while riding a games-played ironman streak of 927 games – the fourth-longest ironman streak in league history – while also being an important part of a legitimate Stanley Cup frontrunner in the Colorado Avalanche.
But that’s exactly what’s being done right now by 40-year-old defenseman Brent Burns. A 22-year NHL veteran who becomes only the eighth defenseman in league history to reach the 1,500-game plateau.
The others to reach that level – Zdeno Chara (1,680 games), Chris Chelios (1,651), Scott Stevens (1,635), Larry Murphy (1,615), Ray Bourque (1,612), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564), and Ryan Suter (1,526) – are all legends in one way or another, so Burns is in rare air when it comes to NHL longevity.
What makes Burns’ 1,500-game achievement – that will happen Saturday night when the Avalanche take on the Dallas Stars – all the more impressive is the fact that Burns has played an intense, physical game his entire career. This is not a delicate flower of an athlete we’re talking about. Staying healthy and in the lineup night in and night out, year after year, in the grind of the industry for nearly a dozen seasons as a physical force is a major feat. Most of all, Burns has been a star player who made his opponents’ lives much tougher, and he’s been an impact player at both ends of the ice.
While you don’t have to lean completely on individual numbers when you’re discussing someone’s effectiveness as an elite player, it’s still a fact that Burns has generated 649 assists and 910 points in 1,499 games. That should tell you all you need to know about the all-around impact he’s had on the four teams he’s played for – the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes and Avalanche.
In his first two games with the Avs this year, Burns is averaging nearly 21 minutes a night (20:49, to be exact). But Father Time remains undefeated, so it’s undeniable that Burns might not be in the NHL much longer. This opportunity to win a Stanley Cup could be Burns’ last, best opportunity to win it all and cap off what is a Hockey Hall of Fame career.
Burns has already won a Norris Trophy as the league’s top blueliner. He’s also won a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. To think – this is a player who was converted from a forward to a defenseman in his first NHL season. Think of how difficult that transition had to be for Burns. Think of how your mindset has to change, and how you have to play even more responsibly when you’re a D-man. That’s what Burns went through and came out the other side with flying colors.
Thus, we believe that Burns is a Hockey Hall of Famer. He’s an excellent example of NHL longevity, excellent offensively, posting back-to-back seasons of 27 and 29 goals with the Sharks, as well as a 67-assist season for San Jose. He’s been stellar as a punishing player who'll make you pay a physical price for daring to keep the puck away from him.
Burns’ all-around impact is what’s made him so valuable for so many years, and he’s now got a golden opportunity with the Avs to finish up his playing days by hoisting a Cup next spring.
Burns wouldn’t be the first Hall of Famer who failed to run the competitive NHL gamut and retire as a Cup-winner, and if that’s how his career pans out, he wouldn’t be the last, either. But for more than 11 years, he’s answered the bell and skated out onto the ice to play an elite game each and every night in hockey’s best league.
Avalanche fans are going to celebrate his 1,500-game achievement Saturday, but the real party could be happening in Denver in this season’s post-season. And Burns could contribute offensively and defensively to give Colorado the extra push they need to win a Cup.
And if the Avs do win a championship, Burns will be thrilled to bookend his career with the championship he’s chased for more than two decades. Burns has been a high-impact player throughout his career, and that’s likely to be true of him again this season.
Winning a Cup would be a storybook finish to an unlikely success story, but Burns’s challenge is to do precisely that.
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Denver, Colo. - The first night of two this regular season have arrived. The Dallas Stars are in town for the first time since handing the Colorado Avalanche a first-round exit from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the return of the Stars comes the return of Mikko Rantanen, who played a big role - if not the biggest - in that playoff exit with a natural hat trick in Game 7.
Fear not, though, as there are many more storylines heading into tonight's game.
Roster Updates
Head Coach Jared Bednar began his press conference this morning by telling the media that Ilya Solovyov will be making his debut in burgundy and blue.
Ilya Solovyov is making his Avalanche debut tonight 👀🔥
With his debut comes bad news: Sam Girard will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Other than that change on defense, none of the forward lines will change for the Avalanche, meaning Zakhar Bardakov will be a healthy scratch once again, Parker Kelly will center the fourth line, and Gavin Brindley will get yet another look in the NHL.
With that said, Scott Wedgewood will occupy the crease again tonight for Colorado after an almost shutdown performance against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night.
Jake Oettinger will start in net for the Stars on the other side of the ice.
1,500 Games Played, What a Milestone
Only seven defensemen have ever gotten to the 1,500-game milestone in their careers. Tonight, Brent Burns will become the eighth.
"It's impressive to hit 1,000. Every game after that, it's a bonus, I'm sure. Now, he's at 1,500, it's hard to do, especially when you - they're not easy minutes that he plays. He's an older guy now... The streak he has of games he's played in a row. It's part of the reason he's been able to hit 1,500, to be able to play the way he does, as physically as he does, and to be able to stay healthy for as long as he has, it's amazing."
- Coach Bednar on Burns hitting 1,500 NHL games played
Burns was drafted by the Minnesota Wild back in 2003 (20th overall). Since then, he's played with the Wild, the San Jose Sharks, the Carolina Hurricanes, and now, the Colorado Avalanche.
In that span of time, Burns has tallied 910 points (261g/649a), taken a total of 4,057 shots, and collected 857 PIMs.
Bryan Rust, who missed the first two games of this season due to a lower-body injury he suffered during training camp, is set to play on Saturday after he was activated off injured reserve. He rejoined the team at practice this week and was at Saturday's morning skate with some of his teammates.
Fellow forward Ville Koivunen was assigned to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a corresponding move.
The Penguins have activated forward Bryan Rust from Injured Reserve.
Koivunen struggled on Sidney Crosby's line in the first two games of the season against the Rangers and Islanders, but showed some chemistry with top prospect Benjamin Kindel during the Islanders game when head coach Dan Muse moved him to the third line. Koivunen probably won't be down in WBS for long.
Rust is coming off a career season last year, finishing with a career-high 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games.
Puck drop for Saturday's game will be at 7 p.m. ET.
For the first time since last May the Jets left the ice of Canada Life Centre to the sound of their goal horn and Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me'.
Mark Scheifele scored twice, including the third period game-winner in the 3-2 victory, while Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves for the now 1-1-0 Jets on Saturday afternoon.
Alex Iafallo got things going for Winnipeg on an early first period power play. With Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi drawing the assists on the passing play, Iafallo found his first from the slot just 4:48 into the frame.
The 12:30 PM central start was more like a 10:30 AM start for the Kings, which came out of the gate a little sluggish. Three-straight penalties led to Winnipeg's opening goal, and quite a few more opportunities as the period wore on. The Jets finished the frame up 1-0 and leading 14-9 on the shot chart.
The second period, however, was a disaster.
A sloppy start led to an early marker from the visitors. A Mikey Anderson point shot found its way through Connor Hellebuyck from the point, knotting the game at ones just 50 seconds in.
Nine minutes later, Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar combined for a dazzler, with Kempe finishing off the passing play, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead at the game's midway point.
Winnipeg found itself in penalty trouble at times throughout the frame, leading to an onslaught of Kings chances. But with time winding down and the Kings having knotted up the shot tally, Mark Scheifele took matters into his own hands.
With Morgan Barron winning a defensive zone puck battle, he got the disc to Scheifele, who raced up ice, fending off a few checkers and tucked the puck past Darcy Kuemper and into the net, tying the game at twos with just 1:03 to go in the middle stanza.
“Bear was in a good spot, kind of forcing that guy in the middle to be in a tough spot," Scheifele said of the play. "Obviously, we kind of got a lucky bounce. Good play by Bear there. I was the lucky one to get lucky.”
Defenceman Haydn Fleury blocked a shot late in the second period on a Jets penalty kill and did not return to the game. He attempted to skate around after the second period but did not come out with the team for the their period. Thus, Winnipeg was down to five defencemen for the final frame, and Fleury's injury may a point of concern going forward.
With 8:13 to go in the frame, Scheifele potted his second of the game, giving Winnipeg its second lead, as he redirected a floater from the point off a Josh Morrissey writer. The goal gave the Jets a 3-2 lead.
“It was a good o-zone shift, I think, the defence included," Scheifele said of the game-winner. "We all supported the puck well, guys in the right spot. Obviously, JMo made a good shot. Just a good o-zone shift.”
Winnipeg killed off a late Neal Pionk penalty, then fended off a very late 6-on-4 man advantage with Tanner Pearson in the box for the final 17 seconds, handing the Kings their second loss in three games this season, and picking up their first victory in the process.
Hellebuyck turned aside 29 of the Kings' 31 shots on goal, while Kuemper made 24 stops on the 27 pucks fired his way by Winnipeg.
Next up for the Jets is a quick two-game road trip through the Eastern Conference. Winnipeg will face off against the New York Islanders on Tuesday at noon before heading to Philadelphia for a 6:00 PM central test against the Flyers.
As the Detroit Red Wings began their centennial season on Thursday evening, there was an aura of anticipation among the sellout crowd at Little Ceasars Arena - not just for the new campaign, but for the injection of youth into the lineup.
Rookies Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Emmitt Finnie, all of whom sufficiently impressed Detroit's management and coaching staff in Training Camp and pre-season play to earn a roster spot, appeared in their first NHL contest.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who tallied seven total points in pre-season play, was held off the scoresheet against the Montreal Canadiens but did register two shots on goal while skating on a line with J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp.
He also received a notable cheer from the fans during the special pre-game introductions, which he appreciated, though he said his focus remained on the upcoming task at hand.
"I mean, It means a lot," he said of the hearty reception from the sellout crowd. "But at that moment I couldn't really hear it because I was so focused on the game, and a little nervous."
"I appreciated it a lot."
While making his NHL debut could have felt like a daunting challenge, Brandsegg-Nygård said he wasn’t fazed by it. He felt like he belonged, but admitted it was a disappointing performance by the team as a whole in their frustrating 5-1 loss.
"I felt pretty good, it feels like I belong here almost. It wasn't too hard to play, but at the same time, the whole team could have done a better job. We lost 5-1, and even though we had a couple good chances, we gave up more."
Brandsegg-Nygård has developed a reputation throughout his young playing career as being a physical presence on the ice, something he plans on continuing on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It's always my mindset to play as hard as I can," he said. "Every time I start a game, everything else comes with that - the chances always come when you play harder. I'm just trying to play hard."
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