Throughout his first Training Camp as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Todd McLellan emphasized the importance of mental fortitude and responding the right way when things inevitably go wrong over the course of an 82-game season.

The Red Wings didn't live up to his message in their Home Opener on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens, surrendering five unanswered goals after taking an early 1-0 lead as part of a 5-1 setback.

Back at it Saturday vs. Toronto. pic.twitter.com/VwwjaYXokJ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 10, 2025

As the seconds ticked off the clock in the third period, there was a noticeable smattering of boos from the fans who hadn't already gotten a head start on the traffic. 

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Afterward, McLellan said that that reaction was deserved. 

"We earned the Bronx boos or whatever you want to call it, we earned those," McLellan said. "And it's up to us to fix it. If we just play fundamentally sound hockey, we wouldn't be putting ourselves in that situation. Until we get that down and get it back in it's box if you will, we'll have trouble winnings games." 

Several of the Canadiens goals were a result of the Red Wings not playing fundamentally sound hockey as McLellan alluded to.

Montreal generated several odd-man rushes in the opening 20 minutes, capitalizing first on a partial breakaway after a missed defensive assignment that led to a Zack Bolduc goal, then on a two-on-one rush where Oliver Kapanen converted off a pass from Alex Newhook.

Zachary Bolduc ties it up! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Cv9HqjkFMB

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 9, 2025

Oliver Kapanen scores AGAIN after getting his first NHL goal last night 👏 pic.twitter.com/0efZcMC5bX

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 9, 2025

After two more goals from the Canadiens in the second period, goaltender John Gibson, who was making his Red Wings debut after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in an offseason trade, was pulled in favor of Cam Talbot. 

Defenseman Moritz Seider explained that despite the messages from McLellan during Training Camp and the pre-season, they were unable to execute the way they wanted to against the Canadiens.

"We talked about it so many times during Camp, and we just couldn't find a way to prevent the chances and make it happen on the other side," Seider said. "It's kind of tough that way, but we just have to regroup. Obviously it's a long year, and hopefully it's just a bump in the road." 

The Red Wings will have their work cut out for them as they next face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night in what will be another raucous atmosphere at Little Caesars Arena. 

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Pittsburgh Penguins legendary forward Evgeni Malkin looked like a man possessed during the Penguins' 3-0 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday and carried that play into Thursday's game against the New York Islanders. 

He came into Thursday's game one point off from tying Mats Sundin for 30th on the NHL's all-time scoring list and ultimately passed him, thanks to a three-point performance. It looked like he opened the scoring in the first period before the goal was given to Rickard Rakell. Malkin got the assist on the goal and then dished out two more assists, including the game-winner in the third period.

Justin Brazeau scored his third goal in two games with less than six minutes remaining in the third period after 

Malkin now has 1,351 points, which is 30th on the NHL's all-time points list. He's only two away from tying Guy Lafleur for 29th on the all-time scoring list and three away from tying Brendan Shanahan for 28th. Malkin's five points in the first two games of a season are a career best.

The Penguins held on for a 4-3 victory over the Islanders and are 2-0-0 to start the 2025-26 season. Malkin will try and keep his hot start going on Saturday when the Rangers come to PPG Paints Arena.

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For the first time since 2019, the Nashville Predators are opening an 82-game regular season with a win at home.

The Predators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 2-1, on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, powered by a 35-plus save performance by Juuse Saros. Ryan O'Reilly scored the game-winning goal on the power play in the third period.

"Juice [Saros] was outstanding, and gave us a chance to win the game," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "I'm really proud of the group. It wasn't the smoothest water all the time, but we hung in there." 

Here are three things we saw in the season opening victory.  

Juuse Saros kept Predators close throughout

The Predators' offense struggled to get anything going through the majority of the game, but it was goaltender Saros who was able to give them a fighting chance throughout. 

Under a bit of a spotlight after a disappointing 24-25 season, Saros made 37 saves on 38 shots. In the second period, he had already faced nearly 30 shots. The goal allowed in the first period came off a play where the puck deflected off two Predator sticks before Dmitri Voronkov put it in.  

The Blue Jackets also had a goal called back at the end of the second period after it was reviewed, as Saros had been interfered with. 

The called-back goal played into what Brunette said he wanted to help Saros with in clearing out space in front of the net. He said the Predators didn't "help" Saros last season, but did in the win over Columbus. 

I never lost confidence in him [last season] and I didn't think we helped him. 
Today, we help him [Saros]; he needs to see the puck to be effective," Brunette said. "We've got to clean the porch in front of the net a little bit better. Even though we're not quite there, it was a good step in the right direction." 

While the Predators likely don't want anyone to be carrying them, Saros gave them a fighting chance the entire night, allowing them to walk away with a win. The pressure may be just what he needed to get back into form. 

"Juice [Saros] was unbelievable tonight," O'Reilly said. "He was our best player by far, especially when they [Columbus] had momentum, and he made big stops to calm it down for us." 

Predators' offense still settling in 

Nashville's offense wasn't electric, but did enough to pick up the win. 

"It was a little bit of a difficult opener. Two teams that don't play the cleanest hockey," Filip Forsberg said. "They were better for two, but I thought in the third period we played really well. We got a big power play goal and obviously dominated the rest of the match." 

It went 1-for-4 on the power play, with O'Reilly scoring the lone special teams goal on an opportunity that he really created for himself in front of the net.

He got a feed from high to low from Forsberg and backhanded it in, opening up Jet Greaves off an individual stick-handling effort. 

"The PP [power play] needed to step up and get a big goal," O'Reilly said. "We won some battles there. You could feel all the [penalty] killers moving up and I knew I had time to make a move. I tried to get it from the middle, move up and make a move in front of the net." 

Michael Bunting scored the Predators' first goal of the season, which he scored off his own rebound. Bunting's original shot was saved, bounced off two Blue Jacket players, came back to him, and he scored on the second chance. 

Playing with a handful of new players on new lines, the offense hasn't yet found its identity, let alone individual lines. The Jonathan Marchessault, Erik Haula and Bunting trio looked the best,  as they've found a bit of chemistry in the preseason. 

However, the Predators were chasing a 10-shot deficit throughout the game, with Saros having to do most of the heavy work in the first two periods. 

Brady Martin has decent debut 

While the Predators' 18-year-old center, Brady Martin, didn't record his first NHL point, he held his own on the top line with Forsberg and O'Reilly. 

Martin logged 12:44 minutes of ice time on 14 shifts, won 42% of faceoffs and had a shot block. At the same time, he was on the ice for the Voronkov goal and gave away the puck twice. 

"It was a hard game, and he's [Martin] kind of against their best players," Brunette said. "He hung in there like, he has all camp, found a way to get through it and to make a few plays. It's a great learning experience." 

It was still a good start for the fifth overall pick. He was utilized not just in the top six, but on the Predators' power play as well. Whether the Predators would like to keep him in Nashville past the nine games, Martin is still getting critical experience. 

"It's tough coming into the league as an 18-year-old with NHL players that have been here for awhile," Martin said. "I think I held my own and I'm hoping for better games to come." 

Milwaukee call-ups Joakim Kemmel and Adam Wilsby also cracked the Predators' opening night roster. Kemmel skated on the second line with Steven Stamkos and Fedor Svechkov. Wilsby was on the first pairing with Roman Josi. 

Ozzy Wiesblatt was a healthy scratch as Tyson Jost took the fourth line, right wing position. Nick Blankenburg was also a healthy scratch. 

The Philadelphia Flyers suffered a rather uneventful 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in their season opener Thursday night, and it was a performance fans aren't going to want to see often.

Indeed, the Flyers did well to keep the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Panthers within their reach the entire night, but the Panthers were still without captain Sasha Barkov and superstar winger Matthew Tkachuk.

As for the Flyers, the difference, quite frankly, was the lack of discipline and execution. This was not a banner start to the Rick Tocchet era in Philadelphia.

Here's the simple math: the Flyers were 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Panthers were 1-for-5. In other words, the Flyers forked out momentum in the form of five penalties (two came from Christian Dvorak), and the Panthers opened the scoring at the top of the second period and gave themselves some life.

Despite the loss, the hero for the Flyers was undoubtedly goalie Dan Vladar, who made his Flyers debut and dropped a masterful performance, stopping 32 of 34 shots (.941) and staking his claim to the starter's role.

NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Badly Need Defensive UpgradesThe Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly scouring the NHL trade market for much-needed defensive reinforcements, but which players are actually going to be worth their while?

Many, included myself, expected Sam Ersson to start the Flyers off in goal this season. That could still happen when they play their home opener in a rematch against Florida on Monday, but if Vladar can play with any kind of consistency, it might just be his job to lose.

As for the defense, it could be a long year, especially given that we're starting off with an injury to Cam York.

Neither Noah Juulsen nor Nick Seeler picked up Anton Lundell on his 1-0 power play goal, and Juulsen screened, and allowed A.J. Greer to screen, Vladar on Brad Marchand's game-winning goal early in the third period.

The Flyers, of course, only scored one goal, courtesy of Noah Cates, while Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov each played fewer than 16 minutes. The only forwards who played less than them were Owen Tippett, Rodrigo Abols, Garnet Hathaway, and Nick Deslauriers.

So, the fourth line barely played, and the Flyers' two most talented forwards still didn't see a lot of ice despite trailing for most of the game.

Speaking of the fourth line, Abols and Deslauriers combined to play 15 minutes, while Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko were healthy scratches.

It remains to be seen if Tocchet is willing to learn and adjust early in the season, but Flyers fans won't be thrilled with that development.

Fortunately, the goaltending, which has bedeviled the Flyers for years, got off to a hot start thanks to a monster performance from Vladar on Thursday night.

The Flyers will be back in action on Saturday night, when they face the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., at 7 p.m.

PITTSBURGH, PA -- The New York Islanders fell 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins to open up their regular season.

Deadlocked at 3-3, Justin Brazeau scored the game-winner at 5:39 of the third period to win the game for Pittsburgh. 

Matthew Schaefer and Maxim Shabanov both found the scoresheet in their NHL debuts, with the No. 1 overall pick finding Jonathan Drouin in the high slot to tie the game at 1-1 at 12:02 of the first:

Drouin from Schaefer.

First #Isles 🚨 for Drouin. (Thank you @walsha )

First Schaefer NHL 🍎 in his first NHL game. pic.twitter.com/xdfcVXev2N

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) October 9, 2025

With the assist, Sschaefer became the youngest player in NHL history to record a point in his NHL debut. Here's our story on that:

Islanders No. 1 Pick Matthew Schaefer Becomes Youngest Player To Record Point In NHL DebutPITTSBURGH, PA -- During the New York Islanders’ season opener on Thursday, 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL point, marking an early milestone for the young defenseman. 

Kyle Palmieri added a snipe at 4:04 of the second, with Shabanov's goal coming at 19:19 of the second off a glorious feed from Simon Holmstrom:

Shabanov 1st NHL Goal #isles 

Scoring your first NHL goal from one knee is next level! pic.twitter.com/y5wI3epg1p

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) October 10, 2025

The power play went 0-for-3 while the penalty kill improved as the game went on, but ultimately finished 3-for-5.

Here's my thoughts: 

The New York Rangers secured their first win of the season on Thursday night, defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-0. 

During their season opener on Tuesday, the Rangers came out flat, as it carried on for the remainder of the contest. 

They learned from their mistakes in Buffalo and came firing on all cylinders, literally. 

The Rangers were unafraid to shoot the puck, getting the puck to the net as often as possible, and it translated to 16 shots through the first 20 minutes. 

Alexis Lafrenière’s goal gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead after the first period of play. 

“We obviously had way more energy to start,” Mike Sullivan said. “I thought from an energy standpoint, the guys felt a lot better for whatever reason. I think that’s where it started… I thought the start of the game might have been the best period we’ve played since training camp started.”

When the Sabres began to push back in the second period, it was Igor Shesterkin who came to the rescue. 

The 29-year-old goalie made multiple key saves throughout the second period and the entire game to allow the Rangers to hold their narrow lead.

Shesterkin finished the night with a 36-save shutout. 

“It sure is nice,” Sullivan said about having Shesterkin on his side. “He’s a world-class goalie. He’s one of the very best. He makes really hard saves look routine sometimes, and we certainly don’t take that for granted.”

The Blueshirts settled down in the third period and got goals from Carson Soucy, J.T. Miller, and Adam Fox to secure the victory. 

One aspect of the game Sullivan values is heavy forechecking from his forwards. 

Sullivan’s forechecking philosophy was on full display from the Rangers against the Sabres, as it appears his message is rubbing off on the players. 

“I think we are built in that element of our game,” Sullivan said of the team’s forechecking. “That’s among the things our coaching staff looked at coming into this season, and trying to get what we would call a grind game. I just think it’s an important aspect of today’s NHL. 

Vincent Trocheck Exits Game Against Sabres After Suffering Upper-Body InjuryVincent Trocheck exited the New York Rangers’ Thursday night game against the Buffalo Sabres and ultimately did not return. 

“It’s how you control territory, how you control momentum. You force teams to have to expend energy defending you. There are so many elements and you can manufacture offense on top of it. I just think it’s such an important element of today’s game. Just a team that is able to play on top of their opponents and control momentum that way. We are built on that, we are getting better at it. We have a long way to go but I think our intentions are in the right spot.” 

Unfortunately for the Rangers, Vincent Trocheck left the game early after suffering an upper-body injury, and he did not return. 

During his postgame interview, Sullivan confirmed Trocheck is currently being evaluated, but he didn’t provide many other details. 

Sullivan was able to capture his first win as the Rangers’ head coach, and he expressed his gratitude to have gotten this special opportunity. 

“It’s humbling,” Sullivan said on winning his first game with the Rangers. “It’s an incredible honor to be the coach of the New York Rangers. It’s a franchise that has such history to it. For me it’s just a privilege that I don’t take for granted. I’m excited about the group of players that we have here. 

“There’s been a certain enthusiasm on the team that has been really rewarding from a coaching standpoint. It’s tangible, we can feel it. We get the first win, it means a lot to me, J.T. (Miller) gave me the game puck, which was nice.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Boston Bruins in overtime by a final score of 4-3. Although they weren't perfect, particularly in the third period, they stayed close to the Bruins and earned their first standings point of the season. 

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead just 3:53 into the opening frame, but Connor Bedard scored his first goal of the season less than five minutes later. Colton Dach took a huge hit to make a play, which led to Andre Burakovsky making a perfect pass to Bedard for the one-timer.  

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XCB98 first goal of the season✔️

After that score held through the first intermission, the Blackhawks took the lead with Louis Crevier's first goal of the season. Right before the game, the Blackhawks called an audible with their lineup. They went 11/7 and added Crevier to the lineup while scratching Sam Lafferty. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xanother first goal of the season‼️

With one less forward dressed, they had to double shift Connor Bedard, who assisted on this Crevier goal while playing with the fourth line. That one lineup decision played a huge role in this tally.

Eventually, a goal by Tanner Jeannot tied the game for the Bruins, which was taken to the second intermission. With an early third-period power play, Elias Lindholm scored to give the Bruins the lead back just 15 seconds into the final frame. 

A tick over two minutes later, Andre Burakovsky scored his first goal in a Blackhawks sweater to tie the game back up one more time. Despite a tough go for the Blackhawks throughout the rest of the period, including lots of power play time for the Bruins, this 3-3 knot earned each team that initial standings point with a trip to overtime. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xthings we love to see🤩

On the Burakovsky goal, Artyom Levshunov earned one of the assists (Frank Nazar earned the other). Although Levshunov has had a tough start to the season with penalties and defensive miscues, he needs to find points when he can get them. 

In overtime, there were a ton of chances for both teams, but Arvid Soderblom and Joonas Korpisalo stood tall. One save, in particular, was highlight-reel as Korpisalo absolutely robbed Frank Nazar after Sam Rinzel made a brilliant play to set him up. The Bruins eventually took the game with an overtime winner scored by Fraser Minten. 

This game was an example of the Blackhawks being young and less talented than their opponent, but certain players kept them in the game. Connor Bedard's breakout game and big plays by guys like Andre Burakovsky and Frank Nazar played a role in the team getting the point, but they were still outshot and out-chanced throughout. 

In the net, Arvid Soderblom was fine. He didn't stand on his head quite like Spencer Knight did against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, but he was good enough to win. He made 29 saves on 33 shots, and one of them was the 3-on-3 winner for the Bruins. 

During the game, Jason Dickinson left the game and didn't return. Head coach Jeff Blashill did not have an update after the game. Losing him would be a big loss for their bottom six as he plays well in all three zones, with emphasis on defense. 

That's it for the Blackhawks on the road to begin the season. They will now come home for their home opener, which will begin the celebration of their centennial season. The Montreal Canadiens will be in town for a Saturday night Original Six matchup. 

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The Detroit Red Wings have seen it all through 100 years of history in the National Hockey League, and have delivered multiple cherished memories for their legions of fans across the world. 

Unfortunately, their Home Opener on Thursday evening was not a moment that they'll want to remember. 

The Montreal Canadiens took the life out of the sold-out Little Caesars Arena by scoring five unanswered goals as part of a 5-1 victory, dropping the Red Wings to an 0-1 record in the first of 82 games. 

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After team captain Dylan Larkin buried an early power-play goal, the Canadiens took advantage of multiple defensive miscues by the Red Wings, scoring three goals in the first period, including a back-breaker with just six seconds left in the opening frame to extend their lead to 3-1. 

Another quick two goals in the second period spelled the end of the night for goaltender John Gibson, who was pulled in his Red Wings debut after allowing five goals on 13 shots against. For the second consecutive Home Opener, Cam Talbot was forced into action from the bench.

Gibson made a pair of spectacular saves in the first period during a Canadiens power-play chance, but was largely left unsupported by his teammates, particularly on Montreal's first and second goals, both of which were the result of broken defensive coverage. 

It was also a particularly forgettable Red Wings debut for defenseman Travis Hamonic, who finished with a team-worst -3 rating.

He was eventually moved from his initial pairing with Albert Johansson and paired with Ben Chiarot, while Johansson was moved to playing alongside Moritz Seider. 

"Super Honored": Emmitt Finnie Grateful For Opportunity With Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are set to begin their centennial campaign with a matchup on Thursday evening against the historic Original Six rival Montreal Canadiens, and while this campaign will be all about the franchise celebrating a full century in Motor City, there are several youngsters being introduced into the institution that is Red Wings hockey. 

The Red Wings are now 0-1 in divisional play, and will be particularly frustrated at how quickly things unraveled against a team that they're expected to battle with for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Next up are the Toronto Maple Leafs, who began their own schedule with a 5-2 victory over the Canadiens on Wednesday. 

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Justin Brazeau beat Ilya Sorokin on a breakaway with 5:39 left to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins past the New York Islanders 4-3 on Thursday night.

Brazeau collected a lead pass from Evgeni Malkin, then deked his way by a sprawled Sorokin as the Penguins won for the second time in as many games under first-year coach Dan Muse.

Malkin finished with a goal and two assists, while Sidney Crosby added a goal and an assist.

Crosby’s second-period tally from one knee at the top of the crease gave him 626 goals in his career, broke a tie with Hall of Famers Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic, and moved Crosby into 16th-place by himself on the NHL’s career list.

Pittsburgh rookie Harrison Brunicke became the first South African to score in the NHL when he beat Sorokin between the legs in the second period. Tristan Jarry finished with 34 saves, including a couple of key stops in the frantic final seconds.

Jonathan Drouin, Kyle Palmieri, and rookie Max Shabanov scored for the Islanders. Sorokin stopped 24 shots.

Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the top overall pick in this year’s draft, picked up the first point of his career when the 18-year-old set up a knuckler from the slot by Drouin just past the midway point of the opening period.

Schaefer, who had around 30 friends and family in the stands, played 17:15 while becoming the second youngest defenseman to make his NHL debut in the last 70 years. Schaefer hardly looked out of place and showcased his dazzling speed on a handful of occasions while racing through the neutral zone to jump into the play.

Up next

Islanders: Host Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in their home opener on Saturday.

Penguins: Welcome former coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby continues to surpass NHL all-time greats and chase records by the day.

And he tied yet another all-time great on yet another all-time list on Thursday.

With his assist on Evgeni Malkin's first-period power play goal against the New York Islanders, Crosby tied Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman for ninth on the NHL's all-time assists list with 1,063. Next up for Crosby would be Adam Oates at 1,079.

Crosby, 38, is also approaching another big record this season, as he is just 34 points shy of tying franchise legend Mario Lemieux for the Penguins' all-time lead in points at 1,723. 

The longtime Penguins' captain already tied Yzerman for another NHL record this season, as Crosby became the longest-tenured captain in NHL history at 19 years.

Penguins' New Top Defensive Pairing Could Be Hidden GemThere are a lot of new faces populating the Pittsburgh Penguins' roster this season, especially on the left side of the Penguins' blue line. 

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The Ottawa Senators opened the 2025–26 season on Thursday night with an impressive 5-4 comeback victory on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Senators rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, with Shane Pinto leading the charge. Pinto scored the equalizer in the second, the go-ahead goal in the third, and then his hard work along the boards set up a Claude Giroux empty-netter, which turned out to be the game-winner.

It was a fiery start to the season, as the teams combined for 36 penalty minutes and two fights in a chippy first period. Just over two minutes into the game, the heavyweights got involved in an old-school, staged fight. The teams’ new enforcers, Kurtis MacDermid and the towering 6-foot-9 Curtis Douglas. That scrap set the tone for what turned into a heated first period.

After a holding call on Dylan Cozens, Tampa Bay opened the scoring at the 5:35 mark with a power-play goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand. 85 seconds later, Brayden Point used Nikolas Matinpalo as a screen and snapped one past Linus Ullmark to make it 2–0.

Midway through the second, Ottawa got a power play of their own and capitalized. Cozens redeemed himself with a one-timer from the top of the circle that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to cut the lead to 2–1.

However, another costly holding penalty—this time to David Perron—put the Senators back on the kill. Nikita Kucherov made them pay, dancing into the high slot and ripping a wrist shot past Ullmark to restore Tampa’s two-goal lead.

Early in the second, Artem Zub cut the lead again with a soft wrist shot from the blue line that fooled Vasilevskiy, going off the post, then off the back of the goalie and in. Fabian Zetterlund didn’t get a point on the play but provided a perfect screen in front.

Zub continued to show some offensive mojo with several more shots in the second period. He also set up Ottawa’s third goal with a long stretch pass to Shane Pinto, who broke in and beat Vasilevskiy five-hole to tie the game at 3.

The third was more of a chess match as the teams, at times, almost seemed content to ride the game in overtime. But Jake Sanderson had other ideas. He sprinted up the left wing, then cut hard and aggressively to the net. The rebound spilled out to Pinto who smacked in the rebound with 1:47 to go.

After Giroux's empty netter, the Lighting drew to within one on Kucherov's second goal with 14 seconds to play but Ottawa hung on to close it out for their first victory of the new season.

Pinto, Zub, and Brady Tkachuk each enjoyed three point nights. Sanderson had two assists and led all Senators in ice time (23:10) and a team-best plus 3. For those pining for more 5-on-5 goals, the Sens accommodated with 4. The Sens outshot the Lightning 34-25.

"Yeah, really great road game," Green told the media. "You know, the last two periods we checked well, created a lot of chances. Great way to start the year.

The Senators' next game is on Saturday night when they visit the Florida Panthers, the two-time Stanley Cup champions.

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The Florida Panthers continued their season-opening homestand on Thursday night when they welcomed the Philadelphia Flyers to Sunrise.

Similarly to Opening Night, this game was a tightly contested matchup featuring the defending champion Panthers and a young Flyers squad looking to get their season off on the right foot.

Philly put up a good fight, but ultimately it was the Panthers skating off with a 2-1 victory on home ice.

Things started out with the Cats and Flyers skating to a scoreless opening period.

Despite each team being called for a pair of minor penalties, goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky for the Panthers and Dan Vladar for the Flyers stood tall, combining to stop all 19 shots the two teams put up.

The first power play of the second period went to Florida, and they made the Flyers pay.

Evan Rodrigues spotted Anton Lundell streaking down the slot and found him with a perfect pass, and Lundell quickly deposited the puck behind Vladar’s blocker to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 5:29 mark.

About midway through the period, Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov left the ice in pain after appearing to miss on a hit, going into the boards in the neutral zone awkwardly.

He appeared to be clutching his right arm or wrist as he skated off and did not return to the game after that.

Philadelphia tied the game late in the middle frame right off a faceoff in Florida’s end of the ice.

Noah Cates won the draw and went straight to the net, popping home the rebound off a Tyson Forester shot to send the game into the third period knotted at one.

It didn’t take long once the final frame began for the Panthers to re-take the lead.

Brad Marchand skated to a loose puck along the half boards in the Flyers zone and quickly sent a wrist shot past a screened Vladar and into the top corner of the net to restore Florida’s one-goal lead.

That’s all the help Bobrovsky would need, finishing with 19 saves while earning his second win in as many tries.

On to the Senators.

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Three Takeaways: Florida's penalty kill starts strong, Spencer Knight looks great in return to Sunrise

Photo caption: Oct 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates with center Evan Rodrigues (17) after scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Connor Bedard created plenty of offensive chances during the Chicago Blackhawks' first game of the 2025-26 season against the Florida Panthers. However, the Blackhawks' young star was held off the scoresheet during Chicago's season opener against the reigning Stanley Cup champs. 

Yet, Bedard changed things on that front during the Blackhawks' Oct. 9 contest against the Boston Bruins, as he scored his first goal of the season. It was a very nice one, too. 

After receiving a great feed from Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky in front, Bedard one-timed it past Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo with a fantastic slap shot.

Connor Bedard gets his first of the season off an absolute ROCKET! 🚀 #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/PDLPFqslvF

— NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2025

There is no question that Bedard has a nice shot, and he undoubtedly showed it off on this play. It was a great way for the 2023 first-overall pick to get his first of the campaign, and it will be interesting to see how he builds off it from here. 

PITTSBURGH, PA -- During the New York Islanders’ season opener on Thursday, 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer scored his first NHL point, marking an early milestone for the young defenseman. 

After going down 1-0 early in the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders got a much-needed boost from Schaefer.

After making an important zone entry, Schaefer dished the puck to winger and fellow new Islander Johnathan Drouin, who shot it past Tristan Jarry to tie the game at 1-1.

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XDrouin from Schaefer. First #Isles 🚨 for Drouin. (Thank you @walsha ) First Schaefer NHL 🍎 in his first NHL game.

Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history (18 years, 34 days) to record a point in his league debut.

Per @AlanFuehring, Schaefer becomes the young player in NHL history to record a point in his NHL debut. #Isles

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 9, 2025

Schaefer played 6:56 in the first period, recording an assist and one takeaway. 

Kai Russell contributed to this story. 

Flyers struggle for offense as Tocchet era starts with loss to Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers’ season-opening magic came to an end Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

Rick Tocchet’s club started the 2025-26 campaign with a 2-1 loss to the Panthers. It marked the Flyers’ first regulation defeat in a season opener since 2014-15. The team was 8-0-2 in its previous 10 season openers.

Tocchet, a Flyers Hall of Famer, was working his first game in his return to the organization as its head coach.

Noah Cates scored the club’s lone goal, which drew the Flyers even at 1-1 heading into second intermission.

When the Flyers went back down one in the third period, Travis Konecny had a golden opportunity to tie it with under eight and a half minutes left. But the Flyers’ top offensive threat misfired along the goal line.

The Flyers were without top-pair defenseman Cam York, who is day to day because of a lower-body issue. Also on the back end, as expected, Rasmus Ristolainen remained out as he recovers from surgery on a second triceps tendon rupture.

Florida, the two-time defending champs, improved to 2-0-0 despite missing Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner, is out long term with a knee injury, while Tkachuk, a two-time 40-or-more goal scorer, has a groin injury.

• Dan Vladar got the call between the pipes and converted 32 saves on 34 shots in his Flyers debut.

He had 24 saves on 25 shots by the end of the second period.

The Panthers’ game-winning goal came on a Brad Marchand shot from distance. Vladar looked like he never saw it as the puck whizzed by his shoulder.

Other than that, Vladar was real solid. The first goal he allowed was on Florida’s third of five power play opportunities. Anton Lundell scored on a quick shot from the circle in the middle stanza.

The Flyers’ decision to start Vladar in the opener may have been somewhat surprising, but Danny Briere did allude to an open competition after he signed the 28-year-old.

“He has a chance to become our No. 1, depending on how he plays, how our other guys play,” the Flyers’ general manager said in July. “And one thing at the end of the year, when I met with our group of goalies, I told them, ‘You have to be ready at training camp.’ I said, ‘This wasn’t good enough last season, we’re probably going to go out and bring in some reinforcements, and you’re going to be in a battle, all of you guys.'”

Vladar had a better goals-against average and save percentage in the preseason than Samuel Ersson, so the Flyers rewarded him.

Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 of the Flyers’ 20 shots.

• Offseason additions Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak combined for three penalties and one shot.

The Flyers will want Zegras to be more aggressive offensively.

• Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko, two of the Flyers’ youngsters up front, were healthy scratches.

It’s not uncommon for coaches to lean toward a veteran lineup on opening night. Tocchet did that on the road against a physical team with championship pedigree.

But the Flyers don’t want to make a habit of sitting young players. And considering how much they struggled to find offense Thursday night, you’d think at least one of their kids will get a look in Game 2 of the season.

Grebenkin, a 22-year-old winger, could give them a lift. He gets after the puck and can complement talent.

• The Flyers are back in action Saturday when they visit the Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).