Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: Erik Karlsson #65 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shoots and scores during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Winnipeg Jets (1-0-1, 4th place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2-0-0, 1st place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:30 p.m. eastern
How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, Sportsnet+ up in Canada, out-of-market streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: Up next for the Penguins will be two road games against division opponent, Washington on Wednesday and then Columbus on Friday, then they’ll quickly return home to meet Dallas at PPG Paints on Saturday night.
Opponent Track: The Jets took a 3-0 lead yesterday afternoon in Detroit and were able to hold onto a 3-2 victory. Kyle Conner scored twice and old friend Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots in the win. Winnipeg lost to Boston in OT in their first game of the season last week. After tonight the Jets return back home and have the Colorado Avalanche headed to the ’Peg for a Wednesday night game.
Season Series: The Pens get the pleasure of taking their trip to Winnipeg on February 21st to enjoy the Manitoban winter. In 2025-26, the Pens went 1-1 against the Jets – winning at home (5-4 shootout) and losing on the road.
Hidden Stat: At PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh is 21-3-0 in their last 24 matchups against the Winnipeg franchise dating back to Mar. 24, 2007.
Hidden Stat 2.0: Evgeni Malkin is just the second 40-year-old in NHL history to score in each of his team’s first two games of a season, alongside Gordie Howe (2 GP in 1968-69), per Pens PR.
Getting to know the Jets
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Cole Perfetti
Isak Rosén — Viggo Bjorck — Gabriel Vilardi
Morgan Barron — Adam Lowry — Brad Lambert
Nino Niederreiter — Vladislav Namestnikov — Alex Iafallo
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey / Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg / Neal Pionk
Mario Ferraro / Tyrel Bauer
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson
Potential scratches: Jack St. Ivany, Cole Koepke, Haydn Fleury
Suspended: Connor Hellebuyck (failure to report to team)
It’s easy to feel bad for the Jets players and fans after their best player, three-time Vezina winner and 2024-25 Hart trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck chose the nuclear option of not reporting to play and will sit out without pay until he can be traded. Hellebuyck requested a trade earlier in the year, at first privately then very publicly later on to make his stance clear that he doesn’t want to play for the Jets again, despite signing a seven-year extension in 2023.
We’ll get a first look at Bjorck, an 18-year old drafted eighth overall in June. Bjorck is one of five 2026 draftees who have stuck on an NHL roster out of training camp and still looking for his first career point.
Former Penguin Jack St. Ivany made the Jets out of camp after a summer trade had him switch organizations. St. Ivany has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season, falling behind 24-year old Bauer for playing time. Bauer made his NHL debut at the start of the season after spending four seasons in the AHL. Bauer might be a problem, he’s gotten into two fights in his two career NHL games. Yesterday against Detroit, Bauer threw a big hit on Detroit’s J.T Compher then dropped Keegan Kolesar in a fight.
There haven’t been any lineup changes or switches yet for the Jets. That could change today, being as Stuart Skinner played yesterday. Backup Clay Stevenson was claimed off waivers from Washington. Stevenson, 27, only has five career NHL games under his belt, though he has been one of the better goalies in the AHL over the past four seasons and is finally getting an NHL opportunity handed to him.
Kyle Conner (five points in two games) is hot, it’s only two games but Mark Scheifele (zero points so far) is not. Pretty wild considering they play on the same line. Scheifele’s probably happy to see Pittsburgh come up on the schedule, he has 23 career points (9G+14A) in 23 games historically against the Pens.
Nice to see Skinner start out pretty well. He was well-liked in Pittsburgh and moves onto a team of his choosing in free agency. Given his career highs and lows it will be interesting to see where his path takes him from here.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Hendrix Lapierre
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Filip Hallander
DEFENSEMEN
Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov
Potential Scratches: Ville Koivunen, Elmer Soderblom, Ilya Solovyov
IR: Ryan Graves, Justin Brazeau, Bryan Rust
The Pens were off yesterday, we’ll see how the deck might reset today at the morning skate for any changes to last game’s lineup. The team is deep enough now that someone like Koivunen who scored in the first game didn’t get a sweater for the second due to forwards returning.
The two lowest forwards for icetime from last game were Hallander and Lapierre, which might signal who the next players to rotate out could be. One might have to make way in the near future, since Bryan Rust was at practice in a regular jersey on Saturday.
Could today be the start for Murashov? Given the schedule it could be coming up soon and a home game against a team that isn’t expected to be a powerhouse (and is also on the back half of a back-to-back) sure sounds like a great spot to start a season for a young goalie.
Offense from the defense
The blueline has been making an impact on the scoreboard early on in the season for the Penguins.
ELMONT, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Nico Daws #50 of the New Jersey Devils looks on during the first period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on October 03, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
The Devils followed up the excitement of the season’s first game with a real dud on Saturday against the Islanders. New York took a 6-0 win. Sheldon Keefe: “I mean, if you could sum it up by just saying that we were playing preseason hockey against a team that was probably playing February-type hockey. They played at another level today that we haven’t seen. And, I guess you’d say we failed that stress test.” [Devils NHL]
Which players look poised to break out this season? (Seems like there’s a notable name left off this list.) [The Athletic ($)]
“Our 10-person panel of voters was tasked with grading each goalie’s true ability, regardless of situation. The panel is comprised of eight goalie coaches (current and former NHL coaches, and private coaches who work with NHLers) and two recently retired NHL goalies who have played with and against many of the goalies on the list. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to encourage honesty and participation.” [The Athletic ($)]
“In a game where we play a lot of probabilities and take some chances, this is the most we’ve seen it happen off the ice. GMs have gone on offence, and they’re just hoping for it to bounce their way. They might want to ask their coaches how they feel about playing ‘hope’ hockey.” [Sportsnet]
Condolences to the family of Lyle Odelein:
Lyle Odelein, a 16-year NHL veteran, Stanley Cup champion and the first captain in Columbus Blue Jackets history, has passed away from a heart attack. He was 58 years old. pic.twitter.com/oXvPrWuTEK
Jack Kent Cooke stands outside an under-construction Forum in Inglewood on Nov. 7, 1967. Cooke was convinced he could make hockey work in L.A. (Harold Filan / Associated Press)
When the Kings play the Florida Panthers in the home opener of their 60th anniversary Tuesday, Alan Rothenberg expects to be watching from home.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I hate going to games. I guess I’m showing my age,” said Rothenberg, who, at 87, is more spry and active than many people who have had half as many birthdays.
What matters is that Rothenberg was at the Kings’ first home opener, a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers before 7,023 people — and 4,000 empty seats — at the Long Beach Convention Center in 1967. As vice president and general counsel for Jack Kent Cooke, the visionary owner who brought hockey to L.A., Rothenberg was responsible for selling his boss’s vision to a wary public.
Alan Rothenberg speaks during an event in Miami on Nov. 12, 2025. (Eva Marie Uzcategui / Getty Images)
Cooke, a Canadian, thought hockey would be an easy sell in Southern California. Instead he was surprised by the early apathy.
“I was told there were a quarter-million ex-Canadians in L.A.,” he said at the time. “Now I know why they left Canada. They hate hockey.”
Rothenberg, a Detroit native who grew up watching the great Red Wings teams of Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio that led Detroit to multiple Stanley Cup Final appearances, had no doubt the sport would catch on eventually. So he’s not surprised it’s thriving in L.A. six decades later.
“I guess maybe I was biased having come from ‘Hockeytown,’” he said. “I knew the popularity of the sport. People were skeptical because it was considered not to be a hot-weather sport.
“But no, it’s just a great sport. It took a little bit to get it going.”
He was right. The Kings, who had trouble giving away tickets at first, sold out 297 consecutive games at Staples Center during a span when they won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014. The franchise has played a central role in changing the geography of the NHL.
Jack Kent Cooke's wife, Barbara Jean Carnegie, with an assist from actor Lorne Greene, takes part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Forum on Dec. 31, 1967. (George Brich / Associated Press)
This season — one the Kings opened with road losses to Colorado and San José — more than a third of the league’s franchises will play in warm, sunny climates such as Anaheim, Las Vegas, Nashville and Dallas, where snow is something you see on Christmas cards, not your driveway. Six of the last seven Stanley Cup champions and 10 of the 14 finalists are based in the Sun Belt or the desert while a Canadian team hasn’t won in 33 years.
The roots of that revolution were first planted in that warm soil by Cooke, who died in 1997, and Rothenberg six decades ago.
“After two or three years it was catching on,” Rothenberg remembered. “The thing that I did know about hockey — and it’s still the case, historically — they did not have as broad of an audience as other sports. But much deeper. Hockey fans are just so passionate about it.”
In addition to the Long Beach Arena, the Kings played home games at the Sports Arena and the Forum that first season, averaging more than 8,000 fans a game. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Minnesota North Stars, a team that would eventually follow the sun to Dallas, where it relocated in 1993.
Cooke sold the Kings to Jerry Buss after 12 seasons and eight trips to the postseason, then Bruce McNall bought out Buss in 1988. Six months later, he traded for Wayne Gretzky. The Kings never looked back and Sportico values the team, owned by global sports and entertainment producer AEG, at $3.33 billion, fourth-highest in the 32-team league. The Kings are the only team in the top six that isn’t an “Original Six” franchise and the only team in the top 11 from a warm-weather city.
Dustin Brown celebrates following the Kings' first Stanley Cup win in June 2012. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Rothenberg would go on to become one of the most consequential sports executives in U.S. history, helping the Lakers acquire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and negotiating the trade that would eventually bring Magic Johnson to L.A., setting the foundation for the Showtime era.
He was also instrumental in helping organize the 1984 Olympics, 1994 World Cup and 1999 Women’s World Cup — three of the most successful international sporting events ever — and was president of U.S. Soccer when MLS was established. The league, with 30 teams, has since grown into the largest first-tier league in the world.
Each of those accomplishments changed the face of sports in this country. But for an old Red Wings supporter from Hockeytown, getting the Kings on the ice for the first time may still be his favorite achievement.
“In terms of fandom, that was it,” he said. “It was great.”
The Dallas Stars haven't had much go their way to start the season, and they're doing it without one of their most familiar names.
Dallas opened with a 4-0 home loss to the St. Louis Blues before falling 2-1 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. They're 0-2, and Matt Duchene hasn't been available for either game.
The former Colorado Avalanche forward is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during training camp. He'll miss at least 10 games.
For Colorado, Duchene's situation is worth keeping an eye on.
He was the No. 3 overall pick by the Avalanche in 2009 and spent parts of nine seasons with the organization. By the time Colorado traded him to Ottawa in 2017, Duchene had appeared in more than 587 games for the franchise.
He's obviously a different player now.
Duchene turns 36 in January, but he showed he could still produce at a high level during the 2024-25 season. He played all 82 games for Dallas and led the Stars with 30 goals and 52 assists for 82 points.
That was the third 30-goal season of his career.
Last year was much tougher.
Duchene missed 25 games after suffering a vestibular concussion on a hard hit from Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton. He later described it as the hardest injury he'd had to recover from.
He still managed 45 points in 57 games after returning, scoring 16 goals with 29 assists.
Now he's dealing with another setback.
The lower-body issue surfaced during training camp. Dallas tried to manage it, but Duchene eventually suffered a setback and landed on LTIR.
The earliest he can return is Oct. 25 against the New York Islanders, which would be Dallas' 11th game. That's only the first date he's eligible to return, though, not a guarantee that he'll be ready.
The Stars could use him. They've scored just one goal through their first two games, and they're already looking for more offense.
Duchene has bounced around since leaving Colorado, playing for Ottawa, Columbus and Nashville before eventually landing in Dallas.
But his Avalanche years remain a significant part of his career. He was a third-overall pick, played nearly 600 games in Colorado and became one of the most recognizable players on the team during his time there.
Now, at 35, he's facing another stretch on the sidelines.
After missing significant time last season, that's not exactly the start Duchene or Dallas wanted.
Joonas Korpisalo has been around the NHL for a long time now, but before he became a veteran goaltender bouncing around the league, he was one of Jared Bednar's young goalies in the AHL.
More than a decade later, Korpisalo is back in the news after the New York Rangers placed him on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He's considered week-to-week, according to the Associated Press.
It's an interesting development for Colorado Avalanche fans because of Korpisalo's history with Bednar.
The two were together with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2015, when Bednar coached the team to a Calder Cup championship. Korpisalo was only 21 years old at the time and played 18 regular-season games.
He went 8-8-4 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He also recorded two shutouts.
Korpisalo ended up taking over the starting job during the playoffs, although he didn't finish the postseason in that role. Anton Forsberg eventually moved ahead of him, leaving Korpisalo in more of a backup spot.
He still won six of the eight games he played.
The numbers weren't quite as good as they had been during the regular season. Korpisalo finished the playoffs with a .898 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average, but he was still part of a championship team that gave him an early taste of winning at the professional level.
Forsberg, by the way, is still in the NHL too. He's now with the Los Angeles Kings.
Korpisalo went on to carve out his own NHL career and has spent the years since playing for several different organizations. This summer, he landed with the Rangers, who brought him in to back up Igor Shesterkin.
That job is suddenly on hold.
With Korpisalo on injured reserve, New York recalled Dylan Garand from Hartford. The Rangers have Shesterkin as their clear No. 1, but the timing of the injury isn't great with the team facing Tampa Bay and Detroit on back-to-back nights.
Garand could get his chance sooner than expected.
For Bednar, this is just another chapter in a relationship that goes back to the early years of his coaching career.
Korpisalo was one of the young goalies on that Lake Erie team, long before either of them had reached where they are now.
Bednar is running the bench in Colorado.
Korpisalo is trying to get healthy and get back into the Rangers' crease.
It's been quite a while since those two were chasing a Calder Cup together.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 03: Ben Kindel #81 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal with teammates against the Montréal Canadiens at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 3, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
Forward Ben Kindel returned from a lower-body injury Saturday and scored in his season debut during Pittsburgh’s win over Montreal. The 19-year-old center said he remains hungry to establish himself in the NHL and has “a lot of things” he still wants to accomplish after his rookie season. [Trib Live]
Forward David Gustafsson was assigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after clearing waivers Sunday afternoon. [Trib Live]
Lyle Odelein, a defenseman who won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 and played for several other NHL organizations, including the Penguins, died over the weekend. He was 58. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Andrei Kuzmenko made his Penguins debut Saturday in Pittsburgh’s home opener, returning to the lineup less than two weeks after his father’s death. Kuzmenko had taken a leave of absence to return to Russia and mourn with his family before rejoining the team Friday and changing his jersey number to 62 to honor his father. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Edmonton Oilers are exploring the trade market for forward depth after several forwards were sidelined by injuries to start the season. [Sportsnet]
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson reportedly prefers a move away from Detroit amid a contract stalemate with the team. The 23-year-old restricted free agent attended training camp but returned to Sweden after negotiations stalled. [The Detroit News]
A horse named Gaudreau, honoring late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, finished second Saturday in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. Another horse named Johnny Hockey, also named for Gaudreau, competed in the same race but faded late. [NHL]
The Florida Panthers placed star forward Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve on Saturday with a lower-body injury. [NHL]
Chandler Stephenson didn't score against the Calgary Flames on Sunday, but he still had a hand in plenty of what went right for Seattle.
The former Vegas Golden Knight picked up two assists in the Kraken's 6-1 win, helping Seattle put six goals on the board for the second time in its first three games.
Stephenson now has a goal and three assists through Seattle's first two games of the season.
His first assist Sunday came on Bobby McMann's goal in the opening period. He added another late in the third when Jordan Eberle finished off Seattle's sixth goal of the night.
Not a bad way to start the season.
Stephenson has already been pretty productive against Calgary. He scored in Seattle's season opener against the Flames, then followed it up with two assists in Sunday's rematch.
That's worth noting from the Vegas side, considering how much time Stephenson spent with the Golden Knights.
He was with the organization for five seasons and played 327 regular-season games in a Vegas uniform. During that time, he scored 75 goals and added 162 assists for 237 points.
Then there were the playoffs.
Stephenson played 65 postseason games with the Golden Knights, including 22 during the 2022-23 run. He scored 10 goals and 10 assists that postseason as Vegas went all the way and won its first Stanley Cup.
That's probably the part Vegas fans will remember most.
Before all of that, Stephenson had spent the first five years of his NHL career with Washington. His time in Vegas changed the trajectory of his career, and he became one of the more productive forwards on a team that eventually won it all.
He's moved on now, but he's still producing.
Seattle brought Stephenson in hoping he could provide some offense, and the early returns have been pretty good. Two games into the new season, he's already been involved in four goals.
He didn't need to score Sunday to make an impact.
Two assists were enough.
And for a player who spent five years helping the Golden Knights build one of the most successful stretches in franchise history, seeing Stephenson continue to put up points elsewhere is probably going to feel a little familiar.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
St. Louis Blues (1-1, in the Central Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (0-3, in the Central Division)
Chicago; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Blues -115, Blackhawks -105; over/under is 5.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks will try to stop a three-game skid when they take on the St. Louis Blues.
Chicago went 29-39-14 overall and 11-8-7 in division play last season. The Blackhawks averaged 2.9 power-play chances per game last season, and converted on 17.0% (40 total power-play goals).
St. Louis went 37-33-12 overall and 10-16-0 in division play a season ago. The Blues scored 38 power-play goals last season on 216 chances for a 17.6% success rate.
INJURIES: Blackhawks: Bowen Byram: day to day (personal), Andrew Mangiapane: out (lower-body), Connor Bedard: out (shoulder).
Blues: Alexey Toropchenko: out (upper-body), Tyler Tucker: out (knee), Logan Mailloux: out (hand).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Paul Cotter is off to the best start of his NHL career.
The former Vegas Golden Knights forward scored against his old team Sunday night, giving the Vancouver Canucks an early lead. It didn't last, though, as Vegas came back for a 3-2 win at Rogers Arena.
Cotter's goal came on the power play late in the first period. With Jake DeBrusk out with an illness, Cotter moved onto Vancouver's top power-play unit and tipped a Filip Hronek pass past Adin Hill.
It was Cotter's third goal of the season. He also has two assists, giving him five points through Vancouver's first three games.
That's new territory for him.
In six NHL seasons, Cotter has never had five points through his first three games of a season. He scored twice in Vancouver's opener against Edmonton, including the overtime winner, then added an assist in the Canucks' second game before finding the net against Vegas.
The 26-year-old has clearly found something early on.
Vegas, however, had the better answer Sunday.
Mitch Marner tied the game in the second period, and Victor Olofsson gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the night on the power play. Jonathan Lekkerimaki tied it again late in the period, but Marc Gatcomb put Vegas right back in front only 34 seconds later.
That goal stood up.
Hill stopped 18 shots in his first start of the season, and Vegas managed to keep Vancouver off the board in the third period. It was a nice bounce-back win for the Golden Knights after Friday's 4-3 loss to Anaheim.
Cotter's night was still a memorable one, especially considering his history with Vegas.
He spent three seasons with the Golden Knights, from 2021-22 through 2023-24, and played 138 games for the club. He had 22 goals and 23 assists during that stretch before Vegas traded him to the New Jersey Devils in June 2024 for Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid.
Cotter spent two seasons in New Jersey and had his most productive NHL season in 2024-25, scoring 16 goals in 79 games.
He signed a one-year, $2.15 million deal with Vancouver this summer.
So far, it's looking like a pretty good decision.
Cotter is producing at a level we've never seen from him before. He just couldn't quite finish off his old team when he had the chance.
Victor Olofsson left Vegas looking for a fresh start.
A little more than a year later, he's back with the Golden Knights and off to a pretty good start.
Olofsson scored on the power play in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. That gave him two goals and an assist through three games, putting him at a point per game to open the season. He's also fired seven shots on net.
It's not a huge sample, but it's certainly an encouraging one for a player who has bounced around a bit since leaving Vegas after the 2024-25 season.
Olofsson spent most of last season with the Colorado Avalanche. He played 60 games, scored 11 goals and finished with 25 points. One of those goals was the first hat trick of his NHL career, which came against the Blackhawks on Oct. 28.
His time in Colorado ended when he was sent to Calgary as part of the trade that brought Nazem Kadri back to the Avalanche. Olofsson didn't spend long with the Flames, playing 18 games and picking up six points before free agency came around.
Vegas was interested again.
The Golden Knights signed Olofsson to a one-year deal on July 1, giving him another shot with the team he had left the previous summer.
There was some history there. Olofsson scored three goals in his first four games during his first stint with Vegas, only to suffer a lower-body injury that kept him out for nearly two months.
Now he's back, healthy and getting opportunities on the power play.
His third-line role at even strength isn't anything particularly notable, but that's not necessarily where Olofsson needs to make his living. He's always been more interesting as an offensive player, and Vegas has given him chances to use that skill with the man advantage.
So far, he's taken them.
For the Avalanche, Olofsson's start is worth keeping an eye on. He wasn't a major piece in Colorado, but he was productive enough to finish with 25 points in 60 games and gave the team some offense in a depth role.
Now he's three games into his return to Vegas and already has three points.
Maybe a fresh start was exactly what Olofsson needed.
