The Dallas Stars will host the 2027 NHL Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

The game in the retractable-room stadium will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027, with the Stars’ opponent yet to be named.

"The National Hockey League is thrilled to bring the spectacle of an NHL Stadium Series game to Arlington and one of the world's most spectacular sports settings, AT&T Stadium," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a news release. 

"Ever since its opening in 2009, Jerry Jones has been advocating for an outdoor game at this amazing venue. And we are delighted to partner with the Cowboys and Stars – two franchises dedicated to the fans of North Texas – and to create another unique fan experience for a market that has long been a hockey success story and welcomed us so enthusiastically when the 2020 NHL Winter Classic was played at the Cotton Bowl."

Dallas has only played one outdoor game since relocating from the Minnesota North Stars ahead of the 1993-94 season. They hosted the Nashville Predators at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on New Year's Day of 2020. The Stars defeated the Predators 4-2 in that Winter Classic affair.

That game drew the third-largest crowd in NHL history, with a total of 85,630 fans in attendance.

AT&T Stadium seats around 80,000 fans but can fit up to 100,000 with standing room. In addition, the Cowboys are averaging an attendance of 93,061 so far this NFL season. 

With that, only two NHL games have had crowds larger than 90,000.

When the Columbus Blue Jackets took on the Detroit Red Wings in last year’s Stadium Series matchup, Ohio Stadium seated 94,751 fans.

In 2014, the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Red Wings at Michigan Stadium in a Winter Classic contest. That game holds the record for the largest crowd at an NHL game with 105,491.

With AT&T Stadium’s capacity, this game, including the Stars and an unknown opponent, could challenge those all-time attendance numbers.

“Hosting the NHL Stadium Series with the Dallas Stars is another great example of the vision we've always had for what AT&T Stadium could be beyond football," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. 

"The game will be another proud moment for us and being able to provide a world-class fan and team experience in partnership with two outstanding organizations, the NHL and the Stars, will be very special."

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It's only been 11 games, but it feels safe to say that the Carolina Hurricanes have struck gold with their Russian rookie.

After years of waiting and building hype, it feels like everybody's astronomical expectations for 2020 third-round pick Alexander Nikishin are being affirmed every night when he steps out onto the ice.

Because Nikishin has just simply been tremendous for Carolina.

With two goals and six points in 11 games, Nikishin is second amongst Canes defensemen behind only Shayne Gostisbehere (7) and ranks third amongst all rookie blueliners.

The Russian defender has also been on the ice for 14 goals (the most by any Hurricanes defenseman) and only six goals against and he controls a 53.70 CF% and 50 xGF%, despite logging heavy, top-four minutes already as a rookie.

Alexander Nikishin has started his NHL career on a three-game point streak.

The only other rookies in franchise history to start their first season on a three-games or more point streak are:

Jamie McBain (2010-11): 4 games, 5 points
Bernie Johnston (1979-80): 3 games, 5 points

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) October 15, 2025

"I think he's understanding — and there's still a ways to go — how hard you have to play in this league, for every shift, during your shift," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Once he really understands that, you're going to really see his game take off because it's coming."

Already, the Canes have been leaning on the former KHL superstar, with him logging over 20 minutes of game time in six of his last seven outings due to the injuries to Carolina's blueline.

But he's earned those minutes and has been handling them tremendously well for a player with less than 20 games of NHL experience under his belt.

"He's been noticeable in a real positive way," Brind'Amour said.

Nikishin has also been averaging 1:34 of penalty kill time per game and has been on the ice for just one goal against, but also one shorthanded goal.

Brind'Amour also has the Russian working with the second power play grouping, but with the team's lack of opportunities on the man advantage over the last three games, he hasn't yet been able to showcase his skills there.

While it may take some time for him to fully grasp the Hurricanes' systems and NHL speed, it's clear that Nikishin already has the physical toolkit to be a true game breaker.

The 6-foot-4 defenseman leads the Hurricanes in hits on the year and in fact, is tied for the fourth most amongst all NHL defensemen in hits (34).

Need some help waking up this Saturday?

Alexander Nikishin laying the BOOM might help 💥 pic.twitter.com/x89CTLcUZK

— NHL (@NHL) November 1, 2025

He also holds the top two hardest shots on the team according to NHL Edge, with a 98.97 (which is also the fifth hardest shot recorded this season amongst all players around the league) and 96.08 mph slapshot.

His skating has also been pretty good for a big guy, with an 85th percentile max skating speed (22.20mph) and being in the 90th percentile for speed bursts over 20mph (15).

"That's a great physical specimen back there," said current partner Sean Walker. "A great piece that we've added with such a big, powerful body that can skate well and make great plays."

Nikishin put it on a tee 🚀 pic.twitter.com/CprBX6p9q4

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 1, 2025

To top it all off, he has some snarl to his game too, standing up for teammates on multiple occasions. 

"I like that sandpaper that he has," Brind'Amour said. "I think there's a lot more in there too. I think he's trying to figure that out too, how that all works."

What's crazy though, is that Brind'Amour feels that Nikishin is just scratching the surface.

"There's a lot to like, but I think he's just getting by on raw talent versus the actual structural stuff that we have to shore up," Brind'Amour said. "There's still some things that are not great in a sense of, 'Okay, you need to be here or there,' or just reading the play. It'll come and it is coming, it's getting better and better the more we work with him, but it's not an easy position to walk into and then ask a kid to basically be playing top-four minutes right off the hop. That's a ton to ask and he's done a great job, he'll just get better as he goes.

"He's an older kid, so that's good, but he's coming from a different league. It's not the same. Yeah, there's talent and size, but it's the pace and the intensity of each shift. It's night and day. I think he's figuring that out."

Alexander Nikishin helps save a goal for the #Canes!

The defenseman gives up his body in the crease, and it stays out. pic.twitter.com/RmbrgMwK8D

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) October 29, 2025

Nikishin is already cementing himself as a top defensemen for the Hurricanes and if still has as much room to grow as his coach says, then the rest of the league better watch out.

"He plays well, has points, good ice time," said teammate and fellow countryman Pyotr Kochetkov. "I really like how he's played and adapted to the system. He's gotten better every day and he's very good for this organization now and in the future"

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Ottawa Senators winger Nick Cousins answered the bell and paid the price on Saturday night.

Cousins agreed to square off against rugged Montreal Canadiens' defenseman Jayden Struble in the third period of the Senators' 4-3 overtime loss at the Bell Centre. The Sens winger took a punch to the face that landed so hard and so flush, it took him out of the game.

Like it or not, this is the NHL's unofficial frontier justice system at work, a system that's been around for more than a century. 

Struble all but admitted after the game that he fought Cousins to get even with him for a September 30th slash on Ivan Demidov during a preseason game in Quebec City.

“When you have a guy like that taking a shot at your young star player, that was a bad play, none of us liked it," Struble told the media. "We were thinking about it. It was on our minds. You can’t just go around trying to hurt our best players.”

At practice on Monday in a scrum with the local media, Cousins seemed none the worse for wear, save for a few battle scars. He took some accountability for his slash, which was why he accepted the fight.

"Sometimes you gotta answer the bell for your actions," Cousins said. "I mean, I'm certainly glad that Demidov is okay. I think definitely I've gotta take care of my stick there a little bit better, and yeah, sometimes you gotta answer the bell, and I did that. It's over with, and we kind of move on now."

As Cousins mentioned, Demidov's wrist wasn't badly damaged that night. But it was a nasty slash with serious intent behind it, so the Canadiens had every right to be ticked off. Cousins was removed from the game and fined by the NHL, and Saturday night was the Habs' first chance for real revenge.

Like an old western, the Habs called Cousins out onto the street, demanding satisfaction. Cousins finally obliged in the third period, and if he hadn't, the Canadiens would have continued to make life extra miserable for him in future games.

The matter now appears to be settled, especially with Cousins losing the fight. That's important because sometimes if a player agrees to a fight and does too well, then suddenly the matter isn't settled. 

I know. It's complicated.

But it isn't accurate to frame the Sept. 30th slash as some completely random thing. In all likelihood, it was Ottawa's attempt at its own frontier justice for an incident that had happened a few moments before in that game. Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators' 2024 first-rounder, had just been jumped by Florian Xhekaj, who caught Yakemchuk with several punches.

According to the unofficial code, Ottawa had two options. Go after Xhekaj to get even with him directly, or go after their 2024 first-rounder. Cousins apparently chose the latter.

Then, in the whataboutism of NHL frontier justice, the Canadiens would probably push back on you and remind you of Hayden Hodgson's hit from behind on Alex Newhook shortly before in that same game. 

At some point, as Linus Ullmark might describe it, the NHL world of frontier justice starts to sound a little immature, like two scrappy boys, standing in front of their dad, and yelling...

"He started it!"
"No, he started it!"
"Shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"

In theory, Cousins should be off the hook now, but does the frontier justice system demand another response? Return fire? Revenge for the revenge? 

Should enforcer Kurtis MacDermid get after Struble? Struble does outweigh Cousins by almost 20 pounds. Is that something?

For those of you scoring at home, if the Sens do respond in the next game, that would be Ottawa answering back to Montreal's reply to the Sens' answer to the Habs' response to the reply to the answer.

Who knows when this thing all started? Maybe it was that time King Clancy called Newsy Lalonde a rapscallion?

But some people think that if the NHL just came down harder on these dirty plays, on the ice or at the department of player safety, then the players wouldn't ever have to take things into their own hands like this.

I doubt that.

Let's say Cousins got a 40-game suspension for his slash on Demidov. For one, the players' association would lose its mind. It exists to protect player money, not safety. But in the current culture, even if Cousins did get pounded with a 40-game ban, Struble or Arber Xhekaj would still have been waiting for him, hoping to unleash a 40-punch pounding.

The NHL could start throwing the book at those who violate the existing intent to injure rule. It would take some time to learn the lesson and undo the culture, but players would come around... eventually. But that would have to mean the end of fighting, which by definition is an intent to injure. 

No, there will be none of that.

The league's decision-makers are still an old boys' club, and they're perfectly fine with fighting and the way things are. So make no mistake, dirty NHL plays and the ensuing frontier justice aren't going away anytime soon.

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The tail of Brennan Othmann with the New York Rangers continues to be disappointing. 

From being called up and down from the American Hockey League, the 2021 first-round pick still has failed to salvage a full-time role with the Rangers. 

The latest case of disappointment came when the Rangers called up Othmann for their four-game road trip, but he only played in one game before being scratched out of the lineup for the remaining three matchups.

The 22-year-old forward was ultimately called back down to the AHL on Sunday, capping off yet another underwhelming NHL stint. 

The decision from Mike Sullivan came as he’s looking for more out of Othmann’s game and wants him to get real game action, which the Rangers can’t provide for him. 

“We talked to Otter just about attention to detail, a little bit of predictability and reliability with his respect to his game away from the puck and that being an important element of him earning his way on the roster as a regular,” Sullivan said. 

“The other aspect of it is, we don't want any one player, especially young players sitting on the sidelines. He was in the West Coast trip with us. He played one of the games. We would rather see him get into game action, so he has an opportunity to learn through those experiences. He's a young player. He's he's got a lot of his career in front of him, and so just balancing, if he's not in the lineup at the NHL level, does it make sense to have him as the extra forward, or does it make sense to allow him to go back to Hartford and get into the games and play in 18-plus minutes.”

Noah Laba's Emergence Has Had A Ripple Effect On The Rangers The emergence of Noah Laba has opened up a world of possibilities for the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a>.&nbsp;

What does the future hold for Othmann with the Rangers?

Recently, Othmann’s name has been the subject of trade rumors. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Oct. 16 that the Rangers are open to the idea of trading the 22-year-old forward, and these recent events will only ignite more speculation.

A trade certainly seems as if it could be in the cards, but for now, Othmann will continue to play big minutes in Hartford and prove himself with the hopes of eventually working his way back up to the NHL.

The Edmonton Oilers have dealt with a series of injuries this season, but as players return to the lineup, roster spots are becoming increasingly limited. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the team is exploring trade options for defenseman Troy Stecher, who has been serving as the Oilers’ seventh defenseman but could find a full-time role elsewhere.

Reports indicate that Edmonton Oilers are actively exploring moving Troy Stecher.

The reason: the Oilers have a surplus of defencemen, several returning from injury.

📹 Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/xh7GcEHIqu

— Bleed Oil Blue (@BleedOilBlue) November 2, 2025

Stecher, 31, is a reliable two-way defenseman who previously spent time with the Detroit Red Wings before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a seventh-round pick in March 2022. A return to Detroit could make sense for both sides. The Red Wings have struggled defensively in recent games, allowing 27 goals in their last seven games, which is the second-most in the NHL during that stretch. Adding Stecher would be an upgrade over their current bottom-pairing right defenseman, Travis Hamonic, and he is also four years younger.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Troy Stecher! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/hpa7zQyUBU

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 1, 2021

There is reason to believe Stecher would be open to a reunion with the Red Wings as he originally chose Detroit as a free agent in 2020, and the team’s strong start to this season could make the opportunity even more appealing. The organization is already familiar with his work ethic and steady play, which could make him a natural fit on the blue line once again.

Stecher is coming off a Stanley Cup Final run with Edmonton, who acquired him along with a fourth-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a seventh-round pick. While he did not record any points in his eight postseason appearances, he finished with a +2 rating and provided dependable minutes in key situations. His extended playoff experience also includes an impressive stretch with the Kings, where he scored two goals and two assists in four playoff games after joining the team from Detroit.

For the Red Wings, adding Stecher would bring both experience and stability to a defensive group that needs improvement if they want to maintain their early-season momentum. With plenty of cap space and the likelihood that Stecher’s trade value remains modest, potentially costing only a mid-round pick, this could be a low-risk, high-reward move as Detroit looks to strengthen its roster for a potential playoff push.

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