The Buffalo Sabres are back to their losing ways, falling Saturday to the Carolina Hurricanes by a 6-3 score. Two days earlier. They were shut out by the lowly St. Louis Blue Jackets. So they’ve now put together a trio of three-game losing streaks this season and sit dead-last in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

And if Buffalo loses its next two games – a distinct possibility, given that they’ll be taking on the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche – the Sabres will have lost eight of their past 10 games. 

If you’re a new Sabres fan, you have to be shuddering at those nuggets of info. If you’re a long-time, long-suffering Sabres fan, you have to be sighing in exasperation at them. It’s a familiar feeling in Buffalo – excuses, letdowns, anything but consistently above-average performances.  

And it isn’t just *that* the Sabres are losing it’s *how* they’re losing. Indeed, their last two defeats have come in regulation time, robbing them of the so-called “loser point”. If they did get one or two more loser’s points, Buffalo would be right there in the thick of things. Instead, they’re on the periphery.

We’ve been saying it frequently because it bears repeating: the Sabres have to win far more series than not, and when Buffalo does lose – they need to earn as many loser’s points as possible. It’s going to take somewhere in the area of 40-45 wins to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, and that means the Sabres will need to improve on the 36 wins they posted last season.

Sabres Entering Stretch That Could Spell End Of The Line For GM, CoachThe Sabres once again are in a difficult stretch. And if they can't win more consistently, the jobs of GM Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff are in serious jeopardy.

After the Mammoth and Avalanche games, the Sabres will take on the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers ,Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks. The Wings and Oilers present a serious challenge for Buffalo, but the games against the sad-sack Flames and Blackhawks are games the Sabres absolutely need to win in if they’re going to be a playoff team this season.

The Sabres can’t keep meandering along and expect to be a playoff team. Buffalo has been bitten hard by the injury bug this year, but the time for excuses has come and gone. We’re more or less at the 20 percent mark of the season, and that sound you hear is the tick-tick-ticking of the clock that’s counting down this iteration of the Sabres. 

Sabres And Mammoth Clash Twice In Next Week -- Which Team Would You Rather Have?The Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth face off twice in the next eight days, but which team has the superior roster?

We’re nearly at the point of no return with this group of Sabres talent, and Buffalo's players know it. It’s time for this Sabres team to either put up or shut up. And the time for the Sabres to do so is right now.

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After a brief two-game road trip and before another three-game road trip, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night at Honda Center. The Ducks entered play on a six-game winning streak and having won eight of their prior nine games, including the night before in Las Vegas, where they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in OT.

The Jets dropped back-to-back games to the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks to kick off the California leg of their six-game road trip.

Game #15: Ducks vs. Jets Gameday Preview (11/09/25)

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-3 OT Win over the Golden Knights

Before the game, the Ducks activated forward Ryan Strome off IR, but he did not make it into the lineup for this game. The Ducks went with the same lineup that earned them their last four victories.

The Jets inserted Cole Perfetti into their lineup for this game for his season debut.

Lukas Dostal returned to the Ducks’ net for the start of this game for the 12th time in the Ducks’ first 15 games of the season. He stopped 23 of 24 shots.

In the Winnipeg crease, Eric Comrie got the start and saved 17 of 21.

Game Notes

This was the Ducks’ best 60-minute, 200-foot effort of the season. They’d made a habit of starting games slowly and ramping up after getting settled. No such thing happened in this game. In every situation (5v5, power play, penalty kill), the Ducks were aggressive and dictated the flow of play.

They were cohesive in the defensive zone, which sparked rush opportunities, where they were ever-dangerous and effective, before winning pucks back and going to work on the cycle. The stars kept shining, and the unsungs made every little decision right to keep pucks and bodies away from Dostal.

"There's still some small stuff we need to get better at, which says a lot about our team," Leo Carlsson said after the game. "That we can get better, which is nice as well."

Defensive Zone Coverage: The Ducks’ coverage had one notable, if slight, hiccup that wound up in the back of their net. On occasion, they’re susceptible to sorting issues after pressure has been established. If there’s an activated defenseman or reactivated high F3, the center and/or weak-side defenseman has been a split second late to recognize and eliminate a seam.

Other than that, and in every zone, they played more defensively flawless hockey than they had at any point this season. They were killing plays early, recovering when pucks didn’t make it to safety, and forechecking in waves to continue attacking at every turn. A subtle, yet impactful benefit of switching to a zone coverage system comes when loose pucks find their way to corners and the boards. Defensemen now have a better probability of winning loose pucks due to not having to shadow an attacker throughout the entire zone. In man-to-man, every puck is a 50/50 by default.

61-23-45: Cutter Gauthier has established himself as an elite NHL goalscorer in his second year in the league. So, of course, he subverts expectations and has taken his playmaking abilities to an unexpected level. He’s drawing the attention of defenders, both at 5v5 and on the man-advantage, before manipulating the on-puck assignment and finding his linemates in dangerous ice. Beckett Sennecke could have had a few more than the two he potted in this one, thanks to Gauthier alone.

"I thought he had the puck a lot," head coach Joel Quenneville said of Gauthier after the game. "Even when it wasn't his, he found a way to get it back. I think he's having a more effective stick and he's a threat to shoot from anywhere. 

"His release is pretty good. Sometimes, it's drawing a lot of attention, that shot. Then all of a sudden, things are opening up, and he's god good play recognition and can make seam passes. He had a couple of nice plays."

Speaking of Sennecke, with the puck on his stick, he’s clearly becoming more comfortable in open ice and along the walls, as he’s now dictating and driving offense for his line for extended stretches. He’s scanning and anticipating on the defensive side of the puck, and his stick is breaking up plays and igniting odd-man opportunities.

McTavish is filling in the vacancies in Gauthier’s and Sennecke’s games, specifically, small-area play, where McTavish’s skill, size, and motor are on full display.

20-91-19: The Ducks’ top six was everything they’d have been expected to be in this game. Chris Kreider continues his dominance below the bottom of the circles, and Troy Terry has developed a rapport with Leo Carlsson in transition. Terry’s manipulation of defenders just inside the offensive blueline has become an area Carlsson has recognized as one where attention will be off him, and he can find space where Terry can feed him for potent downhill looks.

Ryan Poehling/Penalty Kill: The Ducks' PK had a good showing after a shaky stretch against the Dallas Stars and Golden Knights. The PK goes into an all-out pressure when pucks are on the boards, and are looking to pounce on any that are fumbled that they can turn up ice the other way. When attackers had clear possession, they were smart to recover and protect the middle, so as not to expose seams and keep pucks on the perimeter.

Poehling, in particular, and with his speed, was a one-man play killer in the middle of the ice in the defensive zone. He got sticks on pucks on the forecheck and broke up passing attempts in every zone. He’s one of the aforementioned unsungs of this game.

The Ducks, the NHL’s second-best team, will continue their gauntlet schedule of Cup contenders on Tuesday, when they’ll travel to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL’s best team.

Ducks Hot Start May Mean Olympic Consideration for Some Players

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-5 Win over the Stars

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-3 Win over the Panthers

Curse begone! 

Gavin Brindley scored in overtime and the Colorado Avalanche eradicated their five consecutive overtime loss streak with a 5-4 win Sunday night at Rogers Arena.  

B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) on XBRINDLEY CALLS GAME WITH HIS FIRST CAREER GWG 🚨

Nathan MacKinnon led the way with a five-point night, scoring twice—including a power-play marker—and adding three assists. He finished the weekend with nine points after posting a two-goal, two-assist performance in Colorado’s 9–1 win over the Oilers on Saturday. He now leads the NHL in goals (14) and points (29). But he was far from the only Avalanche player who shined. 

Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, including a power-play goal, to help propel Colorado to the win. Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin also chipped in with two assists each. Mackenzie Blackwood made 29 saves in his second start of the year. 

For Vancouver, they saw goals from Linus Karlsson, Kiefer Sherwood, Jake DeBrusk, and Drew O’Connor. Kevin Lankinen stopped 27 shots. 

First Period 

At 6:41 of the period, Makar glided through the neutral zone and into the right circle before slipping the puck to Nichushkin. Nichushkin deftly sold the shot, toe-dragging the puck across the slot and freezing the defense just long enough for MacKinnon to step into a one-timer, hammering it into an open net as Lankinen was completely fooled to give Colorado a 1–0 lead. 

Moments later, after Ross Colton drew a slashing penalty, the Avalanche struck again on the power play. Victor Olofsson left a drop pass for MacKinnon in the slot—sloppy, perhaps, but serviceable—and MacKinnon, in true professional form, corralled the puck and fired it anyway, beating the goaltender for his second goal of the game. 

Vancouver broke through at 11:47 of the period when Linus Karlsson punched in a rebound past a sprawling Blackwood. Filip Hronek fired a shot from the point through traffic, the puck kicking off Blackwood’s pads before a brief stick battle with Devon Toews unfolded on the left side of the crease. Karlsson’s second backhand attempt finally found daylight, giving the Canucks their first of the night. 

Makar was whistled late in the period after Conor Garland took an extra jab at Blackwood following a cover-up. Makar took immediate exception, corralling Garland from behind and driving him to the ice, earning a roughing penalty in the process. The Avs killed the penalty and late in the kill, Drury went on a breakaway but was turned away by Lankinen. 

Second Period 

The Canucks evened the score at 1:55 of the second period when Sherwood slipped a backhand past Blackwood following a mismanaged clearing attempt by Toews that left the puck in Vancouver’s hands. 

At 10:08, Nichushkin was assessed a holding penalty on DeBrusk as the latter charged the net. The call was peculiar, as replay showed Nichushkin had collided with DeBrusk but made no discernible attempt to restrain him. Colorado’s penalty kill, however, held firm once again. 

Vancouver dictated the pace for extended stretches, yet Toews nearly swung momentum back in Colorado’s favor with a sharp one-timer from the point with roughly six minutes remaining, only to be denied by Lankinen. 

Late in the period, Olofsson was sent to the box for holding Garland along the boards, but the Avalanche’s penalty kill remained impenetrable, successfully killing off their fourth infraction of the game. 

Third Period 

The Avalanche reclaimed a 3–2 lead just 30 seconds into the third period when Lehkonen deftly redirected Brent Burns’ slap-pass from the left slot while being checked by Quinn Hughes. After a turbulent second frame, Colorado opened the third with conviction. 

The Avalanche earned a power play at 6:45 after Evander Kane tripped Cale Makar, but the advantage quickly unraveled. Nichushkin turned the puck over twice—surviving the first miscue but paying dearly for the second, as O’Connor intercepted the play, broke free, and beat Blackwood on a clean breakaway to knot the game at three. 

Brindley then drew a holding penalty on Tom Willander with 10:50 remaining, granting Colorado another opportunity on the man advantage. Thirty-seven seconds later, Lehkonen capitalized again, jamming home a rebound off a Marty Necas shot to restore the Avalanche lead at 4–3. 

As the clock approached the four-minute mark, Vancouver surged. Blackwood answered with a pair of crucial stops—first stoning Hughes on a wrist shot, then denying Pettersson’s backhand attempt after a slick deke, despite momentarily losing the rebound. Colorado managed to clear the danger. 

Moments later, Gabriel Landeskog cross-checked Hughes in the back, handing the Canucks a late power play. Vancouver wasted no time, as Brock Boeser threaded a pass to DeBrusk for a sweet redirection that eluded Blackwood, tying the game 4–4 with 3:01 left in regulation. 

Makar pressed in the final seconds, unleashing several challenging shots on Lankinen, but the Vancouver netminder turned them all aside. Overtime beckoned. 

Overtime 

Curse begone. After five consecutive overtime losses, the Avalanche finally exorcised their demons. Brindley carried the puck up the ice and fired a shot from the left circle that Lankinen kicked aside. The rebound, however, proved costly—Lankinen misplayed it, allowing Brindley to swoop in and poke it home, securing a dramatic overtime victory for Colorado. 

Next Game 

The Avalanche (10-1-5) return home on Tuesday to face the Anaheim Ducks (11-3-1) at Ball Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. local time.  

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

Obviously, there is such a thing as getting too far ahead of the curve in sports.

Anything can change at any moment. Players can look like all-timers one day and the league’s worst the next. Organizations can change gears depending on results and on the pipeline. There is an element of unpredictability in sports - and, in this case, hockey - that makes them exciting.

And that is especially true with young players. On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Penguins debuted their top goaltending prospect, Sergei Murashov, at home against the Los Angeles Kings on the second leg of a back-to-back. Murashov, 21, earned the call-up after a roaring start at the AHL level for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins - which included a .931 save percentage and a 1.73 goals-against average - and after it was announced that veteran netminder Tristan Jarry would miss at least the next three weeks with a lower-body injury. 

The Penguins may have dropped the contest, 3-2, but Murashov had some moments to shine. And - regardless of the result - the fanfare around his debut speaks to a larger narrative.

The game against the Kings was their second sellout of the season, and yeah, it probably had a thing or two to do with the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon game and that the Pittsburgh Steelers did not play until the evening since they were in San Diego to face the Chargers. But this team is also just exciting, and a large part of that has been the emergence of a trio of young players who have fans looking forward to the future - and who have been helping the Penguins win hockey games.

Murashov - along with 18-year-old forward Ben Kindel and 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke - are all now on the Penguins’ current active roster. Each of them are the best prospects at their respective positions that the Penguins have to offer right now, and each of them has made a sooner-than-expected NHL arrival. 

Takeaways: Penguins Fall To Kings, 3-2, For Third Loss In Four GamesAfter earning just one of four points on a back-to-back weekend set against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/">New Jersey Devils</a> and <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings">Los Angeles Kings</a>, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> may just welcome the brief Swedish vacation they’ll embark on starting Monday.

Of course, things are just beginning for Murashov. Brunicke has not received consistent playing time as of late, and a decision about his future looms since he hit the nine-game mark Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And Kindel continues to impress at the NHL level this season, as he has five goals and seven points in 15 games. 

Even if things aren’t coming to fruition at the same time for each of them, one thing is abundantly clear: The Penguins have more talent in their system right now than they have in many years, and these three players figure to be a huge part of their future.

In fact, they very well could represent three key pieces of their future core. And because the Penguins might have that “core” piece at each position already in their organization and making some degree of impact at the NHL level, it could certainly change a lot about the Penguins’ approach to building out the rest of the team.

Kindle, a center, has shown an NHL readiness that not many expected so soon. At 18, he doesn’t look a touch out of place, and his all-around game is already operating at a high level. So far, he is looking like a lottery-level talent, and the Penguins may just have a core or franchise-level center on their hands - something that certainly helps a rebuild along.

Penguins' Top Prospect Ben Kindel Gets Big OpportunityThere have been a ton of boxes checked for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookie sensation Ben Kindel in the last two months.

Then, there is the smooth-skating Brunicke, who - even if he may not quite be as NHL-ready as Kindel has shown up to this point - is pretty advanced for a teenage blueliner. Once he gets up to NHL speed on his reads - namely in the defensive zone - he should be a force to be reckoned with, as he has shown high-ceiling ability in transition and offensively and could be a top-pairing defenseman a few years down the road.

And, as for Murashov - the newest arrival - it’s difficult to point to a goaltending prospect the Penguins have had with this much hype since Marc-Andre Fleury, who debuted with Pittsburgh in 2003 and retired second all-time in wins. The young Russian netminder has dominated at every level of professional hockey in his young career, and he was the Penguins’ best goaltender throughout the pre-season. His stint may not last beyond Jarry’s injury, but if he shows well, the Penguins could rest assured that they may have a star talent waiting in the wings.

Of course, a lot else needs to go right, too, for the Penguins to have a sustained window of success in the future. They will probably need another center as part of their core, and that could be someone they may or may not already have. A left defenseman to complement Brunicke would be ideal as well, in addition to a top-line winger - someone the Penguins may also already have in Rutger McGroarty.

But, if the trio of Kindel, Brunicke, and Murashov do pan out and are part of that future core for the Penguins, that means the future is already here - and that means it’s looking bright, too.

Opinion: Despite Struggles, Brunicke Should Remain With PenguinsThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> made a flurry of moves Tuesday, sending young blueliner Owen Pickering back to the AHL, placing three others on injured reserve, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-call-up-3-players-announce-several-roster-moves">and recalling two veterans and top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov from the AHL</a>.

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It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the top storylines of the 2025-26 NHL season so far. 

They were 8-2-2 heading into November, good for first in the entire NHL. It was a start that nobody saw coming, considering almost everyone in the national media picked them to be one of the worst teams in the league.

Their schedule got a bit tougher at the turn of the month, and they just finished up a stretch of five games in the first nine days of November. They went 1-3-1 in those games and now have the next five days off before they play two games against the Nashville Predators in Sweden. The two games are part of the NHL's Global Series.

Part of that 1-3-1 stretch was from this past Thursday through Sunday, when they played three games in four nights. They beat the Washington Capitals on Thursday before playing a really strong game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. They got a point out of Saturday's game, even though they probably deserved two, before losing in regulation to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. 

Sunday's contest against the Kings started well for the Penguins, who led twice, including in the third period, before losing 3-2. It looked like they ran out of gas in the third period, as their forecheck wasn't there, and they were lackluster in their own zone. Even Penguins captain Sidney Crosby enjoyed one of his quietest games of the season. Once Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper made a save on a great Bryan Rust chance early in the third period, it was lights out from there. 

Now that this busy stretch is over, the Penguins will have two games in a 12-day span. They'll fly to Sweden on Monday before playing the first of two against the Predators on Friday. They'll play the second game of the Global Series on Sunday, and won't play again until Nov. 21 in Pittsburgh against the Minnesota Wild.

This is a perfect time for the Penguins to get their legs back and recharge for a little bit. It's huge because this team is dealing with a ton of injuries right now, and it may bring some of them closer to a return. The Penguins are currently without the services of Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, Justin Brazeau, Caleb Jones, Tristan Jarry, Rutger McGroarty, and Filip Hallander.

Rakell and Brazeau had been off to great starts to the season, especially Brazeau. He was fitting in perfectly on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha before going down with an injury before the Nov. 1 game against the Winnipeg Jets. He has six goals and 12 points in 12 games. 

The Penguins May Now Have Three Pieces Of Their Future Core - And That's A Big DealObviously, there is such a thing as getting too far ahead of the curve in sports.

Jarry had also been playing well before he got hurt against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Monday. Yes, he didn't have a good third period against the Maple Leafs in that game, but he's still saving 4.8 goals above expected with a .911 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. 

This extended time off will also give the coaching staff time to tweak some things in the defensive zone, since, per MoneyPuck, the Penguins rank 28th in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 at 3.01. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins have allowed 408 scoring chances against at 5v5, which is the second-worst mark in the league. Only the Wild have allowed more (413). They have also allowed 167 5v5 high-danger chances against, which ranks second-worst in the league. 

The coaching staff will also have to make a decision on defenseman Harrison Brunicke, and there's a chance it could come this week. He has played in nine games, meaning if he plays a 10th, his entry-level contract will kick in. Brunicke has been scratched for the previous three games after playing in his ninth game on Nov. 3 against the Maple Leafs. 

It'll be fascinating to see how rejuvenated everyone looks when the puck drops at 2 p.m. ET on Friday for the first Penguins-Predators game in Sweden. The second game will start at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday. 

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