The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up their season-opening two-game road trip on Saturday when they traveled to take on the San Jose Sharks after Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

Heading into this game, one of the biggest stories was the debut of Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson, long-time friend, teammate, and opponent of Ducks’ star rookie Beckett Sennecke.

Lines and pairs for the Ducks remained mostly the same from the game before, with the only change coming in the form of Nikita Nesterenko slotting in for Sam Colangelo on the fourth line.

This was a wild game from start to finish with mental lapses, shoddy defensive habits, electrifying offensive sequences, and questionable goaltending on both ends.

Petr Mrazek got his first start as a member of the Anaheim Ducks and saved 17 of 23 shots.

Mrazek was opposed by Sharks star rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov, who was making his season debut as well. Askarov stopped 36 of the whopping 43 shots he faced in this one.

Here are my notes from this game:

Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke showed new layers of technical proficiency unseen before at any level from him (at least by me). He was a pest on the forecheck, getting quick sticks on retrieving defenders, and showed a high motor, not giving up on plays that seemingly moved past him.

The stick lift on Gauthier’s first goal won’t count on a scoresheet, but it was instrumental to that tally and an example of Sennecke’s anticipation and manipulation skills and unexpected involvement in plays in every zone. His net front game was surprisingly proficient for a player who typically operates more on the perimeter before attacking the middle. He was more than willing to mix it up and take a beating to get to the tight areas of the ice.

Sennecke only had one or two “rookie plays” where he was outmuscled or failed to advance a puck on a breakout, but those plays are to be expected. Overall, it was an extremely refined performance for being just his second professional hockey game.

Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider-These are a pair of players one would expect detail-oriented performances from, and they delivered. Granlund’s supportive instincts allow him to gain possession, while his IQ and vision lead to his ability to manipulate the on-puck defender and cleverly find moving teammates throughout his team’s offensive structure.

In a completely different style from Granlund’s, Kreider is a small-area master. He instinctively knows when to stop rimming pucks or feint a stop and allow them to pass through him to a teammate. He knows how goalies are trying to see pucks around him when he’s screening and when to let plays breathe a bit so he can pounce on a loose puck or broken play in front. “Savvy veteran” is the phrase that came to mind when analyzing these two in this game.

Defensive Details-It’s been made clear by head coach Joel Quenneville and the players from training camp until now that the goal of their defensive systems is to kill plays with quick secondary pressure. There’s still work to be done when it comes to how that pressure engages, how the tertiary pressure reacts, and how to minimize damage when the first two waves fail, because it will happen every so often.

Those areas are where the Ducks struggled in this game. A strong-side defenseman (Radko Gudas) pinches in the neutral zone, and the supporting forward (Mason McTavish) leaves too big a gap, which led to the Sharks’ first goal. Five players are caught on the ice for a minute and a half, and the weak-side winger (Cutter Gauthier) doesn’t or can’t stay with his activated point man (Mario Ferraro) on the Sharks’ third goal. Those small details are, in theory, easy to clean up, but they can lead to quick goals if not refined.

McTavish, Gauthier, and Gudas all played very well aside from those instances.

With the puck, the Ducks did well to maintain possession and create consistent, dangerous chances from all four lines and all three pairs. They were smart on forechecks and communicated well on breakouts and regroups to build plays up ice.

The Ducks will return home to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for their home opener on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. PST.

The Edmonton Oilers hosted the Vancouver Canucks in their second game of the 2025-26 season and final home game before heading out on their first road trip of the season. Following a frustrating loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday, the team needed to show up for 60 minutes to pull out a win over the Canucks, which included Evander Kane on their roster. 

Kane said before the game, “We’ve gotten off to a good start through training camp and a nice win at home the other night. Want to follow it up with a tough opponent in Edmonton.” The Oilers certainly didn't want that to happen. They didn't let it.

Calvin Pickard was solid in goal, despite only facing 15 shots, but the Oilers were buzzing for a full three periods, outshooting the Canucks 37-15 to take the 3-1 win.

This felt like the effort level of a team readying for the playoffs. Thatcher Demko was incredible for the Canucks, but the Oilers kept pushing. Pickard said, "We didn't stray away from the gameplan, we didn't cheat for offense. We earned that win. We play that game over and over, we're gonna win pretty much every time."

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The First Period:

Pickard made a solid save on the first shift to get him into the game. That was all it seemed to take to wake Edmonton up, as the Oilers tilted the ice for the first three minutes after that. A couple of nice down-low passes created some good chances. The Oilers were outshooting the Canucks early, and very few whistles got the two teams to the halfway point of the period quickly.

The first pop from the Rogers Place crowd came when Alec Regula put a puck on net, and it went in off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The officials ruled it a high stick, questioning if it hit Darnell Nurse on the way to the net. Unfortunately for the Oilers, it did, and the goal was taken off the board. 

The top line was buzzing and drew a penalty when Derek Forbort got called for holding. David Tomasek got three good looks on the power play, but the Oilers couldn't cash in. Edmonton continued to pepper Thatcher Demko with shots, but the Canucks' goalie looked good and was the early story of the game. 

Evander Kane took a two-minute minor for high-sticking. Once again, Tomasek got at least two more looks on this power play, and again, didn't cash. While it likely felt frustrating not to have been able to finish on his multiple chances, it's clear the Oilers are feeding him on the man advantage and feel it's just a matter of when, not if. The question becomes how patient the coaching staff will be as opportunities arise without results. Is it bad luck, or is the finish not there?

Draisaitl was asked about the power play after the game and said they felt like they should scored a few more. When asked about Tomasek, he responded, "He's just really smart. I think offensively, he knows the reads, he knows where to pop into holes... It's just a matter of time."

Kris Knoblauch said after the game that all he can do is tell Tomasek to keep trying, that eventually those looks are going to go in. 

With 27 seconds left in the Canucks' penalty, Trent Frederic took a tripping penalty. A couple of weird plays, one where Mangiapane almost scored on his own net, went without a resulting disaster. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the period. If not for Demko, it could have easily been a two or three-goal lead for the Oilers. 

Second Period:

The Canucks opened the second period on the power play, but the Oilers’ penalty kill held strong. Vancouver kept up some pressure afterward, yet Edmonton soon pushed back and tilted the ice the other way for several minutes.

Leon Draisaitl fired up the crowd with a massive hit on Tyler Myers, who later answered back with a hard check on Trent Frederic. The Oilers drew another penalty soon after, as Kiefer Sherwood went off for tripping.

Edmonton couldn’t convert on the ensuing power play, but moments later a slick passing sequence set up Noah Philp, who buried his first NHL goal to make it 1–0. Philp’s linemates, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin, showed some promising early chemistry on the play.

Not long after, Evander Kane pushed Alec Regula dangerously into the boards, drawing the ire of Darnell Nurse. The two tangled but stopped short of dropping the gloves, each receiving two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Fans voiced their displeasure at the lack of a boarding call.

During the ensuing 4-on-4, the Oilers capitalized on a Canucks turnover — Andrew Mangiapane picked off a pass, walked in alone, and beat Demko low to make it 2–0 Edmonton.

By the end of the second period, the Oilers held a commanding 28–9 edge in shots.

Third Period:

The Canucks generated the first few chances early in the third, and Brock Boeser made one count — spinning at the faceoff circle and firing a shot that found its way past Calvin Pickard. That brought Vancouver within one, but it was as close as they would get.

The Oilers regrouped and established some offensive zone time. Vancouver was whistled for delay of game, giving Edmonton another power play. Although this man advantage wasn’t as crisp as earlier ones, the Oilers still created quality chances late in it — including a prime look for Leon Draisaitl at the doorstep, where Thatcher Demko made a spectacular save.

Moments later, the Oilers were pinned in their own zone but caught a break when the Canucks took a tripping penalty.

Tempers flared when Evander Kane delivered a heavy hit on Alec Regula behind the net, leading to a retaliatory penalty on Noah Philp.

This was a dominant effort from the Oilers, a significant bounce-back game after the disappointing end to their loss to Calgary. Draisaitl said after the game that they played "a good 30" in game one, but this was a much better effort for the full 60. "I thought we were the better team, played really well, had our legs. We're going to be a hard team to beat when we consistently find a way to play like that." 

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The Chicago Blackhawks made it home for their home opener on Saturday night. They took on the Montreal Canadiens in what was the first game of their centennial celebration. 

The Blackhawks fell to the Canadiens by giving up a goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. This goal broke a 2-2 tie and ended Chicago’s chance at its first win of the season. 

The goal was a Juraj Slafkovsky redirection of a point shot that beat Spencer Knight. The young Blackhawks got a little bit frantic in the final minute of the game, and it bit them. 

Chicago's two goals were positive in the fact that two young core pieces scored them. Their first was the first in the career of defenseman Sam Rinzel. Frank Nazar won a faceoff back to Teuvo Teravainen, who tapped it to Rinzel with an open lane to the net. He didn't miss. 

Blackhawks: Sam Rinzel Has His First Career NHL GoalNot long after Cole Caufield had a Montreal Canadiens goal stand after being reviewed for a high stick, the Blackhawks tied the game thanks to a goal scored by Sam Rinzel. 

Chicago's second goal was a Frank Nazar shot on the power play that deflected in the net off of Connor Bedard. These two are forming decent chemistry with the man-advantage. Down the middle, based on the way the early stages of the season are going for these two players, the Blackhawks are forming a great two-headed monster. 

One of the main storylines from the game was the penalty trouble that the Blackhawks found themselves in. The Blackhawks accumulated a total of 39 penalty minutes. Montreal had 10 power plays. They converted on two of them, which played a role in the outcome of the game. 

After the match against the Bruins earlier in the week, the Blackhawks talked about standing up for each other, but they got a little ahead of themselves in this game. 

Due to being on the penalty kill for almost one full period worth of time, they were never able to get in a true offensive rhythm. Some penalty killers didn't get enough ice at 5-on-5, and some non-killers weren't able to stay on the ice with offensive momentum for long enough to make an impact.

After the game was over, head coach Jeff Blashill talked about some of these issues and how they affected the team as a whole. 

"That's a really, really hard game to get any rhythm going. Blashill said. "Certain guys are playing so many minutes. Anybody who killed was playing so many minutes, and then you're trying to get some of the guys that don't kill you back in their rhythm in minutes." 

It makes sense when you think about it from a deployment standpoint. It's hard to do anything with consistency when you're marching to the penalty box like that. It has been over a decade since the Blackhawks last gave their opponent double-digit power plays. That must be cleaned up going forward. 

To their credit, the penalty kill units did well based on the situation. They don't love giving up two power-play goals, but when you kill off eight others, it is a win. The fact is that they gave the rest of the team a chance to win. 

Chicago is still working on putting teams away late in hockey games. Giving up a heartbreaker with 15 seconds left adds to the list of games that this young core has lost in the final minutes. 

"You have to have the mindset of not just being okay with being in the game," Captain Nick Foligno said. "You've got to find a way to step on their throats for lack of a better word and find a way to get that done like [Montreal] did tonight, right? So that mentality has to now shift from 'hey, we're becoming a good team' to 'no, we are a good team'. We have to believe that and put it into our practice."

As a guy who has been a captain for multiple NHL franchises and a general leader for others, Foligno knows the ups and downs of an NHL clubhouse. This Blackhawks team is getting better, and it shows when you watch. The results aren't showing up in the standings just yet. 

Chicago's next chance will come on Monday night when they will host the Utah Mammoth at the United Center. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Connor Hellebuyck has dominated the regular season, racking up back-to-back Vezina Trophy wins, but others like Sergei Bobrovsky, Andre Vasilevskiy, and Igor Shesterkin have proven to be at their best in the playoffs, unlike Hellebuyck. Which goaltender do you think is the best in the NHL?

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Whenever the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars face off, it's going to be one hell of a game, and this one doesn't disappoint. After numerous lead changes and an eventful overtime, the Stars won 5-4 in the shootout.

The majority of the first period belonged to the Colorado Avalanche, with plenty of chances, scoring opportunities, and shots off the post. Lian Bichsel takes the first penalty of the game for hooking, but the Avalanche fails to capitalize on it. Through the first ten minutes, the Avalanche outshot the Stars 9-1. The Stars get their first power play of the game when Josh Manson is called for hooking, but they don't capitalize.

Thomas Harley is called for cross-checking, but the Avalanche, after numerous great chances, can't capitalize. With under two minutes remaining, Mikko Rantanen finds the trailing Harley, who blasts it past Scott Wedgwood to open the scoring and end the first period 1-0 Stars.

A much more eventful period than the first, and the action starts just one minute in as Rantanen is called for high-sticking. The Avalanche fails to capitalize on the power play. It's Martin Necas shortly after, who receives a nice pass from MacKinnon to bury it and ties the game 1-1. Ross Colton rocks Miro Heiskanen, and Justin Hryckowian steps up for his teammate to fight him. No instigator penalty is called, and both head to the bench.

Victor Oloffson drives hard to the net and opens up a great rebound opportunity for Gavin Brindley, who buries the chance to score his first career NHL goal and give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Cale Makar is called for tripping, but the Avalanche penalty kill does a great job, especially Josh Manson, with a big glove save when Wedgewood is caught out of his crease.

FIRST NHL GOAL FOR GAVIN BRINDLEY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/fO6eA2kFqd

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 12, 2025

Though it's Nathan Bastian shortly after the Avalanche have a defensive breakdown in their zone, and he bats in a rebound to tie the game 2-2. With under two minutes left, Harley sends a shot from the blueline, and it's Jason Robertson who redirects it and tips it in to give the Stars a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.

Thirty seconds into the period, Artturi Lehkonen tips in MacKinnon's rebound and ties the game 3-3. It's not tied long as Wyatt Johnston on the breakaway beats Wedgwood to regain the lead for the Stars, 4-3. Ilya Lybushkin is called for high-sticking and is upgraded to a double minor, sending the Avalanche to the power play.

The Stars do a good job of killing most of the power play, but it's Necas who finds MacKinnon for the one-timer to tie the game up once again, 4-4. After that goal, the Avalanche really found their footing, generating numerous chances, but Oettinger has been on top of his game, keeping the game tied and sending it to overtime.

MacKinnon ties it up 4-4, Brent Burns gets an assist on it for his 1,500th career game. #GoAvsGo

— Stefano Rubino (@StefanoFRubino1) October 12, 2025

Both teams get plenty of chances, but it's Oettinger making more crucial saves to force the game into a shootout. However, it's the Stars who come up with the extra point and win in the shootout, 5-4.

Insider Doubts Colorado Avalanche Will Hold Onto Martin NečasA big issue the Colorado Avalanche face this season is that Martin Necas and his expiring contract this summer set him up to be an unrestricted free agent. The Avalanche have been in this position before, last season, and their experience with trying to re-sign Mikko Rantanen ultimately led to trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes and acquiring Necas in a package deal. While Necas might not command the same extension price that Rantanen received from the Dallas Stars after being traded from the Hurricanes, an insider speculates that he would be “shocked” if the Avalanche agreed to extend Necas.

Colorado Avalanche to Revive Nordiques Look as Teased Third JerseyThe Colorado Avalanche have posted on X of what could be the third jerseys they will use this season, the Quebec Nordiques jerseys that was used before they relocated to Denver Colorado

Struggles on the power play and a lack of possession in overtime hampered the Nashville Predators, who fell to the Utah Mammoth, 3-2, on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

The Predators were 0-for-5 on the power play and did not have a single rush in the 3-on-3 overtime period. Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula found the back of the net in regulation, and Brady Martin recorded his first NHL point on an assist. 

"We had momentum most of the night, did a lot of really good things, probably deserved a better fate," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. 

Nashville failed to find the back of the net in the third period and Utah converted in the final three minutes of the game to tie things up. Dylan Guenther scored the Mammoth's overtime winner. 

Here are three takeaways from the Predators first loss of the regular season. 

Predators were dominated in overtime

Dylan Guenther plays OT hero!!! pic.twitter.com/dA4PqHH0wW

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 12, 2025

The Mammoth set the tone of what overtime would look like with eight seconds left in regulation. Instead of making one last push, one of their players went deep into their own zone and held the puck for those final seconds. 

In overtime, the Predators couldn't put together a single rush as Utah dominated the possession game. Even when Sean Durzi came off the ice after falling hard on his shoulder, and it was 3-on-2 for a few seconds, the Mammoth still managed to keep the Predators off the puck. 

"We got a little bit, a little bit passive," Brunette said on the Predators effort in overtime.
"Obviously, they're the highly skilled team and they're a fast team. When you lose the open draw, against them, it's going to be hard to get it back." 

Utah cycled through the Predators' own zone constantly before Guenther was able to find a gap, get goalie Juuse Saros down and score on his backhand to end the game. 

Overtime losses are nothing new to Nashville as it lost eight games last year in extra time and won just four in the five-minute period. The loss to the Mammoth shows that the Predators need to clean up their 3-on-3 game. 

Power play continues to struggle 

It's only two games into the season, but the Predators are 1-for-9 on the power play, for an execution rate of 11%. On Saturday, they had five opportunities on the man advantage and could not convert. 

After not converting on their fifth opportunity of the night in the third period, Utah responded minutes later to tie the game. 

"In the last period, we gave them too many looks," Roman Josi said. "After they scored, I thought we had some good looks, but we couldn't get a goal." 

The first unit is loaded with the Predators' top players in Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly. Still, the group looks unorganized when thrown into action. 

"As a power play, we have to put the game away," Josi said. "We had five power plays, but I thought 5-on-5 we played pretty well." 

Stamkos has been used as the trigger player on the right circle, but the Predators are struggling to get the puck to him. Shots are coming from the point and from the slot, but it appears the unit is struggling to establish a consistent flow. 

It looked like the Predators had finally converted on the power play early in the third period as Josi scored blocker side. Upon review, it was determined that he was offside, and the goal was called back. 

The Predators' lone power play goal this season was off a low-to-high pass from Forsberg to O'Reilly, and O'Reilly had some impressive stick-handling skills to finish it off. It was more of an individual effort than something that could be credited to the unit. 

In general, a lot of the Predators' shots against the Mammoth came from in the slot and below the circles. 

Predators found ways to score in low-offensive game

There were 45 combined shots in Friday's game, with Utah owning the 23-22 edge. The Predators didn't eclipse 10 shots in either of the three periods. On the other side of the ice, Utah had only three shots in the second period. 

Nashville's shot total on Saturday was 10 lower than Thursday's total of 32 shots. 

While Forsberg's goal in the first period was off a turnover and a strong shot from the right side, the second goal was scored by Erik Haula in a net-mouth scramble. Luke Evangelista lobbed a shot toward the net, the puck fell in the paint and Haula tapped it in. 

Haula's conversion also came in another slow second period, which mirrored the pace of play in the second period of Thursday's game. 

"We played well enough to win the game, but we kind of took our foot off the gas there," Haula said. "They were able to tie the game and in overtime it's kind of a coin toss. They got the extra [point] today, but lots of good today." 

Nashville's penalty killing effort remained perfect as it killed off all of Utah's power plays. The Predators' offense is still finding its identity, but is finding ways to put the puck in the net. 

Seeing Utah come back late and close out in overtime, a strong offensive push is likely needed from the Predators.