Things aren’t exactly golden right now for the Vegas Golden Knights. For the first time this season, they’ve dropped two in a row; to make matters worse, tonight’s loss to the St. Louis Blues was their second consecutive 6-2 loss.

“I don’t think our guys are going to be happy with this,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig following the loss. “We’re not pleased with this. I expect a response. We’re gonna get a lot of teams’ best games on each and every night because of what these guys have accomplished here last season. So we have to be ready for that push, because when we push, we’re a good team.”

Most of these wounds are self-inflicted. As a collective five-man unit, the Golden Knights have turned the puck over far too often, and their opponents have made them pay.

“We didn’t help ourselves as much as we could have,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig following the loss. “That’s two games in a row where we’ve put ourselves in some tough situations.”

​​“I don’t want to say it’s concerning, because obviously we know we have it in this room, but you don’t want to give up that many goals in back-to-back games,” Jack Eichel added. 

1. Holtz Your Horses

Prior to puck drop, the Golden Knights announced that Mitch Marner would be inactive because of a family matter. Alex Holtz drew in, and made his season debut in Marner’s spot on the second line with Brett Howden and William Karlsson. 

Holtz was a rare bright spot on a night where very few Golden Knights played well. He was strong on pucks and backchecked well, and the only Blues goal he was on the ice for was the third, which came off the faceoff. Holtz played 14:04, recorded five shots on net and nine total shot attempts, and threw a hit.

Holtz recorded his first point of the season on the Golden Knights’ first goal of the game. He got in on the forecheck and picked off Brandon Carlo’s clearing attempt, then fought to get the puck back after William Karlsson couldn’t handle his centering pass. Holtz fed Noah Hanifin at the point for a blast; Howden batted it down and put it past Joel Hofer.

“I thought Holtzy had some jump,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the loss. “He attacked the interior of the ice. He went right in there with Karly and Howie and did a good job. He was one of our better players tonight.”

2. In a Rut

Through their first 10 games of the season, the Golden Knights were a well-oiled machine. Their offense was humming, and they kept the puck out of their net. That hasn’t been the case in their last two games.

The Golden Knights outscored their opponents 42-24 in their first ten games of the season; in their last two games, they’ve been outscored 12-4.

​​“We understand what it looks like when it looks good, right? When we’re playing as a five-man unit, we’re breaking pucks out, we’re getting up, we’re forechecking, and we’re checking. In the last two [games], it hasn’t been like us,” said Jack Eichel following the 6-2 loss to the Blues. “It’s a good opportunity for us all to look in the mirror. We have to be better as a group, all five guys on the ice at a time.”

“I feel like it’s just sloppy play right now on our own part. I mean, I think we’re just giving teams a lot of chances,” said Eichel. “[The Blues] are good off the rush. They make a lot of plays. Their D are up in the rush, so if you turn pucks over going north, they’re countering pretty quickly, and they did that to us tonight. So, not our best by any means.”

3. Penalty Kill Woes

Last year, for the first time in a long time, the Golden Knights had a top-ten penalty kill. They finished the regular season killing 81.4% of penalties, tied for sixth-best in the league. Their success continued in the postseason, where their penalty kill fired at an 82.1% success rate.

The Golden Knights’ penalty kill has come back to earth. They’ve allowed nine power play goals and have the 29th-ranked penalty kill in the league.

The Golden Knights have allowed a power play goal in four straight games, and the Blues scored on both of their opportunities tonight.

“Our kill’s got to be way better,” said Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb following the 6-2 loss. “They get one [early]; if we kill that, maybe we get some momentum in the game. And they score another one in the third. That needs to sharpen up, and we’ll look at it a little bit better, but that’s definitely got to improve.”

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid forced overtime with a late goal for his fifth point of the night, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the lone shootout score and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 on Thursday night.

McDavid had two goals and three assists to give him a whooping 31 points in the first 10 games of the season. He joined Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky as the only NHL players to reach the 30-point mark in 10 games or fewer.

Leon Draisaitl also had two goals and three assists, and Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist.

Edmonton tied it with 1:28 and goalie Devon Levi off for an extra attacker. McDavid sent a shot on net that deflected off Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s skate for his eighth goal.

The Oilers (8-1-1) have won three straight and seven of their last eight. Levi made 22 saves.

Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankhoven and Juuso Valimaki scored for the the Hurricanes (8-2-2). The defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes have lost two of their last three.

Brandon Bussi made 16 saves for Carolina.

Nugent-Hopkins made his season debut, returning after sustaining a lower-body injury during training camp. The 33-year-old became the franchise leader for seasons played with the Oilers at 16.

Jarvis scored in his first game of the season, making his debut following offseason shoulder surgery.

Up next

Hurricanes: At St. Louis on Saturday night.

Oilers: Host Toronto on Saturday night.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

After Wednesday night's wild and emotional 5-1 victory over Brady Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators were probably due for a letdown.

And playing again less than 24 hours later certainly didn't help.

The Senators fell 6-2 to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre, although the game was considerably closer than the final score suggests.

After falling behind 4-1 in the second period, the Senators took complete control of the game, but couldn't capitalize on a steady stream of scoring opportunities.

Tim Stützle and Jordan Spence scored for the Senators, who outshot the Sharks 43-28, including a 17-6 advantage in the third period. Travis Green said after the game that the Sens probably created more chances on Thursday night than they have in any game all year.

Jacob Trouba and Colin Graf each had a goal and an assist for San Jose.

The Senators opened the scoring on Stützle's seventh goal of the season, but Nolan Allan replied five minutes later by roofing a snapshot to tie the game at one.

Things unravelled badly for the Senators in the second period.

Team defence has been one of the club's strengths this season, but it completely deserted them during a disastrous four-minute stretch that saw the Sharks score three unanswered goals.

Tyler Toffoli started the damage at 9:13, when his power play wrist shot from the point deflected off the shaft of Artem Zub's stick and past Samuel Ersson to give San Jose a 2-1 lead.

Then things got ugly with the Senators power play unit getting a little too casual on D.

Graf scored his second of the season, shorthanded, on what should have been a routine two-on-two situation.

But a spectacular miscommunication between Stephen Halliday and Jake Sanderson left Graf completely uncovered as he headed for the far post. He accepted a perfect pass and easily converted to make it 3-1.

The defensive breakdown on Trouba's goal was even worse.

With the Sharks coming off a penalty kill, Graf controlled the puck deep in the Senators' corner. Halliday, Sanderson, and Drake Batherson all decided to converge on him, somehow leaving Trouba completely alone in front of the net.

Graf simply slid the puck to Trouba, who tapped it past Ersson for a 4-1 lead.

The video of that goal might someday find its way into a Hockey Canada coaching clinic as an example of what not to do defensively.

Ersson was making the start in place of Linus Ullmark, and he's going to need to get comfortable in the role quickly. Ullmark is expected to miss at least two weeks with the lower-body injury he suffered against Florida on Wednesday.

To their credit, the Senators didn't fold after falling behind by three. In fact, they dominated much of the remaining game.

Spence cut the deficit to 4-2 with a beautiful wrist shot, and the Senators continued to generate quality chances, particularly during a one-sided third period.

Nobody had worse luck than Batherson.

With a wide-open net staring him in the face, Batherson appeared certain to score. But Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov desperately threw out his glove on a wing and a prayer.

Of all the places Batherson could have shot the puck, he somehow managed to find the geometric centre of Askarov's trapper.

It was that kind of night.

With a late Sharks penalty in the third, the Senators pulled Ersson for a six-on-four advantage.

But the comeback wasn't to be.

Former Senator Zack Ostapchuk scored into the empty net to put the game away, and Ivar Stenberg added another empty-net goal to complete the scoring.

The loss continued a troubling early-season trend for the Senators in back-to-back situations.

They're now 0-3-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, matching their total number of losses in those situations from all of last season, when they posted an impressive 9-3-0 record.

The Senators will have Friday to regroup before hosting the New York Rangers on Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre. After an emotional high on Wednesday and a frustrating low on Thursday, a day off probably couldn't come at a better time.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

The Pittsburgh Penguins desperately needed something to go their way when they returned home to face the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Between a four-game road trip that saw them go 0-4 and losing two regular forwards in Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust to injured reserve, they were due for a break.

And they got that and more against the Cats.

In their most complete 60-minute effort of the season, the Penguins defeated the Panthers, 4-0, and never surrendered command of the hockey game. Penguins' goaltender Arturs Silovs recorded his second shutout of the season in the effort, stopping all 25 Florida shots on goal. 

It was a much-needed victory after a week and a half span where nothing went right for them.

"I just think all three periods were consistent," Robertson said. "We didn't let off the gas. Obviously, going into the third with the lead, we wanted to finish it off, and we did."

The Penguins dictated play for the vast majority of the first period. They had an extended power play that included 19 seconds of five-on-three time midway through the period and failed to score, but even outside of that, they spent a whole lot of time in the offensive zone. 

Their labors finally paid off with 4:41 left in the opening frame. Nick Robertson poke-checked Florida defenseman Uvis Balinskis in the defensive zone, forcing a turnover and a rush opportunity the other way. He got the puck back breaking into the offensive zone, toe dragged and faded down the right side, and beat Panthers' goaltender Cooper Black - who made his NHL debut - to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the season.

ROBBIE RIPS ONE HOME 👏 pic.twitter.com/I4EnACagks

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 22, 2026

The second period began with an assault from Florida, as they outshot the Penguins, 9-1, in the opening six minutes. However, Pittsburgh began to get some momentum back around the midway point, and they were able to capitalize. 

Evgeni Malkin skated center-drive on a three-on-two opportunity, with Ville Koivunen on his left and Hendrix Lapierre on his right. He passed it to Koivunen on the left wall, and under pressure, Koivunen dished a perfect pass to Lapierre, who broke for the net. He deked backhand-to-forehand to put it past Cooper and make it 2-0.

SILOVS ➡️ MALKIN ➡️ KOIVUNEN ➡️ LAPIERRE! pic.twitter.com/uNhvWg8z4M

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 23, 2026

Nearing the end of the second, Arturs Silovs took a double-minor for high-sticking Sam Bennett on a fly-by. The Penguins' penalty kill stepped up big, and Connor Dewar was robbed on a shorthanded breakaway opportunity. Rickard Rakell also had a huge shot block on Bennett with time dying on the clock. 

The Penguins killed off the remaining 17 seconds of power play time for the Panthers to begin the third period, and Silovs came up with a big stop point-blank on Matthew Tkachuk shortly after. Then, a little more than a minute later, Evgeni Malkin took advantage of a miffed pass attempt by teammate Hendrix Lapierre at the offensive blue line and carried the puck in on the rush down the left side.

Malkin slid the puck to himself under a diving Gustav Forsling, and he finished it off to score his team-leading sixth goal of the season and hand the Penguins a commanding 3-0 lead.

You can't stop the Malkamania 💥 pic.twitter.com/eVETGaUyrR

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 23, 2026

The Penguins pretty much shut it down after that, and they were rewarded with another tally at the end, courtesy of a Robertson empty-net goal.

From start to finish, the Penguins put forth a dominant effort in this game against a formidable opponent. And, given the circumstances and the way things were trending following the disastrous road trip, it's hard to imagine they could have played better.

“It's definitely not easy coming off the road when things haven't gone well. So, it's a credit to the locker room. They're the ones that are out there playing,” head coach Dan Muse said. “I really thought we had contributions from throughout the lineup. We’ve talked about consistency, and that’s right up there for me in terms of the most consistent game of the year.”

Dubas: Ben Kindel Had 'Vasovagal Episode' On Team PlanePittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas cleared up what happened during Ben Kindel's medical episode on the team plane Tuesday, which prompted an emergency landing and required hospitalization.

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Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:

- Thursday marked Lapierre's first game back in the lineup since a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Oct. 10.

And he and the rest of the second line was very effective for the Penguins, as some lineup shuffling with the injury situation led him to center that line. 

"Four games is a long time," Lapierre said. "I was just super excited. I felt like there was a little bit more adrenaline there. Glad we were able to play a really good game against a really good team. Everyone contributed."

- Speaking of that second line, it really seems like Koivunen is beginning to find another gear and is more resemblant of the player who had seven points in eight games to begin his NHL career.

His pass to Lapierre was a thing of beauty. He's connecting on more passes in general. He's stringing some shifts together. And he's developing some legitimate chemistry with Malkin. 

He just keeps getting better with every game, which is something that Muse likes to see. 

"I think he's taken really good steps," Muse said. "You can see with the playmaking. I feel like that it is a big part of his game. He's also finding good spots for himself, too, just making himself available and getting some good looks. His play away from the puck has also been solid. It's been good.

"I think, with him, it's just continue to push. I've liked the direction he's going in."

Penguins Send Kindel, Rust To IR, Recall Two PlayersThe Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled two players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

- Ilya Solovyov, who played his first game of the season in Utah and was iced again Thursday, has been really solid through two games for the Penguins. And he was particularly solid on the penalty kill Thursday, which was a perfect 4-for-4.

He was tasked with a lot of responsibility on the PK, and he delivered. And, during his five-on-five minutes, the improvements from last season were noticeable. 

"Maybe start to play a little more solid, more confident on the ice," Solovyov said. "I just feel way faster than I was before. Faster mind, like in my mind, how I do everything, my feet, how my feet [are] moving.

"So, I mean, I spent [the] whole summer here and tried to improve that."

The Penguins' blue line, in general, was much better in this game. If they can settle down on the back end and continue to get performances from the penalty kill like this, they'll be in good shape. 

Penguins Prospect Continued Hot Start On Wednesday NightPittsburgh Penguins prospect Carter Sanderson continues to be unreal at the start of the season.

- Rutger McGroarty, recalled Thursday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) after beginning the AHL season with four goals and nine points in six games, slotted in for Chinakhov.

And he played fairly well.

He was on the second power play unit and also saw some minutes on the penalty kill during a four-minute double-minor for high-sticking by Silovs late in the second and into the third. He did some good things offensively - he even hit the crossbar on an opportunity - but the bulk of what I noticed from him was on the defensive side of the puck.

McGroarty is a really solid 200-foot player. He makes the right reads, he has a nice stick in the defensive zone, and he excels on breakouts. 

It'd be nice to see him get some runway in the lineup. 

- Finally, what a night for Silovs.

It's not as if he had to work extremely hard all night, as the Penguins really limited high-danger chances. But he answered the bell when called upon, particularly on a golden opportunity by Sam Bennett in the first period and a point-blank net-front opportunity by Matthew Tkachuk early in the third.

The Penguins' goaltending has been a bit inconsistent to start the season, but there was nothing inconsistent about a confident performance from Silovs.

How Long Will Holdout Be For Penguins' Top Defensive Prospects?With Pittsburgh's blue line struggling immensely to begin the season - and the numbers backing that up - how long will it be before the Penguins give some of their younger talent on the blue line a look?

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs stopped 25 shots to spoil the history-making debut of Florida counterpart Cooper Black as the Penguins beat the Panthers 4-0 on Thursday.

Black, who at 6-foot-9 became the tallest goalie ever to appear in an NHL regular season game, made 18 saves but it wasn’t enough to stop the Panthers from dropping their second game in as many nights.

Nick Robertson scored twice for Pittsburgh. Hendrix Lapierre and Evgeni Malkin both finished with a goal and an assist as the Penguins shook off a miserable Western Conference road trip in which they were badly outplayed in losses to Chicago, Colorado, Vegas and Utah.

The trip ended with 19-year-old forward Ben Kindel collapsing on Tuesday during the flight back to Pittsburgh. Kindel spent the night in a Salt Lake City hospital for observation and returned to the Penguins’ facility on Thursday. The team placed him on injured reserve but is hopeful may be able to return to practice as early as next week.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse shuffled his lines in hopes of a spark, and the Penguins responded by solving the towering Black, a 25-year-old from Michigan, three times.

Black, called up from Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte recently after Jacob Markstrom sustained a shoulder injury, was sharp early as the Panthers struggled to find their legs a night after an emotionally charged loss in Ottawa.

DEVILS 4, DUCKS 1

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Arseny Gritsyuk and Nico Hischier scored first-period goals, Nico Daws made 16 saves and New Jersey beat Anaheim.

Anthony Mantha restored the two-goal lead with 6:33 left in the third, and Jack Hughes added an empty-netter with 6.1 seconds remaining. New Jersey won its second straight to improve to 6-4-0, while Anaheim dropped its fifth in a row to fall to 4-6-0.

Gritsyuk and Hischier each scored their fifth goal of the season, with Jesper Bratt assisting on both scores. Hughes assisted on Gritsyuk’s goal.

Tim Washe scored for Anaheim on a tip at 8:20 of the third period. Ville Husso made 25 saves for the Ducks.

Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first, connecting from close range off Bratt’s centering pass. Hischier scored off a rebound on a power play with 41 seconds left in the period.

BRUINS 6, PREDATORS 0

BOSTON (AP) — Michael DiPietro made 28 saves for his first career shutout, David Pastrnak had two goals and two assists, and Boston cruised to a victory over Nashville.

Charlie McAvoy had a career-high four assists for Boston, and Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm, JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic also scored.

Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals (six) and assists (10). Boston improved to 6-0-1 in its last seven games, with the only loss coming Tuesday in overtime at Dallas to conclude a four-game trip.

Justus Annunen stopped 25 shots in first start for Nashville since last season. The Predators have lost four of five.

The Bruins went ahead 3:49 into the game when Pastrnak sent a cross-ice pass to Mittelstadt, who fired it past Annunen’s right shoulder.

Lindholm made it 2-0 on the power play later in the first. Pastrnak scored midway through the second when he deflected McAvoy’s shot past Annunen, and the Bruins captain assisted on Peterka’s goal late in the period.

Pastrnak capped the scoring with 5 minutes remaining and became the eighth player in Bruins history with 20 career four-point games.

SHARKS 6, SENATORS 2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Colin Graf had a goal and an assist, Yaroslav Askarov stopped 39 shots and San Jose beat Ottawa for its first regulation victory of the season.

Nolan Allan, Tyler Toffoli, Jacob Trouba, Zack Ostapchuk and Ivar Stenberg also scored for the Sharks (6-4-1).

Tim Stutzle and Jordan Spence scored for Ottawa (7-4-0). Samuel Ersson made 23 saves.

Ottawa placed goalie Linus Ullmark on injured reserve Thursday after he suffered a lower-body injury a night earlier.

Spence scored at 6:24 of the third period to make it a two-goal game.

The Senators pulled Ersson while on the power play with under four minutes remaining, but Ostapchuk took advantage of a giveaway and scored an empty-net goal.

Stenberg added a second empty-netter to round out the scoring.

MAPLE LEAFS 5, RANGERS 4

TORONTO (AP) — Troy Stecher scored with 26.3 seconds left in regulation and Toronto outlasted the New York Rangers for its third straight victory.

Brandon Duhaime had a goal and two assists, and Teddy Blueger, Kirill Marchenko and Easton Cowan also scored for Toronto (6-4-2).

Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves. Zack MacEwen added two assists. Blueger also had an assist for a two-point night.

Mika Zibanejad, with a goal and an assist, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tye Kartye and Alexis Lafreniere replied for New York (7-4-1), which got 31 stops from Dylan Garand. Adam Fox had four assists.

Stecher’s winner came on a delayed penalty after he took a pass from Morgan Rielly and ripped a high shot.

Bobrovsky tied former Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist for the most wins by a non-North American goalie with 459.

KINGS 3, ISLANDERS 2, OT

NEW YORK (AP) — Artemi Panarin had two goals, Brandt Clarke scored in overtime and Los Angeles won a second consecutive game, beating the New York Islanders.

The Kings have back-to-back victories after losing their first six games. They were the final NHL team without a win before defeating Washington on Tuesday night.

LA was outplayed for much of the Islanders game and outshot 43-26. Panarin beat rusty backup Semyon Varlamov glove side twice, and Darcy Kuemper kept making stops even as his rebound control was lacking, finishing with 41 saves.

Kuemper cracked for the first time with just under six minutes left in the second period when rookie Victor Eklund’s shot squeezed through on a power play. Islanders face of the franchise Matthew Schaefer wired a wrist shot by Kuemper 7:06 into the third.

Clarke scored the winner with 2:18 left in 3-on-3 OT after he and his teammates possessed the puck for several shifts in a row.

BLUES 6, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Justin Barron had a goal and three assists, Dylan Holloway had two goals and an assist and St. Louis beat Vegas.

Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist and Pavel Buchnevich and Mason McTavish also scored for the Blues, who improved to 3-0-1 at Enterprise Center this season. Joel Hofer made 27 saves.

Brett Howden and Jack Eichel scored and Aidan Hill made 25 saves for the Golden Knights, who dropped their second straight game.

Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner didn’t play because of what the club called “a family matter.” His wife, Stephanie, was due to give birth to their second child, someone with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the specific reason wasn’t announced.

Marner has a seven-game point streak and has recorded 12 points in 11 games for the season. Alexander Holtz replaced him in the lineup.

STARS 3, JETS 2, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Roope Hintz scored on a breakaway 3:47 into overtime after his game-tying goal with 2 minutes left in regulation and Dallas beat Winnipeg.

Wyatt Johnston scored his first goal of the season for Dallas, after 45 last season, and had an assist. Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen each had two assists.

Rantanen, who two nights earlier had a hat trick for every Stars goal in a 3-2 overtime win against Boston, passed to Hintz from behind the net for the late regulation goal.

Hintz had been denied a tying goal at the end of the second period after he got his stick on a puck from the side of the net behind Stuart Skinner, who made an incredible save reaching back with his glove to smother the rolling puck before it could cross the line.

Skinner finished with 35 saves.

Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor scored goals less than 2 minutes apart in the second period for the Jets, who have lost four one-goal games in a row.

FLAMES 2, WILD 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Devin Cooley made 36 saves and Calgary scored two power-play goals in the first period in a victory over Minnesota.

Aydar Suniev scored with 9:11 left in the first and Joel Farabee struck just over three minutes later to help the Flames (3-6-0) win their second straight on home ice.

Michael McCarron scored for the Wild (6-3-2). Jesper Wallstedt made 20 saves.

Suniev’s goal, his third of the season, was his first career power-play goal. Farabee beat Wallstedt on a rebound for his first goal of the campaign.

The Flames were without captain Mikael Backlund, who’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Former Wild center Ben Jones made his season debut for Calgary.

OILERS 6, HURRICANES 5, SO

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid forced overtime with a late goal for his fifth point of the night, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the lone shootout score and Edmonton beat Carolina.

McDavid had two goals and three assists to give him a whooping 31 points in the first 10 games of the season. He joined Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky as the only NHL players to reach the 30-point mark in 10 games or fewer.

Leon Draisaitl also had two goals and three assists, and Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist.

Edmonton tied it with 1:28 and goalie Devon Levi off for an extra attacker. McDavid sent a shot on net that deflected off Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s skate for his eighth goal.

The Oilers (8-1-1) have won three straight and seven of their last eight. Levi made 22 saves.

Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stankhoven and Juuso Valimaki scored for the the Hurricanes (8-2-2). The defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes have lost two of their last three.

Brandon Bussi made 16 saves for Carolina.

RED WINGS 5, CANUCKS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Lucas Raymond scored twice and added an assist to help Detroit give Vancouver its ninth straight loss.

William Wallinder, Michael Rasmussen and Emmitt Finnie also scored for the Red Wings (4-3-3), and Victor Arvidsson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard each had a pair of assists.

John Gibson stopped four of the five shots he faced in the Detroit net before leaving the game with an upper-body injury. He was replaced by Michal Postava to start the third period and the Czech netminder logged seven stops in his NHL debut.

The Canucks (2-9-1) got a goal and an assist from Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Elias Pettersson scored his fourth of the season on a first-period power play.

Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen struggled early, giving up three goals in the first nine minutes of the game. He finished with 26 saves.

KRAKEN 5, MAMMOTH 3

SEATTLE (AP) — Mackie Samoskevich scored with 5:25 left, and Seattle, despite blowing a multiple-goal third-period lead for the second game in a row, beat Utah.

The Kraken (7-3-1) carried a 3-1 lead into the third against Utah (7-4-0). On Tuesday. Seattle was up 3-0 heading into the final 20 minutes against Detroit before winning in a shootout, 4-3.

Jordan Eberle and Brandon Montour each had a goal and an assist. Matty Beniers and Frederick Gaudreau also scored, Gaudreau’s going into an empty net with 1:00 left in the game for his team-leading sixth of the season.

Logan Cooley had two goals for the Mammoth, and Vincent Trocheck scored once.

Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves for Seattle.

With the scored tied at 3-3 after each team had a goal taken down in the third on successful offside challenges, Bobby McMann stole the puck near center ice and skated down the left side His shot was deflected wide but the rebound bounced in front of the net. McMann finally got a stick to it, tapping it over to Samoskevich, who pushed it in for his fifth of the year.

The Vegas Golden Knights have gone from dictating games to chasing them, and the defensive breakdowns that surfaced earlier this week followed them on the road Thursday night.

Dylan Holloway scored twice, and the St. Louis Blues defeated Vegas 6-2 at Enterprise Center, handing the Golden Knights consecutive identical-score losses after Tuesday's defeat to Tampa Bay.

Vegas (8-4-0) has surrendered 12 goals in two games, with turnovers, defensive-zone coverage and an inability to sustain momentum emerging as recurring problems.

“I think it's a good opportunity for us all to look in the mirror and know we have to be better as a group,” Jack Eichel said. “I don't want to say concerning, because obviously we know we have it in this room, but you don't want to give up that many goals in back-to-back games.”

Brett Howden and Eichel scored for Vegas, which twice pulled within one goal but couldn't build on either opportunity.

Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Barron gave St. Louis a 2-0 first-period lead before Howden scored at 5:38 of the second. Mason McTavish answered less than three minutes later.

Eichel brought Vegas within 3-2 early in the third, but Jimmy Snuggerud restored the Blues' two-goal advantage before Holloway scored twice to put the game away.

Coach Ryan Craig said his team has drifted from the connected, aggressive defensive structure that helped produce its strong start.

“When you have a chance to close, we want you to go,” Craig said. “The four other guys are reading off you. ... Through the first ten games we had done a real good job and know what that feels like. We've gotten away from it a little bit here now.”

Defenseman Brayden McNabb pointed to the team's slow start and ineffective penalty killing.

“They got to their game right away and we didn't,” McNabb said. “It's humbling the last couple games, so we got to get better.”

Craig said he expects a response rather than allowing two difficult performances to become a larger trend.

“We're not pleased with this. Expect a response,” Craig said. “When we push, we're a good team.”

KEY MOMENT

The Golden Knights twice trimmed a two-goal deficit to one, but St. Louis answered each time. Jack Eichel's goal at 4:08 of the third period made it 3-2, only for Jimmy Snuggerud to restore the Blues' two-goal cushion at 8:21. Dylan Holloway scored just 2:08 later, stretching the lead to 5-2 and effectively ending Vegas' comeback hopes. St. Louis scored three times in the final period, including Holloway's second goal at 16:05.

“We made it 2-1. They made it 3-1. Made it 3-2. They made it 4-2,” coach Ryan Craig said. “Give them credit. They pushed back and responded well when we were able to chip away there.”

KEY STAT

The Golden Knights have surrendered 12 goals in consecutive 6-2 losses after allowing just 24 through their first 10 games. St. Louis scored twice on the power play, while Vegas was outshot 31-29 despite delivering 36 hits to the Blues' 13. The defensive issues have been particularly glaring considering Vegas allowed only six combined goals during its three-game winning streak immediately preceding the losses.

“You don't want to give up six back-to-back games, so that's something we're going to have to look at,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “It's humbling the last couple games, so we got to get better.”

WHAT A KNIGHT

Alexander Holtz provided one of the few encouraging developments in his season debut, recording an assist on Brett Howden's goal at 5:38 of the second period. Holtz helped generate offense by attacking the middle of the ice and showing the willingness to battle in traffic that Craig felt was missing from portions of Vegas' overall performance. The Golden Knights struggled to establish a consistent net-front presence against Blues goaltender Joel Hofer, who finished with 27 saves, but Holtz's energy stood out.

“I thought Holtzy had some jump,” Craig said. “Attacked the interior of the ice, went right in there with Carly and Howie and did a good job. One of our better players tonight.”

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights continue their road trip Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 4 p.m. PT. Vegas will look to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season after opening 8-2-0. The immediate priorities are improving defensive-zone coverage, eliminating turnovers that fuel opposing rushes and restoring the aggressive five-man structure that characterized the team's early success.

“We're not pleased with this. Expect a response,” Craig said. “We're gonna get a lot of teams' best games on each and every night because of what these guys have accomplished here last season. So we have to be ready for that push.”

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) makes a save against St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg (6) during the second period at Enterprise Center.