LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights nearly completed an improbable comeback Friday night, scoring three unanswered goals in the third period before falling 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena.

The loss was Vegas’ first under coach Ryan Craig and provided another chapter in a budding Pacific Division rivalry after the teams met in the second round of last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Beckett Sennecke opened the scoring with eight seconds remaining in the first period, a late-period strike that changed the complexion of a game Vegas had controlled territorially.

Then came the stretch that ultimately decided it.

Alex Killorn scored 1:33 into the second period, and Jeff Malott followed just 55 seconds later to make it 3-0. Leo Carlsson extended Anaheim’s advantage at 7:03, leaving Vegas down four before the game reached its midpoint.

“Probably just the execution,” captain Mark Stone said when asked about the difference between the second and third periods. “Against a team like that, you look at their top players, they’re high-end players. With time and space, and if you turn the puck over or give them that time and space, they make plays, and they did.”

Vegas finally awakened in the third.

Shea Theodore scored at 4:38 before Tomas Hertl converted on the power play at 6:07. Braeden Bowman pulled Vegas within one with 2:50 remaining, transforming what had looked like a one-sided Anaheim victory into a frantic finish.

BO SHOW ☠️ pic.twitter.com/4UAjpE4EWm

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 3, 2026

Stone said the response reflected something that has become part of the Golden Knights’ identity.

“I think you’re never gonna see this team quit, and I think that’s why we’ve had awesome playoff success and regular-season success as a team,” Stone said. “We don’t quit. We continue to push.”

But Stone also acknowledged the obvious lesson from Friday: resiliency can only overcome so much.

“When you get down in a hole 4-0, it’s not gonna come back very often,” Stone said. “It’s early in the season. I like the way we started to build some better habits leading into the next game, especially.”

The Golden Knights continued pressing after pulling Carter Hart for the extra attacker, but Lukas Dostal and the Ducks survived the final push.

Vegas was left with an encouraging third period - and a reminder that even its ability to rally has limitations.

As Stone put it: “It’s doable, but that fourth one is just difficult.”

KEY MOMENT: Anaheim's Third Goal

Anaheim delivered its biggest blow just 55 seconds after Killorn gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead. Malott scored at 2:28 of the second period to suddenly make it 3-0. Vegas eventually found its game, but that rapid-fire sequence left the Golden Knights chasing a deficit that proved one goal too large.

KEY STAT: .800

Hart stopped 16 of the 20 shots he faced. Vegas held a 30-20 advantage in shots and won nearly two-thirds of the faceoffs, but four goals on Anaheim's first 20 shots proved too much to overcome.

WHAT A KNIGHT: Tomas Hertl

Hertl supplied more than Vegas' second goal. He finished with a team-high five shots on goal, went 8-3 in the faceoff circle and posted a plus-1 rating in 17:23 of ice time. His power-play goal at 6:07 of the third cut the deficit to 4-2 and helped turn what looked like a runaway into a frantic finish.

The man, the myth, the power-play legend 🐢 pic.twitter.com/qVbRFXI6ls

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 3, 2026

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights head north for their first road game of the season, visiting the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) scores a goal in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Leo Carlsson had a goal and an assist, Lukas Dostal made 27 saves and the Anaheim Ducks opened the season by holding off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Friday night.

The teams met last season in the second round of the playoffs, with Vegas winning in six games and going on to win the Western Conference. The Golden Knights opened Tuesday night at home with a 5-2 victory over Chicago.

Carlson set up Beckett Sennecke's goal with eight seconds left in the first period, then scored at 7:03 of the second to cap a three-goal burst for a 4-0 lead. Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott also scored.

Shea Theodore, Tomas Hertl and Braeden Bowman scored for Vegas in the third period, with Bowman connecting with 2:50 left. Hertl struck on a power play.

Carter Hart stopped 16 shots for the Golden Knights.

Up next

Ducks: Host Florida on Sunday.

Golden Knights: At Vancouver on Sunday night.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Sometimes, life-changing opportunities come when you least expect them. 

For Dylan Garand, securing his first NHL shutout while propelling the New York Rangers to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings probably didn’t even cross his mind as a remote possibility when he was sent down to the American Hockey League, but that’s exactly what transpired on Friday night. 

Since the Rangers selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Garand has more than paid his dues in the AHL, playing 150 games for the Wolf Pack.

He finally got his NHL opportunity toward the tail end of the 2025-26 season, starting three games and posting a 2-0-1 record, 1.62 goals against average, and a .948 save percentage.

Things were looking promising for Garand, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Rangers at the beginning of the offseason, and was in line to replace the retired Jonathan Quick as Igor Shesterkin’s backup goalie. 

However, the Rangers went out and acquired veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins on July 1, which complicated Garand’s standing with the team. 

Despite coming into training camp with the presumption that the backup goaltending position was up for grabs, Korpisalo always seemed to have the upper edge over Garand throughout the two-week training camp. 

The Rangers ultimately decided to keep Korpisalo around and waive Garand, who cleared waivers and reported to the Wolf Pack. 

“I had a number of conversations with him when the decision was made to send him to Hartford,” Mike Sullivan said. “He knows that we believe in him. I don't know that I need to say anything else. He’s a good, solid goalie, and we believe in him.

After being sent down, a disappointed Garand had already accepted his fate that he’d have to spend additional time playing in the AHL, and he even bought himself an apartment in Hartford. 

The 24-year-old goaltender’s time in Hartford did not last long though, as he was recalled on Thursday after Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury.

Starting for the Rangers on Friday night in Detroit, Garand was given another opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level, and he completely seized the moment.

Garand recorded a 22-save shutout, becoming the eighth Rangers rookie goalie in franchise history to register his first career shutout in four games or less.

When the Red Wings came into the second period with an onslaught of pressure and shots, Garand stood tall, making timely saves and delivering when the team needed him most.

In what Garand described as the “craziest week” of his life, he kept his composure through it all, and when he was given another chance to play in the NHL, Garand took full advantage and proved his worth to the Rangers organization. 

“I’m proud of myself for the way I just kind of left it out there,” Garand said. “Like I mentioned to you guys throughout training camp, it was out of my control. So I just focused on what I could control, I did that. Obviously, what happened happened, and it is what it is. Just happy to be back here. It was a great win tonight.”

What does this momentous victory mean for Garand moving forward, and what will happen to him once Joonas Korpisalo is activated from injured reserve?

Sullivan threw out the idea of carrying three goaltenders on the roster during training camp before the team ultimately decided to waive Garand. If the organization fears that Garand won’t clear waivers, they could re-visist the three-goalie strategy. 

It’s hard to imagine the Rangers placing Korpisalo on waivers after giving up a fourth-round pick and prospect to acquire him over the summer, but if Garand were to be placed on waivers, it’s always a possibility he’s claimed by another team looking for more goaltending depth.

‘This One Counts’: Igor Shesterkin Finally Scores A Goal And Makes History In The Process When Ilya Sorokin scored a goal on March 1, 2025, his good friend Igor Shesterkin wasn't particularly pleased that Sorokin scored an NHL goal before he did. 

It could also be that Garand clears waivers once again and takes on the starting goaltending role for the Wolf Pack.

Regardless of what the future holds for Garand, he’s taken advantage of every opportunity the Rangers have thrown his way thus far and continues to show that he has the potential to blossom into a promising NHL goalie.

"It speaks volumes for his character,” Sullivan said about Garand responding the way he did. “He's a good person, first and foremost. He loves hockey. You can see it — I mean, I can see it every time I see him walk through the door, and the way he works on his game. And he's a fierce competitor. He wants to play in the NHL. I understand that. That's one of the things we love about him. He's battling. He's controlling what he can, and it's hard. Pro sports is competitive, and things don't always go your way. You've got to be able to work your way through the ebbs and flows of a career. 

“The thing I love about Dylan is he controls those things that are within his power. He's got a great attitude. His effort is always where it needs to be. I really have a lot of admiration for him — for how he handles his circumstances. He's a great kid. I was thrilled for him that he got a shutout tonight.”

DETROIT — The Rangers had already played two games before the Red Wings even started their season Friday night. 

And after a tumultuous offseason featuring heaps of change and uncertainty, Detroit fans inside Little Caesars Arena unleashed an abundance of pent-up frustration that made for an entirely different atmosphere than the Blueshirts had for their home opener at Madison Square Garden. 

The Red Wings are still trying to stabilize after transitioning front office staple Steve Yzerman into an advisory role and promoting assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff on an interim basis. 

Red Wings fans in attendance let the organization know just how they feel about the team and Dylan Larkin, who was stripped of his captaincy after he requested a trade this summer. 

In street clothes during player introductions due to an injury, Larkin was booed incessantly. 

The lack of enthusiasm in the building was beneficial for the Rangers early in the first period. Earning the first power play of the night, the Rangers capitalized when Sean Durzi recorded his first goal as a Ranger on a laser shot from the high slot. 

A “sell the team” chant promptly reverberated around the lower bowl in response. It was one of a couple that could be heard throughout the night. 

“We had a great start to the game,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “First 10 minutes, I thought we were the better team. I thought the next probably 25 minutes, they were the better team. You give Detroit credit, they got a lot of speed, they got a strong team game. It’s their first game. It probably took them a little bit to get into it. Once they got their legs, they started to put us under pretty good pressure. I thought we fought through it.” 

While the Rangers controlled play for the majority of the opening frame, it was all Detroit in the final minutes. The Red Wings posted the last six shots on goal — not including Anton Johansson’s shot off the far post — heading into the first intermission, but they weren’t able to break through. 

Eeli Tolvanen scored an empty-net goal to give the Rangers some insurance in the end. 

Who plays on the right wing of the fourth line will be an ongoing evaluation for the Rangers. 

After opening the season in Boston with Matt Rempe in that spot, where the 6-foot-9 behemoth has consistently skated over his 86 NHL games, Sullivan decided to go with Jaroslav Chmelar for the home-opening victory over the Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. 

Chmelar remained in the Rangers lineup Friday night in Detroit, which was to be expected following such a resounding win. 

“A lot of it is who we look at as our opponent and what we think is a better matchup, based on who the opponents are,” Sullivan said of the decision. “Remps is a different type of player than Jaro. They’re both valuable players for our team, they’re just different players. 

“I’ve had conversations with both of those guys around that and the lineup decisions that we’ll make moving forward. Going in against a Tampa team, we thought it was a better fit for Jaro.” 

The Rangers are scheduled to be off on Saturday before returning to game action Sunday night at the Garden against the Utah Mammoth. 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Alex Tuch scored twice in his first game for Washington, Alex Ovechkin opened his 22nd NHL season with an assist and the Capitals beat the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Friday night.

Tuch joined the Capitals in an offseason trade after five seasons with Buffalo. The 41-year-old Ovechkin assisted on Tuch’s opening goal in Washington’s three-goal first period.

Cole Hutson, Jakob Chychrun and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, and Logan Thompson made 31 saves.

Sebastian Aho and Logan Stankoven scored for Carolina, and Brandon Bussi stopped 22 shots. The Hurricanes opened Tuesday night at home with a 1-0 overtime loss to Florida.

Tuch opened the scoring at 6:33 of the first period, beating Busso with a wrist shot. Hutson scored on a snap shot with 8:27 left in the period, and Tuch connected on a backhander with 5:37 to go.

Jakob Chychrun made it 4-0 on a power play at 1:36 of second.

Aho got one back for Carolina on a power play with 3:10 left in the second, and Leonard made it 5-1 eight seconds later. Stankoven scored midway through the third.

RANGERS 2, RED WINGS 0

DETROIT (AP) — Dylan Garand made 22 saves for his first career shutout and New York spoiled Detroit's opener with a victory.

Garand was making his first start after going 2-0-1 in three appearances with the Rangers last season. Sean Durzi scored on a first-period power play and Eeli Tolvanen added an empty-netter.

New York was already playing its third game of the season and second of a back-to-back. The Rangers were coming off a 5-1 home win over Tampa Bay on Thursday that featured a goal by goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

The Red Wings began the season without two prominent players. Former captain Dylan Larkin, who has requested a trade, has an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Aug. 15. Restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson, one of Detroit’s top defensemen, remains unsigned amid stalled negotiations.

Larkin, wearing street clothes, was booed during pregame introductions. Some disenchanted fans chanted “Sell the team!” after Durzi’s goal, directing their venom at owner Chris Ilitch. The fans became more supportive once the home team put some pressure on Garand and Wings forward Marco Kasper fought Durzi midway through the second period.

John Gibson made 19 saves for Detroit.

BRUINS 4, JETS 3, OT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Elias Lindholm tied it on a tip with 1:38 left in regulation and JJ Peterka scored at 3:21 of overtime to give Boston a victory over Winnipeg.

David Pastrnak set up both late goals, with goalie Jeremy Swayman off for an extra attacker on Lindholm’s goal.

Peterka also had the winner Tuesday night against the New York Rangers in the Bruins’ opener.

Hampus Lindholm and James Hagens also scored, and Swayman made 30 saves.

Dylan DeMelo, Kyle Connor and Mario Ferraro scored for Winnipeg in the Jets opener. Stuart Skinner stopped 26 shots.

Connor and Ferraro scored in the second period to give the Jets a 3-2 lead.

BLUES 4, STARS 0

DALLAS (AP) — Mason McTavish scored only 94 seconds into his first game with the Blues to put them ahead to stay, Joel Hofer stopped 25 shots for his ninth career shutout and St. Louis won at Dallas in the season opener for both teams.

Dalibor Dvorsky scored in the second period for the Blues before they got empty-netters from Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter in the game’s final 2 1/2 minutes.

The 21-year-old Dvorsky had his open shot at the net when goalie Jake Oettinger fell down after getting clipped by teammate Roope Hintz. Oettinger stopped 20 shots.

Dallas lost a season opener for the first time since 2019, ending a six-game winning streak that had been the NHL’s longest active streak. The Stars were also shut out in a home opener for the first time since moving to Dallas before the 1993-94 season.

Dallas and St. Louis were among seven teams to play their first game Friday, three nights after the NHL season began.

DUCKS 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Leo Carlsson had a goal and an assist, Lukas Dostal made 27 saves and Anaheim opened the season by holding off Vegas.

The teams met last season in the second round of the playoffs, with Vegas winning in six games and going on to win the Western Conference. The Golden Knights opened Tuesday night at home with a 5-2 victory over Chicago.

Carlson set up Beckett Sennecke’s goal with eight seconds left in the first period, then scored at 7:03 of the second to cap a three-goal burst for a 4-0 lead. Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott also scored.

Shea Theodore, Tomas Hertl and Braeden Bowman scored for Vegas in the third period, with Bowman connecting with 2:50 left. Hertl struck on a power play.

Carter Hart stopped 16 shots for the Golden Knights.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Elias Lindholm tied it on a tip with 1:38 left in regulation and JJ Peterka scored at 3:21 of overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

David Pastrnak set up both late goals, with goalie Jeremy Swayman off for an extra attacker on Lindholm's goal.

Peterka also had the winner Tuesday night against the New York Rangers in the Bruins’ opener.

Hampus Lindholm and James Hagens also scored, and Swayman made 30 saves.

Dylan DeMelo, Kyle Connor and Mario Ferraro scored for Winnipeg in the Jets opener. Stuart Skinner stopped 26 shots.

Connor and Ferraro scored in the second period to give the Jets a 3-2 lead.

Up next

Bruins: At Minnesota on Saturday night.

Jets: At Detroit on Sunday.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

Ilya Sorokin isn’t challenging Igor Shesterkin’s comparison of their goalie goals. 

In the aftermath of becoming the first goaltender in Rangers history to score Thursday night, Shesterkin said that his goal — unlike Sorokin’s in March 2025 — was an actual one. He actually shot it unlike Sorokin, who benefitted from a pass gone awry. And Sorokin, when asked about his friend becoming the 18th goalie ever to record a goal, agreed. 

“He scored a real goal,” Sorokin, who messaged Shesterkin about it, told The Post’s Ethan Sears on Friday ahead of the Islanders’ home opener Saturday against the Devils. 

With just over two minutes remaining in the third period, and with the Lightning’s net empty, the puck bounced off the boards and went right to Shesterkin. In one smooth motion, he flipped the puck down the ice, and it slid toward an empty Lightning net to accomplish the feat he’d been trying to do in the NHL for years. 

Shesterkin said he couldn’t tell if the puck went in initially. He didn’t know whether he could celebrate. But then nearly half of the Rangers bench jumped onto the ice to celebrate. Shesterkin — who estimated his last goalie goal came in juniors when he was 19 years old — pumped his right arm into the air and the magnitude of the moment settled into place as the Rangers took a four-goal lead in their eventual 5-1 win. 

“It was a great shot, great one-timer,” Sorokin said, “so I’m happy for him. He wanted to score for a long time. So he finally did it. It was a beautiful goal.” 

Sorokin’s goal needed more of a fortunate bounce. After saving a Predators shot, Sorokin watched as Steven Stamkos tried to send the puck back to the point, but it ended up missing a stick and went all the way down the ice.

In the first practice following his NHL debut, 19-year-old rookie Victor Eklund was already in the Islanders’ top six. Pete DeBoer shuffled his lines, and Eklund skated on the left wing of the second unit alongside center Cal Ritchie and Brayden Schenn. 

“Can’t really take it in yet,” Eklund, the Islanders’ first-round pick in 2025, told The Post of the whirlwind from making the team and playing his first game before moving up the lineup. “Still feel like I’m walking on the clouds.” 

DeBoer also had Anthony Duclair, who he bumped up to the second line during Wednesday’s game and referred to as perhaps being their best forward in the opener, skating on the third line and Matias Maccelli on the fourth line — while saying that he’ll use all four lines and needs each to produce offensively. 

“We’re looking for chemistry on all our lines,” DeBoer said. “We’re looking to see what clicks. We’re gonna keep trying things until we get some combinations that feel really good.” 

Defenseman Alexander Romanov told The Post that he thought he played “pretty good for the first game” in his official return — after two exhibitions — following right shoulder surgery last season. DeBoer said that he’s skating well but that improving puck touches would be the best step after missing so much time. … Sorokin, as expected, will start the Islanders’ home opener.

The 2026-27 Winnipeg Jets are certainly something to behold.

No, they might not win every game, but they will certainly leave you entertained.

In Friday night's season-opener, the Jets produced two NHL debuts, multiple Winnipeg firsts, Kyle Connor's ninth-straight year scoring in the first game of the season (an NHL record), Mario Ferraro's first goal as a Jet, Tyrel Bauer's first NHL fight (in his first shift), an appearance in the crowd from former Jet Jonathan Toews, a boatload of "STUU" chants for new goaltender Stuart Skinner and sudden-death overtime.

Oh right, and there was a hockey game played - Winnipeg's first of the season, the Boston Bruins' second.

The Jets ultimately left with a loss, falling 4-3 to the Bruins in overtime. 

“Honestly, I just think it was a pretty solid game," Skinner said post-game.

"I think both teams came out to play. There were moments where we had our pushes, moments where Boston had theirs. I thought Swayman and I held both teams in, made some good saves at good times. On my side, what I saw from our guys is a lot of battle, a lot of compete, a lot of speed. We had some big blocked shots at the right times by our D and our forwards.Obviously a great fight by Bowsie. All in all, a good game. Lessons to be learned. When we do that, hopefully that will create a better result."

A highly-entertaining opening frame began with a heavy dose of offence from the hometown team, including the Jets' first goal of the season, but concluded with Boston atop the scoreboard 2-1. 

Dylan DeMelo blasted home Winnipeg's first marker on a long-range clapper from the point, before Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves on just his first career shift, getting the better of Bruins' tough guy, Mark Kastelic. 

Despite some lopsided shot totals through the first 10 minutes, Boston battled back for two goals before the period came to a close. First, a long-range wrist shot form Hampus Lindholm found its way through a maze of players. Then it was James Hagens, who potted his first career goal, beating Stuart Skinner on a tap in, standing all alone at the side of the Jets' net. 

Winnipeg remained ahead 12-9 in the shot tally, but trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard as the two clubs reconvened for the second period. 

If the first 20 minutes was not enough, the middle stanza provided even more excitement. 

The jumbotron and clock malfunctioned, so public address announcer Jay Richardson was called upon to announce how much time was left in play every 30 seconds as the period wore down. 

Connor got his first of the season on the power play, meaning he now has goals in nine-straight season-openers, which extends his all-time NHL record. 

“Oh man. It's impressive what that guy can do, impressive what he can do on the ice. The type of teammate that he is, first and foremost," Skinner said. "He's the type of guy that's got a lot of speed, good hands, good IQ level. You know, he's one of those guys that can do it all. Pretty impressive what he was able to do tonight."

And then it was Ferraro who fired home his first as a Jet, before celebrating animatedly in front of his new teammates on the bench. 

Winnipeg held off the Bruins' attack through the majority of the third, forcing the visitors to pull Jeremy Swagman for the extra attacker with two minutes left. Boston needed just six seconds to score following a timeout.

With 1:38 to play, the Bruins won the offensive zone face-off, to which newly-minted captain David Pastrnak's centring pass found its way past Skinner, thanks to a high tip from Elias Lindholm, sending the game to overtime. 

Moments after the puck hit the skate of a Bruins player on his way off the ice, Boston regained possession, to which JJ Peterka collected the puck and beat Skinner five-hole for the winner with 1:39 remaining.

Skinner finished the night with 26 stops on the 30 pucks fired his way, while Swayman turned aside 30 of 33 shots by Winnipeg. 

Winnipeg now heads on the road for two games before heading home for a Wednesday night affair with Colorado. The Jets will face Detroit on Sunday afternoon and Pittsburgh on Monday.