The Chicago Blackhawks were blown out at home by the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, it was always an uphill climb with the defending Stanley Cup champions in town for battle, but the Blackhawks didn't have much of a chance. 

After a lackluster first period, they were down 1-0. At that point, they likely felt good about being down by only one. Before the second period was four minutes old, however, the Hurricanes added two more to take a 3-0 lead.

At that point, with the way the Blackhawks were defending and the difficulties they had exiting the defensive zone when they did have the puck, it felt like a lead that they couldn't come back from. 

Shortly after that, however, the Blackhawks did get themselves on the board. Roman Kantserov earned himself a breakaway and used his speed to create separation before scoring his first career NHL goal. The former KHL superstar is officially on the board. 

The good vibes following Kantserov's goal were short-lived, however, as former Blackhawk Taylor Hall scored less than two minutes after that. Four goals were scored between the two teams in five minutes. 

At 5:00 of the third period, the Hurricanes made it 5-1 to give it that blowout feeling. Oliver Moore's late goal was a nifty play by him, but it doesn't erase the feeling that the Blackhawks were run out of their own building by the champs. 

The Blackhawks were outshot 39-26 in the loss. They came on a bit stronger late in the third, but it was well below the standard of a winning team over the course of 60 minutes. 

Roman Kantserov scored Chicago's first goal of the game, but he was also their best forward by far. It wasn't great defensively for any of their forwards, including Kantserov, but he was able to generate some offense. 

It's been a tough start to the season for Nick Lardis, but he improved in this game as well. Without Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar in the lineup, it's going to be hard for these guys to carry the weight, but being ready for their return is important. 

On defense, four of the six players had lousy performances. The middle pair with Alex Vlasic and Ian Cole were solid, however. So far, they've been the best duo created by Jeff Blashill so far this year.  

Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro have spent all but one game in the press box, but it might be time to start rotating them in. If Bowen Byram, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Wyatt Kaiser continue to rack up games like that, Blashill won't have a choice. 

This game was proof that the Blackhawks are nowhere near any of the top teams in the NHL. There were already suspicions of that reality after playing the Vegas Golden Knights, Buffalo Sabres, and Utah Mammoth, but the sample size is starting to get bigger. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

screaming, crying, Roman's first rookie goal 😭 pic.twitter.com/V5BD6v7b3b

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2026

👁️ don't blink 👁️ https://t.co/SczSzzxYdkpic.twitter.com/eRL8JaMgOs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks have only played two of their six games at the United Center. However, they are staring down another six straight at home following this loss to Carolina. Next up is a match against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. 

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

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The Islanders were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3, on Saturday night.

Here are some takeaways...

-- Tampa Bay dominated the first period, racing out a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Jake Guentzel (unassisted) and Brandon Hagel (assisted by Victor Hedman and Max Crozier).

-- The Isles responded with a huge second period. Some nifty puck possession in the offensive zone combined with a solid screen to block the vision of Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed Tony DeAngelo to get New York on the board with a wrister from the point, assisted by Ondrej Palat. Tampa countered with another Guentzel goal (assisted by Hagel and reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov), this time on the power play. The Islanders kept plugging away, in part energized by Logan Stanley dropping the gloves with Scott Sabourin. 

-- A fantastic first goal of the season for Matthew Schaefer (assisted by Palat and DeAngelo), in which the second-year defenseman dangled around the blue line to create space before firing a wrist shot which found twine, made it 2-3. With a late power play in the period, Brayden Schenn beat the buzzer by seven seconds and tied the game, tapping in a cross-crease pass by Bo Horvat (secondary assist by Matias Maccelli).

-- After a physical third period, Hagel picked up his third point of the night with just under two minutes left in the game, a gut punch of a wrist shot which beat Ilya Sorokin on his low blocker side. Shortly after, Hagel completed the fourth hat trick of his career to seal the 5-3 loss for the Isles.

Highlights

Tony DeAngelo cuts the deficit in half! https://t.co/nvRZAPGhmh

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 11, 2026

Logan Stanley and Scott Sabourin drop the gloves 🥊 https://t.co/U3ZWaSAqvE

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 11, 2026

What a goal from Matthew Schaefer 🔥 https://t.co/XD7ulpCvne

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 11, 2026

Tie game! A power play goal makes it 3-3! https://t.co/LjBOREzI9S

— SNY Islanders (@SNY_Islanders) October 11, 2026

What's next

The Islanders have two days off before they play the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at home.

Could the Vancouver Canucks be in contention to acquire Calgary Flames centre Connor Zary? 

Whether they actually do or not is up for debate, but according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Vancouver is currently one of a few teams interested in the 25-year-old. 

"I don't get the sense anything is imminent right now. The Flames only have one retention spot available, and they don't want to retain money, so it's probably going to take something creative, but I do think Vancouver is one of the teams that has looked at Zary. I think there's a few more, obviously, but I've heard the Canucks are one of the teams that are considering it, and it makes sense," he said on Sportsnet's Saturday-night broadcast. 

Zary, the 24th-overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, was placed on waivers by the Flames on Monday, October 5 for the purpose of AHL re-assignment. Calgary waived the centre after two games in 2026-27. He is currently in the second year of a three-year, $3.775M AAV contract. 

Since making his NHL debut with the Flames in the 2023-24 season, Zary has put together a grand total of 39 goals and 48 assists in 193 NHL games. He hit his career-high that year with 34 points in 63 games. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Bobby Gould, who played most of his 11-year NHL career with the Washington Capitals, has died. He was 69.

The death was announced Saturday in social media posts by the Capitals and the NHL. The cause of death was not disclosed.

“The Washington Capitals organization is deeply saddened by the passing of alumnus Bobby Gould,” the team posted. “Gould spent eight seasons with the Capitals from 1981 to 1989, appearing in 600 games. A consistent scoring threat, he reached the 20-goal mark four times and recorded a career-high 50 points during the 1986-87 season.”

He started his career with the Atlanta/Calgary Flames and played his last season with the Boston Bruins, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1990 where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers.

Gould, from Petrolia, Ontario, scored 145 goals and had 159 assists in his career. He also had 572 penalty minutes.

He twice finished third in voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy for top defensive forward, first after the 1982-83 season, when Philadelphia's Bobby Clarke won it, and again in 1986-87 when it was awarded to the Flyers' Dave Poulin.

“Beyond the rink, Gould was valued for the relationships he built and the positive impact he made on those around him,” the Capitals posted.

___

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

After yet another brutal loss, a 5-1 beatdown from the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, the Philadelphia Flyers remain the only winless team in the Eastern Conference. Things seem to be getting worse before they get better, and the Flyers are now running out of time to salvage a spiraling season.

The Flyers played their best game of the season, an incomplete effort in a 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators, on Thursday, then followed it up with arguably their worst game of the season on Saturday, at least given the context.

An 0-3-2 start, losses to multiple Metropolitan Division rivals, ranking among the league's worst in nearly every offensive and defensive category, and rapidly increasing displeasure amongst the loyal fanbase. What's there not to be motivated by for the Flyers?

And yet, they were completely outclassed by the Bruins on Saturday from start to finish, and didn't eclipse three, yes three, shots on goal until over halfway through the second period: 30 minutes of game action. That's an average of one shot on goal every 10 minutes.

Eventually, the Flyers finished the game with a modest 15 shots on goal, thanks to a seven-shot third period. In that third period, they were also out-scored 3-1, so they quickly blew their chance of salvaging the manageable 2-0 deficit they entered the final frame with.

Flyers Announce Major Series of Injury UpdatesThe Philadelphia Flyers just lost three important players in their latest major injury update.

On the bright side, rookie Porter Martone finally made his mark for the Flyers this season, as I predicted in the game preview, scoring the team's second power play goal on a far-side snipe on Jeremy Swayman. Martone's goal was assisted by 22-year-old David Jiricek, who made a nice play at the blueline to draw a Bruins penalty killer out of position.

That's about the only positive to take away from another one of those games for the Flyers, who are now 0-4-2 and about to host Carolina, again, on Sunday night.

Not that it isn't time already, but if the Flyers really start their season winless through seven games, it might be time to raise more important questions.

This once-promising roster is going nowhere fast, and it's not a great environment for players like Martone, Jiricek, and Matvei Michkov to have to develop in if the season continues to spiral this badly out of control.

And, I mean, the Flyers already sacrificed NHL development time for Alex Bump in favor of Michael Bunting, who went unsigned throughout the entire NHL offseason. And journeymen like Carl Grundstrom and Garrett Wilson remain on the roster, too.

The Flyers aren't leaning into player development and they don't look capable of winning a game right now, and that mushy middle is the worst place to be for a team like theirs.

Where do you go from here?

DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon put on a show, slicing through Toronto’s defense with a pair of goals to give the Colorado Avalanche an early lead.

But one superstar’s brilliance couldn’t cover up the cracks elsewhere. Defensive breakdowns and a difficult night in net unraveled Colorado’s advantage, sending the Avalanche to a 5-3 loss against the Maple Leafs.

William Nylander led Toronto with five points, tying a career high with two goals and three assists. Auston Matthews added two goals and two assists, while Nicholas Paul recorded two assists. Easton Cowan and former Avalanche defenseman Nick Blankenburg also scored for the Maple Leafs. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 of 33 shots, while Mackenzie Blackwood allowed five goals on 22 shots.

First Period

Toronto won the opening faceoff, and Blackwood made the first save of the night by denying Jack Roslovic on a one-timer from the slot following a setup from Matthews.

Colorado earned its first power play shortly afterward when Kirill Marchenko was called for tripping Martin Necas. The Avalanche failed to register a shot on the man advantage.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors.

Blankenburg, who departed Colorado in free agency during the offseason, opened the scoring for Toronto. Nylander threaded a pass to the defenseman at the top of the right circle, where he fired a wrist shot over Blackwood’s glove to make it 1-0.

Colorado struggled to generate offense early, managing just one shot on goal through the opening seven minutes as the Maple Leafs controlled the momentum.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Nathan MacKinnon with 04:46 left in the 1st. Assisted by Cale Makar and Martin Necas.

COL: 2 | TOR: 1#TORvsCOL#GoAvsGo#PassionNeverSleepspic.twitter.com/malqEGpjt4

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 10, 2026

MacKinnon changed the complexion of the game with a spectacular individual effort just past the halfway point of the period. After collecting a pass from Brett Kulak, the superstar accelerated through the neutral zone and weaved past multiple defenders before slipping the puck past Bobrovsky. The goal tied the game at 1-1 and marked his fourth of the season.

He wasn’t finished.

With 4:46 remaining, MacKinnon struck again. After taking a pass from Cale Makar, he fought through the forecheck to create time and space before firing a wrist shot through traffic and past the Toronto goaltender. The goal gave Colorado a 2-1 lead.

Colorado goal!

Scored by Nathan MacKinnon with 09:14 left in the 1st. Assisted by Brett Kulak and Devon Toews.

COL: 1 | TOR: 1#TORvsCOL#GoAvsGo#PassionNeverSleepspic.twitter.com/I50NHNx9AK

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 10, 2026

The Avalanche had another opportunity to extend their advantage when Roslovic was called for hooking Nazem Kadri with 1:01 remaining. Colorado carried the power play into the second period.

Second Period

Colorado nearly received an extended two-man advantage to open the period. With nine seconds remaining on the original power play, Troy Stecher was called for tripping MacKinnon, briefly giving the Avalanche a 5-on-3 opportunity. They couldn’t capitalize, with their best chance coming when Necas sent a one-timer over the crossbar with the left side of the net open.

The Avalanche entered the game with a perfect penalty kill, having successfully killed every penalty they had faced this season. That streak ended 6:53 into the period.

After Jaden Schwartz was penalized for high-sticking, Gavin McKenna sent a cross-ice pass to Nylander, who deked around Blackwood and slid the puck past him to tie the game at 2-2 just 19 seconds into the power play.

Brock Nelson restored Colorado’s lead with 7:35 remaining after a chaotic sequence in front of the Toronto net. The Olympic gold medalist battled for the puck and got the final touch, lifting it over Bobrovsky’s right shoulder to make it 3-2.

Then the game turned.

Blackwood surrendered consecutive goals in a 46-second span as Toronto seized control. Nylander scored his second of the period to even the score before Cowan found the back of the net to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 advantage.

Colorado’s defensive struggles continued late in the frame when Makar was called for cross-checking Marchenko. The Avalanche headed to the dressing room trailing by a goal and facing a penalty kill to start the third.

Despite holding a 24-12 advantage in shots on goal through two periods, Colorado had little to show for its offensive pressure.

Third Period

The game returned to even strength after Makar’s penalty expired.

At 6:41, Toronto forward Brandon Duhaime was called for tripping Josh Manson. After the whistle, Zach L’Heureux got into it with Duhaime along the boards, prompting the Toronto forward to respond with a punch. Both players received roughing penalties, while the initial tripping call gave Colorado a power play.

Past the halfway point of the period, MacKinnon was called for tripping Matthews. The Toronto captain made Colorado pay, scoring his second power-play goal of the night to extend the lead to 5-3.

The Avalanche’s penalty troubles continued when Fedor Svechkov was called for tripping Matthews, giving the Maple Leafs another man advantage. Colorado couldn’t find a way back into the game, closing out its one-game homestand with a disappointing loss.

The defeat marked Colorado’s second regulation loss of the season, despite outshooting its opponent in both games. On Oct. 7, the Avalanche fell 3-2 to the Winnipeg Jets despite holding a 34-19 advantage in shots. Against Toronto, another edge in shots couldn’t make up for defensive breakdowns and five goals allowed.

Next Game

Colorado now turns its attention to a critical back-to-back against the Dallas Stars, beginning Tuesday on the road before the teams meet again Wednesday at Ball Arena. Puck drop for both games is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time.

Less than two weeks ago, the New York Rangers placed Dylan Garand on waivers as the young goaltender’s future in the organization was completely up in the air.

Now, with Igor Shesterkin out for the remainder of the 2026-27 season, Garand has suddenly been thrust into the starting goaltending role.

From being placed on waivers to becoming the Rangers’ starter in less than two weeks, how did we get to this point?

Since the Rangers selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Garand has spent most of his time with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, appearing in 150 AHL games.

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, a 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.

However, the Rangers acquired veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins on July 1, and he ultimately beat out Garand for the backup spot.

The 24-year-old was placed on waivers before the regular season began. After clearing waivers and being assigned to the Wolf Pack, Garand was prepared to settle back into Hartford, where he had even bought himself an apartment.

Things changed quickly when Garand was recalled by the Rangers on October 1 after Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Shesterkin’s season-ending injury has now opened the door for Garand to take over as the Rangers’ starter for the foreseeable future, with Korpisalo expected to remain sidelined for another month.

“You never want to see guys get injured, especially your best player in Igor,” Garand said on Saturday. “He means a lot to the guys in this room and a lot to me personally. At the same time, it’s just next man up, and that’s kind of my approach here. I’m excited for the opportunity, I’m gonna put my heart and soul on the line for these guys and this city every night.”

Garand recorded a shutout in the Rangers’ 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings last week. He also entered Friday night’s game against the Washington Capitals in relief of Shesterkin, stopping 11 of 12 shots in a 2-1 loss.

The Rangers are expected to call up goaltender Spencer Martin from the AHL, but Mike Sullivan confirmed that Garand will likely handle the bulk of the workload until Korpisalo returns.

“Dylan is a great kid,” Sullivan said. “He’s another fierce competitor, he loves hockey, and he has aspirations to play in the NHL. He’s a good goalie. Everytime we’ve put him in the net, certainly since I've been here, he's made timely saves. He's given our team a chance to win each and every time he's been in the net. We think he's very capable, and he's going to get an opportunity here.”

Although Garand has limited NHL experience, he has spent the past several seasons as Hartford’s starting goaltender, starting more than 35 games in each of the past three seasons.

“Very ready,” Garand said when asked whether he’s ready to take on the Rangers’ starting role. “I think I have a chip on my shoulder for how my past has been. I’m really excited for this opportunity and ready to battle for these guys.”

While expressing their empathy for Shesterkin during this difficult time, Rangers players have emphasized their belief in Garand and their readiness to “rally” around him.

New York has started the season strong, posting a 4-2 record, but Garand’s performance could play a significant role in determining the team’s trajectory.

After going from the waiver wire to the starting crease in less than two weeks, Garand has a unique opportunity to establish himself in the NHL and become a hero in New York.

“I'm excited,” Garand said. “Obviously it's a dream to play in the NHL. I'm just trying to embrace that mentality and have a lot of gratitude for this opportunity. I love being part of this group and I love the guys in this room. So I really just want to work my nuts off and battle for these guys and help the team keep winning.”

The Bruins got points from 11 different skaters on Saturday afternoon, extending Philly’s season-opening misery with a 5-1 win at TD Garden.

Fraser Minten led the way for the B’s, with the youngster recording a goal and two assists.

Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Mason Lohrei recorded the other Bruin goals.

Jeremy Swayman didn’t have a ton to do in this one, as he made just 14 saves in the win.

In spite of outshooting the Flyers 22-8 through two periods, the B’s kind of let Philly hang around at just 2-0 down; however, they outscored the Flyers 3-1 in the third period to salt this one away.

The loss extended the Flyers’ season-opening losing streak to six games, giving Rick Tocchet one of the hotter seats in the hockey world at the moment.

Zacha’s goal, his first of the season, kind of epitomized Philly’s start to the season: the play only came about because Owen Tippett knocked the puck back into his own zone, directly to David Pastrnak.

Zacha’s shot somehow trickled past Dan Vladar, and it was 1-0 Bruins early in the first.

The score would remain the same until the final three minutes of the second period, when Lohrei cashed in on a well-executed 4-on-2 rush to make it 2-0 Bruins.

Khusnutdinov beat Tyson Foerster to the net two minutes into the third period and cashed in on a great Minten pass to make it 3-0 Bruins.

Porter Martone got one back for Philly five minutes later, as the B’s gave the young forward too much space on the power play, and he didn’t miss. 3-1 Bruins.

However, Mittelstadt would reestablish the three-goal lead just three minutes later, tucking home a great pass from Elias Lindholm to make it 4-1 Bruins.

After an afternoon spent dishing the puck out, Minten got a goal of his own late in the third, speeding past multiple Flyers before getting a bit of a fortuitous bounce to beat Vladar five-hole and make it 5-1 Bruins.

And that was it!

Bruins win, 5-1.

Game notes

• By my count, Minten has had three three-point games as a Bruin, and two of them have been against the Flyers. Along with today’s effort, Minten had a 1G-2A game against Philly on January 29; his other three-pointer was a 2G-1A outing in the B’s 10-2 blowout win over the Rangers on January 10.
• On a day when the scoring was spread around, the only other Bruin with a multi-point day was JJ Peterka. The forward was credited with primary assists on both Lohrei’s and Minten’s goals.
• Speaking of the Minten goal, that one will not be going on the Noel Acciari Highlight Reel. The former Bruin got caught getting back on defense in the neutral zone, and he barely got a sight of Minten as he sped past. Adios.
• James Hagens, who ended up with an assist on the goal as well, made a great play at his own blue line prior to Mittelstadt’s goal. He was able to cleanly corral an outlet pass with his skate, then immediately turn the puck up ice and hit a teammate in stride. That started the clean zone entry, and the rest was history.
• Unfortunately, the B’s did not, in fact, maintain power play momentum from the Utah game in this one, going 0-for-2 on the afternoon.
• If you’re a Flyers fan, this game probably epitomizes your season thus far. The Flyers turn it over at the blue line and Zacha’s shot somehow trickles in, a blocked shot leads to a 4-on-2 the other way, Minten’s shot ends up banking five-hole and in instead of getting stuck, etc. One of those stretches for Philly, I guess.
• Minten actually ended his afternoon shortly after his goal, as he was given 2-and-10 for tangling with Martone after a hit on Hampus Lindholm that Minten didn’t like. I’m not sure he was actively angling for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick, but he came pretty close.

The B’s will now make their annual sojourn out to California, as they’ll play the Sharks, Ducks, and Kings on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!