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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team to dress a full-time emergency backup goalie Thursday night for their game against against Anaheim.

Brett Epp was in uniform while fourth-string goalie Matt Tomkins started for the Oilers. Tristan Jarry was out due to illness and Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen are injured.

This is the first season NHL teams have been required to have EBUGs on rosters. The goaltenders, who travel with their club and wear No. 00, can’t have previously played in the NHL under a standard contract, must have 80 games or less of professional experience, and can’t have suited up professionally over the three preceding campaigns.

Before this season, home teams were tasked with providing an EBUG in the event either side suffered an in-game goaltending injury or illness.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin and Kent Johnson scored in the shootout, and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 Thursday night for their third straight home win.

Columbus improved to 5-0 in games that have gone beyond regulation.

Nichushkin scored on a backhand shot as Columbus’ second shooter, and Johnson went scored between the legs of Dallas goalie Casey DeSmith for his second game-deciding shootout score of the season.

Zach Werenski scored in regulation, and Johnson’s assist extended his point streak to six games, giving him the team lead with 14 points. Cam Talbot stopped 27 shots for his fourth straight win and his 27th career shootout victory.

Mikko Rantanen scored and DeSmith stopped 29 shots for Dallas, which had its two-game winning streak halted.

Dallas appeared to break a scoreless deadlock in the final second of the second period, but the puck failed to completely cross the goal line before time expired.

Rantanen finally broke through at 6:27 of the third, scoring his ninth goal of the season after an Ivan Provorov turnover in front of the Columbus net. Wyatt Johnston assisted on the goal.

Werenski scored his first goal of the season with 3:14 left in the period to tie the score and extend his point streak to five games.

BRUINS 6, PENGUINS 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pavel Zacha scored twice and Boston beat Pittsburgh.

Morgan Geekie scored in his third straight game and had an assist. Elias Lindholm, Mark Kastelic and Fraser Minten also scored for the Bruins, who have won three straight. Boston has won 10 of its last 13 games overall.

David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka added two assists and Michael DiPietro stopped 16 shots for the Bruins, who snapped a three-game road losing streak. Boston has points in its last seven trips to Pittsburgh, dating to Nov. 1, 2022.

Justin Brazeau scored his first goal in his second game of the season since returning from a training camp injury. Nick Robertson also scored for the Penguins, who struggled defensively against the Bruins.

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby did not record a point and remains tied with Marcel Dionne for sixth on the NHL’s all-time scoring list with 1,771 points.

Arturs Silovs made 18 saves for the Penguins, who lost their fourth straight. Pittsburgh has dropped eight of its last 10 games overall.

RANGERS 3, FLYERS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Tye Kartye scored the go-ahead goal, Dylan Garand made 23 saves and New York rallied to beat Philadelphia.

After Rangers forward Pavel Dorofeyev beat goalie Joseph Woll on a power-play to tie it, Kartye put the Rangers ahead with 4:39 left with his fifth goal.

Gabe Perreault also scored for the Rangers, who won their second straight after a four-game losing streak. Adam Fox had two assists.

Noel Acciari and Simon Benoit scored for Philadelphia. The Flyers are 4-10-4.

Perreault opened the scoring with his fifth goal at 4:39 of the first, his first goal since Oct. 19.

Benoit tied it with 9:50 to go in the second before Acciari put the visitors ahead with 7:51 left in the period.

Dorofeyev, who signed a seven-year, $77 million contract to essentially replace high-scoring forward Artemi Panarin, snapped his fifth goal past Woll with 6:08 left.

Kartye, a waiver wire pickup from Seattle late last season, then put the Rangers ahead to electrify the home crowd.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, RED WINGS 1

DETROIT (AP) — Trevor Connelly broke a tie with 1:42 left and Vegas beat Detroit.

Braeden Bowman tied it for Vegas at 4:20 of third, and Carter Hart made 25 saves.

Playing the third game of four-game trip, the Golden Knights improved to 11-5-2 with their second straight victory.

Anton Johansson scored for Detroit at 2:02 of the third.

Daniil Tarasov stopped 32 shots for the Red Wings in their lone home game in a seven-game span. They have lost two in a row to fall to 7-7-3.

HURRICANES 5, ISLANDERS 3

NEW YORK (AP) — William Carrier scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Carolina beat New York.

Logan Stankoven, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina, which won for the fourth time in five games. Sebastian Aho had two assists, and Brandon Bussi finished with 24 saves. Jalen Chatfield added an empty-net goal in the final minute of the third.

Brayden Schenn had a goal and an assist, and Mitchell Chaffee and Viktor Eklund also scored for the Islanders, who lost their second straight game. Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves.

Aho fired a shot from the left wall, and Carrier buried the rebound with 5:08 remaining in regulation.

The Hurricanes jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first 3:20, scoring on two of their first three shots.

LIGHTNING 4, BLACKHAWKS 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Ilya Mikheyev scored twice to back Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tampa Bay beat Chicago to remain perfect at home this season.

Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh also scored. Vasilevskiy made 24 saves, allowing only Roman Kantserov’s goal with 49 seconds left.

The Lightning are 8-0-0 at home and 10-3-2 overall, while the Blackhawks are 0-7-1 on the road and 4-12-1 overall.

Arvid Soderblom stopped 31 shots for Chicago.

Hedman opened the scoring on a power play at 4:12 of the first period. The defenseman has four goals this season.

Mikheyev connected with 1:38 in the opening period.

McDonagh scored on a slap shot at 2:38 of the third, and Mikheyev added his second of the game and fourth of the season on a tip at 5:07.

JETS 6, CANUCKS 2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Dawson Mercer scored his first goal for Winnipeg and added an assist in its victory over Vancouver.

Mark Scheifele also had a goal and an assist for Winnipeg, and Mario Ferraro, Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Cole Koepke scored. Stuart Skinner made 24 saves.

The Jets were coming off a game Tuesday night in Montreal where they overcame a 4-0 deficit in the final 2:39 and won 5-4 in overtime.

Brock Boeser and Liam Ohgren scored for Vancouver. Leevi Merilainen stopped 23 of 29 shots.

DEVILS 5, BLUES 4, OT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jesper Bratt scored on a breakaway from Dougie Hamilton in overtime to lift streaking New Jersey to a win over St. Louis.

It was Bratt’s fourth career overtime goal.

New Jersey is 8-2 in its last 10 games and has won six straight at the Prudential Center. The Devils, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, are in second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 shots and is 4-0-0 for the Devils since he was acquired from Winnipeg in late October.

New Jersey led 4-1 after two periods, but the Blues scored three goals in 3:08 to tie it at 4. Mason McTavish, Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky scored, the latter two coming 18 seconds apart with 5:06 to play.

Anthony Manta scored two goals and had an assist, and Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist for New Jersey.

Jack Hughes contributed two assists, and has eight points in his last five games. He leads the Devils with 21 points.

The loss concluded a six-game stretch for the Blues against Eastern Conference teams, where they went 2-4.

Jordan Binnington had 31 saves for St. Louis.

CANADIENS 5, MAMMOTH 4, OT

MONTREAL (AP) — Cole Caufield scored 30 seconds into overtime and Montreal overcame Logan Cooley’s hat trick to beat Utah.

Captain Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists in his return from a six-game absence for Montreal (10-3-3). Adam Engstrom added his first career goal, and Kirby Dach and Arber Xhekaj also scored.

Jakub Dobes made 16 saves two nights after the Canadiens made some unwanted history. Montreal lost 5-4 in overtime to Winnipeg on Tuesday after blowing a 4-0 lead with 2:39 remaining, marking the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history.

Cooley had his second hat trick in four games and added an assist. At 228 career games, Cooley became the fastest active player to have five career hat tricks, besting Alex Ovechkin by two games.

Nick Schmaltz had a goal and two assists for Utah (10-6-1). Sebastian Cossa stopped 30 shots.

Montreal tied it at 4 when Engstrom beat Cossa with a wrist shot with 5:06 to go in the third.

DUCKS 5, OILERS 4

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Cutter Gauthier became the first Anaheim player with nine goals in a four-game span, scoring and adding an assist in the Ducks’ 5-4 victory over Edmonton.

Gauthier — coming off consecitive hat tricks — has seven power-play goals in the four-game span. Dating to 1933-34, the only other NHL players to accomplish the feat are Dave Andreychuk (8, Nov. 7-14, 1992) and Teemu Selanne (7, Oct. 25-31, 2008).

Pavel Mintyukov and Beckett Sennecke each had two goals and an assist for the Ducks, and Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves. They have won three in a row to improve to 8-7-1.

Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl scored for Edmonton. The Oilers (11-3-3) have lost two in a row.

PREDATORS 3, AVALANCHE 2, OT

DENVER (AP) — Steven Stamkos scored a power-play goal 2:18 into overtime, Justus Annunen made 30 saves and Nashville beat Colorado.

It was Stamkos’ 247th goal on the power play, tying him with Luc Robitaille for fifth-most in NHL history. Stamkos also drew the penalty, too..

Ross Colton scored against his former team, and Vitali Pinchuk had his first career goal as the Predators moved to 2-0 over Colorado this season.

Jaden Schwartz and Parker Kelly had goals for the Avalanche, who are 6-1-2 at home this season.

Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 22 of 25 shots. He got some help, too, with Nazem Kadri knocking away a puck that was trickling toward the net.

The Predators weathered a holding penalty on Steven Stamkos with 3:07 left in regulation. They had a 2-on-1 chance, too, but couldn’t convert.

Nashville and Colorado both struggled on the power play as the Predators finished 1 for 5 and the Avalanche went 0 for 3. The Predators had 25 blocked shots.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Cutter Gauthier became the first Anaheim player with nine goals in a four-game span, scoring and adding an assist in the Ducks' 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Gauthier — coming off consecitive hat tricks — has seven power-play goals in the four-game span. Dating to 1933-34, the only other NHL players to accomplish the feat are Dave Andreychuk (8, Nov. 7-14, 1992) and Teemu Selanne (7, Oct. 25-31, 2008).

Pavel Mintyukov and Beckett Sennecke each had two goals and an assist for the Ducks, and Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves. They have won three in a row to improve to 8-7-1.

Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl scored for Edmonton. The Oilers (11-3-3) have lost two in a row.

Fourth-string goalie Matt Tomkins made 16 saves with Tristan Jarry out due to illness and both Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen injured. The Oilers became the first team in the NHL to dress a full-time emergency backup goalie, with Brett Epp sitting on the bench.

McDavid had three assists to extend his season-opening points and assists streaks to 17 games and give him an NHL-best 44 points. He's tied for the fourth-longest points streak to start a season in league history.

Up next

Ducks: At Calgary on Friday night.

Oilers: Host Vancouver on Saturday night.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here

The New Jersey Devils extended their winning streak at Prudential Center to six games Thursday night, defeating the St. Louis Blues 5-4 in overtime. Jesper Bratt played the role of hero, scoring the game-winning goal just over a minute into the extra frame. Anthony Mantha led the offensive charge with three points, while Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 28 of 32 shots to help secure the victory.

Luke Hughes opened the scoring at the 7:34 mark of the first period, beating Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to give New Jersey an early lead. Brett Pesce and Jack Hughes recorded the assists on the defenseman's goal.

The Devils added to their lead in the second period, finding the back of the net three times. Mantha factored into all three goals, scoring twice and recording an assist on Jesper Boqvist's fifth goal of the season.

St. Louis responded with a power-play goal from Robert Thomas to get on the scoreboard. The tally marked Thomas' seventh goal and 13th point in his 14th career game against New Jersey.

With 8:14 remaining in the third period, Mason McTavish added another goal for St. Louis, recording his second point of the night and cutting the Devils' lead to 4-2. The Blues continued their push, tying the game roughly three minutes later with goals from Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky just 18 seconds apart.

With the game headed to overtime, Bratt delivered for New Jersey. Just over a minute into the extra frame, the winger scored his third goal of the 2026-27 season after Dougie Hamilton sprung him on a breakaway to seal the 5-4 victory.

The win improves New Jersey's record to 11-5-0 through 16 games to open the 2026-27 season. The Devils currently sit second in the Metropolitan Division and sixth in the NHL.

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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I can imagine Stan Bowman has spent at least a little time thinking about what 33-year-old Nikita Kucherov would look like in an Edmonton Oilers jersey.

Kucherov has reportedly informed the Lightning that he won't be signing an extension, and would like to be traded before his contract expires at the end of the season.

Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois has said he has no intention of trading him.

Edmonton has been mentioned as a possible destination, and Kucherov apparently isn't opposed to playing in Canada.

Kucherov had 130 points in 76 games last year, and has reached 100 points in each of his last four seasons. He's won three Art Ross Trophies, two Stanley Cups, and recently passed Steven Stamkos to become Tampa Bay's all-time leading scorer.

The obvious place for Kucherov would be on the right wing alongside McDavid, with Zach Hyman playing on the opposite side when healthy. Edmonton could also put him with Draisaitl, giving Babcock two of the NHL's best playmakers on one line.

Evan Bouchard, Draisaitl, McDavid and Kucherov would be a ridiculous collection of offensive talent on the power play.

Finding the money is another matter.

Kucherov carries a $9.5-million cap hit this season, and Edmonton has very little available cap space. The Oilers would have to move considerable salary to acquire him, even if Tampa Bay agreed to retain some of his contract.

Babcock Explains Early Key to Oilers Success Revolves Around One Word Mike Babcock demands the Edmonton Oilers master "sustainable" habits now, pushing everyone, including stars like Connor McDavid to prioritize defensive discipline and relentless work ethic.

Bowman doesn't have much that the Lightning would be interested in taking back.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has a $5.125-million cap hit, Hyman has $5.5 million. Both would help Edmonton clear salary, but moving either would create another hole in the lineup you can't fix so easily, not to mention their trade protection.

Edmonton could move other contracts, but getting anywhere near $9.5 million would likely require several players, and the Lightning would presumably want prospects and draft picks in return.

There's also the possibility that he'd only be in Edmonton for a few months.

Kucherov is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, and any extension would be considerably more expensive than his current contract. Edmonton has major financial commitments to McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard, leaving very little room for another superstar salary.

Evander Kane Leaves Behind Questionable NHL Career, Signs With RussiaEvander Kane is taking his talents to Russia, and if this is the end of his NHL career, well, it's been quite a ride around the National Hockey League.

I'd have a difficult time giving up several important pieces of the lineup for somebody who might leave in July.

Kucherov has said his decision to leave Tampa Bay isn't about money, explaining that communication with management had deteriorated during extension negotiations.

“It was never about the money for me,” Kucherov said on Monday. “It was more about poor communication and respect.”

According to Kucherov, he and BriseBois spoke just twice over four months, and the general manager eventually made it clear he was free to leave when his contract expired.

He's spent his entire NHL career in Tampa Bay, won two Stanley Cups with the organization, and become the franchise's all-time leading scorer. It's understandable that he'd expect more communication from the people negotiating his next contract.

However, his trade request also raises an interesting question about the no-trade clause players negotiate into their contracts.

Nugent-Hopkins Career After Most Games As An OilerThere aren't many people who would have stuck around for all of it.

Kucherov has a modified no-trade clause requiring him to approve potential destinations from a list of 10 teams. That gives him considerable influence over where Tampa Bay can send him, even after requesting to leave.

A no-trade clause is something a player earns during contract negotiations, and he's entitled to use it. Teams agree to those conditions, and they shouldn't expect players to give up contractual rights whenever general managers find them inconvenient.

However, if a player is asking his organization to find him a new home, I think there's some responsibility to make that process possible.

Kucherov could potentially limit Tampa Bay to 10 teams while expecting the Lightning to find a trade that works for everybody. That's a pretty difficult position to put an organization in, particularly when the player involved is worth an enormous amount on the trade market.

The Economics Behind The Oilers' Ticket PricesFor those who have been thinking about going to an Edmonton Oilers game recently, how have you afforded it?

Of course, Kucherov has every right to decide where he wants to play, and there's nothing preventing him from finishing the season in Tampa Bay before choosing his own team in free agency.

The Oilers would probably love to have him, and it'd be cool to watch McDavid, Draisaitl, and Kucherov play together.

But unless Bowman can convince Tampa Bay to take back some substantial salary, find enough assets to satisfy the Lightning, and work out a contract that makes sense beyond this season, I don't see how Edmonton gets it done.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jesper Bratt scored on a breakaway from Dougie Hamilton in overtime to lift the streaking New Jersey Devils to a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

It was Bratt's fourth career overtime goal.

New Jersey is 8-2 in its last 10 games and has won six straight at the Prudential Center. The Devils, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, are in second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 shots and is 4-0-0 for the Devils since he was acquired from Winnipeg in late October.

New Jersey led 4-1 after two periods, but the Blues scored three goals in 3:08 to tie it at 4. Mason McTavish, Philip Broberg and Dalibor Dvorsky scored, the latter two coming 18 seconds apart with 5:06 to play.

Anthony Manta scored two goals and had an assist, and Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist for New Jersey.

Jack Hughes contributed two assists, and has eight points in his last five games. He leads the Devils with 21 points.

The loss concluded a six-game stretch for the Blues against Eastern Conference teams, where they went 2-4.

Jordan Binnington had 31 saves for St. Louis.

The Devils scored 19 seconds apart late in the second period for a 4-1 lead. Jesper Boqvist struck from Luke Hughes and Mantha, then Mantha scored his second goal of the period on a backhand from Brett Pesce and Evan Rodrigues.

New Jersey outshot the Blues 16-4 in the first period, with Hughes giving the Devils a 1-0 lead on his sixth goal of the season and third in the last five games.

Up next

Blues: conclude a four-game road trip at Nashville on Saturday.

Devils: at the New York Islanders on Saturday.

In the end, you have to look at it as a huge point.

That's the only way to feel after the St. Louis Blues, left for dead in the third period, made a massive comeback against the New Jersey Devils, only to fall short in overtime, falling 5-4 to the Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Thursday.

The Blues (7-7-2) were down three goals (4-1) before fighting back to tier the game scoring three goals in 3:08, including a pair 18 seconds apart to at least steal a point.

But Jesper Bratt saved the Devils' bacon with a breakaway goal at 1:26, beating Jordan Binnington five-hole (more on that later) to end it.

Let's get into it, shall we ... 

* Another big comeback -- There just wasn't a ton going on for the Blues at the start of the third period, but just like when they began this trip with a 5-4 win against the Detroit Red Wings when they scored three times in the third to overcome a 4-2 deficit, the Blues began to chip away.

Maybe they drew what the Winnipeg Jets did to the Montreal Canadiens two nights ago down 4-0 with under three minutes left in regulation before winning 5-4 in OT, but nonetheless, it started with Mason McTavish, who had a goal and an assist to end a five-game point drought.

Net front presence wasn't nearly good enough in a loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday despite 33 shots on goal, but the Blues did a much better job getting traffic in front of Hellebuyck in this game and finally were rewarded when McTavish potted a rebound goal at 11:46 of the third period to make it a 4-2 game when he was on the doorstep to pounce on Justin Barron's shot from the right circle:

Mason McTavish's 7th goal of the season. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/aGweoZmRkq

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 6, 2026

Then came the two goals in 18 seconds when Philip Broberg's slapper from the left circle off a pass from Jake Neighbours (more on him in a bit) that made it 4-3 at 14:36 after a rush up ice and Neighbours backhand sauce pass into space for the speedy defenseman to rip one home:

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Philip Broberg with 05:24 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Jake Neighbours and Adam Jiricek.

NJD: 4 | STL: 3#STLvsNJD#NJDevils#StlBluespic.twitter.com/0MOyW3hwHb

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 6, 2026

And then Dalibor Dvorsky took advantage of a Connor Hellebuyck miscue to tie it 4-4 at 14:54 when Dvorsky rimmed a puck around behind the net where Hellebuyck corralled it but then playing it off to his left was picked off by Connor McMichael, who alertly quick-upped it to the front where Dvorsky redirected the puck into an empty cage:

St. Louis goal!

Scored by Dalibor Dvorsky with 05:06 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Connor McMichael.

NJD: 4 | STL: 4#STLvsNJD#NJDevils#StlBluespic.twitter.com/DRJe3YWb1N

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 6, 2026

The Blues have a penchant for comebacks, and a good sign for this team is that the Blues are now plus-11 in third periods this season (25-14).

* Penalty kill huge again -- It's been a top 10 unit all season and was 3-for-3 once again in this game and killing off a huge Devils power play with 3:01 remaining in regulation enabled them to complete the process of stealing a point. 

Yes, New Jersey did have six of their 36 shots on goal with the man advantage but five of them came on their second one and just one in that critical final one when the Blues did a terrific job taking away the middle of the ice and getting three huge clears to at least get the game to OT.

The Blues came into the game tied for sixth in the league at 84.6 percent and surely will climb even more with another solid performance, and they are now 11-for-12 the past five games.

* Heartbreaker OT goal -- When Barron burst up ice with Robert Thomas for a 2-on-1, you had a sense a comeback was in the works.

Barron barried it up the left side, his off side and only had Dougie Hamilton to beat. He had both options available: shoot the puck himself or try to sauce a pass to Thomas, which he chose to do. Now in hindsight, it's easy to sit back and say he should have shot it. I'm looking at the play and Hellebuyck was playing the shot, and Hamilton was playing pass, giving up the shot. Barron almost looked like he tried a fake-shot-pass and Hamilton didn't bite, knocking it away, then having the sense to throw it off the boards for Bratt to get a breakaway and beat Binnington -- for the fourth time in this game -- through the five-hole:

New Jersey goal!

Scored by Jesper Bratt with 03:34 left in the OT. Assisted by Dougie Hamilton.

NJD: 5 | STL: 4#STLvsNJD#NJDevils#StlBluespic.twitter.com/pcf56hzPgb

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 6, 2026

* Just couldn't finish consistently in the second period opened door for Devils ... or so they thought -- The Blues actually had a good second period to start, a stark contrast to what was happening in the opening 20 minutes with pressure and a huge hit by Neighbours on Devils captain Nico Hischier -- a clean one I might add -- that sparked a quick fight after Timo Meier came in to his captain's defense, and the Blues should have used that for some momentum down 1-0 at the time:

HUGE hit from Neighbours and Meier IMMEDIATELY dropped the gloves 😳 pic.twitter.com/WNIgExLMrs

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 6, 2026

They did have some good looks and good zone time but either a puck is hopping over a stick or a shot is fired off target ... something, anything that will find its way in was just not happening at that moment.

Then the miscues came.

When Anthony Mantha made it 2-0 with the first of two in the period at 12:02, it all started after Dvorsky, puck on his stick, winds up in the neutral zone and all kinds of time and space, still doesn't get a puck in deep after it's deflected and it gets turned back before Bratt is able to beat two Blues off the boards, find Jack Hughes, who completes the tic-tac-toe play as Mantha beats Pius Suter to the slot and redirects a one-touch shot through Binnington's pads.

The Blues did take advantage of a big, big break when Thomas scored a power-play goal at 16:02 to cut the deficit to 2-1. It came after Amadeus Lombardi was called for slashing McMichael's stick but it was clear that that's not how McMichael's stick broke. 

The Devils were furious and rightfully so, but Thomas finished off a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle after McTavish cut around the Devils D-man on his backhand and fed Thomas a backhand sauce pass for the finish:

Power play goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Robert Thomas with 03:56 left in the 2nd. Assisted by Mason McTavish and Philip Broberg.

NJD: 2 | STL: 1#STLvsNJD#NJDevils#StlBluespic.twitter.com/kCaVz73Wm9

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 6, 2026

There's the momentum needed again, but nope. Not at that time.

Jesper Boqvist took advantage of a broken play at 18:00 to make it 3-1 after Jimmy Snuggerud got a piece of Luke Hughes' shot right to Boqvist in the slot and he deked around Binnington for the finish.

And Mantha made it 4-1 just 19 seconds later on a breakaway backhand through the pads (a theme in this one) after the Blues had possession in the O-zone, Broberg lost a handle and Mantha was sent in alone.

The Blues actually directed 28 shot attempts (16 of them on goal) but could only beat Hellebuyck once. Just not good enough.

* First period blitzkrieg -- The Devils owned it, the Blues were chasing it for the majority of it, and it could have been much, much worse than the 1-0 deficit that the Blues dealt with courtesy of a Jack Hughes goal at 7:34.

The Blues' puck play, particularly in the D-zone and neutral zone was not particularly good, and they spent the majority of it, at least the first 10-12 minutes of it, chasing the play and chasing the puck, spending a lot of time in the zone as the Devils had the biscuit on a string.

The goal came off a face-off win by Jack Hughes and the Devils were all over puck retrievals in the period and would get another, then go D-to-D before Luke Hughes whipped a shot through Binnington's pads.

At one point halfway through the period, shot attempts were 19-1(!) at one point and wound up 29-10 at the end of it, and it could have been much worse.

Ross Johnston blew up Mantha along the wall with a good, solid hit that for a few moments defused New Jersey's ferociousness and created some moments of their own, including a Cam Fowler shot off the left post with 4:30 left in the period and a net front scramble with Thomas and Snuggerud.

Johnston also had a solid, heavy check on Jonas Siegenthaler early in the third period, and that's what he's paid to do.

Dylan Holloway actually had the best scoring opportunity early in the game when Thomas saucered a puck in to him going in on Hellebuyck but was thwarted 34 seconds into the game, and it wound up being the Blues' only shot attempt -- not just shot on goal but shot attempt -- for the first 10:23 when Brandon Carlo had two attempts at the goal that missed. 

Shots on goal would up 16-4 and Binnington had to be good.

* Binnington's game -- As for Binnington, it was a mixed bag.

His first period was really good when the game could have been a lot worse than 1-0, and in the third period, he made some key stops when it was 4-1 and the Blues had nothing going. So in that regard, he kept them at bay and gave them a fighting chance and was part of earning a point they didn't look like they'd get.

But what I have yet to see this year is THAT save ... THE save. The one everyone will talk about the next day.

Give me Mantha's breakaway (Mantha scored both of his goals five-hole). Give me a big stop on Bratt in OT. He got beat four times five-hole in this game. The Devils (11-5-0) picked up on this and took advantage. They used a lot of fake shot, open Binnington up and slide a puck through, or in the case of Luke Hughes, just blow one low and hard and see if it finds its way through, which it did in the first.

Well, on to Nashville where the Blues will try to finish the trip 2-1-1 when it sure looked like they'd be going to Music City 1-2-0.

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The Detroit Red Wings got everything that they could ask for from goaltender Daniil Tarasov on Thursday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

That's what makes it all the more disappointing that he wasn't rewarded with at least a point in the standings. 

The Vegas Golden Knights scored two unanswered goals in the third period at Little Caesars Arena, including the game-winner with 1:42 left in regulation, stealing a 2-1 victory. 

Final.

Back on the road Saturday night in Colorado. pic.twitter.com/6Iqs04sXyK

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 6, 2026

With the setback, the Red Wings have now lost three of their last four games in regulation, falling to 7-7-3. It's also the second straight home game in which they held a third-period lead, but surrendered a late goal in regulation, resulting in a loss. 

They were also playing shorthanded, as forwards Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton, along with defenseman Albert Johansson, remain unavailable due to injury. 

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The Golden Knights largely controlled the play through a scoreless opening 20 minutes of play, leading in shots 14-8. 

The scoreless tie continued through the second period, which featured multiple missed prime scoring opportunities by the Red Wings. Emmitt Finnie's shot on a partial breakaway just missed the left post, while Alex DeBrincat couldn't get good a clean handle on the puck with Vegas goaltender Carter Hart sprawled out of position. 

But the Red Wings broke the ice early in the third period when Anton Johansson buried a rebound off the boards following a shot by Carter Mazur.

Anton Johansson scores 2:02 into the third period, breaking the ice. 🚨 #LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/EpJUszUjzL

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) November 6, 2026

Not long afterward, Vegas knotted the score thanks to a curl-and-drag wrist shot by Braeden Bowman that eluded Tarasov's glove. 

Both teams seemed destined for overtime until, with just 1:42 left in regulation, Trevor Connolly deked past Michael Rasmussen and whipped a wrist shot that once again beat Tarasov on the glove side. 

Despite pulling Tarasov, who finished the game with 32 saves, the Red Wings couldn't come up with the equalizer. Hart countered with 25 saves on 26 shots, picking up the win. 

The Red Wings won't play until Saturday evening in the Rocky Mountains, as they take on the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks, one night after being blown out by the Florida Panthers, had to travel across the state to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa, like Florida, has Stanley Cup aspirations and has for the entire 2020s decade. 

Despite dealing with some off-ice drama with their superstar Nikita Kucherov, who wants to be traded, they have been incredible between the whistles. With all of the talent they have up and down their roster, and the great Jon Cooper as their head coach, they are a contender once again. 

For the Blackhawks, the first back-to-back situation of the season. Arvid Soderblom made his 4th start of the season, giving Spencer Knight an incredibly rare game off.

Most people went in thinking that the Blackhawks had a very small chance of winning this game. The Lightning had fresh legs, a better roster, and a Hall of Fame goalie in the net. Those people were right, as the Hawks were blown out once again. 

The Lightning scored two goals in the first period and then two in the third to take a 4-0 lead over the Blackhawks. Two of those goals were scored by former Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev, who is dearly missed in the Chicago lineup for a variety of reasons. 

Mikheyev is an outstanding middle-six forward who is an elite penalty killer, and the Blackhawks could use some depth players like him right about now. As things continue to fall, players like him become more and more needed. 

The Blackhawks did cancel Andrei Vasilevskiy's shutout bid when Roman Kantserov extended his point streak to 7 games, with his 8th goal of the season. Those 8 goals lead all NHL rookies. It's been a great start for him, but it was too little, too late for the Hawks. 

Soderblom hardly played well, but he faced 35 shots, while the Hawks only put 26 on Vasilevskiy. Every single night, they get blown out in all areas of the ice. They don't control tempo, make smart decisions with or without the puck, or play with an edge. 

This was one of those expected losses for the Blackhawks, and it somehow turned out to be even worse. From the moment the puck dropped, they didn't seem to have a chance to win. You can't help but wonder when some sort of change is made. 

Watch Every Chicago Goal

#️⃣8️⃣0️⃣ extends his point streak to 7 games pic.twitter.com/rlYiaJ44vu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2026

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will close out this very difficult road trip with a visit to the Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions. 

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