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Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer scores first NHL goal in 4-2 loss to Capitals

NEW YORK — Matthew Schaefer won’t soon forget his first NHL goal.

The 18-year-old defenseman and top overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft dove headfirst into the moment, literally.

Schaefer found a loose puck after a scramble in front of the net and lunged forward, poking it past Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson at 4:28 of the third period in the Islanders’ 4-2 loss Saturday night.

“It’s crazy, I love these fans,” Schaefer said of the reaction inside UBS Arena during New York’s home opener. “Getting your name chanted out there. It’s awesome, feels like home for sure. ... We want to win for the fans and we want to be there every night for them. They come out every night for us.

“We wish we could have gotten the win for them and for the team in here. We are going to keep working, keep working toward that.”

The goal cut Washington’s lead to two, but the Islanders couldn’t rally while falling to 0-2 on the season.

Still, it was a milestone for the rookie, who made the team out of training camp just months after hearing his name called first in Los Angeles at the draft.

“He kind of took the game over to be honest with you,” Islanders alternate captain Bo Horvat said. “He was our best player tonight. He was moving, he was obviously contributing. He is just so effective out there. He is just getting more and more comfortable every single game. He is a special player, we are lucky to have him.”

NHL: Washington Capitals at New York Islanders

Oct 11, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) celebrates his goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period at UBS Arena. The goal was the first of his NHL career. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Brad Penner/Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Schaefer’s play has already earned the coaching staff’s full trust. After getting an assist for his first NHL point while logging 17:15 of ice time in the Islanders’ 4-3 season-opening loss at Pittsburgh on Thursday, he had a game-high 26:04 of ice time in this one. That was more than four minutes ahead of Mathew Barzal’s 21:28.

“I’m not balancing anything right now with the way he’s playing,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said of Schaefer’s workload. “He forced me to play him — he forced us to play him — so we’re going to give it to him.”

Few players have entered the draft with less recent game experience. Schaefer played just 17 games for Erie of the Ontario Hockey League in 2024-25, missing time with mononucleosis and later a broken clavicle sustained while representing Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. He still managed 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and a plus-21 rating.

The Ontario native also captained Canada to gold medals at the 2024 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge and the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Now, just 18 and already on NHL ice, his first goal offered a glimpse of why the Islanders are looking for big things from the youngster for years to come.

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Bichette left off Blue Jays’ ALCS roster; Scherzer, Bassitt active; Woo returns for Mariners

TORONTO — Injured Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is not on the roster for the AL Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners that begins Sunday night in Toronto, but three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and right-hander Chris Bassitt are both active after missing the Division Series win over the Yankees.

Seattle made two changes to the roster that beat Detroit in the Division Series round, with ace right-hander Bryan Woo returning.

A first-time All-Star this season, the 25-year-old Woo hasn’t pitched since Sept. 19 because of pectoral inflammation. He went 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA and 198 strikeouts across 186 2/3 regular-season innings.

Bichette ran the bases Saturday, the first time he’s done that since spraining his left knee last month. The two-time AL hits leader and two-time All-Star grimaced while rounding second base, pulled up and walked off the field while shaking his head.

Bichette finished second in the major leagues to New York’s Aaron Judge with a .311 batting average. Bichette was injured in a Sept. 6 collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells and hasn’t played since.

Toronto’s 13 position players for the ALCS are the same group that scored 34 runs in 34 innings against the Yankees.

An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer was 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts after agreeing to a one-year, $15.5 million contract. He didn’t pitch between March 29 and June 25 because of right thumb inflammation.

Scherzer was 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his final six starts.

Bassitt went 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 32 appearances, all but one of them starts.

Scherzer and Bassitt take the spots of left-hander Justin Bruihl and right-hander Tommy Nance.

Besides Woo, the Mariners added utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni for the ALCS. They took the spots of outfielder Luke Raley and infielder Ben Williamson.

There are three catchers among Seattle’s 13 position players, including Cal Raleigh, Mitch Garver and Harry Ford.

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Maple Leafs Shuffle Lines After Steven Lorentz Injury As Easton Cowan Set For NHL Debut Against Red Wings

An injury to Steven Lorentz has opened the door wide open for Easton Cowan to make his NHL debut on Monday afternoon when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Detroit Red Wings.

The Maple Leafs resumed practice on Saturday following a 6-3 loss to the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Steven Lorentz missed the session after sustaining an upper-body injury. The player appeared to be caught up high by Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot in the first period and left the game. 

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said there was no update on the severity of Lorentz' injury other than he would not play on Monday.

Given both Lorentz out and some of the underpeformance on Saturday, Berube shuffled up his lines and have Cowan the top assignment on the top line with Matthew Knies and Auston Matthes.

Steven Lorentz Exits Maple Leafs Game Against Red Wings With Upper-Body InjurySteven Lorentz Exits Maple Leafs Game Against Red Wings With Upper-Body InjuryDETROIT — The Toronto Maple Leafs may be without the services of another one of their depth forwards in the near future.

Here are the new line combinations observed at practice:

  • First Line: Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and Easton Cowan.
  • Second Line: Matias Maccelli (who moved down), John Tavares, William Nylander.
  • Third Line: Nick Robertson, Max Domi, and Bobby McMann, who moved up to skate with them.
  • Fourth Line: Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Calle Jarnkrok.
'We Beats Ourselves': Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Details Brutal Second Period In Loss Against Red Wings'We Beats Ourselves': Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Details Brutal Second Period In Loss Against Red WingsDETROIT — The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 at Little Caesar's Arena on Saturday night.

Joshua and Roy are reunited; the two skated on a line together for most of camp until a lower-body injury to Scott Laughton changed things.

There's been a lot of anticipation about when Cowan, Toronto's first-round pick (28th overall) in 2023, will make his NHL debut. That time has finally come.

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'We Let Our Foot Off The Gas': Maple Leafs' Max Domi Laments On Self-Inflicted Errors In Loss Against Red Wings

'It's A Lesson For Us': Did The Maple Leafs Underestimate The Red Wings After Loss In Detroit

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Michael McLeod Faced Evgeny Kuznetsov In KHL Season Debut

Just three days after signing a multi-year contract to return to Avangard Omsk, Michael McLeod suited up for the KHL club’s road game on Sunday against Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

In 15:53 of ice time, McLeod didn’t register any points, but had a shot on goal, three hits, and was 18-for-36 in the faceoff circle as Omsk won 5-1.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, playing in just his second game of the season for Magnitogorsk after signing with the team on Oct. 1, assisted on his team’s only goal – his second point in two games.

The game was a match-up between the top two teams in the KHL’s Eastern Conference. It was just Magnitogorsk’s third defeat in 14 games.

On Thursday, the Omsk club announced the signing of McLeod to a three-year contract. According to Avangard GM Alexei Sopin, the Canadian center was already in Omsk at the time and travelled with the team to start the road trip but was unable to play on Friday in Yekaterinburg due to unfinished paperwork. It was unclear whether he’d play on Sunday until the lineups were announced.

Ex-NHLers Swap Teams In KHL TradeEx-NHLers Swap Teams In KHL Trade In a trade announced Tuesday between KHL Eastern Conference teams Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Ak Bars Kazan, two ex-NHL players are changing addresses. American center Alexander Chmelevski, 26, is heading to Kazan and Canadian defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk, 28, is heading the other way.

It was not mentioned in the club’s announcement whether McLeod’s contract contains an escape clause in the event he receives an NHL offer, but such clauses are common. As per the terms of his NHL suspension, McLeod will become eligible to sign an NHL contract on Oct. 15, although he was allowed to negotiate with teams and agree to terms as early as Oct. 1.

McLeod and four teammates from the 2018 Canadian national junior team – Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Carter Hart – were acquitted in July of sexual assault charges that stemmed from an incident that took place at a team event in 2018 in London, Ont.

McLeod is the second of the five players to sign with a European club since the acquittals. In September, Fomenton signed with HC Ambri-Piotta of Switzerland’s National League.

McLeod played in the KHL last season, first for Barys Astana and then for Omsk, recording 19 points in 35 regular-season games. He also had eight points in nine playoff games for Omsk before leaving the team in April to return to Canada for the start of the trial.

Michael McLeod Finds New KHL TeamMichael McLeod Finds New KHL TeamCanadian center Michael McLeod, 26, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with Avangard Omsk, the KHL club announced on Tuesday.

Born in Mississauga, Ont., McLeod played junior hockey for his hometown Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL and was chosen in the first round, 12th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Between 2018 and 2024, McLeod played 287 regular-season NHL games for the Devils, registering 29 goals, 56 assists, 85 points and 187 penalty minutes. His only NHL playoff action came in 2023, recording six points in 12 games as the Devils advanced to the second round.

In addition to McLeod, the Avangard roster includes ex-NHLers Nail Yakupov, Vyacheslav Voynov, Maxime Lajoie and Alexander Volkov. The team’s coach is former NHL head coach Guy Boucher.

Former Sen, Cane, Leaf Signs In KHLFormer Sen, Cane, Leaf Signs In KHLCanadian defenseman Maxime Lajoie, 27, has signed a one-year contract with Avangard Omsk, the KHL club announced on Tuesday.
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Report: Still 'strong' interest between Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook remains without a contract to start the NBA season. He chose not to pick up his $3.5 million player option in Denver (not a shock after he had a locker room clash with Aaron Gordon during the playoffs), but no team has stepped up yet with a deal to replace it.

Despite rumored offers for him in China, Westbrook is staying put stateside, and his most likely landing spot remains the team he flirted with all summer, the Sacramento Kings. Here is what ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on NBA Today.

"I'm told there is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings. And the Kings have a need for a reserve point guard. They were 29th in bench points, 29th in bench assists last season. Russell Westbrook helps with that, and he's got relationships across that organization. Domantas Sabonis, he's close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schroeder as well, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine. They have L.A. ties as well. BJ Armstrong, the new assistant general manager there. He knows BJ Armstrong from the agency side, and he does have respect with Scott Perry, their new general manager, and Doug Christie, their new head coach. We'll see if a deal gets done before the start of the season or during this upcoming year."

Charania is not the only one reporting this, well-connected Sacramento radio guy Carmichael Dave called it "70/30 Russell Westbrook joins the Kings this year." If the sides can figure out the money.

Sacramento does have an open roster spot and is about $5.4 million below the luxury tax line. Dennis Schroder will start at the point, but unless second-year player Devin Carter is ready to make a big leap up to backup point guard, that role falls more to Malik Monk, who is better as an off-ball two guard (but can play some point). It's easy to see where he slots into the roster, the question is money.

Westbrook, 37, averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 assists a game last season for the Nuggets, and he remains one of the highest energy players in the game. However, he's not a consistent or efficient scorer at this point in his career, nor is he a great defender. He could fill a bench role, as he has done the past couple of seasons, but don't be shocked if we get into the season before a team makes that offer.

Sacramento is also a roster that could look very different at the end of the season. This is a team open to trading DeRozan, LaVine or Sabonis if the deal is right. Where Westbrook would slot into all that is a question for coach Doug Christie.

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McCann scores with 3.8 seconds left in OT, Kraken beat Golden Knights 2-1

SEATTLE — Jared McCann score with 3.8 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Seattle Kraken to a 2-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.

With time running down, Matty Beniers, who put the Kraken up 1-0 in the second period, ripped a shot from the left circle that bounced off goalie Adin Hill’s pads. McCann was positioned right on top of the crease and shot the rebound past Hill for his second goal of the year and his 400th career point.

Joey Daccord made 26 saves, with four of those in overtime. He has 61 saves through his first two games.

The Kraken have their first 2-0-0 start in team history.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored his league-leading fifth goal of the season for the Knights. Hill made 20 saves.

Each of Vegas’ first three games have gone beyond regulation. The Knights (1-0-2) fell 6-5 in a shootout to Los Angeles on Wednesday, then came from behind to beat San Jose on Thursday, 4-3.

Beniers scored at 7:58 of the second period with his first of the year and Seattle’s first on the power play, tucking in a back pass from Jordan Eberle just inside the right post past Hill.

Dorofeyev tied it 1-1 at 4:11 of the third on the power play. That was his fourth of the season with the man advantage, also a league high. He has all four of Vegas’ power-play goals. This one came on a shot from the left circle on a pass from Mark Stone.

It was just Seattle’s fifth win in 15 games against Vegas.

Up next

Golden Knights: Visit Calgary on Tuesday night.

Kraken: Visit Montreal on Tuesday night to start a six-game road trip.

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Jets Bring Up Kale Clague as Insurance Following Injury to Haydn Fleury

On Saturday afternoon, Winnipeg Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury suffered a lower body injury after blocking a shot from Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe.

Fleury left the ice in the second period and did not return to the game, eventually taking a twirl on the ice following the second intermission, but did not come back out on the ice with his teammates  for the third period.

Photo by Terry Lee/USA Today 

Head coach Scott Arniel spoke after the game, indicating that Kempe's shot hit Fleury in the knee.

“Yeah, he got hit with that shot. He’s pretty sore," Arniel said. "It caught him on the side of the knee cap. He’ll wake up (Sunday) and we’ll see how he is, see how he’s doing.” 

Unfortunately, Sunday did not seem to bring much relief, as Fleury was absent from the Jets' skate. In a corresponding move, Winnipeg recalled fellow blueliner Kale Clague from the Manitoba Moose. 

This move will likely serve as a precautionary one for the sake of the team's seventh defender - to which Clague will surely slot in. 

Colin Miller - who sat out the first two games as the No. 7 defenceman - is expected to pair with fellow veteran blueliner Luke Schenn on the team's third grouping.

Clague, the former Brandon Wheat Kings star, has bounced between the NHL and AHL over the past five years since being drafted in the second round by the Kings in 2016. He signed a one-year deal for the league minimum with Winnipeg this offseason.

Currently down second pair defenceman Dylan Samberg, Winnipeg will now miss Fleury's smooth skating abilities as he recovers from the knee injury, but will have Clague as an option to fill in on the two game road trip through New York and Philadelphia, should Fleury miss time.  

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Rantanen, Robertson score in shootout, Stars top Avs, 5-4

DENVER — Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen scored shootout goals, Jake Oettinger stopped Nathan MacKinnon on Colorado’s final shot, and the Dallas Stars beat the Avalanche 5-4 on Saturday night.

Oettinger had 35 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout for Dallas, which spoiled a milestone night for Brent Burns, who had an assist for his first point in a Colorado sweater.

Burns became the eighth defenseman to play in 1,500 career games and he extended his ironman streak in the NHL at 928 games, the longest active one in the NHL and fourth longest in league history.

Thomas Harley had a goal and an assist and Nathan Bastian and Robertson scored 3:03 apart in the second period to give Dallas a 3-2 lead.

Rantanen helped eliminate his former team in Game 7 of the first round last spring with a third-period hat trick. He got the better of the Avalanche again, beating Scott Wedgewood for the deciding goal in the shootout.

Wedgewood stopped 18 shots and one in the shootout.

Saturday night had a playoff feel, with a fight, shoving matches and momentum swings throughout the night. Marty Necas and MacKinnon had a goal and two assists each for Colorado, but both were stopped by Oettinger in the shootout.

Artturi Lehkonen tied it 3-all 34 seconds into the third but Wyatt Johnston answered with a breakaway goal 1:24 later.

MacKinnon tied it with a power-play goal midway through the third period.

Gavin Brindley gave Colorado a 2-1 lead midway through the second period with his first career goal after Necas had answered Harley’s goal with his third of the season.

Up next

Stars: Host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night in their home opener.

Avalanche: On the road at the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

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1 Day Until Opening Night At NWA: The History OF Jersey #1

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 1 day until opening night at Nationwide Arena. 

Let's take a look at who wore 1 and where they are now.

Jean-François Labbé - 2002 - Undrafted out of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Jean-François Labbé played in 14 games with the Blue Jackets over the course of two seasons. He went 3-5 with an .890 SV%. He spent the bulk of his time playing in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch. 

He left North America in 2003 for Russia. He then played in Germany and Poland before returning to Canada in 2009. After playing a season for Sherbrooke Saint-François in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, he would retire. 

Labbé was primarily an AHL goalie, playing in a total of 261 games. He had a record of 131-97-25 and had 13 shutouts. He has won numerous awards in the AHL, including Best Goaltender and Most Valuable Player. For his efforts, Labbé was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2016.

After retiring, he moved into coaching, where he was either a head coach or a goaltending coach at different stops. 

Tomáš Pöpperle - 2007 - Drafted by Columbus in 2005. 

Pöpperle played two games for Columbus in 06-07, which were the only two NHL games of his career, both of which were in relief. His SV% was .929% and he had a GAA of 1.35.

He played 66 AHL games for the Syracuse Crunch before returning to Europe. He last played in 23-24 in Germany's second tier. 

Steve Mason - 2009-2013 - Drafted by Columbus in 2006. 

Mason won 96 games for Columbus in his career. His win total is second to only Sergei Bobrovsky. His 19 shutouts are also second, while he played 13,138:02 of TOI, which is third. His GAA is fourth in team history, while his save % is fifth. 

After he was traded to Philadelphia, he played four years for the Flyers before spending a season with the Winnipeg organization. After suffering two concussions and a serious knee injury, Mason wouldn't play again and would retire. 

Mason started his career with a bang, winning the 08-09 Calder Trophy and being named to the NHL's all-rookie team. He was also named an NHL all-star during his rookie year, to go along with his NHL second-team honors. 

Mason was traded to the Flyers on April 3, 2013, in exchange for goaltender Michael Leighton and a 2015 third-round draft pick. In Philly, he would finish with a record of 104-78-36.

Mason, while playing for Canada at the U20 World Junior Championships, went 5-0 with a SV% of .951 and won tournament MVP, best goaltender, and was an all-star. 

Oh, what could have been. 

There is one day left until opening day at Nationwide Arena. 

The Jackets go into the home opener having split their first two games on the road against Nashville and Minnesota. Kirill Marchenko and Elvis Merzļikins were the stars for Columbus on Saturday night to beat the Wild in what felt like a must-win, just two days into the season. 

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Blackhawks Kicked Off Centennial Celebration In Style

The Chicago Blackhawks had a party at the United Center to kick off their year-long centennial celebration. It started with a red carpet entrance into the building for over 50 alumni and the entire Chicago Blackhawks roster. 

After the red carpet event was over, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that former TV play-by-play announcer Pat Foley and former NHL forward Jeremy Roenick have been named team ambassadors. They join Chris Chelios, Troy Murray, and Denis Savard in this role. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XChicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xjoin us in welcoming Jeremy Roenick and Pat Foley as Blackhawks Ambassadors, alongside Chris Chelios, Troy Murray and Denis Savard! we’re thrilled to have them be part of our Ambassador program to help celebrate 100 years of Blackhawks hockey and grow the game in Chicago👏

After warmups, a ceremony to celebrate 100 years of hockey in Chicago was led by Foley. All of the alumni and the current team were on the ice to take in the ceremony. 

"100 years ago, the best game in the world came to the greatest city in the world," Pat Foley said during his speech. 

The Blackhawks then unveiled their Centennial season banner, which now hangs in the rafters alongside the six Stanley Cup banners. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XChicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xa special banner for 100 years of Blackhawks hockey🥲 p.s. we miss you @muzz19❤️Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XChicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on X100 years of Windy City hockey🏙️

Jim Cornelison followed the ceremony with his rendition of "O Canada" and "The Star Spangled Banner" alongside organist Carrie Marcotte. By the end of that, the United Center was incredibly loud and ready for hockey. 

The game didn't go as planned for the Blackhawks, as they allowed the Montreal Canadiens to score the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation.

Blackhawks Allow Game-Winning Goal With 15 Seconds Left, Lose 3-2 To CanadiensBlackhawks Allow Game-Winning Goal With 15 Seconds Left, Lose 3-2 To CanadiensThe Chicago Blackhawks made it home for their home opener on Saturday night. They took on the Montreal Canadiens in what was the first game of their centennial celebration. 

It was a hard game that ended in heartbreak, but the celebration was everything a fan could have asked for. Now, they will begin moving through the different eras of Blackhawks hockey, which will take them all the way through the season. Attending games at the United Center is a must in 2025-26. 

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