Struggles on the power play and a lack of possession in overtime hampered the Nashville Predators, who fell to the Utah Mammoth, 3-2, on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

The Predators were 0-for-5 on the power play and did not have a single rush in the 3-on-3 overtime period. Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula found the back of the net in regulation, and Brady Martin recorded his first NHL point on an assist. 

"We had momentum most of the night, did a lot of really good things, probably deserved a better fate," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. 

Nashville failed to find the back of the net in the third period and Utah converted in the final three minutes of the game to tie things up. Dylan Guenther scored the Mammoth's overtime winner. 

Here are three takeaways from the Predators first loss of the regular season. 

Predators were dominated in overtime

Dylan Guenther plays OT hero!!! pic.twitter.com/dA4PqHH0wW

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 12, 2025

The Mammoth set the tone of what overtime would look like with eight seconds left in regulation. Instead of making one last push, one of their players went deep into their own zone and held the puck for those final seconds. 

In overtime, the Predators couldn't put together a single rush as Utah dominated the possession game. Even when Sean Durzi came off the ice after falling hard on his shoulder, and it was 3-on-2 for a few seconds, the Mammoth still managed to keep the Predators off the puck. 

"We got a little bit, a little bit passive," Brunette said on the Predators effort in overtime.
"Obviously, they're the highly skilled team and they're a fast team. When you lose the open draw, against them, it's going to be hard to get it back." 

Utah cycled through the Predators' own zone constantly before Guenther was able to find a gap, get goalie Juuse Saros down and score on his backhand to end the game. 

Overtime losses are nothing new to Nashville as it lost eight games last year in extra time and won just four in the five-minute period. The loss to the Mammoth shows that the Predators need to clean up their 3-on-3 game. 

Power play continues to struggle 

It's only two games into the season, but the Predators are 1-for-9 on the power play, for an execution rate of 11%. On Saturday, they had five opportunities on the man advantage and could not convert. 

After not converting on their fifth opportunity of the night in the third period, Utah responded minutes later to tie the game. 

"In the last period, we gave them too many looks," Roman Josi said. "After they scored, I thought we had some good looks, but we couldn't get a goal." 

The first unit is loaded with the Predators' top players in Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly. Still, the group looks unorganized when thrown into action. 

"As a power play, we have to put the game away," Josi said. "We had five power plays, but I thought 5-on-5 we played pretty well." 

Stamkos has been used as the trigger player on the right circle, but the Predators are struggling to get the puck to him. Shots are coming from the point and from the slot, but it appears the unit is struggling to establish a consistent flow. 

It looked like the Predators had finally converted on the power play early in the third period as Josi scored blocker side. Upon review, it was determined that he was offside, and the goal was called back. 

The Predators' lone power play goal this season was off a low-to-high pass from Forsberg to O'Reilly, and O'Reilly had some impressive stick-handling skills to finish it off. It was more of an individual effort than something that could be credited to the unit. 

In general, a lot of the Predators' shots against the Mammoth came from in the slot and below the circles. 

Predators found ways to score in low-offensive game

There were 45 combined shots in Friday's game, with Utah owning the 23-22 edge. The Predators didn't eclipse 10 shots in either of the three periods. On the other side of the ice, Utah had only three shots in the second period. 

Nashville's shot total on Saturday was 10 lower than Thursday's total of 32 shots. 

While Forsberg's goal in the first period was off a turnover and a strong shot from the right side, the second goal was scored by Erik Haula in a net-mouth scramble. Luke Evangelista lobbed a shot toward the net, the puck fell in the paint and Haula tapped it in. 

Haula's conversion also came in another slow second period, which mirrored the pace of play in the second period of Thursday's game. 

"We played well enough to win the game, but we kind of took our foot off the gas there," Haula said. "They were able to tie the game and in overtime it's kind of a coin toss. They got the extra [point] today, but lots of good today." 

Nashville's penalty killing effort remained perfect as it killed off all of Utah's power plays. The Predators' offense is still finding its identity, but is finding ways to put the puck in the net. 

Seeing Utah come back late and close out in overtime, a strong offensive push is likely needed from the Predators. 

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins were set to square off against the New York Rangers for the second time in three games to start the season. They got the best of Mike Sullivan's Rangers the first time around in a 3-0 opening night shutout.

This game - even if it started out pretty promising - did not have the same result.

Trailing just 1-0 after the first period on a shorthanded goal by Mika Zibanejad and outshooting the Rangers, 9-4, the Penguins opened up the second period strong, as Ben Kindel scored his first career NHL goal to tie the game. But the Penguins allowed five unanswered goals to the Rangers and were defeated by a score of 6-1.

Even after Adam Fox scored to put the Rangers back in front, 2-1, the Penguins didn't lose much momentum. However, it all seemed to go downhill after a missed holding call that saw Penguins' forward Bryan Rust - who returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the first two games to injury - get hauled to the ice, and then a subsequent hooking penalty by Kindel resulted in a Rangers' power play goal by Will Cuylle.

"Got on the wrong side of the puck, kind of a lazy penalty in the o-zone," Kindel said. "So, something I definitely want back and will definitely learn from it. I can't be costing my team like that. They scored a big goal on the power play there, and it kind of changed the momentum of the game, so just going to learn from those things."

From there, New York took over. And, unfortunately, the special teams woes didn't end there for the Penguins.

With less than five minutes to go in the second, the Penguins took a bench penalty for Too Many Men, and Fox lit the lamp for the second time in the game to put the Rangers up, 4-1. In the third period, Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh added goals for the Rangers, and they walked out winners. 

Penguins' Top Forward Prospect Ben Kindel Records First Career NHL GoalJust one game after Pittsburgh Penguins' 19-year-old defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke tallied his first goal in the National Hockey League on a beauty of a wrist shot off the rush, the other teenager on the Penguins' roster did the same thing. 

When Rust was asked what went wrong in the second period and on special teams, he chalked it up to the Penguins' lack of response in the detail of their game.

"We didn't handle it well," Rust said. "We let in one goal there, and I just think we just kind of lost our details on both the kill and the PP." 

It wasn't a pretty one, but there were some positives and negatives. Here are some thoughts and observations:

---

- There were few standout players in this game after the first 20 minutes of play, but I do want to start with Connor Dewar. He did not register a goal, but he tied for the team lead in shot attempts and was very noticeable.

In the first period, he generated a few scoring chances on his own. On one occasion, he forced a turnover at center ice and brought the puck into the offensive zone himself, skating around a defender before getting a shot off. He was cycling well down low, good on forecheck as per usual, and finding the net-front with regularity. 

I quite liked Dewar's game in the pre-season, and that has - so far - carried into the regular season.

- Probably the player who stood out positively the most in this game, however, was Filip Hallander. 

He was everywhere. The 25-year-old forward was generating chances down low for his linemates, crashing the net, using his vision and playmaking skills to find the open man and get creative. The puck just kept finding him, and he kept delivering on creating space and generating chances. 

Youth Movement Cultivating Fresh Identity For PenguinsOn Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke became the first teenager to score a goal for the Penguins since Daniel Sprong in 2015.

If anyone else deserved a goal Saturday, it was Hallander. He's one of the hardest workers on this team, and if he keeps playing like this, that hard work is going to be rewarded.

- Speaking of deserving goals, what else can I say about Kindel and Harrison Brunicke?

Kindel did take that hooking penalty in the second period, but - that aside - he turned in another solid performance. His goal was a thing of beauty, as it certainly isn't easy to snipe a longer-range wrister past one of the best goaltenders in the league in Igor Shesterkin. And, not only that, Kindel also capitalized off of a neutral zone turnover by the Rangers, and he carried the puck into the zone and scored off the rush.

His 200-foot game is really showing up for the Penguins, and he continues to get better. 

"The offensive side, I think it's been there pretty consistently," head coach Dan Muse said. "This guy has got a lot of poise with the puck, puts himself in great areas, then defensively, I think it's an area he's continued to get better. He's young. There's going to be the details of the game, there's going to be little things that constantly are coming up, as they should, and I think it's just going to be good for just continuing to learn the game at this level.

"It's different. This is the highest league in the world. So, while there's been a lot of good, there's also plenty of learning that should be taking place and will be taking place."

Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) on XTAKE A BOW, KID 🙌

As far as Brunicke, it wasn't a flawless game, but it was another good one. And there was a moment when the 19-year-old stood up for a teammate, too.

Near the end of the second period, Rangers' rookie forward Noah Laba took Penguins' forward Blake Lizotte down against the boards in front of the Rangers' bench. Brunicke took exception and went after Laba, which did make the Penguins shorthanded again to start the third period. 

However, the gesture didn't go unnoticed by teammates.

"It's huge. That kid is out there defending his teammate," Rust said. "He isn't scared to go in there. He isn't scared to do something for the team, and I think that takes a lot of character."

They're both supremely talented players with elite hockey sense, and the returns in production are already starting to show. If they keep this up, they need to stay. Period. They're getting better with each and every game, and they've earned it up to this point. 

- Onward to the negative, I have not been particularly inspired by the play of Caleb Jones through three games. He is, by far, recording the lowest ice time per game among Penguins' defensemen, and, speed aside, he just isn't bringing much.

Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton - both right-shot defensemen - worked a bit on their off-sides during the pre-season, and they have both played their off-sides at some point. It's probably about time to give one of those guys a game, anyway. The left side could benefit from some experimentation. 

- Kris Letang was injured during this game and only played one shift in the third period. Muse said Letang is being evaluated for an injury, but he did not specify the type. 

This will be an interesting situation to monitor, especially since the Penguin head out West next week. If he goes to injured reserve, the Penguins already have eight defensemen, and - as mentioned before - they have two right-shot defensemen who have been scratched for the first three games. 

My feeling is that they may end up recalling a forward instead of another d-man, should Letang be out longer-term.

Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) on X#LetsGoPens    head coach Dan Muse said defenseman Kris Letang is being evaluated for an injury.

- After two outstanding games, Erik Karlsson was not particularly good in this one. Like everyone else, he started out well in the first 20 - aside from failing to take away the pass on the shorthanded two-on-one that led to Zibanejad's goal - and fell apart afterwards. 

He wasn't even credited with any giveaways in this game. It just looked like the life got sucked out of him in the second, and he began to get more hesitant with the puck, along with the rest of his teammates.

- On a positive note, it was a warm reception for Sullivan in Pittsburgh. The Penguins showed a nice tribute on the video board during the first TV timeout, and he received a standing ovation.

Sullivan has never been known to show emotion, but he got a little teary-eyed while this was happening. As the winningest coach in franchise history - and after 10 years in Pittsburgh - he deserved the ovation that he got. 

Really nice tribute by the Penguins and by the Pittsburgh faithful. 

Mike Sullivan's Time In Pittsburgh Deserves To Be CelebratedIf folks have been keeping tabs on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last year and a half, they very well know that the organization is going through a plethora of change.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn - In his second career regular season game, Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium recorded his first career NHL goal on the power play in the third period.

The Wild had four power-play goals in a 7-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Buium had made a few mistakes on the power play earlier in the game like entering the zone and miss passes but he continued to get more comfortable as the game went on and picked up two points.

On the Wild's seventh power play of the game, Buium picked up his first NHL goal off a nice feed from Joel Eriksson Ek, who had two assists on the power play in the loss.

GRAB THAT PUCK 🫵

Zeev Buium buries his first NHL goal! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/9AB5MQ3iw1

— NHL (@NHL) October 12, 2025

"Yeah, I think it's frustrating. Obviously, scoring feels really good and getting that first one, but at the end of the day you want to compete, and you want to win," Buium said. "They had some crazy bounces but yeah, can't sit on it. Just move on."

Buium, 19, was the Wild's 12th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft. He debuted in the playoffs for the Wild last year and had one assist in four games. It came on a Kirill Kaprizov goal.

The 6-foot defenseman added another point on the power play on Kaprizov's goal in the loss to Columbus. He has one goal and one assist on the year, all on the power play.

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Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

- Wild Place Nico Sturm On Injured Reserve.

- Wild Sign Kirill Kaprizov To An Eight-Year Contract Extension.

- Wild Claim Defenseman Daemon Hunt Off Waivers.

- Wild Sign Filip Gustavsson To A Five-Year Contract Extension.

- Wild's Mats Zuccarello Out For Two Months With Lower-Body Injury.

NEW YORK (AP) — Aliaksei Protas had two goals and an assist, and the Washington Capitals beat New York 4-2 on Saturday night, spoiling the Islanders’ home opener.

Martin Fehervary and Ryan Leonard also scored for Washington. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun had two assists and Alex Ovechkin added one, and goalie Logan Thompson finished with 34 saves to help the Capitals rebound from a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in their season opener earlier this week.

Matthew Schaefer, the top overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, got his first career goal for the Islanders, and Anthony Duclair also scored. Ilya Sorokin had 25 saves as New York fell to 0-2.

Fehervary got the Capitals on the scoreboard 1:50 into the game, and Protas made it 2-0 with 6:08 remaining in the first as Chychrun intercepted a pass by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and found Protas in the slot.

Leonard made it 3-0 when his shot deflected off Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield and past Sorokin at 9:50 of the second period.

Protas struck again with 4:30 left in the middle period after the Islanders’ Tony DeAngelo turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, leading to a breakaway that the Capitals’ forward finished for his second of the night.

Duclair scored a power-play goa with 1:09 left in the second before Sorotkin denied Protas a hat trick with a sprawling save at the buzzer to keep it 4-1 heading into the third.

Schaefer dove at a loose puck during a scramble in front to cut the deficit to two early at 4:28 of the third for his first NHL goal. Washington challenged the play for goaltender interference but the goal was upheld after a review.

Up next

Capitals: visit the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Islanders: host Winnipeg on Monday.

The New Jersey Devils celebrated their first victory of the 2025-26 season at Benchmark International Arena, as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3. It was New Jersey's first victory in Tampa since March of 2023. 

Timo Meier, Connor Brown (x2), Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, while goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 14 saves on 17 shots for a .824 save percentage. Yanni Gourde, Ryan McDonagh, and Darren Raddysh scored for Tampa. 
"I liked all four lines today," head coach Sheldon Keefe told NJD.TV. "The way that they worked and competed. Some lines scored, some lines didn't, but just the way that everybody competed and defended against really good players."

Meier opened the scoring at 8:33, finding a loose puck during a scramble in front of Tampa's net. Less than two minutes later, Brown scored the first goal of his Devils career with a tip-in from a pass from Arseny Gritsyuk. The young Russian celebrated his first career NHL point in his second game.  

Hischier extended New Jersey's lead to 3-0 as his wrist shot beat opposing goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The captain finished the first period with two points. It marked the captain's 98th career multi-point game, which passed Zach Parise for the 11th most multi-point games earned in franchise history. Jack Hughes and Bobby Holik are tied for the 10th most at 100 games.

The Lightning got on the board on their fifth shot at 7:31 of the second period. Tampa took advantage of a three-on-one with Gourde scoring his first goal of the season.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh scored the Lightning's second goal of the night in the final minutes of the second period. 

In the final frame, with Jonas Siegenthaler in the penatly box for tripping Pontus Holmberg, Bratt scored shorthanded for his second goal of the season. It marked his 450th career point. 

Brown scored his second of the game at 6:29 of the third period. Gritsyuk picked up his second assist while Simon Nemec earned his first assist of the 2025-26 campaign. 

"He plays with a lot of speed," Brown told NJD.TV or Gritsyuk. "I think I play with a lot of speed, so I think we are able to turn the corner pretty quick, like on that first goal. On that second goal, he was able to back the D off, so I can come underneath. He is a really good player, so it is going to be fun." 

Raddysh scored a late goal for the Lightning, but the home team was unable to mount a late comeback, dropping their second straight game at home. 

The Devils were without veteran winger Evgenii Dadonov, who is currently sidelined with a fracture in his hand. He will not play for the remainder of the club's current road trip. Zack MacEwen made his Devils debut, playing 7:12. He was credited with two shots on goal, one blocked shot, and one hit. 

The Devils' next game is scheduled for Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. 

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

The Mental Side of the Game: Devils Players & Mental Skills Coach Andy Swärd Take You Behind the Scenes

Hischier's Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He's Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily

The Detroit Red Wings were still smarting from their frustrating 5-1 loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, and wanted to avoid falling into the same bad habits that plagued them throughout that game when the Toronto Maple Leafs came to town for a Saturday night matchup.

Detroit picked up their first win of the season in comeback fashion, winning by a 6-3 final score and improving their record to 1-1-0 in front of another rocking atmosphere at Little Caesars Arena.

 

#REDWINGS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/WEQL13Soqh

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 12, 2025

The game included multiple dueling chants between Red Wings fans and the thousands of Maple Leafs faithful who were in attendance.

It was an ominous beginning for the Red Wings, as the Maple Leafs scored on their first shot of the game (Calle Jarnkrok) and added a second goal minutes later (Nicolas Roy) to take a 2-0 lead.

However, just when it seemed like it was going to be the same story for the Red Wings as it was on Thursday, they managed to turn the tables. 

Goals from Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond knotted the score for the Red Wings in the game's middle frame, giving Detroit newfound life. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Shortly afterward, Patrick Kane took a nifty cross-ice pass from teammate Alex DeBrincat and roofed a one-timer past a sprawling Anthony Stolarz, who had made several top-notch saves during the first period, to give Detroit their first lead of the night. 

While the Maple Leafs managed to re-tie the same early in the third period thanks to a Max Domi goal, Raymond restored the lead by burying a power-play goal just under four minutes later. It was also a milestone marker, giving him 100 career goals. 

Raymond gets career goal 100! #LGRWpic.twitter.com/YtyA71ofpe

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 12, 2025

Detroit then sealed the victory with a pair of empty net goals from Simon Edvinsson and Andrew Copp. Goaltender Cam Talbot, who made 20 saves on the 23 shots he faced in his first start of the season, picked up an assist on Edvinsson's goal.

The Red Wings and Maple Leafs will renew acquaintances with the second in their home-and-home series on Monday afternoon in Toronto.

Fans should note that the start of the game has been re-scheduled to 2:00 p.m. ET.

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The New York Rangers flipped the script against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night as they came away with a 6-1 victory. 

During their opening-night game, the Rangers were booed off the ice after a lackluster performance against this very same Penguins team. 

On Saturday, the Rangers brought a totally new energy to Pittsburgh. 

This game was also personal for Mike Sullivan, who was making his first return to Pittsburgh after coaching the Penguins for 10 years. 

The Penguins honored Mike Sullivan with a tribute video and a standing ovation, which he admitted was overwhelmingly emotional.

“It’s emotional, It means a lot,” Sullivan said. “I’m grateful for everything that we accomplished here during my time. I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach here in Pittsburgh for 10 years, and I’m so grateful to the group of players who performed the way they did and allowed us to have that success that we had. When you watch a tribute like that, which I was very appreciative of the Penguins, it brings back a flood of emotions.”

Despite an up-and-down first period, Mika Zibanejad capitalized on a shorthanded opportunity for a goal, and the Rangers led 1-0 after 20 minutes. 

The penalty kill was a strong point for the Rangers, as they successfully killed off four power plays. 

In the second period, the Rangers took full control of the contest. 

It was the Rangers’ special teams play that stood out. The Blueshirts scored two power-play goals in the middle frame, one from Will Cuylle and another from Adam Fox, who found the back of the net twice on the night. 

“I think the PK (penalty kill) was really good,” Fox said. “We didn’t give up too many Grade A chances. The power play started off slow, but once our unit simplified, we just tried to get shoot and recover. Sometimes on power play, it is puck luck too, just shoot a puck at the net.”

New York’s fourth line of Adam Edström, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe were all over the ice and arguably the team’s most productive line.

On top of Rempe's goal in the third period, the fourth line generated multiple high-quality scoring chances and spent a vast majority of their time in the offensive zone. 

Vincent Trocheck Expected To Miss Time With Injury, Resulting In Major Changes To Rangers' LineupVincent Trocheck is expected to miss some time for the New York Rangers. 

This is a trio that was exciting to watch last year and continue to show how impactful they could be. 

“I thought they (fourth line) were awesome tonight,” Adam Fox said. “They made a big difference to turn the tide for us.”

Noah Laba also had his most impressive performance of his young NHL career. 

The 22-year-old forward played a hard-nosed game, which helped translate to offense. He continues to prove his worth at the highest level of competition. 

His play ultimately led to the stat sheet as Laba recorded two assists, his first NHL points. 

“I think Laba is getting better with every game that he plays,” said Sullivan. “Obviously, his size, his speed, his shooting ability, his strength, on the goal we scored in the second period was a great example of it.”

The Rangers will be back in action on Sunday night against the Washington Capitals.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Fox scored twice and added an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Penguins 6-1 on Saturday night to give new coach Mike Sullivan a victory in his return to Pittsburgh.

Sullivan, who coached the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, was back for the first time since parting ways with the team in April. Pittsburgh spoiled Sullivan’s debut with the Rangers by winning the season opener 3-0 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, but New York exacted a measure of revenge on Saturday.

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal, his 251st goal with the Rangers, surpassing Mark Messier for the eighth-most in franchise history. Will Cuylle added a power-play goal, and Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh also scored for New York, which announced on Saturday that center Vincent Trocheck — a Pittsburgh native — is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves for the Rangers.

Ben Kindel scored his first NHL goal and Bryan Rust returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup after missing the first two games of the season because of a lower-body injury. The Penguins lost for the first time under new coach Dan Muse, a Rangers assistant from 2023-25.

Arturs Silovs stopped 24 shots after shutting out the Rangers on Tuesday.

Sullivan, in addition to his back-to-back championships, had 409 wins with Pittsburgh in 753 games, both team records.

Zibanejad scored at 7:40 of the first period, 23 seconds after a tribute video was played to honor Sullivan. It was Zibanejad’s 12th short-handed goal with the Rangers, tied for fifth-most in franchise history.

New York took command in the second with three goals and a 14-3 advantage in shots.

Fox helped the Rangers regain the lead, 2-1, just 3:02 after Kindel scored. Cuylle made it 3-1 when he tapped in a pass from Conor Sheary, who also won back-to-back championships with Pittsburgh.

Fox scored his second goal from the point five seconds into a power play as the Rangers opened a 4-1 lead.

Up next

Rangers: Host Washington on Sunday night.

Penguins: Open a three-game Western road trip Tuesday at Anaheim.

For the second straight game, the Ottawa Senators took some costly penalties and fell behind in the state of Florida by scores of 2-0 and then 3-1. They got away with it on Thursday, rallying to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, but on Saturday night, not so much. The Senators paid dearly for their mistakes and were trounced 6-2 by the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

The Panthers went 3-for-5 on the power play, and over two games, the Senators' penalty kill has now allowed five goals on just eight attempts.

Aaron Ekblad, Anton Lundell, and Brad Marchand led the way for Florida with a goal and an assist each. Shane Pinto had another two goal game, Sergei Bobrovsky badly outdueled Sens starter Linus Ullmark. Ottawa outshot Florida 28-27, although it certainly didn’t feel that way.

Florida opened the scoring just over six minutes into the game on a Brad Marchand breakaway. With defenders on his tail, Marchand pulled the puck to his backhand and slipped it under Ullmark’s glove as the big goalie lunged headfirst to his left.

The Panthers made it 2-0 just under four minutes later. Evan Rodrigues launched what looked like a low-danger snapshot from the top of the circle. Ullmark saw it all the way and appeared to catch it with his glove, but the puck trickled out and rolled across the line. Though the whistle had clearly blown before it crossed, the referees ruled it a goal because the puck was in continuous motion. 

With under three minutes to play in the first, Shane Pinto scored his third goal in four periods, picking up a rebound at the side of the net and beating Bobrovsky. But at that point, instead of another comeback, that’s when the costly penalties started to pile up.

Near the end of the first, Ridly Greig was called for interference and early in the second, on the carryover power play, Aaron Ekblad made the Sens pay with a screened snapshot that found the top glove-side corner.

Pinto had more great chances in the second, but couldn't finish them. He was alone on Bobrovsky twice—first on a breakaway where his stick blade exploded mid-shot, and then again when he was stoned by Bobrovsky.

Late in the second, Sens captain Brady Tkachuk was clearly frustrated when Niko Mikkola continued pinning him against the boards long after the puck was gone. Tkachuk retaliated with a backhanded punch to the face—and the refs caught that part. Not only did it negate a scoring chance by Jake Sanderson, but the Panthers also scored on the ensuing power play again, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Florida continued to pour it on in the third with goals from Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Reinhart. Pinto added another in the dying minutes—his second of the game and fourth in two nights—to make the score slightly more respectable.

For the Senators, there wasn’t much in this one to be thankful for. But they’ll now return home for their season opener: a Thanksgiving Monday afternoon matchup at 1:00 p.m. against the Nashville Predators.

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The Florida Panthers hosted the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night in Sunrise looking to wrap up their season-opening three-game homestand with an unblemished record.

That’s exactly what they did, taking down Ottawa in what was Florida’s first divisional game of the season by a final score of 6-2.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to get on the scoreboard.

With play in Florida’s zone, Seth Jones flipped the puck over Ottawa’s defensemen and into the neutral zone, where a streaking Brad Marchand caught up with it and went in alone on a breakaway.

His backhand along the ice beat Linus Ullmark under his left arm to give the Cats a 1-0 lead at the 6:08 mark.

About four minutes later, Evan Rodrigues came down the left boards and fired a nasty wrist shot that Ullmark tried making a windmill glove save on, but he only got a piece of the puck, and it trickled underneath him and across the goal line.

Initially, the officials reviewed the play to see if the puck was ever stopped, but officials ruled that it was “in continuous motion” and the goal was confirmed.

The Sens cut Florida's lead in half with 2:27 to go in the period when Shane Pinto took a quick pass from Ridly Greig in the corner and beat a seemingly surprised Sergei Bobrovsky from right beside his net.

Florida started the second period with an abbreviated power play and were able to cash in before time ran out.

Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones did a quick cross-cross play just inside the blue line, with Ekblad going to the left side of the zone with the puck on his stick and a suddenly wide open shooting lane.

His shot beat a screened Ullmark over the glove to restore Florida’s two-goal lead during the opening minute of the middle frame.

That’s how the score would remain for much of the period, until a late power play for Florida thanks to an offensive zone roughing call on Brady Tkachuk.

Jeff Petry’s shot from the point deflected off Anton Lundell in front of the net and past a sprawling Ullmark to send Florida into the third period with a 4-1 advantage.

Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot was called for a high-sticking double-minor after catching Eetu Luostarinen with an errant stick, and it led to another Florida power play goal.

This time it was Mackie Samoskevich tickling the twine. He picked up the puck to the right of Ullmark’s net and, with the goaltender down and covering the low part of the net, sent a shot into the upper corner of the cage to put the Panthers up by four.

They weren’t done there.

Sam Reinhart picked up his first goal of the season, taking a quick feed from the point off the stick of Gus Forsling and sending a quick forehand shot past Ullmark’s glove with 8:46 to go to put the Cats up 6-1.

Pinto added a second goal that went off the skate of Aaron Ekbald in the final minutes, but by then the game was well out of reach. 

Florida will now take their perfect 3-0-0 record on the road for a five-game trip that begins on Monday night in Philly.

On to the Flyers.

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Photo caption: Oct 11, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates a goal against the Ottawa Senators during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)