It might have only been a preseason game, but still, it was Jacob Fowler’s very first NHL game on Monday night, and he played admirably for the Montreal Canadiens. Through the 35 minutes he was in the net (and the ensuing shootout), he looked as calm and collected as could be.

More than the sound positioning and the excellent puck tracking, that’s what stood out for me. There are markets where that may not be as important a trait. Still, in hockey-mad Montreal, which has a long line of goaltending royalty such as Jacques Plante, George Vezina (aptly nicknamed the Chicoutimi Cucumber), Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, and, more recently, Carey Price, it’s almost essential.

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If someone watched without knowing anything about Fowler, they wouldn’t have thought he was a rookie. The way he handled himself gave his teammates the confidence they needed to come back from behind and get the win.

Being a goaltender is no easy task; being the last line of defense is a huge responsibility, and it takes a particular kind of temperament to relish that responsibility without crumbling under the enormity of the task. Fowler appears to be just the right kind of person. Speaking after the game, he said:

I just love to play hockey. I love to go out on the ice, whether it’s in front of 20,000 people or by myself. I think hockey is just what makes me calm. A lot of people get wrapped up in different things; for me, it’s just wanting to let the game come to me and enjoy being a hockey player. […] It’s part of who I am; I just love coming to the rink every day, and it’s not a job for me.

-

That seems to be a trend in Montreal lately: players who live and breathe hockey and never want to leave the ice. It sounds like Fowler will fit perfectly with Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, two other hockey junkies, so to speak. The Canadiens’ scouting staff has done wonders in the last few years, finding players of that caliber, as well as those of a similar ilk. Of course, finding Demidov was easy, but betting on Hutson’s love of the sport and his skill, which allowed him to overcome his small stature, wasn’t. As for Fowler, he was a third-round pick, and so far, it looks like that pick will turn out to be a steal.

Asked to describe his game-saving stop in overtime, the hero of the night explained:

It’s hard to put into words. In those types of moments, whether it’s preseason or not, you want to give your team a chance to win, and I was able to get across and get enough of it. It was fortunate that one didn’t go in, and we ended up getting the win.

-

As good as he’s been in this tiny sample, don’t get any ideas - Fowler will spend the season in the AHL. At his age, he needs to see plenty of action to develop correctly, and he wouldn’t get that in the NHL right now. The organization will no doubt remember how much they believed in Cayden Primeau and just how much his development suffered from being underplayed during the pandemic.

No one ever stayed in the AHL for too long. Fowler is a diamond in the rough, and it’s worth taking the time to polish him just right before bringing him up to the NHL.

JACOB FOWLER MON DOUX SEIGNEUR#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/lbnsSi6KcM

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 23, 2025

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Higher Standard - Dec. 10 2018 - Vol. 72 Issue 6 - Jared Clinton

NOT ONCE OVER THE course of Brooks Laich’s 13-season NHL career did he pull on a Winnipeg Jets jersey, but if they haven’t already done so, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Jets’ front office should consider sending Laich a fruit basket or a thank-you card. After all, in a roundabout way, it’s Laich who helped spark Blake Wheeler’s superstar turn.

It happened during a 15-second span of heart-in-your-throat hockey on Nov. 17, 2011, in Winnipeg. Midway through the second period, Laich, then with the Washington Capitals, fired a shot high and wide during a shorthanded break. The resulting loose puck was corralled by the Jets’ Bryan Little, who made an up-ice pass that was scooped up by a hard-charging Wheeler. The 6-foot-5 winger proceeded to blow by one defender, fight through another and slip the puck past netminder Michal Neuvirth.

Former Jets Goaltender Expected To Miss Significant Time Once AgainFormer Winnipeg Jets backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit faces another lengthy absence with new injury.

That goal, Wheeler’s first of the season in the Jets’ 19th game of their inaugural campaign in Winnipeg, is a moment he pinpoints as a turning point in his career without even the slightest hint of hesitation. Before that goal, Wheeler admitted, he was battling through one of the most difficult stretches of his career. “It was my chance to grab onto a top-six role, play a big role, and I found myself playing on the fourth line,” Wheeler said. “Things weren’t going well. It was a real shot in the gut. You had to look in the mirror and figure out how you’re going to get out of it. I started working harder than I ever had and had some success doing that.”

EACH YEAR YOU GAIN A BIT MORE WISDOM ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON. FOR ME, I FEEL LIKE I STILL HAVE ROOM TO GROW

– Blake Wheeler

That’s a modest assessment of his play, to say the least, as that first goal in a Jets uniform at age 25 seemed to unlock something. Over the remainder of 2011-12, he scored 17 goals and 57 points in 62 games. And from the time of that goal against the Capitals through to the start of 2018-19, only seven players – Jamie Benn, Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin and John Tavares – have outscored Wheeler, who has 165 goals and 471 points in 515 regular-season games over that span.

Wheeler, 32, sticks out among that group. For one, he’s without a doubt the most underrated and least heralded of the bunch. But he’s also the only one who rose to stardom with a team other than the one with which he broke into the NHL. In February 2011, Wheeler was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers by Boston as part of a cap-clearing deal that allowed for the acquisition of Tomas Kaberle from Toronto.

Months later, Wheeler was headed north as part of the franchise’s relocation. Moving twice in such a short span could have shaken the then-25-year-old, but Wheeler said going from Boston to Atlanta and onto Winnipeg happened “at the right time in my career.”

“It gave me an opportunity, which is half the battle sometimes,” Wheeler said. “I was able to make some mistakes and grow into myself. I’m fortunate that I’ve had the type of people around me that we have here supporting me and giving me what I need to make myself a better player.”

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But as good as Winnipeg was for Wheeler’s growth as a player, it’s also the primary cause of his relative anonymity among the game’s elite. Winnipeg is Canada’s smallest NHL market and far removed from the bright lights of media megalopolises such as Toronto, New York and Boston. The local pressure exists, but the national and league-wide spotlight shines elsewhere. Not that Wheeler cares. “That’s why a lot of people find this place attractive,” he said. “It’s guys that really don’t care about the glamour, the fame, the stardom.”

Be that as it may, his accomplishments haven’t been lost on those who’ve watched him develop, and the rest of the league is taking notice, too. That started around the time the Jets made the no-brainer decision to stitch the ‘C’ to Wheeler’s jersey ahead of 2016-17, which came complete with a nomination for the Mark Messier Leadership Award last season.

And with free agency looming and on the heels of some late-season chatter of Hart Trophy candidacy, the Jets rewarded Wheeler with a five-year, $41.25-million pact that kicks in next season. To some, it’s seen as a risky contract, one that will pay top dollar to a player soon to enter his mid-30s. Stoically, Wheeler dismissed those concerns. “Each year you gain a bit more wisdom about what’s going on, how it works and what gives guys success,” Wheeler said. “For me, I feel like I still have room to grow, and as long as I keep working to realize that, I expect to continue to get better.”

And how does Wheeler plan to do that? “I can’t tell you my secrets,” he said with a smirk.

His play the past several seasons says it all. The secret is already out.

Exclusive: Jets Goalie Prospect Domenic DiVincentiis Eyes NHL Debut in 2025Winnipeg Jets prospect Domenic DiVincentiis talks season goals with AHL All-Star Game, Calder Cup and NHL Debut in new exclusive interview with The Hockey News. 

After a sweep of the Florida Panthers in Sunday's double header, the Nashville Predators face another Sunshine State foe on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena. 

It's one of three preseason games the Predators will play over the next week, the only one of which will be at home. 

Here's everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday's matchup. 

Roster cuts 

The Predators' preseason roster has been trimmed down from 60 players to 54 going into the game against the Lightning. 

Forwards Hiroki Gojsic (Kelowna/WHL) and Viktor Norringer (Muskegon/USHL), defenseman Alex Huang (Chicoutimi/QMJHL) and goaltender Jakub Milota (Blainville-Boisbriand/QMJHL) have all been reassigned to their junior clubs. 

Forward Alex Kostov and defenseman Hayden Barch have been released following the amateur tryout agreements.

Nashville Predators trim roster down to 54 players following preseason gamesJun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announces Brady Martin is selected as the fifth overall pick to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Player status updates

Following Sunday's game, there was no update to defenseman Nicolas Hague's status. He exited the game early after taking a hit and did not return. It was his first non-official game as a Predator after being traded to Nashville in June. He recorded an assist on a Matthew Wood goal. 

Zachary L'Heureux did not play in Sunday's game after taking a maintenance day on Saturday. He left training camp practice early on Friday. 

Tanner Molendyk is still absent from the Predators' game day roster after suffering an injury during Prospect Tournament practice on Sept. 11. He missed the entirety of the tournament and has not been at training camp. 

On Sunday, it was reported that Luke Evangelista had traveled back to Toronto as contract negotiations between the Predators and Evangelista continued. The 23-year-old forward was extended a qualifying offer in July, but has yet to sign a new deal. 

Hague, L'Heureux, Molendyk and Evangelista were all absent from the Predators game day roster. 

Luke Evangelista, Nashville Predators reportedly 'far apart' from agreeing on new contractThe offseason is ending the same way it started for forward Luke Evangelista and the Nashville Predators, as both parties have not agreed on a new contract. 

4 big moments from wins over Panthers 

• Matthew Wood (1 goal, 2 assists) and Filip Forsberg (1 goal, 2 assists) had three points each in the 5-3 game 2 victory. Wood logged minutes on the second line and the Predators' top power play unit.
• In game 2, the Predators' power play unit of Wood, Forsberg, Roman Josi, Brady Skjei and Steven Stamkos was 2-of-2, taking less than 35 seconds to find the back of the net.
• Erik Haula scored twice in the Predators' 5-0 Game 1 win over the Panthers. It was his first game in a Predators uniform since May 27, 2021. He skated with Jonathan Marchessault and Michael Bunting on the first line.
• Joakim Kemell was a priority player in Game 1, playing on the second line with Michael McCarron and Reid Schaefer, the first power play unit and the penalty kill.

4 things we saw in Nashville Predators preseason games against Florida Panthers Hockey is back in Smashville!

Scouting the Lightning 

Tampa Bay played its first preseason game on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, walking away with a 2-1 victory. 

Conor Geekie recorded two assists and a fight. There were no lack of penalties in the game as a combined 66 minutes were handed out. Steven Santini led the Lightning with 12 penalty minutes as he was called for boarding and given a misconduct in the third period. 

Tampa Bay also delivered 27 hits and blocked 16 shots. 

This will also be defenseman Nick Perbix's first game against his former team since he signed as a free agent with the Predators in July. 

5 observations from the Lightning’s preseason opener in Carolina In the first of seven exhibition games, Mitchell Chaffee, Conor Geekie and Emil Lilleberg are among the night’s standouts.

Gametime

Puck-drop: 7 p.m. CST 

Where: Bridgestone Arena, 501 Broadway Ave., Nashville, Tennessee 

Streaming: NashvillePredators.com 

Radio: ESPN 102.5 The Game and the Preds Radio Network

Tickets starting at $5 can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com 

Heading into the second week of Philadelphia Flyers training camp, a number of key players have boosted their stocks and chances of making the NHL roster. Others? Not so much.

Predictably, newer players like Nikita Grebenkin, Trevor Zegras, and Matvei Michkov have been all the rage in training camp, and they've earned the hype.

Michkov looks every bit the dangerous, chippy playmaker he was last season, while the other two figure to give him a better supporting cast than he had last year.

The trio combined to form a line in the first preseason game against the New York Islanders, and while they did not produce a goal or an assist, their chemistry grew as the game went on, and each player made some pretty special plays throughout.

Stock Up: Trevor Zegras and Nikita Grebenkin

I wrote about this after the game as well, but I am fully convinced that Trevor Zegras is an NHL center. It's only preseason, but his details looked to be fully there against the Islanders on Sunday night.

Flyers Training Camp: Potential Defensive Changes Could Be for the BestIf the first few days of training camp are anything to go by, the Philadelphia Flyers could have a new-look defense under first-year head coach Rick Tocchet.

He, Michkov, and Grebenkin weren't exactly making magic happen out there, but they were surprisingly menacing in puck possession.

I was particularly impressed by Zegras's willingness to get in on the forecheck, chip and chase, come low to support in his own zone, and insert himself right into the middle of puck battles along the walls.

The same is true for Grebenkin, who has proven to be a surprisingly effective zone entry player using his legs, too.

Grebenkin, for me, has enough soft skills, size, and snarl to play up and down the lineup, which is going to work in his favor come October.

He'll get a long look as training camp progresses further, but I'd be stunned if he winds up missing out on this Flyers roster.

Stock Down: Noah Juulsen

In training camp so far, defenseman Noah Juulsen has very much looked like a guy who is coming off a season-ending hernia.

That's not necessarily his fault as he shakes off rust, but the poor skating has stood out so far. Juulsen did help his cause by laying a crushing hit on Islanders youngster Kashawn Aitcheson in the first preseason game, but that was about all he did on the night.

The rugged right-shot defenseman didn't pick up a point in 35 games with the Vancouver Canucks last year, and was basically never an NHLer before playing for Rick Tocchet there; 89 of his 157 career games have come in the last two seasons, and he's now 28 years old.

Flyers Training Camp: Healthy Jett Luchanko Focused on the PresentWith an uncertain future ahead, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko is keeping everything in perspective in front of him during training camp.

I think Juulsen will be a valuable veteran presence to have, especially as someone who knows Tocchet's systems, but I have a hard time believing he'll beat out players like Emil Andrae and Helge Grans.

The Flyers have too much competition at this position with options with far greater upside looking for opportunities, and Juulsen has so far been more negative than a neutral or positive impact.

Stock Up: Aleksei Kolosov

The last year and a half has seen nearly everyone throw in the towel on Aleksei Kolosov, but the Flyers brought him back and effectively made him the No. 3 goalie after the Ivan Fedotov trade.

Fighting for an NHL future, Kolosov delivered an inspired performance against the Islanders on Sunday night, making a number of spectacular saves that really showed off his trademark athleticism.

A final statline of 15 saves on 17 shots (.882) isn't the greatest ever, but Kolosov was let down by his teammates on the two goals he did concede. I felt this was often the case last season, but Kolosov had his share of bloopers that contributed to the overwhelmingly negative sentiment around the Flyers' goaltending, too.

I suspect Kolosov will see plenty of action in the preseason and in the AHL this year, but if he wants to turn the page on the last year, he's off to a good start.

It'll be interesting to see if the Belarusian can really develop and put himself back in the picture for the Flyers, who also have Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin in the mix long-term.

Stock Down: Devin Kaplan and Samu Tuomaala

Neither Devin Kaplan nor Samu Tuomaala stood out against the Islanders the way I hoped they would.

Kaplan, who made his NHL debut for the Flyers in Game 82 against Buffalo last season, finished the game with no points, no penalties, and no shots on goal in 11:13.

The lines were out of whack due to the Lane Pederson injury, but Kaplan was kind of just there in that game and didn't do much of anything, which is a shame.

I really liked Kaplan's game during rookie camp, but the drawback for him right now seems to be consistency. Sometimes he pulls some crazy stickhandles and creative passes out of nowhere, and other times he can't get on the puck.

Tuomaala, too, didn't find a way to make much of an impact against the Islanders, and he might need a strong preseason more than anyone not named Adam Ginning.

The Finn did at least record a shot on goal and was chosen to shoot in the shootout, though his attempt against old Lehigh Valley Phantoms teammate Parker Gahagen was unsuccessful.

These two players should get plenty of run in the preseason as we move along, but the uneventful start to proceedings won't help them in their quest to make the Flyers' NHL roster this fall.

For the first time this season, the Bell Center was opening its doors for a Montreal Canadiens’ game (let’s face it, the Prospect Showdown just isn’t the same), and fans were ready, despite the STM strike making it tricky to get to the game.

While Martin St-Louis likes to say that he wants to feel the edge and the intensity right away, it’s normal to have to shake some rust in the preseason, and the Canadiens’ five-on-three power play was a perfect example of that. The synchronism just wasn’t there, but it’s important to remember that this new power play unit had never played together before (there were no power plays in team scrimmages).

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While the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup was nothing to write home about, it still managed to take a 1-0 lead back to the dressing room after 20 minutes, with a 12-7 edge in shots in a period that saw more than its fair share of penalties. There was one bright side for the Habs, however, whenever an opponent tried to take liberties with Ivan Demidov, there was a teammate ready to step up. First, it was Noah Dobson, and then it was Josh Anderson.

Speaking after the game, the coach said:

We want to be a pack; we’re all in this together. We want to be a pack, and I’m not surprised he [Anderson] did that. It’s not the first time, and it’s not going to be the last.

- St-Louis on his players standing up for Demidov

Speaking of Anderson, he picked up right where he left off last season, finishing his checks and trying to be a nuisance on the forecheck, but he ended up being assessed two penalties. The power forward felt hard done by, having looked to the referees several times for penalties he believed should have been called for infractions against him. The six penalties awarded in the first frame made it tough for the teams to establish any rhythm.

If Raphael Harvey-Pinard was expecting a warm reception from his former teammates, Mike Matheson reminded him that he had changed teams by obliterating him as he was trying to poke the puck free from Samuel Montembeault’s grip.

Things went from bad to worse for the Canadiens in the second frame. They were stuck in their own zone for much of the period and only managed to create some opportunities towards the end of the 20 minutes. Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, and Anderson created three chances in a single sequence, but only one of those chances led to a shot on goal. Gallagher shot above the net, while Evans got the puck between the goalie’s legs but wide.

A last-minute power play also produced a few opportunities in the last minute, but Montreal was once more unable to convert. After 40 minutes, the Penguins had tested the Habs' goaltenders 26 times while the Tricolore only had 15 shots. Jacob Fowler took over halfway through the game, and while he only faced five shots, he was solid and had good puck tracking.

At the other end of the ice, Sergei Murashov performed well in the Pens’ net in relief of Joel Blomqvist, showcasing his potential as a promising prospect. He was also very effective in the shootout, not biting at all on Demidov’s deke. Jared Davidson got the crowd to its feet when he dropped his gloves against Samuel Poulin after the Quebecer had hit Alex Belzile with a questionable hit. The purpose seemed to be twofold: retaliation and attempting to wake up his side. The fifth-round pick at the 2022 draft made a lasting impression on St-Louis:

I thought it was a great fight. There was no hesitation. I think he’s a gamer, Davidson. Ever since I’ve seen him play, I feel he’s a gamer. He’ll do whatever the game needs him to do. I think he’s hungry, he wants to play at this level, he’ll do whatever, and he actually has a scoring touch too. […] I feel as a team, I love our skill level, and the way we play together, I love that, but we need to add some sandpaper to our game a little bit.

- St-Louis on Davidson

It took some time, but the Canadiens eventually got it together, playing a much stronger third period, with rookies leading the charge. The power play failed to convert on its second two-man advantage, but the Habs built up momentum, and Owen Beck finally broke the ice a couple of minutes into the final frame. It wasn’t a pretty goal; Murashov had already made a couple of saves on the play, and the Canadiens’ center picked up the garbage on the doorstep, but that doesn’t happen without his persistence and dedication.

Montreal took 14 shots on net during that frame, but Murashov stopped the 13 others while Fowler stopped everything that was thrown his way, including a game-saving effort that resulted in the crowd loudly chanting his name.

Overall, it wasn’t a pretty game for the Canadiens, but they stuck with it. It was definitely a good warm-up for their goalkeepers, though, and Fowler’s brilliance in the shootout allowed them to skate away with the win, although they were outplayed for much of the game. Demidov didn’t make much of an impact at even strength, but the way he was able to thread the needle on some cross-ice passes on the man-advantage was nothing short of spectacular; had his target had a better finish, overtime wouldn’t have been necessary. While Oliver Kapanen didn't have a brilliant game, he came up big in the shootout with the win clinching goal. 

The goalie doesn’t bite on Demidov’s deke #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/hseom7ZHA4

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) September 23, 2025

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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

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