DETROIT — The Seattle Mariners are on the brink of a spot in the AL Championship series for the first time in 24 years.
Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer, Eugenio Suarez and J.P. Crawford had solo shots and Seattle beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Division Series.
The Mariners are within a win of their first AL Championship Series since 2001. Their first chance to advance is on Wednesday afternoon in Game 4 at Comerica Park and if necessary, another opportunity awaits on Friday back in Seattle for a decisive Game 5.
"The Seattle Mariners deserve where we’re at right now," Suarez said.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said not to count his team out after it showed resolve following a historic collapse in the regular season and bounced back by eliminating Cleveland in an AL Wild Card series, then won Game 1 against Seattle.
“We’ve had to play more and more back-against-the-wall-type games,” Hinch said. “I know our guys are going to be ready.”
Seattle’s Logan Gilbert gave up one run on four hits while striking out seven and walking none over six innings.
“Can’t say enough about what Logan did," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "Just an incredible outing. He had everything going.”
Raleigh, who had a major league-high 60 homers during the regular season, hit a 391-foot, two-run homer to left-center in the ninth to make it 8-1.
The offensively challenged Tigers were limited to four hits and one run through eight innings before suddenly generating some offense in the ninth against Caleb Ferguson, who allowed three runs on three hits and a walk without getting an out.
Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run double and Andy Ibanez followed with an RBI single.
All-Star closer Andres Munoz entered with one on and no outs and ended Detroit's comeback hopes with a flyout and game-ending double play.
Detroit's Jack Flaherty lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks.
Seattle scored two runs in the third after starting the inning with three hits and a walk.
Victor Robles led off with a double and scored on an error, which was credited to left fielder Riley Greene for an errant throw that could have been fielded on a bounce by catcher Dillon Dingler.
“A little bit of a breakdown all the way around,” Hinch said.
Randy Arozarena's RBI single put the Mariners ahead 2-0 in the third.
Suarez sent a 422-foot shot to left in the fourth to make it 3-0. Raleigh's two-out RBI single in the inning gave Seattle a four-run cushion.
The Tigers were hoping their first home game in two-plus weeks might make them more comfortable at the plate, but it didn't help and they lost an eighth straight at Comerica Park.
Detroit finally scored in the fifth on Kerry Carpenter’s fielder's choice on what was potentially an inning-ending double play. Crawford’s throw from second base pulled first baseman Josh Naylor off the bag and he didn’t secure the ball in his glove, allowing Dingler to score.
Crawford's homer in the sixth restored Seattle's four-run lead.
The Tigers allowed the Mariners to score a second unearned run in the eighth inning after Carpenter dropped Victor Robles' fly in right field, allowing Luke Raley to advance to third and to score on Crawford's sacrifice fly.
Detroit RHP Casey Mize and Seattle RHP Bryce Miller are expected to start Game 4 on Wednesday.
By then, 19-year-old phenom teammate Sidney Crosby already had an entire NHL season under his belt, which was a marvelous 39-goal, 102-point rookie campaign. And, less than two weeks later - on Oct. 18 - a 20-year-old Evgeni Malkin suited up for an NHL game for the first time.
Little did those three players know that, 20 years later, they'd still be donning the same sweater and taking to the ice together.
The trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang is the longest-tenured trio in North American professional sports history, and, to some, it might stand to reason that they always knew there was something special between the three of them - a bond and a partnership that could stand the test of time.
But, in reality, it's not something that was ever guaranteed - which makes it all the more unique and special.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that secure with it, to be honest," Crosby said. "I mean, [in] hockey… there’s so much turnover. I think, just in general, like all sports, you see more and more turnover. It’s pretty rare that you see guys be with one team for long periods of time, and because of that, I probably didn’t allow my hopes to get up too much. But, I think that’s what makes it even more special.
"I think that, in the back of our mind - you’d have to ask [Malkin and Letang] - but there’s no guarantees, and that’s what makes it what it is. It’s super rare, and I think it makes us appreciate knowing that [change] could have happened so many different times.”
But, change never happened. And given the long run of success that the Crosby-era Penguins had, the thought of them spending two decades together - from an outside perspective, at least doesn't feel unnatural in the slightest.
The trio's run of success started almost immediately, as the Penguins made the playoffs in that first season. Letang was not part of the picture - as he was sent back to juniors after just six NHL games and remained there for the rest of the season - and they did get ousted by the Ottawa Senators in five games. But it built the foundation for what was to come next with a roster one year older and more experienced. Malkin and Crosby enjoyed successful seasons individually as well, as Malkin recorded 33 goals and 85 points in 78 games and Crosby registered 120 points - and won the Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Hart Trophy.
But it all started to peak in 2007-08 with all three of them in Pittsburgh for almost the entire season. The young Penguins peaked early, going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final against the veteran powerhouse Detroit Red Wings but ultimately falling short.
The stats, information and history throughout The Big Three's 20 seasons is endless 🧵 pic.twitter.com/tJ4KUkqdsF
It was almost deja vu in 2009, but this time, the Penguins came out on top, and the young core were already Stanley Cup champions at 22, 22, and 21 years old. Playoff success may have eluded them for a while after that, but after back-to-back championships in 2016-17, it seemed that - no matter what - the legacy of the "big three" was already pretty solid.
Fast forward to the dawn of the 2025-26 season, and the Penguins have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The team finds itself in the midst of a rebuild with an unclear timeline, and even with youth beginning to populate the roster, the three Penguins' legends still remain.
It's hard to tell what's next with these Penguins and their three longest-tenured players. Malkin is entering the final season of his current contract and - at 39 years old - is contemplating retirement at the end of it. Letang, 38, still has three years remaining on his deal, and he will likely continue to settle into a lighter workload as the season progresses. At 38 years old, Crosby is still going very strong, and he is entering the first year of a two-year contract.
The 3,705 points between them is the most by a trio on a single team in NHL history. Even if the future is a bit uncertain, they're still writing history, and they're still writing their story.
It would be easy for each of them to sit back and soak in the moments. Take it all in and enjoy everything they've built together. But that's just not how they're wired.
They still want to win, and they want to win in Pittsburgh. As a new generation is ushered in, they're still focused on the season in front of them - and they're enjoying the ride.
And, even if his captain is pleasantly surprised that the three of them are still doing all of it together, Letang is not.
"We don't really take time to think about," Letang said. "From the beginning, we felt like we were pulling in the same direction, and we all wanted the same thing. For some reason, it doesn't surprise me that we're still here. It's just been great. Three different personalities, and it's just been fun.
The Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks kicked off a new hockey season on Tuesday night in Sunrise.
Florida, the NHL’s back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions, raised their 2025 championship banner before facing off against the young Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena.
It’s going to be a challenging campaign for the Panthers.
Before playing a single game, the Cats were already without three of the key players from their most recent championship run: Matthew Tkachuk, Tomas Nosek and team captain Sasha Barkov.
The Panthers were able to get things off on the right foot during Opening Night, defeating Chicago 3-2 in front of a packed house full of excited Cats fans.
After the game, The Hockey Show co-hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork broke down all the action.
You can check out THS’ postgame coverage in the video below:
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws late in the ninth inning against the Phillies Monday during Game 2 of the NLDS in Philadelphia. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
If all things had been equal, it’s likely that Roberts would have turned to Sasaki to start the inning. In just two weeks since returning from a shoulder injury and being moved to the bullpen, the converted rookie starter has become the club’s most dominant relief option.
But, for as much of a revelation as the 23-year-old right-hander had been in that time — posting four scoreless outings with a 100-mph fastball and unhittable splitter — the team remained conscientious about managing Sasaki’s workload, which included one appearance in Game 2 of the wild card series, then another in Game 1 of the NLDS just days prior.
Thus, with Roberts feeling confident enough in Treinen (the veteran right-hander coming off a career-worst season but also some recently improved outings) to protect a three-run cushion that felt relatively comfortable, he left Sasaki sitting in the bullpen despite the save situation.
He tried to take advantage of an opportunity to give his ace reliever rest.
“He hasn't gone two out of three [days] much at all,” Roberts said after the game. “So I didn't want to just kind of preemptively put him in there. I felt good with who we had.”
That plan, of course, almost backfired in disastrous fashion. Treinen gave up two runs without retiring a batter. Alex Vesia needed his defense to turn a wheel play on a Bryson Stott bunt to limit the damage from there. And in the end, Sasaki entered the game anyway to record the final out.
Moving forward, Roberts confirmed on Tuesday, Sasaki is “definitely the primary option now” for any future save situations — the closest the team will come to calling him their outright closer, since they could also choose to use him in high-leverage spots before the ninth.
“Obviously what Roki has done, has continued to show, has been very encouraging on a lot of fronts,” Roberts said.
The question, however, remains exactly how hard the Dodgers can ride him the rest of these playoffs; and how delicately they’ll have to balance the burden they place on a young pitcher who has never before pitched in a relief role.
“He's not going to close every game, it's just not feasible,” Roberts said Tuesday. “This is something he's never done. And you're expecting to go a few more weeks [in the postseason]. So all that stuff has to play in, that a lot of people don't have any appreciation for.”
The deeper the Dodgers go in the playoffs, the more tricky this calculus will get.
For now, the team’s preference would be for Sasaki to have at least one day of rest before each of his outings. And while Roberts didn’t rule out using him back-to-back days, he described it as “the next graduation point” for the offseason Japanese signing (who had made only eight MLB starts at the beginning of the season before initially getting hurt and missing the next four months).
“There's no guarantee what the stuff's going to be like [in a back-to-back sequence],” Roberts said, adding that any potential usage of Saskai on consecutive days would require conversations beforehand with pitching coaches about how Sasaki looked in pregame catch sessions.
“I would love to have Roki throw every single day if he could, but that's just not feasible,” Roberts reiterated. “Again, we have a lot of conversations, and then I make my decision.”
In other words, Sasaki will get the majority of save opportunities moving forward. But he likely won’t be the only one to handle such spots.
Sheehan responds in set-up role
Emmet Sheehan reacts after closing out the eighth inning against the Phillies in Game 2. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
After a promising regular season in which he posted a 2.82 ERA in 15 outings, the Dodgers looked to Emmet Sheehan to be a multi-inning set-up man for their beleaguered relief corps.
His first playoff outing was troublesome: Giving up two hits and two walks while recording only one out in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Reds.
But on Monday night, he bounced back with two innings of one-run relief to keep the Dodgers’ lead intact entering the ninth.
The biggest moment of Sheehan’s outing (in which he retired the side in the seventh, before giving up a down-the-line triple to Max Kepler and RBI single to Trea Turner in the eighth) came after he’d yielded that lone run. The Phillies had left-handed sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper due up next. The Dodgers had Vesia, their top left-handed option, warming in the bullpen.
For a brief moment, as pitching coach Mark Prior came to the mound and Sheehan fidgeted with his PitchCom device during an extended pause, it appeared the Dodgers were just stalling for Vesia to get warm.
But Roberts ultimately stayed put and let Sheehan pitch to the Phillies' star duo. His faith was rewarded with two outs that ended the inning. Sheehan struck out Schwarber with a 97.6-mph fastball on the inside corner, tied for his third-hardest pitch for a strikeout this season. Then he got Harper to fly out on a changeup, pumping a fist into his mitt as he skipped off the field.
“I think it just showed some adjustments that I made compared to that previous game [against the Reds],” Sheehan said.
The biggest one?
“Definitely controlling your emotions,” Sheehan acknowledged. “It’s a big piece of coming out of the bullpen. I’ve talked to a lot of guys about that, especially after Cincinnati where I wasn’t as comfortable out there.”
That Reds outing, of course, was a major red flag for the Dodgers’ bullpen plans. Given the struggles from the team’s traditional relievers entering the playoffs, Sheehan was supposed to essentially be a set-up man out of the bullpen capable of bridging the gap from the starting pitcher to the ninth.
Sheehan said, in that wild-card outing, he felt he was “trying to do a little too much, trying to be a little too fine with my pitches at the corners.”
“That’s not really my game,” he said in hindsight. “So I think just getting back to the approach and the game plan that’s been working for the past couple months was big. Trying to just go right at them and attack in the zone.”
Roberts gave Sheehan the leash to do that Monday, and will likely keep calling upon him in high-leverage spots moving forward, perhaps making Sheehan and Sasaki his preferred combination to close out the final innings of games.
“I just felt that his stuff was still real good [and that] he wasn't going to run from those guys at the top,” Roberts said Tuesday of letting Sheehan face Schwarber and Harper (who are a combined one for 14 in the NLDS with two walks and eight strikeouts).
“I trusted him. I felt in that moment he was the best option. And it proved to be right.”
Treinen lacking ‘edge’
At the other end of the reliever trust spectrum is Treinen, who not only failed to retire any of the three batters he faced in Game 2 but also, at least in Roberts’ estimation, also didn’t look like someone confident in their stuff.
“I just didn't see that edge last night,” Roberts said Tuesday, “that I know I've seen it many times over.”
Indeed, Treinen was the Dodgers’ most trusted reliever during their World Series run last year, when he was credited with three saves, two holds and two wins and punctuated his October with 2 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief in Game 5 of the World Series.
This season has been a different story, with Treinen stumbling to a career-worst 5.40 ERA after missing much of the first half with a forearm problem.
Despite that, Treinen had entered Monday on more of a high, after striking out three batters in his regular-season finale before making two scoreless appearances in the wild-card series.
The Phillies, however, took advantage of his inability this year to get as much swing-and-miss, fanning on just one of eight swings while stringing together a single and two doubles (the last one on a half-swing from Nick Castellanos against Treinen’s trademark sweeper).
“I felt that he was getting some momentum before that last one, so I'll check in on him,” Roberts said. “But there's ways of how you go about an outing, successful or not successful, and how a player carries himself matters to me.”
On Monday, Treinen didn’t check that box. And whether he will be thrown into such a high-leverage situation his next time out remains to be seen.
The Buffalo Sabres are facing an uphill battle to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, and we’ll be honest – in our pre-season predictions for THN.com, we slotted the Sabres into sixth place in the Atlantic. And we were being generous about Buffalo in comparison to THN magazine\, which ranked the Sabres as the seventh-best team in the Atlantic.
It really comes down to easy math: you just have to ask yourself which teams are locks to make the playoffs, and how many playoff openings that leaves for the teams that aren’t playoff locks. And in the Atlantic, the math isn’t encouraging for the Sabres.
To wit: in this writer’s opinion, the Atlantic playoff locks are the Toronto Maple Leafs (who were the best regular-season team in the division last year), the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the defending-champion Florida Panthers.
The Maple Leafs made major changes, yet they still have a deep, skilled attack that’s going to be desperate to go far this year. They won't be handing Buffalo any free standings points. Neither will the Lightning or Panthers. Thus, the Sabres will be fighting it out for fourth space. And the competition for fourth place is fierce. Not only are the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins also vying for one spot – two spots if they’re good enough to steal an extra spot from the Metropolitan Division.
All of this is to say the odds of the Sabres beating out every other team and sneaking into a wild card berth this year. There are too many things out of Buffalo’s control, too many what-ifs, too many ripple-effects. None of them make the Sabres’ lives easy. Buffalo could play well, and still not have their destiny in their hands down the stretch. That has to be alarming for Sabres hands who want nothing more than to cheer on their own playoff team.
Buffalo knows they’re not going to be a popular pick to go far this season, and they need to use the underdog label to send a message – this year’s Sabres aren’t the Sabres of the past decade-and-a-half. Buffalo has sufficient talent to be a playoff team this season, and as they prepare for their first game Thursday night against the New York Rangers (another team that could hurt the Sabres landing a wild card spot), Buffalo understands they’re coming to a crossroads with this Sabres team.
Buffalo absolutely has to empty the tank to avoid losing out on simply qualifying for the post-season. Because the Sabres are going to be fighting it out with many teams for a wild card berth, and the odds are stacked against them.
NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Brazeau scored twice, Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots he faced for his first regular season NHL shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night in each team’s opener.
Dan Muse won his debut as Penguins coach with his predecessor, Mike Sullivan, on the other bench running his first game with the Rangers. Sullivan guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17 as part of a nearly decade-long run there before parting ways in April.
Brazeau and Silovs were also playing for the Penguins for the first time. Brazeau signed as a free agent, while Silovs joined in a trade from Vancouver.
Evgeni Malkin led off his 20th season in the league by setting up Brazeau’s goal. Malkin beat Vincent Trocheck on an offensive zone faceoff to get the puck to Brazeau, who was alone in front and roofed a backhander past Igor Shesterkin.
Brazeau’s first goal with 32 seconds remaining in the first came near the end of a period that Pittsburgh controlled the play for much of the time. Silovs blocked away a shot from Alexis Lafrenière in the final seconds of an early Rangers power play but did not have to make too many other spectacular saves to get the win. With Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker, Brazeau had an empty-netter with 2:12 left, and Blake Lizotte sealed it with another 20 seconds later.
Mika Zibanejad, who Sullivan put on new captain J.T. Miller’s right wing to start the season, was one of the most noticeable players for New York. Zibanejad missed the net on a couple of scoring chances but also had a game-high seven shots on goal.
Defeating the Rangers gave the Penguins something to celebrate on opening night as Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made some history. They became the first trio in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to play 20 seasons together with the same team.
Up next
Penguins: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
On June 27, 2025, the Vancouver Canucks drafted center Braeden Cootes 15th overall. Not even half a year after, Cootes is preparing to make his NHL debut on Thursday night in Vancouver’s season-opener against the Calgary Flames. Having already passed the tests provided by the prospects showcase, training camp, and pre-season, Cootes is taking a low-stress approach to skating in his first NHL game.
“I’m just trying to tell myself, ‘I’ve been playing this game for how long, it’s just hockey at the end of the day.’ So I’m just trying to do my best with it,” he told the media after practice on Tuesday.
While there’s no doubt about Cootes’ skills, there weren’t many who thought the young center would make the team straight out of pre-season and training camp. However, a strong showing during his in-game performances as well as his strikingly mature mindset ultimately helped the forward earn his way onto Vancouver’s opening night roster.
“I think we owe it to Braeden, obviously, that he earned his way to be here today and looking like he’s playing on Thursday, but I think we’ve got to be a little bit careful here and evaluate as we go along,” Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin said while discussing the decision to keep Cootes on the team’s opening-night roster. “No difference from what we have done since he earned his first game in Seattle and continues to earn another day. He’s young, but he’s playing a very, very mature game, so we’ll see here as we move along.”
“He got better. He’s smart, playing with good players,” Canucks head coach Adam Foote said about what he saw from Cootes during the pre-season. “He seems not to get confused, or he doesn’t slow down. Obviously, at times, there might be an adjustment for certain things, but he’s handled it well and wants to take it day to day.”
“Everything feels a bit more normal, so to speak,” Cootes added regarding what he has learned. “When you’re playing with such good players here, honestly, sometimes it feels — not easier, but sometimes you get pucks in better spots and quicker, because they’re so good and they can make such good plays.”
When he was first drafted, many took to comparing the young center as Bo Horvat-esque with his leadership and two-way skillset. Quinn Hughes has only shared the ice with Cootes since the pre-season began, but already, the Canucks captain has been impressed with how the young center approaches the game.
“He’s reliable, he’s got good reads defensively, he plays a mature game offensively. He’s got skill, good instincts all around the ice, and he’s just going to continue to get better and better,” Hughes said. “He’s a pretty impressive player. It’s hard at 18, even first-overall picks struggle, but I think Footy and the coaching staff have done a good job with him and kept it positive. I’m excited for him, happy for him, and he’s definitely earned to be here.”
Canucks head coach Adam Foote has taken this a step farther by drawing parallels to Ryan O’Reilly’s game.
“With a guy like Cootes, there’s always the next play, the next job, and moving your feet to the next position. We want all our players to be like that, but he’s been good at it, and that helps him with the physical part, because he’s usually in a better body position, so then he’ll let his brain and his body defend. O’Reilly defended like that for a long time.”
Cootes, on the other hand, describes his game a bit more simply.
“Something that’s reliable that you can put out in the D-zone, that doesn’t cheat the game, so to speak, that I can play defence, I can play a 200-foot game and be reliable.”
Thursday night’s game means a lot for the 18-year-old, who is originally from Edmonton. Cootes noted that “it’s a little extra motivation” playing against the Flames — the provincial rivals of the Edmonton Oilers, who he’d grown up cheering for as a kid. The first NHL game in any player’s career is always one of the most important. It’s a feeling that Hughes remembers from his own first game back in March of 2019.
“I’m excited for him,” the Canucks captain said. “Rookie lap will be pretty cool, it’s something you always remember. He should just enjoy it, because he’s gonna play for a long time, but you only have one first game.”
Fans can catch Cootes and the Canucks on their season-opening night on October 9. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a tall hill to climb with their first game of the season being against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. That would be a tough start for a team full of seasoned veterans, let alone a young squad like the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks found a way to keep this one close, though, as the Panthers walked away with a 3-2 victory. They won the game thanks to a third-period goal by Jesper Boqvist.
After the first period, the Blackhawks were down in shot attempts (35-10), shots on goal (17-3), and scoring chances (19-4), but they were only down 2-1 on the scoreboard. They took a 1-0 lead on Frank Nazar's breakaway goal, but then allowed goals to AJ Greer and Carter Verhaeghe.
With a bit over 3 minutes remaining in the opening period, captain Nick Foligno tried to spark the team with a fight. He took on one of Florida's goal scorers, AJ Greer, and the fight can be summed up as a draw.
There did seem to be a spark for Chicago in the second period, as the Blackhawks did play much better than they did in the first. That included a game-tying goal. Tyler Bertuzzi won a board battle to find Frank Nazar, who once again made a great play to feed Teuvo Teravainen for the goal.
The aforementioned 3rd period goal by Boqvist ended up being the difference in the hockey game, but the Blackhawks stayed in a game that they were mostly outplayed.
Frank Nazar was as good as expected during the game. He played a huge role in each of the two Chicago goals and was hard to play against for Florida in all three zones. His offensive prowess, special teams work, and tenacity on pucks make him worth his contract alone. It will be a bargain in short order.
Like Nazar, Spencer Knight also gave the Blackhawks a chance to win the hockey game, despite the losing result. Knight made 34 saves on 37 shots against the team that traded him away.
A year ago at this time, there were question marks in net for the Blackhawks, but Knight looks like a guy who can be a legit number one. He was sharp against a really good team with an unfavorable amount of help in front of him.
Connor Bedard looked as fast and dynamic as he did in the preseason. This is a result of the hard work that he put in over the summer. He created a ton of chances for himself, Bobrovsky was just up to the task on every one, except for the one that rang off the pipe. A star-level breakout is on the horizon for Bedard.
Nazar showed well with Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, but Bedard didn't get much from Ryan Donato or Andre Burakovsky. The latter specifically looked out of place playing on the top line with Bedard. If he doesn't get better quickly, Jeff Blashill will be making a change.
Next up for the Blackhawks is a trip to the East Coast to take on the Boston Bruins. Boston, although they have talented players at every position, is not Florida.
The compete level of the Blackhawks in this game will be a lot more telling. They only lost to Florida by one goal, which is something to build on, but they were outplayed in a lot of ways. More games will end in losses than wins if they play like they did in game one. A better effort is to be expected in game two against the Bruins.
48 hours after the Ottawa Senators' final preseason game, head coach Travis Green held court with the media on Monday, answering some of the key questions facing the team on the doorstep of the NHL regular season. The rehearsal is over, and Green sounded like a coach who's content with his troops on the other side of the always-too-long preseason.
"Yeah, I think I'm happy with camp in general," Green said. "Our guys have worked hard. We haven't had many days when I didn't think the effort was there. Attention to detail. I liked our last game. We looked better, dialled in. We still had a lot of guys who didn't play. But I think everyone's excited that we're through camp and we're getting ready to play for real."
The Sens won 3-1 in Montreal on Saturday in their final dress rehearsal, which was a nice bounce back after being outscored 12-1 in combined in their previous two games. But Green was quick to point out he wasn't that concerned about those performances.
"There are different games that have different elements to them in preseason," Green said. "In the St. Louis game, we were in tough. Obviously, we had played three games in five days and we didn't send our best lineup. But I thought our defensive game has slowly gotten to where we want it to be. There's been a lot of games in the preseason where we've had a lot more looks. We haven't put the puck in the net, but I think our game's trended in the right direction."
The health of Tyler Kleven and Drake Batherson may be as well. They've both been placed on IR, but they're not far off. And when they return, the Sens' 2025-26 lineup will be mostly what people expected it to be. The one surprise is the sudden addition of NHL heavyweight Kurtis MacDermid, acquired from the New Jersey Devils on Friday, three days after the Sens lost a rough, feisty game, 5-0 in Montreal.
"He brings a lot of toughness to the game," Green said. "I mean, there's no doubt about it. He's one of the tougher customers in the league. He's a very smart player as well. He understands his positioning in the game. He'd be one of the smarter players on the team, knowing the details of where he needs to be to make sure that he's not out there hurting the team. And he's a tremendous teammate. Guys that stick up for their teammates are well respected within the league. And he's got that respect for sure."
With 0 points in 23 games last season, MacDermid isn't here to score, but the Sens need the rest of the lineup to step up in that area. That didn't happen in the preseason with just 12 goals on 189 shots over six games for a pop-gun shooting percentage of just over six percent. But Green still feels like they're making progress in trying to fix their much-talked-about 5-on-5 scoring woes last season.
"I think we are. At the end of the day, the onus usually comes down to the guys who are supposed to score. But we've tried to structurally look at some different things that we can do to create offense. I've seen some improvements. I haven't seen the puck go in the net (enough). But I think we can score more 5-on-5."
They definitely improved after the trade deadline last season. If you just measure games after the acquisitions of Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund, the Sens' shooting percentage was 11th best in the league during that time. Now they have to do it consistently over a full 82 games.
Final roster decisions got a little easier on the blue line on Monday afternoon after Nick Jensen returned to the lineup Saturday following offseason hip surgery. That paved the way to send down Carter Yakemchuk, the club's 2024 seventh overall pick, for more seasoning in the AHL. Green admits that they've talked about possible load management for Jensen, but he remains thrilled with the veteran's preseason debut.
"I thought his game was excellent," Green said. "I was pleasantly surprised. I think you always wonder how a player's going to look coming off an injury. Also, being his first game, it's a testament to him as far as the work he's put in. And not just off the ice but on the ice. I thought he was good."
Again, preseason performances, good or bad, mean absolutely nothing. The real live fire begins on Thursday night in Tampa Bay. Once the puck drops there, people will forget that there even was a preseason.
"You go 6-0, 0-6, 3-3 in preseason, it doesn't matter. It's all about getting your game in order for game one. The good thing about this year is I think our guys have a strong understanding of our game and what it looks like when we're on top of it.
The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly scouring the NHL trade market for much-needed defensive reinforcements, but which players are actually going to be worth their while?
After the Ryan Ellis trade, the Flyers have $6.64 million in cap space, which allows them the opportunity to target virtually any player they want as far as salary goes.
We know that Egor Zamula had a poor preseason, which resulted in Adam Ginning overtaking him in the Flyers' lineup. Next to Ginning could be Zamula, Noah Juulsen, or Dennis Gilbert--it's really anyone's guess this early into the season.
That said, it's been reported that the Flyers are going to exhaust their external options at the position.
"Not sure we’re going to see much trade action too early, but Philadelphia is definitely checking what’s out there on defence," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman briefly reported in his "32 Thoughts" column on Tuesday.
We can already comfortably say that the Flyers aren't going to be trading assets for an older player, nor will they add a smaller, offensive-minded defenseman to the fold.
It's not in their team-building philosophy, and that's why, evidently, Emil Andrae was left off the Flyers' roster in favor of inferior options like Zamula and Gilbert.
The problem for the Flyers is that good teams usually look for defensemen around the playoffs and NHL trade deadline, so they'll be reduced to striking a deal for a younger player, and likely one in need of opportunity and/or a change of scenery.
I could see some interest in a player like Emil Lilleberg in Tampa Bay, a 6-foot-2 bruiser who scored 19 points in 76 games last year while racking up 105 penalty minutes but has since fallen out of favor.
Would there be mutual interest in an Emil-for-Emil trade that swaps Andrae and Lilleberg? It could work for Tampa Bay if they want some extra offensive juice and puck-carrying from the blueline from players not named Victor Hedman and J.J. Moser.
Bowen Byram has been floated again, and the Flyers have been linked to him before, but he's no defensive stalwart. Byram could excel with first-unit power play time, but that would mean less opportunities for Cam York and Jamie Drysdale by default, and the Flyers are still invested in the success of those players.
Rising stars like Thomas Harley and Philip Broberg are in the last years of their respective contracts and are due for big raises, but it's unlikely that either player is dealt by teams aspiring for the postseason in St. Louis and Dallas.
Shai Buium, the older brother of Zeev, is playing in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins after playing his first pro season last year. There's also Jordan Harris, a formerly promising Montreal Canadiens prospect who made the Boston Bruins as the presumptive seventh defenseman.
Like Friedman noted, the Flyers aren't likely to find many willing dance partners before they even play Game 1, but they have plenty of options, especially when it comes to low-risk, high-reward choices.
Byram could be a big swing for the Flyers, but I'm not overly optimistic about the fit in Philadelphia given the way the team's roster is currently constructed. And, no, New Jersey is not trading Simon Nemec to a division rival.
The Flyers should be actively working the phones moving forward, but don't expect an immediate resolution to the issue that is the team's defense, which was only further exacerbated by York's new injury.
There was a lot going on around Florida Panthers before the puck ever dropped on Opening Night.
That’s life when you’re the Stanley Cup Champs.
A lavish championship ring ceremony and a Stanley Cup Champions banner raising were on the checklist of things to get done ahead of actual hockey being played.
Once the Cats got to the game, though, they picked up right where they left off last season, picking up a solid 3-2 victory over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.
It was the Blackhawks who picked up the game’s opening goal, and it came right after the visitors killed off the night’s first power play.
Speedy sophomore Frank Nazar got behind Florida’s defense and beat Sergei Bobrovsky on his stick side to give Chicago a 1-0 lead just past the midway point of the opening period.
It was a lead that lasted all of 63 seconds.
With Florida’s fourth line putting on some post-goal pressure, a point shot from Gus Forsling was stopped by Knight through a screen, but A.J. Greer was waiting at the doorstep to bang home the rebound and quickly tie the game.
Just 3:01 later, Florida took their first lead of the game.
Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov was called for his second minor penalty of the period, and this time Florida cashed in when Carter Verhaeghe found himself with the puck on his stick and all kinds of time and space to the left of Spencer Knight.
Verhaeghe’s first of the season made it 2-1 Florida with 5:52 left in first period.
Florida held a 17-3 shot advantage after the opening period, but it took the Blackhawks all of 69 seconds to log two shots and a goal once the middle frame began.
Connor Bedard was stopped by Bobrovsky on a breakaway, but moments later Teuvo Taravainen finished off a great feed from Nazar on a 2-on-1 to knot the score at two.
Soon after, with the Blackhawks on the power play, Evan Rodrigues needed help getting off the ice after blocking a point shot with the inside of his right knee.
Fortunately for the Panthers, both Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart, who left the ice after taking a Seth Jones backhand clearing attempt off the face, were back on the ice later in the period.
The game remained deadlocked at two until the 9:40 mark of the third period.
Mackie Samoskevich chased down a puck dump in the corner to the left of Knight and sent a backhand feed to the front of the net.
Flying down the slot, Jesper Boqvist choked up on his stick and batted the puck out of midair and into the net to give the Cats a 3-2 lead.
Florida continued to put the pressure on, but couldn’t solve Knight, who came up with big save after big save.
It was all good for the Panthers, as they earned the big two points on Opening Night.
Photo caption: Oct 7, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (10) celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
The Golden Knights are just favored to win the Stanley Cup at BetMGM, as a computer simulation of the NHL season run 100 times has Vegas as the overwhelming favorite to hoist its second Stanley Cup in four years.
The Knights, who opens its 2025-26 campaign Wednesday at home against the Los Angeles Kings, made the playoffs 89 times in the 100 simulations, and won the title 42 times - 16 more than the next team, the Dallas Stars.
The study, conducted by RotoWire.com, was run through ChatGPT to simulate the entire 2025-26 NHL season 100 times, to see how often each team would advance to the playoffs and predict who would win the most Stanley Cups.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers made the playoffs a league second-highest 95 times, one less than the Tampa Bay Lightning, but were predicted to three-peat just two times.
Two-time Western Conference champion Edmonton made the playoffs 89 times during the simulation, but was predicted to win the title just three times.
Every team in the NHL was predicted to make the postseason at least twice, but only seven won the Stanley Cup a minimum of two times: Vegas (42), Dallas (26), Carolina (20), Tampa Bay (5), Edmonton (3), Florida (2) and Winnipeg (2).
Per the site: "Anyone trying the same experiment likely would get different results; your mileage may vary depending on the query that's fed into the system."
Also, according to the website, the Golden Knights "have been one of the best franchises in the league since the day they started in 2017-18. That season, the expansion Golden Knights stunned the hockey world by winning eight of their first nine games in their debut season and they kept steamrolling all the way to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Washington Capitals."
It wouldn't surprise many if Vegas advanced to the postseason, as it's made the playoffs in seven of the eight seasons it's been a part of the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup in 2022-23.
Vegas has added firepower to this year's team when it traded for 100-point forward Mitch Marner just before free agency, to join forces with top-tier center Jack Eichel.
Realistically, Connor McDavid could have asked for $17.5 million and gotten it without anyone blinking an eye. That number ($500K over Kirill Kaprizov) was a number many thought was realistic before the Edmonton Oilers' captain signed a two-year, $12.5 million extension on Monday. When asked why that number, McDavid responded, "Gives us a chance to extend our window here in Edmonton."
The urgency it creates in Edmonton to now use those savings wisely is a "good byproduct" of his deal, said McDavid. What he was really doing was giving the Oilers a chance to keep the core and add to it, using that $5 million elsewhere.
Where will GM Stan Bowman use it and what will he spend it on?
Not Much Will Change This Season
Because McDavid's new deal doesn't kick in until next season, Bowman did admit, “Right now, we’re focused on the opening game, seeing how our team looks, and making adjustments. The number affects next summer more than this year.” The Oilers were already going to be aggressive this season. That went without saying. This summer and in seasons to come, expect the Oilers to be extremely aggressive.
As for who and what players might be available with the savings McDavid offered the organization, there's a lot to consider.
First, as the cap rises, finding players worth $5 million or less is becoming increasingly complex. Edmonton will likely be looking at players already under contract, unless the plan is to move on from some of the current roster pieces. McDavid made it clear on Tuesday-- without explicitly saying as much -- that there are some untouchables on this team.
Young RFAs are commanding much higher salaries than $5 million per season. Pending UFAs might look at discounts in Edmonton, but $5 million might be asking a lot considering the changing NHL salary landscape.
Let's focus on teams that aren't likely playoff contenders. Let's also look at players who aren't rentals and are under contract on fairly reasonable deals. Let's exclude players who are older, since the Oilers are prioritizing getting younger. Finally, let's look at players who can actually help the Oilers.
That limits the list.
Teuvo Teravainen - Chicago Blackhawks
Teuvo Teravainen already has a goal in the 2025-26 NHL season and this is a player who might not stick with the Chicago Blackhawks if they don't start turning things around. Teravainen has two seasons remaining on his current deal at $5.4 million. Asking the Blackhawks to retain $400K-$1 million is not much of an issue.
We're tied up at two thanks to Teuvo Teravainen! ✌️ #NHLFaceOff
Teravainen has steadily produced points in the NHL. He's a top-six NHL winger who is teetering on the edge of being a bit too old (31), but is still productive. He scored 58 and 53 points in his previous two seasons and has scored 20-plus goals in four seasons.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - Buffalo Sabres
If the Oilers prioritize grabbing a new goaltender, there is one in Buffalo making just the right amount of money and locked into a deal at the right age that he can be a difference-maker for years to come.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is just 26 years old and signed to a contract with the Sabres that pays him $4.75 million until the 2028-29 season. There's no reason for the Sabres to move their starter, but the Sabres are a bit of anomaly. Despite their best efforts, that organization fails to make ground every season and they move on from players most teams wouldn't dare trade.
The netminder has mixed results when it comes to his numbers, but some of his seasons have been solid, with some consideration being given to the fact he's playing in Buffalo.
He's played 55 and 54 games in each of the previous two seasons.
Jared McCann - Seattle Kraken
If the Oilers want to add a top-six goal scorer, Jared McCann is an ideal option out of Seattle. He scored 22 goals last season and 29 the season before. However, in 2022-23, he scored 40.
There's been unconfirmed speculation that the Kraken might be open to moving McCann. If they are -- and that would assume they aren't headed toward the playoffs -- the Oilers should take a look.
Edmonton doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of a return, but the Oilers are all in, so moving future picks is not out of the question. That's the kind of return Seattle might be looking for if they move the 29-year-old who has two seasons (including this one) left on his contract.
McCann has a limited no-trade list that allows him to exclude 10 teams. It seems unlikely that a contender like the Oilers would be on that list. McCann makes exactly $5 million per season.
ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild open the 2025-26 season on Thursday and have already made some roster moves.
Hunter Haight was recently sent down because center Nico Sturm was healthy and practiced again after playing in the final preseason game.
But the Wild placed Sturm on the opening season injured reserve (IR) so Haight was recalled from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) to replace Sturm on the roster and lineup.
Haight, 21, was the Wild's 47th overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft. He recorded 20 goals, 14 assists and 34 points in 67 games with the Iowa Wild in his rookie season in the AHL.
The 5-foot-10 center joins fellow 2022 NHL Draft picks Liam Ohgren (19th overall) and Danila Yurov (24th overall) on the Wild's opening night roster.
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