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The Buffalo Sabres tried to return the favor after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated them at home on Wednesday, but the clu surrendered a 4-2 lead in the third period, allowing power plays goals from Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby to tie the game, and Crosby to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 victory with his second of the game nine seconds into overtime. 

Jiri Kulich scored twice, Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker added singles for Buffalo, and Alex Tuch had a pair of assists in the contest. Alex Lyon allowed two goals on 13 shots in the opening 40 minutes, but Alexandar Georgiev relieved Lyon in the third period and faced 17 shots. The Sabres end the preseason with a record of 3-2-1 and will have to cut down to 23 players by Monday afternoon. 

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defenseman Michael Kesselring, and winger Jordan Greenway will likely not be available for the season opener against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center on Thursday, and could be placed on injured reserve to help get the Sabres down to 23. 

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

In other news, the Philadelphia Flyers placed Buffalo native and former Sabre Dennis Gilbert on waivers on Saturday. The 28-year-old played 25 games for the Sabres last season before being included in the Josh Norris - Dylan Cozens trade with Ottawa. Other former Buffalo players that have been on the waiver wire and cleared are Casey Fitzgerald (NY Rangers) and Kale Clague (Winnipeg).

Ex-Sabre forward Tyson Jost was claimed by the Nashville Predators earlier in the week after being placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes.   

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

Several players hit waivers on Oct. 4 around the NHL. No current Chicago Blackhawks players have been placed on waivers, but a former one has been. 

This is because former Blackhawks defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been placed on waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Gilbert signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers this off-season. This was after the 28-year-old defenseman posted six assists, 36 blocks, 50 penalty minutes, 63 hits, and a minus-3 rating in 29 games split between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators this past season. 

Gilbert started his professional career with the Blackhawks organization, as he was selected by the Original Six club with the 91st overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he played his first two NHL seasons with the Blackhawks during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns, where he recorded one goal, two assists, three points, 40 penalty minutes, 80 hits, and minus-8 rating. 

Gilbert's time with the Blackhawks ended when he was traded with forward Brandon Saad to the Colorado Avalanche in October of 2020. Since then, he has had stops with the Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Sabres, and Senators. 

Big deals in the modern NHL are becoming the norm. That will force some key players into even more crucial decisions. Should they prioritize earnings as they lock into massive extensions or winning?

Not every star is driven by the same motivation. Players like Alex Ovechkin and Kirill Kaprizov have set precedents of signing monster deals that heavily favor individual wealth, while Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid seem happy to settle for slightly lower average annual values (AAVs) to prolong their teams' championship windows. 

In 2008, Ovechkin negotiated his 13-year, $124 million contract extension —the largest NHL contract at the time —without an agent. His deal was less about a negotiation and more about him walking into the office of the Capitals and putting a number on the table. They gave it to him. 

It was a monster deal that worked out for both sides, but it took the Capitals a decade to finally win a Stanley Cup. 

Ovechkin had already become a Washington Capitals legend, and the team wasn’t about to let him walk away knowing he was the sole reason fans bought tickets. He was invaluable to their market, even if there was a chance the team would be less competitive because it would be harder to build around him.

Ovechkin understandably knew to chase high numbers. His value in that market was undeniable. But anyone who argues he was thinking team first is probably fooling themselves. 

Fast forward to this summer, where Kirill Kaprizov's new eight-year, $136-million contract with the Minnesota Wild guarantees he will earn the most money ever handed out in the NHL. This is a good player, but he’s likely not as good as Ovechkin was in his prime. Like the Capitals’ great, Kaprizov understands how important he is to the Minnesota market. He played that hand, leveraging another $1 million per season after reportedly turning down $16 million per year.  The challenge for Wild GM Bill Guerin is how to build around a $17 million winger. 

Which Pending NHL UFAs Will Kaprizov's Major Contract Extension Affect?Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov reset the market this week, signing an eight-year, $136 million extension that carries a $17 million average annual value. 

Contrast that to Crosby and McDavid. 

Both have already established their legacies to some degree — Crosby with three Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, McDavid as Edmonton's face man and a perennial MVP candidate — but their contract decisions suggest an even greater commitment to putting the team in a position to win.

Crosby infamously signed extensions below the maximum amount he could have negotiated, insisting that he wanted the Penguins to be able to retain other star players and remain competitive.

McDavid, who is reportedly negotiating his next contract and has expressed a desire to sign a deal that allows the Oilers to build around him and become legitimate contenders for the next several seasons (which includes adding more impact players), could theoretically take less than Kaprizov. 

Both have been and appear willing to forfeit prime earnings in exchange for the possibility of contending for the Cup in his prime years.

Why Connor McDavid Shouldn't Consider An Oilers Discount After Kaprizov SigningNews that Minnesota Wild superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov signed an eight-year contract extension Tuesday sent ripple effects throughout the NHL – most notably, in Edmonton, where Oilers dynamo Connor McDavid is in need of a contract extension.

Which Is The Right Direction For a Player To Take?

This is not to suggest that the different mindset among top players means there’s a right and a wrong. Financial security is essential for any athlete. There’s no knowing how long a career will last, and if the money is available, the popular move might be to take it.

For Ovechkin and Kaprizov, they knew their value and each took the money the team was willing to pay. They left it in the hands of their respective GMs to figure out the rest. In Ovechkin’s case, it eventually worked. 

The mentality of franchise pillars like Crosby and McDavid might actually be rarer. The new McDavid deal hasn’t been announced, and there is a chance it's higher than people expect; however, insiders believe he’ll sign a lower AAV that will surprise most fans. Perhaps following Crosby’s lead, many players wouldn’t go this route, even if it’s ultimately best for the team. 

These two stars have asked their teams to build competitive rosters with the money left on the table. That doesn’t always work either. In McDavid’s case, his rumored shorter-term deal might be a way for him to continue applying pressure on the Edmonton Oilers to get it right. 

Ultimately, the NHL's stars are motivated by money and championships. The question becomes, which takes priority?

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Mike Sullivan made a big decision regarding the makeup of the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster by sending Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

The play of Perreault and Morrow was a constant storyline throughout training camp for the Rangers. 

Despite showing out throughout the course of training camp, Sullivan ultimately decided it was best for these two young players to start the season in the AHL.

“They are two young players that we are extremely excited about,” Sullivan said of Perreault and Morrow. “These guys are in our opinion NHL players in the making. Our job is to try and create a pathway to help them grow and develop to become what we hope will be the impact players that we think they are capable of being. 

“We are really excited about both of those guys. We think they had terrific training camps, certainly made an impression on everybody. These guys have the potential to leave a lasting impact on the Rangers. We are trying to make the best decisions we can to try and help that process and get these guys as close to pushing their way to the roster as they can.”

There was some hope that Perreault could have cracked the Rangers’ opening-night roster after he played five NHL games last season.

The 20-year-old came into training camp more prepared and confident than he was last year, and it translated to his play on the ice. 

Sullivan gave Perreault a chance both to play with some of the Rangers’ top established veteran players and serve a role on the power play. 

Over the past few weeks, Perreault has demonstrated his lethal offensive threat, showcasing his potential at the highest level of competition. 

Rangers Intend To ‘Err On The Side Of Caution’ Regarding J.T. Miller And Artemi Panarin Injuries The New York Rangers are not planning on taking any risks with J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin as training camp comes to a close. 

When the Rangers completed a sign-and-trade with the Carolina Hurricanes involving K’Andre Miller, the team specifically sought out to acquire Morrow.

Morrow’s skating and puck-handling abilities were on full display during training camp in the preseason, specifically on the power play, in which Morrow quarterbacked the second unit. 

The 22-year-old defenseman is arguably the best skater the Rangers have in their defensive pipeline, as the proof is in the putting from training camp. 

Both Perreault and Morrow should play critical roles for the Wolf Pack and may very well make their way up to the NHL at some point this season.

The talk of the town in Pittsburgh right now might be 11th overall pick Ben Kindel, as he appears primed to make the final cut on the Penguins' NHL roster.

But there is another Penguins' 2025 first-round pick who is garnering some attention early on in his season as well.

Center Will Horcoff - selected 24th overall by the Penguins in this year's draft - got off to a roaring start for the University of Michigan Friday night. Horcoff recorded a natural hat trick during an 11-1 win against Mercyhurst, and he did it in style.

Natural hatty for Horcoff pic.twitter.com/InkrYeOeBu

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) October 4, 2025

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Horcoff, 19, is playing in his first full season with Michigan. He joined the team mid-season last year and was the youngest player in the NCAA, compiling four goals and 10 points in 18 games. 

The big centerman is expected to take a step forward with the Wolverines this season playing on the team's first line alongside TJ Hughes and Jayden Perron. Other notable players suiting up for Michigan this season include Malcolm Spence - selected 43rd by the New York Rangers in 2025 - and Michael Hage, who was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 2024.

Horcoff - the son of NHL alumni Shawn Horcoff - was one of three first-round selections by the Penguins this season, with the others being Kindel and forward Bill Zonnon (22nd overall). 

'We’re Thrilled With The Players That We Have': 3 Takeaways From Penguins' Day One DraftDay One of the 2025 NHL Draft is officially wrapped, and the Pittsburgh Penguins were certainly one of the more active teams in the first round.

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Entering training camp, there weren't many spots available on the New Jersey Devils roster. When healthy, the group was expected to look something like this, with defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic out for an extended time with a knee injury. 

Evgenii Dadonov - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt

Timo Meier - Nico Hischier -Stefan Noesen 

Ondrej Palat - Dawson Mercer - Connor Brown 

Paul Cotter - Cody Glass - Arseny Gritsyuk

Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton 

Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce 

Brenden Dillon - Simon Nemec 

Jacob Markstrom

Jake Allen 

In the early days of camp, the Devils announced that Noesen would miss time with a groin injury. That news forced head coach Sheldon Keefe to move Mercer to Hischier's wing and Glass to the third-line center position. In doing that, players like Luke Glendening, Kevin Rooney, and Juho Lammikko had the opportunity to fight for fourth-line center. 

For the forwards who spent the majority of the 2024-25 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Utica Comets, it was a steep hill to climb to crack the Devils' opening night roster. 

For Nathan Légaré, he has a pragmatic approach to camp that accompanies his goal of transitioning his game to become a full-time NHL player. 

"Everybody wants to make the New Jersey Devils, but at the same time, I think you have to be realistic," he told The Hockey News in August. "It is not the end of the world if you go back to Utica. You work hard, and you never know what can happen."

Over the last couple of weeks in New Jersey, Légaré has stayed true to his identity and embraced his role, catching the eye of the Devils' coaching staff. 

"He is a guy we are talking about daily because of the work that he has done, and this goes back to the games he played for us last season," Keefe said. "I have been really happy with him." 

In four preseason games, Légaré has two points (one goal, one assist), two fights, and 10 penalty minutes. In his final appearance, he had a team-leading nine hits. 

NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) on XNathan Legare - New Jersey Devils (1)*

"There is no doubt that he has played to his strengths," Keefe said. "You talk about understanding who you are, understanding what your role is or might be, and then owning and being a star in that role, I think he has done that. 

"Now he (plays) a game that is hard working, gritty, competitive, and is up and down the ice," Keefe continued. "It is a little bit easier, quite frankly, to be that in this type of setting, where you are just working and skating. If you are a goal scorer and a playmaker, it is a little bit harder in a smaller sample to really make yourself known. You have got to keep that in perspective a little bit when you are assessing other players."

Légaré is coming off a season in which he earned a career high of 25 points in the AHL over 69 games. He made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 2, 2024, playing three games with the Devils. 

"There is more confidence about my game now," the versatile forward explained. "Especially, now that I have played a couple of games in the NHL. That is a check mark, but the next one is to stay in the NHL and be a full-time NHLer."

The likelihood of the 24-year-old making New Jersey's roster out of camp appears slim, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him at some point, considering the trust Keefe has in him. 

"Whether he starts here with us or not, we are confident he can play games for us." 

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

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