The Anaheim Ducks took to the road for a two-game trip, with the first being on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars.

The Ducks entered the game as one of the hottest teams in the NHL, having won their last four games and six of their previous seven, heading into this contest. They were coming off an emotional 7-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, which ended their three-game homestand.

Game #13: Ducks vs. Stars Gameday Preview (11/06/25)

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-3 Win over the Panthers

Leo Carlsson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for an interference penalty early in Tuesday’s third period. For this game, he returned to the lineup in his typical spot on the top line, and the Ducks went with the exact lineup that earned them their last two victories.

Lukas Dostal got the start for the 11th time in 13 games for the Ducks and saved 21 of 26 shots. He was opposed by Jake Oettinger in the Dallas net, who stopped 18 of 24.

Here are my notes on this game:

There were 12 goals scored in this game, but only four of them came during 5v5 play. This game was a special teams slobberknocker, where each team went to the power play five times. Discipline has been troublesome of late for the Ducks, but their 5v5 play tonight was some of the cleanest they’ve played all season, especially defensively.

All the usual suspects found the scoresheet for the Ducks, now the highest-scoring team (4.15 GF/G) in the NHL by a wide margin, ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs (3.71 GF/G). Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier extended their point streaks to eight games each, both contributing a goal and an assist. Alex Killorn (1-1=2), Troy Terry (0-2=2), Chris Kreider (2-0=2), and Beckett Sennecke (0-2=2) also added multi-point nights.

The Ducks now sit atop the Pacific Division and are the second-best team in the NHL in terms of points percentage (.731).

Defensive Zone Coverage-After an adjustment period, the Ducks seem to have grasped the intricacies of their new zone coverage system. They are making more precise reads when it comes to secondary pressure, collapsing when necessary, and protecting the slot at all costs.

When running as efficiently as possible, they’re able to kill plays early with second quick pressure, but even when they allow extended zone time to good teams like the Stars, they remain diligent to their assignments and close the seams opponents are attempting to exploit.

Penalty Kill-After a stretch of successful penalty killing that saw them kill 20 of their last 23 penalties heading into this game, they had a difficult time against one of the top power plays in the NHL. Dallas took advantage of the Ducks’ heavy high pressure that would send the weak side forward high, along with the strong. The Stars worked the puck across the top of the zone before sending it low and to the middle or backdoor, where they’d get off quality looks.

The Ducks surrendered three goals on five penalties, but the coaching staff and the killers did well to adjust late in the third period and were more conscious of the bumper and seams under the top pressure. They even got one back when Terry and Carlsson linked up for a shorthanded tally that wound up being the game-winner.

Jacob Trouba-Trouba can be a frustrating case study for defensive fundamentalists who value close gaps, textbook angles, body engagement, etc., especially against the rush. For a player who is known for his physicality, he utilizes his stick to do most of the defending for him and is rather choosy on when to fire up the “Trouba Train.”

He baits attackers into thinking they have more time and space than they do to get shots off or make an extra stickhandle before he cleverly disrupts. The same can be said for his off-puck work as well; he’s constantly breaking up passes through the middle of the defensive zone. His foot speed can be an issue, as he got burned early in this game through the neutral zone, and his stick work can be a double-edged sword, as he received his first penalty of the season in this game for a hook early in the third.

Killorn-Poehling-Nesterenko-The Ducks listed third line played 6:45 together at 5v5, won the shot attempt battle 9-3, and collected 74.9% of the expected goals share. Poehling can recover on a dime and is a vacuum in the middle of the defensive zone. Killorn’s anticipation skills led to a goal as well as a handful of clever breakups, while his play-building skills, especially at the offensive blueline, were top-notch.

Nesterenko has blossomed into a valuable piece of what the Ducks set out to accomplish in every zone. His increasing comfort level and NHL hockey IQ are leading to his line maintaining possession of pucks moving north, while his skating and puck skills are buying him an extra half second to scan and make optimal choices.

Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke had a notably professional game, minus a key blunder in the second period that broke a 2-2 tie. Rather than simply chipping a puck deep into the offensive zone after a long shift, he attempted to break down Miro Heiskanen, one of the NHL’s premier rush defenders, in a period where his team had the long change. Heiskanen cleanly stripped him of possession and swiftly sent his forwards on an odd-man rush.

The response to what was his only glaring hiccup was impressive. He’s learning how to absorb NHL defenders and protect pucks on the wall with greater success, making keen defensive reads on the forecheck, and finding ways to translate the special aspects of his game to the highest level of the sport; an encouraging game all around for the Ducks’ talented rookie.

The Ducks will conclude their brief two-game road trip on Saturday when they head to Nevada to take on the Vegas Golden Knights in a battle for the top spot in the Pacific.

Anaheim Ducks on the Tip of National Media Tongues

10 Stats from the First 10 Games of the 2025-26 Season for the Anaheim Ducks

The Florida Panthers were in Los Angeles on Thursday night, looking to bounce back from a tough loss in Anaheim a couple nights ago.

Paul Maurice’s Cats did just that, taking a lead into the third period and then building on it, ultimately defeating the Kings 5-2 at Crypto.com Arena.

Florida quickly got to work, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the game.

Cats center Sam Bennett plucked a Jeff Petry rebound off the pads of Anton Forsberg and deposited the puck into the net for his third goal of the season.

Not long after, Sergei Bobrovsky stoned Adrian Kempe with a stretching right pad save after the Kings’ star forward got behind Florida’s defense.

A holding the stick call on Brad Marchand led to a game-tying goal for the Kings.

Anze Kopitar, parked at the top of Bobrovksy’s crease, deflected a shot by Quentin Byfield to knot the score at one at the 9:23 mark of the opening period.

The tie game didn’t last long, though, as Mikey Anderson sprung Perry on a breakaway just 1:37 later and he sniped Bobrovsky to give the Kings their first lead of the night.

Exactly two and a half minutes before the end of the period, Brad Marchand tied the game after stealing the puck from Forsberg behind the LA net and quickly firing it into the empty cage to send the game into the intermission tied at two.

Florida re-took the lead just after the game’s midway point, and it came on an odd-man rush.

Carter Verhaeghe led a 3-on-2 into the Kings’ zone and after a give-and-go with Sam Reinhart, Verhaeghe sent a backhand pass to the slot, where Reinhart finished the play and put the Cats back in front with 8:15 to go in the middle frame.

It took a while, but the Panthers were eventually able to get that all important insurance goal, and it came at an unexpected time.

With Florida killing their fourth penalty of the night, Eetu Luostarinen stole the puck from Adrian Kempe at the Kings’ blue line and sprung Anton Lundell on a breakaway.

Lundell wired a wrist shot that beat Forsberg cleanly through the legs, doubling the Panthers’ lead to 4-2 with 11:19 to go in the game.

After that, the momentum was clearly in Florida’s favor for the next several minutes.

Capping off an extended period of time possessing the puck in LA’s zone, Niko Mikkola forced a turnover as the Kings tried to exit.

Marchand was right there to collect the puck, turn toward Forsberg and send a nasty wrist shot over his glove, giving the Cats a 5-2 lead.

That would be more than enough for Bobrovsky and the defensive-minded Panthers.

Now we’ll see if Florida can build on the victory as they continue their four-game road trip.

On to San Jose.

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Photo caption: Nov 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9), center, is congratulated after scoring a goal in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

Anyone who has watched Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby over the years - and who is aware of the captain's standing in terms of the NHL's all-time points list - knows that he is one of the most productive players of all time. 

And, this season, we're seeing Crosby clicking on all cylinders in a category he's not quite as known for.

With two goals against the Washington Capitals in Thursday's 5-3 win - and against the greatest goal-scorer of all time in Alex Ovechkin - Crosby has 11 goals on the season, which leads the NHL. His six power play goals - both goals Thursday came on the man advantage - also tie him with Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl for the league lead.

At 38 years old, Crosby is not only leading the league in goals, he is also on pace for a new career-high. Crosby's current career-high in goals came in 2009-10, when he registered 51 and won his first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the most goals in the NHL that season. 

This season? Crosby is currently on a 60-goal pace, which would shatter that previous career-high he achieved when he was 22 years old. 

Takeaways: Special Teams Spoil Capitals' Comeback In Loss To PenguinsThe Capitals have now dropped five of the last six decisions.

Of course, there are some factors to consider. Crosby's current shooting percentage is 31.4 percent, and it's hovering right around 50 percent on the power play. Neither of those figures will likely hold up throughout the course of an 82-game season. 

But, it's also worth considering that Crosby has been somwhat of a trigger man this season, especially on the power play. If the Penguins' power play continues to click at the rate that it has so far this season - which bumped up to first in the league at 35.9 percent after the Washington game - 50 goals may not be out of the question for the longtime Penguins' captain.

Regardless, Crosby and his Penguins are off to a torrid start, and they'll go as far as he and Evgeni Malkin can take them. And, perhaps, Crosby's new linemate in rookie Ben Kindel, who has five goals and seven points in his first 13 NHL games.  

Penguins Forward Ben Kindel Notches First Career Assist On ThursdayPittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel got his first (and second) career assist on Thursday night.

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

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel had five goals in his first 12 NHL games going into Thursday's contest against the Washington Capitals. 

He had yet to record an assist this season, but that changed when he sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to Sidney Crosby for the first goal of the game in the first period. Kindel has been on the top power play unit since Rickard Rakell went down with a hand injury, and has fit in perfectly. 

Sidney Crosby.... Aging like fine wine 🤌

📺: Capitals 🆚 Penguins live on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/5YOnn7NNUP

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 7, 2025

Kindel would later pick up his second career assist in the third period off Bryan Rust's game-winning goal with 8:44 left. He flew into the offensive zone and set the puck around the boards to Evgeni Malkin, who found Rust with a beautiful pass at the end of a power play. It was also a spectacular finish from Rust after he hit two posts earlier in the game. 

TRUSTY RUSTY 🙌

... AND WE GET 1/2 OFF RUSTY'S SHAKE AT THE @MShakeFactory TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/9QQla3OiAJ

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 7, 2025

Kindel is the ninth teenager in the Penguins' franchise history to record multiple points in back-to-back games. He continues to get better in each game he plays, even though he's still only 18. 

Thursday's win improved the Penguins' overall record to 9-4-2 as they head into a weekend back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings.

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Nov 6, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyersduring the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

For the second time in a week, the Nashville Predators met up with the Philadelphia Flyers, this time at Bridgestone Arena.

For the second straight meeting, the Preds scored just one goal. After losing 4-1 to the Flyers in Philly last Thursday, Nashville could do no better in a 3-1 loss at Bridgestone Arena.

Ryan O’Reilly got the Preds on the board early at 1:44 of the first period. Matvei Michkov tied the score with his second of the year at 4:43 of the middle frame, followed by Noah Cates at 17:37 to give Philly a 2-1 lead.

Travis Konecny added an empty-net goal at 18:47 of the third period to ice the game for Philly.

The Flyers outshot Nashville 26-23, with goalie Dan Vladar stopping 22 of the Preds' 23 shots. Juuse Saros, who once again made numerous key saves to keep his team in the game, saved 23 of the 25 shots he faced and took another tough loss.

"It's a broken record right now," Preds head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters after the loss. "It feels like that's kinda what we're dealing with, so we gotta find a way to break through it."

Neither team could muster a power-play goal; Philly was 0-for-1; the Preds 0-for-3.

Here are some takeaways from the loss.

A fast start couldn't be sustained.

The biggest question coming into Thursday was how the ending to Tuesday’s overtime loss would affect the Preds, especially at the start of Thursday’s game.

It didn’t take long for an answer. Just 1:44 into the game, Ryan O’Reilly was credited with a goal the official scorer claimed deflected off him from a Filip Forsberg shot. Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar, who allowed only one goal last week, didn’t see O’Reilly’s goal go in the net.

ROR WITH THE ALLEY-OOP pic.twitter.com/zdnmonkJ9u

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) November 7, 2025

As they did in Tuesday’s game in Minnesota, the Preds set the tone early, outshooting Philly 10-7 after getting nine of the first 10 shots on goal.

However, as has tended to happen throughout the season, the Preds let off on the gas in the middle frame, allowing the Flyers to attack the offensive zone and gain the momentum. This carried over into the third, when Nashville managed just three shots against Vladar to the Flyers' nine.

O'Reilly was visibly frustrated after the game, particularly with his own play.

"Obviously (had) a chance to take control of the game, and we didn't," O'Reilly said. "We let them come back in and push back... I know for myself, the number one center, turned the puck over... Can't make a six-foot pass to save my life. We're not going to have success if I'm playing pathetic like that."

Michkov got behind the defense to tie the score, then Cates capitalized on a rebound to put Philly ahead heading into the third.

Once again, it was the little things that cost the Preds in this game, and they were unable to get back the pace once they lost it.

The Preds were goaded into Philly's physical style.

The Flyers came into the game as the most penalized team in the NHL, logging 184 penalty minutes this season.

The Preds are certainly not afraid to throw their weight around, but it didn't play to their advantage on this night.

Things got physical in the second period following several big hits by Ozzy Wiesblatt. Then, after Owen Tippett went off for hooking, two players from each side were sent to the sin bin for roughing with six seconds left on the Preds power play: Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault for Nashville, Travis Sanheim and Garnet Hathaway for Philly, all at the 16:05 mark.

After all the excitement, it was the Flyers who capitalized on the emotion, with Cates scoring the goal that put them in front.

While the Preds' penalty-kill didn't yield a goal, the Flyers seemed to get a new lease on life following all the chippiness. Nashville didn't seem quite the same after that.

It’s only human to get physical at some points during the game. However, the Preds were unable to draw Philly into more penalties and take advantage with their power play, which had moved up to 26th over the last couple of games.

Where's The Killer Instinct?

The same pattern that has hampered the Predators all of last season and through 16 games in this campaign reared its ugly head again Thursday: letting up or making crucial mistakes at the most inopportune times.

The players and head coach Andrew Brunette have talked a great deal about the team's identity, specifically a gritty style that relies on getting in the dirty areas rather than mounting a consistently explosive attack that can score in droves.

Against the Flyers, the Preds did that to a point, particularly in the first period. The problem is, it doesn't allow much room for error when they are unable to keep possession of the puck, open up passing lanes and get enough shots.

"We feel like we're right in there," Preds defenseman Nic Hague said. "Then we make some mistakes and the puck ends up in our net . That's kind of the way it's going right now... It's a game of inches out there."

All it takes is one rebound, one turnover, or one defensive lapse, and the game is lost.

If the Preds don't maintain that killer instinct at critical points of the game, wins will be tough to come by.

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FREE GIFT ISSUE + 12 ISSUES + FREE DIGITAL ARCHIVE + FREE SHIPPING*** Canada Post Strike update - as of October 15, 2025 -  Please be aware that Canada Post is now in a rolling strike.  While they are accepting mail, delivery times could be longer than expected.  US orders are not impacted. WHAT'S INCLUDED IN YOUR PRINT & DIGITAL ARCHIVE SUBSCRIPTION > FREE GIFT ISSUE* of your

Back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Jordan Staal with the second-overall pick. Following this, he spent six seasons with the Penguins from 2006-07 to 2011-12, where he recorded 120 goals, 128 assists, 248 points, and a plus-53 rating. He also won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. 

Staal's time with the Penguins ended during the 2012 NHL off-season when he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. He has not left Carolina since being traded by the Penguins, and he has now made franchise history with the Hurricanes because of it. 

Staal played in his 910th game with the Hurricanes during their Nov. 6 matchup against the Minnesota Wild. With this, he has passed his brother, Eric Staal, for the most games played in Hurricanes franchise history. 

No one has played more games in a #Canes sweater pic.twitter.com/p94S5Te5rF

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 7, 2025

This is a great accomplishment for Staal, and there is no question that he has had a strong tenure with the Canes. In 910 games over 14 seasons with the Hurricanes, he has recorded 181 goals, 286 assists, 467 points, 478 takeaways, and a plus-16 rating. He has also been the Hurricanes' captain since the 2019-20 season. 

Laying a stinker the night before and their coach setting an example by healthy-scratching one of the top players, the St. Louis Blues needed a result.

A positive result.

They got it.

Led by a strong outing by Joel Hofer and getting secondary scoring by Mathieu Joseph and Nick Bjugstad, the Blues downed the Buffalo Sabres, 3-0, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday after just a dreadful performance on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals.

Blues coach Jim Montgomery made healthy scratches of Jordan Kyrou and Oskar Sundqvist, with Kyrou being the most shocking one obviously. He also assumingly sat Robert Thomas for the final 9:18 of the second period. It’s holding players accountable, no matter who it is. And on the second of back-to-back, it's uncommon that a team takes the ice for a morning skate, but this group did after the performance in Washington.

Depending on how one looks at it, you can say the Blues (5-8-2) have won two of three or only their second win in the past 10 (2-6-2). We’ll go with two of three.

Let’s jump right into Thursday’s observations:

* Message sent to the team – Montgomery wanted guys digging in, life, juice, compete and battle from his players and got it.

The Blues were obliterated on loose pucks, wall battles and 1-on-1 battles against the Capitals on Wednesday. Not so much on Thursday. OK, they were outshot 27-17 for the game, but they managed the game the way you’re supposed to manage a road game, especially after getting a lead.

They defended well for most of the game and got sticks on pucks, blocked 20 shots in the game and didn’t ask Hofer to stand on his head.

A much-improved effort all around.

And then there was Tyler Tucker, stepping into a role again to set some emotion. He and O’Fallon’s own Josh Dunne talked about it in the pregame skate and the two decided to drop the gloves in the first period:

Dunne vs Tucker #LetsGoBuffalo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/WwIZnf7mnK

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) November 7, 2025

* Hofer was strong – Now getting to Hofer, he was sharp. And getting into the game early and making some solid, not spectacular saves early in the game helped him stay calm and relax into the game. His glove save on Rasmus Dahlin 29 seconds into the game was the save that enabled him to begin the relaxation and calmness.

But then how many times do you see it when a goalie makes a terrific save at one end and that team scores on the other?

Well, when Hofer made this really good glove save on Josh Doan, instead of being down 1-0, the Blues go back the other way not long after and grab the lead instead:

Prior to Joseph's goal, Josh Doan got robbed by Hofer #LetsGoBuffalo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/FnJt3dpa8d

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) November 7, 2025

Hofer also made this beauty of a right pad save on Alex Tuch in the second period from the slot.

The Blues got those key saves at key times, and Hofer, who relieved Jordan Binnington on Wednesday and allowed two goals on 17 shots, was sharp in the game and picked up his first win since Oct. 11 against the Calgary Flames.

* Joseph seized the moment – Now let’s get to Joseph, who probably had a chip on his shoulder and a sour taste in his mouth after being a healthy scratch against the Capitals for the first time this season.

Montgomery said he wanted more physicality in the lineup against the Capitals and put Nathan Walker in.

Instead of fretting the move, Joseph was right back in there, and how did he respond? How about a hand in all three goals.

His shorthanded goal after Hofer’s save on Doan, at 12:38 of the first period, was the Blues’ second shorthanded goal in as many games (Alexey Toropchenko had one Wednesday), and it was a perfect example of digging in and battling.

Joseph stopped on a dime, stripped Jack Quinn just inside the D-zone blue line and was off to the races, using his speed to keep his distance before wristing one by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen above the right pad:

We were shorthanded but Mathieu Joseph didn't get that memo. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/D8h8BwsHuJ

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 7, 2025

He a plus-3 player in 12:21 and was just exceptional throughout the game as part of the fourth line that brought some terrific energy with Walker and Bjugstad.

* Depth scoring – Without Kyrou in the lineup, the Blues were suppressed someone off their top six.

So you need depth guys to step up, and Bjugstad supplied that when he made it 2-0 at 2:42 of the second period, taking a quick up pass from Faulk and using Dahlin as a screen to beat Luukkonen about the left pad:

🚨 BJUGY GOAL ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/GdfvISlac4

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 7, 2025

The Blues’ fourth line was a combined plus-7 on the night, with Walker also being a plus-3 and Bjugstad a plus-1.

* Real well-rounded game by Faulk – Forget the fact that Faulk had a goal and an assist – well we’ll focus on the assist here – but his game was strong in this one.

He and Cam Fowler each played over 24 minutes on Thursday on the second of back-to-back nights, but the two plays that really stood out for me were Faulk’s breakup of a 2-on-1 late in the third period with the Blues on a power play leading 2-0. You give up a goal there, and it’s a chaotic finish. But he played Tuch’s pass to Quinn perfectly that could have resulted in a shorthanded goal.

And his assist to Bjugstad was so smart because the Blues had just had a 2-on-1 of their own with Walker nearly scoring, the Sabres were at the end of a shift and got a clear, but Faulk smartly upped the puck back the other way. You can see Dahlin was going off for a change but had to stay on and his gap on Bjugstad was enough to allow him to shoot the puck through a tired defenseman.

Just simple, smart from Faulk throughout the game, finishing as a plus-2 in 24:16 with three shots and two blocks in the game.

* Penalty kill did the job – Coming in, the Blues' penalty kill was 30th at 67.6 percent and had allowed a goal in five straight, eight of nine games and 11 of 14 on the season. Not good.

On Thursday, they didn't allow any Grade A chances despite the Sabres getting five shots on total, but the Blues did a much better job of staying aggressive and not giving time and space and go a perfect 3-for-3.     

* Only negative was lack of O-zone time, but credit Sabres – This was particularly in the third period where the Blues just didn’t get a ton of O-zone time because they were protecting a lead, but Buffalo was doing a good job of not allowing the Blues to get too many sustained shifts on the forecheck. It wasn’t for lack of trying, it’s just the Sabres did a good job of retrieving and moving pucks out. But guys were likely short on gas after playing Wednesday. 

But the Blues alleviated the lack of pressure by what we mentioned earlier, and that’s having good sticks in the neutral zone and when the Sabres did enter the zone, they didn’t allow too much in the middle of the ice.

It’s one win, a much-needed win, not anything to declare the Blues are back, but a starting point. Like Monday, let’s see how they respond moving forward.

I would expect to see Kyrou back in the lineup on Saturday.

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