Wednesday editionOctober 7, 20263 games · first puck 7:30 PM ET
Puckline Press
Your One Stop for NHL Games, Stats, News and Picks
Last Night's Scores
Latest News
Winning And Losing By 2+
Games decided by two or more goals: what the -1.5 and +1.5 puck lines turn on.
Most wins
2+
GP
NYR
4
5
UTA
3
4
COL
2
2
EDM
2
3
TBL
2
3
MIN
2
3
VGK
2
4
SEA
2
4
Most losses
2+
GP
CGY
3
3
NJD
2
3
STL
2
3
BOS
2
4
CHI
2
4
PHI
2
4
SEA
2
4
CBJ
1
2
Top Of The League
Atlantic
GP
PTS
FLA
4
6
OTT
3
4
TBL
3
4
Central
GP
PTS
UTA
4
6
MIN
3
5
WPG
3
5
Metropolitan
GP
PTS
NYR
5
8
CAR
4
5
PIT
3
4
Pacific
GP
PTS
VGK
4
6
EDM
3
5
ANA
2
4
Puckline's Picks
Picks 3
Pick#17:30 PM ET
WSH regulation win
PIT @ WSH
+1001u
By Puckline Prince
Pick#27:30 PM ET
COL -1.5
COL @ WPG
+1261u
By Puckline Prince
Pick#37:30 PM ET
COL regulation win
COL @ WPG
-1202u
By Puckline Prince
Parlays 1
Parlay#42 legs+2671u
WSH regulation winPIT @ WSH · 7:30 PM ET
+100
COL regulation winCOL @ WPG · 7:30 PM ET
-120
Every leg must win.
By Puckline Prince
Odds are the price when each pick was posted: green is plus money, red is minus money. Units are Puckline's confidence (1u = a standard play). A parlay wins only if every leg wins. No guarantees, just Puckline's best read.
Puckline's Record
12-11Picks (W-L)
2-2Parlays (W-L)
+5.56uUnits, all bets
+13.4%Return per unit risked
By Market
Market
W-L
Win %
Units
ROI
ML
4-5
44%
-3.26u
-22.1%
-1.5
4-6
40%
-2.34u
-16.4%
REG
4-0
100%
+6.00u
+69.4%
Parlays
2-2
50%
+5.16u
+129.0%
By Month
Month
W-L
Win %
Units
ROI
September 2026
5-0
100%
+12.40u
+163.2%
October 2026
9-13
41%
-6.84u
-20.1%
Every Pick
Date
Pick
By
Odds
Units
Result
Units won
Oct 6
OTT ML
Puckline Prince
-102
1u
L
-1.02u
Oct 6
STL ML
Puckline Prince
-138
2u
L
-2.76u
Oct 6
STL -1.5
Puckline Prince
+184
2u
L
-2.00u
Oct 6
FLA ML
Puckline Prince
-118
1u
W
+1.00u
Oct 6
3-leg parlay OTT ML · STL ML · FLA ML
Puckline Prince
+531
1u
L
-1.00u
Oct 5
TBL -1.5
Puckline Prince
+108
1u
W
+1.08u
Oct 5
TBL regulation win
Puckline Prince
-140
2u
W
+2.00u
Oct 5
DAL regulation win
Puckline Prince
-145
1u
W
+1.00u
Oct 5
2-leg parlay TBL regulation win · DAL regulation win
Puckline Prince
+190
1u
W
+1.90u
Oct 4
VGK -1.5
Puckline Prince
-112
2u
L
-2.24u
Oct 4
VGK regulation win
Puckline Prince
-190
1u
W
+1.00u
Oct 3
WSH ML
Puckline Prince
+164
1u
L
-1.00u
Oct 3
MTL ML
Puckline Prince
-118
1u
L
-1.18u
Oct 3
DAL -1.5
Puckline Prince
+176
1u
L
-1.00u
Oct 3
SJS ML
Puckline Prince
-115
1u
W
+1.00u
Oct 2
DAL -1.5
Puckline Prince
+132
1u
L
-1.00u
Oct 2
VGK -1.5
Puckline Prince
+110
2u
L
-2.00u
Oct 2
3-leg parlay WSH ML · DAL -1.5 · VGK -1.5
Puckline Prince
+982
1u
L
-1.00u
Oct 1
BUF ML
Puckline Prince
-115
2u
L
-2.30u
Oct 1
BUF -1.5
Puckline Prince
+220
1u
L
-1.00u
Oct 1
MIN ML
Puckline Prince
-152
2u
W
+2.00u
Oct 1
MIN -1.5
Puckline Prince
+168
1u
W
+1.68u
Sep 30
COL regulation win
Puckline Prince
-125
2u
W
+2.00u
Sep 29
MTL ML
Puckline Prince
-110
1u
W
+1.00u
Sep 29
BOS -1.5
Puckline Prince
+210
1u
W
+2.10u
Sep 29
VGK -1.5
Puckline Prince
+102
2u
W
+2.04u
Sep 29
2-leg parlay BOS -1.5 · VGK -1.5
Puckline Prince
+526
1u
W
+5.26u
Official picks only, graded at the price each was posted. Picks withdrawn before puck drop aren't graded; a void (for example a postponed game) returns the stake. Past results don't predict future ones.
Standings
Eastern Conference
Atlantic
#
Team
W
L
OTL
PTS
PTS/GP
RW
Diff
L10
Strk
GP
1
FLA
2
0
2
6
1.50
1
+0
2-0-2
W1
4
2
OTT
2
1
0
4
1.33
2
+2
2-1-0
L1
3
3
TBL
2
1
0
4
1.33
2
+1
2-1-0
W2
3
4
BUF
2
1
0
4
1.33
1
-1
2-1-0
W2
3
5
TOR
2
2
0
4
1.00
1
+0
2-2-0
W1
4
6
BOS
2
2
0
4
1.00
1
-2
2-2-0
L2
4
7
MTL
1
1
1
3
1.00
1
-2
1-1-1
L1
3
8
DET
1
2
0
2
0.67
1
-1
1-2-0
W1
3
Metropolitan
#
Team
W
L
OTL
PTS
PTS/GP
RW
Diff
L10
Strk
GP
1
NYR
4
1
0
8
1.60
4
+8
4-1-0
W4
5
2
CAR
2
1
1
5
1.25
1
-1
2-1-1
W2
4
3
PIT
2
1
0
4
1.33
1
+7
2-1-0
L1
3
4
WSH
1
1
0
2
1.00
1
+1
1-1-0
L1
2
5
CBJ
1
1
0
2
1.00
1
+0
1-1-0
L1
2
6
NYI
1
2
0
2
0.67
1
+2
1-2-0
L1
3
7
NJD
1
2
0
2
0.67
0
-7
1-2-0
L2
3
8
PHI
0
2
2
2
0.50
0
-12
0-2-2
L1
4
Western Conference
Central
#
Team
W
L
OTL
PTS
PTS/GP
RW
Diff
L10
Strk
GP
1
UTA
3
1
0
6
1.50
3
+9
3-1-0
W1
4
2
MIN
2
0
1
5
1.67
2
+4
2-0-1
OT1
3
3
WPG
2
0
1
5
1.67
2
+1
2-0-1
W2
3
4
COL
2
0
0
4
2.00
2
+9
2-0-0
W2
2
5
NSH
1
1
1
3
1.00
1
-2
1-1-1
OT1
3
6
DAL
1
2
0
2
0.67
1
+0
1-2-0
W1
3
7
STL
1
2
0
2
0.67
1
-3
1-2-0
L2
3
8
CHI
1
3
0
2
0.50
1
-8
1-3-0
W1
4
Pacific
#
Team
W
L
OTL
PTS
PTS/GP
RW
Diff
L10
Strk
GP
1
VGK
3
1
0
6
1.50
3
+7
3-1-0
W2
4
2
EDM
2
0
1
5
1.67
2
+3
2-0-1
W2
3
3
ANA
2
0
0
4
2.00
1
+2
2-0-0
W2
2
4
SJS
2
1
0
4
1.33
0
-3
2-1-0
L1
3
5
SEA
2
2
0
4
1.00
2
+4
2-2-0
L1
4
6
VAN
2
2
0
4
1.00
1
+1
2-2-0
L1
4
7
LAK
0
2
1
1
0.33
0
-6
0-2-1
L1
3
8
CGY
0
3
0
0
0.00
0
-13
0-3-0
L3
3
Wild Card
Eastern wild card
Seed
Team
PTS
PTS/GP
RW
GP
A1
FLA
6
1.50
1
4
A2
OTT
4
1.33
2
3
A3
TBL
4
1.33
2
3
M1
NYR
8
1.60
4
5
M2
CAR
5
1.25
1
4
M3
PIT
4
1.33
1
3
WC1
BUF
4
1.33
1
3
WC2
TOR
4
1.00
1
4
—
playoff line
BOS
4
1.00
1
4
MTL
3
1.00
1
3
WSH
2
1.00
1
2
CBJ
2
1.00
1
2
NYI
2
0.67
1
3
DET
2
0.67
1
3
NJD
2
0.67
0
3
PHI
2
0.50
0
4
Western wild card
Seed
Team
PTS
PTS/GP
RW
GP
C1
UTA
6
1.50
3
4
C2
MIN
5
1.67
2
3
C3
WPG
5
1.67
2
3
P1
VGK
6
1.50
3
4
P2
EDM
5
1.67
2
3
P3
ANA
4
2.00
1
2
WC1
COL
4
2.00
2
2
WC2
SJS
4
1.33
0
3
—
playoff line
SEA
4
1.00
2
4
VAN
4
1.00
1
4
NSH
3
1.00
1
3
DAL
2
0.67
1
3
STL
2
0.67
1
3
CHI
2
0.50
1
4
LAK
1
0.33
0
3
CGY
0
0.00
0
3
Chances And Stanley Cup Odds
Eastern: chances and Cup odds
Team
PTS
Win division
Win conference
Make playoffs
Cup odds
NYR
8
42%
25%
92%
+5000
FLA
6
36%
18%
87%
+700
CAR
5
35%
20%
89%
+700
OTT
4
11%
5%
62%
+3000
TBL
4
20%
9%
75%
+1200
PIT
4
13%
6%
70%
+6500
BUF
4
12%
5%
63%
+3000
TOR
4
2%
<1%
23%
+3500
BOS
4
5%
2%
42%
+10000
MTL
3
15%
6%
69%
+2000
WSH
2
6%
3%
53%
+1100
CBJ
2
2%
1%
31%
+6500
NYI
2
1%
<1%
17%
+12500
DET
2
<1%
<1%
6%
+20000
NJD
2
1%
<1%
17%
+2500
PHI
2
<1%
<1%
5%
+6000
Western: chances and Cup odds
Team
PTS
Win division
Win conference
Make playoffs
Cup odds
UTA
6
9%
5%
87%
+2200
VGK
6
32%
11%
93%
+1100
MIN
5
29%
19%
97%
+1300
EDM
5
40%
13%
95%
+1000
WPG
5
3%
2%
68%
+10000
COL
4
58%
43%
99%
+750
ANA
4
21%
6%
88%
+3300
SJS
4
6%
1%
64%
+3500
SEA
4
1%
<1%
26%
+22500
VAN
4
<1%
<1%
18%
+50000
NSH
3
<1%
<1%
18%
+12500
DAL
2
<1%
<1%
33%
+1700
STL
2
<1%
<1%
11%
+10000
CHI
2
<1%
<1%
1%
+17500
LAK
1
<1%
<1%
2%
+3500
CGY
0
<1%
<1%
<1%
+50000
Standings after last night's games (NHL). Clinch codes: x playoffs, y division, p Presidents' Trophy, z conference, e eliminated.
Cup odds are a sportsbook's price. Green = by those records, the team's chance to win the Cup is better than the odds imply (value at that price). Red = worse than the odds imply. Cup odds as of Oct 7 5:31 PM ET.
This season through last night, from NHL box scores. Avg ice time needs half of the team's games; goalies need 30% of them.
Team Stats
Comeback wins
Team
GP
Total
Down 1
Down 2
Down 3
Down 4+
BUF
3
2
0
2
0
0
CAR
4
2
2
0
0
0
BOS
4
1
1
0
0
0
CBJ
2
1
1
0
0
0
CHI
4
1
1
0
0
0
DET
3
1
1
0
0
0
FLA
4
1
1
0
0
0
MIN
3
1
1
0
0
0
MTL
3
1
1
0
0
0
NJD
3
1
1
0
0
0
NSH
3
1
1
0
0
0
OTT
3
1
1
0
0
0
PIT
3
1
1
0
0
0
SJS
3
1
1
0
0
0
TOR
4
1
0
0
1
0
VAN
4
1
1
0
0
0
VGK
4
1
1
0
0
0
WPG
3
1
1
0
0
0
ANA
2
0
0
0
0
0
CGY
3
0
0
0
0
0
COL
2
0
0
0
0
0
DAL
3
0
0
0
0
0
EDM
3
0
0
0
0
0
LAK
3
0
0
0
0
0
NYI
3
0
0
0
0
0
NYR
5
0
0
0
0
0
PHI
4
0
0
0
0
0
SEA
4
0
0
0
0
0
STL
3
0
0
0
0
0
TBL
3
0
0
0
0
0
UTA
4
0
0
0
0
0
WSH
2
0
0
0
0
0
Blown leads
Team
GP
Total
Up 1
Up 2
Up 3
Up 4+
LAK
3
2
2
0
0
0
MTL
3
2
2
0
0
0
PHI
4
2
2
0
0
0
TOR
4
2
2
0
0
0
BOS
4
1
1
0
0
0
BUF
3
1
1
0
0
0
CGY
3
1
1
0
0
0
CHI
4
1
0
1
0
0
DAL
3
1
1
0
0
0
MIN
3
1
0
1
0
0
NSH
3
1
0
0
1
0
OTT
3
1
1
0
0
0
PIT
3
1
1
0
0
0
STL
3
1
1
0
0
0
VAN
4
1
1
0
0
0
WPG
3
1
1
0
0
0
ANA
2
0
0
0
0
0
CAR
4
0
0
0
0
0
CBJ
2
0
0
0
0
0
COL
2
0
0
0
0
0
DET
3
0
0
0
0
0
EDM
3
0
0
0
0
0
FLA
4
0
0
0
0
0
NJD
3
0
0
0
0
0
NYI
3
0
0
0
0
0
NYR
5
0
0
0
0
0
SEA
4
0
0
0
0
0
SJS
3
0
0
0
0
0
TBL
3
0
0
0
0
0
UTA
4
0
0
0
0
0
VGK
4
0
0
0
0
0
WSH
2
0
0
0
0
0
Goals by period (for-against, difference)
Team
GP
1st
2nd
3rd
OT
ANA
2
2-1 (+1)
4-0 (+4)
0-4 (-4)
1-0 (+1)
BOS
4
3-3 (+0)
0-6 (-6)
5-2 (+3)
1-0 (+1)
BUF
3
2-5 (-3)
3-4 (-1)
4-2 (+2)
1-0 (+1)
CAR
4
3-7 (-4)
3-3 (+0)
4-1 (+3)
1-1 (+0)
CBJ
2
3-3 (+0)
2-2 (+0)
2-2 (+0)
0-0 (+0)
CGY
3
1-6 (-5)
0-2 (-2)
2-8 (-6)
0-0 (+0)
CHI
4
2-6 (-4)
4-5 (-1)
3-6 (-3)
0-0 (+0)
COL
2
4-1 (+3)
8-2 (+6)
2-2 (+0)
0-0 (+0)
DAL
3
2-3 (-1)
3-1 (+2)
1-2 (-1)
0-0 (+0)
DET
3
2-4 (-2)
3-2 (+1)
2-2 (+0)
0-0 (+0)
EDM
3
6-1 (+5)
5-5 (+0)
6-7 (-1)
0-1 (-1)
FLA
4
1-3 (-2)
2-3 (-1)
4-0 (+4)
1-2 (-1)
LAK
3
3-2 (+1)
3-8 (-5)
3-4 (-1)
0-1 (-1)
MIN
3
2-1 (+1)
4-1 (+3)
3-2 (+1)
0-1 (-1)
MTL
3
5-4 (+1)
2-6 (-4)
5-3 (+2)
0-1 (-1)
NJD
3
1-2 (-1)
2-6 (-4)
2-5 (-3)
1-0 (+1)
NSH
3
4-3 (+1)
3-3 (+0)
0-2 (-2)
0-1 (-1)
NYI
3
0-3 (-3)
5-2 (+3)
4-2 (+2)
0-0 (+0)
NYR
5
5-0 (+5)
4-4 (+0)
7-4 (+3)
0-0 (+0)
OTT
3
4-2 (+2)
4-4 (+0)
2-2 (+0)
0-0 (+0)
PHI
4
2-4 (-2)
2-5 (-3)
1-6 (-5)
0-2 (-2)
PIT
3
3-1 (+2)
8-1 (+7)
3-6 (-3)
1-0 (+1)
SEA
4
6-3 (+3)
3-3 (+0)
6-5 (+1)
0-0 (+0)
SJS
3
1-2 (-1)
5-5 (+0)
1-5 (-4)
2-0 (+2)
STL
3
2-2 (+0)
1-6 (-5)
4-2 (+2)
0-0 (+0)
TBL
3
3-2 (+1)
2-4 (-2)
3-1 (+2)
0-0 (+0)
TOR
4
3-4 (-1)
5-4 (+1)
2-3 (-1)
1-0 (+1)
UTA
4
5-2 (+3)
7-2 (+5)
5-4 (+1)
0-0 (+0)
VAN
4
2-6 (-4)
5-8 (-3)
11-4 (+7)
1-0 (+1)
VGK
4
4-2 (+2)
7-5 (+2)
6-3 (+3)
0-0 (+0)
WPG
3
3-2 (+1)
3-2 (+1)
3-3 (+0)
0-1 (-1)
WSH
2
3-2 (+1)
3-1 (+2)
0-2 (-2)
0-0 (+0)
Comeback wins: games a team trailed and won (overtime and shootouts count), by the most it trailed by. Blown leads: games it led and lost. Shootout goals aren't in any period.
2-0 with a +9, after 8-4 over the Kings and 6-1 over the Blues, and O'Connor and L'Heureux look set to return this week. Last season's best team just took the top spot from the champs.
1-0-1: won in Toronto, then scored five in Pittsburgh and still lost 6-5 in OT. Carrier crashed neck-first into the boards in that one and is being evaluated.
2-0-1, but ask the goalies how: a 6-5 extra-time loss and a 9-7 win against Vancouver before a 3-1 win over Seattle. Andersen is on LTIR until December and Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman are out, so the Oilers are shopping a spare defenseman for a forward.
0-2 with one goal: shut out 4-0 by St. Louis, then 2-1 in Nashville. Gulutzan already moved Steel up with Johnston and Rantanen and dropped Seguin to the third line. Two games is a small hole, but they dug it fast.
1-0-2, with two OT losses on the California swing. The bigger blow is Barkov, hurt again in San Jose and on LTIR for at least 10 games; Marchand's season debut came with the tying goal in Anaheim.
1-1: rookie Cole Hutson scored in his debut and Tuch scored twice in a 5-2 win in Carolina, then they managed one goal in Tampa. Matt Roy left that one hurt and is questionable for the home opener.
2-0 and +8, opening with a 7-0 win in Philadelphia and then outlasting Montreal 6-5 in OT. Kindel is off IR and the offense hasn't needed an invitation.
1-1 and -2: a 6-3 loss in Columbus, then a 4-3 win over winless Chicago. Rinzel was a healthy scratch Saturday, and the goalie job is still a Luukkonen-Ellis split.
3-1 and +5 after losing the opener in Boston, with Shesterkin scoring the first goalie goal in Rangers history along the way. Up from 23rd, though Veleno got hurt against Utah.
2-0, both in overtime, over Florida and Los Angeles. Celebrini's first week as captain went fine; the goal differential (+2) says they're winning close.
2-0: 4-3 in Vegas and 3-2 in OT over Florida. They also gave Tristan Luneau six years at $7.2M after 14 NHL games, so someone in the front office is feeling good.
0-1-2 and -9, mostly from a 7-0 opening loss to Pittsburgh; two OT losses since have them closer. Ristolainen got hurt blocking a shot against Carolina.
1-1: a 4-0 shutout in Dallas, then a 6-1 loss in Colorado. Toropchenko is out at least six weeks, and Carlo got thrown out of his Blues debut for a knee-on-knee hit.
1-2: beat the Islanders 2-1, then lost 3-2 to both Montreal and Ottawa. Marchenko is on Matthews' line, and the Leafs are reportedly chasing any defenseman they can find.
1-0-1: an OT loss to Boston, then 3-2 in Detroit. Hellebuyck is still suspended and unpaid with no trade close, so Skinner and Clay Stevenson have the net.
0-2 and -3, shut out 2-0 by Rangers call-up Dylan Garand (his first NHL shutout), then 3-2 to Winnipeg. Larkin wants out and was booed at the opener, Edvinsson is unsigned and now reportedly prefers a trade, and the crowd chanted 'sell the team.' Rough week in Hockeytown.
2-2, which already beats expectations for last season's last-place team: a 6-5 win and a 9-7 loss against Edmonton, a 4-1 win over Calgary, a 3-2 loss to Vegas. The defense hasn't shown up yet.
0-3 and -13, one goal in each game, two of them 6-1 losses to Seattle. Huska has already reshuffled the defense, and it still looks like a long October.
Puckline's order, from the numbers (45% points per game, 35% goal differential per game, 20% last 10) and judgment. Cup odds are a sportsbook's price. Written 2026-10-05.
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Wednesday, October 7
Game recap
NSH4TOR5OTFinal: NSH 4, TOR 5 OT
Nashville built a 3-0 lead in Toronto and then handed it back one goal at a time, like a gambler who doesn't know when to leave the table. Steven Stamkos scored on the power play, Nils Hoglander scored twice, and it was 3-0 just 3:03 into the second. Then the Leafs woke up: John Tavares (with an assist from Anthony Stolarz, of all people), William Nylander on the power play, and after Stamkos made it 4-2, Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal. Jack Roslovic tied it 8:54 into the third, and Auston Matthews ended it 4:46 into overtime from Nylander, finishing with a goal and three assists. Toronto outshot Nashville 37-25. Juuse Saros made 32 saves; Stolarz made 21. The Leafs are 2-2. Nashville, 1-1-1, led by three on the road and left with one point, which is the most Predators way to spend a Tuesday.
Montreal threw a home-opener party and the team that ended its season last spring showed up uninvited and ate all the food. The first period had five goals and no defense: Taylor Hall scored 2:25 in, Zachary Bolduc and Nick Suzuki answered inside two minutes, and Bolduc's power-play goal made it 3-2 Habs after one. Then Carolina took over. Sebastian Aho tied it on the power play, Mark Jankowski put the Canes ahead, and Hall's second made it 5-3 with eight minutes left. Juraj Slafkovsky got one back with the goalie pulled, and Andrei Svechnikov hit the empty net. Aho finished with a goal and two assists. Brandon Bussi, a surprise starter, won with 16 saves on 20; Jakub Dobes stopped 28 of 33. Carolina outshot Montreal 34-20. The Canadiens are 1-1-1 and have now allowed 12 goals in two games, which is a lot of pucks for one Bell Centre to watch go in.
Dylan Larkin asked to be traded this summer, lost the C, got booed at the opener, and then walked into his season debut and gave Detroit its first win. Hockey is a funny business. Tim Stützle opened it 2:44 in, Alex DeBrincat tied it 32 seconds later, and Larkin put the Wings ahead late in the first. Viktor Arvidsson scored on the power play and Justin Faulk made it 4-1 by 4:30 of the second. Drake Batherson and William Eklund pulled Ottawa within one, but DeBrincat finished it with a power-play empty-netter at 19:10 for his second of the night. Lucas Raymond had three assists, Larkin a goal and an assist, and rookie William Wallinder picked up a point in his NHL debut. John Gibson made 22 saves; Samuel Ersson made 31 on 35. Detroit is 1-2. Ottawa's perfect start lasted exactly two games, which is about one more than Senators fans had budgeted for.
Utah scored twice on the power play, and the Devils' defense went missing for the rest of it. Clayton Keller scored on the power play 1:57 in, Luke Evangelista answered on New Jersey's, and the teams traded goals until Nick Schmaltz's power-play goal (his fifth already) and Lawson Crouse's at 19:03 of the second made it 4-2. Jesper Boqvist got the Devils within one in the third, and Vincent Trocheck, playing through a lower-body injury, scored his first goal as a Mammoth to close it. Schmaltz had a goal and two assists, Mikhail Sergachev three assists. Evangelista scored both New Jersey goals, and Timo Meier fired eight shots for one assist. Brenden Dillon and Jack McBain fought in the third. Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves; Jake Allen stopped 26 of 31. Utah is 3-1. The Devils are 1-2 and minus-7, and the blue line is starting to look like a waiting room.
Minnesota led 2-0 with 25 minutes left and then remembered it was in Buffalo, where nice leads go to die. Danila Yurov scored on the power play at 13:53 of the second and Maxim Shabanov added another 1:45 later. Noah Ostlund cut it in half early in the third, Tage Thompson tied it at 9:38 on a night he reached 400 points as a Sabre, and Owen Power won it 4:22 into overtime from Jiri Kulich and Thompson. Thompson fired nine shots, Power and Thompson each had a goal and an assist, and Colten Ellis won his first start with 18 saves on 20. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 of 28. Matt Boldy had seven shots and nothing to show for them, and Kirill Kaprizov went pointless in 25 minutes. The Sabres are 2-1. The Wild got a point, which is nice, but they also blew a two-goal third-period lead to Buffalo, which is the kind of thing a team should keep out of the group chat.
Alexis Lafrenière got a hat trick, and two-thirds of it was delivered to an empty net 32 seconds apart. Nobody at MSG asked for a receipt. Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring and Lafrenière made it 2-0 25 seconds into the second, but the Islanders tied it within five minutes on goals from Bo Horvat (power play) and Calum Ritchie. Bjorkstrand's power-play goal at 17:07 of the second was the winner, his second of the night and his first two as a Ranger. Lafrenière then scored at 18:22 and 18:54 of the third with Semyon Varlamov on the bench. He also had an assist. There were two fights: Brayden Schenn and J.T. Miller in the first, Bjorkstrand and Adam Pelech in the final seconds. Varlamov, in his first NHL game since November 2024, made 19 saves; Igor Shesterkin made 17. The Rangers have won four straight. The Islanders are 1-2 and lost the Battle of New York on a pair of empty nets.
Chicago finally won a hockey game, and it picked the home opener to do it, which is good showmanship from a team that hadn't shown much else. Mason McTavish gave St. Louis the lead late in the first. In the second, Sam Rinzel tied it on the power play and Anton Frondell put the Hawks ahead two minutes later. The last 69 seconds were a fire drill: Cole Smith scored shorthanded into the empty net, Connor McMichael answered on the power play with Hofer pulled, and Frank Nazar hit the empty net again with four seconds left. Nazar and Frondell each had a goal and an assist. Spencer Knight made 26 saves on 28; Joel Hofer stopped 17 of 19. Colton Parayko tied Barret Jackman for the most games by a Blues defenseman. St. Louis is 1-2 to close its opening road trip and just gave a 1-3 rebuild its first win of the year. That's charity, not hockey.
Vegas went to Seattle and treated the Kraken like a comp'd buffet. It was 5-0 before the second intermission: Victor Olofsson scored twice, Tomas Hertl on the power play, Mark Stone shorthanded, and Jack Eichel unassisted with 31 seconds left in the period. Hertl added another power-play goal in the third. Hertl (two goals, two assists) and Eichel (a goal, three assists) had four points each. Joey Daccord was pulled after allowing five on 21 shots; Philipp Grubauer stopped 6 of 7. Shane Wright and Jared McCann scored for Seattle. It got nasty late: Brandon Montour fought Stone and took 17 penalty minutes, Marc Gatcomb fought Ryan Winterton, and Ben Meyers was thrown out for boarding Olofsson, with a league hearing expected. Carter Hart made 25 saves. Vegas is 3-1. Seattle is 2-2, and the Kraken's best work of the night came after the game was already gone.
The Panthers needed four games and a cross-country flight to win one in regulation, but they got it, 2-1 in the Kings' home opener. Alex Laferriere scored with a minute left in the first for Los Angeles. Seth Jones tied it 3:49 into the second, and Matthew Tkachuk won it at 11:20 of the third from Sam Bennett. Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 of 20, and the Kings managed just 20 shots in their own building. Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves on 28 and deserved better. Garnet Hathaway and Joel Edmundson fought in the second. Artemi Panarin had four shots and no points. Florida is 2-0-2. Los Angeles is 0-2-1, one of two teams in the West still without a win, and its home crowd paid opening-night prices to watch 20 shots in 60 minutes.
Oilers trade defenseman Spencer Stastney to Pittsburgh for forward Filip Hallander
Edmonton sent Stastney, who hadn't played this season, to the Penguins for Hallander, a 26-year-old forward with a goal and two assists in two games for Pittsburgh. The move adds forward depth with Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman out and thins a crowded blue line.
Alexander Romanov leaves the 5-2 loss to the Rangers in the third period; Islanders assessing him
Romanov left with more than 12 minutes to play in the third and didn't return. The team says his status is being assessed. Simon Holmstrom took a puck to the face in the first but finished the game. In his first NHL game in 676 days, Semyon Varlamov stopped 19 of 22. The Islanders (1-2-0) host Chicago on Thursday.
Jonas Siegenthaler hurt in the third period of the 5-3 loss to Utah; no update yet
Siegenthaler fell awkwardly at 3:50 of the third with a lower-body injury and didn't return. Keefe said he needs further evaluation. The Devils already have defensemen Seamus Casey and Johnathan Kovacevic out. Jake Allen allowed five goals on 31 shots. The Devils next host Vancouver on Saturday.
Marchand hurts his left knee in LA, two days after his season debut; to be examined Thursday
Brad Marchand caught a high stick from Brandt Clarke late in the second period and twisted awkwardly into the post, injuring his left knee. Teammates helped him off and he couldn't put weight on it. He did not return. Maurice had no update after the game and said Marchand will be checked Thursday, after the team flies home. Marchand had just come off IR from offseason surgery on Sunday.
Update: Matt Roy ruled out of the Capitals' home opener; Thompson starts against Pittsburgh
Spencer Carbery ruled out Roy (lower body), who skipped the optional skate and is day-to-day with Friday against the Rangers possible. Dylan McIlrath makes his season debut beside Cole Hutson, and Logan Thompson gets the start in goal.
Update: Romanov tore his right ACL against the Rangers and is out 6-8 months, likely the rest of the season
The Islanders said Wednesday that Alexander Romanov needs surgery on a torn ACL in his right knee, hurt in the third period of Tuesday's 5-2 loss at MSG. He had only just come back from last season's shoulder surgery.
Joel Kiviranta hurt and out for the Stars' games in Buffalo and Pittsburgh
Kiviranta has a lower-body injury, possibly from a Tyler Myers slap shot in Monday's win over San Jose, and misses Thursday in Buffalo and Saturday in Pittsburgh. Colin Blackwell is the likely replacement.
Montembeault leaves practice with a right-leg injury the day before his expected season debut
Samuel Montembeault got hurt in a late drill Wednesday and was in line to start Thursday against Nashville. St-Louis said only that he is being evaluated; if he can't go, Dobes stays in goal.
Update: Kapanen now day-to-day and misses Wednesday's practice
Oliver Kapanen was not on the ice Wednesday. The Canadiens list him as day-to-day, which puts Thursday against Nashville in doubt after he also missed the home opener.
Josh Morrissey hurts his right arm hitting the glass against Colorado and doesn't return after one shift in the 2nd
Morrissey missed a check on T.J. Hughes late in the first period, went hard into the glass and skated off favouring his right arm. He tried one shift at the start of the second and then left for good, after 9:32 of ice time. The Jets called it an upper-body injury, gave no timeline, and played the rest of the game with five defensemen.
Update: Teravainen stays home from the New York trip and may be doubtful for Saturday too, Blashill says
Teravainen hurt his lower leg on Tuesday when Dylan Holloway fell into him. He won't travel for Thursday's game on Long Island, and Blashill said he may be doubtful for Saturday as well.
Update: Lilleberg practices in a non-contact jersey; still about a week away and out Thursday
Defenseman Emil Lilleberg, hurt in a fight in Saturday's win over Washington, skated Wednesday in a non-contact jersey. The Lightning expect him back in roughly a week.
Update: Barzal set to skate Thursday, DeBoer says; Saturday vs Tampa Bay a possible return
Pete DeBoer said Mathew Barzal, out with knee inflammation, is set to skate Thursday. He's unlikely to play Thursday against Chicago, since he'll probably want a few practices first.
Colton Dach listed injured for tonight in Anaheim; Ty Emberson draws in on defense
NHL.com's projected lineup has Dach on the injured list, with Max Jones and Josh Samanski joining Isaac Howard on the third line. Emberson replaces Shakir Mukhamadullin beside Jake Walman, and newly acquired Filip Hallander is a scratch.
Update: Blackhawks put Andrew Mangiapane on IR and recall Dominic Toninato from Rockford
Chicago officially placed Mangiapane on injured reserve with his lower-body injury and called up veteran center Toninato. With Teravainen also out Thursday on Long Island, Toninato adds depth up front.
Update: Oilers put Colton Dach on injured reserve to make room for Dickinson; he misses the whole California trip
Edmonton activated Jason Dickinson off injured reserve and moved Colton Dach onto it. Dach's injury dates back to a hit along the boards on Oct. 1; IR means at least seven days out, which covers all three games in California.
Update: Bryan Rust activated from IR and scores on his first shift in Washington
The Penguins activated Rust from injured reserve after he missed time with an upper-body injury from the preseason; the Hallander trade opened his roster spot. He scored 56 seconds into the 5-3 loss to the Capitals.
Drew Helleson expected to join the Ducks' weekend trip, aiming to play Saturday in Calgary
Coach Joel Quenneville says defenseman Drew Helleson (lower body) should travel with the team this weekend, aiming to play Saturday against the Flames. Defenseman Ian Moore is still some time from coming off injured reserve.
Update: Bussi, not Kochetkov, starts in Montreal and wins 6-4 with 16 saves on 20 shots
Kochetkov had been expected to start again. Brandon Bussi got the net instead and won as Carolina outshot Montreal 34-20. Taylor Hall scored twice, and Aho had a goal and two assists. Aho's power-play goal moved him past Jere Lehtinen for eighth among Finnish-born players. The Hurricanes host Vancouver on Thursday.
Daccord pulled after allowing five goals on 21 shots; Grubauer finishes the loss to Vegas
Joey Daccord was replaced after two periods with Seattle down 5-0, and Philipp Grubauer played the third. The Kraken start a five-game road trip Friday in Detroit.
Update: Green says Ullmark is 'fine'; Thursday's home-opener start decided at the morning skate
Linus Ullmark didn't dress Tuesday in Detroit after Monday's crease collision, and Ottawa didn't practice Wednesday. Green said Ullmark is fine, with the call against Philadelphia coming Thursday morning; Johansson is up as cover.
Logan Thompson projected to start the Capitals' home opener against Pittsburgh
Previews have Thompson in goal tonight. He hasn't played since stopping 31 of 33 in the opening win at Carolina; Lindgren started the loss in Tampa Bay. The team hasn't confirmed the starter yet.
Blackwood gets a third straight start in Winnipeg; Wedgewood lined up for Calgary on the back-to-back
Mackenzie Blackwood was first off the ice at Wednesday's morning skate and is NHL.com's projected starter against the Jets. That leaves Scott Wedgewood as the likely starter Thursday in Calgary.
Dustin Wolf projected in goal Thursday vs. Colorado; Othmann, Tsyplakov and Hanley expected to sit
At Wednesday's practice Calgary skated Gridin-Frost-Coronato and Sharangovich-Backlund-Farabee on the top two lines, with Bahl-Whitecloud as the top pair. Wolf is expected to start against the Avalanche.
Update: Seravalli says Columbus wanted Slafkovsky, Demidov or Caufield for Marchenko; Montreal said no
Montreal reportedly offered roster players and a first-round pick, but the Blue Jackets wanted one of Slafkovsky, Demidov or Caufield, and Marchenko went to Toronto instead.
Update: LeBrun says Boston offered Zacha to Columbus in Marchenko talks; extension talks aren't close
The Bruins put Pavel Zacha in a package for Marchenko before he went to Toronto. Extension talks have gone nowhere for three months; Boston balked at his asking price and worries how a long deal would age.
LeBrun: Red Wings and Flames have talked about signing free agent Patrik Laine; nothing agreed
TSN's Pierre LeBrun says Detroit and Calgary have considered the unsigned winger, likely on a low base salary with bonuses. His agent says Laine is healthy, skating every day and ready to play right away.
Flames call up forwards Aydar Suniev and Jonathan Castagna from the AHL Wranglers
With Zary and Pachal sent down after clearing waivers, Calgary brought up two 21-year-old forwards, who skated on the fourth line Wednesday. Castagna, acquired in the Weegar trade, is expected to make his NHL debut Thursday against Colorado.
Wild recall forward Tyler Pitlick from Iowa with Nick Foligno hurt; still no timeline for Foligno
Minnesota called up Pitlick, a veteran bottom-six forward, from the AHL to cover for Foligno, who left Tuesday's game in Buffalo with an upper-body injury. The team hasn't said how long Foligno will be out.
Flyers send rookie Alex Bump to Lehigh Valley to make room for Michael Bunting
Bump had no points in three games while averaging about 12 minutes. Tocchet said he needs to rebuild his game and confidence in the AHL; no waivers were needed.
Update: Canadiens recall goalie Jacob Fowler from Laval after Montembeault leaves practice hurt
Montreal called up Fowler from the AHL Rocket after Sam Montembeault left Wednesday's practice favouring his right leg. Jakub Dobes has started all three games; Nashville visits Thursday.
Lafreniere scores a hat trick as the Rangers beat the Islanders 5-2 for a fourth straight win
Lafreniere had three goals and an assist. The last of his goals went into an empty net. Bjorkstrand scored twice, his first goals as a Ranger, including the power-play winner. Shesterkin made 17 saves. At 4-1-0, New York is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2009-10 and hasn't allowed a first-period goal this season. Cole Beaudoin played 9:57 in his NHL debut.
Panthers get their first regulation win, 2-1 at Los Angeles; Tkachuk scores the winner and Markstrom makes 19 saves
Matthew Tkachuk broke a 1-1 tie at 11:20 of the third period and Seth Jones also scored. Markstrom stopped every shot over the last two periods. Florida's first three games had all gone to overtime, and this ends its four-game road trip to open the season. Next up is Minnesota on Saturday.
Permanent daylight time in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba brings unusual start times for Western Canadian teams
The three provinces dropped seasonal clock changes. This winter Calgary has eight 9 p.m. starts and Edmonton seven, and the NHL moved a dozen Jets home games by an hour so none start after 7:30 p.m. local.
Kuzmenko given non-roster status after his father's death; misses the road trip
Dan Muse said the NHL granted Andrei Kuzmenko non-roster status following his father's death on Sept. 24. He keeps skating with the team but won't play at Washington or Columbus. Bryan Rust is a game-time decision tonight and still needs to be activated.
Kyle Connor scores the winner with a minute left as the Jets beat Colorado 3-2 and hand the Avalanche their first loss
Connor scored twice, the winner on a Scheifele feed with 1:00 left in regulation, and is tied for the NHL lead with five goals in four games. Skinner stopped 32 of 34, and Winnipeg has won three straight and earned points in all four games.
O'Reilly reaches 900 career points and Forsberg 400 career assists in the loss at Toronto
O'Reilly is the third player from the 2009 draft to reach 900 points, after John Tavares and Matt Duchene. Forsberg got his 400th assist in the same game.
Capitals beat Penguins 5-3 in Ovechkin's final home opener; Tom Wilson has a goal and two assists
Beauvillier scored 23 seconds in, and Wilson, Dubois, Tuch and Leonard added goals as Washington built a 4-1 lead and held on. Logan Thompson made 24 saves; Silovs stopped 22 of 27 for Pittsburgh. Ovechkin and Crosby were both held off the scoresheet.
Update: Beauvillier joins Strome and Ovechkin for the opener; McIlrath in if Matt Roy can't play
Carbery confirmed the shuffle for tonight against Pittsburgh. Anthony Beauvillier moves to right wing with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin. Ryan Leonard joins Justin Sourdif and Boone Jenner to get more defensive work. Matt Roy (lower body) missed practice Monday and Tuesday and is day-to-day, with a decision this morning. Dylan McIlrath would replace him.
Update: Bryan Rust a game-time decision in Washington; Brazeau and Graves still out
Rust practiced in full Tuesday after missing three games with an upper-body injury and is a game-time decision tonight. Justin Brazeau (lower body) and Ryan Graves (knee) remain out; newly acquired Spencer Stastney is a projected scratch.
Update: Kulich centers the top line with Krebs and Thompson at practice; Doan drops to the fourth line
Wednesday's lines were Krebs-Kulich-Thompson, Benson-Ostlund-Quinn, McLeod-Norris-Helenius and Malenstyn-Danforth-Doan. Samuelsson sat out for maintenance ahead of Thursday against Dallas.
Update: Klepov's debut confirmed, and Dostal starts against Edmonton
Quenneville confirmed Lukas Dostal in goal; Nikita Klepov plays on the third line with Nikita Nesterenko and Ryan Poehling. Recalled Roger McQueen and Stian Solberg aren't in the projected lineup.
O'Connor out in Winnipeg as L'Heureux makes his Avalanche debut
Logan O'Connor (lower body) won't play against the Jets and may be ready Thursday in Calgary. Zachary L'Heureux returns from his own lower-body injury for his first game with Colorado on the fourth line, and Noah Juulsen comes out as the Avs go back to six defensemen.
Jets reshuffle for Colorado: Koepke debuts, Bauer scratched, new defence pairs
At the morning skate Cole Koepke joined the fourth line for his season debut, with Tyrel Bauer, Haydn Fleury and Nino Niederreiter the scratches. Morrissey now pairs with Pionk and Samberg with DeMelo; Stuart Skinner led the goalies, with Clay Stevenson second.
First-rounder Nikita Klepov set for his NHL debut tonight against Edmonton
Chris Johnston reports Klepov, the 18-year-old taken 15th overall in June (97 points in 67 OHL games for Saginaw last season), will make his debut after sitting the first two games.
Update: Luke Schenn set to sit for the first time this season as Mancini draws in at Carolina
Victor Mancini skated on the third pair for a second straight day at Wednesday's practice in Raleigh, with Schenn the extra defenseman. DeBrusk is back on Pettersson's line, so Raty comes out.
Sturm shuffles lines: Lindholm drops to the third line, Minten centers Peterka in the top six
After the loss to Ottawa, Wednesday's practice had Geekie-Zacha-Pastrnak, Khusnutdinov-Minten-Peterka and Mittelstadt-Lindholm-Hagens. Rookie Frederic Brunet joined PP1 with Boston 0-for-10 on the power play.
No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg moves up to the Sharks' top power-play unit with Celebrini out
At Wednesday's practice, Stenberg ran on PP1 with Cagnoni, Chernyshov, Smith and Wennberg after starting the season on the second unit. Celebrini missed a second straight practice but hasn't been ruled out for Thursday in St. Louis.
Sam Dickinson skips practice and could sit Thursday in St. Louis, with Nolan Allan in his place
Dickinson played the last two games but didn't practice Wednesday, and Nolan Allan took his spot on defense, pointing to a lineup change against the Blues.
Lightning rework the power play after 0-for-13: Carlson and D'Astous join the top unit
At Wednesday's practice, John Carlson and Charle-Edouard D'Astous moved onto PP1, with Moser, Hagel, Cirelli, Conor Geekie and Goncalves on the second unit. Cooper called it an experiment before Thursday's home game against Minnesota.
Update: Harkins clears waivers and goes to Syracuse; Dominic James set to return Thursday
Jansen Harkins was assigned to AHL Syracuse, opening a roster spot to activate Dominic James from IR. James, recovered from a broken hand, is expected to play Thursday against Minnesota.
Panthers put forward MacKenzie Entwistle on waivers
Florida waived depth forward MacKenzie Entwistle, 27, who had been listed injured/non-roster since a preseason injury. He is in the second year of a two-year deal at an $812.5K cap hit.
The Flyers finally got a goaltender to keep them in a game and then forgot the part where you shoot the puck. Philadelphia managed 14 shots all night, Tampa Bay put up 36, and the Lightning won 4-1. Brayden Point opened it late in the first from John Carlson and Nikita Kucherov, and Pontus Holmberg made it 2-0 just 17 seconds into the second. Tyson Foerster got one back, then Ilya Mikheyev restored the cushion with three minutes left and Brandon Hagel, who fired eight shots, hit the empty net with seven seconds to go. Kucherov had two assists, Holmberg and Mikheyev a goal and an assist each. Dan Vladar made 32 saves on 35 and deserved a better team in front of him. Andrei Vasilevskiy needed 13 saves for his 372nd career win, tying Andy Moog for 20th all-time.
Ottawa walked into TD Garden and acted like it held the lease. Tim Stützle scored shorthanded at 7:39 of the first and again 1:43 later, set up Drake Batherson 66 seconds into the second, and finished with three points and career goal number 150, the fourth German-born player to get there. Michael Amadio made it 4-0 at 5:19 of the second. Linus Ullmark stopped all 10 shots he saw and came out after two periods following a crease collision with JJ Peterka; Samuel Ersson stopped 8 of 9 in relief, and the one was James Hagens early in the third. Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves on 24. The final seconds brought misconducts for Nikita Zadorov, Tanner Jeannot and Nick Cousins, the most physical Boston got all night. The Senators are 2-0. The Bruins have lost two straight, and their power play (0-for-4) is still looking for the arena.
Two goalies making their season debuts traded saves for 40 minutes, and then the third period turned into a pinball machine. Ben Kindel gave Pittsburgh the lead at 9:27 of the second from Declan Carlile and Erik Karlsson. Alex Iafallo tied it 4:43 into the third, and Adam Lowry put Winnipeg ahead at 7:08 with Iafallo and Dylan DeMelo on the helpers. Carlile answered at 8:53 to make it 2-2, and the Penguins enjoyed that tie for exactly nine seconds before Cole Perfetti scored the winner from Josh Morrissey. Clay Stevenson made 30 saves on 32 in his Jets debut; Sergei Murashov stopped 31 of 34. Sidney Crosby had five shots and no points, Kyle Connor six shots and no points. The Jets are 2-0-1. Pittsburgh's lead lasted a period, its tie lasted nine seconds, and its defensive coverage on the winner lasted even less.
Dallas came in 0-2 and needed a soft landing. San Jose, without Macklin Celebrini after he was scratched late, provided the pillow. Miro Heiskanen opened it at 18:51 of the first from Roope Hintz and Jamie Benn, and the second period settled it: Joel Kiviranta at 3:17, Benn at 6:19, Jason Robertson at 16:30. Mikko Rantanen added the fifth midway through the third. Hintz had two assists, Benn and Robertson a goal and an assist each. Jake Oettinger needed only 13 saves for the shutout, the kind of night where the hardest part of the job is staying awake. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 21 of 26 and spent most of it on an island. The Stars outshot the Sharks 26-13 and got their first win. Thirteen shots in 60 minutes: the Sharks have been rebuilding for years and still haven't installed a forecheck.
Flyers sign Michael Bunting at a $1.2M cap hit after an 0-2-2 start
The 31-year-old winger, a free agent since leaving Dallas, scored 33 points in 74 games last season and played for Rick Tocchet in Arizona. The Flyers still have to clear a roster spot, possibly by waiving Garrett Wilson or Carl Grundstrom or sending Alex Bump to Lehigh Valley.
LeBrun: Panthers plan to extend Brady Tkachuk next offseason
LeBrun says Florida intends to sign Brady Tkachuk to an extension next summer, when he will have one year left on his deal. That would leave the Panthers little cap room to add anyone else.
Ben Meyers thrown out for boarding Olofsson; local coverage expects a league hearing
Meyers got a five-minute major and a game misconduct for driving Olofsson into the boards from behind. Seattle coverage expects the Department of Player Safety to call him to a hearing, but none has been announced.
Celebrini a late scratch with a lower-body injury and still being evaluated
Macklin Celebrini took warmups in Dallas on Monday, then was ruled out before puck drop with a lower-body injury. Warsofsky had no timeline and said he would be evaluated overnight and Tuesday. Celebrini watched from the press box. San Jose's next game is Thursday in St. Louis.
Update: Barkov avoids surgery and is out 6-8 weeks, the Panthers say
Paul Maurice said captain Aleksander Barkov's left-knee injury won't need surgery and that 6-8 weeks is the best estimate, give or take. That is shorter than the 10-12 weeks reported earlier and works out to about 20-25 games.
Update: Matt Roy misses practice and is doubtful for Wednesday's home opener vs Pittsburgh
Spencer Carbery said Roy will need 'significant improvement' to play Wednesday after the lower-body injury he took Saturday in Tampa. Dylan McIlrath is expected to draw in.
Teuvo Teravainen hurt in the home-opener win over St. Louis and will miss Thursday on Long Island
Teravainen appeared to hurt an ankle or knee in the second period of the 4-2 win over the Blues and didn't return. Blashill ruled him out for Thursday's game against the Islanders. With Mangiapane already out week-to-week, Chicago is expected to call up a forward.
Mikhail Sergachev leaves the win in New Jersey after a teammate's clearing attempt hits him in the head
A clear by MacKenzie Weegar struck Utah's top defenseman on the back of the helmet late in the second period, and he was ruled out with an upper-body injury. He had three assists before he left, the 300th of his career among them. Tourigny had no update after the 5-3 win.
Olofsson hurt on a boarding hit in Seattle after scoring twice; status for Thursday unclear
Victor Olofsson, the Knights' leading scorer with four goals in four games, left at 8:03 of the third period of the 6-2 win after Ben Meyers ran him into the boards. Coach Ryan Craig had no update. Vegas hosts Toronto on Thursday.
Update: Celebrini day-to-day and skipped Tuesday's practice; the Sharks had been managing the injury before Monday
Warsofsky said the lower-body injury didn't happen in warmups and the team had been managing it for a while. Celebrini didn't skate Tuesday, and his status for Thursday in St. Louis is unknown.
Michael Rasmussen limps off after a teammate's shot hits his knee; his status is unknown
Midway through the third period against Ottawa, Rasmussen was hit in the knee by Emmitt Finne's shot. He left the ice favoring his leg and broke his stick on the bench. Detroit gave no update after the game. Its next game is Friday against Seattle.
Nick Foligno leaves the overtime loss in Buffalo in the first period with an upper-body injury
The 38-year-old forward got hurt late in the first period and didn't return. Hynes had no update after the game. If Foligno misses Thursday's game in Tampa Bay, Minnesota needs a fourth-line replacement.
Ryan Lindgren hurt 15 seconds into the Vegas loss on a hit from behind and doesn't return; no update yet
Lindgren took a hit from behind along the boards from Marc Gatcomb on his first shift, played 3:57 and didn't come back for the second period with an upper-body injury. If he misses Friday's trip opener in Detroit, Josh Mahura or Ville Ottavainen would step in.
Josh Doan playing through a lower-body injury; Ruff says it has slowed him
Doan played only 12:05 in Tuesday's overtime win over Minnesota and has no points in three games. He is expected to play through it but is day-to-day for Thursday against Dallas.
Simon Holmstrom likely broke his nose against the Rangers but should play through it, DeBoer says
Holmstrom was hit in the face by a Sean Durzi clearing attempt late in the first period and returned in the second. DeBoer believes the nose is broken but expects him to keep playing.
Update: Appleton joins Kasper on IR and is week-to-week; Detroit recalls Sheldon Dries on an emergency basis
Before the Ottawa game, Detroit took Larkin off IR. It put Kasper on IR backdated to Oct. 2 and Mason Appleton on IR backdated to Oct. 4. McLellan says Appleton is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. Forward Sheldon Dries was recalled from Grand Rapids under emergency conditions but did not dress, as Detroit played 11 forwards and 7 defensemen.
Update: Bednar says O'Connor and L'Heureux will both play on the Winnipeg-Calgary back-to-back
Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux practiced fully Tuesday after lower-body injuries, and Jared Bednar said he expects both to play in the next two games, Wednesday at Winnipeg and Thursday at Calgary. Once they're back, Colorado goes to 12 forwards and six defensemen.
Update: DeBrusk back at practice on Pettersson's line; Chytil will miss the whole six-game road trip
Jake DeBrusk is over his illness and skated with Elias Pettersson and Lekkerimaki before the team flew to Raleigh. Filip Chytil is still out with his preseason shoulder injury and won't play on the trip. Victor Mancini, who hasn't played yet this season, skated with Pettersson on defense.
Update: Bryan Rust practices in full and could make his season debut Wednesday in Washington
Rust has missed the first three games with an upper-body injury. He skated on the third line and the second power play. Dan Muse said it was good to have him out there but didn't confirm he'll play.
Update: Trocheck plays through his lower-body injury and scores his first Mammoth goal in New Jersey
Vincent Trocheck dressed against the Devils and scored the late goal that sealed the 5-3 win, his first for Utah since the July trade. Nick Schmaltz scored for a fourth straight game and leads the NHL with five goals.
Update: Danila Yurov plays in Buffalo after his upper-body scare and scores on the power play
Yurov was cleared to play after leaving Monday's practice early. He scored one of Minnesota's two second-period goals, but the Wild lost 3-2 in overtime, their first loss of the season. Wallstedt made 25 saves.
Update: Larkin scores and adds an assist in his season debut as Detroit beats Ottawa 5-3 for its first win
Dylan Larkin was booed on his first touch, then cheered when his first-period power-play goal gave Detroit a lead it never lost. He was the first star. Alex DeBrincat scored twice, one an empty-netter. Larkin called it 'an interesting night', and McLellan said the team is better with him than without him.
Justin Danforth plays his first game in almost a year after a broken kneecap
Danforth played 8:17 against Minnesota in his first regular-season game since breaking his kneecap on Oct. 15, 2025, another change to Buffalo's bottom six.
Update: Danila Yurov expected to play in Buffalo after leaving Monday's practice early
Hynes called Yurov's early exit Monday precautionary, and the top-line center is expected in the lineup against the Sabres. The Wild's projected lineup has Yurov centering Kaprizov and Shabanov.
Update: Tourigny keeps the same lineup in New Jersey, a sign Trocheck plays after his lower-body injury
Andre Tourigny said the Mammoth will use the same lineup Tuesday at New Jersey. Vincent Trocheck left Sunday's loss to the Rangers in the first period, and projected lines still have him on the top line with Keller and Schmaltz, but the team hasn't directly confirmed he'll play.
Update: Ekblad expected back for Saturday's home opener against Minnesota after a family matter
Aaron Ekblad missed the games in Anaheim and Los Angeles to be with his family, not because of an injury. His return would help a Florida team without Barkov and now dealing with Marchand's knee.
Clay Stevenson stops 29 in his Jets debut as Winnipeg scores three in the third to win 3-2 in Pittsburgh
Iafallo, Lowry and Perfetti scored in the third period to come back from behind. Stevenson's 29 saves tied a franchise record for saves in a winning debut. Winnipeg is 2-1 and opens a three-game homestand Wednesday against Colorado.
Jake Allen gets the start against Utah after the 6-0 loss on Long Island
Allen, who won the opener 3-2 in overtime over Philadelphia, goes back in goal Tuesday, per the Devils' Amanda Stein. Nico Daws allowed six goals in Saturday's loss to the Islanders.
Update: Stolarz, not Bobrovsky, starts against Nashville
Hiller said after the optional skate that the team had planned the rotation in advance and it was Stolarz's turn. Lines stay unchanged, with McKenna still beside Tavares and Nylander.
Senators recall goalie Jonas Johansson from Belleville as Ullmark is sidelined
Linus Ullmark tweaked something in Monday's win in Boston and is out, with no timeline given. Ottawa called up the veteran Johansson to back up Samuel Ersson, and loaned defenseman Jorian Donovan back to Belleville.
Kuemper starts the Kings' home opener against Florida; Zuccarello in after Monday's maintenance day
Laviolette said rotating Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg was the plan from the start, so Kuemper is back in goal tonight. Mats Zuccarello took part in the morning skate and plays, and the Kings keep the 11-forward, 7-defenseman lineup they used in San Jose.
Saros starts in Toronto, with newly recalled Matt Murray as his backup
Juuse Saros, who made 29 saves in Saturday's 2-1 win over Dallas, is in goal against the Maple Leafs. Murray came up from Milwaukee after Justus Annunen went on injured reserve.
Update: Varlamov stops 19 of 22 in his first NHL game in 676 days
Semyon Varlamov played his first regular-season game since November 2024 in the 5-2 loss at MSG. DeBoer called him a warrior given what he came back from. The Islanders are 1-2-0.
Joey Daccord projected back in goal tonight against Vegas
The Kraken's game-day preview lists Daccord in net again after his win over Calgary. It keeps Samoskevich on the top line with McCann and Beniers, and Ottavainen on the third pair with Lindgren. The team says the lineup isn't confirmed yet.
Hofer gets the start and Ross Johnston returns as the Blues close their trip in Chicago's home opener
Beat writer Lou Korac says Joel Hofer starts tonight with Jordan Binnington as backup. Johnston is back on the fourth line, and Zach Dean and Justin Barron are listed as possible healthy scratches. St. Louis skipped its morning skate.
Spencer Knight gets the home-opener start against St. Louis; Korchinski and Del Mastro scratched
Knight is reported to start Tuesday's home opener, and NHL.com's projected lineup also has him. Wyatt Kaiser plays with Rinzel, and defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro are scratched.
Carter Hart expected back in goal for Vegas in Seattle tonight
Adin Hill won in Vancouver on Sunday, and Hart is expected to return tonight. In his one start against the Kraken for Vegas he stopped 22 of 23 shots. Raphael Lavoie is projected as a scratch again.
Shesterkin starts against the Islanders at MSG as the Rangers go for a fourth straight win
Igor Shesterkin, named the NHL's first star of the week, is in goal against Semyon Varlamov. Projected lines: Perreault-Zibanejad-Lafreniere, Kartye-Miller-Dorofeyev, Cuylle-Laba-Tolvanen, Bjorkstrand-Beaudoin-Chmelar.
Lukas Dostal expected in goal against Edmonton; Husso likely saved for the weekend back-to-back
Dostal (.918 in two starts) is expected to start Wednesday. Ville Husso's first start would likely come Friday or Saturday against Winnipeg or Calgary.
Adin Hill expected in goal Thursday at home against Toronto
A week-ahead preview projects Hill to start against the Maple Leafs after Carter Hart played in Seattle. It lists Raphael Lavoie as day-to-day with a minor upper-body issue; Olofsson's status won't be known until Thursday.
Update: Dreger says Ullmark's injury is minor and he was pulled as a precaution
TSN's Darren Dreger calls Linus Ullmark's injury from the Boston crease collision minor. Ullmark didn't dress in Detroit, where Ersson started, which points to a possible return for Thursday's home opener against Philadelphia.
LeBrun: Hellebuyck won't accept a trade to any Canadian team, which ends the Edmonton talk
Pierre LeBrun said on TSN Radio that the suspended goalie won't play in Canada, so Edmonton and Montreal are out. Carolina and Buffalo remain the best-known suitors. The shrinking list of teams cuts into Winnipeg's leverage in a trade.
Province: Kings and Red Wings wondered whether a change of scenery would help Pettersson
The Province's Ben Kuzma says Los Angeles and Detroit have wondered whether a change of scenery would help Elias Pettersson. He has six points in four games, and his $11.6M cap hit now looks easier to move. He holds a full no-movement clause.
Update: Dreger says Edvinsson talks show no progress and could drag into December as Detroit takes trade calls
TSN's Darren Dreger reports no progress between Detroit and the unsigned RFA defenseman, and says the standoff could last into early December while the Red Wings field trade interest. Philadelphia, Seattle and Utah have been named as interested.
Update: LeBrun says Barkov avoiding surgery ends Florida's interest in a Larkin trade
With Barkov out 6-8 weeks and no surgery needed, TSN's Pierre LeBrun says the Panthers are no longer a likely landing spot for Dylan Larkin, and Florida is keeping cap room to re-sign Brady Tkachuk.
Dreger: Oilers lead the chase for a young Eastern center; guesses include Boston's Poitras and Montreal's Dach
Darren Dreger says Edmonton has pursued an unnamed young Eastern Conference center for weeks and is the front-runner, though no deal is close. Matt Poitras and Kirby Dach have been floated as guesses, but neither is confirmed.
Seravalli: winless Flyers shopping for bigger defensemen, with no plan to extend Ristolainen
After an 0-2-2 start the Flyers are looking at the trade market for defensemen, with a focus on size. They don't plan to extend Rasmus Ristolainen, in the last year of his deal, which makes him a trade candidate.
Rangers recall Cole Beaudoin for his NHL debut vs the Islanders; Veleno goes on IR and Robertson clears waivers
With Joe Veleno on injured reserve with a lower-body injury from Sunday, the Rangers called up 20-year-old center Cole Beaudoin from Hartford. He had five points in two AHL games and is set to center the fourth line tonight. Defenseman Matthew Robertson cleared waivers Tuesday and was sent to Hartford.
Gibson makes a third straight start; Carter Mazur called up and set for his season debut vs. Ottawa
John Gibson is expected in goal again Tuesday, with Daniil Tarasov as backup. Detroit is bringing up forward Carter Mazur from Grand Rapids for his first game of the season, and McLellan is considering seven defensemen again. Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper body) is also out.
Ducks set to recall Roger McQueen and defenseman Stian Solberg from San Diego before Wednesday's game with Edmonton
Both 20-year-olds are reportedly coming up from the Gulls because Terry, Ian Moore and Helleson are hurt. If they play, it will be the NHL debut for both. The team has not announced the move yet.
Oettinger makes 13 saves for a shutout as the Stars beat a Celebrini-less San Jose 5-0 for their first win
Jake Oettinger got his 17th career shutout. Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson each had a goal and an assist, Roope Hintz added two assists, and Heiskanen, Kiviranta and Rantanen also scored. Dallas had one goal in its first two games and is now 1-2-0. San Jose captain Macklin Celebrini was a late scratch with a lower-body injury.
Colton Parayko ties Barret Jackman for most games by a Blues defenseman in the loss at Chicago
Parayko played his 803rd game, tying Jackman's record for a Blues defenseman. Only Bernie Federko has played more games for St. Louis. Joel Hofer made 17 saves in the 4-2 loss. The Blues host San Jose on Thursday.
Knights rout Kraken 6-2: Eichel and Hertl get 4 points each, Stone reaches 400 as a Golden Knight
Olofsson and Hertl scored twice each and Carter Hart made 25 saves. Mark Stone's shorthanded goal made him the third Golden Knight with 400 points for the club. He also fought Brandon Montour in a chippy third period.
Senators lose for the first time, 5-3 in Detroit; Ersson makes 31 saves and Greig returns with an assist
Ottawa was on the second night of a back-to-back and lost for the first time this season. Samuel Ersson started in place of the day-to-day Ullmark and stopped 31 of 35 shots. Stutzle, Batherson and Eklund scored. Ridly Greig made his season debut after his suspension and had an assist. Ottawa hosts Philadelphia on Thursday.
Leafs rally from 3-0 down to beat Nashville 5-4 in OT; McKenna scores his first NHL goal and Matthews has four points
Matthews scored the overtime winner with three assists in regulation. No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal and added an assist. Nashville's Stamkos scored twice, moving alone into 17th all-time with 626 goals, and O'Reilly reached 900 points. Stolarz made 21 saves. Toronto is 2-2 and plays at Vegas on Thursday.
Sabres rally from 2-0 down to beat Minnesota 3-2 in OT; Ellis wins his first start, Thompson gets 400 points as a Sabre
Ostlund and Thompson scored in the third period, then Owen Power won it with 38 seconds left in overtime. Colten Ellis made 25 saves. Thompson's goal was his 400th point with Buffalo, the 16th player in team history to get there. Power has an assist in each of Buffalo's first three games.
Stamkos scores twice in Toronto and passes Sakic and Iginla for 17th on the all-time goals list
Stamkos's first-period goal was the 626th of his career, moving him alone into 17th, with Dave Andreychuk (640) next. Nashville still lost 5-4 in overtime after giving up a three-goal lead.
Schmaltz scores in a fourth straight game and leads the NHL with five goals; Sergachev gets his 300th assist
Schmaltz had a goal and two assists in the 5-3 win in New Jersey, Utah's first ever win over the Devils. Sergachev's three assists included his 300th before the puck to the head knocked him out. Utah's power play is 8-for-13 this season.
LeBrun: fighting is up about 50% early this season
TSN's Pierre LeBrun says fights are up roughly 50% compared with recent seasons. He links the rise to tighter competition and says the league isn't treating it as a concern.
Rookie defenseman William Wallinder makes his NHL debut and gets his first point
Wallinder spent three seasons with AHL Grand Rapids. He played 9:07 in Detroit's 7-defensemen lineup against Ottawa, had the primary assist on Justin Faulk's goal and finished plus-2.
Will Smith moves to center on the top line with Celebrini out
At Tuesday's practice Smith centered Marchment and Chernyshov, with Wennberg and Misa centering the next two lines. The defense pairs were Nurse-Kesselring, Dickinson-Trouba and Orlov-Cagnoni.
Canadiens lose the home opener 6-4 to Carolina; St-Louis puts Slafkovsky back with Suzuki and Caufield
Carolina spoiled the Bell Centre opener in a rematch of last spring's conference final. Bolduc scored twice for Montreal. Down 4-3 after two, St-Louis reunited Slafkovsky with Suzuki and Caufield for the third period and moved Kreider to a line with Newhook and Dach. Montreal hosts Nashville on Thursday.
Keefe moves Arseny Gritsyuk up to Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt for the third period against Utah
Trailing Utah, Keefe changed his lines for the third and put Gritsyuk on the top line with Hughes and Bratt. The Devils are off until Saturday's home game against Vancouver, so watch whether it carries into practice.
Avalanche change their power play after going 0-for-4: Kadri moves to PP1, Landeskog drops to PP2
In Tuesday's practice the top unit was MacKinnon, Makar, Necas, Hughes and Kadri. The second unit was Nelson, Toews, Lehkonen, Schwartz and Landeskog. It's Colorado's first power-play change of the season.
Ben Meyers projected back on the fourth line against Vegas, with Curtis Douglas out
NHL.com's projected lineup has Meyers back on the fourth line after he sat out Sunday's 6-1 win over Calgary. Douglas, Josh Mahura and Ville Ottavainen are the projected scratches, and Jacob Melanson is still out with an upper-body injury.
Ryan Leonard moves to the fourth line with Jenner and Sourdif at Capitals practice
Carbery shuffled the forwards before the home opener. He said moving Leonard isn't a demotion: it's meant to work on the rookie's defensive game, and it could even raise his even-strength minutes.
Kuzmenko the extra skater at practice as Lapierre joins Crosby and Rakell; Silovs looks set for Wednesday
After Monday's 3-2 loss to Winnipeg, Andrei Kuzmenko skated as the extra forward and Nick Robertson dropped to the fourth line. Arturs Silovs left the ice first, which usually means he starts the next game.
Oilers need a roster spot to activate Dickinson; Josh Samanski the likely player sent down
Dickinson practiced fully Tuesday and traveled to Anaheim. Samanski and Max Jones split third-line left wing reps beside Dach and Howard, and Samanski can be sent down without waivers. Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman remain out about two weeks.
Update: Penguins hold off on activating Rust; a forward would have to be waived to make room
Pittsburgh is at the 23-man limit, so putting Rust back in the lineup Wednesday in Washington means sending a forward through waivers. No move was made Tuesday; the decision can wait until game day.
Victor Mancini expected to make his season debut Thursday in Carolina; Raty back to the press box
Before the six-game road trip, the Canucks had Mancini on the third pair, with Luke Schenn the odd man out. DeBrusk's return sends Aatu Raty back to being a healthy scratch despite a goal in two games.
Lightning put Jansen Harkins on waivers, clearing room to activate Dominic James Thursday
Tampa Bay waived forward Jansen Harkins, who is on a one-year, two-way deal for $850K and has played one of three games. Friedman reports the move lets the Lightning activate Dominic James (broken hand) from injured reserve on Thursday.
Update: Connor Zary and Brayden Pachal clear waivers and can be sent to the AHL Wranglers
Nobody claimed either player on Tuesday. Zary is in the second year of a three-year deal at a $3.775M cap hit; Pachal's contract runs out this summer. Calgary waived both after an 0-3 start.
Detroit kept taking penalties and Winnipeg kept saying thank you. Cole Perfetti scored on the power play at 13:04 of the first, Kyle Connor did it again 92 seconds later, and Connor's second, 5:41 into the second, made it 3-0. Three power-play goals, all of them with Perfetti and Josh Morrissey's fingerprints on them: Connor finished with two goals and an assist, Perfetti a goal and two helpers, Morrissey two assists and seven shots. Viktor Arvidsson got one back on a Wings power play late in the second and Emmitt Finnie made it 3-2 early in the third, and then Stuart Skinner closed the door: 33 saves on 35. John Gibson stopped 24 of 27. Tyrel Bauer and Keegan Kolesar fought in the first, the only part of the afternoon Detroit won on points. The Jets are 1-0-1. The Red Wings are 0-2, the fans are chanting at ownership again, and "Hockeytown" is starting to read like false advertising.
Vincent Trocheck came back to the Garden and left with two shots, no points and a loss. Vladislav Gavrikov opened it late in the first from Adam Fox, Nick Schmaltz tied it on a Utah power play in the second (his fourth already), and then the Rangers took the third. Gabe Perreault scored 3:15 in from Alexis Lafrenière and Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller made it 3-1 from Gavrikov, who finished with a goal and an assist. Andrew Peeke cut it to 3-2 with five minutes left, and Eeli Tolvanen hit the empty net, with Igor Shesterkin picking up the assist: one game after scoring a goal, the man is now a playmaker too. He stopped 28 of 30 between points. Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves on 21. Will Cuylle and Jack McBain fought early in the third. The Rangers have won three straight. Utah is 2-1, and mammoths have a long history of things going badly once the ice shows up.
Brad Marchand came off IR weeks ahead of schedule, tied the game with the goalie pulled, and Florida still lost. Cutter Gauthier scored on the power play late in the first, Carter Verhaeghe answered 51 seconds later, and Gauthier struck on another power play 47 seconds into the second. The Ducks held 2-1 until 18:10 of the third, when Marchand, from Lars Eller, tied it 6-on-5 in his season debut. Then Florida went to the box in overtime, and Mikael Granlund won it on the power play at 4:14, from Leo Carlsson and Gauthier. Gauthier finished with two goals and an assist; Carlsson had three assists, which helps explain the offer sheet. Lukas Dostal stopped 29 of 31, Jacob Markstrom 18 of 21. Anaheim is 2-0. Florida is 1-0-2 with three straight overtime games, and three Ducks power-play goals say the two-time champs think the penalty box is a spa.
Seattle's home opener was over before the popcorn got cold. Berkly Catton scored unassisted 2:22 in, Mackie Samoskevich made it 2-0 at 4:40, and Bobby McMann made it 3-0 at 7:40. Shane Wright added one in the second from Catton, and Samoskevich scored again with 26 seconds left in the period, a fine first night on his new line. Morgan Frost broke the shutout on a third-period power play, and Jordan Eberle restored the five-goal lead 39 seconds later, just to be rude about it. Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson had two assists each, and Catton finished with a goal and an assist. Joey Daccord stopped 32 of 33; Dustin Wolf stopped 21 of 27 and gave up six to Seattle for the second time in four days. Calgary is 0-3 and minus-13, and has lost five straight to Seattle by a combined 25-6. The Flames aren't a rival anymore; they're the Kraken's favorite home-opener party favor.
Vancouver scored first, and Vegas spent the rest of the night reminding the Canucks who owns this matchup. Paul Cotter put Vancouver up on the power play late in the first, his fourth already. Then the Golden Knights took the second: Mitch Marner tied it 9:01 in, Victor Olofsson scored on the power play from Mark Stone and Jack Eichel, Jonathan Lekkerimäki tied it 2-2 at 17:54, and 34 seconds later Marc Gatcomb, from Braeden Bowman and Nic Dowd, put Vegas back ahead for good. Nobody scored in the third. Adin Hill got the start and stopped 18 of 20, mostly because Vancouver managed only 20 shots. Kevin Lankinen made 25 saves on 28. Vegas is 2-1. The Canucks are 2-2 on the second night of a back-to-back, and losing to the Golden Knights is still the one tradition in Vancouver nobody had to rebuild.
Update: Friedman says Edvinsson was 'pretty mad' and went back to Sweden; Detroit has moved off a bridge deal
Friedman reports the unsigned Edvinsson is training with Frolunda after talks stalled. The Red Wings are now offering longer-term deals, probably under five years because of Seider's contract timing, while also checking his trade value.
Update: Pagnotta says Detroit offered Edvinsson six years at about $8.5M a year; he wants about $11M
Pagnotta reports the Red Wings' long-term offer to unsigned defenseman Simon Edvinsson is about six years near Moritz Seider's $8.55M cap hit. Edvinsson is said to want around $11M a year on a long-term deal, so the sides are still about $2.5M-3M apart.
Kris Draper to run the Red Wings' pro scouting department
The Athletic's Max Bultman reports that assistant GM Kris Draper will oversee pro scouting. Detroit hasn't had an official head of pro scouting since Mark Howe retired five years ago. Draper has worked in amateur scouting since 2019.
Update: Sanderson confirmed out against Boston and Detroit; Green says the injury is less serious than feared
After testing in Ottawa, the Senators ruled Jake Sanderson out for Monday in Boston and Tuesday in Detroit. Travis Green said it isn't as serious as the team had worried, and Sanderson could be back for Thursday's home opener against Philadelphia.
Demidov misses practice for a therapy day; St-Louis won't say whether he plays Tuesday
Ivan Demidov sat out Monday's practice for therapy, and Kirby Dach took his spot with Newhook and Slafkovsky. St-Louis wouldn't confirm Demidov for the home opener against Carolina.
Update: Veleno ruled out of Tuesday's game against the Islanders; Bjorkstrand centers the fourth line
Joe Veleno (lower body) skipped Monday's practice and Mike Sullivan says he won't play Tuesday against the Islanders. He is still being evaluated. Oliver Bjorkstrand centered Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar at practice, and the Rangers may still recall a center from Hartford.
Update: Ristolainen a game-time decision in Tampa after blocking a shot Saturday
Tocchet says it's still a game-time call for Rasmus Ristolainen, who hurt his hand blocking a shot against Carolina and left after one shift in the third. He was set to try the optional morning skate to see if he can play Monday.
Update: Connor Brown won't play this week, Keefe says; skating on his own
Brown (lower body) skated on his own Monday but will miss this week's home games against Utah on Tuesday and Vancouver on Saturday. Keefe says he isn't far away barring a setback. That replaces the earlier report that he would return this week.
Update: Connor Bedard back on the ice in a non-contact jersey before Blackhawks practice
Bedard skated in a non-contact jersey before Monday's practice, a step forward in his return from left-shoulder surgery. He is still not cleared for contact and is expected to miss about the first month of the season.
Danila Yurov leaves Wild practice early with an upper-body injury; Tuesday in Buffalo uncertain
Yurov left Monday's practice early as a precaution after being banged up in Saturday's win over Boston, and Hynes didn't know if he can play Tuesday against the Sabres. If he can't, Ryan Hartman is expected to move up to the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Max Shabanov.
Vincent Trocheck leaves in the first period with a lower-body injury as the Mammoth lose 4-2 to the Rangers
Trocheck got hurt in the first period of his return to Madison Square Garden and did not come back. No update was given, and Utah plays Tuesday against New Jersey. Rangers forward Will Cuylle also hit Dylan Guenther into the boards and only got a minor; Guenther stayed in the game and Jack McBain fought Cuylle.
Update: Ristolainen misses Monday's loss in Tampa; York and Sanheim reunited on the blue line
Rasmus Ristolainen had been a game-time decision after blocking a shot Saturday, and he sat out the 4-1 loss to the Lightning. Cam York and Travis Sanheim were paired again, and David Jiricek stayed in the lineup.
Update: NHL.com confirms Andrew Mangiapane is now week-to-week with his lower-body injury
The earlier word of 'the next few weeks' (Sun-Times) is now in the league's status report: Mangiapane, hurt 5:23 into the opener in Vegas, is week-to-week. The Blackhawks have only 12 healthy forwards, so expect an IR move and a call-up from Rockford.
Kevin Fiala back skating, with the Kings targeting a Nov. 1 return
Fiala has skated for several days as he recovers from the leg fractures he suffered at the Olympics and a follow-up surgery. The Kings' own site says he is on track to return Nov. 1 if there are no setbacks. Laviolette says the next steps are skating with teammates and then practicing in a non-contact jersey.
Update: Guhle at least a week, maybe two, from playing, St-Louis says
Kaiden Guhle practiced in a regular jersey Monday, but Martin St-Louis put his return at least a week away and possibly two. He won't play in Tuesday's home opener.
Update: Kovacevic practices in full but isn't cleared, stays out against Utah
Sheldon Keefe said Johnathan Kovacevic practiced fully Monday and is making good progress after his minor knee procedure, but he hasn't been cleared to play Tuesday.
Update: Emil Lilleberg out against the Flyers and could miss about a week after his fight
Jon Cooper says the defenseman, hurt in Saturday's fight with Washington's Vincent Desharnais, won't play Monday and may be out roughly a week. Max Crozier is the likely replacement on the blue line.
Update: Andrew Mangiapane now expected to miss the next few weeks; Blackhawks plan to put him on IR
Mangiapane's lower-body injury from the opener in Vegas will keep him out for the next few weeks, not just a couple of games. Chicago plans to place him on injured reserve so it can add forward depth.
Update: DeBrusk misses the Vegas loss sick but is expected to join the six-game road trip
Jake DeBrusk missed Sunday's 3-2 loss to Vegas with his illness, but he is expected to travel for the trip that opens Thursday in Carolina and continues through NJ, NYR, NYI, FLA and TB. Lankinen bounced back from the eight-goal night with 25 saves Sunday.
Update: Report says Barkov will miss 10-12 weeks; Maurice tells fans 'do not bet' on that timeline
A report Monday said Barkov's left-knee injury will keep him out 10-12 weeks, until about New Year's. Paul Maurice dismissed it, saying the team doesn't have enough medical information yet to set any timeline.
Landeskog skips Sunday practice for maintenance after his collision with Brandon Carlo
Bednar called the captain's absence maintenance. In Saturday's game against St. Louis, Landeskog's head collided with Carlo's lower body and he looked staggered. He's expected to play on the Winnipeg-Calgary trip.
Senators put Andre Burakovsky on IR with an upper-body injury; he didn't travel to Boston
Burakovsky goes on injured reserve and misses a second straight game Monday against the Bruins. There's no timeline for his return. Jorian Donovan's recall from Belleville used the roster spot.
Flyers activate Denver Barkey off IR for his season debut in Tampa; Nikita Grebenkin goes on IR
Barkey missed the first three games with a lower-body injury and is projected on the fourth line with Sean Couturier and Noel Acciari Monday, with Alex Bump coming out. Grebenkin, who hasn't played since March 21, was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Update: Marchand activated off IR, scores the tying goal in his season debut as Florida loses 3-2 in OT at Anaheim
Brad Marchand came back weeks ahead of his late-October target after offseason surgery, played on the top line with Reinhart and Brady Tkachuk, and tied the game late in the third. It was Florida's third straight overtime game to open the season.
Poitras makes his season debut and Frederic Brunet his NHL debut; Swayman confirmed in goal vs Ottawa
Matthew Poitras is off IR and centers the fourth line in place of Sean Kuraly, and defenseman Frederic Brunet replaces Jonathan Aspirot on the third pair with Mason Lohrei. Jeremy Swayman starts Monday against the Senators.
Zucker and Timmins could rejoin the Sabres at Tuesday's morning skate; Lyon still not practicing
Ruff said Jason Zucker (sports hernia) and Conor Timmins (lower body) could practice as soon as Tuesday and will be eased back in. Goalie Alex Lyon (upper body, IR) hasn't returned to practice yet.
Update: Carrier back at practice in a regular jersey, paired with Lane Hutson
Alexandre Carrier practiced fully Monday on a pair with Hutson, two days after crashing into the boards in Pittsburgh. That puts him in line for Tuesday's home opener against Carolina.
Update: Flyers activate Denver Barkey from IR for Tampa and put Grebenkin on IR
Barkey is expected to make his season debut Monday in Tampa, probably on the wing. Nikita Grebenkin went on IR with an upper-body injury from his preseason debut, separate from the one he had in March. Alex Bump looks like the healthy scratch.
Update: Bowen Byram back at Blackhawks practice after missing Saturday for a family matter
Byram returned to practice Monday after missing Saturday's loss in Buffalo. That puts him in line to play Tuesday's home opener against St. Louis and shores up a defense that gave up 15 goals on the 0-3 road trip.
Update: Justus Annunen back at Predators practice before the trip to Toronto
Annunen practiced Monday after missing Friday's practice and Saturday's game while sick, so he should be back as Saros's backup on the three-game Canadian trip. Recalled forward Vitali Pinchuk also practiced and could make his NHL debut Tuesday.
Update: Jason Dickinson practices and is expected to make his season debut Wednesday in Anaheim
Dickinson missed the first three games after reinjuring his foot in camp. He practiced Monday, and the NHL status report expects him back Wednesday against the Ducks.
Ridly Greig has served his two-game suspension and can play Tuesday in Detroit
Greig sat out the opener in Toronto and Monday's win in Boston to finish the two-game ban he got for his actions in a playoff game last May. He's eligible again for the back half of the back-to-back.
Update: Bowen Byram expected to play Tuesday in the home opener against St. Louis
NHL.com's status report says Byram is expected back in the lineup against the Blues after missing Saturday in Buffalo for a family matter (his wife is expecting twins). Chicago is 0-3.
Update: Kasper could join Larkin in returning Tuesday against Ottawa
Marco Kasper (upper body), who missed Sunday's loss to Winnipeg, could return Tuesday along with Dylan Larkin. McLellan says Larkin is doing more in practice. Neither return is confirmed. Detroit is 0-2 with two goals.
Update: Basu says it would be a surprise if Kapanen misses Tuesday's home opener
Oliver Kapanen (lower body) has practiced fully twice. The Athletic's Arpon Basu expects him to play against Carolina, though St-Louis still calls him day-to-day.
Update: Damon Severson trending toward his season debut Friday against Pittsburgh
Severson (shoulder) was a full participant in practice alongside Zach Werenski and is out of the no-contact jersey. The Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger reports he is expected back Friday against the Penguins. He still has to be activated from injured non-roster.
Update: Murashov confirmed for his season debut against Winnipeg; Koivunen back in, Rust still non-contact
Dan Muse said after the morning skate that Sergei Murashov starts Monday. Ville Koivunen returns to the third line after a healthy scratch, Filip Hallander comes out, and Bryan Rust skated in a non-contact jersey and won't play.
Colten Ellis expected to make his first start of the season Tuesday against Minnesota
Ellis was in the starter's net at Monday's practice, his 26th birthday, and is expected to start against the Wild. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started the home-opener win over Chicago.
St-Louis won't name his goalie for the home opener after Dobes allowed six in Pittsburgh
Jakub Dobes started both games and gave up six goals in the overtime loss to the Penguins. Martin St-Louis wouldn't say whether Dobes or Samuel Montembeault starts Tuesday against Carolina.
Update: Clay Stevenson confirmed to start in Pittsburgh for his Jets debut
Stevenson, claimed off waivers from Washington, starts Monday against the Penguins, the night after Stuart Skinner's win in Detroit. How Skinner and Stevenson play is being watched as a factor in the Hellebuyck trade talks.
Ullmark leaves the 4-1 win in Boston after a crease collision; Ersson likely starts Tuesday in Detroit
Linus Ullmark stopped all 15 shots but came out after two periods, with Ottawa up 4-0, when JJ Peterka crashed into him; Travis Green called it precautionary. Samuel Ersson finished the game in his Senators debut and was already in line for one half of the back-to-back, so expect him in goal at Detroit.
Levi starts Wednesday in Anaheim; Jarry gets Saturday in San Jose and two of the three California games
Babcock set the goalie plan for the road trip: Devon Levi starts against the Ducks, and Tristan Jarry gets two of the three games, including Saturday's game against the Sharks.
Clay Stevenson expected to make his Jets debut in goal Monday in Pittsburgh
Winnipeg plans to split the back-to-back: Stuart Skinner made 33 saves in Sunday's 3-2 win in Detroit, and Scott Arniel pointed to waiver pickup Clay Stevenson for the Penguins game, though the lineup won't be set until warmups.
Update: Dan Vladar, not Joseph Woll, gets the Flyers' net in Tampa
Rick Tocchet is going back to Vladar for Monday's game against the Lightning after Woll started the last two, according to Heavy. Rasmus Ristolainen (hand) is a game-time decision after testing it at the optional morning skate.
Kochetkov expected to start again Tuesday in Montreal's home opener
Pyotr Kochetkov is expected back in goal at the Bell Centre after stopping 16 of 18 shots in Saturday's OT win in Philadelphia. Brandon Bussi allowed six goals on 47 shots in the first two games. Montreal has won four straight regular-season games against Carolina.
Bobrovsky projected for a second straight start against Nashville as Hiller keeps every line together
After a 1-2 start, Jim Hiller made no line changes at Monday's practice, and Sergei Bobrovsky is in line to start again Tuesday with Anthony Stolarz backing up. Zack MacEwen was the extra forward.
Wedgewood in line for his first start on the Winnipeg-Calgary back-to-back; Juulsen likely scratched
Blackwood started the first two games, and Scott Wedgewood is expected to get one of the two road games. Thursday in Calgary is the more likely one, but tonight in Winnipeg isn't ruled out. With O'Connor and L'Heureux back, Noah Juulsen is likely the scratch on defense and T.J. Hughes could be the extra forward.
Update: Friedman says Larkin would accept a trade to Florida, but the money is hard to match
Friedman says Florida is a team Larkin would agree to go to. A deal built around Eetu Luostarinen ($3M) leaves a big gap against Larkin's $8.7M, and Luostarinen alone would be a poor return for Detroit.
Update: Pagnotta says the Leafs want a defense-first second-pair defenseman, not just depth
David Pagnotta says Toronto is shopping for a middle-pair defenseman focused on defending. Cap limits point to a cheaper veteran. No targets were named.
Update: Friedman says the Sharks-Jets Hellebuyck talks never got far
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman said Hellebuyck would consider San Jose, but the Sharks aren't sure they're in his three-year window to win. Winnipeg wants players who help now rather than prospects such as Askarov.
Senators recall defenseman Jorian Donovan from Belleville with Sanderson and Zub out
Ottawa brings up the young defenseman before Monday's game in Boston, filling the roster to 23 while Jake Sanderson (lower body, sent home for tests) and Artem Zub (knee) are sidelined.
Hurricanes recall defenseman Juuso Valimaki from AHL Chicago before Montreal trip
Carolina brought Valimaki, 27, back from the Chicago Wolves on Monday to be its seventh defenseman for Tuesday's game in Montreal. He has 271 NHL games but none since 2024-25, and was one of the last cuts from camp.
Aaron Ekblad goes home to Florida for a personal matter; out at Anaheim and Tuesday in Los Angeles
The Panthers defenseman left the road trip for a personal reason, not an injury, and also won't play Tuesday's road-trip finale against the Kings, thinning a blue line that just got Forsling back.
Update: NHLPA's Hainsey calls Bettman's no-trade clause comments 'an attack' on players' rights
NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey rejected any change to no-trade and no-move clauses after Bettman raised the idea. Agent J.P. Barry said players pay for those clauses with salary. The CBA runs through September 2030.
Shesterkin, Bouchard and Cotter named the NHL's first three stars of the week
Igor Shesterkin went 2-1-0 with a .934 save percentage and scored a goal. Evan Bouchard had 8 points in 3 games, including a record 5 for a defenseman in a season opener. Paul Cotter tied for the league lead with 4 goals in his first 4 games with Vancouver.
Ovechkin tells the Capitals this season will be his last in the NHL
Alex Ovechkin, 41, told teammates before Monday's practice that 2026-27 is his final NHL season. He is the league's all-time goals leader with 929 and will play his 22nd season, all with Washington. He said he wants to stay healthy enough to play sports with his sons. Wednesday's home opener is against Crosby and the Penguins.
Flames stay winless after a second 6-1 loss to Seattle; Huska calls his team 'disconnected'
Calgary fell to 0-3-0 and minus-13 after another 6-1 loss in Seattle on Sunday, with Dustin Wolf allowing six for the second straight start. Huska said one player going off script keeps ending up in his own net. The Flames are off until Thursday against Colorado.
Ducks beat Florida 3-2 in OT on three power-play goals for a record-tying 11th straight home-opener win
Cutter Gauthier scored twice on the power play and Granlund won it on the power play in OT. Leo Carlsson had three assists (five points in two games), and Dostal made 29 saves. Anaheim is 2-0-0 and hosts Edmonton on Wednesday.
Stutzle scores twice in 1:43, one shorthanded, as Ottawa beats Boston 4-1 and goes to 2-0
Tim Stutzle had two first-period goals and an assist, becoming the fourth German-born player to reach 150 NHL goals. Batherson and Amadio also scored. Boston's power play went 0-for-4 and the Bruins have now lost two straight.
Lightning beat the Flyers 4-1; Vasilevskiy's 372nd win ties Andy Moog for 20th all-time
Holmberg and Mikheyev each had a goal and an assist, and Point scored his first of the season as Tampa Bay outshot Philadelphia 36-14 to improve to 2-1-0. Philadelphia is 0-2-2, its first four-game winless start since 2014-15, and Tocchet said his team is 'way too comfortable.' Maxwell Crozier made his season debut with Lilleberg out.
Sabres shake up the power play after an 0-for-8 start: Ostlund moves to PP1, Doan drops to PP2
Lindy Ruff put Noah Ostlund on the top unit in place of Josh Doan to add another left shot for one-timers. Buffalo hasn't scored on the power play this season.
DeBoer hasn't named a goalie for Tuesday at MSG; Islanders keep their lines after the 6-0 win
The Islanders practiced Monday with the same forward lines that shut out New Jersey: Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri, Schenn-Ritchie-Eklund, Holmstrom-Pageau-Duclair and Palat-Cizikas-Maccelli. DeBoer didn't say whether Sorokin, coming off a 37-save shutout, starts against the Rangers. No new injuries were reported.
Update: Kiviranta back in for Blackwell vs San Jose; Rantanen skips the morning skate for maintenance but will play
Joel Kiviranta returns on the fourth line with Back and Faksa, and Colin Blackwell is a healthy scratch along with Kyle Capobianco. Robertson moves to Hintz and Benn, Steel-Johnston-Rantanen stays together, and Seguin plays with Hryckowian and Hyry. Gulutzan said Rantanen will play after skipping the morning skate.
Update: Vatrano a healthy scratch in the home opener as Colangelo takes his third-line spot
Frank Vatrano sat after playing 10:24 with no shots in the opener, and Sam Colangelo replaced him on the third line. Rookie Nikita Klepov was also scratched again.
Kirby Dach takes Demidov's second-line spot at practice; St-Louis won't confirm Xhekaj or Kapanen for the opener
With Ivan Demidov off for a therapy day, Dach skated on the right side with Slafkovsky and Newhook. Martin St-Louis wouldn't say whether Kapanen or Xhekaj will play in Tuesday's home opener against Carolina.
Jesper Boqvist makes his season debut against Utah, replacing Stefan Noesen on the fourth line
Keefe moved Boqvist onto a line with Cody Glass and Amadeus Lombardi to add speed against a fast Utah team. Noesen, back from injury, comes out after playing the first two games.
Niederreiter a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh as Koepke draws in; St. Ivany replaces Bauer on defense
Veteran Nino Niederreiter sat for Cole Koepke. Jack St. Ivany played against his former team in place of Tyrel Bauer, who had 14 penalty minutes in the first two games. Both changes held up in the win, so they could stick for Wednesday against Colorado.
Kulich moves to third-line center as the Sabres shuffle their bottom six
At Monday's practice Jiri Kulich centered Peyton Krebs and Konsta Helenius, and Ryan McLeod dropped to the fourth line between Beck Malenstyn and Sam Carrick. The top two lines stayed the same.
Zuccarello takes a maintenance day before the Kings' home opener; lineup still undecided
The Kings' coach called it just a maintenance day and doesn't expect a problem. Los Angeles may keep the 11-forward, 7-defenseman setup it used in San Jose.
Sam Dickinson projected to make his season debut beside Trouba in Dallas; Askarov starts a third straight game
NHL.com projects Dickinson to replace Nolan Allan on the second pair tonight, with Allan, Dellandrea and Leason scratched. Yaroslav Askarov is in line for his third straight start, with Nedeljkovic backing up.
Dillon Dube first in line for an everyday spot with Toropchenko out at least six weeks
Ahead of Tuesday in Chicago, the Blues beat report says Dube is likely to get the first chance at a regular role while Toropchenko recovers. Montgomery wants more offense from the Robert Thomas line, which has one point through two games (Snuggerud).
Oilers practice lines: Dickinson joins Frederic and Kapanen on line two; Samanski skates with Dach and Howard
Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl stayed together at Monday's practice. Dickinson skated on a line with Frederic and Kapanen. Michaels and Formenton were together with Jones and Joseph rotating, and Dach centered Howard and Samanski. The defense pairs, Emberson included, didn't change from the win over Seattle.
Blackhawks reshuffle the defense for the home opener: Byram with Levshunov, Rinzel back in
At Monday's practice Bowen Byram moved back to his natural left side with Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel returned beside Wyatt Kaiser after a healthy scratch in Buffalo. Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro were the extra pair.
Update: Eyssimont clears waivers and goes to Providence
Mikey Eyssimont cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL Providence, which frees about $1.2M of cap space. Marco Sturm called waiving him a tough business decision. Eyssimont hadn't played in Boston's first three games.
Rangers waive defenseman Matthew Robertson, opening cap room to recall a center
Robertson had been a healthy scratch in all four games, behind Alberts Smits and Drew Fortescue. Putting him on waivers ends the Rangers' run of carrying eight defensemen, and if he clears or is claimed, his $850,000 comes off the cap. That leaves room to call up a center from Hartford to replace the injured Veleno.
Flames put Connor Zary and Brayden Pachal on waivers after an 0-3 start
Calgary waived forward Connor Zary ($3.775M cap hit through next season, one assist in two games and a healthy scratch Saturday) and defenseman Brayden Pachal (about $1.19M, expiring, yet to dress) on Monday. If they clear, both can go to AHL Calgary, which frees roster spots for call-ups.
Patrick Giles clears waivers and is sent to the Barracuda
San Jose waived the 26-year-old forward on Oct. 4. He went unclaimed and was assigned to the AHL Barracuda on Monday. He had started the season on non-roster injured reserve with an upper-body injury from the preseason.
Chicago did the hard part. Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi had the Hawks up 2-0 in the first, Oliver Moore put them back ahead 3-2 late in the second, and Anton Frondell set up two of the three. Then the third period happened, as it tends to in Chicago. Rasmus Dahlin tied it 6:10 in and Jiri Kulich buried the winner at 13:20, with Tage Thompson (goal, assist) and Jack Quinn also scoring for Buffalo. The Hawks managed 15 shots all night, so Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 12 and mostly enjoyed the view; Spencer Knight made 24 saves on 28 and deserved better company. Buffalo native Patrick Kane went home and left with zero points and a minor. Chicago is 0-3 and minus-10: the rebuild is still under construction, and the third period is a load-bearing wall made of cardboard.
Ottawa opened its season by beating Toronto in Toronto, which remains the Senators' favorite way to spend a Saturday. Thomas Chabot scored late in the first, Auston Matthews answered 33 seconds into the second, and Kirill Marchenko gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead on the power play. Toronto held it for five and a half minutes. Michael Amadio tied it from Tim Stützle and Chabot, and Stephen Halliday won it 9:46 into the third off feeds from Fabian Zetterlund and Claude Giroux. Shots finished 29 apiece; Linus Ullmark stopped 27, Sergei Bobrovsky 26, and the difference was who blinked in the third. The Leafs blinked. Toronto is 1-2 with a new coach and a new goalie, and the same old feeling of watching a lead walk out the door with the Senators holding it open.
Tampa Bay's 11-forward, seven-defenseman experiment paid off in every way it could. Charle-Edouard D'Astous scored 2:26 in, Conor Geekie made it 2-0 late in the first (Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel set up both), and the extra defenseman, Emil Lilleberg, found time to fight Vincent Desharnais in the second. Justin Sourdif got Washington on the board 7:04 into the second, and that was the whole Capitals offense: Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 21. Charlie Lindgren was sharp at the other end (27 of 29) and it didn't matter. Guentzel finished it with an empty-netter for a goal and two assists, and the Lightning have their first win. Washington spent the summer buying forwards and came home with 21 shots: all that shopping, nothing in the bag.
Shayne Gostisbehere came back to Philadelphia and scored a big power-play goal, just like old times, only for the other team. Sebastian Aho scored 10 seconds into the game, Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov turned it into a 2-1 Flyers lead, and Aho tied it on the power play 4:59 into the third. Then Gostisbehere ended it on another power play at 2:51 of overtime, from Jackson Blake and Aho. Joseph Woll was the only reason it got that far: 37 saves on 40 as Carolina outshot Philly 40-18. Pyotr Kochetkov needed just 16 saves. The Flyers are 0-1-2, the hockey version of showing up to every party and leaving before the cake: three games, two points, minus-9, and an old friend delivering the bad news in their own building.
Pittsburgh built a 5-1 lead by the middle of the second period, then spent the next 25 minutes handing it back like an overdue library book. Evgeni Malkin (goal, two assists), Declan Carlile, Samuel Girard, Tommy Novak and Ben Kindel did the building. Nick Suzuki started the demolition late in the second, Cole Caufield scored his second of the night early in the third, and with Jakub Dobes pulled Montreal scored twice in 24 seconds: Chris Kreider at 18:52 and Ivan Demidov at 19:16. Suzuki finished with a goal and three assists, Lane Hutson with three helpers. Then Novak, from Malkin and Kris Letang, won it 1:33 into overtime for his second of the night. Both goalies stopped exactly 80 percent. The Penguins are 2-0. Montreal got a point and a lesson: comebacks are fun, but spotting a team four goals is how you end up with a Cup drought old enough to have a mortgage.
Utah walked into Columbus and won it on special teams. Mikhail Sergachev opened the scoring on the power play, Nick Schmaltz made it 2-0 before the first intermission, and after Kent Johnson (from Matthew Knies) cut it to 2-1 early in the second, the Utah power play struck twice more in the third: Dylan Guenther, then Schmaltz again. Three power-play goals, two goals for Schmaltz (three on the season) and a goal and two assists for Guenther (three goals in two games). Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley had two assists apiece. Sebastian Cossa stopped 17 of 18, because 18 was all Columbus could find; Jet Greaves made 27 saves on 31. Utah is 2-0 and plus-9 and heads to Madison Square Garden tonight. The Blue Jackets kept handing Utah power plays and shot like a team that left its sticks on the bus.
Edmonton's two best players waited until the last three minutes and then clocked in. Owen Michaels scored 2:51 into the game for his second of the season, Bobby McMann tied it on a Seattle power play in the second, and it sat at 1-1 until Leon Draisaitl, from Connor McDavid, scored with 2:27 left. McDavid added the empty-netter 82 seconds later, because of course he did. Devon Levi stopped 19 of 20; Philipp Grubauer stopped 22 of 24 and kept Seattle alive for 57 minutes. Ryan Lindgren and Trent Frederic dropped the gloves in the first period, the most physical thing the Kraken attack did all night. Seattle is 1-1 and comes home to face Calgary tonight with 20 shots of evidence that its offense is still exploring the ocean floor.
Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves, and New Jersey spent the night finding out what a brick wall feels like. The Devils outshot the Islanders 37-32 and lost 6-0, which takes real talent. Simon Holmstrom and Brayden Schenn scored 88 seconds apart early in the second, Bo Horvat added a power-play goal, and the third turned into a group project: Victor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas, the last one shorthanded with 1:19 left. Six goals, six different scorers. Matthew Schaefer had two assists and Eklund a goal and an assist. Nico Daws stopped 26 of 32 and got no help from anybody. The Islanders even up at 1-1. The Devils are minus-5 two games in, and their offense got lost somewhere on the Long Island Expressway and still hasn't called home.
Miro Heiskanen scored 47 seconds in, and Dallas apparently decided that was enough work for the second half of a back-to-back. Nashville answered with two power-play goals in the first period: Steven Stamkos, from Ryan O'Reilly and Roman Josi, and Nils Hoglander, his first as a Predator, from Jack Ahcan and Alexander Kerfoot. Then nobody scored for the last 44 minutes. Juuse Saros stopped 29 of 30; Casey DeSmith made 24 saves on 26 and was fine. Waiver pickup William Trudeau played his first NHL game, and Ahcan picked up a point in his Predators debut. The Stars are 0-2 and minus-5, and a team that piled up 112 points last season is now giving away power-play goals like free samples at the grocery store.
Tanner Jeannot scored 1:53 in for Boston, and the Bruins spent the next 58 minutes learning why you don't hand Minnesota power plays. Kirill Kaprizov tied it on the power play in the second, Quinn Hughes put the Wild ahead on another one six minutes later, Jared Spurgeon made it 3-1 early in the third, and Kaprizov closed it with an unassisted empty-netter. That's three goals in two games for Kaprizov; Hughes added an assist to his goal. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 26 of 27, and the Wild are 2-0. Michael DiPietro made 26 saves on 29 for Boston. The Bruins fall to 2-1, which is fine, but their offense after the first two minutes was a Boston traffic jam: plenty of horn, no movement.
Colorado scored the first six goals, and St. Louis spent the night looking for the exit. Cale Makar opened it 4:09 in, Martin Necas added another in the first, and the second period was a highlight reel: Josh Manson, Artturi Lehkonen (unassisted, already his third), Nicolas Roy, and Necas again, the last two 23 seconds apart late in the period. Necas finished with two goals and an assist; Nathan MacKinnon had three assists without scoring, which is how he relaxes. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 25 of 26 and lost the shutout to Dalibor Dvorsky early in the third. Jordan Binnington faced 36 shots and wore six of them. Colorado is 2-0 and plus-9. The Blues brought their new, younger look to Denver and found out the altitude isn't the only thing there that leaves you gasping.
For 40 minutes Calgary had a lead, a fight and a plan. Luke Schenn and Adam Klapka went at it 2:55 in, Matt Coronato scored on the power play late in the first, and Devin Cooley carried a 1-0 lead into the third. Then Vancouver scored four times in the final 20. Liam Ohgren tied it 88 seconds in, Elias Pettersson put the Canucks ahead from Ohgren and Tom Willander, Drew O'Connor added one with 3:27 left, and Aatu Räty hit the empty net. Linus Karlsson and Willander had two assists each. Leevi Meriläinen stopped 23 of 24; Cooley made 22 saves on 25. The Flames are 0-2 and minus-8 and play in Seattle tonight on the back end of a back-to-back, after blowing a third-period lead to the team that finished last in the league a year ago. Flames fans will be hearing that sentence in their sleep.
San Jose and Los Angeles played 63 minutes of hockey that needed a scorekeeper on overtime pay. Adrian Kempe opened it on the power play, then the Sharks scored three straight: Tyler Toffoli on a power play, Kiefer Sherwood unassisted, and Nolan Allan. Quinton Byfield answered on the power play with two seconds left in the second, Igor Chernyshov made it 4-2, and the Kings tied it with goals from Erik Haula and Artemi Panarin, the second at the 15-minute mark of the third. Then Macklin Celebrini found Chernyshov 3:18 into overtime for his second of the night. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 31 of 35, Anton Forsberg 20 of 25. San Jose is 2-0. The Kings outshot the Sharks 35-25 and still lost, a very Kings way to spend a Saturday: all the puck, none of the points, one point in two games.
Pagnotta: Alex DeBrincat wants to stay in Detroit and is seeking $12M-14M a year on an extension
The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta says the 28-year-old winger, who has 80 goals over the last two seasons on a $7.875M cap hit, is open to an extension with the Red Wings; the range depends on term.
Ristolainen hurt blocking a shot against Carolina; Flyers to re-evaluate him Sunday and may call up a defenseman
Rasmus Ristolainen took a shot off the left hand or arm late in the second period. He tried one shift in the third and then left for good. The team will re-evaluate him Sunday before its three-game road trip. Tocchet said the Flyers are deciding whether to recall a defenseman. Simon Benoit is the healthy scratch who could step in.
Update: Blues say Alexey Toropchenko is out at least six weeks with an upper-body injury
The Blues announced Sunday that Toropchenko will be re-evaluated in six weeks, so mid-November is the earliest he could return. He was hurt in Friday's opener against Dallas when he was pushed from behind and caught between Lian Bichsel and Tyler Seguin.
Alexandre Carrier leaves the Pittsburgh loss after crashing neck-first into the boards; Montreal is evaluating him
Carrier went into the boards head and neck first after a puck battle with Egor Chinakhov early in the second period. He tried to keep playing, then left and didn't return to the 6-5 overtime loss. He's one of Montreal's two right-shot defensemen; the team only said he's being evaluated.
Update: Matt Roy questionable for Wednesday's home opener against Pittsburgh
The NHL's status report lists Roy as questionable for Wednesday. He left Saturday's 3-1 loss in Tampa Bay late in the second period with a lower-body injury and will be evaluated in Washington.
Emil Lilleberg hurt in a fight in Saturday's win, misses Sunday practice; status for Flyers game due Monday morning
The defenseman left after a third-period fight with Washington's Vincent Desharnais and sat out Sunday's practice. Assistant coach Rob Zettler said he was being examined further, with word on Monday night's game against Philadelphia expected that morning.
Joe Veleno hurt in the first period against Utah; Rangers to update his status Monday
Veleno twisted awkwardly chasing Clayton Keller 9:21 into Sunday's 4-2 win and was helped off without putting weight on his right leg. Mike Sullivan said more would be known Monday; if he misses time the Rangers likely need a center from AHL Hartford before Tuesday's game against the Islanders.
Update: Ristolainen travels to Tampa with no cast; Flyers bring seven defensemen and call nobody up
Ristolainen, hurt blocking a shot off his left hand Saturday, boarded the team flight Sunday with no visible cast or splint, and he's still being evaluated. The Flyers didn't recall a defenseman: Sanheim, York, Drysdale, Seeler, Benoit, Jiricek and Ristolainen make the trip to Tampa, Ottawa and Boston.
Update: Jake DeBrusk misses a second straight game with his illness and is day-to-day
Coach Manny Malhotra said DeBrusk needed at least another day, so he sat out Sunday's 3-2 loss to Vegas after missing Saturday too. Paul Cotter kept his net-front spot on the first power-play unit.
Raphael Lavoie still day-to-day with an undisclosed injury before Sunday's game in Vancouver
The AP injury report for Vegas at Vancouver lists Lavoie as day-to-day. He has been out since a preseason injury kept him from the opener, so Gatcomb, Olofsson and Howden keep their regular shifts.
Update: Connor Brown, out three games, now day-to-day and expected back this week
Brown has missed every game so far with a lower-body injury from practice. Sheldon Keefe says it doesn't look serious, and he's expected back during this week's homestand, which opens Tuesday against Utah.
Update: Jake DeBrusk questionable against Vegas with his illness; Lankinen expected back in goal
DeBrusk missed Saturday's 4-1 win over Calgary after arriving at the rink sick, and the Canucks list him as questionable tonight. Kevin Lankinen is expected to start after Leevi Merilainen stopped 23 of 24 shots in his debut.
Seravalli: Blackhawks now in a three-week window for Connor Bedard's return
Frank Seravalli reports Chicago is in a three-week window for Bedard to return from July shoulder surgery, possibly by early November. Bedard has moved up to light slap shots; Jeff Blashill said Saturday there's still no firm timeline.
Update: Sanderson leaves the road trip for tests in Ottawa; expected to miss Boston and Detroit
Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports Jake Sanderson went home from the trip for testing on the lower-body injury he re-aggravated in Toronto and is expected to miss at least the next two games, Monday in Boston and Tuesday in Detroit. Artem Zub (knee) is also still out, which thins Ottawa's blue line further.
Helge Grans a full participant at Flyers practice Sunday
Grans, listed among the Flyers' injured after Saturday's game, practiced fully on Sunday before the team left on its three-game road trip, giving Philadelphia another defensive option if Ristolainen can't play.
Update: O'Connor and L'Heureux practice in full Sunday and look set to return Wednesday in Winnipeg
Logan O'Connor was back in a regular jersey and Zachary L'Heureux was a full participant at Sunday's practice, after both missed the first two games with lower-body injuries. Their return would likely push extra defenseman Noah Juulsen out; captain Gabriel Landeskog sat out practice for a maintenance day.
Shesterkin back in goal against Utah tonight; Vejmelka starts for the Mammoth
Igor Shesterkin starts Sunday's 6 PM game at MSG, his first since scoring the first goalie goal in Rangers history. Utah goes back to Karel Vejmelka a night after Sebastian Cossa won his Mammoth debut in Columbus.
Update: Joey Daccord in goal for tonight's Kraken home opener against Calgary
Daccord starts at Climate Pledge Arena after Philipp Grubauer started Saturday's 3-1 loss in Edmonton. Seattle's projected top line is Jared McCann, Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko.
Stuart Skinner projected to start Sunday in Detroit; Vilardi missed Saturday practice for maintenance
NHL.com's projected lineups list Skinner in goal for the Jets' 1 p.m. game against the Red Wings, with Clay Stevenson backing up. Gabriel Vilardi sat out Saturday's practice, but coach Scott Arniel said it was a maintenance day and he is expected to play.
Dustin Wolf projected back in goal in Seattle on the second night of a back-to-back
Wolf is expected to start after Devin Cooley lost 4-1 in Vancouver on Saturday. Connor Zary and Brayden Pachal are projected scratches, and Jonathan Huberdeau is still out.
Sergei Murashov expected to start tonight against Winnipeg; Silovs gets Wednesday in Washington
After Arturs Silovs started the first three games, the Penguins are expected to give Murashov his season debut at home against the Jets, with Silovs back in goal for Wednesday's game against the Capitals. Not confirmed by the team yet.
Jake Oettinger expected back in goal Monday against San Jose
After Casey DeSmith started Saturday's 2-1 loss in Nashville, Oettinger is expected to start the home game against the Sharks. Dallas is 0-2 with one goal in two games, its first 0-2 start since 2019-20.
Jeremy Swayman expected back in goal Monday against Ottawa after DiPietro's start in Minnesota
The Bruins figure to go back to Swayman for the home game against the Senators after Michael DiPietro made 26 saves in Saturday's loss to the Wild, his first NHL start since 2022.
Garrioch: Ottawa is thinking about veteran defenseman Ben Hutton for depth with Sanderson and Zub hurt
The Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators are weighing Ben Hutton to help a thin blue line. Hutton was in camp on a PTO and was released without a contract.
Predators recall center Vitali Pinchuk and send goalie Matt Murray back to Milwaukee
Pinchuk could make his NHL debut Tuesday in Toronto. Murray backed up Juuse Saros against Dallas while Justus Annunen was out; sending him down hints Annunen may be available, but the team hasn't said so.
'Sell the team' chants return as short-handed Red Wings fall to 0-2 against Winnipeg
Detroit lost 3-2 with Larkin and Kasper hurt and Edvinsson unsigned, so it dressed only 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Waiver pickup Andreas Englund made his Wings debut as the extra defenseman. Fans chanted at ownership for a second straight home game.
Kyle Connor scores twice on the power play and Skinner makes 33 saves for the Jets' first win, 3-2 in Detroit
Connor had two of Winnipeg's three power-play goals and assisted on the third. Skinner held on late, including a save on Lucas Raymond in the final minute. It is his first win as a Jet and Winnipeg's first of the season.
Gatcomb's first goal as a Golden Knight beats Vancouver 3-2; Hill makes 17 saves in his first start
Marc Gatcomb scored the winner late in the second, and Marner (his first of the season) and Olofsson (power play) also scored. Adin Hill stopped 17 of 19, including a shorthanded breakaway by Ohgren. It was Vegas's first road win and eighth straight win over Vancouver. Next up: Seattle on Tuesday.
Gulutzan shuffles lines at 0-2: Steel joins Johnston and Rantanen, Seguin drops to the third line
In the 2-1 loss in Nashville, Dallas used Benn with Hintz and Robertson, Sam Steel with Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen, and Tyler Seguin with Justin Hryckowian and Arttu Hyry. Gulutzan said the team is losing too many battles in its own zone. Dallas hosts San Jose on Monday.
Lindholm replaces Peterka on the top power play; Minten centers Pastrnak late in the Minnesota loss
Marco Sturm moved Elias Lindholm onto PP1 for JJ Peterka after an 0-for-3 power play in the 4-1 loss to the Wild, and put Fraser Minten between Pastrnak and Peterka in the third period.
Update: Zary and Kuznetsov back in after one game as scratches; Othmann, Hanley and Pachal sit in Seattle
Connor Zary returned on the second line with Honzek and Strome, and Yan Kuznetsov paired with Simon Nemec, for Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Kraken. Brennan Othmann, Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal were the scratches, and Dustin Wolf played the full game, allowing six goals. Calgary is 0-3.
Samoskevich moves up beside McCann and Beniers and scores twice in the Kraken's home-opening rout
Seattle promoted Mackie Samoskevich from the fourth line to the second line with Jared McCann and Matty Beniers, and moved Kaapo Kakko onto Berkly Catton and Shane Wright's line, in a 6-1 win over Calgary. Joey Daccord made 32 saves. Vegas visits Tuesday.
Stars put Colin Blackwell into the lineup and scratch Joel Kiviranta in Nashville
Coach Glen Gulutzan changed his forward group for the second half of the back-to-back: Blackwell, just recalled from Texas, came in and Kiviranta was scratched. Matt Duchene remains on LTIR with a lower-body injury.
Tye Kartye moves up to J.T. Miller's line against Utah; Bjorkstrand drops to the fourth line
Kartye joins Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev in the top six and Oliver Bjorkstrand slides to the fourth line. Matt Rempe, Scott Morrow and Matthew Robertson are listed as scratches.
Update: David Gustafsson clears waivers and goes to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The center, acquired from Winnipeg in June, was waived to open a roster spot for Ben Kindel and went unclaimed. He hadn't played a game for Pittsburgh.
Detroit's home opener had everything a long-suffering fan base could want: booing their own former captain before puck drop, then 60 minutes of not scoring. Dylan Garand, the Rangers' fill-in on the second night of a back-to-back, stopped all 22 shots for the shutout, which is what happens when the other team's shots arrive gift-wrapped. Sean Durzi scored on the power play 5:12 in and later fought Marco Kasper, a full night's work before the third period. Eeli Tolvanen hit the empty net with 1:16 left. John Gibson made 19 saves on 20 and got nothing for it but a sympathetic slap on the pads. New York is 2-1 and has won two straight. Detroit is 0-1, has no goals, no captain and a 10-season playoff drought, and the season is one game old.
The Capitals walked into the champs' building and had it 3-0 before the first intermission, the hockey version of showing up to a party and eating the cake. Alex Tuch scored twice in his Washington debut, and rookie defenseman Cole Hutson scored in his NHL debut, which beats the usual first-game souvenir of a puck and a nervous smile. Ovechkin got an assist on the opening goal, Jakob Chychrun had a power-play goal and an assist, and Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois had two helpers each. Sebastian Aho finally got Carolina a power-play goal in the second, and Ryan Leonard answered eight seconds later, which is just rude. Logan Thompson made 31 saves on 33; Brandon Bussi let in five on 27. The Hurricanes outshot Washington and lost by three: 0-1-1, one goal in two home games, and the banner is already the best thing they've put up this season.
Winnipeg's home opener was a lovely evening right up until the last 1:38. The Jets led 3-2 after Mario Ferraro scored with eight seconds left in the second, Kyle Connor had a power-play goal, an assist and nine shots, and the Canada Life Centre was ready to go home happy. Then Boston pulled Jeremy Swayman, and Elias Lindholm tied it 6-on-5 at 18:22 of the third. JJ Peterka, two games into his Bruins career, won it 3:21 into overtime for his second goal. David Pastrnak and Nikita Zadorov set up two goals each, Hampus Lindholm and James Hagens also scored, and Mark Kastelic and Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves early. Swayman stopped 30 of 33, Stuart Skinner 26 of 30. Boston is 2-0. Winnipeg got a point for its trouble, and a reminder that its former Vezina winner is still suspended for skipping camp and still waiting on a trade. Nothing says 'new season' like the old goalie problem.
Dallas spent the summer near the top of everybody's rankings and opened its season by getting shut out at home. Mason McTavish, playing his first game as a Blue, scored 94 seconds in, and the Stars spent the next 58 minutes looking for a reply. Dalibor Dvorsky made it 2-0 in the second, then St. Louis hit the empty net twice in 15 seconds, Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter, with Joel Hofer picking up an assist on the second one. Hofer stopped all 25 shots for the shutout and outscored the entire Dallas roster in points. Jake Oettinger made 20 saves on 22 and deserved a better band in front of him. Jake Neighbours and Arttu Hyry fought in the second, the closest Dallas came to winning a battle all night. A 112-point team with Jason Robertson locked up, and the first goal of their season will have to wait for Nashville.
Anaheim's season opener in Vegas went great for about 45 minutes and then got very Vegas. Beckett Sennecke scored with eight seconds left in the first, Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott scored 55 seconds apart early in the second, and Leo Carlsson, the guy the Ducks paid to keep away from Philadelphia, made it 4-0 at 7:03. The Golden Knights trailed by four on home ice to a team that just lost half its summer roster, and the Strip briefly considered a dinner show. Then Shea Theodore, Tomas Hertl on the power play and Braeden Bowman with 2:50 left made it 4-3, and Jack Eichel had two assists in the rally. Lukas Dostal held on with 27 saves on 30. Carter Hart let in four on 20. Vegas played the last 20 minutes like Cup finalists and the first 40 like the house was comping the other team.
Update: Friedman says unsigned Edvinsson now 'prefers' a trade as talks stall
Simon Edvinsson isn't making a formal request, but Friedman reports he now prefers a trade because Detroit won't offer the long-term deal he wants. If he hasn't signed or been traded by December 1, he can't play this season.
Jacob Melanson dealing with an undisclosed issue from the opener and left out of the projected lineup in Edmonton
The Kraken say Melanson picked up an undisclosed issue in Thursday's win in Calgary. The projected fourth line in Edmonton is Douglas-Gaudreau-Meyers. Mackie Samoskevich remains on injured reserve.
Denver Barkey, on IR, joins the morning skate and could return on the Flyers' coming road trip
Barkey stays on injured reserve and won't play tonight against Carolina, but he skated with the team Saturday morning. NHL.com says he may play during Philadelphia's upcoming road trip. Nikita Grebenkin is also still on IR.
Update: Sanderson leaves the opener in Toronto after one period, aggravating his lower-body injury
Jake Sanderson played 4:29 against the Leafs before taking himself out after the first period with the lower-body injury that bothered him all camp. Travis Green said he pulled himself early enough that it isn't badly re-aggravated, and the team expects to know more in the next few days.
Marco Kasper out Sunday against Winnipeg with an upper-body injury
Todd McLellan ruled the center out of the Jets game and said he'll be re-evaluated in a couple of days; the injury isn't from his fight with Sean Durzi in the opener. With Larkin also out, Detroit is short at center.
Update: Forsling a game-time decision at Anaheim after a short Saturday workout
Gustav Forsling (upper body) left Saturday's workout early and is a game-time decision for Sunday against the Ducks. Maurice said he feels pretty good and the team wanted to give him another day without contact.
Matt Roy leaves the loss in Tampa Bay with a lower-body injury and will be evaluated in Washington
Roy played just under 14 1/2 minutes over two periods and did not come out for the third. Coach Spencer Carbery called it a lower-body injury and said Roy will be checked once the team is back in D.C. The Capitals open at home Wednesday against Pittsburgh.
Update: Barzal still not skating and will miss Tuesday vs. the Rangers; expected back on the ice late next week
Mathew Barzal's knee inflammation is taking closer to three weeks than the two first expected. He should resume skating next Thursday or Friday and will need practice time before he plays. When he returns he is expected at center, which could push Calum Ritchie to the wing.
Update: Bednar says O'Connor and L'Heureux are progressing and could return on next week's trip to Winnipeg and Calgary
Logan O'Connor and Zach L'Heureux (both lower body, day-to-day) missed Saturday's game against St. Louis. Coach Jared Bednar said both are making good progress and could rejoin the lineup when the Avalanche travel to Winnipeg and Calgary starting Wednesday. Colorado again played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Update: Larkin takes limited shifts on the second line and PP1; aiming to play Tuesday vs. Ottawa
Dylan Larkin, on IR with an upper-body injury, joined a limited skate and took some shifts on the second line and the top power-play unit. He sat Sunday against Winnipeg; Todd McLellan hopes he can play Tuesday against the Senators.
Update: Friedman says Florida expects Barkov to miss some time but hopes it won't be long; he's listed day-to-day
Friedman says the Panthers hope Barkov's left-knee injury won't mean a long absence. The team lists him as day-to-day with a leg injury. Asked about a Larkin trade, Friedman said Florida is focused on how long Barkov is out and isn't chasing trades over a short absence.
Update: Toropchenko ruled out Saturday in Colorado with an upper-body injury
Alexey Toropchenko, hurt in the opener in Dallas, will miss Saturday's game against the Avalanche. Dillon Dube or Zach Dean is expected to replace him, probably Dube. Jordan Binnington starts in goal.
Jacob Trouba a game-time decision against the Kings with an illness; Dickinson would debut
Trouba missed Friday's practice because he was sick and is a game-time call for tonight. If he can't play, Sam Dickinson makes his season debut next to Nolan Allan.
Update: Barkov's MRI reportedly shows his left-knee injury isn't the worst case
ESPN reports the MRI on Aleksander Barkov's left knee avoided the worst outcome. He's on long-term injured reserve and sees Florida's doctors Monday, when the team expects a firmer timeline.
Update: Panthers put Barkov on long-term injured reserve; he'll miss at least 10 games and 24 days
Florida moved Aleksander Barkov to LTIR on Saturday with the left-knee injury from Thursday in San Jose, so he can't return before late October. The team still hasn't said how serious it is. The move adds about $4M of cap room, letting Florida recall forwards from AHL Charlotte; it was down to 11 healthy forwards.
Update: Jacob Melanson goes on injured reserve, expected to miss at least three games
The Kraken put Melanson on IR with an upper-body injury from the opener in Calgary. Lambert said he doesn't expect him to play in the next three games.
Gourde (hip) and Dominic James (hand) skate with the Lightning at the morning skate
Yanni Gourde skated in a non-contact jersey. He was expected to be out until early December, so this hints he could be back sooner. Dominic James, expected to miss the first couple of weeks with a hand injury, also skated and is on schedule.
Mackie Samoskevich comes off IR to make his Kraken debut in Edmonton
Samoskevich missed the opener with an upper-body injury from training camp and was activated from injured reserve. He's projected on the fourth line with Meyers and Gaudreau.
Update: Jacob Trouba shakes off his illness and plays against the Kings; Sam Dickinson stays out
Trouba was a game-time decision but took warmups and played about 21 minutes in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over Los Angeles, so Sam Dickinson's debut is on hold. Nolan Allan stayed in the lineup.
Update: Maurice says Marchand is close to being cleared and should return later in October
Brad Marchand, on injured reserve since camp after surgery, is nearing clearance, Paul Maurice said, with a return expected later this month. He won't play Sunday in Anaheim.
Update: Mackie Samoskevich off injured reserve and in the lineup in Edmonton
Seattle activated Samoskevich on Saturday after an upper-body injury kept him out of the opener, and he played about 12 minutes in the 3-1 loss to the Oilers. Jacob Melanson went on IR the same day.
Update: Beniers stays at center on the top line in Edmonton after the bruised leg from blocking a shot
Matty Beniers had a bruised leg after blocking a shot in the opener, but Seattle's projected lines for Edmonton keep him between Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko.
Update: Kindel expected off IR for the home opener; Lizotte skated in the morning and says he's available
Ben Kindel is expected to be activated and center the fourth line between Dewar and Kuzmenko. Blake Lizotte had been expected to sit, but he took part in the morning skate and said he wants to play, so his status is unclear.
Update: Kochetkov expected to make his season debut in Philadelphia after Bussi started the first two games
The Hurricanes' preview says Pyotr Kochetkov is expected in goal tonight at Philadelphia, the second half of a back-to-back, after Brandon Bussi took the 5-2 loss to Washington. Jordan Martinook is set to play his 800th NHL game.
Update: Ullmark starts the opener in Toronto, and Eklund debuts on a line with Cozens and Zetterlund
Linus Ullmark is in goal for Ottawa's opener at Toronto, with Samuel Ersson backing up. William Eklund plays his first game for the Senators on the second line with Dylan Cozens and his former Sharks teammate Fabian Zetterlund. Cameron Crotty is the extra, and Ridly Greig serves the first game of his two-game suspension.
Update: Nico Daws, not Jake Allen, gets the start Saturday on Long Island
NHL.com's status report says Daws starts for New Jersey tonight, with Allen as backup. Allen made 23 saves in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over Philadelphia. Connor Brown and Johnathan Kovacevic stay out, and Jesper Boqvist is scratched.
Joseph Woll starts again for the Flyers at home against Carolina
Woll gets his second straight start after 41 saves in Thursday's overtime loss at New Jersey, so Dan Vladar sits again. Simon Benoit and Garrett Wilson are scratched.
Sebastian Cossa makes his Mammoth debut in goal at Columbus
Cossa, acquired from Detroit in the summer, starts Saturday's game in Columbus, the first half of a back-to-back that ends Sunday against the Rangers. Karel Vejmelka, who stopped 15 shots in the 6-0 opener win over Chicago, backs up.
Update: Annunen day-to-day and doesn't dress as Murray backs up Saros; Tuesday in Toronto unclear
Justus Annunen, believed to be sick, did not dress Saturday and is listed as day-to-day. Matt Murray, recalled from Milwaukee that morning, backed up Juuse Saros. It isn't known yet whether Annunen will be available Tuesday at Toronto.
Update: DiPietro now lined up for Saturday in Minnesota, his first NHL start since January 2022
Swayman played Friday's 4-3 overtime win in Winnipeg, so DiPietro is likely to start the second half of the back-to-back against the Wild. It would be his Bruins debut and his first NHL start since he played for Vancouver in January 2022.
Philipp Grubauer projected to start tonight in Edmonton; Joey Daccord lined up for Monday's home opener
Seattle's game preview lists Grubauer in goal for the second game of the season, at Edmonton. Daccord, who stopped 24 of 25 in the opener in Calgary, is expected to start Monday's home opener.
Devon Levi expected to start again against Seattle despite allowing seven goals in Vancouver
Levi is the likely starter against the Kraken after giving up 7 goals on 22 shots in Thursday's 9-7 win, his first NHL game since January 2025. Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins remain out, and Andersen is out until December.
Wallstedt expected back in net for the Wild's home opener against Boston
Jesper Wallstedt, who stopped 19 of 20 in Thursday's 3-1 win in Nashville, is expected to start again. Calvin Pickard backs up while Filip Gustavsson recovers from hip surgery.
Update: Jake Allen expected in goal again Saturday on Long Island
The Devils' game preview has Allen, who made 23 saves in the opening overtime win over Philadelphia, expected to start against the Islanders. The team kept its opening-night lineup at Friday's practice.
Mackenzie Blackwood expected in goal against St. Louis; O'Connor doubtful, L'Heureux a game-time call
Colorado hasn't named a starter, but previews expect Blackwood to go again. Bednar didn't sound optimistic about Logan O'Connor and said Zachary L'Heureux depends on how he looks at the morning skate.
Update: Luukkonen projected to start the home opener against Chicago
NHL.com's projected starters have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal for Buffalo's home opener against the Blackhawks, after he started Thursday's 6-3 loss in Columbus. The Sabres say they'll confirm their goalie after warmups. Tyson Kozak, Justin Danforth and Zach Metsa are projected scratches.
Update: Bobrovsky in goal against Ottawa; Hiller keeps Cowan's line together
Sergei Bobrovsky is set for his second start of the season Saturday against the Senators. At practice, coach Jim Hiller kept Easton Cowan's line with Nick Paul and Jake Sissons together instead of moving Cowan up. Kirill Marchenko stayed with Auston Matthews and Ryan Roslovic. Zack MacEwen and Nick Blankenburg are projected scratches.
Jet Greaves expected back in goal for Columbus against Utah
Greaves stopped 23 shots in the opening win over Buffalo and is projected to start again Saturday at home, with Cam Talbot backing up. Luca Del Bel Belluz is the Blue Jackets' only listed scratch.
Update: Anton Forsberg, not Kuemper, expected in goal in San Jose tonight
The Kings are expected to go with Anton Forsberg against the Sharks after Darcy Kuemper allowed eight goals in the opener. Kuemper had been expected to get the start.
Update: Friedman thinks Florida is on Larkin's trade list after Barkov's injury; Minnesota still his first choice
Friedman believes the Panthers are among Dylan Larkin's approved destinations, with the Wild his preferred landing spot. Detroit reportedly wants players who help now, pointing to the Knies return in the Marchenko trade, and Florida has little trade capital.
Friedman: Oilers shopping a spare defenseman for a forward as injuries pile up up front
Elliotte Friedman reported Edmonton is exploring a lateral trade, moving one of Shakir Mukhamadullin, Ty Emberson or Spencer Stastney for forward help. Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Savoie, Dickinson and Janmark are all out, though the club doesn't feel forced to act since most of those injuries aren't long-term.
Hurricanes send defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault to AHL Chicago; Mike Reilly draws in
Carolina assigned Legault, 23, to the Chicago Wolves after he played the first two games. No other roster move came with it. With Alexander Nikishin still unsigned, veteran Mike Reilly made his season debut on the blue line Saturday in Philadelphia.
Detroit fans boo Larkin at the home opener; McLellan says he feels bad for him
Larkin was booed when he was introduced as a scratch at Friday's opener, his first home game since asking for a trade. McLellan said Larkin has to live with what comes from asking out, and that the situation isn't comfortable for anyone.
Lyle Odelein, the Blue Jackets' first captain, dies at 58
Odelein died of a heart attack Friday. He played 16 NHL seasons and 1,056 games, won the 1993 Stanley Cup with Montreal, and was the first captain in Columbus history.
Jiri Kulich scores the winner in the home opener, his first goal since blood clots cost him 70 games
Kulich's third-period goal capped a comeback from two down as Buffalo beat Chicago 4-3. He missed the final 70 games of last season with blood-clot problems, so a healthy, scoring Kulich adds real depth to the Sabres' forwards.
Clayton Keller reaches 600 career points and Nick Schmaltz 500 in the win at Columbus
The Mammoth captain got his 600th point in his 685th game in Saturday's 4-1 win, and Schmaltz hit 500. Utah's power play went 5-for-7 over its first two games before Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers.
Rookie Cole Hutson scores in his NHL debut and Alex Tuch scores twice as Washington beats Carolina 5-2
Hutson scored in the first period of his NHL debut, set up by the Protas brothers. Tuch scored twice in his first game as a Capital, and Logan Thompson made 31 saves as Washington beat the defending champions in the opener.
Huska reshuffles the Flames' defense after the 6-1 loss: Bahl back with Whitecloud, Hanley alongside Nemec
At Friday's practice before Saturday's game in Vancouver, Calgary reunited Kevin Bahl and Zach Whitecloud and put Joel Hanley, a scratch in the opener, with Simon Nemec.
Bowen Byram out against Buffalo while he deals with a family matter
Coach Jeff Blashill said defenseman Bowen Byram won't play Saturday in Buffalo because he is tending to a family matter. Sam Rinzel is also listed as a scratch.
Update: Perry and Gustafsson make their season debuts as Kings dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen
Corey Perry and Erik Gustafsson both play tonight in San Jose. Forwards Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee come out, and Laviolette says he'll rotate forwards through the game. Gustafsson is the seventh defenseman.
Update: DeBrusk out sick against Calgary, and Aatu Raty makes his season debut
Jake DeBrusk was sent home from the morning skate with an illness, so he isn't a healthy scratch. Aatu Raty draws in for his first game of the season. Mancini and Brisebois stay out on defense.
Update: Barkov to see team doctors Monday; Lars Eller centers Brady Tkachuk and Reinhart on the top line
Paul Maurice said Barkov will be examined by Florida's doctors Monday to find out how long he'll be out beyond the 10-game LTIR minimum. Lars Eller moves up to center the top line while he's out.
Lightning go 11 forwards and 7 defensemen: Lilleberg in, Harkins out, Goncalves joins Point and Kucherov
For the home opener against Washington, Jon Cooper dressed Emil Lilleberg as a seventh defenseman and sat Jansen Harkins. Gage Goncalves moved up to the Point-Kucherov line, and Ilya Mikheyev dropped to a line with Girgensons and Holmberg.
Ty Emberson makes his season debut against Seattle; Shakir Mukhamadullin a healthy scratch
The Oilers changed their defense for Saturday's 3-1 win over the Kraken: Emberson came in for his first game of the season and Mukhamadullin sat. The team announced the change before the game.
Update: Lyubushkin a healthy scratch after all; waiver pickup William Trudeau makes his NHL debut vs Dallas
Ilya Lyubushkin had been expected to play against his former team but was a healthy scratch along with Reid Schaefer. Defenseman William Trudeau, claimed off waivers late in September, made his NHL debut (12:15, two hits), Jack Ahcan made his Predators debut with an assist, and Nashville dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Zach Dean and Dillon Dube make their Blues debuts in Colorado after Toropchenko's injury
Forwards Zach Dean (acquired in the Ivan Barbashev trade) and Dillon Dube (his first NHL game since 2024) made their season debuts together on the fourth line with Suter in Saturday's game at Colorado. Toropchenko is still waiting on MRI results for his upper-body injury.
Update: Byram's family matter is his wife expecting twins; no return date as the Blackhawks open at home vs St. Louis
Bowen Byram missed Saturday's game in Buffalo for a family matter: the Sun-Times reports his wife is expecting twins this fall. Blashill gave no timeline for his return, and it's unclear if he'll play Tuesday's home opener against the Blues. Del Mastro and Korchinski filled in, and Blashill preferred Del Mastro's game.
Sam Rinzel a healthy scratch in Buffalo after a rough start to the season
Rinzel sat in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Sabres after struggling in the first two games, and Kevin Korchinski played in his place. Chicago's home opener is Tuesday against St. Louis.
Update: Lyubushkin expected to draw in against his former team with Ufko sent down
With Ryan Ufko assigned to Milwaukee, Ilya Lyubushkin is expected to play against Dallas. Brunette said the defense pairs will be set after the morning skate.
Tocchet reshuffles the Flyers: Michkov moves up to the top line and David Jiricek makes his season debut
At morning skate Michkov skated with Konecny and Dvorak, Martone dropped to the third line, and Jiricek replaced Simon Benoit on defense. Joseph Woll looks set for a second straight start, though no starter has been named.
Korchinski and Del Mastro make their season debuts in Buffalo; Spencer Knight listed to start
With Byram out, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro draw in as a pair after being scratched for the first two games. Kaiser plays with Levshunov and Vlasic with Cole. NHL.com lists Spencer Knight as the starter, with Arvid Soderblom backing up.
Kotkaniemi makes his season debut in Philadelphia; Deslauriers a healthy scratch
Jesperi Kotkaniemi drew into the lineup for the first time this season in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers, replacing Nicolas Deslauriers, who sat as a healthy scratch.
Update: Penguins activate Ben Kindel from IR and waive David Gustafsson to make room
Kindel, 19, missed only the opener with a preseason lower-body injury and is activated for tonight's home opener against Montreal. Gustafsson, acquired from Winnipeg this offseason, never played for Pittsburgh; he was put on waivers and goes to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if he clears.
The Devils threw 44 shots at Joseph Woll, the hockey version of trying every key on the ring. Woll stopped 41 and dragged Philly to overtime, where Jack Hughes ended it at 3:23, because of course he did. The Flyers led twice: once on a Rasmus Ristolainen goal with their own goalie on the bench (bold), once on Travis Sanheim's goal early in the third. Both leads lasted about as long as a Philly sports-radio caller's patience. Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes did the tying, Bratt set up the winner, and Jake Allen needed only 23 saves. Tocchet shortened his bench so much that Porter Martone watched most of the third from the best seat in the house. One point and a minus-8 goal difference after two games: the Flyers are rebuilding, and so far the foundation is Joseph Woll and a lot of prayer.
Igor Shesterkin stopped 24 of 25 and then, apparently tired of waiting on his forwards, scored into the empty net himself. A goalie goal in the home opener: the Garden hasn't been this giddy since the last time somebody promised a parade. Zibanejad scored on the power play and set up another, Dorofeyev had two points, and Adam Fox handed out two assists like party favors. Tolvanen and Gabe Perreault joined in. Kucherov got one back in the second and then spent the night watching. Andrei Vasilevskiy let in four on 24 shots, not the opening act Tampa sold tickets for. Final tally: the entire Lightning roster scored one goal, exactly as many as the guy in the Rangers' crease, and he was busy making 24 saves at the time.
Matthew Knies' first game in a Blue Jackets sweater: two goals, an assist and, presumably, a thank-you card in the mail to Columbus. Charlie Coyle had three assists, Werenski two, and Columbus scored six on 23 shots, efficiency Buffalo can only read about. The Sabres hung around, 4-3 after two thanks to Quinn and Helenius, then remembered who they were. Luukkonen stopped 17 of 22, a save percentage best described as 'hospitable'. Mathieu Olivier fought Zach Metsa and then scored into the empty net, a full shift's work in one night. Owen Power and Noah Ostlund had two assists each, nice consolation prizes. Buffalo opened the season with 'this is the year' energy and closed the first night with 'here we go again.'
Nashville rolled out the home-opener pageantry and the Wild treated it like a soundcheck. Nick Foligno opened the scoring, Blake Coleman added a power-play goal, and Kaprizov put it away early in the third off a Quinn Hughes feed, a sentence Wild fans waited all summer to say. Hughes played 27:30 and looked like he'd been there for years. Jesper Wallstedt needed 19 saves, a light shift. Josi scored, Stamkos and Forsberg got assists, and the Preds managed 20 shots in their own building, roughly one per sad country song. Saros made 27 saves and deserved a better band behind him. Nashville spent big two summers ago to win now, and 'now' keeps showing up looking like this.
Calgary's home opener was over about 19 and a half minutes in, when the Kraken went up 3-0 and the Saddledome started checking the parking-lot traffic. Vince Dunn had three points, Jared McCann three assists, and Joey Daccord stopped 24 of 25 and still found time for an assist, which is one more point than the Flames' entire defense managed. Seattle's scoresheet read like a roll call: Eberle, Dunn, Gaudreau, Stephenson, Beniers, Kakko. Dustin Wolf faced 32 shots and six went in, and very little of it was his idea. Ryan Strome broke the shutout with 3:25 left, which in Calgary currently counts as a rally. The Flames have a shiny new arena on the way, and on this evidence it'll open before their second goal of the night would have.
The Sharks led Florida 3-0, which in San Jose is screenshot material. Will Smith scored shorthanded and on the power play in the same period, Celebrini set up three goals and put seven shots on net, and the building was ready to name a freeway after somebody. Then the Panthers woke up: Luostarinen twice and Matthew Tkachuk 17 seconds later, because Florida treats a three-goal hole like a mild inconvenience. Luca Cagnoni ended it in overtime anyway. Brady Tkachuk and Jacob Trouba dropped the gloves in the first, and Collin Graf and Uvis Balinskis followed suit in the second, so nobody left without a souvenir. Florida has Cup rings in the trophy case and just lost an overtime to a team that finished dead last in 2025: the champs' swagger made the trip, the finishing touch stayed in Sunrise.
Utah's home opener was a 6-0 party, and the Blackhawks brought 15 shots to it, which isn't a gift so much as an IOU. Dylan Guenther scored twice on the power play, Keller had two assists, and six different Mammoth scored, including Anders Lee in his first home game for his new team. Karel Vejmelka made 15 saves for the shutout and probably had time to reorganize the bench. Arvid Soderblom got a surprise start and 32 shots for his trouble. Ryan Donato fought MacKenzie Weegar in the third, the most competitive thing Chicago did all night. Two games, 0-2, minus-9: Chicago keeps saying the rebuild is almost finished, and the contractor still can't find the net.
Sixteen goals in Vancouver, which is what happens when two teams agree defense is a rumor. McDavid had five points, Draisaitl three, and the Oilers scored twice shorthanded in 34 seconds, which is just rude. It was 8-2 midway through the second and Kevin Lankinen's night was over. Then Edmonton did the most Oilers thing possible and let Vancouver score four straight, Marco Rossi twice, before Draisaitl calmed everybody down on the power play. Devon Levi gave up seven on 22 shots and still got the win, the hockey version of failing the exam and getting into the school anyway. Elias Pettersson had three points and eight hits, so at least one Canuck showed up angry. Vancouver had all summer to figure out how to stop McDavid, and the answer is still a shrug and a goalie change.
Update: Edvinsson wants seven years at $9M-11M a year; Detroit prefers a bridge deal, and other teams have called
David Pagnotta reports the unsigned defenseman is after a seven-year deal at $9M to $11M a year. Friedman and Johnston say the Red Wings won't commit long-term and are mainly offering a short deal. LeBrun says several teams have asked about trading for him, but interim GM Shawn Horcoff says re-signing him is still the priority.
Barkov leaves the San Jose game with a left leg injury; the Panthers expect an update Friday
Aleksander Barkov's left leg buckled in a board battle in the second period of Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose, and he did not return. Paul Maurice said the injury has nothing to do with the right knee that cost Barkov all of last season, and that the team would know more Friday afternoon.
Update: Barkov to have an MRI Friday; Maurice says the left-knee injury isn't related to last year's
Pierre LeBrun reports Barkov has an MRI on Friday after his left knee buckled in a board battle in San Jose. Paul Maurice said the injury has nothing to do with the right-knee ACL/MCL tear that cost him last season, and the team expects to know more Friday afternoon. No diagnosis or timeline yet.
Update: Seamus Casey has knee surgery and will miss 8-10 weeks
The Devils say Casey had knee surgery after getting hurt in a Sept. 24 preseason game against the Rangers. At 8-10 weeks he could be back in late November or early December. Declan Chisholm played on the third pair with Brenden Dillon in the opener.
Update: Davidson says there's still no new timeline for Bedard; any news is expected in October
GM Kyle Davidson said the team is still working from the original timeline for Connor Bedard's return from shoulder surgery, which was about four months, so November at the earliest. He expects new information sometime in October.
Update: Forsling day-to-day and could return Sunday in Anaheim; Balinskis stays in if not
Maurice says defenseman Gustav Forsling, a late scratch in San Jose with an upper-body injury, could play as soon as Sunday against the Ducks. Uvis Balinskis stays in the lineup if Forsling can't go.
Update: Kovacevic practices with the Devils but stays out this weekend after a minor knee procedure
Johnathan Kovacevic took part in his first full team practice Friday. The Devils list him out for the weekend while he recovers from a minor knee procedure, so he won't play Saturday on Long Island.
Devils say Nick Bjugstad is out until January with a torn left pectoral muscle
The Devils' injury report gives Bjugstad, who opened the season on injured non-roster, a return of January as he recovers from a torn left pectoral. That is roughly three months, longer than an early-season absence.
Toropchenko hurt in the opener; Montgomery calls it more than day-to-day with an MRI pending
Alexey Toropchenko grabbed his right arm and left early in the second period at Dallas after Lian Bichsel and Tyler Seguin hit him behind the Blues' net. Jim Montgomery said the upper-body injury is more than day-to-day and the team expected MRI results by Saturday, so Dillon Dube or Zach Dean likely draws in at Colorado.
Update: Canucks hope to have Thatcher Demko back from hip surgery before Christmas, with no firm timeline
Co-president Henrik Sedin said the club is aiming for a return before the Christmas break but will wait until Demko is fully healthy. He has been doing on-ice work for over a month. Until then, Lankinen and Merilainen share the net.
Update: Zub ruled out of Saturday's opener but back at practice in a non-contact jersey
Defenseman Artem Zub won't play in Toronto as he works back from a knee injury. Nikolas Matinpalo is projected beside Jake Sanderson, who expects to play.
Update: O'Connor and L'Heureux skate in non-contact jerseys; both uncertain for Saturday
Both forwards practiced Friday in non-contact jerseys. L'Heureux took the full practice and looks likelier to play; O'Connor left early. Bednar called their status for the Blues game up in the air and kept the opening-night lines.
Update: Lizotte misses Friday practice and is expected out Saturday; Kindel still undecided for the home opener
Blake Lizotte, hurt in the opener a day after coming off IR, missed Friday's practice with a lower-body injury and isn't expected to play Saturday against Montreal. Ben Kindel took a second straight full practice, but his status for Saturday hasn't been settled and he is still listed week-to-week.
Red Wings put Larkin on IR, backdated to August, and activate claimed defenseman Andreas Englund
Because the IR move is backdated, Detroit can activate Larkin as soon as he's healthy. Englund, claimed from Calgary, comes off the immigration list. The Wings now carry 13 forwards and 8 defensemen, so a rookie defenseman likely goes to Grand Rapids when Larkin returns.
Update: Zellweger cleared from concussion protocol and expected to make his Sabres debut Saturday vs. Chicago
Olen Zellweger practiced fully Friday on the second pair with Owen Power, and Lindy Ruff expects him in the lineup Saturday. Alex Lyon (upper body) is still out with no timeline. Luukkonen and Colten Ellis split starter's reps, and Saturday's goalie hasn't been decided.
Update: Sanderson back on the ice Friday on the top pair and could play Saturday's opener in Toronto
Jake Sanderson skated with the Senators Friday after missing time with an undisclosed injury and could play Saturday against the Maple Leafs. Warren Foegele is expected to play. Artem Zub (knee) and Andre Burakovsky (upper body) skated in non-contact jerseys.
Andrei Kuzmenko back at Penguins practice after his father's death; set to debut Saturday vs. Montreal
Kuzmenko went through a full practice Friday after leaving the team on Sept. 24 to be with family in Russia following his father's death. He skated on a line with Ben Kindel and Connor Dewar, switched to No. 62, and is expected to make his Penguins debut in Saturday's home opener against the Canadiens.
Senators activate Warren Foegele off IR for the opener; he's expected on the top line with Stutzle and Batherson
Foegele had surgery for an injury left over from last spring's playoffs and missed all of the preseason. Ottawa activated him Friday into the spot Hoyt Stanley's loan to Belleville opened up, and he's projected for the top line Saturday in Toronto.
Update: Arvid Soderblom, not Spencer Knight, started in Utah and made 26 saves in a 6-0 loss
Knight had been expected to start again Thursday, but Soderblom made his season debut in Salt Lake City and faced 32 shots as Chicago fell to 0-2. The Blackhawks end their road trip Saturday in Buffalo.
Update: Brandon Bussi, not Kochetkov, starts again against Washington
Rod Brind'Amour confirmed Bussi gets his second straight start Friday after the opening-night overtime loss to Florida. Pyotr Kochetkov now lines up for Saturday's game in Philadelphia.
Update: Swayman, not DiPietro, starts in Winnipeg tonight
The Bruins say Jeremy Swayman starts Friday against the Jets, coming off his 24-save shutout of the Rangers, with Michael DiPietro backing up. Boston plays the second half of a back-to-back Saturday in Minnesota.
Joel Hofer starts the opener in Dallas; Jordan Binnington gets Saturday's game in Colorado
Hofer makes his first opening-night start Friday against the Stars, and Binnington takes the second half of the back-to-back against the Avalanche on Saturday, per NHL.com's Lou Korac.
Update: Dylan Garand confirmed in net tonight in Detroit
The Rangers' beat writer Vincent Z. Mercogliano reports that Garand starts the second half of the back-to-back against the Red Wings, as expected. Shesterkin started Thursday's 5-1 win over Tampa Bay, and Korpisalo is on IR.
Dylan Garand gets his first NHL shutout, 22 saves in a 2-0 win at Detroit, days after clearing waivers
Garand was waived Sunday and recalled after Korpisalo's injury. He blanked the Red Wings in his fourth NHL game, making him the fourth Rangers goalie with a shutout within his first four games. With Korpisalo week-to-week, he stays Shesterkin's backup.
Update: Sabres' home-opener goalie undecided as Luukkonen and Ellis split starter reps
Luukkonen started Thursday's 6-3 loss in Columbus, but he and Colten Ellis both took starter reps at Friday's practice and Buffalo hasn't named Saturday's goalie. Luukkonen is 6-0-0 in his career against Chicago.
Pyotr Kochetkov expected to make his season debut against Washington; Bussi likely starts Saturday in Philadelphia
The Hurricanes' own game preview says Kochetkov is expected in goal Friday against the Capitals. Brandon Bussi, who started the opener against Florida, would then likely face the Flyers on Saturday. Brind'Amour had not publicly committed to a starter after Thursday's practice.
Lankinen pulled after allowing 8 goals on 20 shots; Merilainen and Lankinen both expected to start this weekend
Kevin Lankinen was pulled midway through Thursday's 9-7 home loss to Edmonton. Leevi Merilainen stopped 10 of 11 shots in his Canucks debut. With Calgary in town Saturday and Vegas on Sunday, each goalie is expected to get a start, but Saturday's starter hasn't been named.
Michael DiPietro expected to start in Winnipeg on the first night of a back-to-back
Boston plays the Jets Friday and the Wild Saturday. The Bruins haven't named a starter, but the beat writer expects DiPietro to get the first game after Jeremy Swayman shut out the Rangers in the opener.
John Gibson projected to start tonight's opener against the Rangers after missing practice with an illness
NHL.com's projected lineup and Detroit Hockey Now both list Gibson in goal for Detroit's opener, with Daniil Tarasov backing up. Gibson had missed practices this week with an illness. McLellan has not confirmed it publicly.
Update: Oettinger first goalie off at the morning skate, set to start the opener vs St. Louis
Jake Oettinger led the goalies off the ice at Friday's morning skate, which points to him starting the opener against the Blues. That backs up Wednesday's report after his late-preseason lower-body injury.
Carter Hart gets the start at home against Anaheim tonight
Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Danny Webster says Carter Hart will start against the Ducks. Hart made 24 saves on 26 shots in the 5-2 opening win over Chicago, and Adin Hill backs up.
Lukas Dostal expected to start the Ducks' opener in Vegas
The Athletic's Jesse Granger says Lukas Dostal will start Friday's opener against the Golden Knights, the team that knocked Anaheim out in last spring's second round. Ville Husso is the backup.
Friedman: the Leafs tried to flip Miles Wood the day of the Marchenko trade; they'll chase any available defenseman
Friedman says Toronto tried to move Wood elsewhere right after getting him from Columbus. Wood is now with the Marlies, with two years left at $2.5M and a six-team no-trade list. James Mirtle says the Leafs, with cap room from LTIR, will be in the mix whenever a defenseman comes available.
Friedman: the Leafs are much less keen to trade Easton Cowan after his strong camp and start
Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts that Toronto considered offseason deals that could have included Easton Cowan. He said the team's desire to move him has dropped sharply because Cowan has been one of its best players in the first two games.
Senators loan rookie defenseman Hoyt Stanley to AHL Belleville a day before the opener
Stanley, 21, made the initial 23-man roster but goes to Belleville. He's in year one of a three-year entry-level deal ($1.075M AAV). The move points to Sanderson being available Saturday.
Predators send defenseman Ryan Ufko to AHL Milwaukee after one game
Nashville assigned Ufko to the Admirals the day after the 3-1 opening loss to Minnesota, with no corresponding move, leaving 22 players. Brunette said Ufko got a bit overwhelmed in the opener; a forward recall is likely before Saturday's game against Dallas.
Update: Dennis Gilbert reportedly back to Rochester as Zellweger is cleared to debut
Defenseman Dennis Gilbert, recalled before the opener, was reportedly loaned back to the AHL after Olen Zellweger cleared concussion protocol. Zellweger practiced on the second pair with Owen Power.
Cooper rips the Lightning after the 5-1 opening loss: the game seemed like 'an inconvenience' to his team
Cooper said the team showed little pushback against the Rangers and played as if the game got in the way of summer. Tampa went 0-for-7 on the power play. The Lightning host Washington on Saturday.
Brandon Carlo ejected in his Blues debut for a knee-on-knee hit on Roope Hintz, who came back into the game
Carlo got a five-minute kneeing major and a game misconduct early in the third period of the 4-0 win in Dallas. Hintz needed help off the ice but returned. Watch for word from the league on any further discipline.
Rookie defenseman Anton Johansson makes his NHL debut on the second pair with Justin Faulk
The 22-year-old fourth-round pick from 2022 draws in for the opener against the Rangers. Edvinsson is unsigned and Bernard-Docker is hurt, so Albert Johansson moves up to the top pair with Moritz Seider.
DeBoer reshuffles Islanders lines after opening loss; Sorokin to start Saturday's home opener vs. New Jersey
At Friday's practice Emil Heineman stayed on the top line with Horvat and Palmieri, Duclair joined Holmstrom and Pageau, and rookie Victor Eklund skated with Cal Ritchie and Brayden Schenn. The defense pairs didn't change. DeBoer said the team needs more 5-on-5 scoring. Ilya Sorokin starts Saturday against the Devils at UBS Arena.
Blashill splits up Byram and Vlasic after the 6-0 loss in Utah; Byram moves to his natural left side with Levshunov
The Byram-Vlasic top pair was outshot 12-1 early in the shutout loss in Utah, so Jeff Blashill moved Bowen Byram back to the left side with Artyom Levshunov and reshuffled his forward lines at practice before Saturday's game in Buffalo, where Byram used to play.
Update: Perry and Gustafsson could return Saturday in San Jose; Laviolette undecided
Corey Perry and Erik Gustafsson practiced on the second power-play unit Friday, and Laviolette said there's a chance both play. The Kings spent the day on video, penalty killing and discipline after the 8-4 loss in Denver.
Marchenko skates on Matthews' line at his first Leafs practice; Bobrovsky projected to start Saturday vs. Ottawa
At his first practice since the trade, Kirill Marchenko skated with Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic and stayed on PP1. The other lines were unchanged after Wednesday's win. Sergei Bobrovsky is projected to start against the Senators, with Anthony Stolarz backing up.
Predators shuffle defense pairs at practice before Dallas: Josi with Hague, Skjei with Perbix
At Friday's practice Nashville tried Roman Josi with Nic Hague, Brady Skjei with Nick Perbix, Jack Ahcan with Ilya Lyubushkin, and William Trudeau with Adam Wilsby. Brunette said the pairs will be set after Saturday's morning skate and he wants someone to grab a job.
Canucks shuffle lines mid-game: Pettersson back with DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson
After a bad first period against Edmonton, Malhotra reunited Pettersson with DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson. He also moved Cotter up between Boeser and Ohgren, put Lekkerimaki with Bains and Rossi, and had Sasson center O'Connor and Gallagher.
Update: Draisaitl back with McDavid, and Podkolzin takes Hyman's spot on the top line
In the 9-7 win in Vancouver, Edmonton put Draisaitl back on McDavid's line, with Vasily Podkolzin filling the top-line spot left by the injured Zach Hyman. The two had centered separate lines in the opener. McDavid had five points and Draisaitl three.
Update: Kapanen expected to sit again in Pittsburgh as Montreal keeps its opening-night lines
TVA's Renaud Lavoie reports that the Habs practiced in Pittsburgh with the same lines and pairs as the opener, with Kapanen and Florian Xhekaj out. St-Louis said he didn't know yet whether Kapanen would play. The starting goalie hasn't been named.
Malhotra moves Rossi to wing with Pettersson and Karlsson; DeBrusk skates as the extra and could sit vs. Calgary
Vancouver changed all four forward lines at Friday practice. Marco Rossi moved from center to left wing on Elias Pettersson's line, which opens a center spot for Aatu Raty. Jake DeBrusk took line rushes as the extra forward and said he isn't 100 percent, so he could be scratched Saturday against the Flames.
The Flyers had all summer to plan their home opener and still forgot to show up for it. Pittsburgh, a team that's supposedly too old to climb stairs, led 5-0 halfway through the second and kept going. Nick Robertson scored twice, once shorthanded, because even down a man the Pens looked like they had the extra skater. Filip Hallander turned a promotion to the third line into three points. Evgeni Malkin, 40, scored on the power play like it was 2009. Arturs Silovs needed 19 saves for the shutout, which is barely a warmup. Dan Vladar saw 38 shots and seven goals, and that's less on him than on the five guys in front of him who spent the night sightseeing. Philly's last Cup was 1975, and on this evidence nobody in orange is in a hurry to update the banner.
The Leafs won a hockey game, which in Toronto is basically a parade-route announcement. Two first-period goals from the bottom of the lineup, Colton Sissons and Easton Cowan, then 40 minutes of everyone in blue clutching the lead like a coupon. Auston Matthews and William Nylander combined for zero points and two shots, and somehow that's the formula. Anthony Stolarz stopped 26 of 27 on the back half of a back-to-back. The Islanders' only goal came from Emil Heineman while they were a man down, so maybe try that more often. Pete DeBoer's first night on the Island: 27 shots, one goal, and Matthew Schaefer playing 27:45 because apparently nobody else was cleared to. Long Island waited all summer for its team, and the offense is still stuck in traffic on the LIE.
The Kings found out the hard way that killing penalties isn't optional in Denver. Colorado scored four times on the power play, and LA, in a twist nobody asked for, scored twice while shorthanded, so at least somebody on the Kings enjoyed special teams. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and still found time to fight Brandt Clarke, a full shift's work in one night. Artturi Lehkonen added two power-play goals, Brock Nelson had three points, and Jared Bednar got a contract extension the same day and celebrated with eight goals. Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of 29, a save percentage you usually find on a beer-league stat sheet. Artemi Panarin pulled LA within two with the net empty, and Colorado answered twice in 3:15. Life after Kopitar starts with eight goals against and a long flight home to think about it.
Kraken trade prospect David Goyette to the Flyers for winger Devin Kaplan
Seattle sent center David Goyette, a 2022 second-rounder, to Philadelphia for Devin Kaplan, a 22-year-old winger and 2022 third-rounder who had 13 points in 49 AHL games last season. Both are AHL players: Kaplan goes to Coachella Valley and Goyette to Lehigh Valley.
Veteran defenseman Derek Forbort joins AHL Calgary on a tryout
The Wranglers, Calgary's AHL affiliate, signed Derek Forbort, 34, to a professional tryout. Hip problems limited him to two games with Vancouver last season. It gives the Flames' organization another veteran defenseman.
Update: Johnston says the Bruins and Zacha are struggling to agree on a number, which could make him a trade candidate
Pavel Zacha is in the last year of his deal ($4.75M cap hit) after a career-best 30 goals and 65 points. Chris Johnston reports that talks continue but agreeing on a number has been hard, and Zacha is said to be in no rush. Without a deal he could become a trade candidate.
Update: LeBrun says Quinn Hughes hasn't yet let his agent close an extension with the Wild
Hughes's agent Pat Brisson and GM Bill Guerin have talked several times. Hughes is in no rush and hasn't told his camp to finish a deal. LeBrun says that once he does, an extension shouldn't take long to work out.
Sabres sign defenseman Louis Crevier to a four-year, $16M extension ($4M AAV)
Crevier came from Chicago in the Bowen Byram trade and was due to be a restricted free agent next summer. The extension starts next season and runs through 2030-31. The 6-foot-8 defenseman makes his Sabres debut in Thursday's opener at Columbus.
Ducks sign defenseman Tristan Luneau to a six-year, $43.2M extension ($7.2M AAV) after 14 NHL games
Anaheim extended the 22-year-old right-shot defenseman for six years at a $7.2M cap hit, starting next season. GM Pat Verbeek said the team sees him as a top-four defenseman. Luneau spent most of last season with AHL San Diego and was recalled for the opener.
Update: Cheveldayoff says there's still no timeline for a Hellebuyck trade; he misses his first paycheck Oct. 3
Cheveldayoff said Hellebuyck's camp told the team from the start that a deal could take a while. TSN's Dreger says no offer has yet matched fair value for an elite goalie with years left on his deal. Skinner and Stevenson are in goal for Friday's opener against Boston.
Scott Arniel coaching the Jets in the final year of his contract, with no extension rush
LeBrun reports that Arniel is entering the last year of his deal, and Winnipeg seems comfortable letting the season play out before dealing with an extension.
Matt Roy and Dylan Strome named Capitals alternate captains alongside Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson wears an A full time. Strome wears the second A at home and Roy wears it on the road, the first time either has held the letter for a full season.
Jack Drury will wear an 'A' for the Predators, the first of his career
The Predators say Drury will be an alternate captain starting with tonight's opener against Minnesota. Nashville also reports its whole roster healthy for opening night.
Provorov out of the opener and week-to-week, his first missed game through injury in 778 NHL games
Ivan Provorov hurt his lower body in the preseason finale and won't play Thursday against Buffalo. With Severson and Fabbro also out, Columbus pairs Andrae with Soucy and Christiansen with Gudbranson behind Werenski and Mateychuk.
Update: Lizotte hurt again in the opener and being evaluated; Kindel a full participant in practice
Blake Lizotte was activated for the 7-0 win in Philadelphia, but he took a lower-body injury in that game and was being evaluated Thursday. Ben Kindel practiced in full, including 3-on-3 drills, though coach Dan Muse still lists him as week to week.
Lundestrom month-to-month after Achilles surgery; Columbus hopes for an early-November return
Forward Isac Lundestrom is still recovering from Achilles tendon surgery in July and is listed month to month. The team hopes he returns by early November.
Zach Hyman out about two weeks with an upper-body injury from the preseason finale
Hyman was hurt in the last preseason game against Calgary and did not travel for tonight's rematch in Vancouver. He is expected to miss about two weeks, another top-six forward gone along with Nugent-Hopkins.
Update: Larkin ruled out of the first two games with an upper-body injury; McLellan hopes for Game 3
Dylan Larkin will miss Friday's opener against the Rangers and Sunday's game against Winnipeg with an upper-body injury from offseason training. McLellan said he hopes Larkin can play in Game 3, Tuesday against Ottawa, and called him day-to-day.
Gustav Forsling a late scratch in San Jose with an upper-body injury; Balinskis draws in
Forsling took part in warmups before Thursday's game against the Sharks but was then ruled out with an upper-body injury, and Uvis Balinskis took his place. He is considered day-to-day. Florida plays next on Sunday in Anaheim.
Update: Johnathan Kovacevic joins the Devils' morning skate for the first time this season
Kovacevic is recovering from offseason knee surgery and skated with his NHL teammates Thursday morning, a step forward in his recovery. He remains on injured reserve.
Matty Beniers had his knee iced after blocking a shot in the win at Calgary
Beniers took a painful block on the penalty kill in the first period and finished the game, but had his knee wrapped in ice afterward. The Kraken haven't given a status update yet.
Korpisalo goes on IR, week-to-week with a lower-body injury; Garand recalled from Hartford to back up
The Rangers put backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve with a lower-body injury that keeps him out week to week, and recalled Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. Shesterkin starts tonight against Tampa Bay, and Garand could get Friday's back-to-back game in Detroit, the start Korpisalo had been lined up for.
Update: Provorov placed on injured reserve, out at least the first week
Columbus put Ivan Provorov on IR on Thursday. A shot hit his left ankle in the preseason finale. With Provorov, Fabbro and Severson all out, three of the Blue Jackets' top five defensemen miss tonight's opener against Buffalo.
Update: Stars move Matt Duchene to long-term injured reserve, retroactive to Sept. 22
Dallas put Duchene on LTIR with the lower-body injury he has had since the start of camp, so he misses at least the first 10 games. The Stars recalled forwards Colin Blackwell and Arttu Hyry from AHL Texas.
Update: Nugent-Hopkins goes on IR, Savoie and Regula move to LTIR, Samanski recalled
The Oilers put Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve (Babcock expects about two weeks) and moved Matt Savoie and defenseman Alec Regula to long-term IR, both listed month-to-month. Josh Samanski was recalled from Bakersfield on an emergency basis.
Update: Frederik Andersen moved to long-term injured reserve and expected out until December
Edmonton moved goalie Frederik Andersen to LTIR before Thursday's game in Vancouver, according to the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson. He isn't expected back before December, which leaves Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi as the tandem.
Hedman plays his first game since March 19 in Thursday's opener at the Rangers
Victor Hedman is in the lineup for the first time since March 19. He missed the last 15 regular-season games and seven playoff games on a mental-health leave, and is projected on the third pair with Charle-Edouard D'Astous.
Update: Oliver Kapanen back at practice in Pittsburgh ahead of Saturday's game against the Penguins
Kapanen missed the opener in Toronto with a lower-body injury and practiced with the team Thursday in Pittsburgh. His status for Saturday isn't set. If he plays, it could move Newhook off the second-line center spot.
Update: Poitras back at practice but skips the Winnipeg-Minnesota trip; could return next week
Matt Poitras (lower body, on IR) practiced Thursday for the first time in over a week. Sturm said one practice isn't enough, so Poitras won't travel for the back-to-back in Winnipeg and Minnesota. He could join the lineup during the homestand that starts Oct. 6 against Ottawa.
Update: Devon Levi confirmed to start tonight in Vancouver in place of Tristan Jarry
Babcock confirmed Levi gets the start in Vancouver, his first for Edmonton. Jarry allowed six goals on 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss. Projected forward lines: Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl, Jones-Dach-Kapanen, Formenton-Michaels-Joseph, Howard-Samanski-Frederic.
Update: Kraken confirm Joey Daccord in goal for the opener in Calgary
The team's game preview lists Daccord as tonight's starter, with Grubauer backing up. Berkly Catton centers the third line between Winterton and Shane Wright; Samoskevich and O'Brien are on IR.
Akira Schmid makes his Panthers debut in goal at San Jose after Markstrom's opening shutout
Schmid starts Thursday against the Sharks in place of Jacob Markstrom, who made 15 saves in a shutout in the opener at Carolina. Florida is expected to use the same skaters as in the opener.
Spencer Knight expected to start again Thursday in Utah
The game preview lists Knight in goal for Chicago against the Mammoth, two nights after he allowed four goals on 36 shots in Vegas. Karel Vejmelka is set to start for Utah, with Sebastian Cossa backing up.
Joey Daccord in line to start the Kraken's opener in Calgary
Seattle's preview projects Daccord in goal Thursday, with Philipp Grubauer backing up. Mackie Samoskevich stays out on injured reserve, and Ryan Winterton keeps his place on the third line.
Joseph Woll expected to make his Flyers debut in goal at New Jersey after Vladar allowed seven
The Flyers skipped their morning skate after the 7-0 loss to Pittsburgh. Woll is expected to start tonight's second game of the back-to-back against the Devils. Vladar gave up seven goals on 38 shots in the opener.
Jet Greaves gets the opening-night start against Buffalo
Greaves was first off the ice at the morning skate and is projected to start tonight's opener against the Sabres. Werenski and Mateychuk make up the top pair, and Soucy and Andrae fill in for the injured defensemen.
Jake Oettinger expected to start Friday's opener against St. Louis
Oettinger is in line to start the Stars' home opener against the Blues on Friday, with Casey DeSmith backing up. Dallas then plays the second half of a back-to-back in Nashville on Saturday.
Canucks keep the lineup that beat Edmonton; Kevin Lankinen starts the home opener
At morning skate Vancouver showed no changes from Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win, and Lankinen (32 saves Tuesday) is in goal for what would be his 100th start as a Canuck. The team reported no new injuries.
Dylan Garand likely to start Friday in Detroit, the second half of the back-to-back
Shesterkin played Thursday's home opener, and Korpisalo is on IR. That makes Garand, just recalled from Hartford, the likely starter against the Red Wings unless Shesterkin plays both nights. Garand went 2-0-1 with a .948 save percentage in three NHL starts last season.
Linus Ullmark expected in goal for Saturday's opener in Toronto; Ersson gets one of the Monday-Tuesday back-to-back
The Hockey News' Senators site projects Ullmark to start the opener. Samuel Ersson is lined up for one of the back-to-back games against Boston (Monday) or Detroit (Tuesday).
Update: Seravalli floats Edmonton as a long-shot Hellebuyck landing spot, with Jarry going to Winnipeg
Frank Seravalli asked whether Hellebuyck's wish to play in the U.S. is a firm demand or only a preference, and floated an Oilers deal that would send Tristan Jarry to Winnipeg after Jarry's rough opener. He called it a long shot because Edmonton has little cap room and few assets. Hellebuyck is losing about $38,700 a day while suspended.
Update: Friedman says Montreal lost out on Marchenko because it wouldn't take on the Wood and Merzlikins contracts
On 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman called Montreal the most active suitor for Kirill Marchenko all summer. He said the Canadiens fell short because they wouldn't take on the contracts of Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins, which Toronto did. He also hinted that Montreal tried to bring another team's player into a three-way deal.
Marek: Nashville is looking at Canadiens defensemen Struble, Engstrom and Arber Xhekaj
Jeff Marek said on DFO Insider that the Predators are interested in Montreal's extra left-shot defensemen. A trade would also open a spot for prospect David Reinbacher, who was sent to Laval.
Sabres recall defenseman Dennis Gilbert and move Olen Zellweger to injured reserve
Gilbert came up from Rochester on opening day as blue-line insurance and is likely the extra defenseman. Zellweger, still in concussion protocol, went on IR; Saturday against Chicago is still possible.
Rutger McGroarty sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after sitting as a healthy scratch in the opener
McGroarty, 22, made the opening roster mainly because of injuries and was scratched for the 7-0 win in Philadelphia. The Penguins then assigned him to the AHL.
Stars recall Colin Blackwell and Arttu Hyry from AHL Texas, using cap room freed by Duchene's LTIR move
Duchene's $4.5M cap hit came off when he went on long-term injured reserve, and Dallas used the room to call up both forwards before Friday's opener against St. Louis. Blackwell had cleared waivers earlier in the week. Duchene can't play before Oct. 25.
Bettman says players using no-trade clauses to force trades to teams they choose is not good for the game
On Sportsnet 590 Thursday, Gary Bettman said no-trade clauses were meant to protect players who sign long-term, not to let them demand a trade to a team of their choosing. He named cases like Brady Tkachuk, Larkin and Hellebuyck. The league will watch the trend and could raise it with the players' union.
Matt Rempe a healthy scratch for the home opener; Jaroslav Chmelar draws in on the fourth line
Coach Mike Sullivan sat Rempe for Thursday's 5-1 win over Tampa Bay and put Chmelar on the fourth-line right wing in his season debut. Matthew Robertson and Scott Morrow were also scratched.
Update: Martone and Bump benched for most of the third as Tocchet shortens his bench in the OT loss at New Jersey
Porter Martone played 12:27 and took only four third-period shifts. Alex Bump played 8:18 with one shift in the third. Tocchet said he went with his best nine forwards to handle Jack Hughes, and Tippett took Martone's spot on the Dvorak-Konecny line.
Tocchet shuffles lines in the 7-0 loss: Martone drops to the fourth line, Michkov moves up to the first
Tocchet went through eight forward combinations against Pittsburgh. He benched Porter Martone and then moved him down to the fourth line, and moved Matvei Michkov up to the top line. He said more changes may come before Thursday's game in New Jersey.
Spacek and Sturm projected as scratches in Nashville; Hunt and Bogosian form the third pair
NHL.com's projected lineup for tonight has David Spacek and Nico Sturm out. With Faber out, the pairs are Hughes-Spurgeon, Maatta-Brodin and Hunt-Bogosian. Wallstedt starts and Pickard backs up.
Adam Jiricek set for his NHL debut Friday in Dallas
The 2024 first-round defenseman is expected to debut in Friday's opener against the Stars. He is part of a seven-man blue line, with Mailloux and Tucker on IR. Binnington and Hofer are the goalies.
Wolf starts the home opener; Othmann, Pachal and Hanley expected to sit as scratches
Dustin Wolf starts against Seattle, with Cooley as backup. Othmann, Pachal and Hanley are projected scratches. Projected lines put Gridin-Frost-Coronato on top and Middleton with Parekh on the third pair. Huberdeau, on IR, is aiming for about Oct. 10.
Sam Dickinson a healthy scratch for the opener; Nolan Allan wins the spot next to Trouba
The 2024 11th-overall pick stayed out after the main group at morning skate, which signals he won't play against Florida. Tom Dellandrea is also out. Allan has skated with Jacob Trouba through the end of camp.
Update: Cirelli, not Harkins, centers Guentzel and Hagel in the projected opener lines; Harkins drops to the fourth line
NHL.com's projected lines for Thursday at the Rangers have Mikheyev-Point-Kucherov, Guentzel-Cirelli-Hagel, Viel-Girgensons-Holmberg and Goncalves-Harkins-Geekie, with Vasilevskiy in goal. Projected pairs: Moser-Carlson, McDonagh-Cernak, Hedman-D'Astous. Sabourin, Lilleberg and Crozier are the projected scratches.
With Larkin out, Andrew Copp centers DeBrincat and Raymond in the projected lines for tonight's opener
Detroit's practice lines for Friday's opener against the Rangers: DeBrincat-Copp-Raymond, Finnie-Compher-Arvidsson, Rasmussen-Kasper-Kolesar and Appleton-Danielson-Brandsegg-Nygard, with Carter Mazur as the extra forward. Larkin did some drills but took no line rushes.
Update: Greer set to return on the top line; Judd Caulfield to debut and Nick Jensen a projected scratch
NHL.com's projected lineup has A.J. Greer back with Carlsson and Gauthier after he missed the preseason. Judd Caulfield makes his NHL debut on the fourth line. Travis Mitchell plays on the second pair, and new defenseman Nick Jensen sits out with Colangelo and Klepov.
The defending champs opened their title defense with 15 shots in 65 minutes, which is a very Hurricanes way to play: all forecheck, no evidence. Markstrom barely broke a sweat in his first game as a Panther, and the winner came from a defenseman in overtime, of course the first goal of the season between these two took 64 minutes and 55 seconds. Imama and Deslauriers handled the entertainment portion of the evening in the first period. The rest of it played like a tax audit with better lighting.
Nylander scored before most of Scotiabank Arena found its seats, and for about ten minutes the new-look Leafs looked like a whole new team. Then the Canadiens scored three in a row and it looked like the old one. Alexandre Carrier, a defenseman, scored the unassisted winner, Josh Anderson did Josh Anderson things, and Toronto's late push got them within one and no closer. Marchenko's visa arrived just in time for him to find out what October in Toronto feels like. The good news for the Leafs: they get to try again tonight.
For 56 minutes this was a goalie duel. For the last four it was a Bruins highlight reel: Minten, Peterka, then Kastelic into the empty net, three goals in 75 seconds of game time. Swayman pitched a 24-save shutout, and the Rangers' new-look forward group left with a clean sheet of zeroes in the points column. Dorofeyev fired five shots in his debut, which is five more than the Rangers got past Swayman. Shesterkin got zero help,
Last season's last-place team walked into Edmonton, went up 5-2, gave all of it back, and won anyway. Hockey is a beautiful, stupid sport. Evan Bouchard put up five points, a hat trick included, and still lost, which is about as cruel as opening night gets, besides letting three in the last two. Paul Cotter scored shorthanded to open it and in overtime to end it, bookending the chaos. Jarry got put on skates letting 6 of 23 go in. Same old story, the oily Edmonton net minders continue to be leaking worse than the Oiler's cup hopes in June.
Patrick Kane scored in his first game back in a Blackhawks sweater, the United Center crowd would have loved it, except this was in Las Vegas. Thirty-nine seconds later Noah Hanifin restored the two-goal cushion, which is the kind of hospitality Vegas is famous for. Eichel ran the show with three points and the Knights outshot Chicago 36-26 under their new coach. The Hawks hung around for two periods, and hanging around is progress for a team that finished with 72 points last season.
Update: LeBrun says Kucherov has no plans to test free agency; both sides expect an extension
Nikita Kucherov is in the last year of his $9.5M-a-year deal after summer talks with agent Dan Milstein didn't land. LeBrun reports he doesn't intend to reach the open market and both sides remain confident they'll agree.
Stars extend backup goalie Casey DeSmith: two years, $5M ($2.5M AAV)
The 35-year-old's extension covers 2027-28 and 2028-29. He is in the last year of a three-year, $3M deal. Jim Nill called the Oettinger-DeSmith tandem the team's anchor.
Golden Knights extend William Karlsson two years at $6.75M AAV
Vegas signed the 33-year-old center, an original Golden Knight, to a two-year, $13.5M extension through 2028-29. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported it first and the team announced it. It keeps a top-nine center in place after this season, when his current deal was set to expire.
Update: Unsigned Edvinsson goes home to Sweden and skates with Frolunda
The RFA defenseman left Detroit and is working out with Frolunda of the SHL while contract talks continue. LeBrun calls the talks a grind, and Detroit is still pushing for a long-term deal.
Friedman: Nikishin turned down an eight-year offer at $5.5-6M a season and wants about $9M over five
Per Elliotte Friedman, the unsigned RFA defenseman rejected Carolina's long-term offer. He is said to like Los Angeles, though the Kings are tight on cap space. St. Louis and Winnipeg are also linked.
Avalanche extend coach Jared Bednar through 2030-31
Colorado gave Bednar a four-year extension on opening day; he had been heading into the last year of his deal. He is the franchise's winningest coach and won the Cup in 2022.
Seravalli: executives expect Bill Daly to succeed Bettman, possibly in three to five years
Frank Seravalli reports that well-connected executives widely expect deputy commissioner Bill Daly to be the next commissioner. Bettman could stay three to five more years and then take an advisory role, while some owners want a formal search.
Backlund stays captain; Whitecloud and Huberdeau get the A, with a rotation while Huberdeau is out
Mikael Backlund returns as captain for a fourth season. Zach Whitecloud and Jonathan Huberdeau are the alternates. While Huberdeau is on IR after hip surgery, Joel Farabee, Jake Middleton and Ryan Strome will take turns wearing the A.
Sharks name Toffoli, Wennberg, Goodrow and Darnell Nurse alternate captains under Celebrini
Goodrow and Wennberg will wear the A at home, and Toffoli and Nurse on the road. Nurse arrived from Edmonton this summer and gets a letter in his first season with San Jose.
Andrew Mangiapane hurt in the opener and out at least the next two games
Mangiapane took one shift in the second period of the 5-2 loss in Vegas and left with a lower-body injury. Blashill says he won't play again on this road trip, which likely opens a spot for healthy scratch Teuvo Teravainen.
Update: Zellweger ruled out of Thursday's opener; Saturday vs. Chicago still possible
Olen Zellweger has been in concussion protocol since Sept. 22 and did not pass his tests, so he will not play Thursday at Columbus. Lindy Ruff did not rule him out for Saturday against the Blackhawks, and he will be tested again Thursday.
Update: Sanderson skates alone and is uncertain for Saturday, though Staios says he's confident
Jake Sanderson skated on his own Wednesday and skipped the full practice because he didn't feel right. Travis Green says the earliest he can rejoin the group is Friday. GM Steve Staios told TSN 1200 he is confident Sanderson will be ready for Saturday's opener in Toronto.
Update: Burakovsky out this weekend; Foegele hopeful for Saturday, Zub on schedule
Andre Burakovsky (upper body) has not skated since leaving the preseason finale, and Travis Green doesn't expect him to play this weekend. Warren Foegele (undisclosed) practiced and hopes to play Saturday in Toronto. Artem Zub (knee) is on schedule to return early in the season.
Connor Brown hurt, out for the first two games; Stefan Noesen draws in for the opener
Brown aggravated a lower-body injury on Monday and will miss Thursday's opener against Philadelphia and the game after it. The Devils are waiting on imaging but don't expect him to be out long. Noesen takes his spot on a line with Cody Glass and Amadeus Lombardi.
Update: Barzal could skate by the weekend; next Tuesday against the Rangers is a possible return
GM Mathieu Darche says Mathew Barzal has progressed and should be back on the ice this weekend or early next week. He shouldn't need long after that. He still misses tonight in Toronto and Saturday against New Jersey.
Update: Tyler Tucker has knee surgery and will be re-evaluated in six weeks
Tucker had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday and is out indefinitely. GM Alexander Steen says he will be re-evaluated in six weeks. He was already on injured reserve.
Update: Matt Duchene doubtful for Friday's opener after a setback
Glen Gulutzan says Duchene had a setback on the road with the same lower-body injury he had at the start of camp and is doubtful against St. Louis. Without him, Dallas could dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Provorov misses a third straight day and is questionable for Thursday's opener; Andrae would draw in
Ivan Provorov blocked a shot in Saturday's preseason finale and has not been on the ice since. Columbus calls him day-to-day and hasn't ruled him out against Buffalo. If he can't go, Emil Andrae, who came over in the Knies trade, is expected to take his spot.
Update: Rust and Kindel practice in no-contact jerseys; Lizotte activated from IR
Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel took part in Wednesday's practice in no-contact jerseys. Both are still listed week-to-week, and Rust's return is pegged at about one to two weeks. Blake Lizotte was activated from injured reserve before the opener in Philadelphia.
Update: Barzal ruled out of the opener and Saturday's game
Newsday's Andrew Gross reports Mathew Barzal (knee) won't play Wednesday in Toronto or Saturday against New Jersey, and may start skating again this weekend or early next week.
Update: Grebenkin ruled out of tonight's opener and unlikely for Thursday at New Jersey
Nikita Grebenkin (undisclosed injury) won't play against Pittsburgh tonight. Rick Tocchet says he is further from a return than Denver Barkey, which makes Thursday's game at New Jersey doubtful too.
Update: Stars put Matt Duchene on injured reserve after his setback; he is doubtful for Friday's opener
Dallas moved Duchene to IR on Wednesday after his lower-body injury flared up on the team's road trip. Gulutzan says he's back on a maintenance program. The Stars expect to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen against St. Louis, with Sam Steel likely moving to center.
Update: Drew Helleson placed on injured reserve, so he won't be ready for Friday's opener
Helleson had been day-to-day and aiming to play Friday in Vegas. The Ducks put him on IR instead, which keeps him out of the opener. Troy Terry formally moved to long-term IR as he recovers from hip surgery.
Update: Samuelsson practices Wednesday and could play Thursday's opener
Mattias Samuelsson (lower body, hurt Sept. 22) practiced with the team Wednesday and could return Thursday at Columbus, which would ease a thin Sabres blue line.
Update: Joel Edmundson cleared to play in tonight's opener after being day-to-day
Edmundson took the morning skate and Peter Laviolette cleared him to play tonight in Colorado. He is expected to pair with Brandt Clarke. Dumoulin-Doughty and Anderson-Ceci make up the other two pairs.
Update: Marchand practices in San Jose and Maurice says he's ahead of his October timeline
Brad Marchand, on IR after August surgery, practiced with the Panthers Wednesday in San Jose. Paul Maurice said he's further along than expected and could be back before the end of October. Gus Forsling and Brady Tkachuk sat out the practice but are expected to play Thursday against the Sharks.
Update: Ovechkin says he'll play Friday's opener at Carolina after missing the preseason
Ovechkin has been practicing fully for about a week after a lower-body injury in camp, and he confirmed he will play against the Hurricanes. Carbery says he may manage the 41-year-old's minutes early on. Washington plays at Tampa Bay on Saturday, the second night of a back-to-back.
Update: A.J. Greer back in full-contact practice and trending toward Friday's opener
Greer has been recovering from an upper-body injury since the first day of camp. He took part in full-contact practice, which makes him likely to play Friday in Vegas. The Ducks haven't confirmed it yet.
Update: Luukkonen expected to start Thursday's opener at Columbus
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been in the starter's net at practice for two straight days after tweaking a lower-body injury in the preseason finale. He is expected to start Thursday against the Blue Jackets.
Mackenzie Blackwood starts in goal for the Avalanche's opener against Los Angeles
Blackwood gets the opening-night start tonight after a strong camp and preseason. T.J. Hughes makes his NHL debut on the top power play with MacKinnon, Makar, Necas and Landeskog, and Noah Juulsen comes in as the seventh defenseman.
Stolarz expected to start the second half of the back-to-back against the Islanders
After Bobrovsky started the 3-2 opening loss to Montreal, Anthony Stolarz is expected in net Wednesday against the Islanders. The Leafs don't plan to have either goalie play both nights this early in the season.
Update: Stolarz starts against the Islanders; Bo Groulx draws in
TSN's Mark Masters reported after Wednesday's optional skate that Anthony Stolarz starts the back half of the back-to-back. Jim Hiller said Groulx makes his season debut but didn't say who comes out.
Darcy Kuemper expected to start the opener against Colorado, with Forsberg backing up
Kuemper was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, which usually marks the starter. Anton Forsberg is the backup. The projected top line is Panarin-Byfield-Kempe.
Juuse Saros set to start Thursday's opener against Minnesota; Wallstedt goes for the Wild
Saros is expected in net for Nashville's home opener, coming off a season with a 3.16 GAA and .894 save percentage. Minnesota counters with Jesper Wallstedt, with Calvin Pickard backing up while Gustavsson recovers from hip surgery.
Devon Levi expected to start Thursday's rematch in Vancouver after Jarry's rough opener
Tristan Jarry allowed six goals on 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss. Levi is expected to start the second game of the home-and-home on Thursday. Babcock hasn't publicly named his starter.
Dustin Wolf expected to start the Flames' last Saddledome home opener against Seattle
Wolf is projected to start Thursday's opener, with Devin Cooley as his backup. The Flames have no morning skate because of the early start, so the full lineup will only be known at warmups.
Update: Dreger says the Jets will stay patient on Hellebuyck and won't take a futures-only return
TSN's Darren Dreger says Winnipeg won't settle for picks and prospects alone. A deal likely needs a team hit by a goalie injury, or one that decides Hellebuyck is worth the Jets' price. Hellebuyck is losing about $38,000 a day while suspended.
Update: Dreger says a Larkin trade to Montreal is dead because he still won't go to a Canadian team
Darren Dreger said on TSN 690 that 'the Larkin ship has sailed' for the Canadiens. Larkin has added teams to his list but still won't accept a trade to a Canadian club, which takes Montreal out of it.
Flyers looking to trade for a bigger defenseman, with over $12M in cap space
Pagnotta and Daily Faceoff's DiMarco report that GM Daniel Briere wants a defenseman with size to go with York and Drysdale. David Jiricek, a healthy scratch after a poor camp, could be the one displaced. None of the remaining free agents look like a top-six fit, so it would likely take a trade and may take some time.
LeBrun: the Islanders tried to trade for Marchenko but had no Knies-type player to offer
LeBrun reports the Islanders went after Kirill Marchenko and were confident they could extend him, but couldn't match Toronto's offer built around Matthew Knies. GM Mathieu Darche wouldn't confirm it but said the team calls whenever a good player is available, and insists the Islanders aren't rebuilding.
Injured defenseman Mattias Havelid sent to the Barracuda
Havelid, 22, missed the preseason with an upper-body injury. He was reassigned to AHL San Jose because the Sharks have no room for him on the 23-man roster.
Ducks recall defensemen Luneau, Mitchell and Noah Warren for Friday's opener
With Helleson on IR and Ian Moore hurt, Anaheim brought up three defensemen from San Diego: Tristan Luneau, Travis Mitchell and Noah Warren. It is Warren's first NHL recall. Luneau is projected on the top pair with LaCombe.
NHL launches 'Hot for Hockey', short romance-novel-style audio stories about real players, aimed at new fans
The league launched a Spotify series of 60-to-90-second stories written and read by hockey-romance authors, built on real players and storylines. Bettman said the data shows many new fans found the sport through shows like Heated Rivalry and Off Campus.
Amadeus Lombardi set to make his NHL debut in Thursday's opener against the Flyers
Lombardi, a young forward, will play his first NHL game Thursday against Philadelphia. Coach Sheldon Keefe praised his work ethic and his better checking and puck-hunting. Brett Pesce starts the season healthy and paired with Luke Hughes.
Update: Roger McQueen and Cruz Lucius sent to San Diego after Terry goes on LTIR
McQueen and Lucius were on the opening roster only to help the Ducks' cap math. With Troy Terry now on long-term injured reserve, the Ducks assigned both to AHL San Diego and recalled defensemen Tristan Luneau, Travis Mitchell and Noah Warren.
Islanders' projected opener: Ritchie centers the second line, Sorokin in goal, Mayfield scratched
The Islanders' preview for Wednesday in Toronto has Cal Ritchie centering Matias Maccelli and Brayden Schenn, and rookie Victor Eklund on the third line with Pageau and Heineman. Scott Mayfield, Kyle MacLean and Matt Kessel are the expected scratches. Ilya Sorokin is expected to start.
Couturier and Acciari skip the optional skate but will play; they share a fourth line tonight
Sean Couturier and Noel Acciari sat out the morning skate but are healthy for the opener. They'll anchor the fourth line, swapping center duties depending on the faceoff side, with Grundstrom and Garrett Wilson rotating at left wing. Tocchet says Barkey (day-to-day) is improving.
Update: Corey Perry is back from personal leave but won't play in tonight's opener in Colorado
Perry rejoined the Kings after a few days away for personal reasons and took the morning skate. He was one of the last players on the ice with the extras, which usually means a scratch, and he is not expected to dress against the Avalanche.
Lightning opener lines: Harkins centers Hagel and Guentzel, Cirelli on the third line, Vasilevskiy in goal
The Lightning's projected lines for the opener at the Rangers, from Wednesday's practice: Mikheyev-Point-Kucherov, Hagel-Harkins-Guentzel and Goncalves-Cirelli-Geekie. John Carlson is paired with JJ Moser, and Andrei Vasilevskiy is listed in goal with Dennis Hildeby. The team called the lines subject to change.
Blackhawks shuffle lines after the Vegas loss: Frondell centers Kane and Bertuzzi, and Teravainen comes back in
At Wednesday's practice, rookie Anton Frondell centered Patrick Kane and Tyler Bertuzzi. Teravainen, a healthy scratch in the opener, skated with Kantserov and Lardis, and Oliver Moore dropped to a line with Nazar and Donato. With Mangiapane hurt, the changes point to Teravainen drawing in Thursday in Utah.
Perfetti moves up to the top line and rookie Viggo Bjorck centers the second; Bjorck and Tyrel Bauer debut vs Boston
At practice Connor-Scheifele-Perfetti made up the top line, with Rosen-Bjorck-Vilardi second and Barron-Lowry-Lambert third. Ferraro and Bauer were the third defense pair and Koepke was the extra forward. TSN says Bjorck, the No. 8 pick in June, and Bauer both make their NHL debuts Friday.
Hurricanes waive goalie Cayden Primeau to send him to AHL Chicago
Carolina put Primeau on waivers Wednesday so it can assign him to the Chicago Wolves, a day after he made the opening roster as the third goalie. Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov stay as the NHL tandem. Primeau is on a two-year, one-way deal at $912,500 a year.
Update: Vincent Iorio clears waivers and heads to AHL Hartford
Nobody claimed the defenseman after the Rangers waived him once he was healthy, so he can go to the Wolf Pack. Scott Morrow stays with the Rangers as the extra defenseman.
Update: Blue Jackets sign Carson Soucy to a one-year, $1.15M deal after his camp tryout
Columbus signed defenseman Carson Soucy, 32, to a one-year contract worth $1.15 million after he spent camp on a PTO. GM Don Waddell said Soucy earned the deal with his camp. He is expected to play in the top six with Fabbro and Severson hurt.
Flames sign 2026 second-rounder Chase Harrington to a three-year entry-level deal ($1.075M AAV)
The 18-year-old forward went 36th overall in 2026 and was just named captain of the WHL's Spokane Chiefs, where he will play this season. Because of his late birthday, the deal can slide this season and next.
Friedman: Vince Dunn and the Kraken have talked extension, but there is work to do
Dunn can become a free agent next summer, and Friedman ranks him the second-best defenseman on that market after Quinn Hughes. He said the two sides have talked but are not close yet.
Update: Johnston says no real progress on a Larkin trade, even with his wider list
Chris Johnston reports that Dylan Larkin's longer list of acceptable destinations hasn't produced new talks. Detroit plans to start the season supporting him while working toward a deal, and a move isn't expected soon.
Schaefer and Schenn named Islanders alternate captains; Schaefer, 19, is the youngest in team history
Matthew Schaefer and Kyle Palmieri will wear the A at home, and Brayden Schenn and Ryan Pulock on the road, under captain Bo Horvat. At 19, Schaefer is the youngest alternate captain in franchise history.
Thomas Chabot named Senators captain; Giroux, Stutzle and Sanderson are the alternates
Ottawa named defenseman Thomas Chabot its 11th captain on Tuesday, filling the spot Brady Tkachuk left when he was traded to Florida in June. Chabot is the longest-serving active Senator. Claude Giroux, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson will wear the A.
Canucks name six rotating alternate captains and still no captain
Boeser, Pettersson and Buium will wear the A on the road, and Hronek, Linus Karlsson and Drew O'Connor at home. The rebuilding Canucks are going without a captain again.
Update: Marchenko's work visa still pending on game day; his Leafs debut tonight is up in the air
Kirill Marchenko reached Toronto after Monday's trade and extension, but his Canadian work visa wasn't finalized Tuesday morning. GM John Chayka says the plan is for him to play against Montreal, but it's in immigration's hands.
Update: Marchenko's visa comes through; he makes his Leafs debut tonight against Montreal
Kirill Marchenko's Canadian work visa was finalized in time, so the winger acquired Monday from Columbus is cleared to play in Toronto's opener against the Canadiens, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and TSN.
Update: Barzal traveled to Toronto but is now expected to miss Wednesday's opener
Mathew Barzal went to Toronto with the team but is expected to sit out the opener against the Maple Leafs. Coach Pete DeBoer said Barzal is doing everything with the team except skating.
Update: Brock Faber had surgery for a skull fracture and is out indefinitely
The Wild say Faber fractured his skull when a shot hit him near the ear in Friday's preseason game against Dallas, and he had surgery Sunday. GM Bill Guerin gave no timeline and says the team will follow the doctors. Spurgeon and Quinn Hughes are among those taking on his minutes.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hurt at Monday's practice and out for tonight's opener
Nugent-Hopkins suffered a lower-body injury at practice and will miss the opener against Vancouver, so McDavid and Draisaitl will center separate lines. He joins Savoie, Dickinson, Janmark and Andersen on the sidelines.
Update: A.J. Greer and Drew Helleson day-to-day and aiming to play Friday's opener in Vegas
Joel Quenneville said both are targeting opening night. If Greer can't go, rookies Roger McQueen, Judd Caulfield and Nikita Klepov are all set to make their NHL debuts. Dostal and Husso are the goalies.
Update: Sanderson misses Tuesday's practice too, putting Saturday's opener in Toronto in some doubt
Jake Sanderson was expected back on the ice Tuesday but missed practice again after leaving the preseason finale as a precaution. Ottawa opens Saturday at Toronto.
Merzlikins out three to five more months after shoulder surgery; Miles Wood starts the season with the Marlies
GM John Chayka said goalie Elvis Merzlikins, acquired in the Marchenko trade, needs three to five more months after August shoulder surgery and will rehab in Switzerland. Winger Miles Wood, also from Columbus, starts with the AHL Marlies. He had already cleared waivers with the Blue Jackets.
Update: Zellweger still in concussion protocol and misses practice; day-to-day for Thursday's opener
Olen Zellweger was expected back for the opener, but he missed Tuesday's practice and Lindy Ruff lists him as day-to-day in concussion protocol. Buffalo wants seven healthy defensemen in Columbus, so a roster move may come if he or Samuelsson isn't ready.
Update: Nugent-Hopkins likely out about two weeks, not just the opener
Mike Babcock said that when he's told a player is day-to-day, it usually means two weeks, so Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (lower body, hurt at Monday's practice) is expected to miss several games after the opener. McDavid and Draisaitl stay split down the middle until he's back.
Update: Babcock says Savoie is about eight weeks away and Andersen may not return until December
Babcock put Matt Savoie at eight weeks as of the start of the week, which means late November. GM Stan Bowman had said later in October. Babcock guessed December for goalie Frederik Andersen (knee), so Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi hold the net well into the season.
Grebenkin misses the last practice before the opener and is day-to-day; Vladar says he's ready
Nikita Grebenkin missed Tuesday's practice and is day-to-day for Wednesday's opener against Pittsburgh. Dan Vladar said after practice that he is ready to play.
Rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet missed the opener with a minor camp injury
Brunet got hurt late in training camp and sat out Tuesday's opener against the Rangers. Marco Sturm expects him back very soon. Will Borgen moved to the top pair with McAvoy suspended.
Update: Larkin saw a doctor Monday and is skating as an extra; his status for Friday's opener is uncertain
Dylan Larkin is on the roster but skated as an extra forward rather than on a regular line. The Detroit Free Press's Helene St. James reports the team isn't sure he'll be ready for Friday's opener against the Rangers.
Oilers open with five on IR, among them Frederik Andersen, Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark
Edmonton begins the season with Andersen, Savoie, Janmark, Alec Regula and Jason Dickinson on injured reserve. After those moves the Oilers have about $303K in cap space and can bank up to roughly $1.4M by the trade deadline.
Rangers put defenseman Vincent Iorio on injured reserve before the opener in Boston
Iorio, hurt in the preseason opener, goes on IR as the Rangers set their 23-man roster. Rookie Alberts Smits is on the third pair, with Scott Morrow and Matthew Robertson as the extra defensemen.
Update: Blake Lizotte back at full practice and expected to play the opener in Philadelphia
Lizotte, who opened the season on IR as day-to-day, was a full participant in Tuesday's practice and is expected to center the fourth line on Wednesday. Filip Hallander moved up to the third line with Lapierre and Koivunen, and Connor Dewar dropped to the fourth line.
Update: Luukkonen back at practice and listed day-to-day ahead of Thursday's opener at Columbus
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen practiced Tuesday after tweaking his lower body in the preseason finale, and the Sabres call him day-to-day. Alex Lyon is still out with a shoulder injury, so Colten Ellis is the fallback if Luukkonen can't start.
Update: Samuelsson expected back at practice Wednesday and could play Thursday's opener
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson started the season on IR with a lower-body injury but is expected to rejoin practice Wednesday. He is a possibility for Thursday's opener at Columbus.
Update: Vladar cleared after his upper-body injury and set to start the opener against Pittsburgh
Dan Vladar has recovered from the upper-body injury he picked up in the preseason and is lined up to start Wednesday against the Penguins, with Joseph Woll as backup. Nikita Grebenkin missed practice and is day-to-day.
Update: Friedman says Carolina is the keenest Hellebuyck suitor, with a possible three-team deal around Nikishin
Elliotte Friedman reports the Hurricanes are the most motivated team, but the deal stalls because Alexander Nikishin won't sign in Winnipeg. Carolina may look for a three-team trade, possibly with St. Louis, a steady Nikishin pursuer. Anaheim may also have checked in. Hellebuyck's unpaid suspension now covers regular-season days, about $39K US a day.
Bruins shopping defenseman Henri Jokiharju after he cleared waivers to Providence
Elliotte Friedman reports Boston is trying to trade Henri Jokiharju. He cleared waivers and was sent to Providence after the summer additions of Borgen and Clifton pushed him out of the lineup.
LeBrun: suitors say the Jets are asking too much for Hellebuyck
Interested teams think Winnipeg's price is too high given its weak bargaining position. The Jets want a young, signed roster player, ideally a second-line forward, as the centerpiece rather than picks and prospects, and nobody has met that yet.
Johnston: Leafs 'patiently aggressive' after Marchenko deal and could add a defenseman
Chris Johnston says Toronto may keep upgrading, using Colorado's 2027 first-round pick and young prospects as trade chips. Defense is a likely target after Emil Andrae went to Columbus in the Marchenko trade.
LeBrun: Marchenko preferred Montreal, but the Habs had no Knies-type piece to offer
Pierre LeBrun reports that Marchenko leaned toward Montreal, where Ivan Demidov shares his agent. Columbus wanted a young NHL player on a good contract, and Montreal wouldn't give one up. He expects the Canadiens to keep chasing a big addition, especially next summer when they have cap room.
Blues seen as the only real suitor for Carolina's Alexander Nikishin, a key to any Hellebuyck deal
With the Rangers out, Nashville unwilling to pay the price and Nikishin unwilling to sign in Winnipeg, St. Louis is reported to be the one true contender for him. He is said to want about five years at $9M a season, and Carolina's pursuit of Hellebuyck may depend on where he lands.
Flyers keeping an eye on Larkin even though they're not on his expanded trade list
Daily Faceoff reports that Philadelphia, after missing out on Marchenko, sees Larkin as a fit at center and could offer a package like the one it made for Marchenko. Larkin hasn't added the Flyers to his list, so they're only watching for now.
Friedman: executives call Ryan O'Reilly's contract year an underreported story
In his 32 Thoughts column, Friedman says two executives pointed to O'Reilly, who is in the last year of his deal at $4.5M. Teams have kept trying to pry him from Nashville. If the Predators tell him there's no extension coming, he could become available. Montreal has been linked before.
LeBrun: Habs plan a big move next summer and would be in on McDavid if he asks out of Edmonton
Pierre LeBrun says Montreal will keep hunting for a major addition, especially next summer when it has cap room. He adds that if Connor McDavid asks the Oilers for a trade, the Canadiens would be among the teams in the mix. This is speculation, not active talks.
Steven Lorentz, acquired from Toronto, sent to AHL Cleveland; defenseman Emil Andrae joins the Blue Jackets' lineup
After the Marchenko trade with Toronto, Columbus put defenseman Emil Andrae straight onto the NHL roster and assigned center Steven Lorentz and forward Jack Williams to AHL Cleveland ahead of Thursday's opener against Buffalo.
Update: DiVincentiis loaned to the Moose as Stevenson backs up Skinner; Viggo Bjorck makes the Jets
Winnipeg's roster has 13 forwards, 8 defensemen, and goalies Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson. Goalie Domenic DiVincentiis and forward Brayden Yager were loaned to AHL Manitoba. Young forward Viggo Bjorck made the team. Garrett Brown, Elias Salomonsson and Walker Duehr are listed as injured non-roster.
Update: Teravainen is a healthy scratch for the opener in Vegas; Korchinski and Del Mastro also sit
Jeff Blashill confirmed Teuvo Teravainen will be the lone scratch at forward, saying Chicago has more NHL players than lineup spots. He added that Teravainen will play at some point on this road trip. Defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro are also projected to sit.
Update: Avalanche confirm 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the opener against Los Angeles
With Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux on injured reserve (lower body), Colorado will open Wednesday against the Kings with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, per the NHL's status report.
Krebs and Norris swap spots; Norris joins Tage Thompson's line for the opener
Lindy Ruff moved Peyton Krebs into a middle-six role and put Josh Norris with Tage Thompson. Ruff said the team will probably start that way Thursday in Columbus.
Update: Englund cleared to join Red Wings and practices for the first time; Gibson still out sick
Waiver claim Andreas Englund took part in his first Red Wings practice Monday, so the defenseman is now available for Friday's opener against the Rangers. John Gibson (illness) and Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper body) didn't practice. Unsigned Simon Edvinsson was also absent.
Brunette pairs Roman Josi with Ryan Ufko at practice before Thursday's opener
Andrew Brunette tried captain Josi with second-year defenseman Ufko at Tuesday's practice after they looked good together in exhibition games. Nashville carries nine defensemen and is still sorting out its pairs.
Without Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid and Draisaitl center separate lines and Max Jones draws in
The projection for the opener has Howard-McDavid-Hyman and Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen, with Max Jones on the fourth line with Owen Michaels and Trent Frederic. Emberson and Stastney are the scratches.
Raty, Brisebois and Mancini projected as scratches; Lekkerimaki on the top line with Pettersson and DeBrusk
NHL.com's projection for the opener in Edmonton has DeBrusk-Pettersson-Lekkerimaki and Ohgren-Rossi-Boeser as the top two lines. Buium is paired with Hronek, and Lankinen starts with Merilainen backing up.
Flyers shuffle lines before the opener: Zegras centers Tippett and Martone, Benoit in for Jiricek [reported]
At the last practice before Wednesday's opener against Pittsburgh, Rick Tocchet had Trevor Zegras centering the top line with Owen Tippett and Porter Martone. Simon Benoit took David Jiricek's third-pair spot next to Nick Seeler. Nikita Grebenkin and Denver Barkey are unavailable, so Carl Grundstrom plays on the fourth line.
Penguins' opener lines: Hallander moves up to the third line, Silovs in goal at Philadelphia [reported]
Tuesday's practice lines for Game 1: Robertson-Crosby-Rakell, Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin, Hallander-Lapierre-Koivunen and Dewar-Lizotte-Soderblom, with pairs Carlile-Karlsson, van Riemsdyk-Letang and Girard-Korczak. Arturs Silovs goes in as the No. 1 goalie, with Sergei Murashov backing up.
Knies slotted onto the top line with Fantilli and Kent Johnson for his Columbus debut
Matthew Knies, acquired from Toronto on Monday, is projected to play on the first line with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson and on the top power play when Columbus opens against Buffalo on Thursday.
First regular-season practice: Stenberg on the second line, Cagnoni on PP1, Allan and Dickinson fighting for a spot
Lines were Marchment-Celebrini-Smith, Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf and Chernyshov-Misa-Toffoli, with Sam Dickinson as the extra defenseman behind Nolan Allan. Warsofsky says nothing is decided for Thursday's opener against Florida.
Sabres waive Conor Sheary to send him to Rochester after he returns from injury
Conor Sheary, 34, got healthy after a preseason injury and practiced Tuesday. Buffalo then put him on waivers so it can assign him to AHL Rochester if nobody claims him. He is on a one-year, $850K deal.
Update: Rangers waive Vincent Iorio once healthy, keeping Scott Morrow as the extra defenseman
Iorio came off injured reserve and was put on waivers Tuesday, hours before the opener in Boston. If he clears, he's expected to report to AHL Hartford.
Update: Leafs complete Marchenko trade, sending Knies to Columbus; Marchenko signs six years at $12.5M AAV
Toronto got Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and injured goalie Elvis Merzlikins for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a 2027 second-round pick. Marchenko then signed a six-year, $75M contract with Toronto.
Leafs and Blue Jackets near a Knies-for-Marchenko blockbuster that also sends Merzlikins to Toronto
Friedman and LeBrun report Toronto would send Matthew Knies to Columbus for Kirill Marchenko, who would sign an extension, and injured goalie Elvis Merzlikins. As of Monday the deal was not finalized and other pieces were unknown.
Sweeney says the Bruins will keep talking extension with Pavel Zacha, now in the last year of his deal
GM Don Sweeney said Boston means to keep up contract talks with Zacha and called him a big part of the club, a softer tone than last week's trade-watch talk. Sweeney also gave no timetable for Matt Poitras, who opens the season on injured reserve.
Update: Nikishin will miss the opener; Tulsky says both sides are looking for a resolution
The unsigned restricted free agent skipped camp and won't play Tuesday against Florida. GM Eric Tulsky said his agent change doesn't alter Carolina's position; Legault or Mike Reilly takes his spot.
Update: Unsigned Edvinsson left off the opening roster and no longer practicing with the Red Wings
Simon Edvinsson, still an unsigned restricted free agent, was not on Detroit's 23-man roster at Monday's deadline. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff said Edvinsson has stopped practicing with the team while talks with his camp continue.
Update: Hellebuyck's unpaid suspension now runs in the regular season, and his salary is off Winnipeg's cap
The team suspended Hellebuyck on September 17. Now that games have started, he loses his pay for every day he stays away, and his salary no longer counts against the Jets' cap, which GM Cheveldayoff called procedural. That frees cap room while trade talks go on.
Update: Friedman says Hellebuyck won't start the season with the Jets and will give up pay rather than report
Per Elliotte Friedman, Hellebuyck is ready to lose game checks, which a suspended player forfeits from Tuesday's league opener on, rather than report. Carolina is still very interested, and Nikishin's unsigned status remains the sticking point in any deal. Skinner starts for Winnipeg in the meantime.
Oliver Kapanen out for the opener in Toronto with a lower-body injury; Newhook moves to second-line center
Kapanen is day-to-day and missed Monday's practice. Martin St-Louis said he won't play Tuesday at Toronto, and Alex Newhook took his spot at second-line center. St-Louis still wouldn't name his starting goalie. Kaiden Guhle practiced in a non-contact jersey.
Update: Burakovsky's status for the opener unclear; Sanderson sits Monday but expected back Tuesday
Andre Burakovsky missed Monday's practice after taking a hit Saturday, and Travis Green had no update. Jake Sanderson also skipped Monday but is expected back Tuesday. Warren Foegele returned on the top line. Artem Zub had a setback and won't be ready for the start of the season. Hoyt Stanley and Stephen Halliday were still with the team at the deadline.
Barzal opens on injured non-roster but isn't ruled out for Wednesday's opener
Mathew Barzal aggravated an earlier injury in camp and is listed injured non-roster. He hasn't been ruled out for Wednesday's opener in Toronto and is expected to skate that morning.
Update: Wild still evaluating Faber after the puck to the head; Hynes urges patience
Brock Faber is still being evaluated after taking a puck to the head in Friday's preseason game, and coach John Hynes said the team has to give it time. The Wild open Thursday at Nashville; without Faber, Spurgeon has been skating next to Quinn Hughes.
Update: Jason Dickinson ruled out of the opener; Oilers loan Josh Samanski to Bakersfield
Dickinson skated Monday but won't play Tuesday against Vancouver because of his foot injury. The Oilers loaned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL Condors to trim the roster, which leaves 14 forwards. Savoie, Janmark and Regula are still hurt.
Update: Seth Jarvis not expected back until late October at the earliest
Jarvis skated in camp while recovering from June shoulder surgery but remains on the injured non-roster list. Eric Robinson is projected in his top-line spot with Svechnikov and Aho.
Oliver Kapanen out for the opener with a lower-body injury
The Canadiens list the second-line center as day-to-day after he missed Monday's practice, and Martin St-Louis said he won't play in Toronto. Alex Newhook moves up to center Slafkovsky and Demidov.
Update: Jason Dickinson ruled out of the opener as the Oilers set their roster
Babcock confirmed the centre won't be ready for Tuesday after his foot setback. Edmonton loaned Josh Samanski to Bakersfield to reach 23 players, with Owen Michaels in line to fill the gap down the middle.
Jake DeBrusk misses practice with a lower-body injury but is expected to play the opener
DeBrusk was hit by a Brock Boeser shot in Saturday's preseason finale. Coach Manny Malhotra said the team only wanted an extra day to check on him; Arshdeep Bains skated in his top-line spot and Max Sasson on PP1.
Update: Bedard travels to Vegas but is still limited to skating on his own
Connor Bedard will be with the team for the opening road trip but is cleared only for individual skating, not team practice, and isn't expected to be cleared during the trip. November remains the timeline for his return from July shoulder surgery.
Damon Severson to miss at least the first two games as his shoulder recovery continues
Coach Rick Bowness said Severson won't play Thursday's opener against Buffalo unless a doctor clears him that day. He had shoulder surgery in April, and Columbus is aiming for the Oct. 9 game against Pittsburgh for his return, with no guarantee.
Barzal starts on the injured non-roster list with a knee problem but isn't ruled out for Wednesday
Mathew Barzal missed camp after aggravating an earlier knee injury that caused inflammation. He's traveling to Toronto and is expected to skate Wednesday morning, and the designation lets New York activate him the day he's cleared.
Update: Logan Mailloux had hand surgery and is out at least eight weeks; Tyler Tucker also on IR
The Blues put both defensemen on injured reserve. Mailloux will be re-evaluated in eight weeks, and Tucker (lower body) is week-to-week. Waiver pickup Justin Barron and recalled Adam Jiricek give St. Louis cover on the blue line.
Joel Edmundson back at practice as a near-full participant, still day-to-day for the opener
Edmundson missed the preseason finale but returned to practice Monday. Laviolette said he was pretty much a full participant. He stays day-to-day, and Erik Gustafsson is the option if he can't play in Colorado.
Sabres open with three goalies and put six on IR, including Samuelsson, Zucker and Timmins
Buffalo's 23-man roster has Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis in goal, with Luukkonen and Lyon both nursing injuries before Thursday's opener at Columbus. Rathbone, Timmins, Samuelsson, Sheary, Zucker and goalie Leinonen start on IR. Ruff expects Zellweger to be ready.
Update: Bryan Rust placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury
The Penguins put Rust on IR after he was hurt in the preseason finale at Buffalo, so he joins Lizotte, Brazeau, Kindel and Graves. Pittsburgh set a 22-man opening roster; Kuzmenko is non-roster while on personal leave. The Penguins open Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Update: Mailloux has hand surgery and is out at least eight weeks; he and Tucker go on IR
Logan Mailloux had surgery on the right hand he hurt fighting Chicago's Cole Smith and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks. The Blues put him and Tyler Tucker (lower body, week-to-week) on injured reserve. Waiver claim Justin Barron and recalled Adam Jiricek cover the blue line for Friday's opener at Dallas.
Update: Bryan Rust goes on IR as the Penguins open with a 22-man roster
Rust (upper body) joins Lizotte, Brazeau, Kindel and Graves on injured reserve. Pittsburgh carries 13 forwards, seven defensemen and goalies Sergei Murashov and Arturs Silovs. Broz is on the injured non-roster list, and Kuzmenko is non-roster after returning to Russia.
Brad Marchand opens the season on injured reserve; Gadjovich listed injured non-roster
Florida's opening roster puts Marchand on injured reserve, so he misses tonight's opener at Carolina. Jonah Gadjovich is listed as injured non-roster. The team gave no timelines.
Update: Capitals make it official: Sandin opens the season on the injured non-roster list
Washington listed Rasmus Sandin as injured non-roster when it filed its 23-man opening roster on Monday. He is still skating on his own after ACL surgery in April and won't play in Friday's opener at Carolina.
Update: Barkey goes on season-opening IR and Grans is listed injured non-roster; Garrett Wilson makes the team
The Flyers' 23-man roster puts Denver Barkey on injured reserve. He was hurt in the preseason opener, and this kind of IR doesn't make him sit out a set number of games. Helge Grans is listed injured non-roster. Veteran Garrett Wilson, signed Sunday, made the team in Barkey's place.
Update: Devils confirm Kovacevic, Casey and Bjugstad on injured non-roster; Rittich loaned to Utica
New Jersey's opening roster lists Johnathan Kovacevic, Seamus Casey and Nick Bjugstad as injured non-roster. David Rittich cleared waivers and was loaned to AHL Utica. The Devils carry three goalies: Jake Allen, Nico Daws and Remi Poirier.
Update: Brock Faber opens the season on injured reserve after the puck to the head
The Wild put Faber on IR when they set their opening-night roster. IR means he sits at least seven days, so Saturday's home opener against Boston is the earliest he could be activated. Coach John Hynes's comments point to a concussion, and more is expected after Tuesday's practice.
Update: O'Connor and L'Heureux go on IR; cap-strapped Avs may dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen
Colorado put Logan O'Connor, Zachary L'Heureux, Taylor Makar, goalie Trent Miner and Georgii Merkulov on IR, backdated to Sept. 21. With about $49K in cap space the Avs can't call up a forward, so they'll play 11 forwards and 7 defensemen Wednesday against LA unless O'Connor or L'Heureux is healthy. Blackwood and Wedgewood are the goalies.
Update: Maveric Lamoureux has shoulder surgery and is out four to six months
GM Bill Armstrong said the 22-year-old defenseman had surgery Monday on a shoulder he dislocated in camp. He opens the season on injured reserve and is likely out until around the All-Star break.
Update: Kings confirm Fiala on IR and loan Kirsanov to Ontario; Kuemper and Forsberg in goal
The Kings' opening roster has 13 forwards, seven defensemen and goalies Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper, with no starter named. Kevin Fiala stays on injured reserve as he recovers from a broken leg, and defenseman Kirill Kirsanov was loaned to AHL Ontario.
Troy Terry opens on injured non-roster after hip surgery; teen Nikita Klepov makes the Ducks
Anaheim carries 16 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. Terry (hip surgery) is on injured non-roster, and Ian Moore is on IR. The 18-year-old first-rounder Klepov and Roger McQueen both made the team, and Travis Mitchell and goalie Laurent Brossoit were assigned to San Diego.
Update: Sharks put Gaudette, Couture and Barre-Boulet on IR; Askarov and Nedeljkovic in goal
San Jose starts with 14 forwards, including rookies Ivar Stenberg and Michael Misa, and seven defensemen, including Luca Cagnoni. Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic are the goalies. Adam Gaudette, Logan Couture and Alex Barre-Boulet are on injured reserve.
Update: Helge Grans goes on IR; Kolosov and Wilson head to Lehigh Valley at the deadline
Defenseman Helge Grans (lower body) starts on injured reserve and needs waivers before he can go to the AHL once healthy. Goalie Kolosov and Garrett Wilson are the other final cuts. David Jiricek made the opening roster.
Johnathan Kovacevic expected to open the season on injured reserve
Kovacevic didn't play in the preseason while recovering from last season's torn ACL. Putting him on IR would let New Jersey keep forwards Stefan Noesen and Jesper Boqvist without waiving anyone.
Leafs put Max Domi and newly acquired Elvis Merzlikins on LTIR to make cap room
Merzlikins is out indefinitely after shoulder surgery in late August, and Domi is still recovering from complications after back surgery. Having both on long-term IR gives Toronto cap room after taking on Marchenko and Miles Wood.
Update: Brady Tkachuk back at practice and cleared for the opener at Carolina
Tkachuk returned to full practice Monday after missing sessions, and Maurice said he's ready to go. He practiced on the top line with Barkov and Reinhart. The pairs were Forsling-Ekblad, Mikkola-Jones and Kulikov-Gudas, with Balinskis as the extra. Marchand is still out until about November.
Update: Brady Tkachuk cleared for the opener; starts on the top line with Barkov and Reinhart
Tkachuk was back at full practice Monday and Paul Maurice called him good to go for his Panthers debut in Carolina. He is set for the top line and the first power-play unit alongside his brother Matthew.
Pavel Mintyukov back at practice after illness, expected for Friday's opener in Vegas
Mintyukov practiced Monday after an illness kept him out of Saturday's preseason finale against the Kings. He is expected to be ready for Anaheim's season opener against the Golden Knights on Friday.
Update: Hutson and Demidov back at practice ahead of the opener
Both returned to practice Monday after sitting out the preseason finale; Hutson skated with Alexandre Carrier and Demidov on the second line. Florian Xhekaj looks like the extra forward.
Jets claim goalie Clay Stevenson off waivers from Washington to back up Skinner
Winnipeg claimed Clay Stevenson, 27, from the Capitals. He had a .921 SV% in four NHL games last season and won a Calder Cup with Hershey. With Hellebuyck suspended, Stevenson is expected to back up Stuart Skinner, and prospects DiVincentiis and Milic can stay with the Moose.
Tristan Jarry gets the opening-night start against Vancouver
Mike Babcock named Jarry to start Tuesday's opener against the Canucks. He had a .952 save percentage in the preseason to Devon Levi's .942. Levi backs up while Frederik Andersen is still out with a knee injury.
Tristan Jarry to start the opener against Vancouver; Devon Levi backs up
Mike Babcock picked Jarry for Tuesday's opener after a camp competition with Levi, citing his improved conditioning and his work with goalie coach Peter Aubry. Frederik Andersen remains out with a knee injury.
Jets claim goalie Clay Stevenson from Washington to back up Stuart Skinner
Winnipeg claimed the 27-year-old off waivers Monday, the only player claimed from Sunday's cuts. He went 3-1-0 with a .921 save percentage in four games for the Capitals last season and is expected to open as Skinner's backup.
Filip Gustavsson starts on IR after hip surgery; Wallstedt is the No. 1 with Pickard backing up
Minnesota also put goalie Filip Gustavsson on injured reserve. He is still recovering from offseason hip surgery and could be out another month or more. Jesper Wallstedt opens as the starter, with Calvin Pickard as his backup.
Canucks release goalie Chris Driedger from his tryout
Vancouver let Driedger go from his professional tryout on Monday without offering him a contract, according to CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal. The Canucks will rely on Lankinen and Merilainen while Demko recovers from hip surgery.
Brandon Bussi projected to start the opener as the Canes raise their Cup banner
NHL.com's projected lineup has Bussi in goal against Florida, with Pyotr Kochetkov backing up and Cayden Primeau kept as a third goalie. Bussi stopped all 22 shots in the preseason finale.
Markstrom projected to start the opener at Carolina; Balinskis the scratch
NHL.com projects Jacob Markstrom in goal for Florida against Brandon Bussi in Tuesday's opener, with Akira Schmid backing up. Defenseman Uvis Balinskis is projected as the healthy scratch.
Spencer Knight expected to start the opener in Vegas; Soderblom likely gets a start later on the trip
Knight is expected in net Tuesday against the Golden Knights, and Arvid Soderblom likely gets a start later on the road trip. Blashill hasn't said whether Teuvo Teravainen or Andrew Mangiapane dresses.
Update: Leafs and Blue Jackets working on a Marchenko trade with Knies going to Columbus; not done yet
TSN's LeBrun and Johnston report Toronto is trying to land Kirill Marchenko in a multi-piece deal that sends Matthew Knies to Columbus. It depends on Marchenko signing an extension with the Leafs and wasn't finished Monday afternoon. Knies' cap hit is nearly $4M higher than Marchenko's; losing him would take Toronto's top-line left wing on the eve of the opener.
Friedman: Rangers nearly traded two firsts for Nikishin, but contract talks fell short
Elliotte Friedman says the Rangers had agreed trade terms with Carolina for unsigned defenseman Alexander Nikishin, reportedly two first-round picks. The deal needed a new contract, and the two sides couldn't agree: Nikishin reportedly wants about $9M a year on a shorter term. GM Eric Tulsky says both sides are still looking for a resolution, and Nikishin won't be there for Tuesday's opener.
Friedman: Oilers have asked about Kraken center Shane Wright while hunting for a right-shot center
Elliotte Friedman says Edmonton is looking for a right-shot center. Besides Kirby Dach, the Oilers have asked Seattle about Shane Wright. Neither deal is believed to be close.
Update: Rangers nearly traded for Nikishin before contract talks fell apart; Carolina wants two firsts
Per Elliotte Friedman, a Rangers deal was close but the sides couldn't agree on a contract near $9M a year. Carolina's price is reportedly two first-round picks or equivalent young players, and St. Louis and Nashville are also said to be interested.
Storm knocks out power at Rangers' practice rink, costing a day of prep
A Nor'easter cut power at the Westchester facility and Sunday's practice was scrapped, leaving one practice and a morning skate before Tuesday's opener in Boston.
Update: Kuzmenko listed as a non-roster player while he is with his family in Russia
Andrei Kuzmenko went back to Russia after his father's death, and the Penguins have listed him as a non-roster player. GM Kyle Dubas said the team will give an update once Kuzmenko and his family have had time.
Corey Perry away from the Kings for personal reasons; status for Wednesday's opener unclear
Perry missed Monday's practice and has been away from the team since early last week for personal reasons. The Kings haven't said whether he'll be available in Colorado.
Victor Eklund makes the Islanders; Vanecek clears waivers as the roster is set
The 19-year-old forward made the opening roster out of camp. New York carries 13 forwards, eight defensemen and Sorokin and Varlamov in goal. Vitek Vanecek cleared waivers.
Rookies Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas make the Capitals; more alternate captains to be named Wednesday
The 20-year-old defenseman Cole Hutson and 20-year-old forward Ilya Protas both made Washington's opening roster and start their first full NHL seasons. Tom Wilson stays an alternate captain, and the team will name the other alternates on Wednesday.
Porter Martone and Alex Bump make the Flyers' opening roster for the first time
The young forwards Porter Martone and Alex Bump both made Philadelphia's roster for Wednesday's opener against Pittsburgh. Nikita Grebenkin and defenseman David Jiricek also made it, though Jiricek could be scratched.
Defenseman David Spacek and rookie center Charlie Stramel make the Wild's opening roster
With Faber hurt, 23-year-old defenseman David Spacek makes the team out of camp for the first time. Charlie Stramel, a rookie center who played at Michigan State last season, also earned a spot.
Roger McQueen, 19, makes the Ducks' opening roster; defenseman Ian Moore starts on IR
The 2025 10th overall pick is one of seven players aged 22 or under on Anaheim's 25-man opening roster. If A.J. Greer can't play Friday in Vegas, McQueen could make his NHL debut. Defenseman Ian Moore was placed on injured reserve.
Rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet makes the Bruins; Jokiharju clears waivers to Providence
Brunet earned a spot on the opening roster and is expected to pair with Mason Lohrei. That squeezed out Henri Jokiharju, who went unclaimed and heads to Providence. Boston carries about $1.775M of his $3M cap hit.
Lightning set roster: Gourde and Dominic James out injured, Rautiainen loaned to Finland
Tampa Bay's roster has 15 forwards (Gourde and James injured), eight defensemen including Crozier and D'Astous, and Vasilevskiy and Hildeby in goal. Depth forward jobs went to Girgensons, Harkins and Sabourin. Benjamin Rautiainen was loaned to Tappara of the Liiga, and Pelletier and Sogaard cleared waivers to Syracuse.
Red Wings make no cuts at the deadline; Larkin still not in full-contact drills
Detroit waived no one over the weekend and keeps its whole group, including new claim Andreas Englund. Dylan Larkin still isn't taking full contact, and his return date is unclear, as is Bernard-Docker's. Edvinsson remains unsigned. The Wings open Oct. 2 against the Rangers.
Tulsky: Legault and Reilly make the blue line; Jarvis skating in a non-contact jersey
At his season-opening press conference, GM Eric Tulsky said Charles Alexis Legault and Mike Reilly made the opening roster ahead of Valimaki, Nystrom and P.O. Joseph. One of them fills Nikishin's spot. Seth Jarvis is skating in a non-contact jersey after shoulder surgery.
Stars set a 21-man roster: Blackwell clears to Texas, Kiviranta in, Oettinger on the active list
Dallas is opening with 12 forwards, 7 defensemen and 2 goalies. Joel Kiviranta takes the bottom-six spot, and Colin Blackwell cleared waivers and went to AHL Texas. Hryckowian, Bäck and Capobianco made the team, and Oettinger and DeSmith are the goalies after Oettinger's recent tightness. Five players are on injured non-roster.
Update: Senators set a 23-man roster; Foegele, MacDermid and Zub start on injured non-roster, Hutton released
All eight Senators on waivers cleared, including Tomasino and Sammy Blais, and were loaned to Belleville. Warren Foegele, Kurtis MacDermid and Artem Zub were listed as injured non-roster, Ben Hutton was released from his tryout, and Jorian Donovan went to the AHL.
Mammoth set their 23-man roster: Vejmelka starts, Cossa backs up, Simashev and But make the team
Utah's opening roster has newcomers Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck in the top six. Dmitri Simashev, Daniil But and Andrew Peeke also made it. Karel Vejmelka is the starter and Sebastian Cossa the backup.
Jason Robertson set to open on a line with Roope Hintz and Tyler Seguin
Robertson starts the season with Hintz and Seguin after a summer of arbitration talk and trade rumors that ended in a one-year, $12M deal. He can't sign an extension until Jan. 1.
Update: Owen Michaels makes the Oilers and centers the third line in the opener
The NCAA champion won the last forward spot over Josh Samanski. Babcock's opening lines have Draisaitl-McDavid-Podkolzin, Hyman-Nugent-Hopkins-Kapanen, Howard-Michaels-Frederic and Formenton-Dach-Joseph. The pairs are Ekholm-Bouchard, Walman-Murphy and Shea-Mukhamadullin.
Canucks set roster: Bains and Brisebois surprise, Thompson starts on injured non-roster
Vancouver opens with 13 forwards, eight defensemen and goalies Lankinen and Merilainen. Arshdeep Bains and Guillaume Brisebois beat expectations to make the team. Chytil and Demko are on IR, and MacEachern, Akil Thomas and Jack Thompson start on injured non-roster.
Flames carry eight defensemen, with Hanley and Pachal making the team; Wolf and Cooley in goal
Calgary's 23-man roster keeps eight defensemen, including veterans Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal. Dustin Wolf is the No. 1 goalie with Devin Cooley backing up, and Jonathan Huberdeau is on injured reserve.
Englund waits on immigration papers, Gibson out sick; Danielson and Brandsegg-Nygard make the Red Wings
Waiver pickup Andreas Englund can't join the roster until his immigration paperwork clears. Goalie John Gibson sat out Monday with an illness and isn't injured. Forwards Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard made the opening 23.
Monday lines: McKenna with Tavares and Nylander, Paul centers the third line; MacEwen and Groulx make the team
At Monday's practice Knies skated with Matthews and Roslovic, and McKenna with Tavares and Nylander. Nick Paul centered Cowan and Sissons, and Duhaime, Blueger and MacEwen made up the fourth line. The pairs were McCabe-Tanev, Rielly-Raddysh, Ekman-Larsson-Stecher and Andrae-Blankenburg. Bobrovsky and Stolarz were the goalies. Lorentz cleared waivers and went to the Marlies.
Kapanen takes the second-line job from Howard; rookie Owen Michaels pushes for a bottom-six spot
Kasperi Kapanen played his way onto the second line in the preseason finale, and Babcock suggested he'll stay there, which leaves Isaac Howard's top-six role uncertain. With Dickinson out, Babcock praised Owen Michaels, who now has a real chance at a bottom-six spot.
Brunet makes the Bruins, but Aspirot holds the third-pair spot with Lohrei in practice
Frederic Brunet earned a roster spot, but practice pairs had Jonathan Aspirot with Mason Lohrei, so Brunet likely waits for his debut while McAvoy serves his suspension.
Kapanen moves up to the second line and Isaac Howard drops down at Oilers practice
Kasperi Kapanen took Howard's spot next to Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins; Babcock said the move was about Kapanen's play, not Howard's. Shakir Mukhamadullin also looks to have won a spot on defense.
Kantserov moves to center between Moore and Kane; Teravainen looks like the extra forward
At Monday's last practice before flying to Vegas, Roman Kantserov centered Oliver Moore and Patrick Kane, with Moore moving to wing. Andrew Mangiapane skated with Tyler Bertuzzi and Anton Frondell, leaving Teuvo Teravainen as the likely 13th forward; Chicago carries eight defensemen.
Opener lines: Robinson moves up to Aho's line, Legault in over Reilly, Kotkaniemi scratched
NHL.com projects Eric Robinson on the top line with Svechnikov and Aho while Jarvis is out, and Deslauriers on the fourth line. Charles Alexis Legault pairs with Gostisbehere. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Mike Reilly and Cayden Primeau are the projected scratches.
Braeden Bowman joins Connelly on the Vegas roster; Connelly slots in on Hertl's line for the opener
Under new coach Ryan Craig, Trevor Connelly is set to debut between Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson on the third line. Braeden Bowman made the team and plays on a fourth line with Nic Dowd and Marc Gatcomb as Vegas opens against Chicago.
All but one of the 71 players waived Sunday clear waivers and can go to the AHL
Winnipeg's claim of Clay Stevenson was the only one. Everyone else from Sunday's cutdown cleared, including Montreal's nine (goalie Kaapo Kahkonen among them, all to Laval), Ottawa's Tomasino, Blais and Boucher, Florida's Lafferty, Reinhardt and Bastian, and Tampa's Pelletier and Sogaard.
Update: Garand and Raddysh clear waivers and go to Hartford; Rempe and Chmelar make the team
Goalie Dylan Garand and forward Taylor Raddysh both cleared and report to AHL Hartford, where Garand is expected to start. Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar are in the 23-man group for Tuesday's opener in Boston.
Update: Nikita Tolopilo clears waivers and reports to AHL Abbotsford
Tolopilo went unclaimed and heads to Abbotsford. Vancouver opens with Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Merilainen in goal while Thatcher Demko goes on injured reserve.
Update: All eight Panthers on waivers clear, including Lafferty, Reinhardt and Bastian; bound for Charlotte
Forwards Cole Reinhardt, Cole Schwindt, Kai Schwindt, John Beecher, Sam Lafferty and Nathan Bastian and defensemen Alexander Petrovic and Donovan Sebrango all went unclaimed and are expected in AHL Charlotte. Florida practiced with 21 players (12 F, 7 D, 2 G).
Update: Garand and Raddysh clear waivers, assigned to AHL Hartford
Goalie Dylan Garand and forward Taylor Raddysh went unclaimed and report to the Wolf Pack, where Garand is expected to start. Winnipeg claimed Clay Stevenson instead.
Update: Holtz, Heinola and three others clear waivers
Alexander Holtz, Tanner Laczynski, Jonas Rondbjerg, Ville Heinola and Antti Tuomisto all went unclaimed and can go to AHL Henderson, leaving Vegas with 13 forwards and seven defensemen.
Update: Perbix and Lyubushkin clear waivers but stay on the Predators' roster; Pinchuk to Milwaukee
Both veteran defensemen went unclaimed and are part of a 23-man roster that carries nine defensemen. KHL signing Vitali Pinchuk was assigned to AHL Milwaukee. Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen are the goalies.
Rittich and five others clear waivers; Devils go with three goalies, Kovacevic expected on IR
Rittich, Tufte, White, McLaughlin, Vilen and Kolyachonok all cleared and go to Utica. After claiming Remi Poirier, New Jersey is carrying three goalies (Allen, Daws, Poirier). Johnathan Kovacevic, still rehabbing offseason knee surgery, is expected to start the season on IR.
Islanders sign defenseman Logan Stanley to a one-year, $1.5M deal
The Islanders added the 6-foot-7 Stanley, who split last season between Winnipeg and Buffalo, days before the opener. He could take the left side of the third pair.
Flyers sign Garrett Wilson to a one-year, two-way deal and loan goalie Kolosov to the AHL
The 35-year-old Wilson got a two-way contract after spending last season between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley, and goalie Aleksei Kolosov was sent to the Phantoms.
Update: Red Wings and Edvinsson resume talks as opener nears
The unsigned RFA defenseman, who missed all of preseason, was expected to talk again with Detroit on Sunday to get a deal done before the season. He's projected on the top pair with Seider once signed; Detroit opens Friday vs. the Rangers.
Mike Matheson fined the maximum for roughing Ridly Greig
Player Safety fined the Canadiens defenseman $5,000, the most allowed under the CBA, for roughing Ottawa's Ridly Greig in Saturday's preseason game in Montreal. It's a fine, not a suspension: he's available for the opener.
David Pastrnak named Bruins captain, the first since Marchand
Boston made Pastrnak the 28th captain in team history, filling a spot left open since Brad Marchand was traded to Florida in March 2025. He wears the C for the first time in Tuesday's opener against the Rangers.
Logan Mailloux hurt in a fight in the preseason finale; status for the opener unclear
Defenseman Logan Mailloux took an upper-body injury in a first-period fight with Cole Smith in Saturday's 3-2 preseason loss in Chicago and didn't return. With Tyler Tucker already expected to miss the start, St. Louis may need a defenseman from Springfield before rosters are due Monday.
Update: Rust still being evaluated and Tristan Broz also hurt; both skip practice
The Penguins said Bryan Rust (upper body) and Tristan Broz (lower body), both hurt in the preseason finale, are being evaluated and did not practice Sunday. Rust's status for Wednesday's opener is unclear.
Update: Adam Gaudette skates with the rehab group; Sharks keep seven injured players on the roster
Coach Warsofsky called Gaudette's skate a step in the right direction but still lists him day-to-day for Thursday. Injured players can't be sent down, so Gaudette, Giles, Barre-Boulet, Lund, Musty, Keyser and Havelid stay on the roster.
Logan O'Connor and Zach L'Heureux day-to-day with lower-body injuries; O'Connor doubtful for opener
Both forwards were hurt during camp. O'Connor didn't skate Sunday, and L'Heureux skated only briefly. Merkulov, Taylor Makar and goalie Trent Miner are also hurt and will go to the AHL once healthy. If both miss Wednesday's opener against LA, Colorado has only 11 healthy forwards.
O'Connor and L'Heureux day-to-day; goalie Trent Miner starts the season on IR
Logan O'Connor and Zach L'Heureux have minor camp injuries and were uncertain for Wednesday's opener against LA. Colorado is carrying one extra skater so it doesn't have to waive L'Heureux; Blackwood and Wedgewood are the goalies.
Update: Salomonsson ahead of schedule and could return by mid-October; Garrett Brown still out
Defenseman Elias Salomonsson's recovery from shoulder surgery is running ahead of plan, and he could be back by mid-October rather than late October. He and Garrett Brown are the only Jets left on the injury list for the Oct. 2 opener against Boston.
Update: Dante Fabbro expected to miss at least a month; Columbus working on a deal with PTO Carson Soucy
The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reports Fabbro's upper-body injury will keep him out at least a month. Columbus is also trying to sign Soucy, who spent camp on a tryout.
Seth Jarvis placed on injured non-roster list, still recovering from June shoulder surgery
Carolina moved Jarvis to the injured non-roster list with an upper-body injury; he had labrum and rotator-cuff surgery in June with a 4-6 month timeline, though he was said to be ahead of schedule. The Canes open without a top-six winger who has scored about 30 goals a season.
Update: Penguins put Lizotte, Brazeau, Kindel and Graves on IR; Graves out indefinitely
Pittsburgh made it official: Blake Lizotte (upper body, day-to-day), Justin Brazeau and Ben Kindel (lower body, week-to-week) and defenseman Ryan Graves (lower body, indefinitely) went on injured reserve, freeing four roster spots before the opener against Philadelphia.
Update: Samoskevich and Jake O'Brien open the season on injured reserve
Seattle put Mackie Samoskevich (upper body, day-to-day, IR backdated to Sept. 24) and 2025 No. 8 pick Jake O'Brien (lower body, week-to-week) on IR. Samoskevich is more likely back for next weekend's games against Edmonton and Calgary than Thursday's opener; Seattle opens with 13 forwards and 8 defensemen.
Update: Lizotte and Kindel expected on IR; Rust, Brazeau and Graves could join them
With nine cuts still to make before Monday's roster deadline, Blake Lizotte and Ben Kindel are expected to go on injured reserve, and Bryan Rust, Justin Brazeau and Ryan Graves are possible IR placements. Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov project as the goalie tandem.
Kevin Fiala to start the season on injured reserve
Fiala, still recovering from the left leg fracture he suffered at the Olympics, won't be ready for opening night and is set to open on IR, his cap hit still counting.
Update: Nick Paul back in full practice and expected for the opener; Joshua still uncertain
Nick Paul, questionable earlier in the week, took a full practice on the team's Arizona trip, centring Easton Cowan and Colton Sissons, and is expected to play Tuesday against Montreal. Dakota Joshua (core) skated as an extra and looked limited; coach Jim Hiller said he won't be rushed, so his opener status is unclear.
Update: Jordan Greenway expected to be available for the opener in Vegas
Greenway missed the second half of camp with a lower-body injury but is expected to play Tuesday against Vegas. Coach Jeff Blashill said spots for Greenway, Mangiapane and Teravainen will stay in flux through October.
Update: Ivan Demidov expected in the opening-night lineup
After sitting out the preseason finale with a bruised foot from a blocked shot, Demidov is expected to play Tuesday in Toronto, per DobberHockey's injury roundup.
Brunicke, Zonnon and goalie Blomqvist sent to Wilkes-Barre; Silovs and Murashov the NHL tandem
Defenseman Harrison Brunicke, forward Bill Zonnon and goalie Joel Blomqvist were assigned to the AHL. That leaves Arturs Silovs as the expected starter with Sergei Murashov backing up.
Update: Kings won't carry three goalies; Portillo, Ward and Perunovich sent to Ontario
LA reassigned goalie Erik Portillo to the AHL, leaving Kuemper and Forsberg as the tandem, plus Taylor Ward and Scott Perunovich after they cleared waivers. D Kirill Kirsanov also went back down, and prospect Otto Salin is on the injured non-roster list.
Injuries squeeze the Oilers' cap space from about $5M to about $1M
Injured players on one-way deals still count and can't be waived, so Janmark, Savoie, Regula, Andersen and Dickinson's $4M eat the cushion Edmonton kept for trades. Another injury could force the Oilers to open with a short roster.
Update: Rookie T.J. Hughes makes the Avalanche and starts on the top power play
The undrafted 24-year-old from Michigan won a roster spot after a preseason hat trick. Coach Jared Bednar said he will play on PP1 with MacKinnon, Landeskog, Necas and Makar in Wednesday's opener against Los Angeles.
Bruins set roster: Hagens makes the team, Jokiharju waived, Swayman gets the opener
Rookie James Hagens made the club and should start on the third line with Minten and Khusnutdinov; D Henri Jokiharju was waived and is expected to go to Providence. Coach Marco Sturm said Swayman starts Tuesday and should play around 55 games; Steeves and Reichel cleared waivers.
Canadiens set roster: Reinbacher and Fowler sent to Laval, Guhle on IR
Florian Xhekaj and D Adam Engstrom made the team, while D David Reinbacher and goalie Jacob Fowler were assigned to AHL Laval. That keeps Montembeault as Dobes's partner in net; Kaiden Guhle went on injured reserve and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen was among nine players waived.
Imama wins fourth-line job; Panthers sign and waive Bastian, waive Reinhardt and Lafferty
Bokondji Imama beat out Cole Reinhardt and could open on the fourth line with Eller and Hathaway in Carolina. Nathan Bastian signed a one-year, two-way deal ($850K) and was waived with Reinhardt, Lafferty, Beecher, both Schwindts, Petrovic and Sebrango.
Tocchet says opening-night lines are close; Barkey may miss the opener
Sunday's practice lines had Tippett-Zegras-Martone, Foerster-Cates-Michkov, Bump-Dvorak-Konecny and Grundstrom-Couturier-Acciari, with Sanheim-Ristolainen and York-Drysdale as the top pairs. GM Danny Briere hinted Denver Barkey (lower body) may not play Wednesday; Nikita Grebenkin has minor injuries.
Blackhawks keep Korchinski and Del Mastro and carry eight defensemen; Blashill says forward jobs stay open
With Slaggert and Toninato on waivers, Chicago is set to open in Vegas with 13 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goalies, including Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro. Blashill said forward roles, including Mangiapane's and Teravainen's, will keep being decided through October.
Senators waive eight, including Tomasino and Sammy Blais; camp down to 29
Ottawa waived Blais, Tomasino, Boucher, Bourgault, Daoust, Suzuki, Bolduc and Kyrou for AHL Belleville, loaned 10 more to Belleville and released five tryouts. With several players hurt, six more moves are due before Monday's deadline.
Lightning send top prospect Sam O'Reilly to AHL, waive Pelletier and Sogaard
Tampa Bay assigned O'Reilly, Dylan Duke, Lucas Mercuri and Noah Steen to Syracuse, released Jarred Tinordi and Matteo Pietroniro from tryouts, and waived five including Jakob Pelletier and goalie Mads Sogaard. Veterans Girgensons, Haskins and Sabourin hold the depth spots.
Hurricanes send Nadeau and Unger Sorum to Chicago, waive Valimaki; roster set at 23
Bradly Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum were assigned to the AHL Chicago Wolves and defenseman Juuso Valimaki was waived for assignment. Once the moves clear, Carolina carries 13 forwards, 7 defensemen and 3 goalies.
Devils claim goalie Remi Poirier from Dallas and waive David Rittich plus five skaters
New Jersey claimed 24-year-old goalie Remi Poirier off waivers from the Stars and waived Rittich, forwards Colin White, Marc McLaughlin and Riley Tufte, and defensemen Vladislav Kolyachonok and Topias Vilen. Jake Allen and Nico Daws remain the NHL tandem.
Islanders waive Vitek Vanecek; Aitcheson, Eiserman and George sent to Hamilton
Goalie Vitek Vanecek was put on waivers for assignment, and prospects Kashawn Aitcheson and Cole Eiserman plus defenseman Isaiah George went to AHL Hamilton. Scott Mayfield is expected to take the third-pair right side with Alex Romanov, with Schaefer-Pulock the top pair.
Update: Rangers waive Dylan Garand and Taylor Raddysh instead of carrying three goalies
The Rangers chose to risk losing Garand on waivers rather than keep a third goalie, so Korpisalo backs up Shesterkin. Raddysh lost the fourth-line and 13th-forward spots to Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar; Sykora heads to LTIR and Vincent Iorio remains out.
Capitals waive Clay Stevenson and Jonny Brodzinski; Lindgren stays the backup
Washington waived goalie Clay Stevenson, forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Spencer Smallman and defenseman Louie Belpedio, and loaned 13 prospects to Hershey. Ethen Frank and Ivan Miroshnichenko stay as extra forwards, Dylan McIlrath is the seventh defenseman, and Thompson-Lindgren remains the goalie pair.
Blackhawks waive Slaggert and Toninato, send Commesso and Boucher to Rockford
Chicago put forwards Landon Slaggert and Dominic Toninato on waivers and assigned goalie Drew Commesso and Dillon Boucher to AHL Rockford. The Hawks take 13 forwards, eight defensemen (Korchinski and Del Mastro both stay) and two goalies to Vegas for Tuesday's opener.
Avalanche waive six, including Lysell, Beckman and Hinostroza
Colorado waived Wyatt Aamodt, Adam Beckman, Vinnie Hinostroza, Fabian Lysell, Keaton Middleton and Tristen Nielsen, and sent DiMarsico, Behrens, Gagne, Stjernberg and goalie Ilya Nabokov to the AHL Eagles. The cap leaves room for a 22-man roster.
Stars waive Colin Blackwell to fit under the cap; Poirier lost to New Jersey
Tight on cap space, Dallas waived Blackwell, a regular for two seasons, which suggests Seguin and Duchene are ready for the opener. The Stars also lost goalie Remi Poirier, their projected AHL starter, on a waiver claim by the Devils.
Predators waive veteran defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Nick Perbix
Nashville put two regular defensemen on waivers, an unusual move that frees cap space; one beat writer expects it to set up a trade, though nothing has been reported.
Blues claim Justin Barron, recall Adam Jiricek and waive Rosen and Romanov after Mailloux injury
St. Louis reshaped its blue line after Logan Mailloux was hurt in the preseason finale: Barron (one year left at $1.575M) claimed from Nashville, Jiricek recalled from Springfield, Calle Rosen and goalie Georgi Romanov waived. GM Alex Steen is to update Mailloux on Monday; the moves hint at a longer absence.
Jets waive Thrun and Zhilkin; St. Ivany and Bauer in, DiVincentiis backs up Skinner
Winnipeg waived D Henry Thrun and F Danny Zhilkin to send them to the Moose. Jack St. Ivany looks to have won the third-pair spot with Mario Ferraro, Tyrel Bauer stays, and Domenic DiVincentiis is Skinner's backup. Salomonsson is slightly ahead of schedule and could be back by mid-October.
Update: Alex Nylander clears waivers and goes to the Wranglers; Flames roster nearly set
Nylander cleared and was assigned to AHL Calgary, and the Flames put nobody new on waivers. The last two moves are expected to be Huberdeau to IR and waiver-exempt Aydar Suniev to the AHL, which would keep Brennan Othmann on the opening roster.
Oilers waive goalie Matt Tomkins and send defenseman Damien Carfagna to Bakersfield
Edmonton waived Tomkins, 32, for assignment and loaned Carfagna to the AHL. With Jarry and Levi the goalies while Andersen is hurt, the roster still sat one over the 23-man limit, so one more cut is due before the deadline.
Golden Knights waive Holtz, Heinola and three others; Connelly and Lavoie set to make the team
Vegas waived forwards Alexander Holtz, Jonas Rondbjerg and Tanner Laczynski and defensemen Ville Heinola and Antti Tuomisto. Keeping waiver-exempt rookie Trevor Connelly (2024 first-rounder) points to his NHL debut, with Raphael Lavoie as the 13th forward.
Ducks waive Laurent Brossoit and Travis Mitchell; Stian Solberg among those sent to San Diego
Brossoit, signed for one year at $1.1M in July, goes on waivers, leaving Dostal and Husso as the NHL pair. Defense prospects Stian Solberg and Noah Warren and forward Nico Myatovic were assigned to the AHL.
Red Wings prefer a bridge deal for unsigned RFA Simon Edvinsson
Friedman reports Detroit would rather sign Edvinsson to a short bridge contract, projected around $5.6M-$7M, than a long-term deal. He is practicing unsigned while the team searches for a permanent GM.
Larkin reportedly open to expanding trade list to eight teams
Friedman says Larkin could widen his list to as many as eight teams, possibly adding Dallas, Washington, Colorado and Tampa Bay to Minnesota, Vegas and Florida. Kypreos said a day earlier the list had not grown. Most of those teams lack the cap room for his $8.7M hit.
Luukkonen leaves preseason finale with lower-body tweak; opener in doubt
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen came off early in the third period against Pittsburgh on Sept. 26. Lindy Ruff said they didn't want to take chances. His status for the Oct. 1 opener vs. Columbus is uncertain.
Mattias Samuelsson week-to-week with lower-body injury
Samuelsson was hurt blocking a shot in the Sept. 22 preseason game and is listed week-to-week. He could be back sooner depending on how the pain settles. He is a candidate for IR to start the season.
Olen Zellweger in concussion protocol, expected for opener
Zellweger entered the concussion protocol after a hit from Columbus' Carson Soucy on Sept. 22. He was skating by Sept. 25 and the team expects him ready for the Oct. 1 opener.
Jiri Kulich leaves exhibition early as a precaution, looks fine
Kulich scored and then came out of the Sept. 24 game at Detroit as a precaution. He sat out the finale but skated on Sept. 26 and was said to be doing well.
Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov held out of preseason finale
Neither Hutson nor Demidov played in the Sept. 26 split-squad games vs. Ottawa. Demidov has a bruise from blocking a shot on Sept. 21. No reason was given for Hutson. Watch both for the opener at Toronto.
Denver Barkey questionable for the opener with a lower-body injury
Briere said Barkey's lower-body injury shouldn't keep him out long but he may not be ready for the first game. Carl Grundstrom or Nikita Grebenkin could fill in.
Salomonsson, Brown and Duehr start on the injured list
Defenseman Elias Salomonsson (earlier reports targeted a late-October return), Garrett Brown and Walker Duehr are listed as injured as Winnipeg trims to 23. Salomonsson's absence thins the blue line.
Michael Carcone is day-to-day with a minor injury, expected back in days rather than weeks. Jack McBain, hurt Sept. 21, returned and scored in the 2-0 preseason finale win over Colorado, which Karel Vejmelka started.
Duchene (maintenance) and Blackwell (lower body) expected for opener
Matt Duchene got maintenance days after missing games to injury last season, and Colin Blackwell hurt his lower body at practice on Sept. 19. Both sat out the preseason finale but are expected to be ready Oct. 2.
Brock Faber day-to-day after a shot to the head; Lambos recalled
Faber took a Sam Steel shot near his left ear in the Sept. 25 finale. He missed Saturday practice, but Hynes says he's doing well and hasn't been ruled out for the opener at Nashville. Carson Lambos was recalled. Pairs: Hughes-Spurgeon, Brodin-Maatta, Hunt-Bogosian.
Adam Gaudette still day-to-day and in doubt for the opener; Giles and three others also hurt
Coach Ryan Warsofsky said Gaudette (upper body) skated with the rehab group, and his recovery is slower than expected. Patrick Giles, Barre-Boulet, Lund and Musty are also injured.
Mackie Samoskevich day-to-day with an upper-body injury; opener in doubt
He sat out Saturday's preseason finale against Vancouver. It isn't clear whether he'll be ready for the Oct. 1 opener in Calgary. He was acquired from Florida and signed at $3.85M a year.
Burakovsky leaves preseason finale after a hit; Sanderson exits his debut early as a precaution
Andre Burakovsky left Saturday's exhibition against Montreal in the third period after a hard hit, with no update from coach Travis Green. Jake Sanderson came out midway through his preseason debut; Green called it precautionary and expects him for opening night. Shane Pinto hasn't practiced since Wednesday.
Bryan Rust hurt in the preseason finale at Buffalo, did not return
Rust left Saturday's preseason finale against the Sabres partway through the second period and did not come back. Coach Dan Muse said he was being evaluated; no details or timeline. Pittsburgh opens Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Brady Tkachuk nursing an undisclosed injury, but Maurice expects him for the opener
Tkachuk left a Sept. 22 preseason game after under 10 minutes; Paul Maurice said it was more than precautionary but expects him skating by Monday and has no concern about Tuesday in Carolina.
Thatcher Demko will start the season on injured reserve as his hip rehab continues
GM Ryan Johnson said Vancouver is being careful with Demko's recovery from February hip surgery and wants to bring him back only once. Demko hasn't played since January 10 and has no timetable; Kevin Lankinen starts while he's out.
Gadjovich is still recovering from surgery after a 2025 injury and is expected to go on long-term IR with Marchand. That gives Florida cap relief, since it is about $896K over the cap.
Tyler Seguin back from ACL surgery in preseason finale
Seguin, who tore his right ACL on Dec. 2 and had surgery Dec. 16, played 13:57 (+1) in a 2-1 preseason win over Minnesota on Sept. 25. He's on track for the Oct. 2 opener against St. Louis.
Update: Zuccarello cleared for full contact; Kings recall D Kirill Kirsanov as cover
Mats Zuccarello (shoulder) was cleared for full contact, and Peter Laviolette is hopeful he plays Wednesday's opener against Colorado. Defenseman Kirill Kirsanov was recalled as cover while Taylor Ward and Scott Perunovich are on waivers.
Vladar expected ready for the opener after an upper-body injury scare
No. 1 goalie Dan Vladar was hurt against Boston on Sept. 22 but is day-to-day. GM Daniel Briere said he should be ready for the Sept. 30 opener against Pittsburgh. Joseph Woll is the backup if he isn't.
Stuart Skinner set to start in Winnipeg's net with Hellebuyck out
Skinner signed for two years and US$7.5M on July 1. He is now the Jets' No. 1 goalie while Hellebuyck is suspended, and says he can take a heavy workload. Domenic DiVincentiis is the only other goalie left on the roster. The Jets open Oct. 2 at home against Boston.
Carter Hart is Vegas's starter; Adin Hill backs up, and both will play early
New coach Ryan Craig plans to give both goalies starts early in the season. Hart took over the net last season, and Hill is trying to bounce back from a .871 save percentage.
Comrie and Huntington clear waivers; Samsonov headed to the AHL
Goalie Eric Comrie and center Jimmy Huntington cleared waivers and Filip Bystedt went to the Barracuda. Askarov and Nedeljkovic look like the NHL tandem, and Ilya Samsonov is expected to go to the AHL if he clears waivers.
Colten Ellis in line for possible opening-night start
With Luukkonen and Lyon both hurt, 25-year-old Colten Ellis is in position to start the opener. He played in all four preseason games with a .932 save percentage.
Markstrom set as starter with Akira Schmid as backup
The projected 23-man roster has Jacob Markstrom, acquired from New Jersey to replace Sergei Bobrovsky, as the starter. Akira Schmid, acquired from Vegas, is the backup.
Knight leads the crease; Soderblom stops 35 in the loss to the Blues
Spencer Knight is penciled in as the starter and won the 3-2 preseason finale over St. Louis (29 saves), with Arvid Soderblom as backup. Rookies Anton Frondell and Kantserov both scored in the finale.
Vejmelka shuts out Colorado in the preseason finale; Trocheck centers Keller and Schmaltz
Karel Vejmelka stopped all 25 shots in Utah's 2-0 preseason win over Colorado, strengthening his hold on the starting job. The projected opening lineup dressed, with Vincent Trocheck between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
No three-goalie setup: Merilainen to back up Lankinen, Tolopilo expected on waivers
GM Ryan Johnson ruled out carrying three goalies. Waiver claim Leevi Merilainen is expected to back up Kevin Lankinen, and Nikita Tolopilo is expected to be waived before the opener, with tryout goalie Chris Driedger the fallback if he's claimed.
Friedman: Nikishin can talk to other teams; three-way deal for Hellebuyck floated
Elliotte Friedman (32 Thoughts) reports that Nikishin has been given permission to talk to other teams and that Carolina has interest in Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Nikishin won't sign in Winnipeg, so Friedman floated a three-team deal, with Nashville mentioned as a place he would sign. Nothing is agreed.
Marchenko won't commit to Columbus; Friedman says Boston made an offer
Kirill Marchenko has reportedly told Columbus he won't sign an extension, and he dodged questions about his future at camp. Friedman says Boston made an offer at one point, and Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vegas and Seattle have also shown interest. GM Don Waddell wants roster players, not picks, in any deal.
Vegas and Seattle among teams interested in Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko
Elliotte Friedman listed the Golden Knights and Kraken among teams calling Columbus on Marchenko, who is in the last year of his contract. Columbus wants NHL-ready players back.
The Athletic's Vincent Mercogliano reports that the Rangers could look for a center, possibly off waivers, where they have the third-highest priority. They have already waived three centers, and Sullivan prefers to carry extra depth at the position.
Montreal's first cuts assigned Arseneau, Dion, Dubinsky, Hache, Jones, Lapenna, Legkov, Mandolese, McCallum, Mianscum, Nadeau and Simoneau to Laval. Further cuts are due before Monday's deadline.
Preds end preseason 1-3 after a 6-0 loss; Brunette unhappy
Nashville was shut out 6-0 at home by Carolina in the preseason finale. Andrew Brunette said pretty much everything needed to get better. Camp reports also flag a lack of puck-moving mobility on the blue line.
The 19-year-old 2025 fifth-overall pick won't make the opening roster and goes to Milwaukee under the new AHL rule for 19-year-olds. Hunter Skinner was also assigned, and goalie Ethan Haider went to the ECHL. The camp roster is now 26.
Top line reunites Suzuki and Caufield with Chris Kreider
In the Sept. 26 split-squad game, Suzuki centered Caufield and newcomer Kreider, with Slafkovsky on a line with Newhook and Danault. In the other game Kapanen centered Bolduc and Dach.
Blues' projected lines: McTavish and McMichael on second line with Buchnevich
Final preseason lineup: Holloway-Thomas-Snuggerud, Buchnevich-McTavish-McMichael, Neighbours-Dvorsky-Berggren. D pairs: Broberg-Mailloux, Lindstein-Parayko, Fowler-Carlo. Joel Hofer started; Binnington had hit the veteran limit. The Blues open Oct. 2 at Dallas.
Preseason finale lineup: Killorn-Carlsson-Gauthier line, Dostal and Husso in goal
The Ducks' official account posted the game lineup (collected by GameDayTweets): Killorn, Carlsson and Gauthier on the top line, LaCombe and Hinds on defense, and Dostal and Husso as the goalies.
With Faber out, Spurgeon moves up next to Quinn Hughes at practice
With Brock Faber day-to-day, the Wild practiced with Quinn Hughes and Jared Spurgeon together, Jonas Brodin with Olli Maatta, and Daemon Hunt with Zach Bogosian. Coach John Hynes said some of the caution with Faber is precautionary.
Rookie Anton Frondell leads Chicago's forwards in ice time as the Hawks win the preseason finale
Chicago beat St. Louis 3-2 to finish the preseason 2-1-1, with goals from rookies Frondell and Kantserov and a full game from Spencer Knight. Frondell played over 22 minutes and drew praise from Jeff Blashill, a sign he'll be in the lineup for Tuesday's opener in Vegas.
Kakko moves up to the Beniers-McCann line; Winterton fills Samoskevich's spot
Lane Lambert shuffled his lines for the preseason finale: Kaapo Kakko joined Matty Beniers and Jared McCann, and Ryan Winterton joined Berkly Catton and Shane Wright in place of the injured Mackie Samoskevich. Pairs: Dunn-Larsson, Evans-Montour, Lindgren-Fleury.
Preseason finale: Gridin-Frost-Coronato together, Bahl paired with Nemec, Wolf in net
The Flames' broadcaster posted morning-skate lines for the game against Edmonton, collected by GameDayTweets. PP1 was Farabee, Frost, Coronato and Gridin. This looks like the opening-night top line.
Brett Leason wins a roster spot; Nolan Allan likely the 7th defenseman
San Jose Hockey Now reports Leason beat out several forwards for a job and Allan earned the extra defense spot with steady play. The 23-man roster is nearly set.
Rempe set for the fourth-line right wing spot; Rangers weigh carrying three goalies to keep Garand
Matt Rempe appears to have won the fourth-line right wing job. Before Monday's deadline the Rangers must decide whether to risk goalie Dylan Garand on waivers or carry three goalies. Scott Morrow could be waived; Del Gaizo, Blidh and Gawdin were assigned to Hartford.
New PP1 in the finale: LaCombe, Carlsson, Gauthier, Sennecke, Granlund; Mintyukov ill
Anaheim's new top power-play unit scored in the 6-2 finale loss to LA, and Joel Quenneville praised its puck movement. Ian Moore is out 1-3 weeks, Drew Helleson is aiming for the opener, and Pavel Mintyukov was sick.
Boston waived forwards Reichel and Steeves, who will go to Providence if they clear. Defenseman Ty Gallagher was sent to the AHL. That leaves 28 players in camp before Monday's roster deadline.
Red Wings claim D Andreas Englund off waivers from Calgary
Detroit claimed the 30-year-old defenseman, who had signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Flames in July. It adds blue-line depth with Bernard-Docker hurt.
Hurricanes cut camp to 28; P.O. Joseph and Skyler Brind'Amour among those waived
Carolina sent 12 players out. Dominik Badinka, Joel Nystrom and Charlie Cerrato went straight to AHL Chicago; Skyler Brind'Amour, Justin Robidas, P.O. Joseph, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Ronan Seeley and others went on waivers to be assigned there. Josiah Slavin was released from his PTO.
Columbus waived winger Miles Wood (year four of six at $2.5M AAV) with the opener less than a week away. If he clears, he can be sent to AHL Cleveland.
Islanders waive Engvall, Foudy and three others; Highmore released from PTO
Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Mitchell Chaffee, Daylan Kuefler and Matt Luff were waived to be sent to AHL Bridgeport. Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov, Marshall Warren and Matthew Highmore were also sent down. None of the five waived players was claimed.
Penguins waive Caleb Jones; Owen Pickering among those sent to WBS
Defenseman Caleb Jones, limited to seven games last season by injuries and a PED suspension, was waived. Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Owen Pickering, Jake Livanavage, Chase Pietila and goalie Cam Johnson were sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Capitals waive Justin Holl and recall four from Hershey
Washington waived defenseman Justin Holl to send him to Hershey. The team also recalled forwards Tyler Kopff, Petr Sikora and Alex Suzdalev and defenseman Jon McDonald for the preseason finale.
Jets waive and assign four, send goalie Thomas Milic to the Moose
Isaak Phillips, Parker Ford, Nikita Chibrikov and Noah Gregor cleared waivers and went to AHL Manitoba, and Thomas Milic was reassigned. That leaves Skinner and DiVincentiis as the only goalies. Elias Salomonsson, Garrett Brown and Walker Duehr are on the injured list.
Predators claim D William Trudeau from Rangers, waive Justin Barron
Nashville claimed 23-year-old left-shot defenseman William Trudeau (260 AHL games, no NHL games yet) and put Justin Barron on waivers. If Barron clears, he goes to AHL Milwaukee. Nashville opens Oct. 1 at home against Minnesota.
Boisvert, Spellacy, Vanacker cut; Mackey loaned to Rockford
Chicago sent prospects Sacha Boisvert, AJ Spellacy, Marek Vanacker and others to AHL Rockford. Defenseman Connor Mackey cleared waivers and was loaned there too. The camp roster is at 28 (17 F, 8 D, 3 G).
Goalie Remi Poirier stopped all 24 shots against Minnesota with Oettinger out, then was placed on waivers on Sept. 26. If he clears, he's the No. 3 goalie behind Oettinger and DeSmith. Cap limits may push others to the AHL too.
Perunovich and Ward waived; last question is whether LA carries three goalies
Scott Perunovich and Taylor Ward were waived, and Kenny Connors and Jared Wright went to Ontario. The Kings must still decide whether to keep Kuemper, Forsberg and Erik Portillo, which would cost Andre Lee or Ward a spot.
Panthers waive Bjornfot, Fitzgerald and Crookshank
Defensemen Tobias Bjornfot and Casey Fitzgerald and forward Angus Crookshank were waived, headed to Charlotte if unclaimed. Imama, Reinhardt and Petrovic are still on the bubble.
Ottawa got the 31-year-old goalie ($1.25M, expiring) for future considerations after he cleared waivers. He adds depth behind Ullmark and Ersson, and Tampa Bay clears a roster spot.
Sabres sign D Matt Grzelcyk to one-year, $850K deal
With Samuelsson and Zellweger hurt on the left side, Buffalo signed the veteran defenseman (596 NHL games) at the league minimum. He debuted in the preseason finale, playing about 17 minutes.
Fantilli signs six-year, $82.5M deal, ending his contract standoff
Adam Fantilli signed a six-year, $82.5M contract ($13.75M AAV, $10M signing bonus) after missing the first eight days of camp and three preseason games. He practiced Friday, sat out the preseason finale, and has less than a week before the Oct. 1 opener against Buffalo.
Flames turn Alex Nylander's PTO into a one-year, two-way contract
After his tryout, Nylander signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $850K at the NHL level. He had an assist in two preseason games and won the Calder Cup with Toronto's AHL team last season.
Hurricanes extend goalie Pyotr Kochetkov two years at $3.95M AAV
Carolina signed Kochetkov to a two-year extension through 2028-29 ($3.95M AAV) instead of letting him reach free agency next summer. He shares the net with Brandon Bussi, who won 31 games last season. Kochetkov played only nine games last season because of a lower-body injury.
Unsigned Nikishin switches agents as his standoff with Carolina continues
RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who is not at camp without a contract and has asked for a trade, dropped agent Benjamin Kreyzerman and hired Paul Theofanous (TMI). He has reportedly been asking for more than $8M a year.
Macklin Celebrini, 20, named the youngest captain in Sharks history
San Jose's first captain since Logan Couture. Joe Thornton gave him the jersey. Celebrini had 115 points last season and is the NHL's youngest active captain.
Lyon got hurt diving for a loose puck early in the Sept. 24 preseason game at Detroit. Ruff said he will miss a few days for sure. With Luukkonen also hurt, both regular goalies are banged up entering the season.
Jacob Bernard-Docker day-to-day with upper-body injury
Todd McLellan said the defenseman, who was averaging over 20 minutes a game in the preseason, is day-to-day. He recently signed a two-year, $1.6M AAV extension.
Dominic James out early with broken hand; Vasilevskiy-Hildeby tandem set
Center Dominic James broke his hand in training and will miss the start of the season. Vezina winner Vasilevskiy starts with Dennis Hildeby as backup. John Carlson joins the defense after Raddysh left for Toronto.
Seamus Casey to 'miss some time' with a lower-body injury
Defenseman Seamus Casey left the preseason game against the Rangers with a lower-body injury. Sheldon Keefe said he will miss some time, with the length unknown until he is evaluated. He had been fighting for a roster spot.
Ben Kindel, Lizotte week-to-week; Brazeau being evaluated
Top prospect Ben Kindel (lower-body, after blocking a shot) and Blake Lizotte (upper-body) are week-to-week. Justin Brazeau (lower-body) missed practice for an evaluation. Tommy Novak moved onto the first power-play unit.
Oettinger scratched with lower-body tightness; expected back in a day or two
Jake Oettinger was pulled from a Sept. 23 preseason start with lower-body tightness and sat out the finale. Glen Gulutzan expects him back in a day or two. Casey DeSmith is the backup.
Tyler Tucker (knee) likely to start the season on IR
Defenseman Tyler Tucker tweaked his right knee in practice on Sept. 20 and hasn't skated since. Jim Montgomery expects him to open on injured reserve, with no firm timeline. Veteran Calle Rosen won the seventh-defenseman job.
Jason Dickinson has a setback with his foot injury and is unlikely to be ready for the opener
Coach Mike Babcock said the third-line center re-aggravated the foot he broke late last season. He did not play in any exhibition games and there is no timeline. Edmonton opens without one of its depth centers.
Mats Zuccarello expected ready for the opener despite a minor shoulder injury
GM Ken Holland says the 39-year-old is in a non-contact jersey after a fall at a captains' skate but should be ready. One outlet reported (9/26) that he may be placed on IR as a paperwork move.
Dante Fabbro on IR with upper-body injury, likely to miss the opener
Fabbro was hurt in the Sept. 21 preseason game against Detroit and was placed on injured reserve. Bowness said his rehab will take longer than hoped, so Erik Gudbranson and PTO defenseman Carson Soucy could see more ice time.
Jonathan Huberdeau to start the season on injured reserve
Huberdeau is still recovering from hip resurfacing surgery in March and will not be ready for the Oct. 1 opener. His roster spot is open, and Aydar Suniev and Brennan Othmann are among the candidates.
Filip Chytil placed on IR with a shoulder strain after colliding with a referee
The Canucks put Chytil on IR, backdated to Sept. 24. He hurt his shoulder colliding with referee Riley Brace in the preseason game against Edmonton. The GM calls it a muscular strain, week-to-week, and Chytil will miss the opener.
Matt Poitras placed on injured reserve with lower-body injury
Poitras hurt himself at practice on Sept. 22 and has played only one preseason game. He is now on IR and won't be available for the opener. He was already projected as an extra forward.
Alexander Romanov (out since Nov. 2025) and Ryan Pulock played their first preseason game on Sept. 25 and are expected to be the second pair behind Pelech-Schaefer. DeBoer said both need game time to shake off rust before the opener in Toronto.
Cale Makar back to full practice and plays preseason finale vs Winnipeg
Makar, who missed the start of camp with a lower-body injury, practiced fully on Sept. 22 and played Sept. 25 against the Jets, scoring in a 5-2 win. His status is now normal ahead of the Sept. 30 opener against Los Angeles.
Ovechkin sat out the rest of the preseason but is expected ready for the opener
Alex Ovechkin (lower body) was held out of Washington's last two preseason games as a precaution. Coach Spencer Carbery expects the captain to play the opener at Carolina unless he has a setback; he had returned to full practice.
Kevin Lankinen named Vancouver's starting goalie while Demko recovers
NHL.com's preview lists Lankinen as the starter under new coach Manny Malhotra, with Thatcher Demko still limited after hip surgery. Lankinen went 11-27-5 with an .876 save percentage last season.
Pavel Zacha on a trade watch list in his contract year
Sportsnet listed Zacha, whose contract expires after this season, as a player to watch in trades. Nashville, Columbus, Philadelphia and Montreal were mentioned as teams keeping an eye on him.
Sabres monitoring Hellebuyck, want to pay in prospects
Nick Kypreos says Buffalo is keeping an eye on the Hellebuyck situation and trying to get Winnipeg to take top prospects instead of roster players. The two sides nearly made a deal around the draft.
Nick Kypreos says Montreal is among the teams asking about Scheifele after failing to land Larkin. The price would likely include Oliver Kapanen or top prospect Michael Hage. There is no sign of traction.
Leafs reportedly among teams chasing Kirill Marchenko
Friedman says Toronto tried to keep its interest in the Columbus winger quiet. The Toronto Sun suggests Matthew Knies could be part of any package. Montreal, the Islanders, Winnipeg, Boston, Vegas and Seattle are also linked.
Rumor: Oilers are watching Canadiens forward Kirby Dach
A rumor roundup says Edmonton and Calgary are keeping an eye on Kirby Dach as his future in Montreal becomes less certain. Nothing is close, and Edmonton's cap space is very tight.
Kypreos: Jason Robertson has strong interest in Pittsburgh, where his brother Nick now plays
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos put Jason Robertson atop his trade board and says Pittsburgh is a market he likes, by trade or in free agency. Robertson is on a one-year deal; GM Jim Nill has said re-signing him is still a priority, and Dallas hasn't moved him without a significant return.
Panthers and Vladimir Tarasenko reportedly eyeing a reunion
Friedman says Florida and the UFA winger have looked at each other, mostly as cover in case Marchand's absence runs long. Friedman said nothing is live right now.
Lightning cut 21, release Luke Glendening from PTO
Tampa Bay trimmed camp to 37. Ten players went to Syracuse, eight PTOs including Luke Glendening were released, and defenseman Simon Lundmark was waived.
Devils send 13 to Utica, including top prospect Anton Silaev
New Jersey loaned 13 players to AHL Utica, including defensemen Anton Silaev, Etienne Morin and Mikael Diotte, forwards Lenni Hameenaho and Ben Steeves, and goalie Jakub Malek. Another 13 were released from camp.
Knuble, Luchanko and Bonk sent to Lehigh Valley; Flyers down to 26
Cole Knuble, Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk and Jacob Gaucher were sent to the AHL despite strong camps. Tocchet said Knuble is pushing for a job. Aleksei Kolosov may stay up if Vladar isn't ready.
Avery Hayes a surprise cut; Collin Delia released from PTO
Pittsburgh sent Avery Hayes, Tanner Howe, Atley Calvert and Mikhail Ilyin to WBS, returned the Ruck twins to junior, released goalie Collin Delia from his PTO, and put Oliver Okuliar on injured non-roster.
Top prospects Desnoyers and Iginla sent to AHL Tucson
Utah assigned 2025 No. 4 pick Caleb Desnoyers and 2024 No. 6 pick Tij Iginla to Tucson, along with Yegor Borikov, Gabe Smith and goalie Michael Hrabal. Neither top prospect will open the season in the NHL.
No. 5 pick Alberts Smits projected to make the opening-night lineup
Going by the preseason finale lineup, which Sullivan called the closest thing yet to a full lineup, 18-year-old Alberts Smits projects on the third pair with Schneider and Matt Rempe on the fourth line. Raddysh, Chmelar, Robertson and Morrow look like the extras.
T.J. Hughes' preseason hat trick boosts his roster bid
Center T.J. Hughes had a hat trick and four points in the 5-2 win over Winnipeg. He is battling Gavin Brindley for an opening-night spot. Bednar is also trying new arrival Fedor Svechkov at center with Logan O'Connor and Parker Kelly.
Zach Dean and Dillon Dube win final forward spots; Jiricek to AHL
Dean and Dube claimed the last two forward jobs. 2024 first-rounder Adam Jiricek, Otto Stenberg, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Dylan Peterson went to Springfield, and goalie Georgii Romanov was put on waivers.
Projected opener: Hagens on third line, Swayman in net
The projected lines have Peterka-E. Lindholm-Pastrnak on top and rookie James Hagens centering or flanking the third line with Minten and Khusnutdinov. Swayman is the starter with DiPietro backing up. Jokiharju has reportedly fallen out of favor.
Oilers' practice PP1: McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard
A beat reporter's post, collected by GameDayTweets, listed this as Edmonton's top power-play unit at practice before the preseason finale. It is the likely PP1 under Babcock.
Bruins waive five, including Jordan Harris and goalie Jiri Patera
On Sept. 25 Boston waived Brendan Gaunce, Brian Halonen, Jordan Harris, Jiri Patera and Billy Sweezey, to be sent to Providence if they clear. Joey Abate, Attilio Biasca and Ivan Ivan were assigned outright.
Mason Geertsen, Trevor Kuntar, Aidan McDonough, Carson Meyer, Jason Polin, Dennis Gilbert, Ryan Johnson and goalie Matt Villalta were waived, to be assigned to Rochester. Seventeen others were sent to the AHL.
Leafs waive eight including Steven Lorentz; all clear
Brisson, Lettieri, Lorentz, Pezzetta, Rybinski, Tverberg, Myers and Rifai were waived and all cleared to the Marlies. Ten more went down directly. The Lorentz move suggests Zack MacEwen has won a fourth-line spot.
Capitals waive Trineyev and three others as camp shrinks to 40
Forwards Bogdan Trineyev and Josh Dunne, defenseman Jacob MacDonald and goalie Mitch Gibson were waived to be sent to Hershey. Trineyev had 45 points in 62 AHL games last season.
Matt Murray, Molendyk, O'Hara, Nilsson sent to Milwaukee
After clearing waivers, veteran goalie Matt Murray was assigned to the AHL with defenseman Tanner Molendyk and forwards Cole O'Hara and Felix Nilsson. Earlier cuts included Joakim Kemell and David Edstrom.
Oilers put Josh Brown, Riley Stillman and Eduards Tralmaks on waivers and move 15 players out of camp
Brown, Stillman and Tralmaks were waived for assignment to AHL Bakersfield. Seven others, including Quinn Hutson and Connor Clattenburg, were loaned to the Condors, four went back to junior, and Seth Griffith was released from his PTO.
Flames cut camp to 27 players and waive eight, including Benning, Hunt and Englund
Waived for the AHL Wranglers: Michael Benning, Andreas Englund, Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Jake Livingstone, Sam Morton and William Stromgren. Prospects Andrew Basha and Hunter Brzustewicz were assigned to the AHL. Camp is down to 3 goalies, 8 defensemen and 16 forwards.
Canucks claim goalie Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa
Vancouver made the first claim of the preseason waiver period. The 24-year-old is on a one-year, $1.1M deal. With Demko out, Merilainen is expected to back up Kevin Lankinen, which puts Nikita Tolopilo's spot at risk.
Blackhawks extend Oliver Moore: five years, $21.25M ($4.25M AAV)
The 2023 No. 19 pick (19 points in 51 games as a rookie) signed a five-year extension that starts next season and runs through 2031-32, avoiding RFA talks next summer.
McAvoy's six-game suspension carries into the season; eligible Oct. 13
Charlie McAvoy is serving a six-game ban for slashing Buffalo's Zach Benson in last spring's playoffs. He misses the first six games and can return Oct. 13 vs. San Jose. His cap hit still counts while he is out.
Nick Paul day-to-day, questionable for opener vs. Montreal
Paul left the Sept. 23 preseason game early and missed practice the next day. Jim Hiller said he is unsure for the Sept. 29 opener. Bo Groulx has taken his third-line spot for now.
Helge Grans hurt in the preseason, can't be sent to the AHL until healthy
The Flyers said defenseman Helge Grans would not return to the Sept. 24 game against Boston because of a lower-body injury. He played two shifts. No timeline has been given.
Captain Connor Bedard 'not close' to practicing after shoulder surgery
Jeff Blashill says Bedard, named captain in mid-September, is still limited to individual skating and light slap shots after July shoulder surgery. His four-month timeline points to an early-November return, so he misses the start of the season.
Jordan Greenway day-to-day with a lower-body injury
Greenway, acquired this summer, left practice early on Sept. 23 with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day, five days before the opener at Vegas. Landon Slaggert could take his spot.
Pinto missed his first practice of camp and has not practiced since. Green said he came in sore. The 23-goal center should be treated as day-to-day for the Oct. 3 opener at Toronto.
Defensemen William Villeneuve (ACL reconstruction) and Cade Webber (elbow reconstruction) are out long term. Toronto trimmed camp to 14 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goalies (Bobrovsky, Stolarz).
Korpisalo lines up as Shesterkin's backup; Spencer Martin waived
Joonas Korpisalo started the second-last preseason game and looks set to back up Igor Shesterkin, ahead of Dylan Garand, who is no longer waiver-exempt. Spencer Martin was waived on Sept. 23.
Knies trade talk resurfaces, but Leafs not shopping him
Dreger says rival teams keep asking about Knies ($7.75M through 2031, no trade protection). He says Toronto isn't shopping him and calls it not front-burner.
Report: Sharks balk at Jets' ask for Michael Misa in Hellebuyck talks
San Jose and Winnipeg have discussed a Hellebuyck trade, but the Jets reportedly want top prospect Michael Misa and the Sharks refuse. Buffalo, Carolina, Utah and Vegas are also linked. Nothing is close.
Officials enforcing jersey-tuck rule for first time in 13 years
The NHL is emphasizing equipment rules this season: jerseys must be untucked, with a warning first and then a two-minute minor. Flyers forward Trevor Zegras got the first such penalty, in a preseason game vs. Boston.
NHL consolidates Winnipeg Jets history across both eras
Jets records now include the original Jets (1979-96) and the Atlanta Thrashers/current Jets (1999-present). Dale Hawerchuk is back atop the goals and points lists, and Mark Scheifele is chasing him again.
Kuzmenko on leave after his father was killed in a bear attack in Siberia
Andrei Kuzmenko left for Russia after his father, Alexander, a longtime Russian hockey coach, was killed by a bear on a fishing trip. The Penguins gave no timeline for his return, so his availability for the opener is unclear. GM Kyle Dubas said the organization fully supports the family.
Top prospect Emil Hemming among Stars' latest cuts
Former first-rounder Emil Hemming was sent to AHL Texas with Jack Anderson, Arno Tiefensee, Kyle Burroughs and others, bringing camp to 32. Dallas went 4-0 in the preseason, allowing three goals.
Goalie prospect Damian Clara and six others assigned to AHL San Diego
Anaheim sent Clara, Matt Basgall, Coulson Pitre, Ethan Procyszyn, Yegor Sidorov, Konnor Smith and Herman Traff to San Diego, and returned Jayden Kurtz to the USHL. Camp dropped to 38.
Jets retool special teams after ranking 24th on the PP and 21st on the PK
Winnipeg held its first special-teams practice on Sept. 24 with new power-play and penalty-kill setups. Scott Arniel and Josh Morrissey set a top-10 target for both units.
Kane plays once in preseason on top line with Nazar and Kantserov
Patrick Kane (two years, $16M) debuted Sept. 24 at St. Louis, a 1-0 loss, on a line with Frank Nazar and rookie Roman Kantserov, and the line drove play. He sat out the home finale so his home debut comes Oct. 6. The line is expected to stay together for the Sept. 29 opener at Vegas.
Senators waive Merilainen; Ersson locked in as backup
Ottawa waived goalie Leevi Merilainen (.860 SV% last season), and Vancouver claimed him the next day. That makes Samuel Ersson, acquired from Toronto, Linus Ullmark's backup. Ullmark is expected to start the opener.
Wild cut to 27; first-rounder Carson Lambos among eight waived
Minnesota waived Lambos, Kiersted, Schmidt, Bankier, Gambrell, Kirkland, Pitlick and Shaw (all cleared) and assigned seven more to AHL Iowa, including Riley Heidt and Hunter Haight.
The last 14 days of NHL news, from team, league and reporter sources, in our own words. Reported means one insider or outlet has it and it isn't confirmed yet.
OutElvis MerzlikinsShoulder surgery Aug 17; failed physical, out indefinitely with no timetable ('not going to see him in the near future'). Jet Greaves is the starter; Cam Talbot signed as backupdailyfaceoff.com · Sep 17
OutAlex PietrangeloOn LTIR for all of 2026-27 (bilateral femur/hip issue); the summer LTIR designation bars a return this season or in the playoffs (est. 82 games)prohockeyrumors.com · Jul 2
OutElvis MerzlikinsShoulder surgery Aug 17; failed physical, out indefinitely with no timetable ('not going to see him in the near future'). Jet Greaves is the starter; Cam Talbot signed as backupdailyfaceoff.com · Sep 17
OutAlex PietrangeloOn LTIR for all of 2026-27 (bilateral femur/hip issue); the summer LTIR designation bars a return this season or in the playoffs (est. 82 games)prohockeyrumors.com · Jul 2
Nashville built a 3-0 lead in Toronto and then handed it back one goal at a time, like a gambler who doesn't know when to leave the table. Steven Stamkos scored on the power play, Nils Hoglander scored twice, and it was 3-0 just 3:03 into the second. Then the Leafs woke up: John Tavares (with an assist from Anthony Stolarz, of all people), William Nylander on the power play, and after Stamkos made it 4-2, Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal. Jack Roslovic tied it 8:54 into the third, and Auston Matthews ended it 4:46 into overtime from Nylander, finishing with a goal and three assists. Toronto outshot Nashville 37-25. Juuse Saros made 32 saves; Stolarz made 21. The Leafs are 2-2. Nashville, 1-1-1, led by three on the road and left with one point, which is the most Predators way to spend a Tuesday.
1st 07:13 · NSH Steven Stamkos (2) from Matthew Wood, Roman Josi · PP · NSH 1–0 TOR
1st 09:08 · NSH Nils Hoglander (2) from Adam Wilsby, Filip Forsberg · NSH 2–0 TOR
2nd 03:03 · NSH Nils Hoglander (3) from Filip Forsberg, Mavrik Bourque · NSH 3–0 TOR
2nd 04:56 · TOR John Tavares (1) from Gavin McKenna, Anthony Stolarz · NSH 3–1 TOR
2nd 06:58 · TOR William Nylander (3) from Auston Matthews, Kirill Marchenko · PP · NSH 3–2 TOR
2nd 13:30 · NSH Steven Stamkos (3) from Ryan O'Reilly, Brady Skjei · NSH 4–2 TOR
2nd 14:31 · TOR Gavin McKenna (1) from Auston Matthews, Jack Roslovic · NSH 4–3 TOR
3rd 08:54 · TOR Jack Roslovic (1) from Auston Matthews, William Nylander · NSH 4–4 TOR
OT 04:46 · TOR Auston Matthews (2) from William Nylander · NSH 4–5 TOR
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
TOR ML
-154
NSH +1.5
-215
Tie after 60
+290
Over 5.5
-138
No -1.5 winner (won by 1); TOR +1.5 wasn't offered.
CAR 6–4 MTL
Carolina Hurricanes34 shots
6
FinalCentre Bell
4
Montreal Canadiens20 shots
Puckline's Report
Montreal threw a home-opener party and the team that ended its season last spring showed up uninvited and ate all the food. The first period had five goals and no defense: Taylor Hall scored 2:25 in, Zachary Bolduc and Nick Suzuki answered inside two minutes, and Bolduc's power-play goal made it 3-2 Habs after one. Then Carolina took over. Sebastian Aho tied it on the power play, Mark Jankowski put the Canes ahead, and Hall's second made it 5-3 with eight minutes left. Juraj Slafkovsky got one back with the goalie pulled, and Andrei Svechnikov hit the empty net. Aho finished with a goal and two assists. Brandon Bussi, a surprise starter, won with 16 saves on 20; Jakub Dobes stopped 28 of 33. Carolina outshot Montreal 34-20. The Canadiens are 1-1-1 and have now allowed 12 goals in two games, which is a lot of pucks for one Bell Centre to watch go in.
1st 02:25 · CAR Taylor Hall (1) from Jackson Blake · CAR 1–0 MTL
1st 03:23 · MTL Zachary Bolduc (2) from Phillip Danault, Alexandre Texier · CAR 1–1 MTL
1st 04:27 · MTL Nick Suzuki (2) from Chris Kreider, Lane Hutson · CAR 1–2 MTL
1st 09:22 · CAR Eric Robinson (1) from Jalen Chatfield, Mark Jankowski · CAR 2–2 MTL
1st 12:54 · MTL Zachary Bolduc (3) from Alex Newhook, Alexandre Texier · PP · CAR 2–3 MTL
2nd 03:56 · CAR Sebastian Aho (4) from Nikolaj Ehlers, Shayne Gostisbehere · PP · CAR 3–3 MTL
2nd 13:24 · CAR Mark Jankowski (1) from Eric Robinson · CAR 4–3 MTL
3rd 12:21 · CAR Taylor Hall (2) from Jaccob Slavin, Sebastian Aho · CAR 5–3 MTL
3rd 16:57 · MTL Juraj Slafkovský (1) from Chris Kreider, Nick Suzuki · 6v5, goalie pulled · CAR 5–4 MTL
3rd 18:45 · CAR Andrei Svechnikov (1) from Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin · EN · CAR 6–4 MTL
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
CAR ML
-130
CAR -1.5
+190
CAR REG
+125
Over 6.5
+110
CAR +1.5 wasn't offered.
OTT 3–5 DET
Ottawa Senators25 shots
3
FinalLittle Caesars Arena
5
Detroit Red Wings36 shots
Puckline's Report
Dylan Larkin asked to be traded this summer, lost the C, got booed at the opener, and then walked into his season debut and gave Detroit its first win. Hockey is a funny business. Tim Stützle opened it 2:44 in, Alex DeBrincat tied it 32 seconds later, and Larkin put the Wings ahead late in the first. Viktor Arvidsson scored on the power play and Justin Faulk made it 4-1 by 4:30 of the second. Drake Batherson and William Eklund pulled Ottawa within one, but DeBrincat finished it with a power-play empty-netter at 19:10 for his second of the night. Lucas Raymond had three assists, Larkin a goal and an assist, and rookie William Wallinder picked up a point in his NHL debut. John Gibson made 22 saves; Samuel Ersson made 31 on 35. Detroit is 1-2. Ottawa's perfect start lasted exactly two games, which is about one more than Senators fans had budgeted for.
1st 02:44 · OTT Tim Stützle (3) from Drake Batherson, Ridly Greig · OTT 1–0 DET
1st 03:16 · DET Alex DeBrincat (1) from Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur · OTT 1–1 DET
1st 13:14 · DET Dylan Larkin (1) from Viktor Arvidsson, Alex DeBrincat · OTT 1–2 DET
2nd 02:01 · DET Viktor Arvidsson (2) from Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond · PP · OTT 1–3 DET
2nd 04:30 · DET Justin Faulk (1) from William Wallinder, Lucas Raymond · OTT 1–4 DET
2nd 06:08 · OTT Drake Batherson (2) from William Eklund, Carter Yakemchuk · PP · OTT 2–4 DET
3rd 10:30 · OTT William Eklund (1) from Fabian Zetterlund, Tim Stützle · OTT 3–4 DET
3rd 19:10 · DET Alex DeBrincat (2) from Lucas Raymond, Justin Faulk · PP/EN · OTT 3–5 DET
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
DET ML
-118
DET -1.5
+210
DET REG
+140
Over 5.5
-140
DET +1.5 wasn't offered.
UTA 5–3 NJD
Utah Mammoth31 shots
5
FinalPrudential Center
3
New Jersey Devils33 shots
Puckline's Report
Utah scored twice on the power play, and the Devils' defense went missing for the rest of it. Clayton Keller scored on the power play 1:57 in, Luke Evangelista answered on New Jersey's, and the teams traded goals until Nick Schmaltz's power-play goal (his fifth already) and Lawson Crouse's at 19:03 of the second made it 4-2. Jesper Boqvist got the Devils within one in the third, and Vincent Trocheck, playing through a lower-body injury, scored his first goal as a Mammoth to close it. Schmaltz had a goal and two assists, Mikhail Sergachev three assists. Evangelista scored both New Jersey goals, and Timo Meier fired eight shots for one assist. Brenden Dillon and Jack McBain fought in the third. Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves; Jake Allen stopped 26 of 31. Utah is 3-1. The Devils are 1-2 and minus-7, and the blue line is starting to look like a waiting room.
3rd 16:52 · UTA Vincent Trocheck (1) from Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller · UTA 5–3 NJD
Fights
Brenden Dillon (NJD) vs Jack McBain (UTA) (3rd 05:36)
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
UTA ML
+104
UTA +1.5
-240
UTA REG
+165
Over 6.5
+104
UTA -1.5 wasn't offered.
MIN 2–3 BUF OT
Minnesota Wild20 shots
2
Final/OTKeyBank Center
3
Buffalo Sabres28 shots
Puckline's Report
Minnesota led 2-0 with 25 minutes left and then remembered it was in Buffalo, where nice leads go to die. Danila Yurov scored on the power play at 13:53 of the second and Maxim Shabanov added another 1:45 later. Noah Ostlund cut it in half early in the third, Tage Thompson tied it at 9:38 on a night he reached 400 points as a Sabre, and Owen Power won it 4:22 into overtime from Jiri Kulich and Thompson. Thompson fired nine shots, Power and Thompson each had a goal and an assist, and Colten Ellis won his first start with 18 saves on 20. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 of 28. Matt Boldy had seven shots and nothing to show for them, and Kirill Kaprizov went pointless in 25 minutes. The Sabres are 2-1. The Wild got a point, which is nice, but they also blew a two-goal third-period lead to Buffalo, which is the kind of thing a team should keep out of the group chat.
2nd 13:53 · MIN Danila Yurov (1) from Jared Spurgeon, Blake Coleman · PP · MIN 1–0 BUF
2nd 15:38 · MIN Maxim Shabanov (1) from Quinn Hughes, Michael McCarron · MIN 2–0 BUF
3rd 03:55 · BUF Noah Ostlund (1) from Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin · MIN 2–1 BUF
3rd 09:38 · BUF Tage Thompson (2) from Peyton Krebs · MIN 2–2 BUF
OT 04:22 · BUF Owen Power (1) from Jiri Kulich, Tage Thompson · MIN 2–3 BUF
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
BUF ML
-106
BUF +1.5
-250
Tie after 60
+300
Under 6.5
-128
No -1.5 winner (won by 1); MIN +1.5 wasn't offered.
NYI 2–5 NYR
New York Islanders19 shots
2
FinalMadison Square Garden
5
New York Rangers24 shots
Puckline's Report
Alexis Lafrenière got a hat trick, and two-thirds of it was delivered to an empty net 32 seconds apart. Nobody at MSG asked for a receipt. Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring and Lafrenière made it 2-0 25 seconds into the second, but the Islanders tied it within five minutes on goals from Bo Horvat (power play) and Calum Ritchie. Bjorkstrand's power-play goal at 17:07 of the second was the winner, his second of the night and his first two as a Ranger. Lafrenière then scored at 18:22 and 18:54 of the third with Semyon Varlamov on the bench. He also had an assist. There were two fights: Brayden Schenn and J.T. Miller in the first, Bjorkstrand and Adam Pelech in the final seconds. Varlamov, in his first NHL game since November 2024, made 19 saves; Igor Shesterkin made 17. The Rangers have won four straight. The Islanders are 1-2 and lost the Battle of New York on a pair of empty nets.
2nd 17:07 · NYR Oliver Bjorkstrand (2) from Gabe Perreault, Will Cuylle · PP · NYI 2–3 NYR
3rd 18:22 · NYR Alexis Lafrenière (2) from J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad · EN · NYI 2–4 NYR
3rd 18:54 · NYR Alexis Lafrenière (3) from Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov · EN · NYI 2–5 NYR
Fights
Brayden Schenn (NYI) vs J.T. Miller (NYR) (1st 12:13)
Oliver Bjorkstrand (NYR) vs Adam Pelech (NYI) (3rd 19:47)
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
NYR ML
-156
NYR -1.5
+168
NYR REG
+105
Over 5.5
-122
NYR +1.5 wasn't offered.
STL 2–4 CHI
St Louis Blues28 shots
2
FinalUnited Center
4
Chicago Blackhawks21 shots
Puckline's Report
Chicago finally won a hockey game, and it picked the home opener to do it, which is good showmanship from a team that hadn't shown much else. Mason McTavish gave St. Louis the lead late in the first. In the second, Sam Rinzel tied it on the power play and Anton Frondell put the Hawks ahead two minutes later. The last 69 seconds were a fire drill: Cole Smith scored shorthanded into the empty net, Connor McMichael answered on the power play with Hofer pulled, and Frank Nazar hit the empty net again with four seconds left. Nazar and Frondell each had a goal and an assist. Spencer Knight made 26 saves on 28; Joel Hofer stopped 17 of 19. Colton Parayko tied Barret Jackman for the most games by a Blues defenseman. St. Louis is 1-2 to close its opening road trip and just gave a 1-3 rebuild its first win of the year. That's charity, not hockey.
1st 15:38 · STL Mason McTavish (2) from Connor McMichael · STL 1–0 CHI
2nd 05:40 · CHI Sam Rinzel (1) from Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis · PP · STL 1–1 CHI
2nd 07:40 · CHI Anton Frondell (1) from Artyom Levshunov, Teuvo Teravainen · STL 1–2 CHI
3rd 18:51 · CHI Cole Smith (1) unassisted · SH/EN · STL 1–3 CHI
3rd 19:22 · STL Connor McMichael (1) from Philip Broberg, Pavel Buchnevich · PP/6v5, goalie pulled · STL 2–3 CHI
3rd 19:56 · CHI Frank Nazar (1) from Tyler Bertuzzi, Anton Frondell · EN · STL 2–4 CHI
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
CHI ML
+115
CHI +1.5
-230
CHI REG
+185
Over 5.5
-124
CHI -1.5 wasn't offered.
VGK 6–2 SEA
Vegas Golden Knights28 shots
6
FinalClimate Pledge Arena
2
Seattle Kraken27 shots
Puckline's Report
Vegas went to Seattle and treated the Kraken like a comp'd buffet. It was 5-0 before the second intermission: Victor Olofsson scored twice, Tomas Hertl on the power play, Mark Stone shorthanded, and Jack Eichel unassisted with 31 seconds left in the period. Hertl added another power-play goal in the third. Hertl (two goals, two assists) and Eichel (a goal, three assists) had four points each. Joey Daccord was pulled after allowing five on 21 shots; Philipp Grubauer stopped 6 of 7. Shane Wright and Jared McCann scored for Seattle. It got nasty late: Brandon Montour fought Stone and took 17 penalty minutes, Marc Gatcomb fought Ryan Winterton, and Ben Meyers was thrown out for boarding Olofsson, with a league hearing expected. Carter Hart made 25 saves. Vegas is 3-1. Seattle is 2-2, and the Kraken's best work of the night came after the game was already gone.
3rd 04:52 · SEA Shane Wright (2) from Kaapo Kakko, Cale Fleury · VGK 5–1 SEA
3rd 09:43 · VGK Tomas Hertl (3) from Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel · PP · VGK 6–1 SEA
3rd 15:00 · SEA Jared McCann (1) from Jordan Eberle, Kaapo Kakko · PP · VGK 6–2 SEA
Fights
Brandon Montour (SEA) vs Mark Stone (VGK) (3rd 09:21)
Marc Gatcomb (VGK) vs Ryan Winterton (SEA) (3rd 15:03)
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
VGK ML
-170
VGK -1.5
+146
VGK REG
-105
Over 5.5
-140
VGK +1.5 wasn't offered.
FLA 2–1 LAK
Florida Panthers28 shots
2
FinalCrypto.com Arena
1
Los Angeles Kings20 shots
Puckline's Report
The Panthers needed four games and a cross-country flight to win one in regulation, but they got it, 2-1 in the Kings' home opener. Alex Laferriere scored with a minute left in the first for Los Angeles. Seth Jones tied it 3:49 into the second, and Matthew Tkachuk won it at 11:20 of the third from Sam Bennett. Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 of 20, and the Kings managed just 20 shots in their own building. Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves on 28 and deserved better. Garnet Hathaway and Joel Edmundson fought in the second. Artemi Panarin had four shots and no points. Florida is 2-0-2. Los Angeles is 0-2-1, one of two teams in the West still without a win, and its home crowd paid opening-night prices to watch 20 shots in 60 minutes.
1st 19:00 · LAK Alex Laferriere (1) from Erik Haula · FLA 0–1 LAK
2nd 03:49 · FLA Seth Jones (1) from Lars Eller · FLA 1–1 LAK
3rd 11:20 · FLA Matthew Tkachuk (2) from Sam Bennett · FLA 2–1 LAK
Fights
Garnet Hathaway (FLA) vs Joel Edmundson (LAK) (2nd 07:40)
Winning sides
Winning bet
Odds that morning
FLA ML
-118
LAK +1.5
-280
FLA REG
+135
Under 5.5
+110
No -1.5 winner (won by 1); FLA +1.5 wasn't offered.
Schedules
Atlantic
Central
Metropolitan
Pacific
Strength Of Schedule
No game is easy, but if it was, that would be +5 and
−5 is a grind. Multiple teams can be overlaid, highlight the line to see
the game. *strength of schedule is expected to adjust daily based on course
of season.
Pick a team below to
plot its schedule.
Atlantic
Central
Metropolitan
Pacific
Team
Next 5
Played
Rest of season
OTT
+1.74
-0.67
-0.02
MTL
+1.40
-0.73
+0.10
DET
+1.20
+1.03
-0.11
ANA
+1.18
-1.40
+0.15
VGK
+1.16
+0.95
+0.07
NYI
+0.90
-0.00
-0.04
CAR
+0.60
-0.22
+0.07
CHI
+0.52
-1.35
-0.06
COL
+0.52
+3.30
+0.03
NJD
+0.36
+1.13
-0.06
NYR
+0.20
+0.42
+0.08
TBL
+0.18
+0.73
+0.01
FLA
+0.16
-1.60
+0.09
WSH
+0.16
-2.60
+0.09
SJS
+0.14
+0.70
-0.02
NSH
-0.02
+0.20
-0.06
PHI
-0.08
-0.40
-0.07
WPG
-0.14
-0.23
-0.02
BOS
-0.24
-1.20
+0.00
BUF
-0.28
+0.77
-0.04
STL
-0.34
-1.60
-0.01
CBJ
-0.58
+0.50
-0.05
LAK
-0.60
-1.83
-0.02
UTA
-0.90
-0.28
+0.03
PIT
-0.92
+0.83
-0.02
CGY
-0.92
+0.33
-0.11
MIN
-1.00
-0.00
+0.08
EDM
-1.04
+1.30
+0.06
SEA
-1.20
+1.07
-0.09
TOR
-1.38
+1.33
-0.17
DAL
-1.42
+0.80
-0.03
VAN
-2.00
+0.15
-0.02
Each game is scored for an average team in that team's shoes:
the opponent's strength (its record this season, blended with our power rankings, plus
a little recent form), home or away, rest (back-to-backs, extra days off) and travel
(time zones crossed, how deep into a road trip). Scores are graded against the whole
league: 0 is an average game, +5 is among the easiest ~1% of games anyone plays this
season, −5 among the hardest. Rest of season shows every game still
to play, Next 5 the next five, and Last 15 / 10 / 5 the final 15, 10 or
5 games of each team's season (the stretch run). Played games are faded in the
game-by-game view.
Road Trips
Pick a team to see every road trip on its schedule (2 or more road
games in a row), with each trip's strength of schedule on the same +5 (easy) to
−5 (a grind) scale.
Atlantic
Central
Metropolitan
Pacific
Pick a team above to
see its road trips.
PIT @ WSH · 7:30 PM ET
Pittsburgh PenguinsPIT2-1-0 · 4 PTS
@7:30 PM ETWed Oct 7 · Capital One Arena
PIT +134MLWSH -162
Washington CapitalsWSH1-1-0 · 2 PTS
Puckline Preview
Two days after Alex Ovechkin announced this will be his last NHL season, Washington opens its building and the farewell tour gets its first home date. Naturally, Sidney Crosby is the opening act. Counting the playoffs, tonight is their 101st meeting: Crosby has 97 points head-to-head, Ovechkin 71, and Pittsburgh won three of their four playoff series (2009 and 2017; Washington got 2018). The Capitals took last season's series 2-1, finishing with Logan Thompson's 3-0 shutout on Apr. 12, a night billed as maybe Ovi's last home game. It wasn't, and Washington missed the playoffs anyway.
Ovechkin has one assist in two games, and Spencer Carbery has put him with Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier. Matt Roy is doubtful, with Dylan McIlrath next in. Pittsburgh is 2-1 with 15 goals, seven of them in Philadelphia, but it blew a 2-0 lead at home to Winnipeg on Monday. Crosby has two assists and no goals, and Evgeni Malkin, on a one-year deal, has four points. Bryan Rust could make his season debut if the Penguins clear a roster spot. Arturs Silovs and Thompson are projected. Washington has also averaged 20.5 penalty minutes a game, which is a strange way to spend a farewell tour: watching the penalty kill from the bench.
Highlighted = new linemates since last game (PP: new to that unit).
Injuries And Lineup Changes
PIT
OUT · Justin Brazeau · RW · lower body NHL.com projected lineups · Oct 7
OUT · Ryan Graves · D · knee NHL.com projected lineups · Oct 7
OUT · Andrei Kuzmenko · F · 0 pts in 2 GP · extra forward Tuesday after a quiet debut Monday Pittsburgh Hockey Now · Oct 7
OUT · Andrei Kuzmenko · F · 0 pts in 2 GP · non-roster status after his father's death; misses the road trip (WSH, CBJ), per Muse NHL.com status report · Oct 7
QUESTIONABLE · Bryan Rust · upper body (preseason); full-contact practice Tuesday; not yet activated, a forward must be waived The Hockey News Penguins notebook · Oct 6
GAME-TIME DECISION · Bryan Rust · upper body; full practice Tuesday; not activated as of early afternoon NHL.com status report · Oct 7
GAME-TIME DECISION · Bryan Rust · upper body; activated from IR, no other roster move needed; Muse: game-time decision; projected 3rd line with Koivunen and Kindel NHL.com status report and DK Pittsburgh Sports · Oct 7
IN · Bryan Rust · F · possible debut on the 3rd line with Kindel and Koivunen; not yet activated The Hockey News Penguins notebook · Oct 6
Hendrix Lapierre: top line with Crosby and Rakell Pittsburgh Hockey Now · Oct 7
OUT · Matt Roy · D · 0 pts in 2 GP · lower body; Carbery ruled him out of the home opener; skipped the optional skate; day-to-day, could return Friday vs NYR NHL.com status report · Oct 7
OUT · Matt Roy · D · 0 pts in 2 GP · D; McIlrath draws in beside Hutson on the 3rd pair The Hockey News Capitals · Oct 7
GAME-TIME DECISION · Matt Roy · lower body (Saturday at TB); missed Mon/Tue practice; Carbery: day-to-day, decision this morning WashingtonCaps.com · Oct 7
IN · Dylan McIlrath · D · D; replaces Roy if he can't go; paired with Cole Hutson Tuesday The Hockey News Capitals · Oct 6
Anthony Beauvillier: up to RW with Strome and Ovechkin The Hockey News Capitals · Oct 6
Ryan Leonard: to the Sourdif-Jenner line; Carbery: different deployment, not a demotion The Hockey News Capitals · Oct 6
Fri Oct 9 @ CBJ · Sat Oct 10 vs DAL · Tue Oct 13 @ CHI
Next 3 games
Fri Oct 9 vs NYR · Sun Oct 11 vs SEA · Tue Oct 13 @ CAR
Season Series
No meetings yet this season.
COL @ WPG · 7:30 PM ET
Colorado AvalancheCOL2-0-0 · 4 PTS
@7:30 PM ETWed Oct 7 · Canada Life Centre
COL -196MLWPG +162
Winnipeg JetsWPG2-0-1 · 5 PTS
Puckline Preview
The last two Presidents' Trophy winners meet in Winnipeg, and only one of them still looks the part. Colorado is 2-0 with 14 goals in two home games: 8-4 over Los Angeles, the most the franchise has ever scored in an opener, and 6-1 over St. Louis. Nathan MacKinnon has five points and Artturi Lehkonen three goals. Jared Bednar still called the rush coverage in the opener 'rough,' which is coach for 'four goals against the Kings is too many.' This is the front end of a back-to-back, with Calgary tomorrow, and Mackenzie Blackwood is projected.
Winnipeg is 2-0-1 on a goalie budget. Connor Hellebuyck asked out, didn't report and is suspended, and Pierre LeBrun says he won't accept a trade to any Canadian team. Stuart Skinner is projected after Clay Stevenson won his debut in Pittsburgh. Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti have five points each, Perfetti has two game-winners, and the power play is 4-for-8. Scott Arniel is in the last year of his contract after the Jets went from 116 points to 35-35-12 and no playoffs. Colorado won last season's series 2-1, but Winnipeg took the last meeting, 4-2 in Denver on Mar. 28, on a late Perfetti tip. In the playoffs it's all Avalanche: they took the 2024 first round in five after losing Game 1 7-6. Eighteen months ago the Jets had the best record in hockey. Now their best goalie is spending the season deciding which provinces he doesn't like.
Highlighted = new linemates since last game (PP: new to that unit).
Injuries And Lineup Changes
COL
OUT · Logan O'Connor · RW · lower body; ruled out at Winnipeg; day-to-day, Thursday at CGY possible Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 7
OUT · Noah Juulsen · D · 0 pts in 2 GP · D; likely scratched when a forward returns (back to 12F/6D); T.J. Hughes could also sit Denver Gazette · Oct 5
OUT · Noah Juulsen · D · 0 pts in 2 GP · D; scratch with Colorado back to six defensemen Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 7
GAME-TIME DECISION · Logan O'Connor · lower body; first full practice Tuesday; Bednar expects him Wed or Thu, maybe both Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 6
GAME-TIME DECISION · Zachary L'Heureux · lower body; second full practice, closer than O'Connor Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 6
IN · Zachary L'Heureux · LW · lower body; Avalanche debut on the 4th line Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 7
IN · Zachary L'Heureux · F · 4th-line RW with Kelly and Roy; back to 12F/6D Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 7
Nazem Kadri: to PP1 (MacKinnon, Makar, Necas, T.J. Hughes, Kadri) after 0-for-4 vs STL Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 6
Gabriel Landeskog: to PP2 (Nelson, Toews, Lehkonen, Schwartz, Landeskog) Colorado Hockey Now · Oct 6
Thu Oct 8 @ CGY (tomorrow) · Sat Oct 10 vs TOR · Tue Oct 13 @ DAL
Next 3 games
Fri Oct 9 vs ANA · Tue Oct 13 vs MIN · Thu Oct 15 @ CHI
Season Series
No meetings yet this season.
EDM @ ANA · 10:00 PM ET
Edmonton OilersEDM2-0-1 · 5 PTS
@10:00 PM ETWed Oct 7 · Honda Center
EDM -134MLANA +112
Anaheim DucksANA2-0-0 · 4 PTS
Puckline Preview
The last time these two met, Anaheim was ending Edmonton's season. The Ducks won last spring's first round in six, their first series win since 2017. Game 4 went to overtime and was decided by a Ryan Poehling goal that went in off Darnell Nurse's skate, waved off at first and allowed after a long review. Game 6 was a 5-2 clincher at Honda Center on Apr. 30. The Oilers, two-time defending West champions at the time, came out of it with a new coach, Mike Babcock, whose hiring drew loud criticism.
Edmonton is 2-0-1 and plays like a pinball machine: 5.67 goals a game, Connor McDavid with nine points (five of them in a 9-7 win in Vancouver), Evan Bouchard with eight. It also allows 4.67 a game, 29th, with a 57.1% penalty kill, dead last. Frederik Andersen is on LTIR, possibly until December, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out, and Mike Babcock has named Devon Levi (.810) the starter. Anaheim is 2-0, both by one goal, despite being outshot in both; Lukas Dostal is projected after stopping 56 of 61. Leo Carlsson leads with five points, Troy Terry is out after hip surgery, and the Ducks are reported to be recalling Roger McQueen and defenseman Stian Solberg. Edmonton's whole plan is to outscore its own goaltending, which worked great right up until last April.
Highlighted = new linemates since last game (PP: new to that unit).
Injuries And Lineup Changes
EDM
OUT · Ryan Nugent-Hopkins · C · lower body; Babcock: about two weeks Daily Hive Edmonton · Oct 6
OUT · Zach Hyman · RW · 0 pts in 1 GP · Babcock: about two weeks Daily Hive Edmonton · Oct 6
IR · Frederik Andersen · G · LTIR, expected back in December ProHockeyRumors · Oct 1
IR · Matt Savoie · F · LTIR, about seven weeks ProHockeyRumors · Oct 1
OUT · Colton Dach · F · 0 pts in 3 GP · listed injured; Max Jones and Josh Samanski on the 3rd line with Howard NHL.com Oilers at Ducks projected lineups · Oct 7
OUT · Spencer Stastney · D; traded to Pittsburgh for F Filip Hallander (not known whether Hallander plays tonight) OilersNation · Oct 7
OUT · Shakir Mukhamadullin · D · 0 pts in 2 GP · D, scratch; Ty Emberson in on the 3rd pair with Walman NHL.com Oilers at Ducks projected lineups · Oct 7
OUT · Filip Hallander · F · F, just acquired from PIT; scratch tonight NHL.com Oilers at Ducks projected lineups · Oct 7
GAME-TIME DECISION · Jason Dickinson · full practice Tuesday, travelling; not confirmed to play; needs a roster spot Daily Hive Edmonton · Oct 6
IN · Jason Dickinson · C · ankle; season debut centring Frederic and Kapanen NHL.com Oilers at Ducks projected lineups · Oct 7
IN · Jason Dickinson · F · C; centred Frederic and Kapanen at practice; Samanski likely sent down if he's activated Daily Hive Edmonton · Oct 6
WSH regulation winPIT @ WSH · 7:30 PM ET+100
COL regulation winCOL @ WPG · 7:30 PM ET-120
