Friday, October 2, 2026

The Hughes brothers turned New Jersey's season opener into a family showcase. Philadelphia looked poised to steal two points behind a heroic 41-save performance from Joseph Woll, especially after Travis Sanheim restored the Flyers' lead early in the third period. But the Devils' relentless attack eventually broke through the barricade. Luke Hughes leveled the score midway through the final frame, snapping a feed from Luke Evangelista past Woll to drag the contest into overtime. With the Prudential Center buzzing and under two minutes left in the extra session, Jesper Bratt carved open the ice and found Jack Hughes. The Devils superstar made no mistake, burying the winner at 3:23 of sudden death to seal a dramatic 3-2 triumph. Woll deserved a better fate after facing a relentless barrage of 44 shots, but Philadelphia leaves Newark with just a single point to show for his brilliance. If this opening salvo is any indication, New Jersey's lethal young core is fully prepared to dictate the terms in the Metropolitan Division this season.

Igor Shesterkin stole the show at Madison Square Garden, capping an already brilliant performance with an unassisted empty-net goal with under three minutes remaining to seal a 5-1 rout of Tampa Bay. It was the ultimate exclamation mark in his high-profile duel with Andrei Vasilevskiy. Shesterkin stopped 24 of 25 shots on the night before lofting the puck down the ice to bring the Garden faithful to their feet. New York seized control early, grabbing a two-goal lead in the opening frame through a Mika Zibanejad power-play blast and a smooth finish from Pavel Dorofeyev. Eeli Tolvanen stretched the lead just 100 seconds into the second period. While Nikita Kucherov spoiled the shutout bid midway through the frame, Gabe Perreault restored the three-goal cushion before Shesterkin etched his name on the scoresheet. After an opening-night stumble, the Rangers look fully awake, and with their franchise goaltender literally doing everything, New York carries serious swagger into the weekend.

Matthew Knies could not have scripted a louder opening night, racking up two goals and an assist to propel Columbus past Buffalo in a wild 6-3 track meet. Mattias Samuelsson drew first blood for the Sabres seven minutes in, but the Blue Jackets seized control before the first intermission. Cole Sillinger knotted the score before Knies potted a power-play marker and set up Adam Fantilli just 46 seconds later. Buffalo refused to roll over, trimming the deficit to one twice thanks to second-period tallies from Jack Quinn and Konsta Helenius. Yet Columbus answered every push, highlighted by Knies burying his second of the game. Sean Monahan restored breathing room with a late power-play strike in the third, and Charlie Coyle capped a three-assist night by teeing up Mathieu Olivier with two minutes left. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen endured a rough opener with just 17 saves on 22 shots, leaving Buffalo searching for defensive fixes in a hurry.

Jesper Wallstedt looked every bit like Minnesota's goaltender of the future on opening night in Nashville. The young Swede stopped 19 of 20 shots, anchoring a disciplined Wild side that silenced Bridgestone Arena with a composed 3-1 victory over their Central Division rivals. Minnesota seized control midway through the first period when Marcus Foligno snapped an even-strength opener, followed four minutes later by Blake Coleman burying a power-play marker. Nashville pushed back past the game's midway mark when Roman Josi finished off a slick passing sequence from Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos to cut the deficit to one. Any thoughts of a comeback evaporated early in the third, however, as Kirill Kaprizov took a crisp feed from Quinn Hughes and roofed a dagger past Juuse Saros. Wallstedt held the fort the rest of the way, shutting down Nashville's late six-on-five assault. It is the dream start to the campaign for John Hynes's squad, who now carry that road swagger into their home opener this weekend.

Opening night in Calgary felt over before the ice had even settled. Seattle stormed into the Saddledome and delivered a ruthless 6-1 drubbing of the Flames, paced by a three-point masterclass from defenseman Vince Dunn. Jordan Eberle opened the floodgates on a power play midway through the first period, and just thirty-two seconds later, Dunn beat Dustin Wolf clean to double the lead. The Kraken never looked back. Frederick Gaudreau tucked one home with thirty seconds left in the frame to make it 3-0, deflating the home crowd. Joey Daccord turned away 24 of 25 shots and even picked up an assist when Chandler Stephenson scored early in the third, part of another quick two-goal punch alongside Matty Beniers. Ryan Strome finally spoiled Daccord's shutout bid late, only for Kaapo Kakko to respond twenty-six seconds later to salt the wound. If this kind of relentless, four-line scoring depth is what Seattle brings all season, the rest of the Pacific Division has serious homework to do.

Utah could hardly have scripted a more emphatic season opener. Dylan Guenther sparked a total demolition of the visiting Blackhawks, striking twice on the power play to pace a 6-0 rout. After a tight opening frame, Guenther unlocked the scoring late in the first, burying a slick feed from Logan Cooley before Michael Carcone doubled the lead just 40 seconds later. From there, Utah suffocated Chicago physically and on the scoreboard, racking up 42 hits and adding three more tallies in the second period from Nick Schmaltz, Anders Lee, and Guenther again. Chicago offered little resistance, managing a paltry 15 shots all night as Karel Vejmelka earned one of the easiest shutouts of his career. Frustrations boiled over midway through the third when Ryan Donato scrapped with MacKenzie Weegar, but Daniil But rubbed salt in the wound with a late goal to cap the blowout. Chicago now sits winless after two games, while Utah looks every bit like an absolute wagon out of the gate.

Throw the defensive playbook directly into the Pacific Ocean. Edmonton and Vancouver treated fans to pure 1980s chaos, combining for sixteen goals in a breathless 9-7 Oilers victory. Edmonton blitzed Kevin Lankinen early, building a 4-0 first-period cushion before turning on the afterburners midway through the second. While killing a penalty, Connor McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen scored unassisted shorthanded goals just 34 seconds apart to push the lead to an absurd 8-2. Game over? Not quite. Marco Rossi struck twice in the opening five minutes of the third period to ignite a frantic Canucks resurgence, and Elias Pettersson cut the deficit to two with a power-play blast. Leon Draisaitl snuffed out the rally midway through the frame, burying his second of the night off McDavid's fourth assist to survive Jamie Oleksiak's late strike. McDavid finished with five points to vault Edmonton atop the division, and if this wild rivalry clash is any indication, neither defense will sleep easy this winter.

The future has officially arrived in Northern California, and it brought plenty of drama with it. San Jose’s dazzling youth movement stole the spotlight on opening night, capped off by defenseman Luca Cagnoni burying the overtime winner with just under two minutes remaining. That golden finish secured a three-point evening for Macklin Celebrini and rewarded Will Smith, who had already put on a masterclass by striking shorthanded and on the power play during a frantic second period. Florida didn't yield easily, racking up 41 hits in a bruising tilt that included a first-period scrap between Brady Tkachuk and Jacob Trouba. Down 3-0, Eetu Luostarinen sparked the comeback with a pair of tallies before Matthew Tkachuk tied things up just 17 seconds later to shock Yaroslav Askarov. But the Sharks’ kids refused to blink, working a pristine transition in the three-on-three session to send the Tank into delirium. If this young core keeps clicking at this tempo, San Jose will be appointment viewing all season long.