NHL Results: Sunday, October 25, 2026

Veteran Lars Eller picked the perfect moment to play hero, burying an Aaron Ekblad feed with just 2:23 remaining in regulation to lift Florida to a gritty 3-2 victory in Chicago. The late dagger spoiled an otherwise terrific 30-save performance by Blackhawks netminder Spencer Knight against his former club. Chicago struck early when Ryan Greene finished an odd-man rush just 2:34 into the game, but the Panthers responded with bruising physicality, outhitting the hosts 33-18. Sandis Vilmanis leveled things shortly after, before Matthew Tkachuk wired home a power-play marker late in the first to seize the lead. The Blackhawks refused to fold. Midway through the second period, Roman Kantserov cashed in on a slick setup from Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane to tie it at 2-2. Akira Schmid held down the fort with 19 saves, allowing Eller to deliver the final blow. The Panthers climb to 6-4-2, finding their championship swagger just in time for a demanding week ahead.

The Islanders thought they had Dallas right where they wanted them after Brayden Schenn tied things up late in the second period, matching New York's punishing 29-hit physical style with timely scoring. But the Stars simply had too much firepower in reserve. Dallas flipped the switch in the final frame, overwhelming Ilya Sorokin with a relentless three-goal blitz to pull away for a 6-3 victory. Wyatt Johnston broke the 3-3 deadlock four minutes into the third, cleaning up a feed from Nils Lundkvist. Five minutes later, Jason Robertson bagged his second goal of the night off slick passing from Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz, leaving Sorokin helpless. Mikko Rantanen delivered the final blow midway through the frame, finishing a setup from rookie blueliner Lian Bichsel to put the game out of reach. Despite Jake Oettinger needing to make just 17 saves, Dallas proved that quick-strike offense beats brute force every time. The Stars look to keep that red-hot offensive machine rolling when their road trip begins later this week.

Jacob Fowler turned in the kind of road performance coaches dream about, frustrating Winnipeg all night to backstop Montreal to a gritty 2-1 victory. After a scoreless, bruising opening frame, the Canadiens cracked the game open midway through the second period behind their dynamic young blue line. Lane Hutson broke the deadlock at 7:19, finishing a slick setup from Noah Dobson and Cole Caufield. Less than four minutes later, Kaiden Guhle doubled the advantage, with Caufield picking up his second primary assist of the night alongside Juraj Slafkovsky. Winnipeg tilted the ice in the third period and finally solved Fowler with under five minutes remaining, as Isak Rosen tucked one home at 15:24 to inject late drama. That was all the Jets could muster, however. Fowler slammed the door amid a furious six-on-five assault, finishing with 33 saves on 34 shots to earn first-star honors. If Fowler can bottle this level of poise between the pipes, Montreal will be a headache for anyone in the Atlantic.

Nashville’s veteran firepower turned what looked like a tight Central Division clash into an absolute clinic on the man advantage. The Predators dismantled Colorado with four power-play goals, spearheaded by a vintage four-point night from Ryan O'Reilly and a pair of tallies from Steven Stamkos. Filip Forsberg set the tone four minutes into the game, and Stamkos doubled the cushion midway through the first. The Avalanche repeatedly lost their discipline, and Roman Josi made them pay with three assists, orchestrating the blue line to set up O'Reilly for two power-play strikes. Even after Parker Kelly fought Jayden Struble to ignite the Colorado bench, momentum stayed firmly with the hosts. Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews offered brief resistance, but Stamkos slammed the door midway through the third period. Justus Annunen stopped 19 pucks as Nashville pulled within a single point of the Avs in the standings, signaling their top guns are finally hitting full stride.

Quinn Hughes could not have scripted a more painful homecoming for Vancouver fans. Dressed in Wild green, the former Canucks captain orchestrated a ruthless 4-2 Minnesota victory, pushing his old club deeper into early-season despair. Hughes was everywhere, setting up scoring chances and burying a backbreaking power-play goal midway through the second period. Minnesota had already seized control late in the opening frame through Maxim Shabanov on the man advantage, followed by a Bobby Brink finish five minutes into the second. When Kirill Kaprizov converted a crisp Hughes feed early in the third to make it 4-0, the building went silent. Vancouver mounted a late push behind tallies from Max Sasson and Brock Boeser with under four minutes remaining, but Calvin Pickard locked down the crease to secure the points. While the 2-10-1 Canucks remain anchored to the Pacific basement, the Central-leading Wild look poised to maintain their grip on the division as their road trip rolls forward.