Two days after calling out his team for lacking cohesion, defenseman Nikita Zadorov remains distraught at the state of the Calgary Flames.

Fans booed the club throughout a 3-0 home defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, which marked Calgary's fourth loss in a row.

"I just want to apologize to our fans, we're playing like shit right now," Zadorov said, according to The Athletic's Julian McKenzie.

Zadorov also mentioned he wasn't criticizing any specific teammates with his previous incendiary comments but was instead pointing out the team is struggling to gel early in the season.

After yet another disheartening loss, the veteran defenseman wasn't Calgary's only critic.

"I would have booed too if I saw the way we played," said top-line center Elias Lindholm, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis.

"We weren't broken, we just sucked," added head coach Ryan Huska, per McKenzie.

The Blues outshot the Flames 35-27 during the contest and owned 55.26% of scoring chances and 56.43% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Calgary won two of its first four games before hitting its current skid and now sits sixth in the Pacific Division at 2-5-1. Its sputtering offense ranks 27th league-wide with 2.43 goals per game.

The club's next chance to right the ship comes against the Edmonton Oilers - who have also lost four in a row - outdoors at the Heritage Classic on Sunday.

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott explained his decision to use Pride tape Saturday night, becoming the first known player to stand against the NHL's recent ban on the rainbow-colored equipment.

"You don't really want to go against rules that are put in place by your employer, but there's some people who took some positive things from it," Dermott told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. "That's kind of what I'm looking to impact.

"You want to have everyone feel included and that's something that I have felt passionate about for a long time in my career. It's not like I just jumped on this train. It's something that I've felt has been lacking in the hockey community for a while. I feel like we need supporters of a movement like this; to have everyone feel included and really to beat home the idea that hockey is for everyone."

The NHL sent a memo to all 32 teams in early October prohibiting the use of Pride tape. The decision came months after the league nixed Pride-themed warmup jerseys following controversy surrounding a collection of players who refused to wear them last season.

Dermott included the colorful tape on the shaft of his stick for Saturday's victory of the Anaheim Ducks. The NHL said it will review the situation "in due course," and Dermott committed to his decision expecting backlash.

"I don't want to put my teammates or my coaches or my GMs or the equipment managers in any kind of bad light when it's their job to kind of look out for something like this happening," he said. "It was definitely something that I did just by myself and was prepared to kind of deal with whatever repercussions the league decides to push towards that. I'm not going to back off and say that this battle is won, but we're going to find better ways to do it."

Dermott joined the Coyotes on a one-year, two-way contract in July. He spent the first six years of his career split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, recording 55 points in 279 games.

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Joseph Woll is trending upward on the Toronto Maple Leafs' goalie depth chart, and he feels that now's the perfect time to seize the opportunity.

"This year, it just feels like all the experiences I've had recently have prepared me for this. I feel ready," Woll said, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Woll played a huge role in Saturday's comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, stopping all 29 shots he faced after Ilya Samsonov was pulled in the first period. The performance earned Woll the start for Toronto's next game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

Woll has been working to this point since being drafted 62nd overall in 2016, but only recently has he felt comfortable with the possibility of being an NHL starter.

"No, I think it's perfectly on time," he said. "I don't think I was ready to be at this point a year ago, two years ago. Every experience I've been afforded has made me ready."

Woll has recorded 13 NHL appearances dating back to the 2021-22 season, posting a 10-3 record with a .928 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average. He also made two starts during the second round of the 2023 playoffs after Samsonov was hurt, winning one of those games.

Samsonov was Toronto's primary starter last season and posted career bests in wins (27), save percentage (.919), shutouts (four), and goals saved above average (17.4). He's been unable to replicate that form in the new campaign, owning a .831 clip and 4.34 goals against average through four showings.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently said he welcomes the prospect of his two goalies competing internally.

"Oh, he's pushing," Keefe said of Woll on Saturday. "That's it. That's what you want. You want everybody pushing one another. That's what we got."

The Maple Leafs are 3-2 with an even goal differential (19 for, 19 against) on the season thus far.

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will miss one-to-two weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Sunday.

McDavid sustained the ailment Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets and didn't take a single shift during overtime. The injury timeline jeopardizes his status for next Sunday's Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames, which will be played outdoors at Commonwealth Stadium.

It's unclear what McDavid's exact ailment is, but he appeared to favor his side during his final shift Saturday.

The reigning MVP finished the contest with two assists in 20:48 of playing time, giving him at least a point in all five appearances this season. The loss dropped Edmonton to 1-3-1 on the young campaign.

McDavid has only missed two games over the past three campaigns. In 82 appearances last season, he set career highs with 64 goals and 153 points.

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The Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers are among the teams interested in signing free-agent forward Patrick Kane, reports The Athletic's Chris Johnston.

Kane is still rehabbing from offseason hip resurfacing surgery. He's likely to wait until early November before seriously considering potential suitors, Johnston adds.

The Sabres boast one of the league's most dangerous attacks and have $8.8 million in cap space to accommodate any sort of potential deal for Kane, who was born and raised in Buffalo.

The Panthers' cap situation is much more complex. Florida is currently above the $83.5-million limit but has approximately $6 million in flexibility with Aaron Ekblad on long-term injured reserve. The star defenseman is expected to be available to play again in December.

Kane was expected to be one of this past summer's marquee unrestricted free agents but was given a four-to-six-month recovery timeline after surgery in June. The soon-to-be 35-year-old managed 57 points split between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers last season, his 16th in the NHL.

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Alex Ovechkin is in an unfamiliar rut to start the 2023-24 season.

The Washington Capitals sniper was held without a shot Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators, marking the first time in his 19-year career he's gone consecutive games without an attempt on goal, according to OptaStats.

Ovechkin was also blanked Monday against the Calgary Flames. He managed four shot attempts in his latest appearance, but all of them were blocked. The 38-year-old mustered an assist in Wednesday's 6-1 loss for his first point of the young campaign.

Ovechkin has only been held without a shot 19 times since entering the NHL in 2005-06 and has led the league in the statistic 11 times. He passed Ray Bourque (6,209) for the most shots all time last season.

The Capitals have had trouble scoring as a whole, registering only three goals through three games so far. New head coach Spencer Carbery said the team needs more out of most of its players.

"We're really struggling right now from a standpoint of we’ve got a lot of guys that are looking to find their game early in the season, and aren’t there yet," he told The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir.

"Usually, it’s a few but we’ve got more than you would call normal."

Ovechkin started last season slowly as well, going three games without a goal. He finished the year with 42 tallies and moved into second place on the all-time goals list.

His next chance to break his slump comes Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season after sustaining tears to his ACL and MCL in his right knee, the team announced Tuesday.

Dach suffered the injury early in Saturday's win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He logged only 4:40 of ice time in the contest, exiting after being hit into the opposition's bench by defenseman Jarred Tinordi.

The 23-year-old registered two assists in two games this campaign before being sidelined. An injury limited Dach to 58 games last season, and he's appeared in 212 NHL contests since being drafted third overall by the Blackhawks in 2019.

Montreal acquired Dach in July 2022 for a pair of draft picks. He signed a four-year, $13.45-million contract with the Canadiens shortly after.

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It's a good thing Rick Tocchet didn't order those Stanley Cup rings.

Less than a week after the Vancouver Canucks head coach delivered a memorable quote in the aftermath of a dominant season-opening win, he spoke with similar conviction to summarize a disappointing effort against the Philadelphia Flyers.

"It's a good lesson," Tocchet said after the 2-0 loss Tuesday. "Who are we to think we're anybody?"

The Canucks suffered their first loss of the young season in the Flyers' home opener, and the game wasn't as close as the scoreline indicated. Philadelphia outshot Vancouver 42-25 while controlling 68.6% of expected goals and 56.2% of shot attempts at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"I can't even pick one guy who played well other than (goaltender Thatcher) Demko," Tocchet said. "He was unreal. He was great tonight, and the rest of the guys weren't."

The coach added: "We just got some guys, they better pick it up. I don't like using the word 'soft,' but I didn't see guys competing at all, and that's alarming."

The Canucks won their first two games of the season - each against the Edmonton Oilers - by a combined score of 12-4. Their next opportunity to find the win column again comes Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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New Jersey Devils star Timo Meier was among three players head coach Lindy Ruff stapled to the bench for the third period of Monday's 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Meier, along with Curtis Lazar and John Marino, only played one shift in the final stanza. Ruff said it was his decision to not play the trio, but pointed to Meier's lack of discipline during the game as a reason he didn't see the ice.

"Can't take the penalties he took," Ruff said after the contest.

Meier was assessed two tripping minors in a span of 4:18 during the second period. He finished with one shot in 11:29 of ice time and is now pointless through three regular-season games after signing an eight-year, $70.4-million extension over the summer.

While Meier is the most notable name to be sat, Ruff was adamant the loss wasn't due to a single player.

"We need more out of a lot of guys," Ruff said. "This isn't about one guy. When we start the game, there's 18 guys that are playing. We need more out of our group."

The Devils surrendered the first four goals in Monday's contest before their late comeback effort fell short. New Jersey is now 1-1-1 on the year with its next game coming Friday against the New York Islanders.

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Daniel Alfredsson is back with the Ottawa Senators organization with no official title, president of hockey operations Steve Staios told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

"At this point in time, it's best for him to be around the players and the coaches quite a bit more," Staios said. "We're going to see how this evolves, but he's officially back with the organization."

Alfredsson was on the ice for Ottawa's practice on Friday morning.

Alfredsson is widely regarded as the best player in Senators history. He played 17 seasons with the club from 1996-2013 and is the franchise's all-time leader in goals (426) and points (1,108). In 2016, he was the first player to have his number retired by the organization and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.

Alfredsson worked as Ottawa's senior adviser of hockey operations after his playing career but decided to leave the organization in 2017 when his contract expired after two seasons.

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