Both the Kings and the Avalanche entered this game with high expectations. Colorado built its team around its core players, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, while Los Angeles added a few veteran pieces and is leaning towards their up-and-coming young talent and veterans. 

It was shaping up to be a great game, but it was the exact opposite. 

In a season opener that’s already shaping to be a statement game for the Avalanche, they surged out to a 3-0 lead through the first two periods, scoring three goals in the second period alone. 

What looked like a tight, close, cautious first period of action blew open as Colorado’s offense began to attack the Kings and found a groove, while Los Angeles struggled to find answers on both sides of the ice. 

Final from LA. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/yquOPADMBw

— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 8, 2025

First Period: Tight Defense, No Goals

In the first period, both teams appeared sluggish and deficient, with both goaltenders standing strong and protecting their nets. Neither team could break the tie and score the team's first goal of the season, making it interesting to see if the entire game would go this way.

The ice was played with discipline and toughness, with a few penalties and hard hits. 

Speaking of a few hits, the biggest hit was the one Josh Manson delivered to Warren Foegele, which sparked a fistfight between Jeff Mallot and Manson, resulting in an extra 2-minute unsportsmanlike penalty. Many argue that this was the breaking point for Los Angeles.   

WHAT A HIT, WHAT A FIGHT 💥

Josh Manson lays a massive hit on Warren Foegele and then follows it up with a fight with Jeff Malott 🥊 pic.twitter.com/nag285X1Qh

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 8, 2025

Second Period: Avalanche Takes Over

Colorado came out with a statement once the second period began, putting Los Angeles on its heels. 

Avs opened the scoring 48 seconds into the middle frame, setting up forward Martin Necas for a snipe to score Colorado’s first goal of the season, assisted by MacKinnon. 

The next play that sparked a 2-0 lead came just a few minutes later when Sam Malinski scored from the left side of the ice through a maze of traffic in front of him that was a very tough shot, one that Kings goaltender Kuemper never even saw go through. 

Suddenly, what had looked like a defensive battle became a runway. As left-wing Artturi Lehkonen dived down on the ice and scored a goal off the assist from Makar to take a commanding 3-0 lead. 

Third Period: Avalanche Hold Off Kings 

The Kings managed to score in the final period with Kevin Fiala cashing in on the fast break to avoid the shutout, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. 

Overall, it wasn’t a pretty night for the Kings, as it looked like mentally they weren’t in the game after the first period. Give credit to Scott Wedgewood, who came up big for his squad and spoiled Anze Kopitar’s final home opener. 

It’s just one game; there's no need to panic for the Kings. However, mentally, they let the Avs get in their heads, and they can’t allow that to happen again against superior teams in the Western Conference if they’re going to be contenders. 

 

 

It was a very “Game 1” feeling to this first period, mainly for the Avalanche. The Kings came out strong early in the period, generating a lot of chances in the Avalanche zone, but Scott Wedgewood was impressive to start. Keeping track of the puck well and making sure any loose rebounds were either batted away quickly or gloved for a whistle. 

A major standout of the Avalanche was the Landeskog-Nelson-Nichushkin second line. They were super impressive in the playoffs against the Dallas Stars, and they're keeping that chemistry to start the season. Big moment when Josh Manson lays a massive hit on Warren Foegele, and Jeff Malott steps up for his teammate. It is called for instigating, and the Avalanche gets a power play out of it, but they fail to capitalize on it.

Heck of a hit from Josh Manson 😳 pic.twitter.com/bZHoeqhhT0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 8, 2025

It was an outburst in the second period as the Avalanche scored three goals in the period. It starts when MacKinnon wraps around the net and finds Martin Necas to open the scoring. His assist sets a new franchise record for most points by a Colorado Avalanche since moving from the Quebec Nordiques to the Colorado Avalanche, passing Joe Sakic.

Nathan MacKinnon Becomes Avalanche's All-Time Leading ScorerWith his assist on Martin Necas' goal, Nathan MacKinnon now passes Joe Sakic for most points in Colorado Avalanche history since relocating to Denver, Colorado.

Sam Malinski was able to scoop the puck off the boards and send a shot on the blue line through a crowd of players and beat Darcy Kuemper. The Avalanche get a power play opportunity when Joel Edmundson is called for slashing, but don't capitalize on it. Cale Makar makes a highlight play by dashing through the Kings' defenders, but his shot is blocked, though it's Artturi Lehkonen on the doorstep to bang it in. With 30 seconds left in the period, Edmundson takes a delay of the game penalty.

The third period was eventful to say the least, with four penalties called in the first 12 minutes. Brent Burns called for hooking, Makar called for hooking, and Foegele called for holding, all teams failing to capitalize on the power play. It won't be until Kevin Fiala is called for roughing and Necas makes it 4-0 after beating Kuemper far side right as the power play begins.

Another three penalties would be called after that, with MacKinnon penalized for interference and Manson penalized again for cross-checking, to make it a 5-on-3. The Kings capitalize on the opportunity as Fiala blasts one past Wedgewood to make it 4-1. Clarke is called for cross-checking, the seventh penalty in the period. That would end the game, with the Avalanche winning 4-1

The Avalanche play again on Oct. 9 against the newly introduced Utah Mammoths in their home opener.

There were a lot of storylines heading into the Pittsburgh Penguins' season opener against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

For one, the respective head coaches of each squad - Dan Muse for Pittsburgh and Mike Sullivan for New York - swapped places and organizations this offseason. Two teenagers in Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel were debuting on the same day for the Penguins - the first time that's happened since Kris Letang and Jordan Staal on Oct. 5, 2006. Also, the "Big Three" - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang - kicked off their record-shattering 20th season together.

But, despite all the noise, Pittsburgh played a smooth, sound road game - and it paid off for them.

The Penguins shut out the Rangers, 3-0, to begin their 2025-26 season, and they did it in clinical fashion. They limited high-danger chances against, and goaltender Arturs Silovs - who got the nod over veteran Tristan Jarry - stopped all 25 shots he faced. 

No one could have predicted that forwards Justin Brazeau and Blake Lizotte would carry the scoring for the Penguins, even with two of those goals being empty-netters. But perhaps the most impressive thing was that the Penguins took a 1-0 lead into the third period, and it didn't once feel like that lead was in danger of being taken from them.

They outshot the Rangers, 12-5, in the third period, locking down and playing structurally sound hockey - something that's been largely lacking over the past several seasons in Pittsburgh.

"I thought they, to a man, did a great job," Muse said. "I thought for the first game of the season, I just like the fact that you walk out of there, you get the job done. But you can look around the locker room and really feel like, to a man, everybody did something there to contribute tonight. If we start that way, and that's going to be the base that we're going to build off of, that's what I learned tonight. I'm excited about building with these guys."

2025-26 Season Predictions: THN Penguins' EditionIt’s a new NHL season, and that means it’s time for a new THN - Pittsburgh Penguins season prediction piece!

Here are some thoughts and observations from the Penguins' impressive season-opening win:

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- Let's start with the kids.

First of all, it was a really cool thing to see Brunicke and Kindel take the ice in the opening lineup, along with three scrubs in Crosby, Malkin, and Letang (just kidding, of course). They actually had a pretty good opening shift and were pressuring in the offensive zone until the puck leaked out to the neutral zone and Brunicke took a penalty within the first minute.

To start the game, it was clear that Brunicke took some time to adjust to the speed and rigors of playing in a regular season NHL game. But after the first period, the 19-year-old blueliner - only the second South African-born player to play in an NHL game - settled in. His reads progressively got better, he got more confident in joining the rush and in playing the offensive blue line, and his defensive zone presence improved.

First game ✔️ pic.twitter.com/5gsEF78KGe

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 8, 2025

ROOKIE LAP TIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/b3qT6dlNdG

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 7, 2025

Brunicke was good in this game. But Kindel was outright impressive.

The 18-year-old center was 80 percent in the faceoff circle, and he looked like an NHL regular from puck drop. He made a few passes and plays that were remniscent of a 10-year veteran. He was calm, composed, and confident with no panic in his game. He even generated a few chances for his line with Philip Tomasino and Tommy Novak, and he easily could have finished the evening with a few points on the board.

There are very few young players in this league that I've seen debut - and I've seen many over the years - who looked like they belonged from the very start. It's so difficult to just jump into a game against an NHL lineup for the first time as a teenager and look the way Kindel did on Tuesday.

I continue to be impressed by this kid. If he can keep this up for nine games, I'm not sure how he doesn't stick around. But, that's just it: We'll see how he looks over a nine-game sample. 

- Another player who was impressive and committed to structure tonight was Erik Karlsson.

"Karlsson" and "structure" don't typically go together in the same sentence. But, alas, he made very few mistakes - a missed outlet pass in the second period was one of them - and he looked akin to the 2022-23 version of Erik Karlsson that the Penguins thought they were acquiring from the start.

I think he and Parker Wotherspoon could, potentially, be a really solid pairing for the Penguins this season. It's obviously very, very early, but based on Tuesday's game and some camp observations, Wotherspoon plays a very stay-at-home, structurally sound, low-risk, and low-event game. A very low-event and positionally sound defenseman is an ideal partner for one of the most high-event players in the league. 

We'll see how things shake out with them. But if Wotherspoon's "unnoticeability" makes Karlsson more noticeable in a good way - and allows him to do what he does best - that's all you can really ask for. 

- Malkin was very, very good in this game. He had his gallop. And his linemate, Brazeau, seemed to be in the right place at the right time with frequency. 

'It's Super Rare': Looking Back On Two Decades Of The 'Big Three'On Oct. 5, 2006, a young, 19-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins' defenseman named Kris Letang suited up for his NHL debut against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Anthony Mantha looked a bit rusty, but that's probably because he is. He'll need time to get back up to game speed after missing nearly the entire 2024-25 season with a torn ACL, so it's nothing to be concerned about at this point. 

I'm not yet sure what to make of this line, which has a minimum height requirement of 6-foot-5. But it seemed like they were using that size advantageously, and the fact that they were mostly deployed in offensive zone starts allowed them to play to their size and their strengths.

I don't think this line sticks once Bryan Rust returns, and it certainly won't if Rutger McGroarty returns to the NHL roster. But, for now, it might just work. And Malkin deserves to have some consistency on his wings in what could be his final NHL season.

- Silovs was not tested to the extreme on Tuesday, and he was a bit shaky with his rebound control earlier on in this game. 

But, he locked in and made the saves he needed to. It was nothing flashy and nothing spectacular, but he got the job done. And he was calm and composed in the process. 

Honestly? This might just be what the Penguins need between the pipes this season. He won't be perfect, but he could very well be good enough - and he still has potential to rise above that. Muse said Jarry will get his early-season opportunities, too, but this was a really good way to start the season for Silovs.

3 Big Penguins' Storylines To Watch in 2025-26With final NHL rosters submitted and the pre-season officially coming to a close, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be an interesting team to watch for a plethora of reasons in 2025-26. 

- Many hockey people are projecting the Rangers to be a playoff team. 

To be honest, I just don't see it.

Yes, they have, arguably, the best goaltender on the planet. Their top defensive pairing is quite good, and their top-six is formidable. 

But, beyond that? Things get less than ideal. 

The bottom-six leaves a lot to be desired, even with rookie Noah Laba in the picture. The bottom-four in their defense corps isn't all that great, either, and they also don't have a whole lot to look forward to in their prospect pipeline. 

On top of all of that, their team is aging, and its best player in Artemi Panarin is on an expiring contract.

I'm not saying the Rangers won't make the playoffs. It's early, they have the goaltending, and Sullivan is a very, very good coach. But I just don't think they have the talent or the depth to really make any kind of statement this season. 

I, for one, think this team needs a whole lot of tinkering in order to make the playoffs this season. If it stays the same - and they don't end up making the playoffs - I can't say I'd be surprised.

Mike Sullivan Understands The Magnitude Of What It Means To Represent The Rangers Mike Sullivan makes his way to The Big Apple in a unique season for the New York Rangers. 

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

While the current Vancouver Canucks prepare for their season-opener on October 9, some former Canucks started their 2025–26 season off with a matchup against former teammates. In the second game of the NHL’s opening night, former Canuck Artūrs Šilovs and the Pittsburgh Penguins shut out J.T. Miller, Carson Soucy, and the New York Rangers by a score of 3–0. All three players started the 2024–25 season on Vancouver’s opening night roster and all ended up on different teams via trade. 

Šilovs, the 2025 Calder Cup MVP in the Abbotsford Canucks’ first championship in franchise history, had been named the Penguins’ opening-night starter earlier in the day. He was traded back in July in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and forward Chase Stillman. In his Pittsburgh debut, Šilovs stopped all 25 shots faced and earned his first regular-season NHL shutout. 

On the other side of this game was Miller, who spent six seasons with the Canucks before being traded for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 2025 first-round pick back in January. The scrappy forward was named captain of the Rangers back in September and will likely be a big piece in New York’s successes in 2025–26. He was joined by Soucy in March when the Canucks traded the veteran defenceman a day before the trade deadline. 

The next former 2024–25 Canuck who is expected to start their season is Dakota Joshua, who was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in mid-July. Joshua and the Maple Leafs will face the Montréal Canadiens tomorrow, October 8, at 4:00 pm PT. Another former Canuck, Pius Suter, will make his debut with his new team, the St. Louis Blues, on October 9 at 5:00 pm PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

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On Oct. 5, 2006, a young, 19-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins' defenseman named Kris Letang suited up for his NHL debut against the Philadelphia Flyers.

By then, 19-year-old phenom teammate Sidney Crosby already had an entire NHL season under his belt, which was a marvelous 39-goal, 102-point rookie campaign. And, less than two weeks later - on Oct. 18 - a 20-year-old Evgeni Malkin suited up for an NHL game for the first time. 

Little did those three players know that, 20 years later, they'd still be donning the same sweater and taking to the ice together. 

The trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang is the longest-tenured trio in North American professional sports history, and, to some, it might stand to reason that they always knew there was something special between the three of them - a bond and a partnership that could stand the test of time.

But, in reality, it's not something that was ever guaranteed - which makes it all the more unique and special.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that secure with it, to be honest," Crosby said. "I mean, [in] hockey… there’s so much turnover. I think, just in general, like all sports, you see more and more turnover. It’s pretty rare that you see guys be with one team for long periods of time, and because of that, I probably didn’t allow my hopes to get up too much. But, I think that’s what makes it even more special.

"I think that, in the back of our mind - you’d have to ask [Malkin and Letang] - but there’s no guarantees, and that’s what makes it what it is. It’s super rare, and I think it makes us appreciate knowing that [change] could have happened so many different times.”

8 Bold Penguins' Predictions For The 2025-26 SeasonIn case you haven't heard, the Pittsburgh Penguins play hockey Tuesday night against the New York Rangers. 

But, change never happened. And given the long run of success that the Crosby-era Penguins had, the thought of them spending two decades together - from an outside perspective, at least  doesn't feel unnatural in the slightest.

The trio's run of success started almost immediately, as the Penguins made the playoffs in that first season. Letang was not part of the picture - as he was sent back to juniors after just six NHL games and remained there for the rest of the season - and they did get ousted by the Ottawa Senators in five games. But it built the foundation for what was to come next with a roster one year older and more experienced. Malkin and Crosby enjoyed successful seasons individually as well, as Malkin recorded 33 goals and 85 points in 78 games and Crosby registered 120 points - and won the Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Hart Trophy. 

But it all started to peak in 2007-08 with all three of them in Pittsburgh for almost the entire season. The young Penguins peaked early, going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final against the veteran powerhouse Detroit Red Wings but ultimately falling short. 

The stats, information and history throughout The Big Three's 20 seasons is endless 🧵 pic.twitter.com/tJ4KUkqdsF

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) October 7, 2025

It was almost deja vu in 2009, but this time, the Penguins came out on top, and the young core were already Stanley Cup champions at 22, 22, and 21 years old. Playoff success may have eluded them for a while after that, but after back-to-back championships in 2016-17, it seemed that - no matter what - the legacy of the "big three" was already pretty solid.

Fast forward to the dawn of the 2025-26 season, and the Penguins have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The team finds itself in the midst of a rebuild with an unclear timeline, and even with youth beginning to populate the roster, the three Penguins' legends still remain. 

It's hard to tell what's next with these Penguins and their three longest-tenured players. Malkin is entering the final season of his current contract and - at 39 years old - is contemplating retirement at the end of it. Letang, 38, still has three years remaining on his deal, and he will likely continue to settle into a lighter workload as the season progresses. At 38 years old, Crosby is still going very strong, and he is entering the first year of a two-year contract.

2025-26 Season Predictions: THN Penguins' EditionIt’s a new NHL season, and that means it’s time for a new THN - Pittsburgh Penguins season prediction piece!

The 3,705 points between them is the most by a trio on a single team in NHL history. Even if the future is a bit uncertain, they're still writing history, and they're still writing their story.

It would be easy for each of them to sit back and soak in the moments. Take it all in and enjoy everything they've built together. But that's just not how they're wired. 

They still want to win, and they want to win in Pittsburgh. As a new generation is ushered in, they're still focused on the season in front of them - and they're enjoying the ride.

And, even if his captain is pleasantly surprised that the three of them are still doing all of it together, Letang is not.

"We don't really take time to think about," Letang said. "From the beginning, we felt like we were pulling in the same direction, and we all wanted the same thing. For some reason, it doesn't surprise me that we're still here. It's just been great. Three different personalities, and it's just been fun.

"So, we're excited for another one."

3 Big Penguins' Storylines To Watch in 2025-26With final NHL rosters submitted and the pre-season officially coming to a close, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be an interesting team to watch for a plethora of reasons in 2025-26. 

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

The Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks kicked off a new hockey season on Tuesday night in Sunrise.

Florida, the NHL’s back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions, raised their 2025 championship banner before facing off against the young Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena.

It’s going to be a challenging campaign for the Panthers.

Before playing a single game, the Cats were already without three of the key players from their most recent championship run: Matthew Tkachuk, Tomas Nosek and team captain Sasha Barkov.

The Panthers were able to get things off on the right foot during Opening Night, defeating Chicago 3-2 in front of a packed house full of excited Cats fans.

After the game, The Hockey Show co-hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork broke down all the action.

You can check out THS’ postgame coverage in the video below:

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The Buffalo Sabres are facing an uphill battle to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, and we’ll be honest – in our pre-season predictions for THN.com, we slotted the Sabres into sixth place in the Atlantic. And we were being generous about Buffalo in comparison to THN magazine\, which ranked the Sabres as the seventh-best team in the Atlantic.

It really comes down to easy math: you just have to ask yourself which teams are locks to make the playoffs, and how many playoff openings that leaves for the teams that aren’t playoff locks. And in the Atlantic, the math isn’t encouraging for the Sabres.

To wit: in this writer’s opinion, the Atlantic playoff locks are the Toronto Maple Leafs (who were the best regular-season team in the division last year), the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the defending-champion Florida Panthers.

The Maple Leafs made major changes, yet they still have a deep, skilled attack that’s going to be desperate to go far this year. They won't be handing Buffalo any free standings points. Neither will the Lightning or Panthers. Thus, the Sabres will be fighting it out for fourth space. And the competition for fourth place is fierce. Not only are the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins also vying for one spot – two spots if they’re good enough to steal an extra spot from the Metropolitan Division. 

It's The Calm Before The Storm For Sabres As Buffalo Aims To End Painful Playoff DroughtFor the Buffalo Sabres, it’s the calm before the storm. The NHL’s 2025-26 regular-season is about to commence, and with the new season comes a new set of expectations for the Sabres. And with this season’s Sabres, the expectation is urgent – this Buffalo team is either going to end the Sabres’ 14-year playoff drought, or there are going to be changes throughout the organization, including the firings of GM Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff.

All of this is to say the odds of the Sabres beating out every other team and sneaking into a wild card berth this year. There are too many things out of Buffalo’s control, too many what-ifs, too many ripple-effects. None of them make the Sabres’ lives easy. Buffalo could play well, and still not have their destiny in their hands down the stretch. That has to be alarming for Sabres hands who want nothing more than to cheer on their own playoff team. 

Buffalo knows they’re not going to be a popular pick to go far this season, and they need to use the underdog label to send a message – this year’s Sabres aren’t the Sabres of the past decade-and-a-half. Buffalo has sufficient talent to be a playoff team this season, and as they prepare for their first game Thursday night against the New York Rangers (another team that could hurt the Sabres landing a wild card spot), Buffalo understands they’re coming to a crossroads with this Sabres team.

Early Injuries To Key Sabres Players Can't Be An Excuse For Buffalo To Fail This SeasonWe said it earlier this summer, on more than one occasion – if the Buffalo Sabres intend on ending their Stanley Cup playoff drought at 14 years, they can’t afford to let the injury bug take a major bite out of their roster. Obviously, that’s something that only the Hockey Gods can control, but the Sabres simply don’t have the organizational depth to withstand the damage if someone meaningful is sidelined for a notable stretch of time.

Buffalo absolutely has to empty the tank to avoid losing out on simply qualifying for the post-season. Because the Sabres are going to be fighting it out with many teams for a wild card berth, and the odds are stacked against them. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Brazeau scored twice, Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots he faced for his first regular season NHL shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night in each team’s opener.

Dan Muse won his debut as Penguins coach with his predecessor, Mike Sullivan, on the other bench running his first game with the Rangers. Sullivan guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17 as part of a nearly decade-long run there before parting ways in April.

Brazeau and Silovs were also playing for the Penguins for the first time. Brazeau signed as a free agent, while Silovs joined in a trade from Vancouver.

Evgeni Malkin led off his 20th season in the league by setting up Brazeau’s goal. Malkin beat Vincent Trocheck on an offensive zone faceoff to get the puck to Brazeau, who was alone in front and roofed a backhander past Igor Shesterkin.

Brazeau’s first goal with 32 seconds remaining in the first came near the end of a period that Pittsburgh controlled the play for much of the time. Silovs blocked away a shot from Alexis Lafrenière in the final seconds of an early Rangers power play but did not have to make too many other spectacular saves to get the win. With Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker, Brazeau had an empty-netter with 2:12 left, and Blake Lizotte sealed it with another 20 seconds later.

Mika Zibanejad, who Sullivan put on new captain J.T. Miller’s right wing to start the season, was one of the most noticeable players for New York. Zibanejad missed the net on a couple of scoring chances but also had a game-high seven shots on goal.

Defeating the Rangers gave the Penguins something to celebrate on opening night as Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made some history. They became the first trio in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to play 20 seasons together with the same team.

Up next

Penguins: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Rangers: Visit Buffalo on Thursday night.