On Thursday night, the St. Louis Blues made a statement when they healthy scratched forward Jordan Kyrou.

The 27-year-old, who is in season three of an eight-year deal worth $8.125 million, only had four goals with four assists through 14 games this season and was a -8.

The Blues, who did notch a 3-0 shutout win over the Buffalo Sabres in Kyrou's absence, 5-8-2 on the season, just two points from the Western Conference floor. 

Monty on scratching Kyrou: “Many players could have been scratched after last night’s game and ultimately I decided on this group tonight.” #stlblues

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) November 6, 2025

Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft, Kyrou's name appeared in many trade rumors primarily because his no-trade clause was set to kick in on July 1. 

Per industry sources, the Blues had poked around on the New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson, and the asking price for the 25-year-old offensive-defenseman would have likely been Kyrou, a potential 1-for-1, if you will. 

Whether the Blues were serious about moving Kyrou or just testing the waters to see what the value was, his being healthy-scratched this early in this season doesn't turn down the volume on those trade speculations. 

It's been tough sledding for Kyrou this season for sure, but he reached the 70-point mark in 2024-25, which was the third time he’s done so in his seven-year NHL career. He recorded 36 goals, one short of his career high, and 34 assists in 82 games.

He is a top-six talent that many teams would love, but given his no-trade clause, Kyrou's future is in his own hands. 

The New York Islanders should be all over Kyrou if he becomes truly available. 

Many viewed this Islanders' season as a step back to take two steps forward, and that first-year general manager Mathieu Darche will be selling at this year's deadline, which comes on March 6.

But, with the emergence of Matthew Schaefer and what the immediate future now looks like, could the Islanders be buyers? Could they go out and get a player like Kyrou that will help them in the short term, in a bid to make the playoffs, and someone who fits the long-term game plan?

When Mathew Barzal went down with his season-ending injury last February, Kyrou seemed like a perfect acquisition to counteract the loss while making the Islanders faster and more dynamic once No. 13 returned. 

Now, with Darche and Patrick Roy wanting to play that speedy transition game, Kyrou is even more of a fit than he was a few months ago. 

As for fitting Kyrou in under the cap, the Islanders would have no issues. The Islanders could add Semyon Varlamov's $2.75 million on Long-Term Injured Reserve, joining Pierre Engvall's $3 million. That would leave the Islanders with $1.623 million left to clear, as they have $752,000 in cap space before those moves. 

With the Islanders' rapid rise in the prospect pool world, they could part ways with one, along with picks and a rostered NHLer that makes more than league minimum -- Maxim Tsyplakov and his $2.25M AAV stand out just because he's not playing. 

Could you imagine a top line of Barzal-Horvat-Kyrou?

Nothing is imminent on the trade front at this moment, but the Islanders should be keeping tabs on the Kyrou situation very closely. 

For the first 20 minutes of their Thursday matchup - and first of the season - against the Washington Capitals, the way the Pittsburgh Penguins were dominating was quite similar to what they did to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first 40 minutes of a heartbreaking 4-3 loss on Monday.

In that game, the Penguins were up, 3-0, heading into the third period, and they surrendered the lead within the first seven minutes. The Leafs won it in the back half of a dominant final 20 minutes that had the Penguins back on their heels for a lot of it.

Well, in this one, the Penguins went up, 3-0 early in the second period. The same thing couldn't possibly happen twice, could it?

As it turns out, it could. And it did. 

It happened in the second period this time, but for the second consecutive game, the Penguins surrendered a 3-0 lead in a single period. But - contrary to what happened after Toronto tied the game Monday, the Penguins did not just give up and give in against the Capitals.

Instead, they kept fighting, and the result was different. Pittsburgh had the opportunity to respond in the third period, and with a much better response, they were able to come away with the 5-3 win.

"Credit to the guys,” head coach Dan Muse said. “We were just in this situation three days ago. It would have been really easy for this group to cave. It would have been very easy for this group to play back on their heels, to play worried. I thought we came out in the third period and we did the things that we needed to do to win the game.

“We’ll continue to look at things, we’ll continue to clean up things there. But, at the end of the day, the guys got the job done. They got the two points."

The Penguins started off strong, as they went to an early power play, and rookie Ben Kindel and veteran Sidney Crosby - new linemates at five-on-five, too - connected on a beautiful Kindel cross-ice seam pass to 87, who buried the one-timer for his 10th goal of the season.

B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) on XCrosby opened the scoring in the 99th meeting between him and Ovi 👀🔥

Then, about eight minutes later, Capitals’ forward Sonny Milano went to the box for hooking, and the power play was at it again. And so was Crosby. Erik Karlsson threw one at the net from the point, and on its way in, the puck was deflected by Bryan Rust. Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren made the initial save with his glove but couldn’t hold onto it, and Crosby buried the rebound for his second of the game, league-leading sixth power play goal, and league-leading 11th goal. 

The Penguins outshot the Caps, 16-7, in the opening period, and it was a pretty clinical performance from them once again. Anthony Mantha added another one to the board on a rebound early in the second period.

But, then, things started to get eerily reminiscent of Monday’s game. 

The Capitals began pushing hard and often after Mantha’s goal. The first domino to fall was Dylan Strome, who scored midway through the middle frame to cut the lead to 3-1. Then, about five minutes later, youngster Ryan Leonard appeared to make it 3-2, but an offside call reversed the goal.

But, no matter. Less than a minute later, Rasmus Sandin scored the Caps’ second goal, anyway, and Tom Wilson tied the game with just five seconds remaining in the second. 

Once again, the Penguins found themselves in a precarious situation. Both teams traded a few chances in the first part of the third, and the Penguins took a pair of penalties within the first 10 minutes but managed to kill off that time. During the second penalty - a Delay of Game infraction by Kindel - Strome took an offensive zone penalty for cross-checking, and the teams played four-on-four for a little more than a minute before a brief power play opportunity for the Penguins.

And - for the third time on the evening - they didn’t miss. Karlsson gave the puck away to John Carlsson at the offensive blue line, but he quickly recovered with the reverse on Carlsson. The puck found its way back into the attacking zone on the stick of Kindel, who sent it all the way around the boards to Evgeni Malkin on the wall at the left point.

Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) on XBRYAN RUST WITH THE GO-AHEAD GOAL FOR THE PENS!! 🐧

From there, Malkin sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to the low slot, where Rust was skating in from the opposite direction. He put a gorgeous one-time redirection behind Lindgren, and the Penguins took back the lead, 4-3.

Connor Dewar - who played with high energy the entire game - was rewarded with an empty-net goal with just 2:04 left on the clock.

Obviously, the difference in response ended up being the actual difference in this one. But - no matter the result - the Penguins know there are a lot of defensive holes and lapses in their game right now and that they need to be much better for a full 60 minutes.

“Obviously, you never want to give up three unanswered goals,” Kindel said. “Like I said [after the Toronto game], we’re learning a lot. It’s still early in the season, and you don’t want to have it happen all the time. So, just got to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again.”

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

During a recent three-game homestand, the Ducks outscored their opponents 16-6 with seven goals against the two-time defending champs, only giving up one to a high-powered Devils offense and putting five past a Detroit side hovering around the top of the Atlantic Division. And then they casually dropped seven in Dallas on Thursday.

Basically, Anaheim is full of promising forwards ripe for fantasy hockey selection. And who knows? You may see one of them below … along with 13 candidates from other clubs.

(Rostered rates as of Nov. 7)

Forwards

Will Smith, SJ (Yahoo: 45%): Smith did relatively well as a rookie, with 45 points as he finished sixth in Calder voting while not primarily playing alongside fellow freshman Macklin Celebrini. The duo has combined much more this season, and Smith has reaped the rewards by recording five goals, eight assists and 28 shots on an 18:04 ice time average. The Sharks may still be suspect on the defensive end, but they're a top-10 offense and any of their available first-line/power-play performers should be added ASAP.

Chris Kreider, ANA (Yahoo: 37%): Last season marked Kreider's lowest full-season scoring output at 30 points and only seven PPPs after he reached double-digits the previous eight campaigns. Moving to Anaheim has rejuvenated the 34-year-old, as he's already chipped in with nine goals — five of those while up a man — to go with 27 shots on both top attacking units. The 33.3 shooting percentage will obviously regress, though Kreider is set for a bounce-back year as long as he remains in prime placement and stays healthy enough.

Evander Kane, VAN (Yahoo: 30%): Kane found his way back to his hometown and has recently made a mark after an inconsistent start, with all three of his goals coming in his last two appearances and a whopping 10 shots coming versus Chicago on Wednesday. He's currently within the Canucks' top-six and skates on their second power play while totaling 44 pucks on net, 31 hits and 28 PIM. Kane will be fine if he keeps firing shots and doesn't drop to the lower half of the depth chart.

Alexis Lafreniere, NYR (Yahoo: 18%): The Rangers sit last in the league with 2.21 goals per game. None of their regular scorers are above a 10.0 shooting percentage, and Lafreniere is the worst of those who've actually found the back of the net at 3.1. So why is he here? Because he's supplied five assists and has been unlucky in producing only one goal when advanced metrics say his expected tally should be at least three. That's not to say Lafreniere will instantly turn it around, yet it's a sign things are bound to improve.

Jack Roslovic, EDM (Yahoo: 15%): Getting to play on Edmonton's elite power play can do wonders for your fantasy résumé. Roslovic joined the team after the first week and didn't really get going until Oct. 26 by delivering his first goal and second assist. He recently joined the top man-advantage and is up to three straight contests with a PPP. That last part is likely to end once Zach Hyman comes back, but there's a chance Roslovic will be next to either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl at 5-on-5 as he complements their skills. And if that doesn't end up working out, you might as well add him to see what he can do now. 

Tyler Bertuzzi, CHI (Yahoo: 15%): Bertuzzi doubled his goal count on Wednesday by registering a hat trick. He was relatively reliable the previous four seasons with a 45-point average and has so far accumulated 10 points alongside 27 shots and 15 hits. Bertuzzi is also part of the Blackhawks' lead power play, where he's posted three PPGs and a PPA. That's unbelievable production from someone available in almost one out of eight Yahoo leagues.

Ben Kindel, PIT (Yahoo: 6%): Injuries to Rickard Rakell and Justin Brazeau have allowed Kindel to jump up the roster to join Sidney Crosby on the first line and man-advantage. That's quite the accelerated advancement for a player who was drafted 11th overall less than five months ago. During the last two games, Kindel has recorded two goals, two assists, three PPPs and seven shots on a combined 43:11. And with the two aforementioned absences projected to continue into December, this is an opportunity you need to pounce on right away. 

Morgan Frost, CGY (Yahoo: 6%): Calgary players often get overlooked, as the team has been horrendous at scoring the last couple years, yet there's value lurking somewhere on that roster. And you don't have to dig deep to find Frost, as he's currently centering the second line while slotting in on the top PP. Frost has points from six of the last eight games, some shots, a few hits and blocks, a bunch of faceoff wins and some decent linemates at just under 16 minutes per matchup, so why not take a chance?

Defensemen

Rasmus Andersson, CGY (Yahoo: 45%): Andersson's fantasy stock took a hit the last two seasons, with him scoring a combined 70 points (compared to 99 the previous two) and with the offensive emergence of MacKenzie Weegar. Andersson is still logging nearly 24 minutes a night with regular special-teams roles and solid contributions in multiple areas. And over the last five games, he has produced three assists — one of those a PPA — 10 shots and nine blocks. He has a chance to maintain that scoring run, as the Flames potted five goals against Columbus on Wednesday and are set to face three bottom-five defenses (Wild, Sharks, Blues) over the next week.

Jake McCabe, TOR (Yahoo: 17%): Offense hasn't been McCabe's calling card throughout his career, as he's never exceeded 28 points in any season, making his current 6-in-6 streak a rare occurrence. That's not surprising considering the Leafs have scored 25 times during that span, though it's unlikely he can keep this going. As a top-four defender who leads the shorthanded unit and has posted two goals, six assists, 17 hits, 31 blocks and a plus-10, McCabe should be able to supply sufficient fantasy stats even without finding the scoresheet.

John Klingberg, SJ (Yahoo: 8%): Long gone are the days when Klingberg would be good for at least 40 points, as he's getting fewer opportunities and more health issues in his 30s. He missed six contests with a lower-body injury for his new club before returning last week. Klingberg has since regained his spot on the Sharks' lead PP and registered a goal there on Wednesday in addition to an even-strength assist. Based on all the talent within that group, he could pick up plenty of points.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka, DET (Yahoo: 3%): Sandin-Pellikka has been a regular during his NHL debut and has notched three assists — two of those PPAs — from his last five outings. Due to lighter ice times, he probably makes for a better stash candidate as someone who'll eventually receive more work. The 2023 first-rounder should still be someone to monitor as he's offensively talented and projected as part of the Red Wings' future blueline.

Goaltenders

John Gibson, DET (Yahoo: 31%): Gibson was acquired by Detroit in the summer to bolster a goaltending setup that hasn't really had a true No. 1 recently. His injury history may be long, but there's hope, with him coming off a decent — albeit absence-filled — campaign. Gibson has already faced a couple bumps, though he has out-started Cam Talbot and looked impressive Tuesday during a 1-0 defeat at Vegas. With the Red Wings hosting nine of the next 11 games, both netminders can be recommended for short-term usage.

David Rittich, NYI (Yahoo: 6%): Ilya Sorokin won't be ceding the Isles' top job anytime soon even with an underwhelming 3.33 GAA and .879 save percentage, yet Rittich may have done enough to deserve more opportunities. He's only made four appearances with his new club, though three of those were wins with only two goals allowed in each. Rittich has also proven at various stops that he can be a decent fill-in when necessary. The team has a back-to-back Friday/Saturday where it's been announced he'll cover the opener at home against Minnesota before presumably getting additional work on the seven-game road trip.

Players to consider from past columns: Dylan Cozens, Leo Carlsson, Frank Nazar, Victor Olofsson, Nick Schmaltz, Kiefer Sherwood, Zach Benson, Jonathan Huberdeau, Dawson Mercer, Andrei Kuzmenko, Troy Terry, William Eklund, Will Cuylle, Marco Rossi, Anton Lundell, Conor Garland, Mackie Samoskevich, Teuvo Teravainen, Jake DeBrusk, Jordan Eberle, Dmitri Voronkov, Pavel Zacha, Jimmy Snuggerud, Josh Doan, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Matias Maccelli, Matthew Coronato, Barrett Hayton, Ryan Leonard, Brock Faber, Brandt Clarke, Kris Letang, Travis Sanheim, Filip Hronek, Sam Rinzel, Brent Burns, Philip Broberg, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Justin Faulk, Simon Edvinsson, Dmitry Orlov, Cam York, Spencer Knight, Jakub Dobes, Alex Lyon, Jake Allen, Cam Talbot, Elvis Merzlikins, Akira Schmid

The Anaheim Ducks took to the road for a two-game trip, with the first being on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars.

The Ducks entered the game as one of the hottest teams in the NHL, having won their last four games and six of their previous seven, heading into this contest. They were coming off an emotional 7-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, which ended their three-game homestand.

Game #13: Ducks vs. Stars Gameday Preview (11/06/25)

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-3 Win over the Panthers

Leo Carlsson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for an interference penalty early in Tuesday’s third period. For this game, he returned to the lineup in his typical spot on the top line, and the Ducks went with the exact lineup that earned them their last two victories.

Lukas Dostal got the start for the 11th time in 13 games for the Ducks and saved 21 of 26 shots. He was opposed by Jake Oettinger in the Dallas net, who stopped 18 of 24.

Here are my notes on this game:

There were 12 goals scored in this game, but only four of them came during 5v5 play. This game was a special teams slobberknocker, where each team went to the power play five times. Discipline has been troublesome of late for the Ducks, but their 5v5 play tonight was some of the cleanest they’ve played all season, especially defensively.

All the usual suspects found the scoresheet for the Ducks, now the highest-scoring team (4.15 GF/G) in the NHL by a wide margin, ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs (3.71 GF/G). Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier extended their point streaks to eight games each, both contributing a goal and an assist. Alex Killorn (1-1=2), Troy Terry (0-2=2), Chris Kreider (2-0=2), and Beckett Sennecke (0-2=2) also added multi-point nights.

The Ducks now sit atop the Pacific Division and are the second-best team in the NHL in terms of points percentage (.731).

Defensive Zone Coverage-After an adjustment period, the Ducks seem to have grasped the intricacies of their new zone coverage system. They are making more precise reads when it comes to secondary pressure, collapsing when necessary, and protecting the slot at all costs.

When running as efficiently as possible, they’re able to kill plays early with second quick pressure, but even when they allow extended zone time to good teams like the Stars, they remain diligent to their assignments and close the seams opponents are attempting to exploit.

Penalty Kill-After a stretch of successful penalty killing that saw them kill 20 of their last 23 penalties heading into this game, they had a difficult time against one of the top power plays in the NHL. Dallas took advantage of the Ducks’ heavy high pressure that would send the weak side forward high, along with the strong. The Stars worked the puck across the top of the zone before sending it low and to the middle or backdoor, where they’d get off quality looks.

The Ducks surrendered three goals on five penalties, but the coaching staff and the killers did well to adjust late in the third period and were more conscious of the bumper and seams under the top pressure. They even got one back when Terry and Carlsson linked up for a shorthanded tally that wound up being the game-winner.

Jacob Trouba-Trouba can be a frustrating case study for defensive fundamentalists who value close gaps, textbook angles, body engagement, etc., especially against the rush. For a player who is known for his physicality, he utilizes his stick to do most of the defending for him and is rather choosy on when to fire up the “Trouba Train.”

He baits attackers into thinking they have more time and space than they do to get shots off or make an extra stickhandle before he cleverly disrupts. The same can be said for his off-puck work as well; he’s constantly breaking up passes through the middle of the defensive zone. His foot speed can be an issue, as he got burned early in this game through the neutral zone, and his stick work can be a double-edged sword, as he received his first penalty of the season in this game for a hook early in the third.

Killorn-Poehling-Nesterenko-The Ducks listed third line played 6:45 together at 5v5, won the shot attempt battle 9-3, and collected 74.9% of the expected goals share. Poehling can recover on a dime and is a vacuum in the middle of the defensive zone. Killorn’s anticipation skills led to a goal as well as a handful of clever breakups, while his play-building skills, especially at the offensive blueline, were top-notch.

Nesterenko has blossomed into a valuable piece of what the Ducks set out to accomplish in every zone. His increasing comfort level and NHL hockey IQ are leading to his line maintaining possession of pucks moving north, while his skating and puck skills are buying him an extra half second to scan and make optimal choices.

Beckett Sennecke-Sennecke had a notably professional game, minus a key blunder in the second period that broke a 2-2 tie. Rather than simply chipping a puck deep into the offensive zone after a long shift, he attempted to break down Miro Heiskanen, one of the NHL’s premier rush defenders, in a period where his team had the long change. Heiskanen cleanly stripped him of possession and swiftly sent his forwards on an odd-man rush.

The response to what was his only glaring hiccup was impressive. He’s learning how to absorb NHL defenders and protect pucks on the wall with greater success, making keen defensive reads on the forecheck, and finding ways to translate the special aspects of his game to the highest level of the sport; an encouraging game all around for the Ducks’ talented rookie.

The Ducks will conclude their brief two-game road trip on Saturday when they head to Nevada to take on the Vegas Golden Knights in a battle for the top spot in the Pacific.

Anaheim Ducks on the Tip of National Media Tongues

10 Stats from the First 10 Games of the 2025-26 Season for the Anaheim Ducks

The Florida Panthers were in Los Angeles on Thursday night, looking to bounce back from a tough loss in Anaheim a couple nights ago.

Paul Maurice’s Cats did just that, taking a lead into the third period and then building on it, ultimately defeating the Kings 5-2 at Crypto.com Arena.

Florida quickly got to work, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the game.

Cats center Sam Bennett plucked a Jeff Petry rebound off the pads of Anton Forsberg and deposited the puck into the net for his third goal of the season.

Not long after, Sergei Bobrovsky stoned Adrian Kempe with a stretching right pad save after the Kings’ star forward got behind Florida’s defense.

A holding the stick call on Brad Marchand led to a game-tying goal for the Kings.

Anze Kopitar, parked at the top of Bobrovksy’s crease, deflected a shot by Quentin Byfield to knot the score at one at the 9:23 mark of the opening period.

The tie game didn’t last long, though, as Mikey Anderson sprung Perry on a breakaway just 1:37 later and he sniped Bobrovsky to give the Kings their first lead of the night.

Exactly two and a half minutes before the end of the period, Brad Marchand tied the game after stealing the puck from Forsberg behind the LA net and quickly firing it into the empty cage to send the game into the intermission tied at two.

Florida re-took the lead just after the game’s midway point, and it came on an odd-man rush.

Carter Verhaeghe led a 3-on-2 into the Kings’ zone and after a give-and-go with Sam Reinhart, Verhaeghe sent a backhand pass to the slot, where Reinhart finished the play and put the Cats back in front with 8:15 to go in the middle frame.

It took a while, but the Panthers were eventually able to get that all important insurance goal, and it came at an unexpected time.

With Florida killing their fourth penalty of the night, Eetu Luostarinen stole the puck from Adrian Kempe at the Kings’ blue line and sprung Anton Lundell on a breakaway.

Lundell wired a wrist shot that beat Forsberg cleanly through the legs, doubling the Panthers’ lead to 4-2 with 11:19 to go in the game.

After that, the momentum was clearly in Florida’s favor for the next several minutes.

Capping off an extended period of time possessing the puck in LA’s zone, Niko Mikkola forced a turnover as the Kings tried to exit.

Marchand was right there to collect the puck, turn toward Forsberg and send a nasty wrist shot over his glove, giving the Cats a 5-2 lead.

That would be more than enough for Bobrovsky and the defensive-minded Panthers.

Now we’ll see if Florida can build on the victory as they continue their four-game road trip.

On to San Jose.

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Panthers' Struggling Offense Meets Kings' Stingy Defense

Panthers in Los Angeles looking to break out of road funk

Evan Rodrigues' Eventful Night Against The Ducks Highlights What He Brings To The Panthers

Three takeaways: Undisciplined Panthers struggle keeping up with speedy Ducks

Panthers kick off road trip with frustrating 7-3 loss in Anaheim

Photo caption: Nov 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9), center, is congratulated after scoring a goal in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

Anyone who has watched Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby over the years - and who is aware of the captain's standing in terms of the NHL's all-time points list - knows that he is one of the most productive players of all time. 

And, this season, we're seeing Crosby clicking on all cylinders in a category he's not quite as known for.

With two goals against the Washington Capitals in Thursday's 5-3 win - and against the greatest goal-scorer of all time in Alex Ovechkin - Crosby has 11 goals on the season, which leads the NHL. His six power play goals - both goals Thursday came on the man advantage - also tie him with Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl for the league lead.

At 38 years old, Crosby is not only leading the league in goals, he is also on pace for a new career-high. Crosby's current career-high in goals came in 2009-10, when he registered 51 and won his first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the most goals in the NHL that season. 

This season? Crosby is currently on a 60-goal pace, which would shatter that previous career-high he achieved when he was 22 years old. 

Takeaways: Special Teams Spoil Capitals' Comeback In Loss To PenguinsThe Capitals have now dropped five of the last six decisions.

Of course, there are some factors to consider. Crosby's current shooting percentage is 31.4 percent, and it's hovering right around 50 percent on the power play. Neither of those figures will likely hold up throughout the course of an 82-game season. 

But, it's also worth considering that Crosby has been somwhat of a trigger man this season, especially on the power play. If the Penguins' power play continues to click at the rate that it has so far this season - which bumped up to first in the league at 35.9 percent after the Washington game - 50 goals may not be out of the question for the longtime Penguins' captain.

Regardless, Crosby and his Penguins are off to a torrid start, and they'll go as far as he and Evgeni Malkin can take them. And, perhaps, Crosby's new linemate in rookie Ben Kindel, who has five goals and seven points in his first 15 NHL games.  

Penguins Forward Ben Kindel Notches First Career Assist On ThursdayPittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel got his first (and second) career assist on Thursday night.

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

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel had five goals in his first 12 NHL games going into Thursday's contest against the Washington Capitals. 

He had yet to record an assist this season, but that changed when he sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to Sidney Crosby for the first goal of the game in the first period. Kindel has been on the top power play unit since Rickard Rakell went down with a hand injury, and has fit in perfectly. 

Sidney Crosby.... Aging like fine wine 🤌

📺: Capitals 🆚 Penguins live on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/5YOnn7NNUP

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 7, 2025

Kindel would later pick up his second career assist in the third period off Bryan Rust's game-winning goal with 8:44 left. He flew into the offensive zone and set the puck around the boards to Evgeni Malkin, who found Rust with a beautiful pass at the end of a power play. It was also a spectacular finish from Rust after he hit two posts earlier in the game. 

TRUSTY RUSTY 🙌

... AND WE GET 1/2 OFF RUSTY'S SHAKE AT THE @MShakeFactory TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/9QQla3OiAJ

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 7, 2025

Kindel is the ninth teenager in the Penguins' franchise history to record multiple points in back-to-back games. He continues to get better in each game he plays, even though he's still only 18. 

Thursday's win improved the Penguins' overall record to 9-4-2 as they head into a weekend back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings.

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